Friday Photos 32: Falling for Fall Break

After a brief hiatus, Friday Photos are back, just in time to celebrate my love for everything Fall Break. Beginning last Friday, this Fall Break has been a relaxing reminder of the sweet freedom of Summer. I managed to use my freedom wisely, by cleaning out three bags of clothes & shoes to donate, clearing off months of mail to reveal the top of my dining room table, and transferring 15 years of CDs from their cases to one tidy binder.
In addition to vacuuming my floors for the first time in an I'm-too-embarrassed-to-actually-admit-it amount of time, I also managed to squeeze in a lil' bit of fun this week. I give you exhibits A-H:

Cheers to Fall Break, Courtney's birthday, taquitos, and low tolerance levels at Mussel & Burger Bar!

I actually got to do brunch & lunch (like other working adults), including this trip to Wild Eggs with my precious niece.

Courtney and I went for a stroll at the Anchorage Loop, which turned out to be a deer-watching walk. Shh! Bambi's trying to eat.

I met the fam over at little sis' new house to help hang blinds, and by "hang blinds" I mean "take pictures of my adorable McNugget".

I'm still not completely over the loss that the Cards suffered to UCF, but Ruthie and I had fun anyway. And boy did I own that Snuggie.

Clearly, the goal was to soak up as much McNugget time as possible. Mission accomplished. 

She's getting so big! Climbing up stairs & going down the slides like a boss.

I considered going to St. Louis to catch game 3 of the World Series, but after peeping the price tag for tickets on Stub Hub, I decided cheering the Cardinals on from the comfort of my couch would do just fine. Beat Boston!

After years of eyeing a mirrored nightstand at Pottery Barn, I thanked my lucky stars above that I waited so long to buy it when Mom and I came upon this beauty at Home Goods. Not only is it a more modern take on the piece I originally wanted, it was also $250 cheaper. Score.

Dear Fall Break,

Thank you for saving my sanity. I love you. Come back soon.

Sincerely, 

Jackie

The Write Stuff

Though I've always felt called to be a teacher, it's no secret that I'd also love to be a writer. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to bring the two vocations together.

Back in May, I saw an advertisement via the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Facebook page for an opportunity to submit an article to Educational Horizons Magazine. They were looking for topics that pertain to new teachers for their "Teacher's Toolkit" spread. 

So, just for the fun of it (nerd alert), I wrote an article focused on ways to connect with students' families--a topic I wish I would have had more information on when I was a new teacher. My friends Ruthie and Joey (who are both great teachers & writers themselves) graciously proofread my little article, and with their votes of confidence, I sent it off, and headed to the lake to officially kick off summer break.

Fast forward to July when I got word from the editor of Educational Horizons that they wanted to publish my article in their October/November issue! Confetti! 

But the celebrating didn't end there. A few weeks later, their editor contacted me with a (paid) opportunity to host a webinar related to the topic of my article, sponsored by the magazine. So, I thought about it for a fraction of a second, and then said YES.

Now, I'm not gonna lie, after the initial excitement died down, I did freak out a little bit. The thought of teachers from all across the country listening to me speak was a tad intimidating to say the least. But my friends and coworkers hyped me up with their encouraging words, and on September 25th, I lead my very first webinar. Despite my nerves, I think it went well. 

You can find a recording of my webinar, "Connecting With Families" under Past Webinars here: http://pilambda.org/benefits/webinars/

This weekend I was delighted to open my mailbox and find the October/November issue of Educational Horizons with my article published inside!

You can read my article online for free until the end of October here: http://pilambda.org/horizons/connecting-with-families/

I'm so grateful to Educational Horizons for giving me my first chance to have my writing printed in a national publication, and to lead my very first webinar. I'm also so appreciative of the support from my family and friends along the way. 

Here's hoping this is the first of many writing opportunities to come.