xo jennifer

For my brother, who’s leaving on his around-the-world trip...

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:46:13 -0500

For my brother, who’s leaving on his around-the-world trip today.

Bon voyage, Bud!

So, to pick up where I left off, after Colin and I grabbed...

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:02:00 -0500

So, to pick up where I left off, after Colin and I grabbed drinks on the Nam Khan River we still had a few hours to kill before we could check into our hotel. Since we had spent the earlier hours browsing the morning market we headed in a new direction. Luang Prabang is unique in that it feels like a little European town in the middle of Asia. Years ago it was occupied by the French and those tastes (fresh baguettes on every corner) and sights (cobblestone streets and colonial mansions) still linger. If it weren’t for the monks draped in saffron robes lining up for their morning alms and chedis peaking out above the wat walls you might forget where you were for a second…

border run

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:54:00 -0500

Hey, remember that time our tourist visa ran out and Colin and I had to make a border run? Yeah, I almost forgot about it too… Since I won’t have much to post about as I settle into my first week of school, I’ve queued up some posts about our three week trip to Laos and Vietnam. You can find the first batch of posts here.

Enjoy & happy Tuesday!

Photo

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:35:10 -0500

T-ARA :: Bo Peep Bo Peep My absolute favorite thing to do with...

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:09:15 -0500

T-ARA :: Bo Peep Bo Peep

My absolute favorite thing to do with my kids was watch them dance to this Japanese pop song. A former teacher taught them a choreographed dance for the winter talent show and they can’t get enough of it. Watching them shimmy and shake was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time. I’m thinking for this year’s show that I’ll teach them a dance to Call Me Maybe…

(I couldn’t find an mp3 of the song, so please enjoy this music video)

b is for... bumble bee

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:01:01 -0500

Here are a few of my K2 students proudly showing off their bumble bees, one of the first crafts I did with them. I spent three weeks teaching 14 four-year olds about the alphabet, numbers, animals, fruits, and veggies. I loved every single moment of it. I loved pushing them on the swing sets, playing “Teacher Says”, high fiving them after they got an answer right, listening them speak Thai (even if they were supposed to be speaking English!), and watching them play with one another. This is a truly special and oh-so-adorable group of kids… you can imagine how sad I was to hear I wouldn’t be teaching them at the start of the new term.

Our K3 teacher is heading home to Australia for a few months, so I’ll be moving up to her class and the new Canadian preschool teacher will be taking over K2. Although it took a few days to get use to the idea, I’m now really looking forward to K3. This week the kids are on holiday while the staff prepares for the start of a new school year. I completely cleaned, rearranged, and organized my new classroom and am gearing up to teach phonics, spelling, and reading to a new batch of five-year olds.

Bring it on K3, let’s do this!

tallgirltales: Party Dress du Jour: Diane Kruger in a gorgeous...

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:23:00 -0500

tallgirltales:

Party Dress du Jour:

Diane Kruger in a gorgeous mint green Giambattista Valli Couture gown at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremonies & Moonrise Kingdom premiere.

Diane does it again! She is certainly moving up in the girl crush ranks…

On Sunday, we met up with Anton and Bengt, two friends from our...

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:30:14 -0500

On Sunday, we met up with Anton and Bengt, two friends from our TEFL course, who took us to Khao San Road for the first time. Essentially, KSR is a backpacker’s paradise. The street is lined with hostels, bars, tattoo parlors, clothing stalls, and used book stores. While relatively calm during the day, come nightfall it turns into a different world. The locale made a cameo in The Hangover II when the guys started a street riot/fire. During our visit we ate delicious pad thai for $1, enjoyed a few Changs at Center Khao San, and watched a group of kids breakdance.

The first weekend in May, we took a quick trip to Bangkok to see...

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:01:29 -0500

The first weekend in May, we took a quick trip to Bangkok to see Colin’s best friend Nick and his girlfriend Allison who had just arrived in Thailand a few days earlier. They will be spending the year here to teach English and were placed in a small village outside of Lampang. Here the four of us are enjoying drinks (and air conditioning) during a trip to the Chatuchack Market. It was nice to see familiar faces; something I hope to repeat soon considering we’re only a three hours away from each other!

Mom, thanks for making me feel proud of myself. Thank you for...

Sun, 13 May 2012 21:27:00 -0500

Mom, thanks for making me feel proud of myself. Thank you for reminding me it’s OK not to have everything figured out. To go easy on myself sometimes. Thanks for setting a good example. Thanks for treating me to shopping trips and brunches in the city. Thank you for loving my Dad the way you do and giving your all to our family. Thanks for teaching me it’s called a loaf of bread (not a bag) and that I need to change my Band-Aid if it gets wet. Thank you for always listening. For your enthusiasm. Thank you for supporting every decision I’ve ever made… even if that decision was to move halfway across the world (again). Thanks for letting me live my life. I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day.

"Don’t try to be great. Being great involves luck and other circumstances beyond your control. The..."

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:02:43 -0500

“Don’t try to be great. Being great involves luck and other circumstances beyond your control. The less you think about being great, the more likely it is to happen. And if it doesn’t, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being solid.”

- Charles Wheelan, 10 things your commencement speaker won’t tell you. Words of wisdom for the new graduate. Although one might argue, he’s already great.

All five of us lined up and ready for our first day of school...

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:16:01 -0500

All five of us lined up and ready for our first day of school nearly 20 years ago… It’s hard to believe that little blond boy is a college graduate now.

Alex accomplished a hell of a lot during his time at Kansas University. As a freshman, he founded the KU Dance Marathon chapter, a 12 hour fundraiser benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network where students “dance for those who can’t.” It has since become the fastest growing student organization on campus and has raised over $130,000 for the cause. In addition to KUDM he was involved in homecoming, pledged a fraternity, and started an initiative to expand the Counseling and Psychological Services’ budget that Student Senate later passed. Alex’s dedication to service landed him a spot as one of KU’s Men of Merit, an honor given to those who lead by example and contribute positively to the community. His post-graduate plans consist of an around-the-world trip which will kick off in Africa where he’ll volunteer with Heshima Kenya, an organization dedicated to protecting refugee children living in Nairobi. He plans on making it to my side of the world by November and I am literally counting down the days till I get to see him!

Bud, for all that you have achieved - and all that you will achieve - I’m so proud of you.

I see you your Met Gala best dressed pics of Diane Kruger, Camille Belle and Kristen Wiig and raise you Kate Middleton in the teal Jenny Packman gown.

Fri, 11 May 2012 21:46:00 -0500

I fold.

My #1 girl crush looked stunning at the Olympic concert celebrating British athletes tonight. These certainly give her past two Jenny Packman gowns a run for their money. I especially love the lace detailing and her elegantly braided updo. As always, Kate recycles beloved pieces; she is wearing the same Jimmy Choo heels (not pictured) that she wore earlier this week to a dinner in London and last summer to the BAFTA awards.

(photos via graziadaily)

Homegirl knew how to strike a pose. And that concludes my...

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:01:14 -0500

Homegirl knew how to strike a pose.

And that concludes my elephant series. If your elephant quota hasn’t been filled for the day I’d recommend checking out Chang Thai, the personal photo blog of a TECC employee. Hope these wrinkly, hairy, floppy eared creatures brightened your day!

This may just be my favorite picture that’s ever existed.

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:31:43 -0500

This may just be my favorite picture that’s ever existed.

And you thought all elephants could do were look cute and eat...

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:41:14 -0500

And you thought all elephants could do were look cute and eat bananas…

Puppy Elephant love.

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:02 -0500

~~Puppy~~ Elephant love.

I interrupt my elephant photobomb to bring you this blurry...

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:17:00 -0500

I interrupt my elephant photobomb to bring you this blurry iPhone photo my sister took while watching Stevie Wonder perform last night at Cafe Milano. No big deal.

EXCEPT IT IS.

Follow the leader…

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:35 -0500

Follow the leader…

Bath time seems like a lot more fun in elephant land.

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:16:12 -0500

Bath time seems like a lot more fun in elephant land.