Odds and Ends

Well, my summer was off to a great start.... until yesterday!
It was just my luck, that while out working in the yard I managed to trip and dislocate my baby toe yesterday morning.  Sheer panic took over as I nearly fainted from the shock.  I was just sure I would be left stranded in our yard in 100+ degree heat, with no one to find me for hours.  The toe itself really didn't hurt but I was extremely dizzy and light headed.  Luckily after sitting for some time and regaining my composure I was able to make it inside.  After some help from friends (CAhusband was in San Diego), several x-rays, and a few hours at urgent care it was determined that I not only dislocated it, but fractured it as well.  Lucky me!

Needless to say, I am extremely frustrated with the fact that I am now rocking this very fashionable boot in place of cute summer sandals.  The doctor also said I wouldn't be completely cleared to hit the gym again for 3-4 weeks, which is really discouraging given how motivated I had been to hit the gym every day.  I'd really been getting my endurance back up again, only to lose it all! 

Overall, I will survive and a broken toe is far from the end of the world, but I'm seriously shocked by how much pain I'm in.  I had no clue a little toe could hurt so badly.  The fact that we leave for vacation next week also doesn't make this ideal timing!  I'm hoping that if I go extra easy on it for this first week that I'll be able to stray from the boot wearing come next Thursday.  Fingers crossed!   

Anyway, enough of that....

-Did any of you watch the premiere of Miss Advised on Bravo?  I think this just might be one of my new summer favorites.  I love the premise of this show, and find it to be very entertaining. So far Emily is my favorite! 

-My friend and I went to see Rock of Ages on Tuesday and really loved it!  It was just such a fun summer movie, and with all of the great music, how could you not enjoy it?  I'm pretty sure I have the original version of all of the songs from the movie, but am definitely tempted to get the soundtrack.  Tom Cruise did a fantastic job playing Stacee Jaxx, and the rest of the cast was great too!  Have you seen it?  What did you think?

-Although the first official day of summer was just yesterday, I'm already stalking the pre-fall look books.  Fall clothes don't really make an appearance here in the desert until mid-November, but it's one of my favorite seasons for fashion.  I don't know if a navy purse is really a practical idea, and I'm not normally one for a patterned bag, but I'm loving this Tory Burch tote for fall.

Roslyn Striped Tote, Tory Burch

-Since I'm going to take it as easy as possible on my foot for this next week before our vacation I've decided to start watching Suits!  The second season just premiered last week, but I've got season 1 coming on Netflix first.  I've heard so much hype over this show, so I'm hoping it will keep me entertained while I'm laid up on the couch these first few days.

Alright, I think that's all I've got for today, it's time to ice and elevate my throbbing foot! 

My Summer Bucket List

The 12 weeks that I have off of work for my summer vacation are some of the most precious weeks you can imagine.  During this time I want to relax, take naps, and do as many fun things as possible, but I also want to be productive.  I always operate best with a list, so here it goes...

-Get a new computer and transfer all of our files, songs, and pictures.
-Catch up on all of my doctors appointments and the dogs vet appointments.
-Travel to Indiana for Tracey's wedding!
-Travel to Roanoke, VA to visit with my parents!
-Travel to DC to visit VABelle and Charlie!  (all 3 of these will happen within one big trip)
-Move classrooms.  I'm just going right across the hall, so this shouldn't be too difficult.
-Travel to San Diego to be with CAhusband for our 3rd anniversary.
-Go to a Padres game.
-Take CAhusband to the San Diego Zoo.
-Read at least 10 books.
-Watch the London Olympics like it's my job!
-Deep clean the ENTIRE house.
-Plan a long weekend to LA, possibly for CAhusband's 27th birthday.
-Keep blogging and try to write at least 3 times a week.
-Go to the gym Monday-Friday, NO EXCUSES!
-Host a pool party/BBQ with our friends.
-Train Piper so that she can be left out of her kennel for a full day when I go back to work in Sept.
-Plan our trip to Florida over Labor Day weekend for a wedding that CAhusband is in.
-Try at least one new recipe a week.
-Spend some significant time reading about how to use and take good pictures our DSLR camera. 
-Re-organize my science and social studies units for next year.
-Create a yearlong writing curriculum.  I struggle with this every year!
-See some great summer movies! Rock of Ages and The Dark Knight Rises are at the top of my list. 
-Make this crayon wreath for my classroom door next year.
-Order a sectional and area rug for our living room.

Well, there you have it!  It looks like I should be able to keep pretty busy.  Hopefully my summer will be full of productive days and relaxing nights! 

What's on your list this summer?

Summer Reading

Reading a large number of books is always one of my main summer goals, and so far I'm off to a great start.  In case you're looking for a great summer read, I wanted to share what I've been reading lately, as well as some of the other books on my reading list for the coming months.

One Day by David Nicholls

When I mentioned reading this book a month or so ago, a ton of you commented that you were very curious to see what I thought of it.  At first I really didn't like this book.  It was a slow read, and I couldn't quite get into the story.  Once I got through the first half though I really started to enjoy it.  I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that I hated the ending.  Overall, I'm really glad that I read it though.   I still haven't seen the movie, and plan to watch it soon!

50 Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James

I'm a sucker for any book that gets a lot of buzz, so I couldn't resist this series after all of the attention it was getting.  I didn't read these books nearly as quickly as many of you did, but I definitely got sucked in.  Overall, the writing is pretty lackluster, and the plot parallels Twilight so closely that the story becomes predictable, but I did enjoy them.  The love story was entertaining, and well, the parts that got this book so much attention definitely made this prude blush more than once.  I'm glad that I read them though, and haven't talked to too many people that haven't enjoyed them. 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel to Divergent, but didn't really love this book as much as I'd hoped.  I think the biggest problem was that it has been months since I read Divergent, and I couldn't really keep all of the characters and factions straight in my head.  I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I'd read it right after finishing Divergent.  Overall, I'm still a huge fan of this series and recommend it, but I do suggest reading a thorough summary of Divergent first if it's been awhile!  Has anyone heard what the 3rd book will be called and when it's going to be released?  I have a feeling I'll be waiting a long while to see how this series ends!

Bloom by Kelle Hampton

I'd heard so many wonderful things about this book from several bloggers recently, and couldn't wait to read Kelle Hampton's memoir.  Kelle's story of having a daughter with Down Syndrome is touching and beautifully written.  This book is full of photographs that Kelle has taken of her family, and they really help add to the story.  I'm now a loyal follower of Kelle's blog, Enjoying the Small Things, and can't wait to continue to read about her family's journey.  I read this whole book in less than 24 hours and highly recommend it! 

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

I'm currently reading the first book in the Nora Robert's Inn Trilogy.  I loved her bride quartet, and so far this series seems to have a very similar feeling and I'm really enjoying it.  I'll be back with a full report once I get it finished.

Here are some other books I plan to read this summer:

• 11th Hour by James Patterson
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  by Mindy Kaling
• Come Home by Lisa Scottoline
• The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Book 2 in the Inn Trilogy, Book 3 will be released in Nov.)
• The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner
• Where We Belong by Emily Giffin (Available July 24th)
• I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I'm always looking for more recommendations, so if you have any must reads, please pass them on! 

What do you hope to read this summer?

Catching Up

I definitely didn't intend to take a month away from blogging, but I think it was just what the doctor ordered.  The end of this school year was very stressful, and the thought of blogging at the end of the day wasn't exactly the idea of fun.  With that being said, here are some odds and ends to catch you up!

-Despite the stress, the end of the school year was great.  Each of the teachers at our school is responsible for teaching a special class, and this year I taught theater.  I truly enjoyed the whole experience, but when it came down to performing 3 separate musicals within 3 days of each other, the stress about put me over the edge.  Overall, the musicals were all extremely successful, and the kids and parents were all thrilled!  I really wasn't sure I could handle teaching theater because it isn't really my thing, but it all turned out perfectly. I'm signed up to teach it again next year, and am already starting to think about which plays I will do.  If you have any experience with this, let me know! 

-Yesterday was my last official work day at school and I went it to finish my cumulative cards and take down everything on my classroom walls.  It was a nice and short day, and I'm looking forward to taking a few weeks off before I head back in and start to slowly prepare for next year.  Unfortunately, I have to move classrooms again next year... why can't I just once stay in the same place?  It will be my third year teaching 2nd grade with the same curriculum though, so it should be easier from the planning side of things.

-CAhusband and I went to our very first gender reveal party for some friends recently and it was so much fun.  We were both on team PINK, so we were thrilled to see that they will be welcoming a baby GIRL this October.  They asked everyone to bring a book for the baby's future library, and I couldn't resist bringing the Knuffle Bunny series.  I absolutely love these books that are perfect for a boy or girl, and couldn't wait to share them with our friends.  I think the set looked so cute all tied up with twine and our Erin Condren gift labels!

-I grabbed this great dress (in the picture above) at Target a few weeks ago, and I love it so much I have to share!  It's cheap, super comfortable, and a great summer staple for running errands and still staying cool.  I got both the pink/tan and the grey/orange (neither color available online) and am already wearing the heck out of them.  If your Target still has these dresses, I highly recommend you give them a try. 

-I am heading to Indiana in just 15 days and I can't wait!  We are going for my friend Tracey's wedding, and will then drive to Virginia to see my parents in their new home.  From there we'll travel to DC for the 4th of July to see VABelle and Charlie.  This trip will be the highlight of our summer and I can't wait!

-I was really excited for Emily to be The Bachelorette, but I'm really not in love with this season so far.  Emily is gorgeous and very sweet, but I just don't think her personality is strong enough to carry a whole season on her own.  It's just kind of boring.  Overall, I'm thrilled that Kalon is finally gone, and I really like Sean, Jef, Chris, and Arie.  You know I'll continue to watch, but I really had my hopes up that this season would be more entertaining.

-We ordered HBO on Sunday because we couldn't resist missing the new season of True Blood while nothing else is on TV.  We then realized that we never finished Season 4, and spend our entire Sunday afternoon catching up.  We still haven't watched the season 5 premiere, but I have no doubt we'll get to it this weekend.  I'm also excited because this first season Girls is on HBO OnDemand.   I've heard so many good things about this new show, and look forward to catching up on the season so far.  Is there anything else good on HBO that we should be watching?

I'll be back tomorrow to chat all about some great summer reads with you all!