Yeah Summer :)

I'm not going to lie. Being a teacher has its perks :) Although bringing work home with multiple times a week during my 9 months of teacher isn't fun, not to forget the marathon grading at the end of quarters stress, having summer off is a pretty nice (and well-earned) perk. This past week was proof to that. I was able to get up early on Wednesday to go to the Minnesota Zoo with my mom and sister and then stay up in the cities to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I didn't get home until about 2 that morning, and it was okay :)

This past weekend led to another awesome adventure: my first Dave Matthews Band concert in a few years. Three summers ago we planned on going, but the tranny went out on my car in Janesville, quite a ways from the concert venue in East Troy, WI. Last year the concert fell on the weekend of Western Days, so obviously Western Days trumped that. Pat and I went just us, and thanks to Warehouse, we were allowed into the preferred seating area. It was quite a strange show; the play list was very different than their typical list, but I was able to rock out to some of the new stuff as well as old favorites like "Crush," "Dancing Nancies," "The Stone," "Grey Street," and "Ants Marching." The parking lot trying to get out sucked (even more than usual!!) and the detour on the way out wasn't much fun either. We didn't get home until about 7am, had time for about a 3 hour nap, and then was off to a family reunion. I was a mess!!

And now we embark on a new adventure in the Walsh household, a roommate. This is the first roommate Pat or I have ever had except for each other. Sarah will be living in our basement the next 3 weeks or so as she completes an observation period in Winona as part of the Pharmacist training/schooling. This should be fun!!!

Party like it's 1999?

So, this past Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. Going into it, I was filled with mixed emotions. I was excited to see a few friends that I knew were going to be there, but excitement was not the largest emotion I was feeling. Simply stated, I was nervous.

My high school years were not my favorite years. Although my high school led me to some individuals I am proud to still call my friends today, my closest friends were not created within the walls of Lourdes High School. I made some poor decisions, and by my senior year, I found myself floundering. I cut ties with those that I felt weren't really my friends, and began to hang out more and more with some Chatfieldians that I felt appreciated me for who I was; I no longer felt like I had to live up to this image that really wasn't me. Since the reunion was planned through Facebook, which means not everyone was fairly notified, and I knew many people weren't coming, I wasn't really sure what I had to look forward too (besides seeing some friends who I KNEW were going to be there...Jes!).

They day did lead to some surprises. I was able to catch up with a few friends I had lost touch with, but it really ended up being like high school all over again. Each group took a section of the park to chat, and I felt like I was in the commons all over again. One side you found strollers and families chatting, and on the other side a game of beer pong was happening. I guess some things just don't change.

So, where is the silver lining? Well, just like when I was fed up with the frustrations and separations in high school, I escaped. The evening found me surrounded by what I affectionately always called "my guys," playing poker, and laughing until my cheeks hurt and I was short of breath. Quite poetic, really :)

image from jchs.org

Back in the habit...

Okay, so I've learned a lesson. Much like other things in life, once you allow yourself to get "out of the habit" of something, it remains "out of the habit." I'm not going to give some big, elaborate story about why I stopped blogging. Instead, I'll simply give a list of just a few things that got in the way of keeping this thing up-to-date.

My sister turned 21, and I turned 28.
I got kidney stones, pink eye, and multiple other bouts of illness.
I'm a teacher, so grading and lesson planning take priority.
Being the senior advisory in a high school eats up most of your spring and early summer.
We got a dog!!!
Struggles with weight watchers (but I did achieve my 10% and 25lbs loss over the past few months, both milestones in WW)
School had to keep my laptop once school was out for a bit
Camping and Vegas
And I'm just a bit lazy I guess

So, today is a new day for me. I am going to work on getting back into the habit of a few things.

1) I am going to make sure to post pictures and events that are important to me
2) I am going to start tracking what I eat again. Summer has been a real challenge for me when it comes to sticking with my weight loss plan, so I need to get back to the basics
3) I am going to start thinking about lesson plans for the coming school year.

These are three things that I have really slacked on lately, and by posting this, maybe I'll be able to get myself back into the habit.