Life Lately

How are we 9 days away until Christmas already?? I feel like I was just getting ready for Thanksgiving break. I remember last year I was counting down the days until winter break at school and this year has flown by way too fast for me to even keep up! 

My kiddos are crazy. Like so excited about what's going to happen around this time next week they can't even stand it. After they finish their work I'll turn and find them sharing elf stories, writing their next letter to Santa, or choosing Christmas books from our library. If something is not Christmas themed at this point there is no hope for engagement. 

3 more days. 

Actually, really just today and Thursday. Friday we will be hanging out in our pajamas watching The Polar Express, sipping on some hot cocoa and getting ready for our winter parties that afternoon. 

2 more days. 

On another note, a running note! I have been running lately - not as much as I did marathon training but I am trying to get back at it. With the 70 degree weather here in December I have to get outside! When will see this again? I'm hoping that we won't have to pay for it later on with a snowy March or April. 

I'm trying to choose a half for the spring that I can train for. Apparently, the last race that I ran was actually longer than a half! The race ended up being 13.25 instead of 13.1. I had my fastest time on that race so does that mean that I can shave even more time off of it? 

I saw that Rock n Roll has some fantastic discounts on races. Great idea for a gift for a runner that is looking to sign up for half or full next year!

Runners: Have you ever ran a race that was actually longer than expected?? 

Teachers: Favorite way to keep your kiddos calm before the holidays is....

Yoga and Wine

Sunday  night already? Where do these weekends go? These past two days went by fast and furious and were chalk full of fun events.

After a relaxing Friday night with take out and the newest episode of Shark Tank I unintentionally woke up bright and early. Winston, our dog, has no concept of what a Saturday morning is. We wake up at 6am Monday-Friday so why on earth would we do any different on a Saturday morning?

Ahh but alas there is always a silver lining. Wake up at 6am = 7am yoga.

By 8:30am I could check my work out off of my to do list, and even had time to swing by the grocery store for some snacks for our afternoon excursion to Oktoberfest in Hermann! 

It was a perfect chilly fall day. We brought blankets, ate brats, drank wine. It was glorious. 

An all day wine and brat event on Saturday meant a slow slow start to our Sunday morning. I loved waking up to clear skies and sunshine this morning. Winston was definitely a fan too.

After some much needed coffee and water I laced up my shoes and headed out on a 6 mile run. I have to soak up as much of this perfect fall weather as I can! 

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, a quick trail walk with the doggies, and grading papers. 

Oh and we were booed tonight! How fun! So, tomorrow afternoon I will need to stop by the store to pick up some goodies to boo another family in our neighborhood! 

This is going to be a busy busy week. We have our Girls on the Run practice 5k, parent conference scheduling, meetings after school almost every day. Did I mention Halloween is this weekend? Yep, this will be a totally chill normal week at school. 

How are you soaking up this fall weather? 

How do you balance work and life?? Anyone have a magic formula?

Change Your Mindset in 30 minutes or Less

As a second year teacher I know that I am just beginning to embark on my career and have a lifetime of learning ahead of me. Although, some days I really feel like I am on a roll and in a groove and think hey I am totally cut out for this teaching gig. While, other days I find myself consumed with the never ending to do list, new material to learn, teach and assess, and therefore wondering what in the world am I doing?!? 

Gahh. Stress. Frustration. Gross. 

I know there are highs and lows with every career so it's important for me to find a healthy outlet for those days, like today, where I am just a little exhausted. After talking with a friend tonight I know that everyone experiences these same feelings in one way or another. She happened to just be finishing up with a yoga class and sounded on top of the world, while there was me on the other end sounding very similar to Eeore from Winnie the Poo, pathetic. After some brainstorming we both decided I needed to do something with my night to clear my head and relax so that tomorrow I can be rejuvenated with a new mindset because mindset is everything.

Here are some ways to change your mindset/attitude in 30 minutes or less: 

1.) Call a friend: talking to someone that will just let you vent is 100% necessary for your mental health even if you do sound ridiculous. Whether your venting is rational or not we all need that person or people that will just listen to us go on. Keeps us sane. Feels good to get all that out! 

2.) Take a yoga class: if you can't make it to an actual yoga class, get on youtube and search yoga. This might be an even better option some times because this way you can do some deep breathing and stretching in your living room in your pajama pants if you want to! Pajama yoga? Ahh I feel better already. 

3.) Run: 1 mile, 2 miles or even 3! Keep going if you can! Really doesn't matter how fast you go or how far. Give yourself that time to be outside, on your own, with fresh air and double points if there is sunshine!  Have you ever seen someone after a run in a bad mood? Give yourself sometime outside and you are guaranteed to be in a better mindset when you finish. 

4.) Bath time: warm bath, good book, lavender scented bath soap? If this doesn't relax you then I don't know what to tell you.

5.) Write: in a journal, on a blog, twitter, instagram, so many outlets, maybe too many! Either way, get your thoughts on their so they stop cramming your brain! 

How do you de-stress after a long day?

Cup of Joy

Can you believe it's already the end of Tuesday? Where has this week gone! I'm sitting here, after a full day of school, sipping on some seasonal pumpkin spice tea of course. How cute are these tags?

Isn't that just the sweetest? 

Anyways, I started this blog quite a awhile ago but up until just recently haven't really put too much time into it. Although, a lot has been going on over this past year a little injury has side lined me from my usual after school outlet: running. I love to run but I know that if I want to get 100% better I need to give myself sometime to rest and truly recover.

Will this be tough? Oh my gosh yes! I have tried to take a break multiple times before but I just stinkin love to run! But alas! That is where this little blog comes in. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I can pour some of my extra energy and time into this little guy.

Just as my tea note says today: choose joy. I have the choice each day to choose to be frustrated or to choose to see this as an opportunity to switch things up for a bit, change my pace, and come back in a few weeks feeling stronger!

Day 1: Positivity at it's finest. Let's see how tomorrow goes!

Have you ever been injured? How did you recover? 

Fall Festivities

Happy Fall Ya'll!! Clever right?? I just love that little saying. Fall is my favorite season. There are just so many things to enjoy: the weather starts to feel a little crisp (although this weekend was in the 80s), leaves begin to change to their respective orange, red and yellow hues, everything is flavored with pumpkin, and you just can't get any more perfect weather for running! To say I'm a fan of the fall is an understatement.

Plus this weekend was our college homecoming!! 

We started the festivities Friday night by meeting up with some friends to walk around Greek town at House Decks. These are little skits the fraternity and sorority's put on. They're Lways super cheesy but kids love them. My husband always likes to visit his old fratnernity house too. Oh the college days.

Saturday started out with a 3 mile run to soak up some of this perfect weather. We had plans to check out the parade downtown but then decided having a late breakfast and slow morning sounded a little nicer. 

Later that day we made some of these cookies to bring to the tailgate. Pumpkin snicker doodle cookies. I'm telling you anything pumpkin I am all about lately! 

Any fall festivity post wouldn't be complete without a trip to the pumpkin festival would it?! 

Our fall filled weekend ended with a run on my favorite trail. I just love seeing the leaves beginning to change. Perfect running weather.

Favorite fall activity?? 

Favorite running season? 

DIY Fireplace

We have been doing big house projects pretty consistently since May. When I say big I mean floors, new kitchen cabinets, tearing walls out and then putting them back up. We still have a few more big projects (master bath, stairwell, and carpet) but for now we're taking a break and trying to knock out a few smaller projects that can be started and finished within a weekend. 

Our project last weekend was this little gem that needed some serious updating. Oak? Green tile? I don't know anyone who is a fan of the oak and green tile combination. So we had some work to do. 

After searching on Pinterest for how in the world to redo a fireplace without breaking bank we decided to paint it!! 

I like to jump right into the project so when my husbdand reminds me that we have to tape everything I think it's the worst! It just takes a little bit of extra time and sometimes I am just not in the mood to be patient. But of course I still do it...

Once that was over with we primed the wood and even the tile with a basic white primer. 

After letting this primer dry we began to put our first coat of black paint over it. We ended up painting three coats letting it dry about three hours in between. 

We took the tape off as soon as we finished painting the final coat and.... 

There it is. A few coats of paint later and we have a brand new fireplace! 

Check that off the list! 

Last diy project you did? 

Super Late Weekend Recap

Another weekend in the books! Can you believe it's already October? While, I love my job I can't help but count down the days to weekend each and every week. Once the weekend finally gets here those two precious days are gone in a flash! How does that always happen??

Always, this post is really from a few weeks ago that I meant to post on a weekend but was probably to busy enjoying those last few hours of  no schedule. Plus, it was my birthday weekend so a quick list form recap is how this post is going to have to play out because lists are the only way I can remember anything lately!

1.) Friday, I got these birthday lovelies delivered to my classroom:

Such a nice surprise! Plus, my students were so excited about the flowers and who exactly they came from! They can't wait to meet Mr. Murphy!

2.) I have the best team ever because at lunch time they brought in pizza and some super delicious cupcakes. Chocolate? Frosting? Yes please! 

3.) Once I made it home I got ready to spend some time with family over at a friends house. It was great to spend time with everyone but my plan was to try to go to bed a little earlier than normal. I had a race to run in the morning! However, we had some last minute plans to have our 2 year old nephew stay the night with us. Good decision? Yes! We love our nephew. Did I get any sleep? Not so much. Oh well, we were all up at 5:45am to drive to the race.

4.) Saturday morning half marathon: I ended up having my best time! 1:59 - who would've thought? Maybe my nephew needs to stay with us before every race!

4.) Sunday began with a yoga class, to stretch out all my tight muscles from Saturday's race, some church time, and then the rest of the day was spent on the couch! After a full weekend of high energy events an afternoon of no plans was absolutely perfect.

5.) Sunday night this super classy birthday dinner was made for me:

steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and kraft mac n cheese because who doesn't love mac n cheese on their birthday?? 

Any upcoming races??

Favorite birthday meal?

Weekend Wrap Up

Oh my what a weekend! I feel like from the moment school ended on Friday we had something on the agenda. Luckily, it was all good and fun plans but boy, come Sunday night I was pooped. 

We had an impromptu date night planned for Friday so we headed to a restaurant in town that people are always raving about. We decided to give it a try... And then left shortly after ordering our drinks at the bar. The restaurant was so crowded, noisy and hot! Does it mean I'm getting old if on a Friday night I just want a calm, quiet night?? 

We headed to one of our favorite restaurants that we don't get to enough and ended the night on a much higher note than when it began. 

Saturday morning I woke up and got in my last "long" run in before the half marathon this coming weekend. 

Fall running is when I fell in love with the Midwest. The leaves aren't quite changing yet but you can start to feel the cool crisp air that comes around this time. My favorite. 

Once I got back from my run it was operation clean the house! We had a super fun night planned with our neighbors and friends from around town. We celebrated finally being able to have people over to our house (now that the construction is done) and my husbands birthday! 

I didn't snap any pics of the night but I did take a shot of the pile of dishes that were left for our Sunday. 

Of course, since it was Jesse's bday I had to catch him opening up some of his presents! Thanks mom! He really wanted a new grill for the party so I hid my parents gift to him so that he had something to open up on his actual birthday. 

One last picture of our sweet little walnut tree. Someone told us we had a walnut tree in our front garden bed! Originally, we thought it was just a weed or boring stick that needed to be removed but a walnut tree?? We took that little guy and transplanted it to our backyard. We gave it tons of water and crossed are fingers, and LOOK it has a few leaves! Definitely thriving. 

Busy week at school this week with girls on the run practice and a family event tomorrow night! 

Friday night plans: upbeat or low key? I am for sure into the low key scene.

Oh Hi! and some Positive Changes

Oh Hi! I haven't posted on here since mm last January! Turns out life can get a little busy and a lot can change in just 9 months... ya know like changing jobs, moving homes, traveling,  oh and having two impromptu roommates over the summer!

Let's start with the job: Last year I taught 2nd grade and while I loved that age group I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to teach 3rd grade at a school that is less than 10 minutes away! Last year I drove close to an hour each day just to get to school! So, having a short commute feels like a dream. Not to mention, I have some pretty fun kiddos this year, supportive parents, and am able to coach with one of my all time favorite organizations: Girls on the Run. Positive change? Yes!

Moving homes: Last March I nonchalantly mentioned to my husband that we should just drive around a neighborhood to look at houses for fun. When I said for fun I meant that we could just ooh and ahh at some cute homes and have nice little conversations about which neighborhood we might want to live in one day. Well, as we were driving we my husband saw a house that he had been watching on the foreclosures list for quite some time. Well, to keep the story short one thing led to the another and we preceded to move into this house in May. We then began to deconstruct and reconstruct the house from May-August. Think concrete floors, pergola for a ceiling, and drywall work for weeks upon weeks. It was quite the summer. Now, we are nearly finished with all big construction and have just a few minor projects left. Thank goodness. Positive change? Yes! Easy change? Not so much. Living in a house during remodeling is not something I would recommend to many people.

Impromptu roommates: While we were remodeling our home this summer my husband got a phone call from his youngest brother who was moving to our city to head to college in the fall. Well, he needed a place to stay for those summer months before school started. So, we opened our doors, gave him a bed and fed him. Then, my best friend from childhood moved up here for a job opportunity over the summer too! So, we opened our doors, gave her a bed and feed her as well! Good thing we moved into a new home in May with more space we would have been a little cramped in our old place.

Do we see the concrete floors?? 

All of the craziness is coming to a close as roommate #1 moved out when school started in August and roommate #2 is moving out this week - she found an apartment! Which is wonderful for her but I will miss her face at home each day. How many times does a girl get to live with both her best girl friend and her husband?? Not too many!

Now, the real challenge is to get myself into some sort of groove at my new school and tryto figure out a way to wind myself down at night time!

Tonight I'm trying sleepy time tea and dark chocolate to end my night.

Things I'm looking forward to this month: 1.) Sam Hunt concert this weekend 2.) Our neighborhood bbq we're hosting 3.) Roots N Blues BBQ half marathon 4.) Mizzou Football games!!

What are you looking forward to in September?? 

Ever worked with Girls on the Run? 

Any night time routines that are great for winding down??? I feel like my brain is moving a mile a minute lately! 

Blank Pages

Happy Monday! The very first Monday of 2015 and I happen to still be on winter break which is fabulous. As much as I have enjoyed sleeping in a little, going to yoga in the middle of the day, spending lots of extra time with friends and family I'm pretty ready to get back into a normal routine.

So since today is my last day of vacation and tomorrow starts the second half of my school year I went out and bought a brand new planner. There is always something so refreshing about opening a blank planner, all of the space and days I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store!

In true New Year's/New Planner fashion I, of course, have some goals. 

1.) Be patient with my career: Yes, I have a job. I do happen to enjoy my job most days but it's just too darn far away. I graduated in May of 2014 and was desperate to find a job, any job, and the moment I got one I took it! I enjoy what I do each day but it takes me 35-40 minutes to enjoy what I do. Womp womp I know it could be much worse but still, it's just not ideal. I lose about an 1 1/2 hours in efficiency/productivity each day! I have started to apply to new jobs for the following school year and am looking at a few different options as well. I need to be patient and weigh my option before I make another big career decision. 

2.) Work/Life balance: I am a school teacher; I wake up at 5am and am out the door by 6am. I teach and work until around 3:30pm and then am home around 4:15ish. I head to the studio to either teach class, take class, or am at the gym running. I get home and make dinner until around the time my husband gets home. We both eat, we clean up, we relax and then we fall asleep! Is this real life? I'm sure there are much busier people out there so how in the world do you all do it? Is there a coffee that I have not found that the rest of the world is drinking? 2015 must slow down!

3.) Travel: On the books for 2015 we are planning to see Nashville in April for this event, Branson in June for a wedding which I am so, so excited for! Later on in the summer we plan on visiting my grandparents in upstate New York and hopefully can swing by a few other places while we're up there too. 

4.) Stay healthy: I've been pretty lucky so far this school year to not get too sick. My goal for the rest of this year is to stay healthy both mentally and physically. This means taking time for myself to sleep, get to yoga, run when I can, and eat enough good for me foods!

5.) Keep my friends and family closer: Sometimes I think we (my husband and I) get so busy and in a routine that we don't let ourselves spend the time that we want with our friends and family. This year I would love to work on spending more intentional time with all of the wonderful people we have in our life. 

I think that does it for now on my new year's goals. My plan is to come back and revisit these each month to see how I'm progressing with these guys. Sounds like a fine plan now, during break, we'll have to see how things play out once school starts back up tomorrow. 

Winter Break

Oh my I haven't been on this little guy in quite some time. Which means that things must have been pretty busy! Aren't breaks/vacations supposed to be a bit less hectic? Between traveling to Kansas City and Dallas for both of our family's Christmas's things have stayed pretty busy.

Our first Christmas was in Kansas City with my husband's side of the family which was an absolute blast. We have a 2 year old nephew whose eyes turn to glitter when thoughts of Santa and toys come into the picture and then my father in law dressed up as Santa for our nephew this same weekend too which was beyond hilarious!

A few days later we went back to my hometown, Dallas, and spent time with my side of the family. One of the best parts of this trip was being able to stay and actually spend time with my family instead of making the drive down there for a day and then turning right back around the following day. We loved every bit of the trip.

The day after Christmas we were able to visit the Perot Science museum where we watched little kids race dinosaurs, whales and cheetahs! We could have spent all day here. They did a fantastic job creating this place.

source

We ate some delicious barbecue here.

And some yummy mexican here.

Oh and I absolutely loved being able to get in my first long run of marathon training in 65 degree weather. Definitely ran these 6 miles in shorts in DECEMBER! I soaked that up since that would have been my last run outside in shorts for the rest of winter.

here

Once we made it back my husband went straight back to work while I have been teaching some fun yoga classes at the studio, getting some things straightened up around the house, and working on some new years resolutions!

Can you believe it's already 2015? 2014 flew by!

It's my last weekend before the second half of the school year begins so I'll be soaking it up by teaching a morning yoga class and getting in my long run (7 miles today!) hopefully outside if it's not still raining.