Longing for Sunday

Ugh. This weekend is commencement and I should be graduating.  But I'm not.  Sigh.  I'm just getting tired of people asking me if I'm excited to be done and I have to explain, again, that I'm doing a fifth year next year.  However, B is graduating so my weekend is still going to be filled with graduation stuff.  I'm probably one of only a few who aren't that excited for the graduation speaker...none other than President Obama.  It simply means we have to get to the stadium at the butt crack of dawn to get through security and there is rain in the forecast too....yuck.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Sunday when all the guests leave and B and I can just go for a walk, eat a quiet dinner and curl up to watch a movie together at night.  Basically, I can't wait for life to get back to normal. 

Thoughts on the Gym

Sigh.  Why is that I only get motivated to get my butt up and go out, (in the rain, no less!) and head over to the IM Building?  However, I'm back, showered and in comfy clothes, sitting on B's couch and feeling positively delightful.  I feel clean and skinny and just plain wonderful...and I'm craving strawberries instead of ice cream.  Maybe this is the start of something wonderful and amazing :)  Welcome to my summer of self-improvement and just general amounts of loving myself and taking care of myself...I can't wait to start...Tuesday at 12:30, this semester will be officially history!!!

DONE!

Today was the last day of classes!!! Just a take-home final due on Monday and an actual final on Tuesday!  Today was bittersweet because I said goodbye to my fifth graders :(  However, I'm already planning what things I'm going to go back for to see them!  On a brighter note, tomorrow I visit the Clements Library for the first time!  I'm really looking forward to that and am excited to find out more about what I'm going to be doing during spring term.  I also attempted to start packing last night...attempted.  Giant pile of fail in that regards.  Oh well, Friday I have nothing better to do than load my sad amount of belongings into boxes and drag them over to B's house...yea for being homeless for a week!!!

Busy, busy, busy

Ugh, I hate this time of year.  Stupid finals and other end of the year stuff...ughhh.  Its all about checking things off the list right now.  I'm just looking forward to being done and having a few days to just work and chill and then begin my spring classes.  I'm really looking forward to my classes...I'm taking Women and Literature (English315), Geology of Michigan (Geosci311), Ethnic Studies of Museums and Tourism (Amcult311).  I cannot wait for classes that aren't education classes and I'm super excited for the Amcult class because its finally a class in the direction I want to eventually go in for grad school and career wise.  I also cannot wait to start working on my summer reading list, working on my painting and photography, do my homework at Dominiks and Ashleys (local bars with fun outdoor seating) and I'm also taking a pilates class once a week!  Oh, and I'm starting a job at the Clements library!!  You should check it out!  I'm so excited about starting this job; it is probably going to be kinda boring but its a foot in the door and a step in the right direction...also, yea for grad school apps/resume whatnot :)  I'm a little worried I'm going to be bored if I'm only working like 15 hours a week but I'm working a my list of things you can do, as you can see.  I'm also really looking forward to going to the local Ann Arbor Farmer's Market to get fresh fruits and veggies and cooking for B.  But, before all this delightful stuff can start, must. get. through. finals. 

Food!

Finally, some time to cook again!  I embarked on a pasta salad making adventure last week and am thrilled at how it turned out!  I made this for my cohort potluck lunch and it was a recipe of my own devising.  I looked up a bunch of recipes but none of them felt right.  So, here it is!  My bright, colorful pasta salad!

Pasta Salad (fed 12 with plenty of leftovers, which taste better every day!):
2 boxes of tri color rottini
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 small bag of broccoli florets
1 small bag of shredded carrots
1/2 bag of mozzerella cheese, shredded
1/2 bag of cheddar cheese, shredded
a dash of dried basil
a dash of dried thyme
2 bottles of fat-free Italian dressing

Cook pasta according to box
While cooking pasta, chop peppers and broccoli
Rinse and drain pasta
Mix pasta, veggies, spices and cheese together
Add one bottle of dressing
Chill overnight in fridge
Add 1/3 cup of dressing to salad and remix
Enjoy!
For leftovers, always add more dressing to keep it moist and delish!
Here's some pics of it it in progress and completed!

Getting Ready for Summer

Perhaps because it's nearly 70 degrees today, here in Ann Arbor, I'm feeling very summery!  I spent a significant portion of my morning class working on my 'to-do' list before the end of school.  It's mostly a list of assignments that I need to get checked off the list but there are also a few 'spring cleaning' type of tasks.  I've also begun to plan my vacations, work schedule and leisure activities.  I register for classes tomorrow so I don't want to jinx that by listing what I'm hoping on taking.  But it's looking good so far :)  I also just posted my summer reading list on the bottom of the page.  I'm hoping to continue to add to the the list and write a review for each one just to continue doing some cognitively challenging activities over the summer.  I'm also looking forward to lots of painting and photography in order to get my Etsy shop set up because it looks very sad and bare over there right now :(  Only a few more weeks...counting down to April 20!!

Looking Ahead

I'm finally feeling better and looking forward to the end of the semester.  B and I spent the Holy weekend at home with my parents for part of the weekend and my grandparents for the other part.  It was so wonderfully relaxing :)  Grandma took me shopping and we spent Easter as a family.  It was such a blessing to be able to go home.  Now, we're back and catching up on homework.  Due to the public schools' spring break, I don't have field this week and am looking forward to a less hectic week.  I also got my placement for next year and I'm trying to get excited about it...I've never worked with third graders before so it will be an adventure!  All in all, I'm trying to be at peace with my educational situation and looking forward to planning my grad school adventures.