Hot Chocolate

November 5, 2011

Once again Jared and I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K in the city of Chicago!  We always have such a fun time running together and he was a trooper running it with me after running the marathon!  I know the marathon was a few weeks prior but I got the feeling that he was so over running after the marathon!  We started off with a 12-minute mile (which was basically a walk for him) and finished with an average of 9:40…I guess we really picked up our pace as we went!!!  But that’s Bearie for you…slow and steady(ish) wins the race!  We like to try and pick up our pace with each mile we run!  He’s a great person to run with because he “gets” it.  He knows the emotions that one can go through…he knows the mental games we all play with ourselves…he knows when to say “you control your breathing…it doesn’t control you” or “allow yourself to push off with your back foot” or “look forward…not down…you’re feet know where they are going”.  We really don’t run together enough! 

We forgot to take pics this year…but here are a few from last year!  

Just after I realized I used HIS drink tickets too!  Oops!!!  :)

Happy running family!

Hugs!!!  

Beautiful day...but super cold!

Check out my awesome hood...I got made fun of BIG time...but it had a hole in the top/back for a pony tail!!!  Truly made for a girl!!!  It also had cuffs at the wrist that turns into mittens!!!  Very versatile!!!

My 28th Birthday!

October 24, 2011

I must say I love my friends!  Dating someone outside of the United States is at some times tougher than others…and today was a tough one!  I love my birthday…we all know this…I don’t just celebrate my birthday DAY…but birth MONTH!!!  YEAH!!!  But it’s really tough when the one person you really really really want to celebrate with is living 6 hours ahead of you!  (Well…he IS in England…so really if we do the math…we get to celebrate my birthday for 30 hours…which is one way I looked at it positively!) 

One of my dear work friends, Erin, took me to dinner and out for a little shopping excursion with her ADORABLE daughter Leah!  Leah is my second favorite ginger!!!  She’s just darling and a joy to watch grow…I may be slightly obsessed!!!  I can’t help it…if she wasn’t so cute I don’t think it would be as appealing!   Erin is my desk buddy, as she has the desk next to mine.  We also teach Foods 1 together and she’s fantastic to plan with.  We were just starting our veggie unit and would be having a pumpkin carving contest the following week so we took advantage of my weekday birthday to go out with Leah and grab 30 carve-able pumpkins!  (Sounded great in theory…until we tried to pack 2 strollers and 30 pumpkins in the back of a mid-sized SUV…and not have them load-shift forward every time we braked!) 

Following the pumpkin picking, dinner and a little window-shopping I met my dear friends Courtney and Andrew for drinks!  It was so nice to have them come out…Court was in the middle of the school musical and for them to take time out to come for a drink meant the world!  They truly are a wonderful couple and they offer the best listening ears, the best shoulders for tears, the best jokes for laughter, the best advice when you need it, the best hugs whether you need them or not, and the best suggestions for your next drink! 

THANK YOU to everyone who made my birthday extra special.  Every one of you means something special and different to my life!  I’m so glad you are in it!!!  And Dave…honey…I missed you terribly all day!  It would have been extra special if you were home…but being able to skype was wonderful and so much appreciated!  I know I will have plenty more birthday to celebrate with you!  

Jared Runs the Chicago Marathon!!!!

October 9, 2011

I cannot believe my baby brother did it!  He not only RAN the Chicago marathon…but he finished faster than he had planned!  Wowzers!!!  He’s truly an inspiration!  He finished the race in just under 4 hours!  Here’s what went down:

*Jared and I went to the expo the night before and spent the night at a family friend’s loft just a few blocks from the start for the marathon (great planning on our part as parking was quite difficult on the day of the race.

WE FOUND HIS NAME!!!  :)

Jared making a sign to use to thank his donors!  He ran on the Susan G. Koman team!!!

*We carbo loaded for dinner…what’s up pizza and pasta!?!?! 

*We got out a map of the race course and planned a few places where my dad and I would wait to potentially see him (from people we’d talked to who had previously run the race this was a good idea but definitely not a guarantee that we would actually see him…it may just be Jared running for 4 hours straight and my dad and I running (via public transportation) like crazy people all over the city trying to find ONE PERSON in a see of THOUSANDS!!!!).  We agreed on 4 locations. Jared also agreed to run towards the left outside side of the “pack”. 

*Dad drove down to the loft later that evening and we discussed the plan of attack with him…we needed him since (let’s be real here...) we all know I am not the best with a)directions b)knowing my actual location c)figuring out public transportation and d)map reading!  Hehehe!!!  Dad seemed pleased with our plan!

*With everything figured out it was time to head to bed…if we could

*I didn’t get to sleep right away because I was far too excited for the next day!  I mean…seriously…how many people can actually say that they’ve run a marathon?  Well…about 1% of the world’s population!  That’s not a whole lot of people!!!  CRAZY!!!

DAY OF:

*We got up (a little late), got ready, and headed to the start

*Dad and I got Jared’s stuff all checked at the Susan G. Koman gear check (he was running on their “team”)…we also scored free breakfast and snacks at the tent!  YEAH!!!! 

*We were about to head to our first stop and realized that where we were standing would be a really good place to potentially see him during the first 2 miles…so we hung out where we were and watched the disabled runners, the wheelchair racers and the Kenyans first and then waited!  We knew which “wave” he was planning to run in so we kept our eyes peeled!  As luck would have it my freaky brother/sister bond with him paid off and we saw him just as he was coming up to us!  I screamed like a crazy person and he saw me…not only saw me…but threw me his sunglasses!  I guess he was done with them!!!

And they are off...

Lots of spectators!  Such support!! 

 Satisfied that we’d seen him once (which is more than a lot of my friends can say for the people they’d gone to watch) we headed to original spot #1.  It ended up being the Volkswagen/some grocery store mile and dad and I once again hit it big…FREE breakfast!!!  And we’re not talking a little yogurt parfait or granola bar here…we’re talking FULL ON BREAKFAST!!!  Made to order waffles with all sorts of fresh berries/syrup/real whipped cream, more fresh fruit that you can pack in your pockets, lots of juices and waters (both in bottles to take with you), all sorts of bagels with cream cheese…it was awesome!  Plus it was the cleanest porta-potty I’d seen yet!!!  (Yup…I did bring my porta-potty seat covers, travel TP AND hand sanitizer…a girl can never be too prepared!)  We also got a free draw-string backpack!  Lots of fun!  But back to Jared…we waited at this mile marker and looked for some of the runners we’d seen before that stood out!  As luck would have it…we got to see Jared AGAIN!!!  He saw us too!  I think my LARGE sign and loads of SCREAMING helped!!!  This time…I got his gloves!  Thank goodness for the new, free backpack…because those gloves were DISGUSTING!!!!  But the people around us thought it was super cute that we were there to support him and that we were accumulating his possessions along the way!

HUGE Fooseball (sp?) table!!!  

 On to spot #3…well…really #4…China Town!  Never been there…and it was quite an adventure!  We took the Ell (obvi!) and waited and waited and waited!  Thank goodness for the text alerts…they gave us a GREAT idea of when he’d be coming our way!  It was really neat to get the alerts because they gave a lot of detail…like mile pace; estimated finishing time; etc.  This time Dad saw him first and man was he in a zone!!!  This was like mile 18 though…good for him…Keep it up bearie!  He didn’t see us at first so I yelled and jumped up and down with my sign as much as I could and we finally got his attention…this time we had him on video!!!! 

We missed him at our final check point (mile 23…the pink breast cancer mile)…and while we were looking for him we got the text that he had finished…so we headed back to Millennium Park and found our little marathoner eating a bagel and drinking some water with a few of his MU friends!!!  Jared got the free massage in the tent but then has his friends stretch him out for a little while longer…I don’t know too many other runners who bring their own PT to the marathon!!!  Lucky man!!  

Sorry for the swearing mom!!!  But I thought it was a good idea to wear his medal...until I got congratulated...then I just felt guilty!!!  

Front of the sign!

Back of the sign!

Jared's Marquette Cheering Section!  

Oh course he brings his own trainers! 

Thanking his donors for their support!  :)

 It was a fantastic day and a lot of fun to chase Jared around the city we all love!!!  Congratulations Jared!  You did it!  

Homecoming at FHS

September 9, 2011

It was a new experience for me this year.  This was my first year that I was able to truly enjoy the Homecoming football game from the sidelines/stands.  Since I am no longer coaching I had very few responsibilities at this year’s game…and I’ll admit…it was rather odd!  I definitely missed the action of the day (getting ready for the pep assembly, decorating the golf cart (for the pre-game golf cart parade) after school, the pizza party (even though a lot of the girls didn’t even eat pizza!), watching JV perform at the first game, practicing, participating in the golf cart parade and pre-game festivities, more practice, and finally a Varsity half time performance!  Phew!  I’m a little worn out just thinking about it!!!  Since I’m not one to let moss grow on my north side I found other ways to get involved with the evening.  I’m the sponsor of Culinary Club as well as a co-sponsor of SOS (Students Over Self)…both organizations wanted to participate in the golf cart parade so I was the “on hand” adult for both carts after school and during the actual parade.  The kids did a great job decorating the carts this year!  It truly was a good night. 

This year also marks Fremd’s 50^th Anniversary so the school is going all out, all year, to celebrate!  As part of this celebration Student Council asked FHS Alumni to participate in the parade too!  They had such a great response that each activity cart had an alumni co-pilot!  It was really neat to get to talk with all these alumni who came out to celebrate as well!  Student Council also invited all the FHS faculty who graduated from FHS to participate in the parade as well!  Although there are a TON of faculty members who should have come for the walk around the track with us…the 10 of us that represented had a great time!  Furthermore, the current poms coach invited all pom/flag alumni to perform the pregame routine/fight song with the team!  It was a lot of fun to be performing again with the girls!  But…I’ll admit…some…things…truly…never…change… 

All the Pom/Flag FHS Alumni who came to perform with the current Varsity Poms and Vikettes

A few alumi with Victor E Viking!  :)

Back into the routine!

Okay...so I was doing pretty well at working out regularly when I returned home from Europe at the end of August!!!  I'll be honest (I typically am here...duh...who would lie on a blog...and WHY?!?!?!), there were some motivators present to kick my butt into gear...

• my brother ran the Chicago marathon a few weeks back (finished under 4 hours...crazy runner dude!) and was way into the running habit 
• my "dress pants" aren't quite buttoning the way I'd like them too
• my arms are a little more jelly-ish then they were when I left 
• I didn't actually work out ALL summer
• Dave and I ate french bread (DAILY!!!!!)
• oh...I could certainly go on...

So, I was doing really well, working with a trainer and such (she's AWESOME and totally kicks my booty!!!!) and was losing the lbs and feeling better...and then I got sick...and then lazy!   

But lazy no more!!!

I've decided that I have a bunch of races coming up that I officially registered (AND PAID) for...I want to keep setting PRs and quickening my time!  And the best way to do that is to try and start a habit!  Just last night I was talking with a big time work out friend of mine and he said it takes about 90 days to form a habit...so looks like 1 down 89 to go before this working out thing starts to feel right and normal to me!

A sampling of my races:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (with the brother)
• Hoofin' for Hardy 5K (with co-workers...benefits a scholarship for a student that passed away)
• Palatine Turkey Trot 2 miler (with the brother...ran the 5 miler last year...going for a shorter race this time around...lots of family drinking to do that night!)
• Arlington Heights Rotary Santa Run 5K (with the brother)  

Today was a great motivator at the gym.  I hadn't been in a few weeks due to illness (and let's face it...laziness)...so to say I was nervous would be an understatement.  But Annamarie quickly got me back in the swing of things and I was pretty pleased with how well my body responded.  I'm much looking forward to take a few classes a week and just simply toning up for Christmas!  I was thinking...hmmm...most people set resolutions AFTER the holidays...well, not this girl!  I already set mine and I intend to keep them up to, through AND following the holiday season!  I'm hoping to come up with some workouts that I can a)do at home b)do on vacation (away from the gym) c)I enjoy doing so that I'll want to do them more.

The next step in my plan is to work on my diet...this will be my most difficult challenge! I LOVE SWEETS and fried foods...I think I may have to write out my meal plan for the week and go shopping for fresh fruits/veggies weekly and give myself a "cheater" day once a week so that I don't feel like I am cutting it all out at once!  Oh the decisions!  But I have some cute wintery clothes that I'd like to wear again this winter!

Motivation has begun...and now it's public...so I feel like I have to stick to it a little more!  :)  Thanks!!!  

Paid to do what I LOVE!!!

I truly feel blessed that I found a career that I absoutely LOVE!!!  I know that not many people can say that they truly enjoy or even really like what they do, so knowing that I wouldn't change what I do for anything is a unique feeling.  I know a lot of people who think teaching is easy or simple and that we get like 1000 random days off and don't have to work during the summer...but really...they couldn't be more WRONG!  Sure we get fun days off like Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, MLK Jr. Day, etc. off and we have 2 weeks at Christmas, a week in the Spring and 8 weeks in the summer but we (well the majority of us!) honestly work so hard when we are at work that those days are well deserved!  Think about the day in the life of a teacher for a second:

• Wake up...between 4-6am depending on the school/where you live in relation to the school
• Get to school (before it starts!!!) 7am
• Make sure you have everything you need (if you don't there's probably a 10-15 minute wait already for the copy machine because OTHER people didn't have what they needed either!)
• Start class (we start at 7:30...this doesn't mean get your coffee, check the news headlines, read the paper, chat with co-workers, check e-mail, etc.  This means we are up in front of 25-32 sleepy-eyed high school students...trying to get them involved in what we are doing!!!)  We go to extreme measures to get students involved at times!  :)
• Continue with classes on and off for the next 8 hours!  On a daily basis we have contact with over 120 students!  Each decision we make, everything we say, affects how the students will think/feel/respond/etc. 
• School ends at 2:45...then it's on to planning/grading/coaching/sponsoring/etc. well into the night for some of us!  (On Wednesday I got to school around 6:45am and left for the night around 8:30pm....long hours but I wouldn't change it...it was a great/productive/fun day!)
• THEN...some teachers have to go home to full time job #2...being a parent.  Although I'm not there yet, I plan to be some day...so that includes
• a little play time
• dinner
• walk in the park (okay I guess not EVERY night...but the nice ones for sure!)
• bath
• start bed time
• clean up from dinner
• couple time 
• And then we get to do it all over again the next day!

Teaching isn't a job that you can actually leave at the office!  It definitely comes home with you.  I am constantly thinking about my students and what some of them are going through while I'm at home.  We bring home grading, projects, curriculum ideas, etc. and spend some of our "home" or "family" time consumed with work stuff.  But we do it because we love it...not because we have to do it! 


Now let's talk about summer...it is NOT just a vacation.  (Hahaha...if you've been following my blog since it started you'd probably beg to differ...but really it's not!)  We do so much FOR SCHOOL during the summer it's not even funny.  We plan our curriculum, meet with teachers throughout the district for each course, rearrange plans, etc.


BUT I LOVE WHAT I DO!!!!!!  And who I do it with!  So, my FCS Family at FHS...I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!  (And those that don't teach at FHS but teach regardless!!!)

Finally Fall! :)

Again with the Fall posting?!?!  You got it!!!  That just goes to show how much I truly love this season!  That...and of course the fact that it is OFFICIALLY my birthday MONTH!!!  :)  YEAH!!!!!  We, in the midwest, have definitely been blessed with some fantastic weather thus far as far as the season goes.  I can't get over the fact that it's going to be in the 70s every day this week...thank goodness my gym's pool is open until 10/30.  I'll be hitting that up a few times!  


I've got to say...this past weekend was a perfect fall weekend!  The leaves are just gorgeous and only going to get better as the season progresses!  I was able to eat outside a few times and even managed to get a little end of the summer season color on my cheeks!  :)  Yeah!  


Last week was FHS's homecoming week...so fun!  I was able to chaperone the powder puff game which the Senior girls won by like a lot.  We had dress up days each day of the week (heck yes to dressing down for a few days!).  The week concluded with a pep assembly on Friday during which the teachers surprised the students with a flash mob...which I obviously took part of!  :)  


I finally broke out the new fall candles! YEAH!!!!  They smell SOOOOOO good!  :)  Plus being a Chi Omega I absolutely love the fact that Yankee Candle is all about the cutesy owls right now!  Super fun!  


Also...I finally broke out the cute fall boots this year!  :)  I love the fact that I finally figured out how to get my jeans to fit into the boots without having to wear "skinny" jeans all the time!  SECRET: Tuck them into your socks!!!  Who knew?!?!?  It totally works!!!  And now I can show off the boots and not feel awkward that I'm 28, somewhat in shape and rocking skinny jeans...yeah...not really my style (as much as I think they are!)   I have to admit...I love that boots are in the season!  Boots with jeans, a long sleeve, t-shirt, and a puffy vest...call my a happy girl!  


I promise I'll start posting about something OTHER than the season...soon...er!  :)

Happy Harvest!

I must admit that this is absolutely my FAVORITE time of year!  As much as I enjoy the heat and sun of summer...I LOVE FALL!  :)  As I was thinking today about what a lovely fall weekend we had (minus the rain yesterday of course) I realized that I was coming up with quite the list!  So, naturally, I began to write it all down...here's the beginning of what I've started...

• The leaves when they change color
• More specifically...MAPLE trees
• The smell at night
• The coolness of the morning (light frost...but you know it will melt quickly!)
• The sound of geese (I really don't actually like the geese themselves...but I can't help but smile when I hear them encouraging one another to fly harder!)
• Bonfires 
• Jeans and a t-shirt w/a hoodie/light jacket at night!
• BOOTS!  :)   
• Carmel Apple Cider from Starbucks 
• Apple picking 
• Running outsides w/o massively sweating!   
• Pumpkin patches 
• Hay-rides (okay...haven't actually been on one in a while...but they are still fun in the fall!) 
• New fall scented candles 
• Homemade apple pie (from scratch...crust and all!)
• Sleeping with the windows open! 
• A crisp day...if you aren't from the midwest you may not understand that YES! a day CAN be crisp!   
• The fact that the pool at my gym stays open until October 30!  (Never know when you'll get another indian summer day!) 
• Corn mazes...again...haven't been in a while...but still a fall staple!   
• Chili :) 
• Football games all weekend
• You've been back in school long enough to not really miss summer anymore...and you're able to really love your job teaching!   
• The über cute decorations!  Pumpkins, scarecrows, fall leaves, oh my!
•  Taking the boat around the lake one more time...in jeans and a hoodie...wrapped in a towel of course! 
• Long walks with good friends...typically though forest-y areas to really get into the spirit of the season! 

Gosh, the more I think about it...the more I fall in love with this season!  I truly wish it could stay this way until a week before Christmas.  Then it can snow from like December 16-January 3rd and then spring can start!  Oh and if beggars could be choosers...I'd like a fresh layer on snow on Christmas morning please and thank you!  :)  

HAPPY HARVEST Y'ALL!!!  :)

Let the Running Begin!!!

Okay, I'll be honest!  I left for England almost 3 months ago today (tomorrow actually) with the best of intentions to get into a well rehearsed work-out schedule!  HA!!!  HA HA!!!  Who the heck was I kidding???  I always thought that the summer would be the best time to begin a workout plan...start from the first day and don't let yourself down!  Sounds GREAT in theory...fantastic really!  With nothing else really "to do" in England I thought I would have it down from the start!  


Well, the first official day of my summer vacation was the day I left for England...and let's be honest...the day you are leaving for a foriegn country for more than a few weeks is NOT the day to begin a new routine...especially when you haven't yet finished packing.  Day two, I landed, road a bus to my new "house", took a sleepy walking tour of my new "town", at a burger at "Real Burger" (not kidding), and went to bed.  Day three, 1st day to sleep in!  NOT motivated to get up early to run.  But we did manage a 3 miler sometime the first week...it was one of about a handful of runs Dave and I ran together!  :)  Yeah us!


Needless to say, the whole getting up early (when Dave did for work) to go for a run happened...oh...never!  Oops!  The bed was just too cozy!!!  Could I have gone throughout the day when I was home alone?  Sure!  And I did...about 7-10 times...but not nearly as often as I had anticipated!  


So, now that I'm home (well, this home anyways) I've decided that I really want to get back into a regular pattern of working out!  The fantastic French breads and Italian pastas have really taken their toll and let's just say that my metabolism at 27 is NOT what it was a few years ago!  :(  


I've been really good this past week and making sure I hit the gym after school...no excuses!  I pack my bag before I leave for work in the morning and don't allow myself to come directly home after work!  I can either a)work out at school (they have a really nice CV room) or b)hit up the gym I pay monthly dues at (which has a heated outdoor pool open through October!!!).  Regardless, I don't come straight home!  But I've realized that I need a motivator!  Something to look forward to!  So...the natural solution...register (and pay for) a bunch of races!  Here are a few I'm hoping to run:


October -Bucktown (5K) Chicago
November -Hot Chocolate (5K) Chicago
November -Turkey Trot (2 miler (we did the 5 miler last year)) Palatine
December -Santa Run (5K) Arlington Heights (The running of 1000 Santas!  Each participant gets a 5 piece Santa suit to run in!)


I am also looking for another race in the middle of October...not sure...but I'm sure there's like a Veteran's race of some sort!  


I really feel like having these milestones and tracking my time at each one will really help get me into a workout habit!  If you couldn't tell, I'm actually pretty stoked about these!  :)

First full week with students = SuCcEsS!!!!

I am so glad that the first full week of school is over...it's always the hardest!  New schedule to adjust to, new names to learn, getting back into a routine of planning, copying, teaching, critiquing, etc.  It's just a nice feeling to have successfully finished an entire 5-day work week...and what are we rewarded with...why a 3 day weekend thank you very much!  This little lady can't complain!  :)  But in all seriousness, being back at work is super fun!  


Here's my daily schedule...it's not 1/2 bad!  I was a little bummed last year when we got our schedules because I wasn't teaching a class that I had for the past 4 years...but change is always a good thing and there are so many positives that come with this change!  The co-worker who is teaching it is fantastic so I know the students are in good hands and the program will continue to grow (when I first started with the program we had 12 students signed up...at the end of last year I had just about 30 in my class...now I know that number fluctuate and enrollment totally depends on if students can afford to give up that much space in their schedules...but I have to admit...I was proud of where the program has come the past 4 year!!!)!  


Last year I had the first 2 periods of the day off...which some people would think is fantastic...but I'm a morning teacher!  Meaning?  I love to energize the kids first thing...so having to sit in the office for the first 2 hours of my day drove me crazy!  Especially since I'm not one to leave things to do for the next day...if it's for the following day...it gets done the day before...I can't just 'hope' I'll be able to get to it!  Some people can work that way!  But not me!  


So this is my day:
1st hour...Child Development (15 fantastic girls that participate a ton!!!)
2nd hour...planning
3rd hour...Child Development (23 great girls...1 boy...very talkative (but on task) class...with awesome questions!)
4th hour...Foods 1 (18 students; 1/2 boys; 1/2 girls)
5th hour...advisory...this year for the first time every freshman has an advisory period (like a home room) for the first 1/2 of their lunch hour Monday-Thursday.  I like it so far!  Still working on selling it to the kids though...some are hold outs and miss their full lunch hour...I'm sure I'll get them to come around soon enough...PIZZA ANYONE?????  Oh did I mention it's 30 kids?  And 19 are boys...freshman boys???
6th hour...lunch
7th hour...Foods 1 (20 students...mix of boys and girls...probably my most polite class!
8th hour...Foods 1 (24 students...full house everyone!!!  Mix of boys and girls!  Fun and energetic personalities!)  


Although I don't update the blog daily...I do update what I'm thankful for on most days...which is a good indication of how my day goes!  :)  Feel free to check it out!