I'm Being Tested

So I'm definitely being tested by some higher power. Yesterday I received some news that someone I work with is spreading rumors about me. The rumors are so crazy that they made me laugh out loud, but it bothered me. I work with women who are much older than me, and it amazes me that they are such gossipers. Anyway, I decided to let it go, and I am so proud of myself for that. New year, new me; and I thinks it's working. I feel good about the fact that I was able to walk away and keep my head in the situation. Feeling good about this year; high hopes for myself and my future :)

New Year Approaching...

Hello!!! Well it's been a while since I have blogged and I am sad about that. I am making it a goal of mine to blog more because I do like having an outlet to just be myself and be creative. So, here is my list of 101 things I want to do in 2015 :)

101 Things to Do in 2015

1. Pay off my debt!!!!
2. No fast food for a month
3. No more soda
4. Go to a food festival
5. Beer Week 2015 :)
6. Go on a picnic
7. Sail on a boat
8. Take a dance class
9. Complete the 365 day photo challenge
10. Run a 5K
11. Attend a yoga class at least once a week
12. Try a new restaurant every month
13. Go camping
14. Save $3,000
15. Go one month without shopping
16. Read 5 biographies
17. Read 30 new books
18. Attend 5 concerts
19. Visit the Statue of Liberty
20. Play Mini Golf
21. See a movie outdoors
22. Become a homeowner
23. Run in a Color Run
24. Start taking and posting more pictures
25. Visit 5 new cities
26. Make 10 recipes from Pinterest
27. Buy fresh flowers every week for a month
28. Go on a hike
29. Go ice skating
30. Watch 5 documentaries
31. See at least 10 movies in theaters
32. Write and send snail mail to at least one friend
33. Visit Central Park
34. Go apple picking
35. Grow my hair out (Don't cut it again!!!!)
36. Eat Sunday brunch once a month
37. Create a budget and stick to it
38. Have a Fondue night
39. Go to a ballet
40. Volunteer 25 hours
41. Visit a national park
42. Throw a party for someone special
43. Whiten my teeth
44. Make 2 new friends
45. Be a better friend to my current friends
46. Complete 3 fitness challenges
47. Make a pizza from scratch
48. Find a wine that I like
49. Go to a psychic
50. Go to a Rave
51. Go fishing
52. Shoot a gun
53. Decide on a career path
54. Go to a casino
55. Attend Comic Con
56. Spend an entire day at the beach
57. Have Friendsgiving
58. Start a tradition
59. Get my passport
60. Learn how to drive
61. Meditate everyday for a month
62. Try 5 new restaurants
63. Try 5 new foods
64. Visit 2 new zoos
65. Have a complete "Me" day
66. Get another tattoo
67. Go on a tour of a brewery
68. Find my signature stationary
69. Go paint balling
70. Start a memory box
71. Become more independent
72. Take a train trip
73. Find my go to LBD
74. Eat a salad with every dinner for one week
75. Start drinking tea everyday
76. Update my resume
77. Get engaged (at the very least)
78. Make an address book
79. Buy a lottery ticket
80. Drink water every morning as soon as I wake up for a month straight
81. Do at least 5 DIY projects
82. Use my bike at least once a week once the weather gets  nice
83. Move out on my own
84. Go to a jazz club
85. Have a family game night once a month
86. Journal everyday for a month
87. Be honest with myself more often
88. Find a Pen Pal
89. Attend an MLB game
90. Attend an NHL game
91. Get an agenda and use it
92. Do a juice cleanse
93. Start taking daily vitamins
94. Get a facial
95. Make ice cream from scratch
96. Reconnect with an old friend
97. Try sushi again
98. Change my hair color
99. Frame my posters
100. Buy myself one splurge item
101. Save $5 for every goal accomplished

Well there you have it, 101 things that I hope to accomplish this year. I have high hopes for myself this year and I think that 2015 will be my year :)

Wow, it's been a while!

Well hello everyone! Summer is upon us and my summer has been pretty awesome so far. My holiday weekend was great I saw Jersey Boys and Belle. Jersey Boys was amazing, the music was phenomenal and getting to know the story behind one of the greatest groups was really interesting. I capped off my weekend by attending the Super Scooper Ice Cream Festival here in Philly. $7 and all you can eat ice cream and water ice it really doesn't get much better than that :) Here are some pictures from my weekend.

Just doing a little editing to the Expendables 3 cast :)

Not a fan of Jason Statham lol

I've loved The Rock since I was about 8 years old ;)

Strawberry

Moose Tracks

Cookies and Cream

Coffee (my personal favorite)

Butter Almond

Blue Raspberry Water Ice

Cherry Water Ice

Mango Water Ice

Mint Chocolate Chip

Grand Slam

My collection of cups at the end of the day

Race Street Pier

Enjoying my coffee ice cream!

Oh, I also got another tattoo, it's a special someone's name in Elvish

Well that's all for today, I'll be back tomorrow with some more pictures because I am going to see Catching Fire as part of the screening under the stars here in Philly :)

Stop Spending!!!!

Oh if only it were that easy, lol. I am the first to admit that I love clothes, very very very much. Which means that I love shopping for clothes, which means that H&M is my BFF and so are Old Navy, Ross, and many other stores. I told myself at the beginning of this month that I was going to try not to buy any clothes for the whole month of March. Well that lasted for about one weekend, well actually two days because that Monday I went out and bought some clothes. I know, I know I need to learn some self control and believe me I am working on it, lol. Now I am hoping to buy a house later this year, and I only have one more credit card to pay off and then I have no more credit card debt, yay me!!!!! My next goal is to start saving, and considering what I just told you about my love of shopping for clothes, this is going to take some dedication. I know that I can do it if I really buckle down and stick to a budget :( That means no more clothes, going out to eat with friends, or going to the movies. (Side note: I am listening to my Disney station on Pandora and it just so happens that as I am writing this post about spending and saving Bare Necessities from the Jungle Book comes on, lol. I think that this is a major sign, thanks Pandora!) So with all that said, I have written down a few goals for myself, just to start, I will add to this list every time I accomplish one goal I will add another goal. Here they are:

1. Save $100 from every paycheck, no matter what!
2. Stop drinking soda (Not only is it totally horrible for my health, but I spend a ridiculous amount of money on soda)
3. Plan out my meals for the week (This will help me cut down on take out and will also be healthier for me)
4. Use coupons for everything!!!!
5. Stay on top of my school work (I only have a few months left, but lately I have been super lazy)
6. Stop buying bottled water (I also spend a ridiculous amount of money on bottled water every week)

Hopefully I can accomplish these goals and get my life together. I will keep you guys updated on my progress, I am hoping to use this blog as a way to hold myself accountable for my progress. Have a wonderful night everyone, and try to wake up in a good mood tomorrow even though its Monday lol.

For The First Time In Forever

So for all the Frozen fans out there you will completely understand the title of this post, lol. I am beyond obsessed with this movie, I have the movie and the soundtrack and I have them both on repeat. The movie just resonates with me on so many levels, I love everything about it. The characters, the music, the costumes, the story, EVERYTHING lol. In other non-Frozen related news, in the past week I have had a teaching conference, a final paper due, and jury duty. Not the easiest few days but I got through them thankfully. I picked up my gym membership on Saturday, but I haven't gone since I've picked it up lol. I do plan on going though, I was just so tired today that I could barely keep my eyes open. Friday I got another tattoo :)

This is Bilbo's sword Sting, from the Hobbit. (For all my Tolkien nerds out there lol).

 

So here are a few things that have inspired me or made me smile this week, I hope you enjoy, oh and happy hump day :)

 

Elsa and Anna :)

Makes sense lol

Perfectly describes me

Haha, too funny

On repeat :)

 





Wacky Wednesday

Days like today remind me why I do what I do for a living. I love being a teacher, my students are my favorite people on the planet. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from a parent that their child has nothing but great things to say about me. I am much better at interacting with people under the age of ten than I am at interacting with people over the age of ten lol. Today was a pretty wacky day at work for me. We had a lot of volunteers come to our center to paint, build flower beds for our roof top garden, and create a play room in our basement area. The volunteers did an amazing job, our center looks great. I can't wait for our kids to see all of the work that the volunteers put in. I am trying to look at moments in my life in a positive light, and even though there were some issues today, the kids had a great time and that's all that matters. Here are a few things that inspired me today : )



Gotta love kids, they always tell the truth.

 

This is a very sad truth.

Found this on Pinterest (I am an addict, lol) and loved it.

This book is amazing! A definite must have for any Tolkien fan :)

 

The weekend is almost here and I could not be happier. I have sooooo much homework to catch up on that I don't think I will be doing anything fun this weekend, but if I do I will be sure to let you guys know about it : )

I'm Back!!

So... it's been a long while since I have been on here, technically a year lol. 2014 arrived and before I knew it March was here, the year has really been flying by and it has been going surprisingly well. I'm very happy with where I am in my life right now, so now I'll tell you what I have been up to lately. Work and school are the main players in my life right now, but I have had time to do a lot of fun and exciting things so far this year. I got my septum pierced, I got my first tattoo, I'm more than halfway through the school year with my kiddies, and I've just been enjoying life a lot more. That was my main goal for this year, to get out and enjoy everything that I have been blessed with. With that said, here are some pictures of what I have been up to lately :)

Panic! at the Disco

My septum piercing :)

My tattoo, its the Fellowship of the Ring

My friend braiding my hair lol, this is what we do on a Friday night.

One of my students made this for me and I carry it with me everyday now.

A snapping turtle at the Philadelphia Zoo

This gorgeous fella is Makini, his name means Dignity in Swahili.

As you can see Makini is very photogenic lol.

This little cutie is Orion, he was born in November 2013.

And this thinker is Orion's big brother Leo, he was born in 2011. They are both white-handed Gibbons.

 

These past few months have been a blast; from snow days at work to going out with friends and seeing good movies, eating good food, and a lot of laughs I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for me. I hope I can post on here more, I miss writing so I will try and get back here at least three times a week. Have a great night, and rest up because tomorrow is Manic Monday :( lol.