Reflections of a Mother's Day past...

This past weekend we headed to Roslyn (what's up 'Northern Exposure'!) to meet up with my sister, her husband, my niece, and my mom at a rented cabin. This is what I learned:

1) When it comes to family, neutral territory is a good thing.

2) Fries dipped in mashed potatoes and gravy and Baked Cheddar Lays dipped in Melanie's mom's homemade mustard are TO DIE FOR.

3) When you lay in grass by a river, ticks will find you but you won't know it until...

4) ...the Croatian man at the town's only gift shop shouts "Don't move!" so he can remove the tick that is crawling on your sister's chest. No joke.

5) Hot tubs not filled with water do not work.

6) Swinging on swings never stops being fun.

7) Wading in lakes is usually made possible by uncles who don't mind getting dirty.

8) Mountain peaks with snow make fantastic backdrops for pictures.

9) Sword fights with sticks can inspire fantastic imaginings of Water Wizards. Just ask Ana. She'll tell you all about it.

10) Moms are ten times happier with gifts of time than with any other type of gift.

A Dream Realized

On Tuesday, Sandra Cisneros - the author of "The House on Mango Street" - came to our high school to give a talk for our students. Before I continue, let me make this very clear - I love Sandra Cisneros. Actually, I LOVE, LOVE Sandra Cisneros. While she has written many other books and poetry collections, I read "The House on Mango Street" many, many years ago and the bottom line is it just resonated with me. After all, how could a story about a young Latina girl fighting her culture's expectations of what a woman should be and how she should act NOT resonate with me? Been there, done that. Which is probably why when I was working on creating a Chicano/Latino Literature class over two years ago, I knew "The House on Mango Street" had to be part of the curriculum, and so it is. But the best part about Sandra Cisneros coming on Tuesday - in the end - had very little to do with me. Take a look at the picture below:

Sandra Cisneros is the one next to me. The other two girls were part of the group of first students to take Chicano/Latino Literature last semester and like me, they just got IT. When they both heard that Sandra Cisneros was coming, they could barely contain their excitement. I know, I know. Students getting excited over an author? Unbelievable, right? But it's true. So on Tuesday they sat there - along with the rest of my students - and listened to what she had to say. Afterwards, both of them went up to her to ask her questions. She was wonderful to them - she told them to keep in touch with her and she hugged them several times and even kissed both of them on their cheeks. They were completely beside themselves with joy.

As a teacher, there are so many times when I question whether I am doing a good job. I often wonder if I am really making a difference and if what I do on a daily basis actually MATTERS to anyone. Nobody ever tells you in your education classes that as a teacher, you will need to know how to cope with self-doubt because without this skill, you might as well toss in the hat now. Believe me, self-doubt in teaching can be a daily occurence.

And then there are days like Tuesday. As I sat back and watched my students enjoy and appreciate listening to Sandra Cisneros, and then literally bounce with excitement because she actually talked to them, I thought to myself, "Maybe, just maybe, I have done something right."

Corn on the Freakin' Cob!!!

Do not dwell on the fact that I look hideous in this picture. Instead, please take note of the corn that lies in front of my face. This corn was purchased for $2 at the Cinco de Mayo fesitivites this weekend and if I may, I would like to state that this was the best $2 I have spent in a long time. In fact, prior to this corn, I never imagined that $2 could purchase my own little taste of heaven, but oh, it did. This corn was boiled in a large pot of water in its husk. It was then de-husked, stabbed with a stick, lathered in butter, rolled in Mexican cotija cheese, and placed in my hand. My hand then shoved the corn into my mouth, at which point the skies opened up and the angels sang. In short, this corn made my day and I cannot stop thinking about it. All I can say is, this summer I am going to channel my inner-Mexican and there will be much corn slathered in butter and cheese and then subsequently consumed. Who would like to join me?

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

My baby turned 33 yesterday and as we are known to do, we celebrated in style. We took the day off from work, slept in a bit, went out for breakfast, shopped for saws, bought some special screws, took the dogs for a walk, and then bathed the dogs (which entailed some nudity and a ton of dirt). We then came home and feasted on grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and chocolate cupcakes with our favorite friends. I mean, really, what more can you ask for? Maybe a tick burred into your dog's neck? Oh, yes, we got that too.

Happy Birthday, Trevor! I love you!

Deep Thoughts from High School Students, Entry 1:

It really is unbelievable the things that come out of teenagers' mouths. In fact, I should probably have an entire blog dedicated to the things that come out of teenagers' mouths, but I've got to draw a line somewhere.

Today, however, a student in my WASL group inspired me to begin this series...yes, that means I am committing to sharing with the world the amazing things that come out of teenagers' mouths. This is Entry 1, and it goes a little something like this:

Teacher (who shall remain nameless because he was just my WASL partner and nothing else): Have you heard of that family with 18 kids that has a T.V. show?

Me: I HATE that show! Those people freak me out! Although, I did watch the one show where their oldest son got married and I must admit, it was fascinating.

Teacher: Yeah, yeah!!! Did you know that that kid and his wife are expecting their first baby?

Me: Surprise, surprise.

Enter in Student (who has been listening to our conversation): How many kids do they have?

Me: 18. And their oldest is getting ready to have a baby.

Student: 18???

Me: Yes, 18.

And here comes the good part...

Student: My God! It's a vagina, not a circus car!

Me: Mouth drops to floor...SILENCE. After all, what left is there to say?

The thing is, I'm not quite sure I could have said it better myself.

The Boot

Let me introduce you to my boot.


This is what happens when you walk around Vegas for 5 hours in flip-flops. Apparently what happens is you sprain your medial arch, and then you spend the next three days limping around Vegas in pain until you decide you should probably make sure you haven't broken any bones.Then you find out that it doesn't matter if you haven't broken any bones because the doctor is going to require that you wear the boot anyway. So you hobble around school all day, where EVERYONE asks what happened, and all you have to say is, "I walked too long in my flip-flops." What is the moral of the story? When you come back from Vegas and then have to wear a boot for two weeks, the idea that "What happens inVegas stays in Vegas" no longer applies to you.

Is it just me, or do I look like I am getting ready to do a strip tease in this picture? I guess Vegas impacted me more than I thought.

Viva Las Vegas!

How do you begin a blog about Vegas? Perhaps I should set the scene. Please note: Both Alissa and I were "Vegas Virgins" before this trip, so our virginity probably shaped what we saw. :)

Imagine this...smoke-filled casinos FULL of people no matter what time of day it is; 2-foot tall margaritas literally strapped around people's necks; "porn" cards strewn about the streets and shoved into your hands by hundreds of porn card pushers; Michael Jackson and Elvis impersonators greeting you as you walk by; hoochie mamas wearing teeny-tiny clothes while men walk behind them to snap their pictures; and magnificent hotels with ginormous fountains that spew out enough water that could probably hydrate hundreds of third-world villages. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am indeed implying that Vegas is the most bizarre place I have ever visited, and for a people-watcher like me, it is also a place that is absolutely fascinating. I would venture to say that any city that highlights everything that is wrong about human beings - greed, lust, vanity, drunkeness beyond all recoginition - is indeed fascinating.

Alissa and I headed to the good ol' Sin City this past weekend to attend a friend of mine's wedding. While we did not strap margaritas to our necks, we still managed to keep ourselves quite entertained. We walked the strip for hours, we rode a very scary roller coaster, we attended a very fun wedding, we ate AMAZING food, we gambled away (between the two of us) $15, and we watched Cirque du Soleil's "Love" and the Blue Man Group. In short, we had a blast, which only reiterates for me how much I love, adore, and appreciate my Alissa.

In the end, we both lost our Vegas virginity with dignity and class, and while we both left saying we would probably never go back, it was worth the ride while it lasted.