Amanda Rose blog

an April Friday night w/ the girls

My two friends, Elisa and Nat (seen here in this karaoke post) and I spent our second Friday in a row together last night to celebrate the end of the damned New York State testing baloney.  (All three of us are teachers.) We clanked wine glasses, and chanted "two more months"!

We talked about everything you see above, and that hummus was delicious.  I found out we've all been having 'a week' and for each of us, last night was needed.

I found out over dinner last night that a few months ago my boyfriend called my friend Elisa and talked to her for 3+ hours about me. ? ?  It kind of ticked me off because a lot of the things he said to her, I wish he had told me.  Things I needed to hear from him, she knew, but I didn't.  ? ?
I also found out a misunderstanding we had back in November 2012...NOVEMBER!...could have been avoided or mended if he had told me what he planned.  He never did that day, back in November.  I found out from my friend yesterday...ummm...5 MONTHS LATER...that he had planned something for us that never happened because of the miscommunication and misunderstanding that happened on that November night.  ? ? I don't know.  

Doesn't make sense to me, but whatever. I cried, but only after Elisa cried. Nat disclosed that she hasn't 'thought' so much in her life.  Elisa and I welcomed her to 'the club' so to speak: the Over-Analyzers Not-So-Anonymous.

Our night winded down back at Elisa's place, and right before we left, us three were cozy under blankets on Elisa's couches.

I'm so grateful for these girls.

Over dinner, that's one big thing we talked about:
learning to be more in the moment,
and grateful for the good in everyday.

I'm grateful I have only a mild hangover this morning. ;)

Hope you all enjoy your Saturday.

*tear

I'm sad to have to wave goodbye to this much needed ten days.

I will not be getting a wide spread of time like this again until Summer.
Summer vacation is 60 work days away.
Yes, I counted.

I know that is not a tremendous amount of time, but looking at it from the start, it is.

But here we are, teachers: in the home stretch.

I hope the warmer weather helps.
I hope the promise of summer at the end of this home stretch helps.
I hope the checkpoints of happiness (like Jimmy Fallon one month from today) come quickly, and feel lengthy.

I'll be bloggin' my way through it all here.  
I'm aiming to get through these next 3 months with positivity and productivity.

Love you, Spring Break. Miss you already.

This guy's goin' to be more upset than me, I think.

first day o' twenty thirt.

...started at 6am with teacher work and ended with frozen taro yogurt.

In between, there was the sweetest sweetest conversation had with my good friend, Jamina. Reflecting on it a bit earlier in the evening, I texted her this:

"Just settled down for the night and I wanted to thank you again for today, especially our career-choice chat.  It's been so on my mind and I feel lucky to have a friend going into the new year that supports me and 'gets' it.  Love you!"

She texted back:

"Love u!! I'm glad that u could come today and I know it's been a rough few weeks but I'm sure that everything will work out how it needs to for u to be happy...and just so you know I'm always here for you!! <3 and I think making the first move is always the hardest. But once u get on your way you will be great!!"

Blessed start, methinks.

Hope yours was too.

first few days of my DecDaily2012

I decided to start my December Daily from Thanksgiving, and do it all the way until New Year's.

Here's Thanksgiving - November 22:

My [I ate this.] Yum. stamp is sold out at the moment from Amanda Rose's STAMP SHOP, and will be restocked with the release of my New Year's stamps in the next weeks.

-------------------------
Black Friday - November 23rd:

Home, home, and home.
You won't ever see me out in the crazy on Black Friday. 

We went all-out Christmas decorating...anythin to get my mind off it.

---------------------
Saturday, November 24th:

Shrunk this in PSE, and adhered it to the back of a paper strip.

...and there you have it so far, folks.

If you've started your December Daily already, I'd love to see it!

Link to it in the comments.

Off to a field trip today!

 

road trip / Grams' Floridan Condo

Grams' Floridian Condo on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale was always going to be the southern-most destination planned for our east coast road trip.  The boyf decided it would be best to get there early on in our 10-day excursion so that the rest of our days could be spent travelling back up north to home and be more of a spontaneous journey.  

Grams' condo was a welcomed stop because:
    (a) my Grams is friggin' awesome!
    (b) it meant two days of NOT being in the car
    (c) her Floridan Condo looks like this... 

It gets pretty *glam* at Grams' right before dinner time.

First night's dinner:
roast pork & mash potatoes with gravy; candied yams; stuffed mushrooms; shrimp cocktail; and LOTS of WINE

Second night's dinner:
linguine and clam sauce; baked clams; sausage & peppers; and LOTS of WINE 

I was waiting for them to call 'my number' on two separate occasions: 

...but nothing like a spiked ginger-ale to keep me calm through it all.

Our two-day stay really took my breath away.  Everytime I hang out with my Grams I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a fabulous grandma.  I rave about her, and you might think I'm biased, but she really is wonderful.

At one point, the boyf and I left the BINGO room to get refreshments, and when we came back, my Grams was sitting at the table with a swarm of friends around her chatting and laughing...she's the home-coming queen down there, I swear!  My Nana was the same way.

I've always felt I hit the jackpot with grandmas, and it really is true.

From Grams' Floridan Condo --> we head back up the sunshine state
to see my cousin, Ryan, and shoot guns --> in Ocala, Florida

Hear what I have to say about that craziness tomorrow.

Adios, amigos!

xOxO,

the unofficial kick-off to summer...

...officially floated my boat.

Hysterical sister laughter, walks around the neighborhood in flip flops and a maxi dress, nights out with friends and the boyf and Friday night mojitos; crabs and other mountains of shellfish, pretty dresses, and weddings, and flower clips...brusies and summer scrapes, waking up to kitty faces and being able to go back to sleep, the hot hot sun, shadows and falling petals, sleevelessness, bright manicures, the end to baloney teacher-planning, Stop&Shop runs with the boyf, BBQing, feet up, grilled goodness, and hotdogs...

...these are a few of my favorite things, and there are 21 days of school left until I'M THERE. 

I was a tad depressed when work was upon me this morning, but I made it this far.
What's another 21 days?

xOxO,
 

AVO TOAST & Coffee

Layout made from sketch #4 of this class.

Used:
   + paper, stencils, letter stickers, buttons, little 'L♥VE' tag - from Studio Calico's April 
     kit CITY OF LIGHTS 

   + SMASH Books provided the two mid-papers with the frayed spiral edge still
     attached & the little punched saying-circles "Yes" and "Happy Thoughts" and "Think
     Think Think"

   + iPhone photos taken of avocado toast and morning coffee ;)

So what's the story?  Nothing complicated.  Avocado toast and coffee has been my morning breakfast and late morning snack for about six weeks now.  I mentioned about my comsuming it HERE, and it really has been simple and satisfying and just plain ol' yummy.  Even my sister, who HATES breakfast food, has jumped on the avo toast wagon and proclaimed "Breakfast meant nothing to me until avocado toast came along." 

The picture below is a shout out...

...to this lady for posting an instagram of HER [avo toast and coffee] for my eyes to see and making it look so friggin' divine. 

...divine enough for me to say 'I gotsta get me some o'dat!'

The rest is history.

xOxO,