Snapshot.

current guilty pleasure: white cheddar cheese popcorn
current nail color: hotttt pink
current playlist: Sia Furler’s early stuff.
current read: Mud, Sweat, & Tears by Bear Grylls
current drink: ice water
current food: Baja chili salad
current favorite show: Ellen
current wish list: A new laptop, a bigger bed
current needs: to rearrange my classroom seating arrangement
current triumphs: not taking a nap after work!
current bane of my existence: My bum knee. No skating.
current celebrity crush: …probably Johnny Weir.
current indulgence: intermittent hibernating.
current blessing: a friend who understands my first year teacherness
current outfit: college tee, pajama pants, neon socks.
current excitement: finally moving into our townhome SOON
current mood: kinda blah. Would you agree that Jan-March are the blah-est months of the year?
current link: http://pinterest.com/kimber_wimber/

The year has begun.

So most bloggers write a really self-reflective post on January 1st or shortly after thinking through what the previous year has brought, and what they would like to see come out of the new year. Welp, we are already halfway through January (like 1/24 through the whole year actually!) and I still haven’t produced one of those posts. But I should probably try. Here’s a break-down of 2012…

January- Began student teaching in 3rd grade and moved back in with my parents.

February- Learned about the chaos that is Valentine’s Day in an elementary school setting.

March- Started my second student teaching placement in 9-12 ESL

April- Applied for a gazillion jobs! Played the waiting game.

May- Graduated! Got a job! Found out I was moving to another state!

June- Started teaching summer school (3rd grade & K-1st drama).

July- Went to every garage sale in town. Did the Color Run! Went to the farmer’s market every week.

August- Started teaching a new grade level (Kdg) in a new state (CO). Met all new people. Made new friends.

September- Went Colorado camping for the first time ever! Hiking, too.

October- Turned 23. Had my first parent-teacher conferences. Learned how to party it up Halloween-style in Kindergarten.

November- Deepened my new friendships. Tried new things.

December: Went Colorado skiing for the first time ever!

 

It’s funny the things that stick out to me as I sit here typing this. I feel like these were the “big” things in my life this past year, but really? A lot of times it’s the small things that are bigger. So while I may have summed it up with a couple of grander events, a lot of the in-between things helped make 2012. Things I like to record on this blog, whenever that is.

I still hold to my (un)resolution of a few years ago, here. I can’t say I’ve excelled, but the least I can do is renew my resolve. To seek God more and ask him the hard questions.

And soon enough I’ll be back to feeling the pressures of new year’s/determination/resolutions/reflections, to post again while looking back. I just hope I do that oftener than January 1st. Here’s to 2013!

How to make a chalkboard.

 

So on Pinterest there are lots of links to tutorials for homemade chalkboard paint. I really wish I lived in a place where I could paint the walls to my liking, but that’ll happen someday. I would love a whole wall with chalkboard paint so I could decorate it however I want and change it any time! But I found a cheap alternative that was super fun to do. Plus I did it on a whim at about 10:30 pm. That’s when the creativity is greatest, it seems. :)

I bought this cute wood frame thingy at Hobby Lobby. Used my 40% off coupon, so it was only a couple of dollars.

To make the chalkboard paint, you can use any type of paint, which is nice because I have a ton of acrylic paint. I just mixed up some colors until I found a shade I really liked. To make it official chalkboard-writeable paint, you have to add some non-sanded grout. Hobby Lobby+40% off coupon= super cheap again. Mix 1 Tblsp. grout with 1/2 cup of paint until it is really smooth. Paint the frame, wall, table, chair, or whatever is going to be your new chalkboard surface until you are satisfied with the thickness (maybe 1 coat, maybe more).

 

When it is dry, take a piece of fine-grit sandpaper and sand the surface. You’ll also want to “condition” it by rubbing a piece of chalk over the surface and then wiping it off with a slightly damp cloth. Not sure why, but that’s what Pinterest said. :)

When you are done you can decorate it any way you want! I like to put quotes or bible verses, things that are inspiring. My favorite part is that I can change it to whatever I want, anytime I want. So fun and cheap!

Let’s get praisy.

So there’s this blogger I follow—Jami Nato—and she’s absolutely hilario. She speaks truth like a gangsta. And she’s really creative. So she came up with this thing she hashtagged on instragram called #letsgetpraisy. Basically you take popular secular songs and find the gospel in them. Genius! The link to her post about it is here.

She started a competition to see who could come up with the best #letsgetpraisy quotes. I took part with this:

It’s based on Romans 8:37-39, where Paul states that we are more than conquerors through Christ. There may be stuff like, oh ya know…life, death, angels, demons, the present, the future, crazy powers, height, depth…but because of Christ we are like Titanium and are pretty much bulletproof. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ.

So if you would like to vote for this little creation, it’s here. You can also check out all the other entries…they are awesome! I will never think of radio the same way again.

Weekend.

Last weekend I had one of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve had since moving to Colorado. Seriously, almost everything about it was perfect. That is rare! No school work involved whatsoever. Friday night I hung out with a group of friends and played board games and ate food. It was so good getting to know more new people! Games are just about the perfect activity because they require talking and are fun…I’m not so much of a movie watcher (I think I have movie/tv ADD), but I’ll play games anytime.

Saturday morning I slept in and didn’t wake up to an alarm! It was glorious. I cleaned my apartment which is pretty therapeutic, at least for me. Then I got in my car and just drove and stopped wherever looked interesting. I found so many good sales. I had fun shopping for prizes for my Kindergarten treasure chest, including awesome stuff like fake moustaches and  glasses and glow-in-the-dark aliens. The only downside to the afternoon was that I found out my car is leaking antifreeze/coolant, so I was “stranded” at the mall (how awful, right?) while I waited for my car to cool so I could check things out. I ended the evening at some friends’ where they found my radiator leak and calmed my worries. We partied it up with a little Fruit Ninja on the tv and I woke up with ridiculously sore arms the next morning. :)

If you don’t really care to read about my weekend events step-by-step, you just go ahead and close the page now, peeps. I want to record it, sort of like a journal, so I can look back and remember the wonderfulness. It was so good!

Sunday my roommate and I went to breakfast at a cute little cafe with another friend and then on to church. I asked around to see if anyone wanted to go skating with me that afternoon, but I had no takers. I guess people aren’t as passionate about it as I am. ;) So I just went down the road about a mile, where all the Olympians in this city train, and checked out the public skate session. It was one of the most fun and relaxing practice sessions I have ever had, not even kidding! It was cheap and not crowded; there were people of all ages and levels there, also. Back in Omaha I always felt judged when I would practice because I’m kind of old to be learning new things along with the little bitty kids. But here there were old grandpas learning three-turns along with the toddlers and everyone in between. I forgot how much I missed skating. I am certain that an old dog can indeed learn new tricks…so I have decided I am going to start taking lessons again! I am way beyond excited. :)

I wrapped up the weekend with homemade tacos at another friend’s house, probably the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. This weekend was such a blessing. It’s amazing how God knows exactly what you’re needing and delivers. He can dish up a weekend full of sweetness better than I could, or anyone else.

People.

Moving to a new place where you know no one is interesting. I’ve liked the anonymity, the chance to be free from obligations besides work. I can explore my new city at my own leisure without seeming anti-social.

It’s been so nice, too, having a roommate who is in the same boat as me. We are both first year teachers new to the district, let alone the state. We are actually very alike, which is crazy for being set-up without knowing each other! Both of us love hiking and the Colorado outdoors. We both like beer, but hate bananas and tomatoes. Neither of us is super extroverted, but we like going out and staying busy. We are perfectly content to both sit on the couch after school, but not talk at all. It’s not awkward, because we both need non-people time to recharge. It’s good.

It’s always a process when getting to know someone new. My roommate have reached several levels of “closeness,” if you want to call it that. It’s okay now to take each other’s laundry out of the dryer if the other person needs it. We occasionally eat each other’s food without asking, too. But we aren’t so close that we pee with the bathroom door open yet. Not sure if that’ll ever happen. I’m okay with it, but she might be too classy. :)

My teammates at work are so great! Seriously, I can’t imagine my first year teaching anywhere else. They laugh with me, sometimes at me, too. I keep them updated with all the lessons I’ve learned since moving here. We even hang out on the weekends, that’s how much we like each other. These fun people make me excited to wake up and come to work!

I’m glad I have my Nebraska people to stay in touch with, in addition to all this new people craziness. (Thank goodness we live in the days of texting and facebook.) One of my best people is even coming to visit at the end of this week! Excitement!

Living life.

I’ve realized lately that I’m really bad at watching TV. And talking on the phone.

I think I my attention span is shortening. It could have to do with the fact that usually I try doing these things after a full day of wrangling 5-year-olds, but I think there’s more to it. My personal theory: modern technology has shortened the length of time I can focus on one thing. I’m naturally a multi-tasker, but with my smartphone I can be texting, uploading photos to instagram, playing Words with Friends, checking the weather, and more all at once. I think my brain is used to being over-stimulated, or something. When I can’t see a person’s face while talking on the phone, I have a hard time focusing on only what they are saying. I try to do so many other things because I feel like I’m not being productive, and then I end up with a lot of “uh-huh”, “mmhmm”, and the like. The same goes with watching TV- I feel like I have to be doing something else while I’m watching it that I don’t really pay attention. I guess that’s not as horrible, though, because no one’s feelings could get hurt. Just some thoughts.

Here is a snapshot of my life, currently.

On any given day at work, you will find me with:

* some color of ink on my hands

* at least 5 pieces of gum in my pocket for my kiddo who constantly needs to chew

* at least 2 paper cuts

* enough hair bands, head bands, hair clips, and jewelry on my desk to open an accessory shop (all confiscated from fidgety kids)

* Songs like this or this stuck in my head

At home, you will find:

* a mountainous pile of clothes on my floor. Why do I even have a dresser?? I should be cleaning that instead of posting this, probably.

* me listening to Sia. Her music is like crack. There hasn’t been a day the past week that I haven’t listened to her…seriously addicted. Why has no one told me about her before?! She is weird and beyond wonderful.

* dessert. Always. Once the chocolate cake was gone, there was peach crisp, and then root beer floats and brownies, and now chocolate chip cookies. My roommate and I clearly have our priorities straight.

* a pile of poop on the sidewalk near our door. We thought it was bear poop, because it definitely didn’t look like it was from a cat or dog…and a week later it’s still there. Lovely.

* a pumpkin, ready for carving this weekend! It was strange going to a pumpkin patch other than Vala’s, but fun nonetheless. I know Vala’s doesn’t have that view in the background!