Favorite iPhone apps

I have had my iPhone since November. Essentially, it was my 25th birthday present to myself, haha! I absolutely love my phone! It's reliable and also a good source of fun when the need to cure boredom arises! It's the fanciest gadget I've ever had! Ha!
{On second thought, is fanciest a word? Oh well, it's staying.}

So today I thought I would share some of my favorite iPhone apps! My new favorite app and most recent is the 3intials Monogram app! I found it over at a new blog I'm following, Something Beautiful. It's girly and fun- if you're into monograms. Here's my current lock screen photo- made with special thought to the colors that coordinate with the month we begin tomorrow--February!

I also love Instagram! It's one of the first apps I downloaded. It's fun to be able to add some simple flare to regular ole' pics!

The Grocery List app is really helpful! Whenever I think of something I need, I just add into the list stored in my iPhone! I currently have my lists organized into three lists: Publix, Walmart and "Special." Under "Special," I might include gifts I need to buy, or things I'm saving for, etc.

Words With Friends is a daily play for me. I have always loved Scrabble in true nerd fashion, and Words With Friends is perfect for a word fanatic like me! Here's my current game between me and my roommate/best friend, Dayna. Please note my score. :)
(There are only a few things in life I'm competitive in, THIS is one.)

The Ledger is good for my news-junkie self! This is my town's newspaper and I love that they have an app so that I can check in on the crazy criminals that did something stupid again what's happening!

Diptic is another fun photo app. With this app, you can put a few photos into a collage. You choose the layout, background color, shape of the photo edges, etc.

Here's a collage I made using Diptic. The pictures are small, but you get the idea.

This Dinner Spinner app has had me looking forward to cooking. Seriously. If you know me well, cooking isn't exactly something I enjoy or choose to do often. Part of that is being single and it's easiest just to go out to eat with friends or pick something up. No husband or children to care whether or not I put dinner on the table. (YET!) :) So, this Dinner Spinner can literally "spin" if you shake your phone and it will land on three different categories- the type of meal, the meat of your preference, and the timeframe it takes to cook it. I usually don't "spin" it, as this picky girl might be out of luck if it were to land on types, "casserole, fish, 2 hours prep time." So...I usually manually spin and find whatever I'm looking for. I've made 2 recipes from here so far! (Haha, you were probably thinking I had made like 20 meals the way I've "raved" about it, huh?)

There are certainly more apps on my phone than these, but I thought I'd list some of my favorite right now. Maybe I'll be back again with more reviews of my favorite apps!

What are your favorite apps?!

Miscellany Monday

Today I'm linking up with Carissa over at lowercase letters.




{I'm using this button to link up because the Miscellany Monday button is not working.}

That means I'm writing random, or, miscellaneously. Is that a word? Here goes:

1)All of a sudden this afternoon, I had an urge for bubble gum. Weird, right? Or is it normal for women in their mid-twenties to crave bubble gum? Anyway, I ran into the nearest grocery store on my way home from work just to get some. I may justify my ridiculousness by using some of this bubble gum as an incentive for good behavior with my students. Or I might not.

2)My second stop on my way home from work was Five Guys. I was in the mood for one of their delicious burgers! I also love getting some peanuts to snack on while I'm there. My dad and I are alike in our love for peanuts! Mmmm salty!

3)Over the weekend while visiting at a friend's, I noticed this old-school beauty. In my nostalgic ways, I looked at this blender rather fondly, remembering many a time when my dad made me a chocolate milkshake in a blender much similar to this one in the early 90s. Sweet memories, both literally and figuratively. :)

4)Payday! The teachers in the county I work in have not been paid since Decemeber 16th. Yes, you read that right. It's been a month and a half since our last paycheck, and for me- with that last paycheck, I went on a road trip to NC and also did Christmas-gift shopping...so needless today, this month's paycheck has been much anticipated in order to restore the feeling of financial security. Ha!

5)Winner! Last week was "Celebrate Literacy Week" and many schools took the opportunity to celebrate with various activities. One of the things our school participated in was a Door Decorating Contest. I love projects like this-nerdy as it may be. So, being a 5th grade teacher, I wanted to choose something that was relevant to my students at their current age. Well, they're crazy over Diary of a Wimpy Kid. So, that's what we did and we won in our grade level! It's of course all in fun, whether we "win" or "lose."

I did the painting part of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" letters and also handwrote the text. But the kids did everything else! They made the cheese (the funniest part of the book apparently?) and all of the cartoon characters! Which that's a good thing because this teacher sure isn't even close to an artist!

I think that wraps up my "Miscellany Monday!" Go visit Carissa's blog to join in on the fun or to read others' miscellaneous happenings on this last Monday in January! a.k.a the longest month of the year!

Rollerblading and a Tradition

Sunday night Dayna and I went rollerblading at a park near our apartment. I had finished doing my usual Sunday laundry and just felt like going outside since it was so beautiful out. I absolutely love that time of night when the sun is low and bright and sunset is near.

The sidewalks had been newly paved, the weather was perfect, and it felt good to exercise!

I remember the first time I ever got rollerblades, I was in elementary school. They were a Christmas gift from Santa and my brother got a pair too. We spent that entire Christmas morning devoted to learning the art of rollerblading on the big lanai at our old house. I vividly remember what those rollerblades looked like. Good, fun memories!

...switching gears now.

Last night Dayna and I met Whitney and Lauren for dinner. We met halfway in Bartow at Fred's. We're keeping up with our tradition of getting together once a month (wouldn't mind more!) to catch up and share a few laughs. I look forward to getting together with these girls SO much! It's so refreshing!!

As we were leaving the restuarant, Lauren showed us her keys to her brand new CRV! Yay, Lauren!

Whitney and Dayna checkin' out Lauren's new ride!

My favorite phrase of the entire night, courtesy of Whitney, "flashing sash." HA!
We had a fun evening enjoying each other's company and catching up, so much so that we might take a little girls' vacation this summer! :)

I'm thankful January is nearing its end. January has always felt like the longest month of the year to me. It just seems to go by so slowly. It doesn't help that it still feels like August here! I think at this point, it doesn't even make sense to say we're going to have a "late" winter. I think the more appropriate term would be "non-existent" winter for this year. A few cold days doesn't cut it!

As requested by a loyal blog reader, Dayna's snippet of wisdom for today....
"Take a day off once in a while. It feels great."
(She took today off to go to the dentist and get other things done.)

Six Years

Six years ago today, my grandma lost her battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. On that very same day, she was completely healed and began her life in eternity.

Having just begun my second semester of college, I wasn't living full-time in Sarasota anymore. I had come home for the weekend and my family and I were by my grandma's side as we were quite sure she was nearing the end of her daily struggle with this nasty disease. I remember going into her bedroom before I headed back to college that Sunday night. I was with my brother and two cousins. I remember talking to her and rubbing her back while she listened. She had lost her ability to talk months before. She finally waved me "off" as she needed to go to sleep again and I also think she struggled seeing all of us so upset. That was the last moment I spent with her.

At that time, I didn't expect her death to come so soon, as in the next day. Looking back, I wished I would have just taken the absences from my classes and stayed in Sarasota so that I could have been there with my family. That next afternoon, I had just walked into my dorm and got the call from my mom, crying and telling me that she had gone peacefully. My head hit my desk as I sobbed. My roommate, Tressie, came in and immediately knew. I packed my bags and she drove me home. So thankful to have a good friend do that for me!

I remember walking in to my grandma's house, seeing all of my family worn out from crying. We knew her death was coming, but the reality of it is indescribable. Looking at my grandpa was heartbreaking. Seeing my mom go through her deceased mother's purse was weird.

ALS wrecked my grandma's life. It's wrecked many others' lives, too. It's incurable, at the moment. My grandma, at only 69, had completely lost her ability to talk and eat. She was on a feeding tube and used a typing/talking machine to communicate. I just hate it. I hate that that's the way she had to leave us, and hate that she had to suffer like that for longer than anyone should have to.

But, she's been made new, for six years now. I'm thankful for that. I'm also extremely thankful that when I die, I've been promised Heaven and I'll get to see her and my grandpa again. I miss them terribly. I know that if my grandma were still here, she'd make trips up to volunteer in my classroom and help me organize it, like she was so good at doing. She would come up to Lakeland to visit me and go shopping with me. She'd call me on the phone to check and see how I was doing and to make sure I was eating enough. :)

She was the best. She was "Mamie" to me. And what an amazing "Mamie" she was! I love and miss her SO much!

Various Thoughts of Various Topics

1) American Idol- did you tune in this past Wednesday and/or Thursday? I usually don't get "into it" until the Top 25 when the competition gets exciting. But I had it on this week and have since heard on morning radio shows about how the viewing numbers for the show are down. The factors contributing to the decrease in viewing is supposedly the other singing competition shows such as The Voice. Apparently other popular shows are also drawing viewers away, and I'm not TV-show-savvy so I'm not sure what shows those are exactly. Simon Cowell, no longer part of the judging team, is also contributing to the decreased viewers. My thoughts on this is that yeah, Simon was a good, honest (sometimes too honest we might all agree) and funny judge. I was disappointed when he left. But as for the other shows? They're copying American Idol! American Idol was first! I'm looking forward to watching in the coming weeks as the participants are narrowed down. I'll help keep their viewer numbers up. :)

2) Fitness- I signed up for a fitness class being offered at the school I work at. It was a $40 one time fee and I can go to one or both classes offered each week. Not a bad deal, right? Especially for someone, like me, who needs to get back on the exercise train. On Tuesdays the class focuses on stretching and Yoga and on Thursdays it's Zumba! Yesterday I attended Zumba and oh my gosh! I will never be able to move like that! It was fun and a good feeling to know I was exercising. The ironic thing? I walked into the class, took one look at the instructor, and immediately recognized her as one of my professors in college! Ha!


3) Cruise Ship Catastrophe- terrible, right? I still look at the pictures online or the News in shock that the ship is literally lying on its side in the ocean. Having been on a cruise for the first time this summer, it makes it more real. I am very skeptical (as many are) about the captain's decisions that night. I don't think he's being completely truthful and there's much more to the story. You just have no need to bring a massive cruise ship that close to a rock and island. I don't buy the story of him wanting to "wave" to a former captain or whatever his story is. And how convenient that he "tripped and fell into a life boat?" He certainly has no business steering a cruise ship ever again. I'm sad for the families who are mourning the loss of victims and also those waiting to figure out the status of their missing relatives. I can't imagine.



4) Dateline- Some may find it weird that I'm 25 and love the news and "newsy" type shows, but I do. I look forward to Friday nights at 10:00 when Dateline comes on. I already know it's not the norm of my age group- but being a teacher wears me out and by Friday night, I am good to just relax at home. It's what works for me. Tonight I watched 20/20 (another favorite) on the Costa Concordia in which they shared some details of the incident and also behind-the-scenes looks into what goes on with the crew during cruises. Some of it's scary!! I'm thankful there were no dramatic scenarios that took place on my cruise!


5) Red Solo Cup- have you heard this song by Toby Keith? I absolutely love this song! But not for what it means, really, as the only thing I've ever had in my "Red Solo Cup" is Coke, haha. I don't particularly care for alcohol, so I don't really relate to the song's meaning, but I just enjoy the song in general. It's fun!

6) Winter?- Is winter coming this year? Seriously, where is the usual winter weather across the US? You know, since loving the news and all, I've been hearing the meteorologists talk about the "snow drought" in places that are used to getting healthy amounts of snow during the winter months. Of course, I know that FL where I live isn't expecting any snow, but I'm ready to plan another winter trip out of state and I'm not sure if it'd be worth it!

I think that wraps up my various thoughts of various topics for tonight!Happy Weekend!!

A Chilly Sunday

I have been loving our chilly weather the last few days here in FL! There have been only a few days this "winter" that we've actually had appropriate temps for the season. They really are few and far between this year and so I love soaking up the cold weather when it's here! I wore a sweater dress with tights and boots this morning to church and it was fun to feel like I really had a reason to dress with the winter trend. :)

I came home from church and started the normal Sunday routine of laundry, light cleaning, lesson plans, and grading papers. But today doesn't feel like Sunday since we have tomorrow off in honor of MLK's birthday! Yes!! Who doesn't love a 3-day weekend?!

Audra texted me after church and invited Dayna and I out to the lake to walk around and hang out. We stopped by Steak 'n Shake beforehand to get milkshakes to take to the lake. Perhaps hot chocolate would have been a better choice of beverage on a chilly day like today? :)

We got to the lake and stopped into Hollis Gardens first, which is part of Lake Mirror.

It's beautiful and a popular spot for families, couples and prom-goers to get pictures taken.

Audra!

Audra also had another plan for our little outing. When we parked at the lake, she got out of the car with her purse, milkshake, and 2 red Christmas stockings. She had planned to give Dayna and I our Christmas presents. She's so thoughtful! We did tease her though about what people must have thought about her out-of-season accessories proudly displayed as she walked around. ;)

Audra was so sneaky! I can't believe she pulled this off! I had tried this dress on when we were in NC in December and it fit and everything and I did like it, but it was one of those situations where I couldn't buy everything I tried on. Sound familiar? Teacher's salary with student loans abounding. So I chose another dress instead. Well, sneaky Audra picked it up right behind me and then gave it to me for Christmas! So sweet and thoughtful! Thank you, Audra!

I love this scenery at this time of night! The sky looks gorgeous.

As we were heading back to the car, Audra showed me her brand new iPod! I had to take a picture because I seriously have an obsession for things that are miniature. This iPod defines miniature! Welcome to the iPod world, Audra! Please learn how to skip past "Mama Mia!" (Inside joke.)

What a relaxing, fun, and simple evening! So looking forward to having an extra day to my weekend!

County Fair

Today my cousin was showing and auctioning off his pig, Charlie, at the Manatee County Fair. He is a part of FFA at his middle school. My mom told me earlier in the week that she and my sister were going to go and I thought it'd be fun to go and experience a live animal auction too, since I'd never been to one. My best friend Dayna went with me. It was a cold and beautiful FL day!

We got in and found my Aunt Diane and other cousin and decided to first get some lunch. My cousin was #102 to auction and they were in the teens when we got there, so we had a while to walk around and snack on good ole' fair food.

I had a slice of pizza and my mom and Dayna had philly cheese steaks that were apparently pretty nasty! That just meant we had room in our tummies for more fair goodness in a little while...

We walked around the craft and art show and saw a man scultping a manatee with butter!

Mom and Aunt Diane eating Dum Dum's

All of the Elephant Ear trucks were screaming our names, so we endulged:

Doesn't it look so good? It was!

A sideways picture of the mess this elephant ear created...definitely worth it though!

Korinne, despite the super cold weather, enjoyed her favorite soft-serve ice cream in a cup.

Then it was time to watch Charlie the Pig be auctioned off! So proud of my cousin for his hard work in raising Charlie! He weighed 320 pounds!

It was a fun afternoon! One thing I just do not understand about these auctions-how do the people talk so fast? It's so hard to make out what they're even saying! I feel a bit more knowledgable in the whole live animal auction process. Publix Grocery Store was there buying pigs, haha. Tonight all of the pigs will be loaded into trucks to head to....the slaughterhouse. Sad!

One Week In

One week in to the new year and I'm just now getting around to posting! Happy Belated New Year, y'all! Wasn't it just 2000, when everyone was freaking out over Y2K? Time flies....

In this post you'll see a quick re-cap of my wild and crazy low-key New Year's Eve, and some other random things.

Starting with New Year's, it was completely low-key. It was fun, but it was simple. I'm not a big crowd/party person so this was just my style. Audra, Dayna and I went to Abuelo's for dinner and then went back to Audra's place to hang out and play games while we waited for the ball to drop. We opened stockings (something we didn't get a chance to do while we were in NC).

I made this photo collage on my iPhone with an app called Diptic.

Later on in the evening, we made chips and dip and poured some champagne to toast with when the clock struck midnight!

We had fun playing games and talking while anticipating the ball drop! There's something exciting about the 1-minute countdown starting at 11:59! 2011 is now history! What a fun year it was with many memories made!

Monday I went back to work. Turns out that a lot of people had the day off! (I can't really complain though since I have summers off.) The week back was good- it's always exciting to see the kids again and hear about their winter break stories. My winter break itself was very relaxing and so I felt refreshed going back- ready to get on with the year and prepare for testing in the Spring! It's seriously hard to believe we're in the second half of this school year already.

I thought I'd share one of my Christmas gifts from my brother just because I love it and think it was so thoughtful of him! It's a personalized pen/pencil holder for my desk with a clock and my name engraved. It's something I'll keep forever, even when my name changes after getting married (someday!) Of course I need to put a picture of people I know in that spot! Haha.

Tomorrow marks my official 2 years as a teacher! I started teaching the second week in January 2010. It feels like it was just yesterday and I remember being SO excited! It's fun to look back now, over these past 2 years, and see the ways I've grown as a teacher and the ways in which I've made my classroom my own from the way it was when it first became "mine." Teaching sure isn't an easy job like some may think and I could name a hundred ways to drive that point home, but that's not important. Even through the trying days of students' testing my patience, the lack of some parental support, the government creating unrealistic expectations for students and teachers, and the not-so-stellar pay, it's worth it. The students are worth it!

Hope your second week into 2012 is wonderful!