a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils

in case life was looking a little too rosy, i start back into grad school today and officially start teaching my pre-K class again tomorrow. here we go! t minus 7 months until i get to wear that cool hood over my graduation attire.

whenever september hits, i always think of one of my favorite movies. "don't you love new york in the fall? it makes me want to buy school supplies. i would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if i knew your name and address." i've heard it from a lot of people so i know i'm not weird when i say school supplies make me nostalgic and happy.

i've been scrubbing like a mad woman in my classroom and almost used up an entire box of labels. you should see my art supplies cabinet. you could eat off those shelves and know exactly where the glue sticks should be returned at the same time. at least i can start this school year feeling clean and organized.

i read the little engine that could to my class last june and they were loving it. a lot. what a classic story. so that was it. i made it my class theme this year...we know we can. it might just have to be my life theme for the next year. i think i can, i think i can, i know i can.

hopefully i can.

twenty six

you know you're old when your hair is parted and you're wearing work clothes in your birthday cake picture.

visitors

geoff, akasha, and aspen came to visit! we had so much fun. my favorite part -- besides hanging out with the cutest niece ever who says, "hi jesh!" and "hi mate (nate)!" -- was enjoying delish sushi with them.

the modern wing

river walk

aspen and jackson pollack

monet

art institute


brunch at the bongo room

things i want to remember

in a last minute decision because i got three weeks off from my job in august, i decided to go help my parents move. it had been over a year since i'd been back to my hometown, and it made me incredibly happy to be home. i woke up one morning before the hard labor started and just walked around taking pictures of little things i wanted to remember about that place...things like the bonfire pit, the sunsets, my dad's dahlia flowers, and the beautiful views.

okay, maybe i don't want to remember this part.

wedding and everything in between

my cousin heather got married at the beginning of august, which was reason #2 of going to california. we got to see both nate's family and my family in one swoop. talk about a good vacation.

why can't we live closer?! even though i love a good excuse to visit california

p.s. i made that skirt (!) the first thing i've sewn and actually worn with pride

steve-o, who taught me how to really body surf the day before


baby evie! i'm obsessed. someone thought i was her nanny. i was just trying to soak up as much eve time as i could get. someday we will produce a playmate for you, eve.




before the reception, my cousin michelle snapped some pictures of me and steph. i love having sisters pictures (thanks michelle!)

belize teaching me some camera tricks

balkman girls

my cute parents

dad found these monstrous zucchinis in aunt claudia's garden

my favorite part of the reception was the dancing. and to put this statement in context, i am an awful dancer. laughable. but it was so much fun. all the cousins got together and did our own rendition of this at the end. i love that memory.

but my absolute favorite part of any family wedding is the aftermath. thirty people sleeping under the same roof, leftover wedding food, hanging out by the pool, playing games, laughing hysterically, and staying up late into the night.

my sweet grandma

the end

to fifty years

in the end of july, we headed to california for a king family reunion/50th anniversary for nate's grandparents. i had to fly out a few days late because of preschool graduation. as a side note, it was basically as big of deal as high school graduation. all my little students looked adorable in tuxes and dresses. stars and swirls shaved into their hair for the boys, gorgeous braids and bows for the girls.

anyway, i had such a fun time getting to know some of nate's family that i hadn't met yet. fifty years of marriage is a big deal, so obviously we celebrated big time! here are some of my favorites...

getting all of the grandkids to pose for a family picture. this was when the candy bribes started.
i think one of the aunts may have offered cash too.

cousins zoe and jaymison

jordan and britton...and nate.

nate and his siblings

nate's sweet grandparents

a late night game of spoons

these boys are always fun

i love driving down the pch and stopping along the beach

did you think we would leave california without a trip to dodger stadium?

disney for girls

nate and i spent a little over a week in california doing things like family reunioning, cheering on the dodgers, meeting little evie (finally!) and hanging out with her lovely parents, seeing friends, going to my beautiful cousin's wedding, digging our toes into the beach sand, and a little girls' trip to the happiest place on earth with my mom and sister.

you better believe i did not get wet on splash mountain. i was not about to walk around in sopping wet clothes for the day.

we didn't hit long lines (minus our last time on space mountain, but what could be more worth a line?), we indulged in mickey mouse-shaped ice cream bars, and loved every minute of being together.

a little action shot on thunder mountain

main street usa. where the magic happens.

and what would a trip be without a picture in front of the castle?

also, it's a small world made me tear up. i am such a softie for world peace and singing dolls.

the end of an era

i'm at home packing, packing, packing to help my parents move and saying goodbye to this:

it's bittersweet, but home is where your family is, not the house you live in. we have lots of good memories here to always look back on.

i also have hundreds of pictures from our recent trip to california and so many stories to tell...eventually.