2012: A Year in Review

As the year 2012 comes to a close, I felt it only appropriate to reflect back on all the things it brought me.  Some of these things I planned for, but most of them took me completely by surprise.  And, well, for the first time in my life, I am really really loving surprises.

In January, I kicked off the year with family in Wisconsin.  We rang in the new year in a state of utter relaxation as snow gently fell outside.  Then it was off to Atlanta to meet up with some friends for the Passion Conference where we were reminded of what was important and got refocused before getting back into the daily grind.  

In February, my mom and I met up with some family and friends in New York for a girls weekend stacked full with food, fun and fantastic Broadway shows.  

March brought spring break and my first venture to McGuires for St. Patrick's Day.  

With a twist of events in April, I decided to up and move across town into my perfect little apartment.  That's when things really started to change for me...

May was the calm before the storm of change.  With visits from my parents and explorations into my new corner of the city, it was as though life was preparing me for its take off.  

I finished my commitment to Teach for America in June.  When summer vacation kicked off I headed to Fort Worth for my cousin's wedding.  

July found me back in Jacksonville catching up with friends and starting my new job at KIPP VOICE.  I also made a Big Girl move and bought my first car!

In August, it was off to Orlando for a week of KIPP Summit and I began my year as a Kindergarten teacher.  

In September I checked something off my bucket list and ran my first 5K.  

October found me falling in love with this guy on a beach in Cocoa.  We celebrated our birthdays and flew to Kentucky, and I realized I had found a happiness with him I never even knew was possible.  

In true Florida fashion, November found us on the water soaking in the sun and relishing our new found happiness. 

December led us to many adventures: Eric Church in concert, dancing under Christmas lights, and playing in the snow.  

And this New Year's looked quite a bit different for me than the last one, or really any other before it.  Because this New Year's looked a lot like the rest of my life.

On the Road Again

           Summer vacation is finally here, and I have been swept up in it.  I have spent the last week at my parents’ house doing a whole lot of nothing.  Although, for the first couple of days I did a fair amount of pouting due to the gloomy, tropical storm-like weather, but the sun finally made an appearance on Tuesday and I was finally able to trade my ghostly face for some sun-kissed cheeks. 

            Today, though, I am back on the road.  My parents and I have packed up the car, loaded up the iPod, and stocked the snack bag for our ten-hour drive to Texas for my cousin’s wedding.  The route takes us through the heartlands of the South…Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas herself.  We have taken it upon ourselves to play songs about each state as we drive along, kicking off the road trip with none other than “Sweet Home Alabama”. 

            I have been looking forward to this Big Texas Wedding Weekend for a long time.  My cowboy boots are packed, folks, and I am hoping to get some line dancing in while I’m in the Lone Star state.  Don’t worry; I’ll take lots of pictures…

            Any suggestions for songs we should play along the way?

Finding my Snow Legs

Well, I’ve been here at the Shack for three days now, and I can’t say that I’m happy that I only have two days left. I have fallen into the way of life here quite nicely. I can’t even say that I mind the 10-degree weather. The daily routine here is something to be envied. I wake up every morning to a perfect winter wonderland. I watch the snow gently fall while sipping coffee, eat a little breakfast, then the daily adventure begins! Off we go on the snowmobiles to get lost in the fairytale that surrounds us…

(A frozen-over Squirrel Lake where ice fishers have made temporary homes.)

My dad and I are snowmobiling buddies, and I let him take the “wheel” so to speak while I take in the scenes around me. Everywhere I look is like a scene from one of my favorite books. I am at the top of a mountain in Forks, camping in the Forrest of Dean, searching for Aslan in Narnia. And, quite frankly, that is exactly what I love about this place. I love that it is like literally getting lost in your favorite story. I love that it allows me to be a part of a great adventure; to take in scenes that I had only ever read about in a book or seen in a movie. I love that it is so completely different from my everyday life that it’s almost like being someone else for a while. And isn’t that what a great vacation is supposed to be? A chance to escape, recharge, rejuvenate. A chance to remember what is so wonderful about this life.

(My cousin, Jaime, and her fiance, Adem, on one of our snowmobiling adventures.)

(My cousin, Amanda, and dogs, Phelps and Bella, when we hiked to an island in the middle of a frozen lake.)

Christmas Past

For the last two days, my parents and I have been on a trek to the great state of Wisconsin. We have seen a lot as we traveled through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and soon to be Wisconsin itself. But I must say my favorite thing we have seen thus far is simply...snow. Granted, the flaming car on the side of the road was a very close second, but, snow, in all its simplicity, it just plain beautiful to me.

There is something about a fresh blanket of white on the ground that speaks of new beginnings and hope and innocence. I sat on the bed in our hotel this morning staring out the window in awe of the falling flurries. I couldn't stop smiling. For me, snow is reminiscent of my childhood. It reminds me of a time when life was simple and easy. Though I only spent five years of my very young life in states where we were lucky enough to have white Christmases, the memories of those years live vibrantly in my mind. I can still vividly see my mom and I walking home from church one December night when I was in second grade, the sounds of carols floating in the air behind us, as we spontaneously erupted into the best snowball fight I have had to date. The laughter mingled with soft melodies and the faint crunch of snow beneath our feet will always be one of my fondest memories.

There was just something about that winter, my last white December, that I will always remember as magical. Though that is one of the only white Christmases I remember, old home movies take me back to the rest. Movies where we are dressed to the nines in our snow gear: stocking caps, scarves, snow boots. Movies where my dad holds me in his lap as we sled down what seemed at the time to be treacherous hills on sleds the size of miniature umbrellas. Movies of me in onesie pajamas with the feet attached as I pop peanut butter balls into my mouth and grin cheesily at the camera. Movies of Christmases when I was filled with the wonder of a child, as snow gently fell outside the window.

Those are the winters I like to remember, and that is exactly what I have been doing as I stare wistfully out the window on our drive through the farmlands of Illinois. Snow blankets the fields as far as I can see, and I am hoping I will carry the feelings of hope and simplicity it brings with me for many days to come.

Trip down Memory Lane

I recently took a hiatus from "teacher life" and escaped for five glorious days to the land of hills and horse pastures. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I went to Kentucky, and, naturally, I came home inspired. There is nothing like breaking a monotonous routine to remind you of the things you love in life. In this case, I was reminded of how much I love the amazing close-ness and large-ness of my family and, of course, crisp fall weather (which I don't experience much here in Florida).

This time while galavanting around Lexington, I finally made it (okay, I just peeked inside) to my dad's old college haunt, Two Keys. I have heard many a hilarious tale of late nights spent in its wooden booths. Although we never actually made it inside, I felt like I was finally a little closer to the memory of a time before my time. And, really, that's what my time in Kentucky is about...it's about getting a little bit closer to the family that lives a life outside of my Floridian habitat. It's about driving down Memory Lane and taking a left on Winston Hill and catching a glimpse of the infamous sliding glass door. It's about driving down the same roads my dad walked down as a child as he headed to school. It's about remembering my great-grandmother and hearing about her amazing meat loaf and spaghetti and slumber parties at her old yellow house that I had never even seen before. It's about hitting up the local Kroger and buying three rolls of Goetta because it's a German thing and you can only get it in Northern Kentucky. It's about sitting on a back deck and sharing stories and welcoming a new member of the family and ringing a Mississippi State cowbell even though you hate all bulldogs just because you're really, really happy. And it's really just about looking forward and back at the exact same time and realizing that the best parts of life aren't necessarily to come...but they're right now. In that moment.

Bunz and I outside Two Keys

PS-- Special shout out to Mrs. Adams, the mother of the groom. It was wonderful to meet you! You gave me a reason to write again...

Everything's Bigger in Texas

Another weekend of New Year’s resolution fulfillment! I spent the last two days in Fort Worth, Texas, and I got to experience a bigger, better version of just about everything. From the hotel rooms to the family, there is no doubt in my mind that everything is, in fact, bigger in Texas (not that I had any doubt about this after my Houston summer…).

I stayed with my parents in downtown Fort Worth, an artsy, up-scale, and trendy city. Not to mention that we were there during a huge Art festival and people had flocked from miles to roam the streets. But the real reason I was in Texas for the weekend was not to peruse booths filled with hand-blown glass and textile art. The real reason I was in Texas was for family. A wedding, to be exact. The wedding of my cousin, Bridget Blinn, to Gator-grad, Brian Spears. It was a beautiful day, perfect for the uniting of two families. And speaking of families, I should add that the Blinn family comes to a grand total of 15 people (that’s two parents and 13 children, ladies and gentlemen). Just one more thing that proves everything is bigger in Texas.

I was so happy to have the chance to attend this wedding. You see the Blinns are such a large family that one doesn’t often have the opportunity to see them all together. But, oh, when they get together…I will try to paint a picture for you. The Blinns are known for their humor. They are a sarcastic family to the max. We (all the visitors) sat in a circle around their living room and just listened to them interact. It was like the most spectacular kind of comedy show. There was harassment, imitations, cynicism, and mockery. And, yet, when it was all said and done, no hard feelings were had. My favorite event of the weekend was a 25-minute long staring contest between two of my cousins. Yes, I said 25 minutes. Neither of them blinked for that long. That is the competitive gene at its best. The only reason the game ended is because another sibling came along and began to squirt water in the competitors eyes with the excuse of “adding elements” to the competition. Otherwise, it may have gone on all night.

It is always refreshing to spend some time with the family members who you seem to only know through Facebook. We connected over dance parties, chicken salad and 6-hour flight delays. Even though the weekend was jam-packed and caffeine-filled, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Even the 6-hour delay in Memphis on Friday filled my head with new and inspiring thoughts about what is to come (granted the same thing could have happened had my flight been on time…who knows?) But after all is said and done, I am coming away from the weekend refreshed in spirit and mind with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead and the certainty that no matter where life leads, family will always follow.

This is the Final Countdown

One of the biggest perks of being a teacher is all the vacation time. I'm not gonna lie, getting a spring break in the real world is pretty priceless. This past week has been a refreshing reminder that I have almost survived my first year of teaching. Only nine more weeks to go. It's hard to believe I made it this far when I think back on the beginning of the year (my lack of writing should tell you how uninspired I was). But, oh, how far I have come! There really was no better way to reward myself than with a 5-day cruise to the Caribbean. My sun-kissed skin and well-rested body may be all I need to make it to June. At least I'm hoping they last that long...here's to hoping.

Lauren, Lynsey and me in Grand Cayman. You want to know what's great about this picture? Our students aren't in it!

"That's all I have to say about that"

Well another month has come and gone, and, quite frankly, I have no excuse for not writing. A few weeks ago I was able to get out of Jacksonville for a night and visit Savannah with my parents. I cannot even begin to express how rejuvinating it is to get out of town and break routine for even just a night. I had always wanted to properly explore Savannah. After all, it is a true Southern mecca: home to Paula Deen and Forrest Gump. A city where magnolia trees and Southern twangs abound, I was in Swamp Gravy heaven. I am flat out ashamed of myself for not sharing it until now. Although the details may be foggy, the photos are not, and photos are not something I have had to share in awhile...

"Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get"

The real location of the Forrest Gump bench.

Savannah is truly unique. It has the party atmosphere of New Orleans, the historic value of Boston, and the charm of the Old South. -- J. Bennett