Le Jour de Saint Valentin

You can enjoy my stuttering French about my Valentine's day, or you can read all about it in English. :)

We had a wonderful Valentine's day, Jake and I! I am still glowing about it a day later! In the morning, we indulged in a small bit of commercialism exchanging letters and gifts (flowers and chocolate for me, Starbucks card for him) before heading to Lake Patagonia for a nice afternoon picnic. We packed quite a spread!

We had turkey pesto sandwiches with cheese and crackers, a couple of apples, bruschetta, and for dessert: cookies! As we were hauling our gigantor bag of food down to the water, I said, "At least it will be lighter on the way back!" But I packed so much food, that even after eating til we were bursting, the bag still weighed the same afterward!

Then we came back to the house to watch Sleepless in Seattle. Oh. My. Goodness. It was my first time watching it (Jake's recommendation) and I cannot believe I have not seen it before! It was soooo good! I loved it! Granted, I nearly cried by the end (#emotionallycompromised) but it was in a good happy kind of way. Jake always teases me for getting so emotional over silly movies like that, but deep down inside I think he finds it charming. ;)

After the movie, we joined up with some friends at a Valentine's Open House party! Apparently they have one every year with a chocolate fountain and an assortment of fruit and cookies for dipping! I wasn't sure what to expect as we went up the walk (social engagements can be a mental battle sometimes) but Melanie and Carly caught us at the door and welcomed both of us so warmly! We all ended up playing hide-and-seek in the street with the twenty kids or so that were there. It was definitely a throwback to our childhood.

At one point, the four of us were hiding in an outdoor bathroom in the yard. The round was over and the kids were calling for everyone to come out, but we didn't want to give away our hiding spot. "Round's over!!" they called over and over again. It soon became apparent that they were not going to start the next round without us. Puzzling over how we could somehow all sneak out of the bathroom, Carly suggested, "I know! Melanie. Flush the toilet and walk out like you were going to the bathroom and tell them they can start the next round without us." Without missing a beat, Melanie leaned over, flushed the toilet, and walked out of the bathroom nonchalantly. We were laughing so hard! I was squeaking. XD

The Valentine's day party was the perfect end cap to an awesome day. I realized afterward that it was the first time in a while that I'd fully relaxed, giggled a lot, and forgotten about work. What a blessing! I think we may've started a few new Valentine's day traditions!

A Fig Baby of My Own

You may recall my post last year about Quinn's Fig babies. Well, he gave me one of my own when I was last over at their place. So I planted it in a little pot outside and put it on the irrigation system. Today, we noticed that it has sprouted a leaf! It won't be long (according to Quinn) befo there are little figs! Yay! Stay tuned for progress.re 

French Progress!

It occurred to me that those of you who have not heard my French (but have heard all about it on this blog) may be wondering: Gee, Misha says she is learning French, but I'm not so sure. Remember when she tried to learn Spanish with Rosetta stone? Sadly, such concerns are legitimate! (I barely made it 3 days with Rosetta Stone Spanish, for all my enthusiasm then.) But, here I have provided video proof to dispel any concerns about Misha's mythological French studies. I promise you, they are not myth.

It's been awhile since I mustered the bravery to talk with native French speakers on Skype, but today I had a wonderful conversation with my friend Clara! We talked about all sorts of things, but mostly we ended up giggling a lot as we tried to navigate the language barriers. My awful pronunciation was the running joke throughout the conversation, but she could understand most of what I said and I could understand most of what she said. If nothing else, I could understand enough words to get the gist of what she was saying. Her little brother came in and helped us out, much to Clara's dismay but I found him quite amusing and even the slightest bit helpful!

To be truthful, my French studies sloughed off last semester which is perhaps why I did not enjoy past conversations with native speakers. I never understood their French because it was too fast and when I asked them to repeat it, they spoke at the same speed! I have not necessarily learned more vocabulary since my last conversation, but since the new year, I have renewed my studies with vigor, this time focusing on the pronunciation. Although I was enthusiastic in the very beginning of my French study, I also picked up many bad habits with my pronunciation so I am trying to go back and correct that. I've been studying with Anki, a spaced-repetition system which is a glorified (and super fancy) flash card system on the computer. I love it! And with the few weeks I've been working on it and all the vocab I learned before, I can tell my comprehension and speaking has really improved! Yay!!

2014 in Review

While last year was a year of freedom, I think this year was one of standing on the edge and laughing at the darkness below. As I predicted, 2014 led to many big, scary adventures that pushed me beyond the boundaries of comfort and to new heights of personal growth. I didn't believe it was possible, but 2014 was definitely bigger--a lot bigger--than 2013! I don't think I've ever felt more uncomfortable in my life!! But it was truly discomfort in the best way!

Wrapping up my college degree was definitely a big one and the roller coaster of emotions that accompanied it ranged from over the moon to "holy crap what do I do now?" I've learned a lot about staying active (physically and mentally) and lifelong learning. Summer brought a lull with it while Jake was in France and then the FIFA world cup which I watched nearly every day. As fall approached, I got a second job teaching writing at Veritas!! Lesson-planning takes up most of my time these days so I'm learning quite a bit about work-life balance(!) Finally, I've been pursuing my interest in international missions by networking, seeking mentors, and befriending refugees here in Tucson.

I am so glad I blogged my goals last January because looking back, I realized that I met almost all of them, even though I didn't have the list in front of me the whole year. I started my IRA and put away about $1,000 in it, graduated from college (!!!), began teaching in a real school, took an art class, joined a soccer team, and traveled quite a bit, including a solo trip to visit Jake in SD and a road trip just me and my bro. Whew! It's been a busy year!

My new goals include:

• Putting another $1,000 in my IRA
• Purchasing a passport
• Saving $$ for an international trip
• Keep practicing French
• Buy/Read more books
• Summer Job??

Predictions for next year? To be honest, I'm not really sure! I'm thinking (hoping?) it will be more mellow than the last couple years; I could use a rest! Actually, I get the sense that 2015 will be a year of preparation for whatever 2016 brings. I will likely renew my contract with Veritas for another school year of teaching experience under my belt before I pursue other teaching avenues abroad (in missions or otherwise). Financially, I'm saving up money for my international excursion(s). I don't see myself starting as many new activities or hobbies this year. I'll probably stick with soccer, practicing French, and reading when I can.

Labor of Love

 I knew I wanted to purchase a longboard for Jake's Christmas present, ever since he mentioned that it'd be nice to have one to get around campus. But I knew absolutely nothing about longboards and an Amazon search yielded so many options! All different woods, shapes, lengths... and then there was a whole new lingo to learn: the tail, wheels, trucks... It was overwhelming, but my only other option was too lame to pursue (Target giftcard, anyone?).

I was willing to invest in it, since I'd set a solid Christmas budget this year. So I called Jake's best friend Alex for some help and he sent me a ton of links and recommendations. At the top of his list was a blank board, "You could totally personalize it with wood-burning or paint if you wanted, which would be sick!" Sold!

The next hurdle though was what to paint? I had to think in terms of the right picture as well as feasibility. (Fun fact: I considered a similar endeavor for Mr. Jake back in 2008 or 2009 involving a dragon painting on the underside of a skateboard. But my ideas back then weren't fully developed and I wouldn't even know how to paint a legitimate dragon.) I thought and thought, what image sums up Jake's personality? Calvin and Hobbes!

Finding this picture on the internet solidified my decision:

It was so perfect! So I bought some brushes and acrylic paint at Michaels (my first time using this medium) and set to work. First I sketched out the drawing on newsprint in pencil and then sharpie.

Then I traced the back of the sharpie in pencil and transferred it to the board.

Then it was painting time! The sketching and transferring took me about an hour and a half and then I painted the board in three sessions, each an episode of Sherlock (mostly reruns). I wasn't really happy with the first layers of green because the medium was quite foreign to me and it wasn't turning out like my picture. So I didn't take a picture of it. But as I got into the second layer, it really started to take shape.

Once I added in a few more layers of color, it really started to shine! The black was truly the finishing touch on the piece and it made a HUGE difference!

I had my doubts in the beginning, but at the end of the day, I really couldn't have been happier with the outcome!

Merry Christmas Jake!

Good Chocolate (Christmas 2014)

Christmas should be like eating good chocolate. You savor it, letting it roll around in your mouth a little so you can taste each layer of flavor. You don't gobble it all in one bite! -Misha 

A little humorous, but so true, isn't it? Even with sleeping in as late as possible (9 a.m.), I still felt like the morning passed too quickly. "Can't we linger over breakfast a little and open stockings?" I asked, recalling fond memories of the four of us sitting around the table with the mandatory Christmas breakfast casserole (quiche maybe?) taking painfully long to get through the stockings and on to the true Christmas finale: the presents. This year, the tables were turned as I was the one my parents were waiting on, not the other way around.

Tea at hand and a half-eaten bagel, we began the unceremonious unwrapping of gifts. Cameron got some really exciting ones this year--including a fancy acoustic-electric ukulele (and many accessories), a Ghostbusters lego set, and a number of other interesting and eclectic gifts. I, for one, gave him a hand-made squid hat (post pending) which he was very impressed with. :D Over the years, I've noticed that the gifts tend to come in themes--one year might be clothing, or journals (several years of journals!), another year books. Cam's theme was definitely all about the ukulele. For me, I'm pleased to report that it was a year of French everything. Mom gave me my own copy of Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking and a macaroon baking set, while Bruce and Stacey gave me a beautiful Parisian journal with water color pictures scattered throughout. I also got several books which I am excited to read! Jake gave me my very own pair of Toms (which I would never buy for myself!) and an amazing atlas-printed cork board for my wall. I'll be hanging it up above my desk as soon as I can find an appropriate frame for it. And he was very surprised by the skateboard I got him. (Post pending on that as well.).

We passed the day relatively quietly as a small family plus 3 (Bruce, Stacey, and Jake), playing Mexican Train (and shouting "Doubles!") and eating excellent food. Before we knew it, it was already 10:30 p.m.! It was a good day, but I wish it had lingered with us a little while longer, like the taste of good chocolate.

 

The Stats on Misha's New TV Habits

Friday Stats:

episodes of Sherlock watched: 3 (season 1)
episodes of Lost watched: 5
episodes of Scorpion watched: 1
movies watched: 0
weeks of Christmas vacation: 3!
days until Christmas: 6
presents to buy: 0
presents to wrap: 4
learning: students love having a finished product to look at
highlights: 55ers/improv with the kids, last day of school, mentoring session, school Christmas pageant.
looking forward to: Caroling! Christmas!


Update:

Lately, I've been watching a lot of tv shows. I used to be such a snob about tv shows, thinking I was above them. But I've learned that one cool thing about tv shows--they can develop characters and storyline so much more deeply than say a movie, for instance, because tv shows are not confined to two hours to tell everything. This has its pros and cons, of course, but perhaps that's a blog post for another day. (Stay tuned for "Literary Lost: Misha's Analysis"!)

I'll confess that's all I had motivation to do in my free time the last few weeks with the school semester wrapping up (no pun intended) and making Christmas arrangements. Up until this point, I'd been looking forward to the end of the year in earnest. Yesterday the end seemed bittersweet, as I had no idea how much I loved my students in my heart. But today, I can breathe a sigh of relief--last day of work before vacation officially begins! Hoorah! The pieces are finally starting to fit into place and I feel like I am ready for Christmas, or at least mostly ready. From this point, I think I'll be watching a little less tv since I'll have more energy for baking cookies, singing carols, and all-around spreading the holiday cheer over the next six days.