SPRING has SPRUNG!!!

I'm definitely loving the Pacific Northwest right about now - it was absolutely GORGEOUS today!! (And SNOWING in Texas!! WHAT??) I had my first Stampin' Up! Class today - only a mom and her daughter were there, but it was good practice for my future classes..... Marcy went to Bellingham, WA to visit some college friends this weekend because Linden is in Canada visiting her uncle, so Marcy had the WHOLE weekend off - yay!!! I, however, have to work at Starbucks tomorrow, so I stayed in Seattle. No complaints, though, because it's been very relaxing!! "Hotel Rwanda" came from Nextflix today, so I may watch that tonight!
Picture 79: March 20, 2010 - I found this dress on sale at Anthropologie today and I splurged (because we all know a sale is still a splurge at Anthropologie, right!!??). I can't wait to wear it for something fun!!

Picture 78: March 19, 2010 - I worked on my Stampin' Up! class for Saturday, making samples and prepping supplies. Hoping for many classes in the future!!

Picture 77: March 18, 2010 - This little guy is new to my Easter decorations this year - LOVE him!!

Picture 76: March 17, 2010 - I decorated for Easter tonight. I love my Easter decorations because they're so bright and fun and cheerful!!

Picture 75: March 16, 2010 - I opened at Starbucks and spilled mocha on my white Starbucks polo, so I got online today and ordered a new one. Luckily, Starbucks has a website for partners to order inexpensive "coffee gear," and the items ship quickly, so I should be set for next week - I opted for a black polo this time - seems like a smarter decision. Speaking of Starbucks - did you know that next Tuesday (March 23) is FREE PASTRY DAY!! Purchase any drink and get a free pastry!!

Picture 74: March 15, 2010 - We finished "Iron Jawed Angels" with my classes today. I think this movie is so powerful and wonderful. It may be a little "old" for my middle-schoolers, but I think early exposure to political history, especially women's political history, is very meaningful, especially with what I'm trying to accomplish in my classes - empowering girls!! Seen it? You should!!

Picture 73: March 14, 2010 - Technically this pic was taken Saturday night, but since it was after midnight, it counts for Sunday :) We went out in downtown Seattle for Julian's last night and had a great time. I cut out early because I'd been up since 5am for my test, but it was nice to be out for a bit!

Picture 72: March 13, 2010 - I took my Praxis test on this day and after 5 tedious hours, I was finally done - ick!! When I sat down and opened up the test booklet it read, "This test is designed for those professionals with their master's degree in reading specialty." WHAT??!!?? I was so angry - this is the test my advisor told me I had to take, and I DO NOT have my master's in reading specialty, nor do I plan to be the curriculum designer for the district (also stated on the test). Needless to say, I still had to take it b/c I paid for it, but it was super hard - lots of jargon I didn't recognize. Now I have to wait 3 weeks to get my score, and I still have 3 tests to go. Hopefully those are better. After my tests, Julian, Marcy, and I went out for a delicious lunch at Lunchbox Laboratory - SO AMAZING!! This place is a "hole-in-the-wall" joint with awesome burgers, veggie burgers, fries, tater tots, etc....They have to close early a lot because they run out of food. It's THAT good!! These vintage lunchboxes hang on the wall in the restaurant:

Picture 71: March 12, 2010 - Today I taught, and then cut out from work early to meet Julian. We went to lunch for Pho (pronounced "fu"), which is Vietnamese soup. I got a delicious Tofu bowl and I loved it!! Afterward, Julian and I went downtown and explored Pike Place Market, shopped at the first Nordstroms (it started in Seattle), and explored the neighborhoods of Seattle. It's fun to be a tourist when I have guests!!

Picture 70: March 11, 2010 - Julian arrived today and our first stop was Dahlia Lounge for lunch. Dahlia is delicious! I had tomato soup and grilled cheese - sounds simple, but this place does it gourmet and I love it!! This restaurant is my "go-to" when guests come to town because the owner, Tom Douglas, is a Pacific Northwest-trained chef and he ROCKS!! You probably notice I talked a lot about food in this post - that's my favorite part of having a visitor - stellar dining experiences!!

March

If I could actually update my blog more often, my posts would be shorter...if only....maybe after this weekend, the LAST weekend of cookies!! This Saturday I'm taking the first two of five total Praxis Tests to get my certification to teach in Washington. NONE of my certifications from Texas transferred to Washington - the only thing those certificates certified me for was to substitute teach - blah! I'm happy at Girl Scouts, but I want to get certified officially, because I know I want to be a full-time teacher eventually. Thus, $550 later, I'm signed up for 5 tests this spring.
Picture 69: March 10, 2010 - I've been having some problems with respect with my 8th graders, so today we did some team-building exercises to help combat the problem. They all actually were very receptive and we made a class agreement. Our opening activity was "Question Ball" - I made this for it:

Picture 68: March 9, 2010 - I know I've taken picture of the Cherry Blossoms before, but as Spring gets closer, they just get prettier and more fragrant...LOVE THEM!!


Picture 67: March 8, 2010 - As I took Billy for our power walk this morning, I saw this interesting tree. These flower petals are as thin as tissue paper, and this tree is covered in them. It's such a cool tree and I've never seen it before - I gotta look up its name!!

Picture 66: March 7, 2010 - I worked at Starbucks and then Marcy and I went to see "Alice in Wonderland 3D." I'd been fighting a cold all week, so sitting in the theater and relaxing was a wonderful way to spend a cloudy afternoon!! And, I really liked the movie - very empowering for teenage girls - I am going to encourage my troop to go see it!!

Picture 65: March 6, 2010 - I had another cookie booth sale after school - it wasn't super busy, but the girls had fun, and that's all that matters, right??!! :) Our cookie stash...

Picture 64: March 5, 2010 - I got my haircut on Wednesday, and it's SUPER short. I'm definitely still getting used to it...

Picture 63: March 4, 2010 - We went to this delicious little Mexican restaurant for dinner - my favorite is the veggie burrito, and the delicious margaritas!! This place is walking distance from our house and it's inexpensive, so it's a lucky find!!

Picture 62: March 3, 2010 - I took this picture today on my commute to work. This saying cracks me up, because when we were little, my brother and I used play this ridiculous game where one of us would say to the other, "Betcha I can beat ya..." and then we would slowly move our hand close to something (for example, the chair) and say "to the chair" as we were touching the chair. I told you, it's ridiculous, but we seriously played it ALL the time - sometimes it involved running, but more often it was a game we played on road trips....I'm sure my parents loved it!!

Picture 61: March 2, 2010 - This is the girl that inspired the haircut. I sat near her on the train today...I used my iPhone to take the picture so as to not seem *too* creepy :)

Picture 60: March 1, 2010 - We had a Girl Scout troop meeting on the 1st. The Daisy Girl Scouts (K and 1st Graders) painted with food, and of course, had a BLAST doing their art project!!

THE OLYMPICS 2010

Some highlights from our trip to Vancouver - awesome trip, once-in-a-lifetime experience, surreal....

Marcy and me on the train to Vancouver


View from our seats on the train


Awesome lanterns hanging in the trees in the Olympic Village


Pride


View of Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park


The Olympic Torch


CURLING!!!


Team USA vs. China


Inside the Curling Venue


The Olympic Mascots - pretty cute little creatures


At the Pacific Coliseum for Women's Figure Skating


It was so awesome to see the Women's Short Program - we were there for 4 hours. The skaters perform in groups of five. After the two groups of skaters skate, they "zamboni" the ice, then the next groups of skaters gets 6 minutes to warm up, then each person from that group performs. It was cool to see all the "behind-the-scenes" stuff. I've been watching Ice Skating since forever, so seeing it in person was totally rad!!


The Pacific Coliseum


The Olympic Torch by night

Whirlwind End to February

I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of March!! Things have been really busy around here with Cookies - It seems like that is all I can think about lately...Well, that and the Olympics :) We had an AWESOME time at the Olympics. I sometimes still think it's surreal that we were really there a week ago!!!
Picture 59: February 28, 2010: Billy is one tired pup...he and I went on an epic walk yesterday morning, and he's been tired since. His mood reflects mine. I'm exhausted. Isn't a weekend supposed to be restful....

Picture 58: February 27, 2010: My girls at our first Cookie Booth Sale of the season. They sold 400 boxes in 6 hours!! Enough for the troop to go to Build-A-Bear - they're all pretty excited!!

Picture 57: February 26, 2010: This picture was sent to me. While I was at the Olympics, some of my girls from my class participated in the Girl Scouts Leadership Luncheon. They had the honor of presenting the flags for the ceremony and they were so excited (I think mostly for the fancy lunch more than anything else...). It was a great experience for them, and they all had a blast!! They're pictured here with a local Seattle newscaster

Picture 56: February 25, 2010: I took a picture of this poster today, because the girls in my class ask me what this means all the time. We're working on teamwork and trust a lot in this class, so this poster has sort-of become my class motto...

Picture 55: February 24, 2010: We took the Amtrak to and from Vancouver, and while it provided gorgeous views of the Northwest, I don't think I'll be doing it again, because Customs on both ends was long and drawn-out and completely ridiculous. Top that off with a four-hour train ride, and it was pretty exhausting (driving to Vancouver only takes 2 hours, but they were predicting impossible parking situations and long lines at the border - all of which turned out to be over-estimated...)

Picture 54: February 23, 2010: Marcy and me at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver for Women's Figure Skating Short Program. One word sums it up: AWESOME!

Picture 53: February 22, 2010: We spent our first day in Vancouver exploring downtown, walking around the Olympics exhibits, and of course, checking out the massive gift shop. The Olympic Torch was pretty phenomenal - there was this huge metal fencing around it to keep people far away...I can't complain though, because it makes for better pictures :)

Picture 52: February 21, 2010: Our Girl Scout Troop (the one I volunteer with) participated in a World Thinking Day Event and studied Argentina. Aren't they so cute!!

Picture 51: February 20, 2010: Bryan and Leann flew in to visit for the day before heading up to Vancouver. We had fun exploring Seattle. We ate lunch on a pier on the water, shopped, and had a great day with beautiful weather!!

Picture 50: February 19, 2010: Tulips from my dad for Valentine's Day...still beautiful a week later!!

Picture 49: February 18, 2010: The weather in Seattle was absolutely beautiful this week. There were several days of cloudless skies with crisp coolness. LOVE IT!! Makes me excited for summer!!

Picture 48: February 17, 2010: I went to Pullman, WA to visit my KD Ladies for a couple of days, and the views on my drive were so fabulous...

Picture 47: February 16, 2010: Washington State University, Pullman, WA - not as beautiful as the Tech Campus, but still very pretty...

Mid-Winter Break!!

I just got back from a few days in Pullman, WA visiting the Kappa Delta chapter. They are preparing for their CDC (Chapter Development Consultant) Visit - for my non-Kappa Delta friends, that is when someone from the Sorority National Office comes to the chapter and grades them on how they're functioning. Most of the women in the chapter have never had a CDC visit, so they were all pretty intimidated - hopefully it will go well!!

(Pictures from yesterday and today will be added when I unpack my camera from my bag)

Picture 46: February 15, 2010
Marcy got me these beautiful lilies for Valentine's Day, and their blooms were beautiful today.


Picture 45: February 14, 2010
Valentine's Brunch at Anthony's - I had a crab and cheddar melt and it was delicious!!


Picture 44: February 13, 2010
I was in a card-making mood on Saturday, so I decided to make a card sample for my upcoming class. This card has a little plastic "treat cup" - I am really pleased with how it turned out!!


Picture 43: February 12, 2010
Opening Ceremonies!!!! My parents sent me this picture today - this flag hangs outside their house - GO TEAM USA!!!


Picture 42: February 11, 2010
I went to Pike Place Market today, and passed by my favorite little Kitchen Shop in the market - looking through the windows you can see the endless stacks of Fiestaware - LOVE IT!!!


Picture 41: February 10, 2010
This tree is blooming outside the front door - so pretty, and a sure sign that spring is around the corner - YAY!!