Thursday, August 28, 2014

different



i wish things were different

On this crazy ride called life, things certainly don't always go the way we would like them to and they say that's what makes us "stronger"...well who knows about that part, I think it just makes me more frustrated. 

I'm speaking specifically of the actions/words of people around me. Honestly, I feel like I've grown tremendously in the past few years in my "tolerance" of other peoples differences (or faults, if you want to call them that). I get that we are all different and that's what makes the world go around, but ultimately, my tolerance will wear thin on certain days and then I just don't feel so good. Yesterday sort of ended up being a bit like that. 

Some of the things I've just come to "accept" (although not always willingly) are:

-co-workers who dump their frustrations on me & then when I open my mouth, they interrupt or "have to go" back to their classroom...no reciprocation of listening. thank you not so much.

-family members who don't put in the level of effort or care that I think they should. Ok, this is vague, so let's just say, I'm tired of seeing my friends parents take the grandkids for the weekend or to dinner or for ice cream after school. This NEVER happens in my life and there are soooo many other scenarios I could list here, but that will only start my blood boiling, so no point in that, it's too early in the morning to feel that way. It makes me tremendously sad for Ethan and I think one day someone else will realize their fault in this and feel bad. Maybe.

-seeing someone I love change in a way I don't love due to influence of someone else in their life. this one is really hard.

-other co-workers who make statements like "it's not about me" and then proceed to talk all about themselves. what? seriously? did you hear yourself?

-family members who think they know all & have no problem telling you so.

-people who say they are going to do "something" and then just don't. Please don't even mention it then. This one gets under my skin. a lot.

-being "sort of" invited to an event...but yet, it doesn't feel like you are really wanted there.

And for the record, I've kept my mouth shut, not saying anything to any of these "offenders" about wishing they did things differently...sometimes I feel like they are walking all over me but most of the time, I'm just able to ignore and move on. I did address a small issue yesterday evening w/one person and did not at all get the response I thought I would. More hurt. It's just better to ignore and move on. I lost some precious hours of sleep because of it and now I'll pay for that today. Ugh. 
"TO DWELL ON THE PAST SIMPLY CAUSES FAILURE IN THE PRESENT... you are crippling... and preventing yourself from working in the present. Is that Christianity? Of course it is not," Martyn Lloyd-Jones. DON'T DESPAIR. Romans 8:28 says that God will work all things for our good.

This long weekend is coming at a perfect time and I cannot wait to detach from "real life", ignore email & text messages and pretend that my life is all sand and sunshine, even if it is only for 3 days. I will be absolutely ecstatic as we head out of town Friday after school, fulfilling my need to "escape" from all the crap of this week (and the last couple as well). 

I just hope to feel renewed when we come back.

And I guess the worst part of it all is that because most of this is from the people closest to me, who I would normally "go to" in a time of sadness/frustration/worry...I'm left with no one to go to to "air my thoughts"...because sometimes being heard REALLY IS all we need. 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Post By Numbers

With just a few days before our weekend getaway, I'll do anything to pass the time...so I thought I'd put together a little "post by numbers"...

2 -  days until we leave for SC. the school bell on Friday will be music to my ears. :)

3 - lovely days to spend doing nothing but soaking up the sun, getting sand in my toes and eating at Poe's Tavern.

5 - glorious hours on the road to SC in which I will be reading, the entire time. wahoo!!

38 - books read so far this year.

52 - book goal for the year. happy to be 5 books ahead of schedule right now.

90 - high temp for today and the past 5 days as well as the next 4!! Hot!!




Monday, August 25, 2014

Bout of Books - Update for Days 5, 6 & 7

Bout of Books

Day 5 - Friday
Pages read: 50

Day 6 - Saturday
Pages read: 30

Day 7 - Sunday
Pages read: 15

Total pages read for BoB 11.0: 240

So, with that, I did NOT meet my goal of beating my progress in BoB 10.0 which was 438.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Bout of Books - Day 4 Update

Bout of Books


Another sad and pitiful reading day thanks to an evening obligation at work...

29 pages.

Still plugging away at The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes and loving it...too bad I need to sleep or maybe I would have made more progress. :)

Hoping Saturday & Sunday I get LOTS of reading time!!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts





Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
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Bout of Books
1. I'm participating in Bout of Books again, but it's gonna be VERY DIFFICULT to beat my last round, specifically because this is the 2nd week of school and I have 2 evening functions to attend at school, which completely cuts into my reading time. Total bummer.


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2. I know I'm late to the party (newsflash!), but I'm finally reading The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes and it is fabulous!! Wowsers!! Last night it really got good and I didn't want to stop reading, but was simply out of time if I didn't want to be zombie-like today at work. 

3. The past two years I have taken a Personal Day on my birthday and spent it with my mom. Riding roller coasters. All day long. Truth. Well, I'm happy that my birthday falls on a Saturday this year so I can conserve the Personal Day (we only get 2). The other side of that is that it's been nice to take the day and have a break from the chaos of the start of the school year. I've been plenty busy this year and am already feeling how wonderful it would be to have a day to simply sit and be and read. alone. It's too early to feel like this. Help!!



4. In late July, we had a neighbor bring us a dog he found in the neighborhood. Why he brought him to our house, I'll never know. Anyway, the dog stayed w/us for 4 days. He is a chocolate lab. Super sweet. Kind to E, didn't bother the cats (or eat their poop, which dogs do)...all around a good dog. Had a collar. No tags. After 4 days and being woken at 6am on the last few of my summer days so he could go outside, I was strongly reminded that we do not have the lifestyle for a dog. A big dog at that. I was a week from going back to work and wigging out about not finding the owner. We put signs up, posted on craigslist etc. I got in touch w/a great rescue group and took him to her in the afternoon of the 4th day. E cried a little bit. I felt like crap. Fast forward...owners called me THAT night (of course)...turns out it's a single mom, 2 boys - high school & college age...she can't afford the dog. Hadn't had shots in 5 years, gets out of their fence ALL THE TIME...like 10 times in past 6 months. Miracle the poor guy hasn't gotten hurt. Anyway, she surrenders the dog to the rescue officially. Then I start thinking we need to get him back because he is so fabulous. E is excited. O is on board for the most part. We planned to pick him up after Labor Day weekend. Now that we've done this crazy a** "wake up and get ready for school" routine for two weeks, reality has set in and I once again am made aware as to why we do not have a dog. Once we get home, do homework, dinner and shower, it's bed time...where and when do I take poor puppy for a walk? And that's not counting the nights we have baseball or TaeKwonDo!! No one is home all day. He would be alone. Doggie daycare is EXPENSIVE. All that to say I sent an email yesterday to say that we will not be able to get the dog. Kinda sad, but also kinda relieved. I hope they find him a home with someone home during the day and with more free time.

5. Yesterday is was blazing hot and muggy. I had planned to go to the YMCA after work but when I witnessed the nasty weather on my quick lunch/errand run, I decided we would go to the pool after school instead. More fun. More refreshing. At 3pm a massive thunderstorm rages in and lasts for a couple hours, off and on...we ended up at the YMCA. 

6. I recently discovered that Matilda Jane makes clothes for WOMEN, not just girls...oh my goodness....I'm obsessed. I have yet to own a piece but 2 skirts are en route to my house as we speak and I'm constantly surfing Ebay...there are so many pieces I want. It's all so cute and comfy!!!

7. My brain and audiobooks just don't get along. I don't have ADD or any other attention deficit problem, but when I've tried to listen to an audiobook in my car, my mind drifts and before I know it, 10 minutes have passed and I have NO idea what happened in the story. Oops.

8. I'm going to meet author Dorothea Benton Frank in November and am super excited!! My mom and I will be attending her FanFest Weekend in Charleston, SC. Oh yes, I'll be using one of those elusive Personal Days for that!!

9. I've been working really hard this week monitoring my eating, drinking lots of H2O and striving for at least 10K steps per day and I'm happy to report I have lost 3.5lbs so far. Woohoo!! It was so much easier when I could run though. 

10. I'm ready for the work week to be over.

Bout of Books - Day 3 Update



Bout of Books



Well, hooray for progress...definitely better than Tuesday though not spectacular. I read a total of 73 pages in The Girl You Left Behind and honestly I did not want to put it down but I was just too tired to continue and that 5:45am alarm comes way to quick as it is.


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Tonight is another function at work so it's not likely that I'll get much reading done...total bummer too because the book has gotten REALLY good!!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Bout of Books - Day 2 Update

Bout of Books

It was a sad, sad day in the reading world for me.

6 pages!!!

Yes, that's right...6 whopping pages.

That's what happens when:
(1) you work all day
(2) take your son to his taekwondo class
(3) race back to work for parent orientation night
(4) get home at 8:45pm and have all those lovely "get ready for the next day" duties to do
(5) crash into bed at 10:30 or so having read only 6 pages before almost falling asleep

Here's hoping Wednesday allows for more reading time.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Bout of Books- Day 1 Update




Bout of Books


The first day of BoB for me was not stellar...a whopping 37 pages. That is all. Sad but true.

I'm reading a couple different books right now, but the 37 pages I read were in The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes. So far, so good...I just ran out of time to read anymore last night.

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Here's hoping today is better for reading, though it's doubtful since I have a busy after work schedule, which includes returning to work for another 2 hours! Beginning of the school year joy.

Monday, August 18, 2014

10 things that make me happy today


I was inspired by Sara's post - found here to document 10 things that make me happy today. I'm not gonna lie...this will be a challenge indeed...especially today, it's Monday.

1. "Mom & Ethan time"...I love when it's just me and E...which is quite often really, but yesterday was a great example of this as O had to work out of town, which is rare on a Sunday, so E an I had yet another day to ourselves. We met mom/grandma at the mall for a couple of hours, but the highlight of the day was that Ethan was challenged by his little friend from TaeKwonDo class to do the Ice Bucket Challenge. We quickly gathered what we needed and Ethan was all for it...you can see the video on my FB page and it was hilarious. Lots of comments about his laugh...and I must agree, he has a great laugh. 

2. South Carolina. And that we will be there in 10 days. With our trips to FL and MI this summer and O's crazy work schedule, we never made it to the beach, so we are beach-bound for Labor Day Weekend and I cannot wait.

3. Bout of Books. Starts today...yet one more "incentive" to read (as if I needed it)...hoping for lots of reading time this week. First I need a book though...can't decide what to start next.

4. YMCA. I'll definitely be heading there today after work and even though right now I dread having to go, I know that I'll feel better afterwards. I'm pretty frustrated with my weight right now too since I've been unable to run for 11 months (thanks to my NON-arthroscopic knee surgery) and have gained 11 pounds as a result. Yesterday, I walked at the park, tracked my food intake, drank 7 glasses of water and yet was up 1 pound. Hence why this "happy" post is such a challenge...I'm really not feeling so "happy" this morning.

5. Diet Dr. Pepper. My morning routine includes a stop at ChickFila for a large diet dr. pepper...truly the best tasting fountain drink ever. Sure, McDonalds and Sonic have it too, but it DOES NOT taste as good there. 

6. Disney Dollars. Continually on a mission to earn these. We want to do the Disney Cruise next year (June, I hope) and every Disney Dollar I can earn before then will certainly help, as with all things Disney, it's not cheap!!

7. To-Do-Lists. Who doesn't love a "to-do" list and checking things off? Hoping to feel great sense of accomplishment today as I schedule all my classroom guidance lessons.

8. 3:45. End of the work day. 'Nuff said.

9. My iPad. I love the versatility...I can surf the web while at E's TaeKwonDo classes or I can read my books, check email and/or Tweet. I love technology.

10. People who listen. If I come across someone for this category today, it will make me happy. So far, I've only encountered the complete opposite..those who want to "dump" their frustrations on me and then the minute I open my mouth, they are interrupting me. I work with a gal who is the prime offender in this and she's already graced me with her presence today. I'm so lucky.

Phew...there are my 10. It was NOT easy.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts


Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
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1. If you know me well, you could have guessed that #1 on this list would be Robin Williams. Here's the thing...I've NEVER been one to get all caught up or really that upset about celeb deaths, I mean, I'm not heartless, they are sad but I'm just not a pop culture follower and so I move on quickly....NOT the case this time. Four days later and I still have heartache over this. I've read A TON of  comments and articles on-line and it seems like Robin left us all feeling like we lost an uncle or a brother. Somehow through the magic of all that he was and did, we all felt SO close to him and are feeling a tremendous sense of loss. I anticipate it's gonna be a while until I'm feeling "better" and he's not passing through my mind every couple minutes. And I just can't stop asking "why?"...why it had to happen? why he was left alone? why did he die in the way that he did? It's just all so sad and yet sad isn't even a strong enough word.

2. We are on day #3 of school...so far so good in my neck of the woods, but certainly that will change...I have a TON of scheduling work to do, which I keep procrastinating. Yikes.


3. Currently reading 3 books...oops. How does that happen? Still plugging away on Skeletons at the Feast - almost done-yay!! Also reading Masterminds & Wingmen...only a few pages in really. Also picked up Flora & Ulysses - hoping it would be good for a school book club...it's a cute story, but not sure it's book club material.

4. Speaking of book clubs...I have my book club meeting tonight. We are discussing Wife 22, which I read ages ago so I will likely have NOTHING of value to contribute to the discussion since I don't remember it well and have read at least 30 books since. Oof!!

Bout of Books
5. I'm all signed up (again) for Bout of Books - starts on August 18th...my goal is simply to exceed the # of pages I read last time...which will be a challenge considering we are back in school/work. I really need this challenge to happen during the summer. :)

6. I remain frustrated with my knee and inability to run. I've been walking as much as possible, striving for at least 10K steps daily, but honestly, some days it just doesn't happen. And some days I get 15k or more....thing is, walking (alot) is NOT the same as running. My body (and the scale) know that.  Ugh!

7. Need to start a countdown for Labor Day weekend...we are making a mad dash for the beach since we never got there over the summer. Cannot wait!! We leave in 15 days. Woot!!


Thursday, August 07, 2014

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts



Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).
*********************************************************************************

1. Goodness...summer is over. back to work...these are the words on constant repeat in my brain right now. I think it's my reaction to denial. Reading time for me has plummeted. So sad.
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2. I've been reading "Skeletons at the Feast" by Chris Bohjalian since July 28th and well, it's (clearly) taking some effort to get through...which really bums me out because it sounds FABULOUS...and maybe it eventually will be, but I'm making such slow progress that it's been hard to tell. Currently on page 135 of 360. Ack!

3. I'm teaching myself MS Publisher so that I can put together a rad monthly newsletter at school. Already did the front page yesterday. Maybe then some parents will realize I exist. Or not. But it's fun, so who cares.

4. Highlight of my day today: going to Target after work. Seriously. Yep, you can tell I'm back to work, when that is the highlight of my day. Pathetic. I know. And I'm not even buying anything fun...I need to get a couple of cases of water to have at work so I don't have to remember to bring a few bottles everyday and risk forgetting them...which happens often. 


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5. Had a great visit with a fellow school counselor friend and her son, who is E's age. The boys swam. We talked. and talked. It was great. She always gets me motivated and focused back on school counseling, even when I don't want to be. In fact, she told me about an excellent book called "Masterminds and Wingmen" which I have already put on hold at the library...I am hoping this book gives me the knowledge (and courage) to deal with a specific group of "challenging" students we have this year...oh yeah, and helps keep me sane too.

6. In 2 weeks, I'll be ANOTHER year older...I look forward to my birthday every year like I'm turning 5 years old...seriously, it's like I'm a kid again. I'm an only child, so maybe it's that I like the attention, I don't know really...this year I'm excited though because it's on a Saturday (no work!!) and we are going to Margaritaville for lunch!! It's a new location and though it was going to be my first time to this one; mom, E and I already went earlier in the summer. It was yummy and I'm excited to go back. Other than that, the day will pretty much be about E as he has already rattled off a list of things he wants to do that day since the area is full of attractions and such. I think he's confused as to who's birthday it is. 

7. It would be really nice if my screened in patio was complete by my birthday. This is TOTALLY wishful thinking. You know that whole thing - if  you write it down, there's more chance of it actually happening. I don't think that will work in this case. Ha!

8. As much as I try to come up with 10 things for today...I think 8 is it. Happy Thursday people!!

Bout of Books 11.0

Bout of Books


Seriously, it's that time again....really, though I cannot express how much I would like this to occur during the summer, you know, when I actually have time to read. Oh well...I'm gonna give it a go again anyway. I did recently get wind of a great book I NEED to read for work, READ: in order to survive this school year, so hopefully I'll be getting a lot of reading done during this episode of BoB.

Give it a whirl people...it's good fun and while there is no true competition, you set your own goals so essentially you are only competing w/yourself. My goal is always to do better than I did the last time...or simply, to read more than I did the last time.

And that total last time (May 2014) was 438 pages!!

Since my birthday falls during B0B, maybe I can use that as an excuse to be left in complete peace and allowed to read all day. Yeah, that won't happen. It was worth a try.

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Return to Routine

Yes, back to reality and routines.

The school year is upon us, teachers returned yesterday, that means me. 

Students will be back on the 12th. 

This will be my 5th year as a school counselor. I can hardly believe it.

Id' be lying if I told you I was "fine" that (my) summer was over. 

Yes, it's great to have those 7-8 weeks off, but it makes it oh SO hard to come back.

And this year, it flew by faster than ever before. Not sure how or why.

And now I must get back to planning...