Angela Pamela

30ish Weeks

2012-02-03T11:31:00.003-05:00

This week has been such a blessing--I haven't been sick AT ALL. I've finally had some consistent energy, and I can eat most food (still in smaller portions, but that's just fine!)

I had a great time in Utah last week with family, and Andrew and I are headed to NYC until Monday. So there should be some exciting blogging to come next week!

Not a professional Wrestler

2012-01-22T21:44:00.002-05:00

I opened the Sunday paper today, and the Arts and Entertainment section headline was about a pro-wresting league that is starting in Maryland.

First thought, "I'm so glad my husband isn't a pro-wrestler."

Turning the Corner?!

2012-01-21T07:34:00.000-05:00

Baby girl,

I forgot to take my anti-nauseau medicine last night, which is essentially a sleeping pill. I woke up this morning at 6 am with A TON of energy, and thought to myself, "Well this is abnormal. I normally sleep for another five hours."

But Andrew was getting up. And my eyes weren't glued shut, so I got up too. Made some french toast (with homemade bread AND homemade syrup, I might add!) Checked some blogs, danced around the kitchen, and thought, "I'm going to crash at noon."

But then I remembered it...I forgot to take my sleeping pill! THIS is what it feels like my body gets to regulate sleep cycles on it's own! I AM a morning person! I knew it! I wondered if my love of mornings was gone forever, never to be seen again until baby girl is off to college.

But no. I will love mornings again. I might throw up later, but for now, I am a morning person.

(Now if only we can recreate this TOMORROW. We have a regional youth dance tonight at the stake center that I'm in charge of, and then a ward conference early tomorrow morning....)

Andrew, the Super Genius

2012-01-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

An article was published today about Andrew and his iDev club.

The second part hints at a project he's working on developing for next school year, to try and take his club to scale across the city.

Names

2012-01-13T12:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the neighbor kids came to visit.

They rang the doorbell, and as I answered they skipped all formalities and went straight to, "We have some names for your baby."

"Faith, Hope, Aesteeeia, and Junior. Have you thought about Junior? That's a good one."

"Ooooh, I love that middle one, that's really unique. And really pretty. And I hadn't thought about Junior, but you're right, that's a GOOD one. Just let me know if you think of anymore."

I can't wait to hear what they come up with.

Gaming

2012-01-10T12:04:00.001-05:00

We've been playing a lot of games around these parts, lately. On Friday night the Bishop and his wife came over to play one of the many Settlers of Catan expansions/versions/spinoffs: Settlers of America Trails to Rails. I would be lying if I said it isn't a complex game, but it was also SUPER fun! It took over three hours, but I think now that we have the hang of it, it's would probably take closer to 2 hours to play a full game.

Andrew won, but we did make the call that if no one had won by midnight, we would call it a game. It should be noted that Andrew won at 12:03, and that at midnight, I WAS winning. (Aren't we good hosts? We invite people over and then beat them at their own game...)

We then got together with more folks on Sunday night for more games! This time, Diminion. Another great game made by the same company.

Although the group is an ever shifting group of people, we generally play games with some group of people once a week or so. It's generally younger couples, who don't have kids of their own, and don't have family near by. While we really wish we had family closer to us, it's also nice that there are so many people in the same position. And we're able to create a really nice family of friends with each other.

Samples

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

The other day, Andrew came upstairs for lunch. We had ordered pizza the night before, and we were going to eat leftovers. I have about zero appetite most of the time, so sometimes it's hard for me to get enough food ready to feed us both.

Andrew came upstairs and immediately said, "You're not feeling well, are you?" looking at the food I had put out. We were each going to eat ONE piece of pizza.

"I can tell you right now, one piece of pizza will not be enough for me," he says.

Which I knew. So we were also eating carrots, and yogurt and oranges. Which I explained.

"Those are SAMPLES," he says. "Can I please have chicken enchiladas, too?"

Now I laugh every time I eat some produce. They are samples, after all.

New Years Eve Hike

2012-01-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

It was unseasonably warm this week! On New Years Eve we went up to Oregon Ridge Park for a hike, and then out to Mission Impossible 3. It was a really nice to be outside for a little bit.

Ravens Game!

2012-01-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

As an Anniversary/Christmas gift Andrew surprised me with tickets to see the Ravens! I was so, so, so surprised! And equally excited!

I am a bigger sports fan than Andrew, although he's come a long way in the past few years. While I don't religiously follow teams, I really like watching games and going to games. We don't have a TV, so my sports fix has been a little sparse lately.

I'd never been to a Raven's game for two main reasons: 1. They are very expensive, and I just can't justify the expense. 2. They are always on Sunday.

BUT Andrew rationalized that if we don't go now, once we have a baby we will NEVER go, and this was a Saturday afternoon game. PERFECT. And the weather was perfect. While the sun was up it was in the 50's, and although the sun went down in the fourth quarter, it was nothing like a game in Utah would have been on December 24. (Maybe it's just my youthful memory, but I remember FREEZING at November BYU games.)

Andrew also decided that if this was going to be a once in a lifetime event, we should have good seats. Like, eleventh-row good! This particular picture makes it look like we were looking into the sun for the whole game. Don't worry, we weren't. Another concern I had about paying a lot of money to go to a pro football game was that after spending all that money, I would be stuck by foul-mouthed sports fans. The group around us was perfect! Their was a father and son duo next to us that if I had to wager a guess, the son was home from college and the dad had taken him to the game as a gift. The youths behind us, also super nice.

For most of the game it was just sweatshirt weather.

At the end of the game, when it had gotten just a little colder.

Thanks for such a fun gift, Andrew! It's always fun to make memories as a gift, rather than always get things.

Hide and Seek

2012-01-02T19:17:00.001-05:00

An addendum to the last post.

There are days where to save my life I cannot get ahold of Andrew while he's at school. This includes actually going to the school to look for him. His school is MASSIVE, and half of it is a dead-zone for his cell phone. And bless his heart, he really likes to work. Some days school will be over for a really long time, and I still can't get ahold him. He's generally really good about calling right after school, but of course it's the day I NEED to talk to him that he doesn't.

On the day that I went to his school to pick up new shirts for his Christmas gift, he was supposed to be gone with his club (they go to an elementary school to teach teachers how to use their iPads) so I thought I was in the clear. I mean, what are the odds of him being in the exact spot I am? Nil. It's never happened before.

Nope.

As I was in the school store (hidden in a room...not wandering the halls so everyone can say, "hey, are you looking for Mr. Coy?" like usual) who should walk in? My husband. Of course, the one day I'm at his school trying to be unseen. He was waiting for one of his students, who was buying a treat at the school store.

Oh, the irony.

Christmas with the Coys

2012-01-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

Our fake little tree, that was given to me by Sara one year when she was moving in the spring. I think she only gave it a way because it was April. And she didn't want to move it. I think she probably misses it now....

Our little nativity set.

Look at all those presents! This was the year of practicality, and baby girl. Most of those boxes have things like socks, or shirts with the Digital Harbor logo. (Andrew has been wearing three shirts, everyday, for three years. I thought maybe it was time to get a few new ones.)

And Santa loved Baby girl! We got a great deal on some things throughout December on Craigslist and FreeCycle, so that was essentially what I got for Christmas.

And the MOST important part of Christmas morning, if you ask Andrew, are the Christmas Rolls. Don't worry, we ate all of them. But it did take a few days.

I spoke in Church on Christmas, so we woke up, ate rolls, went to church, and then came home for presents. After presents we had a little more food before heading down to DC to spend time with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kent, as well as Cousin David and Sara and their little family. Such a fun day!

Delicious Food

2011-12-27T12:04:00.001-05:00

Me: This was a delicious lunch!
Andrew:Yeah, it was really good!

Not 2 minutes later, I threw it all up.

Baby, not how this is supposed to work. Delicious food is meant for YOU.

Feeding High Schoolers

2011-12-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

Andrew promised his classes a party of sorts on the last day before Christmas Break.

I was making wheat bread for the neighbors, and giving it with a jar of jam that I had made earlier in the year. My elementary students used to love when I would bring them homemade bread, so I thought that might be good for Andrew's classes too. Most of our kids don't have homemade goods very often.

So he went to school with homemade bread and jam, apples, and carmel.

His two classes had very different responses.

Second Block, "Awe, Mr. Coy, why couldn't you bring something normal? Like chips? Or Deli meat?" They didn't eat much.

His Fourth Block Honors kids LOVED it though, and wanted to learn how to make bread, and wondered if there was a cooking class. They ate SEVERAL loaves.

Interesting.

First Belly Pics!

2011-12-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

Andrew took some pictures last night after we got home from celebrating our two-year anniversary.

Picture number one. Andrew said this wasn't a very good picture because this is what I look like after eating a four course meal AND arching my back so I look pregnant. He then decided that I had to take my vest off so that I couldn't arch my back.

Picture number two. What I look like if I put my hands around my belly. He also says, not what I look like in real life.

He says THIS is what I look like. Baby is coming in 3.5 months...where is she in there? There can't be enough room in there!

**For those of you worried that I'm not gaining weight...I was too. The doctor says baby girl is growing just fine. Now that I'm not throwing up four times a day, I'm able to gain a LITTLE weight. (I've recovered the fifteen pounds I lost in the first four months, PLUS ONE!) I don't want people to worry that I'm trying to minimize my weight gain. I am trying to gain weight. We want a healthy baby. :)

The National Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

We went down to DC on Friday night to see the National Christmas Tree. The lights go off at 11 pm, and I think we made it there at 10:57. (Dinner was eaten at a relaxed pace, and then we went to the Temple Lights and THEN we made it to the National Tree.)

Andrew and I got our photo taken.....

And then the lights went out, so Brent got his picture in the dark. Outside the fence that keeps people away at night. Aren't we good friends?

Two Years

2011-12-19T03:30:00.000-05:00

Two years ago I married this guy.

He still makes me smile that much. :)

Candy Trains

2011-12-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

We invited some new friends from church over to make Candy Trains with us. I spent most of my train-making time helping 3-year old Bennett. He was totally adorable, and everything was "so tasty!" He kept pointing at candy and saying, "We haven't tasted that one yet."

The masterpiece of Ann and Bennett. (Although, Kellie, Bennett's mom started helping him, his baby brother who is 2 months old wanted some attention, too. So I joined Team Bennett.)

Andrew focused on simplicity this year.

Brandon and his Engine.

All I got done....

But I'm going to call it a success. Tonight when we saw Bennett at the church, he ran to his mom saying, "It's our friends! It's our friends! Look mom, it's our friends!"

Miracle on 34th Street

2011-12-17T22:33:00.001-05:00

Remember last year? This year we introduced the missionaries to the Miracle that is 34th Street. Come visit next December, and we'll take you, too! (Seriously, go look at last year, we took pictures last year that really captured the block.)

White House Visit

2011-12-10T20:17:00.001-05:00

I've lived in Baltimore for over five years, and never made it to the inside of the White House. Some people spend five days here and manage to do that.

A friend of ours from church set up a tour, and we were more than happy to jump on board! It was really fun to see it all decorated for Christmas; there were so many trees! Some rooms had three huge ones! The biggest one was in the Blue Room (it's the official Christmas Tree) and I still am boggled as to how they actually got it into the room.

The pictures are mostly of me. Because Andrew got a new phone, which means he got a new camera, and he was really excited about using it.

This is the White House Gingerbread house. It's made of gingerbread, and covered in white chocolate. Amazing? Yes.

The whole lot of us.

Just the two of us.

Walking away.

Andrew and I in the East Wing. We were hoping you'd be able to wee the window decor and all the garland in the hall, but it turns out all you get is us.

Me in the East Room. Notice, there are three trees in this room alone.

Belgian Hot Chocolate at Brunch afterwards.

short hair

2011-12-09T22:57:00.001-05:00

Somebody got a haircut.

40th Annual Monument LIghting

2011-12-07T20:43:00.001-05:00

Most cities, if they are going to light anything at all, light a tree to start the holidays.

Not us. Baltimore lights up the Washingon Monument (the FIRST Washington Monument, I might add. Baltimore had one before Washington DC). With the best firework show all year. I've gone every year since I moved here, and loved it every year. We always get a cup of cocoa or wassil from the National Federation for the Blind (a friend used to work for them, and we still like to support) for a $1. Seriously, I'm not sure how they make any money. They give you at least 21 oz....for one dollar?!

Some years it's been bitterly cold. I won't lie, Andrew and I probably over dressed this year. It was much closer to 55. But it feels so much more like Christmas if you are wearing a green hat with a poof ball on top. :)

Date Night

2011-12-07T20:18:00.001-05:00

Just because I haven't been blogging, doesn't mean we aren't still alive. Andrew was SUPER busy in November, and to make up for it he planned a stellar date night in the middle of the month. His budget was $30, and he did good work. :)

We started by going to Chipotle, and sharing a bowl. We used to go there every Thursday and split a bowl before his Hopkins classes, so it was nice to go back. Plus, he didn't want to spend all of our budget on dinner!

Then we went to a documentary at the Charles Theater, a local independent theater that we both really like but rarely actually go to (because let's be honest, how often do we really go to movies?). He found out that the film Being Elmo was opening the night of our date, and got tickets in advance. (In advance, people. HE BOUGHT TICKETS IN ADVANCE. This was a huge indicator that he thought about our date. :)

The man who created Elmo, and still does his voice is from Baltimore. The entire film was about how he became Elmo. It was such a great film, and he was there with lots of friends and family. He did a Q and A session, and brought out Elmo. It was a super fun night, and the energy at the theater was so positive and supportive. If it's in your area, I suggest you go see it.

Then we walked out of the theater and there was a diner we had never seen before. (The Charles isn't in the best part of town, we like to call it "up and coming".) The diner was super cool, and it turns out Andrew's-old-roommate's-boyfriend works there! It was fun to see him, and our Pumpkin Shake was DELISH.

Good work, Husband. Date Night = TOTAL Success!

Oh, and on our way out of the diner, we walked with Kevin Clash's parents (Elmo) to their car. They are near 70, and Baltmioreans through and through. They were really funny, and told more stories about Kevin. It was a great ending to great night.

Thankful!

2011-11-21T21:47:00.001-05:00

This week we're thankful for a baby girl coming our way in April.

Apple Tree = Planted

2011-11-10T14:51:00.001-05:00

We planted the apple tree yesterday.

It took a while for Andrew to be around to dig the hole.

There really wasn't anywhere in our yard for it though. You might remember our yard is something like 17x20 feet. So we planted it outside our yard. We hope Baltimore City is accommodating.

There was a tree JUST outside our fence that was knocked down in the hurricane. So we just planted our new tree there. Maybe no one will notice the difference?

Quilt Middle

2011-11-09T22:10:00.001-05:00

Since entering semi-retirement, I've been working on a quilt.

I have the center done, and have high hopes to add the boarders by the end of next week.

It's taller than I am, but it doesn't seem like it's quite going to be a twin-size quilt. I think that's the size it's supposed to be, though.

Pansies for a Pansy

2011-11-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

I planted all 36 of those pansys.

It took almost two full afternoons.

Before our house was built in 1999, there were four towers in the projects that stood here. They are the four white rectangles on the right side of the picture.

This makes digging in our backyard a little bit of an excavation since I'm pretty sure ninety percent of the bricks from those buildings are in my backyard.

But I did it. I planted all the Pansies. I didn't however, have the strength to dig a hole big enough for the apple tree. That will have to wait for Andrew.

YW Leadership Training

2011-11-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

I know you were all worried. How'd it go? Did the soup turn out? How was the bread? What about the actual training?

Given that I almost died when I taught YW a few weeks ago, you'd think I might die planning a stake dinner/training event. Where I have to do the training.

Oh contrar.

It all went off without a hitch.

Tiffany (My first counselor, AKA right hand lady) as always was a creative genius and did amazing things with flowers from the flower farm she works at, and did other amazing things I can't even begin to imagine with super simple scraps of fabric all sewn together and little flags she made with her six year old.

My second counselor and secretary, also incredible. It's so nice to know that I can delegate things out, and when we all show up together, it's going to great. Everyone does their part, and we all have really different strengths, but we all compliment each other.

So nice.

My biggest contribution (beyond the training) was mastering hard crusted bread. And I did. And since that was the only thing I needed to physically contribute, that is the only thing I actually took a picture of. But isn't it pretty?! I made six of those puppies.

Now only to survive speaking in stake conference on Sunday.

I Love CGRN.

2011-11-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

I love CGRN (said see-green).

Established in response to the growing, city-wide need for long-term gardening support, the Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN) is an annual membership program assisting over 150 community gardens, school gardens and indivudals in Baltimore.

You can join for a super nominal fee of something like $15 a year. And they have free give-aways all year. And you can use all their tools! Like, in case you need 50 shovels for a project you're doing at girls camp. Yep. That's included. Or maybe you just need to edge once a year, but don't want to buy an edger. Or you need to trim your hedge. Oh, yea, they maintain all the tools. You just get to use them. :)

Yesterday they had their last give away of the year. It's all FREE. I picked up:

36 Pansies

A Golden Delicious Apple Tree

Two buckets of organic compost. It was all you can take...but I already had to fit an apple tree in my corolla.....

And 48 tulip and daffodil bulbs not pictured.

Seriously. I. Love. CGRN.

Trying to be supportive

2011-11-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm not as supportive of Andrew as I ~~could~~ should be.

He works a lot. But he REALLY LIKES to work. So who am I to say that his hobby can't also be his work?

He sent me this email today, and I tried for the life of me, to figure out what on earth he (or was he trying to imply we?) should go to. A lot of times he has teacher or technology things scheduled on Saturdays, and he tries to check in with me before committing. Was this the case? Was it a workshop so that he could be the registered Help Desk provider at his school? Were we both going to learn about the Help Desk?

I read the email at least five times.

And finally just responded with, "I don't get it...but I like you."

Turns out, this wasn't the email he meant to send. You know, the one about the Cross Country State Meet he thinks would be nice to go to.

This would be nice to go to, do you think?
///// Mr. Coy
//// Digital Harbor High School
///   Teacher / Webmaster
//    abcoy@bcps.k12.md.us
/     410-929-4204
_____   _     _ _     _   _____
(_____) (_)   (_)(_)   (_) (_____)
(_) (_)(_)___(_)(_)___(_)(_)___
(_) (_)(_______)(_______) (___)_
(_)__(_)(_)   (_)(_)   (_) ____(_)
(_____) (_)   (_)(_)   (_) (_____)

------ Forwarded Message
From: Digital Help Desk <webhelpdesk@digitalharbor.org>
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 13:26:50 -0400
To: Andrew Coy <abcoy@bcps.k12.md.us>
Subject: Web Help Desk Support Contract Reminder

Your Web Help Desk support contract expired on 10/31/11. You will not be able to apply updates until your support contract has been renewed. Please contact billing@webhelpdesk.com <mailto:billing@webhelpdesk.com?subject=Support Renewal Request for Digital Harbor High School> to request a support renewal.To automatically request support renewals, go to: Setup -> General -> License and select "Auto-Invoice Support Renwal."This reminder will be sent weekly until your support expires or automated renewal requests are enabled

------ End of Forwarded MessageNOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail may be confidential and is intended solely for the use of the named addressee. Access, copying or re-use of the e-mail or any information contained herein by any other person is not authorized. If you are not the intended recipient please notify us immediately by returning the e-mail to the originator.

NewVember is Coming

2011-10-30T10:58:00.000-05:00

I hope you're all making lists of the new things you want to do in New-Vember! It's one of my favorite months, and I hope you'll celebrate with me by doing all sorts of NEW things!

Kind of a big deal.

2011-10-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

Please note the change in temperature in the mile between these photos. What?

Lola-the-Corolla is now seven. I have high hopes that she'll be around at least another seven years.

This is my life.

2011-10-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

I went to the doctor. She said I have a virus, and she can't do anything for me. She said it's been lasting 10 days.

Gross.

I wanted to tell her a thing or two about what I THOUGHT I had. And that I was pretty sure she COULD do something for me.

But I thought that was a little like parents coming into my classroom to tell me how to teach.

So I kept my mouth shut.

Work

2011-10-27T10:51:00.001-05:00

Remember the other day when I was having nightmares about teaching in Young Women's? There was a key take away from nightmare number two.

You might remember that in the nightmare I had to work on Sunday. And REI had traded me to Target for the day. THAT was the nightmare. That REI didn't want me any more. :(

Such a shift from work-nightmares past where I wished so badly it would snow so I wouldn't have to go to work.....

I love my job. I love my hours. I love the people I work with. I love that they pay me to go out into the community and talk to people about getting outdoors.

A few weeks ago they sent me to a State Park event where families came as teams and we played a game to learn about Leave No Trace Principles. (This was BEFORE the event. It was MUCH busier during the actual event...I think we talked to over a 1,000 people that day.)

And I got paid the whole time.

I love my job.

NPR Features Andrew Coy

2011-10-26T12:14:00.001-05:00

Andrew was interviewed for the local NPR station for a story about Teach For America, the teaching program both Andrew and I went through to start teaching. Don't worry, they interview Andrew. And the CEO of City Schools. No big deal.

Since making the front page of the Baltimore Sun, he's been featured in a few other stories, and now he's getting sound bites.

He's basically a really hard working teacher.

Camping by the Ocean

2011-10-24T21:17:00.001-05:00

We made our Fall pilgrimage to the ocean. It was a lovely weekend. One of my favorite places with some of my favorite people.

Andrew sneaking some much needed shut-eye.

SUCH a beautiful weekend! We couldn't have asked for better October weather. We didn't even have our hot-cocoa in the morning. It wasn't that cold.

Andrew, true to form, working while camping.

Brent, aka: Atlas.

Half the crew. There ended up being nine of us, which was really, really fun.

Dreams

2011-10-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not feeling so hot. Allergy season = sinus infection = gross. Plus, we went camping this weekend, so that didn't help with the whole allergy business.

I have to teach a lesson for another ward's YW today. So I've been prepping for a couple weeks, and am ready. But sick.

Don't worry, I had a dream that all I needed was my sinus rinse (which I'd lost until this morning!) and it would be fine. And I think it will be.

After getting up and using my rinse, I went back to bed, only to have another dream that I had to work at REI at the exact time that I was supposed to teach (weird, since I NEVER work on Sunday) but REI had traded me for the day....and I actually had to work at Target. But Target only needed me because this girl I was working for never shows up. But today she showed up, so I could teach the lesson.

But then I got lost trying to drive there.

Do you think my calling stresses me out sometimes?

**Just back from teaching. I puked during the song of opening exercises. And then felt much better. And the lesson went off without a hitch. Besides people wondering why my face was totally red and eyes all bloodshot and watery from throwing up.

Andrew saves the bed.

2011-10-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

I woke up in the middle of the night last night because Andrew had sprung into action.

He talks in his sleep sometimes, but this was a first. I quickly realized he was dreaming though, and just let it play out.

In his dream, the bed was careening off a cliff. He NEEDED to find the controls, specifically the brakes. This required tearing all of our bedding off the bed, as well as throwing everything that was on the bench at the foot of our bed onto the floor.

Neat.

Once he realized the bed was in no real peril, he did put it back together as well as a half-sleeping person can. I just lied there.

He was too out of it to take care of the bench, so we got a good laugh today remembering.

Great Article

2011-10-12T21:02:00.003-05:00

Take a look here for some great commentary on Jesus. And voting.

Navajo Tacos!

2011-10-10T20:33:00.002-05:00

You're such good guessers/rememberers!

Mine weren't as good as they were when Mom made them. Maybe I was missing something? Indian Fry Bread, Chili, Lettuce, Sour Cream? Am I missing something? Besides Olives, I don't like olives.

Food for special days

2011-10-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

A. Was there a food that you requested every time it was your birthday? Maybe for dinner?

B. Do you remember what you ate on the day you were baptized?

C. Does anyone remember what the answer to both of those questions are for me? I'll give you a clue...they are both the same answer.

I only ask this because in my adult life I have never cooked the meal I loved so much growing up. And today I'm going to.

I told Andrew to get really excited, because it's going to be delicious! But I told him he could guess if he wanted to. When I gave him A and B as clues, his response was, "This is a set-up. I'm supposed to guess what you ate YEARS before I knew you, and I have never eaten it?" He wasn't quite as excited as I thought he would be....

What food did you request on special days? Siblings, I'm serious, you should answer this question. I tried to guess to see if I could remember what you wanted.

Funny Husband

2011-10-04T16:21:00.001-05:00

Andrew always changes when he comes home from work.

Today he came home, and changed, per usual. Then about 10 minutes later declared he was too hot, and was going to change again.

Only to come downstairs wearing the exact same shirt, only blue instead of brown.

"Blue is a much cooler color," he replied when I asked if he knew he was wearing the EXACT same shirt.

**He just insisted that I add that he DID change from pants to shorts....

Halloween Ideas

2011-09-30T12:18:00.002-05:00

Martha Stewart is a real life genius. For real. So many fun Halloween things! I just wish I lived closer to all of you so we could create together!

Facetime

2011-09-25T16:50:00.002-05:00

We tested out our facetime on Andrew's iPad 2 for the first time. Do we look like this when communicating in person?

I don't remember what's going on here....

Sammi checking herself out.

Making Faces.

Imagine if this what conversations were like in person. In-credible.

If you want to be our friend, we can facetime at andrew.coy@gmail.com or skype us at annpassey.

I promise, it's a good time.

Loves

2011-09-22T20:40:00.001-05:00

It's pretty well known around here that I don't wake up when Andrew does. He gets up and goes to work, and I generally sleep through it all. Except that he wakes me up to say morning prayers together.

This morning I crawled back into bed after praying and he sat next to me and put his shoes on.

When he came home today, he asked me if I remembered what I love. I didn't know what he was talking about, and he said this morning I told him while he was sitting there that I love two things.

Him and sleep.

Commuting

2011-09-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

Since I am now the proud owner of a bike, I have been riding my bike and taking lightrail to work. One day last week I had two really awesome experiences commuting...on the same day.

On the way up to work I carried my bike onto the lightrail and sat down. You don't have a lot of options for seating with a bike, because you need to be able to support the bike, generally. I sat down in front of this man, who immediately began flirting. He wanted to know how old I was, and if I was married, and kept asking questions. I tried to ignore him.

After about five minutes of this, his phone rang, he said excuse me, and answered his phone. It was his girlfriend. She was at central booking. My favorite part of their conversation, "Boo, what name did you give them?"

Classic.

On the way home, I got on and lo and behold there were three former students. Three really nice girls that I had taught four years ago as fourth graders. They were now in 8th grade, and they were on their way home from the State Fair. We sat and talked and had a really nice time.

One of them, however, had too much sprite before getting on the train. They had gone on all the rides at the fair, and her stomach was upset, so she drank a bottle of sprite to try and settle her stomach. About 15 minutes in she got really pale, and said, "Ms. Passey, I don't feel so good."

About 10 seconds after that, she puked. All over the train.

She was really upset, but felt much better. I reassured she was not the first to throw up on the lightrail in Baltimore, and assuredly would not be the last either.

The Garden is Still Producing

2011-09-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

These beauties ripened while I was gone, and we have been loving eating watermelon, as have the neighbors!

Note how big the tomato plants are! The garden is overtaking the backyard.

Andrew had a Birthday.

2011-09-08T11:46:00.001-05:00

Andrew had a birthday, and this is the only picture we took. I can't even say "we" took it, since he really took it.

The good news is, that around that cake are about 12 people, who really like Andrew. And Andrew isn't really social in the, "hey, why don't we have 12 people over tonight" kind of way. But it was really fun to have a lot of people come together who really like him. And he likes them. And we all had a great time eating cake and ice-cream, playing Apples to Apples, and sitting around talking.

Happy Birthday, cute man. :) Here's to many more.

Visiting Will, Sara and Grandpa

2011-09-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

After visiting the Coopers, I headed up to visit Will and Sara in Portland. I wondered around Portland, and went for a fantastic run by the river. Sara and Caitlyn also made De-licious cookies (I'm pretty sure I'll be making them soon!) and enjoyed yummy ice cream.

While I was so close, Will and I went up to visit Grandpa Acheson. Grandpa wanted nothing more than to go out on the canoe, which was an adventure. We had to get it out of the garage, and then down the hill (done mostly by Grandpa and Will). Grandpa insisted that it was the law that we wear PFDs, no matter what shape they were in (note Will's vest). I also had forgotten just how easily the canoe tipped. Luckily, we were able to avoid capsizing!

MIss These Cuties.

2011-09-06T12:27:00.002-05:00

Our Favorite Baltimore Places

2011-08-25T16:39:00.001-05:00

The summer nights in Baltimore finally started cooling down a little bit a few weeks back. We decided to head out to our favorite spot: Fort McHenry. It's right by the water and we love to watch the boats come in and out and feel the cool breeze. It was a great night for a book reading.

The fort closes at eight, and we weren't ready to head inside just yet. We headed just a few blocks over to a very different view at Tide Point (Under Armor Headquarters) where they have lots of chairs out on the dock and watched the sunset.

We really do love this city.

Back to School Vacation

2011-08-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

Before Andrew heads back to school, we took a quick vacation out to Western Maryland. We had a great time relaxing, kayaking, and watching lightening storms.

Little Jane

2011-08-23T16:36:00.000-05:00

Blogging has taken a backseat while I've been in California visiting this little doll, her brother, and folks. She's a cute one, for sure.

Hobbies

2011-08-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

I was going to work at REI yesterday, and asked Andrew what he was going to do while I was gone.

He said he was probably going to go into work at Digital. On a Saturday. In the Summer.

I told him that maybe he should get a hobby for times when I'm not around. Maybe going to work shouldn't be his default activity.

He came home from church today and told me that at the linger longer he had been brainstorming hobbies with some other guys in the ward.

His new hobby: hacking.

Sigh.

Summer Walk

2011-08-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

From our walk last night at Lake Montebello. So Pretty. So fun.

Summer Photo

2011-08-09T13:53:00.002-05:00

Taken by Andrew's sister.

Super Saturday!

2011-08-07T22:01:00.002-05:00

We had such a great day!

First we went to REI, in search a backpack for a cousin and bike for me. No dice on the backpack, but yes dice on the bike! $549---->$160. Go REI. I have great plans to become a bike commuter. At least when it cools down, but before it gets really cold. :)

Then, to Smyth, to get my ring cleaned.

Mid-day we headed to the M&T Bank Stadium to watch the Raven's Practice. We will probably never have enough money to ACTUALLY go see them play, but you bet we could make to the FREE practice. Check out our awesome seats!

Lunch called for a chicken box. This is probably the most famous food item Baltimore has to offer (even more so than the crab-cake. Visitors eat crab-cake. Locals eat chicken boxes). Neither of us had ever had one before, so we headed to Lexington Market to find one. And we did. There so SO MUCH food, we should have just gotten one.

Then we came home and installed part of the Thule rack that has been housed in the Living Room for the past month. My car is so sporty now! Ready for all sorts of bikes, and kayaks, and skis! (yes, we have racks for all of those items. If only we had a kayak, or there were mountains worth skiing in...)

So fun spending time with that Husband of mine. :)

Andrew is cute.

2011-08-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

I cam home from work last night and Andrew had made this for me.

Stay tuned, we made another one about our super fun Saturday! I might even tell you how to make one of your own....

First Friday in Hampden

2011-08-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

The first Friday of every month, Hampden has what is known as "First Friday." Shops are open later, they have bands and food and treats. It's a really fun environment, and we are always looking for a good Friday Night Date.

We headed first to the Baltimore Burger Bar, a new face on The Avenue. It was delish!
Andrew's Burger: Extra = Brie. Topping = Blueberry and onion compote. Sauce: Garlic Mayo. Yum!
Ann's Burger: Topping: fresh heirloom tomato arugula bruschetta. Sauce: Garlic Mayo. Also, Yum!

Then we went to Ma Petite Shoes and picked up some chocolate for dessert (a shop that sells shoes and chocolate...any woman's dream) and cruised The Avenue.

Great Sumer night here in Baltimore.

Berries

2011-08-03T09:42:00.000-05:00

We've gone Berry-Crazy over here! One of my goals for Personal Progress goals has been to learn to can. (Remember how I work with the Young Women, I'm re-doing Personal Progress. It's so much fun. And Andrew pretty much loves it. Along with learning to can this week, I've been noticing all the nice things my family does for me and telling them how much I appreciate it.)

I went berry picking last week and picked up the last of the blueberries and raspberries for the season, and a whole lot of blackberries. On Sunday we made triple-berry pie. We've been eating them in our cereal and smoothies, and on Monday I canned 24 jars of jam.

To cover the crust so it doesn't burn, I've always tried to string along ridiculously narrow pieces of tin foil over the edge. After years of doing this, it hit me that I could simply cut a large circle in the piece of tin foil, and place the square over the pie. SO MUCH EASIER.

The tired sous chef.

Seven Course Meal

2011-08-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Andrew has an old roommate. His name is Micah. He's part of our BlueZone. (A group of friends who lives close to one another. It's been found that to have a close-knit group of friends extends your life.) He has been a teacher in Baltimore for the past few years, but is trying to decide what to do next. He is thinking of going to culinary school.

That's got my vote.

He hosted a seven-course dinner on Saturday night in his backyard. It was incredible. It started at 6 with socializing, first course served at 7, and dessert concluded dinner at 11. It was so much fun.

Sadly, the only picture we took was at our house before we left for dinner.

The courses all had much fancier names (seriously, this wasn't your run of the mill food) but I can't remember them.

1. Spinach Tofu Soup

2. Fried Green tomatoes and Vinegar Brussel Sprouts (it's a tough call, but I think this might have been my favorite course).

3. Drink: Berry Smoothie of some-sort for the Mormons. Everyone else had something else (which is even more incredible...considering he was cooking for 20!)

4. Indian dish of some variety that had potatoes and spinach in it.

5. Drink...rum something or other

6. Crusted Chicken with tomato, Cucumber soaked in vinegar and sugar (so GOOD!) and a three bean salad

7. Dessert: Chocolate Mousse. Wow. It was rich a delish.

We sat at a table with people that Andrew had met before, but didn't really know. Since there was about a half hour between courses we got to know them really well, which was really fun.

Outdoor Jazz

2011-07-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

It's been so hot here we hardly want to go outside. Wednesday night was magical, however, and it cooled down to near 80. It was a DRY 80. We were in heaven.

We quickly decided that something outdoors was in order, and headed over to the Cylburn Arboretum for a night of Jazz under the stars. It was lovely.

Italian FHE

2011-07-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

Andrew and I had an Italian themed FHE this week. We made two pizzas. One garlic, tomato and basil (both from our backyard!) and mozzarella, and the other was a white pizza. Both, delish.

Then we headed over to Little Italy for some Bocce Ball. Anyone who's come to visit me has played. Yet, somehow, my husband of a year and half had NEVER played. That needed to be remedied.

And, as in all things, he was an expert in no time in beat me every game. :)

Skirts!

2011-07-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

Being back in Utah has been wonderful. No agenda. Nothing planned.

I loved a skirt I saw here, and decided now was the time to recreate it. My sewing machine in Baltimore is broken (fixable, but I haven't figured out where to take it yet) and I decided it's always nice to have Mom's expertise around when it comes to putting in a zipper.

These two skirts were the result. $11 each.

Free

2011-07-11T15:28:00.002-05:00

fun free printables here.

Bikes around the Reservoir

2011-07-02T07:18:00.003-05:00

Andrew was in Philly this past Monday through Wednesday. He came home for about 15 hours before flying to Salt Lake on Thursday. While he was home he ate, slept, packed, went to a bishopric meeting.

And rode bikes with me.

Truth

2011-07-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

A quote from a blog of a friend who chose teaching over law school, regarding her parents:

It’s pretty easy to support your child when they she is pursuing something that is challenging, elitist and lucrative. I imagine it’s far more difficult to support your bleeding-heart daughter who willingly entered into an emotionally abusive, thankless, middle-class profession that’s saturated in mediocrity. I love them both a lot.

Thanks for all the love, Mom and Dad.

Backpacking with the Young Women

2011-06-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I took the fourth-year girls backpacking for a few days during Girls Camp. Not going to lie, we had a good time. :)

At the start. Have I mentioned that hiking in Maryland in June is kind of like hiking through the jungle? Not lying, grass/plants up to our armpits at times.

Midway through. Everyone still seemed to be having a good time.

I'm proud to say that EVERY one of those tin-foil dinners was done to perfection. Nothing burned, nothing was raw. This could be the first and last time that happens. Especially with that many dinners.

Seriously, such a fun group of girls.

Phone Call

2011-06-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

I was in search of canning supplies yesterday. It's one of the things I'd really like to do now that I have a few more hours in my day. I was able to find jars on Criagslist, but was still in need of a steamer. There is a great (and pretty big) organic food store that opened by REI, so I thought I'd try them first.

Me: Hi! I'm calling to see if you have any steamers for canning?
Girl: You want to steam and go tanning?
Me: No, I have a lot of berries, and I'd like to make jam, but I need a steamer to can it.
Girl: No, we don't have those. But have you tried Michael's next door?
Me: No, I haven't. But I think they are more crafts.
Girl: I don't know, they have a lot of really neat stuff in there.
Me: Alright, thanks for your help.
Girl: What about Walmart. They have EVERYTHING. You should really try Walmart.

And so I did. And in fact that was my initial inkling. But I had really hoped I could support someone a little more local. And seriously, when does the organic market make Walmart their first (or second) recommendation?

But, true to suspicion, Walmart did come through. And I am now ready to can.

Super-Star Husband

2011-06-21T23:12:00.000-05:00

Look who made the front page of The Sun (aka the major paper in Baltimore).

He's pretty cute. And I guess all that work he's been doing has gotten him a little attention.

You can read the actual story here, although the online version doesn't have his picture.

Last Day

2011-06-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe later I'll write a post that is really insightful, and talk about all the ways that teaching in Baltimore City has shaped me as a person, and the people I've met, etc.

Today, I will simply talk about what a great day it was.
1. I woke up and thought "I never have to wake up and teach in BCPSS again. This is awesome."

2. Then I went to work. Pretty dysfunctional, as usual, but the kids were great. I used the Rizo machine for the first time since March, (something kind of like a copy machine...but not) and was chastised for doing so. It didn't break my heart to count down the hours at this point. I was gone by 12:30.

3. I came home, and hung up a picture in the bathroom. The beginning of doing things that I want done. There are pictures all over the house that need to be hung. But it took measuring twice, and still punching three holes, before this picture was hung to satisfaction. I thought I should start in places no one goes. My bathroom. My office.

4. Then Andrew came home. We went for Ice Cream at Rita's and sat by the water, and just basked in the beginning of Summer. All sorts of new things. New life with no teaching. New Summer. We each got our OWN ice-cream (this NEVER happens) and we both tried new flavors. He bought me flowers. I like him.

5. When we got home from our afternoon date, I checked the mail. Lo and behold, Allie and Zac had sent me a celebration package! I love fun mail. Almost as much as I love those Coopers!

6. I worked at REI tonight. Vernon was there, he's the outreach coordinator. He's about 65. He got me all the sleeping bags the 4th years are going to use on their back-packing trip for YW camp next week. Utah is his favorite place in all the world. He's going there next month for 17 days. So for now, I'm his favorite person at REI. We ate s'mores tonight and talked about Utah while we waited for the Car Camping Clinic to finish. I have a great job.

7. When I got home, we checked on the garden. The zucchini (which there are about 20 of) are getting to be pretty good sized. Not boat sized, but I think edible. I'm hesitant because my gut tells me that home-grown zucchini should be huge. But we picked ONE to try it out and see how "store sized" zukes taste.

8. And now I'm going to bed. With excitement for yoga, the farmers market, girls camp planning, REI, and all the magic that lies ahead tomorrow.

Good Bye BCPSS. If nothing else, you have given me so much joy in being done. :)

It's warm.

2011-06-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

We're warm here in Baltimore. Like, end of August warm. I'm even going to go so far as to call this hot.

I think I may have chosen the wrong year to stick around Baltimore for the summer.

We're on our 4th heat day at school. So many schools don't have AC, that we open on time, feed the kids breakfast and lunch, and send them home at 11:15.

It's kind of amazing, really.

It's 11 pm right now. It's 90 degrees out, although the heat index is closer to 100 with the humidity. We just got back from Annapolis and it was too warm to walk down by the water.

Annapolis is the Sailing Capitol of the world. It's never to warm to walk by the water. Until now.

Tomorrow we're looking at 102 before the heat index.

Wish us luck.

Yard Update

2011-06-01T14:05:00.001-05:00

Just a refresher. Remember when our yard looked like this:

And then it looked like this:

Well, no more. Andrew's family was flying out Saturday afternoon to head home from Andrew's graduation, and they dedicated the day to our yard. His mom is a landscape designer, and it was so much fun to pick out plants with her.

Andrew wanted to expand our deck. I vetoed the expansion, it just seemed like too big of a project. So he and his dad took off part of the railing, and added steps all around the side. His dad is basically a construction genius! It makes our deck feel twice as big (compare it to the first picture on the blog).

The planted trees to create more privacy, planted delphinium and moss, spread bark, and bought some tomato cages to support our vegis that are HUGE! The garden is so much fun, and the neighbor kids still love watching everything grow.

Thanks family, for all your help! It was so fun to come home from Chicago so such a transformed backyard. You're welcome back anytime. :)

Beth and Trey get hitched.

2011-05-31T14:02:00.000-05:00

I went to Chicago over the weekend to celebrate Beth and Trey's wedding. It was so fun! There was so much face time with the bride! She was staying at a hotel, while four of us slept at her apartment. It was so much fun spending time with girls that I lived with while I was at Kalamazoo college, and creating things for the wedding. Everyone at the apartment is SO talented, and had a specific assignment for the wedding. Erika (middle-school art teacher turned pastry chef) was in charge of cupcakes, and Jess (Flower arranger extraordinair) stole the show, for sure.

We were able to hang out with Beth at the hotel on Saturday night, and then Sunday morning before the wedding, she came and hung out with us while there was a cottage wedding industry going on at her apartment.

The pictures are in no particular order. Blogger had a mind of it's own on this one.

Naked Cupcakes.

Dressed Cupcakes. Erika really is going to pastry school in the fall. She is incredible.

While it was 95 degrees when I left Baltimore, it was rainy and 60 in Chicago.

Jess arranging the bride's bouquet. Both, so beautiful.

Erika and Kate, decorating away.

The Groom's boutonniere.

More Goodness.

The hotel lobby where Beth was staying.

MY assignment: the seating chart. It was a series of Yes or No questions that would tell you where you sat.

Elizabeth flew in from France, and was one of my housemates in college. Don't you love her style?

The happy couple!

Flowers, pre-arranging.

Love her. So glad I could go celebrate with her.

The Master Graduate

2011-05-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

Andrew graduated with his Masters degree in the Art of Teaching from Johns Hopkins University last night! We are both so excited that Hopkins is over, and that he has about a million hours back in his life each week.

Seriously.

He is wasting no time, though, and is quickly finding ways to fill the time. I think he's already got his eyes on more than few technology conferences he wants to attend. :)

It's been really fun to have his family in town. His mom, dad, brother, sister, and grandparents came out for graduation, and we've had a wonderful time showing them some of our favorite things about Baltimore.

We're hoping they've had a good enough time that they might come back again. Maybe when it's not 90 degrees and 100 percent humid? I promise, May is usually a really nice time to visit.

Science Fair

2011-05-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

I teach science. Therefore, the science fair is one of my responsibilities at school. We successfully survived this year without any explosions or disasters. The real success: The entire fifth through eighth grade stayed in the cafeteria for 3 hours and no one was injured or fought. Miracles do happen. :)

The kids were really good, and were really fun to talk to about all their projects. It was fun to work with my students preparing their projects, and then judge kids that I taught when they were in fourth grade. It's fun to watch kids grow.

Judging in action!

It's so fun to listen to them reason out their projects.

Love these two girls! They are such wonderful students.

The winners! There were two divisions, 5-6 grades, 7-8 grades, first, second and third place.

Look what came in the mail today!

2011-05-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

The title to my car. :) Oh happy, happy day!

Camping Solo

2011-05-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Fact: I love the beach.
Fact: I love camping.
Fact: Andrew also likes both those things.

Sad fact: Andrew and I have never been camping together.

Fact: But this time it's his turn to camp, while I stay home.

REI and church need some attention. But I'm SO happy Andrew went anyway! He went with his two good techie friends, so I'm sure they talked about nothing but technology, and loved every minute of it. The last few times I went while he had to work, so I' glad he went and got out into nature. Camping on the beach, yummy food, kayaking, pretty driving. Just wish I was there. (He did call tonight and promise not flush any keys down the toilet, which was much more than I've done for him when I've gone camping).

Youth Conference Part Two

2011-05-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

Tiffany continues to chronicle her creativity here.

Seriously, creative genius.

One Month.

2011-05-17T18:51:00.002-05:00

One month from today, and there will be no more moments like these during our math test today.

Youth Conference!

2011-05-17T13:36:00.001-05:00

I could reblog, it, but my first counselor has blogged her version of our Youth Conference here. She is our creative director at all times. SERIOUSLY. She is Incredible!

Our theme this year was "Disconnect to Reconnect," encouraging the youth to disconnect from so many of their technilogical distractions, and figure out how they can reconnect with their families, friends, the Lord, and with themselves.

Probably, I'll leave the blogging to Tiff. (Thanks, Tiff!) I didn't take a single picture. I was in charge of the megaphone. She was in charge of the camera.

Megaphone

2011-05-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

I brought this lovely home with me tonight from the Stake YW closet. I think we'll need it for youth conference next week.

For now, it's favorite way to talk to Andrew while he's downstairs.

Claire, if you were here, I would sing you Happy Birthday through the megaphone, just FYI.

5.4

2011-05-04T19:56:00.001-05:00

May the fourth be with you....

A Picnic with Ira Glass

2011-05-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

For my birthday Andrew bought me tickets to go see Ira Glass.

The night finally came.

So wonderful.

Andrew had class, and I had busy visiting teaching to do. I picked Andrew up and we had our very first picnic. Ever. (Can you believe that?!)

At our favorite park: the tulip park.

With my favorite person.

And then we were off. To see him.

Love that husband of mine. Thanks for such a great night.

Debacle Regrouped.

2011-04-30T20:04:00.002-05:00

Turns out all it takes is a really patient husband to hang pictures. It's not a job for the impatient, late at night apparently. :)

And so our Friday night date was spent in our living room. Here it is Mom: our living room! There are still things to do, but all in good time. It took us a year to get this far. Maybe a rug and a new coffee table will enter our home in the next year. There is a HUGE open space over the fireplace. Maybe a TV some day?

And of course, there are more pictures to go up. Baby steps. It took a year to get four up. Maybe we can double that in the coming year.

And the pictures are hung! They are all photos from our travels, taken by our good friend Brent and Andrew. Come visit to see them closer (tempted, anyone?).

Neighborhood Garden

2011-04-30T07:52:00.000-05:00

One of the really great things about working in our backyard, is that we are getting to know so many of our neighbors.

Most people go into their backyard for privacy, and then don't see their neighbors, we have the opposite. Our house butts up against a whole nother row of houses, and that means we see LOTS of neighbors.

The kids are SO excited to help with our garden. They carried a lot of sand for our patio, with lots of expressions like, "I want to help!" and "You are so nice!" Yes. I am so nice. Great job carrying a TON (literally) of sand. That was nice of me.

None of the kids have experience in gardens, and they LOVED digging and watering and planting. We have LOTS of talks about how I HAVE to be in the backyard for them to come in the backyard, and that we love helpers, but only when we are there with them.

I'm a little nervous about having a garden. Not because I'm worried that the kids will destroy them. Or the rats will eat them. Mostly that I KNOW these plants survived just fine before they got to me. So now if they die, it's REALLY my fault. Eeek!

I'm slightly worried that our neighbors are going to love the garden a little TOO much. But these kinds of interactions are one of the reasons we bought our house where we did. And so far, we're off to a good start.

Picture Debacle

2011-04-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

We have yet to hang a SINGLE picture in our house. Not a one. We've lived here a year, folks. We have the pictures. And the frames, mostly. (A few were dropped en route to the new joint. Who knew they would be nearly impossible to replace?!)

This past week, I decided this needed to change. So I began the process of changing out pictures into new frames.

Total failure. Nothing will sit in the the frames straight. I've eaten half a bag of left over Easter jellybeans in the process of REALLY trying to get this done tonight. (I'm sure I'd have eaten the WHOLE bag, but I took care of the other half on Sunday.)

And so our living room will look like this. Probably for another year, at the rate we get things done over here. Because I'm going to bed.

That is all.

P.S. Kudos to all you folks with kids. I don't know what I would do if I had to pick all this up tonight so my kids didn't destroy it in the morning! I also have no idea how you might keep a house clean! I've cleaned what feels like every room in the house, everyday this week, and there are still piles everywhere, and NO rooms seem to be clean.

Sigh.

And so I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll be a better housekeeper tomorrow.

Maybe not. :)

New Food

2011-04-26T16:52:00.000-05:00

I just cooked polenta with roasted portobello with snap peas for dinner.

So easy. So fast.

The polenta and portobello mushrooms were a first time food for us, I'm not sure why I was so intimidated by them. No need. So easy and so good.

Just drizzle a tsp of olive oil over each of the mushrooms with some salt and pepper. Put them in the oven for 8 minutes. Toss the peas with 1 tsp oil and some salt and pepper. Add to the mushrooms for another 8 minutes. When done, top with cheese of choice.

Polenta: Slice and saute for 5 minutes per side. A little bland, but the mushroom juice is a great sauce for them, and the cheese helps a lot.

I used a strong cheese, gorgonzola.

Yum!

Education

2011-04-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

We just got back from a panel discussion on the future of education in America.

Sigh.

I never feel like, "Oh, maybe I should stay in Education! I think I could really make a difference. I think I AM making a difference."

The problems just seem so much bigger than I am. That even if I give 500 percent, it won't be enough. And that I need to be EVERYTHING for the kids. And so it's just easier to not give even 50 percent.

But that seems kind of like a cop out.

Big Sigh.

So instead, it won't be my job anymore. I'll volunteer at my neighborhood school. And I'll be a good volunteer. Like, a really good volunteer. And sometimes I think kids need to see volunteers, too. People who are invested beyond having a job to do.

But someone who cares about the neighborhood. And the kids who live in their neighborhood.

Easter Part 2

2011-04-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

I just really love Holidays.

And Easter is so fun! So much Spring! So much new life! So much hope and promise!

Hanging eggs between the kitchen and living room.

Our wreathe, on the inside of our door.

Spring Tulips!

Goodies for the neighbors and visiting/home teachees.

Part of Easter Dinner with Aunt Debbie in DC last night. So fun to have family close!

The spoils of our easter-egg hunt.

The tulip garden. Look closely, they go on for a long time!

And Christmas rolls are now Easter rolls, too. Basically, the two main Jesus Holidays are celebrated with the bread of life.

Yard Update

2011-04-24T19:04:00.000-05:00

Here we are about 5 pm on Thursday. See a few days back to remember what the yard looked like as of 5 pm Wednesday.

In the 24 hours between these two photos, it is estimated we carried at least a ton each. Literally. We took all the sod out, and initially created a pile behind the fence. We couldn't put it directly into the trailer we rented, because we needed to take the sod cutter back on Wednesday night, and the dump was already closed (we figure the backyard had about 1 ton of sod). That was all we did Wednesday night, get the sod out. Thursday morning we went to Home depot and picked up all the pavers, gravel, and sand needed for the patio. I'm not lying, I think that was about 1.5 tons. Remember that we have no direct access to the backyard, so we had to carry all of it from the trailer, to the backyard. Then, we loaded up the sod into the trailer, took it to the dump, and unloaded it all.

We took a break from carrying things at that point, and built the boxes for our raised bed vegetable garden. We had REALLY serious rain storm in the forcast for this weekend, so I thought it best not to plant anything until Monday. I know plants need rain, but I didn't want them all to wash away less than 24 hours after being planted.

Because of the rain, we felt a real sense of urgency about getting our patio put in. Having just dug up all the grass, we didn't want the backyard to wash away. We dug out the square for the patio, which was really much more of an excavation project (we found really neat things in our backyard) and decided that the two city lights in our backyard provided more than enough light to keep working. This the progress we made Wednesday night, working until about midnight.

We've made serious progress, but still have a lot to do. Check back later in the week to see what plants join the yard, among other things....

Happy Easter.

2011-04-24T00:07:00.002-05:00

If you were my neighbor, I would bring you some today.

Too bad most of you aren't.

Before

2011-04-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Here is our weed patch about 6 pm Wednesday.

(aka backyard, but really, can you call that a yard?! No. Weeds. That's all it was)

The next step pictures will be posted soon. But now it is dark. So you will have to wait for light. But I bet the suspense will bring you back to this fine blog of mine soon.

(But don't come back too soon, we're headed to the cannery for Saturday morning, and then will be spending the day in DC. )

Kat and Sam

2011-04-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

We had such a wonderful time in North Carolina with Kat and Sam. Gardening. Barbecuing. Walking. Laughing. We love good friends.

Preparing to WORK

2011-04-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I just had the most killer vacation in North Carolina with Kat and Sam. Gardening, grilling, walking, talking, cooking, good reading and lots of laughing.

Pictures to come.

But now we prepare to have the most productive Spring Break EVER. Beware backyard, you don't even know what's coming.

But first, to finish grading portfolios while Andrew is off picking up the sod cutter.

New Staple

2011-04-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I have a new staple in our diet: English Muffins.

They are delicious. And it doesn't help that the bakery outlet sells them buy-one-get-one free. With about 20 in a bag (perhaps a slight exaggeration) and they are $2 per bag. (Which really makes them one dollar, people.)

They are also the perfect snack for my favorite dishes. We have a set of Easter plates that we get to use for about 4 weeks a year, so it's really a win-win.

Don't Eat Pete

2011-04-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter what grade you're in. Every child loves Don't Eat Pete.

I played with my sixth graders on Friday. It was our "Spring Break Party" for the last eight minutes of the day.

I know, I'm such a cool teacher. Every kid dreams of having an 8 minute party. It's better than nothing, right?

They loved it just as much as my second graders. And were remarkably about ten times calmer.

Four Seasons

2011-04-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

We love that all four seasons are a reality in Maryland.

We are also pretty big fans of Spring. Not just because Spring Break, but it does help a little.

Dinner Tonight

2011-04-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

This was dinner.

And it was super delish. But probably a little more work to make the relish than it was probably worth.

The other hangup, was I REALLY needed to go grocery shopping. The salad I had planned on having with it was far too slimy. We were out of bread. I did whip up some brown rice, but that was a pretty dull table.

Munchies.

2011-04-13T22:43:00.000-05:00

Why does grading give me the munchies?! It never fails.

I try and do it ALL at one time, rather than spreading it all out. You know, lessen the impact.

Tonight I'm trying to grade ALL my Hopkins Graduate Portfolios. This is a bad plan. (and as it is nearing midnight, I realize it is not going to happen...)

We're talking HOURS and HOURS of grading. And while this is the best bunch I've graded (for real, in all the years I've done this, I've only given one "distinguished" grade. So far this year, I've given three!) I am munchier than ever.

Sending Love and Luck!

2011-04-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

Good Luck to Sara! She's taking on her first marathon on Sunday morning, and I couldn't be prouder. :)