Today is New Year’s Eve Day… it is like eighty something degrees here and I have worn my bathing suit ALL DAY LONG. This MUST happen every year now, cause I’m hooked! Even though all this random crap happened to me while on the cruise, I can’t wait to do another one! I’m sure that I’ll have pictures from tonight’s celebration for you guys tomorrow, but for now let’s discuss last night’s adventures and the AWESOMENESS that is the Barrier Reef.


Last night Abbie and I got to be the judges… along with some girl who looks like Rebecca from the show Brother’s and Sisters and we think is from Canada cause she says “Aye” ALL THE TIME! So we picked the person who would be Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Garth Brooks, and Elvis on the last night’s show. Needless to say that Chuck Currie (Abbie’s dad) is going to be Garth Brooks. The audience totally picked that one… and it was hysterical because we are now known throughout the ship! Seriously, I was in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN today flippers and all, standing on the reef and a guy still on the boat goes “Wait, you were the one who sang last night!!”. Only now we have more nicknames… “The Divas”, “The Chicago Girls”, “Singin Sisters”, and I am also “The Yodel Girl”. It’s like we’re famous, and it makes us laugh every time someone says something! So, Chicago is seriously representing on the Carnival Cruise Ship for that last Night.


Onto today… I got to snorkel on the barrier reef. I saw soooooo many different kinds of fish… sadly no Nemos. But I got to see some awesome stingrays and the coral was beautiful. I can’t wait to develop the pictures that I took with my underwater disposable camera, cause if they even show half of what I saw, they will be amazing. However, I did totally eat a lot of saltwater… ewww. And when we went out on the excursion, there was this group of girls who were the most obnoxious children that I have ever encountered in my life. At some point during the boat ride, they started playing Rock, Paper, Scissors… only they didn’t do it right… so then we heard “Rock, Paper, Scissors… SUN!”, “Rock, Paper, Scissors… WITCH!!!”, and our personal favorite… “Rock, Paper, Scissors… Barack Obama!!!!” We did laugh at that, but the rest of it was just annoying. So, snorkeling is AMAZING, and I get to do it again tomorrow on the barrier reef in Cozumel, so I’m really excited about it!

P.S. best thing from last night was right before dinner when we were waiting to sit down and are listening to an older brother tell his mom…” Well, if we sell him, we can get a Puppy.” And then just a little bit later… “I bet we could get at least fifty bucks!” Sooooo much fun!!

Our boat as we are leaving to snorkel in Belize.

Waves Breaking on the Barrier Reef.

The Fricket Bird… which I thought the man called the black Frickin’ bird. To me… it will always be the Black Frickin’ bird to me though.

Ladies and Gentleman... I am Britney Spears

All right, I’m back… for your reading pleasure today, this blog will cover just a few things… 1. Only One Day Without a Mishap, 2. Karaoke Kim is Not How He Seems, 3. Cruise Life: Clothing Optional, and 4. I am Britney Spears. I’ll also mention a bit about how beautiful Isla Roatan is, and show you some of those pictures!!


1.Ladies and gentlemen, I am excited and loving this cruise, but no joke… something bad has happened to me EVERY DAY!!! God only help me tomorrow when we go snorkeling… chances are, I’m going to get eaten by a Shark, or I’m going to drown… if I do, I love you all. You heard of my traveling woes, and the next day was clear, the day after that (I left it out of my update) I went to the bathroom and got to step on puke (thank God that as an elementary teacher I have had to deal with puke in my day, so I’m good), then yesterday my camera got stolen. Lucky for me, I’m very adamant about emptying the pictures off of my camera each day, so I did not lose any of my pictures… however it sucks to lose a BRAND NEW camera. I bought a new one here on the ship that is almost identical to the one that was stolen. We say stolen because both Abbie and I KNOW that it was in my pocket, but stupidly, I had the string of it hanging out of said pocket, so we think that someone swiped it. I’m okay about it though because again, I didn’t lose any pictures, I just lost the camera. Today’s mishap will not be blogged about, but just know that it blows…

2. Last night at Karaoke, our flamboyant buddy, Karaoke Kim asked me if I knew “The Prayer” that has been done by both Charlotte Church and Josh Groban as well as Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. OF COURSE I KNOW THAT SONG!! I’m a music teacher!! However, being the karaoke snob that I am I didn’t really want to sing it with him… because well… he is just an interesting character. However I said that while I was on the cruise I would let loose and do stuff that I normally wouldn’t, so I decided to sing it with him… OH MY GOSH… his voice is AMAZING!! When he came in we’ll just say that I said something entirely inappropriate into the microphone. Abbie is posting it on Facebook when we get home, so be prepare.

3. The best part of this whole cruise thing is that until we go to dinner, I am in a bikini and a coverup with flip flops. That is all. The thing about that is that everyone else is in the same!

4. Okay, there is a talent “competition” on the boat. When we got here we were like “Oh, we should do that!!” We figured that we had it in the bag… until they explained that it was a “Legends” show, where they have pick male and female “legends” and a few of their songs out for the people to sing in the huge theatre on the last day of sailing. Female legends include Gloria Estefan “Rhythm is Gonna Get Ya”, Aretha Franklin “Respect”, Madonna “Like a Virgin”, and Britney Spears “Hit me Baby One More Time”. Now that is slim pickins’. Abbie is Aretha, Gina is Gloria, Annika (Canadian chick who is AWESOME-and was on Canada idol top ten females BTW) is Madonna, and I, Stephanie Lee Rains, one of the “Chicago Girls” will be playing the part of Britney Spears. Save me. But nevertheless, it will be cool to say that I got to perform on a cruise ship!! We even get costumes and back up dancers!! More on that later!

Now onto Isla Roatan. Abbie and I opted to stay on the ship today for some sun. I ran two miles along the track this morning and then we have spent the last hours sitting by the adults only pool and sunning ourselves. However the view that we have while doing this is UNBELEIVABLE!! Here’s some photos of where we are in port:

Day 2 LOVE!! And Grand Cayman

Aside from talking about Grand Cayman Islands, this blog has to set straight three things about this cruise… both awesome and not so awesome. 1. Karaoke Kim (not to be confused with my mother), 2. A swaying boat, and 3. Food on a cruise ship.

1.Let me first talk about Karaoke Kim. He is an Asian man who is flamboyantly AWESOME!! No joke, the guy was doing an interpretive dance when Abbie was singing “Broken Wing” by Martina McBride. He is my hero. The second I get ashore in the U.S. I plan on uploading a video of our awesome new friend, Karaoke Kim singing “Loving You”… this will make you laugh. He also gave us our nickname, “the Chicago Girls” for me, Abbie, and Gina (a friend of the Currie’s who is also on the cruise and sings wonderfully)… we also have closed out the first two nights of karaoke with random songs of his chosing for the three of us, including “Lady Marmalade” the first night and “The Hokey Pokey” the second night.

2. I have NEVER been motion sick in my life… until I got on the Carnival Valor. Seriously… even in the tender boats that are much smaller and a lot rockier, it doesn’t phase me, but I admit to you now that I had to man up and take one of the happy pills that they give you at guest services, cause I couldn’t take the slow rocking back and forth. It was not cool. On our Day at Sea headed toward Grand Cayman it has been the worst, to the point where half the people on the boat looked drunk cause we were trying to walk in a straight line and couldn’t do it.

3. You can eat at any time on a cruise ship… including frozen yogurt. You would be very happy about my choices though, cause I have been sooooo good about what I have been eating. I don’t pile my plate, and I make sure that I have plenty of vegetables and fruits on my plate as well. I think I might actually LOSE weight on the cruise. Other members of our party… we can’t figure out where they put it. I am traveling with my good friend Abbie, her mom (Donna) and dad (Chuck), her brother (Matt) and his wife (Lindsay), Lindsay’s mom (Jeannie), and Lindsay’s brother (Aaron) and his friend (Christian). Now when you sit at dinner you can order as many appetizers as you want and as many entrees as you want. Last night Christian and Matt had The lobster and shrimp, The duck, and then the lobster and shrimp again. Yup THREE ENTREES. And it was awesome. Also during the course of this meal, we learned how to say “What’s up Duck” in sign language courtesy of Abbie!

Now that those three things are totally explained, I’ll tell you about Grand Cayman. Abbie’s cousin lives on the island, so we had our very own little tour guide, which was AWESOME!! We went to a little cove beach call Smith’s Cove that was BEAUTIFUL (see the pic below), and we snorkeled for a bit and I got to see a striped fish, then we sunned for a while, then we went to the best place on earth: Coconut Joe’s. Why is it the best place on earth? Because of the Beergherita. It is a margarita with an upside down Corona like beer in it… no joke, this was the best thing in the entire world. So we ate and drank and went back to the ship! Enjoy some pics from the wonderful day…. I’m going to take a nap, then I’m getting dressed, going to the show, going to dinner, then karaoke… man this is the life.

Okay, here is a picture that is HYSTERICAL. There are Chickens ALL over Grand Cayman… but the irony of this shot was too good to pass up.

Here is Smith’s cove where we snorkeled and sunned the day away.

The wonderful Beergharita… seriously… it is a party!!

Traveling to Miami and the First Day of Cruising

Okay, so I figure that there are some people who would find these updates amusing… and because I totally can’t stay away from the internet, you’re going to get one each day or every other day that I’m gone… so enjoy.


Now, let’s begin by saying that I just took a nap… however it wasn’t a very restful nap. Reason: Kamakazi Karaoke is underneath our stateroom… isn’t karma hysterical?

So, for the trip down, I’m just going to give you a schedule of events for this, cause half of you aren’t going to believe all the crap that I had to go through to get down to Miami.  Trust me... it is totally worth the read!!

5:30AM (Chicago Time)- Wake up and finish anything I need.
6:30AM- hot driver dude picks me up and takes me to the airport.
7:30ish AM- get to O’hare and go through security and all that crap.
8:15ish AM- get Starbucks.
9:00AM- board the plane
LET ME STATE THAT THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS GOING DOWN HILL
9:15AM- get plane deiced and pull away for take off.
10:15AM- taxi in plane to the other side of O’Hare for a different runway.
11:45AM- go back to the gate STILL at O’hare for more deicing and fuel (since we spent two and a half hours taxiing around O’hare!)
12:00PM- get pooped on by the dog that belongs to the lady in the seat next to me. (YES, I KNOW THAT THE DOG WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN IT’S CRATE… apparently the lady did not like that)
12:15PM- get really sick of smelling dog diarreah.
12:45ishPM-FINALLY take off.
4:15PM (Eastern Time)- land in Tampa where I have now missed my connecting flight (which is hysterical, considering I had a 3 HOUR layover)
5:00PM- get in line to get new flight out.
5:45PM-finally talk to someone about getting new flight.
6:00PM- start to sob hysterically because they are saying that they can’t fly me out until the next day.
6:15PM- smile, because the crying obviously helped the guy find me a seat on the 8:35 plane to Miami later that night.
6:45PM- go through Tampa security.
7:00PM- sit at Chili’s with a margarita.
7:35PM- get a call from travel agent who wants me to find out where my bag is just to double check.
8:00PM-find out that American Airlines AND United do not know where my bag is and think that it might have flown to Miami without me.
8:15PM- go through Tampa security AGAIN.
8:35PM- get on plane and fly to Miami.
9:35PM- arrive in Miami and go to baggage claim.
10:00PM- realize that my bag is NOT with American Airlines.
10:15PM- am told to walk to Continental (don’t ask about that) to see if my bag is there.
10:45PM- after a half hour of walking (no exaggeration), find my bag at the Continental baggage office.
11:00PM- Arrive in hotel, 7 HOURS LATER than I was supposed to.
So, there you have my day of travel to get to the cruise. But now, I’m here and I’m LOVING IT!! Our first step onto the ship and we got free champagne… 3 glasses of it and ate some lunch! YUM! Then we put bathing suits on and sat out on the Lido deck for some sun and waiting to pull out from the port. Then we dances a little cupid shuffle like big dweebs and the YMCA!!
After eating, which was AMAZING FOOD, we went to a show and then went to Karaoke (yes, Abbie and I are karaokeing even on the ship). There we have gained our new nickname “The Chicago Girls”. Seriously, everyone knows who we are now, and it’s kind of funny. We sang and they loved us for it, and now it is an amusing anecdote.

Today, I woke up after a WONDERFUL night’s sleep and went running (2 miles on a track that is all ocean is AMAZING!), then ate breakfast with Abs, and then sat out by one of the pools with my iPod and a book from 10 to 2!! Now I have napped and we’ve got plans for the evening!

Those of you in Chicago… I hate to rub it in, but… enjoy your foot of snow!!!

Pulling out of Port in Miami

Sunset the first night!!

The craziness of the Ship

Inspiration and the Lack Thereof...

All right... Here goes...

As many of you know, I've been rewatching my current favorite TV Show, One Tree Hill.  It is an obsession that I fully admit to having, but I can already feel the obsessivness starting to wane down a bit.  I told myself and my friend Kaitlin that I wanted to rewatch it after it was "over" (which for me was the season 6 finale last year) so I could ust apprecate it more.  With that came my thoughts that I should watch all of the commentaries and things that came along with the DVDs.  I was inspired.

Mark Schwahn, the creator of the show, in talking with a group of kids shared a quote that he had on his office wall when he started the show, and I have since found that it came from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

"Do not let your fire go out spark by irreplaceable spark.  In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach.  The world you desire can be won, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."

What powerful words!  My fire has gone out in a lot of areas in my life... at least that is what I feel.  I find inspiration in many things but I feel like it goes by the wayside just days later.  With my body and my health I go in phases, and I'm inspired by things like watching a Marathon or running a small road race.  Days later, I'm dreading going out in the cold for a short run.  With my job I am constantly inspired by my students and get fired up for ideas, but then realize that it is going to take much more energy than I thought to push through the limitations that come with trying new things.  With my faith, I am inspired when God provides, but all the rest of the time, I don't find Him in the small things.  With my life, I am inspired by what I have accomplished that I had't set out to do, and discouraged by those things that I thought I would have done by now.

Is this the normal 25year old's outlook on life?  Really?

So, how are you supposed to keep going with stuff when the inspiration wears off so quickly?  Anyone else feel my pain?  Anyone have any ideas?  Maybe I need to do the Mark thing and post the quote on my wall and hope for the best.

"Down" by Jason Walker

Again, my show has delivered awesome music.  I am always amazed by the music that is on One Tree Hill.  This latest song REALLY impresses me a lot, and is "Down" by Jason Walker.  The message seems like a sad one, but I really like the lyrics to it!!  And my love of Jason Walker's other song "You Fill My Heart" totally made me love this one even more.  The harmonies on the chorus are AMAZING!!!  But, yeah, I'm still a sucker for the lyrics, so here they are:
I don’t know where I’m at
Never know why it’s coming down, down, do
Not ready to let go
Cause then I'd never know
What I could be missing
But I’m missing way too much
So when do I give up what I’ve been wishing for.

I shot for the sky
I’m stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I’m gonna to fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Never know why it’s coming down, down, down.
Oh I am going down, down, down
Can’t find another way around
And I don’t want to hear the sound, of losing what I never found.

I shot for the sky
I’m stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I’m gonna to fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
I never know why it’s coming down, down, down.

I shot for the sky
I’m stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I’m gonna to fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Oh it’s coming down, down, down.

I feel like even though the lyrics have a sad tone to them... the message I feel like is saying that you shouldn't give up on everything that you want in things... right??  So yeah, there is my bit for the day folks!!

The First Workout Blog

All right guys, Im telling you all right now that it is ON!!  I need all y'all's help with operation next year's marathon and happy cruise body....  So, I'm doing somethig different with my blog... I'm going to post my workout week up here, with the hopes that it will hold me accountable to actually do it.  Now you may think that I'm crazy, but I promise you that I'm not... I actually do like to work out and I LOVE to run.  I just get to a point of not planning it and then I get myself in trouble!!  So, here's the workout for the week... and then I'll tell you all how I did!!!

Monday: Run 2 miles... then the Jillian Michaels crazy Circuit Workout (5 circuits of INSANITY!!!)
Tuesday: Run 2 miles... then the Second Jillian Michaels crazy Circuit Workout (another 5 circuites to work on the back half of the body...)
Wednesday: REST DAY (cause you DO need them)
Thursday: Run 2miles... then the Jillian Circuit Workout from Monday.
Friday: ... I'm going to see Kate Voegele, so no workout afterschool today!
Saturday: Work at the Eagle ALL DAY... so no workout that day either.
Sunday: Run 4/5 miles... we'll see how I feel, and then pick my distance.

All right... there you go.  Not too crazy and not sitting on my butt either, so that makes me happy!

I Confess To All That I Have An Obsessive Personality...and Love Those Giddy Moments!!!

Okay, so I confess that I have an obsessive personality...and I fully admit that those things get me totally flipping giddy!!

I don't know what happens with certain television shows... but there comes a time when I'm watching a television show.  I may have watched it for a while before, but then all the sudden I find myself screaming at the television or, I'm like flipping out about somebody not getting together or someone kissing someone who I don't want them to.  And then, I'm like a MADwoman!!  I have to youTube all the actors and actresses, I look at the websites... I download all the music... Like seriously folks, I have a playlist of One Tree Hill songs that has almost 1000 songs on it.  Yes, 1000 songs... like seriously!??  And then it gets to the point where I literally FREAK out when my show is about to come on... hyperventalating and everything.  Yeah, that's TV.

Then there are the songs or CDs.  I can remember just listening to a song and then all the sudden I'm like "ooh, this is a good song... I don't remember this being that good" or like my friend let me listen to a song and from the first chord, no joke, the first chord of the piano gave me chills.  And then... all of the sudden... just like the TV shows.... I just get obsessed!!  Then, I put the song on repeat.... I put the song on repeat for like days... all I want to hear is that song.  What gets even worse is the fact that I will often times then learn how to play it on guitar or piano because the obsession runs that deep.

Yeah, there are those wonderful not serious totally crazy obsessions that I openly admit to...  Now, I admit that there are other things that I do totally get giddy over, and I guess that might make me a dork, but yeah... things like the first day of school make me so hyped up that I can't even sleep the night before... or when I get to wake up early on Tuesdays for my 4th and 5th grade Honor Choir... I LOVE it....

All right, there's the random blog for all!!!  Talk at you later!

The Songs that Stop Me

Okay, so Denise and I were talking last night about how music really fits into your life and how there are those songs that just MAKE moments...whether it be in real life or on that big screen in your living room.... so these are some songs.... we'll copy Kaitlin and give a top ten list.

So... here it is.... my top ten songs that just.... transport me back to the moment....

10. "Been A Long Day" - Rosi Golan
     Probably one of my favorite moments in the history of One Tree Hill was when Lucas comes home to  newly pregnant Peyton, kissing her stomach and just sharing a moment.  That whole ending moment was just AMAZING, so every time I hear it, it stops me.

9. "No Envy No Fear" - Joshua Radin
     This was another one that was in One Tree Hill, but I never realized it on there.  I was driving down the road and it came on my iPod, and during my hour long drive I'm pretty sure that I listened to it on repeat the WHOLE time.  It is just a song that means a lot to me, and the lyrics are absolutely amazing!!

8. "Where You Lead" - Carole King
     The theme song to Gilmore Girls... yup... I am that dorky.  It just takes me back to college and my good friends and being a big dork on my couch with a pillow and screaming at every commercial break.

7. "Defying Gravity" - Wicked (Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth)
     Okay, the first time I saw Wicked and this song came on, I cried.  Tears streaming down my face, and my mouth open so wide that I don't even know how to explain it.  It was a show stopping moment, and it's one of those songs that when it comes on my iPod, I can't skip it... in fact, I have to belt it out at the top of my lungs (sometimes while standing on a couch with a broom... if you've seen it, you understand)

6. "Bye Bye" - JoDee Messina
     The song that I sang on stage at her concert.  Nuff said.

5. "The Things We've Handed Down" - Marc Cohn
     Now, at the time I discovered this song, I was a lot younger, but I fell in love with it, because it was on my 'Mad About You' (that old Helen Hunt/Paul Reiser show) soundtrack.  Now, I always think of my best friend and her daughter, before we knew who she was or that she even WAS.

4. "Wedding Dress" - Matt Nathanson
     Okay, now this song goes down in history as the song that freaking ROCKED MY WORLD during the second to last episode of season 6 of One Tree Hill.  Played just at the end as Peyton collapses and they have just gotten married.  It is just this AMAZING song and I am forever transported to that moment of freak out when I saw what happened on the television.

3. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
     I was an ER fan.  It was a show that I grew up watching, and no matter when I hear this song I think of Mark Greene dying on that show.  And anyone I ask about it, automatically has the same thought.... that is how engrained in our brains this song is!

2. "Hands Down" - Dashboard Confessional
     This to me is the epitome of an OTH song.  Whenever I hear it, I smile, because this song was playing in the pilot when Peyton was driving her car and almost hit Lucas.  I can actually picture the whole scene playing out when I hear the song.

1. "Love Song" - Sara Bareilles
     This was on a DVD last summer when I worked at American Eagle, and we would stop what we were doing to sing into our headsets when it came on, so I LOVE it.

Oh man.... I ran out of numbers... those were in no particular order... but I'm going to give you a few more, but no explanations.

"You Found Me" - The Fray
"Open Your Eyes" - Snow Patrol
"We Belong Together" - Gavin DeGraw
"You Fill My Heart" - Jason Walker
"Life is Beautiful" - Vega4
"It is You" - Dana Glover
"Heartbeats" - Jose Gonzalez
"Stronger Woman" - Jewel
"Dancing" - Elisa
"Think it's Gonna Rain Today" - Claudine Longet
"Here I Go Again" - Casting Crowns
"David Duchovny" - Bree Sharp

Anyways... happy downloading... all really good songs... stand alones by any right!!!!

Crying on my couch instead of running... NOT cool...

"It's absolutely fantastic, ideal marathon conditions..."-Deena Kastor

Well thank you Deena for that quote this morning.  You know, last year, I ran the Chicago Marathon, and I will flat out tell everyone that it was by far the MOST AMAZING THING EVER.  I cried when I crossed that finish line... and it was then one of the most emotional days and few days of my life.  Something that you work soooo hard for, and then in just one day it's over.

This year, many of you know that I injured myself and was sent to physical therapy for a few months.  Basically, my PT said that I had great thigh muscles... really strong.  The rest of me, however, was crazy wimpy.  I didn't think that because, hey, I'm a distance runner (a badge I wear with courage and pride now that I can admit to myself that yes, I am a runner...)  So, in short, my PT was telling me that unless the rest of my body started to get strong, I wasn't going to be doing any marathons any time soon.  So, I've made it my goal to get these workouts in now.

This morning, I woke up after being at my friends' wedding last night and I went straight to the TV to watch the coverage of the marathon, because I am now addicted.  One of the first things I see is that quote from Deena Kastor above....and I'm going to confess to each and every one of you that I started to sob like a baby.  And then, when the gun went off and those runners started to cross that start line, I was nearly un controlable.  I wanted to be down there SO bad, and the more I watched, the more empowered I felt.  And all I could do was look at my Marathon medal from last year and think that I NEED to make sure that I can run it next year.  Tendonitis be damned, it is going to happen... If I have to work out every single day, eat 2000 calories a day, and stand on my head for an hour every day, I will do it, because next year, the Chicago Marathon is not going to be watched from my house while I'm sitting on the couch crying.

Here's the goal again...

Yeah, I really want another one of these....I'm inspired again... and this time next year, I'm going for a PR... and it is going to make me smile.

In other words, you should all go to http://www.hulu.com/ and check out "Spirit of the Marathon", an AMAZING AMAZING movie about marathoning and all that goes into it.  Brings me to tears ever time.

And NOW... in honor of me not being able to run 26.2 miles this morning, I'm going to go run 4 at the gym...

Things that make me mad... but at the same time... I'm happy!!!

Okay, so we're going to start of with the mad part, and end on a happy note.  I explained this to my SBFF Kaitlin this evening, but I must let it out to the rest of you as well, just cause I do that... Anyways...

I go grocery shopping, and as you all know I've been on my go green kick, so I have my two resuable shopping bags with me.  Now, I have more than two, but my goal was to only buy enough that would fit into these two bags.  But of course, I've never been one to stick with a shopping plan, so alas, I had more than would fit in just the two shopping bags.  Now, you would think that since I brought my own bags that I am someone who cares about the environment and had a reason for brining the shopping bag, which is true, but apparently the girl who was bagging my groceries didn't, cause the extra she proceeded to put in not one, not two, but THREE extra PLASTIC bags.  Now tell me this... is the world going to spontaneously explode if bathroom products are touching my cereal boxes??  Because I'm sure that I could have fit at least two of the plastic bags' worth of stuff into my other reusable bags.  So, I was a bit ticked off at that, because if she would have asked me, I would have probably just bought another reusable bag, seeing as I use them ALL the time.

But, alas, I get home, and you know how the plastic bags sometimes stick together?  Yeah, well, I had on of those situations in on of my bags... yeah... like a STACK of 5 other plastic bags inside one of the three plastic bags that I was already MAD about!!!

Anyways... I'm done...

Onto a happier note, I told you all that I would blog about my running club, so here's that little segment...

My kids are AWESOME this year!!  I push them, and they want to kill me some times for that, but they seem to be having a great time.  We did some easy stuff on that first day, and I talked to them about what a cool thing running is, and we talked about stretching and stuff like that.   On the second day we did a running game that they ended up LOVING!!  It is such an awesome thing to get to see these kids trying their hardest and working on the exercise that all kids really need.  Some of them seem to be geniunely really interested in the sport and I'm so glad for that.  So, this is going to be a GREAT running club session!!  I'm already sooooo excited and it is only two times in!!!  This week, I'm thinking that we are going to talk about other things aside from running that we can do during the week to keep us fit, and we are going to talk about some inspirational things... I might bring out the story about the three guys who ran the Sahara desert one year.  Over a thousand miles of running, spread out in a little over a hundred days... talk about motivation!!!

NEW COOL TOOL!!!! So excited!!!!

All right ladies and gents... you know that I'm into this whole healthier food kick, and I love all of you for putting up with me while I'm on it!!  However, this one really seems like one that is going to stick.  I do admit to eating a little Taco Bell every now and then and stopping at a Burger King or Wendy's on the way to Grad School, but I've been doing pretty good!  I am worried about what is going to happen when my farmer's market goes away though, because nearly every day for lunch I bring a fresh pepper to slice up and eat, and this just in... tomatoe and mozzerella salad!!!  YUMMMMMMM!!!

You would all also be very proud of the fact that I made a lasagna and froze some of it instead of buying frozen lunches (mainly because frozen organic lunches are freaking EXPENSIVE!), and I made some fresh basil pesto and pasta which introduced me to my friend the food processor.  I'm just really excited about the food choices that I've been making.

Now, with that said, I have been purchasing things without thinking about them... which is where the lovely tomatoe mozzerella salad came from (I bought a bunch of tomatoes at the farmer's market without an idea as to what I should do with all of the tomatoes).  This week, I bought.... an eggplant.  Now when I was growing up, I remember my mom baking eggplant, I do, but I remember telling her that I hated the eggplant.  To be honest though, I don't think that I actually have ever TRIED eggplant before.  I just thought that since it was a vegetable and it was weird looking and purple, it was obviously a bad choice.  Well, I bought one Thursday at my weekly farmer's market trip.

Enter the new AWESOME tool that I just found.  You enter what you want to cook... say... eggplant... and then you click on other ingredients that you might have, or might want to use, and PRESTO!!!  I even typed in "Taco Dip" cause I have to make some for a party, and I clicked on what I have in my kitchen, and BOOYAH!!!  There is a sweet taco dip recipe.  So, I thought that I would share.  Don't be afraid now to try new foods, especially with this handy new Web2.0 tool!!!

http://www.cookthing.com/

A Marriage of My Two Loves

So, most of you know that I'm a runner... and most of you know that I'm a teacher... well, I am in the fortunate position that I get to combine those two loves...

Most people don't understand all that exercise does for your body.  Our lack of exercise and health conscious ways of life, are really causing some issues in our children these days.  Diabetes, obesity, malnutrition... those are just some of the issues that are facing today's kids.  But did you know that there are a lot more issues with an unhealthy body in regards to your brain?  ADD and ADHD, depression, and many other psychological issues plague todays students in an alarming way, and as a teacher, I see a lot of that first hand.

But there is an answer!  I don't say that you should quit any clinical treatments reccomended by your child's doctor or school speacialist, but just take into account these truths.... Your brain is FULL of chemicals.  When those chemicals get off balance, you are in for a world of issues.  One way to regulate those chemicals and provide your brain with much needed oxygen is to exercise.  Exercising releases chemicals to balance out brain activity, which is why when you are not active on a regular basis you may have attention issues and depression issues.  Often times we supplement these issues with medicine... but did you know that most of the medicine is actually medicine that is a naturally occuring chemical in the brain?  If your body is completely balanced and healthy, there is no use for these things!!!  AGAIN.... if you are seeing someone for any of these situations, DON'T stop seeing that person!!!

These were some of the things that I mentioned when I brought up doing a running club at school to my administrators and fellow teachers.  There thoughts were that it was a valuable thing, but I admit there were some issues getting it off the ground.  Last year, I did the "Wolfpack Running Club" with around 40 fourth and fifth grade students, and I've got to say it was AWESOME!!!  So awesome that it inspired me to organize a 5K fundraiser for the school this year with the help of one of my AWESOME PTA parents at school.  I actually had to turn away kids last year for running club because I had such a great response.  The best part was that I had parents volunteer to come help out and run with the kids too, and groups of teachers that would stay out and workout with us.  Now, you are thinking that this is just a cute little club... well, I can tell you right now, I could probably kick your BUTT!!!  These guys were running speed drills, doing core workouts, and could comfortably run a 5K (3.1)... for a bunch of kids, that's pretty amazing.

This year, I decided to split it and do ten sessions in the fall (starts next Tuesday, wish me luck) and ten sessions in the Spring (to prepare for our 5K fundraiser).  My proudest moment was when I had a mom literally e-mail me like twenty minutes after school got out to say that her daughter wanted to be in running club again this year, and sent me the form digitally to ensure that she got in (it's sadly first come first serve).  So, I'm excited, and I can't wait to get running with my kidlets!!  I'll definitely keep blogging about them as I go, so get ready for some great stories! ... My favorite from last year was my two boys that lagged behind who I screamed at (I am a VERY VERY loud person) to hurry up, and scared one of our first grade teachers walking home.  She said that she had never seen two kids run so fast.  Good times.

Just Like Every Other Day

Okay, I know that I'm probably the millionth person to post about this today, but come on... September 11th... how soon we forget.

Most know that I'm an elementary teacher, so while we did have a moment of silence this morning, we all went about our day as normal.  It wasn't until I looked at my phone and saw that date while I was walking down the hall to the teacher's lounge that it hit me.  It felt like any other day.

Now, when I was a senior in high school, it was not any other day.  It was spending an entire day watching the television, calling my mom to make sure that they didn't go to that meeting in downtown Chicago (we didn't know what could have happened there...).  It was not understanding any of it.

A year later, I was a freshman at Millikin University, and I remember the candellight vigil we had right outside BWA to remember those that were lost.  The flags were at half mast and Rich Dunsworth read a passage from Corinthians to all of the students.  That didn't feel like any other day either.

So, when did it start to change?  When did I lose that feeling that this was a significant day in our history?  When does that happen?  I still remember a 5th grade class that I had last year that asked me about why this day was so important.  What are you supposed to tell a class of ten year old children?  I told them what I saw and where I was and why it was important.  They were actually interested.  I held their attention and you could hear a pin drop, and I was, in that moment so glad to be a teacher.

Today, I take a step back, reading something that my friend Katlin tweeted:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1251364

And then I realized that of my students, some of my third graders were born before the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Some of my second graders have never been in this country when we were not at war.  And what is with the war anyway?  Why don't we hear about that anymore?  What is being done?  What's going on?  Anyways, these are just my thoughts... I felt the need to share them.

God Bless all, and even if it feels like every other day, take a step back and remember that it isn't...

Back to the Grind....

I always express to everyone how much I love my job, and I do... I admit however that it is a hard thing to go back to after a summer away though.  The days are so long and the work is wonderful but hard.  This year, I've made it a goal to be more organized with things so I have more time to do more stuff with my teaching.  Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a lot harder that it sounds.  I've been a lesson planning queen these past few days though, getting everything all planned out, which is nice.  However, I choose now to make the list of the top ten things I will miss from my summer vacation....

1. Staying up until 2:00AM just because I can.
     There really is something to be said about staying up late and not realizing just how late it is... I like it... I like it a lot.

2. Playing Farmville ALL DAY
     When home all day, you can plant things like raspberries and strawberries and blueberries, and really get some crazy amount of money and experience!!

3. When a friend calls, I can say yes!!!!
     I love it when a friend calls and they are like "hey, do you want to watch OTH all day?" "YES!!" or "Do you want to go to Chuck E. Cheese with us?" "YES!"  I Love it!!!

4. OTH Marathons...
     I watched a ridiculous amount of this show this summer... and it was wonderful.

5. Staying up to date with Twitter!
     Yes, I admit that I am a Twitter addict... it is just sooooo fun!!  So, I was always hooked into it, and I could always check it... now... not so much.

6. How I Met Your Mother
     This summer, I watched every episode of this show in the span of like three weeks... now I'm addicted, and I can't wait for it to start again!!

7. Music....
     I LOVE music!!!  I love being able to listen to music all day long in the background of my day!

8. READING!!!
     Thanks to my SBFF Kaitlin, I read SOOOO much this summer and I'm going to seriously miss it!!!

9. YouTube
     Nuff said.

10. Getting to do WHATEVER I WANT....
     Yeah... I miss that.

So there you have it folks... the things that I really am going to miss now that I am back at school...

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

Oh Cherry preserves how I love thee, How I long to buy you every Thursday at the farmer's market in Geneva. How wonderful you taste when I put you on toast or as the jelly in my PBJ. How organically sweetened you are... and how Michigan born... Oh Cherry preserves how I love thee.

The above is a result of the two books that I'm pretty sure have changed my life... I hope that this isn't a phase, because I tell you right now that I have had a taste of the good stuff, and I'm not going back. Now, I know that blogging about this might piss people off, but hey, it's just to raise some awareness!! So here we go:

Two books that changed my life after reading them this summer: Skinny Bitch (don't remember the authors) and In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. Take a look at one of your favorite snack foods next time you get it out. Can you pronounce everything on the label? Can you say that you know exactly where it came from, or how it was made? That's what both of these books is really going at.

Skinny Bitch is really about more of the Vegan lifestyle (more power to you if you can give up your dairy and your meat... I personally can't, but I'll change WHAT I eat that is dairy and meat because of this book). But it really touches on making sure that you know about what food you are putting in your body. It's good stuff, but not for the lighthearted. The chapter about meat might make you give that one up for a little while, and the authors basically call you names throughout the book... It was good though.

In Defense of Food takes a look at the Western Diet, and what it has done to our bodies, and gives us the simplest of instructions: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
Basically he says, eat actual food and not the manufactured stuff that is supposed to be food... for example if you are eating cheese and nowhere on the label does it say anything about milk (which is what cheese is supposed to come from).... you are NOT eating CHEESE!! Not too much goes into the proportions of different things and starting to lean towards the culture in which we all eat. And the last little part goes on about eating more that comes straight from the earth.

So, after reading these and reading a few books about being green (research for our upcoming school theme), I ventured to the farmers market. Now, it is AWESOME to be able to ask them questions about what you are going to put in your mouth. "Hey, so, what do you do about insects?" "We use natural deterents like beet juice and covering crops"... NICE! "So, how fresh are these raspberries?" "They were picked on Tuesday."... only two days ago. And you know what the best part is... they did not come from Chile, Honduras, California (I live in Illinois, so that is far for me), Peru, or Mexico. You want to know where they came from? Berrien Springs, MI... like two hours away... SHUT UP! And I'm telling you right now... the cherry preserves, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, and cherries that I have gotten at the farmer's market are AMAZING... so so so so tasty! And shopping at your local farmer's market helps out the economy because you are buying local, helps out the environment because most of the smaller farms aren't just mass producing the major market items (corn and soy) and ruining the soil year in and year out. So, below is a link to help you find a local farmer's market... try it out, and I promise that you will NOT be dissapointed!!

http://www.localharvest.org/

I am now going to go lock myself in a room with my cherry preserves... cause I'm telling you... I think that it's love.

I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!!!!

All right guys... here it is... my first post in a while, and I'm telling you right now that it is a doozy...

I HATE THIS!!! ME+Summer (this year) = IN A FIGHT!!

You want to know why? I'll tell you why.... Right Peroneal Tendonitis... yup... that's it folks!

Now, I've complained a little bit about this to friends this summer. I've said that it sucks to not be able to run, but it'll be okay. I've complained about having to swim and not be able to do another kind of work out. Yes, I've complained a little bit. And I admit that I cried when I realized that I can't run the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon on the 2nd. I go to physical therapy and I swim. I've been optimistic, and just a bit sad, But I've kept it together... until today. (Funny how breakdowns sneak up on you like that)

Driving along, on my way back from Whole Foods (because I've adopted healthy eating for once in my life... go figure), and I've got the sun roof open, I've got a window open, I've got my iPod hooked up... sweet deal. That is until I see a man on the side of the road. He has his shirt off, iPod strapped to his back, headphones on, running shoes on... he's going at a good clip. Now, typically you think to yourself, "man he is hot" (don't deny it, you know you do... if you're a chick, or well, sometimes not) But NO, you know what I thought? I thought that I want nothing more than to strap on my running shoes and iPod, put on a tank top and shorts and go running. 3 miles at a minimum... 6 miles to really make me happy.

I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!!!

My hair right now sucks, because of all the chlorine in the pool.
My skin smells like chlorine no matter how many freaking showers I take.
I can't listen to music while I work out.
I don't feel like I've gotten a good workout in MONTHS.
The half marathon that I was so excited about running is this weekend.
People are e-mailing me about races that they are doing that I wanted to do.
The weather right now is PERFECT for running.
I can't even drive by my favorite running store.
... and the clincher... is the extra 5 pounds that seems to now think my body is a permanent residence!

So, right now, I ask for you to pray to the running Gods, God, or whoever and whatever you beleive in for this to pass. I swear that I will not complain about a training run EVER AGAIN. I will strap on my shoes without complaint for all of eternity. I will run EVERY training run that I am supposed to. I will go to boot camp with Julio on Sundays in the winter when I have to get up at 6:00AM and it is at or below zero. I will keep eating right to ensure optimal running health. I will crosstrain. I WILL STRETCH!!! BEFORE AND AFTER I RUN, I SWEAR THAT I WILL STRETCH!!!! Please Please Please, just let me run again... and soon, cause I'm dying here.

Wow... that felt great... thanks for listening... whoever you all are.

"Ain't No Reason" by Brett Dennen... amazing lyrics

Okay, so driving is when I listen to all my music... well most of the time... but yeah, I was going through some music that my friend just gave me and thought that you would all enjoy the lyrics of this song...

Ain't No Reason by Brett Dennen

There ain't no reason things are this way
It's how they always been and they intend to stay
I can't explain why we live this way
We do it every day

Preachers on the podium speaking of Saints
Prophets on the sidewalk beggin' for change
Old ladies laughin' from the fire escape, cursin' my name.
I got a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same
A window and a piegeon with a broken wing
You can spend your whole life workin' for something,
just to have it taken away.

People walk around pushin' back their deaths
Wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets
Talkin' bout nothin, not thinkin' bout death,
every little heart beat, every little breath
People walk a tightrope on a razor's edge
Carrying their hurt and hatred and weapons...
It could be a bomb or a bullet or a pen,
or a thought or a word or a sentence,

There ain't no reason things are this way
It's how they always been and they intend to stay
I don't know why I say the things that I say,
but I say them anyway.
But love will come set me free
Love will come set me free
I do beleive... love will come set me free
I know it will... love will come set me free

Prison walls still standin' tall
Some things never change at all
Keep on building prisons, gonna fill them all
Keep on building bombs, gonna drop them all
Working your fingers bare to the bone,
Breaking your back, make you sell your soul,
Like a law, it's filled with coal, suffocating slow

The wind blows wild, and I may move
But politicians lie, and I am not fooled
You don't need a reason, or a three piece suit to argue the truth,
The air on my skin and the world under my toes,
Slavery stitched into the fabric of my clothes,
Chaos and commotion wherever I go,

Love I try to follow, Love will come set me free,
Love will come set me free
I do beleive, love will come set me free
I know it will, love will come set me free
There ain't no reason things are this way
It's how they always been and they intend to stay
I can't explain why we live this way
We do it every day

... Okay, so yeah... think about it!

"A Little Bit Wicked"... I LOVED IT!!

Okay, so I'm in love with vacation, because it means that I can read... and I LOVE to read. Now, one of the latest books that I read was the biography of a 4' 11" AMAZING diva... Kristin Chenoweth. Those of you who don't know who she is... her claims to fame are that she was the original Glinda in Wicked and she played Olive Snook on "Pushing Daisies". Her biography pretty much rocks... so I would like to share with you some of the little snippets from "A Little Bit Wicked".

At the airport... "He takes my tweezers, and I need my tweezers. Why, why, why do they always commandeer my dang tweezers? Let me just say right now and for the record that I, Kristi Dawn Chenoweth, do solemnly swear that I will never hack through a Kevlar door and stab a pilot in the neck with my tweezers. I will never seek, nor have I ever sought, to overthrow the government of the United States of America by force of tweezer." (p. 9)

"My real mom is Junie Smith Chenoweth. Her name is a bright wink to her birthday, the first of June, and she is the best mom in the world. (I'm sorry if you were under the mistaken impression that your mom is the best mom in the world or that there might be moms in Portugal or Wisconsin who come close. That's not the case.)" (p. 12)

On her first love of ballet..."I vaguely remember my first recital. I was a tulip. I had to pee. One of the other tulips did pee. I immediately realized that this was not a good choice." (p. 31)

After fracturing her coccyx... "I no longer do the splits. And I can't tell you how happy I am that it's no longer required of me. The lasting legacy of the Cooter Smash is that I'm the first to know when it's going to rain. That's right. I both sing and predict the weather with my hoo hoo. Mozart, meteorology, plus all the usual stuff. And yet I remain single. 'Splain it to me, Lucy." (p.51)

Finally finishing her Master's degree... "At the time, I figured, Hey, I'm getting the work; what difference does it make? But of couse it makes a lot of difference. I have a master's degree in a classical discipline. That's a little bit of boo yah! in the ol' curriculum vitae, if I do say so myself." (pg. 93)

Go out and read it... and check out her music on iTunes!!!!

Chuck Klosterman Pt. 2 .... LOVED it!!!

Okay, so I'm back with some more snippets of Chuck, because he really is that good... you MUST read "Killing Yourself to Live" if you consider yourself even remotely a fan of music... you MUST. Just finished it tonight, and it ranks high on my favorites... so here are some more little morsels to get you to love it too...

"I don't think I can get any deeper into the South than I am right now. Nine hours and 547 miles ago, I was standing where Duane allman crashed a motorcycle; now I'm semi-lost in rural Mississippi. and when I say "rural," I mean effing rural: Ten minutes ago, I almost drove into a cow." (pg. 95)

"For some reason, there is a stunning number of Americans who desperately want celebrity royalty and cultural dogma, and that's all Graceland is, Oh... and karaoke. There was also some karaoke." (pg. 122)

"When you start thinking about what your life was like 10 years ago--and not in general terms, but in highly specific detail--it's disturbing to realize how certain elements of your being are completely dead. they die long before you do. It's astonishing to consider all the things from your past that used to happen all the time but (a) never happen anymore, and (b) never even cross your mind. It's almost like those things didn't happen." (pg. 131)

"In America, parties that are supposed to start at 9PM actually start at 10PM. However, rock concerts that are supposed to start at 9PM actually start at 9:45. Movies that are scheduled for 9PM don't begin until 9:09. Sporting evenst set for 9PM begin at 9:05. However, television shows that are set for 9PM do start at 9PM, unless they're being broadcast on TBS. So what's crazier: That I show up for things when they're supposed to begin, or that everyone else in the entire world has somehow come to accept that every activity operates within its own unspoken, individual schedule?" (pg. 157)

"Years ago, Lenore told me that she would go on one date with almost anyone who asked her; she felt any man who had enough guts to approach a total stranger always deserved at least one dinner." (pg. 171)

"My mother has prepared roast beef, baked chicken, corn on the cob, squash, a blueberry pie, and 13,000 pounds of mashed potatoes. The universe appears to be in order." (pg. 184)

"When I was five years old, I used to pretend I was afraid of the dark; I thought little kids were supposed to be afraid of the dark, and I wanted to be normal. Being afraid of the dark seemed like a five-year-old's job. I would always insist that my mom leave the hallway light on after she tucked me in, but then I'd just lie there and wait for my older brother to go to bed an hour later and turn it off. I was always relieved when he finally flipped the switch, because that stupid hall light always kept me awake." (pg. 209)

"Art and love are the same thing; It's the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you. It's understanding the unreasonable." (pg. 217)

Now this last one is Kaitlin's fav, and since I'm reading from her book, I'm only sharing the snippet that was underlined... because I'm trying to get you to go get this book!!!

"The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grad. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. they all count. but there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like..." (pg. 232)

AWESOME.... GO BUY IT!!!!

Chuck Klosterman Rocks - Pt. 1

Okay, so I have mentioned to some of you that my SBFF Kaitlin and I do a book exchange, and I have to share some quotes from her latest send to me that I absolutely love. The book is "Killing Yourself to Live" by Chuck Klosterman, which is basically the tale of a journalist who is riding around the country sharing randomness as he works on an epic article about how music legends have died. Seriously... you must read this book, because I just started it today and I'm already halfway through it!

"People at Spin ridicule me for wearing khaki shorts to work, always insisting that I look like a tourist. I don't care. We're all tourists, sort of. Life is tourism, sort of. As far as I'm concerned, the dinosaurs still hold the lease on this godforsaken rock." (pg. 4)

"Let me begin by saying this: Death is a part of life. Generally, it's the shortest part of life, usually occurring near the end. However, this is not necessarily true for rock stars; sometimes rock stars don't start living until they die. I want to understand why that is." (pg. 11)

"All the message said was, 'I don't know who that blonde girl was, but she is superfoxy X 1,000.' Sarah forwarded this message to Lenore, which (of course) was precisely my plan; anytime you tell a woman something positive about one of her female friends, the friend will be informed of this statement within 48 hours" (pg. 28)-- PS... soooooo true

"Artists who believe they have any control over the interpretation of their work are completely fooling themselves." (pg. 58)

All right... those are a few little morsels that I thought that I would share with you all... Now I am off to bed so I can run a 5K in the morning. Go get the book please!!!

The Anatomy of a Television Series... a good one...

So, if anyone knows me, they know that my favorite shows of all time are: X-files, Gilmore Girls, and One Tree Hill... I am quite versatile in my likes and dislikes if you can tell. Now... let's explain the series:

The X-files:

A cult classic that single handedly made the FOX network.... no American Idol didn't put FOX on the map kiddies... it was X-files. Series ran for nine years from 1993-2002, and was a SMASH HIT!!!! Starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny (sex addict guy now... hmmm...) the show was about two FBI agents in search for the "Truth" about government conspiracy and aliens. She wasn't a beleiver and he was, they work together, fall in love but don't admit it to each other, each of them almost dies like fifty different times, he gets abducted and dies before finding out that she's pregnant, then he comes back to life, then he goes away to keep her and the kid safe, new characters enter and we like them, and then they finally realize the "Truth" and ride off into the sunset together, and we get a small makeout scene. This show had damn near EVERYONE on it when it was on.... including Lucy Liu, Felicity Huffman, Lucy Lawless, and Terry O'Quinn. They also had two movies from the show... the second one tanked a bit, but the first one was INSANELY popular.

Gilmore Girls:

A WB/CW hit that ran from 2000-2007 starring Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham. It was a FAST PACED pop culture, literature, music insane show. It was quippy and awesome. Basically the premise was a woman who was raising her daughter whom she had when she was 16 years old. So, she raises her kid in a small town in Connecticut with crazy quirky characters, the girl is crazy smart and ends up going to a private high school, the mom ends up finding various love interests but is meant to be with the local diner owner, the mom and daughter end up fighting over random crap, she ends up with diner guy, shit hits the fan, and in the end everybody is happy again. GREAT show!!

One Tree Hill:

My latest obsession. This show has been on since 2003 and stars 5 main characters: Hilarie Burton (Peyton), Chad Michael Murray(Lucas), Bethany Joy Galeotti(Haley), James Lafferty(Nathan), and Sophia Bush(Brooke). The core five are in high school when the show begins, their junior year. Basically the guys are half brothers with an ass of a father who become good friends through basketball and the joining of one of the brothers with the other's best friend, a love triangle happens between one of the brothers and two of the other girls, they get through high school and all is well, then the series jumps 4 years and all hell has broken loose, but in the end everyone gets everything they wanted and the couples that are supposed to be together are together. YOU MUST WATCH THIS SHOW!! I can't do it justice with my paragraph explanation....

Basically I have realized a few truths about good TV based on my 3 favorite shows....

1. Relationships on the show must have nicknames (MSR, Leyton, Brucas, JavaJunkie, Naley)

2. Someone eventually has to either get married or have a baby (Sawyer, William, Lorelai/Luke, Lucas/Peyton, Nathan/Haley, Jamie)

3. The couple that was meant to be has to deny their feelings for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE (Mulder/Scully, Lucas/Peyton, Luke/Lorelai)

4. Something must ALWAYS get in the way of the main character's ultimate happiness... (Aliens, Disabling Injury, Christopher)

5. The show must have an odd episode in which they visit another time or seemingly do so...(40's ep on OTH, Oceanliner ep on XF, Dance Marathon on GG)

6. You MUST have odd family members for the show to work... (Deb Scott, Victoria Davis, Emily Gilmore, Melissa Scully)

7. One of the main characters has to be in an accident or hospitalized for some reason... (The ENTIRE flipping OTH cast, Rory/Jess and Richard, Mulder and Scully REPEATEDLY)

8. The show must be on Fanfiction.net

9. The show must have secondary characters that you absolutely love but could care less about their storylines (Skinner, Sookie, Mouth)

10. The show must have catch phrases or traditions seen on the show.... ("Hoes over Bros", "Trust No One", "True Love Always", Rivercourt basketball, Friday Night Dinners)

So that is it folks.... my long explanation of all the things that make a show crazy good... cliche, but great!!! Huh.... until you look at the above list you don't realize how similar your favs actually are.... interesting. Happy comparing!!!

OTH, Gilmore Girls, and X-files... Oh MY!

In the glory that is summer... I usually do marathons of my old time favorite TV shows... with a little bit of the news favs as well... This summer is no different in my quest to be obsessive...

I watch a disc of One Tree Hill, then a disc of Gilmore Girls, then a disc of X-files... wow... talk about a wide range of genres with that one. I am currently watching Gilmore Girls and I am reminded why I love this show... watch... cause it is so fun... The latest quote I'd like to share with you is this:

"But Rory needs the internet for her school..."
"We have the internet."
"But this is faster."
"Well, we like our internet slow okay? We can turn it on, walk around, do a little dance... make a sandwhich. With DSL theres no dancing, no walking, and we'd starve! It'd be all work and no play. Have you not seen The Shining mom?"

Good times... right... I think so.

Sister Mine by Tawni O'Dell and the Joys of Summer!!

So, I LOVE the summer... However, I have to say that the only thing bad about summer is trying to fill your day with things. Today, I filled it with Desperate Housewives (I had to catch up), Brothers & Sisters (another catch up), getting some more music, a couple movies, and reading!!!

Now my SBFF, Kaitlin, and I started a book exchange, in which we send each other books, and the one that she first sent me, Sister Mine by Tawni O'Dell was pretty sweet. It had lots of unexpected twists and turns that I liked and a few moments where I was screaming at the book... but anyways, there were a few quotes that I wanted to share from it, but make sure you go check it out!!!

"'A man spends his whole life trying to prove his worth to others. A woman spends her life trying to prove her worth to herself.'"

and

"I stopped thinking about the big picture a long time ago. I only think about the individual drops of paint and how to maintain the integrity of each color before it hits the canvas."

Good... right?? Go get it, and let me know what you think.... and THANKS KAITLIN!!!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm... or well... SCREAM!

Okay, I recently have one of these moments thanks to my SBFF Kaitlin, but do you know those random moments when you are doing something and another random thing is brought to your attention and you just can't beleive it? Or maybe you do something really cool, and then you look back on it and go... "HOLY CRAP, I CAN'T beleive that I just DID that!".... well, I'm going to share with you all a few of those moments, starting with my newest screaming moment....

1. Sara Ramirez (Callie on Grey's Anatomy) can sing the pants off the FREAKING WORLD!!!! Holy Crap!! I am still having random moments of song because of this woman. I am a trained vocalist, and I have been known to win a few contests in my day, I mean I went to school for music people! It takes a lot to impress me, but I am telling you right now that I literally was speechless through this entire youTube video... I share it with you now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yRlnSgu-bY Watch and be AMAZED!!!

2. Summer between my Sophmore and Junior years in college I was on ER... yes, the show that sadly ended this year after its 14 year run. My mom met a line producer on the show and we were unconvinced that he was the real deal.... however if you ever get to see the episode "damages" from season 10 of ER, you will see me in my pink shirt walk past on the street... yup. And perks, I got to meet Paul McCrane (Dr. Ramano) and Parminder Nahgra (Neela) and have their autographs on a scrub top.

3. The first time I saw Wicked was one of those HOLY SHITE!!! moments. I proceeded to cry like a baby through a LOT of the show. When I saw if for the first time in Chicago, it was when Ana Gasteyer (second only to Idina Menzel) was playing Elphaba, and I have to say that it was an UNBELEIVABLE experience that I will never forget. Anyone who hasn't listen to Wicked or gone to see the show is CRAZY!!! SEE IT!!!!

4. Okay... this was a more recent moment for me, but it was such a proud teacher moment that I look back on it and cry. Anyone who knows the struggles of a choir director knows that getting boys to sing is a feat... a big, hard one. At our last choir festival (composed of over 500 elementary students ((103 of them mine)), High school groups, and junior high choirs) we sang a song called "Seize the Day" from Newsies, and let the beginning be a boys solo. My boys stood up in front of at least a thousand parents and sang loud and proud... and no joke they stole the show... and I couldn't have been more proud and more speechless.

5. Crossing the finish line at the Chicago Marathon. That was definitely a moment where I look back and freak out that I did something that awesome. If you have never seen the movie "Spirit of the Marathon", check it out. I watched it months after I ran the marathon and no joke sobbed through the whole end where you see everyone finishing, because it is one of the most emotional moments of your life... the training is INSANE, but I would reccommend EVERYone who can or has the slightest inkling in the world to run a marthon to DO IT!!!!!

6. Singing on stage for Jo Dee Messina one of HER songs at HER concert. Oh yes, and she later said in an interview that I was pretty good, so yeah, I LOVE her. Long story short, I was loud and obnoxious when she asked if there were any singers in the audience, she invited me on stage, I sang "Bye Bye" to thousands of people, I returned to my seat and FREAKED OUT!!!

7. The last two episodes of my latest obsession, One Tree Hill, because FINALLY my favorite couple got a happy ending. Luke and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls... kind of, but nope. Mulder and Scully on X-files... definitely nope. Lucas and Peyton.... HECK YES!!!! Two very well written and wonderfly acted episodes later and I was in a state of absolute bliss!

Well there you have it ladies and gentleman, some fun moments in my life that I thought I would share.... and now I'm off to curriculum map... seriously... go to the youTube link for Sara Ramirez... or I won't talk to you any more!

Oh... Here Comes a Rant.....

All right... There are just a few things that get me riled up... well more than a few things, but tonight I feel riled up because of Celebrity issues.

You know what? Scratch that. Celebrity FAN and nonFan issues.

Okay, I am the first to admit that I let my obsessions go a little crazy. I spend lots of time obsessing over my musical artists and my tv shows or movies... I do. However... this is what I DON'T do... and I WON'T do.... I won't bad talk a celebrity for something that their character does on a show... I won't trash talk a celebrity for assuming that they are a diva or heartless just because they leave a show.... I won't assume that I know anything about a celebrity or their personality unless I actually hear it from their mouths or a reliable source (i.e. NOT Fanpop, MySpace, Facebook, Fanforums, Twitter, or E!, or anything remotely like any of those things)

Now, I understand that there is a lot of press surrounding one of my favorite shows, One Tree Hill, right now... and there is also a lot of press surrounding the fact that the actors Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray are not returning. Yeah, I get it... so move on!!! It is sad that we lose one of my favorite couples, but come on!!!!

Don't assume anything!!

Don't assume that it was over money. Don't assume that it was over a failed relationship or bitterness between cast members. Do not assume that the celebrity felt that it was beneath them. Don't assume that they didn't give a crap when they shot their last scene. Don't assume that the rest of the cast was glad to see them go. Just DON'T ASSUME!!!!!!

I don't claim to know Chad Micheal Murray or Hilarie Burton personally. I follow Hilarie's production company and what they are doing over there because I think that it is a great idea. It's cool that now that she is done with One Tree Hill, she can really work towards her goals as a producer. A true fan of anything supports what it does. I support the music of One Tree Hill, so I will continue to follow what the music supervisor, Lindsay Wolfington, does. I totally support Mark Schwahn, and will continue to follow the things that he does as well. I also fully support Hilarie Burton and Kelly Tenney with Southern Gothic Productions, so I will definitely keep myself up to date with the things that they are doing.

Be a FAN, Don't Hate!

If you don't like an actor or actress, do not go to their website and say mean things to them. If you disagree with them about something that they said... well disagree with them, and let them have their own opinion. If they ever show up on your door step, you can invite them in and share your opinions with them... until then... why not just let sleeping dogs lay...

It just frustrates me that there are so many people getting so riled up and being so hateful... so I wanted to get riled up to say DON'T HATE!!! You can't control it, so accept it. If it really bothers you that much, buy the network, or write your own TV Show. I say that you shouldn't complain about something if you aren't making an honest effort to change that very thing you want to complain about, which is why I am posting this... to get people to think about the things that they write on the internet chat boards and peoples blogs and comments on articles.

If you're complaining about television.... go into the tv industry.

If you're complaining about the books that are being published.... write your own novel.

You don't like the music you hear?... Record your own album.

You think all actors are divas?... Get into acting and DON'T be a diva.

I'm just sayin'

Tomorrow is "M" Day....

So I dropped the ball on the alphabet countdown with my blog, cause you know, life gets in the way... but I figured that as I sit here waiting to go run my 5K this morning, I'm inspired. So, for "M" day tomorrow, I bring you my Many Blessings.

1. My Job/My Kids-
I doubt there are many 25 year olds out there that can sit in their living room and tell you that they love their job. I am the drummer marching to a different beat with that sentiment, because I do. There are days and moments where I look at the face of a kid who doesn't seem to care anymore, or deal with a student who just told me what I planned for them was stupid, or deal with the hormones that start flying in 4th and 5th graders, where I want to give up. Throw in the towel, send me home with some wine, and draw me a hot bath.
And then I think about my kids whose parents come up to me at the end of 5th grade and tell me that their kid worships like everything that I do, or I read my hundreds of construction paper stars that the kids made me for teacher appreciation week. Did you know that you can spell teacher: teecher, tetcher, tesher, teacher, techar? And did you know that to 674 kids, I am the best music teacher in the world, I rock, and have the most beautiful voice? Did you know that I am cool, or that I am the prettiest person on earth, or that I make music the most fun of all the subjects? I am also supposed to be on American Idol, I will let you go to the bathroom if you have to, and I am every first grader's favorite music teacher that they ever had (even though they've only had me)....Yes, I am a celebrity....
That is why I love my job. My kids test my patience sometimes, and I will admit that I have had to count back from 10 a few times in my room, but I love each and every one of them, and each day I get to work there is a blessing to me.

2. Music
I have been blessed to discover the power of music... No matter how crappy your day is, you can turn a certain song on to make you laugh. There are songs that are reminders of people that you know and love, and songs that are reminders of those who have passed on. Music really can make a lot of things better. On a beautiful day, I think that my favorite thing to do is crank up my iPod, open all my windows and my sunroof and belt out all the words to my favorite songs at the top of my lungs. The people at the stoplights don't know that I'm supposed to be the next Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway.... laugh on stoplight friends! So... music... love it... fall in love with it... let it change you a little bit.

3. My friends
I love my peeps. There have been some who have come and gone that had a lasting impact on me, and I still hold a place for them. There are some in my life right now who help me survive it all. My friends are my family, and it is as simple as that. I lean on them all the time, and they are always there for me, loving me, protecting me, and talking sense into that crazed brain of mine. You don't need a hundred people around you to be happy, but a core group that you know is there for you and you are there for them is damn near the most perfect thing in the entire world.

4. My best friend
I'm going to use the Peyton quote to partially describe her, because as she said it, and my thoughts instantly went to Anne....

"My best friend is... funny, intelligent, creative, beautiful... and successful, and very kind. She is also... impulsive, frustrating, complicated, childish... but I would not have her any other way..."

She is all that and so much more that I could ramble on and on about to everyone. She saves me every day, and she brought me into her family more than I have ever seen anyone do. I'd walk through fire for her, her husband, and her child any day of the week, and I know that they would be there for me in less than a heartbeat if I ever asked.

5. My family
I have a messed up family situation when I really think about it.... I do. I think everybody has their interesting family stories, but at the end of the day, no matter how rough a go my mom and I had it, she is almost always the first person I call at the end of the day. My dad will always be in the front row of every musical my students put on, just like he was at every musical, band, choir concert that I ever did. I know that my family is messed up sometimes, but I love them all no matter what....

So there is my small list of Many Blessings.... hope you enjoyed!!! Think about your many blessings today... it will make you smile a little bit, and that is always wonderful.

It's 'F' Day... so.... Fourth Season Music!!!!

I skipped over E, I know... I'm sorry, but yesterday was a crazy day because I had grad school right after school... so sorry to let you down... but now I bring you Fourth Season One Tree Hill Amazing music.... love it, iTunes it, obsess over it!!!

Again, in chronological order.... which can be found on oth-music.com, which flipping rocks!! However these were my favs...

1. "Everything'll Be Alright" - Joshua Radin
All things Joshua Radin are amazing. From 4X01 when Karen talks to Luke about the pregnancy.

2. "Won't Back Down" - Matt Kearney
4X03 Coda scene. The lyrics to this song are too beautiful.

3. "Prayers for Rain" - The Cure
4X05. When Derek catches Peyton in his hotel room, and the full realization of Psycho Derek has begun! The song really makes the scenes, cause it is sooo dramatic sounding.

4. "City of Devils" - Yellowcard
Totally became a fan of Yellowcard because of OTH. Ending Coda in 4X05.

5. "It's You" - Annie Stela
I don't know what draws me to this song, but I like it a lot. Unique kind of sound to it. Used in 4X06.

6. "Prelude 12/21" - AFI
HOLY CRAP... this song MADE the Peyton/real Derek boxing scene. Starts off slow, but then gets INSANELY awesome!

7. "Center of Attention" - Jackson Waters
Ending Coda of 4X08... specifically when Peyton finally tells Lucas that she is in love with him.... sigh....

8. "Heartbeats" - Jose Gonzalez
Any OTH or Leyton fan understands this song... nuff said.

9. "Lessons Learned" - Ray LaMontagne
The ending Coda when Haley gets hit by the car and Lucas collapses of a Heart attack. 4X09

10. "Wait for Love" - Matt White
Ending song of 4X11 with Lucas and Peyton and the cuteness in the hallway.

11. "It's Tricky" - Run DMC
A little old school for Nathan/Mouth/Skills stripping. If this song doesn't make you dance at least a little, you are CRAZY!!! Used in 4X12

12. "Overboard" - Ingrid Michaelson
Just a unique song that has a great sound to it. Used in 4X14.

13. "Into the Light" - The Chemistry Set
Famous Lucas/Peyton make out scene... kinda hot... not gonna lie!

14. "Life is Beautiful" - Vega4
She opens the door expecting the beautiful Lucas Scott, and then BAM!!!!!! It's Psycho Derek back for Act 2!!!! AWESOME SONG!! from 4X15

15. "Good Vibrations" - Gym Class Heroes
I hate remixes, I really do, but this one flipping ROCKS!!!! Played at the HoneyGrove Prom in 4X17.

16. "Burgundy Shoes" - Patty Griffin
A beautiful song. Set when the kids sign Jimmy Edwards' yearbook in 4X19.

17. "Under the Folding Branches" - The Veils
Another beautifuly song set when Karen has Lily in 4X20.

18. "They'll Never Know" - Ross Copperman
The Karen/Keith Dream. Absolutely beautiful.

19. "Wannabe" - Spice Girls
This came out for me in like elementary or junior high, and I loved it then, but fell in love with it again when the girls did their dance in 4X21!

20. "Say It Ain't So" - MoZella
HOLY CRAP.... perfect for this episode and scene when Karen goes to visit Dan's cell and spits in his face after learning that he killed Keith. AWESOME SONG!!!!

21. "Within You" - Ray LaMontagne
Last song of season 4. Good song.

All right folks, start looking up some music!!!!!!

It's 'D' Day!!!.... Darn good lyrics day!

D day at school is Dance day, so all the little first graders get to go into the gym and do the conga and the cha-cha-slide... soooooo cute.

For my happy little blog today, I shall introduce you to Darn Good Lyrics...

Two songs, one of which just came to me last night, and one of which I promise I am dancing to at my wedding (if that ever happens!) So here are the Darn Good Lyrics to....

"She is Love" - Parachute (featured on 6X22 of One Tree Hill)

I've been beaten down
I've been kicked around
But she takes it all for me
And I lost my faith in my darkest days
But she makes me want to beleive

CHORUS:
They call her Love love love love love
They call her Love love love love love
She is love
She is all I need
She's all I need

Well I had my ways
They were all in vain
And she waited patiently
It was all the same
All my pride and shame
She put me on my feet

CHORUS

"You Fill My Heart" - Jason Walker (my total wedding song!)

When I, I saw your face
It was like a space in my heart was filled
It's like I knew, from the very start
That you were every other part of me

CHORUS
And it's like I have loved you since
from the moment when, since time began
You fill my heart

Oh, oh love of mine
Why did it take so long to find your touch
Hope was never gone
Even though it took so long to find you

CHORUS

Yeah....

CHORUS

Both songs are beautiful... and the first one "She is love" is a new one by a new band, Parachute, so go to iTunes and get it to help these guys get themselves out there!!!

Tomorrow (Monday) is 'C' Day...

I nixed the Cartoon idea... sorry about that... but I decided to post a Cool quote instead for my 'C' Day post. Let the quote inspire you... dream a little...

SBFF, you will be happy because this came from the episode that we were chatting about...

Season 5, Episode 13 "Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace"

This is a quote from the ending Coda (another C!!) that is set to "Home" by the Foo Fighters

"Make a wish and place it in your heart...
anything you want...
everything you want...

Do you have it?
Good.
Now beleive it can come true.
You never know where the next miracle is going to come from...
the next smile...
the next wish come true...

But if you believe that it's right around the corner,
and you open your hear and mind to the possibility of it...
the certainty of it...

You just might get the thing you're wishing for.

The world is full of magic.
You just have to beleive in it.
So make your wish.
Do you have it?

Good.
Now beleive in it...
With all your heart."

It's B Day!!!!!!

Okay, so for B, I figured that I would give you a top ten list of things that are cool that start with the letter B....

1. Blogging - seeing as that is what I'm doing right now!!

2. Ben - my friend's kid, who now knows the following characters on OTH: Peyton (his favorite), Lucas, Lucas' mommy, Nathan, Nathan's mommy, and the pretty lady (Haley). He is one smart kid!

3. Hilarie Burton - cause she seems to be quite the cool actress and production savaant, and an all around genuine human being.

4. Books - cause I'm reading like fifty of them right now.

5. Bella - my cat... who pretty much rocks.

6. Reusable Shopping Bags - Why didn't they start coming out with more of these sooner?? I use them ALL the time now!

7. Baseball - Even though my team isn't doing so hot right now... I still love this great American past time.

8. Belly Buttons - They are just pointless once you are older, but they still hold a certain charm... no clue why!

9. Birthdays - because who doesn't love a birthday?

10. Boxer shorts - The best summer lounging wear EVER

So, yeah, those are my favorite cool B things... Monday... you are in for a treat with C day... favorite Cartoon Characters