A list.

1) I was in Kylie and Cody's wedding last Saturday. BEAUTIFULLY done, and the bride and groom could not stop smiling all day. Super special day. And yet..I'm not gonna lie...I am feeling more and more like Jane on the movie "27 Dresses," what with all the dresses I have worn in honor of many brides. :) 2) I somehow finished all my grad school work for the summer. It was not a pretty end, I will just say that. Tears, anxiety, a frantic phone call to Megan Z, frantic texts between Whitney and I....oh boy. It's done now, though - no looking back! Now I know what my students must feel like...to some extent...although they get to actually see and talk to me in person...such a joy for them! :) 3) Since I finished that last grad school assignment (a timed 2 hour final, by the way...eww)...naturally I have been sleeping like a champ, catching up on the Colbert Report (how does he make me laugh every time?), and thinking about my classroom. 4) Today I went to the gym - I sometimes forget that the YMCA has an actual "gym" part to it, not just the pool. And sometimes I just don't want to hop in to all that chlorine, okay? Anyway, somehow I got myself a little banged up whilst getting off a machine (bike or elliptical, I think)...and now it appears I have a beautiful bruise adorning my super muscular legs. :) Fun times. Nothing like injuring yourself moving BETWEEN machines, right? 5) Glee. OK, so you all know how crazy I am about this show. Yes, it's been a few years...and I have grown and matured so much :) you would think I would grow out of this phase, or something. Not so. I have been watching this past season's episodes in order for a few days now (don't judge me...it's my summer), and I almost cried a few times. Seriously. A little because of Cory Montieth. I mean, enough said. Don't want to dredge up those sad memories. And a little because I just love this show so much...and I feel bad for the cast! Oh my.....I am a little too involved. Hence the going to the gym today...had to press "Pause" on the ipad and get out of here for an hour...Moving on.... 6) My school gave all of us cool teachers ipads this summer. I am loving it. For the 6 of you who read this blog - what are your favorite apps that I should be downloading (for free, obviously)? Reminder: SCHOOL issued ipad. Yes. 7) I went to Colorado (sorry, out of order here...) and had. a. blast. The Kleinsasser family is one of the best, in my opinion. Just. The. Best. Oh, we just have fun together. Colorado is not to shabby of a location, either. I found myself thinking, "What schools might have openings here...?" Then I remembered SNOW, and thought, "Oh yeah. Cali it is." ha ha ha ha. Reunion highlights: driving in the rental car with my sibs, sharing a hotel room with the one and only Heidi Cole, running up to Zack, giving a big hug and saying, "You're having a girl!" (meaning, his WIFE is having a baby girl...in December...), a jeep ride through some small towns, window shopping with H, RAFTING (fear = conquered), having a crush on the raft guides (2 of the 3 I met, anyway. One is engaged. The other...well, he lives in Colorado...so...)ROOK TOURNAMENT = no big deal, I was on the team that made it to the semi-finals. Yeah, like I said, no big deal (thanks, cousin Mike!) Sunday morning church = I was bawling and tears were streaming down my face...oh man...Joel can PREACH, I am telling you! Oh dear...and I almost forgot! Heidi and I were the one and only talent show performers......we rocked it, naturally. And there is a semi-embarrassing video to document it all. Me and my silly dance moves....shoot. 8) "Strengths Finder 2.0". Have you heard of this? Have you taken the test and discovered YOUR strengths? My pal Kelly told me last year that I needed to buy this book and take the test online to see where my strengths lie - since it was obvious that CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT was not one of them. I guess she thought she'd encourage me to find some others...ha ha ha! So, I took the test - laughed out loud during the test - because some of the situations they make you choose from are SO ME, and some of the situations I was like "Um...both?" but you can't pick both. Take it for yourself - you will understand what I mean. So..you are sitting on the edge of your seat as you read this wondering what my top 5 are, aren't you?? Just admit it, you are. Ha. OK...drum roll please.... 1) Empathy. 2) Woo. 3) Positivity.. 4) Communication. 5) Developer. So - I am spending some time reading through what that all means for me...and I had to laugh out loud, again, when I read the initial thoughts on these - because they are so dead on. Oh man....fun times over here. Thanks for the suggestion, Kelly! Well, I gotta go to bed (er...watch another episode of Glee...? no! I am off to bed, for real!)so I hope this list finds you well. I just wanted to document a few of the happenings here in my little life. Oh, I almost forgot: a high school (elementary/middle/high school) friend Sara had a baby girl today (or was it yesterday? With so many Glee episodes my head is kind of spinning...)Anyway, the exciting thing is that she had a baby girl and named her....ELLISON! I mean....that is just too cute...and so so so close to my name that it is the best name ever. So yay for Sara, Conrad, and Ellison. Welcome to the world. Once you know how to read, you can check out my blog. :)