Jeffry's Graduation

Saturday, May 3, 2014: That morning Haley made pancakes, and we just sat around talking and watching Cora play with her new gifts. I tried taking some more pictures just to practice with my camera some more since I never really use it. My brother called me sometime around noon telling me I could head up to his place whenever I wanted even though my parents wouldn't get there until the evening. I decided that was probably a good time to let Haley and Ben have their house back. It was really sad leaving. I miss the social aspect of life. Everyone up here is either a lot younger or a lot older than me and in very different stages of life. It was nice to go back to something that was familiar and enjoyable.

That afternoon I made my way up to Dayton. It was nice to spend some time with my brother since it rarely ever happens. We sat around and talked. His roommates and their families came. Eventually, one of the families had a cook out. At one point my brother and I walked over to this bar that he frequented because he wanted to show me it. We got a drink then headed back. My parents eventually arrived and we just hung out with everyone.

Sunday, May 4, 2014: On Sunday my brother finally graduated from Dayton. It's so weird that the three of us have all graduated from college (although my sister and I went back to grad school). I always forget how long graduations can be. I had trouble with my camera, so the shots are really bad. I'm not good with indoor lighting. Of course my camera also decided to freeze when my brother went up, so I didn't get a good picture of him getting his diploma or on the screen.

Not sure what that guy in the background is doing, but he looks like he is about to hit my dad in the head with his cane.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I hated coming back to finals and never ending work days. It's definitely getting me ready for my trip to Asia this summer!

Cora's First Birthday

My trip down to Cincinnati worked out at a perfect time. I was able to attend Cora's first birthday! I actually met her for the first time on her actual birthday! It's so crazy how time flies. The last time I saw Haley she was pregnant and now Cora is one.

When we first got to the house we set up and then Haley asked me to take pictures of the balloons outside. As I was outside Haley's relatives arrive and she tells them she hired a professional photographer. Then she tells them she's just kidding. I got a laugh mostly because I'm so far from being any where near professional standards.

I made the carrot cake cupcakes off of Margaret's recipe. Funny thing was we didn't have regular sugar so Haley and I decided to improvise and use brown sugar. They still turned out alright. Thinking about the cupcakes now is making me so hungry as I write this.

Haley made the amazing banner and garland. I'm so jealous of her amazing crafting skills!

Ben and Haley with Cora!

Cora was so funny because she wouldn't really eat the carrot cupcake but smashed the chocolate one! She was eating it a lot better than most babies I've seen as well. Afterwards, she opened gifts, but my pictures didn't turn out to well. It was a fun first birthday party!

Cincinnati + Dayton Weekend

Life has been pretty monotonous lately, so I haven't had much to blog about. This past weekend I went down to Cincinnati and Dayton. My brother was graduating from the University of Dayton, so I decided to head down a few days early to see friends in Cincinnati.

Thursday, May 1, 2014: I left my house around 8:30 after a bad start. I accidentally set my alarm for 7:30 pm instead of am! However, I did wake up at 7:45 which was a miracle. I had to be somewhere at 1:00 in Cincinnati, and I was rushing around to make sure I'd be able to make it. I stopped for a bagel/coffee and gas then I was on my way.

When I drove past the University of Cincinnati I was amazed at how different it looks after just two years! It made me realize how much I miss living down there. I was amazed that I made it with 20 minutes to spare. I headed to the school I did my student teaching at and met with my old mentor teacher. It brought back memories! That experience was one of the best of my life. I cannot believe they are all about the graduate. I wish I could make it, but adult life requires bills that need to be paid. I talked with my mentor teacher for about 45 minutes, and it was really great to catch up on life.

Next, I headed to Rohs to meet up with an old friend and roommate. It was great to talk to her over cappuccino's and chocolate covered espresso beans. I was really coffeed out at that point!

Around 5 I finally headed over to Haley's apartment. It was so good to see her! It was the first time I'd seen her in over a year (at her baby shower) and the first time I was able to meet Cora. We ran errands and picked up Indian food which I was crazing for weeks before. Every time I go down there we have to get Indian because there just aren't Indian restaurants up here like the one's in Cincinnati. That night we made some cupcakes to get ready for Cora's party.

Friday, May 2, 2014: The next day I woke up to food and coffee! Then we got ready for the day. First, we headed down to Findlay Market to look around and eat some Gelato from Dojo!

Afterwards, we headed to the Twin Lakes Lookout at Eden Park. This was seriously one of my favorite spots to go when I lived in Cincinnati. It has a great view of the Ohio River and I could sit there for hours.

After the park we headed back to Haley's apartment and did last minute preparations for Cora's party! More for that later! :)

El Supermercado Mexicano

I really enjoy being back in school. However, I do not enjoy working two jobs, being in school, and actually being graded. I over stress when it comes to grades. Grades make me a terrible person. But let's not think about that. I particularly enjoy my two language classes. I don't really like my diversity class, but I thought I'd blog about it anyways since it got me to go out of my comfort zone.

For this class we had to do a field experience where we did something related to another culture that we were not familiar with to experience the traditions, values, and demographics. After the experience we needed to write about it on our class blogs. The most common thing for people to do is go to a religious service. I decided against that and wanted to go somewhere they spoke a different language since I want to work with English Language Learners eventually. I ended up going to La Mexicana, a Mexican grocery store in Painesville based on a recommendation from my friend who is Mexican.

My whole intention of going was to speak in Spanish However, I chicken out really easily when it comes to talking Spanish because I am so bad. I don't even like speaking Spanish to one of my best friends because I'm afraid he'll judge me for not being able to have a Spanish accent or role my R's. This field experience was really good for me though. It got me to understand what my future ESL students might be feeling in a country where they don't know the language. I was too intimidated to speak Spanish because I did not want the women working at the store to make fun of me! Pathetic, I know. It was like I had to give a presentation in high school all over again. But it really put me in the perspective of a student who may also be intimidated to speak, and it got me thinking of all the things I could do to make my classroom warm and inviting for someone who knows little to no English.

It was a bit of a culture shock walking into the store. It's a lot different than going to a Mexican Restaurant. I understood a lot of what I read because my Spanish is much better when I can see the words in front of me. For a while, I was the only white person. The only other white person that was in the store was fluent in Spanish, which made things even more intimidating. No one there treated me any differently, although where were a few kids who stopped and stared at me. Maybe I had something in my teeth? For a short while I did feel like I was in a different country. Everyone in the store was speaking Spanish, except a few children, of a the white woman, who went back and forth between Spanish and English. I liked being able to try to pick out words, but my understanding of spoken Spanish is the worst.

Towards the end of the trip I just wanted to get out of there because I just felt so out of place and I knew I wasn't going to speak Spanish. My cashier did seem to know very little English, but she still said "Have a good day" in English. I did manage to get out a "Gracias (Thank you)" and she answered me back with "De nada (You're welcome)." I must admit that was one of the most intimidating experiences I have ever lived through. I think it's time I experience more of a world outside of my white suburban hometown!

Image of my grocery store purchases came from my Instagram. You can view it here.

When You Meet an Online Blogger in the Real World

Things are getting better since last week. I miss Macy a ton, but my crying has shortened. This past weekend I made it up to several stores to buy more succulents and cacti to pot. I put it off until the weather was nice because I didn’t want to deal with the dirt and stuff in the cold weather. On a whim I also picked up a cilantro plant since I love cilantro, but I never really eat it fast enough when I buy it at the grocery store (Any tips on how to trim and use the cilantro would be appreciated!).
New additions and old plants!

I went to Lowes on my third stop of the day. I was looking for the succulents and they had some, but nothing I really wanted. Then I looked over at the area I had seen them in months before and realized they had more of what I wanted. I walked over and looked at them but there were two people already standing there. I looked at them and realized that the girl was Kaylah from The Dainty Squid. She is one of my favorite bloggers, and I was kind of in shock when I saw her.

Now, being me, I was too nervous to say anything. I kept dueling it out in my head on whether or not I should say anything. But alas, I didn’t. They left and I was stuck kicking myself. I’m one of those people who believe “celebrities” should be left alone, but it was still cool to see a real life blogger. As I waited in line to check out I hoped she would get in line behind me, but they didn’t.

I headed over to Target afterwards and as I was walking into the store I saw them pull in. It was like a sign that I should have said something, but again, I was too scared. Eventually, I did e-mail her telling her I saw her at Lowes. She responded telling me she thinks she saw me walking into Target! This world is so small. Part of me feels like I came in contact with a celebrity.
Blogging friends, have you ever met or seen a popular blogger out and about in the real world? Who was it? How did you react?