Where was I...
1 year ago: desperate to get away from my current position. Accepted a transfer that in hindsight, was not a good choice. Jumping from the pan into the fire.
5 years ago: getting ready to make a huge transition from nursing to teaching. Still on the fence. Had submitted my LPN application and my subbing application simultaneously. Starting to dream about the possibility of grad school, but it seems so overwhelming that I am paralyzed by the decision. So naive as to the inner workings of The District. If I had known then what I know now...
10 years ago: Had just graduated college. Completely unsure of what I would do after graduation, or how I wanted to live my "adult" life. In the process of breaking up with my first official boyfriend. In a world of heartbreak and despair. Wow. That was a long fucking time ago. Sometimes I feel like I have accomplished nothing, but then I think back. College seems like it was a lifetime ago. But really, it was just ten years.
Where do I want to be...
1 year from now: I will be at another cross roads, I suppose. Next year will be my magic fifth year, after which I will be eligible to have a sizable chunk of my student loans paid off. So, I would like to see myself either in a full time gig, or transitioning into a full time gig. If I am not at that point yet, then I will have some thinking to do. It might be time for another transition...
5 years from now: I would love to be a mom. I will be 38. If it hasn't happened biologically by this point, I would want to look in to adoption.
10 years from now: Seems so far away. Will I be a stay at home mom? Will I be in the area office - or higher? Guess we'll have to see... :)
Monday, May 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
SB Update: Wednesday
Yesterday I was able to finish the office, plus hang up our ever growing collection of pottery.
This is a fun tradition that my husband and I started on our first official vacation together (which was a Caribbean cruise.) We bought a piece of decorative mexican pottery as a souvenir. Something like this:
Since then, we have bought a new piece every time we've gone done south on vacation (plus a few times my husband has gone on business) and now we have a collection of nine. Before we have them half hung randomly here and there, but I hung them all together yesterday in our office and they look awesome! It was also a fun trip down memory lane to try to remember where and when they were all purchased. We have seen so many places. Mexico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, USVI, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, etc. I need to write on the back with pencil the ones I remember. We have pretty much every trip commemorated, except for our honeymoon in St. Thomas, USVI. But we have some magnets from our fridge that we got there. My favorite one we have is actually not pottery. It is a metal wall hanging shaped like a sun that we got from the Dominican Republic. It is my favorite because it is so huge and beautiful. And we got it on the trip during which we got engaged. :)
Now, as far as my other goal, the kitchen. I got it about 1/2 done. Actually, I had it about 75% done, and when J got home. he cooked me an awesome dinner. Which was so delicious, but trashed the kitchen (imagine tomato basil pesto ALL OVER my stove). So, I need to get a move on today to clean it up.
Speaking of today...
After I finish the aforementioned kitchen, I will be moving on to the master bedroom and bathroom. One of the projects I will also be tackling today is laundry/outfit building.
Once a month or so, I like to do something I call outfit arrangement. Basically, I put together as many outfits as I can (top, bottom, etc) and I hang everything together on one hanger. That way, in the morning, all I have to do after showering is reach into my closet and pull out one hanger. And when I say the whole outfit, I mean the whole outfit. Have you ever seen in department stores, they will often style a hanging mannequin, that is either hanging from the wall, or even from the rack itself, in front, with all of the clothes behind it?
Well, I basically do the same thing - I set up the entire outfit on one hanger. blouse, cami, skirt, cardigan. Dress, belt, scarf. Whatever. I try to also create a mix of options, as well. Casual outfits, dressy outfits. And, I try to set up as many as I can at a time (20-25, which gives me 4-5 weeks of outfits.)
Now, I am not going to say that I don't occasionally do some last minute outfit switches the morning of, but for the most part, I pull each outfit out of my closet and wear it as is. Not only does that help with time management in the morning, but it is also helping me in my quest to edit my wardrobe down to only the essentials that make me feel beautiful and confident.
I had one skirt in particular, that I had a lot of trouble paring into an outfit, and when I finally found something to pair it with, I found myself skipping over that outfit over and over, not wanting to wear it. I finally asked myself, "if you have such a hard time finding an outfit for this skirt, and when it is part of an outfit, you don't want to wear it, WHY do you own it in the first place?" Now, keep in mind, I have had this skirt for YEARS. And, after about 3 months of outfit building, I was able to make peace with adding it to the donate pile.
So, long story short, today will be a laundry/outfit building day. Which will help with the master bedroom cleaning, because right now there is a massive pile of laundry taking up at least 1/3 of the master bedroom!
On a related note, I am feeling an itch to paint either the master bedroom or the office. I may allow myself a treat to paint the master bedroom today IF I get everything else done.
This is a fun tradition that my husband and I started on our first official vacation together (which was a Caribbean cruise.) We bought a piece of decorative mexican pottery as a souvenir. Something like this:
Since then, we have bought a new piece every time we've gone done south on vacation (plus a few times my husband has gone on business) and now we have a collection of nine. Before we have them half hung randomly here and there, but I hung them all together yesterday in our office and they look awesome! It was also a fun trip down memory lane to try to remember where and when they were all purchased. We have seen so many places. Mexico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, USVI, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, etc. I need to write on the back with pencil the ones I remember. We have pretty much every trip commemorated, except for our honeymoon in St. Thomas, USVI. But we have some magnets from our fridge that we got there. My favorite one we have is actually not pottery. It is a metal wall hanging shaped like a sun that we got from the Dominican Republic. It is my favorite because it is so huge and beautiful. And we got it on the trip during which we got engaged. :)
Now, as far as my other goal, the kitchen. I got it about 1/2 done. Actually, I had it about 75% done, and when J got home. he cooked me an awesome dinner. Which was so delicious, but trashed the kitchen (imagine tomato basil pesto ALL OVER my stove). So, I need to get a move on today to clean it up.
Speaking of today...
After I finish the aforementioned kitchen, I will be moving on to the master bedroom and bathroom. One of the projects I will also be tackling today is laundry/outfit building.
Once a month or so, I like to do something I call outfit arrangement. Basically, I put together as many outfits as I can (top, bottom, etc) and I hang everything together on one hanger. That way, in the morning, all I have to do after showering is reach into my closet and pull out one hanger. And when I say the whole outfit, I mean the whole outfit. Have you ever seen in department stores, they will often style a hanging mannequin, that is either hanging from the wall, or even from the rack itself, in front, with all of the clothes behind it?
Well, I basically do the same thing - I set up the entire outfit on one hanger. blouse, cami, skirt, cardigan. Dress, belt, scarf. Whatever. I try to also create a mix of options, as well. Casual outfits, dressy outfits. And, I try to set up as many as I can at a time (20-25, which gives me 4-5 weeks of outfits.)
Now, I am not going to say that I don't occasionally do some last minute outfit switches the morning of, but for the most part, I pull each outfit out of my closet and wear it as is. Not only does that help with time management in the morning, but it is also helping me in my quest to edit my wardrobe down to only the essentials that make me feel beautiful and confident.
I had one skirt in particular, that I had a lot of trouble paring into an outfit, and when I finally found something to pair it with, I found myself skipping over that outfit over and over, not wanting to wear it. I finally asked myself, "if you have such a hard time finding an outfit for this skirt, and when it is part of an outfit, you don't want to wear it, WHY do you own it in the first place?" Now, keep in mind, I have had this skirt for YEARS. And, after about 3 months of outfit building, I was able to make peace with adding it to the donate pile.
So, long story short, today will be a laundry/outfit building day. Which will help with the master bedroom cleaning, because right now there is a massive pile of laundry taking up at least 1/3 of the master bedroom!
On a related note, I am feeling an itch to paint either the master bedroom or the office. I may allow myself a treat to paint the master bedroom today IF I get everything else done.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Spring Break - To Do List
Enjoying the glorious week off that I have, thanks to Spring Break!
Today is Tuesday, which means I have 6 days left of break. Here are my plans for the upcoming week:
Tuesday:
Clean and Organize Office and Kitchen, clean and chlorinate the pool.
Wednesday:
Clean and Organize Master Bedroom and Bathroom
Thursday:
Clean and Organize Living Room and Family Room
Friday:
Clean and Rearrange Guest Room and Guest Bathroom
Saturday:
Paperwork/Lesson Plans
Sunday:
Finish the flooring in the closet (assuming that the hubs can help with moving the heavy stuff.)
Right now, since it is Tuesday, I am working on the office and the kitchen. I will be honest though, it has been a slow process. It is my Spring Break, after all, so I am getting some much needed relaxation in as well. But seriously, it is time to get my butt in gear. I will be back later to update my progress!!
Today is Tuesday, which means I have 6 days left of break. Here are my plans for the upcoming week:
Tuesday:
Clean and Organize Office and Kitchen, clean and chlorinate the pool.
Wednesday:
Clean and Organize Master Bedroom and Bathroom
Thursday:
Clean and Organize Living Room and Family Room
Friday:
Clean and Rearrange Guest Room and Guest Bathroom
Saturday:
Paperwork/Lesson Plans
Sunday:
Finish the flooring in the closet (assuming that the hubs can help with moving the heavy stuff.)
Right now, since it is Tuesday, I am working on the office and the kitchen. I will be honest though, it has been a slow process. It is my Spring Break, after all, so I am getting some much needed relaxation in as well. But seriously, it is time to get my butt in gear. I will be back later to update my progress!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Big Fat Teacher
Not a whole lot to say. Except I found out today that I am known around school by the kids as the, "Big Fat Teacher." Which, I mean I pretty much already knew, but it still hurts.
I am so scared for tomorrow. Not sure if/how I will be able to make it through the day.
I am so scared for tomorrow. Not sure if/how I will be able to make it through the day.
Monday, February 18, 2013
I am capable of more than I think...
One of the things that this entire experience has shown me is that I am capable of more than I think. Normally, I have a tendency to become paralyzed by any decision-making whatsoever. I put things off ad nausea, because I am just so afraid to face-what? Failure? Embarrassment? The unknown? At the end of the day, those things are really not *that* big of a deal. I have been dealt with a huge dose of failure, embarrassment, and having to confront the unknown, and at the end of the day, I feel like I have handled it pretty well.
Wednesday will be a big day for me, and after Wednesday, a lot of the unknowns and what-ifs that have plagued me for the past 6 months will be resolved. Well, not exactly resolved per se, but rather, I will have a concrete plan of action in place as to how I will work through my few remaining obligations. While I am nervous about Wednesday, I feel some peace because I at least have a plan of action for how I will attack the day.
I also have a big day coming up on Monday, in the form of a minor outpatient surgical procedure. While it will not involve any cutting or invasive elements, I have to go under general anesthesia for the procedure. That is very scary for me, because I have never been under full anesthesia before. And, of course, because it is an unknown process. Well, hopefully, everything will go off without a hitch.
Wednesday will be a big day for me, and after Wednesday, a lot of the unknowns and what-ifs that have plagued me for the past 6 months will be resolved. Well, not exactly resolved per se, but rather, I will have a concrete plan of action in place as to how I will work through my few remaining obligations. While I am nervous about Wednesday, I feel some peace because I at least have a plan of action for how I will attack the day.
I also have a big day coming up on Monday, in the form of a minor outpatient surgical procedure. While it will not involve any cutting or invasive elements, I have to go under general anesthesia for the procedure. That is very scary for me, because I have never been under full anesthesia before. And, of course, because it is an unknown process. Well, hopefully, everything will go off without a hitch.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Welcome!
Welcome to Sunshine and Safety Pins! So glad you stopped by. I thought for my inaugural post, I would share with you the reasoning behind my seemingly random blog name.
Sunshine: living in Florida, sunshine is pretty much an everyday part of my life! (though, ironically while I write this it is kind of gray and overcast outside!) I love being outside, and enjoying pretty much any activity that allows me to soak up some sun!
More importantly, sunshine is a symbol to me of living for today, in the moment. It has taken me almost all of my adult life to get to the point where I am not living in the past or living for the future. I am living in the moment, taking setbacks as they come, and enjoying every moment I have in this crazy journey called life.
Safety Pins:
I pretty much heart safety pins. They are so versatile and useful. I always have at least half a dozen in my purse - you never know when you will need them, and I always like to be prepared.
But they also have a symbolic meaning to me as well. You see, about 6 months ago, I experienced a life changing event. And it made me realize none of us are ever guaranteed any time on this Earth. All I can guarantee myself is that I have this moment. And I made a promise to myself that I would lose weight and get in shape, so I would have a better chance at more tomorrows. So, I have (very slowly) taken up running. I am planning to run my first half-marathon in January 2014 (it will be a birthday gift to myself) So, for me, safety pins symbolize to me that I can set and achieve a goal.) If I put my mind to it, I know I will be using safety pins to attach my half-marathon race bib come 1/11/14!
Sunshine*and*Safetypins:
So, two words that have meaning to me at this point in my life. However, how do they pair together? Well, if I'm being totally honest, the pairing is somewhat random. And, really that's a perfect description of what this blog (hopefully) will be! a somewhat random collection of my thoughts and musings. I will be writing about pretty much anything and everything under the sun(shine). DIY and home organization, learning how to become a housewife, and learning how to become a runner. Getting fit and losing weight. Pretty much whatever is on my mind.
So, again welcome. Hope you enjoy!
Sunshine: living in Florida, sunshine is pretty much an everyday part of my life! (though, ironically while I write this it is kind of gray and overcast outside!) I love being outside, and enjoying pretty much any activity that allows me to soak up some sun!
More importantly, sunshine is a symbol to me of living for today, in the moment. It has taken me almost all of my adult life to get to the point where I am not living in the past or living for the future. I am living in the moment, taking setbacks as they come, and enjoying every moment I have in this crazy journey called life.
Safety Pins:
I pretty much heart safety pins. They are so versatile and useful. I always have at least half a dozen in my purse - you never know when you will need them, and I always like to be prepared.
But they also have a symbolic meaning to me as well. You see, about 6 months ago, I experienced a life changing event. And it made me realize none of us are ever guaranteed any time on this Earth. All I can guarantee myself is that I have this moment. And I made a promise to myself that I would lose weight and get in shape, so I would have a better chance at more tomorrows. So, I have (very slowly) taken up running. I am planning to run my first half-marathon in January 2014 (it will be a birthday gift to myself) So, for me, safety pins symbolize to me that I can set and achieve a goal.) If I put my mind to it, I know I will be using safety pins to attach my half-marathon race bib come 1/11/14!
Sunshine*and*Safetypins:
So, two words that have meaning to me at this point in my life. However, how do they pair together? Well, if I'm being totally honest, the pairing is somewhat random. And, really that's a perfect description of what this blog (hopefully) will be! a somewhat random collection of my thoughts and musings. I will be writing about pretty much anything and everything under the sun(shine). DIY and home organization, learning how to become a housewife, and learning how to become a runner. Getting fit and losing weight. Pretty much whatever is on my mind.
So, again welcome. Hope you enjoy!
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