Welcome to Paradise

Question: What happens when you combine Tori Hornstein, Brian Spendley, A 75-degree day without a cloud in the sky, and a Chardonnay featuring a "long, smooth finish of warm butter and toast marshmallow" ??

Answer: PARADISE! Or maybe just Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA.

Brian had the great idea to purchase a deal from the website Living Social this summer. For just a few bucks, the deal invited a couple to a local winery to sample wine, tour the grounds, and picnic with free cheese and crackers anywhere we'd like.

The land was exquisite- rolling fields surrounded by forest, just hinting the colors of autumn. The wine cellar, where we did the sampling, was located in a log cabin built BEFORE the revolutionary war! The "American Girl" in me was ecstatic. The staff was friendly and explained about the winery's history, the types of grapes, and distilling techniques. Virginia is now #3 in the nation for producing fine wine, coming in behind CA and NY.

After trying all the wines, we picked a bottle to open and take on the grounds with our picnic, and I was so impressed with the flavor of the Chardonnay that I bought a bottle to bring home as well. The wine won the "Governors' Cup" in VA, competing against hundreds of white wines from all over the state. I don't know anything about fine wine, but this was delicious. And that's good enough for me!

I feel so lucky that I had such a great friend with whom to share such a perfect day. I really do understand why Fall is everyone's favorite season!

Peace and Love.

I Spy...

We finally did it! We finally made it to the Spy museum! It only took us a year and a half, but the roomies and I ventured out on a weeknight (I know, crazy) to take advantage of Teacher night at the Spy Museum in downtown DC.

Teacher night included free food, a cash bar, raffles and free resources for local teachers. At first, it seemed a little lame (although I did eat a rice krispies treat, except it was made out of fruit loops, so that was awesome.) That was until we entered "Operation Spy"- the big feature of the Spy Museum. All I knew about it was that it was an hour long simulation mimicking the life of a Spy, and that it has been sold out every weekend I've tried to go. Now I understand why!

The experience was terrifying! Suddenly, a large metal door closes behind you. You are thrown into a very convincing set of a market in the middle east, along with a group of strangers. You have to make your way through the maze, following clues, solving problems, and achieving the mission. Dark elevators, motion simulators, computers and cameras make the experience more realistic. Some points I found myself screaming out loud (there is no way I could be a real spy!) It was Disney World, but for grown-ups. I would recommend the experience to anyone- and you know, it wouldn't make for a bad date either!

The week is finished for me tomorrow. I have a half day and then parent conferences. This weekend promises to be lovely with a trip to local vineyards! Pictures and updates soon.

Peace and Love.

Band 101!

Mom was here this weekend!

She arrived Thursday night. Friday, she came in and enjoyed celebrity status at school and watched me teach for the day. The kids were really entertained by her presence and the best moment was when one of them decided we should use the "usted" form with her because "she's a senior." Saturday, we went to the football game and watched the band perform. It was the highlight of my weekend. I love seeing the kids at their best. You've got to check it out below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTAPWSH63Q

Saturday night we went and saw "Waiting For Superman," which is a must-see documentary. I mean that literally. You must see it! For me, it's a lot of facts I already knew. But for America, it's going to be a shock. No matter who you are, you will cry. GO SEE IT!

Today we wrapped up the weekend watching a painful Steelers loss at the Pour House. But mom treated and even as a Pats fan, I have to admit that sitting in a comfy couch at a bar with roommates, family, a plate of perrogies and a pitcher of beer isn't a bad way to end a weekend!

Peace and love.

T

Slower Lower Delaware

Last weekend marked my second trip to the Delware shore this summer. The first was to Rehoboth as a nanny for a week. This time it was a lazy weekend with my darling friend Brian to his parents' house on Bethany Beach!

Bethany-and Rehoboth to an extent- are weird beach communities. All the beaches I knew growing up were jam-packed with tacky little houses, and no matter where you rent your house, you can walk to the beach. Not so in Delaware. A lot of the beach belongs to private gated communities, and the public beaches are parks that you have to reach by car. There are no blocks of little sandy houses decorated in hand-me-down furniture. Everything is a large house with a grassy yard and there are pools and cul-de-sacs. Developments of McMansions abound and there aren't any raging bars or tatoo parlors or arcades. It's all older people in their retirement years on the beach- hence the nickname "slower lower Delware."

Brian's parents were kind hosts and his best girl friend from high school, Dana, joined us too. I wish I could tell you we partied all night long, but the weekend was more for relaxing on the screen porch with a bottle of wine, sleeping in, and laying on the beach. We were blessed with perfect weather and the usual hordes of labor day tourists stayed home, fearing Hurricane Earl. Lucky for us, Earl missed the coast all-together, and left Delware with nothing to show except ENORMOUS waves. The surfers were thrilled, but I wasn't so excited. The rip was frightening, even just a few feet in, and I don't like the feeling of struggling against an ocean current. I didn't do much more than splash around in the break and work on my tan.

I used the relaxation of the sun to pump up for the following week at school. The honeymoon period is over here and the kids are starting to pull out their usual tricks. Unfortunately there have been a ton of fights so far this year and something is amiss...the kids are really pushing the administration and teachers hard. Cross your fingers that everyone settles in and September sails out smoothly!

Peace and Love.

Bossy

It feels good to be the boss.

No. I mean it. My first week back to school was this week- and - (God, I'm going to curse it by writing this post) I am in charge! It was truly a peaceful, in-control week. I have great classes of kids that are excited to learn, and so far, supportive parents as partners for the year.

There's no doubt in my mind that this is the calm before the storm. I mean, last year I started out with NOTHING and the kids were still good enough for me. The kids at GPHS have a little fear of God to start out the year, giving all us rookies a chance in our first week. I remember it was the 3rd week last year when the big guns came out. Honeymoon over. Difference is, I know how to deal with it this time!

There are other improvements too. I have an enormous classroom, which means I have the room to move around and stay close to kids that seem off task. We have a new administration that is running a tight ship including school uniforms and a ban on cell phones and ipods. This stuff is great and makes my life so much easier! I am thrilled at the vibe at the end of the first week. I just feel comfortable in my own skin and happy to be there making a difference.

Wait, did I just say...HAPPY? to be at school?

Probably the best thing so far are all the visits from my former students. I probably get 10 hugs a day from old kids that pass me in my doorway. Especially amazing are the hugs from kids that were on the fence last year- kids I reamed for smoking weed in school, or kids that I failed for at least a quarter till they got their act together. It makes me feel like I really am accomplishing something here.

Well, keep me and my students in your prayers, and enjoy this video from my first week of school !

http://vimeo.com/14492928

Meep Meep!

I love things that look like their cartoon versions. On our family's recent vacation to Arizona, I got my fill of cartoon joy!

As soon as I got off the plane, I saw a cactus that looked like it should have been the stem of a margarita glass. I couldn't believe it was growing out of the ground. It looked fake! A couple of college guys were on the bus with me to the rental car facility. "Hey man," one said. "Why don't you run as FAST as you can into that thing. No really. No do it. It'll make a great youtube video. It'll go viral!" I had to agree...

It wasn't just the cactus, though. The landscape is the backdrop to every John Wayne western you've ever seen. The entire time I was there, I just kept pointing and saying: "Wile E Coyote fell off THAT cliff!" Canyons and red rocks, cactus and prickly pear- it all looked like a painting or movie set.

I realize I'm talking about the scenery here and not the vacation but I can't emphasize enough what it was like to take in that desert environment with your own eyes. I have been lucky to travel the world and see many "views" but the scenery in Arizona is some of the most breathtaking and unique settings in the world. It is truly God's artwork. A picture CD is in the mail, and I'll post them soon so perhaps you can get the idea!

Beyond the scenery, the time spent with the family was lovely. I really miss everyone now that I am a "grown up" and it had been since Christmas that I'd spent any time with my sister! We are a corny, nerdy family and did all the tourist stops- Native American museums, botanical gardens, outlaw-themed steak houses, Indian cliff-dwellings, hiking trails, and my favorite- a pink jeep tour in Sedona!

I'd recommend a trip to Arizona to anybody. Boycotting be damned- nothing matches the beauty and campy fun of this state. I'm sure there are embarrassing videos and pictures that will spring up soon as a result of this trip. (I can't do a somersault on land...or underwater.) But... it will be worth it!

Peace and love.

Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.

If you're a fan of the classic Americana baseball movie, Field of Dreams, you know this line. Perhaps there's no better definition of heaven than the simplicity of family, sunshine, a great game of baseball, and ... a cornfield. After a long weekend in the Midwest, I have to agree.

My trip started out as a weekend visit to Milwaukee to visit Dr. Charles and catch up with him before the school year started. He now works at the MLB level and is at the drawing board stages of some national initiatives for MLB charities that benefit public schools. We planned to brainstorm some ideas based on my experience and the experience of my peers in TFA. My friend David, an old coworker from my Dodgers days and now a senior at Penn, is working at the Chicago Cubs this summer. He's also interested in public education, so we decided to make the trip together.

I wasn't sure what to expect out of the weekend, and it spun itself into quite the adventure. I figured: it's summer, I'm in the midwest, who knows when I'm coming back... so might as well make the most of it! We had plenty of dinner conversations about baseball, careers, charities, and teaching- but decided to turn the trip into a vacation as well! We took an impromptu trip to the one and only Field of Dreams in Iowa, and played catch with some major leaguer's gloves. (See photo album.)

After our trip to the cornfields, dinners at Ryan Braun's, and all the checking out downtown Milwaukee (which is actually a very cute, very friendly town) David and I took a bus down to Chicago to do a little sightseeing. This was my first time visiting the city, and like most people, I was impressed. I was even spoiled with some 2nd-row Cubbies tickets on my first trip to Wrigley park! I think I was most surprised at the total and complete lack of advertisements at the field. Even Wahconah park is covered with ads- it was a field lost in time.

Overall it was a delightful trip and I was so happy to visit with Charles and David. Enjoy pictures from my midwest adventure here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2398087&id=5515657&l=8c634d9865