gm & gratitude

The GM commercial embedded below was released this past holiday season. It came on while I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and totally caught me off guard - I actually started tearing up. In my opinion, liking the commercial has nothing to do with whether or not you supported GM receiving a major government bailout. It has to do with failing, trying again, being supported in your efforts to succeed, and expressing gratitude for that support. Last week with being sick, and this week with trying to catch up on things, I'm feeling pretty darn grateful for the people and the support I have in my life. What are you grateful for this week?

design dreams: office envy

Source: mackenziehoran.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: inspiredtoshare.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: mackenziehoran.com via Kelly on Pinterest

After four years of college, I can't wait until I have my own designated office space that's not also part of my bedroom. I love the options above. What would your perfect home office be like?

update: month two

Hello everybody! How was your weekend? Mine was nice! I still felt pretty under the weather Saturday, but staying home all day, napping, and watching TV with my boyfriend and dog helped. Sunday I worked on teaching things, baked brownies, and visited with friends.

Today is the first Monday of March, which means it's time for my New Year's, All Year Challenge update for the month of February. Here are the goals for 2011 I made progress on in February:

• Get a full-time job teaching social studies grades 7-12 and/or apply to graduate school. I've gathered my references, finalized my resume, and applied for jobs.
• Cook one new recipe a month. My friend Claire and I made up a delicious pasta dish.
• Create and wear wardrobe with intention. I picked up classic black pants, cute tops, and an awesome white watch from Kohl's.
• Reach a healthy BMI. I've made a tiny bit of progress...but it's exciting : )
• Eat at least two servings of both fruits and veggies every day. Doing well with this still! Especially on the weekdays. Now I need to step it up on the weekends.
• Work out at least 3 times a week. I bought Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and began it before I started getting sick. I'm excited to get back with it!
• Teach Madison how to stay and give paw. She is still doing really well with stay!

I mentioned in January's update that the challenge wasn't progressing as well as I had hoped. Unfortunately, that is still true. I think this is for a few reasons:

1. February is a short month. Only 28 days to get things done. I swear this must matter! ; )
2. I started building up the sickness that kept me housebound all last week.
3. February made up the bulk of my first full month of student teaching, which was an adjustment.

That actually brings up the bigger reason why I know I'm having trouble making changes - this semester is very different from the rest of college, and I guess the rest of my life (although that sounds really dramatic). I'm in student teaching! so I'm adjusting to the demands of a full-time job that I've never done before, while working part-time and trying as much as possible to enjoy my last semester of college. When I realized this, I wondered to myself, am I crazy to be attempting these resolutions this year, when I'm in student teaching, job searching, graduating, moving, etc.?

But then I realized, there is never a convenient time to make changes. If it wasn't graduating, moving and getting a job, it would be adjusting to a new job. Or going to grad school. Or getting married. Or moving again. Or having kids. Or SOMETHING. Luckily for me, 2011 has 12 months, and I've always subscribed to the theory that slow and steady wins the race.

It's not too late to join the Challenge! E-mail me if you want to get involved. What goals are you working on and how do you deal with roadblocks?

weekly gems

How was everyone's week? Mine was kind of a blur of sleeping, lesson planning, and watching TV - I've been pretty sick all week. Hopefully resting all weekend will help me regain more health and strength so I'm ready to rejoin the world on Monday! What are you up to this weekend?

Here are the weekly gems I came across during some of my waking hours this week:

• For Toy Story fans out there: Toy Story short films are on their way!
• Prince William & Kate Middleton's wedding website! I'm such a Kate fan, I can't wait : )
• I love Mary's blog, and felt inspired by this post on balance.
• Totally want this sweatshirt. And this book.
• This "we're your parents" post made my heart swell.
• Proposal + Disney + roller coaster = awesome.
• Yesssss Matchbook Magazine issue two.
• Have you heard this song? I love it!
• I adore Up's Dug!
• The power of positive thinking and some happiness tips! And similarly, a Things We Forget I think a lot of people need to hear during the tough days of winter.
• The flowers in this wedding are gorgeous.

Photo found here

bookmark it: pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest? It's starting to become a pretty talked-about website among bloggers. Mackenzie of Design Darling described it as "tumblr 2.0," which I think is a pretty accurate description. I love it! It is an excellent place for to house virtual inspiration boards for various projects, or to use as a collection of visual bookmarks for recipes, shopping finds, etc.

I totally recommend checking it out. Here are my profile/boards!

oscars recap

So here it is, a couple days late - my mini-Oscars recap. It's mini for a couple reasons: 1) I've been pretty sick this week, and 2) I didn't actually get to watch the Oscars. I don't have a digital TV or cable, so I don't get TV reception.

Here is the complete list of Oscar winners. I was very displeased The Social Network did not win Best Picture or Best Director - I thought it was the best movie of the year. To be fair, though, I didn't see The King's Speech. Did anyone see both of them? If so, which of those two did you think deserved the award? Were there any awards you were particularly happy or upset about? I was definitely pleased Social Network won Best Score and Toy Story 3 won Best Animated Feature.

Of course, I must mention the fashion of the evening! Picks and some more picks for best Oscar gowns of 2011 - Mila Kunis, Reese Witherspoon, and Amy Adams were my favorites. And just for fun - a slideshow of best Oscar gowns ever (I love the looks of Halle Berry and Anne Hathaway). What gowns did you love from this year? From years past?

Finally, here's a montage of the evening's best moments, both funny and touching.

my life: happy birthday...

On March 1st, to the following loves of my life:

My amazing boyfriend Dan. We've had our ups and downs, but we've always been there for each other and have learned a lot about life and relationships. We share the same values and have so many of the same goals. He always makes me laugh and puts others first, and is an incredible teacher and "puppy daddy." I love you sweetie, happy birthday! : )

The great state of Ohio. It was admitted to the Union as a state on March 1st, 1803. Ohio is an extremely underrated state. It has awesome cities full of attractions. It has fertile farmlands. It has beautiful state parks and a national park. It has Cedar Point! It has rivers and Lake Erie. It has four distinct seasons. It has hard workers full of laughter and hope. I love Ohio.

An on March 2nd, to one of the closest friends I've made at college:

My wonderful friend Courtney! We met through our fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. We always have classic, epic fun times, whether it be out to coffee, at Kalahari, in one of our apartments, or at baseball games. She's always there to take some sense into me or to make me laugh when I'm down. Thanks for being awesome, Court!

Photos all author own except

Ohio photo, found here