Road Trip

And we're off.

We desperately need a little weekend getaway.

Even if this little getaway is Tulsa, Oklahoma. :)

We're going to spend the day with one of my dearest college friends and her fiance! I'm in her wedding in June, and I haven't seen her since she visited us in Rhode Island about year and a half ago. I. can't.wait.

And while my sweet husband is driving, I will be doing this:

Grading dozens of papers. Planning lessons. Working on school. Taking a little snooze.

Fun times.

Hope all you lovelies have a WONDERFUL SATURDAY!!!

WILW

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

It's funny how the short weeks always seem the longest. Needless to say, I'm extremely happy Friday is almost here!! And I'm also happy to be playing along with cutie-pie Jamie in What I'm Loving Wednesday. Please join in on the linkety-link fun! ;)

1). I'm LOVING that it has been in the 60's this week. (And I'm really loving that we can get those kiddos outside for recess...burn off that energy!)

2). I'm LOVING that Mr. Ruby and I could take the pups for a walk on a nature trail (see #1 above).

3). I'm LOVING that I get to see one of my besties and her fiance this week. We're taking a quick day trip this weekend.

4). I'm LOVING Stacy's Pita Chips. I've always loved em', but I have a new slight obsession. I've eaten them every day since moving back.

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5). I'm LOVING our new glass storage containers from World Market. When we moved, we got rid of all of our plastic containers, and we're slowly building up glass (or bpa free) containers.

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6). I'm LOVING this dress. Yes, it's in the Junior's Department at Nordstrom. And yes, it's champagne (which too closely resembles ivory). And yes, I do not have any income. Three strikes. I will not be purchasing this for any of the NINE weddings we have coming up.

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7). I'm LOVING my CamelBak water bottle I got in Nantucket last summer. With all the talking, I need to stay hydrated! Now if only I could have more bathroom breaks...

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What are YOU loving, My Friends?

Memoir Monday - I am lame

Happy Monday Dear Blog Friends!

Before I get into my memoir-a-ganza, I just want to say thank you to all my darling readers. I love your comments. I love reading your blogs. And I love how you make me smile.

I digress.

To re-cap my weekend is quite simple. I did a lot of this:

And I felt (and still feel) like this:

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I have been trying to get caught up in school. Aside from student teaching, tutoring, lesson planning, and buying a house, it's been hard to get any school work done.

Oh, and I'm starting to FREAK OUT with the whole not-making-any-money-during-student-teaching thing. I can't even think about the home expenses that are going to start adding up once we close on our house. Not to mention the fact that wedding season is in full swing starting...now. I need income. And it's really starting to make me insane in the membrane.

Any ideas? Advice? Does anyone need me to babysit/walk your dog/feed your lizard?

So instead of focusing on my brain-overloaded stress-face, I am going to pretend that this was our weekend:

How was YOUR weekend? Did you also run off to beautiful beachy islands like we did?

What's wrong with this picture?

Ok. I don't really have a picture.

So, you're going to have to visualize here.

What's wrong with this picture?

• Last week, Wichita set a record temperature of -17°. Today, it was 74°.

• I haven't done laundry in two and a half weeks.

• It is 8:30 p.m., and the moment I am done blogging, I plan to go to sleep.

• I ate 3 Twix bars for dinner.

• I accidentally plugged the other side of my nose while doing the Neti Pot, and the solution went down my throat.

• I haven't worked out in 2 weeks, and subsequently, my cheeks are getting plumper. (Both sets of cheeks).

• I dropped my Mac off the bed.

• I am looking forward to having Monday off for President's Day simply so I can catch up in school. Kind of an oxymoron.

SO happy tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! :)

Evidence

I don't see how you would need any more proof that I am getting old(er):

1). I no longer have fun when surrounded by college-age coeds taking shots, hitting on the opposite sex, and bumping and grinding. (Oh wait, I never had fun in this scenario).

2). I have two drinks, and I feel like I need a week to recuperate.

3). I find myself saying "Is it just me, or is this music way too loud?" at least 3 times.

4). The idea of staying home baking cinnamon rolls sounds like my idea of a fabulous Saturday night.

5). I wear a CARDIGAN to the bars. Yes, a cardigan.

Evidence from the weekend:

Just to prove that I am still fun. Mr. Ruby was the photojournalist of the evening. He decide to take a couple "candid" shots. I was rolling when I saw these.

Memoir Monday - Be My Valentine

Oh, Valentine's Day.

The Hallmark holiday created to spike the sales of roses, chocolates, cards, and ridiculously-priced restaurants.

Cynical much?

To be honest, I actually really enjoy Valentine's Day. I always have. I love me some red, pink and white colored EVERYTHING. And some of my most favorite memories are from grade school days with homemade valentine boxes and excuses to give love notes to the cutest boy in class.

And now that I'm a (almost) teacher, I get to spread the love to my STUDENTS. So exciting!

So, I spent some of my weekend putting together little valentine goodies for the kiddos, and a special little gift for my host teacher. Awesome trip down memory lane.

What did you do this weekend? Any preparations for V-Day? Feel free to join in on Memoir Monday!!! :)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

There is so much I'm LOVING on this "feels like" -11° Wednesday!

1). I'm LOVING that it's, you guessed it, another SNOW DAY! I slept in until 9 am (which I haven't done in about 6 months), and I'm trying to drink lots of water and rest because my body is FIGHTING something nasty in my rattling chest.

2). I'm LOVING that the topic of every conversation lately has been homeowners stuff. I feel like such an adult. (It's about time, right?)

3). I'm LOVING step aerobics. Well, it probably doesn't constitute as "LOVING" since I've only been once. But what a workout - my calves have been sore for 3 days. Oh, and I was definitely "that" girl who had no idea what she was doing...I tried to keep up. But instead, I just kept flailing my arms, kicking in the wrong direction, and tripping over my step. HA! Practice makes perfect...hopefully???

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4). I'm LOVING this dining room table from World Market. This picture does not do it justice, but it's perfectly worn and fits the cottage style we love so much. I guess we just need to get the house first...

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5). I'm LOVING World Market. (See number 4 above). No seriously, Mr. Ruby and I loved every.single.thing. in the entire store. And there are awesome membership perks if you sign up...we get 10% off our next purchase, which will be a pretty nice discount on a dining room set!

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6). I'm LOVING all things organic! Ok, maybe not all things. I mean, that's not hardly practical. But we are really trying to buy more organic items, especially milk, veggies, fruits, and chicken. This is a whole other blog post in itself...but I'm still trying to educate myself on the topic.

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Link up with THE Jamie if you'd like to play along. Happy Wednesday! :)

Memoir Monday - Celebration Style

Happy Monday!

New life in Kansas is chuggin right along.

This weekend was jam-packed with burritos, hubby time, The Social Network (highly recommend), Superbowl parties, furniture shopping, and CELEBRATIONS!

Why?

Well, we signed a contract on house!!! After an offer and multiple counter-offers, and our ability to walk away from a house we really wanted...they came back a few days later and said they would accept our offer.

Yippee!

Although this news is beyond exciting, it's incredibly nerve-wracking. And chunks begin to rise a little every time I think of it. (Not sure if it's the excitement or the nerves.)

But, we still have to order an inspection. So...barring there are no major issues, we will have a HOUSE.

So. Crazy.

More information forthcoming once things are more set in stone.

High Fives. Yeah for buying our FIRST HOUSE!

Proper Celebrations. Wouldn't be a true celebration without our longtime besties.

Spreading the news. We decided to celebrate with everyone we came in contact with.

Cheers. No seriously, we're getting a house.

So...how was your weekend?!?! Feel free to play along and share your weekend re-cap Memoir Monday Style! :)

Just another Sunday

There is absolutely nothing I love more than finding "our places" when Mr. Ruby and I move somewhere new.

Local hot spots.

Little places off the beaten path.

Our restaurant.

Our bike path.

Our coffee shop.

Not only is it exciting, but there is something so intimate about finding a place where we can go together that we can call "ours".

And although we grew up in the city we are currently residing, we are bound and determined to find new places...little spots that can be designated as ours. This actually hasn't been so difficult, seeing that Mr. Ruby has been away for 9 years, and I've been gone for almost 5. "Home" has changed completely. And it's really cool to live here as an adult...and not as a child/teenager.

So. After being here nearly a month, we've found something we were desperately looking for.

You see, when we lived in Rhode Island, there was this coffee shop that was totally our spot. Amazing coffee. Great place to work and study. Really good chicken salad wraps. I was so devastated to say goodbye to our little coffee shop, where we spent out Sundays.

But we have finally found one.

And they actually have FREE REFILLS on coffee. Can you believe that?

We've been parked here for a few hours today on this beautiful Sunday. So happy!!!

On a Mission

Despite the blistery cold, bitter wind, and blanket of white powder, I was on a mission.

And when I get something in my mind that I have to see/do/get, I do not care what gets in my way. I will reach my final destination.

This particular mission had several obstacles to overcome:

1). The windchill was -20°.

2). The wind was blowing 25 mph.

3). My mom and husband both told me "Do not get out in this weather today. There's a reason why school was cancelled and people are working from home." (Do you think I listened?)

Getting ready to battle the icy streets.

4). Our neighborhood streets were brutal.

5). My car actually got stuck. My wheels spun around and around, but I couldn't get anywhere.

After a trip that took 25 minutes but should have only taken 5 minutes, I finally got what I was searching for.

Caffeine.

And not just any caffeine. Diet Dr. Pepper. From QUIK TRIP.

Oh my goodness how I have missed QT's!

Needless to say, it was totally worth it.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!! :)

Meet the Teacher

Today is a JOYFUL day:

• Today is snow day #2 of this week.

• The adorable Cara over at The First Grade Parade is doing a super fun link up for TEACHERS!

Now, I hope I'm not breaking the rules because I'm not technically a teacher yet, but I'm soon on my way!!! So go ahead, link up with Cara and play along.

Meet the (soon-to-be) Teacher.

Hi. My name is Angela. I'm married to my high school best friend Gabe. And I have never actually said our names here on this ol' blog of mine. So there you have it. Ang & Gabe.

We were besties in high school and then began dating about a week after graduation. I can remember sitting in Gabe's little red truck in my parent's driveway talking about "our future". It went a little something like this, "Well, I'm going to college and you're going to the marines. So, it would be kind of hard to date long-distance. But I really like you. So, do you just want to date for the summer and then break up when the summer is over?"

And there it was. The breakup pact of summer 2002.

Well after 4 years long distance, 2 deployments to Iraq, and over $10,000 spent in flights to see each other...we got married. And our little pact was worthless. :)

This June will be our 5 year anniversary.

Bar Harbor, Maine - Third Anniversary

If I had to use one word to sum up the last 4 1/2 years of my life it would be CHANGING.

• Right after we got married, we moved to 29 Palms, California where Gabe finished up his time in the military.

Our backyard = desert

Then, I got a corporate job and they moved us to Dallas, TX.

The famous Texas State Fair

Then, my job moved us to our always-and-forever-second-home Rhode Island. This is where we made the best friends of our entire lives.

Downtown Providence

Colt State Park

With my corporate job, I traveled all over the country recruiting college students to be entry-level managers. I loved it. But I had to follow my gut, I had to follow my calling (which had been calling me for YEARS) and decided to go back to school to be an elementary teacher.

Corporate just wasn't fitting for me - the color coded folders and bright colors all over my office were just begging me to become an elementary teacher. :)

Now, we live back home in our hometown in Kansas. I am student teaching in a fourth grade classroom in one of the best districts in our area. I am in love. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Q & A Time!

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?
A: I can't even think about being anything else but a teacher. But...if I wasn't a teacher, I think I'd want to be a stay-at-home-mama-bear.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I seriously love everything photography (I am not a photographer but I love taking pics and equally love looking at others' pics), reading, bargain shopping, dining at new restaurants, and trying new recipes.

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A teacher. No, really! I was an only child, and I used to set up all of my stuffed animals and TEACH to them. If my cousins were ever around, I'd force them to be my students. And my mom used to go to garage sales and buy me used teacher's edition textbooks...those were my most favorite gifts ever.

Q: What are your guilty pleasures?
A: Chicken burritos from OTB, Twilight (books and movies), Diet Coke, Garden Salsa Sunchips, Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of OC/Beverly Hills, Gossip Girl, sleeping in late on Saturdays (and by late, I mean 8:00).

Q: What is your biggest fear?!
A: Spiders. I hate everything about them.

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go?
A: I love traveling everywhere! I love a tropical beach resort, but I also like an outdoorsy camping trip. I like variety. And I particularly like places off-the-beaten-path. Places that only the locals know about.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: Don't ever give up, Always look for the best in others, Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Q: What do you value most in others?
A: Compassion. I truly value individuals who think of others before themselves and who are always thinking of ways to spread love to those who need it.

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be?
A: My zest for life. When I love something, I REALLY LOVE it. I am an all-around enthusiastic person and put my all into everything I do. And I just really love life.

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be?
A: Oh. This is a tough one. I think I'd have to say Ellen DeGeneres, so that I could laugh the entire time.

Now tell us one random thing about yourself:

When I unload the dishwasher, I put the clean plates under the plates that are already in the cabinet. I want to make sure everything gets equal use. OCD much?