A Tuesday morning walk with fifty students.

To kick off our new project, we went on a long walk/hike from our school to a lake and a park.  One of the goals for the students was to get some inspiration from nature along the way.  I am not sure if they ended the day inspired, but they definitely did end the day with sunburns.

Because sometimes tenth graders need to have a little fun...

...here's what we did today.

Their goal: to inspire others with their artwork and to be creative.

Happy Friday!

San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley.

After Santa Barbara, we headed up to the Bay area to visit some dear friends.  Our days were filled with many different kinds of delicious food and drinks (soul food, pizza, a rum bar, the best latte ever, beer, vegan Mexican).  All of it was beyond amazing and now I am eating salads for a week to make up for this trip.  We had fun exploring the city, walking down street after street, appreciating the unique culture of San Francisco, relaxing in Golden Gate Park, venturing into the ferry building, visiting some famous bars, the sun, the rain, the clouds, the street art, the people watching, taking self timer pictures on the side of the road... but the best part was just spending time with friends we love.

Santa Barbara.

A trip to Santa Barbara to see Mumford and Sons in concert with the Tallest Man on Earth opening (a dream combination for me).  There was wine tasting, Indian food eating, mission visiting, sun soaking, pier walking, picture taking... and there was also that time at the concert when we got cussed out.  That part was especially fun.

A beautiful Saturday to go to the beach.

I love blue skies, wispy clouds, emerald colored water, summer weather in the spring, sand between my toes, and taking time to stop and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Yesterday

Windansea Beach

La Jolla

San Diego, CA

A little family reunion.

travis comes home to the airport. my mom, dad, and i pick him up. our family's favorite mexican restaurant in la. a birthday candle for someone who will be 24 tomorrow. looking through pictures of travels abroad. planting surprise flowers for dad's birthday. thrift store shopping. beer shopping. sitting in the sun. dinner and drinks outside on the deck. guitar playing and singing. enjoying each other's company. as we have done so many times. just the four of us. only now we are all grown up. the family dinners are less frequent than when we lived under the same roof. but they are also more special.