5/26- A little less conversation, a little more action please

Weight Loss for the Week- 0lbs

Wow, this past week has been full of ups and downs.  It was the last week of school for the students.  They had a day or so of review and then finals.  That means I got to proctor and grade finals like a madwoman this week.  Thank goodness for all the grading parties- otherwise, I'm not sure I'd be done yet.  It helps you get through all the finals when you have other teachers doing the same thing. Plus, we start helping each other when one person finishes.  The students did pretty well overall on their finals/final grades.  I feel like we all a had a good year, even if there were some rough moments.  We, the teachers, have an in-service day on Tuesday and get to clean out our rooms and all that fun stuff.

The 8th graders had their graduation on Thursday.  It was really nice for them to have a celebration of how they are growing and becoming high-schoolers.  They all looked so grown up in their dresses and suits.  And they all seemed to enjoy having their moment to shine.  We even had a lunch reception for the students and their families.  They enjoyed chowing down amidst all the graduation decor too.

After I was done grading the final set of finals and signing off on my grade verification forms, I got to have a Big Girl Moment.  I signed a lease for an apartment.  I will now be residing in the Gilmore Apartments in Midtown!!!  I had to sign a week earlier than I was planning on, so I will be spending this week packing and moving over small items.  The big items will be moved next Monday.  I am moving into a large studio apartment.  It has a separate dressing room, a separated kitchen, a deep front closet, and a bathroom with a Midtown tub :)  I'm pretty excited and nervous about all of this.  I have all the main pieces of furniture I need now.  I'm going to continue getting the rest of the stuff off my registry as I can afford it.  (If anyone feels so inclined to give a housewarming/early birthday gift, I'm registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Macy's).

After signing my lease, I got my end-of-the-school-year reward.  I am house-sitting for one of my mom's friends so she won't have to kennel her dog.  She has a pool.  I have been chilling by the pool for at least three hours everyday.  I'm surprised I'm not a lobster yet. I have also relaxed in her jacuzzi tub, gone for a few walks in the neighborhood, vegged on the couch, played with the adorable dog, and just relaxed in general.  I did get out of the house yesterday to go sofa shopping.  I got a really nice Queen-sized sleeper sofa!  And today, I left to go see a movie.  I saw Mud- it was very good and had some yummy scenes featuring McConaughey without his shirt. 

                                                   A beer by the pool- my reward.

                                          Harley, my male companion for the weekend.

                                         My new sofa!

                                         My main state of being for the weekend.

Now, to continue relaxing this evening :)

5/19- You Spin My Head Right Round

Weight Loss for the Week- .5lbs

Planning ahead happened somewhat this week.  I never officially made it to the store to get food for the whole week, so that was not so good.  But, I did my work outs, which was good.  Goals for this week- stick to meal plans and go to the store. 

It was the last full week of classes this past week.  I cannot believe the school year is almost over.  I swear, it was just September.  And while my kids are all so excited and claim it felt like forever, I know I blinked and it's ending.  We had graduation for the seniors yesterday.  It was sweet and very odd.  It made me think a lot about all my graduations- high school, college, and graduate school.  While I was always glad to be done, I was always uneasy with figuring out what came next.  These seniors are embarking on a great adventure.  I'm excited to see what comes next for them.

Now, we just have to finish up the school year for everyone else.  We have two class days left and then three days of exams.  All I keep hoping is that my kids learned something real, something important, something they will keep with them as they grow and mature.  I just keep hoping I've made a difference.  And I keep hoping that I will continue to make a difference.

I did take some time for myself this week.  I took Friday off from work since I had the vacation time still (our time doesn't roll over and we don't get paid for it. If we don't use it, we lose it). I got to sleep in, take an extra-long walk, run a few errands I've been forgetting about lately, have lunch with my mom, and go get a manicure with a friend.  It was a very relaxing day, I was glad I got to enjoy it :)  And I owe all my subs big time since I heard my students acted a bit crazy. 

It was also BBQ Fest this weekend- always a fun time in Memphis.  I went down Friday night and had a good time at my friend's family's booth.  Lots of good food and fun people, and most importantly, good people watching. 

The end of the year business and all got to me yesterday and I ended up taking a 2.5 hour nap, but I know I needed it.  I had a nice dinner catching up with a few friends.  Then, I spent some time with Memaw finishing assembling her patio furniture. She's pretty much settled in which is awesome :)  We're all so glad she's loving her new apartment. 

                                           Barbeque Fest 2013

                                           Bridge, Pyramid, and the River

                                          Memaw and her new patio furniture

Now, it's time to relax a few hours more before this crazy week of finals and end of the year items occurs.  Wish me luck!

5/12- Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I wish I could be

Weight Loss for the Week: 0lbs

I'm not evenly remotely surprised I didn't lose this week.  It was a long week. It was a stressful week.  And I'm afraid it may be the kind of week I have to repeat a few more times.  It's job related, it's probably going to be okay, but, nonetheless, prayers are appreciated.

This kind of stress just completely screws with my stomach.  I will go from being starving, to being sick to my stomach one day. The next day, I won't be able to eat until very late in the night.  It's not healthy, it makes me feel gross, and it just adds to my anxiety.

Okay, onto other topics. The school year is winding down which means I'm ending out my units with my kids and working on getting them ready for exams. My 8th graders are almost done with TKAM.  My 9th graders just finished Night- they even wrote letters to Elie Wiesel which I will be mailing out tomorrow.  The letters are so sweet, I was tearing up while I read them. My 10th graders are dabbling in North American literature (and I may be incorporating some Anthro and AES topics because I think they should start those discussions earlier rather than later).  And my dear ACT kids will do some general review the last few days. 

This weekend was pretty nice.  We had our last dance of the school year Friday night.  The kids seemed to have a good time and even taught me a few new dance moves, lol!  Saturday, I slept in because, quite frankly, I needed to do so.  I ran some errands with my mom.  Then, I went out with Kerry to a few places on Madison where we were hit on by some rather funny characters.  We actually laughed one of the guys right out of the bar.  We're nice like that. 

Today, I've finished up my lessons, graded the never-ending pile of quizzes/tests/papers, and rested up some more.  We celebrated Mother's Day at Memaw's and had a really nice time.  We even hung up some more of her pictures so there's really only her mirror left. 

Now, back to the grading.

5/5- I got the moves like Jagger

Weight Loss for the Week: 0lbs

My exercise did not outdo my eating this week.  I got in some really good workouts, even more than I usually do.  But, I went to First Friday, a Hoe Down, and then out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  I maintained this week.  Aside from the weekend, my meals were healthy, including my snacks :)  I am really enjoying the Muller yogurts with the Corner add-ins. In regards to the binges, I definitely felt fuller than I used to much faster, which is good.  Back to the normal routine though as I wind down with the school year and get far busier than I have been all year.

Speaking of, school was good this week.  Some of the kids are clearly getting antsy and we've all had to remind them that they need to stay focused and keep working and behaving.  Most of them are still doing what they need to do, and that's pretty helpful.  Now, I just have to get them all through the very end of my units and hope that they do well on their exams :)

This weekend has been non-stop and so much fun.  I went to First Friday to support Levitt Shell and Grace Askew was there to perform. It was really nice to see all the regulars and meet new people and support a great place in Memphis.

Saturday, my friend Kerry and I did the Color Mania Color Run.  It was a 5K to support LeBonheur Children's Hospital up in Millington.  They gave everyone white shirts and packets of dyed corn starch.  We threw the packets at each other and throughout the race there were Color Stations where people sprayed us with the powder.  The race ended with a whole group Color Blast.  It was one of the best 5Ks I've done so far.  It didn't even feel like a 5K.  Then, in all our colorful glory, we went to breakfast.  Afterwards, we cleaned up and got ready for a Hoe Down in Dancyville, TN.  It was at Winchester Farms.  We rode a bus out there and had a little trouble finding the place, but we got there and enjoyed ourselves.  We walked around the grounds for awhile. Then, we enjoyed barbeque, salads, and pies made from ingredients grown/raised at the farm.  It all tasted way too good.

                                          Kerry and I after the race

                My face without the sunglasses- yes, I went out in public looking like this after the race.

                                        The lake at Winchester Farms.

                                           Kerry and I at the Hoe Down.

Today, Kerry, her mother, her dog, and I went for a 4 mile walk in Midtown.  I was pretty proud that I kept up the pace with them.  Kerry and I got cleaned up and then we went to Bar Louie to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and to watch the Grizzlies game.  We enjoyed ourselves and the food and drinks we tried there.

Now, I'm home getting everything planned, graded, and ready for the week to start again :)