Things I'm Loving Friday XVI

It’s FRIDAY, and though it’s not the first Friday of the new year, and I know I missed posting a Things I’m Loving Friday last Friday, I thought I would start this school year off on the right note and give one to you guys today. As a teacher, my weeks are measured by the school calendar anyway, right?

Anyway, I will say that I am so glad it is Friday. I used to think I was a morning person, and I still am very cheerful in the morning, but waking up early has only gotten harder for me. And I’m lucky that I can get ready for school extremely quickly. I have to give a shout out to my curly hair for making that one possible.

We’ve had some very C-O-L-D weather here in Texas this week, and it’s no secret that I am not a fan of layering. What I find is that I’ll bundle up for about one minute of outside time, and once I get to where I need to go, the building has over-compensated for the temperature outside, and I end up shedding layer after layer after layer. So I’ve decided to just brave the cold with what I’ve got, because chances are that I won’t be outside for too long. Rant over, I promise. And without further ado, here are some Things I’m Loving Friday.

Vests

I invested (hehe, punny) in a vest last year around Christmastime. It was kind of a random, almost impulse purchase, because I am not always sure if I can pull off a vest, but because it was both in a winter white color, as well on sale, I decided to go for it. For something without sleeves, it keeps me surprisingly warm. I’ve worn it to school a couple of times (that’s about as many layers as I’m willing to deal with), and I have worn it quite a bit recently when taking walks around my neighborhood. I’ll wear something long-sleeved underneath the vest, and it works wonders. The vest I purchased is from Old Navy (and I can’t seem to find it anywhere online), though I have seen some cute (albeit a bit more expensive) and similar vests from J. Crew.

My go-to look

Mossimo Boots

Ankle boots, or booties, but I for some reason just don’t like that term, are a very popular trend these days. I still love my riding boots, but I, too, have fallen in love with the ankle boots phase. I have both a brown and a black pair, and I get quite a few compliments whenever I wear my black ones. People are often surprised when I tell them I found them at Target (no offense to Target, because it’s one of my very favorite stores). They are the Mossimo brand, and not only are they cute, but they are comfortable. They have a little heel on them, but it’s more of a wedge, making it possible for me to wear them at school, when I am on my feet all day. Unfortunately, I cannot find a link to them, but they are the boots pictured above the “Bootie” caption on the Women’s Boots homepage.

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Colored Pants

I don’t really like wearing slacks. I have a couple of pairs that work for me, but others of them are too baggy in all the wrong places. I suppose I could have them tailored, but when my place of work has a pretty lax dress code, why spend the extra money? Instead of wearing jeans every single day (though I certainly have my weeks), I have grown accustomed to wearing different-colored pants - pink, blue, gray, red, you name, I'll probably find a way to wear it. A little dressier than jeans, and a little cuter than slacks. My go-to pants are from Anthropologie (no real surprise there), but I see colored pants all over the place. I’m currently on the lookout for a pair of green pants, as well as a pair of burnt orange(ish) pants, so if you happen to know where I can get my legs into some of those, please send them my way!

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Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell has been on my to-read list for a while, but a lot of authors have been on my to-read list. A couple of weeks ago I was hanging out with the other members of JAKL (Jeff, Alex, Kelli, Lindsay), and Malcolm Gladwell’s The Outliers came up in conversation. We’re all four pretty nerdy, so this is no surprise. Both Alex and Lindsay said they really enjoyed it, so the next time I found myself at Barnes & Noble, I made sure to pick this one up. I was absolutely hooked. I read over 200 pages in one day, because it was just so interesting to read about how some of the most successful people in our world today were in the right place at the right time, or maybe they were born at the right time, or into the right family. 

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It takes about 10,000 hours to master something, and my favorite line from the book was this, “Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.” Yes, teaching is hard, but it one of the most meaningful jobs that I can think of. One of my students was repeating English I this year, and I had him in my 5^th period class. He wasn’t on my roster for this semester, and he told me that he had passed the second semester, so he didn’t need to take it again this year. I told him to keep in touch (because secretly he was one of my favorites), and he promised he would come visit me during lunch often. It’s moments like those that make it all worth it. So, it comes as no surprise that I very recently purchased Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, and I can’t wait to get started.

 

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And that’s all I’ve got for you today, folks. But before I go, here’s a little update on the running front. I’ve run 33 miles so far this year, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a few dry spells here and there this upcoming weekend so that I can squeeze in a few more. This is the last weekend before half marathon weekend, and I am getting pumped! I’m a little nervous about the weather, but rain or shine it’s happening, so it’s probably better to just take it as it comes. Be sure to check back next week for a Things I’m Loving Friday: Running Edition! Have a great one!