New Year, New Look

I spent a good part of today adjusting my blog layout.  I figured that since I was no longer a first year teacher, I needed to at least change the blog title.  Then I got a little edit crazy.  It's pretty weird to think how much things have changed for me this past year, and it only makes me realize how much could change this year too.  To borrow a TFA word, this time of year always makes me more reflective than I normally would be.  It's pretty easy to think of things that you want to change- floss more, eat better, exercise- but I think too often people don't think about things they should continue doing.  So this year, rather than looking for things to change, I want to find the things that I should keep the same.

1. Getting 'er done: after working relentlessly (another TFA catchphrase) for the first two months of 2010, I started to burn out.  I ended my first year feeling a little like I let my kids down, and thought a lot over the summer about how I could leave at a reasonable hour and still have everything done.  I'm pretty proud to see how much more on top of my work I am this year, and I'm not going to let mid-year doldrums cause me to slack off.
   
2. Having a life: part of the good that came out that February burn-out was that I finally started taking care of myself.  It started out with my yoga endeavors and gradually began to include actual social interaction.  I stopped working all weekend and started having fun.  I finally made friends (at least two!) and felt like a real person.  I'm definitely continuing THAT tradition.

Erin and I sampling beers mid-week

Pretending to be a doctor with Al and her med school friends at a Wake end-of-year party

Sunday Funday at the U. S. Whitewater Center

Starting to make each other dinners... my fiesta fajita bar, complete with Coronas and margs

...and shrimp scampi with bruschetta.

Live music at a gallery crawl in NoDa

Actually having time to Skype Jack... even though he has a lamp coming out of his head.

  

I guess what it all comes down to is continuing to try to balance everything out- work, friends, family, and molding the youth of America.  There's not much more that could really make my life that much better, because in spite of all the complaints I can come up with and the negativity that sometimes seems to suffocate me, I am an extremely lucky girl.

Oh, and (of course), I want to floss more.