Na-Ma

Listen here, friends.  This girl has NEVER been a Halloween fan.  I am not surprised that when I tried to see what I wrote LAST Halloween I had skipped the holiday entirely. 

 

Ask ANYBODY in my family how I like to celebrate this annoying holiday and they will PROBABLY recount years of me hiding under the kitchen table in my pj's when the trick-or-treaters rang our doorbell on Ringtail Road, remember that I have ALWAYS celebrated November 1st intently because it means I have over 300 days until I have to see another grotesque costume or commercial, and laugh so hard thinking about the fact that I RUN past the "spooky" aisle in any store during the months of September and October.  (By RUN I mean dart and make noises.) 

That being said, as an adult, I have definitely made some progress and as a teacher I do take joy in seeing my students so excited and motivated.  I have to hand it to you, Halloween, you make for some pretty cute poems, hand-drawn cards, and catchy songs.  (Thriller dance party in Room 31?)  AND let us not forget that you do signify all-things-pumpkin flavored (which we know from my recent posts and Instagrams I have been indulging in quite frequently.)

 

Yes, that is a pumpkin that says "Happy Fall, Miss C" and I probably have a stack of "spooky pictures" a mile high on my desk right now.  

I am also feeling pretty lucky that at my school Halloween is celebrated in a very creative, happy way.  Our parade is 5-star and the student costumes are (naturally) exceptionally crafted.  Who would think of being a Tennis Ball, Royal Palace Guard, or Venus Fly Trap (is that 3 words?)?  Need I say more?  These parents really have a way with the glue gun and foam board. 

 

Referee and Pirate (with Booty!) in second grade this morning

However, I have still been super grumpy about this infamous day for the entire week.  

First of all, I cannot believe it's on a WEDNESDAY.  

 

I even posted on my Facebook this week that if we could make it fall on the SAME/LAST Friday every month that would make a world of difference.  Romney.  Obama.  Try it out.  

Try children who have been wired for over 3 days, PLUS this awesome teacher-test-study-obligation I have going on (test Saturday, light candles!), and you've got one grumpy old lady.  

 

 However, I do not post to gripe.  So hear me out.  This IS going to get good. :) 

So I decided that after... 

nine hours of children hopped up on sugar,

three and a half hours of ninety poorly written questions,

one HUGE load of laundry that has been staring me in the face since the wedding,

and I was down for the count. 

This is just the worst day ever.

It's always like this.

You have never liked Halloween.

Tomorrow is November first.

You love November first. 

Just stick with it.... 

Until my phone rang at 7:45.....

And guess who was there?!?!?!?

My favorite boy in the whole world.  :D

Mr. Everett! 

We sang "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate", played hide-and-go-seek, he showed me his plastic pumpkin, I asked him about his baby sister "C" and his awesome Peter Pan costume.  There was a lot of mumbling that I couldn't understand so I ended up making silly faces to make him smile.
Secret confession: I got to pretend like we were snuggling right before bed and bath time. 

What a guy.

But here's the very best part.  

Guess what Everett's favorite word is right now?
Na-Ma.

Does that sound like "ANA" to anybody else?  Because I sure thought so.

His parents think maybe he's a yogi-in-training and he is desperately trying to say "Namaste" to wish peace and tranquility on everything around him.

Or perhaps it's just something fun to mutter as you point to things as a 22-month-old to keep everybody guessing.

But I'm pretty sure it's his way of saying his "Fairy Godmother's" name. 

And I could not be more proud. :)

(I also hope I look better than that when he is Cinderella's age.)

More than anything, I hope I never forget all of his little quirks and quips.  

  So what did this witch learn tonight? 

It's amazing what a little spirit, what a little voice and smile and

face can do for a big person like me.  I think I sometimes get so caught

up in what I have to get done and what's going on in my world that I

forget what really matters and how good I have it.  It's so easy

to complain, it's so easy to throw in the towel on an insane Wednesday,

but all-in-all today was pretty awesome.  

Who else do I know who wore

tennis shoes and a jersey all day, had lunch delivered to them, and got

to leave work before 4:00? I also got everything done by 8:00 and had the chance to enjoy a pumpkin-flavored brew (of course) and some witty family texting/banter before bed. 

 

Not to get philosophical, but holidays are what you make of them.  Holidays are for spending time with your loved ones.  And thanks to things like Facetime (No, Apple did not sponsor this post, I WISH!) and group-texting it's never that hard and they are never that far away.  

So here's to October 31st.  The eve of November 1st.  Halloween, I never thought I'd say it, but cheers to you.  My almost-favorite day.  

Yes, I have already flipped the page on my kitchen calendar and glanced at the cute picture that will hang in my apartment for the next 30 days.  This is the beginning of a great holiday season.  I will no longer feel weird about all of the lit trees in Dallas, feel ashamed when a Christmas carol comes on my iPod shuffle during my morning commute, or second-guess making a gift purchase.  More important than the lattes turning from pumpkin to peppermint or the wardrobe going from light jackets to tights-scarves-boot-wearing, I am ready for less alone-time and more family-time, less-hustle-and-bustle and more memory-making.   

Thanks, Everett, for putting me into the spirit -- be it the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just plain spirit of gratitude.  The stop-and-smell-the-roses spirit.  

You rock, little guy.  

Love,
Na-Ma

Fried Fair-Food Fest

When this ticket landed in my box at school, I knew I had to fit in a trip to Fair Park in Dallas ASAP. 

Since my sister gets married in four days, I decided a quick-and-dirty weeknight visit was in order.  Luckily, my buddy Lauren has a love of all things fried (just like yours truly) and wanted to get her fix before Big Tex gets tucked away until 2013. 

Today, I got all of my schoolwork done, Lauren wasn't working her usual night-shift, and to put icing on the cake, Dallas had weather so beautiful you could can it and sell it to Texans in the summer on the sidewalk.  What a perfect mid-week break. 

Happy 60th birthday, big guy!

First stop?  Fletchers. 

You have to get one of these scrumptious babies ASAP upon entering the gates. 

Your stomach is not ready for anything else until this battered goodness hits your taste buds. 
I missed my dad SO much while I was enjoying this bad boy.

Unplanned added bonus?  Spilling ketchup and mustard all over my Marc Jacobs purse during my hurried Fletchers indulgence.  #fastfoodproblems

 

Lauren and I found the information booth and some woman asked us what high school we went to.  Great.  

Then we found out about many exciting exhibits, like the Chinese Lantern Festival on display.  We decided it was an overpriced (13 tickets!?!?) "Trail of Lights" wanna-be and decided to pose in front of the sign instead. :)

Woot.

Oktoberfest's tent provided me with a chilled, frothy brew from Germany. And this lovely cup.

 

After enjoying a delightfully lit parade of floats (man wearing a Corndog uniform that I want to borrow for Mardi Gras, Girl Scouts singing creepy songs, and a high school drumline), we decided we had about 90 minutes to make some magic happen.

I'll let the to-die-for food speak for itself: 

Fried Mac and Cheese Slider

Fried Jumbalaya (spicy rice and seafood goodness) and Fried Cookie Dough (imagine cookie cake with a crunchy crust and gooey insides!).  

Ok, so I'm not letting the food speak for itself.  

I can't stop describing the goodness! These were seriously the two best items in my opinion!

We said we wanted to "taste" all of the popular foods, but we did more than take small bites. :)

This fine fellow let us try Fried Cactus even though we were one ticket short. :)

And everybody knows I like to admire many items of the fair from AFAR.  Including, but not limited to:

rides, especially of the scary or height-indulgent variety.

clowns.  men on stilts.  face painting.  bright lights.  fun houses.   

really, all things creepy....

AND OF COURSE, in honor of Papi and Kif,

the car show.  I sat in the driver's seat, I played with all of the buttons, I popped the trunk.
I did my car-loving Casanova men proud. 

What a fun time!
Straight from work, and now I'm showered and in bed by 10. 

Not bad, Dallas. 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Love-list

Inspired by this list-lover, I have decided that every once in a while I deserve an easy post.  Sometimes I don't want to work on my craft as an author.  Some nights I could care less about an and edit or proofreading session.  Often, I don't need to mull anything over in my head.  I don't want to have to skim the screen repeatedly for a few days before clicking publish.  Sometimes I just want to share pictures and things that I love with the simple magic of uploading.  Here goes nothing: 

J.Crew-looking wardrobe updates at Old Navy prices 

 

Friday morning PSL from a coworker.   

 

Temperatures that are two digits and not three.  

 

The inner-fat kid that my roommate and I bring out in each other. 

Foods that are only appropriate at a tailgate.

Cheating on my bridesmaid diet and not feeling guilty.  what. so. ever. 

 

eating lobster in Dallas. take me back to Maine.

Celebrating the big accomplishments of some of my favorite people. 

 

Kiwi on sale at the grocery store.  Mom, I miss you. 

 

Quotes to live by that keep popping up wherever I go

 

Oops.  Sorry, Dairy.  Thanks house-sitting.  

 

Soaking up the sun after work before it's everyday-dark-by-5:00

mixed-CD appearances after a long day at work

really, any spontaneous gifting by a coworker who always knows I need it

Thursday night NBC line-up.

Welcome back.  I've missed you.
Parks and Rec/The Office, it was a long summer. 

Skinnygirl Sangria +  Amy's Organic Mushroom and Olive frozen pizza + roommate =

new tradition

my students.  they test my patience daily, but also make me smile without fail.

a good Dallas sunset.  

especially an orange and blue one.

college football.

Being a UVA fan even though we lose. 

real schools know how to tailgate. 

the first scarf of the season. 

Sure, I sweated bullets that day, but I looked awesome. 

(same day, hence the scarf)

Teammates who make me laugh...

and who stay at school entirely too long with me to get planning/book selecting done.

 

simple dinners. 

not turning on my oven or microwave. 

fresh vegetables. 

 

a Google+ hangout with my two teacher bffs to talk kids, class, alone-time,
weekends, and old-lady lifestyle habits with no shame.  

bridesmaid tanlines.

finishing a novel before book club meets.

Wednesdays off mid-week.

Thursday-afternoon cupcakes with a new buddy. 

red velvet.  duh. 

kicking up my tired tootsies.

laptop in the bed.

reading my favorite bloggers and writers after a long day.
crying during Parenthood - weekly. :) 

emotional catharsis in so many forms.  

babies. 

more babies. 

two sister visits in two weeks. 

#takingovertheeducationalworldoneipadatatime

(longest hashtag on this blog to date)

dusting off the fall decor, and proudly displaying it.

 (the next day our neighbor put one up too! FALL CHEER!)

 

second grade soccer stars. 

and really REALLY cool parents. 

Sunday night pizza parties with family

and of course, ALL THINGS PUMPKIN.

Dear Siri,

Let's get married. 

Cheers to the little things. 
Cheers to the stuff that's simple,
cheers to things that instantly make me smile,
cheers to not worrying about a blog entry that might be typo-ridden,
and cheers to making you smile too.     

I really do live in PARADISE.