That time I became a carpenter.

When I move into a new place I go somewhat comakazi in the decorating department. I walk in and I see all of my “For the Home” Pinterest boards coming to life. Brandon sees trouble.

The first thing that I wanted to add to our humble abode was an entry table. I’ve never had one and they always look so endearing and welcoming. We scourged the isles of the furniture monstrosity also known as Ikea, which is an adventure in itself. It left us tableless so we traipsed through Target, frolicked through Furniture Row, and hustled through Hobby Lobby. To no avail a cute entry table was not to be found. I had a pretty specific area it needed to fill, and an idea in my head that it needed to live up to.

What I did tumble into was a website outlining how to build your own table, and that's exactly what I decided to do. You can visit said website here. She didn’t give specific instructions, so it made it a little tricky for me, especially since this was my first time ever building a table. Because I am feeling generous, and I’m downright proud of my accomplishment, I will give you some basic instructions and photos if you would also like to become a carpenter as well.

Happy building!

Supplies:

Wood Glue

Hammer

Nails

Sander

Stain

Paint

Paint brushes

Gloves

Tape Measurer

Cute little knobs (I got mine from Hobby Lobby)

The Wood:

Table Top: 1” (thickness) x36” (length) x17.5”(depth)

Legs: I bought 2 2x2’s and had the nice man at home depot cut them in 31” lengths

Front/back: 2 1x6 pieces cut 31.5" long

Sides: 2 1x6 boards cut 10" long

Bottom supports: 2 2x2’s cut 31.5” long and 2 more cut 10” long.

Bottom Slats: 5 1x6 boards 12” long

Drawers: 3 1x4 cut inch 8” lengths

1. Put the legs, sides, and back piece on top of the top piece. Make sure that when you glue them all together they touch. This was a little tricky. At first I glued then put the back piece in and it was waaay off. I had to gauge it all then glue again. I did measure it to make sure it was even all around. 

2. It needs to dry for about an hour before you can nail it in. While it's drying put together the front piece. 

3. Sand down the front piece and the drawers. Glue them on and let them dry. 

4. When everything is dry nail them all in. I included my handy husband in this part. He's a much better nailer :)

 You can see that we put two nails in each side. This helped make it extra sturdy. 

5. Now it's time to work on the bottom part. Glue the bottom 2x2 supports about 5 inches up from the ground. Like with the top part, make sure they are all nice and snug. You don't want any gaps in those. Let them dry for an hour or so.

6. Then nail those suckers in. 

7. Place the slats evenly on the 2x2 supports. Glue them, and once they're dry nail them in. When everything is nailed in give the table a good sand. Take off those rough edges and get it paint ready.

8. Stain away!

 I stained the entire table, but later realized this was totally unnecessary. 

 9. I chose to paint the entire table, except for the top, white. The paint was a little too shiny and thick for my tastes-but there was no way I was going to Home Depot again.

10. Let the paint dry, add the knobs, then wa-la! Let me present the table.

One of the reasons I wanted a table so bad was because we didn't have anywhere to keep our keys. They were scattered everywhere and it was driving me crazy. 

And there you have it folks, a homemade entry way table. It was the little adventure to build, and something exciting and different to try. And really, it wasn't too hard. Have fun becoming a carpenter.

Thoughts in a garage.

The other day I found myself in my new garage for an extended period of time. Not by choice, of course. The door turned phantom on me and locked me out—for real. Instead of doing practical stuff like organizing the garage (which is obviously a man’s job) I hopped in the Honda and felt terribly sorry for myself.

I did all the logical things to try and get myself back in, obviously. I strolled up the street and borrowed some complete strangers phone to call Brandon. I tried hoisting myself up onto our patio on the second floor, I even brought a ladder around and tried it. To no avail, I was locked out.

This same sort of thing happened right when we moved to Boise. I had gone on a run, locked the door on the inside, and took a new key copy with me that I had just made at Home Depot. When I got back I realized my new key didn’t work. That time I was at least stranded with my phone and shoes, and Brandon rescued me quickly after. This time I had my garage, all of its contents, and a car. No keys but a car. I am thinking it must be some sort of new house initiation process you must go through. Anyhow, I found some paper and a pen in the car and recorded my thoughts, because I am an English teacher by trade, and you can’t help but record these types of experiences. And also because when you have over two hours in a garage you have a lot of thoughts. Here you go:

1. The lady up the street must think that a total hippie has moved in. Lady I promise I do typically wear shoes, and I don’t always wear tie-dye. And there is usually not this much dirt under my nails I’ve just been busy planting a garden on my patio. (Maybe that doesn’t help my hippie case.) But, can I use your phone? My carrier pigeon is out delivering a message and hasn’t returned…

2.  Maybe I should pull down my clarinet and play a sprightly tune for our new neighbors. What better way to announce to the neighborhood that we’re new and that the fun has truly arrived? Besides, I’ve heard that clarinet jigs are all the rage these days.

3. Good thing my yarn tote has made it to Denver. Maybe I should crochet the nice lady up the street a beanie for her baby. I am sure that would solidify any previous impression she’s had of me thus far.

4. Is there actually someone in my house that turned the lock? I’ve never encountered a phantom door handle before. If so, I hope he/she unpacks the office. It’s an utter disaster.

5. Bladder control yourself.

6. Why did I leave my Harry Potter book playing? Faintly hearing Jim Dale's voice could possibly be the worst bit of this all. Jim, can’t you just speak up?

7. How long has this Twix bar been in here? It doesn’t taste right...

8. I hope Brandon enjoys the message I left on his voicemail, “Hello. Well, I am locked out. Don’t worry about calling back. But maybe it would be nice if you got off a touch early today. Okay, well I’ll be in the garage.”

And you can tell that I obviously got back in. Along with it I got this great story. But, now I feel like this really is home since I was able to survive the locked out initiation process. At least it’s not like find a big rat in your house initiation process. I consider myself pretty darn lucky :)

Have a fantastic Friday!

A big ol' Boise goodbye.

The last time I wrote something on here it was an ode to teachers and their dedication to the cause of choosing to make a difference in the lives of millions. I had just entered into my first year of teaching with gusto. Now, there are three days left. Seriously three day.

Just three days with the kiddos that have utterly consumed my life. When people ask me how I feel about the ordeal I am quick to say that I am pretty ecstatic that this school year has come to an end. I cannot wait to have a day, a weekend, even a few hours where I am not constantly worrying about school and about these young people. But I know in a few weeks I will sure be missing them, and I don’t think I will ever see them again. Which makes me sad.

And why won’t I ever see them again? Well, we are moving. We are closing the chapter of our time here in Boise. We have absolutely adored this town. Above everything we have adored the people we’ve met and the friendships we made. We feel so lucky to have known such incredible people here. We hope that those people feel so inclined to visit us in our new town, especially because we know virtually no one. (Just a public plea that our door is always open).

We are trekking over to Denver, Colorado; in fact Brandon is already there. It’s a somewhat bittersweet experience. On one hand we are pretty thrilled to be out of the college life. It was something to see Brandon walk across the stage as he received his Masters degree in Business Administration. He looked all official and just dang cute. Plus, he worked so incredibly hard.

But on the other hand we are really going to miss this place. Just yesterday I went on one of our favorite little hikes, and I left feeling pretty sad. That could be the last time I do it. In fact, whenever I do something I think, “This will probably be the last time I do this in Boise.” It’s quite a depressing thought, and I should probably stop.

These lasts are even making me see weeds in a different light. Never before have I taken so many weed pictures and thought, "Now, that is a breathtaking weed. I must capture it's breathtaking-ness." 

Even now I just finished my dinner picnic style, spreading everything out on my living room floor using a green camp blanket, since all of our stuff is already packed up. I ate foods that I know Brandon would not consider a dinner, but wishing the whole time he was here with me. I even would have thrown in some meat if it meant he could be here instead of there.

Extra points if you can guess what movie I am watching while enjoying this non-Brandon approved dinner.

I think this is all a part of growing up, which I knew would happen someday. We can’t always live in never ever land. And I don't mean to sound so morose, but I've just loved our life here, and I am a little afraid of change. Mostly afraid that things won't live up to these expectations I have. 

But, I am also all about grand adventures, and I think this one might be our grandest yet. Wish us luck with this new chapter, or season (I think season doesn’t sound so dramatic), of our lives. Oh and expect to be hearing from me much more, since I will have a touch more time on my hands ;)

Kind of a mess of a post about being a teacher.

I have wanted to talk about my new profession as a 6^th grade reading and writing teacher for quite a while now. But blogging kind of falls towards the bottom of my priority list. In fact, I am still fishing things out of unpacked boxes from when we moved back in August. Also, I haven’t touched a vacuum, toilet scrub brush, or any cleaning equipment since I moved back. Awesome right? I can count on two hands (almost) the number of home cooked meals we’ve had that I‘ve made, and on another hand how many times I’ve done the laundry. So the fact that I’m even writing this feels like cheating, but here I go anyways. Since I infected Brandon with who knows what from that school of mine our bedtime was unusually early for a Friday night, which brought me here because as much as I want to, 9:30 is just too early for me.

I have had such mixed feelings about teaching that I can’t quite seem to put them down. And I suppose the round about objective of this post is to send a colossal thank you to all those noble teachers I’ve had, because I’m starting to get it. Because now I can see behind the scenes and along with everything else I feel, I feel bad for the grief I caused those poor souls.

Because here’s the thing, some, no most days I absolutely love my job. I adore the young people I work with. I come away feeling that I just did something really great and gallant and that I am achieving my life long goal of making some kind of difference somewhere. Those days make it worth it. Those are the days that I went into this profession for. Those are the days that I thought I’d have everyday. (Insert hysterical laughing here).

Then some days I want to throw in the towel. I sit myself down in my old, peeling, green wheelie chair, the one with the broken armrest, and have a good pity party that every now and then involves a tear or two, because after everything I’ve done, it still wasn’t enough.  After the 3 hours spent after school and 3 hours spent at home, and the worrying and planning and just the utter consuming-ness, it flopped.

And I realize I can’t get that involved. I need some separation. But this is my life right now. I feel so burdened and responsible for these children and I care so much. I worry constantly, thinking of ways I can make it better for them. Ways I can help them be better. And I know that’s not my job, but whose job is it? Someone has to do it. So I assume that duty because that’s what’s right and good.

So when my 14-hour day goes unnoticed and I feel like I’m a zookeeper, rather than a teacher, I just have a hard time bringing myself up again and going again. Enduring another day.

But when I see a good thing I said or did sink into their minds and grow into something worthy and right, something that they are proud of, I feel like I’ve won more than I’ve ever lost. When they say they finally get it, that is makes sense, I want to scream and shout, and let it all out. It makes me so proud to be their teacher, and so, so proud of them.

I suppose it’s those moments that make up for it all. It’s those moments, sometimes small and unnoticed, that balance out the amount of time and effort I’ve dedicated to this cause. It’s those moments that pushed my own teachers to endure one more day, because they saw the bigger picture and the importance of it all. So, as you ponder on the person you’ve become, please don’t forget the teachers. I'm sure, at least once, they helped you become YOU, which is kind of a big deal.

A Colorado Wrap-Up

I have a confession or two. When we first moved to Denver we didn’t like it. We didn’t like the traffic, we didn’t like how big it was, we didn’t like how it was never sunny, and that it never got over 80 degrees. We didn’t like other things, those things being ages 6, 8, and 10 (but that’s a whole other story). We instantly missed Boise. But, Denver has treated us so well. Despite our efforts to be angry at it, we ended up liking it, and now I think we might even miss it when we leave this week. 

Another confession, I am not exactly sure why I have a blog. I am pretty sure that I am the only person that cares about my fun weekend, my husbands rockin’ birthday, and my almost garden. But, I have also never been this good at blogging, so I deserve a big pat on the back (I’m all about extrinsic motivation here). So to those who do peruse the pages of my mindless wanderings and hopefully glean some sort of something, here you go, the end of our Denver adventure written just for you (cough Tenille cough).

Firstly, for those of you who do know me well you know that I love a good birthday. I am 100% convinced that birthday’s are to be celebrated and are to be recognized. Birthdays are that one day a year that is your day. Seriously your day. So it should go your way, and just be out of this world. As I have grown older I have realized that very few people over the age of 10 feel this way. Which deeply saddens me. But don’t think I let that get in the way when I come across a good birthday. Especially when it’s my cute husbands. Even though it was just me, I celebrated the heck out of his day. And he deserved it. And he loved it. And all in all, I am so excited that this boy was born because if not my life would be bleak and just not as great as it is. So, even though this monumental event occurred on the 26^th it needs to be recognized, like all good birthdays do.

Secondly, we knew that if we moved to Denver we had to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. So we did. And I would have kicked myself forever if we had forgone that opportunity because it was B-E-A-utiful! If you haven’t gone there, go. Simple as that. Just take my advice, but be warned because you are a good two miles over sea level, which does take your breath away in more way than one.

Lastly, I know that everyone is dying to see the results of my feeble garden, the one that I’ve been plotting since last summer. The one that I knew would be great and produce, and solve my bland tomato problems. Well, it didn’t. In fact, I gave my tomato plant away yesterday because it seemed too impractical to bring it back to Boise. And it had 8 little tomatoes that were just taking form. Tomatoes  I’ll never get to see, or eat. Out of everything that makes me sad about leaving this place, this is number one. Second it to see Rubio’s go (we are a food centered people). I cared for those plants everyday and spent countless hours watching them grow. It breaks my heart to leave them in untrusted hands, but I couldn’t just let them die, you know? Again, these are just plants, not kids, as Brandon has had to remind me several times. And I do realize that not everyone made it. Thanks to my over pruning and care one little plant couldn't take the pressure and simply gave up. Again, as Brandon has said, they're plants, not children. 

And that’s how it ends. That’s the big wrap up. And off to bigger and better things we go. Wish us luck!

A Celebration of Love and Good Friends

A long time ago, in a city that is warm and bright, I met a girl named Mallory. Then, right then, a friendship was born. Mallory and I bonded over a 6-mile run, in the toasty month of August, to Sunrise Mountain and back. That day we talked about pretty much everything, really anything that could keep our feet moving and help us back to water and air-conditioning.

We must have been the strangest runners of all time. From the costumes we would wear (like wings and swords and who knows what else), to our arguments over if the poop we saw on the trail came from a horse or a dog. From the most sincere glee at getting five whole dollars on our long cross country trips and then spending that entire five dollars on candy (and really scaring everyone else on the bus with the added sugar in our veins).

I can pinpoint some of my very best high school memories to Mallory. She was a gem of a friend. One of those friends that you can just count on, you know?

So when Mallory announced her engagement, it was a no-brainer that we were going to celebrate her marriage with her. And a celebration it was! She looked absolutely beautiful. I think most of it was due to the utter joy she was emulating. She was just so happy.

What topped it off was that I got to spend it with Jacquelynn, another great friend from high school. We took my camera and left our significant others and became those obnoxious people who act like they're photographers at wedding but really aren't. And what kills me, really kills me, is that I didn't even get a pictures with Mallory, actually not even one of her. Sometimes I just fail at things. But here are the fruits of our labors. It was so beautiful and so like Mallory that we pretty much oohhed and awwed over everything.

And the way the light filtered through the trees and made everything glow just topped it off. It was so nice to celebrate Mallory's big day with her. We are so thrilled that she found the man of her dreams that she will spend forever with. It makes me ever so grateful that I found my forever too. Here's to true love and being together forever.

A grand time in Winter Park.

When we moved to Colorado we became instantly more popular. All of the sudden a lot of people wanted to come visit us, I guess Boise, Idaho never really sounded all that cool. Of course we are never ones to turn away a good visitor. So we were very pleased when my dear sister, Tenille, and her husband, Ben decided to come be apart of our Colorado journey. I think they were pretty excited to come north a little bit, considering that that particular weekend was supposed to reach 118 in Arizona, which should be illegal.

Before they had journeyed our way they did some serious research as to what activities to participate in in this part of the country, and I think right when Ben stumbled along Trestle Bike Park in Winter Park, Colorado he was entirely sold. This place is a mountain biker's heaven. Seriously. You take a lift up the mountain and then you ride down. And repeat. And yes, that kind of takes the workout of the mountain biking experience, but since Tenille and I took the lift up, then hiked down, I can't really say much, since that is just about the same thing :)

While the boys frolicked around the mountain Tenille and I signed up for the "Adventure Pass" that included all sorts of adventurous things such as: a rock wall, a trampoline thing, a bounce house (shaped as a snow cat), a maze (that I could almost see over), an alpine slide, and lots of other things that the kids 8 and under were super excited about. And we used that adventure pass to the fullest, well almost. Since Tenille is expecting a little one in August she watched me and all of the other little adventurers have a grand time. But, she told me not to worry, because I fit in just fine.

You can obviously see that the boys tore it up. They looked so intense in all of their gear and when Brandon did that stare off into the distance face I felt like I was witnessing a real life professional. Which he pretty much is :) 

We loved having our family up here and loved that we could explore with them and hope that more people follow in their footsteps, hint hint :)