"Holy Shit!"

Sorry for the profanity, but that's an exact quote from me from this morning when I stepped on the scale. I knew I'd put on a little weight over the last year, but talk about a rude awakening. A couple years ago I lost quite a bit of weight and have managed to keep almost all of it off. I gain here and lose there, but recently it's just been the "gaining here" that I've been doing. I knew it was not realistic to attempt to get my butt in gear right before Thanksgiving, so I decided to enjoy myself, not worry about counting points, and then hit it hard Monday morning. So far, so good...but it's only 1:30.

The hardest part for me is going to the gym. When I get home from work, like everyone else, I'm exhausted. I have no energy and no motivation to do anything even remotely active. I'm not saying that it's easy to resist food temptation, but for me it's easier to keep my eating in check than it is to commit to moving. I'm going to have to get over that though, no more excuses. My iPod is charged, I'm ready to go.

Reason #372 I Love Being a Teacher

My kids say the funniest things. Today in Speech class, my entire class was working quietly on their impromptu speeches. I let them listen to the radio or their MP3 players, as this makes them exponentially more productive. The song, "Falling for You," by Colbie Caillat came on the radio. One of my students, Ben, raised his hand. He said, "Um, Ms. V, sorry to interrupt, but I just want to say that if my heart could write songs, this is what they would sound like."

Aaaaaand, this is reason #372 why being a teacher is awesome.

Can't Buy Me Love

This may come as a shock to some of you, but teachers don't make very much money. I know what you're thinking, "But Nem, YOU'RE a teacher and look at your glamorous life! You drive a Nissan Sentra and you live with your parents." I know guys, but appearances can be deceiving. This totally is not meant to be a blog where I complain about how much I don't have, but instead to focus on what I DO have and what I can do with it.

I've decided to make a budget and actually stick to it. I made a list of my monthly expenses, including fluctuating costs like gas, presents, etc. as best I could. After doing the math, I should have a nice amount left over each month, and I'm hoping this budget will help make that a reality. For the past 3 months, I've been taking a decent chunk out of my paycheck (the day I get it) and putting it into savings. So far, so good. When I put that money into savings, it seems like a HUGE amount at the time, but man does it add up slowly!

I feel like my future got here way faster than I anticipated and I have little to nothing to show for it financially. I know I'm still young, but I wish I would have started being financially smarter years ago. With that being said, there's no better time to start than now!

As I was saying, I am trying not to focus on what I don't have, but how to make the most of what I do have, which seems to be LOVE. I am head-over-heels in love with HBFB, I love my friends and family more than life, and I love what I do. So, here's my list (in random order, because they're ALL important) of things/people I have that I'm grateful for, and make me rich in other ways:

• I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. I am madly in love with him and know that I will be happy with him for the rest of my life. He would do anything for me and is constantly doing everything he can to make me happy.
  
• My friends are incredible. Whether it's been a week, a month or even a year, since I've seen them, we pick up where we left off. They make me laugh and are unbelievably supportive. I couldn't have imagined or asked for better friends.
  
• My family, especially my parents, have made me who I am today. They are supportive in so many ways and love me unconditionally. I know you all think your families are amazing, but mine has everyone beat!
  
• I LOVE teaching. I get paid to spend the day with some of the most amazing young people. They are so smart and funny, and most of them have no clue! I get to teach them what I'm most passionate about, and I get to be creative and do my best to inspire them. We have "Education Celebrations" and eat cupcakes. I have multiple days off for holidays AND summer vacation. Did I mention snow days? :)

My life is good and I'm taking steps to make it even better. I've got quite a "To Do" list of very achievable goals, but perhaps I'll save that for my next post.