Much Better

Thank you for the get well wishes and supportive comments! They always bring a smile to my face. :) I was so happy this morning when I woke up and the stomach pain was GONE!!!! It made such a difference in my day. My class benchmarked almost all day today so there wasn't too much going on other than walking around, monitoring and some reading. I can't believe Tuesday is gone already, the week is just flying by and we can't wait to get to San Antonio this weekend. I loved today's quote the first time I saw it like this:

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."
- Sir Roger Bannister

However, after looking at it again tonight I thought it needed some revising. So here is my version:

"The WOMAN who can drive HERself further once the effort gets painful is the WOMAN who will win."
- Jen

Rough Monday

I think Mondays are usually hard but today really took its toll on me. It started at about 3:30 this morning when I woke up with horrible stomach pains. It felt like I had just woken up the day after a killer ab workout. Problem was I haven't worke dout abs in a loooonngggg time. I think it may have been some seafood I ate for lunch on Sunday and maybe a slight case of nerves about this coming weekend. After waking up I had a hard time going back to sleep. When the alarm went off at 5:30 I contemplated calling in to work but sometimes its easier just to show up then to have to plan for a whole day of being out. Needless to say today was not fun but I got through it. Thank goodness for Robert who brought me some soup for dinner! Inspirational quote of the day to help get me past the finish line on Sunday:

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat."
- Napoleon Bonapart

A Week from Today

In exactly 1 week from today I will take on one of the biggest challenges of my life: running 26.2 miles in the Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Marathon!!! When I decided to do this five months ago I was so unsure of myself and capabilities. I didn't just doubt my running but also whether or not I would be able to raise $2,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as part of Team in Training. Now, only seven days away I know there was no reason for doubt.

Since June, my Saturday mornings have been dedicated to waking up around 4:30 A.M.!!! I know, I know that's insane! I've heard it over and over. The thing is no matter how tired I am, once I arrive to our practice location and see all my other teammates stretching, laughing (yes, it is possible even at 4 in the morning!) and talking about their weeks that tired feeling is replaced with one of confidence, comradery and inspiration. We are all reminded that no matter what our aches and pains may be that day it is nowhere near to what a cancer patient battles with on a daily basis and that we are MUCH stronger than we may think we are.


The friendships that I have created, mental and physical strength that I have gained and difference in helping cure blood cancers will stay with me much longer than a TNT season, they will stay with me forever.

Starting today I'm looking for an inspirational quote each day to get me ready for next Sunday. Here is today's:

"Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes his mind to do. We are capable of greater than we realize." - Norman Vincent Peale, author

Ready to Get Back in The Saddle

So during lunch yesterday one of my coworkers commented on how she really hadn't seen me on facebook or online lately. My response was "well, I've been on but just for a bit, my life hasn't been too interesting and exciting lately."

I came home that evening and logged on to Blogger and was shocked when I saw the date of my last post----almost a month ago!!!!!! I then spent the next hour or so catching up on everyone else's blogs and came to realize that I miss blogging and posting. It's such a release for me and for the last few weeks it is what I think has been missing. Also realized that I don't like pity parties and that I had enough of me thinking there was nothing going on for me right now.

Last weekend for example Robert and I escaped to San Antonio for the weekend and enjoyed watching the Norte Dame/Washington State game. We had so much fun and really needed a weekend to ourselves! The weekend before I ran 20 miles with my Team in Training group in preparation for Rock N Roll San Antonio next weekend!!!!! Work has been crazy busy but I'm grateful I have a job to go to every day. This morning I had this in my inbox from walkthetalk.com: "To live a great life is to discover the life you have right now, instead of trying to invent a whole new life." Soooooooo true and time to start living by it!!!!!

Even Men Wear Pink

We watch A LOT of football here. To the point sometimes that I think those are all the channels we have! Last weekend I was glad to see that even the NFL can go pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.







LOVE IT!

Hello October!

I can't believe I forgot to post this a couple of weeks ago so when I found it tonight I thought it was a great way to welcome October! I worked on this a couple of weeks ago and loved how it turned out. I had seen a few different Halloween wreaths around but didn't feel like dishing out a lot of money for them. One Saturday morning I dropped by Michael's and picked up all the supplies for about $20. It only took about 25 minutes to make and started somewhat of a frenzy with my friends because now we all have a fun wreath on our door! Sorry about the poor quality of the photo, still haven't invested in a new camera. Looks a lot better on my FB page!

Dear Monday,

Have you ever thought of joining Saturday and Sunday and becoming the new weekend???? How great would that be? That way you wouldn't have to be in such a rush to get here!

Sick as a Dog

Well, it took a whole six weeks but I finally caught the infamous back to school cold. I wait for it every year and hope that it happens fairly early on and that it only lasts a couple of days, but this year it really seems to have a hold on me. I started with a sore throat on Tuesday. It continued Wednesday and finally by Thursday I had had enough. I didn't want to spend the weekend feeling miserable so I decided to visit the night clinic on Thursday. I got two shots and hoped that Friday I would be somewhat better. WRONG! I still went to school because sometimes it takes more work to be out than it does to just show up. The workday didn't help and as soon as all my kiddos were gone I was outta there. I slept most of the afternoon and prayed that today would be the day I felt better. This morning was not good, lots of coughing and sneezing so I decided I would just go back to sleep. I did manage to wake up for lunch--some soup Robert brought home for me. Finally this evening around 8 I started to notice a difference. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow it will all be better!!!!

Family Secrets

I had been anxiously waiting to watch this episode on Oprah today and it did not disappoint. WOW is all I can say! Did anyone else watch? May have to go out tonight to get the book!!!!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Trouble is exactly what I got myself into this past weekend when I decided to run in my first half marathon. It all started about a month ago when I read this description of the run on a local website:

Come join us for some fun & fitness on Texas' most beautiful island, South Padre Island! The course is an out & back on the very scenic South Padre Island oceanfront, and is ran mostly on the beach. Tan while you run...in your bikini, swimming trunks, speedos, running gear or barefoot!

Now immediatley I knew I would not be running in a bikini or barefoot but the very creative use of adjectives really reeled me in. We look for just about any excuse to get out to the beach, plus I figured since I've been training so hard with my Team in Training group and have run 13 and 14 miles a few times this run would be like a regular Saturday morning run.

Boy was I wrong! The heat was unbearable, the sand was tough and there was not nearly enough water stations on the route. I think what also got me was that I ate a not so healthy dinner the night before, no breakfast the morning of and forgot my GU for that extra kick. It also didn't help to hear all the relay teams that were there say "those people that are running all 13 by themselves are CRAZY!"

Most of the 13 miles were actually not too bad, it was the last two miles that were killers! My mind was playing tricks on me and just when I thought I was almost done I would realize I wasn't anywhere near the finish line. Although I'm disappointed that I didn't stick to my regular 6:1 interval I am proud of myself for finishing. I know quite a few people who didn't make it all the way to the end. Although this is a horrible picture of the medal I got I just had to post it:

MIA

So I've been MIA for about a week now. One might think it was due to some very exciting and adventerous things happening in our lives but unfortunately that's not it at all. Since my last post this is pretty much what we have been up to around here: Work, Dinner, some Tv, work, dinner, PTO meetings, Meet the Teacher Night, Friday night football and of course who can forget both college and NFL football! Apparently Robert and I have both had trouble getting some sort of schedule and routine back into our lives since the beginning of the school year. We have managed to do some redcorating around the house. This is our latest purchase:

Now normally I wouldn't agree that we NEED a 55 inch TV but buying it did have its advantages. We took the 46 inch we had in the living room and moved it into the 2nd bedroom. That 2nd bedroom has now become somewhat of Robert's "man room." The bed that was in there has been sold and in came a new leather couch. It's where he has spent the last two weekends watching every fottball game possible and playing XBox. Now why is this an advantage you might ask? Well, it frees up the new TV for me!

Afterbirth: It's What's For Dinner

This year as a 5th grade team we decided to incorporate current events into our curriculum. We thought it would be a great way to show our kids that history happens every day all over the world. Well today my co-worker was looking over some of the articles her students had brought in and came across this funny and interesting one we shared some laughs over:

Afterbirth: It\'s What\'s For Dinner

Can't wait to hear his explanation for choosing this article!

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

It hasn't rained around here in who knows how long so yesterday when we got some scattered showers they were welcomed with open arms. It was nice to see my kids come back from lunch ad not be drenched from the sun. Well, today the rain decided to make another appearance. A much stronger appearance. Like I said we want rain, we need the rain but seriously did it have to start pouring and cause a power outage right at 2:50 when we were dismissing all 950 of our students!!!!! It was pure chaos. Kids were crying, screaming, trying to escape us to go play in the rain and parents were frantically trying to get into the building to take them home. My principal was off campus at a meeting and maybe that was a good thing because I'm sure she would not have been happy with the scene. Normally it takes us about 15 minutes to get everyone loaded up in their cars and on their way home. Today it took almost 45! Oh well, beggars can't be choosers right?

Bad Blogger

I'm really missing my summer days of endless blogging and leaving comments. Although I have been on here this week, it's been more about reading everyone elses great, updated blogs. My first week of school flew by. My new group of kids is awesome! The sweetness and politeness they showed me at Meet the Teacher has continued and I'm loving it! Keeping my fingers crossed it last all year. :) We are not quite into a routine yet so tomorrow I really need to sit and plan our days out. It's hard to get in a good chunk of teaching time with them leaving to Spanish class, Art, Music and PE for 30-45 minutes every day so I'm really going to have to get creative with the scheduling.

Since Robert is in charge of attendance at his high school, he's had a ridiculously busy first week. One day they were registering kids until 6:30! It's been hard to keep our dinner and workout schedule at home too. We were used to having dinner no later than 7 and that did not happen at all this week. After dinner we are so exhausted we watch a little TV and then head straight to bed.

Fortunately we managed to run a couple days this week. I was a little worried that this was going to affect my 14 miler this morning but I was so happy it didn't. Although it was hard to get out of bed when my alarm went off at 4:30, the gratification of knowing I had just run a little more than a half-marathon was AWESOME! Robert and Charlie showed up this morning to congratulate me and the others after our run. :) Very sweet! As a reward to myself I enjoyed a pedicure. It wasn't very relaxing because my feet were still hurting from the run but I sooooo needed one. I think part of the reason I waited so long was that I was afraid of the rumors I've heard about black toenails and how they can fall off. Well, guess what? The rumors are true! As the nice lady at the shop took off the polish from my second toe I peered down to see a black toenail!!!!!! Not completely black but about halfway there! Oh well, if it goes, it goes and like my aunt said "in no time, you'll have a pretty new one."

Hopefully tomorrow I can get out some. Need to get my weekly Target fix and do some grocery shopping. All very exciting I know!

It Finally Arrived

I feel like I haven't blogged in a while. Probably because the last week was filled with countless hours of teacher trainings and trying to set up my classroom. It's been a little tough to get back into the work routine. We haven't had much time to go out and find ourselves wanting to stay home on Friday and Saturday nights. Thank goodness for high school football, that should give us some excitement for the next few months. The highlight of my week was running with my Team in Training group and setting a new mileage record of 12 miles!!!! Very exciting and to think it will go continue to increase!

So the first day of school finally arrived. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best and it was hard to tell who was more nervous - the students or the teachers! I was eager to see my students again after meeting them on Thursday. It's funny because they are always so polite and respectful at Meet the Teacher. There is a lot of "Excuse me, May I and Please" talk. As they walked in this morning it was awesome to see they were exactly the same kids who came in on Thursday! We spent most of our morning getting all our supplies labeled and organized. We had fun getting to know each other and even managed to get some spelling and math done. Although it wasn't a very heavy teaching day I am EXHAUSTED. I almost fell asleep while watching TV earlier --- like 8:30 earlier! One day down, 186 to go!!!!

One More Day

Well I have officially been back to work since Monday and already I'm missing my times of lounging around, working out at random times throughout the day, facebooking way too much, and catching up on blogs. I'm so glad I spent all summer doing productive things like that because soemthing tells me it's going to be hard to fit those things in come next Monday. We've spent the last two days sitting for hours in our library listening to the importance of teamwork and trying to align our curriculum. Pure fun I tell you, pure fun! Thankfully tomorrow is our last day of that and we have Thursday and Friday to actually work in our classrooms. Thursday is Meet the Teacher and I'm curious to see who will be walking through my door. At my campus we never see our class lists until minutes before Meet the Teacher which is always somewhat nerve racking. A couple of my friends have asked me if I'm ready for the first day. Same answer to all of them, ready or not come Monday my room will be filled with 27 new, hormonal 5th graders!!!!!!

Lady Luck

So excited about winning these:

and this:

Thanks to Inner Workings of a Barbie Doll and Shannon from http://writeonstationery.blogspot.com/!!!!

BTS Teacher Swap #2

First off I have to wish Jen from Following the Footsteps a very Happy Birthday!

Today is the 2nd installment of her Back to School Teacher Swap and I wanted to share something that one of my coworkers shared with me a few years back. I refer to them as my Teacher Savers. They are note templates for parents to keep at home and have handy whenever they need to let you know about something or write an excuse for their child. I know that in the 8 years I've been teaching I have recieved notes from home on just about anything parents could find to write on and some of them have not been so easy to decipher! I run these off on colored paper and pass them out at the beginning of the year during Curriculum Night. I usually make about three copies for each family. Since I started using them I have found that not only have they helped me keep track of notes but are much easier to understand! Here they are:






Sorry about the quality of the pictures, had to use my phone. If you would like me to email you a copy of these let me know in a comment and I'll get them out to you ASAP. Thanks and hope these help!

Say it Ain't So

I seem to be having a really hard time coming to terms with the fact that Monday is my official first day back at school. Is summer really coming to an end???? Somebody please say it ain't so!

Monday was spent at school reviewing and writing new curriculum, yesterday it was back to school for some grade level planning and as much as I wanted to make it back up there today to get some work done I just didn't have it in me.It's a good thing I hung around yesterday for a couple of hours and at least started to set up my room. My goal is to have most things in place before Monday. Although our students' first day is not until the 24th we all know next week will be filled with meetings, inservices and a lot of running around.

I've really been on a rollercoaster of emotions since late last week which I know has something to do with my laziness recently. Went for an interview, did well and then found out the district was cutting back on administrative positions and that it probably wasn't going to happen this time around. :( I know timing is everything and there's a plan for each of us but man sometimes that's hard to see. Like Robert told me over dinner "it's not the end of the world, you have a job to be thankful for and this is a great opportunity to grow some tough skin." Not too sure about the last part but well said.

Looking for Some of This ASAP

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm”


“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

“Right thoughts produce right actions and right actions produce work which will be a material reflection for others to see of the serenity at the center of it all”

Back to School Teacher Swap

A favorite blogger of mine and fellow teacher Jen from Following the Footsteps is hosting a Back to School Teacher Swap. It's a great way for teachers to share ideas that they have used in their classroom and offer tips for a great school year. Today I'm going to share two ideas I've used in the past to get to know one another in the classroom.

Vision Boards

Last year during one of our teacher inservice days we worked on creating our very own vision board. A vision board is a poster that you collage with various images and text that portray who you want to become, what you would like to achieve, and your desires. We learned so much from one another while working on that activity that I decided it would be so powerful for my 5th graders to try this too. At meet the teacher I had my vision board on display for them to see. I then sent them home with the instructions for creating their own. Here is what a lesson might look like:

1. DISCUSS the difference between a wish and a goal. It's important to not discourage their dreams and get them to understand that it's ok to set goals even though we may not know how they will manifest. Here are some tips I found online:

Goal Setting Tips
•Be specific
•Do not limit your goals because you are unsure how they will manifest
•Always write the goal in the present tense
•Write goals for you - not others
•Revisit the vision board


2. BRAINSTORM - Each student should brainstorm a list of their personal goals. They should be able to do so using only a few words. For example: "My goal is all A's. " It may helpful here to provide them with some headings like friends, family, school and sports.

3. After they have created their list of goals, students should search through magazines to find images and text that represent their goals. I did give my students the option of drawing their own images, writing their own text, or creating something on the computer. As they are working keep reminding them that their pictures don't have to be in any particular order. It's ok to overlap them and that this is THEIR board and should represent them, not their friends.

4. Once all vision boards were completed, I had some moms come in and mount them on black construction paper and then laminate them. They looked AWESOME and the kids were so proud of them. We spread them out throughout our classroom and then had our own gallery walk. It was exciting to hear them say "Wow, I have that on mine too!" or "I didn't know you were such a good artist." Our vision boards stayed up all year and during the last week of school I passed them back out to them. We talked about how many of the goals we had set at the beginning of the year we had accomplished and how far we had come. I know a lot of those boards are now hanging up in their bedrooms.

Brown Bag It


Another activity that I have used in the past to get to know one another is Brown Bag It. At Meet the Teacher each student is given a brown bag (lunch bag size) to take home and fill with 7 things that represent who they are. On the first day of school they each show up with their brown bags and share with the class. I bring my own too and usually start the sharing session. This activity is a great way to learn about interests and hobbies.


Enjoy! Can't wait to read all the other great ideas!

Gearing Up

To help with fundraising I'm taking part in a Team in Training group garage sale this Saturday and started gearing up for it earlier this week. I love garage sales but always have to remind myself that the goal is to get rid of things and not stop by others tables and buy stuff. I started going through my closet a couple of days ago and finally made my way to our dressers today. It's amazing how much stuff I forgot I had and how many T-shirts one can accumulate! It turned out to be somewhat of a mini fashion show because every so often I'd try something on, make my way to the living room and then wait for a response from Robert. Some things were saved and others were not so lucky. It was also nice to reorganize the closet and drawers. Hopefully they will stay nice and neat for a while! So far I have 5 bags full of clothes and shoes. It hurts me to price some items at $2 because I know I paid a lot more than that for them but like I said the goal is to get rid of things. Plus all the money raised will go straight to my fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Tomorrow I'm planning on making another run through the closets and drawers just to make sure everything that needs to go does. Keep your fingers crossed for a good turnout!

Tag, You're It!

I was tagged on facebook to try this and thought it'd be fun to try it on here. It's a little lengthy so hope I don't bore you too much. Would love to see anyone who's interested try it on their blog!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30
2. How do you like your steak? Medium
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Hangover

4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's, anything reality
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? by the beach
6. What did you have for breakfast? Coffee

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian

8. What foods do you dislike? unfortunately not many
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Palms Cafe
10. Favorite dressing? Ranch
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? BMW
12. What are your favorite clothes? dresses

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Spain

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? Beach
16. Favorite time of day? afternoon

17. Where were you born? Edinburg, Texas

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? No idea

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Just excited to see other bloggers try it
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone

22. Bird watcher? Sometimes
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
24. Do you have any pets? Yup, Charlie boy
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Not that I know of
26. What did you want to be when you were little? be a nurse
27. What is your best childhood memory? spending time with grandparents
28. Are you a cat or dog person? dog
29. Do you like to read? Yes
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes
31. Been in a car accident? Yes

32. Any pet peeves? not really
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Pepperoni
34. Favorite Flower? daisy
35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-Fil-A

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 0
38. From whom did you get your last email? Team in Training

39. At which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Nordstroms
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope
41. Like your job? sometimes
42. Like broccoli? Yes
43. What was your favorite vacation? Cruise
44. Last person you went out to eat with? Robert

45. What are you listening to right now? TV
46. What is your favorite color? Purple

47. How many tattoos do you have? 0
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? don't know yet
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 11:38

50. Coffee Drinker? Yes

You're turn!

@ the Beginning Again

It is just crazy how fast summer flies by! I can't believe we are at the beginning of another week already and Monday is already gone! Today I ran around getting some errands done. Some Team in Training members and I participated in a bucket brigade fundraiser at a local Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon so I headed to the bank and post office this morning to get the donations posted to my fundraising account ASAP. My recommitment date is next Wednesday and I need to be at 25% by then so I'm going at it full force until then. After that I met up with Aurora for some sushi which was yummy! Then it was off to the grocery store. Robert and I decided last night that we needed to do a lot more cooking around here. We have really slacked off this summer and need to get back into some routine. Part of our plan was to create a menu for the week every Sunday so that we know exactly what to get when we go grocery shopping. Tonight it was chicken tacos.
The rest of the week includes fideo, a Tex-Mex skillet, pasta and some chicken breasts with veggies. I know we can do this, just have to stick to it! After dinner, I joined Stacy and Esteban for a 5 miler. Thank goodness the sun had already set because it was a tough one to get through! I have a training tomorrow and Wednesday---fun, fun, fun!!! It is definitely back to school time!

Check these Out

Just came across two great giveaways that I wanted to share with you all"

In honor of Erica's new *jewelry without jewels* website, she is hosting her first giveaway! The winner will get the chance to pick the necklace of their choice, either from my Etsy shop or custom made. Stop by and get yourself entered!

inkOBSESSION designs will be celebrating her 1st Year Blogiversary soon anf is hosting a giveaway! The prize is a $25 gift certificate to Ink Obsession Designs! You could do some real damage with that! Stop by and visit her site.

Going the Distance

This morning was a regular Team in Training Practice: stretching in the dark, mission moment in the dark, a prayer and we were off and running in the dark. It was all pretty routine except for the fact that we weren't running 6, 8 or 9 miles. Instead we were going for 10 MILES!!!!
I had been pretty nervous all week about today because the longest I had ever gone before was 8 miles. The whole way to the trail I kept reminding myself "If you can do 8, you CAN do 10!"

I had run on this trail in the past but had never followed it all the way to the end. We started off using a 6:1 interval from the start and were fortunate that for more than half the run we were accompanied by a nice, refreshing breeze. The scenery was beautiful and I discovered a lot of hidden gems out there.



Throughout the run there were three things that were complete lifesavers for me:

1. My new hydration belt.
2. My running crew -- Becky, Christina & Lulu
3. Strawberry Banana Gu

Seriously, had any of these things been missing, I don't think things would have gone as smooth as they did. I was so proud of all of us for finishing and now know that we can definitely go the distance.

Tonight we have a birthday party for our niece and a house warming party for my aunt. I'm looking forward to relaxing with family and celebrating my new distance with some frosty beverages! I hear some of them are excellent sources of carbs!

Anderson Asks the Question We All Wanted To

I have to admit this had to have been just a little awkward. Oh well, it' still hilarious!

VIDEO: Anderson Cooper Asks Bachelorette Jillian Harris The "Sex Question" | RadarOnline.com

Shared via AddThis

Moving On

I can't begin to tell you how lucky I am to have such great friends here at home and in blogland. The words of support and encouragement that I have read in comments, through text messages and that I have heard on the phone have been AWESOME! I truly believe that there is something bigger in store for me out there and my time will come. For now I'm moving on. If I'm meant to teach another year, I will and will give it everything I got!

Moving on...
Today I attended a technology workshop all day. I love technology but don't like to sit through and listen to somebody just speak about it. I'm more of a hands on kind of girl. So I spent most of the day navigating my way through this new program and trying to figure it out on my own. I hope I wasn't too rude but I really felt like the best way for me to learn and be able to go back and teach my coworkers was to just throw myself into it and go. By 3 I was really on a roll and was actually a little sad to have to call it a day.

Moving on...
Lucky for me there is a Target right by the school I was at. I had something that I needed to return and of course once you walk through those big red doors it's hard to walk out empty handed. Besides, what's better than some retail therapy???? I was able to get some gifts for a birthday party we are going to on Saturday and throw something in the cart for me too. I have spent all summer in dresses and when I saw this one I had to have it:


Moving on...
I'm really enjoying my workouts with Team in Training. Last night we had a tough hills workout at the good ole parking garage. We did a total of 7 runs for about 3.5 miles worth of hills! The first couple are always easy but after that the fatigue starts to set in and the calves start to feel like they're on fire. I really need to get moving with my fundraising. My recommitment day is two weeks away and I'm still short some funds. Any and all ideas are welcome!!!!!!!

A Recap with a bit of Whining

I can't believe it's almost been a week since my last post! There's been a lot going on and I'll do my best to try and recap it all. Thursday I left to Austin for a three day conference. Austin is such a great town but we were on a strict schedule. Up by 6:00 to be ready by 7:30 each day! Although I learned a lot, it was hard to get back into "school mode." By Sunday I think all our brains were fried which made for a lovely, 6-hour drive back home.

Yesterday morning I had an interview with another district for a 7th grade reading/writing position. I've been looking and hoping for an assistant principal job since last year in my district and decided this summer that maybe my way in would be to teach in another district first and then move into administration. Plus the middle school experience would have been great. Well, the interview went well and they offered me the job. Problem is I'm still under contract in another district. I was hoping I could just be released from my administrator and they could fill the position but instead they decided to keep me until that happens. This morning the other district called me and said since I wasn't going to be able to get released they were going to have to give the job to someone else. Needless to say I was BUMMED! I've been at the same school for 8 years now and really would like a change. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that something else opens up.

Since getting that news this morning I wasn't up to doing much. I think I need a looooonnggg run to clear my head and be ready for tomorrow. New day, new outlook.

Wednesday Already?

Wow, these summer weeks are just flying by! I can't believe tomorrow is already Wednesday. We've had a crazy last couple of days.

Saturday after my run I was at home trying to recuperate when I get a call from Robert letting me know they had taken his grandmother into the hospital. Apparently Friday night she started feeling all the symptoms of a heart attack. Now she's a STRONG women and is not one to complain so for her to make the call took a lot. Robert's aunt takes her to one of the local hospitals only to have one of the nurses tell her she'd have to fill out a stack of paperwork and wait for her turn to be called. By this time the pain was even worse and there was no way she was going to wait there. They decide to drive over to the McAllen Heart Hospital and thank God they did because they took her right in! After a series of tests it was determined that her main artery was 100% clogged and bypass surgery was scheduled for first thing Monday morning. Like I mentioned earlier she is a strong women and made it through the surgery with flying colors! When we went by tonight to go see her we joked about how she is a "model patient." Usually after this type of surgery patients spend a few days in ICU. Not her, she went straight to a recovery room. Although we know there is still a lot more recovery for her we are so glad she is doing soooo great.

In the midst of all this we also drove down to the beach Monday afternoon to bring back our RV. Our last day for the summer was scheduled for this Thursday and we had planned on spending this week there but with everything going on with his grandma we really wanted to be home.

Thursday I am off to Austin for a few days to attend a conference. Funny thing is tonight while running out on the trail by my school I bump into my principal. I asked her if she was ready for this conference and her response was just like mine. We both feel like this conference will be great but it also means we are headed into school mode soon. :( Tomorrow I need to do some major cleaning up around here and finally get that pedicure I've been craving since Saturday!!!!!

Off to An Early Start

Today was a big day for our Team in Training group. We were meeting earlier than we have in the past which meant getting out of bed at 4:15 and on the road 30 minutes later. Well at least that was the plan. I actually overslept and ended up speeding over there. After lots of sleepy "Good Mornings" and stretching it was time to run. At exactly 5:40 this morning we took off for an 8 mile run through the lovely town of Weslaco. This is what it looked like for the first 50 minutes:



No joke. It was so dark it's a miracle we stayed on track! For a split second I did feel bad for the people we probably woke up when they're dogs started barking like crazy when we ran by but then I realized if I'm up and running why isn't everyone else! I practiced a 7:1 interval with two of my teammates and am so happy for pushing myself to try it. An hour and 26 minutes later we were done and I couldn't have been happier! On schedule for the rest of the day: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OTHER THAN REST. Oh and perhaps a pedicure. :)

Tortillas & Technology

Since some of my friends are teachers and others are not we really look forward to summer because we can spend more time together. This summer we have tried to fill our days with pure randomness. Take today for example. We decided it was time we all learned how to make HOMEMADE tortillas. One of my friends' dad had someone come over and teach us from start to finish how to prepare a hot, yummy, tortilla. Here are some pictures:











It took us a while to learn how to roll the dough into just the right size and no they did not all end up in perfect circles but like Stacy said "it's about the taste, not the shape." Until I can roll a perfect shaped tortilla I'm going to agree with her. Aurora ran to the corner store while we continued rolling the dough and picked up some avocados and fajitas. It turned out to be a great meal.

After dinner Robert and I drove down to Best Buy and scored one of these:

Our desktop is just about dead and so we decided it was time for an upgrade. So far we love it! Tomorrow we are off to the beach. We are trying to get as much time as we can out there because next Friday Robert is back to work. Until then we are focusing on sun, sand and fun!

Lady Luck

Isn't this sunglass case just too cute? I love the design and the fact that it's perfect for my oversized sunglasses.
Thanks to Tiff over @ http://tsharee.blogspot.com and
Rebekah from http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6581532
I am the new owner of this great case! Go by and visit Tiff's cute blog and stop by and do some shopping with Rebekah. You won't be disappointed! :)

Wordless Few Words Wednesday

Robert was up bright and early today (4:00 AM!!!) for a fishing trip with his brother and uncle. His brother just bought a new boat and they wanted to go take it for a ride. About an hour and a half after he left I was woken up to see this picture on my phone:

Loved the picture but not the fact that it wasn't even 6 yet! A few hours later just to let me know he's having a good time this appears on my phone:

I was starting to think that all he might be catching was a buzz from that beer but then came this: I'm going to attempt to make some ceviche tomorrow. We have really grown to love ceviche with so many weekends out on the island!
I have to admit my days was not quite as productive as his. I lounged around all day. It seems the closer it gets to the end of our summer break the more lounging I want to do. This evening I met up with my Team in Training group for a hill workout. There's not too many hills around here so we workout here:


That's right, it's a parking garage. In fact it's the biggest one we have around here. Doesn't look too bad but five times up at full speed takes it's toll. Tomorrow we are looking forward to some lounging and maybe a tortilla making party. Random I know.

7 Traits that make me ME

I saw this post on some other blogs and was so excited to get tagged by Katie so that I could play along! So here are 7 traits that I think best define me:

7. Patient - As a teacher this comes in handy on a daily basis. I have also found that this helps outside of the classroom too when dealing with other people.

6. Caring - I love to do things for others. It brings me such joy to bring a smile to other's faces.

5. Dedicated - In everything I am part of - family, husband, friends, career.

4. Curious - It's amazing how much time I can spend online looking for answers to random questions that pop into my mind during the day. I'm constantly asking questions and love to learn new things about everything and everybody!

3. Funny - Not sure if others would agree with this but I think I'm pretty funny and love to laugh and have a good time with friends.

2. Stubborn - Not a trait that is always good but I think it comes from being an only child. I try to be conscious about this and "back off" sometimes but I can't say it always works.

1. Obsessive - From time to time I tend to obsess about certain things --- blogging, facebooking, other random things.

I'm supposed to tag 7 other bloggers, but can't choose just 7 so if you want to play along start sharing!

Blog Hop - 3 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Welcome Blog Hoppers! Missed out on the last one so hope you enjoy this one!

1. I do not own lipstick. Big shocker to some of my friends who have asked to borrow some! In fact it's been a quite a while since I shopped for some. Instead I get by with a collection of chapstick. This is currently my favorite: 2. I talk to this guy as if he was human. We have at least ten conversations a day. Sometimes I wonder what he thinks about the whole thing. I know my husband's thoughts but does he think it's weird too??

3. I'm training to run a marathon in San Antonio on November 15th. I joined Team in Training over a month ago and decided to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while training. I have not slept past 4:30 for the last 5 Saturdays!!!! Instead I drag myslef out of bed and join the group for an early morning run. We started off easy with 3 miles and are now up to 8 miles!!! It hasn't been easy but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Stop by and visit my fundraising page to learn more @ http://pages.teamintraining.org/stx/rnrsa09/jlopeztvof

Marlene on the Run

I just discovered this AMAZING blog through another blogger : Marlene on the Run. Her story is both inspiring and motivating. In honor of her 500th post she is hosting a great giveaway. Go by and visit her blog to get inspired and entered.

"Charm"ing, Just Charming

One of my best friends is getting married in December so when I saw a giveaway for 6 Wedding Cake charms from Peachtree Circle, I thought how perfect would those be for her! I went ahead and signed up for the giveaway and was ecstatic when I found out I won. They are so cute and are perfect for a bracelet or necklace. She can choose from a Ring - Next to become engaged, to an Airplane - Adventure in your life, to an Anchor - Faith, Hope, and Charity to a Bible - A life full of peace, to a Dove - A live of peace & love or lots of others. Now the real work starts as she tries to choose her 6! Thanks to Sarah from Windowboxes and Weissbier for hosting!

Weekend Recap

Yesterday started off pretty early for me. 5:00 AM to be exact. Since joining Team in Training a month ago my Saturday mornings have been dedicated to training in different areas of the Valley. I have to admit that it is hard for me to get to bed early on Friday nights and then wake up so early the next day but I keep reminding myself of our cause. Again this week I had a really hard time sleeping the night before which it made it hard to get out of the bed. With it being a holiday our group was not as big as it has been however we all managed to finish either 5 (marathoners)or 2. 5 (half-marathoners) miles. After our run we headed over to Denny's for some breakfast and good conversation, picked up lots of good ideas for fundraising that I'm going to look into. My plans for the rest of the morning included a nice, long shower, some blogging, some TV and then a few hours of sleep. I knew Robert would be busy at a local BBQ cookoff and I was really looking forward to just relaxing for a while before heading out there. I managed to rest for a couple of hours when I got a call from Robert informing me to be ready in 20 minutes, he'd be waiting outside with a "surprise you'll love!" I was still tired and needed more rest but that surprise got me up and getting ready. I got in the truck and started asking question after question about my surprise. He stopped be and asked me to open the console and that's when I saw this: I was soooooooo excited and spent lots of time yesterday and today trying to learn how to use all it's features. Still don't have it all figured out yet but am enjoying it a lot more than my other one.

The rest of our afternoon was spent at a local BBQ cookoff that a close friend of ours was participating in. It was so hot and hard to be out there for so long but we really wanted to show our support for him and his cooking team. They ended up placing 6th in one of the categories. Considering he was competing against 46 other teams, that was AWESOME!!! The other way we showed our love was by serving as his taste testers. :)))Here's a pic of his BBQ pit and the flag in the background. How fitting for the 4th of July!

With all the activities and excitement of yesterday it is no surprise we stayed in most of the day today and just relaxed. Tomorrow is Robert's first official day of vacation and there has been some talk about heading out to the beach!!!

Smartfood Review & A Giveaway

Go here http://aad108reviews.blogspot.com/ for your chance to win a $100 gift card!!!!

New Do

A couple of days ago (and a few trips to the beach) I was just tooooooooooooo hot and frustrated I decided it was time to go short again with the hair. Thank goodness my hairdresser Tino is so flexible because he was able to take me in this morning to work his magic. The whole time before the cut I wasn't nervous. I always figure it's just hair and will grow out. I think it helps that my hair grows pretty fast too. Well this morning I wasn't nervous until I heard Tino say "We've never gone this short before, right??????" All the while chunks and chunks of hair are falling to the floor. When all was said and done though it turned out awesome and I love it! I would post a pic but I ruined the nice blowdry he did by doing spinning this evening. Tomorrow I'm going to try my best to do a repeat of what he did today but no matter how hard I try it never comes out quite the same. Who am I kidding? It's never anywhere near the same!