Give a kid a camera and let her play...And among the 20+ pictures that need deleting, you just might find a masterpiece!

Photography by Genevieve Marin, age 3

One more thing for the day....

Hairdos! Sierra and I treated ourselves last week to new hairdos! Girls like to live on the wildside. Both of us made pretty severe changes and it feels GREAT!!

Here I am! Scroll down to the picture of me in the truck. That one was taken two days before this one. I know the background on this shot isn't ideal--nice garbage can behind my head!--but you get the idea!

I guess it's kind of hard to see what Sierra's new do is...hmmm, let me find another shot...
Here we go. This is a great shot of Sierra with Amelie--the sixth Marin baby--I LOVE this haircut on Sierra. It is a little girl cut for my little girl.

Old Blue!

My dad has this truck. It was my grandfather's pick up. I think the first truck my grandfather ever bought. It became my father's truck when my parents were newly married. It never had a working radio that I can remember. Instead, we would sing, "I've Been Working on the Railroad" at the tops of our lungs all the way to town--Mom harmonizing to the tune her children produced. My brother, sister, and I all learned how to drive in this truck--3 speed on the tree. We drove mainly through the fields, but my brother and sister both took turns driving this truck to school during their high school years. We hauled a LOT of wood in the fall in the bed of this truck. I spent hours as a little girl behind the wheel while it was parked in the yard, pretending to drive that truck all over the continental United States.

Old Blue had been parked in the woods for many years until last summer when my dad got a wild hair up his you-know-what and called the country mechanic. In turn, Old Blue is road ready! Nothing has been done to restore the body, but the shifter was moved to the floor instead of the steering column and our trusty country mechanic did whatever country mechanics do and got Old Blue purrin!

Well, I insisted Dad drive Old Blue last week to retrieve my car from storage. And let me tell ya, I had a permanent smile the whole while!!

Here's Dad getting ready to go! (He has a permanent smile behind the wheel too.)Here's my self-portrait while riding in Old Blue! My brother arrives for a visit next week. I can't wait to take a picture of him driving it!!! I only wish my sister was coming too. Can you see the photo-op now--all three of us in Old Blue. I can hear "I've Been Working on the Railroad" as I imagine it! Ahhhh, the glory of childhood memories.

SugarLoaf Mountain

One of Rio's busiest tourist attractions is Pao de Acucar--Sugarloaf. Last week, before venturing to the north of Brazil to visit family, my friend Tania stopped for a few days in Rio to see me and Sierra. It was a busy bunch of days with the end of the school year activities and preparing to travel to the states for holiday. However, we managed a morning visit to Sugarloaf while she was with us. Seems ironic actually, we have lived in Rio for two years and this was the first visit up the mountain for me and Sierra. It is amazingly beautiful!

Here are me and Sierra with the statue of Christ behind my head. You can barely see the little outline of Christ's figure in this photo.But, I think you can make it out a little more clearly in this one of me and Tania.This is the marina of Botafogo. The landscape--my my my--always amazes me. It doesn't matter how many times I see the awesome landscape here; it takes my breath away.

Festa Junina

Festa Junina(Portuguese: June Festival) is the name of the annual Brazilian celebrations which take place in the middle of winter (in the southern hemisphere June and July) and are most associated with the Brazilian Northeastern area, but celebrated in the whole of Brazil, mainly on the days following the Catholic feast of Saint Anthony, John the Baptist and Saint Peter.

The Brazilian north-east is largely arid or semi-arid. These popular festivals not only coincide with the rainy seasons of most states in the north-east but they also provide the people with an opportunity to give thanks to Saint Peter and Saint John for the rain. They also celebrate rural life and feature typical clothing, food, dance (particularly quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing), and music.
Usually taking place in an arraial, a large, open space outdoors, men dress up as farm boys with suspenders and straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of the music, and of themselves.

Luisa and Sierra during their festa junina party at school.Giulia, Luisa and Sierra during the party.Sophie, Sierra and Luisa during the party.

The Life of a Teacher...
I am finishing my 13th year as a secondary English/Language Arts Teacher. Amazing to think think that I have had a career for so many years--college feels like last year still. Incredible to think how old I have to be in order to have 13 years under my belt--I swear I turned 29 on my last birthday.
Well my students these past 13 years aren't the only ones learning. I have experienced some lessons along the way too.
This year the following lesson is the one that stands out the strongest for me:
Don't be sad because something is over; be happy that it WAS!
Here's to a healthy and safe summer vacation for students and teachers alike, around the world.

The BEST book I've read in a LOOOONG time!!

If you haven't read this yet, buy a copy!! It is the most remarkable, inspirational, true story I have read in ages!!