Last night, we went to my cousin's wedding. She looked beautiful!. She and her husband had a beautiful celebration. I loved the violet colored bridesmaid dresses from J. Crew. They were simple and classic. They fit each girl wonderfully!
My cousin made little bags of lavender to toss at them as they were leaving the outdoor ceremony. I loved that idea. I can still smell the lavender!
The hubby and I had a great time dancing the night away with our family! We rarely spend most of the night dancing but, this time the band was great! We even got to dance to our wedding song.
We are both feeling a little tired today from all of the festivities yesterday. I don't know when the last time was we were out until 1:30 AM!
A Friday in the Fall
I've been busy with work lately, so I haven't had time to post.
My folks were up to visit recently, as you can tell from the wife's previous posts. It was a lot of fun, and a lot different now that we're settled into our own place. We had visited my parents many times together before we were married, but this was their first trip up since the wedding. It was great to have them as our first real "house guests, " and an interesting role reversal from our trips to Maryland. Hopefully they will make many more visits in the future.
Now that the summer is (officially) over, Fall is upon us, with little flashbacks here and there to the hotter days. The fall brings lots of activities for Astoria Girl, and more meetings, parties and other events for both of us to attend. It's nice to have places to go together, but sometimes having so many events can be exhausting.
Nonetheless, at least we are spending time with one another when we can. These are the days I hope to remember fondly when we get older and life (as it usually does) becomes more complicated and/or hectic.
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, right?
My folks were up to visit recently, as you can tell from the wife's previous posts. It was a lot of fun, and a lot different now that we're settled into our own place. We had visited my parents many times together before we were married, but this was their first trip up since the wedding. It was great to have them as our first real "house guests, " and an interesting role reversal from our trips to Maryland. Hopefully they will make many more visits in the future.
Now that the summer is (officially) over, Fall is upon us, with little flashbacks here and there to the hotter days. The fall brings lots of activities for Astoria Girl, and more meetings, parties and other events for both of us to attend. It's nice to have places to go together, but sometimes having so many events can be exhausting.
Nonetheless, at least we are spending time with one another when we can. These are the days I hope to remember fondly when we get older and life (as it usually does) becomes more complicated and/or hectic.
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, right?
Tuesday
Attempt#1 at seeing the boys soccer team play failed because the other team never showed up. I figured after five years of being at this school I should see the soccer team. Their home games are played at a field that it kind of like the secret garden. The directions are: leave school; go to the teacherage; go to the light; turn left; go to the where one of the board member's is the pastor; keep going; go over the railroad tracks/bridge; on your right you will see a fence; go through the fence; keep walking down the stairs; there is the field. Needless to say, I have never had the guts to actually figure out how to get there. I got very lucky and found the coach's car and followed him to the field. It's not all that far from school. Hopefully, the next time they play there I'll be able to make it!
Manic Monday
As usual, Monday arrived with its usual gloom and doom. I hate the sound of the alarm in the morning. The ear piercing beeping just annoys me however, I cannot wake up with an alarm that plays music or talks. I love the Fall because when you wake up in the morning the weather is crisp and cool. The unfortunate part of Fall is that it is dark outside!!! I hate getting up in the dark. At least for the time being, it is still light out when I come home.
When I used to commute from central Long Island, I would watch the sunrise in my rearview mirror on my way to work. I loved how the sky looked. It was a beautiful way to welcome the morning.
I truly began to appreciate sunrises for the first time when I was visiting Galveston, TX. My friend Jenn and I would wake up really early and go to over to the Gulf of Mexico and watch the sunrise. It was amazing! The sun would come right up out of the dark sea. The first time we went to watch the sunrise we were on a beach that had been destroyed by Hurricane Ike. There were construction trucks getting ready to restore some homes and debris from a beach shack on the beach yet, the sunrise was beautiful.
Hopefully, in my new home, I will find beauty in the sunrises once again.
When I used to commute from central Long Island, I would watch the sunrise in my rearview mirror on my way to work. I loved how the sky looked. It was a beautiful way to welcome the morning.
I truly began to appreciate sunrises for the first time when I was visiting Galveston, TX. My friend Jenn and I would wake up really early and go to over to the Gulf of Mexico and watch the sunrise. It was amazing! The sun would come right up out of the dark sea. The first time we went to watch the sunrise we were on a beach that had been destroyed by Hurricane Ike. There were construction trucks getting ready to restore some homes and debris from a beach shack on the beach yet, the sunrise was beautiful.
Hopefully, in my new home, I will find beauty in the sunrises once again.
Bagel Brunch
This morning we got bagels from Brooklyn Bagel. They were soo yummy! I can’t believe how tasty these bagels are. I usually get a Cinnamon Raisin bagel with Walnut Raisin cream cheese. However, today I tried an everything bagel with regular cream cheese. I cannot believe how filling it was!
After bagels, the hubby’s parents got on the road back to Maryland. We had a wonderful visit.
This even we were able to get together with my mom for Sunday dinner at Wild Fig in Garden City. It is a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant. I’m not sure what the meal I had was called. It was incredibly flavorful. It was chicken cooked on a skewer with a bunch of difference spices. One of the other things I love about that restaurant is their flavored lemonade. The hubby had Raspberry and I had Mango. The only downside to the restaurant is the service. As long as you don’t have anywhere to be, it is fine. However, if you have to be somewhere, you’ll need to push the staff to move things along at a reasonable pace.
All in all this was a pretty excellent weekend. We even got parking when we got home! Here’s hoping the week will be an awesome as the weekend!
After bagels, the hubby’s parents got on the road back to Maryland. We had a wonderful visit.
This even we were able to get together with my mom for Sunday dinner at Wild Fig in Garden City. It is a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant. I’m not sure what the meal I had was called. It was incredibly flavorful. It was chicken cooked on a skewer with a bunch of difference spices. One of the other things I love about that restaurant is their flavored lemonade. The hubby had Raspberry and I had Mango. The only downside to the restaurant is the service. As long as you don’t have anywhere to be, it is fine. However, if you have to be somewhere, you’ll need to push the staff to move things along at a reasonable pace.
All in all this was a pretty excellent weekend. We even got parking when we got home! Here’s hoping the week will be an awesome as the weekend!
Sun & Sand
We went to Montauk with the hubby's parents. We have been looking forward to taking them there for such a long time. The hubby and I haven't made it there yet this summer. We got engaged on the beach at Hither Hills last July and have been so busy since then we haven't been able to visit as much as we would have liked.
We ran into a bit of traffic on our way due to the damage from the tornados on the LIE, the Jewish holiday celebration at the temple in South Hampton, and the pumpkin farm in Amagansett. When we finally got there, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Shagwong. It is one of the only year-round restaurants in Montauk. As usual, the hubby had fish & chips. I got seafood pasta. It was SOOO good! Immediately after dinner, we went to Fudge N' Stuff and got some sugar free fudge since the hubby's mom is diabetic. I would have never believed it was sugar free if I hadn't seen the sign.
The hubby's mom is a lighthouse lover so we took the car up to Montauk Point. The weather was beautiful so the park was packed. I was surprised to find out that they were still charging for parking despite it being the "off season". It was totally worth the $8 to see the hoards of surf casters pulling giant fish out of the ocean. It was awesome!
After the lighthouse, we went to Hither Hills so; the hubby's parents could see where we got engaged. It was wonderful because they loved the beach as much as we did. The hubby's mom even got a little splash from the ocean. The waves were beautiful!
I can't wait to go back!
We ran into a bit of traffic on our way due to the damage from the tornados on the LIE, the Jewish holiday celebration at the temple in South Hampton, and the pumpkin farm in Amagansett. When we finally got there, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Shagwong. It is one of the only year-round restaurants in Montauk. As usual, the hubby had fish & chips. I got seafood pasta. It was SOOO good! Immediately after dinner, we went to Fudge N' Stuff and got some sugar free fudge since the hubby's mom is diabetic. I would have never believed it was sugar free if I hadn't seen the sign.
The hubby's mom is a lighthouse lover so we took the car up to Montauk Point. The weather was beautiful so the park was packed. I was surprised to find out that they were still charging for parking despite it being the "off season". It was totally worth the $8 to see the hoards of surf casters pulling giant fish out of the ocean. It was awesome!
After the lighthouse, we went to Hither Hills so; the hubby's parents could see where we got engaged. It was wonderful because they loved the beach as much as we did. The hubby's mom even got a little splash from the ocean. The waves were beautiful!
I can't wait to go back!
Friday!!
The sweetest Friday is always the one that comes after a week of hard work.
This was the first full week of school. Many of the students and teachers came to school completely exhausted because of the events of yesterday evening. There are an incredible amount of trees down that resulted in power outages. The students and teachers were ready for a weekend! Even my little Egyptian student learned weekday and weekend today just so he could celebrate the weekend!
This weekend my in-laws are coming up from Maryland for their first visit to NY since the wedding. It will be nice to spend time together. Hopefully, we will make it to Montauk.
TODAY MARKS OUR TWO MONTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!
It's only been two months, but it feels like we are off to a great start as a couple. Hopefully, no matter what happens in the next two months or two years or two decades, it will still feel just as exciting and rewarding that we are finally "together forever." It might be a little sentimental, but it's definitely been true so far.
This was the first full week of school. Many of the students and teachers came to school completely exhausted because of the events of yesterday evening. There are an incredible amount of trees down that resulted in power outages. The students and teachers were ready for a weekend! Even my little Egyptian student learned weekday and weekend today just so he could celebrate the weekend!
This weekend my in-laws are coming up from Maryland for their first visit to NY since the wedding. It will be nice to spend time together. Hopefully, we will make it to Montauk.
TODAY MARKS OUR TWO MONTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!
It's only been two months, but it feels like we are off to a great start as a couple. Hopefully, no matter what happens in the next two months or two years or two decades, it will still feel just as exciting and rewarding that we are finally "together forever." It might be a little sentimental, but it's definitely been true so far.
Tornado Thursday
As you may have heard New York had several tornados on Thursday. Luckily, my family and friends are safe. I was on Long Island visiting with a friend who recently got engaged. We waited out the the storm at her apartment and went to dinner afterwards. Due to the damage in Queens, I had to spent the night on Long Island.
On Friday morning, we heard from a little Lutheran school in the area that their roof blew off and their windows blew out. Unfortunately, many of the Lutheran schools are having financial difficulty . Please pray that they will be able to fix their building.
AccuWeather.com - Weather News | Two Tornadoes, Macroburst Confirmed in New York City
On Friday morning, we heard from a little Lutheran school in the area that their roof blew off and their windows blew out. Unfortunately, many of the Lutheran schools are having financial difficulty . Please pray that they will be able to fix their building.
AccuWeather.com - Weather News | Two Tornadoes, Macroburst Confirmed in New York City
Tales from Rm 307
My little Egyptian student came in today to work on his Algebra and English skills today. We worked through his homework from last night and moved on to the next topic. He's teaching me little bits of Arabic and I'm teaching him math and English. As I sat there with him today, I felt that he was teaching me more than I was teaching him. He is so determined to learn English and succeed in school. He has such a great attitude about learning. The most entertaining part of my interaction with him is that he decided that if I am teaching him things, he would teach me things too. My homework tonight is to learn how to write car and expression in Arabic. His homework tonight is to learn how to use the order of operations. Somehow, I think he got the easier assignment.
car = سيارة
Arabic is an amazingly difficult language to learn since it goes from right to left and uses a completely different alphabet. Generally, when I "spell" something in Arabic, I use the terms squiggle, zig zag, and dot. My little Egyptian student thinks its funny. Especially, since he can read, write, and understand more English than I can Arabic.
Together, we will learn.
The most enjoyable part of my day is when he comes for his second dose of Algebra in the afternoon. It is wonderful to see someone love learning!
car = سيارة
Arabic is an amazingly difficult language to learn since it goes from right to left and uses a completely different alphabet. Generally, when I "spell" something in Arabic, I use the terms squiggle, zig zag, and dot. My little Egyptian student thinks its funny. Especially, since he can read, write, and understand more English than I can Arabic.
Together, we will learn.
The most enjoyable part of my day is when he comes for his second dose of Algebra in the afternoon. It is wonderful to see someone love learning!
Bump! Set! Spike!
It's volleyball season again! Every Tuesday (except when the school is having an event) a bunch of women in Eastern Long Island get together for some fun. Needless to say, we share a lot of laughs for about two hours each week but, now it is 11:42 PM and I am wide awake! Oh well!
Monday
The morning started off a bit rough due to some stomach issues that both the hubby and I were experiencing but, after a little bit of rest. We were both ready to head to work.
Generally, I dread Mondays because our kids forget everything we taught them on Friday. I know that usually it is not their fault and that their home environments are difficult but, it is still a discouraging way to start the week. This week was no different. However, I got three new students during the course of first period. (Thank God!) AND! My Egyptian student was back from celebrating Eid on Friday. I was really pleased to see him return to school because, he doesn't speak, read, or write much English. The first week of school was incredibly difficult, frustrating and confusing for him. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a teenager in a strange country, in a strange school, where he doesn't speak the language. Not only did he come to school today but, he came to school and asked for extra help. I taught two periods of Algebra using Google Translator. (In case you are ever in need of an accurate English to Arabic translator, Google is great!) He was so excited to see that I found a way to communicate with him. I am glad to see him excited about learning.
As I am typing this the hubby and I are watching the conclusion of the Ravens/Jets game. While I am a NYer, the hubby is from Maryland. I happen to root for the Raven because a) I like the color of their uniforms b) I generally root for the underdogs. In my non-expert opinion they are the underdogs because they aren't from NY. Anywho - it was nice to relax and enjoy the game (and the Chinese food that went with it!)
Generally, I dread Mondays because our kids forget everything we taught them on Friday. I know that usually it is not their fault and that their home environments are difficult but, it is still a discouraging way to start the week. This week was no different. However, I got three new students during the course of first period. (Thank God!) AND! My Egyptian student was back from celebrating Eid on Friday. I was really pleased to see him return to school because, he doesn't speak, read, or write much English. The first week of school was incredibly difficult, frustrating and confusing for him. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a teenager in a strange country, in a strange school, where he doesn't speak the language. Not only did he come to school today but, he came to school and asked for extra help. I taught two periods of Algebra using Google Translator. (In case you are ever in need of an accurate English to Arabic translator, Google is great!) He was so excited to see that I found a way to communicate with him. I am glad to see him excited about learning.
As I am typing this the hubby and I are watching the conclusion of the Ravens/Jets game. While I am a NYer, the hubby is from Maryland. I happen to root for the Raven because a) I like the color of their uniforms b) I generally root for the underdogs. In my non-expert opinion they are the underdogs because they aren't from NY. Anywho - it was nice to relax and enjoy the game (and the Chinese food that went with it!)
Rain...rain...go away but, the yummy waffles can stay.
We had a lazy morning since the sun was pouring in through our bedroom window. It started raining a little while ago.
The hubby made some yummy waffles on our waffle iron. (I don't have the patience for making waffles because it makes such a mess.)
We went to church to hear the choir at 12. I was kind of surprised by the small number of choir members. The parish is huge! I don't understand why people aren't involved. I am always impressed by the church bulletin because this church has so much going on. I am particularly excite for the church carnival coming up in two weeks. Hopefully, we will be able to bring some of our friends to enjoy the festivities.
Unfortunately, I had to go to work today to kick off the school year with the opening service. We are installing a new head of school and recognizing the members of the faculty and staff that have been there 25 years. It was nice to see the kids with their families. We even were able to hear two of our very recent alumni perform with their new college choir.
After opening service, I went to the hubby's office to take care of some necessary paperwork then we made dinner together.
One of the things that I love most about being married is that we get to spend time together every day. One of things that irritates me about having to work on the weekend was that it took time away from "our" time.
Tonight, we had some BBQ steak, black beans, and rice. It was sooo yummy! It is one of those meals that I could keep eating and eating until I explode. But, it was a nice bit of comfort food on such a rainy day.
The hubby made some yummy waffles on our waffle iron. (I don't have the patience for making waffles because it makes such a mess.)
We went to church to hear the choir at 12. I was kind of surprised by the small number of choir members. The parish is huge! I don't understand why people aren't involved. I am always impressed by the church bulletin because this church has so much going on. I am particularly excite for the church carnival coming up in two weeks. Hopefully, we will be able to bring some of our friends to enjoy the festivities.
Unfortunately, I had to go to work today to kick off the school year with the opening service. We are installing a new head of school and recognizing the members of the faculty and staff that have been there 25 years. It was nice to see the kids with their families. We even were able to hear two of our very recent alumni perform with their new college choir.
After opening service, I went to the hubby's office to take care of some necessary paperwork then we made dinner together.
One of the things that I love most about being married is that we get to spend time together every day. One of things that irritates me about having to work on the weekend was that it took time away from "our" time.
Tonight, we had some BBQ steak, black beans, and rice. It was sooo yummy! It is one of those meals that I could keep eating and eating until I explode. But, it was a nice bit of comfort food on such a rainy day.
We will never forget but, the world keeps spinning.
We spent the morning in Midtown with my friend who was in from Charlottesville, VA. It was wonderful to see her and catch up. We even wandered into the taping on "The Girls Next Door." Apparently, one of "the girls" was staying at the hotel upstairs from Bourbon Street (on 48th St.).
I have to say that I didn't give a second though to going into Midtown today. However, when we got there, there were definitely fewer people there then usual. The subway station at 34th Street was nearly empty. Standing in the nearly empty subway station definitely made me a little anxious. Not sure if it was because it was empty or because it is the 9th anniversary of 9/11.
I was grateful to have the hubby with me and to be able to go home knowing we were safe and would get there without a problem.
After arriving home, we decided that doing laundry would be a good idea since the piles were becoming taller than we are. As we expected, laundry is crowded. I am blogging from our second laundromat of the day. One to wash...One to dry. We were lucky that the lady in the second laundromat let us borrow a cart so we could wheel our soaking wet laundry one and a half blocks to her facility. The only unfortunate part of this laundromat is that there isn't any seating. Most of the other laundromats in our neighborhood have a few chairs outside. We have three laundromats near the apartment. I never thought I would use two of them in one day.
As far as I am concerned, fall has officially arrived.
The anniversary of 9/11 is here again.
The weather is cooler without a cloud in the sky.The first full week of school is next week. And, the pumpkin latte is back at Starbucks! Here's to FALL!
I have to say that I didn't give a second though to going into Midtown today. However, when we got there, there were definitely fewer people there then usual. The subway station at 34th Street was nearly empty. Standing in the nearly empty subway station definitely made me a little anxious. Not sure if it was because it was empty or because it is the 9th anniversary of 9/11.
I was grateful to have the hubby with me and to be able to go home knowing we were safe and would get there without a problem.
After arriving home, we decided that doing laundry would be a good idea since the piles were becoming taller than we are. As we expected, laundry is crowded. I am blogging from our second laundromat of the day. One to wash...One to dry. We were lucky that the lady in the second laundromat let us borrow a cart so we could wheel our soaking wet laundry one and a half blocks to her facility. The only unfortunate part of this laundromat is that there isn't any seating. Most of the other laundromats in our neighborhood have a few chairs outside. We have three laundromats near the apartment. I never thought I would use two of them in one day.
As far as I am concerned, fall has officially arrived.
The anniversary of 9/11 is here again.
The weather is cooler without a cloud in the sky.The first full week of school is next week. And, the pumpkin latte is back at Starbucks! Here's to FALL!
Another Great Thing About Labor Day Is...
That besides being a holiday, it also results in a pleasantly short 4-day work week.
Got back into the swing of things fairly easily. I'm surprised by how much I've grown with my job. After I graduated from law school, I was like most other new law grads: relatively educated, but not very knowledgeable about law firm life or life as a lawyer in general.
A few years later, I can say with some satisfaction that I've learned a lot along the way. I still have a long way to go as a practicing attorney, but I feel comfortable in my own skin, which is a step in the right direction. Fortunately, I work in the type of office where you are expected to adapt quickly and "roll with the punches," but you're never quite alone in doing so. I've gone from not knowing how to practice to being able to function on my own.
Partially, it's the education and the preparation. But a lot of it comes from the more experienced attorneys at my firm. I hear old war stories about law school and court experiences, learn different bargaining techniques and tips for managing my cases, and get reassured that someday, I too will be a fully functioning, self-sufficient lawyer.
Maybe someday, if I'm lucky, I'll be the one telling the stories...
Got back into the swing of things fairly easily. I'm surprised by how much I've grown with my job. After I graduated from law school, I was like most other new law grads: relatively educated, but not very knowledgeable about law firm life or life as a lawyer in general.
A few years later, I can say with some satisfaction that I've learned a lot along the way. I still have a long way to go as a practicing attorney, but I feel comfortable in my own skin, which is a step in the right direction. Fortunately, I work in the type of office where you are expected to adapt quickly and "roll with the punches," but you're never quite alone in doing so. I've gone from not knowing how to practice to being able to function on my own.
Partially, it's the education and the preparation. But a lot of it comes from the more experienced attorneys at my firm. I hear old war stories about law school and court experiences, learn different bargaining techniques and tips for managing my cases, and get reassured that someday, I too will be a fully functioning, self-sufficient lawyer.
Maybe someday, if I'm lucky, I'll be the one telling the stories...
Happy Days Are Here Again!
The kids were great again today. Here's hoping they stay that way. I got to meet my student from Egypt. It will be interesting to see how this works out. Unfortunately, he speaks, reads, writes, and understands very little English. However, he is an excellent soccer player and very intelligent. Once again, I wish I had the ability to learn languages whenever I wanted.
Over the past few years, I have wanted/needed to learn Korean, Chinese, and (now) Arabic. I love learning languages. I just wish I had the time and/or resources to do it!
In other news, I just received an e-mail from my mom. A case my dad was working on made it to the cover of the New York Law Journal!!! Go Daddy!
Tonight, I made a yummy dinner. I adapted a recipe from Cook Yourself Thin. Basically, it was several chicken cutlets breaded with egg whites, panko bread crumbs, and fresh parmesan cheese. The side was thin sliced, slow cooked eggplant in a homemade sauce. It was wonderfully tasty and the perfect meal to go with the cool weather!
Speaking of cool weather, I was able to go for my Couch to 5k Run today! The temperature is perfect for a run. It felt so good to finally finish week 2. Hopefully, I will move on to Week 3 this weekend!
This weekend a very good friend of mine is coming to NY to celebrate her birthday! The last time I saw her was last June-ish. Before that I hadn't seen her since high school!! I can't wait to see her on Saturday.
On Sunday, I have to "work". We have the opening service for the 51st school year in the afternoon. It will be fun to sing the school's theme song this year with 45 students!!! It is so exciting to share the music with the kids!
Over the past few years, I have wanted/needed to learn Korean, Chinese, and (now) Arabic. I love learning languages. I just wish I had the time and/or resources to do it!
In other news, I just received an e-mail from my mom. A case my dad was working on made it to the cover of the New York Law Journal!!! Go Daddy!
Tonight, I made a yummy dinner. I adapted a recipe from Cook Yourself Thin. Basically, it was several chicken cutlets breaded with egg whites, panko bread crumbs, and fresh parmesan cheese. The side was thin sliced, slow cooked eggplant in a homemade sauce. It was wonderfully tasty and the perfect meal to go with the cool weather!
Speaking of cool weather, I was able to go for my Couch to 5k Run today! The temperature is perfect for a run. It felt so good to finally finish week 2. Hopefully, I will move on to Week 3 this weekend!
This weekend a very good friend of mine is coming to NY to celebrate her birthday! The last time I saw her was last June-ish. Before that I hadn't seen her since high school!! I can't wait to see her on Saturday.
On Sunday, I have to "work". We have the opening service for the 51st school year in the afternoon. It will be fun to sing the school's theme song this year with 45 students!!! It is so exciting to share the music with the kids!
Happy Day
Several things made me happy today.
- I was particularly happy to come home early today.
- I got to have lunch with a friend, get my nails done, and relax a bit.
- It was nice to see the freshmen today. I love it when they see that we are trying to make our school a wonderful place.
- Getting a kiss up e-mail from one of my students.
- The lady across the street resumed sitting with the man across the street. I'm not sure what their story is but, I love that they are content outside all day. A few weeks ago, there were several police cars and an ambulance in front of their building. The lady went away for awhile but, the man continued to sit there. I have to admit that I felt badly for him that his companion wasn't there. It is nice to see them together again.
- I love the way our kitchen table looks. One of the hubby's relatives gave us hand woven place mats from Guatemala. Seeing them on the table makes me smile.
- I love how this little table in our apartment looks. We have two candles on it. One is from my mother. The other is from our friend Carolyn. The flowers are from my parents' backyard. The table, itself, and the pitcher holding the flower were my grandmother's. The whole thing makes me smile.
The temperature outside is perfect! I even slept well last night! - The hubby is bringing home my favorite Thai take out tonight (without me asking)!
- The hubby did ALL the dishes last night so, I didn't have to do them this morning! <3
- Alternate side of the street parking is suspended for Rosh Hashanah! I found awesome parking! (P.S. Happy New Year to all who celebrate!)
- The sound of the cool breeze blowing through the leaves outside our apartment.
A Day With The Freshmen
The freshmen came to school today. We took them on retreat to Concordia College. They have a beautiful campus and the neighborhood is quite cute as well. It would be nice to go back there and spend some time in the town.
44 students and 2 teachers make for 2 tired teachers and 44 happy students.
We had 35 freshmen and 9 student council officers. We even got to see two of our recent graduates!
I feel like I was hit by a truck but, I am so happy that some of the kiddies actually said that they thought other schools should do it this way too! (That's an awesome compliment from a 14 year old boy.)
For some reason, I have the worst luck when it comes to bus drivers. On a field trip with the kids last year, our bus driver didn't know how a toll plaza worked and actually got out of the bus at one point. On this trip, the bus driver didn't follow his directions and the directions provided by our school didn't actually connect the points. (ie. The Major Deegan doesn't go to the exit we were looking for.) Needless to say, we called got some more directions and worked it all out. On the way back, we ended up on the Cross County Parkway. The parkway has nine foot tall bridges. We were on a regular, school bus. Yep, the other teacher and I held our breath. We made it! Yay!
Now that I am home and have started to recover from our day out, I am starting...errr continuing... the thank you notes for the wedding. We are so lucky to have so many generous family members and friends. While we were planning the wedding, we put everyone in a spread sheet. Initially, I thought it was kind of pointless but, now it is truly wonderful. All you have to do it type in the first few letters of the person's last name and VOILA! You can send a thank you note!
We decided to order our thank you notes from Kodak Gallery. We were very fortunate to have friends take pictures while the photographer was taking pictures. Not only were we able to see the photos early, but we are able to write thank you notes in a timely fashion. (FYI-Kodak Gallery = quick, inexpensive thank you notes!) We got really lucky and ordered them during their back to school sale so they are 20% off! YAY!
If you happen to be planning a wedding, make sure when you send the invites to buy enough stamps for the invites, response cards, AND thank you cards. It is no fun having to go back to the post office (especially if you live in NYC).
Labor Day
A day filled with fun, family and relaxation.
My feeble attempt at saving bits of summer resulted in clipping some of the hydrangeas from my parents backyard. Unfortunately, they have already turned for the fall.
My father has been wrestling with the ants "families" on the patio all summer long. His natural way of eradicating the ant problem was to pour boiling water on them. (Not sure how this will work but, it made him feel like he was winning.)
Arthur Ave. & Fordham University
Spent the day with the family visiting the youngest one at Fordham University Rose Hill. Dad is a graduate so he enjoys going back to his old stomping group. He was a good sport and let us take a picture of him by his old dorm.
Lookin' cool
One of the best parts of going to Fordham is going to Arthur Ave. for a meal. Arthur Ave. is Little Italy of the Bronx. Lots of Italian food, Italian Pastries, & various other sundries. We ate lunch at Rigoletto. We've eaten there before. The food is pretty good. You can ALWAYS get a table.
My Favorite Sign - Located right by our table
We visited our favorite bakery where they fill the cannoli's while you wait. We learned on a previous trip that a fresh filled cannoli is lightyears better than other cannolis. One of my favorite things in the world is cannoli cream. Therefore, this was the pefect addition to our day.
Saturday of Labor Day Weekend
It is a wonderful feeling to know that I have three whole days off before going back to work on Tuesday. This morning the hubby and I gave the apartment a much needed scrubbing. One of the reasons for this was the apartment was finally cool! Hurricane Earl blew by last night leaving us with some nice weather. It is such a relief.
On another note, I love taking pictures. I finally entered a photo contest today that I found on another blog. I am interested to see what happens.
Exhausted!
I'm amazed at how exhausted I am after just two short days of work! I spent today getting my two classrooms and office decorated before the start of the school year. I am proud that I was able to stay out of the teacher store this year. One would think after five years of teaching, you really don't need anything.
I really need to use this weekend to get my act together before next week. We have started work on the Freshman Retreat that is being held on Tuesday at Concordia College. So, far we have games and a getting to know you bingo. It will be a great opportunity to meet the freshmen and have a little bit of fun before the school year actually begins. Do you remember what you did for on your Freshman Retreat??
The hubby was able to come home early today. We were able to spent the afternoon together. We got lunch from Fresco Tortillas. As I've said before, it is a tremendous amount of food for a little bit of money. It is so yummy!
2010 School Year Day 2
Today was the second day of meetings for the 2010 school. We started work on my project for the year. It was exciting to me to see my coworkers working so diligently to help me. I am really lucky to have such a wonderful group of people to work with. We are in this together, no matter where the road may take us! It certainly will be an interesting year!
September 1st = Back to School
September 1st means back to school! Today, the faculty came together to begin our yearly meetings. We welcomed an old friend back and sent another on his way to the big state of Washington. We worshipped with the new head of school (who has more energy than your average kindergardener.) We shared stories of summer adventures. We received our schedules. We ate at New York Burger Diner (fondly called NYBD). We ate and drank at Walk Street Tavern. We are getting ready for the school year!
Hotter than...September???
The title of this post is from a Stevie Wonder album, "Hotter than July." Even though the fall is rapidly approaching, it still feels like beach weather outside.
It's the beginning of September and it still feels like August here in the city. Apparently we're in the middle of a heat wave before Labor Day Weekend. Don't have too much planned yet, but pretty much ruled out traveling due to the crazy amount of traffic that usually accompanies the holiday.
Maybe we'll spend a relatively quiet weekend at home. I guess the heat will determine whether we end up outdoors or not this time around! Besides, with things starting to get busy at the office and with the wife's job, we might as well relax while we can, right?
It's the beginning of September and it still feels like August here in the city. Apparently we're in the middle of a heat wave before Labor Day Weekend. Don't have too much planned yet, but pretty much ruled out traveling due to the crazy amount of traffic that usually accompanies the holiday.
Maybe we'll spend a relatively quiet weekend at home. I guess the heat will determine whether we end up outdoors or not this time around! Besides, with things starting to get busy at the office and with the wife's job, we might as well relax while we can, right?
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