Current Loves

So thankful the weekend is *almost* here. Between grades being due this week, Wyldlife's "Hoedown Throwdown," Odyssey of the Mind meetings, the truck battery finally dying (subsequently having to bum rides to work,) and preparing for today's formal observation, my body's rebelling a bit from thinking too hard. 

Detoxing my mind from this week requires healthy doses of the following:

   

(Mile-High-Salsa-Pie + Oktoberfest = one happy girl) 

Here's to the weekend... to the Gators slaughtering the Bulldogs, to Halloween festivities, to spending time with siblings, and the hope of cool weather returning. 

Current mood?

Right now I feel like 

(not the trashy party, just the grouch.)

The truck's battery is dead.

I have papers to grade out the wazoo.

Diego is staring at me, begging for play time.

No groceries = strange dinner creations.

Look at the bright side...

I have a car and funds to fix it.

I have a job.

I have the best dog in the world. 

I have food for dinner

(even if it's frozen brussel sprouts, ice cream,  and spanish rice.)

(note drool coming out of mouth that eventually migrated onto my leg)

And I was invited to play today at one of my former student's house.

Mom gave me permission, even on a school night.

Oh life. 

Mom's Here

It's a joy to spend time with your mother, especially when you haven't seen her since July. That's been the longest ever, I think... I promise not to ever do that again, Momma. We spent a relaxing weekend shopping & walking the beach, and I found this, which was the first I've ever seen in my entire life out in real life:

I've also had a life do-over. After a month of stagnant TV watching on the couch, eating like it's a second job, and motivation for absolutely nothing, I've run 4 times this week. I bought lamps at HomeGoods. I even ordered pictures from our Europe trip to put in the frames we bought last August from IKEA. Both our families are celebrating Thanksgiving at our house; that's my deadline for getting everything in order!!

By the time November 22nd comes I will:

*Paint both guest bedrooms

*Buy a bedframe for the mattress that's on the floor

*Put up art and frames that have been resting on the floor for a year and a half

*Recover the kitchen chairs and buy drapes

*Find random pieces of thrift store furniture that I can revamp

*Make guest bedroom look like this: 

I can do it!!!

Change in the weather equals fall shenanigans. 

Autumn is definitely not complete without some camping and headlamp action. Thanks, Dad, for the birthday present. 

Diego. The woods. Enough said. 

Watching sunrises always equal new life beginnings. 

Fall festivals with best friends are simply... the best.

What's fall without a corn maze?

It'll go by too quickly as Christmas approaches and stores tell me that it's time to think of holiday shopping. But autumn, I promise to celebrate you as much as I can. 

i am running a marathon.

it's official-- i'm jumping in and just doing it. i'm terrified of long runs and i really don't enjoy running all that much, but i'm gonna do it. if i don't do it at this point in my life, it might never be done.

so hold me to it.... now if i could only get off the couch to start training... ehhh maybe next week :)

Life is good- awesome Wyldlife "Sleepover" club today, taking the 8th grade girls camping on Friday, fall festival in two weeks. Love our kiddos and love serving them through wyldlife.

time to go make dinner :)

where's my hubby?

And why are they makin' him stay at work so late? Not cool.

But what IS cool is that Glee tonight was all about faith. I love this show because it delves into taboo topics and challenges stereotypes... and puts a smile on my face every time, tonight being no exception. My favorite part though is it's changing my viewpoint of Barbara Streisand, who up until this year I for some reason couldn't stand. Kind of like guacamole and tabasco sauce. But all of the sudden, I like those things; it's the same with Streisand (with the help of Glee, of course.) I think I heard that as you get older your tastes change... maybe my mother was right...

So other than the BEAUTIFUL weather change, here are some other current loves of the day:

The wine that we ordered in Italy FINALLY came 3 months later. Now I get to use the rack from IKEA I broke down and bought. 

It's cold enough to use my favorite sweatshirt that was Mike's from middle school. Woo hoo!

Truffle olive oil & mozzarella 

kale 'potato chips' um they are AMAZING. The end.

And on second thought, after watching Barbara's version of "Papa Can You Hear Me?" on youtube, I think Rachel's version on Glee is better. And I take back what I said earlier about maybe starting to like Barbara Streisand. Still not a fan. Sorry, Mom. 

a birthday poem

I shamelessly love my birthday

Basking in love from my family and friends

sunflowers waiting on the kitchen counter

present wrapped in a bath towel

because no wrapping paper could be found

students interrupting class to sing and bring 

homemade chocolate surprises

a mammoth smiley face balloon and cards from

girls who have captured my heart and who

make teaching worth it

Facebook birthday wishes from old friends

   sisters and best friends in far away places

dance party CDs, dressing up hot

sangria, old man band, and being the 
youngest group dancing on the roof 

marathon walk to the next place

your neighbor, the bassist in the band

...more dancing...maybe in the streets...

topping it off with a late night rendevouz with

UFOs (the kind you eat, of course) 

25, you were welcomed in style.

You have a lot to live up to

and you could quite possibly be the 

best year of my life.