Favorite Five Friday

It feels so good to be back into the swing of things….I love structure and routines!

This is the first Favorite Five Friday I’ve done in a while. There is nothing better than enjoying a glass of wine while counting your blessings for the week!

This was my first full week back in school with kids. There is no tired like “teacher-tired”. To say I’m obsessed with my new job is an understatement! I’ve made a lot of bad choices in my life, but this isn’t one of them. At first, I was worried about the extra gas money and the drive, but the drive isn’t bad at all, and I received a nice pay raise! I’m able to get up an hour later, and with a few tweaks in my routine, I am able to arrive at school thirty minutes early. Who is going to argue with an extra hour of sleep?

I did have a bit of a moment on Tuesday when I scraped the BeJesus out of my rim at Walmart. Y’all know I hate Walmart! I pay extra to have my groceries delivered because their parking lot is a mad house. I trust no one in that parking lot! However, I had to have yellow paint for my second grade project. Because I was too tired to drive into town to Michaels, I made the only reasonable choice… Wal-Hell. I only chose to go there because it was on the way home.

I knew in my gut that this was going to be a bad choice. As I’ve said, I’ve made bad choices in my life….

I swerved to miss someone making an extra large left turn and I scraped my right front tire. It could have been worse, but this ruined rim is a challenge for my OCD…….. and I will never go to Walmart again.

Delivery or bust.

And I do realize these things happen. I was due for a scrubbed rim, considering my rim guy is still on speed-dial from my Corvette days. Here’s to hoping he gives me a loyalty discount.

Although life throws challenges your way, it gives you SO MUCH GOOD in return! Here’s this week’s Favorite Five….

1- Chocolate. Everyone knows that teachers love sweet treats. I found this in my box at school on Monday. So grateful. I ate it all. No apologies.

2- A Workout Routine– I started walking at night. I’m really trying to get my 10k steps. I’m on my feet all day, but my watch only calculates real walking. I love walking around my pool at night when it’s cooler. And if I decide to run, no one can see me inside the fence. I’m a VERY awkward runner.

3- Bacon. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I love bacon. On Wednesday night, I was so tired. I had to paint the trim in the bonus room, so Eric cooked. He brought home fresh shrimp from New Bern. It was SO good. Saturday is National Bacon Day. Eat some bacon! By the way, we found this great artichoke heart pasta at Harris Teeter. It was low calorie and so good!

4-Date Night. We’ve been in a rut and have stayed home way too much. We ventured to Brisas on Thursday night to eat at one of our favorite Downtown Goldsboro restaurants. I love their yucca fries! We split a spicy margarita. I must try to make this at home. It was so good! Recreating this spicy margarita will be a weekend goal!

5. The Perfect Treat. I ended the most perfect week with the most perfect treat. I only work a few minutes from Hinnant Vineyards. I’ve been a member there for years. While there today, I saw three teachers from my new school. It was so good to visit and connect with them. I discovered that I actually taught with one of the teachers in 1995. How cool is that? And she is the teacher who has helped me the most with my afternoon duty. I was so grateful for a chance to thank her for all she’s done. Again, I am so thankful to be a part of this wonderful Johnston County community!

This was one of the most challenging, rewarding weeks ever. I feel so excited- it’s the most excited I’ve felt in a long time. When I saw my students walk into my room for the first time and literally stop and look around, I knew that this was going to be good. And when I heard the students say, “What? Is art over already? Can we come tomorrow?”, my heart sang. This is what I do. This is my calling. And really, what more in life could I ask? I am grateful.

Count your blessings, Y”all. You will find so much happiness.