5 Things...

I saw this on one of my favorite blogger, Tamara's, blog and thought it'd be fun! Here goes...

5 Things...

...you'll find in my purse 


1. More lip products than one could ever need! Stain, balm, gloss...you name it!
2. Lavender pills...these all-natural supplements are known to help you relax and relieve anxiety! Love,
    love, love them!
3. Contact lens solution/case & eye-drops..I always get things in my eyes!
4. Wallet, Check-Book, & Coupons...must be prepared at all times to spend money I don't have shop!
5. Keys...equipped with my pink mini Swiss Army Knife!

...you'll find in my bedroom

1. Clothes (clean and dirty!) on the floor...just on my side! I'll get around to it one day ;)
2. My memory box that I keep all of my letters/notes/cards from Kyle, my parents, grandparents, and
    friends!
3. Photos-- from our wedding, honeymoon, and more! Not to mention, there's a totally creepy blown up
    photo of Kyle with a mustache that was a joke present from our friends, Matt & Anna!
4. Dust-- on the headboard because we always forget to clean that part! The best was when Beebs
    came to visit and wrote dirty silly messages on it...cracked us up for days!
5. My mom's present for Mother's Day...so proud of myself for being on top of things!

...I've always wanted to do

1. Go river tubing-- just saw a Living Social deal on this, and I'm so tempted!
2. Stay in an overwater bungalow on some tropical island...preferably some secluded island!
3. Dye my hair or get highlights...something to change it up! But, I'm so scared!
4. Be apart of a flash mob
5. Travel to Australia & New Zealand

...I'm currently loving

1. Justin Timberlake's new album...especially "Mirrors" and "Blue Ocean Floor"
2. Maxi-dresses...see post here!
3. Grad-school free nights
4. Game of Thrones...so addicted to this show! Totally not my normal show that I like.
5. The warmer weather...spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner!

5...

...quirks I have 

1. Random movements, like wiggling my toes or shaking my head while I type...thing's I'd never notice
    if Kyle didn't point them out!
2. I abbreviate words. Like all words. I don't discriminate! My cousin, Kathleen, always likes to remind
    me of the time I yelled, "We'll get a pic in a min" to my friend at graduation!
3. I don't like anyone else to touch my pillow-case! I get this one from my mom :)
4. I'm a safety nut...as in I put on my seatbelt while riding on the bus for our field trip on Monday!
5. I often multi-task while watching TV, which means I inevitably miss crucial parts in shows and ask
    to rewind...this is Kyle's least favorite of my quirks, I'm sure!

OK, there you have it! Let me hear your "5!"

Maxi-ed Out!

Ever since I watched the Rachel Zoe episode where she highlights the numerous advantages to wearing a maxi dress...especially around children now that baby Sky Sky can walk...I have become obsessed! I do happen to spend 7 hours a day with 21 children, even if none of them are my own! It's like the lightening struck-- yes, they are super comfortable...yes, you can kneel and squat and sit criss-cross apple-sauce if needed without showing off your lady bits...yes, you can totally not worry if your legs aren't shaved or you're pasty-paste still from winter. The maxi-dress is your life-saver!

But there was just one tiny catch-- if you're 5'2'' maxi dresses aren't exactly the easiest thing to come by! Especially when your go-to stores, like Gap and Old Navy don't even carry their petites in-store and for the longest time didn't even have a good selection of maxis in their petites selection (thank you, Loft, for at least trying!).

Luckily, they've come to their senses and realized that even short girls like to rock the maxi and got on board with a better selection of petite maxis! And, with free shipping for most stores, it's been fairly easy to get my hands on some adorable maxis...even if I have had to buy 3 different sizes at a time just to find the perfect fit!

I had been saving up my credit card rewards from my Gap & Loft cards and figured a few maxis would be the perfect things to use them on!

Old Navy had the most affordable and adorable maxis! I scored two for just $18 a piece. I seriously feel like I'm wearing my pj's when I wear them! Not to mention, my adorable student, Ben, told me that I looked very nice wearing them after staring and giving me hand-motions that signaled his thinking-- what's the occasion here, Mrs. A? Priceless!

Gap had one totally amazing grey maxi that was already on sale with an additional 40% off all sale items...another great deal! And again, so incredibly comfy, yet so incredibly chic looking!

And, I couldn't leave out Loft's fabulous selection of maxis. I saw a picture of my friend, Lindsay, wearing this adorable pretty waves striped maxi and had to have it!

I've also got my eye on this newbie...which they must have already sold out in in petites already! I literally just looked at it 2 days ago! I guess the rest of the petite world agrees with me that a good maxi is hard to come by so you have to strike while it's hot! Sigh.

So, what's your thought on the maxi dress? Love it? Hate it? Couldn't care less about it? The verdict's out!

I think you know mine! ;)

Celebrations!

Good gravy! 2013 has just felt like one never-ending sprint, and I've finally just crossed the finish line! So many great (sometimes not so great!) things have come to an end, and I'm left with that hopeful feeling that things are just beginning! Big things, I hope. I just don't yet know what they are!

April has just been a month of celebrations, and the trend is looking like it's to be continued in May! It's like 2010 all over again when Kyle and I got married (and had showers and got to register!), I got to be a bridesmaid in one of my besties, Ash's, wedding (and host her bachelorette party!), and we bought a house...all in 2 months!

We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on April 17th! It was a Wednesday night (thank goodness I didn't have grad class!) and I was still on my cleanse, so we opted against our normal "fancy dinner" celebration and instead got couples massages at my favorite spa/salon. We had the best time, and since we were the last massage of the day, they told us that we had the whole upstairs to ourselves once we were done! They set us up in a private little room with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries (which I was so sad to not be able to indulge in!), and we had the sauna all to ourselves. It was just perfect!

I got to spend the day with my high school besties last Saturday for Ally's bridal shower! We always have the best time together, and I'm sad that Ally and her soon-to-be hubby, Steve, will be moving to Virginia after they get married this May. But, I'm so incredibly happy for them!

Jan, who was so sweet to host the shower at her house!

BFFs since we were four!

Kristen, me, Ally, Jan, & Paige! Love these girls!

On Wednesday, April 24th, I went to my last EVER graduate class! These past years of full-time teaching and going to grad class from 5-8pm two nights a week have been so challenging, but I am so proud of myself and all of my classmates who totally rocked it, even if there were tons a few tears along the way! And, how amazing that I got to do this with one of my college besties, Ash, another good friend from college, Emily, and 5 of my best teaching friends from my school-- Anna, Amy, Alex, Allison, and Whitney--not to mention some great girls that I met through the program!

MEDX Literacy Cohort!

The next day, we said goodbye to my student teacher, Chelsea :( This was my first year of being a cooperating teacher, and it was such a great experience! Chelsea was so much fun to be around and is going to be a fabulous teacher! I can't wait to have another, hopefully, next year!

Adorable!

And, to end the week, Kyle and I had such a good weekend together! Appetizers and dessert at the Angus Barn on Friday night and hanging out with our 2 favorite couples at Full Steam Brewery on Saturday night = perfection.

Love this guy :)

The best part is that the fun doesn't end here! Graduation festivities, a wedding, birthdays, Mother's day, and finishing up the school year...May is going to be twelve kinds of fun!

In case you haven't picked up on it, I'm just a little excited to be done with grad school! 

#donezo

Cleansing

Eeek! I cannot believe that today is my last day of Spring Break and that I'm back to teaching tomorrow. It's been such a wonderful week of relaxation and fun with my sweet Momma, who came up to spend the week with me so that we could have girl time! But, the real reason I wanted to her to come up was because I started a 21-Day cleanse last Monday, and I knew I would need a little extra support this week. And she was just a rockstar as far as encouragement and support went! Same with Kyle. It's just so much easier when you have people in your corner!

So, let's talk cleanses. Honestly, I've never really known much about them or really ever cared to. But, I work at a personal training & health studio on the weekends, and their nutritionist offers a 21-Day cleanse that sounded pretty legit. I talked to her extensively about it but was still a little hesitant. Then, I ran into my friend, Liz, who also works at the studio, and she was on Day 16 of the cleanse, and I could just see the difference in her. She was so bubbly and energetic. She said she hadn't felt better since she was in high school in terms of her energy. I was completely sold...especially since I really trust her when it comes to fitness and health...it is her area of expertise!

I had my amazing food-fest in Baltimore last weekend and ended Sunday night with a nice big bowl of Annie's macaroni & cheese.

And then, this past Monday I kickstarted the cleanse and I haven't looked back since!

Now, let me just say that I would not just do any old cleanse.

Selling Points for This Cleanse:

1. You can eat as much fruits, veggies, quinoa, lentils, and brown rice as you want for the first 7 days and add in chicken in fish for the last 14. 

2. You drink 3 smoothies a day in addition to any of the above foods you'd like to eat. 

3. The cleanse can be good for feeling healthier, weight loss, and reducing food cravings...all of which I need help with!

4. After the 21 days, you can introduce foods one at a time to figure out what foods you have sensitivities towards.

5. It has strict boundaries. I like that I don't have to sit and think about what I'm eating. I drink my 3 smoothies and am rarely hungry for anything else. If I am, I pull out a little quinoa and mix it with veggies.  Done and done.

6. It's all natural and the kit includes everything that you need to meet all of your nutritional needs in ways that are clean and good for your body. 

So, I'm now on Day 7 of the cleanse, and I just could not be more excited about how it is going! First of all, I have not felt hungry or empty at all the entire time, which was my big fear. I also have not had any food cravings, which is huge for me considering I would literally eat some sort of dessert every day. And, I have not suffered from some of the mood swings or grouchiness that I was warned about! Kyle is thanking his lucky stars for that!

Instead, I just feel good. I know that I am doing something good for my body. I don't feel bloated or run-down from any of the processed foods I used to eat. And, I've lost 5 pounds, which is definitely a big bonus. I have also managed to go out to trivia night when my group won a huge brownie,  a Mexican restaurant and watched everyone enjoy chips and queso,  and watch my mom and Kyle eat pizza, and I've been fine! I know that I can have those foods again, I'll just be much more mindful of how often and how much I consume when I do.

I stil have 14 days to go, but I'm pretty pumped about how it's going so far!

All of the necessities for Week 1!

Yummy smoothie! I add 1/2 a banana, a large handful of spinach, and 3 strawberries

Very filling!

Wish me luck!

Break, Baltimore, and Beebs!

Ahhh...3 of my favorite B's! This is the 3rd year that Kyle and I have gotten to go visit my college bestie, Beebs, and her sweet hubby in Baltimore during one of the weekends of my Spring Break! We had not gotten to see them since the fall, so it was a long overdue visit! Luckily, we had an optional teacher workday on Good Friday, and Kyle was able to get off early, so we were able to hit the road in time to arrive for dinner!

There are a number of verbs to describe how we spent our weekend: eating, drinking, shopping, eating,  chatting, eating, move-watching, eating, game-playing, eating, laughing and more eating. Get my drift? What can I say, Baltimore has amazing restaurants, and Beebs & Brian know the perfect ones to take us to!

I just have to document...ya know, for memories sake, our amazing meal at Woodberry Kitchen on Friday night. Beebs & Brian were so generous to use a couple of gift cards they had to treat us, so we all used that as an excuse to go to town, munching on:

*Ladyfinger popcorn
*homemade Sour Cream & Onion Dip and chips
*cheese platter
*meatballs w/ parsnip cream sauce
*flatbread pizza
*macaroni & cheese
*chicken & biscuits
*can't remember what Beebs & Brian ordered...I think some seafood...I do know that they loved it!
*Kitchen Sink dessert--brownie & blondie sundae with Choc. Chip Cookie Dough ice-cream
*Movie Night dessert-- popcorn ice-cream, and other movie snack goodies
*C.M.P. dessert-- ice cream, marshmallow fluff, chocolate sauce, wet nuts

Heaven on plates!

I also have bunches of non-food related sweet memories to take away from the weekend...well some of them might still have to do with food!

*laughter & pre-dinner drinks at Miguels upon our arrival
*touring the glass-blowing studio before Friday night dinner
*eating our hearts out at Woodberry Kitchen on Friday night...seriously the most amazing food ever!
*good conversation during our long wait for Blue Moon Cafe
*yummy cinnamon rolls & Captain Crunch french toast at Blue Moon
*girl time Saturday afternoon-- shopping and seeing the movie, Admission,-- while the boys watched basketball
*fun dinner at Chazz on Saturday night...again, so delish!
*hilarious game playing 
*wonderful visit and Easter brunch with Ms. Becky on Sunday morning
*learning to play "Crack Off"

Here's a run-down of our weekend via photos...

Kyle, ready to tackle the Good Friday traffic!

So excited to pass a Port City Java in D.C.-- too bad Kyle wouldn't let me stop for a mocha shake!

 Amazing glassblowing studio & gallery connected to the restaurant...so cool!

Beebs says a lot of couples have their wedding receptions here...I see why! It has the coolest vibe!

Glass Blown Candies :)

Amazing pool across the street!

Heart my Beebsies! Pre-dinner pic!

Woodberry Kithen Goodies...

Love these colors!

Most amazing brunch place...totally worth the hour and a half wait!

Waiting for Blue Moon to call us...we were so patient and SO HUNGRY!

Beautiful views walking around the harbor!

Pretty Easter table at Ms. Becky's :) She is such an amazing hostess, and I actually tried to convince her to start a "hostess camp" so that I can come learn her secrets! 

Ms. Becky taught us how to play "Crack Off" with the pretty hard boiled eggs...I'm totally going to start this as an Easter tradition!

Kyle was very confident in his egg cracking abilities...but I totally beat him!

My lucky egg!

Pretty corals for Easter :)

UNC girls! Beebs, Ms. Becky, & me!

So pumped to see T.Swift's tour vehicles on our way home!