Five on Friday

Hello from Atlanta!

Like usual, I am linking up with The Good Life Blog, Hello! Happiness, Carolina Charm, and A. Liz Adventures for "Five on Friday."

  

Without any further ado, here is some randomness for y'all!

~~ONE~~

Have I mentioned yet that I'm running a half marathon in nine days? Nine?

Well, I am.

Source

And while I know I can do it -- I mean, I've done it several times before and can just walk if necessary -- I feel super undertrained, and after my last two not-so-great training runs, I'm a bit panicky.

I'm going to try to get a good 8-10 miles in on Sunday. I just need a good run mentally in order to feel prepared.

~~TWO~~

But, guess who's going to be cheering me on during my race?

Picture stolen from Aly's Instagram.

Only the cutest spectator ever! Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law will be there, too. :)

It'll be really nice to see them on the course, and I know the fact that they're there will definitely help to motivate me.

(But seriously, let's talk for a minute about how cute my nephew is. I mean, right?! I am the luckiest auntie in the world.)

~~THREE~~

Spring has finally sprung, y'all!

Source

This is totally not a photo I took, as when I left Des Moines on Tuesday, the trees were still not blooming, but the grass was green.

For those of you who live in warmer climates, you have no idea what it's like when the foliage starts greening again: it is just so happy. I remember one time, in fact, when Katie and I were driving to Daytona from Des Moines for spring break, and we were so thankful and so thrilled when we noticed that we were driving through green.

When you don't see it for five or so months out of the year, you really, really, really appreciate it when you do.

~~FOUR~~

I need a new suitcase.

The bag that I usually check has been on the verge of breaking down for a couple of years now, and my trip to Boston in November sealed the deal: the little button thing in the handle is broken, so the handle either stays up or stays down, and if you want the handle to move, you have to take everything out of the suitcase and move the button manually. 

Obviously, this makes traveling with a checked bag nearly impossible.

So, for my trip to Atlanta, I decided to cram everything into my carry-on suitcase and my school bag.

Impressed? I know. Just wait until you see the massive amounts of clothes that I got into my carry-on:

Get at me!

I mean, just look at the shoes! Yes, the running shoes are going to be tied to my suitcase, but the other three pairs (plus my Rainbows that are in the front pocket) fit in the bag!

In my "school bag," I carried my iPad, my legal pad portfolio, a book (The Interestings), and a whole crap-ton of food (organic apples, Larabars, fruit snacks, etc.).

I'm kind of a traveling pro.

~~FIVE~~

Sometimes my job is really, really tough, and sometimes I have to work with difficult individuals. Most of the time, however, my job is really, really awesome, and the people with whom I work make me so, so happy.

For instance, this was a note that one of my students wrote me in regard to the unit that we are currently studying:

When students never hesitate to tell you everything they dislike about the book you're teaching, the assignments that you're giving, the activities that you're doing, and everything else about the class, it is so nice to read comments like this: it's just reassurance that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, that I'm getting through to at least some of the kids.

And I do know -- in my heart of hearts -- that this is the mentality of the vast majority of my students. It's just the two or three that really put a damper on it.


Tell me something random that's on your mind today!