Pink Frosted Doughnuts with Sprinkles

A fluffy, sweet yeast doughnut with strawberry pink frosting and multicolored, long, and thin sprinkles. The kind, brown-haired man who worked behind the counter at the Headless Horseman Diner in Tarrytown, NY, always gave the 6-year-old me two of these treats when I went with my parents and ordered one. This is one of my favorite memories from early childhood about life in New York. Last night, Andrew brought home dessert from a Mexican bakery. Amongst the empanadas and sweet bread was a pink-frosted dougnut with sprinkles. I had told him the story of my experience with the Headless Horseman, and he surprised me with one of my favorites. It was a sweet surprise in more ways than one!

Culver, Indiana

Who knew Culver was more than just a military school? Andrew took me on another adventure driving across Indiana; we didn't expect greatness, so when we drove across the covered bridge in Roann and saw a crazy looking burro, we thought the trip had peaked. Little did we know that Culver is a pretty sweet town. We actually had a hard time deciding where to go to lunch - we thought we might find just one option, but we found several. The winning location was "The Original Rootbeer Stand" where we tried the Chicago Dog, Pizza Burger, and Coney Dog. They also made their own root beer, but Andrew's tasted a bit like Aunt Jemima Maple Syrup. Even so, eating by the lake and then taking a walk was picture perfect. The Year of Fun is progressing well.

Ivanhoe's Adventure

Parent/teacher conferences make for a very long day; 13 hours at school does not classify as a day of fun, but Andrew and I made an impromptu trip to Upland, IN, after we put in all of those extra hours. Most people thought we were crazy for driving 2 hours after all of that, but we went to Ivanhoe's for sundaes, making the day that is normally not fun at all an actual great one. Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter sauce and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is always appreciated, but it was even better at 9pm on Wednesday.

Year O' Fun Birthday Part 2

I really am blessed. Between school and tennis practice, my mom made a wonderful dinner, my parents and Andrew gave me presents, and I received flowers from an aunt, uncle, and cousin. There were many notes and phone calls, one of my favorite being my neice singing happy birthday over the phone. It's so easy to focus on the negative in daily life: this or that didn't go well, I didn't like his attitude, the day didn't go as I planned. But today I am reminded to think about what beautiful things I have been given: my family, my friends, my ministry in and outside of work. Life is good. Thanks be to God.

Year O' Fun Birthday Part 1

It's been awhile since I have found the time to post anything; the last few weeks have brought huge changes to my life - and yes, they have been fun. A new relationship, buying a house, and taking a new coaching position have made life exciting but very, very busy.
I'm sure I will address these new ventures in detail later, but today the topic is birthdays - namely, mine. This year it falls on a Monday which means teaching all day, tennis practice, and a parent meeting, but my loved ones have ensured that I have been celebrated and felt loved. It has been amazing! Saturday was a trip to Jonathan and Laura's; Andrew came along to meet them for the first time. We had a wonderful day, including a trip to the now legendary Big Donut, time in a bookstore (shocking), incredible meals made by my lovely sister-in-law, Apples to Apples, and lots of laughing. On Sunday, after church and coffee with Mom and Dad, Andrew took me out to lunch at Flanagan's. We then picked up crazy snacks at the gourmet grocery store and went on a driving adventure around Indiana. There have been moments of fun interspersed among the duties of today as well. My co-worker Melissa brought in an incredible spread of treats for my birthday: chocolate oreo layer cake, strawberry trifle, carrot cake-like bars, and brownie bites with peanut butter cups. I have also been getting clues about a birthday surprise yet to come. I am feeling very blessed.

Bob Evans Breakfasts and Coffee D'Vine Grading Parties

Snow Day #3. We will now officially be going to school solidly from now until the end of time. Hope no one had fun plans for the summer.
I'm really not that cynical and depressed about the days off; I am most definitely a play now pay later kind of girl. I have been as lazy as possible and spent a lot of my days avoiding school work. My favorite parts of snow days are breakfasts with my parents at Bob Evans, solving the problems of the world (and my life), and get togethers with my teacher friends, drinking coffee and maybe getting a paper or two corrected in between conversations. This may not seem fun to anyone else, but I definitely think it qualifies for the Year of Fun, especially when most Thursdays at this time, I am corralling my seventh period into some semblance of order. I love my students, but sipping my latte and writing on my blog is a welcome break. Especially for 3 days in a row.

Slacking

I knew it would happen eventually. I get excited about big ideas and have a tendency to lose motivation later on, so I have been slacking a bit in the Year of Fun. I did a few things but didn't take the time to write about them. And then everything happened with my dad, issues arose at school, and life was certainly a challenge for awhile. I am trying to refocus and have confidence that this is not the end to the Year of Fun. I just need to get back on track again and perhaps be a little more realistic about how much fun can be had while still being responsible and getting everything done. It is a fine balance that I haven't quite achieved yet.