ESL, DIY, and Shoutouts

On Monday I went to my first ESL class to volunteer. I'm in love.

Learning about other people from other countries is so amazing and interesting and fantastic and I shouldn't be this excited about having a simple conversation with someone, but I am. I talked mostly with two women, Ednéia and Aída, and I was thrilled that we could all communicate and learn so much about each other. Ednéia, a energetic and youthful 49 year old woman from Brazil, speaks fluent Portuguese, but she also knew a little Spanish and is, of course, learning English. Aída, a quiet but friendly 30 year old woman, is from Mexico, so I could understand nearly all of what she was saying. Either way, we all were able to piece together our knowledge of the languages to communicate.

In case you didn't know (or if I haven't already talked about it on my blog..I really don't remember...), I am re-vamping my room. It used to be a playroom/den, so it is very spacious, but the walls were white and the carpet was old from years of wear and tear. We painted the walls a pale yellow and got new, plush, brown carpet. Definitely makes the room a little cosier.

I bought a desk at a local antique shop ( I adore antique/thrift store shopping. I get a high off bargains and vintage items). The desk is in great shape and is of aged wood, but I won't have to refinish it because it is in such great condition. I really like the old, rustic look. How much did I pay? $25 bucks! How's 'bout them apples.

My great friend, Lori, is witness to this bargain. We go antiquing together in search of cool items to repurpose. You should really take a look at her blog she just started that displays her DIY projects, and also take a look at her "One a Day" project of awesome sketches (see graphic to the right).

Also, check out my new side widget that displays some of my favorite sites/blogs. There are some pretty cool ones worth looking into. If you know of a site that deserves to be on one of the lists, let me know and I'll take a look.

I'd like to give a shout out to this site as well:

Although the picture says it's for sharing stories about college, it's really for all stages of life (the college stage is just the only one that applies to me right now!). There's high school, marriage, being on your own, and many others. Ch-ch-check it outtt.

That's all I got for now. Thanks for reading :)