For the first time in over 20 months my family will be in Altadena this weekend.

Although this milestone has been met by family, the recovery for most of Altadena is far from over. I can’t say I have hope but I am happy to be back and be a part of the movement that will further help Altadena heal. It truly takes a village and there are countless to thank.

First and foremost our contractor @abremgc was instrumental in getting us home. Their family also suffered through the loss of their own home in the Eaton fire so they understood our pain and urgency all too well. Without them I honestly don’t know if Yannick and I could’ve rebuilt. Their expertise and steady hand made this absolutely horrible process seamless and as stress free as possible. We felt seen. We felt supported.

They are amazing. I can’t say enough good things about them. If you’re rebuilding in Altadena they are THE people to help get you there. They care so much about our community and want to get families home. I can’t say enough amazing things about them. We are friends. We are neighbors. We’re family.

July stretched and marked one and a half years since the Eaton Fire. Although summer has been filled with friendship and connections I still feel undone. An anger simmers at the surface. A simmering that threatens to boil to rage. There was a day I drove around Altadena and had to pull over and just cry. I still find myself grasping, I can’t believe this happened to us. And with every news of wildfire and more homes destroyed a dark fear tightens its grip around my throat. There is no escape from climate change. Will my family survive again?

Generation Dread came at the right time. More soon. #julyrecap #julyreads #julyreadingwrapup

Last. Now. Next. A girls gotta have range ya know?

What are you reading?

#summerreading #generationdread #dungeoncrawler #taiwantravelogue

After a stretch of not-so-great books, June really knocked it out of the park. Mostly because school ended for summer, so I was able to sink my teeth into several good ones.

I have not been able to shut up about Empire of AI by Karen Hao, and I have no intention of ever stopping. Kin is absolutely a fiction standout this year.

I also REALLY loved Traci’s convo with Tayeri Jones about the novel. She seems like a riot, and it made me love the book even more. I also fell in love with This Is How You Lose the Time War. I can understand why it has a lot of mixed reviews, but for me, it landed beautifully.

I read the potty-training book. It gave me major mom guilt because I feel “behind” on this, but my town burned down, sooo I give myself a pass. A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel was woefully boring after finishing the book with my class. I loved comparing the two texts. The kids can really see how much more beauty you get out of reading a chapter book over the graphic novel.

Bad Company is another @thestackspod recommendation I finally got around to. And while I still don’t FULLY understand private equity, I’m pretty convinced this is by design because it sounds like it should be illegal, but it’s not. I love how focused each chapter was on a different person’s experience with private equity firms.

As Altadena properties get snatched up by developers, this definitely gave me a lot to sit with. I appreciate the historical context as well. One thing I am noticing is that I do better listening to nonfiction audio over fiction. Please send me your best audiobook recommendations for nonfiction!

June is always a good month for the family. Seeing The Birdcage at Vidiots was unmatched. If you live in LA and haven’t gone there, what are you waiting for?

But truly, the winner of June is my chef husband. For this World Cup, he dedicated himself to learning a new dish from different nations. I got to reap all the benefits of this project. He has cooked a dish from Morocco (chicken tagine), South Korea (Japchae), Japan (oyakodon), Cape Verde (cachupa made with vegan chorizo sausage, SO GOOD), Portugal, Spain (paella), and France. It’s been such a delight!

I have been teaching for 11 years now and I have to say, this year has been my favorite. Teaching fifth grade was so much fun! I was pretty nervous to start a dramatic change but honestly it felt like the right fit almost immediately. When we did our last community circle meeting students I have had since THIRD GRADE said it was their favorite year.

Like every school year it had its challenges, but after everything we went through together we felt pretty unstoppable this year. I’ll be riding this high into sixth grade where I’ll be looping with the same kids. What an honor I get to be a part of their lives this long. Such a rare privilege I don’t take for granted.

Now to relish in my book stack and enjoy that well deserved summer bliss.

#teacheronbreak #summer #teachersofinstagram #bookstagram

lol I read one book in April and I did not like it. #Hyperion by Dan Simmons started strong but then sputtered out. Some editing here would’ve worked wonders. I am once again rereading an old favorite to get me back into a reading groove. April was alright. But now one more month till that sweet summer freedom. One month closer to being back in Altadena. Can’t wait.

Second slide shows the oak tree coming back. Those things are so tough. I want to keep some leaves and make them into something. The last couple slides showcase Waffles, the cat. I think I’m a cat person now. I love my dogs. But man. Cats are prettttyy coooool. Some spring break pics and finally a pic of my favorite place. Los Angeles. You’re a sprawling nightmare. But you’re still ours

#closetosummer #summerfeeling #bookstagram #sciencefiction