Relaxing Whirlwind Summer

As I write this on the eve of the first day of my new job, I am listening to Star94's 90's weekend (one of the top 5 reasons I am enjoying my time in ATL), drinking a glass of Trader Joe's wine, listening to Kate pound away as she hangs picture frames in her room and thinking about what a wonderful 3 month vacation I have been lucky enough to enjoy. There are two mindsets to take as a teacher in the summer: 1) work, work, work and essentially get paid double and make some spare cash or 2) relish in the luxury of vacation and convince yourself that since you are receiving a paycheck during the summer months, why work when you can do nothing?

Can you guess which option I choose? The latter, clearly...

While this mindset may not be the smartest decision from a fiscal standpoint, I am convinced it is the smartest decision for my emotional well being.

I have had a wonderful summer full of doing whatever I want. And you know what? I think that for all teachers, being a happy go lucky teacher for 9 months of the year deserves a 3 month vacay.

So now, as I nervously anticipate starting my brand new job tomorrow morning, I can't help but think about the fun that was this past summer. In addition to traveling to Vermont and Maine with my dad and Nancy, I got to spend time with co-workers from OCPS, have a giant yard sale, see old friends, meet new friends, travel to the beach, move to Atlanta, see Amy and Keith get hitched in Athens and welcome friends into our new apartment in Atlanta with a superbly fun housewarming party. How could I have possibly squeezed a side job into that mix of activities?

When I moved into our apartment, I was eager to come up with decorating ideas (again, the beauty of free time in the summer). I wanted to showcase the obsession that Kate and I have for pictures. I wanted our apartment to be colorful. I wanted it to feel homey. I wanted people to feel welcomed upon walking in the door. After spending countless hours on pinterest.com, I came up with some fun ideas.

First, the photograph obsession/friend obsession is very evident on our wall of pictures hanging above the TV. I started to think Kate and I were a little self-centered with all the pictures of ourselves. But you know what? Each picture contains an often hilarious memory that sparks conversation (and makes me wish I was 18 and headed off to college again).

Here is our picture wall:

After the picture wall, I found myself dying to find something to hang above the couch. Nancy helped me scour Craigslist for an old window frame. Well what do you know? A nice man (who I think might have been a hoarder trying to get rid of some of his hoarding items) was selling a window for $5!! I picked Kate's sisters up at the airport one day in early August and forced them along on a journey into the middle of nowhere ATL. After watching the Lifetime movie Craigslist Killer, I knew better than to go claim the window on my own.

Here is what the sad little window looked like when I picked it up:

And here is the finished product after a periwinkle paint job and going "Goodwill Hunting" for plates at Goodwill:

Needless to say, I am 100% obsessed with these projects. I have found myself just staring at the picture wall and the window wall on countless occasions.

I know I made the right decision in moving to ATL for a lot of reasons.

-I think I am about to be obsessed with my job (once I can get over my nervousness).

-I am living with one of my best friends.

-I love the location of our apartment (walkable to restaurants, coffee shop, bars, etc., etc.)

-And what I have deemed most important, is that I am close to my dad and Nancy. I don't think I realized how much I wanted to be able to live close to them. One major perk of this, aside from getting to see them, is that they came over to help us hang curtain rods, the window and Kate's infamous "W" shelf. The other major perk is that I get to enjoy the fruits of my dad's chef skills more frequently. Tonight, we had a healthy dinner followed by a not so healthy lemon soufflé dessert.

Look at how beautiful it was!!!

I am so thankful for my cozy, homey, comfy, welcoming apartment and the wonderful, motley crew of friends that filled it with fun this weekend.

Here's to starting a new job.....

Operation: Relaxation

This week, I spent 3 days in St. Simons, GA and 2 days in Jacksonville, FL while on vacation with Brittany and Christina. I think we would all agree that we enjoyed the true beach relaxation experience. We spent 5 days laying on the beach, swimming, eating, drinking and talking about every single subject under the sun. Being true girls. Honest to goodness none of us had a care in the world. I know we were fully relaxed because my biggest concerns were mildly hilarious and not actually concerning at all.

Christina started our vacation off with a happy face donut from Ike and Jane:

And here was my perfect view for 5 days:

And here...is a brief list of what "worried" me most while on my beach vacation:

1) Which useless magazine should I read? People, Vogue or Self? Answer: All.

2) Where should we place our umbrella and chair set-up so that the tide doesn't wash our things away? Answer: On dry sand. Some answers you have to learn the hard way.

3) Do I have on enough sunscreen? Answer: most likely, no.

4) What should I have to drink? Margarita, wine, beer or sangria? Answer: all.

5) Even after washing it, why can't I get the margarita taste out of my Tervis Tumbler? Answer: my Tervis Tumbler is telling me it would rather be filled with margs as opposed to ice water.

6) Should I order crab cakes, crab legs, shrimp or mahi-mahi at dinner? Answer: Order one each night.

7) Should I eat cheese dip, Brittany's bean dip or Rachel's spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer? Answer: Eat them all.

8) Which bathing suit should I wear? Answer: rotation...but ensure that no strap tan lines happen to prepare for Amy's wedding!

9) What book should I read after finishing the fairytale book about wanting to be a princess? Answer: still undecided, but strongly considering reading The Help before the movie comes out.

10) Cheese Puffs or Double Stuffed Oreos for a snack in the car? Answer: both.

And here are the wonderful friends that helped me have these less than worrisome worries for 5 days. We've already decided another version of this vacay will have to happen again.

The second half of Operation: Relaxation took place in Jacksonville, FL while we were visiting my dear friend Rachel. Rachel JUST moved into her new condo the day before we came to visit. Like always, she welcomed us with open arms and we had a great time. Rachel and Noah took us to a fun bar that was right on the beach. We decided that if this magical bar could be transplanted to landlocked areas (aka: Athens and/or Atlanta) it would do great business.

Rachel's new condo is absolutely beautiful. Here was the view from her porch:

Yes, she gets to live here! I L-O-V-E my new apartment in Atlanta, but I am seriously reconsidering where I need to live on a day to day basis.

A funny part about our visit with Rachel was the MASSIVE construction project taking place on the beach below us. Personally, I felt like a 5 year old little boy because I was enamored with the bulldozers, claws and pipes. We couldn't go on the beach Saturday morning because they were busy "dredging" (aka: getting sand from a mile offshore in the ocean, digging a giant hole on the beach, connecting giant pipes to shoot the sand into the hole and then filling in the hole). Saturday afternoon they opened up the beach, but there were still large pieces of construction equipment moving around even larger pipes. If you look closely in the picture, you can see the bulldozer behind Rachel. Nonetheless, the construction provided additional entertainment for our trip.

I can honestly say that I am still in 100% relaxation mode and I hope to continue this mode for my remaining 2 weeks of summertime. I am so thankful for wonderful friends to travel with and to visit. I am so excited to finally officially embark on my new adventure of living with Kate (now that she is finally moved in) in Atlanta. Apparently, she and Dennis have already started making new friends, so I think it's going to be a great year.

Here's to living everyday like it's summertime....

Camp

My Dad, Nancy and I just got back from our annual trip/trek to Vermont. A lot of years ago (I have no clue how many years, can you tell?), my grandparents had the foresight to buy a camp on Lake Champlain in Vermont. When you say "camp" to people in the south, they usually assume that it is an overnight camp for kids. Legitimate assumption, but a camp on the lake in Vermont would be what people in GA call a cabin. And I use the term cabin verrrry loosely because our camp is a (little) more rustic than a cabin on one of GA's lakes. The camp is equally owned by my dad and his four siblings, making it our common spot in VT to spend time with family.

And here it is:

There is just something special about pulling down the gravel road and walking up the dirt path to camp. Maybe it is the fact that our Atlanta family is only able to make it up to camp once a year. Despite the fact that it always rains when we are there, every year I always find myself looking forward to our trek (19.5 hours in the car) to camp. Camp is unique in many ways. One way is that there is ALWAYS a plethora of projects to be completed. Our family that lives in Vermont does so, so, so much to keep the camp up and running. When we go to visit, we try to do as much "patchwork" as we can in the short week that we are there. This year, we painted the porch, scrubbed the deck, repainted a sign and spray painted rocking chairs. This is all so minor in comparison to what the VT family does, but we do what we can!

Some of my favorite memories of camp are contained within all of those projects. Before I was even thought of, my parents painted the entire exterior of the camp a lovely army green color that still exists today. Talk about a big project. My mom used to refer to our family as "The Atlanta Painting Crew" because we always seem to find ourselves painting something when we are at camp. The year Melissa came with us, we painted the deck. The year Anna came with us, we painted the kitchen.

When there aren't projects being done, there are certainly a lot of other things to do (except of course, when it rains). A trip to camp isn't complete without a walk around the point. We always like to go on these walks to check out all of the other camps in the area. After a yummy dinner in your tummy, dusk falling and mosquitos entering attack mode, there is just something special about walking around the point as nighttime creeps in.

I snagged this picture this summer on a walk towards the end of the point:

There is also a lot of time to spend out on the water....weather permitting, of course, which always seems to be our issue. We are VERY grateful for family that let us use their boats with them :)

This picture if from a Fourth of July fireworks trip a LONG time ago. I think this was the night I dropped Allison's cell phone in the water and ended up getting in the water in my clothes to retrieve the submerged phone.

The magic cell phone revived itself after 3 days in front of a hair dryer.

Learned how to ski on one ski in VT...

In addition to walks and time on the water, there is always lots of time spent sitting on the deck or on the porch telling (or listening, in my case) to hilarious and ridiculous stories. If you've ever spent time around my dad or any of his 4 siblings, you know that there are hilarious, make your belly-ache from laughing so hard, stories about the days of them growing up.

My grandparents were smart in thinking that it would be great to have a place people WANT to go visit. Camp has the power of bringing a family spread out all over the country together to one place. If it weren't for camp, I know Nancy and I would not have been able to spend as much time with our extended family as we have been able to. One memory that sticks out in my mind is sitting on the porch with Gramps. At sunset, he would take bets on who could get closest to guessing the exact time the sun would fully disappear behind the New York mountains.

And here is that perfect sunset (that earned Gramps lots of $$, I'm sure):

Living at camp in and of itself is a unique experience. The drinking water became drinkable just a few years ago. Before that, it was off to the spicket in town to fill up jugs of water. Showering and sleeping at camp also prove to be unique experiences. Showering consists of "water on, water off." As in, turn the water on, get yourself wet, turn the water off. Get soapy, turn the water on, rinse off, turn the water off. And sleeping....well.....once you choose your bed (rock bed, mosquito bed, old mosquito bed, bunk bed, back room, front room, etc., etc) make sure you have ear plugs and/or bug spray nearby. The old walls, lack of insulation and open/"airy" feel make it like one giant slumber party with your closest family members. So, keep those ear plugs handy. When I was little I vividly remember sleeping in the back room and screaming, "DADDYYY!!! There's a biwdy (I couldn't pronounce my R's- should have been 'birdie') in my room!!!!" Only recently did I learn that it wasn't a bird. It was a bat. If you are willing to sleep and shower at camp you have to be at least slightly prepared to rough it for a few days.

I know our entire family is thankful that my grandparents bought camp. Yes, it is often more than a struggle to maintain. Yes, every year when the snow melts we wonder if it is still standing. But what a wonderfully unique place filled with loads and loads of family memories and beautiful sunsets that none of us forget.

Thanks Gram and Gramps, for another adventurous week at camp :)

Love,

A

Change is good, right?

Hi Everyone,

Long time, huh? I like to tell myself I had major life events getting in the way of blogging, but let's be real...I was slacking. I have so much to catch you up on that I don't even know where to start. First things first. In early April, Melissa and I traveled to San Francisco for my spring break. What an amazing city. I'm not sure if it was when we were biking across the golden gate bridge on the most beautiful day (on a tandem bicycle), or if it was navigating our way through the Castro to find dinner, or if it was watching Melissa beat some middle aged male New Yorkers in golf at Pebble Beach, or if it was enjoying fine dining in the ritzy town of Carmel, or if it was driving down highway 1 with the windows open and music blaring, that I realized that being in California feels like being in another country. Kind of like going to New Orleans. It is just so fun and so far from what my day to day life is like that I felt like I was in a whirlwind adventure.

When I returned from California, it was time to close out the school year while applying for jobs like a mad woman. Time to finish IEP season, get kids ready for "big" Pre-K and send some others off to Kindergarten. It was time to pack up my room and give "my babies" one last goodbye. I have been with some of these kids for 3 years (their whole time in school). I anticipated that saying goodbye would be hard, but I didn't think I would lose it quite as much as I did. People kept telling me that "I was crying because I cared so much." While I think this is true, I also think I was being selfish. I can't imagine my life without these kids in it. My question is....does this get better over time? Or am I going to boo-hoo like a 2 year old every time I have to say goodbye to a group of kids? I am going to account the major transitional phase that is about to occur in my life as a large part of why I sobbed saying goodbye (only to have my kids look at me funny and not want to hug me....).

But no goodbyes until I participated in (and lost) a relay race:

I am so, so, so, so beyond grateful for my wonderful experiences at OCPS. Not only did I learn SO much, but I worked with the most amazing people. Thank goodness for facebook so that I can stay up to date (ahem...stalk) their lives.

The next major steps were finding a job and a place to live. It is too complicated to get into the logistics, but in the end, after 3 rounds of interviews and 1 model lesson, I got the job I've been wanting for quite some time now. I will be a special ed. preschool teacher at The Atlanta Speech School. I am diving into a whole new realm and I am verrrry excited. I start pre-planning August 15 (begin: longest summer ever) and the kids come August 24. On top of the job, another great thing happened. My dear friend from college Kate got a new job with Teach For America. After a day of apartment hunting we found what we think is the perfect apartment in Inman Park. It is ten minutes from my job and ten minutes from Kate's TFA offices.

Perfect? Yes.

It's moments like this when I feel like my mom is pulling every string she can up there. I'm not a person who just has things "work out" for them. But in this instance, things just worked (knock on wood...we haven't moved in yet). And while I know she was pulling strings in every direction, it was the moment I got my job that was indescribably bittersweet. I couldn't call the one person I wanted to tell the most. I had happiness mixed with the realization that when big things happen the rest of my life, all I can do is look up, blow my mom a kiss and say thank you. Now, onto more life changes. As of this past Wednesday....my dad officially sold Mike's Chicago Hot Dogs. He sold it to a former employee who knows the ropes and will hopefully be very successful. I am anxious (literally) to see what is in store next for my dad. I know he will figure out something perfect for him. We all knew that it was time to close the door on the hot diggity dog business, so that is one huge burden taken away. We were all extremely shocked at how quickly Mike's sold. Who would have thought that in the drastically crappy economy people would want to own a hot dog restaurant. Again....Queen pulling strings? Yes.

I think it's safe to say my new roomie and I will have plenty of pics to decorate our apartment:

We leave this Thursday to go to Vermont and Maine for 2 weeks. First stop is Vermont for a cousin's wedding and the next stop is Maine for fun. We got Nancy a whale watching trip (apparently she loves whales...news to me) for her birthday, so send good vibes for whale sightings. I think it would be a major letdown to go on a whale watching trip and not see a whale.

After our New England travels, it's back to Athens to pack up and move to Atlanta. My Aunt referred to this as "The Great Transition." I think it is fitting and I think I'm ready.

New job. New city (kind of). New apartment. Ready, set, go.

Shortly after I get back, it will also be time to celebrate Amy's Wedding!! Quite the epic reunion will ensue (I'm sure of it) in Athens so I know everyone will have a blast celebrating Amy and Keith.

Phew. I hope you all feel slightly caught up on my daily whereabouts. Not that you were really that interested anyways....

This was pretty dull, but there was just so much to say. I hope this finds you all safe and happy.

Love,

A

Now or Never

Well, here goes nothing. Writing on this blog means really facing the inevitable. Facing the fact that I am 24 years old and my mom just died. Ugh. I hate even reading that sentence. It just doesn't seem like a reality. You may call be pessimistic, but it really sucks and there is nothing any single person can do to make the pain go away.

That being said...here I am 3 weeks later trying to "make the best of what's around" (as my good friend Dave Matthews would say). Trying to live every single minute of my day as my mom would want me to. Trying to stay busy so that I don't have to face reality. Trying to call a wide array of people on my way home from school only to avoid facing the fact that I can't talk to the one person I always talked to on my way home from school. Trying to continue to fundraise money to fight that nasty son of a bitch called breast cancer. Trying to put a happy face on during the day (luckily I teach preschoolers and most of the time they help me with that one).

Trying, trying, trying.

Each and every single one of us is trying to move forward. No, we can't move on. We will never move on. But The Queen would want us to move forward with our lives. And that is what we will all try our best to do. But only because that is what The Queen would want.

I feel like in the past month and a half I have aged 30 years. I wish I didn't have to say that, but it's true. After having some long chats with friends who have also lost their precious moms, I realized they had the same "aged" aura about them as well. It's an unfortunate aura that I wish I didn't have to share with them and I wish I could take it away from all of us. But I can't. And now we are all stronger, wiser and learning more than we ever wanted to learn this early in life. It's as if the minuscule things don't matter anymore. Aside from the fact that now I don't fret if I haven't made my lunch or picked out my clothes the night before school (sounds minor...but if you know me, this is a big deal)....there are bigger things.

Nothing else matters except that I live each day as my mom would want me to.

Nothing. Else. Matters.

Lucky for me....my mom was a kick ass kinda woman. That being said, I am trying to live my life in a kick ass kind of way. Do everything to the best of your ability, treat others as you would want to be treated and laugh your way through each day (even through all of the seemingly miserable situations).

For example...if you have no hair due to chemo and someone sends you a silly hat with pretend hair...LAUGH. If you can't at least make yourself laugh....then you are in trouble.

My mom clearly had no problem helping all of us keep a lighthearted attitude:

If my dad, Nancy and I can live by all the motto's of my mom, I think we'll be ok. Actually, I know we'll be ok because my mom had confidence in us and she prepared us to be able to handle this new sense of normal (that isn't so normal at all).

All Hail The Queen ;)

Love,

Abby

Hold me Accountable!

Well, I am writing this post to hold myself accountable. For 10 years now, I have had this thought in the back of my head that one day, I would do the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk. Rewind 10 years ago to my 9th grade Math Class. I have a distinct memory of my 9th grade math teacher, Ms. Powers, coming back after taking a few days off for a long weekend. She came back on Tuesday and told us to be extra nice to her that day because she walked 60 miles in the 3-Day Walk. I don't have a good memory, but for some reason I clearly remember thinking, "wow, that's amazing and one day I'm going to do that." Well, first I was too young, then I had no money to give, and now, here I am with no excuses. I am old enough. I have a job. I am going to do this walk. I am writing this down so that all of my loyal readers will hold me accountable.

That story sounds all good and sweet, but the real reason I want to do this walk is because of the most important person in my life. My mom. My mom has always been my hero, I just didn't realize it until I came to my senses/grew-up. And by coming to my senses I mean that I realized she was my hero once I got over the trauma and embarrassment she caused me every step of the way while I was growing up. Only now do I realize that the light-up musical Christmas sweaters, sequined Holly leaf shoes, fanny packs (yes...they are practical), and fake eyelashes at Halloween really showed my moms true colors (literally). She definitely came into my 5th grade class with those fake eyelashes and mouthed "I love you" to me across the room. At the time, I thought I was going to have to join a new family. Now, I can laugh at it and realize that my mom is my hero. My mom is more of a fighter than any boxer, wrestler, kung-fu, or karate chopper out there. She is fighting the worst of the worst.

She is fighting *%$%&*$#%^&* cancer.

(side note: In our family, all cursing, swearing, and expletives are allowed and welcomed when discussing cancer.)

Ok, back to my madre. My mom is punching this $%^&^^%$% cancer in the butt. She has been dealt some pretty shitty cards and she is playing her hand better than the best poker player in the world. She is in the process of receiving chemotherapy and radiation. This is her second go-round with the lovely, exhausting, hair-stealing thief called chemo. And it's her (what seems like) umpteenth time going through radiation. And you want to know what is most amazing? She still teaches her second grade class. As a teacher, I am 100% physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of almost everyday. But, my mom is superwoman and she does a Teacher of the Year worthy job while tackling %^**&%^ cancer. Not only is she a teacher, but she is a phenomenal mother, wonderful wife, great friend, annnnnndddd she still manages to take care of the financial side of the most elite hot dog restaurant in the world, Mike's Chicago Hot Dogs.

My mom is a wonderful friend, and in turn, she has some of the most amazing friends in the world. Friends who drop by just to check in, friends who volunteer in her class just to help, friends who sit through chemo appointments, friends who bring dinner, and friends who let her rant about %%&**^% cancer. Thank you from the bottom of MY heart to all of her amazing friends.

Ok, I think I've gotten side tracked by telling you how awesome my mom is. Back to that 3-Day walk. I want to do this walk for my mom. I think one of the harder things for the family members of people with %^&*&^% cancer is that you want to take away all their pain, fear, and hardships. But you can't. You're left on the sidelines feeling worthless (mother- I'm emotionally fine and I do not feel worthless). In my case...I drive my mom crazy by overprotecting. When I am with her I become "Nurse Abby" and at any sign of a strange sneeze or cough, we might as well be calling 911 if I'm around. Not exactly the best way of handling things, but I tell my mom all the time that she would do the same thing. So, in order for me to feel like I'm doing something, I think the 3-day walk could be a more positive way for me to channel my need to fix things/be in control. Am I going to fix it? No. Am I going to still be the overprotective Nurse Abby when I'm around? Yes.

I think this walk will be something to look forward to and a productive way for me to channel the overbearing Nurse Abby inside of me.

And if you're still reading....Here's the catch....I need walking friends! Old, young, men, women....join me on this adventure to support my mom in her trek to fight %^&* cancer. I will tell you up front that you have to raise $2,300 to participate. So if you don't think that's feasible, obviously I will still be your friend. We're only in the worst economic crisis we've ever had, right? But come October 21-23, 2011 I'd love to see your face cheering me along the route in Atlanta. Want to help me even more? Awesome! Click here and help donate to my personal fundraising page. Thank you in advance :)

Annnnd if you join me we get to stay in fun pink tents like these:

If my mom can tackle all the obstacles that have been thrown her way, I can walk 60 miles in 3 days and raise $2,300. People tell me I am becoming more and more like my mom, and let me tell you...I couldn't be more excited.

Love you, madre :)

-Abbs

Long Time

Well, it's been a long time since I actually posted something on here...mainly because my life is generally pretty boring with nothing too exciting to type to the 3 people reading this. But, Sally called me out on not updating, so here I am.

Grown-up life has been crazy the past couple of months. Kate got married and her wedding was beautiful and so, so fun.

Hard to believe one big girl got married ANDDD the other one got engaged! Anna and Will get married April 2 and I'm also super excited for that event. Their wedding will be epic in the sense that they share all of the same friends from high school, so it will be a giant reunion of sorts. Craziness will ensue, I'm sure.

Obligatory Throwback Pic:

It seems like in the past couple of months a lot of people have returned to Athens to visit. I wonder how many people would come back to visit if the Dawgs were actually good. I love visitors for multiple reasons. First, there's the obvious having fun and hanging out factor. It's so fun to have everyone back in the city where we spent our "glory days." Next, I love having visitors because it typically equals a Sunday Brunch opportunity. Mama's Boy is cropping up on my bank statement quite frequently these days. We branched out this past weekend and had Last Resort Brunch and it was beyond delicious. Solari and I had 1 and 1/2 breakfasts and it was a fabulous decision. And finally (people make fun of me for this, but it's true), I love having visitors because I love having spend the night parties like old times (Kotsko, you fail on this one because you never spend the night at my house). I also have an absurd amount of towels that I've collected over the years (way too many for just myself, but I can't throw away a good towel), so when I have visitors in town it gives me a huge sense of accomplishment to be able to provide everyone with towels.

Our house is decorated for the holidays complete with stockings for Davis and Colby. Despite the fact that I won't be in Athens for Christmas, I feel very strongly that my house needs to have a real Christmas tree. I'm all about Frasier Fir Christmas Trees. This is probably because that is the type of tree I grew up with...but clearly they are the best tree. Strong scent, sturdy branches for ornaments...no contest against the Douglas Fir. If you feel led to visit Athens in the month of December, just drive towards the Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation looking house. Our front porch is a colorful wonderland.

Happy Holidays to my 3 fabulous readers!

Love,

A