Fill-in

1. If I weren't a boarding school faculty member I'd love to be a travel writer.

2. When I'm super upset I like to work out or call my mom.

3. My favorite thing about myself is that I never give up.

4. If I found a $100 in the pocket of last winter's coat I'd spend it on my getaway with college friends next weekend.

5. Even though some people might consider this a flaw, I love my height. I will never be taller than any guy!

6. I love the way I feel right after a good workout.

7. I love my hair most when it's away from my face.

2009--Did I do it?

- Finish the Master's degree
NO
My thesis advisor never got back to me, so I am taking three courses instead. I took one in Summer 2009 and god-willing will finish the last two this summer.
- Continue to stay in shape and eat healthy meals
YES
I am currently at my lowest weight since freshman year of high school. I am not sure how I lost weight through the holidays... but I am not complaining. I have taken a ton of Les Mills classes and have made some great friends from the gym. I need to learn how to cook more meals, does eating healthy at the school dining hall count?
- Develop my relationship with Consultant Boy
MAJOR NO
Wow, I realize this is one of my most failed goals for 2009. On a positive note, I have clarified more of what I want in a relationship and am glad for going through that process.
- Learn how to minimize stress/ people pleasing
MAYBE
I think anyone working in this type of economy would not accomplish this goal. I do get stressed out still, but I am not as much of a perfectionist as I used to be. However, I am majorly focused on impressing my superiors at school. I have let go of pleasing my colleagues--a liberating feeling.
- Slowly start to update things in my life- for example, I just bought a new sheet set/ duvet/ comforter because the one I had was a $30 bed in bag from Filenes...
YES
My update has not been buying MORE stuff. I have actually sorted my things so I do not have all my clothes since high school and things I do not need.
- Take some trips- Tahoe is on the radar for March and somewhere in the summer...
YES
I went to San Francisco and Tahoe to visit my sister. I also went to CT/ Maine frequently this summer. Labor Day Weekend was in Cape May for a wedding. In November, I went to Gettysburg to see the Cyclorama and go camping.

Online Dating

I was "single and loving it" until about December. With my busy boarding school lifestyle, I have met two of my last three boyfriends online. I met Consultant Boy on Chemistry.com and Mr. Fix-it on Match.com. My match subscription is still active, so I have been working away at searching/ contacting guys of interest. I like the search feature... I have searched things such as preppy, skiing, teacher, hiking, and even grammar! I would love to find a guy who values all five qualities! However, I am being contacted by guys who are unemployed, cannot drive because of DUIs, have kids by multiple women, too young (sorry I can't be a cougar at 27 with a 19 year old!), or openly admit to needing a green card. Needless to say, this most recent online dating search experience has been frustrating. Do you all have experience with the online dating world? Advice, please?

LL Bean signature line

I was online chatting with a customer service rep from LL Bean about my dear sweatshirt. The zipper pull came off and, of course, they sent me a new one right away and I sent the old one back to them. I did not have to live without it even for a day. I also got other good news from LL Bean...
1) The skirt I have been looking at is available by phone order. I think I will order the regular size because the reviews say it is very short.

2) I told her how much I love that skirt and how I want to see LL Bean make more clothes like that skirt. She said that in March LL Bean is coming out with an uber preppy line called "LL Bean Signature" and if I like preppy... I will LOVE their new line... I can't wait for March!

Most cozy sweatshirt ever!

You guys all know I am much more a cable-knit sweater and oxford shirt girl than one who wears sweatshirts; however, I could not get this sweatshirt out of my mind since I went to the LL Bean store. I ordered it on Monday and it came on Thursday. It is so soft and perfect for the mid-fall weather in PA.


Oh, my absence, SCHOOL... it has been crazy, but in a good way. The field hockey season is almost over and I am teaching fifth graders and sixth graders for the first time. There is less dorm commitment this year, which is a positive change, even though I feel out of the loop sometimes.

I will post more regularly...promise...keep me to it!

Summer movies

Hangover... a must see because it is SO funny! I went with my neighbor and laughed harder than I had in a long time.

Proposal... this movie was creative and funny, certainly a good chick flick! I loved the Alaska scenery and the message that everything will work out. I left the theater feeling very uplifted.

Up... I saw this movie with my Dad on Father's Day. The movie had amazing animation and had a good message, too.

I am going to see My Sister's Keeper today. I really liked the book; however, I heard the movie has a different message/ ending. We shall see...

Can you tell movies are $4 in Maine and it has been raining? I never see this many movies in the theater in an entire year!

Another great Maine day

Thanks for all your comments on my gift card post. I cannot believe that Mr. Fix-it would expect me to return the gifts. I am happy others concur with this opinion. However, like many things, it was a product of his upbringing. His parents ingrained those types of values in him fairly deeply, which made things difficult to have a serious relationship.

So, here I sit at a lovely little cafe in Maine relaxing and catching up on e-mails/ life. My brother, sister, and some friends were in town for a few days without parents. We had great days of sitting by the lake, swimming, and kayaking. At night, we cooked big communal dinners, drank wine, and enjoyed time together as it is so rare with me living in PA, sister in San Francisco, and brother in NY.

Gift card etiquette... two opposite stories...

Last month, I celebrated my 27th birthday. I was dating Mr. Fix-it and his sister and parents both gave me $20 gift cards. I wrote nice thank you notes and then Mr. Fix-it and I broke up about a week later because we were just too different and the relationship was going nowhere. I saw Mr. Fix-it the other day and he was surprised I did not return the gift cards. Should I have returned the gift cards?

My friends moved up to Maine and I offered to put the stuff that did not fit in the moving truck into my car. I saw them on Friday and we had a lovely day together. They got their stuff and fed me an amazing lunch and dinner. I returned to my parent's house in Maine and saw $50 LL Bean gift card in my e-mail box. This gesture is overly generous. I am going to send a thank you note, but should I also do something like donate money to the new school they are at in their name or should I just appreciate the gesture and order some cool, preppy gear from LL Bean in the fall?

Thanks for your feedback!

Philadelphia bachelorette party?

Ironically, I could plan a party in NYC a whole lot better than in Philadelphia, even though Phila is much closer to me. Does anyone have any suggestions? We want to do dinner/ dancing, not too expensive or crazy, and very fun for a group of girls.

Thanks for the feedback!

Mrs. Monogram

Do you have bridal showers to go to this summer? Mrs. Monogram was a great help to me... I ordered lovely waterproof cosmetic cases for some lovely brides to be for $18 each with their full names monogrammed on the bags. They have so many colors and font choices.

Check it out: http://www.mrsmonogram.com

I did go to the SALE!

I wandered to King of Prussia to check out the Lilly Sale. I was in a much more frugal mode than last year and only walked out with these two things:


The things in my size were either too plain or too much like what I already have. Cheers to saving money!

However, my friend bought me this for my birthday on Sunday:

Yeah for having one more Lilly item in my closet.

Vineyard Vines... for cheap prices!

http://www.sierratradingpost.com has the following great Vineyard Vines deals:

$17.95 belts

$66 dress

$30 swim trunks- for Father's Day for LPP Dad!

I did not die...

Why have I not posted for so long?

School
Boarding school is always crazy and the end of the year the pace goes to frantic with parties, graduations, getting kids out of the dorm, giving exams, correcting exams, writing 7-10 sentences on each kid I teach/ live with, ceremonies, and faculty meetings. Today was my annual "crash day" doing almost nothing all day. It was glorious, but I feel bad I was so unproductive at the same time.

Thesis
Minor detail... on June 1st my thesis proposal was due which meant I had to have all the research done and in a certain format to present to my graduate school. Of course, my advisor is nowhere to be found via e-mail or phone to approve said proposal. Grr... I guess this gives me a reason to take a little break for now.

Love Life
Here is my list for my "ideal man":

- college degree
- professional job
- does not live with his parents
- enjoys working out/ eating healthy

I am trying to stretch my comfort zone and decided the next opportunity I had to go out with a guy who did not meet my "list" I would try it. Well, that boy is Mr. Fix-it who I have been seeing 5-6 times a week for two months! He is an electrician and does not have an intense passion for exercise like I do. However, we both love the outdoors, cooking, walking, and spending time with friends. I am trying to get him to start lifting/running. It is going to be an interesting project. On top of this all, he lives in my town. So, advice for you singletons... if you think you would never be happy with a guy that drives around a pick-up truck and still lives with his parents... try it! I like Mr. Fix-it, he may not be the man I want to marry, but he is teaching me more about life and love than I have ever experienced with other guys. He is taking me away for my birthday weekend on Friday- yeah!

Introducing Mr. Fix-it

I would like to introduce a new member of the "cast of characters" in my blog... Mr. Fix-it. We have officially been dating for a month. Unlike Consultant Boy, who lived an hour away, Mr. Fix-it lives less than a mile away... so this explains the lack of posts the last few weeks. Stay tuned for more info... he is knocking at the door to take me out tonight!

So, I may be blowing my clothing budget at LL Bean this spring...

LL Bean just came out with a new line with a "Contemporary Fit." In other words, their clothes will not be baggy... Here are a few of my favorite items:
Of course, I can't decide between the teal or navy skirt. Did I mention they also come in shorts? Maybe teal skirt and navy shorts? There are other new and exciting things at LL Bean, but I will save those for another post!