Delicious autumn!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot

As we sit on the brink of my most favorite season, may we take it all in and call it delicious! Thank you Ms. Elliot for your gorgeous words.

My luxurious summer...

I've said it before and it has proved to be ridiculously true...a teacher’s summer is nothing short of luxurious. I've also said, (in many ways shapes and forms…) that it's ridiculously hard being a teacher. So truly having some space to re-generate is essential.

This has definitely been my summer of luxury. I found luxury in many, many things like amazing "cake and shake",

sleeping in, watching re-runs of sit-coms, reading/listening to books, writing one chapter of my book (sort of...), blogging, figuring out my iPhone, loving and playing with my fur-babies,

having lunch with my ‘niece and nephews’and their amazing moms,

CABIN! (twice!),

games of Tripoley with friends, dinners, lunches, Rockies games,

and even though it was for excruciating reasons, seeing my extended family (including my brother who now lives in Italy!) at the memorial services for my Aunt and Uncle.

There are a million other things that proved to be luxurious this summer and every single thing rejuvenated my soul. I am sad to see it go, but I also know that as I go into my 4th year of teaching middle school, teaching is really for me. Yes it’s draining and hard, but I adore those kids with so much of who I am. I want to be able to give them what they need and be the best teacher I can be. It’s scary, and difficult, but because I have had this summer of luxury, I’m ready. (I hope!!!!)

The dog days of summer

Happiness in summer can be found here:

Check out Baxter's grin!

Ahh the dog days of summer...what a wonderful miracle. :)

Oh spring, you are so pretty.

It's predictable, I know, but: Spring=Miracle. I can't get over it. The way spring shows us resilience, the way it begins to fill grey, brown and 'dead' space with brilliant color. The way tiny buds of pink and white goodness fill my nostrils with sweet, sweet nectar. The tiny buds of bright green leaves poking out of Eloise, my favorite tree in the universe, and the small army of trees that surround her...

And then there's Robert Frost's words...

Nature's first green is gold.
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower but only so an hour...

I am embracing this 'hour' with all that I am.

Oh spring. I love you. You are so pretty. Thanks for being you. xoxo

Autumn

It is sort of cliche. I get that. But I am in awe of autumn! It is my most favorite season and I have been pondering why. I came up with this: autumn=change. Change can be difficult. Most people don't really like change. But I have come to realize that change is inevitable. No matter what, things change. Sometimes for the good, sometimes not.

Autumn is a physical, tangible view of change. It happens somewhat gradually, and to me, it is truly magical. I feel like I savor every newly changing leaf and I monitor closely how the trees on my block are changing. I love it and I hate it. I know that the changing and falling leaves mean that the trees will be barren for many months, but I can't keep my eyes off the brilliant colors I see now.

I think autumn teaches me how to deal with change. It tells me that a.) it's going to happen and b.) that it can be beautiful if I look for it. The irony of all of this is I am a very 'stick to the routine' sorta gal. I don't like when things, well, when things change! But I have been through enough to know that nothing stays the same. I cling to what I can in the way of routine, but I must also embrace the changes that occur. Autumn teaches me this.

So thank you, autumn--my miracle in the mundane.

SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am officially celebrating the joy that is summer. I am in a bit of shock that summer is acutally real, and really mine...I taught summer school last year...(boy, was that for the birds!!) So this is my year. I plan on re-fueling, re-energizing, reading, blogging, sleeping, exercising and all in all relaxing...

This is plan 'A'. We may be getting a dog, so if that happens, my energy might shift a bit...but it will be worth it, right? Yikes.

All I know is that summer is a grand season. The flowers, full green trees, vacations, sun, cold drinks and oh so much more is all mine...I plan on sharing it with you if you'll have me...

Cheers to Summer! xoxo