a quest to be better people. and hotter, too. does that make us selfish?

the 30 week challenge. that is what missy and i are calling it. we both have quite a few things in our lives that we want to change . . . some physical, some mental, some spiritual, some financial, and all of the rest. but daily life gets overwhelming sometimes.

now. sometime later this week ima gonna write me a gratitude post. or maybe a couple. but one of those posts is definitely going to explain why i am so thankful for a friendship like the one i share with missy. and trust me. it involves a lot more than my fascination with her ability to throw the term "titty baby" around like it's nothing, although, if i am being honest that might just be why i decided she had to be my friend!

last january at missy's shower for benjamin!

she - obvs pregnant. and supercute pregnant!

me - about 20 pounds ago. still a ways to go!

for tonight, though, let me just take some time and explain the 30 week challenge. because like it starts now.

the purpose is multifaceted, yo. weekly goals don't seem so daunting. obviously there are some things each of us want for ourselves and the people around us by the time this "quest" is over, so yes. there is a BIG PICTURE. but you've got to take smaller steps to get there sometimes, right? right?!

um, we are teachers. we totally believe in rules. duh. but since we are GOOD teachers, we totally believe in as few rules as possible wherein we can still get our point across and don't have to have an entire wall filled with poster board stating said rules. (sorry. just had a flashback to my first classroom.) so. as good ol' harry wong suggests....here are our fast five.

________________________________

FAST FIVE OF THE 30 WEEK CHALLENGE

1. every sunday, post 3 to 5 goals for the week. 1 goal MUST have to do with getting physical. 1 goal MUST have to do with eating habits. the rest can be as deep and philosophical as we want. or they can be totally shallow.

2. at the end of the week, if all goals are met, deposit 10 bucks in the piggy bank.

3. when it comes to eating habits, we are allowed one cheat day a week, if needed.

4. if a cheat day is not used, deposit 2 to 3 extra dollars in the piggy bank.

5. communicate and be reflective. we will be doing that publicly on this here blog, as well as lots of email and chatter between the two of us on a daily basis....which is really nothing new, now we've just got more to talk about!

________________________________

yeah. so there is money involved here. the ultimate goal is that by the week of june 7th - the end of this 3o week challenge - the two of us will have saved enough money to reward ourselves with a fun girls weekend. just in time to celebrate being out of school.

and our new hotness.

the before!

forgive me missy, but this picture always cracks me up

and now i actually have a reason to post it!

normally, goals will be posted each sunday....this week we'll post monday!

yeah so seriously

i totally suck at blogging anymore. there was a bit of time there where i thought i was kind of getting good at this.......and then the job search became an excuse to take a break and then the summer of insanity began and then i posted OVER A MONTH AGO about how i was back and was going to write and yeah. not so much.

but it's saturday afternoon. and for like the first time in three months it is actually quiet and still and there's not a lot going on. which of course means, i have used my time wisely and been productive, i.e., i've spent the afternoon roaming the internet. well. not really the ENTIRE internet. instead, the majority of my time has been spent on this crockpot cooking blog. because HOLY COW - there's a lot you can do with a crockpot.

and i have one.

and only work a block from my house.

um. what?

yeah. in MY mind that makes perfect sense. because in case you were not aware, i can be a little neurotic about things. and by "things" i mean absolutely nothing that really has bearing or importance. for example, i spent 25 minutes the other day working on a powerpoint trying to make the orange in my pistol pete clip art match the orange of the text. because, you know, 6th-7th-8th graders TOTALLY care about shit like that. also, there's a chance i drove back to my house three different times the other day to make sure i had closed my garage door....and there's a chance those drivebys all happened within 5 minutes of each other. and don't even get me started talking about my straightener. (by the way, thanks mom, for this genetic trait you've passed down to me! ;p SMOOCHES!)

anyway. what was i talking about?

i've always been amazed by the crockpot, but also a little afraid of it because it is an appliance - that is hot - that you leave plugged in. all day. unattended!!!! um. hello? that could be DANGEROUS. so. in the past. i have done the crock pot cooking. but usually, i am home all day. or, in the rare instances where i've put something in in the morning and then gone to work, i have worried about it all day long. ask anyone who has worked with me.

yeah. i know. my brain is annoying.

so. now that i live a block away, i come home for lunch every day. which means, i can check to make sure all is well and secure and not scorching. so YEAH!!!! crock pot cooking will DEFINITELY happen a lot this fall/winter. (which by the way, be prepared for a lot of me writing about how freaking cold oklahoma is. all starting here in about 4 weeks. don't say you haven't been warned.) (wait. that means i am intending to do some actual writing, i guess. huh. funny.)

okay. so. those of you who've known me for a while might be curious about this thing called "cooking" that i seem to have discovered. and trust me. i'm just as weirded out that i am participating in it as well. like on purpose. and with regularity.

but that's another ramble-y, ADD blog for another slow saturday.

and don't worry. one of those won't be here until after christmas.

let's try this again.....

so here’s the deal.  taking a break from the blogging stuff - way back in, oh what was it?  april? – seeeeeeeeeeeeeeemed like a fabulous idea at the time.  but now it’s, um, turning september in less than 8 hours and there’s hardly been a blip on the screen from me.

i’d make some excuses here, but really?  i just didn’t want to write.  no offense to anyone who cares that much.  (and yeah, if you do, chill, plz?  ‘k.  thx.)  A LOT happened this summer.  some spectacular stuff, some funny stuff, and some pretty stressful stuff.  and it’s all stored somewhere deep and comfortable in the caverns of my brain.  and maybe someday i’ll write about some of it and bore you with my ramblings then.  but for now….i’m just going to start with today.

because today i got to analyze testing data.  all.  day.  long.  after i spent the entire week last week doing the same thing (on my own, mind you.  who says i ain’t a self-starter?).  i finally had to laugh to myself because who knew that looking at numbers and state reading objectives could make a girl soooooo incredibly homesick.  because that is what happened.  and those of you from the life i just moved away from will get a kick out of this: i missed data groups.  and continuous improvement.  and, dare I say it?  okay.  i'll whisper it...taks.  (if you are reading this and suddenly feel clueless, please don’t fret.  your justifiable ignorance - a word i use with only the most POSITIVE connotation - really is a strong indicator that i should have a life away from those three things.  because seriously?  they should not be the topics of 94.6% of my conversations.)

please laugh now.

trust me…..this nostalgic feeling will fade very quickly.  as in, just because i got all misty-eyed at how much easier all of this use to be for me, it doesn’t mean it’s worth it to come back to. 

and maybe…..maybe it was just easier today to admit that i missed the “easiness” of the Texas numbers game (seriously.  i heart the okies, but they need to get some of their shit together when it comes to this) instead of the people.  because somedays it’s harder to explain why i left them.

to them... 

...and to myself.

i be back

okay.  it's summer.  i have a job for the fall.  i am more than 3/4 of the way through the entire moving process.  i'm on vacation.  no more "i be busy" types of arguments.

so, i guess, i'll come back to blogging.

oh.  and one other thing.....there is now a house.  a house that will involve renovations.  a house that will bring sarah (me!) closer together with john and karen (the 'rents!)  because oh yeaaaaaaaahhhh.  WE are doing the renovations.  and guess who gets to read about it?  yep. yall.

before i do much writing, let me show you the photographic evidence of day one.  i'm sure there will be stories to tell as we get further along, but right now the newness is still a-shimmer and the cynicism, i mean, story-telling will commence later.

picture 1 - living room from the dining room.  still attached: beverly's (previous owner) jcpenney's drapes from 1979.  oh.  and the carpet.

picture 2: karen and lucy getting ready to check out what the heck is underneath the carpet.  (also from 1979).  look how handy my mom is.

picture 3: LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!!!  and can i get a hallelujah???  the floors freakin' rock!  

picture 4: we got so excited about the floors that we just decided to rip up all of the carpet up. because seriously.  can you see those floors?  the only issue.  can you see the line up the middle?  those are all tacks.  and there are a lot of them because there is a lot of floor.  so pretty much?  if you come to visit me the next couple of weeks?  yep.  you're going to be assigned tack duty....

picture 5: trash.  leftover from all of the carpet pulling up.  and this was after one room.  ick.

picture 6: john.  he was awfully excited to mow that grass.  i have promised him that will not become his job.  just gotta find me a mower.  (hint, hint lissa and jerms.)

picture 7: and me.  like a super sexy hot picture of me.  wouldn't you agree?  this is after the battle with the carpet AND combating the 1979 drapery machinations that were everywhere.  new annoyance: window treatments.

picture 8: and you too can achieve super sexy hotness.  just move into a house with a broken a/c and then decided to rip out all of the carpet.  oh.  and remember.  it's summer.

picture 9: my first house-warming gift.  it's there as a beacon of what will come when everything is finished.  unfortunately, that probably won't be until football season.  that's aiiiight.  margaritas and football?  i think that has a nice ring...

who knew, pt. 2 and current events via 14 y/o's

so thanks for participating in the voting in round 1 - if you did.  if you didn't, um, i kind of think you suck.  :)  but not really.  

it looks like choice A won out.  it also looks like i will never be able to share a SECRET with my SISTER without FEAR of her announcing it on the internet.  FOR THE WORLD (i.e., our mother) to see.  there is no tattoo.  she is mistaken.  i was just TALKING.  geez.

round 2: shiny stuff

(vote in the comment section, again!)

A

B

C

_______________________

so the paranoia in texas is annoying this week.  such paranoia has found its ways into the halls of my school.  lemmejustsay, the best part of teaching 8th graders when anything MAJOR happens in the news is that i get to hear them wax prophetic about the state of world affairs . . . 

over the last few days i've been told these gems:

- i need to be careful not to get slime disease.

- you can only get slime disease from eating pork.

- the world needs to be helping mexico because the flu is in their water and we need to help them stop all of the diseases that regularly inhabit their country.  (which lemmejustsay, poor mexico.  they are taking the brunt of this.  which REALLY sucks.)

- the euro is the mexican dollar.  

- the government should just print more money and the depression or whatever or recession or whatever would just stop.

and i laugh at my kids and find them charming and tryyyyyyyyyyyy to set them strait.  which, lemmejustsay (is that annoying yet?  i'm hoping it is!) trying to convince a 14 y/o of anything if you are over the age of 19 is pretty much damn near impossible.  that isn't obnoxious AT ALL.  but also.  i bet if we look at that list of information up there most of you could find someone in your life - friend or no - who pretty much has the same line of thinking.  

yeah.  sad.

26 more days until summer.

not sad.

who knew, pt. 1 - VOTE!

my sister laughed at me yesterday when i made a comment about wearing a watch.  she said - to quote her exactly - "since when have you ever worn a watch."  and it was like that.  a statement.  not a question.  ica is very specific in her speech.  

anyway.  as any good taurus would do, i took that as a challenge.  (yeah.  i don't really know if "tauri" take things as challenges.  there's a chance i am making up any knowledge of astrology and sign characteristics.  but.  whatever.)  yes, a CHALLENGE!  so maybe i will get a watch.  but if i am going to get something that my inner sarah will rage against and if i am going to wear something that will surely cause a rash on my left wrist, then it's gonna be, well, fab.u.lous.

round 1:  leath-uh

(vote in the comment section!)

A

B

C

the irony in the images above . . . i whittled away a good chunk of, ahem, time looking them up when i could have been doing something more productive.  but that's the charm of me, right?  a watch wouldn't change that.  

surely.

while you were out . . .

in case you didn't know, i took a break from blogging while i was searching for a job.  (what?  yep.  totally did.  i haven't blogged since march 1.)  i think there was some sort of professional reason i did, but i'm gonna pretend it was for the betterment of humanity and say i totally saved you from having to read my constant fretting about not knowing WHAT ON EARTH WAS HAPPENING IN MY LIFE.  but now i've got more of a clue.  about at least one thing.  so that's nice.  you don't have to read my whining.

here's a run down of things i probably would have blogged about if i had been blogging . . . 

1.  i am on probation now.  like for serious.  i turned right on red. got a ticket.  paid the ticket.  and am now on probation because it keeps the ticket off my record (i.e. won't up my insurance for something INCREDIBLY STUPID) as long as i don't get another ticket between now and july 1.  but c'mon.  i sound incredibly tuff (that's right.  i spelled it wrong.  and what?) saying i'm on probation, right?  grrrr.

2.  same police department.  different officer - pulled out of the police station right into me.  seriously.  right in front of him.  the result: i got to drive around in a dodge charger for about 2 weeks, which totally upped the whole tuffness thing mentioned above as i generally drive around in my sexy civic.  also, the body shop that dealt with my car has magic skills in vacuuming dog hair out of said sexy civic.

3.  lucy lived in oklahoma for the last month.  life was empty.  (and not as a hairy.)

4.  why to number 3?  because since spring break, i have driven back and forth between dfw and okc 7 times.  7 times.  on i-35.  ON I-35.  dude.  if you don't get why this is awfulness defined - feel blessed.

5.  went to austin.  stuffed my face.  here, here and here.  spent some money.  here and here.  bought the shoes below.  um, yeah.  LOVE them.  and hung out with my girls cody, erin, and ica.  (plus new friend holly from canada who has never had a corn dog.  crazy.)

6.  held baby ben.  but not as much as i'd like.

7.  got a mullet.  not intentionally.  i've kind of adjusted to looking like billy ray before miley came along.

8.  have learned how to function with limited mobility in my left knee.  dr. lissa (my friend the pediatrician whom i may or may not use for free medical advice) is now refusing to diagnose me since i told her i referred to her as "my doctor" when explaining to the school nurse why i kept sending students down to get ice for me one day.  apparently i am too old for a pediatrician?  discrimination, right?

9.  talked about how amazing i am to lots of people who pretended to care.  :)  i kid, i kid.  but holy crap.  this job application/interview thing is killer.  the other day during an interview i almost said "no shit!" in response to a statement.  i think that means i've hit a disturbing comfort level with the whole interview process, don't you?

10.  so it's probably good that i got a job today.  especially good since i resigned from my current job 3 days ago.  faith yall.  i try to have it.  but yeah.  job.  YAY.  doing what i want to do.  even more of a YAY.  

and now my 6-week intimate relationship with cardboard boxes and packing tape is set to begin.  i will of course be sharing that hotness with yall.

a mini-rant: in two parts

1

so at my apartment complex we can be lazy and take our trash down to our parking spots on tuesdays and fridays and "they" will pick it up for us.  i think this is lazy because my parking spot is about the same number of steps from my door as the big trash can is - just in opposite directions.  since i have a four-legged roommate who has to be taken outside a few times a day, i use that time to take the trash out as well.  huge news, i know.  in my little courtyard unit everyone places their trash in the little walkway between our cars.  typically not a problem as it is only two days a week that anyone really needs to do this.  but.  one of my neighbors missed the "pick up" time on friday, but took their trash out anyway.  so for the last three days it has been sitting there next to where we park our cars and looking, well, trashy.  now.  i am not the most punctual person on earth, so i completely understand getting my trash down too late . . . but i am mildly considerate and i believe that if i had gotten home from work on friday and seen that my trash didn't get picked up with everyone else's, i would have gone ahead and walked it on down to the actual trash can.  but apparently not this neighbor (and i totally know which one it is because, well, it's obvious mr. frat boy across the walkway).  nope.  this neighbor has come and gone all weekend, having to walk by their trash (like the rest of us have had to) every single time they have gone to their car and gotten back home.  

and yes.  i know i could pick it up and walk it down, but that's not really my point now is it?

2

it's tax season.  yay.  there are several reasons i don't like doing taxes, but one of them is that all of those little places in the strip malls that will help you do your taxes (liberty tax, specifically) hire people to stand outside along the street in various patriotic costumes waving to cars as they speed by.  my issue is this . . . i feel like they are guilting me in to wanting to use their service because everyone they hire just looks pathetic standing out there waving for hours on end.  and i live in texas.  where it is relatively warm for most of the tax season.  but i feel for these people who have this same job in colder places like, oklahoma and kansas and colorado.  and they never seem to be wearing coats.  it drives me crazy.  so crazy in fact, i can't really seem to write coherent or interesting thoughts on the matter.

just so you know, i purposefully wrote this blog BEFORE the walmart grocery trip.  because after that experience this wouldn't have been a mini-rant or one that includes only 2 parts at all.  

you.  are.  welcome.

wasting time.

if you have ever checked out the blog roll to the right, you will have noticed how about orange.  i LOVE this site.  yes . . . the orange is the obvious reason, but she also has really great DIY tips that i bookmark like crazy for that day i have a house with walls i can paint and build things into.  anyway.  she posted a link to this quiz today to see what your decorating style is.  i've seen lots of these, but this one is my favorite.  plus, i think it got me right on . . . with a nearly three way tie of classic, cottage chic, and rustic revival.  

a purge

so i don't write tons about my job on here. for a variety of reasons. but mainly because really the only people who like to talk english teacher stuff are, well, other english teachers. and also - i don't know if you know this or not - but when a teacher gets going, they can really get going and some might perceive such "venting" as "whining" and that really isn't the case at all. for me anyway.

most of the time.

but for the sake of honesty, let's just say this hasn't been the easiest year for me when it comes to doing what i normally do best - connecting with my kiddos. and i know that everybody has years like this. ebb and flow and all of that. it's just, i HAVEN'T for a long long long time (like maybe since 2001-2002?). and for me, if i don't feel like i'm connecting then i also don't feel like i'm teaching at the same level that i hold myself up to. and for a perfectionist (don't laugh. i hide it very well.) that is extremely hard to deal with. so my reaction hasn't been probably the best one i could have. i feel myself pulling further away from my kids instead of working to build relationships. and i also find myself blaming my students - for being too cynical, for not being very open, for being apathetic . . .

and then the guilt sets in because i have three weeks like i've just had. when every. single. day. i learn something new about a different student. and yall, these new pieces of knowledge are things i wish i didn't have to know. simply because NO child should have to have these experiences in their story. and again, for the sake of honesty, there's nothing i can do to FIX anything. and THAT is hard to admit.

why am i writing about this today? i don't really know. other than maybe it is a means to explain why i haven't been writing much of the fluff lately? it seems trite to hear what i hear during the day and then come home and write about slicing my finger while cutting tomatoes or to write about my new obsession with napping . . .

___________________________________________

and even though they aren't really connected, but are somewhat related, i guess now is the time to address something else: hopefully in the next few months i'll be able to tell you i am employed in oklahoma. cuz yep. it's time to get on the road again. most of you who read this already knew this was coming, but nothing's a secret now. i've let the appropriate people at work know, so now i feel like i can freely share all job-related anxiety with the "masses." i am in the process of retrieving all of my transcripts (note to the young'uns - DON'T TAKE SUMMER SCHOOL FROM A DIFFERENT COLLEGE EVERY SUMMER) in order to process my oklahoma certification. i'll find out about my test on march 6 and will have another chance to retake it if i need to in april. so. if you are a pray-er please keep this whole job hunt thing in mind. i'm ready to be closer to my family (hi ica and j and k!) and my okies and to have season tickets to osu football (yes. a little facetious here. but not much.). this is a decision i'm very confident in. as you can tell from above, i'm probably in need of a change.

test

so i haven't been in a writing mood lately. if you are someone who reads this who also emails me on a regular basis, you will definitely agree. this week i have an excuse . . . i've been consumed with this test i am taking this afternoon. and also. i got sick.

again.

where did my immunity go? typically, it's one really bad cold a year for me, but this year, i swear, it's been like one a month. and yall. seriously. it's old.

but whatever.

the test. yeah. i finally kind of admitted to myself that after 8 years in the classroom, i am ready for a change next year. so suddenly this specialist exam means a whole lot more to me than just a few extra bucks in the salary department. i'm not a good test taker in general - i mean i typically do okay, but i over analyze EVERYTHING (hello! english major in college!) - so then when you throw in the impact this could have ON THE REST OF MY LIFE. geez. stress.

but. i've been promised margaritas this evening. coupled with the nyquil i am taking all thoughts of this test will be long gone by about 7:30.

manic monday #2

maybe all mondays are going to be like this for a while . . . 

so here is this week's running mix.  my brain is tired, so even though i feel like i should maybe write more, i also feel like anything i write is going to sound somewhat stupid . . . 

so yeah.  the list.

1. penny on the train track - ben kweller (who like at least 7 people told me to check out last year, but i ignored them and now i'm all, why did i ignore them?  since saturday, i've become OBSESSED.)
2. the long way around - dixie chicks (this is off of their sassy last album and it is my FAVORITE song even though "not ready to make nice" got all of the attention.)
3. think - aretha franklin (dude.  did you hear they want to put the hat in the smithsonian?  and she is still DEBATING?!  does she not realize her hat could be alongside the fonze's jacket and the ruby slippers and archie bunker's chair?  oh and yeah, some flag, too.)
4. if i were a boy - beyonce (or sasha fierce?  i don't understand the title of her new album)
5. devil town - bright eyes (nothing smart to say here.  just a damn good song.)
6. shout out loud - amos lee (see above.)
7. a long way to get - bob schneider (bob is hot.  why would i not include his tunes?)
8. what a catch, donnie - fall out boy (i think this title sounds like a billy joel title, which is probably why i like it.)
9. halfway home - jason mraz (from his live at java joe's cd.  if you don't understand the appeal of the mraz listen to this cd.  boy can sing.  and this song is the best example of it.)

i just realized i put nine songs that i like to sing along with all on the same playlist.  oh, the poor little old ladies that work out with me and who already think i am crazy for running are going to get a kick out of their nightly concert now.

oh.  and ben kweller.  this is the video of the song above.  it features his grandmother.  like really features her.

starbucks on saturday

today i went to starbucks to get coffee.  this is unusual for me on a saturday morning because typically i view a triple venti skinny latte with cinnamon (the real stuff, not that horribly syrupy shit that makes me sick) as a treat or relief during the week, i.e. i make a starbucks run when i MUST GET OUT OF THAT BUILDING.  usually, it helps me survive.  (seriously, yall, i like my job, but sometimes - and i'm sure everyone feels like this - those walls feel very tight and confining and on those days i NEVER feel guilty for using my planning period to run around in the fresh air...)

but this morning i have been up and running, so i decided to swing by.  i got my drink and actually remembered to read the quote on the side.  it is one of the best i have ever read off of a cup and it may, just may, be the best representation of my life philosophy.  i may have to steal it for a future resume or job application.  do you think it would be looked upon poorly to quote a starbucks cup when trying to get a new job?

our prejudices arise from the fear of things we do not understand.  if my generation has a single goal, it must be to promote education - education that advances us not only technologically, but also intuitively and emotionally.  in today's fast-paced world, advancing has to mean more than scientific discovery; it is our responsibility to force ourselves beyond our comfort zones and become knowledgeable about the people around us. - jessica arden ettinger

___________________________

THE reason i am up and going today is that i got a call from haverty's at 8:30 that they would be at my door in 30 minutes . . . and they were!!!  so i've gots a new bed.  now i am feeling quite motivated to hang up all of the stuff on the walls in my place.  you know, all of that stuff i've had for like a year that is still just leaning up against furniture?  yep.  that stuff.  maybe by the end of the weekend it will look like i live here again.

not that you REALLY care, but here is my bed . . . and it is MADE.

here is the foot of my bed.  i don't quite know why.

and here is what my bed will look like on a regular basis.

tres vestidos

it was an "ice event" here in north texas today.  for me, that means i slept in and then spent the rest of the day cleaning.  it doesn't matter that you can't really tell i cleaned . . . that tends to happen when you drag everything out of your closets to decide what to keep and what to give away.  i'm giving away a lot.  this is a good thing, i have to keep reminding myself.  to feel better about clearing perfectly good clothes out of my closet, i am looking for clothes i would rather have on this magical land of the internet.  in just under 5 minutes i found these three dress from anthropologie.  i don't know if i will actually buy any of them - i tend to turn very practical when i walk into anthropologie and can't seem to shell out the money . . . but i may just have to break down so i can have a summer frock this year . . . or drop a big enough hint toward my people who sew . . .

_________________________

the last one is my absolute favorite.  i don't know if the detailing on it will show through here or not, but i HEART it.  

a lot.

time for bed before i drift over to j. crew.

manic monday

it's been a day.  i'll just leave it at that.  such a day, that it's not even 7:30 and i've already been to the gym and am back curled up on the couch.  usually, i'm just now getting ready to head out, but i've decided sleep will be a necessity tonight to deal with the twitterpations of 7th and 8th graders (and their teachers!  yes, me included!) hoping for a "snow day" on wednesday . . . 

hey!  did yall notice the new changes on the blog?  i decided to go all white and use my favoritest colors (orange and green - duh!) more obviously.  the "old" look was almost a year old and it was time to retire the very cool masthead that jessica not the sister made for me when i moved the myspace blog out into the public.  since i am still completely ignorant in all things photoshop, this time i hit up cody to help me out.  i sent her the link to my new favorite website (yeah, i don't know where this started, but let's just say i can't wait until i've got more cabinet space...) and told her some of the patterns i really liked and she used her graphic design skills to  help me out.  so thanks friends!

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so i've decided that on mondays i'm going to start a new happening here on the blog called "music mondays."  really, this is for two selfish reasons: 1 - it will make me write at least one thing a week and 2 - since i'm planning to post my weekly running soundtrack, it will keep me motivated in that direction.  also, i've gotten very lazy with the musics lately and am not searching out new and good stuff.  so, um, maybe this will help?  i dunno.

okay.  i decided last week that i needed a new running playlist when it dawned on me that i was probably the only one in the gym running to old billy joel songs.  (and what?  i'm not apologizing.  it had just been about 6 months since i'd updated and i do love me some billy joel circa 1984.)  feel free to suggest any songs you think i need to include in my playlist for next week.

1. i try - ben taylor*

2.  girls just want to have fun - greg laswell 

3. paper planes - m.i.a. (there is another version of this on the slumdog millionaire soundtrack that is really great . . . just a little too long for my playlist)

4. heartless - kanye west

5. my life would suck without you - kelly clarkson

6. hate that i love you - rihanna and chris brown (rihanna is always on my list.)

7. get silly - v.i.c.

8. always be my baby - mariah carey (yeah, i totally had a flashback to high school and driving in jenno's car after school)

9. love lockdown - kanye west

* so the new genius on itunes suggested ben taylor's cover of macy gray's "i try" to me.  usually, i ignore those suggestions, but i'd always been curious about ben taylor (he's the musical spawn of james taylor and carly simon) so i fell for the suggestion.  i am SO glad i did.  check out the somewhat creepy fan video below.  i tried to find a good video of him singing, but 'twas not possible.  

sleep over sight

i went to the eye doctor this week because i am convinced that i'm becoming nearsighted.  or developing nearsightedness?  hmm.  not sure how that should read.  anyway, according to the eye doctor, i still just have a mild astigmatism.  and he didn't seem all that pushy about me needing glasses or anything - even for reading.  i have my prescription and have decided that if i stumble across any glasses i love, i'll get them.  but, since i don't get headaches from reading and grading and driving like i use to, i'm in no hurry.

that brings me to my point.  apparently, since i don't need glasses immediately, that means i can spend the money i'd set aside for said glasses on something else.

so i did.

a bed! this bed, to be exact . . . 

it gets here next weekend and i am so excited.  i'm even pumped enough to go clean my bedroom out and actually take all of those bags of clothes to goodwill like i've been promising.  for someone who typically plans big purchases out like this, i've lucked out with my two-day spontaneity.  first of all, haverty's has free shipping this weekend.  AND now that i've gotten home and read the online reviews, i'm even more excited because this bed has great reviews AND they are going to put it together for me.  SCORE!

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sarah's steps to becoming an adult . . . 

1.  buy washer and drier - check

2.  buy "grown up" furniture instead of relying on the kindness of hand-me-downs - half a check (still gotta get that new couch this summer)

3.  buy a house - eh . . . 

4.  buy a piano - someday . . . 

so i'm kind of half-way there, right?

letter trio

dear neighborhood old navy (henceforth known as n/o/n) -

you are one of my favorite o/n stores and trust me, i have visited quite a few. for some reason, your store seems to be well- organized (like today in the clearance section how everything was organized BY COLOR - kudos n/o/n and your j crew-like ways!). generally, you are also able to avoid looking like yall just dumped the recently delivered sweaters onto the tables and said "screw it" to folding them since they are going to get unfolded within a few minutes anyway. so typically, i like walking around to see what all i can gather in my arms. and today, trust, i was doing quite a bit of gathering (yoga pants are SUPER cheap this week, how could i not?) and was having quite a good time . . .

until i was accosted by your overly enthusiastic salesperson, dan. dude. dan. when you asked me (okay, honestly, you SCREECHED it at me) the first five times "if i was having a pleasant shopping experience" and i answered "mmhmm, yep, yes" or just simply nodded i was being honest. but when you asked me for the 11th time, i'll be honest, my answer was a bold-faced lie. but it was a lie i felt like i had to tell because if i said no then HOLY CRAP you might want to HELP me and dan, dan, dan, that just wasn't going to happen. and hey. did you notice when you asked if i wanted to sign up for an o/n-gap-banana card how quickly i ran to the front of the store to get away from you? oh wait? you didn't? that's riiiiiiiiiiight, 'cause as soon as i said no, your head whipped around to the poor lady next to me and you started the whole accosting experience over with her.

so in conclusion n/o/n, i do not plan on boycotting your store. (um, hello? your yoga pants are my fave!) but if you could, please, just post dan's schedule so i know when i should avoid dropping by.

thanks ever so much,
sarah

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dear chipotle man #1,

i love me a meal from chipotle. i do! and maybe since i go way too often (thanks missy!) it is more of a statement on my character that i can spit my order out and be in and out all in 3 minutes. but seriously my friend, i have NEVER waited behind someone so freakishly picky about their order in my life. and you were RUDE to the chick making it even though she was trying her hardest to make sure she followed all 138 of your directions.

also. you never said thank you to them. even though they spent 12 1/2 minutes waiting on you.

boo.
-sarah

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dear chipotle man #2,

first of all, let's get this straight, i was here first. wait in line, buddy. you are creeping me out a little when you come stand directly behind me, 'cause sir, that ain't how it works at chipotle. stand to my left, please. preferably at least 12 inches away. oh. or 2? seriously - creeping me out.

secondly, yes, i know that man #1 is FREAKING ANNOYING and slow, but just because i agree with you, please do not make it look like i am in cahoots with your verbal (and grammatically incorrect) assault on his pokiness. and c'mon people! what is with being rude to the workers today? making them dump your "carnitas bowl" (with no rice? what is that about? it's the best part of chipotle!) and start over because in the 30 seconds it sat there it got cold? whatever. also. that guy behind the counter? he speaks english. better than you, actually, so please quit talking to him like he's an idiot.

again, no thanks to your burrito maker? you suck.

-sarah

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editor's note: i would like to add that neither of the experiences to either of these establishments will prevent me from spending money there pretty much every thursday. it's what i do.

welcome back . . .

kelly clarkson!!!  

my car stereo has missed you.  but just one song?  really?   please finish the album so i can proceed to embarrass myself in traffic as i perform concerts for my fellow drivers.

also, can we be bff's? 'k? thanks.

a tagging

i've had a few people tag me with the "16 random things" post that is going around.  i just spent quite a bit of time driving up and down i-35 and part of the way i entertained myself was to think of things i could includ on this list.  so here we go . . . 

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1.  i once heard maya angelou speak/sing ('cause she sings a lot) at the brady theater in tulsa.  ten years later, i got to hear s.e. hinton and amy tan speak (they did not sing) in the same place.  all three of these women wrote books that changed my life.

2.  i'm fascinated by names and own no less than three baby name books.

3.  i was tattooed by a man named troll.

4.  due to watching a quantum leap episode about the l.a. watts riots when i was 12, i have had a strong/obsessive interest in anything and anyone associated with the civil rights movement since.

5. in college, a guy i dated was told by one of his church leaders that i was "satan's temptress."  true story.  i was HORRIFIED and HUMILIATED by this and all it implied . . . i've since decided it was most likely because i had a brain.

6.  when/if i get married there is a strong possibility i will not change my name.  there is also a strong possibility i will blame this on being a feminist when really it will mostly be because i am lazy.

7.  i spent every morning of my childhood summer days at the feedlot "helping" grandpa, richard, larry, and robert feed the cattle by riding around in the truck and getting to push the red button that did something SUPER-SPECTACULAR . . . i'm still not sure what, though.

8.  i'm claustrophobic in crowded places.  surely this has absolutely nothing to do with being in washington d.c. for the 4th of july in 1988 and walking back to our hotel along with 500,000 other people and being terrified i was going to be separated from my parents and sister.  

9.  for someone like me (issue from #8), visiting the empire state building in new york city was pure torture.  skinny hallways, long long long lines, people pressed up against you, riding up 1000 floors or whatever in a tiny elevator with at least 50 other people crammed in when really it should only hold 5  . . . 

10.  um, yeah, but looking back the empire state building is something i am very glad i did.

11.  when the horse died in never ending story, i stood up on my chair and wailed and had to be carried out of the theater.  

12.  i once was booed at a 7th grade girls "c" team basketball game because i was trying to run the clock and maybe kinda slightly screwed it up.

13.  one of my proudest moments of teaching is when a team member told me that he had overheard several students (and yall, this was the ROUGHEST group of kids i have ever had, which is actually saying a lot) talking about how mean and tough i was in class.  i still don't know how i tricked them.

14.  another moment of teaching pride: when i watched that class graduate from high school.

15.  my closet and much of my life may not be as organized as some would like it to be, but my computer files - on all three computers, mind you - are impeccably organized and it drives me crazy to be on someone else's computer that is not so.  seriously, how do you people live?  ;)

16.  my toenails are painted blue right now.

i was gone, now i am back - aka the top 11 things i learned over christmas break

so yeah.  long time, no blog.  i'm sure you had gone into some sort of life low in not being able to read my ramblings.  not to fear - sarah is back to the babbling.  so thanks for stopping by.

before christmas, i was having a hard time trying to focus on writing and i'll be honest, the lack of focus has only increased in the two weeks i haven't written ANYTHING at ALL except for facebook status updates.  some of those, though, have been masterpieces . . . but i need to get in the habit of writing more because - as always - one of my new years resolutions is to, um, write more.  last year, i actually somewhat accomplished it via this here bloggy thingy.  this year, well, not such a great start.  but i'm BACK!

and i think here on this bloggy thingy i have kind of started a trend/habit/tradition of listing what i learned when i've gone somewhere for vacation or something.  well, i mean, i know i did it that one time.  so because i do want to write about my 2 week respite from junior high kiddos, but also because of the whole inability to focus thing, i am going to fall back on the ol' "what i learned" format.  catch ya on the flip side.

(not quite sure why on earth i just wrote that last sentence.)

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the top 11 things i learned over christmas break 

(someday i will figure out a more creative way to title these entires.  promise.)

1.  i have will power.  it's been a while since i had been able to find it, yall, but let the fact that i did not eat a single piece of aunt sylva's cherry pie (made by mi madre just for me) illustrate the fact that will power does exist in my dna.  also, i ran-ish.  a lot-ish.  even when it was COOOOOOLD in the arctic tundra that is oklahoma/missouri.

2.  number one is not always the case when wine is involved.  basically all you need to know (and really i'm just telling you this so you don't worry) is that wine + sarah = sleep.

3.  i heart steve nash.  and that will always be the case even if i am made fun of for having such a crush.  but yall i do have to say . . . watching nba basketball in oklahoma city was SURREAL.  i'm not knocking oklahoma at all in pointing this out . . . it's just, i guess, something i never really expected?

4.  you can find a lot of random crap at wal-mart.  especially a wal-mart in springfield, mo.  (and by random crap, i do NOT mean jan.)

in case you cannot tell, yes, that is an ENTIRE display of mizzou paraphenalia . . . purses, headbands, bags, scarfs . . . it was terrifying.

5.  i still like springfield, mo (despite the above horribleness available at their local establishments.  and by above horribleness i do NOT mean jan.)  and the people i know there.  (hi family!)  who knew we could laugh so hard about stealing gift cards to bookstores and bar-b-cue restaurants from one another?

6.  i am apparently the shortest person in my family.  i'm sure this has always been the case, but for some reason just now this christmas, i actually noticed it.

seriously?  what is that?  like 6 inches?  HOW COULD I NOT NOTICE THAT IN THE LAST 12 YEARS?

7.  my cousins make some cute babies.  (is that risque?  gasp!)

evidence #1 - joey!  (also, honesty time here . . . i took like 123 pictures of this kiddo and this is pretty much the only one that wasn't blurry.  obviously, i need to learn how to use my camera.)

evidence #2 - lizzy!  (another round of honesty - i took like 53 pictures of my dad holding lizzy and this is pretty much the only one where her eyes weren't red.  or where she wasn't flipping me off.  again.  must learn to use camera or convince this child to like me.)

8.  it's easy to fall into old habits.  i'm not going to elaborate on this one.  just know that it has nothing to do with the wine mentioned above.  not that that ever was a habit.  really.

9.  it's okay to let go . . . of control, of things you think you absolutely have to do because you always do them and oh my god if you don't do them then life will end, of assumptions, of  . . . yeah, so i kind of got some thinking done . . . again, no elaboration, but know that all is good.  very good.  

10.  i have had my fill of i-44.  no offense dear stl fam and no offense s-field fam, but it might be a while before i hang out on that glorious stretch of road between tulsa and where you are . . . please do not take it personally . . . 

11.  i am very blessed.  with friends.  with family.  with opportunities.  i didn't really need to LEARN, this, per say, but i think God likes to remind me in obvious ways since sometimes i don't stop and pay attention to the obvious.  see number 6 for evidence if you must.