We're Still Here

I haven't posted in awhile. Mainly we are doing the same old stuff around here. I have hit a bit of a wall, honestly. We have entered what I like to refer to as the Virginia summer. It is hot. I was very content walking around my neighborhood multiple times a day exploring trails, looking for rocks, checking in on flamingos, but now it feels like we walking around in Satan's oven. The pool also officially closed for the entire season. I'm glad I bought that insurance policy of a pool back in my pandemic panic days. I also invested in water shoes for Quinn earlier this week so she can splash around in the creek. She's super happy about this. She also caught a turtle and was so thrilled for herself. I'm seeking any ideas of things to do with a 4.5 year old to change things up around here - seriously give me something friends! In other news - I cut the grass for the first time in my life today!

Flamingos at the Drive-In 

Flamingo in rain gear

Quinn loves to visit our neighbors and talk their ears off everyday.

Part of our daily walk now includes finding empty playgrounds (we live in walking distance of many playgrounds) and just play a few minutes on each one until people come. I'm glad my child still has gross motor skills after having to put practicing those on hold for 4 months.

COVID Summer

It's been an exciting week around here. I'm officially done with school which is a moderate relief, but I have quite a list of to do's to prep for next year. I decided that I'm taking a few days off from thinking about that.

Quinn has recently started placing phone calls mostly to me or my mom. She taught herself this and sometimes I don't even know it's happening until I hear her talking to people. 

Monday I got a very fun end of the year surprise when my friends and coworkers stormed my street with a car parade. I was so happy to see everyone and wish we could have hung out. I am going to miss my people so much. We also had a fire Monday night...both Monday and Tuesday were perfect weather here in the mid 70s and cool in the evenings. So much better than hot and humid Virginia summer.

Tuesday we were up and at the newly reopened playground before 9:00 to try to get there and have some time before anyone else came. It was short lived, but still fun. While organizing our bathroom vanity that afternoon I busted out the hot rollers and put them in Quinn's hair. She thought it was so fun. We then drove a bus route, in her newly styled hair, delivering signs to the front yards of my 5th grade students.

Today was a weird rainy day (in the 60s) but we still got a walk in, did some math, played in the garage, played Uno and Sorry!, and found the missing remote so that we could turn on Disney+ this evening to watch the Bears version of the nature movies. These movies really show you how brutal nature is man.

Burnished Clay

The best we can hope for...

I'm going to keep this short. I decided I needed to paint my living room and dining area this weekend. Matt warned me he would not be helping, but that I could do whatever I wanted. I took his challenge. I did it, but I spent the entirety of the weekend climbing up and down a ladder or walking miles around the neighborhood. The only other news I have to share is that we had our first meal out (as in we got takeout) in FOUR MONTHS. I am not exaggerating. The last time we went out to eat was February 18th...I made Matt check credit card statements to verify this. Of course we had Katerina's! I don't even have good pictures to share. My hands hurt. Tomorrow begins my summer break!

Wanted to climb the ladder ever 5 minutes

Also got some fun mail

The flamingos are at the pool.

The Ending of the Beginning

Today was the finale. I cried my way through the entirety of a staff meeting yesterday, and today I finished my packing, turned in my keys, my computer, etc. It's some weird times people. The day was capped off by celebrating our fifth grade class. Typically we do a formal ceremony, but today we had a car parade and it was about 500 times more fun - even though it was 95 and humid. It could have only been more perfect if the DJ played the graduation song they sing every year - The Ending of the Beginning. I have stated multiple times in the past few weeks how much I will truly miss my colleagues, my students, and the community, so I am keeping it short today with many pictures.

Weekend Twelve

If there is anything this pandemic has been good for, it's our outdoor time and an exercise routine. Weekend twelve was mostly filled with those. Friday Matt worked at his office in DC, so Quinn had to tolerate me on two meetings, and she had her own Zoom dance class. Quinn cares very much about her wardrobe. I don't know how it got to be this intense, but she was really mad about having to wear that pink leotard (her fave black one was in the laundry). It was a very big issue in our day. Other than that we went out early for a walk before it got hot and then did some of Quinn's school work. We have been trying to keep on a bit of a schedule during the week, but we are chilling hard on the weekends.

Saturday was unbearably hot here. We walked on our closest trail for shade, but it was still rough. We also walked past the flamingoes on the way home. They work for Amazon now. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the pool/on the porch, and then our typical Saturday movie night. We watched African Cats on Disney+ (another Disneynature film). Quinn is super into the concept of predators and prey. It's actually alarming how undisturbed she is watching the whole stalking, chase, and kill thing. Every time I worry she's going to get upset and every time she doesn't. Not sure what this means.

Note the other family pool partying in their driveway.

Today was a great balance of fun and productivity. We found a new trail that is just a half mile walk
from our house. It was so pretty. I can't believe we have never done it before. We saw a bunch of cascades, a fox, a baby deer that still has it's spots, and the typical fish, turtles and other wildlife. We finished up a game of Skip-Bo today too...it's a current fave and it's pretty addicting if you haven't tried it. We spent some time cleaning various things and I went into Home Depot to pick up some paint. I'm pretty certain this is the first store I have been in since April.

Note the hiking outfit. I don't even fight about it anymore. 

While I was cooking dinner I thought about how typically I would be excited and stressed about ending school this week. I am excited to see some kids this week as they drive through to pick up their belongings, and I am definitely stressed with no plan for what comes next. It is an ending to school that no one will forget for sure.

83 Days Later

I made my return to school today after 83 days. I got to see some of my people and it was so weird to not give everyone a hug. I wore a mask and had four hours. This wouldn't be that big of an issue if I was returning to the same school next year, but I'm leaving and I have what is the equivalent of an apartment's worth of things in my office. Thank goodness I made a massive purge last year or I would really be in trouble. I get a full day next week to finish, and I did make progress today, but I am still just totally overwhelmed. It's also sad to be packing and leaving under these circumstances. Once I got home I met with three 5th grade classes to wish them luck as they move on to middle school. My last days next week will be accompanied by student pick up so at least there will be celebrating as well. 

Student belongings

Down on the Boardwalk

Today is Wednesday, and I'm having a hard time remembering what Monday was like around here. I suppose we worked on math that day because it's the only picture I have from the day. I also worked Monday night so I could get a project done, because I wanted to take a little field trip Tuesday morning. We drove down to the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk. I had been wanting to visit here for awhile. I decided a trip in the middle of the week, on an overcast morning was probably the best time to go currently. The drive wasn't even that bad since the Northern Virginia traffic is minimal these days. For any of my local friends, I would highly recommend this adventure. This is a relatively new park with a boardwalk trail that was built over marsh and wetlands, so there is lots to look at. I think there are other trails that go off of it, but we only went a little way on one of them. We saw lots of wildlife too. It was a great morning.

Today was super hot. We got the pool out and I did some work on the porch...just trying to tie up loose ends for the end of the year, and trying to get things a little more orderly before I leave my current position. After lunch on the porch, I did join Quinn in the pool for a little bit. We are enjoying a movie night tonight - Born In China - on Disney+. The nature series is really good. Tomorrow should be no less than eventful as I return to school in the morning, and have three Zoom meetings with my 5th grade friends in the afternoon.