Tackling my List this Summer

I decided to take a look at my goal list, and see how many I can tackle this summer. Here are the items I would like to work on or complete this summer:

#5. Keep a food journal for a week

#6. Read through the entire Bible - I will continue to work on this, though I will probably not finish by the end of the summer. I have currently read the entire New Testament, plus Psalms, Proverbs, Esther, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and half of Judges. So I'm probably about halfway done, I would guess.

#18. Make and use at least one homemade cleaning product.

#20. Go camping. I have the itch to escape for a weekend and go camping

#47. Eat at 5 new restaurants where I've never eaten before - after almost a year, I'm only at 2 out of 5. That's just sad :-P Summer is the perfect time to try out some new places, perhaps for our 2-year anniversary which is in exactly 1 month from today!

#59. Visit Lindsey in Chicago - I think my sister and I are going to take the Megabus there for a few days to sight-see and visit with Lindsey. Can't wait! Last time I was in Chicago was when I was 18 with the concert band. Not quite the same as going on my own to visit a friend!

#62. Go biking

#63. See a play or musical (Hopefully Phantom in July!! I really need to get that trip together before tickets are sold out.)

#64. Bring wildflowers to my grandpa's grave

#74. Spend an afternoon at the library

#75. Float in the pool/sunbathe for an entire afternoon

#85. Buy a little black dress

#90. Read all the Harry Potter books

#91. Do Project 365 - I'm still making my way through! Check it out if you haven't ;-)


I think I have my work cut out for me this summer!

Smile

I'm having kind of a down day. My mind has been running a mile a minute and it has been full of doubts. Joyce Meyer would say that Satan is attacking me today, and I need to shut him out and not listen (The Battlefield of the Mind is a great book by her...I learned a lot!)

Anyway, on my way home from town, the song "Smile" came on my iPod...from the Glee soundtrack...the Charlie Chaplin version (and don't worry, it was plugged into my car speakers, just in case any of you are picturing me driving with my earbuds in! haha) Even though the song has a very melancholy sound, it made me feel so much better! (Songs from the Glee soundtrack tend to do that :-P)




Since I'm trying to keep these negative thoughts and doubts away, I thought I'd make a list of things that are making me smile today :-)

1. Sleeping in
2. Max, Ellie, and Gabby
3. Running into my grandma outside as she was weeding...She's pushing 90, but it's great to see her still working outside!
4. Going to the church and seeing the progress being made on the new building. And taking pictures for the church blog
5. A&W Root Beer 2 liters on sale for $1 at Giant Eagle...I bought 4
6. Running into Luke while I was in town.
7. Random texts to and from Luke during the day
8. Renting and watching Leap Year...I'm halfway done, and it's so cute so far! I'll finish the rest later tonight.
9. Seeing Luke walk through the doorway after work
10. Trying a new recipe for dinner, and it smells delicious in the oven right now.
11. Sunshine
12. Fun plans for the weekend
13. The fact that it IS the weekend
14. Plans to watch a scary movie later with Luke
15. I had a great first week of break!

There...15 things, and it's not even 6:00 yet! Life is too short to waste it being upset!

Have a great weekend!

My Summer Must-Sees

There is nothing I love more than a summer matinee. I love to enjoy the air conditioned movie theater in the heat of the day when the theater's not too crowded. I love that at my local theater I can get in for $2.25 to see a new movie if it's a matinee. I love to skip lunch and grab a delicious, buttery popcorn. There is just something special about movies in the theater during the summertime. Or...maybe it's just me :-P

So anyway, today I thought I'd write about a few must-sees on my list this summer!

1. Toy Story 3
Release date: June 18
Oh how I love the Toy Story movies! The first one came out when I was about 10, and I absolutely LOVED it. I liked the second one, too, and even though I'm 25 now, I can't wait to see the third one! They're just so funny, I don't care what age you are...they're still good! Luke and I might actually go see this on our anniversary date in IMAX 3D. We're totally romantic and grown-up, right? :-P

2.Grown Ups
Release Date: June 25
Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schieder...seriously, how could this movie not be funny? We especially love Kevin James. We watch reruns of "King of Queens" most afternoons or evenings, so we will be sure not to miss this one!

3. Eclipse
Release Date: June 30
I don't think I need to say much about this one...I already have plans to go see it at midnight with a friend, and I've been waiting to see it since I walked out of the theater after watching "New Moon" in November.

4. Despicable Me
Release Date: July 9
Another cute animated movie. Apparently it's about a man who is trying to steal the moon...? I don't really get it, but the trailer just looks so adorable! I admit, I love computer-animated movies!

5. Ramona and Beezus
Release Date: July 23
I'm really making myself look immature here, but apparently I like kids movies! lol...when I was in about third grade, I read through all of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary. I LOVED Ramona. She reminded me a lot of myself, I guess, and I just couldn't get enough of her. I even remember watching the Ramona TV show on the Disney Channel. Anyone else remember this one?? Anyway, I will probably go see this movie, and I'll probalby be one of the only people older than 12 in the theater :-P

6. Dinner for Schmucks
Release Date: July 30
I don't even really know what this movie is about, but seeing Steve Carell on the poster with that goofy grin on his face just makes me want to see it! I think this will be a funny one! Although, I had to admit after seeing "Date Night," that it was tough for me to see Steve Carell as anyone but Michael Scott after so many hours of watching "The Office."

7. Charlie St. Cloud
Release Date: July 30
This is a fantasy/romance movie about a young man who just lost his little brother. After watching the trailer, I can see it's one of those romance movies that's just too sickly sweet, and will probably have me crying multiple times before the end, a la "The Last Song." Those are my favorite kind, so I really can't wait to see this one!

8. Eat, Pray, Love
Release Date: August 13
It stars Julia Roberts, and is based on a true story/book. I want to read the book before I go see the movie. But anyway, it's about a woman who decides to travel the world for a year so that she can "find herself" and get her zest for life back. It just looks like a real feel-good movie, and I can't wait to see it!

9. Nanny McPhee Returns
Release Date: August 20
Okay, so maybe I have a problem with all these kids movies. But did you see the first one?? It was almost too cute for words. So of course I want to see the second one, too.

10. Going the Distance
Release Date: August 27
Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, romantic comedy...what's not to like?

And that rounds off my list. 10 movies...that's almost 1 movie a week! So some of these I may not see until I can have them sent to my door through Netflix :-) But at least now I have a nice list that I can refer to to see which movies come out which weeks!

What movies are on your must-see list this summer??

Wedding Wednesday

Today I thought I'd share some images that were taken before the wedding. It was probably one of the most humid days of summer, and my hair did not hold up! I had it done at 10 or 11 in the morning at the salon, and by the time I got to the church, it was completely flat, so my sister and cousin had to re-curl it as fast as they could. And when they were done, it looked even better than it had the first time I got it done that morning. Anyway, it was CRAZY stressful in the few hours leading up to the ceremony!

P.S. We couldn't take the veil out of my hair while they did it. So thanks to my mother-in-law, Patty, who held the veil for me!
This may be the only time I ever display my make-up-less face for the whole world to see :-P
Thank goodness we had some food to keep us going! I believe Patty brought the food too, so she had a big part in saving the day! lol
Julie did my eye make-up for me, and I think I did the rest. We tried to do as much as possible by ourselves without having to hire extra people
Here's the groom getting ready
And the groomsmen..."New Suits!"
(pardon the bluriness...remember, these were pictures that I took of the wallet-sized pictures in the proof-book since my photographer never gave me my album or pictures that we paid for).

Luke must have had less prep to do than me, because he had time to play a leisurely game of pool :-P
Back to the ladies: here I am, putting my dress on
The Beautiful Bridesmaids, fluffing up my dress.
And this picture looks funny, but it is special. The day before the wedding, I still didn't have my "something old." I wasn't really too worried about it, but between that time and the wedding, I was given not one but two hankies that belonged to past family members, one from Luke's side of the family and one from mine. I thought that was really special! So I put them in the top of my dress so I'd have them with me all day :-)
And to end I'll add the quintessential "Dad sees daughter for the first time" and "Mom sees son for the first time" pictures :-)

Love This Feeling!

I am absolutely loving being on summer break! I love not feeling completely exhausted every second of the day. Because that's how I feel during the school year. I feel like I can slow down a little bit and enjoy life during the summer. And I am able to get soooo much more done around here at the same time. Not to mention my stress level is decreased a significant amount. I'm just loving this feeling!

Yesterday was my first real day off, since it was the first week day I've had off. I had a great day! I spent the entire day out with my mom and sister shopping!

First we went out to eat at Five Guys which left us feeling stuffed allll day. It was just too much food!
Julie and Mom

Then we went shopping at Pier One, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Gabriel Brothers. I bought a few cute things for the house, and some very cute clothes at Gabe's. But my favorite purchase of the day was this reversible place mat from Bed Bath and Beyond. I only bought one, and I'm just going to put it under the cats' food and water bowls. Birds are becoming kind of a "thing" in my house. I think there are a few tucked away in each and every room :-) It is our "nest," after all!

After the shopping spree, I headed out to Luke's softball games with Max :-) He was so good! I barely even noticed him during the entire two hours. He just sat quietly in my lap. So cute!

I came home and Luke let me have the TV so I could watch The Bachelorette. So it was a pretty perfect day/evening :-)

Today I decided to start my marathon cleaning of the house. In the past 9 months, things got really crazy, cluttered, and to be honest, a little dirty. I did laundry and deep cleaned the kitchen today. I only got the kitchen about halfway finished! So this is going to take longer than I thought :-P I don't know how some women work full time, and STILL have perfect homes.

In the afternoon, I headed over to my friend Carley's house to work on VBS projects. I'm in charge of crafts for preschool, and we had a lot of prep work to do! It was so nice to sit with her and cut out foam frames for 3 HOURS (we are expecting a LOT of little kids!), and just chat. She has twin daughters and they are just so cute! She works a little, part time, but she spends most of her time home-making and raising her daughters. I guess I just really like spending time with her because I see her as a role model...in five years, I would love to be where she is, I guess. It is so important to have Godly role models in our lives, and I praise God that he has put so many in mine.

Anyway, I just love this. I feel like I am in my element right now, being able to be at home so much and even have more time to volunteer at the church with VBS and my church blog. If only I could do this full time! And have a few kids in the mix, too ;-)

Tomorrow I have to clean the rest of the kitchen, start deep cleaning the bathroom, weed by my grandma's apartment, go grocery shopping, and find time to visit my grandma. And maybe pack a picnic dinner to bring to Luke so we can eat together before his softball games. Seriously, it's no wonder I can't keep up with things when I'm working 7 hours a day!

Weekend Blessings: "It's Summertime!" Edition

Friday:

Spent 7 hours cleaning out my classroom
At 2:30, summer officially began for me!
Luke had two of his first church league softball games!
They won the first
It only rained a little bit.
After the games, we headed to a little party at our friends'/neighbors' house
Their new patio was beautiful!
We ate, talked, and played "Up and Down the River"
Went home and promptly fell asleep!

Saturday:
Hung out at home and clipped coupons all morning
Spent the afternoon at Lauren's graduation party...her older sister, Lindsey, is one of my great friends and was in my wedding.
Had a great time catching up with Lindsey who now lives in Chicago
Headed over to another graduation party for someone from church
Had a girl's movie night with my mom and sister
Watched "Fried Green Tomatoes" on Instant Netflix. Good movie!
I almost forgot...I picked up Max that night, and he will be staying with us for a week.

Sunday:
The church service was good as always
Pastor John used a clip from "Homeward Bound" to tie in with his sermon, and I had my morning cry. As did 80% of the sanctuary.
Skipped Hot Dog Shoppe, and had a Chicken Alfredo dinner at home instead.
Lounged around with Max and watched a movie all afternoon
Had a very unfortunate accident while I was cleaning the house later. I'm glad Max survived it, but a pretty cake platter did not. The cake platter did not even belong to me, but was waiting to be returned when it met its untimely death. Oh, and my right hand also did not survive (Well, I got a big gash in it. I guess the entire hand DID, in fact, survive though). Let's just say I was beside myself because I felt so bad, and I was bawling like a baby. You might be wondering why this is a blessing, but it's because Luke was so sweet in trying to make me feel better afterward. And the owner of the platter was very understanding, as well. I think this whole ordeal has taught me one very important thing: I do not want a little, needy dog. It's too hard to have him constantly under my feet all the time! Anyway...moving on.
After I pulled myself together, Luke and I headed out for some dinner and a few groceries.
To end the evening, I got a new, used computer! (I'm getting Luke's old one, so it's new to me, but used). My old laptop is literally cracked at the hinges. I don't know how it is still in working order, but it will be nice to have a new one that's completely intact. I'll be more careful with this one! (I sure am making myself sound like I am hard on material things! It's usually not this bad, I promise).

That concludes my weekend blessings for the first official weekend of my summer! Now I'm off to hang out with my mom and sister for the day! It's time for some retail therapy to unwind after the looong school year ;-) Happy Monday!

School's Out!!

I guess my title tells you everything you need to know about my day today ;-) I just spent 7 hours cleaning out my classroom and preparing for next year. Now that I'm home, summer can officially begin! I can't believe it's finally here...the day us teacher's look forward to for months and months. As much as we love the kids, today is sort of like a second Christmas to us ;-)

This school year flew by. It started out a little shaky, but turned out to be my best year yet. I had my own classroom for the first time, which was an exciting, new adventure. Also, I became so close to all of my coworkers this year. The first two years I taught, I kind of kept to myself a lot. But this year I got to know everybody that works at my school really well! I feel like I have bonded with all of them, and I'm going to miss them this summer. From my early morning conversations with the gym teacher during playground duty, to my lunchtime chats with everyone in the teacher's lounge about anything and everything, and to my everyday encounters with everyone in the building, I feel so close to these people! We have laughed together and cried together. We have shared our annoyances and even our deep struggles and triumphs. I honestly feel like all the people who work at my school have such a close bond...closer than other places I've been. And I'm so thankful!

I will miss a lot of people over the next three months, but I'm also SUPER excited for summer. It hasn't even really quite hit me yet that school's out, but I'm sure on Monday morning when my alarm doesn't go off, then it will hit me ;-)

I have no real plans for the summer, other than get my house back in order. I had the best intentions last summer of organizing the house, but somehow I became super lazy and a lot of things didn't get done that should have. I really hope the same thing doesn't happen this year! I'm also thinking of trying to open an etsy shop, to make a little extra money this summer. We'll see how that goes!

Well I'm signing off and who knows if I will be back later this weekend or not. Luke has softball games tonight and then we're going to a party, tomorrow we have an out-of-town graduation party, and then little Max is coming to stay with us for a week again since his owner's will be on vacation. I'm sure he will keep me busy! Oh how I love him ;-) In case you don't remember who Max is:I am proud to be his pet-sitter! I usually get to keep him for a week or two each year when his owner's go out of town...I always look forward to his trips, because he is the most adorably cuddly puppy ever!

Anyway, have a great weekend!