Warm Weather...Warming Up My heart...

It has been so beautiful out lately...I'm hoping that this nice warm weather will continue to stay with us. I know it's going to cool down wed, Thurs, Friday in the 60's but I have def. been enjoying this amazing weather!! And as the warm weather heats up around me so does my relationship. Bob and I have agreed to spend more time away from the house, away from our work, away from stress, responsibilities, away all the distractions of the world...and spend more time for "us" we have been going to the board walk feeding the ducks, roller blading, bike riding, long walks, hiking on the back trails of Swansea, picnic's in the park, we played tennis at the tennis courts which was fun, because we hadn't done that in a long time...we used to play tennis all the time, afternoon movies, going out to dinner, fishing. It's nice getting back to more "us" time like we used to and doing the things we used to do.

As school quickly comes to an end for the year...we are gearing up for our many road trips, and day trips and excursions out of town to discover the unknown. It's what Bob and I do. We are already planning many day trips into Boston and visiting family in western MASS.

Bob and I are also looking forward to having Holley this summer twice a week. We are planning many fun adventures to children museums and places that will be fun for her this summer. Aunty Amy & Uncle Bob are going to show her a good time this summer.

well, heading to bed to watch t.v. before sleepy time. Nighty night my friends!

Till Next Time...

The End Of The Road Is Near...

Being a teacher this time of the year get's you quite excited about the end of the year. By the end of the year it has been ten long months of lessons, craziness, non stop idea's and projects. By June it is time for a MUCH needed break. That is why I enjoy having the summer's off now. It's rewarding to work so hard for ten months and then get almost three months to yourself. It is now 43 day's till the last day of school...I can't believe it. This year went by so quickly, it's weird that is it just about over. We are starting preparations for graduation and getting ready to gear up for the final report cards of the year. We have started cleaning the school, going through things, and organizing and separating our things to get ready to break down for the summer. I am looking forward to having time to myself again, I'm looking forward to being able to stay out late without worrying about having to get up super early for work, I am looking forward to spending more time with the one's I love. I am looking forward to letting lose and having fun. See, the thing about being a teacher is that people think that the job ends when we walk out the door for the day or weekend...but it never ends there. I always bring home work to do, your always thinking of the next art project or what lesson paper you will do. The job doesn't end at 3:30 when I leave...it comes with me each and every day...Day's off, weekends, holiday's, etc. It's a fun job...but it can def. be exhausting. That is why I am looking forward to having the summer off soon! :)

It is also 36 days until I take off to NYC for a girls trip away! I am so looking forward to that! It'll be fun! We have decided to take the train into NYC and then home again. That way we don't have to worry about the car and paying for parking and traffic and the craziness of driving in NYC. I am looking forward to the train, I have never taken a train into the big apple. I love train rides, they are so much fun! We'll be riding on Amtrak for the trip. We are planning on going to the Empire State Building, The Italian Bakery near central park, central park, a possible Broadway play, We are planning on going to the metropolitan museum too, which is exciting...because I have always wanted to go there! We are going to hit up Rockefeller center and try to get onto the today show for my mom's birthday!! And of course I will be buying a pocketbook or two while I'm there. But there is so much we're going to do. We will be there for two full days. We will arrive first thing in the early A.M. and not leave till late in the night the next day. We are so excited!! And I am jumping out of my skin in excitement to go...because I think this might just be the best NYC trip I have been on! :)

Well, the storm seems to be quieting down (finally) I'm going to get going before it get's loud again and keeps me up all night again...I hope I sleep better than I did last night. I saw every half hour last night. ::sigh:: I'm exhausted!!! Good night my friends!

Till Next Time...

10 Years Ago Today...

10 years ago today was my 1st date with my husband. 10 years ago today Bob and went to the movies to see "10 Things I Hate About You" in the "new" rt.6 movie theater. We went out to dinner to Kents and Bob talked me into getting the "black diamond steak" which is now my favorite meal to eat.

I can't believe it's been 10 years already! We have accomplished so much in those ten years...we have built a rock solid relationship, we have dated, gotten engaged, and married. We have switched job's a few times, we have gotten into our career's and we have made a life for ourselves, a beautiful life I love.

A few things we have done together in these 10 amazing years are...The Southwick Zoo, Camping in cape cod, NH, Maine, Celtic's games, roger Williams zoo, comedy caravan, seekonk speedway, fall river celebrates America, gone to tons of movies, relay for life, Dave and busters, Newport vineyards, whale watch, king Richards fair, traveled to NH, Maine, Vermont, western MA, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and so many more places I just can't think of them all, we have been on so many adventures together and I can't wait to see what we will do together in the many many years to come.

10 years ago our 1st kiss was at payless in the swansea mall, and to this day we always giggle walking past the store. it may not be the perfect moment for some, but it was the perfect moment for us.

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband. He is the best part of each and every one of my day's and I love him so very much. He is the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you baby!! Here's to 10 years! :)

Home Sick....Yet Again!!!

I have been fighting this cold for a week now, and each day seems to only get worse. The only thing that has gotten better is my throat...the soreness has gone away (Thank God!!) so at least I can eat without being in pain now. But I woke up today and felt like a bus hit me. I have this awful head cold! It it all behind my eyes and being a asthmatic doesn't help matters, because I am so congested in sinuses that I can't breath. This cold is kicking my butt! It feels like I haven't slept, because my body is so tied. So I am going to go to bed early tonight and get some extra rest in hopes of feeling better tomorrow ::crosses fingers:: So we'll see I guess.

Tomorrow is Holley's 5th Birthday! I can't believe she is turning 5! (HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY HOLLEY!!!) Tomorrow night we are all going over to Mel's to celebrate Holley's 5th birthday, which should be fun! :)

Well, I'm off to get some rest...I will talk again later.

2 Pounds Gone!

I am proud of myself...I have already shed 2 pounds!! It's a start...and it's nice seeing results! I mean you gotta take baby steps to get to bigger results, but I'm happy either way. It's still 2 pounds I had before that are no longer with me now! :) I am thrilled!!

How To Make Your Life Happier... Is One Simple Change

What do envy and jealousy, perfectionism and anger, fear and loathing, and all other things that make you unhappy have in common? There's one thing they all boil down to... they are all focusing your mind on something that isn't perfectly the way you want it to be.

One of the easiest signs by which you can tell that you are thinking too much about something not being perfect is when you start complaining. Whatever it is that you are complaining about, it's obviously something you don't like (or why would you be complaining?). If it's something you don't like, why are you wasting your time and energy thinking about it? As I've written before, spending energy on something gives it importance in your life, whether that energy is negative or positive. However much impact something has in your life, in who you are, is determined by how much importance you give it.

Every time you complain about something, your are giving it more importance, so it's becoming a bigger part of your life. Since you only complain about things you don't like, that doesn't seem like a very desirable outcome, does it? This includes, by the way, when you only complain about it in the safety of your own mind... you are still thinking about it and giving it more importance.

Now, let's think about the other side of the coin. How often do you specifically mention the things that you do like that are going on in your life? How often do you thank someone for something they do that makes something go well in your life, compared to how often you complain when someone does something that you don't like? For instance, do you thank your spouse if they do the dishes, or only complain when they do not? Do you thank your boss when he stands up for you, or only complain when he does something you don't like?

Happiness in life is all about your focus, whether it's negative or positive. If your "thanks" outweigh your "complaints", then you will be happy most of the time. If your complaints outweigh your thanks, you will be unhappy most of the time. If you want your life to be happier, you can make it that way, without changing your circumstances at all. Want to know how? If you want to make your life happier, just make this one simple change:

Every time you catch yourself complaining, find two positive things about your life to tell the same person to whom you're complaining.

This forces you to focus more on the things you do like, and keeps the things you don't like from obscuring the overall quality of your life. If you want to make even more difference, if you're complaining about a person, find something good about that person to tell to whomever is receiving your complaints, and then go over to the person you were complaining about (if it's feasible... obviously you can't do this if the person you were complaining about was an anonymous driver on the freeway) and thank them for whatever it is that they do that you like. Do this and you'll find it hard to harbor grudges or do more than vaguely dislike someone, since you are aware of their positive traits, too.

Again, happiness is a state of mind that you choose. If you leave the choice to your subconscious, your conscious mind may not like the results, until you have trained your subconscious to STOP concentrating on the things that are going wrong and instead focus on the things that are going right. Choose to focus on the things you like, and bring those things more into focus, making them a bigger part of your life, rather than the things you complain about.

PS - Doing this won't make everything in your life positive, and can't make you happy 100% of the time. It will, however, make it easier for you to be happy the majority of the time, and make it easier for you to return to happiness after something causes you to depart from that state.


Guidelines for living a happier life

1. Accept the fact that you cannot change another human being. You can only change yourself. Stop trying to fix or change others.

2. Accept the fact that thoughts and words are like boomerangs. They will come back to you. Choose carefully.

3. Accept yourself as you are today. It doesn't mean you don't want to change and improve but start from a place of self-acceptance and see what happens. You are where you are for reason so don't fight that fact, accept it, and then you can move in any direction you wish to go.

4. Understand that there are no "mistakes in life" only life lessons. Once your lesson is learned you will be able to move forward. Life lessons repeat themselves until the lesson is learned. Always ask "what can I learn from this situation?"

5. Random of acts of kindness for yourself and for others.

6. Life is a journey. Enjoy the journey. Every twist and turn in the road, and every bump or hill you meet provides a life lesson. Enjoy the journey.

Practice the HAPPY steps below:

H - honestly look at your life and define what your morals, principles and values are and then display them in every thing you do.

A - acknowledge and accept the fact that you cannot change another person. That is out of your control. You can only change yourself and you are only responsible for yourself and your actions.

P - praise yourself for all the good things that you have done in your life. Practice random acts of kindness towards yourself and then towards others.

P - practice changing the phrase "mistakes in life"

to "Lessons in Life". Pledge to ask yourself in any given situation the following "What can I learn from this situation?" Learn your lesson and then move on to the next life lesson.

Y- You are worthy of happiness. Let go of guilt and embrace your value as a individual doing the best in life that they can do with the knowledge they have at the time. As you know better you will do better. You deserve happiness. Embrace it now.

I Love Tae Bo!

Well, I just got through with my Tae Bo work out...I totally love Tae Bo! It's so much more than just a work out...I mean, the instructor the whole time says uplifting things to make you want to keep on going and not to give up. I really enjoyed it! It was so good for your health and also good for your soul as well. I think I am going to keep up with Tae Bo! It's so much better than a regular work out. :) I feel energized! I was sore from yesterday's work out..and I was thinking about taking tonight off, but then decided that "Pain is beauty, beauty is pain" and sometimes to see results, you must deal with a little pain and soreness to get there. I'm no quitter!! I'm glad I decided to work out! I'm very proud of myself!! :)