Going the Distance: August 2014

Oh Hey Friday Favorites!

I'm suuuuuper pumped that it's Friday because that means I made it through my first week of work!

Ready for some Friday Faves?

{1}-Favorite Surprise of the Week

I already mentioned it the other day, but getting surprise flowers from MG at work on Monday was the sweetest surprise, and brightened up my first day of work. Major brownie points for him!

{2}-Favorite Work Moments

Going to my second school (yes, I have two this year), and having my own mailbox, a school t-shirt, and a special sign being made for the office that I'll share there (every teacher in the building gets a special sign made by an outside company with the school's mascot) . Most of the time when you're a part time person at a school, you get zero recognition. This second school has gone above and beyond to make me feel part of their staff, even though I will only be there one day a week. Plus I get to work with my friend at this school, so it makes a not-so-great situation a lot better.
And my other work favorite was a super fun happy hour with my friends from my current school after our Open House yesterday:

{3}-Favorite Cooper Moment

When I came around the corner from the kitchen to see Cooper lounging on the couch like this:

{4}-Favorite Pin this Week

The House Hunters Drinking Game....

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Too funny, and SO true. You could easily get hammered in ONE episode (and then go do some home improvement projects! haha)

{5}-Favorite Weekend Plan

Saturday, MG and I have plans with one of our favorite couple friends. We're not entirely sure what we're going to do yet (we've got several options), but when we hang with these two, it's always a good time. I'm pumped for a LONG WEEKEND of friends, BBQ's, relaxation, and maybe a house project :)

Hope you have a happy long weekend!!

In the News:Vaccines and Autism

I'm busy getting ready for our Open House today, but I saw this article while at a training yesterday, and I felt I had to share.

Parents, especially of those 3 year and under, please read this article about a potential cover-up in a study about the link between the MMR vaccinations and Autism.

Basically, it is alleged that there was a study done about MMR vaccinations in African American boys, that looked at the link between the vaccines and Autism. The study found that there was no link. NOW we are hearing that the study was altered in terms of the individuals involved (apparently some were taken out of the study for various reasons which altered or skewed the results), and that there may really have been a link between the two, but that it was covered up.

I don't have the answers and am still not entirely sure what to think or believe, but since I read about this the other day, I've been keeping an eye on it.

Wednesday Confessions

Back to School (work) Edition:

I confess that....

.....I had a pit in my stomach on the first day of work on Monday. I don't know why since it's my 3rd year at this school, but I did.

......even though I could have come in to work at whatever time I wanted yesterday, I still got here before my contract hours

......I have not been drinking enough water this week. Too busy unpacking and setting up my office, talking with coworkers, or at meetings, and all of a sudden I've barely drank anything.

.....I love that my principals got all of the staff shirts as a back-to-school gift

......it is going to stink wearing BLACK, LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS and jeans on Thursday for the Open House when it's gonna be mid 90s and humid.

......MG made my week, and my first day back at work by sending me flowers at work on Monday. Love him :)

.....as you read this, Im stuck at an all-day training. Pity me.

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Happy Wednesday! :)

I Am.....I Am Not

I saw the idea for this post over at A. Liz Adventure's blog and I couldn't help but thief her idea!

I Am....

....sensitive. Sometimes my feelings get hurt more easily than others or I take things personally when they aren't meant that way.

.....sarcastic. Sometimes you need a little sarcasm to make it through the days (without losing your mind).

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.....a people pleaser, and therefore someone who usually is easy to forgive, unless you push me and push me and push me. And even then, sometimes I forgive again.

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.....a planner. I like knowing what to expect, so change is harder for me, especially when it's last minute.

.....a reality tv junkie. Duh.

....a puppy lover!

.....someone who finds puns funny. The more stupid, the better :)

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I Am Not....

...ticklish. My nieces and nephew find this confusing, and attempt to tickle me almost every time they see me (and continue to be shocked each time that I'm still not ticklish).

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.....the life of the party. I'm sociable, but I can be shy when in a group of people, especially new people. This is unlike MG who can be dropped into the middle of a room and be friends with 90% of the people by the end of a night. Or after 5 minutes.

.....a fan of unloading the dishwasher. Or folding laundry.

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.....perfect. I can admit my mistakes when I make them, and try to grow from them.

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......high maintenance, on most levels. I'm easy-to-please as long as people are nice and treat me with respect, and I can usually get myself ready for something in 15 minutes or less (if I don't have to shower). MG has always been impressed and commented on my non-high maintenance-ness (yes I just made up that word) :)

What about you??

Weekend Highlights

It's not only Monday, but it's my first day back to work for the new school year. Which means meetings, unpacking and setting up my office, scheduling a parent meeting (since I already had one asking for her kid to be evaluated--LAST WEEK!), etc etc etc. No more lounging and enjoying Summer, back to work!

Instead of dwelling on that, I'm gonna focus on the highlights from the weekend.

My weekend highlights included:

-MG's friend as a houseguest Friday night

-Friday night impromptu get together at our house with a bunch of MG's friends who hadn't seen the house yet

-Several bags of trash filled with beer bottles

-Girl time with the wife and girlfriend of two of the guys

-A rainy Saturday, with a trip to Kohls where I found these gems for my wardrobe and for our house decor:

Especially loving the white mirror (will look great once we paint that wall), and the love birds artwork will be an awesome anchor/focal point for the gallery wall I want to do in our living room!

-Saturday girls night dinner with my friend Jackie

-After-dinner wine at Circa

-picking up our guys after their fantasy football draft (we are now both officially fantasy football widows until the end of the football season)

-Sunday morning errands

-Hanging with my buddy Emily on her new patio

how sick is this fire pit area??

-Wine spritzers (and various other snackies)

-Having a doggy play date with our pups (Cooper is the small man in this relationship)

-Surprising MG's parents on their anniversary trip in NYC with a dinner reservation at Del Frisco's and dinner on us

-Sunday dinner date with MG

-Early to bed, with the alarm set (boo!)

-Waking up for WORK....bye bye Summer Vacay!

I hope you had a relaxing pre-Labor Day weekend full of fun, relaxation or whatever your heart desired :)

Linking up with these ladies:

Oh Hey Friday Favorites!

Hey Friday! Welcome! So glad that you could join us!

{1} Favorite Picture of the Week
My sister-in-law, Annie, sent me this pic from last weekend along with a sweet text that they missed us. I love these guys just as much as if I'd been around when they were all newborn babies. SO lucky to be their aunt :)

{2} Favorite Relaxing Moment of the Week

Besides getting in some more good reading time, I was able to schedule a massage yesterday to work out all the knots from that kitchen facelift (and a kinky neck from sleeping funny last weekend). My massage therapist that I've grown to know, love, and depend on, left for Atlanta, which forced me to try a new Massage Envy by my house. It turned out great!
Looking forward to many more massages, super close by!

{3} Favorite Back to School Video

Can't say that actually going back to work is a favorite, but this video makes it stink a little less.

I can't believe that I'm going back to work next week. The paycheck will be oh-so-nice, but I can't believe how fast the Summer went by. Even though I didn't officially "work" this summer, mine was filled with house projects, trips etc and I just feel like it flew by in a flash. Come Monday I'll be back at work, to start another school year. My 8th year! Crazy.

{4} Favorite Weekend Activity

Saturday I get to spend time with one of my favorite friends in the area, Emily, who also happens to live right around the corner from us. I get to see her and her husband's new patio/backyard (which looks sick in the pictures I've seen), hang out and enjoy her sarcasm. She's one of the most easy going people I know, (but also a super planner--she helped me SO much with wedding stuff by giving me vendor names etc, not just asking me what I hadn't done yet), and my stomach always hurts after hanging with her from laughing so much. We have plans for some quality girl time and I'm pretty jazzed about it :)

{5} Favorite Song Getting Stuck in My Head
Taylor Swift's Shake It Off--I love the video, too, since her dorkiness is right up my alley, but I also like the song. And the lyrics about shaking off the haters and the people who have nothing but negative stuff to say about you. Shake it (and them) off!!
"Cuz the haters gonna hate hate hate hate...."

And on that note, have fun jamming and grooving into the weekend.

I'm off to soak up the last few hours of my freedom!

Later, lovies!

Book Review: Big Little Lies

I just finished reading another book by Liane Moriarty,

Big Little Lies

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The Goodreads and Amazon synopsis' were really long, but give a description of the main characters in the book.

Each chapter goes between one of the 3 main characters: Jane, Meredith and Celeste. They all are mothers to a kindergartener, but each one has their own "stuff" happening, within themselves, their marriage (or lack thereof), and relationships with other parents in the social circle.

You can read the whole synopsis here for a bit more detail.

I was really excited to read this book since I've really loved all of Liane Moriarty's other books that I've read (Husband's Secret, What Alice Forgot, Three Wishes).

This one was probably the slowest one for me in terms of getting invested in the characters. The story line didn't unfold as quickly as it had in other books so for a bit I felt like I was just reading along, waiting.

As the book continued, though, and you got to know more bits and pieces of each character, I really started to like it. And, of course, I wanted to know what happened during the event that the entire book leads up to.

I thought I knew what was coming, and then I was totally surprised.

And that's all I'll say about that.

I'd give the book 4 out of 5 stars. I thought it was a good, quick and easy read.

Check out some other books that I've read up top in my Book Reviews tab.

It might be a little while before I do another book review since I just started Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, which is 900 something pages. And I start work next week, soooo yeah, it might be a bit! :)

Who Has the Time/Whyyyyy? Part 4

It's been a bit since I did one of my posts about the crazy things I've spotted on Pinterest, and since it's the last week of my summer vacay (and I've had lots of Pinterest perusing time) I figured I'd share some gems with you that I've found...

Not sure who this "doll"would really appeal to.

It kinda creeps me out.

If you don't have a 6-pack, just wear this sweater.
You will surely fool everyone.

Plus, anyone else notice how poorly made this is?

I don't know about you, but I've never gone to my hair dresser and asked for the "1800s" look. No thank you.

And why does the 1800's inspired look seem more out of a crazy futuristic movie?
Either way, no.

Mini sandwiches shaped like books:
Cute idea, but I'd prefer not to eat highlighter on my sandwiches.

Ummm....this next one, I have NO words. Well, ok maybe I have one.

EW!

Let me introduce you to Picnic Pants....the pants that prevent you from spilling crumbs between your legs (seriously, that's what the caption said)

They will also prevent you from ever going on a picnic with another living, breathing human, but....

at least no crumbs!

I give this next one creativity points, but again...I don't think I've ever thought "Gee, I wish my eyes looked like cheeseburgers," but if I did, at least I know where to find a prime example:

Anyone besides the Hamburglar hungry now??

It's like dangling a carrot in front of a horse....or....candy behind your head?

Why carry candy in your purse or pocket, when you could wear it?

I would not have the time to do this, nor the will power to resist eating candy.

And lastly, still on the hair front, who wouldn't want to have a pineapple haircut?

Someone's been watching a little too much Spongebob Squarepants!

#helivesinapineappleunderthesea

Hope those gave you a little chuckle :)
Have you found any crazy things on Pinterest lately?
Stay tuned for Part 5, around the bend!

Guilty Guilty Guilty!

Like many others, I'm linking up for TotalSocial today, talking about Guilty Pleasures!

{1}-Cooper

Duh. He's the sweetest pup ever, and I love his little personality, wiggly tail, obsessive licking, and overall adorable-ness. I wouldn't trade him for the world because he's the best dog ever.

{2}-Reality Tv

I've talked about this several times, but I can't help it. Not ALL reality tv, but I have been known to get sucked into new reality shows (Jersey Belle, anyone?) when they pop up. Most things Bravo are my guilty pleasure for sure.

{3}-Online Shopping

I love looking for good deals, and I find some great ones online. Is it always perfect? No. Do I end up returning a lot of stuff? Sometimes. But, when I know a store, and my general size, I usually do pretty well (hello, Loft!) I'd rather buy it online, and know they have my size than risk them not having it in the store. This is especially true since I don't have a Loft super close by to just stop into (if I did, that would be another story).

{4}-Comfy t-shirts

For as long as I can remember, my mom would always tease me about how many shirts I owned. I love me a good t-shirt. A comfy one to lounge around the house in, or cute enough to go out in (but still comfy). Sign me up. Target t-shirts fit this bill for me, and Ive been known to buy a handful in different colors. (If you don't believe me, just look in my dresser!)

{5}-Pedicures

They just feel SO GOOD, and they make your feet look so pretty. I love them. Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall, I will get a pedicure when I'm feeling like I want/need one. Plus, the little massage chairs aren't a bad deal either.

Speaking of which....:)

{6}-Morning Coffee on the Couch

I don't NEED coffee in the morning. I like it. And I really like having a cup of coffee, in the morning, sitting on the couch, and relaxing. It's my favorite way to start a morning, but usually only get to when on vacation or the weekends.

{7}-Reading on my Kindle

(especially with a little puppy cuddles, too!)

I love zoning out to a good book. And I love that I can take my Kindle anywhere and read whenever I want. Out on the deck? Yes please. Standing in line at the DMV? Sure! Waiting for an oil change? Yep! Sitting on the beach? Oh, definitely!

I love a good book, and I love reading, escaping into different stories and characters, no matter where I am.

Those are some of the main ones I could think of. I'm sure there are tons more.

What are some of your guilty pleasures?