tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80915733119454251282024-03-17T22:03:47.058-05:00"...It's Like a Whirlwind Inside of my Head..."One girl's outlook on life, literature, and all things awesome!Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.comBlogger844125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-58544533339497338602023-12-22T06:54:00.000-06:002023-12-22T06:54:02.529-06:00New Blog, Fresh Start!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLBd4PTyDcyonrgiVjaxplSlDrMUKDEO2fHusbgKQJXxK_1eTP0ERtGjXSEc4eOgaJshtWxawZjGM_dgVzZxaJuLN8kaW_SZ7VJk92LTBT2hKckyNfFB3rOEVKQPD_mySCLBTqilmBx4dhzaCBYzZDEY6FcMj-hIkJEj8UIhd-_ndGbvrXLRXUC-8BIHVu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1200" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLBd4PTyDcyonrgiVjaxplSlDrMUKDEO2fHusbgKQJXxK_1eTP0ERtGjXSEc4eOgaJshtWxawZjGM_dgVzZxaJuLN8kaW_SZ7VJk92LTBT2hKckyNfFB3rOEVKQPD_mySCLBTqilmBx4dhzaCBYzZDEY6FcMj-hIkJEj8UIhd-_ndGbvrXLRXUC-8BIHVu=w400-h223" width="400" /></a></div>I'm moving! <p></p><p>Since I last posted (in July of 2020!!) I have actually moved to a new living space, but that's not what I'm talking about now. I mean, I'm moving to a new digital space! I've been writing more and more over at my new blog <a href="https://meganrediscoverslife.blogspot.com/">Megan Rediscovers Her Life</a>!</p><p>So, why the change? It comes down to a few things...</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">1. I created this blog for school when I was 16.</span></b> While it's grown beyond my 16-year-old self and changed over time (of course), I'm now 30. That's a long time to be tied to one space and be connected to the content that I was putting out in high school.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>2. I want to write different content.</b></span> Even when I was still writing here, it was getting harder and harder to write about what I was reading. It was taking the joy out of that experience, so I was already starting to shift away from that sort of content.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3. I don't want my identity to only be books.</b></span> The older I've gotten, I have become more and more aware that I have made my identity books and teaching. If you asked me how things were going in my life, I would give you some kind of an answer related to teaching. What I teach is always connected to books, whether I like it or not. So I'm giving myself this new space to talk about and explore the parts of my life that are not explicitly connected to books.</p><p>It's been a while since I posted here, so I'm not even sure how many people have stuck around (thank you if that's you). But if you're interested in reading what I've been up to and what I'm experiencing in life right now, you can find me on <a href="https://meganrediscoverslife.blogspot.com/">Megan Rediscovers Her Life</a>. I have a few posts there right now with more scheduled and ready to go as early as this weekend. I may talk about what I read in the future and include some things about teaching, but it's largely about goals, travel, and hobbies I've been working on.</p><p>I've been enjoying getting back into blogging, with or without an audience, but I hope that you'll join me over there. This blog will stay up (there's a lot of good memories here and posts that I don't want to get rid of), but I will no longer be adding to it after this post.</p><p>Thank you for your support over the years! I'm looking forward to this new chapter!</p><p>--Jude (Megan)</p>Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-27697572469188377712020-07-17T12:00:00.000-05:002020-07-17T12:00:03.221-05:00My Birth Story (First Time Mom)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP3rhbUICSpZkkFTZnGnp2NiBGXq91GA4wbJPHJ34CTuhrdwnTrVErqYMRBath6jXxiijKDa6oXXIdpmHxIBFAA-UVxz5gKYLQ40rVkaQ9hd6RJ4iF03hfyjY_7E7HfPMFnfGG07HYHu7/s1600/IMG_2278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP3rhbUICSpZkkFTZnGnp2NiBGXq91GA4wbJPHJ34CTuhrdwnTrVErqYMRBath6jXxiijKDa6oXXIdpmHxIBFAA-UVxz5gKYLQ40rVkaQ9hd6RJ4iF03hfyjY_7E7HfPMFnfGG07HYHu7/s320/IMG_2278.JPG" width="240" /></a>When I was pregnant this past year, I really didn't post about it other than very surface-level things or really vague things. But I really like talking about my birth experience because it's such an interesting thing to have gone through. The best part is, I wouldn't change a thing other than the fact that I gave birth in the middle of a global pandemic. So, here is what that experience was like.<br />
<br />
The week of my due date was a very emotionally-charged one, understandably. Prior to this week, I had talked with my doctor about the possibility of inducing the Monday after my due date, if I hadn't spontaneously gone into labor before then (that's what it's called-- kind of a scary term!). In order for her to deliver my baby though, she decided to schedule me for the Friday night before so that she'd be there that Saturday, which I was happy with. So either way, I knew that this week was the last week I would be pregnant this time around. Either this baby would decide to come out or he'd come out on my terms, essentially. I was nervous about the fact that I was about to eject a new human from my body and I was nervous about things potentially going wrong and I was nervous about getting an IV. But even with this amount of worrying, I wasn't prepared for how things would go down.<br />
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I went to my last doctor's appointment that Monday. The last month that you're pregnant, you go into the clinic every week, so this wasn't a new experience for me. I was 39 weeks and some days. One thing you should know is that for the last month or slightly less, when the nurse would take my blood pressure reading, my result would always be high and they would have to take a new reading when I was in an exam room. Usually, this has worked out fine, but this time, my blood pressure didn't change when I was taken back to a room. That did not sit well with my doctor. She diagnosed me with gestational hypertension-- in plain English: high blood pressure caused by pregnancy. The only way to cure it is to give birth and not be pregnant anymore.<br />
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I can't tell you how fast my heart leaped into my mouth when I heard the words, "I'm sending you to labor and delivery today." I had gotten very comfortable with the idea of heading to the hospital on Friday and in my brain, my baby was <i>definitely</i> going to arrive on either Friday or Saturday. I was very much not ready to get this show on the road. Except, physically, I was. It turns out I had been in early labor all weekend (they felt like mild period cramps, nothing unmanageable, they were 10-12 minutes apart) and I was already 3cm. Things were already moving and this baby was ready to come out soon.<br />
<br />
The doctor sent me home to finish last-minute packing and get my partner and asked me to call the clinic and let them know when I would come in. Even though the situation had been elevated (not emergency levels, but urgent), it was not indicated that I needed to hurry which is interesting to me. We checked into the hospital at noon after we had called our families in excited panic, tossed more things in our suitcase, and passed off our keys so that someone could come and feed our cats while we were away. <br />
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Since I had been in early labor for a while, I had done a lot of the slow work of initial dilating already. Yay :) I got my IV (got sick despite my breathing exercises and my effort to not freak out about it... the nurses were so sweet and understanding despite my drama) and got started on Pitocin and fluids. If you don't know, Pitocin is a synthetic form of oxytocin which helps your uterus contract and ultimately push a baby out. They start you on a low dose and raise the amount after seeing how your body responds. It took many hours to get to the point where I could no longer talk through my contractions. So for a while, it felt weird to be in the hospital because I wasn't in tremendous amounts of pain yet. I could eat snacks if I wanted to and enjoyed HGTV since it's nice to watch but doesn't necessarily require a lot of attention.<br />
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To address the global pandemic a little bit, the only things that were different from a typical hospital visit was that I was tested for COVID-19 fairly early on (it came back negative a few hours later), my partner had to have temperature checks every 8 hours, we had to wear masks when there were doctors and nurses in the room (although once I tested negative, admittedly I became very lax about wearing a mask). The nurses wore masks all the time and the doctors had a face shield as well as a mask. I could only have one support person with me. So if I wanted to hire a doula, they could not physically be with us. If I wanted my mom or my sister to be in the room, I would have to make a choice between them and my partner. Obviously, my partner won out :) We also could not have any visitors, even when we moved to the postpartum room. To me, it was very manageable. <br />
<br />
Once it got dark outside, that's when my contractions needed more focus. I was happy that what I had learned in birth class was coming in handy and that it was working. I could bounce on a ball, lean on a table, use my partner and take long, deep breaths and make a low guttural sound until my contraction was over. The low sounds were great-- I think it helped serve as a distraction and it was kind of grounding too. Don't be afraid of what sounds come out of you while you're in labor. No one will judge you for it. At this point, the only medication I had was Pitocin, but nothing for pain. I couldn't talk through my contractions anymore, really, but they were still manageable.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to ten hours into labor and I feel like I'm losing my grip. I have no idea if it's true that Pitocin makes contractions more intense or not, but these contractions were intense and breathing and moaning weren't really cutting it on their own. My hope was that I could go through labor without the help of pain meds. I had made it quite a while, which I was really proud of. I tried a type of IV pain meds that worked for an hour, but then around 11pm or midnight, I asked for an epidural. I initially didn't want one because the idea of it really freaked me out and I didn't like that there was no going back once I got one (not until I had gotten this baby out of me anyway). But at that point, I was tired but couldn't sleep and I felt like I was losing my grip and struggling my way through these contractions. I knew that I was at the point where contractions came quite fast, but they were lasting 60-70 seconds with 30 seconds or less of a break in between, which I don't think is typical. It was a lot to handle. So I got an epidural. It honestly wasn't bad-- I only jumped when I felt the initial poke, but then I didn't feel anything else. Literally. It didn't take long for me to go numb from the waist down like an epidural is supposed to do. It was really trippy when the nurse who was helping me checked the paper tracking my contractions, asked if I felt that last contraction and I wasn't even aware that I was having one. Bliss.<br />
<br />
I was able to get a good night's sleep after that. I thought that I'd be woken up a lot since I was in the hospital, but they were actually really good, I thought, about working with the periods when I woke up in the middle of the night. They would come in and check my progress and they broke my water in the middle of the night too to help things move along.<br />
<br />
My doctor checked me in the morning around 8:30 or so while I was trying to ignore the screams of another woman giving birth in a different room and I was fully effaced and 10cm dilated! But my baby was still fairly high up, so she decided to give it another hour and see if he came down more on his own. <br />
<br />
9:30 rolls around and everything is in place for me to start pushing. One thing that surprised me a little bit was how calm everything felt in the room. I thought that the fact that I was about to push a human out would have caused more of a stir in my particular room, especially with the people who were actively supporting me. I've definitely been watching too many birth episodes of TV shows where there's a lot of rushing around and yelling. My room was quite zen by comparison, which was great-- yelling would have made things terrible. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUccuuoM2KptB0KMD_rWrLsZRIa0GZze3oyqM1fPfbcdf2C8eY8ytdQ0jDgMFEJoFTQ1mK8nnfI5xjlFA_V6OadwPfCrB9WBtOW77aew_bgrl_E0ijR1rUWdD__2u4NIbnUpdAXSuAPF4B/s1600/IMG_2296.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUccuuoM2KptB0KMD_rWrLsZRIa0GZze3oyqM1fPfbcdf2C8eY8ytdQ0jDgMFEJoFTQ1mK8nnfI5xjlFA_V6OadwPfCrB9WBtOW77aew_bgrl_E0ijR1rUWdD__2u4NIbnUpdAXSuAPF4B/s320/IMG_2296.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q-LVHev49WLCRkgnbYD3iWhUEUzB3WCPfHWz2tTk1D9wKM1ezbRNOcuNyYpg1QagUEUyqyju5ScwS8Gl3dKrMLDyS7xNdJDzPAYim1Ts86GiOdV1tgnmXGfHdkCWX2MR1p04Ac5bgfKj/s1600/61167567028__CEB414F0-7238-41D8-B4E7-236E3C492F70+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q-LVHev49WLCRkgnbYD3iWhUEUzB3WCPfHWz2tTk1D9wKM1ezbRNOcuNyYpg1QagUEUyqyju5ScwS8Gl3dKrMLDyS7xNdJDzPAYim1Ts86GiOdV1tgnmXGfHdkCWX2MR1p04Ac5bgfKj/s200/61167567028__CEB414F0-7238-41D8-B4E7-236E3C492F70+2.JPG" width="150" /></a>In total, I pushed for about three hours. Since I couldn't feel my uterus contracting due to the epidural, the nurse taught me how to recognize a contraction by feeling my belly with my hand, so I was able to make the call for when it was time to push. My partner helped me by counting to ten each time I pushed. It sounds silly and like I'm just giving them a job for the sake of feeling helpful, but it was actually so good to have something to focus on and to be able to quantify how long I needed to push at a given moment. It was the mentality of, "I can get through 10 seconds of anything." It truly didn't feel like I had been pushing for three hours by the time I was done. I was genuinely surprised to hear what time it was. I was able to reach down and feel my baby's head before he came out and my partner, Alex, was able to see what was happening, which was awesome. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzdO2ujiTOkPyzKdR1aTFxEV6PpA515NYkRPimpZq3zJRmktlTO2SVbWmuwS5XeTw49rm8Wzn9muqxfR5Z5qtqogRjgK0wX6OpXWy7EF4czgBdSuw6o0rO2Cfea6ea9Wdeazxh14qSnD8/s1600/IMG_2295+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzdO2ujiTOkPyzKdR1aTFxEV6PpA515NYkRPimpZq3zJRmktlTO2SVbWmuwS5XeTw49rm8Wzn9muqxfR5Z5qtqogRjgK0wX6OpXWy7EF4czgBdSuw6o0rO2Cfea6ea9Wdeazxh14qSnD8/s200/IMG_2295+2.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gq1JZShZD_tgFAVAFTi8JgkxsdYXih6xdm_DC1idCWWqwxhRr4GZYSB7WBNjxbXbNusfHnaGqbxsU7gGbxpLS1uBpMoUAofb2gUT-rk9Vmmuw2fTWYAEcfdHYgwoKF9A66IXotiThssR/s1600/IMG_2294+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gq1JZShZD_tgFAVAFTi8JgkxsdYXih6xdm_DC1idCWWqwxhRr4GZYSB7WBNjxbXbNusfHnaGqbxsU7gGbxpLS1uBpMoUAofb2gUT-rk9Vmmuw2fTWYAEcfdHYgwoKF9A66IXotiThssR/s320/IMG_2294+2.JPG" width="240" /></a>Seeing my baby live and in person for the first time was indescribable. He was here and he was mine. He was put on my chest and we got to stay there and cuddle for maybe an hour or so. The doctors and nurses stitched me up (light second-degree tearing, is what I was told. This is fairly normal). Admittedly, it took quite a while for me to recognize that this whole situation was real. But my baby-- my Klaus-- had made his safe arrival into the world. I'm now two months into parenthood and... wow. What an incredible feeling. This kid is pretty great and I feel really lucky that I get to know him and get to help him become a strong, wise, and kind individual if I possibly can.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks for Reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-75655043340685433042020-07-14T17:20:00.001-05:002020-07-14T17:20:01.735-05:00Preparing for the Reading Rush! (2020)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's <a href="https://www.thereadingrush.com/">Reading Rush</a> season! That means that from July 20-26, I will be attempting to read as many books as possible. There are seven challenges, all of which are optional, but that I have picked books for in an attempt to accomplish these challenges since that just makes things more exciting.<br />
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A quick caveat though-- I am sort of cheating this year. This is the first summer that I've had a baby which makes things busier and more exciting. Because of this, there are a couple books that I have already started that I am hoping to finish. I'll talk through each book as it applies to a challenge and you'll see which books those are.<br />
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My main goal with this challenge was to push myself to read more of the Kindle and Audible books that have just been sitting in their respective accounts. I think there's only one physical book that I'll be reading from this list.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2020 Challenges:</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516x+B07uFL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and ..." border="0" height="200" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516x+B07uFL.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>1. Read a book with a cover that matches your birthstone.</b><br />
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I was born in December, and apparently one of my birthstones is a turquoise. So I chose "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla F. Saad. I'm excited about this one because I hear that there are journaling prompts that I can do as I go through this book.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414-nZi9-3L._SX348_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys ..." border="0" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414-nZi9-3L._SX348_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="140" /></a><b>2. Read a book that starts with the word "The."</b><br />
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I thought it would be easy to find a book to fit this prompt, but it's easier said than done, it turns out. But then I realized that a book I had started already began with "The," so I chose "The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys" by Eddie Moore Jr., Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks. I'm really hoping to finish this one since I've begun it already.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514Oi-7cLQL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Never Let Me Go: Ishiguro, Kazuo: 9781400078776: Amazon.com: Books" border="0" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514Oi-7cLQL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="129" /></a><b>3. Read a book that inspired a movie you've already seen.</b><br />
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I'm reading this one out of convenience since I am hoping to offer it to my students as a reading option for one of my units this year. I saw the movie towards the end of high school, so it's been a while, but I am hoping to reread "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062363596/x510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly - Hardcover" border="0" height="200" src="https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062363596/x510.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>4. Read the first book you touch.</b><br />
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I tweaked this one a bit and picked a few books that I would be fine with reading and then made a mental decision. Once I touched this book and took it off the shelf, there's no going back! The book that I picked is "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly. This is the only physical book that I will be reading.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/919wLDRgyuL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Station Eleven: Mandel, Emily St. John: 8601422213614: Amazon.com ..." border="0" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/919wLDRgyuL.jpg" width="129" /></a><b>5. Read a book completely outside of your house.</b><br />
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This one you could interpret in a couple different ways. I don't know if I'll actually read this entire thing while sitting outside (although maybe I'll listen to part of it while spending some time in the sun tent I recently received), but if not, a lot of this book seems to take place outside! I've chosen "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel for this challenge. This is also a cheater one for me because I have already started this book.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401155394l/22343242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) by Octavia E. Butler" border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401155394l/22343242.jpg" width="130" /></a><b>6. Read a book in a genre you've always wanted to read more of. </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394230457l/19969261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2) by Octavia E. Butler" border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394230457l/19969261.jpg" width="130" /></a>That genre is sci-fi, for me. The only reason I want to read a little more of this genre is because it's my partner's favorite genre. We're actually reading a series together now that fits this genre (so yeah, I've already started it). This is an interesting situation though because we have an anthology copy, meaning it has all three books contained in one. But I am going to specifically list the first two books in the series so that I'm covered no matter which one I end up finishing for this challenge. The book series is "Lilith's Brood" by Octavia Butler. The first book is "Dawn" and at the time I'm writing this, my partner and I are about halfway through (or just under halfway, maybe).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780399588198_p0_v1_s1200x630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor ..." border="0" height="200" src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780399588198_p0_v1_s1200x630.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>7. Read a book that takes place on a different continent than where you live.</b><br />
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I live in North America, so a different continent is Africa. Therefore, I am FINALLY picking up Trevor Noah's "Born A Crime." I'll be listening to the audiobook of it so that I can hear him tell his own story, which I think will be really neat. I'm probably looking forward to this book the most!<br />
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Will I finish all 7 or 8 of these books? No, I highly doubt that. Will I spend more concentrated time reading especially during this week? Yes, definitely. And that's the point of the Read Rush! I am really excited to start/continue these books and see how many I can get to the end of in the span of a week!<br />
<br />
Thanks for Reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude<br />
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-35225363488977144292020-07-08T12:00:00.000-05:002020-07-08T12:00:00.437-05:003 1/2 Years of Bullet Journaling!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I took a look back at my previous posts and realized that 3 1/2 years ago (so, January 2017), I started my first bullet journal! I got a really cheap lined journal from Target which fell apart after a couple of months (and that might be a generous estimate) because I wanted to make sure that I would stick with this hobby/practice before investing in a more expensive notebook. Little did I know that I'd stick with this practice for this long! I love looking back at my old journals to see how they've changed over time, since bullet journal set-ups are meant to change with you and your changing needs. Here's a look at my 2019 bullet journals!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1sUdVhU0BImIIbBcBbjIoja3p2MKtdoyGPHr6HOdTVthxAQkSN60ItarcB5Zbiak-Oa7Ma3R6Rz-FwXNBzEwk7B68NC1OUc23Ztn043DkzU3fDFtfTTCVdTaJR0NBjoLXQ7rOme5OGN5/s1600/IMG_2515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1sUdVhU0BImIIbBcBbjIoja3p2MKtdoyGPHr6HOdTVthxAQkSN60ItarcB5Zbiak-Oa7Ma3R6Rz-FwXNBzEwk7B68NC1OUc23Ztn043DkzU3fDFtfTTCVdTaJR0NBjoLXQ7rOme5OGN5/s400/IMG_2515.jpg" width="400" /></a>Usually I use two Leuchtterm 1917 journals over the course of a year (even on years when I'm able to travel and I journal a lot). My green journal held eight months and lasted me until August 2019 and my wine-colored journal somehow managed to hold nine months in it and lasted me almost halfway through 2020! My planning style tends to be simplistic. The way the bullet journal system is supposed to work is that you create weeks and collections as you go, but I don't tend to do that. I prefer to set up an entire month at a time and I don't really add collections other than monthly memories after my weekly and daily spreads. It's just easier to handle, especially during the school year when I typically don't have a lot of downtime, even during non-working hours. During the summer though or when something really big happens in my life, that can change and I do a bit more journaling.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEECOYHbxy6t0dh9XalpFsuhpKPYWl6z53Iy4tL4CypZ3iYZuqJS1P1wxjNU9oVLli94_WDmEiB09bipGsN7DV52JsK5dwzRNWwa4lv5ZnNUxEwRYzFtGGfl5lViD1REJcnV9v9PxroQ8J/s1600/sIXx8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEECOYHbxy6t0dh9XalpFsuhpKPYWl6z53Iy4tL4CypZ3iYZuqJS1P1wxjNU9oVLli94_WDmEiB09bipGsN7DV52JsK5dwzRNWwa4lv5ZnNUxEwRYzFtGGfl5lViD1REJcnV9v9PxroQ8J/s320/sIXx8.jpeg" width="320" /></a>To the right, I have an example of one of the journal spreads I did while on my trip to Utah. I included pictures that I printed with my HP Sprocket, which has been an <i>incredible</i> tool for me. I was worried about the cost and if I would use it enough, but I actually print small pictures pretty regularly, so it was worth it! I just love how my journal pages are really enhanced. I love returning to these pages long after I have finished the trip in question. It's a fun aesthetic!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3q0HtLBcsWp94t-6k9VSqwYbWB65hsBgfyynpthd3ypH4WZdZCdtlpuiOp4UPEH5zSkJFNzbYHYczT0vVAZSmK97e8pogbTEyu5vsDLodJiKadhQT0IMc_E0g7XFX1MH01vsmL3e_tSR/s1600/tQFtc.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3q0HtLBcsWp94t-6k9VSqwYbWB65hsBgfyynpthd3ypH4WZdZCdtlpuiOp4UPEH5zSkJFNzbYHYczT0vVAZSmK97e8pogbTEyu5vsDLodJiKadhQT0IMc_E0g7XFX1MH01vsmL3e_tSR/s320/tQFtc.jpeg" width="320" /></a>During my travels, I didn't want to totally give up my to-do lists, so I adapted them instead. I used that space to list what we did that day, rather than writing down a pre-planned list. But I would also use that space as a traditional to-do list for the most essential things. For example, on our Utah trip, we spent the night in a few different places. So the night before, I would make a list of what needed to be done prior to vacating that space. What needed to be cleaned? Did I need to remember to pack anything in the morning that couldn't be packed that night? When were we trying to walk out the door in the first place? Then I would add in what we did that day next to my to-do list. It was very helpful to have that. I also had a page with my packing list. This packing list was most useful prior to leaving on the trip (any trip, not just this one), but it was also something I could refer back to on the trip if I thought that I might be missing something. These journals were not the first ones to have packing lists, but rather I carried that over from a slightly earlier one. It's a nice practice to have when preparing for a trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGd5qmLbji_vg5NcZjY5Skej0mr5twB6P0KML14rpENBZHKdXPFJt9J0ddYW7T5ZTngBYAe0LqquMrxoor7PdIkDoSFmLqUcEK7eAGR0i3EojPUYX0OG1niXUZ61YFarkVEzRMKIvmbds/s1600/CovZy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGd5qmLbji_vg5NcZjY5Skej0mr5twB6P0KML14rpENBZHKdXPFJt9J0ddYW7T5ZTngBYAe0LqquMrxoor7PdIkDoSFmLqUcEK7eAGR0i3EojPUYX0OG1niXUZ61YFarkVEzRMKIvmbds/s320/CovZy.jpeg" width="320" /></a>In addition to doing journal spreads when I have more time, I also used the space to draw diagrams to help me plan and also to take notes. For me, I like to write down what I'm hearing during professional development or anything like that so I can take my time processing that information. The trouble is, if I put those notes in a loose leaf notebook or on a separate piece of paper, I will never find that paper again until I sit down and go through things. If I get to that point, the notes aren't useful anymore. So when I can, I prefer to put them in my bullet journal because that's where every other important piece of written information I need is kept. It's all in one place and it feels a lot more useful. Between my last bullet journal post and this one, I have created a couple different floor plans. The one pictured is how I wanted to set up my classroom for this past school year, but I have also drawn floor plans of my living room because I desperately wanted a change in my apartment. It was easier to visualize things this way rather than moving furniture a million times and hoping one of those combinations would work. I haven't really done floor plans in my journals up until now, so this was a cool change. It's one of the only pages that I keep in pencil rather than going over it in pen. That way it can be a working document and it can still look relatively neat.<br />
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These past couple journals, I have really appreciated that it turned into an artistic expression. With the printed pictures and stickers, yes, but also with coloring and painting as well. And washi tape. So much washi tape...<br />
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A lot of the art I created or pulled together found a home on the intro pages for a new month or at the start of the new year or at the start of a new bullet journal. This is breaking from the original bullet journal method pretty severely, but the artistic aspect is what makes this journal feel more like mine. </div>
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My calendar page is now pulling a lot more weight because it's not just a record of what is coming up in the month, but it's a place to set goals and reflect a tiny bit as well. I have a space to write down big tasks (or parts of bigger goals), which can help inform what I choose to do in a week, a record of books that I finished reading, and a place to write down things that are getting me excited for the month. They're things that I find help set me up for a positive start to a month. I also have a quote to set the tone of the month, although sometimes I fill that in long after the fact. But it does help the spread feel complete. <br />
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I'm at a point where I feel comfortable with my bullet journaling style, but who knows! Anything can happen and anything can change. Especially with not knowing how this coming school year will go, big changes could be on the horizon that I haven't even considered yet. Eventually (in a year or so), I want to start grad school and <i>that</i> will make an impact on how I plan. <br />
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Thanks for Reading!<br />
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--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-649061517590819942020-07-04T12:00:00.000-05:002020-07-04T12:00:06.015-05:00June 2020 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June was an interesting month for reading. I read quite a bit of nonfiction and I had even more of an excuse to read more books about race in America. Everyone in the world did. Or maybe I should say that we no longer had an excuse to <i>not</i> read more and educate ourselves. Anyway, these are the books that I finished during the month of June:<br />
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<li>We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love</li>
<li>Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder</li>
<li>Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson</li>
<li>White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo</li>
<li>All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney</li>
<li>Fences by August Wilson</li>
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<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ye29ngpBL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ye29ngpBL.jpg" width="265" /></a><b><u>We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom</u></b></div>
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I am really grateful that I read this book as part of a book club. It really helped me process what I was reading. We (meaning some other educators) started reading this in maybe December or January and picked each chapter apart, sometimes for a couple of weeks. It was a hard read, because it's hard to face the reality that the way the education system is set up is not meant to serve children of color well at all. And Bettina Love tells you exactly why and demands to know the answer, "Now what are you going to do about it?" while also telling you her own ideas and why they're important to consider. It's also hard to face facts that even the most well-meaning practices in teaching are harmful and need to be fixed. When you get past those feelings and accept that challenge that comes with "Now what?" then the real work begins. I want to talk more about Black joy in my classroom and use more restorative practices and change the narrative of how I and my school have been handling discipline. Her ideas on education causing soul death were really eye-opening to me. I can't wait to get started with this work.</div>
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<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aDh-YMFAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aDh-YMFAL.jpg" width="266" /></a><b><u>White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo</u></b></div>
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This was another eye-opening read for me (or rather, listen, since I listened to the audiobook). It talked about a number of things that I have experienced as I've gotten into the work of trying to have more of these conversations about race, injustice, and discrimination. It helped me better understand some of my own responses and those that other people have as well and I think this will help me be better prepared when I do need to sit down and have a conversation with someone or call out a discriminatory thing that someone says or does. </div>
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I have already been able to use a little bit of what I have learned from this book when talking to the director of my school who is working to form an equity group to help better serve our students. I voiced my concerns about the possibility of people leaving when they are faced with hard conversations and challenges to their thinking. This is an example of white fragility. I don't want this to be what sinks us before we've had time to really sink our teeth into some meaningful change.</div>
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<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51AQCtX4P6L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: All-American Muslim Girl eBook: Courtney, Nadine Jolie ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51AQCtX4P6L.jpg" width="260" /></a><b><u>All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney</u></b></div>
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This was one that I kept checking out from the digital library because I liked the cover a lot, but I never actually listened to it. But since I'm up quite early to feed the baby and feed him for 40 minutes at a time, I have a lot of time on my hands that I've been using to listen to more audiobooks, since reading hard copy books has proven to be a challenge due to not a lot of energy at night and not enough free hands during the day. So I finally got around to listening to this one. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Allie, the main character, is doing a lot of soul-searching and feels this gap where something is missing. Her immediate family is culturally Muslim on her father's side, her mother converted to Islam, but they don't practice at home. She hasn't had a chance to explore her religion and even the Arabic language, which many of her extended family speaks as well as a lesser-known language, the name of which escapes me. In order to feel better connected to her family, she finds these pockets of community who help her navigate her explorations through Islam. One of my favorite parts of this book is when she stands up to her boyfriend's father who is extremely Islamaphobic and I'd even go so far as to say racist. Even though he remained hard-headed and discriminatory to the end, I thought that Allie was a bad-ass when she addressed him and corrected him with facts and experience. I just wish that her boyfriend's father would have listened better and changed, but I recognize that that's not how this usually works. It's too bad.</div>
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Thanks for reading! I can't wait to see what good reads I come across in July! </div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-51429328392678932982020-06-29T12:00:00.000-05:002020-06-29T12:00:02.073-05:00May 2020 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Almost caught up! Here are the books that I read in May:<br />
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<li><a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-of-its-kind-of-funny-story-by.html">It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini</a></li>
<li>Don't Go Without Me by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell</li>
<li>Happy Mum, Happy Baby by Giovanna Fletcher</li>
<li>Teach Your Class Off by CJ Reynolds</li>
<li><a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-laramie-project-by-moises.html">The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman</a></li>
<li>Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl</li>
<li>Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis</li>
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I have linked the books that are rereads for me. It was hard to choose which books from the above list to talk about, so I will talk about the ones I haven't written reviews for and/or read for the first time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aL0SN4lr-YzCiGy3bb4GSkXk8lVukz789qZrnd44CCaKuVrbDNRG588LnOetV7yT9VcA9TXcEuWQSsgEQV3mYj58UqXmwUcNh1vdOxwuvlxx7cQlXJMSQa8AxMrwbb0BBC_RFQQJmqPl/s1600/DONTGOWITHOUTME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aL0SN4lr-YzCiGy3bb4GSkXk8lVukz789qZrnd44CCaKuVrbDNRG588LnOetV7yT9VcA9TXcEuWQSsgEQV3mYj58UqXmwUcNh1vdOxwuvlxx7cQlXJMSQa8AxMrwbb0BBC_RFQQJmqPl/s400/DONTGOWITHOUTME.jpg" width="296" /></a><b><u>Don't Go Without Me by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell</u></b></div>
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My dear friend has another book! Rosemary also did the illustrations for Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me and when I went to look at how people were responding to this book, I came across this title. It was a little hard to get my hands on, but I'm glad I have it! It's quite different because it's a triptych of stories. They're quite sad, but I genuinely enjoyed them. It's one that I will definitely pick up again and I think is necessary to read multiple times. It's hard to describe-- it's something you just need to experience for yourself. I think the one that stood out to me the most was the first time when the main character was losing their memory and couldn't remember that they were in a relationship. The illustrations are just gorgeous. I love Rosemary's style, and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend, I promise!</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71nZzrBkQQL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My adventures into motherhood: Fletcher ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71nZzrBkQQL.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="260" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Happy Mum, Happy Baby by Giovanna Fletcher</u></b></div>
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I think I finished this book maybe a week or so before my son was born. Giovanna Fletcher is the mother of now three boys, but at the time of writing this, she was a mother of two. Honestly, this was a really reassuring read as a soon to be new parent. I loved reading her birth stories, especially since I hoped to labor unmedicated (didn't happen, but I can talk about that in a different post, perhaps). But even the chapters where she was figuring out how to parent, it gave me an idea of just what I was getting myself into. Parenthood is messy and if you're looking in places like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. it's really easy to just <i>not talk about</i> the harder parts of parenting. People don't necessarily want to talk about how their child screamed for three hours for seemingly no reason because they think it paints them in a bad light. They don't want to talk about being pooped on by their kid because... I mean, it's gross whether you're a parent and have been there or not. But they're all realities that parents everywhere face. It's nice to know that you can have a million moments of weakness and still be a great parent. I thought Gi was optimistic but humble. And it was interesting to read about how she was parenting while her husband was touring in his band and how they navigated that part of their lives. Just an added bonus.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519knqiBYeL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: Teach Your Class Off: The Real Rap Guide to Teaching ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519knqiBYeL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="266" /></a><b><u>Teach Your Class Off: The Real Rap Guide To Teaching by CJ Reynolds</u></b></div>
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Oh look! It's another one of my favorite YouTube people! This time a teacher! It's so exciting to me that he wrote a book and got to share more of his experiences from the classroom. CJ teaches 9th grade English in Philadelphia as well as the History of Hip Hop class. He approaches education in a creative and at times magical way. I think that once you get into teaching, depending on the people around you, it can be really easy to feel beaten down and be cynical about what's going on around you. But CJ's main advice is to always, <i>always</i> prioritize relationships. Not that you'll connect with 100% of the students you have, but even attempting to make a connection can really go a long way. I appreciated the stories that show how powerful relationships are and the little reminder that sometimes, in order to be the teacher you idealize, you have to take risks and step into that role and work towards it. You can't wait for it to just happen to you because that's not how things work. It's a very honest, thoughtful, and easy-to-read teaching book that I'd recommend to newbie teachers who are just trying to find their footing.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41QxLizzGfL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: Eurydice (9780573662447): Ruhl, Sarah: Books" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41QxLizzGfL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="250" /></a><b><u>Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl</u></b></div>
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I got it in my head early on that I wanted to teach a different play next year and perform it with my 9th graders. I first saw this play when I was in high school in the smaller of the two theaters and I just thought it was magic. Funny but mostly sad all at the same time. The only problem with teaching this book is that there aren't a lot of characters, so it would be hard to teach it with a class of 24 9th graders. Not to mention it would be necessary, I think, to read <i>Orpheus</i> and I have zero confidence in teaching those stories. </div>
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It's a story not just about Eurydice and Orpheus who are in love, but there is also a connection between Eurydice and her father too. Somehow, interacting with her father just made the story that much more sad to read. </div>
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If you're looking for a quick read (since it's a play) and a lovely one, this is a great one to check out. </div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514SLF5leXL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Your Pregnancy Week by Week, 8th Edition (Your Pregnancy Series ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514SLF5leXL.jpg" width="266" /></a><b><u>Your Pregnancy Week By Week by Glade B. Curtis</u></b></div>
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Maybe this is a really nerdy thing to say, but one of the things I was most excited about when I found out I was pregnant was to get a book that would tell me what's going on in my body and with my baby. This one stood out to me because I liked that it was broken up week by week. This made it really easy to split up the reading and I could read pieces that were relevant to my situation at any point in my pregnancy. Whenever a new week turned over (Thursdays in my case), I would pick up the book to see what was going on in there.</div>
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One bone I have to pick with this book is that it does go into worst-case scenarios. Arguably, it's good to be prepared and know as much as possible about your pregnancy, but some things are unlikely to happen in most pregnancies and because it's present in this book, it makes it seem like it happens more often than it actually does. So on that note, read with this in mind if you're determined to read this book cover to cover like I was. But the pictures were helpful and I loved knowing what was going on with my baby and what to expect when I would go in for clinic visits.</div>
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Thanks for Reading! I'm looking forward to writing about my June reads soon!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-67504685749268134972020-06-28T12:00:00.000-05:002020-06-28T12:00:08.977-05:00March + April 2020 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Time for a reading catch-up! In all of the weirdness and scariness that is our world right now, blogging definitely fell quite low on the list of priorities. But I have plenty of thoughts to throw out into the internet void-- to begin with, some thoughts on what I've been reading lately.<br />
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In the months of March and April, I managed to read these books:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Coraline by P. Craig Russell and Neil Gaiman (graphic novel, not the original)</li>
<li>Kiss Number 8 by Colleen A.F. Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw</li>
<li><a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-review-of-rest-of-my-2017-reads.html">Solo by Kwame Alexander</a> (reread, 2017)</li>
<li>The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui</li>
<li>Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott (reread, 2018)</li>
<li>We Got This by Cornelius Minor</li>
<li>The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (reread, 2018)</li>
<li>Motherhood by Sheila Heti</li>
</ul>
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I love that I got to revisit some great reads during this time. There are a couple that I just today realized I have never written about on this blog before but I've documented as reading before on GoodReads. Not sure what happened there... so I suppose I'll be writing about them now!</div>
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Side Note: I read <i>Solo</i> by Kwame Alexander with students in my spring elective class and they <i>loved </i>it. They liked that it was poetry and the story and characters were really engaging for them. If any educators out there are curious :)</div>
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<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UDKhEnEXL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Amazon.com: The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir eBook: Bui ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UDKhEnEXL.jpg" width="273" /></a><b><u>The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui</u></b></div>
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This was one that I got for either Christmas or my birthday. It's a graphic novel and I was looking to get out of a bit of a reading slump and this one really did the trick. It's not a light read, because it's the story of her parents coming to the U.S. from Vietnam and escaping danger. Part of what makes it a heavy read is knowing that this is a true story and seeing how much her parents struggled to keep their life together and just keep pushing forward. You can't help but admire their resiliency but then feel taken aback that they would have to show this much resiliency in the first place.<br />
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The other thing about this book that I appreciate is that it takes the time to give background to what was happening in Vietnam at the time from the perspective of someone who actually grew up there. Thinking back, I think my only context on this war was from those who were drafted to fight in the war. But that is only one side of the story and it's a rather distorted side with no sense of humanity. Both of the people who went to fight and the people who actually lived there and frankly, who were killed.<br />
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I am looking to teach this book in the fall, so I will likely be reading this book again before the new school year starts. I look forward to rereading and diving a little deeper.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91UgJGi+bVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Five Feet Apart: Lippincott, Rachael, Daughtry, Mikki, Iaconis ..." border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91UgJGi+bVL.jpg" width="262" /></a><b><u>Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott</u></b><br />
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This book is actually a reread for me, but looking back, I realized that I didn't talk about any books that I read in 2018. So I'm talking about it now!<br />
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I read this book with students in my YA Fiction class just before quarantine started. Our focus was on death and celebrating life because the whole concept of this book is that Stella and Will both have a form of Cystic Fibrosis (CF), though Will's case is the much more advanced and dire form call B. Sepacia. Before reading this book, I had watched videos created by Claire Wineland who was also a CFer, so I had a basic understanding of the disease and I had a perspective from someone who lived a life with CF.<br />
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One thing that was really interesting for me to think about was how one can have a condition that will ultimately be the end of you but how you can still create meaning in your life. This was a process for Stella, who was very tied to her treatment regimen without fail, and a balancing act of sorts for Will, who just wants to live life since he knows there's likely no hope for a treatment for him. For both of these people, they will never <i>not</i> have CF but can only do treatments to help make their life a little bit easier. Yet, these two young people go on to find love and eventually adventure. I think this is a beautiful book and both the book and the movie made me cry at the end (but not for the reason you might expect from a book revolving around CF).<br />
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<a href="https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062662804/x510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo - Hardcover" border="0" height="400" src="https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062662804/x510.jpg" width="264" /></a><b><u>The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo</u></b><br />
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I love this book and I love everything Elizabeth Acevedo writes. She also wrote "With The Fire On High," which I adored and read in July 2019, but didn't actually review. Perhaps in the future when I inevitably reread it. But I digress. I love that this book is written as narrative poetry with every poem being a conversation or a thought that Xiomara has or something like that. It's wonderful and I have found that students respond well to stories like this. It doesn't require a lot of attention and yet it grabs your full attention anyway.<br />
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This story revolves around Xiomara's experiences with double standards for men and women in her culture and her struggles with religion and her mother in particular. The book doesn't shy away from these big topics or dance around them and partially cover them, but shows how these things can and do actually affect a person. It's a really powerful read. This is one of the books that I recommend the most to students. I hope Elizabeth Acevedo writes a million more books. I will read every single one of them.<br />
<a href="https://cdn2.penguin.com.au/covers/original/9780099592846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Motherhood by Sheila Heti - Penguin Books Australia" border="0" height="400" src="https://cdn2.penguin.com.au/covers/original/9780099592846.jpg" width="260" /></a><br />
<b><u>Motherhood by Sheila Heti</u></b><br />
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This was such an interesting book to read while pregnant. The whole premise is that the author is debating with herself if she would like to become a mother. She's feeling a lot of pressure to make the jump but isn't sure if this is something that she genuinely wants or just thinks she's supposed to want. And really, this is such a good question to ask yourself before attempting to become a parent. Why do I want this? It's a permanent choice and that's such a scary thing to decide. I definitely felt that anxiety while waiting for my son to be born. And I'm someone who discussed having a kid for a long time with my partner and worked with my doctor to make it happen. Those doubts still came to mind about whether or not I was ready to take on this job and care for a whole new person for the rest of their life. It's a really scary precipice to be standing on, so to speak. And it's not something that I would just want to "follow the river" and do without putting thought into it. But I guess not everyone does think about it the way more people probably should. I guess this book made me feel a bit more secure about my choice to become a mother because some of the fears that she had I either didn't share or if I did share them, I had come to terms with them. It's a really interesting read. It gave me a lot to think about, which is really all I can ask from a semi-fictional book.<br />
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Thanks for Reading! <br />
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-69334438609201965522020-03-23T09:50:00.001-05:002020-03-23T09:50:49.174-05:00January + February 2020 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's that time again where several months slip by and now I need to update you on some of my favorite reads so far this year! January was a slow month for reading, but I also don't have a set reading goal this year. February was a bit better. I read all of these books:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo</li>
<li><a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2018/06/february-2018-reads-and-reviews.html">Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck</a></li>
<li>Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell</li>
<li>Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson</li>
<li>White Rose by Kip Wilson</li>
<li>If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson</li>
</ul>
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For the first time in a long time, I did some rereads (<i>Of Mice and Men</i> and <i>If You Come Softly</i>) and I hope I'm able to do more rereads going forward in 2020. I think that'll be nice to revisit some of my favorites. But! These books really stood out to me in January/February:</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41b6p4DrVFL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the life-changing magic of tidying up" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41b6p4DrVFL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" width="227" /></a><b><u>The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo</u></b></div>
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I finished this book on January 1, 2020. I had been reading it pretty passively before, but suddenly there was a spark in me. January 1, for me at least, really brings on a zest for life and I just want to hit the ground running and accomplish all the things. But this year, with a baby due to coming in for a landing at the end of May, it really dawned on me how much needs to change at home. Namely, I have too much crap in my house and since we're about to enter a, I assume, chaotic time in our (my partner's and I) lives, I want some semblance of order and I want a sense of what actually matters to us. That's where this book comes in.</div>
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This book made me think about cleaning up my space in an entirely different way. It made me examine my relationship with <i>stuff</i> (because let's face it, a lot of the things I was holding onto didn't carry the meaning I thought it did). My partner and I have been going through her method (not sticking to it 100%, but still hitting each of the categories) and it's amazing how much we have gotten rid of so far. Someday I'd like to do a post on this and go more in-depth about what our experience has been like. But yes. What an amazing read and what a good way to start 2020-- by getting rid of the extra and focusing on what is most necessary in my life right now.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91CZ%2B03P2rL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for pumpkin heads graphic novel" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91CZ%2B03P2rL.jpg" width="226" /></a><b><u>Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell</u></b></div>
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I haven't read a book by Rainbow Rowell since <i>Eleanor & Park</i> (and let's just say, I have some strong feelings about this book...). This book is quite different though. I wouldn't call this a romance, per se, but it was cute and whimsical. I love Deja and her no-nonsense attitude and Josiah is sweet, but definitely needs to grow a backbone. I thought their chemistry was really neat. I also love that even though this story could have easily gone along as a typical romance story, but because of the characters, it doesn't quite work out like that. It gives agency to young people in love-- you can't just wait for someone to approach you or wait for life to happen to you. Sometimes you have to actively seek out what you want in life and just come out and tell people how you feel about them. Even if they don't return your feelings.</div>
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But anyway, this was a wonderful read, it was an easy read, and it was pretty darn cute. Highly recommend!</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ZcJPX2TmL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for white rose kip wilson" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ZcJPX2TmL.jpg" width="213" /></a><b><u>White Rose by Kip Wilson</u></b></div>
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The cover is what immediately stood out to me about this book, so without really learning too much about it, I put it on my wishlist and voila! It turned up Christmas Eve :)</div>
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I didn't expect this book to be a book of narrative poetry, but I was pleasantly surprised. I can't think of other historical reads that I've read that are written in a style like this. But it also added elements of letter writing, which I enjoyed. </div>
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I think what I like the most about this book is that it's taking one of my favorite (I'm not sure if that's an appropriate choice of words) parts of history and it's also not super well-known compared to other parts of World War II in Nazi Germany. It makes it accessible to a younger audience, which, as a teacher, I greatly appreciate. Maybe some of my students will be like me and will read it and want to know more and will read everything in sight about this part of history. I hope they find that passion even if it's not about this part of history. </div>
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I can't wait to see what other good reads come my way this year!</div>
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Thanks for Reading!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-46057106396170543852020-01-03T12:00:00.000-06:002020-01-03T12:00:05.881-06:00New Years Resolutions: 2020<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New Year! It's that time of year again where I set goals for myself. This year is going to be one of great change and so on top of this, I am also approaching my goal setting in a slightly different way that I have previously. First, I will not be setting nearly as many goals for myself as I have in the past. Last year I set 12 goals for myself across the categories "personal," "media" (meaning my online presence), and "professional." This year I have 6 goals that melds these worlds together, but hopefully in a more focused way so that I'm more likely to accomplish a majority of these goals. I also have some action steps outlined that I hope will help keep me focused and help me feel like these bigger goals that I set for myself can actually be accomplished.<br />
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Without further ado, here are my goals for the year 2020:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Get ready for our baby!</span></b> We have already started work on this goal, but since my due date is in May, we will have to be intentional about getting some of these things done sooner rather than later. Preparing for a small human is no small task, as it turns out. In order to accomplish this goal, we'll need to do the following:<br />
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<li><u>Build furniture and arrange the room</u> (I know that baby will be in our room for a while to start and that this isn't 100% necessary to complete prior to his arrival, but this is something that will make me feel better about bringing home a newborn).</li>
<li><u>Take parenting classes</u> (we'll sign up soon, but won't take them until sometime in the third trimester)</li>
<li><u>Fill out hospital paperwork</u> (again, this is a 30+ week thing, not a right-now thing)</li>
<li><u>Research birth options</u> (I want to go in with a rough idea of how things will work even if things ultimately change)</li>
<li><u>Choose a daycare</u> (we're working on this)</li>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. KonMari the whole apartment.</span></b> The first book I finished this year was "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. I am feeling very inspired to take back my house and make it a place that is comfortable to live in. Ideally, this would be done before baby arrives, but I'm not going to put that kind of pressure on myself. My action steps will be to follow the order that Marie Kondo outlines in her book, but after discarding and putting things away, I want to work on rearranging the house.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Get a handle on my grading life. </b></span> This is part of my mission to pursue balance in my life and some separation between work and home. <br />
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<li><u>Avoid bringing grading home as much as possible by grading at school</u></li>
<li><u>Stick to grading schedule + staying after school schedule.</u></li>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Post on blog 1-2 times a month.</span></b><br />
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<li><u>1 reading blog post at the end of each month</u></li>
<li><u>1 life blog post in the middle of the month </u>(could be about school, home, or something totally unrelated. I just want to use my blog more)</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Successfully complete InCoWriMo 2020.</b></span> This occurs in February and I will write one letter to someone (a current pen pal or a new one) each day.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Yoga or other exercises 5 days a week.</span></b> This is a goal I keep having each year, but I'm hoping my action steps will help me be successful in accomplishing this goal by the end of the year.<br />
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<li><u>Build up to this number of days</u> (I'll start with 2 days a week and add a day every 2 months so that I have a long stretch where at the end of 2020, I'm exercising 5 days a week. I think that's how I can get myself to stick with this goal).</li>
<li><u>Find supporting classes + YouTube videos</u> (if you know any resources on prenatal yoga, that would be really helpful. After May, I'll use Yoga with Adriene as much as possible)</li>
<li><u>Consider signing up for an at-home program</u> (I follow a couple people on Instagram who use a program that sends a really good message, but I'm unsure about the cost and some other things. But I don't want to totally rule it out until I have some answers).</li>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-43762879295053860422020-01-02T10:37:00.000-06:002020-01-02T10:38:09.892-06:00Reviewing My 2019 Goals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Welcome to 2020! I want to take a moment and look back at the goals that I set myself for 2019. I'll write a separate post for my 2020 goals shortly after this post goes up.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Personal</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Participate in and win National Novel Writing Month.</b> </span>I definitely participated in NaNoWriMo this year, but I didn't win this year. I attribute this to a few things. First, I didn't have a plan going into NaNoWrimo. I am not a good "pantser," or person who flies by the seat of their pants when it comes to writing a novel. I did not prepare to the extent that I should have and that I asked my students to prepare. Secondly, I was too rigid with my story. When I felt myself slipping because I was losing interest in my story (why did I think it was a good idea to make my character part of the coast guard when I don't give a crap nor know the first thing about the coast guard?), I didn't switch gears fast enough. This sort of relates to my third point that I was shooting too much for perfection. I think I was floating into NaNoWriMo this year with the confidence that I have won the past two years, this year should be no different. I thought that I had the fortitude to stick with whatever story I started no matter what. But alas, it was not enough. So, this goal is only half accomplished.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Travel 3 or more times this year. </b> </span>I did accomplish this goal! I went on a scrapbooking weekend in February, I went to Utah and New Mexico in June, and I also went to a cabin for a week with my family in July. Mission accomplished!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Play a whole song from a musical on piano.</b> </span>Nope. Maybe in 2020. I didn't put in the time that I needed to in order to accomplish this goal.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Exercise 3 days a week.</b> </span>I have come to the conclusion that I am approaching my goals like this in the wrong way. I don't think I've ever had a progression when it comes to accomplishing this goal. I have always written goals like this and expected that I would immediately start exercising that many times in a week as opposed to saying I would reach this by the end of the year. So by the end of 2019, I didn't do this. I did have 2 full months where I did yoga with my partner as we followed Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I need to approach this goal with more grace for myself. That'll be what I work on next year. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Read and/or listen to 70 books this year.</b> </span>Yes! It took me until New Year's Eve to accomplish this, but I hit 70 books this year! Woohoo!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Read 20 books that are already on my shelves.</b> </span>Mission accomplished! I'd like to keep cleaning out my bookshelf in this way going into 2020 as well.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Write book posts once a month.</b> </span>I will say that I half accomplish this. I did get book posts written, but they were not posted once a month. I want to have more of a blogging schedule in 2020. I think the way I'm writing book posts is working for me, I just want to make sure that I'm writing them soon after the month is complete.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8. Write more about teaching and life.</b> </span>Nope. This didn't really happen. I'll be working on this in 2020.</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Professional</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. Set up website for classroom and teaching.</b> </span>I have accomplished this goal in the sense that I set up the website, but I never actually used it. I think this is something that I'm not very serious about doing at this point in time. Perhaps in the future.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. Go to 2 professional development opportunities.</b> </span>I will consider this goal accomplished. I went to one professional development opportunity by choice about trauma in students and my school is going through ongoing professional development with someone named Cornelius Minor out of New York. We are continuing to work with him through this school year and I'll be reading his book this year too. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>11. Create higher level quizzes and tests.</b> </span>This did not happen yet. The school year is still going on, so it's not too late to accomplish this goal for this school year. I don't think I'll keep this as one of my official goals for the year though.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>12. Pass my GRE and apply to Grad School.</b> </span>This is another goal that is half finished. I took my GRE over the summer and I got a score that I am happy with (especially my writing score!), but because I am expecting a baby, I chose not to apply to graduate school just yet. I thought it would be too much pressure to put on myself and too stressful to go through at the same time as other life changes are happening. Luckily, my test scores are good for 7 years, so I will consider starting my Master's degree in a year or so. We'll check in after the start of 2021, let's say.</div>
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Even though I didn't accomplish all of the goals I set for myself in 2019, I still feel like this was a good year. There are many life changes happening and I think I'll be continuing my pursuit of balance, as I have for the past couple years. This year I am working on boundaries and considering what that means to me and what it means for my life. I'm hoping that 2020 will be even better than 2019.</div>
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Thanks for Reading!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-44895602493576173112020-01-02T09:59:00.000-06:002020-01-02T09:59:31.428-06:00December 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Admittedly, I've been feeling the push to meet my 2019 goal of reading 70 books. I fell quite behind, despite a strong start. But with the permission to relax and let go over winter break came a lot of time to read, and I ended up meeting my goal, which makes me incredibly happy! Here are the books I finished this month:<br />
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<li><i>The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1</i> by Gerard Way</li>
<li><i>Drama</i> by Raina Telgemaier</li>
<li><i>Paper Towns </i>by John Green</li>
<li><i>Paper Girls, Vol. 1</i> by Brian K. Vaughan</li>
<li><i>For Everyone</i> by Jason Reynolds</li>
<li><i>Noise </i>by Kathleen Raymundo</li>
<li><i>Kid Gloves</i> by Lucy Knisley</li>
<li><i>On A Sunbeam</i> by Tillie Walden</li>
<li><i>Love is Love: A Comic Book Anthology to Benefit the Survivors of the Orlando Pulse Shooting</i> by Marc Andreyko</li>
<li><i>Nichijou</i>, Vol. 1, 2, 3</li>
<li><i>Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration</i> by Bryan Caplan</li>
<li><i>Street Angel</i> by Jim Rugg</li>
<li><i>We Should All Be Feminists</i> by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</li>
<li><i>The Tales of Beadle the Bard</i> by J.K. Rowling</li>
<li><i>Mary Shelley's Frankenstein:</i> A Graphic Novel by Pete Katz</li>
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As usual, I will just talk about a handful that have really stuck with me from this bunch. I also love that most of these are graphic novels... it's been so wonderful to get to indulge in them.</div>
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<a href="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781593079789_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the umbrella academy book cover vol 1" border="0" src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781593079789_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" /></a><b><u>The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1 by Gerard Way</u></b><br />
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I picked up this book a long time ago, long before the show was even a thing on Netflix... maybe in middle school. But I didn't finish. I don't think I had an idea of what was going on in this story. So I'm really glad that I didn't try to force myself to read it anyway, but waited a bit. I think I needed more practice with graphic novels, if that makes sense.<br />
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This book is sort of an anti-superhero story. I can't say that the characters in this story have led better lives because they have powers and dedicate their lives, at least for a time, to fighting crime. This is an interesting angle for me. I imagine that being a superhero is a lot of pressure and isn't all that it's cracked up to be. <br />
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Some things in this book seemed a little random (like the Eiffel Tower blasting off in the beginning of the book... I hope this is addressed in future volumes), but they also caught my attention and make me want to read more. It's like this book needed something weird in order to kick off the story and force us to stop everything and listen. I think this book has only whet my appetite and I can't wait to get my hands on more issues of these graphic novels. I want to see how this story ends.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81JP-q1vWnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for paper girls vol 1" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81JP-q1vWnL.jpg" width="259" /></a><b><u>Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan</u></b><br />
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This book has been sitting on my Amazon wishlist for a while (I don't know why I didn't seek these books out myself sooner), so I was really glad when I got it for Christmas! <br />
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I didn't really get what Paper Girls referred to prior to reading this. Maybe it would feature the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope? Or break it down? But it turns out I could interpret this term literally-- they are girls in the 80s who bike around in the early morning and deliver newspapers. <br />
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This book had a strong "Stranger Things" and "War of the Worlds" vibe which I kind of loved. After finishing this first volume, I'm left with a lot of questions, but I loved every second of asking those questions. I think I need to read a few more volumes before passing a true opinion on this series, but just this first volume has gotten me really excited to read this series. Maybe I'll finish in 2020!<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/916gUrPjvEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for kid gloves lucy knisley" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/916gUrPjvEL.jpg" width="274" /></a><b><u>Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley</u></b><br />
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At the end of 2019, I announced to family and friends that my partner and I are expecting our first baby this coming May! Naturally, I want to know everything there is to know about pregnancy and giving birth now. I saw that someone I'm connected with on GoodReads was reading this book and I was instantly intrigued. <br />
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Lucy Knisley and her partner struggled with infertility when they started trying to expand their family. It turns out that when you actually <i>want</i> to get pregnant, it can be quite hard to conceive even if you don't struggle with issues of infertility. Reading this, I was a little bit relieved that it wasn't just me thinking about how hard this whole process was as I took medication, took ovulation tests, consulted with my doctor... everything involved. It could be very disheartening, and I never needed surgery in order to successfully conceive. In this way, Lucy Knisley's book made me feel seen.<br />
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It's interesting comparing my experiences in my first and second trimesters with hers. Her experience was a lot more tumultuous because she was sick several times every day and I never was. Not bragging or anything, but I definitely expected to feel more than a little nauseous, especially early on. <br />
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The part where she described her birth was really scary to me. Oddly, until I read this part of her book, I haven't felt particularly nervous about the actual birth process. I've been watching birth vlogs that people post on YouTube that goes through everything from labor to delivery and even though it can get intense, it still hasn't scared me, even when I can see... well, everything. But to hear that she was basically ignored in the hospital (she has undiagnosed preeclampsia, despite the fact that she was noticing the signs and tried asking her doctor about them) and then had a really scary emergency delivery after a long and arduous labor... and that her partner wasn't allowed to be with her after their baby was born while they were stabilizing her... that was more than I could handle. I remember crying and panicking myself to sleep the night I finished reading it.<br />
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I guess if you read this and you are expecting (especially your first), I think it is a worthwhile read, but take breaks towards the end if you're a nervous reader like me.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718L0QpLJWL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for on a sunbeam tillie walden" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718L0QpLJWL.jpg" width="289" /></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden</u><br />
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My partner got this for Christmas one year (I think) and it's been sitting on our shelf ever since. It's kind of a thick volume, even for a graphic novel, so it was a little bit intimidating to pick up.<br />
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I like that focus on women in this book. The main character, Mia, goes to a boarding school for girls, she later joins a reconstruction team that is made up of women and nonbinary folks, and there is a society where it feels like the default is that you're attracted to women rather than our current default where relationships are centered on male and female relationships. I liked experiencing what this shift could feel like if relationships were accepted just the way they are. It was refreshing.<br />
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I love the ending when they go to try and find Grace. Mia convinces her team to go to where she lives (a very dangerous place, it turns out), but doesn't have any expectations for the outcome of their encounter. She is open to sweeping her off her feet and living happily ever after, but at the very least, she just wants some closure and to be able to say goodbye if she can. I think that's awesome and such a great perspective on what a relationship should be, especially if it's a relationship that's been cut short for a while. I loved those small moments of celebration. This was a wonderful read.<br />
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<a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c50f2a_598449ec8e1f4602b27a3b6be33b61c9~mv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for street angel book cover" border="0" height="280" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c50f2a_598449ec8e1f4602b27a3b6be33b61c9~mv2.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><u>Street Angel by Jim Rugg</u></b><br />
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This book caught me by surprise a bit. It's a story featuring a 12-year-old homeless girl that reminds me a lot of Uma Thurman a la <i>Kill Bill</i>. She's a badass fighter and someone her messed up city can and does turn to in times of great peril. <br />
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It's kind of a quirky read. She's not just battling typical bad guys like it other superhero stories, but she's also battling some completely unexpected characters too... Cortez and his Spanish Armada that has been transported through time by Incan gods, Satan himself... just really off-the-wall bad guys. I thought it was awesome!<br />
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If you're looking for a book with fairly short chapters and some good actions and quirky characters, this is a great book to try!<br />
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This wraps up my reading for 2019! I can't wait to see what I get to read in 2020 :)<br />
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Thanks for Reading!<br />
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-46940179458819073842019-12-30T08:09:00.002-06:002019-12-30T08:09:21.720-06:00September, (October), November 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm doing a bit of throw-back as I try and catch up with my reading blogs for this year. Please excuse the backlog :)<br />
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In September, school started up again, so my reading life slowed down a bit, but I still managed to read several good books:<br />
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<li><i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> by Margaret Atwood</li>
<li><i>Scythe</i> by Neal Shusterman</li>
<li><i>Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?</i> by Caitlin Doughty</li>
<li><i>Paper Wishes</i> by Lois Sepahban</li>
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October was an abysmal month in terms of reading and I didn't finish a single thing, but in November, I finished these books: </div>
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<li><i>Last Things</i> by Marissa Moss</li>
<li><i>Long Way Down</i> by Jason Reynolds</li>
<li><i>Smile</i> by Raina Telgemaier</li>
<li><i>Croquette & Empanada</i> by Ana Oncina</li>
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I'm lucky that most of these were incredible reads, but I will just talk about a handful of them, since they have managed to stick with me well after I have finished reading them!<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41NItubK2QL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for last things marissa moss" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41NItubK2QL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" /></a><b><u>Last Things by Marissa Moss</u></b><br />
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I went and sold a bunch of book club books for school with a teacher friend and while we were wandering around the book store waiting for our offer, I stumbled upon this guy. I've found that one of my favorite things to read ever is graphic memoirs. I just love being able to look into other people's lives, even for a short while.<br />
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This book gives you a glimpse into what it looks like to see someone slowly decline from ALS. I felt a lot of different things while reading this. I felt for Marissa's husband, who just wanted to live as normal and as independent of a life as possible, all things considered. But I think roughly halfway through until the end, I felt nothing but anger towards him. I thought he was being awfully selfish (especially when he refused to do things that would make his family's life a little easier) and handled the end of his life rather poorly, but it also feels weird to say that and feel that about someone who is dying and really going through someone. You want to offer some grace as they tie up loose ends in their life to the best of their ability. But I won't deny my feelings about this. I mostly felt for Marissa. She is the glue to this entire story-- she does as much as she possibly can to make sure her sons are okay and that they have a chance to process and more importantly that they get a <i>break</i> every once in a while from this situation. She tries to ooze love and care when she feels that her husband is lacking in this area. She takes on so many roles because she has to and I think that's admirable, even though she is absolutely exhausted.<br />
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It's not a light book if you're in a reading slump, but it is a really engaging read. I couldn't put this book down until I had finished. I hope this book can be that for you too.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/8181KH0VR7L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for long way down jason reynolds" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/8181KH0VR7L.jpg" width="263" /></a><b><u>Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds</u></b><br />
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Another teacher recommended this book to me. It's a story told in verse and it centers on a boy who lost his brother to gun violence. It highlights other people in his life (and who are in the margins) who have also been cut short by gun violence. There is a discussion about revenge and recovery after such violent ends from people close to you.<br />
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I could see this being a really engaging read for students since this is a topic they want to read about and talk about. I think this is a good medium to start this conversation because it's a fairly quick read. But this book is also worth revisiting and I'd love to read this again in 2020 (and I'm going to try and give myself that space to do just that in 2020, but I'll talk about that more in a separate post). <br />
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This is a great book if you're in a reading slump, but this is also a great book to read if you're looking to hear more about the conversation around gun violence and police brutality, especially because this time you're invited to hear from people whose lives ended. They have perspective now that they didn't have before. But you're also being asked to pay attention to the people who are left behind after these lives are ended. Really important read.<br />
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<a href="https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781442472433/scythe-9781442472433_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for scythe book cover" border="0" src="https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781442472433/scythe-9781442472433_lg.jpg" /></a><b><u>Scythe by Neal Shusterman</u></b><br />
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This book snuck up on me a little bit this year. My math teacher friend started reading this book and texted me saying something along the lines of, "OMG THIS BOOK." So I listened through Audible and was immediately hooked.<br />
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In this society, death doesn't really exist. People don't just get killed or die. But you can't have people living and regenerating forever, so someone has the job of ending lives. That is the job of the Scythes. You can't have this job unless you don't want the job. It was weird to think of death happening in this way and it was even weirder, once you were involved in this world, to see people who actually relished the job and <i>enjoyed</i> seeing people suffer as their lives permanently came to an end. It's just an interesting world to get yourself involved in, even for a short time, while you're reading this book.<br />
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This is another book where I feel like I have so many thoughts that I can't speak eloquently about it. I will say that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series in 2020 and then maybe I'll be able to speak much more clearly about my feelings on this book. This is an incredible read and I hope you choose to spend your time reading it next year.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41YnZ-KtWdL._SY445_QL70_ML2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for will my cat eat my eyeballs big questions from tiny mortals about death" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41YnZ-KtWdL._SY445_QL70_ML2_.jpg" /></a><b><u>Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs by Caitlin Doughty</u></b><br />
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I have loved Caitlin Doughty's previous books about her experience starting out in the death industry and then about death practices around the world. This book is all about the questions that young people (kids, really) have about death that, I would wager to guess, adults are also wondering the answer to. They're weird questions about what happens after you die and what happens if you suffer a certain kind of death... it's just a cool read. I love the illustrations that are scattered throughout (I think at the beginning of each new question). I also appreciated the really short chapters. Short chapters motivate me to keep reading because I feel like I'm making more progress than I actually am.<br />
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If you want an interesting read or are interested in learning more about death and death positivity, this is a great place to go!<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
I'm happy that I get to read such neat books like the ones I just told you about. Hopefully, my luck continues into the 2020 year!<br />
<br />
Thanks for Reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-48030856391430854522019-12-29T23:30:00.001-06:002019-12-29T23:30:15.016-06:00July and August 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
July was an incredible reading month! I managed to read all of these:<br />
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Her: Vol. 1 by Pierre Alex Jeanty</li>
<li>Her: Vol. 2 by Pierre Alex Jeanty</li>
<li>Teach Like Finland by Timothy D. Walker</li>
<li>On The Come Up by Angie Thomas</li>
<li>The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson</li>
<li>Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton</li>
<li>Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee</li>
<li>The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary</li>
<li>The Grownup by Gillian Flynn</li>
<li>The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates</li>
<li>My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn</li>
<li>A Way Out by Michelle Balge</li>
<li>The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman</li>
<li>The Woman in Black by Susan Hill</li>
<li>Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein</li>
<li>Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider</li>
<li>With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo</li>
</ul>
<div>
August wasn't as great of a reading month in terms of numbers, but I did finish one incredible book:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
I am fortunate that a number of these books made for incredible reads. There are some books I have already taken a moment to highlight in my Reading Rush post (which you can check out HERE), so here are the rest of the highlights of July and August!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518828894l/35068618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for on the come up book cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518828894l/35068618.jpg" width="211" /></a><b><u>On The Come Up by Angie Thomas</u></b><br />
<br />
This was one that both my students and I were really excited to see come out. A student brought it back after reading it and another mystery student swiped it, I assume for summer reading, while I wasn't looking. So surprisingly, getting ahold of this book was quite tricky! But I'm glad I fought for it!<br />
<br />
<i>On The Come Up</i> was just as engaging as <i>The Hate U Give</i> and in fact takes place in the same universe as <i>The Hate U Give.</i> Bree's struggles are quite different from Starr's struggles. Definitely some overlap, especially because she lives in the Garden (which is a vibrant neighborhood, but suffers from gang violence), but those struggles aren't the main focus on Bree's story. Her focus is on her rap career. She struggles mainly with stereotypes and self-expression in this story. Should she say what she wants or do what other people tell her to do, but risk false representation of who she actually is? There were times when I wished that Bree would just listen to the trustworthy people in her life when they were trying to help her. But she does have a mind of her own and some people just need to make mistakes in order to learn. So Bree is kind of a frustrating protagonist in some ways, but I still really enjoyed her story. I love books that incorporate poetry and show their power.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/810O8LQcxcL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the flatshare beth o'leary" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/810O8LQcxcL.jpg" width="210" /></a><b><u>The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
I found out that one of my favorite YouTube personalities (who is a West End actress) was recording an audiobook called <i>The Flatshare</i> and as she was talking about it, I became intrigued. So once it was out, I used my Audible credit and got it to listen to.<br />
<br />
I loved that this book is told in two perspectives (not just because the book is written that way but because it's recorded by two people to help drive this home). I like that this book is a fairly light read while still touching on boundaries and less-than-healthy relationships. I love that these two people are drawn together even though it seems to unlikely that they should ever be anything more than roommates in passing. This is a great feel-good book and one that can help jumpstart your reading if you're in a reading slump. I feel like I've had a number of those this year... this was a wonderful book to listen to. I highly recommend it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81gVFqBzj-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the grownup gillian flynn" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81gVFqBzj-L.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b><u>The Grownup by Gillian Flynn</u></b><br />
<br />
This one kind of fell into my lap a little bit. I love my library's digital catalog because I can check things out instantly. I wanted to read more Gillian Flynn because I remember really liking <i>Gone Girl</i> several years back. I didn't expect to find one so short though. I think this audiobook was about 45 minutes. Definitely no more than an hour.<br />
<br />
This book is just as intriguing and just as f***ed up as <i>Gone Girl</i>. I was literally sat on my bed thinking, "What the hell?!" as I was listening to this book. This book is also good if you're in the middle of a reading slump and just generally good if you're looking for a jolt to your system. Gillian Flynn is definitely talented at drawing you in and shaking you to your very core at the last minute and making you stop and think, "Did I really just read what I read?" I'd love to listen to this again sometime.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71LESEKiazL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the moment of lift melinda gates" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71LESEKiazL.jpg" width="211" /></a><b><u>The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
This is a nonfiction book that I thought sounded interesting, but I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Melinda Gates, through her and her husband's foundation, have done a lot of great work to support women and girls around the world in the many ways that they need to be supported-- reproductive health, community health, education, etc. What I love is that Melinda Gates seems to approach this topic with as much humility as she can muster and is up front about the knowledge that she brings to the table and when she needs others to help bring a vision into reality. Supporting women around the world is no small task and is less straightforward than I thought. It's not just throwing money at a problem, but finding the people who can help turn that money into a lasting impact for the women and communities who benefit. I also love that every opportunity she could, she drives home how supporting the women the foundation supports doesn't just benefit these women in particular, but it also demonstrates how helping these women benefits the wider community and country. I think that's so powerful, especially when it comes to getting other people to support "women's" issues. In reality, when women do better, everyone does better.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/611kJGj7ZLL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for my almost flawless tokyo dream life" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/611kJGj7ZLL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b><u>My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Is this the most literary thing I could have chosen to sit down and listen to? Absolutely not. But it was very engaging. This book does a really great job of transporting you from where you are to upper-class life in Tokyo (although, admittedly I don't know how accurate this depiction is... it was fantastic to read about though). It was interesting to read about places that are so unfamiliar and yet marginally familiar at the same time. I almost could have forgotten about the plot and would have been just as happy to keep reading. Obviously, it's good and better off with a plot, but I just want to point out how easy it is to get lost in this book. <br />
<br />
This is a great book if you just need to be transported for a while. This is also a fairly light and therefore quick read for its length. I personally liked listening to the audiobook, too. If you need a book to get lost in and if you are interested even remotely in Japan, this is the book for you!<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/912NC-FTdzL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for code name verity" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/912NC-FTdzL.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
<b><u>Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
This is one I think I will need to read again. I assigned this to some of my students last year while doing a unit on humanity and dehumanization. One of the boys picked it and said that he loved it once he actually finished it. My recommendations for him have been very hit or miss, so I was happy to find that connection point.<br />
<br />
The focus of this book is on two women in particular who are involved with flying and communications for planes in World War II England. They get involved with these secret missions and then... something goes wrong... I won't give it away because it's the basis of this book. <br />
<br />
I love that this book makes you think that you're going in one direction and then the whole story, very suddenly, shifts on you and tells you how things really are in this book. Now that I know what that twist is, I want to read it again. I'll have to make that one of my private reading goals in 2020. I think there is also a sequel to this book so I'll have to check that out as well. This is a great book. I already can't wait to read it again!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41iEldx5gFL._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for geisha, a life" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41iEldx5gFL._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="206" /></a><b><u>Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
A former student of mine recommended this book to me... probably a year or two ago and it took me so long to finally sit down and read it! I told her that I really liked the book <i>Memoirs of a Geisha</i> and she said that that book was based off of this woman's story. But <i>Memoirs of a Geisha</i> has a lot of flaws to it. This book is actually written by a Geisha who has lived that life and she does address some of the things that were said and depicted in <i>Memoirs of a Geisha</i> and speaks to their truth or lack thereof. It was nice to have that expose angle to the book, but this is a great book in its own right. Her story of how she got started is really interesting and there are a lot more customs and traditions around simply becoming a Geisha than I ever thought there were. I don't know how they keep track of it all!<br />
<br />
I don't feel like I can speak too eloquently about this book because it's just one of those books where you have to jump in with both feet and go for the immersion experience. <br />
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I'll be working on catching up on reading blogs over the next few days and into the new year, so look for more of those posts as well as other life posts!<br />
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Thanks for Reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude</div>
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</div>
</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-32327095292974174562019-08-11T13:54:00.002-05:002019-08-11T13:54:57.420-05:00Reading Rush!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't know what it is about internet challenges that just really motivate me. Challenges like NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) really motivate me to write even when I don't want to (especially when other people are writing with me). Having reading goals for the year pushes me to read lots and lots. So when Ariel Bisset (link to her YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArielBissett">HERE</a>!) showed up in my subscription box announcing this week-long reading challenge, I jumped on the opportunity! So this year, I participated for the first time in the Reading Rush (formerly known as BookTubeAThon) from July 22-28.<br />
<br />
There are seven challenges within this week-long Reading Rush. The books you pick can fit more than one challenge if you'd like and you can participate in as many or as few as you'd like. The point is to get you reading with reckless abandon for a full week.<br />
<br />
I planned to read these books:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki</li>
<li>A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron</li>
<li>I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez</li>
<li>Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider</li>
<li>The Woman in Black by Susan Hill</li>
</ul>
<br />
These are the books that I actually read during this week and the challenges they fulfill as well as a brief review (so these books will be taken off of my July Reads post when that eventually comes out):<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9_ZHL5EjeTuYQSrdnIsFIYI5Kqb_VuPBDKbLL4UfCWGsr-hHeqTH0NeS3e4rHNJhWxnwjTvZ_4nfMWLfWXeibl6vBWLkJZBvYS06HPFOT3u1mTBD4hD8hjULWECElEfBJ5_Y8Di5Cxiq/s1600/the-woman-in-black-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1038" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9_ZHL5EjeTuYQSrdnIsFIYI5Kqb_VuPBDKbLL4UfCWGsr-hHeqTH0NeS3e4rHNJhWxnwjTvZ_4nfMWLfWXeibl6vBWLkJZBvYS06HPFOT3u1mTBD4hD8hjULWECElEfBJ5_Y8Di5Cxiq/s320/the-woman-in-black-11.jpg" width="207" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Woman in Black by Susan Hill</b></span><br />
<b><u>Challenges:</u></b><br />
Read and watch a book to movie adaptation. CHECK!<br />
Read a book in the same spot the entire time. FAIL.<br />
<br />
I did read this entire book in one day, however! It just turns out that I am someone who needs to take breaks periodically. But ultimately, I went from an outdoor hammock to a couch inside when I got too cold. So, too bad, I did not fulfill one of the challenges I set out to accomplish. <br />
<br />
This is one of my favorite horror movies and this book didn't disappoint. It had a slowness that drew you in and a really effed-up ending. I don't even think I can say I preferred the book over the movie or vice versa. They are both great in their own right. I think it was even better that I read this book as it was getting dark outside... in a cabin... in Wisconsin... it just added to the creepy feeling to the story.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvg8QuUx1sO8eFIZtFn8fbr3Df6EOXLQDjv3_LIJh1eUBirZng22GypNYqyD_kcesPchaw5HCoLrs04xGA9yYGWtJIKrSEsebng0WoLbfWYHwl9bYWVcxszh9DBcxrF7Tk9Jw3As_ThjU/s1600/x510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvg8QuUx1sO8eFIZtFn8fbr3Df6EOXLQDjv3_LIJh1eUBirZng22GypNYqyD_kcesPchaw5HCoLrs04xGA9yYGWtJIKrSEsebng0WoLbfWYHwl9bYWVcxszh9DBcxrF7Tk9Jw3As_ThjU/s320/x510.jpg" width="211" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.biblioimages.com/bonnier/getimage.aspx?pdfdirect=DRm2feZrcyy7aB8ta5pWBA==&bibliologin=1&s=4d98b740-9773-4333-a995-20030ce3608a&cat=default&class=books&type=jpg&mode=&size=origjpg&id=30516" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for with the fire on high book cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://www.biblioimages.com/bonnier/getimage.aspx?pdfdirect=DRm2feZrcyy7aB8ta5pWBA==&bibliologin=1&s=4d98b740-9773-4333-a995-20030ce3608a&cat=default&class=books&type=jpg&mode=&size=origjpg&id=30516" width="208" /></a><b><u>Challenges:</u></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Read a book with purple on the cover. CHECK.<br />Read a book you meant to read last year. CHECK.</div>
<br />
I can believe I didn't read this book sooner. It was really charming, super engaging, and funny-sad. It was a wonderful and light YA read. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to call it a beach read because it's not <i>that</i> light of a story, but it doesn't take itself too seriously.<br />
<br />
I liked the characters very much and thought it represented high school students quite well. Like, yes, there are those that are quite moody and just seem to hate the world for no reason, but also kids that genuinely seem to enjoy where they are in life and have great friends that will stick together for years to come. It talks about dissolving and rekindling friendships. I think there need to be more stories on this subject. There seems to be this belief that when you get a friend, you're stuck together for life. But I think more people need to learn that not all friendships are meant to last forever and you have to choose people you want to be around and who bring out the best in you.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo</b></span><br />
<b><u>Challenges:</u></b><br />
Pick a book with purple on the cover. CHECK.<br />
Pick a book that has five or more words in the title. CHECK.<br />
<br />
This was one that I brought to the cabin with me and have really been looking forward to reading since I heard it was coming out. Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors. She had me at book one. This book just reinforced my love for her writing.<br />
<br />
I love the focus on food in this book. It really engages the senses in a way that I don't feel like I've experienced in a while. I also appreciated that this book is written from the perspective of a teen mother. One pitfall in stories like this is oftentimes, stories will end when the teen mother-to-be gives birth. But by the time we meet Emoni, her daughter is two years old and she has settled into a groove of being a parent and trying to finish high school. I appreciate that her life doesn't "end" with parenthood, just changes how she moves in the world. It's more realistic. Having these new relationships also added weight to her decision to do something for herself and go to Spain with her culinary arts class. <br />
<br />
I don't think I can say much more other than this was an amazing read and you definitely need to pick this book up ASAP.<br />
<br />
To sum everything up, during the 2019 Reading Rush, I accomplished 4/7 of the challenges! Not too shabby! I will definitely be participating in the Reading Rush next year!<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-48469270801317266782019-07-13T20:07:00.001-05:002019-07-13T20:07:16.094-05:00June 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June marks the beginning of my summer break. It's been a ride transitioning from the near constant go-go-go lifestyle that is my current teaching life to a much slower teacher-on-summer-vacation life. But this means that my reading life has picked up a bit. It is so nice to have this time. I've very grateful.<br />
<br />
These are the books I read during the month of June and I will highlight a few of them below!<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><i>Undead Girl Gang</i> by Lily Anderson</li>
<li><i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy </i>by Douglas Adams (This was a reread, you can check out an old review <a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-review-of-hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy.html">HERE</a>! My updated rating is one star less)</li>
<li><i>Educated</i> by Tara Westover</li>
<li><i>Archenemies</i> by Marissa Meyer</li>
<li><i>Macbeth</i> by William Shakespeare (This was also a reread as I will be teaching this play this coming school year. You can read that review <a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-review-of-macbeth-by-william.html">HERE</a>. My updated rating is one star less).</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1DcwxGrlKL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for undead girl gang book cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1DcwxGrlKL.jpg" width="211" /></a> <b><u>Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Once upon a time, I tried a monthly book box service that is no longer in existence. I thought it was nice, so I may look for another one at a later date, but not at this time. I have so many books that still need to be read as it is. But anyway, this was one of the books that turned up in my mailbox. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It looks a little bit gimmicky on the outside, but don't let this cover fool you! It's a wonderful fantasy/supernatural YA book and I can't wait to share it with my students. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I loved the representation of Wicca as a religion/spirituality and the conversations about why some people hold certain beliefs. I can only think of a scant handful of books where young adults are challenged to think about religion and what role it does or doesn't play in our lives. I also appreciated the content about grief. I think young people who have lost someone will identify with the feelings the main character feels about losing her friend and what it's like to cope but shows that things will turn out to be okay in the end, given enough time and closure.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I just thought this was an at times funny, fast-paced, off-the-wall, and engaging read. Once I started, I couldn't put it down!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41QZuQ2h2WL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for educated by tara westover" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41QZuQ2h2WL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="210" /></a><b><u>Educated by Tara Westover</u></b></div>
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<div>
This has been sitting on my Kindle for ages, just waiting for summer to arrive so that I could read it. </div>
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<div>
This was such an engaging read. I seriously gobbled it up in about two days. I really like reading books about entirely different lifestyles and this one, despite being a memoir, had an apocalyptic feel to it, which was interesting. Tara Westover was born to a Mormon family, but honestly, it's not Mormonism that is recognizable. Her father was obsessed with living off the grid and not engaging with the government in any way. Some of Tara's siblings went to school when they were younger, but all were eventually pulled out for homeschooling, which fizzled out very quickly and just didn't occur after a while. Tara has never set foot in a public school. Any schooling they had, the kids had to fight for and work for themselves. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a desperate situation that Tara lived through and while it makes for an excellent read, it doesn't escape me just how terrifying it must have been to live life this way. There were so many times that Tara wanted to give up because it felt like so many things were working against her, but she didn't give up. Eventually, she earned her undergraduate degree and was invited to complete a Masters and PhD, utilizing her skill as a writer.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What was really scary to me was how her family messed with her mind. I don't mean keeping her out of school in this case, but making her feel outcast from the family and from the religion she grew up with and making her question what was real in the first place. This really gets through to the reader because she lays out her (fact checked) experiences that she remembers and then also lays out what her family is telling her and it's very contradictory. It's helps you get insight into what her life is like because you question what is real too.</div>
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<div>
This story became even more interesting to me when I found out that the business Tara's mom and her sister run have a Facebook page and so do many of her family members. That led me down a little bit of a rabbit hole trying to figure out who these people really are. But this just made the story that more interesting to me. This is one of my absolute favorite books and I hope that someday I can have conversations with people who have also read it. I need to verbally process this book a little more.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81tYp8VPquL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for archenemies by marissa meyer" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81tYp8VPquL.jpg" width="215" /></a><b><u>Archenemies by Marissa Meyer</u></b></div>
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This one was a work in progress for a while, but I thought it was much better than its predecessor, <a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2018/07/march-2018-reads-and-reviews.html">Renegades</a>. </div>
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One of the things that annoyed me about renegades was that it switched first-person perspectives every chapter. So, one chapter was from the perspective of Nova and the next was from the perspective of Adrian. Honestly, I thought Adrian's perspective was boring. But this problem was fixed because the story is told from a third person perspective. It does switch focus each chapter, but it's not as jarring and it's still interesting. This sequel was much better at keeping my attention. So even if I picked up the book and didn't touch it for another week, I still remembered very clearly what was happening. <br />
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I love that you get more of a glimpse into Nova's life with the anarchists. There is a much clearer view of the divide that Nova straddles with the Renegades and Ace Anarchy's gang and how she has a real choice between which world she sees herself as being part of and which world she feels like she owes. I love this. I thought it made Nova a much more round character than in "Renegades." She isn't just a girl who was wronged in her childhood (irreversibly so, but still) seeking revenge, but now she has more of a choice to make. I think Nova became one of my favorite characters from a book after finishing this read.<br />
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The next (last?) installment of this story comes out in November of this year (2019) and my students and I are so excited to see what happens next!<br />
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That's all for my June reads! There are so many books I can tell you about already in July, but there is still more of the month to go. See you for another reading highlights post in a month or less!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-31647772989226671022019-06-17T12:00:00.000-05:002019-06-17T12:00:00.206-05:00April and May 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've decided to combine my April and May posts together this time. My reasoning is vague... things got busy with school and with life, I guess. Reading (and other things) kind of fell to the wayside in April. But May was much better!<br />
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So, over April and May, I read these books:<br />
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<li><i>I Am Alfonso Jones</i> by Tony Medina</li>
<li><i>To All The Boys I've Loved Before</i> by Jenny Han</li>
<li><i>Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me</i> by Mariko Tamaki</li>
<li><i>Swing</i> by Kwame Alexander</li>
<li><i>The Call of the Wild</i> by Jack London</li>
<li><i>The Bullet Journal Method</i> by Ryder Carroll</li>
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As wonderful as these reads were, these were some of my favorites:</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jg5RzK9rL._SX350_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for laura dean keeps breaking up with me cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jg5RzK9rL._SX350_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="225" /></a><b><u>Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki</u></b></div>
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This book came to my attention because my best friend from second grade is the illustrator for this graphic novel. So I was alright super psyched for this book for that reason, but once I actually cracked it open and read the story that Mariko Tamaki wrote, I fell in love. Mariko Tamaki is one of those authors that I've just figured out that I will either not like what they make or be really enthusiastic about what they make. Not that I've felt passionate hate for her work, I just haven't been as enthralled with some of her works. But I liked this one because it draws attention to unhealthy relationships and a character that is trying to separate herself from one. I love that the characters are quite intersectional as well-- many characters are people of color and are part of the LGBT+ community. I think there's a powerful message about aligning yourself with the people who will bring you up and help you be your best self. I think this is something that young people need to read. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with students who were struggling with unhealthy relationships (not dangerous, just not the greatest) this past year. There was so much guilt about wanting to separate themselves from someone because they had a history with that person. People of any age need to know that if someone isn't treating you with respect or is being kind to you when it's convenient for them, it's time to move on. I think there need to be more voices spreading this message. I'm happy this book can be one of those voices.</div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cCB6LfPLL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the bullet journal method book" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cCB6LfPLL.jpg" width="220" /></a><b><u>The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll</u></b></div>
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I've posted about the fact that I bullet journal a few times on this blog. It's a system that has honestly changed my life for the better. It helps me stay organized for everything that life throws at me and it helps me be reflective. When I heard from bullet journals who influenced me that the creator of the system had written a book about how to bullet journal, I was a little skeptical. Especially since he has a website. But I was assured that this book was worth the read whether you are just getting started with bullet journaling or you've been doing it for a while already. </div>
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If you go on YouTube and search for bullet journal videos, you're likely to find hundreds of very fancy spreads-- beautiful spreads! If you're not a particularly artistic person, you may feel simultaneously in awe and intimidated because there's the impression that your bullet journal HAS to be beautiful. But it doesn't. It just has to help you be productive. So this book is a nice way to remind everyone of the basics and to help you think about why you include the things you decide to include in your bullet journal. I love that there are tons of examples about how to plan for and break down your goals to get them accomplished and also completed examples from people who come from a variety of backgrounds that have found success using the bullet journal method. It's a wonderful book and well worth a read if you're even remotely curious about this system!</div>
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We'll keep it short and simple this time around. See you again at the end of June! There are already many great reads brewing that I can't wait to tell you about!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-81205780408879553212019-04-28T09:51:00.003-05:002019-04-28T09:51:26.390-05:00I Traveled to England/The Netherlands! (Part 3: Leiden, The Hague, Haarlem, Amsterdam)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the final installment of this honeymoon blog post series. If you haven't already, read Part 1 and Part 2 before reading this part!<br />
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The day after Warner Bros Studios, we basically had an airport day. We flew into London Heathrow from Minneapolis/Reykjavik, but when we flew into Amsterdam, we needed to get to London Luton in a different part of the city. Luton is a pretty cute airport. When you're flying within the UK/Europe general part of the world, no need to go to the enormous airports and have your heart broken from stress trying to get where you need to go. Luton is slightly out of the way and it's smaller and pretty easy to get through. The bummer was we basically blew the day in the airport because we didn't want to miss our flight and we weren't sure how long it would take to get there in the first place, so we made sure we were extra early. But having the down day was actually kind of nice after almost constantly moving for an entire week.<br />
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We finally landed in Amsterdam and I was so freaking excited. My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest in a good way and I didn't feel like I could sit still. This was the first time I had been back to the Netherlands since I studied abroad (and since we got engaged). It felt like coming home again. I loved that things were familiar and I knew how to do basic things. I had to have a little bit of a refresher in Dutch, but even then, I was doing okay.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Leiden</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOlvWgLydBg19ZZseKofFW-LXKZ2yTFfrnIctQjkLOqVeVAJ27ttOrAuPuMKXoCaLaGbD8T9mFrcAQcucBKzft3s3kefdkrfWqNUJIsF7O29VtSV7prywC4JdQoyqyE47DobQ86mSUMWm/s1600/IMG_4753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOlvWgLydBg19ZZseKofFW-LXKZ2yTFfrnIctQjkLOqVeVAJ27ttOrAuPuMKXoCaLaGbD8T9mFrcAQcucBKzft3s3kefdkrfWqNUJIsF7O29VtSV7prywC4JdQoyqyE47DobQ86mSUMWm/s200/IMG_4753.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpCVh3y41WT6O9LZFAC7Bzy1TUeOYgUM1kOEvoefMnnBBK5FcmVGNKwNJQCCDxoncbeqFi6-aaoED_Vu85qkiF3KhaUJMODdyPbOsICFhhXH-pBDVLnCbWhqJOJHSWRAPuGZ-s9lFYb4q/s1600/IMG_4751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpCVh3y41WT6O9LZFAC7Bzy1TUeOYgUM1kOEvoefMnnBBK5FcmVGNKwNJQCCDxoncbeqFi6-aaoED_Vu85qkiF3KhaUJMODdyPbOsICFhhXH-pBDVLnCbWhqJOJHSWRAPuGZ-s9lFYb4q/s200/IMG_4751.JPG" width="150" /></a>We got to Leiden and it took us a little bit to find our AirBnB, but we did it. We kept the night simple by going to get food and eating in. We got a good night's sleep. It was weird walking in this place I called home even for a short time. Our thought was since we had both been to the Netherlands before, we would take this part of our trip slow. We wouldn't worry about getting up ridiculously early and we were okay with visiting places that we knew we liked as well as things that we hadn't tried yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqTizz5SmHqp75sGIuJkOumrZbZ3IHQTAOB4VpWnNunxyNU9M2aka2cskC14m3BaLSUHeO259GM1Ql4o-t8Orauv8dcE3Jyh6d3jgL6Kri3MHaPGOhntJ2INsG9tuOGZphSh7P7Dx5_pM/s1600/IMG_4769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqTizz5SmHqp75sGIuJkOumrZbZ3IHQTAOB4VpWnNunxyNU9M2aka2cskC14m3BaLSUHeO259GM1Ql4o-t8Orauv8dcE3Jyh6d3jgL6Kri3MHaPGOhntJ2INsG9tuOGZphSh7P7Dx5_pM/s200/IMG_4769.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMyZEauk8FSoUTwN_XcYdO7ceSZe-qx9yVIU3CJYG5z2Xrx5uva9j_Es1nM5RBgQnibA6sJCXRy4f4Izkh8AxLg5HeN1_LUSU-4rNR6EnMQSDnwt1RhuV7d6C4yTaDan9_nWmiZZCKNta/s1600/IMG_4756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMyZEauk8FSoUTwN_XcYdO7ceSZe-qx9yVIU3CJYG5z2Xrx5uva9j_Es1nM5RBgQnibA6sJCXRy4f4Izkh8AxLg5HeN1_LUSU-4rNR6EnMQSDnwt1RhuV7d6C4yTaDan9_nWmiZZCKNta/s200/IMG_4756.JPG" width="150" /></a>It felt different being there, yet not a lot had changed. I walked by my school and that was different, but I knew it would be. When I ended my semester with Central College Abroad, I knew they would operate for one more semester and then the Leiden location would be closed down. So that building was the office for something different now.<br />
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It was nice revisiting some of my old haunts, like the Museum van Oudeheden, Bagels & Beans, Hortus Botanicus... In hindsight, I wish we had rented a bike so we could cruise around like I used to. That'll be something to do next time we find ourselves here. It was also nice to go back and see things that I had only seen once or twice, like De Burcht, which is perched at the top of the hill overlooking Leiden. I had visited before a couple of times and then couldn't figure out without a map how to get back there, but I had never taken Jack. It was fun to climb the wall and show them as much of the city we could view from the top of the fortress wall.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Hague</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllsERpKhOo4yHpfpSNUYtlfbUise7QfB80VIyHF1lESLZKJM2inTZ7UugryyRACm64JtpmtmqaYA-pe2MEaeqS2umuAh1vjDUS_pJWiWNMO8JqO0RlsYQgeF8nPKdEP7puY07JzUBZiWe/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllsERpKhOo4yHpfpSNUYtlfbUise7QfB80VIyHF1lESLZKJM2inTZ7UugryyRACm64JtpmtmqaYA-pe2MEaeqS2umuAh1vjDUS_pJWiWNMO8JqO0RlsYQgeF8nPKdEP7puY07JzUBZiWe/s200/IMG_2157.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uD9kU22avZWYxUx4gtq_h68TvKsl7jgBdCiYCeQ294gSuHxHZzWp_HIJSGY-TPvidxceAfKNYQ12hGKfGym8z7e_moCAcYgnDZKY53E_2ud3ZpocP2uf65czdVqA1NKaDKwSFX3jgnUd/s1600/IMG_4775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uD9kU22avZWYxUx4gtq_h68TvKsl7jgBdCiYCeQ294gSuHxHZzWp_HIJSGY-TPvidxceAfKNYQ12hGKfGym8z7e_moCAcYgnDZKY53E_2ud3ZpocP2uf65czdVqA1NKaDKwSFX3jgnUd/s200/IMG_4775.JPG" width="200" /></a>We ended up going to The Hague a couple of times because the first time we went, there were some places we intended to visit that we didn't realize were closed until we got there. But we made the most of our couple of days in The Hague. The first day, we went to Madurodam, which I had never even heard of before, as well as the beach in the off chance that we would see a Strandbeest (no luck on the Strandbeest). But it was nice to be back at the North Sea, dipping my toes in the water, even for only a brief time.<br />
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Madurodam is the Netherlands in miniature. Lots of cities shrunk down and laid out for us "enormous" people to walk through and speed travel. I thought it was hilarious when they put koi in the pond or when I duck landed and completely dwarfed the people and small cars that circled the park. It was kind of a goofy thing to do, but also really neat. It's one of those things that you have to experience for yourself to have a real appreciation for, I think.<br />
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The second time we were in the Hague, we came for lunch and the M.C. Escher museum. I really wanted to show Jack this place because M.C. Escher is one of their favorite artists. I knew it would mean a lot to them. It's a really trippy museum to be in. Some of what they include in the museum is interactive and it tricks your eye fairly easily.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkhqO3hYTf4OoQ-m41HOIaRF75WFTCU6ZwPkdaG042jCNdKCVRop4YMUaqZjGomGJQkxSzZ7ieolF1ywaUewBWR5_zAQLQ_IijgeaCGI8MxPKhpoJhWxIH8mzg_a8rXo8wAqXTlqmaSpD/s1600/IMG_4901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkhqO3hYTf4OoQ-m41HOIaRF75WFTCU6ZwPkdaG042jCNdKCVRop4YMUaqZjGomGJQkxSzZ7ieolF1ywaUewBWR5_zAQLQ_IijgeaCGI8MxPKhpoJhWxIH8mzg_a8rXo8wAqXTlqmaSpD/s200/IMG_4901.JPG" width="150" /></a> My other favorite part of this museum is it used to be one of the palaces used by the Dutch royal family. Clearly it's no longer used that way now, but the history of the space itself is preserved and there are many cards you can read to learn about the royal family and what each of the rooms were used for. What I love about Dutch palaces is they seem quite practical and frugal compared to other palaces that I've seen around Europe. They're quite small by comparison, which is a little strange to say about a palace!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> Haarlem</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOOF0FK4G98LQG01iZiud7MT9Te-6UQEYB4CiWAoNsi2yHa6jjYEBaAozMX3Gd2VVDGLpRdnGc9T7i9UoeWkGQj9BjzjhhenHVB7c5Vj7Dr_X3t0KnzxJWBk2470AqLihlS1Dxu93WbY9/s1600/IMG_4786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOOF0FK4G98LQG01iZiud7MT9Te-6UQEYB4CiWAoNsi2yHa6jjYEBaAozMX3Gd2VVDGLpRdnGc9T7i9UoeWkGQj9BjzjhhenHVB7c5Vj7Dr_X3t0KnzxJWBk2470AqLihlS1Dxu93WbY9/s200/IMG_4786.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlTH9TPNCb6xcyKGxd8N3m_EACdn47KJy4Bpu0h19YX36jfdQ1bMhc2bFRvF7jLRqUThWMM4aAPRwJXcqSyR1HnFGZEk7jCx3IBzhccIGYzaup981w3eOuTZm55iLweeYlUR9_88YfGJT/s1600/IMG_4785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlTH9TPNCb6xcyKGxd8N3m_EACdn47KJy4Bpu0h19YX36jfdQ1bMhc2bFRvF7jLRqUThWMM4aAPRwJXcqSyR1HnFGZEk7jCx3IBzhccIGYzaup981w3eOuTZm55iLweeYlUR9_88YfGJT/s200/IMG_4785.JPG" width="150" /></a>I had visited Haarlem once before for a project for school where we had to pick a Dutch city, do some research, and go visit it. I picked Haarlem because I had read a book that took place there. But Haarlem is honestly one of my favorite places in the Netherlands. This time when we came back, I had read Corrie ten Boom's book <i>The Hiding Place</i> and I was determined to see it for myself. Before we saw the hiding place though, we went to visit the Teylor's Museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXpDg97rF-z8utcmqu5ibA11jHEft4UhlL90CWM2rsHUBkjaOzP1Eb2GFJ7BIAaVIeScurx4CN8eivmzwfQU9oFhMewsJf9yjcEJGWMrbzs6mL-r3ycmTyRV6inAAmG9BUX0oTfLRKT4u/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXpDg97rF-z8utcmqu5ibA11jHEft4UhlL90CWM2rsHUBkjaOzP1Eb2GFJ7BIAaVIeScurx4CN8eivmzwfQU9oFhMewsJf9yjcEJGWMrbzs6mL-r3ycmTyRV6inAAmG9BUX0oTfLRKT4u/s200/IMG_4788.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRJVbyd8hce_zRgEQEZP0z0xQGCBbheUTmdg05RqGHdy20f2bRt1CTqkK23_ovWJgo5EzIJo9Ogk3uGX2wd5b2AuCEPJTeY7WOhrbhRXP9J7oGiYH_R2pkHfFmF0kxJ9OeG0kGtOtjVB9/s1600/IMG_4787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRJVbyd8hce_zRgEQEZP0z0xQGCBbheUTmdg05RqGHdy20f2bRt1CTqkK23_ovWJgo5EzIJo9Ogk3uGX2wd5b2AuCEPJTeY7WOhrbhRXP9J7oGiYH_R2pkHfFmF0kxJ9OeG0kGtOtjVB9/s200/IMG_4787.JPG" width="150" /></a>The Teylor's Museum was an interesting place. It's part natural history museum and part art museum. The collections of both specimens and paintings were impressive and the building itself is incredible.<br />
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I have decided that when I go to museums, I need to create a purpose for myself. I learned that from a different art museum that I visited previously in Haarlem where they challenged visitors to pay attention to emotions in the paintings they presented. In this case, I did what I typically do and looked for cute animals and kittens. Yes, there are definitely cute ancient and extinct animals. You just have to look closely! What was different from other natural history museums that we've visited (mostly from this trip) is that there were a lot of specimens displayed and organized in glass cases. Other museums we've seen have seemed a bit more interactive where they had skeletons "walking among the crowd," so to speak. This one made you feel like a scientist where you were asked to look as carefully as you desired, but not touch. It had a much more official feeling to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFnMKNsxZ6O0l2jkITz7kTX-rbtRmqfkFM2fvn1HLhS7riko79gWU-7VVfRb9ACFrAJcYNqenR1avaUWdlqCWnH5TOOyB61wPYPki9wSVqB_VOfZfxm1LCHJTX6kNvry8wZZXdEda_baw/s1600/IMG_4798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFnMKNsxZ6O0l2jkITz7kTX-rbtRmqfkFM2fvn1HLhS7riko79gWU-7VVfRb9ACFrAJcYNqenR1avaUWdlqCWnH5TOOyB61wPYPki9wSVqB_VOfZfxm1LCHJTX6kNvry8wZZXdEda_baw/s200/IMG_4798.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZNohmKXP4QVuO1f_glAUHxuwTjuLLooO26UoDOXWZVqc7sI5cQcIqhkaeKEYmekFYI1SS0gcaAXDMn3KVwfDmvJ2sKVrrt0iNvUr2NkvK4-sMa2WFXbSBl0SqfXH4nh4ZU_Q_Ssa4Sxp/s1600/IMG_4795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZNohmKXP4QVuO1f_glAUHxuwTjuLLooO26UoDOXWZVqc7sI5cQcIqhkaeKEYmekFYI1SS0gcaAXDMn3KVwfDmvJ2sKVrrt0iNvUr2NkvK4-sMa2WFXbSBl0SqfXH4nh4ZU_Q_Ssa4Sxp/s200/IMG_4795.JPG" width="150" /></a>We went and found lunch at a restaurant that recently opened and I tried a mushroom burger (so good!). The people who worked at the restaurant were really nice and accommodating of us since we don't speak a lot of Dutch. They had menus in English and Dutch and when they noticed we were trying to translate our Dutch menu, they grabbed a different one for us which was really sweet of them. We just didn't want to be a bother!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8VhQw8r3OAc2Ly6o4eaEktyDH1YD9IIv4VMdZYUQulcsrOv47JrFoBQbP08mEckUmNdoCzWeNTrLXJxvJzbZG44Gwj-jlo-iZHU5R3j1CXrEAvL5_3bjXYxQalKDNO_GfDCLKkUdbOkk/s1600/IMG_4804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8VhQw8r3OAc2Ly6o4eaEktyDH1YD9IIv4VMdZYUQulcsrOv47JrFoBQbP08mEckUmNdoCzWeNTrLXJxvJzbZG44Gwj-jlo-iZHU5R3j1CXrEAvL5_3bjXYxQalKDNO_GfDCLKkUdbOkk/s200/IMG_4804.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJCM0k5-wwxl4vA8zTP-QfY1sZcKA_1QWuAta7i_mBuJbPiYKNBoRP9hLFlcTq3V4ZijMmireTpteu_8CEZcB7cQ3sRzj3APSnoj0WzYi0xtvfbm4OzyGBWCUK6p7crwfSGMuSC1Kn9iz/s1600/IMG_4800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJCM0k5-wwxl4vA8zTP-QfY1sZcKA_1QWuAta7i_mBuJbPiYKNBoRP9hLFlcTq3V4ZijMmireTpteu_8CEZcB7cQ3sRzj3APSnoj0WzYi0xtvfbm4OzyGBWCUK6p7crwfSGMuSC1Kn9iz/s200/IMG_4800.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />From there, I was determined to visit the Corrie ten Boom house. What I wasn't aware of was that it was better to reserve a time slot online before visiting. We showed up and you can just show up, but it's not a guarantee that you'll get to see inside, because they only allow a certain number of people inside at once. At certain times, they have tours entirely in Dutch and others in English. I feel like they had a German tour too, but I can't quite remember... Because Jack and I didn't reserve a place and I really wanted to see inside, we waited in line. It was kind of nice to stop for a while. I think we waited for about an hour in the alleyway where people who came to the ten Boom family for help would come to knock on the door. Once we got inside, we saw how people were hidden throughout the house during the day and where they would go in the event of an emergency. People would sleep all around the house (which was tall, but quite small) and then if they heard a buzzer sound triggered by a button in the lower levels, they knew they had to quickly and silently get to Corrie's room and crawl into a hidden room through a door in the bookshelf and wait until the all clear signal. I still don't understand how all of those people fit inside that wall. They must have been so cramped while they were there hiding in the event of an emergency. But it sounds like they made the most of it. And most everyone who passed through the ten Boom house survived the war. I'm really glad that I waited to see this place.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amsterdam</b></span><br />
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One thing that makes this zoo unique is that there is also a building in Artis that educates about microbes. It's appropriately called Micropia. It showed you all about the microbes that keep us healthy and those that can make us sick even though we can't see them. They had several animals that I'm not sure I've seen before, so that was neat. They also had some really interesting-looking enclosures for the animals that met needs I didn't know they had. Some of the enclosures did look a little small though... but I guess I have to defer to the experts and trust that everything they're doing is in the best interest of the animals they care for. I hope...<br />
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I think my favorite of the animals we saw was the red panda. I've seen one before, but it was always asleep. This one was awake and ready to go! <br />
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This first day in Amsterdam, we went to the Red Light District and visited a niche museum called The Secrets of the Red Light District. I've visited once before, but Jack had never seen. It's really a cool place to visit and gives you a behind the scenes peek of what goes on in the Red Light District. I did not take pictures, but it's well worth a visit should you find yourself in Amsterdam. <br />
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The second day in Amsterdam was full of museum hopping-- all museums that we had never seen before. But we also visited the Vondelpark as well as the Poozenboot. The Poozenboot came first, which good because the longer we waited, the longer the line got.<br />
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The Poozenboot is a houseboat that is home to the stray cats of Amsterdam. You can come and adopt the cats here or come and visit in small groups. <br />
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Some of the cats were sweet and ready for cuddles and others were pretty fearful and went to hide above or under some of their sleeping places. Most of the cats were free-roaming of the houseboat and were just looking for nice places to sleep in the sun. It was fun to come and pet the cats for a while and hear about the work that's being done on the Poozenboot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLaCYNGdly45gOdCqQQ9ewM0nkbHEjlqDRTRrL956qukI4T_XDcjQDAqqSiVe3sFaqij1daV5Fm655mQjbGT8-Nuv8VeJ9woH1PE8NP8SKIFYmsNcV4Jr80WGxZ3d35qM_42OtFLToX3B/s1600/IMG_4866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLaCYNGdly45gOdCqQQ9ewM0nkbHEjlqDRTRrL956qukI4T_XDcjQDAqqSiVe3sFaqij1daV5Fm655mQjbGT8-Nuv8VeJ9woH1PE8NP8SKIFYmsNcV4Jr80WGxZ3d35qM_42OtFLToX3B/s320/IMG_4866.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our next stop was the Van Gogh museum. I never went to this museum while I lived in the Netherlands (even though I had a museum pass that let me skip lines and enter museums for free), so we wanted to make sure that we go to go here this time around. They changed up how you gain entrance to the museum. I think they digitized it so you could get tickets online or at the kiosk outside if you waited in the long line. We got really lucky again. Jack decided to get data on his phone, so we were able to do that without standing in line at all. I think we only had to wait for our time slot for 10 or 15 minutes and we didn't have to stand in line. It was great! I recommend getting your tickets online. Then you can just pull them up on your phone and get them scanned. Very convenient. <br />
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You can't take pictures in the museum, so it was easy to just stand in front of these paintings and take them in and appreciate what was right in front of you. If you did try to take pictures though and were caught, in one room there was a really tall Dutch guard with a big booming voice that would thunder, "NOOOOO PHOTOOOOOOS," drawing out the vowels like that. Since I wasn't the one trying to take pictures despite the policy being posted practically everywhere, I found it amusing :) On top of that, I really enjoyed learning more about Van Gogh's life as well as being able to appreciate the art that he created in his lifetime (even if it wasn't appreciated until after his death).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35GHdrmlSQ-U_IFXhJLswpm-r0bIMUPtHq0FB1U7CY6fOHTLkFOimXu_ZqsuDAfCbrF9sX7BDx3pQySadT89r_tUoMfixK0fCnfO6pyXrg8SSMlV0e1sh2tEP0XtXVw0HGRM1WKb2rqvG/s1600/IMG_4868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35GHdrmlSQ-U_IFXhJLswpm-r0bIMUPtHq0FB1U7CY6fOHTLkFOimXu_ZqsuDAfCbrF9sX7BDx3pQySadT89r_tUoMfixK0fCnfO6pyXrg8SSMlV0e1sh2tEP0XtXVw0HGRM1WKb2rqvG/s200/IMG_4868.JPG" width="150" /></a>Our next stop was the Moco Museum just down the road, which is a museum that displays Banksy's art as well as the work of other street artists. This would not have been on my radar if Jack hadn't figured out that this museum existed. I was semi-familiar with Banksy, but I found another artist(s) that I really liked. Icy and Sot were another duo whose art was displayed in the basement. For all of this art that we saw, I really appreciated that it was meant to make you double-take. It's taking this thought of what art is and making you think again.<br />
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The last thing we did was go to the Vondelpark. In 2014, Jack and I got engaged here and when we figured out that we wanted to go back to the Netherlands for our honeymoon, we planned to return to the park and put a lock on the place where we got engaged. Just like love locks on bridges in major cities around Europe. There was just one problem: we weren't entirely sure where it was in the park that we got engaged. So we decided to wander and try to figure it out. We got lucky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7J0NJ79wl8RCWj-EqACPAhwtwTxGljwTUCDquWSv1Wl3SaEILf3_0TohR-CDhzhoReZoBKW122nQ6DyldFCcKkc4P3Ph4abuJw-L8CYBwJmI4RZ1pcegU-wwL-UBuaEc-YcjixZC3D7_/s1600/IMG_4883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7J0NJ79wl8RCWj-EqACPAhwtwTxGljwTUCDquWSv1Wl3SaEILf3_0TohR-CDhzhoReZoBKW122nQ6DyldFCcKkc4P3Ph4abuJw-L8CYBwJmI4RZ1pcegU-wwL-UBuaEc-YcjixZC3D7_/s320/IMG_4883.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUu6ELPUoa9vALufWi7dZOW_xqu-rr6jEPswxy8ex_CXiVEkZs8muS9Mnvjy2s64GVWQ3UrlslLLIRNWmDCnJIisXanm6RrFSQPwqVYBdARkovb-vXD2aT0Uvv89fFTGkOM4FzIDEysQmu/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUu6ELPUoa9vALufWi7dZOW_xqu-rr6jEPswxy8ex_CXiVEkZs8muS9Mnvjy2s64GVWQ3UrlslLLIRNWmDCnJIisXanm6RrFSQPwqVYBdARkovb-vXD2aT0Uvv89fFTGkOM4FzIDEysQmu/s200/IMG_4881.JPG" width="150" /></a>We did find the place where we got engaged. But there wasn't a bridge, really, like we thought. There was a bench though. We decided to put our lock on the bench instead. I figure it would be less likely to be removed than if it were on a bridge. On bridges, periodically they have to take the locks off because the bridge gets too heavy and they don't want it to break. Not many people want to remove locks from benches, really. So I'm hoping that our lock will be around for a while to come. But we won't know until we get back to the Netherlands. What was extra special was that we were here really close to our second wedding anniversary. I married my best friend August 2016 and I was so happy to be back there with my favorite person.<br />
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This brings us to the end of our trip. We did a little bit of venturing out (to the Escher museum), but the rest of our trip was spent packing and stocking up on Dutch goodies we love and that we wanted to take home. This was an amazing trip for us and we're so happy that we waited and took the trip that we really wanted.<br />
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Thank you so much for reading! Until next time (which will likely be this summer)!<br />
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--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-8476068636400322592019-04-22T13:05:00.002-05:002019-04-22T13:05:24.467-05:00I Traveled to England/The Netherlands! (Part 2: Stonehenge, London, Warner Bros. Studios)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And we're back! This is the second part in this series about our Honeymoon, so if you haven't read Part 1 yet, click <a href="http://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2019/04/i-traveled-to-englandthe-netherlands.html">HERE</a>!<br />
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We enjoyed Bath and Bristol very much. I think next time we find ourselves in England, we'll head back over there, especially since it's relatively close to London. But we had to say goodbye eventually. Our next destination was London, but before we went there, we wanted to see Stonehenge.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stonehenge</b></span><br />
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We thought about how we would get to see Stonehenge. We looked up what it would take to take the train out there, but ultimately, we decided the easiest thing to do would be to take the train from Bristol to Bath and hop on a tour that would drive us out there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmeSNQHJbnvFTK92ZfFqX-cV5bc1byEGT6VcYgtqNLpr73tfW2FykL7w-8ALfL0wKkXVBUhsasoBouuWzZ5BQXjnH0PELAPjBb6MdMV-XQawYjY35VVXLA92kWbTWW4mFObEr-cCoKJqn/s1600/IMG_4656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmeSNQHJbnvFTK92ZfFqX-cV5bc1byEGT6VcYgtqNLpr73tfW2FykL7w-8ALfL0wKkXVBUhsasoBouuWzZ5BQXjnH0PELAPjBb6MdMV-XQawYjY35VVXLA92kWbTWW4mFObEr-cCoKJqn/s320/IMG_4656.JPG" width="240" /></a>Our tour was great because it was very basic. They were there to get our tickets and to bring us there (and give us information along the way). But we didn't need to follow our leader like some groups did. It was also the tour company that allowed you to stay out at Stonehenge the longest. They let us out and told us to be back at a certain time. If you're looking to go to Stonehenge without a lot of hassle, check out <a href="https://www.scarpertours.com/">Scarper Tours</a>. They were great.<br />
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I probably mentioned that I kept a journal while we were traveling. More specifically, I was writing in my bullet journal. Here's what I wrote about Stonehenge (mostly because I'm not sure what else to add other than what I already wrote):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Some people come to Stonehenge because they feel a kind of spiritual connection to it. It's not 100% known why Stonehenge was built. Discoveries are still being made as are excavations in the area. Stonehenge is aligned with the sun on the solstices which is significant. Some people thought it was used for sacrifice (unlikely) and some people thought this place was built by druids (also unlikely, although it seems to have become more significant to modern day druids). It appears to simply be a place of worship. A sacred place."</blockquote>
The other neat thing about this area is there were several burial mounds close by and you can walk near them. You have to off-road it though-- there's no walking path. You walk through the dried grass to one of the three and then you can choose to catch the bus back (yes, there's a bus that drives the mile or so from the visitor center to Stonehenge) or walk back to the visitor center.<br />
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After visiting Stonehenge, we were taken back to Bath in the purple van we had arrived in. We got our suitcases (there was a place near the train station we left them in for the day, which was a good find and not that expensive) and then went and got lunch before catching our train to London. There's this chain in the UK that we really like. It's a grab-and-go food place called Pret a Manger (French for "Ready to eat") that has really yummy food! I wish we had a Pret here in the U.S.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">London</span></b><br />
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Throughout our trip, we used AirBnB for places to stay because we like having unique experiences living in other people's places and we wanted to save a little bit of money that we could instead spend seeing and doing interesting things around the city (hotels are expensive if you haven't figured that out...). While we were in London, we stayed in a studio apartment that's set up for short or long stays outside of greater London. No one else lived there (just so we're clear). It was nice to come back to after a busy day in the city because it was a bit removed from the action, so you could come back and relax.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACnXMO1d2D9x2nhf7PoAu1TuLzC7jr2j1EQxenfWWVEoEYH9LvoU68X-goPI6gNNOpSSxoY5DqeJC8678dFKPljUwXpOeKmhOhdS3RizSL_c5_uUGh0sNpFedW8YtwLnKzhmxf337o7sF/s1600/IMG_1872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACnXMO1d2D9x2nhf7PoAu1TuLzC7jr2j1EQxenfWWVEoEYH9LvoU68X-goPI6gNNOpSSxoY5DqeJC8678dFKPljUwXpOeKmhOhdS3RizSL_c5_uUGh0sNpFedW8YtwLnKzhmxf337o7sF/s200/IMG_1872.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveQvctEk-fGbblZB2vs-N7wXmdkTW9kfiaGfS_jj6wBm9y0G3YPR0uz1V3Rh6shBlXt4xzmSrYM2w9GbzQUEjWZ1bGRTMzmei37Bb-4q8w2R_0o2C91b4y9IxI1qKuISwnaSCrf000M9_/s1600/IMG_1870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveQvctEk-fGbblZB2vs-N7wXmdkTW9kfiaGfS_jj6wBm9y0G3YPR0uz1V3Rh6shBlXt4xzmSrYM2w9GbzQUEjWZ1bGRTMzmei37Bb-4q8w2R_0o2C91b4y9IxI1qKuISwnaSCrf000M9_/s200/IMG_1870.JPG" width="150" /></a>We had one day to spend in London because our second day we had something incredible planned (I'll get to that). Jack and I are museum people, so we decided what we really wanted to see (especially if they were things that I hadn't seen yet). One place that I did visit that I wanted Jack to see though was the Globe Theater. I teach <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> in my classroom and next year I'll be teaching <i>Macbeth</i> and even though teaching it was something I didn't think I would enjoy, it's actually become one of my favorite things. Drama provides a lot of flexibility and it's accessible to students who might not find the classroom super accessible in the first place. But to be in the place where the plays were performed and to see some of the costumes and hear the stories again was amazing. And really, when you go on the tour, the tour guides at the Globe are incredible. Knowledgeable, yes, but in my experience, also hilarious. So even though I'd taken the tour before, I was definitely not bored the second time around!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z5Z3m7Y-bJO_ukzQJn6VEOkNu2C7RLCGZHH1ydZH-qdgqe2QdjVoTYBGC2g0ykyWjzK2IGclb6Gzgnvf-P9M3m9o3eSAklJd7pkdaCwlHXlSa1maY8-ACHflrsjoxxBDiPw5udsDgNOk/s1600/IMG_4745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z5Z3m7Y-bJO_ukzQJn6VEOkNu2C7RLCGZHH1ydZH-qdgqe2QdjVoTYBGC2g0ykyWjzK2IGclb6Gzgnvf-P9M3m9o3eSAklJd7pkdaCwlHXlSa1maY8-ACHflrsjoxxBDiPw5udsDgNOk/s200/IMG_4745.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9sVcs09A5hansoZJrNHMesHHpLnhyphenhyphenasB2IHR4sJZwf3-uJ4stp5xlEQaY6qyt3iDV5JBhb2Lu2OKuCqdVABSbvzCxEEEmbU_T8IfRcU0_SfI8OBVeYqV8GKa0rlbl__YzNLYISfSwVrS/s1600/IMG_1887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9sVcs09A5hansoZJrNHMesHHpLnhyphenhyphenasB2IHR4sJZwf3-uJ4stp5xlEQaY6qyt3iDV5JBhb2Lu2OKuCqdVABSbvzCxEEEmbU_T8IfRcU0_SfI8OBVeYqV8GKa0rlbl__YzNLYISfSwVrS/s200/IMG_1887.JPG" width="150" /></a>Next time we find ourselves in London (because I strongly believe there WILL be a next time), I'd love to actually see a show here. The stars just didn't align for this to happen this time around.<br />
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We were sort of on a timeline because one thing I really wanted to see was the Changing of the Guard because I didn't get to see that happen last time I was here. But we would find out as we were trying to find a spot that it wasn't going to happen this time around either because a certain U.S. President was in town and was therefore occupying all or most of the guards. Even when we leave our own country he still finds a way to put a damper on things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjdJcZBMhe7euqsneOaL9WGyleRuvjJvMcUHKMETJ4aR5vLo9S2m5mu1N6jFumAA6bwYFMIUZtIdbiQCKhMVUkFpiAaq_2haCIQQhY4WJ1uyM1czCXWLSkP2pmHxKQaYAz7Mmh8aZhZBK/s1600/IMG_1896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjdJcZBMhe7euqsneOaL9WGyleRuvjJvMcUHKMETJ4aR5vLo9S2m5mu1N6jFumAA6bwYFMIUZtIdbiQCKhMVUkFpiAaq_2haCIQQhY4WJ1uyM1czCXWLSkP2pmHxKQaYAz7Mmh8aZhZBK/s200/IMG_1896.JPG" width="150" /></a>But London is a big city with a lot to offer. So we figured out where we wanted to go next and started walking in the direction of the Natural History Museum. It was a beautiful day, so we didn't want to take the underground unless we really needed to.<br />
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The Natural History Museum was interesting. I think if I lived in London and had kids, we would bring them there for an afternoon one a month or something like that. My favorite part was about volcanoes and earthquakes and I wish I could have spent a bit more time there. The mammals and dinosaurs were neat too. I loved that I got to see a triceratops and a baby triceratops skeleton and I love that I got to see the skeleton of a blue whale as well! Both were enormous and it's hard to imagine creatures that big in the world unless you see them for yourself!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoNHfXc5MBQfPHlT7IiRWwYry2x6ROMQtfj9gCg0ybSPUrXWAPMFyZShINek20LH5TzhQWRed1cFST2jRdAxagSistHEUr_l8jR_p_LSoTHwz90wf8q6ymA_aKO9jYNpKuFN-Qo570q5q/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoNHfXc5MBQfPHlT7IiRWwYry2x6ROMQtfj9gCg0ybSPUrXWAPMFyZShINek20LH5TzhQWRed1cFST2jRdAxagSistHEUr_l8jR_p_LSoTHwz90wf8q6ymA_aKO9jYNpKuFN-Qo570q5q/s200/IMG_1940.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U98paLFmyAncyQW1ov-Rhp3_lZX_6BSPpHEsa_XsSsgJWxBWzMLEIfy2JgSaYmStrSuSIbzuxByfM8FrDVv-mZfEuM5r3gqDT8eimggi9jzaLfSdTMZYGXeNrwiTp9duXbsLjlcF4kQg/s1600/IMG_1930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U98paLFmyAncyQW1ov-Rhp3_lZX_6BSPpHEsa_XsSsgJWxBWzMLEIfy2JgSaYmStrSuSIbzuxByfM8FrDVv-mZfEuM5r3gqDT8eimggi9jzaLfSdTMZYGXeNrwiTp9duXbsLjlcF4kQg/s200/IMG_1930.JPG" width="150" /></a>Our next stop was the V + A (Victoria and Albert Museum), which is just right across the street from the Natural History Museum. This one was my choice. It's a museum celebrating the arts... everything from sculpture, paintings, clothing... it was amazing. I have found that lately I'm fascinated by clothing when it's on display in museums. I think this is my art form of choice. I was I could sew better so I can partake. I think what draws me to it is that it's not just art, but it's functional too-- it's something that someone can wear and conduct their daily life in (in some cases).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6zX9L2XcISNarqfW6ycWbvmIHU_0BFarCj3Jqn9X0K3LAq2scMbOlHBHVDCdVVIy6xDlkLGB8RqH8ZWsXJ5IvBXzV_E17PW5p8oqMRoRoqYCH6bq8vnnY46bhuD7FLoLW-ZKn7B47e4S/s1600/IMG_4697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6zX9L2XcISNarqfW6ycWbvmIHU_0BFarCj3Jqn9X0K3LAq2scMbOlHBHVDCdVVIy6xDlkLGB8RqH8ZWsXJ5IvBXzV_E17PW5p8oqMRoRoqYCH6bq8vnnY46bhuD7FLoLW-ZKn7B47e4S/s200/IMG_4697.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTK9pQ8hI5Zi3HSnYDYNDvYyvt3njLYgH4ejlYjxZacChUeJRLfNy8l1JRwixFB8aW6qTnPeB8O7M8llOowJWKodQcgv52w2lW_BjRJiBH2PXbYLsKiwd1PLTGmxFrAoxHG2nDcRe0M2R/s1600/IMG_4690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTK9pQ8hI5Zi3HSnYDYNDvYyvt3njLYgH4ejlYjxZacChUeJRLfNy8l1JRwixFB8aW6qTnPeB8O7M8llOowJWKodQcgv52w2lW_BjRJiBH2PXbYLsKiwd1PLTGmxFrAoxHG2nDcRe0M2R/s320/IMG_4690.JPG" width="240" /></a>Once we finished at the V + A, we still had daylight left, but not really any time to go into any museums anymore. That was fine though, so we decided to walk. I wanted to show Jack Kensington Gardens and the outside of Kensington palace and the pond. It's one of my favorite places... ever. So I wanted to share that. It was nice to make a new memory here though because I remember the last time I walked through this park, I was in excruciating pain because I had blisters on my feet that had burst (sorry for that image) and were being rubbed as I continued to walk anyway. I didn't have that this time around-- I was much more prepared with proper walking shoes. So I was pain-free and with the one I love the most!<br />
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That was our one full day in London and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Next time we're here though, we'll plan more full days because for Jack at least (and for me, even though I've been here once before and spent an entire week JUST in London), one day just isn't enough time. We feel like we've only scratched the surface.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Warner Bros. Studios</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6giZIuolqjratVioA8EGpOiAP3014vHppe6uo2GzcGRaUrObWjvza6CYIv-En1VhaLodtnicsLycZ-5gaFGnusr19GyFCF4CO53KKTXYJJynCiv2wYhIqhVJCm7RCzvgXmfeN0YbeaQhV/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6giZIuolqjratVioA8EGpOiAP3014vHppe6uo2GzcGRaUrObWjvza6CYIv-En1VhaLodtnicsLycZ-5gaFGnusr19GyFCF4CO53KKTXYJJynCiv2wYhIqhVJCm7RCzvgXmfeN0YbeaQhV/s320/IMG_1963.JPG" width="320" /></a>The day had finally arrived. I've been dreaming of this day since the first time I was in London. When I visited England on my own, I did Harry Potter related things (visited the real Platform 9 3/4, went to the reptile house at the zoo, etc.), but I did not do the studio tour. This time, I was determined to do this.<br />
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I was a little nervous because we were taking the train out to Watford and weren't 100% how we would get to the studio once we arrived at the station, but it turned out to be way easier than we ever anticipated. There is a fleet of double-decker buses covered in Harry Potter imagery that take you from the station to the studio and back when you're finished. I never should have worried. Of course they'd make your visit to the studio as easy as possible. And yes, we road on the upper deck in the front of the bus :) Who knows when I'll get that opportunity next!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibjKx0sw3DkQK5PeiqMuCrvb8J5JWJYvaNrMb16guaR-eQPCIEmIHri6SK_JmTHPi99v3tTGo6y7CU4cMBmV7oD8pdfWQyJkUODwUjrV2Nhn5EhODIeVKO9AnO3L_RamMTHeab1pR43FO/s1600/IMG_4706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibjKx0sw3DkQK5PeiqMuCrvb8J5JWJYvaNrMb16guaR-eQPCIEmIHri6SK_JmTHPi99v3tTGo6y7CU4cMBmV7oD8pdfWQyJkUODwUjrV2Nhn5EhODIeVKO9AnO3L_RamMTHeab1pR43FO/s320/IMG_4706.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NMQwguw-h2A6652h4NsyNHRdTdShImMdujAGlR-Ej4uGb0Uk_JXf7cvQxpZHexTDpkKo_a4LCpbYjbWMINlLfF8LVn4QU6Nd-p-dBDD27gB77LM6kKn7JYcVB-NDeBIre4URMoeIPOrO/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NMQwguw-h2A6652h4NsyNHRdTdShImMdujAGlR-Ej4uGb0Uk_JXf7cvQxpZHexTDpkKo_a4LCpbYjbWMINlLfF8LVn4QU6Nd-p-dBDD27gB77LM6kKn7JYcVB-NDeBIre4URMoeIPOrO/s200/IMG_1973.JPG" width="150" /></a>And then the magic began. I didn't even have to enter the studio to feel it, but once inside, I was on cloud nine. The studio has sets that are still up and every once in a while, they'll shift the focus so that there are certain sets, props, and costumes that are on display. So when we visited, we probably didn't get to see everything. I know at the time I'm writing this, there's a focus on Gringotts and how that was filmed, but when I went, the focus was on <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, </i>which happens to be one of my absolute favorites in the series. So I didn't see a ton related to Gringotts, but they had costumes, props, and set pieces related to the Triwizard Tournament. It was incredible. I'm just going to spam you with photos because I think that's the easiest way to share my experience at the studio.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUedhQQJEr8pVdPgj4I9SsIKTm9AWpFkYZTzJkX2C9VNWaFfbmc6H7jjDGiAjbPpmmkndQ1zAhxT3Ob0H2B1jSj7H_w2AslT_Cavr9kBDr8sfK4G4pYxihTOCsx5eNXV4HrHk9xPJ_Kzb/s1600/IMG_1997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUedhQQJEr8pVdPgj4I9SsIKTm9AWpFkYZTzJkX2C9VNWaFfbmc6H7jjDGiAjbPpmmkndQ1zAhxT3Ob0H2B1jSj7H_w2AslT_Cavr9kBDr8sfK4G4pYxihTOCsx5eNXV4HrHk9xPJ_Kzb/s200/IMG_1997.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXIsaEjOYQsJDWyfcHCdFRc3SV_322aWEmppUYgosfuRzBEQgZ-2L824B0QKe-fVx0VZ8Z0yBPxdrw82LC0EliKNvxNy8-QaE2Lqx3XEOl3cindU_RjyXIuUwbM3m1umxahwB2m7uCVZ_/s1600/IMG_1974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXIsaEjOYQsJDWyfcHCdFRc3SV_322aWEmppUYgosfuRzBEQgZ-2L824B0QKe-fVx0VZ8Z0yBPxdrw82LC0EliKNvxNy8-QaE2Lqx3XEOl3cindU_RjyXIuUwbM3m1umxahwB2m7uCVZ_/s200/IMG_1974.JPG" width="150" /></a>I was on cloud nine the entire time we were at Warner Bros. studios. It was incredible to be completely immersed in this world that I dove into as a kid and then the movies that I analyzed to death as a teenager (literally, I think I broke my copy of <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i> because I would backtrack to try and see how they set up and executed a particular scene. I was walking on the sets that were used in the movies and it was so surreal... and then the costumes were amazing and it was really trippy to see them in person... wow... it was a lot to handle.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGgp3gfrSE0pZaiPJJvr8zNwTxt5tyB_8D1k4HbM3fqg8-ftjbdk0k2ZomRb0d8YIxs3Y3T0AFHsulCa5dvIADjjl5SvAqtJL8j7b-uLnzaYXRTGfISwCo5zJ_95A9o1a6oxbenuQ55BO/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGgp3gfrSE0pZaiPJJvr8zNwTxt5tyB_8D1k4HbM3fqg8-ftjbdk0k2ZomRb0d8YIxs3Y3T0AFHsulCa5dvIADjjl5SvAqtJL8j7b-uLnzaYXRTGfISwCo5zJ_95A9o1a6oxbenuQ55BO/s200/IMG_2010.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0GEYxqbkStabEerwK26CDpKqG8z-F9mRHYdhr8kHRHAYHPtle0v4NfyyCJ0xC45GXEPAnF2QVys6YSYXwYfjvL7I9bpewLL7jYI6d5Eco0JShPhm71G_B0G52rv5vvg710cWkmna_dPU/s1600/IMG_2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0GEYxqbkStabEerwK26CDpKqG8z-F9mRHYdhr8kHRHAYHPtle0v4NfyyCJ0xC45GXEPAnF2QVys6YSYXwYfjvL7I9bpewLL7jYI6d5Eco0JShPhm71G_B0G52rv5vvg710cWkmna_dPU/s200/IMG_2013.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
We had lunch there too, which was fine, but we made sure to try out butterbeer. My first butterbeer. It was okay. I think it was creme soda and it had marshmallow fluff on top. It was sweet and kind of nice, but definitely not something that I need to have every day.<br />
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Really, this was the best way to end our stay in England. Our trip was far from over, but the next day, we said goodbye and jetted off to the Netherlands. But I'll end this post here.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-24428848183419983132019-04-18T12:00:00.000-05:002019-04-18T12:00:02.981-05:00March 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At last, I'm back on track with these posts!<br />
<br />
March was a decent reading month again. I read these books this month:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The Pearl by John Steinbeck</li>
<li>Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon</li>
<li>Memories of Anne Frank by Alison Gold</li>
<li>Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck</li>
<li>The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur</li>
<li>Lost Soul, Be At Peace by Maggie Thrash</li>
</ul>
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Here are some of the highlights from this month:</div>
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<a href="https://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/31/9780590907231_mres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for memories of anne frank reflections of a childhood friend" border="0" height="320" src="https://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/31/9780590907231_mres.jpg" width="210" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend by Alison Gold</u></b></span></div>
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My mission continues where I am still trying to learn everything I can about Anne Frank's life and life in German occupied Netherlands during World War II. This was one of the books I found and I ordered it with some birthday money. I didn't expect it to be targeted at a younger audience (maybe 5th/6th grade?), but that didn't stop me from reading it.<br />
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This book is written by Alison Gold, but she interviewed and helped a friend of Anne Frank's, Hannah Goslar, tell her story about how she survived the war and about her friendship with Anne Frank. This because more interesting to me because Hannah was one of the last people to talk to Anne before she died in Bergen-Belsen, but her experience surviving the war was also quite different than other stories I've heard before. I still don't fully understand it, but I became more intrigued. Hannah's family managed to get on a list that would help them get to Israel and they also managed to get a Paraguayan passport. I'm not entirely sure how they pulled this off, but both of these things acted as safeguards of sorts. It bought them slightly better treatment and conditions wherever they went. My understanding is that this paperwork made it so that they could be traded for prisoners of war. If you're reading this and you know I'm terribly wrong, please correct me and I'll make amends to this post. But it was nice to hear Hannah's story and get another shade of understanding of what life was like in this part of the world during this time.<br />
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<a href="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780553496673_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for everything everything book cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780553496673_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" width="215" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon</u></b></span><br />
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This has been on the pile by my bed for the longest time. Then Lunchtime Book Club decided on this book as their next read. <br />
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I'm not going to say that this is the most sophisticated or romantic book out there on the market. It's not. It was predictable in a lot of ways. That doesn't sound like a good reason to make it a highlight, but hear me out.<br />
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This book is on my highlight list because it inspired me to read a slightly longer book after a long time of poetry and graphic novels (no hate on poetry book or graphic novels). It was a quick read told in a variety of ways... texts and email, brief book summaries, doodles, regular prose... it was lovely.<br />
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So purely for helping me jumpstart my reading habits again and shaking off the proverbial dust from winter, "Everything Everything" goes in my highlights for this month.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41qnVPHflkL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the sun and her flowers" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41qnVPHflkL.jpg" width="206" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur</u></b></span><br />
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I have really fallen in love with Rupi Kaur's work lately. It's simply written, but her poems pack a punch. For me at least, even if I can't identify with the exact situation she's writing about, I can still sympathize with what she is saying... I hesitate to say that I understand, because that implies personal knowledge or that there's nothing left to uncover. I can't claim what isn't mine. There is true pain wrapped up in these poems, but also glimpses of beauty peeking out behind the clouds.<br />
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The illustrations that go along with her poems... they're works of art in and of themselves. They are beautiful.<br />
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I honestly don't think I have enough words to explain how I feel about Rupi Kaur's writing. Honestly, I would read her grocery list if I could. I'll definitely be looking for more of her work. Recommendations are welcome!<br />
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See you again at the end of April! Thanks for reading!<br />
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-71104714382067366612019-04-13T12:00:00.000-05:002019-04-13T12:00:07.138-05:00I Traveled to England/The Netherlands! (Part 1: Port Sunlight, Liverpool, Bristol, Bath)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLSm2GgeIw_eb_YtALLecJtlSN4xdaAnrRgEhym4N9Rn95hHDFC4FRiYuQVoOC4saznRRjqhmJ4vR8CE5qHpzbzBoXK2Au6qB3BOvOBomDQCugE_4PgcMiV_Vbp4AIK6mT9aCSSbkLsfC/s1600/IMG_4610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLSm2GgeIw_eb_YtALLecJtlSN4xdaAnrRgEhym4N9Rn95hHDFC4FRiYuQVoOC4saznRRjqhmJ4vR8CE5qHpzbzBoXK2Au6qB3BOvOBomDQCugE_4PgcMiV_Vbp4AIK6mT9aCSSbkLsfC/s320/IMG_4610.JPG" width="240" /></a>August 19, 2016, I married my best friend in the whole world! It was a beautiful and really fun day and I still look back on it quite fondly. At the time though, we were far too busy to go on the honeymoon that we really wanted. I was just beginning student teaching so that I could finish my degree and Jack was beginning his last year of college and needed to be there for the first day of classes in order to stay enrolled. So we decided to postpone our honeymoon until we could do it the way we wanted to without cutting corners. In July 2018, we were ready to embark on this journey!<br />
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This will be a series of blog posts as we traveled for a total of two weeks and managed to pack a lot into this trip. Instead of separating these posts into days (Day 1, Day 2, etc.), I will separate it by cities we visited because we moved around so frequently. I'll be sure to publish each post in the order we visited so that you can still see how everything went in chronological order. Enjoy the ride!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Minneapolis to Reykjavik to Port Sunlight/Liverpool</b></span><br />
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We left the evening of July 6 and were just buzzing with excitement. Jack and I had traveled just the two of us before (see our <a href="https://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/search/label/CA%2FAZ2k17">San Diego and the Grand Canyon</a> trip), but we had stayed within the U.S. and faced different challenges. We had never traveled to other countries just the two of us before. I had traveled alone or with Jack and his dad. It's different when you have to rely on just one other person. Our first destination was England, but we had to change planes in Reykjavik, Iceland. I have never needed to change planes before, but since we were flying with IcelandAir, they always reroute through Reykjavik. So we arrived at London Heathrow the next morning and right away we boarded the train to get to a place called Port Sunlight just outside of Liverpool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDNL1sYojTm6xu7lLEHsZk_DWDY4PGY4DXa8Yykc0SecGDjeJz6W6laPF7U2NHbYq-IVFiU0oKOGssa8Km6gzwPfRPEDIgEl2vdzFmqZtrhdFjvSG1ipEv62_qcEi9YQMoQJj882YGEXY/s1600/IMG_4625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDNL1sYojTm6xu7lLEHsZk_DWDY4PGY4DXa8Yykc0SecGDjeJz6W6laPF7U2NHbYq-IVFiU0oKOGssa8Km6gzwPfRPEDIgEl2vdzFmqZtrhdFjvSG1ipEv62_qcEi9YQMoQJj882YGEXY/s320/IMG_4625.JPG" width="240" /></a>I had been to England once before on a solo trip when I studied abroad, but I did not leave London. This time we had the added challenge of figuring out how to take the trains. Luckily, I had some practice in Boston for how to take intercity trains, so I wasn't very nervous for this. Once we were on the train, we could rest and watch beautiful England rush by us through the window.<br />
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We needed to get to Chester in order to get a train to bring us into Port Sunlight (which would also be the same train that could take us into Liverpool when we were ready). At this point, we had been traveling for 24+ hours and we were TIRED as you might imagine. We got a little turned around about where our AirBnB was, but we eventually found it and all was well. It was a super cute place! We booked just a room in someone's house, but since they were in London watching the World Cup with friends, we ended up having the whole place to ourselves! So we took long showers without worrying about holding someone else up. It was glorious to go to sleep in a bed that night instead of on a plane or a train.<br />
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The next morning, our adventures began. Because of jetlag, we woke up quite early. We got ready for the day and walked down by the river. There are walking paths there and there were already a bunch of runners out and about. Weather was nice and the sun was out. It was a really nice way to ease into the day and our time abroad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ojbLMSgx2Rrnj6HDJtIbrGsRkuvtIAhhu4wMZvZUlZr4iblBWjlDYdsc6ZgyoDMEJbxeoSCYMWnsaSjGK2PtkT7wPxKP-CrOnc4lnwo2F-lG2RY0YYRotz6WS9C9HslWFsW-N8Q8sbFf/s1600/IMG_4618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ojbLMSgx2Rrnj6HDJtIbrGsRkuvtIAhhu4wMZvZUlZr4iblBWjlDYdsc6ZgyoDMEJbxeoSCYMWnsaSjGK2PtkT7wPxKP-CrOnc4lnwo2F-lG2RY0YYRotz6WS9C9HslWFsW-N8Q8sbFf/s200/IMG_4618.JPG" width="200" /></a>Once we had woken up a little and gotten a good walk in, we walked back into Port Sunlight and caught the train that would take us into the heart of Liverpool. We decided to go to Liverpool for Beatles reasons, but really, we didn't do a lot of Beatles things, which I was a little surprised by, but definitely didn't mind. Liverpool has more to offer than just the Beatles. Although, there were plenty of Beatles things to do whether you went to the Beatles museum or not. We didn't go to that museum, but we found art from John and Yoko in the Liverpool museum (which I'll talk about a little more below) and there were all sorts of little homages to each of them around the city.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4k0rmjEd4G73eqCaj_A9kv55Q9Oc4V2AoK5C6sEnrz7uYzntL-6UPMEgaCx0f3swN2b7orcxNOLORJQTTaivFY4s-0ed8E2xOGGueDxE-fbrSthCFUS01Mw2bxdS0NFl93pwBjhmeuiK/s1600/IMG_1716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4k0rmjEd4G73eqCaj_A9kv55Q9Oc4V2AoK5C6sEnrz7uYzntL-6UPMEgaCx0f3swN2b7orcxNOLORJQTTaivFY4s-0ed8E2xOGGueDxE-fbrSthCFUS01Mw2bxdS0NFl93pwBjhmeuiK/s320/IMG_1716.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6mXN4X9QZWcmjewfU0rjKWPI74vKcJ_mNFGwWJN7Xn-94B0kZW-J8_GOBg8Brf4rLKURc4Qgdvae1EBbR945Q8tDcCIXtIJoXxvOLUF3qINzpGThr4RADLh0VSeUUs7vI4q-nezFg8G0/s1600/IMG_1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6mXN4X9QZWcmjewfU0rjKWPI74vKcJ_mNFGwWJN7Xn-94B0kZW-J8_GOBg8Brf4rLKURc4Qgdvae1EBbR945Q8tDcCIXtIJoXxvOLUF3qINzpGThr4RADLh0VSeUUs7vI4q-nezFg8G0/s200/IMG_1714.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjxz3M9CdQfa4-IkiCq0ym8bAolfhv-G0ff5YMQKfL7IhjWILuGb2nq8e7xzkYo6TqoFG0PzatWGA_nw0aGeu3mDub2SpVHsaSiZ_LnV9ViCm5v-UCS34k289AV9w0ESlwub3_eMT3JH/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjxz3M9CdQfa4-IkiCq0ym8bAolfhv-G0ff5YMQKfL7IhjWILuGb2nq8e7xzkYo6TqoFG0PzatWGA_nw0aGeu3mDub2SpVHsaSiZ_LnV9ViCm5v-UCS34k289AV9w0ESlwub3_eMT3JH/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjxz3M9CdQfa4-IkiCq0ym8bAolfhv-G0ff5YMQKfL7IhjWILuGb2nq8e7xzkYo6TqoFG0PzatWGA_nw0aGeu3mDub2SpVHsaSiZ_LnV9ViCm5v-UCS34k289AV9w0ESlwub3_eMT3JH/s200/IMG_1718.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiUa6H34ZVJwhitX3w3G0qrfWlS5lH4e0ZyB1ALouKaVSKH8oT2YK6zr51pYja8sWgGgREujXM7lul5abipvCuEjxgAOHSfVD324YLuLD_ahYON0vct9RnADgxmFSCzWD5Zc9XRcgsvN0/s1600/IMG_1711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiUa6H34ZVJwhitX3w3G0qrfWlS5lH4e0ZyB1ALouKaVSKH8oT2YK6zr51pYja8sWgGgREujXM7lul5abipvCuEjxgAOHSfVD324YLuLD_ahYON0vct9RnADgxmFSCzWD5Zc9XRcgsvN0/s200/IMG_1711.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjxz3M9CdQfa4-IkiCq0ym8bAolfhv-G0ff5YMQKfL7IhjWILuGb2nq8e7xzkYo6TqoFG0PzatWGA_nw0aGeu3mDub2SpVHsaSiZ_LnV9ViCm5v-UCS34k289AV9w0ESlwub3_eMT3JH/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>We also walked through Jack and I are museum people, so we also walked through the Museum of Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Museum of Liverpool was really neat because it helped us get to know some of the background of Liverpool. This place has a rich history in docking and has survived beyond that time because now the city's specialty is (if memory serves me right), biomedical engineering. I think my favorite part of the museum was talking about Scouse, or the unique way they speak in the Liverpool area. It's English, but it's like a totally different language and I find that fascinating! Also in this museum, there was a giant timeline depicting Liverpool's long history... but there were also artifacts to accompany it so you can see history come alive! I think one of the more unique exhibits in the museum was the exhibit showing John and Yoko's art. They took photos together and Yoko did some experimental video... it was really weird and I saw a lot more of both of their butts than I ever intended to see. But it seems like they found happiness together. There was also a part talking about John's death and there was a video of his children talking about him years after the fact. That's was heartbreaking to see.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IwdFM8y2xA0KJeu06bA31WTf7yHsOf1U2LjDEcT8r8PRbvYXunVlq5GcFCkwa9Jpm-1eq6mO7DmRJxwc5Fk8i3kDdtd-LGRHTySxFMFng1Dnk_oFquNf-triTzJIwMyuIw08FXuooTmL/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IwdFM8y2xA0KJeu06bA31WTf7yHsOf1U2LjDEcT8r8PRbvYXunVlq5GcFCkwa9Jpm-1eq6mO7DmRJxwc5Fk8i3kDdtd-LGRHTySxFMFng1Dnk_oFquNf-triTzJIwMyuIw08FXuooTmL/s200/IMG_1735.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lHbIl8WiUICm3sC5SSbR52eqyMeQzVQjU7_twKH3iE6Cd8raGiWTYMG3FALjlTf9WRVlreqO2XKpSC2dqKjj7exjYiYZS67rxL_nkbMWm4nmWfUjWvWxKcXhVeLikzTo5FOQI7uWrspd/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lHbIl8WiUICm3sC5SSbR52eqyMeQzVQjU7_twKH3iE6Cd8raGiWTYMG3FALjlTf9WRVlreqO2XKpSC2dqKjj7exjYiYZS67rxL_nkbMWm4nmWfUjWvWxKcXhVeLikzTo5FOQI7uWrspd/s200/IMG_1732.JPG" width="200" /></a>This was our only full day in Liverpool. We moved around a lot in the UK so only spent about 2 days in each place we stayed. We weren't about to rush out of there just yet though. We hadn't even explored Port Sunlight, where our AirBnB was. So the next day, we packed up, checked out of our AirBnB and rolled our suitcases over to the couple of museums that were in town. We were really happy that both places we wanted to visit would hold our bags for us. It just made everything that much easier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYkyaeFsr1tbikZ_DiGij-6D-1Mfykd84DT9unMHmmPR4C6aLrDGEFhRQLcmIykIy_vyN-DyZwbuMKqHoEZzYFsoycXlnD4L-PFVlgRj7j_H4odKVtBYZpLSRLwDWPAbBY-JSoUxXdEhg/s1600/IMG_1736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYkyaeFsr1tbikZ_DiGij-6D-1Mfykd84DT9unMHmmPR4C6aLrDGEFhRQLcmIykIy_vyN-DyZwbuMKqHoEZzYFsoycXlnD4L-PFVlgRj7j_H4odKVtBYZpLSRLwDWPAbBY-JSoUxXdEhg/s200/IMG_1736.JPG" width="150" /></a>Our first stop was the Lady Lever Art Gallery. This was something Jack was more interested in. I was walking around trying to find the art I found the funniest (because I'm a child... sorry...). There were a number of wonderful statues and some interesting paintings though. We also had lunch here and continued our exploration of interesting British take-away food. In Liverpool, I found a cheese and coleslaw sandwich that sounded super weird, but was actually quite good. At Lady Lever, I tried Dandelion and Burdock soda (I think Jack and I each got a different flavor and took a sip of each other's). To quote the journal I kept of our travels, "England likes to put flowers in a lot of things, it seems." But honestly, this was just the beginning of our culinary adventures while in the UK. More on that when we get to Bristol.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBS2384G821hDTIBdfXAKbD_5tcVMCaauHE7kEr-ub58Y8nlXe9JZdgd0B3SnxrgiHKUPITBESzSIUYDYvxHelPIoNjY3BSgVJkwcgLd12CeP7JIk67gXuZf0pnKr3y-HWFw5EV3wAVtbY/s1600/IMG_4633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBS2384G821hDTIBdfXAKbD_5tcVMCaauHE7kEr-ub58Y8nlXe9JZdgd0B3SnxrgiHKUPITBESzSIUYDYvxHelPIoNjY3BSgVJkwcgLd12CeP7JIk67gXuZf0pnKr3y-HWFw5EV3wAVtbY/s200/IMG_4633.JPG" width="200" /></a>I really liked the Port Sunlight Museum. It's small, which was rather nice, but Port Sunlight has a really interesting history. The entire town was built around a soap factory. Port Sunlight is a model for how to treat employees. The houses in Port Sunlight were built to house the workers at the factory and their families, if they had any. The house where we were staying was one of them, but we got to walk through a house set up like the time when the factory was at its peak. It was also set up for a small family. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Port Sunlight/Liverpool to Bristol/Bath</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua6jA-9cWYCMQzoWHQ2BTp-2zHjKFFaiinkErj7UYKRPx79TadN_i8HeXNlEvwSGs7-FeQH4U7Q4JYqluIHN4yOPzVpSX43hcfs70hQPBN_r_V8PbmyQlMSTbAoLt-cIO4npB7NgqMGDO/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua6jA-9cWYCMQzoWHQ2BTp-2zHjKFFaiinkErj7UYKRPx79TadN_i8HeXNlEvwSGs7-FeQH4U7Q4JYqluIHN4yOPzVpSX43hcfs70hQPBN_r_V8PbmyQlMSTbAoLt-cIO4npB7NgqMGDO/s320/IMG_1741.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamsgaMdDmwNeRB2hH-DZWVsS63iEnwCG1SgFn4UcsEWsalmp3YaesojVjc15SORrqKtx9G7eloAppNAvEWekrh8Z8nPAmT9F6jXc5NfoBGZGWjQundM8dCVp-maGJwHDjetZ3ceGPovyR/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamsgaMdDmwNeRB2hH-DZWVsS63iEnwCG1SgFn4UcsEWsalmp3YaesojVjc15SORrqKtx9G7eloAppNAvEWekrh8Z8nPAmT9F6jXc5NfoBGZGWjQundM8dCVp-maGJwHDjetZ3ceGPovyR/s200/IMG_1744.JPG" width="150" /></a>That was our last bit of Port Light I'm sad to say... from there, we hopped on a couple trains that eventually took us to Bristol. Our AirBnB was a little ways from the station and since we didn't know where we were going, we took a taxi there the first time. I got so excited to be in a British car that I asked the driver if I could sit in the front and see what it was like to be on the left side of the car with no steering wheel. It was weird! And I decided that I don't really want to drive in a UK city. There were some confusing things that just made me sure I would get myself into an accident if I were driving.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtrsTOPbMP4BF-nuyPv_ynWiOjYb2Ctmcbr3uXoOwHMnt3ugHR08wJsV2nOQ4N2VfCEbvN_LP9ZRz5ZHRHUJywnpzKvwvkM8SB4rcuq6BUc0eIuseUGYurm5QvOoUJDFl2hMEybe3mIhK/s1600/IMG_4634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtrsTOPbMP4BF-nuyPv_ynWiOjYb2Ctmcbr3uXoOwHMnt3ugHR08wJsV2nOQ4N2VfCEbvN_LP9ZRz5ZHRHUJywnpzKvwvkM8SB4rcuq6BUc0eIuseUGYurm5QvOoUJDFl2hMEybe3mIhK/s200/IMG_4634.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9uJkeXC4ner-xMzfwo5NchyphenhyphenUvm2dNiZtOR63nxpjcGQIJqqXuaV8hsQHwFaaNFlRHXhjFS4rn7cr4nFvIhYuIaBr-cA2n37teU1S2F7AO2_tc0RYKtsNKVsODLyTBqU5vKRTJO2qd-3X/s1600/IMG_4642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9uJkeXC4ner-xMzfwo5NchyphenhyphenUvm2dNiZtOR63nxpjcGQIJqqXuaV8hsQHwFaaNFlRHXhjFS4rn7cr4nFvIhYuIaBr-cA2n37teU1S2F7AO2_tc0RYKtsNKVsODLyTBqU5vKRTJO2qd-3X/s200/IMG_4642.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmJQC2oAWYH0PZWHSYQRpsGzVo6RaUWoS79EM8ft2JKcBfCZifYvlQYzGEO5AnoW2f-67rwA0dwSqbnzkguWN9v5whVQCnaTPCfYZDgh5UUZqsHwMU_tAqY9tbA3p4Ggcsx5J_3bDDdX5/s1600/IMG_4638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmJQC2oAWYH0PZWHSYQRpsGzVo6RaUWoS79EM8ft2JKcBfCZifYvlQYzGEO5AnoW2f-67rwA0dwSqbnzkguWN9v5whVQCnaTPCfYZDgh5UUZqsHwMU_tAqY9tbA3p4Ggcsx5J_3bDDdX5/s200/IMG_4638.JPG" width="200" /></a>Honestly, we didn't see much of Bristol, but it still served a unique purpose for us. Our first night, we unpacked and we looked up places to go to dinner. We picked a place that served Asian cuisine of some kind, which sounded good and wasn't take-away. But we had uncovered a gold mine. When we walked to the place where we wanted to get dinner, we saw that our place was in a shipping container and there were piles of shipping containers that all had their own restaurants. And oh boy, were these restaurants incredible. We only ate at a small fraction of the restaurants, but if we had a week, we could have worked through them. We had duck pancakes and bao at the first place and then the next night, we had Greek gyro burgers, oregano fries, and Greek soda... SO GOOD. Bristol was our foodie playground... and we didn't even have to actively try to be foodies, the city came to us in this respect. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha__tzPBZl6VtPzI_fZZvt6-MbPG-T9zrFzL4OhX0h1YJ5htdkK-2aN6o0O_vqHEx11-YeqSccZTD_w9lFb2yz_Z7YHKO8STgLwZL-4E1wzRCt7TwYfaJ7x2oXuR1QF2OWhnxynDvKMC7/s1600/IMG_4646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhha__tzPBZl6VtPzI_fZZvt6-MbPG-T9zrFzL4OhX0h1YJ5htdkK-2aN6o0O_vqHEx11-YeqSccZTD_w9lFb2yz_Z7YHKO8STgLwZL-4E1wzRCt7TwYfaJ7x2oXuR1QF2OWhnxynDvKMC7/s200/IMG_4646.JPG" width="150" /></a>But we did find yummy things outside of these wonderful shipping container restaurants. We went and got crepes at a stand and another night, we went to this ridiculous ice cream and waffle place. It was incredibly sweet and at times felt like too much, but it was delicious. Let's just say though, I'm glad that we were doing as much walking as we were doing. I think someone would have needed to roll me home otherwise. It was also neat though because we got to sit and watch some of the World Cup while we were there. It was exciting because at the time, England was still in the running (again, if memory serves me right), so we had a clear team to root for! But boy, when they were out of the running for the World Cup... that was a doozy... </div>
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We went to Bath next. We tried to find an AirBnB in Bath, but I can't remember if the problem was cost (Bath is a very popular city, so you spend a pretty penny if you want to stay within the city) or availability. As we would find out later, we were there on the day the University was hosting their graduation. So it might have been a combination of the two with all of the families that were flooding the city.<br />
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In Bath, we wanted to go and see the Roman Baths and the Abbey that was right next door. Bath is called that because of the Roman Baths. These are unique because it was like being back in Italy for a time. But the baths are so cool! The heart and soul of them is the spring and thermal activity it's built over. So all of the water is warm all the time! It's glorious! They have a couple really warm pool where people would swim/bathe, a cold room, steam rooms for the men and women... it's an incredible set-up! And it wasn't just for bathing, it was a place where people would go for healing and for socializing as well. It was believed that the hot water had healing properties and that fully submerging yourself could help with certain ailments. I wish doctors prescribed just sitting in a warm bath more often.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEHEOmpVOTUkYcCp4W1a3ZxdebvS7dmA_rghPJZdZ8dMmeSgbZz1YtLJSDNVba4kV4rdBZA6LtfVuG0A1Tc5EMciICTGYZdqtHK5LTWWhfN_KeI5KkKJx5HXmfXpdCAgJuXfoYZAvzJ_3/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEHEOmpVOTUkYcCp4W1a3ZxdebvS7dmA_rghPJZdZ8dMmeSgbZz1YtLJSDNVba4kV4rdBZA6LtfVuG0A1Tc5EMciICTGYZdqtHK5LTWWhfN_KeI5KkKJx5HXmfXpdCAgJuXfoYZAvzJ_3/s200/IMG_1791.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZI5pZ_iuT9ye0iM7U69Bkfk4jhUekEiPAs3AZqVPZCroXkVkjd1fyYVQD3pikRduQMwCZ0RJRFlgHPhB4huKF_yMUkKogKl74W1lVaTK1aAj3uENVRWyOGUBJgLL925Q7vBSz-KEkbkI/s1600/IMG_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZI5pZ_iuT9ye0iM7U69Bkfk4jhUekEiPAs3AZqVPZCroXkVkjd1fyYVQD3pikRduQMwCZ0RJRFlgHPhB4huKF_yMUkKogKl74W1lVaTK1aAj3uENVRWyOGUBJgLL925Q7vBSz-KEkbkI/s200/IMG_1782.JPG" width="150" /></a>Once we were done in the Roman Baths, we went just a short distance away to Bath Abbey and went inside. It's a really beautiful church with an ornate ceiling. But our visit didn't end up being a simple "let's go visit a cool church" type of visit. We stumbled into an organ recital. So we stopped and sat in the pew, admired the church from where we were and listened to the organists play and give us (basically) a free concert. I love it when we travel and stumble into random things like this. Traveling is for exploring and discovering things that you just can't plan and this is one of those moments where I really feel like this happened. I have a video and if I can get it to play, I'll post it here so you can listen to the organ music too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fRW9oYfxCT7B6ufezvC13eOpmv8ORqHg0khXKy3yZDMUDr-x7bGWuDfKxK41AMvndpNJE1lBysTer192kRlFRaSYBMeP7_88bENvyq0i4-7OvGiCZ95PwD0u7YdxpNTj5t1BWpUNtwv3/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fRW9oYfxCT7B6ufezvC13eOpmv8ORqHg0khXKy3yZDMUDr-x7bGWuDfKxK41AMvndpNJE1lBysTer192kRlFRaSYBMeP7_88bENvyq0i4-7OvGiCZ95PwD0u7YdxpNTj5t1BWpUNtwv3/s200/IMG_1797.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc2TbkanDeh0T6ihEFtk97idCz9KTyXRiqof_2W9PIDRQCERZguRGAZrr5FCN4XjkhHfSdMDcSgDQjzQseEje7FSulG637T8g6Nzwj-fMiKvTl4XUew-lpV029Q69R3CJXAIICHDKzQN0/s1600/IMG_1798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc2TbkanDeh0T6ihEFtk97idCz9KTyXRiqof_2W9PIDRQCERZguRGAZrr5FCN4XjkhHfSdMDcSgDQjzQseEje7FSulG637T8g6Nzwj-fMiKvTl4XUew-lpV029Q69R3CJXAIICHDKzQN0/s320/IMG_1798.JPG" width="240" /></a>Our day in Bath was not complete! We knew that we needed to come back because we were leaving for a tour from Bath the next day, so we wanted to find that. But also, Bath is just a really cute town and so even just walking through the streets was a real treat. But we also wanted to visit the Jane Austen Centre since it was nearby (and I had seen pictures from former classmates who got to visit for a J-Term class while we were still in college). The Jane Austen Centre is the right amount of hokey and neat. It's mostly a place about Jane Austen's life and what life was like to live during the Regency period. So it wasn't about bringing the books to life necessarily, although there is a lot of crossover between Austen's life and what she wrote about. I don't know if I need to go back necessarily should I find myself in Bath again, but it was well worth a visit this time around and was very interesting!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgGYvQ1fFVRR8M8in6tyluAiamZL13sJHuZFR4Z4tFiMpXnPI1XQwZ-xMdsY2mdDWdk74xFyCoPK1X1VGTmEuUGYf4F2MtYdsFzTwky3GRZ6aJBCsb0I1LHybsPssbhddAAwTwjKdsZ_W/s1600/IMG_1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgGYvQ1fFVRR8M8in6tyluAiamZL13sJHuZFR4Z4tFiMpXnPI1XQwZ-xMdsY2mdDWdk74xFyCoPK1X1VGTmEuUGYf4F2MtYdsFzTwky3GRZ6aJBCsb0I1LHybsPssbhddAAwTwjKdsZ_W/s200/IMG_1807.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYWExIOFAZrslLnHjzbOGDkHbLOMNbyGLn4swpJBuHBCe_c2JJ7mzphDL_KbwZO2Bw1Ze0FEEfhAzi4PrERhDIkr-8jKRiGFdoTLW-SZhKcKjaZgI1sC1GvkfytnVQqQO400KOSy_UILc/s1600/IMG_1806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYWExIOFAZrslLnHjzbOGDkHbLOMNbyGLn4swpJBuHBCe_c2JJ7mzphDL_KbwZO2Bw1Ze0FEEfhAzi4PrERhDIkr-8jKRiGFdoTLW-SZhKcKjaZgI1sC1GvkfytnVQqQO400KOSy_UILc/s200/IMG_1806.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jRsvjrmZnLK4W2nZd5pmdyb6R8zBdBmJpECo2HaZ1inVhAAmrp3cGLzBf2k9aSRWRAW9UNK2GbY11lXtS7XU1A0FkyXlAdCZsmOMRdekp-KzjwvnCehzDvdebc6GyHnMThDEQmBoTOFh/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jRsvjrmZnLK4W2nZd5pmdyb6R8zBdBmJpECo2HaZ1inVhAAmrp3cGLzBf2k9aSRWRAW9UNK2GbY11lXtS7XU1A0FkyXlAdCZsmOMRdekp-KzjwvnCehzDvdebc6GyHnMThDEQmBoTOFh/s200/IMG_1804.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpriAZqemCOjME0oKFVWpD5sdOZ0FwruxiKVQek5lHm1Kic34K0zasvsgBpxe64Ltm6EnWu4lVT8YCaFwtAOc5nteUZSH_-A5jSzs-pTJADkHtdaUBp_SzWBqO4bDEdcnbWGZ2n0g1uecu/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpriAZqemCOjME0oKFVWpD5sdOZ0FwruxiKVQek5lHm1Kic34K0zasvsgBpxe64Ltm6EnWu4lVT8YCaFwtAOc5nteUZSH_-A5jSzs-pTJADkHtdaUBp_SzWBqO4bDEdcnbWGZ2n0g1uecu/s200/IMG_1803.JPG" width="150" /></a>After the Jane Austen Centre, we just went and walked around the city centre. We noticed that there were a number of owls around. It turns out this is Bath's version of the Twin Cities Peanuts characters (except theirs changes every year). There are owls all over the city decorated in dozens of ways. I believe you can buy these owls and all of that money goes to charity. But it became like a scavenger hunt of sorts trying to find these owls. I think my favorite owls are the blue owl (first photo on the left) outside of a glass art shop because the feathers on the back of the owl were made of glass probably made in their shop. I thought that was amazing and that no other place in Bath could have made an owl quite like this one. My other favorite was the owl with paintings of books on it (last photo on the left). I don't know if the books featured on this owl were all English authors... they very well might have been... or if it was just featuring books, but it was a beautifully done owl. Really, any owl is a friend of mine. They are gorgeous and so creative. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSKISqfF8y2x90ciY8RRlUJIDIVab8Bl_ucXVrDF2PRenXHoNZJRXNXJbJDmrlrG7veB7Gk9giaAgD0lGjCNfPjZLRWw3cwXLptFsf9FbK5rIo19pmJFjy6_ugi5CFnRKlgAf2MN97LVI/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSKISqfF8y2x90ciY8RRlUJIDIVab8Bl_ucXVrDF2PRenXHoNZJRXNXJbJDmrlrG7veB7Gk9giaAgD0lGjCNfPjZLRWw3cwXLptFsf9FbK5rIo19pmJFjy6_ugi5CFnRKlgAf2MN97LVI/s200/IMG_1837.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8Y1IAAm1_aMADqlWH0D9Zzy_fzlG6kB02c-fuI2ueOV1zLtL1EQUH6MsThAv9eIG2F497uzim4gBo_MXkbitmNp5y2pd0UkUitZCC5ILqVi-hRFsF9rzORtTX83pY_pMuvkBfl80isYT/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8Y1IAAm1_aMADqlWH0D9Zzy_fzlG6kB02c-fuI2ueOV1zLtL1EQUH6MsThAv9eIG2F497uzim4gBo_MXkbitmNp5y2pd0UkUitZCC5ILqVi-hRFsF9rzORtTX83pY_pMuvkBfl80isYT/s200/IMG_1823.JPG" width="150" /></a>We walked through the small park that was next to the river and just used that as a place to decompress for a short while. It was a very full day in Bath, but I think this was one of our favorite places we had visited so far (as really, this was only the beginning of our trip if you think about it. But we would be bath the next day, however briefly, even though we wouldn't be exploring Bath, but heading off to Stonehenge via purple van. </div>
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This post is getting long enough as it is, so I will end part 1 here and pick up with Stonehenge the next time I post about this trip.</div>
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Thank you so much for reading!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-43490033011953338332019-04-11T12:00:00.000-05:002019-04-11T12:00:06.369-05:00February 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy belated February!<br />
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This was not my strongest reading month... only two books. I'll talk about both because they were both lovely reads! What's even cooler is that both of these are graphic novels.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81f678XqcuL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for the prince and the dressmaker by jen wang" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81f678XqcuL.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang</u></b></span><br />
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A student of mine read this and immediately passed it on to me. This is a gorgeous book. I like it so much I'm trying to teach it next year during my spring elective class.<br />
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Where to start? Perhaps with the story itself. I've been interested in reading more about gender, how people discover their own gender, and figure out how to express themselves. I thought hearing about the Prince's experience was really eye-opening. I think when people think of gender, they tend to think about it too simply... for example, "I don't want to be a boy, so I will be a girl." But there's more to it than that. And honestly, one doesn't even need to determine if their gender is male or female because they could be both or neither. The Prince never comes out and gives themself a label, just states that being Lady Crystallia is comfortable and it feels fitting for them. And sometimes that's enough.<br />
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The art... oh my god. I tend to be drawn towards extravagant costume designs anyway, so this was right up my alley. Frances is one talented designer and I was so glad that she got to fulfill her dream too. I encourage you to get this book as soon as possible and check it out for yourself! I think it would have taken me a bit longer to find this if it hadn't been on display as a new book in the high school library of my school. I'm so happy it found me!<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41vt65ZPK2L._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for el deafo book cover" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41vt65ZPK2L._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="210" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>El Deafo by Cece Bell</u></b></span><br />
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I think I'm like a lot of people... when I'm at events, I tend to watch the ASL interpreter instead of the person who is the subject of the event. I wish that I could sign even a little bit. But while I haven't learned to sign very much (I can ask for postage stamps at the post office!), I have taken an interest in deaf culture and how people see themselves as they come to terms with their deafness. So reading this was amazing, especially because it centered on the experience of a young person who loses her hearing at a very young age. <br />
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The parts about the equipment that she uses to get along in her day to day life are interesting (especially when she uses them for mischief!), but I was more focused on how she handles others perception of her hearing loss. I was angry and frustrated with Cece as she described a friend who just didn't get it and continually yelled to communicate even when Cece herself told her not to do that because it was hard to understand her (she was reading lips). I thought it was interesting also to know that the technology that she used wasn't the be-all-end-all. Even with hearing aids or a personal hearing system, there were still a number of gaps that she had to work to fill in. She would still have to read lips and she always needs to read body language in order to get a full picture of what exactly is going on. I always thought that hearing aids, in the case of those with profound hearing loss, would restore someone's full hearing so they could hear as well or better than the average Joe. But they just help to amplify sound so they're easier to interpret. That really shifted my perspective. I loved this read. It's a fairly easy read too, so I hope that you have a chance to try it out too!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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--Jude<br />
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-40826877341999764872019-04-04T13:36:00.000-05:002019-04-04T13:36:27.815-05:00January 2019 Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And just like that, it's Spring Break for me and it's time to catch you up on my reading so far!<br />
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In January, I read these books:<br />
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<li>Fairest of All by Serena Valentino</li>
<li>The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle</li>
<li>The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald</li>
<li>Ready Player One by Ernest Cline</li>
<li>Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker</li>
<li>Downriver by Will Hobbs</li>
</ul>
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I'm not going to talk about every single one at length like I have tried to do in the past. Instead, I'll highlight the ones that I liked the best.<br />
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This was a great reading month in terms of numbers and there were some true gems that I had the honor of reading this month... or at least ones that got a strong reaction out of me.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41hUw12b-XL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for fairest of all serena valentino" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41hUw12b-XL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="251" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Fairest of All by Serena Valentino</u></b></span><br />
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I started going to the library again probably around the end of 2018 and every time I went there, I would see these books and just be so intrigued. The whole point of them is to tell a more complete story of these Disney villains we know and somehow still adore. I definitely have my favorites (Maleficent taking first place), but I thought I'd start at the beginning of this series. I honestly hadn't thought much about the evil queen in Snow White. I'm not even sure she got a name, just the title "evil queen."<br />
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I love that this story gives the queen the benefit of the doubt. She isn't inherently evil, but she's suffered trauma in her early life that affected her future. So even though I was skeptical about her love and care towards a young Snow White at first, you get used to her being genuinely loving and kind towards people. You grow to accept that this is her true form. It challenges you to think about what might have led to the character that is immortalized on screen in the Disney films that you are so willing to detest.<br />
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Honestly, I thought this would be a really hokey book that would try too hard to make readers care. But I felt invested and now I want to read more of these books. I look forward to Maleficent and also Mother Gothel from <i>Tangled</i>. I'll let you know when I get to those!<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51w0W1Y6T%2BL._SX334_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for downriver by will hobbs" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51w0W1Y6T%2BL._SX334_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Downriver by Will Hobbs</u></b></span><br />
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I am on my (likely) last tutoring assignment and one of the books that he was asked to read was this one. So in order to help him, I got this book and read through it with the intention of helping him write a paper about it. But I didn't expect to have such a strong reaction to this book.<br />
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I thought it was really neat that this book takes place in the Grand Canyon, since I have been there before and have even a tiny idea of what things look like in this book (even though I didn't do any whitewater rafting, I could still picture it).<br />
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To be honest, when I started this book, I thought I was starting in the middle of a series. It seemed like there were some details I was supposed to know already and so there wasn't a ton of character development up front. I'm still not sure that I picked up the first book in the series of if this even is a series. It's because of this that I didn't connect with any of the characters and I felt more infuriated when they did stupid things than I felt empathy for them. But sometimes good books don't make you feel empathy, they just make you feel <i>something</i>. This book had me yelling out loud when the map was thrown-- not dropped, <i>thrown</i>-- in the rapids and when there were near-death experiences. Sometimes it's enough to be involved in the story and not caught up in the characters. Every once in a while, I appreciate a story like this.<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NzrYog-7L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for ready player one ernest cline" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NzrYog-7L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Ready Player One by Ernest Cline</u></b></span><br />
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When I choose a book to read, it is usually not sci-fi. But my Book Club kids chose to read this book and then watch the movie.<br />
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I'm going to go on the record and say, the movie sucked. The book was just... incredible. It blew my mind. I was excited by the amount of knowledge around the 80s I didn't know I possessed and I was even more blown away by how much I couldn't possibly have known prior to reading this book. There was excruciating detail that took a lot of love, care, and devotion to include and make this world so crazy real it was almost hard to believe at the same time.<br />
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The character development in this book was incredible. I didn't feel super connected with our main man Parzival (his username... his real name is Wade), but even then I respected him and thought he was pretty badass.<br />
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One thing that kind of scared me though was not the parts involving the sixers and their disconnect with... well, everything and everyone. It was when Wade locked himself inside his apartment and regimented himself around the Oasis. He painted his windows black and didn't go in or out of the apartment for anything. He was completely cut off from the outside world because his entire world existed inside of the Oasis. And that was truly terrifying for me to read about.<br />
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Usually I say a book is good if the story is engaging or if I care about the characters. But when a book really makes you feel something on top of those other things, that's truly special. This book will live on my shelf for a long, long time.<br />
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Thanks for reading! I'll be getting February and March posts out in the next couple of weeks.<br />
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--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-72828296505572376132019-01-04T12:00:00.000-06:002019-01-04T12:00:10.070-06:00Reflecting on my 2018 Goals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">Hello there! Welcome to a new year! I posted about my 2019 goals already, but I haven't talked about how things went in 2018. I want to make sure I do this, even if it's just for me. Especially since there are some repeats from last year that I'm still working on. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Read More Nonfiction About Race In America.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I have tried to be more intentional about this goal this year. I read these titles that would definitely fit into this category... I also put immigration-related content in with this goal since there is some overlap:<br />
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--A Choice of Weapons by Gordon Parks<br />
--So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo<br />
--Me, My Hair, and I by Elizabeth Benedict (partially race-related, just a different angle)<br />
--Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique Morris<br />
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I also read a number of fiction books that have to do with race too:<br />
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--If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson<br />
--Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai<br />
--Hey Hmong Girl, Wassup? by Leah Rempel<br />
--The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo<br />
--The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez<br />
--Dear Martin by Nic Stone<br />
--Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">2. Watch 100 Movies. </b><br />
Completed! I'm not going to list all 100 movies here. But trust me, I watched 100 different movies. I kept track of them in my bullet journal.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Read 60 Books.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I didn't read 60 books this year... I read 73. Holy cow. I thought I would reach 60, but I didn't think I would read more than 70. I suppose I do have to credit reaching this goal to including some manga and graphic novels in my reading as well as more poetry than usual. But I did it! If you're curious what all I read this year (since I didn't write about my reading this year... that's different), click <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/10146328">HERE</a> to see my GoodReads.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">4. Read 20 Books Already On My Shelves.</b><br />
I did not accomplish this goal, but I came quite close! I believe I read 18 books that were already on my bookshelves. Next year I'm going to extend that to my Kindle because there are a number of unread books on there as well. <br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">5. Participate In And Win NaNoWriMo.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I did it! I have completed NaNoWriMo two years in a row! Honestly, I wasn't sure that this was going to happen. I tell you, it helps to write with other people. If nothing else, you can prove to someone that you can do it despite everything else going on in your life.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">6. Write And Edit A Full Story That Could Potentially Be Published.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I realized partway through the year that this was not a realistic goal. It's one thing to write a draft, but editing takes so long. So I let this goal go this year. I think that if I write something that I think has a lot of potential, I should make a goal where I will not participate in NaNoWriMo, but I will sit and edit my work. No writing, just editing. But for 2018, no, I did not meet this goal.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Exercise At Least 3 Days A Week.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I started out fairly well for many months and I can't remember when I fell off. I just didn't really pick it up again. For 2019, I have this same goal. I'm proud of myself though because I didn't wait for January 1st to roll around. I decided that I was going to try and reach 3 days a week again and got started. New Years is a good way to re-evaluate and take stock of your life, but it doesn't have to be the time when everything starts (in fact, I don't think it should be). I likely will not be going to the gym until late January at the earliest just to wait out those people who join the gym for New Years and then quit after a couple weeks. But I would like to start utilizing my gym membership at least a little bit. But I also want to find more varied exercises that I can do at home as well.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. Go Full Vegetarian.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />Again, I think this stopped being very important to me, and so I didn't actively pursue it this past year. For me, it's enough to cut down on the amount of meat that I eat. Making some difference is better than making no difference at all.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">9. Finish Europe Study Abroad Scrapbook.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I make progress on a February retreat at the beginning of 2018, but then I didn't touch it after that weekend. So guess what I'll be doing this February as well? :) I might even do it on my next long-ish break from school. There's a long weekend coming up in January after grading is done that I may take advantage of.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">10. Attend 2 Professional Development Opportunities.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I attended the Minnesota Council for Teachers of English conference in St. Cloud and that was incredible! Other than that, I didn't go to any other conferences, but I did participate in summer committees at my school and helped organize a professional development. I also got to talk about Quizlet and Quizlet Live in a mini-professional development opportunity. I didn't anticipate getting to present<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"><b>11. Cut Down On Sugar Intake.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I have tried putting some healthier snacks in my fridge, but I need to get past my craving for chocolate... I'll keep you updated on how this goes.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">12. Make Self-Care Part Of My Regular Routine.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />I think there are small, lasting things that I started doing that made an impact on me this year (for the better). Last year during the school year, I rarely ate lunch. Like, didn't even bring food to school, I just planned to eat at home. And actually, this was something that I did for two years, because I didn't eat lunch while student teaching or while I was subbing. So one big change that I made was I made myself bring lunch to school every day. I didn't let lack of time stop me. I didn't always pack my own lunch. Oftentimes I would go to Trader Joe's and get lunches for the week that were already made. Yes, financially it's not the healthiest thing to do, but that's okay. That'll be something to work up to-- not just bringing my own lunch, but making time to make my own lunch and bring it to school every single day. Perhaps this can be something I try out as I continue to prioritize self-care. So I wouldn't say self-care is part of my regular routine, but I would say that important steps have been made in this area.<br /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">13. Finish 1 Dutch and 1 French Book.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />This goal stopped being important to me this year, so I did not complete it.<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">14. Travel 5 Times This Year.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;" />Here's where I traveled this year:<br />
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--Scrapbooking weekend away from home<br />
--Boston, MA<br />
--Yellowstone National Park<br />
--Honeymoon in England and the Netherlands<br />
--New Years Eve in WI<br />
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So this goal is complete!<br />
<br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-large;">15. Write Something Every Day.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">This is one I don't think I was clear enough on what I wanted. Yes, I want to write every day and yes I said it couldn't be something related to school. But what kind of writing then? Does my bullet journal count? And if I did mean stories or poems, is there more of an interim step I can take? Are there prompts I can follow or do I need to be making steps on a project every single day? And what happens if I miss a day? If I choose to reattempt this goal someday, I will need to reword it in a way where these questions are answered. I do want to have a writing routine. But maybe I need to approach it in a different way... like not making it a goal of mine at the beginning of the New Year. Maybe I just need to let it happen. I'll have to figure this out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">I think overall, I did pretty well accomplishing the goals that were still important to me throughout the year. There are a few goals I will need to re-evaluate if I would like to try them again some other year. But I think my goals that I set at the beginning of 2018 helps me have a pretty great year.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">Thanks for Reading!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif;">--Jude</span></div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-30918388575095066032019-01-03T12:00:00.000-06:002019-01-03T12:00:00.771-06:00Reflecting on the 18/19 School Year So Far<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm almost halfway through this school year (couple more weeks!) and I realized that I have not stopped to really process how things are going during my second year of teaching on my own. So I want to write this post to do just that. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Last Year... </b></span></div>
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<br />I feel like I learned <i>so much</i> last year during my first year. People are very quick to tell you how hard things are going to be throughout your first year and how you'll be overwhelmed a lot and you'll have to make choices about what you actually want to focus on for the year. For the most part that's true. First year is difficult because you're constantly being asked to juggle and you just have to figure it out or fake it until you get through whatever it is you're trying to get through. But even with all of this, I feel like I had a really great first year. After going through my end of the year evaluation, my lowest scoring section was my assessment section (there's also a section for the Principal's observation and for a score that students partially give you that focuses on how well you build relationships). I was definitely disappointed but decided to focus on the silver lining which was at least I knew what I needed to focus on the following year. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Classroom Layout</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRPgFDGeijvszWqJ9Set3LL-6c2oNJA8ZNJ0PK-I1km3Ww79rqKRN48hR6Kwk5L3i5gij8bE1dEvVyXoizUQLUpVNGEw8igtKVQ8auNzU4SyLbV4ng9lKMCaxl1BUPsf6SsoRS08GCu2E/s1600/IMG_5090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRPgFDGeijvszWqJ9Set3LL-6c2oNJA8ZNJ0PK-I1km3Ww79rqKRN48hR6Kwk5L3i5gij8bE1dEvVyXoizUQLUpVNGEw8igtKVQ8auNzU4SyLbV4ng9lKMCaxl1BUPsf6SsoRS08GCu2E/s200/IMG_5090.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP_AfJyyyFVB3rln6fTm-1L2oV4sJ7gcJoYyfLqM-uC5icFZ8S24ysIxvyftv3vhmaX58TdamP40wEKpKBqopJCnsFI50SqaCKyxY0dZK1Vg_1PyLdwVqkbaO-FnHGmtRjshIakqkNZAA/s1600/IMG_5092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP_AfJyyyFVB3rln6fTm-1L2oV4sJ7gcJoYyfLqM-uC5icFZ8S24ysIxvyftv3vhmaX58TdamP40wEKpKBqopJCnsFI50SqaCKyxY0dZK1Vg_1PyLdwVqkbaO-FnHGmtRjshIakqkNZAA/s200/IMG_5092.JPG" width="200" /></a>I started out this second year feeling pretty confident. I knew I had some solid lessons and units I was excited about. I had a better idea of how I wanted to run my classroom and how I wanted my year to go. And I do feel like I had a solid start to the year. I was happy with my classroom layout and I was happy with the extra organization that was in place this year but was absent last year. I had more bookshelf space and bins that hide the mess but still hold a lot of art supplies. We use art supplies quite a bit for an English classroom. Last year, I had my desks in pods and learned fairly quickly that they didn't work for my students and it wasn't really something that I could make work either. So this year, I started the students in rows of three desks. This was a much better start. </div>
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Things have changed a bit in my room since the beginning of the year. I now have three columns in my room and desks are separated into groups of two. I set it up this way for their first round of MAP testing and then liked the arrangement, so it stayed! I think it's easier to place students in seats this way... kind of.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Student Connections</b></span><br />
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I'm really happy with the relationships that I'm building this year with students. Like, I thought I had decent relationships with students last year, but these one are taking it to the next level. I'm connecting with students I didn't think I could connect with for one reason or another and students seem to feel safe in my room. Generally, we have a really good feeling in this classroom.<br />
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I've had some really great conversations with students. I'm not even talking about conversations in class necessarily. But just talking about life and taking time to listen to students. One student even said that he thought it was weird that I was just listening to him, because he wasn't used to having that from teachers. Other students have been able to open up about their home life so that I can better understand where they're coming from. We have great conversations after school lets out and after school programs are finished for the evening. It's really special and I feel lucky that I have this with students and that they're letting me have these connections with them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Subject Matter</b></span><br />
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We have done literature circles (they need a LOT of work), read <i>American Born Chinese</i> and did some discussion around that book, I did an enrichment project for those who needed more of a challenge, and now we're nearing the end of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>. We left off on Act 1, Scene 1 before break and when we get back, we'll make a push for the end where they will stage and perform scenes.<br />
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I have been trying to be more intentional about talking about social justice with each of our units. With <i>American Born Chinese </i>and the enrichment project, I took this to a much more serious level than I ever intended to go and I asked my students to come along with me. We delved into race and tried to start conversations and talk about it. We tried to share our experiences and apply what we already knew and learned to our own lives. I was really proud of my students because they were able to be aware of where their knowledge fell short when it came to talking about race and were able to, for the most part, articulate when they needed help navigating a conversation. And they did it without attacking one another. Even if it started off with "You shouldn't say that!" it turned into a learning moment. And I got to learn a lot too by making virtual lessons where I could be upfront about what I had learned and have practice talking about race. It was uncomfortable, but I'm really happy that I tried, even if I have a long way to go.<br />
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We have some new content that I've never tried coming up and I'm both really nervous and really excited for these units to happen, especially because I think there will be some directly applicable to life parts that we'll go over. I'll have to talk about those at the end of the year once I've been through them.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Life Organization</span></b><br />
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I feel like I have been better about getting assignments graded this year. Prior to winter break was the exception because I essentially stopped grading and now I have a giant pile that I need to grade. But I have been good about getting things graded in a timely manner. It's passing things back that really needs work. But students are always willing to help me pass things back, which I'm really grateful for. <br />
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I am not doing very well at the work-life balance. I took on another student for tutoring after I had told myself that after the end of last school year I was done tutoring. I'm in a position now where the student I work with is really great, but I'm very acutely feeling that I need to be done with tutoring. One full-time job is enough. Unfortunately, it seems that it's taking me longer to learn that lesson than I thought. I'll get there though. I am trying to be more intentional about coming home at a reasonable time, but there have been several late evenings in the classroom. I want to get better about leaving when I say I'm leaving. I want to recognize what absolutely needs to be done in the classroom and what can be taken home when I reach the point where it's time to go home. <br />
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I'm thoroughly enjoying this year and I can't wait to see what comes next!<br />
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Thanks for Reading!<br />
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--Jude</div>
Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091573311945425128.post-11505626527613306722019-01-02T12:00:00.000-06:002019-01-02T12:00:02.602-06:00My Bullet Journal Through 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been a little quiet in this corner of the internet! So I thought that I would show you my bullet journal from 2018, since I have migrated into a new journal. This is my second year of bullet journaling and seriously, I don't think there is any going back for me. I can't imagine going through life without this system of organization and this outlet for creativity. I'll show you how I started off 2018 and how things have changed for me throughout the year. I'll leave my 2019 set up for January of next year. I rather like doing posts like this just to see how my journal changes with my need.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSrKp0i8d5eRh0RH1uo_hhyphenhyphenRdEZvBp5kpYp5-I2eJkifetlVjZh8qXnza4G_in7z3U5YKWBPjDW0JDaimVzubjDErhfYeZvIfz9PHR3s0ACiV6qG5uMWheiM2EUT3qPpcpT1zkTpdcSkN/s1600/IMG_2333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSrKp0i8d5eRh0RH1uo_hhyphenhyphenRdEZvBp5kpYp5-I2eJkifetlVjZh8qXnza4G_in7z3U5YKWBPjDW0JDaimVzubjDErhfYeZvIfz9PHR3s0ACiV6qG5uMWheiM2EUT3qPpcpT1zkTpdcSkN/s320/IMG_2333.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HvTlOQqxz9C8_mLReqcxLEdkQMdtdiQbgWJFQLcVL0i_x0SaNiH2gj5MQi0Z14YUquc9ig5qzg-9HKg30VZq_OnEyOUSXu9Y4mjMgJiS4WbMU-KsfZ3MOtz8Fzz1Cbfcbcmt7j0AHfU6/s1600/IMG_2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HvTlOQqxz9C8_mLReqcxLEdkQMdtdiQbgWJFQLcVL0i_x0SaNiH2gj5MQi0Z14YUquc9ig5qzg-9HKg30VZq_OnEyOUSXu9Y4mjMgJiS4WbMU-KsfZ3MOtz8Fzz1Cbfcbcmt7j0AHfU6/s200/IMG_2339.jpg" width="150" /></a>2018 started off a little weird journal-wise because I was still less than halfway through the book that I finished off 2017 in. I use a Leuchtterm 1917 and truthfully, these are not the cheapest books. I couldn't justify abandoning my journal three months in with more than half a book of blank pages, so I started 2018 a short way into my orange book. As things usually go, I started out with a very ambitious 2018 splash page. This was also where I picked my focus word for the year, which was "balance." I was halfway through my first year of teaching and I was also in the middle of other obligations that I had started 2017 with, so I was quite busy. My goal for the year was to part with most of these other obligations that I didn't need to have so I could be more involved at work and be at home more as well. So my mission was to pursue balance.</div>
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Organization-wise, I started out the year with a similar weekly set-up where I have a weekly overview and then separate my tasks between school and home. This worked for me and I continued this through the end of the school year, at which point I took out the school section and just had one solid to-do list each day as opposed to two. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiUGyc3BmB3tCGbpM8Ab-Gl4x4q16UXAelk91nO8O-JFZURHgYpscI-tU4QpzU5hpa6JybinlWH_X0QNbsJvQh-xdoaN7UGp30Sw0ZYWXBpwQfYHq54cR_6I7DdDrXoP7u7e-fsLufmsY/s1600/IMG_2334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiUGyc3BmB3tCGbpM8Ab-Gl4x4q16UXAelk91nO8O-JFZURHgYpscI-tU4QpzU5hpa6JybinlWH_X0QNbsJvQh-xdoaN7UGp30Sw0ZYWXBpwQfYHq54cR_6I7DdDrXoP7u7e-fsLufmsY/s400/IMG_2334.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQXoH4lj0DAxrUOfUouD5OaNJy1zK-teFGpkUJcg6tvrrdlXyU13US35BvkptFtq9EKNkQOwZWIJleX32kw7C1st_7D9_SoIL9KSeAjU5DWEfbTwCJ8oDG4yajZOQ-WLfcyQhhh-IKBYg/s1600/IMG_2335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQXoH4lj0DAxrUOfUouD5OaNJy1zK-teFGpkUJcg6tvrrdlXyU13US35BvkptFtq9EKNkQOwZWIJleX32kw7C1st_7D9_SoIL9KSeAjU5DWEfbTwCJ8oDG4yajZOQ-WLfcyQhhh-IKBYg/s200/IMG_2335.jpg" width="150" /></a>In addition to my weekly lists, I also had a weekend list. I still separated this into Saturday and Sunday, but because the weekend tends to be flexible, I started including language that I learned before starting my teaching job and separated my list further into "Must-Do's" (things that need to be done or there will be some kind of consequence) and "May-Do's" (things that would be nice to get done, but if it's pushed to the next week, it's not a big deal). This worked out for me too. It helped me prioritize things that needed to be done, which was helpful as I was figuring out my first year of teaching especially. There's so much to take in as a first year teacher that you really just need to figure out the bare minimum in order to survive. The next year is a little bit easier because you have a foundation and you're not in survival mode most of the time.</div>
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One thing that I love about this journal is the appearance of more art. The picture below was originally supposed to be a mood tracker in the form of a mandala, but I fell off that wagon early. But I didn't just want to leave a partially finished piece in this journal, so I took the mood tracking pieces off and just finished the mandala with nice designs and coordinating colors. I'm really happy with how it turned out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62-ORsj307cQ4I0IG3dGjnEpZXnThd1L91oMj3BMK5dMwkVB89WnIasoaD8fcjSSuiT6tZQ6KIQAMUQbNCcHTR46OJhB0zhurKwM8MJhgG2qDdqvb1yajRS_s6UtFhturiqvpZ9KzBgpV/s1600/IMG_2336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62-ORsj307cQ4I0IG3dGjnEpZXnThd1L91oMj3BMK5dMwkVB89WnIasoaD8fcjSSuiT6tZQ6KIQAMUQbNCcHTR46OJhB0zhurKwM8MJhgG2qDdqvb1yajRS_s6UtFhturiqvpZ9KzBgpV/s400/IMG_2336.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The art continued in the form of taped in coloring pages, but also in the form of art at the beginning of the month. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7epz3-FAEKqvsraBJSOBcFfuj9v683ukQBlb_zw8ggcK0G63z1lRqVaKAlBCFXWYNYBMa3PS9jAsHQ5_RsS45UUlYKa362_8p0s0ob8EAIkLQPLCeTNy7ie2I_n7TGGve3qraxjzzgKm/s1600/IMG_2337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7epz3-FAEKqvsraBJSOBcFfuj9v683ukQBlb_zw8ggcK0G63z1lRqVaKAlBCFXWYNYBMa3PS9jAsHQ5_RsS45UUlYKa362_8p0s0ob8EAIkLQPLCeTNy7ie2I_n7TGGve3qraxjzzgKm/s400/IMG_2337.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is another art piece below (SUPER proud of this one... it took quite a while to do), but this is also the start of monthly calendars so I have more of an up-close visual of what my month will look like. I liked this because I was able to plan ahead and decide if I could take on other events without having to flip through all of the weeks in that month in order to check my availability.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggefFQkxCOgY8V190sokUbxfwHxZHvn-Btqd-QoMzx7_H-vhBUt-Gd5UJ4Ml9x1IEQ4bYfTU3Nosq3vhYu-LUxG9eSFHqWV5VzZlCHsz-61ld7oY1rNj4qJ6e2ST16_CANbjTq05jJmc1/s1600/IMG_2338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggefFQkxCOgY8V190sokUbxfwHxZHvn-Btqd-QoMzx7_H-vhBUt-Gd5UJ4Ml9x1IEQ4bYfTU3Nosq3vhYu-LUxG9eSFHqWV5VzZlCHsz-61ld7oY1rNj4qJ6e2ST16_CANbjTq05jJmc1/s400/IMG_2338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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May also brought the end of my orange book and it was time to start a new Leuchtterm 1917. This time I chose a blue one. I got fancy and fascinated with Etsy and I found some stickers to decorate the cover. Summer was fast approaching (this journal started in June) and I knew I was traveling a lot over the summer, so I focused on demonstrating my love of adventure and my intention to travel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQh-1s1obSwltABORiN4WbSu7Iwc2v_edaKNSkUO_o78K6UYR9pIiBadtVr3UpQ7JWm1EKs8ba5PY9PDTl4H8CJ-FZAFJT65xhOTTLpObnQfyMQlrpK_9-aQsJqrRwV95R4GYDTBicFde/s1600/IMG_2340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQh-1s1obSwltABORiN4WbSu7Iwc2v_edaKNSkUO_o78K6UYR9pIiBadtVr3UpQ7JWm1EKs8ba5PY9PDTl4H8CJ-FZAFJT65xhOTTLpObnQfyMQlrpK_9-aQsJqrRwV95R4GYDTBicFde/s400/IMG_2340.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRB677p13-Hk_RCl0IYjsrbmOJJekJlaLsJNYUEW8QBzyptAKIX47W5PaZe3JDByjRI0Mx2TlDdJ48VBl4Qlzi8Ngmbej8Qefvzqr0OiDpr_d8at2t2so21uCwJL785ScWKO2WHGbEHv9/s1600/IMG_2342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRB677p13-Hk_RCl0IYjsrbmOJJekJlaLsJNYUEW8QBzyptAKIX47W5PaZe3JDByjRI0Mx2TlDdJ48VBl4Qlzi8Ngmbej8Qefvzqr0OiDpr_d8at2t2so21uCwJL785ScWKO2WHGbEHv9/s400/IMG_2342.jpg" width="400" /></a>Since I was starting a new book, it was also time to transfer over my yearly spreads like my movie and reading trackers and my new year resolutions. I also really wanted to try using a Calendex like what Boho Berry on YouTube uses, so I set that up very early on. Unfortunately, I really didn't end up using the Calendex like I thought, so this will not be joining me in my 2019 Bullet Journal. I think it's enough for me to keep track of things month to month or have a simple list rather than something that's so visual and spans over such a wide space. This will be adjusted in my new journal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RvSbAnWNxK-oPNZ7Upx2ju0MV41bt63pWAe4ohCl7BPum0OL4QgPhz5QQKcx9wNr7ziBym5l3MqMBKefBArBW8h2ZWuKiS_BjXtagfLDkvjgsLdOD0zErq0aQDcgaLY8Z1noQyLIGIha/s1600/IMG_2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RvSbAnWNxK-oPNZ7Upx2ju0MV41bt63pWAe4ohCl7BPum0OL4QgPhz5QQKcx9wNr7ziBym5l3MqMBKefBArBW8h2ZWuKiS_BjXtagfLDkvjgsLdOD0zErq0aQDcgaLY8Z1noQyLIGIha/s400/IMG_2341.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I traveled to Boston, Wyoming, England, and the Netherlands over the summer and that meant there was an increased pressance of packing lists. So I have three that looked a bit like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNv_1p5sSO3r1PdW9sz5_sGTgwqLLT7mBAYiVb3wSnbxJvnQ-YBpdITsXNAFP7-00rGKfU_LTroV5QB7m5YL3YciIE6zrMJDHcxQ-eqeLwJxoQlN7V9ofWC-tx8rB5ccwZyN0Pt4UDtF4/s1600/IMG_2343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNv_1p5sSO3r1PdW9sz5_sGTgwqLLT7mBAYiVb3wSnbxJvnQ-YBpdITsXNAFP7-00rGKfU_LTroV5QB7m5YL3YciIE6zrMJDHcxQ-eqeLwJxoQlN7V9ofWC-tx8rB5ccwZyN0Pt4UDtF4/s400/IMG_2343.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I liked that it resembled a list I might have made in a regular notebook or put in the binder I travel with and I thought the faux washi tape was cute (I didn't actually want to use real washi tape because I wasn't actually holding a piece of paper on this page and I thought that would look dumb). Even though I don't really have travel planned at the beginning of 2019, I'm already finding other ways to include art like this outside of packing lists. </div>
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I also finished school for the year, so suddenly I had new needs that my bullet journal has never needed to fulfill for me before. My school likes to give us summer reading to do, so I partially used my bullet journal to take notes on the reading that we would be referring to throughout the school year. I also did a mid-year review of my new year resolutions. I think this is something I will keep. It's kind of a kick in the pants so that I am actually pursuing my goals for the year. But this way I could be aware of which goals for falling to the wayside and I could let go of the goals that I was not feeling very serious about pursuing anymore. For example, at the beginning of 2018, I said I wanted to reach an entire book in French and in Dutch. That was one of the goals that I never ended up pursuing in 2018 and I don't feel bad about it. Goals change and that's okay.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjT4T92AbH6wy93l-4XQSBFKQRyhaaWrK3_Mnmrc2_-9HH1myXqNpFhUtJE3elGrW9q_EUG9vMfScHp7fnMyQQ701x11K5l4oXGp0IxrfBkFXF4d230HLFyzq-ND0pmz8db8fukUZ-jgA/s1600/IMG_2344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjT4T92AbH6wy93l-4XQSBFKQRyhaaWrK3_Mnmrc2_-9HH1myXqNpFhUtJE3elGrW9q_EUG9vMfScHp7fnMyQQ701x11K5l4oXGp0IxrfBkFXF4d230HLFyzq-ND0pmz8db8fukUZ-jgA/s400/IMG_2344.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My favorite thing about my blue journal was the presence of journaling. Before, my journals were pretty much purely for planning and productivity purposes, but this journal made the transition to being more of an actual journal and memory keeper as well as for planning and productivity. This isn't something that I really continued once the school year started, which I never expected or planned to have happen, but I LOVE having this as memory keeping for when I travel. Next time I travel, I will absolutely be doing this, especially since traditional planning is not something that I really need when I travel. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklLzgjsJlDbJra12zidA8HAJjtH8byfR41r2EWxJJajL4KpseXrBCkefo9ZxESadauzmJhr8ZW9iZLPoRGSBnIOcGejFZhPDFLij2Kn1SrBdNDPekGHyRJ1UAze4gFpM3Wo6dwSZnKOj3/s1600/IMG_2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklLzgjsJlDbJra12zidA8HAJjtH8byfR41r2EWxJJajL4KpseXrBCkefo9ZxESadauzmJhr8ZW9iZLPoRGSBnIOcGejFZhPDFLij2Kn1SrBdNDPekGHyRJ1UAze4gFpM3Wo6dwSZnKOj3/s400/IMG_2345.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8fMp1r1siP0uj4GRrF8hIrkFqmNHr7ZtAWIENsn-ewlek_m2bgCkgdGtB0E3jukBVFDZQWAIb3vGw60Ec7rTkzR1AnC1ZkpCrfoO5bRJmDlkSC_GZWrsAgyvnbzEXClTtXwfrWJ6XSPE/s1600/IMG_2353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8fMp1r1siP0uj4GRrF8hIrkFqmNHr7ZtAWIENsn-ewlek_m2bgCkgdGtB0E3jukBVFDZQWAIb3vGw60Ec7rTkzR1AnC1ZkpCrfoO5bRJmDlkSC_GZWrsAgyvnbzEXClTtXwfrWJ6XSPE/s400/IMG_2353.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And in the same vein, art continued to be a presence in this journal. I'm definitely not going back on this no matter what time of year it is. This was the first time I tried out watercolor painting and I cut it out and put it in my journal. Watercolors appear several times throughout my journal in big pieces like at the beginning of a trip and at the beginning of a month, but also smaller pieces throughout my journal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wojenPsDGJeiHtMdDkkNP7xnfh7_bqkY00upCPd_OPp-c8DyUt9rrnzRt4K4U0LB4zIctHm1mOsOBzbodgnNvhtuTevwOKdBgQMLmfZkc39b4AKq0xWG4ShsPEyQcCjKL2MxsNfRd5d-/s1600/IMG_2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wojenPsDGJeiHtMdDkkNP7xnfh7_bqkY00upCPd_OPp-c8DyUt9rrnzRt4K4U0LB4zIctHm1mOsOBzbodgnNvhtuTevwOKdBgQMLmfZkc39b4AKq0xWG4ShsPEyQcCjKL2MxsNfRd5d-/s400/IMG_2346.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In 2018, I acquired an Instax (like a polaroid camera) and an HP Sprocket (which prints small pictures from my phone) and that's when I started including highlights in my journal in the form of pictures. I rather like this addition too. I'll be continuing this in 2019.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwMGy1DMWrDyl9h8ZxLmlAFWokZsMkvFIExVpZUGtljVX4SGf5S44WgBAkBuChcIW7xoRaH7nLjOC57CqQ2reUc7Sf6-EWRRM-X6eaEK7P0cAXaLNJcCb29J_ENrFnRypF608VisqN2nN/s1600/IMG_2357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwMGy1DMWrDyl9h8ZxLmlAFWokZsMkvFIExVpZUGtljVX4SGf5S44WgBAkBuChcIW7xoRaH7nLjOC57CqQ2reUc7Sf6-EWRRM-X6eaEK7P0cAXaLNJcCb29J_ENrFnRypF608VisqN2nN/s400/IMG_2357.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MqfinauSb9_6HVAQ6lqTvEESQ7QstjFPnBIj7Lke353HzYKQ4NaDdOA94W91OifqzYPRzGpLzDFFUFBmYzlc3C38e-wQ4FZMAbxf0DCS2fJn5kCt1mulPGszLFshRzrpX-TGEUEn1FhM/s1600/IMG_2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MqfinauSb9_6HVAQ6lqTvEESQ7QstjFPnBIj7Lke353HzYKQ4NaDdOA94W91OifqzYPRzGpLzDFFUFBmYzlc3C38e-wQ4FZMAbxf0DCS2fJn5kCt1mulPGszLFshRzrpX-TGEUEn1FhM/s400/IMG_2360.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One change I made was I created a full-page calendar. I realized that there really wasn't enough room to track events on my tiny cramped calendar before and this really helped fix that problem. I could also keep track of my ongoing projects, my reading, and do some more intentional thinking about each month.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0qh18pNIGY9fAJFPqp-eA18JDHfh0hOAimXx5y1m83xLKtP1PH2G2S4NDFiyeV2yIK1hr3uYyYoO1UtOg_Ao1ZoYANqw7k8-OnciSI_AoL8EexfYN5lh-pCeQpQ_Z8ZiXOYlqO_wbxJy/s1600/IMG_2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0qh18pNIGY9fAJFPqp-eA18JDHfh0hOAimXx5y1m83xLKtP1PH2G2S4NDFiyeV2yIK1hr3uYyYoO1UtOg_Ao1ZoYANqw7k8-OnciSI_AoL8EexfYN5lh-pCeQpQ_Z8ZiXOYlqO_wbxJy/s400/IMG_2349.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Summer was also the time where I was exploring different weekly layouts. I was able to make my weekly layout span two pages one-sided (as opposed to 3 or 4 sides of a paper as is typical). I tried a Dutch door set up which was fun for a month, but it also felt a little disorganized when I couldn't pair which sections were part of the same week. But the Dutch door was cool because I could track so many things without taking up a huge amount of space. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltxycIvSWOscqPzCUqkfo20t2xobKgTa78Z40lFMfleg34pibqKTrJlmk9w8N90sFA_XvY_91EOqQcJKfpIxnuCgSBcFHx3R1mlqvbVFf__QYVpke7C8LFtpPrMTew2WT8uZNaZY8W4E7/s1600/IMG_2350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltxycIvSWOscqPzCUqkfo20t2xobKgTa78Z40lFMfleg34pibqKTrJlmk9w8N90sFA_XvY_91EOqQcJKfpIxnuCgSBcFHx3R1mlqvbVFf__QYVpke7C8LFtpPrMTew2WT8uZNaZY8W4E7/s400/IMG_2350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was my layout once the school year started up again. I forgot to separate my lists into home and school, but so far that hasn't really mattered. In 2019, I'm going to try separating my lists again because I have started to stay really late at work again and I want to push myself away from doing that. I want to see what I absolutely need to do while I stay at school and determine what can be done at home. I hope this will help me leave a more reasonable time so I can be with my husband more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKTq8a7c_XBnomARCxEez7XdqNXMAAO0LpJj75fDz6EmE0JdFnjpdMDHBVOuwCyxtMNJCXt_1ODLVPooL7kZmqiW2AZWErcrCfgxB_JtdEQWNcSrLkSn-dhOqmSn2_sJm-xLsiTR4girh/s1600/IMG_2356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKTq8a7c_XBnomARCxEez7XdqNXMAAO0LpJj75fDz6EmE0JdFnjpdMDHBVOuwCyxtMNJCXt_1ODLVPooL7kZmqiW2AZWErcrCfgxB_JtdEQWNcSrLkSn-dhOqmSn2_sJm-xLsiTR4girh/s400/IMG_2356.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have been trying to be more intentional while at work not just with my time, but about my interactions with my students. So I have started tracking whose families I need to contact and I've also been writing praise and encouragement notes to my students, so I list who I want to write notes to. I have a separate list on my phone so that I make sure I get to every single student in my classes. My tracking started looking like the picture below, but now I have made a smaller section at the end of each of my weeks and that has worked a lot better. I probably will not include this type of tracker in the future though because so much of it is centered on my phone. I will add "write a note to ___" as an item to include on my To-Do list and that has worked just fine. Not everything needs to be tracked in my bullet journal. It's not always going to be a one-size fits all type of tool. And that's okay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tpTW-6QtWh3b-PNo_Mejbbi0f2RPRITnN043cFiofZmbFA1hlBp7rQY6FQQVV6-DSxjLVP_U5ulbuNa_T-D4hviK8KDHy9Q3PdMbi2_nlbwMAoRzmlyqS5og-KsE6mZpo49DB16AGaGa/s1600/IMG_2355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tpTW-6QtWh3b-PNo_Mejbbi0f2RPRITnN043cFiofZmbFA1hlBp7rQY6FQQVV6-DSxjLVP_U5ulbuNa_T-D4hviK8KDHy9Q3PdMbi2_nlbwMAoRzmlyqS5og-KsE6mZpo49DB16AGaGa/s400/IMG_2355.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I also used my journal to track and research for NaNoWriMo again this year. I took some of the perforated pages from the back of my journal and taping them in as a fold-out addition to some pages. So below, the left two pages are the pages that are firmly attached in my book and on the right is the taped in page. I fold it in when I close my book and on the other side of the tracker page, I had a brain dump page devoted just to the story I was writing. This was helpful because I could have everything spread out in front of me in one spot. I would do that again the next time I attempt NaNoWriMo. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXk9-VA9JYfx3RcIjo69BLS_d-huE0C18DPDua4ybJHRibQZ7dKSP7pQKS5LpYBlqBAXPcNsYt45ka5V5CIeG5tfSb1hjMSEz1_0WTWIheALIFTyknAVn2uuYokpK2W7wPkaH3I7Dow70/s1600/IMG_2358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXk9-VA9JYfx3RcIjo69BLS_d-huE0C18DPDua4ybJHRibQZ7dKSP7pQKS5LpYBlqBAXPcNsYt45ka5V5CIeG5tfSb1hjMSEz1_0WTWIheALIFTyknAVn2uuYokpK2W7wPkaH3I7Dow70/s400/IMG_2358.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To sum everything up, my bullet journal became a lot of things I didn't know that a bullet journal could be when I started out 2018. You'd think that everything that needed to be figured out about bullet journaling would be figured out in the first year, but I'm still learning every single day. Here's to another good year of bullet journaling!</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
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--Jude</div>
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Megan Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17876253714556520330noreply@blogger.com0