Three years later

Three years after my last post....

This is what has been up in my life! In August of 2013, I met this amazing guy via Match.com.

This is from our third date, we went to the Cliff Walk in Newport and spent a wonderful day together! This is the first photo we took together!

Then, in September of 2014, he did this:

And, now as of December 2015, we did this:

Life is good.

I'm done!

Today, I turned in my last final paper for my MEd at Harvard Graduate School of Education!

Surreal!

I feel blessed to have had this opportunity and experience. I will miss the Charles River bank that I called hom for 9 months. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

I shot these two photos last week when I was walking home from the gym...pretty nice view!

I owe this experience to:

-trusting other people when they believed in me.

-having the courage to take a risk

-determination

-knowing that this is my only life 

I'm looking forward to Commencement on May 30!

One Quarter of 2013...

Checking in to say, one quarter of 2013 is almost done, my 33rd birthday is a less than two weeks away, and I'm not super into reading the article I must complete for a class tomorrow!

So, here's how the the last few months have gone!

In January, I went to Disney World (my favorite place!) and the Presidential Inauguration! I'm continuing my tradition of taking photos of planks (my fave is the star plank, I think it photographs well!!!) at all of the landmarks I visit!

Epcot Center

We arrived around 6 am in Washington DC and visited all of the monuments before the ceremonies began! It was great to be in that wonderful city surrounded be part of an event as grand as an inauguration!

Then, Nemo came in February and shut everybody down for about 48 hours. We got almost 3 feet of snow in the Boston Area. 

And, many Cambridge residents & businesses didn't do too much to clean the sidewalks, walking to and from campus became quite an adventure!

Then, I traveled home to see my #1 girl, Callie, and she was happy as always!

We picked up balloons for a party and she was NOT thrilled about sitting with the ballons, so she got upgraded to first class. 

Last week, I went to a school in the North End of Boston and stopped by to snap this photo of the Paul Revere statue in a snow storm. The Old North Church ("one if by land, two if by sea") is in the background. As a history teacher, I love being around these historical landmarks!

Today, I was reminded that in exactly 8 weeks, my studies will be done and that May 30 Commencement date will be soon approaching. 

I will be returning to the classroom because I miss it too much not to return. Maybe someday, I will extend myself into other areas of school leadership or even education policy, but for right now, I miss everything I love about teaching...

"Go Kit"

This is my "go kit" for traveling....it's not my entire toiletry supply when traveling, but it's small and light and fits in most of my "walk around" bags when on the airplane or touring.

I got the little pink case from Target a few years ago and it was only a few dollars.

Inside:

Medicines: decongestant (a must for air travel for me!), Advil, Imodium, band aids. Also, I keep a few packets of emergency and I always have one on the plane and like to have a few handy in case I start to feel under the weather. Lastly, I have "ear planes" in case the cabin pressure is too much for my ears.

Next: pocket sized nail file, hand cream, anti bacterial gel, tampons, Amazing Grace perfume, Chapstick, hair elastic, bobby pins, and Listerine breath spray.

When I return from a trip, this bad boy goes right back into my closet!

What do you keep in your go kit?

Some thoughts on paint...

Here are some thoughts on paint.....

Brands:
I've painted my whole house, every room, from one time to another.(and my old house) I've used Behr, Valspar, BM, SW, and Glidden. 

Behr (Home Depot): Thin, thin, thin. If you love a color, get it in BM or SW. I used the premium paint for my spare room (striped one) and it was just like using plain BM. 

Valspar (Lowes): thin, thin, thin. I had to do FOUR coats of white to cover a pale blue in my bathroom. FOUR coats. I could understand if it had been a dark color I was trying to cover, but it was baby blue and I STILL see pieces of blue come through in places when I'm in my bathroom. Someday, maybe this summer, I'll do another coat of higher quality white paint. Thank GOD it was on a gift card! 

Sherwin WilliamsW: I like Sherwin Williams, BUT it was actually a little too thick for me....

Glidden: A little thicker than Behr and I liked the way it covered in two coats. I did my bedroom in Glidden.

Benjamin Moore: Ahhhh, love it. I did my living room in BM. LOVED it. It was smooth, the roller and cutting brush strokes blended nicely and two coats covered evenly without looking thin or too thick.

My winner: BENJAMIN MOORE!

And, I don't really love the whole "primer built into the paint" trend that's going down these days. You can't beat a good caot of Kilz primer (oil based for wood projects and latex for regular wall work) followed by two even coats of paint. I hope that helps!


Finishes:
For the most part, paint finishes are dependent on the space you plan to paint! I tend to stick with eggshell or satin finishes for bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. For the kitchen and bathroom, you want to stick to a semi-gloss or gloss finish so the wall is washable.

House Tour Update

I've been home from graduate school housing for two weeks now for winter break. I didn't snap any photos of my holiday decor (Why?!? I have no idea! It looked cute too!), but today, I took down the tree and put away the yuletide decorations and set the house back to normalcy. Since everything was neat and in its place, I figured it was a good opportunity to post an update!

I have a small ranch house and the front door opens up into a nice open space. It's small, but it's more than enough for just me and my pets!

The green pillows were a set from Home Goods for $29.99, the patterned and cream ruffled pillow are about a year old and from Pier 1 Imports. (Other items--rug: Target; coffee table & tv stand: Pottery Barn;  curtains: Target; wood blinds: Lowes)

I scored the great new tablecloth ($19.99) and runner ($12.99) from Home Goods; rug: Target.

A month at Harvard....

So, it's been a month so far and things are going great! I've settled into my temporary home in Cambridge, have met some wonderful people and made a few new friends, and have been thoroughly enjoying my courses and how much I'm learning about the world of education!

Here are some photos from my journey so far!!!

Orientation begins!

First day of classes!

Harvard Yard

Even though I've been a Sox fan forever and had already given up on them for the season, a random person walking by my friend and I at an outdoor bar gave us tickets to a game because she couldn't attend! How could you say no??

Shots from a run on the Charles!

A star side plank on the John Harvard statue! 

(Yes, I cleaned my hands afterwards!!! I guess people pee on it!)

Fall foliage outside my building!

And here are some shots of my room and bathroom, decorated just enough to make me happy and not break my bank on things that aren't permanent! The vinyl wall decals were already there from the previous tenant, so they matched my West Elm bedding perfectly so I kept them up there! And, the four mirrors in the second shot were leftovers too....left those up as well!

 

And just a great quotation from an article that I think all teachers would love!