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?

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.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

I have been in the classroom for 2 weeks now, and I think I have aged 5 years. There have been many adventures. From 12-year-olds crawling on my classroom floor, to exposure to Spanish words I don’t understand and probably wouldn’t know the meaning of if I did, to literally jumping up and down every time someone makes a 100 on a quiz, there is never a dull moment.

Although the first day was one of the most challenging 1.5 hours of my life, I have to admit it has only gotten better. Every day seems like a small victory as I see my students not only grasp concepts, but also warm up to me. Last Friday, I think I finally broke through and I am slowly falling in love with each and every one of the 6^th graders in my class. I now get hugs in the hallway, adorable lunch conversations, and the highlight of the last three weeks…11 of my 13 students got 100s on Friday’s quiz!!

I honestly came into this “Institute” experience thinking it was going to be the worst five weeks of my life, and, now, with only two weeks left, I am dreading getting on the plane home. I want to stay here with my students and teach them all I can.

It was all I could have hoped for to have a job I wouldn’t mind going to every day. But this job…I can’t wait to get back in the classroom every morning. I can’t wait to see what new adventures they have in store for me. I never thought I would be the type of person to rave about her job, but, people, I am raving! I am having the time of my life!

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In other news, I should definitely fill you in on the all-around Southernness of this experience. I mean, I am in TEXAS. I have taken it upon myself to educate all the Yankees I am encountering on the meaning of living in the South. Yesterday, for the 4^th of July, I orchestrated an “America” themed power hour. This consisted of only country music, because in my very strong opinion Southerners are as American as you can get. It doesn’t get any more American than sweet tea, chicken fried steak, Steel Magnolias and a good Southern twang. And the 4^th of July is never more authentic than down in the heart of Texas.

Yesterday, we celebrated by going to Freedom over Texas. We lounged in a huge park while listening to Little Big Town sing Boondocks and Bring It On Home to Me, and, if I’m being honest, I got a little emotional over the fireworks display. I mean, if you really stop to think about what freedom means, how could you not get a little teary eyed?