2.21.12

Groundhog Day

This is my usual grad school night view. Coffee. Book. Computer or iPad. Notebook. Assorted pens, pencils, and highlighters.  I have to preface this post by saying I love being in grad school.  It definitely makes me feel like I am doing something important that will benefit both me and my family.

That being said, both semesters my classes have been on consecutive days.  Which I have found has become my own personal version of the movie Groundhog Day.  In the movie, the main character keeps repeating the same day over and over.  I have begun to feel the same.  I get up, go to work, rush home, find something to eat, rush to class, come home, sleep and then get up and do the same thing over again.  It's a surreal, funny feeling to have.  Almost like life is flying by. I am trying incredibly hard to slow down and embrace each moment, however, sometimes I feel like when I slow down I get a mountain of backed up work to rush through.  While it is stressful and frusterating at times, I wouldn't have it any other way right now.  I know running this crazy marathon now can only lead to bigger and better things on the other side.  In the mean time I'll just dream of how I'll feel when this whole fast-pased trip is over.  I don't think I'll know what to do with all of my extra time!

2.20.12

Dixie Kitchen

I love when the Lambert's visit because we can go to quirky places that are out of the ordinary.  I found this charming catfish at this little cajun place in town.  This place is growing on me but, I have to admit, when we first moved up here I was not fond of it.  It was one of the first places Dane took me when we called the 'burbs home.  Unfortunately, the first three or four times I ate there I ended up feeling awful.  I wanted to like it, but just couldn't.  I have since figured out what I can order and it is becoming one of my favorite places.

I will also admit that the atmosphere of a restaurant will cause me to love it even more at times.  I love going into places that are slightly eclectic.  The walls and objects become almost like a scavenger hunt for me.  Sometimes the treasures become inspiration for other projects.  Every time I go I find a something new that has been hiding in plain sight the whole time.

2.19.12

Cherish

The challenge word for this month is cherish.  I couldn't think of a better picture to fit that word.  This whirlwind week ended with the best stress reliever of all, spending time with Dane, our wonderful friends Hannah and Justin, and their adorable baby boy, Lincoln.

I truly cherish the friendship that has grown and connected us to our friends in Washington.  Seven years ago, Dane and I had just started dating. He was in a band with several of his friends and they all came down to play in the basement of the house where I was living.  What I didn't realize then was I was meeting some of my dearest friends.  Since then, we have met girlfriends, celebrated engagements and weddings, supported each other through hard times, and now are joyfully meeting babies.  I have called them with everything from prayer requests to praises.  They have been such a strong part of my life that I feel like I have known them way longer than seven short years or in some cases, only a couple of years.  I have cherished every moment of their friendship and I look forward to all of the celebrations to come.

2.18.12

Cutting Off the Dead Ends

There's something about getting a new haircut. I don't know if it's just trying something new or the fact that I no longer have the added weight hanging off of my head.  It could also be the fact that it forces me to sit down, stop thinking about everything else, and just relax.  Either way, I enjoy it. Now if I only had someone to make it look like the hairdresser does everyday!

2.17.12

Reflections

What a way to start the weekend...coffee/thesis discussions with friends, art at the bean with a friend, and dinner at home with Dane.  This week was non-stop, but it was also filled with so many moments where I was able to witness art bringing joy to so many.  


"Luminous Field" opened at the Cloud Gate, which is more lovingly referred to as "The Bean" early in February.  It was a temporary exhibit and I had been meaning to go since I heard it began.  Unfortunately, a busy schedule that had me unsure if I was coming or going kept getting in my way.  I decided that today was the day.  Busy or not, I was going. 


Fortunately, it was an unseasonably warm evening and one of my SAIC friends was going, too.  While there were so many people there the lights were almost blocked, I loved seeing people of all ages taking it in.  It was so beautiful to see the kids jumping to all of the different colors that splashed against the concrete.  Even though I know there was music playing with the lights, what I remember most is hearing all of the laughter and conversations that people were having.  Yes, if you walk into any restaurant around 7:00 you'll hear the same thing, but I truly believe the setting made all the difference here.  Taking place in the reflection of the bean and the bright lights almost made it seem more spontaneous, even hopeful.


I know there are people out there who don't understand the power of fine arts.  People who want to cut funding for the arts both in the public arena and schools.  I wish they could see the beauty, hope, and joy that they bring people...not only to those who are creating, but also the random people that come into contact with those works.

2.16.12

Art Night

Tonight was my school's family art night.  Nights like this give parents and students an opportunity to spend time together.  The kids and their parents were able to come together and create origami, gyotaku fish prints, thumbprint animals, henna, and artist trading cards.  I loved seeing my students come through with smiles on their faces, showing me the crane they just folded or the creatures they made from their thumbprint.  I am incredibly thankful for the teachers that helped me make this event possible. While it requires a lot of planning, extra time, and extra help, seeing the kids being excited about art is all worth it.

2.15.12

 Treat yo' self!

I usually will take three or four pictures of an object and then pick out the best one.  I'm kicking myself a little because I didn't do that this time and this display of sushi was absolutely beautiful.  I love getting sushi, unfortunately Dane will not eat it.  I can't blame him. It was part of the cocktail of things that made him sick on our honeymoon.

That being said, whenever I get a taste for it I will take the opportunity to treat myself.  When I have those moments I think of the Parks and Recreation episode when Donna and Tom go on a spree rationalizing everything by saying, "Treat yo' self!" Every once in a while I think it's good to have these moments.  Times where you get to purely enjoy things in life.  Times when you treat yo' self.

2.14.12

Valentine's Day

I should start by saying Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Today I had to substitute teach during one of my resource times for a third grade class.  The teacher left me with the joy of monitoring their Valentine's day party.  Fun Stuff.

After I took this picture I started to think about what I would write about.  Sure I could comment on how commercialized holidays have become but that seems to easy and completely misses the point of what beauty I did witness today.

I had the unfortunate fortune to sub for a class during their Valentine's Day party.  I'm all for celebrating but knowingly going into a sugar filled third grade room is not exactly an opportunity I rush toward.  What I found beautiful was that even though many of these kids had never had me in class before several students wanted to make sure I felt included.  Walking in I had never expected to receive valentines.  I found those little gestures to be heartwarming and sweet.  The kids ended up not only sharing their candy but also their kindness.

2.13.12

Sea Shells

While I wouldn't say I'm exactly a collector of sea shells.  The little grouping I do have on my mantle is incredibly special to me.  At the end of my freshman year of college my parents surprised me with a trip to visit my cousin Tammy and her son (who I will refer to as my little cousin) in San Diego, California while her husband was away in the Navy.  To this day it has to be in my top five favorite vacations.  

That vacation was almost a rite of passage for me, even down to the plane trips.  The plan was for me to fly back with her after she had come home for a couple of weeks.  My return trip was my first flight on my own, complete with a transfer at Midway.  Needless to say, I wasn't exactly a frequent flyer.

Some of my favorite memories from the trip were walking along the beach.  Each day we went my little cousin would help me collect sea shells and sand dollars that we deemed extraordinary and beautiful.  Everyday I washed them off and added them to a ziploc bag in my suitcase.  In the evenings, after my little cousin had gone to bed Tammy and I would sit outside on the patio.  We would talk and listen to the ocean in the distance.  What I didn't realize at the time was that those talks were almost a symbolic beginning of the separation from being a kid fresh out of high school to becoming a young adult.  When I think back about those discussions, I realize with gratitude that she talked to me as an adult, not her kid cousin that she and her older sister used to babysit.  

So now when I see those shells, I think of my sweet little cousin (who is still sweet, but probably almost as tall as me) handing me a shell with excitement.  I think of him pointing out all of the jack rabbits as we walked home from the beach, with their big, cute, floppy ears and exclaiming, "Look! They're so tute!" But most of all I smile and think about the sound of the ocean in the evening. 

2.12.12

Pup-a-lup-a-gus

I probably have way to many posts, nicknames, and pictures of my dog.  I'm probably only a t-shirt away from being THAT dog person...you know the ones.

Bella has a way of worming her way into peoples hearts.  Dane never wanted a dog, now he gushes over how cute she is.  My dad talks about how much she helped him recuperate after his surgery.  Even my mother in law went from smiling at Bella to calling her up to pet her.  

I truly believe that animals play an important part in our lives and maybe even speak to a deep part of our soul.  They teach us to be patient and share an unconditional love.  Studies show that simply petting an animal can help reduce our blood pressure and decrease stress.  While they do occasionally ruin our favorite sandals or cause a mess on the rug, animals bring us so much laughter and joy.  I can't imagine a life without them!

2.11.12

Pigasus

 Last night Dane and I attend Shiel Mardi Gras.  It is the main fundraiser for our church.  We feel incredibly fortunate that a friend we met soon after we started attending Shiel invited us to sit at his table for a night of fun, food, fellowship, and laughter.  The evening started off with a silent auction where I put a couple bids on the cute little guy above.  Unfortunately, he flew away from me. It was also incredibly fun to see the basket I had made with a couple bids on it! 

While the main goal of the evening is to raise money to support all of the student activities that Shiel sponsors, I couldn't help but be a little taken with how much love and support for an amazing place was in one room.  When Dane and I first moved to Evanston, we tried so many different churches.  When we first attended Shiel we could tell that the parish was, for lack of a better term, alive.  People were actually singing, not dutifully holding a hymnal and moving their lips, full fledged singing.  There was so many different types of people, families, college students, grandparents, all coming together to share their faith and love.  It's where I decided to continue my faith journey and where we found our faith home.

2.10.12

Game Night!

Game nights have a special place in my heart.  When I was a kid I remember my dad and I breaking out monopoly on a snow day.  Dane and I met two of our closest friends through a series of game nights when we first moved up to the Chicago area.  In a world full of technology, I love how board games have almost become this real, old-fashioned way of letting your goofiness out and connecting with others.  Despite the cold snow that was blowing outside, last night was no different.  Dane and I were able to connect with some wonderful new friends, be goofy, and have a great time.  I'm looking forward to many more nights like this in the future.  What a warm way to spend a cold evening!

2.9.12

The Tower

I know I've already included a picture similar to this one but as I was sitting on Congress Parkway getting ready to maneuver through the craziness of downtown I found the black silhouette-like building combined with the lights so beautiful I had to capture it.  

Recently, I was teaching my first graders about how we can communicate our personal experiences through art.  We read the story Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold.  In the story the main character is daydreaming while her family and neighbors are having a cook-out on the top of their apartment complex.  She dreams that she can fly and will fly over different landmarks to make them her own.  She flys over the George Washington Bridge and pretends it's a sparkling necklace and then flys over the ice cream factory to ensure that her family will have ice cream every night for dessert.  I almost feel like that's what I'm doing with these pictures in a way.  Only instead of making them all my own, I can share them with the world.

2.8.12

Loop

I'm sure the people on the train thought I was a complete goof ball when I took a picture of the map of the loop.  Part of me felt like I needed to capture it because it has become such a routine part of my life, and like I said in an earlier post I don't want to ever miss the beauty in something because of routine.

Looking back at my pictures from the past month and a half I realize they are all snapshots of my life.  They are all things that I probably would have normally overlooked.  This project has forced me to slow down and think about the beauty in the routine moments of life.  It has made me stop and be thankful for each one of them instead of rushing past to get on to the next thing.  

2.7.12

Soaking

I finally had to break down and get a new computer bag/book bag for school.  Both of my poor bags from undergrad were beginning to fall apart.  It feels a little funny to have a necessity for a book bag again, especially since I've been on the teaching side of things for the past three and a half years!

Going back to school makes me realize how much I do enjoy being a student and learning new things.  While at times it's tough to balance homework, class, and a job, I have enjoyed being exposed to ideas that will make me a better educator.  I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to go back to graduate school and I want to soak in as much as I can in the short time that I'll be there.   

2.6.12

Library Mouse

I couldn't help but add this self-portrait because I feel like this is probably what I will look like for the next two years.  Today I had a meeting with my professor regarding my thesis idea.  I went in anxious because I felt like I was having trouble articulating the problem that I wanted to research.  I had my idea, I just couldn't quite see how I could research it.  The good news is I left excited.  He was really able to help me focus in my idea and pick a lens through which to view and structure my research. 

Because I was still feeling pretty excited about the direction of research I decided to go down a couple of floors to the library and check out some past thesis ideas that were similar to my topic.  As I'm sitting in the middle of the aisle reading a past grad's thesis, flipping through the pages, and thinking about all of the work that went into it, I realized that in a couple of years, I'll be able to flip through the pages of my own research and think the same exact thing.  My hope now is that when I'm at that point, the research I will have done will help someone and will have made a difference.

2.5.12

Super Bowl Sunday

Anthropomorphize -v. to ascribe human form or attributes to (an animal, plant, material object, etc.)

I know pet owners are prone to thinking their pets are like people.  I'm sure you can tell by the Bears shirt Bella is wearing, that Dane and I are guilty of this. However, it's incredibly hard not to anthropomorphize your dog when you see how much they love tv, in this case the Puppy Bowl.

Every year on Super Bowl Sunday, Animal Planet will air the Puppy Bowl.  It's basically a bunch of adorable puppies playing in a football themed room.  Every once in a while they'll substitue in new puppies, have an instant replay, or a puppy will happen to run around the room with a toy and score a "touchdown.".  There is also a referee, which I'm pretty sure is the guy who drew the short straw or lost a bet and is being punished by dressing up in a ridiculous referee costume and separating the puppies if they get a little to rough.  Did I mention there are hamster commentators and a kitty half-time show?

It's an absolutely ridiculous, yet adorable, production.  Every year I can't resist turning it on because Bella runs over to the tv puts her paws up on the stand and watches the action.  Once she got so excited that she actually jumped onto the tv stand.  Every time I have to laugh just a little because she looks like a furry little person rooting for her favorite team. 

2.4.12

Cracker Barrel

On a whim, my parents called today and asked if we wanted to meet half way at a Cracker Barrel off of I-57.  We hopped in the car and headed down to meet them.  I feel so fortunate to have parents that are so willing and able to do this.  When Dane and I first moved to the Chicago area we were excited to start our new life together, however, it was also tough because we knew that we would also be moving away from our families, friends, and comfort zone.

The funny (and admittedly cheesy) thing is I can completely relate to the Reese Witherspoon character in Sweet Home Alabama when she goes back to her home town after fleeing to New York and says, "This fits, too."  I feel the same way.  I go to our hometowns to see family and friends, but miss our Chicago friends.  I live our Chicago life, but miss our family and friends from back home.

I used to get incredibly frustrated that no matter where I went I was missing someone.  Now I see it as a blessing.  People can trave, and no matter where we are we are surrounded by love and friendship.  

2.3.12

WILD THINGS!!

One of the best things about teaching is working with someone that is easy and fun to collaborate with.  The art teacher I work with shared a beautiful lesson around the book, Where the Wild Things Are.  After reading the book in class, my first graders were each given a large sheet of drawing paper that was folded into thirds.  In the top box they drew the head of their favorite animal and switched papers.  On their friends paper, they drew the body of an animal in the second box.  After switching papers again, they drew the legs of an animal to complete the wild thing.  I'm so amazed by the whimsy, beauty, and character each creature developed.  

And now as Max says in the story..."Let the Wild Rumpus Start!"

2.2.12

Thesis I, continued

As much as I thought I had my thesis idea ironed out, I'm realizing I need to figure out a specific problem to research within my topic.

I almost feel like a thesis topic is like a relationship.  I want to choose a topic that I am interested in and want to spend a lot of quality time with for the next year to year and a half.  On the other hand, I don't want to pressure myself so much that I completely over think the whole thing and make this whole process harder than it needs to be. 

Here we go!!

2.1.12

Thesis I

About a month ago I signed up to take a class where I will start the process of writing a gigantic research paper....and tonight's the first class.  

Last weekend I was talking to a sweet older lady from church, explaining that I was beginning the whole thesis process.  She smiled at me and said, "You must be looking forward to it or you wouldn't be smiling!"  It took me by surprise because I realized she was right!  I admit it is incredibly daunting to thing that soon I will be finalizing my idea, thinking about which research methods to use, researching, and then writing the biggest paper of my life.  The thing is I'm looking forward to exploring my field, and hopefully adding to it in a way that will help others. 

1.31.12

Purple Line

Tonight was my first evening of grad school for this semester, which seems incredibly late to me.  Since I began grad school last August, this image of watching for the train (or on my unlucky days getting on the platform just in time to watch it go by) has become such a common sight for me. Each time I step on it, I think of it as one ride closer to achieving a huge life goal.

When I began grad school I knew it was going to challenge me academically.  What it didn't realize is how much it would also challenge me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I remember getting home from my first evening of class in August (a theory/philosophy class) doubting my ability to even be able to sufficiently understand, let alone complete the class work. I wish I had one tenth the calmness of Dane who told me to take it one day at a time.  Throughout the semester I was reading a book of theory each week and writing papers all while getting up bright and early every morning to go teach my kiddos about art.  There were several moments where the feeling of being overwhelmed/not having a social life started to take over. Each time Dane would remind me to take it one day at a time.  By the end of the semester, I realized that a) I was, in fact, smart enough to go to grad school and b) I could do wayyyy more than I gave myself credit for.  

When I attended my first class of the semester tonight I started to feel those overwhelming feelings start to take ahold again when I only could comprehend about 45% of the article the professor handed out. The only difference was this time there was a little voice in the back of my head that said, "One day at a time.  You've got this." 

To me that is a wonderful thought to end the first month of 2012 with and one that I feel will be repeated many times throughout the year. 

1.30.12

Macarons

I have found when talking to others people seem to either enjoy cooking, enjoy baking, or despise both.  Personally, I love baking, so I guess I lucked out to marry someone who enjoys cooking! 

Many of my family members also love to bake, including my dad.  Usually when I go back home, my dad and I will often bake one of my grandmas' recipes.  I love this tradition that we unintentionally created when I left for college and then on to married life.  It gives us a chance to talk and joke around, while also carrying on the tradition of creating my grandma's delicious recipes. This is especially important to me because when my grandma passed away I was a teenager and too young to realize that I should take the opportunity to glean as much information about these family traditions as I could from her while she was alive.

In away a piece of her still lives each time my dad and I make one of her recipes or when one of my family members shares one of her recipes with me.  Those are the moments and things I will treasure forever.