Day 32: Ouchie day.

So, short post because I managed to get my first ice-related injury today and I was only outside for 2.5 minutes!  I went to get the paper and the mail and slipped, landing right on my elbow.  I have never felt this much pain in my life!  Hurts so bad.  No bueno.  On to better thoughts for today :)

Day 32:
1.  Ice packs are my new best friends.  They really do help.  The numbness has become my saving grace.
2.  Catching up on movies from my childhood.  I cranked out the Disney etc type movies today to spend time on ice day #3.  It's been a lot of fun.  "Just keep swimming!" :)
3.  Pretzels and clementines.  Sounds like a terrible combo I know, but it's a sweet and salty combo that's fairly healthy and has been a staple for me over the past few days.  Love me some clementines!

Day 31: Much of the same as yesterday...on to snow day #3 tomorrow!

Well, I would love to have something interesting to write here, however, I have done practically nothing over the past 2 days and it has been amazing!  The only not-so-amazing part...the possibility of rolling blackouts. Luckily so far, I've only been subjected to one of these, so fingers crossed it'll stay that way!  I decided that I might work on a goals list today along with the 3 things.  Let's do the goals first though...


February Goals:

(1) Fitness

- 45 minutes of cardio at the gym, 3-4x per week + 1 yoga class per week.  Get back in to college shape (hopefully) before the end of March, if not, by mid-April regardless.  

(2) Eating

- Shoot for the 5 days a week off the Booze Train, but really concentrate on the Just One Glass motto if enjoying a weekday libation
- Use this month to really kick "Teach myself to cook" efforts into full gear.  I have a bit of a head start on this one thanks to the Icepocalypse 2011 that has stormed in to town, so now to continue it.  

- Portion Control; continue with Conscious / Conscientious Eating; again this has a head start as well thanks to the Arctic Blast due to now needing to make the food last longer than originally planned.  

(3) Work

- Try not to stress over the girls' crazy requests or ability to ask the same question 15 times and still not know the answer.

- Try to get grading done in a more efficient manner.   

(4) Personal

- Read at least one textbook for my upcoming masters program per month.
- Read one guilty pleasure book per month.  

- See a few more of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars. 

- Keep up saving as much as is humanly possible before having to give it all away again in August.  

- Spring clean the closet and bedroom before spring cleaning actually gets here.  Be sure to keep only what I will TRULY wear from here on out.  Not just what I hope to fit back in to or to bring back in style.  

Ok, now for the 3 things today.

Day 31: 

1.  Lounging on the couch all day.  Really just relaxing in general.  It's great.

2.  Long warm baths on cold, cold days.

3.  Reading for pleasure again!  I have missed this so much and I am so glad I've had a few days to be able to get back to reading for fun.  

Day 30: Snow day...I mean ice day!

Enjoyed the ice day today only to discover...that I get another one tomorrow!  I'm really glad to have the day off but now we are getting into "uh oh, am I going to have enough time left in the quarter to teach the girls what they need to know?" as well as this storm is REALLY bad, so while the day off is great, I can't leave the house so I imagine that I am going to have a big case of cabin fever by end of day tomorrow.  Plus, the way things are going here, it looks like we might have Thursday off as well.  It's nuts here.

Day 30:
1.  Snow days obviously!!  I would love to say I slept in, but my stupid natural clock woke me up at 8.45, but on the plus side, I had a lot down around the house and with work before 11am :)
2.  Watching the dog discover ice and decided that no, her precious paws were not going to step on that cold stuff and realizing that that white stuff is cold when you try to sit on it, haha.
3.  Day time TV!  I forgot how much fun some guilty pleasure day time tv can be (in small doses).  I watched silly things like "Afraid of the Dark" on the History Channel, "Cake Boss" on TLC, and so many other fun things today.  Gotta love it sometimes.

Off to watch the boys play hockey on a night where they could probably play the game outside!

Day 29: Oh the glories of Texas weather!

So it was not even 8.45pm before I received a phone call tonight that said that even though it was 55 degrees outside and not raining, we would have a snow day tomorrow!!  Woohoo Texas ice storms!  Of course, I say this now, but if my power goes out tomorrow, I will not be so fond of said ice storms.  Here's hoping for a warm, relaxing day in!

Day 29:
1.  Feeling like I am really connecting with my girls.  I have felt this way before but when they really want to come to class everyday and when they say things to you like they really love English now, or they feel like they are actually getting things now, it really means so much.  You never really know how much your words as a student mean to a teacher until you become one.  It's really a great feeling.
2.  I definitely succeeded in making a great homemade meal last night!  I had the leftovers tonight and they were just as awesome.  I also got to the gym and have enjoyed relaxing and catching up on my Modern Family episodes.  It's been a productive day.
3.  Finally, and of course, snow day tomorrow!!  I am beyond excited to be able to sleep in and hang out with my puppy tomorrow.  Of course, my girls aren't too upset that their projects have been delayed either :)

Day 28: Sort of productive Sunday morning, lazy Sunday afternoon.

(These two are definitely my favorites.)

I got up at a decent hour today, thinking that I would get ALL sorts of things done today.  Yeah, haven't even made a dent in the long-running list, but at least I was able to get the "have-to's" done.  That's really key, right?  I feel like I accomplished something today, so job well done me.  Now, I get to sit, relax, prepare for classes tomorrow, eventually do a bit of reading, but most importantly, watch the NHL All-Star game!  I realize that it's just a goal-scoring fest, but it's fun to see some of the best guys in the league play one another and to see them having personalities.  Plus, they are good looking and I get to spend a couple of hours on the couch relaxing before I attempt to teach myself to cook once again.  Always a feat in and of itself.  Fingers crossed I won't have to order Chinese take out in a few hours!

Day 28:
1.  Sleeping in...especially when the dog does too!  That late night walk last night was really the best idea I've ever had because I had the chance to sleep in till almost 11am this morning, which was amazing.
2.  Home-cooked meals.  There is a great sense of accomplishment when you are able to successfully pull off cooking dinner for yourself.  If it's good, you become chef extraordinare and if it's not so good, well then it was the recipe's fault all along.
3.  NHL All-Star weekend.  In case you haven't picked up on this from other posts, I love hockey.  I live, breathe, and obsess over hockey.  It's the only sport I follow because it's the best sport in the world.  Hockey is awesome.  God bless Canada and it's boys :)

Days 26 and 27: Gorgeous days in January!

One thing I absolutely love about living in Texas in January is that some times we just weekends like this one.  It was 75 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday and is supposed to get as high at 78 today!  While the rest of the country wallows in mountains of snow, I plan to spend most of my day outside, reading and grading as well as perhaps take a little time for myself and maybe go and get a pedicure.  It's just such a gorgeous day.  I wish I had checked the weather earlier since I might have decided to heat the pool for the weekend, but really the one downfall of Texas is that the weather can change so quickly, i.e. Tuesday it is supposed to snow.  Ugh.  Oh well, I'll enjoy while I can!  Bring on springtime in Texas!

Day 26:
1.  Wearing flip flops to work.  I should explain this in that I broke my toe Thursday night so I did have a valid reason, but it's also just fun to not have to wear heels sometimes!
2.  Cheap, quick, tasty Tex-Mex food.  Another big bonus of living in Texas, which I am going to miss and crave SO much when I leave, is the FANTASTIC Tex-Mex food.  Seriously.  I could eat it everyday and balloon up to a gigantic fat person if someone would let me.  I have a problem.
3.  Really fun, imaginative dreams.  I do realize that technically this really falls on days 26 AND 27, but since I was lame and went to bed fairly early last night, I'm going to qualify this as day 26.  I really liked what my brain did last night.  I had a dream about a very attractive guy I know and us dating.  My brain did well entertaining me last night :)

Day 27:
1.  Have to include the weather here.  Currently 72 at 11.30am, not a cloud in the sky and just perfect.  Cannot wait to get outdoors!
2.  Pedicures.  These are really a godsend.  Nothing is better than the message you get in the middle of it all.
3.  Rounding out the evening with cooking a good meal (I'm slowly but surely teaching myself how to do that) and watching the hubby on tv tonight.  The skills competition is tonight and is always a fun watch.

Days 24 and 25: Having a social life.

Having a social life is great...having a social life while being a teacher at a very strenuous prep school is something else entirely.  I have had a chance to catch up with a bunch of friends this week and let me tell you, it has done nothing but wear me down and feel like an old lady!  I saw No Strings Attached on Tuesday night and that was absolutely hilarious!  Definitely worth losing sleep that night.  We really need more rated R movies.  When you can throw out one liners like that movie, you can't go wrong.  Wednesday was followed with a hockey game with the same great college buddy I went to the movies with.  He and I have pretty much become attached at the him.  We have a hell of a lot of fun hanging out together but since he doesn't have to take work home with him, his nights and mornings are infinitely easier than mine.  Here's looking forward to being lame this weekend, occasional drinks with friends, sleeping in, and possibly a trip to the casinos!

Day 24:
1.  Taking advantage of the ability to leave a bit early on my last period free and being able to get some things done before going out.  This was invaluable yesterday.  My brain needed a break and it was really nice to just be able to disconnect for a bit.
2.  Very cheap hockey tickets for one of the hottest teams in the country!  Since they can't fill the seats to save their lives right now in that arena, going to the games can be really fun for the well-priced tickets.
3.  Got a chance to sit at the glass last night and be up close and personal with hockey husband!!!

Day 25:
1.  Great on-the-run breakfasts!  Catered muffins and smoothies bought before work this morning made the day.  Great way to start the day.
2.  Students faking British accents while acting out scenes from Jane Austen really brightened up a day taken up by a terrible migraine.
3.  Treated myself to a cupcake from my favorite cupcake place.  I figure I earned it after getting through today.  Red velvet all the way!

Day 23: Team Boy or Team Single...?

(For the record, I am not saying I'm in love...there is just a potential)

A friend from work today brought up a few good points about what I loosely call "my love life" today.  I say loosely because the man I would like this love life to be settled around is really not an option at this point and in case you haven't read the early posts, it's not because he is attached to someone else; it's more because of the distance between us.  Again, I now have a way of getting around that distance but the only issue remaining is that that distance will not close until the end of the summer.  So we started discussing whether or not this was something to concern myself with between now and then.  Do I try to keep in contact and keep up the relationship begun over Christmas or do I occasionally speak to him and just keep it casual until I get there?  Is there a point in trying to make something happen between now and then since we will not be seeing each other before then?  Do I just enjoy being home and being single before I leave my friends and family for at least a year?  I really like the guy and am really interested in dating him and seeing where things go, but I feel like I am leaning more towards really enjoying my last 6 months in the US before I head overseas and leave everyone and everything behind.  Is this an indication that I am not as interested in him as I think?  Or is this a more practical way of going about life for 6 more months?  Or should I really go for things?  I should also say that I am someone who truly believes that timing is very important in life and that maybe when I get there is when this potentially will or will not work and that I'll find out then.  I wonder if I'm really the only one who thinks this way.

Day 23:
1.  New York Times Crosswords.  I try to keep the mind up to snuff attempting these puzzles as much as I can.  Got through today's pretty quickly and before you down my achievement, yes I am aware today is one of the easier days.  Complete is complete!
2.  Warm cup of peppermint tea to start the day.  I think I have decided that this is the way I should start every day at work from now on.  I am very much a tea person, so this is just what I needed after a really cold drive to work this morning.  Side note, I really need to invest in a good pair of gloves to keep my fingers from freezing touching the leather steering wheel!  Brrrr!
3.  Being all done with your chores/errands for the night before 5pm!  This is seriously turning in to a great day, not only was my place cleaned today by someone other than me (thanks Mom for helping with that!), but also I was able to do everything I needed to do after work before it starts to get dark.  It's so nice to be able to take my dog out for a walk before the sun goes down (and so much warmer!).  Now, it's off to change out of the work clothes, get comfortable, read, and go to bed early.  I know that makes me sound like an old lady, but it's so nice every now and then!

Day 22: Jury Duty day...blah.

Well I was called to jury duty today and that made for a VERY long morning.  I understand that I need to do my part as an American but man, that's a beating.  Luckily, I didn't get chosen after all but only after a long day of waiting  Guess I need to be happy I don't have to go back tomorrow.  That would be brutal.  Anyway, onwards to the good pieces of the day!

Day 22:
1.  I got to catch up a bit on my personal "for me" reading.  Since I had several hours of waiting to find out about if I was one of the lucky ones or not, I was able to catch up on my fun reading that I don't really get to do during school since I'm so busy reading and researching for classes with the girls.  I say fun reading but really it was a textbook for my upcoming grad program (fun reading to me though since I'm interested in it!).
2.  Since I was released a bit early today, I got to spend my late afternoon indulging in the entertainment that is Bravo programming.  I don't know why, but I love those shows.
3.  Cutie Clementines.  These just always remind me of spring, make me think of warm weather, and seem to always hit the spot.  I realize that these are probably not the most interesting piece of the day's 3, but I really enjoy them :)

Days 18, 19, 20, 21: Been enjoying the end of my week

So this is going to be a short one.  Obviously, it's been a busy end of my week and weekend so things have been a bit nuts.  I have had to dig and dig for information about some important things going on, so all of my free time has been focused towards that so the blog has suffered.  Anyway, back now and here are the last four days (from what I can remember):

Day 18:
1.  Yoga again today to help relax me.  I am slowly but surely learning to bend myself into a pretzel.  Literally.  Today was called pretzel day in class.  Love it.
2.  Finished my detox early today!  Needed to end things.  Was making me WAY too grouchy.  Plus I now only crave healthy things and not bad ones.
3.  One of my very best friends came home today after being going for over a month!!!  It was so great to see her again!  We had so much to catch up on and had so much fun hanging out.  I've missed her so much!

Day 19:
1.  Cupcakes with my Canadian :)  Had to reignite the tradition of cupcakes.  Ok, so this may not be a healthy craving, but had to be renewed.  It's just a necessity.  Red velvet, yum.
2.  Hockey watching with my high school best friend cannot be beat.
3.  Spending your Friday nights on a cold day, sitting on a couch, good food, good friend, good hockey, and just enjoying catching up is a really great way to start a weekend.

Day 20:
1.  Helped conduct admissions interviews today for the school I work at.  All of the girls who came in today were so sweet, polite, and terrified.  All were very impressive ladies as well.  All I can say is that if I were applying to this school today, I probably wouldn't get in now.  I was just blown away by them.
2.  The benefits of being awake and done with the day's business by 12pm are incredible.  So many things I was able to get finished being that awake that early for once in a blue moon.
3.  Following up all that productivity with a nap on the couch and then a few drinks with my boys made me feel refreshed and sociable :)  A night with the boys is really great for a laugh.

Day 21:
1.  Had lunch with a guy I have known for quite some time now but haven't seen him for about a year since he's been buried under med school books.  We ended up having an almost 3 hour lunch without even realizing it.  It was really great to see him and catch up.  Always makes me laugh.
2.  HGTV.  HGTV was my entertainment for the day.  I should state that I do not own a house, I am not planning to buy a house, and I currently am living in someone else's house but I am completely addicted to these shows and cannot wait to be able to design my own space.  House Hunters International is how I live vicariously through other people.
3.  Long showers.  I love me a long shower.  I have recently bought one of those in-shower radio deals and it's even tougher to get out of the showers on cold mornings, but so much fun to wake up to.

Days 16 and 17: So much to do, so little time

How do people have the time to work, work out, run errands, cook dinner, take care of dogs/kids/spouses/themselves and sleep all in a 24 hour period with energy to get back up and do it again the next day?!  I have been really struggling lately with all of this AND I'm not even having to cook for myself, because of this detox thing, the cooking is being done for me.  I really am drowning lately in the amount of things I have to get done and the problem is, as soon as I get some free time to work or do things, I'm so tired that all I want to do is take a nap.  Ugh!  I really wish I could get a better schedule down.  I'm going to have to really work on this in the coming days/weeks.   Of course, another thing is I am feeling really down lately because I haven't really been able to see my friends.  This detox thing makes it really difficult to go out, AT ALL.  I hate the people who go out and sit at the table with you refusing to eat or drink because they are "watching their weight", well I'd be that jerk right now if I went out, so I just haven't been.  I really need to get out this weekend.  Even if it means cheating for a bit, I need a happy break because it's just been rough lately in a lot of aspects of life.

Day 16:
1.  Early morning meetings cancelled!  This is an amazing thing.  There is nothing more draining than an early meeting when you just want to prepare for the day.  This really made me happy.
2.  Allowing yourself to "cheat" a bit on detox cleanse.  I am allowed to "cheat" for one meal a week and I took mine yesterday.  I really needed something sugary and couldn't shake the craving.  I can tell you now, that was the best sugar I've ever tasted :)
3.  The season premiere of White Collar with my best guy friend.  Headed over to his place to watch the show and Neal Caffrey did not disappoint.  The man is probably the most attractive human being on television at the moment and that includes Eric Northman.  There, I've said it.

Day 17:
1.  One of my very best friends will finally be home after being out of the country for over a month in less than 24 hours!!!!  I am beyond excited to see her!
2.  I brought my new camera to work with me today and plan to go out and play around with it a bit after I leave.  I'm excited to see what it can do.
3.  Coming home to a clean house.  I am currently housesitting for my parents and their maid comes today and as snotty as that sounds, it's just so nice to come home to a clean house.  It just gives you a nice uplifting, relaxing, I don't have to clean today feeling that makes the evening.  It's the little things, I'm telling you.

Day 15: Unsure...

Unsure about myself, unsure about my feelings, unsure about his feelings now, just completely unsure.  I feel like I always get myself in too deep before knowing it is reciprocated, and thought I had avoided that this time around, now I'm not so sure.  I feel like this is now going the way I don't want it to and again I feel like an idiot.  I am still holding on to hope that this will work but it's the holding on that makes me feel stupid.  A friend once told me that if a guy likes you, you will know.  I think that's a far point and always makes me wonder about things.  I mean I have had guys play hard to get before or act as if they dont like me because they dont know if I like them or that they were just so shy they weren't sure how to act or what to say to me.  So I have NO idea if I should hold out hope, give up, or be up front.  I am trying to decide what to do...

Day 15:
1.  Lounging on the couch all day.
2.  Sunny days after weeks or gloomy and rain.
3.  A good chocolate chip cookie.  They are hard to come by, but this one was great! :)  

Day 14: Gutted

You know it's going to be a rough day when you casually get the news from a friend that the way you read someone and read a situation couldn't have been more wrong.  I'm sort of sick and tired of getting taken advantage of.  I really don't know how I keep reading things the wrong way when it comes to certain people.  It's very disheartening to think that either I might be losing my touch on reading people or that I seem to attract these people.  I'm also just sad that this great person may not be as great as I once thought, or that they are not thinking that about me.  Yesterday was just a tough day.  I would love to be mad at someone and blame them, but in reality, I think it all comes down to letting myself get to that point.  Live and learn again, I guess.  Here's hoping the next situation is better read.

Day 14:
1.  Hanging out with a work colleague who has now turned into a very good friend today.  I always really look forward to hanging out with her.  She is just so upbeat and positive that it's hard not to be the same way when you leave her.  It's truly a breath of fresh air and needed today.
2.  The Golden Globes.  I tend to think all things celebrity are a bit ridiculous and excessive.  Do I read those trashy magazines?  Of course, mainly while travelling, but I just love the fashion and I feel like the Golden Globes are so much more fun as they allow these crazy people to drink at the same time.  It's a fun night of Tivo.
3.  I am now on Day 5 of my cleanse and I feel amazing.  I have lost a bunch of weight already which is great, but the fact that I feel so much more energetic is really the key.  I'm hoping it makes me feel even better as I go along, both physically and mentally.

Days 12 and 13: Decisions, decisions

(P.S.  I want this girl's red hair!)

Tough spot to be in when you realize that you can have the dream you've wanted for the last 5 years, but it comes at a very steep price.  Do you go for it and live with no regrets or do you play it practically and hope it comes around again in the future?  I know which way I'm leaning, just have to play it through in my head a few more times.

Day 12:
1.  Fridays that begin a 3-day weekend.
2.  Relaxing bubble baths.
3.  Being able to sit down and read a book for enjoyment and not feeling guilty about the fact that I am not doing something for work.

Day 13:
1.  Being able to sleep in!  Even if it's only until 9.45 because the dog wants to play :)
2.  Great (healthy!) breakfasts!  I've never been one for breakfast.  I normally cannot make myself eat that early in the morning, but this morning I had my breakfast made for me before I got up and it was healthy and absolutely DELICIOUS!  I could do breakfast every morning if that's it and it's made for me haha.
3.  Cleaning the house and de-cluttering.  I realize this is an incredibly boring way to spend a Saturday of a long weekend, but there is really a great feeling or relief and renewal that comes from de-cluttering and perhaps donating things I no longer need or use to those who could realize put them to good use.

Days 10 and 11: Ho-hum days of work

Not a whole lot going on in the last few days so I'll do my best on 3 things per day!

Day 10:
1.  A friend from work brought me a fantastic gift.  A calendar of amazingly hot athletes and my crush is definitely Mr. January.  My birthday and a hot man.  It might be January all year round in my cube.
2.  Listening to my iPod, 12 of my favorite songs came on in a row.  There really is something to be said for music pumping you up in the middle of the day!
3.  Finally got back into the gym today.  Really feel better after working out.  Now it's really just about making time every day to do it, not claiming I couldn't find the time.

Day 11:
1.  Having options in life really just makes you relax that much more when problems come your way.  I absolutely love the feeling that comes with knowing you have a plan for the future.
2.  At the same time, I also love the scariness and excitement that comes with knowing that I have a HUGE adventure in front of me.  So excited in fact that I cannot wait to get started.  Even if it is 7 months away.
3.  Yoga really helped to relax me and take away some of the negatives that creeped into the end of my day.  Had a meeting that really irked me, but yoga really helped clear that up.  I'm not one of those hippy-dippy types but it's amazing how much it can help some times.

Day 9: Best (and scariest) day ever!

So I DID IT!!!!  I got in to grad school in London!!  I am beyond excited and thrilled and cannot even begin to put into words how much I have wanted this and for how long.  I can hardly contain myself!!!  This is shaping up to be a really great year.  Of course, it will also be the first time in my life that I will be far, far away from my entire family.  That is the scary part.  I made a pact to myself though that this year was going to be the year I lived to the fullest, taking risks, and no regrets, trying to do many of the things I constantly told myself I would do.  Here is the perfect way to start it.  Here are the three for today.  I'm sure you have an idea as to what one might be...

Day 9:
1.  I got into school!!!  I now have an option for next year and it's one that I have wanted for so, so long.  I cannot wait to have that adventure in London and beyond.
2.  I got to have a fun and flirty conversation with the boy today and I can now let on that this move will remove the biggest obstacle for that.  So here's hoping that this is a good sign, that even if he may not be the one who holds my attention once there, that it'll at least be fun while there on the boy front.
3.  I just LOVE that city.  I could talk for days about all the fun things to do there, but really it's the way I feel there that seals it for me.  I feel like I belong there.  I really truly become a completely different, completely true, completely confident, and most importantly, completely happy person there.  I cannot wait to get there now.

Best day in a long time...

Day 8: Late Arrival and casual days

Today, while a little nerve-wrecking getting through the ice and out of the neighborhood, was absolutely beautiful on the drive in to work today.  Snow and ice is absolutely gorgeous until the sand trucks get in the way and turn the winter white into grubby brown and white messes.  It is also going to be a fairly easy day at work which is a wonderful change because it makes things a bit less stressful for me when I get home as well.  I also get to watch Sense and Sensibility with the girls.  There really is nothing better than watching romantic movies with a group of 16 year old girls to brighten up the day.

Day 8:
1.  Late arrival is amazing!  Starting work at 10.30am rather than 8am really makes a huge difference in the outlook of your day, especially when I only have to teach 3 hours out of 7 today.  Sometimes I really love my job.
2.  Sense and Sensibility might be one of my favorite movies ever.  Jane Austen can really build up a girl's romantic hopes, especially when I just spent a weekend celebrating getting older and realizing that I'm still single. Sometimes good, but don't want it forever.
3.  Easing eating and exercising habits through planned food systems.  I am starting a food delivery service plan today and am very excited that I will not have to cook at all for 3 weeks and that it will hopefully make me feel better and have more energy.  Coupled with exercise, I am very excited to jump start feeling better this year.  I really hope it makes a genuine difference.  We shall see.

Day 7: It's my birthday!

So, today has been pretty uneventful which is great.  I absolutely love lazy Sundays, especially lazy Sundays that are my birthday...and lazy Sundays that are snowy!  I have to say, living in the South, we rarely get snowy anything, so when we do, it's just so beautiful.  Also, it just makes it that much better that it was on my birthday because I can remember wishing for snow on my birthday since I was a little girl.  It finally came true.  When I turned 27, in Texas, go figure.  It's still pretty amazing.

Day 7:
1.  Snow!  How can you not be happy with snow?  I feel like everyone turns back into a little kid.  My dad was even throwing snowballs like a 5 year old this afternoon.
2.  The Cupcakery.  While this shop does nothing for my waistline, it is truly one of the tastiest places on the planet.  I absolutely love them and loved having them in place of a birthday cake.
3.  My parents and friend.  The parents are amazing, took me to a nice brunch this morning, then came home for them to sing Happy Birthday to me still at my old age.  And my friends were so great last night.  I cannot remember the last time I had that much fun on my birthday.  It was so nice to see so many people who mean so much to me come out and spend time with me.  I am truly thankful for all of them.

It's been a fantastic weekend.

Days 5 and 6: A little bit of good...a little bit of bad

Friday was definitely a mixed bag.  Started out with a normal preparation for work.  Moved on to being great because I had to take a half day and was done early, got to see an old friend briefly, and found out some fun news about the boy.  Day then moved on to a truly awkward conversation that was really important and I hope went better than I felt.  And then finished up with one of my favorite outings in the world, going to the AAC.  Here's hoping I can learn not to stress about the dip in my day and can enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Day 5:
1.  Finding out that the boy you like (and have just a bit of a minor crush on) feels similarly to you is a great way to start a weekend and can really make up for some crappy parts of your day.
2.  Half day at work!  I had to take a half day for some personal issues, but let me just say that it was great to be done with everything a little early on a Friday.
3.  Hockey!  Hockey might be one of the best things on the planet.  I absolutely love the sport, the men, and the experience.  Got to go to a game last night and had a blast.

Day 6:
1.  Sleeping in is definitely underrated.  I love my bed so the fact that I got to spend a few additional hours there this morning really started the day off right.
2.  Birthday cards in the mail make me smile.  They really mean so much more than the birthday email or birthday text.  Someone remembered me early enough to put forth the effort to buy a card and send me a sweet message :)
3.  Beyond excited to see most of my best friends tonight to celebrate my having been born.  Not a huge fan of getting older, but I heard probably the best way ever of looking at it at work yesterday - as I get older, I don't look forward to celebrating the number so I just celebrate longer.

Days 4 and 5: Things have been a little hectic...time to slow down for a few minutes

So we are only 5 days into this little experiment and I am already a day behind.  What does that tell you about my time lately?  Little crazy, I can tell you that.  I'm going to have to make up for it, so here we go.

Day 4:
1.  I absolutely LOVE daydreaming.  There is nothing better than allowing your brain to decompress and then think of things that are fun, freeing, and anything but the cubicle you may sit in (like me).  I did that a few times yesterday.
2.  Seeing my teenage students excited to see their teacher after Christmas break made my day.  I absolutely love my students and they were so happy to see me and vice versa.  It was so nice to see all of their smiling faces again, even if it means back to work.
3.  Realizing that I have definitely grown up and become my own person after spending some time with fading friends.  I had the chance to realize that I really have taken steps forward to being comfortable with myself, who I am and who I want to be known as.  For the first time in awhile, I feel comfortable in my own skin.  It's an amazing feeling.

Day 5:
1.  Yoga.  Yoga is something I absolutely love doing but never really get a chance to.  I had a great friend rope me into signing up for classes and I couldn't be happier.  It makes me so calm which is something I so desperately need in my life.
2.  Romantic possibilities.  I have spent quite a bit of my day thinking great thoughts about the possibility of being with someone who I know and admire and truly like and hoping that he feels the same way.  Having recently spent a good deal of time really getting to know him, I feel like there is a good chance that that is the case.  If only certain obstacles were not currently in the way.  Perhaps sometime in the near future, they will free up and it won't be a problem.  Fingers crossed.  He simply makes me smile, which is everything.
3.  Good old fashioned childhood superstitions.  There is something to be said for the old fashioned "make a wish at 11:11" or tossing coins in fountains or wishing on a star.  I know that I had a particularly rough day yesterday, and on my way home flippantly wished on a star.  You can imagine my amazement and surprise and Virginia-esque wonder when it came true before I even stepped foot back in my house.  Sometimes, childhood memories really can make things better.  Maybe there will even be a few more instances of that happening soon for me.  Maybe.

Day 3: This had been a rough day

This has been a really hard day to find three good things about.  I really don't know why I also let myself get wrapped up in stuff like this but for some reason, as soon as I start feeling like I understand a guy, I end up realizing that I either don't understand him or don't understand men in general at all.  Maybe I read too much into things...no, wait, I DEFINITELY read too much into things.  (I really need to work on that too.) I don't know how NOT to.  I know all guys say that they really don't think about things that deeply but I'm sure some guys do, right?  Surely there has to be a few exceptions like there are with girls, and then if there are, what if this guy is one of those exceptions and he reads too much into what I send?   I really just sent it as a friendly message and then began freaking out when he hadn't responded (in only a few hours, not too long) and then a friend of mine mentioned that maybe it was because it sounded slightly like I wanted a relationship with him (which I do, but it just cannot happen now and I know this, so I'm not trying to).  Oh god, here I go again, sounding like I'm overanalyzing everything.  Bottom line, I know that fate has a way of working out and I know all of the cliches like "If it's meant to be, it'll work out" etc, but I hate them and I really hate waiting on responses when I put my heart out on my sleeve and live to the fullest.  Why can't we all just be honest with what we want?  Why is that so difficult?  I feel like I might be able to cope better with things if everyone was honest and upfront from the start, rather than diddling around topics or feelings just to make things worse in the long run.  Ok, this is sounding like I'm really pessimistic about this guy now.  I'm not.  I just know that a really long-distance relationship is not something that either of us really have time (or money) for at the moment.  Maybe if I end up moving where he is (a pre-planned potential move, has nothing to do with meeting him, just a potential added bonus now).  We shall see.  Again, time will tell.  If it's meant to be...

Day 3:
1.  I got a chair massage for free at work today as part of a community bonding thing.  It was a fantastic break in the day!  Yay for personal counseling department!
2.  I received word that I have made it to a telephone interview on Friday for something I really, really want, so fingers crossed that it goes well!
3.  Eatzi's salads might just be the best salads in the world and I got one for lunch today.  (Told you I was pushing it on good things today.)

That is all.

Day 2: Oh the joy of naps!

1.  Naps might be the most amazing things ever!

2.  Dreading going back to work, only to have my day seem so much better as soon as I see of all of the great friends I work with.  I love those ladies!

3.  Driving to work blasting bass-pumping music might be my new favorite way to wake up in the morning.  Definitely makes me smile.

365 Days of the Good Life - Day 1

So I've decided to delete every single post that had previously been on this blog because they were ALL negative.  I was definitely in a bad spot in 08/09 and I had to take a deep look at myself and realize that if I didn't do something about it, I had stayed that way quite a bit longer than I wanted.  As well as I had a conversation with a new friend over the Christmas holidays about my possible new years resolution.  Rather than doing the typical "I should lose weight" set-up that always fails, I decided I needed to work on other aspects of myself than just the outside (I do intend to work on that too but I feel like maybe NOT making that my resolution will mean it has a better chance of succeeding!).  Well after seeing this on a friend's blog, I've decided that I really need to focus on the more positive aspects of my life and stop being so cynical about myself and my life.  Because of this, I've decided that I will talk about 3 positive things about my life (or simply my day) for each day of the year.  I just really need to focus on bettering myself and then maybe good things will follow.

So here we go...
Day 1:
1.  I have a great full-time job with students who I love no matter how crazy their essays make me.
2.  I just went to London for 2 weeks on my own and discovered that I absolutely LOVE traveling on my own and meeting up with people once there.
3.  Cold days in Texas that actually feel like winter make me smile.  I love sitting near a window in an over-sized sweatshirt, drinking some tea, just enjoying the day.