2,477 miles later...

I made it! Monday at 3a.m., I was still in Elgin, and after a quick car ride to O'Hare with my friends Christina and Sean, boarding a flight to Houston and changing planes to San Jose, I am here!

I had so many moments where I knew I wasn't alone. I mean, even though I was travelling alone, I knew God was watching out for me with every step. I checked in with overweight luggage, and the flight attendant waved me through with a smile. I sat by a woman from Mexico on the flight to Houston and practiced my Spanish. I worked out in Houston while carrying probably (at least!) 60 pounds of "carry-on" baggage from Gate C20 to Gate E9. When I arrived in San Jose and waited in line for customs, I met a couple who helped me find my luggage. Then my principal, Tia Reilly, picked me up at the airport, and I realized that not many people can say their boss helped them move into their apartment. My neighbors are great -- Steve and Diane from Maine, and they are here learning Spanish at the Institute. They took me to the store this morning and I was surrounded by Spanish, so I had opportunities to practice.

Um, yeah, we'll keep practicing the Spanish. My brain already kind of hurts.

So now I'm setting up my apartment this afternoon (and resting in my English language world :)), and I'll go work on the classroom tomorrow morning.

Sorry there's no photos yet. I didn't get my camera out during the trip over because I had so much other luggage to keep track of... but there will be some soon, I promise!

Only 100 pounds????

Packing to move overseas is a great test in priorities... I'm discovering (more than ever before!) my love of creative clothing and jewelry and neck scarves and shoes... uh-oh.



I'm also discovering my love of books... and I have too many that I want to take with me. Another uh-oh.

Somehow, I've managed to also fit in handmade posters for my classroom, a deck of cards, paper flowers for my desk, dry erase markers, Sharpies, nametags, multi-colored folders... My classroom will be a great example of minimal art.

And you can't forget the SkipBo... :) (upside down!)

What would you take if you could only pack 100 pounds? I learned that a brand new bottle of TreSemme shampoo (my first choice) weighs 2 pounds. While I know it will definitely last me until Christmas when I return home to stock up again, it seems ridiculous that my shampoo is 1/50 of the limit weight...

introducing.... my family!!!

ha, These are the funniest people ever. They make me smile. Here's a family photo shoot from this past week. I set the camera up on Dad's tripod and ran to the camera and my place in the picture between each photo. I had 8 seconds to get in the pickup with everyone else! We took 5 takes of that one and Mom was laughing, saying I looked hilarious running back and forth. Dad's favorite is the one with the pick up, for obvious reasons!

goodbyes

it's surreal. i have to say goodbye now?

i keep telling myself that teaching in another country is a great idea, but my emotions are beginning to overrule this logic. what am i, nuts? seriously, kate, where did you get this idea from?

but here i am, 12 days until the big moving day... and i've already said goodbye to quite a few people.

here's my cousins zack and chloe. we went to the park while all the siscoe's were at our house. fun kids.

weddings and engagements

done some photo shoots in the past week. here's a sneak preview...

hope you don't mind me posting them even though they're not taken in costa rica....

summer snapshots

so I thought it was about time to tell you more about how my summer is going, and pictures are a quick way to do that. and of course I love taking photos, so I have plenty to share! I haven't quite figured out how to load photos in chronological order... so forgive me if it seems like I'm jumping around.

I have been busy planning lessons and overview calendars for my 4th grade endeavors, and I've been making lots of classroom posters! I have also been spending as much time as possible with friends and family, making the most of every opportunity! and of course, I have been nannying and working for my hard-earned living. :)

alright, let's get down to business:

something I really wanted to do this summer was to fly to Florida to see my good friend Qwynne. with some careful financial planning, I was able to do just that! this seagull was at the Boca Grande beach and liked his photo being taken (I have 5 more photos of him, all in different poses, as proof!)

apparently I've been practicing my hand at animal photography as here is another example. this lizard was not happy that I was interrupting his sunning time, as he avoided the camera.
and here's Qwynne. isn't she lovely?
me and Qwynne. we ate lunch at her favorite place called "two senoritas." why a mix of English and Spanish? not sure.

another weekend, my great friends from home (Chelsea on the left, Erin on the right) came to visit me in Elgin and we headed downtown Chicago for the day.
an ambitious young sailor we encountered at the infamous bean in Millennium Park. a flower girl and ring bearer also at the Millennium Park bean. I love taking pictures of kids!
at the amphitheater in Millennium Park.
we walked all over Chicago on the hottest day of the year. we were exhausted at the end of the day!
oh, here we are again at the bean, taking our own portraits!

I had to say goodbye to my dear friend Tiffany. She and her husband, Dave, are headed to Indonesia to teach for 2 years. We'll keep in touch over Skype!
then another weekend, I spent time with these crazy people and their dogs. recognize any of them?
yes, they are racing their dachshunds...
I worked with the Judson University Design Camp for a week in July. here is a critique set-up. Julie and Marjie and I were looking at their work and making decisions about where to take it next.
and we couldn't help but get a Camp photo at the bean. I've spent a lot of time in Chicago!

oh yes, and then I spend quite a bit of time with these fellas. here they are wrestling on the garage floor.
and going into forbidden territory... I have the photos to prove it! :)

I babysat these beautiful girls in June. LtoR: Simone, Chavonne, Vashti. precious and so fun! we did girl stuff like dress up and painting our nails!

and then back to boy stuff: guns and getaway drivers.

I think that's a good quick summary. perhaps I'll post more later :)

hello from florida!

quick trip to florida to spend some quality time with my good friend qwynne. a mini-vacation of sorts. sorry, i don't have my camera cord with me to post photos, but trust me, it's gorgeous! photos to follow :).

this has been a busy summer. my week off from nannying was consumed by the Judson design camp as i was camp counselor and studio assistant. that was lots of fun too! perhaps i'll post some photos of that too.

as i sat in the airplane yesterday, making the journey from Chicago to Ft. Myers, i realized that it is exactly a month before i leave for Costa Rica. wow. everything is happening so fast and i think it's only going to feel faster! Two more weeks of nannying and two weeks at home and... then 10 days until i have my own classroom in another country. sheesh!

i'll be sending out my support letters this next week. if you would like to receive one, email your home address to kathrynsiscoe@gmail.com. thanks!