That was my motto for my Spring Break.
I was determined to get my lesson plans and classroom ready early in the week so I could relax the rest of it.
Turns out that I was a little slow on my feet the first couple of days. I don’t exactly remember what I did those days, but I think it involved working out in the gym (more details forthcoming in a future post) and reading (I’ve already blogged about the new books I recently purchased).
Tuesday evening, I hunkered down on my couch and got busy with some lesson planning.
As a good reader, I’ve taken my ability to read to granted. Now that I teach intensive reading, I have to think critically about what I do, exactly, when I read and comprehend. Hence, the lesson planning is slow going for me, breaking down the steps into understandable bits for my students to process.
I hit a wall and put away my plans. Wednesday, I got up, and God zapped me with a great site on the internet and good ideas. Thank you, Lord!! I went into my classroom for about an hour or so, talked to a few of the other teachers who were also there, and got the low-down on how to use the new technology that had finished being installed while I was gone.
Then, I went to lunch with the gals. It was impromptu and fun.
I worked hard on finishing up things that evening and went back into my classroom on Thursday morning, spending a solid four hours straightening my room, setting up my stations, practicing with my new technology, and brainstorming with a fellow teacher who had stopped by. I took a few things home with me to finalize and worked hard that afternoon.
Thus it was on Friday (yesterday) when I was able, finally, to play.
First, I stopped by my classroom and dropped off what I’d finished the night before. I didn’t hang around long, afraid to get sucked into the world of work. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t and that what had not gotten done wasn’t going to. Sometimes you just can’t do everything.
Then, I headed out for some fun.
First, my nails.
As you know, I’m very eager for the movie, The Hunger Games, to come out. I read all three books in the series. The reading teachers are taking our students to see it on the 27th. I’m giving serious thought to attending the opening night. Yes. I know that’s midnight, but that’s part of the fun. Barb has suggested that I take a half-day of vacation. We shall see. I’ll probably just suck it up and nap during my planning. 😉
In honor of the movie, I walked into my nail salon with a plan and a couple of pictures.
After being told that no, she could not draw a bird (ahem…it’s a mockingjay…sheesh), I settled for Plan B…
Those are flames. She did her best…refusing to do the red that was in the picture I’d printed out. Although a couple of the nails on my right hand messed up a teensy bit when I left, I’m pleased with the overall result…
After lunch, I headed to the beach. I had a coupon for the store, Ulta, and my friend Jane had agreed to meet me there. You might remember that Jane and I taught together last year. She says that I left her when I took the job at the public school. I’d offer the suggestion that she didn’t follow me.
Semantics.
She had never been to Ulta, so it was my pleasure to introduce her to this fun, girly store.
Jane is 61 (or is it 62), but you’d never know it from talking to her. She’s incredibly young at heart and pushes herself to the highest standards in everything she does. She’s got such a wonderful sense of humor, so we laugh CONSTANTLY when we’re together.
She’s the person I took with me when I won free tickets to the Christian Concert last August, and it was so funny to watch her jumping around to the music…even commenting on how cute the guitar player was (for the record, he was butt ugly and looked about 90. She needed her eyes checked. heehee).
Anyhoo, though Jane and I are friends, there are times when she feels like a mother to me. She has a daughter close to my age, and according to her, the daughter and I are very similar. I just love having this friend/mother figure in my life, so today was especially fun as we shopped and discussed nail polishes (she refuses to go wild, unlike me with my crazy nails). We ate lunch at Panera and talked the entire time. Then, we returned to Ulta because I’d forgotten something. She had to buy a little something for the road. Parting from her is always bittersweet. Though we talk weekly, we only get to see each other every few weeks. Life is NUTS for both of us.
By the time I got home, it was 4:30. As soon as the Mr. got home from the gym, he asked, “Who wants to go to Kohl’s?”
Um, hello? That was on my to-do list but I was so busy that I hadn’t gotten to it.
I had been carrying around 20% coupons all day! He informed me that I needed to check my email for a $10 off of a $10 or more purchase coupon. I finally found it…in my spam folder!
Off to Kohl’s we went, expecting to be back home shortly.
Two hours later, we finally returned, with me sporting a few new things…
Those are shoes designed by Jennifer Lopez.
In case you’ve had your head in the sand and have not been watching TV much lately, J. Lo is the new spokesperson for Kohl’s.
As I had walked around shopping, I realized that I had not hit the shoe department. The Mr. was actually shocked when he’d gone looking for me fully expecting that to be the FIRST place I visited.
heehee
Anyhoo, I spied the black heels first and had to try them on…
Let me tell you…though the heels are high, the bottom is thick, so it doesn’t feel like your feet are arched very much. I have no idea what kind of leather they used, but it is COMFORTABLE! Trust me. I have much experience with these things.
The shoes are very well made. The heels actually mold around your heels, so there’s none of that foot-coming-out-of-the-shoe thing.
I love these and knew I was going to buy them as soon as I walked around in them. I didn’t care how much they cost. For the record, they were roughly $31, down from $75, and I had a 20% coupon.
The second pair only cost $21, and I love them almost as much as the black pair.
They have some sort of suede-like covering…definitely not your smooth leather. I love how thick the soles are, which makes walking in them much easier than you’d think.
Please excuse my white legs. Apparently, working and Spring Break do not add up to much time to tan. I’ll try to fix that in the next couple of days.
Anyhoo…
I tried on lots of other things at Kohl’s and came home with a couple of new tops for work…
That’s not the best picture. It doesn’t show off each top to its best. I love both of them! The black one is a similar style to a few others I have, but it’s just so doggone pretty! I love, love, love the pink one. It’s made out of some sort of rayon or something, and it is just so “blousy.” It’s thin…perfect for hot Florida weather, but it’s very dressy.
One thing that’s really caught me off guard this year is how observant students are. They notice EVERYTHING (except for due dates written in all UPPERCASE red Expo markers on the whiteboard). When I wear something they’ve never seen, they comment. They have their favorite outfits, and they don’t hesitate to tell me. So, finding new things to wear to work is fun because I know that they will appreciate my effort to be professional, stylish, and a bit whimsical.
My day of fun ended with a dinner to a local Japanese restaurant where I had Miso Soup and cucumber and asparagus rolls. Yum!
Work is going to slap me in the face next week. I think I’ll take the next day or two to relax, recharge my batteries fully, and count my blessings.
One thing I was reminded of as I talked to Jane today was how different my life is this year compared to last year. Last year at this time, I was a very hurt and angry gal. I felt betrayed by people I had trusted, and I had some major regrouping to do. It was during this time last year that I knew that I wouldn’t be returning to that school…that the fit just didn’t fit any more. I knew that God had other plans for me.
He was true to the nudging I felt in my heart and here I am…in a place where I fit in completely…content and as thankful as I can be.
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Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: Jennifer Lopez, kohl's, shopping, Spring Break, teaching | 1 Comment »
