my happy place, texas edition

stressball

I am never going to get caught up! Ever since school started I have been so stressed out. School is busier this year than the previous 2 years (or maybe I've just blocked it all out...). I have countless meetings, I can't get anything done during my planning period because of meetings and duty, and the administration expects more of us in regards to lesson plans and grading. Ugh! It also doesn't help that I'm this stressed out over a job that I don't even want to do. My apartment stays a mess because when the weekend comes all I want to do is hang out with adults and have fun instead of cleaning. And working out? Ha! That has also unfortunately been tossed to the side. Maybe that would help my stress level though. I just hate feeling like I don't have enough time...espeically for the things I find most important.

This is my year to figure out what to do next. There are many options and I'm just trying to narrow things down. One that is in the forefront is going to grad school, finally! I'm also pursuing other options; we shall see where it all leads. One thing I do know is that I do not want to teach next year. I've just got to make it to June 4th...it seems so far away!!!

where are you?

"Wherever you are, be all there."

--Jim Elliot

brokenness

"If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces

will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad."

--Ruth Stull

obsession

I know I have already posted about swimming, but I am in love with it! Nevermind the fact that my back is wondering where all these new muscles came from, I heart swimming!

I found a cool website called Swimplan.com. Some New Zealanders developed it (I love how favorite is spelled "favourite" and learned is "learnt"). Once signing up (for free, 2 of my fave words in the English language), it will put together personalized swimming workouts based on your level. The workouts are kicking my butt so far and some of the drills leave me feeling awkward, but I know it's improving my form. I'm not racking in any Olympic medals or anything but I like having something to follow instead of just going and swimming a bunch of laps.

One day, when I'm rich and famous, or at least just rich, I'm going to buy a house and install an enclosed lap pool next to the guest house.

"And I never learned how to read!"

I am addicted to the library. I know that of all the things to be addicted to, this is probably one of the safest. This and drinking water, or eating spinach.

One of the reasons I've been going so much is that summer is winding down and I'm feeling the pressure to read as much leisure material as possible before school starts back up. Once school is on, everything, including fun reading (oh, and my social life) go out the window.

Another reason is that the Dallas public library system has an amazing selection of dvds. It's like Blockbuster, except free! I'm almost finished with season 1 of the Gilmore Girls. I am disappointed that the first season of Growing Pains is missing from the shelves, though. And speaking of great shows from my youth, when the heck are the Wonder Years dvds going to come out??? Check out my Facebook page for reviews of movies I've recently watched.

Confession: when I was little, I used to love summer because that meant I could sign up for the summer reading program at the library. If I read the required amount of books, that meant some fabulous prizes like a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza, a card stock book mark, and a sticker with a weird cartoon leopard saying, "Get spotted reading a good book!"

just keep swiming, just keep swiming

I love to swim.

I transferred my gym membership to the one closer to my new place and this one has a pool. I was very excited about this because swimming is probably my favorite form of exercise. I love the way the water feels as I glide through it, the way my hands slice through it as I do the freestyle and the way I feel kind of like a frog when I do the breast stroke. I love how the only things I hear when my head is under water are the bubbles that leave my mouth as I exhale and the gurgle my arms and legs make as I move through the water. I even like the way my skin still smells of chlorine long after I have taken a shower.

When I was younger, around 4 or 5 and living in NC, I took swimming lessons at the Y. I ended up getting pneumonia from swallowing too much water, some of it getting into my lungs. I took lessons again when I was a little older, I think 8 or 9 living in CO. I remember walking the few blocks back to my house, alone, feeling like such a grown up. One time it started to pour down rain and I started to run although it didn't really matter if I got wet. When I was in high school in VA, I would hear about other school's swim teams and long to be on one; yet, my town, let alone my school, did not have a pool. It wasn't until long after I graduated that a Y was built and a swim team formed.

I'm not the most accomplished swimmer. I will never win any awards or medals for speed or endurance. I could use some pointers for improving my strokes. I'd like to learn the butterfly. But I am at peace when I swim, my only thoughts focusing on breathing and form. I wish I could find that peace in life.

thank u

How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time

Thank you india
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

The moment I let go of it was
The moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it was
The moment I touched down

How about no longer being masochistic
How about remembering your divinity
How about unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How about not equating death with stopping

Thank you india
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you thank you silence

movin' on up!

In case some of you think I have gone into exile again, I am still here. I have been busy moving. Moving from one apartment to another is quite the task; I can't imagine moving from a house!

I love my new place! It's in a younger, hipper part of Dallas (Addison) and there are young business professionals everywhere. I'm excited to go exploring and find fun places to shop and eat. The apartment itself suits me very well. My last place was okay but it wasn't anything special. The new one is so much nicer and I feel like such a grown-up! I'll see about posting some pics when I get all settled (and you know that will take me a while...) but you can click here to see the complex.

People have been so kind, offering to help in packing and unpacking. It's such a motivator to me to have someone here, even if they are just sitting there and talking to me as I do the work. I am alone a lot of the time (the nature of being an introverted single) so I appreciate the company.

rain rain on my face

Signs on the roadways here in North Texas:

"If water on the road

turn around,

don't drown!"

I think it has rained everyday since April. I feel like I'm living back in Florida. Maybe it's a sign...

working for a living

I found the results to the Birkman I took back in 2003. The Birkman is a personality and occupation assessment tool to help you determine how you work most effectively and what fields you should pursue.

Near the top of the list: teacher. Yet, it also says that I have a high need for respect in my job. Hmmm. I don't know any teachers that feel highly respected...

At the very top of the list? It says I should pursue a career where I am a "knowledge specialist." This means "utilizing personal expertise and knowledge for problem solving; lead by example." Jobs in this family include: public school counselors, career counselors, college professors, HR professionals, ministers, physicians and lawyers. I think it would be fun to be a college professor but I don't think my Spanish is good enough to pursue a Masters and eventually a PhD.

Interesting that career counselor is one of the professions, especially since I should probably see one myself!

penny stretching

Making a budget is one thing. Sticking to it is something else entirely! Now that I have a car payment to worry about, not to mention the fact that my car insurance went up and the rent on my new place is higher than what I pay now, I am having to be very careful with the ol' paycheck. I've decided to think of it as a game, something that I have to beat. My goal is to have some left over at the end of the month; I will put half toward debt and the other half in savings. Exciting, I know.

I have an idea for making a little extra cash. I'm going to hang up some flyers at church for tutoring. Even if I just have one student per week, that will come out to almost $150/month. It would be cool to be able to tutor full time instead of teaching. The only problem would be lots of evening hours. Plus I would definitely miss the interactions I have with my students.

Moms, any ideas for making those pennies go further???

catching some zzzz's

While watching an ad for a prescription sleep aid, the narrator lists possible side effects. One includes drowsiness. Um, isn't that kind of the point?

virginia

This is my happy place.

i'm back

Wow, Blogger is so much easier to update and change around! Makes me feel super techno-savvy. But let's face it, a techno-geek I am not. Although I do seem to waste a lot of time on the computer...

p.c.

On Facebook, if you type in "Christian" under "Religious Views," a list of choices appears. The top choice? "Christian--Amish." Um, how many Amish people do you know have internet access? Or computers? Or electricity for that matter???

blah

I know I haven't blogged in a while and the truth is that I just haven't felt like it. There's a lot going on in my head right now that I just can't write about here. Don't worry, nothing tragic or anything. I'm just a very internal person and sometimes it just all gets clogged in my brain. It's kind of like constipation, I guess...no matter how badly I want it to come out, it won't.

Sorry for the graphic description...

vote for pedro

Hey guys! So, I was playing around with my camera today and took a couple of shots. Which one do you like better for my profile pic? Numero 1 or 2? Or icks-nay on both of them? Please vote; your voice matters!:)

students who make me smile

There are definitely days when I wonder why in the world I ever decided to teach. Thankfully those days are becoming more and more rare.

Then there are the days when my heart sings as I realize that I am truly where I am meant to be. Today was one of those days:) The school day itself was okay; it was an A day and those are always a little nutty. After school I was in my classroom grading some quizzes when a former student came in. She was looking for her teacher who uses my room A3 during my planning period to teach her class. This student ended up staying in my room for a few minutes to catch up; I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her this year. She is an absolute sweetheart, a joy to work with. She is a junior and I asked what she was thinking about after high school. I told her if she needed help when it came time to fill out applications to let me know and I'd be more than happy to assist. She then said that she's applying for a summer program and that she needs a reference and has been wanting to ask me if I would fill one out for her! This is a student from last year and she wants me to be a reference for her! She also said she thinks I'm a good teacher:) It's always nice when someone says that you are good at what you do...

a few of my fave things...

As you know, I like to blog about my favorite things from time to time. It's been a while so it's time for another installment! Some of my favorite things lately include:

*Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel--have you guys seen this show?! It is hilarious! They send this guy Mike to do the dirtiest, nastiest jobs out there (they usually involve poo of some sort); he has a sarcastic wit that can't be beat. I highly recommend watching it. New episodes air Tuesday nights at 9pm EST.

*Orbit Mint Mojito gum--oh my gosh! This is my new favorite flavor of gum! It's tangy and sweet, the perfect mixture of mint and a little bit of citrus. You have got to try it!

*coffee--I know this isn't a new fave, but I just love coffee! I'm actually drinking some right now. It just makes me happy:)

This is a really short list for today. Maybe I'll add more as the week goes on. What are some of your current favorite things?

you don't own me!

The other night I came home and Simba was very agitated. His fur was all bushy and he kept jumping around. I sat on the couch to watch tv and he jumped on my lap, something he rarely does. I tried petting his fur to make it stay down but it didn't work. After a few minutes of him sitting on me, I got tired of it and pushed him off. Another few minutes went by and I looked down at my pants and noticed something brown on them. I had gone to dinner that evening so I thought maybe I had gotten some food on them or something. I tried to get the stuff off and then I smelled it...Simba totally poohed on me! Nasty! I was horrified.

A friend told me, "Maybe he was marking his territory." With pooh?!

bridesmaid dresses

I am in a wedding this summer. My friend is getting married in Florida but is originally from Michigan and that is where she is ordering the dresses. She sent me the info for a shop here in DFW that would have the exact dress so I could try it on and figure out what size I needed. This is always a horrifying experience in my opinion. And this was no exception. I walked into the shop and found an associate. I asked her if I can try on the dress and she said, "We probably don't have it!" I said the website said they did and she pointed to the back corner and said, "The bridesmaid dresses are back there," and walked away. I walked to the back of this massive dress shop and found the bridesmaid dresses; it was complete chaos. There was no order, I had no idea where to start and there was no one back there to help me. After looking through the mass of dresses for a few minutes, I finally just left. They are on my black list now...

I called the bridal shop in Michigan and spoke to a sweet woman who was very helpful. I gave her my measurements (this is never fun to do!) and she looked at the size chart for this dress. According to the chart, my bust and hips are one size and my waist is 2 sizes bigger! What the heck!? So, I ended up having to order for my waist size knowing that the bust is going to be out of control! Why do they make dresses like this!? Thank goodness for alterations.

the female psyche

"It’s like a volcano.....it can be pretty to look at from a distance, even intriguing. But if you climb to the top and look down into the cone, there is a good chance you could either die from the sulfur, or it could explode and kill you."

--quote from a male friend

for my fans...

All 3 of you!

Kelli requested that I add more so that the cat pee title does not appear on the screen when she logs onto my page. Plus, Karebear is an emotional pregnant woman and it's best not to upset her anymore. At least that's the line she's feeding me.

It's been a busy few weeks! Here's the rundown:

*Got the IKEA bookshelf put together (with some help!). I'll take a pic and post it soon. I haven't finished arranging everything yet.
*Have gone to the movies twice recently. Night at the Museum is super cute and funny, highly recommend. Rocky Balboa was surprisingly good, better than I expected. If you are a Rocky fan (Karen), you'll like the latest (and let's hope the last because Sly is looking a little rough) installment.
*School started back up this week. Monday was a teacher work day, lots of silly meetings. Tuesday the kiddos were back and I wish I had a dollar for each time I heard the phrase, "But Miss K, we just got back from vacation!" It's been hard to get back into the groove again. I'm hoping it will be better this coming week.
*Currently North Texas is going through an ice storm that started this morning and will continue until Monday morning. Thank goodness I have Monday off so I won't have to make that day up! I was supposed to go to San Antonio to see a friend but decided against it for fear of getting stuck there.
*Life is going well right now:)
*Caught the last few minutes of the UNC-VT game today. GO HOKIES!!! We beat #5Duke earlier this week and now we've beaten #1UNC. We are #1 in the ACC. It's about time our basketball team showed up!

Karebear, is this enough for now?

update

Because Kelli doesn't like the words cat pee anymore!

It has been a while and I know I should fill you in on my life.

But you'll just have to wait!!!:)

cat pee...

is the worst thing ever invented! Well, I guess it wasn't really invented, but what the heck!? It is the worst smelling thing in the world and once it is absorbed into an object it is nearly impossible to get rid of the odor.

I was cleaning out my office area today. I only have one bookshelf and as most of you know, I'm a super nerd and one bookshelf isn't nearly enough for all the books I have. I had some piles of books in front of the bookshelf, sitting there waiting for a place to call home. I picked up one of the piles and noticed that the books on the bottom where sticky. I put my nose closer to the books and realized that one of my stupid cats had peed on them! What made it even worse is that one of the books vandalized was my Spanish/English Bible that I used in Venezuela that has tremendous sentimental value. I was ticked! I was ready to ship some kitties off (I don't know which one of them did it so I choose to be mad at both of them).

I was in such a state of devastation that I grabbed the first cleaner I could find, which was Resolve carpet cleaner. I figure if it can clean up cat puke out of the carpet, it can surely clean cat pee off my leather bound Bible. It didn't work, and thankfully didn't ruin the Bible cover. Next, following the advice from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I pulled out the Windex. It got the stickiness but did not get rid of the smell. I then used dish detergent but still to no avail. I called a friend in a panic and she suggested Febreeze. Would this really work?! I tried it and no more smell! I am now a true believer in the miraculous working power of this product! I should go on an infomercial with the guy who screams about the orange cleaner...

I was fortunate in that the pee did not get on any of the pages, just on the cover. Not sure how that happened but I am thankful. I think satan led my cat to pee on the Word of God, but the Holy Spirit prevented the actual pages from being ruined. Can't say the same for the Bible study book that was underneath...

plans for the week

Happy New Year!

I'm so happy I have this whole week off, it's so nice! I have a few things I'd like to get accomplished and I really hope it all happens. Here's my list so far:

*clean out my office area--it's a disaster and has been since I moved in
*give my apartment a good cleaning
*go clothes shopping
*venture up to IKEA--yes, even after the last experience; I have a giftcard and I need to use it on something fun:)
*plan for the next several weeks--yes, even though I'm on vacation, I have a lot to do before going back next week; I want to be prepared!

I'll let you know how things come along...