Wow, another year come and gone. Well, almost.
I always feel very reflective on New Year's Eve and today hasn't been much different. I can't really explain the feeling, though. I'm not sure if it's sadness (maybe for no particular reason) or uncertainty about the future. I think a little bit of both. But I have also been feeling very goal-oriented. And while I know this is the time of year to make resolutions, I'm calling them "life shifts" instead. Resolutions get broken and to make the changes that I need to make, several things in my life need to shift to new habits, practices, etc. I don't think the word "resolutions" has the importance of the lifestyle shifts and changes that I need to make.
Life shifts for 2010:
1. Health: Eating healthier and working out. Period. Those two are definitely shifts from the habits I have now.
2. Sleep: More, more, more. I'm a champ at going on 4-5 hours of sleep per night during the week. But over break I've been getting 8+ hours of sleep per night. I think my body was shocked at first but thankful.
3. Connections: With friends, with family, with Justin. That doesn't imply that I have problems with any of those relationships now, but connections can always grow stronger and it takes effort from both ends...which means that I could improve my end.
4. Spending: My goal is to be credit card free in 2010. This will be hard for me. I mean no spending on any credit cards...Visa, store credit cards...you name it. If it's not in my bank account (and trust me, that's usually pretty bare) then I'm not spending it. Wow, that's scary for me.
5. Saying no: Justin is laughing as he reads this right now. But he knows that I want to work on this. I need to say "no" more to some questions posed to me. Here's an example:
Important person: "Hey Jenn, can you attend a faculty meeting after school on Tuesday?"
Me: "Sure."
Important person: "Hey Jenn, can you head up twelve new projects even though you are already drowning in teaching, cheerleading, yearbook, and Relay for Life?"
Me: "NO!"
6. Jenn: Yes, myself. I know that all of these involve me, but this shift is a little different. My goal is to spend more time on myself which means not grading a paper or doing something for cheerleading or Relay or even doing a load of laundry. I mean sitting down from time to time and doing something that I truly enjoy from reading to crafts to writing to a few special projects that have been in the back of my head for awhile.
I'm sure there are more little goals here and there but they probably fit into one the previous shifts. I have an awesome feeling about the upcoming year. I think it will be great for me, great for us, and great for those around us. Here we go, 2010, I'm ready.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Stress-Free Sunday
A year or two ago I remember hearing about a study that said that Monday was not the most stressful day of the week (as thought, I guess), but Sunday was, in fact, the most stressful/depressing time of the week. Surprising to some, but it made sense to me. Usually at this time on a Sunday I am worried about the assignments I didn't grade over the weekend, if I have enough planned for three different 90-minute classes the next day, and how early I need to get up on Monday morning in order to beat the line at the copy machine. But this Sunday, today, has been stress-free. This is one perk I was looking forward to over winter break. Since I have no plans for tomorrow and definitely no classes to prepare for, my biggest contemplation at the moment is whether to clean out my closet or update my address book when I get up in the morning. Decisions, decisions...
On another note, we had a wonderful Christmas. While it was strange to not wake up and immediately unwrap presents, we had a relaxing Christmas morning before Jess and I (Justin was at work, of course) headed to New Castle to have dinner with my family. My dad and Lea came from Fort Wayne and came back to our apartment to spend the evening. Justin got home from work not too long after we got back from New Castle and we opened gifts together. We were all blessed with presents that we love. Among other gifts, I received several new books and a new Vera Bradley purse (which I love!) from my dad and Lea and a new Vera Bradley lunch bag from my sister. Justin spoiled me with several items, but my favorite from him has to be the watch he got me. If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of big watches that not only say "LOOK AT WHAT IS ON MY WRIST" but allow you to tell the time even if you are sitting ten yards away from me. And Justin took that knowledge (with some help from my sister) and got me a gorgeous new watch that is awesomely over-sized and simply perfect for me. Justin also received some great gifts including new games and accessories for the Wii, new clothes, a paper shredder (yes, he shares my love for office supplies) and some much-needed new socks for work which only allowed me to have the joy of Christmas all over again when I got to clean out his sock drawer this morning and throw away any sock that had the hint of a hole in it.
Now I'm enjoying a Sunday evening for once, watching the Colts try to pull off yet another win, waiting for my sick husband (of the bajillion colds I've had since we've been together, I think this is the third one he has ever had) to get home safely in this weather. Now if only I could make the agonizing decision to start a new book or read a magazine...
On another note, we had a wonderful Christmas. While it was strange to not wake up and immediately unwrap presents, we had a relaxing Christmas morning before Jess and I (Justin was at work, of course) headed to New Castle to have dinner with my family. My dad and Lea came from Fort Wayne and came back to our apartment to spend the evening. Justin got home from work not too long after we got back from New Castle and we opened gifts together. We were all blessed with presents that we love. Among other gifts, I received several new books and a new Vera Bradley purse (which I love!) from my dad and Lea and a new Vera Bradley lunch bag from my sister. Justin spoiled me with several items, but my favorite from him has to be the watch he got me. If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of big watches that not only say "LOOK AT WHAT IS ON MY WRIST" but allow you to tell the time even if you are sitting ten yards away from me. And Justin took that knowledge (with some help from my sister) and got me a gorgeous new watch that is awesomely over-sized and simply perfect for me. Justin also received some great gifts including new games and accessories for the Wii, new clothes, a paper shredder (yes, he shares my love for office supplies) and some much-needed new socks for work which only allowed me to have the joy of Christmas all over again when I got to clean out his sock drawer this morning and throw away any sock that had the hint of a hole in it.
Now I'm enjoying a Sunday evening for once, watching the Colts try to pull off yet another win, waiting for my sick husband (of the bajillion colds I've had since we've been together, I think this is the third one he has ever had) to get home safely in this weather. Now if only I could make the agonizing decision to start a new book or read a magazine...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Traditions
It's funny how locations can change, the people around you can change, and you can change, but you always end up finding comfort in doing things you've always done. It's comforting to carry on traditions, especially at Christmas.
This year marks the second Christmas without my mom. In some ways it is more painful than the first. I think last year I was still numb from it all; still in shock that she wasn't coming back and also on a honeymoon, just-got-married high. But this year I feel it has settled in more. However, it's nice to find peace and comfort in traditions.
This Christmas will be the first Christmas that I don't wake up in a twin bed at my parent's house in Muncie. Instead, I'll wake up next to my husband (yep, didn't even wake up next to him last year...I believe he was freezing on the floor below me on an air mattress) with my sister a little further away in our guest room and my dad two hours away in Fort Wayne. So, yes, the location has changed, the people around me have changed, but we've still carried on traditions this year that have helped me accept these changes and embrace new holiday happenings.
Since Justin and I moved last year on the day after Thanksgiving, we barely put up a tree, so I was very excited to decorate the entire apartment for Christmas this year. With my dad selling our house in Muncie, I inherited several of our Christmas decorations so now our apartment feels a little bit like my house always felt like during this time of year. A few of our family Christmas decorations:
Our family Christmas tree with most of the ornaments that have always adorned it.
My stocking (on the left) and Justin's. My mom made my stocking when I was little and then made one for Justin when it became apparent he was going to be sticking around.
These stocking holders held my stocking and Jessica's for over twenty years. They now hold my stocking and Justin's.
My favorite Christmas decoration. I remember how I would have to wait for it to be my turn to move the mouse one day closer to Christmas. Now Justin let's me move it everyday and have all of the turns.
My maternal grandmother used to have two ornaments like this one on her tree, then my mom inherited them and now I have one my tree and Jess has one on hers.
While it's traditional to have those decorations decking our halls, it's nice to have a few new ones to look at, like these:
Our Colts tree!
The wreath on our front door.
An ornament of Cinderella's Castle that we bought on our honeymoon last year in Disney.
Another Disney ornament that we bought to mark our first Christmas together, and a few more below that we received as gifts last year.
In carrying on with another tradition, Jess came over today (bags in tow to spend a few nights with me and Justin) and we spent the day baking Christmas cookies and making fudge.
I also made some killer barbecued ribs in the crock pot for dinner:
Justin got home around 8:15 and we all had dinner together. He also finished wrapping presents and the underneath of Christmas tree is growing into the middle of the living room now.
So while I may still cry at mother/daughter Christmas commercials or tear up when I walk by the "Mom" Christmas card section at Hallmark, I'll keep carrying on these family traditions that bring me comfort and creating new ones that excite me for the future.
Now, in just one more tradition, I'm going to go try and convince Justin to take my dad's place in reading "The Night Before Christmas" to me and Jess. Then we all need to get in bed so Santa can come!
This year marks the second Christmas without my mom. In some ways it is more painful than the first. I think last year I was still numb from it all; still in shock that she wasn't coming back and also on a honeymoon, just-got-married high. But this year I feel it has settled in more. However, it's nice to find peace and comfort in traditions.
This Christmas will be the first Christmas that I don't wake up in a twin bed at my parent's house in Muncie. Instead, I'll wake up next to my husband (yep, didn't even wake up next to him last year...I believe he was freezing on the floor below me on an air mattress) with my sister a little further away in our guest room and my dad two hours away in Fort Wayne. So, yes, the location has changed, the people around me have changed, but we've still carried on traditions this year that have helped me accept these changes and embrace new holiday happenings.
Since Justin and I moved last year on the day after Thanksgiving, we barely put up a tree, so I was very excited to decorate the entire apartment for Christmas this year. With my dad selling our house in Muncie, I inherited several of our Christmas decorations so now our apartment feels a little bit like my house always felt like during this time of year. A few of our family Christmas decorations:
Our family Christmas tree with most of the ornaments that have always adorned it.
My stocking (on the left) and Justin's. My mom made my stocking when I was little and then made one for Justin when it became apparent he was going to be sticking around.
These stocking holders held my stocking and Jessica's for over twenty years. They now hold my stocking and Justin's.
My favorite Christmas decoration. I remember how I would have to wait for it to be my turn to move the mouse one day closer to Christmas. Now Justin let's me move it everyday and have all of the turns.
My maternal grandmother used to have two ornaments like this one on her tree, then my mom inherited them and now I have one my tree and Jess has one on hers.While it's traditional to have those decorations decking our halls, it's nice to have a few new ones to look at, like these:
Our Colts tree!
The wreath on our front door.
An ornament of Cinderella's Castle that we bought on our honeymoon last year in Disney.
Another Disney ornament that we bought to mark our first Christmas together, and a few more below that we received as gifts last year.
I also made some killer barbecued ribs in the crock pot for dinner:
Justin got home around 8:15 and we all had dinner together. He also finished wrapping presents and the underneath of Christmas tree is growing into the middle of the living room now.
So while I may still cry at mother/daughter Christmas commercials or tear up when I walk by the "Mom" Christmas card section at Hallmark, I'll keep carrying on these family traditions that bring me comfort and creating new ones that excite me for the future.
Now, in just one more tradition, I'm going to go try and convince Justin to take my dad's place in reading "The Night Before Christmas" to me and Jess. Then we all need to get in bed so Santa can come!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ups, Downs, & Indifferents
A way to organize the last month and a half:
UP: Justin and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 18th. It was a very low-key celebration that included Justin being home for four days straight without working (the next time that might happen is when we have a child...and they might not even let him have that much time off then) so we enjoyed the company of each other from Thursday to Sunday and found it strange to eat dinner together four nights in a row.
UP: I coach some of the best cheerleaders around. We are now out of competition season and I am proud to say that the JV came in third in the state competition and Varsity placed first in the small co-ed division at the Indiana Cheerleading Association state finals. Yep, first. Which means they are state champions. Which means they have gold medals. Which means that they will be fitted for state championship rings in the next couple of weeks. And it means that they are a great group of kids and I'm pleased and thankful that I got to be a part of such a huge accomplishment.
DOWN: My grandmother passed away last week. She was the head of my family on my father's side and the whole heart of the family, really. I spoke at her funeral and felt honored to do so. I think several of my family members will feel lost for a long time, but we will find comfort in each other, and like I said at the funeral, we are the lucky ones that got to be on the receiving end of her love and while she may not be here, at least we get to hold on really tight to that love.
INDIFFERENT: School. Ugh. So overwhelmed. I should be grading something or making an answer key for something or writing a lesson plan for something right now, but I had to take a break. But now that I just wrote that I feel guilty for not doing something for my job. Geez.
UP: I went to a Relay for Life leadership conference this past weekend and had an amazing time. More on that in separate post, but I got re-energized to plan this event. It really just confirmed that I am doing something awesome to honor my mom and that makes me feel good.
DOWN: My dad is selling my childhood home in Muncie and Jess and I had to go there yesterday to help go through some stuff. I'm having a really hard time with this. Is it just a physical structure? Technically. Is it so much more to me? Absolutely. It's hard. I feel like one chapter of my life is ending and I'm definitely not ready to turn the page. It is bringing up a lot of grief from my mom's death that I thought I had worked through. And I feel that I need to keep everything from the house. I feel like if I get rid of something, then I'm getting rid of the memory, and while I know that's not true, it's just hard and that's the only way I can explain it.
UP: It is the holiday season and if I didn't have a million things to do for school, I would totally start decorating for Christmas right now. I absolutely love this time of year and if the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas could last for a few months instead of one then I would be one happy girl!
DOWN: My little Maggie kitty is, indeed, getting older. Justin and I took her for her yearly check-up and found out that she has the early stages of hyperthyroidism. Basically that means that her metabolism is extremely high (which explains why/how she digests food so fast and is hungry all the time...including wanting breakfast at 4 a.m.) and she will continue to lose weight gradually (which an 11-year-old kitty should not do) and eventually it will be full-blown and by then her life expectancy should be about two to four years, which really will be her expectancy anyway by that time. So we are just going to weigh her each month and see when she goes into full hyperthyroidism and go from there. But I continue to snuggle with her as much as possible and feed her scraps from the table almost daily!
DOWN: I haven't seen my friends since BSU homecoming and I know I haven't been the best friend lately since I have been so overwhelmed and busy with cheerleading. But I will see them this weekend so I can make up for some lost time!
UP: Today is Justin's birthday! He is 28 today. Since it is Monday (and if Justin didn't work at the theater on a Monday the place might cave in on itself) he won't be home until around 8:30 so we are having a party when he gets home. The guest list consists of the two coolest girls around...me and Mags. So I am about to put his birthday cake in the oven (he's not a fan of store-bought cake) and I will be ready to sing a solo "Happy Birthday" to him when he walks in the door...party hats and all. I'll take pictures!
Ok, gotta bake a cake! And grade...
UP: Justin and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 18th. It was a very low-key celebration that included Justin being home for four days straight without working (the next time that might happen is when we have a child...and they might not even let him have that much time off then) so we enjoyed the company of each other from Thursday to Sunday and found it strange to eat dinner together four nights in a row.
UP: I coach some of the best cheerleaders around. We are now out of competition season and I am proud to say that the JV came in third in the state competition and Varsity placed first in the small co-ed division at the Indiana Cheerleading Association state finals. Yep, first. Which means they are state champions. Which means they have gold medals. Which means that they will be fitted for state championship rings in the next couple of weeks. And it means that they are a great group of kids and I'm pleased and thankful that I got to be a part of such a huge accomplishment.
DOWN: My grandmother passed away last week. She was the head of my family on my father's side and the whole heart of the family, really. I spoke at her funeral and felt honored to do so. I think several of my family members will feel lost for a long time, but we will find comfort in each other, and like I said at the funeral, we are the lucky ones that got to be on the receiving end of her love and while she may not be here, at least we get to hold on really tight to that love.
INDIFFERENT: School. Ugh. So overwhelmed. I should be grading something or making an answer key for something or writing a lesson plan for something right now, but I had to take a break. But now that I just wrote that I feel guilty for not doing something for my job. Geez.
UP: I went to a Relay for Life leadership conference this past weekend and had an amazing time. More on that in separate post, but I got re-energized to plan this event. It really just confirmed that I am doing something awesome to honor my mom and that makes me feel good.
DOWN: My dad is selling my childhood home in Muncie and Jess and I had to go there yesterday to help go through some stuff. I'm having a really hard time with this. Is it just a physical structure? Technically. Is it so much more to me? Absolutely. It's hard. I feel like one chapter of my life is ending and I'm definitely not ready to turn the page. It is bringing up a lot of grief from my mom's death that I thought I had worked through. And I feel that I need to keep everything from the house. I feel like if I get rid of something, then I'm getting rid of the memory, and while I know that's not true, it's just hard and that's the only way I can explain it.
UP: It is the holiday season and if I didn't have a million things to do for school, I would totally start decorating for Christmas right now. I absolutely love this time of year and if the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas could last for a few months instead of one then I would be one happy girl!
DOWN: My little Maggie kitty is, indeed, getting older. Justin and I took her for her yearly check-up and found out that she has the early stages of hyperthyroidism. Basically that means that her metabolism is extremely high (which explains why/how she digests food so fast and is hungry all the time...including wanting breakfast at 4 a.m.) and she will continue to lose weight gradually (which an 11-year-old kitty should not do) and eventually it will be full-blown and by then her life expectancy should be about two to four years, which really will be her expectancy anyway by that time. So we are just going to weigh her each month and see when she goes into full hyperthyroidism and go from there. But I continue to snuggle with her as much as possible and feed her scraps from the table almost daily!
DOWN: I haven't seen my friends since BSU homecoming and I know I haven't been the best friend lately since I have been so overwhelmed and busy with cheerleading. But I will see them this weekend so I can make up for some lost time!
UP: Today is Justin's birthday! He is 28 today. Since it is Monday (and if Justin didn't work at the theater on a Monday the place might cave in on itself) he won't be home until around 8:30 so we are having a party when he gets home. The guest list consists of the two coolest girls around...me and Mags. So I am about to put his birthday cake in the oven (he's not a fan of store-bought cake) and I will be ready to sing a solo "Happy Birthday" to him when he walks in the door...party hats and all. I'll take pictures!
Ok, gotta bake a cake! And grade...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Great Weekend!
I truly need more weekends like the one I just had!
Friday night, I went to my friend Katie's bachelorette dinner at Chopsticks Bistro downtown. I had never had sushi before (unless you count the bite I had one time from someone's sushi lunch from Marsh...but I don't) and it was really good. I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl but I tried two different kinds of sushi and really liked them both. They also had the best crab rangoons I have ever had. Other than the great food, I had a good time with my teacher friends from school.
I woke up way too early on Saturday morning to head to Muncie for homecoming at Ball State. We all met at Allison's house and headed over to wait in horrible traffic to get into tailgating. I was a little nervous at first because we were out by the softball diamonds to tailgate and we had never been out there before (and it was freezing!), but we ended up having a really great time playing football, grilling out, people watching, and catching up. It was nice to act like a college student again, if only for a few hours.
With the best friends a girl could ask for: Laura, me, Ashley, Jess, and Allison.
Laura and I were the first ones to succumb to the cold temperatures and hang out in the car!
Ashley's 16-week-old pregnant belly. There's a little girl in there! I just know it!
Friday night, I went to my friend Katie's bachelorette dinner at Chopsticks Bistro downtown. I had never had sushi before (unless you count the bite I had one time from someone's sushi lunch from Marsh...but I don't) and it was really good. I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl but I tried two different kinds of sushi and really liked them both. They also had the best crab rangoons I have ever had. Other than the great food, I had a good time with my teacher friends from school.
I woke up way too early on Saturday morning to head to Muncie for homecoming at Ball State. We all met at Allison's house and headed over to wait in horrible traffic to get into tailgating. I was a little nervous at first because we were out by the softball diamonds to tailgate and we had never been out there before (and it was freezing!), but we ended up having a really great time playing football, grilling out, people watching, and catching up. It was nice to act like a college student again, if only for a few hours.
With the best friends a girl could ask for: Laura, me, Ashley, Jess, and Allison.
Laura and I were the first ones to succumb to the cold temperatures and hang out in the car!
Ashley's 16-week-old pregnant belly. There's a little girl in there! I just know it!I left Muncie around 5:30 to get back home. Then, something happened last night that is extremely rare in the marriage of Justin and Jennifer Leavell. We spend Saturday night together and went out on a date. Shocking, I know. Due to school, cheerleading practice, and yearbook meetings being back in full force and Justin and I already working completely opposite hours, I couldn't remember the last time we had spent more than two hours together, let alone a whole evening. So I came back home to get ready (and let me pause here to brag about the fact that I got home at 6:33, fed Maggie, took a shower, and was ready to leave at 7:40...that's quite a feat for me) and once Justin got home and changed, we were off. We went and walked around at the Hamilton Town Center for a little bit and then went to eat at Olive Garden.
This is how I liked dinner to be served...off of a menu...and not out of the kitchen. OK, I know that sounded horrible, but I'm still trying to get into this whole cooking thing.
We had a great time together. We are really trying to make more of an effort to make the most out of the time we do see each other each week. And yes, I know that there are couples out there that have it way worse than we do, but I can only attest to how our lives are.
Today has been spent doing laundry, cleaning up a bit, and grading. I also found out that Maggie did something that she had yet to do since she has lived with me and Justin--she got us for two meals at breakfast. Since Justin has to get up so early on Sunday mornings to go to work, I got up and fed Maggie as soon as she came into our room crying at 5 a.m. so she wouldn't wake him up. However, she got Justin when he got up because she cried and cried like she had never been fed and he gave her another bowl of food. To a 16-pound cat that gets no more than a half a cup of low-calorie food a day anyway, it must have felt like Christmas morning. Here she is basking in her victory:
If our cat can get the best of us, I hate to think about what our kids will trick us into one day!
This is how I liked dinner to be served...off of a menu...and not out of the kitchen. OK, I know that sounded horrible, but I'm still trying to get into this whole cooking thing.We had a great time together. We are really trying to make more of an effort to make the most out of the time we do see each other each week. And yes, I know that there are couples out there that have it way worse than we do, but I can only attest to how our lives are.
Today has been spent doing laundry, cleaning up a bit, and grading. I also found out that Maggie did something that she had yet to do since she has lived with me and Justin--she got us for two meals at breakfast. Since Justin has to get up so early on Sunday mornings to go to work, I got up and fed Maggie as soon as she came into our room crying at 5 a.m. so she wouldn't wake him up. However, she got Justin when he got up because she cried and cried like she had never been fed and he gave her another bowl of food. To a 16-pound cat that gets no more than a half a cup of low-calorie food a day anyway, it must have felt like Christmas morning. Here she is basking in her victory:
If our cat can get the best of us, I hate to think about what our kids will trick us into one day!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Fall!
Yes, fall is finally here. I've been waiting anxiously for it. A saw a hint of it a couple of weeks ago as I was driving over Geist and a gust of wind blew some leaves on my car. I halfway felt like I was in the beginning credits of a Lifetime movie and a camera on a helicopter should be filming my car as I pulled into the driveway of one of the giant, gorgeous homes on Geist. Too bad that wasn't true.
The weather has been very fall-like this week. The temperatures have been cool enough for sweatshirts and warm meals, like the chili and crockpot chicken and noodles made in our house this week. I'm looking forward to several things this fall including our first wedding anniversary. I also love the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when your home feels a little cozier than it does during any other time of the year.
However, this week has also brought some sadness to our family. My great aunt Hazel passed away on Tuesday. She was my mom's aunt and since I never knew my maternal grandmother, my mom's aunts always seemed like surrogate grandmothers to me and Jess. I have fond and warm memories of going to my aunt Hazel's house. I remember that she had the best backyard that I had ever seen as a little girl simply because it had tomato plants in it. We used to play for hours with magnets on the back porch with her dog, Pepper, following us around. And when we were lucky to spend the night, we got to watch TV and eat popcorn and steal as many jelly beans from the candy jar in the kitchen as we wanted to, just as long as we didn't tell mom. The beds in her house were always too tall for me to climb onto by myself, and I thought the $2 bill under the glass in her vanity mirror was the coolest thing ever. She suffered a stroke at the end of June and had been doing well, but after 91 years, she passed in her sleep at the nursing home. I pray that we can all be as lucky to have 91 years on this earth and die without any kind of suffering.
I'm doing more of what I need to do this weekend and that includes spending time with friends. Tonight I am celebrating a friend's upcoming wedding with a bachelorette dinner downtown. Tomorrow, I will be a college student for a day and return to BSU for tailgating, the homecoming game, and a typical BSU Saturday night in the village. Sunday I will return to the real world and grade furiously in anticipation for the end of the quarter.
Have a great weekend!
The weather has been very fall-like this week. The temperatures have been cool enough for sweatshirts and warm meals, like the chili and crockpot chicken and noodles made in our house this week. I'm looking forward to several things this fall including our first wedding anniversary. I also love the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when your home feels a little cozier than it does during any other time of the year.
However, this week has also brought some sadness to our family. My great aunt Hazel passed away on Tuesday. She was my mom's aunt and since I never knew my maternal grandmother, my mom's aunts always seemed like surrogate grandmothers to me and Jess. I have fond and warm memories of going to my aunt Hazel's house. I remember that she had the best backyard that I had ever seen as a little girl simply because it had tomato plants in it. We used to play for hours with magnets on the back porch with her dog, Pepper, following us around. And when we were lucky to spend the night, we got to watch TV and eat popcorn and steal as many jelly beans from the candy jar in the kitchen as we wanted to, just as long as we didn't tell mom. The beds in her house were always too tall for me to climb onto by myself, and I thought the $2 bill under the glass in her vanity mirror was the coolest thing ever. She suffered a stroke at the end of June and had been doing well, but after 91 years, she passed in her sleep at the nursing home. I pray that we can all be as lucky to have 91 years on this earth and die without any kind of suffering.
I'm doing more of what I need to do this weekend and that includes spending time with friends. Tonight I am celebrating a friend's upcoming wedding with a bachelorette dinner downtown. Tomorrow, I will be a college student for a day and return to BSU for tailgating, the homecoming game, and a typical BSU Saturday night in the village. Sunday I will return to the real world and grade furiously in anticipation for the end of the quarter.
Have a great weekend!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Dean Cline Band
You know that rock star I mentioned in my last post? He's my uncle and while I don't get to see his band play as much as I'd like, whenever I do, I'm so proud that he is my uncle and that I'm related to one hell of a cool guy. If you were at my wedding, you might remember him. He played guitar during the ceremony.
My sister and I went to see him play last night at my cousin's bar in New Castle. I had spent a whole day with family (on my mom's side) and it was great to spend a whole evening with them too (on my dad's side).
Here are some pictures from last night:
Here he is! If you can't already tell just by looking at him,
he's my dad's youngest brother.
Me and my aunt Lesa (my dad's sister).
Jess and me.
And here's a little bit of a classic bar favorite:
They will be at Joe's Grill on 96th street on October 10th. Come check them out!
My sister and I went to see him play last night at my cousin's bar in New Castle. I had spent a whole day with family (on my mom's side) and it was great to spend a whole evening with them too (on my dad's side).
Here are some pictures from last night:
Here he is! If you can't already tell just by looking at him,he's my dad's youngest brother.
Me and my aunt Lesa (my dad's sister).
Jess and me.Like I said, it was great to spend time with family, but whenever I'm around family I think I miss my mom a little more just because I am around people that knew her and loved her so much. So thanks to my cousin Amber (I'm pretty sure she requested this), Dean and his band played "Brown Eyed Girl." A little back story on this--"Brown Eyed Girl" was my mom's song. And if you were at my wedding reception then you remember that we played this in memory of her and everyone that knew my mom came and danced with me. It truly is one of my most favorite memories from my wedding day. So here he is singing her song (I apologize for the poor quality at first...it's hard to video and dance at the same time...but it gets better):
And here's a little bit of a classic bar favorite:
They will be at Joe's Grill on 96th street on October 10th. Come check them out!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
I'm Back!
My loyal blog readers (all six...OK who am I kidding...all three of them) have requested that I get back into the swing of this blog thing! And I agree! I was kind of afraid that this would happen when school started. I know I would put this thing on the back burner but that's exactly what I don't want to continue to do...so here we go.
Speaking of school, things are going well in my third year. I always said that the first year of teaching is like keeping your head above water, the second year is when someone has thrown you a life jacket, and by your third year you should be in a boat and sailing smoothly. Well, I'm not sure how smooth I'm sailing my boat, but it's sailing! I'm really busy with teaching a couple of new classes this year as well as cheerleading and yearbook. Our 2008-2009 yearbook just came out and it has been receiving really positive feedback so now I feel that the pressure is on even more to do well for next year. We are in full competition mode with cheerleading and soon I will have cheer competitions for four Saturdays straight.
And if all that wasn't enough with trying to be a good little wife (more on us in a minute), I decided to take on something else to put on my already over-flowing plate. I am now the Event Chair for the 2010 Fortville/McCordsville Relay for Life. If you aren't sure what Relay for Life is, check it out here. I've really been looking at doing something to honor my mom ever since she passed away and the opportunity came up to be on the RFL committee and not being one to sit in the corner of a committee meeting, I took the reins and now I'm the Event Chair. Justin and my sister, Jessica, are also serving on the committee so it's nice to be doing this with family. We are currently recruiting other committee members and are in the early stages of planning, but I feel really good about this and feel that is a great way to do my part for cancer fund-raising. I always know that my mom is proud of me, and I couldn't feel more strongly about that since I made this decision.
But with the committee and everything going on at school, I could wear about ten of those "stressed" nametags from my last post everyday. I enjoy everything I am involved in and that's why I do them, because I have a passion for each one, but it all gets to me sometimes. I was talking to my principal this past week and he said he could definitely tell that I had a lot going on. We had a really nice talk and he said that while I may love everything I do, that nothing should keep from setting aside some time for me every now and then. And, well, the only time I get to myself these days are those four to five hours that I sleep each night. He said that people would still like me and think that I am a good person if I say no every now and then--something I struggle with and inherited from my mom, I think. He's right, though. While I am going to continue to do everything I am doing now, I have to start making sure that I am putting some hours into the day for myself.
Now on to the newlyweds. We are technically still under that title for a few more weeks now! Justin is great (working all the time) and while we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, we still enjoy the time we do get together. I cherish our Tuesday and Wednesday nights together (his days off) and even though we usually just spend it making dinner and smiling every now and then at each other as I grade papers/plan lessons and he watches TV, those are my favorite nights of the week. He is taking three days off for our anniversary weekend and I'm excited to get see him for a full 72 hours!
Jess and I went to our family reunion today. It was great to see family members from my mom's side of the family. I forget how much fun I have just talking and catching up with family. We're enjoying some down time right now before we head back to New Castle to watch my uncle's band play. Yep, I'm related to a rock star.
I think you are now caught up on my life. And for more late-breaking news: I'm thinking about biting the bullet and just doing it...joining Facebook, that is.
Speaking of school, things are going well in my third year. I always said that the first year of teaching is like keeping your head above water, the second year is when someone has thrown you a life jacket, and by your third year you should be in a boat and sailing smoothly. Well, I'm not sure how smooth I'm sailing my boat, but it's sailing! I'm really busy with teaching a couple of new classes this year as well as cheerleading and yearbook. Our 2008-2009 yearbook just came out and it has been receiving really positive feedback so now I feel that the pressure is on even more to do well for next year. We are in full competition mode with cheerleading and soon I will have cheer competitions for four Saturdays straight.
And if all that wasn't enough with trying to be a good little wife (more on us in a minute), I decided to take on something else to put on my already over-flowing plate. I am now the Event Chair for the 2010 Fortville/McCordsville Relay for Life. If you aren't sure what Relay for Life is, check it out here. I've really been looking at doing something to honor my mom ever since she passed away and the opportunity came up to be on the RFL committee and not being one to sit in the corner of a committee meeting, I took the reins and now I'm the Event Chair. Justin and my sister, Jessica, are also serving on the committee so it's nice to be doing this with family. We are currently recruiting other committee members and are in the early stages of planning, but I feel really good about this and feel that is a great way to do my part for cancer fund-raising. I always know that my mom is proud of me, and I couldn't feel more strongly about that since I made this decision.
But with the committee and everything going on at school, I could wear about ten of those "stressed" nametags from my last post everyday. I enjoy everything I am involved in and that's why I do them, because I have a passion for each one, but it all gets to me sometimes. I was talking to my principal this past week and he said he could definitely tell that I had a lot going on. We had a really nice talk and he said that while I may love everything I do, that nothing should keep from setting aside some time for me every now and then. And, well, the only time I get to myself these days are those four to five hours that I sleep each night. He said that people would still like me and think that I am a good person if I say no every now and then--something I struggle with and inherited from my mom, I think. He's right, though. While I am going to continue to do everything I am doing now, I have to start making sure that I am putting some hours into the day for myself.
Now on to the newlyweds. We are technically still under that title for a few more weeks now! Justin is great (working all the time) and while we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, we still enjoy the time we do get together. I cherish our Tuesday and Wednesday nights together (his days off) and even though we usually just spend it making dinner and smiling every now and then at each other as I grade papers/plan lessons and he watches TV, those are my favorite nights of the week. He is taking three days off for our anniversary weekend and I'm excited to get see him for a full 72 hours!
Jess and I went to our family reunion today. It was great to see family members from my mom's side of the family. I forget how much fun I have just talking and catching up with family. We're enjoying some down time right now before we head back to New Castle to watch my uncle's band play. Yep, I'm related to a rock star.
I think you are now caught up on my life. And for more late-breaking news: I'm thinking about biting the bullet and just doing it...joining Facebook, that is.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Hello, my name is...
This is my name tag from last week when I attended a computer workshop for school. The better part of last week was reminiscent of a regular school week and I didn't like it at all. I attended computer workshops for school on Tuesday and Thursday which not only found me getting out of bed way earlier than most days this summer, but also left me feeling completely stressed and overwhelmed about the fact that school starts two weeks from this Thursday and I haven't done nearly enough. Justin looked at me the other day and said, "Regret not doing more for school this summer?" Yes, I do.
Wednesday was way too similar to a regular school day in that my alarm went off at the exact time it does for school to meet some of my yearbook staff members to attend an extremely productive yearbook workshop at Fishers High School. It feels good to go into the new school year with a very structured plan for the entire book.
To take away a little stress, I went to a Chicago Cubs game yesterday with some friends from school and a friend of a friend from school. It was a blast and nice way to kind of cap off the summer since I feel it is coming to an end way too soon. I'll try to post some pictures soon. I must also add that going to this game caused some stress in my marriage. Let's just say that when a wife goes to Wrigley when her baseball-obsessed husband hasn't been...that's not good. But I don't think he's too mad at me anymore and I am trying to make it up to him by planning a really cool first anniversary gift.
Now I am currently at my Alma mater, Ball State, being the best resident assistant I can be at the Ball State University Journalism Workshops. Not exactly the place I want to be with only two and half weeks more of freedom, but it pays well and lets me connect with several journalism teachers that I have already received incredible ideas from.
Time to put off doing something productive and look up spoilers for tomorrow's finale of The Bachelorette.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Happy Birthday Mom
Today would have been my mom's 55th birthday. There's something that bothers me about that phrase like people might think that today doesn't have significance anymore just because my mom isn't alive to blow out any candles. However, in a way I think my mom would have been OK missing this birthday.
My mom never wanted to look old, feel old, and she definitely never wanted to be seen as old. Not that I think 55 is old at all. My dad will be 62 at the end of this month and I don't see that as old. But I also see my dad living for another 40 years and still being about to fix anything around the house at that time. However, the world must see 55 as old since it is one of the magical ages of the senior citizen discount. After doing a little research, I realized that there a several different ages that businesses and organizations see people as senior citizens. Some are outrageous enough to call someone that is 50 a senior citizen (including AARP, and you don't want to know what came out of my mom's mouth when she started getting stuff from them in the mail), but I'm pretty sure that at 55 my mom would have been able to get a discount at Goodwill and Kohl's on a given day of the week, get into a movie cheaper than someone younger, and get a 10% discount at Ace Hardware, not that she frequented that store.
So while I definitely missed not sitting around our table eating a family dinner tonight and singing happy birthday and carving into a double-layer white cake with buttercream icing from Marsh, I smile at the picture I do see in my mind: my mom in heaven looking at least ten years younger than her age like she always did with a mischievous grin on her face as if to say, "Go ahead, just try and call me old."
Happy birthday, Mom.
My mom never wanted to look old, feel old, and she definitely never wanted to be seen as old. Not that I think 55 is old at all. My dad will be 62 at the end of this month and I don't see that as old. But I also see my dad living for another 40 years and still being about to fix anything around the house at that time. However, the world must see 55 as old since it is one of the magical ages of the senior citizen discount. After doing a little research, I realized that there a several different ages that businesses and organizations see people as senior citizens. Some are outrageous enough to call someone that is 50 a senior citizen (including AARP, and you don't want to know what came out of my mom's mouth when she started getting stuff from them in the mail), but I'm pretty sure that at 55 my mom would have been able to get a discount at Goodwill and Kohl's on a given day of the week, get into a movie cheaper than someone younger, and get a 10% discount at Ace Hardware, not that she frequented that store.
So while I definitely missed not sitting around our table eating a family dinner tonight and singing happy birthday and carving into a double-layer white cake with buttercream icing from Marsh, I smile at the picture I do see in my mind: my mom in heaven looking at least ten years younger than her age like she always did with a mischievous grin on her face as if to say, "Go ahead, just try and call me old."
Happy birthday, Mom.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Canoe Country
What is included in a great summer afternoon? How about family, perfect weather, lots of laughs, and a relaxing canoe trip? That is exactly what our afternoon consisted of yesterday. Justin's brother Shane mentioned his interest in canoeing last week so we set the date to go yesterday and invited my sister, Jessica, along for the ride. The decision to invite Jess would prove to be quite an entertaining one, but more on that later.
We made reservations at Canoe Country, a business in Daleville, IN that allows you to rent a canoe, drops you off at a location on the White River, and picks you up at your final destination. Wanting to get the most out of our trip, we decided to do the 10+ mile trip which takes about four hours. We were dropped off in Daleville and paddled our way for four hours to Edgewater Park in Anderson, IN.
The weather was perfect yesterday and even the mid-80s didn't feel hot since we were down on the river and under the shade of trees during a large part of the trip. This was the first time canoeing for Jess and myself. Justin and I were in one canoe and Jess and Shane were in another. Once we got the handle on how to actually steer the canoe...well, I guess once Shane and Jess got a handle on not canoeing backwards or sideways (Justin was a pro at steering from the beginning), we were on our way down the White River. We brought drinks and snacks along and I am definitely disappointed that I didn't bring my camera, but Canoe Country warns you not to take anything that you don't want wet or lost, so we were safe for this trip and left the camera at home.
We had a leisurely ride down the river, enjoying the scenery of the parks and pointing out each duck and turtle and snake (eek!) we saw. We were about three and half hours into our trip, and even though it was proving to be a fun-filled and relaxing afternoon, what happened next would definitely be the biggest memory of the trip--the memory that we will sit around ten years from now and say, "Hey Shane and Jess, remember that first time we went canoeing and you..."
Now nothing short of an actual first-hand account of this incident can do it justice of just how funny it was, but I'll try my best. For about the last mile of the trip, we decided it would be a good idea to race. Things were going great (because Justin and I were winning) but Shane and Jess caught up and we reached a shallow part of the river. With rocks scraping the bottom, and my competitive nature kicking in, I yelled at Justin to get out and drag the canoe out of the rocks. Jess and Shane followed suit and abandoned their canoe to start dragging it as well. With the rocks a little painful under our feet and with Justin noticing that the water was deeper a few feet in front of us, we got back in our canoe and were pushing off the bank when I looked up and saw Shane and Jess neck-deep in the river and their canoe completely sideways and taking on water. Knowing that the water wasn't deep enough to go over their heads, Justin and I could not help but laugh. I guess Jess lost her shoe and they were both trying to get it while realizing the river wasn't shallow anymore and when they both tried to get in the canoe again at the same time, mother nature wasn't on their side. Seeing our siblings scramble, Justin and I could not stop laughing while Shane was trying to get the canoe upright and Jess was going for the oar that was quickly floating down the river along with all of the other contents of the canoe. Already soaked from head to toe, they gathered everything but the oar and pulled the boat up on some rocks while Justin and I went down the river for the oar. In the end we didn't lose anything (but I was glad not to have the camera to worry about!) and we got a drenched Shane and Jess back into their canoe and down to the pick-up area.
At the end of the day we were a little sunburnt, a lot tired, (some of us very wet!), but glad for the good time and the laughs had with family. I think our afternoon of canoeing may just become a new summertime hobby!
We made reservations at Canoe Country, a business in Daleville, IN that allows you to rent a canoe, drops you off at a location on the White River, and picks you up at your final destination. Wanting to get the most out of our trip, we decided to do the 10+ mile trip which takes about four hours. We were dropped off in Daleville and paddled our way for four hours to Edgewater Park in Anderson, IN.
The weather was perfect yesterday and even the mid-80s didn't feel hot since we were down on the river and under the shade of trees during a large part of the trip. This was the first time canoeing for Jess and myself. Justin and I were in one canoe and Jess and Shane were in another. Once we got the handle on how to actually steer the canoe...well, I guess once Shane and Jess got a handle on not canoeing backwards or sideways (Justin was a pro at steering from the beginning), we were on our way down the White River. We brought drinks and snacks along and I am definitely disappointed that I didn't bring my camera, but Canoe Country warns you not to take anything that you don't want wet or lost, so we were safe for this trip and left the camera at home.
We had a leisurely ride down the river, enjoying the scenery of the parks and pointing out each duck and turtle and snake (eek!) we saw. We were about three and half hours into our trip, and even though it was proving to be a fun-filled and relaxing afternoon, what happened next would definitely be the biggest memory of the trip--the memory that we will sit around ten years from now and say, "Hey Shane and Jess, remember that first time we went canoeing and you..."
Now nothing short of an actual first-hand account of this incident can do it justice of just how funny it was, but I'll try my best. For about the last mile of the trip, we decided it would be a good idea to race. Things were going great (because Justin and I were winning) but Shane and Jess caught up and we reached a shallow part of the river. With rocks scraping the bottom, and my competitive nature kicking in, I yelled at Justin to get out and drag the canoe out of the rocks. Jess and Shane followed suit and abandoned their canoe to start dragging it as well. With the rocks a little painful under our feet and with Justin noticing that the water was deeper a few feet in front of us, we got back in our canoe and were pushing off the bank when I looked up and saw Shane and Jess neck-deep in the river and their canoe completely sideways and taking on water. Knowing that the water wasn't deep enough to go over their heads, Justin and I could not help but laugh. I guess Jess lost her shoe and they were both trying to get it while realizing the river wasn't shallow anymore and when they both tried to get in the canoe again at the same time, mother nature wasn't on their side. Seeing our siblings scramble, Justin and I could not stop laughing while Shane was trying to get the canoe upright and Jess was going for the oar that was quickly floating down the river along with all of the other contents of the canoe. Already soaked from head to toe, they gathered everything but the oar and pulled the boat up on some rocks while Justin and I went down the river for the oar. In the end we didn't lose anything (but I was glad not to have the camera to worry about!) and we got a drenched Shane and Jess back into their canoe and down to the pick-up area.
At the end of the day we were a little sunburnt, a lot tired, (some of us very wet!), but glad for the good time and the laughs had with family. I think our afternoon of canoeing may just become a new summertime hobby!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
How to Cure Boredom
A list of things to do when your husband leaves you to work for twelve hours on a Saturday and you just have your cat and rainy weather so you can't even go to the pool.
1. Read some of a book...check.
2. Play a mindless computer game until you feel absolutely worthless...check.
3. Scrounge up something to eat for lunch that is completely unhealthy...check.
4. Watch a few shows on TV that you've previously seen at least twice...check.
5. Cuddle with your cat...check.
6. Push your cat off of you after five minutes because you now have enough fur in your mouth to cough up your own hairball...check.
7. Check your e-mail every half an hour in the hopes that someone else is bored out of their mind on a Saturday and e-mailed you...check. (No one did.)
8. Contemplate cleaning the patio furniture three or four times but not actually cleaning it...check.
9. Straighten up around the apartment...check.
10. Iron the piled of wrinkled clothes on the dining room table (A--because they have been sitting there for two weeks and B--because you are in love with the steam function on your iron)...check.
11. Take a shower (and shave so the shower lasts as long as possible)...check.
12. Make a pitcher of lemonade...check.
13. Balance your checkbook...check.
14. Pay a few bills...check.
15. Wallow in self-pity for a few minutes because you are broke...check.
16. Blow-dry your hair...check.
17. Upload pictures from your camera to the computer and put in folders accordingly...check.
18. Update your blog...check.
19. Sort through a few piles of papers in the hopes of getting rid of some of the clutter in the guestroom but instead just making more smaller piles...check.
20. Stare at yourself in the mirror for five minutes while contemplating whether it's time to start using anti-aging cream or not...check.
21. Realize that you start school a month from tomorrow and have a small bout of depression upon that realization...check.
22. Panic because you haven't planned a single lesson for the school year that starts in a month...check.
23. Read almost every news article on CNN and People.com because you've checked every other website that you look at on a daily basis at least three times...check.
24. Wonder if next Saturday will probably be as boring as this one and realize that there's a good chance of that...check.
25. Make a list of everything you've done today...check.
I still have an hour and a half until Justin gets home...now what?
1. Read some of a book...check.
2. Play a mindless computer game until you feel absolutely worthless...check.
3. Scrounge up something to eat for lunch that is completely unhealthy...check.
4. Watch a few shows on TV that you've previously seen at least twice...check.
5. Cuddle with your cat...check.
6. Push your cat off of you after five minutes because you now have enough fur in your mouth to cough up your own hairball...check.
7. Check your e-mail every half an hour in the hopes that someone else is bored out of their mind on a Saturday and e-mailed you...check. (No one did.)
8. Contemplate cleaning the patio furniture three or four times but not actually cleaning it...check.
9. Straighten up around the apartment...check.
10. Iron the piled of wrinkled clothes on the dining room table (A--because they have been sitting there for two weeks and B--because you are in love with the steam function on your iron)...check.
11. Take a shower (and shave so the shower lasts as long as possible)...check.
12. Make a pitcher of lemonade...check.
13. Balance your checkbook...check.
14. Pay a few bills...check.
15. Wallow in self-pity for a few minutes because you are broke...check.
16. Blow-dry your hair...check.
17. Upload pictures from your camera to the computer and put in folders accordingly...check.
18. Update your blog...check.
19. Sort through a few piles of papers in the hopes of getting rid of some of the clutter in the guestroom but instead just making more smaller piles...check.
20. Stare at yourself in the mirror for five minutes while contemplating whether it's time to start using anti-aging cream or not...check.
21. Realize that you start school a month from tomorrow and have a small bout of depression upon that realization...check.
22. Panic because you haven't planned a single lesson for the school year that starts in a month...check.
23. Read almost every news article on CNN and People.com because you've checked every other website that you look at on a daily basis at least three times...check.
24. Wonder if next Saturday will probably be as boring as this one and realize that there's a good chance of that...check.
25. Make a list of everything you've done today...check.
I still have an hour and a half until Justin gets home...now what?
When the Wife's Away...
It's been awesome being home this past week after my whirlwind of short and long trips the previous couple of weeks. And as nice as it was to come home to my favorite guy and my favorite feline...
...and as much as Justin said that he missed me...I have a feeling that there was a part of him that was a little happy to have the apartment to himself and revert back to his bachelor days. What makes me think this? Oh, I have evidence.
Piece of Evidence #1: The Reese Cups
OK, so I found these before I left and while Justin confessed to having these before I found them, I still chalk them up to a secret. The conversation went like this when Justin got home from work late one night:
Setting the scene: I was watching TV in bed when Justin got home. Since we hadn't seen each other much that week, he came into the bedroom to eat and talk with me. After random chatting, this happened...
Me: "Do you know we have absolutely nothing sweet to eat in this house? I wanted a cookie or candy so bad after dinner I couldn't stand it."
Sidenote: We've been trying to make healthier options at the grocery store.
Justin gets a weird look on his face.
Me: "Babe..."
Justin: "I've had candy stashed in the kitchen for a few days now." He runs away from me.
Me (outraged): "WHAT?! WHERE?! Why didn't you share?"
Justin: "You've been doing so good eating healthy, babe, that I didn't want to ruin it for you."
Me: "You mean there has been candy in this house and I wanted chocolate so bad that I literally drank the Sundae Syrup this evening?"
Justin then fessed up to his stash. Apparently there were Hershey bars in the kitchen but now just Reese cups remained. And where did he hide them? In the most obvious place. We have a drawer in our kitchen that somehow got nicknamed "the candy drawer" but for the past six months has only contained Christmas Lifesavers, hard marshmallow Peeps, cough drops, and expired popcorn. So I never thought to look there. But there they were...
Piece of Evidence #2: Coors Light
Yes, beer. I can't remember the last time that beer was in our refrigerator. I'll take a safe bet that we haven't had beer since we lived in Justin's old apartment on 82nd street. Not that we are goody-two-shoes that don't drink, but when you don't have a lot of money to spend at the grocery store, you buy milk, diet coke, and Kool-Aid packets...cheap beverages...not beer. But as I am in my tired daze after Allison's wedding trying to run around the house and pack for Washington D.C., I open the fridge for a bottle of water (re-filled from the Brita...see...cheap) and see this:
Piece of Evidence #3: More Chocolate
Not only did that six-pack greet me when I went into the refrigerator for an innocent bottle of water, but more candy stared me straight in the face, right there in plain sight on the bottom shelf:
I guess I can't blame him too much for indulging a little while I was gone. He did say he missed me and he remembered to feed Maggie everyday, so I can't fault him too much. But next time I want chocolate, I'm searching high and low in the kitchen before I resort to drinking the Sundae Syrup.
...and as much as Justin said that he missed me...I have a feeling that there was a part of him that was a little happy to have the apartment to himself and revert back to his bachelor days. What makes me think this? Oh, I have evidence.
Piece of Evidence #1: The Reese Cups
OK, so I found these before I left and while Justin confessed to having these before I found them, I still chalk them up to a secret. The conversation went like this when Justin got home from work late one night:
Setting the scene: I was watching TV in bed when Justin got home. Since we hadn't seen each other much that week, he came into the bedroom to eat and talk with me. After random chatting, this happened...
Me: "Do you know we have absolutely nothing sweet to eat in this house? I wanted a cookie or candy so bad after dinner I couldn't stand it."
Sidenote: We've been trying to make healthier options at the grocery store.
Justin gets a weird look on his face.
Me: "Babe..."
Justin: "I've had candy stashed in the kitchen for a few days now." He runs away from me.
Me (outraged): "WHAT?! WHERE?! Why didn't you share?"
Justin: "You've been doing so good eating healthy, babe, that I didn't want to ruin it for you."
Me: "You mean there has been candy in this house and I wanted chocolate so bad that I literally drank the Sundae Syrup this evening?"
Justin then fessed up to his stash. Apparently there were Hershey bars in the kitchen but now just Reese cups remained. And where did he hide them? In the most obvious place. We have a drawer in our kitchen that somehow got nicknamed "the candy drawer" but for the past six months has only contained Christmas Lifesavers, hard marshmallow Peeps, cough drops, and expired popcorn. So I never thought to look there. But there they were...
Piece of Evidence #2: Coors Light
Yes, beer. I can't remember the last time that beer was in our refrigerator. I'll take a safe bet that we haven't had beer since we lived in Justin's old apartment on 82nd street. Not that we are goody-two-shoes that don't drink, but when you don't have a lot of money to spend at the grocery store, you buy milk, diet coke, and Kool-Aid packets...cheap beverages...not beer. But as I am in my tired daze after Allison's wedding trying to run around the house and pack for Washington D.C., I open the fridge for a bottle of water (re-filled from the Brita...see...cheap) and see this:
Piece of Evidence #3: More Chocolate
Not only did that six-pack greet me when I went into the refrigerator for an innocent bottle of water, but more candy stared me straight in the face, right there in plain sight on the bottom shelf:
I guess I can't blame him too much for indulging a little while I was gone. He did say he missed me and he remembered to feed Maggie everyday, so I can't fault him too much. But next time I want chocolate, I'm searching high and low in the kitchen before I resort to drinking the Sundae Syrup.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Live from Washington D.C.
UPDATED WITH PHOTOS!
Since I am blogging out of state I feel that the title needs to sound something like the beginning of Saturday Night Live when they say "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" So if you don't mind, please read the title again, but this time (in your head or out loud if you feel so inclined), read it in your best radio/television announcer voice that really grasps the essence of the SNL intro and the fact that I am not in McCordsville, IN.
This past week has been a whirlwind. I left last Tuesday morning for cheerleading camp at IU, got home from there on Thursday afternoon only to take a quick nap, unpack, pack again, and get up on Friday morning to head to Muncie for my friend Allison's wedding, which I was a bridesmaid in. I left the reception between 11:30 and midnight on Saturday night and was on my way to the airport at 5:15 on Sunday morning to attend a technology conference with the English department and administrators in Washington, D.C., hence the dramatic opening to this blog entry. After I got over being delirious due to lack of sleep, (I thought Sunday was Tuesday for the longest time until I asked someone) the conference has been fun. I am really disappointed that Obama didn't meet us at the airport like I was sure he would, but I've learned a lot about new technology for my classroom and I'm excited to get started making lesson plans to incorporate all that I've learned. Wait...it's June 30th and I just said I want to make lesson plans...that must be a mistake. A couple of pictures from the trip...
Me in front of a lot of books at the Library of Congress.
Reading at the Library of Congress.
Back to the wedding. It was awesome to see my friends and see yet another one of us get married. Friday consisted of the rehearsal and dinner at Puerto followed by a great tribute to Michael Jackson in Ashley's car while we were stopped by a train for a good fifteen minutes. Not only was it amusing to be flipped off by a car of girls that must have been jealous of our love for MJ but my friend Ashley successfully yelled Michael Jackson ad-libs to a police officer. And I have had "Man in the Mirror" in my head ever since. Then we successfully took pictures in front of both of the old college houses we lived in near campus (I only lived in one...but they claimed me for the other) while laughing to hard that I'm shocked a few of us didn't pee our pants. Saturday morning came and we helped Allison get ready for her big day. She looked absolutely beautiful and the wedding and reception were gorgeous and a blast. I don't think a beaming grin left Allison's face the entire day and the weather was perfect for her outside reception.
Ashley, me, and Nikki at the rehearsal dinner.
The happy couple, Chris and Allison, at the rehearsal dinner.
My friend Laura "acting natural" with my engagement ring on.
Allison, Minner, and Laura at the rehearsal dinner.
Nikki and Laura during our tribute to Michael Jackson.
All of the girls on the big day!
Me with the beautiful bride.
Me with the "chief bridesmaid".
The amazing wedding singer and me at the reception.
Cutting the cake!
Since I am blogging out of state I feel that the title needs to sound something like the beginning of Saturday Night Live when they say "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" So if you don't mind, please read the title again, but this time (in your head or out loud if you feel so inclined), read it in your best radio/television announcer voice that really grasps the essence of the SNL intro and the fact that I am not in McCordsville, IN.
This past week has been a whirlwind. I left last Tuesday morning for cheerleading camp at IU, got home from there on Thursday afternoon only to take a quick nap, unpack, pack again, and get up on Friday morning to head to Muncie for my friend Allison's wedding, which I was a bridesmaid in. I left the reception between 11:30 and midnight on Saturday night and was on my way to the airport at 5:15 on Sunday morning to attend a technology conference with the English department and administrators in Washington, D.C., hence the dramatic opening to this blog entry. After I got over being delirious due to lack of sleep, (I thought Sunday was Tuesday for the longest time until I asked someone) the conference has been fun. I am really disappointed that Obama didn't meet us at the airport like I was sure he would, but I've learned a lot about new technology for my classroom and I'm excited to get started making lesson plans to incorporate all that I've learned. Wait...it's June 30th and I just said I want to make lesson plans...that must be a mistake. A couple of pictures from the trip...
Me in front of a lot of books at the Library of Congress.
Reading at the Library of Congress.
Ashley, me, and Nikki at the rehearsal dinner.
The happy couple, Chris and Allison, at the rehearsal dinner.
My friend Laura "acting natural" with my engagement ring on.
Allison, Minner, and Laura at the rehearsal dinner.
Nikki and Laura during our tribute to Michael Jackson.
All of the girls on the big day!
Me with the beautiful bride.
Me with the "chief bridesmaid".
The amazing wedding singer and me at the reception.
Cutting the cake!After a crazy week I will be happy to get home tomorrow night and sleep in my own bed next to my wonderful husband (whom I miss like crazy) and with my over-sized kitty at my feet. My plan for Thursday consists of my pajamas, the couch, and over a week's worth of episodes of The Young and the Restless.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
This is Not My Life
Do you ever feel that so much life is going on around you and you are completely missing out on everything? OK, don't get me wrong, I absolutely, 100% love my life with Justin. But I can't help but think lately that there is so much more that I could be doing with my life.
I had a sorority sister that coined a phrase, "This is not my life". Her name was Nicole Gallo, and well, in a brief description, she was awesome. She would use the "this is not my life" phrase when something was going on with her that just wasn't who she was. She taught us to use it if we were stressed or sad or angry and to simply beat your right fist into your open left palm while repeating over and over "This is not my life!" When it comes to how I'm feeling right now, it's the only phrase that sums it all up.
From the outside looking in, it seems that I have a great life. I'm married to one heck of an amazing man, I have a rewarding and steady job, a great apartment, awesome friends, a devoted family, etc. etc. etc. But something just doesn't feel right lately. I had a pretty big roller coaster of a year last year with losing my mom (the lowest point of my life) to getting married (clearly the highest point of my life). When not dealing with and celebrating those moments, I had school to distract me, and with cheerleading, the yearbook, and keeping my head above water in a sea of freshmen, I never had time to think that everything wasn't complete. But now that I'm out of school and have a lot of time on my hands, I find myself sitting within the walls of this apartment watching mindless reality television and soap operas and wallowing on the couch thinking about how mundane my life has been in these past couple of weeks.
Now that I've successfully thrown myself a pity party, it's time to not only say "this is not my life", but do something about it. There are changes I want to make that aren't going to make themselves. I just realized that someone reading this might be thinking that I'm being very vague, but to be honest, I don't know all of the changes I need to make. Clearly I'm not physically healthy and that needs to change. After completing Relay for Life (an entry on that is coming soon) I would love to get more involved in supporting cancer research. I want to write more. I just want to do more with my day instead of getting up, eating breakfast, and figuring out how I can fill 10 hours with television shows. I could be a better friend. I could be a better family member. I could be a better wife. I could be a better person. And it's just time to start making that happen.
I had a sorority sister that coined a phrase, "This is not my life". Her name was Nicole Gallo, and well, in a brief description, she was awesome. She would use the "this is not my life" phrase when something was going on with her that just wasn't who she was. She taught us to use it if we were stressed or sad or angry and to simply beat your right fist into your open left palm while repeating over and over "This is not my life!" When it comes to how I'm feeling right now, it's the only phrase that sums it all up.
From the outside looking in, it seems that I have a great life. I'm married to one heck of an amazing man, I have a rewarding and steady job, a great apartment, awesome friends, a devoted family, etc. etc. etc. But something just doesn't feel right lately. I had a pretty big roller coaster of a year last year with losing my mom (the lowest point of my life) to getting married (clearly the highest point of my life). When not dealing with and celebrating those moments, I had school to distract me, and with cheerleading, the yearbook, and keeping my head above water in a sea of freshmen, I never had time to think that everything wasn't complete. But now that I'm out of school and have a lot of time on my hands, I find myself sitting within the walls of this apartment watching mindless reality television and soap operas and wallowing on the couch thinking about how mundane my life has been in these past couple of weeks.
Now that I've successfully thrown myself a pity party, it's time to not only say "this is not my life", but do something about it. There are changes I want to make that aren't going to make themselves. I just realized that someone reading this might be thinking that I'm being very vague, but to be honest, I don't know all of the changes I need to make. Clearly I'm not physically healthy and that needs to change. After completing Relay for Life (an entry on that is coming soon) I would love to get more involved in supporting cancer research. I want to write more. I just want to do more with my day instead of getting up, eating breakfast, and figuring out how I can fill 10 hours with television shows. I could be a better friend. I could be a better family member. I could be a better wife. I could be a better person. And it's just time to start making that happen.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Freedom
Well, freedom for a little over two months anyway! Today was my last day of school with students. We have a teacher day on Monday, but all of my end-of-the-year duties are completed and ready to turn in so I'm counting right now as my first official hour of summer freedom. The wrap-up of school is why I've been MIA in the blog world lately. I feel that the last month of an English teacher's school year has got to be the busiest, especially at my school. In the last month, when I wasn't grading a research paper, I was probably packing up my classroom (for it to be renovated over the summer), and when I wasn't packing I was probably thinking of someway to get freshmen interested in Romeo and Juliet, and when I wasn't doing that, I was probably trying to stay sane since I swear teenagers turn into the spawns of Satan around the middle of May! But it is all done and it feels awesome. I was telling my dad today that I will never apologize or feel bad for having the summer off. I did not choose to enter the teaching world just to not have to work in the months of June or July, however, with that, I chose a job that doesn't stop everyday at 5 p.m. I don't get to come home and forget about my job until the next time I go in. Instead, I get to come home each night and grade essays, plan lessons, and try my best to stay on top of things so that I can get at least five hours of sleep before I have to get up and do it all over again. So all of those hours I spend in the evenings and on the weekends grading papers until I just want to stick the red pens in both of my eyes and the time I spend in front of the computer trying to find some way to have students relate to the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird are given back to me in the summer and I enjoy every single minute of them.
Due to my brief hiatus, I feel there are many blog entries that are stored in the back of my mind. And since the front of my mind is now clear of MLA style and final exams, those entries are ready to come out--so expect a lot of updating this weekend and in the weeks to come. I have several goals for this summer. I will of course be coaching cheerleading all summer and finishing the yearbook with the staff until the middle of June. But I also have a mile-long summer reading list (reading for pleasure could be my favorite part of the summer) and an equally long list of things I want to do with the apartment. And yes, Justin, I promise I will finally get the guest room to a state where a guest could actually stay in it.
But right now I must get ready to go to graduation where I get to see the fruits of my labor walk across the stage and get handed the ticket to the rest of their lives. And then, I sleep.
Due to my brief hiatus, I feel there are many blog entries that are stored in the back of my mind. And since the front of my mind is now clear of MLA style and final exams, those entries are ready to come out--so expect a lot of updating this weekend and in the weeks to come. I have several goals for this summer. I will of course be coaching cheerleading all summer and finishing the yearbook with the staff until the middle of June. But I also have a mile-long summer reading list (reading for pleasure could be my favorite part of the summer) and an equally long list of things I want to do with the apartment. And yes, Justin, I promise I will finally get the guest room to a state where a guest could actually stay in it.
But right now I must get ready to go to graduation where I get to see the fruits of my labor walk across the stage and get handed the ticket to the rest of their lives. And then, I sleep.
Friday, May 1, 2009
John 14:2
2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Feeling At Home
Our first full day with Maggie was, well, typical. Since I've known this cat for almost eleven years, there is not much she can do that would surprise me. For example, I remembered this morning that Maggie has no concept of the weekend as she came into our room at 5:30 a.m. meowing as loud as she could as if to say, "OK, I get it that I live here now, but don't forget that I eat breakfast on a strict schedule." Still wanting Justin to fall in love with her, I jumped out of bed as fast as I could to get her out of our room before she woke him up. Thank goodness she got a full belly and went right back to sleep. She has found a couple of spots under our bed where she likes to snooze. I think she likes it under there because it is dark, cool, and strangely quiet. I have thought ever since we moved in here that our bedroom must be in a whole other building because you can walk from the main area of the apartment into the bedroom and feel like you just entered a tranquil paradise because it seems so quiet. Anyway, Maggie also got a sense of her surroundings this morning. We opened our patio door and bedroom windows to let some air in, and normally she loves to lay in front of any screen where outside air is coming in, but she kept hearing people in neighboring apartments and would growl as low and long as she could and run underneath the bed. Ten minutes later she would come out and try looking out the window again, only to be spooked and return to her haven. I'm sure this new place will just take some getting used to for her. Other than those adventures, she has spent the day sleeping, exploring the apartment, enjoying some baked chicken that we had for dinner, and now she is snoring away in front of me on the computer desk. Enjoy the photos of her getting used to her new home:
Do you think this is her way of saying that she'll help out with the laundry next Sunday?
Helping me blog.
Showing off her belly. She only does this when she is really comfortable so hopefully that means that she really likes it here!
Do you think this is her way of saying that she'll help out with the laundry next Sunday?
Helping me blog.
Showing off her belly. She only does this when she is really comfortable so hopefully that means that she really likes it here! Saturday, April 25, 2009
A New Roommate
Today, I snatched my wonderful (yet capricious) cat from my sister's condo, packed up her food bowls and litterbox, and moved her twenty minutes away to her new home--our apartment! After a few weeks of convincing Justin that I need (not just want) Maggie to come live with us, he finally caved. While I don't feel he is 100% on board with the idea--he actually asked me how much longer I thought it was going to live--she is here to stay. Besides, after the move, I don't think she will ever get back into her cat carrier.
I arrived at Jessica's to a happy kitty. Maggie was lounging around the house, smelling the breeze coming in the deck door, sprawling out on top of a desk, and meowing at my heels for a good head-scratch. Twenty minutes into the visit, I was forcing her head into a cage while she was contracting every claw and digging them into my arms. She isn't one to just go into a small cell that she knows will carry her to some God-awful place. After several failed attempts and a loss of blood on Jessica's part, we dropped her head-first into the cat carrier, loaded her into the backseat of my car and began the journey.
From the horrendous sounds coming from her mouth, you would have thought I was taking her to some pet cemetery to bury her alive. I'm sure her low, screeching meows were part fear, part nerves, and part pain from that not-so-conventional entrance into the cat carrier. I glanced into the backseat at one point and swear I saw foam coming from her mouth which made me think she was having some kind of feline heart attack or stroke and that the trip was actually killing her. I then realized she was uncharacteristically drooling like crazy and panting like a dog. Once at my apartment, Jess and I took her inside, opened the carrier, wiped the drool from her chin, and let her out to explore her new home. I then realized that she had done something that she has never done in her almost eleven years of life...she pooped in the carrier. Maggie is the cleanest cat you will ever come across in your life, but I guess I literally scared the, well, crap out of her.
I fully expected her to find our bed, crawl underneath it, and stay there for a few days. Well, she did just that, but only stayed there for a few minutes:
She came out and continued to pant and sweat for a good half an hour before finally realizing that the torture was over and this was, in fact, her new home. Now, about five hours into the move, she's doing well. She ate her dinner, used the litterbox (thank goodness), and has made herself right at home.
I think she has now gone off to find a good spot to sleep away the awful day she had. And I think Justin will learn to love her. He will at least love that I have something new to point my camera at, and I will love the fact that I have someone to talk to (other than myself) while Justin is at work. Welcome home, Maggie!
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