It's been a while...

It has been a while since I posted anything significant about my life, and I figured now is a good time to change that. As I am sitting here on my kitchen counter, waiting for rice to finish cooking, I will update whoever reads this on my life here in Phoenix. Let's start by saying that I love love love the weather right now. It's chilly at night and in the morning, so I can bundle up in a coat and drink something warm. During the day, however, the weather is warm and the sun - of course - is shining. Perfect. I cannot believe it is November. The middle of November! I went to an outdoor church service today, and I couldn't have wished for more lovely weather.

I am also really starting to love this city. There are so many cool places to go and eat at and see! I still have yet to try fry bread, and I really should do that soon. I have found some great coffee shops and places to eat that I just love.

It's such a great adventure making a new place your own. Our apartment is coming along beautifully! We have a great futon, a lamp and an amazing giant red storage ottoman in our living room. We put up a bulletin board for pictures in our dining room, and we even have some art above our mantel (and by art I mean a poster of the movie inspired by the book series my roommate and I are currently obsessed with: Twilight). I love walking in here at the end of the day. It is so cozy and simple and unlike any other place. In it's complete uniqueness, it is so ours. We have definitely made our mark here.

Speaking of the apartment: I have really been enjoying time with my roommate. We have had lots of roomie dates in the last couple of weeks, and I find her to be a very encouraging person to be around. She has a really sweet heart and a very gentle presence. She is calm and serene. I hope that rubs off on me! I am constantly reminded that most people do not have that kind of experience with roommates; I realize how blessed I am to be in this situation.

My classroom has turned into a sanctuary of sorts for me. I love being there. I love being surrounded by my students' work and I love the life they bring into the room. I have had some great days of teaching, but more often than not I leave with a headache and wondering if I really am making a difference for them. There are days with bright spots, but rare is the day when I leave thinking "That whole DAY was amazing!" Not that I lack a million things to be grateful for, but I tend to focus on the negatives at the end of the day. I am working on that. Even still, I love being in our classroom; I really do feel like that space has turned into a space we all own. I hope my kiddos feel that way, too; I have tried to create a safe place for them.

I am getting better at taking care of myself. I clean my room and the apartment pretty much every weekend, which I found out makes me feel very peaceful. I love to clean! (Thanks, Mom.) I cook batches of chicken for myself on the weekend and I try to stock up on lots of frozen veggies so I can always eat something healthy. I have been reading a lot more, which is relaxing for me. (And I've been reading books other than Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse! I started reading Three Cups of Tea which is fascinating.) I am trying to spend time outside whenever I can. I am striving to create an existence for myself outside of my classroom, and I've been somewhat successful! I think it will keep getting better, too!

Next time I'll share more about teaching, but in light of the fact that I am trying to diversify my life a little right now, I think I'll end my post without talking anymore about school. Oh, except to say that for Halloween I was Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks (thank you Auntie Helene, GigiLou, Renee and Maddi for the inspiration!) and I was a huge hit! All the kids, from kindergarten to the big 6th graders knew who I was and got excited when they saw me. It was great.

My current Top 10 Favorite Things:
1. The Twilight series (seriously, it's been a while since I've been so consumed and interested in a story).
2. My roomie, H!
3. Pandora Radio.
4. Facebook Flair.
5. Matt Nathanson Station on Pandora.
6. Cooperative Learning Groups. (I'm doing less, they're doing more!)
7. My new Rusk shampoo. Smells delicious!
8. Pennies for Peace (I want to talk to my principal about starting a campaign at our school).
9. Brain Pop. (Seriously, this website is aahhhh-mazing.)
10. My new jersey sheets. So comfy.

 ♥ much love ♥