Little's Sliders

For lunch today we biked over to Little's for their famous 2 cheeseburger sliders and fries (for only $8.50- a real deal in Atlanta). It was yummy and the bike ride was lovely (beautiful weather, only minor annoyances with drivers). 

You can see everything

 Nate and I went to see the new documentary You Can See Everything yesterday afternoon with some friends.  I was hesitant to see it because Nathan Fielder can be so awkward (it's his style) that it makes me uncomfortable, but I'm so glad I went.  It's hard to find words to describe it.  It was bizarre, it was enthralling, it was SO WELL DONE.  I've never seen anything like it.  We saw it at a small independent theater that was sold out (but there are only about 30 seats).  There were so many times when the entire audience gasped or shouted out.  There were also several times when I seriously considered jumping over the back of my seat to get out of the theater because it was so stressful and uncomfortable.  I think even if you don't know who Nathan Fielder is, it's worth seeing (though knowing his other stuff definitely adds a layer) but that you should probably see the Hulu series The Dropout first.  It's so strange to say highly recommend that people see something but also give homework they should do beforehand, but there it is.  

I feel like this is a film I'll be processing for a long time.  I have so many feelings and thoughts, but it's like none of them are coherent.  It's stunning in the actual sense that I am still feeling shocked and dazed.  Please go see it so we can attempt to talk about it.

Spirit of Oakland

 Some of our neighbors had extra tickets to the Spirit of Oakland tour last night, so we were lucky enough to join them.  The tour was about an hour long and there were about 8 stops where actors portrayed people who are buried in the cemetery.  It was really cool and the weather was just about perfect for this fantastic fall activity.

Peanut butter chocolate oatmeal pudding recipe

I came across a recipe for blended cold oatmeal and decided to try it, but it my typical fashion, I mostly made it up as I went along. It turned out absolutely delicious so I tried to write down my measurements to the best of my memory so I can make it again. 

It's like a creamy chocolate peanut butter cheesecake pudding?  Hard to describe but really easy and yummy (and full of fiber and protein) 

1 cup of old fashioned oats
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup of honey
1 1/2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of peanut butter
2 T cocoa powder
1/2-1 cup of milk 

Mix in blender until smooth.  Add chocolate chips on top.  Refrigerate overnight. 

Afternoon Pick-me-up

I'm feeling really sleepy but I still have 3 more hours of school to go (including a rambunctious 2nd grade class and Reading Bowl practice). Thankfully, the cafeteria still had some coffee and I had a few minutes to take a walk on the school farm. 

Here's hoping sunshine, fresh air, caffeine do the trick. 

Choir

Korra joined a new youth choir that has their first practice this afternoon. She had a really amazing time and I’m so thankful for the opportunity. 

Long Creek Falls

We came up to the cabin on Thursday afternoon. Our friends Kyle and Kendall joined us last night and this afternoon we took a hike to Long Creek Falls. The weather was perfect (just shy of 60 degrees), the leaves are all changing color, and it wasn’t very busy. 

Another Book Club

Tonight was the first meeting of yet another book club I’ve joined!  (Really, I’m only in one other one right now- the other two seem to be on indefinite hiatus). This one is made up of the women in our condo complex that usually end up chatting about books by the pool in the summer but they don’t see each other the rest of the year. We didn’t all read the same book, we’re just getting together to talk about any books we’re reading and love!  I added a dozen titles to my TBR list and laughed a lot. 

Sewing Lessons

Today a friend from school came over so I could teach her how to sew on a sewing machine. She had an old sheet she wanted to make into napkins. We worked for about 3 and a half hours and finished 5 napkins with 7 more that are cut out. They turned out well for a first time sewing project and we had a good time chatting, too. 

Skirt!

I finished my skirt!

Godson!

I got to meet my new godson at the hospital this afternoon!  He’s absolutely perfect. 

Pride Parade

 Today we went to the Pride Parade and took 2 of Korra’s friends with us. We met up with some friends there and had a fantastic spot right at the start of the parade route. The weather was pretty nice- cloudy and 63 degrees. Korra and her friends had a really good time.

Sick

I’ve succumbed to the cold. My throat hurts, my nose is runny, and I’m tired. I’m really hoping that resting all day (it’s rainy anyway) will help me feel better quicker. 

I want this shirt

Avoiding the Plague

Of course, right before a break, kids are falling sick right and left. One class I saw yesterday had a quarter of the kids absent (4 confirmed cases of the flu) and another handful coughing all over the library. Does my throat feel scratchy? I really don’t want to be sick over fall break. 

Alterna Reunion

On Friday night I went to the Quaker meeting house for a reunion dinner for Alterna (that's the nonprofit/homechurch/fellowship/neighborhood group we were part of in LaGrange).  It's officially been 20 years since Alterna began, and I've been part of it (on and off and in different capacities that are too much to try to describe) since even before then.  I was nervous about going though, because as much as being a part of this group was a source of joy, connection, and transformation, it also holds one of the most painful experiences of my life- the double funeral of two of our friends/neighbors on the same day we moved from LaGrange to Atlanta.

And while there was some awkwardness and grief, there were also moments of amazing connection.  I got a bear hug from one of my former students, who then introduced me to his 4 year old daughter.  We spent so much of the night catching up, reminiscing, and laughing.  

When I got home, I was absolutely exhausted, but buzzing from the experience.  I'm glad I went.

Pura Belpre

My Hispanic Heritage month door decoration is on the amazing Pura Belpre, who was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library.  She couldn't find books for kids in Spanish, so she wrote her own.  Pura traveled all over NYC telling stories with puppets in Spanish and English, so people in the Spanish-speaking community would know that the library was a place where they belonged.  The Pura Belpre award is given every year to the Latinx writer whose book best portrays and celebrates the Latino experience for children and youth.  

Oktoberfest

This afternoon we went to an Oktoberfest event at a brewery. We enjoyed really yummy pizza (not on theme) but also, Nate and Korra each participated in a stein holding competition!

Good News from Danny

Our former foster son Danny called me this morning with good news.  He's on the final step to gaining citizenship- getting ready to take his citizenship test.  It's been such a long journey, which we began with him in August of 2015 when we got legal custody of him.  He seems to be doing well and I'm so thankful for that.

Long Story Short...

Why is it the people who say, "Long story short" the most are the people who tell the longest, most rambling stories?

Sewing Journey

On today’s adventure of learning how to sew a skirt I learned: 

1) you really need to mark which piece is the front and which piece is the back

2) there is a difference between a regular zipper and an invisible zipper

3) I am not good enough at sewing from a pattern to improvise

A Day in the Life of an Elementary School Library

Today I read one of my favorite books (Mercy Watson) with a 2nd grader for 20 minutes, had a book club with 5 2nd grade girls (we're reading The Chocolate Touch), helped a 3rd grader pick his first chapter book (graphic novels are a hard habit to break for some), and received a drawing of a library from a kindergartener- with the addition of a chimney "so Santa can come bring you more books."  

Beltline Biking

This afternoon, we biked nearly the entire Beltline trail. We started heading north (counterclockwise) for about 7 miles, stopped at Wild Heaven to read for about an hour and a half and then biked another 7 miles home to complete the loop. In total it was about an hour and 20 minutes to ride the whole thing. 

It was a really pleasant ride, especially because the weather was so nice. 

Wrestling and Dropout

Tonight the 3 of us went to see Deep South Wrestling (we’ve gone a few times before) but we were extra excited because there were hints and rumors that tonight’s show was going to have ties to DropoutTV, our favorite streaming platform. As soon as we walked up, we saw Jacob Wysocki (actor and comedian from Dropout). He was so nice and it was really cool to meet him. 

Not only were the wrestling matches very fun, it was super interesting to watch as Jacob was filming his show. We’re all really looking forward to seeing the show and it was such a fun night. 

Open Windows!

We had our windows open all night and it was glorious!