I press the RESET button...

in my life and now I am back. There is a time in everyone's life where you may need to pause, step back, reflect and refocus. I do struggle sometimes with the fast pace of life in the United States so pressing the reset button works for me. So what does this mean?

It means...

stepping away from the computer and the internet world for a while

calling friends whom I haven't talked for a while, reconnect with them

spending time alone in my place, organizing & cleaning

having long heart to heart conversations with friends

not letting the distance affect the strong bonds with my family

getting out of my comfort zone and try new things

not being afraid to take a leap of faith

going on a vacation with my long time friends and reminiscence good times, without forgetting our present.

I went to Marco Island, Florida with my 2 of my dear friends from Paraguay. It was a series of magical moments, so strong and special to describe it with words. These friends have been part of my life for the last 15 years, and this trip was a little reunion to make sure that we are taking care of our friendship. It did wonders to all of us. We talke

d about our lives away from home, our blessings and our struggles, our successes and our failures. It is amazing what it does to your heart and your soul to be able to be as honest as

you can. By the way, have you ever been to Marco Island? What a precious little hidden treasure that place is. I felt like I went far, far away, but I was just actually in Florida. It felt very different to me. The warm water was an invitation impossible to resist. The white sand is your ally in your morning or evening walks.

The amazing sunset is your witness of beauty on earth.

One of the books that traveled with me was Umbrella Summer by Linda Graff. Instead of spending too much time writing about this book, I'd like to invite you to head over A Year of Reading where Franki reviewed this book. I agree with her in absolutely everything she described about this book. Once again Lisa Graff, BRAVO, BRAVO! Another book so beautifully written!

So what else is going on this summer? Well, I am teaching Summer School like I do every year. My class is a 1st and 2nd grade ESL combination. I introduced the little Flip Video Camera to my new students so they would get used to seeing it during our time together. We had such a blast with that little thing. Today the students performed the book Yo! Yes! by Chris Rascha.

There are so many reasons I LOVE LOVE this book. Through this book, I get the chance as a teacher to teach them in a FUN way about question marks, exclamation points, proper intonation, inferring, acting and interpretation through body language. The child

ren had an absolute blast and so did I. Oh the amazing possibilities when creativity is involved.

Speaking of creativity, my little studio is ready for me this summer. One of the things I am being very intentional about is my personal writing. I have been spending a good amount of time writing on my writer's notebook. I know my students always ask me to share with them my summer, my memories, so I love to refer back to my notebook for these occasions.

I am also rereading Notebook Know-How Strategies for the Writer's Notebook by Aimee Buckner. This useful book is packed with tons of strategies to try either as a writer or a teacher of writing. I have always enjoyed trying a certain strategy myself first, then ask my students to attempt it so we can all share our thinking, challenges, and different ways to try it.

I hope that you are my dear friends having a relaxed summer doing whatever makes YOU happy. That's what summer is all about, reseting and recharging.