Sunday Letters and a Halloween-y Update

Hey, all! Happy Halloween :)

Today was pretty fun. Nick and I got to sleep in (YUM!) for most of the morning with Guillermo, and then we had lunch at Chipotle (for you, Ilene!). Then we went to Kroger to buy Guillermo some hip & joint biscuits, some adult dog food (he finally graduated!) & some puppy ice cream for when he comes home from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. I know it's going to be a rough couple of days without him at the apartment following us around, but it will be worth it when we can hear the pitter patter of FOUR puppy feet on the ground instead of the hippity hop of only three! I am sure you guys are going to hear a lot more about this over the next few days, so bear with me. <3 (Also? THANK YOU ALL, so much, for the kind words you have been leaving in the comments. This really means so much to us, you can never know. To have so many people thinking about us and our little guy is so great.)

Guillermo went with us tonight while my mom, aunt, Nick, & I took my little sister, Cate, trick or treating (she was a Hello Kitty princess :] ). She had so much fun and got lots of awesome candy :) I am realizing now that I should have taken pictures today, but honestly, blogging has been far from my mind recently!

Now, Nick, Guillermo, & I are going to curl up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and watch Paranormal Activity in honor of Halloween! But before I go...

Sunday Letters...*

Dear Stranger,

I like you when you are nice. I don't like you when you are unpleasant. Try to have good days so that you are nice, & I will do the same. It's nice when someone you don't know does something nice to/for you. Don't you agree? So, let's make a deal. You be nice, & I'll be nice. 

Love,

Stephanie

***

I have had a little obsession with Sylvia Plath lately, so I am excited about telling you guys about my plans for my next tattoo, & for this week's Wednesday Wonders! <3 

Happy Halloween! 

S

First of all, I love Molly Ringwald.

Today is starting off pretty well, save for a few minor blips! Nick was supposed to work this morning from 8-12, but they ended up calling him to say he didn't need to come in. So, we slept in for the better part of the morning, and then got up to head to his dad's house. That's where I am now with Guillermo while Nick and his Dad are fixing Nick's car (I swear this boy ALWAYS has car problems; he's a magnet for them). I have some exciting news at the end of this post, so read to the end! ;)

Last Friday when we took Guillermo to the vet, she gave us a liquid anti-inflammatory for his leg. Until a couple of days ago, he was responding well. He has thrown up three times, and occasionally has diarrhea. (sorry for tmi) The instructions with the medicine say that this is normal for small dogs, but I am still kind of worried about him, and also feel sad that he feels so yucky :( Keep thinking good thoughts for the little guy, please! <3 P.S. We got him a Halloween costume the other day:

While they are working on Nick's car outside, I am hanging out on the couch under a blanket (it's FREEZING in his dad's house!) watching one of my favorite movies, Sixteen Candles! Let me just say that I LOVE Molly Ringwald, and I haven't watched this movie in so long. I love it :) Here are some screen shots from the movie.

Also, in other news, the two interviews I had the other evening? I think I got BOTH jobs! For sure the PetsMart gig, which I had to take a drug screening for yesterday (annoying) and I haven't heard back for sure about the gift shop one yet, but I will be sure to update you all when I hear :) I talked to Joe at FV and he said that I can totally keep my one night a week there while I am working at the new place. I realize this is a lot to take on while I'm student teaching, so I am going to see how it goes for the first few weeks and see how I feel. I think I can probably make it work for only 7 more weeks?? I hope so!

Also....*

I have some exciting news! For the month of November, I will be sponsoring both windshield diaries and pardonmyffrench blogs :) I am so grateful to both Crystal for offering the opportunity at no charge and Jaelynn for being so considerate about our situation with Guillermo and coming to me to offer a spot - I am so flattered! I will definitely keep my readers updated for when the features/buttons go up to check out. Thank you, girls! <3 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! We'll probably be staying in with Guillermo for most of it to keep an eye on him since he's been feeling yucky. I highly suggest you all check out Sixteen Candles as soon as possible! <3 S

Lucky Girl

Today at school was particularly awful. It was the first time that I have ended up in tears and had to leave the room. I never fathomed how hard teaching could be. Obviously, the first person I talked to about it was Nick. And this is what was waiting for me when I got home from work today:

Just one question: Why can't you cuddle roses?

After the week I have had, this post goes out to my awesome boyfriend. Thank you, THANK you for making it this much better! <3 S

Fingers Crossed!

Next Wednesday just keeps getting closer and closer. It's been pretty easy not to think about it for the last week, but now that we are down to just days before Guillermo is due for surgery, I am a little freaked out. For those of you who don't know, my Chihuahua puppy, Guillermo has Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease. You can read the post I wrote about it and him here.

I know that the surgery is what's best for him, and that he is young and his leg is getting stronger and stronger, but I have a terrible fear that something will go wrong during the surgery. (It doesn't help that I expressed this to Holly and she replied "I have had dogs die under anesthesia.") On top of that, I am pretty ridiculous about my pup (and animals in general). I don't want to be away from him for two whole days, and I don't want to see him in pain afterwards. I would appreciate it if you could send us your warm thoughts and prayers! The surgery is next Wednesday, November 3rd. [fingers crossed!]

P.s. It's almost time for my second intierview!

Wednesday Wonders v.5

Wednesday Wonders is back! (Predictably.) Hope you all had a great Wednesday and your Thursdays will be even better! Here's to spending the rest of the night with my Kindle + and tall glass of ice water.

1. Beacause... HAHA! [But, boo, steak.]

2. Love her. My little sister, my mini me. <3

3. Okay, I have decided, Guillermo NEEDS a kitten brother.

4. Got this in the mail today! Completes my collection, finally! 

Guess how much I paid for it on Amazon? Yup, $1. 

5. Have you met Nick? P.s. I <3 HK.

6. Because this word is not used enough. 

7. This is what rainy days should look like. 

8. I got Nick this rose two years ago on our first

 Valentine's Day and this is what came of it. 

9. My dad made roasted pumpkin seeds the other night - YUM!

10. I NEED THIS. SO pretty. 

Can I get a minute, please?!

Have you ever had the kind of day where you want to start scribbling in a journal right when you wake up and can't shake that flustered feeling? Have you had one of those days where anything and everything annoys you? And then you get to school for an 8 hour day with kids who have been taking standardized tests all week and don't want to listen/do any work for you whatsoever? Well. Today was THAT day for me. As you know, I have five bells of 11th grade english, straight through until lunch, then plan bell, then after school plan until 2:30. By the time lunch came around, I had a splitting headache and NO patience left. I gave FOUR Wednesday night schools today, totally skipping over detentions and warnings. I rarely give these... I mean rarely.

Apparently, Holly was feeling the same way because when I was walking towards the door to pick up a veggie sandwich from Subway, she told me to stay and that she would take me out to lunch. At first I though I was in trouble, but it turned out she needed a break, too. It was nice to get out of the building for thirty minutes!

Also, I finally finished Shopaholic and Baby today and began reading Mini Shopaholic! I am so excited and I have read 5% of the book on my Kindle already and it's so good! I am drinking it up. Sometimes, I get so discouraged about reading, but lately it has been such an escape for me. I snapped this picture quickly with my phone, today, during plan bell. (Yes, that IS the too-expensive Vera bag I said I wouldn't buy here, but I couldn't help myself! And I have promised myself [and Nick, for accountability purposes] that I won't have anymore splurges until I have to shop for Christmas presents!

Another awesome realization of the day? I have only SEVEN weeks of student teaching left! Yesterday, I applied for my teaching license, and I am SO excited. I have been working so hard for this for four and a half years and it's finally paying off!! Plus? Holly told me last week that I won't be teaching for the last two weeks of my placement because I have to spend that time catching students up on the work I assigned before I leave. I KNOW I shouldn't be excited about not teaching, but, really? This is exhausting, and I am doing it for free. I can't wait for the break. This will also allow me to observe some other awesome teachers in the building!

Today, amidst all of the chaos in every single one of my bells today, I got a phone calle from the manager of some gift shops in hospitals in Clifton for an interview! They are looking for someone who only needs a few hours, and I know they aren't open late. Since I have been hurting for cash lately, I have been applying to places left and right and I am SO relieved that it is paying off. I don't know what I'll do about FamVid, yet. Probably keep them for a while! Then, after school, I called PetsMart where they are looking for a bather in the grooming dept. I have been wanting to work at PetsMart for a while now because working with animals has been my backup plan for a while since the little worry that teaching might not work out entered my mind. They gave me an interview! So, tomorrow, after school I have two interviews right in a row! Wish me luck :)

Also, even though I want to look like that girl while drinking a nice, ice cold Coke, I have set this little goal for myself - no soda for a whole month. This is a short term goal I have set in the hopes of kicking the habit altogether, eventually. I know that my kidneys (oh, boy, have I been having a sore lower back lately) and my skin will thank me so much. Granted I only drink diet soda (regular usually makes me feel sick from all the sugar!) and usually only when I am out to eat, I still want to try to completely cut it out of my diet. So far, I have made it to day 4!

Basically, this is the longest nonsense post, ever, and I apologize. Hello; ramble much? Sorry, folks.

xoxo S

P.s. I have already started my Christmas list. :)

Welcome!

I just wanted to stop in to say a late Welcome! to all my new readers and followers! 

I have seen a lot of new faces and words around here and I love it! Thanks for stopping by :) 

Love,

Stephanie

**image via weheartit

Bloggin' Ladies: Suburban Sweetheart

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means. It's time for this week's Bloggin' Lady. Her name is Kate and she is one of the amazing women that I have met since I began my [public] blogging journey wayyyyy back in August of 2010. Please read her hilarious, quirky, and fun writing, and enjoy her as much as I do. <3

Name+Age+Site
I'm Kate, 26 years old, & I blog at SuburbanSweetheart.com.

What is something interesting about you?
I fancy myself a little bit quirky, but don't we all? Here's a bit about me: I've never had chicken pox. I have a difficult time swallowing carrots, so I sometimes chew them like they're gum (gross, I know). A psychic once told me the spirit of a young girl protects me. I always cheat at Monopoly & miniature golf. I used to have a recurring nightmare of a tadpole in a swimming pool that morphed into a whale. I'm the queen of pseudo-surreptitious iPhone photography.

Why did you begin blogging?
I moved to Washington, D.C., for my first post-collegiate job in August 2007. I quickly discovered that I was going to have a lot of stories to tell - about everything from (incorrectly) thinking I'd been carjacked to receiving death threatson the Metro - so I created Suburban Sweetheart as a means of communicating those crazy stories to my friends & family back in Ohio. It's changed a lot since then, but the basis is the same - stories & sass!

How long have you been blogging?
I started my blog on August 24, 2007, when I was living in Silver Spring, MD. I can't believe it's been three years; my blogoversary totally passed my by this summer without my noticing! I love reading through old entries that I almost forget writing. I completely chronicled my life in D.C., a time in my life that came to a close just last month, so it's nice to have everything on record for the sake of reminiscing.

Who is your inspiration for writing?
I don't think I can identify a "who" behind my writing, or even really a "why." I write because I love it. I write because it keeps me sane. I write because it's the one thing I'm good at it. I write because I have to.

Where do you get your ideas?
I'm inspired by all kinds of things, but I most often write about wacky life occurrences - things I see or do, things that happen to me, things I notice & think are funny. Occasionally, I get serious & write more honestly about other aspects of my life, like my dad's cancer or my ex-boyfriend's suicide, & I'm thankful to find that my blog readers like me just as much when I'm being serious.

Do you have any advice that you want to share with fellow lady bloggers?
One of my social media role models, @micah, once wrote - & I can't find the post - that blogging should never feel forced. @micah is a dude blogger, not a lady blogger, but this advice applies to pretty much anyone who's maintaining a blog. Evaluate why you write & what you want to write about. Are you writing every day because you feel like you have to? Or because you legitimately want to? And even if you want to, are you writing things your readers will want to read? If you blog for happiness, not for some pre-determined vision of success, you'll find yourself much more comfortable with your online space.

What is one thing you are looking forward to most in your future (blog or otherwise)?
My blog is in a funny place right now. I moved from D.C. back to my hometown at the end of September & am currently living with my mom while I look for a new job. Akron, Ohio, doesn't provide the same wealth of wacky stories that D.C. did, so I'm struggling to figure out what to write about & what direction my blog should take. I'm nervous, but I'm looking forward to seeing where we go from here - & I hope some of you will follow along with me!

Thanks for reading this week's feature! I hope you stop by Suburban Sweetheart and give Kate your blog lovin'. xoxo S

Books = omg.

At school this week, the kids are taking the OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) and I am left with only a few students each bell, and my Kindle. This is what most of today looked like :

[Sidenote: I am starting The Crucible with the kids on Wednesday and I cannot wait. My favorite part about teaching literature? The background notes I give before each new book or work. I love to research and learn more about what I am teaching, and it makes me feel so smart to tell the kids + especially when they answer questions!!] 

So. Here are my books of interested lately!! I know I did a book post a while back and these don't exactly match up - but I have an explanation for that. Ever since school started I have lost most of my motivation to read. Until recently! I have been reading like crazy the past two weeks, and have almost finished the Shopaholic series, like promised, ages ago. I am on the fifth book:

and am eagerly anticipating ordering the sixth and newest book via my Kindle and Whispernet! There are two covers that I found for this book. The first one matches all of the other books that I have in this series, and others by Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham, but the second one? I think it's super cute.

[Disclaimer: I do have a brain, guys. I do read interesting, though provoking, deep literature. On occasion. But sometimes a girl just needs to be obsessed with British Chick Lit. Am I right?]

This is the book that we assigned to the kids today for their long independent portfolio piece. Granted, it's an 8th grade level book, and they are 11th graders, it is still about one of my favorite subjects to learn about: the Holocaust. I know this is morbid, and you would probably agree with Holly about me, but I am just fascinated by the hope that is involved in stories about the Holocaust. The survivors, the victims, and what they leave behind. It's so through provoking and intoxicating. 

This book is, apparently, pretty graphic. I know I have learned about the Holocaust and know basics, but not enough to introduce the book sufficiently to class, so Holly did that part today. She also read a few excerpts from the book and omg. It really sounds like a fantastic (although, not very uplifting) read. My understanding is that this author has written a sequel to this book called Dawn. 

I also have been wanted to read this book by Lauren Weisberger. If you didn't know, she is the author of The Devil Wears Prada, which is another of my favorite books, I have read it a few times, and love the movie just as much. 

That's it for my book post, tonight :) I hope you guys found something interesting to read! xoxo Stephanie

Weekend Updates and Sunday Letters!

So. I realize that I have been ridiculously lax and not so present in the blog world over the past week. I realize that I have done what I said that I would try not to do and posted mostly features all week. I realized this and I am sorry. Do you forgive me? I hope so.

I have tons of things to talk about in my absence, including but not limited to: Guillermo, weekend, school, Sunday Letters, and recent reads. I am excited about all of the above!!

• Guillermo: He has been doing so well, lately, and we are dreading his surgery next week, but also looking forward to it because we know that it’s for the best. My only concern is how expensive it’s going to be, and whether or not his recovery will go smoothly. I know that he is in good hands at this new vet, and that the doctor he has will take great care of him.

• Weekend: This weekend was crazy hectic. I worked Friday night, had a meeting at work on Saturday morning, and worked Saturday night, also. In between all of that, Nick and I got to hang out just a little bit. Then on Sunday, we slept in, and then I spent most of the day with Lauren and Ashley. Followed by pumpkin carving with my family!! I chose to do a Hello Kitty pumpkin, which turned out just OK. My family all told me how awesome and just-like-HK it looked, but I am still skeptical. Although, I appreciate their kind words :)
  
  Also, over the weekend, Nick and I got into a terribly stupid, and ridiculous argument. There are extenuating circumstances and I don’t want to go into the entire situation here, but let me tell you. There are lots of things that I have thought about and that have happened over this weekend to let me know that I should appreciate my amazing, loving, caring, and gentle boyfriend. Stupid fights don’t matter, and I can stand to let go of the little stuff.

~~~

Sunday Letters...*

This week’s letter goes to: My dreams.

Dear Dreams,

Lately I have been having some very interesting, and often times confusing dreams. What do you mean? I would appreciate more straightforward, happy, and not so confusing dreams. And if you refuse? Please try to not stick with me for the rest of the day. I really have nothing else to say to you besides this.

Love,
Stephanie

~~~

I'll be back later tonight with my recent and projected reads! Please check out the blog buttons that are new to my page to the right of this column, and leave a comment if you snag one! I would love to check out their new homes and your blogs :) xox Stephanie

P.s. Don't forget that I am on Bloglovin' AND Facebook! 

**images via my camera and weheartit

Saturday

I have a lot planned as far as Bloggin' Ladies in the next few weeks, and I can't wait to share with you guys!!

Yesterday was a busy day. I had school all day, and then work at night. The night ended up not so great because I went home before Nick, and my key wouldn't work in the door. So, of course, I got flustered and upset, and when I couldn't get a hold of Nick (he always keeps his phone on silent) I only got MORE upset. We ended up having to get Justin to let us in downstairs (this is at 2am) and I was SO tired this morning. Today, I had a meeting at work from 8-10am and then came back home to take a little nap. And now Nick is out picking Skyline up for lunch to eat while we watch this week's Hell's Kitchen!!

I posted on Twitter, in frustration, this week: Did you know vegetarians don't eat frozen pizza? #itstrue because I was at the grocery and couldn't find a SINGLE veg pizza option besides cheese! (boring.) THEN I laid eyes on THIS:

All I have to say is: OMGYUM. Please try it; it's delicious :) 

I wanted to share a few photos of the week: some posters I hung in my classroom on Thursday, and a picture of Guillermo and I :)

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, I'll be back tonight (after work) with another post (hopefully!) and tomorrow with Sunday Letters!

xoxo Stephanie

Thrifted Art

So, I have been meaning to do a post about the art I have hanging in my room (because I love love love it) but I haven't gotten around to taking suitable pictures. I STILL haven't taken suitable pictures. So, these will have to do.

The first set of prints is a pair, and I got them from the local Goodwill. They aren't signed, and I don't have any idea who the artist is, but I got them for $12 and they are amazing. I usually hang them upside down, but in this picture we had just moved in, and details were not figured out. So for the "real" effect, turn your screen over ;)

The next one is a Rodney White print that I got from World Market before we closed. I hid it so I could buy it at the discounted price, but don't tell ;) This is one of my favorites because, duh, I love red. 

There you go! A little peek into my bedroom and my favorite art (that I own). Hope everyone had a great Thursday! xoxo Stephanie

Hello!

Realization: These incredibly cheesy-happy looking, 90s kids could SOON BE ME.

Just thought everyone would like to know that I applied for graduation today. FROM COLLEGE. I never, ever thought this day would get here. Five and a half years after I started this incredibly long journey towards a career, I finally, FINALLY have something to say/show for it. It's so rewarding! Also - since the registrar at my school is so strict about application for graduation deadlines, I can't graduate at the end of this quarter. So, I'm stickin' it out for another 10 week quarter (a winter one, at that!). During this quarter, I'm taking classes that I did not-so-well in back in Freshman and Sophomore years when I didn't realize yet that my actions did actually directly affect me almost all of the time. So. Here's for paying for the same classes twice. *clink*

In other news, we have been making Guillermo exercise his leg quite a big lately. Our theory is that if we work up his atrophied leg muscle as much as we can NOW then he'll have a little better of a time recovering after the surgery in November. Did I just say NOVEMBER?? omg. So, that's our plan for the little guy. We are hoping that everything goes according to plan, and realize that worst case scenario? We have a three legged dog. He's still a dog - an alive dog. I'm okay with that. Not really. Not yet. But I could be if I needed to be.

Anywho - Just wanted to stop in for a little update! Hope you all checked out Wednesday Wonders, too!

Have a great Thursday! xoxo S

Wednesday Wonders v.4

1. because... duh. My suggestion for the week? Kings of Leon's Aha Heartbreak Shake.I have been listening to this non stop the last few days. An oldie, but a goodie. 

2. She is beautiful. Am I right, or am I right?

3. Baby friends! I want a kitten. And a chick. And I want them to be friends.

4. Fall desktop. Please feel free to swipe ;) Why can't every fall look like this?

5. Look closely at this, and then have "Hey Jude" stuck in your head

for the rest of the day. Beatles WIN. 

6. From the boyfriend. Do things like this really happen?

7. First of all, the colors are awesome. Second of all, CAN I HAZ THIS??

8. This is from the Sylvia Plath tumblr that Morgan from Blackbird Fly

told me about. I love Sylvia, and this photo is amazing.

9. Pretty purple artwork? Yes, please! 

10. Retro striped wood? Double yes, please! 

Don't forget to check out the new blog buttons yours truly made :) And if you swipe them, leave a comment so I can check out their new homes! 

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