j.j. abrams

i'm not so good with the one-topic blog posts, but i thought i owed some cred to j.j. abrams. him and his time travel ways...

first of all, he created felicity. i know this is probably somewhat embarrassing on his resume, but HELLO it's my favorite show. so get over it. everything about the show is so great. (yes, including the time travel...oh are you intrigued? you should watch.)

second, i will raise the spock salute and say that i have seen star trek. twice. j.j. has actually made trekies seem not so out there. while i realize j.j. abrams didn't create star trek, he turned it into something cool. the movie is pretty sweet, and also hilarious. and again, time travel.

also a sort of side note, i am actually watching felicity right now whilst eating cheez its. which has nothing to do with the story except it has everything to do with it. and by that i mean there is star trek on the back of the box. i could get the captain's tee for only $9.99.

(edit) how did i not even MENTION lost!? this is clearly a result of my blog sucky-ness. okay so lost is a crazy crazy show, and i love it. and not to beat a dead horse but: time travel. (p.s. i absolutely hate that phrase. terrible visual.)

okay, i suck at one topic blogs. i think i will just end it here? also i am missing a great noel and ben scene.



live long and prosper.

verano.

so rachel is in sweden.
before she left i gave her a left over magazine, a book to borrow, and a few euro cents.
all in all it wasn't a fantastic present,
but hey.
you never know when those few euro cents actually buys a coffee in france.
the thought of that really makes me smile.

today was my first last day of school as a teacher.
i held it together during the kindergarten graduation
and even through saying goodbye to those same kids
i didn't even tear up when i saw a slide show of the whole year
(maybe because i was busy eating oklahoma joe's).
but today the whole school lined the hallways
and cheered for the sixth graders as they left elementary school.
after the crowd had gone through, a mentally handicapped girl named daisy
shuffled through the line,
and the whole school cheered.

that's when i teared up. and not even really for daisy,
although that was really special.
i think it was for the community i was a part of.
teachers and students and the actually building,
they have all grown to become a part of me.
they have changed me, challenged me, and made my passion for kids come alive.
i will miss my school a lot over the summer.

but summer. summer.
what a great feeling.
bike rides to the farmer's market, swimming and basking in the sun.
royals games and worlds of fun.
and hey -
spain.

here's to the best season ever.

amen.

busy and prolific; typically terrific.

if i could sum up this spring with one word it would be this: ALLERGIES.

if i could sum up my life in pictures it would be here: flickr.

and that's really about all. pictures + allergies + busy.
i'm so ready for summer.
6.5 days left of school.

graduation.

so this weekend, two very important men in my life will be graduating. one from high school, one from college. i think to me, graduation has become something that everyone does. for some reason it's lost its prestige and excitement for me. but in all honesty, it's a huge deal.

i stayed up late last night finishing a surprise video slideshow for my brother. the slideshow is filled with fun old pictures and good memories (and hopefully good music. that was the toughest part.) as i watched the final product this morning while getting ready, it struck me how proud i am of my little brother. throughout his life he has never been one to conform to those around him. he's completely his own person and does not care about what others think. on top of that, he's so so smart. he has helped changed my view of what being smart really means. i'm excited for him and his future and i know he will do great things.

tomorrow i am traveling west to manhattan for another graduation. this one is equally exciting because it feels like it's taken FOREVER. just kidding. but really, after nine majors and seemingly worthless assigments - adam is graduating from college. i have noticed so many similarities between my brother and him recently. both guys are super smart in their own ways, and both tend to hate how the education system is designed. even though on paper having nine majors looks like you wouldn't have much direction in life, adam has had more direction in his life than most people who never change their major (i.e., me this time last year). even though his passions and callings have always been outside of the academic world, he's stuck with it and gotten his degree. i'm so excited and proud of him!

well it's going to be a busy weekend, but totally worth it. two graduations full of feeling proud for two amazing people.

hopefully at some point i can get that stupid vitamin c song out of my head.



(i made these. yess.)

idyllic summer day, summer night.

God bless the daylight, the sugary smell of springtime.

lately i have learned how to:
get sore from the batting cages,
disc golf,
and sort of like watching baseball
(even on tv!)

i made a good play list today. lots of lively music. it's burning to a cd now to go in my car.
in fact,
that happy little blablablink just happened,
which means the cd is ready.

now i am getting up to enjoy a margarita
in honor of some little battle won in mexico
on a day that is celebrated more in the US than in mexico.
anything to drink, right?

all this to say: life is good. it feels right and i'm ready to keep going.

kentucky derby.

the kentucky derby is the only excuse to wear hats like this:
(which actually i would do in an instant)

















go General Quarters.