I Just Gotta Have It!

Is there something out there that just makes you pick it up and buy it? A little something that you continue to buy although you have more than enough, but you just gotta have one more?

Hello. My name is Laura, and I have an addiction to continually buy:

1. Journals: OMG! I am addicted to journals! I mean, look at this picture! Doesn't that just shout out that I need some kind of therapy? I LOVE journals/notebooks. They are laying all around the house...at least 3 at my bed side, one in my purse, one in my backpack for work, one on the coffee table... I use them to jot ideas, to do lists, journalling, blogging, notes, or just anything!

These are all mine! I think I need some help.

2. Pens/Pencils: If I am going to have all these notebooks around, I need to be able to write in them. So, yep you guessed it, I can not stop purchasing pens and/or pencils. I just purchased a new pencil. It is a liquid pencil. Not really sure what I think about it, but will keep trying it out.

Gavin is not too sure of this pencil either.

I adore a gel pen. It doesn't matter if it is fine or medium. It really depends on what I need it for, so I need to keep them both on hand! And don't even get me started on colors! You name it and I probably have it or have had it and the ink ran out!

This is my newest favoritest pen. Lt found it and I just had to have it. You press down on the stache and it says "Well, hello there". My students loved it! They always asked to borrow it. I had one student take it home (on accident) but did bring it back. Of course he told me he was going to steal it at the end of the year. Yep, I brought that bad boy home with me. Nobody gets my stache!

I found a copy of it at www.perpetualkid.com

3. Hair accessories: I have medium/long-ish hair. So I have become obsessed with hair bands, pony tail holders and bobby pins. I have them in so many different colors, some even matching. I stalk etsy.com for hair accessories and Pinterest for hair ideas. Since I have been walking more, I need to keep my hair up to stay cool and out of my face so I can see. I think that constitutes a good excuse to buy another hair accessory!!

4. Lotions: I can't seem to pass up on a great smelling lotion. I love love love Kiehl's Creme de Corps. I have even found a new lotion in New York that I adore from Aesop. My sister and I popped into the store down in SoHo and ended up each getting a tube. Loved it so much, we got more the next trip to New York. So now it is tradition to buy this lotion in New York at Christmas time! I even had a male student ask to borrow this lotion and I let him have some. He loved it! It is Rind Concentrate Body Balm and it smells like oranges. You can go to www.aesop.com for more information about it.

5. Lipsticks/gloss: You can never have to many! Lately (especially during the summer) I don't wear a lot of make up. I just use some tinted moisturizer, maybe a little blush, and mascara/eyeliner. So I need something to pop on my face. LIPS! Lovin' me some MAC and Bobby Brown. I just feel put together when I have my lips on.

I have to add a little extra about why these are my "obsessions" or "collections". See I have this problem with how I see myself. Yeah, negative body image. It doesn't help when I go shopping for clothes that I can't fit them because either my hipsters are a size bigger than my waist or my chest is just big. So things don't fit well. It is frustrating to clothes shop and usually I just don't want to do it. In comes my list. Those things don't take a "size" to fit. I can pick them up anywhere and get an instant boost and great feeling about myself. It doesn't add to my negative issues like clothes shopping does.

I am working on my issue of how I look and how I perceive myself. I am doing better. Some days I can look in the mirror and say, "Damn, girl, you got it going on!" and really feel it. Some days takes more self talking than others. It is not instant, but I am getting there. Lt helps a lot because he loves me for me, not my body size or hair color. That is a great man!

So, yeah, there are certain things I buy and can't pass up. It'll always be there. But it could be worse. I could be collecting nicknacks, or dogs, or salt and pepper sakers like Grandma Minnie or plates like Grandma Carrie. So, in the scheme of things, I am ok with my collection/obsession/gotta haves.

So tell me your dirty little secret. Your just gotta haves. Those things that you can't pass up buying.

Top 10 Movies

Do you have a favorite movie or movies that you just love and can watch over and over and over?  What? You don't like to watch movies more than one time? You are missing the best parts! When you watch them more than once you are able to get everything. You miss so much the first time when you watch it again and even again you are like, I didn't see that the first time!

So here is my list of my top 10 movies that I watch and continue to watch, in no particular order.

1. "Practical Magic" with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
Great love story! I love the closeness of the two sisters being their for each other. Also believing in yourself and embracing who you are.

2. "Transformers" with Shai Labeouf and Megan Fox -  all sequels
I used to watch the cartoon as a child, so it was a no brainer for me to watch the movies. I love the action.

3. "Reds" with Bruce Willis and John Malkovich
This movie, to me, was so funny! I always find something new that I am laughing at. The chemistry between all of these actors was great. And as always the action is amazing. Can't wait for the new one!

4. "The Birdcage" with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane
Too funny! OMG I crack up every time I watch this. I even call aspirin "pirin" tablets. This is my go to movie to perk myself up.

5. "McClintock" with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara
To me this is one of my favorite John Wayne movie. I also figured out the woman who plays Lily
Munster is in this movie! I keep finding things to laugh at in this movie. One of my favorite quotes is "Great party, where's the whiskey?" For some reason this makes me think of my Grandma. I just smile!

6. "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law
I enjoy a good mystery and really like how Guy Richie directs this movie.

7. "Iron Man" with Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow - all sequels
Action! Action! Action! I am finding I like pretty much all the Marvel movies.

8. "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds
Do I really need to say anything about this movie. I mean look at who stars in it.

9. "Charlie's Angels" with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Lu - both sequels
Women kickassery at it's finest.

10. "Airplane" with Leslie Nelson.
Long story: My dad and I went to Georgia to get my furniture and were driving a U-Haul trailer back with my car attached to the back. So we are in Birmingham, Alabama and Daddy wanted to take every exit. He even would start to actually take the exit! I am the navigator (and a darn good one!) and I'd be yelling not to! Daddy turned and look at me and I quote "Now is not the time to give up amphetamines!". I'm like What the Hell? Fast forward 12 years and I watch the movie Airplane for the first time and finally got it!

What are your movies? I am always looking for new ones!

Weekend Wrap Up and Father's Day Shout Out

The weekend came to an end too quickly! I am finally out of regular school, but now into the summer school mode. This means I only work Monday thru Thursday until 2:30! Boy, you can do a lot in the summer with that kind of time.

Weekend Wrap up:

Friday I went shopping with my sister and spent a little cash. Just some new tops mind you. I have lost about 10 pounds (not a lot, but I'll take it!) so I did not want to buy too much. It was just so relaxing top spend time with the sis! And while I was shopping, Gavin went to the cleaners! Yes, skankmo got beautified! Just look at this adorable boy. Who wouldn't want to love up on that?

Then there was Father's Day. I was unable to be with my dad this year. But we talked on the phone. I am blessed to have my dad. While I grew up he set high expectations (some I met, others not so much), handed down a strong work ethic, passed his humor on to me, and taught me to be the independent woman I am today. Mom had a lot to do with it too. Thinking about Daddy on "his" day made me miss him even more. So I hunted for some photos of my dad.

This is typical dad. He loves to sit outside whether on the front porch or back yard (usually he smoked a pipe pre-cancer) and just enjoyed life. He would bestow upon listeners his philosophies of life. I love sitting out on the porch with him and just listen to him talk about the past, present and future. He has seen things we, of this modern generation, never will. I think everyone should take time and list to the stories of our elders. Learn from them.

One of my favorite photos. I was privileged to join my dad in one of his annual naval reunions. This one was in Sacramento. They were the VF-92. You can see how proud they are because they are wearing their shirts. Plus I just love that my folks were holding hands. Growing up I did not see this much, so it means more to me now. They still love each other after 54 years and are looking after each other. On a side note, daddy was proud to have two of his daughters join him on the trip and this year he took his other daughter to Vegas for that reunion (they have it in different locations every year). Unfortunately, this will be the folks last trip because of age of themselves and others. So the small group keeps getting smaller.

This just tugs at my heart strings! Daddy was starting chemo. My sister and her family went up to visit. Daddy is walking out with little Alli girl, his first great grand-baby. Is this not adorbs?! I still get choked up looking at it.

But my dad was not the only one that get a little celebration. Gavin decided Lt needed a little "dad's day" so Gavin took over the recliner joined Lt in the recliner and gave "dad" a little love.

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and had a chance to let their Dad know they love them. Not everyone has the conventional father, but whoever your father is (step-dad, uncle, mom, etc) please let them know what they mean to you.

Busy Busy Bee!

So sorry I have been away. Life was just a little hectic and out of control. We had graduation and closed out 2012-2013 school year. Got a weekend off and then hit the ground running for summer school. Murphy's Law hit us pretty hard this week trying to have everything done and ready for first day of summer school on Thursday. So thanks to Murphy, we had only Wednesday to pull everything together. but we did it!! 

I have found that I do pretty good doing things at the last minute. It seems everything, no matter how planned, it comes down the the last minute.

So now that things are kinda sorta back to normal, I will be back to blogging regularly. We have a packed summer planned and I am looking forward to enjoying it!

Have a wonderful weekend and we will talk again Monday! Ah it is good to be back!

Houston Zoo Highlights

Lt is so awesome! He surprised me with a quick trip to Houston last weekend. We are creatures of habit and always go to the zoo and a putt putt course. Yep, we did both on this trip!

I just wanted to share a few highlights of the zoo.

 This baby elephant kept himself busy by trying to pick up these logs and push them around. It seemed like he was trying to get it to stand on its own. I wonder if real logs are like Lincoln Logs?

I FED A FREAKING GIRAFFEE, PEOPLE! I can't believe I did it. This little guy wouldn't give a chance to do anything but keep shoving lettuce leaves in his mouth. And that tongue he had would whip out and grab that leaf quick as lightening. It didn't take but 5 seconds, I swear, before my time was done.

How cool is this gorilla and baby? It is made of LEGOS! There was a section in the zoo that had animals made out of Legos. This one took 320 hours to complete and used 35,000 bricks! WOW

I had to show y'all how HUGE these Lego statues were! Doesn't it look life like?

 

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree. Merry Merry little King is he. Laugh Kookaburra, Laugh! I had to sing this song when we saw them. Actually thought Kookaburras were a myth. Learn something new every day, huh?

MEERKATS! OMG I love meerkats! And look...doorhandles! I have got to get me some of those!

This little guys job was to keep guard while everyone else was taking a siesta. I swear, he followed me as I moved outside the exhibit to look at all the meerkats. I wasn't REALLY going to take one, I swear!

What the what?? Is this little meerkat playing king of the mountain and making his "subjects" bow to him? And check out his throne...another meerkat!

Ok, you got to admit this is funny! No this is not a photo bombed picture. This little lizardy guy was hanging out on the side and peeking through the glass! I have had this picture on my phone and I am laughing every time I see it!

Thanks for coming with me to the zoo. If you have never been to the Houston Zoo, now you kind of have been. Go and see your local zoo. It is great for the whole family. Actually, Lt and I went to the zoo on like our second date in the middle of June. Just what I wanted to show him; me being all sweaty and stinky. I guess if he didn't run away from that, he's a keeper!!

Graduation Celebration Has Commenced

I have told y'all I am a teacher. I teach at-risk high school students. What does that mean, you ask? Well, my students are at risk of dropping out because of low credits (need 24 and they may have anywhere from 6-20). They may be over the age of 18 and/or a 5th year senior (they have until the age of 21 to graduate). They may be mommies/daddies or to-be mommies/daddies trying to get their diplomas.

Now we are not miracle workers no matter what the high schools have told you. We are just able to work more with students because we are limited on the number of students accepted to our program. We can have about 40 students at one time; however, we can have students graduate at any given point in the year. So everyday is like graduation. We do have one day a year for the actual ceremony. Let me explain...

Our students do not carry 7 classes at once while switching classes like a tradition campus. We are an alternative campus and do things, well, differently. As an example, there will be one room with students all on different subjects, different class levels, different semesters working towards their diploma. They only work on one or two subjects at a time, but they are somewhat self-paced. This means they can work faster and at home to get ahead. It does NOT mean they go at their own pace and take a year to finish a class. Sorry kiddos.

Anyhoo, I got to rambling about my program and not about the point of the post! Friday, we  celebrated a milestone. Our graduates had the first ever luncheon to help celebrate the success of graduation. Graduation on our campus is a big deal.

Don't get me wrong. Any graduation is important. I just feel my students have overcame some huge hurdles to get to this point. Some of our students were on the verge of dropping out of school. Some, were behind in their credits needed to graduate. Others were only a couple of credits shy of graduating. A few students were over the age of 18, have been in the workforce a few years and found how important a diploma is and returned. We even have students who can not physically/emotionally handle going to school in a large high school. So these are HUGE hurdles they have overcame to start their path of making a better life for themselves and their families. I applaud each and every one of my graduates!

So we celebrated successes and milestones. We felt it is such a big deal that we invited the big-wigs: Former principals, school board members and select members of Central Office. Next week is graduation day. I think I can keep it together, but when they walk the stage I am as close to a mom as I will ever be. I will be crying while my "babies" close a chapter in their life and are ready (hopefully!) to begin a new chapter.

My compatriot who keeps me grounded, cool headed, and a great "MOM" to our kiddos.