Times like These you Learn to Live Again

Prepare for random update of my life! I'm currently watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, a movie that I've never seen, as I nurse my first cold as a teacher. I realized that I haven't blogged in over a month, which means that one of my 101 in 1,001 (to blog once a month) won't happen. Doesn't mean that I'll give up on attempting to meet that goal from now on.
Most evenings I do end up doing just this, watching tv and hanging out with the pup..who I never introduced to the blog world. I'm such a bad dog-mama!!
- Here's Nico -

My original plan was to wait until next summer to get a dog and to get a puppy. Welllll....then I heard that there was a dog who needed a home. Nico is a year old male lab/Scottie mix. He's about 25 pounds of muscle and energy. We started obedience classes two weeks after I got him and the instructor has since convinced me that private lessons are the way to go with him. We start those on Thursday so we shall see.
- I can't seem to get myself motivated AT ALL to go work out. I need a work-out buddy or something. Nico and I do walk, but I want to run again. And do yoga. I belong to a gym so it's just a matter of GOING!!!
- Teaching is amazing. I was so freaked out before it started and I basically get stressed every time I'm about to start teaching my 8th grade class, but being in front of my classes just feels so natural. Of course I wish I had twice as long for planning or just less meetings, and less SPED students - or a SPED degree so I felt like I should actually be teaching them, but for the most part, I know this is where I should be. I do miss being in school, I think that I'm one of those people who always wants to be a student - a life-long learner, as I believe all people should be.
- I finally went out last week and got all those things that I couldn't afford for my apartment when I first moved. I have an even bigger spot in my heart for Target after that! I love that place.
- I'm slowly beginning to meet more people. It helps to meet neighbors when you have a dog....you end up meeting all the other people with dogs. Last weekend we also had a fire alarm at 3 AM so we all bonded over tiredness and hatred for loud noises. I'm also dating a bit, nothing serious - just some online dating. It's entertaining, especially since I've met three guys in a row named Matt, not that it should surprise anyone!
- Some items in my apartment that I've been meaning to blog about are a few heirloom items that I was given prior to moving this summer. The first was a knit bedspread that my great-grandmother made and my paternal grandmother gave me.

I think it's absolutely gorgeous and I can't imagine the patience it took to create such a thing!
The other thing that I got is something I've been coveting for years - dropping hints all over the place about how I want it. My dad finally gave it up when I moved :)

It's an apron from my family's days in the restaurant biz. As you can tell around the pockets, it's been well-loved. It says "Sheeler's" across the front - my mother's maiden name, and the name of the restaurant that was only open on Sundays and made the best homemade fried chicken, served family style. Oh how I wish I knew that story from experiencing it and not just years of hearing the story. So those are two awesome things that were passed on to me prior to leaving home this summer.
- My 101 in 1,001 progress has slowed somewhat since school started, of course, but as I started this post with, I am currently watching Breakfast at Tiffany's - the 'B' movie in my goal to watch a new movie that begins with each letter of the alphabet. I'll be heading to Georgia in a few weeks to meet my "nephew" Jack, which is one of the goals that I am super excited to accomplish!!
Adopting a dog was one of the things on my list, so that's been accomplished.
My 365 photo project is going well. I have taken pictures everyday for 52 days, although one picture is stuck on my Blackberry. It gets harder all the time to think of something interesting to take a picture of each day. Nico makes for a good model, although I try to avoid making him my muse ALL the time. I'm sure I'm the only one that cares to see that many pictures of my dog!
And now it's time to take my nightly dose of Nyquil and hope that this cold doesn't hang around too long!!