Ramblings of a Thirty-Something

Spoiler alert:  if you have not watched Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother and you plan to do so, read this post after watching. That is all. Okay, I don't know if all HIMYM fans will agree with me, but I thought Monday's episode, "How Your Mother Met Me" was absolutely perfect! It was everything I have been wanting from this season all rolled up into a thirty minute episode. We open on the night Ted meets Robin, where season 1 begins, and follow a red-head from one MacLaren's Pub to another as she attends her roommates 21st birthday celebration. Surprise--the roommate is The Mother! And we immediately open her story with tragedy. Her absolutely wonderful boyfriend (amazing that we know so little about him and yet can pick it up with just a few details) has died tragically in an accident of some kind. The episode follows her to all the places where she and Ted just miss each other--the St. Patrick's Day party, the first day of Ted's teachi

Sorry, I've been absent for a while. Blame the weather, blame my schedule, blame laziness...any one of the three would be good choices. However, I am excited about this post, which should leave my readers thinking one of two things:  either it's about something completely random, or it's about Tolkien. If you chose the second, you would be in the subgroup called "correct." Awhile ago, my dear friend send this Pin to me on Pinterest. I love it when someone knows you so well that they see you in random things. Meagan knew I would love this Pin, partly because she has been my best friend for 15.5 years, and in those years, I have dragged her to see both parts of The Hobbit movie, as well as made her sit through countless discussions on the Lord of the Rings movies. And partly because she knew this Pin sums up my singleness: And the sad part is this is completely true. So many girls blame Disney movies for why they can't find a guy--the falling in love in

I didn't intend to do this post today--I have a really fun one that I'm planning (well, I think it's fun...you know how that goes). But instead, I decided to post about something equally fun. Plus, it gives me a new angle for my blog:  people appreciation. Yep, I know lots of people. Maybe not as many as some, but probably more than others. I know good people, bad people, great people, average people, silly people, happy people...So I think occasionally I might do a post appreciating those people (look for a very similar post in April!). And today's is incredibly special, because it celebrates one of the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful women I know--my grandma. Today is my Grandma Fink's birthday, and it does not seem right to celebrate her day without thinking back on all that woman has done for me. She was one of my first teachers (and I don't mean in school...although I am proud to say that I was one of her students then, as well). She taught me how

One of my favorite How I Met Your Mother moments of all time is in the second season Christmas episode, where Ted and Lily are fighting. The moment I am referring to is when Ted reveals to Marshall a secret of Lily's from college. Lily tells Ted that she has always wanted an Easy Bake Oven, but Marshall doesn't know that until Ted spills the beans, resulting in an amazing Christmas surprise for Lily. I think everyone has some of those secret wants--things you would like someone to do for you, but it would ruin the effect if you specifically told that person you wanted that. Does that make sense? I hope so. The thing is, you have to tell someone so they can tell that special someone else, whether that is a friend, a family member, or your future spouse. So, now that I have this blog--which isn't private and therefore I don't care if people read, unlike my journal--I'm going to list those secret wants here. Then whenever someone needs to read this (or pass on th

I can't decide if it is more fun having snow days as a teacher or as a student. When I was a kid, it was always great to play outside in the snow and watch cartoons all day and eat a fun lunch like hot dogs and macaroni and cheese...boy, those were the days! Now I'm a teacher, and snow days are a little different. Sure, it will kinda stink to have to go to school in June, but honestly, my heater doesn't work half the time, so it doesn't bother me too much. I love being at home in winter--I hate having to bundle up and leave my warm, comfortable house. And the nice thing about June days is that the sun is still high in the sky when you get home from school, unlike some winter days when I have lots to do and have to stay late. There is still plenty of time to do things outside! But I still love snow days...and here's why! 1. Sleeping in! These days, that means like 7:30, but it is still nice to not have to wake up before the sun...especially since it is winter and I a

As I sit writing this post, the wind is howling outside, whipping about puffs of snow, making roads impassable and limiting visibility. It seems a fitting time to comment on the entire season of winter, especially now that we are entering its middle third. Some people love winter; some people hate it. I would say I am mostly the former and only a little of the latter--it isn't my favorite season, but neither do I dread its coming. This season, like most, has its upsides and its downsides. I suppose, just as with everything, it is better to start out with the negatives and then end on a positive note. Just to prevent too much rambling, I am limiting myself to three of each. Here goes... Three Reasons I do not like Winter 1. The ice Goodness mercy-me in heaven, do I hate ice! I hate ice you can see and ice you can't. I'm not even overly fond of ice in my drinks. One good slip-and-fall is all it takes for me to instantly wish for summer breezes and sunshine. 2. The

2013 is over. It was a good year--lots of changes, lots of things to think about revisiting or redoing for the next year. Was it a great year? Maybe, maybe not. But I would definitely say it was a good year. Time to look forward at 2014. What do I want out of this year? Where do I want to be on December 31, 2014? Not literally, but as a person. To help with this, I have accumulated a list of goals for the coming year. Not resolutions, mind you, but goals. I see them as different things. My resolutions are things like "living healthier by eating right and exercising." My goals are quite different and much more specific (for the most part). 1. Move out of my parents' house. I am grateful to my parents for letting me live with them since I graduated college. At first, I didn't have a job, so financially I couldn't afford to move out. Now that I have a job which is fifteen minutes away from home, it hasn't really made sense to move out. Why not save money? Pr