Just Putting It Out There

On The Doctors yesterday, (don't judge me because I watched it), trainer Jilli@n Michaels said that one of the best things to do if you want to lose weight is to let everyone around you know, to "put it out there" that you want to lose weight. I want to lose 20 pounds. So there. I put it out there.

(I'm also trying something new and crazy: keeping track of what I eat, attempting to eat healthy and control my portions, and exercising. Novel idea, huh?)

I'm also putting out there -- because what good is a blog if you can't vent once in a while -- that today has been a frustrating day. First, why can't people simply respond to emails? (As I typed that, I remembered I didn't respond to my mom's email from last night. Oops!) I've also been running in circles trying to get in my application materials for a job I really want. However, I was really hoping I would have a contact/connection for this job, and those hopes have been deflated like a balloon. So now I realize my chances are...well, probably not good. Because we all know it's all about "who you know." And while I have been putting all my job materials together, Amelia has been destroying the house. At least she's had fun, huh?

But on a more positive note that I'll just "put out there," I had a good visit with my parents Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We went to the aquarium (which was crowded, yo), and we also enjoyed some good food. My parents were also celebrating 45 years of marriage. Darryl and I had a date night Friday. Also good.

ALSO, in a note completely related to nothing...if you get a chance to see the movie Crazy, Stupid Love, do it. My friend Blayne and I went out last week and saw it, and it was so insanely good and funny. It was the best romantic comedy I've seen in a long time.

It also features Ryan Gosling and his ABS.

You're welcome.

Back to this weekend...Saturday night I joined Tim, Max, and Anna for our annual trip to the Miss Cobb pageant. We love this tradition. So much fun!


Don't we all look happy???

The First Day of School...But Not For Me

When I quit my job, I knew there would be days ahead when I would feel relieved (I've had those); days when I panicked and thought, "Oh crap! What have I done?" (and I've had those); and days when I would be scared and unsure what my next step will be (and I've had those). Today, though, is day that has been looming on the horizon for quite some time, and I wasn't quite sure how I would feel.

It's the First Day of School. And I'm not there.

This is only one of two times I wasn't part of a first day of school since I started school myself. The other time was after we moved to Atlanta and I worked for a year as a paralegal, but that was different because I didn't know any teachers here yet, so there wasn't this feeling of "life continuing without me" like there is today.

This week HAS felt weird. My teacher-friends all started back on Monday for pre-planning. Several of them texted me, and it felt good to be missed. Who doesn't want to be missed? I miss them tremendously. I'm hopeful, though, that they will continue to be a strong presence in my life, even thought it won't be the same as seeing them every day.

At the same time, though, I don't feel panicked. I don't even feel sad that I'm not teaching. (Sad I'm not seeing my friends? Yes. Sad I'm not going through the first-day spiel? No.) I feel a sense of peace that I made the right decision.

In a few minutes, Amelia is going to wake up, and we'll have breakfast together. And I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

I'm in mourning, y'all.

Friday Night Lights, one of my favorite TV shows OF ALL TIME, is officially over. Actually, it was over a couple of weeks ago, but because of some DVR issues and a busy spring and early summer, I finally was able to watch the entire season over the past couple of weeks.

I don't want to talk about the finale of the show or give anything away for those of you who haven't watched this season yet (Tim, that would be you), but I do want to offer a list of the reasons why I love this show. And if you haven't watched this show, I strongly urge you to get the DVDs and watch. You will thank me later.

And I present to you now the reasons, in no particular order, why I think FNL is awesome:

1. The characters are realistic. From the high school students to the adults, I have known people "in real life" who are just like the characters on these shows. (Also...the students look like students, not 30-something adults playing high school kids.)

2. Each episode has at least one moment that gives me goose bumps...and sometimes makes me shed a tear. Usually these moments involve Coach Taylor (played by the brilliant Kyle Chandler) or his wife, Tammy (portrayed by the awesome Connie Britton). You just need to watch for yourself to see what I'm talking about.

3. The show doesn't have an "off" season. You know how many shows just have a bad season? Not Friday Night Lights. I was worried when our favorites at the beginning of the series graduated and moved off to college or wherever (and there are some other cast transitions that take place that I don't want to give away if you are planning to watch), but the writing of this show is so compelling that we quickly fall in love with the new characters as they are introduced to us.

4. The marriage of Eric and Tammy is realistic and inspirational. They support each other. They fight. They make mistakes. They compromise. They laugh at each other. They are flawed people. At the end of the day, though, you know this is a rock solid marriage.

5. The show tackles realistic issues. From jealousy among players to kids having to deal with more at home than they should, FNL handles them wonderfully and often poignantly.

6. The show is often hilarious. I mentioned earlier that every show features at least one touching moment. I should also add that every show features several laugh-out-loud moments, too.

7. The show is about football, and it isn't about football. Several of my friends have mentioned that they didn't start watching this show because they aren't really into football. Really, the show isn't about the football. Sure, it features some game clips and the whole cast is connected to football in one way or another, but the show is really about the characters. And trust me when I say that when it is all said and done, you won't mind the football parts. :-)

It's so good, y'all. SO GOOD. And I will miss it. (As for the title of this post...if you watched the show, you'll get it. If you didn't, what are you waiting for? Start watching!)

Last Week and This Week (So Far)

Last Week
I didn't post anything after Monday of last week (obviously) because I was so immersed in the Week in the Life project that, frankly, I was tired of documenting each day. After photographing tons of stuff and writing down stuff about every day last week, I just didn't want to write about it again...know what I mean?

Last week was a fun one, though. It included a playdate with some former colleagues/mom-friends at the pool. It also included a lunch date with Tim and Kim at a delicious restaurant. It included some scrapbooking with my friend Blayne. It included the Winnie the Pooh movie (so cute!). It included dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my 9th grade small group. Basically, it was lots of fun.

It also included not-so-fun stuff, like searching for jobs, doing laundry, cleaning, and such.

This Week
This week hasn't been quite as eventful. I went to a job networking thing Monday evening. (Confession: I am CLUELESS and AWKWARD when it comes to networking. Small talk with strangers? Painful.) I've also been trying to figure out Photoshop Elements for my Week in the Life album. May I present to you...a photo collage!


Fancy, is it not?

I also learned how to put "brushes" on photos, like this one:


The "brush" would be "Tuesday." You don't even want to know how long it took me to figure out how to put that on there.

I'm also trying a new diet called The Carb Lovers' Diet. I'm not loving the diet. The first week -- the "kickstart" week -- is a beast. In fact, I haven't stuck to it completely because I was HUNGRY. So I'm doing my own version of this diet, which is some healthy carb eating along with some common sense, like eating a nectarine instead of a pint of ice cream for a snack. I have also -- and this is huge -- cut out diet sodas. I have also greatly reduced the amount of Splenda I drink in my coffee. And I'm drinking a boatload of green tea and water. Fun times!!

A Week in the Life, Facebook, and Scalloped Tomatoes

Brief scrapbooking talk...

To the right of my blog is a button for a scrapbooking project initiated by my favorite scrapbooking guru, Ali Edwards, called "A Week in the Life." The essence of the project is that you create an album that thoroughly documents what a week in you life looks like through words and photos--the mundane, the fun, the routine, the minutia. Ever since seeing the completed albums of my friends from when they've done this project in the past, I've wanted to take on this project.

Basically, anyone could do this project anytime she wanted, but it is fun to do it when other scrapbookers are doing it, too. Next week is technically "A Week in the Life" week for taking photos, but I've decided that this week is going to be the week that I'm documenting because it includes a little bit of several aspects of our life. I'll show you more as I the project comes together.

Now movie talk...

I am way behind when it comes to watching movies; this afternoon, though, I watched The Social Network and really enjoyed it. The performances were really good (I see now why Jesse Eisenberg was nominated for so many awards), and the story was definitely intriguing.

Now food talk...

I brought back a bunch of tomatoes from Florida, and they are DELICIOUS. Tonight I made Ina Garten's Scalloped Tomatoes, and while it was really yummy, it isn't something I could eat a lot of. I also have a theory that it is one of those recipes that taste better the next day...

Trip to Florida #2: A Visit to the Grandparents' House

Three days after I returned from The Walk, I got back and the car--this time I took Amelia--and we went to Florida to visit my parents. Darryl was out of town last week, so it was "just the girls."

(It dawned on me when I was coming back home this past Saturday that I had driven though/eaten lunch in Eufaula, Alabama three Saturdays in a row!)

Anyway, Amelia and I went down to my parents' house on Saturday and just hung out for a while and ate some good food. The rest of the week was busy with one activity after another; we packed a lot of fun into one week!

Sunday we went to my parents' church, where they had a cookout afterward to welcome the new preacher and his wife. Amelia was all decked out in her patriotic attire.


That afternoon, Amelia and her Nana made a flag cake. (Truth be told, it really ended up being Nana's and my project. Amelia was too interested in tasting the frosting.)

See?




We also attempted to take Amelia fishing off the neighbors' dock, but they weren't biting. I like this pic of Amelia with Mr. P, whom I've known ever since I can remember. He used to help me fish when I was a kid.

Monday, the 4th, we went to the beach in the morning. Here are a few pics of that.




That evening, we went to see the fireworks. Here's a photo of Amelia with her cousin Cameron.

That thing Amelia is holding is a firecracker she made in her summer daycare class. She had saved it for several days and was so excited about opening it, and then she ended up losing it. She was verrrrrrrry sad. I was sad for her. :-(

Tuesday we went to an aquatic center that had a play area/pool for kids. We had such a great time there and it wasn't too crowded. Amelia enjoyed pretending that she was the swim teacher and that we were her students, so she kept making us swim laps while she told us, "That's it, girl. You're doing it! Next time, use big arms." (Can you tell she's been in swim lessons for a while?)

We also tried fishing again that morning, and this time, Amelia was successful at getting her first fish!! She didn't want to touch it, though. I can't really blame her.

Wednesday, Amelia, my mom, and I went shopping and had a good time...but I didn't take any photos of that.

Thursday, we went back to the aquatic park because we had so much fun the first time. It was much more crowded the second time around, but we still had a great time.


Friday, we went to a local farm and picked tomatoes. This photo is TERRIBLE of me (no makeup, ball cap, and about three chins), but oh well.


That afternoon (and one afternoon earlier in the week, but I can't remember which one), Amelia and I visited Darryl's side of the family and Amelia had a good time playing with her cousins. Ashley (my sister-in-law) took some photos of that, so I hope to have a couple of photos to show soon.

Saturday, Amelia and I came back home. We had such a great week visiting with Nana and Paw-Paw!!


(Edited to Add: The reason this blog has Tuesday's date on it is that Tuesday is the date I started this post and then procrastinated with finishing it.)

Falling Off the Face of the Earth...And "The Walk"

Hi there.

I really didn't mean to just fall off the face of the earth unexpectedly like that. One day led to another, and before I knew it, several weeks had gone by. My reason? I've been insanely busy. Since I last blogged, I've been to Florida and back TWICE.

When I quit my teaching job (that is still hard for me to type), I decided that I still wanted to invest in the lives of teenagers in some way, so I signed up to be a group leader for a group of 9th grade girls at my church. The idea is that I will be their group leader until they graduate from high school, and I think that's a cool idea.

One of the first "activities" we participated in was a 4-day trip to Panama City Beach called "The Walk." I co-lead our group with a recent high school graduate named Jennifer, and I adore her. Here's a photo of our group. (Forgive the "flash bulb" eyes...I'm too lazy to "correct" all those eyes at the moment.)


Yep. They are all tan, thin, and beautiful. Ah, youth.

What I learned about ninth grade girls this week is that they aren't the tidiest people on earth, and they do disgusting things like eat the cream out of Oreos and put them back in the box. They also spend A LOT of time on their hair.

BUT.

They are also very sweet, and when they aren't leaving towels everywhere and eating cream out of Oreos and fixing their hair, they ask these kinds of questions:

--Why did God give us free will when He wants everyone to follow Him?
--Why did He allow Satan to exist if He knew what Satan was going to do?
--Why did God make Satan an angel in the beginning?
--Some versions of the Apostles' Creed says Jesus descended into Hell. Did He really?
--Will we know our relatives in Heaven?
--Why were animals sacrificed in the Old Testament?

Goodness.

Oh, on a less spiritual note, we also participated in a flash mob. I don't think this video quite captures the "energy" of what we were feeling at the moment, but it was so, so fun. :-)

Cleaning and Organizing: The Refrigerator

One of my goals while to accomplish until I am gainfully employed is to clean and organize areas of our house.

Yesterday I had a couple of hours to myself, so I decided to start with a fairly small task: the refrigerator.

This photo probably isn't very impressive because I don't have a "before" shot, but believe me when I say that this is a major improvement. I also wiped down all the shelves and such. Very nice!

Weekend Wrap-Up: Scrapbooking Class, Father's Day, Etc.

How about a little weekend wrap-up?

Friday night, I went to scrapbook class at my friend Mary's store. While the project itself (a Unibind album) isn't something that I consider "my thing," I like to take classes like that just to learn some new techniques. Plus, as I said in a previous post, I'm just trying to get my creative mojo back.

Just for the heck of it, here is a photo from the class.


(Tim, if you are reading this, I'm thinking the crowd in that photo is probably what you envision when you picture "scrapbookers." Let me assure you that Blayne (on the top right), Mary (whose hands you see on the left), and I are very cool scrapbookers. And I think we were the youngest ones there.)

Honestly, I don't remember much about Saturday. We had a Cracker Barrel breakfast, took Amelia to swim lessons, and had dessert for dinner. Yum!

For Father's Day, we spent most of the day just hanging out together, and that was nice. We went to the pool that afternoon and Amelia and Darryl took a long hibernation-type nap that afternoon.

Here's the only Father's Day photo I took. Poor Darryl didn't even get to eat his own lunch; Amelia wanted his broccoli cheese soup and he graciously shared. (We were on our way to the pool, thus the hat that Darryl is wearing.)

A Whole Lotta Nothin'

This has definitely been an up-and-down kind of week.

After I wrote Wednesday, we had some bad storms in our area. After they cleared and the rain stopped, Amelia and I attempted to meet Darryl at a nearby restaurant for dinner, but I got about a quarter of a mile down our road and there were trees across it and a cop blocking the road. I tried to go another route and encountered the same thing. It was kind of creepy and scary. So I ended up going back home and fixing some macaroni and cheese out of the box. Amelia was perfectly happy with that. Me, not so much.

Finally the trees were cleared enough for Darryl to get home, and then the power went out and stayed out until about 3 a.m. It was good times, y'all. (I remember when I was a kid and thought it was fun for the power to be out. Those days are no more.)

Yesterday, I met my friend Blayne again to scrapbook. I'm trying to get my creative mojo back, and it is coming back very slowly. When I got home, I was inspired to clean out/organize my small scrapbooking space (read: the guest room closet and a small desk in the guest room).

On a random note, I don't know what has happened to my attention span, but I can't focus on anything on TV for longer than 15 minutes. I have tons of shows I recorded while school was going on, and I just can't make myself watch them yet. I have five episodes of Glee waiting for me and several episodes of Modern Family, but I just can't make myself get into either of them.

But you know what show I do like to watch in little 15-minute spurts? Oprah: Behind the Scenes on the OWN network. SO interesting! (Darryl makes fun of me anytime I watching something on OWN.)

I also don't have the attention span to read a book for longer than 10 minutes.

Is this normal??

Pool Party and House Alarm

So my pity party from yesterday is now over and I feel better. (However, yesterday I decided to go to the gym to help myself snap out of feeling sorry for myself, and as we were getting in the car, Amelia had a wipeout in our driveway and scraped up her chin, her knees, and her ankle. We were ultimately both in tears before she was all bandaged up and ready to go again. But NOW the pity party is over.)

Yesterday evening, Amelia went to a pool party for her friend Tanner's birthday. Amelia got to see all her buddies and was so excited to be there. I took only one photo, but it's a good one. Is this the life or what?


This morning I got up to realize we had no water. Apparently there was a water line leak, and some city workers had cut off the water to repair. (A heads up that they were going to do that would have been awesome, though.) Then I made the mistake of heading out to my car to get something and forgot to turn the house alarm off, so I set off the alarm. Darryl is the contact person for the alarm company, but unfortunately, he was on a plane coming back to Atlanta, so a cop ventured out to our house. It was a lively morning, to say the least. :-)

Unemployment and Bathing Suits

The Bad: So while the theme of last week was "The Life of Riley," this week's theme is "Reality Sets In: What Have I Done?"

I know leaving my job was the right decision, and I knew early on that I was going to have a week like this one (and it's only Tuesday, people).

This week, panic is starting to set in. The panic of "oh my goodness, I had a job and I left it. Was I insane?" It wasn't helped by the fact that yesterday I went to a career networking meeting was sitting in a room of 100+ unemployed people.

It stings when I see that my old work friends are making plans for lunches and things together and I'm not a part of that anymore, and I realize that life moves on without me...and while that is something I've always known in my brain, it is still hard to sit by and watch.

And I worry that I've screwed up Amelia's life. She was in a great daycare before and I had to move her to a different one. How do I know it will be just as good? How will I know that she will be happy? How do I know I've done the right thing by her?

(I must insert her that Amelia just walked in with her panties on backwards and it was much needed comic relief.)

I'm really not trying to have a big pity party, nor am I looking for anyone to comment to say that everything will be all right; I just had to get all that off my chest. And I actually do feel a little better.

(Speaking of comments...NOBODY comments on my blog anymore. That makes me sad. Hint, hint.)

The Good: After the meeting yesterday (which actually was pretty good, despite the fact that it is overwhelming to see a lot of unemployed people in one room), I decided to take on the task of finding a one-piece swimsuit. I'm going on a trip with a high school group in a couple of weeks, and all the females are required to wear one-piece swimsuits.

This was a daunting task because A) I'm not really at the best weight I've ever been, and B) I'm kind of long-bodied, and I always felt that one pieces made me look like a high school wrestler.

But.

BUT.

Yesterday, the heavens opened up and delivered a swimsuit that, believe it or not, was so flattering that I bought it in two different colors. AND it was on sale!!! (Actually, I bought it online when I got home because there were more colors available online.) Behold this bathing suit that is sure to cover or disguise a multitude of body wrongs. (I tried to get a photo of it, but they were all too small):

The Lands' End Grecian Swimsuit

And I searched online for a coupon code that gave me 25% off the sale price plus free shipping!

So, if I'm still in my unemployed state come September, I'll just put on this bathing suit and feel like a million bucks.

The Life of Riley

Honestly, this week I've been living "the life of Riley." I told a friend of mine that if every week could be like this one, I would never work again. (Darryl, don't have a heart attack and keep on reading.)

Yes, I do plan to hit the job search hard and heavy (and I've already applied for a couple), but I just needed a week to, you know, chill out.

Today I went to my friend Mary's store and did a little scrapbooking with my friend Blayne. I haven't scrapbooked at all in several months, and it was good to play with some pretty paper and photos. I'm working on an album for our Disney trip last October and hope to finish it soon.

Getting my scrapbooking on also made me get back in the photo-taking mood. I've been terrible about taking photos lately, but I really want to make sure I catch a lot of little everyday moments...like these from this afternoon.

Aquariums and Diaper Champs

Tuesday I took Amelia to the Georgia Aquarium. We went last year at the end of the summer and Amelia really enjoyed it then, so I figured she might enjoy it even more now...and she did.

Here's why I am a fan of the aquarium, especially in the summertime:

1) It is indoors and COOL.
2) It is easy to get to.
3) The parking is oh so close to the entrance.
4) Again, it is indoors and COOL.

Did I mention it is indoors and cool?

Amelia didn't stay still for long, so it was hard to get photos, but here are a few...




And this has nothing to do with the aquarium, but I have to show you a photo of this momentous occasion:

That's our Diaper Champ, waiting to be collected by the garbage truck.

SWEET MERCY.

Amelia is, I believe, a smart child, but heavens to Betsy, she really didn't give a rip about potty training. Around Easter, I finally just decided to put her in some panties to see what happened, and lo and behold, we haven't looked back.

Well, that's not 100% true. We glance back to Pull-Up Land for naptime and bedtime, but other than that, this is a diaper-free zone.

HALLELUJAH.

A New Beginning

So.

I quit my teaching job.

I'm not sure if that was a crazy decision to make in this economy, but it feels like the right decision.

The bottom line is this: I was spending at least 60 hours most weeks doing teaching-related things. Amelia was spending 10 hours a day in daycare, and that's not even counting the time that Darryl was "Mr. Mom" on the weekends and even on some evenings while I graded papers at Starbucks. I wasn't fulfilling my role as a teacher or my role as a mother to my satisfaction. What's more is that for the most part, my passion for my job was dwindling, and I really didn't want to become "that" teacher who is bitter and nasty to all her students because she doesn't really want to be there. (We all know those teachers exist. I had no desire to be one.)

So I resigned. Even though I knew (and still know) it was the right thing to do, it was still a hard decision to make. I had been at my school for seven years. I had a niche. I got to teach AP classes. I had friends I had grown accustomed to seeing every day. I enjoyed most of my students.

Now, for clarification...my "plan" is not to be a stay-at-home mom. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, but I don't think it is for me. I hope to find something, though, where I can leave the office (or wherever) at the end of the day and be DONE with my job until I return to work the next day.

Even though that is exciting (and terrifying), it was still hard to say goodbye to...

...my desk,

...these friends,

...this classroom.

Where I've Been and What I've Been Doing

So, what's the reason for all the quietness on the blog lately? (If all two of you were wondering...)

Non-stop craziness.

After Spring Break, it seemed like life was just one thing after another. The weekdays were filled with the routine of school, and the evenings and weekends were filled with all kinds of fun stuff, like...

A surprise party for my friend Rebecca, who was turning 30. (Ah, 30...)



The prom. (Here I am with my friends/fellow teachers Lisa and Charlee. And yes, that is a stained glass window of Jesus in the background.)

An Easter party. (I didn't make it to the actual party, but I did make it to the egg hunt.)


Easter. (My parents came up for Easter. Unfortunately, Amelia was running a little fever and couldn't go to church, but that afternoon we put on her dress anyway and took some pics.)

(The above is a cake Amelia and my mom made. Amelia wanted lots of rabbits on it.)

A quick senior trip. (Seriously...we went to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando and back in 28 hours.)





Lots of end-of-the-year evening festivities, like an academic awards ceremony, Class Night, and Graduation. (Here I am with Tim and Kim before Graduation. Also, this was taken with my phone, hence the poor quality.)

Busy, busy times. I think I'm still catching up on sleep. :-)