I am super pumped for the holidays, which is ridiculous especially since it's only November 20. But oh well. I look forward to baking, time off, and decking the halls of our new home. I bought a new wreath with fun stuff to decorate it with from Target. I have new plans for how to display our beautiful cards. I am very excited!

Hooray for the first post in over a month!

Today was a great day.

I woke up thinking it was going to be rainy and awful all day. I peeked outside... and it was gorgeous! Sunny! And I immediately felt 1000% better (that's right - 1000%. And yes, I'm a math teacher).

I had a great day hanging out with Kate, who I haven't seen in a long time. We had Starbucks and guacamole, gelato, and a wonderful time doing some impromptu shopping. After I came home, cooked, watched LOADS of Big Bang Theory when I should have been working. And then my husband made me laugh so hard I literally was rolling on the floor, laughing and dying.

Overall: terrific day.

So apparently I went through a slight hiatus.

First and foremost - Shoes and I moved in to our new home! Wahoo! However, we were without internet for about two solid weeks. Woops.

It has been so busy! Ultimate's started up, everything at school is coming to a close (which means that activity is going to spike and then drop again) and I can't wait for some time to bake, cook, update, and get back into the swing of things.

But yay! Internet!

Today was the final episode of The Office. Like, ever. And if anyone knows me, they know that my life is The Office. Other than Seinfeld, it's my top-quoted TV episode.

I was doing fairly well while watching. It wasn't until a big event (keeping it secret) happened. I literally gasped - house-shaking gasp, that is - and then proceeded to sob. I just couldn't stop.

I appreciated the nods to the original episodes. I especially loved Jim's description of his job, because that was the same one he gave episode one. There was some stuff I wasn't crazy about... but the stuff I loved makes me still cry every time I think about it.

I love this show and have loved it for years. I really started watching regularly in season 4. I had seen all the previous episodes on Peachtree or whatever channel and the Internet. I really identified with the show since at the time I was also working in a boring, ridiculous office. It's become a part of my life. I watch seasons 2 and 4 every few months. I quote it regularly. I'm known at work for my love of the show. For the past two years, I've gone over to my parents' to watch with my brother - it was our thing. I laugh over this show with Shoes' brother Mark, Courtney, and Courtney's father at several family events. Heck, I even forced my friend Kate to spend a good hour at the NBC store in New York just so that I could find the perfect Jim bobble head. This show has been a huge part of my adult life.

So that's it. I would say good bye, but I'll probably be watching season 2 in a few weeks when my marking is due.

Shoes and I have been married now for 6 months and no one has killed anyone! Ha ha, joking.

I'm not one for keeping track of small details, like 6 months, but someone asked yesterday and I realized that it was exactly 6 months. Neat fact.

Also, something hilarious. We were at a 7-11 last night purchasing a drink after a long, prim dinner for Shoes' work. When we came back out, there was a police car parked behind our car horizontally. Not so much that we were completely blocked, but such that it would be tricky to get out, especially if the person driving is me. The policemen were talking to a couple when one of them spotted us getting into our car. He was like, "Oh, want me to move for you?" I was going to say he didn't need to but then Shoes said, "You probably should. She's a terrible driver." The policeman laughed, even more so when he noticed my shocked and outraged face.

Ta-da. Married life.

Today, we went out to read at a Starbucks, exactly how we spent the Monday after the wedding. It was nice.

Today was an excellent day.

I woke up to blue skies and sunshine rather than clouds and flurries. If you are Canadian then you know that we've been experiencing some stupid weather lately. Unseasonably cold and way too much snow. Most of us, especially me, my brother, and my father, have been itching to get outside to run and play.

I spent my Saturday exactly like I wanted to. I spent way too much time reading. I went outside for a run, which was really half running, half dodging snow and ice in some place and mud and giant puddles. Then Matt and I went "out and about", ending up in a Chapter's to enjoy a Starbuck's coffee and some reading. On the way we ended up at one of my all-time favourite restaurants, Stella's Cafe and Bakery.

I used to go there a lot with my friend Luke and the rest of my B.Ed. friends for breakfast. Nowadays, I mostly go to Stella's with Kate since it is close to her work and is definitely vegetarian/vegan friendly. The food is fresh and delicious and to die for. Their hashbrowns are served like fries and sometimes I eat the jam with a spoon. If I go for lunch or dinner, I get one thing: their Tomato, Pesto, and Havarti sandwich with a Caesar Salad. It's kind of a weird thing to order, really. I mean, I could probably make a mean tomato and cheese sandwich at home. I keep thinking about ordering something else but I never end up doing so, I love that sandwich too much. It's cool, creamy, and too yummy not to eat it. The Caesar salad is so garlicky it hurts, but is delicious. If you're in the area, go.

So cookie decorating was...

...Adorable.

I went with Kate (second picture) last Wednesday and it was very fun! If you're in the neighbourhood, go to Sweet Impressions; they are the most adorable shop ever.

I didn't realize it, but I haven't done a "Currently" for the longest time! Since it's the beginning of April, I thought I would do one. I'm super excited to look back and forward!

Dreaming About: Summer. It seems like winter just keeps coming back this year. We get a few days of warmth to be followed with ridiculous weather. Not appreciated, outside. Not appreciated at all.

Reading: I was reading Lireal by Gabriel Nix on my trip, since I had some time to read. It's a great book, the second in an excellent series. Read it now.

Loving: My glass of Cherry Coca-Cola that I'm drinking right now.

Watching: Ridiculous amounts of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares UK. I don't know why, but I love that show. The UK version is definitely way better than the US version.

Anticipating: Parent-Teacher conferences, and all the things I need to prepare for it!

Listening To: Howl by Florence + The Machine and Suit and Tie by Justin Timberlake. I know; weird combo.

Planning On: Planning a trip to Minneapolis with Shoes!

Working On: Marking that should have been done over my spring break. OOPS.

Wishing: That my former captains and I had been a bit more organized this year for getting everyone ready for ultimate and picking up new players if necessary. I'm scrambling now.

Reflecting On: Spring Break and how much I enjoyed it. It was a great break.

Enjoying: My purchases from the States. I found some great deals and had fun.

Pondering: If I will get funding for the CS teacher's conference... here's hoping!

That's my life so far. Tomorrow - cookie decorating class with Kate!

My brother graduated from the faculty of engineering today. He won the gold medal too for his program (electrical engineering). I could not be more proud of him.

 I should be working right now... but I'm not. Instead, I chose to do some photo editing for the school's ultimate frisbee team because, surprisingly, I already miss them.

I coach ultimate frisbee at the school I teach at. High school ultimate runs through the month of May. Every Tuesday and Thursday there is a game. I also run practices Tuesday and Thursday at lunch. There was also an all-day indoor tournament on Mother's Day and then an all weekend tournament this past weekend. I know I shouldn't complain. It's only one month, unlike sports such as volleyball or basketball, or even worse, hockey. This was the first time, however, that I coached entirely by myself. It got a little rough and tiring and sometimes kind of frustrating because I had nobody to share thoughts, concerns, and laughs this time.

As tiring as it was, this was my favourite season by far. I got to actually make line decisions (like sometimes I just didn't go with equal playing time). I also had more than just 4 people per practice this time (I'm always competing with beach volleyball - damn you, beach volleyball!) which meant I could actually go through plays and teach them stuff. I learned a lot, too, about drills, practices, and how they should be run.

The kids were pretty amazing. From where they were even at the beginning of the season to the end (so just three to four short weeks) they had grown and learned so much. I was super proud of them. Whether it was one student apologizing in advance for throwing a huck (and me not realizing it before it was too late) or laughing along with their inability to listen, I had a lot of fun.

I've heard that if you like your job 60% of the time, you are doing pretty good (i.e. don't change careers any time soon). I know that coaching these students made me absolutely love my job. Here's a picture (taken by our school's photography teacher) of me doing what I do.

Last year, my friend Kate (who coincidentally is my maid of honour) and I went to New York for the long weekend. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever. I just wish I had a better camera last year so that I could have captured everything. Ah well. One day I will return and will take a myriad of photos. Here are a few of my favourite ones...

(From top, left to right):

1. After an awful experience trying to just get to New York (missed flights, bad weather, etc), we had the most amazing evening. Kate bought us tickets to see Wicked (for which I will ALWAYS be grateful). It was so much fun. One of the best parts, however, was walking back to our hotel after the show. The whole area was just alive. I can't even describe the energy, but it was so much fun.

2. This was the picture on the last evening of our trip. We both bought those cheesy "I heart NY" shirts. We wore them on our last foray through Times Square.

3. We went on a bus tour through New York which was an adventure (crazy tour guides, stopping for another one... it was hilarious).

4. We went to this amazing Italian place right near our hotel. We ordered an amazing appetizer and two "Small" pizzas, thinking they would be two small pizzas. Apparently not; they were two medium-to-large sized pizzas. Why our waitress didn't give us the heads up, I will never know, but it was hilarious. I'm sure people were extremely puzzled when they saw these two relatively small (well, me relatively; Kate just small) girls eating this amount of food. The unfortunate thing was that we didn't have a fridge or a way to heat this stuff up, otherwise I would have taken it. My pizza was phenomenal.

5. Kate in Central Park with her New York pretzel. We were supposed to go to Coney Island that day but we just ended up in Central Park and then walking down to Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue. I will never regret that decision. I don't think it would have been a trip to New York without even a small foray into Central Park.  Good call on our part.

6. A crappy picture of the sign of our hotel, but I decided to include it. We somehow got a room for super reasonable at the Westin in Times Square. A block away from Times Square, it was amazing.

7. The view from Central Park. I could not believe that such a large, lush area could be in such a bustling, busy city but hey, there it was. There were kids and parents, baseball games, and carriage rides. It was a good time.

There are so many other experiences that I didn't include here but still mean so much to me. Like our first breakfast, the little bakery right near our hotel, the tour of NBC (and my ridiculous spending in the store), my morning New York Starbucks in Times Square, our trip to Kate Spade boutique... there are so many amazing parts to my trip that I loved and will never forget.  I can't wait until I go back!