The Struggles

I have a job that involves an extreme amount of energy and patience and some days I come home with an empty tank that can only be refilled with a cold DC and a 9.5 hour nap. So here we are starting off February with 3 things this girl just ain't got time for.

L A U N D R Y. 

Everybody hates it. Just why. Why is laundry a thing. Being an art teacher, I feel like I dirty clothes a lot faster than the average human. I always end up with some kind of paint slobber in an inconspicuous spot that I can only see with a full length mirror and a spot light. Meaning I should have to wash my clothes more often then most...my solution? Don't even wash them. Just wear a shirt that's long enough to cover the stain so I can wear these highlighter pink pants next week. The more washing, the more fading, or least that's my excuse. Even if that means using stain remover and dishsoap in-between washes. But really. Laundry is the worst. The more days that go by the worse it gets. You just can't win.

Sloooooooowwwwww waaaaallllkkkers.

Now, Kim and Glen didn't bless me with the longest of legs but they did bless me with the longest of strides, so getting behind ol' slowpoke is something straight out of a horror film. Take a cue from Ludacris and Get Out the Way. I'm not just casually strolling around Target, I'm on a mission to hit every aisle before the store closes in 3.76 minutes. However there is one thing that is byfar the worst nightmare of a fast walker, a pack of snails. You know what I'm talking about. The family of 14, with 3 strollers, a toppling toddler, and a grandmother on the loose, all walking in a straight line across your path at -36 miles per hour. Those people. THE STRUGGLE. 

Rapunzal.

Yes, this one is a self-inflicted pain in the ass. My hair is such a strugglebus these days. When my hair is long, like it is, it literally gets stuck in everything. I zip it in my coat, other people's coats, slam it in the car door, close it in the sunroof, get glue in it, paint, snacks, you name it. My hair is just out of this world, cray. And your answer would be to cut it, right? But I can't! Like any girl would tell you, it's taken me YEARS to grow out this mane and I'm not about to chop it yet...at least I don't think. Although the days I have the tangles of a homeless dog, it seems really appealing to pull a Miley Cyrus or JLaw and just hack it all off. It grows back right? But then again, it would take me roughly 8.3238 years to grow it back to the length I like it. So I guess I'm petitioning baseball hats, 24/7, 365. 

Clearly these are all first world problems. but still problems none the less. 

Peace. 

Ringing in 2014...a little late.

So...in true Courtney fashion, I'm showing up a little late to this New Year's party, 12 days late to be exact. Better late then never right? I am here to reflect on the past year and to ring in 2014 on a positive note with some cheer, just a few days past due.

I've seen lots of different posts about either loving or hating on the last year. Whether you loved it or hated it, it was an entire year that went by and it probably didn't always suck. I'm a firm believer that it's all in how you make it. To be honest, 2013 was pretty damn good to me. I had a lot of opportunities come my way and am very thankful that I took some of them and ran. I was blessed with new friends, new family(to-be), and new career building potentials. 2013 will definitely be in the running as the best year yet. Let's just see if 2014 will be just as sweet... but it wouldn't be a New Year's post without some resolutions.

One year I gave up Facebook and Twitter for 2 days during lent and I cheated both days. Recently I gave up pop until July...that lasted about 12 hours. So you could say that I'm not very good at holding up my end of the bargain. So I thought I'd share 14 things that I will "think" about doing in 2014.

1. Wear shoes more appropriate for the weather.

2. Learn how to iron...better.

3. Throw away those really lightwash jeans.

4. Take more photos of my students artworks.

5. Spend more time eating vegetables.

6. Brave the school lunch line.

7. Handwrite more letters.

8. Try harder to find matching socks.

9. Attempt to develop table manners.

10. Tune my violin.

11. Learn the lyrics to one full song.

12. Try to become ambidextrous.

13. Shut my hair in the car door less often.

And finally.

14. Pet more dogs.

Now the key to upholding your side of the bargain is not to make goals too lofty or out of reach. Notice I didn't make bold claims that I would play Mozart songs on my fiddle, write X amount of letters, or even completely stop wearing mismatched socks altogether. By doing so, if I end up learning the lyrics to two full songs, I can guarantee that 2014 will end up a success.

So, for all of you New Years resolution newbies out there, here is a good start for you, just "think" about eating less M&M's and leave the "stop" eating M&M's for 2015. It's all in the baby steps.

Cheers!

Single Lady Swag

So here's the deal. I've surpassed the year mark of being single. I can't begin to explain how perfect the last year was and how being single made that happen. I'm thankful that that day happened over Thanksgiving last year because it definitely opened my eyes to see all the people who actually care about me. Not to mention all the amazing experiences I've had along the way.  Now I look back and wonder why I would ever date someone who licked their plate, smacked their lips, or was a know-it-all. But hey, you live and you learn right? Only took me a good 4 years to figure out what a doorkknob I was being.

Now, on to the actual reason for this post. SINGLENESS. Loud and proud baby. Yeah of course I see other couples all lovey dovey and I want that and other times I enjoy a good complaining sesh over the matter but you know what? It doesn't matter. More of my friends are single than dating and I bet none of them have to fight over the remote. 

I have been in a very serious relationship with sleep over the past few months and I know if I had some kind of mancandy I'd have to sacrifice some shut eye and that won't happen. I also never have to pretend to enjoy watching football when really I like hockey. Drink water because their house doesn't stock the angel juice that is Diet Coke. And I no longer have to check in and say things like "you're cute or I miss you" two phrases that are only reserved for puppies and naps, in that order. 

What I'm trying to get at is that some people act like being single is so sad and depressing. It's a downright shame. Well it's a disease that has been running rampant across my lady friends for years and apparently the only cure is a boyfriend. GET OUT OF HERE. Cue Bryan Adams because looking back these are going to be some of the best days of our lives. We can literally do anything we want. Sweatpants Saturday? Sure. Fall asleep reading a book? Done.  Don't answer your phone? Yep. Asleep before 9? Nailed it. 

One day I'm going to tell some guy that I'll hang out with him for the rest of his life if he wants. But until then I'm going to live up the fact that I have an unlimited amount of single lady swag and Diet Coke supply to match. 

But really though.

Quality Time

Everyday I remind myself that growing up is hard to do. Recently, my roommates left me to eat dinner on my own. This is when the real world struck me down. Of course, while the roomdogs were away, I decided to make a little trip to Target before the daunting task of dinner. Since it is Halloween season, Reese's has their specialty peanut butter cups out and about for the fanatics like myself. So clearly, I purchased some, meaning to eat them as a post-dinner snack. But I slowly realized that I still had no idea what I was going to have for dinner and the end result was all too clear. As I was sitting on the couch in front of Jessica Day and Nick Miller, eating my Reese's pumpkins and drinking Diet Coke, I realized that the one day Kim and Glen leave me to make my own food I choose candy for dinner. This was the point that I took the five long steps towards the fridge and decided to wrangle myself some eats.

Now, I'm really not trying to explain what I had for dinner last night, I'm moreso trying to explain the realities of my life. Everyday I seem to realize that this is not college and I can not substitute chocolate covered peanut buttery goodies for a balanced meal and I also cannot drive to school and see the majority of my good friends. Last weekend, I took a very trip to the cities. Yes, people travel to see their friends all the time right? But, it becomes even more of an adult task when you have to wait for a long weekend to do so. Having never traveled alone for farther than 156 miles... it was a big step for me and the more reliable car option that I now have. So as any one person would do in a car with two cupholders, I filled both up with liquids and was on my way to see some fabulous people I hadn't seen in months and even years.

During the 4ish hour journey, I learned a lot about what it's like to travel alone. Just because there are two cupholders, doesn't mean that you should fill both and drink both before hitting the halfway point.
Also, passing cars tend to get a good laugh when they catch you ad-libbing during "Wrecking Ball" or get a glimpse of your outrageous car dance moves.

In addition to all the interesting things I found out about myself as a lone driver, I found out what it's like to spend quality time with some special people. As a culture, people think that it's necessary to always be in constant contact with each other, whether it's through text, social media, or in person. I am at fault as well. I think that we tend to place quantity of time together over quality of time. Knowing that as an adult, that some of your very best friends have settle in places away from you is bittersweet, yet satisfying. They, like you, are starting to build their lives around a career and hopefully find something they love and pursue. Now in order to see them, weekends must to be preplanned, gas tanks need to be filled, and time is limited. But yet, after all the miles driven in just three days, it feels like so much more than all those lackluster nights in front of the television stuffing your face. Not to get me wrong, those days are great too but they're long gone. Now the television is a spot where I enjoy my pre-nine o'clock nap before I transition to bed. It's a place where I share some of the enjoyable moments of my day with Kim and Glen or have a snack.

There is nothing more special than enjoying a cup of coffee with a good friend and talking about plans for the future, qualities searched for in a spouse, possible graduate programs, jobs, etc etc, or my personal fav, the hair and eye color of our future children. Please, not red. It's all of these thoughts and conversations that lead me to believe that I am quite possibly verging on extreme adulthood. Pretty soon I'm going to be giddy over vacuum cleaner shopping and buying forks. Am I proud of finally growing up? Hell yeah. Am I terrified? You betcha. But at least there will always be holiday Reese's right?

Next on the agenda? Flying the coop... hopefully before I'm 30.

Made It.

Well, it's officially here. I can finally say that I have surpassed the one month mark as a teacher...but not just a regular teacher, an art teacher. Something that I didn't think would be happening at all this year...or even in the near future. All the interviews I went on seemed to fail...miserably...and I was beyond settling as a substitute teacher for the year. I even own my very own substitute badge.

Thankfully I will never have to use it not because subbing is a bad job or anything, but purely for the fact that I look like a homeless person who forgot to open their eyes in the photo. I think it's safe to say that I have settled in at both of my schools. Yes, both. I have located the microwaves and have successfully run off copies from the copy machines. So really, I think I'm getting the hang of this.

I'm not normally the kind of person to write about how much God impacts my life or quote the bible off the top of my head. But I do think that it's important for me to point out that I think Big Daddy was looking out for me on this one. Having gone to a Catholic elementary school, I knew what a casual day in the life would look like and I guess he thought I would fit right in. Honestly, this job came out of nowhere and literally hit me in the face. All the best things do. I'm not much a planner so if I was getting a job, this was definitely the way it was supposed to happen. I think that a lot of things happen for a reason and the best of all things happen when we aren't looking for them. I am sincerely blessed each day to have 300+ kids in my life and a community who equally supports the arts as much as I do.

All in all, this last month has been chaotic. My entire schedule has flipped on its head. Never would I see myself exchanging my 3 a.m. sleep schedule for crawling off to bed at 9. But it's for a good cause. I'm pretty sure that my kids wouldn't enjoy a sleep deprived highly caffeinated Miss K. So really, I do it for their safety. Along with all of that, here are a few things that I've learned in the first month. Don't worry. I'm sure there will be plenty more.

1. Children love to stuff grasshoppers into whiffle balls.

2. Sometimes Kindergartners fall asleep in church.

3. Always iron while wearing long sleeves and long pants.

4. The sink is very short, leaving me to look like I have a lot of "accidents."

5. Never use charcoal on picture day.

6. School picture day is still awkward as an adult...stop combing my hair...

7. When you're the art teacher, any color combination is wearable.

And finally!

8. There's always time for a snack.

I'm jobless and I know it.

Art education is a very specific field, meaning that most schools only have one or two art teachers tops. I’ve had a few promising interviews but it all comes down to experience. Most of the places that I have interviewed have hired people with more teaching experience then me. And so then there’s me. What ever shall a girl do? If I’m still without a job, I’ll probably end up subbing for the next year while I look for other opportunities to pursue and when I'm not subbing I can probably be found hanging out with my roommates, also known as Kim and Glen, hanging out at my second home, known as Dairy Queen, or my third home, referred to as Target or any combo of the above. The possibilities are endless. 

Here’s how I feel about my future. The last time I checked, I will be turning 23 in a few weeks. In other instances, a lot people would be concerned that being 23 and without a stable job may leave a person hungry and living in a box. Not to worry. My roommates already told me they would continue to feed and house me until further notice. Although, I wasn't too concerned about being thrown out on the street, it's nice to have some reassurance. 

Whenever I get my hopes crushed by another failed interview, I like to remind myself that it probably wasn’t the right fit. It was too long of a drive, there weren’t enough windows, the vending machines weren't in close enough proximity to the classroom, or there's no hockey team. You know. All the important things that I look for in a job were lacking. But all in all. I try to keep my head up because it’s not the last art ed job in the world. There are plenty more jobs out there, they might just not be ready for me yet. So I'll just crack open another Diet Coke and sign some more cover letters because there's bound to be someone who's willing to take a chance on me. 

So until then, here's a few things I’ve been looking to go pro in. I’m sure at least one of these professions will pay the bills.

1. Cheese taste testing

2. Dog petting

3. Golf cart driving

4. Out of tune singing

5. Tri-city library card holding

6. Snack consulting 

7. Picture frame straightening

8. Instagramming 

9. Bug bite scratching

10. Binge tv watching

Now, I know what you are thinking. How can she go pro in all of these things and still maintain a healthy sleeping schedule? It’s not going to be easy, let me tell you that. 

Night Owl Disorder

Being a night owl is something that I have come to both love and hate in my almost 23 years of life. I love that at night I can stay up until God knows when doing just about anything but I also hate that it makes me sleep so late. As you can imagine, staying up all night getting my "to-do" list all checked off can create some pretty ugly mornings and some even uglier dark circles. I just wish there was a way to reverse my night owl tendencies so that I could be more productive in the mornings but I just don't think that's possible.

There's just something about mornings that I've never really been fond of. Just the idea of unraveling myself from my perfectly worn out Spongebob blanket makes me want to vom. And having to get up and act like a morning person is just something that I've never really been good at. The truth is, my body is not fully awake until at least 10. I might be up and about... but that doesn't mean that I've chosen too. This is probably going to bite me right in the ass down the road. 

Every night, I have this really great idea that I'm going to rise and shine and hit the pavement for a nice morning run... and guess what I do every morning? I wake up, think about going for a run, gag at the thought, and then return to my previous state. I just can't. Why? Because I'd rather workout during night owl prime time, which can begin anywhere around 11 pm. You know what else I'd rather do at 11 pm? Yoga. Study for a test. Clean the bathroom. Shower. Blog. Blah blah. This list goes on and on. Seriously, I'm a machine. 

If you ever need me to do something important, there's a 98.763% chance that at least part of said project will be accomplished when I'm in the zone...and by zone I mean when everyone else is asleep.There's just something about going for a late night run when the wind is down and the moon is out or working to the sound of a ticking clock. Some may think thriving on the energy in the night air is really strange but I think I was born hardwired for it. 

Here are some things I'm currently working on in the late night hours:

1. Studying to pass my last licensure exam...aka, learning about artsy things that nobody ever ever ever needs to know

2. Reading terribly sappy love stories that could possibly induce a flood of tears

3. Jobsearching...keyword...searching...

4. Online shopping...see how many things I could buy if I had a million dollars

5. Googling random terms that I've run across throughout the day

6. Trying to plank all the way through "Walks like Rihanna"

7. Watching YouTube videos about informercial products

8. Pinning endless amounts of crap to all of my unorganized Pinterest boards

9. B...l...ogggg....ing...

So, if you have done one or more of the above after 11 pm you probably have night owl disorder like me and may or may not be trying to embrace being in your natural habitat. I hope like me, you try to reign yourself in and at least slumber before the sun rises. 

Love.