Sunday Social!

Linking up today with Neely and Ashley for  Sunday Social!!

What is your ideal way to relax: 

I love to read--that is usually my go-to way of relaxing. I also find painting my nails to be relaxing, which is why I usually paint my nails at least 2-3 times a week...haha :)

Where is your favorite place to be: 

I absolutely LOVE going to the beach! I love laying out on the sand, listening to music, reading, and just enjoying being near the ocean. I wish I lived at the beach! :( One day...!

Who do you consider your biggest role model: 

I would definitely say my parents are two of my biggest role models. They are really awesome parents and are super supportive of my sisters and I! They really are the best! 

What does your life look like in 3 years? 

I would like to think that I'll be married and settled by then but well, at the rate things are going that remains to be seen... (haha okay Debbie Downer moment OVER). Beyond that, I hope to be a published author (!!) and to own my own home! :)

If you could go back and change one decision what would it be? 

I REALLY try not to look back at things with regret but remain positive and keep moving forward. That being said, I wish I could go back and change my decision to take French instead of Spanish in high school. That way I could know what my darling kiddos are saying when they switch to Spanish...(I'm sure it's TOTALLY nice things..hahaha ;)) Side story: this actually was said in my classroom this year: One student to another: STOP speaking to me in English--I'm so tired of it!" Me: "Umm, noo English is actually encouraged here..." Seriously??!? Haha...

What is your biggest accomplishment in life thus far?

I'm sure I've said this before but I think my biggest accomplishment is earning my Master's degree in Elementary Education! I'm really glad I pushed myself through those last few classes to get that degree, although it was tough doing that during my first year of teaching. 

What about you????

The Messy Project!!!

Whoo hooo!!! The Messy Project Day is HERE!! Yay! I was soooo excited to be a part of the January Messy Project! 

The Messy Project is the brilliant idea of the fabulous Kelly, who picked out a clothing item for each of us girls and then challenged us to make it our own! :) 

The Deal:

1 Item

5 Girls

5 Different Looks

1 Major Blog Post Day

Here is the absolutely adorable shirt: 

I'm really petite and when I saw this shirt, I actually first thought "Oooh, cute dress!" And then I realized that it's actually probably a shirt on most people, haha. But on my short frame it worked perfectly as an adorable shirt-dress that I paired with a little black dress I have. I added some sparkly gold jewelry and a pair of my favorite boots and this is my look! :)

And a few close ups....

I LOVE these boots!! :) They are so comfortable! :)

This was such a FUN project and I'm SO glad I got to be a part of it---thanks Kelly for organizing such an awesome opportunity!! 

You absolutely should check out the other girls' outfits if you haven't seen them yet! :) 

Christina

Hayley

Marisa

and of course Kelly! :)

Back to reality....

This past weekend ended up being a longer than usual weekend for me because I came down with a HORRIBLE virus and strep throat all at once and missed two days of work last week... 

Hmm, what are the chances that this was TOTALLY the reactions of my students?  Hahaha...
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Luckily this weekend was already a three day weekend with MLK Jr. Day/the Inauguration...I definitely was relieved to have an extra day to rest up! I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt this sick (ugh!) and I feel like way way too many of my posts start with me not feeling well... :-/ Oh well...I guess that's the life of a teacher!

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No joke, this seriously was me ALL weekend..I'm just grateful I have an awesome mom and dad who took care of me and brought me food, medicine and checked on me periodically to make sure I had not perished from the worst cough ever... :-/ 

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On a happier note, I am SUPER excited to be a participant in this month's MESSY PROJECT! I cannot wait to show my outfit to everyone AND to see what the other girls for this month came up with! Eeee!!! Can't wait!!! You must check out everyone's outfit tomorrow on Kelly's blog at Messy Dirty Hair!!

Stay tuned for the big reveal TOMORROW!!! :)

Pinterest Wednesday!

Today I'm linking up with Michelle from The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!!

1.) How cute is this workout t-shirt? I want to make buy one just like it!

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2.) I love this crafty project! It seems that all you have to do is find wooden letters, glue them together and spray paint--LOVE it!

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3.) Omg! These shoes! The sparkles and bows are are so adorable...:)

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4.) Ahhhhh hahahaha! Too funny....


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5.) LOL!!! I can totally relate: some of the kids in my class asked me earlier this year what I wanted to be when I grow up and (to myself), I thought "Hmmm, I don't know...that's a good question!" And then I realized I actually am kind of grown-up (and already chose being a teacher, haha!)....

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Monday Fun-day, haha...

I so appreciate the sweet comments on my post about this past week. Thank you! I love the blogging community and hearing from others to get a little lift in my spirits! :)

A few thoughts:

~ Did anyone watch Downton Abbey last night? Don't keep reading if you don't want to be spoiled!






I was shocked when Edith got stood up at the alter by Sir Anthony! Omg--how awful! My mom says she knew that was going to happen but I was STUNNED! How sad...and when she said her line about being a "youthful spinster", I swear I got tears in my eyes. Poor thing! (Okay so I know she's an actress and not a REAL person but still! Lol...)

~ Has anyone heard Justin Timberlake's new song??!? I LOVE it! I heard it on the radio on my way to work this morning and it was so catchy and fun! I've been saying for years awhile that he has needed to get back to music. I'm glad he finally listened to me! ;) :) 

~ What were your thoughts on The Golden Globes last night? I was pretty impressed with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's performances for hosting! They are soooooo funny! :) And Jennifer Lawrence looked SO pretty! I loved that color on her... :)

I hope you all had a great Monday and are off to a great start this week! :)

This week...

This past week was a little stressful and sad and I was just not feeling my normal blogging self.  

~Last Friday, I attended a viewing for a really nice guy who went to my high school who was killed in a car accident on New Year's Eve. In addition to knowing him from high school, his mom works at my school in our cafeteria and is one of the sweetest, nicest people I've ever met. It was an unbelievably sad and emotional event for all who knew him but I felt it was important to show his family my support. I just wish there was more I could do for them...

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~ The very next morning, my grandfather was admitted to the hospital because of chest pains that woke him up during the night. Very scary but luckily, his stress test came back normal and he seems to be doing better! 

~That same afternoon, I found out that the grandmother (who I also knew from many events over the years--she was such a sweet, funny lady!) of my best friend  from high school passed away. :(

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~These are definitely times that make me stop and think about things. Life is short and I'm trying to embrace each moment with my family and friends. I'm really grateful that I was able to take the afternoon off of work on Friday so I could go to "Nana"'s funeral. It was a beautiful service and I'm so glad I was able to be there for my sweet friend and her family. Thinking about the events of the past few weeks really make me think about how hard it would be to get through various life events without a strong faith in God and his never-ending love. I'm so glad that I have my faith to rely on during sad times. 

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Sunday Social!

Linking up with Neely and Ashley for Sunday Social!! :)  This Week's Questions: 1. Do you plan to change any of your eating habits in the new year?  I'm definitely going to try to cut back on the carbs because I eat way too many!  And increase my veggies and fruit intake.  I've heard of some people who do a vegetarian diet one day a week--they  call it "Meatless Monday"--and I think that sounds really interesting to  possibly try this year. Plus I like the name, haha! :) 2. Any workout tips to get us back in shape after the Holidays?  Try varying the workouts you do so you don't get bored.  Also, a great playlist on your Ipod can definitely help  you keep going! 3. Favorite thing you did over the Holidays?  I spent lots of time with my family, which was awesome! :)  We had fun opening presents, eating lots of food and enjoying  some relaxing, chill-out time! Sisters!! 4. What is something you hope that you accomplish  in 2013 that you did not in 2012?  Hmm, my main goal for 2013 is to get back into running and  complete some races. Although I did that in early 2012, I'm still  going to put it here because that really is the BIG goal I hope to  accomplish this year!  5. Name 3 things happening this year you are excited about and why:  This year I'm going to be teaching an after-school remediation  class, which I'm excited about! I'm also going to be looking at buying  a condo, which is awesome/scary! :) Ooh and I'm seeing Bon Jovi in  February--cannot wait!!!

Fun New Finds!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is giving and of course getting gifts!! And my absolute favorite part of getting gifts is gift cards! :) I know some people think that gift cards are impersonal but I LOVE them because then I can buy exactly what I want! Thanks to the awesome kiddos in my class, I got hooked up with some good gift cards and bought some pretty fun things. Yay!

Here are some of my recent favorite finds:

This Kate Spade bow necklace is SOO pretty! I cannot wait to wear this. My only regret? The darling matching bow earrings were only available in gold and I had my heart set on the silver necklace. Oh well, I guess I probably shouldn't complain since I did get the necklace!  That is a bit of  a #whitegirlproblem. Haha...

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Revlon Hair Waver --I can't wait to try this out and see if it really does create "beachy waves"--I hope so! :)

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How fun are these gloves? I love magenta and they are the touch-screen gloves so I can wear them and still be able to use my IPhone, which will be awesome! :)

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This body mist from Bath and Body Works smells sooooooo good! It's a yummy vanilla scent with a hint of a martini--sounds perfect in my book! :)

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I was so excited to find this adorable Lilly Pulitzer charm bracelet called "Making Waves"--I promise you, it's even cuter in real life! :)

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I have a few more goodies that are on the way and now everyone knows why the UPS man is practically on a first-name basis with me. Not even joking---when a delivery truck goes down our street, most of the time my dog will run to the door thinking it's coming to our house to drop off a package *which it usually is* hahaha...

Friday's Fancies: New Year, New You!

Linking up today with av of Long Distance Loving for Friday's Fancies! This week's theme is New Year, New You! 

New Year, New You! by eraff1483 featuring slim jeans

One of the things I'm going to try to do this year fashion-wise is to think COLOR. I wear a ton of black because I like how it looks with my bright red hair, but I also know I could branch out a bit with different colors! I love navy blue and turquoise, so I created this cute, casual outfit for a bright start to 2013!

                    This is a fun sweater that looks super comfortable! A little pricey, haha, but cute!

Emilio Pucci off shoulder sweater
$1,100 - farfetch.com

I love colored skinny jeans--I have them in several colors but not turquoise yet. I think that might change soon! 

LTB by Little Big slim jeans
$37 - zalando.co.uk






Love these navy blue flats, especially the gold beading accents.

Forever New studded shoes
$52 - forevernew.com.au






I have a weakness for adorable purses and this one is sooo cute! 

Betsey Johnson betsey johnson
forzieri.com







How fun are these earrings?!? 

Amrita singh jewelry
amritasingh.com






Pretty bracelet--I love rounded beads on any type of jewelry! (Also, it took me three attempts to spell jewelry correctly, hahaha...)

Kazuri beaded jewelry
$49 - johnlewis.com






Some might say I already have a TON of scarves (and they'd be right!) but I don't have one in this color yet! :)

Jigsaw linen scarve
$39 - jigsaw-online.com

Pinterest Wednesday!

Time for another week of Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday with Michelle from The Vintage Apple! :)

Here are some of my favorite pins from the week! 

(p.s. I'm ridiculously obsessed with Pinterest! It's sooo addicting and fun! :) )

1.) These are the cutest, fanciest cupcakes I've ever seen! Wow!

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2.) Aww, I love this! With me, it's usually a bond created over clothes, makeup or any of the awesome shows on ABC Family that are not necessarily meant for people my age but I still watch..."Oh you watch Pretty Little Liars? I thought I was the only one in my 20s who loves that show!" Hahahaha...

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3.) This is an adorable combo of colors! I would not have necessarily paired turquoise and brown together, but seeing it like this is inspiring! Love it...

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4.) Awww, this is really sweet! Certainly puts things in perspective... :)

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5.) I love this nail design..wow! I can't wait to try this look!

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6.) Ahhh hahahaha..I would love to use this as an example of graphs for my math class.. ;) :) ;)

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2012 Year in Review

I'm linking up with Brooke from Covered in Grace for a 2012 in Review Link-Up! Here are some of my favorite posts and/or posts that meant a lot to me during this past year!

January

I love to write about teaching and the silly, funny kids who make me laugh constantly.I started running as a hobby and loved sharing my adventures with running.

February

I put myself out there in hopes of meeting someone in a singles link-up I call stepping out on a limb--this was a big deal for me! I love writing about favorites of mine and other fun facts that let others get to know me!

March

I ran in my first 5K and was very proud of how I did! I also wrote about what being a '90s kid means to me.

April

I had to deal with an unfortunate foot injury and I also answered 10 questions about me.

May

I laughed about numerous ridiculous moments in life and also dealt with a change of plans....

June

I wrote my first book review!

July

I got ready for my European adventure. 

August

All about my amazing trip: Europe Trip Recap 1 and Europe Trip Recap 2.

September

I blogged about the cutest, easiest craft ever: DIY T-Shirt Scarf!

October

This fall certainly seemed to be a season of reflecting...

November

I shared some things I am thankful for... as well as some more getting to know me thoughts.

December

On a serious note, describing how I felt about the tragedy in Sandy Hook: There Are No Words  

and on a lighter note, my on-going love for pinterest!