April 30th is National No Complaints Day

Okay, I just made this day up, but tomorrow, I am going to try really really hard not to complain. Complaining seems like a way that we has humans connect. Like whenever you ask someone how there weekend was, they always gripe "it was too short", and then you chime in and start complaining right along with them.

Lately there seems to be a lot to complain about like the Economy and Swine Flu. But tomorrow, I encourage you to take a break from complaining. When people start complaining to you listen intently and show concern, but do not be drawn in to complaining yourself.

Do this and see how your day goes. Who knows, you may find that you miss complaining, but not complaining is worth a try.

I will lose Five Pounds by the end of the school year

I currently weigh 134.5 pounds (Ive lost a half of a pound since I started my diet five days ago) and I am determined to get back down to my regular weight of 130 by June 10 which is the end of the school year. My goal is to lose 1/2 pound a week--already Ive lost 1/2 pound.

I am keeping my calories at 1800 and eating at least five servings of fruits and vegtables a day and 4-5 servings of grain.

Im on day five and I am doing pretty good at keeping my calories around 1800. I feel really good about the fact that I am eating so many fruits and vegtables. Its been easy to get in 5 a day, and some days Ive actually gone over.

Ill keep you posted on my success!

On Being An Aunt

Wait a minute, are her breasts bigger than mine?--I thought to myself as my 14 year old niece walked towards me. Okay, truthfully, I'm an A-B girl, so having larger breasts than mine is almost inevitable. But, still this is the same little girl who would meet me at the door jumping up and down when I came to visit--the same little girl who would cry uncontrollably when I left.

Now she is this stoic, texting, mp3 carrying teenager, with a Posh Spice haircut. She is the same age as the kids that I teach. I knew she was going to grow up, in fact I remember when she was 3 years old and she was starting to outgrow that "pick-me up and carry me" stage. And on this particular day, she was afraid of something, so I picked her up and I told her, "One day I wont be able to pick you up."
"Why?" She asked with 3 year old sincerity. She was upset, perplexed, and hurt at that thought.
Like I said, I knew she was going to grow up, I just didnt know it would be the minute I turned my back.

Carolina Wins the NCAA National Championship!

It hasn't happened yet, but I feel quite comfortable in posting this article right now at 10:18. The score is 51 to 32 with a little over a minute left in the half. And the best free through shooter in college history (Tyler H.) is at the line.

As the half draws to an end, Michigan is falling apart and the nation is now reallizing that President Obama was indeed right when he predicted that Carolina would win.

Anyway, this Carolina ALUM is going to bed, Ive got students to teach tomorrow and I need to be ready for them.

My students are a little more important than me seeing the victory celebration tonight. After all, I just saw it 4 years ago and Im sure Ill get a chance to see it again in the next few years.

I came in 8076th place!

When the finish line at the Cherry Blossom's 10 miler came into view, it was a rare moment when dreams met reallity and then coexisted for a moment in time. I had been running for 2 hours and 8 minutes and for some reason, and even though I saw the signs that I was getting closer to the finish line, I wasnt expecting to see it at that exact moment.

I had been planning for the race since November, but deep down inside (and not so deep down inside) I never really thought I would go through with it. After all, I am the queen of starting things and not finishing them.

I have registered and paid for races AND never showed up. I started Team in Training and dropped out before the first practice. I have spent hundreds of dollars on classes like, Computer Programming and Spanish that I started but never finished. And the Christmas before last, I thought I would like to be a photographer, so I dropped 700 dollars on a camera and enrolled in a course (which I dropped).

I could go on and on, but I'm guessing you can see the trend by now. And up until this particular finish line, I was starting to wonder if I would ever finish anything. This race restored my confidence.

I may not always finish things that I start, but at least I have the ambition to try new things and the intelligence to quit them when they arent working out. And if I try enough things, Ill inevitably follow through with some of them.

So right now, I am working on a Young Adult Fiction book and a Ninth Grade English workbook. And I am thinking about tutoring this summer and/or teaching online. I also want to learn how to draw. And oh yeah, if I have the money, and if I can get over my fear of flying, maybe Ill run the Chicago Half Marathon in the fall...