My Year in Tweets (Part I January - June)

Instead of writing a whole bunch of stuff to recap 2011, I decided to look back on my tweets throughout the past twelve months and compile them into one big overview of my year. Some are specific, some are vague. Some are insightful, some are stupid. Some are happy-go-lucky, some are passive aggressive. There were ups and downs throughout the year, just like any other year.

This blog in two parts because it would be super lengthy otherwise. I came to the conclusion that I've gotten funnier throughout the year, so Part II should be better than Part I. Enjoy!

January

Out with the old; in with the new.

Jan 1

I bought a car. Guess who feels like a grown-up!

Jan 4

So......I'm a little giggly today.

Jan 6

Two snow days in a row? Is it too much to hope for?

Jan 10

Goodnight calls are nice. :)

Jan 10

Watching "Going the Distance." It's like applicable or something.

Jan 20

I get to see Holly Hoffman tonight!#survivor #nerd

Jan 22

February

I took my dog for a walk today, but ended up carrying her most of the way because her feet froze. #sdwx #cold #snowpocalypse

Feb 1

Just wiped out on the ice. #sdsucks #bruised

Feb 5

Remember that one time when I actually understood what was going on during a football game? Nope, me neither.

Feb 6

I think I'm in a sugar-induced coma right now.

Feb 9

Missing my Valentine. #didiseriouslyjusttweetthat #gagme

Feb 14

I need to get hurry up and finish the book I'm reading so I can use my new.......wait for it...........wait for it.............Nook Color!!!

Feb 14

I just Googled "Justin Bieber haircut." I think I've reached a new low.

Feb 21

March

All I want in life is someone's back pocket for me to slide my hand in as we walk through the mall together. Is that too much to ask for?

Mar 1

"Hey, teach - my friend is coming to school with me on Friday. Can you try to act cool? Cuz I told her you are."

Mar 7

I'm going to this. You can all be extremely jealous.http://railroadrevivaltour.com/#happiestgirlintheworld

Mar 14

My mom is on Twitter.........

Mar 21

A little girl I know named her Barbie after me. This is definitely a high point in my life.

Mar 27

A phrase I've had to use in my classroom: "Umm, no. I am NOT your homeboy."

Mar 31

April

"Who are you going to couple skate with tonight, Teach?" Yep, school skating party tonight.

Apr 5

"That outfit makes you look like a teacher. A HIP teacher though."

Apr 6

Two weeks from today: Mumford and Sons concert! Excited beyond words!

Apr 8

Blankly staring at the Twitter box, trying to think of something witty.

Apr 9

I'm pretty sure my job description should be at least 10 pages long.

Apr 13

Bachelorette party last night. Our mode of transportation: a motor-home. We rocked it white trash style!

Apr 16

Good thing I found that steak knife in my purse today instead of having a security guy at the airport find it on Thursday! #noflylist

Apr 16

I put the "her" in teacher.#justsayin

Apr 19

The Rockslinger and His Greatest Hit! Excited and nervous!

Apr 19

"Home is wherever I'm with you." - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Apr 20

My boyfriend is cooking right now and I'm messing around on Facebook and Twitter. This is definitely how life should always be.

Apr 23

11 hours in the airport, 2 hours of half-sleep, one piece of luggage missing. Wow, traveling is fun.

Apr 26

One of my students is reading #HungerGames. I think she's getting annoyed of me asking what part she's at.

Apr 28

May

"Illusion" was a spelling word this week. During the test, I really wanted to say, "Illusions, Michael!"

May 6

Grading papers on a Friday afternoon. Blegh. *Three more weeks, three more weeks, three more weeks.*

May 6

I bought hipster glasses. Because I'm a hipster like that?

May 15

Heading to Omaha with my students tomorrow. Should be an interesting trip. I'm just hoping they act civilized.

May 22

Hello, summer. I've missed you.

May 25

Finally living the life of my sister@breannave -- sleeping in, sitting on Facebook, watching tv. It's a rough life.

May 27

June

What did one snowman say to the other? ......"Do you smell carrots?"

Jun 3

First fire of the summer! It's about time, son!

Jun 3

I'm totally becoming an artist (that uses step-by-step instructions for drawing....)

Jun 7

The time I've spent online tonight > the time you've spent online tonight

Jun 9

"But I know now that we were not the people that we turned out to be." @katenash

Jun 11

I think I need my inhaler because Marcus Mumford took my breath away!

Jun 15

Second row at Mumford and Sons, first row a Yellowcard and Good Charlotte.......this has pretty much been an awesome week.

Jun 17

Note to self (and others): canoeing on flooded rivers is dangerous. Don't be dumb......like.......my friend.....yeah

Jun 18

When I grow up, I want to have a dishwasher. #bigdreams

Jun 22

I am the queen of getting my hopes up for no good reason.

Jun 23

It's just like........I don't know. Ya know?

Jun 23

I was singing Mumford and Sons songs in the shower, and my dog was sitting outside of the shower barking along. #notevenlying

Jun 25

Phew! You made it to the bottom. I am thoroughly impressed. Check back for Part II of my year in tweets!

10 Things I Love Right Now

1. This bedding from UrbanOutfitters.com This is what makes me want to move out and get my own place.

2. "The Cave" (Revealed) video -

Tags: Mumford and Sons Unplugged, Mumford and Sons

This is Mumford and Sons on vH1 Unplugged. It officially airs tomorrow night. (June 24th) This video just reinforced why Mumford and Sons is my favorite band. I've seen them twice in the past three months, and they pretty much changed my life. Yep.

3. Wholly Guacamole - Guacamole in a bag. Delicious. What more could you want?

4. Stumbleupon.com - Since it's summer, I might have a little bit of extra time on my hands. So I went to this website, picked my interests, and Stumbleupon introduced me to tons of websites with things that I think are awesome! Just click "Stumble" and you'll find hours of fun. Woop!

5. Ivy Oxford Heel from Maurices - This was my fun little find while shopping the other day. Less than fifteen dollars on clearance! Happy day! 6. Online drawing tutorials. I decided I needed to find a hobby for the summer, so I started drawing. As I stared at the clean, crisp paper, I found myself unsure of what to draw. I went online and found how to draw anything and everything. A bulldog and an owl are two of my attempts so far. I would not be able to draw anything like this without the tutorials.

7.This quote from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky -

"And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've heard have been heard by other people. And that girl that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing 'unity.' It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means you're happy too."

8. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is being made into a movie. And Emma Stone has been asked to be Elizabeth Bennet.

9. The word "snarky." Doesn't it just sound like a neat word? [Insert snarky comment here.]

10. Caribou Coffee Campfire Mocha Latte. Heavenly. Absolutely heavenly.

Yep, I'm Going To This

http://railroadrevivaltour.com/

Thanks, boyfriend.

The Reason I Like Zombies

So in the past year or two, I've really gotten into zombies. What?! Yeah, I know. Weird.

I have been acquiring quite the collection of zombie movies, zombie books, and other zombie paraphernalia. I have a poster from my sister, and Geron got me Pride and Prejudice and Zombies last Christmas and The Zombie Survival Guide this Christmas. I'm becoming quite the expert. I took two quizzes: Would You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? and How Long Would You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse? Both of my results pretty much said that I would be the ultimate zombie killer. But I'm sure you would all think that anyways just by looking at me.

So why the fascination? Well, I think it starts with my love of survival. Seriously. What's my absolute favorite show? Survivor. I've watched it throughout all of the seasons it's been on, and my wonderful father even set up a South Dakota Survivor Challenge for my friends and me when I was younger. Throwing people out in harsh conditions with few supplies is so interesting to watch!
What will they do to survive? Ok, so maybe Survivor isn't the
ultimate survival situation according to some of you. I Shouldn't Be Alive is another favorite show of mine. People against all odds fighting to live. It's inspiring.

So what do these shows have to do with zombies? Well, when it comes to survival situations, I would probably say that a zombie apocalypse is probably the most extreme of these situations. The entire world taken over by creatures trying to kill you? If you've ever seen a zombie movie, you know that few people, if any, make it to the end alive. Obviously, making it through a zombie apocalypse is the ultimate survival situation.

If the zombie apocalypse happens, find me. I'm your best bet at survival.

That Happy Little Place Called Cloud Nine

I think I might be there.

I caught myself doodling hearts all over my notebook this week.

Oh goodness, how did I get here?

A Year in Review (Pt. 2)

Let's continue on our little journey through the happenings of 2010. In the last post we ended in May, so I'll hopefully finish up the year in this post.

Two days after school ended, my summer started out right. My sister, her friend Brittany, and I hit the road for a trip to Virginia. After two very long days on the road through some major rain storms, we made it. Breanna and Brittany stayed with some of Brittany's cousins, while I spent time with Geron, a friend from college, and her husband Ryan. We spent a lot of time shopping, visiting historical sights, and hanging out at the beach. It was a great start to the summer.

------ I learned: South Dakota really needs an ocean, or I need to move.

Now, I absolutely love teaching, but summers are just so great. I didn't get a summer job. Because I wanted to travel. Because I was getting paid anyways. Because I'm lazy.

I spent a good portion of my summer riding bike. My wonderful father got my sister and me new bikes for Christmas - like nice bikes - fast and all professional looking. So I made sure I took advantage of that. In July we went on a family biking trip to Minnesota. I biked 52 miles in one day! A personal record. I'm no Lance Armstrong, but I thought that was pretty good. We were also able to go to the Mall of America, a Twins game, and an Aqua Parade. Yep.

One day after getting back from that trip, I hopped in the car with BFF Bethany and we started our long drive to Florida. The highlight of the trip was definitely a little bookstore in Georgia with no book over three dollars! Holla! Our time in Florida was spent hitting the beach, meeting up with old friends, and chillin. Cuz that's how the Flo-rida people roll. (I have no idea why I'm talking like a gangsta right now.) I flew home after a week, and then headed to Omaha with my mom and sis for a shopping spree!

In between all these trips, I spent a lot of time with Laurissa. She's pretty much my favorite. We have a lot of similarities, and she makes me feel really smart when it comes to music. So that's always a good thing.

------Pretty much freedom is really great. So are summer paychecks.

By now it was August. During this month I had a conversation. It was a difficult one. It took a lot of guts, but it was done. It was one of the most hurtful conversations I've ever had, but I needed it. This was such a low point in my life. Like lots of tears and no appetite low. But things could only go up from there. And they did. After awhile.

It was right before this conversation that I discovered the awesomeness of the band Mumford & Sons. I listened to the song "The Cave" over and over again. So great. Sooooooo great. I was also blessed with awesome friends that were always willing to listen.

-------"And I'll find strength in pain, and I will change my ways."

School started up again soon after that. It was so good to be back. I don't know if I could've asked for better people to work with! And I have such a great group of students this year. We're like a little family.

----blessed.

A few other noteworthy 2010 happenings:
Lifelight 2010 - Backstage passes, Reilly, an insane Family Force 5 concert, and this kid.
Kelsey - my sister's friend who she met on Facebook came and stayed with us. New bestie - Twitter bestie!
Read so many great books - Pride and Prejudice, The Hunger Games, The Book Thief - just to name a few of my top reads of 2010.
Reconnected with Laura! We worked at DQ together, and then we went to Dordt together, and now we're both in the Sioux Falls area! It's so great to have her around!
Became the technical director at school. This is where I fake it and act like I know a lot about computers. It seems to be working so far.
Met a boy. Started relationship. Didn't work. Relationship ended.

And then there was my car accident. I'm still feeling the effects of that one. I'm no longer wearing a splint on my wrist, but it still gets sore sometimes. Driving on ice freaks me out way more than it ever used to. The accident really showed me that my life could be taken from me at any moment. It'll be awhile before I can drive over that bridge without tensing up.

-----I learned: I am NOT invincible.

Looking back at 2010, I can see that I am so blessed. Even through the trials I faced I am reminded of James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."

Heading into 2011 my main focus has been on the phrase, "Out with the old, in with the new." Things just seem to be looking up this year, and I have a good feeling about the things to come. I am driving a new car - a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. I have a new outlook on life. And there's even a new boy in the picture! But I'll just save that for a different post....

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right!" - Oprah Winfrey


Did I seriously just end this post with a quote from Oprah?

A Year in Review (Pt. 1)

So doing a "beginning of the year" blog is always fun. We're all just going to ignore the fact that I am not always a very consistent blogger right now, and we'll just pretend it's the first week of January when I'm writing this instead of the first week of February. I'm breaking this up into two blog posts because so much happened in 2010. It was definitely a year full of struggles, but there were also some great moments. I learned a lot about life and myself. Here it is, folks.

It started out in January with the LoveFest - a bunch of my friends headed out to Bethany's dad's hunting lodge for a great time. The temp was well below zero, but our hearts were filled with warmth. (Wow, this is already starting out with cheesy lines?) We played a bunch of card games and had some great conversations. Now it seems that half of the people that were there last year have all gone off and got married or engaged. What's up with all this growing up stuff? Why can't everything always stay the same?

-----Things I learned: 1) God has blessed me with AMAZING friends. 2) Change is inevitable.

At the end of January, Bethany moved back to Florida after an amazing couple months back in South Dakota. It was so sad to see my best friend leave me. Again. Once again, God has totally blessed me with some great people in my life. Bethany is pretty much at the top of the list.


Snow days were abundant during this time of the year too.

-----I learned: Teachers love snow days just as much as students.


In March, I had two of my other close friends move away - to Mexico of all places. Yep. That left me basically all alone in Sioux Falls without many friends to hang out with. With a lack of friends around, and a tax return much larger than any I had received before, I decided to spoil myself with a new plasma screen TV and a Wii. It was great to have these new fun items, but my life was very lame during this time, and I was kind of in a rut. It was a difficult time. Trying to find friends. Trying to come up with things to talk about what I did over the weekend. Trying to get past the loneliness. This low lasted for a couple months. During these months we got my grandma's dog, Ginger, because my grandma had moved into the nursing home and couldn't keep her anymore. If it was not for that dog, I seriously would have been in an even worse and darker place. It's kind of pathetic, but that dog was the light of my life. It was so great to have someone greet me when I came home. She was a bundle of joy and energy that added a bright spot in each day.

-----I learned: 1) Things can never replace people. 2)Dogs really are man's best friend. Or woman's best friend. At least during that point of my year.

Soon after we got Ginger, my grandma got very sick. After a long fight, she passed away. It was definitely hard to see her go, but probably even harder to watch my mom dealing with it. It's good to know that she's done suffering, and now has a new body and is with her Lord.

------Lesson learned: God is faithful through the generations.

Oh yes, I was still getting through my first year of teaching. And then May came along. May - the craziest month of my teaching career. Very little teaching and learning going on with 8th graders who are just looking forward to that next big step to high school. Is it possible for 8th graders to get senioritis? Apparently. We were constantly off at 8th grade career day, math bee, track meets, hike day and the 8th grade class trip to Omaha. Definitely a chaotic and busy, busy, busy, but tons of fun.

------For what I learned here, I'm going to use a quote from a book I just read - Sold by Patricia McCormick: "If you look hard enough, chaos turns into order, the way letters turn into words."

Eighth grade graduation was not only a day of accomplishment for my students, but also for me. I had done it. I completed my first year ot teaching. I was even offered a contract to teach there again the next year! So that must have meant that I did an okay job of it too. It was a great year, and I definitely learned a lot.

Second blog post coming soon! Stay tuned!