dunhaven; ic community.

( instagram post! )

One of my kids flew into the classroom this morning to give me a hug and tell me that they missed me "soooo much" during spring break. If that's not a good way to start the week, I don't know what is.

PHILLIPS SISTERS

I am very lucky to have you both, so thank you for being the best.

OSCAR

Thank you for being so understanding this weekend. I appreciate you.

( Left at the door of 1403 Poplar Lane on morning of 3/18 )

( instagram post! )

( [Left against the door at 1407 Poplar Lane] )

WHO: Oscar Ford and Beth Phillips
WHEN: Evening of February 7
WHERE: Seafood restaurant
SUMMARY: Oscar and Beth go on a date!
WARNINGS: Talk of tiramisu and chocolate cake that might make you want dessert.
 
( 'I don't get out of my comfort zone very much, but you've sort of helped me do that recently, even if you didn't mean to. I've really liked it.' )

is anyone near athena that can pick me up? thank you.

Happy Valentine's from Ms. Phillips's classroom! ( Cut for image! )

Maybe it's cheesy, but I've gotten progressively better at doors and bulletin boards with each passing year. They didn't even teach us that part in college.

PS: I don't watch the Oscars, but I saw all the coverage after and can we talk about that "Parasite" sweep? 🙌

TEXTS TO OSCAR

-- Hey, you!
-- How is your Thursday treating you?

Texts to Beth

→ Lyra and I are on the way back from Manassas now.
→ Want to go to dinner? I think she's invited a few of her friends, too.
→ Also, she and I got married.
→ You could bring your cute boy, too.

ANGIE

Can I tell you something that stays between us? I know that the answer is yes, but I thought I'd at least say it.

MAGGIE

Hey, you. Thank you for the setup.

OSCAR

I just wanted to say again that I really had a nice time on Saturday. ☺️

KESI

Tell me good things.

BETH

Hey. How's [...] everything going?

It's almost February 1. Do you know what that means? Valentine's Month. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 And it's a LEAP YEAR which means twenty-nine days of celebrating the best feeling in the world.

OSCAR FORD, added later

Hi! Do you have any fishing trips planned Saturday evening?

Two more days until I get the keys to my new house. 😬😬😬

BETH

Hey, so. Thanks for the invitation the other day. It was pretty cool. I kind of went home and bought a Korean cookbook so we'll see how that goes.

Also [...] could I actually ask you kind of a personal question?

FIONA

Have you settled in yet?

Happy Lunar New Year!

I only know a handful of things about my surrogate mother, but one of the things I do know is that she was Korean American, her family having originally come from Busan. I became interested in learning more about that side of my heritage once I was old enough to really understand that it different from the rest of my family and my dads were really supportive and helpful in letting me explore it. There is still a lot that I haven't experienced and someday I am going to just jump in and plan that trip to visit South Korea, but until then I do what I can to embrace my heritage here, in whatever way I can.

And so, today that looks like making tteokguk and jeon! I've only made both a few times before, both to varying degrees of success, so any wishes of luck are appreciated. The recipes also make a lot, so if you're looking to try something new, my kitchen is open.

All that said, I wish everyone a wonderful and satisfying new year. I hope it's full of new beginnings and overflowing happiness.

ANONYMOUS (but public)

Happy birthday, my son.

RACHEL

Do you want important news or most important news first?

QOTD: How tf is it 71 degrees outside right now when we literally just had a massive snowstorm less than a week ago??

BRIDGET

Do I get birthday cake today?

Best I can tell, these Dreams that so many of us are having can be related back to people's lives to varying degrees. I've been having them for a while now, but I haven't been able to really find a good distraction method or coping mechanism for when the memories are [...] particularly familiar or remind of a time I'd rather not relive.

So, to those of you that might sometimes find themselves in the same situation, how do you handle it?

WHO: Beth Phillips
WHEN: Her bedroom
WHERE: Late on January 9
SUMMARY: Beth dreams about burning letters.
WARNINGS: None

( When Beth woke, she could feel too much. )

Happy birthday, me. 🥳