Tag Archives: Summer

Jun 10 2013
11 Comments
Dogs, Family, Home, Life, Pets, Style, Teaching

Why hello, Summer.

One more day of work, but yesterday felt like summer’s return. Sure the temperature dropped a startling (and welcomed) thirty-plus degrees, more reminiscent of early fall than early summer, but we still gathered around the big outdoor table to celebrate my stepsister’s 25th birthday with our beloved oak tree and retreating sun to awe us with their nightly slow dance.

Specialty cocktails a la Pinterest, a communal canvas, and happy dogs helped to set the mood for summer, my nephew inviting each of us to take a turn alongside him in the hammock.

Sweet, sweet summer, you always leave us too fast. I know you’ve just arrived, but we’re going to hold on extra tight this year…

Black Berry & Meyer Lemon Gin & Tonic w/ a splash of mermaid

Black Berry & Meyer Lemon Gin & Tonic w/ a splash of mermaid = Perfection.

Blackberry & Meyer Lemon Gin & Tonic recipe, in case you need some inspiration for a summer beverage...

Blackberry & Meyer Lemon Gin & Tonic recipe, in case you need some inspiration for a summer beverage…

Fun party idea-- everyone has to add to the painting... Everyone.

Everyone had to add to the painting… Everyone.

Joey & Odin

Joey & Odin

I <3 summer sunsets.

Heaven.

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May 25 2013
15 Comments
Health, Home, Life, Teaching

What I learned on the 26th day of my yoga challenge…

I set out this month eager to become the most physically active I have ever been in my life. While I have gone through stints of running a few times a week or doing yoga daily for a couple weeks straight, I have never been someone who exercises every day. Then, my work started this challenge where we had to log our exercise for 2013 and I found myself exercising almost daily, including the two mile walk we take with our dogs.

Suddenly, I felt ready to tackle daily exercise and yoga seemed like the best option. I imagined myself ready to embrace summer vacation with an exercise routine in the books, no longer waiting for summer to get fit but already fit when summer started. Not only that, but I imagined the relaxing high of post-yoga meditation bliss as the trials of teaching faded from my brain each evening. While these expectations were definitely met, I also discovered something I never expected.

Daily yoga is too much for me, even when I listen to my body with seemingly gentle days of slow movement and meditation mixed in. By days 24 and 25, my body had gradually become a mess. I had a low-level migraine, my neck ached, the top of my right thigh muscle felt like it was going to abandon me. Disappointed, I shared the wall I hit with an instructor whose class I love and her advice helped to shift my perspective. She reminded me that yoga is not a competition or about ego. It’s alright to listen to your body instead of listening to your goals. She also made me realize that sometimes even meditation is an exertion of energy that may be too much.

So, last night, I took the night off. Unlike the Friday before where I shunned social interaction to practice yoga and keep with my routine, I came home, did nothing, then went to dinner with friends. Oh. How. Glorious. Today I woke up ready to go to one of my favorite yin classes. My body no longer feels like it’s falling apart. I’m excited to practice again. The 26th day of yoga taught me that yoga isn’t about every day, it’s about listening to your body and accepting the days where practice means doing something else.

I'm grateful for the reminder that the purpose of life is to live, not to keep up with our arbitrary must-do list in our brain. Everyday Guru put the same idea nicely in his post today too.

I’m grateful for the reminder that the purpose of life is to live, not to keep up with our arbitrary must-do lists. Everyday Gurus put the same idea nicely in his post today too.

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May 23 2013
17 Comments
Family, Life, Teaching

Maybe Goodbye Has to be Ugly Sometimes

My head hurts. This week has been painful. Many of my students aren’t themselves, easily agitated, disrespectful, messy. Monday morning I almost called in sick because I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t want to give up a single day of our last three weeks together. Today I’m singing a different tune. I love them but I’m ready for a break, even if that break means saying good-bye after our two years as a classroom family.

At first I felt really disappointed by the changing climate in our classroom. I blamed hormones, the weather, myself. Then I got to thinking. Maybe for some kids, this is how good-bye works. It’s easier to leave when you’re angry or things aren’t quite right, than when everything is routine, normal, happy. Chaos as a distraction. Rebellion as the final act of separation. I think I’m getting a tiny taste of what it is like to raise teenagers.

The time has come for me to let go. I will miss them, but I won’t miss this.

To be fair, good moments have punctuated the week as well. Today as I sat alone and watched them play on our field trip to Sac State, I felt at peace.

To be fair, good moments have punctuated the week as well. Today as I sat alone and watched them play on our field trip to Sac State, I felt both distant and at peace.

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May 17 2013
2 Comments
Life, Teaching

Week 36: Dear Fourth Graders

I had a guest teacher on Monday so I could visit my mom in Mount Shasta without having to rush back and forth. One of the assignments I left was for students to write a letter to my incoming fourth graders. I asked the students to offer advice from their two years with me. To my delight, the notes were both thoughtful and funny.

Proper anger management and my weakness for laughter were reoccurring themes, even from some of my toughest students. This gave me hope that maybe I really have gotten through to them, even if it does not always feel like it. Just three weeks and two days left. It’s going to be hard to say good-bye.

This week we're finishing up our trifolds for our ROPES projects, a rite of passage before middle school. Activities ranged from fundraising for WEAVE to books on anger management. I have an amazing group of kids.

This week we’re finishing up our trifolds for our ROPES projects, a rite of passage before middle school. Activities ranged from fundraising for WEAVE to books on anger management. I have an amazing group of kids.

"Don't get mad in the morning and don't take it out on Mrs. Mackey."

From my dear fourth graders collection: “Don’t get mad in the morning and don’t take it out on Mrs. Mackey.”

"When you get her mad you just have to cheer her up." So true.

“When you get her mad you just have to cheer her up.” So true. One day I told them it was their job to cheer me up. Whenever I get in a funk, I try to make it into an opportunity to model healthy approaches to mood management.

"Don't get mad at her, just ask for a time out." (THEY LISTEN!)

“Don’t get mad at her, just ask for a time out.” (THEY LISTEN!)

"She'll let you laugh when she's laughing." My favorite line of all.

And, “She’ll let you laugh when she’s laughing.” My favorite line of all.

PS. One last disjointed note. Today we watched this 50 state song and the kids swayed and clapped and sang along. Youtube has made the world of teaching infinitely cooler than back in my day of Schoolhouse Rock… They loved it so much we had to watch it twice, and I have to admit, it’s pretty cool, regardless of how old you are… Made me realize how badly my students need an actual music program at our school.

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Aug 31 2012
6 Comments
Dogs, Family, Health, Home, Life, Pets

The Skunk Saga, Part III

Last night, as I was making dinner, Alex took our dog for a walk.  When he returned, he announced a skunk sighting next door. This skunk was no baby skunk like the neighbors on the other side spotted.  This was a full-grown, Simon-sized doozy, (at least that is how Alex described it, I’m still skeptical this is possible).

That should have been our warning.  Not to mention the neighbor telling us that once a week or so he sees a skunk walk up the street, through his driveway, and over to the side of our fence.  Like I said, should have.

Fast forward to 1AM.  I’m blissfully asleep, Alex is still awake, a typical Thursday night.

“Babe?”

“Huh?”

“Simon got sprayed again.”

“Shit.”

So, it happened again.  The sneaky monkey realized we only stop him from going outside when he barks first.  He used to bark before he slipped out the door to chase something.  Now he moves like a quiet little ninja.  I’m not going to cause any trouble, just headed out to relieve myself, that’s all, I promise, see, I’m not barking!

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  We need to block the dog door at night.  But, here’s the thing, our cat likes to take the cap off for him pretty much as soon as we put it on.  She’ll just walk by, dismantle it with her freakishly nimble paws and return to whatever it was she was doing inside, not even bothering to go outside.  Alex’s weekend project is a lockable pet door.

Anyway, good thing we finally bought the big bottle of skunk shampoo this week to get rid of his lingering odor from last time, (one dip in the family pool last Sunday and he was back to his stinky self). Forget all that other natural stuff.  Buy the skunk shampoo and use it if you ever need it.  I take back any other advice I gave in previous posts.  Coconut oil will still mask it between baths, but this is the best for diffusing the smell.

Duh. Skunk shampoo. Why in the world did we think all the other crap on the internet would be more effective?

Back to my story.  It’s 1AM, I have 5 hours of sleep left, a tiring week, and here I am, wondering why Alex woke me up to tell me Simon got sprayed by a skunk.  Maybe I’m not the nicest person when awakened in the middle of the night.  You were already awake, great, here is what you need to do: grab gloves, a mask, a towel, remove the carpets from the bathroom, wash him, leave him in there. Have fun!

This time I was not getting my hands dirty.  Already did that.  Too bad I woke up feeling a little mean.  Sorry, Alex, you’re amazing, thanks for taking care of that ridiculously nauseating business (mostly) on your own.

Still, I can’t help but feel proud we now know how to quickly and effectively handle the middle-of-the-night skunk fire drill.  The fallout was much less devastating this time, although our house smells a bit again and he’ll need another bath this weekend. Here’s hoping lightning, or skunks, don’t strike thrice.

This time around he looks, dare I say, comfortable in his post-skunk state. Thanks skunk shampoo…

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Aug 06 2012
2 Comments
Life, Teaching

Life is Full

As you probably already know, I was dreading going back to work.  I feared my writing life would be over, that the summer me was gone.  While the students returned today, I actually went back to work last week, transforming the past two days into my first legitimately earned weekend in awhile.  To my surprise, instead of feeling rushed or deprived, I instead felt like life was full.

Even though I hate to admit it, there is something comforting about the return of the school year. For some reason I give myself more opportunities to relax when I know I have to go to work than when I’m trying to fit every imaginable pastime into the open expanse of summer.  I don’t understand the logic, but it’s true.  This weekend I actually hung out on the couch for a couple hours and did nothing.  Oddly, that didn’t occur once this entire summer.

Suddenly I am craving the return of new episodes of my favorite television shows, the subtle darkening of the sky a little earlier each night, and the eventual change from summer to fall.  I know it’s still a ways off, but starting school at the beginning of August creates a false sense of the impending shift in seasons.  Still, this transformation brings me back to my childhood, the whispers of Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas around the corner.

One of my favorite parts of teaching is this difficult to verbalize connection to my own childhood love for the change in seasons.  I’m sure I won’t feel this way every night during the school year, but tonight at least, life is full and the return to my routine is comforting.

Happy first day of fifth grade!

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Jul 31 2012
10 Comments
Teaching

He is why I teach.

Over the summer, I hung up my teacher identity and gave myself space for everything else.  Travel, writing, life.  Today marks the return of teaching, as I sit typing at our teacher retreat up in Tahoe, where we bond and gain strength for the year ahead.  I’ll be honest, I was dreading this shift, but just like the change in seasons, it was inevitable.  Now, it’s time to make the best of it.

The good news is that the retreat works.  It reminds me why I teach.  We always begin the same way, by reflecting on why we make so many sacrifices for the children we serve.

This time, my principal put up two pictures.  Of the 400+ students at our school, she chose one of mine.  He was my biggest challenge, but he also stole my heart.  Looking at his mischievous, smiling face, I was asked to reflect on what his picture means to me in front of the group.  I could hardly hold back tears.  This student makes me feel proud to be a teacher, proud that I have not given up when it has gotten hard.  After all, in just ten short years, he has had it much harder than I can put into words here.  Harder than I will ever truly understand, I’m sure.  But, since I first met him last August, he has grown, and so have I.

I’m reinvigorated, maybe even ready for the students to return next week.  One of the best things about my job is that I get to loop with the same kids for two years, so as they move from fourth to fifth grade, so do I.  This makes me happy because that student will be mine again.  I’ll get to watch him grow some more and I’m sure he’ll teach me more about patience in the process.  He’ll test me and I’ll test him.  Together we’ll get better at school and life.

He is why I teach.

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Jul 29 2012
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Travel, Writing

Farewell Beach: Yoga, Night Walk & Poetry

Today, the last day of my summer travel, I enjoyed two of my favorite beach activities.  I awakened to yoga on the sand and ended the evening with a night walk under the stars.  The perfect farewell.

I know I’ve shared before, but if you practice yoga, I highly recommend purchasing a travel mat– they’re slimmer and easy to pack.  This morning I took my mat out to the beach after my run.  I’ve always preferred taking classes to practicing on my own, but on vacation I make an exception that is well worth it.  Not even a class can beat the feeling of practicing on the beach, staring out at the ocean.  Of course, it works best on unpopulated beaches, like those in Oregon.  Admittedly, I refuse to take out my mat anywhere with an audience.

Post-yoga with my fabulous travel mat.

Always time for one more pose off the beach… I’m telling you, beach yoga rocks, (although I can hear my instructor’s voice telling me I need to kick through this pose before I begin to lean forward… yeah, yeah, I’m working on it!).

Essential beach farewell activity number two was tonight’s walk along the shore under the stars.  Night on the beach is my favorite time, the moonlight bouncing off the sand, creating enough light to see without a flashlight.  Most of all, I enjoy staring off into the waves or up at the stars, I can never pick.  If you visit the beach before I return, do some yoga and walk under the stars for me.

Goodbye Yachats

Goodbye sun.

Farewell Beach

The tide pulls me closer,

The waves and moon magnetic to my soul.

Come closer, still

The ocean calls

One step more,

Just your toes,

Another step–

Come dance with me in the waves,

I’ll keep you safe.

Right, I think.

You’ll just drown me with your violent touch,

Instead I come to say farewell.

But you could stay,

It says.

Give me first your toes,

And then your ankles,

Come closer and we’ll become one with the stars.

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Jul 27 2012
3 Comments
Family, Travel

Oregon Coast: The Last Hurrah (For Now)

If you’re sick of me on vacation, stop here, save yourself the irritation.  If you want to be inspired to visit the Oregon Coast, read on.  Personally, I’m trying to hang on to every last second.  My summer vacation ends Tuesday, then it’s back to my classroom, school with the kiddos the following week, and a lot less time to write.

This morning, we left Bandon for a different vacation rental just north of Yachats, which thankfully means sun, and lots of it.  We went from foggy and cold to nearly 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky.  The microclimates along the coast always amaze me, although I also realize the weather can vary greatly from day to day.

Here was my pelican friend we said goodbye to in Bandon.  He refused to move from the parking lot, poor guy.  He had to be at least three feet tall and had an audience of onlookers.

On our way up to Yachats, we stopped in Florence’s old town, which is easy to miss if your eyes are busy searching for the Pacific.  The old town is tucked away on the other side of 101, along the Siuslaw River and is well worth the stop, with dog friendly shops and restaurants.  Our dog was not with us to enjoy this perk *insert sad face*, but we still had a lot of fun shopping at the farmers’ market, buying Quiddler at the toy store, and visiting our favorite coffee shop, Siuslaw River Coffee Roasters.

See, I’m not the only one in the family with a love for murals!  Here’s my sis in old town Florence.

Check out the little dragon on the Siuslaw River, her name is Susie…

Reaching Yachats, we were not disappointed.  Sunshine and whales just beyond the waves.

If you look closely, you can see two spouts. I drove myself crazy trying to catch them breaching, my camera just wasn’t fast enough, but they put on a show all afternoon.  Funny how special it feels to spot whales, every single time.

The view from our house, and, yes, it looks like my brother is dancing on the beach.

Told you, this song has haunted me for nearly a decade. No, really, that’s not the point of this picture.  The point is that I’m stealing every last second to write in my little notebooks.

Not a bad way to end a great day on the coast, just wish I could slow it all down…

So, what makes the Oregon Coast different than closer options in California?  It’s more rugged, less crowded, and lacks the same pretentious feeling that many California beach towns project. The restaurants and lodging are cheaper, often more basic, but still get the job done, leaving more emphasis on the outdoors, with hikes where the forest meets the sea on jagged cliffs and rocky shores.  To me, the Oregon Coast is magic, something pictures and words cannot capture.

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Jul 19 2012
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Life, Travel

The Real Hawaii

I’d like to think I’m not an obnoxious traveler.  I like it all– cheap, luxury, anything in between.  Today we discovered the real Hawaii.  Not the resort or the places made to manufacture an experience.  Instead, we ate where locals eat, snorkeled at public beaches, shopped in a gritty little town where surf clothing was actually on sale instead of marked up for tourists.  We even discovered a hostel on the beach with beds for $27 a night.  No, we did not stay, but the fact that such a place exists is pretty awesome.

Sometimes I get tired of the glossy, clean, perfect version of travel.  I would have a hard time staying at an all-inclusive resort where I did not step foot off the property.  I want to know how people live in different places, I want to meet to them, to talk with them.  I especially like discovering places that are gritty, down-to-earth, without pretenses.  I get a thrill out of enjoying food that is both delicious and cheap.  Somewhere I can stand in line and actually start a conversation with someone that is not also from California.

I got my wish.  These pictures will share my finds better than my words.

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Jul 16 2012
9 Comments
Life, Travel

Permission to Enjoy Life

This afternoon I had the good fortune to lay out on the beach of the St. Regis in Princeville, Kauai. If my husband and I were traveling alone, we’d be kicking it a lot more low-key, but we are fortunate to have family that invites us places.  Absorbing all of the opulence around me, I could not help but understand why people strive for wealth. As a teacher of low-income kids, I will be the first to proclaim wealth and happiness are not the same thing, but sometimes a bit of splendor can be pretty alluring.

Anchored out in the bay was an impressive yacht, complete with its own helicopter parked on back. The St. Regis staff told us it belongs to the owner of Budweiser, whoever that might be. What a different world from the rest of us on this planet.  While a yacht is more than I would wish for, it still struck me as a very interesting contrast.

Back during the school year, on days that were particularly challenging, I would imagine myself lying on the beach in Kauai, and everything else would be fine.  The fact that I could have this fantasy and really live it out provides a different, but also very real contrast between the relative prosperity of middle-ish class America and the poverty that exists in our country.  While I may feel like a have-less when I look at the truly wealthy, I am a have-a-darn-lot when compared with much of the world.

What I am trying to work on is transforming the guilt that sometimes accompanies this disparity into an extreme gratitude that I am as lucky as I am.  As I was sitting there thinking about the differences in worlds between myself and the people on the boat, as well as myself and the students in my classroom, I finally had to just tell my mind to shut up and enjoy it.  Life is short, we work for a better world, but we should also give ourselves permission to enjoy whatever good comes our way.

I’m on a boat and I’m going fast and…

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Jul 14 2012
5 Comments
Travel

Travel Rant: 3 oz, really?!

I remember standing in front of the guard at Heathrow a few years back.  A gruff man whose first language was definitely not English.  “You’re going to have to throw away the chocolates,” he told me flatly, pointing to the sign with the liquid regulations.  Tears welled in my eyes, $100 worth of Bavarian liquor-filled chocolates purchased as gifts for others down the drain.  I’m not sure if he took pity on me or was joking the whole time.  “No, you’re fine,” he finally smiled, letting me through.

Flash forward to today as I pack for Kauai.  Going about my business, oh, wait, all of this frickin’ sunscreen we just bought is in containers larger than 3 ounces.  Shit.  Google to make sure the ban still stands.  Yep.  Alright, options, options.  Try to find same “naturalish” sunscreen in Kauai, ehh…  Okay, what else…  Smaller containers!

So you’re telling me that I can have the same bottle of four ounce sunscreen divided into smaller containers?  What is the f’ing difference?  Seriously.  Why not just set a limit on the TOTAL number of ounces that can be carried on, or to whatever can fit in that dumb ziplock bag?  Is that so difficult?

I know what you’re thinking, just put it in your checked bags, but there’s where you’re wrong. My husband and I have a commitment to avoid checking baggage at all costs.  Too many bags lost or delayed or damaged along the way, not to mention the time lost waiting for your delightful goods to come around that magic circle.  No thanks.  Hawaiian Airlines now charges $25 per checked bag, too.  Insult to injury.  So, for now, all I have are my rants and my thousand little containers of sunscreen.

What’s wrong with this picture? Pretty sure the pile of sunscreen containers on the right is the same as the nice, protected container of sunscreen on the left…  Too bad TSA doesn’t think so.

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