The Gist of Life

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hello, 2017

the in-between

2017. It’s 2017! In the life of Kaylee, time usually lurks in corners, moving past me slowly, only quickening when there are moments I want to savor. But glancing back, I can’t believe it’s already 2017. I can’t believe I am 30. I can’t believe this is my seventh year teaching. I can’t believe we’ve…

holiday magic

the in-between

One week from today Christmas Eve will be upon us. I can’t help but feel giddy with excitement. There’s just something about Christmas. Christmas has a way of sprinkling it’s magical, wondrous, curious spirit through my bones. Even though I’m not anxiously waiting for Santa to sneak into our house on Christmas Eve, I find…

giving thanks

cancer

Today is my favorite day. Thanksgiving brings my favorite food & favorite pastime – relaxing and spending time with family. It is a holiday that celebrates togetherness & gratefulness. It always humbles me; it helps me realize how truly lucky I am. I am lucky to have a roof over my head, I am lucky…

happy november!

the in-between

Whew – I can’t believe Thanksgiving will be upon us in a couple weeks. I feel like I’ve blinked & 1/3 of the school year will be over. There are a lot of life happenings to catch up on; I’ll do my best to keep it short & sweet. HEALTH A couple weeks ago I…

sniffles with a side of a sore throat, please

the in-between

Well, hello. Sorry for my silence on the blog front. I’ve been moving and shaking the past month or so and have barely had time to do my laundry. Just to fill you in on the life front: TEACHING Oh, how I love fifth graders. It’s actually crazy how much I love going into work…

3.5 down, 1.5 to go

cancer

This week is flying. I can’t believe it’s already Thursday night and I’m almost heading into another weekend. I guess when you have a day at the Mayo clinic Tuesday, followed by a great field trip with my 5th graders on Wednesday, a week can move pretty fast. So, as the title sings – 3.5…

my 30th birthday

the in-between

Well guys, I’ve almost been 30 for an entire week. I had a fabulous 30th birthday party thrown for me last weekend, planned by my amazing husband, sister, and a bestie, but up until that point, [and even a little this week], I was in a bit of a rut. I wish I could say…

another kaylee & ace day

the in-between

Ace and I have an annual tradition: the weekday before workshop begins, we take the day to ourselves & do anything and everything that makes Ace happy. It’s one of my favorite days. I drop all my agendas, to-dos, cleaning tasks, etc… and I do anything Ace wants, [within reason]. This year’s holiday tradition fell…

just love, unconditionally 

the in-between

As I type this post, I’m sitting in the vet hospital, waiting to see my favorite ginger-ninja’s wiggle butt once again.   Don’t panic, Ace is going to be just fine.  At 2:30 AM on early Sunday morning Ace woke Tony & I up with a start; he was having another seizure. This one wasn’t…

slow down, summer

the in-between

News flash: in two weeks I’ll be sitting in back to school workshop meetings. Summer has flown by, as always. About every summer, around this time I realize how little I’ve accomplished in terms of curriculum writing, house projects, etc… and I usually try to squish everything remaining on my to-do list in a couple…

a visitor

the in-between

This past weekend I had a visitor; a really special visitor. But first, let me give a little bit of background… I narrated a trip to my uncle’s greenhouse in this post last June. It was a special Sunday for my mom and I; one of the first time we both bought flowers without my…

a new york state of mind

the in-between

Happy Wednesday! As always, the past couple summer weeks have been crazy busy. I don’t know how summer does it, but as soon as I say the words, ‘we don’t have a lot planned for the summer,’ my weekends suddenly become filled & weeknights are accompanied by dinners & athletic leagues. However, I’m not complaining;…

GIST awareness day: july 13th

cancer

July 13th was National GIST Awareness Day. Let me rewind a bit and tell you about my whirlwind of a week… Tony and I got home from a fabulous Duluth weekend on Sunday night. We hung out with best friends by doing yoga at Bent Paddle Brewery, soaked in the Duluth sunshine, and danced at…

summer happy thoughts

cancer

Happy hump day all! As I write today, I’m currently doing one of my favorite summer activities: sitting on the patio, listening to music, watching Ace hunt birds. The current temperature is a hot 79 degrees, with a nice breeze, the song currently humming through the speakers is ‘Lost in the Light’ by Bahamas [new…

five years

the in-between

Yesterday marked five years of marriage for Tony & I. We’ve been dealt cards I never thought we’d see. We’ve held each other up & made one another laugh. We’ve flown to beaches & we’ve journeyed to the mountains. We’ve sang at concerts & got stuck in the rain. We’ve cried on staircases & ate…

some memories and forever reminder

the in-between

My first full week of summer break is about to wrap up and it’s been one for the books. I had a long list of to-dos to accomplish this first month of break. I’m teaching summer school in July and I know I’ll be working on curriculum for my new 5th grade Language/Reading position in…