Names and faces

I've been to both the Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial  countless times - throughout my childhood and now, as a tour guide to my friends and family who pass by DC. They are so different, yet both so deeply impactful. Tonight, touring the monuments in the dark, it was hard to find the Vietnam Memorial. Suddenly, the wall came out of nowhere, and I was once again overwhelmed by the sheer number of names. The Korean Memorial was easier to find, and I got lost in the shadows and faces peering out at me. It always amazes me how both memorials depict lives lost in such different ways. 

Cat in the ceiling

Somehow, in the midst of all the Thanksgiving thankfulness and joy, my parents' cat Ella always manages to get stuck in a ceiling. No, seriously. It's the second Thanksgiving in a row where we've realized she's gone missing and frantically searched (even making sure she hasn't escaped outside), only to find that she's wedged into a tiny hole in the ceiling, staring down at us as if she's saying, "Well, it's about time you found me!"

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful to all of you who actually read my rambling thoughts every day. I truly appreciate it. 

Today

Today was the day I picked out a Christmas tree (before Thanksgiving???) with my mom and put it up for the first time without my dad (he was pleased to have passed the torch :) ....

Today was the day I got to catch up with my friend while giving my nails some much needed love...

Today was the day I learned how to make half of my mom's famous pecan miniatures recipe...

Today was the day I tried bone marrow with three of my wonderful friends from high school at my friend's fabulous new restaurant...

Today was the day before Thanksgiving. Where has this year gone? 

Safe and warm

I'm currently typing in bed, with the rain pouring outside, all safe and warm. All I can think about is my 4 hour drive down here in the pouring rain and mist and incessant traffic, where I had to maintain a laser-like focus to navigate all the obstacles in my way. Right now I'm so glad the rain is outside, not right in front of me, and that I'm safe and warm inside. I'm wishing everyone who is traveling for Thanksgiving a safe, uneventful trip!

Brightening my day

It was a long, long, cold day. Yet right at the end, someone special surprised me with my favorite color of flowers. Just to brighten my day. I haven't stopped smiling.  

Christmas in November

I've always been a staunch believer that Christmas should be reserved for the month of December. I was disgusted by the fact that stores, the day after Halloween, loudly proclaimed that the Christmas season was starting. 

Yet, I have something to confess. For the first time ever, I decorated my personal Christmas tree in my apartment - TODAY. November 24th.

I know I've turned into one of those people I hate - playing Christmas songs on Pandora and decorating a tree a month early. Yet it's been so darn cold lately that to be honest, this tree really cozies up my home quite nicely. Maybe, since we're all cold, a bit of glittering lights on a tree and Christmas spirit won't hurt anyone - even if it's before Thanksgiving. 

Strolling down memory lane

I am the worst at organizing my apartment. I alternate between stuffing objects in out of the way places to deciding to (sigh) take my apartment apart and re-organize everything that I've hastily stashed away. Usually that process takes hours, and at the end I always vow to keep up my organization so I don't have to do that ever again. I succeed for a couple months, and then the whole process starts over again.

Part of the reason why I take so long to re-organize is because I stop and read over everything I've saved in the process. I save EVERYTHING. Every letter, every yearbook, every essay - well, it's either in my apartment here in Philly or at my parent's house in DC (sorry, Mom and Dad - but I learned it from you!). In a way, I guess my re-organization phases allow me to stroll down memory lane again and again.

Tonight, I was reading student notes to me in a 2011 yearbook. I laughed at the way they, as only 8th graders could, expressed exactly how they felt: 

"Tr. Julie, You mean a lot to me. I deeply respect you although I hated you in the beginning...I love you..."

"Tr. Julie, I will never forget the teacher that I was scared of at first but then turned out to be one of my favorite teachers..."

"Tr. Julie I can remember at the beginning of the year, I did something really rude to you. And the whole year I've been trying to make up for that. Aha sorry...thanks for being awesome!"

In contrast, when reading notes my 3rd graders wrote to me last year, I discovered a slightly different trend:

"Tr. Julie, You were the best English teacher ever!! I love your smile..."

"You're the best English teacher ever..."

"There will never be an English teacher better than you..."

When I taught 3rd grade, they of course immediately loved me. I mean - they loved EVERYONE immediately - it just wasn't even a question. Yet I always had to win over my 8th graders, and I loved/hated the process.

Tonight I started thinking about when in life we stop being completely open to everyone and every new experience. While we're not as blatant about it as middle schoolers, there can be a certain skepticism or cynicism when encountering a new teacher, friend, co-worker, boss, etc. If we embrace the world whole-heartedly, we are considered a bit Pollyanna-ish (which isn't always considered the most practical). Maybe living life like a 3rd grader is something to strive for.

“... there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna