Reason 354 why I love living in South Park.

As a teacher, Mondays after break are the worst. Kids are tired and crazy, and teachers kind of feel the same way. Matt and I decided to be in denial that we were back at work and keep the fun of vacation continuing on through Monday night. It was nice to have something to do that was in our neighborhood. We went to a little local film festival to support Art as a Weapon, which seems like it will be a great little film.

I know I am biased, but I'm pretty sure I live in the best neighborhood in the country. I'm just saying.

(All fuzzy pics taken with my iphone. I prefer to take my real camera everywhere I go, but it just doesn't always happen.)

Small Business Saturday.

On Saturday night, we wanted to get out of the house, but we also wanted something low key, so we grabbed burritos to go, a deck of cards, and headed over to Little Italy to Bottlecraft. One of my favorite things about San Diego is all of the independent restaurants and shops. And since it was Small Business Saturday, I was happy to support a local place.

 Tastings.

 Matt's self portrait. Can you see him in the reflection?

 Matt loves when I take random pictures of him.

 P.S. I left out one important detail. We played a gin rummy tournament and I won.

Dog beach.

It is the end of November and it was in the 80s today. What better place to go?

Below is a picture of Aspen playing with the coolest dog I have ever seen. His back legs don't work, so he has a doggy chariot which allows him to use his two front legs and back wheels to run around and play.

Silhouette.

Tired dog.

We started the week off in a snowstorm with below freezing temperatures and ended it in bathing suits at the beach. Got to love California.

From dusk to dark.

We have our go-to places in San Diego. The corners of the city that make us happy to call this home, those we go to to reconnect with ourselves and each other. Sometimes it's nice to see those places in a different light, to consider life from a different perspective, to create novelty in the familiar. After being gone for a week, we stopped at the park before even making it to our little house for these very reasons.

A last minute weekend getaway.

We decided to go away last weekend. The night we arrived in Mammoth, it began snowing for about 24 hours straight. We played cards, relaxed, read, watched movies, cuddled, played in the snow, explored. It was the perfect way to begin a week focused on being thankful. 

Looking up at the falling snow.

Exploring Twin Lakes.

Camouflaged dog.

Fell in love with this book.

Exploring Convict Lake.

Love these two boys.

Driving home.

Thankful for so much.

A day in photos.

11.11.11 We needed a day to just enjoy.

 On a walk.

 A found treasure.

 Bookstore.

 Brewery tour.

 Tastings.

 Indian food.

 Walking through Little Italy to an art opening.

"Life is filled with suffering but it is also filled with many wonders, such as the blue sky, the sunshine, and the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, anytime. If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we can't share peace and happiness with others, even those we love... If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile... and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace... Each second, each minute of our lives can be like this. Wherever we are, anytime, we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other, even the sensation of our breathing. We don't need to go to China to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to travel into the future to enjoy our breathing. We can be in touch with these things right now. It would be a pity if we were only aware of suffering."

-from the first page of Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

Sunset over my city.

Oh, what a week. I guess it was only a matter of time before a parent loudly disagreed with what I am teaching in my classroom. This is my sixth year of teaching and I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I guess I just didn't think it would happen quite like this. In the midst of the chaos that is life, here is a beautiful sunset over San Diego. 

Often, the most beautiful sunsets happen after the rainstorms and in that sense, offer hope to any situation. And to me, sunsets are a subtle yet brilliant reminder of the connectedness of humanity, even when we can feel so divided at times.

I wouldn't mind being on that plane right now going the opposite direction to some beautiful or exotic place.

On a different note, happy 11-11-11. Here's to a three day weekend.