NEW!

Thanks to my friends' great advice and a new attitude, new playlist, and new route, I made it farther than I ever have before. Tonight I ran a little over two miles, and I only came home because it was too dark to run any farther! It feels great to actually be making progress. I'm feeling so great about myself!

Allow me share my awesome new running playlist with you.

1. Give Me the Meltdown by Rob Thomas

2. Ruby Blue by Roisin Murphy

3. Many the Miles by Sara Bareilles (so totally appropriate it makes me laugh every time it comes on. )

4. Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down

5. Love Needs A Home

6. Shy That Way by Jason Mraz

7. Eye of the Tiger (There's a reason Rocky worked out to this!)

8. No One by Alisha Keys

9. Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty (I'm a huge fan of them!)

10. We Are by Ana (Another Power Boost song)

11.Catch My Disease by Ben Lee (One of the most fun songs I've ever heard)

12.Flat on the Floor by Carrie Underwood

13. River Deep, Mountain High by Celine Dion (Oh, the bongo drums)

Now I only have one little problem. My left ankle that I've sprained twice in my life has been giving me grief. It hurts like crazy when I come home. Is it bad to run on a bum ankle? Is there something I can do to keep it from swelling and hurting?

Darn you 1.6 miles!

Those of you who know me and have talked to me lately know that I'm trying really hard to prepare to run a 5K next month. I've been running all summer long, and I've yet to make it to the point where I can run three miles straight. I'm so frustrated! I know three miles is nothing to a lot of people, but for me, it's a lot. I've never been the running type - aerobics class and "ellipticalling" are more my style. Tonight I ran my usual 1.6 miles and could go no further. How do I get over this hump before next month???

Suggestions?

I survived my first week. Now will you please pass the ibuprofen?

So, I made it through my first week of teaching third grade, and I'm still standing. In fact, I actually really enjoyed it. My kids were great, they listened to me, they followed the rules, and we had a lot of fun! We listened to little Michael Jackson (one of my favorite first week stories), I read my favorite book to them, and they learned to recognize my 'mad face.' :) I've already missed two days for a New Teacher Orientation, and the note my sub left for me sang the praises of my wonderful class.

I'm completely worn out, and there are still four pages left on my to-do list, but I'm remembering why I've wanted to be a teacher for most of my life.

I can do this!

A Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Yesterday was my very first day teaching third grade. After an exhausting, exciting, and enjoyable day at school, I came home to find a plate of my mom's chocolate chip cookies waiting for me. Thanks, Mom!

Then, on my porch were two cookies from Paradise Cafe (my fave!) from my darling visiting teachers. How did they know that yesterday was the day I definitely needed a cookie break?

The icing on the cake? My sisters and mom saved a Stroopwaffel for me from the Dutch store.

After eating an inordinate amount of cookies and taking a long and delicious nap, I was once again ready to function like a normal person.

Let's hope that being a first year teacher isn't this exhausting every day.

But with enough cookie breaks, I can make it through anything.