Dark Wash Dream Come True

Just got the news that I can wear jeans to work all week!  Wahoo!  Now I don't have to wear my super fancy Old Navy corduroys!

lessons from church camp

I'm not too terrible at mountain biking, as long as the mountain is a meadow.

I'm a horrible shot with pistols and volleyballs.

Trampolines are therapeutic...and way fun.  Plus, these new net contraptions make them completely safe!  So double bounce to your heart's delight!

After 10:00 pm, Uno and Build-a-Story are incredibly difficult activities.  The daily allotment of creative juices has surely fermented by then, and nothing good can come of 12 tired minds, entranced by a bonfire, trying to match colors or create characters.

Falling asleep in a field is as fun as it looks on Dawson's Creek.  I almost hope you don't believe me just so you'll try it out!

Irregardlessly is not a word...irregardlessly of how many times you use it in a sentence.

East Texas stargazing should be on everyone's bucket list.

Homemade crepes are a brilliant way to start the morning...anything that tastes like a banana split and passes as breakfast is welcome to make an (incredibly short) appearance on my plate!

and...

My home group ROCKS!  Thanks for all the laughter and lessons at the not so little cabin in the woods!

unanswered prayers

My silent prayer to God this afternoon: Dear God, please let this be a low impact boot camp day...maybe a little ab work...anything that involves laying on a mat for a while would be nice.

My Boot Camp Instructor's not-so-silent greeting: Okay, good to see everyone.  Grab your water and head outside.  We're gonna to start out tonight with a timed mile.  Just run as fast as you can!

It wasn't my best time, but it wasn't my worst.  And, I got to eat an extra snack after dinner!

292.9

After doing some thorough investigations of totally reliable health websites, I have found the most common caffeine withdrawal symptoms to be...

Headaches - check
Shakes - chhhheeeecccck
Grouchiness - I said CHECK! 
Lethargy - che... 

The good news is, it usually lasts only three to four days.  The bad news is, people have to be around me during that time.  I'm sorry in advance!

decaf diaries

Well, today was my third day without coffee (not counting the one tiny little sip I had on Saturday morning), and much to my surprise, I made it through work and class without a hitch.  But just when I thought I was in the clear  - less than two blocks from home - I definitely broke down and cried to a super cheesy song by the Katinas.  I'm pretending that by keeping the title of the song a secret, I'll maintain at least some dignity.  But let's be honest, it's the Katinas.  The first measure of any of their songs is a polite warning and a gentle encourager for you to go ahead and see what else is coming across the ol' radio waves.  Unfortunately, due to a lack of my drug of choice, my reaction time was a little slow, and before I knew it, the chorus drifted out of my car speakers and into my very tired mind.  And then, well, you know the rest.  Lord, help me if any of Michael W. Smith's ballads cross my path tomorrow!

On another note, I super very much miss my delete key.  Making mistakes just isn't the same without it.

dinner and dessert

To offset the mass quantity of food that I consumed at home group tonight, I decided to make Layla's last walk of the day more like a jog.  Unfortunately, my stumbling feet decided I had actually not eaten my recommended dose of cement and decided to serve up a lovely slab of sidewalk.  It was quite an entertaining fall if I do say so myself.  I didn't exactly see it happen, but I think it was one of those rare, slow-motion, "is she doing that on purpose?" kind of falls because I had enough time to think to myself, Uh oh, I'm falling.  Wait.  Nope, I think I got it.  Oops.  Nope.  I'm definitely falling.

Pick a Team, It Needs You

Yesterday, when my friend Rachel asked if I wanted to go to a game night with some of her friends, I reluctantly joined in the so-called fun.  If I haven't mentioned it already, I kind of hate games.  I'm an only child, which means I'm not good at sharing or losing.  I am, however, good at staying in on Friday nights and watching romantic comedies with a bowl of popcorn and some peanut butter M&Ms.  I'm a little too good at it, actually, which is why I decided to live on the edge and play Pictionary with some strangers.  I may have also been swayed by the possibility that some of those strangers might be male and cute.

So, after work, I took Layla for a quick trot around the pond, spent about thirty minutes picking out which v-neck t-shirt I would wear with my rolled-up jeans and boat shoes (If anyone ever recorded my life, the beginning of each show would be very reminiscent of Mr. Rogers' wardrobe change from one cardigan to another), and headed to a little house in the big city.  After mingling with the group for a bit, we finally got down to business.  Two team captains were chosen, and then I relived the worst of my elementary school experiences as one by one, the rest of us were selected to teams.  Suddenly, I was back in third grade, standing in a gym that smelled like feet and had the constant sound of a buzzer ringing dimly in the background.  I was looking intensely at Matt Bruisee, praying that he would pick me for his kickball team.  I stood tall, trying to make myself look strong and coordinated and athletic...and maybe even confident enough to not care if I was chosen last.

When I finally reigned my thoughts back in, I tried to apply the same strategy to the Pictionary picking process.  But how exactly do you subtly convey to someone that you have what it takes to draw a decent sketch of "tiger by the tail" and to quickly and correctly guess that the messy scribble that your teammate has drawn is in fact "three blind mice"?  I apparently did not adopt whatever stance or facial expression that requires, because I was definitely chosen second to last.  And even then, it was because when the team captains said, "That's everyone, right?" the only two people to raise their hands in protest were me and a guy who had made numerous comments about smelling the markers.

I showed them though.  Who was the only one to have her team guess all five phrases in under a minute?  That would be Miss Second-to-Last!  And what is her prize?  A much deserved Saturday night in with her dog, her stellar movie collection, and her first two choices for any team - Ben and Jerry.

P.S. 23 cool points if the title sounds familiar!

surprise visit

I watched a kid eat lemon wedges today.  Rind and all.  On purpose.  Then I watched him "hug" our principal.  She was standing up, and Roger (did you already guess it was him?) was sitting next to her.  He reached over, embraced my boss's legs for a few uncomfortable seconds, and then proceeded to tickle her with some very wandering hands.

That ought to keep her from checking up on us unexpectedly.

setbacks and send backs

Apparently, I spoke to soon.  Once you go mac, you will go back.  Back to the Apple store to have your data files transferred AGAIN.  Did you spend two and a half hours last Saturday morning organizing all of the trasferrable files on your PC into one convenient folder?  Yes.  Yes, you did.  Did you clearly label the folder "To Mac"?  Indeed.  Did you explain in detail where to find this folder and request that nothing else be transferred?  Yep!  Did the geniuses at the Genius Bar transfer everything except the "To Mac" files?  Affirmative.  Grrrrrrr.

DIY

I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep to night.  Visions of white frame collages and turquoise end tables keep taunting me.  I need paint.  I need brushes.  I need picture hanging hardware and custom cut mats and some photography prints.  I need about 96 hours in my weekend to get everything done!  And I'm quite certain I'll need only about 5 more minutes to cook up another idea.

Once you go mac...

...you'll never go back.

I plan to spend the majority of my three-day weekend learning how to use this machine.  I've already learned how to watch TV shows and listen to Pandora, so I've got the most important features down!

the power of persuasion

Today, enough kids told me enough times that it was Friday, that I actually erased the correct date and wrote "Friday, January 14, 2011" at the top of the board.  When they all started laughing, I was a bit vexed, but then I remembered that all week we've been talking about persuasive writing strategies.  Way to go, kids!  And way to go, me!

One Lap Wednesday

After a long day and a crazy lower body workout, I refuse to walk Layla any further than one lap around the pond.  And by "refuse," I mean "am physically unable."

Oooouuuccchhh!

tip top(ple) shape

Here's what I learned at boot camp tonight:

My abs are in hiding, and they do not want to come out.
If being the fastest one in class requires me to pick up so much momentum that I run straight into a wall, I'll do it.
There are about a million and five things you can do with a rope ladder, including trip over it.
It is possible to cut your hand with your own ungroomed fingernails while doing football drills.
With a little creative thinking in the mind of an exercise nazi, paper plates become instruments of torture.
If I buy a ten dollar shirt from my instructor, I can get a free taco at Fuzzy's on Thursday night...sold!

I said, "Hey! What's going on?"

It's been 10 months since my free cable mysteriously disappeared, and I'm starting to crack.  Today, I pulled up the TV guide online and looked longingly at what I was missing.  It was torturous, much like window shopping (whoever thought that activity was legitimate enough to earn a title of its own clearly never had to participate).  I thought that being free from cable would force me to make better use of my time.  I would work out, read, play with Layla, get more involved at church...become the girl I envisioned when reading the after part of a makeover story.  But instead of toned arms, worn pages, a happy pup, and a cheerful heart, I’ve got cable envy, and I’ve got it bad.  I think it might be late onset withdrawal.  I occupy my time searching for alternative ways to watch current TV shows.  On Saturday, I spent well over an hour researching the Hulu Plus vs. Netflix debate.  And yesterday, I bought an antenna, which I balanced in the palm of one hand while standing in the middle of my living room and wiggling the rabbit ears around with my free hand.  When the picture and sound finally aligned, I was more focused than a yogi.  I wasn’t about to lose fragile reception, even if the show was terrible…and it was.  What’s happening to me?!  And more importantly, what’s happening on The Bachelor?!

What Not to Write

Every Friday, my students' warm up prompt is to write about any topic of their choice for 5 to 10 minutes.  A few of my kids like to share their responses.  Next to the 4:15 bell, that used to be my favorite part of Friday...until I heard Chris' topic of choice.

"Tonight, I'm going to watch What Not to Wear on TLC with my brother.  I think Ms. Howell should go on What Not to Wear.  She would have to throw out all her tomboy clothes and get her hair colored.  She would also have to look at herself in the 360 degree mirror to see what she really looks like."

Sadly, I don't totally disagree.  And to be completely honest, I was more enthused about Chris' ability to write four sentences that stayed on topic than I was offended by his attention to my fashion faux pas.  In fact, we've got a persuasive writing assignment coming up pretty soon, and I've got a $5,000 idea for Chris' paper.  Bring it on, Stacy and Clinton!

Challenge accepted!

If you ask me, this Special K challenge isn't much of a challenge at all.  At the rate I'm going, I will have dominated the family size box in only 3 days.  Booyah!

making lemonade

Today, the bus driver never came to pick up our kids for their afternoon jobs.  When my favorite student (I didn't say that) Roger heard the news, he threw his hands in the air and said, "Well, what can we do?!"  Then, without much hesitation, he answered his own question: "Wait!  Before the break, the bus didn't come, and we had a Christmas party.  Let's just do that!"

Much Ado About Nothing

You know those people who say they love being busy, and they will never retire?  I'm not one of them.  Today was the first day back to work after Christmas break, and one of the few things I accomplished was coming to terms with the fact that I'm really good at being lazy.  I think I was made for summer vacation and spring break and even the ocassional sick day.  It's amazing how my mind can entertain itself without any prompting from to-do lists or work related e-mails.  Unfortunately, with the rising spirit of productivity and multitasking in American culture, it seems my kind is dying out.  And the terrible thing is, if I try to do anything about it, I'll be going against my very nature of laziness.  So, it seems I am resigned to do a whole lot of nothing!

new year, same old me

If you've ever watched Bridget Jones' Diary (or if you watch it once a week like I do), then you're probably familiar with the scene where Bridget is holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other while babbling on to Mark Darcy about her New Year's resolutions to quit drinking, smoking, and talking total nonsense to complete strangers.  Currently, I'm sitting with a snickerdoodle in one hand and the remote control in the other (don't ask how I'm typing; just roll with it) reflecting on my morning ambitions to eat healthy and read regularly.  Oh well.  I had cabbage earlier.  That's a vegetable.  And I totally read the TV Guide before selecting a charming and slightly nauseating Hallmark movie.  At least I didn't put any restrictions on my nonsensical ramblings to people I don't even know, because it might interfere with my blogging!

So, to all my friends, family members, and complete strangers...
Happy New Year!