Book Club Friday + a tiny update

Hello, hello!

It is an icy Friday here in central Iowa and shockingly, school is delayed two hours! I have grown up in this area and have NEVER seen a two hour delay! Everyone is pretty surprised, but I am proud of that decision. Better safe than sorry!

This week has been the loooongest week eeeevvver. Maybe the fourth graders are rubbing off on me? I don't think so though, because usually the weeks fly by and by the time it is Thursday, I am scratching my head in awe that the week is already almost over. This week, however, that did not happen. I think I am just overly excited about the long break.

I will be doing a lot of work over the break though... My to do list is pretty lengthy with things I want to get graded, lessons I want to differentiate, and junk I need to get organized.

We leave for Spencer tonight, which is a 3 hour drive to NW Iowa, and we will be there until Christmas Day. I haven't packed yet, and I have some cleaning I need to do, but laying in bed a little while longer and blogging beat out all of that stuff. :)

Today I am going to link up with Heather for Book Club Friday and tell you about an AMAZING book that has been on my radar for awhile that I read over the Thanksgiving break.

The book is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

This book, oh my, this book... I cannot even begin... I loved it so much. I heard someone else compare it to Twilight, but I just .... cannot .... even do that...

ADOW is so much smarter than Twilight, and much sexier in a very subtle and classy way. This book has a similar plot to Twilight, but the plot is developed further and an example of writing that just leaves me in awe of the stories that phenomenal writers have floating in their heads and their ability to take those stories and put them on paper for others to enjoy.

This book wasn't historical fiction, but it wasn't just fantasy either. There was some European history weaved into this story that made it so interesting and magical. I was impressed with the the research that Harkenss must have put into this and/or the knowledge she possesses of a continent so old and rich in history. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

See? You have to read this. The recommendation for this book came from my Dad, and I resisted for awhile because it is a very large book (over 500 pages) but once I got started, the pages flew for me. It read very quickly and is one of those books that is on your mind when you're not reading, and all you can think about is when you can go settle in again with Diana and Matthew. 

I need to start listening to my Dad more. He is the one that pushed me to read Harry Potter and now this ... I think he knows what he's talking about. ;) 

ADOW is a trilogy, and the first and second books have been out for awhile now. The third book comes out in July. I picked up a copy of the second book at Half Price Books the same week I was reading the first one, but I am actually considering waiting until closer to July to read it... I am worried I will be impatient and want the third NOW if I read the second too soon.... 

We'll see if I can resist reading it. It's been on my nightstand since the day I purchased it so I look at it everyday. ;) 

What have you read lately that has blown you away?

A post about crying.

Dear Blogworld,

I have a confession. I am a crier.

I cry when I'm sad, mad, glad, embarrassed, stressed...  it is just the way the emotion comes out, I guess. The problem is, I really hate this about myself. I have tried to come to terms with it, and I have even tried to change it. Heck, I am still trying to change it!

I think I need to learn to accept this about myself, though.

I told myself back in August that I WOULD NOT cry at school in front of my grade level team (or, anyone for that matter). Now that I am in my fourth month of teaching, I look back and realize that I really set myself up for failure with that goal. I have cried in front of both of the other two fourth grade teachers and one first grade teacher. Pretty sure I will add more to that list before June, too.

I really don't think crying is that big of a deal, it is just how emotion comes out of me, but ... it's embarrassing. It's especially embarrassing when the final straw that makes me cry, is something minute. For example... 

Today we had a shortened day and were out at 3:10 (as we are every Wednesday) and in the afternoon all the fourth grade teachers had a professional development to attend about our new reading system, so we had subs in the afternoon. Every little thing had been wearing on me and stressing me out beyond belief, and before I knew it, I was crying.

Today, I burst into tears (ok, burst is a little dramatic. Teared up...) because my mentor teacher told me not to bring a lunch, that we would all stop at Subway on the way there and eat at the beginning of the meeting. Come to find out, right before leaving for the meeting, both of the other teachers brought their lunch to eat in the car on the way. I was annoyed because I was worried I would be one of the only people eating lunch at this meeting.

See? Dumb.

It didn't help that my sub didn't show up and I was stressing over that too... My sub was supposed to be there at 11:30, so she could take my kids to lunch at 11:40 and I had to be at the meeting across town at 12pm. At 11:40 when the sub wasn't there, one of the other teachers told me to go and she would take care of the class for me so I would have time to stop...

This year is really no joke. There is just. so. much. that. is. new.  It really is very wearing. Not to mention my district has adopted a new reading system, so all of the teachers are trying to navigate that and nothing is set and it just seems chaotic and unorganized ... it's just... yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I feel so so so blessed to have it. I am not entertaining ideas of not coming back after summer or looking for another job. Nothing like that at all. I want to stay where I am at, but I want the constant lump in my throat to go away. I want the feeling of being able to help other people to come back. I want to know what I am doing and not constantly ask others for help. I want the unknown to be the known again. I always kind of scoffed at teachers that said their first year they almost had a nervous breakdown, but.... I get it. I really get it now.

Are you a crier? Have you ever cried at work or are you one of those freaks of nature that can hold it and save the tears for when you are safely at home? If so, what is your secret?

December Intentions

After reading Kelly's Music, Books, Looks and Miles recap for November, I got a little inspired to set some intentions for myself in December. Kelly really inspires me, because she is a teacher that does a great job at setting aside time for her own personal hobbies such as reading and working out. Teaching does not consume her like it does so many people. I am trying very hard not to be one of those people.

Granted, this is my first year of teaching and everyone says the first year is the hardest and, as far as I can tell, that is definitely true. Not only am I learning a new job, new colleagues and a new setting, but I am also learning content before I teach it. You're probably thinking, "you teach fourth grade, what do you mean you're learning content?!" I mean, yes, I am learning academic content. Especially in the areas of science, social studies and math. Tomorrow we begin a unit on Russia. So, what do you think I did all Thanksgiving break? If you said, "studied Russia," than you would be right... So far this year I have also taught a unit on mystery powders (kids study the reactions of 6 different powders when exposed to water, heat, vinegar, bromethymal blue (btb) and iodine), and a unit on the glaciers of the Ice Age in the Midwest. And math? Let's not get started. Math is taught differently these days. No wonder parents are so flipping confused when kids bring home their homework! I really need to stop myself from thinking about how "great next year will be" because I will have taught all of this stuff once before.

So, anyway, I'll stop cause I could just keep going!

I wanted to set some intentions for the next three weeks until winter break. I know the three weeks are going to fly by, but I want to get better at taking care of myself while also in my first year of teaching. Overall, I think I am doing a great job, but I know I can do better. I am nowhere near a nervous breakdown, as I have heard some teachers say about their first year of teaching, but I am letting it consume me some days.

Here is where I would like to improve.

Books: My reading time has been reduced significantly and that is probably not going to change much, but I want to finish 5 books in the month of December. Yep, FIVE. Sounds a little crazy, but with 11 days in a row off of work just in the month of December, I should be able to knock some books off my TBR shelf.

Blogging: I really miss blogging. Many of my friends that I have made through blogging I keep in touch with other ways, such as texting, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but there are a few people that I haven't talked with very much and I miss the daily contact!

Looks: Create 5 new looks from items currently in my wardrobe and document them. I am trying to take pictures of my daily outfits so that when I claim I "have nothing to wear" I can look through that photo album and hopefully be inspired.

Miles: My running motivation is pretty non-existent right now. I ran on Thanksgiving day when I woke up randomly with the itch to run, but other than that I hardly ran at all in November. I would like to change that and run at least 30 miles in December. Doesn't seem like much, and I debated about setting it at 50 miles, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. I would also like to make it to a yoga class 5 times this month and strength train 5 times (once a week).

Wedding: Set a date.

What are you goals for December?

Some good news...

Hello, friends!

Things have been exciting around these parts because... I am officially engaged! Two weeks ago Bill popped the question and I said yes!

 I kinda hate pictures like this (and I refused to put one on FB, but I was sure quick to get one up on Instagram lol) but I know you all wanna see the rock! I would...

 So, here's the story:

Back in September while in Ames for the Iowa/Iowa State game, Bill and I began to talk about getting married and it was there that we decided that we would get married and basically became engaged to become engaged. I told him I wanted him to pick out the ring though. He happily agreed (I swear, we're made for each other)

I've always pictured myself being surprised by a proposal and having NO idea what the ring looks like. That is exactly what happened! Although I wasn't surprised that he popped the question, I was however surprised that night because I was expecting him to ask me what I liked before he went shopping. He didn't do that. Instead, he shopped on his own and then went to my friends to get his purchase approved (he's a keeper, and he's all miiiiine!) My friends approved of the ring and knew the actual proposal was coming for over two weeks and they kept the secret! They're the best. :)

He did such a good job picking out a perfect ring for me. I love a princess cut, and I love the thick band and simplicity of this ring. It is perfect for my personality and perfect for us.

Here I am the night we got engaged. I totally forgot he took this picture until I started going through my phone for pictures for this post!

The night he asked was a random Monday night. He texted me around 5pm and asked if I wanted to go get sushi. I was still at school and almost said no because I had so much left to do in regards to report cards and getting ready for conferences (which were the following week), but after about two minutes I decided report cards could wait, and I had done enough that day. I wanted to spend time with Bill.

We ate sushi, then made a random Trader Joe's run for some wine he wanted to pick up and surprised me by picking up a bouquet of flowers for me as well (first clue!). When we got back to my place, while still in his truck, he hands me a bottle of jewelry cleaner. I looked at him like he was nuts and asked him 1. Why does he have jewelry cleaner and 2. Where did he get it?!

All he said was that he just thought I could use it since I just had a Lia Sophia party and I had new jewelry that might need cleaning.

Umm, okay?

My boyfriend is kinda random sometimes, so I just accepted the gift and began to head inside.

On our way up to my door he made a comment about how long we've been together now and started to make a joke about how maybe he should break up with me. I hate those kind of jokes so I kind of cut him off, stormed inside, grabbed Zeke to let him out for a bit. While I was out there with Zeke I began to put it together .... and began to think, uh oh...

I walked back in and he was standing there at the door and says, "I would like to finish my joke..." (haha). Then he says, we've been together 15 months, so ...  I suppose it's either time to break up with you or .... marry you. At this moment he pulled out the ring. It was also at this moment that I feel fuzzy about what was said, and now both him and I remember it differently!!

Sounds like a mean joke, but I think you would need to know Bill and his sense of humor...

I think I was in shock for a little bit. Well, maybe not shock... but, something that rendered me speechless, because I didn't say anything for awhile. In fact, I don't think I ever said yes! I assume my hug and kiss said it all though!

He says the first thing I did was say, "I need to text my mom!" I don't think so though... I can't really remember! It's all kinda blurry! Now I totally see why some people have this moment recorded!! I am glad it was just us though. It was private and just perfect. :)

Celebrating with my group of girlfriends Friday night! This group, in addition to my sister and my childhood best friend who lives in New Mexico, will hopefully be my bridesmaids. :)

We have not gotten far in wedding planning (rightfully so, it's only been two weeks) but we have narrowed down when it WON'T be... August, September, October and November are all a no because of other weddings in our group of friends, vacations already planned, school ... etc. Right now we are debating between May (eeek, I know!) and December. Quite the difference... I know. It will all work itself out though. :) 

I am so happy though, and after watching so many friends meet the man of their dreams and get married, I am so excited to finally have my turn. He makes all of the heartache in the past seem worth it and I cannot wait to call him my husband. ;) 

An overdue update....

Well, hello there! 

Remember me? It's only been... ummmm, almost 2 months since I last posted, but who's counting?! Ha!

I know this is hardly unexpected, but this post will be the classic bullet style. You're welcome. ;)

• School is awesome! I love my kids. I love my team. I love my school. I love my district. I love my parents... are you gagging yet? Cause I might be. ;) Seriously though, I feel incredibly blessed and I thank my lucky stars everyday. I can see myself staying at this school for many, many years (many of the teachers that are there, have done just that. One of my colleagues has been there 25 years) and I just feel ... blessed. I cannot think of a better word.
• On the flip side, school has kept me busier than I have EVER been in my entire life. There is hardly ANY time to get anything done. And, just when you think you have time, something comes up. Every. Single. Time. There has not been a weekend that I have not spent in my room at least some time, but I knew this going into this profession and I was mentally prepared for it. I know next year will probably be easier.
• So, a little about my "kids" (no, I don't call them kiddos, but I do call them my kids). I have 28 students. Four special ed, 5 ELP (talented and gifted) and everything in between. I have a BUSY class. In fourth grade kids have the option of playing an instrument for the first time and there are kids coming and going A LOT due to this and all of the other services they may receive. It is A LOT to keep track of. 
• I am trying hard to be TOUGH with them. For example, today they spent 100 seconds of their recess at their desks with their heads down (doesn't sound like much, but any recess missed is enough for them to learn some sort of lesson... lol). Some spent longer because they did not turn in homework. I feel like a mean parent, but I know this is what it takes... It doesn't make it any easier though! I just keep telling myself, it isn't MY choice, so I shouldn't feel bad. 
• Bill and I are still doing GREAT. He has been my rock this past year and I honestly am afraid of what I would look like without him. A giant stress ball, probably. 
• I am still running. Miraculously, I have turned into a morning runner. I get up most days around 5am and run or workout. This is my stress reliever and I know my body needs it. I am so glad I was able to nail this habit because it has done so much for me mentally. 
• In October I am running the Des Moines Half Marathon again and next week I am running Capital Pursuit (10 miles). Sometimes the training stresses me out (especially this week), but I know deep down I would be worse off without it. 
• This weekend I am moving back into a one bedroom apartment again. For the past three years my sister and I have lived together (and for the past 2, her boyfriend has joined us) and although I have really loved growing closer to my sister (we were not close growing up) I am really ready to live like an adult again. 
• If you would like to follow my classroom twitter, I would love to have you! @msjohnson4j
• Well, that's about it! Please update me on your life and hopefully I can make it to your blog soon to say hi! :) 

Miss you all! 

Tour in the Heartland

I wrote this post on Sunday and meant to put photos in and then post on Monday. Obviously that did not happen because somehow it is already Wednesday evening and this post is still sitting in my drafts. Better late than never! :) 

Ahhh! What a fun weekend I had! Just what I needed after most of July being a bummer.

Friday after getting off work, Bill and I headed about 2 hours north to Clear Lake, Iowa to see a couple of 80s bands play at The Surf Ballroom. Due to The Surf being historic, the entire weekend turned into a mini history tour and I LOVED it!

Why is The Surf historic, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

The Surf is the last place that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens (lalalalalalala bamba!) and the Big Bopper played before they met their untimely death in a tragic plane crash in 1959. I was always aware that these three musicians died in Iowa in a plane crash, but I did not realize the details. It was very sad!

The day after the concert (Saturday) Bill and I, plus his hilarious family which included his uncle and cousins, deemed the day "Adventure Day" because on the way up to Clear Lake Bill asked me if I had to be back to DSM before Monday and I said no. After that he suggested going on an "adventure" (which means, "let's go do something other than go home) and I latched on to this idea and would NOT let it go. Ha!

Everything we did was "adventure!" What can we say, we like to make things fun cause we're fun people! :)

Saturday morning, Bill and I woke up, went on a nice 4 mile jog around the lake area (one of the only runs I have ever done with Bill because he is faster than me) and then headed back to his grandma's house to get ready and head over to his uncles house for lunch. After lunch, we were trying to decide what to do and it came out that his uncle had never seen the crash site! We all decided then and there that it was absolutely NECESSARY that we go see it!

After some gravel roads, a few detours and then a walk through fields (surprisingly not a cornfield!) we found the site!

Marking the trail to go to the actual site is a statue of Buddy Holly's glasses. After posing with them, we made our way about a quarter of a mile through the field to the site. The sky was absolutely gorgeous with big fluffy clouds meeting farm fields on the horizon

The actual site was a little anti-climactic and we were disappointed that there wasn't something a bit more memorializing than glorified garbage! There was cheap movie theater 3d glasses, beer cans, credit cards, latex gloves, coins, t-shirts... just random crap! You can tell some people left nice things like flowers, but most of it was junky and gross. There were four small headstone type things that someone left (a fourth for the pilot), and those were nice. We couldn't leave without a few tears shed from Bill and his uncle... it was very traumatic for these two old(er) men. :)

After leaving the site, Bill's family decided I need a more appropriate tour of Clear Lake because I had never been there, so we headed down to the beach and park area and found a small art festival going on. So, we looked around for awhile, and resisted our urge to buy stuff! I was SO close to buying a spoon ring, but ultimately resisted since I am on a strict no spending freeze! 

After leaving the festival, we checked out a new meat shop called Louie's Customer Meats and More, where we bought some bacon and hamburgers to head home and grill bacon burgers. Gosh, I wish I had taken more pictures of the food we ate, because we ate WELL this day. Grilled chicken for lunch accompanied with corn (what else?) and enough cheese, crackers and summer sausage before the meal to last us a long while, then grill bacon burgers for dinner. Mmmm, it was all so delish!

Oh, and I didn't mention the ice cream we stopped and got while their cousin was working! This day was so indulgent, lol! Good thing we got in a run at the beginning of the day...

The rest of the day and night we just laid around, relaxing, talking, reading (well, I was the only one reading. I'm weird) and playing games until it was time for Bill and I to head back to DSM. We got home pretty late, but it didn't bother me one bit because we had such a good day! I had so much fun with his family and in a new part of Iowa that I quickly fell in love with!

Do you have friends that can make everything fun and never seem bored? I am so grateful to have found a guy that seems to do just that. He makes everything a good time! :)

Mid Summer Update

Hello, hello! It has been quite awhile since I have posted. I am still very unsure of where I want this space to go in the future, but for now I hope that you are following me via Twitter, Instagram and even Facebook. I tend to update those accounts regularly, so please feel free to follow me or request me as a friend. :)

I am not going to lie, July has had its ups and downs. Well, I should say ups and one down. That down being that I have been sick all month. Literally, I have been sick the entire month so far. In late June I started to come down with something and had the basic sore throat, stuffed up sinuses and cough. I tried to remedy it on my own (as I usually successfully do) and it did not work. On July 4th I was in urgent care and just miserable. I ended up having bronchitis and spent my 4th of July holiday week IN BED. They gave me amoxicillin and it did NOTHING. Five days later I called back and said I thought I needed the Zpack, which I have never taken before, but knew it would be effective. Thank god I did that because the Zpack did wonders right before I went on vacation to Miami. I was so close to canceling my trip and I am so thankful that I didn't!

My girlfriends and I went on a vacation to Miami, and it was fantastic! We spent hours sitting on the beach soaking up sun and it was just what I needed. I was still blowing my nose and drinking Alka Seltzer like it was my job, but I still had a fantastic time and cannot wait to go back!

My friend Kristi and I doing a jumping pic... I have some work to do before I master the art form of the "jumping pic" :-/ 

I totally ordered pizza on the beach. It sounded good! 

 View from the jetty at the very end of South Beach. I still cannot get over how clear the water was!

Other things that have been going on ... I got into my classroom and did some work. Yes, I got a job! I am the newest fourth grade teacher in a suburban district and a school very close to where I live. I am SO excited and feel so fortunate and blessed!

The main entrance of my building. I love how my school is tucked back behind houses, if you didn't know it was there, nobody would have any idea! :) 

This is where I will spend a ton of time for the next year! I have a lot of work to do, but I could not be more excited! 

 I am so proud of this book collection that I have been collecting for the past two years!

I am juggling three jobs. Yes, three. I am still at the agency and am still on call status so I am choosing my shifts and hours (which, is SO nice). Two days a week I also nanny (ok, babysit) for a friend of my boyfriends from his running group and I the other three days I am working for another friend of a friend that runs an in-home daycare and wanted to move up a level, for which she needed someone with a teaching degree. She has anywhere between 13-17 kids a day and they are ALL under the age of 5... I (lovingly) refer to it as "Toddler Town" because ... well... it IS! I love it :)

I wish I could post pics, but I just cannot because this blog is not private. If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter or even Facebook you will see some pictures of my newest friends under the age of 6 :)

Things with Bill have been going great and our one year anniversary is coming up! I can hardly believe it. That year has flown by and I am so grateful to have him in my life :)

 A little grainy, but this is us at the Art Festival a few weeks ago

I am not sure what will happen with this space. Only time will tell! In the mean time, tell me how your summer has been going! What has been most memorable so far? For me, it has definitely been Miami and setting up my classroom :)