Wrist Ring

Talking about something totally random.

Hubster: You could make it a wrist ring*.
Me: You mean bracelet?
Both: (laughs for a good minute)

*He's so flipping cute like that.

Aw

Hubster: You're so cute.
Me: Why? (very suspicious)
Hubster: You think some kids are cute that I don't think are cute.
Me: Really?
Hubster: Yes, I look at that kid and would never think that they're cute. 




Yes, I often wear my teacher glasses wherever we go. Kids are amazing little creatures.

Gold Star

(I'm sitting on a picnic blanket in the middle of our garage surrounded by boxes of teacher stuff.) 

Hubster: How did you get that gold star?
Me: The one on my shirt?
Hubster: Yea. 
Me: I gave it to myself for a job well done. 
Hubster: (laughs) You should put that as your Facebook status. 

Loving that conversation for so many reasons. A) He's not one bit shocked that I gave myself a gold star. B) He indulges my love of publishing the silliness in my life. 

Thoughtfulness

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Today, we were working on making our pop-up rain forests with the wee ones. At the top of the worksheet, there is a set of directions. Here's what happened: 


Kiddo A: Here, Mrs. Trac! (with a big smile)
Me: What is it Kiddo A?
Kiddo A: It's the directions. I cut it for you, so you can have it next year when you want to tell kids how to make it. 
Me: Aw. Thank you! I'll save it.

In the background, Kiddo T overhears this awesome conversation. He runs over, too.  

Kiddo T: Here Mrs. Trac! (holding the paper)
Me: Aw. Is it the directions? 
Kiddo T: Yea! Just in case...
Me: Just in case, I lose the other one?
Kiddo T: Yes!


Both copies are still on my desk. :) 

Not Enough

Me: When I think about all the trips that I'll be giving up for the kiddos, I wonder if it's worth it. Yes. It is. 
Hubster: We're going away in a week on a trip then we're going to the Caribbean. That's still not enough for you. Now, you're thinking about teaching in Peru. 
Me: (laughs) 

It's a Good Thing

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My dad surprises me. I know I 've said it before. I can't tell you it enough. As I was telling him about my observation tomorrow, he begins to compare me to Martha Stewart. He says, "You know what? You're just like Martha Stewart." I'm skeptical where this analogy was going, but he was on a roll. I was a good offspring and didn't interrupt. He goes on, "You're creative just like her. Just do it your way. Take your time. Don't rush. When you rush, that's when you make mistakes. If she can get what she wants, you can get what you want." Way too adorable for words. 

p.s.
Wasn't young Martha gorgeous?

Catch Up: International

Taken by My BiL

My hubster and I were on the hunt for our coffee at the Asian supermarket. We ran out just as a cold spell descended upon us. Boo! Here's our conversation with my FiL. 

Hubster: We can't find it. It's the one in the yellow can that has chicory. 
Me: It's okay. We'll get it later.
FiL: Oh...I know which one you're talking about. You have to find the international section. 
Me: You mean the white section?
Hubster: (laughs)

One Order of Cuteness

How can you not be enamored by this ridiculously cute photo? You could seriously get a stylish toothache from all of this sweetness. I found it on A Cup of Jo. Here's the even cuter conversation that I had with the hubster:

Me: Look at this photo. Can we order one just like her?
Hubster: You mean you want one just like you?

Hmm...I'm still debating if it was a compliment of my own cuteness or if he is implying that I'm slightly high maintenance. 

Catch Up: I Went to the Sea Episode 2

I'm a bit of a princess when we go fishing. My dad still baits my hook and casts my line for me. My hubster doesn't quite approve. Here's my favorite conversation of the day: 

Me: Daddy, can you put a squid and a fish on my hook? 

Dad: You want both?

Me: Yea. Sure. Just to give it a try.

Dad: Both? You sure?

Me: Yea? Why not? 

Hubster: I think that's a hint that it's not a good idea.

Me: Please, daddy. 

He finally caves. After a few hours of limited fish catching, I starting seeing more than one person with my fabulous idea! Unfortunately, I didn't have any luck that day.

I Learned It From My Momma

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This weekend, we had an early birthday celebration for my dad. On the way home, I changed my the radio station in my mom's car to my favorite radio station. Then, Usher's Hot Toddy started playing, and here's the conversation that we had. 

Uncle Mark: I laugh whenever this song comes on. 
Me: Why?
Uncle Mark: Because Usher's singing about a hot toddy. 
Me: What's a hot toddy? 
Mom: (without hesitation) It's an alcoholic drink in old movies.
Me: Hmm?
Uncle Mark: It's a hot alcoholic drink. 
Me: I thought it was a new way to say tater tot. (laughs)


When did my mom and Uncle Mark know more about an Usher song than I do? Oy, I must be the one getting old. I'm so out of the loop.

Coffee

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Once a week, I go in and plan with the teacher who I'm co-teaching with. Because our parking lot is teeny tiny and gets really hectic, I usually go a few minutes before dismissal. I try my best to sneak in, but it usually doesn't work. Here's an adorable conversation I had today. 

Little Miss: Hi Mrs. Trac! (gives a hug)
Me: Hi! Thanks for the hug. 
Little Miss: Mrs. Trac, you smell like coffee. 
Me: Good observation. It's probably because I've been sitting in a coffee shop for awhile. 
Little Miss: Oh. 

"Awhile" translates into most of the day. I had a lovely day people watching, sipping on a toffee mocha, and reading this book.

Foodies? Who Knew?

Taken by Lisa

 I'm not comfortable with calling ourselves foodies. It wasn't until our NYC trip when our friend Carlos brought up the fact that we're foodies. Who knew? When I think of a foodie, I imagine somebody who watches FoodTV religiously, knows all the fancy restaurants in the nation, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of exotic foods. I just thought we liked food like everyone else does. 

On our recent vacays, we've learned that food is a huge factor for how enjoyable our vacay is. If we have lovely food experiences, we come back with an enthusiasm to promote the location like it's going out of style. Here's half of a conversation that my hubster had with Carlos. (I couldn't hear Carlos' part because they were talking on the cell.)


Hubster: I don't think we can go China. 
Carlos: 
Hubster: It's not a big deal anyway. 
Carlos: 
Hubster: Well, I don't want to go and eat Chinese food. I grew up eating Chinese food every day. 
Carlos:
Hubster: No, I'm not going to go to China and eat McDonalds. I want to go to country and enjoy their flare.*
Carlos: 
Hubster: If we go to China, no flare for me. 


Yes, it's true. Most of time, the first consideration of a travel location is the cuisine. If we can't think of anything that we would want to eat there, it gets bumped off of the list. This is the part of the post where we give a big thanks to Anthony Bourdain for previewing the cuisines and locations for us..

 *I think he confused flare and fare. Isn't he cute? Hopefully, I'm just as cute as he is. I didn't figure out that he mixed up "flare" and "fare" until I typed up this post.

Barefoot

I love being barefoot. Once I get home, I take my shoes off immediately. I love walking in backyards and on patios barefoot. When I was little, my parents tried to rid me of this dirty habit. They told me that I would catch ringworm if I walked outside barefoot. I haven't yet (knock on wood). On my way home, my hubster and I had this conversation.

Me: What do you want to do this weekend? 
Hubster: Maybe, make some breakfast smoothies and eat some danishes. But we don't have danishes. 
Me: Okay.
Hubster: We could drink our smoothies out on the patio in our pjs barefoot. 
Me: I love that idea! 

Isn't he a genius? Pjs, smoothies, bare feet, and sunshine. How heavenly! 

Naturally, My Dear Hubster

I've been learning a lot about myself lately. Finally, I'm taking the time to put together the puzzle pieces of my habits, hobbies, and preferences. As I put them together, I find each discovery fascinating and new. Of course, I'm excited to share them with my hubster. He's not surprised by my discoveries at all! Apparently, he figured me out a long time ago. In his eyes, I'm totally lagging. 

Well, one of my new realizations is that I only like doing things that come to me naturally. Luckily, I've been a natural at a lot of things that mattered. For instance, I've always been a pretty good student. Yes, I worked hard, but I never really struggled. Cooking also falls under this category. I prefer rummaging through the fridge and making my own recipe than following someone else's recipe. 

I love photography, but I have yet to really figure out how to use my SLR properly. I don't play with the aperture settings or any of that fancy jazz. Basically, I use it as a fancy Nancy point and shoot. I also don't take the time to process my photos in Photoshop, because I haven't made the effort to figure that out either. 

Relying solely on my natural abilities is finally catching up with me. I'm having to learn what it really means to have to pick myself up after unsuccessful attempts. A lesson definitely worth learning. Learning to be patient with myself has become one of the best gifts from these growing pains. Here's a conversation that my hubster and I had about all of these lovely realizations. 

Me: So, I figured out that I only like to do things that I'm naturally good at. 
Hubster: (sighs) I know. 
Me: (smiles)
Hubster: What's the fun in that?
Me: Seriously? Ummm...you never fail. You're successful at everything that you do. 
Hubster: But, what about having someone teach you something? Then, you figure out how to do it.  That feeling of figuring it out on your own.
Me: That means I would probably fail before I figured it out.
Hubster: (sighs in defeat) 

Thanks, Dad!

I love my dad. He always surprises me. Sometimes, he can appear stoic. Other times, he won't stop talking and laughing at every ridiculous joke. And lately, he's been saying the most perfect things. When I was telling him about next week, this was our conversation. 

Me: Yea. So, we'll see if I can pull it off next week. I'm not sure, but I'll give it a go. 
Dad: Just be bright and positive. Just be you. 

Simple. Short. Perfect. Thanks, dad!

That Guy

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While we're watching an episode of Lie to Me, this is our conversation. 

Hubster: (looks at the actor playing the Korean ambassador) Hey
Me: Hmm?
Hubster: You know that black actor whose daughter made that [inappropriate] video.
Me: Who?
Hubster: Umm..not Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman. 
Me: Eddie Murphy?
Hubster: No! He's not a comedian. That's why I compared him to Denzel. You know it's on Perez Hilton. 
Me: (looks confused)
Hubster: You haven't been reading?
Me: Nope.
Hubster: Gosh.

(long pause for lots of thinking)

Me: Lawrence Fishburne! 
Hubster: Yes! He looks like the Korean ambassador guy. 
Me: Gosh, babe. Who else would know what you're talking about?
Hubster: I don't need them to.*


*He's lucky that I like guessing games.

Wee Bit Red

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I'm a wee bit embarrassed to say that my hubster and I don't have cable. Yes, we have a TV. As a matter of fact, we have two. No, we don't have an expansive DVD collection. We don't need to. Thanks to Netflix and Hulu, we have managed to evade the cable man and the dish man. We stream our favorite TV shows through Netflix on our Sony Blu-Ray player and Roku. No commercials. No reruns unless we want them to happen. For shows that aren't on DVD, enter Hulu. We keep up with all our favorite reality shows like Hell's Kitchen, Housewives, Pawn Stars, and Jamie's Food Revolution. Woot!

Why should I be embarrassed if we can keep up with our friends and co-workers' conversations? Well, when someone wants to watch something like the World Cup games or the NBA finals. We're not useful at all. This awkward conversation resumes:

Friend: So, have you been watching (enter name of sporting event)?
Me: Nope.
Friend: Do you want to?
Me: Sure. We can find a bar or something to go to.
Friend: Oh...that sounds like fun or we can just watch it at your place.
Me: Ummm...we don't have cable. (laughs nervously)
Friend: Oh...

Even though we have to have to have those conversations, I heart my friends for being very understanding. Actually, I think it's a real benefit to not have cable. We're more inclined to spend time talking to each other or doing fun things outdoors. Maybe, I'll just have to stop being embarrassed.

Catch Up: It's You!

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I mentioned a few posts ago that my friend, Mychal, came for a visit. When he hopped into our car, this is the conversation that we had.

Mychal: Hey, it smells like crayons in here!
Me: Hmm? Crayons?
Mychal: Yea. Why? Oh! It's you!
Me: Oh...probably. The hubster says that I smell like crayons and little kids after work.
(Everyone laughs.)

Sculptor

Taken at the Met during our NYC trip in May.

Subbing this week has been quite an adventure. It's either the last week of school or the second to last week of school. The beach and sunshine are singing their siren song. They're also calling me too, which isn't helpful at all. Here's a fun conversation I had while in second grade.

Miss J: I want to be a sculptor when I grow up.
Me: I did too.
Miss J: Why aren't you?
Me: (panics but trying to play it cool) Hmmm...I haven't taken enough classes. Maybe, I'll take one this summer.
Miss J: Oh...

The real reason? Somehow, the distance between my imagination and the clay is far too great. Rather than a masterpiece, I end up with a mound of disappointment. Perhaps, I will take a class this summer. Classes with grown-ups can be so intimidating though, especially when it comes to art.

Les Oeufs

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While watching Julie & Julia, my hubster and I have this conversation:

Hubster: Have you ever even had eggs?
Me: Nope. Just in cakes and stuff.
Hubster: Never? (laughs at my stubbornness)
Me: Noooo. Does that make me weird?
Hubster: What happened? Did you watch a movie about eggs attacking people?*
Me: Nope. I did watch Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but I still like eating tomatoes. I just don't like the smell of eggs. I thought if I couldn't get pass the smell that I wouldn't like the taste.

*Hubster fails to understand my irrational dislike of eggs.