Showing posts with label currently. Show all posts
Showing posts with label currently. Show all posts

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Currently...

I was telling a veteran teacher the other day that I still totally ride the first-year-teacher-roller-coaster even though this is my third year of doing this gig. The beginning of the year is allllll jitters and nervous energy. Then, after the first fresh unit plans are over, the cold comes and I start to lose steam, get buried in the piles of grading, and feel the weariness of 5:00 alarm clocks. When stuff starts to feel like it's too much, I think it's a good time to take stock and remember all the good things. Because there are so many good things! Here we go...what I'm currently up to:

Loving: being married to a certain Brian Whartnaby. I got him a gift for Sweetest Day (and I take full responsibility for the obnoxious perpetuation of Hallmark holidays, but I found a great chambray shirt that would look great on Brian, so sue me) and included a Kit Kat bar in the gift bag. After being away in Michigan at a conference for two days, and spending 4 and a half hours in traffic in the effort to get home, I opened the door to our apartment to find a smiling guy, a big hug, and two of the four Kit Kat pieces saved in the wrapper for me. Ahhh. What a guy.

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Reading: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. One of my biggest beefs with Veronica Roth (okay, so maybe she doesn't know that we have a fight going on, but I surely started one) was how she switched up the narrators, having Four and Tris alternate as the first person voice from chapter to chapter. In short, this was a terrible move. It sucked. I hate to even say this, but I didn't finish the book because I was so bored by it. So I find out that Gone Girl, while it's getting all of these great reviews, also does the whole switching voice thing, except this time it's awesome. The characters reveal little pieces of who they are, flawed and believable, and yet also unreliable, with their own versions of bias. I haven't finished it yet and am avoiding all talk of the movie and book on social media so I get to see for myself how these two actually turn out.

Watching: A lot of HBO. A perk of moving and signing up for a new subscription of cable and internet is that they throw free things at you. Like HBO! After a healthy stream of The Wire and Veep (I died every episode), and it's safe to say that Brian is absolutely addicted to The Sorpranos, I am currently watching Lena Dunham's show GIRLS. I'm somewhat wary of my admission of being its viewer. The inappropriateness is there, to say the least. I'm so drawn to it, and the characters in it, though, because it has so much to say about the hopes and talents and blind spots (oh the blind spots!) of my upcoming generation of millennials.

Anticipating: DO I EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT?! Taylor Swift's 1989 Album comes out on October 27 (THAT IS TOMORROW). It's a change in image for our girl Tay. No longer the country sweetheart, those curls have officially been straightened and the pop star look is embraced. But I have to have faith that deep down, it's our old favorite girl doing her happy, confident, truthful, thing. Did I just hear someone say "hella good hair?"

Listening To: Lin's Bin, every Monday and Friday morning at 7:15 a.m. (except sometimes I'm already in my classroom at that point and have to catch the rerun in the evening) on 93.1 WXRT. If you're in the Chicagoland, please give it a listen and laugh/cry along with me at the touching statements he makes answering the deep questions of life.

Planning: Little things to accomplish my 25 Before 26. (Go to September for that post, if you haven't seen it yet). I'm starting to wake up from the daze of beginning the school year at my new school, look at my life, and take stock of things. I'm taking suggestions for wineries, recipes, and good causes because I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and get started on it all!

Working On: Taking time to take care of myself. The past 10 weeks at my apartment have been all staring at laptops and 9:00 bedtimes for me. It's time to try new things and ideas and have a life outside of school. I've been thinking of the coming weeks and how I can get out of the doldrums of teaching in the post-beginning-of-year and pre-Thanksgiving fall. First step: yoga class :)

Wishing For: the Christmas season! I know that this holiday cheer is a little preemptive, but please let me explain the reason. My school's Bible curriculum actually aligns the birth of Jesus and all the stories leading up to it to be taught about eight weeks before Christmas arrives. I've already purchased a few Christmas gifts for my family and can't wait to pick out the others. It all makes me giddy for gold old fashioned family time, lazy snowy days spent giving presents, and attending advent services at our beautifully decorated church.  Advent season reminds me that God comes right into my messy life, the one in which I make no room for him, and changes me and remakes me and creates everything to be new again. Christmas reminds me that I am a believer in new beginnings, in hopeful horizons, and the shocking power of love to come down and change everything. That's the true story of Christmas and I love to hear it again and again.

What are you up to? What are you planning, wishing, and working for? It's hectic and hard over here, but it's all good.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Currently...

It's amazing what a good night of sleep can do for a girl. I finally slept in today and it has done volumes for my happiness. This week…this month…has been pretty rough on this first grade teacher. School has been an extra dose of crazy and I can't seem to find my footing. I've been waking up just a little unhappy these days (I blame YOU, evil Chicago winter of 2014) and finally, finally, I woke up today feeling like my old, optimistic, carefree self. I'm taking time to reflect on the good things that are going on in my little world. Here is what I am currently doing in February of 2014.

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My front steps. 

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Georgia and I together at the Art Institute.  


Loving: My latest visit to the Art Institute, thanks to Brian's agreement to go with me. I haven't been there since last spring, and I've missed the place immensely. It was cool to go through the museum with an American History expert, as he commented on his favorites and why he thought certain pieces were interesting historically. I, of course, relied on the impressionists, my old faithfuls, for my must-sees of the day. I'll be back soon for sure. 

Reading: Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard. I was missing the nonfiction genre, particularly Dillard's version of nonfiction, from my college days and decided to order this book. I've only read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek before this, but this collection has not disappointed. She makes the world come alive in a way that I can't believe. It's really beautiful writing and I wish one day that I could write with even a fraction of her descriptive power. Short stories are good for the soul. 

Watching: Sherlock. Holy cow. We just finished the whole series and I feel terrible for the fans who got into it at the beginning, because they had to wait two whole years between each season. It's a show like I've never seen before: each season is three episodes long, and each episode is about 90 minutes. The producers are basically creating a movie trilogy for each season. Beyond the cool format, this show has some of the best writing and characterization you can find. It is suspenseful, quick, interesting, hilarious, exciting, and human all at once. They adapt the original books into a modern day setting really creatively. Plus, it's on Netflix. Perf. 

Anticipating: My second half marathon. It's coming up in June. One of the best feelings of my life was completing my first one last July - it's funny how something that seemed impossible to me when I saw it on paper became completely doable with a few months of practice. As of now I can run for 3 miles at an acceptable pace. I clearly have some work to do, but I'm excited to get back off of the treadmill and on those long runs again. 

Listening To: The Frozen Soundtrack…obviously. That goes without saying. But on another note, (pun intended) I have been streaming Van Morrison more and more on Spotify, thanks to a certain guy's influence on my musical taste. I'm digging it. 

Planning: Well, I suppose this is sort of obvious, but wedding planning is well underway! Things like engagement shoots, save-the-dates, DJs, tastings, and salons are all being booked. It's funny, because I always thought this time of wedding planning would be stressful and slightly overwhelming, but so far we've agreed on what we want and are just happy to get closer to real life together! I'm sure as we get closer the crazies will start to settle in, but right here, a few months out, it's been a great ride so far. 

Working On: My mad cooking skillz. If you know the guy I am marrying, you know why I'm working on this. My mother is an excellent cook, as is Brian's mom, so I have a lot to live up to. Lately I've tried pork chops, homemade pizzas, chicken with angel hair, and salmon fillets. I'm happy to accept any ideas for new recipes to try, as long as someone with minimal talent can execute them. (I am referring to myself here.) 

Wishing For: SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING. Did I make that clear? This winter has been crazy, but I can see hints here and there of days when some of the snow melts,  a few glimmers of sunshine peek through, and the anticipation is killing me. Spring means all sorts of things: trips to Boston, bridal showers (still seems surreal that I'll be attending my own shower), apartment hunting, and running outside. Oh how I can not wait to run outside. 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Currently...

Here's a post to check in with myself, and you guys, to let it be known "where I'm at" in this life of mine. I like to think of these posts as a way to give myself a more well-rounded status update. Here is what I'm loving, reading, watching, anticipating, listening to, planning, working on, and wishing for in October of 2013.
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Loving: Fall break. As you can see from the picture above, it is absolutely beautiful in Clearwater, Florida. Hanging out and catching up with Hannah is so fun and so good. I've been able to go in to her school and observe some classrooms to get ideas for my own, have extended periods of time to catch up on finishing my report cards and schoolwork (a lot more to finish yet...), and have an hour here or there to lay out in the sunshine. I love the midwest dearly, but I love taking the trips away. 

Reading: A few books, actually! Look at me go. I've used this break to my advantage in the reading department. I've gone on a Shauna Niequist binge, reading two of her books in three days. I saw her book Bittersweet laying on the coffee table in Hannah's apartment, picked it up, and didn't put it down. Then her roommate asked if I wanted to borrow the other book of hers, called Cold Tangerines and now I'm finishing that as we speak. She has a way of writing that makes me feel like I'm not the only one with swirling thoughts, words, and sentence fragments floating through my brain at any given moment. I've also been reading How Children Succeed by Paul Tough, which has me considering so many important issues when it comes to my children, Chicago, and what it will take for the world to be a place of opportunity for them and not a place of constant heartbreaking disappointment. He champions the development of character in a child as the number one way to help him or her become successful in the future, and backs it with a flood of research. More of my thoughts on his book later. 

Watching: The headlines, dialogue, and circus surrounding this government shutdown. I suppose it's happened before in the 1980's and so I shouldn't be alarmed that the world is ending; we've made it through before. But what it does give me pause to consider is the way that we get along, the way we make decisions, and the way that we speak to one another in this country. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the middle of such a selfish, illogical, and unjust society. What that means, I suppose, is that people need to start standing up for what is right and just and not what is ME. We are such a people obsessed with the idea of ME-ness, myself the first in need of an attitude makeover. 

Anticipating: So much in the YA literature department. I pre-ordered the third book in Veronica Roth's Divergent Series, which releases on October 22!! I plan on devouring that book the second it reaches my hands. Then, Catching Fire comes out that very week in theaters!!! My Katniss alter-ego has been laying dormant waiting for the next movie to be released. I'm so excited!!! There are so many exclamation points!!!! 

Listening to: The Cranberries. I have Linger on repeat right now. I can't explain it, but they speak to me. Sometimes I sing along in my own Celtic accent to feel like I'm really there. I also am listening to a million new bands I have never heard before, thanks to my boyfriend's addiction to music blogs that discover bands so he can say things like, "You've probably never heard of them before, but..." In all seriousness, he has really good taste. So I get the benefit of many cool suggestions. CHVRCHES, Grouplove, and Justin Vernon are my favorite additions he's given to my musical knowledge database. I feel more authentically like a resident of Pilsen with all of this hipster cred I'm getting. 

Planning: A few things: 1) More little get-togethers. No big parties or bachelorette parties to fund and coordinate, but I'm making a bigger effort to have coffe-shop-get-work-done-sessions with TFA friends, monthly dinner dates with my college friends, and visits to my family when I can make them. and I'm also planning 2) My effort at tackling making working out a more consistent and regular part of my life. It was one of my goals before I turned 25 to have a regular fitness routine, and I'm figuring out that plan these days. I don't want only to be working out excitedly when I have a half marathon or 15k looming, I want to be doing those runs and events in the midst of the good stuff I'm doing anyway. I still will sign up for any and every 5k and more that I can find, but you get the point. The gym has been joined and the plans are just starting to take shape. 

Working on: My master's degree. Doing school and work is exhausting. Particularly when the "work" part of that equation takes up much more time than 9-5 each day. By May I'll have my Master's of Arts in Teaching from Dominican University, if all goes well and the funds all go through. It's a weekly grind and routine, doing schoolwork throughout the week and attending long hours of night classes every Thursday in a classroom a half hour away, but I am excited to think about the light at the end of the tunnel, that is coming in the form of a certificate with my name on it, in about 8 months or so. I think I can, I think i can, I think I can...

Wishing: That I could freeze time. I love fall and all these changes we're seeing. I love how I feel at this point in my life right now and right here. I have so many blessings and struggles and bright spots and gray days. The mix of the sublime and the difficult and the mundane and the peaceful in my life right now gives me a sneaking feeing that I'm growing, stretching, and forming more into the person whom I was really meant to be. I love the hustle and bustle and twists and turns of becoming that person. I know that I can't freeze time, and that it will relentlessly bring me forward to much higher highs and even some lower lows, but the satisfaction I feel in this time in my life right now in working and living and dreaming and being is rich and full and good.

How about you? How are you currently living and doing and working? Let's get together and talk about it. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Currently...

It's been awhile since I've done a "Currently" post, which is a really fun kind of way to reflect on the state of affairs in your life from time to time. I read the last two posts I did of this installment, and had to chuckle to myself as there seems to be a theme of weddings and training for running events that is cyclical in my life. Here's what I'm up to in April of 2013. 


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Loving: I am loving two things in particular these days. The first? Daylight. Not the Matt & Kim song (although I do certainly love that as well). The fact that I am driving to and from school in relative daylight outside is an unbelievable difference from the Dark Ages of November through February. How did I stand it?! I can actually get home from school at 5:30 and still have enough time to go on a run or finish an errand or cook a meal without feeling like a nocturnal vampire. Daylight has done wonders for my general happiness. The second thing I'm loving? CAPTAIN CRUNCH. I had no idea that there was an ALL BERRIES version of this cereal. Holy cow. So good. 

Reading: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer. It is all things hopeful, heartbreaking, original, and special. You follow Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old boy, around his hometown of New York City after he has lost his father in 9/11. He is on the mission of his young lifetime, and bit by bit you get to know the context, mind, and family history of the brilliant kid. It is wonderful because it reminds you the beauty and honesty of a child's brain. It is also wonderful because it shows how goodness and brilliance can still happen in the midst of darkness and brokenness and somehow it's all okay. That made no sense, I realize. Go read the book and you'll understand. 


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Watching: Documentaries. I wrote a little review of the most touching one I've watched lately earlier this month. Thanks to Netflix, I have a steady supply of them to keep on my to-watch list.  I don't love to read nonfiction books, but I'm finding nonfiction movies like these fascinating. Some are definitely better than others. But a really good one takes an issue or a person or a struggle and portrays it in just the right way that you know it is true and authentic to the subject matter. I love it when a storyteller, or moviemaker in this case I suppose, can show the heart of another person without bias and discoloring.

Anticipating: June 19. People, it's on its way. The last day of school. This school year WILL one day ACTUALLY DEFINITELY EVENTUALLY CERTAINLY come to an end. That was a lot of adverbs just now. Sorry. Let's just say that you should call me up to hang out on June 20. I'll be in a good mood. 

Listening To: Hick jams. I'm not lying. Florida Georgia Line is cranked to full volume on a daily basis during my morning commute. I'm also obsessed with Darius Rucker's version of "Wagon Wheel" these days. This winter I was all into complex, introspective, alternative music (and still am), but something about the promise of warm weather coming fits the sunny, carefree, simple vibe of country music. 

Planning: The Bachelorette festivities of everyone's favorite, Karley Mae VanDyke. As the maid of honor, I thought this element of the duties would be more stress than fun, but it is totally going to be a riot. The blueness is going to abound, my friends. I get to plan it with Jordan, another one of the bridesmaids. There is a huge group of about 25 of us that are getting together to laugh and have a wonderful time. I can't wait to post details of what we do on that day/night, but as the food, plans, and outfits are all starting to come together, I just have pure joy and excitement for May 11. She is the funnest girl I know. She deserves a fun party. (That incorrect usage of "funnest" was actually in honor of Karley's interesting personal grammar rules.) 

Working On: A half marathon. The 15k last fall did, indeed, spark in me a desire to conquer another running event. Well, let's not say conquer. Let's say finish. I did the Shamrock Shuffle with Jen the first week of April and I ran 5 miles last Saturday. Both felt okay, and I'm looking to make each weekend run a little longer leading up until July 21. This week is 6 miles, so we'll see how that feels on Saturday. 

Wishing: For a bike. Like mentioned above, daylight is lasting longer these days. People are out running and walking and I want to be a part of it all. I am giddy with excitement for summer in Chicago (oh so different from winter in this city) and a bike would be a fabulous way to explore new places in the sunshine. The tax return check hopefully is coming any day now, and I think a portion of it will fund a bike. That, and a new pair of high top sneakers. Such mature purchases for a cosmopolitan girl of the 21st century, I know. 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Currently...

I like this little theme for a blogpost and so this is my second installment of what is hopefully a fun tradition to see where I'm at in life. I'll tell you what I'm loving, reading, watching, anticipating, listening to, planning, working on, and wishing for in this very moment to get a nice little snapshot of what my life is like in October of 2012. Maybe I'll notice how I grow as time goes on with these posts, maybe I'll remain as immature as I currently am now. Who knows. But I love tracking stuff like this so here we go!

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Loving: My roommates, Jen and Kristin. You can see these lovely ladies featured in previous posts about adventures to Ikea and homemade meals together. They are most of the reason why I love life in Chicago. It's amazing to me how I found, like, the best possible living situation I could have asked for. Not only is my neighborhood cool and my apartment one of my favorite places ever, I get to live here with cool, independent, smart, thoughtful, funny people. And for some reason they don't hate me. I am by far the messiest of the three of us, clunk around at really early hours in the morning due to my clumsiness and lack of morning consciousness, and play loud music in my room when I clean it. Yet somehow they are still nice and cool and want to be friends. 

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling. Oh my goodness people. I want to be best friends with this chick. She is hilarious and inspirational. She details how she got to be a writer/director/producer/actress on The Office and more. She has wonderful insights on friendships, high school, comedy, and career. She, like myself, is a big list maker, which I obviously appreciate (as I write this on a blog post in a list format). I know I'm sounding like a gushing fangirl, but just wait until you get me talking about Taylor Swift in a few seconds. 

Watching: Portlandia. It is awesome. Especially when your neighborhood is too hipster for its own good. Sometimes I want to walk outside in Pilsen and slap some people across the face, yelling, "YOU AREN'T THAT COOL!" but then I remember that I have a side of me that really digs the hipster vibe and that I, too, would also dress to look homeless if I could afford the expensive designer clothes that they buy to look that way. I digress. Portlandia is a skit show making fun of this very culture. I signed up for a free month of Netflix and am really tempted to just keep it renewed. Netflix is a beautiful thing, my friends. 

Anticipating: The impending nuptials of my dear, dear friend, Karyn Koopmans. I am a bridesmaid in her wedding on Saturday and I am so excited. She is one of those friends that you know will just always be there for you no matter what happens. She also is one of those people who naturally looks like a Barbie doll with perfect skin, while you look on in your acne-ridden brunette-ness in a fit of jealousy. But then you remember how good of a friend she is and you decide you don't completely hate her for it. The best part is that she's even prettier on the inside. She will make a beautiful bride for her awesome fiance Shane. 

Listening To: Um, do I even have to say it?! OBVIOUSLY I am cycling Red, Taylor Swift's new album, on repeat at all hours, minutes, and seconds of the day. Since Taylor is only two months younger than me, I feel like we are always at the same life stage and that her songs speak right to my soul. Sorry boys, but I have one of you in mind for each Taylor Swift song I've ever heard. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's not so good. Her new album did not only not disappoint, but it made me want to just sit around and soak up her awesomeness all the time. My favorite songs are 22 (because who doesn't like breakfast at midnight?), Begin Again (because a redemptive song amidst an album of heartbreak is optimistic and hopeful and great), Stay Stay Stay (because all I want to do is sing this as a duet with someone who plays a ukelele), and my favorite, All Too Well (because I have a personal application to this song from my life that just hits the lyrics on the head so perfectly). Sing on, T Swift, sing on. 

Planning: An exciting trip that hopefully will get to happen! I'm asking for plane tickets from my parents for Christmas and California is on my mind. So is Lauren Haney. I'd like those two to come together for a week of joy during my Christmas break. Let's be honest: I need to get on an airplane soon before I go batty. That sounds terribly like a first world problem, and I suppose it definitely is. I'm just excited for dreaming about the possibility of a new adventure with an old friend. 

Working On: Psyching myself up for a 15k run on Sunday with Kristin! Yes, you read it correctly, a 15k, not a 5k. That translates to just over 9 miles. Yeesh. I ran 8 miles two Saturdays ago and 6 miles on Sunday this week, so I'm thinking I'll be okay with 9. I'm just nervous because I will be super slow at it and will end up finishing like an hour after Kristin who is super disciplined and awesome at exercising regularly. The great thing about this race is that it's a Hot Chocolate run, so at the end there is a fondu and hot chocolate bar there awaiting you to celebrate after the finish line. We'll see if I don't barf it all up. 

Wishing: For better sleep habits. As I write this, it is midnight and I teach tomorrow. I think this just boils down to prioritizing time management as an important element of my life. I tend to think that just one more thing accomplished or read or written before I go to bed won't hurt anything. And that one more thing turns into ten more things. And then I'm up at 11:30 and I figure an extra half hour spent on a blogpost about all of my current favorite things will actually be helpful to my well being, which it is, but so is a night of 9 hours of sleep. So I think that will have to be on my list of things to improve about myself. Right after the one about quitting my nasty cocaine habit.  

So there you are. Everything I'm currently up to. 'Til next time! 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Currently...

One of my favorite fashion bloggers, Kristine, does a post entitled "Currently" from time to time to kind of give a snapshot of what is going on in her life at that moment. I'm using her as inspiration since my life feels like it's moving at a lightyear a minute these days (update will come soon about the first week of teaching!). I want to do one of these every so often to give a checkup to myself (and anyone else who happens to care) of where I'm at. First two pictures, then down to what I'm currently loving, reading, watching, anticipating, listening to, planning, working on, and wishing.

View of the river in Milwaukee on Saturday night. I got to visit my TFA
friends for the night and realized how awesome of a city Miltown is.  
So excited about this one. That, my friends, is FINALLY my
official City of Chicago resident street parking sticker!
No $200 fines for me, thank you very much. 
I am currently...

Loving: My neighborhood. Pilsen is a really cool mixture of everything that I wasn't quite expecting before I moved here. To be honest, I was a little nervous as to why my rent was a lot cheaper than many other areas of the city. It's definitely not Lake View or Lincoln Park (really nice areas up north), but I am loving what I'm seeing in my little corner of Chicago. It's full of Mexican families, Students, and lots and lots of hipsters (ha). I see lots of Spanish words and speakers, cute little restaurants, and different flavors of people everywhere. It feels like a real Chicago neighborhood with real character. And I'm only 2 weeks in! I'm still brand-spanking new to the area so I'm no expert, but so far, I dig.

Reading: Blogs, blogs, blogs. (As usual!) My favorite kinds of blogs are travel and style (the one I linked above is a daily read for me), but I'm just now starting to search for some teacher blogs. If you have any recommendations, puh-lease let me know. Second grade calls for lots of inspiration!

Watching: When I get a few minutes to turn on the TV, The Olympics. While I mainly watch every four years for Bob Costas (the man is gold), Gabby Douglas won me over completely. Her beautiful smile and impressive poise at the age of 16 really amazed me. 16-year-old-Anna was not that cool. In other news, I also just watched Love Actually for the first time ever. I loved it, mostly because of the British accents. Can't get enough of those.

Anticipating: The next week of school! Second grade has proven to be both crazy (in a good way) and intensely challenging already. I'm itching to improve my teaching every single day throughout this first-year experience, but for now I'm starting small and getting anxious for the next five days in Room 27.

Listening To: Needtobreathe. Seemed good to me for getting things done on a beautiful and chill Sunday afternoon. "Something Beautiful" is on right now. I could play that on repeat for a LONG time. (Close second place: Coldplay's Xylo Myloto album, because they are coming to Chicago this week and I have to attend to real life duties instead of see their show. They are currently topping my list of "must see in concert" bands.)

Planning: More details for my brother and Heidi's wedding! It's coming up in just over a month in Washington D.C. and I could not be more excited. I'm finishing up a first draft of a playlist for the reception for my brother, so I am open to "must-have" suggestions for dance picks. I'll also possibly be putting together a dance routine that the family can learn to a song in flash-mob fashion. Hmmm. More on that later.

Working On: 2 things in particular. 1) Staying Calm. There are a lot of things coming up in the near future that will have me juggling to the point of dropping the whole shebang in one big heap on the floor. Between TFA professional development days, starting grad school on August 30th, and learning to lesson plan daily with my curriculum, there will be a severe need to take a breath and take it all one step at a time. 2) Giving Myself a Break. I can be more critical of myself than I am of others, which is not productive for anyone. I'm usually an optimist for sure, but that pessimistic energy spent on myself will just make me frustrated. I have to realize that I won't be fabulous right off the bat and that the best I can do is to do my best.

Wishing: For a night of Honey BBQ Wings with my girls at BDubs!

Hey friends, let's catch up so you can tell me what you're currently up to.