im impressed...

...with myself. ha. i think this is the most ive blogged in succession in, well, ever. i guess thats "good" enough, but wait - theres more!

something good about today came when  was shuffling out the cash from my paycheck and remembering that i no longer have a car payment! paid it off last week :)  that plus my supplemental student council pay and afterschool tutoring pay made for a hefty deposit into my savings account. which, in turn, makes me smile thinking of the future and the house im (hopefully) buying this fall.

im realizing that its so simple how a little tiny something good really resonates and spreads to so many more areas. loving this.

something sooo good.

homemade zeppoles warm from the oven when i got home. for those of you know are not lucky enough to know what these are, you need them in your life!!! deep fried balls of pizza dough, just a little greasy, that you dip in sugar. aka heaven. i ate four.

woops!

need to figure out how to publish blog posts from my cell. my weekends are most often spent elsewhere and i remember thinking "happy thoughts" multiple times this weekend and having nowhere to put them. add that to my list of things to do this week :)

lets start with friday. . . must go with something that tasted good. my favorite martini made by one of the best bartenders i know. yum.

and saturday. if you know me (and my boyfriend) at all, youre well aware of the fact that we just cannot be on time. no matter how hard we try, or what type of planning happens, we always manage to be the late ones. so a quickie shopping trip to finalize wedding outfits for a ceremony hours away obviously should not come as a surprise. and it could have turned out disastrous. but we helped each other pick out the perfect stuff in record time! the happy factor truly set in when i saw him beaming when guests said they loved my dress and winking at me when someone mentioned his cool new tie. when life is so busy and crazy, we dont always take those moments with each other. it may be small, but it really made me feel super connected to him. it felt good.

finally, today. tears pricked my eyes as i watched the cutest damn family of ducks crossing the road. one of the parents led the pack of six little fluffy guys, with the other parent bringing up the rear. and when a little one struggled at the back, the parent looked back and waited for it to catch up. all the cars on both sides stopped to let the family through and not one person looked exasperated. they just looked in appreciation at the ducks. i guess that kind of thing transcends.

and forget the sunday blues. im already perking up looking forward to my something good's of the week to come.

day 2

something good about today is. . .
hollies quote of the day is from wiz khalifa. and its also very true. "worrying is stupid. its like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain." something good to ponder for a mega worrier like myself.

something good. everyday.

thanks to my blogging idol (and bff h) i was reminded of one of my old favorites.  i used to read a few blogs pretty regularly that were super positive and uplifting.  they really made me notice and enjoy the little things in life. but more than anything - to appreciate exactly how lucky i am. lately ive gotten so caught up in the bustle of my busy life. ive been living day by day, not stopping to take a step back and think of the hours, minutes and even seconds that make it worthwhile.  it doesnt take a highly paid therapist to tell me that its not only unhealthy, but also making me a little emotionally weary. so after clicking the link h left me, i was immediately drawn to the subheading of the blog, which read: "do something good. everyday." how simple and perfect is that? and the fact is, i experience more than one something good. everyday. now i know im the worlds worst blogger, but writing is a passion and it truly calms me. so im going to make an attempt to center myself.  i will blog about one [and only one!] "something good" a day, the smaller the better, that made me happy. i will keep the posts simple, because im going to be looking for the little things. i dont know what will be tougher - choosing just one or blogging everyday or fighting the urge to be wordy. ahem, day one. . .


getting to watch a childhood favorite, lil rascals, with my tutoring kids. and hearing the sweet sounds of fourth grade giggles, at all the same parts i still think are funny. 


ps: already figured out which is tougher. choosing just one something. 

WGP

if you have a couple spare hours (and a place to be alone and snort out loud) - you must read "white girl problems" by babe walker. its pointless. its vapid. you will lose brain cells. but goddamn is she funny.

as if you couldnt tell, there are things much more serious in the world than so-called white girl problems. but for those days when you just need a (white) girl to nod her head in agreement at life's little idiosyncrasies... babe's your girl.

if you have even a little sense of humor, and enjoy a light read once in awhile, read it. and then tell your friends to read it. you can thank me when youre stressing over the silliest problem ever, but find yourself cracking a smile, shaking your head and mumbling "ah white girl problems."

molto bene!

add to the list. . .

(since i havent read her in ages)

(and im totally immersed in her young adult novel)

the big stone gap series
viola in the spotlight
the shoemaker's wife

all by adriana trigiani. <3

as promised -

just finished my first official read of 2012!  mockingjay by suzanne collins - the third and final installment of the hunger games series.

it wasnt on the list because i had already started it. i hardly ever recommend books to friends, colleagues or even complete strangers. because everyones taste is different. and i have cringed my way through many books recommended by others as well. but if you are unfamiliar with the hunger games trilogy (aka youve been living on mars), you must read them immediately. actually, you really only need to start the first book, the hunger games. once you get to about the 25th page, you wont need my encouragement. these books are so good, i would pretty much be willing to bet my salary on the fact that no one will hate them. in fact, its been awhile since i would say a book changed me. maybe 19 minutes by jodi picoult? or a much longer while ago, when my best friend h lent me the wednesday letters. before that, it would have been lucia lucia. i have read bazillions of books in my life. and i could probably count on one hand the books ive kept, reread, and still think about. books that have changed me.

id love to go into all the mindblowing details, having just finished the final book, mockingjay, but i know h hasnt finished the series yet. and knowing what i now do, i could never in a million years spoil these books for anyone else. ive talked them up so much, my boyfriend (who claims to have read three books to completion in his lifetime -- and whom i believe in that statement) is starting the first one tonight. im literally counting down the days until the movie comes out! anyone joining me?  so ill just leave you with the line that now gives me chills up and down my spine.  in the words of effie trinket. . .

resolving . . .

though i dont have any iron-clad resolutions this year, i am still resolving. or is it revolving?

and one of my favorite things is reading. but i dont spend nearly enough time doing it. not for fun anyway. as a language arts teacher, i am constantly reading. the same damn stories in the literature textbook ive read twenty times already. rough drafts of really poorly written seventh grade papers. and to be fair, very well-written final drafts. notes left on the floor of my classroom. emails from coworkers. posters and memos on the hallway walls. and in my personal life, other peoples blogs. pointless status updates and posts. text messages and emails from friends. but never enough books.

so im taking a book challenge on. id like to read fifty this year. and who knows if ill make it. but im making the effort. because after getting absolutely swallowed whole by the hunger games series, im feeling the old burn. i want more. so i started researching. on my list are the usual chick lit and new releases by some of my favorite authors:

where we belong - emily giffin

when in doubt add butter - beth harbison

falling together - marisa de los santos

ive got your number - sophie kinsella

oxford girl - plum sykes (memoir)

last night at chateau marmont - lauren weisberger

a few best sellers and books currently being talked about:

room - emma donahue

bel canto - ann patchett

wicked - gregory maguire

water for elephants - sara gruen

and some classics ive been wanting to conquer for the longest time:

slaughterhouse 5 - kurt vonnegut
the jungle - upton sinclair
i know why the caged bird sings - maya angelou
the bell jar - sylvia plath
one flew over the cuckoo's nest - ken kesey
a clockwork orange - anthony burgess
franny and zooey - jd salinger
catch22 - joseph heller
breakfast at tiffanys - truman capote
1984 - george orwell
of mice and men - john steinbeck
the great gatsby - f scott fitzgerald
vanity fair - william makepeace thackeray

now i know its not a full list of fifty, but im hoping to add a few more "must read" books that are currently causing a stir, as well as some young adult literature my kids are going nuts over. they clearly did not steer me wrong with the hunger games. so i trust their judgement.  i figure if i flip flop between YA and chick lit stuff mixed in with some heavier reads and classics, i may be able to do it! i promise to at least mention when i finish a read, possibly even comment or review. but lets not get too crazy! and on that note, the last three chapters of mockingjay are calling my name. . .

auld lang syne

i spent last new years eve with four of my best single girl friends, in what we had hoped would turn into a glitzy and fabulous episode of sex and the city. what started with high hopes, planned resolutions, and giggling ended with tears, big letdowns and unnecessary travels to the past.  what could have gone wrong you wonder? we had champagne and red lipstick! vodka and high heels! boys and confetti! but what we didnt have, we couldnt have found. what we didnt have was what we were all looking for. all year, all month, all day long. we were all mistaken in thinking that by putting on a brave face and "woohoo'ing" our way into the new year, all else would be forgotten. for some of us, it was a job. a house. a car. a degree. a million bucks. but for all, it was love.

dont get me wrong. we tried our damnedest. we even went the traditional, if somewhat quirky, route of writing down resolutions. that we promised to follow. and we all assumed that this year, we would be in a much better place. because try as we might, we all knew last december 31 is not where we wanted to stay.  i bought a new wallet the other day and as i was transferring the essentials, i came across a folded up piece of paper.  what i read nearly brought me to tears. im not really a firm believer in change, nor in it happening quickly. but when i remember where i was a year from today, it really does give me hope. so in light of another new years eve, and my determination to make and keep resolutions this year with success, lets see how i did:

"i will put myself first and care more about me than anyone else."
psh. im not really the selfless type, so i dont see this being my resolution of choice. but there have been times when ive put others needs before my own, in work, love, and friendships. and sometimes its not always the best choice. i do believe in the last year i have stood up for myself more at work, taking what i need first. although i dont recommend the me-me-me approach, there have been times when it made all the difference in my personal sanity and success.

"i will stop worrying about things that might happen and embrace those that are."
my "hopeful" engagement is months away. my wedding, even longer. so why worry? this year i took the time to try to live in the moment more. i have been truly open and honest with the person i love for the first time, without worrying whether i will sink the nail into the coffin of us. because ive learned that if the relationship is that weak, it wont stand the test of time anyway. one measly emotion wont make a difference. i have told him what i want and need, asked how to make things better, and tried to let the little things slide. in times of pssa frenzy, i took less time to shoot stern looks and preach repetition and more time to assuage fears and share comforting smiles. and when scores came in, rather than the song and dance of last year, it was a quiet warmth that radiated from my heart knowing that my belief in those kids was well-placed.

"i will stop stressing about things that are out of my control."
so there are mice in my classroom. so my boyfriends crazy ex will not sink into oblivion. so i havent found a house i love thats in my price range yet. so im not engaged. so my tenure hasnt gone through. so theres traffic on the bridge. SO WHAT? there are enough meaningful worthwhile things in life to stress about that i actually care about and have the capacity to change. why waste time on the rest. im a stresser by nature. but in the last year, ive been letting go. of all that doesnt matter.

"i will focus on my health, my education, and the improvement of my state of mind."
yep. this girl ran on the treadmill a couple times this year. even bought myself a new pair of sneakers. but ive been eating healthier and staying away from the demons (aka vodka). my formal education is at a halt right now. but that doesnt mean i havent been learning things. ive read some incredible books in the last year, learned tons of things about childrens literature, researched and experienced many time periods in history, tried out lots of new recipes, increased my boggle score - im beating my world champion memom these days, learned about beer and wine and food, and got the slightest bit more interested in politics and current events that dont include us weekly. im going to go with "see above" for the improvement of my state of mind. im happy, healthy, and in love. and it seems, so are the people i care most about!

"i will save money rather than spend."
oooh you know, theres always one. that one resolution that just doesnt work out. i guess when you think about it though, four out of five aint bad. and as my poppop always says, "you cant take it with you."


so in light of recent findings, and the new year approaching, i will be compiling a list of new resolutions. one of which is to blog more, even if they are shorter entries. ive always been a little long-winded, bet you couldnt tell, but i need to start just getting a few words on the screen and hitting publish. my best friend h, the one who started me blogging in the first place, is SO good at it. her posts are always short, to the point, and wonderful! i need to take some notes before sunday. wish me luck!