Labor Day Weekend- Day on White Bear Lake

Yesterday we spent the day at White Bear Lake with Erik's parents and some friends. We had beautiful weather and wonderful snacks. I made some homemade salsa, and then experienced some unfortunate burning on my fingers for the rest of the day due to the peppers I cut. Seriously, some times I feel like the weridest things happen to me. I googled pepper and burning fingers and found out I am not the only one that has experienced this werid sensation. At least the salsa turned out delicious!

Here are some pictures from the pontoon boat. Erik's parents just joined a boat club and we're excited to be boat participants! It was a gorgeous summer day. We ended the day with a bonfire.

First Day of Third Grade

Today was the first day of third grade. My own classroom. Something I've been waiting for for years! My own students. Kids I get to teach all year long!

I am tired. It was a crazy day! But a good crazy day. I love my class. Lots of cute kids with great imaginations. They are ready to learn, begging to spend more time reading today. It will be lots of work. I had trouble sleeping last night thinking about all of the little things. But I like it.

We read Officer Buckle and Gloria and Do Unto Otters to help us come up with our class rules. We filled out charts with post-it notes to help think about what we want our classroom environment to be. It was hot and is only suppose to get hotter as the week goes on.

It's going to be an exciting year.

Evanston Wedding- Jenny and Dave

This past weekend we packed up the Civic and headed to Evanston, IL. Our college friends, Dave and Jenny got married on Saturday. Dave and Erik went on Term in Asia together. Jenny and I went on Global together. Dave and Jenny have been together since sophomore year of college. I've been excited for this wedding for a long time! Jenny and I have very similar tastes, so I was excited to see and taste everything she had planned. The reception was held at the Woman's Club of Evanston, a short walk from our hotel. The food was amazing, warm chocolate chip cookie pie for dessert!

On Sunday we got to hang out with some friends at Jenny's parents house while they opened some gifts. Then a small group of us headed to the Cubs game. It was awesome to hang out with people and be at the stadium, but it was HOT! We enjoyed standing by the misters and sharing a Ziploc bag of ice. We think we maybe spent one inning actually sitting in our seats.

All in all, a wonderful weekend away. Congratulations to the Gruners!

Bread and Pickle

This evening I headed to Lake Harriet with some of my favorite girls. Meredith, Linnea and I enjoyed dinner at the Bandshell's concession stand, Bread and Pickle. The food is decent, but the view is spectacular. I got the mint chip ice cream cone for dessert, and they let me get the kid size for $2!

It's hot here in MN, but I'm trying to make the best of it, with popsicles and visits to the lake. I have to remind myself of these hot days when it is below freezing in January. 

A Monster from Rose

I just returned from a lovely afternoon run around the neighborhood. Along a quiet residential street, I was stopped by a little girl that looked to be about 4. She was carrying an Easter basket. She handed me a very folded up piece of paper. I opened it and Rose told me it was a monster that she drew. She told me she also wrote her name in the corner. She said I could keep the piece of paper. Her dad looked at me and said "thank you." Thank you, Rose! I love my monster!

PS- I have news to share..stay tuned!

Favorite Songs on the Radio These Days

I have a long commute to work..50 minutes each way. For some reason I haven't gotten super into Podcasts or books on tape. I generally just listen to the radio, flipping between a few stations depending what's on.

Currently I have two favorite songs. Very different songs, but both make me happy. One of these songs is sung by an English boy band. This is a little embarrassing, but not embarrassing enough to stop loving the song. Does anyone else out there enjoy this boy band song as much as I do?

Enjoy :)

One Direction- What Makes Your Beautiful- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E&ob=av3n

The Lumineers- Ho Hey- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCBSSwgtg4

Asian Chicken Mandarin Salad

Blog Friends,
I have an AMAZING salad to share with you. You have probably eaten something like it at a restaurant and paid lots of money for it. I've had similar salads at Panera, Houlihan's and at Macy's. Now you can make it for yourself, and make leftovers for lunch the next day! Am I the only one that gets excited when you know you have a wonderful lunch waiting for you in the fridge at work?

This salad is easy peasy and can be adjusted to whatever you like.  Here's what I put in it:

-romaine lettuce
-red pepper slices
-green onion
-toasted almonds and sesame seeds
-mandarin oranges
-wonton strips (found near the salad dressings at the store)
-Panera Asian Sesame Dressing
-chicken

I began by putting some chicken in a frying pan, along with olive oil and salt and pepper. When the chicken was done, I ripped it up into small pieces. Then I combined all of the ingredients to make the salad. I don't have measurements here because it is all about taste and the amount you want to make. Enjoy!

Sick, sick and sick again

Being sick has been my theme of the school year. I wish it wasn't.

I was sick for practically a month in October/November with a cold and sinus infection. Since January I have had the stomach flu, and now I am on my third cold/sinus infection. I feel like I have practically been sick more than I've been healthy.

Everyone says this is just what happens to beginning teachers. The experienced teachers at my school say it happened to them their first few years and now they rarely get sick. I hope this is true.

It makes me appreciate the healthy me. It also makes me sympathize with those that are chronically ill.

I'll stay in this evening, and have my fingers crossed that I'll be back at school tomorrow.  Here's a picture of my couch...where I've laid a lot in the past two months.

Ice Skating at Groveland Park

Today is a beautiful Minnesota winter day. The sun is shining and there are blue skies! Erik and I headed down the street to use the neighborhood ice skating rink.

2012 Resolution

I have a goal for 2012. Currently, I consider each trip home a success. I am concerned I might get pulled over. I forgot to renew my license tabs. There are no excuses. I simply got the reminder card, set it aside, and didn't renew them. Then I woke up January 1st and realized my mistake. My tabs had expired on the 31st. It's frustrating, because it's obviously my fault.

I have now renewed them online, and am waiting for those little stickers to arrive in the mail. I have printed off my receipts, but I think I could still get a ticket. I asked Erik if he would come get my out of jail.  He said "No, I need to learn my lesson." My dad said he would give me a discount on legal fees.

Point is, I shouldn't be driving worried I'll be pulled over. I should have renewed my tabs on time. Unfortunately this is not the first time I have done something like this.

My 2012 goal: Do things on time.

Simple, right?

We'll see. Now this resolution is written down. I suppose goals have a purpose, maybe it will be keep me more focused and determined? I'll let you know at the end of the year, about the time I should be renewing my tabs for 2013.