April Already?!

I’m not sure if this site is checked much anymore, which is my fault for not keeping up with it. But perhaps someone will stumble across our updates.

2012 has been an exciting year in Boston. We had a quiet New Year’s after a long trip back to Texas to visit both families. Joel took me on a wonderful trip to New York City for my birthday. We were quite touristy, visiting the Empire State Building, Times Square (not my favorite), and ice skating at Rockefeller Center. The part of the surprise was amazing tickets to see Anything Goes.

In February we headed back to Colorado for a ski trip. I am so thankful to have two week-long breaks in February and April. In a miracle of scheduling, Joel was actually able to schedule a week of vacation for the same week I had off so we packed up all of our ski gear and headed up to Breckenridge. Mom and Dad met us up there for a few days of fun in Blackhawk. Afterward, Joel and I headed up to a beautiful cabin owned by some of our friends. We went snowshoeing, skied, and even spent one day snuggled up with a book by the wood-burning fireplace.

I’ve accepted a full-time teaching position at my school, Excel Academy. I will be moving into the 7^th and 8^th grade social studies position, and I will be teaching Ancient Civilizations and Foundations of American Government next year. I’ve been able to work closely with the current teacher, who just so happens to be the person I met at Brown University this summer and recruited me to Excel. She is heading off to graduate school at Harvard next year, which opened up her position for me. What a perfect turn of events for both of us!

In March, we had a lovely visit with Todd and Linda. Joel was a tour guide of Boston and led everyone to delicious restaurants. We were able to escape to a B&B in Rockland, Maine for the weekend. The weather was chilly, as to be expected in March, but we had clear, sunny days. We woke to delicious breakfasts and enjoyed the town. We were treated to massages and toured the Farnsworth Art Museum. Especially fun was the olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting.

April break is next week, and I can’t be more excited for a week off! I don’t have any travel plans, and Joel will be working. But our good friends from Denver are coming in to run the Boston Marathon. I can’t wait to be at the finish line cheering folks on…all of these runners are such an inspiration. Apart from that I will be taking it easy and working in my new garden plot.

Since we don’t have a yard, but we have a community garden across the street. We arrived too late last summer to get a spot, and I was so sad! This year, however, I signed up early and now have my own plot. We had our first work day last weekend. There is even some community fruit trees and vines (raspberry, cherry, pear, grapes, rhubarb…a New England favorite I’m learning to cook). I’ll keep a simple garden this year and hopefully expand my plot next year.