The Teaching Thief: Summer Recap & Meet the Teacher

I did it.

I went up to school and started working on my classroom today. I even got up early. Like really early. Like left my house before 7 am early!

I'm not going to lie... it was rough.

Walking into my classroom sealed the deal. Summer is officially over. So, it seems like the perfect time to link up with Mrs. Thompson at Adventures in Teaching for her Summer Recap linky where you tell about 5 moments this summer using pictures. This also ties in perfectly with Meet the Teacher Monday. Bonus!

Fact #1: I love going to museums. Just don't ask me to stay too long.

It's true. I really DO enjoy museums, historical landmarks, and what not. I do. I love going. I like to take pictures. I like to walk through. I appreciate. I really do. But, I don't want to hang out there all day and I don't want to read every sign and every plaque.

It's like the Grand Canyon scene in Guilt Trip. Have you seen it? They get to the Grand Canyon and wow! is it beautiful. And Barbara Streisand looks at Seth Rogan and says, "So, how long do we look at it?" And he says, "10 minutes?"

McNay Art Museum - San Antonio, Texas

That being said, one of my favorite activities this summer was going to the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. The outside grounds are stunning. They are filled with some really incredible sculptures. Beautiful! The special exhibit was on Normal Rockwell and it was so cool!

The left is the staged photograph that he used to paint the image on the right.

I had no idea he set up elaborate photo shoots of his sketches to create a photograph for him to use while he painted. This was his way to be sure he captured the right lighting, expression, and angle of whatever he was trying to paint. It explains why his paintings are so lifelike. It was really an incredible exhibit. I highly recommend it. It's called Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera. Worth it!

Fact #2: I make a pretty good San Antonio tour guide.

Now, I know I have only lived in San Antonio for three years, but during that time I have taken the Riverboat tour countless times, walked through the Alamo on more than one occasion, and walked the Riverwalk up, down, and back again. It's such a fun place to visit and the history is fascinating. So, when my mom came to visit, we headed downtown to do a little exploring and take some photos. No boat tour this time, I just did the talking.

Fact #3: My high school mascot and college mascot were the same...the Viking!

If you have been following my blog for awhile you probably already know that I went to high school and college in Washington state. My high school was in a tiny town on the Kitsap Pennisula called Poulsbo, and we were the North Kitsap Vikings. Then, I went to college at Western Washington University, where I continued to be a Viking. As a child, my elementary mascot was a Crusader. All I ever wanted was to be a bear or a tiger. But, alas, I have always been ready to battle old school style.

This summer I went back for just a quick visit. My husband and I flew in Thursday and back out Sunday. While there we got some amazing coffee, saw a good friend get married, rode the ferries, enjoyed the cooler weather, visited with family, and attended my brother-in-laws navy retirement. It was a complete whirlwind, but a great trip!

Fact #4: I like being a tourist in my own city.

Thank goodness my best friend comes down from Washington to do all the tourist activities with me. We've covered the basics in years past. We've done Six Flags and met the penguins at SeaWorld. So, this year we had to do some research for some fun filled San Antonio activities. Honestly, I think we hit the ball out of the park this time.

We went to the 3rd Annual Food Truck Throw Down for some good eats. I had some deep fried guacamole topped with a raspberry chipotle sauce that was ah-maz-ing! We did the River City Run which is a 5K running tour of downtown SA. It was hot and really humid, but so worth it! After doing some shopping at the San Marcos outlets (HUGE! people HUGE!), we went swimming at Barton Springs in Austin. We drove to Boerne to see Pistol Packin' Paula (click here for video), who you may remember from America's Got Talent, and we sampled some wine at the Grape Creek Vineyard in Fredericksburg. Oh... and we did a ghost tour downtown! Such fun!

Fact #5: I'm obsessed with my dogs.

Okay, you probably already knew that, but I couldn't pass up another opportunity to post pictures of my pups! How can you not love those faces? Or those cute corgi butts? Adorable!

Whew! It's been quite a summer. What are your favorite memories from the summer? Link up with Adventures in Teaching to recap and link up with Blog Hoppin' to tell us some interesting facts about yourself for Meet the Teacher Monday.