Saturday, May 7, 2011
Spring time



It's been a lovely few weeks here in the Bay Area. Last weekend my mom joined Chris and I for a day in Alameda, a small island in the bay next to Oakland. We went for the antique market to gather kitchy decor for the wedding but ended up enjoying the main street as well. Alameda is the kind of Northern California dream community I would give my right arm to live in--lots of tree lined streets, adorable pre-war bungalows, and a downtown full of book shops and cafes.



The antique market was just as great as I'd always heard and, after reading about it on Design blogs for years, I finally had an excuse to visit. It takes place on the island's old military base and is flanked by views of the San Francisco skyline and the port of Oakland. Add 80 degree weather, gourmet food trucks, and shabby chic furniture and I was in hipster heaven. We picked up several things for the wedding including some vintage table cloths, milk bottles (to be used as vases), and an old window pane that will serve as the wine menu. We capped off a beautiful Spring day with a trip to the bookshops and a little lunch downtown before heading back to the South Bay.





We spent the day before chaperoning the carnival and charity soccer tournament at my school. Somehow I was assigned to the grafitti booth, where I ended up choking down spray paint fumes for three hours. The plus side being that I got to see my students tag things like "We heart Lugea" and "English is awesome." Even if they just did it for my benefit, it's nice to know deep down they sort of like me.




On that note, I'll say it's been a pretty gratifying week at work. I found out that my students scored 15 percent higher on the high school exit exam that I prepared them for than the previous year's class. They also out performed the state average among Latino students by 17 percent!) Whether or not it was my doing, it felt pretty great to know I helped my students achieve their potential. In addition, we had our student staff dance off competition this week. I'm hoping to find video of it and post later. The students won by one point and it was great to see them really support each other as a community. It was also nice to hear them say things like, "Ms. Lugea you can actually dance" with shock in their voice. To which I replied, "Duh."

Big things coming up: Mother's Day BBQ at my mom's house, Chris' bachelor party in Boston, more weddings, summer vacation, my bridal shower, and more. July 2 will be here before we know it!

Posted by Kelley at 1:14 PM | 0 comments