Weekend Picnics and Relaxation

I can't believe the weekend has come and gone so quickly! It was my first full week teaching kindergarten, and I must say that I was ready for the break. Last week consisted of many efforts to get the class somewhat caught up on all the knowledge the poor kids have missed out on. I'm very proud of my students for catching on to the routine of literacy centers and math centers. Although discipline is still a MAJOR issue for a handful of kids in there, I still love them and try hard to get them to where they need to be! Here's a photo of most my class taken on Friday - minus two. We planted sunflower seeds and radish seeds that day (they were SO excited!) and I was shocked to find that all of their seeds have sprouted over the weekend. My excitement matched theirs as we peeked into each cup this morning - I had said a little prayer that something would grow before school let out for the summer. I didn't really expect it to happen over 3 days :) Aren't my students cute?


When I got home from tutoring a student Friday night, my husband shared that he wanted to take me out. There was our lovely picnic basket by the door and a bag packed with blankets. Ahh... romantic and relaxing - could a girl ask for more? He drove us to Crane's Roost Park (we could walk there, actually) where we sat on the grass overlooking the pond, listening to live music. Perfect! I just love live music and being outside during the last couple hours of daylight is my absolute favorite. He cooked fish, chicken and rice, and brought applesauce. We ate, played a game of cards, and enjoyed each other's company as we listened to the band play. The security guard on duty joked about getting us candles and a lighter to add to the night :) Here's a photo of that a jogger offered to take for us...



Saturday was busy as I prepared for a meeting for my summer job. Being site coordinator is a great promotion, but also a bit more stressful! Saturday evening was spent at Borders scoping out books and magazines. I found a sewing one that has motivated me to try sewing again! We later came home to catch up on episodes of Lost (we just finished season 3!). Sunday morning consisted of Sunday school and church - then lunch with friends. This family is one of our favorites to be around - wonderful people that truly leave you feeling encouraged. They are missionaries with New Tribes and it's great having friends with which you can spend an afternoon relaxing.

Now I'm off to bed. I'm very tired and tomorrow is another busy day!

Finally

Everyday for the last week or so, I've been wanting to put up a new post. I even went so far as to bring my computer to my babysitting job last Saturday so I could type while she was sleeping. It didn't happen. I wasn't feeling well and opted to just read instead. Then this past week I was busy subbing each day and tutoring at night. Excuses, excuses... no good. Time gets away from me!

This is going to be a short post because Matthew and I want to continue spending quality time together tonight. Today has been one of the most relaxing Saturdays we've had. We awoke to no alarm and spontaneously decided to go out for breakfast. I remembered that there was a local farmer's market I've been wanting to check out near a cafe I wanted to try, so we headed there first. It was in the quaint, historic district of Longwood. The farmer's market was small, much like the other ones around our area, and we set about browsing as we usually do. Today we came across homemade jams/spreads. Our eyes were drawn to the unique printed paper covering the tops of the jars and after chatting with the lady behind the table, we walked away with a small jar of pear jelly. It's quite delicious! When I sampled it, I was reminded of my Nanny (mom's mother) who would fix us a wonderful breakfast when we stayed with her in Virginia. We'd have biscuits 'n gravy, fruit, eggs, sausage, and pear preserves. I'd scoop out several spoonfuls of the pear to eat by itself.




We soon left the farmer's market and crossed the street to Nellie's cafe, a charming, family owned restaurant. There was only one lady working our table and just two other tables that were occupied. I ordered biscuits with gravy and Matthew had wonderful French Dutch toast, made from some sort of apple bread, with homemade honey pecan butter. Our breakfast was very satisfying :) Our morning had this small town feel to it that we absolutely loved and were surprised to find.

At noon we met with potential clients who are getting married in October. They're wanting our services for videography, which is wonderful! It's a blessing to have jobs like that come up because they're so few and far between - especially with the economy the way it is. We did just do a wedding last Sunday (the ceremony started over an HOUR late and lasted ALL day!) Having business is a good thing and I love working with Matthew at events like that. Hopefully wherever we move will provide us with a good base for new clientele.

Following our meeting, we ran errands and came back to our apartment to quickly pack a picnic for Wekiva Springs State Park. We hadn't been there before and wanted to spend the last couple hours of daylight outside. I love parks and it was so peaceful. It was an unusually comfortable day for Florida, so being outside wasn't unpleasant. Matthew and I sat on a blanket playing cards and drinking iced tea. Perfect... until the sun went away and the bugs decided our skin would be their feast. That was our cue to leave.

Now we're home and wanting to use our fryer we received as a wedding present. It'll be a new experience for both of us. I think we will follow up our time in the kitchen by cuddling on the couch to watch a movie. It's been a beautiful day.