magical.

last thursday at school, with the impending doom of iceageddon upon north texas, a co-worker described snow days as "magical." with no recollection of experiencing a snow day while growing up in utah (we have these things called plows and ice melt), i couldn't relate to my fellow teacher's assessment. however, with the announcement of school closure on friday, i started to experience the magic of a snow-day.  a snow-day means no alarm clock, movie-watching, good intentions of catching up on work, warm drinks, and most importantly, time to rest.  it's an unplanned gift, making it all the more extraordinary.

i spent friday in a general state of lounging.  with everything covered in 4-5 inches of ice, driving was out of the question.  when saturday came, i decided to brave the conditions and attempt to drive to my aunt and uncle's house about 15 miles away to hunker down with family. the ice had yet to melt, so after 2 hours of white-knuckled, expletive-filled driving, i made it with only slight emotional scarring.  (memo to texans: when you're driving on ice, don't ride the tail of whoever is in front of you. especially when going up a hill.)   upon safe arrival, the real festivities began and continued through sunday.  with church canceled, there was no real reason to leave the house.  i couldn't have been happier.  up went the christmas decorations, out came the puzzles, christmas music filled the house, and delicious baked goods came out of the oven.  it.  was.  glorious.

sunday evening rolled around, which brought the question of whether school would again be canceled the following day.  "surely not," i thought.  how could we all possibly get so lucky as to have not one, but two snow-days?! i assumed because the roads were drivable, school would happen.  around 6:00pm, my cousin's school district called the house bearing the news: no school. and thus began the dance party.  my cousin (a sophomore in high school) and i could not restrain ourselves.  another day of unplanned rest!  does life get any better?!  only when on monday night, you are informed that school will again be canceled on tuesday.  my mother must be living right (thanks jules!) because this is just out of control. this time, my aunt joined my cousin and me in the dancing.  how did we ever get to be so lucky to be forced into spending more time with family and friends, enjoying the spirit of the season?

am i wondering how on earth i'm going to get through the rest of my material with the reduced number of classes? am i going to have to revise lesson plans? will kids already be in christmas-break mode? we will have to make up the days? of course.  but it is a welcome consequence of being able slow down and live in the present while spending time with people most dear.    

the christmas season is already wonderful, but snow days on top of it?  truly magical.  

the struggle.

in my daily perusal of online articles, this one gave me pause.  with a brother who suffers from bipolar II disorder and depression/anxiety present in my immediate family (including myself), i can sympathize with the author.  mental illness has a stigma causing others to tread lightly on the topic or disregard it altogether.  perhaps it is because it is less understood and obvious than broken bones and cancer, perhaps because people assume that you can just choose to be less-depressed and less-anxious.  but depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are real, just as cancer is real.  the effects are of these diseases also very real.  they are painful.  and they last a long, long time.  the past ten years of my life have been greatly influenced by my individual and familial struggle with the ups and downs of mental illness.  it is a battle, but one that can be made easier if we will a) acknowledge the existence of mental illness and b) help those in our circles of influence with the fight.

i am grateful the author decided to share his story and hope that others will choose to do the same.  the stigma of mental illness will only be reduced as we have the courage to talk about it openly.

work family.

a quarter into my 2nd year of teaching and i've found this year to be much better than last.  i'm less overwhelmed with the day-to-day lesson planning/grading and can focus more on refining my teaching skills and enjoying the students.  i've taken on additional roles as student council advisor and UNICEF club advisor which fills more time, but brings much reward. i feel a greater investment in the school and, dare i say it, a greater sense of belonging.

this, no doubt, is due to my work family.  

with the closest member of my immediate family over 1,000 miles away, my coworkers, along with my aunt and uncle, have become an additional family-- one i have truly come to rely on.  when students threaten my sanity, they are there to help me keep it together or, when circumstances demand, just lose it with me.  each school day is filled with an amount of laughing that is borderline illegal-- so much that i frequently ask myself, "are we allowed to have this much fun at work?"  but beyond the fun, i can't imagine taking on teaching without their support and guidance.  you would have had to pull me out of a ball in the corner long ago if it weren't for my work family. they have become teammates, mentors, role models, running partners, therapists, and above all, friends.

i have never been very good with words, especially when trying to express emotion.  it may come across as me having, as hermione would say, "the emotional capacity of a teaspoon," but i assure you it is not the case.  i couldn't be more grateful to have my work family.  

many, many thanks.   

happy bdiddy.

i'll be honest.  birthdays are not my favorite days, and it's not because i mind getting older (not yet, anyway).  i feel like birthdays are full of pressure to make the day the best one of the year.  it's crippling, really.  plus, there's so much attention which makes me want to go climb in a cupboard.  however, i do like my birthday because, like new year's day, it provides an opportunity to reflect on where i've been during the previous year and where i'm going in the forthcoming one.  it's a recalibration, of sorts.  while the past year has been full of great times (2 trips to europe and survival of 1st year of teaching) and some not so great times (the longest depressive stage to date), i've learned much about myself.  i'm looking forward to the year ahead.  a marathon (only appropriate for being 26), new zealand (crossing fingers), and grad school (also crossing fingers) make the next 365 look pretty darn good.

correspondence

dear texas,
thanks for doing us a solid with the weather.  this morning's running weather was the perf.  looking forward to more days like this.

dear running,
i'm remember how much i love you.  today's 11+ miles were spectacular.  i might even come back to play tonight.

dear kayak.com,
are you positive tickets to new zealand are really that expensive?

dear 7th grade students,
i hope you never lose the enthusiasm for learning you currently have.  stay curious.

dear life,
there are so many ways i could take you.  how do i choose?

dear tier 1 friends,
thanks.

mythbusters

myth #1: armadillos only exist as roadkill.

after living in texas for over two years, i finally saw my first wild, non-roadkill armadillo.  up until now i've only seen a bloody, flattened carcass on the side of the road, suggesting they just come that way.  myth.  busted.

myth #2: aggies have a healthy level of school pride.

i'm sure to get some flack from friends and co-workers about this, but after experiencing a texas a&m football game (and my, was it an experience), the amount of school pride is beyond healthy.  it's borderline scary.  myth.  busted.

myth #3:  school will be less busy this year.

myth blown to smithereens. good thing the kids are wonderful.

myth #4: it can be fall without cool weather.

c'mon, texas! throw us a bone and hand out a day that requires a sweatshirt!

myth #5: i don't miss the siebach schwestis.

need siebach schwestis stat.

summer 2013: epilogue

tomorrow i go back to work without complaint. is it this job, after all, that facilitated the adventures.  people have asked if i'm "ready."  the feeling of dread that hits my stomach when i think about taking on another school year suggests i am not.  ready or not, here it comes. 

sufficeth it to say, the past 65 days have been rather epic.  9 countries (10 if you count texas), 7 modes of transportation (plane, train, bike, bus, boat, car, foot), roughly 16,300 miles in all, many of those miles sans human companion (one i knew, anyway).  when spending extended amounts of time in solitude, your mind has the opportunity to wander to corners of its spaces previously neglected as a result of, well, life.  over the past 9 weeks, i've given some much needed attention to those dusty spaces and was (needfully) reminded of this: self-imposed limits of what is possible and impossible prohibit a more fulfilling existence. the mind can be our greatest asset or our biggest roadblock when it comes to living a full life, but too often, our thoughts establish barriers on what we can and can not do, what we can and can not be.  if we could use our minds to open doors of possibility rather than close them, i think our true potential would be within reach.  i am by no means perfect in this-- far from it.  my mind and i battle on the regular about what i can and can not do.  i, too, shut doors on possibility-- especially on the hard days when getting out of bed seemingly requires the mental effort equal to climbing everest.  i would hope, however, that the experiences of this summer have established a pattern of thinking and living that can be integrated into my very being.  obviously, this kind of existence is not achieved without work. but as i have to convince myself frequently, but hopefully less frequently in the future, it is a work that is worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears.

summer 2013: thanks.  it's been real.

des montagnes.

having failed to suppress the wanderlust, since returning from europe i have taken a 4-day excursion to nauvoo, illinois and am presently in utah-- arrived yesterday, leave in a week.  it's always a bit odd coming back to the place where i grew up.  things are pretty much the same, but i am very, very different.

today's activities consisted of a lovely morning run up the canyon followed by 8ish hours out in the garden weeding and harvesting. the weather is delightfuly warm at just a tad over 90 degrees.  we've eaten almost exclusively from things grown in the garden over the past 24 hours.
in essence, a perfect day.

i have missed the mountains.  i will be the first to admit that i took them for granted growing up, but i am grateful for texas for helping me truly appreciate the beauty of elevation change.  since our separation, i have yearned to be back in a mountainous environment and i'm looking forward to more time up in the mountains.

as john muir said, "the mountains are calling and i must go."

random day-after-europe thoughts.

it is a truly bizarre feeling to be running one morning in victoria park, london and the next morning running in keller, texas. slightly depressing.  but thanks to jet lag, being up at 4:45 let me see a beautiful sunrise on my run.

i heart traveling with my sisters.

i am once again struck at the width of texas streets, the number of SUV's, air conditioning, and the glorious taste of american diet coke.

the world is full of really, really, REALLY interesting people.

i never would have pegged berlin as a city where people tan nude in the central park.

there is something refreshingly simplistic about living with the things you can only carry in your backpack. after you get over the feeling of vulnerability, it's quite a nice way to go.  good prep for the appalachian trail.

i am struggling with the lack of physical movement. for almost 6 weeks it was new places and new cities every few days with different things to do and see.  and i was never inside for longer than a museum visit, a stop at the grocery store or café, or to sleep.  time to apply that to my current living situation.

feet are amazing.  they can take us incredible places.  and chacos on those feet?  even better.

i am truly grateful i had the chance to experience more of this glorious earth in which we live. traveling can foster adaptability, passion, independence, curiosity, learning, spontaneity, and an appreciation for different cultures (just to name a few). it reminds me that i am not only capable of living these qualities, but i am happiest when i do. the trick is to apply these traits into the everyday and to let them seep so deep into you that they become who you are no matter where you are.  

"adventure is a path.  real adventure-- self-determined, self-motivated, often risky-- forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.  the world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.  your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness.  in this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind-- and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both.  this will change you." -mark jenkins

so there you have it.  the sun has officially set on european summer 2013.

luckily there are always more adventures to be had.  care to join?

deutschland, danmark, norge

truthfully, each of these countries deserve their own post, but here's the abbreviated version in photographical bullet points.

deutschland:

frauenkirche, dresden.  (dark brick, before WWII.  light brick, built post WWII bombing)

swiss saxon national park.  8 hours of hiking bliss.

annaberg buchholz.  felt like mulan paying homage to the ancestors.

leipzig, thomaskirche.  part of the bach pilgrimage.

berlin, brandenberger tor.

spandau, berlin

potsdam, germany

danmark:  wish i could have spent more time here.  the danes truly are some of the friendliest people i've ever encountered. 

crossing baltic sea to copenhagen

copenhagen (heart all the cyclists!)

copenhagen

hirtshals (north sea)

coastline

perhaps the most perfectly coiffed horses in denmark.

best sunset ever.

lighthouse in hirtshals

norge: o.m.norway.  must go back. for a long, long time.   

way up to preikestolen (pulpit rock)

pulpit rock. 

the fjord.

elevated view of the rock.

the north sea.

1st cousins once removed.  

monafossen

fjord cruise

fjord cruise.

old town stavanger.

Česká republika.

the old town, castle district, and jewish quarter in prague could be the most architecturally beautiful places i've ever ever been to.  vienna and paris are pretty fantastic... but daaaaa-yum. so is prague.  absolutely loved it. i spent hours just wandering around the little cobblestone streets, which was perfect because heaven knows i couldn't talk to anyone.  by the time i left, i think i managed one correct good morning and thank you.  czech is ridiculous!

since i did a lot of writing in the last post, i'll spare you words and include more pictures.  and just so you know, i became obsessed with the clocks around the city, so there are loads of pictures of different clocks. consider it a study.

after 3 days in prague, i spent another 1.5 down in cesky krumlov-- also an architectural delight.  plus, the surrounding southern bohemian hills proved an excellent escape from the tour bus crowds.

charles bridge.

our lady before tyn

astronomical clock

old town hall

couldn't help it.  his pose was just too good.

old-new synagogue

names of czechs killed during the holocaust.

jewish cemetery

st. nicholas cathedral

cute little door.

clock(s)

clock

clock

wenceslas square

cesy krumlov.  even the man-hole covers are delightful.

wanna buy a sundial?

part of the castle.

view of the country from klet, highest peak in southern bohemia.

the vltava running through town.

walking to the bus station at 4:30am. not a bad parting gift.