Monday, December 31, 2012

You Know I Love You If I Agree to Check In On Your Cat

Ok, let me preface this by explaining my relationship with cats. I think they are horrible. Truly, I can't find anything good about them. It doesn't help that both my Dad & me are extremely allergic so I've never had a lot of exposure to them.

By now you all know about my friendship with Christine. We met freshman year at Michigan State and have been friends ever since. Her & her husband live exactly 30 steps away from me (I counted today) and they have the cutest beagle dog. They also have the Demon Cat a.k.a Elsie. I swear she is a Demon Cat and everyone who meets her pretty much agrees. You can read about her here & here. Despite Rex & Christine's instance on keeping her, I am still friends with them. That might change after today though...

Rex & Christine have been in Michigan visiting family for the holidays. Christine asked me months ago if I would watch Elvis, which I am more than happy to anytime. As I was driving Rex & Christine to the airport we were going over things like the mail, Elvis, etc. When Christine asks the dreaded question, "Can you check in on Elsie a few times?" What?! My mind was racing on how to react. I loath that cat. Seriously. And her feelings are the same about me. I'm positive of it. But being the good friend that I am, I agreed. I only needed to make sure she had water & wasn't dead.

On the 27th I decided I better go check on Elsie. I peeked my head in and turned on the light. Phew, the coast was clear. I quickly checked the bathroom & there was water in her dish. I walked back outside but called her name and she came sauntering over. Ok, she was alive. My job was done and I thought "Hey, maybe I can do this. It'll work out and be ok". Ha was I wrong!

Since Rex & Christine come home tomorrow I thought I should check on Elsie one more time. I mean how horrible would it be if they walked in and found a dead cat in their apartment! More importantly the smell would be horrendous! Actually now that I think about it, Christine would probably be the only one upset... moving on. I walked on over to their apartment, opened the door, and peeked my head in. The darn cat was right by the door! I thought in my head I have 2 options.

1. Leave. She is obviously alive and ok but does she have water? 
2. Go in & suck it up. 

I chose option 2. Now you may be thinking, "Why Elle? Why?" Honestly, I am terrified that I am going to kill Elsie one day. And I didn't want it to be that day. Thankfully I had a piece of paper in my pocket so I threw it in the doorway to try to get Elsie to move. The logic behind this, is that it worked with Elvis (the dog) so maybe it would work with her. Nope, she looked at me like "How DARE YOU throw something and think I will go FETCH it!". Since that didn't work and I had pants on I quickly took the 2 big steps to the bathroom and shut the door. I was home safe.

Guess again... I forgot to close the bedroom door! Elsie came sauntering into the bathroom! Ugh what was I going to do now?! Hmm... her water dish was empty so I could just quickly pick it up. Ok that will work. The minute I bent down though she dashed over and rubbed up against my arm! Dang it, I could feel the itch coming on. Alright, I had the dish now I just needed to fill it up. I thought this would be simple since cats hate water. Right?! Haha, not this cat. Oh no, I turn on the water and she jumps in the sink! Great, now I have the cat and the dish in the sink, the water running, and it's going to overflow if I don't do something. I tried to call her out. I tried to get her attention with a toy. I even turned the faucet on higher hoping it would scare her! Nothing Worked!

By this time I was sneezing more than breathing and looked like I had just gone to a funeral because I was crying so much. I decided to leave the bathroom and sat in the living room devising my plan. I thought food might work but the food was in the bathroom. No go. Finally it hit me! Light bulb went off! Get her attention with another water source! I turned the water on in the kitchen and opened the bathroom door. I called her name. No movement. Grr... I was getting impatient and water was going to overflow any second. Then I saw it... the bathtub! Whoo! As I replay this in my head I imagine me moving slow motion to the bathtub, turning it on, and grabbing the water dish gracefully. I was victorious! Haha not really. I turned on the tub, Elsie stood on the counter, I quickly turned off the water, grabbed the bowl... and spilled some of it on floor. Real graceful, Elle. Oh and Elsie rubbed against my arm and made hissing noises at me. Ba dum dum dum... the Demon Cat won again.

Rex & Christine, this is my official resignation as Elsie's personal torture device. Sorry but you'll have to get someone else to do it! Good news (if you're Christine), Elsie is still alive. With water.

Christine & Elsie

My proof that Elsie has Demon Powers!

P.S Christine is an amazing writer and you should check out her blog here.

P.P.S If you want to find out more about Elsie and her evil master plan then pre-order The Elsie Files on Amazon! It's an amazing book and great for all ages!


Sunday, December 30, 2012

5 for Five- 2013 Goals!

Hi Friends!!

Wow, I can't believe it's New Years already! This year has gone by insanely fast, especially since July when I moved out to Las Vegas. If someone had told me last NYE that I'd be living in Las Vegas, teaching 3rd grade general education, and working at Old Navy, I would have said you are crazy! Never in a million years would I have put myself in Las Vegas but I love it, teaching, and working at Old Navy.

Speaking of teaching and Old Navy, life has been a bit crazy as of late! There's been some work drama you can read/view up on here, here, here, here, & here. Everyday I go to work thankful that I still have a school & classroom to teach in & students to teach. It has been very difficult as of late though, and I haven't been in the mood to blog.

HOWEVER, it is a NEW YEAR and I'm super excited to link up with Jenn & Jessica for 5 for Five!


 1) Be a consistent, & true Blogger!
I want to start blogging. Really blogging and not just participating in link-ups. Link-ups are great, don't get me wrong, but I want to start showing more of my daily life, and more of myself.

2) I NEED to loose weight.
I'm not going to put a specific number on this. I have a goal I want to reach but overall I just need to be healthier. No more Qdoba (Sorry Christine!), Starbucks once a week, and working out regularly. I have all the tools, I just need to provide the focus and maybe some motivation from you all ;)
3) Be Organized!
My Mom often jokes that I am the most unorganized/organized person she knows. Confused? Let me explain. I am organized. I pay my bills on time, keep a calendar, know where things in my house are, etc. BUT I am also very forgetful, don't actively keep my calendar up, and am notoriously late. Well, NO MORE. I am determined to be more organized & plan ahead. 

4) Get out there on the dating scene
I've never been big into dating. I wasn't the one to go out and get drunk at a bar and randomly hook-up with a guy. I don't catch guy's attention at a restaurant and I don't put myself out to be hurt. That needs to change though. I've joined Match.com (yes, I'm one of those) and I've gone to a few events. I'm hoping to go to more and hopefully meet "the one" or at least a few new friends :)

5) Be Happy, Think of Me, & Be more Social
This may sound easy peasy, but for me it's the hardest thing to do. Generally, I'm a pretty happy person but I want to be happy with all the elements in my life. Meaning, my home, physical appearance, career, and life. I want to think of what I want versus what others want. I want to be more social, have friends, and just get out and have fun. This is ACHIEVABLE... hopefully!

What are your goals/resolutions for the new year? Link-up and share or comment!! 

Happy New Years Eve!


Monday, December 3, 2012

Fail. Epic Fail.

Haha I can't believe it's Monday already! Ugh...! Let's link-up with Jenn & Jessica to show just how much I epically failed this week!


 Here are last weeks goals...
1) Have a positive attitude
2) Workout EVERY DAY this week

3) Finish the Christmas Cards!

4) Only have 1 Starbucks & 1 lunch out

5) Try to Blog at least 4x this week


 Let's just say this past week was awful. Seriously just all around bad. I don't even want to talk about it. I'm just going to put it behind me and move on... well try to at least.

This Week's Goals...

1) Send Out Christmas Cards! Ok folks, I really need to just sit down one night and get this done. The sad part? I only have like 5 left!

2) Only eat 1 meal out. Let me ask you, if you go to the grocery store and pick up a frozen pizza, sushi, sandwich, whatever and then take it home to eat does that count as eating out? I don't think it does. At least I hope not because I went to Olive Garden with a friend tonight so there goes my 1 meal.

3) Finish my RACK post! So I think I have a clear idea of what I'm doing and have started it... now I need to finish.

4) Be Positive! I was talking to my Mom yesterday and she told me she missed the positive Elle. I'm naturally upbeat and glass-half-full kind of girl but lately my job is just really getting me down. So what if I'm now the 3rd grade special education coordinator & general ed. teacher and not getting paid extra... at least I have a job! (For Now).

5) Be Thankful! As of late I've really been putting everything to God and just letting him handle it. And you know what... it's really been working. Yes I'm stressed. Yes I wish my life was different. But the things that I needed taken care of immediately have been and I need to remember to THANK GOD for that. Weekly bible studies I'm comin back!

Phew... I'm getting this in under the wire (10:15pm) but it's done and I do feel better.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

"Its Ok" Thursday

Can I get an AMEN that Thursday is over and Friday is just a few hours away?! Whoo! Once again I'm linking up with Neely & Amber for "Its Ok" Thursday!
"Its Ok" 

I really dread confrontation!

I haven't been looking forward to going to work... I love my kids just not the environment

I really dislike being the "nice" teacher who does everything for the subs

I'm super excited to make Christmas Cookies tomorrow night!

I'm eating popcorn, writing this post, and waiting for Glee to start :)

I am missing my family and even the snow... just a little.

I am super excited for January 2nd and have a count down going!

To really hate doing cardio lately...

But loving lifting weights & feeling strong!

Have I mentioned how much I love popcorn?

To have to live paycheck to paycheck right now

But want to spend all of it...

And cant...

I have to work at Old Navy this weekend and am excited for it!

What's Ok with you right now?
 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

5 For 5!

What a weekend! I wish I could say I spent mine with family, friends, and relaxing but I can not. I did spend it GUEST POSTING, working, & having an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner with my friend and her family :)


I really enjoy linking up with these beautiful girls because I really feel like it holds me accountable to blog about these goals! I really hate to use the color red!

Red= Fail, Green= Success, Orange=Semi-successful

1) DRINK MORE WATER!
2) Drink Less Wine
3) Cook/Eat Healthier
4) Workout- I did workout but not as often as I wanted to.
5) Get my Christmas Cards Out! I have about 1/2 of them written.

Now onto this weeks goals!

1) Have a positive attitude- This one has been hard for me lately. I'm still battling the last of this cold, am missing my family, & really hating the workplace. BUT I need to remember that I'm lucky to have 2 jobs when others have none, a place to live, and I will see my family for Easter.

2) Workout EVERY DAY this week- This is completely doable. 3x this week I will lift weights but every day I should be doing some sort of cardio. 

3) Finish the Christmas Cards! I will do this. I will do this. I will do this.

4) Only have 1 Starbucks & 1 lunch out. I have a free drink from Starbucks I'll use on Friday & I'm going to treat myself to Mexican Freddy's Tacos on Friday :)

5) Try to Blog at least 4x this week. I did well last week until Thanksgiving. Then I got busy working. Not this week! No sir, these posts will be ready the night before.

Please, Please, Please comment/link-up/tweet your goals for this week so we can hold each other accountable!    


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving, I'm Guest Posting!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!!!

I hope you are all enjoying time with your loved ones :)

Today I will be working at Old Navy & having dinner with a friend's family!

If you need to get away from a crazy family member grab your phone and check out my guest post!

http://ashleighnichole21.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-post-single-girls-thanksgiving.html

See you all on the flip side!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

WILW & OHP!

I haven't done a What I'm Loving Wednesday or Oh How Pinteresting post in such a long time! They are fun though so let's get this underway...



I'm Loving & Pinning

That I have this whole week off from teaching and can make myself good breakfasts


Breakfast Burrito from Brittany


I'm loving that I have time to cook and have made these delish recipes!



Source
Source
I've been pinning funny images...



I'm loving that I get to work on Black Friday & Then share crazy stories!

I'm loving that these wonderful girls are sharing all our wonderful birthdays so we can have some extra love on our special day :)



What are you Loving & Pinning?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tell Me About It Tuesday.

Today at my gym I saw a woman wearing this shirt
Seriously?! One thing I love about my gym is that I can get a whole weight circuit & cardio in under an hour. Another great thing? Men & women of all ages, gender, and fitness level workout and we workout HARD. I mean don't get me wrong it's not like grunting and moaning going on and sounding like a football game but if I'm breathing heavily and sweating I'm fitting right in.

When I was in undergrad I went to my gym a lot. It was 2 blocks away from my dorm and right next to the building where all my classes were. I went there because it was convenient, big, and had tons of equipment. It also had all the girls who PUT ON MAKEUP BEFORE WORKING OUT?! Yes, you saw that right, girls would be in the locker room gussying up to go get sweaty meet a guy. Ok, yes, the campus gym was a good place to meet guys, I met one of my good friends at the gym. BUT I am not going to sacrifice my workout just to meet a guy!
Now, I'm not saying that you need to wear 2 sizes too big pants, and the baggiest t-shirt you own. I'm all for wearing cute athletic wear and often do. I like to wear Emi-Jay & Sparkly Soul instead of the usual hair ties. Heck, I even have multiple pairs of running shoes just because of the colors (don't judge, I know you do too!). However, if you only reason to go to the gym is to meet a guy and make those of us who DO SWEAT look bad, save yourself the time and go to the local bar. I'll be getting my sweat on :)

 

Monday, November 19, 2012

5 For Five!

It's Monday! I'm super excited for this week because I have it completely partially off! I don't have to teach all week (1 week Thanksgiving Break!) so that means:
  • No 30 minute drive into work and 40 minutes back!
  • Sleeping in till 7 am (at least)
  • Getting workouts in when there is sunlight!
These may seem like simple things but trust me, I NEED this break. Sure I have to work at Old Navy but hey I'll have some fun Black Friday stories to share :)

Since Blogger decided to be a pain in the butt last week I wasn't able to post goals, thus I am starting fresh this week! Here they go!

1) DRINK MORE WATER! I have been really sick this week with a cold and not drinking my water. I feel it in my body and skin so I need to up the ante.

2) Drink Less Wine. I've been having a glass of wine EVERY NIGHT this week! I've actually chosen to drink wine instead of taking Nyquil. I SWEAR I'm not an alcoholic but I've been so stressed lately that a glass calms me down. If I have a total of 3-4 glasses this week (mostly on the weekend) that is acceptable... right?
 3) Cook/Eat Healthier. Like I said in #2 I've been sick lately. Why is it when you have a cold all you crave is comfort food or nothing at all? Between skipping meals and then eating mac n'cheese my diet has gone way down hill. Time to get back on track and cook more meals like this
and eat less of this!
4) Workout. Same excuse as #3 but it really does help me relax. I always feel better afterwards. I need to start seeing results. My gym is doing a challenge where if you keep your BMI the same or lower you win a prize! Challenge Accepted!



5) Get my Christmas Cards Out! Every year my family makes fun of me because I always buy cards but A) Never send them out or B) Send them out WAY LATE and they don't get them till New Years or later. Not this year. It's on family. I WILL be the first family Christmas Card to get out :)

*Added Goal: Get caught up on grading student papers!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sunday Social: Thankfulness

I have to say I'm SO HAPPY that Blogger finally got their act together and fixed the issues! I'm back to blogging and it feels so good ;)

I'm linking up with the Sunday Social girls today and they are doing things a little differently. Instead of questions we just say what we are THANKFUL for! After the past few weeks I've been having this is a great post to remind myself just how blessed I am.


 I'm THANKFUL For...
  •  My Family. My parents are my rock, my sister is ALWAYS there for me and my brother has the best sarcastic sense of humor. 

  • I'm so lucky for my 2nd families. I miss them OH SO MUCH but being able to talk to them on a weekly basis helps. They have done so much for me in so many ways! We have so many memories and I am so blessed that they welcomed me into their families <3

  •  I have 3 jobs. I teach 3rd grade, tutor, and work at Old Navy. I'm so lucky to have these jobs and love all of them, no matter how stressful & tiring it can get. I am able to support myself and am thankful that my parents raised me to be such a hard worker. 
  •  My friends. I don't have a ton but the ones I do have are the best. We are the type where we don't have to talk everyday but when we do it's like we never missed a beat. I'm lucky to have so many different experiences with them from high school to weddings to internships and now teaching together. I can go to them for any kind of advice and know things will work out ok. 




  •  I'm incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to move away. I'm so thankful I didn't get "stuck" in my hometown and not experience the world. I've been all over Europe, Jamaica, Aruba, and now living in Las Vegas. I'm proud to say I'm a world traveler and do love traveling. 
  • Technology is amazing. Listening to free songs on Pandora, skyping with my family and friends, having the Iphone and all the amazingness that comes with it. It's made my move so much easier and life as well!
  • Bloggy Friends! I've met so many wonderful women through blogging and feel so encouraged when I'm having a bad day. I hope to meet some of you in real life! Jenn & Leslie get your butts out here!





Psalm 95:1-6 - O Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/thanksgiving-bible-verses-15-great-scripture-quotes/#ixzz2CdCD9TK