Tag Archives: holidays

Cupid’s Arrow

Posted in life by

The Daily Post Challenge for Valentine’s Day was a good one – Write an ode to someone or something that you love. I love a good ode. I know I’m a few days late on this one, but I’ve been having such a fantastic weekend, it’s just now I can sit to write my ode. Ode ode ode.

This *was* me

This *was* me

I was somewhat excited about this Valentine’s Day. I’ve spent the past several years “celebrating” in a someone macabre way – usually wearing all black, shouting for “Singles Awareness,” practicing voodoo on all my exes with other chronically single girlfriends, and documenting it to the high heavens on this blog. (See here)

But this is the first in a long time that I was actually going to “share” with a someone special. My boyfriend is pretty romantic, and I’m easy to please, so I had good feelings about it. Not high expectations, because he’s also a guy who hates commercialization and hype and forced feelings, but I was excited. However when we talked about what we might do, we discovered that I was working all day and then coaching volleyball until 8:30pm, and he was going to work all day and then had been invited to dinner, so we weren’t going to see each other until Friday. I was disappointed, but thought he might send me flowers at work and that would be special, and Friday we were going on a hike to the beach.

But then, 6:15am on Thursday, as my alarm went off to go on my morning workout, I rose to turn it to snooze for another 45 minutes (and not work out), when my door slowly opened and a familiar figure walked in.

“What are you doing here?!”

“Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Oh my gosh. Where are my glasses.”

Keep in mind that when I wake up in the morning, I am a laughable sight – mouthguard, hair in seven different directions, fumbling for my glasses, eyes squinting open like a mole coming out of the ground, etc. And on this particular morning, I had slept dressed in head to toe workout clothes, including socks and headband, all the more to motivate me to get out of bed and work out.

ImageSo when someone wants to surprise you and actually see you like that in the morning, when he gets up at 5am and drives to Safeway, waits in the frigid cold for it to open so he can buy you flowers, breakfast, your favorite candy (conversation hearts!), a puzzle with animals on it, and had coordinated with your roommates to come into your house before the sun’s even up, and endures your morning breath, and goes on your morning workout with you…..you’re pretty sure you have a winner.

He was a little concerned that I didn’t react more violently to someone unexpectedly walking into my room in the wee hours of the morning…wondering where my baseball bat and scream and rape whistle were….but I guess I just knew it was him. :)

I’ve spent a lot of years bitter and lonely and wanting and waiting. It’s nice to finally feel so happy, and so loved, and special enough for someone to do something special for me. And I know this will embarrass him, but he will tolerate it because writing is something I have to do. And after so many years whining  documenting the ups and downs of singleness, I feel obligated and excited to share these happy experiences, too.

So my ode is actually going to be a tiny haiku.

 

Valentine’s Day

I used to hate you.

But I love your candy and

I have a boyfriend.

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Hear Here in the New Year (308)

Posted in baseball, family, friends, Giants, growing older., Holidays, life, love by

It’s funny to think that man made up time. The way we organize it makes no sense – 60 seconds in a minute, 60 of those in an hour, 24 of those in a day, 7 of those in a week, 52 of those in a year, 365.25 days in a year…

ancient_Roman_CalendarNone of those numbers are related.

The history of our holidays and their formations can be even more interesting. Usually related to harvests, solstice, fertility, etc., before being tied with big moments in the church (clever Romans!).

When we come to the “new year,” we tend to make a big deal about resolutions, the idea of change and somehow convinced that on this particular day, we have more self-control and power over our actions. Enough to effect permanent change.

I’m tired of resolutions. I hate failing, and I’ve yet to keep a resolution, so it seems better to not have a go at it. This last year, in fact, I resolutely gained back the weight I’d lost, and ate less vegetables. So 2012 was a bit of “resolution fail.”

For 2013, I tossed around different ideas – each month I can try something new or give something up that seems to have been a stronghold. How about one month of no texting? One with no dairy? One with no TV (as long as it’s not during baseball season)?

But I didn’t really get organized in time.

we look just like this. all the time.

we look just like this. all the time.

My boyfriend and I (he against his will) made couple’s resolutions of things we’d like to do this year. We want to hike more, challenge each other in specific ways, and go wine-tasting and on other little adventures. I think it will be fun to cross that off.

Or lose the paper somewhere and never think of it again.

This year had it’s highs. I finished my credential program, coached a historical winning volleyball team, learned how to snowshoe, sang in weddings, helped people give birth, traveled around the US, began my fourth year of teaching, and fell in love with a best friend, in what could be the relationship of our lifetimes.

There was lots of struggles, too. Three deaths in the family, two of which were completely life-altering. Many personal struggles with my place of employment and my vocation. The ubiquitous family and friends and roommates drama that controls the life of the 20-something. Feeling led away from the church I’ve attended since I was a toddler.

IMG_4692This year I found Pinterest, and myfitnesspal, and reunited with Bejeweled Blitz. I climbed a volcano, led a mission trip, finally got paid to lead worship, and remembered how fun it was to date someone and make out. I brewed my own beer and my own kombucha, lived through the Mayan end of the world, learned I was allergic to mango, and made my first omelet.

I don’t know if we can judge what makes a year better or more valuable than another. But I do know that this year I will remember…

  • my dad’s phone call that my uncle jim had suddenly died
  • when on july 4th, i first heard “hi, I’m rachel’s boyfriend” as he introduced himself to my new roommate
  • teaching special ed in a title one school in pittsburg
  • meeting my favorite band of all time – better than ezra
  • holding my grandma’s hand as she died
  • teaching my little brothers camp songs on the drive from georgia to florida
  • my family’s “photo booth” on christmas eve
  • seeing three of my favorite people get married this year and getting to be a part of two of the weddings/engagements
  • taking my best friends to a giants game
  • the giants winning the world series again!
  • how the song “call me maybe” has ruled my life
  • the year I got two bouquets of anonymous roses on Valentine’s Day
  • boyfriend teaching me how to build a fire
  • finishing my credential program at the top of my class
  • my sister and i taking a sweet trip to yosemite
  • my last mission trip to mexico

file://localhost/Users/rachelweightfosho/Pictures/iPhoto%20Library/Masters/2012/12/23/20121223-161627/IMG_4307.JPG

A Year in Statii (305)

Posted in baseball, being single, children, education, facebook, food, Giants, growing older., internet, life, teaching by

I like lists. I like lists a lot. I like making them and checking things off on them. I like Top Anything lists, too. And something about the end of the year makes us look back on the last 360 something days and feel like condensing all the moments into bullet points.

In the spirit of technology, I’ve decided to condense my year into status updates. Read as tiny nuggets into my life. They focus mainly on teaching junior high, the Giants, food, being in school, and frozen yogurt. Which pretty much sums up my life!

  • Dec 4 – “I don’t trust girls who wear makeup and their hair down at the gym.”
  • Nov 6 – “I think people who use Facebook to vent angry political views are cotton headed ninny muggins. I’m stoked Obama won. Now lets all get on with our lives and get back to posting pictures of cats and what we ate for dinner.”
  • 539484_10100750977596707_1711227362_n.jpgOctober 24 – “I’m going to the World Series tonight! Dreams do come true! I am so so so excited. :)”  85 likes
  • October 9 – “Grading sixth grade essays on the influence of the Romans. Learning quite a lot. “The Romans invented candles to see at night, in case you were upstairs. Today we use candles for romance and the smell of a clean house, maybe.”"
  • October 7 – “I’m not sure it’s possible to overdose on guacamole. But I’m enjoying the challenge.”
  • September 19 – “to find a bag of M&Ms you’d forgotten that you had hid from yourself….this is the wonder and magic of life.”
  • September 15 – “the salad is done when there are no more croutons left. am i right? i know im right.”
  • August 6 – “My little brother just peed in a cup in the backseat. This is officially a family road trip.”
  • IMG_4280July 19 – “boyfriend doesn’t think i can cook. little does he know that i am pretending i can’t cook, this is just a brilliant conspiracy so that he will continue cooking for the rest of our relationship. i am GENIUS.
  • who are we kidding…i eat chicken nuggets and frozen yogurt like they are the only two food groups in a tiny, tiny pyramid surrounded by a red wine moat.”
  • July 16 – “last day of summer school…i never thought I’d love teaching special ed so much. can’t believe i’ll probably never see my kids again!
    Fav moment:
    Me: “What does an anteater eat?”
    Kid: “Burritos?”
  • July 13 – “For my next pet, I would like an Ewok. And more wine.”
  • June 27 – “How to trick people into thinking you’re famous: carry a guitar, wear a hat, leggings and cardigan, order a glass of wine at an airport bar. I’ve never been so popular. — at Oakland International Airport.”
  • June 25 - ”we’ve got a runner.” – things I get to say while teaching special Ed.”
  • June 8 - Junior High Quote of the Day: ”I only wear a sweatshirt if my mom is cold.”
  • June 6 – “ATTENTION: I have a freckle in my left armpit! - This important discovery brought to you by the 50 page paper I have 22 more pages of to write tonight.”
  • May 21 – “Eat frozen yogurt like its a food group. Thats my motto.”
  • May 1 – “Power outage at my school means that I am in a pitch black windowless room with junior highers pretending to be attacked by zombies and screaming bloody murder…great day!”
  • things my kids say.

    things my kids say.

    April 26 - ”Miss WEIGHT! I have little brothers but…those pictures were terrible!” – 6th grade girl after Sex Ed. Bahahaha teaching is hilarious sometimes.

  • March 20 – “Just made my first quinoa batch…someone help me describe this flavor? Squishy rice nuggets is all I got.”
  • Feb 7 – “it would be nice if someone could just tell me what I’m supposed to be doing a few years from now, so I could start heading that direction, instead of sitting on my couch, in sweats, eating my third meal of pizza today.”
  • Jan 30 – “Pretty sure my neighbors are pirates. Facts: never in shirts, British accents, boat, always drinking rum. Think I might join in their villainy! Sounds more fun than teaching stinky middle schoolers. Pillage!”
  • Jan 25 – “”If it’s got tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble. It’s gonna hurt and it’s gonna cost money.” – Advise from my Grandma.”

TeacherDiaries: How to give a good gift at Christmas (because I really can’t eat another cookie)

Posted in children, education, family, Holidays, life, teaching by

SEE! She's licking her fingers. gross.

SEE! She’s licking her fingers. gross.

You know the scene – it’s Christmas time (or “holiday tree time) and you want to show appreciation to your child’s teacher. You want it to involve your child, be meaningful, maybe even fun. You want it to be cheap. “A-ha! I will make her a dozen sugar cookies! My child and I will decorate them together! It will be an experience and she will see the time we spent on the cookies and feel appreciated!”

This is a very sweet idea. But…

I teach junior high Latin and Spanish, so I have roughly 130 students. At every holiday, my room is inundated with dozens of cookies. Some are the decorated sugar ones (which, let’s admit, aren’t ever tasty), some have nuts (cookie ruiners!), some have coconut (another ruiner!), some are from students whose hygiene habits I have serious doubts about.

I don't want to look like this. So I toss your cookies.

I don’t want to look like this. So I toss your cookies.

If I conservatively estimate that only 1 in 3 students will give me half a dozen cookies/candies/brownies, that is still sending me into the holidays with 260 “treats,” at 100 calories each piece that is 26,000 calories, divided by how many in a pound, that is a 7.5lb weight gain, just from eating your cookies out of obligation. Even if I only ate one treat from each child….that’s just too much.

So you know what I do with all these once the students leave and break starts?

I take one bite out of each of the tastiest looking ones, and then I throw them all away. I know, it’s terrible. And I do feel guilty. But my roommates are teachers with the same problem, my boyfriend doesn’t like them, and in my family we’re making our own bomb cookies at home! My belly is already full of my mom’s fudge and peanut blossoms!

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought or the time that went into those cookies, but that thought and time could be spent elsewhere on something I would actually keep once your student left my room.

I know you’re trying to express your love and appreciation for the work that we do, and I don’t want to put that love in a garbage can. So here are some ideas I’ve come up with, based on gifts I’ve been given or wish I had, that you can use to give your teacher something she’ll truly enjoy this season:

see? I eat this stuff up!

see? I eat this stuff up!

1. A handmade card from your child! I’m serious! These are the best. Make them sit down and WRITE something about how they enjoy my class, what they’ve learned, what they like about me. Here’s the “thought” and “time” element, and a great practice to teach your child – writing thank you notes. I definitely keep all of these to pull out on a bad day when I’m not sure I want to teach anymore.

I’ll even get you started….Type these up in a pretty font, and have your student write in their answers or dictate to you, depending on their age:

I like my teacher _________________ because she is _____________, _____________, and _________________. My favorite part about class is ___________________ and I like when we ________________________. My favorite memory from this year is _______________________________ and I liked when we learned about ____________________. I will always remember when my teacher/how my teacher __________________________. My favorite thing she says is ___________________. My teacher makes me feel __________________________. For Christmas this year, I bet my teacher wants a ______________________ and I hope she gets it because she is the best!

2. Nice ornaments – you can never have too many. Pick a teacher-y one, or something else your teacher likes. I’ve been given SF Giants ones and some beautiful cross ones.

yeah baby!

yeah baby!

3. Figure out her favorite granola bar or crunch snack and buy a box of those. I always have some on hand for snacking emergencies in my room!

4. Coffee! Either a gift card or a bag, but NOT a mug! We get these by the dozens.

5. Safeway/gas card/craft store card – even if it’s only 5 bucks, it’s something you KNOW she will use and be grateful for.

6. Teacher quote book/page a day calendars/magnets/motivation books, etc. – You can never have too many of these. I always have one on my desk and will pick up for motivation or ideas.

7. Nail salons certificates – our hands get TRASHED with fingerpaint, markers, scratching glue off desks, and washing washing washing. (Not for me though…it’s a waste because I play guitar)

8. Wine – if you’re close with your teacher and can deliver it off-campus, this is the BEST. In my house, we call it “teacher juice.”

9. Movie tickets – LOVE these!

we can do this :)

we can do this :)

10. Volunteer your time! I always have a thousand projects going on around my room I want done, but I never get to finish because of all the unglamourous sides of teaching like emails, administration, meetings, and crying in the faculty room because the copier is broken and I’ve waited until the last minute. I always wish my bookshelves organized themselves, my books were covered, and my craft supplies cleaned through.

I would LOVE to have an organize-y mom help me for even an hour to clean things out one day! Teachers also have to sanitize our rooms on a regular basis, so a half hour after school with you bringing your own cleaning stuff and wiping out all cubbies/tubs/chairs/desks, etc. would be AMAZING!

So those are my ideas! I hope they help someone somewhere somehow someday.

Now I’m going to eat some of my fudge bars I made this weekend. :)

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I am describing now. (298)

Posted in Coaching, education, Holidays, life, teaching, travel by

my little brother eating dog food. just for fun.

Thought I’d offer a little update on this crazy little thing called “life.”

Thought I’d offer it in bullet points, with many photos.

  • my students decorated my room before we left for break…they’re so cute sometimes.

    I am on vacation!! This is one week out of the year I am always thankful to be a teacher. It is very necessary to check out from the classroom and check back in with me. I stop being “Miss Weight” for a week and remember what it’s like to just be “Rachel.” Which is hard when I am constantly running into students (like shopping downtown today!) but staying up late, drinking wine on a weeknight, blogging into the wee hours of the night helps remind me of me. (I am describing now.)

  • I am almost done with my credential program! I am approximately 12 pages of reflection writing, one portfolio assembling, one RICA test, and some important signatures away from scholarly freedom. It never really ends, because the state of California apparently wants to suck your soul out before they allow you to be a real teacher, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t wait to let this huge weight fall off me.
  • I started a coaching job with a club volleyball team! 18s girls, assisting one of my best friends. We met at freshman year tryouts in high school. I am so excited for this new opportunity. We had our first practice tonight, and it felt so good to be yelling and throwing balls and high-fiving again. Although, the length of spandex these days is SCANDALOUS. I’m ready to hold an intervention.

  • My “cheese balls” pinterest fail.

    My sister and I have been Pinteresting! There are so many awesome Christmas crafts out there. You simply buy 80$ worth of supplies, ruin your kitchen with spray adhesive, glitter, and spray paint, burn yourself with your glue gun, and you have more junk in your house! Actually, we invented some cute crafts and had mild success with others. I keep trying to find something easy to do with all the wine and beer bottles that accumulate at my house…hmm….follow me on Pinterest!

    our pinterest invention!!!

  • I am obsessed with tzatziki sauce! I am trying to find the most amazing recipe ever. I am going through a tub a week. It’s bad. So I want to be able to make my own! If you know a good recipe, let me know.
  • I have been productive! Something I am really looking forward to with my grad school program ending is having time on the weekends to do projects around the house. This week, I have attacked my dresser and closet, donating clothes, shoes, books, movies to Goodwill like a crazy person. I like to purge and condense. It’s hard though…I tossed some old shirts from college and traveling that I realized I haven’t worn in years. I am tossing my Uggs that I have had since 2003 (since my sister referred to them as “colorless and matted”). But it feels good to say goodbye to old things. I have also vacuumed, and helped my roommates get rid of food that will rot while they are on vacation by eating it. Yay, string cheese! :)
  • I am spending Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s family. O.m.g. That is probably worthy of an entire post. Stay tuned.

on our trip to palm springs two weeks ago

And that is all. I love being rested and feeling creative and inspired while on vacation. I love that I don’t have an alarm set for tomorrow. I love my new mint-colored thermal. I love having time to take twenty minutes to paint my toes, and update my Yelp reviews, and reminding myself not to check my work email.

And it’s only day one!