Update

So, it has been a little over a month since I last posted about my resolutions. So far, I haven't done much. I'm still a stress ball and I'm still working way more than I would like to. I have gotten a lot better at leaving work at work but sometimes the stress of the day follows me home. So today I signed up for a personal trainer and I am OH SO EXCITED about having a trainer! I can't wait to get in shape. I know that when I exercise I feel better about my body and the stress seems to disappear. I have had a personal trainer before and I didn't take it serious, so I didn't see results that I wanted. Now that I am freaking out about how much they cost, I know I will work my butt off to get what I want out of it. Who knew that personal trainers were so expensive?!

Next week I start obedience class with Banner which is way overdue! I am continually talking to the dog as if he understands me and I also try to reason with him like he is one of my students. This doesn't work (obviously) and just makes me frustrated while he is still going crazy. I think this obedience class is going to be good for the both of us. If this doesn't work I'm going to need the Dog Whisperer ASAP!

It's a New Year

I have never been the type of person to celebrate the new year in a big way. I know it may sound kinda silly to some people, but to me it's just another day. I think this feeling comes from being a teacher. I feel like the beginning of a school year is more of a celebration to me than the beginning of a calendar year. I have in the past made new years resolutions though, only to have them fizzle out around February. However, this year I have made a choice to make some new years resolutions and make them a permanent part of my life. I know what you are thinking: yeah yeah, that's what everyone says. I agree with you, but I'm serious! I really thought about resolutions this year and I want to make them part of my everyday life and not something that I want just right now and then stop doing after a month or two. So here is my long list

Resolution 1- Stress out and worry less- Lately I have been a worrier to the max! I worry about everything and then I tend to stress out because of it! Work = stress and then I end up working constantly and I end up a grumpy teacher. Therefore....

Resolution 2- Work smarter/ Not harder- Basically get stuff done that's needs to be done and get outta there (by 3:30 at the latest preferably).

Resolution 3- Exercise and eat healthy- I know this is a typical resolution for people but I really need this to become a part of my life. Exercise makes me cringe and I absolutely hate going to the gym, but it's good for you and it makes me have more energy. Eating healthy really sucks too but I am determined to be bikini ready by June so it's a must!

Resolution 4- Save more money- This is a really hard one because I looooove to shop. I also love to spend money, especially on Starbucks!

Resolution 5- Crafts- I love to get crafty and it's such a stress reliever so this is needed at least once a month if I want to stay sane from eating healthy food and saving money :) I also want to learn to crochet.

Resolution 6- Volunteer- I really want to start getting involved in the community and helping others. I think this will be difficult because I already feel stretched so thin among the other resolutions but even if I could volunteer somewhere just once I know I will love it.

Resolution 7- Think Positively- This one goes hand in hand with worrying and I need to change my negative thoughts to positive ones. Difficult but definitely do able.

Finally Resolution 8- Train Banner- Yes, i have an 9 month old puppy, and he is absolutely adorable, but is NOT trained. He will be trained though starting next month during obedience classes.

Well I think that's good enough for now. I'm sure my list is too long but I feel like I need to make these changes in my life. I probably should add blog more to my list since I have been a lazy blogger, but I'm hoping that improves along the way.

The End of Summer and the Arrival of Mr. Tornado

Ok, so I have turned into one of THOSE bloggers. You know the ones! The ones that blog pretty constantly and then nothing for at least a month. The blogs that you go to and no one has updated their blog for months and months and you wonder what the hell happened to them. Well I have thought about blogging and I feel guilty every time other people blog, but truthfully I just have been busy. The end of summer has come and gone and we are now a month into school which has made life super busy. I feel so lucky this year to be able to be rehired over the summer and start the school year. Not only that but I also get to work in the same classroom, same grade and the same school as last year! I feel super blessed!


Ok, onto more interesting topics like Banner AKA- Mr. Tornado. Banner has actually calmed down quite a bit and he has grown so much in the past 3 months. It kinda makes me sad to see him growing so fast because soon he is going to be a huge dog instead of our cute little pup. He has already started losing a lot of his puppy fur and he is losing teeth like crazy right now. We are hoping that once his adult teeth are in he will stop chewing on everything in sight!

I have never had a puppy before so I forget that he is going to act like a puppy during certain events. For example, one night I had to pick up some things at the pet store so I decided to take him with me. I figured that he would be excited but he would act like a normal dog. WRONG! I put him in the car without his harness (because we were just going about a mile) and took off. The whole time he was in the car he was jumping from the backseat to the front seat and getting fur everywhere. Once we got there, I opened my door and he literally jumped over me to get out of the car! The whole time we were in the store he was pulling on the leash so much that he even was breathing weird. It was quite a show!



Then a couple of weeks ago I decided to give him a bath in the bathtub. Banner really likes water so I figured that he would just sit in the tub and play or drink the water. WRONG AGAIN! I was able to keep him in the tub long enough to put water on him and then he jumped out of the tub, ran around the bathroom, and shook off water all over the bathroom. All I could do was sit there and laugh because it was just so funny! Lately he has gotten the name Mr. Tornado because anytime we leave him in a room for longer than 2 seconds, it ends up looking like a tornado. He loves to get into the trashcans, counter surf to look for food or dish towels, and get up on the bed. Overall though he is much better than he was when we first got him and he is so darn cute that you can't help but forgive him for his puppy ways.

Cupcakes and Crafts

Yesterday, I blended two of my favorite things into one- cupcakes and crafts. I sorta designed and created a birthday card with a cupcake theme. I'm sayin' that I sorta designed it because I did take the idea out of a book but then changed it into my own. Prior to this card I have never ever, ever created a card on my own, but I have been taking classes that make card making so easy. At my card classes the instructors already have everything cut out and I just pretty much look at the examples and stamp, glue and create a card based on their design. I never realized how much time and effort goes into all of this until yesterday. It took me THREE HOURS to complete this card from start to finish! Now I'm sure all of the "crafty ladies" out there would think this is a little easy but hey, it's a start and I'm darn proud of myself for doin' it!

Above is a picture of the example card and below is a picture of the card I made.

Monster Dog!

So we have had Banner at home for over a week now and he has had many nicknames due to his overwhelming amount of energy. However, the nickname of Monster Dog has stuck because one minute he can be sweetly licking your hand and the next minute he is attacking you with all of his sharp puppy teeth. I think he is just trying to live up to the character he is named after, The Hulk. He is really sweet though and he does love to cuddle when he is tired. He isn't very golden color in the pictures but he is starting to get darker, especially on his ears, face and back.

He loves to be outside underneath the bushes and chewing on leaves and sticks. He has a ton of toys, but would rather chew on furniture, rugs and shoes.



One of his favorite napping spots is under my dresser. He can barely fit under there right now so in a few more weeks he is going to have to find a new napping spot!

He knows where his food is and when he is hungry, which is always, he runs around the living room with his bowl in his mouth!

He does drive us crazy sometimes, but I guess we will keep him!

Zion- A Peaceful Getaway

At the beginning of the month Kyle and I left crowded Riverside to visit his Mom in Nevada and to go to Zion National Park in Utah. First, I have to say that I LOVE Utah! I want to move there so badly because everything is clean, the people are so nice and you don't have to chew the air you breath. Anyway, Zion is an amazing place! It is so peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful. We did lots of hikes and ate really good food. Zion National Park is located near the town of Springdale which is really, really tiny. They have one elementary school that has only 2 teachers- 1 primary and 1 upper. The town basically is there to cater to the needs of the tourists with restaurants and shops.



























































This is our hotel and the view from our balcony. We stayed at the Majestic View Lodge which was a little pricey but worth the money! The rooms were decorated in a cabin theme and the restaurant located in the lobby had huge windows that looked out to the park.






























Now before this trip I was afraid of heights. Not a little afraid, really afraid. The hikes that we were doing were easy, paved hikes that were for beginners. So I didn't think anything of it when Kyle said that he wants to go on one last hike before we leave.






I should have read the fine print on this sign before the hike that says: This rocky uneven trail is not for anyone fearful of heights, although most drop-offs are fenced!


MOST drop offs are fenced! Are you CRAZY!?

I wasn't even aware of this when we started this nice little hike and I was doing OK until I saw this nice walk way.













If you look closely toward the middle of the turn, there isn't any ground underneath the walkway! I immediately said uh huh! I am not going on that thing! I can't even see where this walkway leads too except sudden death if I fall! But then a little boy comes running across like it was nothing and then the Dad follows right behind him. I looked at Kyle and said "if he could do it, I can too. Let's go!" Luckily it was a little curve and then we were past that part. Most of the trail was along the cliffs edge and wasn't paved or very sturdy. However, the hike was beautiful and led to a beautiful overlook of the canyon.


So now I feel like I have overcome my fear of heights and now I am feeling more adventurous so I told Kyle next time I want to go here- way down deep in the canyon (which is called canyoneering).


Our pictures of Zion don't even capture the amazing place that it is. You have to go to really understand the peacefulness and beauty of Zion. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed spending time with Kyle's mom. She was a great hostess and took wonderful care of us! Thanks Momma J!

About Me!

So it's the end of the school year and I'm so done with teaching, students, meetings, students, testing, and students. Did I mention that I'm done with my students? The end of the year is always so interesting because the kids are so calm most of the year (almost not even breathing at some points in the year) and at the end of the year they are plugged in! It's almost like they start to realize that they are going to miss me, so they act crazy so that I will turn into Hulk teacher. Then they can leave for the summer hating me because I was so mean. Anyway, it was a interesting day and I now have a million things to PLUS make dinner, which is my least favorite thing to do at night. So instead of doing what I have to do, I'm going to tell you some things about me.

My favorites

Food: I love food! I'm kinda obsessed with it because I'm constantly thinking about what I'm going to eat the next meal, even if I have just eaten. I love macaroni and cheese. I know its a kid food but its such a great comfort food that I can eat a whole box of it and not even blink an eye. I love my Dad's food because he makes really good home cooked meals. I'm also a candy connoisseur! As long as it has sugar, I will eat it!

Animals: I love most animals but I especially like sea turtles. They are so peaceful and graceful and I definitely want to be one in my next life.

Outfit: I love skirts and cardigans and I'm always wearing my sketchers. I'm a Sketchers girl! I even wore a pair on my wedding day!

Accessory: my wedding ring which I love to stare at and think back to our wedding day.

City: Santa Barbara

Hobbies: Crafts (scrapbooking and card making), reading, baking and dreaming of becoming an exercise enthusiast

Holiday: Christmas, even though it is always so busy and stressful

Movie: You've Got Mail, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Cast Away and many, many more.

Song: Wind Beneath My Wings- Bette Midler- reminds me of my senior year of high school and all of the drama that went with it. Great times!

Guilty Pleasure: reality TV is sooo bad but oh so good! I can't stay away from it!

Five things you may or may not know about me:

1. I was a synchronized swimmer for 7 years, but had to quit because I had a pinched nerve in my back.

2. I hate when people wear masks. I usually have to make eye contact when I'm talking to a person and I really hate it when I can't see someone's face.

3. I buy books and never read them. So I guess you could say I'm a book collector.

4. I love Starbucks Iced Tea!

5. I wish that I didn't love teaching so much because at the moment it's not a very dependable job.

Well I guess I should go make dinner! Yay.

Michelle