is this real life?

I started work at my site, Bishop Foery Foundation, on Monday. Lucky me, I'm basically a pre-K teacher for the year in the mornings, and then I get to work with K-2 graders afterschool! I'm super pumped to get to hang out with the little ones - they're my faves. So far at work, I've looked up lesson plans, crashed internet explorer 7 times, discovered that my key to my office doesn't in fact work for my office (but emily's key does), and heard wonderful and horrifying stories about working for Catholic Charities in the South side of Syracuse. I have not, however, been priveleged enough to see the kids yet - pre-K doesn't start until the 12th and elementary program starts the 7th - but TOMORROW I get to go to the NY State Fair with a bunch, so I'm SO excited!! (And a little worried - 8 hours at a fair with young kids will be exhausting).

The house has been awesome - all 11 volunteers have clicked almost immediately and we're getting along really well. It's weird (and sad) to think that the Costa Rica chicas will be leaving on Sunday...it's so great having the whole community in one house! It's definitely bittersweet though - I know they're all anxious to get to their sites and start work too.

As everything starts to get busy, I'm realizing that time management is going to be key this year - knowing when I need to get to bed to be energized in the morning (and I'm going to need my energy - no time for RedBull breaks in the middle of the day...), and knowing when I need some me-time. I'm not very good at me-time, but I'm learning.

I've been spending my down-time at work reading this blog. It's highly entertaining, and actually fairly enlightening (when it wants to be). My favorite article today was one about preschool (for obvious reasons).

Finally - I'll leave you with some new music (because that's really what I'm all about)...

one you probably already know

one you maybe havent heard yet


peace :)

i think you'd like my new hair.

i'm in love.

(it's new music, of course. the whole album is good, but my faves (for now) are single girls and wicked world.)

you'll like it if you like: priscilla ahn, joshua radin, regina spektor


peace. :)

13 is a lucky number.

On Saturday, I moved into the Syracuse house for my year of service with FrancisCorps. Already, it's so much fun! There are 11 of us in FC '13 - 5 Costa Rica volunteers and 6 Syracuse, and only one of them is a guy...he'll be living with the 5 girls in Syracuse, which will definitely be an adventure for him.

We had a BBQ on Saturday night for all the volunteers and our families, and then on Sunday we were commissioned at Assumption church - we all received Blessed Tau crosses to wear. After, we blessed our house, and then the parents headed out and we were on our own. Now, we're on retreat for the week - at Alverna Heights retreat center until tomorrow, and then headed down to Seaside Heights in NJ for the rest of the week. It'll be wonderful to be at the beach again!

The view from the house at Alverna Heights...so gorgeous.

You know in Annie when she moves into Daddy Warbucks' house and everyone offers her stuff and she sings "I know I'm gonna like it here"? Well, this is only my 4th day, and I'm definitely not living like Daddy Warbucks...but I'm pretty sure Annie was right - I'm gonna like it here.

peace.

of course she did.

did anyone else see Sonya Tayeh's outfit on the SYTYCD finale?! actually, if you watched there's no way you didnt because it was BRIGHT YELLOW and absolutely fabulous. the second i saw it, I was like - OMG WHO MADE THAT DRESS?!?

Betsey effing Johnson made that dress. of course she did. AND the tiger/leopard accessories were hers too. obviously.


brilliance. (sigh).

brilliance.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/

please?

anybody want to give me a job where I can listen to new music everyday and then tell people how awesome it is? I think that would be pretty awesome.

how does one go from the girl her friends go to for music suggestions to someone whose opinion people actually want?

thoughts?


also (and totally unrelated) - watched Finding Neverland today. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet are brilliant. (incaseyouforgotorsomething).

peace.

PS has anyone else noticed how the Farmers Insurance commercial jingle ("we are Farmers, dum da dum dum dum dum dum") can be made to fit absolutely anything? it is CONSTANTLY stuck in my head and I sing it all the time, but with words like "work is boring, dum da dum dum dum dum dum" and "i love ice cream, dum da dum dum dum dum dum." absolute genius.