Well folks, I'm a graduate! FINALLY! It has been a long, hard road to be where I am today and it certainly had its fair share of setbacks... but I officially hold a B.S. in Elementary Education!
So, now what? People have been asking a lot of questions... and I'm going to answer them all, right here.
1. No, I do not have a job.
2. Yes, yes I am currently looking.
3. Yes, I still want to be a teacher even after the tragedy in Newtown.
4. No, I do not want a gun in my classroom.
5. Yes, I have a feeling I will have some interviews lined up after principals return from Christmas break.
6. Yes, I did cry like a baby at graduation.
7. No, I haven't done anything productive since my graduation party.
8. And finally, I'm not worried about getting a job. I'm going to enjoy the holidays and worry about it in 2013.
So, if you have any questions OTHER than those I've answered above, feel free to ask. But I DARE you to ask one of those after reading the answers... :-D
It was hard to leave my 22 wonderful second graders on November 30th, I grew to love them so much more than I ever thought was possible. And it was also hard to go through graduation knowing that my Daddy was missing out on one of the biggest things to happen in my life. But I know he probably had the best view in the house, and my mom, grandparents, and second mama Emily were all there with me, and that was all I needed. We partied the week after, and I've never felt more blessed in my life. I have some pretty amazing friends and people who love me in my life. It was so wonderful to see everyone who came by, and I hope to see some of the others who couldn't come soon!
Seeing that we've survived the end of the world, it's now 2 days until the 23rd. It will be 6 years since I've seen my Daddy this year. Which doesn't seem possible. Sometimes it seems like it happened yesterday, and then other days I feel as if it's been 50. Usually, I'm shoulder deep in "Scrooge Mode" about this time of the month, but thanks to finishing my student teaching, graduation, and graduation party... I've been relatively busy and thankfully have not had too much time to dwell on the sad things in my life. So that's been a plus...
What else is going on... I'm in the process of being completely moved out from my apartment in Lumberton and back with my mom until that job pops up for me and I can get a place of my own! I just have a few more small things to get from Lumberton, and the cleaning left to do before I happily handover my keys back to the real estate place... I can honestly say that I will not miss living there. And have no intentions of going back, unless I do it willing and even that's questionable. :) Because, let's be honest... Lumberton stinks. Nothing to do, nowhere enjoyable to go, and Fayetteville is the closest "Big City"... No thanks! Plus Wilmington is now fully equip with a Hobby Lobby, so my reasons for going to Fayetteville are now non-existent.
Other than that... I believe that's about all the catching up that I have to do. Oh. The radio in my car completely died... so I've been riding around with NO music... and actually having to have conversations with the passengers in my car. Hopefully will have a new one the day after Christmas! Went to look at it today and set up the appointment... It's super snazzy and fancy... and I'm sure it will take me weeks to figure out how to use it. :)
Anyway,
I hope all of you have a WONDERFUL Christmas! (Hope that doesn't offend anyone... Never know these days) and best wishes for a beautiful and happy new year!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
How the heck did the quilt get there?
It's just been one of those days. And I have a feeling it's just going to continue being one of those weeks.
Today I got home around 4:30 from school, sat down on my couch and promptly fell asleep without even meaning to.
Later, as I was typing up lesson plans and assignments for school, I kept getting cold and reached for my quilt that is ALWAYS... (always) on my couch and it was no where to be found. Naturally, I kind of freaked out. This is a quilt my mama made me out of my old T-shirts, and I love it. Surely no one had come in and taken it?
Something told me to walk upstairs.
And, there it was. Sitting on my bed in a wadded up ball.
Whew. Now only one question remains...
How the HELL did it get there?
I have no recollection of taking it up there... so perhaps there was some sleep walking? And if that was the case, props to me for going up and down those steps and remaining in one piece.
The quilt is back on the couch. Hopefully it won't go missing again.
Today I got home around 4:30 from school, sat down on my couch and promptly fell asleep without even meaning to.
Later, as I was typing up lesson plans and assignments for school, I kept getting cold and reached for my quilt that is ALWAYS... (always) on my couch and it was no where to be found. Naturally, I kind of freaked out. This is a quilt my mama made me out of my old T-shirts, and I love it. Surely no one had come in and taken it?
Something told me to walk upstairs.
And, there it was. Sitting on my bed in a wadded up ball.
Whew. Now only one question remains...
How the HELL did it get there?
I have no recollection of taking it up there... so perhaps there was some sleep walking? And if that was the case, props to me for going up and down those steps and remaining in one piece.
The quilt is back on the couch. Hopefully it won't go missing again.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
My eyes is hot, and my hair done fell out!
First off, the title of this blog post WILL be explained throughout the course of me typing. So hold tight, and prepare yourself for a hilarious dose of entertainment.
It's been forever since I've updated this blog. And to be honest, I created another one that I'm using for my personal use of stories from my elementary school. Mainly because I didn't want people looking in on this one and wondering what the hell I was talking about! However, I did want to update everyone!
August 15th was my LAST FIRST DAY as an undergrad! I spent 3 days at UNCP in workshops and seminars learning what not to do with the students in my classroom! August 20th, I went to my elementary school and started workdays with my clinical teacher! I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and work with her last spring semester so I knew her already which made for an easy transition considering I was a little nervous about everything. We had 5 workdays... over the course of those days we organized the classroom, setup desks and technology equipment, and attended some curriculum workshops where we learned an entirely new reading/language arts curriculum! This year will be interesting because the North Carolina Standard Course of Study is OUT and Common Core/Essential Standards are IN! (Thank GOD in my personal opinion!) Which has been nice, because I've been using Common Core the whole time I've been in school and could probably recite them from over use :)
August 27th was the first day of school with the kids! We started with 25 students, and now have 23. The first day was VERY interesting. I'll spare the details but... there are definitely some behavior issues in this class like I've NEVER seen before. Aside from that, I have some of the sweetest and most precious kids, ever. I have really only been in 3rd grade for a long period of time. That's when I was able to be with Mrs. Aiello at Wrightsboro in her classes before she passed away... and 3rd graders are MUCH bigger than 2nd graders! There is one student who rivals my height... he's so tall! And a couple of them look like they could totally belong in kindergarten. They're just so dang cute! And they're sweet!
I did survive my first week. With lots of Advil for my legs and feet... but now that I have my "teaching legs" I hope that will help! And of course I have some allergy mess going on, that I woke up with on Friday. But it was okay on Friday because 1, I could finally wear jeans...2, I had a 3 day weekend coming... and 3 IT WAS FRIDAY!
So, about that blog post title. One afternoon we were playing "heads down, thumbs up" (or for you older ones, like ME... 7up). And one little person in my class had their head UP but their eyes closed and no one would pick him! This little person complained and said "I sure hope someone picks me" every time. My teacher finally said Look, you need to put your head down! They think you'retrying to look to see who's picking you.
The response from this precious little person was... But Mrs. N, when I put my head down my eyes is hot.
.....My teacher and I looked at each other and both said "WHAT?!" Yes. In fact his eyes is hot. My teacher simply said "don't worry, they won't burn. I promise" and we tried to contain our laughter.
The next day, during reading time, one little person came running up to my desk in a tizzy with something in her hand. I couldn't tell what it was. Oh but I would figure it out shortly... This student came running and then said.. "Ms. G, Ms. G!!! My hair done felled out my head!"
What?
Sure enough. There was a braid in their hand. I had never been faced with this predicament before, and my professors certainly didn't teach me how to handle this in my classes at UNCP. So I thought for a second, and then said... "Okay, well. Either put it in your desk or throw it away." It was put in the trashcan and they returned to reading and all was well in the world. It wasn't the fact that the hair had come out... it was the fact that "my hair done fell out" was how this student told me...
Needless to say, ALL WEEK LONG my teacher and I have used that as an excuse for not wanting to do anything or really any situation that has come about. Example? The teacher next door is the clinical teacher for my friend Rebecca, also in 2nd grade, and she came over wanting to know if we were going to get to school at 7am or 7:30 the next day. She was going to be running a few minutes late, and wanted coverage for her class just in case. So my teacher said "As long as I don't find my eyes hot and my hair felled out I'll be here"
Ensue hilarious laughter.
Perhaps you had to be there. But it was just so damn funny.
Aside from the crazy outbursts, a few problems with behavior, I did have a good week and I know that I'm doing exactly what I should be doing. My heart already loves all 23 of those kids and I can't even begin to understand how hard it will be to leave them at the end of November.
Tomorrow I'm heading up to Camp Agape! I'm cooking lunch for the wheat team and staying for the HOOT! This is one of three times in the past 12 years that I haven't been at TEC serving on team. I felt like crying Friday afternoon because I wasn't heading up to Agape to meet the team! On the other hand, I was completely exhausted and didn't feel good at all. So a couple of allergy pills later, I was napping quite nicely and was somewhat thankful that I wasn't going to TEC. 4 hours of sleep each night, and being able to function and TEACH on Tuesday in the classroom just wouldn't have been a great combination.
So, that's been my life in a nutshell lately. I go to bed super early and I wake up SUPER DUPER early. Early- as in, it's still pitch BLACK outside when I get in the shower. It's just not okay. I need some sunlight in the morning... Anyway, I'm off to bed, and to Agape tomorrow!
It's been forever since I've updated this blog. And to be honest, I created another one that I'm using for my personal use of stories from my elementary school. Mainly because I didn't want people looking in on this one and wondering what the hell I was talking about! However, I did want to update everyone!
August 15th was my LAST FIRST DAY as an undergrad! I spent 3 days at UNCP in workshops and seminars learning what not to do with the students in my classroom! August 20th, I went to my elementary school and started workdays with my clinical teacher! I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and work with her last spring semester so I knew her already which made for an easy transition considering I was a little nervous about everything. We had 5 workdays... over the course of those days we organized the classroom, setup desks and technology equipment, and attended some curriculum workshops where we learned an entirely new reading/language arts curriculum! This year will be interesting because the North Carolina Standard Course of Study is OUT and Common Core/Essential Standards are IN! (Thank GOD in my personal opinion!) Which has been nice, because I've been using Common Core the whole time I've been in school and could probably recite them from over use :)
August 27th was the first day of school with the kids! We started with 25 students, and now have 23. The first day was VERY interesting. I'll spare the details but... there are definitely some behavior issues in this class like I've NEVER seen before. Aside from that, I have some of the sweetest and most precious kids, ever. I have really only been in 3rd grade for a long period of time. That's when I was able to be with Mrs. Aiello at Wrightsboro in her classes before she passed away... and 3rd graders are MUCH bigger than 2nd graders! There is one student who rivals my height... he's so tall! And a couple of them look like they could totally belong in kindergarten. They're just so dang cute! And they're sweet!
I did survive my first week. With lots of Advil for my legs and feet... but now that I have my "teaching legs" I hope that will help! And of course I have some allergy mess going on, that I woke up with on Friday. But it was okay on Friday because 1, I could finally wear jeans...2, I had a 3 day weekend coming... and 3 IT WAS FRIDAY!
So, about that blog post title. One afternoon we were playing "heads down, thumbs up" (or for you older ones, like ME... 7up). And one little person in my class had their head UP but their eyes closed and no one would pick him! This little person complained and said "I sure hope someone picks me" every time. My teacher finally said Look, you need to put your head down! They think you'retrying to look to see who's picking you.
The response from this precious little person was... But Mrs. N, when I put my head down my eyes is hot.
.....My teacher and I looked at each other and both said "WHAT?!" Yes. In fact his eyes is hot. My teacher simply said "don't worry, they won't burn. I promise" and we tried to contain our laughter.
The next day, during reading time, one little person came running up to my desk in a tizzy with something in her hand. I couldn't tell what it was. Oh but I would figure it out shortly... This student came running and then said.. "Ms. G, Ms. G!!! My hair done felled out my head!"
What?
Sure enough. There was a braid in their hand. I had never been faced with this predicament before, and my professors certainly didn't teach me how to handle this in my classes at UNCP. So I thought for a second, and then said... "Okay, well. Either put it in your desk or throw it away." It was put in the trashcan and they returned to reading and all was well in the world. It wasn't the fact that the hair had come out... it was the fact that "my hair done fell out" was how this student told me...
Needless to say, ALL WEEK LONG my teacher and I have used that as an excuse for not wanting to do anything or really any situation that has come about. Example? The teacher next door is the clinical teacher for my friend Rebecca, also in 2nd grade, and she came over wanting to know if we were going to get to school at 7am or 7:30 the next day. She was going to be running a few minutes late, and wanted coverage for her class just in case. So my teacher said "As long as I don't find my eyes hot and my hair felled out I'll be here"
Ensue hilarious laughter.
Perhaps you had to be there. But it was just so damn funny.
Aside from the crazy outbursts, a few problems with behavior, I did have a good week and I know that I'm doing exactly what I should be doing. My heart already loves all 23 of those kids and I can't even begin to understand how hard it will be to leave them at the end of November.
Tomorrow I'm heading up to Camp Agape! I'm cooking lunch for the wheat team and staying for the HOOT! This is one of three times in the past 12 years that I haven't been at TEC serving on team. I felt like crying Friday afternoon because I wasn't heading up to Agape to meet the team! On the other hand, I was completely exhausted and didn't feel good at all. So a couple of allergy pills later, I was napping quite nicely and was somewhat thankful that I wasn't going to TEC. 4 hours of sleep each night, and being able to function and TEACH on Tuesday in the classroom just wouldn't have been a great combination.
So, that's been my life in a nutshell lately. I go to bed super early and I wake up SUPER DUPER early. Early- as in, it's still pitch BLACK outside when I get in the shower. It's just not okay. I need some sunlight in the morning... Anyway, I'm off to bed, and to Agape tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
If it hit you in the face...
Intrigued? You should be. This is going to be a good one.
This is the subject of my inspiration for my blog post today.
Why? Because I can't turn on my radio, or TV without seeing or hearing them.
I can't get on Facebook because the lovely high school kids I'm friends with are posting about them. And Twitter is BLOWING UP about them.
Yes, they are a boy band.
Yes, I'm sure they are wonderful.
No, I have not heard them sing...
And No, I have no intentions of hearing them.
For the children of today, I have only one thing to tell you:
You wouldn't know a good boy band if one came up and SLAPPED you in your face.
And I'm NOT just talking about the boy bands of the 1990's.
Remember the Temptations? They were a "boy band". So was the Jackson 5.
My favorites were of course, NKOTB (New Kids On The Block), The Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC.
Around the same time at N*SYNC and the Backstreet boys, came 98 degrees, 5IVE, and others that only had one hit wonders.
I can't even begin to tell you how many times I listened to the Backstreet Boys first album. But I can tell you that it was more than enough to damage the cassette tape, to where I am positive I convinced my Daddy to get me the CD...!
I am a huge fan of the Pandora App I have on my phone. It's free. And it plays any type of music you can think of. Since I recently started running, I needed to find some music to listen to while I was running that would keep me pumped up and in the mood to run. And then I found the "Backstreet Boys Radio" station on Pandora.
BINGO! If a constant stream of music straight out of the late 1990's doesn't get you pumped up, you're crazy! Everybody, Hit me baby one more time, it's gonna be me, you drive me crazy, bye bye bye, genie in a bottle, livin' la vida loca, and others are just a few that have continued to make my runs bearable. Not to mention I'm pretty sure that when the Backstreet Boys are playing, I run a little faster... and probably a little bit sillier. But who cares, I'm running, and that's all that matters.
Back to my main point... I'm sure these little man-boys are great singers, and I know that all of the late elementary-high school kids (and yes, the mothers of these said children) are head over heels in love with this new boy band. Whatever happened to the Jonas Brothers?
Hell. Whatever happened to the Backstreet Boys? I know they're still out there. Or, couldn't someone convince Justin Timberlake that he needs to orchestrate a N*SYNC reunion? Talk about selling a ton of albums. That right there would do it in a heart beat. Don't you remember New Year's Eve 2 years ago? New Kids On The Block AND the Backstreet Boys preformed? And I was rocking out at home... And then both of those bands went on tour together and made even more money than they already had.
So kids, get on iTunes, and search Backstreet Boys.
Do the research. I guarantee you that their songs are way better than anything this 'One Direction' mess has got going on...
This is the subject of my inspiration for my blog post today.
Why? Because I can't turn on my radio, or TV without seeing or hearing them.
I can't get on Facebook because the lovely high school kids I'm friends with are posting about them. And Twitter is BLOWING UP about them.
Yes, they are a boy band.
Yes, I'm sure they are wonderful.
No, I have not heard them sing...
And No, I have no intentions of hearing them.
For the children of today, I have only one thing to tell you:
You wouldn't know a good boy band if one came up and SLAPPED you in your face.
And I'm NOT just talking about the boy bands of the 1990's.
Remember the Temptations? They were a "boy band". So was the Jackson 5.
My favorites were of course, NKOTB (New Kids On The Block), The Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC.
Around the same time at N*SYNC and the Backstreet boys, came 98 degrees, 5IVE, and others that only had one hit wonders.
I can't even begin to tell you how many times I listened to the Backstreet Boys first album. But I can tell you that it was more than enough to damage the cassette tape, to where I am positive I convinced my Daddy to get me the CD...!
I am a huge fan of the Pandora App I have on my phone. It's free. And it plays any type of music you can think of. Since I recently started running, I needed to find some music to listen to while I was running that would keep me pumped up and in the mood to run. And then I found the "Backstreet Boys Radio" station on Pandora.
BINGO! If a constant stream of music straight out of the late 1990's doesn't get you pumped up, you're crazy! Everybody, Hit me baby one more time, it's gonna be me, you drive me crazy, bye bye bye, genie in a bottle, livin' la vida loca, and others are just a few that have continued to make my runs bearable. Not to mention I'm pretty sure that when the Backstreet Boys are playing, I run a little faster... and probably a little bit sillier. But who cares, I'm running, and that's all that matters.
Back to my main point... I'm sure these little man-boys are great singers, and I know that all of the late elementary-high school kids (and yes, the mothers of these said children) are head over heels in love with this new boy band. Whatever happened to the Jonas Brothers?
Hell. Whatever happened to the Backstreet Boys? I know they're still out there. Or, couldn't someone convince Justin Timberlake that he needs to orchestrate a N*SYNC reunion? Talk about selling a ton of albums. That right there would do it in a heart beat. Don't you remember New Year's Eve 2 years ago? New Kids On The Block AND the Backstreet Boys preformed? And I was rocking out at home... And then both of those bands went on tour together and made even more money than they already had.
So kids, get on iTunes, and search Backstreet Boys.
Do the research. I guarantee you that their songs are way better than anything this 'One Direction' mess has got going on...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
7
There are 7... Count them! SEVEN days left of this semester and I will finally be free of the Spring semester... aka, the semester from hell, the 5 months that nearly drove me to kill people, semester without friends, etc. (There's plenty of other ways that I refer to this semester, however some of them are not appropriate. So, I'm just going to leave you with those...)
If you don't really keep up with my life except in this blog, then you don't really know how insane my life has been. Spring semester is usually the hardest, in my opinion. Mainly because it's a easy, nice ride to the top for the first half, then the week before spring break happens. And for whatever reason, every professor in America thinks that it is perfectly okay to assign the biggest, craziest, most important assignments of the semester over spring break. So you don't really get a break, you basically just work on school crap the whole time. This was no different for me this year. Mom and I went to Washington, DC, and as soon as I got back to Wilmington, my feet hit the ground and I haven't really stopped since.
I had 18 hours of classes last fall, and 3 of those were big elementary education classes, PLUS 2 history classes with tons of reading and writing and I didn't feel as stressed out as I do this semester with only 13 hours and 4 classes.
Seriously?
Oh, and not to mention all the EXTRA work, meetings, stuff in general that I'm having to do on TOP of everything else for internship in the fall. I have a weekend full of going through old files and jump drives to find papers and projects that hopefully (by some miracle) managed to be saved on my computer so that I can upload all of that into my ePortfolio for my teacher internship.
With only 7 days left, I'm finding myself even more thankful that it's almost over. The end of July will mark 2 years since I left Los Angeles and came back to Wilmington. And when I sit down and think of all of the things that I have accomplished since that tearful trip home, I'm amazed at what has happened. And I have so, so many things to be thankful for.
Recap:
-UNCP
-Apartment
-New and amazing friends
-3 STW TEC weekends that will forever be in my heart as 3 of the best weekends of my life
-2 amazing Women's retreat weekends
-Chancellor's and Dean's lists for different semesters at school
-An aunt times 2 last summer, as I became an aunt to precious twins Iris and Tucker, who joined big brother Keller!
-Celebrations of weddings, engagements, and babies with friends from my past, and from church
-Mourning the loss, but celebrating the lives of a few people who impacted me more than I'll ever be able to understand
-Survived turning 25... and then 26
-2 inductions into 2 national honors societies! (in two months!)
-1 semester away from my DEGREE!
I hope that anyone that reads this, knows how thankful I am for the blessings that have been placed into my life. I have a family that is amazing beyond words. A church family that prays for me and takes care of me and is always there to listen. A TEC and VdC family that somehow God saw me deserving enough to be a part of. I have the best friends in the entire world. And even though I have made quite a few mistakes along this bumpy little journey of mine, I know, without a doubt, that I am exactly where God wants me to be for this moment in time.
I can't wait for the next 7 days to go by, and for this semester to be over. And I can't wait to walk into my 2nd grade classroom and to be able to start my student teaching internship in August. And I REALLY can't wait to walk across that stage and grab my diploma in December!
If you don't really keep up with my life except in this blog, then you don't really know how insane my life has been. Spring semester is usually the hardest, in my opinion. Mainly because it's a easy, nice ride to the top for the first half, then the week before spring break happens. And for whatever reason, every professor in America thinks that it is perfectly okay to assign the biggest, craziest, most important assignments of the semester over spring break. So you don't really get a break, you basically just work on school crap the whole time. This was no different for me this year. Mom and I went to Washington, DC, and as soon as I got back to Wilmington, my feet hit the ground and I haven't really stopped since.
I had 18 hours of classes last fall, and 3 of those were big elementary education classes, PLUS 2 history classes with tons of reading and writing and I didn't feel as stressed out as I do this semester with only 13 hours and 4 classes.
Seriously?
Oh, and not to mention all the EXTRA work, meetings, stuff in general that I'm having to do on TOP of everything else for internship in the fall. I have a weekend full of going through old files and jump drives to find papers and projects that hopefully (by some miracle) managed to be saved on my computer so that I can upload all of that into my ePortfolio for my teacher internship.
With only 7 days left, I'm finding myself even more thankful that it's almost over. The end of July will mark 2 years since I left Los Angeles and came back to Wilmington. And when I sit down and think of all of the things that I have accomplished since that tearful trip home, I'm amazed at what has happened. And I have so, so many things to be thankful for.
Recap:
-UNCP
-Apartment
-New and amazing friends
-3 STW TEC weekends that will forever be in my heart as 3 of the best weekends of my life
-2 amazing Women's retreat weekends
-Chancellor's and Dean's lists for different semesters at school
-An aunt times 2 last summer, as I became an aunt to precious twins Iris and Tucker, who joined big brother Keller!
-Celebrations of weddings, engagements, and babies with friends from my past, and from church
-Mourning the loss, but celebrating the lives of a few people who impacted me more than I'll ever be able to understand
-Survived turning 25... and then 26
-2 inductions into 2 national honors societies! (in two months!)
-1 semester away from my DEGREE!
I hope that anyone that reads this, knows how thankful I am for the blessings that have been placed into my life. I have a family that is amazing beyond words. A church family that prays for me and takes care of me and is always there to listen. A TEC and VdC family that somehow God saw me deserving enough to be a part of. I have the best friends in the entire world. And even though I have made quite a few mistakes along this bumpy little journey of mine, I know, without a doubt, that I am exactly where God wants me to be for this moment in time.
I can't wait for the next 7 days to go by, and for this semester to be over. And I can't wait to walk into my 2nd grade classroom and to be able to start my student teaching internship in August. And I REALLY can't wait to walk across that stage and grab my diploma in December!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Thanks, Pinterest.
I love Pinterest, don't get me wrong. It's given me thousands of ideas about my future classroom, hundreds of DIY projects that I'll never be able to do... It's made me understand that I'll never have the house of my dreams, because who can really live in something like that based on a teacher's salary... and it's given me great recipes that even if I had the time and money to try, I'd never be able to complete all of them because there's just too damn many.
Perhaps the worst thing that Pinterest has done for me, is make me realize how old I really am. Yes, I know, I'm not "old"... but after coming across THIS website, I realized that in fact, I am old if I'm basing old on these factors...
Not that anyone really cares, but I'm going to go through this list and explain myself.
1. "You just can't resist finishing 'in west Philadelphia born and raised...'".
-On the playground was where I spent most of my days, chillin out, maxin, relaxing all cool, and shooting some b-ball outside of school. when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in the neighborhood, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said you're moving with your auntie and your uncle in Bel-Air.-
Point. Proven.
2. You can name these TV shows:
Good Burger (Kenan and Kel), Doug, ?, Rocko's Modern life
- I wasn't allowed to watch Rocko's modern life, but I still know it.
3. "Your AOL Profile had to be perfect"
- I spent countless hours making sure the colors, fonts, answers to the silly questions, and my favorite quote was PERFECT. All to just change it the very next day.
4. Goosebump books
-I didn't own all of them, but I read a bunch of them.
5. Everything could be settled by rock, paper, scissors...
-Yes, yes it could. And if it couldn't be settled by that, then there really wasn't a reason to argue over it.
6. Listening to the radio to record your favorite song... ON A TAPE!
-I can't even begin to imagine the number of times that I actually did this. Too many. But what a great excuse for the day...
7. You always dreamed of being slimed
-Watching Double Dare such games where people were slimed always made me happy. I did want to be slimed.
8. You know the real meaning of TGIF
-Back then, TGIF meant 3 uninterrupted of various shows such as: Family Matters, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Step by Step, and Muppets Tonight. I lived... LIVED for Friday nights on ABC. Friends would come over, or I would go up the street to a friends house... we ate more popcorn than we should while watching Corey and Topanga's love story unfold. And cried, like we knew them, when they finally tied the knot. TV just isn't as good now. I don't care what anyone says.
9. You'll never forget your first boom-box.
How could you forget it? It weighed 30 pounds, and carrying it anywhere usually resulted in putting it in someone's red wagon from the neighborhood. More often than not, it just sat on a bookshelf in your room.
10. Had to have the coolest slammer
-Because if you didn't, all the other kids at school and in the neighborhood would talk mad smack about you.
11. Lisa Frank School Supplies
-Say no more. All of those wonderfully bright colored crazy looking animals made any 3rd grade girl happy. And God forbid you not have anything Lisa Frank! :)
12. Collected every beeny baby you could get your hands on...
-I have them in my mother's attic to prove it, if anyone doesn't believe me. And by ''EVERY" that does include all of the ones that McDonald's put out in their happy meals...
13. Original Walkman
-The was the best Christmas ever.
14. You know the Macarena by heart
-And can remember the first time you ever heard it at the skating rink and thinking "this is even dumber than that chicken dance song" but you still did it...
15. All of the Cool Kids wore ring pops
-Yes. They did. And I did too... just not in school like the cool kids did. Which made me an uncool kid.
16. Tamagotchi, Giga pet, Nano pet
-Took it everywhere, laughed when it's poop killed it, and wanted every color that they made. My mom still has a few of them, I just wish I could find the batteries that go inside of them! That would REALLY make my day!
17. You remember NOW the original
-Remember it? I had it! And it was NOT a CD... it was a cassette tape! Refer HERE for more on that subject.
18. Begged your parents to let you stay up to watch Are you afraid of the Dark?
- I actually did not do this. Seeing that one episode about the clowns was more than enough for me to understand that that show was not something I wanted to waste my time on.
19. You predicted your future by playing MASH
-Yes, we all did. And it was entertainment at it's finest! Now, I've discovered that you can go to THIS website and play it online. Which I agree is a 'greener' and 'eco-friendly' way of discovering who you'll be marrying and where you'll be living, there's just something about MASH on a piece of wide-ruled paper.
20. Everyone wanted your Dunkaroos at lunch
-They did! Especially because the other kids didn't have them... I was in Wal-mart not that long ago in Pembroke, and actually saw Dunkaroos on the shelf. Words I thought? "1995 called, it wants his cookies back."
21. Remembering your school banning Slam Books
- If they did, I don't remember it. I went to middle school in the 90's in the worst area of downtown Wilmington, people there usually just confronted the other, or threatened that their older 'brotha, sista, or cuzin' would shoot the other person after school. Slam books at DC Virgo weren't really needed. Fighting was our* answer.
(*Our= the crazy ass people at my school, not me! I didn't talk to anyone in middle school, ever.)
22. Saturday morning cartoons were worth watching
-Because of the TMNT... And if you have to ask, you weren't watching them. (Refer to the website!)
23. You remember renting VHS tapes, not DVDs.
-We still HAVE VHS tapes ... and until the last remaining dual DVD/VHS player is no longer working in this family, I'll still have them.
24. You wished Jumanji was a real game
- Awesome movie, but I didn't want that game to be real.
25. You still miss your trapper keeper
-Find me one person that doesn't miss the trapper keeper. I dare you.
As you can see, I clearly meet well over 20 of the 25 listed ideas of being a kid in the 1990's... not that anyone doubted, but seriously. Kids today have absolutely no idea how awesome the 90's were. A kid today can get on the internet and look up anything! I argued day and night with the boys in my neighborhood over lyrics to songs, or who the best power ranger was, and if Corey and Topanga really loved each other. Now? GOOGLE IT. Google has all the answers.
And, I feel ancient.
Perhaps the worst thing that Pinterest has done for me, is make me realize how old I really am. Yes, I know, I'm not "old"... but after coming across THIS website, I realized that in fact, I am old if I'm basing old on these factors...
Not that anyone really cares, but I'm going to go through this list and explain myself.
1. "You just can't resist finishing 'in west Philadelphia born and raised...'".
-On the playground was where I spent most of my days, chillin out, maxin, relaxing all cool, and shooting some b-ball outside of school. when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in the neighborhood, I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said you're moving with your auntie and your uncle in Bel-Air.-
Point. Proven.
2. You can name these TV shows:
Good Burger (Kenan and Kel), Doug, ?, Rocko's Modern life
- I wasn't allowed to watch Rocko's modern life, but I still know it.
3. "Your AOL Profile had to be perfect"
- I spent countless hours making sure the colors, fonts, answers to the silly questions, and my favorite quote was PERFECT. All to just change it the very next day.
4. Goosebump books
-I didn't own all of them, but I read a bunch of them.
5. Everything could be settled by rock, paper, scissors...
-Yes, yes it could. And if it couldn't be settled by that, then there really wasn't a reason to argue over it.
6. Listening to the radio to record your favorite song... ON A TAPE!
-I can't even begin to imagine the number of times that I actually did this. Too many. But what a great excuse for the day...
7. You always dreamed of being slimed
-Watching Double Dare such games where people were slimed always made me happy. I did want to be slimed.
8. You know the real meaning of TGIF
-Back then, TGIF meant 3 uninterrupted of various shows such as: Family Matters, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Step by Step, and Muppets Tonight. I lived... LIVED for Friday nights on ABC. Friends would come over, or I would go up the street to a friends house... we ate more popcorn than we should while watching Corey and Topanga's love story unfold. And cried, like we knew them, when they finally tied the knot. TV just isn't as good now. I don't care what anyone says.
9. You'll never forget your first boom-box.
How could you forget it? It weighed 30 pounds, and carrying it anywhere usually resulted in putting it in someone's red wagon from the neighborhood. More often than not, it just sat on a bookshelf in your room.
10. Had to have the coolest slammer
-Because if you didn't, all the other kids at school and in the neighborhood would talk mad smack about you.
11. Lisa Frank School Supplies
-Say no more. All of those wonderfully bright colored crazy looking animals made any 3rd grade girl happy. And God forbid you not have anything Lisa Frank! :)
12. Collected every beeny baby you could get your hands on...
-I have them in my mother's attic to prove it, if anyone doesn't believe me. And by ''EVERY" that does include all of the ones that McDonald's put out in their happy meals...
13. Original Walkman
-The was the best Christmas ever.
14. You know the Macarena by heart
-And can remember the first time you ever heard it at the skating rink and thinking "this is even dumber than that chicken dance song" but you still did it...
15. All of the Cool Kids wore ring pops
-Yes. They did. And I did too... just not in school like the cool kids did. Which made me an uncool kid.
16. Tamagotchi, Giga pet, Nano pet
-Took it everywhere, laughed when it's poop killed it, and wanted every color that they made. My mom still has a few of them, I just wish I could find the batteries that go inside of them! That would REALLY make my day!
17. You remember NOW the original
-Remember it? I had it! And it was NOT a CD... it was a cassette tape! Refer HERE for more on that subject.
18. Begged your parents to let you stay up to watch Are you afraid of the Dark?
- I actually did not do this. Seeing that one episode about the clowns was more than enough for me to understand that that show was not something I wanted to waste my time on.
19. You predicted your future by playing MASH
-Yes, we all did. And it was entertainment at it's finest! Now, I've discovered that you can go to THIS website and play it online. Which I agree is a 'greener' and 'eco-friendly' way of discovering who you'll be marrying and where you'll be living, there's just something about MASH on a piece of wide-ruled paper.
20. Everyone wanted your Dunkaroos at lunch
-They did! Especially because the other kids didn't have them... I was in Wal-mart not that long ago in Pembroke, and actually saw Dunkaroos on the shelf. Words I thought? "1995 called, it wants his cookies back."
21. Remembering your school banning Slam Books
- If they did, I don't remember it. I went to middle school in the 90's in the worst area of downtown Wilmington, people there usually just confronted the other, or threatened that their older 'brotha, sista, or cuzin' would shoot the other person after school. Slam books at DC Virgo weren't really needed. Fighting was our* answer.
(*Our= the crazy ass people at my school, not me! I didn't talk to anyone in middle school, ever.)
22. Saturday morning cartoons were worth watching
-Because of the TMNT... And if you have to ask, you weren't watching them. (Refer to the website!)
23. You remember renting VHS tapes, not DVDs.
-We still HAVE VHS tapes ... and until the last remaining dual DVD/VHS player is no longer working in this family, I'll still have them.
24. You wished Jumanji was a real game
- Awesome movie, but I didn't want that game to be real.
25. You still miss your trapper keeper
-Find me one person that doesn't miss the trapper keeper. I dare you.
As you can see, I clearly meet well over 20 of the 25 listed ideas of being a kid in the 1990's... not that anyone doubted, but seriously. Kids today have absolutely no idea how awesome the 90's were. A kid today can get on the internet and look up anything! I argued day and night with the boys in my neighborhood over lyrics to songs, or who the best power ranger was, and if Corey and Topanga really loved each other. Now? GOOGLE IT. Google has all the answers.
And, I feel ancient.
Monday, April 2, 2012
RYBO
I realize that I normally wait 2 months to post after a "catch up" blog post... but I wanted to do this one, and I just finished studying for a test tomorrow and haven't quite calmed down from the studying... so I'm writing it now before I forget. And this post (and any others that may contain this same theme) are mainly for ME. So don't feel that you have to go on and read all of this :)
Months ago, I bought this book on my kindle fire for like 99 cents and there it has sat in queue waiting for the day that I would actually have time to read it. Well, fortunately for this book, this time was last Friday night. The book is called Run Your Butt Off, A Breakthrough Plan to Lose Weight and Start Running [No Experience Necessary!]
I started reading it, and it was like I was having a conversation with the author, instead of reading. Iliked loved that. I also liked the fact that everything was spelled out for you. The basis of this fitness routine, is that you start with walking and then build up slowly to the running. For example, this week is my "Week 1" and all I have to do is walk for 30 minutes, 4 days a week. When I say "all I have to do" I don't just mean that I'm going out strolling around my neighborhood looking at the crazys around Lumberton... I mean I'm walking at a pretty fast pace, to where my legs actually feel like I'm doing something with them. (Even my thighs!)
Along with the walking, I'm also eating better... which means I've forced myself to eat a healthy dinner AND only drink water today, AND (the big kicker) I've only had ONE snack after dinner. This was my biggest issue. Whenever I would eat dinner, I'd eat, but I wouldn't eat enough I suppose, and then I'd be stuffing my face full of chips, crackers, candy, etc. until I went to bed. Which is how I've put on all this weight since moving back from Los Angeles.
Here's the thing about my lifestyle in Los Angeles: I had it made. I only shopped at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Ralph's. I RARELY ate fast food. I RARELY drank sweet tea. I worked out almost everyday... whether that meant I went to take yoga or pilates at the gym, worked out at the gym, or went hiking/running/walking in Runyon Canyon behind my apartment (which really meant Cameron forced me to go with him, but I totally felt better afterwards!)... It also didn't hurt that my gym membership was paid for by Cameron. In that respect, I felt like I was wasting his money if I didn't go, which was even more motivation for me to get my ass there... not to mention it was literally less than a block away at the end of my street.
Fast forward almost 2 years, I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I'm not really happy about it. I've always had issues with my weight and body. And I'm not saying that I think I'm overweight, or fat... or ugly. But I'm not happy and I could definitely stand to shed a few of these extra pounds I've racked up since moving back to the South.
SO... This Run Your Butt Off thing seems like something that's right up my alley. I can pace myself based on how comfortable I feel with my progress. And as long as I'm continuing to eat better, and keeping up the exercise... I think that I'll be successful with this new change. I'm also excited about it, because running is something that I can do for the rest of my life... (or until I need new hips or knees). So that's a big plus as well. And I don't need a gym membership. I can run OUTSIDE. Around the neighborhood. At the beach. Etc.
Today I did my first walk for 30 minutes... and I actually enjoyed myself.
And when I watch the Biggest Loser tomorrow night, I will be drinking my water, and NOT eating something terrible for me. Go Me. !
Months ago, I bought this book on my kindle fire for like 99 cents and there it has sat in queue waiting for the day that I would actually have time to read it. Well, fortunately for this book, this time was last Friday night. The book is called Run Your Butt Off, A Breakthrough Plan to Lose Weight and Start Running [No Experience Necessary!]
I started reading it, and it was like I was having a conversation with the author, instead of reading. I
Along with the walking, I'm also eating better... which means I've forced myself to eat a healthy dinner AND only drink water today, AND (the big kicker) I've only had ONE snack after dinner. This was my biggest issue. Whenever I would eat dinner, I'd eat, but I wouldn't eat enough I suppose, and then I'd be stuffing my face full of chips, crackers, candy, etc. until I went to bed. Which is how I've put on all this weight since moving back from Los Angeles.
Here's the thing about my lifestyle in Los Angeles: I had it made. I only shopped at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Ralph's. I RARELY ate fast food. I RARELY drank sweet tea. I worked out almost everyday... whether that meant I went to take yoga or pilates at the gym, worked out at the gym, or went hiking/running/walking in Runyon Canyon behind my apartment (which really meant Cameron forced me to go with him, but I totally felt better afterwards!)... It also didn't hurt that my gym membership was paid for by Cameron. In that respect, I felt like I was wasting his money if I didn't go, which was even more motivation for me to get my ass there... not to mention it was literally less than a block away at the end of my street.
Fast forward almost 2 years, I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I'm not really happy about it. I've always had issues with my weight and body. And I'm not saying that I think I'm overweight, or fat... or ugly. But I'm not happy and I could definitely stand to shed a few of these extra pounds I've racked up since moving back to the South.
SO... This Run Your Butt Off thing seems like something that's right up my alley. I can pace myself based on how comfortable I feel with my progress. And as long as I'm continuing to eat better, and keeping up the exercise... I think that I'll be successful with this new change. I'm also excited about it, because running is something that I can do for the rest of my life... (or until I need new hips or knees). So that's a big plus as well. And I don't need a gym membership. I can run OUTSIDE. Around the neighborhood. At the beach. Etc.
Today I did my first walk for 30 minutes... and I actually enjoyed myself.
And when I watch the Biggest Loser tomorrow night, I will be drinking my water, and NOT eating something terrible for me. Go Me. !
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