I Hate It When...

I just need to get a few things off my chest. Here goes:

I hate it when I go into a home improvement store with a project in mind thinking I either know what I need or I'll know it when I see it, only to become so confused and indecisive that I leave with nothing I originally came for.

I hate it when I choose to leave my rain coat in the car even though there's a thunderstorm warning in effect and it starts to pour down rain while I'm inside said home improvement store.

I hate it when paint looks really good on the little card; but the minute the man mixes it, I know it's not the color I need.

I hate it when BigJoel is in another country, another hemisphere even, and I can't call him at every whim--like to ask his opinion on the bad paint color or just to hear his voice and tell him I love him.

I hate it when they have forty varieties of feta cheese at the grocery store, but the only reduced fat version is in block form--not crumbles.

Ok, I think I may have gone a little too far with that last one, and I especially hate it when people complain all. the. time.  So here are some things I love:

I love it when my lesson plan takes a detour because I'm having an interesting, intelligent discussion with my students and I'm reminded of why I enjoy teaching.

I love it when I have a standing lunch date with a good friend every Tuesday.  She always makes my day.

I love it when I go into a store looking for one thing and find an unexpected bargain.

These darling lamp shades were just $.71 each! I don't even really need new lamp shades; but at $4.61 for six of them, I couldn't pass it up.

I love it when I find a new favorite snack that is virtually guilt-free, but so yummy.

A Claussen pickle spear with a few tiny crumbles of goat cheese wrapped in two thin slices of deli roast beef--wowsers!

I love it when I have just a few minutes to sit in my quiet house and listen to the rain outside.

I love it when a necklace and a shirt go together perfectly even though I bought them at different times.

And, even though I'm jealous, I love it that BigJoel is getting to see a wonderful place that I've always wanted to go...
because I also love it when he tells me stories about the places he's gone, the people he's met and the things he's seen.

Most of all, I love it that my blessings (even small ones) far outweigh the things I complain about.  Always.

I realize that every time I blog now, I'm having to begin with, "So, I haven't blogged in a while..."  So, how 'bout we just skip that part.  I'll just post a few highlights since last time and maybe I'll be more consistent from here on out...or maybe not.  Probably not.


Anyway, here's a little about what's been going on the past 5 months...

January

In January, Hallie and I did the JiggleButt Run 5K.  She was actually just planning to do the 1 Mile Fun Run; but everyone else wimped out me, so I made her do the 'big race' with me.  She wasn't happy about it, but we both made it to the end so we'll call it a success.

Also, all Hallie wanted for her birthday was to see her friend Brianna...which is easier said than done, since Bri lives in Mississippi now.  So we loaded up and drove and drove and drove.  It was great to see our friends and we even got to spend a little time at the beach.

And the only OTHER thing Hallie wanted for her birthday was a guinea pig.  So after three years of persuading, we agreed and welcomed Cupcake into our family.

December

In December, BigJoel and I went on an anniversary trip to New Orleans.  It's where we went on our honeymoon twenty years ago.  So much fun!

November

In November, BigJoel and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.  I cannot believe how the time has flown.  I still love that guy like crazy.

October

In October, we went to a concert at House of Blues and even sprang for reserved seats instead of standing room.  My streak of sitting behind tall people continues... 

The show was still probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.  JohnMark McMillan, Gungor, Chris August and David Crowder Band.

BigJoel and I spent a day at the Mecum Auto Auction.  It was really a lot of fun.  He makes everything fun.  I just love that guy.

Finally, we went to see NeedtoBreathe in concert at Cowboys Stadium...oh, and Taylor Swift was there, too.

September

In September, we went camping at Beaver's Bend with Elizabeth, Mr. Gary and Mrs. Cheryl.  Know why this picture is blurry?  Because it's so dang humid that the lens fogged up.  How's that for fall in Oklahoma?  Oh well, we had a blast anyways.

One Man's Trash...Is Probably Another Man's Trash, Too

Despite the 106 degree heat today, BigJoel and I finally made a consolidated effort to reclaim all my school things that have been socked away in the deepest, darkest recesses of our garage, which meant purging the place of all unnecessary items.  
Cleaning out things that are too valuable to throw away, but not valuable enough to merit a place indoors is tricky.  (I gave up a long time ago hosting any delusions of earning extra income through garage sales.  I'm waaaay to lazy and prone to procrastination to pull that off.)
So I always begin with a heart of stone and declare, "If it's out here, we don't need it.  Throw it away!"
Then I soften ever-so-slightly to, "That's too nice to throw away.  Let's donate it." (The 'Donate' boxes then ride around for weeks in the trunk of my car before I finally need the space and they find their way BACK in the garage.)
And finally, before I know it, I've pretty much gone through every box--laughed, cried, sighed and moved everything from one side of the garage to the other.  We sweep, reorganize and put it back where it was to begin with.
It's a vicious cycle...but when you have the kind of treasures we do, one can't be too careful.
Here's an example:

The May 1985 issue of Seventeen magazine...the year I graduated high school.  I thought for sure it would be worth something someday.  Now I'm just fascinated by how the "New American Style" has come, gone, and is actually coming back again.
Other things I unearthed today:

• corsages from both my senior prom and BigJoel's
• a Texas Tech yearbook from 1990 that doesn't have either of our photos in it
• salt and pepper shakers that survived my house fire when I was 15
• letters from BigJoel when I was a summer missionary on the Texas coast in 1987
• small bride & groom stuffed bunnies--the "bride" is made out of scraps from my wedding dress
• a gold record
• my college diploma
• my autographed copy of "The Last Voyage of the USS Pueblo"

...And those are just to name a few.  Now do you see why I have such a difficult time parting with things? Treasures, I tell you.  Priceless treasures.
*sigh*

Back to School

Today I went to my first teacher inservice in over three years and I have a confession...I LOVED it!  There's usually a lot of eye rolling that goes on this time of year when teachers trying to prepare for the new school year are pulled out of their classroom/lesson prep and subjected to "professional development".
Maybe it's just the fact that I have been away from the school environment for so long, or maybe I'm just a teacher-nerd at heart but I thoroughly enjoyed the day.
I came away feeling inspired and encouraged...even though I still have no idea exactly what I'm doing.
I think I need a teacher sweater.

Yep, definitely a teacher-nerd at heart...

How Did I Get Here?

August? It's already August?  And I haven't blogged since March? Sheesh! Not sure how that happened. Although I do remember something about trying to upload pictures and getting really frustrated with Blogger...
Then I'm pretty sure my mind just turned to mush...
I will blog again, or at least I hope I will.
But I should probably ease back into it...
slowly...

Playing Catch-up

Wow, how is it possible that an entire month has passed since I last posted?  It's not that I don't have anything to talk about...well, ok, maybe nothing interesting to talk about...but that's never stopped me before. Things are good.  Busy.  Blogging just seems to be the last thing on my mind these days.
Here are a couple of pictures to bring you up to date.

We took a road trip to Lubbock to catch up with BigJoel and the Roadshow; and also to indoctrinate, I mean introduce, the girls to Texas Tech.  We had a great time and I got to see one of my former college roommates and her family.  HannahKate is completely sold on the university--not because of its outstanding academic programs or even the charm of one of the most beautiful campuses in Texas...but because there is a Freebird's Burritios, Raising Cane's, and WhichWhich all located in about a two block span.  (She might just be her mother's daughter.)

The other exciting thing we've done:  Elizabeth had us over for Monday Night/Mardi Gras Supper Club complete with traditional cajun meal.  On the way there Hannah asked, "Will I like gumbo?"  To which I replied, "Mrs. Cheryl is making it...of course you'll like it." (And she did).    Hallie found the baby in her King's Cake, which I think means that she has to host the party next year...sure hope she knows how to make gumbo...

Snow Day

Last week, "Snowpocalypse" hit Northeast Texas.  After three days of being iced in on the verge of crazy, we finally woke to over six inches of snow.  Actual snow.

Since we're relatively ill-equipped to handle extreme cold temperatures here in Texas, we had to get creative with our winter wear. HannahKate has cute leopard print rain boots and so does Hallie.  I have...Wal-Mart sacks over my tennis shoes.

 Hallie dubbed herself a "snow ninja".  Sometimes she's a strange kid.

The girls made snow angels on the trampoline...about as close to "angelic" as they will ever be.

We had a great time, but really only lasted outside for about thirty minutes.  I know, I know...we're wintry wimps.  Don't get me wrong, I love snow...as long as I'm nice and warm inside the house looking out at it.

Absolute Greatness

It's been a busy day and it's bitter cold outside. I spent my evening snuggled in the covers listening to this guy. It's a good life...

Couch to JiggleButt 5K

I can now say "Couch to 5K worked for me."  I took a brief stab at the program in 2009, but didn't make it past Week 3.  I'm not sure what possessed me to start up again back in August, but I became determined to make it through.  Ideally with this plan, you should be ready to run a 5K in 9 weeks.  Ahem.  I've done most weeks twice, so it has actually taken me right at 20.  But I had a goal in sight--the Jiggle Butt Run, January 8.

So last night, after "carb-loading" with yummy spaghetti and homemade sauce at Paige's, I hurried home to get a good night's rest.  It felt very much like getting ready for the first day of school.  I laid out my clothes, packed my backpack and even had dreams where I didn't hear the starter's gun so I just stood around and missed the race.
  

The event was a little over an hour's drive from Hometown, so we had to get up extremely early for a Saturday morning.  This was NOT my favorite part of the day...but it got better.

Our team:  Paige, Elizabeth, HannahKate and myself. 

Our cheerleaders (not pictured):  Mr. G, BigJoel and Hallie.

I haven't heard the final count on how many participants there were, but my estimate would be "A LOT".   Joel took this picture at the start of the race.  That's my hand sticking up waving in the middle of the crowd.

The weather was perfect, sunny and not too cold.  The course was beautiful, relatively flat and meandering through a nice residential area. 

I now know that it is much harder to run/concentrate/keep a steady pace when you are trying to maneuver around a bajillion other ladies. 

Also, I kept telling them I was slow, but I don't think anyone believed me.  Even though I had "trained" longer, I was still the last of our group to finish...not by much...and I did FINISH...which was really my ultimate goal.

So my official time was a little slower than I'd hoped and I wound up walking a little more than I'd planned, but all in all it was so much fun that we are already looking forward to our next race.

Here I am about to cross the finish line.  Notice how I've just overtaken a "granny".

After the race--not too much worse for the wear and all feeling extremely accomplished.

We opted not to stay for the awards ceremony since none of us placed. Instead, we "collected" our prize at Fuzzy's Taco Shop.  Chilaquiles with Latin roasted potatoes are way better than a medal, if you ask me.

Add This To The List

Well, here's another thing I never thought I'd be doing...

Elizabeth said, "We should do a 5K."
I said, "No."
Elizabeth said, "C'mon.  It'll be fun."
I said, "Maybe."
Elizabeth said, "Here's one called the Jiggle Butt Run."
I said, "If they'll give me a t-shirt, I'm in."

Photo Challenge #10

A TV show you're currently addicted to...

Ok, so it's not a TV show.  And I'm really not addicted to it.  But I've put this post off for days trying to figure out what to do.  I don't watch a lot of TV of my own choosing.  If its up to me, the TV stays off.  Of all the shows on our DVR, Glee is the only one I actually make a point to watch...and I'm embarrassed to admit that.  I also couldn't figure out a photo (that I took myself) to represent Glee.  So I reinterpreted the rules...  

Les Miserables is my all-time favorite musical.  I'm so sad that it's not on Broadway anymore, but this picture was from our trip to NYC in 2006.  

Photo Challenge #9

A place you've visited...

I love to travel.  I've gotten to visit some really neat places.  By far, the most amazing, interesting, exhausting and challenging place I've been is Macchu Picchu...for many reasons.  Definitely one of those things I'm so glad I did, but seriously doubt I'll ever do again.

Photo Challenge #8

Something you dislike...

I dislike the misuse of the words your/you're.  I am by no means qualified to throw grammar stones, but I get so frustrated when people (especially teachers) use "your" instead of "you're".   

This was a sign in Hometown back around Halloween. "If your feeling booey come get somethin gooey"  If my what is feeling booey?  What does "booey" even mean, anyway?  I guess as long as you make up your own words, no one can complain if you're misspelling them.  

Sigh...such is life here in Hometown...

Photo Challenge #7

Something you ate today...

HannahKate went to Olive Garden a few weeks ago with some friends where she had Chicken & Gnocchi Soup.  She's been begging me every since to make some.  I found several versions of OG's recipe online, but I chose the one that looked like it contained the most "normal" ingredients.  I think it was written for a person who knew what they were doing.  The directions were terrible.  Fortunately, the soup was pretty good.

Photo Challenge #6

What do you do?  A representation of your day...

Tuesday is newsletter day at work.  It used to be my worst day.  Now, that distinction is reserved for Fridays.
Something is terribly wrong when Friday is the worst day of the week...