Cup of Coffee with Katie

I know I tend to go off the grid somewhat frequently with these posts and I leave you wondering if I've abandoned you in your food allergy/intolerance quest. However, it is summer and thus you would think the posts should be coming more frequently again.  Unfortunately for you, that won't be the case for a few weeks. I'm off on some more adventures! I'm headed to a weeklong service camp with my parish youth group and then I'm headed straight for the airport to reunite with my ACE DC family to celebrate the first of the roommate weddings!! Then it's off to the Poconos for a few days for some quality time with my mom and sister. So in short, there won't be much time for writing until around the 4th of July. So excited to reunite with these guys in 6 days!! (Side note...how was this 6 years ago??) ...and to celebrate our favorite science-loving roommate :-) So in the meantime, I want to leave you with 2 amazing tips to make your allergy-free summer

(Full disclosure: I recently found Season 1 of American Dreams during a visit to the local Goodwill. I've rediscovered my obsession and thus I have songs from the 60s as the soundtrack of my life right now. Hence the nod to Bob Dylan in this title.)  Change. It seems to be a word that keeps popping up in my life lately. I suppose that's inevitable in teaching where the end of an academic year is always accompanied by an array of changes...but it's been more than that too. In the past week, not 1, not 2, but 3 of my favorite priests have offered reflections on the subject. (Yes, go ahead, I know you're all thinking it: Of course, Katie, you would have a list of favorite priests...it's fine, I own it :-)) Our associate pastor closed out the school year with a great homily (complete with the visual aids the kids have come to LOVE when he speaks) on how change is good, even though many of us don't really like it. Then Fr. Jim Martin posted a reflection a few day

 Summer has unofficially arrived. The pools are open, the sno-ball stands are back in operation, farmer’s markets are back in full swing, and of course the sweet aroma of BBQ is back in the air. That’s right…it’s BBQ season. From Memorial Day on, the invitations are in full swing. Cookouts become a regular part of the weekend routine. They’re great little gatherings where friends, family, co-workers, etc.  share in laughs, fellowship, and delicious food.  Of course you're nervous: doesn't your entry into the world of food allergies make these laid-back, joyous gatherings a source of great stress and anxiety?? Isn't the simple joy of a summer BBQ a thing of the past for you?? Don't worry, the answer is absolutely not. It just takes a little bit of planning and you’ll be ready to go! Here’s a tip: grill ahead. Yes, you can bring your own meat and foil and spatula and barbecue along with the resident grillmaster. However, I personally would still be a bit nervous abou

I know, generic right? Yes, but it also couldn't be more true. Now I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who will deny that they love children; however, I have to say that this week I've been slightly more aware of just how much love I have for them. And though I'm speaking specifically about the 78 students I have on my rosters each day, this feeling also encompasses the hundreds of other students I pass in the halls on a regular basis, some of whom I've taught, others who simply remain excited to wave to me and ask me a series of "Do you know my sister/brother/2nd cousin once removed??" questions. This week has been a long one (though I feel like that goes without saying when you're a teacher in May/June) and I've had an endless stream of thoughts running through my mind. I've felt a bit out of sorts and more than a bit off kilter. But guess who isn't?? That's right...the children. Like clockwork, every morning at 7:45 they w