A Spring in Review

#1: Singing with the Springfield Symphony
As many of you know, nothing makes me happier than singing passionately with an orchestra and full chorus. In March, I had the amazing opportunity to sing Brahm's Requiem with the Springfield Symphony. One of the sweetest parts of the whole experience was that I got to sing with my sister Victoria for the first time (classically) since she is a student at Missouri State. We even finagled a way to stand by each other! My parents came up before and took us to a cute Italian restaurant. It was fun for them to watch the two of us. The other amazing part of the night was that my dear friend Melissa and her daughter Emmy (who is in my class) came to watch me! Afterwards, they took me out on the town and we enjoyed amazing dessert crepes at a quaint creperie called the Aviary. I love the memories I made this night!
Victoria and I after singing...

 Here is my sweet student Emmy and I...

#2: Erica has a baby!!!
I know this isn't my baby, but seeing one of my dearest friends become a mother has been one of the highlights of my spring. I just love baby Eli Hosea and how sweet Erica is with him. He's my newest Sunday baby!

Such a pretty momma!

#4. SPRING BREAK: Florida!!

This Spring Break I got on an airplane and went down to Florida! I stayed with my dear friend Jana Sharp and my other deary Emily came down to join us. I spent a LOT of time just laying on the beach reading and it was AMAZING! I love the sweet memories I have with these dear friends.

My first ocean sand castle!

Sweet friends!



My view most of the week...




So excited!!



#5. Do your BEST on the MAP!!
As part of our MAP assembly this April, I rewrote the song Be Our Guest into Do Your Best. It was so much fun incorporating students and teachers into the song. My favorite part is that the teachers went all OUT as they danced and twirled behind me!

#6. A Whole New World Lip Sync
For my church, we did a fundraiser by performing various Lip Syncs. My friend Nick and I did a Star Wars/Aladdin number where I was Princess Leia and he was my "father' Darth Vader. Pretty fun!

#7. Sweet times with students!
This Spring I have had some fun opportunities with my students! I've been to a Springfield Cardinals baseball game, took a LONG trip with the gifted students, and went to the most fun eleven year old birthday party. I love that my relationships with these families can extend beyond the classroom walls. I have the best job!
Here are a few pictures:

Fun gifted kids!

Dodge ball!!

Sweetest mustache/sunglasses combo ever!

Love my time with the Piersons!

If you've made it this far down, congrats!! You are all caught up on my fun happenings this spring! Stay tuned for more about my summer! (Hopefully will be written SOON and not in August...:)

Low Carbing it UP!

On February 6th, I began a new adventure: I started the Atkin's Low Carb diet! The first phase lasts two weeks and limits your diet to 20 carbs a day. If you've ever paid attention to carbs, this pretty much limits your diets to salads, meats, cheeses and healthy fats. I stuck very rigidly to the first phase for 5 weeks before taking a break over Spring Break. Since Spring Break I have gradually added nuts and nut flours. It's definitely been one of the biggest challenges! So far I've lots just over 20 pounds! I'm at the lowest weight I've been at in since I was about 20. Since I started trying to lose weight two and a half years ago, I've lost a total of about 40 pounds. My goal then was to lose a total of 100 pounds and I want to keep going till I reach this goal, even if it takes a few more years. One of my favorite things about this diet is that I have a new challenge of finding clothes that fit correctly and don't hang off me like a flour sack! It's the first time in my life I have to go DOWN in size and NOT up!

So much for blogging regularly...

Well, as excited as I was in JANUARY to keep up this blog, it just didn't happen. Which would be a great example of how busy I am. Too busy. Uncomfortably busy. Needless to say, I'm excited for this school year to come to a close so I can just stop and take a deep breath. Let me start by reflecting on my spring...

Simplifying my LIFE!

It has been one of my biggest goals the past year and a half to simplify my life. Get rid of stuff and live more simply! Part of the process has been for me to go through EVERY corner, closet, shelf, cabinet, etc. in my condo and organize and purge! I have conquered most areas in my condo except my bedroom. I've lived at my condo for four and a half years and I haven't even finished decorating my bedroom! I've had a corner of the room stacked with pictures and knick knacks I've wanted to decorate with for years!

And I came to a startling realization the other day as I was looking at my bedroom...My bedroom looked exactly as it did in 2004. The same pictures from college, the same awards, graduation caps, same EVERYTHING! So, it was my goal over break to put stuff away, take stuff down, and simplify my bedroom. It also helped that I took down my ugly vertical blinds and replaced them with pretty new curtains. Here are some before and after shots...

BEFORE:

Photo and souvenirs from my trip to Japan...which was in 2003!

Photos from college and childhood...

 Childhood rocking chair and childhood stuffed animals. Put them safely in a container to give to my future children. No need to decorate with them now as a 28 year old!

 Cutesy stuff from college days...

 Photos from early college...

 More college memories...Nothing wrong with college. I had a great time, I just feel that my life has moved on and until I start living like that, I'll always be stuck here...in 2004.

 This (believe it or not) started out as a small corner of paintings and pictures I wanted to hang up in my room...As you can see, that has not happened!

 Needed to do some organizing in the desk area...

 And this stack of sweatshirts is just ugly

 Look at this crap!

 And my cute coffee table...buried under STUFF! And my ugly blinds...

 Yep, those are my graduation caps from college and my Masters...and my HIGH SCHOOL homecoming sash...and my Miss Congeniality sash from college and plaque. It's really like I saw my room for the first time in YEARS! Where have I been!

 National Honor Society sash...11 years later. Sad.

AFTER:

You can see my coffee table!!

 I replaced my childhood/stuffed animal shrine with my easel and simplified decor.

 Gone everything pre-2010!

 A nicer simpler look...

 Here's a recent collage of my family...

 My side table

 My new curtains with some of the new wall hangings.

Here's my new clock I hung up...pretty sure I bought it almost 2 years ago!

 Here's my messy corner...messy no more!!

All in all, I'm very pleased!! It makes me want to actually spend time in my room; not feel smothered in STUFF! I feel like I can actually breathe now!

2012: A Fresh Start!!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE the New Year. I always make a bunch of goals for myself. I don't like to call them resolutions, because resolutions are code word for "will break in a week." The goals I make for myself are lifestyle changes and things that will improve my life. One of my biggest goals this year is to have a more structured schedule. I figure the only way to truly make small changes in my life is to implant them in a "Master" daily schedule. I've heard it said that it takes 21 days of doing something to create a habit. Well, I'm trying out my schedule for 21 days and hopefully whatever makes it that long, will stick! Some new additions to my daily schedule are: more frequent workouts, counting calories, drinking lots of water, grading more consistently, devotional times, cooking more, punctuality, set bed times, cleaning times, and times to actually do my laundry. All good things, just hard to plug in to my busy schedule.
Two weeks into the new year, and I'd say I'm still doing pretty good. It's been interesting to see what has stuck so far...and what hasn't. Making my bed every morning sounded like a great idea, but I've only succeeded once, so I'll let that one go. No biggy! I'm approaching this whole schedule with grace towards myself. I am not a slave to it, by any means. Another one that's been a challenge is the bed time. I love sleep, I just have a hard time actually getting into the bed.
Some great things that have actually worked so far: devotional times, counting calories, working out, drinking water, grading more, planning a menu, and cleaning each weekend. I know I'm only two weeks in, but I'm excited for these more structured changes in my life. When I live with a schedule, I feel more freedom. Almost ironic, isn't it?

Christmas Vacation Highlights: Part 5

Continuing on with the "non-Traditions", my family didn't gather for our normal New Year's Eve party. So I got to go to my dear friend Kate's New Year's Eve Fancy Pants Party. See more pictures and stories here.

***NOTE: That's a fake cigarette...just adds to the character! :)

 
Fancy gathering at Macaroni Grill

 All the single ladies...

 Homeade party hats

 Coloring stations

 LOVE the happy faces in this picture!