MGB

It is truly amazing how one meal at Wagamama along the Thames can bring people together.  As I remember it, that meal in London was when M, G, and I hit it off.  I only remember a bits of conversation from the evening, but I do distinctly recall laughing until my stomach was sore.  I also remember thinking that maybe I had found some people to quench the almost unbearable loneliness I’d been experiencing on study abroad.

After that fateful night, the three of us continued to bond over walks through Paris, frites, swans, and swords in Belgium, fashion shows, gelato, and Michelangelo’s David in Italy, a cat and electric fence in Switzerland, trips to the Louvre for Art History class, and many, many other experiences that can only happen in Europe.  Self-titled MGB, we formed a group that, given our personality differences, one might think wouldn’t really mesh.  M and G are much classier than this girl, but somehow it all works.  Aside from being excellent travelling companions, whether they knew it or not the M and G helped me heal from wounds inflicted by others less considerate.  I will always be grateful for it.

This past weekend, I flew out to Utah to celebrate the M of MGB becoming the R of RGB (she got married, you see).  Though the time together was much not nearly long enough, reuniting with the two of them was priceless-- worth much, much more than the money spent on a place ticket.  It’s been a few years since we’ve all been in the same room, but as we sat and chatted for just a short time I felt the old sense of comfort that true friendship holds return to my heart.  It was so good to share space with them. 

As I watched R dance with her new husband at the reception, I realized how much I’ve missed of R and G’s lives since we got home from study abroad and especially since I moved to Texas. I regret not making more of an effort to know-- not sending more emails or making more phone calls.  While we have all changed, I hope the bond we formed in a few months in Europe and the intermittent gatherings since then are enough for them to know that I will always consider them dear, dear friends-- ones with whom I hope to share many more of life's adventures.

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.