summer

It's summer. Oh how I love being a teacher. Today I was counting down the minutes until school ended. Is that sad? Probably not. It's time for a break. Someday I will write a post reflecting on my first year as a licensed teacher. That someday is not today.

It's my first summer since 2002 that I have had no work and/or school. Lovely lovely. My plans for the summer include reading, writing, reading, gardening, biking, beach-going, hiking, reading, sleeping, etc. Clearly I'll be very busy.

Tomorrow I leave for Boston. Tom and I will be spending a lovely long weekend seeing the sights and visiting Jenna. I'm really looking forward to a change of scene. One thing I will miss immediately is the cats. Luckily they are in good hands and I know they will get plenty of quality attention. Still, they are my besties and I am quite fond of their furry faces.

For now, though, I must be heading to bed. We set the alarms for 450 am and that will come all too soon.

Hooray! Summer!

dragging

I don't have much time to blog as I have a job in an hour, but I will say that I am so ready for summer. How do people make it through an entire year of working? That's just ridiculous. I am burnt out and my job is relatively simple. The mere thought of having three months to do what I want (admittedly with fewer funds than I'd like) is what got me out of bed this morning.

The past week has been pretty fun. Tom and I saw the movie "Up," which both of us enjoyed. We also saw the Starlight Parade, went rollerskating, met up with some cohorters for Mai Tais, and figured out a system for helping our apartment cool down after hot days. I worked on a dress, had brunch, made some great curtains for the bedroom (the last one's were too dark- we would never wake up), and organized coupons (seriously).

Well, I suppose I should get ready for my day with some middle schoolers. I sincerely hope there is a picnic or field trip or assembly or even a fire drill that will lessen the amount of time we have to sit in an overheated room. :)

summer!

Last year Tom and I went to the coast on one of our first dates. It was really sweet. We did crosswords, ate lunch in a lovely restaurant (I had a beer and fries and a veggie burger, as I recall), and walked along the beach to some caves. Oh, summer, I can't wait for your return.

summer

I took this photograph on one of my first dates with Tom. He drove us up to somewhere on Mt. Hood and we made the short hike from the parking lot to this lovely waterfall. It was summer and the weather up there was a welcome escape from the summer heat, the way it can be when you are in the forest on a day that is hot in the city.

Today I was a substitute for some sassy middle schoolers. They, much like myself, are excited for sunny, warm, and carefree summer days. Ones where you can drive up to somewhere on Mt. Hood and make a short hike to someplace beautiful. Or spend hours at a park with a book, a picnic, and quality company. Or sit and stare at the garden being slowly watered in the evening. I am a fan of all the seasons but summer always feels like something tangible to look forward to. Perhaps if I wasn't a teacher I wouldn't feel this way; perhaps I would feel less excited about the hot days if I had to spend many hours working in an office. Hard to say, but it's not hard to say that there's only 33 school days left for the year...