An odd weekend.

M and I had to make a very difficult decision to rehome our little dog Tassel.  We took him to his new family yesterday.

I cried like someone died. It kinda feels like someone did. I can remember picking him out and up at eight weeks. He was my doggie. A sweet little lap companion.

But his needs are high and since I have been teaching, his quality of life with us hasn't been meeting those high needs. A six pound dog just can't be in a crate for ten plus hours.

Ivory can handle it because she is much lower maintenance.  She has been a bit off the past day but we think its probably because we are. She keeps kinda looking around like he may show up...

When we took him he just nuzzled his little head in my chest and looked up. I wonder if dogs can wonder if you're coming back for them.  I really hope not.

Keep me in your prayers. I really need them.

XOXO

Aud

Ooh la la la la la la la...

Grace Potter. How did I not become obsessed with her sooner? I've been listening to gp and the nocturnals all week and loving it! I've been trying to chill through my anxiety lately. Here's what I have been listening to:

1. Paris (and this entire album)
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
I feel so empowered by her music. I just love it.
2. Chasing Pirates
Norah Jones
3. Hold You in My Arms
Ray LaMontagne (spelling?)
4. Jolene
As written by the above, as performed by ZBB
Love Zac Browns voice and his twist on this
5. Lie in our Graves
DMB
This is always uplifting to me. It's that you'll never know til you loosen up song.
6. Adele's 21 in its entirety
7. Green Eyes
Coldplay
8. Will You Return
Avett Bros
9. Just bought the new Incubus cd today... reviews to follow !
10. Hell on heels
pistol annies
Ta ta for now.

XOXO
Aud

Ps sorry for any crazy autocorrects as this was posted via DROID.

Computer Programmer by Day, Paranormal Investigator by Night?

Alternative Titles of This Post:

No More Ghost Hunters before bed...

When We Think Our Dreams are Real...

M Makes Me Laugh.

My Husband, The Alarmist.

Last night, we watched some Ghost Hunters on Sci Fi (nerd-gasm!) before falling asleep.  And if anyone should have been entitled to having a scary dream, it should have been me, who literally fell asleep during an investigation of a haunted castle in Europe.  However, this is M's story.  Let's be clear when I say my husband isn't necessarily a sleep talker... he occasionally mumbles during sleep, but I think we all do that, from time to time.

In the middle of the night, he jostles awake from sleep (OR WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN AWAKENED STATE**** this is a most important distinction.) and says "AUDREY Oh my God, do you see that???!" 

Groggy, unpleasantly surprised and irritated from being pulled from what was my rather pleasant dreamland (which was quite a nice and welcome vacation from my school anxiety dreams which have been plaguing me all summer long (i.e. no lesson plans, no class library, students leaving the room, being out of control... those are a whole other story)).... I said "what are you talking about?" 

"In the corner over there, do you see that shadow?"  At this point, I am a little spooked.  M is probably one of the most reasonable individuals I know, so I take his concern seriously.  I sit up in bed trying to establish the shadowing and shapes he is referring to by the door in our bedroom.  After a few moments of sleepy confusion, and what I could have sworn was M actually looking at me while I tried to negotiate this claim, I reply with a simple "I don't see anything, babe."

"Do you think our cameras will pick up that shadowing?  It's almost like what we saw in those other houses."  Let's be clear again- there are NO cameras of any kind in our bedroom- so hold thy comments. 

At this point, I realize that M is essentially talking and dreaming simultaneously.  With an appearance of being awake, this was a rare occurrence for us.  Now it's time to have a little fun...

"What kinds of things did we see in other houses?" I egged on, with a exhausted smile in the dark.

"Apparitions, shadows and beams of light. Don't you remember?" M has convinced himself of this reality.

"Are you sure I was there?  Because I don't remember being there..." I probed.

"You don't remember being there??" ::M shakes head in disappointment::

Too ashamed to go on, I say "I think you are having a dream."

"No I'm pretty sure I would know if this was a dream..."

End scene.

This morning, he remembers nothing about this event, or the dream sequence at all for that matter.  Does anyone else or anyone else's spouse or bedmate as the case may be, have perfectly lucid conversations and not remember them?

XOXO,

Aud

Three Posts in a Day... Unheard of!

So I am clearly feeling verrrrry chatty today.

Being OCD as I am, I have been scheming about my fall fashion...  Can I just say, fall is my favorite season to dress for?  I love the rich tones and hues... the weight of the textiles makes my heart do a little autumnal flutter.  And I am so ready for it.

First of all, QVC is fast becoming my preferred vendor.  Holy crap!  It all started with makeup, then I got into the home stuff and now, could it be?  I might be crossing into fashion.

Last night, I got raked into Isaac Mizrahi on Q (doesn't he also design a line in Tar-jay?)...Other than the purely comedic value of watching his fabulousness up there talking about clothes like a fashionista he is, he had some really beautiful fall staples.  I tots made a wishlist this morning of things I want to buy when I get money...
Um hello, fabulous brown and mustard scarf.  I must have you.

 I want this belt.  First of all, it's a stretchy belt.  Second, I love the equestrian look it has to it.  Thirdly, it's going to be great for belting anything.. dresses, cardis, tunics...

I have been searching far and wide for a fab trouser jean with a wide leg.  I can only remain hopeful that these may be them.  I do get sketched out ordering pants online, which are definitely the hardest to fit me in, even when they're tangible... but if you go by your measurements, it's usually nothing a tailor can't fix.

Believe it or not, I have never owned anything like this before.  This is a water repellent coat and the taupe color is just dreamy.  I keep envisioning this with the scarf.

Horizontal stripes... the infamous enemy of any person seeking a flattering fit.  I almost disagree here.  This is an iffy piece.  I feel like the V neck and length to cover the butt may be enough to trump conventional wisdom about stripes.  I think this boyfriend cardi is presh.

To balance a closet of casual and professional dress is challenging, but I have my eyes on these pieces that I am convinced can do both.

Cheers to fall!

XOXO,

Aud

Two Posts in a Day... Ambitious!

Lucky you... I'm not done talking!  Shocking, I know...

So as I last reported about a month ago (worst blogger ev!) I'm on the weight loss train.. and since then have, woohooo, lost 15 lbs!!

... and have now been the SAME WEIGHT for the past six days... I'm talking within two tenths of a pound every single day for the past week.  I don't know why that is considering I have been so freaking good.  It's a bit frustrating, but I know something has got to give sooner or later.

All I have wanted was something sweet today...from the moment my feet hit the floor I longed for something rich and decadent and filled with chocolate goodness.

Could have gone for a Bubblecake death by chocolate cupcake if I ruled the world... but alas, I settled for these Emerald Cocoa Roast almonds I bought for these very moments..  OMG they were awesome when you don't get to eat anything like this and they come in portioned 100 cal. bags which is somewhat a necessity for me...I ate each almond individually and savored the flavor.  FML. What a desperate nerd I have become.



XOXO,

Aud

Milestone Events Month?!

Hola, dear friends!  What is up with these past few weeks??  There is abundant happiness everywhere.  And I freaking LOVE it.

Three people I know tied the knot Saturday and I asked my BFF if pregnancy was a communicable disease this morning.

I shit you not I know five people who announced being with child in the past couple weeks... and know of more who are working on it or have already been PG. And also know of a baby who was born today.  Life is so blessed and such a blessing.

Something is in the air!  Or we're just getting to the age where people aren't just getting married everywhere around us, but creating life everywhere around us.

XOXO,

Aud
(whose new profile name is Mrs. O. because I created a classroom blog with my current gmail account rather than making a new gmail account...winning!)

Getting Back in the Saddle...

Hi friends!  Sorry I was M I A last week- we had 1920s weddinging to tend to for my dear friend, Maddie.  Definitely had a great time catching up with old friends.  It always shows me how blessed I am to have them in my life.

However, what has not been a great time for me was reflecting on the photos from said event.  It definitely helps your life to see yourself in pictures, I think.  You get a sense of reality much different than what you construct seeing yourself every day in the mirror.  Holy tightwhiteflapperdressandchinsandjowls, I have GOT to get back in the saddle!

So that, my friends, I am doing... it's day one.  And I feel like crap like all the day ones before...but then you also feel a twinge of hopeful, too.  As a professional dieter, I'm just kinda done having to do a day one.  I've said it before, but for reals...  You get in this place of self-loathing that you are having to back step and lose the same weight all over again.  But then again, if you can do it once, you can do it again.

Away from my Debbie Downer-ness... here is some motivating, feel good tune-age for fresh starts!

1. With My Own Two Hands  Ben Harper
2. Natural Woman  Aretha Franklin
3. Extraordinary  Better Than Ezra
4. I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas
5. The First Day of My Life Bright Eyes (okay I'm being a little schmoozy/gushy/romantic on that one... but God bless my darling husband!)
6. Weight of the World Chantal Kreviazuk
7. Everyday DMB
8. Take it Easy The Eagles
9. Freedom George Michael
10. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson

So cheers to you friends (raising unsweetened green tea/double-fisting with a liter of water...)!  Have wonderful and safe holiday weekends.

XOXO,

"I've Always Depended on the Kindness of Strangers"

In high school, I can remember studying Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" in both English 9 class with the esteemed Walter Robinson and in theatre class.  I can remember this because I enjoyed it was flat out obsessed with those deep South accents and twisty characters.  I enjoyed TN Wms so much, in fact, that I bring Streetcar up on my blog this very day.  Blanche DuBois, the fragile femme lead featured in the play, has a line she says right before she is taken away to a mental institution that always stuck with me...

"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."



I believe the obvious interpretation on this line exposes Blanche's many inner weaknesses.  And you may say I am crazy and reaching far to make this connection... but in her largest moment of vulnerability, that is what Blanche DuBois chose to say... so I say...

What if we could all say this when we're at rock bottom?  Wouldn't it be nice if we also could depend on the kindness of strangers?

These are days where people must earn the trust of most people before anyone would let anyone depend of their kindness.  And kindness is not given freely as much as it needs to be.

Over the weekend, there was a car fire at the restaurant.  A severe blaze, really.  A mother and son who were coming to enjoy a Sunday meal at the restaurant, instead, were stunned as their transportation burned before their eyes.

Two twenty-something women were also dining with us Sunday. I should have checked them both for angel wings.  Of their own free choice, they took it upon themselves to stay with this family.  They came in and retrieved lemonades for them while they were dealing with the aftermath.  They walked in and checked them in to eat once the hustle had died down... and they even sat, hours after their own meal, with this mother and son while they had their meal.  These folks were complete strangers to them.  But these women chose to take their Sunday afternoon to comfort them with their company during this incident.  It really got me thinking... would I have taken the time to do that for someone I didn't even know?

These kind women were definitely my age... so you can't tell me it's because they are seasoned and have "life experience" that they stayed.  

It was a selflessness.  A purity of soul... it's what we should want to be.  We should want to provide any and every stranger with that special kindness that comes from within.  It speaks so much more powerfully than a message on the sleeve.

XOXO,

A Long Lost Blogger

Hi friends!

I told some of you I would be back after school let out for summer and I am meaning to tell you I cannot disappoint!  It's my first Monday off and here I am with some random thoughts... shocking.

I have realized I am a terribly inconsistent blogger.  And that's okay because most of the people who follow me are people I know and they understand my spasticness.  Thank goodness. :-)

What's shufflin' Early Summer 2011:
1. Can't Tell Me Nothing                       Kanye West
2. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall            Coldplay
3. Do It For You, Do It For Us             Ben Harper
4. Party Rock Anthem                           LMFAO
5. Knee Deep                                       ZBB and Jimmy Buffett
6. Tonight Tonight                                 Hot Chelle Rae
7. Rumour Has It                                  Adele
8. Tripping Billies                                  DMB
9. Alumni Blues                                     Phish
10. Summertime                                   Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff


Projects in Progress:
1. Walking dogs more frequently
Ivory's apparently overweight... apparently.. and now eating food she barely likes and on an exercise regimen.  Tassel, however, needs to gain weight, but also needs walks for his "separation anxiety and general anxiety issues"
2. Leveling my class library
This is going to be a beast but worth it.  I need to find the reading levels for all the titles I have so far for my classroom and organize the books into bins.
3.Wrapping up research and beginning writing for thesis ****** (Eighty thousand asterisks and emphasis!)
I'm not gonna lie, I'm behind... like possibly a month behind.  My personal goal is to have a first draft turned out by September.
4.Accumulating stuff for my classroom
Nuff said.


Projects Approaching:
1. Menu Planning System
Matt says I wander through the grocery store like a lost child.  He suggested I start being a more thoughtful consumer and plan the week's meals before setting foot in the store.
2. Couponing? (maybe?)
I am so intrigued, yet so intimidated.
3. Cricut Bulletin Board things (once I figure out which subject(s) I am teaching)
4. Painting upstairs bathroom
It needs a facelift.
5. Reading... for pleasure.
I want to read Water for Elephants.

Things I love lately:
1. Dried Mangoes
Yummo!
2. Burnett's Orange Cream Vodka
So classy right now and excellent in Orange Soda.
3. My Cricut
Best birthday gift in awhile from M.
4. Employment
So blessed to have a position for next year in third grade.
5. Where the Heart Is
I Netflixed this the other day and I had forgotten how excellent it is!

XOXO,

Things I have Missed Sharing! (Lengthy!)

1. I am back in the gym... 
And it is carnage.  It is a slow and sore start for which I am wholly responsible for having to endure.  Student teaching was kind of really hard on me- definitely the most stressful scholarly semester I have experienced ever.  Consequently as November soared in with multiple observations and essentially teaching full time for the first time, my gym visits rapidly declined.  I still went, but what good is it really to go twice a week (see Nest article in #6)?  Come December, I went a zero times.  These months of falling off the exercise (and eating) wagon have backtracked me considerably.  So here I go.  I am ready to be obsessed with how exercising feels again.  I'm tired of crying over Biggest Loser episodes, even though I still will. :)

I dropped my overpriced Gold's membership and moved my membership to Planet Fitness.  I like it a lot!  There are tons of machines and the environment is good.  I think I will be really happy there.  Shameless plug for Planet Fitness: I am paying 20 bucks/month for gym, unlimited guest privileges (basically, anyone can come with me as much as every day if they want. If ya wanna tag along, hit me up!), unlimited tanning (I am disgustingly white right now and feeling like ass because of that fact), unlimited massage chairs, half price drinks... it's just the way to go for me... This effectively save us $45.50/month between saved tanning and gym expenses.

2. I have developed a slight relationship with Jersey Shore for the first time. (Do you like how I had to share this one before number 3?)
How did I ever stay away from Snooki, JWoww, The Situation and the gang?!  I have been missing out on the trainwreck that is the Jersey Shore!!  Why didn't someone tell me of this trashy hilarity?  I'm sorry, but if you can't find any entertainment value in this show, it's your own fault.  It's a hilarious spectacle. I think I should make Jersey Shore names for all my friends...

3. I got a new job!
I am delighted to inform you all of my new job with a local elementary school!  I am helping about 10 students in grades 3-5 throughout most of their school day and for two hours every afternoon. (M-F 9-5).  These children are experiencing difficulties decoding and need help achieving in reading.  I am completely excited about starting this job and meeting these kids.  I am also excited that it could translate into a classroom position for next fall if I work hard and show I can get results!

4. The holidays went well.
This is worth saying.  We ran around the region over Christmas, but it is always like that.  As much as I love spending time with my family, sometimes I wish we could bring everyone to us.  Maybe when we have babes, this will be easier to accomplish.  I really want my kids to wake up slow at home on Christmas morning.

5. A few  Several unspoken resolutions:
1. Be a better friend, daughter, sister and wife.
I always want to do this.  I find it is more important now than ever.

2. Be more faith-full.
Not in my marriage, but in my heart.  I need to have more faith in God.  I want to be able to relinquish control of some of the plaguing situations I face, and know that He will take of it.  Maybe it won't be the way that makes sense to me, but it will be taken care of.

3. Get these floors/carpets redone in some capacity. 
I am tired of these shitty carpets.  So is Matt.  I believe this will be a tax refund investment.

4. Land a classroom teaching position.
I am closer all the time with my new position.  I still plan to apply to a few other districts across the region, too.

5. Concentrate on my fitness, not my impending baby fever.
This probably should be its own post, but alas...Since I was a little girl, I always knew I would be a mom.  To be honest, it might be is a stronger and more permanent aspiration than any other I have had.  Since about last summer, the baby fever is sweeping in.  And lately people all around me are pregnant and experiencing the miracle of birth.  I have a sorority sister who lives in Kentucky; I met her in Palm Springs for our soror's convention.  She and I managed to become facebook friends and I have followed her marriage and life virtually.  After a long bout of trying to conceive, she did.  She is a beautiful writer and has written about her pregnancy in a blog.  It brings tears to my eyes a lot of the time.  Things like that make me look forward to our time.  I have a new little cousin as of Monday.  I saw him on his birth day and he looked so small and peaceful.  Life is such a miracle and gift.  M knows all about my baby fever.  We talk about that time a lot.
We both know it's not the right time.  So this year, I resolve to focus on getting me right first. Getting a salaried job, my thesis mostly done and my weight where I want it to be (which btw, will still call me fat on a doctor's weight chart.)  And I guess I resolve to watch less episodes of a Baby Story and Teen Mom... that one's gonna be tricky... ;-)

6. Random Thingys and Thoughts:
I like to write and writing a thesis is scary to me.

Have you ever tried those Black Ice flavored waters from Sam's?  You should.

I switched face wash this week to philosophy's Purity. So far, so good.

Nest article re: Weight Loss Mistakes keeping us from losing weight.


I have been loving the new Maroon 5 c.d.  If you're a fan, you should look into it.

Did you know that you can upload coupons from Kroger's website onto your Kroger card?  Sure beats shuffling around the paper ones in line.

Don't waste your money on Little Fockers, but do see True Grit.

XOXO,

Here's The Deal...

So without any good excuse, it has taken me 20 days to get to my blog and start blogging about the new year, my personal goals, the usual new year rants...

Because I am getting ready to leave in like ten minutes and make my first gym appearance since early December... (shameful)... I will give you a better post(s) this afternoon... but I guess my point is... I didn't die!  I am still here, still wanting to blog about the randoms in my/our life/lives.

So for now, you will have to wait in suspense!

XOXO,

In the Calm of a Snowy Morning...

When the snow falls, I am such a big fan.  That continuous fluffy blanket of white hasn't been corrupted by dirty footprints or plows and shovels.  The millions of tiny flakes just fall into a perfect sea of white.  This morning, I woke up early to that dull before-sunrise glow of the reflecting snow.  As a young child, I always could count on at least a delay whenever I saw that orangey glow in the early morning sky. (Since in Salem, a day off was never a guarantee).

So this morning, I came downstairs, made myself a few cups of coffee and perfectly crafted omelet, in which none of my cheese fell out into the hot pan and the creation folded perfectly (always a good sign to a good day).  I opened my kitchen blinds so that I could see out.  Nowhere to be, no sense of urgency... just me, my dogs and the snow.

I feel very relaxed today.  This snow is a nice exclamation mark on the sentence of completion of all my work I have done this semester.  I am done and I am at peace... until I start Mr. Thesis, but let's not go there today.

Because today, I am calm.


XOXO,

Tis The Season To Be Jolly!

Well hello there, blog friends!  Long time, no post.  Between getting sick, student teaching, a DMB concert and watching the Hokies kick some FSU arse, I have not been blogging the way I used to blog.  And this was brought to my attention that I needed to blog again! (Thanks K and M! :-) )

I can't believe Christmas is in 15 days.  I definitely have not started Christmas shopping.  M and I are planning an excursion today.  For the first time in a longggg time, I have gift-giving block for a few people on my list.  Some people are so hard to shop for!  I can't detail the specifics here because, gosh, they could be readers! :)  But it has definitely been a frustrating start to shopping for the Osbornes.  M and I went to the mall a couple weeks ago and literally just did the walk in circles.  Great exercise, no gifts bought.  I wasn't in the mood yet...too much stress.

Now that hopefully the stress is on the decline, today, I am in the mood to be merry.  I just watched figure skating on the Today show, which omg I have missed so much... now that I am done with school, I am not waking up at 5AM every day and having to endure local news every day... I have been listening to my favorite Christmas songs (see new playlist to the right).  My favorite carol isn't on there (The First Noel) because I did not see a version on there that I was in love with.  But I am definitely in awe of all the beautiful music which surrounds us this time of year.  I have done a good job of resisting 99.1 and 93.5 so that I don't get tired of it too quickly.

Speaking of beautiful music, my brother has a Christmas choral concert tonight at St. Andrew's.  And if it is anything like the last one, it will probably make me cry.  Seeing my hippie wannabe, festival-attending, laid back to a fault brother in a tux singing beautiful ensemble music is funny on some level.  Then on another level it hits me right in the heart.

Our tree has been up, but I cannot wait to get some gifts for my family underneath.  Must get showered and get a move on... well unless Matt sleeps in, in which case, I will watch The Holiday in our subzero basement.

XOXO!

I'm a Believer... Neti Pot In the House!

We bought a Neti Pot... don't worry... we cleaned it vigorously between uses...

Feeling colds/sinus distress coming on, we decided to give it a whirl.  Being immature, we laughed as we used the Neti Pot and the stream of saline and snot flowed freely from our opposite nostril as we performed our first sinus washes.  But we're feeling a little relief!

XOXO,

Your Fitness Evolved

We got a Kinect for our Xbox this past weekend.  For those non-gaming geeks out there, it's the device in that annoying commercial for Dance Central with the Evacuate the Dancefloor song playing... it's not that annoying since I kind of love that song... just gets in the head all too easy.

Anyway, the point is... the Kinect Your Fitness Evolved game officially kicked my ass yesterday.  One of my kids spilled all her pencils and crayons today and I was cursing my fake trainer as I squatted to assist her.  Seriously though, soreness aside, it's pretty cool.  If you're thinking about this system, it might be worth a go.

There are training programs, gym games and "classes" you can select.  The gym games are great.  There is a virtual punching game that makes me feel pretty good, since I don't punch in real life but definitely have enough stress and angst to punch fake things.  Those uppercut punches really hurt today.  I feel that this system is less inhibited than Wii Fit because you don't have to hold anything or stand on the little platform.  All you have to do is stay inside this green box on the screen.  Also, it will call you out if you don't do the full range of motion.  My fake trainer is kind of a bitch...but I still like her.

I look like a total tool doing the exercises on the screen.  Major tool status.. but I feel that good burn.  I have missed that!  My exercise life has been on pause for the past few weeks.  I have made it to the gym on occasion, but not consistently enough.  I am hoping this will help motivate me... and I don't have to go anywhere to do it!

XOXO,

Nothin' Worse Than a Bad Salon Blow Out.

Oh my Lawd friends.  Homegirl got a haircut.  Lost a couple inches, got some bangin' edgy side bangs...

But I left the salon looking like a Beatle with my ends groomed too much with a round brush and turned under in a bob.  And Matt made little comments and faces when I got home.  I felt like making faces, too.  I went to bed at eight oclock feeling like I made a hugeeee mistake.

How in the hell do people give good haircuts and such crappy blowouts?  If you cut it right, the fundamentals are there.  The next day when I did my hair myself, it was fine.  Not my favorite ever, but definitely not terrible.

Does anyone else leave the hair salon looking like a fool, but when they do their own 'do it looks ok?

XOXO,

A few thangs

Hi friends.

Long time, no blog!  So I knew this, among other life necessities and pleasures, would fall by the wayside during student teaching and it's because I literally eat, breathe and sleep school.  I miss writing, so I am making myself take the time tonight.

Here are a few thangs I am not-so-secretly wanting from a distance, in case you happen to care to see:

1.  Gap Wrap Sweater Vest

2. Bare Minerals Double Ended Lip Gloss and Lip Color in Biscotti

3.  Prime Time

4. Gingerbread scent Yankee Candle

5.  Blackberry Wine on my wine rack

6. one to two pairs of wide leg cords from Old Navy

7.  A new haircut makes a new woman and I need one.

8.  ACC Championship tickets

9. Naturalizer Boots

10.  More time in a day

I have decided fall is my new favorite season, and it is here in full swing.  There is something about it that I am digging more than normal this year.  I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it's definitely a nice time of year outside.

Maybe it's because I have some share-worthy songs and bands that are making reappearances in Pandora and iTunes after long hibernations...  Collective Soul, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Third Eye Blind...  kind of melancholy-ish songs that make me smile.  I don't think I am fully depressed per se, but enjoying these songs, yes.

But I am straight up exhausted.  There is no sugar-coating it or saying it another way.  I'm run down.  School is consuming life.  Saturdays are my only day to do anything I might want to and really, those days have been reserved for others a lot here lately.  I am looking forward to a weekend with my husband and family and some revitalization.  As I excel in school, I feel control on other parts of my life slowwwly slipping away.  As a control freak, that's not okay!  Any suggestions for staying on track, both mentally and physically, in the throws of a crunched schedule? P.S. Waking up earlier to work out is not an option...

XOXO,

Update!

I feel so fortunate to have a few minutes tonight to update my blog.  I feel like it's been dropped like a bad habit ever since I got busy with school and being a professional wedding attendee!  So tonight I am saying a quick hi to you all.

My life is nuts right now and feels slightly OOC.  I am waiting on a day to catch up, but that day just doesn't look to be in sight.  Brightest side of the hustle bustle are the kids.  My students are so amazing and I am loving being in the classroom.  I have become quite the profesh at laminating, cutting, gluing and creating props for lessons.  It's time-consuming, but a lot of fun.  My decision to become a teacher feels completely validated.  I am not looking forward to the day when I have to leave that classroom!  I will truly miss each smiling face.

We had double header wedding weekends and even had to RSVP no to a wedding this past weekend because I was in a different one.  October is totally the new June.  Everyone and their brother has been rocking the fall wedding and I can see why.  Its gorgeous, moderate weather is the perfect backdrop to a big day.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the weddings we attended this month...and they wouldn't have been the same in a different season.  Attending a wedding as a married couple is a wonderful feeling.  Hearing two loved ones commit themselves to each other serves as such a gentle reminder about the beauty of marriage.  It makes me lovey-er and dovey-er than normal!  You just get to feeling so blessed.

I have been doing fair with exercise... I guess.  Literally, unless I wake up at 4AM, there aren't enough hours in some days.  At times, I don't leave school until 4 and I have to come home to let the dogs out, do work for my online class and get dinner on the table for hubs and my lesson plans ready for the next day or I'm heading to the restaurant...  This transition to being a full blown adult who works 40+ hours a week has frustrated me.  I have come pretty far in my weight loss and want to keep progressing.  Celebration is I have been at least 2x each week since school started.  I feel pretty blahhh that I consider that a celebration, given that I was working out 5x/week when I was really losing quickly, but with everything considered, it is a celebration.  I have my gym bag packed for tomorrow and now that the 2010 weddings are behind us, my alcohol intake can go down to almost non-existent..with the exception of the VT/Duke game, which btw, I scored tickets to with a couple girlfriends!  Everyone needs to let their hair down from time to time...especially when you feel slammed all the time.

XOXO,

Snippets That Makes Me Smile

(trying to get response "compass rose"): What tells us what direction to go in?

Student: A GPS?

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Carrying out a conversation about recycling and caring for our planet

Student: "Mrs. Osborne, this is our only Earth and I think we should take care of it.  I don't want to live on Mars because I think spacesuits look awfully uncomfortable."

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Student: "Mrs. Osborne, can you come to my house for Christmas?"

Me: "That's really kind of you, but I will probably be spending time with my family over the holidays."

Student (thinks for a few seconds): "Well they can come, too!"

Another Kind of Playlist

I got an email request today from my friend Amy who is in law school in Charleston.  Of course she sent it to others as well, but being proud of my playlist making abilities, I will respond to it here for the world to see and share in my lovely tunes of choice.

Amy is looking for new music to study to.  You might say, what's up with that?  Isn't it better to have silence?  The answer for me, and apparently Amy as well, is NO.  I really love having a little background melody when I am planning and/or studying.  So here are some of my favorites.

1. Sundowning Aqualung and Kelly Sweet
2. Parachute Ingrid Michaelson
3. Paper Dolls Corinne Bailey Rae
4. Perfectly Lonely John Mayer
5. Conspiracy Paramore
6. Good Intentions Toad the Wet Sprocket
7. California Waiting Kings of Leon
8. Little Secrets Passion Pit
9. Flake Jack Johnson
10. The Sporting Life The Decemberists
11. Lost! Coldplay
12. Paranoia in B Major The Avett Brothers
13. Losing Lisa Ben Folds Five
14. What If It All Means Something Chantal Kreviazuk
15. One Fine Wire Colibie Caillat
16. Up All Night Counting Crows
17. Smile Lily Allen
18. Sinkin' Soon Norah Jones
19. Black Pete Yorn
20. Light in Your Eyes Sheryl Crow


Enjoy friends!

XOXO,