I joined Jazzercise today! I. am. so excited about it! Fun fact: It started in 1969 and is now located in 33 countries around the world! And no, they don't wear leg warmers and leotards anymore.
In college, my roommates and I went to step aerobics together. After falling all over myself and tripping over the step for a couple of classes, I really got into the rhythm and enjoyed the collaborative nature of an aerobics class. I love the sound of everyone stepping in sync. It's satisfying and energizing. I haven't done any kind of exercise class on a regular basis since then. Climbing, running, and biking with Brian have all been extremely fun with great physical results - but they're missing that collaborative-ness. One of our PTA moms is a Jazzercise instructor and held a free class at my school one afternoon. The Spanish teacher and I went together and had a blast, even though we were the only two in attendance. So much so that we went to Jazzercise this week for a trial class! The class at school was last Wednesday. We went to the trial class Tuesday. I got up early today to go to another class. Needless to say, I'm hooked. I'm now a member! And I'm ready to work it!
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Happy Birthday to me (last week)! After the "big" 3-0, turning 31 felt so boring! With each year, my desire to celebrate my birthday in big ways gets smaller and smaller. A nice, casual dinner with family and friends is all I want and need. With that said, I absolutely love teaching at an elementary school and having a birthday on a school day! On my birthday, my students made me feel so special and loved. Every class sang to me! (Apparently, loud enough to be heard through two walls in the front office.) Did you know there's a new add-on phrase to the Happy Birthday song? I heard the typical "cha cha cha" added in, but at the end of the song, in every class, at least one kid shouted "Eat More Chicken!" Is this a national thing or just my school thing? We do have a Chik-fil-a right down the road... I was given many birthday hugs and even a birthday sticker! One of my 1st graders took off her own sticker to give to me. It's now in my Visual Verbal Journal to save and remember. "It's a Shopkins!" Brian and I then proceeded to eat ourselves sick for my birthday dinner at our favorite place, California Pizza Kitchen. What a great reason to over indulge and eat.everything.! We ate an appetizer, salad, our own entrees, and two desserts. Yes. Two desserts! Plus two rounds of delicious cocktails. It was all delicious! I actually felt sick from being so full, but it was so worth it! I'm looking forward to what this year will bring - boring or not! A few years ago, my parents took us on a short spring break trip to Orlando, Florida. During that trip we hit up a number of the local theme parks for one day visits. Since we were only able to go to Walt Disney World for one day, naturally, we went to Magic Kingdom! We were hooked! It truly is a magical place for people of all ages, and we instantly began looking for reasons to go back. We haven't celebrated our anniversaries in huge ways - usually a nice dinner out together. But to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, Brian and I made a trip back to Disney! We stayed on resort and went for a full week. 5 is a big one, so we celebrated big! Disney really knows how to create a magical experience. Standing in lines doesn't feel long or boring (to an adult...might be different for little ones). Along the way there are fun, hands-on activities, videos, and scenery all thematic to the ride you are waiting to ride. The parks are clean and orderly. Cast members keep lines moving by assigning you to a row based on the number of people in your party. The FastPass+ system is amazing! If you're willing to plan ahead, it really helps with -not- waiting in line. There are thematic restaurants and characters to meet. Even the bus system offers a positive experience. It ran on time; there were plenty of buses. The pre-recorded announcements were warm and welcoming. I could go on and on! We truly loved every minute of our trip! I'm exhausted now though. We were up early every morning in order to be at the theme parks when they opened. Many mornings we were up even earlier to take advantage of "early magic hours" - an extra hour in which the park is only open to guests staying on the Disney resort complex. Our plan was to get to the parks early in the cool-er part of the day, see everything, lunch, and shop; but then to head back to the hotel before the heat of the day. We were usually back in our room by 2 pm. We showered and napped, and then we'd head back out for dinner. This schedule worked really well for us. We stayed out of the worst heat and were refreshed for our dinner experiences. We chose to do a few big thematic dinners. We ate at Cinderella's Royal Table. The food was delicious! And! We got to eat IN the castle and meet Cinderella! How cool is that!? During dinner we also met many of the Disney princesses: Rapunzel, Jasmine, and Ariel. The other big dinner we did was "Be Our Guest" - a restaurant set in the Beast's castle. We ate in the grand ballroom where Belle and Beast had their dance, but there was also the enchanted west wing that housed the rose, a gallery, and the Beast's study. Our last big dinner experience was at the Grand Floridian Resort. This was on our actual anniversary, July 17, and the last night of our trip. It was the perfect way to celebrate! The hotel is stunning, and the food is amazing. We had a wonderful server who was personable and fun. He paced our meal extremely well and even allowed us to move to an empty table close to the windows for a few minutes to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. I cannot summarize the entire trip in words alone. I took hundreds of photos! I limited my social media photo posting to ONE photo collage per day, but I plan to make a photo book of some of the other pictures. Here are my photo collages below: Sunday - Travel & Exploring Downtown Disney Monday - Magic Kingdom Part I & Dinner at "Cinderella's Royal Table" Tuesday - Epcot & Dinner at "Be Our Guest" (back in Magic Kingdom) Wednesday - Animal Kingdom & Dinner at the Hotel (for some much needed down time) Thursday - Magic Kingdom Part II & Dinner at "Nine Dragons" (Back in Epcot) Friday - Hollywood Studios & Anniversary Dinner Until next time, Disney!!
I love Summer! Running errands and grocery shopping during the day is.so.amazing! I can stroll, take my time, and really enjoy the time instead of rushing around after work! In addition to staying active, Brian and I have tried to be healthier in our food choices, too. We have been trying new recipes and expanding our food "rotation." Now that I have more time during the day, I can try more involved recipes. Pinterest has been a great resource! Through Pinterest, and my mom, I found a food blogger that has some amazing, easy recipes with healthy, fresh ingredients. Here is her blog: Damn Delicious Thanks to Chungah at Damn Delicious, I made my own potstickers! I'll admit it, I was hesitant because potstickers seem so complicated. But, they're a lot easier than you think! I was so proud of myself that I took pictures along the way. :) Operation Clean House has begun! I do my Spring Cleaning in the Summer. Why? Because, now I have the time to do it! My first week of summer I finished all of my school projects: Bulldog, Bulletin Boards, and finishing touches on student collaborative projects. Once I do my lesson planning, I'm now ready to walk into school.
My second week of summer, I have flipped into organization-deep clean-mode. I'm trying to do the unpleasant chores that should be done more frequently...but that I avoid. Like cleaning the baseboards. Not.my.favorite.chore. Day 1: I dusted all of the "crown moldings" and door frames in the apartment. Then I cleaned the bathroom. Like, really, really cleaned. I dusted the light fixtures! Day 2: I organized my closet and then attacked the kitchen. I cleaned the cabinets, the oven, and baseboards. Whew! I'm tired. Cleaning the oven is my least favorite of all. I rarely do it. Like never ever. But, when normal cooking sets off the smoke detector, I know it's time to clean the oven. The last time I cleaned the oven, I tried a natural cleanser I found on Pinterest. Baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar. It didn't turn out so well. It left a baking soda residue...that's been in the oven ever since. Whoops. Either I mixed the cleaner wrong, or I didn't spend enough time wiping it out. So today, when I started on the oven, I was hesitant to use the same natural mixture. But I did it anyway. The chemical cleaners really scare me - the fumes while actually cleaning the oven, but also the fumes left afterwards. Could it get into my food!? What the pins didn't tell me was to start with the baking soda. If you start with the juice or vinegar, it foams and bubbles up! (I guess I should have stayed in AP Chem?) My first batch bubbled up and out of my bowl. So I just put the bowl in the oven, haha! Batch 2, I started with the soda, and it went much smoother. I was able to make a smear-able paste. I didn't leave the paste overnight, but I did leave it for a good 6 hours or so. This time, it worked! Check out the photos! I was so proud and excited not to take photos. :) Today I packed up my classroom and finished my 8th year of teaching! Time flies. It feels like yesterday I was a brand new teacher.
I have the privilege of teaching my students from Kindergarten through 5th grade! This was my third graduating 5th grade class to see all the way through. They truly are my babies. I get to witness their growth, development, and learning from year to year. What a special opportunity! This will be the first summer that I have the apartment all to myself! Brian is no longer working from home. What should I do first!? Watch MY shows? Pool? The possibilities are endless for some serious quiet time :) As you know, Brian and I have set out to be more active. We're alternating among road biking / rock climbing / running. With shorter days and colder temperatures, we haven't been biking as much. Our rock climbing gym has gotten incredibly busy (silly new year resolutions!), making getting climbs in much more difficult.
All that to say, we have been "running" more frequently. I put that in quotes because my version of running probably is a real runner's idea of a jog. Ha. But, I'm moving! Brian and I even ran in a 5K run/walk race. It a local school's fundraiser, and it was so much fun! It was actually my first race ever. We jogged/walked and finished in under 37 minutes :) My assistant principal actually told me about the race. She ran, too, and she placed for an award in her age bracket! Here are some pictures from the day: Gotta love the weather in Georgia...I'm a "seasons" girl. I like each season and having the variety. However, living in Georgia, often the seasons get a little mixed up! Recently, it's been 65 degrees one weekend, and then snowing the next!
We have again had some "winter weather." Nothing like last year, thank goodness! Here's my post from last year's snow. Last Tuesday, schools were closed because of ice. Yesterday, we were closed because of possible snow. Neither day turned out to be much weather wise. Roads were ok, so I got two free days of rest! (The first day off, I was recovering from a stomach bug. So it truly was a day of rest without having to do sub plans!) While missing school messes up my lesson plans and causes me crazy amounts of stress, I did enjoy the time to relax. I also got to have a lunch date with Brian! It was so nice to get to see him, and to be part of the "real" world, during the day! I forget how much goes on while I'm at school. :) Here are a few of the pictures I took this year. As per our typical Tuesday tradition, we went climbing and then out to dinner afterwards. The group of guys we climb with all did Kung Fu with Brian. It's a really great group that encourages us and holds us accountable to actually go climbing after a long day of work! Yesterday was Donald's birthday, and a few days ago was Eric's, so we celebrated their birthdays last night at dinner...by stuffing our faces with deliciousness! We have affectionately nicknamed Donald our human "yelp" for Asian restaurants. He introduced us to the Tofu House we love and our favorite sushi restaurant. Last night Donald took us to a new Japanese restaurant that is tapas style - small appetizer dishes that you share at the table. It was ah-mazing! We started with these dishes: edamame, octopus balls, and a variety of skewers. Next was chef's choice sushi - This is sashimi; meaning it's just the fish. It is not rolled with rice or other ingredients. Wonderful taste, but I was not a fan of the texture... According to Donald, you can just keep ordering the tapas. The table has a little digital bell that lets the server know you'd like to order more food. A few of us decided to order entrees as well. My dinner: Tokyo Ramen = pork, bamboo shoots, noodles, seaweed in a soy-chicken broth Brian's dinner: teriyaki chicken over rice with a spicy Japanese mayo I loved all of the bowls and plates! Most of them looked to be handmade and hand glazed pieces. They were beautiful! Now for the next culinary adventure! I wonder where Donald will take us! :)
One of my favorite contemporary artists, Roxy Paine, creates these beautiful dendroids sculptures. They are larger-than-life, metal, tree-like sculptures in which Paine wants to provoke thought about nature verses technology. Paine explains he follows the rules and uses the elements of the language of trees. He puts together new sentences to form chapters, books...new sculptures. You can read more about Roxy Paine on his website: Here. The dendroids are one of many series he has done. Here is the interview I watched and used in my classroom. He explains the language and his planning. You also see some of the installation of the sculpture. I personally am drawn to trees and their natural beauty. One year I even had my 2nd graders create "tree" projects all year long! We discussed "change" and how trees can represent growth and change. We're not always the same, not perfect, but organic. We start out small, young; and with time, we can become established, wise, strong. We reach for the sky and put roots down - like trees!
I love the flow Paine gives his work. The unfolding and revealing of understanding through the development of the sculpture. My parents celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary this past December; Brian's parents celebrated 37 years last May. Brian and I have two amazing, Godly marriages to guide us. We had the opportunity to sit down and discuss "life" with both sets of parents over the winter break. It was encouraging and exciting. I kept thinking, "What will we be like in 40 years!? What will our lives have been like? Imagine the stories we'll be able to tell!" I am excited to see how our life unfolds. With 2014 behind us, Brian and I are ending a chapter and beginning a new one with many possibilities. We had a great year with a lot to be thankful for. Some 2014 highlights:
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