While I’m a
summer girl through and through, I have to admit spring has its merits. There’s nothing like that first whiff of
fresh cut grass and the feeling of FINALLY being warmer when you step outside
than you are inside. As a child, I was
terrified of thunderstorms but I’m even learning to like those. Plus, my birthday is in March AND March means
spring break. All in all, I’d say spring
is a close second to summer.
As the days get
longer and school winds down, I find myself occasionally thinking of something
other than lesson plans and classroom décor.
In honor of the new spring in my step, I’d like to share a list of my
current favorite (spring) things:
Prince Design
My college BFF,
Heather Prince, has truly found her niche with her quickly growing business
Prince Design. She does an awesome job
with personalized, unique gifts (for yourself or for someone else). One day last week one of my students
complimented me on my monogrammed necklace and said, “I like your necklace but
something always has your initials on it.
It’s funny.” Then, she
giggled. Maybe I have a problem?
Jillian Michael’s
Beginner Shred
Anyone who knows
me knows I’m no fitness guru and I never will be. However, as we’ve established, summer IS
coming and even I consider the implications at times. I’ve been using this DVD
to work out for several weeks and it’s great: just the right length, just the
right level of difficulty, and just enough soreness the next day to make you
think it helped.
The Longest Ride
I’m not much of a
moviegoer, but a friend invited me to go see this one last weekend and it was
fabulous. I’ve slowed down on my
Nicholas Sparks reading the last few years, but I ordered this book an hour
after returning home from the theater. A
tagline of the movie is: “Love requires
sacrifice. But it’s worth it.” And
this movie is worth your two hours too! (It didn't hurt that it was filmed locally...how cool!)
Netflix (enough
said?)
This is a
leftover addiction from all those February snow days, but I’ve gotten hooked on
a couple of shows worth mentioning: one old and one new. My sister has always been a huge Gilmore
Girls fan and I’ve always enjoyed the few episodes I’ve caught on
syndication. So a couple of months ago I
committed to watching the entire show beginning to end and I haven’t regretted
one second. The surprise fun has been
that Brent seems to enjoy it just as much as me—apparently he finds me just as
endearing (and infuriating) as Luke finds Lorelai. The other show that we’ve BOTH gotten hooked
on is Revenge. We can’t seem to watch it
in increments of less than three episodes so we’ve had to relegate our watching
to the weekends, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you haven’t tried it!
My Mophie phone case
Spring means
longer days which also had come to mean my well-loved Iphone dying well before sundown. That is, until I broke down an orderd a
Mophie phone case. Mine is the purple
(of course) juice pack helium and it has more than doubled my battery
life! I was a little hesitant to part
with my Otterbox but I’ve dropped my phone multiple times with this new case
with no problems.
R&B-influenced
Country Music
As a lifelong
country music fan, I’ve been resistant to country music artists who tried to
rap in the past. But lately I’ve been
drawn to a couple of new artists who have put a little twist on country
music. My most played CDs recently are
Sam Hunt’s Montevallo and Chase
Rice’s Ignite the Night. If you aren’t familiar, check out a couple of
my favorite tracks here:
Wining and Dining
on the Patio
At our house,
spring means dinner responsibilities shift from me and the crock pot to Brent
and the grill. I’ve made things a little
easier on us both recently by ordering from Omaha Steaks. They’re pricier than grocery store meats but
cheaper than ordering steak in a restaurant and just as good. Some of our favorites so far include the filet
mignon, potatoes au gratin and caramel apple tartlets. We’ve also got a new favorite wine with
steak: anything Malbec from Argentina.
There’s plenty to
love about spring in and of itself, but these things are making mine even
brighter! And don’t forget the best part
of all: next comes summer!
