One Photo per Hour for One Whole Day

I am currently sitting on the back porch of my families cabin in the mountains in New Mexico.  The cabin has been in my mom’s family for about…….well a long time.  I don’t know how long exactly but at least since my mom was in high school.

It is definitely a perk having this thing.  Especially since the family all concurred that we needed Wi-Fi and cable. Not very rustic but who cares.  This is def my kind of “roughing it.”

So today we are tasked with sharing one picture from every hour of our day.  I chose yesterday, because again something was actually happening and I had semi-interesting things to take pictures of…kind of….I think….I’ll let you be the judge!

7:00am:  Woke up but immediately rolled over.  You don’t want see my ugly mug in the morning.  It’s not a pretty site.

8:00 am
First things first.  Cannot have a productive day without this stuff.  Plus I get a little headache if I don’t have at least one cup of coffee in the morning.

9:00 am
I had yet to write my post for Friday (which you can read here) so I plopped down with my second cup and the TV on and got to writing.  I watched X-Men…in case you were wondering.  I wish I was a mutant.  It’d be pretty sweet to have some type of power.

10:00 am
Failed miserably early on and forgot to take a picture.  Plus I’m 90% sure I was actually IN the shower and this blog is rated PG (for language on occasion) so you don’t get to see that!

11:00 am
Time to get my face ready for the day. This is my vanity in my childhood home. Thus why you see a strange assortment of objects, such as the Lucky Carebear, Winnie-the-Pooh and I think that’s Donald.  Oh and that weird purple ball.  Strange I know.

12:00 pm
By noon I’m ready to hit the road.  Its about a 2 and a half hour drive from El Paso to Ruidoso.  It’s just an overnight trip so I didn’t need much.  I’m heading home late this evening.  I actually forgot my toiletries bag so I may be looking at a brushing my teeth with my finger situation.  womp womb.

1:00 pm
So I don’t know if you’re aware of this but anytime you leave El Paso, you MUST stop at an inspection station.  It’s the US Border Patrol and they are there to make sure no one illegal is trying to get deeper into the states.  They also catch people who are trying to deal drugs.  (Willie Nelson got caught like 2 years ago on his tour bus at one of these babies).

Anyway they stop you then ask if everyone in the car is an American citizen, you say yes, then you’re on sent on your way.

Unless they have a drug dog and said drug dog leaps toward your car, then they ask you to pull over, step out and proceed to check your car for drugs via the dog.  That happened to me on my drive from Texas to Florida 3 years ago.

This time I just awkwardly called the agent ma’am, got embarrassed, mumbled an apology and drove off.  It was weird.

2:00 pm
By this time I’m in a small town just outside of Ruidoso and am annoyed.  Because said small town is the one and only place I’ve EVER gotten pulled over and given a speeding ticket. The cop was a ass and gave it to me on my 18th birthday.  (Ps. Yeah yeah I know….I shouldn’t selfie and drive but it was needed to document the occasion.)  I HATE that town.

3:00 pm
Finally reached my destination!  I met my parents and Uncle at the horse races.  Which I’m not a huge fan of because I don;t really see the point of betting on a horse in hopes that it runs the fastest.  Plus I never win.  I mostly went for the company and so I wasn’t sitting at home like a loser.  And because I really liked my outfit choice for the day! 🙂

4:00 pm
I told them to smile so I could use this for my blog.  Everyone cooperated save for my father.  Thanks Dad! This is your big internet debut and you look like I’m torturing you!  He never smiles in pictures so at least its an accurate representation.

5:00 pm
Around this time I found myself at my Grandad’s second wife’s house.  I haven’t seen her in ages because I’ve been in Florida for the last 3 years.  One thing I noticed though was that she has zero pictures of our family in the main living room/kitchen.  The only place she has them is where my Grandad used to keep his clothes, so it was dubbed “his room”.  This dresser is covered in pictures of the grandkids.  But anyway, I thought it was weird. She was my grandmother for 14 years!

6:00 pm
Oops! Failed again!

7:00 pm
Made to our cabin!! This is the view from the front porch!  I love this place.  It is solo peaceful and full of wonderful memories! I can’t wait to bring my future family here.

8:00 pm
We had a BBQ dinner that was pretty darn tasty from this place.   I could probably eat Brisket and potato salad like 4 times a week if I could.  It’s one of my favorites!

I didn’t take anymore after 8 o’clock because the rest of the evening was spent in front of the TV.  Very fun and picture worthy. Oh wait…

Anywho…there ya have it.  Now I’m off to enjoy a day of shopping with my mama downtown.  They have the cutest little area with some tasty restaurants and shops.  One clothing shop in particular is my absolute favorite!! Can’t wait to see what kind of goodies they have today! 🙂

#TBT

Today we are going back in time.  Ok did anyone else just think of the theme song from Back to the Future after reading that?  Cuz that was my intention.  

We are gonna go all the way back to a very special year in my book.  1988.  Why is that special?  Well because its when I was born!! WOO HOO!!!!  Yay for being born in the 80s!  Not that I remember anything from the 80s.  But I am a history teacher and this year I learned quite a bit about the decade, before I had to teach it to my students.

So….here are a few fun facts about 1988.  You know other than the fact that I was born:

– The Cold War was STILL going on. Granted it would end very soon. But not in 1988.  Y’all that mess started in 1947.  Longest “war” ever.

– Doppler radar was invented:  this is news to me…but thank you Christian Doppler.  

– Table Tennis became an Olympic sport, which would then pave the way for Forrest Gump to join the US team and then go to Communist China.  (If you haven’t seen Forrest Gump get on that ASAP.  Some of my students this year didn’t even know who Tom Hanks was.  Shame on them.)

– Disney only released 1 noteworthy movie and that was Oliver and Company.  Please tell me y’all have seen that movie.  

– Ronald Reagan starts the year as President and George H.W. Bush finishes the year President. (Side note: Did you know Ronald Reagan was an actor first and even helped MC the opening of Disneyland in 195….now you know!) 

-Fashion statements of the year included: Penny Loafers and Levi jeans with the cuffs rolled up

Top 5 Movies of 1988:

1. Rain Man 
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
3. Coming To America
4. Big
5. Twins

Top 5 TV Shows:

1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. A Different World (NBC)  I love this show! It’s a spin off of the Cosby Show!
3. Cheers (NBC)
4. The Golden Girls (NBC)  This still gets watched pretty much every morning.
5. Growing Pains (ABC)

Top 5 Songs

1. Faith – George Michael

2. So Emotional – Whitney Houston

3. Got My Mind Set on You – George Harrison

4. The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson

5. Need You Tonight – INXS

Prices of some random things:

Movie Ticket: $3.50  ( Oh how I wish wish WISH this were still the case.  Whatever I still pay $10-13 and don’t feel bad about it.) 
US Postage Stamp: 24 cents
Dozen Eggs: 65 cents 
Gallon 2% Milk: $1.89 
1 gallon of gas: 91 cents  ( I’m sorry WHAT!!!!!!!! This is just unfair.) 

And now for your viewing pleasure…..a series of adorable baby pictures that span from before birth (as pictured below) to 5 months after my first birthday when my little baby brother Drew is born.

#tbt #babypictures #1988 #cutestbabyever #justaskmyparents

Mom at her baby shower for little ol me.

4 day old little baby.

That blanket can still be found in our blanket cabinet at my parents house.  It is mega soft and will be used for my own children one day.  Also I just noticed that flamingo chillin with some other toys in the background.  Weird.

I’m guessing this was a 6 month picture.  But I honestly have no idea and my Mom isn’t around for me to ask her.

Baby’s First Christmas!

Baby’s First Trip to New Orleans!  I’ve now been there 3 times.  Once as an infant, once as an adolescent, and once as an adult.  It’s way more fun as an infant and an adult.  

As an infant I remember nothing and as an adult, I wish I remembered nothing.  I much prefer NOLA in the daytime. Nighttime the crazies come out.  But it is beautiful city!  

Umm…excuse me….what are doing in my crib?  I imagine that’s what I’m thinking in this picture.

Also, I still have that baby. Her name is Audrey and she’s currently hanging out on top of my TV in my bedroom at home home, as in my parents home.  She’s still completely intact and will also be given to my daughter one day. 

And here is where I went from being Kathleen to Kac.  My brother and I are only 17 months apart I was born in ’88 and he in ’89.  

I love and adore him. Even though my face suggests otherwise in this picture. hehe

I just love looking at baby pictures.  My mother did a fantastic job of keeping loads of photo albums from birth until my brother and I were like 13.  Then she stopped.  womp womp.  But the ones she does have are a blast to look at and I’m glad we have them for the next generation of the family!

Have a terrific Thursday! 🙂 

Disclaimer:  All the facts I got about the 1988 were found here, here, and here.  

Currently

This is a post that has been sitting in my “post lineup” for FOREVER!! Seriously, I had like 3 different drafts of this baby half done.  So when I saw this was part of the July challenge, I thought PERFECT! Here’s my chance. 

So without further ado, I am currently:

Reading: Well the “Currently reading” sidebar I have says that I’m reading “Never Have I Ever” blah blah blah….long title.  But I’ve already finished it and haven’t changed it.  To be honest I haven’t really found a book that I’ve loved this summer.  So I’ve actually been re-reading some of my favorite books (cough HARRY POTTER cough).  I’m about to start another John Green book, “Paper Towns.”  Hopefully it’s as good as Fault in Our Stars.

Writing: This post and a budget for the rest of the summer. At least till I get my first paycheck at the new job!  Lemme tell you it SUCKS not getting a regular paycheck.  

Listening:  The TV, just finished watching The Real Housewives of New York Finale and now listening to What What Happens Live with the fabulous Andy Cohen.  I want his job.

Thinking: SO MANY THINGS!  But mostly that I have this sharp pain in my left side that won’t go away.  It’s weird.  Also I’m annoyed that my new school district hasn’t called me to set up a date for me to come in and sign all my new paperwork.  

Smelling: Chinese food.  That what we ate for dinner last night as I was typing up this post.  I can also still smell the lotion I put on this morning.  It’s a new smell from Bath and Bodyworks, Amber Blush. Smells delightful.

Wishing: That my nail polish would go on and look as smoothy and silky as it does when I get them done at a nail salon.  Also that money grew on trees.  Wouldn’t that be just lovely.  Yes, yes it would.

Hoping: That this school year goes smoothly. New city, new school, new house.  Lots of new things.  I hope it goes the way I think it will in my head! 

Wearing: Basically what I’ve been wearing since Saturday.  Yoga pants and a grey fitted t-shirt.  Seriously I haven’t gotten fully dressed since Friday.  I’ve changed from PJ type clothes to my swimsuit and back.  I’ve been wearing my glasses, haven’t done my makeup, nor has my hair been dried and styled since then either.  

Wanting: A Vanilla Dr. Pepper from Sonic. Yum. And to watch Frozen.  I’ve had the songs “For the First Time in Forever” and “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” stuck in my head for days.
  
Loving: My family.  I’ve now been home for about 3 weeks and I can honestly say I’ve missed being around my parents and brother on a regular basis.  Our family has lots of fun together.  And seeing them 6 times in 3 years just isn’t gonna cut it anymore. Missing Disney but still think I made the right decision in moving back.

Needing: A massage and a pedicure.  Mostly the pedicure.  Unfortunately this girl is on tight budget so any pedicure I get I’ll be giving myself.  

Well I think this is going to have to be a monthly thing!  That was fun!  

To close here is a picture I took of Sadie Monday night, we were watching The Real Housewives of Orange County (yeah yeah I have a Real Housewives problem) and the season Finale of Ladies of London (which better be coming back for a season 2)

In case you’re wondering, she’s partly laying on me and partly on the side of the couch.  

Isn’t she just the cutest!  Yes, I think she is! 🙂 #crazycatlady

Happy 1st Birthday to the Little Prince

One year ago today I was not blogging.  So I never got to gush over a very special event that happened on this day last year.

I remember exactly where I was.

I was sitting in the DRC, which is the phone rooms at Disney World.  Part of my job with Guest Relations was to make dining reservations over the phone for guests.  Anywho, I was sitting in the DRC when I got an alert on my phone.  Upon reading said alert I jumped up and started squealing.  This caused everyone else in the DRC to jump and ask me what the hell what the matter.

“Prince William and Kate are in LABOR!!!! THE BABY IS COMING!”

Well that was all I could think about for the rest of the day.  I literally sat at my work computer and had the live feed that every single news station in the world was streaming.  I simply could not wait to hear whether or not the Duke and Duchess had had a girl or boy.  Will there be a new little prince or princess.

No one else in the DRC gave two shits and I’m pretty sure they were more entertained by my obnoxious reaction to the event then the actual event itself.

Obviously no work at all got done that afternoon.  I mean a royal baby was about to be born! How am I supposed to concentrate with all that excitement happening.

After many hours of waiting and staring at the Lindo Wing of St. Marys Hospital then announcement was finally made via official announcement and of course on the internet:

Yes, I snapped a picture of the announcement and immediately posted it on Instagram.

Then the next day we waited yet again for them to officially appear with their new little prince! And it was the cutest ever when they finally made their brief appearance before driving away with an extra little bundle of joy!

Now here we are one year later and little Prince George is 1 year old!

I’ve obviously followed every single minute that they have officially shared about the 2 future kings and future queen.  From their first official family photo, to his christening, and to their trip to New Zealand and Australia.

He is just the cutest!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY PRINCE GEORGE!!!

Now I need to have a baby girl in the next 2-3 years so she and George can meet and fall in love.  I mean they’ve already broken with tradition when William married a commoner, it’s only fitting for George to marry and America!  RIGHT?  Right.

Grey’s Anatomy Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations about Hospitals

So once again I’m joining up with the link up “Blog Everyday in July” but something tells me I’m going to be doing it wrong.  And by that I mean, the topic is “My Day in Gifs.”  Yeah I’m not doing that.  I had another post planned for today so I”m combining the two.  Sorry if that’s cheating.  (Ok I’m not that sorry!)

****************

I love Grey’s Anatomy.  Like LOVE IT!  Season 11 is coming up and I am just as obsessed with it now as I was when I started watching it as a freshman in college.

Now I know some of you might be thinking….”ugghhh, Grey’s Anatomy….that show isn’t even realistic anymore…I mean come on…a shooting, a plane crash, a bomb in a guys stomach, it’s sooo unrealistic.”  But I don’t care.  I love every single minute of what happens on that show.

But I will admit that I’ve seen so much Grey’s that I just expect every hospital I go to, to be just like that.  Obviously there are going to be tons of hot doctors to look at, obviously there’s going to be lots of action happening at all times, obviously I’m going to get an inside look at the dramatic lives of all the doctors in the ICU, and obviously one of said hot doctors is going to take one look at his patients granddaughter and fall madly in love with me.  I mean obviously.

Well shock of all shocks, people, Grey’s Anatomy is NOTHING like real hospitals.  I know, it’s depressing to think about.

In reality hospitals are depressing, the doctors are old and not very attractive (although some of the nurses are. MALE nurses obviously), the rooms are small, it smells weird, and I did not get any sort of drama between any of the doctors and nurses that I encountered.  It was highly disappointing and did fullfil any of my totally realistic expectations of hospitals.

So I guess I’m just gonna have to settle for Grey’s re-runs on Lifetime, Season 11 coming in September, and the following Grey’s Anatomy Gifs!

No intern group will ever compare to this one! 

Remember when Christina, George and Alex had a hot dog eating contest? Hilarious!

I can see why they call him McSteamy! 🙂

Oh how I miss Izzie and George.  

And probably my favorite of all time:

It should actually read “You wane be me but yo can’t be me”

Great show.  Love it.

Now I’m gonna spend my Monday on the couch drinking tea and watching the Ladies of London marathon on Bravo in anticipation of the finale tonight! Woo Hoo!

Would You Rather…..

So it’s Saturday night and I’m more concerned with the fact that my strictly indoor cat has figured out that my parents have a cat door in their room for their two cats, than I am with the fact that I’m sitting at home on a Saturday night blogging about my cat. Womp womp.    The thing is, not only has she found the cast door but she’s figured out that she can actually get outside via said door.

This cat momma is paranoid that my sweet little baby will not be able to figure out that she can actually come back in the house.  I keep getting up and checking to see if she’s still out there.  I’m really hoping she figures it out before I decide to head to bed so I’m not worrying about it all freaking night.

Anyway, today I making a Sunday appearance because I thought the next topic in the blog everyday in July challenge was fun!  Here we have:

WOULD YOU RATHER……….

1. Be blind or be deaf

Deaf.  !. I’ve always wanted to learn American Sign Language and this would give me the kick in the pants I need to actually learn (which sounds terrible, I should just start taking classes).  Plus I’d never be able to watch movies if I were blind, or look at pretty sunsets like this one again.  

2. Be taller than you are or shorter than you are

Hands down shorter.  I’m around 5’7/5’8 and always feel like a giant when I wear heals.  If I were 5’5 I would be able to wear heals and feel dainty.  At least that’s what I picture in my head.

3. Be a teenager or a senior citizen for the rest of your life
Teenager….I’ve already lived through my teen years and it was not unsatisfactory at all, especially my college-teen years.  Is that a thing? Well it is now, cuz I just made it up.  If I could go back and do it again I would.  

4. Have no hands or no legs
No legs, from the knee down specifically.  Because then I could be like Amy Purdy and be completely inspiring and amazing on Dancing with the Stars.  If you no idea what I’m talking about please watch THIS  video and be AMAZED! SHE HAS NO LEGS, people! And look at what she can do!! UN-BE-LIE-VABLE!!!

5. Lose your front teeth or both eyebrows
Front teeth,  because I would be able to replace my current front teeth, which I am not 100% content with, with a brand new pair!  Also, I’ve already been without eyebrow.  In middle school, I may have gotten a little too tweezer happy.  Thus, why I rarely pluck my eyebrows now.  

6. Eat a worm or a cockroach

Worm, for sho.  I hate, loath and despise cockroaches.  Like seriously they are the WORST creatures in the whole world.  So are crickets.  BLEGH.  I get the Hebby Jebbies (no idea how to spell that) just typing the word out.

7. Spend a day in the Sahara or North Pole

North Pole.  There would be way more to look at.  Like cute little penguins and cuddly polar bears.  Now relax, I know polar bears are not cuddly at all  The Coca-Cola commercials are big fat liars.  But I prefer to be cold rather than hot. Especially when there is nothing help cool me off in the Sahara, like a pool or a lake or something. There’s a whole lotta nada in the Sahara.  Except camels. 

8. Have a personal chef or a personal driver

CHEF!!!!!!!!!  obviously.  I get a bee in my bonnet to cook maybe twice a week.  The rest of the time I’m just too lazy and would love to have someone do it for me…all the time.  

9. Always have to whisper or always have to shout

Whisper.  Then I can be like the fish lip girl from Pitch Perfect.  

10. Can’t taste or can’t smell

I did a science project in elementary school that asked the question, “Can You Taste Without Smell?”  and ….well I actually have no idea what the outcome of the experiment was BUT I feel like the answer was no, you can’t.  SO…based on that….I guess I would go with can’t smell.  Wait what?  Yeah I’m confused too.  

11. Wipe with sandpaper or saran wrap
Saran wrap.  Sandpaper would hurt like hell. This question is gross.

12. Have Twitter shut down for a day or your blog disappear for a day
Have Twitter shut down for the day.  To be honest, I probably wouldn’t even notice if that happened.  Save for the last Oscars when Ellen took that AMAZING selfie and actually DID shut down Twitter. For a little while at least.  But yeah, I don’t use twitter save for when I share Instagram pictures.

This moment was epic! 

13. Text of your blog is screwed up or all the pictures you post on your blog are blurry
Nothing bothers me more than when the text is all screwy.  Usually because I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA WHY IT HAPPENS! Sorry for yelling but jeez, come on blogger! So annoying.  And I feel like the pictures being blurry would be annoying to but less so.  So I’m gonna go with pictures.

14. Never be able to post another GIF or never be able to receive comments on your posts
I only just discovered the gloriousness that is the GIF. I mean I’ve seen them but I’ve only started to really appreciate them.  So I’m not 100% invested in them as am receiving comments from all you lovely peeps who read this here blog of mine. So I’m gonna go with Never be able to post another GIF.

15. Have a permanent wedgie or have the tag on your shirt constantly scratch your neck
Permanent wedgie….isn’t that basically what thongs give you.  Yes, yes they do.


Well there ya have it!!

Hope y’all have a great Sunday Funday!    Here’s to hoping my cat is as smart as I think she is.

Oh Hey, Wednes….I mean Friday!!

It’s Friday! Say what?  I swear my brain and body still think it’s like Wednesday.  
SO…the other day I got a sweet comment on this post from Amy at The Farmers Wife.  She invited me to join in on her link up party Oh Hey, Friday!  Basically we share 5 things from the week about….whatever we want! So excuse me while I proceed to ramble just a tad on this fine Friday.

1. My parents and I have spent the entire week in the hospital with my grandmother.  Thus why I feel like it’s Wednesday and not Friday.  Since Sunday, our days have been spent in the ICU and our nights have been spent in a nearby hotel.  Which has terrible coffee, terrible breakfast, but the most comfortable beds in the whole world.  Seriously I’m thinking about asking the front desk where they got them from so I can buy one for myself.  But I’m happy to report that my Grandmother is doing great and is going to be released from the hospital today!  She is a fighter!  Oh and be sure to come back Monday because you’ll get to read a post entitled “Grey’s Anatomy Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations About Hospitals”.  It’s gonna be epic! (I hope.)

Apparently, my grandmother LOVES those court TV shows and Little Women: LA. It’s all she’s wanted to watch while she’s been in the hospital.

2. Speaking of Grey’s Anatomy, ABC finally announced their fall premier schedule this week and I’ve already marked my favorites in my calendar!  Come on September! I’m ready for more Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars and Once Upon A Time.  I think I may be a TV snob because I don’t really watch any other shows on any other networks.  Well basic networks anyway, I can’t get enough of Game of Thrones and Girls on HBO.  Any suggestions on shows on NBC or CBS that are great and I’m missing out on? Suggestions would be appreciated!

3.  This is my first summer off as a teacher and I have to say……it’s freakin weird!  Don’t get me wrong I love it. But at the same time I feel kinda bored and restless. For the last 2 years I’ve done nothing but work pretty much all year long with a few days off in a row here and there.  But this feels like I’m in college again living at home.  I need something to keep me busy…..like a boyfriend or something.  Yeah that will work.  

4.  My friend Jenny and I signed a lease on a house in Houston this week!  We can officially move in on July 28th, which is good because I may be taking a small trip to Houston around then to sign some paperwork for my new school and I can swing by and drop some stuff off.  I haven’t officially announced that I got a job anywhere because I haven’t signed a contract or anything.  I figure it’s better to wait till its officially official before I make any big announcements.  You know….just in case!

5.  Yesterday the original Happiest Place on Earth celebrated its 59th anniversary!  Yes Disneyland turned the big 5-9.  A friend and I went to Disneyland in March and had a blast.  We only spent 2 full days there but it was great!  People always ask me which I prefer: Disneyland or Disney World….and I would say hangs down Disneyland.  Why?  I think it’s because Disneyland is Walt’s baby.  He actually walked the streets and put his heart and soul into that place.  And there is something very special about that to us Disney nerds….especially if you’v worked in Guest Relations.  Katie and I took a tour while we were there called “Walking in Walt’s Footsteps” and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a little….ok a lot.  

See told ya I was gonna ramble!  
It’s been a pretty boring/tiring week but I can’t thank God enough for making sure my Grandmother got through this week long hospital stint!  There were a few other families in the ICU that weren’t so lucky.  I’m happy to be able to say that she’s going home tomorrow.  

Have a fantastic weekend friends! And be sure to go hug your Grandparents! :)****** Also linking up with Lauren for High 5 for Friday! 

5 Drafts Later…Here are 3 of My Favorite Blogs

I’ve literally sat down 5 different times to write this post and every time something has gone wrong.  I feel like it’s a sign.  Of what? I have no idea.  But I am sick of re-writting this post.  Blogger…..you need to get your shit together.  And so does my MacBook.

Now I know it’s already July 16th but I found this fun link up party where you have to blog everyday in July!  

Today we’re showcasing out 3 favorite blogs.  I’ve been doing this on and off for about 3 years and I’ve met some pretty awesome ladies.  A few (ok only 2, sorry I’m trying to make myself sound cooler than I actually am) I’ve actually become really good friends with.

First up we have Meg, from Everyday Meg,

Meg is one of my all time favorites!  She writes a mean outfit post, hilarious “anti-tutorials” and has even been showcased on Buzzfeed.  She lives in Houston, which is awesome because as of August 1 I will be living there as well.  Plus we both teach 8th grade, she is an English teacher and I will be teaching History.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Meg in person twice and we’ve stayed friends ever since!  She’s sweet, funny, and had amazing fashion sense! 🙂

Next is Jessica from Glisten Fit,

Jessica has one of the coolest blogger stories!  I first met her when she was at Lovely Little Things.  She wrote about all kinds of fun stuff.  But then she turned her little ole lifestyle blog into a full fledged business.  It’s an online personal training business called Glisten Fit.  She does personal training and even gives people fun free workout tips and healthy eating tips via the blog portion of her website and Instagram.  Not only that but she is one of the most genuine, caring, and southern girls you will ever meet!  While I lived in Florida I actually met Jessica a few times and even went to her wedding! It was gorgeous!  Jessica was one of the first bloggers that I actually connected with and I am so glad we’re friends!

Lastly we have a blogger that I just recently started reading/following.  And by recently I mean in the last 3 days.  It’s actually one of the hosts of the blog challenge.  

Juliette from The Other Juliette,

I may or may not have gone back through and read some of Juliette’s archived posts after I first stumbled across her blog.  If you’re reading this, sorry Juliette, I’m not a creeper I promise! 🙂  But she spells her name in a cool way, makes hilarious Mean Girls references, is from/lives in the same city as one of my best friends, and has embraced the single life/is okay with it.  Oh and she’s hilarious, I found myself LOLing several times as I was reading her stuff. I am excited to keep following and reading along with her blog! 

And here are a couple others that I really enjoy and read on a daily basis!

Lauren from Aspiring Kennedy 

Whitney from Writing on a Whim

Ashley form Kinder Kronicles

Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth

Kate from The Small Thinks Blog

Kathy from Him and Me (But Mostly Me)

Julie from Girl in the Red Shoes

Leslie from A Blonde Ambition

Yay! I finally made it through the post without it getting deleted.  So I’m gonna say ta-ta for now so it doesn’t happen in the next 3 seconds! 

Happy Hump Day!

The Weekend that Went From Good to Not So Good

I fully intended to sit down after an amazing steak dinner that my Dad was going to cook us, and write a really great “here’s what I did on my weekend and it was just perfect” post on Sunday night but then as I was driving to Sonic with my best friend early on Sunday afternoon, I got some not so fantastic news.

My grandmother is in the hospital.

She had a stroke in December and was here for about 3 weeks but recovered nicely and was sent home.  She had a small stint in the hospital for something called vertigo (which I’m still not sure what that is) 2 weeks ago.  Apparently its like a very severe case of motion sickness….anyway she was sent home, started doing some type of therapy that really helped and then the night before last she fell.

It was the middle of the night and I guess she was going to the bathroom and didn’t use her walker and boom…….said fall resulted in a fractured back.  Needless to say she is in a lot of pain if she moves into a certain position.

So instead of eating steak, my parents and I jumped in the care and drove straight to Lubbock, Texas where she was airlifted.

I’m pleased to report though that she is doing great!  She had rough night last night, doctors were slightly worried about her breathing but she’s been fully alert all day today.  Little forgetful here and there but hey she’s like 75 and to be honest I can’t even remember major specifics of my week last week. So there ya go.

She’ll be back back surgery on either Wednesday or Thursday…so we’ll staying at least until then.  Saving grace is that the hospital has free WI-FI (thank you technology) so I will hopefully pop out some posts later this week.

So that is mostly how I ended my weekend.  I started it with some babysitting, a friend of my mom’s little girl.  We watched Frozen, colored and went on a treasure hunt.   Incidentally, watching Frozen (and Disney movies in general) is WAY more fun with a 4 year old.  She sang all the songs and when it was time for “Let It Go” she even got up and danced just like Elsa!  It was ADORABLE!

Then a trip to the ball park on Friday night happened.  My brother scored us some pretty sweet tickets to El Paso’s brand new Triple A baseball teams home game.  They’re called the El Paso Chihuahuas (yeah I laughed my you know what off when I heard that was their mascot).  We sat right behind the opposing teams dugout on the first base line.  It was the perfect evening for a little bit of family bonding.

Saturday was spent  with my best friend for a good old fashion dinner, movie, and sleepover.  We did a dinner and movie package and saw Jersey Boys.  Now I really need to see it on Broadway because I’ve heard that if you’ve seen it on Broadway the movie sucks.  Since that is not the case for me, I throughly enjoyed the movie!

Pretty eventful, huh!  I’m very grateful that my Grandmother is doing so well, she gave us a little bit of a scare when we first heard that she had taken a fall. So prayers that she continues to get better are definitely needed! : )

Confessional Friday: A Day in the Life (via my IPhone)

As it’s been a full year since I’ve blogged, I’m pretty sure anyone who actually used to read anything I wrote….well doesn’t anymore.  So what better way to let all you lovelies out in blog world know that I’m back is by linking up with another blog!

Now just because I stopped blogging for a while doesn’t mean I stopped reading all my favorites.  And since I’m back in the swing of things, I’m going to link up with the lovely Leslie from A Blonde Ambition for her Confessional Friday.  This is a special edition of her Confessional Friday, she wants us to share a “day in the life” of…well….ourselves.  I’ve never done that myself so I figured it would be a PERFECT way to re-introduce myself to the blogging community!

So without further ado….here is “A DAY IN THE LIFE” (via my IPhone, because I don’t have a fancy shamancy camera!)

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7:00 am – My alarm goes off.  Now you’re probably wondering why in the world I set an alarm when I don’t have to get up in the morning.  I’m a teacher remember and its summer!  But I’m not a fan of sleeping late.  When I wake up past 9 am I feel like I’ve wasted most of my day.  Now I don’t jump outta bed at 7 am, I turn off the alarm and then check both Facebook and Instagram.  (this morning though I turned it off and made myself “sleep” till 8.)

8:00 am – I was up and grabbing some coffee and jumping right back in bed!  Then hopped on Blogger and hit the publish button to my post for the day:  “How to Find a Teaching Job and Not Lose Your Mind Doing It“,  it’s a riveting read! Lemme tell you!  And then I Instagramed about it.  And used the following photo.  I usually Instagram at least twice a day, if not more.  I have a problem.

9:00am-11:30 am–  This was a big mixture of things.  I showered and then took my time getting ready for the day all while doing the following:  watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey (hello new season starting in like a week!), watching Sadie (she’s my fur baby) be silly, playing Candy Crush (yes I still play) and doing my hair and makeup.

12:00-2:00 pm –  Thursdays are the day that my mom has someone come in and clean the house, so we have to make ourselves scarce for the afternoon.  My parents are both teachers as well so they are off for the summer just like I am.  They have a tradition where every Thursday they drive out to their favorite little Mexican food bar/cafe.  It’s called Chopes.  It is literally out in the middle of no where and my parents have been going their since…..well forever!  They love taking people from out of town to Chopes because they think its the best and a great way to experience the Southwest.

2:15-3:30 pm– Now the next hour and half or so of my day was not super exciting.  I wanted to get my hair highlighted because it was in need of some attention pretty bad.  After scouring the internet and Yelp for good reviews on the various salons in El Paso, I finally settled on one (after calling 2 that couldn’t squeeze me in that day).  Oh and I did this while sitting in the parking lot at Ulta. Weird I know.  But I had gone in to look around and maybe pick up the Benefit Coralista blush that I’ve been wanting for a few months now.  Didn’t end up buying it though.

3:30-6:00 ish pm–  Got my hair did!  Yes, it took about 2 hours!  Not only do I have very thick hair but I have a lot of it.  So it took forever to get partial highlights and a blow dry and style.  I just love getting my hair done though.  It is seriously one of the best parts of being a girl!

 Under the dryer!

After

Disclaimer: I was not driving when I took this..promise! I was sitting in the parking lot! 🙂

6:30-8:00 pm – Went with my mom to visit with a friend of ours.  She just got a new house and finished re-doing her backyard, so we went to have a glass of wine and chit chat.

8:00-8:30 pm – I started looking at family albums and found some great pictures to use for #tbt to help fuel my Instagram obsession.  The following was showcased this evening:

This is one of my best friends and future roommate, Jenny.  We’re in the 1st grade here! 

YEE-HA!

8:30-10:00 pm –  Dinner (Subway.  We’re big spenders around these parts and have very sophisticated palettes) and a movie (Bad Words) with my parents and brother.  This is sort of a family tradition with us.  When we’re all together we always have one night where we eat dinner and watch a movie as a family.  It’s actually one of my favorite traditions that we have in my family.

10:00 pm – falling asleep to Friends on Nick@Night (which does anyone else find it just plain weird that Friends is on Nick at Night, cuz I know I do) – Contacts off, glasses on, and in bed reading my new book (yes I read with the TV on) and finishing up this post! 🙂

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Now y’all are pretty lucky you caught me on such an eventful day.  Because not all days are filled with so many things.  Take yesterday for example, I didn’t leave the house at all (except to go and buy cat food and People magazine because it was the celeb bachelor edition and I wanted see which celebs I still have a chance with…..obviously) and spent most of my day watching Law and Order: SVU, snacking, jumping on and off my computer, and playing Candy Crush.  You pretty much would have seen pictures of food.

But that is pretty much a typical day in my life. Or well my life during summer vacation anyway.  I’ll have to do another one of these posts once school starts.  That will be even more entertaining!  Because you’ll get to see what a day in the life of a middle school teacher is like. 🙂

Hope y’all enjoyed spending a day in my life!  I def enjoyed documenting it and explaining why I was taking pictures of my lunch to my parents.