Recap

January 1, 2012 I set 12 goals for myself. I did not get all of them done, but I think I was pretty successful. As I bring this year to a close, I have decided to look back on these goals and begin the next list for 2013!

12 Goals for 2012

1. Graduate from college… (should be easy… right?) DONE!
2. Get a job teaching … (this one is kind of a duh! but with the way jobs in the teaching field are going this one could be tough) DONE! Kindergarten in Bryan, Texas!
3. Eat healthier… (avoid fast food, sodas, and fried foods) I did much better in this area earlier in the year... after summer and student teaching I let this one go. I am ready to get back on track for this goal!
4. Begin a regular exercise schedule… (occasionally I go for a run, but I want to be more consistent) Again, I did better on this goal at the beginning of the year and the best during the summer with Crossfit... but as student teaching came around, I did terrible!
5. Run a 5K, 10K, and a half marathon … (eek. This may be hard because of how busy I am going to be this year, but there is no excuse not to get this done! This was one of my goals for last year… I ran a 5K but never made it to the 10K or the half.) I think I ran 5 5ks this year... Which is AWESOME! But I really wanted to get to that 10k! I think part of the problem is that there are so many more 5ks than 10ks (excuse #1 and the list goes on). This goal will again be on my list next year and I hope that I can achieve it! I have got to get on a regular running schedule... with a full time job? I need help! How do people do it?
6. Be positive ALL of the time! … (this is something I harp on a lot because I think it is one of the most important qualities of being happy… but sometimes I struggle with being positive in stressful situations.) I think I have a pretty positive outlook on life. I think this quality is what helped land me my first full time job! I always try to look at things from a different perspective. I can ALWAYS get better at this though! With my new job and a new chapter in my life, positivity is going to be the key to being happy!
7. Be patient … (this includes all areas of my life… school, family, friends, and faith) I would say I was pretty patient this year. As a student-teacher, a lot of patience were tested, but for me that is the easiest situation to be patient. I really hate being patient, but it is a fact of life.
8. Be spontaneous … (or maybe even plan-taneous) I did really well on this goal during the spring and summer, but once school started in the fall... spontaneousness went down hill. I figure eventually I will find a way to be spontaneous and work at the same time, but I will have to build up to that point.
9. Go on fun dates … (this kind of goes along with spontaneous) I have been on some very fun dates this year! It was hard in the fall because matt and I lived 2 and a half hours apart, but we still were able to do fun things on the weekends. Football games, movies, dinner, etc.
10. Do my hair and make up more … (aka don’t look like a zombie when I go to class) Like I said in July, I didn't do very good on this for my A&M classes, but now I have to do my hair and make up for work. I think I went to school maybe 2 times this semester with my hair in a ponytail! I have never been one who wakes up early to fix my hair, but I think times are changing.
11. Communicate more with my friends that don’t live near me … (this is so hard but it is something I HAVE to get better at!) I think I have done relatively well on this goal... Not good, but okay. I have really enjoyed seeing my friends from all over this winter break! 
12. Strive to live and love like the Lord has taught us to. I think that thoughout out  this year I have grown closer to the Lord and built a relationship with Him that has taught me how to live and love the way He does. Of course, this is a NEVER ENDING goal that can always be improved.

For me to be able to completely cross of 3 of my 12 goals I would say is pretty good. A lot of my goals are ones that you don't just "complete." They are lifestyle goals that need to be in place to remind me of the way I want to live my life. Being healthy, exercising, being positive and patient, being spontaneous, etc. 

This year has been such a blessing. I made new friends! I traveled to a country I had never been to! I accomplished things I could have never imagined! I graduated from a prestigious university with honors! I got a "big girl" job! This year really was full of decisions. I ended one chapter of my life, but the best part is that I get to start a new one! I am so thankful for all of the people in my life that have supported me throughout this year. 2012 was a great year, and I am anxious to see what 2013 holds for me. 

Its not about where an adventure ends, cause that's not what an adventure's about. 

So anything that happens from here on out is a bonus. 

-Benjamin Mee

Long Time, No See!

It has been over 3 months since my last post. It seems like it has been a year. If I were to try to tell you everything that has happened since my last post you would have to read a novel. So here are some quick bullet points :) SO MUCH has happened since August! It is crazy!

• Student Teaching!- It was amazing! I had such a great experience thanks to my wonderful mentor teacher and team teacher! I could not have asked for a better semester. I wish I could share every little story about my sweet third graders, but I can't. Here are just a couple!
• Hero Day- One of my third grade friends came up to me and told me that she was going to dress up as me for her hero. I was honored to have a student say that, but I thought to myself... How in the worlds is she going to dress up as me? The next day all of the students came to school dressed as their heroes. I dressed as a doctor because of my dad. My sweet little friend came as a little Ms. Hargrove. Black pants, little heels, hair braided back, cute little top with a cami... it was perfect! It was so sweet! To be called a hero is an honor. I hope I was a hero to each of my third graders. I know they were heroes to me. 

• Little longhorn friend- You might think in third grade, college football is not an issue. Well for this one friend, it was how we bonded! As most of you know, I am a big time aggie and my students quickly figured this out. At some points, talking about the aggies got a little bit out of control. One time we were playing around the world with multiplication and this particular friend told me that if he beat me I had to sing Texas Fight (which I don't even know, by the way). I was like no, no, no... It's not a contest! Well to him it was, and I had to beat him 5 times to finally admit that I didn't have to sing Texas Fight. This was the letter he wrote to me when I had to leave. *Please note, this was before the A&M vs. Alabama game!

I wrote him a letter telling him how much I enjoyed talking football with him, especially since that aggies had such a good season, and that I was proud of him for always sticking up for his team. This is how he responded after the Alabama game.. I love it! 

There were so many great things about my student teaching experience and the students' personalities was just the icing on the cake! I miss them all so much!

• Graduation!!!- I can't believe I am graduate of Texas A&M University! My 4 (and a half) years FLEW by! Here are a couple of pictures from graduation!

Kyndall, Meagan, and I 

The Family

Matt and I

Matt's Family

• Acceptance to Graduate School- I applied for and was accepted to Graduate School for a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at Texas A&M. This is an online program and I am really excited about it. I will not start taking classes until the summer or fall of 2013.. you will see why in the next bullet.

• KINDERGARTEN!- I had what seems like about million interviews for jobs this semester. Thanks to my good friend Kyndall, I finally found the perfect position for me! I will be a Kindergarten teacher at Houston Elementary School in Bryan, TX starting January 7! I am so very excited for this next adventure, but I am also very nervous! I got to meet the kids just before Winter Break and now I am preparing for the semester! I have so much to do in just a little more than a week. 

As you can see, the last three months brought a lot of new adventures! I have graduated from college, gotten a job, and have plans to continue my education! I am so very excited for this next chapter of my life and I can't wait to see how it unfolds. 

Old Table Made New!

Several years ago (at least 10) my mom was given a kitchen table by a friend. It was a really nice table, but over the years it got beat up and dirty. My mom was fortunate to replace her table a couple of Christmases ago and this other table just got left in the dust. We sort of made it our crafting table in our back room, but now that room is full of furniture and the table is just stuck in the corner.

I know I haven't posted much this summer, but for those of you have been around me or talked to me... you know I have been BORED! I have had things to do... but there would be days when I was so bored I could cry (not really, but almost!).... sooooooo I decided to do what I have always wanted to do to this lost, outdated, lonely table! Re-stain the top! Little did I know, this was a huge undertaking! I have Matt and my mom to thank for helping me get it done because I could have never done it by myself. I also must give credit to the blog I found on Pinterest as my inspiration for this table! I don't think my mom thought I would actually do it... I hope she wasn't to attached to the table ;)

Here is the table before.

The first thing we did was sand the top of the table. Now let me mention... I had never really sanded anything before. It was HARD! Thank goodness Matt was there to get most of the "ick"(aka polyurithane) off with his dad's belt sander! We used 80 grit sandpaper first to get rid of the finish, and then smoothed out the wood with 120 grit. And I must mention it was over 100 degrees... gotta love Texas summers! Also note, saw dust gets EVERYwhere! You can see it on the floor in the first picture! I had to take my dads car to the carwash when we were done with this step :) oops.

The next step was to prep the legs for paint. We decided to paint the legs before staining the top because you can always touch up paint, but you cant get paint off of stain. We used KrudKutter to take the finish off of the paint on the legs. It was really easy to used and saved us a lot of time and, trust me, trying to sand those round legs wouldn't have been pretty. You just put the liquid onto a rag and rub it on the surface and let it sit for a few minutes. The bottle said to wipe it off, but we didn't have to because it all soaked in. Then we painted two coats of light blue onto the legs! 

We were then ready for the top of the table! YAY! My favorite and most anticipated part! I bought this great stencil at Hobby Lobby! It was exactly what I wanted and much less expensive than the $50-90 stencils I saw online! 

Stencil!

My goal was to stencil the top of the table, and then stain over the stencil. I started in the very center of the table and went out from there to make sure that the stencil looked right. I used a mini foam roller to apply the stencil, masking tape to hold it in place, and an interior latex eggshell finish paint. I had never seriously stenciled before, but knew the keys for it to look good were to not use to much paint, take my time, and measure measure measure! Here is what the stencil looked like part way through.

After a lot of consideration, I strayed from my original plan at this point. At first I wanted to cover the whole table in stencil... but I really liked the way it was starting to look as a runner just down the center of the table... so I went with it. I am SO glad I did! Here is the stencil completely finished! We had to take the sander to a couple of spots where I accidentally over painted the stencil, but that took the paint right off.

Whew! So far, so good! I was perfectly in love with the way this table looked so far... which started to scare me because I wanted to use a dark stain. After an extra trip to Home Depot and a lot of reasoning, I went with my gut to use the dark stain. The exact reason, I don't really know... but I wanted to change the table from what it was before and I felt I would be able to do that more with a dark stain. I went with the Minwax Wood Finish in Dark Walnut. There were a lot of firsts in the project, including staining! Here are a couple of things I learned as I was staining... it takes a lot of rags, patience, and sometimes more than one coat... and it's realllllly messy! We looked like we tried to spray tan our forearms by the time we were finished!

I am sure I would have loved the table with a light stain, but I am so glad that I went with my gut and used the dark stain! I love the way it brings out the stencil! At this point we weren't quite finished... I wanted to seal the table so it will last longer and be easier to clean! We used Minwax Water Based Polycrylic Protective Semi-Gloss Finish. We used soft bristle brushes and applied two coats. This was the final step for the table! So our old table now has a completely new look! (the legs look white, but I think that is because of the sunlight shining directly on them... they are light blue)

Right now I am working on painting the chairs! I have two out of six done and I am running out of time before the school year starts.. eek! I am painting them the same color as the legs using the same technique we used to paint the legs of the table. KrudKutter is a must! Here is the before and after of the chairs so far.

I also plan to stain the table leaves incase we ever need a larger table. I don't think I am going to stencil on those though because it would be nearly impossible to line up. I think as long as they are stained they will look good!

This has been such a fun project and I think for it being my first time to sand, stencil, and stain, it turned out pretty good! I LOVE it! It was totally worth all of the hard work!!

So if you have an old table that needs a revamp and some extra time on you hands... you should definitely give it a shot!!

12 Goal Updates

Once again... my blog has been neglected. Thanks to all of my readers who still take the time to check to see if I post! I'd like to say I will get better, but summer just seems to be running away.

Here is a quick update on my goals from the beginning of the year... I just wanted to see how I was doing and what I need to work harder on!

12 Goals for 2012

1. Graduate from college… (should be easy… right?) Still working on it... but I have made a lot of progress by passing ALL of my teaching certification exams! Now all I have to do is complete 60 days of student teaching! WHOOP!
2. Get a job teaching … (this one is kind of a duh! but with the way jobs in the teaching field are going this one could be tough) See #1... I went to a career fair! Thats a start! AND I made a resume! I begin the application process SOON!
3. Eat healthier… (avoid fast food, sodas, and fried foods) Suprisingly... I have done REALLY well in this area! Occasionally I eat fast food or have a soda... but I am much more cautious about it! I went all of lent only drinking water, which was a huge accomplishment for me! Summer has been killer because I have access to sodas and fast food much more often, but I am trying my best to stay away!
4. Begin a regular exercise schedule… (occasionally I go for a run, but I want to be more consistent) I have done okay so far on this. I am not totally consistent, but I have gotten better. I still want to get better at this before the end of the year! Crossfit has definitely helped me be more consistent!
5. Run a 5K, 10K, and a half marathon … (eek. This may be hard because of how busy I am going to be this year, but there is no excuse not to get this done! This was one of my goals for last year… I ran a 5K but never made it to the 10K or the half.) So far I have ran three 5Ks! WHOOP! I even placed third in my age group in the 5k I ran on July 4th in Arkansas! However, I need to keep running (see #4) to be able to do the 10K and the half. I still have 6 months! I CAN do it!
6. Be positive ALL of the time! … (this is something I harp on a lot because I think it is one of the most important qualities of being happy… but sometimes I struggle with being positive in stressful situations.) Again... I have done surprisingly well in this area. Of course I am not perfect... not even close, but I try to think of things from different perspectives when I am being negative! That really helps! 
7. Be patient … (this includes all areas of my life… school, family, friends, and faith) Oh, patience. I'm working on it. But overall I think I have been very patient... and, more importantly, very grateful for what I have at this moment. 
8. Be spontaneous … (or maybe even plan-taneous) I would say I have been somewhat spontaneous. Random trips here and there... but we STILL HAVEN'T GONE TO KRISPY KREME! (you know who you are!) 
9. Go on fun dates … (this kind of goes along with spontaneous) I have definitely been on some fun dates (Dallas, movie nights, snow cones, Ring Dance, circus, etc)... but it never hurts to have more ;)
10. Do my hair and make up more … (aka don’t look like a zombie when I go to class) I definitely failed at this for my A&M classes. However, I have done my hair and make up more overall! I had to do it in the fall on Wednesday and Thursday for my field experience, but I also did it on nights and weekends! I am not looking forward to having to do my hair every morning next semester... but I better get used to it. I don't know why I dread fixing my hair so much... it's kind of dumb now that I think about it.
11. Communicate more with my friends that don’t live near me … (this is so hard but it is something I HAVE to get better at!) FAIL! I have been a complete and total failure in this area! I MUST MUST MUST get better at this, ESPECIALLY since I am living at home now! I don't know why this seems to be so hard for me!
12. Strive to live and love like the Lord has taught us to. This, of course, is something we can ALWAYS get better at! I hope that over the past six months I have grown closer to the Lord and I pray that as the year goes on that special relationship continues to grow.

I still have a lot of things that I need to do before the end of the year! I am glad that I went back and looked at the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year! I can see improvements I have made and I know what I need to work on! Thanks for sticking with me and for the encouragement you provide! (I should add a new goal... post on my blog more! I will be working on that as well!)

lovescraplife

Accidental Blog Hiatus

Oops. It has been an entire month since my last post! So much for at least one post a week during the summer! Why have I been on a blog hiatus, you ask? Because of summer... and let me tell you... it has been GREAT! I'll catch you up!

I got a summer job at Ann Taylor LOFT... while working kind of stinks (because it is work) the discount on clothes is amazing! I can't wait for mid-August gets here so I can buy some new clothes for teaching! LOFT loves teachers! I am also going to be doing some tutoring with Success Learning Center like I have for the last few summers! I love working with the kiddos and seeing them grow and learn!

Maycation in WaterColor was AMAZING! This has definitely been the best part about my summer so far! From perfectly blue water to delicious snow cones and cruiser bikes to sunburnt feet (and I mean BURNT)... I couldn't have asked for a better week with my family! I love the beach life... wake up as early as possible, go to the beach, soak up the sun, float on the waves, toss the football(just for you, Matt), go back to the house only when you absolutely have to, eat a great dinner with your family, go to sleep, and repeat for as long as possible. The countdown begins for next summer ;)

Our beautiful house for the week! 

Evening on the beach!

(Photo credits to Wes Hargrove)

Water was PERFECT! 

Enjoying Frost Bites in Seaside! 

The whole gang enjoying appetizers at happy hour!

Ah... just looking at the pictures makes me want to go back!

CROSSFIT! Yes, I am doing Crossfit! Don't know what crossfit is? Look it up, better yet... try it! Colleen and Mollie got me hooked. I have been trying to go to the class at least 3 times a week. It is a great workout (sometimes not so great when you are actually doing it) and I feel so refreshed (AND SORE) when I am done! I am doing this to stay healthy and to help me to be more fit! So far, so good! 

Now do you see why I haven't been blogging?... Don't worry there is more!

I haven't gotten to spend much time with Matt so far this summer except for in Florida. He is living in College Station, working and taking classes. After a fiasco with TJC and Blinn, Matt decided to take his class in the second half of the summer so this last weekend I got to go visit him in College Station. Now let me remind you, I moved home from College Station a little over a month ago. It was WEIRD visiting... especially visiting Matt. My freshman year he would come visit me. Now it is swapped! BUT it was SO GOOD! I had the best weekend just being able to spend time with him. We got snow cones (yep... we love snow cones), watched a couple of movies, cooked a few meals, hung out with a good friend, and went to the CIRCUS (for free thanks to a sweet lady who had two extra tickets! Definitely our lucky day!) I wish I didn't have to leave. Luckily it is only a three hour separation instead of all the way on the other side of the world. Weekends like that one make me smile! 

And FINALLY... Today! Mollie and I went to Six Flags!! We had SO much fun! I don't  know if you have ever been to Six Flags in the summer, but your skin can boil and you stand in line for 3 hours at a time. NOPE! Not today! Mollie and I got to the park when it opened at 10:30 and successfully rode every thrill ride in the park without waiting in a line for more than 15 minutes AND it was mostly cloudy in the upper 80s (a cold day in June in Texas)! We walked up to Batman and rode in the first row! We were actually on the ride longer than we 'waited' in line... That is RARE! We rode a couple of the rides twice! It was fantastic! If you are planning on going to Six Flags, go on a random weekday when there is a 40% chance of rain! Definitely a fun day, but now I am exhausted! I still think power walking through the park was totally worth it... We were a little excited!

Now that brings me to right now. I am sitting in my parent's beautiful new kitchen, blogging away. The summer is going fast, but it is going so good! My mind is running crazy with things I should be doing, things I want to do, and a million other things, but I leave you with this piece of wisdom from one of my new favorite movies, We Bought a Zoo. (RENT/BUY it if you haven't seen it! You will love it!)

gatherlove

P.S. I take my last teaching certification exam June 28! Yikes, it is coming up... I am almost done! 

Mom's Day

leslieannjones.com

When I hear the word mom, several things come to mind.

Dependable

Best Friend

Brilliant

Patient

Loving

Creative

The list could go on forever.

My mom is amazing. She is the greatest woman I know. 

Basically, I am here to say thanks for everything Mom. You have no idea what you have given me as my mom... confidence, strength, and even humility. You have showed me how to love... you have showed me how to laugh... you have showed me how to live. The memories we share are endless and continue to build every single day. I think back on all of the precious moments and cherish what we have, but more importantly, I look forward to what we will do together in the future! Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin. Thanks for being my best friend. Thanks for always loving me and our family.

Thanks for everything. 

I love you.

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there... Especially mine! 

The Camp Cake!

If you typically read my blog then you have probably heard of The Camp Cake! It is a terribly delicious cake! I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but it is a chocolate bundt cake with a twist. Katherine got the recipe from a family that she worked with at her camp (hence the name) last summer. She shared it with Jillian and I at the beginning of the semester and it was AMAZING! I love it so much, I thought I'd share the recipe with you!

The Camp Cake!

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake… A Gilmore Family Favorite!

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix (pudding in the mix works well)

1 small box of instant chocolate pudding

3/4 c. of sugar

3/4 c. of oil

3/4 c. of water

4 eggs

8 oz. of sour cream

Small bag of regular semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini chips are okay too)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, pudding, and sugar and mix well.

Add oil and water and mix well.

Add eggs and mix.

Add sour cream and mix.

Add chocolate chips and mix.

  

Grease a Bundt pan well with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Freezes well. 

ENJOY!

Here are a couple examples of the finished product... :)

On a side note, the entire thing was eaten EVERY time! In fact... I want to make the cake right now... but unfortunately my mom's kitchen is going through a serious remodel!