What, specifically, have I been up to? Well, school let out for summer on May 18th. For those of you who don't know, the absolute worst time to be a teacher is the last two weeks of school. (Followed closely behind by the day after Halloween. You might not think that exhausted and sugared-up can coexist within one child, but trust me, they can.) With the prospect of summer on the near horizon, the kids (and teachers??) totally lose control. Couple the insane kiddos with the insane amount of paperwork that has to be done to document all the little cherubs have learned during the year - that makes for one busy teacher.
After finishing up the school year (Hallelujah!), Joey and I headed to Virginia for the most wonderful long weekend of the year. This tradition started four years ago after my aunt and uncle bought a house on Smith Mountain Lake. Since then, we have had a family reunion of sorts every Memorial Day, with people coming from Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Washington DC, and of course, yours truly from Georgia. Nothing is more relaxing than sipping an iced drink on a lounger at the end of the dock, eating more than my fair share of food while watching my more daring family members cruise the lake on jet skis and tubes. It's so nice to have this weekend set aside every year to spend with my sweet family. And to remember the good times, each year we pack the family in and take a photo. You'd be amazed how much coordinating it takes to get this many people (and dogs) together. Making sure everyone's eyes are open could be a full-time job.
2009
2010
2011
2012
If you are wildly observant, you may have noticed that in 2010, Joey used this photo op to pop the question in what was the most perfect proposal I could imagine! Yet another reason that our Memorial Day trip holds a special place in my heart. Of course this year's trip didn't have the excitement of a proposal, but it was still an incredible time spent with those I love most!
After arriving back in Atlanta, it was time to get myself in order and figure out my plans for the summer. And with all these plans, I've been a busy gal:
- This summer, I will get my booty in gear and start working out. I used grad school as an excuse to take a year and a half hiatus from any serious sort of athletic anything. So Joey and I decided to finally acknowledge that fact that the YMCA has so kindly been withdrawing money from our account for the past two years and actually use what we are paying for. I'm off to a good start - I'm running again, I tried (and loved) Zumba, and I decided to join my friend's Boot Camp on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Let me tell you, nothing says "Good morning!" like a ridiculous number of lunges and wall sits at 6 am.
- I watched a fascinating, yet terrifying, documentary called Forks Over Knives that inspired the next goal. It's all about how eating a whole-food plant-based diet can literally save your life. Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some big ol' hamburgers WAY too much to go vegan, but I do know that Joey and I could be eating much healthier. I've been researching what a healthy diet looks like, how to stick to whole grains, and how to cut out processed foods. So far the food I've made has been really delicious, and I'm excited to share some recipes with you this summer.
- Joey and I are going to better organize how we use our time - so we can be more productive, and so we can spend and enjoy more time together. First step here was buying and using new planners. So far, I am IN LOVE with my planner, and I promise you it will be the topic of many a blog entry this summer (If you want a little preview, you can see the planner I'm using here. It only took me about twelve trips to various office supply stores to settle on this one, so I know its gonna be good.) On top of that, I'm so so proud of Joey, formerly known as Mr. "I can't find that napkin where I wrote that important phone number", for sticking to and using his new planner to organize everything he needs in one place.
- Clean our house. Get rid of stuff. LOTS of stuff. Enough said.
Soooo I think that pretty much sums up the last month of my life. Check back in tomorrow to read about my triumph over our junk drawer.
