sister, pam, and i are going back to the desert for our winter art retreat. this will be a combination birthday/recovery gift to myself. i will have just survived the first 5 days back on the force. i will be tired and ready to run off to the desert for the holiday weekend. to recover and lose myself in sketching the flora and fauna. then on tuesday i’ll be in worker bee status again. ready to educate the young punks of los angeles.
i have no idea where i will be stationed. i may just be filling in as a sub until something permanent comes along. i receive my same salary/benefits whether i’m in one permanent location or filling in at many schools in case you were wondering. which you probably weren’t. but if you’re a los angeles teacher who isn’t sure how leaves of absence work…this is how. at this point i am thinking popping in and out of different schools sounds rather nice. but i could just be deluding myself. whatever gets me through, right?
sister and i are going somewhere else in june. i’ve arranged that to occur 2 days after school gets out for the summer. in order to maintain my delicate mental health i simply MUST have trips arranged. stars glimmering on the horizon. pointing me to new adventures.
if you’ve got something delectable planned do fill us in!
2014 will hopefully continue in the same vein as 2013…. a great year. I will continue with my BA in arts and media, enjoy life to the full and welcome my first grandchild in February!!!
I can relate, Carina, for I too need to indulge an ache to walk under a different ceiling and head for the basement to see what’s shakin’ – like laundry.
Can. Not. Wait!!! You two have been having too much fun without me!
Yes, quite frequently I must plan and indulge feeling the ache to walk about under a different sky.
OK, I need an editor. The first part of my above comment is about as grammatically correct as my brain after 2 or 3 margaritas. Which I have NOT had today. Not even one.
February I am off to Taos, New Mexico. A semi late winter escape from New Hampshire winters right now is COLD and SNOWY. Makes me get through the winter part of the school year. I am planning my summer trip -that’s half as fun as going but having something on the burner is the only way to get through those tough days with the kids. Not sure where that will be yet. Where are you going in June? You didn’t say.
I’m still on my Paris high. Your Palm Springs Art Retreat looks beautiful. Good plan. I’m looking forward to a little bit of Florida, myself.
planning trips is what keeps my sanity ,besides monthly san franciso trips ( i have a new grandchild ) i am going to venice again in april .
it is wonderful in the desert right now . it is the best time of the year !
I am leaving on January 6 for 26 days in AUSTRALIA! I live in Canada, and we are in the middle of a deep freeze. It will be nice to get away from it all.
Guatemala in two months. We are in agreement on the idea that there must be ongoing vacation planning to get one through the tough times. Vaya con Dios, MA.
S
I absolutely concur with you that having trips and get-aways planned well in advance of their happening is really a great mental health booster. Having something to look forward to, something to plot and plan is what makes life worth living!!
My husband and I are going to New Orleans this coming Sunday. My niece and her husband are going there for a conference and some work so we will meet up with them and then bring them back to our house in NW Florida for a few days. My husband surprised me with the trip to New Orleans (since originally we were just going to drive over there to pick up my niece and her husband.) But he planned a get away for us to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary which happened on December 13th. We went to New Orleans on our honeymoon so it’s always a favorite place for us to visit!! We have a room reserved at a hotel near the French Quarter and not very far away from the River. Lots of really great places for us to wander and good food at every turn!
Then in March 2014, my family will be meeting near Table Rock, MO for our regular family gathering we have every other year.This year we’re going to a new place. We have rented a large house called Lazy Bear Lodge. There will be 11 or 12 of us and we’ll play, laugh, cook and some of us will get really crafty while we’re there. My niece and I are the chief planners for this event and this will be our 10th gathering. I love to do collage and always bring along several bins of paper and assorted ephemera and STUFF for making collages. My family was reluctant at first, but since I’ve continued to bring the materials to do that, there are always several of them who are game to set up several tables and just collage to our heart’s content! The most important thing is that we’re making memories and strengthening our ties as a family. It’s worth every minute we spend planning and plotting for our gatherings.
Mary Ann, thanks for sharing your life….the good and the bad. We’re all in this journey together and it helps to share with each other the things that help make it a better one. Or just things to help us make it to the next day! You and your traveling and art buds have fun and be sure to give us a blow by blow!
P.S. That gig you’ve got going in LA sounds pretty sweet. Maybe subbing for a while might be just the ticket. Do let us know how that turns out. But wait…..we KNOW you will. LOL All the best to you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Here’s to stars Mary Ann {raising my glass} and lots of wonderful adventures for you in 2014. Look forward to hearing what happens next 🙂
You have the work/life balance thing figured out! Now we’re all curious about where you’ll be going in June. The way you make us guess your destination and draw out the suspense is always fun. We just booked a week next summer at VRBO house on San Juan island, Washington, right on the water where orcas swim by.
I strongly recommend that you go for the subbing, if possible. It will be grim, for sure, but when you walk out the door you walk away from it. No plans, no dreams of saving souls etc. For your first return to that little universe, you should be able to hold on to some of the freedom of the past year. Wear a rubber raincoat, carry a cop’s whistle and give ’em hell!!! I look forward to your epic tales of monkey-whispering, ape-taming, and beaurocray-bashing.
When I taught in LA back in the ’70’s I spent a semester doing day-to-day subbing. It was interesting to see so many different schools and to work with a variety of age groups. Of course, some schools were lots better than others, but at that time (and maybe still) there was such a demand for subs that I often had my pick of where to go for the day. One of the upsides is that if you get a roomful of little terrors you know you’ll be somewhere different the next day! Having trips planned is a life-saver! You’re one smart cookie.
Erin in Morro Bay
Wonderful! A desert retreat is just the thing in January, whether or not your have just returned to working. It’s *always* a good time for a retreat. And the trip in June? The carrot! I do the same thing. I will be heading off to Iceland in June. And Oaxaca in September. Oh. And I leave for India on the 6th of January….almost forgot that one.
Happy travels, even if they are just between different schools!
XO
You go girl!!!! You will all have a blast no doubt. I’m planning on a fly over at some point, just an itty bitty bit of a blob soaring over at break neck speed, no doubt I will land with a splash in the pool. I promise to try and not get anyone wet or scare the heck out of you in the middle of the night, my internal gps has been off kilter the last few flights so I don’t know where I might end up, coordinates have been entered and standing by for take off. (i’ll be with you there in spirit) DO have an awesome time. I know ya will.
Still on my dream list of adventure trips, the photo makes my heart skip a beat, so in love! Have a wonderful time, as I know you will!
I have a place there and it’s soooo soooo perfect there right now – in case you’re looking for a yummy restaurant, I highly recommend Tropicale in downtown Palm Springs!