The Life of a Nomad: Seattle

Phew! I am finally at the end of documenting my trip (that sadly was now over a month ago...sorry!)

I have always wanted to visit Seattle. I was so happy we got to end our wonderful vacation there. We definitely did all of the touristy things!

Our first stop: The Public Market and the Original Starbucks

No trip to Seattle is complete without visiting the Public Market! Conveniently, the flagship Starbucks is right across the street. Of course, the line was ridiculous, so we opted against waiting. It was cool to just walk by and check it out! 

Next stop: The Chihuly Gardens

I have seen many Dale Chihuly pieces in a bunch of places. Most recently before my trip to Seattle, I saw one of his pieces, titled The Flame of Liberty, when I took my class on a field trip to the National Liberty Museum in Philly. Before that, I had seen one of his works at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. However, the Chihuly Gardens totally blew both of these past experiences out of the water! It was amazing to walk from room to room and see so much beauty from the talents of one person! I loved walking around the gardens outside and seeing the glasswork mixed in with nature. I almost couldn't tell the difference, like with this "tree"!



Third Stop: The Space Needle

Another experience which one cannot skip if spending time in Seattle! It was incredible going up and getting a 360 view of the city!

Final Stop: EMP Music Museum

Obviously, Seattle is known for being the pioneer of the grunge/punk-rock movement. I really enjoyed going through the Nirvana exhibit, and was pleasantly surprised by the exhibit on animator Chuck Jones, who is famous for bringing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the like to life. Coincidentally, Chuck Jones was born in Spokane but spent the end of his life in Corona del Mar, which is just a couple of towns over from my new home-base! There is even a really cool gallery/studio space in Costa Mesa in his honor.

Well, there you have it! My Pacific-Northwest adventure! And since I am now officially a West-Coaster, I can't wait to share more about my move to California :)

The Life of a Nomad: The Methow Valley and Leavenworth

We ended our trip in the Northwest with a wedding in the Methow Valley in central Washington and a few days in Seattle. I had no clue what to expect from the little towns in the Valley, and despite the 100+ degree heat, I was pleasantly surprised! The small little towns like Winthrop and Twisp had some really cool coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and clothing stores. I loved walking around Winthrop. I felt like I was transported back into an Old West town!

Main Street in Winthrop

One of my favorite spots was The Rocking Horse Bakery, which is a super cute coffee shop. I had some delicious homemade granola with almond milk for breakfast, along with a much-needed iced coffee (it was already in the 90's by 10 a.m-ugh).  They also had amazing looking cinnamon buns, which I now totally regret not ordering. I think I was in a heat coma....

Since it was soooo hot in the Valley, we decided to check out the local lakes to cool off. I'm definitely more of a beach person, but a dip in the lake was totally what I needed! 

On our drive back towards Seattle after the wedding, we stopped in Leavenworth, Washington. If you have not heard of this place, it is essentially a Bavarian village in the middle of Washington State.


One of my favorite things about this little village was that even the American chains had a Bavarian architectural style:

 
 
No, we did not eat lunch at the Bavarian McDonald's! We actually ate at Leavenworth Sausage Garten for traditional bratwurst. If anyone knows me well, I hate hot dogs. These brats were tasty! I loaded mine up with sauerkraut and tried a few varieties of mustard on the side:

This place also has killer soft pretzels. Having recently moved from Philly, I can attest that these pretzels were just as good as any Philly pretzel! And, these pretzels came with this ridiculous garlic-cheese dipping sauce. Oh man! 


It was a riot being in this little village. I felt like I was in EPCOT at Disney! After we ate lunch, we walked around the town for a bit and then hit the road for our last leg: SEATTLE, BABY!  

The Life of a Nomad: Victoria Island

After a few days in Vancouver, my parents and I took the ferry over to Victoria Island, where we meet up with our family friends from back home.

Victoria Island is beautiful! It definitely has a European, London-y feeling about it. I loved walking around and seeing all of the Victorian homes!



We were told that a "must do" in Victoria was high tea at The Empress Hotel . It was delicious! I loved all the tiny finger sandwiches (curried chicken salad was amazing!) and pastries (mmmm...scones!)

Here is my brother-from-another-mother, Ned, enjoying his tea. Don't forget, PINKIES UP!

We took a tour of Parliament, which is beautiful and is all lit up at night. Unfortunately, the shot I have of Parliament at night came out all fuzzy, but here is a picture of Ned and me in front the building (which is still gorgeous in daylight!)

 
One of the highlights of the trip to Victoria Island was visiting the Butchart Gardens. The gardens are about 40 minutes outside of the city. There are buses that run directly from the center of the city to the gardens, so getting there is pretty easy! 

Of course I loved walking through each garden and enjoying the scenery, but one of the best surprises was the gelato stand next to the Italian gardens! I ordered the lavender-honey gelato, and it did not disappoint!  And I have a sneaking suspicion that the lavender might have come from the lavender in some of the gardens....

After a lovely couple of days in Victoria, we boarded the ferry back to the mainland--to Washington state! Check back in soon to hear all about that leg of the trip! 
 

The Life of a Nomad: Vancouver

I am beginning to feel slightly less nomadic as the days go on. Our move to California was definitely a bit unexpected and quick. I had already planned a trip with my parents for the last two weeks of June to Vancouver, Victoria Island, and Seattle/Central Washington. I made an executive decision to go forward with the trip, even though I knew we were expected to be in California the second week of July for my husband's job. I was definitely a bit stressed during the trip, coordinating with B over the phone about flights, rental cars, moving companies, and corporate apartments! Still, I am so glad I went on the trip, because it was to a part of the country where I hadn't been before and I wanted one "big" trip with my parents before I moved across the country!

I actually flew from California to Seattle (hubs and I had been there already doing some apartment hunting) and met my parents at the airport in Seattle. We then drove from Seattle to Vancouver. It was really cool crossing the border into our "neighbor to the north".



Vancouver is an incredibly beautiful city. My parents and I actually stayed on Granville Island, which is a sort-of artist's colony across the water from downtown Vancouver. My family and I loved popping in to the many galleries on the island, but our favorite thing was the Public Market, which we walked to in the morning for breakfast.  We got coffee and pastries at Blue Parrot, and then set out with rental bikes on the Aquabus (which is the cutest, tiniest water taxi) to Stanley Park.

Biking around Stanley Park was gorgeous. It was nice stopping along the way to snap photos and enjoy the scenery!

Vancouver is certainly a city with cool neighborhoods and vibrant restaurants! We ate at some fantastic places, including Kirin for authentic Chinese food and Vij's for honestly the best Indian food I have ever had! One of the best things we did in Vancouver was a lunchtime food truck tour. Oh man! So many amazing options! My favorites were Eat Chicken Wraps and Tacofino, but we also hit up Mom's Grilled Cheese and Japadog. By the end of the day, we were stuffed!

Left: Peking-style chicken wrapped in a scallion pancake from Eat Chicken Wraps. Right: Fish taco from Tacofino

My mom and I spent a day walking around the city on Father's Day while my dad watched the U.S. Open. We visited Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which was so tranquil and beautiful.



We did an awesome free walking tour of the city on our last day, where we got to see the Olympic torch, podium, and some of the medals!

 Vancouver was my first exposure to Canadian life, and it was awesome! I couldn't wait to check out more of this part of the country! Stay tuned for part two of my nomadic adventures-- Victoria Island! 

Philadelphia Phaves

I cannot believe that in a few short weeks the hubs and I will be leaving the East Coast behind for our move to CALIFORNIA!

We have really enjoyed our time in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia has definitely established itself as one of the best food cities, so I wanted to highlight some of our "Philly Phaves"!

When we first moved to Philadelphia, we lived in Society Hill. Society Hill is a very historic, quiet neighborhood just blocks away from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. I loved walking down the cobblestone streets and passing homes that have been around since the 1700's!



Society Hill/Old City has so many fabulous restaurants. We lived literally right next door to one of Philadelphia's top-rated restaurants, Zahav. Nothing beats the beet salad (oh, puns!) that comes with the selection of salatim at the start of the meal. The baby rugelach and apricot babka are some of my favorite desserts!

Babka that would make your Bubbe proud at Zahav!

Philly isn't really known for its pizza, but we were fortunate enough to live steps away from Pizzeria Stella. We had a regular order: one spinach with mozzarella and pine nuts, one sausage with long hot pesto. Delish! We regularly made the long trek to Stella's from our West Philly apartment after we moved from Society Hill because the pizza is that good!

I am very, very particular about my tapas. Hey, I studied abroad in Spain, I know what's good! I have to say that Amada is one of the best tapas restaurants that I've been to here in the States. Their croquetas are light and creamy. The garlic shrimp sizzles when they place it in front of you. I can't get enough of the garbanzo and spinach salad. And of course, the Sangria is not to be missed!

Just up the street from Amada is Han Dynasty ,  which is truly authentic Szechuan cuisine. Definitely go here if you like it hot! You can customize the spice level for most dishes. Our favorites were the Spicy Crispy Cucumber Salad, Dan-Dan Noodles, and the Garlic Sauce Style Shrimp.

Here is B enjoying basketball and Chinese food at Han Dynasty!

You CANNOT be in Society Hill/Old City without checking out Franklin Fountain. In the summer, there is always a line, but it is totally worth it for their old fashioned ice cream floats, sundaes, and phosphates (customized sodas). When you walk in, you feel as though you have been transported into the 1920's. Even the employees are dressed in outfits from that era! Franklin Fountain has excellent classic and unique homemade ice cream flavors, from vanilla bean to honeycomb ice cream made with honey from their own beehives! Yum!

When we moved to West Philly, we were worried that we would miss our old stand-bys in Society Hill. Never fear, for we quickly discovered some favorite places in our new neighborhood! Our go-to place was Sabrina's. They serve breakfast all day, and I loved that on a random Thursday night I could get a delicious egg white and veggie omelet with "homies" (Sabrina's lingo for home-fried potatoes). My husband loves their grilled veggie sandwich, served on a Philly famous Sarcone's roll!

The view of the Philly skyline from our West Philly place!

My sister went to Penn, which is right up the street from our West Philly apartment. I remember coming to White Dog Cafe after her graduation on a chilly, rainy day and cozying up to order hot toddies. Man, I wish I didn't wait nine years to try the food! American gourmet comfort food at its best! All the ingredients are from local farms. Hub's favorite is the burger with truffle-oil fries. I love the pecan-crusted tofu or the rigatoni with spicy lamb bolognese. The best is half-priced wine bottles on Mondays! Whatever you don't drink they cork up for you to take home!

Part of White Dog's charm are all the cute dogs positioned randomly throughout the restaurant. We've named a few...this one is Paco.

 In my opinion, and I assume the opinion of many others, Capogiro Gelato is definitely a Philly institution! It is honestly the best gelato I've had outside of Italy! They have awesome flavors that change seasonally based on available ingredients. Some flavors seem daunting at first (um, sweet potato ice cream? Avocado?) but end up being delicious! One of my favorite flavors is burnt sugar, which seriously tastes like the caramelized topping of a creme brulee. Of course, their classic flavors are done beautifully, like the pistachio and the stracciatella.

Even if it is on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon, Percy Street BBQ is the spot to hit if you are craving great barbeque! The ribs and chicken have a great, smokey flavor, they barely require the various sauces that are available at the table. I love ALL the sides, but the German potato salad in a bacon vinaigrette and the mac and cheese are truly awesome!

This is definitely a time where you want to GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT! There's great BBQ ahead!

Before moving to Philly, I heard a lot about Monk's and their famous mussels. I love mussels, and fell in love with almost all of the different preparations on the menu! Brussels (tomato, fennel, garlic) and Provence (leeks, mushrooms, celery, cream) are my favorites. It is the perfect place to go on a cold night to warm up with moules frites!

Let me just say, I had to stop my list here because I could honestly go on forever about all of the great places to eat in Philadelphia. I am sad that we will be leaving such a wonderful food city, but am looking forward to finding our go-to's and special places in our new hometown! Anyone who knows some good OC restaurants, let me know! 

Big News

I am relieved to finally be able to share this news with everyone. It has been a tough road over the past couple of weeks (actually, months, if I'm being honest) but now I am finally in a place where I can share my news with all of you.

My husband and I got married almost a year ago, and we were excited to begin a new life together in Philadelphia. Only a few months after we got married, he lost his job. Needless to say, I was worried about how we would pick up the pieces on just a teacher's salary. We made it work. We had the support of our friends and family, which was the most important thing. I told myself I didn't have time to stress about it--that my responsibilities at work would keep my mind off of reality. Truth be told, there is never time to take a breath when you are teaching, so I really was preoccupied by work a lot of the time!

As time went on, I began to realize that it was highly possible that I might not be able to stay at my current school and that we might have to move for his next job. That was a tough pill to swallow. After only two years at this school, it really became my second home, my second family. I have never felt so supported in a school before. I worked with so many amazing teachers and wonderful families. Those kids were my life, just ask anyone who talked to me about my job EVER. I can't shut up about them!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was offered a job with a great company in California. We are both East Coasters, with both of our families nestled along the Atlantic. Moving to California would mean leaving behind our family and friends. But it would also mean moving to California. Land of sunshine and surf! No snow! Palm trees!

For those of you who don't know me, I have had a dream since I was a little kid to live in California. When I was in elementary school, my father's law firm had asked him if he would be interested in heading up the California branch of their offices. My family went out to Orange County (where, coincidentally, my husband's new job is) and I began my love affair with year-round summertime. And being close to Disneyland. Ultimately, my parents turned it down to remain in D.C. and stay close to grandparents and friends. For years I complained to my parents that my life could have been "so much more awesome" if we had moved out there.  I always beamed with joy when someone who I just met told me they "assumed I was from California" because of my personality, clothing, etc. Well, here was our chance to live out my childhood dream, but it would also mean I would have to give up another dream: continuing to work in a great school. It was a tearful goodbye, but I am lucky that my colleagues are supportive and understand what is best for my family at this time.

The sad truth is, teaching is not a lucrative profession. If one of us is going to give up their job, I will  be fine with taking the bullet this time. My husband has always been supportive of my teaching career. It is part of the reason we ended up in Philadelphia. So now it is my turn to be supportive...and get a really good tan! As of July, we will be leaving our home on the East Coast and moving to Orange County--for reals this time! I am excited for the adventure ahead, and know that soon I will land on my feet out there. Hey, kids and schools are everywhere, right?

There is a lot to take care of in the next couple of weeks, but now that it is official, I am excited to get behind this adventure full-force! California, here we come!

Now, on a lighter/ridiculous note to get me SUPER PUMPED for my move:
 

I'm sorry, I had to do it! Especially because Chris Carmack (aka Luke Ward) and I are actually from the D.C.--not the O.C.

La Maestra de Espanol

In college, I was a Spanish major. I spent a summer abroad in Seville, Spain. It was honestly one of the greatest times of my life. Seville is a beautiful city with so much to offer.  During my time abroad, My roommate Katherine (who is one of my dearest friends from college--and a new mama!) and I lived with a wonderful host mother and her pre-teen son. We never spoke any English with them, and was shocked to hear my Senora speak perfect English when, at the end of my program, my parents came and took her out for dinner as a gracias for taking such good care of me all summer. Although my Spanish was pretty proficient prior to my time living in Spain (I began taking Spanish in 6th grade and it was one of the only classes in school that I actually enjoyed), by the time I left Spain, I was fluent.

Left: Katherine and me, before a bull fight!
Right: Me, with a bull's ear (a common prize in bull fighting)

Katherine and me at the Plaza de Espana (apparently they filmed a Star Wars here...)

Flash forward seven years, and unfortunately, I have had very few opportunities to use my Spanish language skills. During grad school, I did work one summer as a counselor in a Spanish-immersion day camp. I always relished the times in NYC when something broke in my apartment and Victor, the building's trusty fix-it man (who barely spoke any English), would come and I could chat with him in Spanish.

Where I currently teach, there is no foreign language program. I decided to take it upon myself to introduce my students to the language that I love so much! Once a week, we dedicate a 45 minute block to Espanol. Parents are very enthusiastic about their children beginning to learn a new language!

At the start of the year, I introduced the names for days of the week and names of the months. We also discussed la clima and different ways to describe the weather outside. Each morning, after we say our greeting and read our schedule for the day, we go over el calendario:

The kids always argue about whether the weather is hace buen tiempo or hace mal tiempo. It appears that many children in my room enjoy rain and think the weather is great when it rains! Go figure!

In math, we were studying geometry, so I did some activities to expose the children to names of shapes in Spanish. We also used our understanding of los colores to do some activities where you had to match the shape with the description in espanol. For example, draw a picture of un circulo rojo. 

Over this past year, we have learned basic Spanish vocabulary for themes like animals, clothing, body parts, transportation, feelings and emotions (which have done wonders for our community building!) and family members. Currently, I am planning on tying in our fairy tales genre study by introducing some cuentos de hadas. I just picked up this and this from my local library to read with the kids next week! I love bilingual books!

I feel very proud of myself for taking on this challenge, and I feel like it has been a success! It has been great hearing the children speak un poquito de espanol and I hope that this might encourage them to continue practicing Spanish (or another language) as they continue through school!