School- Back At It!

There is something so sweet about returning to teach for a new school year.

Students are happy to see each other, they are happy to see you.

There are hugs.

There are smiles.

The year holds so much promise.

I know that this joy does not last forever, classes get hard, students become stressed, and life happens, but it sure is nice to soak it in.

Week one of the new year is complete and tomorrow marks the beginning of week two and I am still thinking that it is so sweet.

My Summer Movie List

This summer has flown by!  I go back to work tomorrow.  I cannot believe it!

When the summer began, I wanted it to be a summer of movies and books.  I succeeded in one of those areas and it was with movies.

Here is what I saw this summer:

American Splendor

Ghost World (Don't waste your time, I did and I regret it many times over.)

Tangled

Easy A

Brave

Pitch Perfect

40 Year Old Virgin

Contraband

Fever Pitch

Indian Summer**

Cloud Atlas** (I love this movie and highly recommend it.  It is quite different)

Bella

Out of Africa (I loved this movie.  I cried.  I laughed.  I cried.)

Under the Same Moon

The Magic of Ordinary Days (And other Hallmark movies)

Fast and Furious 6 (My grandma and I loved to see these movies together.  So, now, in her honor, my mom and I continue to see them.)

Ever After**

Chasing Mavericks (So slow and did not catch my attention)

The Incredible Burt and Anton (First of many movies to and from my misson trip to the Czech Republic.  This is a horribly ridiculous movie).

Admission (Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, need I say more?)

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Gangster Squad

Amour (Extremely sad and depressing.)

Life of Pi

**= I have seen this film before

Books-

I finally finished 'Naked' by David Sedaris,
I read 'I was Told There'd be Cake' by Sloane Crosley,
I picked up my book of 'Collected Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald', again and I am very happy about that.
I have started to read 'Chocolat' by Joanne Harris

I am seven books behind my goal of 30 books by the new year!  Ugh!  I always start late and don't make much time of it during the school year.  I need to work on that.

I enjoyed most of the movies on this list.  I might add a few more before school actually starts, but it is back to staff meetings and planning for the new year, tomorrow.

Here's to in home entertainment!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Colorful Colorado

I recently went on a road trip to Colorado.  I have been home for a week now, but I just had to share!

I took my best friend's little sister.  I have known her since she was in the womb.  She graduated from high school in 2012 and this was her gift, but we could not go last year, because I was still part time at my school.  So, we headed out on the 8th at 3am.  Cue fun!

First off, I had never been on a road trip in the truest sense... stopping here and there, no real agenda.  I was pretty excited and I was really happy because, we would get to stay with my aunt and two good friends from college.

On the trip to Colorado, all went well... except that it took us 20 HOURS to get there.  I got a triptik from AAA and it said that it would take us at last 10 hours to get to Four Corners and then 4 more to get to Grand Junction.  Lies!  I can understand picking up two hours for food, gas, restroom, a quick nap, but somehow, we picked up 6!

On our journey, we went to Wupatki National Monument and got to see the volcano there and some craters caused by lava flow.  (Does that count as a crater, when nothing impacted the ground, like a giant boulder??)  We also made a stop at Four Corners.  It is cool to say that I have been there, but, they charge you $3 and you literally walk up and take a photo, that is it.

Once we got to Grand Junction, we were greeted by my aunt, a meal, and a nice bed to sleep in.  She treated us to breakfast in the morning at a place called The Egg and I.  It was really good!

Then we headed to Lakewood to visit with my friends Zach and Jeof.  We went to dinner at a place called Casa Bonita.  I do not really know what to say about this place, other than that it is... something.

Here is a list of all of the fun places we toured and things that we did once in Colorado and on the way home:

1.  Pikes Peak Cog Railway

2.  Garden on the gods

3.  Coors stadium tour

4.  Denver Capital tour

5.  Tattered Cover Book Store visit

6.  Colorado Rockies Game vs. D.C. Nationals

7.  Wild Life Sanctuary

8.  Celestial Seasonings tea factory tour

9.  Pearl Street, Boulder

10.  Snooze A.M Eatery

11.  Hammond's Candies factory tour

12.  GRAND CANYON!!!!

Lennox Crater

Wukoki Ruin

Four Corners

Grand Junction

One of my Aunt's horses.

Casa Bonita

At the top of Pikes Peak

Garden of the gods

The State Capital.

The coolest Grizzly bear ever!  All of the animals at this sanctuary were rescued from people's homes, except two baby bears that were rescued from the wild when their mom was killed.

Two for tea and Tea for two.

They made us wear hair nets/ beard nets in the factory.

Pearl Street, Boulder

Denver

Grand Canyon: At Powell Point

Powell Point

Powell Point

Yavapai Lodge.  This is where we stayed, while at the Grand Canyon.

I tried to pick out a few of the best photos!  We had a great trip!  Happy Summer to all of you!