Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts

March 31, 2014

Spring Break in Pictures

Another spring break come and gone...I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a beautiful week in Florida visiting my brother, sister in law, and sweet little niece.  My parents let me freeload along with them for the week--youngest child perks. ;)  At the end of vacation I always have mixed feelings--part of me is always so ready to get back into my routine, but it is always so hard to leave.  Especially when I have to say goodbye to this little sweetie:
Anyways, the week was filled with beach runs, good food, tea parties with my niece, trips to the zoo, long periods of uninterrupted reading, and so much wonderful time with family.
Feeding the birds at the zoo...
Bedtime stories... 
Reading time...finished 4 books during the week!
 
Plenty of tea parties...
Love being steps from the ocean!
Three beautiful beach runs, one at sunrise...

The highlight of the week was probably the morning my brother, mom, dad, and I spent doing a ropes/zip line course at the Brevard Zoo.  It was sooo much fun and a great workout too!  
Dad and I high in the treetops...  
LOVE zip lining!

Mom's not afraid!
Some of the zip lines were really long, and one went over the zoo alligator habitat--eep!
 
Super hero dad! 
We did it!

Today it's back to real life... :(  Oh, and stay tuned for some AWESOME product reviews and giveaways coming up in the next few weeks!

March 8, 2014

Life Lately--5 Random Recent Happenings


Hi friends!  Haven't been in the blogging mood lately--seems like I go two weeks with blogging, then need two weeks off.  Oh well!  Part of this lack of motivation to do much has to do with the fact that winter is STILL continuing to beat us down in Chicago...it snowed AGAIN this morning!  #sooverit
First off, after blogging for 6 years (6 years???), I finally bit the bullet and created a facebook page for Juice Boxes + Crayolas!  Check it out (and maybe hit like?? ;) here!
Since I haven't blogged for awhile, prepare yourself for a completely random post and photo dump of my life lately...

ONE
Lucky me got to escape the cold for a few days in Texas last weekend!  Between standardized test prep, stir crazy kids at school, and my own winter blues, a weekend somewhere warm was just what I needed.  My friend and I spent three days stuffing our faces, drinking beer, and running in beautiful places.  


We got in a 7 mile run through downtown Austin and the surrounding areas and a 9 mile run on an amazingly beautiful trail while I was there.  God I have missed running in shorts and tank tops!  Perfect weekend.


TWO
Another bestie and I spent the weekend together a couple weeks ago, and I was able to cross something off my 30 before 30 list--we got tattoos!  I'd been thinking about a tattoo for a loooong time and so had my friend, so we finally bit the bullet and did it together.  Mine was super simple and only took about 20 minutes, but my friend's took 4+ hours!  Yikes.

I have wanted a tattoo of birds to symbolize freedom and peace.  Picked this spot and these words so I can have a reminder throughout the day to relax, keep calm, and be at peace.

THREE
We are in the thick of ISAT testing here in Illinois...4 tests down, 4 more to go for my kids...I'm already so over the whole thing.  Our already crazy town schedule is even more insane these weeks.  Basically we test and have specials in the morning, and then after lunch we cram in EVERY OTHER SUBJECT!  Ahhh!  It's a big whirlwind.  Counting the days until it's all over!

FOUR
I shared this video of Let it Go from Frozen in ASL awhile back.  My students have been OBSESSED with this song for the last few months, and I have to admit so have I!  I convinced my two fabulous interpreter friends to spend a few hours after school with me Friday working on breaking the song down sign by sign so that we can use it as our morning song.  
I have loved being able to sign our current morning song, Best Day of My Life since I learned it back in December!  I know my kids will be even more excited about this one.  Now I just have to practice it a thousand times!  
Practicing this morning with the video and my cheat sheet!



FIVE
I cannot stop eating Girl Scout cookies.  One of my students brought me a box of Tagalongs the other day, and by lunch time I'd already eaten 3...  Then today, I stopped at the library on my way home from my run at a nearby Arobretum, and some girl scouts were freezing out in the cold selling cookies.  I happened to have EXACTLY $4 in my wallet, the cost of 1 box, so I HAD to buy one.  Then I proceeded to eat 5 on the drive home...I'm out of control!  
I did make myself a healthy green smoothie to refuel from the run when I got home to add some nutrients into my day.
Goal: More green things, less cookies :)

After a busy last couple of weekends, I'm looking forward to taking it easy this weekend.  Starting with some reading under a blanket. ;)

What do you have planned this weekend?

What is your favorite kind of Girl Scout cookies?  My all-time favorites are Peanut Butter Sandwiches (I think they might be called Do Si Dos in some places?) and Tagalongs, but I am currently loving the Savannah Smiles that came out a couple of years ago.  YUM!

Do you have or want any tattoos?

August 9, 2013

Beautiful Boston Vacation in Pictures!

Gosh I love New England.  I think I am meant to live here someday!  I had a blast on my trip to Boston last weekend!  Now that I am finally home and at least partially unpacked (...), I can't wait to share my photos with you!

THURSDAY
Bye, Chicago!

Michelle and I started our evening with a nice beer by the pool--nothing says, "I'm on vacation!" like pool boozing!  

Ate dinner by the harbor and took a walk down a beautiful trail.  It was a little windy and chilly!
Picked up some groceries for pre-race breakfast...I feel like this could be a Making Inferences task card for the classroom--what can you infer about the person that bought these groceries??

FRIDAY
We hopped on the high speed ferry and headed to Provincetown, Cape Cod!  So beautiful.  The day started out rainy and cloudy...

But ended BEAUTIFULLY.  There were bikes...
And there was beach...



And some cute shops...

And of coruse a carbo-loading pasta dinner...
SATURDAY
Race day!  Read the full recap here!

Post-race dinner...



SUNDAY
Met up with Stephanie!

Unfortunately, due to some car trouble, we ended up just taking a short walk and hanging out at the train station waiting for a rescue!  Oh well!  At least I got to meet her, her beautiful baby boy, and her husband in person!

Headed from Michelle's to my cousin, Carrie's:

Sunday night we went kayaking on the Charles River!  Wish I had a pic of that adventure...kayaking is hard, yo!

MONDAY
Visited the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.  Have you ever heard of this museum?  It's so cool and has such a unique history!  I was pumped to check it out in person after reading all about it in The Art Forager, one of my favorite reads from the summer.
No pics allowed in the museum, so I borrowed this one frmo the website

Had lunch at Flour, a yummy little cafe/bakery that I've wanted to try since seeing them on Throwdown with Bobby Flay years ago--love food network!






TUESDAY
Ran along the Charles River...

Visited the Museum of Science:

Fought the crowds in the North End in search of the perfect cannoli:

And then headed back to sweet home Chicago!  What a great trip!
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