Easter brunch, splashing in the rain, lobster rolls- fortunate

so much going on. i have fallen behind because i have multiple irons in the metaphorical fire. let's see, how about we start with my favorite thing-yesterday i met up with my friends for lobster rolls! we did the curbside pick up thing (from different cars), then drove out to longboat key to eat them and just enjoy the bayside view from a restaurant parking lot. this was the first time mermaid's pies and produce has been open for several weeks, so it was certainly a treat!! please ask how many times i have driven by and looked for the open sign! and here's the best part- a friend had seen that i was going, because i had post something about it, and he venmo'd $ to enjoy my treat!! #randomactsofkindness #COVOD19-style now to pass along the kindness!

best lobster rolls around! 

it had rained almost all of last week, after a long dry spell. in fact, so dry that there had been a burn ban in effect for quite some time...in fact the pond out near my parking lot looked like two big puddles, it was that dry. it has since filled in quite nicely, as it seems we are moving into some rainy season activity. also, some of the first turtles have begun laying nests.

ah, the rain!

so last week i went out for a walk and parked by the little maritime museum in cortez and walked over the bridge toward my favorite beach park because there is still no parking there, and beaches have yet to open. as i was walking down gulf drive, there was a large puddle in front of one of the motels and that was were i was walking when it happened. it was still dark out, but there were street lights...and i had on a bright coral long-sleeve, apparently not bright enough. an 18-wheeler, going much faster than necessary, hit that puddle like he had every intention to see how high he could make the puddle fly. i got soaked, and i my immediate reaction was to yell some unseemly things that should never be repeated. for an instant i considered returning to my car (i was about halfway through my walk, sopping wet, and a bit chilly), but i kept going...partly in hopes that the driver would have stopped ahead with engine problems and i might be able to get off a good throat punch and knee to the groin... i was driven for at least the next 7 minutes. then as approached the park, the sun was rising, and i was rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise! and a bit further down, i had to stop and take in the beach view, since it's been so long! then i made my way back to where i had parked, thankful that my car hadn't been towed.

gorgeous, no?

on the way home i walked on the opposite side of the street, but there's the puddle lake

i forgot treats, so they were not up for Easter pics...i'm sure everyone has experienced this with their families as well.

and for Easter, i listened to an online message and watched a special, then went over to do brunch with my friends shea and patrick. i took some mini brie/gruyere/carmelized onion quiches, and they had put together some eggs, bacon, and the 'piece de resistance' KANAKUK KAMP CoffeeCake! amazing!

YUM!

we caught up for a bit, then i went home for a bit to take a nap, before reconvening with 3 other friends to do an egg-hunt with snacks, chit-chat, social distancing around the pool, and then patrick's homemade noodles with pesto! yummers! good to see the crew-safely.

did you notice how there are 4 separate stations to sit at?! #playingbytherules

the past few weeks have been an inspiring time to create my own cards and stationery because, as we know, i like to write letters, and at this time, the store really doesn't have much that suits my needs! plus, it's been a great outlet to use some pent-up creativity! (much inspired by a video that one of my friends shared with me!).

these are a few-i've already sent a few others out...spread the joy!

in other news, there have been some fun video conferences for work and play. and this afternoon, i was inspired to try whipped coffee-one of my friends posted a pic of hers, and i've had something saved because i'd been meaning to try it for quite sometime. i happened to find some instant decaf, and thought, 'JACKPOT!" because this meant i didn't have to go to the store! but unfortunately when i opened it, it had all disintegrated/melted together...something, but it was definitely not good. gosh, how long had i had that canister, yikes! so i did in fact have to go to the store...and in my hurry, i parked the car and realized that i had forgotten my debit card at home...(zero motivation to go back), so i fished around in my coin jar, and had $2, so i opted for the dollar general next door to get a mini-jar of instant coffee to do this thing!

 i made the first batch and spooned it over some iced-coffee- not bad...but i wasn't convinced. so i followed it up with a second batch and spooned it over coconut milk. i was pleased with the result!

again, i am grateful. thankful to have a job, a place to lay my head, my boys, friends, food, a sense of humor...i am fortunate and i don't want to take any good thing for granted.

i hope your weekend has been everything you needed it to be!
julie

don't touch me, don't breathe on me...i mean just don't even look at me!

oh goodness...well, just washed my hands, lysoled everything in the room...noticing how much gravitational pull my face has in relationship to my hands.

so much going on! what a strange time. i suppose with that, there will be plenty of time to go back and do some catching up, but for now, let's try to start with today and move our way back-with what i'm sure will be some time hiccups, because it will be current events mixed with past events, but i will do my best to not confuse you with the timeline!

so starting with today, it is monday again. does this work from home gig remind anyone of groundhog's day? just checking, i'm used to it, so perhaps there will be a tips corner to come... the difference is i enjoyed saying, "i GET to work from home!" and that has changed for everyone to: i HAVE to work from home...it just doesn't have the same ring! but some of you are, i'm sure, enjoying not putting on the make-up, doing the hair, etc. or you may be like one of my friend who can't help but dress up and always be 'on' (karla, lookin' at you! i'm just jealous that you have that much motivation! ALWAYS! #yougogirl)

so, i think florida has done an unofficial lock-down, or then again, maybe it's official, i did see that it was one of the few states that showed red on the map, but that could mean anything when you have the sound on mute. could mean: lock-down, most cases of the virus, most idiots out on the beach from other states invading the beaches and spreading the virus and infecting others because they have no clue they're asymptomatic carriers....like i said, could be pretty much anything.

even before the POTUS made the STAY HOME suggestion, i was trying to be mindful. i'm pretty good at isolating myself, and avoiding people. i tend to do this naturally when i shop as well (dodging people, looking for empty aisles to avoid traffic..) i did my last big 'shopping spree' last week, and i'm not one of those buy everything people. in other words, you wouldn't look at my cart and roll your eyes, i'm fairly practical and rational. besides, i have a bunch of the perishables, as that is part of hurricane preparedness. and i'd already gotten my 12 rolls of tp the week before everyone started panic buying (because i was legit out). and i'd gotten the multipack kleenex boxes before it was the 'in thing' to do. so yes, i have my emergency manwich, cheerios and tuna, which for real won't get eaten until the gates are padlocked and aliens are hovering over the community pool...

i knew that our county parks and preserves are still open, so i decided to get up early this morning to walk the track over at Robinson Preserve. it was a beautiful morning with a slight mist when i arrived. exercise is still a permissible 'get-out' so i got out early, as there are so few people wanting to venture out at that hour. the track there is about 10-12 ft wide, so plenty of distance if people are passing by. and i am always on the awares to make sure i run the opposite direction if i see anyone cough or sneeze! seriously though, i have yet to come across anyone who seems to have symptoms of such. i know, i know that doesn't mean they aren't 'carriers', which is why i haven't been going up to randoms and collecting their sweat, or wiping my brow on their shorts... #takingprecautions so yes, it was a gorgeous morning, and i may make this a routine since the beach is shut down. i may intermittently get over to cortez village and walk the empty streets over there and do the bridge if i can find parking at the museum park. that's really the only getting out that i've been doing. so yes, taking it seriously. in fact today i almost called out a group of 'walkers' i mean, there were like 6 of them in a cluster 2 ft or less! ugh. and they were 60+ ...do they not watch the news? let's not go blaming just the millennials! i DID give them a dirty look...or maybe i just thought it.

look at that mist!

watch with sound on!

as my cousin suggested- zen and calming!

i will say that i've been able to participate in one of my favorite pastimes- letter-writing. so that's fun too...the only thing is i don't have much in the line of great stationery stash at this time, and when i was at the store the other day, i couldn't find any covid19 cards, so i decided too bad, so sad, it may just end up being legal paper with donut stickers ore something fun like that. and i'm getting a little nervous looking at my stamp-situation...i may have to go to the post-office, if i can find an off-time...i mean, since anthrax scare isn't a thing anymore.

i may have to make my own COVID19 cards...

so, for the time being, lysol your life, take your temperature and consider all you can do to stay safe!

julie

bad day? buy cards! need a break? go talk about godzilla!

wow. this afternoon kinda' sucked.

then i had to do CAR pd...which went fine-we were able to get some questions answered that teachers had, which was good. then on the way home, i decided to make a stop at kroger for some cider. well...i stopped by the card and halloween section. you already know i am a sucker for cards, and spent way more than i'd planned on stuff for CAR teachers and cards (they had some AWESOME cards!). that was my therapy-i felt better because i knew that in my bag i had the underpinnings that would eventually create bright spots in other peoples' days. all good-i felt much better!

these cards are not just 'any' cards...i'm usually very particular about the cards i purchase, because as i read them, i usually analyze them and make sure they just right for the certain people i plan to send them to. so yeah...i got cute cards! and fortunately when i got home, there was a check in the mail from the healthy wage challenge for meeting my goal!! woohoo!!! totally worth it! and if you are a disd employee and considering the benefits of doing the cafe wellness program, i highly recommend it-the check in july is TOTALLY worth it!!

happiness=the perfect card that specific person!

the moment you get your entry fee back! snaps for perseverance and commitment! #teameffort

there were good things that happened today:

• CAR PD went well, and my group was able to get things done
• we got through most of our planning sessions, and they went well
• i got to take the dogs for a walk
• i got to wear my new pair of halloween socks that jeri got me 'just because'...she is so thoughtful!
• i am making meatloaf
• and my check from healthy wage came in the mail today!! 

candy corn socks from jeri-they match my earrings!

***tuesday turned into wednesday...they week rolled on and before i knew it, i'd not finished my original post, so now i will bring it to completion****
thursday i was out for a morning for training, and it was okay, but i didn't leave with an overwhelming feeling of "i'm so happy i came." i don't mind going to training, but i have high expectations of trainings. the bright moment was deciding to take the stairs down rather than wait for everyone in the building who was leaving for lunch. so there's that.

when i got back, i had to get the copies ready for our common assessments for next week-our copier is on the fritz...it's one of those maintenance job-security machines. our maintenance guy will always have a job... but it really makes life difficult for the TAs.

we had our school quality review for personalized learning-which is basically just an all-day walk-through in which our central-staff pl folk were out scripting, observing and noticing what was going on, and then matching that up to the objectives and goals that we had set as a school. they were a wealth of information, and it's so necessary to have these types of visits-not so much to show off what we're doing, but to get an accurate portrayal and feedback of what is going well, and what are the opportunities for next steps moving forward.

what i really walked away with, is that we really have a lot to celebrate. with all of the perceived 'problematic-issues,' there are MANY great things happening at cabell! much of it is residual from last year, as we were able to get some things started to move staff (as a whole) in the right direction! thank you, joanne and sean! and of course much of it is due to the resilience and perseverance of the teachers who are carrying on the vision of what they want to see happen in their classrooms...and i would be remiss to not include our new teachers-we have some rock stars, and we're so fortunate that they chose to join our team at cabell, as they are certainly a valuable asset, and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. do we have room for improvement? ABSOLUTELY!! but that's the most exciting part! i never want to reach the point where we have nothing more to work on, because that would breed stagnancy. and that would suck.

alrighty then, school stuff aside, oh...wait, not yet. last weekend-killed me! i was working on curriculum map-stuff all day saturday (until i realized it was 12:55 am, and i was getting tired)...so i finished on sunday around 8 pm. i did not sign up for this. but it's done, nonetheless.

so for real now, no more shop! (although that's really all i know these days)...yesterday i got home a little late because i went out after school with some friends and it was so refreshing to just talk about silly things with friends-to laugh about godzilla, the black stallion, aliens and trolls...and the cabbage patch hospital...i mean...those are the conversations that make life a little more interesting! i love finding commonalities and celebrating differences. there is nothing more rewarding than building relationships-i believe that is what God created us for.

i arrived home to jumping puppies. bruno was like, "where have you been?!? it's dark out again! i'm hungry, and i just want you to pet me twice and then feed me. that's all."  and of course chaco, "not me!! i just want to bark at you a couple times..wait, where's my toy? here it is! throw it until your arm falls off, please...or i'll keep barking! that'll teach you to not come back right after school, yeah." so, yeah, i felt guilty for about a minute, then once they were fed, they just found their respective places to lay down and sleep, and we were back to normal. my boys!

i should've gone to bed, but for whatever reason, i was thinking about an event from a few years back, and so i began looking through pictures. whenever i do that, my heart just seems to grow and i get that nostalgic feeling because memories of good times are so strong, and it just strengthens the bonds that i have with my friends...i'll be writing more letters this weekend-that's what it does to me. it makes me want to not lose that connection. i feel very fortunate to have so many amazing memories with such a variety of amazing people!

also in the not-extremely exciting category, i renewed my apt. contract-you'd think they'd want to start paying me for being the least annoying client...but no.

 at least rent didn't go up this time. 

and then there's this: i don't get my own stationery back very often, but i got a letter from one of my former kamper/ princess/ ropes course friends! it's always a day-brightener to hear from friends! and a treat to see stationery make it's way back around!! thank you erin!!! -your fairy god-mother

and i think today i'm going to watch gotham (since hocus pocus seems to be unavailable on netflix..), and perhaps late, i will watch fellowship of the ring. these came up in conversation, and i've not watched fellowship in awhile, so it's about time to experience that eucatastrophe once again- gotta keep fantasy alive! i really need to go back and read some of the tolkien letters, and g.k. chesterton books that are sitting on my shelf!

it's almost time to go to orlando for inacol, so i am prepping the boys-hopefully they will be complete gentlemen with joanne...maybe bruno will warm up a little more this time (not holding my breath, because he's usually a one-pat dog, then he likes to find his own little piece of the floor to rest). i am looking forward to the conference-so many great sessions! i wish they were recorded! whenever you travel with people, you learn so much about them. i've found that being with colleagues away from the workplace is certainly healthy and quite enjoyable.

i love that it's halloween and it's still a bit drizzly out! time to make another coffee, sit back, relax and write some letters!
 Chaco: Why don’t ghosts like rain on Halloween?
 Bruno: It dampens their spirits!
Have a great weekend!!
julie

HONDURAS part 3-a little of this and a lot of that

i certainly meant to get to this sooner, but alas, i have been a little busy-did i say alas? what i should have said was a blast-i am having a blast, which has slowed down my ability to sit down and write. i am in VA, visiting my cousin carrie, who i haven't seen in about... um.. we figure about 17 years (which, by the way is way too long- especially when it's someone you appreciate!) but that's a part of the trip i haven't gotten to yet-be patient, i promise that i will get there!

so, we left la ceiba on sunday morning, and stopped at tio dolmo's for a quick little rest stop. it was the perfect place to stop, and we were able to get some typical candies and corn tamale-type things. YUM!

we missed out on the movie that we were thinking about going to for our sunday evening in sps, so we did a little tour of the mall iinstead(remember, this was my first mall i'd been in since we got to sps, and i was impressed!) then we went on a longer tour around town to see some of the new neighborhoods that were not in existence when i left. because it felt like just yesterday that i was home, it was very strange to see all of the changes, even though i knew there would be changes, i didn't realize how much!

from many of the restaurants that we have here to malls in almost every sector, you can get pretty much anything we can get in the U.S...

monday morning I pulled out some tie-dye kits that i had taken down
 with the specific intention of making t-shirts with steph and elias; let's not be modest, we made some of the coolest shirts! of course it took a few hours...ok we had to let them marinate overnight until we were able to pull them out and reveal their awesoawesomeness! that is the nature of the tie dye! Fortunately that worked out really well and allowed Sheryl to get some things done that really needed doing! i knew that she was going to have to run a lot of errands and get a ton done because she was leaving for the U.S., so i loved that we got to do the everyday routine errands together (that she was willing to drag this gringa along)  maybe for some people that would not be their cup o tea, but for me, spending time with people doing ANYTHING is quality time! i know, weird, but i loved it!

Part of our errand-running including getting to meet up with this handsome guy-Sheryl's dad never a dull moment!

i wasn't expecting to, but it worked out that i was able to get together with my old volleyball co captain (mind you, i am NOT calling her old-that would get me into a bit of trouble!!) actually hanging out with yanira was a highlight because when you hang out with someone after so long, it really does change things! It's one thing to catch up on facebook, it's a bit better to catch up in letter-form (actually it's great because it is something that you can physically hold on to and read over and over again!), even better to talk on phone and Skype, but nothing beats face to face physically being together!! So when yani got in touch and we went for coffee, i loved hearing all about the growing and learning, family, fun. i am SUPER IMPRESSED by her commitment and dedication to running and prep for the upcoming ironman! i have such a high regard and admiration for the lady she has become!

My co-captain, my friend!

i also got to see my old classmate juan pablo for coffee the next day, and catching up with him was enlightening. although our time was short, it was good to hear what was going on in his life and the way everything cycles around. i am so proud of him and the way that things are going for him and his family! one of the greatest things about jp is that he is a life-long learner and he really takes knowledge seriously! that was refreshing!

never stop dreaming and believing, jp!

there were a couple of friends i was hoping to connect with, that just didn't work out-for work or vacation reasons, which was sad-not like i cried sad, more like-bummer, perhaps can plan better next time-sad. such is life, and as tom hanks says, there's no crying in baseball, well, i submit that there is not enough time to cry while vacationing either! so, moving right along, i was beside myself (like...dancing beside myself!) when i finally got to see erika and her husband for dinner! this was the first time that i got to meet jose enrique, and i knew he was the right match for erika because i could see the adoration and pure joy between the two of them!

i had one day to swing down to the Mercado guamilito, where I was looking for some small-ish things. i had one thing in mind for sure- i knew i wanted to find some stationery that was handmade in HONDURAS (which you may recall i saw for  the first time when I received one from brandy)so i scoured the place until I found it; i actually had to describe what i was looking for to a man and he pointed me to a lady down at the end of the aisle, and when i got to her, i re-explained what i was looking for and she thought for a minute, then opened up one of her glass cabinets and these beautiful cards were kind of hidden in the midst of all of the other knick knacks, so i bought all of them.

This was the view from my room-great inspiration for letter-writing!

then i decided to run over to the shop of one of my friends to drop off a simple note and something that i had thought to bring her. so i dropped that off, and decided to go in to look around so that i would be able to imagine it better when i see posts on fb; i'm so glad that did because it really was an elegant store and the girls that were working there were very attentive- great customer service! i found some merchandise that i really kinda fell in love with and may have spent more money than i should have!!

Adorable shop! I love the feel-very quaint.



this is the dress I fell in love with, now i just need to find an occasion!

then friday came, and i went with erika and jose enrique to copan! oh wow! the trip was a long one, but the views were to die for! there is just something about the untouched mountainside of this area of HONDURAS that is simply breathtaking. i wish that i could post a picture along with the way that the scenery makes me feel in every fiber of my being-admiration, love of country, peaceful, relaxed--if you could look at a picture and feel the way i felt as i absorbed the surroundings.. more than happy; i'm not sure if it's pride or peace or perhaps exhilaration would best describe the feeling.

 as I said, it is somewhat difficult to explain, but these hills, this terrain, it is a part of my identity. it brought back so many memories of travels with my parents in the truck to different churches in small villages and outlying neighborhoods! the closer we were getting to copan,the worse the road got, and of course, as it goes in driving, it seems that when the roads get bad, you are almost certain to get stuck behind the slowest bus or truck for several miles because passing on crazy mountain roads is ill-advised unless you are 125% certain of your odds! but, even at that, it felt so normal and routine.

we arrived at a little tucked away area called hacienda el jaral, and checked into a cute little cabaña. what impressed me the most was all of the vegetation and greenery. had we more time, i would've really taken an afternoon to thoroughly put the hammocks to use! yes, yet another tidbit to add to you julie file, i am an avid hammock napper/sleeper- i'm pretty sure i would have NO problem doing one of those canopy adventures in which you sleep above the rainforest in the hammock-no problem!

oh to have just a few more days!!

birds of paradise!

these two are such a cute couple! the epitome of fun!

i would have loved to attend church in his little chapel!

anyhoo, once we got settled in and looked around for a minute, we went into the little village of copan, which is a nestled in mountains; there was a little bridge that was a sort of guardian to the city, and as soon as we entered, we were greeted by the cobblestone hills of the village. i was immediately enamored. i'd been to the ruins, but never to the village. we went to this great little restaurant which they were familiar with and our server carried the anafre-beans and cheese-if i remember correctly-on her head (an impressive feat when climbing the stairs!). what a meal!

my world would be better if i had one of these around every day...and the food would be great addition as well!

 the next morning we had grand plans, but because we were thorough, we made it through two parts of the ruins, and the museum; which is fine, one more reason i'm going to have to return. i am fascinated by history and this has always been right up my alley. so, although i took a gazillion pictures, i don't want to bore you, so i will only pose a few, suffice it to say, there is much more to see, and i hope that if you ever get the opportunity, you will venture down to check it out!! It will be well worth it!

I was  loving the macaws! they were so beautiful and i especially like the way they were being reintroduced into the wild! there is no reason these majestic birds should be in captivity!

The view of the plaza from the top of the ruins



hieroglyphic stairway was finally 75% accurately completed

the tunnels were finally complete-very cool!

and this guy? well everyone needs a good 'stone face'

Hug/resting station... it's all the same, right??

Life- sized replica in the museum-pretty amazing

one of the better macaws so great with the beak, tongue, garras...



I loved the colored stones-symbolizing the elite.

copan the village vendors

 i did nothing to deserve it, but erika and her husband spoiled me. their generosity was over the top- i had an incredible time and i loved every minute of hanging out with them! as i said before, being with friends that you have shared so many experiences with in the past is invigorating because it allows for comfortable conversation. it was certainly refreshing, and it made me really appreciate our friendship so much more! the saying is that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but truthfully, it only makes the heart grow fonder when there is the acute wake up call reminding me of what life was like when proximity was involved! i in fact felt a little like robin williams in hook when he realized he was pan and started to remember things he'd forgotten...

 so, lesson learned-don't put those memories away for safe-keeping, they must be revisited and stoked often! i am going to work on being keenly aware of my priorities and being intentional! i will probably be sucking it up and using the phone more as well... pick your jaw up off the floor, ya heard me right.

i'm falling behind-but no worries, i'll have a spell here soon in which things will calm down and i'll be back to writing about silly things again!

good day! julie

captain kirk stars in the blair witch project?

well, it was a wonderful weekend! i loved celebrating my friend nika's birthday with some friends-always good times hanging out with special people! and the cake...umm..it was like a mile high! again-beginning of a new diet!

pretty sure benny just grabbed whatever she could find in the candle drawer....

 then yesterday i made the boys go on a walk again. while we were out, we met a couple in the dog park-kirk and blair. i will remember their names forever because i made a quick connection of star trek's capt. kirk and the blair witch project...don't ask how that scene played out in my mind, but it did. i have 0 recollection of their dog's name...roger maybe?

but both of the dogs were willing to walk the back trail off the leash.

 and i got an email from the card contest i entered....they said everyone won, so i opened the packs because i had no desire to send it all back. i really like a few of the cards, and i already know who they will go to!

the best part was the filing system! love it!

today i was asked to go to a training at another school and i was thinking it was going to be a waste of time. fortunately i got a lot more out of the training than i thought i would! and i am starting a new eating and exercise routine, which kinda' stinks because today when i stopped by the office, shannon said she was getting ready to make the fudge!!

i had a chance to read through some of the spelling tests and the world's most recent invention the THIGHLIGHT.. it should have been twilight, but maybe some people have dark thighs...and need a light?

when i came in today, bruno looked at me and said, "so...now that you're on this diet thing, are you going to be a jerk? no diet coke does weird things to you." and chaco just cocked his head and looked at me with a waiting-for-an-answer look...well, i didn't validate that question by answering it; instead i grabbed an excedrin.

good night!
julie