I have 35 days left of summer.

Today marks the middle of my summer vacation. I've been out of the classroom for 36 days and I'll return to the classroom in 35 days. Which means I've over the hump. It takes me a while to get the whole feel of vacation; to realize and enjoy that I'm on my own time schedule. Usually it takes about two weeks. In that time, I like to do nothing but what I like to do (watch TV on my couch) and after that I try to be productive. It works about 50% of the time.

The truth is, I love not working. I enjoy my job, but I really feel like I'm meant to stay home all day. (who doesn't feel that way, right?) Given the chance, I'm almost positive I wouldn't spend all my time on the couch either. For example, I got out of the house every day this week. I forced myself -- granted my outings were to meet up with friends, have date nights with Sean, and spend time with my family... I was still out. And it was fantastic. Rough life, right?

For about two weeks I sort of did nothing. The third week, I was a bit more "motivated" and started pinning some activities/projects/works for my classroom, I organized classroom materials (which sort of took a long time and took over my living room, it was a bit messy) + I wrote out some lessons. After that point we left for our summer trips here and there and thankfully we have two more to go (road tripping down the west coast & a weekend in Maine). In the five weeks I've had since the end of the school year -- I think I've had my fair share of relaxing, traveling and hanging out. It's been real.

I started thinking about my summer plans + goals I created back in June:

As far as our planned events are going -- they're going. I'm dragging Sean to see Taylor Swift in concert this weekend (he's absolutely thrilled), we leave next week for Seattle and at the end of the summer we have our second wedding of the season. As for my goals? They make me laugh a bit. Water? Walking? Blogging? DIYing? Paying off debt? I don't think so...

source.

I had good intentions for these last 36 days. I swear. In a few ways, I've been successful (for example, in the reading department). I thought I would be more interested in blogging which is why I set that goal so high. Turns out, as of now -- I enjoy reading more than sitting at the computer. Who knew?

In the hopes of looking back at the summer, specifically these last 35 days, and holding a sense of accomplishment rather than utter failure -- I thought I'd make a revised list of my goals.

- Drink a glass of water for every glass of Coke
- Wear sunscreen every day
- Exercise 3 times per week
- Read 1 book per week + blog about it
- Blog 4 times per week
- Complete 2 DIY projects + blog about them
- Minimize my clothes/shoes
- Pay down one credit card

 I hope the next 35 days bring motivation and productivity.

I'm not easy to live with.

I know that once you're married, you're technically no longer roommates. Maybe your soul mates? I'm not too sure. Either way, it doesn't take away from the fact that you're still living with another person.

When we got married -- people immediately starting asking, "so, what do you think will change once you live together?" Of course, I responded "nothing" since we'd been living together for three years at that point. (I know, what a sin). And yet, here I am -- almost two years later thinking about this whole living together thing. While not much has changed through these few years, here are some...

1. I try to get rid of his stuff. Sean does not have that much stuff. He has what he needs, and doesn't buy what he doesn't need. But that doesn't stop me from going through his closest on a monthly basis yanking things from hangers and asking, "do you really need this?" The answer is yes, he really needs those few shirts that he wears to work, or yes, he really needs his one pair of fancy shoes he needs for nice occasions. I try to donate these things every month... and yet if I really wanted to get rid of things I could just look to my own closet...

2. I'll throw anything away. Much like my desire for purging closets, I do the same in every room of the house. Occasionally, I'll throw away perfectly good food (food that Sean often argues doesn't go bad) like soy sauce. That's sort of how I clean. Cabinets look neat when there's nothing in them... this of course, conflicts with my need to not spend money and not be wasteful.

3. I'm messy but call him out on it. I leave things wherever they land -- shoes, jackets, bags, receipts, glasses, DVDs. You name it -- I leave it around and put things away "when I get to it". It works for me because I clean... eventually. But when Sean leaves something out... I quickly point out what has been left behind. "You know, I tripped over your shoes this morning"... which brings me to #4:

4. I move his stuff. Toiletries, phone charger, wallet, keys, hats, shoes, anything -- I always move them. Usually, I don't even know why. But it ends up moved, and I'm always the one who did it. I can't help it...

5. I jump on bandwagons and expect him to do the same. Buying locally? Becoming a minimalist? Daily walks? Bruins are winning? 30 days without accessories? Those are just the few things that have happened within the last two weeks...

6. I hog the remote. Pretty Wicked Moms, Pretty Little Liars, Full House, anything on E! network? Sean has seen it all -- but not because he enjoys it. And we only have one TV...

7. I'm paranoid... about everything. Is the door locked? Did you hear that? Is the chicken cooked? Is that safe? Is the oven off? Will the litter in the litter box make me go crazy? Did this go bad? Is that too hot? Will the cat choke? Did you lock the car? I know I heard something...

My last (and not so final because I'm sure if I thought about it -- I could think of more) reason that I'm not that easy to live with is that I'm an early riser and try to wake him up, too. But it's truthfully because I'm so excited to spend my days with him. So hopefully that makes up for the fact that I throw his stuff away, move what I don't try to throw away, nag sometimes, hog the TV, and have slight paranoia. Right?

Back in the day.

Back in the 80's, I used to wear make-up and accessories...

It didn't work out too well.

No wonder I stick to the basics nowadays.

I'm a back-tracker.

Whenever we go places, like shopping for instance, Sean always points out that I walk around in circles and don't have a plan. Of course, I always fight him on this and tell him about how I know what I'm doing and the circles are all part of my plan.Well tonight at the mall, I thought I'd put my new obsession with RunKeeper to work to record my steps and see how far I walked:

Unfortunately, I think it just supported his theory of me being a back-tracker and walking around in circles. He was a good sport, though. :) And he let me pick up clothes, walk around with them, put them down, circle around, go up the escalators --  go down the escalators, and ultimately not purchase anything at all. I'm just so indecisive  Who knew you could walk 2.3 miles inside the mall...?

Today, marks the third day in a row we've gone walking. Here are some pictures from yesterday's walk:

I'll admit: it feels pretty good to spend some time outside.

Facts about me.

I thought I'd share some tidbits today.

Everyone's doing it, so why not?

First things first: you could obviously read my about me.

Don't want to click anything?

Totally understandable.

If you're new in these parts of blogland,

here's what you should know.

1. One time I met Oprah... at the wax museum. 

But we shared a moment. I swear.

2. I make this face when I'm confused.

Or when I'm angry that the Dublin zoo took my admission ticket...

which means I can't keep it to scrapbook.

3. My worst fear is drowning. 

I can't be in the water without some type of flotation device. 

Even though I look calm in this picture... there were probably tears at some point.

4. I don't drink alcohol. 

I make this face when I do. 

5. I force animals to be close to me. 

I can't help it. 

I just love them.

6. I love spending time with my husband. He's the best and we have so much fun together.

That's all for today.

I guess I'm just an Oprah loving, slightly confused, aqua-phobic, non-alcohol drinking, animal obsessed... 

wife, in love with her husband.

Twenty-six in 26.

In honor of my upcoming birthday [one month from today] I thought I should take the time to set some goals for me to accomplish in my 26th year of life.

This is not to be confused with my 101 in 1001 which is still on going... but I don't intend to have any overlapping goals. See that? Busy, busy.

So, Erin over at Living in Yellow thought up this goal idea:

And even though the link-up is technically over... it's never too late to add to your life. Amirite?

So here we go:

Twenty-six things I'll do in my 26th year of life.

1. Travel to [at least] two places that are new to both of us. [the husband and myself]

2. Meet my favorite little new man [this may require a trip to CA].
remember his baby shower?
and his mom?

3. Keep the tradition of sending out holiday cards.

4. Finish school and get my masters.

5. Go to Boston and pretend to be tourists.

6. Take a sewing class.

7. Buy a really nice & expensive pair of jeans.

8. Go to a concert (of my choice).

9. Go for a walk in our town.

10. See a movie in the theater downtown. (opposed to where we normally go).

11. Get a new passport with my married name.

12. Make scrapbooks of our first & second year of marriage.

13. Cook our very own Thanksgiving dinner.

14. Convince Sean to allow Apollo to dress up for Halloween.

[she wants too, I swear]

15. Cut back to one soda drink a day. Including fountain drinks [I always tell myself those don't technically count since they're mostly water. Guess what? They count]

16. Figure out an organizational method for the madness that is my clothes closet.

17. Bring our wedding china to our house and actually have something to display in it.

18. Find new lampshades for the living room.

19. Do a complete "keep"/"donate"/"trash" cleaning of all our things.

20. Wake up to watch the sun rise [it doesn't count if I'm driving to work].

21. Buy the Justin Bieber CD. Oh, yeah.

22. Complete 1 DIY project a month and blog about it.

23. Invest in a watch. Preferably this one:


via.

24. Decorate our bedroom walls.

25. See a Broadway show. In NYC. :)

26. Be an awesome wife, every single day.

:)

Yeah, I'm probably most serious about that last one....

Blogger 411.

Happy Saturday!

I decided to link up with Becky: From Mrs. to Mama and answer these blogger 411 questions:

Questions!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? I started blogging in the Fall of 2009 when Sean and I got engaged. I wanted to keep a journal of the wedding planning process. We had a really long engagement, basically two years, and I kept it going consistently, for the most part, during that whole time. After the wedding, it was an exciting idea to keep writing to keep track of our lives as newlyweds, new renters, new pet owners, etc. 

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study? Yes! I went to Framingham State College, which apparently now is known as a University. I studied English... but since spelling and grammar weren't necessarily areas of strength for me don't tear apart this blog, okay?

3. Where have you traveled? I haven't traveled to that many places. I've been to most of the states around New England/northern east coast, all three on the west coast + Vegas, and a few down south (read, Florida). I've never been to the middle states besides layovers at airports. I've been to Puerto Rico, Mexico and of course, Ireland (where we went on our honeymoon).

`
4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy? I guess the first thing I would buy would be different than the first thing I would "do". The first thing I would do would be to pay off student loans & debt. The first thing I would "buy" would be plane tickets to a place we've never been... preferably South America or Australia.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves? I don't like when people clap at the end of a movie when they're in the theater, when people ask a question that was already answered but they were to busy wanting to ask their question they missed when the person answered, and people who try to make small talk at the cash register of a store.

6. What is your favorite movie? I have so many favorite movies from different times in my life. I guess to name a few I would say: The Breakfast Club, SLC Punk, Good Will Hunting, Back to the Future, Transformers, Blow,  and Superbad.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea? I don't typically drink alcohol though I'm known to do a few tequila shots here and there. But I can't live without my Coke. I'll take a Pepsi, but it's not the same.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time? I'd love to say that I read... and I do, occasionally. Though, I really love to watch TV. I can't help it. And I don't even watch new shows, necessarily. I watch the same shows that I've been watching since I was younger: Boy Meets World, Full House, Step by Step. But I also blog (clearly), and scrapbook, and clean. I think I actually invent things to clean...

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? Anthropologie. Hands down.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present. When I read this question, my first thought was, "I'm not really that embarrassing" and then I remembered falling at my high school graduation. Yep.

11. What day would you love to relive again? I'd love to relive my wedding day. As much as I tried to embrace the day, enjoy every minute and allow it to all soak in... I know I missed a lot. 

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you? I couldn't think of someone, so I asked Sean. Do you know who he said? Baby... you know from "nobody puts baby in the corner". I wonder if that speaks to the embarrassing moments debate. I guess if I chose, I would pick Zooey Deschanel. Only because I love her, not because she looks like me. Although, now that I think about it she has her embarrassing moments as well. Hmm.

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years? I worked the register at iParty and did not make small talk when I was cashing out customers. I've also worked at Sport Chalet, Coach, and a hair salon. Now I'm a teacher. 

14. Show us a picture from high school or college. This is circa 2007, I was a sophomore in college. I'd go back to a pic from high school but since facebook wasn't a "thing" then -- it's a lot harder to get a picture from before '06. Yeah, that's my husband.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go? Tahiti! I just want to stay in one of those places with the glass floor over the ocean. I'm sure I could find that lots of places, but Tahiti sounds fun.


16. Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family. I'd love to post a picture of the three of us (you know, including our kitten) but she is impossible to pose with. So here we are:

and here's Apollo:

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now? Married, homeowner, parent to an actual child not just a cat? We'll see. All I know is I hope the years between now and then are full, exciting and positive. Everything else will fall into place.

Get to know me ABC's

I'm very excited because I'm now the proud owner of this movie (thanks to my mom!):

 

If you remember, I saw it about three times in the theater this summer and can't wait to watch it at home. Unfortunately, I'm having a really hard time convincing Sean to watch it with me. He says he won't understand it or think it's funny since he's not a girl :) But it's soooo funny!

Anyway! I've been seeing a lot of bloggers fill out this "ABC's about me" type thing and I figured I would, too!

So here we go...

Get to know me ABC's.

Age: 25... it's still weird to "say" since I just turned 25 and I haven't actually said it out loud yet...

Bed size: Queen but we're in the market for a new bed -- hopefully a king!
Chore you hate: Folding/putting away clean laundry. Clean clothes usually just end up being in piles... all over our room.
Dogs: I personally don't have any dogs but both my parents and Sean's parents have them and I think of them as my own! My parents have two mini-dachshunds: Millie & Frank and Sean's parents have two lab/pitbull mixes: Jacoby & Bruschi.

Essential start of your day: I usually check my phone- facebook, texts, emails, etc.
Favorite color: Purple.
Gold or silver: I tend to wear silver jewelry but I like gold stuff like bags, scarves, shoes, etc.
Height: 5'3" but when people ask I usually say 5'4" :)
Instruments I play (or have played): Not very much. Although, I do intend to start playing guitar since Sean just gave me one for my birthday.

Job title: Teacher. 
Kids: None. But I want some!
Live: Massachusetts. A very small town in Massachusetts.
Mom's name: Sheila 

Nickname: Jaz & Nerbit (that's what Sean calls me).
Overnight hospital stays: No!
Pet peeve: When people clap in the theater when the movie ends. Oh, and traffic!

Quote from a movie: I have lots but the one that came to mind first: "Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you." - Dirty Dancing!

Right or left handed: Right.
Siblings: None. 

Time you wake up: For work usually between 5:20-5:30. On the weekends, usually around 8. 

Underwear: I'm not sure how this is a question :)

Vegetables you dislike: Um, squash.  
What makes you run late: When the cat bothers me and walks between my legs constantly which makes it really difficult to walk and get things done!
X-rays you've had done: Teeth?
Yummy food you make: I don't make a lot of food, but I guess cupcakes? I'm better with desserts than with meals.

Zoo animal: Most definitely elephants.

:) Until tomorrow...