Being 29 is dumb.

Well. I'm 29 now. So far it's dumb. Two days in and I'm already over it. I want to go back to being 28.

I feel like Billy Madison in that I want to run up to small children and grab their cheeks and tell them to "cherish it". 'It' being their youth. It is so fleeting. Sigh.

 

As you all know, my birthday was on Easter. This was a celebration of the ages for me since Easter is one of my favorite days. Easter is top-notch.
I had a good day. Went to church with my family, Mom made my favorite meal, had a birthday pie, and I got an Easter basket and some birthday presents. And then I started feeling sickly. Stupid allergies. So I took a long, hard nap. That helped.
All-in-all, a good birthday, but it was depressing. This is the last year in my twenties. This makes me super sad. I've loved being a twenty-something.

I'm on spring break, so that's great news. I was overdue a break from work. I needed a mental health break. So far, it's been good for me. I've taken advantage of the week off to run errands and go to appointments that I don't have a chance to do during the work week.

Let's start with yesterday. I went to the dentist. I have gone my whole life being cavity free. It's something I've been proud of. Well, that's all changed now. I've joined the Cavity Club. I have a teeny cavity on my very back molar. I was solemn. My dentist tried the whole 4:1 positive comment thing with me. "You do such a great job brushing! Really, you always have some of the cleanest teeth out of all my patients! You have minimal plaque build-up! I can tell you floss on the regular!" Eh, who cares. All I heard was, "You have a cavity". And it was in the long, slow voice like on The Sandlot,

"FOR-EV-ER". 

"You--have--a--cav-i-ty..." 

and then I heard an evil slow motion laugh

"Bah---ha--ha--ha"

At least I still got a new toothbrush. I was afraid cavity offenders wouldn't get a new toothbrush. I always took pride in getting my, "Look Ma, no cavities!" sticker. I didn't get one this time. Thanks a lot, 29. You gave me a cavity. Or maybe it was all of those Reese's Peanut Butter eggs that I've been devouring for the past month...No, surely not.

And then there's today. $200 vet bill. $150 car bill. I feel like I'm in a parade. Throwing out money to everyone! And I got the good news that it's time for new tires! Hooray! Jubilation! After I finished jumping up and down and yelling, "Woo! Awesome! Great news! This is the best day ever!" all around the waiting room of the car dealership, I decided I just needed to go back home. Which kind of had to happen anyway because when I'm at the dealership, I take full advantage of their cappuccino machine. This results in me having to rush straight home to use the bathroom. Cappuccino has that effect on me. You all? No?

My house is so quiet and boring without Daisy around. When I walked in my house, I called for her. It's habit. She didn't come and it took me awhile to figure out why. She's still at the vet, you see. She's having a day full of services. Grooming, shots, blood work, examination...much like a day spa event, I'm sure. I'm sure that's exactly the way she sees it. Probably much like how the Lion gets treated in The Wizard of Oz. I'm sure they sing to her as they clip: "Clip, clip here. Clip, clip there. We give the roughest claws..."

I have a research paper that's due in 4 hours. I can't predict the future, but if I could, I'd say it's not going to be submitted on time. That's my bet. I better quit writing this and start writing that. But this matters so much more. It really does.

And thanks for the congratulations on the new job and birthday wishes. You guys are keepsakes.

Drum roll Please.

I guess I've kept you all waiting long enough. I bet you're salivating like a lion that sees a gazelle across the grassland. You're so not, but entertain me. I told you all yesterday that I got a new job. What could it be? What could it be?

Now while I would love to have a job like being an ice cream taste tester, or a mattress tester, an animal menagerie manager, or just a Blogger like our friend Jenna from this past season of The Bachelor, I will be none of these things. I will be (drum roll please)...

a teacher.

And now you're saying, "Excuse me, Sarah. You're already a teacher". To which I reply, "Yes, dear friend. You are correct."

I am keeping my title of "teacher" but I applied for and accepted a job at another elementary school in my county. Now that the whole application and interview process is over, I am so excited and relieved. The whole decision-making and pro and con list making was nerve-racking and a stress on my mind and heart since December. 

You see, I'm a lucky lady. I currently teach at a wonderful school, in a grade level that I adore, with teaching teammates that aren't just some of the greatest kindergarten teachers I know, they're also my very good friends. I enjoy going to work everyday, and for that, I feel extremely lucky. It was not an easy thing to decide to give all of that up. Packing up my current classroom will be a very hard thing to do next month. That's when it will become so real.

The school that I will be at next year is a newly constructed school that will relieve the over-population of my current school and another school in the county. 

The attraction of a brand new building with state-of-the-art things was appealing. Duh. I'm a liar if I said that wasn't a factor. And the principal of my current school was hired to be the principal of the new school. I wanted to go with her. But mainly, I was ready for a change in myself. I needed to get a little extra boost of excitement and re-energize myself as a classroom teacher. I have gotten comfortable and I need to change things up a bit. Next year will be my 7th year teaching. I think there's really some truth to that whole 7-year itch thing. Yeah, I know that has to do with marriage, but my job is a relationship for me, so it applies. In teaching, change is not always easy to come by. It's easy to fall into a rut. Opportunities like this are rare. I felt that I had to jump on it.

I'm glad there will be some familiarity there with already having a relationship with my principal and having a small group of my current colleagues join me. But there are still some unknowns. Like my grade level assignment (it will either be K or 1st) and who my teaching teammates will be. 

So, that's my news. I'll still be teaching, but just in a new location. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to help begin a brand new school and new traditions. Exciting, busy, and emotional times are still ahead.

Now, I need a little help from my teacher friends. I have to make a "wish list" of items that I would like to have to outfit my new classroom. I'm having a hard time narrowing it down for what I truly need to teach next year. We're getting the basics like built-in cubbies, a teacher desk, filing cabinets, portable storage cabinet, kidney table, rug, ActivBoard.
I can't take ANYTHING with me from my current school that has been purchased with school board money. Not even staples. This has been made VERY clear in the past couple days. Like, I'm kind of thinking they're going to come inventory our rooms when we pack up to leave.

So.

A lot of the crap in my classroom is mine because I've spent my own money on many things, like all of you do, but a lot of good things will have to stay behind. Like all of my beautiful, expensive Lakeshore games. Sad.

My question is this: what would you put on your classroom wish list?

Please share.

And while we're at it, what about classroom theme? I've done a jungle/monkey thing for several years. It's not over-the-top junglicious, and I still like it, but I'm thinking I may want something different. Why not, right?
This is going to sound dumb, but I've thought about a Sweet Shop/candy theme. Is that dumb? Be honest. I can take it. In my mind it's beautiful. The classroom decor would probably contribute to diabetes and obesity, but it would be inviting for all. Who doesn't like candy?
In my mind I see felt banners, bright colors, an awning, stripes and polka dots. My inspiration came from this tri-fold that my Mom bought me to use for my Sweet Shop fund-raiser that I do each year at school:

Aw. Sweet.

Any other ideas on fun themes? I'm open.

Thanks in advance!

A big list of things I don't like and other randoms.

So my brother walked by me and said, "Remember that time you used to blog?" Yeah, yeah. Mind your own business, brother. It was actually weird that he mentioned it because I was all up in the middle of writing this post. We must have twin speak. Except we're not twins.

I am no good with small talk. At all. I don't do small talk. I do lots of other talks. I sure as heck talk. I do long talks. Funny talks. Weird talks. Serious talks. But no awkward small talk. I hate that. A bunch of head nods and annoying giggles that you don't even recognize coming out of your own mouth and a whole bunch of over exaggerated "yeah" and "uh-huh" nonsense.

:Head shake, head shake. Yeah! Uh-huh! Annoying giggle:

No thank you.

I'm also not good with faking nice. Like J-Lo, I'm real.

I'm also not good with butt kissing. Plus, that's just gross.

Facebook is becoming a drag. I don't think I've ever used the word drag in that context before. I feel like a kid from the Outsiders. Maybe Ponyboy Curtis. Maybe. Anyway, back to facebook. I really want to deactivate my account but always talk myself out of it. It's nice for "seeing" people I grew up with or those that live out of town, but I'm just kind of over it. I scroll through the newsfeed. That's about it. It's not even fun to stalk anymore or look at people's pictures. I just don't care.

I don't like when people don't know how to spell y'all. I've seen this a lot lately. Y'all seems to be really trendy in the written word nowadays. I say y'all. I type y'all. It's kind of expected. I'm from south-central Kentucky, but y'all, it's y'all! It is not ya'll. I don't even know what ya'll is. Ya will? Y'all is short for you all. Ya'll is, well, nothing. Ya ll. Say it that way. That just sounds ignorant. Y'all is so much more intelligible.

I don't like over anxious store clerks. Please let me shop. Please back up out of my space. Please don't ask me again if there is anything you can help me find today. If I need you, I will find you.

I live with my foot in my mouth. Really. Today I totally talked about someone. And there they were. Oops.

I hate glasses. I've had a stupid eye infection and was told no contacts for 10 days. 10 days is a long time. It's eternal for a girl who lives in contacts. And this is probably why I got said eye infection in the first place. Today marks day 8. TWO MORE DAYS!! I will rejoice when Friday morning arrives and my eyeballs will be treated with fresh contacts. Down with glasses. I feel like such a nerd. And they make me feel ugly. I hate it.

Do you know what else is in 2 days? Spring break starts. And I will be overjoyed.

And then do you know what is in 5 days? Only the best day of the whole dang 2012. It is a trio that will stop the world spinning as we know it. This year I'm teaming up with the Easter Bunny AND my man, J.C. (Jesus Christ, for those that don't know him as J.C. like I do) to celebrate. Candy-filled eggs, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, and my birth remembrance. All on Easter. It is momentous.

I have requested that my birthday cake be cut up into miniature morsels and hidden in plastic eggs and scattered amongst my yard. Then my job will be to hunt the eggs, crack them open, and assemble the miniature cake bites back to its original full sheet cake form. It's an egg hunt, a puzzle, and a delicious snack all in one.

Really I don't even like cake all that much. But I like candy. And I love pie.

Speaking of sugar...

Today I took advantage of a free glucose/cholesterol check at my school. I know, really random. I take advantage of anything free. And I knew they would have orange juice and cookies. Free snacks.
I was interested in having my glucose level checked because I take meds to help regulate my blood sugar, but this isn't Health Corner, so we won't go into all that. It's just needed background information.
The nurses pricked my finger and read my levels. When they saw my glucose level, all 3 of the nurses freaked. My level was 30. Anything below 70 is low. 30 is pretty horrible--like pass out, seizure situation. One said, "Are you feeling okay? Are you going to pass out?" I said, "No, I'm just starving".
I had to fast so I wasn't able to have my morning Coke. That was a shock to my system.
One of the nurses ran to get me a glass of juice and made me drink it with a quickness. I also got to eat an assortment of candy, so it was a winning situation.
They were ready to call my doctor, but I told them I was fine. To me it was pretty normal. I had to sit for awhile and then got pricked again to make sure my level raised after getting some sugar in my system. Everything was fine. I did not pass out. I am not dead. I just felt bad for giving them a scare.
I must eat. At all times. Sugar is my BFF. I'm kind of hungry...

Oh yeah! I haven't shared my news with you all yet.

I got a new job. I'll leave you to speculate.

Will I be an acrobat? Or a pirate? Or a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker?

Hmm.

I'll be back soon.

Hey Guys.

Let's just disregard the fact that I haven't posted in well over a month. Let's also disregard the fact that I originally started this post on March 16th. Oops. This time I will press on. I will press that orange 'Publish Post' button.

I'm clearing out the cobwebs and blowing off the dust that has settled on this blog.

I'm back.

At least for today.

So let's just celebrate this accomplishment that I am sitting down long enough to throw out some ramblings. I'm celebrating it and raising a glass to it. I've missed this thing called blogging.

Life has been busy. What a cop out, right? I know everyone is busy. But guys, I'm not used to being this busy. I feel like life has been pretty non-stop since January. Full calendar, huge to-do lists, meetings, decisions, worrying, stresses...I need my boring life back. Being busy is stupid.
Things are better and slowing down though. So I'm here! Finally!

Let's do fun stuff.

What can we talk about? I'm scared. I have stage fright.

Let's talk about one very important thing that has brought delight and sanity to my life. It's important. A real life saver. Its name is:

Sonic Happy Hour.

Kindergarten teachers are the luckiest teachers in my school because our planning time is during Sonic Happy Hour. Even luckier for us, there is a Sonic a mile down the road. We hit up Sonic on the regular. Probably far too often. But it's wonderful. We don't just go for a large drink. We go all the way. Route 44. That's all we know. A drink so big it'll snap your wrist. And make you have to pee for 5 solid minutes. It's wonderful.
You want to know something that's really challenging? Carrying a drink holder with 4 Route 44 drinks without having the bottom bust out and spill out 55 million gallons of drink in the hallway of your school. That day was one of the most successful days of my life.
Happy Hour is essential in helping us get through these beautiful summer fever days. That's right. Summer. Forget spring fever.
We still haven't had spring break yet. It's coming though...to a crazy-eyeballed teacher near you. In 7 instructional days. This has been the longest. semester. ever. We only had one snow day and we've already made that up, so we have zero days to add to the end of the year. We're used to having like 11 snow days and not teaching a full week during January and February. This has been exhausting.

I don't ever watch Dancing with the Stars. I'm just not really interested in it, but it's on TV right now and I'm obviously too lazy to find the remote to turn it to something else. So I'm watching it. And Steve Urkel is dancing. What the what? He still has his same old goofy looking eyeballs. I guess that makes sense though. Eyeballs don't change.
Did you all love Family Matters? I sure did. Remember Steve Urkel's cool alter ego? Stefan Urquelle. Man. He was so smooth. Laura loved him so much. Check out Laura's jeans. She was pretty smooth too.

I'm really struggling here, aren't I? I am really talking about Sonic and Steve Urkel. Forgive me. I'm out of practice and haven't written for fun in a long time.

Hmm. What else could be fun for you guys?

I'll leave you with this. It's a local mattress store commercial and it's a gem. It's pretty old, but it still plays regularly on our local stations. For whatever reason, it's been playing a lot lately so it's fresh on my brain.  Just watch. For me.

And then let me know what your favorite part of the 'rap' video is. His nice patterned socks? His clever mention of their location next to Hobby Lobby? The "hey, heyyy" at the end?
It will be so hard to choose a favorite part, but try.

I've missed you all. Thanks for sticking around.

Hey Lovers.

Valentine's. Blech. I've never been a huge fan. You all could probably assume that about me. Love. What's love got to do with it? Even the years that I've had boyfriends, V-Days have just never been very good. They never live up to the hype.

My best Valentine's was when I got my little Daisy Mae lover. We've now been together for 7 years. Longest relationship I've ever had. She's my favorite Valentine. My Funny Valentine. Just look at her.

Today was an okay day. I woke up and told myself I was going to be in a good mood. Mainly to try to makeup for the crazy beast that I was yesterday. Do you ever have those days that you just wake up angry? For no good reason. You're just angry and you can't explain it and you can't get out of your mood. That was me yesterday. A bear. A big, nasty grizzly bear that woke up too early from hibernation. A cranky, hungry bear. I felt sorry for everyone that came in contact with me, but I just couldn't help my beastly self.

So today I tried to fake it 'til I made it. It kinda worked. Just kinda.

I felt pretty cheery because I did receive a lot of Valentine's from kids today. It makes me feel so good to receive Valentine's from past students. It's just sweet that once they move on to another grade, many still remember me and bring me some goods.
And chocolate made me pretty cheery. Chocolate always helps.

I made my students these rainbowlicious Pinterest inspired crayons. They loved them. I baked them with love. Love and a bunch of wax. I was just thrilled I made that many batches of crayons and didn't set my oven on fire. Success.

I also made these Valentine's for the parents. These were inspired by The Inspired Apple.

In an attempt to protect the innocent, I blurred out part of her pretty little face. I thought these turned out so cute. Their faces were all so serious. 

And then we had our Valentine's Party this afternoon. Sigh. Actually, this was probably one of the most organized parties I've ever had. The mom that planned it did a great job and the kids had so much fun. The kids are always my safe place during a party. I just want to act like a penguin and huddle together with them and shut out the cold on the outside. The cold being many of the judgmental party spectators. The judgmental party spectators being parents. Please note that it's not all parents. I am blessed with so many great and supportive parents this year, but there are always those few. Sadly. I had a couple that were pissed at me today. Genuinely pissed. One got smart and may have slammed some plates down. I had to do my whole, "I'm sorry you feel this way" and "I'm sorry you're upset" spill to try to defuse the situation so that we could have a calm and drama-free party. Just silly. I should not be made to feel awkward in my own classroom. So anyway, they sulked and sat in the far back corner of my room. And didn't interact with anyone. Definitely not their child that they were there to see. And they whispered. Probably about me. Oh well. Happy Love Day! Right? Geez. Party days belong in a dumpster. Alongside Field Day.

Regardless of all the commercialized Valentine's crap and the drama of some Bitties, I've come to this realization. I may not have that "special someone" in my life. Heck, I may never have that. That's okay. What I do have is great and I, for one, think I'm pretty lucky in love. Maybe not to the outside observer, but I am. I've got a wonderful family that supports and loves me, I've got awesome friends, a dog that couldn't be a more perfect match for me, and I've got 21 little Valentine's that hug me and tell me they love me daily that I have the privilege to spend 5 days a week with at the schoolhouse. And, hey! I've got you guys! That's a lot of love and I feel it on the regular.
So, yeah. On this Valentine's Day, I've tried not to dwell on what I don't have or what's missing in my life. I'm focusing on all the love that I do have and it's more than enough for me.

Happy Valentine's Day, Lovers!

We Don't Live in a 'One Size Fits All' Kinda World.

Something pretty amazing has happened.

I bet you're filled with pure suspense right now. I just bet you are. 

Guys, this is BIG.

Huge. 

Enormous. 

Gigantic.

I recently found the biggest spoon of all time.

Of course I had to have a picture with it. 

And another.

I was laughing in this picture. I was imagining I was sipping some soup or gobbling up some porridge.

You all know that I like to rummage around for fun finds in HomeGoods. And then I like to take pictures of all the fun things I find in the store. I'm always on the look out for you guys. I want to keep you current in the latest and greatest home decor items. I'm a Maxxinista. 

This spoon can be yours for $50. 

It would be expensive to be a giant.

I wish I knew a giant. A real giant. Like a Jack and the Beanstalk giant that lives up in the clouds. That would be fun. And if this giant had a birthday or was getting married, I would have an excuse to purchase this larger than life spoon for him. Then I would have the challenging task of finding a way to gift wrap it and try to disguise it so that it's not totally obvious to the giant that it's a giant spoon. Man. 

It's really too bad I don't have any giant friends.

I am jealous of the person that walked up to the cash register with this huge spoon. The best part would have been seeing all of the reactions they got from everyone else in the checkout line.

If I had walked up to the checkout with this spoon, I bet people would have had thoughts like this:

"What exactly is this girl going to do with this spoon?"

"Will she hang it on her wall as art? Or perhaps use it as a mirror of sorts to look at her reflection?"

"Will this be her ice cream spoon? Will she dump an entire carton of ice cream in it so that she can eat the whole carton at once (because she looks like she likes ice cream a whole lot)?"

"Does she date a giant?"

The next fun part would have been taking the giant spoon out to the car. On a sunny day the glare from the spoon would have probably blinded someone in the parking lot. And then you'd be responsible for a parking lot fender bender. 

That spoon was so big that it would have taken up the length of an entire backseat.

I hope that spoon has a good home. But most of all, I hope the person that bought it had a great time during the purchase and packing process. I'm sure they did. It takes a special kind of person to buy a giant spoon, after all.

Remember this gem that I found at HomeGoods once upon a time? 

The giant magnifying glass for giants.

I guess HomeGoods likes to carry objects for our big and tall friends. I really respect that they're a store for all peoples. They don't believe in a 'one size fits all' way of life. Way to go, HomeGoods. I salute you.

Oddly enough, I also found the smallest hat of all time this past weekend. I went up to Cincinnati for the weekend with a group of girls to help my friend Ashley find her wedding dress. After dress shopping, we hit up the mall. While in H&M, I found this tiny hat that just blew my mind.

Ashley said, "You could probably write an entire blog post about that hat".

Right, indeed! I had to have a picture with it.

Please notice the tag. 

Now tell me, what exactly is the purpose of this hat, H&M? Who is it for? No human has a head that small. Not even babies. 

It might fit a doll. Maybe a squirrel. 

I don't know. I don't get it. 

This just goes to show that there's something for everybody out in this world. Big or small, tall or short.

All I know is it's a beautiful world full of magnificent giant and itsy-bitsy things.
Glad we're all able to fit in this world so nicely together.

Okay.

Stick a spoon fork in me. I'm done.

It's "Snow" Joke. I'm Back.

Uh, hey guys. Remember me? I didn't really intend on taking a month long absence. But. Well. I did. My last post was on January 10th. Here it is February 5th. Dang. A month passes by awfully quickly. The sad thing is that I had 4 different posts drafted during this past month. I just never published them. That was dumb of me.

I feel like I'm in unfamiliar territory right now. Like I don't really know what to do or how this blogging thing works. If we were face to face I'd be stammering and wouldn't be able to hold eye contact with you. I feel all awkward like I'm a stranger around these parts. I'm glad you're still here.
Some of you checked in on me to make sure I was okay. I love you guys. And I've missed you crazy kids. It is rare for me to be this quiet for this long of a stretch of time. A month is a long time to not speak. I feel like Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. I need oil squirted around my mouth. Or maybe on my fingers so that they will work a little better and start typing.

What have you missed over the past month? Well. Not much really. I've mainly been a fixture on my couch. That's about it. Pretty lame. I didn't go on any exciting adventures. I don't have any great stories, but you all know that won't stop me from rambling on for the next few minutes. So let's get to it, shall we?

If I was quick and to the point, I could simply say: snow day. school. oreos. snot. crossroads. thinking. decision making.

But we all know I'm long-winded and that everything requires long, detailed, explanations.

I had my first snow day of the school year. It fell on the Friday before MLK day, so we received a glorious 4 day weekend. Couldn't have worked out better. Our snowfall amount for the season is a whopping 1.4". A minimal dusting is all we need to keep a school bus in park. I wouldn't want it any other way.

My first snow day this year has also been the only snow day. Let me repeat that. We've only had one snow day this year. ONE! It's just malarky. I think I briefly lost my mind somewhere around mid-January. I'm not used to working this many consecutive days during the winter. I guess it's just taken a lot out of me. These 5 day work weeks are exhausting. And spring break isn't until April. Lord help me.

Let's see. What else?

Oh yeah. A new semester of grad school has begun. But that involves talking about things like discussion boards, and textbooks, and classmates that I don't want to know in real life. That's not a fun topic, so we'll just skip right over that.

Here's something interesting. My life has slightly been changed. By Peanut Butter Oreo Fudge Cremes. They can be found at a grocery store near you. They're delectable. Go getyoself some. Unless you're allergic to peanut butter. Because that would be a horrible idea. And I don't want to receive the blame for that.

Here's something not-so-interesting. The past two weeks I've been sick with a stupid cold. A Buick has been parked on my chest. A Buick with a big, old lady and like 50 of her cats. That's a lot of chest congestion and pressure. Being sick is stupid. I've been cranky and just trust me--you didn't want to hear from me. My posts would have been nothing but rants. Last week was full of early bedtimes and boringness for me. I'm feeling better- still not top-notch, but much more like the me I was born to be. Not a snotty, sound-like-a-man, irritable, not-as-cool version of myself.

I fully believe I wouldn't have been sick if we'd had more snow days. We've all been cooped up with our germs just thriving. Constant togetherness brings about sickness. Frequent breaks from school helps to kill off the germies. Thanks a lot, mother nature.

Other than being stupid and sick, I've had a lot on my mind and even more on my to-do list.

During the past weeks, life has mainly been full of a lot of reflecting and decision making. Change is blowing in. It's blowing in whether I want it to or not. Some of it is unknown and scary, but I'm excited by the thoughts of possibilities. I can't really go into any of it now, but that's where my mind has been. Very preoccupied by my own thoughts, scenarios, and what-ifs. Things are in a crossroads, if you will.

And now let's take a moment for a song throwback because that made me think of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Crossroads. "Hey, and we pray, And we pray, And we pray. Everyday, Everyday, Everyday, Everyday. See you at the Crossroads, Crossroads, Crossroads..."

Yep. I'm praying. And I'm at a crossroads. Life theme song right now.

I'll go ahead and wrap this up because I'm kind of bored with this post. I have one that's much more fun in my mind and I want to write it instead. It's a good one. I promise I won't wait a month to publish it.