Pesto, Peaks, Petals, and Planning

Yesterday I woke up early to take a hike with my friend Ellen in Golden, Colorado. I am trying to find productive ways to spend my time while most of my friends are starting work and DJ is in orientation all day. In short, I've been hiking, cooking, finding Colorado wildflowers, and slowly planning my first few weeks.

 We've also been sampling the local Colorado beers such as O'Dell Brewing Co. St. Lupulin (Loop-you-lin) is a particular new favorite of mine.

 I ventured to a nearby used bookstore and picked up a few books to use in my classroom.

 Mmmm pesto pizza. I've been trying out a few recipes from Fresh From the Farmer's Market and Super Natural Every Day. It helps that we have a whole foods just blocks away!

 I've also been indulging in the local flower markets. Gladiolas are one of my favorite flowers, I prefer them to roses.

 This is the view from Windy Saddle Park on the Chimney Gulch trail. Beautiful views of the Rockies and Denver.

 Even though morning glories like this are technically an invasive weed, they're still pretty cute.

 On our hike we found a bunch of these giant thistles, so did the bumblers!

 View from the top of Lookout Mountain trail.

Morning Glory

Prickly Poppy

Gum Weed

Dotted Blazing Star; Dotted Gayfeather

The end of waiting

I've gotten so used to the waiting;  the countdown calendars and just "a few more days" became my normalcy. Now, I am sitting in my, or rather, our apartment wondering what to do when the waiting is over. What a strange feeling to finally have what you want after nearly 4 years of waiting. Now we have this whole life in Denver, Colorado of all places. We will both be teaching and figuring out how to be adults, you'd think the latter would come before the former.

Here are a few pictures from the last two weeks. We took an amazing wildflower hike in Boulder to see the sweat peas and prickly pears in bloom. We have also been making delicious, but over garlicy hummus weekly!

A Teacher's Summer

After surviving TFA Phoenix Institute, you'd think I could sit back and relax. However, in reality I thrived on the constant buzz of lesson plan due dates, OSAT tracker edits, and thinking of my kids constantly. Now I spend this lazy Saturday in bed, as I watch  a year spread out before me. A year full of new students, hundreds of lesson plans, a challenging role as advisor, and the sobering realization that these students cannot succeed without teachers willing to sacrifice everything for them. The year is unfolding before my eyes with hundreds of items on my "to do" list, but where to begin?

In 30 days, I will be teaching 11th and 12th graders English at an Early College/Big Picture High School just north of Denver. The school is a hybrid that supports students in community college classes, while simultaneously preparing them for the real world through the authentic Big Picture model. My staff is incredibly enthusiastic and my principal is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. Yet, how am I going to stand up in front of a class in a month and teach them about Frankenstein or how to analyze a poem? Passing the English Praxis does not qualify me as a literary expert, yet I need to earn my students' trust and help them to enjoy reading.

It is going to be a challenging year, but I know it is worth it. On a side note, here is a picture of our bedroom in Denver...9 windows!