Meet the Chefs!

We are Miss Hoffmann and Mrs. Zollinger, and we are excited to cook up a love for reading and writing with all of you this year.  We cannot wait to get this year started.  Welcome to our class!  Before we start our journey together, take a moment to see what we've been up to this summer.

Mrs. Zollinger's summer of traveling: I went all over the country this summer and had a great time trying new foods and having adventures.  My first trip took me to Seattle, Washington.  My husband, Mr. Z, and I went on a food tour of a famous marketplace called Pike's Place.  There were so many sights, sounds, and people.  We tasted juicy peaches, smoked salmon, fresh donuts, German sausages, curried rice, mocha smoothies, clam chowder, and much more.  Our stomachs were bulging!  The next few days, we walked A LOT to burn off all those tasty treats.  On one of our walks, we discovered this giant troll under a bridge. Legend has it that he eats car parts and children! Yikes!!!  I'm not sure about that, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.

Our next trip took us to Michigan to see my family and take a trip to my favorite vacation spot:  Mackinac Island.  It is the best place on the planet!  It is an island in between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan.  The coolest thing about it is that cars are not allowed.  You ride a ferry boat over and then ride bikes or horses around and eat their specialty:  fudge.  It comes in every flavor you can imagine and they let you watch them make it.  If you compliment their technique, they even scoop you a little sample.  This trip was especially exciting because my mom and dad came with Mr. Z and I, and at the last second my sister decided to join us with my nephew, Murphy, who was celebrating his first birthday.  Here he is enjoying the beach by our cabin.  He was so happy to find a baby beach chair that was just the right size!

I also traveled around Florida to explore some of the beaches on the Gulf, and I even went up to Charlotte, North Carolina with Miss Hoffmann to visit her sister.  It was quite a summer, and the best part came just a few days ago:  my birthday.  Mr. Z had a surprise party for me and Mr. Montisano, Ms. Symons, and Miss Hoffmann all came.  Here's a picture of Mr. Z and I enjoying the party.  We all had a great time celebrating, and we talked a lot about how wonderful this school year was going to be once we met all of you.



Miss Hoffmann's summer:  This summer was all about relaxation!  I read a lot of great books and began learning French!  It's still a work in progress, but hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to dazzle you with my fluent French speaking skills!  I also spent a lot of quality time with my precious little puppy, Hobbs.  Here he is looking simply adorable!

A road trip is always enjoyable, so I took a last minute trip to the Greenbrier in West Virginia.  It's a beautiful hotel with a lot of history.  It has served as a military hospital, housing for foreign diplomats, and even has a bunker underneath that was meant to house the U.S. Congress in times of war.  Now, it's just a lovely place to mosey about, eating delicious food and admiring the beautiful surroundings.

As the summer came to a close, I took a quick visit to Charlotte to see my sister.  Mrs. Z was nice enough to come along and we had a wonderful time. I'd never been to Charlotte before, so it was nice to see a new city and have some fun exploring.  Before we knew it, it was time to come back to Jacksonville and get ready for the new school year.  We are so excited to meet you all and can't wait to get cookin'!