No wake-up call needed.

xoxo, natty ♥ 

A big week.

So this is "happening here".

Weather never really pans out the way it's hyped up to.

But, school is cancelled and I'll not say "no" to another sleep in and some free hours to catch up on work.

And even though it'll end up feeling like a short week, there's a big thing happening...

1. I get to turn 30! I haven't thought about it much yet but I'll get there.

2. Snow is exciting, if it really happens, so here's to hoping!

3. I get to go bowling for my birthday this upcoming weekend! And go to Chevy's!! That's what I chose and let's not question an almost-30 pregnant woman.

4. Some friends are coming to visit us next month which I'm really looking forward to...hey friends! We're really excited about your visit!!

5. After this next mini polar vortex/snow storm, I'll start looking forward to Spring {it's a magic word!!!}...even though it's only 20s and 30s with one day that calls for 40  degrees in the 10-day forecast, February is fast approaching and days will get longer and then GREEN.

And a peaceful MLK day to you.

xoxo, natty ♥

2/5 done.

 

xoxo, natty ♥

Long week.

We left during the fourth quarter of a game that could've been better.

And now? Time for sleep without an alarm clock on the other side!

Happy weekend!
xoxo, natty ❤

More quality literature.

Ahhhh the weekend is so close I can taste it.

Between me and sleeping in lies a pep rally at school tomorrow and Friday night's homecoming football game; Friday night lights!

Have a fabulous Friday folks!

xoxo, natty ❤

Day two.

And day three is on the horizon; thus the school year begins and thusly it continues to barrel on {some days faster/slower than others} until eternity aka June.

We're enjoying some sultry weather {nothing like you Minnesota!}, which is fine since I'm taking a few days away from running {more on that later} and I had another nice night, this one with pizza and friends {and their 2 month old squishy baby!}.

Here's to mid-week!

xoxo, natty ❤

P.S. 

I owe an email to few people out there; I haven't forgotten you it's just that zombies got to me but I'll be free from their wrath soon!

Whew!

Last night Guinness lost his momentum on the way up the stairs.

 

And in some positive news!

1} I got through day 1 of the 2013-2014 school year!!!! The second day is always the hardest since all of the adrenaline and momentum from the first day is sapped, but getting through that first day? A major feat in and of itself...so yippee!!!

2} My wonderful husband made us a wonderful dinner both last night AND tonight; thank you SO MUCH sweetie for supporting me during these busy days.

3} It's almost September...that seems like a good thing to me today.

4} I get to go to Minnesota next month.

5} FOR REBECCA'S WEDDING!!!!!!!

What's good for you today Reader? Are you enjoying the back-to-school time even if you're not a student or educator? I mentioned last year that I think that this time of year is more ripe for renewals that New Year's is and I'm still of that belief.

Here's to a good week folks!
xoxo, natty ❤

A bundle of real sunshine.

A student today told me that I dress like a bundle of sunshine. I think it was the pink sweater I was wearing?

In an effort to remember this compliment {I take them when & where I can}, I'm taking a "real" picture. 

Not that my pictures are very staged anyway.

But.

Dirty mirror.
Open dresser drawers.

Bed un-made {by the dog during the day!}.

Huge pile of laundry in the corner.

But a sweater of sunshine.

Happy Almost Wednesday!

xoxo, natty ♥

Sneaky sneaky.

I still haven't upped my Google/Blogger storage capacity but I HAVE figured out that I can post pictures straight from my phone to a blog post without being denied.

Score one for me.

Me & Bo.

In other news...

1} I'm safely ensconced in the Bay Area. On Saturday I flew Virgin America for the first time and it was a lovely flying experience. Granted, it wasn't a full flight so there was an empty seat next to me and I had an aisle seat {thanks sweetie!} but I legitimately loathe air travel and the extra space {non-airline-related} paired with my own personal TV that had lots of free things {Portlandia!} to watch {very-airline-related} made for a Happy Me.

2} I got to see some former coworkers today.

3} I got in a good five mile run today after a few days off for travel and overeating. I'll need to keep this up considering that the heavy holiday gastronomic indulgences haven't even really begun.

4} I'm home so there's a real live Christmas tree in the house! The smell is intoxicating! We ended up fir-less in DC and this tree has made my days since being home.

5} So.much.stuff.to.do.in.the.next.week!

What's going on about town for you? Did you recently wrap up some Hanukkah? Perhaps you are paying homage to a Festivus pole? Whatever it may be, I wish you joy and peace in it all!

xoxo, natty ♥

Sad Mac.

There's an old Sarah Jessica Parker TV show {I'm guessing you can guess correctly as to which one} episode in which her Apple computer suffers a break/melt down {"My Motherboard, My Self" in case you're curious}. Without further indemnifying myself with SATC quotes {at least I'm somewhat owning my fandom} the one thing from that particular episode I'm referencing here is a quote from her boyfriend that in and of itself refers to the pathetic little face older Mac computers used to make when they went kaput. Get it? A sad mac!
Today, I was a sad mac. Or a sad Nat. Whatever I am, it was a bummer of a day for me since I had to say adiós to two of my classes as well as my wonderful homeroom. I'll see the kiddos around school for sure between now and graduation but it's still a bummer-rama; I have great students and a great school and I'm not coming back to them.
But. We have new adventures ahead of us, that keeps me going. That and Indian food. And stomping renditions of the Alma Mater.

Good night folks =)
xoxo, natty ♥
PS
Many thanks to the reader who let me know that the flower I posted last week {check it out HERE} is a Blue Passion Flower {Passiflora Caerulea, to be precise}; 

it sounds so exotic for little 'ole San Jose!

Finally it's Friday.

To cap off this week our theme day was related to our class theme. My homeroom is a sophomore one so I'm with their motif this year which was Harry Potter.

I went the easy route and dressed up as a wizard trying to blend in as a muggle {mismatched}. That won't make sense if you're not up to snuff with HP terminology and because I'm pooped I'll let you do the googling if indeed you fall into that category.  My friend and I made sure to snag the part of the class' decorations that were our effigies {all of the homeroom teachers get put up there somehow}.

I think I'm supposed to be a Weasly brother.

We also had a baby shower for a coworker after the festivities. I contributed the diaper decorations which thankfully did not involve candy bars of any sort {if you don't get the reference then be glad} but were a lovely three tiered diaper cake and a diaper signing station {to write nice notes for mom & dad when they're doing diaper duty}.

The cake came out nicely, yeah? 

After I told him what I was making last night and got started with it Mike disgustedly asked me if I was really going to bake on those diapers. Ha!
Aaaaaand for my own memories since I once was a student at the school where I now work, I recorded our Alma Mater. This song is sung at the end of most any rallies and assemblies. It's been around for quite a while and can be sung very beautifully but if left to their own devices the kiddos throw in A LOT of stomping and yelling. 

Either way it's a special song.
Have a GREAT weekend and don't forget your green tomorrow!
 xoxo, natty ♥

Care Bear Stare!

For Cartoon Day today I was a Care Bear.
I LOVED these dudes growing up though I can't remember which specifically I had an affinity towards. I do recall having an awesome Care Bears Nutcracker themed Christmas Special {Care Bears Nutcracker Suite} on VHS that I would watch year round. In doing a bit of research for our costumes I learned that the Care Bears were actually created by a greeting cards company and did not begin as the charming cartoon show they starred in and I so enjoyed. You learn something new everyday.
Some teachers were original Care Bears. I, though, chose my own bear.

I present to you Running Bear. There were some other FABULOUS bears on campus today : Princess Bear {also seen above}, DNA Bear, Social Justice Bear, Calculus Bear. I could go on. And, yeah, the pictures this week haven't been great. It gets super chaotic during the day {the rallies especially} and I feel goofy enough dressed up so that asking for a picture made of me seems almost over the top. Emphasis on "almost".
Anyway, how did it get to be Thursday already?
Happy almost weekend dear Reader!
 xoxo, natty ♥

Administrative Professionals' Day.

 xoxo, natty ♥

Words With Friends.

A few months ago Sir Alec Baldwin stirred up some trouble playing the game Words With Friends while aboard an American Airlines flight. You can read a perspective about it HERE. 
When brainstorming costume ideas for Smart Phone App Day {in between teaching and grading, natch} some coworkers and I decided on making t-shirts so that we could each be a letter from aforementioned word game {it's kind of like Scrabble but on a phone}. So we went for it.
As a faculty-staff group we recruited enough people to spell out...

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!!

We used old {or new} t-shirts, contact paper to make the stencils and bleach gel pens. The stencil was the outline of the letter. We pressed the contact paper {sticky on one side} onto the shirt and filled in the letter shape with the bleach gel. 

Mine was blurry around the edges. Oh Well.

A 20 minute wait and rinsing off provides a bleached-out shape!
I was "L" and worth one point though my family thinks I'm worth more;).
We scrambled around at the end-of-the-day assembly and the kids yelled out their guesses for what we spelled out. Yep, that's my job.

I also took a short video off the sheer and utter screaming that happens all throughout the rally.

I know you're jealous! And Happy Tuesday y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Marvelous Monday; back-to-school edition .

This is a kind of back-to-school edition, actually, since there are a couple of things going on that aren't school {work} related.

1. I'm getting married {see THIS post} in 12 days! I can almost spell out the number rather than write it out. Also, I can almost look up the weather for the day...♥
2. I had a lovely bridal shower yesterday; I loved it...♥
{Lots of love in this post, huh? "Get used to it for now" is what I say, I guess, considering what's going on in this blogger's life these days...a.k.a. please bear with me ☺}
3. My life has an order to it now {as in, there is a place I need to be at a certain time Monday through Friday...go figure} after summer lazy days {where the only place I needed to be was le couch}...it feels good to have a purpose again.
4. New school supplies {for me, pretty dry-erase pens and lively-colored grading tools [red is so last year]}!
5. I get a pretty, brand-new, shiny, sparkly and, as-of-yet, unused school year. This blank slate is the best part of the ebb and flow that is the life of a teacher {other than the school supplies; see above}. No matter how beat down I felt in May and June, August and September give me the chance to start over. I can always improve {ALWAYS} and this is the easiest time to begin with those changes and continue with the momentum of the beginning of the school year since it's exactly that, a beginning, a start, fresh, new...I am truly grateful for a fresh start, this year and every year.

Ready to learn and draw on the first day of first grade; also, deep into my "I hate socks" period.

What are you grateful for this Monday? What do you remember liking/loving about the beginning of the school year? If you're lucky enough to work in education, what do you like/love about this time of year?
xoxo, natty ♥
PS
I'll try to get shower {and Alternate Bachelor Party ["what's that?" you might ask...wait and ye shall find out...tomorrow or Wednesday]} pictures up this week...again, it was so lovely, especially having my almost mother-in-law there...thanks Kathy!

Big-box-home-shopping & eating.

There's not much to report today. I slept in, ran five miles, went to a graduation party for a student of mine and then my aunt and I went to Ikea for something like four hours.


I stayed up far too late last night reading so I let myself sleep in. As soon as finals week hit I started my preferred summer schedule, staying up later than I should, incurring red and tired eyes, and sleeping in past nine. I would like to be a bit more responsible, though, and try to sleep a bit earlier and wake a bit earlier as well. Here's to hoping and trying!

The five miles was longer than I had run since the half way back at the end of April. I have been hobbling about in three mile spurts here and there since then. The busy pace of the end of the school year hasn't helped my running. As the creepy looking little runner girl on the below right reminds us, my next marathon isn't for 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day from now, but I'm thinking about it. I'm going to do a 17 or 18 week training plan, so I have some leeway as to when I begin, but the plan does not start at zero, so I'd like to get up my miles before then. I'd also like to go to Boston, but that's another post. Anyway, the five felt great, despite the muggy yet cool weather.


I am always happy to go to student graduation parties. It's really neat to get to know families a bit more and since the actual graduation is such an abrupt time to bid farewell, a party the next day is much more relaxed and I'm able to chat with students and be nosy about their future plans without feeling like there are many others that I want to catch before they leave.


My dear auntie and I love wandering around Ikea. I know that some people just loathe the place, but I am not one of them. We started with dinner which was supposed to be my picture of the day, but I was too hungry to take any shots before I ate, so oh well. I did, though, have a mini princess cake for dessert! We wandered after we ate until closing. The little fake rooms & bright colors are my favorite part; they're partly inspirational but mostly just eye candy for me. The different colors and textures everywhere really appeal to my optic nerves. I didn't walk away with much tonight, a neat book on different fabric and furniture uses, an Ikea publication actually, and some storage items. Also, I took away many ideas for wedding centerpieces; I'm (foolishly) planning on making my own, non-identical decorated centerpieces, small plants will probably be involved, but I'm thinking of interesting/funky things I collect and compile according to a theme per table...I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'm pretty tuckered right now and don't compelled to look back. After some research and more formal planning I'll go back and get the fun stuff for my reception's tables. I did snap a picture for my dad, though, since it had his name on it.

Very affordable...

This weekend was a great start to my summer vacation, though I still have some loose ends to tie up tomorrow and Monday. Let's hope it warms up a bit so that the weather can match my more relaxed attitude ;)
xoxo, natty ♥

Pretty...

A student of mine gave me this beautiful necklace today. 

She wrote me a very sincere note to go along with it. Of all student things I've ever received, the notes speak to me the most and are very meaningful to me. This necklace was made by a woman in a community in India and my ever so wise student connected the strength and wisdom of this woman to little old me, an accolade of which I am undeserving, to say the least, but I put it on as soon as I opened it and felt the strength of the woman who made it, which is good enough for me. As I noticed it throughout the day, I was reminded of how I can so easily beat up on myself as a teacher and feel as though I'm not doing a good enough job. It's so easy for me to think that way, especially in the middle of a busy grading period or at the end of the school year when assignments and tests and quizzes pile up. I so often forget that I am strong and wise and that I shouldn't forget the confidence I know lurks within me.

I could write more and more eloquently, but it's late and we had baccalaureate mass and then hanging out afterward. I got through the hardest part of my grading today, but I'm nowhere near finished. I am, however, going to enjoy the Greek festival tomorrow night (despite the predicted thunderstorms for the next bazillion days...woe is I) , graduation on Saturday and some well deserved sleeping in...hopefully with some running thrown in here and there. I'm also still on my internet diet, though writing doesn't count, I decided today.


Buenas noches ☺
xoxo, natty ♥

PS
Lebron sucks! Beat the Heat! Go Dallas!

Whew!

***There are no pictures in here...sorry!***

I did it...yea! I took 58 high school girls and two adult chaperones to the Day Worker Center of Mountain View...check it out here. This is a super cool organization that blows my mind every year I visit (this was my third time). Local day laborers can come to this center and employers also come and ask for workers, so it acts as an intermediary and workers don't need to go wait in some parking lot. The workers are also able to receive health care from a mobile health unit as well as English classes and free legal services and a myriad of other neat things. Workers will actually lead different things throughout the day at the center for the workers who aren't out on a job; one lady leads Zumba! I just cannot emphasize how WELCOMED we were made to feel which seems so ridiculous to me since they were doing us the favor by allowing us to interview them and invade their space for a morning.

With a safe place like this to go to, laborers do not need to worry about being abused by employers or unpaid since the center requires employers to adhere to a certain set of agreements. Another cool aspect of this center is that the laborers actually provide service for their community; women will knit blankets for premature babies at a local hospital and there are monthly blood drives. I take my students in as an immersion aspect of our immigration unit and am always just blown away by how welcoming the workers are (as well as their incredible and charismatic director), cooking and serving us lunch and generously telling their stories for my students interviews. The center has also just begun blogging courses for the laborers which is so cool since it gives an outlet for story telling/venting/expression/etc. and I'll be adding it to the blog roll.

Soooooo...if you're in need of things done (they are willing to do all types of work!), give the center a call. Most of the workers do speak Spanish, but the benefit of calling is that someone who speaks English will answer and help you out.

On the flip side of the coin, I approach any and all field trips that I am in charge of with dread and anxiety, often dreaming of all that can go wrong the nights leading up to it. Especially since we take the light rail on this trip and there's a fair amount of walking involved, there's a lot that I can worry about, but the girls did an awesome job and despite strong nerves, really opened up in their small groups with the workers, so I was happy. I was also exhausted. Mike and I ventured to Trader Joe's to get him some lunch for today and also to go to the self-serve fro-yo next door and I swear I dreamed it, that's how zombie-like I was. I kind of made it through classes today and I'm also super excited to go on breakaway day (like a one-day retreat) with my homeroom tomorrow...double yea!

I'm also in the process of ordering a little cakey-cake for my grandmother's birthday and I'm tres excited since it's a BUNDT cake from here and they're so...so...so...YUM! They're very pretty to boot with fluffy flowers and other embellishments in the centers. This is going to be a great birthday weekend =)

On that note, happy almost hump-day!

Snow! I mean "Hail"!

This morning this is what I woke up to:

 
Our neighbor's roof aka the view from our bedroom window. The hail woke me up in the middle of the night but being as bat-blind as I am and considering the late hour, I just assumed it was intense rain and that the white spots on the roof were mere reflections of the water. Morning's light showed me otherwise!

 
 
 

While it wasn't technically snow, it sure looked like it! 

TGIF for sure, man. Last night I saw the school musical which was a production of Aida and was super great. I hadn't known the story and really liked the show. Some friends and I ate at Sweet Tomato's before hand and I thoroughly stuffed myself to the gills enjoyed the all-you-you-can-eat.

Not much else is happening. The next week is going to be killer. I'm taking kiddos on a field trip on Monday to an amazing organization (more to follow), going on a retreat with my homeroom on Wednesday, submitting my application to Santa Clara to FINALLY finish my credential and possibly finishing my taxes before Friday...whew! After that, though, comes the long awaited spring break and then May and then JUNE and then working on the wedding and then school begins and then WE GET MARRIED =)

I'm going into work tomorrow to help schedule the incoming class so I have a short weekend. Mike and I are making pizza with my cousins as a birthday celebration for cousin Ben, hopefully I'll get some good shots of that, and then we're doing our first double digit long run on Sunday in preparation for the Avenue of the Giants half marathon we're doing at the end of this month (yes, we are a tad behind on training...) and then Monday brings that busy week.

Anyway, as I said, this upcoming week's going to kick my booty so I'm going to make the most of this weekend and I hope that you do too y'all!

Photographic Friday

Some images to end the work-week (though I'm not technically working...shhh...) and a Natty-style book review at the end:

The sadness at Trace, the burnt-down school. 

Today when I was running by they were bull-dozing the remains and in the past few days these signs have come up. They're pretty poignant to me. I kind of think that many children would, despite maybe liking school, choose a fun day with friends/at home/doing whatever instead of school, but the childrens' messages on these signs showing their sadness at the blow their school has taken was truly touching. I love seeing the support and love that the children/parents/teachers/random people have put up for all to see. There was also a nice "thank you" poster to the SJ Fire Department (individuals who always deserve great thanks). I have a fear of fire (Thanksgiving 2008, for those of you in the know) and really admire those who fight it...thanks all! As a teacher (or just a person), it is very sad to see destroyed what I know was so much love and work, not to mention the actual supplies and effort put into making classrooms classrooms with personality and emotion rather than just rooms. Once again, it is such a good thing that no one was injured and that the children will be able to return to the same location when the school year begins, though the landscape will be a bit different...

Last night I stayed up late to finish "Body Surfing" by Anita Shreve. I'm quietly hung up on Shreve's books. They mostly take place on the East Coast and revolve around the life style of WASPy folks from that area, so, in other words, they have nothing in common with my life, but I'm hooked. My favorite of hers is actually "Fortunes Rocks", though I'll save that for a later post ("Books I MUST read at least once annually", no joke). This one was a fairly quick read and once I was within an hour of finishing, it just had to be done (please tell me that other people have those sorts of nights- when you don't plan on staying up too late when you get into bed to read but end up getting too involved!?) It revolves around a house on the coast in New Hampshire that is actually in several of Shreve's other novels and is somewhat about a love triangle and the sticky mess that families can make. The book was actually pretty disturbing to me, but knowing me, I'll probably revisit it in a year or so.

I did a bad thing and accidentally read a real author's review of this novel and can't seem to shake what this writer says, namely that Shreve does a fantastic job of description and reader entrapment, but that her story lines are always a bit ideal...however, it is fiction and we (I) read fiction for a reason. Anyway, my next read is probably "Fortunes Rocks" (once again, I = compulsive re-reader...are there any more of you out there???!!! BTW, K.L., my dear friend, I have yet to read "Dead Before Dark", and I REALLY REALLY plan on it this summer!) for my yearly/6 monthly/whatever fix, hopefully followed by Alice Hoffman's (my one true literary love, no shame about it!) "Practical Magic" (also a favorite movie) which I oddly don't own but just keep checking out from the library.

Tomorrow's our sale, wish us luck =) Here are some pics of our preparations as well as some of tonight's activities...

Cookies to sell tomorrow...Funfetti cookies, can you imagine?!

Gouge-your-eyes-out-colored signs to lure in customers...

The tools of the trade...

What's on TV tonight...Miss Marple = my girl!

What some one's reading tonight...

What I'm reading tonight...for now tonight...

What some one's gnawing on tonight...