Back to School, Back to School...

School is back in full force.  I love Kindergarten because the children run around saying whatever they want, but Kindergarten is also a challenge because the children run around saying whatever they want.  Behold today's quotes:

(Between sobs) "Maestra Robin!!!!! He called me MRS. PICKLE PANTS!"

"Can I play with the potato?"  (It took me a good fifteen minutes and her several attempts asking to play with a potato before I realized she was trying to say "playdough").

Also, someone else called me a "meanie" and said, "I hate coming here!"

Eh.  You win some, you lose some. 

;)

Old Town Sacramento

I LUUURVE (All caps, awkward British accent included) Old Town Sacramento.  If I had it my way everyone would still wear bonnets, pan for gold, and the steam engines would roar through downtown.  That's clearly not the case, but Old Town is still super cute, and I love it anyway.

AH! It's so cute!  I die! I die!

Lee wishes he could live here

He also wishes that I wouldn't take pictures everywhere we go.

Looks like you're 0 for 2, Black.

We ate at the Rio City Cafe

It is just as great as this picture implies.

And five minutes later, we were home.

You win, Sacramento.

Important News

Here it is:

I made dinner.

It created this many dishes, none of which I had to do because my boyfriend is the best boyfriend.

Also, said boyfriend tries to pull terrible pranks on me.

Piece of Evidence #1: Putting a large, feathery dream catcher on our bed.

I told him that I hate the dream catcher. 

Then he told me that his grandmother purchased it for him on real Navajo tribal land while driving from Texas to Sacramento to visit him when he was a little boy.  

This was no prank.

You can't make someone get rid of his real Navajo grandma gift.

But I don't have to like it.

I'm Re-posting This Because it is SOOO IMPORTANT!

Please Help!  We Need an Art Center!

Hi there.  So I have spent the last week digging through piles of furniture, boxes, and legos in an effort to set up my new classroom, and I have made a gruesome discovery:

THERE IS NO PAINTING CENTER!

I know, I know.  I nearly fainted when I realized how bad the painting situation is.  I'll give you a moment to recover..............

Better?  Good.  Okay, so here's the thing:

You (yes, YOU!) Can help make the Kindergarten Painting Center a reality by clicking on the link below and donating to our artsy cause!  (No donation is too small; every little bit helps!)

Thank you so much in advance!

CLICK HERE TO DO A GOOD DEED!!!

Fish On

In the Sierra Nevadas there is a town called Sierra City.  In this town there is a "resort" called Harringtons.  In this "resort" there is a small cement pond.  In this pond there are 1,000,000 over-fed trout stuffed to near explosion with dog food-ish pellets that are sold out of a candy machine right next to the cement pond.  Here's how that went:

My hand extended to feed the vicious beasts

Quickly, I pulled my arm back.  Lee gripped my shirt for additional safety.

This angle nicely features the dog food dispenser

Piranhas (ie: Dog food-fed trout)

The best part of this sign is the last line. "CAUTION: Raw trout may be harmful to dogs."

What if the trout is brimming with dog food?

Inside the restaurant I looked over the menu and saw that Harrington's was serving "trout from our very own pond!"  

I chose the steak.

Please Help! We Need and Art Center!

Hi there.  So I have spent the last week digging through piles of furniture, boxes, and legos in an effort to set up my new classroom, and I have made a gruesome discovery:

THERE IS NO PAINTING CENTER!

I know, I know.  I nearly fainted when I realized how bad the painting situation is.  I'll give you a moment to recover..............

Better?  Good.  Okay, so here's the thing:

You (yes, YOU!) Can help make the Kindergarten Painting Center a reality by clicking on the link below and donating to our artsy cause!  (No donation is too small; every little bit helps!)

Thank you so much in advance!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE CHILDREN'S PAINTING DREAMS A REALITY! 

Walton's 2010

The following pictures chronicle the socially appropriate moments that I happened to catch.  The socially inappropriate moments that were captured on camera have been locked in a vault somewhere.

 Camp is Beautiful

 Individual Campfires

Lake Davis

The view from Tipi Village

Bonfire (RIP old writing desk)

Also, there is this stuff:

No children were present for the fire dancing

"Oh you guyyyys!"

The first rule of Book Club: No Female Authors

Jon Tracy, you old dog!

Jimmy's Road House is no stranger to irony, as evidenced by this poster in the bathroom

Bromance Karaoke Style

Ready for Song Contest

I wore my fanciest hat

Happy Birthday!

All of my riches

Day off is rough

Introducing....My boyfriend!

(He wore that shirt on purpose)

 Happy 4th!

The doughnuts were tapped in five minutes

"Georgia, did you do the flour game?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Suck up

Spangler will never be more at home than he was in this moment

Probably children had nightmares because of this

Stephanie cries due to a music snafoo at the dance.

Georgia sympathizes.

Rest Period

Buddy!

Tie dye aftermath

Favorite Musical Genre: Marching Band

Hi, Matt!

"And we're the two best friends that anyone can..."

Shockingly, no one fell off the dock.

I Love Camp

I Want Groupon Bucks!

Here's the thing: If you go join Groupon, I will get Groupon Bucks.   Groupon is a company that offers you deals for fun things in the area that you live.  You supply them with some of your interests, and any time they have a coupon or discount for something that you may like they send you the information.  It costs nothing to join, and you only have to go for the deals that you are interested in.  Go join Groupon.  The end.  OH...here is the link:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu5953627

Sometimes My Brother is Very Awesome

I was riding in the car with my brother tonight and one of those rare moments occurred where he started talking to me about his real thoughts and feelings.  During the conversation he said to me, "I think it is so cool how you and Lee are both working hard to support each other."  See?

Sometimes, my brother is very awesome.

PS: House update, camp pictures, and job update to come soon.  Right now I am too busy putting together furniture.

Almost Home! (To My New Home)

I just have one week of camp left.  

(Sad Face)

After that I will move to Sacramento, set up a new house, set up a new classroom, re-learn the Spanish language, and try not to lose my mind, all within the span of two weeks.

I've noticed an unfortunate trend when it comes to my moves: I'm terrible at them.  I always manage to schedule it so I am moving out of/into a house AND a classroom at the same time.  This is especially stressful because my moving priorities are all out of wack.  My top concern for my classroom is finding twenty cute handkerchiefs to hang on a clothesline near the sink so the students will have individual hand towels.  Alphabet be damned, MY kids will dry their hands on coordinating towels.  To add to the mania, I have lost sleep over trying to find a couch for our house that is the perfect shade of gray, as I have convinced myself that the key to my happiness lies in a comfortable slate gray couch.  In a perfect world, I envision myself sitting on said couch, surrounded by a million unpacked boxes, with a pile of perfectly folded handkerchiefs resting in my lap.

Oh, also, I need to get my hair done.  No sane person can be expected to find a couch or teach kindergarten with roots.

Obviously.