Day with Dad

My dad and I don't always get to spend a lot of time together when it's just the two of us. Since I'm in Houston this summer, we'll get to do that more often. I have already been able to see him twice and we have set up a weekly lunch date.

On his birthday, we went to his house for a birthday dinner of ribs, corn on the cob, and yummy salad. I had a great (last minute) idea for a birthday/father's day gift for him, but of course I didn't have it in time for the dinner, so I got him a funny card and wrote his name in big bubble letters on it. As I was watching TV, killing time before leaving for dinner, I started doodling... I drew little pictures of things that make me think of my dad or memories of him.

Needless to say, he loved it! I knew he would; he loves sentimental, homemade stuff. He even said I gave "the best gifts" AFTER opening a new iPad2. Score!

Yesterday we went to lunch at Pappas and we split a greek salad and seared scallops. Delicious! We had good conversations and ventured into the kitchen a bit and visited with some of his coworkers. We talked about other things we could do while I'm in town: museums, the underground downtown tunnels, and possibly a restaurant supply store.

We then ventured to a little magazine shop and bought some of his favorite cooking magazines for me that we had talked about at lunch. Afterwards, I followed him to the downtown YMCA where he added me to his membership so I can enjoy the Y down the street from E's house. It is new with great equipment and 2 outdoor pools! Yessssss.

After a great afternoon with my dad, I went home to make some rosemary bread from scratch.

My all time favorite picture of my dad and me :)

Summer Reading List Post 1

My first book of the summer, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by the Pioneer Woman, has been read. Check! My brother pre-ordered it for me as a Christmas present and it came a few months ago. Since it was a gift, I tried to read it when I got it, but I have a hard time making the time and focusing to read during the school year. This weekend, however, the US Open was on for a solid 3 days and we don't have easy access to a pool so we spend a great amount of time on the couch (in the AC). E watched golf, baseball... anything on any of the many ESPN channels involving a ball. I read and watched the replays of the good parts of the US Open when E would snap me out of my book and back to real life.

The Pioneer's Woman's writing is light and funny in this book and I have always enjoyed reading her blog for that reason. That, and looking at her gorgeous pictures of her (very unhealthy) cooking and ranch life.  This book was just what I needed to start summer reading since it's simple and entertaining.  I enjoyed that it was a witty yet inspirational love story about the beginning of a marriage, but in my next book I need a little more depth. Several people have recommended Water for Elephants and Hunger Games. I also have Same Kind of Different as Me with me that I've started twice and gotten distracted. Hmmm....

Now I'm not a total hypocrite when I tell my students to read over the summer!

You, Me, and Dupree

As I before mentioned, E and I are not alone in our H & H summer. Long story short - E had a roommate, roommate moved out, E lived alone, E and I have an idea = we live together for the summer, old roommate found a replacement..... and then there were 3. Remember this movie?

Watch a clip!

Our real life "Dupree" is actually quite the opposite of Owen Wilson. He is very insecure and nervous.
Our Dupree likes to keep to himself. Our Dupree loves milk. Our Dupree has a dog who is just as squeamish as him. Our Dupree has some interesting habits. Our Dupree has an iPad and is constantly playing games on it and forcing us to watch. Our Dupree likes approximately 3 songs and plays them repeatedly. Our Dupree paces... a lot.

He seems like a kind person, he just admittedly has no faith in himself. It's hard to watch and understand, but we're trying to be friends.

Tonight, E is grillin' steaks for 3...

Summer 2011 of H & H

I have been in Houston for one week today. I have settled in to my new surroundings (as best as I can now that I live with 2 boys and a dog) and summer lifestyle (no work!) so it is time to blog again. When E and I decided to live together for the summer I said, "let's be healthy this summer." E has been on the health train for the past month or two so he was more than happy to pull me aboard. We (more like me, but we'll call it "we") dubbed this summer, the summer of H & H. Happiness and Health. Insert "awwwww" or "cough/gag/spit" - whichever moves you.

Brief update - what I've been up to "in a nut shell"...

- Attended Girls' Weekend Summer 2011 with old and great friends in Liz's beautiful new home
- I have given up Diet Coke cold turkey for 1 week and 1 day. Yes; this is worth the dramatic statements and facebook posts.
- I started power walking with hand weights (I giggle off and on all the way around the trail)
- I've seen both of my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, sisters, cousins and E's parents, brother and sister-in-law
- I've tried tofu noodles
- I started reading a book!
- I read a lot of blogs I used to read religiously

Somethings I hope to do this summer:
- Read a couple books
- Work out
- Cook
- Organize my recipes
- Start a Pinterest page
- Figure out my Mac
- Play... a lot!
- Explore new restaurants and places in Houston

That's about it. It feels a little foreign to write for fun and not for work but I'm excited to get back in to it. At one brief, fleeting moment in my life I wanted to be a journalist, so this will scratch that little itch I once had. Can't wait to use some creative juices on the blog as well as with all this spare time I (gratefully) have for a short time every year. Stay tuned :)

Kid Quote

Kid frantically running to teacher

Teacher: "What's wrong"
Kid: "He said A for butt!!!!!"
Teacher: "No, butt starts with a "b" - oh wait... Come here!"

Valentine's 2010

E and I had a great Valentine's day this year. I flew south to Houston and escaped the freezing, although beautiful, winter wonderland in Dallas.


The weekend before Valentine's I was feeling a little crafty and was sick of writing reports for work so I decided to make a card for E. I realized that I much prefer card crafting to scrapbooking, because let's face it, what I am going to scrapbook about?? I get up way before the sun, drive the same route to work every day, teach sweet and crazy kids, convince myself (sometimes unsuccessfully) to exercise after work, watch DVR/or read Blogs.... exciting....

Here's the final product:
We have an ongoing Scrabble war going on, so I felt this was fitting. I saw something with real scrabble letters on another blog (sorry, I can't remember who!!) so I improvised and google-imaged scrabble letters and voila!

It's an accordion type style with black and white photos on the inside:

I have had these photo corner tabs forever so I painted them red. I think it looks a little vampire-ish, but I was going for Valentine-ish. I wanted to add more detail around the photos, or some quotes, but I figured it might be a little much for a boy. Sometimes, less is more, ya know?
Sorry for the sucking face picture... I strategically put it on the end so it can be folded back. I just didn't take any pictures demonstrating this feature. Oops.
I purposely used pictures he does not have so it would be something new to look at. Funny thing is, he gave me a gorgeous silver frame with a picture that I don't have. That's why he chose it.

I really liked this card idea, and it was very fun to make. Sooooo, in other words, act surprised if you get one like this for your birthday :)

Let the countdown to Spring Break begin!

2009 Highlights

Liberty Mutual Commercial

On the way home from work today, as I was accusing myself of being too negative and trying to figure out a way to motivate myself til June, I witnessed something that turned my glass from half empty to half full. You know those Liberty Mutual Insurance commercials that show random acts of kindness that are supposed to look candid? Those get to me. Lump in my throat and stinging eyes every time. Movies and commercials get me every time... It's ridiculous, I know.

Anyway, today I saw a real life candid random act of kindness on my way home. It was so uplifting, I've been in a good mood ever since. When I came to a red light, there was a mess in the intersection. Negative Nancy (me) immediately groaned, thinking there was an accident that would double my travel time home. Instead of an accident, there was a stalled out junky van in the middle of the intersection with a totally freaked out young mom in drivers' seat. Just ahead of the intersection, 2 luxury vehicles had pulled over and their emergency lights were flashing. "What is going on?" I think. Then I see the 2 men. 2 potential strangers running to help yet another stranger in the middle of a busy intersection at 5:00pm. These 2 men, tag-teamed pushing the van and waiving directions to the driver to safely pull to the side of the road. Once the driver made it safely into a vacant parking lot, I watched as the 2 men in nice leather jackets turned to each other and high-fived. Then shook hands. Then ran back to their luxury sedans and drove off.

Job well done, guys. Now I must pay it forward.

Top 10 in 2010

So here it is... my top 10 list. Now, remember, that these are not "resolutions" but things I want to accommplish or do this year. They could be something to better myself or others, or they could be things I have just wanted to do. The list will hold me accountable because I know myself, and there is nothing I get more pleasure out of than crossing things off my to-do list.

1. Read a book start to finish
2. Run in a 10k (which may have to be 2 5k's because surprisingly, 10ks are not very common options in races. They seem to only be in relays)
3. Organize my finances
4. Clean out the storage closet in the garage
5. Grow a tomato plant in my Topsy Turvy
6. Send birthday cards out in time (I have your's Urs, just thought I'd see you this week!)
7. Bake an apple pie from start to finish
8. Lose at least 5 pounds (I started this list before the holidays, so now I have a few more to shed. Fabulous)
9. Pick one craft project that I have started to finish
10. Volunteer at least 2 times this year (feeding the homeless, some type of mentor program)


I had a very hard time deciding my 10 because there are quite a few things I would like to do. Here are some of my runners up, maybe a top 11 in 11?? Joke.

Runners Up:
- Find a type of fish I like to eat
- Plan a trip (I have already started doing that, so it doesn't count)
- Call 1 close friend once a week (not the same friend, justsomeone who doesn't live in the area who I miss. The stipulations started getting complicated so I nixed that one.)
- Go to church once a month

I told several people in my family about the top 10 in oh-1o (my brother hates that I call it 0-10 and not 2010...whatev) and they all have started one too. It was interesting how their personalities shone through in their lists. For instance, some of my brother's top 10's were to record 4 songs this year, read one non-text book, and write some type of nerdy engineer formula. Are we really from the same womb??

Wish my luck! Off to start my new adventure!

I Resolute to Not Resolute

Since I am on vacation from work, my mind has had ample time to think about what 2010 will bring. In the past, I have experienced a wide range of emotions at the turn of a new year. Sometimes, I consider all the things I have not accomplished yet and become filled with anxious feelings. Sometimes, I feel refreshed by the thought of all the new doors awaiting to be opened.
Often times, (like most people), I feel bloated and stuffed after the holidays and focus on the depressing feeling of the extra holiday weight... gross.

One year in college, I was obsessed with incorporating "new" into my life. New friends, new experiences, new boyfriend, new fashions. That year, one of my good friends said something that still sticks with me. She was talking to someone and said, "You know how Jess gets at the beginning of every year... " I didn't realize that my "trying to better myself" was actually doing the exact opposite.

New years resolutions are great, but for the perfectionist in me, they lead to the anxious feelings about accomplishing these new goals to the fullest. This morning, while talking with my mom about the 90 min Bikram Yoga class we took yesterday, I said "That was great for stretching my back, but I could never do that on a weeknight..." I realized that I was immediately giving myself excuses for myself for things that I would like to add to my busy life but just might not have time every week.

So - rather than a traditional resolution, I have a checklist. Because let's face it, a list is just way more me anyway. I am comprising a list "TOP 10 IN 2010 " of things I want to do/accomplish. Some will be small, like reading a book start to finish. Some will be fun, like making a pie from scratch and growing a tomato plant. Some will benefit my future, like getting my finances organized. I have 1 so far for my friends and family: sending out by birthday cards in time. For some reason, this approach to a new year's resolution feels more exciting and inspiring rather than daunting. My complete Top 10 in 2010 list will be posted soon.

I'm already planning and creating something document my 26th year... Top 26 in 26 perhaps?? I'm thinking about selecting 26 pictures in my 26th year to make a little scrapbook or something. I would have liked to some sort of Top 9 in 09 in pictures, but I don't think I took that many pictures of what I did... Santa brought me a camera for Christmas so I will be able to post pictures again!

Kid Quote!

Kid: Oh. My. Gosh!! This calculator is right every time!!
Me: *sigh*

Kid Quote!

I thought this was funny today:

Me: How many grown-ups live in your house?
Kid: My mom and my dad... I don't know if the fish are grown-ups....

Baby Got Moves!

I just love this. It made me smile, so I thought I'd pay it forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw8mYRdMNJo

How I attempt to get ahead

I've learned some tricks for getting ahead that I'd like to share....

1. Casseroles.

This trickiest part about casseroles is to find some that aren't drenched in cheese and 3/4 pasta. I have found some that I really like on myrecipes.com. They have a link with light casseroles. Yessssss. Slow cooker meals are a great too. I cook 1 or 2 on Sunday and put half in the freezer, half in individualized tupperware for the week's lunches and dinners. It's just like a frozen dinner without all the preservatives.

2. Breakfast to-go

No, not from a fast food restaurant, but made in advance. I heat it up in the morning to liven up my 25 minute drive to work that just keeps getting longer some how. Ugh. I like making breakfast tacos with an egg white and egg mixture with turkey bacon. I'm about to add another egg breakfast compliments of my dear friend Alli: Omelets in a bag! It's genius! You put 2 eggs plus the toppings you would like in your omelet. Shake it up. Last, you just put the bag in boiling water for 13 minutes and voila - Omelet. In my opinion, I think it's better than a real omelet because it came out perfectly moist. Maybe I just haven't perfected cooking an omelet in a skillet, but I always over cook it on the outside and it just tastes gross. So thanks Alli, you've given me another recipe that will help me hit the snooze at least 2 more times!! Love you!

3. Lists.

If you know me at all, you'll know my love for lists and post-it notes.
I make lists for everything. Lists help me sleep at night. They help me priorotize. They make me feel productive. They make me feel in control. I would like to get better at making a shopping list in advance and sticking to it. I get so distracted at grocery stores, especially if I'm at a Super store. Isles of stuff I never knew I needed surround me! I think I just discovered my goal for my next grocery shopping trip: stick to my list. I always have one, but I never adhere to it at a grocery store.

Off to shower and wash my hair tonight. That will definitely give me an extra slam on the snooze tomorrow.

Socks

Have you ever noticed that you can tell a lot about a person by what kind of socks they wear?

For instance, you know someone wearing snug below-the-ankle socks is definitely under the age of 30 and at least moderately aware of their appearance. If they are athletic, they probably have special cushion on it or maybe a brand name.

Ankle socks indicate over the age of 30, but trying new things. I have noticed many women in their 40's-50's wearing the ankle socks... it's like they're almost there, but just can't bring themselves to wear what all the young kids wear.

Now, my personal fav would have to be the above-ankle socks with a scrunch. Ohhh, the scrunch... this person has absolutely no regard for current trends or style and could possibly fall into any age bracket. Yes, people, unfortunately any age bracket.

The gym is the best place to sock-watch. I do this a lot when I'm trying not to watch the clock on the treadmill. I also check the socks when I see a cute guy. In order, 1.) check socks to determine age and how aware he is of society 2.) check for ring 3.) check out muscle definition, just for fun.

Next time you're people-watching, look at the socks for a glimpse of a stranger's personality. Trust me, the imagination can easily start at the socks.

Kid Quotes #1

I always enjoy hearing funny kid quotes and have always said I should write down the crazy stuff I hear. Honestly, who doesn't love those forwards with all the cute and ridiculous quotes from kids under the age of 8?

Here's the start of my collection from my first few weeks from school:

Kid Quote #1

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Kid: I want to be an astronaut. I want to be the first person on Mars.

Me: That is so cool! I can’t wait to see you on TV someday.

Kid: If you’re alive by then…

Me: haha, I hope I am.

Kid: Well, I’m just making common sense. You’re an adult and I’m a kid. When I’m an adult, you’ll most likely be dead.

Me: Gulp.

Kid Quote #2

Me: What is another word that means the same as “SINGULAR”?

Kid responds with: seis

(for some reason, he thought I was speaking another language and said cinco... wrong either way you look at it)

Kid Quote #3

Me: Do you do that often?

Kid: offense? We play defense.

* this is why I love my job *

Not Joking

I was not joking about the fact that my life turns up side down come August and June. From 900 mph to -90 mph. My body is still adjusting.

This year, I have made several goals for myself. Both professionally (I won't bore you with those... ) and personally. By personally, I mean bettering my life outside of work. I'm not even going to include losing those 7 lbs I somehow acquired... that just goes without saying.

GOALS:
1. I will include my hobbies throughout the school year, not just June-July. Meaning, I will continue to cook, craft, and try new hobbies/activities. It will be on a smaller scale, but I feel hobbies help build a person's character as well as help us relax. It's like meditation for a busy body. There's no way I could "find my zen" and sit still for more than 1 minute... so I can reap the same benefits from doing things I like that don't involve paperwork or mind boggling procedures.

2. Read books. I'm not going to give myself a number, because that will be too much pressure when the busy weeks happen, but I want to keep reading.

3. Keep my work out schedule. Right now I am loving a Tues-Thurs work out class that I've only missed once since school started! I also want to look into 1ok's when the weather gets much less than scorching.

That's good for now... Don't want to get ahead of myself since the last school year I did not do any of #1 or #2.

Here we go!

Back to school!

... life is going to get busy again. Already has, in fact.

The week before school reminds me of Work Week for Rush in my college sorority. We would spend so much time anticipating the next group of younger girls. The more I think about it, the more associations I make with work week and the week before school starts. Although I hated work week, I like the week before school starts.

Work week in the sorority -- Week before school starts
1. Study the incoming girls -- Study the incoming students
2. Decorate the sorority house -- Decorate your classroom
3. Get to know your fellow sorority sisters and rekindle friendships after the summer -- catch up with teacher friends about their summers
4. Sit in many group meetings that seem incredibly pointless at the time -- sit in endless hours of trainings and meetings that seem pointless at the time but ultimately increase your "teacher efficacy" (new phrase we got on Tuesday)
5. Trapped in the house all day with no allowed contact with boys -- too exhausted to do anything social after trainings/working in your classroom.
6. Coke dates -- happy hours
7. One word, icebreakers (I still don't enjoy those)
8. Sing sorority songs -- sing school songs and songs for learning. "A for Apple, A - A - A..."
9. Attend the kick-off for all sororities -- Attend convocation (there is a difference here; kick-off was at night, convocation was at the butt-crack of dawn)
10. Excitement for Rush to start (and for me, excited for it to end) -- Excitement to see my kiddos again :)

Don't Look Back in Anger...

I heard this song on the way back from Oklahoma and I decided to try and adopt the title as a motto for the crappy week I just had. Just as I was getting over hating myself over the car incident last week, I experienced a woman's worst nightmare: My purse was stolen. Again, something that could have been prevented if I was more careful, but I know, that not one girl could honestly say they always, 100% of the time, have their purse on them. So I'm trying to just accept that it happened and move on without being so dad gum ticked off. Don't look back in anger.

Let me paint the picture for you:
After the post-rehearsal dinner live music & wine party, a large group of friends went to the hotel bar for some cocktails and more catching up. It was a small area, and our group definitely dominated the space... just adding to my comfort level to leave my purse on a chair. We were not there very long before we decided to call it a night. At this point, one would typically grab their purse and head up to the hotel room.

This is when the panic set in. I had not left the 5 foot radius I was standing in... not even to go to the bathroom. I looked under tables, in the bathroom, under chairs... many other people starting helping and the hotel security guard also searched the bar and lobby. No luck. It was stolen.

I had heard in the past that when you are robbed you feel very vulnerable and violated. I didn't think those emotions would apply to a purse, but it certainly did. I laid awake all night feeling that very way. Someone could (and most likely was) looking at all my personal information. Sickening. I consider myself a glass half full kind of gal, so I tried to focus on the positive:

1. E had the car keys (that would be the keys to my rental from my earlier incident)
2. The hotel was already paid for
3. I was with E and many friends who could help me out
4. I had just cleaned out my purse and taken out important things like my work badge, my iPod, important papers for work, checkbook, etc.
5. I downloaded the pictures from my camera before I left

See, there is a silver lining. Regardless, I pretty much hated humanity that night and felt depressed Saturday morning. E tried to cheer me up by driving us to Norman to show him (a staunch Texas fan no less) OU and my favorite college town full of memories.

"Larceny" (what the police officer said, for some reason it made it seem like a much bigger deal) aside, the weekend was a lot of fun. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and. The ceremony was incredibly beautiful. They had a vocalist with a very folksy, deep voice that sang several songs. This song was my favorite! I wish I could have taken a picture of how Emily looked coming down the isle. (no camera, remember. grr... don't look back in anger...) She looked so peaceful and happy. The church faced west, so when she was standing in front of the windows before she walked down the aisle, her floor-length veil was illuminated by the sun and she looked almost heavenly, like an angel. Gorgeous. Oh, and she walked down the aisle to bagpipes!! The bagpipe player was in a kilt and everything. It was awesome!

The reception was a blast with lots of old friends from high school and college. Live band. Great food. We threw bird seed when they left which I have never done. Everyone after-partied at one the usher's house that was just like a house party in college. Keg in the garage and music from a laptop attached to huge speakers and everything. :)

Highlights:
- Seeing so many old friends
- Showing E around OU and Norman on a gorgeous day
- Listening to E try and pronounce all the Indian words. Thinking about that still makes me laugh
- Watching the beautiful ceremony
- E and I being the first on the dance floor. Just us and the kids dancing to the Beatles, "I Saw Her Standing There"
- Reason to upgrade my old iPhone to the new one :)

Reality Check

I ran across this photo website today. Someone took pictures with fairy tale princesses and the reality ending, not the happy ever after ending. Check the series out at Fallen Princesses

Here's a preview of what really happened to Snow White...