Gymsecurities and Miracles-Summer Series Day 3&4

I took this picture at a restaurant the other day. They had all of these herbs in terracotta pots and I felt as if I was transported somewhere...special and far away. Love.

Memorial Day was wonderful we spent the day at the pool and BBQing with my family. Spanish Sassafras came with her darling girls, it was a chill day. Just what the Dr. ordered.

Gymsecurities
I started my morning out at the gym. I met a friend at the cycle class. I think that this will be a good route to rehabing my knee. Some interesting things happened in my head as I went to the gym. I was SO insecure. I mean really out of my comfort zone which is weird because it isn't my first time in a gym. I had all of these reasons as to why I didn't belong there and it seemed like every Barbie in Gilbert was walking out as I was walking in. Literally, sparkling with sweat, perfect make up, size four Lulu Lemon darlings. My shirt was old and had a vague mildew scent, probably YEARS of sweat build up, no make-up, hair in a tight bun. I got there early and took a lap around the gym getting my barrings. I hopped on the treadmill to pass the time until class started. I was fighting a real battle in my head, thinking and comparing myself to others. It was a lose-lose situation.
I know what it feels like to be strong and in shape. I know what it feels like to compete to run races and to train and complete a marathon. So this new situation I find myself in..out of shape, is frustrating and I have nobody to blame but myself. However, that does not mean that I get permission to beat myself up about it! Or compare myself to others because I can honestly say that I have literally done my very best this last year and training for a marathon or hours of training sessions and calorie restrictions just weren't part of that plan. I have to give myself a pass and just say, "Hey, that is OK!" Here I am feeling pretty crummy but I go to the class anyway because I know that I will infinitely better afterwards. I get my bike and realize it is the wrong kind, you have to have special snappy shoes for it. So, I wheel it back and get a new one. I ask the instructor for pointers and how to get the seat just right and the handle bars. My friend comes in and sets up her bike and the class starts. I drink all of my water in the first 15 minutes and I am sweating a lot. Which...if you know me is a BIG deal because I don't sweat much. I have these intense loser feelings but I notice them and decide to knock it off. So, as we are heading to the middle of the class and I feel very close to barfing up my Corn Chex I realize that these are toxins leaving my body. I am working hard and then I look up to see myself in the mirror and I almost don't recognize the person on the bike because she looks just like everyone else in the class. In fact she looks strong and I am kind of surprised that I fit right in to the sea of people pumping their legs on those stationary bikes. Then, I start to be grateful that I have legs and my body can do this work! I picture every drop of sweat carrying fat cells out with them and my body reshaping and getting stronger. I give myself credit for trying and decide right then and there I will be back tomorrow. Class is over before I know it  and the stress that I was carrying is GONE plus, I am just another Gilbert girl getting her work out in as I walk out to my car. Gymsecurties.....gone.

It's Really a Miracle...For Reals

My phone works. THE RICE TRICK WORKED! HALLLLLLELUJAH! Someone up above loves me. I screamed with joy.

Pedicures Are Dangerous-Day 2

Day 2 looks like this:

Yesterday as an end of the school year celebration one of my dearest teacher friends and I went to get pedicures, dinner, and a movie. He will not get a pedicure alone I made him come with me once and now we go every once in a while. I LOVE pedicures. OK, who am I kidding. I love to be pampered. I love it all. I love hair cuts, massages, eye brow waxes, pedicures, facials..anything that is relaxing and makes me feel pretty, SIGN ME UP. So as we were sitting there we decided to look up movies. I don't know why we even looked up a movie I mean the only clear choice was X Men. However, we hadn't discovered that yet. As we were looking up a movie and times, simultaneously on the same app I am sure...I knocked the corner of my beautiful, gold, iPhone 6 right into the foot spa. THE FOOT SPA. It was filled with water. 

Can this month end already. 

I grabbed it and now it is in a bag of rice. This is presenting a small problem. Which is, I told my friends I would be coming out of hibernation soon. I am sorry that will now be delayed another....OH, three days as the website suggests to completely dry the phone before turning it on. I diagnosed my iPhone problems via the world wide web. That is if the thing turns on. Here's hoping.

On another note I really hurt my knee running.  I am adept at diagnosing my symptoms using the Internet. I have decided it is probably runners knee. It hurts. I have a hard time standing on it. At first when I stand up it feels like under my knee cap everything is like 100 years old. I want to run so I can get in shape because I love it so but I opted for a green protein shake instead. Tomorrow my work out will be going to Last Chance shopping. I am doing GREAT at this summer time fit thing. 

The whole summer lazily stretches her fingers out before me and that is the best thing. 

Today, I went to church. I took a nap. I worked on a lesson I am teaching in a few weeks. I had dinner with my family and hung out with them for the evening. We had a special celebration dinner as my Mom has been promoted in her job. I then picked up my children from their Dad's as he will be out of town all next week and they went over there while I was out ruining my phone, or err, getting a pedicure. I also sort of pretended to fold some laundry as I literally folded five things and then got distracted. So the laundry is STILL begging to be folded. That is ok though. 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I am so grateful for all of the men and women in the military who work tirelessly for my family and I. I am grateful for all of those who have selflessly given their lives for our freedom. Thank you. 

XOXO- The Sunny D..I LOVE SUMMER.

Summer- May 28, 2016- Day 1

I agree.

The end of a school year feels like you have stepped off of Mr. Wonka's great glass elevator. You have been zipping this way and that, spinning your wheels a million miles an hour. Then, just like that, you step off dizzy and disoriented wondering what in the heck just happened. That is the best way to describe the end of a school year in my opinion.

So, here I sit. Dizzy. I have been thinking about the last year and I am grateful. I am grateful that this is the first year in THREE that I don't have to move my classroom. I am grateful for the friends I have made at my new job. I am grateful for the success and lessons my children have learned by finishing something REALLY hard. I love those babes of mine. I adored my class this year. They were hard working and smart. Plus, they were little and so cute. SO CUTE. I am going to miss them this summer.

Aydan received an award for his perseverance in Math. It was an all school award and quite a big deal. He was behind a year in math and had to catch up. I am grateful to his wonderful teachers who helped him. I feel like he is such a better student and more prepared than ever for Jr. High. Yes. I have a child in Jr. High. Weird. He is such a good boy and I am so proud of him. 

Aydan went to Scout camp for a couple of days and so on the last day of school it was just Ellie and me. We decided to go out to dinner and enjoy the beautiful cool evening. We ate and watched the sunset. It was a good ending for a good year. 

I am also VERY grateful Prop 123 passed. I have opinions about that but the bottom line is I am so grateful to have a raise coming.


I also have to apologize to my friends who have been trying to get a hold of me and I have been, absent. I am sorry. I have been on a great glass elevator and I just stepped off. I'll be back. I am just hibernating right now. In fact, I am contemplating if I have enough energy to shave my legs because since it is summer that should be the first order of business. The truth is everything but school and second graders and my children has taken a back seat. Just ask my strawberry plant. It died.

Neglected. So many things have been neglected: Me, the house, my plants, my friends, a social life, everything else essentially. So for our first real day of summer I.....

1. Slept until 8. I am not sure when 8AM became sleeping in. I remember in college thinking that 8:30 was definitely the best time to wake up. Any earlier was just asinine. Fast forward 20 years and 8 feels like sleeping in until noon. 

2. Made a protein shake for little girl and I. One summer goal is to lose 20 pounds. If I lose ten I will be happy..I like to shoot high on goals. Taking care of myself and eating good, real, pure food is a priority along with regular exercise. I want to feel better and strong. If I could describe how I feel right now it would be tired, run down, dizzy. It is time for a change. 

3. I hired a house cleaner to come and do a deep clean of the house. I do that for myself two or three times a year. I can't tell you the weight it takes off of me. So today Ellie and I cleaned out six cupboards. We chucked a whole bunch of stuff, wiped out the cabinets, and organized the rest of the stuff. I have an internal smile. I love clean organized cupboards. Plus, we found all of this stuff I forgot I had. It was like a treasure trove. We found a snow cone maker. Uh. I don't ever even recall buying that thing or why but Ellie is excited about it. We will probably use it once and then it will lose its magic. That and the JELL-O mold. You heard it here first folks. JELL-O mold.

4. We went grocery shopping so I could buy all of those delicious natural foods to eat healthier. Oh, and a packet of JELL-O, for the mold. 

5. Writing. I am writing now and have a goal to write every day this summer. If you knew the truth it is just a sneaky way to delay leg shaving and the pile of laundry begging me to fold it. I am listening to Pandora and birds chirping outside. I hear Ellie watching some show on her ipad. I see three big beautiful bunches of flowers from students that make me happy. 

6. Tonight I have plans with a friend. Fish n' Chips. We always get fish n' chips it is our thing. Aydan will come home from summer camp and we have plans to go to the pool with friends.

Day 1 of summer is shaping up to be a good one except for the leg shaving bit. 

XOXO- The Sunny D

Nearing the End....Who's Counting?

The kids had their Spring Sing this week. I have to say that our music teacher is one of the best I have ever had the opportunity to work with. He is amazing and so talented. He loves the kids and they love him. He does a great job and the kids love going to music. The Spring Sing was awesome. I LOVE watching my kids perform. I guess most parents do. It was a hustle and bustle Monday night. Ellie performed and I stayed with my class during and after the show. Tuesday night we were back at it to watch Aydan's performance. I was equally impressed. 

 I even had a part in the program....part of being a teacher. It was a 50's theme so I dug out the old letter man jacket. Everyone had a good time. Wednesday came too quickly we were tired over here at the Tidwell house. 

9 days of school left. Everyone is counting down the days right? We just can't wait for summer. The teachers are counting, the kids are counting, the school aides are counting, the parents are counting. We are ALL counting down.  The jokes are flying on social media about the end of the school year and how everyone is burnt out. There is something else you should know........ I love this time of year. Yes, I am as tired as you are and having been fighting bronchitis for the last three weeks without taking a day off makes me especially tired. BUT. I love this time of year when standardized testing is over. I can teach and enjoy every single cute little unique personality in my class. My class KNOWS me now. They know ALL my teacher looks. They know when I am SERIOUS and when I am not. They know that when I say, "Go stand in the hall we need to chat."....that is the scariest part of that whole conversation.They know me so well and I know them, and that my friends is a golden place to be in a school year. So even though we are all tired, it is kind of my favorite time because I get to ENJOY my kids! (Kids...meaning students) How I love each and every one of them. They have the routine down, they know the rules, they have worked so hard and we still will work for 9 more days. My voice is saying all the teacher things I should be saying but my heart is saying, "How will I let you go in 9 days and How will I love another 26 little munchkins as much as I love you?" When all of the deadlines start creeping up on me and I feel the tension in my shoulders from the pressure of the end of year stuff I just tell myself, relax and just enjoy these sweet kids. That makes it all better and helps me remember what is really important. Twenty-six darling students that I adore with all my heart who will be gone in 9 days. 

Sometimes this time of year is a TWO Diet Coke day. Something super weird happened the other day. My friend Tessie and I were at the food court at the mall. We had grabbed a taco at Rubio's and a Diet Coke at McDonald's because Cokes are only $1 at McDonald's.  As she and I sat down to eat a woman approached us with a card. She was a large olive complected woman, with a smattering of thick, black, hair coming out of her chin. She handed us a card and said, "You need to call me but I only have one card for you." Ok, thank you, we replied. 

Then she turned and sat down to focus on her meal. As we looked at the card it said she was a fortune teller. I thought it was such an odd thing to happen and had never before been approached by a fortune teller in a mall. Outside of a cathedral in Spain by a gypsy holding rosemary twigs? Yes. Which seemed appropriate and kind of The Hunchback of Notre Dame-ish, you know? But at the Chandler Mall in the food court? My mind started to churn as it does sometimes...is there something about my future that I need to know? Why did she only approach us? Maybe she sees me becoming thin, finding some handsome guy to marry, and my future looks bright. Maybe I get sick and have cancer and lose all my hair?! 

Then the quote came to me and I can't remember who said it, "I would rather talk to the one who made the stars about my future than someone who reads them." 

 and....I didn't worry one more second about it. 

Then there was this little gem. I always wanted to be Asian. I also wanted to be six feet tall. At least, for a minute I got my wish.

Then there was this, about a month ago I had some friends over for a BBQ.  Saturday I had some chicken to grill up for lunches this week. When I opened the grill I found this. Leftovers anyone? This is a perfect picture of how nuts the last six weeks have been. 

XOXO- The Sunny D....9 days.