31

In 2 days I'm turning 31.  Here is life as I know it at 31:

• I have a loving/silly/talented/temperamental/amazing guy of 5 years.  
• I have 4 nephews and 1 niece and no words to describe the love for them.
• I still want and need the love and support of my parents and sisters.
• I'm in my 8th year of teaching, and it still feels like my 2nd. (Not my first, because that was a nightmare.  My second because the learning curve is still so big.)
• I live in a condo downtown that is gradually getting too small.
• I fell in love with running again, and wish I could do it more.  

Life is good.  Cheers to 31.

If I were president of our country I would. . .

During writing class today, I told the kids that anybody in ourclass could become president when they're old enough.  "Even girls?!"  was the response.  I gave them an emphatic "YES!" They couldn't believe it.  Then I explained to them that before Barack Obama, we all thought that a Black president would never happen in this country.   It makes me smile to know that for them, a Black president is the norm.  With that, they envisioned themselves as president of the country, and went off to write with this prompt:  "If I were president of our country I would. . ."  Here are some of their replies.  If these are our future leaders, we may just be in very good hands.

• give more money to the schools for good teachers and after school programs.
• make healthy food cheaper so people can eat healthier and be healthy.
• give food and homes to the homeless.
• make a rule that only the army can have guns.
• let everybody get married.
• make sure that we don't have war.
• help businesses make money.

Then there were the funny ones like:

• make people only eat fruit instead of candy because fruits are sweet too.
• go to tent city and build an apartment for all of them.

Oh, second grade. . .

Boat Loads of Fun

Last week my class took a field trip to the Center for Wooden Boats.  It's located in South Lake Union, literally blocks away from my home.  (I wish I could have just met my class there!)  For any K-3 teachers out there, I highly recommend this field trip.  The children learned about local boats, built mini boats that they were able to float around in the model pond, and rowed one big boat together.  It's really a great experience for both the children and adult chaperones.

Up to 18 can ride and row in this boat called the Umiak.  It's pretty awesome.

I'm still here!

I haven't blogged since the summer!  Sad!   The end of August came along, school started, and work consumed me.  Now that the dust is settling, I can blog again.

Love Love Love

The whole crew at Disneyland.  We roll deep.

Anybody who knows me knows that I love love love my family.  My best friends are my sisters and my cousins, and friends who are so close they feel like cousins.  This summer, we got the chance to reunite, and it was EPIC.  No matter how many miles are between us, or how much time goes by that we are apart, we always seem to get right back into "crazy family mode" when we are together, and I love love love it!  We all met in LA to celebrate Bess and Mark's wedding, and it was the first time in a long time that we were all together for a whole weekend, day in and day out.  It was just like old times, and even more fun than I can explain.  I'm so blessed to be a part of a family that really knows how to love each other.

On the Run

What have I been doing with my summer so far?  Running around Lake Union.

Thanks to Vince for convincing me that it's not so bad.  Best part is. . . it's right outside my door.  

First Day of Summer, Officially

Trust me, teachers are even more excited.

Students were done on Friday, but I had to go in yesterday and move classrooms. . . again.  It's going to be my 6th classroom in 8 years.  Ardon and I woke up bright and early, ready to lug boxes around, only to find that my new teammates had already moved almost all of them for me!  Needless to say, Ardon and I were pretty stoked, and we were only at the school for less than half the expected time.

So today, on my official first day of summer, I woke up at 9:30!  Something that I haven't done in a long long time.  No alarm clock to wake me up, just my body clock telling me "It's time."  The weather isn't looking all that great, so I think I might just catch up on things around the house--the stuff I had ignored for the last couple of weeks because work had been so busy.  Possibly vacuum and wash and fold some laundry.  Ardon is having some company over, but other than that, it's a pretty chill day.  I might even cook every meal today!  Now, THAT would be amazing.

I'm just excited that the break is finally here (even though the weather says otherwise).  I'm really looking forward to the relaxation, spending more time with family, the trip to LA in July, and the trip to NYC in August.

Oh, the perks of being a teacher.

ROCK N ROLL!

WE DID IT!  And, boy did it feel absolutely awesome!  I'm really proud of all of us--Vince who ran the full marathon, and Mar, David, and me who ran the half.  We had the perfect weather conditions and great energy.  I even made it in my goal time!  I'm feeling great (even after a day, but we'll see).  Bring on the next race!

Thanks to Ardon, G, Mark, and Mawee for coming out and cheering us on.  That made it extra special.

Pre-race.  We hung out with our corral and inched our way to the start line.    I think our corral was so far back that we started at 7:45.  The whole race started at 7:00.  That's what happens with 20,000 people out to run.

Post Race.  Vince finished his full marathon before we finished our half.  He's kind of a beast.
It's amazing and inspiring.

Give it up for the halfsies!  Mar with the ice pack.  She's a serious trooper.  She hurt her knee at about mile 6 and told David and me to keep going.  She ran with a pirate leg the rest of the way, and did it in impressive time for somebody who had to drag a leg for half the race.  Poor David cramped up in both calves, but muscled through it.  Look how happy we are to be done!  (Thanks to Ardon, G, Mark, and Mawee for the awesome sign.  They also had another one that said, "You're my heroes")

Post Race Stretch.  You have no idea how good it felt to stretch in this picture.  

In the Next Two Weeks

I need to

• Continue teaching summer-ready kiddos
• Pack up my classroom
• Move into another classroom
• Start and finish report cards
• Finish strong in training for the half marathon, which the morning after school gets out.

It's a short list of big tasks.  So much to do, so little time!  I'm getting anxious just reading the list.

Mini-Vaca to Vancity

Yet again, Ardon had a DJ event wherein he was asked to make an appearance.  This time it was in Vancouver, so we were pretty stoked.  It was a good chance to make a little getaway from Seattle.  Two of his good friends PJ and Beau came with us, since they are into the DJ scene too, so we all road-tripped up north.  We stayed at the Days Inn in downtown, which was walking distance to pretty much everything, so were able to just get out and explore.

I hadn't been up to Vancouver in a long time, so it felt good to kind of re-appreciate the city.  In my opinion, it seemed like the American version of Europe.  It's a great place, for sure, and Ardon and I will definitely be making our way back up soon.

Hello, Canada!  Crossing the border wasn't so bad.  Border patrol asked, "What does one do at a DJ event?"

Crossing Granville Bridge on our way to downtown Vancity.

 Beau, Ardon, and PJ exploring downtown.  It was so clean, it felt like Universal Studios.

Still Galabunting.  We just kept going and going.  As we headed back to the hotel, we finally realized how far we had walked.  We covered lots of ground on foot, so we all had to power nap before heading out for the night.

PJ aka DJ Pjilla cuttin it up at Skratcher 3.  There was an open turntable session, the Canadian version of Skratch Lounge, so a few of the Skratch Lounge fam came up too.  There was also a DJ competition happening at the same venue that Ardon had to judge.  Lots going on, but lots of fun.

Late nightt eats.  The pizza was so good, but the ranch dressing they made at this place was BOMB.  If they sold it, I'd buy it, and I don't even like ranch.

On our way home, PJ was craving Poutine, so we stopped in White Rock to get some.   It was a quaint little coastal town and the Poutine at Moby Dick was sooooo good!

Almost back in the US.  Getting back over took longer than getting into Canada.  Go figure.  We stopped in Tulalip to outlet shop and eat at the casino, buffet style.  We were stuffed!

4th and 5th Grade Camp

Just got back from camp yesterday.  Every year, the 4th and 5th graders, parent volunteers, and my teammates go up to Stanwood to the campgrounds at Camp Warm Beach.  As expected, it was amazing, especially since the children this year are extra awesome.  It was 3 days of hiking the trails, finding interesting critters, and lots of outdoor adventure, mixed in with indoor cabin giggles.  It rained all day on Thursday, but we were troopers and made the most of our time there.  Moving to 2nd and 3rd grade next year, I'm really going to miss camping out with the kiddos.  Here are a couple of snapshots that I was able to take.

My camping quarters.  It was pretty sweet.  I hardly felt like I was roughing it.

My activity group, Group Love.  Getting ready to ride the trail.  There were two girls who were pretty terrified to get on a horse.  Once they got back, they were beaming with excitement.  It ended up to be their favorite thing about camp.

Lucas found this huge slug while we were lost in the wild.  I lead them in the wrong direction when trying to find our next station.  I'm gonna miss this kiddo.  He was in my activity group last year too.

The 40-foot climbing wall.  I didn't get the chance to do it last year because we ran out of time, but I was determined to do it this year.  And I'm proud to say I conquered it!  We had to make up a superhero name before going up.  The kids gave me the name "Cat Attack," and they cheered me on the whole way up.

This year, one of the stations was the "chill station," where the kids could sit by the fire, read, write, play chess,  play cards, or just lay down.  I think it's pretty obvious what the teachers decided to do. . .  Jeff was passed out.

Breakfast Crawl

Ardon and I have been such early birds for quite a while now.  We wake up, even on the weekends, bright and early between 6:00 and 7:00.  We like to take advantage of our mornings because his new schedule has him working from 11am to 7pm all weekend long.  Lately our weekend morning routine is to get up, chill for a little bit, and get to a good breakfast spot by around 8:30.  We have really enjoyed the early mornings because we don't get the rush of brunch that hits by 10am.  The restaurants are super mellow, the servers aren't in a scurry, and the food comes out pretty fast.

I must say, Seattle has some really delicious breakfast.  So far, Ardon and I have only been to a few spots, but we're excited to keep exploring.  Here are just some of our greatest hits:

Portage Bay Cafe South Lake Union.  Always an easy win (and kind of our default)  since it's a block away from home.  My favorite dish is their crab cake benedict and breakfast potatoes.

Geraldine's Counter in Columbia City.  Another easy win.  We enjoy this place because it's close to where Tin and David live, so we can eat with good company.  My favorite is the Emerald City Scramble.

The Backdoor at Roxy's in Fremont.  We've had lunch here, but tried their breakfast for the first time just recently.  A charming NYC-style Jewish diner.  My favorite was the challah french toast.   The hashbrowns are yummy too.

Citizen Coffee in Lower Queen Anne.  Breakfast crepes to die for.  The Nutella crepe is a must have, even if you split it with somebody.  The savory crepes are just as delcious.

Beat the Bridge 2012

Before the run:  Vince joined the 6-7 minute/mile runners.  Mar and me?  I don't even know what category we started running with.  We just kept inching our way to the front, heard the airhorn, and started running.

In preparation for the Rock n Roll half which is just a month away, Mar, Vince, and I ran the Beat the Bridge 8k (5 miles) just this morning.  For me, it was my very first 8k.  The longest official race I've ever ran was 5k, so I was super excited for this one.  The weather was perfect, even if it did sprinkle a little, it felt good.  There were thousands of people, and it was just a lot of fun.  It's called Beat the Bridge because 2 miles into the course, there is a draw bridge that goes up 20 minutes after the last person crosses the start line.  (Not gonna lie, I was nervous.  I have short legs, whether or not I would beat the bridge was questionable.)  But WE BEAT THE BRIDGE!  Vince definitely beat it.  He finished the whole race in 32 minutes!  Ardon came with to cheer us on too.

I even got a gold medal!  

Teacher Adventure

Back in February (or March?  I can't remember), we had our school auction.  One of the auction items was a teacher adventure to bake cookies and plant flowers in cute flower pots for Mother's Day with Ms. Bogel and me.  Eight families bid on the adventure.  Almost all of whom I taught as first graders, so it was lots of fun to spend time with them again.  We spent the Thursday before Mother's Day baking dozens upon dozens of cookies after school.  They were so funny when some of their moms were the ones to pick them up.  "Mom!  You can't see!  You have to turn around!" they would say as they put their huge flower pots behind their backs.

Yay for moms!

HAPPY Teacher Appreciation Week?

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week.  Kids showered me with flowers, Starbucks cards, mangoes, and much more. They know what I like!  Some of them wrote me letters or made cards.  Here's one that I thought was particularly interesting.

Oh, Molly.  Is it that obvious?

Mariners DREAM at Gatewood!

I know I've got a lot to catch you all up on.  I've been so bogged down with work and running, that I'm so behind on the rest of my life.  Laundry and dishes are piling up like no other.  Now that I've got a chill weekend, I finally have some time to just relax and think. . .  With that said, here are the happenings.

Left to Right:  Hernandez, Seager, Josa, Ackley, Vargas, and Manager Wedge

On Tuesday, May 8th, we had a surprise assembly for the kiddos.  The Seattle Mariners came to town to talk to the kids about staying in school and making good decisions.  Vargas, Ackley, Seager, Jaso, Hernandez, and Manager Wedge (kids were bummed that Ichiro was a no-show) each spoke about something different to encourage the kids to be their best.  They used the framework of DREAM (Drug-free, Respect, Education, positive Attitude, and Motivation).  We even made the news!

Mariners Surprise Gatewood

May Birthdays

It's May, which means it's a month full of celebrations.  Happy 28th birthday to Ardon (quatro de Mayo), and Happy 4th birthday to Mia Grace (cinco de Mayo).  May you both have many many many birthdays and fiestas to come!

Ardon and I celebrated his birthday on Thursday night.  We had a wonderful dinner at Dahlia Lounge and then went to Skratch Lounge where he met up with all his buddies to cut it up on the turntables.  All his buddies kept buying him drinks, which made the rest of the night veeerrrryyy interesting, considering Ardon never drinks.



We celebrated the princess's birthday at her house.  It was a fun little celebration with her grandparents, aunties and uncles.  The weather was perfect for us to enjoy a delicious BBQ on the patio in the back yard and watch the kiddos run around.

On to Mother's Day!  And the celebrations continue. . .

Ending With a Splash

Final day of spring break, and the sun decided to finally show!  We broke into the 70s, which for Seattlites is nearly a heat wave.  It was the perfect day to debut the new water table.  The kids were soaked from head to toe, and loved it.  Talk about keeping the kids busy for hours!. . .

Spring Break! Let's Get Crazy!

. . . or not.  Since the family did the big trip in February during mid-winter break, I have no plans for this break.  I guess that's the beauty of it.  The last couple of days have been full of helping Ardon get healthy again,  (The flu hit him over a week ago, and he's still feeling icky.  That is one nasty bug.) so we've been chillin' at home playing laptops, drinking tea, and eating soup.  I actually don't mind chillin' and taking it easy.  It feels pretty damn good.

Poor guy has gone through almost 3 full sized tissue boxes this week.

Old School vs. New School

(Student walks into math class wearing an orange cassette tape graphic t-shirt.)

Me:  Nice shirt.  I used to have an orange cassette tape, and it played a whole bunch of Sesame Street songs.

(As I'm saying this, the assistant principal walks in.)

Student:  Really, Miss Picardal. . . Sesame Street?  Come on!

Me:   Hey, I was like 5 and it was the 80s!

Assistant Principal:  I use to listen to cassette tapes on my Walkman when I'd go running.

Me:  Nice!  I used to have a black one.

Student:  What's a Walkman?

Other students:  A Walkman?  Yeah, what is that?

(Assistant Principal and I look at each other in disbelief.)

Kids, THIS is a Walkman and it was AWESOME.

I'm With THE DJ

For the past month, Ardon has been hard at work practicing for the DMC (DJ Mixing Championship).  He hasn't battled or competed since 2005, so he was a little hesitant.  He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.  All I know is that every year, whenever DMC time comes around, he would always say, "Man, I should enter. . ."  This year, he finally did. 

So, the last month has been quite busy for him.  Between work and practicing, he and I have been squeezing in time together whenever we can.  But all that hard work paid off.  There were 12 competitors all together.  The competition consisted of 2 rounds.  In the first round, all 12 DJs did a 2 minute routine, and the judges narrowed it down to the top 6 who would move onto the final round.  I heard that Ardon was in the top seed going into the final round, and won the final round favored by all the judges. That's word on the street.  I like to think that it's a fact.

It was really amazing to experience this with him.  In all the years we have been dating, I have never seen him compete, so this was something new for me.  After his performance in the final round, we stood in the crowd totally anxious as the host announced the results.  When he said, "In first place.  .  . WAYSTYLES!"  The crowd went crazy, all his friends mobbed him, and I was overwhelmed with excitement for him.  Apparently I wasn't the only one totally happy for him because his friends got a little choked up for him too.  Everyone there was so supportive of him, even his friends he was competing against.  He has always worked really hard in music, and now I think he feels a little more validated as a DJ.  Many of his DJ friends have said that nobody works as hard as he does, and now it has really paid off.

I don't think I realized how big of a deal this competition is.  Now that he has won in Seattle, we are going to NYC in August for the DMC national competition.  This gives us (You like how I say "us?") a chance to go to the DMC World Championships in London, which would be in September.  Ardon says this is like the Olympics for DJs.  I guess it's a pretty big deal.  I'm proud to say that I'm with the DJ! 

Ardon "cutting it up" with a winning routine.

The DMC Seattle winner saying his thank yous.  He even gave me a shout out for "putting up with him for the last month."  Stnading with him is DJ Tre, his good friend and runner up.  They both did so well.

The Champ and all his goodies.  He got a bunch of DJ gear.  He's still waiting for some to be sent to him.

Photos by US DMC

Smooth-ie Operator

I've been on a smoothie kick lately.  Back in February, we had a Valentine's Day celebration at school.  Instead of celebrating with cupcakes and cookies, we asked that families bring healthy food and we called it Heart Healthy Day.  One of the things that parents volunteered to to was to make smoothies for the kids.  Three moms came in with blenders and frozen fruit, fresh fruit, and some veggies, and they each made different smoothies, but all of them were so tasty and good for you.  It got me thinking, "Dude, why don't I make smoothies at home?!"

So, I've been blending away ever since.  My fave is to mix some tropical fruit with berries and spinach.  Then as I started to train for the half, I stumbled upon this book on my Kindle called Smoothies for Runners.  I decided to buy it, since it was only $3.  It gives great recipes for pre and post run smoothies.  The author also gives good insight into why the certain smoothie ingredients are good for the before and after of working out.  He gives the breakdown on each fruit, veggie, powder, and seed he mentions.  Here are my key take-aways:

1. In the blender, you should put ingredients in a certain order to get the smoothest consistency.  Liquid on the bottom, fruit in the middle, ice on top.
2. Fruits and chia seeds pre-run.
3. Protein smoothies post-run.

But really, how can you go wrong with putting a lot of delicious fruits and veggies together?  Whether or not you're training or working out, it's a yummy and healthy way to get good nutrients into your body.

Bobbin' for Spring

I went back to my hair doctor Sarah B at Vain downtown.  My hair started to grow out a little bit, making me look like a suburban soccer mom in a way, so I decided to switch up the hair just a little bit.  Nothing too drastic, but enough to give me a little umph.  My hair was at its longest during the summer, and I've been going a little shorter and shorter ever since.  Sarah B noticed and pointed that out to me.  I've discovered that I'm just a medium length type of girl.  I've got so much hair that when it's longer, it's just too much to manage, but I also want to be able to throw my hair into a ponytail, especially when I run.  I'm thinking that maybe this will be the shortest I will go for now.  I'm not ready for the big chop quite yet.

The inspiration:  Nicole Richie.  The bangs, the length, it's fresh.

The results:  Maybe the only bathroom mirror picture I will ever take in my life.  I didn't know whether or not to smile.  It was such an awkward 30 seconds taking this pic.  Anyway, I am definitely no Nicole Richie, but I like to think I put my own spin on the 'do.   This is the hair wash-n-go style.

Turbo Kick

Every Mondays and Wednesdays G and I have been taking a class at 24 Hour Fitness called Turbo Kick.  It's a pretty intense kick boxing class, and oh so much fun!  We jab, uppercut, kick, and way more.  Each time I leave, I'm sore for the next 2 days (which means I'm either really really out of shape, or it's a really good class.)  It seems like there's a pretty loyal following because I see the same people over and over again, and the instructor knows a lot of them by name.  We've only gone 3 times so far, but we love it.  It's turbo kickin' our asses.

This is one of the moves we do.  We "Sumo squat" and jump like 8 times in a row in one round... and we do like 3 or 4 rounds. It hurts so good!

It's Time to Rock n' Roll!

My 12 week training program started this week.  I'm following the Hal Higdon Half Marathon - Novice 1 Program.  It's been so cold this winter that my running habits are struggling just a little bit.  I've only been running 3-5 miles about once a week, down from my 3-5 miles 3-5 times a week.  Now, just 12 weeks out from the race, it's time to really get my booty in gear.  As part of my program, I'm also incorporating a little kick boxing on Mondays and Wednesdays.  G joined the downtown 24 Hour Fitness club, so we are taking the Turbo Kick class together.  Today was our first day, and it kicked our asses.  But it hurt so good!  Back on the grind tomorrow!

I figured if I blog about it, I'm putting it out there and I really really have to hold myself accountable throughout this training process.  It's my first long race, and I gotta make sure that these little legs can go the distance. 

Parterns in Crime

A little glimpse into 15 years from now. . .

Roman:  Ok, so how do we work this?  Xavier:  Dude, hot girls 9 o'clock in the other car.

Roman:  What is that over there?  Look.  Xavier:  What's down here?  Look.

Roman:  What are you talking about down there?  Xavier:  What are you talking about over there?

Roman:  I think I know how to work this thing!  Let's go!  Xavier:  Dude, hot girls in the other car!  9 o'clock!