Beginning, Middle, and End...

I know you guys are probably sick of seeing me post pictures of clouds, but I just can't get enough of them. They are SO great, and they make me SO happy. So, here are some more for your viewing pleasure. :)

I took this first one on my way to work at 7:45am.



The next five pictures are from the middle of the school day, around 1:15pm, when I decided my students needed a break from MATT (math all the time) and preparation for End of Grade Tests (which I detest). We all enjoyed a little time outside on this beautiful, sunny day. :)











The next three cloud pictures were taken on my way home from yoga tonight. So I captured clouds from the beginning, middle, and end of my day today. How great is that??!!

These last three pictures are a little blurry. It is a nest that one of Julie's parents found--the mother had abandoned them for some reason. She brought them in to show the students, and I took it as a prime opportunity to practice my camera skills.

And that makes ... "CLOUDS" (do the cloud dance if you know it...)

If you have been reading my blog, or look at past posts, you already know that I LOVE taking pictures of clouds. Maybe it's a family thing because my sister loves clouds (and cloud pictures) too. I feel an irresistable urge to take pictures of fabulous clouds when I see them...and there were a lot of beautiful, inspirational clouds tonight! Unfortunately I did not have my fancy schmancy camera with me so the pics are not great quality, but you can still get the idea--great contrast between dark and light, the image of a white tornado, or the sense that things come and go (like dreary rain storms).

It was funny tonight when I met my sister for dinner, and one of the first things she told me was that she had gotten some great cloud pictures on her way over to meet me. Of course, she didn't know that I had ALSO gotten some cloud pictures on the way over. So, I had to share the irony with her. Suddenly, as I got up to go inside the restaurant with her, I felt this little smile of warmth and contentment rush over me as I thought about how similar my sister and I are, even though we are only now realizing the ways in which we are so much alike.

On a side note, if you have not seen me do the "Cloud Dance" for you, you are really missing out! I teach my students about weather at the beginning of the year, and I spontaneously created three Cloud Dances based on the patterns of how clouds are formed (--so my students would be able to more easily remember them). It was a hit! My students STILL remember the dances to this day (7 months later!). It might have been one of the best lessons I have done all year, and I thought of it on the spot! :)

Oh My!

Teacher Appreciation Week: Me, astonished at the plethora of baked goods!

A quote to ponder...

"'Now' is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don't need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating." --Barbara Sher

A look into the past and future...

Hello lovely blog readers, whomever you are. I have been listening to an abundance of music at home, which is not unusual. (If you have any music suggestions, feel free to bestow me with advice.) However, I have been trying to find some oldies but goodies that I haven't listened to in ages. You know those mixed CDs that you have had for years, and you have forgotten what is on them for whatever reason...I stumbled upon one of those tonight amidst some CDs that I had just about forgotten that I owned. It has some songs on it that strike a strong, bitter, and sweet remembrance of things past. Sometimes it amazes me how strong of a hold music can have on the memories we have from a former time. Do you think there will come a time when I will listen and not remember the events that flash between my eyes now as I listen? Have you forgotten memorable songs that once held so much esteem--sadness or happiness--in your life?

I'll move now from a brief glimpse into the past to a bright future on the horizon...a wedding to come and many more trips to Chicago. You may have noticed, if you read my blog from the beginning, that I was just in Chicago for part of December and January. A short time later, and here we are in May--Chicago in the early spring (early spring for Chicago at least). I think this past trip may have been one of the best trips to Chicago that I have ever had--for more reasons than I can name here. It came at just the point in my life where I needed to get away and needed to be refreshed. I have been to Chicago over the past 6 years more times than I can count on both my hands; it's a second home to me. It holds a special place in my heart and probably always will. For maybe the first time ever, I appreciated it for the city it is and the people I get to be with while I'm there, without longing to move away from where I am now. For maybe the first time ever, I came home truly appreciating my time away in a wonderful big city (with my bestfriend, her family, and fiance) and equally appreciating my life in Durham.

Some Chicago Cubs fans out-and-about...

Southport...

The future wedding-goers...

In front of the BEST frozen custard place EVER!

I know you wanted a close-up of me and Al...

Al's beautiful engagement ring...

See you soon Alison and Chris!! :)

Less than a month until my 28th Birthday...

Can you tell that I'm excited to turn 28? Yesterday was exactly one month until my 28th birthday, and I think my luck has finally begun to change. I'm not sure if everyone who reads my lovely blog knows this, but I have to move out of the Cinderblock Palace before the end of the year. So, after FINALLY deciding to purchase a space heater and then purchasing it, I found out that my landlords are moving back later this year. Thus, I have to vacate the Cinderblock Palace and relinquish my title as the "Cinderblock Princess" very soon. (I also ended up returning the space heater, minus a restocking fee. Bummer.)

However, as of this evening, my sister and I have decided to move in together to this beautiful house on Mangum Street in Durham, and I am SO EXCITED! (I will post pictures once we move in.) So, I am quite relieved that I do not have to search for a place to live anymore and quite pumped about living with my sister for the first time in many, many years. :)

I have also just returned from a trip to Chicago that involved shopping for bridesmaid dresses with my friendship soulmate, Alison, who is getting married in November. I would like to say that it was easy and relaxing, but that wouldn't be a very honest description of the day. It was fun and exhausting. It was exhilerating and tiring. It involved lots of laughing and critiquing, but it was NOT easy and relaxing.

Nevertheless, after much discussion, in-put from Alison's mom and grandma, a few glasses of wine later that evening, and many hours of pondering wedding picture ensembles, I believe that the dress AND the color of the dress have been decided! WOOHOO! I will post a picture of me in the dress, but I have to say, as a warning, that it's not a very good picture because the dress was not exactly my size (oh, and my bra straps are showing, which will NOT be the case at the wedding). It will be in a different color too, but you get the general idea.

**And don't worry...I have a lot more pictures from my trip to Chicago that I will be posting later this week!**