Today marks my first day of 21st grade! I mean, I guess since I am done taking classes and am also teaching, it isn’t quite the same, but I’m still counting it. 21 long years in education. Even though I really love what I do, every summer I feel an acute sadness that vacation is over. Teachers out there- I know you are with me. If I was to make a list of what I don’t love in my life right now, it would be this: I had to put on real clothes today and leave my home.  But! That’s not a very helpful blog post. So instead, here are five things I’m loving today. (And as always, the title should be sung to the beat of this song.)

1. Food News. I love a good podcast. I got hooked on Juliet and Jacoby from their reality TV podcast, and even James will join me for Food News. I’m running a half marathon in November and sometimes it is only those podcast that keep me dragging my way through those training runs. [Reality TV sidenote: Obviously I am loving Bachelor in Paradise, but I’m trying to limit how many times I blast my Bachelor Nation membership across the internet, as I hope someday to be gainfully employed in an institution of academic learning.]
2. Kayaking. Last week was orientation all day long Monday through Thursday. So. Many. Meetings. To make it worse, DC decided to whip out glorious late summer weather all week. Breezy sunny days with low humidity and perfect temperatures. And there we were freezing in ugly rooms with overzealous AC. But on Friday, a couple of us from my department took advantage of our spare day to hit the Potomac from Fletcher’s cove. We kayaked (read: floated) for awhile, soaking in a last day of summer bliss before the semester starts up. DC really is perfect: big city on the inside, beautiful nature less than 20 minutes outside.
3. The Office. Somehow I never saw more than a season or two when it was actually on, but that makes it all the more exciting to burn through episodes with James. Married people- find a show and laugh together. It’s my favorite thing.
4. Dinners that take zero planning. This week we tried out Blue Apron, using a coupon to get $20 off our first order. I strategically planned ours to cover these early days of the semester where things are a little crazy. It was really exciting not just to try new foods, but to have all of the thinking taken out of cooking. I love cooking, and even enjoy planning, but sometimes it is nice to have home-cooked, but not home-planned food. Plus, individually portioned things in tiny containers makes my American Girl doll-loving soul rejoice.
5. Gelato. We have a great little gelato shop near us, but I have only been once in all the years we lived here… until this weekend when we went twice. Friday night it was the perfect cap to dinner with a friend, and Sunday we were rewarding ourselves for a hard day of adulting the day before. When James was gone all last fall, he hid gift cards around the house. When I was having an especially rough day, he sent me clues to find one and take myself on a date. (I know, not our first long distance rodeo.) I saved the gelato one, because there’s nothing I love more than ice cream with my love, and we finally used it Sunday.

What are loving this Monday?