I know I still need to finish my 30 Great Details and as slow as it is going I have every intention of finishing it; however, my pal Kara over at Kara's Marathon tagged me in this so here goes...
Four TV Shows I Watch:
- Bones
- Glee
- Parenthood
- How I Met Your Mother
Four Things I’m Passionate About:
- Teaching
- Running
- Sports of all kinds
- Horses
Four Words/Phrases I Use Too Much:
- "Ummmm..."
- I just realized I call my kids "folks" all the time
- "One time at the ranch...." (I talk about the ranch way too much)
- "But anyway..."
Four Things I’ve Learned From The Past:
- Coupons are awesome
- Having pictures of your boyfriend in every room is a huge mistake. Breakup 1 taught me that, breakup 2 was much easie
- Don't be afraid to open up the door just because you think someone is trying to sell you something or get you to come to their Church. Sometimes you get carolers!
- Life is way too short to live with regret
Four Things I’m Looking Forward To:
- Spending the summer at the ranch with my little niece or nephew!
- Spring break at Harry Potter land in T - 89 days!!
- The last four weeks of school after SOLs
- Meeting Kara and Matt's little boy!
Four Things I Love About Winter:
- Snow days, snow days, snow days!
- Brunswick stew!
- Curing up with fleece blankets
- Buying an inordinate amount of Swiss Miss hot cocoa and marshmallows and using all the mugs I never use 'cos I don't drink coffee
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My Illustrious Return to Blogging
Okay, I just wrote a massive return post that the internet ate thanks to stupid FB chat. Whenever I hit backspace while I have FB chat open it deletes whatever I am writing - whether it is on a message board or on my blog. Grrr.
Anyway, here is my massive post in brief. I'm going to try to get back into blogging, but it will probably continue to be very random.
I actually had a coherent and organized post written tonight, but I don't feel like rewriting it. So here it is in short!
1) Ritz crackers are frickin' amazing. I almost ate a whole sleeve of them.
2) Two hour delays at school actually end up being incredibly long days. Seeing your six classes all in a row - even if they are only for 25 minutes - makes for a very long day. Additionally, trying to teach anything in 25 minutes is REALLY hard!
3) I'm drinking an incredibly large glass of Chardonnay right now in preparation for the enormous stack of papers I have to grade.
4) I am loving the 4 day weekend that is coming up, but not the fact that it will be the last break we have until Spring Break in April...
5) There are 94 days until Spring Break aka Abigail goes to Harry Potter land and Disney World and acts like a 12 year old
Anyway, here is my massive post in brief. I'm going to try to get back into blogging, but it will probably continue to be very random.
I actually had a coherent and organized post written tonight, but I don't feel like rewriting it. So here it is in short!
1) Ritz crackers are frickin' amazing. I almost ate a whole sleeve of them.
2) Two hour delays at school actually end up being incredibly long days. Seeing your six classes all in a row - even if they are only for 25 minutes - makes for a very long day. Additionally, trying to teach anything in 25 minutes is REALLY hard!
3) I'm drinking an incredibly large glass of Chardonnay right now in preparation for the enormous stack of papers I have to grade.
4) I am loving the 4 day weekend that is coming up, but not the fact that it will be the last break we have until Spring Break in April...
5) There are 94 days until Spring Break aka Abigail goes to Harry Potter land and Disney World and acts like a 12 year old
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Your Life in Great Details: Your First Love
I am fortunate enough to be able to say that the relationship I currently maintain with my first love is a friendship I am so happy to still have. If you have been reading my blog all summer, you have already met him so I don't need to go into great detail about what kind of a person he is. It's SGT D. I met him while he was a 19 year old newly promoted Specialist on his first tour to Iraq and I was a senior in college. I was participating in a wonderful program called Adopt A Platoon that allowed me to show my support for our military in a more explicit way than just slapping a magnet onto my car. I was sending monthly care packages and weekly letters to a soldier, who happened to be SGT D's best friend. To this day I'll never know how D actually got my email address and contact info from his buddy, but we started talking and over the course of his deployment became great friends. Our friendship resumed when he returned to the states, but it wasn't until he got news that he was going to deploy again (just a mere seven months after returning from his last 14 month tour) did I finally fly down to meet him face to face. We met, we had a great time, I left. Only when I returned to NY did both our mutual feelings for each other come back so back to Georgia I went to spend one last glorious weekend with him before he deployed for 15 more months.
There are a multitude of reasons why our relationship did not work out in the long term. Among the largest reason was the fact that we were very different people at very different places in our lives. We had an awesome friendship, but as a boyfriend I wanted him to be someone he was not. We were both young and very immature as far as our experiences with relationships went. We ended up breaking up just four months after he returned to the states. It was an ugly breakup. He was my first love and consequently my first heartbreak and neither of us handled it well. It was awful and I was in a lot of pain for a very long time. Fortunately, the old saying that time heals all wounds was true. Looking back now, we can both admit that we made mistakes. We both realize rushing into a relationship like we did three days before he deployed probably wasn't the greatest idea in the first place. We were great friends, but not the most compatible couple. We fought over everything from his tattoos to how he spent his money to what time he should call me every night. We both are who we are today because of our failed relationship though. I learned so much about myself in my relationship with him and he recently paid me one of the highest compliments he possibly could by telling me a lot of who he is today is because of me. There is still a great amount of love for him in my heart, but it is a different kind of love. He is a wonderful person, but he was just never *my* person. I am proud to call him my friend and proud that, no matter how many mistakes I made, there is no regret when I look back at our relationship. After all, how could you ever regret a moment like this?
There are a multitude of reasons why our relationship did not work out in the long term. Among the largest reason was the fact that we were very different people at very different places in our lives. We had an awesome friendship, but as a boyfriend I wanted him to be someone he was not. We were both young and very immature as far as our experiences with relationships went. We ended up breaking up just four months after he returned to the states. It was an ugly breakup. He was my first love and consequently my first heartbreak and neither of us handled it well. It was awful and I was in a lot of pain for a very long time. Fortunately, the old saying that time heals all wounds was true. Looking back now, we can both admit that we made mistakes. We both realize rushing into a relationship like we did three days before he deployed probably wasn't the greatest idea in the first place. We were great friends, but not the most compatible couple. We fought over everything from his tattoos to how he spent his money to what time he should call me every night. We both are who we are today because of our failed relationship though. I learned so much about myself in my relationship with him and he recently paid me one of the highest compliments he possibly could by telling me a lot of who he is today is because of me. There is still a great amount of love for him in my heart, but it is a different kind of love. He is a wonderful person, but he was just never *my* person. I am proud to call him my friend and proud that, no matter how many mistakes I made, there is no regret when I look back at our relationship. After all, how could you ever regret a moment like this?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Maybe we got lost somewhere...
I found myself among the ranks of the heartbroken last night as I left California for New York. I knew it was coming. In my heart, I knew this Rob Thomas song that I kept hearing all summer would be our anthem. Too many of the lyrics just rang too true. Somewhere along the line we got lost.
He is too rational a thinker to get caught up in a romance based around phone calls, emails, and a week here or a week there. Things have to make sense for him. I was really hoping that I would make sense in his life and I really think I did for a while. We got caught up in a romance that took us both by surprise at a time when we both really needed each other. For the first half of our relationship he ignored the rational part of his brain and we both just got way so wrapped up in each other. I'm not the kind of person that plans their wedding when they don't even have a boyfriend or names their unborn children, but he brought all that craziness out in me. He was figuring out which furniture of ours we would use when we moved in together and including me in choosing his next duty station. We were at a point, after only a few short months, that we were planning our futures around each other when we should have just been enjoying the time together. He realized way before I did that we were moving way too fast. The logical part of his brain caught up with him eventually. He didn't say anything and when he finally did, he didn't know how to go back to where we were before.
It was a very teary goodbye on both parts and definitely not something I'll be able to shake for a while. He is not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve so seeing him cry really shook me up. All he could keep saying as he hugged me was "you're going to be fine". I have no doubt that I will be. I know I have great friends and family who will support me and I will land on my feet and be okay in the end. I'll just miss him more than I can say. I loved sharing my life with him. For 1 1/2 years he was my confidante and best friend. And now just like that, he's not there. It's horrible how breakups work like that. He wants to still be a part of my life and hear that I got in alright and made it to Virginia and that I havegood students in my classes. I'm not built like that though. Maybe down the road a friendship will make sense with him, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. I will miss him with all my heart, but I need to do what's best for me. So here starts Day 1 of JC detox. Wish me luck on the last endeavor I ever wished to embark on...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Expectations
So I've been thinking a lot this summer about expectations and how I am my own worst enemy sometimes. Maybe it's the history of religion class I am taking right now that has caused me to think on it so much, but I really think one of the biggest issues I need to work on is how I cope with disappointment. I'm not even talking about major disappointments, but little things I hype up in my mind that don't pan out.
So I've made it my goal this summer to let go of expectations with attachment to results. Maybe it's all the Buddhist philosophy I've been reading for class, but the more I think on it the more I see the truth in a quote my professor introduced: "expectations are just a future resentment". I build up things in my mind and then when they don't pan out I let it negatively affect my mood and my relationships. What I end up with is resentment because I'm just too attached to what I hoped or planned would happen.
So I'm trying to let go of that attachment. I don't think there's anything wrong with having expectations. I'm a planner and will always look into the future. If I'm expecting something - whether it's what I'll do with my brother when I return to NY or how I'll do my second year in the classroom - it means I'm living in the future, which isn't reality! I need to live in the present and focus on what I have and what I can do now. I need to enjoy the time I have right now with the boy because in 3 weeks I'll be long gone from here! I will still be mindful of certain outcomes - not to be would be antithetical to who I am. But I will be mindful of them and then let them go. I'm going to stay right here where I am: in the present. And if the weather is ugly or the boy is busy or we don't go out to dinner Friday...so be it. I need to get out of the future (and while I'm at it, out of the past too) and focus on today.
Now I'm off to go read the Torah! We've gotten to the major monotheistic religions in my class and I definitely am interested in getting a deeper understanding of Judaism, which I know little about aside from the basics.
What about you? Do you have a problem with building huge expectations in your life? How do you deal when they don't plan out like you hoped? Do you think it's true that "expectations are just a possible resentment"?
So I've made it my goal this summer to let go of expectations with attachment to results. Maybe it's all the Buddhist philosophy I've been reading for class, but the more I think on it the more I see the truth in a quote my professor introduced: "expectations are just a future resentment". I build up things in my mind and then when they don't pan out I let it negatively affect my mood and my relationships. What I end up with is resentment because I'm just too attached to what I hoped or planned would happen.
So I'm trying to let go of that attachment. I don't think there's anything wrong with having expectations. I'm a planner and will always look into the future. If I'm expecting something - whether it's what I'll do with my brother when I return to NY or how I'll do my second year in the classroom - it means I'm living in the future, which isn't reality! I need to live in the present and focus on what I have and what I can do now. I need to enjoy the time I have right now with the boy because in 3 weeks I'll be long gone from here! I will still be mindful of certain outcomes - not to be would be antithetical to who I am. But I will be mindful of them and then let them go. I'm going to stay right here where I am: in the present. And if the weather is ugly or the boy is busy or we don't go out to dinner Friday...so be it. I need to get out of the future (and while I'm at it, out of the past too) and focus on today.
Now I'm off to go read the Torah! We've gotten to the major monotheistic religions in my class and I definitely am interested in getting a deeper understanding of Judaism, which I know little about aside from the basics.
What about you? Do you have a problem with building huge expectations in your life? How do you deal when they don't plan out like you hoped? Do you think it's true that "expectations are just a possible resentment"?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Five for Friday
1. You bring me a glass of juice to bed
2. You're appreciative
3. You pick me up from class every day when you don’t have to
4. You like to cook (or at least try to!)
5. You got me a birthday present we can enjoy together
2. You're appreciative
3. You pick me up from class every day when you don’t have to
4. You like to cook (or at least try to!)
5. You got me a birthday present we can enjoy together
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
35 By 35
So I'm stealing yet another thing from Bri. She did a list of 30 things to do before she turns 30. Seeing as I turn 27 in four days, I extended the list to 35 things to do before I turn 35. Some of it might be a bit ambitious, but why not dream big?
1. Excel in my career
2. Run a a marathon
3. Learn another language
4. Read the Bible
5. Still be a student
6. Return to Colby for my 10 year college reunion
7. Travel to 2 more continents
8. Adopt a dog
9. Become an equestrian
10. Get married
11. Become a homeowner
12. Start a family
13. Travel to the remaining 50 states I haven't been to
14. Spend a week camping in a national park
15. Own a piano
16. Have a garden
17. Cook a Thanksgiving dinner by myself
18. Find a church I like and can go to on a regular basis
19. Be the best aunt EVER!
20. Go fishing
21. Learn yoga
22. Learn how to change my own oil
23. Take up a martial art
24. Be a regular (and not just sporadic) contributor to my favorite charities
25. See the Grand Canyon
26. Spend another summer at the Ranch
28. Learn to drive a stick shift (well)
29. Throw an awesome 30th anniversary celebration for my parents
30. Experience as many other cultures as possible
31. Learn how to knit or quilt
32. See as many Oscar winning movies as possible
33. Go on a hot air balloon ride
34. Learn how (and have enough patience) to play golf
35. Go to Las Vegas
1. Excel in my career
2. Run a a marathon
3. Learn another language
4. Read the Bible
5. Still be a student
6. Return to Colby for my 10 year college reunion
7. Travel to 2 more continents
8. Adopt a dog
9. Become an equestrian
10. Get married
11. Become a homeowner
12. Start a family
13. Travel to the remaining 50 states I haven't been to
14. Spend a week camping in a national park
15. Own a piano
16. Have a garden
17. Cook a Thanksgiving dinner by myself
18. Find a church I like and can go to on a regular basis
19. Be the best aunt EVER!
20. Go fishing
21. Learn yoga
22. Learn how to change my own oil
23. Take up a martial art
24. Be a regular (and not just sporadic) contributor to my favorite charities
25. See the Grand Canyon
26. Spend another summer at the Ranch
28. Learn to drive a stick shift (well)
29. Throw an awesome 30th anniversary celebration for my parents
30. Experience as many other cultures as possible
31. Learn how to knit or quilt
32. See as many Oscar winning movies as possible
33. Go on a hot air balloon ride
34. Learn how (and have enough patience) to play golf
35. Go to Las Vegas
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Making New Friends
I realized this weekend while out to dinner with the boy and his friends how much I enjoy meeting new people. This is something that ten years ago I would never have said. I was incredibly shy and quiet all through high school. I was not the type of person who would agree to go on blind dates, or introduce myself to someone I didn't know, strike up a conversation with someone in line at the grocery store. I hated speaking in class and any/all attention drawn towards me. I had a tight group of friends and that was about it. I didn't feel the need to seek out or make new friends at any point in high school. In a lot of ways, a lot of that is true. I still have a core group of friends - whether it's my college pals, ranch friends, grad school friends - that I rely on. So much about me has changed in the last decade though.
I was trying to figure out when this change occurred. If you ask my college pals they'll tell you it was after I went skydiving in Switzerland at age 18. They swear I came back from that and was a much more effervescent and outgoing person. But when I look back I really don't think I was that different a person in college than I was in high school. I was still, in many ways, still very insecure and quiet. I still hated speaking up in class and dreaded the thought of going to a party where I knew no one.
I think my two years at the Ranch were really important and helped me gain a new sense of independence. I started to realize I could do things I never thought I could. Whether it was learning to drive a stick shift the hard way, operating a chain saw or fixing a 1/4 mile stretch of fence all by myself. I also met an insane amount of new people. I had to get along with coworkers who were very different from me. I had to take teenagers and adults out on rides and, not only teach them how to ride and make sure they arrived back at the Ranch safely, but I had to talk and entertain them for 2 1/2 hours. I look back and see a very marked change in myself after my time at the Ranch. I was more social and outgoing, but most of all, I was much more confident.
I think my first boyfriend (and consequent first heartbreak) after college was a really important experience. It sounds odd that getting your heart broken could build confidence, but I really think it did. I realized a lot about myself that has played such an important part in my relationship now. Getting dumped sucked, but it is beyond true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Now I'm living on my own and the girl who hated speaking in class does just that all day long. I've been on blind dates and done things 10 years ago Abigail would have never done. I coach track and go to dinner parties and get-togethers where I don't know anyone. And I love meeting new people! I've made good friends with the wife of one of JC's classmates in the last couple weeks. She and her husband hosted a dinner party a few weeks ago. I gave her my number 'cos I figured we were both home alone all day while our men were in school. We met up for lunch one day and had such a blast we've become great pals. I think it surprised the boy a bit last night when we met up with her and her friends and husband. Honestly, I surprise myself at how easily and how much I enjoy making new friends. I used to hate leaving places all the time 'cos I hated leaving friends behind. In fact, my friends and family can testify that when I left the Ranch to go to grad school I said something along the lines of 'I don't want to make any friends, I just want to get my degree and move on'. That's laughable now when I think about the awesome friends I made at school and how much I enjoy making new ones. It's comforting to know that wherever I go and whatever happens, I have a network of friends all around the country who have my back and I can always make new ones!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
I was trying to figure out when this change occurred. If you ask my college pals they'll tell you it was after I went skydiving in Switzerland at age 18. They swear I came back from that and was a much more effervescent and outgoing person. But when I look back I really don't think I was that different a person in college than I was in high school. I was still, in many ways, still very insecure and quiet. I still hated speaking up in class and dreaded the thought of going to a party where I knew no one.
I think my two years at the Ranch were really important and helped me gain a new sense of independence. I started to realize I could do things I never thought I could. Whether it was learning to drive a stick shift the hard way, operating a chain saw or fixing a 1/4 mile stretch of fence all by myself. I also met an insane amount of new people. I had to get along with coworkers who were very different from me. I had to take teenagers and adults out on rides and, not only teach them how to ride and make sure they arrived back at the Ranch safely, but I had to talk and entertain them for 2 1/2 hours. I look back and see a very marked change in myself after my time at the Ranch. I was more social and outgoing, but most of all, I was much more confident.
I think my first boyfriend (and consequent first heartbreak) after college was a really important experience. It sounds odd that getting your heart broken could build confidence, but I really think it did. I realized a lot about myself that has played such an important part in my relationship now. Getting dumped sucked, but it is beyond true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Now I'm living on my own and the girl who hated speaking in class does just that all day long. I've been on blind dates and done things 10 years ago Abigail would have never done. I coach track and go to dinner parties and get-togethers where I don't know anyone. And I love meeting new people! I've made good friends with the wife of one of JC's classmates in the last couple weeks. She and her husband hosted a dinner party a few weeks ago. I gave her my number 'cos I figured we were both home alone all day while our men were in school. We met up for lunch one day and had such a blast we've become great pals. I think it surprised the boy a bit last night when we met up with her and her friends and husband. Honestly, I surprise myself at how easily and how much I enjoy making new friends. I used to hate leaving places all the time 'cos I hated leaving friends behind. In fact, my friends and family can testify that when I left the Ranch to go to grad school I said something along the lines of 'I don't want to make any friends, I just want to get my degree and move on'. That's laughable now when I think about the awesome friends I made at school and how much I enjoy making new ones. It's comforting to know that wherever I go and whatever happens, I have a network of friends all around the country who have my back and I can always make new ones!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Five For Friday
Thought I'd try something new for a change. I stole this from my friend Bri's blog (http://mylifeasbrianne.blogspot.com) and thought it would be fun. I'm not sure what the future holds for the boy and me, but I do know a few things. So here we go...
1. You know the best kinds of weekends are the ones where you do nothing.
2. You’re as competitive as I am and never let me win anything (and I love you for it).
3. You always smell great.
4. When you set your mind on something, I know there’s no doubt you will attain it.
5. You love to learn.
1. You know the best kinds of weekends are the ones where you do nothing.
2. You’re as competitive as I am and never let me win anything (and I love you for it).
3. You always smell great.
4. When you set your mind on something, I know there’s no doubt you will attain it.
5. You love to learn.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
My Favorite Place in the World
I've been MIA from this blog for just about a month and an awful lot has happened. The school year ended and I have been officially hired on for next year. I'm out in California for the summer with the boy and have been having a blast relaxing and doing a bit of sightseeing (but mostly just relaxing). I have been meaning to blog for a while, but wasn’t quite sure where to start.
I think one of the reasons my blog was on hiatus for so long is because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted it to be. Most blogs have specific niches - a wellness blog, a teaching blog, a running blog, a baby blog. I didn't really know what I wanted my focus to be. So from here on out, I'm just going to talk about me and my life in general, however uneventful it may be.
I figure a great place to start would be with my favorite place in the world, a place that if you spend any time with me you will find comes up in conversation an awful lot and that I simply refer to as “the Ranch”. I have to admit that I’m a bit pleased that while I am enjoying my stay in California it still doesn’t hold a candle to “the Ranch”. The Ranch is Triangle X Ranch, a guest ranch in Moose, Wyoming (just north of Jackson) that I first journeyed to on a family vacation back in 1997. My family of six returned every year, though the number of people dwindled each time. First my oldest brother opted not to return, then my dad decided a week of horseback riding just wasn’t his thing, then my sister went out there to work (she never left and is now married and about to start a family there), then my other brother could no longer take the time off. All in all, I came to the ranch as a guest for seven years before I started working out there myself my junior year of college. I was a glorified toilet scrubber and bed maker, but I loved every minute and returned after I graduated. I loved it so much that I stayed out there through the fall, winter and spring.
That summer I was promoted from toilet scrubbed extraordinaire to "teen wrangler" whose job was to teach every teenager that was a guest on the ranch (like I used to be) how to ride a horse and to make sure they had a fabulous week. I had always been a horse lover, but never rode seriously so it was a dream. My biggest problem of the day was whether or not to take my ride into the mountains or down to the river to swim with the horses. I stayed out there for two full years after graduation ‘living the dream’ before I decided to move on and go to graduate school. Sometimes I wish I’d stayed a few years longer, but I’m grateful for the time that I had out there. I look at my boyfriend who went right from college to his job in the military or my friends who went right to a full-time job and I realize how lucky I am.
The Ranch is and will always be my happy place, my own personal paradise. I know if life were ever to get rough or I were to get fired from my job that I could return to the Ranch and have a place there. I have family out there now, a sister and brother-in-law (and soon a niece or nephew). Just last week I received a phone call from my former boss offering me my old position. I turned it I down simply because of logistics, money and the fact that I already planned to spend my summer out here with the boy. We won’t get many opportunities to spend time together like this so I have to take every opportunity I can. It’s nice to know that after almost 3 years they still remember me. To this day they say I was the only teen wrangler who ever enjoyed being around teenagers that much. I talk and think about the Ranch all the time so it is comforting to know they think of me too.
I think one of the reasons my blog was on hiatus for so long is because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted it to be. Most blogs have specific niches - a wellness blog, a teaching blog, a running blog, a baby blog. I didn't really know what I wanted my focus to be. So from here on out, I'm just going to talk about me and my life in general, however uneventful it may be.
I figure a great place to start would be with my favorite place in the world, a place that if you spend any time with me you will find comes up in conversation an awful lot and that I simply refer to as “the Ranch”. I have to admit that I’m a bit pleased that while I am enjoying my stay in California it still doesn’t hold a candle to “the Ranch”. The Ranch is Triangle X Ranch, a guest ranch in Moose, Wyoming (just north of Jackson) that I first journeyed to on a family vacation back in 1997. My family of six returned every year, though the number of people dwindled each time. First my oldest brother opted not to return, then my dad decided a week of horseback riding just wasn’t his thing, then my sister went out there to work (she never left and is now married and about to start a family there), then my other brother could no longer take the time off. All in all, I came to the ranch as a guest for seven years before I started working out there myself my junior year of college. I was a glorified toilet scrubber and bed maker, but I loved every minute and returned after I graduated. I loved it so much that I stayed out there through the fall, winter and spring.
Pushing out the herd in the summer (photo courtesy of John Schairer)
The herd moving across the pasture in the fall
The ranch in winter
That summer I was promoted from toilet scrubbed extraordinaire to "teen wrangler" whose job was to teach every teenager that was a guest on the ranch (like I used to be) how to ride a horse and to make sure they had a fabulous week. I had always been a horse lover, but never rode seriously so it was a dream. My biggest problem of the day was whether or not to take my ride into the mountains or down to the river to swim with the horses. I stayed out there for two full years after graduation ‘living the dream’ before I decided to move on and go to graduate school. Sometimes I wish I’d stayed a few years longer, but I’m grateful for the time that I had out there. I look at my boyfriend who went right from college to his job in the military or my friends who went right to a full-time job and I realize how lucky I am.
This horse was my best friend for 2 years
The Ranch is and will always be my happy place, my own personal paradise. I know if life were ever to get rough or I were to get fired from my job that I could return to the Ranch and have a place there. I have family out there now, a sister and brother-in-law (and soon a niece or nephew). Just last week I received a phone call from my former boss offering me my old position. I turned it I down simply because of logistics, money and the fact that I already planned to spend my summer out here with the boy. We won’t get many opportunities to spend time together like this so I have to take every opportunity I can. It’s nice to know that after almost 3 years they still remember me. To this day they say I was the only teen wrangler who ever enjoyed being around teenagers that much. I talk and think about the Ranch all the time so it is comforting to know they think of me too.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Home Stretch
Well, I'm down to the final stretch in this marathon that is my first-year teaching. Last Thursday was the last day I saw all of my seniors as that Friday was unofficial senior cut day and this week is senior exam week (except none of the seniors have to take exams). I can't say that I will miss them at all. There are really very few redeeming things about teaching seniors. I'll teach them again because it's a job, but if I could afford to be picky I would never teach seniors again.
These last couple weeks since the SOL tests have been a weird combination of relaxation and unneeded stress. The lesson planning isn't stressful. I honestly so lesson-planned out and so sick of teaching 'new' content I can't even tell you. I've pretty much been winging it and making it up in the 10 minutes before I leave for school. I'm teaching current issues and showing lots of videos. They watched Hotel Rwanda and we had a Socratic Seminar about it, then watched a documentary about North Korea. I taught them about Tianamen Square and current issues in China today. We had a class discussion today about what the term terrorism means and what their goals are. It should be interesting stuff and it is all stuff I really want them to learn. The problem is they've checked out. As one of my brightest students even said to me today when asking if he could make up a quiz from last week during math class, "SOLs are over. We're not doing anything." The kids know it and it's hard to convince them otherwise. I can't force them to pay attention to what I'm teaching them right now. I'm not going to test them on it the last day of school and they know that.
While their behavior and outlook about these last days bothers me, I can't be too much of a hypocrite. After all, I did just confess I haven't put a terrible amount of thought into my lessons these last couple weeks either. Bottom line is, I'm ready to cross that finish line and be able to say I did it. I finished my first year teaching. Two more days of class and then one week of finals and workdays to go.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
These last couple weeks since the SOL tests have been a weird combination of relaxation and unneeded stress. The lesson planning isn't stressful. I honestly so lesson-planned out and so sick of teaching 'new' content I can't even tell you. I've pretty much been winging it and making it up in the 10 minutes before I leave for school. I'm teaching current issues and showing lots of videos. They watched Hotel Rwanda and we had a Socratic Seminar about it, then watched a documentary about North Korea. I taught them about Tianamen Square and current issues in China today. We had a class discussion today about what the term terrorism means and what their goals are. It should be interesting stuff and it is all stuff I really want them to learn. The problem is they've checked out. As one of my brightest students even said to me today when asking if he could make up a quiz from last week during math class, "SOLs are over. We're not doing anything." The kids know it and it's hard to convince them otherwise. I can't force them to pay attention to what I'm teaching them right now. I'm not going to test them on it the last day of school and they know that.
While their behavior and outlook about these last days bothers me, I can't be too much of a hypocrite. After all, I did just confess I haven't put a terrible amount of thought into my lessons these last couple weeks either. Bottom line is, I'm ready to cross that finish line and be able to say I did it. I finished my first year teaching. Two more days of class and then one week of finals and workdays to go.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Feeling old
Is it bad when the weekend arrives and all I want to do when I get back from work is collapse on the couch and sleep? I miss the days when Friday night meant making plans and going out and having fun. Now all Friday night means to me is I can go to sleep early! I am so wiped from this week. I had a field trip with my seniors and 2 track meets this week. I didn't get back to the school from one of the meets until about 9:30. Add in a 40 minute commute home and you have a very long "hump day" on Wednesday. This week just felt super super long. It took forever just to get to Wednesday and I feel like I barely made it to Friday.
Now Friday is here and all I want to do is sleep. I just hate being this exhausted all the time. I want to do fun things on the weekend and learn how to play tennis with Kendra and go visit my grad school pals up in Charlottesville. By the end of the week I'm so exhausted and backlogged with grading and cleaning and laundry that I hardly ever leave my room. I'm only 26, but I feel so old!
Honestly, I can't figure out if I feel "old" or I just don't know what 26 feels like. I feel like it's a very diverse age and you can have young single people who still live it up on the weekends and people who are also married with kids. I get told all the time that "I'm still young" and should be out having fun, but maybe it's the fact that the only people I ever hang out with and see on a regular basis here are all married and/or have kids. I had my share of fun in and after college, but I've never been one for going out. I'm definitely attracted to a slower pace and lifestyle. Maybe that makes me boring, maybe it makes me old, I don't know.
Today I had a couple students come in off their lunch break to make up a test and I had my pathetic little teacher lunch out on the desk and I was reminded of a My So Called Life episode where Angela comments on how sad teachers' lives are and they zoom in on this frumpy middle-aged woman eating a tuna sandwich. When my kids came in and I took out my pathetic lunch I suddenly felt like that frumpy middle aged woman. I'm sure I look awful some days when I go into work. Most days I barely have time to run a comb through my hair nevertheless put on makeup. Lots of days I forget to eat breakfast and run out the door without taking a lunch. I end up eating school lunches or grabbing one of the frozen dinners I have stored up in the teacher's lounge. I have to remind myself that this whole 'being exhausted all the time' gig that comes with being a first year teacher is only temporary. Next year HAS to be better than this year and if I end up at a different school I don't know if coaching will be on my repertoire. As much as I love it, it is sucking the life out of me.
I miss blogging and wish I could get to a computer more often. Until June 11 I think once a week will pretty much be par for the course for me.
Thankfully, we only have one meet next week and it is a varsity meet that I think we are hosting. We run a pretty quick meet and usually finish up in about 2 hours, which means I will hopefully be home before 8 PM. I start my SOL review next week, which is the 2 week review for the big Virginia state test. It will be stressful to review everything we have learned since August, but will be nice not to have to plan actual lessons anymore. SOL review is just drill, drill, drill, drill.
My Seniors have their prom this weekend and I was asked about 12 times today by my kids if I was going to be there. It's Saturday night and I've already been invited by my grad school friends to go up to Charlottesville and hang with them for the weekend so I am torn. I honestly would just like to stay here and do nothing. I get so lazy on the weekends it's not even funny. I think I will probably end up donning a dress and going to prom. I was flattered they asked me to attend. I figured they would want it to be "their" night and wouldn't want teachers anywhere within a 5 mile radius. The faculty sponsor for the seniors, the 12th grade English teacher who I conference with all the time about my kids, encouraged me to go. She will be there so who knows. Maybe I'll revisit my high school days and go hit up the prom for an hour or so. It will probably make me feel even older than ever!
Right now all I want to do is collapse on the couch though. I think before I do I may order Chinese and go pop in the "Brothers At War" DVD that I never finished from back in February. JC is going to a San Francisco Giants baseball game tonight, which he is super excited about. He's had a rough couple of weeks and didn't do as well on his speaking test this week as he wanted to so I'm happy he's going out and doing something fun. We've hardly talked this week at all, aside from a couple 5 minute phone calls and some texts and emails. I love talking to him and it is usually one of the highlights of my day, but twice this week he called and I was already passed out and slept right through it. He left me a super sweet voicemail and I replied the next day with an email. And that's just how we roll. I know he's thinking about me. He know I'm thinking about him. We just have to focus on our careers right now so we're making good decisions and focusing on our studies. Do I hate that I'm so busy? Yes. Do I know there is an end in sight? Absolutely. The end of the school year is now only 7 weeks away!
And I'll see him soon enough and we'll have an awesome time tog ether this summer. I thought these weeks after our spring break together would be so painful and, no doubt, the first one back was. But we're back into the old routine now. We set aside time on the weekend to "be together" on Skype. We have our dinner dates. We email during the day. It's all good. Whether we have 2 months left of it or 12 more, we can kick this long-distance thing in the butt. Of that I am confident.
And on that note, I'm going to go order my crab rangoons, egg drop soup and Kung Pao chicken. Ah, Friday....
Now Friday is here and all I want to do is sleep. I just hate being this exhausted all the time. I want to do fun things on the weekend and learn how to play tennis with Kendra and go visit my grad school pals up in Charlottesville. By the end of the week I'm so exhausted and backlogged with grading and cleaning and laundry that I hardly ever leave my room. I'm only 26, but I feel so old!
Honestly, I can't figure out if I feel "old" or I just don't know what 26 feels like. I feel like it's a very diverse age and you can have young single people who still live it up on the weekends and people who are also married with kids. I get told all the time that "I'm still young" and should be out having fun, but maybe it's the fact that the only people I ever hang out with and see on a regular basis here are all married and/or have kids. I had my share of fun in and after college, but I've never been one for going out. I'm definitely attracted to a slower pace and lifestyle. Maybe that makes me boring, maybe it makes me old, I don't know.
Today I had a couple students come in off their lunch break to make up a test and I had my pathetic little teacher lunch out on the desk and I was reminded of a My So Called Life episode where Angela comments on how sad teachers' lives are and they zoom in on this frumpy middle-aged woman eating a tuna sandwich. When my kids came in and I took out my pathetic lunch I suddenly felt like that frumpy middle aged woman. I'm sure I look awful some days when I go into work. Most days I barely have time to run a comb through my hair nevertheless put on makeup. Lots of days I forget to eat breakfast and run out the door without taking a lunch. I end up eating school lunches or grabbing one of the frozen dinners I have stored up in the teacher's lounge. I have to remind myself that this whole 'being exhausted all the time' gig that comes with being a first year teacher is only temporary. Next year HAS to be better than this year and if I end up at a different school I don't know if coaching will be on my repertoire. As much as I love it, it is sucking the life out of me.
I miss blogging and wish I could get to a computer more often. Until June 11 I think once a week will pretty much be par for the course for me.
Thankfully, we only have one meet next week and it is a varsity meet that I think we are hosting. We run a pretty quick meet and usually finish up in about 2 hours, which means I will hopefully be home before 8 PM. I start my SOL review next week, which is the 2 week review for the big Virginia state test. It will be stressful to review everything we have learned since August, but will be nice not to have to plan actual lessons anymore. SOL review is just drill, drill, drill, drill.
My Seniors have their prom this weekend and I was asked about 12 times today by my kids if I was going to be there. It's Saturday night and I've already been invited by my grad school friends to go up to Charlottesville and hang with them for the weekend so I am torn. I honestly would just like to stay here and do nothing. I get so lazy on the weekends it's not even funny. I think I will probably end up donning a dress and going to prom. I was flattered they asked me to attend. I figured they would want it to be "their" night and wouldn't want teachers anywhere within a 5 mile radius. The faculty sponsor for the seniors, the 12th grade English teacher who I conference with all the time about my kids, encouraged me to go. She will be there so who knows. Maybe I'll revisit my high school days and go hit up the prom for an hour or so. It will probably make me feel even older than ever!
Right now all I want to do is collapse on the couch though. I think before I do I may order Chinese and go pop in the "Brothers At War" DVD that I never finished from back in February. JC is going to a San Francisco Giants baseball game tonight, which he is super excited about. He's had a rough couple of weeks and didn't do as well on his speaking test this week as he wanted to so I'm happy he's going out and doing something fun. We've hardly talked this week at all, aside from a couple 5 minute phone calls and some texts and emails. I love talking to him and it is usually one of the highlights of my day, but twice this week he called and I was already passed out and slept right through it. He left me a super sweet voicemail and I replied the next day with an email. And that's just how we roll. I know he's thinking about me. He know I'm thinking about him. We just have to focus on our careers right now so we're making good decisions and focusing on our studies. Do I hate that I'm so busy? Yes. Do I know there is an end in sight? Absolutely. The end of the school year is now only 7 weeks away!
And I'll see him soon enough and we'll have an awesome time tog ether this summer. I thought these weeks after our spring break together would be so painful and, no doubt, the first one back was. But we're back into the old routine now. We set aside time on the weekend to "be together" on Skype. We have our dinner dates. We email during the day. It's all good. Whether we have 2 months left of it or 12 more, we can kick this long-distance thing in the butt. Of that I am confident.
And on that note, I'm going to go order my crab rangoons, egg drop soup and Kung Pao chicken. Ah, Friday....
Saturday, April 17, 2010
April 16, 2007
This post is a day late and was supposed to go up yesterday, but I ask all my blog readers to pause and remember the 32 people killed at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007.
I had just returned from a trip visiting UVA when the news of this story broke. I was only 2 years out of college and I saw so many people I went to college with in the faces of the victims. One young man in particular jumped out at me. His name was Ryan Clark or "Stack" as he was known by his friends. I never knew him, but his picture and story captivated me in a completely unexpected way. Ryan was an RA in the residence hall where the first life in this tragedy, that of 19 year old Emily Hilscher, was taken. As a resident adviser, he walked over to investigate what was going on and make sure his residents were alright, was shot in the neck and killed. A bright young man, whose smile could apparently light up a room, who spent summers volunteering at a summer camp for special needs children, who was a month from graduating with a triple major and intended to pursue a PhD in neuroscience, gone just like that. Simply because he went to go make sure everything was alright.
I don't know why Ryan affected me the way that he did. I obviously did not know much about him, but as I said it was his picture and smile that captivated me most. The more I read about him the more I could see that the world lost an amazing young man. The world lost 32 amazing men and women that day. Lives snuffed out too soon for no reason at all. I felt helpless like most of the nation and wanted to do something to help the grieving friends and family and to make sure the memory of these students did not fade as the years go by. So I decided to honor Ryan in a very unconventional way. I made a video, using pictures people submitted to his Facebook memorial page and newspapers around the country, quotes from online tributes and messages left for Ryan. The purpose of the video was simply to remember Ryan and his life.
I could never have imagined the response that it got. It hasn't reached Susan Boyle fame, but 13,000 people have viewed the video and for those 3:30 second they remember Ryan. I have received many emails and messages about the video over the years, including a CBS news broadcaster who informed me that he had played the video for Ryan's mother and sister, strangers from around the world and a close friend who informed me how the video was shared with all Ryan's fellow Marching Virginians.
To this day, I still can't explain why exactly Ryan touched me so much considering I never met him. Maybe it was the smile, maybe it was that he reminded me of classmates I knew, perhaps it was the knowledge that in his 22 years on this earth he accomplished more than some people will in a lifetime. Just like Ross Almedinne, Jarrett Lane, Matthew La Porte and Lauren McCain and all the lives taken that day. Pause today and remember them. Say a prayer for their families and challenge yourself to give and do more with your life. That is Ryan's legacy to me.
I had just returned from a trip visiting UVA when the news of this story broke. I was only 2 years out of college and I saw so many people I went to college with in the faces of the victims. One young man in particular jumped out at me. His name was Ryan Clark or "Stack" as he was known by his friends. I never knew him, but his picture and story captivated me in a completely unexpected way. Ryan was an RA in the residence hall where the first life in this tragedy, that of 19 year old Emily Hilscher, was taken. As a resident adviser, he walked over to investigate what was going on and make sure his residents were alright, was shot in the neck and killed. A bright young man, whose smile could apparently light up a room, who spent summers volunteering at a summer camp for special needs children, who was a month from graduating with a triple major and intended to pursue a PhD in neuroscience, gone just like that. Simply because he went to go make sure everything was alright.
I don't know why Ryan affected me the way that he did. I obviously did not know much about him, but as I said it was his picture and smile that captivated me most. The more I read about him the more I could see that the world lost an amazing young man. The world lost 32 amazing men and women that day. Lives snuffed out too soon for no reason at all. I felt helpless like most of the nation and wanted to do something to help the grieving friends and family and to make sure the memory of these students did not fade as the years go by. So I decided to honor Ryan in a very unconventional way. I made a video, using pictures people submitted to his Facebook memorial page and newspapers around the country, quotes from online tributes and messages left for Ryan. The purpose of the video was simply to remember Ryan and his life.
I could never have imagined the response that it got. It hasn't reached Susan Boyle fame, but 13,000 people have viewed the video and for those 3:30 second they remember Ryan. I have received many emails and messages about the video over the years, including a CBS news broadcaster who informed me that he had played the video for Ryan's mother and sister, strangers from around the world and a close friend who informed me how the video was shared with all Ryan's fellow Marching Virginians.
To this day, I still can't explain why exactly Ryan touched me so much considering I never met him. Maybe it was the smile, maybe it was that he reminded me of classmates I knew, perhaps it was the knowledge that in his 22 years on this earth he accomplished more than some people will in a lifetime. Just like Ross Almedinne, Jarrett Lane, Matthew La Porte and Lauren McCain and all the lives taken that day. Pause today and remember them. Say a prayer for their families and challenge yourself to give and do more with your life. That is Ryan's legacy to me.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
I'm Alive!
I'm not sure how long exactly how it has been since I posted anything, but I assure you it's not 'cos I haven't wanted to. I've had a few blog posts that I've wanted to post rattling around in my head all week, but haven't even had the time to go grocery shopping this week nevertheless sit down and blog. There is lots that I would like to include in this entry, but I don't have time and just wanted to share the most amazing story ever about the wonders of the blogging world and how incredible it is.
Thanks to my best pal, Kara, an amazing good Samaritan and the New Balance company, my athletes will finally have actual running shoes!! Not hand-me downs, not lightly used donations, but top of the line New Balance running shoes.
So here's the story about how amazing the blogging community and people in general can be. My friend Kara runs an amazing health/marathon training/wellness blog over at . She is actually the reason I started blogging. She has made so many positive changes in her life and is able to successfully juggle so many things in her life and she somehow manages to document it all on her blog. I don't know how she does it. She is seriously such an amazing inspiration to me. Anyway, back to how she got my kids shoes! I told her one day when we were chatting about how frustrating it was to see these kids run around the asphalt track in skateboard shoes and basketball sneakers. She mentioned it on her blog. One of her blog readers works for New Balance. This amazing reader thought New Balance might be interested in helping out my track team. She asked for sizes and I got 17 sizes and emailed them to her, still very hesitant that anything would actually happen. That was last week over Spring Break. I returned Monday to discover an email that said New Balance was getting all the sizes together and just needed an address where to send them. I sent them her way, completely amazed that this was taking place, but still somehow skeptical. Maybe I'm just a pessimist. Maybe I was just in shock, but I resigned myself into thinking that it would take a month for the shoes to get there. I know, I know, I'm such a pessimist. I think I was honestly just in disbelief. I could not believe that a company could possibly be so generous. She emailed me the next day to tell me New Balance sent the 20 pairs of the New Balance 760's in both men's and women's sizes!
They should be here early next week! I am hoping they miraculously arrive on Monday so our kids will have them to the meet that day. We don't have sweats or jackets or cool t-shirts or anything like that. The track team, despite winning a state championship about 4 years ago, is pretty much the lowest team on the totem pole at this high school. Football is king and baseball and softball, especially, are really popular. The kids that run track get very little notoriety or respect at this school. It's a hard sport and I'm immensely proud of the kids who have stuck with it. I CANNOT wait to see the looks on their faces when they get these shoes. I am definitely going to bring my camera and cannot wait to get a picture of them holding up the shoes and then trying them on. I am hoping to submit an article to the local paper thanking New Balance. I am still in shock that they would so freely donate almost $2,000 worth of shoes to a school in need without any annoying paperwork or verification of students "in need".
I just cannot wait for the shoes to arrive. The other coaches who know these kids, the community, their families and where they come from, have told me most of them have nothing. They told me I'd be appalled if I saw where they live. One of my favorite kids is a talented and hardworking sophomore who runs just about everything we ask him to, from the 100m to the 4x400 in basketball sneakers and never says a word or complains about injuries or being tired or anything. He wears shoes that are a size too small and, apparently, he lives in a house where you can practically see the dirt floor. And now he's going to get brand new $100 running shoes!
Is this not the most amazing story EVER??? Thank you so much to everybody involved. Kara, Emily and most importantly NEW BALANCE!!!
Thanks to my best pal, Kara, an amazing good Samaritan and the New Balance company, my athletes will finally have actual running shoes!! Not hand-me downs, not lightly used donations, but top of the line New Balance running shoes.
So here's the story about how amazing the blogging community and people in general can be. My friend Kara runs an amazing health/marathon training/wellness blog over at . She is actually the reason I started blogging. She has made so many positive changes in her life and is able to successfully juggle so many things in her life and she somehow manages to document it all on her blog. I don't know how she does it. She is seriously such an amazing inspiration to me. Anyway, back to how she got my kids shoes! I told her one day when we were chatting about how frustrating it was to see these kids run around the asphalt track in skateboard shoes and basketball sneakers. She mentioned it on her blog. One of her blog readers works for New Balance. This amazing reader thought New Balance might be interested in helping out my track team. She asked for sizes and I got 17 sizes and emailed them to her, still very hesitant that anything would actually happen. That was last week over Spring Break. I returned Monday to discover an email that said New Balance was getting all the sizes together and just needed an address where to send them. I sent them her way, completely amazed that this was taking place, but still somehow skeptical. Maybe I'm just a pessimist. Maybe I was just in shock, but I resigned myself into thinking that it would take a month for the shoes to get there. I know, I know, I'm such a pessimist. I think I was honestly just in disbelief. I could not believe that a company could possibly be so generous. She emailed me the next day to tell me New Balance sent the 20 pairs of the New Balance 760's in both men's and women's sizes!
They should be here early next week! I am hoping they miraculously arrive on Monday so our kids will have them to the meet that day. We don't have sweats or jackets or cool t-shirts or anything like that. The track team, despite winning a state championship about 4 years ago, is pretty much the lowest team on the totem pole at this high school. Football is king and baseball and softball, especially, are really popular. The kids that run track get very little notoriety or respect at this school. It's a hard sport and I'm immensely proud of the kids who have stuck with it. I CANNOT wait to see the looks on their faces when they get these shoes. I am definitely going to bring my camera and cannot wait to get a picture of them holding up the shoes and then trying them on. I am hoping to submit an article to the local paper thanking New Balance. I am still in shock that they would so freely donate almost $2,000 worth of shoes to a school in need without any annoying paperwork or verification of students "in need".
I just cannot wait for the shoes to arrive. The other coaches who know these kids, the community, their families and where they come from, have told me most of them have nothing. They told me I'd be appalled if I saw where they live. One of my favorite kids is a talented and hardworking sophomore who runs just about everything we ask him to, from the 100m to the 4x400 in basketball sneakers and never says a word or complains about injuries or being tired or anything. He wears shoes that are a size too small and, apparently, he lives in a house where you can practically see the dirt floor. And now he's going to get brand new $100 running shoes!
Is this not the most amazing story EVER??? Thank you so much to everybody involved. Kara, Emily and most importantly NEW BALANCE!!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Still Moovin'!
Well, I've been pretty awful at both posting about and keeping up with Casey's Get Moovin' Challenge...or at least the aspects of the challenge that she set up. As a reminder the challenge for the entire month of March was: #1 No fast food! #2 Workout at least 3 times a week! So here is how I've done so far....
The no fast food part I figured would be super easy. I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten fast food in the last year so I didn't expect that to be a problem...except that was BEFORE track practice started. Ever since I started coaching and leaving school at 7 and 7:30 I have become a Chick-fil-A junkie. Okay, to be honest "junkie" for me means I went there once during the week, but I did it two weeks in a row. I honestly don't feel too guilty about it considering it IS Chick Fil-A and is not that awful compared to say a Big Mac. I actually check the calorie counter for my chicken sandwiches and I'm doing alright. Maybe it is JC's sad stories about no Chick-fil-A's in California, but I'm definitely starting to become obsessed with the place. I can definitely see myself getting into a habit for the rest of track season of going to Chick-fil-A once a week. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes I just don't have the energy to grade, plan AND cook dinner. The good news on the eating front is that JC and I are doing awesome with our Sunday meals. My interpretation of fast food in this challenge was always fast food in the sense of frozen/microwaveable meals that are fast to prepare. I am proud to say that since I started the challenge I have not had a single frozen meal! That includes my teacher lunch, which is still going strong with a Peanut Butter Crunch Cliff bar and a fruit cup. I recently switched over to the Dole No Sugar Added mandarin orange fruit cups as the Del Monte peaches were just WAAAAAAY too sugary for me and I absolutely love them. I think cooking with JC on Sundays has really helped my mission to eat better. Not only do we cook relatively healthy and balanced meals, but we cook enough to last the week, which helps me out a ton. Last night we made broiled salmon with mustard sauce and steamed broccoli. I just put a little bit of lemon juice and garlic powder on the broccoli (no butter!) and it was delicious. We were both pretty proud of ourselves for cooking such a healthy meal. Not to mention the fact that neither of us had never actually prepared fresh fish before so it was quite the accomplishment
As far as working out goes, I have unfortunately not had the greatest luck there. I had a great first week to start off, but track practice has completely derailed my attempts to get back into running. I have to spend too much of the practice actually coaching (which I really didn't think I would do), timing or babysitting and I don't have time to actually run anything aside from the occasional 400. I'm frustrated because I just bought a new pair of running shoes (my first pair of Brooks, which I adore!), but I think I'll probably only get to run on the weekends the way life is going right now. I honestly can't believe I've made it through two weeks of coaching. My life feels so busy right now. This half hour I'm taking to blog will be some of the only free time I have all day before I get so exhausted I fall asleep at 8:30. Words cannot begin to describe how much I am counting down to Spring Break...but back to my plan for the week.
Monday
B: cereal and banana
L: Cliff bar and fruit cup
D: salmon, broccoli, wild rice
Tuesday
B: cereal and banana
L: Cliff bar and fruit cup
D: leftover thin crust pizza (not the greatest, but it's in the fridge!)
Wednesday
B: cereal and banana
L: Cliff bar and fruit cup
D: salmon on top of a spinach salad
Thursday
B: cereal and banana
L: Cliff bar and fruit cup
D: salmon, wild rice and small spinach salad
Friday
B: cereal and banana
L: Cliff bar and fruit cup
D: haven't decided yet....possibly a take out night...
I know it's repetitive, but I don't mind eating the same thing throughout the week at all. If I get bored with it I will change it, but I never usually get tired of leftovers. I will need to try to resist the urge to run to Chick-fil-A on either Wednesday or Thursday. By then the work and grading starts to pile up and I get super exhausted.
I will also try to run more at practice when I can, though I highly doubt it will be for 30 minutes. If I get one workout in at practice then I can probably can fit in 2 runs Friday-Sunday, possibly even some EA Active action on the Wii on the "off" day. We shall see! I realize I've been awful about posting my updates about this (blame it on track season and my tendency to pass out between 8:30 and 9), but I have been trying to keep up with it as best I can.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Pinch Me Moments
So it has basically been a week since I've updated. Sorry I'm such a bad blogger. Life is going well, it is just very very busy with track season now. We ran an inner-squad 'mock' meet on Friday and it was absolute insanity, especially without the head coach there. It was exhausting, but a whole lot of fun. I had a ton of out-of-body moments during the week where I looked in on myself and could hardly believe it was me coaching.
Do you ever have moments where you have to pinch yourself to believe the life you're living? Lately I've been having a lot of those moments where I wonder A) how the heck I got here? (in a good way) and B) if only my family and friends could see me now...
On my forty minute commute to and from school every day as I drive past the now familiar farm stands, tiny train stations, family farms and livestock, I can hardly believe that I've made it to March of my first year teaching. I remember thinking I would never even make it to Thanksgiving back when I first started. JC kept encouraging me and telling me I would hit my stride soon enough and I just didn't see how that would ever be possible. But now I can make up lessons literally on the spot. Obviously that's not ideal, but I made up my history lesson Friday on the formation of the UN and the Marshall Plan on the fly first period. And it was GREAT! The kids were asking all kinds of awesome questions and the graphic organizer I put together in about 10 minutes was PERFECT. Sometimes when I'm up teaching in front of the class, whether it's my seniors or my 10th graders, I just can't believe this is me. I still think it's amazing when I say something and my kids go and scribble it into their notes. They take notes about what I say? I'm a teacher? Seriously?? We had to hand out grades to our homeroom classes at the end of the day yesterday and I remembered how nervous I was the first day of school when I first met my homeroom. I didn't know any of them and wasn't sure what I should even do in homeroom. Now both the routine and the command of my classroom is so natural. It's hard for me to believe this is really me. I feel like I was just in grad school "playing teacher". My school district is kind of a mess right now - much like every school district across the country - and I'm not sure I'll be here next year, but I really hope I am! I can't wait to incorporate everything I've learned this year into next year. In good news, I had my evaluation meeting with my principle and I got satisfactory all around, which is the highest I could get. So yay me!
The other pinch me moment in my professional life has been this past week in track practice. My first week with the team was really just all about getting my feet wet and learning the routine. This week I actually ran practice a couple of days and taught kids how to hurdle and how to high jump and work on their form while running a 400. I honestly cannot believe I am coaching track. I can't believe when I talk to these kids, who for the most part would be labeled 'at risk youth' in today's PC world, that they actually pay attention and seem to care. They are 9th and 10th grade students I have never met, but whose names I know from seeing on the In School Suspension list just about every week. They have behavioral issues in the classroom and many have serious attitude problems. I won't say their behavior issues go away completely when they get to the track, but when I'm coaching them...they listen. It's amazing. I seriously have to pinch myself that little ol' me is able to keep and hold their attention and keep them working for 1 1/2 hours. I started four kids on Thursday on the 300m hurdles and really couldn't believe how I was able to hold their attention. I ran the 400 hurdles in high school and am pretty surprised at how much I remember about proper form and technique. I heaped on praise about specific things they did right and videotaped them so they could see for themselves. I think it really went a long way. I was talking to a friend about this and she was having a hard time coming up with other examples either of us knew about a girl coaching boys (and I hate to play the race card, but a white girl coaching a bunch of black kids). The head coach was out Friday so the distance coach and I ran the practice meet with our team all by ourselves. I was in charge of all 30+ sprinters and spent all day making teams and relays and choosing who would be anchor and who would be in what heat. Of course, two of the best kids didn't show up so my perfectly matched teams went out the window. Running the meet was absolute INSANITY since most of the kids had no idea what to do or where any of the races started. We had students pulling up with muscle cramps and I had to make up new relays on the fly. It was crazy and a serious headache trying to corral all these sprinters and get them to the right place at the right time, especially since we had to finish up before the late bus got there at 5, but it was a lot of fun and makes me excited for the real meets, even though I know they'll be a much bigger headache. It was a great way to cap off my first real week of coaching. It's frustrating. It's time consuming. But it's a whole lot of fun.
My final pinch myself moment occurs all the time outside of my professional life and is all about my personal life. Yes, that's right, I have to gush about the boy (again). I have to pinch myself several times a day to believe #1 that this wonderful man - who calls me every night just to say goodnight, sends me thoughtful texts and emails throughout the day, pays for my $450 flights out to see him, sends me packages full of random stuff that he 'just saw and thought of me' - exists at all and #2 that he is mine. I honestly cannot believe that we found each other and I cannot believe that he has become such a tremendous part of my life. I know that's a little sappy so I guess I'll leave it at that and get ready for Bunco. It's a brunch theme and I have to go buy a quiche from the amazing bakery down the street. Yeah, I'm copping out and not making anything but I totally think it's worth it for this bakery.
Do you ever have "pinch me" moments in your life where you can't even believe this is your life (in a very good way)?
(PS - I still need to pick a recipe out for tomorrow!)
Do you ever have moments where you have to pinch yourself to believe the life you're living? Lately I've been having a lot of those moments where I wonder A) how the heck I got here? (in a good way) and B) if only my family and friends could see me now...
On my forty minute commute to and from school every day as I drive past the now familiar farm stands, tiny train stations, family farms and livestock, I can hardly believe that I've made it to March of my first year teaching. I remember thinking I would never even make it to Thanksgiving back when I first started. JC kept encouraging me and telling me I would hit my stride soon enough and I just didn't see how that would ever be possible. But now I can make up lessons literally on the spot. Obviously that's not ideal, but I made up my history lesson Friday on the formation of the UN and the Marshall Plan on the fly first period. And it was GREAT! The kids were asking all kinds of awesome questions and the graphic organizer I put together in about 10 minutes was PERFECT. Sometimes when I'm up teaching in front of the class, whether it's my seniors or my 10th graders, I just can't believe this is me. I still think it's amazing when I say something and my kids go and scribble it into their notes. They take notes about what I say? I'm a teacher? Seriously?? We had to hand out grades to our homeroom classes at the end of the day yesterday and I remembered how nervous I was the first day of school when I first met my homeroom. I didn't know any of them and wasn't sure what I should even do in homeroom. Now both the routine and the command of my classroom is so natural. It's hard for me to believe this is really me. I feel like I was just in grad school "playing teacher". My school district is kind of a mess right now - much like every school district across the country - and I'm not sure I'll be here next year, but I really hope I am! I can't wait to incorporate everything I've learned this year into next year. In good news, I had my evaluation meeting with my principle and I got satisfactory all around, which is the highest I could get. So yay me!
The other pinch me moment in my professional life has been this past week in track practice. My first week with the team was really just all about getting my feet wet and learning the routine. This week I actually ran practice a couple of days and taught kids how to hurdle and how to high jump and work on their form while running a 400. I honestly cannot believe I am coaching track. I can't believe when I talk to these kids, who for the most part would be labeled 'at risk youth' in today's PC world, that they actually pay attention and seem to care. They are 9th and 10th grade students I have never met, but whose names I know from seeing on the In School Suspension list just about every week. They have behavioral issues in the classroom and many have serious attitude problems. I won't say their behavior issues go away completely when they get to the track, but when I'm coaching them...they listen. It's amazing. I seriously have to pinch myself that little ol' me is able to keep and hold their attention and keep them working for 1 1/2 hours. I started four kids on Thursday on the 300m hurdles and really couldn't believe how I was able to hold their attention. I ran the 400 hurdles in high school and am pretty surprised at how much I remember about proper form and technique. I heaped on praise about specific things they did right and videotaped them so they could see for themselves. I think it really went a long way. I was talking to a friend about this and she was having a hard time coming up with other examples either of us knew about a girl coaching boys (and I hate to play the race card, but a white girl coaching a bunch of black kids). The head coach was out Friday so the distance coach and I ran the practice meet with our team all by ourselves. I was in charge of all 30+ sprinters and spent all day making teams and relays and choosing who would be anchor and who would be in what heat. Of course, two of the best kids didn't show up so my perfectly matched teams went out the window. Running the meet was absolute INSANITY since most of the kids had no idea what to do or where any of the races started. We had students pulling up with muscle cramps and I had to make up new relays on the fly. It was crazy and a serious headache trying to corral all these sprinters and get them to the right place at the right time, especially since we had to finish up before the late bus got there at 5, but it was a lot of fun and makes me excited for the real meets, even though I know they'll be a much bigger headache. It was a great way to cap off my first real week of coaching. It's frustrating. It's time consuming. But it's a whole lot of fun.
My final pinch myself moment occurs all the time outside of my professional life and is all about my personal life. Yes, that's right, I have to gush about the boy (again). I have to pinch myself several times a day to believe #1 that this wonderful man - who calls me every night just to say goodnight, sends me thoughtful texts and emails throughout the day, pays for my $450 flights out to see him, sends me packages full of random stuff that he 'just saw and thought of me' - exists at all and #2 that he is mine. I honestly cannot believe that we found each other and I cannot believe that he has become such a tremendous part of my life. I know that's a little sappy so I guess I'll leave it at that and get ready for Bunco. It's a brunch theme and I have to go buy a quiche from the amazing bakery down the street. Yeah, I'm copping out and not making anything but I totally think it's worth it for this bakery.
Do you ever have "pinch me" moments in your life where you can't even believe this is your life (in a very good way)?
(PS - I still need to pick a recipe out for tomorrow!)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Lazy Sunday
Well, thanks to NBC's spotty coverage of the men's slalom (and one of the greatest Olympic stories of the year) even if you wanted to, you couldn't watch Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong. Despite being covered by media from London to D.C and appearing on spots like the Today Show, NBC chose not to show Kwame competing in the men's slalom yesterday. To say I'm a little disappointed would be an understatement. I have enjoyed watching all of the Olympics and am beyond stoked to watch the gold medal hockey game tonight, but I was looking forward to seeing Kwame compete since I first saw him walk out in the Parade of Nations proudly waving the Ghana flag. I read his story, figured out what day he would be competing and then...nothing. I had to resort to reading a newspaper article that described the magic on the mountainside after he finished. Chants of "Ghana! Ghana!" apparently kept on going an hour after he left the slopes. I should add, for those who are curious, that on a slalom course so difficult and covered in fog 50% of its competitors finished with a DNF (including Bode Miller and the reigning world champion in the event from Austria), Kwame made it down the slope. AND he attained his Olympic goal of actually competing, beating an Albanian skier by more than twenty seconds. I loved his story, to me it summed up the true 'Olympic spirit'.
He is a competitor. That was one of the most appealing parts of his story. Finishing was not enough for him. Maybe it's the old cross-country spirit in me. I just love competition, even if the only person you're competing with is yourself. It even got me excited to start coaching. The head coach informed me the other day that I will be in charge of the 8th and 9th grade girls team (YIKES!). While a daunting task, I am excited at the possibility of working with young runners who are new to competitive running.
I am having a lazy Sunday morning trying to motivate myself for a big day., sitting on my couch reading newspaper articles my dad sent me last week and watching Meet the Press while I eat a leftover cinnamon-cream cheese brioche from the new bakery down the block. I don't feel that guilty about my lazy morning so far - especially considering the fact that I had a very productive morning yesterday getting laundry done and cleaning my house. It really is ridiculous how much of a morning person I am. If I stay in bed for a good chunk of the morning or stay in my pajamas 'til 11 AM I feel like I've wasted half the day and I hate it! Since it's almost 10 AM, I probably ought to hit up the grocery store as my cupboard and fridge are starting to get bare. I need to finally finish grading my senior's projects on the executive branch and plan 4 engaging intro lessons on the judicial (that doesn't involve me just showing them episodes of Judge Judy and the People's Court). I also need to figure out how to plan my 10-day unit on World War II. I'm still determined to be past the Cold War by Spring Break, which is currently only 25 instructional days away. It will be challenge, and a painful challenge at that considering World War II is the reason I became a history teacher in the first place. I'll have to post more on that in another blog post. For now, it is off to make a grocery list and head to my favorite Kroger.
I am equally sad/excited for the hockey game this afternoon! Excited because I think it has the potential to be an epic game and sad because the Closing Ceremonies will follow and then comes Olympics withdrawal and the long wait 'til baseball season. I have really enjoyed these Olympic Games. I loved always being able to have them on in the background while I graded and planned into the wee hours of the night. Baseball season is just around the corner though and with baseball comes spring break and the wonderfulness that is a teacher summmer.
Will you be sad to see the Olympics go? Did you have a favorite Olympic story or athlete this year? What sporting event will you be looking forward to next?
He is a competitor. That was one of the most appealing parts of his story. Finishing was not enough for him. Maybe it's the old cross-country spirit in me. I just love competition, even if the only person you're competing with is yourself. It even got me excited to start coaching. The head coach informed me the other day that I will be in charge of the 8th and 9th grade girls team (YIKES!). While a daunting task, I am excited at the possibility of working with young runners who are new to competitive running.
I am having a lazy Sunday morning trying to motivate myself for a big day., sitting on my couch reading newspaper articles my dad sent me last week and watching Meet the Press while I eat a leftover cinnamon-cream cheese brioche from the new bakery down the block. I don't feel that guilty about my lazy morning so far - especially considering the fact that I had a very productive morning yesterday getting laundry done and cleaning my house. It really is ridiculous how much of a morning person I am. If I stay in bed for a good chunk of the morning or stay in my pajamas 'til 11 AM I feel like I've wasted half the day and I hate it! Since it's almost 10 AM, I probably ought to hit up the grocery store as my cupboard and fridge are starting to get bare. I need to finally finish grading my senior's projects on the executive branch and plan 4 engaging intro lessons on the judicial (that doesn't involve me just showing them episodes of Judge Judy and the People's Court). I also need to figure out how to plan my 10-day unit on World War II. I'm still determined to be past the Cold War by Spring Break, which is currently only 25 instructional days away. It will be challenge, and a painful challenge at that considering World War II is the reason I became a history teacher in the first place. I'll have to post more on that in another blog post. For now, it is off to make a grocery list and head to my favorite Kroger.
I am equally sad/excited for the hockey game this afternoon! Excited because I think it has the potential to be an epic game and sad because the Closing Ceremonies will follow and then comes Olympics withdrawal and the long wait 'til baseball season. I have really enjoyed these Olympic Games. I loved always being able to have them on in the background while I graded and planned into the wee hours of the night. Baseball season is just around the corner though and with baseball comes spring break and the wonderfulness that is a teacher summmer.
Will you be sad to see the Olympics go? Did you have a favorite Olympic story or athlete this year? What sporting event will you be looking forward to next?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Survey time!
My best high school pal, Kara, over at www.karathon.blog (AKA my inspiration to start blogging) posted this fun "Have You Ever" quiz on her blog so I thought I'd give it a shot. I used to love doing these things back in the days of AOL and Compuserve. I definitely would send them out to my closest friends all the time, even though they obviously already knew most of the answers.
1) Walked out of a movie in the theatre?
I honestly can't say that I have, at least not that I remember. I was in a theater where I saw numerous people walk out and that was when I was living in Wyoming and went to go see Brokeback Mountain. The movie actually premiered in the town a couple of weeks before I went to see it and it definitely made some waves with the local population. I really wanted to ask the folks who walked out, "what exactly did you expect?"
2) Spontaneously bought/watched a movie that was out years ago…but brings up “sentimental” feelings?
Yes! Little Giants was in the $5 bin at Walmart and I definitely picked it up. It reminds me of my brother. He and I LOVED that movie so much. We will still watch it whenever we see it on TV and I even got this movie for him as a nostalgic Christmas present. I think it first came out when I was 10-11 years old and I remember I didn't really get the line, "Timmy, I'm not sure, but I don't think that goes there" (said by Rick Moranis when a child puts a protective cup over his face). I can sit down today and watch it and probably quote half the movie. I still crack up at so many of the lines and Greg and I are silly and will quote it all the time when we're together. One of my favorite lines? A player's response to being issued his jersey: "So the guys at the morgue can identify the bodies..."
3) Had a major celebrity/athlete/singing crush “back in the day”?
I LOVED Johnny Whitworth (aka AJ from Empire Records) back in middle and high school! I had such a crush on him I watched the movie Bye, Bye, Love - in which he has a bit part - about 20 times. I even made a fan website for him. For a long time it was the ONLY Johnny Whitworth fan page out there and was the very first search result on the search engines Yahoo and Excite. Fifteen year old me was very proud of this accomplishment!
(C'mon, you know you loved him!)
I also definitely had a thing for Gavin Rossdale, the lead frontman of Bush, no matter how much I insisted that "I just liked the music."
4) Called in “sick”/made an excuse to work or canceled an appointment/meeting/get-together with friends, co-workers, etc. (but you weren’t actually?!)
I definitely took a "sick" day at the end of last month to go see JC graduate from a grueling 3 week Army course. I don't take many sick days because to me it is like losing an instructional day and the kids get behind. I must confess I felt pretty guilty about it when I was driving down Thursday night, but my 3rd period class was the last thing on my mind when I got to pin his wings on that Friday morning.
I have to confess to canceling on friends and relying on a lame excuse about being sick/having an appointment more than I would care to admit. Lots of times it's just because I'm lazy and sometimes I would much rather lay around the house in my sweatpants (like I'm going to do tonight) than go out. More specifically, I remember bailing on a get-together with my college pals in Boston for New Years 2008. I was still pretty heartbroken from getting dumped that summer (yes, it took me a LONG time to get over him) and the prospect of spending New Years surrounded by 6 friends who were all happy and in love and joined with their significant others while I was very much alone and still miserable just was not appealing to me. Especially when you factor in 6+ hours of driving time to get there. I think I used a family obligation as an excuse not to go. I ended up spending New Years with my family and randomly meeting up with an old high school friend I still jokingly refer to as "the one that got away", which was awesome. Random side note about this guy: He was a polite, intelligent, thoughtful, athletic, quirky boy a year below me on the cross-country team. We were very good friends and he was such an awesome upstanding kid. I think if I had had a bit more confident and been less self-conscious and concerned with what other people thought, I would have asked him out. Silly high school Abigail.
5) Just come home from work – when you should be going to the gym/doing some activity/being productive…and instead plopped on your butt with FOOD and a book/TV, a bath, some music….and just completely VEG OUT and become a LAZY BUTT…but not give 2 damns’??
I'm doing that right now! I'm contemplating ordering Chinese (I haven't had Chinese food in about 2 years) and curling up with my comfy blanket and sweatpants and watching the DVD I picked up at Target last week, Brothers At War. I have a mountain of grading I need to do, clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, laundry that needs to be done, awesome "engaging" lessons that need to be planned for next week considering I am going to be observed by the social studies coordinator for the district at some point. I told myself when I got home I would knock out some grading, but I just do not see that happening at all. I honestly seem to have a lot of these kinds of afternoons. I make excuses for myself on Friday, which is valid, but then I want to make the same excuses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. It's something I think I really need to work on. I think if I did, it would improve my mood immensely during the school week.
6) Had a HORRIBLE hair-cut that made you want to cry or hide out for, well, a year until it grew out?
I'm pretty boring when it comes to hair cuts and coloring. I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been my sophomore year of college and it took some getting used to, but I ended up loving it. I cringe when I look back on some of the haircuts my mom gave me, but I don't think that counts.
7) Had your heart broken? How did you deal with it?
Yes. My first boyfriend, first real relationship, first love, first everything also sadly ended up being my first (and hopefully only) heartache. I relied on my friends and family a great deal in the aftermath. I basically moved in with my friend and her husband 'cos I couldn't stand being alone for that first week and I needed someone to keep me from calling him. I had wonderful friends to distract me for much of that fall and remind me of how awesome my life was without him, but I still was an emotional wreck for a long time. It sounds cliche, but I dealt with it by just getting through one day at a time. I had student teaching to concentrate on for much of the fall. Then I focused on finding a job, finishing my masters and making the best of the time I had left with my friends there. As the months passed by, I even started actively "dating" for the first time. Before I even realized it I was slowly falling in love with somebody else. (Cheezy, but true!)
8) Wanted to look like or BE another celebrity?
Back in college, my friends and I always used to joke about who our "girl crushes" were. I think to this day the only person I could state having a "girl crush" on would be Reese Witherspoon . I think after we went to see Sweet Home Alabama (such a guilty pleasure movie), we all pretty much wanted to be her. People magazine always used to show her working out or doing something fun and athletic and she seemed to have it so together. Throw in her adorable children, dreamy husband and perfect marriage (this was pre-divorce) and I'd say she had a pretty enviable life. My current celebrity crush is totally Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films. She is so classy. I just love her.
1) Walked out of a movie in the theatre?
I honestly can't say that I have, at least not that I remember. I was in a theater where I saw numerous people walk out and that was when I was living in Wyoming and went to go see Brokeback Mountain. The movie actually premiered in the town a couple of weeks before I went to see it and it definitely made some waves with the local population. I really wanted to ask the folks who walked out, "what exactly did you expect?"
2) Spontaneously bought/watched a movie that was out years ago…but brings up “sentimental” feelings?
Yes! Little Giants was in the $5 bin at Walmart and I definitely picked it up. It reminds me of my brother. He and I LOVED that movie so much. We will still watch it whenever we see it on TV and I even got this movie for him as a nostalgic Christmas present. I think it first came out when I was 10-11 years old and I remember I didn't really get the line, "Timmy, I'm not sure, but I don't think that goes there" (said by Rick Moranis when a child puts a protective cup over his face). I can sit down today and watch it and probably quote half the movie. I still crack up at so many of the lines and Greg and I are silly and will quote it all the time when we're together. One of my favorite lines? A player's response to being issued his jersey: "So the guys at the morgue can identify the bodies..." 3) Had a major celebrity/athlete/singing crush “back in the day”?
I LOVED Johnny Whitworth (aka AJ from Empire Records) back in middle and high school! I had such a crush on him I watched the movie Bye, Bye, Love - in which he has a bit part - about 20 times. I even made a fan website for him. For a long time it was the ONLY Johnny Whitworth fan page out there and was the very first search result on the search engines Yahoo and Excite. Fifteen year old me was very proud of this accomplishment!
(C'mon, you know you loved him!)
I also definitely had a thing for Gavin Rossdale, the lead frontman of Bush, no matter how much I insisted that "I just liked the music."
4) Called in “sick”/made an excuse to work or canceled an appointment/meeting/get-together with friends, co-workers, etc. (but you weren’t actually?!)
I definitely took a "sick" day at the end of last month to go see JC graduate from a grueling 3 week Army course. I don't take many sick days because to me it is like losing an instructional day and the kids get behind. I must confess I felt pretty guilty about it when I was driving down Thursday night, but my 3rd period class was the last thing on my mind when I got to pin his wings on that Friday morning.
I have to confess to canceling on friends and relying on a lame excuse about being sick/having an appointment more than I would care to admit. Lots of times it's just because I'm lazy and sometimes I would much rather lay around the house in my sweatpants (like I'm going to do tonight) than go out. More specifically, I remember bailing on a get-together with my college pals in Boston for New Years 2008. I was still pretty heartbroken from getting dumped that summer (yes, it took me a LONG time to get over him) and the prospect of spending New Years surrounded by 6 friends who were all happy and in love and joined with their significant others while I was very much alone and still miserable just was not appealing to me. Especially when you factor in 6+ hours of driving time to get there. I think I used a family obligation as an excuse not to go. I ended up spending New Years with my family and randomly meeting up with an old high school friend I still jokingly refer to as "the one that got away", which was awesome. Random side note about this guy: He was a polite, intelligent, thoughtful, athletic, quirky boy a year below me on the cross-country team. We were very good friends and he was such an awesome upstanding kid. I think if I had had a bit more confident and been less self-conscious and concerned with what other people thought, I would have asked him out. Silly high school Abigail.
5) Just come home from work – when you should be going to the gym/doing some activity/being productive…and instead plopped on your butt with FOOD and a book/TV, a bath, some music….and just completely VEG OUT and become a LAZY BUTT…but not give 2 damns’??
I'm doing that right now! I'm contemplating ordering Chinese (I haven't had Chinese food in about 2 years) and curling up with my comfy blanket and sweatpants and watching the DVD I picked up at Target last week, Brothers At War. I have a mountain of grading I need to do, clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, laundry that needs to be done, awesome "engaging" lessons that need to be planned for next week considering I am going to be observed by the social studies coordinator for the district at some point. I told myself when I got home I would knock out some grading, but I just do not see that happening at all. I honestly seem to have a lot of these kinds of afternoons. I make excuses for myself on Friday, which is valid, but then I want to make the same excuses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. It's something I think I really need to work on. I think if I did, it would improve my mood immensely during the school week.
6) Had a HORRIBLE hair-cut that made you want to cry or hide out for, well, a year until it grew out?
I'm pretty boring when it comes to hair cuts and coloring. I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been my sophomore year of college and it took some getting used to, but I ended up loving it. I cringe when I look back on some of the haircuts my mom gave me, but I don't think that counts.
7) Had your heart broken? How did you deal with it?
Yes. My first boyfriend, first real relationship, first love, first everything also sadly ended up being my first (and hopefully only) heartache. I relied on my friends and family a great deal in the aftermath. I basically moved in with my friend and her husband 'cos I couldn't stand being alone for that first week and I needed someone to keep me from calling him. I had wonderful friends to distract me for much of that fall and remind me of how awesome my life was without him, but I still was an emotional wreck for a long time. It sounds cliche, but I dealt with it by just getting through one day at a time. I had student teaching to concentrate on for much of the fall. Then I focused on finding a job, finishing my masters and making the best of the time I had left with my friends there. As the months passed by, I even started actively "dating" for the first time. Before I even realized it I was slowly falling in love with somebody else. (Cheezy, but true!)
8) Wanted to look like or BE another celebrity?
Back in college, my friends and I always used to joke about who our "girl crushes" were. I think to this day the only person I could state having a "girl crush" on would be Reese Witherspoon . I think after we went to see Sweet Home Alabama (such a guilty pleasure movie), we all pretty much wanted to be her. People magazine always used to show her working out or doing something fun and athletic and she seemed to have it so together. Throw in her adorable children, dreamy husband and perfect marriage (this was pre-divorce) and I'd say she had a pretty enviable life. My current celebrity crush is totally Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films. She is so classy. I just love her.
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