aaaaand we're off!!

Today is the big day- We are starting out our journey across the country with a big yellow moving truck, the toyota being towed behind us and Meli in the cab haha! We head out and stop in Eerie, PA for the first leg of the trip.
Wish us luck
Wild West here we come!!

Goodbye Boston

Our lives are packed in little boxes
all the evidence of my brave venture out here tucked away and labeled.
Such warm people
Such good friends
Such great memories
So unforgettable
Thank you Boston for being my home
for teaching me pride in history and where you come from
for teaching me about "tonic" "bubblahs" and "carriages"
for giving me the greatest 5 years...
I will forever be a Bostonian...
goodbye

why I will miss teaching 11 year olds

favorite story of the day

Two of my fourth graders are writing "if I were in charge of the world poems"
and we were talking about what we would cancel if we could...
Adriel: I would cancel the yankees
Jin Run: I would cancel your face
LOL
just a smile to brighten your day

Swine Flu

There have been a lot of breakouts of the H1N1 virus here in the east. Many schools have shut down and we have had an increasing number of students and staff out with flu-like symptoms. I was one of these cases and have been couch bound for the last few days. I work at a school for the Deaf which serves many students with multiple disabilities and compromised immune systems. Needless to say we were all concerned when we heard of two confirmed cases at our school, wondering when they would shut us down... well WE ARE OFFICIALLY CLOSED woohooo. Now, not to say that I am happy that some people are suffering with this illness but for the rest of us (I am feeling much better) this is a MUCH needed 5 day vacation. We had so many snow days this year that we actually go until June 26th!! We luckily do NOT have to make up these days and as luck would have it, this is the week my parents are coming to visit. Thanks universe for working that out for me... I needed a little lift ;o)
Oink Oink

changes

So I can FINALLY spill the beans now that things are official... I got a great job in Colorado Springs as the director/teacher or the early childhood program at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. I am so incredibly stoked about this opportunity and can't wait to rise to the challenge. We will be leaving Boston on the 5th of July and driving all of our meager belongings out to "the springs". The move will be oh so bitter sweet because I have loved Boston and all of my wonderful friends here so much. Now that the change is upon us, I can't help but think about 6 years ago when I first came to this city to decide on grad school. All the things that captured my heart are the things that I will miss every day while in the west. The gorgeous trees and flowering plants, the gruff but warm people, the history and culture of pride... We are ready to start this new chapter in our lives and hope that it brings new wonderful things but it could never take the place of all of the people here... So wish us luck and I will be updating you as we get closer. Cheers to change and new challenges.
Here are a few pics of recent events... Kaitlyn and Eric's visit, my 28th birthday and gorgeous Boston in the springtime

Mike's Time

It took me a week to post due to my family visiting but Mike's official time for the marathon was a personal record of 2:38:09 with a strong head wind. We had a great time and are so proud of him. Here are some pictures of the day- it is a huge deal in Boston and tons of people come out to support the 23,000+ runners. Great job Mike!!

Marathon Monday

So, I haven't posted in awhile although there has been MUCH going on with us in our lives here. I will give more details when they are more concrete but we did visit Colorado Springs recently to "look around" and see if it is a place that we would like to relocate to... more on that later.

More pressing matters would be that of the upcoming Boston Marathon on Monday. Mike will be running it for the third time and I have to post something to say how proud I am. The marathon is something of a pain in the butt at our house- not that I don't appreciate all the work that goes into it but it is a lot of time, money and FOOD required to sustain this habit :o) Mike has been training diligently since August and it is not always easy to be patient with the 2 hour long runs or the triple batch of pasta or the constant smell of dirty running clothes... but now that we are coming to the climax of this endeavor I have to brag a little on the part of my dedicated husband. Mike has run constantly all year (since aug) regardless of the crazy winter and snow that we had throughout jan feb and march.... He has continued to amaze me with his dedication (and weight loss). I know that he will do an amazing job on Monday no matter what his time may be... but for those of you that don't know just what an incredible athlete he is- I need to let you in on his previous times...
Mikes first marathon was 2hr 48m
his second 2hr 39m
and he is hoping to run a 2hr 31m marathon this year

Just to put that in perspective... the first place - olympic runners will be running approximately 2hr 10m marathon.....
so just so you know how amazing this is for him...
If you are interested in tracking his time on Monday, his race number is 1190... and the race starts at 10 am Eastern Standard time. Go to baa.org for more info

I just thought that I should mention this incredible accomplishment for Mike since he wouldn't ever say anything himself- great job Mike- we will all be cheering for you but mostly we are so proud of you for all of the hard work you have done and the dedication that you have shown.... Love you babe.... you are amazing