Who Else Wanted to be a Teacher?

Hillary Rodham Clinton also wanted to be in a teacher when she was in 6th grade. My friend Mark took this photo for me. I heart when my friends send me photos of teacher things.

Birthday Buddies

My hubster and baby Greyson are birthday buddies. How ridiculously cute are they when they're together? Greyson is actually the first baby that my hubster and I are not terrified to hold. We've seen how his older brother and sister toss him about, so we figure he's pretty sturdy. He's also the first baby that has wanted us to hold him. For all those reasons, we think he's pretty fantastic. If you're wondering if we have a major case of baby fever, the answer would be, "Yes!"

Catch Up: Danishing it Up with Mychal

Catch Up: Spontaneous Camping Trip

Our friends posted some cute camping pictures on Facebook on Saturday morning. Before I knew it, we got a camping invitation and we were packing up my hubster's car. It was ridiculously fun. There was tri-tip munching, carrot cake savoring and some glowstik painting. The weather was comfortably warm. We were able to sleep with just a twin comforter. Once we awoke to the roar of the waves, we stumbled out of the tent for a morning walk along the beach. A fabulous impromptu adventure with the most lovely friends. The perfect mini getaway that I was craving!

Greco

My friend Mark is now in Greece. Here are his sneak peeks: 

Roma

My friend Mark is in Rome celebrating his birthday. Fantastic, right? I've been sending him my Rome wishlist. For example, I told him that he has to eat gelato once a day for me. In return, he's posting these photos on my wall that are totally me: 

Panda Bread

My friend Nic was brave enough to try the panda bread recipe. For our reunion, she brought slices from her mini loaf. She thought that the panda didn't turn out too friendly, but I still think it's pretty adorable.

Catch Up: Planting

Source

One of my all time favorite things is hearing people share their memories about our wedding. I've previously mentioned David's love of pulled pork sandwiches. Last Sunday, my hubster's friend, Ruka shared that she remembered we loved planting things. Why? Well, she remembered our favors. We gave away little terracotta pots with packets of potting soil and basil seeds. She even planted our seeds. The story gets better. She even got little seedlings to grow!

Oh, Oprah!

When Janah and I were in middle school together, we used to take those teen magazine quizzes together. She just took Oprah's "Who Am I Meant To Be?" quiz. Of course, I had to, too. Here are my top two striving styles.  Honestly, it was pretty spot on.

STRIVING TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE

You are an intellectual: As a leader, you're often ahead of your time. As an employee, you try to surpass the competence level of peers, even managers. Incisive and curious, you're driven to deeply understand how things work. But that's things, not people. Oh, your family and friends are important; it's just that you don't need to spend hours engaging with them. Social validation isn't your goal—you're secure enough in your cerebral pursuits.

What to watch out for: When you can't find a way to be the expert, you may withdraw or simply withhold information, which can make you seem smug or arrogant. If you feel yourself retreating into your own world, seek a friend's help to pull you back. Also balance your cerebral tendencies through physical activities like jogging, hiking, or dance.

Looking ahead: You discover who you are meant to be through accumulating insight and knowledge. So follow your curiosity. Are you drawn to learning Mandarin? Join-ing a philosophy society? Studying and practicing Buddhist meditation? Delving into the complexities of computer programming? Writing a historical book? Pursuits that place you near the leading edge of technology, science, psychology, academia, or business are good bets. But any situation that allows you to work independently with freedom to investigate and innovate will fuel your drive.

STRIVING TO BE SECURE

You are a stabilizer: You are the rock in a storm, the one others lean on. Loyal and com-mitted in your relationships, you maintain a support system of like-minded people whom you look out for. (So what if you do it behind the scenes and don't get credit?) You're careful with money, cherish the familiar, and defend the traditions you care about.

What to watch out for: Rapidly changing environments (like a shaky economy) are very hard for you. As a result of such instability, you can spiral into a state where everything seems catastrophic and you're sure life will only get worse. You can also become overcontrolling, rejecting any suggestion that doesn't conform to your idea of the way things should be. To avoid being too rigid, each month try changing one habit. Exper-iment with clothes, drive a different way to work, initiate conversations about subjects you wouldn't normally discuss. And when the opportunity arises to do something new, avoid the impulse to immediately say no—this may be nerve-racking, but the more you practice, the less anxious you'll feel.

Looking ahead: You find meaning in pursuing safety and certainty. Focusing on family can give you great satisfaction. Also consider planting a vegetable garden, hosting class reunions, volunteering as a lifeguard, teaching at your church or temple. In the work arena, look for positions where you're responsible for others, and for making sure everyone is following the rules. You work well in any environment that is stable and consistent. Careers in government, finance, the military, law enforcement, and product manufacturing are strong options for you.

So Fortunate

Ever since I accepted my position for next year, I have had an overwhelming amount of love and support. So many friends and family want to help prepare my room during summer. Today, I received generous offers from two teachers who I co-taught with this year. They offered to do some art lessons, play the fiddle and help me sort out my paperwork. As my teacher friend, Jill, says, "You'll be the envy of all the teachers. You'll have all this help!" Oh my goodness! All this love is so humbling. 

p.s. 
I got another little note from the man upstairs with the best sense of humor.  Today it was in the form of a bumper sticker. It read, "Kindness is everything." Oh, how fitting for the day!

On The Other Side

I heart Facebook. It took me forever to give in. Once I gave in, it's been so lovely to keep in touch with my friends especially when they're out exploring the world. My friend Mark who's in Korea right now posted the photo above to my wall yesterday. He said that it reminded him of my photo style. Who knew I had a memorable style?

Excellence in D.C. Day 2

After a smidge of rest (don't forget the time changed this Sunday), we ventured out to see more of Virginia. Mark literally lives next door to the battle field where the Battle of Manassas (Battle of Bull Run) took place. The Battle of Manassa was the beginning of the Civil War. I've always been a bit of history nerd, so it was bit surreal being there. My hubster totally felt humbled. A flood of respect for the bravery of the soldiers and the tragedy of countrymen fighting against one another. 

We spent a little longer there than expected, so we were late heading into D.C. Our D.C. highlight for the day was going to the International Spy Museum. Initially, I was hesitant to go, but I kept hearing it was a must-see. I loved how interactive the museum was. You get an alias and are questioned to see if you're able to maintain your cover. All the real espionage gizmos and gadgets seem like they're out of a James Bond movie. The cigarette and ring guns were among my favorites. My hubster is still talking about the car stuffed with four people, including one person near the engine. I also loved learning about which great authors were spies. 

 Again, we rounded out the evening with a delectable meal. Our goal was to have a multi-cultural foodie experiences. For this meal, we decided to make a trip to Eamonn's for some Irish fare. We had fish (grouper instead of cod) and chips. For dessert, Mark and I shared dough balls and a deep fried Mars bar. The dough balls tasted like churros. Yum!

Excellence in D.C. Day 1

We left our teeny airport at 7ish on Friday evening for a layover at LA. Finally, left LA at 10:30ish. Arrived in Virginia at 6ish on Saturday morning. We hit the ground running, literally. My friend, Mark, picked us up from the airport. He was kind enough to let us freshen up at his hotel room. 

By 9:30ish, we were heading toward the metro station. Mark taught me that Virginia most likely has the most personalized license plates. I contemplated taking photos of all of them, but there were too many! We passed the kiss and ride and made our way into the metro station. I love taking the metro whenever I'm in a large city (minus Chicago). I love waiting for the metro, feeling it zip by, and trying to get my metro legs. The D.C. metro is surprisingly clean and warm. Not sweaty gym locker room warm but toasty car warm. 

We took the metro up to Ben's Chili Bowl, arrived around 10:30ish. It's so us to go and eat as soon as we land. We're foodies like that. In case you're wondering why this spot, Ben's Chili Bowl has been featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Man v. Food. We're all big fans of both shows. (Obama has also visited this D.C. institution.) We each had a half-smoked chili dog and shared a plate of chili smothered fries. Delish! Then, we headed to the National Mall while Mark went to meet Samantha Brown at the Travel Expo.

Most of our afternoon was spent at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. It's huge! It houses so many amazing artifacts. We saw the hat that Abraham Lincoln wore that fateful night at Ford's Theater. It even had the teacup that he drank out of before he left for the theater. We also saw the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. It's breathtaking at 30 feet x 34 feet. It also had a really fascinating war exhibit. Did you know that missionaries, teachers, and Western government employees were detained in internment camps in Japan during WWII?

Afterward, we wandered past the Washington monument to the White House. Once we arrived at the White House, we could only see the back of it. Disappointing, no? We wobbled back to Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to check out the rotating exhibits. There was a fabulous CSI-esque colonial exhibit called Written in Bone: Forensic Files of 17th Century Chesapeake. We learned how different diseases affect our bones. For instance, syphilis can cause moth-eaten like scars to occur on a skull. Gross but interesting. 

We called it an early night and went back to Virginia for dinner at a delicious Burmese restaurant.