The Month That Was.

Oh goodness. I've been bad about updating lately. And it's not that I don't have fun things to share with you all -- I really do! It's more about the lack of time and the fact that I have been doing most of my work from my "work" computer and therefore do not have access to my digital pictures. Sorry friend(s).

Work has been hectic and I am definitely feeling overworked and underpaid -- the resting state for most public school educators. Still, I'm hoping that I will see some real growth from my students this year.

But I'll post about them later.

Instead, I want to talk about the shining beacon of light in each of my weeks...the weekend. A few weekends ago (I know, so bad that I am just NOW posting about it) I got to see my lovely friends Abby and Samir in Cleveland. Despite the fact that it took us a good long time to get there by car, our gracious hosts made good use of every minute of our stay and we got to see a lot. We even got to eat some uber-tasty food at Momocho (which, Abby and Samir, is categorically "Modern Mexico" food).


















The weekend after, Jamie and I braved a backpacking trip on Assateague Island. Which kicked my ass (a-teague). While Jamie had assured me it would be a flat, easy hike, neither he nor I knew that it was actually a flat, "easy" hike on sand. Friends, sand is not easy to hike on. Not with hiking boots and a heavy backpack. To make matters worse, it was a beach that people could drive to with their OTVs so there were enough people frolicking in the surf with their Diet Cokes and puppies to make me hate my life a little.

BUT, as we hiked we got further away from the crowds, and we eventually found a place on the bay that was very nice -- if not infested with the largest mosquitoes ever. We got to make a campfire and sleep under the stars in our new tent. It was quite beautiful.

And! There were wild horses meandering around! Sure they liked to stay by the car-camping sites and not so much in the backcountry, but we got to see a few. In the end, the miles and miles hiked on sand was worth it.

Last weekend we had the last BBQ of the year before the weather changed. Which it did, sort of...and this upcoming weekend, Jamie and I are scooting to New York for a wedding and to see some of our old friends. Cannot. Wait. I will try to be much better about posting in upcoming weeks.

To conclude, I would like to share with you a video for some new "you tube" baby that I am actually sort of in love with. Her name is Marie Digby.

Maybe it's because she's of mixed Japanese descent (like me!), or maybe it's because she's from the San Fernando Valley (like me!). Or, maybe I just like that she is able to take ultra-poppy songs and play them with actual talent. There is something slightly hilarious about an acoustic version of Britney Spears' "Gimme More". And yes, she write her own songs too, but I wanted to really hit home the poppiness.