Hilarious Happenings

Before I get to anything I just HAVE to share with you all of the hilarious things that I have seen over the past few days.

Ok, so its like two things really, but trust me they are GOOD!

The other day I was driving along, on my way to tan it up at the tanning bed and I get behind a car at a red light. Now, this is nooo ordinary car. The owner must be one hell of a creative mind...

Settle for having no rear-view mirror?! NO WAY! This guy just uses his GENIUS to tape a CD to fill in the space. Hey, its reflective right?! Wow this guy is smart. I just HAD to snap a pic of this.

Second thing, I was rummaging through the art teacher's marker stash yesterday. Mainly because I freakin LOVE markers...especially the ones that are "special" colors. You know the ones. Anyways I stumbled upon these markers mixed in amongst the others...

Thats right...a whole pack of markers filled with different color skin tones and labeled "multicultural". And just look at how happy those kids are on the box. FINALLY they have a marker to represent them!

Yesterday was my last day filling in for the art teacher. That was truly a blessing to have gotten that opportunity. It started out just randomly subbing for her for ONE DAY and turned into a THREE WEEK job! I am so glad that I got to do it. All of the kids were amazing and the other teachers and administrators were so nice! I even made a little BFF while I was there. And received this from him yesterday:

In case you can't read "3rd grader" it says "I will miss you when summer break starts and when I'm at Cherokee." Before he made it he asked what my favorite color was and I said purple. How cute is that?!

My vacation officially started last night when I got off work at Rave at 930. I clocked in 41.5 hours in FOUR DAYS! Needless to say, I think I pretty much died when I came home last night. I crashed in my bed at 1030! I woke up this morning pretty early. Damn you body clock! But, since I did go to bed so early I figured I still got some good sleep. Here are my "I Spy" oats. Notice its still early, but a little more decent :)

What else can you "spy" in the picture?!

Tomorrow I am hittin the road to go to Charleston for a whole week. Let me tell you...I am PUMPED!! I can't wait for the beach!

We are leaving early tomorrow morning and then tomorrow night I have a 5K on the beach! I have not done too much running on the beach, so hopefully I will do OK! Wish me luck!

Since I have basically been a non-stop work machine all week I have TONS to get finished up today for the vacation. Here is my list so far:

• Clean out my car (It is a MESS)
• Go to the grocery store for snack foods for the drive.
• Do my nails and toes. (a MUST for the beach)
• Hair Appointment
• Tanning Bed
• Run
• PACK!

Im sure there is more. WOW I gotta get started!

Hope everyone is kickin their weekend off right!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

One Small Step

Ok, so you know that crazy feeling that I said that I have been getting about something exciting happening?! Well, it has gotten even more weird!

I don't know how many of you really believe in "signs" or anything like that. But I sure do. So I have been getting that feeling for a few days now and then two nights ago I had the craziest dream!

It was about my ex boyfriend. And not just any ex...THE ex. Im not sure if I have mentioned him on here before. We dated for about 3 years at the end of highschool and beginning of college. This is the guy that I though I was going to be with for forever. And when we broke up I was devastated. I went though a really hard time with, and we even discussed him a lot in therapy as a possible trigger for my eating disorder (feeling out of control about the breakup and needing to counteract it with the control of my body). Not saying that he was the SOLE reason, but def. a part of it.

Basically my dream was about just letting him go. For good. I have hung on to that relationship for years, and compared every other boy to him. When I woke up I knew it was time for to move on. If I was going to go any further with my life, I had to let him go.

I have kept this box of notes and pictures from when were together for forever...yesterday I pulled it out, and without thinking twice about it, I threw it in the dumpster at work last night. I am moving on now, I have let that part of my life go, and I'm not gonna compare any more. Its time for something NEW!

Ok, I hope you guys don't think that I am absolutely crazy or anything now. haha. It is just one of those things that I had to deal with.

Onto EATS!

Of course I had my blogs and oats in the morning before going to school to be the art teacher.

I made sure to get several bits of info into one picture...banana oats, blogs on the laptop, fave flannel pj pants, early as HELL!, cup of coffee, and animal print pillow (of course). Its almost like a page out of I Spy!

Then it was my packed lunch at my desk

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter (FAVE!), Blackberry Preserves, Banana, on Honey Wheat Bread, and some Honey Wheat Pretzels. With a little side of "Plans for the Sub".

After I subbed I had to work at the Rave last night. I will be doing this for the next three days!! That is a total of 40.5 hours of work in 4 days!!! But after that I leave for the beach, so I will have plenty of time to recuperate.

When I went into work I noticed that we had gotten in the cutest new top! I figured since I have been straight workin my ass off, I deserved a new top...the best part?! It has a unique back (of course!) :)

This is a picture of the back of the shirt. OH SO BEACHY!

Alright guys...gotta JET! I am a teacher by day and a raver by night! haha. WISH ME LUCK!

Hope everyone has a Happy Hump Day!

Lots of Love <3 Ems.

Field Day!

Im pretty sure that this picture accurately describes my day:

Or maybe this:

• TONS OF KIDS
• TONS OF WATER
• TONS OF FUN!

I am still filling in for the art teacher at the elementary school, because she broke her foot and today was FIELD DAY! Do any of you remember field day from the good ol' elementary school days? I remember it was the best day EVER! Def. one that everyone looked forward too.

Today was sooo much fun even on the other side of the spectrum as a teacher. The event that I had to run was called "Finding Nemo"...the kids had to run down to a huge bucket of water, fish out plastic fish into a small bowl, and then run back while trying to balance the "fish bowl" on top of their heads. The kids were SOAKED!

Of course, in the spirit of fun I let the kids dump the big bucket of water all over eachother after they were done with the game. They all kept saying that my event was the most fun :) And the scary fifth graders may have gotten me a little soaked too! I didn't care though, it felt sooo good because it was HOT out there!

My internet was out all night last night, it was getting late so I just gave up on it and assumed that by this morning it would be all fixed up so I could do my normal routine of oats and blogs in the pjs. Well, no such luck...

Don't you just HATE that when the little "address not found" window comes up?! Ick! But, at least my oats were good :)

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/2 a Naner
• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• CINNAMON!
• Maple Syrup
• Kashi Flax Cereal

After I finished that up I hit the road to go to school. Lunch was packed, of course.

• 2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
• Deli Turkey
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Spicy Honey Mustard

I also MAY have stolen some pretzels from the regular art teacher's stash. Hey, I'm filling in for her for THREE WEEKS, I think I deserve some of her pretzels. haha.

When I finally got home OH MY GOSH I WAS DEAD TIRED!!! I swear, I can usually never ever take a nap. As hard as I try I just can NOT sleep during the day. Well, today I got home, walked straight to my room, threw down my purse, and landed face first on my bed. I woke up about an hour later with my tennis shoes still on and my sunglasses still on top of my head! haha. Good stuff.

After I woke up from my much needed nap I took a shower and ran to the grocery store for just a few essentials. Nothing too exciting because I am leaving for the beach on Saturday, so I'm trying to not buy too much food until then.

I got home and fixed up some dinner.

Veggie Burger on Arnold's Sandwich Thins with Spinach, Mustard, Ketchup, and Tomato. Also, on the side some steamed Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Carrots.

One thing that totally made my today...when I FINALLY got logged on to the Internet I found this little award that the beautiful Megan had given to me!

I think this award was just great because it is soooo fitting. Everyone in this community is just such a great support! I was so surprised at how sweet everyone was when I first started blogging and there have been some of your girls that I feel like I have really built a great relationship with! I LOVE every single one of you and think that you are all amazing, beautiful girls. I am going to pass this award on to a few girls that I feel I have really gotten close to and who have been a great support to me.

• Jenny
• Mica
• Sam
• Katie
• Baylee
• Anna
• Amy
• Janetha

Love you girls <3

Ok I have two hours to get my stuff ready and packed up for my day of art teaching tomorrow, so gotta jet!

Did everyone have a good memorial day?!

Lots of Love <3 Ems.

"Me Day"

Good Morning Loves! I am so sorry that I have neglected my blogging duties. Juggling two jobs is TOUGH! With substitute teaching and Rave combined I will work 45 hours this week! Yesterday was the busiest day so far. I subbed in the morning until 330, went to tan, went into Rave at 5 and didn't get to leave there until MIDNIGHT! Whew!! I decided that today was going to be a "Me Day". I need the break for sure!

Fun activities that I have included for today you ask?

• Farmers Market with the Moms...first time of the season :)
• Target Trip
• Fun run with the sissy
• Breaking out the new sundress that I have not had a chance to wear yet...Its gonna be sunny and 80 today!

Oh yeah...and did I mention the best thing of all?!

OATS AND BLOGS!

I took a picture of my "desk lunch" yesterday too. I just think its too funny to pass up. I really do not feel like I'm old enough to be a "teacher", I honestly still feel like I'm 18...is that a bad thing?! I just don't think that I will ever really grow up. But I think thats OK, I think everyone should be that way. People that take themselves too seriously are a bore! And I think teaching is the perfect profession to get in touch with your inner kid!

• Hummus Sandwich on Honey Wheat with hummus, spinach, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
• A few pretzels...that I end up putting inside the sandwich
• Cheddar rice cakes
• Glamour Magazine :)

And a HUGE thanks to my girl Jenn for entertaining me via text while I had the dreaded 5TH GRADERS yesterday. I love ya for it dear and I hope your knee gets better!! You better be icing that thing like crrrazzzy!

I have some infomercials on in the background and for some reason now I REALLY need one of these:

I seriously may look for this during my outings today. We have "as seen on TV" store here, so there may be a chance! With all my crazy back shirts, I could put it to good use.

Ok kiddos, I'm off to start my "Me Day". I leave you with this little blast from the past that I found on my computer while cleaning up my pictures. It is me at Disney World in 2006. Check out the Punk Rock Hair cut...that me on the left. It was SUPER short in the back and BRIGHT RED! Ohhh I was quite the rebel!

And here is me and the sissy from Disney the same year. I love this picture. Kelly's face just says it all. It was about 105 degrees and we were crammed in a hot bus rubbed up against sweaty strangers.

Hope everyone is having a HAPPY HUMP DAY!

Lots of Love <3 Ems.

Livin' the Life...

Of an Elementary School Art Teacher, that is. In bed by 10, up by 530, packed lunches, rowdy kids, hands blue from markers...and funny thing is...I'm kinda liking it. Alot.

Not to say it hasn't been rough, but a good kind of rough...ya know? The kind of days where you come home feeling like you have been hit by a train, but somehow in a good way. A way that you know you put your time in today and you DID something worth doing. Because easy things aren't even worth it, its the hard things that make you stronger and make you who you are.

I have to admit, I was getting discouraged with the job search and losing touch with the part of me that really wanted to be a teacher in the first place. I was starting to question if it was even something that I wanted to do with my life. But now I see that I was only questioning it because it was hard, not because it wasn't what I wanted. Now I want it more than ever. I LOVE being a teacher, I LOVE the kids, I LOVE the school. It fits. Its me. I can't wait to have my own classroom.

So I know that I have missed a couple of days of blogging, but that is because I have been dead tired for the past three days. With being sick and still working every morning, I pretty much come home and crash! BUT I did take pictures of what its like to eat breakfast and lunch as a "teach".

Breakfast #1:

Banana Pancake Oats...eaten atop my flannel pj's while sitting on my bed reading blogs on the laptop.

Close-Up/Break-Down:

• 1/2 Cup Oats
• 1/2 Cup of Skim Milk
• LOADS of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Banana
• Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• Kashi Flax Cereal

Lunch Day #1

Turkey Sandwich on Wheat eaten atop my desk, with my caffeine fix (gotta have it), a note that says "your the best", and a grade book to the right.

Breakfast Day #2:

Apple Cinnamon Oats eaten atop my leopard print throw. Includes:

• Chopped Apple
• 1/2 Cup Oats
• 1/2 Cup Skim Milk
• LOADS of Cinnamon
• Kashi Flax Cereal

Lunch Day #2:

Hummus and Spinach Sandwich, Pretzels, and an Apple (oh the irony)...eaten atop my desk with all kinds of good teacher-y stuff up there!!

So there you have two breakfasts and lunches in the life of a teacher. Pretty exciting right?...ummm...

Also, like I said before, me being sick gave me an excuse to relax and rest a little. And also to catch up on my cinema. I watched Twilight...which was good, but nothing GREAT. Sorry guys, I know a lot of you are big fans. Then I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Let me just tell you, if you have not seen this movie...GO NOW! It was AMAZING. I seriously loved every minute of it. I laughed, I cried...it was great. There was one quote that I loved in the movie and when I was at school I looked up the exact wording because I could not get it out of my head.

I jotted it down, and when I was bored during my "planning" period I made it all pretty.

"You can be mad as hell at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates...but when it comes to an end, you have to let it go."

This just hit so close to home for me, because I have a really hard time letting things go. Especially things that did not turn out the way that I had wanted them to. Sure I could be angry at how things turned out. But when its over its over, and keeping those angry feelings inside only make it worse and won't turn back time. When things end you just have to let them end and learn for next time. I think the practically reminds me of relationships that I have had in the past.

Now, I am off the enjoy the weekend!!!....uhhh...tomorrow, right now I'm ready for SLEEP!

Hope everyone has a fun and exciting weekend.

Lots of Love, <3 Ems

What a Pain in the @$$!!

Well, its official. Not two minutes after I had taken the test, the nurse peaked her head into the freezing cold run that I was sitting in and whispered the words "positive for....

STREP!!!!".

Blah.

Ick.

Ewwww.

Why me?!

I of course being the "let's take the quickest way possible out of things" opted for the shot. I'm not sure at what point I regretted my decision the most...the point where the oh-so-flamboyant male nurse told me that he passed out from the same shot just last week, the point where he told me that now I had to lay down there for 10 minutes to make sure there were not "bad reactions", or the point where I could barely walk out of the doctor's office and starting bawling/laughing from the pain/tickling in my butt when I sat down in my car.

Now I am armed with my PJ's, a bottle of Advil, and two movies rented from "the red box" (how cool is that thing?!).

Twilight has successfully been watched...now onto The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I am usually so A.D.D. that I can never sit still long enough to watch a whole movie. When I'm sick (and usually only when it has been confirmed by a doctor), will I allow myself to "chill out" and sit still. Tonight is that kinda night.

Of course I did substitute today...and I already committed myself to subbing for the same teacher tomorrow and Friday because she broke her foot yesterday. I'm hoping that the shot will kick in and I will feel better by tomorrow.

Oh yeah! One more thing...Just check out this drawing that I received today...from a first grader who said I was "hott".

gotta love it.

And also a boy update. Mike called last night while I asleep...of course I woke up to talk to him. I have talked to him in 10 days because he has been in Costa Rica camped out in a tree house in the jungle with his friends. Yes. He is THAT kind of guy. Why I think he would ever settle down is beyond me. I had been waiting for him to call and was happy that he did. But we will see about that one. I think it may be a lost cause. (for those of you who do not know the "Mike" story check here.)

Alright kiddos, just thought I would fill everyone in on my very eventful series of events today. Back to some Brad Pitt and NyQuil to lull me off to sleep. Its bright and early again tomorrow!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

You Suck Internet Provider.

I'm not naming any names (for fear of some sort of big corporate reparation), but my Internet provider is slackin' as of late. Can you believe that I have not been able to connect to the Internet in TWO days. AND this is the second time this month this has happened...AND when I called them they said they didn't see that anything was wrong. WHAT THE HELL?! Come on guys, I'm paying you for this. You best be giving me what I'm paying for.

Ok enough ranting, its back now. I feel like walking on egg shells though, like any false move and I will get kicked off again.

Currently I am enjoying a lovely bowl of "banana pancake" oats. And catching up on all the blogs that I have missed the past couple of days.

YUMMMSSS!!

I have been busting my butt with the substituting gigs lately! Monday I was a Kindergarten teacher and yesterday I was a fifth grade teacher...Friday is 1st (my favorite grade). Gotta make that money!!

Also, I have been taking every precaution to treat my knee. After a week off from running I tried it again on Monday. I ran 4 miles...came home iced it for 30, heated it for thirty, rubbed pain reliever creme on it, and wrapped it for the rest of the day. Tuesday there was NO PAIN! But, I still wanted to take it easy so I just worked out on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Today I'm going to see how it goes at the gym before deciding what workout I want to do.

Yesterday at work I purchased the cutest little shirt. I have this sort of "theme" with my outfits. If they have some sort of unique back to them I HAVE to buy them. Everyone now associates me with these types of shirts, it kinda like an "Emily staple". I just think that a womans back is one of the most sexy parts of the body. Its seductive, but not skanky. haha. Don't you agree? Here is the latest addition to the collection:

While catching up with the blogs, I was stoked to see that I had received an award from one of my FAVE bloggettes Dulcie. I was super excited about this award, because I just think its great!

The Renee Award is one of the most meaningful awards in blog world because it honors someone who is incredibly inspirational in her intelligent and witty writing. And by doing so, this award celebrates women’s smart, strong and inspirational spirit! It honors women who spread joy and love like an Acorn……a small package growing into a tall and sturdy oak tree which gives more acorns…………..

First of all let me just tell you guys that each and everyone of you inspire me by your witty and funny antics and also with your strong spirits. There is not one blog that I read that doesn't make me laugh or smile every single day. And all of the blogs that I read inspire me and add to my life from day to day. I just love every single one of you guys. So if I comment on your blog at all, just know that you are AMAZING and that I am passing this award onto you as well!

NOW I HAVE SOME SUBJECTS TO ADDRESS FOR SOME OF MY READERS!

First of all Sam had asked what my drink of choice was. And I just have to say that it all depends. I really like to drink red wine at the house while I am getting ready to go out or if I am just chillin with friends in a restaurant or something. If I am out partyin' it up with friends...and trying to keep up with the boys (not that I can or anything, my boys are pretty extreme) I will take shots. My favorite shot is a yagerbomb, with sugar free red bull....because regular red bull with all that sugar mixed with alcohol just isn't a good idea for the ol' tummy. Funny story...one time I got asked by a guy at the bar WHO WAS ORDERING THE SAME DRINK, if I was on a "diet"...I looked at him, then looked at his drink and said "No, are you?!" nice pick up line. Ok back to the drinks...if I want to just not really drink much and just sip on something I will order a vodka cranberry or a light beer. My favorite beer in Yuenling light.

Ok, now I feel like an alcoholic. Don't judge! But, I feel like knowing the appropriate drink for you and where you are and what you are doing is important. I know EXACLTY how much of each of those drinks I can drink without going over bored and keep track meticulously throughout the night. Because I have such a god "game plan" as far as drinks go, I hardly ever get hangovers or regret anything the morning after...except maybe the texts...umm...still working on that one.

Next order of business Miss Emily is running her first 5K and she needs our help! She asked me for some tips about running and I can think of a few AND I know there are others of you out there that have a few tips as well. In the next couple of days I wanna do a post of running tips. SO PLEASE E-MAIL ME SOME OF YOUR BEST TIPS FOR TRAINING OR JUST RUNNING IN GENERAL. I'm going to put them all together, along with some research and tips of my own and make a post for her...and anyone else that can benefit from the tips.

Now I'm off to the gym!

Hope everyone is having a happy HUMP day!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture

Oh man! This weekend has just been crrazzzyy! I feel like I have pretty much gone non-stop. But I kept getting invites to do things, and if you know me you know I am always up for a fun time and when one of my friends wants to go out, I rarely say no.

Last night my friend Tina wanted to go out on the town, so of course she didn't have to twist my arm. Do I feel some pics about to go down?! I do think so.

We met up with some friends at a local bar downtown.

We laughed sooo hard at this picture because Josh failed at every attempt to take a decent picture. This was his worst shot. haha he is actually pretty cute, but he looks like a creep-o in this picture. Here are several more attempts.

Then I had to show him just how a great picture is taken:

As the night went on several more people showed up to hang out and I saw a lot of old friends. I tend to put the camera away after a few drinks though, because things tend to get a little difficult to keep up with after that. haha.

P.S. Aren't the little Polaroid cool? My friends told me about this program that you can find and download here. I just love it! Its so cool, this little camera pops up and all you do is drag and drop your pictures into the camera and out pops your Polaroid from your camera. Of course, you have to wait for the picture to develop. No shaking!

Today is a catch up day for sure, after that wild weekend. I woke up and fixed up some blueberry waffles with sliced banana and strawberries and maple syrup.

Then for lunch I was craving something just warm and good and comforting. What did I come up with?!

Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana DUH!

And just to show the ooey gooey goodness of the sandwich I present to you evidence #1

mmmmm

Also, this morning I was surfing the web for some owl tattoo ideas and check out what I found!

Its the tattoo that I described! An owl with the text "carpe diem", except I want "carpe noctem" and I want it a little smaller...and def somewhere less noticeable than smack dab on my arm. But other than that, thats it! I kinda thought it was an original idea, but guess not. haha. I still like it though...what do you guys think?

Ok Now its time for cleaning, running, tanning, and shopping with the sis. Then I gotta get up early to substitute teach for a Kindergarten class. AHH!!!

Hope everyone is having an awesome, relaxing Sunday.

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

Confusion Control

Good Saturday morning! How is everyone this morning?! Wild night last night? My night was pretty fun. One of my friends owns a vintage clothing store called Betty Janes. And they had a fashion show last night at this local club and it was sooo much fun! They got really crazy and threw out T-shirt and stuff. I totally picked up a yager shirt that my friend Brad threw out. haha. Here are some pictures from it:

The stage all set up

Theres Brad!

My friend Aaron

We were also celebrating the return of my friend Ben back to the states from his 4 month adventure back packing through South America. I just love this guy.

Josh is happy that he is home too.

OK NOW FOR THE STUFF YOU GUYS WERE WONDERING ABOUT!! I know that if you have just started reading this blog, you were probably SUPER confused by my last update. SO I will get you peeps back up to speed.

1. Boys - A lot of you were wondering who Mike is. Well, to make a long story short Mike is a guy that I had been long-distance dating for about a year. We met when he was traveling through my town for his work. He is a motorcycle mechanic and he was traveling with a group of Motocross guys while they competed all over the U.S. He was here for about a month, we hung out everyday...he left, immediately bought a plane ticket to come back here when he was finished working, and then later I went to visit him in California. (reference here). We talked on the phone everyday and then about a month ago he just disappeared. I knew that he was going through a lot of stress with his job and some other stuff, so I just left him alone. Yeah, I was hurt because I liked him a lot. But I knew the best thing to do was just to let him do his thing and not bug him and just move on. Well, like I said...he came back into the picture about a week ago. Not sure how much he is back into my life, but I care about him so much that I know I want him to be there, even if it is just as friends. But we will see.
2. The Interview - My phone interview for the school in Charlotte was yesterday morning. I was soooo nervous!! But I think that it went OK. I really feel like I tend to ramble on in interviews and not really get to the point of what I am trying to say. I need to work on that.
3. Sam had asked me in a previous post to share a picture of my punk rock days. Most of my old pictures are on my old computer, but I did find one:

Thats me on the left, short black hair, gauges, and all! haha.

Sam also asked me where I grew up and where I have lived in my life. Unfortunately, there is nothing too exciting there. I was born in the place that I live now which is a small town in Tennessee and have lived here all my life. Which is one reason that I am SOOO ready for a new place and a change in my life right now!

Now its back to my favorite part of the day...oats and blogs...and COFFEE

I decided to call these my "banana pancake" oats. They have oats (of course), banana (duh!), maple syrup, and cinnamon. I wanted to make real banana pancakes, but the milk was out of date :(

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Anything fun going on for you?!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.