Unbelieva-BULL!

I'm a Chicago Bulls fan. I grew up during the age of Jordan. MJ, Pippen, B.J. Armstrong, and Dennis Rodman made me fall in love with the game. As a child, I sat alone in front of our television, curled up in my favorite rocking chair and watched the first Three-Peat. It was magical to watch that trophy hoisted into the air by the greatest basket ball player of all time. That trophy, while won by a few men, felt like an entire city's; it felt like mine. To this day, the Bulls are the only team I have loved my entire life.

Of the many things my husband and I have in common, the love for this team is one of my favorites. I vividly remember when the Bulls won the first pick in the NBA draft in 2008. Michael informed me that the odds were against us, yet somehow, kismet took over and Derrick Rose joined our team. A quiet kid from the Southside, the future of the Bulls dynasty would come rest on his shoulders.

Fast forward to present day. In three short years, Rose was named the youngest MVP in league history and has lead the Bulls into a competition for the Eastern Conference title against the loathed Miami Heat. (I have my own opinions about LeBron James and his cowardice, however I won't discuss them at this time.) For the first time in thirteen years, the possibility of a world championship is here.

Truly though, as a fan, I couldn't be more thrilled or proud. This Bulls team defines humility and perseverance. While Rose is our superstar, we fans love the entire team. We cheer for Joakim Noah, (a player who has received his share of heckles), Carlos Boozer, Keith Bogans, and Luol Deng, and we're proud of our Bench Mob (Korver, Gibson, Brewer, Watson, Thomas and Asik).

While I know we're down one game in this series, I haven't been this proud to be a Bulls fan in years. We have stand-up guys who play as a team, and they're making the whole city See Red!

Good-bye, Smallville.

Despite countless attempts on my part, most of my life I've been, well, a nerd. In high school my best friends and I spent hours dreaming about what life would be like if we married Hanson brothers. We had vocab parties instead of drinking parties (shocking that two of three of us became English teachers), and we would often drive slowly down the streets of our town waving out of rolled down windows (to no one in particular) with music blaring. We called them "parades". I'm certain others called us "losers".

I have a lot of favorites that contribute to my loser-nerd status. The short list includes: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight, Scrabble, and most superheroes. As a kid I admired Batman and Robin. I remember watching Lois & Clark with my dad and dreamed that one day I would be a quippy and talented writer like Lois Lane who found her Superman. (FYI: I did find my Clark Kent.) When I met my husband, the nerd in me LOVED that he was a comic book fanatic. (Doesn't fanatic have a nicer connotation than "freak" or "nerd"?!) Then Michael introduced me to Smallville, and I fell in love again. 

Tonight, we'll say good-bye to Tom Welling's Clark Kent. After ten seasons, the naive farm boy is ready to put on tights and a cape and become our beloved Man of Steel. For those of you who don't have the same love for Kal-El (Superman's Kryptonian name), I'm giving you...

The Top Five Reasons Superman is the 

Greatest Superhero of All Time

5. Any guy that can change his identity completely with accessories deserves some serious respect. 

4. A crazy awesome posse of b.a. good guys, aka the Justice League call him their leader. 

3. Family is a priority. Ma and Pa Kent raised a man with good, old fashioned values. Another example that nurture is just as (if not more) important than nature.

2. Beautiful, brainy brunettes turn him on. 

1. He's a protector of the innocent. 

At the end of the day, the nerd in me loves the sci-fi of superheroes, but the part of my soul that believes in the end goodness and honesty prevail, will always love Superman. He is symbol of all that is good and admirable in this world. (It doesn't hurt that there are many similarities between Superman and Jesus either.)

15 Days...

Yes, it's been over a month since my last post. 


This is all I've got right now. 


15 days left with my seniors. I'm ecstatic! Seriously...SO READY to be done for the summer.


(21 days left with my sophomores...no comment.)


Yes, I remember my commitment to blog about everyday, ordinary stuff.  I will blog more if it kills me. I'm trying to get my cyber-presence fluid. I've got Facebook down; I recently started to Tweet...regularly; and I will continue to strive toward daily blogging (or at least 5x a week blogging). (Maybe I should blog on days that I work out...that would keep me accountable, eh? You [all 12 of you] could harass me if I didn't post since that means I didn't work out either. Something to consider...)


That's all for now. 

When dreams come true...

I've started this post five different times trying to be quippy or eloquent or insightful, but I'm dropping all pretense to just be excited. 


A year and a half ago I had a dream. It sounded something like this...


"What if one day my job was to design? I could quit my job and make invitations and announcements."


I believe it's the child-like spirit in us all that allows us to dream because right after I had this thought, the grown-up voice in my head prattled off the following reasons why that dream would never come true. 


"You're not a graphic designer."
"Who would do this with you? You can't do it on your own!"
"Designing your own wedding is one thing, but who would pay you to do theirs?"
"It's not practical to quit your job; you spent four years getting a degree."


Fortunately, that child-like spirit that is responsible for our dreams is also incredibly stubborn, and with God all things are possible.


Since that dream eighteen months ago, I've not only found amazing women to partner with to make this business a reality, but I've also found out that a degree doesn't make a designer and people DO want to pay us to design their wedding invitations. 


As far as quitting teaching...we're not there yet, but seeing how everything has worked out, I believe we can be there some day. 


So for now, check out what a dream looks like when it comes true and visit Signature, Ink.'s new website! :)

Focus

"How about you pick a few things to do really well instead of trying to do sixteen different things some of the time?"

A valid question. A question that sounds like it was posed to one of my students, but in actuality, it came from husband, and it was directed at me. It was, well,  irritating.

Irritating or not, though, it was a gut check. It was needed. (One of the reasons I love Michael is that he urges me to be a better person.)

In the past few months, I've had a lot on my plate (despite my resolution to simplify). Most of it has been self-imposed. Co-chairing a charity event, teaching SAT prep classes 2 nights a week, creating a domestic/crafting blog, trying to cook at home everyday of the month, keeping up with my personal blog, not to mention "little" things like starting a business, teaching full-time, and being a wife, sister, daughter, and friend.  I'll admit, Michael was is right.

Focus is something we often take for granted. I realized this for the first time in my photography class as a high school sophomore. Before the age of digital photography, Mrs. Hastings (arguably the best teacher I ever had), set out to teach us hard work, patience, and a commitment to excellence; she handed us an Nikon SLR. There was a lot to learn, but how to FOCUS the lens was the first lesson. If you've every worked in a dark room (or on PhotoShop) you know that you can fix most things in there, but if your focus is off, what may have been a gorgeous shot, can be ruined. You can fake exposure, motion, and color. You can't fake focus. 


Last week, while Sarah was working on the computer in my classroom, she mentioned that my computer screen was blurry. Since she's bossier than I, she immediately sent an email to our tech department (from my email account) asking them to remedy this issue. They were there the next day, and I now have a perfectly in focus monitor and no longer have headaches when I leave at the end of the day.


Whether it's our cameras, computer screens, or lives, focus is so important. It allows us to see the picture clearly, highlights beauty, and brings order and peace. I needed to be reminded to find focus, and I plan on doing just that.


For me, finding focus means that I am... 


giving up the positions with my charity;


finishing the SAT classes I've committed to, but NEVER doing more than one a week again;


cooking at home when I can, but not feeling guilty when I don't;


blogging for Domestic Diversions when it's fun, but not pressuring myself to meet a quota;


blogging here often, but realizing that it's OKAY, even preferred if posts are short;


teaching to the best of my ability, but not getting irritated by the minutiae of it all;


working my butt off to get the new business up and running so I can forever do what I love;


checking in with friends often;


hanging out with my family to create memories;


spending quality time with Michael and our puppies;


and seeking God's guidance in all things so that I may follow the path He intends for me.

30 Day Photo Challenge-Day 10

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.

Some of my favorite memories from college are with Jenn and Ann. The three of us didn't become friends until my Junior year, but that year Jenn and I did more crazy things than I can even mention, mostly because Ann is probably the craziest person I know. I love these women and miss them so much!

Guest blogging for Sarah!

If you're here from Reverie, head over to my other blog, Domestic Diversions, for the full post on the blanket. I'd love it if you'd follow me!