What a [Satur] Day!

Saturday was a fantastic day!  I felt so great after all that I had done on Friday.  Of course, I didn't keep it up yesterday, but I have built in some "wiggle" room on weekends so that sticking with my goals isn't as overwhelming.

In the morning, Josh had a gig with the Eastern Iowa Brass Band.  They played for an hour at Mount Vernon's annual Chocolate Stroll.  I was a blast last year, wandering through the shops and tasting chocolates.  I was very excited to repeat the fun this year, but I was good and didn't taste any chocolate!  I didn't even miss that part.  I spent nearly an hour in a delightful antique shop that I had missed completely the year before.  I only saw about HALF of her things.  I must go back soon!  I found some beautiful vintage postcards circa 1910-1915.  They are holiday related, so I will have to decide how to display them when Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around.


Last night, Josh had the incredible privilege to play for a marriage proposal!  It sounded like it was so beautiful. The couple walked over a bridge, came around a corner, and Josh started playing La vie en rose like Louis Armstrong in this video. Then the man handed the girl a stack of photos, one at a time while he proposed.  Afterwards they danced as the music continued.  Josh said it was very special!

This post deserves photos, and I plan on adding them later today.  I'm looking forward to going for a long walk and doing some reading first.

Get Fit Update

I've done well with my eating so far today, AND I walked 2.5 miles!  I just returned and I'm about to do that arm workout on youtube.  We shall see how that goes!

Another part of my "get fit" goal for summer is to get more spiritually fit.  I have neglected to spend quiet time with the Lord lately, and today was a great day to restart that commitment, too.  It was great!  There are lots of things to pray about lately, and it was refreshing to take time to do so.

Until next time...

Get Fit!

I have been waiting for June 1st for about two weeks.  Today is the day I restart eating healthy.  This time for real.  Between July and December of 2011 I lost over 20 pounds!  I was so excited!  I've gained about 13-15 of them back. since Christmas.  I gained the weight because of the "I'll start the diet tomorrow and eat what I want today" mentality.

Instead of wishing that I had made better choices in the last 6 months, I am ready to lose the weight again!  I pray that I can lose it as successfully as I did the first time, but I am worried.  I do not worry as much about keeping it off this time.  I'm tired of feeling this way, and I loved how I felt 15 pounds lighter!

The Plan:

Food - I will follow the 17 Day Diet, which works well for me when I stick with it.

Exercise - I will start going to Curves again.  I will plan to go three times a week and supplement with walking and other things to stay motivated.  My workout plans aren't solidified yet.

I hope and pray that I will have the support that I need to stick with it this time!  My sister's upcoming wedding is also a bit motivating, .which is why I've chosen the following arm workout for today's "keeping it pinteresting." (One of my top goals for summer is to try many things that I've pinned or repinned on Pinterest.)

http://pinterest.com/pin/212724782369486763/

Until tomorrow... or maybe Monday. :)

It's {almost} Summer!

I am mostly looking forward to summer. When you only teach music 2 days a week, it makes the school year go way too fast. Since it is here, it is my goal to make the most of it! I think I want to make some sort of check-list or "summer bingo" so that I can accomplish the things that I have been putting off until I have more time. This post is just an announcement of the list to come.

 A preview of things this blog is about to include: house projects, gardening, thrift store finds, pinterest ideas, recipes, and more!

This blog probably needs a redesign as well...  something for the list!

Hello? Is anyone out there?

Hello Blogland!

I'm procrastinating. My to-do list has a lot of things on it that I am not interested in working on at the moment.

1. Read an article for Choral Lit. - After reading the first page I decided that if you cut out all the unnecessarily large words the article could make its point in 1/3 of the space.

2. Wash dishes - I don't know many who enjoy this task. A few people out there probably do, and if I were more ambitious I would invite them over.

3. Practice piano for score reading class - Transpositions drive me nuts. If I could just focus on what is on the page I would probably be okay.

4. Practice conducting - I'm going to be observed tomorrow and should be at my best...

5. Missa L'homme arme presentation - The presentation doesn't happen until Friday... Some weeks I am only able to work on things the night before. Why mess with what works!

So what do I decide to do? BLOG! I must be desperate for any distractions besides my homework!

Does anyone read this?

Day One

Another attempt to be a blogger... Yeah, I'm laughing, too. We'll see how long this lasts.

It is officially SUMMER! It doesn't really feel like it. Possibly because I wouldn't be done yet if I were teaching. Also, I still have a lot of things in my brain to process after this year of classes and things to do in preparation for next fall.

Saturday was a family wedding. It was a BLAST! I make no promises, but it would be awesome if I eventually posted a video of Rhylee's dancing skills. My parents, aunts, and uncles were out on the dance floor having a great time too! Mom's side of the family hasn't had a dance party like that at any time that I can remember. There are lots of cousins yet to be married, and I'm looking forward to many more celebrations in the years to come.

This past weekend was an important milestone for my car. 100,000 miles! 70,000 of them driven by yours truly. In celebration, I took the car to the "spa" to have a few "treatments." Hopefully the time (almost five hours) and money (too much) spent will help it run for another 100,000!

I knew the work would take a few hours, so I brought a book to read and a textbook to start studying for my German class. I had time to nearly finish the book I was reading and to make plenty of progress in this week's German lesson! I'm reading Donald Miller's latest book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." I thought the first few chapters were dull, but it is shaping up quite nicely.

When I got home I chopped down a forest, I mean I mowed the lawn. You know it's been too long when Paris takes to leaping like a gazelle to cross from one side of the yard to the other.

My goal for this week is to figure out how to balance my time between studying German, yard work, house projects, dog walking, naps, etc. It's going to be a busy summer!

Birthdays, Projects, and Back-to-School

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils is in the air again for me. I have had a wonderful month of rest and relaxation. I have spent a lot of time in the car this month, traveling between here and home. We celebrated Dad's 50th Birthday and Mom's 29th. I have spent a lot of quality time with Paris. She's going to really miss me next week when I'm gone all day. I also painted the kitchen. I learned while I was painting that it is a lot of work to do by yourself, and I now have an itch to get to the rest of the house. I'll have to wait for a long weekend. Since I painted the ceiling, it took a lot longer than I had planned for.

Today I am watching football and getting ready for the semester. Vikings won. Chargers are on right now. How lame is it that I can't get CBS for free! I'm following the game on NFL Gamecast. I have considered getting cable again for two reasons: football and the Olympics. Any ideas on how I can follow the Olympics?!? It's a real dilemma.

I didn't know if I had anything blogworthy, but I am trying to get back into it. Enjoy the before and after pictures! There are more on facebook.

Return to Blogland

Sounds like a movie title for a sequel of some sort.

I was looking through my browser buttons checking to see what sort of things I have found worthy of becoming buttons. My secret blog (may it rest in peace) and this one were there, untouched for months. I started reading through posts about things that I don't even remember. That's when I realized that this blogging thing is great for me. I get to write about whatever I want, and when I want a good laugh I can come back and read it! For example, I didn't realize that I started watching LOST in March! I've been telling people is was earlier in the year. I watched five whole seasons in a few short months. Then I had to wait many long months for season six, but the wait will soon be over!

I enjoy reading the blogs of friends. I find myself constantly wishing for an update, but I've been silent since May. So much has happened in my life: new house, new school, new dog, new friends, new challenges, new roommate, new camera (perfect for blogging, of course!), new recipes, new books, lots of things. I'm probably going to forget many moments that would have been preserved if I'd just taken the time to blog! So here I am. I'm not sure how often I will update, but I'll be around.

Call it a resolution... or a revolution! (tagline for the forthcoming movie)

Bookins It!

I am thinning out my bookshelves with a trading service that I recently ran across. I was a little nervous to give my thumbs up before I knew for sure, but so far, it is pretty awesome! Because I would want to know if you found something you liked, I thought I would share. Plus, it stemmed from my frustration with trying to sell things on ebay and amazon...

My brief explanation:

1. Find books and/or DVDs you are willing to part with.

2. List books on Bookins.com by ISBN or DVDs by UPC number.

3. Create a "want list" of items you would like shipped to you.

4. Books you want to get rid of ship to others at no cost to you. You simply print the pre-paid postage and drop it in the mail. You receive points based on your items' original price and popularity.

5. You can exchange your points for books or DVDs on your want list, which are shipped to you for a flat $4.49 shipping and handling fee. They use anything that might be left over to pay for heavier items to be shipped, upkeep on the website, credit card fees, etc.

When you do the math, you can see that if the book isn't worth $4.49, you probably wouldn't chose it, but how about a DVD of Grey's Anatomy Season One? Yes, please! Too bad I didn't have enough points before that was snatched up. One last thing, it's a great way to go green!

I am as old as online communication

Communication Evolution @ Yahoo! Video

Dairyland, U.S.A.

I was a chaperone on a band trip this weekend.

We went to the Wisconsin Dells. There is quite a bit more there than I was expecting. I don't know as though I would want to spend a whole week there, but it is a fun destination.

We started with Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory. It was like a science/math/technology fun-land that hasn't been updated since the 80s. They seemed to enjoy it anyway.

Friday night the band performed a bit of pre-show entertainment at the "Broadway Dinner Theater." Newsflash: Wisconsin is no where near "Broadway." Actually the show, Fabulous 50s, was pretty good. Most of the students really enjoyed it, which surprised me.

Friday night curfew was 11:00 p.m. As we were checking rooms we realized that there was a girls' room adjoining a boys' room. This did not necessarily mean trouble, but let's not provide opportunity. My roommate and I switched rooms with the girls to prevent any potential situations.

Saturday morning at 2:30 a.m. someone knocks at the door. In a heavy daze I stumble to the door and see through the peep hole that a freshman boy is standing outside the door. "Do you need something Tyler." (Shocked look on boys face) "Uh, is Sami in there?" "No, she's in a different room now, and I'm not telling you which one. You need to go back to your room."

I think it was quite a shock to the poor boy. I walked down to their room ten minutes later to make sure there were only four boys there. I slept well after that, but found out the next morning that other chaperones had dealt with other situations. Fortunately nothing out of the norm for teenagers on a school trip. Perhaps I should add that everything was well on the conservative side of what happened on a few trips while I was in high school.

Saturday we went to Mt Olympus Water and Theme Park. It is still early spring, so only one outdoor roller coaster and two go-kart tracks were open. After that we went shopping. Sometimes I don't feel like shopping and would rather not. It was one of those afternoons. I did find some Wisconsin cheese curds that made the afternoon worth it in the end.

Wisconsin Dells, WI is home to the largest Pirate's Cove Mini-Golf attraction. They have five courses, 90 unique holes. We had an unlimited wristband, but we only made it through 18 holes. I'd love to go back and spend a few more hours there someday.

Today we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and drove back home. I had a good time, but I will probably not volunteer to go on any school trips in the near future. Teenagers can get a little irritable when they are tired! *yawn* Time for a nap for me!

The hills.... THEY'RE ALIVE!

Another link off the old paper chain...

Click Here for Image

Here I am, at the last parent teacher conferences for this season of life. I’m not actually blogging. I bring my laptop on conference days so I can entertain myself with internet research. Usually it is choir related, so I feel that it is justified. Alas, the wireless connection is not working. I’m back to writing things out by hand in a Word Document.

I have had many parents wish me well for my future journey. I’m glad to hear that. Perhaps these last few weeks will be the brightest of my time here. I’m working on enjoying each day. Just recently I found great joy in sorting through books on the bookshelf. I enjoy separating my belongings from those of the school. I wonder if they would miss the set of African drums I ordered last spring.

I have collected a lot more sheet music since I started working here. I’m not really sure the best way to store it. I’m going to have to get some new containers. The ones from college are overflowing and falling apart.

One of my choir and music theory students is going to join band. I’m so excited for him. He’s one of those kids that needs some redirecting on occasion when he gets picked on. I think he’s funny and a smart kid. His dad just called a friend of theirs and is going to buy him a trumpet. That is the sort of thing that makes my heart happy. Getting him involved in more ways will hopefully keep him on the right track.

Did I mention yet how boing this is? I’m just going to keep typing about it. In the last 5 hours and 45 minutes I have talked to eighteen families. Some of them I speak with for five minutes or more, but most of them are very brief. I have not yet seen any of the parents that I “invited” to conferences. I’ll be making phone calls tomorrow.

I wish I had internet connection and a secluded corner where I could watch lost. In the seven and a half hours I have been here, I could be finished watching ten more episodes! Even considering the time I’ve spent actually “working,” I think I should have been able to polish off eight episodes!

So what have I been doing to occupy my time? I sorted through octavos, mine from not mine. I listened to some horrible Alfred publishing “new releases” on their latest CDs. Horribly cheesy, lots of “fluff” music. I finished entering grades into a spreadsheet that figures their percentages. I ate pizza and a piece of pumpkin roll-up. I’ve walked to the faculty lounge to get my mail, read my mail, walked to the bathroom a few times, walked to my room for more stuff to sort, walked to the fountain to refill my waterbottle, walked to the bathroom again. Then I cried that the internet isn’t working.

I just talked to a favorite parent of mine. When I told him his daughter would not be performing on the Christmas concert, he said she had it coming to her and he supported me. YAY!

It is now 6:23. Just over one hour left. I see a few students from solo/ensemble contest. They lost two points because they were short on time. Unfortunately, that is my fault and I’m going to have to own up on it. It made a difference between a II and a III. I would have wanted to cry if it was the difference between a I and a II! The crazy thing is the music has the time of 2:50 printed at the top. I timed it myself and it was just over 2:30. When they sang on Saturday, it only lasted 2:04. Yikes. I guess we were more worried about running out of breath than the time.

One hour. Sixty minutes. Up to 24 families.

I am T-I-R-E-D!

I have to admit though, sometimes I really enjoy a good laugh with a student’s parent. The parents of the good kids always come to conferences. 45 minutes.

Let’s talk LOST again. I’m going to have to take several days off because I am about 6 or 7 episodes ahead of Heather. It was difficult enough to talk to her about the Season 2 finale since I was already five ahead. If Bryan is reading this, I’m going to catch up to you soon! I feel like I am well on track to being done by LOST weekend. Which will be a duo celebration: last contract day at Dunkerooville AND watching LOST! YAY!

I’m keeping my eye on one of the parents I need to talk to. I may have to tackle her if she tries to leave before talking to me.

I’m so glad I did. Things are not always as they seem! Someone lied to me, and I don’t know who it was!

Thirty families in 7 hours and 15 minutes! It’s time to pack up friends.

In conclusion, these days can be stressful, humorous, long, productive, dull, gratifying… It’s a grab bag of emotions actually. The best part would be if we could squeeze it all into about four hours. That would be IDEAL!

Ms. Zwiefel, singing out.

P.S. I figured out when I got home that my computer couldn't connect to the internet because of a button on my laptop had been pushed. GRRRRRRR....

Photo Update

Pictures to follow, but I'm going to make dinner first... Will I actually post them today. I plan to...?

(in response to Holli's comment) Okay... but if it the excuse "I was watching LOST" works, then I should be off the hook. Season 2 rocked!

I interviewed at Iowa, thought it went horribly, was offered a TA position, and accepted the placement. I realize I should have kept blogland in the loop, but I didn't make the official decision until a week ago. In terms of how often I blog, that's like five minutes ago!!!! I'm sad about not moving to Mankato. Then I realized that the biggest reason I wanted to go to that school was because of its location. (Most of my readers are from this area...) Iowa is a stronger career move. Since I am quite decidedly still single and can do whatever I want, I'm going to have to go with the better option career-wise. The financial side of it was pretty hard to turn down too. Is it all about the money? A little no, and a little more yes. I like free schooling. :) ("free-ish" if we're getting technical) I'm really excited because the position comes with options for cheap health and dental benefits. You know you're old when you're excited about dental insurance...



My sixth grade student handed me this picture today. I'm not exactly sure what it means. I also don't really care what it means. It's good for a laugh, I guess.



Check out this SWEET plate I made with friends! I'm really pleased with it. Of course there are a few places I wish I had put a little more glaze, but it adds to the charm. "Mistakes" add character! The plate is sitting on a mirror. Don't let this picture confuse you. I was too tired to take another one and I couldn't wait until tomorrow for natural lighting. Sorry...



I'm going to sit back and watch the penultimate episode of season 2 and the season finale. Maybe you didn't need to know, but I did need to use a big word in this post.

Dare to Dream

I've been watching LOST! I started last weekend with Holli and Miles. We watched both parts of the pilot episode and then two more episodes. I was hooked. That was Saturday, and right now I am beginning episode 14. Let's just say I have a lot more time on my hands since the March concerts are out of the way and the grad school audition is over.

After the first night of viewing, I had a dream. Hurley was helping someone with an injury, and he seemed to have a strong medical understanding of what he was doing. I asked him where he had studied to be a doctor. He said, "Dunkerton."

This morning I had a dream that I was graduating from UNI with my master's degree. I was scheduled to sing at the ceremony. I had on my cap, gown, and all the sweet accessories any person could ever earn while in college. Medals, funny looking collars, you name it. The problem was I got lost trying to find my seat. Yeah, I'm going to blame LOST for that one too.

The really weird thing is that prior to Saturday night I couldn't tell you the last time I woke up during a dream. **Insert Twilight Zone theme music here.**

P.S. LOST is awesome.

I'm tired at 8:45!

I went for a nice bike ride today! It was great!

I'm taking a much needed study break... Blah! The choral lit. diagnostic at the U. of Iowa is not pass/fail, but I don't want to look like an idiot.

My fridge art.

What I'm watching on TV.

Funny story of the day. I go in to talk to the Superintendent and he jokes, you can ask me anything you want as long as you're not going to quit. And I go, "oh," all sad-like. He figured it out and then felt really bad. Talk about AWKWARD! I laughed. He took it really well and was super-supportive. He once knew someone who went into the same field and did not get accepted to Mankato. This makes me look awesome! Haha.

The next step is to "leak" the info to the rest of the staff, type a letter of resignation, post the job internally, and then see my job advertised!!! How crazy is that!?! Crazy-Awesome is what it is. I don't feel like making an official announcement, which is why I'll tell a few people and the whole school will know by noon. Ah, small towns. The countdown is well underway. I'm thinking that I'll make a paper chain soon. Last year I already had one started by this time.

Refreshed!

I had a great weekend!

Friday - Teacher inservice! YAY! I spent the afternoon organizing my office. Friday night - Art Club with the teacher's. They painted. I mostly crocheted, then later tried my hand at watercolors. My "art" is lovingly attached to the fridge.

Saturday - Most of the day was spent as a couch potato. :) Then church, which was great, and hanging out with friends. We enjoyed O.P. pizza and a movie called The Visitor. I liked it, but the ending was not as conclusive as I was hoping.

Sunday - Slept in, ran errands. Bought food for two new dinners this week.

Monday - Accidentally woke up at 7:30, the time I usually leave for school. Told the principal that I'm not coming back. Woohoo! Opened all the windows in my apartment. Watched "Dancing with the Stars."

Next post will be in complete sentences, maybe.

Accepted.

My application for grad school for MNSU at Mankato has been officially accepted! Hurray!

Ah, my arm!

I'm assembling props for the junior high talent show. I made a fake arm and a moon tonight. I also thought you might find the list of other props I gathered. A bit random. :)

branches
pail
tin cans
comic book
lamp
cardboard thermometer
calendar
photo
fake mustache
sponge
handkerchief
broom

Update

I've been rotten at updating this. Even the last few posts have not been all that interesting. Here's a little bit of everything I've been up to.

Faith -
I have been working through a Fruit of the Spirit Bible study with my small group. Beth Moore is so passionate, and I adore her sense of humor. This study is just what I need at this point in my life.

For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. -Galatians 5:22

Family -
Mallory is such a treat as ever. I also appreciate Alissa as she is into her teenage years in full force! Nicole is doing well at her job. Mom and Dad are doing well, and Rhylee and I spent some quality Aunt/Nephew time on Saturday. Getting him and myself dressed and loaded into the car on my own was no easy task. I did it twice. :)

Friends -
I miss you all. Today was one of the more lonely days in awhile. Rest and relaxation by yourself is great, but boring.

Work -
Leaps and bounds better than January. Still, ugh. Junior High Talent Show is March 12th. The stress level is high. Ironically, the "Fruit of the Spirit" for this week's bible study is peace. I'm interested to see how that plays out.

Grad School -
I haven't heard back from Mankato. I have an audition at the U. of Iowa on the 23rd of March. Their program intimidates me. I'm hoping that I do well, but I also hope that things work out for Mankato...

I enjoy reading everyone's blog, and hopefully I'll be sharing more items of interest with you.