A Weekend in Winthrop

Let me begin by saying that I am embarassed at how our weekend away started. I just have to get it off my chest because I feel like a total ass...when we walked into our cabin in Winthrop and there clearly was not a DVD player like the ad had stated, I started to cry.

I know.

I'm pathetic.

And irrational.

And over-emotional.

What else is new, right?

But this is exactly why I'm putting it out there because I want the world to know that I KNOW that I am pathetic. With that said, I have to tell you, the missing in action DVD player turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and here is why...

For our 3-year dating anniversary, Trevor and I rented a cabin to get away and enjoy some quality time together. It truly is amazing how much more quality your time becomes when television is not involved, and I'm not blowing smoke up your wazoos here. I really, really mean it. We strolled through the cowboy town of Winthrop, sipping on coffee and caramel apple cider, and browsing through the many shops. In one of those shops, Trevor picked out a book (which he never does) and in another one we bought a deck of cards and a cribbage board. So at night, instead of zoning out to movies, we snuggled up on the couch and read together (ummm, can you say best foreplay EVER?) and over the course of the weekend played 10 rounds of cribbage. I'm not competitive or anything, but for the record, I won eight times. You do the math.

We also enjoyed one day of intense snowshoeing. By "enjoyed" what I really mean is that in the span of 4 miles and 3 hours, I laughed, I cried, and I puked. Yes, I puked. I don't want to talk about it. I also yelled at my husband and told him I was never going to snowshoe with him again, but that was a lie. The truth is, it was amazingly beautiful out there and as much as it hurt to climb up very, very steep hills, spending that time with Trevor who never, ever gives up on me only reiterated that I will indeed snowshoe again and again and again.

You may ask yourself, what is Sara doing in that picture below? The answer is, Sara is laughing her ass off after falling down AGAIN. Who falls snowshoeing, which really is a glorified way of saying WALKING IN THE SNOW? Ummmm, me, that's who.

We also enjoyed a horse sleigh ride that ended with a cowboy dinner in a tent (thankfully it was warm) in the middle of the mountains. The ride was so much fun, the food was amazing, and the company was hysterical. Besides Trevor and I, there was a group of six men who had gone to high school together and who meet up every year to go skiing during this particular weekend. One of the guys is the guy on the MacSnack commericials for McDonald's. No joke. I asked him if he would sign our Big Mac box we had back in our truck. I'm not so sure he was as amused as I was. Needless to say, I never got his autograph.
In short, our weekend in Winthrop was wonderful (apparently I'm a genius at alliteration), and maybe, just maybe, we will turn off our own TV more often.

A New Year

Dear Universe,

School starts tomorrow and I'm lining all my ducks up in a row - the grocery shopping is done, one set of papers is graded, clothes are washed, hair is clean, legs are shaved, and the internal pep talks have begun. With that said, it's time for a heart to heart.

I'm not quite sure how to break this to you, so I'm just going to say it - I am a bit displeased. Displeased, you ask? Yes, displeased. I know, I know, I know...I have so much to be thankful for and I am truly blessed in numerous ways. NONE of this goes unnoticed or unappreciated, trust me. I just need a little help here, and being that this week marks the start of a new year and a new decade, I thought I might just ask for some.

I guess what I'm asking is, can you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE just give this girl a break? You know what I'm talking about, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I need you to tilt your axis a bit in my favor, if you know what I mean, and I promise you I will do my part.

You see, I am going to slow down and get back to what I have always loved to do - read and write and knit and sew and travel and go for walks and love my husband and spoil my animals and laugh with my friends and appreciate my family and be kind to my students. And when June rolls around, I am not going to work one measly second this summer and I am going to try to convince Melanikis to do that same so that we can host a wedding (hint, hint Andria), go to the pool, and can just like our grandmas used to do. And I'm going to finish our honeymoon scrapbook, put together a wedding album, and maybe, just maybe, actually organize all the pictures on our computer so we can make Smith family photo albums.

In short, I'm going to get back ME and just thinking about it makes me want to throw myself a little party.

So, dear Universe, if you can hear me, I would really appreciate your help in all of this. I believe I have paid my dues and weathered the storms in a relatively dignified fashion (let's just pretend that whole breakdown on Christmas never happened) and I need the stars to align for me. I figure if I align my stars then you can align yours. Fair? Fair.

Until we meet again,

Sara

Many Gracias

I am thankful for (in no particular order)...

• half-days of school
• the joy and excitement of knowing I will be watching "New Moon" in approximately 6 and a half hours
• students who say "thank you"
• hooded sweatshirts and pajama pants
• long hair
• vacuum cleaners and Swiffer dusters
• dishwashers
• a husband who loves to cook
• McDonald's french fries
• Dairy Queen Blizzards
• people who drive the speed limit
• a healthy and vibrant mom
• a brother and sister who I genuinely like
• a niece who cracks me up
• friends who share their kids with me
• friends who bring me Chai tea at school
• geese flying south for the winter
• my cat, Norah, who greets me on the driveway everyday when I come home
• my cat, Olive, who loves you even after you toss her across the room for jumping on your boobs
• my puppies, Powder and Moo Moo, who are ALWAYS happy to see me
• trips to Disneyland
• the beach
• blasting music in my car and singing at the top of my lungs
• Reality T.V. and cooking shows
• new pens and pencils
• Adam Lambert, controversy and all

Deep Thoughts From Students, Entry 3:

This is the conversation I just heard in my yearbook classroom:

Jordin: Oh my gosh! Look at that huge cleavage hair!

Girls Around Jordin (as they all look down at their cleavage): What? What are you talking about?

Jordin (who pulls a gigantor piece of hair off of Reyna's shirt): Look at it! Cleavage hair is a real problem these days.

Me (only speaking inside of my head): Yes, yes it is.

Goodbye Molly...

To the kitty we affectionately called Fluffy...Thank you for the last 13 years. We love you and will always miss you.

Nostalgia

My Pullman Checklist:

• Dinner at New Garden - Check
• Catching up with my dad - Check
• Sleeping in until 11 - Check
• A burger and fries at Cougar Country - Check
• Watching the Cougs play their version of football - Check
• Kicking Katy and Trevor's butts in a rousing game of "Life" - Check
• Sleeping in until 11 once again - Check
• A quick trip to the Bookie - Check
• A small green salad with a bread twist at Sella's - Check
• Enjoying the view of wheat fields and old barns - Double-check

A Confession...

Here's the thing - I wasn't raised in a materialistic home. Our mismatched couches came from garage sales, our silverware came from Goodwill, and to this day, my mother finds no pleasure in shopping for things for her house. I think that's what happens when you've watched your parents literally "give up" all of their posessions in order to come to the United States. And let me make it clear that in Cuba, my mother's parents had LOTS of posessions.

With that said, I'm embarassed to admit that I have an obsession with a possession.

Okay, in all honesty, I have three obsessions with possessions.

#1 - Books. I love them, I need them, I literally surround myself with them. They are my friends and if I am really honest, they are also my trophies. I don't have trophies for any athletic accolades and reading has always been something I am good at. I think I can kick a little ass in reading. And so my books are a non-negotiable. They're staying put, people.


#2 - Dishes. I love dishes. I love dishes that match. I especially love crisp, white dishes and dishes that are accented with red. Perhaps this comes from some deep-rooted feeling of inadequecy, being that in my childhood, our dishes never matched. Never. This is probably why when my mom bought her home several years ago, I bought her a dish set.

And last but not least #3 - Bedding!!! - which is what prompted me to write this post to begin with being that today we purchased a new duvet and new pillows. This particular obsession stems back to "The Sound of Music" and the bed Julie Andrews had. I wanted that bed, I wanted that comforter, and I have worked very hard to get it in my own way.

Books, dishes and bedding. I love them. I confess.