Letters

Dear Chicago Blackhawks,
You are awesome! So proud to live in this amazing city!

Dear Debra Morgan,
You are the most vulgar character I know, but you're funny as shit. So sad our last season together is upon us.

Dear summer teacher conference,
Why do you have to start so early in the morning? I haven't been awake before 9am in weeks! Naperville by 8am? Sounds fun....

Dear CorePower Yoga,
Dripping sweat or not, I love hot yoga and feel so good after I go. Can't wait to go back for more!

Dear water-damaged iPhone,
You were placed in the sterilizer thing at the nail place and sat on rice for two days. What else did you need to get the text tones working again?

Dear Katie,
Don't forget what your mom taught you about imitation : )

Hey, it's okay.....

So I'm stealing my friend's idea for a blog - she calls these types of blogs "Permission to...." but is it in glamour magazine when they have that page, "Hey, it's okay...." and then they list all the things its okay to do do, even though you probably shouldn't? Well, that's the idea here. So your first installment...

Hey, it's okay.....to be addicted to facebook.
When I wake up I read the news. I use that term loosely - I'm mostly interested in the news of everyone and whatever they're up to. You know, when all of your immediate family lives far away, it's good to see videos of your niece, hear what your bestie is doing for the day in Phoenix, and see how big another friend's boy has grown. I can't see myself ever not using facebook....and you know what? I don't even care. Some people will judge me and act like it's a waste of time (and I'm not disagreeing....I definitely spend more time on it than I should) but it's perfect for keeping in touch with everyone who lives out of town.

Hey, it's okay.....to abandon a book that is a "classic."
Did you know I actually didn't like reading until I became a teacher? and that I hardly read any of the classic books that most read in high school? Well, I decided I should read them. I am reading Catcher in the Rye right now and I hate it. Holden is a jack@$$ about everything. And I just don't get the point of the book. It's like he quits school and then goes to a hotel in New York. He muses about all the things he wants to do but doesn't do them. He's ticked off about everything and nothing makes him happy. I have no idea what the point of the book is. I quit.

Hey, it's okay.....if the only thing on your To-Do list is "Wait for the UPS man."
When you're a teacher, you're going like 150 mph or 0. Right now, I'm on 0. The other day I had one task - to wait for my clothes to come from UPS. Seriously didn't do anything else all day. Thought about reading a little bit, watched a lot of Showtime On Demand instead, and ate some food. Didn't clean anything, didn't make my bed, didn't go down and get the mail. Oh well, there's always tomorrow : )

Hey, it's okay.....to get ticked off every time iTunes does an update.
So now where is my purchased music? How do I make a playlist? How do I copy only certain playlists to my iPhone? I hate it when I don't know how to use my apps, especially iTunes. It's like I'm about to go running and I want a new playlist....now.....except that I don't know how to get the songs downloaded to my phone. Frustrating. Give me the old version back!

Hey, it's okay.....to be reading a book about health and then eat some chocolate.
I did a whole 30 over a year ago and I just bought the book that explains everything about food. So here I am reading about being healthy and why we shouldn't eat certain things (sugar being one them). It explains it in no uncertain terms how most foods are addictive and so we have this emotional connection to them, and then also what they do to your insides. It makes sense. I believe it. I want to live the Paleo lifestyle. But then I still reach for the dark-chocolate covered acai berries. Hey....I'm addicted!

so hilar

That's all for now. Happy Saturday everyone!

Sushi Conversion

I'm not going to lie. Don't get mad if this is you: I always thought all of those people who were like, "Oh, let's go get sushi tonight!" thought they were so....what's the word? Like chic or something. Like they're going to have sushi because it's trendy and everyone is going out for sushi. I  never would suggest that to anyone I went to dinner with, because I didn't really ever eat it.

I mean, I have a few times. Mostly at our end-of-the-year parties with our old principal. Or if I happened to be at Whole Foods, I would pick some up. But, I never would suggest it if I was going out to dinner with friends.

Then I went to Cafe Sushi last night. It was Courtney's birthday (Happy Birthday, girl!) and as she was telling me last night how she loves it. It's a BYOB, and Jon brought a bunch of wine. There were 8 of us and we all picked something different and shared.

It was soooo good. Like, really good. I get it now. I was totally wrong to judge all the sushi-loving people prematurely! I'm so sorry!  : )

I asked what I should order since I am a newbie - they said spicy tuna, so I did. It was alright. Not my favorite though.

Some others I had:

Caterpillar
unagi, crab, avocado, cucumber, tempura crunch and avocado outside

I think unagi is eel? Well, I didn't really know what I was eating until I already tried it. I probably wouldn't have had I known, so if you're thinking about trying sushi for the first time, just try some and don't think about it! This one was pretty good. I love avocado!

Rock and Roll
spinach, cream cheese, unagi, salmon skin, masago with unagi sauce
This one, not for me. I don't like cream cheese, but I tried it anyways. Turns out I still don't like cream cheese - not on a bagel, not in sushi.

Sweet Potato Tempura Maki
Sweet potato tempura with avocado and cucumber
This one was my favorite of all of them. Perhaps because there was no fish, but I don't care. It was super good.

It was a definite learning experience. Of course I didn't really know how to go about things...I rarely use chopsticks, but I did that almost perfectly. Didn't know what the green and salmon colored stuff was with the rolls, so Jon and Justin had a little fun...

I was kind of asking about it, and Jon said, "Go ahead....try that avocado there. Take a big bite!" Then he looked over to Justin and they smiled....

I knew that wasn't the case, and then they told me that it was wasabi. I guess it's spicy - you can use it to add some heat to your sushi if you want to. Glad I had at least a little bit of an idea about it....

So, all in all, excellent night. Trying new things is good for you. I highly recommend it. Perhaps my horoscope yesterday led me to it: 

You are learning to like something you didn't like before. New revelations are a daily surprise for you lately, Scorpio. That's a very good thing. Revel in your newfound perspective. Immerse yourself in it. Experience it fully. You are going through a very important period of growth right now. Anything is possible if you learn your lessons well, and you are open to all of the possibilities, even if they are very different from what was meaningful to you in the past.

Is it silly that I read my horoscope? Perhaps that is a blog for another day....

Happy Friday everyone!

Couldn't publish this blog without this..... : )

Anyone want to go have some sushi with me? Stacey...it's calling your name! Comeon, try something new!!

#tbt

So Throwback Thursday would be a good standard for the blog, right? Something that would be an easy post and at least get me on here once a week. I got to wondering where this originated and was happy to find this link. Surf over there to hear when it all started....

This week I was actually going through my files on my old laptop to get some docs and I checked out my pics. The one from this post was taken waaaaay before I got that laptop, but somehow I had saved it in a folder called "Old School." I was happy to come across it!

Dunk's Wedding : )

Good times, great friends. Probably one of the first weddings I was ever in! It makes me happy to see that most of the faces in this picture are still around these days! And love how us girls in the front are doing the little cheerleader squat picture pose : )

Anyways, love you friend! Excited for all the memories that are still to come!
xo



So I guess this is my new Thursday thing! Be ready, blog followers....next week, it might be you! :)

Proud of you, sister!

I love being an aunt....I mean, I wish my nieces lived closer, but either way, it's a nice job to have. Especially when your sister is such a good mom.

My sister doesn't mess around. The kids are good kids because she tells them what's up. She's consistent and sticks to her guns (and is usually pretty funny, too!)

Caitlyn: Can I have a snack?
Stacey: No.
Caitlyn: But I'm hungry. Please let me eat!
Stacey: You just ate an hour ago.
Caitlyn: Comeon, mom, puhlleeease!
Stacey: Yogurt or an apple.
Caitlyn: No, pretzels.
Stacey: You heard the choices. Go pick one, or skip it, but get outta my hair!

The end.

Another thing I love about my sister is that she always calls me for advice. No, I don't have my own kids, but I do teach them all day and she understands that another perspective is best for her girls. I feel super important that she calls me. And, I guess it's good practice for me in case I ever get to have a kid one day.

She also knows that those kids are like sponges - they will pick up all your good habits, but also your bad ones. She was telling me last night about how she was being really hard on herself (Stacey) about her body image, and then next thing you know, Caitlyn picked up on it. When you're a mom, especially around girls, I'm guessing, you have to be so careful about things like this. Now, it's all about being healthy. We eat right to be healthy. We exercise and play sports to be healthy. It's conversations about why endless snacking and eating foods that are high in sugar are bad for our bodies. It's about taking care of ourselves.

And one of the best things about Stacey is that she knows that balance is so important. She's the first to tell you that the girls are driving her crazy and that she needs a vacation. Bedtime schedule is solid for reasons like this....which she just posted today: 

Stacey gets it. She understands that for her to be her best self for Caitlyn and Maddie, she needs time to herself to unwind and have space. Space is good in all relationships - it rejuvenates you and gives you what you need so you can have a good focus when you come back. (Like summer vacation for teachers.) She knows that she can't do everything for everyone all the time, and takes the little moments that she can find to give back to herself.

So, thanks, sister....for trusting my advice. For calling when you need to. For coming to visit next week! For being a good mom. I think we need to do better with skype so I can see those girls (and you!) more, but just know that you're doing an awesome job at the hardest job in the world! Hopefully one day, I'll follow in your footsteps.

What I'm Loving Tuesday

Evolution of Get Lucky
So I'm sure you know the new song by Daft Punk, but here's a chronological cover from the 20's until the future. Play some tunes while you're reading!

$1 coffee at Dunkin between 3 and 6
So now that I don't have much to do with my days, I can make it to the Double D every now and then for a coffee. And it's not just a plain coffee with cream and sugar - anything you want! I had a medium mocha iced coffee last time. Winning!

Candy Crush Saga
When all those people were playing Farmville on facebook and sending me requests for it, I thought they were SOOO LAME. But, I downloaded this candy crush game on my phone and play all the time. Levels 1 - 28 were pretty easy, and then I was on level 29 for like 2 weeks. I finally beat that level (after I paid $1 for five extra moves) and now I'm stuck on level 30. I know when I finally beat that one I'll be feeling like:

Volleyball on the beach
I coached volleyball the last few years and it was super fun. Something different than cheer - and it's better because you're not always having to make up new material (like I had to for the cheerleaders). Well, Jon put together a team to play on Thursday nights at Oak Street beach and I LOVE it. Now, we're not very good yet, but we had a practice on Sunday and we're coming along. It's fun and with friends and exercise and volleyball. Loooooves!

Clean House
Well, I rarely wash the floors in my house (I think the last time I did was last summer when I moved in) but I'm going to have company next week so no better time to get it all clean for them! (I'm sure my mom will still say I'm messy....but one thing I am not is dirty.) Anyways, the windows are open, the fans are on, the house is done, and it smells so clean in here!

For you, mom : )

That's all for today. Hoping to get another blog out before the week ends : )

Some relationship tips my therapist would want you to know ; )

So there I was reading facebook and in addition to all the friends that I follow, I also follow different organizations and companies. I came across this article about the 40 best relationship tips ever, and some of them are great. It got me thinking about my last relationship and hopes for the future. Here are some things I've learned and will keep in mind going forward....

First - Don't dismiss to quickly.
I think I really learned about this in my last relationship. You know, when we first went out, I was really unsure about my ex. But I thought I would just give it another chance just to see. I didn't want to give up too quickly....you know? And then he did something really cute and so I give it another date. And then before you knew it, that was that. So, going forward, I need to remember this.

Second - Mature Love
When you're young, love and dating is so new. You are infatuated  with each other. You look back to those first relationships and think that all of your relationships should be like that. But then you're older and in a real relationship. This particluar blog I read said, "Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you.'" You know, you can't just throw something away because the intensity has fizzled a little bit. That's bound to happen with work and bills and friends and family and a million other things that consume our day to day lives. You stay together because you love each other. And then you work on your relationship every day because that's so.

Third - Keep the conversation going
I first learned about this from one of my best friends. You know, get in a fight about something, and then I'd get all upset and run out of the room (or apartment) crying and need some time to collect my thoughts. She would want to have a knock-down, drag-out fight right there. Anyways, there is conflict in all relationships. With your siblings, parents, friends, and whomever you end up with. You can't just not talk about stuff. You can't just brush it under the rug. Just because two people disagree doesn't mean that your relationship is doomed. How can you expect two people, with two different sets of expectations, who want some different things to agree on everything? That would probably be pretty boring. So, when conflict arises, always better to talk it out and then forget about it! (And that is what I loved best about the friend mentioned above. She never brought out a 7 year grudge list on me!)

Anyways, I guess that is all for now. Tomorrow's the day of the first date post-breakup. Perhaps tomorrow's blog will report on how it goes!

btw - the article came from The Gottman Institute on facebook. You should check them out! Lots of great tips for relationships there!

Just wait on your burger....

So one of my former students is smart beyond her years. She will be a Junior next year - she was in my class during the 2009-2011 school years.  She has since moved to Georgia, but that doesn't stop her from checking in on me and also offering, mostly unsolicited, advice. Here's one of our last exchange of texts....

Her: Are you back in the dating world yet? Is that what you youngins call it these days?
Me: Hahhahaaa....kinda. I got on match, so maybe a date soon? idk.
Her: Lol, online dating? I think that's such an oxymoron.
Me: How else am I going to meet men? The bars are overrated.
Her: Whatever happened to meeting that guy in the meat department or at the laundromat?  Call me old-school, but having computers find your lover (ha!) is a little unorthodox.
Me: Lol. I don't spend much time in the meat department.....
Her: It is the 21st century though....
Me: Seriously lol-ing right now.
Her: How did you meet your ex?
Me: The bar. Look how that turned out.
Her: Here's what I think: I think you should just wait for that one guy to come along and sweep you right on to your hiney and that's that. People say it'll never come but how many of those people actually waited? Marriage is a hard thing and I think that filling out a survey isn't really all that realistic. Just wait, he'll come. My granny says that he'll come with hell or he'll come when you're ready. But he'll get there. It's like ordering a burger at McDonald's. You go order your burger and that one isn't really exactly what you wanted, so you go to another McDonald's and order another burger and then you figure out you don't want a  Mickey D's burger. You get one specially crafter for you at Burger Boss (Last time she was in town, we met here to catch up....) and you're satisfied. You went through hell to get that burger but you got it. Just wait on your burger. 

Ohhhh what would I do without my old students to tell me what's up? This is one of the reasons I love teaching. In the course of one or two years, you really get to know your kids and, if you're lucky, some of them stay close. There are just a few who regularly keep in touch now, but that's just enough to remind me of how lucky I am for their presence. And this is what I get paid to do!

And maybe she's right. This is kind of the reason for all the goals I set for myself this summer - the running, and writing, and meditating. Just doing things for myself that keep me focused on all the blessings I do have in my life. And yes, I did make a match profile, but honestly, it's so much work that I'm just kinda letting it sit there and what will be will be. I am thinking now that a better idea is to just wait on my burger : ) It is less work, after all...

What I'm Loving Friday

Little Bit of Everything by Keith Urban
I love this new song. Maybe it's not new? You've heard it before? Well, me too, but just heard it again and downloaded it to my iTunes for my next run.
"Oh I know I don't need a whole lot of anything....I just want a little bit of everything....nah, nah nah nah...." LOVES!

Not knowing what day it is

So, when you're a teacher and you finally make it, once again, to summer break, it's awesome because you usually don't know what day it was. Yesterday I was out and thought it was Friday, but nope...it's Thursday. Days don't matter when you're on summer vacation.

Will Smith

Thanks to Matt who posted this pic earlier this week - but I LOVE Will Smith. I mean, look at him! I want a guy like that!

Sex and the City turns 15

Can you believe that SATC premiered 15 years ago today? That's a timeless show when we're all still watching it these days. What are your favorite moments from the show? I love the episode where it talks about how men are like cabs - Miranda tells Charlotte there's no such thing as soul mates, and Charlotte is floored. Miranda says something like, "When men are ready, they're ready. They wake up one morning and think that they want to get married. The next girl they see - boom. It's not fate. It's dumb luck."

I would say I have to agree.

See all 18 of Carrie's boyfriends here.

See Carrie's best looks here.

Favorite SATC moments....on a Post-It, of course!

Kate Middleton

She's so pretty, always so well dressed, so composed, and the CUTEST preggo person ever. Every time I see pics of her come up in my facebook feed I'm so excited to see how things are coming along for the royal baby. Next summer I'll see where she lives, too! Super excited for that!

And what I'm not loving....an article that said

Most people are unsatisfied with their friendships

I happened to catch this article about how one in three people are unsatisfied with their friendships. These must be the people who have awesome marriages.....seems like I can't quite figure that goal out, but as far as friendships go, I have such an awesome group of girls at my side. I have six - SIX - people who I can call anytime, for anything, that I know will answer and listen to me. (And if they happen to screen me, I will just annoy the hell out of them with 100 texts until they answer!) Of the six, I only see one of them on a regular basis, but with facebook, skype, and phone calls, I don't feel like I ever miss a beat with them. I am blessed with friends.

Hope you had an awesome week! I'm excited for Michelle and Matthew's wedding tomorrow....going to be a good time with great friends!

Can't. Stop. Thinking.....

Does your mind run a mile a minute like mine does? The worst is when there's a disagreement, a break up, a death in the family, a new job, or any other major life event. Luckily for me, I'm getting more and more used to my new position at the elementary school and getting more and more over the break up, but I still find myself having thoughts that I don't want to have.

I've talked with friends before about the power of our thoughts. LeeAnn - what was the name of the guy who writes about this? It makes sense - happy people are thinking positively. Unhappy people are not. All that being said, it's really hard to do.

I had been thinking that maybe meditation would be helpful, but wasn't really sure where to start. I knew that it would help me get in control of the things I would think throughout the day, but there's so much information out there about it that it was kind of overwhelming. The other day though, I had dinner with my old principal before I presented to her class of TFA teachers. At dinner, she told me about how she meditates and gave me a website to look into, so I did that yesterday.

This type meditation is called passage meditation. You basically choose a passage from any of the world's religions and then you meditate on that. There are many passages on the website, and one reason I really like them is because they come from all the world's religions. So in any of the passages when they say "God" it can be whatever God you believe in. Any higher power. Any way you find spirituality. Yesterday I chose this passage:

I chose this passage for a few reasons: One, it was short and I thought it would be easy to start with a short passage first. I also chose this passage because there's a line in there about how 'patience attains the goal.' That line really stuck with me and I liked it. It's hard to be patient waiting for something you really want. Hopefully by keeping this front and center in my thoughts, it will help me remember to be grateful for all that I do have...

Yesterday I practiced the passage enough to have it mostly memorized. I decided that when I woke up this morning I would do the meditation first. It says you're supposed to meditate for 30 minutes, but don't do more even if you're doing really well and want to.

Even in my groggy state, I woke up this morning all excited for my new routine. I grabbed a pillow from my couch and sat down on the living room floor. I crossed my legs and sat up straight. I had the passage in front of me in case I forgot it. I softly closed my eyes and began to recite the passage in my mind. The first few times, I had to keep opening up my eyes to look at the passage, but after that I got the hang of it.

Then the trouble happened: a firetruck went by. Itch on my arm. I could hear the fan buzzing in the background. I wondered if I should blog about this? I needed to crack my neck. So I opened my eyes and looked at the clock.

Five minutes had passed. Five minutes...for a first-timer, is that a long time? Five minutes of thirty? THIRTY? I didn't want to throw in the towel, so I decided to continue. Hey - I'm not good at it right now, but it's my first try. Five minutes trumps two, which trumps never starting, right?

I shut my eyes to try again. I went through the passage once or twice, slowly towards the end because I kept forgetting it. Whenever I slowed down, that's when my mind wandered. I thought about the dream I had this morning. Another itch. Scratched my head. Thought, "Wow, my nails are really long! I wish the girl who did my manicure would have trimmed them. They're already chipping. FOCUS MICHELLE! Think about the words of the passage. Concentrate on them. Keep going." So I did. I kept going. For sure, I got through the entire passage fluently once without forgetting it and only thinking about the words. Or, if my mind started to wander, I thought that I needed to pay better attention to the words. I did it once, but it was exhausting.

I opened my eyes. 11 minutes. I decided to be done for today.

Meditation isn't an easy thing to do. Training the mind to do what you want it to do is ridiculously hard, actually. But, tomorrow I will try again, and shoot for 12 minutes. And in the meantime, I will remember the passage and do my best to live in that way.

Do you meditate? Any suggestions? 

Mistresses

So I happened to catch Alyssa Milano on Live with Kelly and Michael yesterday. She was talking about her new show, Mistresses, which aired last night after the Bachelorette. I watched the show to get the deal on it, and it is about this group of four girls - two are sisters, plus their two friends - each of whom, all within the first episode, get caught up with infidelity in one way or another.

But, rest assured, Alyssa Milano, in her interview, said, "In no way are we glamorizing infidelity."

Here's my problem, and maybe I'm just hyperaware of things like this because my best friend is a relationship therapist (check her out on facebook - Relationship Reality 312).

Anyways, I just don't understand what is wrong with our society when it seems like this is the new norm. Whole shows are devoted to infidelity. People cheat. Couples get divorced and many throw away their relationship. How come people don't work harder for them? 

I know I'm not married, but I just was in a year and a half relationship, and even that wasn't easy. In a relationship of any kind, there's two people, who aren't the same. They have different needs, different wants. They deal with problems in different ways and don't communicate in the same way. Some share their feelings, some would rather not. Why do people jump into marriage expecting it to be easy? From what I've heard, it's not that way. 

But I get it. When you're with someone awesome, even the most ordinary things seem great. You're washing dishes, but the other person is helping you. You're planning a vacation, and they are going with you. It's like a sleepover with your best friend, every day. This is part of the reason I was having such a hard time with my break-up. But, at the end of the day, it wasn't the right relationship for me. I'm glad I figured that out before I got married...

So the show, I'll probably watch. Even though these four women should be talking about how to protect their relationships instead of cheating, I like that they are at least there for one another through everything. (Much like my best friends!)

I now leave you with this warning from Proverbs 6:32: "Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self- destructive." Keep your heart in your own relationship.