Ten Things Tuesday

I did pretty well on list of things to take care of from last week:

1. Get up early at least two times to workout

I am not a morning person, nor am I anything close to being a runner but I took Mulder with me two mornings before work for a run/walk on the trails behind our house. There are two ponds along the trails-one directly in our backyard and the other a little further down the trail. I love the morning fog creeping over the ponds! It is starting to get easier to get up and out of bed that extra early time in the morning. My run-walks are only 15-20 minutes (hey, it's a start!) and my commute at the new job is the shortest one I have ever had, so it really isn't taking that much more time for me to get ready in the morning.

 

2. Find the perfect housewarming gift for a party
This one was really fun and I wish I snapped a picture of it. Our friends recently bought a house in the same town as Ryan and me. While they were doing some renovating and moving in, they tried to gift upon us a switch plate that had a mountain scene and an eagle soaring. While interesting and definitely a one-of-a-kind piece, I continued to veto the idea as Ryan tried to put it up everywhere in our house. Furthermore, I kept thinking that our friends needed to keep this for their home-after all, it was original to their home and it should remain there. So, to make it more of a statement piece, I put it inside of a shadow box and gave it back to them as a housewarming gift. Now, it can pay homage to the home it belongs in. 

3. Go to two pole classes

 Proud to say that I have been going to classes regularly and even "graduated" to level 2. I did this move-the extended butterfly-at the studio: 

My shoulders have been sore ever since!

4. Clean my car, inside and out
One of these days, I will get around to it. 

5. Read through ALL 55+ of my student files
6.  Organize my student files the way I like for all student files
7. Post about the dance room (yay, it's almost done and looks amazing!!!)  Read all about it! 
8. Renew Gone With The Wind and the other book I checked out from the library

I received an email from the library that they are over due and I still didn't renew them. Worst part is, the library is right down the street from me-there is no excuse. 

9. Start new book-Yeah, I was just lazy about this and came up with better things to do 

10. Mail my transcript request form and check. -

So, here's the scoop on this one. I was asked to get this for my new job from HR. It is been a few weeks and they haven't asked me for it since. I have already received my first paycheck (so I know that it won't be holding me up from getting paid) but since I am so freaking broke right now, I am trying to not spend any additional money and cut corners where I can. I am going to try pushing this one off as long as possible and keep the $50.00 fee for processing the transcript request in my wallet until it is absolutely necessary. I'm really hoping this doesn't backfire on me. What do you think, bad idea? 

So for the upcoming week, here is what I am thinking:
1. At least two times, wake up early and go for a walk/run. (If I keep this up, I may be able to cross of #66 on my 101 in 1001 list)
2. Start posting items on eBay (I have a giant box of stuff that I want to get rid of). Post at least 7 of my items
3. Set up my one year/three year calendar (it's a work thing that's not worth explaining here) but I've been super busy so I just gotta do this one
4. Pick up dry cleaning (I am the worst at remembering to go)
5.  Find a dress for a wedding 
6. Register for next year's pole competition. (I went to pole class yesterday and the instructor highly encouraged me to enter next year's competition!)
7. Clean my car (ha!)
8. Renew books/audio-books at library
9. Meal plan for two-three weeks
10.  Grocery shop for those two-three weeks

Okay, I need your advice here. I am not a stylish person. I used to think I had some style, but turns out-I don't.

 In any case, I have a wedding to go to in a few weeks. It is on a Sunday afternoon/evening (4:30) at a hotel in Boston. Typically, I would wear a little black dress or any other short dress but......since I have been working my butt off on the pole, my legs are pretty beat up. I mean it when I say they are bruised all over. Not like one or two small bruises, I'm talking covered from top to bottom in giant bruises. As proud as I am of these bruises (it means I did a hard trick!), I don't think it would be appropriate to wear a short dress. I don't know if the wedding is "long dress" appropriate though-and my only long dresses that I own are either my really fancy black dress I wore for my brothers black tie wedding when I was in the wedding party or a long but almost too casual maxi-dress.

 So what your suggestions? Find a new long dress? Can I even wear a long dress? Wear what something that I have (borrowing from friends is not an option-I am waaaay too short to wear any of my friends' clothes)? Deal with the bruises and wear a short dress? Eeek (I know, first world problems)


Join in on the fun. Well, it's probably not fun-but join anyway! It is at the very least productive! 

Happy Tuesday Folks! 

It's Feeling Like Fall/Friends Making Monday-Getting To Know Each Other

Oh Monday, we meet again. This past weekend was a nice, simple weekend. We stayed in on Friday night and fell asleep on the earlier side. Saturday morning, I went to pole class and then in the afternoon and evening, we went to our friends housewarming/birthday party. I thoroughly enjoy backyard parties with our friends but I did notice it was getting much cooler at night which means, it's starting to feel like Fall around here!  As much as I enjoy wearing flip flops and summer clothes and spending time at the beach, I always find my birthday as the perfect ending point to the summer. Now, I am ready for fall.

I love the Fall when it's time to wear boots and scarves. It's time to go apple picking and make homemade applesauce. My favorite part about Fall, though, is the crunchy leaves and acorns on the ground. I love seeing the leaves change colors and I can only imagine how gorgeous the leaves are going to be at our new house.Bring on the cooler weather-I'm ready!!!

Moving, on to Friends Making Monday:

f you've taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Getting To Know Each Other

1.  What is your favorite flower?  Calla Lillie's. I love how simple and elegant they are. In terms of  fragrance though, hyacinths are where it's at. They smell delicious.

2.  What is a date on the calendar that you’re looking forward to?  September 14. There is a pole competition in Boston and Ryan and I have tickets to watch. As a former competitive dancer, I am really excited to see a pole competition and after tonight's class, I am highly considering entering  the next competition which is about a year away.  

3.  List at least five characteristics of your ideal mate. Agreeable but not in a push-over way. Silly and goofy. Supportive. Rough hands (i.e. he likes to get dirty, can build and fix things around the house..you know, do the "man things"). Intelligent

4.  What is your favorite travel destination?  Florence, Italy was my favorite place I have ever traveled to and I would love to go back, especially with Ryan and explore more of Italy.
5.  What is your idea of the perfect date?  Perfect date is made by who the date is with
6.  What is your relationship with your family like?  This is a loaded question. I was "kicked out" of my family a few years ago and have, in the past year or so, just begun to rebuild the relationships. While it is still rocky and uncomfortable at times, it is also a fresh, new start. I used to be incredible close with my sister but it doesn't feel that way anymore. On the other hand, I am loving the new type of relationship I have with my parents, especially my mother. I feel like we have developed into having an "adult" relationship
7.  What time did you wake up this morning?  Well, I set the alarm to get out of bed at 5:40 so I could go for a run/walk but I didn't end up getting out of bed until 6:30.
8.  What characteristic do you like most about yourself?  Which do you dislike most?  I like that I am feisty and outgoing at times. I love that I am not afraid to make a fool out of myself, especially in front of people  am comfortable with. I dislike that I am moody, impatient, and set-off easily, particularly at home.
9.  What is your favorite sport to watch?  Dance. duh.
10.  Share a few interesting things that you did over the weekend.  Went to our friends house-warming/birthday party. See above.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments.  Take a minute to say hello to someone new this week too!  Happy Monday!

Question for you:
What's your favorite thing about Fall?
What did you do this past weekend?

My Dance Room

I'm so happy to finally be able to post about my dance room! 

Growing up, I was a dancer. I took dance classes since I was 3 and barely out of diapers and began competing a few years later. 

I will be the first one to tell you-I am not good according to dance standards. My body is NOT made for dancing. My feet turn in, my knees are always bent. My legs, hips, and feet won't do what they are supposed to-I was practically born with deformed hips and had to have my right hip completely reconstructed. Trust me when I say, I wasn't born to be a dancer. 

But that didn't matter to me. I love dancing. It is my absolute favorite thing to do. I cant help it but feel the need to move, especially when a song comes on that makes me see the music. 

When I was growing up, I used to blast the radio and dance like a maniac in my room and that carried over to when I had my own apartments in my 20's where I would dance like a fool in the bathroom. (I have never admitted that to anyone until now!) Yes, slightly pathetic, but I couldn't help but find a way to dance. I have always thought how cool it would be to have my own "dance room" and figured when I grew up, I would find a way to make a "real" dance room. 

In addition to my love of dance, I started taking pole dance classes sporadically while I was living in Florida for grad school. When I moved back home, I took classes in this area as well, but again, would go sporadically. I would go for a few weeks and then stop again. And then, a few years ago, Ryan got and installed a pole for me in the basement at our last house. For my birthday this year, he gave me the ultimate dream present: my own dance room, complete with the pole. 

Since our basement has pretty low ceilings, we mad the decision to build the room in the garage where the ceilings are much higher and there is generally more room. 

We started with this: 

Ryan began by clearing out the back section of the garage on my side. I am forgoing my ability to park in the garage for the dance space. He then installed recess lights. After that, he cleaned the walls, ceiling, and piping and then painted the area with some left over paint from the bedroom and living room. We did get some white paint specifically for the ceiling area though. Then, he laid down some floors and installed the pole. 

Right now, I have the mirrors just propped up against the wall for the time until I can get the proper brackets to go into the concrete wall. 

It is pretty freaking awesome. since I found a new studio that is close to both home and my new job, I started taking classes regularly. (Wahoo-a 101 in 1001 goal!) Also, I have been using my dance room regularly and have now officially mastered a trick that I have been working towards since I started! (Yep, another 101 in 1001 goal!) I believe it is called the Gemini, but not totally sure. Although it is far from the most flattering photograph (I am holding my breath while upside down!), I was really proud of myself for finally figuring out how to do this with only one leg. 

Gemini

That's all I got for now, but if you are following along with my 101 in 1001 list, I can now cross off three more items on my list (build the dance room, go to pole classes regularly, and master a new trick) and add another $15.00 to my savings account. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Questions for you:

What has been the best birthday gift you have ever received?

Ten THings Tuesday-Shit, It's Wednesdays

Yep. Missed this post by a day.
I haven't really accomplished too much on my list from last week

1. Bring all my therapy materials to school
2. Organize my school office
3. Get my caseload, number of students, etc. and create my projected master list for my meeting next week
4. Ensure that my work email is set up and working properly
5. Do something active first thing in the morning at least two times
6. Mail my transcript request form and check
7. Scan/email time sheets from past few weeks
8. Mail anniversary card for my parents
9. Make S'mores truffles and go food shopping for upcoming party
10. Do a deep clean of the bathroom


Well, I brought most of my therapy materials to school and organized as much as I could. I have a few more things such as my personal desk chair but I think all the boxes are taken care of. I don't have much in terms of furniture so it was tough to find a place for all my books. I ended up grabbing a cheap bookshelf from target the other day so once that is all set, I should be completely organized. I am still struggling with getting a properly working computer and log in information for all the systems which is holding me up! I also completely forgot to get an anniversary card for my parents last week and I feel horrible about that.

As far as getting up to work out, well that just didn't happen at all. Maybe next week.

Next weeks plan:

1. Get up early at least two times to workout
2. Find the perfect housewarming gift for a party
3. Go to two pole classes
4. Clean my car, inside and out
5. Read through ALL 55+ of my student files
6.  Organize my student files the way I like for all student files
7. Post about the dance room (yay, it's almost done and looks amazing!!!)
8. Renew Gone With The Wind and the other book I checked out from the library
9. Start new book
10. Mail my transcript request form and check.


I'm trying to get some paperwork done at home before I head off to work. Happy Wednesday!


What's on your list of things to do by next week?

Birthday Letter

Over the weekend, I turned 30 years old. This post inspired the following.



Letter to my 12 year old self:  This is the first day of middle school. It is okay to feel incredibly awkward. Don't worry-everyone else is also feeling awkward and weird. Try not to worry that you are starting a new school. By the end of this year, you will meet and begin a friendship with your lifelong group of girl friends. They will always be "your girls" and you won't even be able to fathom how lucky you are to have the same group of girl friends from your adolescent years. It is something truly special.


Letter to my 23 year old self:  It's okay that you spend this birthday crying uncontrollably and unable to stop for hours. It's okay to call your best friend and cry to her, even if you can't quite figure out why you are crying. It's okay that you suddenly feel too old to be a kid anymore and too young to feel like an adult, all at the same time. It's okay that you've never had a serious boyfriend. Actually, you will learn it is a wonderful thing and over the next few years, you will appreciate your single-hood and gain an independence that is only possible if you are in your early 20's and single. I know it is hard, but embrace this feeling. You will be okay.


Letter to my 25 year old self: This is your first birthday really alone. Being in a new place in a different part of the country, away from all your family, friends, and everything you've ever known is scary and wonderful all at the same time. Appreciate having a birthday at this time of the year because it was totally what made for a great ice breaker and way to make friends while living in a new place.


Letter to my 30 year old self: Don't let one blimp in the day ruin the rest of it. The best part of your birthday will be sitting with your parents and your boyfriend (and Bauer of course) in an empty house. All you needed to feel special that day was to be in the company of those people.


Like I said, I turned 30 over the weekend and so far it feels wonderful. Ryan and I had gift certificates for massages from a while ago so we cashed in on them Saturday morning-not a bad way to start off being 30! We then drove down to my parents new house in the Cape. They just closed on the house a few weeks ago and will be doing some work on the floors-so right now there is absolutely no furniture there, aside from some beach chairs and a couple of air mattresses. My parents were already there with Bauer when Ryan and I arrived and we sat for hours in the empty house, just talking, snacking on some food, and playing with Bauer. It was those few hours that were the most special to me and it didn't require much at all. Later in the evening, my parents grilled some steaks and some other food and my sister and her boyfriend came over as well. The next day, we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate. Instead of renting a bouncy-house, Ryan went above and beyond and had rented a mat with sumo-wrestling suits as well as a jousting ring. To say it was hilarious would be quite an understatement. We had so much fun playing around! Ryan and I were the first to wrestle. Within seconds, he knocked me over-it didn't take much! It was easily one of the most fun birthday's I've had!

Question for you?What was your most memorable birthday?

Nine and a Half Finger Day!

August 29, 1992.

It was just a few days before my 9th birthday and instead of going with my mother for special time to get our nails done together, I opted to go with my father and brother and some family friends on the boat for day of swimming and boating.

I should have chosen door number 1 and then I would have ended the day with 10 pretty little fingernails, no doubt decorated in pink polish with glitter.

Instead, I ended the day with only nine and a half fingers.

Long story short, the tip of my left index finger was severed by the collapsible ladder that my finger was under while I was sitting on the edge of the boat. Because of the frigid temperature of the water and a good amount of shock, I didn't feel it happen but boy did I burst into tears when my brother screamed out to my father, "Dad!!! Sarah's bleeding and it's really bad!"

Trained as an EMT, my father was great and is the sole reason that my finger was able to be attached successfully. He wrapped my finger, put ice on it, held it above my head, and laughed gently when I sobbed and asked over and over, "Am I going to live?" He instructed the other adult on the boat to see if he could locate the tip of the finger and to put it on ice. My finger was found (score!) and put into a red solo cup filled with ice. To this day, I cannot help but think of my finger when I see one of these cups. I also wish I looked into the cup!





 

 

 



 

My father called ahead to the coast guard via radio and had an ambulance ready for as soon as we made it back to the dock. I remember the ride from the dock to the ambulance on the gurney and feeling so embarrassed as everyone was lining up to watch me. I remember being strapped into the ambulance on the right side so that I had to cross over my body with my right hand to hold onto my dad's hand. I remember my father telling the driver "over my dead body are you taking her to the [local] hospital" and nearly threatening him to take me to Mass General Hospital in Boston.  I remember the nurses about to cut off my bathing suit and me lying and saying it was my favorite one, when in reality I was embarrassed about being naked in front of people. I remember eating chocolate chip cookies from the vending machine while the doctor was stitching my finger back on. I remember the look on my mothers face when she finally heard the news and made it to hospital as I proudly (and probably slightly drugged up) exclaimed to her, "Dad is letting me eat cookies for dinner tonight!"

Despite the doctors wanting to fully amputate the remainder of my finger down to the joint, my father convinced them to attempt to re-attach it despite the 5% chance of a successful re-attachment. I was released from the hospital after hours of stitches and sutures with doctors appointments lined up for every single Friday for the next several months.

And so it went that I spent my entire fourth grade being driven to school because I was not allowed to go on the bus and sitting with my left arm propped up with multiple pillows. I did get to tell a killer story to everyone at school though and had a great topic for the obligatory "What I did over summer vacation" essay. Every Friday, instead of going to school, we would drive into Boston for a doctors appointment and go out to eat, where I would always get the same thing: cup of clam chowder and chocolate mousse for dessert.  At every appointment, they would unwrap the bandages, check the stitches, and wrap me back up while I looked to the top right corner of the room, stretching my neck so that I could look as far away as possible. I never once looked at my finger with all the stitches until after it was completely healed and the stitches were removed.

From a distance it's hard to even tell but upon a closer look, you can see how the tip of my finger is deformed and my nail grows in a curved-over manner. A chunk of the bone was crushed and/or severed and therefore, it is also slightly shorter than my other index finger. The feeling in my finger has mostly returned to normal. The funniest thing is that when it rains, half of my finger will turn white and when it snows, the entire finger turns white. The doctors did a wonderful job in re-attaching my finger and the main scar blends right into the first joint. I also have a "V" shaped scar from a re-construction surgery a few years later.

So, that is why my family refers to and celebrates this date as "nine and a half finger day"

And now, some pictures because after all this nine and a half finger talk, you probably want to see what it looks like!

Clearly I need to remove the chipped nail polish

Under side of my finger.

Do you see the "V" scar?



Side view



Comparison

 

 

Question for you:
Do you have any scars from an injury or surgery?

Ten Things Tuesday

Just wanted to do a quick update since my last post from earlier today.  In our meeting today (which was so great to really get to know some of the other SLP's in the district), we were able to easily and collectively (and so diplomatically) work out our placements. I am very very happy with my school placement and even happier when I went over to the building today to see it. I was able to quickly meet the principal (I got a great first impression) and the secretary who was incredibly sweet. As a teacher, there are two people that you always want to be on good terms with: the secretary and the custodian. They are the people who can make your life so much easier and in essence, know everything about the building. 

Moving on to Ten Things Tuesday. Sometimes life happens and I didn't even get a chance to sit down and write at all last week so this is a catch-up of the last two weeks.  

1. Renew my teacher certification (it expires at the end of the month!)

2. Organize my therapy materials

3. Get my car inspected

4. Work out first thing when I wake up one time

5. Vacuum all the rugs

6. Wash and clean my car

7. Clean the bathroom (ugh)

8. Start looking at paint options for the hallway bathroom

9. Meal plan for the next three weeks

10. Grocery shop for the next three weeks

Wow-looking back, I got much more accomplished than I thought I did-granted I did have two weeks. I definitely did not do all those things in the first week. 

Until next Tuesday, here is what I what going on: 

1. Bring all my therapy materials to school

2. Organize my school office

3. Get my caseload, number of students, etc. and create my projected master list for my meeting next week

4. Ensure that my work email is set up and working properly

5. Do something active first thing in the morning at least two times.

6. Mail my transcript request form and check

7. Scan/email time sheets from past few weeks

8. Mail anniversary card for my parents

9. Make S'mores truffles and go food shopping for upcoming party (I'm turning 30 this weekend!)

10. Do a deep clean of the bathroom 

Well I am off to a friends house to watch So You Think You Can Dance! Its a weekly tradition with some of my girls and I look forward to the dancing and the girl time every single week.

Quick side note: Did you see the Travis Wall/Amy Yakima dance?

 HOLY SHIT! One of my favorite dances of all time.


Enjoy your night! Happy first week back to school for all teachers, parents, and students!