The past two weeks have been busy! Very busy! I have finally finished setting up my classroom, my apartment is feeling a little bit like home, I am getting to know Royal Oak, went to a Tigers game with Bill, saw a beautiful friend take his first profession to enter the priesthood, had an adventure in the kitchen, and found the best ice cream store in Detroit (well, at least I think it is).
It's incredibly surreal having my own classroom and being able to set it up in my own style. We start our in service days next week for St. Paul and then school shortly follows on September 6th! It's coming up and I could not be more anxious/scared/happy/excited/all of the above. The staff at St. Paul has been welcoming and comforting. They have been far more than helpful with all of my questions and needs as a new teacher. A lot of the staff is very young and there is a decent amount of MSU graduates so that is exciting. I feel so at home and part of the community already.
In other news ...
- I am continuing the 1/2 marathon training. I just ran 8 miles today with my cousin, Kim. It was a great run on a sunny Saturday morning. I actually ran 20 miles this week for the first time ever!
- Kim, Thommy (cousins), and I checked out the Royal Oak farmer's market this morning as well. I cannot wait to do my grocery shopping there. They have everything you need for a meal and then some.
- Lesson planning consumes my life (as usual).
- Last week, Bill and I went to Treat Dreams in Ferndale. They make their own ice cream and I tried the Raspberry Lemon Bar. Real raspberries and real lemon bars. In ice cream. There is a God.
- Last night, I made gazpacho and homemade pizza. I made whole wheat flatbread and loaded it with fresh veggies. For the flatbread, I did the following:
Ingredients
3 cups (710 mL) whole wheat pastry flour (or 1.5 cups white flour and 1.5 cups whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup (60 mL) Olive oil
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (180 mL) water, plus 1-2 T as needed (I used about a cup)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients until a smooth dough is made and knead for 5 minutes on a flat surface.
- Let dough rest in a bowl, covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes.
- Separate dough into 8 portions and roll each portion out into a flat circle, about 7″ in diameter. If dough seems resistant to stretching out, let rest a few minutes, and then try to roll out thinner again.
- Let rest under a damp towel until ready to use.
- Bake stovetop in a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking oil heated to medium for 45 seconds each side (I cooked mine a little long for a more crisp texture), or until brown spots begin to appear.
It was amazing! The homemade gazpacho wasn't too bad either.
Everything is starting to come together, slowly but surely. I definitely get homesick for Grand Rapids from time to time but Royal Oak is shaping up to be an awesome place to live.
xo
Kait
