Memorial Day Weekend

Hello all!

It's been a little while since I've posted and that's because I haven't been doing a whole lot of "fun," postable-type activities. This past week was the four-week mark of my second eight-week term in grad school, and because I'm taking two courses that meant I had to write two self-assessments. And I wanted to finish all my homework before I left for the long weekend. It's also been a bit busy at school between end of the year planning, concerts, and other hullabaloo.

Anyway, we got invited by a few long lost friends to head to the ocean for the long weekend. Nothing fancy but I jumped at the chance to do something and get out of the house. So we headed off to Ocean Shores which is only about 2 hours away and never seems to have any traffic. It wasn't the best of weather (no surprise) but we had tons of fun playing games, wandering the town (can we say chainsaw carving contest?), eating at local restaurants, and flying kites.

John and our friend, Marie, are happy to be at Ocean Shores!

Left to right: Marie, Anthony, Me

Marie with her Unicorn kite, me with my zany Octopus.

John in the car working, Marie trying to include him.

But alas, it's back to usual here. John worked on the fence (no it's still not done) while I cleaned up the house. Luckily we only have 3 weeks left of school and then I can get back to (crafting) business. We'll see what I have planned for the summer....

By the way, happy Memorial Day everyone!

A sunday at home

So...i am posting this from my new phone just to test out how user friendly it is.
I decided to get an htc thunderbolt rather than an iphone which john now has. I have an Itouch so I'm familiar with the setup. In doing research it seems like an android phone might be a better and different option for me and so far I love it. To me it's super user friendly and easy to navigate. There's also a lot more room for personalization. From what I can tell there are just as many apps except for my work email, which I can access on the internet. The screen is enormous too and almost makes me think I don't need a nook for the time being.
I downloaded swype, which is the app that allows you to type by sliding your fingerto create each word rather than typing each individual letter. I'm still getting used to it but it's pretty quick. you can also use the voice option which types what you say. I just said that sentence out loud and it was totally accurate.

Anyway I'm having lots of fun with it since I love technology. We may decide that only one of us needs internet on our phone (which will be me) but the extra expense is okay right now while we get johns work allowance, don't have kids, and don't have cable.

Anyway carlton has a blind date tonight with a handsome bulldog so I gotta keep working on my homework until then.peace out!

Why do I hate it so much...

...when the commercials on TV tell me to get off the couch and find a job/go to school/get a lawyer?
1. I hate that they know I'm on the couch.
2. They don't understand that I went to school/have a job/don't need a lawyer and have a perfectly acceptable reason of eating popcorn in my sweatpants at a 180-degree angle at 5:30.
Anyway, it bugs me. I want to tell that stupid actor in his fake chef hat to zip it and stop judging.

But I digress. This has been a fabulous week so far. I had quite the fever on Sun/Mon/Tues, but I found a cowbell and fixed myself right up.... anybody?



We really only have like 14 days of actual uninterrupted teaching, and 22 days of school left. So that's nothing. The students are doing alright, but have definitely been more challenging to manage than they have been the rest of the year. It's not anything surprising so I can't complain.

As far as life without facebook, it's going well. I struggled on my sick day on Monday not to re-login but managed to resist. It's not that I have found other things that are more productive yet, but I think it's a step in the right direction. There are some old coworkers and friends that I sort of regret not telling ahead of time, but I try to remember that if we are true friends we'll connect. I feel better not waiting to get home and compare my day to everyone else's. So that's improvement.

In other news, next week is the halfway point of this term at school, which means I will be writing 2 self-assessments... I'm trying not to think about it. Self-assessments shouldn't be that hard, and I hope I can get ahead this weekend.

We are going with a few friends to Ocean Shores for Memorial Day so I need to get the papers done. It'll be nice to both see friends and get away together. I think we need that. I've been hard on John lately and that's the last thing he needs (poor thing ripped his pants and shattered his iphone yesterday...). Ohhhh the joys of being newlywed. :) Happy Wednesday all.

Your weekly fix of cute

Yes, I have become the obsessed cat owner. But mine is so much cuter than anyone else's! Just kidding. I just adore him and I couldn't be happier with our decision to get not only a pet but a cat. Carlton is perfect (puurrrfect?) for our schedule and he's like a dog in that he loves being around us! I tell John everyday how nice it is to have a buddy around the house. John doesn't disagree.
Today I was folding clothes downstairs and Carlton wasn't having it. He didn't want my hands on the clothes - he wanted them on him! He kept walking all over the clothes and jumping at me. Very cute.

Isn't he so good at posing?

Also, here are some equally adorable pictures of my sister's new puppy, Otis.

Notice that he's usually not awake.

Happy Friday all!

If you want to be happy, be. - Leo Tolstoy

Well, I haven't really updated on how I've been/what I've been up to lately, and this blog is also for me to record this time of my life. So, here's a brief update on what's happening over here in Fife.

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."

Professionally, this week has been challenging. Our assistant principal died in a motorcycle accident last Saturday. I feel like I can say this because it's become very public in our community, and I only have good things to say about him. This was really my first time dealing with a sudden death - all others I had experienced were not a surprise, but rather something we knew was coming. So, it's a different process I am going through. This has really made me re-think how I conduct my everyday life and if I'm being the person I want to be. I also felt that it was my duty to be the "listener" this week and be a positive presence for my grieving peers. I have gained a lot from this experience despite there being a huge loss.

Not only from this experience but just as I get older, I am also reflecting a lot on my outlook on life. I have realized that I am a happy, silly person, and any sort of negativity really brings me down internally. Competitive conversations, complaining, and other negative attention-seeking behaviors just wear me out. I am making it my goal to make sure I am more positive and keep the light-hearted side of my personality in the forefront. I don't want to be the sickeningly sweet person that's way too cheery. Don't get me wrong, I have definitely complained about the weird headache I've had all week or the laziness some of my students are exhibiting, but I don't want pity for those things and I don't want them to rule my life.

From the Be More with Less blog that I read, I have taken this excerpt from the most recent post called, "It's time to start living your life." Yes, it's a bit of a dramatic call-to-action title, but I took away some great reminders:

Stay in the moment

• Breathe. When all else fails, turn your attention to the simple movement of your breath.
• Write. When your mind starts to wander, take a few minutes and jot your thoughts down about the place you are not.
• Mix it up. Is there something small you can change to make the place you are more appealing? Add music or a change in schedule.
• Engage. Why do you have time to think and live somewhere else? Dig in and engage in what you are doing.
• Give thanks. Maybe your current situation is not ideal, but it could be worse. If you find yourself complaining, turn to gratitude.
• Get out. Maybe it’s not a permanent change, but perhaps a walk will help clear your head.
• Really change. If you are often thinking about somewhere else, or unhappy on a daily basis, put change in motion…right now.

 I'm thinking of getting rid of my facebook as part of this. I like that I can keep in touch with people, but I don't like this it's another means of getting attention and reaction. I don't like feeling pressured to be that way and/or feeling less than anyone else because of what I see. We'll see.

In other news, I am beginning the second week of my second term of my Masters program. I'm taking two courses this time around, and so far I've been able to stay ahead (I only have a few more things to do in week 2!). If I am able to keep up this pace I can finish the program by the end of February 2012. Here's hoping!
We only have 6 weeks left of school and boy do I need to stay focused!

The man in my life

 He likes to lay in my arms and have his belly rubbed.

 He likes to sleep next to me.

 He likes to do yoga.

 He likes to stretch out.

 He likes to hang out with me and talk about our feelings.

 He likes to hog the couch.

He doesn't really like to play.


He's my perfect little snuggle buddy. Right now he's curled up in my arms. I'm sure none of these pictures are by any means rare kitty poses, but we are completely enjoying being first time cat owners. John and Carlton have a special relationship and like to rough house, but until he gets home from work Carlton is mine.

He's getting more and more comfortable by the day and we're enjoying seeing more of his personality come out. Our friends did a great job of raising him!

Hooray for Bloggers + Etsy!

I started reading Jenna Sue's blog that I saw through The Nest and noticed the awesome prints she had in her home. This post in particular is where I fell in love.

1) The spine labels for her office binders are beautiful. I admit that I tried to recreate them and totally and utterly failed. I am not that good at Photoshop.

2) The prints around her home are adorable and I immediately wanted all of them.

So, I asked her where she found such wonderful artwork. Turns out she made it all and was currently working on opening an Etsy shop. Well, at long last she opened one up. I couldn't decide which one I wanted, though, so I waited. Then she had a coupon for her birthday so I jumped on the chance (not that her normal prices are unreasonable). Anyway, I received my print today and am super stoked to find the perfect spot for it. I tried taking a picture but I will just show you the picture she emailed me before sending the print.

Don't worry, I added the "not for you" part so that you can't steal what I paid good money for. Besides that, isn't it SO COOL?!?! So simple, so personal, so chic. Love it. If I can find a place to create my gallery wall, this will probably go in that. Or on my fireplace.

Not only that, but she was super flexible and very quick to respond/send out my print. I wasn't sure if she could do my town since it's so small, but it turned out perfectly. She didn't tell me to say all this, I'm just really happy with this purchase, and I plan on being a regular at her etsy shop.

Check it out Jenna Sue Design Co. here.

Oh, and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!