not quite over the hill.

Happy Birthday Daddio!

simple things.

My best memories from my childhood originate from summertime. As a family, we lived by the pool. From early morning swim lessons, which including my mom dragging us out of bed in the morning, to days soaking up the sun and befriending the lifeguards.


We, as a family, often reminiscence about those simple summer days, where wheat thins, easy cheese, watermelon and cherries were our favorite poolside snack (mostly because we could eat them fast and then dive right back in). I personally don't know how my mom did it. Packing a cooler a day, full of enough food to hold us over until dinner, deal with us begging her to get in every five minutes, and when she did get in, begging her to get her hair wet.

I laugh because I find myself in my mother's shoes. At camp, I have kids constantly begging me to get in, and when I do, to pretty please get my hair wet. I usually cave, and get all wet, but I'm also being paid to entertain them.

There is just something about summer that brings a smile to your face, isn't there? Even though I'm working to put money into my pocket and build my resume, I can't help but wake up with a smile on my face. There is something so innocent and childlike that I find in our enjoyment of this season, because who didn't stay outside until it finally got dark enough to where you couldn't see, or play by the pool making a new friend each time you went, or eat peaches and watermelons wondering just what it was that made them taste so extraordinary.

I know that I will never forget my days by the pool, swimming until I could swim no more. I simply love the summertime.

sails and salutations.

Why is it that the hardest people to meet, the people you are absolutely the most nervous for that first impression, are his parents? You would think that because you make their son happy, they would automatically love you. However, when he turns out to be the baby of the family, the pressure is on.

I think that finally, after 2 years, I have officially become comfortable around my boyfriend's parents. Yes, I still dress to impress and remain on my best behavior, but the jokes have begun to flow and the conversation is finally less awkward and more comfortable.

The key is perserverance. Don't give up. If he fell in love with you, there is something about you that they are bound to like, and even though it might not feel like it, it's most likely more than one thing they'll love about you.

I just got back from vacation with Kyle's parents and it really was so much fun. His parents own a boat and like to travel along Lake Michigan in the summertime. We met up with them in South Haven, Michigan, and spent the week on the lake.

It's amazing to me, the boating community. These people LOVE the water, the towns, conversing with other boaters, sunsets, wine, beer, beaches, dogs, and other simple things. There's always a wave or a simple "hello" in passing, and you can just tell the happiness that surrounds this small community.

I think what was comforting for me was seeing his parents in their element. Doing the things that they truly love. I think that in finally knowing them, I have been able to understand not only who they are as individuals, but who their son is and where I might even fit in.

From bluberry picking to scenic bike rides, from shopping to walks to the lighthouse, from watching sunsets over the lake to enjoying lakeside concerts, maybe the boating life is the life for me.

21.

Happy 21st Birthday Kathleen!

How swift have flown

To me thy girlish times,

A woman grown beneath

My heedless eyes!

In vain I rack

My fancy to believe

The almanac,

That speaks the twenty-one.

~ Charles Lamb

inspiration.

I think that as we slowly become older and begin to phase out of our academia, we start to realize how much more there is to life than school supply lists, dorm room decorations, spring break heart throbs, finals weeks, and the other things that have basically consumed our lives for the past 17 years. Wow, 17 years.

As I have locked myself in my room, determined to make some progress on my lesson planning for my upcoming semester of student teaching, I am beginning to understand how badly I want to be good at this. I have worked these past 17 years to provide myself with the opportunities to get a good job and live a happy and fulfilled life. As a future teacher, I think that is fully possible and definitely within reach. However, the work, beyond the high school and college classrooms, is testing.

While considering the situation I find myself in, I have looked for outside inspiration, and it hasn't been hard to find.

With the passing of Michael Jackson, many hearts were broken, including mine. This man was a legend in every sense of the word. Touching lives through his music, his passion. Isn't that what we are all aiming to do? We all want to leave our own mark on the world, a little piece of ourselves for those in the coming generations to remember us by? I know that ever since I was a little girl, a part of me has always wanted to change the world. He forever changed a piece of the world, and in that accomplishment, I find my inspiration.

Overcoming distractions and tackling procrastination, I am working my way towards my first experience in front of classrooms full of stubborn high school students. Let's hope that I can find a white glove of my own that will change and inspire my students to take leaps of faith and believe in themselves to be able to make their own mark on the world. There's always room for greatness.