Yikes!

Holy time flying Batman! I can't believe it has been so long since my last entry! I promise I will try to do better this time around. Look for a great entry on giving next!

Boston continued...

Saturday we spent going to Harvard and more of Boston. Vicky teaches a course at Harvard so mom and I wanted to see the campus. Plus I had to get a t-shirt. While we were there we stopped at Lush and awesome store where I bought a great lotion! Then to the gift shop where Vicky and my mom tried to convince me to buy a law school alum t-shirt.


Here I am with Mr. Harvard! I had to push through a bunch of tourists to get my chance up here.













Pretty campus! We were surprised there weren't more green spaces.







We headed back to Boston to see the Boston Public Library or the BPL as Vicky called it. She made sure I saw lots of libraries. Inside are murals done by John Singer Sargent, which were AMAZING!








My mom knocking on the door in the mural room. No one was home.











My mom and I in the courtyard of the BPL.








Woohoo! Boston Marathon!








Swan boats in the Boston Garden. While sitting here we saw 4 different wedding parties taking pictures.








Sunday
Sunday we headed to Concord, Massachusetts. We stopped at the Concord Museum, Orchard House, and the North Bridge.


Mom and Vicky walking in front of the Concord Museum. It was really interesting. I didn't realize that Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau were all from this area. We didn't make it to Walden Pond.






Hysterical picture that we saw in the museum. This is a little girl named Annie. We think there was something wrong with her or the artist was terrible. Her eyes followed us. I don't think she appreciated being laughed at.









Orchard House, or the house of Louisa May Alcott. This house was what the house in Little Women was based upon. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. Louisa's novel was largely based on her family and over 80% of the items in the house belonged to the family.








Orchard House








Me in front of Mr. Alcott's school. He was a huge part of reforming education in this country. I was amazed that a lot of the things he helped to change we still do today. What a cool guy!







Me in front of Ralph Waldo Emerson's house.










Me on the North Bridge, where the Revolutionary War began.











Sorry for so many pictures! Coming soon-pics from the All-Star race and Jammin' at the Zoo!

Beantown Trip

My mom and I just got back from Boston last week where we went to visit her cousin, Vicky. It was a short trip Thursday to Monday, but we packed a lot of stuff in a short time!

Thursday
Thursday was pretty laid back. We got in around lunch time and Vicky picked us up from the airport. We headed back to her house and settled in before meeting up with Vicky's man-friend Carl at their private club. I don't have any pictures but this was a hilarious evening. We all got dolled up and headed out. The club is housed in an old home that is just HUGE! We listened to some piano music while enjoying drinks and apps. The entertainment was just that-entertainment. An older gentleman and his daughter and her family played for us. At one point, they played Let it Be which lead to an impromptu singalong. Not what I was expecting from an older, reserved crowd. I sat next to a guy in a pink seersucker jacket whose name was Morgan and he kept me entertained.

Friday
Friday we headed into the city of Boston for a tour of the Otis House (one of the museums that Carl's organization is in charge of-the house dates to 1796 and was amazingly preserved). We had to wear booties to protect the carpets-didn't get a picture but it was pretty funny!

Next we headed up Beacon Hill for a bit and saw the brownstone where John Kerry resides.

Then we really headed into the walking part of our tour which included the state courthouse (where Vicky used to work), the state house, a private library that Vicky and Carl belong to, various parts of the Freedom Trail, Paul Revere's house, and a gelato stop.


This is the state courthouse...it was beautiful inside!


The state house and where we picked up the Freedom Trail.












The view from one of the rooms in the private library. A historic graveyard of some sort.







My mom and I on the balcony of private library with Boston in the background!









Mom and Vicky on the same balcony!









Site of the Boston Massacre.








Quincy Market where we had lunch. I had an AWESOME peanut butter brownie here too! And yes, that is mom's head at the bottom of the pic!






We stopped to have my picture taken in front of my restaurant.








Vicky and I in front of Paul Revere's house.









I'll finish up in another post!!

What was I thinking?! and Viva La Block!

First of all, I have to mention that I saw NKOTB in all of their retro glory again last night. Basically a few tweaks of their first tour but the addition of Popsicle made my friend Sara's night! I will post pics whenever I get home. Again I screamed like I was 9 again and danced around with a bunch of my friends. It was awesome. The night was made complete by the drive by of Waffle House to see all of the silly 20 and 30 something women hoping that the boys (I mean, men) would be dropping by. It was literally a crowded House. Oh, and Donnie or D Dub as you are now called, please stop making the smarmy comments about getting with little girls moms and us having boobs now. It is creeping us out. As Ashley put it, our 9 year old selves are here not our 28 or 29 year old selves. We're too young to hear this kind of talk. Thanks-love you!


My friend Kristin called the other day to schedule a dinner and mentioned that she is running the All-Star 5K for the All-Star game coming up in a week or so. She told me I should run it with her and what does my dumb self do? I signed up. Keep in mind that I only started running again this week and am only up to about a mile without stopping. I'm really only in it for the t-shirt. Oh, and to top it all off, I'm going to go see Kathy Griffin the night before. I love that broad. And, yep, I'm a glutton for punishment.

Here's to memories of childhood, free t-shirts, and celebrity trash talking!

We interupt this regularly scheduled non-blogging to bring you...

this! I went to see The Proposal with a few friends yesterday and it was so funny! Seriously, like, I don't remember when the last time I laughed out loud that much at a movie theater. Plus, there was lots of Ryan Reynolds (aka Berg!). Ryan and I go way back to the days of Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. I love, love, LOVED that show! Anyhow, I just needed an excuse to post this picture again.

In other news, I was forced to sit in virtually no air conditioning with no air circulation or windows all morning. I think I'm a little loopy and have a raging headache. I drank as much water as possible and am now peeing every five seconds. A nap was certainly called for in this situation. I feel a little bit better but am going to take it easy tonight.

Off to Blockbuster to trade in Vicky Christina Barcelona (odd but decent movie) for something lighthearted that I can watch tonight from my couch. I promise pictures of my spending spree soon!

Wait..what was the title of my last post?!

Well, school's back in session. Summer school that is. After a fun week with my friend Amy in Chicago that involved WAY too much shopping (like such a thing exists!), I'm back at work. The nice part is I'm finished by 12:30 so I still have all afternoon to do nothing-which is what a good summer vaca should entail. I'll try to remember to take a picture of all my loot from Chicago and post it along with the incredible view from our hotel room. (Please read the part about hotel sarcastically-view was terrible!)

In order to get off this weight that keeps creeping back on, I am planning to hit the gym this afternoon to go for a run. I haven't run since the GOTR 5K about a month ago! It is amazing to me how life gets in the way of great intentions. Wish me luck that I don't die on the treadmill this afternoon!

School's Out for the Summer!

Yay! I have officially finished school for the year! I've been completely enjoying my first couple of days off. Basically I've done nothing but it feels so good! I did manage to get to the dermatologist yesterday before the huge storm. I have eczema so it is a pretty easy fix. Apparently I should use Vaseline as a lotion. I refuse to be all greasy so Dove will be the alternative.

I'm attempting to summer clean my house but it is a very slow process. So far I've started with the bathroom and am planning to work on my bedroom today. I'm such a pack rat but after seeing all of the crap that my grandparents kept, I'm all for purging.

I'm also starting to plan what to bring for my trip next week to Chi-town with Amy. I'm super excited and I know she is too. I'll have to study what the weather is going to be like. I'm thinking lots of summer dresses unless it's going to rain the whole time we are there.

Alright, I'm going to leave with a picture of my team from Girls on the Run...

Wowza!

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last blogged. Shame on me! Things have been extremely hectic in my life lately and I'm hoping things are finally slowing down.

Let's see what have I done...I've taken a group of 4 girls to Book Battle and met yet another author (who I just know is going to be crazy popular soon). Heather Brewer and her husband Paul are awesome. I've also run my very first 5K with a group of 15 girls from my school at the Girls on the Run 5K. It was so incredible. I was so proud of the girls who showed up and really gave it their all. I didn't get to run the entire race, but I was proud of completing it and making sure all my girls did too. My friend Sarah went with me and ran as well. The most important thing of that race was that I did it in memory of my grandpa. While he was sick I told him all about this program and he just laughed when I told him that we finished with a 3.1 mile run. I don't think he had complete confidence that I'd do it so it became my mission to prove him wrong. Thanks Grumpy Grandpa for the inspiration!

Well, I have one more day of school left. Thank goodness! I don't think I could take anymore. Next week promises to be a little more low key with a trip to the dermatologist (for that stupid rash that isn't contagious, doesn't spread, but itches like a mother f'er on my elbows) and to get my hair cut (I'm debating a big change). This Saturday is the estate sale for my grandma and grandpa. I'm not sure if I really want to go but I feel compelled to do so. It is going to be a rough day.

Ok, back to looking like I'm doing work in the library instead of blogging....

Update and would you want to know?

It has been quite a while since my last update. A lot has happened since then. I lost my grandpa a little over a week ago. He was very special to me and probably the focus of another post when I'm not so emotional.

I've got so many weird topics floating around in my head right now but after checking my email I had to blog about this first.

At one point in time I thought I had Celiac disease which is like a wheat allergy (even though the test came back negative, I still think I could have it). Anywho, I get updates from their national foundation now and I just received an email with an offer to have a genome study. The purpose would be to help further research on genomes and also provide me with information about predisposition for certain diseases. It is super expensive and I'm not going to do it, but it got me thinking...would I want to know if I could? My grandma on my mom's side has Alzheimer's. Her mother had it as well. I already figure I'm going to get it, but do I want to know that I'm already predisposed to it? What good would that do me besides perhaps make me a bigger proponent of stem cell research and attempting to document more of my life so maybe I can remember it later or have stuff for my kids down the road? On the other hand, I think knowing that you are prone to having heart disease or other conditions may make you more careful and provide you with an opportunity to prevent that disease or condition.

What do you think?

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

I love the Amazing Race. I wish I had what I think it takes to be on that show because as hard as it looks it seems to be an incredible experience. Watching the show this week it occured to me that if my brother and I went on this show we would be very similar to Victor and Tammy, the lawyer siblings. Upon this realization, I called my mom and quickly told her as I knew she'd be watching the show too. She chuckled and agreed. You see, I am Tammy and my brother is Victor. Although I am the older sibling, I can completely see my brother taking control. I'd be the one up on the balance beam freaking out and trying to do my best as my brother yells what he believes to be encouraging things (really, it would just make me more nervous and upset). I really hope the TandV can work it out and win!

Oh, and if you didn't see the cheese detour, you need to google it. I've not laughed that hard in a long time.

Such a relief...

I've been pretty stressed out lately. What with my grandparents moving into a nursing home, starting a brand new after school activity with 41 crazy 12-14 year old girls, and planning a school wide poetry slam, it has been an insane month. But, I've somehow survived and am able to tell it.

GOTR is going really well and the girls seem like they are really enjoying themselves. They pretty much walk every day and will probably be embarrassed when they actually get to race day and they are the only girls walking, but as long as they are moving and having a good time I don't care.

Our Poetry Slam was awesome! We had a couple of minor setbacks (like one of the judges not showing up at all) but overall the talent of our students was shining. I'm especially proud of the 8th grade winner. He is a huge, scary looking guy and he's all heart.

In other news, Lent is upon us. I've decided to give up a few things. One-I'm only going out to eat once a week ( I wanted to give it up completely but knew it would never happen), two-giving up sweets, and three-giving up bread. This has been a huge effort because when I am stressed I love to eat.

What is everyone else giving up?

GOTR is so much fun!

My life has been crazy the last few weeks.

My grandpa took a turn for the worse last week but seems to be doing better. Turns out he was dehydrated and then when they gave him an IV his kidney's couldn't keep up. He also has a massive infection in his kidneys. My great uncle passed away during this time too- my grandpa's brother. I think this really made reality sink in that Grandpa may not be around too much longer.

On a happier note, I had a fantastic time at Julie and Jared's wedding. They looked so happy and it was a great way to spend Valentine's day-with my friends and lots of dancing!

Girls on Track has started and if the first week is any indication it is a hit! I have had multiple teachers/admin come up and tell me the girls seem to be loving the program. I'm so excited and it really gets me pumped.

I'm still training for the half-marathon. I think I'm a little crazy, but it is giving me something to focus on right now. I may be crawling across the finish line, but I'm going to do it!

No Time to Blog

It has been a while...sorry! I've been quite busy only not necessarily good busy. My grandpa had a stroke and is still in the hospital. He is doing a little better each day but he is very frail and has lost a lot of weight. I've always been very close to this grandpa so it is painful to see him like this and not hear him call me sunshine anymore.

Other than that, things have been ok. I've managed to avoid the flu so far and had a great time Super Bowl Sunday stuffing my face, playing with Sam, and pretending to watch the game.

I get to hang out with the girls this weekend for Julie's bachelorette party. We are going to see That 80's Band so it should be a good time! I'm on Week 4 of my mini marathon training. I have to run/walk 5 miles this Saturday...wish me luck!

Busy as a bee...

Wow! This week has FLOWN by!

Let's see...I've helped some kiddos learn to waltz for our Inaugural Ball on Tuesday, started planning the Poetry Slam at work, and finished my first week of half-marathon training.

Friday I spent trying to recover from the week and hoping to not get sick. Saturday I went to my friend's father's memorial, the gym, Olga's, and Sara's surprise 30th birthday party! Amy, Jon, Alison, and I had TONS of fun! There are lots of Facebook pictures to prove this point. I'm not quite sure why Jon has banned the three of us girls from taking cameras with us anywhere yet. The birthday girl looked like she was having quite a good time as well. Today I managed to get to church and a bridal shower for Julie. The shower was great and I got to hold baby Samantha which makes things even better!

I'm hoping that I can rest up tomorrow since we have the day off. Although, I'm sure that between Hooter's fried pickles and planning the fake, I mean real, Encounter Reunion tour I have plenty to do!

Weekend Update

For all of you wondering what happened at my school...in one word-nothing. We are no closer to unmasking the dirty thieves. I've cleaned up my office and everything is back to normal-or as back to normal as it can minus about 180 computers. We hear we may be getting replacements within a couple of weeks.

My weekend was a short one! I managed to fall asleep before 9 on Friday night. I was mildly embarrassed that that is what came of my Friday night, but quickly popped out the contacts, brushed my teeth, and hopped into bed. I must have been exhausted because I slept until 8 the next morning. Unheard of for me!

Saturday brought a decent weight loss at WW and my first workout in training for a half-marathon. That is right. I've decided to train to run a half-marathon. It is a pretty hefty goal considering I've never even run a 5K and get short of breath running outside, but nevertheless I'm going to try-or die trying. My friend Sarah has embarked on this journey with me. Today officially kicks off training. I'll try to update more on our progress. I'm interval training so tonight is 30 minutes of intervals-bringing me to about 3 miles.

Saturday evening I went triviaing(yep, just made up a word) with Laura and Amy. I knew nothing but enjoyed acting like I may possibly know the answer to any questions. Amy and I giggled the entire way home about the mispronunciation of the word morgue and the misspelling of hamburgers (ham bergers).

Sunday I went to church, lunch with mom and grandma, and was snubbed at Imo's by a jerk. Sara and I went to see Bride Wars (cute although not as funny as I wanted it to be) and then I had dinner with Terry. We discussed how much it sucks trying to date. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

More updates later!

I'm a little rattled...

Yesterday, upon arriving at my librarian meeting, I learned that my school was broken into over the holidays. The three people that broke in stole over 180 laptops. To make matters worse, these laptops were being kept in my office in the library. The thieves dumped over all of the carts I had filled with books in order to help their robbing process go a little smoother. When I finally got to school yesterday afternoon, I saw the mess. It is crazy. It feels a little bit like someone broke into my house. We know a few more details but that is about it. We have a snow/ice day today so I can't even start cleaning it up yet. Not the best way to start off the new year.