Feel Good Friday

I haven't done Feel Good Friday in a while, but I have a lot to be feel good about! For those that are new to the blog and don't know, Feel Good Friday is a great idea from Erika over at The Girl Next Door Grows Up. Every Friday you list five things that made you smile this week. This week I have LOTS to smile about, but sometimes it can be hard. That is the best part of Feel Good Friday to me! Looking for something to smile about, even those weeks where everything goes wrong and you don't even want to get out of bed. Thankfully, this was not one of those weeks. I have a ton of things to feel great about!

1) My niece, Claire, turned one month old this week! Claire was very tiny when she was born (5 lb and 12 oz) and while she is doing great, she is having some trouble gaining weight. I know we are all envious of her problems, but if you could keep her in your thoughts it would mean a lot! I want big plump baby cheeks to pinch when I go out to see her.

2) I'm going to the barn right after I finish this post to ride Trouble! It's a little windy, but that's certainly not going to stop me from going. It is the best way to end a week.

3) I have a date tonight! I'm doing dinner and a movie tonight with a guy I'm pretty excited about. I have high hopes for our date and hope you hear about him again in next week's Feel Good Friday.

4) I got to teach one of my favorite units this week in history, the rise of dictators after World War I. It definitely helps that the kids seem to love learning about it as much as I love teaching it.

5) This marking period is almost over, which means I only have 2 more marking periods until the end of school. I can't believe how fast this year is going!!

Feel Good Friday

Today's Five for Friday, courtesy of the Girl Next Door Grows Up!

1) I ran 7 1/2 miles! That is the most I have run in probably 4 years and I felt great. (The downside to this is I have been unable to follow-up this performance as I have a bad muscle strain and can't run until Monday).

2) I'm going to my first UVA football game of the year tomorrow! AND I'm meeting a boy at the tailgate that my coworker has set me up with (or his wife has). What better place to meet someone than at a tailgate with cold beer, food on the grill and football!

3) I booked my spring break vacation to Disney World and Harry Potter land! One of my old friends and I from high school decided it would be a fun to just kick back and be a kid for a few days.

4) I have raised almost $500 for Team Fisher House with only about 3 weeks to go until the big race. Donate, donate, donate!!!

5) I made it through the first 6 weeks of school without any meltdowns (on my part), calls to a parent, or all-nighters (which I had more than a few of last year). All in all this year is shaping up to be immensely better than my first year.

Feel Good Friday

1. Jon got his new leg!! It has been a long road since June 24, but seeing that picture of him standing made me smile like no other.

2. My high school marching band, which is one of the most underfunded and underappreciated programs in this school, won a national essay contest. The grand prize? $40,000!!! This is to a band full of some of the most hardworking kids ever. They are not very big and don't even have uniforms. Through fundraising efforts they have managed to raise enough money for new uniforms, but they have marched the past two years in matching jeans and t-shirts. This is huge news for our tiny school and our exceptionally tiny band aI am so proud of my kids!

3. I ran 6 miles and felt pretty awesome! With 6 weeks to go until the 10 Miler it makes me feel like I am in pretty good shape.

4. I am officially registered for the 10 Miler and can now start raising money for Team Fisher House!

5. My sister had her second sonogram and my little niece/nephew looks healthy and strong! I can't wait to meet him/her (although not knowing the sex is driving me INSANE)!

Feel Good Friday

1. I went running this week and it felt awesome! I'm very slow, but feeling better each time I go out and I hit the hill at the end of the run hard. Hitting the hill hard always helps me end the run feeling awesome about the effort I put in. Ten Miler, here I come! Speaking of...

2. I got my bib for the Ten Miler! I was starting to get frustrated with my inability to secure one, but am so happy I got it all sorted out. The circumstances of the woman I am getting it from makes it all that much more special.

3. I'm going sailing tomorrow! One of JC's classmates in the Navy is taking us out tomorrow afternoon. I have never been sailing before and have really never been a big fan of the ocean (Shark Week hasn't helped much with that), but I am so excited to go.

4. My mom and sister are having an awesome time together painting the nursery out in Wyoming. They have always had a bit of a strained relationship and had a big blow-out this June that I helped mediate the hard way (i.e having them scream at me so they wouldn't scream at each other) so it makes me so happy to know they're out there spending and enjoying this time together.

5. JC and I cooked dinner together three times this week and had a blast doing it! Neither of us are very good and we weren't too adventurous, but we have fun. I'm looking forward to grilling out some steaks tonight for my farewell dinner and hope the weather cooperates.

Feel Good Friday

1) I'm going horseback riding tomorrow!! Yes, it's only going to be a plodding nose-to-tail trail ride, but I'm going to be back on a horse. AND I managed to convince JC to come too!

2) I finished my religion class (see previous post) and really enjoyed it! It definitely had its highs and lows, but I got much more out of the class than I anticipated when I first signed up for it.

3) I went to the beach yesterday and really enjoyed just walking along the shore. Between living in Wyoming and central Virginia, that is definitely something I haven't done for the longest time.

4) This goes along with number three, but the weather here has been beautiful this week. It has been very cloudy and grey here for most of the summer. Most days I can barely see the ocean from the back porch (that Wordless Wednesday picture was taken from the porch). This week the clouds and fog have been burning off by noon and the weather has just been perfect in the afternoon. Not so hot that I'm sweating through my clothes (like the whole East Coast), but I definitely don't have to bring 3 layers with me when I go out. Nothing like a month of clouds to make you appreciate the beauty of a blue sky!

5) My sister officially made it to her second trimester! That is probably more her good news than mine, but it makes me so happy. I am so excited for her! She has been wanting a baby and saving for a baby for a long time and I know her and her husband are going to be the best parents. And, let's face it, I'm going to be the best aunt EVER!!!

Feel Good Friday

I'm changing up my Five for Friday to Feel Good Friday! I got this from my fellow bloggers, Abby and Jamie (who got it from The Girl Next Door Grows Up). All you do is make a list of 5 things that made you happy this week. Easy enough, right? Here goes...

1) I found out my teaching schedule for the year and I have a study hall! AND it is first period AND I have 2 classes that only have 12 kids AND my largest class is only 18. I love teaching in a rural school district!

2) I got another A in my religion class! Even though I only need to pass it to receive credit, I'm obviously doing my best and am pretty stoked I'm doing so well. It is different from any class I have ever taken before and philosophy is really not my thing. Go me!

3) A friend of mine, who lost part of his left leg in a bad IED blast 3 weeks ago, took his first steps (sans prosthesis) yesterday! Read his story here. He is such an inspiration and I am so proud just to know him.

4) I got to see the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday, which is something I've been wanting to do for a loooong time. It capped off a great weekend in San Francisco with the boy.

5) I heard from so many wonderful friends on my birthday and turned 27! Let the countdown to 30 begin (at which point, according to my favorite quote ever by author John Grisham, I'll finally have to be taken seriously).