delightful diners

While at the wedding in Wilmington this weekend, my mom, husband, and I went to find a tasty brunch spot on Sunday morning before our drives back to VA. We found a place called The Dixie Grill that sat not too far off the river walk. It had a big crowd of people out front, so we figured it had to be pretty good. And boy, were we were right! This place was wonderful. Delicious food in a "no frills" atmosphere. Just what I am looking for in a breakfast joint! My mom and I both had the fried green tomato BLT (o-m-g people...why have I never thought of such a heavenly meal before?) and J had some crazy eggs/potatoes/sausage concoction that looked too good to be true.
Moral of this post: If you find yourself in Wilmington, NC, The Dixie Grill is not to be missed!

wedding weekend

What a busy weekend. We've been in Wilmington for the wedding of a dear friend I've known since I was just four years old. She looked beautiful, the company was great, and it was a fun (and a little crazy!) weekend for everyone!

lately I...

• ate Chinese
• drank more pumpkin beer
• spoiled my rotten, adorable, stinky dog
• have sat in way too many meetings and have not had any planning times for over a week
• taught a pretty cool lesson on the sun and had almost a full 100% engagement level
  
• devoured a whole box of swedish fish
• got free coffee at starbucks thanks to my teaching badge
• made these with supplies i had been hoarding:
• slaved away in the kitchen over these, for an impromptu dinner party...dinner doesn't get better than this
  
• did some cleaning, organizning, and throwing away, and it felt great.
  

pumpkins in my beer

I mentioned this in my last post, and I need to go back and revisit. Many women I know look forward to fall for the Pumpkin Latte's at Starbucks. I too, love this cool weather treat. But even more so, I love fall beer. It might be that I love all seasonal ale since I know it can only be bought once a year. Everything is better when we know it's a limited edition. Or it might have something to do with the fact that I love the hint of pumpkin and cinnamon in my beer. Last night I brought home a six pack of Saranac Pumpkin Ale, and it was just what I needed to get me in the mood for fall! Don't know how many of my readers are beer drinkers, but I would advise you all to give it a try. Perfect drink for a crisp, fall evening!

on my mind.

Tomorrow is Friday, and when my kids walk out my door at 3:00 I will have a weekend ahead of me with no formal plans. I love exciting weekends, but sometimes I need my relaxing ones just as much.

Cannot stop listening to Taylor Swift's new song, Love Story, on repeat. For reals. It's all I've been listening to for the past 24 hours.

Made another foodgawker recipe tonight. This time it was pizza roll pizza. Imagine gooey cinnamon buns with out the cinnamon and icing, but replaced with cheese and marinara....Yum!

My students are funny and make me laugh. One claimed, with a high pitched voice and a squeal, that his arm was on fire today. Seriously, his little arm was on fire from too much math.

I want to scrapbook this weekend. I have so much stuff and photos printed and ready to go, but I can never get my self to the table to do it. I continue to find other things to do instead. This has gotta stop!

We cut off the a/c this week for open windows. And we're loving it.

I am thinking about going back to highlights in my hair. It's been about a year and a half since I had them...I don't know if it's worth it.

It's pumpkin ale season. So many delicious looking brews at Total Wine!

Never been to an air show before, but since we live in our country's home of freedom, J and I are thinking about going to one Saturday. Free admission and jet noise. What could be more fun?

I should be sweeping up dog hair right now. womp womp.

a welcomed change

School is so delightful these days. My students make me laugh, they make me work hard, and they make me excited for school. They enjoy learning, which, in turn, allows me to enjoy teaching.
Last spring, I was ready to leave teaching altogether after the year I was having. Last year was my first year, which is difficult for any teacher, but it was also in a rough school where most kids came from project housing. I had very poor support and I was expected to do unrealistic things with these kids. I spent most my day in survival mode, and a good day meant we got a solid 60 minutes of instruction in.
Here we are, a few months later, and I go to bed every night looking forward to waking up in the morning to go to work. It's nice to get a paycheck to do something you love. I've had my kids for a total of 12 days, and in those 12 days, we have done and accomplished more than my last class did in our first 9 weeks. These children are so different from my last group, and while I realize both groups need good teachers, I know for a fact that I am not cut out to be an inner city teacher. It was not good for me, and it was not good for the kids. I now go to a job where I feel like I am excelling. I see knowledge building in my students, and I see engagement in my class on a daily basis. I have an inclusion class (regular ed and special ed), and although these kids have difficulties, I still see excitement in their eyes as we learn new things.

This new journey of mine, it's such a welcomed change...a beautiful change.

three capes scenic loop

Upon arriving at our B&B, we found a binder full of things to do in the area. It had menus, schedules, ideas, all sorts of things. One two page idea was the three capes scenic loop. The innkeepers had a lot of their own notes on here, full of little details that we never would have caught on our own. The Loop started us at the dunes. These were GIANT dunes not far from where we were staying that had evergreens frowing in the middle of them. Not something we're used to seeing by the Atlantic! There were a lot of ATV'ers out riding around, and we naturally looked funny sneaking onto the dunes to catch a photo.

These next few photos are from Cape Lookout State Park. What an incredible view we had here. Just gorgeous. Again, living in the middle Atlantic, we're not used to seeing the ocean from the side of a mountain. It was around this part of the day that I decided I could permanently live out on west coast.



There's much more to the three capes adventure, but I think I'll stop here. Our next stop on the trip was my favorite, but I think it deserves its own post. Stay tuned!

honeymoon

I have so many more updates to do for our honeymoon. I have so many wonderful photos, and so many fun adventures to share. Problem is, I could write on and on! Here are a few photos from one of our long drives while there. Hopefully, there will be a better written post, with more details in the next few days. School has been crazy busy, and I am coming down with a cold. For now, enjoy these lovely pieces from the Oregon Coast.

reuben calzone--YUM!

I have recently fallen in love with the recipe sharing site, foodgawker. Not only is it full of unique and delicious recipes submitted from all over, but it is a great way to find some fabulous food blogs that are out there.

About a week or two ago, I found a submitted recipe for a reuben sandwich calzone. The submitter was Vanilla Sugar, and I am now an avid reader. She shares all kinds of great stuff. Anyhow...tonight I made them for the husband and myself, and I am so pleased with the way they turned out. It was a quick (30 minutes from start to finish!), mess free, and delicious meal. If you're looking for something yummy and easy to make this week, try it!

do you believe in me?

I don't know if there are any educators out there reading my blog, but I have to share this! My principal had all of our staff watch this on Friday at the end of our work week. It's a video of the 2008 Dallas Teachers Convocation keynote speaker. This child who speaks is so touching, and as a teacher, it reminded me why I do what I do. It's an 9 minute video, and even if you're not a teacher, I think you still might enjoy it.

a tiny update

In the past 7 days I:

• Have finished setting up a classroom
• Had nightmares about the first day of school
• Enjoyed a weekend in the mountains
• Swam in the river with my dog, who didn't really love the swimming part as much as the rest of us
• Have discovered a new found interest in Paul Simon
• Learned a new card game
• Took my husband on an adventure in middle of nowhere Virginia, where we managed to find a piece of my history.
• Welcomed 19 fourth graders into my classroom with a high five, handshake, or hug (their choice)!
• Smiled at the end of my first day, because for the first time since I started this crazy teaching thing, I realized that I might actually be kinda good at it.