Bach Recap

{Bahahaha...can't hide your crazy, sister!}

See ya later, Amanda. Don’t let the door hit ya on your way out…

 

One crazy down, one more to go.

 

{I wanted to punch my TV. Tierra, shut up!}

Seriously? This girl…I hope Sean is watching the show now and feeling like an idiot. And does anyone else kind of think he's a little emotionally slutty? He tells EVERY girl how much he likes them and that he can see a future with them.  Then they're just an even bigger mess when he kicks them off. Dude! Save a little for next time.

 

On a totally unrelated side note, can I just point out that it was 70 degrees yesterday, 65 degrees this morning, and it’s supposed to SNOW tonight with a high of like 20 tomorrow? Oh, Kansas. You’re so bipolar.

Hooray for New Furniture

So, a week ago, after my delectable lunch with Crystal, I headed out to Nebraska Furniture Mart to see if I could find a few new pieces for my living room. First of all, let me tell you that most of my living room furniture was from my first apartment. My friend Erica and I lived together in a little two bedroom apartment in Overland Park. We were both first year teachers, so we put together what we could. Now, seven years later (geesh. I’m old), I have a few pieces that I’ve added along the way that are fairly new, some that are old but still in pretty good condition, and then a few that are were on their last leg.

 

Several months ago, I invested in a new couch. I had purchased a neutral creamy-beige couch and oversized chair set when I was in the first apartment, and they have followed me from home to home. This past August, I was ready for something new, so I picked out a dark grey-taupe-colored couch that I’ve been loving. It’s added some depth to a pretty much neutral room. Plus, it worked well with the chair from the original set that wasn’t as worn as the couch. I also added a few new brightly colored and patterned pillows to spruce things up.

 

Then, this past Monday, I picked out a new “TV table” (it was actually a behind-the-sofa table, I believe, but my TV looks just fine atop it!) and a new entryway cabinet.  I think I was most excited about the entryway cabinet—it was exactly what I was looking for! I had thought about going thrifting or to flea markets to try and find a vintage cabinet/bookshelf and refinish and repaint it, but this was so much easier. (I’m definitely one for instant gratification.) I love the white-wash and the refurbished wood. And the glass doors sold me—I wanted something you could look into, so I could store books or trinkets or whatever else I could cram in there. I also added new knobs from Anthropologie to add a little color.

 

{BEFORE...}

The original entryway table was put together by yours truly, circa 2007, so you know it was rickety and barely standing. My construction skills aren’t the greatest.

 

{AFTER!}

{Loving the glass and the patterned metal panels in the door. This is definitely more unique than the table. And much different than anything I had seen at NFM previously.}

Although I don't think the TV table was meant to actually hold a TV (I really didn’t think about all the connectors and cables running down the back), I think it looks fab. I love the shelves (I was able to get rid of my outdated DVD stand) and the drawers—extra storage is a bonus for this girl, since I don’t have a basement and my attic is unfinished and possibly haunted. (The sheer volume of cobwebs I've seen when I went up there that one time is enough to convince me that I don’t need to venture up there, EVER.) I also added new knobs to the drawers that I picked out at Anthro.

{BEFORE: This little guy was also "hand-constructed" (AKA pieced together) by me.
And yes, it bowed slightly in the middle.}

 

{AFTER: Ta-da!}

 

{This TV table is taller, which I like. I might need to rethink the art on that wall, though...}

{A view of my grown-up space. I know, I know...it's tiny! But I love it.}

I feel like I have a real, grown-up living room now! This furniture is definitely meant to last longer than what I had previously, and it looks so much nicer. And I have to give a HUGE shout out to my Daddy-o, who helped (and by "helped" I mean actually did most of the work) put the TV table together this weekend. Thanks, Dad! You're the best. Can’t wait to watch the next installment of my current TV obsession (The Bachelor, duh) tonight in my lovely space.

Try The Turkey—It’s Amazing

This past Monday, I was lucky enough to have the day off from work. (Thank you, Dr. King!) I had been looking forward to my long weekend, planning on sleeping in, relaxing, getting together with friends…and on Saturday morning, I woke up at 4am to find myself with a case of the sickies. Yep, that nasty stomach-flu-virus-thing that everyone and their dog has had found its way into my system. Gross. And not fun. So, Saturday and Sunday were pretty much spent resting and recovering, but I managed to salvage some of my long weekend on Monday. I was feeling better and wanted to get out of the house!

 

I met my friend Crystal for lunch. We wanted to try something new (I’d say we’re both pretty adventurous regarding food), so I chose Bloomsbury Bistro in Prairie Village. Neither of us had been there, or even heard of it, but a review on Urban Spoon claimed it had the “best turkey sandwich” the reviewer had ever had. I have to admit, I thought to myself, “hmmm…turkey sandwiches aren’t that memorable or impressive, but if someone spent the time to write it, it’s worth a try.” So, off we went, in search of the Bistro.

 

It’s actually located in the Mission Road Antique Mall, which I never even knew existed. (It's at 83rd and Mission Road, across from Corinth Square, if you're interested.) We had some time before our table was ready, so Crystal and I browsed the wares. It was huge! Tons of fun things to look at.  My favorites were the collection of furs (of course, didn’t get a pic), and the room of stained glass. So pretty!

 

{Loved the colors!}

 

 

{This placed was filled to the brim with STUFF. You can kind of see the fur stoles on the left.}
 

{Speaking of stuff, here's the "guy's decor" corner...
turtle shells, antlers and dried out alligator heads, oh my!}

 

{Pretty vintage chair and cabinet combo}

 

{Love-love-loving so much about this set-up}

 

{This was a box of old letters, framed. We think they were written in Italian.}

 

{Loved the white-washed wardrobe and the glitzy chandelier} 

After perusing for a while, we sat down and checked out the menu. We both decided to try the “best turkey sandwich”, and pair it with a bowl of soup. It may not look like it, but I would have to agree with whoever said it first—the sandwich was amazing! Carved turkey, sliced pear, creamy brie and tangy honey mustard dressing on a crusty, whole wheat slice. Crystal and I both agreed we’d come back, just for the turkey. The soup was good, too—homemade noodles, chicken and veggies. And for dessert (why not? It was a holiday!), we shared key lime pie. I know, I know—in January? In Kansas? It was delish. Not too sweet, very citrusy and tangy. It was a lovely lunch date.

{I know it doesn't look like much. But it really was the best turkey sandwich EVER.}

{Key lime-deliciousness}

After lunch, I ventured out to Nebraska Furniture Mart with a few key pieces in mind, and emerged victorious. I’ll share my new living room-redo next time!

I Was Wabash-ing My Heart Out...

{The "Octagon of Doom" last night. Still the dumbest name I've ever heard.}

 

 

...But K-State didn’t get the W.
That’s okay, Kitty Cats—you hung in there pretty well against those nasty ol' Jayhawks.
Look at all that purple pride up there. It’s still a great day to be a Wildcat!

Bachelor Mondays

This may make me an awful person, but…

{Tierra. Ugh.}

Does anyone else think Tierra kind of has a Harry Potter scar?

I know, I know. I’m terrible. But…when you fall down the stairs and talk crap on ten other girls on national television, sometimes, you may receive some criticism.

 

Anyways. If you haven’t deciphered what I’m talking about, it’s The Bachelor. First of all, let me clarify—I have not always been on the Bachelor/Bachelorette bandwagon. Sure, I would (sadly/shamefully?) consider myself a connoisseur of reality television. I’m not particularly proud of my DVR schedule, but basically, if it’s on Bravo, I’m all about it. However, The Bachelor has not always been in my rotation. It always seems a little desperate. No offense. But it drives me nuts that the “contestants” (for lack of a better term) always seem surprised and hurt that the process eventually kicks them off. It’s what you signed up for, people. Did you really think that you could make a connection after a week or two of ridiculously over-the-top and outrageous “dates” (did anyone else feel totally awk as Sean and Lesley M. kissed for a solid three and a half minutes in front of all of L.A. to break the world record last night?) and publicized make-out sessions?

This season, however, I’m all about it, because Sean Lowe, the bachelor himself, is not only totally cute (his dimples—swoon! He’s totally a Ken doll) and seemingly genuine and kind, but he’s a K-State alum! My best pal from college and fellow Wildcat, Megan, and I have endured the Bach season so far together, and no less than five times per episode, we have turned to each other and asked, “why didn’t we know/hang out with/date him in college???” Let me just say, last night, when he had the date with AshLee and he brought the two girls with chronic illnesses along on their Six Flags date, I kind of wanted to cry at how sweet he was.

{Sean. Sigh.}

Okay, I’ve probably embarrassed myself by going on this long about the show, but I have to say, Sarah and Lesley M. are my favs so far and Tierra and Amanda are pretty much totally crazy. Can’t wait for next week’s episode!

 

*PS—I did NOT spend my entire weekend thinking about The Bachelor. I had a lovely day off yesterday and put it to good use—lunch date and new home updates posts to come!

It's Friday, Friday...

...Gotta get down on Friday. Anyone? No? I know. That song is awful. But, it IS Friday! Best day of the week. In the spirit of keeping both my “changes” for 2013, I thought I would write about what is making me happy today. (If you know me, or have been reading along, I think you know how much I like to make lists.) Okay, here we go.

It’s not only Friday, but I have a three day weekend! Hip, hip, hooray for getting Monday off. Pretty pumped to have a four day week next week.

I hit ALL green lights today on the way to work. Small victories, people. And today was a great day for the traffic stars to align, because I was running kind of late. So all those green lights made me feel a little less stressed.

 

I had dinner last night with my two best friends from high school. It was so much fun to see them and catch up with each other. We met at BRGR in Prairie Village and had a three and a half hour dinner—there was a LOT to talk about. Erica is eight months pregnant and due March 1 (!). Brooke is engaged and living in a new city. And me? Well, I’m blogging again, I guess. Ha! As we sat there, over fried pickles and juicy burgers and more fried things  and a few glasses of wine (just Brooke and me, of course), I realized how lucky I am to have such good girlfriends I can come back to after any amount of time has passed and we can talk and laugh like we’re still in high school. We talked about the past, laughed about how old we now are (quote of the night: “we’ve crossed over, guys”) and caught up on the real, “messy” things in life. It was such a lovely night.



{Check out that spread. Best taste of the night? Truffled tater tots. Oh man.}
 

 

{I went with the Jucy Lucy. It was gooooood.}

And, the last thing that makes me happy today? I got to stop at the bookstore last night and picked out a few new reads. So excited for a long weekend, no big plans and some “chill-out” time. Have a great weekend!

Happy Monday

{Piece of cake}

Well, it’s Monday. But it’s alright. I’m embracing optimism, remember? So, here’s why I’m going to have a wonderful Monday (can’t say that every week, but baby steps…):

1. It’s SUNNY! It’s also 7 degrees outside and freezing, but that sunshine makes it a-okay in my book. (For today. I'm still hoping spring makes an early appearance this year.)

 2. I’m wearing a new sweater I just bought. It is a bright cranberry color (bright colors give me a little pep in the winter), striped (love-love-love stripes) and it has little elbow patches. Kind of my new favorite item in my closet.

 3. Two of my classes today have a “reading day” today. It’s the best day of the week, Reading Monday…I wish I could read with them but hey—I get my papers graded and a few lessons planned. And the kiddos are QUIET for 50 blessed minutes.

 4. I have a date to watch The Bachelor with my bestie from college tonight. Watching women throw themselves at a guy is much more fun when you can make snarky comments about it with your friend. (On a side note, has anyone else realized that the girls who come from Kansas or Missouri are always some kind of C.R.A.Z.Y? The girl from Missouri showed up last week in a wedding dress. Really??)

 5. AND—I have done THREE blog posts in a row! Look at me go!

Hope everyone has a fab Monday!

A Fresh Start, Part Two & Birthday Cake!

Change #2: Take More Pictures AND Journal/Blog More Often

Nothing exactly life changing here, but throughout the last few years, I feel like I often think back on events or memories and could kick myself for not taking enough (or any) pictures. I’m always too concerned with being that girl, you know, the annoying one who asks random strangers to take a million pictures. But ya know what? I’d rather have those memories documented. So this year, I’m setting a goal to take more pictures when the mood strikes.

Speaking of taking more pictures, here’s a perfect example: this past weekend, my friend Crystal celebrated her birthday. Here’s how the day started (gotta love day drinking on a Saturday!):

{Birthday Girl!}

{Lookin' alright...this was fairly early in the day}

I WISH I had thought to whip out my camera (or at the least, my phone) and document the latter part of the evening. It included several rounds of Stoli Dolis  at Capital Grille and an encounter with a guy  gentleman old man in a beaver-fur coat. And crocodile boots. I know. He sure liked the birthday girl! Who wouldn’t want to see pics of this? Next time, friends. Next time.

The journal/blogging effort is truly indulgent, a reminder just for me. I used to love to write. I kept a journal; I wrote creative pieces and academic pieces. Even in college and grad school, I enjoyed putting papers together. When I first started this blog a while ago, I would write longgggg entries that probably no one else read, but I had a place to record my thoughts and musings. I’ve let this go lately. I would skip writing because I felt like what I was doing wasn’t worthy to write about. However, I’ve been discovering other blogs, and I’m truly enjoying reading what these people are up to. Sometimes, it’s just a record of their day or weekend, but it’s intriguing to see what their lives are like. If anything, jotting something down every day (being honest, here) once a week will keep my writing skills in shape. Who knows? Maybe someday, I’ll write a tell-all about my teaching experiences. Now THAT would be a funny read!

So here we go. Now that the blogging world can see my "changes," I hope I will hold myself accountable. Looking forward to you, 2013. As my friend Julie told me on the phone a couple nights ago, "Mo, I think 2013 is gonna be your year." Thanks, Jules! I hope so, too.

(On a side note, one more big "change" I set for myself this year is to drink more water and to eat one more fruit or veggie every day. You know, trying to think all healthy. Ha! Do ya see that yummy, truffled-chocolate cake up there, covered in candles? Yeah. It was delicious. I may or may not have also had a cake-pop that night, too. Obviously, this last "change" started this week, after the party.)

2013: A Fresh Start

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and written a true blog entry. There are plenty of excuses I could give—things have been busy; I’ve had a few areas of my life that have been “rearranged;” other things took priority. But—rather than dwell on the past, I figure 2013 is a fresh start, so I’m looking to the future. But before I plunge on in, here are a few pics from New Year’s Eve. To be honest, I didn’t even really want to go out and celebrate, but hey, I’ve got fun friends. We decided to shake things up and try something new, so we headed to the Hangar 9 party at the downtown airport. It was quite a spectacle--there were several planes on display, arial dancers flowing from the ceiling, and around 1200 people packed in!

{Lotsa sparkle!}

 

Instead of resolutions this year (let’s be honest, who truly keeps those all year long?), I’ve decided to think about just a couple “changes” I want to make in my life. Believe me, these two I am going to share with you are not the only changes I’ve been thinking about. But, I felt like posting these two on here would keep me honest. Hopefully, these are things I can manage and address each day, and “changes” don’t sound as daunting as “resolutions.” I’m going to break these down separately, since they are kind of longer than I thought. So, here we go, with “Change #1.”
 

Change #1: Embrace Optimism

There are a lot of areas of my life that I think I can apply this change to. I’m trying not to get into the clichés and overly used idioms here, but quite simply, I need to realize the good, happy things around me, and let go of the negative thoughts. There are a couple of ways I’m approaching this change, and I feel like I am really trying to open myself up to the idea of happiness. I know that no one is happy every single day, all day, but there are little things I can do to promote optimism. I’m going to try and laugh (like, really, truly laugh) at school at least once a day. I tend to get caught up in and dwell on stressful situations at school—kids who are rude or disrespectful, grades I need to get caught up on, other colleagues who annoy me. (Wow. That sounds negative!) But, there are students who are funny, and bright, and who work hard. There are curricular units and assignments I’ve created that I am proud of. And there are plenty of people at work who I count as friends. I need to spend more energy on these things, and let go of some of the things I can’t change. Outside of work, I have many dear friends and a wonderful family who love and support me. I want to spend more time with these people, and really appreciate the positive things I have in my life.