6/30- Rolling me down the highway, moving ahead so life won't pass me by

Weight Loss for the Week: Still unknown- will weigh in once I get home.

What a week! Monday, I went to the National Zoo and spent over four hours looking at all the animals! It was really nice- they had a baby panda and a lot of lion cubs. So much adorableness all at one place :) Tuesday, I walked over to the White House (and I love that I can say that!) to take a few pictures. Then, I continued on to the National Botanic Gardens. Y'all know me. I spent about four hours there looking at and taking pictures of all their flowers, trees, and plants. I LOVED it, like A LOT... in case anyone was curious. That night, Mom and I ventured over to Union Station to look around and grab some dinner. Wednesday, I went to the National Postal Museum, and it was fascinating. I was able to meet up with Mom and Barb for lunch at Union Station- so nice! Thursday, I walked to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden first- very cool. Then, I went to the American Indian Museum. I really liked the layout of it. It was very respectful and educational. That night, Mom and I went out for a nice meal at Legal Seafoods- lobster! Friday, I went to the Natural History Museum. I spent well over four hours there looking at all of the exhibits- so fun! Saturday, Mom and I went to the American History Museum. It was nice, lots of stuff related to other stops along this trip, so it seemed like a good way to end our vacation. Every afternoon, I was able to relax by the pool- a very nice way to end each day. Today, we have been on the road driving home. We have stopped for the night east of Nashville. Tomorrow, we will make it home :)

Photos of the Week: 

Lion cubs at the zoo!

Flowers at the Botanic Gardens

The White House

 

Stamps at the National Postal Museum

Kruger Exhibit at the Hirshhorn Gallery

 

American Indian Museum

Lobster dinner at Legal Seafoods

Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum

 

National Art Gallery's Sculpture Garden

With Harry's First Year Robe at the American History Museum!

Tip of the Week: Know your limits.

Recipe of the Week: Mini Cheese Cakes

6/22- I can no longer keep my blinds drawn, and I can't keep myself from talking

Weight Loss for the Week: Unknown (forgot to go the fitness center to weigh in this morning)

Mom and I are still on our road trip having fun!

On Tuesday, we drove to Colonial Williamsburg. We got to check in early to our Colonial Lodging. It was so neat to get to stay IN Colonial Williamsburg!!! We were excited to see some of the new programming at CW. We went to the "Theatre of War" first, and the actors in it were so good! We decided to go see their later lecture/performance. At their later performance, they actually had us near tears.  They were impersonating actual actors from Colonial times, and they did short scenes from Colonial plays. I may have googled a few of them to potentially use in the future... We went into a few of the different shops- always love doing that! Then, we had an early dinner and cooled off in our room. That night, we did the "Ghosts Among Us" tour. It was really good- some spooky stories, and then a reflection on an unknown soldier that was very sobering.

Wednesday, I woke up really early to watch the sunrise and see Colonial Williamsburg "come to life" so to speak. It was so odd to see the place so quiet, so vacant. I enjoyed that quite a bit. Afterwards, Mom and I went to Merchant's Square for some breakfast before beginning our day in Colonial Williamsburg. We toured the Governor's Palace, ventured into other workshops, and then we heard a reading of the "Declaration of Independence"- so moving. We took a break at the pool to cool down- it was so insanely hot! I swear, I haven't sweat that much outside of a sauna. We went to hear "Patrick Henry" speak, and shortly after we got there, something bad happened. My camera finally quit working. I left to see if I could fix it. Sadly, I could not. I got rather upset for a few minutes, but then I realized I could likely share Mom's camera for the remainder of the trip (which is what I'm doing- thanks, Mom!). We got some dinner and rested up before that night's activity- "In Defense of Our Liberty." We spent an hour being drilled as though we were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. I imagine it was hilarious to watch this, but it made me realize how hard being a soldier is, and that I am definitely not cut out to be one.

Thursday, we spent our final morning in Colonial Williamsburg. I participated in the "Storming of the Palace"which was rather amusing :) Mom and I went to a few final workshops and the Art Museum before we finally had to head to D.C. I must admit, it was really hard to go. We had a blast staying in Colonial Williamsburg. That night, after we checked in and got settled, we were so tired, we just got room service and vegged while watching TV.

Friday, Mom and I woke up early and headed over to President Lincoln's Cottage. It was cool hearing about him and his home outside of the White House. The tour was a bit different though- there was not a huge focus on daily life for him or his family; it was much more conceptual and discussion-based which seemed a bit forced with a group of strangers. I still liked it for the most part, but I feel like that should be mentioned on the website. Afterwards, we walked to the first U.S. National Cemetery. It began shortly before the Civil War and reached max capacity (2000) before the Civil War ended, so sad. Then, Mom and I ventured over to the International Spy Museum. It was so cool learning all about the different things it takes to be a spy, the different types of spies, famous spies, etc. I definitely recommend that one!

Saturday, we woke up even earlier to go to Frederick Douglass's National Historic Site. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing his home (from when he was a US Marshall), hearing more about his life and his family, and finding some more potential classroom resources :) Then, Mom and I came back to the hotel to change since it was much cooler than we anticipated before heading out again. We went to the National Geographic Museum which is conveniently just a few blocks from our hotel. They had an exhibit from Peru about a number of newly found artifacts from civilizations we had known very little about until then- lots of beautiful jewelry. Then, we went through the "125 Years" exhibit. First, you go through a hall with every single cover from the past 125 years. It was so overwhelming and amazing. We just looked at so many of them- and we met the granddaughter of one of the men whose photo was used for one of the covers! Then, we learned about different photographers, tools used for different places and extremes. I just loved it. That evening, we met up with Brenna and her fiance to catch up over some drinks nearby.

Today, we got to sleep in a bit for a change. We decided to go see the monuments and memorials this morning. We saw the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. We got in our walking with that- we've been getting in a lot of good walking on this trip :)  This afternoon, Mom had to head to the beginning of her conference. I decided to relax a bit and hung out by the pool for awhile. I may have fallen asleep for a bit (no worries, no big burn like last summer).

Now, finalizing plans for the rest of the week :)

Photos of the Week: 

Colonial Williamsburg

Lincoln's Cottage

International Spy Museum

Frederick Douglass's home

National Geographic Museum

Tip of the Week: Take advantage of fridges/microwaves/kitchenettes when traveling to help stay on track and avoid having to eat out for all meals.

Recipe of the Week:  Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

6/16- Don't know much about history. Don't know much biology.

Weight Loss for the Week: 1lb

Okay, so I know I'm a day late, but I'm traveling which means my days start to blur.  For starters, I got in all my weekly summer workouts, and I tracked vigorously, and it shows this week which was nice. I did not really make much new since I am not out of town for awhile. Instead, I ate what I had that was going to go bad like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Everything else that would either be fine, or could be frozen was left until I get home at the end of the month. I like that it means I won't have to go grocery shopping right away when I get home either- I have a distinct feeling I'm going to be tired those first few days back.

Onto the fun stuff from the week. Monday, I finally remembered to renew my tags, then I went to Zumba. I started getting things ready for my road trip during the day. And that night, I went with other CYA members to Theology on Tap. While the food and company was good, the talk was not one of my favorites. Oh well, maybe I'll like next month's better. Tuesday, I went for my walk, then I crashed hard for the day. I made myself get up and go to the gym that afternoon before watching Marley's pets, but otherwise, I just napped a lot. Maybe my body was warding off something since it knows I can't get sick right before my trip.... Wednesday, walk, Zumba, cleaning, Bible study, and catching up with Martha! Thursday, walk, donated red blood cells, platelets, and plasma- woot! That evening, Sean and I went to the Pink Palace for the Members' Twice Bitten event night. SO MANY PEOPLE. SO MANY CHILDREN. We weren't even there an hour. I was so overwhelmed, we just had to get out before I lost it. We got dinner though, and had a nice talk as always. Grabbed some needed stuff at Mom's, and final time with Marley's pets. Friday, it was time to get all the last minute things done. I did get to visit with Paula, MK, and Gigi some (though two were not in person, Facetime is still good!), and that afternoon, I got to hang out with Memaw, Ashly, and Maddie for a bit.

Saturday, it was an early morning getting over to Mom's to head out on our road trip! We hit the road by 7:30am. Our first stop was in Columbia, TN to see James K. Polk's home and museum. It was really nice and informative. I had no idea how much he accomplished in his presidency. Our guide was very well-educated on him, his wife, his legacy, and his home. Then, we walked around the town square, grabbed some lunch and some very tasty pie :) Afterwards, we kept driving, and we finally stopped for the night in Knoxville. Sunday, we got to sleep in a little bit, then we hit the road and headed towards Charlottesville. It was a longer driving day, but we finally made it. Last night, we had dinner with Jessie and Isaac at Pippin's restaurant. It was so nice! That baby is too adorable, we just loved on him as much as we could. After dinner, we went back to the apartment with Jessie and Isaac and stayed up talking until after 10pm when Mom and I had to finally go and get some sleep before today's early start.

Today, we went to Monticello- Thomas Jefferson's home. We started with the "Behind the Scenes" tour of the home. Our tour guide was really informative, and she even talked about the controversial topics regarding Jefferson's life (slavery, Sally Hemmings) which I appreciated. After that tour, we went on the Slavery tour. Our tour guide was awesome. He didn't sugar coat any of the details (even when people asked questions in attempt to do so). I complimented him at the end of the tour, and he wound up in front of us on the bus ride back at the end of the day. We got to talking, and I found out he is a retired teacher- that means there's hope! And there are fun opportunities in retirement! After that tour, we grabbed some lunch and rested our feet for a bit. Finally, we went on the Gardens tour. There were so many gorgeous flowers and trees. I really enjoyed all of our tours and our guides.

Now, we are resting our feet a bit more before seeing Jessie and Isaac again tonight. Tomorrow: Colonial Williamsburg :)

Photos of the Week:

 Creepy Tarantula

Sean being silly at dinner :)

Maddie playing in the pool

Mom and I at James K. Polk's house

Me with the LOVE sign at a VA rest stop

 

 

Jessie and Isaac

Me, Jessie, and Isaac

Mom and Isaac

Me posing with TJ

Me in front of Monticello

In the experimental vegetable garden

On the back side of the house

Tip of the Week: Learn your history.

Recipe of the Week: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

6/8- It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight rising up to the challenge of our rivals

Weight Loss for the Week: 0lbs

I got in about twice my regular workouts this week. I tracked points well and only used a few Weeklies. Not pleased about the lack of loss, but breathing and remembering that there have been weeks where I have missed most workouts, eaten worse, and still lost, so sometimes it just doesn't make sense to me. I will keep on getting in all the extra workouts while I have the free time, and I will keep working on eating well and tracking.

Well, I have had a busy first week of summer. Monday, I had to go to SBA in the morning for a few hours of in service (mainly cleaning and all that), and a luncheon. I came home after that and napped before Zumba. Tuesday, I went in for a training session, then onto the Saucer for a Plate Party. After a quick rest, I joined Cat and Sunshine for trivia night. We won second place! Woot! Wednesday, I finally ran a few errands I needed to after Zumba. I made a new recipe for some meals for the week, then I went to Bible Study. After that, I met Kristin for a late night showing of "Maleficent". It was pretty good, we really liked it.

Thursday, I started deep-cleaning the apartment (will finish the rest this week), then Sean got me to go with his aunt and uncle to Southland for the dog races. I actually won the trifecta for one of the races! I made almost $90 that night! Friday, it was National Donut Day, so I made Sean go to Gibson's for the best donut experience in Memphis. I went over the visit Amy and the kids for the day. We got lunch, and then we treated the kids to Sweet Noshings- yummy!  That night, I went to a Church dinner at a friend's home. We had such a fun night- good food and good company! Saturday, I went for a nice walk, then I headed to a friend's house to hang out by the pool for the morning. It was such a relaxing and fun way to spend the day.

That afternoon, Sunshine, Cat, and I went Tiger Hunting. What is Tiger Hunting you ask? Why, let me tell you. The University of Memphis had its 100 year anniversary a few years ago, and when they did, they had 100 tigers decorated. Now, 50 are on campus, and 50 are around the city. We have decided, for absolutely no rational reason, that we want to find and take pictures with all 100. We found 27 yesterday. It took much longer than expected in the muggy heat. We went to dinner afterwards, but I was not feeling well after so much sun and so little water. So, I ended up taking mine home and had it for lunch today. This morning, I went to Mass and a few new people sat with us which was nice. Then, I met Memaw, her friend, and Ashly at Theatre Memphis for "The Music Man"- so good! After that, onto family dinner at Mom's- also very good. Mom, Conor, Memaw, Sean, and I had lots of good eats tonight.

Now, time for bed :)

Photos of the Week:

Trivia Night!

Southland Races

Lizzy likes her ice cream!

So does Daniel!

CYA Dinner

Tiger Hunting is very tiring

My awesome fellow Tiger Hunters!

Tip of the Week: Drink plenty of fluids while you're out in the sun this summer.

Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

6/1- They call me Mellow Yellow

Weight Loss for the Week: 0lbs

The school year is over! All my students took their exams, I have graded them, plugged them into the grade book and everyone passed, even if it was by the skin of their teeth (where does that expression come from, btw?), they passed! Now, I just have to go in and do some cleaning and maintenance tomorrow, and then it is totally and completely my Summer Vacation! Mom and I are going on a road trip to Williamsburg, DC, and Charlottesville pretty soon. I may have a few loved ones visiting in July. And for my last week of break, I will be venturing to Branson for one final getaway before the year starts.

Okay, I'll recap my week a bit. Tuesday, after exams, I met Conor and Sean for lunch at McAlister's. We had a nice time and plenty of laughs. Then, Sean and I grabbed some dessert at Ben & Jerry's before going to see "Neighbors"- pretty good. Wednesday, after exams, a lot of the teachers went out for lunch and such which was a lot of fun and required a nap before Bible Study that night. Thursday, after exams, I came home, went for a walk, then napped- it was glorious. That evening, Sean came over and we went to dinner and hung out for awhile :). Friday, after exams, I went to a bridal luncheon for one of my friends and colleagues. We all had a nice time- and we could mostly relax since everything was mainly finished by then. After that, I came home and chilled the rest of the night.

Yesterday, Mom and I used our Pink Palace Summer Memberships for the first time! I love that they let people get free memberships for the summer! We took our time going around most of the exhibits, taking a few pictures, and catching up. Then, we grabbed some lunch at Petra after we said hey to Barb at the bookstore. By the time we were through, it was almost time for a cook out at another colleagues house in that area, so I decided to head over there. That was so nice and fun! The food was delicious, and we got to watch all the kids playing on this water blob thing- so funny! Today, I went to Mass and then was a hostess at the Member Breakfast- and I have the name tag to prove it! I went to the CYA Leadership meeting which was productive. Finally, I joined my mom and friends for First Sunday dinner at Mellow Mushroom (and ran into like 3 people I know! Memphis is such a small town!)

Now, I'm going to relax and enjoy the fact that I don't have to prep or grade anything!

Pictures of the Week: 

Sean at Ben & Jerry's before he beat me at Checkers

 Berries on the roof

 Pink Palace Pictures

Tip of the Week: Take advantage of free and cheap things to do in your city!

Recipe of the Week: Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken- making this tomorrow since I wound up having my fill at Member Breakfast and dinner plans. Pictures next week.