"Ketchup"

"Ketchup" was a term I used in my classroom for the times in the school day's schedule when we could catch up on any and everything that needed catching up on. This post is a "Ketchup" post because I have a medley of events to catch up on as far as blogging goes.

First thing's first.... I think everyone in cyberspace needs to know... I won the Guitar Hero Competition at work last week. It's a shame you can't see my fake tattoos in this picture. 

Oh! And I convinced the rest of my department to put fake tattoos on as well. I happen to have a rather large supply of fake tattoos. 

On an unrelated note, if any of you happen to come across any super cool or cheesy fake tattoos, please let me know.

Tonight one of my best friends and I had the opportunity to have dinner with former students of ours who happen to be brother and sister. Their mom called us to arrange the dinner and we showed up as the surprise guests of honor.  I have to say, I felt a little like a celebrity when five kids came running into the front yard to greet us, screaming our names. My former student, Christian, was one of the few boys in my class last year that wasn't too cool to give his teacher a hug. He was always so sweet to me and laughed at all the jokes I told, even when they weren't funny (which only happened like once).  It was such a fun night! But I have to admit I'm exhausted from being mauled by five small children non-stop for three hours. (How did I ever teach school?)

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to make a treat for a game night with some friends. I handed the job over to a few of my nephews just to see how it would come together. It was the cutest thing... there were marshmallows and Golden Grahams all over! The oldest of the bunch took the job very seriously while the other two snacked on the ingredients that were spilled on the counter. I didn't have the heart to tell my friends that three darling children had either touched or slobbered on each piece of the treat. 

One of my nephews turned 6 last week! Here are some super cute photos of some super cute kids at the birthday party.

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I have had a weird couple of days and haven't felt like writing. I'm hoping this writing "exercise" will clear my head so I can get back to my usual blog banter.

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I am... ten minutes late to everything!

I want... to have a family of my own someday.

I have... a tension headache that didn't go away after getting a massage yesterday (yikes).

I wish... I managed my time better.

I could... manage my time better (man, the guilt set in fast).

I hate... watching people treat each other unkindly. There's never any reason for that.

I fear... SPIDERS. And failure; which explains why I'm hesitant to try new things.

I hear... Norm snoring down the hall. Which brings up a really good point about me needing/wanting to move out of my parents house (bless their hearts).

I search... through brain research and educational studies at work for the most effective way to write curriculum.

I don't think... I will ever cut my hair shorter than shoulder length again. 

I regret... rushing through college only to get finished and enter the adult world while most of my friends were still enjoying college.

I love... my nieces and nephews more than anything in this entire world! I have the cutest, most intelligent nieces and nephews and I would rather be with them than do anything else.

I ache for... finding a best friend that I can't wait to spend all of eternity with.

I always cry... about once a year... and it usually has something to do with old people, small children, or animals.

I am not... a fan of chick flicks and romance novels.

I dance... while driving my car just to make the passengers a little uneasy. I get the best results from my mom. :)

I sing... as long as there is no one that sings better than me within earshot. 

I never... go to bed before midnight.

I rarely... wake up without hitting snooze.

I cry when... there is just a really, really good reason for crying and there is no option of expressing my emotions verbally.

I watch... "The Office" faithfully every Thursday night and the History channel while I work on projects; that's it.

I am not always... sarcastic or joking?

I hate that... any time I decide to wash my car, I happen to park near some rogue sprinkler that attacks my car with hard water.

I am confused about... why things sometimes work out the way they do.

I need... a hug. Oh, and a million dollars (see: " I hear").

I should... brush my teeth before I go to bed. Maybe I will... nah, probably not.

Farewell to Fat

My friend Natalie that I work with invited me to join her and some family members for a Farewell to Fat challenge sponsored by the Clearfield Aquatic Center. Our team's main goal is to make ourselves more aware of what we're putting in our bodies and try to create healthier habits (and a little weight loss wouldn't hurt our feelings). There is a different nutritional challenge each week, along with a weigh-in. Our challenge this week is to drink over 64 ounces of water a day.... needless to say, I am really getting to know the bathroom here at work! And anyone who knows me knows how hard this is because I only use public/shared restrooms on a NEED TO basis. :) 

We have been tracking our meals on this free, government sponsored website: mypyramid.gov

"My Pyramid Menu Planner" is a wonderful way to track caloric intake, see that you're eating balanced meals, and train yourself to pay attention to what you're eating. Check it out!

You Are Too Kind!

Okay, so near the end of the 2007-2008 school year (when I was still a school teacher), my students and I put together a class blog. It is linked on the side of my blog and also here. This was a REALLY fun project that my students chose as a way to publish their group writing pieces. It's pretty darn cute if you have a minute to check it out... gives you a little insight to how kids in 4th grade think and write and what they think is important.

Well right before the 2008-2009 school year started, I had a little party with my former class to end the summer with a bang. The party was an idea that my kids had come up with and that one of me student's moms took off and ran with. She put together such a fun party! The kids and I had the greatest time and I couldn't think of a better way to wrap up my teacher career (if you can call 3 years of teaching a career). This cute mom took a bunch of photos and rather than having her send them to me in a series of emails, I gave her the sign in name and password to our class blog to have her upload them to the slideshow.  That cute stink added a post to our class blog... a post that should have made my cry, and would have if I were a crier.... although my eyes DID well up with tears. Anyhow, if you care about me at all, you should humor me by checking out my former students' posts and pictures and then telling my how adorable they are and how it made you want to be in 4th grade again. In case you're wondering, there was a guitar solo, balloon animals, and sign painting at our party. THANK YOU TAMMY!

p.s. I REALLY miss the 4th grade....

Quirky Me.

I was tagged by my cute friend Mechelle. This is a fun tag because it gives you insight to the quirks that we all try to hide in person, but feel brave enough to write about on our blogs. :)

Rules: Link the person that tagged you. Mention these rules on your blog. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yourself and tag 6 fellow bloggers. Got it? Let's go!

1: I fear that I am a little more than slightly OCD. Each morning I wake up and follow the same routine as I get ready for work. If my routine is even slightly altered by an outside force, the rest of the day is a complete wash. Here is a glimpse of my daily schedule: When I leave for work I put my purse, my water bottle, and my banana on the passenger's seat in the exact same spot. Then I turn the radio to 103.5 before turning my air to "recirculate" with the temperature right between hot and cold. Once I'm at work, I put my car keys in the front pocket of my bag, set my water bottle and banana on the front right corner of my desk, remove my ipod from my bag, etc......

2: At some point in my early adulthood I trained myself not to cry. I think I viewed it as a weakness at the time, although I know better now. I rarely cry. I can't even cry when I think it would make me feel better. I can feel my eyes start to well up with tears if the mood strikes me, but they never leave my eyes and even that doesn't last long. I often tell people that I cry or did cry hoping that I can convince my subconscious to release the tears, but it doesn't seem to work. The last time that I can remember REALLY crying was almost two and a half years ago over a dumb boy... WHAT A WASTE! I think there may be something wrong with me. :)

3: I LOVE hoodies! I can't explain this zeal for such a casual garment. It just is what it is. It probably didn't help that I worked retail for a few years and got a 40% discount on purchases at my store. I own nearly 30 hoodies. They fill an entire closet next to my room.... and then some. They vary in style from pullover, full zip, half zip, long sleeve, elbow sleeve, logo, floral, striped, solid, fur-lined, fleece-lined, etc. I also own 12 winter coats, but that's another story.

Here are just some of my many hoodies in action.

4: I LOVE reading! I always have. I think that would explain why I was painfully shy growing up, I would rather have been reading than doing anything else all through grade school. However, I am notorious for STARTING books. Notice I didn't follow that up with finishing. I have shelves of books that have books marks resting halfway through them. I just get so excited when I hear about new books that I can't wait until I finish the current book and the poor thing gets deserted. I spend hours on end at Barnes and Noble and often offer it up as a date idea to boys when it's clear halfway through the evening that I don't want to suffer through conversation with them any longer (am I evil?) 

Here are just SOME of my current reads.

5: I think I'm pretty immature for an adult. I love to play games, run around and chase my nieces and nephews, watch cartoons, read children's literature, eat Snack Packs, etc. Last weekend I lead my friends in a game of Sardines (a cousin game to Hide and Seek). They were reluctant at first but warmed up to it so well that we played it for nearly 3 hours! I personally own a Nintendo DS with a number of games and a Wii. I often lock Norm out of the house, or play Steamroller with my mom to wake her up, hang up on phone conversations for no reason, prank call friends and loved ones, pull pranks on people at work, dress up in costumes for occasions other than Halloween and the list goes on! Heaven help me....

6: I am a methodical eater. All items on my plate are to remain very separate. Foods of different natures are not allowed to touch each other. I begin by eating the hot foods, so I can enjoy them before they get cold, then I eat any vegetables or fruit, finally I eat any cold non- veggie or fruit food. In the case of mixed meals, such as a Cafe Rio salad, I do NOT mix the ingredients. I try to get an equal amount of food category in each bite I take. As I'm writing this, it's very clear to me that I need a hobby.

I tag Ali, Tatiana, Marcie, Hollie, Natalie, and Tammy.

THIS is Worth Your 2 Minutes and 45 Seconds (give or take a few)!

Waldo Ultimatum

I've Never Won Anything Before...

Yes, it's true. I've finally won something... I'm blushing. (I'm hoping that my next achievement will be a Dundie!) After spending most of her day on Wednesdays for an entire school year in my classroom, this lady still manages to help me out and make my day!

The rules of this award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you've nominated.

Here we go.... Drumroll please...

This freakishly talented lady posts pictures and details of all of her latest wonderful creations. Plus each of her posts features her wit and comedic sarcasm... along with pictures of my ADORABLE nieces and nephews! I should also mention that she openly gives of her time to help her crazy, younger sister with any project she decides to take on. I sure love her!

This tender-hearted woman has a blog filled with some of the most entertaining, yet true, stories of mischievous children. She also posts lots of beautiful photos of her DARLING children that show the makings of what I'm sure is to become a well-known photographer. :) Plus she is my on call hair stylist and esthetician. Thanks to her, my odds of getting married someday have gone up drastically.

This blog belongs to a BEAUTIFUL girl that I had the privilege of growing up near. She is super intelligent and ridiculously funny... which makes for a very entertaining blog. I catch myself laughing out loud at her posts frequently. She has a real talent for writing, not to mention a tender, loving heart that makes everyone feel welcome around her.

This blog is owned by a friend of mine who I respect and hate at the same time for his intelligence.... only because he is unbeatable at trivia games. His posts are very well-written with an almost hidden, dry humor that proves just how intelligent he is. I don't know how one person is capable of thinking of/thinking up so many things, so quickly!

The publisher of this blog is a girl.... woman, I guess :) that I went to junior high and high school with. She was a friend that I always looked up to and admired and I love to check her posts to see all the fun things that her darling family is doing. It's fun to keep tabs with friends like this that I have so many FUN memories of.

This bog is kept by a girl... woman :)... that I went to college with. She and her husband were both loyal friends of mine and we shared many unforgettable memories (some that I'm sure we wish we could forget!) They have the most beautiful little girl and I love to see her latest pictures along with all of her cute craft ideas (that I will probably never do).

I have to re-link back to the blog that "nominated" me. I LOVE her blog. It's so fun to keep tabs on my darling, former student and to see all of the fun things that her mom is doing... it makes me excited to me a mother someday.....