Perpetual Calendar

I saw this idea on Pinterest over a year ago and finally got around to making my own.  I don't love the dividers and I may update them sometime in the future.  I'm excited to have a way to journal the highlights of my days, even if they are rather mundane.

30 by 30: #3 Promote to 31 Senior Consultant

Check! 

I have two recruits and at some point in December, Heather qualified and I promoted! :)



Want to join my team or place an order? Visit my website.

30 by 30: #21 Tailgate at a Football Game

December 16, 2012
Sun Life Stadium, Miami
Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Dolphins won! (24-3)

I went to the game with my dad, stepmom, and one of my brothers, Matt.  We tailgated before the game.  I had a veggie burger and one beer.  I have a hard time drinking before noon! ;)



Our tailgating wasn't overly excited. I sat and worked on my handstitched hexi quilt. I'm not really a football kinda gal. We had pretty decent seats for free tickets! No zoom on this shot.


The mascot was a little odd. The cheerleaders wore "72" jerseys in honor of the 1972 perfect season team. The players and cheerleaders from 1972 came out during halftime to be recognized for their achievement. It was pretty cool.

I wish I could tell you who caught the ball for this touchdown. I don't remember. I was too busy playing with my new camera. Remember, I'm not that into football...

Proof that the Dolphins won!

Proof that I was there. :)

So there it is: the first check on my 30 by 30 list!

30 by 30

One of my college roommates started a bucket list challenge recently. She has 30 things she wants to accomplish by the time she turns 30.  I was completely inspired by Jessica's list, so I decided to do the same. 
In the leadership class I took my senior year of high school, I was given an assignment to creat a life list.  I still have that list and added some things while in college.  There are 56 things on the original list; nineteen of which I have already accomplished.  I composed a new list of 30 things to do in the next seventeen months.  Only four of the things on my 30 by 30 are on the original list- mostly because there are a lot of travel related things that aren't financially feasible for me to do in less than two years.
So here it is.  My 30 by 30:

 1.          Complete a 5k*
  2.         Run the 5k Turkey Trot
  3.         Promote to 31 Senior Consultant
  4.         Go to California
  5.         Take a multi-state road trip spanning 1+ week
  6.         Weigh what I weighed when I graduated high school
  7.         Get my ESOL endorsement
  8.         Adopt a Middie Blythe
  9.         Do the Color Run
10.         Knit a pair of socks
11.         Pay off CC debt
12.         Pay off car
13.         Re-root Roslyn (ADG Blythe)
14.         Buy a DSLR
15.         Learn photoshop and/or illustrator
16.         Create my own “printables”
17.         Swim in the Pacific*
18.         Go vegan for a month
19.         Plant a fairy garden
20.         Read 18 banned books
21.         Tailgate at a football game
22.         Watch the top 20 AFI movies
23.         Do a 30 day “mile a day” challenge
24.         Finally take Matt parasailing*
25.         List something on Teachers Pay Teachers or Etsy*
26.         Take and pass the GK and Prof. Exams
27.         Attend a music festival
28.         HP movie marathon weekend (all 8 in 48 hrs)
29.         Make  a “fun” money savings plan/bank
30.         Update my blog more frequently (30+ times)

I actually started composing this list back in November.  I've already accomplished #21 and I will write another post about that. I also have various others in the works.  The four with asterisks are the things on my original list. 
My 30th birthday is Thursday, May 29, 2014. So in exactly seventeen months, I have high hopes to accomplish all of these things!

good news

So continuing where I left off yesterday, it's been a rough year and not just financially.  BUT things are starting to look up.  On June 15, I accepted a teaching position for a third grade class at the school I already work at.  I start on July 25 for pre-planning and the first day of school is August 8.  This is a HUGE financial blessing which may seem crazy given the bad rap teaching salaries get, but it'll be more than double what I currently make.  Isn't that awful?  Teaching assistants make less than half of what teachers make in my county. :(

Anyway, I am beyond thrilled to have a class of my own and have been going Pinterest crazy with planning.  Now that there is only a week and a half until I start, I need to get into real planning mode.  I am hoping I can get into my classroom this week or at least pop into school to laminate some things.  I have a ton of lamination to do and then it all needs to be cut out.

I think right now I am equally excited and scared out of my mind.  I'm trying not to stress out, but I'm sure it'll get worse before it gets better. ;)

steady my heart

This past year has been more difficult than I ever could have imagined. When I quit Starbucks last summer to be a Paraprofessional, I hadn't taken into account the financial struggle I was about to face.  You see, I was going to be making the same hourly rate so everything should have been peachy, right? No, not at all.  At Starbucks, I put in a lot of overtime and made very good tips (we were a rockin' store). As a Para, I was only working 35 hours a week and my pay was being stretched to keep the checks coming in in the summer when I wouldn't be working at all.  I was often full of doubt and insecurities beyond measure regarding my financial situation.

I don't know how I would have survived without my family.  My brother let me work part time at his dive shop, so I could make some extra money.  He could have hired someone way more qualified than me or even someone who was more interested/passionate in the sport.  But he didn't.  He was looking out for his little sister.
My sister and her husband often let me stay at their house during the week, so I didn't have to commute as far because I couldn't afford the fuel.  They fed me meals and even took me on a weekend vacation.  It was like they had inherited a grown up child.  They loaned me money so I could pay my bills.  It was rough.
I hit a breaking point in March, around the time of my last blog post.  The financial struggle and despair had overtaken me.  I had been trying to keep it all hidden from my mother, who is also my landlord.  My sister couldn't help me anymore and I had to admit how bad the situation was- to my sister, to my mother and to myself.  I expected my mother to be disappointed and angry with me and I definitely didn't expect her to bail me out.  I was wrong. She was disappointed, but understanding.  She also rescued me financially.  Now instead of racking up more interest and late fees, I'm working to repay my mother.  And let me tell you having your mother as your creditor is much nicer than a big corporation.

 Whenever I was feeling low, worthless and losing hope, I would force myself to remember that I have a Savior who died for me and provides for me. I needed to keep my hope and faith.  Things would turn out alright.   I don't know why I struggle so much with this.  Why do I need to force myself to remember? Why do I have to force myself to turn to God for help?  Why don't I just ask for help from the beginning? Why do I think I can do things on my own? I am nothing without Jesus.  I need to remember that. I am thankful for a loving and merciful God who has put people in my life to care for me and look out for me when I can't seem to handle life by myself.


I hadn't intended this post to turn out this way. At all.  It was going to be a "hey, it's been a rough year, but things are looking up" kind of post.  But somewhere along the way that changed.  I'll post the "looking up" part tomorrow.  I think both parts need to have their own space, so one doesn't overshadow the other.
While I've been writing I came across a post on Facebook where an old friend posted this video.  I had never heard this song before, but it greatly impacted me this afternoon.  My hope for you is that this song comforts you, if you need it.  It came into my life when I needed it.

Zesty Coconut Dressing

So easy to make and so yummy...vegan, too!



Recipe from Coco Lopez:
½ cup Coco Lopez^® Cream of Coconut
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 (0.7-ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
In small jar with tight-fitting lid or bowl, combine ingredients; mix well. Chill to blend flavors. Stir before serving.