Day 30 - A Picture

When I was searching through all my photos during this whole blog challenge I came across this one that I hadn't seen in a while.


I have to say the smile that spread across my face actually hurt. This is Emily and I in Newport, Kentucky all dolled up to go to the Haufbruahaus. This picture brings back some great memories and for me is a fabulous way to wrap up this 30 day challenge. These past 30 days have really driven home the important role my friends have in my life. Many of them read this blog, so to you all I say the following things:

• Thank you so much for everything you've ever done for me.
• I am truly blessed to have you all.
• Kanye is better than Eminem.
• Neal is still the funniest person I know.

Day 29 - 3 wishes

Hmmmmm....

1. I wish the Bengals didn't suck so much. It is painful to watch them play knowing how much we pay for our season tickets.

2. I wish my stupid cat would stop trying to escape out of the back door or I might be forced to follow through on my threat and just leave her out there.

3. I wish someone would invent self vacuuming carpets. I hate to vacuum, but since Harper spends all her time on the floor, I'm forced to do it everyday.

I don't think any of my wishes will be coming true any time soon.

Day 28 - Something that Stresse me out

I try not to sweat the small stuff...as clique as that is. I don't typically have a lot of stress in my life, and when I do it's usually related to work. The thing that stresses me out most of all is making sub plans. It is the hardest thing to make plans for someone else to teach your students, especially when most subs can't even manage to teach 8th grade pre-algebra. Typically their math skills don't extend far beyond what a 4 operation calculator can do. I try not to be absent from work very often, but with all the professional development I'm involved in, plus all the things life has been throwing at me, I was out for what totalled to a week in the month of October. Not good. I have no plans to be out again up through Christmas Break, so I won't have to face the bear of sub plans again until then

Day 27 - Pets

Two years ago some students found a stray cat outside of the school where I work. The secretaries were going to send the cat to a shelter, and I felt bad about that so we decided to take the cat in. That gave us Marvin.

When we got the cat, we weren't sure what gender it was. So we went with Marvin for the name. Well about a month later, I noticed Marvin getting quite fat and her stmach was hanging all low...sure enough SHE was pregnant. She produced a litter of 4 kittens. We found homes for three of them and kept the runt for ourselves. That gave us Boomer.

Both cats have very unique personalities. Boomer will do things he know he's not supposed to, just to get attention. This has gotten worse now that Harper has joined the family. In the end, they are both very loving cats. They give Harper a wide berth, but she loves them. Her face lights up when they enter the room. For that reason, we dressed her as a black cat for Halloween. So for one day we had 3 black kitties in our house.

Day 26 - Picture of my Family

Here's a picture of my Mom, Dad, Sisters and I at my wedding.

The Family I'm building today.

Just today I asked Joe "Do you think we're good parents?" I'm not sure why this came to me. I'm confident I'm making the best decisions for my precious baby that I am capable of making. I am so thankful every day that I've reached this place in my life. I have a FANTASTIC husband, a beautful baby girl, a supportive family, and the best damn group of friends a person could ever hope for.

How is it that a simple blog challenge can make me so sappy?

Shuffle up and Deal...

The first 10 songs that show up when my iPod is shuffled
1. Bowling for Soup - 1985
2. Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
3. Busta Rhymes - Fire it Up
4. Elton John - Rocket Man
5. Barenaked Ladies - Alternative Girlfriend
6. O.A.R. - Tragedy in Waiting
7. Kanye West - Workout Plan
8. The Cincinnati Bengals Fight Song
9. Aerosmith - Walk This Way
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe

Yup..that's a pretty good representation of the eclectic selection of music I listen to.

Catching Up

In an effort to catch up on the 30 day blog challenge I will now give you 13 days in one sentence answers...

Day 11-Favorite tv shows - My two can't miss shows are Modern Family and Vampire Diaries

Day 12-What you believe - I believe that the best thing you can do is be a good person...everything else will fall into place

Day 13-Goals - Short term - make it through the week without strangling a student

Day 14-A picture you love

Day 15-Bible verse - To be perfectly honest I don't have a verse I could quote.

Day 16-Dream house - I'd love to pick up my current house and move it into a better school district...that would be a dream

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to - Thanksgiving...as my husband says, it's all about food and football and you don't have to buy gifts.

Day 18-Something you regret - not keeping in better touch with friends throughout the years

Day 19-Something you miss - My best friend...seeing her this weekend, especially under such sad circumstances really made me ache...sometimes I wonder how I'm surviving without her.

Day 20-Nicknames - Nikki I guess...shortened from Nicole

Day 21-Picture of yourself -

Day 22-Favorite city - Of all the places I've been...I think my favorite is Munich. It's so laid back and there's beer on every corner

Day 23-Favorite vacation - Last summer's Europe trip with Hubs...plus I brought back a baby as a souvenir!

Day 24-Something you've learned - That there is nothing more important in life than people who love you. With love you can do anything.

I know this wasn't as good as doing them daily, but now that I'm caught up...I plan on completing the rest of the days individually.