Ritz Fresh Stacks = Genius.

Ta Da!!!!

Here's a glimpse into my classroom!  Fiiiiinally, finished...for now, at least.  Wes has been pouring his sweat and tears into the trails; this is where mine have gone...

A look from the doorway.

Looking back towards the door.

A view from my desk towards "computer central."  Five desktops in place and three laptops on their way!

Looking at "computer central" from the doorway.

"We love reading!" made it to Virginia! :) The reading table was setup for Open House today.

Dot carpet - genius.

Calendar math setup to the right, writing and supply center to the left, daily schedule in the middle.

That's right folks - a SMARTBOARD!!!!!  I'm told that having the projector mounted to the ceiling is a luxury.  I am just happy not to ever have to pull down a projector screen again, or drag the Elmo cart out into the middle of the room, attempting to perfectly position it so that everyone can see and kids can't stick their freaking hands in front of the projection. *sigh*

What could be better than a dot carpet and a Smartboard?  A FREAKING COLOR PRINTER (that actually works) DIRECTLY NEXT TO MY DESK!  I almost hugged the Tech. woman when she told me that the grade level color printer would be housed in my room.  And then she told me that there's a room filled with ink if we ever run out...are you kidding me??  Extra ink right at the school?!  I'm in teacher heaven.

FYI, my room is a converted computer lab.  Here's a look at a couple of the before pics.  

I think they call it Yogging or maybe its jogging.

One good thing has come out of having to beat the Sun up every morning and that is the morning run. This started because.. well lets be real, nothing is open at 6:00 AM in the city.... Not even Wegmans! Mark, if you are reading this, we are expecting some big changes regarding this, so thanks from both of us in advance... I digress, this picture was taken from the running trail that is stained with my sweat and honestly, more than sweat, my tears as the Sun started to poke its head over the horizon. Usually this place is littered with other runners who are fast enough to lap you on a trail that is not a closed circuit and the apparent breeding grounds of Lance Armstrong, but was lucky enough to be able to capture this peaceful shot. It is remarkable that trails like this surround the city. People walk their dogs on them, run, ride bikes, take family walks and you never once are reminded that you are literally a wall away from the city.  It truly has become quite therapeutic and something to look forward to after the long long long long long long long long and sometimes perilous fight (what some call a "drive") with crazy drivers, crazy police, crazy traffic jams, and crazy road usage curfews into the city. Serenity now

A Day in DC

We braved the outdoors and decided to take advantage of the beautiful day!  

Any successful day must begin with a Starbucks or two. :) 

Here's a glimpse underground at the metro system.  So clean and easy to navigate!  

Rest assured, our taxes will not wash away.

Pretzel break

US Botanic Gardens

Welcome!

Back in Arlington for some pizza!

Salad and Pizza combo!  The Arugula Pizza.  Sooooo good!

What's in a name?

One of the many positives of teaching in Northern Virginia is that I have had the chance to meet other teachers from all over the country.  Whether you're an educator yourself, or have one in the family, you know that with every teacher comes an abundance of stories.  So, in an effort to maintain a pulse during our orientation last week, we started to share some interesting student names we've experienced.  Here are just a few...

• La-a (pronounced Ladasha)
• Siblings:  Lord, Sir, Adonis and their older sister Michelle (poor Michelle)
• Jesus - however, instead of pronouncing it the Spanish way (Hay-zoos), the child preferred to actually be called Jesus, as in the heavenly lord above.  So, when the Principal would get on the announcements, she would have to say things like "...and the most cooperative award goes to Jesus!  Yay Jesus!" 
• Alpacino - just the child's first name.

Seriously parents??

It's Pure Pandamonium

Wegmans at 9pm on a Friday night before the dreaded Irene...

Luckily, we have our priorities straight...

Mattress shopping is as FUN as it looks!

We went mattress shopping the evening of the earthquake - we figured it was one of the safest places to be.  Here's what it looked like from our perspective:

No good.

I think we're getting warmer.  Or perhaps this is just the sign of a long day.

DING, DING DING!

The winner?  A Simmons Beautyrest Pillowtop.  A.K.A. The sleeping on a cloud mattress!