Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

These days, people challenge themselves to do just about anything. Running every day, eating healthier, reading more, etc. Generally, people put a time limit on their challenges, like working out every day for a month. Time limits force you to keep up with your challenge and allow results to be visible. If you just say, "I want to run every day for a week," and then expect to be able to run a particular race, well, it just ain't gonna happen. And so I scrounged around online, searching for a blogging challenge. As I may have said before, coming up with topics isn't always easy, so having topics already lined up makes my life happier. September has 30 days, so what a better time to start? I found three or four, which all had the same basic topics in different orders. I decided to edit the lists myself and compile them and delete parts I didn't like. Some of the items I'm still not crazy about, but whatever. Some topics will allow for more depth, while other

It was a fateful Monday in 2005--November 28, to be exact. I was sitting at home with my siblings, flipping through channels. We ended up on channel 3 (CBS), and then I witnessed one of my favorite episodes of television. It was all about a guy named Ted getting incredibly drunk, wanting to see some penguins at the zoo, and his friend Marshall, who kept asking about a pineapple. And I was hooked. This was The Pineapple Incident, and it began my 7.5 season following of How I Met Your Mother. This show is amazing and has always been amazing and will always be amazing! And, as many people know, we finally got our first glimpse of "The Mother," after eight seasons of clues and hints. The writing on HIMYM is incredible. It is amazing how many times they reference something in, say, the second season, and it finally is manifested in the fifth season. When I go back and rewatch it (p.s., the first seven seasons are available for streaming on Netflix) back to back straight through

Part two of the series...I love doing these posts. I love thinking about the crazy (and everyday) things that my husband will need to know about me. As the plaque in my summer boss's kitchen reads, "Happy Wife, Happy Life." I hope all of these make sense, as my brain was slow-cooked in a huge convection oven all day (aka, my classroom). Dear Future Husband: We will have air conditioning (not sure why this would be an issue). Remember that in most school buildings (where I work), there is not central air. When I have spent a day in a 95 degree classroom with 20 little heaters (aka:  children), the air conditioning had better be running when I get home. And you might want to have a Strawberry Lemonade Mike's Hard waiting for me :) DFH:  I'm not super into PDA, but subtlety is awesome. Holding hands, your arm around my shoulders or waist, touching the small of my back or my arm, playing with my hair, all those are good, plus whatever you want to add. Just remembe

I know, I know. My birthday isn't for two more months. And it's my 25th birthday!!! And I'm trying not to think about how old that sounds or the fact that I'm still single and living at home, 'cause when I think about that my stomach goes into knots and I feel like crying...so we aren't going to think about that! Instead, in honor of my quarter-century birthday, I am going to put together my birthday wish list. Just so some of you know...so you can start shopping :) I had hoped to make it fun and do 25 things on this list, but it was hard enough coming up with 20! So I'm leaving it at 20. Some are serious, some are jokes, and some sound like jokes but are actually serious...it's up to you to figure out which is which. Let's start small (and semi-realistic) and work our way up! 1. Copper Season 1 DVD Seriously, like you couldn't figure this one out? 2. Fired Up by Mary Connealy The next book in her current series...I NEED it! 3. H

There are some awesome classroom themes out there. Any teacher store is jammed full of borders and posters and nametags and various cutouts in any sort of theme one can imagine. Owls. Cowboys. Pirates. Polka dots and stripes and animal print. In fact, I don't know any teacher who can go into a teacher store without rethinking their entire year plan. "Oh, that would be so much fun!" "Those zoo animals are soooo cute!" "That border would look awesome!" I have seen some very cool ones. Most of the people in my building have awesome themes in their rooms. Last year, I tried to go my own way and make my theme items--a rock and roll theme. But I didn't keep up with it, and to be honest, it was difficult to find things to supplement it. This year, however, I went a different route. I decided I still wanted to do a lot of it myself. Maybe it's the scrapbooker in me, I don't know, but I got it in my head that I could make everything and it would

It is almost that time--the time when all the good shows come back on television for their new seasons. How do I know? Because it always coincides with the beginning of school. We have just enough time to adjust to being back in school, and then our evenings are bombarded with new episodes of our favorite sitcoms and dramas, cop shows and science fiction serials. But some shows choose to start earlier, which is a welcome change. Instead of having nothing to watch, there are certain days of the week which provide wonderful entertainment. Especially Saturday nights on AMC. That's right-- Hell on Wheels is back! The third season began with a two hour premiere on August 10, which was long overdue. How any fan of this show has managed to survive since the second season finale is beyond me. So many cliffhangers left...hanging, I guess. As far as characters go, Cullen Bohannon has been touted as one of the most complex heroes in any Western. Some even wonder if he shouldn't

**Disclaimer:  I actually wrote this two weeks ago, but for some reason, it never posted.** Having spent the last day and a half moving furniture and tearing out carpet to make way for much needed new carpet ( much needed...green shag has to go!), I have been thinking about my dream home quite a lot. The things I want, the things I certainly don't want...and I thought this might make a list. I won't put a number on this list, because I have no idea how many things I will be able to come up with...I'm very tired and sore! So, in no particular order... The Top [insert number] Features of my Dream Home 1. A view This is quite important. I want to be able to look out my windows and not see an ugly house or a gas station. It might not be much, but I like that when I look out my windows now, all I see is cornfields (and bean fields). I don't care if it is water or mountains or prairie--at least one side of the house needs to have a beautiful view. 2. A kitchen isl

I'm back from my two-week hiatus. We have been putting in new carpet, which means things were not where they should have been. My computer was frequently in my car, which was obviously not in my house, which means I didn't get a chance to post. And school buildings are open, classrooms need to be decorated, lesson plans need to be dusted off...lots of stuff going on everywhere. But I'm back, and I have a rambling for you. You know when a person says that something is the "best thing ever?" The best movie ever, the best restaurant ever, the best blah blah blah ever? And then they make you experience it for the first time with them, and you're completely underwhelmed? But you don't want to say the food or movie or book was terrible? Well, that is how I feel about When Harry Met Sally. I know. I must be a cynic, I must be anti-romantic, I must be something horrible, but the first time I watched that movie, I hated it. I don't know why. I think part