eat your heart out, Time Magazine! (my year in review.)

This has been a year of discovery.

I discovered the pains and joys of buying a house (painful until you own it, joyous once you do).

I discovered what it feels like to be completely understood, accepted, loved, desired. To know it will never end.

I discovered authentic happiness. True creativity. REAL SELF. The self that's been there all along, but just needed someone to appreciate and cultivate it.

(Look how happy she looks, all appreciated and whatnot.)

I discovered a desire to be surrounded only by people who encourage, support, and inspire me. It is not a long list.

I discovered who matters and what matters.

Plus at least 3 new uses for baking soda.

Plus what really goes on in a school district.

Plus how to carmelize onions, reduce balsamic vinegar, and slow-cook beef stroganoff.

Plus a slew of not-blog-appropriate items.

Happy New Year.

i have a love/hate relationship with starburst original fruits;

i love the pink one and hate the rest of the flavors.

FINALLY starburst is SORT OF headed in the right direction.FaveREDS has strawberry, cherry, fruit punch, and watermelon.

Thing is: nobody cares about cherry, fruit punch, or watermelon.

Get it together, starburst and give the people what they want-what they've been BEGGING for for decades:

an all-pink starburst.

you know it's the holidays when...

...you parked so far away from the store, your panic button is ineffective.

and when it finally DOES work (after you have walked a mile and are within steps of your car), you realize that the car parked next to your beeping, blinking machine had two kids making out in it.

"HAD" because you killed the mood with your beeping, blinking, startle-machine.

then comes the part where you awkwardly put your bags in your trunk while they glare at you for destroying their rendezvous.

Oh, the joys of the season!

burning a coal in my pocket.

What is it about seeing a guy in a Santa suit walking down Elmwood Ave that makes people (i.e. me) so giddy?

You can see in his eyes that he thinks I was good this year.

craisin souffles? check. umbrella straws? ___

Dear Elicottville, NY.,

A month and a half ago, you gave me:

• the most wonderful breakfasts
  

• plenty of cute shops to browse

• a taste of local culture
  

• and a little piece of home.
  

Now, Elicottville, don't take this the wrong way.

I loved my time with you this past fall.

I loved your restaurants, your leaf-lined sidewalks, your charming lodges, your friendly locals, and even your ghetto Jubilee.

It's just that-I've been really feeling the itch to go away and (how do I say this without hurting your feelings?) right now I....

...I want to go somewhere warm.

and tropical. and sip fruity drinks. and wear bathing suits. and relax with my husband by the ocean (or any body of water for that matter). and freckle . and really feel like I went on vacation.

But have no fear; I hope to see you next autumn.

Dollar Tree=cheap. Talk=cheap. Dollar Tree shoppers=Talkers.

I was browsing through oh-so-glittery ornaments in Dollar Tree when a petite woman with spiky blonde hair turned to me, held up an oh-so-glittery angel, and said, "Excuse me. Does this look cheap?"
"Honestly? Yes."
"I thought so...."

The conversation quickly turned to her deep love of purple, her appreciation of short Christmas trees, her frustration with lights, her coupon-clipping ways, her nineteen-year childless marriage, her husband's good cooking, her husband's mess after he cooks, her type-A personality (but only when it comes to "certain things" like her appearance, her home decor, etc.), her charter boat business, her first mate duties, and her discount, which she will bestow upon me and my husband should we choose to fish in the summer as long as I remind her where we met.

After talking about life for 15 minutes with a perfect stranger, I finally selected a Christmas ornament for our tree. It was the one she recommended.

poetic or just plain cruel?

(preface: i am NOT pregnant. we are NOT considering having kids anytime soon. i am NOT getting the "baby itch." not. at. all.)

i just like names. they fascinate me. they excite me.

i don't fantasize about holding a little one in my arms; i fantasize about naming it.

today i thought of how much i love the name "Violet."

and then i thought of how pretty it would be if it was "Violet Skye."

and then i thought about my new last name.

and i think i may reconsider.

red pen in the garbage, purple Mr. Sketch marker all over my hands.

I do not have a 9-5 job.
I do not have an 8:20-3:20 job.
_

I have a-22 little lives are depending on me to teach, to nurture, to inspire-job.

I have an-even when I finally leave, I go home and plan more, ponder more, prepare more, read more, learn more-job.

I have a-must be 100% on; must be 100% cognizant of how I'm reacting because how I respond can determine if a child is humanized or dehumanized-job.

I have a-spend countless hours differentiating spelling lists, assessing student reading abilities, holding writing conferences, concocting daily science experiments, creating math games to correspond with the curriculum, finding test-taking strategies to teach, searching out Readers Theatre scripts, all while following state and district mandated standards, corresponding with parents, dealing with endless paperwork, and attempting to create an environment that fosters self-esteem and respect for other students-job.

I have a-budget called my own paycheck to buy books, experiment supplies, bins, organizational drawers, shelves, carpets, etc.-job.

I have an-I don't mind putting in so much work, so much time, so much effort, so much money, and so much of myself when I see those little faces in the morning-job.

I have an-I don't mind putting in so much work, so much time, so much effort, so much money, and so much of myself when those little faces come back the next year just to say hello-job.

I have an-I don't mind putting in so much work, so much time, so much effort, so much money, and so much of myself because it all matters and it all will continue to matter-job.

I do not have a 9-5 job.
I do not have an 8:20-3:20 job.
I like it that way.

(Extra: I have an-I can't drink too much water because I only get one break in the day-job.)

shower me with life.

Every time I walk past or into our bathroom, I stop and stare at this beautiful fabric we made into a shower curtain. But is it just a shower curtain? I certainly think not.

the cost of happiness.

ground beef-$4.72
Lettuce, tomato, olives-$8.00
Shredded cheese-$3.19
Cheese doritos-buy one/get one free

Having taco salad ready for when tim comes home from playing post-Thanksgiving football: priceless :)