That’s right, friends.
I have missed several months of blogging, so I am back with a big compilation blog. I’ll update my Stories shortly afterwards.
to create
As I said before, I’ve been developing a YA fantasy series for the past few months. There’s been a lot of worldbuilding, character templating, and mostly Pinteresting. I felt like I had a lot to prepare before I started writing, but I was itching to get started. Still, I kept holding myself back.
But as of July, I decided it was time to just dive in. I’ve talked about this before, that you can put off writing forever by researching and plotting and developing, but at some point you just have to write. I’ve read before that the first draft is you telling yourself the story, so I just need to get it down before I even know all the tweaks I’m going to have to make. I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo and set my goal for 20,000 words. Because I didn’t begin until the middle of the month, I only completed 5,125 words, which is fairly impressive given everything else I had going on.
One of the things that helped me was doing writing sprints with my critique partners. Even though we are not the best at holding each other accountable all the time, sometimes all you need is a friend on the phone for an hour to sit with you while you both write.
As for blogging, my last post from a million years ago was a reflection on April.
to work
As mentioned in my last post, I took the Elementary Ed K-6 exam. I was pretty nervous about this one because it involves 4 subtests in each of the core subject areas, and I didn’t have a lot of time to study for it. I also got sick on the weekend when I was supposed to take it, which seriously impaired my studying. I actually had to cancel the test I was planning to go to in Jacksonville, but I managed to reschedule it for Orlando so I didn’t have to travel. The good news is I passed! All four subtests in one day, passed on the first try. Unfortunately, the opportunity I was going for fell through, so I won’t be using this certification either. But now, at least I am eligible to teach in two subject areas. I can technically teach K-12 in varying capacities now!
The month of May consisted entirely of testing for the FSA. I tested kids literally every day, for standard groups, accommodated groups, and makeups. It was a bit exhausting, considering all I could do was read scripts and stare at the students. By the end of the school year, I was very ready for a break.
I had about a week off before teaching summer school! It was my first time actually teaching, and I was very excited and nervous. I had 5th and 6th graders (rising into 6th and 7th) so I knew a lot of them, but many came from the school’s other campus. I shared two groups with another teacher; I taught ELA to one group and she taught math to another, and we switched groups in the middle of the day. As a whole, I loved summer school. We did themes every week (for which I dressed accordingly), I got to plan with the other ELA teacher (the one I assisted all last year), I made lesson plans, and best of all, I got to teach kids. I really bonded with them, especially since we were pretty small groups. Things were a little more relaxed since it was summer and we only had four weeks, plus the days were only 5 hours long. On the last day, I brought Ray’s mom’s rabbit, Newt. He lives at school during the year, so he’s very accustomed to attention from kids. He made an excellent last day sendoff.
July I actually had off, until the last week, which was new teacher training. Even though I’m not teaching this year, the school wanted me to participate since I didn’t go to new staff training last year. It was three days, the first for all new staff, and the second and third for teachers. I went to all three so that I could get familiar with curriculum. I think I’m kind of a backup in case any vacancies open that I can fill. I have mixed feelings about that, because I do really want to teach, but there’s not much I can do. At least I got to learn a little more about the teacher side of things with the curriculum.
to live
May
May 1: Kentucky Derby
In honor of the Kentucky Derby, Ray’s grandma threw a Derby party, which involved everyone bringing their own fun hats and required us to choose a horse. Because we are superior, Ray and I made our hats to match our horses–Midnight Bourbon (me) and Bourbonic (Ray)–complete with mini bourbon bottles. Ray’s mom also dressed with a themed hat for her horse, Helium. In the end none of us won, and the winner got caught doping. But at least we looked cute.
May 2: Velocicoaster preview
In a stroke of truly excellent luck, Ray scored us tickets to a passholder preview of Universal’s new ride, the Velocicoaster. Truthfully, I was terrified of this ride. I don’t even think I would’ve gone on it for a while if we didn’t have special passholder privileges. But we did it, and it was so incredible and intense. We both had to get souvenirs afterwards to commemorate the experience, and then we sat in the Discovery Center for half an hour to recover. If you like to be thrilled and terrified all at once, I highly recommend you try it out.
May 13: new phone
For the first time since October 2016, I got a new phone. And for the first time ever, I bought it myself. Ray and I got on a phone plan together like serious adults so I finally upgraded my iPhone 7 to an iPhone SE (2nd gen). It’s not the fanciest or newest model, but it is practical for what I need and what I can afford (or rather what Papa Joe could afford with my stimulus check). It took me a hot minute to get switched over (thanks, Verizon) but I finally have a new phone that is all my own.
May 15: Moving
Ray and I knew we were going to move into her mom’s house once our lease ran out, but we did not anticipate that our landlord’s realtor was going to start showing the house almost 2 months before our lease ended. When they put the “For Rent” sign in our yard, we decided it was as good a time as any to start moving things over. Thus began an agonizing month and a half process of moving that we dragged out much longer than necessary by doing it in small increments. We have finally settled in (aside from the mounds of boxes left to unpack) and are really enjoying living closer to work. Our new roomie is Ray’s sister, Sydney, and we live with roughly a million (or 8) animals now.
May 16 & 27: Universal Studios
With the school year winding down and the Velocicoaster opening up, Ray and I went to Universal twice more this month. Once, just to hang out in Seussland, and again with our friends, whom we convinced to get passes. We also convinced them to ride the Velocicoaster, despite Leanne’s eternal fear of big drops. I actually kept my eyes open this time, and we didn’t have to take quite as long to recover. We also rode Hagrid’s in the dark for the first time, which made it even better.
May 30: Black Hammock Airboat Ride
For Ray’s grandma’s birthday, she wanted us all to go on an airboat ride in Black Hammock. Despite the scorching heat of the day, the ride ended up being quite nice thanks to the breeze. The few moments of stillness on the open water with no shade were unfortunate. Afterwards, we got pictures holding a little gator and ate at the restaurant. I’ve tried gator before, but I tried it once again just for the buffalo gator sampler, which was better than I expected. It did feel a little awkward eating gator right after holding one. Sorry, Mr. Wiggles.
June
June 2: Hollywood Studios
With only two days left on my 4-day ticket, Ray and I went to Hollywood Studios. We got Rise of the Resistance passes for the afternoon (would recommend), got stuck on Tower of Terror (would NOT recommend), and did a few other favorites like Rockin’ Rollercoaster and Slinky Dog Dash. I did lose my pride ears on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (homophobic, if you ask me), but I eventually got them mailed back to me. At the end of the night, we did a quick Skyliner ride over to Epcot and enjoyed some delicious ice cream from L’Artisans de Glaces.
June 19: Animal Kingdom
For my final Disney day, Ray, Syd, and I went to Animal Kingdom. We went through the Tree of Life and saw some animals I didn’t even know were there (both live and carved into the trunk). We walked along both animal trails and went on the safari, which was shockingly popping with animals. I even did some things I haven’t done since I was a kid (or ever), which included getting soaked on Kali River Rapids and visiting Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Honestly, being water-logged half the day was pretty nice, since it cooled us down throughout the afternoon, and we slowly managed to dry off. Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage were must-dos, as was eating at the Satu’li Canteen in Pandora. We thought about hopping over to Magic Kingdom to make the most of my last day, but I was too exhausted by the time we finished everything at Animal Kingdom. Still, it was a great way to finish off my ticket.
June 28 and 30: Bestie visits
The last week in June, my best friend from Tallahassee, Sara, was in town for a conference. We got dinner, went shopping, and caught up a couple times while she was here. It was super fun to see her, and we traded goodies before she left (I lent her a book, she gave me a sticker for her podcast). As usual, we neglected to get any pictures together, making it even harder to tell how recently we’ve seen each other.
July
July 3: Charlie Chaplin’s birthday party
Before you get confused, Charlie Chaplin is a cat. He belongs to my friend Laura, and he is a thick, mysterious, tuxedo wonder with a tiny mustache. For his birthday, Laura threw him a birthday bash, featuring cheese dip, cat ears, and a birthday PowerPoint documenting Charlie’s entire life up until now. The guest of honor was rather shy and preferred to spend the evening in his room, like a feline Jay Gatsby, but we had a blast celebrating on his behalf.
July 4-9: Tallahassee trip
I promised my mom a while ago that I would help her go through all my stuff at her house, so once I finished summer school, I headed up there. I mostly had a lot of books to pick through and decide what to keep for later, what to donate, and what I could take with me. I ended up leaving several boxes to grab whenever I actually have room for all of it, and I didn’t even get through everything, but at least I got a lot sorted.
While I was in town, I also saw a bunch of friends and family. My friends Meredith and Prachi and I got lunch a couple times and went to Books-A-Million. I had a Nintendo and Charcuterie night with my pals Becky, Will, and Matthew. I even got to see some family members for an Olive Garden lunch.
July 10-20: Petsitting
Once I returned to Central Florida, our household had the task of hosting Ray’s mom’s pets while she and her boyfriend went to Wisconsin. For 10 days, we welcomed Newt the bunny, Fern the terrier, and Evers the greyhound. It made our family zoo even bigger. I even made a Tik Tok about taking care of the menagerie.
July 16: Universal Studios (again)
Ray and I try to go to Universal at least once a month to make the most of our passes, but since we went three times in May, we didn’t go at all in June. By July, we were ready to return and went with a friend from work and her girlfriend. This was notable, not only because it was a gay double date, but also because I went on Fast and the Furious for the first time. It was everything I hoped it would be and more, considering I had no expectations. We went on a few other rides, and even got drinks in the line for Velocicoaster (would not recommend, introduced a renewed fear of vomiting on the ride).
July 20-26: Dog sitting
After one petsitting gig, I took on another. My friend, Morganne, and her family went to Hawaii at the end of July and needed someone to look after their dogs for a week. As there were 4 dogs and no backyard, I went on more walks than I have all summer (and possibly all year). Between the two labs and two shitzus, we had many adventures, and I even made a new best friend in Kiowa, the black lab.
July 24: Cabana Bay & Disney Springs
I will not be disclosing how or why we were at Cabana Bay, but the important thing is that Ray, Syd, and I went and spent roughly 2 hours going around the lazy river. It was a beautiful, sunny day, without an overwhelming amount of people around. It was just the kind of relaxing family fun we all needed.
That evening, Ray and I went to dinner with my friend Ben from high school and his fiancee, Payton. I hadn’t seen Ben for roughly 2.5 years and I hadn’t even met Payton, which was ridiculous because we’ve all lived within two hours of each other for the past year. We had dinner, drinks, and Ghiradelli and spent a long evening catching up. By the end, I think Ray and I convinced them to get Universal passes so they have more excuses to come visit.
July 25: Christmas in July
Because Christmas is the best holiday (and because Ray has been begging to bring it back), we celebrated Christmas in July. This involved listening to Christmas music, drinking peppermint coffee, lighting winter candles, wearing Christmas shirts, and watching Christmas decor videos. Even though it was easily 95 degrees, it was nice to have a taste of the holidays. Even Pi participated!
July 30: Family mini golf
To celebrate the end of my cousin Lindsey’s nursing school and her job acceptance, we met up with her and her husband, David, at Universal City Walk for Fat Tuesdays, Red Brick Pizza, and an excellent game of tipsy mini golf. It was so much fun to hang out, as we’ve lived in the same city for the past year but haven’t had many chances to hang out, due to work and school and Covid. David lost his golf ball halfway through the game so he and Lindsey teamed up, and despite averaging their scores, they managed to win. Then again, I was not in the best frame of mind to calculate scores, so it’s possible my numbers were off. That’s what I tell myself, at least.
As you can tell, this summer was busy for me. I can only imagine now that school is back, I will be even busier, so let’s see how I can do keeping up on these posts. I’m still behind on my March-July stories, and now August is almost over. Time really does fly.
Any summer updates for you? I hope you traveled more and worked less than I did, if you had the chance.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading.
Jayda Louise 