Endings and Beginnings

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomorrow is the last day of school. To think of everything Edwin and I have been through the past two years- 35 kids in a room, no classroom, Kindergarten and all of its challenges, teaching in my second language, ALC injury and recovery, moving grade levels, debating whether or not to return for a second year, bronchitis, Bell's Palsy, being in the Valley- it is such a huge feat to have finished our 2-year commitment.

Today two of Edwin's lowest students said to him, "Sir, thank you for never giving up on us." Isn't that so great?! While Edwin may continue teaching, and I will never teach again, I think we both impacted our students and were certainly impacted by them. Even little Jose, who steals from my cart and has refused to walk in line all year (he RUNS away to the next destination and pays absolutely no attention to directions), has found his way into my heart in the past few weeks.

Today we had an all-staff meeting after school. They gave Edwin and I a card signed by everyone, and we had cake! (See pic above) It was really sweet. We have built some great relationships with coworkers and I know we will miss them. I'm also going to miss having Edwin as a coworker. It has been SO wonderful to see him every single day at school. When either of us is having a bad day, it helps so much to see the other person's smiling face :).

We are so excited for the next chapter in our lives. On Saturday we are loading up a U-Haul with the help of Edwin's dad, and on Sunday morning we will drive to Austin. Edwin's mom, cousin and little sister are coming to Austin to help us unload and unpack, which will be a big help! Next week will be filled with unpacking, trips to IKEA and settling in. Many more blog posts to come about our new apartment!!!

It has been an eventful two years. If someone had told me at my college graduation that I would teach Spanish to little kids, would be engaged by the end of my 2 years in TFA, and would CHOOSE to stay in Texas after those 2 years, I probably would have laughed. Now I am so grateful for the way things worked out. I remember debating whether or not to rank the Rio Grande Valley as one of my top choices for TFA placement. I initially decided not to. A few days later I went back and changed it, thinking, "What the heck." I think that this was all part of God's plan for me. And who knows what will be next!!

Weekend Update: Part 3

Hey gang, it's Edwin here! I seriously cannot remember the last time I posted (I think it was the apple crisp), but alas I am back to tell you a beautiful story about Chel and I's favorite food: ribs! My friend Ted who's a 4th grade teacher at our school has a giant smoker at his house. A smoker is like a huge barbecue grill with a side chamber where you burn wood (normally it's mesquite, hickory, or pecan) and cook different meats (pork, poultry and beef) using the indirect heat from the smoke. It takes about 5 to 6 hours to smoke really good ribs. It's a project that Ted and I took on this year as we formed our friendship (he and his wife are also moving to Austin!). So after being congratulated for teaching for 2 years and saying goodbyes to acquaintances we might never see again, we were ready to unwind Sunday by smoking 4 (yes you read right) racks of ribs.

The eternal rib debate (yes, there indeed exists an eternal debate on ribs) is whether to cook ribs using a dry rub or basting them with a homemade vinegar-based barbecue sauce. Because we didn't have much time, we did not make a homemade barbecue sauce (that is a future project), but we did make 2 dry rubs. One was a spicy dry rub and the other was a Memphis dry rub. A dry rub is simply a mixture of different herbs and spices which is then then rubbed into the meat and fat of the ribs.

Our project took about 6 hours to complete. What we ended up with were 4 racks of tender, perfectly seasoned ribs. On the menu as well was a delicious potato salad with bacon and hard-boiled eggs (made by our friend Cindy) and homemade banana pudding (made by Ted's wife Leigh). In the end, we definitely over-ate. It was hard not to with delicious food and great friends on a Sunday, which throughout the school year has normally been a work day for all of us. It was our last smoked meal in the Rio Grande Valley. Because of limited space, Ted is going to have to leave his smoker at a friend's house in Austin, so our smoking adventures will have to wait.

WE HAVE 4 DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL! I'm really excited to move out and start our new life in Austin. We promise to blog about the apartment once we move in. My dad is flying down to Harlingen on Saturday and is moving all of our stuff into a U-Haul, driving it up to Austin, and then helping us unload. The next 7 days will be full of excitement...and trips to IKEA. Stay tuned faithful followers, for as you remember from last summer: less time teaching = more time blogging!!! Love you all!

Weekend Update: Part 2

As I mentioned in Weekend Update: Part 1- Edwin and I attended our "TFA Graduation" over the weekend. It was at the Embassy Suites in McAllen (Mom & Dad stayed there when they visited). It was nice, they gave us dinner and congratulated us on finishing our 2 year commitment. And they gave us a certificate and pint glass. Does this equation balance?

("Normal" 22 year old female) - (2 years) - (Sanity) + Future Husband = Certificate and pint glass

I'd say Edwin was the real prize from this whole deal :)

The glasses say "Teach For America/Rio Grande Valley/2009 Corps/Name"

The almighty certificate. Signed by Wendy Kopp (Founder of TFA) and Robert Carreon, our Executive Director in the RGV

From the left- Lydie (my roommate), Janet, Kieley, ME, Hannah, Adrienne

AKA The Hearthstone ladies (we all live in the same apartment complex)

I got a new dress! AND it rang up at almost 50% off the price tag. I love those surprises when you get to the register- bargain!!!

After the program we went to a party at our friend Alyssa's house. Well, her parents house. Which had a SWEET kitchen! Edwin and I were taking notes. Huge island, tons of cookbooks... Beautiful!

Edwin will be back, as promised, within the next 24 hours to talk about his rib smokin' adventures with Ted. 4 days of school left! 6 until the move!

Weekend Update: Part One

I say Part One because this post is to PROMISE our faithful followers that we have 2 posts planned and they will be coming to a town near you within the next 24 hours!!!! We had a big weekend- on Saturday we had our TFA graduation! More to come on that, included the long awaited pint glass and certificate. Don't know about you, but those gifts definitely made my two years worth it. On Sunday, after we recovered from the shock of receiving such meaningful parting gifts.... (I kid, but it was good closure and a nice event).... Edwin and our friend Ted smoked ribs. I went over later to join and we had a delicious meal! Again, pics to come.

You might be asking, "Wow, a morning post?" YES my friends, because it is the last week of school. FIVE DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!! Add that to the fact that the Bachelorette is starting tonight and I am going to have myself a great Monday!!!!!!

Migas

Edwin and I have started a tradition of cooking on Sundays. Remember when we spent 3 hours making gnocchi? Sunday. Risotto? Mostly Sundays. This Sunday was no exception. For brunch we made migas! Migas is a breakfast meal I discovered on South Padre Island during our first year in the valley. Since then, I've ordered migas just about every time we've gone out for breakfast. Last weekend in Austin, I had migas for breakfast 3 days in a row. My love for migas is real. The best part is, Edwin's migas are better than any I've tried in a restaurant!!! Seriously, they were mouth-watering good. In case you want to try them yourselves (which you should), here is the how-to:

To get started, chop up some onion, jalapenos (or serrano peppers) and tomatoes. Take out the seeds and rinse the peppers unless you want your mouth to go up in flames. Which, maybe you do, and that is okay. To each his (or her) own.

Add some butter or olive oil to your pan and saute the veggies. Start with the onions so they have extra time to get soft. To give the onions some flavor and a little bit of color, Edwin added paprika (3 dashes), chili powder (2 dashes), and some oregano near the end. We also added some garlic while the serrano peppers were cooking because we love garlic. Add the tomatoes right at the end so they don't get too cooked.

While the veggies are in the saute pan, make homemade tortilla crisps! That's right folks, we don't kid around. Cut up some corn tortillas into small strips. Add some oil (we used canola) to a pan and throw the tortilla strips in. We used med-high heat. Once the strips are crispy take them out and dry them on a paper towel.

Once you feel your veggies are ready to go, add beaten eggs to the pan. I think we used 6 eggs, and that was a lot for 2 of us (although we almost finished it off). Edwin added a little milk to the beaten eggs before adding them to the pan, although upon further reflection he thinks he would skip that step next time.

Once the eggs are cooked, add swiss cheese. This step is what separates the good from the best. Some migas I have eaten are topped with cheddar cheese, or other types. No no. Swiss is what really makes the migas realize their full potential. We tore up some pieces of pre-sliced Swiss cheese and put it on top of the egg mixture in the pan. Once it was a little melty, Edwin mixed it all up. Voila. We are almost there. Edwin also threw in a few of the tortilla strips while melting the cheese in order to soften them up.

After completing the oh-so-important swiss cheese step, serve it up! Add the homemade tortilla strips just before eating for that satisfying crunch! Salsa optional. And there you have it faithful readers. Pure goodness. Enjoy :)

Wedding Venue!

Hi all!

Some of you have been asking for a close up of the ring- here's my best shot at a good pic! I absolutely love it!

Edwin and I were in Austin this weekend to find an apartment as well as a wedding venue. (Update- we are moving to Austin, TX now and not Colorado! More on that later when I have time to write the whole story.) We are hoping to book Mercury Hall, which is right in Austin but has the country feel we wanted. It feels to me like a country chapel. Here are some pics!