A Busy B

Hey boys!

Why am I single again?  :)

Okay, now that I got that out of the way...

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I have been so ridiculously busy.  Yesterday I started off my morning with a healthy serving of cereal:

It was really, really good.  The cereal kept its crunch, even when doused with UVAB - or maybe I just inhaled it so quickly that it didn't have time to get soggy!  It's also loaded with protein and fiber (9 grams each!), so it kept me full all morning.

Because I was at a training all day yesterday, I was able to eat out like a real grownup.  Some other teachers and I headed to Old Chicago for their fast buffet.  While we each had a small side salad, I wish the salad was part of the buffet so that I could have eaten a little healthier...  Instead, I had a couple of slices of pizza; while it was delicious, it was not necessarily the best for me.

After the training was finished, I sped home to change and run two miles prior to my dinner engagement with a Pre-AP specialist from Texas.  We met at Bos, the restaurant in the Renaissance Savory downtown.  It was amazing, and I'd totally eat there again.  I opted for the almond-crusted salmon.  Wow.

I then came home to dive into one of the new books that I bought.  My aunt gave me an Amazon gift certificate for Christmas, and I finally used it - and bought five new books!  The first two are for my new interest:

The one on the left, by Dawn Dais, is so freakin' hysterical.  I'm already 100 pages in, laughing out loud at nearly every other sentence.  I'll be sure to share some of the gems with you.  The one on the right is, I believe, a little more serious take on marathon training - I'm pretty sure I'll have to get out my pink note-taking pen for that one!

I also bought two novels I've been eyeing for the last month or two.  The first is These Things Hidden by Iowa author, Heather Gudenkauf.  Her first novel, The Weight of Silence, is one of my all-time favorite books, so I'm pumped to read this one.  The second is Incendiary by Chris Cleave, the author of another of my favorites, Little Bee.  I'll keep you posted on my book reviews - but I still have to finish Pictures of You.

Today was spent in another meeting: pre-AP training.  While it was a great session, it's really hard to miss school.  I've missed four days now for the pre-AP trainings, I will miss three total days for the curriculum work, I will miss a day for my brother's med school graduation (my one allotted personal day), and I just found out today that I'll miss three more days for a writing conference.  Again, I am so thankful that I'm able to attend these wonderful workshops - it's just hard being away from my kiddos.

Immediately following the training today, I headed back to school.  I had some papers to grade, some kids to say hi to, and a college/career night to attend.  It was good to see the kids - it's nice to know you're needed.  :)  I'm excited to see the rest of 'em tomorrow.

I'm really excited: I suggested the marathon program to one of my little girls, and she told all of her teachers about it and attended the first practice today.  I cannot wait to see her tomorrow and get all of the details and to tell her how proud I am of her.  This is such a great program.

On that note, I'm going to sign off.  But first, here are a couple pictures, courtesy of the Iowa AIDS Project, of me during Saturday's 5k:

Starting out - still on pace with Maggie, still ready and rarin'.

Finishing up - dead tired, smiling hugely because I get to stop running.