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I finished up my student teaching last Friday, so I have a few "free" weeks before I start an interim teaching position in December.  Unfortunately, I need to make some money so I'll be working at Target until then.
During these few weeks I'm planning on getting back on track with running/working out, eating well, and taking care of our apartment.  Hello Christmas decorating time! It will be nice to have the time to do all of this.
I LOVE teaching and I can't wait to have my own classroom!  Too bad I cannot find an opening at this time.  Hopefully, there will be something come August.  For now, I have this interim position and then I'll just be substituting.  At least I'll get my foot in the door of a lot of schools!  
Anyway, I didn't have to be anywhere today and it has been so nice!  I got up and made the hubby breakfast (waffles and bacon... okay, they were Eggos!), took care of some paperwork for school, had a good run and workout at the Y, went to the grocery store and now I'm relaxing and watching some daytime TV.  Putting off the cleaning until Wednesday. ;)
Hope your week is off to a great start!

Check it out!

Sweet Southern Prep is giving away some cute earrings and an LP stickers and label booklet.  So fun! Check out her blog to find out how to enter.  

Home, Sweet home

My husband and I have had little debates every now and then about calling my parents' house "home."  I remember the first time I took a weekend trip after we got married to visit my family (by myself).  When I was almost to my parents' house, Ray called my cell. As we were finishing our conversation I said something like, "All right, well I'm almost home so I'll call you later!"  Though he didn't say anything about it right then, we talked later and he wittingly asked me if I did not consider our apartment my home.  Of course I feel that my home is with him, but I will always call the house that I grew up in--and lived in for the 18 years before moving to Asheville--home.  I consider it a blessing to have lived in the same city for my entire childhood, and I think that is why it is so easy for me to call it home.  Ray, on the other hand, has moved quite a few times.  (But, if he had to pick a place to call home besides where we are, he would say Raleigh - where he lived from high school through college.)  Moving a lot can also be a blessing because it provides new experiences and fresh starts.   

Anyway, I guess it would be more appropriate to call Charlotte, and my parents' house, "back home."  Right?  I definitely do call this comfortable two-bedroom apartment, in which my husband and I have lived since getting married in January 2009, my home.  And I will call the next place we live home.  But, "back home" is where I look forward to going to see familiar faces, drive without my GPS, visit with friends, play with our crazy dog Jack, sit in the kitchen with my sisters, hang out with my mom and dad and go to the places I trust for my beauty needs. ;)    

[My mom, me, and a couple of sisters and cousin getting pedicures for my wedding.]

When I go back home, this is my go-to place for a quick, cheap brow wax.  (Sadly though, different people bought the place and this past weekend they did not do such a stellar job!)  I also go back home for haircuts and ring cleanings!  

What do you call home?

Another giveaway +

I love free stuff! This giveaway is from Ashley B @ Sweet Southern Prep.  

LP playing cards

Really cute earrings - will look perfect with a pretty Spring dress!

I LOVE pink polish! 

(and OPI is the best)

Good luck! 

Fashion Meets Food

Ashley B at Sweet Southern Prep suggested I follow a blog that might help encourage and motivate me to do better with eating and working out.  I checked it out and I love the blog!  First, I love how she snaps photos of what she eats.  Second, she has great meal ideas.  Third, she's fun and is about to get married!  Lastly, she has great giveaways like this one...

a Joey Junior Foldable Purse Hanger 

Go visit Erica's blog at Fashion Meets Food and enter the giveaway! 

Good luck!

Burnt out!

Only seven more days of classes and four exams until this semester finally comes to an end.  I am so ready!  The past couple of weeks have worn me out.  I hate when I get stressed because it begins a vicious cycle.  It starts with stress eating.  Then, because I've eaten so much, I don't feel like working out.  And I come up with all this stuff I have to do besides working out, but I don't get those things done either.  So, I've been unproductive and I'm feeling gross.  This past week, I did get a lot of work done, but I didn't improve my physical well-being.  For some reason, I can't get back on track.  I keep saying, "Okay, tomorrow I will work out," but I don't.  It doesn't just affect me, it affects my loving husband.  I get mopey, I don't clean, I don't make him breakfast in the morning and  I pour my heart out to him every night when we get in bed.  (I'm also really uncomfortable going to bed at night when I have been unhealthy, because I get hot and my body just doesn't feel right.)  I hate being like this.  Though, my love is the most understanding and caring husband.  He just listens and helps me relax.
But, ultimately only I can fix my physical health.  Two weeks from today I will be running another 5k.  I was hoping to keep up with running since my last 5k, but no success with that.  I've just been too busy.  (But, that's not really a good excuse EVER.)  Anyway, two weeks from today I will also be done with classes.  I don't want to put off getting in shape until then. I want to be back on track already.  My goal for the next two weeks is to do 30 minutes of cardio each weekday at least.  I will have my mornings back since I don't have to teach this week, so I will work out first thing.  I'm also going to eat in moderation.  Blogging about this will help me stay motivated and keep me focused!
Here's to being ME again!      

Oh, Atlanta

We had so much fun in Atlanta!  We arrived around 6:30 Tuesday night, checked in to our hotel, and then... ate dinner at the food court at Phipps Plaza and went to see Clash of the Titans! Haha.  Okay, so why did we go see a movie our first night in Atlanta?  Because we have had an AMC gift card that we haven't been able to use because there are no AMC theaters around here. So, we finally got to use it!  Our hotel was perfect.  I think we'll stay there from here on out!  It was a Fairfield Marriott in Buckhead and very reasonably priced.  We've stayed downtown a couple of times, but it's definitely a bit more pricey, plus you have to pay for parking.  I also felt a lot safer staying in the perimeter area.  

We even had a waterfront room! Haha.  

Anyway, on Wednesday we hung out at Perimeter Mall for a little bit to kill some time, ate lunch at the Varsity, and then went to Turner field and took the tour before the game.  Because it was so close to game time, we didn't get to go down to the locker room, but we did get to sit in the dugout and see the press room and other cool stuff.  Some of the Cubs players were throwing a frisbee on the field when we were out there.   The highlight of the tour was definitely seeing Don Sutton.  He was grabbing something to eat in this little diner thing that's for the media people.  He stopped and talked to us while he waited on his food.  Ray made fun of me because I was so star struck even though I wasn't all that familiar with him.  I was just excited!                                                                               

The weather was perfect on Wednesday.  I had on flip flops, shorts and a tank top until the sun went down.  Even then, it still felt perfect!  We sat right behind short stop, one section over from where Chipper hit his homer of the game.  We snacked on peanuts, coke, and I got a huge frozen yogurt.  Yum!  

Thursday was rainy, so we went downtown and hung out at the CNN center.  We ate lunch at the food court and then drove to a place I found called Atlanta Cupcake Factory.  It was a tiny little place with THE BEST cupcakes.  We ran inside while it was LIGHTLY raining out.  Ray got a key lime cupcake and I got a coconut almond cupcake.  Such a perfect treat on a rainy day!  On the way out, we had to run through a MONSOON.  We were drenched.  We had to change clothes in the car when we got to Turner Field because we were seriously squeezing water out of our jeans. Haha.  So I had to wear shorts, but luckily it never got too cold.  It cleared up right before batting practice.  We HAD to get a ball.  I had on the baseball glove, ready to catch one. No success during the Braves practice.  So, we kept waiting while the Cubs hit some.  Finally, one came right toward me, but (I promise) it was too high!  Ray thought I just didn't try.  I seriously did try!  It went right over my head two rows above us.  Ray jumped over the seats and got it.  Thank goodness!  I don't think I would have been able to live that one down.  

Our seats for Thursday's game were up high above second base.  Still good though! (Have I mentioned that we only paid $32 for both of us for two games?)  Sweet deal!  Sadly, the Braves lost on Thursday night, but they looked good and I'm looking forward to going to some more games.  

Sorry, I know this blog was long, but I just thought I'd give a recap of our trip!  

Oh and this week I have to get back on track with eating and working out.  I ate so much unhealthy goodness over the past few days.

I did TRY to run on the treadmill at the hotel, but it was so old it felt unsafe.  Haha.  I'm definitely feeling out of shape today!  

Ray hasn't been feeling good since we got back and he's running a high fever.  I hope he gets better by tomorrow! Please pray for him! 

Oh, ATLANTA

I hear you calling

I'm coming back to you one fine day

No need to worry, there ain't no hurry

Cause I'm on my way back to GEORGIA

-Alison Krauss