Here goes...

I always dreaded the first day of school - whether it was 2nd grade, 10th grade or graduate school - because I always hated the awkward icebreaker introductions the teachers and professors inevitably always made you do. The ones where you stand up and share things like a) why you're in the class b) your favorite dessert c) what you did during the summer...you know the drill. I sort of feel like this introductory blogpost is just like those icebreakers. It's slightly awkward. I don't think anybody really cares and you're really just waiting for class to start, which is the whole reason you're there in the first place. I'll try to make this succinct. Here goes...


* I'm Abigail.
* I'm 26.
* I grew up in New York and currently live in south-central Virginia.
* I'm a (struggling) first year high school teacher.
* I still have to check the single box, but am very much in love with one of the finest officers in the United States Army.
* I am the 'mom' to 2 crazy cats, who I adopted from the local Humane Society back in August.
* I used to be a pretty serious long-distance runner and am trying to get back into it.
* I have never been much of a cook and desperately want to work on my cooking skills.
* I thought I was an organized person, but teaching has seriously challenged that notion.

I moved to a sleepy little Virginia town (that likes to call itself a city) back in August. I didn't know the area. I didn't know a soul in the area. I was completely unprepared - despite a Master's degree - to start teaching high school. It was one of the scariest/most exciting things I have ever done.

I like to write and what I want this blog to be is a sounding board, of sorts. I want to catalog any and all progress towards accomplishing my goals. I want this to be a log of what I eat and what I cook throughout the week. I want this to be a running journal that catalogs my mileage and training routine. I want to share my journey as a first year teacher, including my uphill battle to get apathetic seniors to care about their government and to get my tenth graders to pass their state administered World History test. I want to discuss life as an Army girlfriend and all that that entails. I want to share tips for nurturing a healthy and successful long-distance relationship, which is no piece of cake. I want to share the highs and lows of life on my own. I want to meet new people sharing any of the same experiences I am. I want this blog to be many things, but for now...I just want to say hi and thanks for reading this far!