be silly, be fashionable, be alive!

it's been a good week-a busy week. we had a group come in to give us a formative observation with some great feedback. the whole procedure was valuable, and i am thankful that everyone involved, especially the focus groups were so  honest, because that is the only way that we grow and challenge ourselves! so valuable!

yesterday was read across america, and we had a great volunteer turnout! it was also dr. seuss' birthday! and i had the rare opportunity to don a pretty spectacular cat-in-the-hat outfit, thanks to nicolette, who had no intention of wearing it herself, and offered to bring it for me to wear. the students had a great time, and that made the day pretty spectacular. 

i also took a minute to go out to the garden (which i have not really had much of an opportunity to do lately), and i saw the flowers, that i planted a couple of years ago, blossoming-that was pretty cool, because the grounds crew usually chops them down! i also took the shears out to chop up the plants that were invasive and taking over the pond...it was a bit of a task. i began pulling, and before i knew it, i was struggling with roots and all sorts of heavy overgrowth. it was a bit of an undertaking, but don't worry, i cleared it all up, and the fish are still alive-they are probably pissed at me for taking away their hiding places...it's okay, i hear they have 5 second memories! so i need to check on them again tomorrow to throw them into the compost bin..the plants, not the fish.. (when i am actually dressed appropriately); they will be great for the compost, because the silt that came from the pond will be so good in creating rich soil!! i'm such a nerd. but that seriously makes me smile! i've been wanting to extract some of that from the bottom of the pond for awhile now!

beautiful, right? 

i wish computers were scratch and sniff, because these are so aromatic!!

and i was amazed by the fun that is happening in preK! everyone needs to go by and visit their centers! the nasa station rocks, the campsite-rocks!! it's such a fun atmosphere for our kiddos! way to go amanda and marlon! you are making memories for these little ones! 

houston, we have no problems!

planetarium, hello!

i wore a dress again today, and while i was upstairs, one of nafia's girls said something really cute. she said, "ms. robinson, ms. hamilton is making you fashionable!" i like being comfortable, but i will admit, it's been fun mixing it up. smile. 

is it strange to say that i know things are good because i've actually been writing letters again? when i write letters, things are good. that said, i am still not back into a good sleep habit-i have been staying up later than normal...maybe that's just my body preparing for spring break, as shea is a night owl...? part of being in a good place involves knowing that spring break is around the corner, but an even bigger part of the equation is surrounding myself with people who make me laugh, who make me think, who just value hanging out...these are simple things, but they are the things that make the difference. i've said it before-community is everything...living life in color, choosing to be positive, supporting others however we can, that makes me feel alive. it's good to be alive--take a minute, and think about it...what is it that makes you feel alive? pursue that!

julie

western day, round-up and butterfly club

nothing beats going to an apartment complex after school on a friday to wave at cars and play with balloons. okay, i lie, i can think of about a million and one things...and again, i lie probably only 1,999,999. but then, it was a little okay, because i was among some great company. it was a good turn-out of teachers-from kinder, pre-k, first grade, second grade, not to mention the principal, asst principal, counselor and coaches. several families turned out, and a few of them were there for quite awhile; it's always great for the families to talk to prospective families. we are trying to be proactive in the hustling rounding up students for classes next year.

the best part was just being able to interact with people i usually don't get to interact with outside of their classrooms.

xochitl! i loved working with xoch in 4th grade, and love the bond we have forged since!

andrea and ciane-it's been a good year! i need these two to get through my days! they keep me sane!

we have begun something fun at school. we talked about it at the beginning of last school year, but no one jumped in and took charge, so it was brought up in casual conversation with one of our teachers a couple of months ago, and i ran it by our principal-he said: GREEN LIGHT, GO FOR IT. (ok, i said green light, he said go for it).  so we sent out an email and schedule. the first theme day was 80s, and we had several participate-i'm pretty sure a shout-out for PRE-K and the TA's is in order!! they all participated! i need to do better at going around and getting good pics! this week was western day, and a few more people jumped on board. so hopefully we will continue to get an increase in participation as we move forward!

wrangling students daily!  #westernday

showing off the cowgirl look-olivia's students were probably wondering what was going on.

i'd been looking forward to today for quite some time now. i had a hard time finding something to wear, because most of my array of clothing is not bright and butterfly-ish...so i went out to get a shirt today, which i will wear again. nafia has talked about butterfly club for quite some time now, and she has been quite invested in it. i know she has grown spiritually as a result of being a part of it. so today they had a meeting and she was allowed to invite guests, so i was honored when she invited nicolette and me. conversation, lunch, and the topic: prayer. this was a great topic. pastor giles spoke on prayer and was talking about some of the different issues/problems that can interfere with a strong prayer life. each of us had at least one of the 'short circuits' that rang true. 

erica shared something that really resonated with me, as she talked about how much effort and how much time she put into trying to get tickets for something, and then coming to the realization that truly, that is how we should approach God. if only we put as much effort into calling on God and craving that relationship, how much more would we be able to impact others? how much happier would we be? how much more satisfied? how much more able to care for others and desire good things for them? i need that. i've become complacent. i've become comfortable. i don't want to be comfortable or complacent in my prayer life and in my relationship with God. i am most alive and most able to be a friend to others when my relationship with God is strong. because the truth is that God created us for relationship, and the relationship that we have with others is a reflection of what we have learned from our relationship with him. #grateful   

beautiful ladies #butterflyclub

the honorees (birthdays in the month of feb), were supposed to give a little presentation/talk, but time was running short, so they didn't get the time that they needed, and they just gave a brief overview. i was so looking forward to hearing nafia's because i know that she had spent a lot of time and prayer over it. i did enjoy reading the handout that she created, and i am feeling inspired to read the joyce meyer book that inspired it. her handout is really a great catalyst for good conversation about prayer!

bask in the precious privilege of prayer! (nafia's words)
julie

ode to shea-don't hate me, it had to be done.

ode to shea. (she may kill me for this-don't care) [and please disregard chaco in the background as he barks at me for attention!]

"why?" you ask. well, shea is one of those friends, who would tell you herself, that she is not a super emotional person. but at the same time, she is probably one of the most thoughtful people i know. she thinks of people on birthdays and other occasions that are important..and she remembers the details. shea makes fun videos and puts together picture collages because she knows how important memories are-she documents them well. i am so excited for her because she has so many great things going on in her world right now, and she deserves every single one of them!

shea is an adventure friend. my child-at-heart-friend. my kamp friend. my laugh-so-you-don't-cry friend. she doesn't need a lot of conversation, but the talk we do have is funny. she is not afraid to be silly in public.

kamp memories: unit 4, trip, hiking like bear grylls, caving like hip hop kids-we know our sedimentary rock formations, yo! sneaking up to the blair witch house, ice cream in the face, k2 dance parties, speed boat rides, blueberry farm runs (or sneaking in the night with stevie), sleeping under the stars on the blue mat with a host of counselors, fake tattoos, making chaco a code word before it became my dog's name.

she insisted on the fake tattoo...on the last night, no less.

bear grylls explorer wanna-be's #hardcorehikers

ah, caving-good for the soul!

quite possibly one of the funniest memories of k2

gangsta party

oklahoma memories: norman girls' house, cards, soccer games, volleyball games, golf course prom pics, thanksgiving at the yates, baby hands, religious things, art work, hanging with the boys, ted's, weddings, silo climbing, ou game time,okc thunder, real tattoos.

first climb in a silo #addictive

special wedding!

okc thunder #rollthunderroll

after party on the parking garage roof!

ted's

trust me, you don't want to meet with this group in a dark alley (they don't carry flashlights)

quiet times in shea's foyer.

moral support

because the evangelizing glove-it works.

night-spin-and-throw-the-football like a drunk #totallysober

volleyball with the one-and-only LO

boomer!

embarrassing shea on the soccer field

and this is what she do-she makes bday collages!

florida memories: shark tooth hunting, go-pro in the waves, coconut bread, alligators in the park, too much food, #foodcoma, sarasota, st. pete's, kilwin's, did i mention too much food?

swinging bridge to the tower

saturday mornings with the kids on the block! 

relaxing-est beach ever!

playing with the go-pro like a puppy.

the ever-necessary jump pic

#jawswashere

texas memories: meeting at camp copass, hanging out in allen, tx/ou weekend, the fair, thanksgiving, looking for a bridge (in the rain), playing board games.

first time hanging out with the group i adore!

4 gals, a dog and a hammock #summerdays

petting zoo-ou/tx weekend

no one i'd rather watch the game with!

thanksgiving-wonderful surprise!

so today i got the best surprise in the mail! i was shocked that i had a package, because i'd ordered some things, but i wasn't expecting anything this soon...so when i got this package from shea in the mail, i was smiling the biggest smile all week. each item-meaningful and preparing me for spring break-the kilwin's gift card, though....pure evil. so when i say thoughtful, not kidding- pressure is on for creating a plan. that was the ask: i need to share some bucket list items and ideas-shouldn't each visit have a little 'epic' in it?! duh.

#bestsurpriseever

so shea. she's one of my people. she's in my inner circle. we're a part of the same tribe. #sofortunate !

may you have someone as thoughtful, fun and adventurous in your world, who reminds you to be light-hearted!
julie

maybe i asked the landscape workers for their water...no shame.

it was a short week, but it seemed longer than normal. they always do. this week i had a little scare when one of my friends told me she had to go to urgent care-when all was said and done, everything was mostly fine. thank God! it's funny-not funny, but the whole day i was thinking: what if the dr. says she can't drive...i wake up early, we could take turns picking her up and dropping her off if we need to...and while i totally would've done that, i'm thankful that is not the case! to follow that up, i had dinner with another friend, and i felt bad because i was on the phone for like..oh..25-30 minutes with a former colleague. i certainly didn't intend to be rude, but it was important information that i was gathering!

also this week, one of my people, whom i highly value, was 100% honest about something and it caught me a bit off guard. i understood the spirit behind what was said before we talked about it, and i knew that it was not said out of malice, so for that purpose i didn't take it personally- and while it was a little surprising, i appreciated the unfiltered honesty, because it eventually led to a couple of good conversations. it's those types of conversations that don't happen very often (because they don't need to), that lead to better understanding and in turn stronger friendships. for that i am #grateful

yesterday, friday afternoon after school, i began a conversation with olivia, but she had to leave, so we decided that we'd meet later for dinner to finish that chat. we were planning to go to the truck yard, but then decided on mi cocina, for the sake of better parking. plus, we were going to go there with nicolette awhile back, but those plans fell through, and she wasn't available last night-so we may make that a raincheck.

fun tidbit-when i arrived, olivia wasn't there yet, and so i found a spot to sit while waiting, and a girl-mid to late twenties got up from beside her boyfriend and came over and said, "jrob?!" obviously i immediately knew it was a kamper...and she introduced herself as melanie dickinson-i remember mel! she was tight with mags, and amy during one of my favorite years! so we caught up a little until olivia arrived. i love that era of my life and the relationships and fun that were built around Christ! there's a bond and it's like family. it's truly a small world! and honestly, i am a little surprised that i don't see more of my former kampers than i do around these parts!
olivia and i always have good talks. funny, fun, real. i love that she is authentic and factual.

it was like the heavenly choir was singing the halleluiah chorus over olivia, and me...just hiding over in the shadow! #oliviastealsthespotlight

today was a lazy day-just a lot of gray's anatomy. so good! then i finally decided to get up and exercise-walk. i had to stop at the tulips they are finally in bloom for a minute. and of course the trees are starting to bloom-proof that spring is finally here!  it was a warm day, and i am now feeling it on my face.

happy flowers!

happy tree! (i know, i sound like bob ross)

i did a loop around the college and then down through the golf community. i was feeling dehydrated...in fact it was so bad that i wanted to ask the guy washing his car if i could get a drink from the hose. i may have imagined myself cupping my hands under the bumper of his car, catching water to drink... i thought about turning on someone's hose at another house...i looked for water fountains at the golf entrances...i debated if i were to find a bottle with a little water in it, would i? finally as i was walking by some workers who were doing landscaping, i saw a 20 pack of water, and i asked them if i could have a bottle. i was so relieved when they gave me a bottle, and i started to walk off, and came back to get a pic (for this post-they probably thought i was flirting or something #nopenotflirting) so as i was walking away, i downed the bottle in about 10seconds-it was so refreshing!! #noshame

and then i saw this abandoned
baby in the road. who leaves
creepy babies on the roadside? sad

water for the damsel in distress

 i was talking with nicolette the other day and she showed me a picture from the beginning of the school year, and i guess because i don't look at older pictures often, i don't notice the transformation as much. so i found a picture from this summer and took one after my walk today; body image has never been a big deal to me, but i feel better than i have in years, and it's due in large part to eating right and walking. it's nice to actually be able to find clothing that i like and it's more fun to dress up.

last summer when i decided on a physical
goal-weight

finally reached goal weight and
ready to go back to florida, just need to
tone now

so, to sum it up, it was a week full of good conversations and 'epiphanies.'
best of the weekend to you!
julie