New Do!

Okay my loves... here it is! My fabulous new design by the amazing Lauren at Blue Lux! I am so excited for you all to see it I can barely stand it! A huge thank you to Lauren for all your hard work, and putting up with all of my emails into the crazy hours of the night! You totally get my vote for wonder woman of the year. :)

And now on to my fill my sappy-emotional quota for the day. As most of you know, I'm still fairly new to blogging. It all began when I saw a link on a friend's Facebook to her blog, so I clicked. After browsing around to different blogs (and almost instantly relating to so many of them), I thought I'd give it a shot. Had I not had that extra free hour that day to take the time and set it up, I probably would have just left it alone and never thought about it again. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I didn't! I can honestly say that this has been such a wonderful outlet for me and I am beyond glad that I entered into the world of blogging. You all are such a wonderful people! I've met some truly great women here that I never would have had the pleasure of knowing before without this network. Everyone has a story... from the newly married 20-something just moving into her first house, to the new mom with the world's best little "surprise," to the girl who just graduated and can't find a job. The best part is being able to share in each other's journey, because at one point or another we might just be in the same place. To know that no matter how much it feels like no one else gets it, there's someone out there who's been through it. Knowing you're not alone is much better than trying to push through all by yourself, and makes a world of difference. At the risk of sounding like a major creeper, I feel like I've gotten to know some of you as if we'd been friends for years and just happened to live far apart. I mean, come on... how cool is that?! To that end, I'd just like to say thanks to all the women who have given me such a positive blogging experience so far! You're amazing.

Lastly, I'd like to ask for your prayers... About 8 months ago one of my very close friends found out that her mother had cancer. The doctors all thought they had caught it early enough for her to recover just fine. Unfortunately, this past week they found out that her cancer had returned and had spread quicker than they ever imagined... as it was now in her spine. This morning I received a text from her saying that the doctors are only giving her a couple of days left to spend with her family, and they expect her to be called Home any day now. She (my friend) just got engaged a couple months ago and will now most likely be getting married without her mother by her side... on the most important day of her life. As I hold back the tears, I ask each of you to be reminded of how fragile our lives can be. Cherish the time you have with one another now... you never know when that time will be cut short.

I hope you all have a wonderful night! And turn up those heaters, girls! It's getting cold (ok, chilly...) even here in Florida!

Goodnight y'all!

Thankful little turkey

Christmas is one of my absolute favorite times of year, and I honestly couldn't be more excited that the holidays are here! Robert and I try to go to New York at least once a year, and have decided to take our trip in December this year. I looove snow (aka the Floridian likes snow for a week, then is ready for mid-70 degree weather for the rest of December) and I'm super excited to see NY during Christmastime again. We usually go during baseball season (since one of his birthday presents usually consists of Mets tickets), and have yet to go together when all the Christmas decorations are up. A couple of years ago, I went for a journalism conference at Columbia in early December and absolutely fell in love with the whole city at that time of year. From the ginormous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, to the perfectly decorated shop windows on 5th Avenue, to the feeling of walking through Central Park after it has just snowed. Okay, okay... I know that's kind of cheesy, but it just gives me this warm fuzzy feeling that you don't really get with Christmas in Florida. The last time we had snow was in 1989... That's right, 21 years ago. And (make sure you're sitting down for this one...) it was a whopping 2 inches of snow. Whoo hoo!!! If I can find it, I'll post the picture of us all out the front yard in our little "blizzard" making snow angels. Every time I see that picture it cracks me up. I literally looked (and felt like) the Michelin Man walking through the yard, with the 317 layers my mother had me in. You know in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie's little brother falls over in the snow and can't get up? Yep... that was me. So, needless to say, I'm very much excited to escape the Florida warmth for a week and head up north. Since our coldest days tap only into the 30s and 40s for a couple hours, my winter wardrobe is seriously lacking. I guess that just means I'll have to go shopping... sigh. ;) I mean, I may or may not have been spent a 2-3 hours a day for the past week looking at adorable winter coats and outfits. Soo yes. I'm very ready.

On a slightly different note, I think it's so important to remember what this season is for. Regardless of your religious beliefs, this time of year should be about being thankful, being selfless, and thinking of others before ourselves for a bit. It's so easy to get caught up in all the parties, presents, and overall excitement of the holidays... and rightfully so, to a degree. Don't get me wrong, spending time with loved ones and "enjoying" the season is definitely a huge part of it. And I'm all for partaking in holiday festivities! :) A couple of years ago right before the schools were letting out for winter break, I was working with a teacher in her 5th grade classroom. A little girl (who was usually very shy, didn't talk much, but always did her homework and did well in school) came up to us and said "Mrs. C, can we come to school over winter break? Like, will it be open?" The other teacher and I looked at each other a little confused, and Mrs. C said "Well honey, I'm pretty sure the school will be locked up. They usually clean it over breaks. Was there something you needed?" The little girl looked a little sad and sighed. "Oh..." she said. "It's just that... well, we don't have breakfast and lunch at my house. And I was hoping I could could come to the cafeteria to get something to eat." My heart just sank. The girl received free breakfast and lunch daily at school, and didn't know what she was going to do over break. The teacher told me that after long weekends, the girl would come back to school a few pounds lighter, and very hungry. The parents both had drug problems, and the little girl was basically in charge of raising her two younger brothers... at 10 years old. I wanted so badly to tell the little girl to come to my house every day and I would feed her breakfast and lunch. It just absolutely tore me apart. Each year since that day, I always think of that little girl when school lets out for break. For the most part, none of us have to really think about whether or not we're going to have gas in the car, heat in our house, or breakfast and lunch to eat. The last thing I want is to come off "preachy," but I just wanted to share that story with you all. If you get some extra time, please donate a meal to someone who needs it, or an extra $5 to an animal shelter to give a blanket to an animal who will spend its holidays on the cold floor of a pound. To us it's just some extra cash but to someone who needs it, it could be the best Christmas present they get... or maybe even the only one.

On a lighter note, I'd love to hear about your holiday plans! Going anywhere fabulous? Or maybe even just staying home and doing absolutely nothing (which, I am a firm believer in sometimes being the best "vacation" there is).

Lastly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who read my blog! It really means so much to me that you all take interest in it, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you every day. I love hearing from you, so please don't be shy! :)

Goodnight y'all!

Award!

I've officially received my first blog award! Whoo hoo!! The wonderful Danielle at "The Best Things in Life" gave me "The Versatile Blogger" award! I am soo excited and thankful you chose me, Danielle! Everyone should stop by and check her out sometime! :)

So here goes... The rules are to share seven things about yourself and pass the award on to 15 other wonderful bloggers!

1) I am craft-making obsessed. When I say obsessed, I mean it. In fact, I'm even getting ready to start selling some of my own hand-made jewelry online soon... so definitely check back!

2) I don't have a favorite movie. It's just a question I've never been able to answer. I mean, come on... there's just no place to even really begin! Top 10? That's something I could probably handle. I just can't eliminate it down to one.

3) I'm a complete science nerd. This is something you probably would never know/guess unless you got the rare opportunity to see me in that "element." I could literally sit in a science museum all day. In fact, I spent 5 hours in just the evolution exhibit alone the last time I visited the Museum of Natural History in DC. If my students develop even half of the love and passion that I have for science, I'll be a very happy camper.

4) I believe everything happens for a reason. 100% of the time.

5) It drives me absolutely insane when people misuse "your" and "you're" along with "effect" and "affect." I know this is completely ridiculous and shouldn't bother me near as much as it does, but it's just one of those things.

6) I played softball for 10 years (...another thing you'd never guess!) and coached for 4. Although being a player holds some of the best memories from my childhood, deciding to coach was one of the best decisions I ever made. I still keep in touch with most of the girls from my first couple years, and love each and every one of them to death. I'm pretty sure it was one of the main reasons I decided to teach.

7) Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the cool(er) weather (because it only gets "cold" for about week here! ha), and the the general spirit of everything around that time of year. For the most part, everyone just seems a little bit happier!

And now for the 15 wonderful women to whose blogs I am addicted! In no particular order, they are...
1) Julie at Brown Eyed Belle
2) Sara at Just Don't Quit. Ever.
3) Mrs. Newlywed at Newlyweds!
4) Jessica at Living the Swell Life
5) Polka Dots and Protein Bars
6) Leslie at A Blonde Ambition
7) Amber at The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, and Newlywed
8) MMC at Black Labs and Lilly
9) Sweet Simplicity
10) Amanda at Run to the Finish
11) Lauren at Life with a Lab
12) A Wedding Story
13) Lindsay at Healthy Stride
14) Jessica at Living Better Together
15) Kristina at Fit, Sexy, Super-Wife

Thank you all for sharing a small glimpse of your life with me!