Bye bye margaritas...hellooo broccoli...

As I sit here and post to you, I am snacking on pieces of broccoli and cauliflower. Bikini season is here and it's time to get serious. You should have seen my grocery cart last night. Very sparse and sad looking. Hopefully all these veggies will work their magic. Aside from my boring Sunday trip to the g-store, this weekend was pretty fun!

Friday night, a big group of some of my favorite gals and guys met up for dinner and drinks at Javiers!

Nothing like hanging out with a group of platinum blondes to let you know when it's time to get your highlights redone. ;) After dinner, I had to pass on the bar outing that followed, since I had school the next day. Boooo...

Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early to go to one of my last teaching certification classes. I hate when I have to wake up early on Saturdays! Makes it feel like another work day, especially while my friends are laying out by the pool.... :(

Saturday night, was pretty much a repeat of Friday except we dined at Cyclone Anaya's and then went to PM (the club at the Joule hotel) for some drinks and dancing cocktails and booty shaking! ;)

Sunday was a day of recovery and I busied myself with the transfering of all of my iTunes to my new iPOD nano I got for my birthday in August that I hadn't touched until now! It took forever, but it is up and running! I need to take it to Katy Trail for a spin sometime this week!

Anyway, so all in all it was a pretty good little weekend. Hope you all had great weekends as well.. now pardon me as I make my way back to the kitchen for seconds on broccoli! ;)

friday.

Hi friends! Sorry that I have been such a blogger dud this week. I have just been busy, lazy and am still adjusting to the new daylight savings time and also my non-spring break schedule. The two combined have really messed with my sleep schedule! Anyway...

Wednesday I had my interview with the principal at my school! It went GREAT! I am usually so nervous about interviews, because I feel like I am not a great interviewer, but I had really good answers to all of his questions and he agreed. He told me that he did not have a definite math opening at this point in time, but that if he did then he and I would be having a much more serious conversation. Which means, if one opens up (which, fingers crossed, hopefully the teacher I am long-term subbing for wont be coming back), then I more or less will get the job! So let's hope it works out that way! Regardless, I was just so happy that it went so well! :)

In other school news, please keep the Burke family in your prayers... Officer Burke is our school police officer. He and his wife welcomed a baby girl into their family in December. I even got to meet their sweet baby one day when his wife brought her to school for a visit in February. On Wednesday afternoon, Officer Burke got a phone call at school from their babysitter informing him that their baby was not breathing. By the time he got home, the paramedics had not been able to revive their sweet little girl and she died...they think from SIDS. Such a tragedy!!! Such a reminder of how precious life is and how short it can be!

Ok so maybe I should have started with the bad news and then ended with the good so that this post wasn't such a downer...Oh well. I hope that you all have a great, relaxing weekend! XOXO!

Back to the Grind...

Spring Break is over. *tear* I was absolutely dreading going back to school this morning. I'm not really sure why.... maybe I had gotten used to the freedom of waking up late, working out midday and taking cat naps every few hours. Oh the life... Such a tease, but the good news is that Summer is only 11 weeks away! YES!

So, today wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The kids seemed half asleep for most of the day so no problems there.... andddd I got an email from our principal after school today asking if I would meet him during 6th period on Wednesday for an INTERVIEW!!!! I'm not sure if there is an actual position available or not. It may just be a preliminary interview just to put me in the hiring pool, but whatev... I'll take it! So FINGERS CROSSED for that! I suck at interviewing, but feel like this one will go a lot more smoothly then most since I already know the principal and am pretty much already in place in their school. Hopefully!!

Next on the agenda, my butt is throbbing. TMI? Maybe so... but Mase and I just got back from our very first ever SPIN CLASS and my, oh my what a workout it was. I'm hoping that it is just the trick to slim down this booty for bikini season....again, fingers crossed! ;)

Finally, did you peeps know that Gossip Girl is back on?!?! I was casually perusing the tv lineup for this evening when I noticed that tonight's episode was NEW!! What!?! Have I missed any others or is tonight it's first night back? OMG! What's the deal GG!?! To broke to advertise your season return?? Let's hope not. Anyway, have to go catch up with Blair & Serena now! Tata for now! Hope your Monday was marvelous! :)

This May Seem Like I'm Bragging...It's Because I Am ;)

Cee @ Curiosity passed this fun little award on to me last week sometime. Here's how it works: The Rules

1. List 6 things you are a master in

2. Pass it on to 6 bloggers you think are masters at friendship and make blogging awesome.

I am a master in:

1.) Telling and re-telling stories. I'm really good at remembering all of the details and funny anecdotes that happened when I re-tell a story. When someone else is telling a story that I already know I am chomping at the bit, because I know I would do a much better job of making the story funny. Mason likes to steal my thunder a lot though and tell MY stories. Ugh! Oh and if you missed an episode of your fav show, I'm really good at giving you a play by play of what happened! ;)

2.) Running in high heels. Must've developed this skill in college, but I am probably better at running in high heels than I am at walking in them. If we've got a long hike from the car to our final destination, you'll see me jogging over walking 9 times out of 10 (10 times out of 10 if it's cold outside). This has only backfired on me once and I have the scar to prove it! ;)

3.) Planning out outfits in advance/packing. As soon as I know about an upcoming event or trip I am immediately thinking about what I will wear. When going on vacay I make detailed lists of my daily outfits. If you're getting married next February...I've probably already picked out my dress to the rehearsal dinner!

4.) Step aerobics. Not going to lie. I am the girl at the front of the room with all of the moves. ;) I have stopped going to the step aerobics at my local gym because the class is far to easy. yawn...

5.) Putting on eyeliner. I probably started wearing eyeliner in 7th grade and haven't looked back since. I don't even need a mirror to apply it most times. ;)

6.) DVR fast forwarding. Mason relinquishes control of the remote whenever we are watching a recorded show bc I am awesome at fast forwarding through commercials and then stopping it exactly where the show picks up.

I now pass this on to:

1.) Allison @ A Little Bit of Everything
2.) Casey @ Sitting Pretty in the Big D
3.) Jessica @ A Few of My Favorite Things
4.) Leslie @ A Blonde Ambition
5.) Little Daisy May @ this kind of love
6.) Melissa @ Sweet Melissa

Happy March Madness day! Oh yeah, that's another thing I am good at...my March Madness bracket beats Mason's every year...haha sucker!! ;)

Going Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm not doing much to celebrate the holiday today. In Dallas, the big St. Patty's Day festivities are always held on the Saturday before the actual St. Patrick's Day. There is always a parade down Greenville Avenue in the morning and then in the afternoon Greenville is shut down so that Dallas peeps can walk aimlessly to and from the different bars and pubs that line the area while still keeping a green beer in their hands at all times. Last Saturday, our friend Blake who lives off of Greenville held his annual St. Patty's day party at his house. Nothing like a theme party, live music, and an unlimited supply of green-hued beverages!Mason even bought a new shirt for the occasion: Sorry, Mase.... no gold here... Oh and there also were a few celeb spottings at the party we were at, including:

Former Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars contestant and newly married Melissa Rycroft

and Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver, Miles Austin:

Throwing celebs in the mix always makes for a good time at a party! ;) Hope you're enjoying your St. Patricks Day and that you remembered to wear GREEN!! :)

Spring Breaks: Now and Then

There is nothing quite like a week away from alarm clocks, responsibilites and routine! Oh Spring Break, how I have missed you these past 4 years! It is soo good to have you back in my life! Here is a look back at some of the more memorable Spring Breaks during my college days:

South Padre Island, TX with my Delta Gamma pledge sisters (2003)

Let's just say that sending a bunch of unchaperoned 18 year old sorority girls to a Mexican border town might not be the best idea in the world... but oh what fun we had!

Cruise to Cozumel, Cancun, Belize, and Honduras (2005)

Booze Cruisin' through Mexico with about 30 of my best guy and girl friends in college! Great times! :)

Hawaii (2006)

A whole week in Hawaii with Tara, Brittany and Courtney! Trip highlight: a cute surfer boy taught me how to surf! Oooh lala! ;) While the wild and crazy, booze-fueled Spring Break vacays may be over, I am still ever so thankful for a week to rest and catch up on things that I have been neglecting (work outs, laundry, etc...). I just got back in town from Austin today. My mom and I took a mini-road trip to the ATX from Sunday-Tuesday to visit my godmother and just hang out. We did accomplish one MAJOR thing though. I picked a venue for my future wedding!! I found a place online and we went to check it out, just to see what it looked like in person and also got a full tour as well as an idea of pricing and stuff. I LOVED it! I am so sold! So if all goes according to plan, Mase and I will be getting hitched in good 'ol Austin, TX! You'll have to wait to find out where and when! And again... I realize that I am being way overly prepared by even thinking about all of this since we are not engaged quite yet, but I still like to think ahead and have things planned out in my head. Anyway, I'm super excited!

Ok, well for those of you that are on Spring Break I hope your week is full of rest and relaxation... and for you non-teachers I wish you a speedy, easy week! :)

A Masterpiece!

Are you all loving the new blog design!?!? I AM!!! Jamie did such an AMAZING job! I am beyond lucky to have won her blog makeover giveaway! If you are in the market for a blog re-vamp I would definitely recommend her! She is so easy to work with and the results are amazing! I can't stop opening my blog website and just staring at it! So pretty!!! :) Thanks Jamie!!! Tomorrow is the last day of school before SPRING BREAK!!! HALLELUJAH!

My Dream Wedding Gown(s)!

I've decided to play along with this week's "Wishful Wednesday" topic over at The Seattle Smiths! Why? Because today's topic is one of my absolute favorite things to daydream about.... my future wedding gown! :) And Mason is away on business tonight so a little wedding dress browsing on the web won't hurt. Doesn't bother to just look right? ;) Shhh...don't tell!
Ok, so here goes... Oh and I couldn't narrow it down to just one... I mean who could?! So many pretty dresses to choose from! Here are some of my favs however...in no particular order... Okay I lied... that one is my fav! I want! I want! I want!!!

Other favs include:
Okay, well you get the idea. Something flowy, with some unique detailing! Can't wait to pick one out for real! Happy Wednesday!

YAYS and NAYS

YAY :)
I won a blog giveaway yesterday from Jamie @ The Kubeczka Family for a free blog design! My little blog baby is getting a makeover! Yippee! Great timing too since my blog is quickly approaching it's 1 year birthday! :) Thanks Jamie! Can't wait to see the new look!

NAY :(
I had my worst day of school yet today. Like almost broke down in tears bad. Like had to call the assistant principal down to the classroom because the kids were being so awful bad. Don't worry though...I kept my composure...I'd never give those brats the pleasure of seeing me breakdown!Days like this really make you question your own sanity of deciding to become a teacher though, but I know tomorrow will be a better day...hopefully.

YAY :)
Yesterday a chiropractor came to school to give free massages to all the teachers. A pleasant surprise on a Monday morning! :)

NAY :(
I just ate the last Samoa Girl Scout cookie! :( One box is def not enough!!

YAY :)
3 more days of school 'til SPRING BREAK!!!! It can not get here any faster!!

Has Spring Sprung??

It was soo nice in Dallas this weekend! Friday was the first day in fooorrreeevvverrrr that I didn't have to wear a coat and mittens during my early morning commute to work. I also didn't have to keep the heater on full blast during my drive. I only had it blasting on level one instead of my usual level four.....(can you tell that I really don't like to be cold while driving?) And lastly, but most exciting, after work I got to go for happy hour drinks and sit on a patio, outside, al fresco!! Greatness! Oh beaming rays of sunshine...how I have missed you! You could tell that all of my fellow Dallasites were just as thrilled with the warm weather as me, because there was not an empty patio seat in town! We can all finally come out of our caves and begin mingling again! :)And then, Saturday was another glorious day! I kept all of the doors opened to air out the apt. Then, I tackled some early spring cleaning, which our humble abode so desperately needed... Once the sun peeks through the windows it's a lot easier to see all the dustiness that has accumulated during the winter. Yucks! No worries though... we are all spick and span over here now and ready to bring in a marvelous spring season! But ummm, can we just skip spring and get to the 90 degree weather already?? No? Ok. But seriously, mother nature...you better not be playing games with us! If it starts snowing next week I am going to be beyond pissed! Got it? K, thanks! ;) 5 more days 'til SPRING BREAK!!!! YESSSSS! :)

image source: weheartit.com

Overworked and Underpaid (for real)

Hi! *Yawn* I'm tired. My new job is wearing me out. So... I thought my new job was just a "long-term sub" job and was going to be practically the same. Just me subbing in the same classroom for the rest of the year. Sounded easy enough, right? Ummm, not so much. Let me tell you about the extra tasks that are now assigned to me as a "long-term sub"... :

• Teaching 4 classes of math each day
• Teaching 1 social studies class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (ugh, I'm not a big S.S. fan, especially not 6th grade world geography S.S.)
• Teaching a math tutorial class on Tuesday and Thursday (with all the kids who failed their practice TAKS test, so that's approx 30 trouble makers all in one class... fun.)
• Tutoring on Tuesday afternoons (for which I do not get paid for, even though teachers get paid extra to do this, but since I am just a "sub" I can not get paid. But the principal encouraged me to do it, telling me that it would look good on my resume for next year...FINE.)
• Making lesson plans
• Grading papers
• Entering grades into the computer
• Keeping up with attendance, kids who are in ISS, assigning make-up work, keeping who was where and when straight
• Proctoring various tests (TAKS, benchmarks, etc)
• Disciplining children
• Calling parents
• Making copies
• Lamenating things (which, ok, fine...I secretly love and am in awe of the lamenation machine)
• Attending team meetings
• Staying late after school for math related activities
• Taking stuff home with me to grade/plan ahead with
• ETC, ETC

Ok, so I really am enjoying my new job and I am thankful to be able to get all of this really great experience that will hopefully land me a job at this school (or another in the district) next year. But really, I feel like a slave mule who is doing all of the work of a full-time salaried teacher while getting paid minimum wage. I usually have to stay after school to get everything done and often have to take things home. I would not mind doing any one of the things on the above list if I was getting paid a fair amount, but it kinda sucks taking on the full job of a teacher without a salary or benefits. *sigh* Come on August!!! Or atleast Spring Break! Only 6 more teaching days 'til my mini-vacay! Thank God! This is all to explain why I have been a little absent from my blog lately! Still trying to adjust to my new schedule and still squeeze in my daily vent therapy blog sessions! :)

In other, more fun news, Mason and I are about to attend an advance screening of Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX theatre! Yay! I'll let you know how it is! Thanks Adrian for hooking us up with free tix! :)

Happy Thursday! XOXO

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule

Translation: "Let the good times roll!"... or so I learned this weekend while in New Orleans!

On Friday evening, Mase and I flew to New Orleans, checked into our hotel and then immediately headed to Bourbon Street to meet up with some friends who were in town for the wedding. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs and I was caught sans umbrella wearing a silk dress. Nice. Oh well, if anything it just added to the fun, because after awhile no one cared how soaked we got as we wandered from bar to bar!
After testing out the night life on Bourbon, we gathered the troups and headed to the legendary Pat O'Brien's to meet up with the bride and groom (Angie & Brady) and the rest of the wedding party. Hurricanes for all! Very fitting of the weather, but eww I really hate Hurricanes... they taste like watered down kool-aid, in my opinion. Here are Mason and Cameron with Brady at Pat O's: After we had all had our fill of Hurricane's, it was time to upgrade to.... HAND GRENADES!!! :)

These may or may not have had a little everything to do with my murderous hangover on Saturday morning. Ugh... my body is getting too old for Bourbon Street....sad. So once we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, we walked to a restaurant called The Court of Two Sisters and had a very yummy brunch, complete with a jazz band performance....very authentic New Orleans! I would def recommend to anyone traveling to NOLA. After lunch, we walked around Bourbon for a little while before heading back to the hotel to nap/get ready. Later that evening, we went to celebrate Angie & Brady at their wedding ceremony held at a beautiful Catholic church in New Orleans. Then afterwards, walked on over to their reception, where we continued the party! Here we are with the beautiful bride and groom (Angie & Brady both went to college with us. Brady was also Mason's pledge brother.):After the reception was over, we followed the bride and groom out of the ballroom and then down the streets of New Orleans in a traditional wedding march! We had a fabulous time visiting the City of Sin of the South this weekend and wish Angie & Brady a lifetime of happiness! Maybe next time I'll pass on the hand grenades though.... Nah! You only live once, "laissez les bon temps roule"! ;)