spring cleaning

Ahhhhhhh. Long weekends. A cornucopia of possibilities. Barbecues, movies, long walks, and spring cleaning with the husband.

OK...maybe spring cleaning doesn't sound that exciting. In fact, if I were still living with my parents, I would be rolling my eyes at the very mention of it. For some reason, though, once you have your own place, spring cleaning doesn't seem so bad! It's revitalizing...rejuvenating...a chance for a fresh start. On the docket for Spring Cleaning '11:

1. Cleaning out and rearranging closets. I used to work in retail, and something about folding clothes so the edges line up just so makes my heart flutter. Arranging them in rainbow color order. Ironing the hanging shirts. Lining up my shoes all nicey-nice. And the part I'm most excited about...getting rid of half my wardrobe! Let's face it...when you're teaching high school students, but you still have tank tops and dress pants from high school, it's high time for a change. (Sisters...if you want to see any clothes before I sell or give them away, let me know. I wouldn't recommend it, though...not cute.)
2. Scrubbing down every nook and cranny of the house. I'll spare you the sordid details.
3. Deep cleaning the laundry room in the basement, and setting it up for the newest addition to our family. No, I'm not preggers...who puts their baby in the basement? Justin and I are getting a yellow Labrador puppy in just  2 weeks! We'll be setting up the kennel, raiding the dollar store and PetsMart for a plenitude of toys, and picking out a cute little leash and collar set for him. Now we just need to pick out a name. Take a look at the cutest lil' bugger you've ever seen:

 After this weekend one more week of teaching before SUMMER BREAK. Ahhh teaching is the best job ever. 

Here are some posts from other bloggers I enjoyed this week:

1. Frugal Dad's take on paying for children's college education. I struggle with this same issue.
2. Ciao Bella's portrait of Jennifer Lopez's hair and makeup. I. Want. That. Hair.
3. My sister Molly's Fitness Week. It inspired me to eat healthy, think positively, and hit the gym hard this week. 
4. Elle's Would You Rather post. I love day dreaming about where I will travel next.
5. Sammy's moving adventures. I can definitely relate, transitioning from carefree college student to "responsible" grown up.

Have a great long weekend. Relax. Celebrate. Refresh.

Keep Dreaming, Dreamers!

friends become enemies, enemies become friends

Anyone who watches Family Guy knows that's a quote from the episode where Stewie taunts Brian about that novel he's been workin' on.

This post is actually not about a novel, and I didn't become enemies with any of my friends. I did however, become friends with one of my "enemies."

Let's call her Lucy. She was one of the students in the first grade class where I was substitute teaching.  There is always without fail, one student who comes up to me before class starts and says, "Is you our guest teacher?" There's one in every class, and in this class it was Lucy. And just like that, my preconceived notion of Lucy was born.

She didn't fail to meet every one of the expectations I had dreamed up about her. She was loud. She was bossy. She fought with other students. And my biggest pet peeve as a sub, she was that student who was in no way shy about telling me exactly how their teacher normally runs the class. (At which point I silence the students, wave the piece of paper in my hand, and say, "Your teacher left me great notes about how to do my job. I think I'll stick with those.") I knew I would have my hands full with Lucy that day.

As much as teachers don't like to admit this, we are human. We form judgments about students. (Especially as a sub...you have about 10 minutes to "get to know" the kids before you start teaching them!) We mentally embrace those easygoing, rule-abiding, high-achieving students, and mentally cringe at the students who we find swinging from a proverbial chandelier the moment we turn our backs. Like I said, we're only human.

Back to Lucy and her first grade class. I had succeeded in using my Love and Logic language on the students that morning. "I listen to students who raise their hands." "We'll start when everyone is quiet, with a calm body and hands in their lap." "It really makes me sad for you that I might have to take away a minute of recess. I hope we can find a way to fix that." The students were responding fairly well, but they were a chatty group, and I was relieved when lunch time rolled around.

The students struggled to form a quiet, straight line to go to lunch, and there was plenty of "budging" going on. My policy is: "Send the Budgers to the back of the line!" Guess who happened to be one of the budgers? That's right. Lucy.

"Sorry, Lucy. You know the rule. What happens when we budge in line?"

"You go to the back."

"That's right. You'll have to go to the end of the line. Bummer."

I expected Lucy to stomp her feet all the way to the back with narrowed eyes and arms folded across her chest. What she did next, I could have never predicted.

Lucy threw her head back, and screamed bloody murder. Then she screamed again. And again. And again.

For a moment, I froze. I couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, or yell at her. Then, thankfully, common sense and teacher mode kicked in. I calmly told the line leader to start walking toward the cafeteria. Best to take the other students out of the picture. I knew the only way to get Lucy calm would be by remaining calm myself. So I waited for her to run out of breath, and jumped in as soon as I had a second of silence.

"Lucy I know that was very upsetting, but remember that screaming and crying are not going to solve the problem. Please use your words."

No response. More screaming.

I tried a different tactic, "Lucy, if you don't stop crying you're going to have to eat lunch with me instead of with your friends. That would really be a bummer." After all, who wants to eat with the teacher?

Her ears perked up. The screaming turned into a soft whimper and a shaky breath. She took my hand as I helped her off the ground, and we walked to the cafeteria where the rest of the class was waiting in line for hot lunch.

I made sure to thank her for making a good decision: "Lucy, that was a great decision. Now you can stay in the cafeteria for lunch and join your friends!" I veritably skipped back to the classroom, dug into my lunch bag, and sighed with contentment.

Then the door creaked open. Expecting one of the other first grade teachers coming to check in on me, I pasted a confident, professional smile on my face. Instead, I saw Lucy balancing her tray in one hand as she pushed open the door with the other. She was grinning from ear to ear, excited, excited, about eating with the teacher. My heart sank. The peaceful lunch I had dreamed of was slowly slipping away.

Wanting to avoid another scene, I tread carefully the uncharted territory I was about to embark upon.

"Lucy! Hi! I'll walk you back down to the cafeteria where you can eat with your friends."

"But you said I could eat with you!" Oh, how my intentions had been misunderstood. That was supposed to be a punishment!

"Remember that since you made the right decision, Lucy, you can eat in the cafeteria with the other kids. Let's go!" I herded her out the door and down the stairs. She reluctantly followed behind, but I could tell she was ready to blow at any moment.

Then it happened: "But I want to eat with you-ou-ou!" She gasped in between sobs. I did not have the energy for this. As I was on the verge of losing my patience, a teacher's assistant thankfully heard the ruckus, and rushed over to help. She steered L to the caf, and instructed me to go take my lunch break. #relief

At recess, Lucy walked over and joined me on a bench. 'Perfect opportunity to make a connection,' I thought.

"So, Lucy, are you doing better?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me about why you were so upset at lunch?"

"I guess I was just stressed about my mom and dad."

Understanding was beginning to dawn upon my judgmental mind. "And why were you stressed about that?"

"I just don't know when my dad will get out of jail." Lucy avoided eye contact.

Feeling terrible about myself, I prompted her, "So you're living with just Mom?"

"No. My mom's in rehab. I'm living with my gramma." She fiddled with her name tag.

At this point I wanted to kick myself. "Grandma takes good care of you, though, right?"

Lucy nodded. "She takes care of me and my sister - she's one years old."

"That must be really tough, Lucy." What else do you say when using God's Word is not an option?

We decided together to make the afternoon better.

I couldn't believe how we shared a connection the rest of the day. Whenever I could tell she was starting to get rambunctious, I made eye contact with her and smiled. She would smile back, and the situation would be immediately smoothed over. At the end of the day, we even hugged before I left.

So what's the point?

1. Love and Logic really works. When your students know you really care about them and have their best interest in mind, they want to behave for you. The problem with substitute teaching, is that you don't have the opportunity to form that relationship and trust. 
2. I am so grateful and in awe of those public school teachers. The work they do with large classes and challenging students, among other issues, is incredible. 
3. I am grateful that I will have the opportunity to use God's Word in the job I have next year. It's really hard to avoid talking about your Savior when a student has a difficult situation. Every child I teach is a blood-bought child of God. If he loves them, they are also worthy of my love and kindness.
4. A great reminder to "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle." (not sure who originally said this. Some say Plato, some say John Watson.) Christ showed this kindness to me first, even when I was still dead in sin. 

Make someone's day through your kind words or actions. Especially the most ornery, angry, or mean person you can find. 

Keep dreaming, dreamers.

health and wellness week

This week fellow blogger and sister, Molly is discussing health and wellness. The challenge is to find what inspires you to be a better person. And I know you are all absolutely dying to know just what it is that makes me tick. So here it is...

Living a healthy lifestyle wasn't always important to me. Let's rewind all the way back to 3rd grade. I was a skinny, long-legged, athletic kid. A tomboy at heart, I was always active in sports, and like most kids, I just ate whatever I wanted! That year, I got involved in competitive dance (tap, jazz, ballet, etc.) which kind of took over my life (in a good way!). By 7th grade I was at the studio 6-7 days/week, plus got involved in school sports. As active as I was, though, my eating habits were atrocious! Balancing school, sports, and dance left me hungry, and I tried to fill that void with Little Debbie treats, sugar cereal, glass after glass of chocolate milk, Oreos, baked goods, and white bread galore. Yikes!

Add to that unhealthy diet the fact that I developed earlier than my peers, and I'll admit that I felt like I was overweight. I wasn't...but I was more what they refer to as "skinny fat." I knew I had to make a change.

So, I got a subscription to Fitness magazine. I started carrying a water bottle with me everywhere I went, I gave up soda, and started eating more salads. Little Debbie was banned from our house. Mom introduced wheat bread. And I began jogging our 2-mile neighborhood. The world of heath and fitness was open to me for the first time.

With each passing year of high school, I lost a little weight. I was learning more about fitness, and high school sports challenged me to push my body to its limit. By the time I reached my college graduation, I had lost almost 10 pounds from my 8th grade year. For a 5 foot 4 girl, every pound counts.

What I learned from the whole experience was this:

• Being healthy is not a number on the scale. When I replaced all that junk food with nutritious food, I felt better about myself and I had more energy.
• I can still have the sugary food I crave...IN MODERATION. Balanced with fruit, the occasional vegetable, and protein.
• God has given me the precious gift of health. I have two working legs and arms, a great set of lungs, and a healthy heart. I need to treat my body with respect with healthy food, exercise, and positive thinking. 

So what inspires me? A desire to not go back to my old ways. Success stories in Fitness magazine. Pictures of other women who have achieved defined abs. Friends who work out consistently. And most importantly, every blessing God has given me that I don't intend to waste.

Keep dreaming, dreamers!

 

What inspires you to live a healthy lifestyle?

mind on my money

I seriously wish we never had to deal with money. If we could switch to some sort of bartering system, I would surely be ok with that. Perhaps you know of my love/hate relationship with budgets. They are so darn useful, and easy to manage once you get the hang of them. Budgets help you track your spending, and stay organized with your monies. At the same time, they are hateful. I am a words person, not a numbers person, so all that math sometimes gives me a headache. 

I have come to the realization, though, that love it or hate it, I have to deal with the money that comes and goes from my bank account. I can be super organized about it, and put my money to work for me, or I can be lazy and irresponsible with the blessings God has given me. 

Money has been on my mind a lot lately. We just had both of our cars repaired (booooooo), recently paid our taxes, just finished paying for my Costa Rica trip this summer, are planning how much we'll need to spend for Vegas and all the weddings we are attending, and we are in the process of getting a little baby puppy!!! On the other hand, I am patiently awaiting July when I will start getting paid my full time salary for my new job. I feel like I'm on a fiscal roller coaster! 

Justin and I have a couple goodies in mind that we would like to purchase once that new salary starts rolling in (new laptop, anyone? puppy!!! real grown-up teacher clothes). However, I know that after we get over the initial glee of having a little financial breathing room, it will be back to the same ol' budget. The same ol' tracking of our spending, and the same ol' frugal ways. It's a little monster called student loans my friends. We are hoping to live off one salary, and use the other one to pay off those pesky loans in 2-3 years instead of taking the full 10 years.

I hate the feeling of owing anything to someone else. I love the idea of being independent and free. So we are going to work our butts off to be free of debt, so we can start saving for travel, retirement, and future children's college funds.

Even though I can't live in a magical world of barter, I remind myself every day of my goals and what is important to me. When I know that the hard work is for something I really care about, it's not such a chore anymore.

Keep dreaming, dreamers.

Is your mind on your money?

the memory making business

I snapped the white gloves on my wrist and stared my food in the eye. The cuy, or guinea pig stretched across my plate, taunting me with his taut skin and almost life-like facial features. I lost the staring contest with the guinea pig, and instead caught the eye of my best friend. We shared a knowing smirk. Another country, another cultural experience, another new food. In Russia it was the kvas, complete with floaty things, and in Mexico it was the cactus. In Ecuador, it was the traditional Andean entree - cuy.

I reached for my digital point and shoot camera, knowing that this was a moment to remember. The time I ate guinea pig in Quito, Ecuador.

Picture I stole from someone on Facebook because I don't have any pics from the day we ate cuy

So I turned on my camera, aimed that bad boy at my friends across the table posing with their gloves, and snapped the shot. I hit the playback button to make sure no one had a double chin, only to find <<bum bum bum>> the error message. All of my pictures from the entire trip had been deleted. On week 4 out of 6. I didn't accidentally hit delete. I didn't drop the camera. The pictures simply took a permanent vacation to the Lost Picture Island.

People. This was devastating. I had pictures of cultural land marks. Pictures from going to the equator. Pictures from the jungle. When am I ever going back to the jungle?!?!

I know some people don't even take their cameras on huge, unforgettable trips. They don't want to be "stuck behind a lens." I admire those people for being content with their mental snapshots. Their given-to-error and rose-colored glasses memory. These people just want to live in the moment without having to worry about taking care of of expensive technology.

I am definitely NOT one of those people. I want the tangible memories. I am that person that sits in front of my laptop for hours scrolling through my iPhoto laughing, crying, sighing, and longing to be back in some other country. (I think I got this from my mom. She has shoebox upon shoebox, album upon album of memories. The decor in my parents' home is pictures).

How could this happen? How could technology fail me so?

In my photography class tonight, the instructor walked me and 4 old/middle aged men through the basics of digital photography. One thing I learned is that when it comes to memory cards, quality matters. It's NOT WORTH IT to pinch pennies and save money on the cheap one. In addition, apparently you're supposed to "format" your card on your camera every time after you upload your pictures onto your computer. You can find this function on your camera under menu. Who knew? If you don't do this, and if you always upload your pictures by connecting your camera to the computer using the cable it comes with, you end up with corrupt files (or something...details aren't my thing). Another way to ensure your memories are safe: use several memory cards, and rotate them throughout the trip. That way if one is ruined/lost/stolen, at least you have some pictures!

Lesson learned. When you pay that much money for a piece of technology, learn how to use it and take care of it. Otherwise, you risk losing all those tangible memories. And when you're in the memory making business, as I am, such a loss is hard to recover from.

I ended up enjoying the last 2 weeks I had in Ecuador. I'll admit, it was nice to have free hands, and not worry about constantly taking out my camera. But even to this day, I have nothing to show for my trip when I want to make a presentation for my students, or scrapbook, or something. The good news is, I ended up returning to Ecuador, and was able to recreate some of the shots I lost next to landmarks, and the equator. Unfortunately, I lost all those captured moments, the laughs shared with friends, and the people I shared the trip with.

The equator - round 2

Well, now I know. I am now looking forward to creating new memories on my next trip.

Keep dreaming, dreamers!

Have you ever had technology malfunction at the worst possible moment?

Do you take pictures, or are you more the "live in the moment" type?

presentations

There are some days when I absolutely, 100%, without a doubt love being a teacher. Sure, there are days when I think of the glamour another profession might bring, and there are other days when I think of how nice it would be to be surrounded by other adults. But most days, I am so thankful that I know I picked the right career.

Today was one of those days.

Let me preface by saying that the month of May has been kind of a slump. I'm almost done with the part-time jobs I currently have, and in July I look forward to starting my dream job - teaching Spanish and German full time in a Lutheran school, and coaching freshman volleyball. I can't wait to really feel like part of the faculty. To have my own classroom. Looking to the future, and not being present in my current jobs can sometimes put me in a bad mood. I don't prepare for class as much as I should. I don't push myself to be creative. I'm not the best teacher I can be.

BUT, today I think I accomplished one of my life list goals as a teacher.

For the past month or so, we have been focusing on travel vocabulary, and my students' final project is to plan a trip to a Spanish speaking country with a budget of $2500. I wanted this project to give them a sense of what planning a trip would be like in real life with a real budget. They had to find a flight, find places to stay, pick 3 destinations to visit within their country of choice, and include tips for travelers, cultural differences, typical food of that region, and 10 need-to-know Spanish phrases.

Today was the start of their presentations. Before class, one of my students who tends to be a bit negative passed me in the hallway.

"Mrs. Krause, your project is going to drain my bank account," he complained.

"What!?!" I was confused, and feeling a bit defensive at his remark. To understand my defensiveness, you need to know that these students are seniors, just completed their huge senior thesis, and are overloaded with end-of-the-year projects, papers, and presentations. As a 3-day-a-week class, Spanish is often put on the back burner. I have been a bit on edge lately about my students not getting their work done.

Turns out, though, that this was a compliment in disguise:

"Yeah," he continued, "after doing this project, all I want to do is travel. I really want to go on the trip I planned, and I can't afford it!"

Sha-zam! Teachered!

#103 on my life list = Inspire a student to travel

After all, it was a teacher who opened my eyes to the world of travel. It's the least I can do to "pay it forward."

(And FYI, their presentations were awesome!)

On a completely unrelated note...it finally feels like spring! I am loving my afternoon drives home from work. Windows down, country music blasting on the radio, shades on, and singing my lungs out. I'm kind of a spectacle.

Keep dreaming, dreamers.

 

What is your dream job?

What inspires you to travel?

gringo bingo

One of the most educational aspects of being a traveler, for me at least, has been learning what it feels like to be a minority. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian in the midwest, I have always been physically homogeneous with those around me.

Not so in Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, or apparently Russia. In South and Central America, as many of you have experienced, blonde (or red) hair sticks out like a sore thumb. Sometimes this works in your favor. Sometimes it brings unwanted attention. Most of the time, it provides a good story.

1. While studying in Ecuador, my friend Emily and I would walk the 2 miles to school every day to save money and get exercise. The excessive amount of comments, cat calls, and come-ons we received in the span of these walks was incredible, but more importantly, the content was hilarious. (Ex. "Soy Latino!" Oh. Well in that case, here's my number and the address of my host family.). When we compared notes with our new friend Courtney, who also walked to school, we ended up with the game gringo bingo. We literally created game boards. You X out a box every time you receive that comment. Examples: angel, mi reina (my queen), and bonita (everyone gets that...it might as well be a free space). 

2. While strolling through the town of Baños, Ecuador, a group of teenagers began shouting out countries, trying to guess our nationality. "Suiza! (Swiss) Alemana! (German) Inglesa! (English)," and when we refused to acknowledge them, it finally came to, "China! (Chinese)!"Well played, teens. Well played.

In Baños

3. This story, unfortunately, demonstrates how closed minded people can be. When a group of us was walking in the city of Tomsk, Siberia, Russia, we spotted an elderly man feeding the birds (tuppence a bag). He seemed so sweet. That is, until he noticed that we were American, and proceeded to throw the seed at our feet, so the ballsy pigeons would attack us. Let me tell you, I was more afraid of the birds than they were of me. *Shudder*

The scene of the crime - Tomsk

Mother Russia?

April + I in our "prime" in Siberia

4. Let's end on a good note. This one is by far the cutest example. After jumping off a bridge in Baños, I ended up chatting with a 4-year-old on vacation with her family. Apparently, she had never seen a white person, because these were some of the questions she asked me: "So, have you always been white?" "Are your parents white?" and when I told her I had sisters "So...are they white, too?" Adorable. It just goes to show that everyone's worldview is different. We are a product of our experiences, and it's hard for us to imagine life outside of what we know.

That is why I travel. To know more about this incredible world we live in. To meet more people and learn their stories. To open my mind to what others are experiencing. We all look different, but that doesn't mean we can't share some great encounters! 

Have you ever stood out for your appearance?

stormy weather

Crazy apocalyptic weather in Minnesota today! 

I spent the day trapped inside, substitute teaching in a French classroom. Soup du jour. Baguette. Jaques Cousteau. Side note: how do you respond to a student who replies to your request to take notes on the movie, "I don't take notes." And the student beside her says, "Yeah, she doesn't take notes." Oh, um, good luck with the rest of your education. I was hoping the inquisitive look on my face summed up my feelings, but I don't think the message sunk in. 

Anyway, my spirits were lifted when I sauntered out of that school at 4:15 to find sun, heat, and humidity. Humidity, oh how I've missed you. I rolled down the windows, blasted the radio, and decided it was the perfect afternoon to use the last $2 on my Starbucks gift card. Today, apparently, was my lucky day because it was "happy hour" at the 'Bucks when I ordered my delicious light mocha frappuccino. (On a scale of 1-10, how white do I sound right now?) 

The night ended on a perfect note with a cozy lil' thunderstorm. Here are some photos I captured with my point and shoot camera. (We're house sitting, so I didn't have my SLR with me).

By no means professional, but the lighting was really cool, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to get some snapshots!

What's your favorite season?

What makes a perfect afternoon?

whirlwind weekend

What a weekend! At the cost of abandoning the ol' blog, the past few days have been a whirlwind of activity!

Primero, I took a mental health day on Thursday. Substitute teaching is great money, but it really drains me mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Babysitting a group of 30 ten-year-olds who refuse to listen, do work, or stand in a straight line without talking, and whose names I don't know, is NOT the same as teaching. Every time I walk into a foreign school to sub, I repeat my mantra to get me through the day: money for travel, money for travel, money for travel.

So on Thursday (I only sub Tuesdays and Thursdays), I decided that it was going to be a personal day. I was still feeling icky from Tuesday's job (and other happenings in life), and couldn't figure out how to shake the blues. After an hour of journaling, Bible reading, and prayer, I was ready to do something positive, and accomplish something on my life list!

That's right. I bled my own blood for the American Red Cross. It was so easy, and I'll admit, I felt like it was a selfish way to make myself feel better, but if someone got some good, clean blood out of it, I guess it turned out ok.

Movin' on to Saturday. I finally got a chance to see my baby sister play some volleyball! She was playing in a tournament about 1.5 hrs away, so Justin and I made the drive to see her dig the ball like crazy. She's a great little libero, and getting better by the day!

She's a beast!

I'm always talking about being a tourist in my own city, and trying to be more a part of the community. Well, Justin and I had a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Some friends invited us to run alongside them in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. It was my first 5K, and I was kicking myself for not adding "run a 5K" to my life list, just so I could cross it off :)

We had the perfect weather (oh so rare in Minnesota) and enjoyed exercise, sun, and good vibrations with about 50,000 other people! Way to go Metro Twin Cities! It was so uplifting to see so many people come together to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

The guys - still have energy after running 3 miles

Finally, happy belated Mother's Day to my beautiful, hard-working mother! A more selfless example was never set. She's our mom, teacher, driver, secretary, party planner, chef, cheerleader, maid (sorry), and life coach. Thanks, Mom, for never accepting less than our best. You still teach me so much about what it means to be a faithful wife and mother.

Mommy and her girls

Happy Mom's Day, also, to my mother-in-law (probably the best one out there), and to Nana and Grandma. I've got a lot of great moms in my life :)

So much to be thankful for. 

How do you get involved in your community?

What's the greatest thing your mom has taught you?

light writing

Confession: I was voted teacher's pet in high school. Yeah, I was  that kid. I have always liked school, or I guess I should say I've always liked learning. (School does not always = learning). Maybe that was why I became a teacher. Something about being a lifelong learner, and guiding students to share my love for learning called to me. 

Fast forward to my adult life. I still crave learning opportunities, but they are not as readily available as when I was in high school or college. Luckily, when I purchased my DSLR camera, the camera store offered 18 free classes to help new DSLR users get acquainted with their cameras and the basic principles of photography. The courses are offered on Tuesday nights, and due to the fact that I coached on Tuesday nights until this week, this was my first class.

My first day with my baby

 I kind of jumped into the middle of a series, skipping over the basic classes, and right into "Light, Inside and Out." This worked well for me, since I borrowed a book from the library before our trip to Oregon to learn about digital photography. 

I'm a photographer

Our instructor walked us through the ins and outs of the direction, quality, and temperature of light. We discussed what time is best to take photographs, depending on what your subject is and what outcome you are looking for (detail vs. depth and texture). We also discussed the merits of using flash, slow flash, and rear flash. 

One of our photos from Salem, Oregon

One of the biggest things I took away from this session was that there is a lot the photographer can do to improve the quality of her pictures with a knowledge of light, and how it can be manipulated to work for you. Hauntingly beautiful side note: the word photography comes from the Greek words for "light writing."

I am really looking forward to future classes, and playing around with the settings on my camera! I used to think photography was just people with expensive equipment snapping artsy pics. Turns out, it is so much more complicated than that! Aperture, ISO, shutter speed, exposure, then putting it all together to form art...still with expensive equipment though.

What type of class would you like to take just for fun?

 Keep dreaming, dreamers! 

friends in far places

Tonight I received an unexpected and lovely phone call from my recently-married college friends Rachel and Luke who are currently residing in Bogotá, Colombia. They are teaching at the same school my bff April taught at when I went to visit her in fall of 2009. Catching up with Rachel made me 

a.) miss her so much! (and Luke)

b.) excited for my own future travels, ~and~

c.) nostalgic for South America

One of my already-accomplished items on my life list is #23: Get caffeinated in Bogotá, Colombia. This occurred at café para dos where the second, but not final, draft of my life list was compiled with 2 dear friends, April and Emily H. There is nothing like spending a day wandering around a city, stopping to bask in the sun, dreaming about the future and sipping coffee. Here are some of my memories from that unforgettable day:

The lists, and the caffeine. A great combo.

Emily H, or Ah-chay as we call her.

Abril, our tour guide for the week

Mmmmmmmmm

Basking in a sunny plaza

Mondays are perfect for memories. Monday memories. 

Keep dreaming, dreamers!

fresh

Sometimes I live in a fantasy world. I like to think I've got it all figured out. I like to think the weather doesn't affect my mood. I like to think I don't eat an abnormal amount of Cheez-Its. I like to think I'm a positive and optimistic person. And I am. Usually.

This past week was ick. Spring is a long time coming in Minnesota. I'm facing one more month of 3 jobs that can't compare to the dream job I will start in July. I miss my close friends and having someone besides my poor husband to vent to when I'm frustrated. Oh, and also, I put off balancing Mr. Budget for like 8 days, so it took me over an hour today.

But there is nothing like a Sunday to start fresh, stay positive, and set goals. 

Start Fresh

went grocery shopping yesterday and bought approximately 7 bushels of fresh fruit - here's to eating healthy!

get back to reading 3 chapters of the Bible every night - last week I would just crawl into bed and turn on the TV

Stay Positive

  I'm thankful for...

• my husband
• my family
• wifi instead of dial-up (remember how hateful dial-up was?)
• a (finally!) balanced budget, and a surplus so far this year 
• despite car repairs, 2 functioning vehicles
• the library...I mean...it's free books...
• the ability to work out. as much as I complain to myself about going to the gym, it is seriously a gift from God to be able to move and run and jump and lift heavy things

 Set Goals

I will...

• find a place to donate blood this week
• finish The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper
• work out 5 days this week
• attend a photography class
• substitute on both Tuesday and Thursday (money for travel, money for travel)
•   record everything I eat
• write in a journal every night

 Here's to Sunday. A new week of grace. A new week of adventures.

Keep dreaming, dreamers.