On A Break

If you hadn't noticed... I've ceased blogging.

On the one hand, there's almost too much going on to be able to focus on a blog. 

On the other hand, I just don't feel like it. 

This leads me to say that I'm officially taking a break from the blog. I'll be back, to be sure. Just need to let myself be ok about the lack of blogging. 

Until next time... 

Leavin' On A Jet Plane [Day 13: Something I Want To Buy] + Blank Filling

Whenever we safely land in a plane, we promise God a little something.

I'd like to buy these:

Tickets to fly and see my wonderful, precious nephew. I miss him. 

*************************************

And now it's time for.... 

{photo using my new favorite iPhone photo app: PictureShow}

1.   Something that makes me a great friend is, I have a lot of empathy. I think that makes it easy for my friends to talk to me about anything and everything. It's a good thing to feel absolutely unjudged and comfortable with your friends. 

2.  I am a sick puppy. Caught a nasty nasty cold that has completely knocked me on my butt. No fun.

3.  I am not happy about this rainy/cloudy weather. Go away!! 

4.  If I had to describe myself in 3 words, they would be compassionate, fun, driven. 

5.  Something I'm really cheap about is makeup. I don't wear a lot of it and I feel silly paying a lot for it. Drugstore is good enough!

6.  Something I'm willing to splurge on is shoes. I love shoes, and as someone who spends a lot of time on her feet (teaching), it's nice to have a good pair of shoes on your feet. 

7.  I would trade this cold for more rain/clouds in a heartbeat.

♥ 

Keeping Cool [Day 12: Something I Bought Recently]

Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat.

I produce a lot of sweat when I workout.

It's rather disgusting. It drips off of my forehead, runs down my back, and makes a nice wet mark in the stomach area. My t-shirts are usually soaked when I come home from the Y.

That's why I decided to invest in a few workout tanks: In the hope that the sweat wouldn't linger as much if I wore designated athletic apparel.

So a very recent purchase was this:

I also got one in hot pink. Girl's gotta be obvious, ya know?

Blessing #128: Running Shoes
Boy, oh, boy, am I super thankful for my running shoes! When I first began running, I went out in my basic crosstrainers. Big mistake! This was something I of course did not realize until I was properly fitted for running shoes at a "running" store. Had no clue they made shoes to correct different types of mechanical errors! Turns out, my feet roll in after they hit the ground; I needed a pair of running shoes designed to correct that. Once a pair was found, I tried them on and -- WOW! -- I felt so much better!! Running became a whole lot more fun. Hooray for running shoes!

♥

The Big One-Double-Zero

The pride you gain is worth the pain. 

Who has two thumbs and did 100 push ups at Bootcamp today?

THIS GIRL!

"Girl" or Knee-push-ups, but still. Feelin' gooooooooood.

Roommie Love [Day 11: A Photo of Me Taken Recently]

This is a pretty recent picture, taken at First Friday during a trip to Phoenix earlier in March. 

Love my roommies!

Blessing #127: My incredible roommate streak

I've been incredibly blessed in the roommate department. For three years in a row, I've had the privilege to live with amazing teachers. We've had some serious fun and some serious therapy sessions (namely, movie/TV marathons with chocolate). Sharing teaching stories, laughing and at times crying about the things that have gone down in our classrooms. I'm a little scared to (potentially) move to a new city and possibly have to find a roommate; it feels highly unlikely that a streak this awesome could possibly keep up... We'll see! Whomever they are, they'll have big shoes to fill! 

♥ 

Play Me A Song... [Day 10: A Photo of Me Taken Over 10 Years Ago]

I used to take piano lessons. 

Also, I used to have a very boy-like bowl-cut. 

Oh, and my mom made me jumpers with fabric from JoAnn's. 

I was super cool. 

Me & my BFF at our piano recital

[Day 9: Pet Peeves]

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else. 

So if you've read this blog at all, you know I'm a pretty positive person. My glass is always half full. Of chocolate milk, of course. This does not mean that I am immune to the annoyances of life. I mostly choose to ignore them because it doesn't seem worth it to focus on things that bug me: just makes me grumpy! Every now and then, though, it's extremely fun to just let it all out, like this guy [warning if you haven't seen it: he cusses a lot]:

Boy, being that annoyed by everything must be exhausting. Though it's hilarious! 

Without further delay, here are my pet peeves: 

-Not using their turn signals. I'm not a mind reader! 

-Not wiping down the machines at the gym when you're done working out. Ew. Ew ew ew. 

-Using your fingers to plug your nose when jumping into water.
-All of those ketchup packets that get thrown in your bag with fries without asking -- I don't need them!
-The cardboard cases on DVDs. [The guy above is right -- what am I supposed to do with them!?]
-Calling and then not leaving a voicemail or sending a text if I don't answer. Is it an emergency? Do I call you back? I get butt-dialed a lot, so I won't call ya back unless you mean it... 
-Using "k" and "u" in text messages. I can't stand those particular "words!" Though almost all text message language drives me crazy. 
-Spelling the word definitely with an a.
-People who take themselves too seriously. No one is that important.
-Not picking up your doggie's poo.
-People who sit in the chair right in front of me at the movie theater when my feet are clearly on the back and there are plenty of other empty seats!
-Dressing up (to look cute) to go to a baseball game. It's a baseball game. Seriously. 
-The fact that in every medical/crime solving TV show, everyone is a genius! Statistically impossible. Plus, if they were all that genius, there's no way they would all choose to work relatively thankless, fairly low-paying jobs. 
-Cash-only businesses. Seriously?! It's 2011.
-People who correct other's grammar/speech immediately during conversation. I'm a stickler for grammar myself, but, c'mon... It ends up feeling like you just need to be right all the time. 
-Hair extensions.
-When vending machines spit your dollar back out at you.

♥ 

Chocolate Monster [Day 8: Something I Crave]

Forget love -- I'd rather fall in chocolate!

I. Love. Chocolate. 

Dark chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, Kisses, Snickers, Snowcaps, chocolate milk, chocolate covered pretzels, Nutella, Oreo cookies, chocolate frosting, chocolate covered frozen bananas, mochas, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered cherries, Peanut M&Ms, Frosties, chocolate milkshakes, Cocoa Puffs... 

I could go on. For a long time. 

I. Always. Want. Chocolate. 

Blessing #126: Trivia Night
Last night one of my BFFs and I walked over to the local Irish Pub for a pint (we'd just kicked some serious punching bag booty at kickboxing, so we deserved it!), and found out it was trivia night. We decided to stay and play a couple of rounds. We won the second round and got a free pitcher of beer! The evening also reminded me of a Trivia Night I went to at the end of my first year of teaching. Our team named ourselves "School's Out For Summer" (hmmm... kind of obvious we were teachers...) and we came in second place over all. It's always fun to rack your brains with friends and try to come up with the answers to the most random questions. Gotta love Trivia Night!

♥

Active April? Why Not?

A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise. 

I'm almost finished with Movin' March, my goal to do something for every day of March -- no excuses! Knowing that I only have two days left, and having planned out my activity for those two days (I'm trying kickboxing for the first time today, and am off to Pedal & Pump tomorrow), I've started thinking about continuing the challenge. Why not make it into 61 days and turn April into Active April? Pretty sure I can do it! 

...And I think I'm gonna! Here goes nothing... 

Don't think I'll ever enjoy exercise as much as this guy...

Any activities/exercises you would recommend that I try?

My Hooligans [Day 7: A Favorite Photo]

It's easy to make a buck. It's tougher to make a difference. 

This a favorite photo because it is of me and my first class, during the last few weeks of school. As the school psychologist (someone I spent a lot of time with my first year, both because of my own issues and those of some students...) told me, this picture very accurately portrays my classroom full of kiddos. (I also chose this particular pic because one has to be very careful about posting photos/information about students online. This one doesn't show faces!)

I will never ever ever forget my first class. They taught me so much about who I am, who I want to become, and how I want to do my job.

I love these kiddos with all of my heart!

Blessing #125: Pesto
Oh, boy, I love pesto! I make a pretty good pesto, actually, and I love to serve it with a mixture of penne, asparagus and green beans. You cut up the asparagus and green beans to be the same size and shape of penne, and throw them into the pot with the pasta for the last couple of minutes to cook them up. Then toss with the pesto, and voila! Oh so tasty. I also am thankful for pesto today because it is one of my mother's favorite dishes, and she gets to happy when I make it. That, in turn, makes me feel happy. Smiles all around.

♥