Want more? Baltimore!

I haven't thought of a really stupid blog title in awhile...it's strangely intriguing.

So, Thanksgiving was spent with the Perra-Appelgrin clan in Baltimore and it was one of the best Thanksgivings EVER! I am hard pressed to deviate from a tradition, but since flights were so expensive this year, and since Jim, Ari, Dan and I were sans parents on the East Coast, we decided to high tail it down to a new city for the festivities.

Ari did most of the cooking, I stepped in for 2nd, then Jim in 3rd and Dan in last place with his iPhone on the couch watching the first season of How I Met Your Mother on DVD all day. I have to admit, I'm sort of sad to say that I don't have any good horror stories of the first Thanksgiving without mommy or daddy. I didn't even have to CALL home for help! That's definitely a first! I called home to figure out how to make gravy tonight for leftovers.

Anyway, I'm ahead of myself. Baltimore was the bomb, and Jim needs to give it more of a chance. I think I talked him into it. We took a little walk around his hood on Thursday.

Then there was much eating, there was much gallivanting around the East Coast. We drove down to DC to meet up with Laura and her new husband Ryan and Laura's family. Of course, we had to ogle the capital building that was in the process of being set up for inauguration day! We did cartwheels to show how happy we were! We started with lunch and sauntering around the Native American Museum and then waiting in a long line to see fun things at the American History Museum. THEN we walked all over the Mall seeing many monuments and visiting my uncle Steve at the Vietnam Memorial. There was much torturing of the others, but mostly Jim and I busting each others chops for the majority of the weekend. Good times! It ain't Jim and Jane time without some witty banter. :)

Saturday was spent with Jim and his church. I helped them put up their Angel tree. I was able to get some work done while sipping tea later in their dinning room, and then for dinner we made the trek down to the seaside to whack some crabs! I couldn't have asked for a better back up plan for going home!! Didn't want to return to reality!

The past few weeks...

Oy, so busy. School is kicking me square in the pants lately. I'm really stressed and usually too busy and tired to post when I come home! It's so frustrating! Anyway, I have been continuing to take a photo of the day, just not posting. I'll try to back up, maybe a photo for ever week I missed.

Driving back to New York City through Toronto- Awesome times with Chris, Kerry and Mandy in Kitchener! Picnics in the park, canoeing through the rivers, splashing around in the gorge, walking through the mists of Niagara Falls. Such good people! I wish we all lived closer!
Dan and I moved into our new apartment in El Barrio in East Harlem- we took our annual trip to Ikea and bought much more junk!
The Dodge Poetry Festival in Jersey with my Mom and old high school English Teacher. It was rainy, but inspiring, I needed it in the midst of craziness at school! Plus, I got to hang with my mama!
We couldn't have a mom visit to New York City without a free Central Park tour! Up and around the Harlem Meer, was the BEST ONE YET! Gorgeous, go there now!
Rachel set up Brunch n' Beer at the Astoria (Queens) Beer Garden. Claudia and I look super cute, my couch surfer even showed up! Later, Claudia and I made it a day by going to Rice to Riches (specializes in all different kinds of Rice Pudding) and then on to the Wisconsin alumni bar to watch Brayden's (Claudia's husband) football team.

I could not feasibly have my Dan's compete, but I'm awfully fond of this one! Dan O'Malley came into town for the week last week, and the weekend was spent gallivanting around the city, doing all sorts of things that tourists do! It was a BLAST!Top of the Empire State Building....see, all tourist, all the time!

There will be more regular updates! I promise! The first step is the hardest!

All Summer in a Day

I found this wonderful artwork (Gail Veillette 2008) that depicts the main character in the story I read with my students today. It's a really great short story called All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, and my students literally sat riveted in their seats for the duration of the reading. It was amazing! I had ESL students doing such deep thinking. I felt like super teacher...then I went to teach my 6th grade class and the world fell apart. Oh well, walks in the Park with Kate made it better!

Rain, Rain go away...

Rainy Day coming home from the Bronx.

What could POSSIBLY follow up Happy Virus?

Nothing, except my new school year bulliten board. It's purple. Just the way I like it!

Better Late Than Never!

I will now TRY to upload the pictures I take daily, and also work backwards through time! Keep a look out!

Here's my photo of the day:

as I was unpacking tonight (yes still...) from the move uptown, I came across this little sticky note pad that I bought in Korea. Yes, it does say Happy Virus. Several years later and I'm STILL lovin' those Koreans!

My new kitchen

Hooray for finishing the kitchen today! It's really great!

Around

Here's my brother Ben and my mom. We dropped Jonathan off at the bowling alley today in Richland. Cheap bowling and also saying hi to Ben's old childhood friend Kevin. They all have kids, go figure. I had to say goodbye to my nephew, but before I did, I made him the awesomest new CD, which featured the Bob the Builder which he breaks into song constantly! He loved it! He clapped his little hands and sang along! I love 3 year olds! Oh, and my brother for spawning him as well. Thanks Ben!

Jim is back from vacation, which means he's now packing up everything in his parents home for his big move this weekend to Baltimore. I've basically been doing most of the packing. Uhg. He OWES me! We took a break and went to Meijer to get more packing tape. But mostly so that we could sit around on the furniture, play with the balls, throw things at each other, beat each other up with foam swards, then eventually get chased out by the security guard. Awesome. Renegades!

My favorite guy

Playing with work machines on the patio with grandmaShucking corn with Aunt Jane.
Picinic lunch down by the beach!

Jonathan- he is my favorite little person ever! I love being with my nephew, and being home for so long has let me spend so much time with him! Love it!

Tuckered out

All I could think of all day, after transporting Dan to the airport across the state was of going here. I retired early for bed. Except I was back to reading Breaking Dawn.

South Haven

A short road trip and a day at the beach! South Haven, MI is one of the most beautiful places in the world to me. I spent many a summer there with my family, either just for the day, or a week at a time, renting a cottage. I love going back, spending time on the beach, swimming and walking on the pier.

Dan, Mom, Jane
Tall shipRachel and Jane!We made dinner for my parents (mmmm...corn on the cob and steak and salad!). I also succeeded in making a strawberry rhubarb pie. SO good. I can bake! Heather came over to say goodbye (heading back to Chicago) and we watched the Olympics while feasting on the delicious pie. A really great day!

Aftermath

Jane Bash is ALWAYS fun, however the clean up the next day is just a given chore. It's alright! I had help! Dan and Rachel were troopers! We had a wonderful breakfast at Frona's on the lake with Jim and Ari before they took off for their vacation, then we cleaned up remnants of fireworks, beer bottles, pop bottles, shoes, bugspray, towels...then we laid around like lugs. We finished the day off with a movie for $3.50 per person. I heart Michigan prices.

Dan and I cleaned up all the chairs with the golf cart.



We laid around on the hammock a bit





Then we returned cans for money!

Jane Bash 08!

The BEST Jane Bash to date!! Hooray! I love Jane Bash! All my favorite people (or nearly all) in one place for an awesome day of eating, swimming, boating, tubing, volleyball, bonfire, s'mores, fireworks and catching up with ALL my friends. :)
Group shot in the gazebo.Heather and Dan hitting each other while Gwen and Carrie sit in their usual Jane Bash chairs.Jim- after I threw him violently from the tube!A little rain over the lake, but none over us!Here's my friend Jim. He has a ritual of setting our old Christmas trees on fire. Yay Jim!