spring break. days three and four.

days three and four of spring break looked eerily similar. a lot of time was spent finishing the hunger games trilogy. and, because of the obscene amount of rain we've gotten this week, there was no better place to read than cuddled up in our bed. 

shane all but demanded that i take a break from reading yesterday in order to meet him for lunch. we met at our favorite chinese restaurant only to be shooed away. apparently, the eatery closes at one. what kind of restaurant stops serving lunch at one pm? we got our wanton fix today, though, when shane picked up chinese takeout for lunch. he's good like that.

hours spent in our bedroom reading this week forced me to face the tough reality that i've killed yet another house plant. what was once a beautiful plant is now nothing more than bare twigs. still, i refuse to give up. maybe i'll add potting a new houseplant to tomorrow's to-do list, a list that thankfully no longer includes the daunting (yet enjoyable) task of finishing the hunger games.

happy spring, friends! 

spring break. day two.

today i gave in and started the second book in the hunger games trilogy. i'm twenty-three chapters in and will, more than likely, finish the book later tonight. in between chapters i did laundry and some other miscellaneous cleaning. but, in between each check on my to-do list, i managed to cram in a few chapters. it was a great day!

my first task of the day was starting dinner. i added a generous amount of salt and pepper to a pork shoulder and put it on a bed of onions in my slow-cooker. i topped the pork with two cans of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce and two cans of dr. pepper. the pork cooked on low for eight hours, filling our little place with the best smell imaginable. once the pork was cooked through and super tender, i shredded it and topped it with jalapeno coleslaw and cilantro. the sandwich was delicious and a nice change from the typical pulled pork sandwich we top with barbecue sauce. the sandwich was inspired by a pioneer woman recipe. if you haven't tried her recipes yet, get after it. you'll thank me.

while we loved dinner, we wanted to marry dessert. we ate monkey bread to our hearts' content while watching the shawshank redemption. when i was elbow deep in cinnamon and sugar and making the gooey concoction, i got a phone call from a close friend telling me that she and her husband are expecting their first baby! baby news always trumps dessert, and i couldn't be happier for our friends.

oh, oh! another great bit of news: there's a very likely chance that we might be seeing the black keys next month when beth and dylan are stateside. eager beavers are we!

spring break. day one.

i love teaching.

if you know me well, you might question this statement. i'll admit, it's been a rough year, but all in all, i really do enjoy teaching. breaks from my profession, spring break and summer break in particular, give me time to reevaluate what i do and how i do it. breaks help me appreciate teaching all the more. and, honestly, who doesn't love a little vacation?

day one:
i downloaded the hunger games to my kindle this weekend and quickly made my way through the first several chapters. today i finished the entire book. what a great read! i can now see what all of the hype is about. maybe shane and i will make the movie a spring break treat.

today i also planned several yummy dinners for the week and did some grocery shopping, too. it's not atypical for me to make dinner during the week, but this week i'm able to make a few elaborate meals, meals that take extra planning and prep.

loving spring break and all of the rain. can hardly wait for day two!