Being Strong and Healthy

Being strong and healthy is important to me.

I want to be stronger and healthier.

I try to take good care of my body. I try to eat well and exercise.

But, sometimes, life gets a bit crazy.

Sometimes, it’s hard to find the time.

I can’t even imagine how difficult it might be to try to be healthy while also fighting with an addiction to smoking.

I know many people out there struggle with this, and I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to kick the habit.

There are a lot of programs out there to help. I stumbled upon www.beatingsmoking.com the other day. They are offering an opportunity to participate in a clinical research study on smoking cessation.

If you or someone you love is looking for something to help with smoking cessation, check it out.

We all know the adverse effects that result from smoking. At the very least, quitting smoking may increase your ability to live healthy.

I’m no expert, as I’ve never been a smoker and have no experience quitting, but as a runner and a cycler and a hiker, may I suggest you …

Crush that butt and get outside and kick butt!

Big Helper!

All curled up

while we're hard at work!

Questions

I found this list of questions on Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures. I thought they were really fun, and I'm trying to post more regularly, two posts in two days! Woot woot!! so here goes...

would you rather be able to dance, sing or draw?
Definitely dance. I've always dreamed of being graceful and elegant. Plus extra fun ways to exercise. :)

on pinterest, would you rather have the clothes you pinned appear in your closet, the decor you pinned show up in your house (and you can change it as you please) or have the recipes you pinned show up on your kitchen table?
I guess I'd have to go with the recipes - seeing as I have no closet and my house will soon be a van. I don't have a kitchen table either, but just having delicious food show up would be fantastic. A girl's gotta eat, y'know.

Source: thediva-dish.com via Heather on Pinterest

for the next five years, which five countries would you like to live in, changing every year (you would still work and have a life. this is not a vacation. feel free to state a city too)
In no particular order, United Arab Emirates, Belize, Denmark, Australia, China

for the next five years, which five states would you like to live in, changing every year (you would still work and have a life. this is not a vacation. feel free to state a city too)?
Again, no particular order, California, South Carolina, Maine, Kentucky, Colorado

in what event would you most like to win an Olympic gold medal?
I've not thought about this. Can't say I'm much of an Olympic-y gal.

which disney princess do you want to be?
My husband would likely say Ariel, if he had a vote, because well, she lives Under the Sea, which is where he'd like to be. all. the. time. As for me? Maybe Jasmine from Aladdin. Not sure why.

if you were hosting SNL, who would you want to be the musical guest?
I'd love for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, of course.

if you could take one class at Hogwarts, what would it be?
Don't judge, but I'm not really very familiar with Hogwarts. I do think that maybe a flying broom class would be useful, though.

would you rather have the power to see the future or fix the past?
If I have to choose, I'd rather see the future. I have no regrets of the past.

what is your favorite pop tart flavor (i'm running out of creative juices for questions and well you know, i'm a fan)?
I think I'll go with s'mores. I think that's the flavor I buy most often anyway. That, or blueberry.

What Good Are Husbands?

I haven't done a Monday Listicles is FOREVER! Yeah, yeah. I haven't done a post in FOREVER! I need to be a better blogger. I want to be a better blog. This is a good place to start, right?

Stasha well, her husband over at Northwest Mommy gave us a fun topic this week.

10 THINGS HUSBANDS SHOULD DO

(in no particular order)

1.   Husbands should be supportive and encouraging.
2.   Husbands should drive on long trips. Or anytime, really. I hate driving.
3.   Husbands should be selfless and loving (i.e. put my needs before his).
4.   Husbands should take out the trash and recycling.
5.   Husbands should be willing to try something crazy in the ... kitchen
6.   Husbands should listen patiently, even when the story isn't particularly amusing.
7.   Husbands should understand all his wife's moods.
8.   Husbands should laugh.
9.   Husbands should not be afraid to dance.
10. Husbands should love their wife with their everything.

Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net via Wendy on Pinterest

Perhaps a little inappropriate, but also pretty funny.

Moving Sale

Visit Our 20 Day Apartment Sale!

At:  http://ourjunkyourtreasures.blogspot.com/

To explain, we are selling everything we own,

so we can travel around in our van.

We will be posting items on Craigslist,

but you can see everything at once on

our yard sale blog, and on May 24th and 26th

we will be having actual yard sales at:

2057 Laurel Ave, St Paul MN 55104

Everything is being sold at cheap prices,

and every price is negotiable (obo).

What doesn't sell will be donated to charity.


Here is a small sampling:

Decoration = Prices vary

4 Shelf pantry cabinet = $10

Abstract painting on stretched canvas 48" x 24" = $40

Locking hasp = $3

Running belt with water bottle = $10

Life jacket = $10

Work lights = $10

Shop broom = $15

Captain's chairs and back bench seat from Dodge van = 

Best offer

See Post

Ergonomic highly adjustable office chair = $250

Office chair = $10

Bookcase = $40

Telescope = $150

There's plenty more to see, and more posts are coming.

Come take a look:

http://ourjunkyourtreasures.blogspot.com

Exciting News!

Last week, I mentioned I had some pretty exciting news, but first some somewhat sad news.

You may have noticed that I haven't been very good about writing up recaps of my training for Grandma's marathon. Well, this is because my training has been all but halted.

No, I did not get injured.

Yes, I still love to run.

But, we've decided to embark on a different journey, and the marathon though we've already paid for it just doesn't seem to fit in the plan any longer.

I'm totally okay with it, because the new plan is just so very exciting ... and scary ... but mostly I just. can't. wait!

Here's the deal.

WE BOUGHT A VAN!

We named her Liberty, and she will be our home for the next several months or so while we travel around the U.S. and down through Mexico and maybe Central America.

We're taking our time with this and just enjoying the open road.
No deadlines.
No obligations.

We can't wait to embark on this adventure!

I'll still be blogging here about my running which I plan to keep up while on the road, my thoughts, pretty much all the things I've always blogged about here, but if you'd like, please feel free to follow our road trip extraordinaire over at Traveling with Liberty, our new blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

We'll be heading out in just a few weeks! Wow!! So much to do to prepare...

Where did April Go?

This past month of student teaching has really been time consuming - not to mention STRESSFUL!! I'm down to 8 days left, and I am certainly ready to be finished. :-)

I've got some very exciting news to share in the next few days, plus I really hope to get back on the blogging bandwagon soon!

In the meantime, it's supposed to be gorgeous here today. Maybe I'll even have a chance to go for a run this afternoon after school. Yay!

Wish I were spending the day somewhere like this.

Have a super Wednesday, everyone!

Training for Grandma's Week 8

This was probably one of my best training weeks! Still not perfect, but pretty good overall. I also started the Amazing Arms 'n Abs April challenge, which helped motivate me to actually do some weight and core work. Yay!

On the schedule...

Mon, 4/2 - Rest from running. I skipped the core work (no surprise there) and missed the first actual day of the arms 'n abs challenge. It was my first day back to school after Spring Break, and I think I was just exhausted and adjusting back to lesson planning after two weeks off.

Tues, 4/3 - Treadmill Hills. I chose an average level of 7, and I could have possibly done a slightly higher level. I played around a little with different speeds, too. It was a great workout, but I really need to find a good local hill to do repeats. Treadmill hills are good for working on the incline, but not so much the decline. I also did some arm work - bicep curls, triceps extensions, hammer curls, triceps kickbacks.

Wed, 4/4 - I was able to get some core work done - planks! Unfortunately, I skipped out on the cross training. :-(

Thu, 4/5 - I did nigh on to 5 miles. I think it's probably closer than DM says because I ran on the ped path, and they aren't actually on the map. I went a bit later than I'd have liked, and it was getting to be dusk. There weren't too many people out on the paths, so I let Sallie have a little more leeway on her lease. She was having such a great time. :)

Fri, 4/6 - I had a friend join me for today's 4-miler. As part of the run, I completed the 5K for the Jelly Bean Virtual Race. We really kicked this run in the you-know-what! Our time for the 5K was 27:38 and overall we did the 4 miles in 36. AWESOME! I really had to push it to keep up with my friend, but it was totally worth it. After our run, I came home and did some banana rolls. They were tough! And awkward.

Sat, 4/7 - I almost missed out on the 21K bike ride for the Jelly Bean, but I finally made it out the door around 6:30pm. I rode to Lake Nokomis, around the lake, and back home. It ended up being about 14.5 miles because of a wrong turn. At one point, I ended up on a pedestrian path. How embarrassing! Thank goodness the swarms of people on the path weren't nasty at all to me for being on the wrong path. Before and after the bike ride, I worked on some push-ups. Every hour, I would drop and do 10. I did manage to do them all on my hands and feet (as opposed to knees), but I wasn't really able to lower myself very far. Still, I figure the effort was there and eventually the strength will be there as well!

Sun, 4/8 - The final event for the Jelly Bean was a half marathon. Since I had 14miles on the schedule, I knew I'd be able to do this no problem. Since it was Easter, I wore some cute bunny ears. It was such a fun run! I did the half in 2:14:15 and finished the 14 miles in 2:22:43. My phone lost GPS signal around 5 miles, so it thinks it took me 2+ hours to go 5 miles for a pace of 29min/mi. LOL.

It was a beautiful day for a run. The sun was shining! It was a bit windy at times, though. Also, there were a couple of really killer hills. One of which I only ran up about halfway before I realized I would probably be going faster if I were walking. So walk I did. :)

Total Mileage
Running: 28 miles
Cycling: 14 miles

And now as a reward for making it through all that: Monday Listicles.

Things I learned from running in bunny ears:

1) After the 1st mile, I didn't even notice them. If I wasn't able to see my shadow, I had to randomly touch my head to make sure they hadn't blown off.

2) Bunny ears make people smile. I got a lot of comments such as: Love the ears! Nice bunny ears! Happy Easter! Great outfit! More than the comments, I got a lot of thumbs up and even more smiles.

3) Bunny ears make ME smile. Getting so much attention really made me smile. And they kind of made me push myself a little more. When crossing the Mendota Bridge, I even forced myself to smile, so all the people driving by would see the bunny ears worn by a smiling runner. Yay!

4) Of all the comments and reactions I got, almost none were from other runners. Were they just too focused on their own running? Did they see me as not as hardcore of a runner because I was wearing bunny ears?

5) I love attention! When I'm out running, I love it when other people acknowledge me with a hello, smile, wave, or nod. I try not to take it personally when people don't do something in acknowledgement. Wearing bunny ears seemed to facilitate this even more.

Guilty Pleasures

Oh, I've got them. Who doesn't? Here are my top 5.

1. General Hospital. I've watched this off and on for years. I go in phases where I watch it more frequently, but it's a soap opera, so even if I miss a day week month year, it's not at all difficult to quickly catch up. I've heard rumors that it might be going off the air after nearly 50 years. Even though I don't tune in every day, I'll be super sad if it goes away.

2. French fries. I  know they're incredibly unhealthy, but they just smell and taste so good! On my bus ride home after school today, I sat next to someone with a bag from McDonald's. Omygod I wanted some right then and there. I didn't. It's actually pretty rare that I have the opportunity to enjoy such deliciousness.

3. Good TV shows. I'm not exactly sure how to define a good TV show, but there are definitely a few besides GH that I enjoy more than I should. If a show sucks me in, I could easily be lost for hours.

4. Waterfalls. It sounds weird, I know, but if I'm out hiking or running or biking, and I hear the sound of rushing water, I almost have to find the source. There's just something about watching the rushing flow of water that I find exhilarating.

I want to visit Croatia one day just to see this!

5. Brownies, cookies, pretty much anything sweet. If it's around, I will eat it. It's almost as if they are calling my name. I'm a nibbler. If there is a plate of cookies leftover cake a pan of brownies *ahem* any of the above on the counter, I will snag just a bite. every. single. time. I. pass. them. It's definitely a weakness.

What are your guilty pleasures?

Link up with Stasha @ The good life.

Training for Grandma's Week 7

This week's training wasn't perfect, but it was at least better. Plus, it ended on a high note. All's well that ends well, right?

This week's schedule:

Mon, 3/26 - Rest Day + Core. I successfully accomplished my rest. :-) Core? Not so much. Why oh why can't I bring myself to making this a priority??

Tues, 3/27 - 4 mile speed workout. It was a little gloomy outside, so I decided to do this speedwork on the treadmill instead. I basically alternated between 6.0mph @ .5% incline and 6.5 mph, 6.7mph, and 7.0mph @ 0% incline. It was a good workout. I really had to push myself to get through it, but I DID IT!

Wed, 3/28 - It was a real struggle to get my bum out the door to do anything on Wed! Finally I headed to the gym. When I asked Jeff if I should do the elliptical, stairmaster, or stationary bike, he said, with no hesitation "Stairmaster. It's better for the butt." LOL. Per his request, I did 30min on the stairmaster. I chose the random setting, level 10. I possibly could have handled a higher level, but it was still a great workout. I finished the workout off with a 1.68 mile walk to Whole Foods. It was a nice cool-down. Still no core. Ugh!

Thu, 3/29 - I apparently couldn't win the mental battle today. :-(

Fri, 3/30 - I don't know where this day went. Oh, wait! We went downtown to watch The Hunger Games. Not sure why, but I was exhausted when we got home, so I took a nap. I wanted to meet Jeff after his shift to walk home with him, and I left for a run later than I would've liked, so I only got in a 3mile run. Sallie came with me on this one, and it was fun! Plus, I always enjoy walking home from campus with Jeff. Still no core. Booo!

Sat, 3/31 - Cross training day. I went for an 18+ mile bike ride. It was a little gloomy outside, but I still enjoyed riding a somewhat unfamiliar route. You can read more about this ride here. When I got back from the bike ride, I actually did a few core exercises. Go me!

Sun, 4/1 - If you read yesterday's post, you know that I'm starting two challenges for April. One is 30 Days of Fun. I'm definitely including today's 12mile run for my first fun thing in April. It was a little chilly for probably the first 5 miles, but then I was nicely warmed up plus the sun came out around mile 7! I was just enjoying being outside. The first 6.2 miles was dedicated to the Jelly Bean Virtual Race. This race is all week long and there are 4 different events you can do. I'm planning on doing all 4 - 5K, 10K done!, Half Marathon, 21K bike ride. Wish me luck!

Today's route

The route I took included stairs! What was I thinking? Actually they weren't as bad as I'd feared.

After running down the stairs to get to the bridge

About to run up the stairs after crossing the bridge

After finishing the 10K, I took a short break to tweet my status. Dork, I know!

After a few minutes rest, I took off again. I'd finished the 10K, so the pressure was off. I wanted to spend the rest of the run just enjoying the course. hehehe.

Between miles 8 & 9, I stopped off at Minnehaha Falls. I'm a sucker for waterfalls! So, I really couldn't help but stop.

View from the top of the falls. Aren't they pretty?

While taking a short break, I ate some Sport Beans.

Because, you know, they're kind of like Jelly Beans.

After a short respite, I took off again to finish the last 3 or so miles. By now, I could really feel the sun on my face. I was tempted to take off my LS shirt and just run in my tank, but I thought I'd probably get a bit too cold. 'Cuz I'm weird like that.

All-in-all, it was a great way to end a week of training!

Total Mileage
Running: 18.91
Cycling: 18.17
Walking: 1.68

Saturday evening randomness

This afternoon, I went for a bike ride.

Check out that elevation profile! Naturally, the worst of the hills came at the end along with an ever-so-lovely headwind. Yikes! Next time, perhaps, I'll do the reverse for maybe a slightly easier ride.

Other than the last few miles with the headwind, this was all on city streets - not separate bike paths.

Does anyone else feel weird about just going out for a bike ride on city streets without any particular destination or purpose? Whenever I start to go fast, I think, Why? I'm in no hurry. I still try to push myself. But, I'm not gonna lie. It just feels weird.

As I pulled up to a red light, I could see the State Capitol in the distance.

In other randomness, when you visit a blog, do you check out the sidebar? I generally try to, but I'm not always the best at it. That said, I tend to expect that visitors to my blog are checking out my sidebars. Sometimes, I add something to the sidebar without ever mentioning it in a post. Now, I wonder if maybe I shouldn't do that.

So, just in case you missed them...

I've decided to join a couple different challenges for April.

First up, I'll be joining Run to the Finish for: 30 Days of Fun

I'm super excited for this challenge! Who doesn't need a little more fun in their life? I want to laugh more and try some new things. We'll be moving soon, so I've got to do this challenge on the ultra-cheap free side of fun.

Amanda also posted a calendar with some ideas. Click on the picture above or in the sidebar to see her calendar and get more info about the challenge.

A few ideas I might try yeah I stole a few from Amanda's calendar:

• run like Phoebe
• sing in the shower
• solo dance party in the living room
• bike to a friend's for a puppy play date
• Pinterest funny photos
• YouTube funny videos
• experiment with different laughs
• organize a game night
• read funny greeting cards
• do a cartwheel
• do something with a friend(s)
• stop to take more pictures when out running or cycling

If you have any other fun free ideas of things to do, let me know.

I doubt I'll post my fun every day in a blog post, but I'll try to at least share what I do on Facebook and Twitter.

The other challenge I'll be doing in April is: Amazing Arms 'n Abs April

I found this challenge via Ali Mc at Running with Spatulas, but she found it on Domestic Diva in Training's blog. I think I'll follow over at Domestic Diva primarily because there are a few exercises on this calendar that I am not familiar with at least by name.

Hopefully this challenge will motivate me enough to actually do some core work. At this point anything will be better than what I have been doing. I think a lot of my problem is knowing what to do, so this should help to solve that.

How will you be challenging yourself in April? I'll be doing the both two challenges Feel free to join me. plus continuing with my marathon training.

Do you check out a blog's sidebar? I'm not always the best at this, but I do try to check them out at least occasionally.

Ever feel weird about bike riding with no particular purpose other than exercise? Obviously, I do.

Hunger Games

This afternoon, Jeff and I had to make a trip downtown, so we decided to hit up a movie as well.

I'd heard such raving comments about Hunger Games, and Jeff really wanted to see it, so we found a time that would work for us.

I have not read the books - though I've heard great things about them.
However, even after seeing the trailer, I only wanted to see the movie because so many people on FB and in the blogosphere seemed so pumped to see it.

So we went.

I wasn't really on-board with the whole premise of the movie - requiring kids to fight to the death. I'm not saying it's an unbelievable premise or even one that hasn't been similarly seen in history, but it's just not something I'm interested in watching a movie about.

Just the thought of certain members of a society living in such opulence and lording that over others makes me disgusted. I know this is nothing new. I know it's been common throughout history. I know it happens today.  I just don't like it and therefore don't want to watch a movie that in many ways seems to glorify it.

Still, I tried to go into the movie with an open mind. I really did.

But, I was overly unimpressed with the movie.

I thought it was incredibly slow at the beginning. And yet, there were many details that were left out that could have helped to explain certain things a lot better. Overall, I think many things could have been developed a lot better.

Honestly, I could go on and on about everything I disliked about this movie. I especially have issues with the ending, but since I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't yet seen it, I won't go into any details in this post.

I'll just leave it at this - This is one movie that did not make me want to read the books.

Have you seen this movie yet? If so, did you like it? If not, are you planning on seeing it?
If you've read the books and seen the movie, did the movie live up to the reputation of the books?

3TT #6

Thing 1. I'm going to eke out a quick post. I don't want to miss two days of posting in a row.

Thing 2. My spring break is not going nearly as well as I'd hoped. I haven't planned nearly as many lessons as I would have liked. I haven't stayed on top of my marathon training either.

Thing 3. I eat like total crap when I'm at home all day with nothing defined to do. I've become a snacker in the worst way. Occasionally, I'll grab something healthy like carrots or a pear, but mostly it's been chips, cookies, and wasabi peas. Blah. I seem to be hungry all the time. I know that's mostly due to not eating anything of substance, but also slightly due to boredom - both terrible reasons to overeat.

Tomorrow is another day, right? I. WILL. BE. FOCUSED!

Crazy Eyes!

I don't actually have crazy eyes.


crazy eyes from Crono on Vimeo.

At least I don't think so. Jeff's never mentioned anything...and he's stayed married to me for over 7 years.

But really, I get all kinds of crazy when I consider my eyes.

Need a new driver's license? I always get totally freaked out about having to take the eye test. Seriously. My heart begins to race, and my palms get all sweaty.

Is it even possible to fail an eye exam?

Going to the eye doctor is even more stressful for me than going to the dentist or any doctor for that matter.

Yeah, I totally need a mantra for going to the eye doctor.
Stay calm.
Don't squint.
Relax.
You can't fail.
You've totally got this.

Of all the doctors out there, the eye doctor should probably be the least scary.
Not for this crazy chica.

Do you get freaked out about going to the eye doctor? Any other weird phobias?

Making Life Easier

Things that Make My Life Easier, in no particular order.

HourCar
Because sometimes walking or biking just won't cut it

Washer/Dryer
Sure I have to use ones that are coin-op and in the basement of my building
Still, it beats lugging the laundry to the laundromat
OR WORSE, washing our clothes by hand.

My smartphone.
'Nuff said

I don't know what I'd do without the Internet.
I use it for lesson planning, running tips, shopping, information, communication, etc.

Handy 3-step stool allows me to reach even the highest shelves in my kitchen.

What are the top things/people/services that help make your life easier?

Link up over at The good life.

Training for Grandma's Week 6

Um. Yeah.

I totally dropped the ball on training this week.

Here is what it was supposed to look like:

And here is what it actually looked like:

Pathetic. I know.
But it does make the training report pretty easy to write. :-)

Mon - Fri - Absolutely nothing! My toes were still hurting pretty bad on Monday, and then the weather was so dreary and crappy that I simply didn't feel like doing anything the rest of the week.

Sat, 3/24 - I convinced Jeff to bike with me to Aldi for some groceries. If it wouldn't have been for that, I probably would have spent the entire day on my bum once again. Ugh. Well, except for the bike ride to game night at a friend's house.

Sun, 3/25 - My friend and I survived game night enough to go for a run this afternoon! I had 9 miles on the schedule, and while we stopped a bit shy of that, we did experience some pretty bad-ass hills, so I don't feel so bad. It was the perfect day and a pretty great run - especially considering it was the first time I ran since last weekend's half marathon. I finished the run with a 1+ mile easy walk home.

Total mileage
Running: 8.72
Cycling: 8.15
Walking: 1.23

I'm still struggling a LOT with incorporating core workouts.

Here's to a much, MUCH more consistent training week next week. I'm on Spring Break, so hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of that.

How do you avoid getting into a training slump...or how do you pull yourself out of one?

CP Reflection Week 8

Ugh. I was doing so well!

But then I got wrapped up doing lesson planning, grocery shopping, and housecleaning. I knew I'd need to post something before heading to game night with some friends, if I was going to post anything.

Unfortunately, time slipped away from me.

Suddenly it was after 1am, and I was tired. So...no blog post on Saturday.

This past week was Cultural Field Experience (CFE) at my school. What is CFE you might ask? It's an opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zone and broaden their cultural experience. I student teach at a private, Christian school, which probably says something about our student population. For many of the students, their lives have been relatively sheltered.

CFE is an opportunity to reach out to the community - opening their eyes to what else is out there.

From the school website...

The intentions of real-life learning are:

• To promote an understanding of another’s life and point of view
• To provide opportunities for students to discover their God-given gifts
• To develop compassionate and globally-minded citizens
• To equip students with a willingness to give of themselves in service to God and others

Seniors aren't required to participate (though some do attend the international trips), but all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors do something for CFE.

Some examples of the various site options included:

• Assisting at a Sommali-immersion early-childhood development center
• Assisting in an elementary school serving Spanish-speaking students
• Preparing / serving meals and interacting with residents at a transitional shelter and food shelf
• Working with adults with developmental disabilities at Shepherds Ministries in Milwaukee
• Working with Urban Homeworks in Minneapolis doing demolition, construction, painting, yard work, etc during the day and participating in poverty discussion and service learning in the evenings.
• Interacting with residents at a Jewish senior citizen residential care center
• Visiting a variety of religious places of worship

There were also options to visit Greece (Latin class), France (French class), Slovakia (Band). I also know some students went to Florida (Choir), Colorado, or Kentucky. I couldn't really find any details on those trips on the school website.

I was an Assistant Team Leader with another teacher. We took a group of 12 students to the American Indian and World Cultures (no link because it's closing at the end of this school year) magnet schools. Our students worked, individually, in a classroom of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd graders. Since they were in a classroom on their own, I think it really forced them to step out of their comfort zone and interact with the kids. They helped in the classrooms with reading, math, and other activities. They ate lunch with the students and played with them during recess.

For the most part, I think the students enjoyed their time there, and I know the elementary students enjoyed having high school students around.

Our students were surprised by:

• the language some of them used
• how much energy they had
• how smart they were but also how little they applied themselves to their learning
• how common it was that they didn't live with both a mom and a dad
• how hungry some of the students seemed during lunch (i.e. cleaning their entire trays for lunch, including practically eating the chicken bones one day)

I think some eyes were definitely opened.

As a leader at this particular site, it was a little dull for me. We didn't want to interrupt the classes too much, so we just made the rounds a couple times of day. Mostly we just sat and chatted, did some minimal lesson planning, graded tests, etc.

We spent Mon-Thu on-site and then had a 1/2 day reflection retreat on Friday. It was neat to hear about the different experiences the students had.

I think this is an invaluable opportunity for high school students. While they may not appreciate it to the fullest extent, I truly believe that each student walks away from the experience being impacted in at least one small way.

I think it's an excellent opportunity, and I wish it was more feasible at more schools.

What do you think of this opportunity? If you have children, would you want your school to offer / require something like this?

Walk Score

Since we don't own a car, finding alternative ways to get around has become more important. We bike. We walk. We take public transit. We've been car-free now for more than a year and a half. We love it! It's hardly been much of an inconvenience at all.

We're planning on moving this summer. We're not sure exactly where to yet, but we've narrowed down some options.

In doing some research, we stumbled upon this website: Walk Score. Drive Less. Live More.

It is such a neat, extensive, helpful website!

Here is a little info from the site on just how the walkability of a neighborhood is determined:

What makes a neighborhood walkable?

• A center: 
Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it's a main street or a public space.

• People: 
Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.

• Mixed income, mixed use: 
Affordable housing located near businesses.

• Parks and public space: 
Plenty of public places to gather and play.

• Pedestrian design: 
Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.

• Schools and workplaces: 
Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.

• Complete streets: 
Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.

And...why does this matter? What are the benefits of living in a walk-able neighborhood?

Walkability offers surprising benefits to our health, the environment, our finances, and our communities.

Health: The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6-10 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.¹

Cities with good public transit and access to amenities promote happiness.²

Environment: 82% of CO2 emissions are from burning fossil fuels.³ Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.

Finances: Cars are the second largest household expense in the U.S.⁴ One point of Walk Score is worth up to $3,000 of value for your property.⁵ Read the research report.

Communities: Studies show that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%.⁶

Here's a look at our current neighborhood. Not bad. Not great. It is the 6th most walkable neighborhood in St Paul.

There are so many great features to this site. I think I'll do another post(s) in the future.

In the meantime, what's your Walk Score?