on the eleventh hour.

of the eleventh day of the eleventh month...
I am thankful. Thankful that the Great War finally came to a halt. Thankful that my great-grandfather survived that war and was able to continue on the family that eventually gave me life. Thankful for all the men and women who have given their lives so that others could continue to live theirs in safety and freedom...

I am not someone who supports war in any shape or form, but I am extremely thankful for the service of the brave individuals who sacrifice their youth, time with loved ones, safety, and quite possibly their lives, to protect the citizens of this country and the world at large. Thank you and God bless you. Happy Veterans Day.

glimpses.

 

  

 

 

There are many things to do when school is canceled, such as:

plan on baking cookies (but eat the majority of the dough before you get them in the oven).

work on a jigsaw puzzle (but quit after you complete the outside border).

make popcorn and watch a movie (but finish the bowl before you get through the opening credits).

go to the coffee shop to get work done (but spend the majority of the time on Pinterest).

go to an international market to buy tamales (but get distracted by the stinky fish).

take pictures of yourself (way, way, way, way, way too many of them).

At least, that's what I would do.

morning pleasantries.

Ah, yes, the morning. A time for dreaming, planning, and savoring every bite of my delicious breakfast, which is quickly becoming my favorite meal of the day... To be honest I have been quite disconnected from my early morning routine over the past week and a half, and that is mostly because I have failed to see early morning in the first place. With late nights of lesson planning, snacking, and watching guilty-pleasure shows on television, I have fallen into Douglas's naughty little tendency to stay up into the wee hours of the night and sleep in while everyone else hurries about. Though I admittedly spent most of my life coveting every moment in bed, curled up under covers and hitting the snooze button every fifteen minutes, my adult self now considers herself a morning person and am therefore slightly regretting my delinquent circadian habits of this past week.

Lack of power has led to impromptu photo shoots for entertainment purposes. As you can see, this little lady is an absolute ball of sunshine before she finishes her morning cup of coffee. Actually, I am usually quite energetic and bubbly once I am up and out of bed, but recent chaotic schedules have thrown off my mood, eating habits, exercise regime, and all those other wonderful things that help keep us stable and smiling. Tomorrow I head back to work, yes, bright and early. I cannot wait - 6:00 AM, here I come!

sleepy sunday.

It is almost without fail that I find myself completely exhausted on a Sunday afternoon. Today is no different, but I am scratching my head as to what has me feeling so tired this evening. Trip to the market. Laundry. Cooking. Composing the world's most beautiful PowerPoint presentations. Just life, I guess. Shrug.

We received word tonight that my school will not be reopening until Wednesday at the earliest. Teachers have been asked to come to work on Tuesday to prepare for the return to classes, so I have one more day to get my lesson plans in order and pray that all of my students and their families are safe and sound. Contradictory being that I am, I find the free spirit within me longing for more days to myself, to experiment with cooking, to explore the world, to continue laughing and cuddling with the man of my dreams (cough, cough - even if a certain computer programming assignment has him a bit edgier than usual - cough, cough. Love you, honey!) but the creature of habit that dukes it out with the free spirit on a regular basis has me itching to get back to my routine, back to my classroom and my students, back to begrudgingly dragging myself to the gym (just kidding, I LOVE dragging myself to the gym). 

So, tomorrow I will part ways with my Douglas and head back to my apartment, which should be fully-functioning by now. I will cross my fingers that everyone I hold near and dear (and even those I do not) are getting back to their normal routines as well, at least as best they can. If anyone in Bergen County needs me to bring back any food, clothing, or supplies, please know I am happy to oblige. Take care, everyone.

trick or treat.

I have been talking Halloween up for quite some time now and I am sorry to say that Sandy stole most of my thunder. The festivities ended, in the famous words of t.s. eliot, not with a bang but a whimper. That is not to say, however, that I did not sneak a little bit of fun in amidst the power-outage fiasco. This All Hallow's Eve was spent recharging at La Casa del Padre, scarfing down a few Reese's peanut butter cups while I passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters in my hometown, and failing miserably at a local trivia competition with family and friends (I still hold firm to my belief that all the other teams were cheating). It was a brief holiday, hurriedly celebrated between doing homework and laundry and braving gasoline lines, but I still squeezed it in and I am actually pretty satisfied with the results, meager though they may be. Was anyone else able to steal away for some Halloween fun amidst this weather-induced catastrophe? I hope so. Until next year... boo!

i am alive!

I am sure that my East Coast readers know all too well the recent havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy. I am happy and extremely thankful to say that my family was spared from most of the damage, but I find myself without power, and posting will probably be sporadic until my electricity and internet are restored. Douglas and I stayed indoors and enjoyed some homemade meals and one-too-many freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies during the storm. The winds were frightening at times, but we made it through without much rain and with no flooding, unlike with Irene. The property fared well and other than a few knocked down branches on the lawn, we survived everything in one piece. I cannot say the same for my friends in Hoboken, New York City, or the Jersey coastline. I was lucky to have moved out of the area when I did, but my heart goes out to those whose lives have been severely affected by Sandy.

School has been closed all week due to power outages, so between taking care of my freezing cold, dark apartment and stealing hot meals and electricity at my father’s house, I have been trying to catch up on some lesson planning so I am ready to go when classes are in session once again.  The last word I received was that power would be back up by November 12^th but I am hoping that is a gross overestimate. We shall see. For now, I am bundled up with my Douglas trying to get as much done with the resources I have available. I will try to get on here for some posts as often as I am able. I appreciate you sticking with me during this tumultuous time!