Last week I finally lost my patience with a class, and had a rough day at school. The week ended with a weekend filled with a new project at home: a complete overhaul and redesign of our front yard.
I don’t have much to say this week, so I’ll leave you all with a silly, one minute haiku:
winter is coming
leaves fall continuously
time to start a new
tank: madewell – cardigan: uniqlo – pants: urban outfitters – shoes: banana republic
This school year has been pretty awesome so far. The honeymoon period is definitely over, and these kids are still just absolutely amazing. This year I’m teaching Biology, Honors Biology, and AP Biology. With three classes to prep for I’m definitely not short on work, but it feels doable still. AP Bio is a new class for me, and it hasn’t been taught at my school for a long time (if ever? who knows with the level of teacher turnover at my school). That means I’m basically getting the course off the ground from scratch. Thankfully it’s a tiny class (14 brave kiddos!) and there are great resources to pull from online (Bozeman Science, I love you!). So there’s that.
I have awesome kids this year. Seriously I feel like Im in an alternate universe sometimes. I have kids who actually thank me daily for a good lesson. Today we examined case studies of homeostasis gone wrong (disease), and my students had to diagnose patients and design a treatment plan to get homeostasis back on track. One kid hung back and told me, “thanks, miss! That was really fun today, I think I want to be a doctor because that was so interesting!” Seriously. Like, Srsly.
B was out of town this past weekend, so I went shopping as usual. I found this sweater/tank/turtleneck/side-boob top at Nordstrom Rack and decided it was a good lazy morning top. It was a big hit. Teachers and students complemented me on it all day, and some people even asked to touch it. You know it’s got cool texture when people want to touch it. I’m pretty happy with this purchase. Also, I’ve been obsessed with this woman named Sophia Chang on Instagram lately, and I’m trying to steal some of her style points.
sweater: free people – tank and shoes: target – jeans: current elliot – lips: glossier in fig
B and I hiked another two 14ers last weekend. After our first one, we got the itch, so we squeezed a double whammy in before the weather turns for Fall. Gray’s Peak and Torrey’s Peak are right next to each other and are usually climbed as a two-for deal. I’m not going to lie though, this one was tough. It was only a little more mileage and elevation climb than Mt. Bierstadt, but for some reason this one felt harder. I started to feel pretty loopy in the head (lack of oxygen) about 3/4 of the way up the first peak, Gray’s. I pushed through though, and boy, was it worth it. The view at the top was breathtaking, literally and figuratively. It feels amazing to be on top of the Rocky Mountains. The second peak on the other hand, became a trudge-fest. I made it though, and felt pretty darn proud of myself. I’m not the fittest person ever, but darn it I can climb a mountain!
I started this week with a new top from Anthropologie. I think I have a pretty good pirate costume piece here, all I will have to do is engineer myself a peg-leg and find an eyepatch! It’s a darn comfy and cute top, but I paid a relatively hefty price for it, even on sale. I just have to remind myself “cost-per-wear”.
glasses: warby parker – top: anthropologie – jeans: mother denim – shoes: mia
Last Wednesday was back to school night. While I’m a firm believer in wearing “wear what ever you want” as a teacher, I broke out my most professional and conservative dress for Back to School night. I ended up meeting about 10 parents that night, and managed (for once) not to stick my foot in my mouth this year. Success!
I first saw this dress on my sister Kris, last spring. I went to visit her at work at the Pentagon where she gave me a tour of the place – pregnant with twins and wearing this dress with heels. It looked smashing on her, so I promptly ordered the same thing for my not-pregnant-nor wearing-heels self, in the same size. J.Crew Dresses that are fitted like this usually don’t work with my long-torso-short-legs shape. The butt area on the dress usually just ends up bagging up around my lower back. Kris shared with me a secret though – the “tall” sized dresses are a bit longer in the torso, and therefore work for us without being too short, too tight in the hips, and too baggy in the low back. Huzzah! 
cardigan: american apparel – dress: j.crew – shoes: banana republic – goggles: picked up while tidying up the lab
The classic end of summer weekend has come and gone. By now everyone is back in school and anticipating the weather change. Today I overheard a couple girls talking about the imminent return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. Apparently that means winter is coming. Good thing I managed to check off my last 2 summer time goals this past 3 day weekend. B and I climbed a 14er, and I went fly-fishing!
A 14er is essentially a mountain that is over 14,000 ft, and there are 96 of them in the US. 53 of these 14ers are in Colorado, so summiting them is a bit of a thing here. It seems that just about every Colorado resident has “bagged” at least one 14er. So we climbed the easiest one, Mt. Bierstadt (14,065 ft) this past weekend. Man, breathing is no joke at 12,000 ft and above. I survived though with heaps of breaks on the way up. I think I’ve got the 14er bug, so now I’m chomping at the bit to scale a few more of these peaks. Gray’s and Torrey’s Peak will be next!
I managed to squeeze in a little shopping trip yesterday before I met up with a friend to go fly-fishing. Picked up this dress from Forever 21, which of course, on me it’s a shirt. I really like these “dresses” because it guarantees that I’ll never have to worry about bending over or squatting down to pick up a pencil in the classroom. I have a super long torso, so even with high-waisted jeans, the danger of an accidental butt crack slip is always a concern. Please ignore the wrinkles, I’m not an iron or steam type of person. Even with wrinkles, this top is neutral, comfortable, and professional looking enough for the classroom. Winning. Also, these jeans (and a black pair) are the only pants I’ve been wearing lately, because they’re the only ones that fit me right now. Thanks, summer!
glasses: warby parker – top: f21 – jacket: h&m – jeans: mother denim – shoes: mia
It’s pouring down rain here in Denver as I type. I’m still in my dress from earlier when it was 85˚. Today I wore a dress to school with palm trees and swingy shape that makes me think of Hawaii. I’ve been to Hawaii once, when I was 12, on spring break vacation with my family. It was the first time I ever experienced a sunburn, and it. was. so. bad. I never really knew what peeling skin meant till then. At the end of the week, I had freckles for the first and only time in my life. Now I just get “sun spots” and “sun damage” even though I wear sunblock religiously. Curses.
This dress is a recent back-to-school purchase from H&M. It’s works well for the classroom because it’s long enough, breezy, and unfussy. On the H&M website, the dress is almost a maxi. On me, it just reaches the top of my shin. =) I’m debating buying the same dress in the other pattern while its still on sale. It’s not the greatest material (not very breathable polyester), but it’s so easy to grab this and have a no brainer outfit in the morning.
dress: h&m – shoes: h&m x swedish hasbeens
The first week of school is done! It was a rough week trying to get my body to physically adjust back to being in the classroom with students. I wasn’t hungry when I actually had time to eat, and I was starving during 5th period when I don’t have any breathing time till around 2:30. My restroom break schedule still needs tweaking around my teaching schedule. To help that, I’ve been forgetting to drink any “not coffee” type liquids. By the time next Friday rolls around, I will have whipped my body back into teaching shape with the bladder made of iron.
This year I’ve decided to document my entire “first week back” wardrobe. This is a fashion blog, after all, and there is no more important sartorial week in a teachers year than the first week back. Am I right? This week’s wardrobe is pretty typical for me – I start off with a few nice (read: dress or skirt) and casual it up for the rest of the days, ending with a bang of super dress-down on Fridays.
Monday: 9th grade only (I do not have classes, as I teach 10th and 12th graders this year). I forgot to take photos that day in the classroom, so B helped me snap a couple on my phone when I got home. Giant forehead alert!
glasses: warby parker – cardigan: american apparel – dress: j.crew – shoes: saltwater sandals
Tuesday: My actual first day of school. I don’t know what I was thinking putting this outfit together the night before, because I hated it all day at school. I think the shoes have got to go to a friend who has a desk job, because they were not comfortable at all for making laps in the hallways. The skirt was too tight in the waist (summer pleasures brought on a fall squeeze) and kept climbing upwards when I walked. It’s a old skirt, and I used to love it, but I think it’s passed it’s peak. The shirt on the other hand, I love.
glasses: warby parker – top: j.crew – skirt: dkny jeans – shoes: h&m
Wednesday: the short day. We have block schedule at my school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This means I have prep periods all morning, teach only one 1.5 hr class, and then we have early release for grade team and all staff meetings. I love Wednesdays, obvi
shirt: anthropologie – belt: banana republic – jeans: 3×1 – shoes: mia
Thursday: OMG save me type of a day. Thursdays is the opposite of Wednesdays this year. I teach straight through for 5.5 hrs before I get a real break. By the end of Thursday I could barely remember my own name.
glasses: warby parker – shirt: target – skirt: banana republic – shoes: mia
Friday: Thank god the weekend is here, I survived! This Friday, I busted out a slam dunk of a first week of school t-shirt, a real gem for this science teacher. B’s mum sent over a super stuffed birthday package for me this year, full of gummy candies, gorgeous smelling soaps, gardening gloves, and an awesome science shirt! It is seriously the best, and the kids definitely liked it. The shirt is from a small Perth based Etsy shop called ScienceStitch. I think mum found the shirt in Perth, so I’m sorry if you’re looking for the same shirt online.
t-shirt: science stitch – belt: gap – jeans: 3×1 – shoes: nike (omg, like walking on clouds!)
For Part One, check out this post here.
After Melbourne, B and I headed up to the Sunshine Coast for his brother Kai’s wedding to Jill. I’d met Kai once before, but only knew Jill via social media. I’d also never met B’s dad (he doesn’t travel out of Aus much), so this was pretty exciting for me. It was great to spend time with B’s parents and creep on how many behaviors and mannerisms B picked up from his mum and dad. B’s dad Craig runs a dive shop down in Bremer Bay, which is a hot spot for Sea Dragons. After many years of observing and tracking behavior and distribution of Sea Dragons, he’s probably one of the world’s leading experts on these delicate and beautiful organisms.
The wedding itself was of course absolutely beautiful, taking place in the temperate rainforest, by a lake. Checkout their wedding video here, to get a feel of the setting and the event. I got my first taste of Australian wildlife here, when possums came to visit us at night looking for a treat. They are really, really cute. I round out the hard way though, that they actually have sharp claws. oops. For the wedding, I chose to bring a dress I found at Anthropologie that seemed appropriate enough. I had a ridiculously hard time finding a dress to wear that was not white, black and was not covered in flowers. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I spent too much time having fun at the wedding, and forgot to get any full photos of me in the dress. Jill and Kai looked amazing, as they always do, as did all of the Lebenses. The wedding was a 2 day affair, and the next day we spent time at Aussie World running around jumping on rides and driving bumper cars. 
Our last day in the Queensland, we stopped by Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo for a few hours before flying out of Brisbane. Oh my god, I was so happy. I got to pet Koalas! and Kangaroos! So ridiculously cute and amazing. I spend the whole time there running from animal to animal, and poor B, Mum, and Peter had to jog at some points to try and keep up. Crickey!
Part 3: Perth coming soon! Teachers report back in 2 weeks! I’m not ready.
Teacher appreciation week came and went recently at my school. I got a few hand made cards, churros for breakfast, and a pasta lunch! It was a sweet week, especially once I threw in a BOGO beer for teachers at Factorum Brewery here in Denver along with a BOGO burrito at Chipotle right after.
Teacher perks are pretty awesome and always make me feel like a special unicorn. Normally though, teachers don’t look like special, sparkly unicorns. Usually, we stick to teacher outfit staples such as button downs, pencil skirts, and cardigans with large tote bags. At least, that’s how most people think teachers dress, or should dress. I have my fair share of cardigans and button downs, but the frumpy teacher look is not for me at all.
glasses: warby parker – necklaces and blazer: madewell – top: kit and ace – belt: gap – jeans: mother denim – boots: cole hahn
Last week, NEA Member Benefits contacted me to help promote their NEA Member Appreciation Month. As part of this promotion, they gave dramatic style makeover to 3 teachers, and put out videos with fashion tips specific for teachers. Many of these tips are kind of no-brainers though, such as “blend comfort and style” with dark stretchy jeans and soft leather ankle boots. The last tip I checked out was to”look polished and professional” by making sure your blazer can button across the front. Check, check, and check. In my head, I have the perfect emoji for this moment, but I’m going to just let your imagination run with it.
I blended style and comfort with a stupid expensive but I super love it because it’s really warm and comfy Kit and Ace sweater B bought me for the holidays this past year, with the stretchiest pair of dark skinny jeans I have that were on super sale at Anthropologie. My ankle boots were a steal, as they literally cost me a penny. Seriously. There must have been a glitch in the tagging that day at Nordstrom Rack, because when I got home and looked at the receipt (I’m horrible and never pay attention at the actual register), they were listed for a penny. The blazer is an old faithful that I will wear the crap out of forever. All in all, this was a super comfortable outfit.
Sooooo, NEA Member Benefits is offering registered NEA members a chance to win up to a $1000 shopping spree with a Visa reward card (25 $100 gift cards are also being given away). Click here for for information on how to enter.
Disclosure: In case you haven’t figured this out by now, I’m getting paid a small sum (for the first time!) for this blog post. My learning community class will be getting treats next week because of this.
A couple weeks ago B and I went to the Denver Flea, where I picked up this gem of a t-shirt from Mile High Clothing Co. I love craft fairs/flea markets for finding t-shirts, and this one has quickly become my new favorite. John Muir is one of my favorite naturalists, second only to Charles Darwin.
The mountains are calling and I must go. I have been so antsy for summer. In two and a half weeks, we will be administering final exams for our 9-11th graders. Summer is calling my name, loudly.
cardigan: jcrew – tshirt: mile high clothing co – belt: banana republic – jeans: mother denim – sandals: mossimo
Teachers Have Lives Too! 
