Friday Fill-In

I recently started following a lot of blogs. Before, I was only following friends. I decided to look into military spouse blogs, though, and I'm glad I did. I have found some really encouraging wives from every branch of the US military, and their blogs are so fun to read. They also provide prompts on a weekly basis. There are tons of them, but this week, I am choosing to participate in the "Friday Fill-In" because it just looked fun. I may continue it each Friday, or I may not. We'll see. But I got the idea and questions from Wife of a Sailor's blog.

Questions:

1. What is one thing in the past month you would have changed?
I would change how angry/upset I got during one of my days spent skiing with Dan over spring break. My negative attitude one day prevented me from having fun, and it probably didn't allow Dan to enjoy the time much either. I tried really hard to pick it back up the next day and was pretty successful, thankfully.

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in March?
I really enjoyed seeing my students complete their state standardized testing because they were so excited to show what they have learned over the course of the school-year, so naturally  that was awesome. I also REALLY enjoyed spring break because I got to spend so much time with Dan! We are rarely actually with each other, so it was great.

3. What are you looking forward to in April?
This month, I am looking forward to celebrating Dan's birthday (on the 10th), running the Glow Run 5K with Dan (on the 27th), and taking engagement pictures with our wedding photographer (sometime at the end of the month).

4. What is your favorite thing about spring?
Spring is definitely NOT my favorite season. I would actually classify it as my least favorite season just because the other three have qualities that I prefer. That being said, I am SO EXCITED that spring has finally sprung in Colorado because we had a long, cold, dry winter. In fact, just this afternoon I went running outside for the first time all year! I've been cooped up in a gym until now, and while I've been getting some great workouts in, there's just nothing like the freedom of running around a gorgeous lake with the beautiful Pikes Peak nearby.

I snapped these two photos from my iPhone after my run this afternoon:

5. What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?
Oh, this one is embarrassing. I am going to admit to the TV shows I watch. I'm not a big television watcher, but there are a handful of shows I watch (online after they air) when I have the time or need to do something brainless. Now, you're just DYING to hear what those shows are, right? Okay. Here goes nothing. Teen Mom. Dance Moms. Army Wives. 19 Kids and Counting. Eek -- sharing those did NOT feel liberating... just humiliating. But hey, at least I have nothing to hide anymore.

How would YOU answer those questions? 

Book Review: Revived

I'm still trying to catch up with my book reviews. This one is from last November, and I have read over 20 books since then. I will NOT be reviewing all of them because I would never catch up. I am going to pick the ones that stood out to me instead. Today's review is about Revived by Cat Patrick.

Revived is one of those books that is going to stay with me for a long time. Was it the best book I've ever read? No. Was it the most well written book? No. That said, the concept is phenomenal, and I couldn't put it down. This is one of those book that I just DEVOURED. 

Goodreads has a nice summary of Revived, and it says:

It started with a bus crash.
Daisy Appleby was a little girl when it happened, and she barely remembers the accident or being brought back to life. At that moment, though, she became one of the first subjects in a covert government program that tests a drug called Revive.
Now fifteen, Daisy has died and been Revived five times. Each death means a new name, a new city, a new identity. The only constant in Daisy's life is constant change.
Then Daisy meets Matt and Audrey McKean, charismatic siblings who quickly become her first real friends. But if she's ever to have a normal life, Daisy must escape from an experiment that's much larger--and more sinister--than she ever imagined.
From its striking first chapter to its emotionally charged ending, Cat Patrick's Revived is a riveting story about what happens when life and death collide.

Doesn't that just sound new and interesting? When I first read ABOUT the book, I was so intrigued that I downloaded it to my Nook right away, even though I was in the middle of another book at the time. I jumped right in and kept staying up way too late on school nights because I just NEEDED to know what happened next. Cat Patrick did an amazing job at telling Daisy's story, and the entire book was emotional and gripping. I highly suggest this to all of my reader friends. Revived is one book you DON'T want to miss!

Spring Break 2013

One of the things I enjoy (among many) about being a teacher? School breaks! I thoroughly enjoyed having a week away from school/work, but I am ready to be back tomorrow. I feel rejuvenated, and I'm ready to tackle the last quarter of the school-year! Spring break was adventurous, though, so I'm going to recap through pictures.

1. I started spring break by enjoying an ice cream party with my colleagues and students! Our hardworking 8th graders deserved that little party for working so hard and behaving to their best abilities during testing. They asked me specifically to bring ants on a log (for an ice cream party... I know...) so I did! I also took homemade chocolate chip cookies, though -- don't worry!

2. Dan and I spent that Friday evening enjoying free Panera and then just hanging out. We hadn't spent time with each other in nearly three weeks (aside from a few hours one Sunday), so it was really nice to just get back into the rhythm of being a couple! We also bought all of our seeds for gardening this year, and I found my all-time favorite soda (and I don't drink much at all) at Ace Hardware of all places... On Saturday, we cleaned my entire house and ran several errands... and went to church/dinner! I took a selfie picture when I was bored in the middle of cleaning, and then Dan lounged with his favorite cat (Stormy) on the couch when we were all finished! 

3. On sunday morning, we woke up at 6:30 and set out for Glenwood Springs. It was a place we had always wanted to visit, so the road trip was totally worth it! We crossed it off of our Colorado bucket-list. I got to meet up with a friend, and Dan and I checked out the hot springs for a few hours. It was a lot of fun, and the drive was BEAUTIFUL! Oh, and did I mention that I found an ice cream cupcake at a gas station at 7:30 in the morning while it was snowing? This crazy girl could never pass that up, and it was delicious! We checked out a local brewery, and they had a reuben made out of tempeh that I ordered. It was SO good, and it was nice to have that taste again after nearly five years meat free. 

4. On Monday morning, we headed back East to Copper Mountain. We stayed in a hotel in Silverthorne, and we spent two days at Copper Mountain skiing and then one day at Winter Park skiing. It was tiring because I am no good at skiing, but spending time with my sweet fiancé is totally worth the pain/struggle. We also met up with a friend and his family at their condo in the mountains, and that was really nice. Dan and I drove to Breckenridge one evening to go shopping, and I was SHOCKED to find TWO ITEMS with my name on them! I have NEVER found anything in a store with my name, much less spelled correctly! I *ALMOST* bought one of them just because, but I decided I didn't need them. Wednesday morning, we found a few inches of fresh snow on our car when we headed out, and that was also a nice, fun surprise! :)

5. On Wednesday, we headed to Denver International Airport to pick up my mom on our way home from skiing. I somehow managed to take ZERO pictures while she was here (except at the Wolf Sanctuary, but I will make a separate post about that excursion soon), so I don't have too much to show. We went to Heart of Jerusalem, though, as always, and I took my mom to a couple places she had never been as well (Jack Quinn's and Jose Muldoon's). We also made homemade broccoli cheese soup, beer bread, and brownies one evening (recipe for the soup coming soon), and we spent some time at Garden of the Gods. We didn't do too much, but it was nice having my mom in town for a few days. She got to experience Dan furminating both cats (and you will see just how much they LOVE that process), and after she left, we started our seedlings in cups so they can get a nice start before we transplant them to the garden beds outside after Colorado decides to stop freezing randomly. For Easter, Dan woke me up at 6:00 to go to the Sunrise Service at our church at 7:00 (which was held outside and FREEZING cold, might I add), but then we had a productive morning afterward while we waited for Dan's sponsor family (Mike and Ellen) to come over for lunch. We had a great time talking to them and grilling out in what felt like EXTREME HEAT after this morning, and yes, I do have a sunburn from eating outside. Oops. 

Spring break was pretty busy, but it was so nice to finally spend some time with Dan again! Sometimes I feel like we're still in a long distance relationship despite the fact that we live 15 miles from each other. It's an odd feeling for sure. 

What I'm Looking Forward To

As work is at one of its busiest points of the year, I have been feeling a little bit overwhelmed. This feeling is NOTHING compared to how I felt last year at this time, and I am incredibly thankful to teach in such an amazing little school. However, we just wrapped up our state standardized testing (TCAP in Colorado), and it has been ROUGH. Proctoring test after test gets tiring, and the students have not been themselves. They have been bored out of their minds taking so many tests, and I can't blame them! Tomorrow, we are rewarding them with an ice cream party at the end of the day -- it should be SO much fun!

Because I've been feeling stressed out, I decided to come up with a list of things I am looking forward to in the near and distant future.

1. SPRING BREAK. It starts in less than 24 hours. I am STOKED! Tomorrow and Saturday, Dan and I are just hanging out and relaxing. We leave early Sunday morning to head to the hot springs for a day/night and then to Copper Mountain to ski for a few days. We will head back to Colorado Springs on Wednesday evening, and my mom flies in then to spend a few days here. I don't know what all we will do, but I am looking forward to sleeping in.

2. Celebrating Dan's birthday in April. He turns 24, and I love the few months when we only have a one year age difference. My birthday is in July, and then we'll be back to two years apart. I have a pretty fun gift for him this year, and I can't wait to give it to him!

3. Running a fun 5K! I get to check one off for the year in April, and I'm pretty excited! I am running The Glow Run with Dan and some people on his Flying Team. It's on April 27th, it's at night (in the dark), and lots of glow sticks are involved. I CAN'T WAIT! For fun, here are a couple pictures from The Color Run last year...

4. Engagement Pictures in Colorado! Dan and I are having our wedding photographer take engagement pictures of us so we can get to know her style, etc. I have been dying for pictures at Garden of the Gods, so guess what is in our future... ;) A friend took some gorgeous photos for us last fall at the Air Force Academy, and they turned out great, so I'm excited for this last set of pictures before our big day!

5. Finishing my novel! I actually finished writing it in 2010. I didn't look at it once in 2011. I did one edit in 2012, and that felt WONDERFUL to finish. Now that I'm in my second edit, it's tougher. I love the story. I love the characters. I am just a little bit tired of trying to make it all perfect... but it will come together. I enjoy working on it when I can find the time, and I am looking forward to several Saturdays doing just that this spring while Dan is flying. I love going to La Baguette downtown to work. The atmosphere is great, and the food is even better!

6. Spending some time at Garden of the Gods. It is my favorite place in the world (so far), and I always feel completely at peace there. I could drive through it, run, hike, whatever... it's just SO nice. Dan and I picnic there sometimes, and it's so romantic and beautiful. I could basically live there. And hey, rent would be a lot cheaper too!

7. Exploring the outdoors with Dan as it continues to get warmer. This is something we both love. Hiking together is great, especially if there is a picnic in the middle! I can't wait to take our British friends hiking in gorgeous Colorado this summer when they visit. This state is so wonderful for doing things outdoors.

8. Starting our garden again! There's nothing like growing your own food. It's amazing to watch, and it tastes ever-so-slightly better... just because you watched it grow from day one. Last summer, we got several veggies, but since I didn't move into this house until July, we didn't plant seeds until mid-July... so I KNOW we will yield even more this year. We have mapped out what we want to plant, when to plant it, and where to put it. I am looking forward to lots of fresh vegetables this year!

9. Going home to Missouri for part of the summer. I do this every year when Dan is busy. I look forward to the drive through Kansas by myself because it is so calm. I take the cats with me, and we drive almost straight through for ten hours. I stop once for gas, food, and a bathroom break half way, and I make CDs to listen to for the parts where the radio doesn't even work (gotta love middle-of-nowhere Kansas). It's always fun, and I enjoy seeing my family and friends when it's nice outside... because the only other time I go home is in the winter. I always go to a Royals game while I'm home, and I can't wait to do that again this summer!

10. Marrying my handsome fiancé in just over a year and finally calling him my husband! I enjoy being Dan's fiancée, sure, but it gets old not being able to see him during the week, not being allowed to live with him, etc. I am 25 years old, and I am READY. I have been learning how to be patient (and let me tell you -- it's gotten much better over the past few years). By our wedding date, we will have been together for five years and three months -- plenty of time if you ask me! Our wedding date is just two days after his Air Force Academy graduation. Since he's not allowed to be married while he's there, we aren't going to waste any time afterward!

Well, that was fun! I highly suggest writing out all of the things you're looking forward to the next time you're stressed. Going through old pictures makes it even better. I am in a VERY happy mood right now! I just need to make it through tomorrow, and I will be on spring break for nine days! Life is good.