Weekend Compilation

Happy Sunday! I'm headed back to Austin in a few hours, but I thought I would check in with you guys first. Yesterday was a fairly jam-packed day, as I participated in a last-minute CPR/AED training, so I am now 100% ready to coach volleyball. And when I say I'm 100% ready, I mean that in the technical sense. Mentally, I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting there!

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I hope I never have to administer CPR, but I am glad I had to get re-certified, because I'll be completely honest - I didn't remember much of anything from the last time I was trained. I also ordered a Mini CPR Keychain that contains a breathing barrier, so that I could potentially perform CPR wherever I go without having to worry about catching any diseases. It sounds bad to say that, but our instructor continually reiterated the fact that we have to protect ourselves first, and I would hate to stand back and watch something horrible happen because I am worried about what might happen to me.

I took that class in Baytown, which is about a 40 minute drive from my house. I got out around 11:30am, and shortly after returning home, I started sorting through some of my book collection to decide which ones would make the trip to my new classroom. I packed some of them up in a box, and I have another large box that is being stored over at my grandmother's house, so I am well on my way.

That being said, this is my plea to any of my wonderful readers - if you have any old books that you remember reading in high school, or that you would have enjoyed reading in high school, and don't want them anymore, I, as well as my students, would so appreciate you sending them our way. I want my students to fall in love with reading the same way I did, finding the joy that comes from reading and getting lost in a whole other world, being able to identify with a character in the novel, and there are so many books out there that can make kids fall in love with reading. Okay, I'm done, so back to our regularly scheduled events!

After I had gathered up and organized a few things for my classroom, I set to work in the kitchen. I have probably mentioned before how much baking seems to calm me, and after sending Dylan a picture containing about 70 cookies, he asked me if I was stress baking. It occurred to me that the fact that I become a professional in just five short days was probably the underlying cause of this cookie extravaganza. But, my family sure wasn't complaining when they came home to all of these cookies!

I spent almost two hours baking all of those cookies, before deciding that it was probably time to hit the gym for a workout. Because I have been doing my beloved Pure Barre classes lately, I have been neglecting the pool, so I decided to sneak in a little swim and sauna time before treating myself to a salad from Salata while getting a deluxe pedicure. We're all worth a little splurge, right?

I certainly knew where I was when I walked in to a nail salon full of moms all dolled up drinking wine and gossiping about their kids. Home sweet home, right? And I say all of that in the nicest way possible, because they never say anything malicious, and they deserve a little pampering, too!

And to round out my day, I finally did something with the hundreds upon hundreds of pictures I had taking up lots of space in my backpack. I knew I wanted to create some sort of "All About Me," that would quickly tell my students a little bit about their teacher, but that would also serve as a keepsake for me. I came across one of my old empty bulletin boards, as well as some cute button pushpins, so I set to work creating the perfect combination. I feel as though this collection tells a lot about me, with pictures that tell a story of my love for UT, my family, my friends and roommates, Dylan, and running and travel, among other things.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple thousand that sum these past few years up pretty perfectly.

And on that note, I'm off to organize what few things I have left to take back to Austin. Five days and I call this place home again. It's bittersweet, for sure!