Currently.

Thankful For: The incredible amount of support I have been receiving for my mission trip to Monterrey. I have been getting donations from people left and right and have completely raised the money I need....!!! I am waiting for all of it to come in so that I can pay for my plane ticket and accommodations, but I am really excited to experience this trip and SO THANKFUL to those who have believed in it and helped me get there!! Now, I just have to wait until June so that I can go....!!!

Looking Forward To: Seeing Chevelle at Bogarts with Bret this Monday night, flying to Buffalo to see my New York lovers (Nicole, C, Isa, Mack, and Russ), seeing The Postal Service in Columbus in June... talk about a dream come true!! And Disney World with my family this summer (finally). I can't wait for this summer break. It's going to be absolutely amazing. But with the year I am having at school, I can absolutely be patient. I am really falling into my position as a teacher at Mt. Healthy and I am loving it. It is incredible what one year of experience and an amazing team of people around you can do for morale!! Also looking forward to teaching a (amateur) yoga club after school in the spring!

Lusting After: This Longchamp bag at Nordstrom. I might have to go get it today because it's on sale and..... omg need.

Watching: Still Downton Abbey and Rehab Addict. I love that show.

Thinking About: This exhibit that my dad and I saw at MoMa in NYC a few years ago that has suddenly gone viral. I wasn't there for the reunion that everyone has been talking about, but I remember standing around for about 20 minutes watching this woman and marveling at how content she was just sitting here with strangers. I wish I had gotten to see the meeting between her and Ulay!

Working On: Staying dedicated to fitness. I am really struggling with this. Especially because since Christmas break, I have been unbelievably exhausted almost all of the time. And I have been retaining water/gaining a little bit of weight and I am not sure why this is happening. I am hoping it is a deficiency and that my doctor will have a solution for me. Going on Tuesday to find something out!! I am also working on continuing to stay focused on school work. The course I am taking right now is a lot more challenging than the first two and it has been a struggle to keep up my momentum and meet my own incredibly high standards. TRYING!

Reading: I read Gone Girl over Christmas break and was completely obsessed with it. One of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about for a few days after I read it, and even had to take a break from reading because I just felt like anything else would have been disappointing right up against that. So I did some research to find some books similar to it, and just finished reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. I will say that I have read another book by her in the past based on a recommendation I read on a blog and was completely disappointed by it. This book was much better, although it was nothing compared to Gone Girl. I just started, however, a book called Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson. It is the same type of story, with twists and turns and some unreliable characters and a lot of leaving the reader in the dark. Addictive!! I am such a horrible book worm.

Sad About: Google Reader going away, being screwed over with my Lumineers ticket, and not being able to eat chocolate for every meal, vanilla coke + rum and the after effects of 5+ of them...

Loving: Date nights with Bret, cuddles with the cutest babies around (puppy babies), having fun with my students, yoga making me feel stretched out and proud of my body, vanilla coke + rum (haha), redesigning the bedroom (new curtains in place of closet doors, chevron patters on the wall, and artwork to hang up).

Happy weekend!!

xo S

Currently....

It has been a million years since I last wrote a post. Not much has changed!! I have been sticking pretty close to my new years goals and thinking forward to the summer. Getting super excited about what's to come!!

Loving: The new iMac Bret & I got. I mean, I think that there is basically no reason for me to ever step foot into the Apple store again. This is actually getting kind of out of hand. Let's be honest. And its name is "The Burrow" for those of you who are wondering. Also loving that I have a 2 hour delay tomorrow which means lots of reading in the morning and sleeping in :) Loving those amazing new shoes in the picture above (from the Gap outlet, $17!)

Looking Forward To: Going to Buffalo to see my amazing friend Nicole and her babies... especially the new one! She is two weeks old today, and her name is Isadora Mae. CUTEST NAME EVER? The Chevelle show that I got tickets to as a surprise for Bret, The Lumineers show (sold out and I am going alone. Sad face) SUMMER BREAK (!!!), a trip to Disney with my family and my trip to Monterrey, Mexico! This is the mission trip I posted about a while back... it was going to be in Ireland, but due to some scheduling difficulties with the church abroad, it was postponed and I have decided to take the opportunity to go on another trip with the same church to Monterrey, Mexico where I will be working with children at an orphanage who come from disadvantaged homes.... they have suffered abuse, neglect, or their parents were unable to take care of them.

p.s. I have raised almost $300 and have 34 days left to get to my goal of $2,500! Any help is much appreciated, and if you can just send your positive thoughts and prayers, that is great, too!! <3 If you would like to contribute financially, please click this link.

Reading: I just recently finished Mission Flats by William Landay. It was a mystery/suspense about a cop who moves back to his hometown when his mother commits suicide. He leads the investigation on the DA who visited their small town. I would say that it was really hard to get through (it took me almost 3 weeks to finish.... not like me at all....) and really only got "un-put-down-able" when I got about 300 pages in. At that point I really couldn't see myself stopping considering the time investment and the fact that it was $12.... unless you like slow moving books, I would skip this one over.

Eating: Smoked gouda and Stacey's simply naked pita chips. YUM.

Goals: I have kinda kept up on my New Year's goals. I have been exercising more regularly (I bought a treadmill with my tax refund) and have been doing yoga fairly consistently which actually does more for my mental health than anything else. I haven't lost or gained any weight, but I am not complaining, I am happy!! :)

Happy almost Friday! 

Currently.

UGH. I just got all hyped up to write a "currently" post and Darcy got out of her collar while being brought inside. She went running down the street and it's a really good thing she stayed out of it, because it would have been a close call. Now I am too wound up to think about blogging! 

Hope you all have a great Tuesday; I'll try again tomorrow :) 

Steph

I need to go to Ireland.

Last night, I spent a good couple of hours putting together both a Facebook page and an Indiegogo page to help raise money to send myself on a missions trip to Dungannon, Ireland with Vineyard Church Cincinnati.

I am hoping to get the word out about my goal and am counting on help from friends, family, and strangers (and maybe a miracle) to raise the $2,500 it will cost to go. Please click and share the link below! Love you all!!

<3 Stephanie

Shoe Review: TOMS Desert Wedge

I bought these shoes for myself on a whim between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I never buy fancy stuff and I RARELY dress up past a scarf and a long necklace with my TOMS or boots. So I thought these were a happy medium that would fill a "dressiness" void in my life while also not veering far from my comfort zone and personality.

First of all, I get a million compliments a day on these shoes when I wear them. At work, grocery shopping, at family get togethers, out to dinner.... AND they feel like sneakers. They are SO incredibly comfortable. The color is gorgeous and goes with everything, and you can really wear them with any outfit.... I wore them to the ballet with black skinny pants and a frilly scarf, and I wear them with jeans on a regular basis to dress up a scarf and tee-shirt outfit.

Bret thinks I'm a hipster because I have such a dedication to TOMS. Well, for serious. I got these awesomely fashion forward shoes, comfort, AND I helped a child in need. How much better does it get? They were a little steep at $80 (for a whim purchase) but worth every penny (on my credit card, who are we kidding). I wear the crap out of these things and even inspired another teacher at work to track down her own brown pair. WIN!

Happy Sunday!

xo Stephanie