Spring Forward

Hi everyone!  I am sorry for not posting in so long.  The need to be outside in the spring (almost summer) weather the last two months has totally zapped my motivation to be inside typing.  #sorrynotsorry

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Spring in New York has been amazing.  The blossoming of flowers and plants has mimicked the blossoming of humanity again.  People couldn't wait to shake off the down coats and fur-lined boots for the sun dresses and sandals.  I didn't realize how many gray skies I'd lasted through during winter.  There have been some absolutely gorgeous days and we've tried to take advantage of all of them!  The pollen has gotten to me this season.  In the past, I have not been bothered by the yellow blanket that descends on the South in the spring.  Here, the pollen is nowhere close to being as pervasive, but I think the different kinds of pollen are what have affected me.  It's a small price to pay for blue skies, warm temperatures, and color in the world again.

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Here's an update of the last 2 months:

April

Pillow fight in Washington Square Park

      

This happened on the first really nice day of spring and it was so much fun!  People just randomly bashing each other with pillows = spontaneous fun!

Easter & Annual Easter Bonnet parade on 5th Ave.

These are not your grandmother's Easter bonnets...

   

   

   

                      5th Ave. is alive with the Sound of Music                              Origami Easter hats                               

    

That is a real parrot!

Austin to visit our friends Pete and Heather!

We had so much fun going out to visit our good friends, Pete and Heather.  We were ready to escape the low-40 degrees weather in New York for warmer, sunnier climes.  We, of course, ate very well, what with Pete and Heather being such foodies and it just being Austin.  Barbecue was had many times : )

We strolled up South Congress and checked out some boots...

passed the random burro parked alongside the road...

and saw the famous Texas bluebells.

One evening, we met up with some of P&H's friends at The Salt Lick, a highly acclaimed BBQ joint just outside of the city.  We had fun meeting all of them, putting away 9 lbs. of meat between us, and watching Heather's amazing bocce skills ; )

      

We went two-stepping at The Broken Spoke and enjoyed kayaking on the Colorado River, just down the street from their house.  They had a lovely backyard where we did some of our own cooking too. 

   

One of the highlights of the trip was watching Pete as a contestant at the Bacon Contest at their local grocery store.  He had entered his recipe a few weeks before and was notified that he was a finalist the week that we were going to be there.  His dish was amazing: bacon-wrapped trout with bacon-cornbread stuffing, atop a pool of homemade bacon-creamed corn, garnished with fresh arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette.  Clearly, he was the winner...the others had no chance.  He won a basket of bacon things plus a hefty gift card to the grocery store.  It was so fun to watch him win (and then try his dish)!!

 

Picnic in Central Park

Days like this are just perfect.

      

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May

Playoff Hockey games

As we have adjusted to life here, we've become bigger hockey fans, especially in the last few weeks with the playoffs.  We knew we wouldn't be able to become fans of a New York baseball team or football team.  We don't really care about NBA, so hockey and soccer have been the teams that we can pull for.  The Rangers made a good run for the Cup, and we had fun joining other fans to pull for them.

   

Matt's 30th Birthday in Atlantic City!

Since this was a milestone birthday I planned a surprise for Matt's birthday.  I told him the night before that we were going to Atlantic City for the weekend.  We stayed at the Borgata Hotel, which was really nice.  We were there on the day of the Preakness, so we did some horse race betting, which was fun.  We ate at Bobby Flay Steak and had a great meal, did some gambling, enjoyed the pool and hot tub, and walked along the strip.  It was about what I had imagined - not the most sophisticated place we've ever been, but GREAT people watching and a fun experience.  It was nice to get out of the city for a little bit too.  Matt ushered in this new decade with grace and no freak-out moments.  I don't know if I'll be that calm when I turn 30.  We'll see in two years : /

                 

We've done other things around the city: biking to Brooklyn to dine on kolaches (a treat that is well-known in Austin, but that we never got to taste because every time we went to the food truck they were sold out!), visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, went to two auctions - one for our church and one for my school, biked along the East and Hudson Rivers, went to a Yankees game, and I painted a new painting for our apartment!

   

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Other Updates

I have made a big decision, one that took many months, if not years, of prayer and thought about my job.  I have decided to step outside of the general education classroom to pursue a job that focuses mainly on literacy.  That's what my passion is and what I am good at, so that's what I want to really dedicate my career to, starting now.  I really struggled with the decision at first because I love the children that I teach and have taught over the years, I love being one of the most influential role models in their lives, and it has been a job that I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears into for 7 years.  But, to be honest, the stress and "other" things that go along with teaching have cooled my enthusiasm a bit.  When I first started contemplating a change, I really doubted myself and wasn't sure I would be able to do anything but teach.  Luckily, I have an incredible cheerleader named Matt, who has encouraged me to be bold and go after what I really want.  He's a gem.  So, after a lot of thinking and reflection, I realized that there are many ways that I can use my talents and pursue my passion, not just as a classroom teacher.  I will miss the classroom, for the most part, but I am excited about the next chapter.   

More specifically, I'm looking for a literacy specialist position or even something at a library.  My future plan is to become a school librarian, but to really do that I would need to go back to school to get my library science degree.  That's not really possible right now, so I am looking for a stepping stone.  I have been applying for jobs and have possibilities on the horizon, but nothing pinned down yet.  I am praying HARD about this and appreciate any prayers you want to send up.  

My mom reminded me of this quote that has stuck in my mind the past few days: What would you do if you knew you could not fail?  New York is a city full of possibilities, albeit with a lot of competition, but I'm optimistic that this is a place where I can reinvent my career and keep moving in the direction of my dreams.

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Matt's still loving his job.  He hasn't been quite as busy as he was in the winter, which has been great for Charlie and me.  He gets to go work in London in a few weeks and meet team members that he's only talked on the phone with.  The bonus of this is that I will get to meet him there at the tail end right before we jet set to other parts of Europe!  Wahoo!!

Speaking of Europe, we are going to have an AwEsOmE vacation next month!  We have everything planned, tickets bought, plane & train tickets purchased.  We are starting, as I said, in London, then going to Finland to see Anna and her boyfriend Rasmus and their baby, Ada.  They have a cottage on a lake near Helsinki, which sounds heavenly.  Then we fly to Italy.  We start our Italian travel in Venice, then Florence.  After Florence, we are going to a little coastal town called Viareggio for 2 days on the Italian Riviera (mama mia!).  It's only 20 minutes away from Pisa, so we'll probably take an afternoon trip there to see the tower.  We end our trip in Rome.  

Of course, we're going to lots of the museums and famous sites.  We're also doing some out of the ordinary touristy things ~ We're going on a bike tour through the Florentine countryside, where we get to see olive groves and taste really good Italian cheese and wine.  And in Rome, we're going on a food tour, which has 12 stops with wine at really good, authentic food shops and restaurants.  Once we get to Italy, all of our accommodations are airbnb rentals.  There were two benefits to going with airbnb: 1) so. much. cheaper.  2) We'll get some insight from Italians who can give us inside information about good places to eat and see.  We may sacrifice on some of the luxuries of a hotel, but the places we're going are nice enough.  We're going to be out and about most of the time anyway, so I'm happy to save some money on the hotel.  

I'm beyond ready to go!  I have already made out my packing list and we don't leave for a month!  For the month of June I'm giving up sweets and desserts 1) because my sweet tooth has been out of control recently and 2) I want to eat so much gelato in Italy, and it'll taste that much better after a month without desserts.

Charlie's going to stay at our apartment with some friends coming to stay with him while we're gone, which we are so relieved about.  I couldn't bear him having to be in a kennel for 20 days...he would be so sad and so would we.  Thank you to our friends who are watching him!

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Before we leave the country, though, we're going to the Belmont Stakes next weekend.  I'm so hopeful that we'll get to see a Triple Crown winner!  It's a train ride away and there's going to be good food, contests, and the Goo Goo Dolls are playing (I just want you to know who I am)!  I have a hat and sundress all ready to go.  Some friends are coming along, so it's bound to be a good time. 

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Other than that, we're reading a lot of good books, eating well, turning darker shades of brown each weekend, healthy, and loving life.  Nothing to complain about here.  Hope things are good in your corner of the world too.