Bicycle, Bicycle

The first bike that I remember having was a tricycle. Hilary and I would always turn it upside down and act like it was an ice cream maker. 

Then I had a brand new pink and white Huffy! It was awesome! I had to ride it with training wheels at first but once those came off, I rode around the neighborhood like crazy. One day during the summer after I had the bike a couple years, I was inside playing with a friend and Lindsay was inside with her friend. All our bikes were in the yard. There were two new bikes and two older bikes (mine was older). When we all went out to ride around, my bike was gone! How rude! Well, we heard through the neighborhood grapevine who took it and eventually we found it at Trailer Park a couple miles away.

Then mom bought me a cute pink banana seat bike! I loved this bike!! The seat was huge and squishy! Why would I ever want a bike with a small seat again?

Well, I did get another new bike when I was about 12. The first day I had it, I crashed in the middle of the road. I had this bike for a long time. Again, it was pink. I don't know why I always has pink bikes because pink isn't even one of my favorite colors. I guess it's just the stereotypical bike color.

I now have an adult BLUE and silver bike! I still hate the uncomfortable seat I have to sit on, which is why I bought a seat cushion.

Book Club

Last summer I was a slug. Complete slug. I only read a few books during the whole summer which is not normal for me. I hardly read at all during the school year because I stay pretty busy. Being in college the last year really made less time for reading as well. I did get to read two books in the last two weeks...just read in bead instead of watching tv or going to sleep early!

Lindsay and I were talking about ways to "hang out" when she moves and we decided to make a book club! Yes we are dorks, I know. She reads books that are far from my taste usually. We did pick out two books the other day at HPB to read this summer. I have lots of other plans for the summer so that I don't completely morph into a slug but reading is definitely on the list! If you want to join our book club, let us know!

My Favorite Stores

Here are a few of my favorite stores to shop!!!

Target is my favorite store of all! I have always loved going here and now Lindsay and I make it a habit to go here together often. A lot of times we just go here to look or wander around but I usually can find something I want!!

Dollar Tree is awesome! It is a great place for a lot of things for school. I find things to put in my classroom store all the time as well as holiday or crafty things. All for $1!!

Half Price Book is a great bookstore! Books here are so cheap! I also get a 20% discount because I am a teacher. The only bad part is that you can never go looking for a specific thing. They may have it if it is your lucky day but don't go set on it or you will likely be disappointed.

Barnes and Noble is also a great bookstore. They also offer a 20% discount for teachers, which you will need since everything is full price! They do have a good selection though.

United Art & Education is the best teacher store around Indy. The store in Avon is good too but it is really small and has a limited supply. United has a huge selection of things and I never leave without getting something!

Wal-Mart. Now this one is on the list but yet I don't love it. I hate so many things about Wal-Mart but I included it because I go there so much and always find random things I need. It is a superstore so of course it as everything. I don't like that it is anti-union (especially when I am getting Clint's pain meds right after major surgery and they won't accept our insurance because he is a union worker!). Some of the nastiest people shop there, hence the creation of PeopleofWalmart. It is a love-hate relationship.

Famous People A to Z

 

The first celebrity that I can think of for each letter:

 

A: Avril Lavigne

B: Boy George

C: Christina Aguilera

D: David Beckham

E: Edward Norton

F: Frank Sinatra

G: Gwyneth Paltrow

H: (Prince) Harry - I don't even know their last names!

I: Ichiro Suzuki

J: Jessica Simpson

K: Katherine Heigel

L: Luke Bryan

M: Michael Jackson

N: Nate Dogg

O: Otis Redding

P: Prince

Q: Queen Latifah

R: Rachel McAdams

S: Sylvestor Stallone

T: Tina Turner

U: Uma Thurman

V: Venus Williams

W: Will.I.AM

X: Xizbit

Y: Yao Ming

Z: Zac Efron

Ok...I had to google a few for ideas (Q, U, and X)

Top 5

The five most important things on my bathroom counter:

Toothbrush - This one is obvious! But let me note that although I talk a lot, I actually have a small mouth. Most adult toothbrushes are too big for my little cute grin!

Hair Dryer - I am in need of a new one of these. I used to have one that the cord retracted into. Now that I get ready at the gym several days a week, this would come in handy! Not too mention that the cover for the fan thingy keeps falling off.

Jewelry Box - I kind of cheated with this one because it holds many things. I have to wear a necklace almost every day or I feel weird. I also don't like sleeping with my watch or ring on so I put them in my jewelry box for safe keeping. It is also very cute - it came from Mexico (from Lindsay).

 Straightener/Curling Iron - I put both because I usually use one or the other. Some days I just straighten, other days I curl the ends. Whatever mood I am in!

Brush - I prefer a rectangle brush with hard bristles. I don't like round brushes or the ones with softer bristles.

M.I.W.T.S.

Movies I Want to See (not in any order):

 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Duh! Why would I read all the books and see all the movies to not watch the finale??

 Limitless - I am already a Bradley Cooper fan and I think this looks really good. It also got good reviews!

 

The Lincoln Lawyer - This did not get great reviews but I think it looks decent. I also usually like Matthew McConaughey movies.

Transformers 3 - When the first Transformers movie came out I thought it looked dumb. I still thought that when the 2nd one came out. Well, one night it was on tv and I started watching it and I realized that I really liked these movies! Now I want to see the 3rd, even though Megan Fox is not in it :(

X-Men: First Class - I love all the X-Mens and Wolverine movies, so of course I want to see this. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a lot of the characters that are in the first trilogy so we'll see how it is.

Black Swan - This has been given a lot of awards and almost everyone I know that has seen it has liked it. It looks a little weird/scary but I still want to see it sometime.

Faster - It may be cheesy, but I love The Rock...um, I mean Dwayne Johnson. I am glad to see that he is back as an ass kicker instead of the tooth fairy.

Our House

In celebration of us putting on offer on a hew house, I thought I would take a look back to when we built our current house.

Our nice muddy lot!

The date of it's birth!

Clint gives it a thumbs up!

Look! There's a house here!

starting to look like a house

  

Already a messy bedroom!

Clint giving it a union look-over.

 

Me impersonating Ace Ventura!

Our mailbox, duh!

The finished masterpiece!

It is actually a nice little first house and I like most parts of it. However, the neighborhood is not quite my favorite part! We are also ready for a little bit more room. Hopefully we will get the house we want sometime soon!

3/4 of an Inch

When Hilary and I were little we used to make up silly games all the time. One summer we decided to act like we had our own show. When we were young, mom was always sewing. So for our show, we decided to act like we measured everything. The name of our show was "The 3/4 of an Inch Show" (and you say three quarters of an inch, not three fourths!). So we carried our measuring tapes all over the house talking to our imaginary camera crew, talking about 3/4 of an inch. We never acted like we were sewing or anything, just measuring!

Hilary and I were quite imaginative while Lindsay just stared and sighed at us!

Panic at the Disco

Due to popular demand, I am going to tell you about a few panic attacks that I have had in the last few years (well, the only panic attacks I've had actually).

When I was a sophomore at IU in Bloomington, I lived with a friend that I had went to school with since early elementary school. We had decided this living arrangement our senior year in high school when we had a radio show together on our high school station. Matt was the best roommate. He was super clean, very easy to get along with, and generally didn't cause any trouble. He is finding out tomorrow where he will get a job as a doctor. So he is also a smart pants!

Well, my soph. year at IU I had to get my wisdom teeth out. I like to know what I am going into and what things to expect. So I took to Google to search about wisdom teeth removal. Clint had his removed our senior year of high school and had ended up with dry socket. Well, I needed to know what that was in case I got it or could prevent getting it. I started reading all about it and I guess subconsciously I got freaked out about the description because all of a sudden I got dizzy and started dripping sweat! I went to my bathroom at our apartment (which was the room with the bathroom inside the room - because Matt was nice like that). I started to take off my clothes because like I said - I was dripping! Drenched in sweat, I layed on the cold floor trying to figure out what was up! I was tempted to go get Matt because I was kinda freaking out but a. I was half-naked and b. I thought I was being ridiculous. Well, eventually the sweats turned into cold shivers and then I was fine. I went back to my normal life like nothing happened.

The next year I was watching an episode of ER that was particular gross. Now, I was always a HUGE ER fan and was not new to graphic stuff. I mean I watched the show for years! This particular episode showed a mass being removed and it just really grossed me out! But again, it didn't make me feel sick. I think my subconscious got freaked out and made me all sweaty and dizzy again. Now I was really like WTH??

I had my third panic attack when Clint and I visited Jen in the hospital after she had Kyrah. I tried to get everyone to leave me alone, that I just wanted to sit down. But of course, when someone asks to be left alone, they all swarm! I knew what was going on, but Clint didn't really. He had never been around me like that, even though he had heard me tell the previous stories.

The second year Clint and I were married he tore his bicep tendon lifting weights. He had to have surgery to repair it. I took him to the hospital and waited. Then when I went to meet him in the recovery room, he looked miserable! They didn't give him the anesthesia block that they were supposed to so he was in a lot of pain. The spot where he had surgery was also a big nasty. So again, I had a mild panic attack. By this time though, I knew what was going on! Clint noticed and we both told the nurse, don't worry about me! I'll be fine in a few minutes and I was. Worry about the guy with a giant cut in his armpit! Sheesh!

So! The moral of the story is that I am not too good with medical issues. It doesn't really seem to bother me that much but it must hit something subconsciously because it is an automatic reaction! I swear these things don't really freak me out!

Spring Break on the Horizon!

There are only two weeks before spring break starts!! I am excited because that means spring weather and only eight weeks left of school!! Usually this means rest and relaxation! Not this year! This year during spring break I will be busy working on little things around the house: painting, carpet cleaning, more painting, decluttering, and even more painting. While I am not excited to do painting or cleaning, it does mean that we will  be closer to moving!

We recently looked at the house next door to my dad and step-mom. Usually when people say they live next door to their parents, I think yeesh! No Way! If you have met my dad and step-mom though, you would see how it won't be that bad. They are hermits to the extreme (especially my dad). In the four years that Clint and I have lived in Camby, my dad has probably come over less than 10 times. If we live next door, I don't really imagine them over that often. Seems weird but they love to keep to themselves. 

It will be nice to live next door because of potential dog sitting situations. Zoe doesn't have to spend all our money at doggie daycare and she gets to stay at her own house! Dad can just go let her out! How awesome?! Also, baby sitting (when we have kids someday!) will be close by!

We haven't actually made an offer or anything yet...but we are definitely listing all the good things about this house!

The other part of spring break that I am not excited about is homework. Already I feel like I am behind and/or lost! Luckily it is only one class so I can't do too much damage! At least I can sleep in that week :)

uhhhh

So to check the status of my 100 days of blogging...I am behind a few. I obviously couldn't keep up with the 100 days in a row! I am still trying to have 100 blogs in 100 days (which means some days of double blogging!!). I have started to run out of blog posts though. I have a list of blogs I could write but when I see the topics written down or an idea, I just "save it for later" which has not come yet. Does anyone have any suggestions about topics??? I need some creative juices flowing! Maybe if I go to bed early I will think of something!

Pathetic

Zoe is an adorable dog however she is the most pathetic dog ever! She lays her head on everything in the house like her head weighs 80 pounds, which it clearly does not. If you put your hand just under her chin, she lays her head on your hand. One time I slowly lowered my hand until she was clearly hunched over before she finally lifted her big jughead. 

Zoe has the biggest sigh. Sometimes we call her dad because Dad is notorious for his dramatic sighs. Then she gives you these ridiculous sad eyes. 

I posted a picture before of Zoe asleep under the covers. Sometimes I even catch her burrowing or nesting on our blankets. She has even covered herself up on the couch!!

Jobs

I have worked several places as I grew up; not as many as other people I know, but a few. I have babysat a few times but I won't include those here.

My first real job was as a sales associate at Fashion Bug in Plainfield. Lindsay worked here when she was in high school and kind of left it to me when she went to college. It wasn't too bad except when you had to clean up fitting rooms that were left a disaster. Oh...it also sucked cleaning fitting rooms after smelly people. Yuck! I worked here for three years.

 Once I went to IU, I had to get a new job. I needed a job I could walk to since I had no car. I also didn't want to work a lot of hours right away. So, I found Sunflower Cooperative Daycare through IU's work study program. I loved working here!! The only bad thing was the pay...minimum wage :( The kids were from all over the world, literally! Turkey, Equador, China...I can't remember all the places right now. The children were almost all children of professors or phd students. I worked at Sunflower for a year.

After leaving Sunflower, I found a job at Cracker Barrel being a hostess. When I transferred to IUPUI, I also transferred to the Plainfield CB but left the hostessing days behind. I was now an awesome server! I worked here for almost 5 (long) years. If I didn't have to work with dramatic people or do crappy sidework, I would do it over the summer because it was actually kind of fun.

My first real teaching job was at D.I.L.C. (Decatur Intermediate Learning Center). I taught 6th grade language arts and social studies for the first semester. The school was really nice and I liked the principal a lot...I just didn't enjoy 6th grade much!

I have moved on to greener pastures! Now I work at Chapel Glen and I love it! This is my third year here and I love the girls I work with as well as my administration (super helpful!!! which is somewhat rare).

College

This semester my college program decided to split our two classes into 8 weeks so we could focus on one class at a time. It was realy nice only working on one for once and now that my first class has ended it's nice to take a breather.

Oh. Wait. My second class started a week ago. That is, a week early. Oh. I have three journals that were due today (at 2 pages each). Oops. I got one done! Guess I'll finish that tomorrow.

Oh yeah. I had 36 messages to read in the Oncourse email. Make that 37 now. There are also over 60 forum messages. Are you feeling stressed yet? Because I am!

I forgot to tell you what the course is! Action Research! Blech. Lindsay?? Are you there??

We went to New Orleans last night...

Ok we actually didn't go there. Last night Lindsay and Ange came over to hang out and we decided to go out to eat together. Lindsay likes to think that I ONLY like American chain restaurants but I don't. I like them but that is not all I like or even want. Anywhoodles. Over winter break Lindsay, Hilary, Scotty, and I were driving around Camby and Mooresville looking for a recycling place. Well, we didn't find one. We did pass by a restaurant in downtown Mooresville that I had never seen (probably because I stay away from Mooresville for the most part). Well, I have been wanting to go back there to eat. I like little restaurants that are not too funky (like Ethiopian or Korean, etc.). If they have chicken or hamburgers I will be fine. I like tons of other things but I can survive if they have those two items which most do, in some form.

So we decided to venture out last night. I notified the party of my disclaimer! I don't know what this place is or if it will satisfy us! But let's go!!

So we drive through Mooresville accidentally (because it took like 20 seconds). We then turn around and go back by the restaurant and we see a sign for Zydecos! I noticed that it is cajun/creole. Lindsay again assumes that I don't know what it is but I do! Just to make sure, I asked if it is mostly spicy like foods...like the food we ate in Jamaica. I know it isn't the same but similar.

So we venture in and realize that we just walked into New Orleans on Mardi Gras! The place was hopping...live band and all! Beads everywhere!! The lady greets us and asks if we have a reservation and I said no, we've never been here before. So she leads us back away from the music. There are some empty tables but she tells us that they are reserved for a little bit later. She also tells us that she has had reservations for this night from a year ago! Well, she decides to seat us anyways! Woo hoo! She takes us upstairs...which is actually up two floors! This building is ancient! We get a little table at the back where there is another live band (well, 2 people). We are all in shock because we don't feel like we know where we are! Overall, the food was great and the atmosphere was fun! You can check out Lindsay's version of the night here.

Step Class

Emily and I have been going to step class together for several months now. I remember the first day I went I thought "What the hell is going on??" It was really hard that first time and everytime the teacher asks if there are people new to step, I think "oh poor them!" They usually are lost and leave early mostly because they didn't come with a friend. Luckily I came with Emily and she kept encouraging me. Its hard to learn all the steps at first but now I really love going! It is a really good workout and I love how it is kind of like dancing and that it is fast paced! The only bad part is that it is at 8:30 on Saturday morning. At least I don't waste my Saturday mornings!

Bahaha

If you dont watch Survivor then you wont care about this quick post. I however despise Russell and I could not believe tonights episode! The main reason I have never really liked him is because he is so arrogant! Tonight for example he thought he had the firefighter lady in his pocket. Little does Russell know but other people know how to be sneaky or deceitful! Tribal council was hilarious. Stephanie is the most annoying person on Survivor right now. She is so far up Russells butt that it is unbelievable! I cant wait for her to go next!

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Aaaahhh

 Tonight Emily and I presented our webinar on mobile technology. For the last 8 weeks we prepped for this final assignment. At the beginning we were really nervous but we both think that it went well. We did have one minor slip up at the beginning when Emily put the microphone in her mouth and we laughed for about a minute! I hope the people that were in attendance laughed with us rather than thought we were lame. However, I loved our webinar and think it was great!!