My Real Life "Glee" Moment

Today was my best day of subbing yet! I subbed for two choir teachers at one of the middle schools while they took two of their classes to the opera. The rest of the classes were working on their performances that they will be showcasing at the school talent show on Tuesday and also later on this spring at Hurricane Harbor.

One choir group that I worked with had most of their choreography for their song down, but the choir teachers added some new moves to the ending so before they left I asked them if they wanted me to teach the 6th period group the new choreography. I told them that that would be no problem since I took dance during high school. For some reason they were super impressed by that and asked me if I would try to choreograph the moves for the 8th grade choir performance!! Ahh! How fun! They are going to be singing "ABC, 123" by the Jackson 5! So I put together a pretty simple routine for them to learn. So much more fun then just passing out busy work. It was like I was on the set of Glee! :) I told the kids I would come watch them at their talent show on Tuesday to cheer them on (and to see my awesome dance moves in action ;)! I'm going to be like a proud parent in the audience (ha, or maybe more like the mom in Mean Girls - doing the choreography on the side right along with them!) :) I will also be subbing for them 3 more times next month! Is there a choir teaching position in my future? Umm, no...too bad I have no singing talent. But I can snap my fingers and sway from side to side with the best of them! :) Have a great weekend!!

What's the deal Lance???

When choosing foods to snack on, Mason and I have certain standards that our potential munchies must meet, the most obvious being taste. Once that's out of the way we try to pick snacks that are somewhat nutritious. Ok, so they don't have to be that nutritious, but we're not complete idiots. We don't throw things like cheeto's and ding dongs into the cart, tempting though it may be. Finally, the snack needs to be somewhat filling. After all, isn't that the point of a snack? To tide you over until your next meal...

Well, after years of honing our grocery skills, Mason and I finally settled on the perfect snack. Lance's crackers. And not just any of Lance's crackers, but Lance's Smoke House Cheddar crackers. They are divine. Maybe not high on the nutrition scale, but hey, we could do worse!

The only problem...

Unlike all other variety of Lance crackers (Cream Cheese & Chives, Peanut Butter & Honey, Grilled Cheese), Smoke House Cheddar is not available for purchase in mass quantity. The only way to get a taste of the smoke house deliciousness is to buy the variety pack with only two packs of Smoke House Cheddars per box? Two!? That's stingy Lance! But it get's worse...

Now, they aren't even selling the variety packs that include the Smoke House Cheddar! And not at just one store. All the stores! Why, Lance, Why!?!?!?

I know I am not the only person who is concerned about this. I spoke with my dad's wife about the matter and she is none too happy with Lance for witholding her smoky cheddar. Maybe I should write a letter to Lance. Maybe he'd send me a lifetime supply of Smokehouse yumminess!

Are there any other Lance fans out there?? If not, what are your fav snackies?? I might have to start shopping around for something new to whet my appetite.

Update: Mason was reading this post over my shoulder and thinks that Lance has a conspiracy to short change his customers who are die-hard Smokehouse Cheddar fans by forcing them to buy the "janky" variety pack every time they want some SHC. Thus, increasing sales and profits. This better not be true Lance. Mason might just pull a Steve Martin (a la Father of the Bride) and start pulling out the SHC's and making his own "variety pack". ;)

This post is so random it doesn't have a title

Hi friends. I've been trying to think up a fun blog post for the past couple of days. I got nothing. So I'll just ramble and see where that takes me....

*Mason and I have not been to the grocery store or gym in weeks. We are officially hermits. Everyday we plan out our evenings to include a trip to the g-store and some much needed time working it at the gym. Instead, every night we end up scraping together a meal out of random bits and pieces from the fridge and decide to park it in front of the tv instead of venturing the .25 miles to our gym. At least we aren't eating much though right...? Does that make up for our lack of working out? I think so.

*Yesterday I subbed for some of the brattiest middle schoolers ever! I had to move several students to other desks, I sent one kid to the office and two girls walked out of my classroom even when I told them not to! They rolled their eyes at me and kept walking! The nerve! Don't worry ladies, I got your names and reported you! Ha! I'm all for installing hidden cameras in classrooms so that the parents have proof of what little mosters their kids can be!

*Today I subbed for the sweetest middle schoolers ever who told me how pretty I was and that I was the best sub ever! Awww! ;) Makes it all worth it...

*The weirdest thing has happened since I started being a sub. I no longer bite my nails. Weird. You'd think I'd be biting them harder, but nope. What's up with that??

*I'm already almost broke. I don't get my first substantial sub paycheck until the END of NEXT month. I popped into Target the other night to buy one small thing and nearly cried looking at all of the cute things that I can no longer afford. Tear.

*The best thing about subbing at different schools all week long is that I can repeat outfits all the time and no one is the wiser! :)

*All of these bullet points are about subbing... Ugh, I have nothing else to talk about these days...

*I'm ready for some warm weather so that I can start sporting my cute new flips that Mason's mom gifted to me! (We got matching ones! :) Likey?

*I'm super excited to rent season 5 of Weeds. Mason and I don't have Showtime so we have to catch up once the seasons are over and are available at Blockbuster! Can't wait! :)

Umm, yeah...that's all she wrote. Hope that wasn't a total snooze fest for you all. I'll try and whip up a more cohesive post for next time. Until then.... ;)

"Mean mugging"

Let's start our week off with a little vocabulary lesson shall we. Last week as I was subbing at one of the middle schools, I had a little problem child who kept acting up, so I made him move to an empty desk right up front by yours truly (the best seat in the house ;). Well he continued to get off task and talk to others around him (they were supposed to be taking a test, so I wasn't being THAT mean of a teacher). Anyway, so as I called his name out to correct his behavior yet again, he replies, "Miss, tell them people in the back row to stop mean mugging me."

Definition according to Urban Dictionary:

"Mean mugging" (verb): When someone gives you a dirty look, scowl or stare

(Ex) Everytime I see that b**** she is always mean mugging me.

Guess I do learn something new everyday. Well this story isn't quite over yet my friends. As Mason and I were leaving dinner on Friday night and crossing the street to our car, a woman driving by turned her head and stared me down. The following conversation ensues:

Me: Umm, what is she staring at me for.
Mason: What? Was she mean mugging you?
Me: OMG! How do you know what that means!?!
Mason: I grew up in the "Dirty Berg" baby!

Wow. Glad to know my boyfriend is street smart/gangster. ;)

Also, today in a high school class I was teaching, a girl student goes, "How do you spell Florida?". To which another student replied, "Like the rapper Flo Rida."

Umm, hello children! I believe Flo Rida spells his name like Florida and not the other way around. This is not a "which came first the chicken or the egg" scenario. Geez, kids these days...

Hope for Haiti

I'm sitting at home tonight watching the "Hope for Haiti" telethon that is airing on nearly every major channel. I'm glad our country and many others are able to come together in times such as these to contribute to the greater good of mankind. I also wanted to extend a special prayer to all those who perished, those who are injured and have not yet received aid and all of the families who have been affected by this devastating disaster.

My mom's goddaughter, Holly, (who is also my godmother's daughter) has traveled to Haiti twice in the past 2 years to volunteer at an orphange in Haiti called "God's Littlest Angels". Each time she was able to stay for several weeks at a time to provide extra love and care to all of the sweet babies of Haiti who have no families to shower them with the attetion that they so desperately seek.

After hearing of the tragic events in Haiti and having just graduated college, Holly decided that it was God's will for her to travel back to Haiti to once again help out in the orphanage, but this time in much more dire circumstances. Holly arrived in Haiti on Tuesday and plans to stay until April.Please pray for Holly that she remains safe during her time in Haiti as she so selflessly serves God by helping those who are most in need.

T is for Tuesday.... and Teen Mom!

Ok, I have a confession to make. I have a small obsession. Ok...a MAJOR obsession! With..... MTV's reality series "Teen Mom"! I'm not quite sure why this show is so fascinating to me, but every Tuesday evening Mason and I are glued to the tube watching the lives of four teenage couples who accidentally got knocked up while still in high school. Yes, Mason watches this show with me! He was hesistant at first, but has grown to love it just as I have! It really has become my absolute fav show on tv right now though. Maybe even more so than *gasp* Gossip Girl! I know, what is wrong with me? Guess I just love me some good baby mama drama! A lot of the time I just feel sorry for these girls who have had to put their lives on hold to take care of their unplanned bundles of joy and who also have loser boyfriends who can't even manage to change a diaper.

Occasionally, though, there are heartwarming moments that make it such a cute show, like Tyler & Catelynn's (pictured above) sweet love for each other even after painfully having to give their daughter up for adoption! Anyway, if you haven't watched this show you are missing out... but guess what!?! On Febuary 16, "16 and Pregnant" (my second favorite show) comes back to MTV with 10 new shows and 10 new knocked up mommies!!! Woohoo! Mason and I were cheering tonight when we found out the joyous news! ;) We really need to get a life...or a baby... ha...Only kidding, duh! :)

Sci Fi Weekend with my Guy! ;)

So far my weekend has been just what I needed it to be... relaxing, productive and stress-free! And it's not even over yet! Thanks MLK! ;) Mason and I didn't venture out of the apt very much this weekend, which was just fine by me. Occasionally, I enjoy being a hermit on the weekends. It makes them feel as though they last longer when we are not constantly on the go. We did find a few ways to entertain occupy our time, however.

Friday night after our sushi date, we decided to just rent a movie since it was a yucky, rainy evening. We decided on District 9. Have you all seen this? I totally thought it would be a cool end of the world/"Independence Day" type of flick.

Ummm no. It was more like Mars Attacks meets Dawn of the Dead. We couldn't tell if it was supposed to be an action movie, sci-fi, comedy or spoof. Lots of blood and guts and a pretty awful plot, IMHO. Please do not waste your $1 Redbox rental fee on this one.

Saturday afternoon, we went on another "adventure", this time involving humans and not aliens. We decided to check out the Bodies Exhibit that has come to Dallas. The exhibit consists of human specimens that have been preserved and put on display so that you can gain a better understanding of the internal structure of your body, as well as to understand how it functions.

It was pretty cool. I'm not big on blood and stuff like that really, so I felt a little woozy a couple of times, but it really was very interesting. My favorite part was getting to see actual embryo specimens at all of the different stages of fetal development. Also, fun fact: Did you know that every drop of blood in your body pumps through your heart once every minute. That seems so crazy! Anyway, this exhibit was pretty cool, and I would recommend checking it out if you do not have anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon! ;)

Sounds like a pretty sci-fi kinda weekend huh? Don't worry, I got my hair highlighted, read an US Weekly magazine and did a little shopping too to keep things balanced! ;) Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

TGIF

It's Friday! Hallelujah! I survived my first full week of subbing! After my tough day on Tuesday my week got a lot better! I had easy jr high and high school assignments from then on and I also learned a very valuable lesson: elementary school is soo not my style! At first I thought I must be some kind of evil grinch to dislike teaching young kids as much as I do, but after several convos with other non-elementary teaching instructors, I found that you are either a hearts, rainbows and hugs kind of person or you're not. I am not. Good to know. Moving on.

I do want to thank all of you ladies for your sweet comments, however! Going back to work "full time" was sort of a shock to me, since I had gotten used to living the easy life working for a boss who let me work 10am-4:30pm days with long lunches in between. Oh how I miss staying up late into the evening watching all the trash tv I can handle and waking up naturally instead of to the sound of my escalating "Alarm-Antelope" Blackberry ringtone. Ha, just listen to me...complaining about a teacher's schedule of summers off and holidays galore! Including MLK Day! Woohoo! 3 day weekend here I come! Maybe my new schedule isn't so bad after all! Mason and I are going to our fav sushi restaurant tonight to treat ourselves since we both had rough weeks! I hope you all have a great weekend and thanks again for all of your well wishes! :)

picture source: weheartit.com

Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Apparently not.

As it is now January and the second half of the school year is back in full swing, I have started my semester long journey as a full-time substitute. I subbed a handful of times last semester, but now the game is really on. Yesterday, I had my first taste of subbing for a high school and I really liked it! The kids are just so much more mature and I don't really have many discipline problems. I have discovered that I really enjoy working with the secondary age groups (junior high and high school) a lot. Managing them fits my sarcastic personality really well. Managing elementary kids, however, is not my cup of tea. Today was my first full day of subbing for an elementary classroom. I went to a fifth grade classroom expecting them to not be so unalike the junior high kids. WRONG.

They were loud, obnoxious, disrespectful, kept tattling on one another, not doing their work, constantly getting out of their seats, etc, etc... Oh and to make my day extra fun, Tuesdays are the only days that they dont have specials (art, music, computer class) and they stay in the classroom the whole day! Shoot me now! By the end of the first hour of class I was about ready to just toss my hands up and cry. I'm sure they don't behave this way for their normal teacher, but none of my discipline tactics were having any affect on them. Today I decided that elementary school is just not for me and I will avoid subbing at them at all costs in the future!

On another note, getting back into a normal working schedule is throwing me for quite the loop. I am always tired, I have no motivation to go to the gym and really just have an overall sense of depression. I hope I adapt to being on this schedule, because right now I am pretty much miserable. Okay enough with all the doom and gloom... I need to just suck it up right? I'll tell you this though, I have never longed for the weekend so much before in my life! Come on Friday!!

We're Next! ;)

Well, I'm sure you all saw/heard how the National Championship game turned out. I feel so bad that Colt McCoy was unable to play in his final game as a Texas Longhorn! Hopefully he will have a great career in the NFL! Speaking of the NFL...How 'bout them Cowboys!?!? That was our first playoff win in over a decade! About time!! Anyway, enough about football....

....this weekend Mason and I were in Houston, again! Seriously, we should just pack up and move to Houston since we are there just about every other weekend. We had a great time this weekend though! Our friends Trevor & Jenn tied the knot so we attended their rehearsal dinner and wedding to celebrate their new life together! Such a fun couple and we are so very happy for them! And guess what!?! Remember when I caught the bouquet at my friend's wedding... Well looks like Mason is slowly getting the message, because he caught the garter this time! ;)

Hopefully that means we're next! :)

Fingers Crossed....

Tonight is a BIG night!!! My Horns are playing for the BCS National Championship!!! Ahhh, so nervous! Fingers are crossed, horns are up, burnt orange apparel is on... time to go!!!

HOOK 'EM!!! :)

I'm baaaccckkkk!

Miss me? Don't lie, I know you did! I have been getting texts, phone calls and g-chats from my devoted followers asking when I'm going to update my bliggity blog! So sorry folks, after moving my mom out of her place in Austin I was exhausted, and then it was New Years and then I was just lazy, plus Mase's laptop is on the fritz, yada yada yada... But enough with the excuses, 'tis a brand New Year and I am super excited about the potential greatness that is in store for 2010! Before I march onward, however, I must tell you all about my glorious holiday break! ;)

The day before Christmas Eve, I headed down to Tyler for some quality time with the fam. We did last minute Christmas shopping, worked puzzles, ate junk and even found time to dine at mi restaurante favorito in all of Tyler! Gilbert's El Charro:

If you are ever passing through the "Rose Capitol of the World (or maybe just Texas, not sure..)" then you must stop in! I insist! It is so good. Ok, it's not thaaat good, but they have this sauce...

...it is to die for. I think it might just be like french dressing or something, but when you mix it with hot sauce and lather it on a chip it is heavenly! You can even purchase your own bottle. I know because I asked. ;)

Next it was Christmas Eve and the weather was all kinds of crazy in Texas. Extra crazy in Dallas! Mason had to work half of the day and we worried about him (and my sister) who had to battle ice, sleet and snow to drive to Tyler to join us! They made it though and we were able to enjoy a short-lived white Christmas. Here are some pics from Christmas Eve. The second picture is of me, my brother(Connor, age 22) and sister(Claire,age 19). Not sure if I have introduced them to the blog world yet...

Christmas morning, my fam always wakes up at an ungodly hour because my aunt and her fam are CRAZY and think 5:30AM is a normal time to be awake! So this is me opening up some presents half-asleep! I got some pretty good loot this year! Mase got me a black leather jacket from Express, some styling rain boots from Banana and some Uggs, much to his chagrin, bc he is not the biggest Ugg fan...yet. I love them though and wear them all day long. They make great houseshoes on a frosty winter morning! :) Other favorites...Lilly Pulitzer Day Planner, Electric Wine Opener (it is like magic), and lots of other stuff but it has been 10 days since Christmas and already I am forgetting what all I got! ;)

Anyway, Christmas afternoon Mase and I drove to Houston to celebrate with his fam where we were greeted with more presents! Yay! :) For New Years we stayed in Dallas, to save some money and also because we were tired of traveling. NYE started out on a sour note though, as my childhood dog Maggie had to be put to sleep. She was 14 years old and was just getting very sickly, not eating very much and limping around the house. Sad, but she lived a good, long life. Poor Mags, we'll miss you!

Anyway, for New Years, Mason and I had dinner at Hector's on Henderson! Yum! Then met a friend of ours at a house party on the M-streets. Then right before midnight we went to the Slip-Inn (bc thats how we roll ;) to ring in the New Year! Definitely wasn't very eventful, but we still had an okay time! ...and now it is 2010, at last. Not many resolutions this year.. just goals! They are as follows:

(1) To get a permanent teaching gig

(2) Buy/lease a new car

andddd......

(3) Have something sparkly on my left hand by the end of the year! ;)

I think these are all quite manageable, I'll let you know how it goes though! :) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Here's hoping that the best of our past is the worst of our future! Cheers! Happy New Year!!!