Home again home again

Tonight I am flying back to Germany and I can't wait to see Mr. Sneaker and my friend Jilly! Hopefully I will sleep through most of the flight so it will go by quickly. This will be my first time ever flying alone internationally and I am not super pumped about it, but at least I have weighed my bags in advance this time and they seem to be okay. My larger bag is pretty close to 50 pounds but according to the scale here it is slightly under.

I have had the most wonderful visit with my bff but it will be nice to be home again because I have been traveling and living out of a suitcase for 2.5 weeks now!

pics with Mom and Dad at home in CT


Hopefully some teachery posts will resume this week!

Deal

Yesterday my bff and I went shopping at the outlets in Leesburg, VA. 

I found this adorable cherry red baby at Coach.


50% off

plus an additional 20% from the coupon that was given to me when I walked in

It looks huge in this picture, but it's a regular sized purse not a tote bag. 
LOVE IT!

and what a deal!

We are off to a wedding today ( friends of my bff and her hubs) then we are going to

chill & relax

PS Happy wedding day to Kelly!

D.C with my BFF!

Tonight I said goodbye to Mom and Dad and flew to Washington D.C. to stay with my best friend until Sunday. We met at Villanova when we were placed together as roommates freshman year. We became super close, did everything together, and ended up living together all four years in college. Although we live far apart now, we try to skype every Sunday and we are still bff's! I am so excited to spend the next few days with her!

I mentioned in another post how much shopping I have been doing and my bag ended up being 9 pounds overweight. I did not want to pay the $100 fee nor did I want to ditch things at the airport, so I was thanking my lucky stars for the ginormous purse my mother in law got me for my birthday. I was able to remove a few key items from my luggage that was going to get checked and thankfully they fit inside my purse and the carry on bag I had with me. I also took my sneakers out and put them on and put my sandals in my purse. I absolutely love traveling with Mr. Sneaker because he has status on United which gets us some additional baggage weight allowance in addition to some other perks. I am not such a fan of traveling by myself with megga luggage, but at this point I just have one leg of the trip left to do alone. While I was waiting for boarding time I caught up on my Instructor magazines, so the plan is to do some good 'ol teacher posts once I return to Germany. I was still trying to lighten my load so I ripped out several pages that had interesting stuff I wanted to remember and chucked the rest of the magazines at the airport.

The flight from NY to DC is only about an hour (maybe less) so it was quite enjoyable. The plane was very small since it's just a hopper, but the flight went by so fast compared to the 11 hour flight from Germany. I listened to some old mixes on my iPod including a mix of songs that were played at my wedding. It amazes me how songs can be so incredibly linked to memories and emotions. I was totally tearing up listening to our first dance song and picturing our wedding day. I started thinking about how my husband and I will be apart while I am in Portland this school year and I know I will miss him so much. I have to leave 3 days before our third wedding anniversary so listening to our song was happy and sad at the same time. When I got to the song I dance to with my dad I could only listen to the first verse because I was getting really choked up! I felt like a total weirdo so I had to switch to some more upbeat musical stylings!

Although I have spent a good part of the past week shopping with my mama, my best friend and I have some more in store! We are going to the outlets tomorrow and I am excited! I can't buy too much due to my already heavy baggage, but I did have a few things in my bag that were gifts for her so I figure I have a few spare pounds!?


I am so disappointed in my lack of pictures from my trip so far, but I did get a few when I was messing around with my photobooth.

two of my mom's siamese babies (she has four!)
I think these two are Phoebe and Oliver but it's hard to tell since the picture isn't great.

Picture from the wedding we attended on Saturday
 
When we got to the hotel I realized that my camera battery had died and I left the charger at home. Bummer! I always like to get pictures when we are all dressed up, but luckily someone else got a shot of us and she emailed it to me.

We also took a few pics with my mom's camera right before I left thank goodness!

It is so late and I need to get to bed, but I also want to share that I got a $25 giftcard from Donorschoose in the mail for my birthday. If any of you currently have unfulfilled project proposals  (or know of someone else who has one) please send me the link since the giftcard allows me to donate that amount to a project of my choice!


Head of the Class

Last night my mom and I watched the movie Front of the Class which she recorded ages ago. It was based on a true story and the book with the same title. Her friend recommended it to me since it's about a teacher and my thoughtful mom recorded it and saved it all these months until I was home to watch it with her.


The story is about a teacher who has Tourette's Syndrome and his journey to overcome obstacles he faced because of his disability in order to obtain a teaching job. I really liked this film and thought it did a very good job shedding light on what Tourette's Syndrome is, showing a positive role model of someone who does not let his disability "win," and also highlighting how accepting children can be if they are educated about something. Throughout the film, the main character Brad  was always open and honest about his disability and welcomed questions from his interviewers and his students. Both my mom and I cried during the film, so if you can track it down or read the book bring your tissues! It is based on a true story and it's definitely a story of perseverance worth knowing.

If I didn't make you interested, here is some more info from the national tourette sydnrome association:

Front of the Class (published in September 2005) is an inspiring
true story of incredible challenges and unwavering determination.
As a child with Tourette Syndrome, Brad was beaten, mocked
and shunned. Some thought he was possessed by the devil.
Others, including members of his own family, refused to be seen
with him in public. As an adult, Brad overcame all odds to become
an award-winning teacher of the year for the state of Georgia.

Brad is an inspiration in overcoming life’s challenges. Nothing, not even Tourette Syndrome, stops him from pursuing—and achieving—his goals.

I have also seen Toy Story 3 (LOVED it and definitely bring your tissues), Eclipse, and When in Rome. Now that Mom and Dad have hit the sack, I am tuning into the Bachelorette. I caught the end of Chris Harrison's interview with Jake and Vienna about their breakup and it was intense! Did you see it?? Jake definitely seemed like a very different person and not in a good way. I was never a huge fan of Vienna, yet she seemed truly hurt and upset by his actions and he seemed cold and cruel! I didn't really think their relationship would last, but it's crazy that they are having such a nasty breakup and that they would agree to do an interview and then fight on screen! 

Shopping!

My mom and I had a very full day shopping at the outlets and it was so much fun! I have obtained lots of new shoes since being in the US and I absolutely love getting some new items and putting together some back to school outfits! My mom and I don't get to shop together that often so when we do we go all out and have lots of fun. We found some really good sales and got some excellent deals!

I always wear flats when I teach and lately I have been finding SO many cute options!!
which ones are you fav?


(obviously this needs a good iron!)

I always start the school year thinking I will dress a lot fancier than I end up dressing once the novelty of the new year/new class wears off...I would love to wear dresses and skirts all the time but usually pants end up being more practical for the criss cross applesauce stuff.The weather has been so hot lately though so dresses and skirts are a big part of my summer wardrobe because they are more comfortable (for me) than shorts. 

I am not a super fan of shorts. 

I also got this very cute bag from J.Crew to use when I go workout. I always tote along water, a towel, my ipod, and a book, so I thought this would make the perfect gym bag!

On Thursday I am going to VA to visit my best friend who was my roommate all four years of college. We are also shopping buddies, so I look forward to hanging out with her and frequenting some different malls. I barely shop at all in Germany so it's fun to do it while I am visiting here.

Party in the USA



In honor of the USA I am dedicating this post to what I am loving about being back in the states right now 
(warning....there is no depth to this post...it's all superficial and fun)!

Mexican food!

big showers

Starbucks (we have it in Europe too, but I am still lovin' it!)

malls

Whole Foods

Trader Joe's

DSW

Diet Coke (not Cola Light)

mom's cooking :0)

TARGET woot woot! 

turning right on red
friendly customer service

pedicures
our new iPad

being with family


 What do you love about your country???