list thirteen: teacher clothes.

Since I've started my pre-internship I've been freakishly obsessed with teacher clothes. I have some, but I'd obviously like more. Here's a list of some of my top picks:

1. These cute, simple, and comfy looking flats. :)

2. I think these shoe clips would make me and my students very happy.

3. This lovely dress is perfect for Spring!

4. This sweater blazer is polished but cozy.

5. This shirt is casual and professional at the same time.

6. These jeans are perfect for feeling casual but put together.

7. I think these khakis are a wardrobe staple.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! xo, R.

(the lack of) pictures.

Once upon a time I promised to take more pictures. And then didn't. I will update this blog when I take more pictures (and I pretty much promise I will this weekend). xo, R.

The Quirk Project (No. 9)

Today I have a list of Laken's quirks. She is so sweet and I guarantee her blog will quickly become one of your favorites. Enjoy! :)

Laken's Quirks

01. I've inadvertently started collecting glass jars. Mason jars, milk jars, pitchers.. anything. Every time I go to the thrift store, I come back with a new one. I started to buy them for canning purposes, but now I'm just addicted.

02. Barnes and Noble is one of my happy places. I spend hours flipping through cookbooks and learning new things. Even though my wallet never really allows me to buy things I want, I just love being surrounded by so much information.

03. I hardly ever put perfume directly on my skin. I spray it in front of me -- then walk through it. In my mind, it makes it more "airy".

04. I'm always carrying around a stack of books. No matter where I go or how long I'll be there.. I take at least 3 different books, magazines and journals. Just in case.

05. I can't go a day with running into something and creating a serious bruise. I guess I just always have so many things in my head, I can't be bothered with where I'm walking.

06. A bad pen can ruin my day. If I can't find one of my three Sharpie pens or one with a felt tip, it's bad news. Regular ol' ball points just don't do it for me.

07. I have two systems of organization for recipes. When the recipe is genuinely great, it gets a recipe card (from Rifle Paper Co.) and goes in the wooden box that Tyler handmade for me. When the recipe is just good, it goes in my Moleskine recipe journal.

Thanks, Laken! If you'd like to participate, look here.

happy weekend :)

I don't really have much to write about today. I'm having a grilled cheese for lunch, working on homework, and seeing No Strings Attached with friends from my cohort. Jeffrey and I are going out for a fancy dinner on Saturday to talk wedding! I hope you all have a lovely, lovely weekend. I'll be back on Monday with some more quirks! :)

* Source.

The Quirk Project (No. 8)

Hi! I have been super busy, but I have a treat for you -- another list of quirks! This one is coming from the lovely Elaine over at Clothed Much. She's sweet and has a wonderful sense of style. I hope you'll check her blog out (if you haven't already seen it)!

Elaine's Quirks

1. I am a little obsessive-compulsive about having clean feet and clean floors. When I was unemployed for a month and a half, I would Swiffer twice a day! (We have hardwood floors.) And every day when I come home, the first thing I do is wash my feet...because I hate feet...mine and others'.

2. I like to do other things while I brush my teeth. I can't just stand there and brush. I have to walk around.

3. I get motion sickness very easily - think swing sets, swinging chairs, rollercoasters, cars, buses, airplanes..

4. When I am cleaning, I like to clean the messy drawers first or the things that people won't see because it'll give ME a sense of peace. By the time I'm done, I'm usually over cleaning so nothing ever looks cleaned.

5. I love change. If I see a penny, I will take it! I am constantly scanning the streets and sidewalks for change.

6. I don't like loud and assertive people..mostly because I'm quiet and reserved and have felt walked on by those types of people. I've learned I have to be strong and assertive back if I want to get anything across to them.

7. I'm bad at small talk but my husband is even worse! So at first we both seem shy, reserved, and uninterested but we just don't know how to talk to people yet. I'm getting better and I have to keep reminding my husband that he can talk too in conversations.

Thank you so much for participating, Elaine! Interested in submitting your own list of quirks? Look here.

The Quirk Project (No. 7)

Today I have Christina's quirks for you! Christina was (I think!) my first, real blog friend! She's the kind of person that seems like your best friend right away. She has a cute dog, Emma, and recently moved to Atlanta with her husband (they're newlyweds!). You should read her blog. :)

Christina's Quirks

1. I finish television characters' sentences when I'm annoyed with what they're doing.

2. I let my dog, Emma, establish credibility for me. Example: I think we need to go on vacation to London next week. Emma said so.

3. I like looking for apartments when we have no intention of moving. I'll drag my husband to complex after complex, asking to look at their 2 bedroom floor plans. Once my husband makes the mistake of feeding that obsession, I start coming up with reasons we NEED to move.

4. I'm impatient when I receive and give gifts. I always want to open them immediately, and I can barely contain myself when I get something for someone but can't give it to them yet.

5. I don't like non-dessert food items to be sweet.

6. I kick my leg upon waking up. And then my husband laughs at me. Really, I don't know why I do it, but I've done it since I was a little girl. Most people just stretch in bed, but i just snap my leg out and do a little kick.

7. Whenever I see a dog, I start "being the voice" for the dog. If it's off in the distance with its owner, going for a walk, I'll just say, "Oh hey! I'm going for a walk! Look at me! I'm going for a walk!" And I'll say it in a voice that apparently, only dogs would have if they could talk. I only do this around my mom and my husband because I'm aware of how insane this quirk is.

I love Christina's quirks more than I can say! I totally get #7! Thanks, Christina! Want to submit your own list of quirks? Submission details here.

I'm going to take a long weekend! I'll be back on Tuesday. I hope you all have a lovely holiday and if you have Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off, I hope you find a really special way to celebrate. :) xo, R.

our meet cute, part two.

Well, I've been avoiding the second half of this post for the entire day. Mostly because I've been incredibly busy, but also because it's really hard to remember just the way everything happened, and I want to do our story justice by getting all the small details right. I'm sure you understand.

So. Here goes nothing. Jeffrey and a good friend of his kept asking me to hang out with them. I obviously was into Jeffrey, so I happily obliged. It was fun. I liked hanging out with Jeffrey and his two best friends, but I was (still am) painstakingly shy, so it was hard for me to be myself around them. I wondered if I was ruining things for myself, so I made a change. I started being bold, saying things that I normally would reserve for only my closest friends, and laughing, uninhibited, at things that were funny. It was freeing. One particular night (I couldn’t tell you which one) Jeffrey admitted to liking me while we were on AIM. I remember running out into the porch, where my mom and aunt were sitting, and doing a little happy dance. I was soaring.

Fast forward a few weeks. Jeffrey and his friends were going on a trip to Michigan to stay with another of their best friends. Since Jeffrey confessed that he liked me (and I confessed right back) we had gone on a few dates, most of them awkward. Neither of us had been in a relationship before, so I think that had everything to do with it. Anyway. The trip to Michigan. We were talking the night before he left, and it happened. He asked me to be his girlfriend. I was overjoyed. I’m pretty sure I blushed even though no one could see me. Of course, I said yes. I ran and told my family right away. Now I'm going to skip some parts, mostly because they're uninteresting. So, Jeffrey's back from his trip and I'm getting ready to leave for mine. I went on a trip to New York City with my family. The night before we left, Jeffrey kissed me on my front porch. We often joke that one of us had to leave the state for anything monumental to happen. I remember driving to the airport the next morning and whispering to my sister that Jeffrey had kissed me. It was the most perfect first kiss, and I was happy. The rest, as they say, is history. Jeffrey and I continued to get closer, spent more time together, and eventually fell in love.

I love our relationship for many reasons. But, perhaps, one of my favorite reasons is because before Jeffrey and I were together, we had never been in any other relationship. It has meant so much to me to be in only one relationship with one person. I’m not saying that that works for everyone, but it worked for us. And, it’s still working. I appreciate and love all the people who have been there for me throughout our journey together. It has been friends and family that have supported me, helped me, given me advice, and the courage to go after the things I really wanted. And, Jeffrey has absolutely played a huge role in that. When I met Jeffrey I also met my best friend, confidant, and everything in between. His love means the world to me, and then some.

Phew! Sorry about the length of this story, but I've never really been short-winded. Well, I believe that's enough cheese for one night. xo, R.

(And the wonky font is staying because it's impossible to fix!)

our meet cute, part one.

I’ve known Jeffrey since the fifth grade. He attended our youth group’s program for fifth graders. I liked him right away. I probably like liked him right away, but it’s been awhile, so who really knows. What immediately struck me was that he wasn’t afraid to show all the colors of his personality. I gravitated toward his humor, his easiness, and his genuine interest in making friends with the people around him.

In the sixth grade we attended the same middle school. I remember being really excited about it. (I definitely had a crush on him at this point.) I remember talking to my best friend, Sara, all about him and how much I liked him. She was very gracious about the whole thing because I’m pretty sure I talked too much about Jeffrey in those days. Still, Jeffrey and I were just friends. I was only in middle school, though, so it’s not like I was waiting for some serious relationship to bloom. It hurt a little when he dated another girl at our middle school*, but I was resilient and carefree. It didn’t matter. I think after that time our relationship was strictly friend-to-friend. I pushed him out of my mind as a crush and moved him into the friend category. Let’s just say we carried on as friends for a long time. Like, fast-forwarding-to-our-junior-year-of-high-school long. I remember my sister cajoling me to like Jeffrey (He’s a stellar guy. She was smart.), but I was a dum-dum and liked a few other guys during my high school years.

* I use the term ‘dated’ very loosely. We were in middle school, people. However, I feel the need to point this out because it will matter later, when I tell you that Jeffrey was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend. Because I technically don’t count his middle school relationship as an actual relationship. You understand.

In high school, Jeffrey, Sara, and I took French class together. We sat together, we had nicknames for one another (our names spelled backward, so original), and we were a regular Three Musketeers kind of bunch. I think I probably had a crush on Jeffrey at that time. I probably (definitely) told my family members (like I said, my sister and mom were (are) big fans of Jeffrey) that I did not have a crush on Jeffrey, but it’s time to confess – I was lying. I think they knew. At the end of our junior year, I really had a crush on Jeffrey. I remember we joked about him taking me to prom that year. We were both shy, it ultimately didn’t happen, but I remember wishing that it would. The school year ended, and Jeffrey and I spent many a summer nights conversing on AIM (it was popular at the time, kay?). I loved staying up late and talking to Jeffrey. I think, at that point, my parents wondered if the amount of time I was spending in front of the computer was healthy, but I really wanted to be old-fashioned (What am I talking about? The computer is the opposite of old-fashioned. I guess I mean old-fashioned in the wanting-the-guy-to-make-the-first-move way) and didn’t have the guts to make the first move.

I'll be back tomorrow with the rest. And on Wednesday I have a list of Christina's quirks to share with you! Have a wonderful Monday! xo, R.

happy weekend!

I hope you have the loveliest of lovely weekends! I plan to eat lunch with Jeffrey's family, organize my school supplies, and make a fantasy Bachelor board with my roommates! Yay! On Monday I'll be back with a story about how Jeffrey and I met -- as per your request! See you then! xo, R. :)

blah, blah, blah.

I don't really have anything to write about today other than school is scary, sometimes. It was the second day of classes, and I contemplated crying 5 or 6 times. Don't worry, though. I'm a natural crier, so it was no big. Taking it one day at a time and remembering that college is just one part of my life. Even if I'm not 100% perfect in my academic studies, all that really matters is that I try hard. Right? Right. Enjoy your day. :)

list twelve: 21 before 22.

This list is a little late since I turned 21 a few months ago. Better late than never, right?

1. Make a dress on my sewing machine.
2. Try a new restaurant.
3. Make a cheesecake from scratch.
4. Write more letters!
5. Continue to work toward becoming (my idea of) an incredible teacher. :)
6. Make at least 20 kids smile during my pre-service teaching practicum.
7. Read six new books just for fun!
8. Read one teaching book just for fun!
9. Learn how to throw on the potter's wheel (with Jeffrey as my teacher!).
10. Increase my blog readership (50 followers is the goal!).
11. Become even closer with my college of Education cohort (class) mates.
12. Grow my hair out!
13. Find more vegetarian options for dinner (that Jeffrey loves).
14. Paint my fingernails once a month. :)
15. Do the ten-minute stretch routine every morning (proven to make you more chipper!).
16. Try bangs again!
17. Stop worrying about the imperfections of my facial skin.
18. Take more pictures!
19. Spend more time with my best friend.
20. Buy a pajama set.
21. Take a road trip with Jeffrey. :)

The Quirk Project (No. 6)

Well, that was a trying weekend! Not moving on, but moving ahead. On another note, I did something sort of sneaky. This weekend I emailed some of my favorite bloggers ( with the exception of a few of you because I couldn’t find your emails. Christina, I’m talking to you. ;) ) and asked them if they’d like to participate in the Quirk Project. Well, I’ve done this project once before, and one day I just stopped. People stopped sending me their quirks and life took center stage. Well, not anymore. I told life that I wanted it to share the stage with the Quirk Project. Life agreed. Reagan emailed me her quirks and I was thrilled. Reagan’s blob is a source of great joy for me. She’s funny, cute, and her daughter, Piper (who she lovingly calls Pip — how cute!) is adorable and makes me smile. Then, she told me she wanted to be blog friends and I about died. YES! I love new blog friends! Another thing: if I lived in NYC, she’d be my permanent hairdresser. Get over there, and check her blob out! So here are Reagan's quirks. No surprise that I love them. I love all the lists I've been sent. Send me yours. Find details here.

Reagan's Quirks

1-Dancing in public. When I hear music, my legs/hair/arms cannot contain themselves. Street musicians, clothes stores, in the car..anywhere. Jake gets embarrassed.

2-I make up and sing songs about daily tasks..."Washing the dishes because they don't have arms to wash themseeeeellllves". Maybe it's because I still don't like cleaning/chores, but since it's not acceptable to have a messy apartment all the time, I have to entertain myself.

3-Clumsiness in general. Yesterday I tripped up an escalator. Something you don't even have to move your body to use. I landed on both hands and a guy behind me saw my panties.

4-I'm obsessed with little things. Especially things that are supposed to be big, but have been made tiny for no reason at all. Once I accidentally kissed a mini jar of honey at a farmer's market because it was tiny and adorable.

5-I always know the words to strange songs played in supermarkets, elevators and diners. And I don't know how I know most of them. Jake thinks it's amazing because I don't know the words to any of the real songs that most people know, like Christmas songs.

6-I love to swear. I don't swear really when I'm mad or anything like that, but I love to toss out a swear just to shock Jake or my friends when they least expect it. For instance..."Hey Jake! How the f*** was your day, sweetie?" It's one of those things where it's usually only funny to me and my mom isn't proud.

7-I love mermaids. When I was little I really thought I might figure out a way to grow up and become a mermaid. Some friends and I did the Coney Island Mermaid Parade in June of 2010 and I'm hoping to do it every year. Our theme was 1950s housewife mermaids and we wore aprons and handed out sugar cookies shaped like fish. If my 5 year old self could have seen my 26 year old self all jazzed up with a fin and shells I would have gone completely ape.

my sweet pete.

This morning my sweet, sweet pup, Petey, ascended into the skies and joined all my other loved ones in Heaven. It feels like a part of me is missing. That may sound weird to anyone who has never owned a dog, but he wormed his way into my heart, cleared an opening, and nestled his way in for a lifetime. Right now it feels big and gaping and a little impossible. I keep expecting him to turn the corner and shake his happy tail so hard his whole body will rock. Eventually, that big hole will fill with sweet memories and instead of a pang of sadness, I will feel a burst of happiness.

I miss him. A lot. He was the first dog I ever had that would run to me whenever I was crying. He would scratch at my bedroom door until I opened it, and he would lay with me until I was done. It meant more to me than a lot of things. I will never, ever forget him. He was a sweet, old soul with a lot of character. He will certainly be missed in our home. I will always love you & think of you, my sweet Petey boy. xo, R.