Tag Archives: Sunsets

The Best of 2016

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Hello Friends,

Happy New Years! We spent the evening at our neighborhood party, and then relaxed at our house playing boardgames. It’s very homey with the fire roaring and we drink tons of thai iced tea to last us til midnight. It’s always very festive and fun. How was your New Year’s Eve? Do anything fun?

best-of-2016

Looking back on 2016, it was a very full and exciting year, with many highs and quite a few lows.

From left to right, I had amazing time with A flying to Florida and having the time of my life at Harry Potter World in January.

Relaxing on the beach in Hawaii with A in February was exactly what I needed heading into a busy time prepping my students to submit their AP portfolios. In June I watched my prides and joy (all 45 of them) walk down the aisle and receive their diplomas. I also said goodbye to the school that made me into the teacher that I am today, and hugged & waved goodbye to all my LPS Phoenix’s (and my classroom) for the last time ever.

In July we took a family trip and fulfilled a childhood dream of mine to return to the island where I had spent a glorious summer (#sweet15) in Nantucket. In July we spent some time with my Grandfather in Pennsylvania.

In August, I lounged at an amazing lake house and soaked up every last bit of summer before starting school at my new job. In September we enjoyed glorious weather on many walks in San Francisco. In October A and I cajoled our friends into eating the brunch buffet at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay. I also saw my favorite musician Ingrid Michaelson on her latest musical tour.

In November A and I took a food eating tour through Portland, and I got to explore the beauty of the Northwest (and see Shannon!). For Thanksgiving Week I joined Aaron and Kim and her family on a week-long sunny stay in Cancun, Mexico.

And finally, I’ve been here in Tahoe for the last week and a half, being as lazy as I possibly can before starting back to work on the 3rd. The snow has been kind to us, and I’ve been able to get in 3!! days of skiing in between the hot tub, reading books, watching movies and boardgames.

I’m sure 2017 will keep me just as busy as 2016 did, as I know I already have a few trips planned with A, seeing my first crop of seniors at Notre Dame graduate in May, and adding a few new things to the new pad in Santa Clara (like finally owning a Tv.)

Are you looking forward to 2017? Any fun things you are looking forward to? Thanks so much for reading the blog these last 12 months, I couldn’t do it without you guys!

Love,

-S

 

 

 

Nantucket Day 5

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Thursday was a day of sunshine, wind in your face and gorgeous ocean views. We started with breakfast at Downyflake, where I had delicious doughnuts, eggs and bacon. A breakfast of champions for a busy day. My dad brother and … Continue reading →

Nantucket Trip

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Hello Friends! I will be doing longer posts with more photos on the various activities we did, but I created this fun short little vlog of our family trip to Nantucket two weeks ago. We had a blast when we … Continue reading →

Fall in Love with Fall

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I personally really love Fall. I like all of the things that make the cold crisp mornings and start of a new season feel so much better. So without adieu, here is my welcome to Fall Bucket List!

Fall 2015

  • Explore a corn maze
  • Pick out some pumpkins to decorate your house with (i love the white mini-ones!)
  • Bake a pie
  • Make Chili (I love my dad’s recipe!)
  • Go apple picking (have a sunday planned to do that with my brother)
  • Make s’mores
  • Build a crackling fire and enjoy a good book
  • Decorate pumpkins
  • Smell cinnamon Candles at Bath & Body Works and try not to buy every Fall/Holiday candle scent
  • Pull out the ol’ galoshes and splash in puddles
  • Cozy up with your blankets on the couch watching the fall shows premiere ( i’m so excited for so many shows to return)
  • Go for an early morning walk in the crisp foggy air
  • Decorate your front door or porch with some cute fall decorations
  • Start planning your halloween costume
  • Start your morning with a steaming cup of tea instead of coffee
  • find and devour ALL of the candy corn

 

I also love October because it’s my birthday month. Even without that special date, I love everything about the summer ending and a new season beginning. This year it really felt like our California summer lasted from March to well, now! I am really looking forward to pulling out my box of mittens, hats, scarfs and fuzzy socks!

How do you celebrate fall? Do you like the cooler temperatures of the upcoming weeks or do you wish summer would stick around?

Love,

-S

Summer Lovin’

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As much as I love my kiddos, I also realllllyyyy enjoy summer break off. This last year was particularly brutal as I barreled through working full time, night classes to finish up my Master’s, and completing my second year of … Continue reading →

BookFairs, Starbucks, Froyo and Rain

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I believe every week in December will hold something amazing. This year my alma mater had their annual December book-fair, which is something I always look forward to. Even though they have moved to a new campus, and have tons of new staff, I always enjoy coming back and seeing the few people that made my middle school years so memorable.

GMS BookFair

 

Our librarian Walter, is a professional story-teller and always reads a chapter or a portion of a book. This year, it was a co-telling by Walter and Esther and it was amazing.

My masters classes at Santa Clara University and work vamping up heading into a second set of finals meant most days I am burning the candle at both ends. So, I treated myself to coffee and a manicure, and to some yummy fro-yo after babysitting all day.  There’s something so decadent about taking time for just yourself, especially in the midst of the holiday chaos. It was exactly what I needed.

Sundays at StarbucksFro-Yo

We had a pretty epic storm here last week, but I settled in to my itty-bitty apartment to binge-watch Gilmore Girls and eat soup! I loved every rain-soaked minute, including the tippy-tippy-tap of rain on the roof, wearing my rain-boots every day for a week, and the fresh clean scent of the air after it rains. We got some pretty gorgeous sunrises and clouds after a week of pouring rain.


 Storm-Aggedon of 2014 Storm-Aggedon of 2014 Storm-Aggedon of 2014Storm-Aggedon of 2014

When you are pushing yourself too hard (either at work, or school, or both!), how do you relax?

Love,

-S

Venice Beach, a Roof with a View, and Sunsets on the Pier

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On our last day in L.A we walked along the canals and Venice Beach, had rooftop drinks with a gorgeous beach view at Hotel Erwin, and saw a fantastic sunset at the Santa Monica Pier. I had a lot of fun visiting … Continue reading →

Sunsets, Sparklers and a Night in SF

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A week ago Friday, a few of my friends helped me knock off another item on my 101 list. We gathered at my parents house, lit some sparklers and tried to draw out hearts, stars and names. We were more or less successful, but we also had a lot of fun!

We have another box of sparklers left so we will do them again sometime soon! There was lots of laughing during this photo shoot (that may have hindered our ability to take clear photos!), and it was a great evening overall.

 

From there we went up to the city and hit up the Starlight Room at the Drake Hotel. Annie’s friend Dereck is a manager there, and always makes us feel so welcomed. This was my second time there and I swear he is ruining all other clubs for me!

I know I had a busy but awesome weekend! How was everyone’s weekend?

Did you get to do some fun things but also take a break?

Love,

-S

Miami Beach and the Everglades

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The last day or two of our vacation was spent in Florida. We flew back to the US and took a tour of the Everglades, and then poked about my mother’s hometown. It was great to finally see the house that my mother grew up in, and see the city that she spent her youth in. I had grown up visiting my father’s parents and seeing his hometown almost every summer but this was my first time seeing my mother’s birthplace. The Everglades was beautiful, and bursting with wild-life.

We grabbed lunch at Joe’s Stone Crab and it was the perfect finish to a fantastic family vacation. It took all day on Sunday to get back to California (3 flights again!), but it was worth every minute of the travel to have a week in the Caribbean.

I hope everyone is getting a chance to relax this weekend! You’ve earned it.

Love,

-S

Cayman Islands Part 3

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Since coming back from the Cayman Islands, I have jumped back into my busy, stressful life. Grading (and yearbook) has been a big time sink lately and I look forward to the end of the quarter. I’m hoping for another week of amazing unplugged time during my next break, the first week of April.

It’s almost Friday!

Love,

-S