grand opening.

kindergarten routines and procedures do not happen overnight (to say the least).  the class i have this year has needed a little extra time and support to get to the actual 'doing' part of kindergarten that comes after the routines and procedures.  after weeks full of hours of practicing centers (a.k.a. workstations), we had our Grand Opening today. 

this was an idea i came across last year to make the first day of this endeavor a little more exciting and continued it this year with a little more umphf.  we had a grand opening cake, balloons, and even a ribbon-cutting ceremony to start the day off. 

the kids had a blast and were able to almost effortlessly follow through with the tasks we have been praciticing for weeks.  wonderful day but i am exhausted beyond belief...now i'm off to watch last night's episode of glee!

shopping and therapy are synonymous...right?

ever have one of those moments where you feel slight panic and then lose all sense of focusing because the thoughts start flowing a million a minute?  this moment came for me today while i was typing an endless amount of journals for a class, while missing a day of work due to the craziness of what i must turn in this week.  i couldn't wrap my mind around the school projects (both graduate and teaching), to-do lists, cleaning, uncertainties in my personal life, and plans for the weekend -- after all, it is my husband's birthday week coming up.
here was my solution to the panic (which is usually always my solution to the panic):

shop. shop. shop.
check out these unbelievably cute fall items i found at 50% off. thanks hobby lobby and wal-mart.

love this litle turkey...$3.50!

the picture doesn't do it justice nor is it hung correctly, so just pretend!

again, the picture doesn't show the bronze finish and cute wire details but it looks fabulous on my cute little leaf runner.

i think i have some kind of sickness with my little shopping fixes here and there...but as long as i get great deals, i say i'm really saving money, right?  my husband says to tell that to dave ramsey.

i see you, i hear you.

a goal i have for myself over the next couple weeks is to become better at recognizing people's efforts and strengths.  too often, i go about my day so totally consumed in my to-do list and in survival mode that i forget to stop and recognize all the hard work others are putting in.

this occurred to me this week as i recieved several 'admonishments' of my own, and i walked away with a little more bounce in my step and more hope that i'm on the right track.  everyone needs to know that despite their frustrations and moment-to-moment failures, that people recognize that their hearts are in the right place.  as an episode of parenthood put it, "i see you. i hear you."

some words i was given were sincere, filled with true praise and encouragement (and those of you who provided me with this...thank you from all that i am.  it has been a stress tear-filled week and i appreciate your kind and thoughtful words).  other words were not necesarilly intended to be truly thoughtful, but i appreciated them nonetheless.

case in point:  as i pulled into the high school for a training today, i had to parallel park.  did i mention i hate parallel parking?  i think i may have hit one to many cones in driver's ed and my first accident came from pulling out of such a parking place.  everytime i need to do this, all muscles tense and my heart rate instantly increases.  needless to say, i pulled in (in quite a hurry due to lack of punctuality on my part) and quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed my 10 point parking endeavor.  an older gentlemen began to yell at me from across the parking lot.  i assumed i had parked in the wrong spot or maybe he was going to make a joke regarding my technique.  all he said was, "i guess there are women who can parallel park...this is a first for my eyes."  meant as a simple joke, but taken to heart.  especially after i had just called my husband and told him about my loving bump to a concrete pole in the coke line this morning, resulting in this:

i'm thankful for people who speak into my life even though i know i don't say thank you or return the favor as often as i should.  here's to the coworkers, friends, random old men, and family who take the time to notice.  may i do the same in return!

tip toes and tutus.

regrets can take people to ugly places sometimes.  some live and dwell in them and always wonder what if.  others will step out of the comfortability of 'what if' and make those past longings a reality.

silly as it may be, some part of me has have lived in regret for 11 years for not continuing this:



so a friend and i decided to take a step (...more like lunge) way out of what we know and place our feet in these:

instead of wishing we were back in the studio, we would actually do it.  no time like the present, right?  we signed up for an adult class and left entirely frustrated.  though we are not near where we used to be, there is something to be said for 10+ years of technical training.  it sticks with you like you wouldn't believe.  at a hip hop class last night, i was invited to an advanced ballet class at another studio.  right.   i had always hoped i would be the foolish adult who still thinks she can dance yet gets sideways glances and under the breath laughs from the seventeen year old prima ballerinas in the room.

nonetheless, we took carpe diem to heart and ventured into more scary waters.  the text to my friend minutes before class said, "i'm here...hurry...i might vomit."  stomach in knots, we entered the studio and donned our pink slippers.

an hour and a half later, we left with legs heavy but heads held high.  not perfect execution, but pretty darn swell for an eleven year hiatus.  now let's see how my legs feel tomorrow after rond de jambs, coupes, and pique turns have some time to settle in my muscles.


next on the list of no regrets: set a PR in my 5k this weekend after not training for four months...anything is possible, right?

not your typical powerpoint.

have you heard of prezi before?  our supervisor for our internship suggested that brad use it instead of a powerpoint.  its way too cool.  am i out of the loop or is this tool not widely used yet?

thanks to this innovative gadget, i can now waste more time making incredibly neat things.

i love free stuff.

in lieu of working on my internship projects (of which i have hours ahead of me tonight), i made this adorable little banner for my classroom website:

banner template is free from http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ (could spend hours here downloading free things!)

font is called 'crayons' and is free from http://web.archive.org/web/20060614075406/www.momscorner4kids.com/fonts/afonts.htm

(again, could spend the rest of my night downloading unique fonts -- must see for teachers, crafters, and moms who like adorable letters)

banner edited with photoscape...a wonderful little photo editing program that is free.

get it here:

http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php

(looks sketchy but my school district checked it out and has actually downloaded it onto all school computers because it has some very neat features)

now...keep playing or take inventory of emergency bags...?

delicious!

tonight we made 'veggie' tacos.  so easy, SO good.  it tasted like the somewhat healthier version of taco bell (if there is such a thing!).

for those of you who don't know yet, i have been a 'veggie' since february-ish of this year.  i can't remember the exact date because it was a slightly impulsive decision.  i say slightly because i ordered a few books, researched a little, and decided to take the plunge for my own curiousity.  i also wanted to experiment with this way of living because -- well, if you know me -- i have issues of the stomach-type.

i was pretty nervous initially because first of all, until i retrained myself through this new lifestyle, i never really looked at labels.  i now had to actually spend time in the grocery store comparing, google-ing ingredients, and buying things i have never bought before.  at first, it was a whole-hearted (even husband-hearted) endeavor that involved new recipes, weird textures, and completely meatless and barely processed foods.  some meals were excellent.  others were thrown entirely away after one bite (which was especially discouraging after i spent an hour chopping delicious veggies, roasting them, and then mixing them with couscous.  BIG mistake.  turns out i have a texture issue, at least with that).

i'm not sure if it was the lack of meat in my diet, or the transition to whole and unprocessed foods, but i did see a difference.  my stomach no longer cramped and i...well, i'll spare you the details!  i also lost a few pounds the first couple months which stayed off, but the weight loss lessened, especially after my 12 credit hour summer took a toll on my gym time.

i'm not sure what the next step is.  i don't see myself diving back into meat, because honestly, it kind of grosses me out now.  i'd like to try cutting out all animal products for a while, also for my own curiousity, but that takes substantially more effort.  for now, i'm focusing on cutting the sugar out and continuing to build meals around plants and whole grains.  i feel better and ultimately, that's what this change has been about.

for those of you interested, i recommend a 30 day trial.  what can it hurt?  if you hate it, eat meat again.  nothing lost, but perspective gained.  i also would suggest these resources:

a quick, easy read with some simple rules to live by when wanting to eat from a more holistic perspective.  michael pollen is not a vegetarian, so its an interesting read for even those want to switch to a plant-based diet.

another great book by pollan that explores the idea of plant-based eating more in-depth.

don't write it off.  it's a good read for those wanting to experiment with removing meat from their diet to those 'superheroes' who can eat a completely vegan diet.

she also has a neat website: http://www.thekindlife.com/ with interesting updates on a regular basis.

i'd like to continue learning, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know!

when hunger calls

when our lab, Mo, is hungry, there is no rationalizing with him.  matter of fact, this morning he decided he'd had enough of us sleeping in (therefore delaying the satisfaction of his hunger pangs) so jumped on our bed and started pouncing on us.  i came across this video of our daily routine around dinner time.  we typically get about twenty minutes of this...or however long it lasts until we give in and pour a cup of those savory dog morsels in his bowl.

oh my word, can you say darling.

i am in LOVE with these cutsie little reversible shoes.  check more out here!  and no, i am not looking for any specific reason other than the sheer cute-sy factor.

we made the paper!

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smile, you're on candid camera.

This weekend has been gorgeous beyond belief. 

Three days off school + beautiful weather + less pressure for my inernship and classes = a smile on my face and joy in my heart.

This is so good for my soul as the last three weeks have been hard.  God has been revealing Himself to me in new ways and I am so humbled by His love.  I'm praying my heart continues to fall more in love with Him and let Christ be my all.

Now the question remains...will I be able to keep this thing updated?

I'll leave you with someone we saw at the Toby Keith concert last weekend.  If you know who is in the background on the right, you're probably a teacher from Indiana.  I'll spare you if you don't! : )

Note Jenna posing so that I was not to look too suspicious snapping this candid shot...