Teach.Travel.Find.Design

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that people make their own.  No matter how it is celebrated, the basics include a great feast shared with family and friends and reflecting on what we are thankful for. I'm a firm believer that naming what we're thankful for should be a daily ritual (instead of yearly) but for those times when we get too wrapped up in our day to day lives (and believe me, it's easy to do) we have Thanksgiving to remind us to take a breath and remember the people and things we are fortunate for. Ultimately always thankful for this crew  That being said, I will not list the billion things that I'm thankful for because my list is long and detailed. I will only mention the generosity of my friends this Thanksgiving because they cooked me dinner, accompanied me to see live music and all I had to do was take a train ride. Amtrak was scheduled to leave Whitefish at 9:15pm but it's never on time.  No worries on my end.  I enjoyed a delicious

I promised myself I was going to cut back on international travel for the rest of 2013.  But, alas, I skipped the country last weekend. Well, not really but it sure felt that way after a trying week at school.   I took a quick trip to Calgary to visit my friends Jeff and Aiofe.  Our only set plans were to watch the Flames vs. Oilers hockey game at the Saddledome but we did so much more. I left a little later than intended and ended up happily stuck in rush hour.  I had my podcasts and waited patiently to get to the north end of town.  After I arrived, we barely said our, "Hellos" when Jeff suggested we check out a gallery opening :) Intense art talk at Gibson Fine Art Gallery, Calgary We visited Gibson Fine Art Gallery - an awesome space to view works from Canadian artist, Sheila Kernan's A Time.  A Place.  A Connection.   Her work, a mix of landscapes and cityscapes struck a chord.  Large scale pieces in bright, warm colors represented urban settings while cool

Life feels as if it is moving faster than the speed of light.  And, I'm ok with that because in six weeks I'll be home for Christmas.  Life can screech to a halt for those two weeks so I can savor every moment.  Carrie Lee and Brian are turning 30, there's the always entertaining annual Locker Room Christmas Eve Party and this year, I'm determined to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Christmas Story House .  As I sit here enjoying a bowl of squapple soup (squash & apple) that was generously shipped to me by my mother, I am daydreaming of her ravioli and Christmas cut-out cookies.  Hurry up, December 21. Beautiful shot of the Rock Hall at night - hope to take some awesome pics of my own :) The past month has been a happy blur.  I was able to make a quick trip to San Francisco and it was a blast.  Of course, a long-weekend is never enough time for all that San Francisco has to offer but fortunately, my friends and I have a glorious time catching up wheth

This weekend was nice.  Thanks to friends, I explored more of East Glacier in two days that I had in the entire two months I've lived here!  The fresh air was rejuvenating as we scoped out cross-country ski routes, admired tucked away cabins, and even visited East Glacier's cemetery. East Glacier is conveniently located on the fringes of Glacier National Park and many of the walks we took this weekend brought us right up to the border where we respectfully turned around.  Tomorrow will mark the 14th day of the government shutdown.  I did read that some National Parks were re-opened for a few days but unfortunately, Glacier was not on the list.  October is one of Glacier's finest months because of the fall colors.  I am grateful to have a job that allows me to live in a place so beautiful and to be able to view Glacier's peaks from my living room window. What's happening just outside Glacier National Park is beauty that can turn any city person into a nature lover.

I noticed that I haven't posted in over a month.  Whoopsie.  It's not that nothing interesting has happened, it's that I'm caught in the wave known as the end of the season in Glacier National Park.   Who am I kidding?!  I'm caught in the wave called 6th grade at Napi Elementary! 15/24 of my students Abstract Art inspired by Jasper Johns proudly displayed in our class gallery The year is already flying by.  We are settling in to our routines, getting to know each other, and learning how to work together as a team.  The students love hearing about my adventures in China and were on board when I said I'm trying to get my sister, Carrie Lee, to come out and volunteer! After school rainbow We had a blast during Sprit Week.  Each day we dressed up as a different theme - one day we dressed in the style of our favorite decade.  I wore plaid and called it '90s but I loved how many students dressed in '80s gear!  The final day we were tr