Summertime, and the livin's easy

I know blogs are supposed to be short and sweet, but I haven't quite mastered that skill just yet. Sorry for the rambling post, folks!

School officially ended last Wednesday (woo hoo!), and I honestly couldn't tell who was more excited--the kids or the teachers. While we all undoubtably love our jobs as teachers, there is a certain itch for freedom that hits toward the end of May, and having a nice break from work really does a soul some good. Although the end of this year was bitter sweet for me. While I'm so excited for my Fulbright exchange to start, I'm already missing my AMHS family and my students. 

This hit home especially hard when I spent last Thursday at school working with the three incoming yearbook editors. These are three of the sweetest, most dedicated student pub kids I've seen come through my program--the kind of kids who debate the finer details of fonts and who say things like, "Oh man, the Yerd in me is coming out!" or "I love the smell of yearbooks." These kids are my people. Together we designed the yearbook cover and some templates, and I found it funny how quickly I had already fallen in love with a book I wouldn't be around to help them make. But I rest easy knowing these three kiddos have it mostly under control, and my exchange partner Katja is enthusiastic about working with them next year. I can't wait to see what a gorgeous book they make! 

We had dinner at The Twisted Kilt in Puyallup, a fun little
Irish pub. When I asked the bartender about English beers,
he brought out several for me to look at. Don't want to look
like too much of an amateur in the pubs in London!
. 

I spent the rest of the week enjoying as much social time with my friends as possible. We were lucky to have our dear friend Meagan up from Vancouver for a visit last weekend, so I made sure to see her twice, once for dinner and then again for a girls night in. Spending time with my amazing girlfriends is so important to me. I don't really know what I'm going to do without them next year, and while I know I can't replace them and would never want to anyways, I am really hoping to meet some new girlfriends over in London. Pippy came with me to girls night since it was her last night in Auburn for a while. She's off to live with my parents in Wenatchee for the year. It was super hard to say goodbye, but my parents have assured me she's made herself right at home, claiming her space on the couch and constantly bugging their daschund Chance to play. I'm not sure my parents knew what they were getting themselves into when they offered to take her for the year; I'm sure Chance is wondering what the heck is wrong with this hyper little dog who won't leave him alone. But I'm sure everything will work out just fine and all will be well in the end. 

Pips and I on the front porch swing

Girls Night In

After saying goodbye to Pippy, my friend Laurel convinced me to join her and a group of our friends in a pub crawl through Tacoma's 6th Avenue. We certainly had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and made some hilarious new memories. Later, I got to attend my friend Ashley's bridal shower on Sunday. It was so nice to be able to celebrate with her and her friends. Her wedding is in August, so I won't be able to attend since I'll already be in London. Missing out on big milestones in my friend's and family's lives next year while I'm gone is one of the downsides of moving abroad for a whole year. I'll miss those events dearly and wish I could somehow teleport home to attend. Maybe I'll run into Harry Potter over there and he can teach me some of his cool travel-through-the-fireplace tricks. :)  I also got the chance to go have a super yummy BBQ dinner at my sister Heather's house. Her husband Sean spoiled us with homemade guac, fresh BBQed burgers and even homemade blueberry cobbler. What did Heather and I do while he was busy cooking away? Oh we just layed on the couches and relaxed. It was divine! And I am so happy to soak up as much time with my big sissy as I can before I leave! Thanks for spoiling us, Sean!

The weekend capped off with a lovely going English department away party that my friends and neighbors Melissa and Nathan threw for me at their house. Melissa had the house all adorned in lovely red, white and blue decorations, she had treats for the kids, and a great drink station with lemonade, lemon water, coffee, beer, and my favorite--their famous Belizian rum punch, which I drank from a mini, red and blue bucket (per Melissa's strict orders)...at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. It was glorious! Nathan BBQed some amazing burgers and hot dogs. It was quintessential American. And I loved it. It was really special to have some time to chat with my English department friends and also have a moment to say goodbye. The department all pitched in to purchase me an incredibly generous Starbucks gift card, a little piece of home for me to take to London. I really appreciate this gift because as a coffee addict, I'm not sure how well I'll do out there in the land of tea. It will be so nice to enjoy a little taste of Seattle from far away. I'm very touched by my work friends' thoughtfulness and generosity.

The lovely card and amazing Starbucks present my friends
in the English department got me. :)

I didn't remember to take many pictures, but here a little of
Melissa's cute red, white and blue decorations! 

Adorable! Wish I had remembered to also take a
pic of my bucket!

My amazingly supportive principal Terri and I.

My dear friend and colleague Molly and I. 

The hostess with the mostess, Melissa and I.

Now I'm just working on checking things off my ever-growing To-Do list. There never quite seems to be enough time, but I find having a checklist does keep me somewhat sane. I'm also packing up for a whirlwind three-week trip through the UK with a student travel trip. I'll be one of four chaperones with about 44 students traveling through England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. We have to be at the airport by 3 a.m. on Thursday which makes me a little nauseous just to think about, but I know it will be worth it. I feel blessed to have this great opportunity to explore the UK before the big move. I hope to post from abroad during the next three weeks, but I'm not sure how easily I can do this from my Kindle Fire. So until then, enjoy your long summer days, my friends. 

The infamous To-Do List that permanently lives on my kitchen counter.

The most AMAZING packing tool ever! These Samsonite packing
bags suck all the air out of your piles of clothes, making them
so small and compact for packing. It's seriously like magic!

I've been collecting all sorts of what I call "GBA" (God bless America)
stuff to take with me as gifts from America. With the 4th
of July right around the corner, there's an abundance of
American memorabilia in all the stores, from flags to dish towels to
cheesy T-shirts, and I'm loving buying it all! I just hope my
new international friends like it as much as I do!

Fulbright Exchange!

I am moving to London.

Cheerio! 

I've probably said those words at least a hundred times in the last two and half months, but I'm still not sure if the reality of this statement has actually sunk in. In fact, I think I may still be doubting whether or not this is my life when I touch down at Heathrow in August. But luckily for me, it's true, and this is real. I've never been so excited and scared about something at the same time.

But before I get too excited about Big Ben, black taxi cabs, and British accents, let me back up a bit. On March 29, 2012, I got the most exciting email of my life, notifying me that Fulbright had found a potential match for the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange program I had applied for months ago. I remember reading the email as I was sitting in my classroom and saying aloud, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh" over and over again. My poor confused students who were just trying to finish up their "Hamlet" paragraphs darted looks to one another across the room, trying to figure out why I was having a freak out. "London," I said. "I think I'm going to London." And the next words out of my mouth? "I think I need to cry." I quickly printed out all the paperwork the Fulbright office had sent me, abandoned my student teacher to deal with the class, and ran down to the office. "I think I got a Fulbright," I said to our principal, bursting into her office. I honestly didn't believe it could be true; there was no way I could be this lucky. After months of planning and hoping and praying (I applied for the Fulbright exchange in October, had an interview in December, found out I was approved in January, and then just had to wait it out while they looked for a match), I had actually received the answer I had so hoped to get. Together with the office secretaries, we read through the paperwork, and sure enough, it was real. According to the paperwork, I was to trade teaching positions with Ms. Hiltunen at La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls School in London. As long as both she and I agreed to the exchange, and as long as our school's and districts also agreed, the exchange would happen. Luckily for both of us, my school and district are incredibly supportive of Fulbright exchanges, as is her school, so the match was approved!

My new school in London: La Retraite Catholic School for Girls

Fast forward a couple months and here I am, on the cusp of a grand adventure. I've Skyped with my exchange partner a couple times (even got to introduce her to my parents and my friends Reagan and Mike!) and we've emailed a ton. I've also been in touch with some lovely coworkers at my new school, as well as the Head Teacher (principal). They are all incredibly nice and welcoming; I can't wait to meet them in person. Also, my AMHS principal and I attended a wonderful Fulbright orientation workshop in Denver in May where we got to meet some of the Fulbright staff, as well as many of the other American Fulbright teachers preparing for an exchange and some amazingly helpful Fulbright alumni. The workshop answered a lot of my questions (and also made me think of so many more!), and it has really made the whole experience start to sink in. Also, after a ridiculous amount of stress and worry, I've just gotten my Visa, thank goodness! What a pain that was! As of August 1, I'll officially be allowed into the UK as a Tier 5 Government Authorized Exchange Migrant Worker! Woo hoo!

My exchange partner and I decided to exchange housing, which will be so great for both of us. I'm really excited to live in a city, which I've never done before, and her school is just a 20-minute walk from her flat, so I won't even need a car! Sadly, I can't take my sweet dog Pippy with me, but she is heading off to live my parents and her best friend Chance (their wiener dog) for the year. Now my next challenge will be figuring out how to pack up my life into three suitcases. Oh yes, and the impossible task of saying goodbye to my treasured family and friends.

I leave July 30 for a Fulbright workshop in Washington D.C., and after a few extra days of sightseeing with Christy, one of my new Fulbright friends, I'm off to England on August 7, and Ms. Hiltunen will arrive in Auburn on August 4.

Oh my gosh.

This is real.

I am moving to London.