Teaching Around the World : August 2015

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Utah

Well, I'm at the airport again, imagine that. This is the last time though for awhile because school starts on the 17th. I'm still having a hard time transitioning back and wish I was getting on a plane and leaving again for a long time. I may have a slight travel addiction.

So anyway I'm headed to Utah to see my best friend Michelle who had a baby girl while I was in China. Gretchen is now 6 months old so I need to hurry and get there to meet this cute child!

This baby is so cute! She is adorable and so beautiful! She's happy and laughs all the time. Being able to meet her and spend time with her was great!

Seeing Michelle was great too beacuse it has been a year! While there we got to see the hot air balloons launch in Sandy Ut. We tried to see them Friday, woke up at 6 and then couldn't go because the weather was so bad they weren't launching. But we ended up being able to go on Saturday morning. It was so neat to watch them take off at sunrise.

I got some great photos on my phone.

That night we tried to go back to the baloon glow. They were supposed to be set up all over the lawn with food and entertainment. Well there were 3 food trucks and only 1 balloon, again beacuse of the weather.

We got to have an outdoor movie and fire which was so fun! The first night we tried to have it a massive storm blew in almost instantaneously so it was canceled but lucky for us we were able to do it Monday night.

I also got to take their pictures on Monday and Gretchen's six month photos but we had Horrible lighting so it was a struggle and took so long. I'm hoping we got some cute ones! I'm excited to get home and load them to my computer.

We also had a picnic. This is Andrea, Michelle's sister who also went to ecuador with us and Marion who is from France and was one of the kids Andrea nannied when she lived there.

I live Andrea. She went to ecuador, then lived in France for a year as a nanny and then did a semester at sea. She travels and she gets it. She gets that life isn't the same after travel. That there is always a constant desire to keep going, a weight on your shoulders thaT where you are isn't enough and that there is something bigger you should be doing. It's something I have been struggling with since coming home.

On Sunday I got to see Paige and Mikele from Lithuania! It was so nice to see them and catch up with them. We walked around Capitol Hill and explored the area while talking about life and sharing memories.

Now it's time to hurry home because school starts Monday and I've only been in my classroom for a few hours. That's a problem when you got moved classrooms and have been gone for a year. 😱

Chicago

Last week I spent relaxing in Chicago with one of my BFF's; Sarah Wolf. Really it's Sarah Carlson now but she will always be Sarah Wolf too.

Our first day we went and did a little baby shopping. Did I forget to mention she is 8 months pregnant? So happy! So happy!

She lives in Minooka and these towers always make me laugh, at least you are never confused about what city you are in. Illinois is so incredibly flat but it is also so simply beautiful. Bright blue skies, green, green, green, and white puffy clouds. I could not get over how gorgeous it was.

I also had a huge obsession with their weeds and wild flowers that abundantly grew everywhere. At one point I had Sarah pull over just so I could run through all the Queen Anne's lace

We also had to go to Culvers multiple times because what is better than a dairy overload. I mean fried cheese curds and custard.

The next day we went swimming and had a relaxing walk around a quaint old downtown village.

Also saw a beautiful bridge which we needed to stop and walk around.

On Sunday we went kayaking in JT's parents backyard. They have a river literally in their backyard! His parents are the nicest people ever! They have a garden and his mom makes everything fresh from the garden. When we got there she immediately started to bring out the most delicious homemmade foods! Then his dad went out, in the rain, to grill us veggie burgers. They were polite and pleasant and so fun to be around.

They loaded the kayaks for us and killed the spiders. While we were on the river his mom even had homemmade chocolate mint bark as a snack. It was a true family day of fun.

Monday we went into Chicago to go to the beach. I couldn't wait to see this beach that had the skyline as its view and boy did it not disappoint.

The water was super clear and the sand so soft!

Oh I totally forgot to talk about her baby shower! Which is why I went in the first place.

Her baby shower was saturday which was so fun! Before hand we went to the maternity photos at starved rock but the lighting was terrible so we found a cute field instead.