All About the Inspiration

Inspiration - we look for it everywhere - work, art, play, music, food, travel...in theory, we should be inspired on a daily basis, by what we see and do. We should be inspired in our work hours, as difficult as that can be sometimes, and certainly inspired in our playtime. Living and working in London, and having the opportunity to travel, is an inspiration itself; this experience has inspired us to work harder, play harder, and set our sights high, for the things we want to achieve in our personal, professional, and social lives.

April 8th, 2011 - the epitome of work hard, and the last day of the spring term at school - was a rough day, to say the very least. I just about cried all the way to work out of sheer exhaustion; my only saving grace was that the day happened to be a staff training day, rather than a regular school day. Due to the nature of my specific role in the school, the last two weeks of every term is just brutal - late nights working at home, early mornings working in school, very little sleep, lots of reports due, students' inhibitions down a bit (resulting in a bit more chaos around school) - I'm telling you, it's enough to just about break me every time; and, I know I'm not the only one. To be completely honest, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a lot of deeply caring and committed educators who don't have similar experiences. Fortunately, the British school system has its holidays dispersed throughout the year, similar to a year-round system in the United States, with some sort of a break every 6 or 7 weeks. These holidays are an absolute necessity, to maintain the pace, commitment, and drive that it takes to be an educator. What I've learned, through working at a school in London, is that quality teachers, educators, and school staff work well beyond their contracted hours, spend their own pocket money for resources and supplies, and advocate for and support every student they meet (even the ones that cause a bit of grief). They even get together over coffee on a frequent basis, to share ideas, learn new strategies, and push themselves to grow professionally, for the benefit of their students. Now, that's inspiring. And, without a doubt, let me say that educators deserve each and every day of annual holiday leave that is afforded to them - each and every day. It isn't as much about taking a vacation, as it is about recharging, rehabilitating, and reorganising to be able to do it again.

Enter April 12th - the dawn of play hard. Fortunately, April 8th passed fairly quickly, and four days later, we set off to enjoy something brand new - our first holiday away as an engaged couple! We spent a few days in one of my favourite cities, Barcelona, eating tapas, roaming around, spending an afternoon at the Picasso museum, and enjoying a champagne toast with my parents on the balcony of Hotel Gaudi, overlooking the stunning rooftop of Palau Guell, one of Gaudi's mansions, currently closed to the public for renovations. We then set off on a week-long adventure throughout Spain (with a couple of stops in Italy & Portugal) with my parents. Having not seen them since last August, and now having very exciting wedding news and details to discuss, it was an amazing trip, and a much-needed break. We ate heaps of local foods, developed a lovely habit of daily afternoon siestas, did a bit of shopping (including my first taste of the task that is wedding dress shopping, in Lisbon), and overall just enjoyed exploring and being together. And, we were inspired, to begin our newest play mission - finding bits and bobs (as the British would say) from our travels, to incorporate into our wedding day. From this trip - a wedding cake topper from Lisbon, and Bryan's suit from Spain. We'll keep this list running....

Barcelona, Spain
Architectural work of Gaudi
Lazy afternoon at Park Guell

Family dinner in the Gothic Quarter
Genoa, Italy
(home of Christopher Columbus)

Malaga, Spain
(childhood home of Pablo Picasso)

Cadiz, Spain

Lisbon, Portugal
Gibraltar
Rock of Gibraltar
Protected monkeys, living on the Rock(Note the striking, coincidental resemblance
of each of man and his monkey, in these pics below)

Alicante, Spain
Enjoying Costa del Sol

So there it is, inspiration found, in work and play. With my work contract just recently renewed until March 2012 (and the primary-secondary transition season kicked into high gear now), Bryan beginning both a new part-time job and internship next week, and a couple of trips organised for the month of May, we are definitely setting our sights high this spring, in both regards.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for yet another wonderful holiday. And, happy 24th wedding anniversary today :). We love you!

-B&B

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working." - Pablo Picasso