Second grade wonder.

Where I spend my days.  My second grade classroom.

Our First Date Night.

Since this blog is a bit overdue, I will need to do some catch up.  Eric and I have been married for 2 months, and have done about 100 things in that time.  

1. Gone to Bahamas

2. Moved to Blacksburg, Virginia

3. Moved in to our first apartment

4. Visited 5 churches

5. Started a new teaching job

6. Started graduate school (Eric, not me)

With all the changes in our life, I have much to share.  Since arriving in Blacksburg we have now had sufficient time to explore the local scene.  And oh, what a hip scene it is.  We live right on the outskirts of Virginia Tech's campus and downtown Blacksburg.  There is not much to this little downtown, but like many small towns, it has character.  

As we walked down the streets a few nights after arriving, I pointed out about 8 restaurants I wanted to try...needless to say a date night or two would be in order.

Date Night #1
dinner: DP Dough
dessert: Rita's
entertainment: amateur yo yoist

BBQ Chicken Calzone

A little bit creepy of us, but so worth it.

Oh happy day.

A chill in the air.

Today, as I sit in my leggings and sweatshirt and stare out at the slate colored sky, I acknowledge the approaching autumn.  (By the way I gave the word 'autumn' as a bonus word to my 2nd graders...turns out 'autumn' sounds a lot like 'otom') I for one welcome the cold.  After having to sit around our apartment, slightly sticky because we refuse to turn on the air conditioning unless it reaches 85 degrees, the chilly breeze flowing through our open window is a nice change.  

However, I can't help thinking back to two months prior when Mr. D and myself were sitting on a beach in the Bahamas enjoying the warmth.  We were blessed enough to have the opportunity to travel to the Islands for a week to celebrate our marriage.  In the Bahamas we ate an incredible amount of fresh fish, swam in the ocean, and braved the local bus system.  We swam with tropical fish and sharks...actually we just floated on the surface while sharks were below, being occupied by some sort of food attached to a really long chain. Most of all, we RELAXED.  

Straw Market

Jerk Chicken  & Strawberry Daiquiri 

Me, after a slight nausea episode on our snorkel cruise.  Eric, being sympathetic.

I am now ready to welcome the changing seasons; however, I would gladly go back to the warmth of the bahamas any day :) 

A New Name

Changing your name is not an easy process. It all starts the moment you get engaged.  You begin begin to plan the wedding.  You experience an extreme range of emotion as you say your 'I do's' and exchange vows. You go on a honeymoon, open wedding gifts, write 7,000 thank you notes, and begin to think about starting your new life together.  

 For me, starting a new life meant moving ten hours from my beloved home, beginning a new job, and learning to cook for a party of two instead of one... and changing my name.  

 Growing up with a commonly mispronounced last name, I had dreams of one day meeting a man whose last name would solve all my problems.  However, I ended up falling in love with a Brazilian whose last name's Portuguese roots trick up even the most skilled linguist. So it is here that our story begins.

 de Araujo, pronounced D-ah-da-oo-jshoo.  To all our friends, (some) family, our colleagues, and my second grade students we are Mr. and Mrs. Eric and Chelsea D.

This is the story of our life together.