Life Journey List

I turned 35 years old a couple of weeks ago and while it wasn't a big birthday to most people, it kinda was to me. The week before this birthday I started to think about how long I have left on this earth. Most people live well into their 70's and 80's, so I feel like this birthday was the half way mark for me in life. Now this doesn't mean that I'm going through some silly mid-life crisis. It's nothing like that. But I started to really think about how I want to live the rest of my life, things I want to accomplish and places I want to go. Most people create a bucket list of some sort but I think of this more as a life journey list. So here are 20 goals on my life journey list that I hope to accomplish!

1.  Read the bible

2.  Get baptized


3.  Visit all 50 states

4.  Watch my future nieces and/or nephews grow up and be a part of their lives

5.  Make my Grandmother's homemade macaroni and cheese just the way she does and have it taste just like hers

6.  Buy a home

7.  Grow old with Kyle

8.  Go on a cruise to Alaska (and port to take the train inland)

9.  Learn to play the cello

10.  Feed the homeless

11.  Adopt a dog from a shelter

12.  Travel to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower

13.  Be healthy and happy

14.  Help my parents and Kyle's parents as they get older

15.  Write a children's book

16.  Move to a state that has less traffic and cooler weather

17.  Celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square

18.  Scuba dive with sea turtles
 
19.  Learn to go with the flow and accept things the way they are

20.  Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

What are some goals on your life journey (bucket) list?

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!

1. Kyle had a gig last Saturday with his new cover band Ghostpepper. It was great to see him play again! His band rocked! It was a full night of Van Halen, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Waylon Jennings, Edgar Winter, Credence Clearwater Revival and much more. Unfortunately, it made for a late night and I have been trying to catch up on sleep all week because of it. It was worth it though. If you're interested, check out their Facebook page for upcoming gigs.

2.My Mom had surgery last week and she got out of the hospital on Tuesday. We are really close, so it has been hard to watch her go through so much pain. I can't wait until she is back to feeling like herself!

3. I had three warts removed on my hand this week by a torture device liquid nitrogen. Painful doesn't even begin to describe this horrendous procedure. It was nice to be bandaged up at work a couple of times this week to help me heal. 

4. This week I have been pretty grumpy at times with some of my students. Long story short- the honeymoon is over! Yet I still hear "you're the bestest teacher ever" from some of them. They are just trying to butter me up, which of course is working. I love teaching first grade!

5. I'm so happy that Fall is finally in the air and at the grocery stores! Yay for pumpkin spice kisses and Starbucks drinks!

High Five for Friday and August

Happy Friday! This Friday is extra happy for me.  I took the day off so we could head to the Disneyland area to get ready for the Disney half marathon this Sunday. 

This month has been so busy since I have gone back to work, so I'm going to wrap up August in this High Five for Friday post.

1. My birthday this year was awesome! Every year it seems to get better. This year included lots of sweets, family love and time with friends! I even got love from my students who had only known me three days! I have to share this really cute necklace and bracelet set I got from my husband. I love Skippyjon Jones! If you don't know who he is then you're missing out and you need to google him ASAP!

2. I worked my tush off in my classroom before my students arrived this year. I can be kind of a perfectionist when it comes to getting my bulletin boards and classroom set up. This year wasn't any different. I am so proud of this bulletin board I made (with the help of my first grade team members) to use while my students read stories.

I also made this classroom rewards chart based off another teacher's idea I saw on Pinterest. So long treasure box and tons of money spent on junk! Hello cheap rewards! Check out the link if you are curious to see how this rewards poster works.

So far I'm loving my class. I only have 22 students right now and it's been really nice with a class size that small. Last year I had 32 at the most and it was just constant crowd control. I hope I can continue to have a small class size this year.

3. This weekend is the Disney half marathon that I was supposed to train for all Summer. I trained a little, but nearly what I had planned. Long story short, I'm not a runner, I'm a swimmer. I will finish the half though. I will! I will! I will! i hope.

4.We celebrated my brother's birthday a week early because of the run this weekend. I put together a bag of bacon items for him because he is crazy about bacon. He loved it! I just hope he doesn't torment his vegetarian girlfriend with all of this items.

Just a few items that I bought for him along with a bacon gift bag and even a bacon card!

5. It has been so hot and humid here that I haven't taken Banner for any long walks since I have been back to work. Instead, we have been keeping him occupied with silly games and lots of play time.

Yes, he has a shirt on.

Have a great weekend!

High Five for Friday- Goodbye Summer, Hello Classroom

This is the last Friday (and last day) of Summer break. I'm sad, but this Summer has really been pretty good to me, so I'm kinda OK with going back to work. For this week's High Five for Friday I'm giving you my top five memories of this summer.

1. Pennsylvania trip with my hubby- Gettysburg Civil War reenactments, Amish farmland and quilts and some pretty yummy food.

2. Grand Canyon trip with my family- three day trip with a train ride to the Grand Canyon and back.

3. Beach days- I only managed to get two beach days in so far this Summer, but they were pretty great beach days.

4. Eating junk food- Recently I have eaten way too many of these and they are incredibly addicting! I highly recommend that you make them and then share them with others eat all of them!

5. Relaxation time- I had a good amount of time to relax this Summer. I was able to visit with family, friends and also enjoy some quiet time alone. 

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! I'm back to share my week and to link up again with Lauren Elizabeth. 

1. The highlight of my week was swimming at the gym. I know this doesn't sound all that wonderful, but this is a huge thing for me.  I have been wanting to do it for at least a year now, but didn't have the cojones to do it. Now I'm hooked! I'm a swimmer at heart and I am dying to go again. I'm even thinking of trying the aqua aerobics classes.

2. A friend and I went to Crystal Cove beach. Perfect weather, beautiful waves and dolphins! It was a great day!

Seeing the dolphins was so exciting!

3. Scrumptious macaroons from the Sweet and Saucy Shop. I'm in love with macaroons! So. Freakin'. Good.

4. I'm a swinger! No, not that kind of swinger! I love to sit outside in my new porch swing and watch the hummingbirds.

My pup chillin' with me while I'm on the swing.

5. Summer break is over in 9 days (boooo!) so I took some time this week to start preparing for the new school year. I usually get excited about going back to work, but the excitement hasn't hit me yet this Summer.

What was the highlight of your week?

High Five for Friday

I have been wanting to do a weekly blog post for a while now as a way to blog more often. I was recently introduced to High Five for Friday posts by a friend (the idea is originally from Lauren Elizabeth's blog) and I decided to jump on the idea. So, here goes nothin'!

1. I came back from a Grand Canyon trip with my family (minus my brother and hubby). It was a quick trip and I can't wait to get back to do some more hiking there. This trip plus the trip to Pennsylvania this month makes it a totally of 12 days of being gone on vacation this month. I'm so excited to be home for a while. Now if I could just get time to slow down before school starts again.

2. We went to the Redlands Theater Festival with some friends this week. I was shocked that there was this cute outdoor theater in the middle of the park that we had our wedding reception. Who knew that was hiding there?! It was nice to reminisce about our wedding and the play was pretty awesome as well.

 

3. As soon as I got back from the family trip, I had to finish this puzzle I started before I left. I haven't done a puzzle in a really long time and it was a nice time waster way to relax.

4. I got in a really good run/walk on the treadmill to keep the training going for my half marathon in September. 34 more days to go! EEEEKKK!

5. A friend and I had a really good lunch at Luna's and then went swimming at her house. Her dogs are so much fun. They love to swim and chase after the Frisbee for hours!

The never ending school year and my dreams of Summer vacation

Five more days with kiddos and eight more torturous days left of work! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! But I'm actually not and that is what STINKS! In a previous post I was excited to see my little first graders become butterflies. Well, now they are butterflies and most of them are fluttering around making me crazy. I'm trying to enjoy the last few days with them because I know I'm going to be sad when they are gone. I actually have a really good group of students this year and I love them to death, except when they make me crazy. Did I tell you that they are making me crazy? This summer will be the first summer in six years that I won't have to worry about whether or not I have a job next school year. I feel so relieved that the worry is gone and now I'm just focused on Summer.

Speaking of Summer, I have been making a long mental list of fun things that I want to do this Summer. When you are a teacher, Summer vacation is a time when you can relax and focus on yourself after worrying about kiddos for the last ten months. Here are the top five items on my Summer to do list.

1. Beach- every Summer I say that I am going to go to the beach and I never do. Most of the time I don't go because who really wants to drag all of your crap to a place where you spend the day in the hot sun and then leave with a whole bunch of sand in your suit? Well I am really missing the beach right now, so my hope is to visit the beach once a week this Summer. Hopefully I can get a lot of reading done and maybe even get a nice tan!

Campfire Bars- A must try this Summer

2.Cook, BBQ and make lots of yummy things to eat- I pin a bizzilion things on Pinterest, (Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a pinaholic) but I don't take the time to make anything. I am hoping to cook a lot and also get the hubby to BBQ this Summer. He can BBQ like a master chef and I am always willing to be his taste tester.

3. Scrapbooking- I hate to admit it, but I still haven't finished my wedding scrapbook from three years ago. I almost finished though, so that is getting finished this year along with a couple other projects.

 4. Exercising- I haven't been to the gym in almost two weeks and I can feel it. I can't wait to get back into an exercise routine and get ready for the half marathon in September. I have realized that I am not a runner. I don't enjoy it like I do swimming. But maybe that will change in the next couple of months.

5. Travel- this Summer we are going to Pennsylvania for the Battle of Gettysburg's 150th anniversary. While I am not super excited about the battle stuff, I am excited about sight seeing in Philadelphia. It's always nice to get out of California for a bit and see new places. 

What fun things do you have planned for this Summer?