Ten on Tuesday!

First off, I need some help. I am working on a PSA for my Ed Tech class and I am doing it on Adopting a shelter dog or cat. Things are going splendidly but I am having an awful time finding that perfect song to put it to. The entire video will be to a song, not a script. I don't want to make people cry, like the Sarah McLaughlin PSA. I want something appropriate and just the right blend of sad but happy. Make sense? No? I know. If you have suggestions I will love you forever!

Without further ado here's another great set of questions for Ten on Tuesday!

1. How many blogs do you read every day and what are they? (I’m talking the ones you NEVER miss)
I read a lot everyday... At least I think it's a lot. There's at least 100 blogs I subscribe to in my reader but here are a few that I read as soon as I see a new one pop up...

This Kind of Love
Iowa Girl Eats
Knitting Yarns
Girl with the Red Hair
It's like I'm Mmmmmagic!
Pretty Random Thoughts
From L.A. to LA
Crazy Shenanigans
Just another day in [our midwest] Paradise
Insert my blog name here
Your wishcake

Whew! Linking all those was some work... so go show those fabulous ladies some lovin'! :)

2. How many “best friends” do you have? Do you have different “besties” for different areas of your life?
Sort of... I have my four best friends that I met my freshman year of college. We've all been friends now for 10 years or more and consider ourselves a pretty tight group. Growing up I had one best friend that lives far away now, but we still call each other our BFF's. We don't talk near as much as we used to and our lives are so incredibly different, but we still love each other of course!

3. What’s your daily make up routine?
concealer, primer, foundation, blush, a little more concealer on trouble areas, eyeliner, eyelash curler, mascara, lipgloss/lipstick. Total : 10 minutes or less.

4. What is your ideal girl’s night?
Sushi dinner with martinis or wine then a night out to a chill bar for lots of girl talk!

5. Do you keep up with your nails/toenails or are they au natural?
I keep up with my nails, but they're not always painted. I just make sure they're buffed and filed and I'm usually good to go. My toes I am terrible at. I hate painting my toes.

6. What’s your best roommate story (assuming you had a roommate at some point in your life)?
My freshman year I moved into the dorms with a girl from high school whom I was close with because of cheerleading and soccer. She decided she hated dorm life and moved out over Christmas break - without telling me. When my parents when to drop me off she had taken everything home, including the carpet! The small fridge we had was gone and all my food that was in there (including milk, oops) was rotting on the floor. It was gross. I heard through the grapevine later that she moved out because she hated living in the dorms and I had partied too much with new friends, sparking a rumor that I had dropped out. Funny thing is... uhh, I graduated in four years. Did she? I'll let you take a guess at that... I haven't spoken with her since, but we are Facebook friends (of course, lol).

7. What’s your “go to” outfit that you wear more than anything else?
Jeans, a sweater and boots. Simple and comfy.

8. Do you have a beauty secret?
Washing my face each. and. every. night. I swear by it. In fact, I stupidly passed out Friday and Saturday night without doing so and... dun, dun, duuuuuun! I'm sporting two hideous zits.

9. Did you read Seventeen magazine growing up?
Of course!

10. How did you learn to put on makeup?
My mom. Makeup was not forbidden... in fact, it was encouraged. I can remember being in middle school and my mom telling me I needed some blush and mascara. LOL!

The highlights

Whew! I had kind of a crazy weekend! In my group of five girlfriends, the first of us turned 30 on Saturday. Of course we had to make a big deal out of it and party it up all weekend. Friday night we started with our usual happy hour after work and then ended up out the entire night and closed down the bars. We haven't done that in aaaaages! We had to help my friend exit her 20s with a bang though!

Check out these good ol' fashioned party pics. We partied and danced like college students again instead of 30 year olds :)
Ugh, I know everyone says I should love this, but I hate that my friends look their age and I look nowhere near it. People guess me at 23 or 24 all the time. Oh, well. What can you do?

Saturday I slept in (til almost 10!) and then spent the day cleaning and running a few errands before church. After the Easter service (which was fantastic) we headed to the birthday girl's house for a little shin dig with almost all of our closest friends and some of her co-workers. We had a good time, but I'm just not a fan of big groups of people. I almost always get quiet and hardly talk and when I do speak up, I feel like I'm not loud enough and am easy to interrupt. Then if I raise my voice I feel like I am yelling and being rude. I don't really know where this is coming from, but last night I felt extremely uncomfortable, which is just odd because I was surrounded by friends.

Regardless, I just think I am more comfortable in a small group. I hate having to fight to get a word in or shout to be heard.

This week has been kinda rough. I feel like I am meticulously counting calories and making sure not to go over on what I am allowed and I am getting nowhere. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong and it is so frustrating. My full time job before I quit, kept me on my feet all day running around and I know I burned quite a few calories without realizing it. Even though I am going to the gym almost daily now, I don't think I burn near as many calories as I did before when I was working full time.

Since what I am doing is not working, I am going to try something else. I'm going to reduce the number of calories (which, if you add up the tiny things that I hadn't counted before like creamers and stuff like that, it will probably be the original number of calories planned) and I am going to give up my guiltiest pleasure.... Cheese. I'm actually quite inspired by Lisa, she gave up dairy awhile back and is doing fantastic. I also keep thinking of a comment my sister made a long time ago about how cheese makes me fail at any diet. I'm not going to completely give it up cold turkey, I will probably still have some once or twice this week, but I am going to try not to eat any cheese on my sandwiches or salads. Both things can be spiced up with things other than cheese that are much healthier and not as dense with calories. We'll see what happens! Fingers crossed.

Hopefully I see a difference because, uuuuugh, I am frustrated!

On a much more lighter note ... We will be spending three days in the oldest national park in the US in less than a month!!!!!

What is your weakness when it comes to dieting? How do you avoid it? Are you the type that's the life of the party or more of a wallflower?

My first lesson

Two weeks ago in my 2nd grade practicum I started a unit with my kids on Turtles. Very broad, I know. But, I wanted to really engage the kids and my sister actually has a pet turtle so I decided to bring him in and do a unit on endangered species, sea turtles! (yes, I realize my sister's turtle isn't a sea turtle, but I still thought it was cool!)

After checking out every book I could find on sea turtles at the library I got to work. I have not taken any of my methods courses yet, so I honestly had no idea how to go about a science lesson without a read-a-loud so I started my lesson with two books. First, I began the lesson with the kids on the carpet and announced that I had a BIG surprise for them when we were done with the lesson. Of course that get them all excited and many started making guesses as to what it was! Some thought we were going to the zoo. I wish!

Then we started talking about what animals were endangered and what animals were extinct, defining the difference between the two terms. Then we started talking about sea turtles and turtles in general, trying to stir whatever knowledge they may already have of these reptiles.

Then we got started on the books. It went well, but I definitely started to lose control more than a couple times. I can't ignore a raised hand. I'm going to have to get used to that and try to ignore it, because everyone seems to "have a comment." Seriously, do all kids raise their hands when the teacher asks a question and then when called on goes, "I don't know the answer, but I have a comment" ??

Ugh! It was cute, but it still warrants an ugh!

After our read-a-loud was over we headed back to our seats and I reminded them that I have their surprise! The kids asked again if we were going to the zoo so I said, no, the zoo came here! All together they were like, what?!

I brought out my sister's turtle, Oso (which is bear in Spanish) and the kids all gasped! It was so cute. I reminded them they had to stay in their seats and quiet, otherwise Oso wouldn't do his "tricks" (put his head out!). The room was so quiet, I swear the kids were holding their breath!

I walked Oso around and let the kids "pet" his shell. Some declined, but most were so excited to touch the turtle! Oso did so great, and although I am sure he was terrified, he put his head and legs out of his shell quite a bit.
Here's Oso swimming happily in his tank! He probably freaks every time he sees me coming, in fear of me taking him on another "field trip"!

After that the first day of the lesson ended and I told the kids next week we are going to "help" the sea turtles by writing a letter to lawmakers in Florida. I didn't elaborate very much because I didn't think they would remember very much a week later.

I was wrong!

They remembered - well, a few remembered - and they were excited to write their letters! So, on the second day we did a review of the dangers to sea turtles, what we can do to help and had a little think-pair-share time discussion. Then, I read them my letter, left it on the Elmo and let them write their own. Everyone did SO good! Only one student sat there really confused and just couldn't synthesize the information enough to write a letter and only one student copied my letter word for word. Everyone else was very engaged and had their own unique opinions on why we should advocate for sea turtle rights! ;)

Here are a few of the letters that the students wrote... I hope you can read them!


That last little girl wrote THREE pages! She came up to me and goes, "Miss. XXXX, can I have more paper? I just have SO MUCH TO SAY!" Hahahaha! Love it!

I have written several lesson plans but this is the first lesson that I wrote and actually executed! I think it went very well, and I'm extremely pleased! This upcoming Monday is my last day in that room and I think I'm going to make cookies and decorate them like turtles! Hopefully I find time to do this on Sunday, and hopefully they turn out because I have zero experience decorating cookies.... How hard can it be?! ;)

If you had to choose an endangered species to teach 2nd graders about what would you choose?

Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck

I just found a penny, heads up, on my way home. Of course I had to pick it up. Think I'll have good luck for the rest of the day? I hope so!

Today was my first day subbing in a high school.

I thought my horoscope for today was very fitting - it went something along the lines of, "you'll be swimming with sharks today, but as long as you're nice you'll be safe." Something like that. So, I smiled a lot today. ;)

It went fine. It was actually hardly any different from middle school. The only thing that was glaringly obvious was all the cuss words I heard. In middle school I would immediately tell them not to use that language, but for some reason in high school I feel like they're too old to be scolded for that. Pick your battles, right?

Today I am participating in What I'm loving Wednesday hosted by the lovely Jamie!



I am loving these awesome camis that I found at Kohl's. They are by Daisy Fuentes and has a very Spanx-esque band around the middle that is supposed to give a more slimming look. They were a little pricey originally for a cami at $24.99 but they were on sale for $15.99 and I had a $10 off coupon so I thought I'd give them a try. I love them! They do exactly what I look for in a cami! I hate my middle area.

I am also loving my sister's Chi. Yes, her Chi. A hair straightener. I know I'm late to join this party, but I just couldn't justify spending so much money on a hair tool. I have had the same Hot Tools straightener for over four years now and it has been great, but it's beginning to die. I haven't had time to shop for a new one, so I "borrowed" my sister's Chi. It's been in my bathroom for four days now and I think I'm in love.

I am loving mango Chobani these days. It's sooooo good. If you haven't hopped on the Chobani train yet, you totally should. It's awesome.



This amazing coffee from Wolfgang Puck. It's. so. yummy. Most coffee I have to doctor up with lots of fake sugar and milk but for this kind I just needed three packets of Splenda and I was good. So glad I bought this. This is the description from the box:
A divine coffee infused with a lush blend of hazelnut and rich coconut flavors.
Hazelnut was a quick sell for me, but the coconut clinched the deal. :)
What are YOU loving today?

**edit**
I am giggling to myself because I was just re-reading this (after posting!) and noticed I pictured PINEAPPLE Chobani, but am talking about mango. Pineapple is my 2nd fave. Where is my brain today? I need a nap.... Zzzzzzz.....

ToT among other things

I lost a follower yesterday. Usually I don't notice stuff like that, but I did this time. Perhaps my post from Sunday was too religious for him or her? (which, it was hardly religious at all).

Regardless, I am not interested in making anyone feel uncomfortable and I sincerely hope I didn't.

Moving on.

I'm watching William and Kate on Lifetime right now, and is it just me, or does everyone fall a little bit more in love with Kate Middleton with every bit more we learn about her? I sure do! She carries herself so well, she is so classy and she still appears to have her own opinions and thoughts. I'm not exactly sure which parts of the movie are fact and fiction, but the fact that she carries herself so well is hard to miss. I love her style! She's sophisticated, polished and just enough trendy.

The second part of my first lesson at my practicum was today. Last week I brought the turtle and we did a read aloud over two turtle books. Today we talked more about sea turtles, made a graphic organizer and wrote letters to lawmakers in Florida about protecting sea turtles. You guys MUST see these letters! They are so stinking adorable! Later this week I am planning a full recap of this lesson, so be on the lookout for that!

As you are all aware it is Tuesday (if you're not aware, well... now you are) and that means Ten on Tuesday! Thank you Chelsea for hosting and thank you Erin for a great set of questions!

1. When someone asks you for a book recommendation, what is your go-to book?
Definitely American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and more recently The Help by Katherine Stockett.
If someone hasn't read the Harry Potter series I also recommend those, as well as the Hunger Games series. (sorry, couldn't pick just one!)

2. Do you buy your books, or are you a library patron?
Both. I have well over 20 books checked out from multiple libraries right now. The majority of the books are for research I am doing, but a handful are YA books that I have picked up recently. I like reading YA when I'm really busy. I also buy quite a few books. More than I should, but my goal is to someday have an office that will double as my "library." :)

3. E-readers, yay or nay?
Yay for the convenience factor, but nay for many other reasons, such as e-books being more expensive (for Nook), and it not being able to easily flip to the end of the chapter to see how far you have to go. I pretty much just use my e-reader at the gym. I haven't traveled at all since getting my Nook, so that might make a difference in my thoughts as well. In less than a month I will be spending 28 hours in the car, so ask me then.

4. What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the Shel Silverstein books of poetry. I remember giggling and giggling over some of those weird poems when I was a kid!

5. If you could be any character in a book, who would you be?
Oh boy... this is TOUGH. So many characters are going through my head right now... If I HAD to choose, I would choose Alice Lindgren from American Wife (surprise, surprise) because I just fell in love with her character. I loved everything about her! She's thoughtful, purposeful and classy. I clearly admire people with tact! ;)

6. What book would you love to see turned into a movie?
I can't wait to see how they do the Hunger Games! I just can't see it... so this will be interesting for me.

7. What is your all-time favorite book?
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Surprised?

8. How many books do you read at once?
I'm almost always reading two books. One for the gym and one for... everywhere else. ;)

9. What is your favorite book genre?
I wouldn't say chick lit, but I wouldn't say YA either - but, I do read a lot of both of those genres. I would call my favorite genre modern literature.

10. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Or haven’t you read them at all?
I literally just sighed. How can you ask me that?! I look them all almost as one. I loved this series (along with the rest of the world) and cried like a baby when I read the last page. Seriously, it was the ugly cry too! Maybe it was because I knew that it was over and she would never write another book. Maybe it was because the ending was absolute perfection, I don't know. But, I bawled.
If I just had to choose I would say the last book. The 7th was perfect. The she tied everything up was brilliant and I absolutely adored the ending.

Back to center

I have been feeling so incredibly blessed lately. I know that I am and that I am very fortunate to have the opportunities that I do, but lately my cup has absolutely run over and I am so grateful. I wish that everyday is like this and I need to think back on these days when they're not.

This may sound weird, but I am grateful for a Mon-Fri work schedule that allows me to use my weekends however I please. It makes such a difference in my level of happiness to be able to pick and choose whatever I want to do instead of letting my work schedule dictate what I can and cannot do. If you work weekends or have worked weekends you know exactly what I am talking about.

Friday night we had our usual happy hour at our usual place, everything was perfect (besides my somewhat cranky mood, which subsided the next morning) and then afterward I did a little essential shopping at Target. Saturday a couple of my friends accompanied me to a local elementary school play of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was adorable and I truly admire all of the teachers and volunteers that worked so hard on that production the past 4 months. Saturday afternoon and evening I stayed in and did a TON of studying and got quite a bit done which has really lightened my load for today, so I was grateful I chose to do that verses going out.

Today I got up around 9, enjoyed coffee and the newspaper and then got ready for church. Today's sermon got through to me on so many different levels, I teared up more than a couple times. But, one way it really resonated with me was when the pastor, whom is a huge favorite around these parts, mentioned that he is severely afraid of speaking in front of people.

This shocked me.

The church I belong to is huge. Massive. Could be called a mega church. Usually I don't like those types of churches, but this one is different. It doesn't feel cold and informal. It's warm and welcoming and the pastor makes all the difference. All the difference.

When he said he was afraid to speak in front of people I couldn't believe it. He speaks in front of almost 2,000 people during four different sermons or more each week! What? I had no idea, nor could I tell. His sermons are personable and he seems to be at such ease up there, in his element! Then, he said he's not alone He has never been alone. It's not the people he's preaching to that are with him either, it's the person standing beside him.

That really got me thinking. You see, a friend of mine the other day said she just couldn't see me teaching in front of a group of kids. That all my stories sound like me, and she's knows it is me, but that she just couldn't see it. I asked her why, because... well, I was a little shocked. And, maybe a little hurt. She said that I am always so reserved, so it's just hard to see.

This was on Friday, so I have been thinking - not stewing about - just thinking, about that comment and trying to figure out why she can't see me in front of a group of kids. They're just kids! If it was a group of adults, I probably wouldn't be so cool and calm, but kids don't phase me one bit.

Then I remembered every time I got up in front of a group, I didn't feel alone. Every once in awhile when I am especially nervous to sub in a new school I will say a little prayer, which is... everyday. I have never subbed in a room more than two days in a row. Everyday when I am standing speaking to a group of 6th, 7th or 8th graders I am not up there by myself. I have help. Sometimes a lot of help.

How cool is that?

I'm not here to preach, I'm just saying I feel blessed. I feel grateful. I don't know what else I could ask for and I am so thankful for days like today that bring me back to center and make me realize everything that I have that I should be counting my lucky stars for.

What brings you back to center when everything doesn't seem to go your way?

Stanger danger!

Oh, hi! You guys still here?

Clearly, I am still saying "you guys" :/

This was another sorta crazy week... Let's do this quick and dirty. Heart bullet style.

♥ Wednesday was my dad and my little sister's birthday, yep they have the same birthday. My dad got a nice, little bundle of joy on his birthday 25 years ago! We all went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, which is my dad's favorite place. It's sort of a tradition to go to dinner for birthdays, my sister and I and our parents. I really look forward to those dinner because there are lots of laughs!!

♥ My sis got a great birthday present... A present that I am benefiting from quite a bit. She has been talking about wanting a Wii for quite awhile now so we could play old school Nintendo games and transport ourselves back to 1989. I was completely blown away when her boyfriend and best friend contacted me to tell me that they are getting her a Wii and to not tell anyone because it's a surprise. Of course I told my mom and we went in on a Wii Fit for her. So now we are my sister is the proud new owner of a Wii and a Wii Fit! We played a couple Super Mario Bros games on Wednesday night, but since then I have been very good and resisted the temptation of plopping myself in front of the t.v. and letting that glazed look spread over my face. (I have way too much stuff to do).

♥ Speaking of stuff to do... My goodness, the next 30 days are hectic. I have a huge research paper to do and a visual to organize to go with it. I'm excited about the subject - how the arts can have positive effects on special needs children, but I want something more interesting for the visual than a PowerPoint. Slides are boring, I want something more like a brochure/pamphlet to hand out, like at the doctor's office? I could set it up like a new drug - but this drug is the arts! No pills required! (Am I a nerd? Ok, don't answer that). Anyone know of a free site or program that I can do that on. Is it on Word?

♥ Thursday night I spent two hours driving a friend of mine around because her car broke down. It really got me thinking... Would they do this for me? I know this friend of mine would, but I got to thinking about other people. I know, this is negative, but it just happened! I know it's not worth wondering... but maybe it is? I'm more concerned about if I was in a jam and really needed help would my friends rearrange their schedule, like I did, to help me? I can only think of a couple...

♥ Wednesday and Thursday I subbed in a 6th grade reading intervention room. I was super nervous accepting the job at first because it was called an "academic resource lab." It makes perfect sense now why it's called that, but at first I didn't know what it was! What if it was ISS? (in school suspension). What if it was BD kids? What if, what if, what if? I accepted because it was a Wednesday job and I it's so hard to get Wednesday jobs because DMPS gets out early every Wednesday and Waukee gets out early every other Wednesday. Well, long story short, I loved it. If that is (sort of) what special ed is going to look like, which so far what I have seen that it is, I am going to love it.

♥ I co-taught with another teacher and she was fantastic! She gave me feedback and complimented my teaching style. She said she had never seen someone so intent on making sure everyone was taken care of and I distributed my time between all the kids to make sure everyone was okay and taken care of. It was so nice! She said she would absolutely write me any letters I may need - and this was after knowing me TWO DAYS! It made my heart soar and that rewarding feel come over me. I have had more rewarding feelings in five weeks of subbing than in two years of managing a top volume retail store. That is huge.

♥ Ok, one more subbing story. Yesterday while I was subbing at Waukee South (which, omg, is a brand new middle school and it is beyond gorgeous. Seriously, these kids have no idea how good they have it) I got a call from the principal at the school I was at the two days before (the reading intervention group). I kind of freaked and was so nervous I did something wrong. Did I sign out? Did I leave something there? Did I say something wrong to one of the students? But, nope, none of those things were it. She had heard about me and wanted me to come back for a long term assignment! Whhheeeeeee! My heart was pounding so hard, I was so excited! Unfortunately, my class schedule didn't work with their schedule and ultimately it wouldn't have been beneficial to the kids so it wouldn't work. But, we had a nice chat and she said that the district needed to get me in there. That felt amazing! DMPS is the biggest district around here (and probably in the state?) and also where I went to school. I am so flattered and happy to be noticed!

♥ I have a coffee date with a guy next week. We've been emailing quite a bit and he seems pretty great! Hopefully we have the same chemistry in person that we do over email - it's so hard to tell sometimes.

♥ A woman in West Des Moines was shot last week and the entire city is still pretty shook up about it. She was 27 years old and a realtor for Iowa Realty. She was working in a model home here in WDSM and someone came in and shot her twice. Nobody knows why, there are no leads. I know this stuff happens in bigger cities all the time, but it doesn't in WDSM. I'm already skeptical of just about everyone I meet, but this makes me even more skeptical. You could say "stranger danger" really stuck with me as a kid.

♥ My Saturday morning scene is picture perfect right now... I am still in bed, glasses on, coffee cup full, laptop in my lap, newspaper sitting next to me and a pile of books (mostly textbooks) with Libby curled in a ball sleeping. Ahhhhhh, blissdom.

Well, that wasn't really quick and dirty, but oh well! I had to get you all caught up! ;)

What does your typical Saturday morning look like?

Kids say the darndest things...

I have been substitute teaching and working on my practicum hours for the past couple months and I think it's safe to say I have... stories. Lots of them.

My practicum is in second grade and my substitute teaching license permits me to sub in middle and high school. Both age groups give me looooooots of stories and things to talk about with my friends and family. There is never a day that goes by that I don't want to burst out laughing at something one of the kids have said!

For example, a couple weeks ago we had some drama in the second grade. Drama, I tell you! For the sake of privacy, let's nickname these little sweethearts... we have little girl E and little boy S.

S decided he liked E and kissed her on the playground. E did not like that and she retaliated. During their second recess in the afternoon E drew a picture of S. This picture was... not so nice, and it was quite... naughty.

She drew a stick figure with a boy's private part. You can guess which private part that was.

When S saw it, you can guess he was pretty upset. Both of them came inside crying and very unhappy. The teacher pulled them both out into the hall to sort it out and made them apologize to each other. Here is how that conversation went...

Teacher: S, please apologize to E.

S: I am sorry.

Teacher: What are you sorry for?

S: I am sorry I kissed you.

Teacher: E, please apologize to S.

E: I am sorry.

Teacher: What are you sorry for?

E: I'm sorry I drew you with a weener.

Oh man, soooooo funny! I have been telling that story for weeks now! Stuff like this makes me love the second grade! They are so cute, so funny and, for the most, so eager to learn. I'm thinking I might need to turn this into a weekly feature because I have tons of stories I want to tell!!

Ten on Tuesday!

Good morning, everyone! It's Tuesday again which means it's Ten on Tuesday time again. Thank you Chelsea for hosting such a great weekly meme (and giving me something to blog about...) ;)

1. If you work, do you drive to work or take public transportation?
I drive. I admire people that take public transportation, but in Des Moines I think it would be a little hard. If I lived in a big city I would definitely consider it or give it a try.

2. How often do you get your haircut? Do you go to the same person every time?
I'm horrible at getting regular trims! I just got one on Saturday, but I probably only go two or three times a year. I was just complaining about this to my stylist, she needs to get on me! She just laughs though...

3. Do you read the newspaper? If so, a hardcopy or the online version?
Yes, I read the hardcopy because the comments online make me so mad sometimes.

4. What is the best book you have read this year?
Definitely The Help. GREAT BOOK! I can't wait for the movie.

5. What is the best movie you have seen this year?
I really loved No Strings Attached. I walked out of that movie thinking, "I'm definitely buying that one on dvd."

6. Do you tend to crave sweet or salty foods?
Usually salty. I love me some salt...

7. Do you eat breakfast every day? If so, what do you have?
Usually! I always have coffee and I tend to eat a piece of fruit for breakfast, usually a banana.

8. If you celebrate Easter, what Easter treat/candy are you most looking forward to?
I know most people hate them, but I love cadbury eggs... I think they're delicious! ;) I have resisted so far this year and not eaten one... I will cave at some point though.

9. How late is “sleeping in” to you?
9 or 10 is sleeping in, although I cannot remember the last time I did that or if I could even do it anymore...

10. Where are you going on your next vacation?
We are going to Niagra Falls in a month! I cannot wait, road trips are the best!!

Lately, I have been taking notice of how many times I say "you guys." Considering I am in front of a class almost five days a week and they have short attention spans I say it a lot... I annoy myself every time I say it, too.

I don't know what else to say!

I don't say "y'all" so, what else is there? Do you say "you guys"? I'm just curious... I'm thinking I am going to have to try to completely quit saying it and clap my hands instead for attention, or something along those lines.

Anyway, let me know what you say. I'm really curious now.

Getting to know you...

Hey everyone!

It's been awhile, I apologize. Last week got the best of me. Enough said.

Today I am participating in Keely's Getting To Know You Sunday. :)

1. do you watch/read the news?
Both! I get the newspaper everyday on my doorstep and do my best to take 10 minutes every morning to read it. My favorite section growing up, and still is, Your 2 cents worth. I love reading what other people have to say and who they say it's from.

2. how would you describe your "look"?
I would say my look is pretty classic, I try to choose clothes that are timeless and will last a long time. For hair, my hair is almost always long and more on the blonde side and my makeup is getting more and more minimal as I am getting older - I can't go without mascara though! :)

3. did you play sports in high school or college?
Yes, I played soccer and was a football and basketball cheerleader in high school. Just intramurals in college.

4. would you rather give up lipstick/gloss or high heels?
I would totally give up lipstick/gloss. I'm a shorty that likes her heels! Especially wedges!

5. what's your favorite show to watch on tv?
My favorite show is The Bachelor -- it's my guilty pleasure. I wish it was on all the time.

6. would you rather bake or cook?
I cook more often, I have probably only tried baking a handful of times. I really need to try it more!

7. shorts or skirts?
Skirts! I love skirts and wear them all the time in the spring, summer, and fall!

8. what's your favorite scary movie?
I can't stand scary movies! They give me nightmares.

Hope everyone is having fantastic spring weather and enjoying some time outside!! :)

What I'm loving Wednesday!

Hey, Des Moines area teachers... Why don't I get called to sub on Wednesdays? I'm trying to figure out if this is just a coincidence or there is a reason not many jobs are available on this day. I'm only available to sub Wednesday-Friday because Monday's I am in my practicum and Tuesdays I have a day class. The rest of the week is free. I considered changing my practicum to Wednesdays so I would be able to sub on Mondays, but I'm a little nervous to make a change in my practicum teacher's room.

I really need to sub at least three days a week to keep my budget on track for the summer, but I only have two more weeks left in my practicum so I am wondering if I should just stick it out. Decisions, decisions... Finals are the second week of May and after that I should have two full weeks to sub and make some money. Fingers crossed I am able to do that!

The semester is winding down and traditionally the last month of classes is a whirlwind of papers due, projects due and presentations. I am trying to alleviate some of the stress that I know is headed my way, but I am also a natural procrastinator, so it's a battle against nature. ;)

Well, today I am linking up with Jamie for her lovely weekly meme, What I'm loving Wednesday!
This week I am loving lots of things, as always! I am trying NOT to shop, because A. I don't need anything clothing related and B. I am saving for our trip to Niagra Falls!! But, as you will see, there is one clothing related item below...

So, this week...

I am loving... The Kennedy's.
The Kennedy's is an eight-part mini series on the Reelz channel. I had to add this channel (which only came in a digital package) so that I could watch this show. I am a big fan of Katie Holmes and also very intrigued by Jackie Kennedy, and the entire Kennedy administration, so I am enjoying this movie very much! Last night was the 2nd episode and it has everything you could want! There's political mistakes, fashion, scandal...

The History channel produced this mini series, but decided at the last minute to drop it because it was too controversial. Katie Holmes said on Ellen the other day that she has no idea why they dropped it and that there was nothing controversial in it... I have to disagree. Clearly, she has to support the movie she made, but so far in just the first two episodes Jack's infidelity is playing a major role. I'm honestly glad it is because it's shining light on his negative traits, while he was a GREAT president and did many wonderful things in office, he was also still very flawed. Obviously, you would not teach any age in the classroom that John F. Kennedy and his father repeatedly cheated on their devoted wives but it is important to know because it is an important characteristic of their personality. What this mini-series is doing for me is only reinforcing the sacrifice that Jackie made for our country. Ignorance is bliss and she let the American people continue to be ignorant during this time. She knew that to stand up for herself would only hurt the country, so I don't see it as her not standing up for herself, she was protecting an entire country.

I am loving... Substitute teaching!
It is so much fun! I am not naive, though. I know that sometime something is going to happen and I have to be mentally prepared for that. It's not going to be a bed of roses all the time. Obviously, I cannot be prepared for what could happen, because it could be anything.

What I didn't realize was how much time I was going to get to study on my own work. Each day I sub I get a good 3-4 hours to read or write papers. This is so nice! Those 3-4 hours are not at all consecutively and I have to look up probably every minute or two to avoid people goofing off, but so far it has helped so much to get my reading done for class. One class I was even able to write notes on two chapters, which I don't normally do, and it helped out a TON because we had a quiz over their chapters last night. :)

I am loving...
My Fitness Pal app. I found this app about a week ago and I am loving it! It is so easy to use and every food I eat and exercise I do has already been loaded in it so I don't have to create new foods. Do you know what I'm talking about with sites likes these? I hate having to go look at the nutrition fact and plug in all that stuff. It's annoying. I just want to log in what I ate and how much I ate. What workout I did and how long it was and go. That is exactly what My Fitness Pal does. I also really like how I can use the app on my phone or on the computer.

I am loving... this pretty dress!
This pretty yellow dress is from Shabby Apple! and isn't it adorable? Yellow is such a perfect color for this time of year and always brightens my mood. It is on sale, but it is still $70... That's still a little steep for what I would prefer to spend on clothes (I'm a total cheapskate!), especially when I don't have an event to wear it to... But, then again I DO have a friends wedding this summer to attend..... Hmmmm.... I can't though, I have to admire from afar -- maybe after our trip!
But, also? I love that this model is not sickeningly thin. It is so nice to see a model in something that I am interested in, and she is not so thin I want to puke.

That is what I am loving this week, what are you loving?

Truth be told...

Mwahahahahaha! My April fools joke WORKED! I'm honestly a little shocked... do you guys really think I couldn't tell that loser to eff off?? I don't get mad too often, but when I do... watch out! I would love to give that guy a piece of my mind.

I have to apologize to Amber... I started my little prank the night before, just so that it would seem real and tweeted some fake tweets...



She replied back and I was seriously considering spilling the beans to just her so that she wouldn't worry. I was worrying over her possibly worrying! Ha!

Yesterday, when I tweeted this...she said I deserved it because I was typing lies. Haha! Ok, ok. Karma came back to bite me. :)

Anyway, I wanted to follow up my little prank to clarify that in this case what psychologists say are wrong... There is ABSOLUTELY no truth to that joke, nor do I wish for that happen. In fact, I wish for quite the opposite. I would love to come face to face with that tool so that I could slam the door in his face. With a big, fat smile. :) :D

I also pulled a great prank on one of the classes in the building I was subbing... they actually thought I had a pop quiz for them... silly kids...

Did you make anyone an April Fool?

When the ex comes back...

Everybody here remembers the famous Cy, right?

The guy that acted so perfect, did everything "right" and seemed like an overall great guy? The guy I fell so hard for that I didn't feel like I could actually date again until eight months after we broke up - longer than we were together? That guy that was legally married the entire time we were together and lied about it?

Yeah, that guy.

Well, he made an appearance yesterday. Around 7pm yesterday evening he called me. I no longer have his number in my phone and I didn't recognize the number calling so I answered. I have been answering a lot of unknown numbers because I don't want to miss a subbing job.

Right away he said he hasn't been able to stop thinking about me since seeing me three weeks ago at happy hour. He said he wants to get together and talk. He said I looked great and so pretty.

I was speechless. I honestly didn't know what to say. Besides **** you.

I didn't say that though.

For a full two minutes I was speechless. Literally, two minutes. I think I was having a hard time processing this... He actually asked if I was still there. He thought I had hung up on him.

You see, I am too nice. I couldn't say **** you. I just don't have it in me. I'm too polite. I'm too much of a pushover. I'm too much of a people pleaser.

He asked if he could see me.

Ok, I know. I know. You all think I'm crazy and am bound to get my heart broken all over again. I can see the comments now...

"Don't do it! Remember how bad he made you feel?"

"Cy's an a**! He doesn't deserve a second of your time!"

"He's so lame. Don't do it, Amber!"

"I'm worried about you, but I understand why you're doing this...."

"What a tool!"

Seriously I can see them all and you all are so sweet. So sweet!

We are going to get together tomorrow afternoon to talk. Apparently he wants to explain a few things and clear some stuff up. He says he needs to do this to, that's it's the right thing to do...

Read the rest here.