Blog-tastic.

Sweet, sweet Kate at Stripes and Polka Dots awarded me with the Liebster Award. I love reading Kate's blog and I hope you all go check her out!  This award made my day, thanks again Ms. Kate! xo

Liebster means "favorite" or "dearest" in German.  This award, which originated in Germany, recognizes up and coming bloggers!  In accepting this award, I agree to:

• Thank the person who gave me the award and link back to their blog
• Copy and paste the award to my blog
• Reveal the 5 blogs I have chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blogs
• Pay it forward to 5 blogs

Whenever the holidays come around, I am reminded that I love giving way more than receiving. There is something about watching a person open a new gift that is makes me feel so happy.  Thus, I am ecstatic to be able to pass on the award to five well-deserving bloggers. There are so many blogs I read, and so many readers to choose from, but I narrowed it down to five of my fav up-and-coming bloggers who I appreciate not only for writing awesome blogs, but also for sending sweet comments my way. You go girls :) 

1. Sarah @ Simply Sarah

2. Donna @ Lip Gloss & Flip Flops

3. Stephanie @ Living with Intention

4. Miranda @ Aimless Translation

5. And of course, a real life BFF, my girl Ashie @ Ashley's Heart of Life

PS - These ladies have also contributed to this blog's 50+ followers!!  A year ago when I started this journal for friends and family to follow me abroad, I never would have thought I would be making blog friends or having strangers want to read my random musings. Trust me, I would keep writing even if no one was reading, but the fact that you all support me makes it that much more rewarding :) Thanks a million xoxoxo

Monday Fun!(?)

So I thought it might be fun to link up 

with Savannah Smiles today since I always seem to take slipshod pictures on my second-rate blackberry and never do anything with them but a) upload them to twitter or, more often, b) send them to loverboy who rarely cares at all. So here's the exciting pieces of my week in low-quality camera phone form. Enjoy. ;) 

I saw THE most gorgeous rainbow after the miserably rainy day we had on Friday. Jill, Katlyn, my sister and I tried the new restaurant "Bus Boys and Poets" and while we were parking noticed THREE rainbow segments .. within seconds it turned into the most giant and vibrant rainbow I had ever seen. I wish I had a real camera to capture it's amazingness!!

Monmouth Football won two weeks in a row! Woot Woot .. my favorite part of the games is watching the awkward performance of the Boys singing the Alma Mater post victory ;)

The school I intern at puts a piece of candy in each teacher's mailbox on Friday mornings with a cute saying or play-on-words with the school name, Hollywood, to put a smile on our faces at the end of the week.  Last week, the candy said "You're the bomb! Great Job, Hollywood!" in reference to a bomb threat we had earlier in the week. Luckily we only had to keep our students under control in evacuation mode off-premise for about an hour before the police determined the building was bomb-free and safe for reentry.  It was an exciting day, nonetheless.  And totally worth a Blow Pop.  

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Alllllsooooo .... I need to thank Sarah @ Simply Sarah for awarding me with the "Versatile Blogger" award - you are too sweet and I am SO so so excited to receive a Blog Award.  I'm a novice to the whole Blog World and it just made my day to get such nice feedback :) 

Rule #1: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. 

Thank ya thank ya Ms Sarah! 

Rule #2: Share seven things about yourself.

1. I am an aspiring teacher: student teaching in a 6th grade classroom currently, assisting in a pre-k after care, and graduating in May to hopefully find myself with a teaching job.
2. Improper grammar and unpolished toes are my two biggest pet peeves. Unrelated yes, but equally irritating. 
3. My favorite color is sparkle. Is that a color? I don't care. If it shines I love it. 
4. Every time I brush my teeth I have to pee. (TMI?) Seriously though. Every.single.time. 
5. I was named after both of my grandmothers. 
6. Some people don't realize this, but I'm overly sentimental. The first time C kissed me, he kissed me three short times in a row before we said goodbye and I got out of his car.  Now, I won't get out of his car without 3 pecks. (I don't think he even realizes I do this...) Maybe it's silly, but I like remembering :) 
7. I am a group fitness instructor at my campus recreation center and I love it! 

Rule #3: Pass the award on to 15 bloggers that you recently discovered. 

The following blogs are totally worth reading and I mean it because I don't follow just anyone. I think the "versatile blogger" doesn't just write the same fluffy stuff every day but writes worthwhile posts! Thanks for entertaining me, guys :) 

(I'm sure most of these wonderful bloggers have already received the circulating award, so I apologize, but just realize how totally awesome that makes you.) Also, the last two are my real life BFFs so totally check our ma gurls Ash and Laur. 

(never) homemaker 

Brittney

B.Mary & Blessed 

Beautiful Mess

Chanel & Chocolate Cake

Fabulous but Evil 

Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous

Joyful Ramblings

Life of Meg

Me 2 We

Mrs. Monologues

Muddy Boots and Pearls

Southern Bliss

The Heart of Life

Serendipity 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm Loving...

...My sixth graders...more and more each day. I knew I would love student teaching but I didn't expect to actually feel excitement every morning my alarm goes off at 5:51 a.m.

... that Football season is just around the corner! C's first game is Saturday so I'll be driving back to NJ to watch, of course. Can't wait to cheer on my #49 :) And the Terps play Miami on Labor Day and I can.not.wait.  What better way to spend Labor Day Weekend than cheering on your favorite Football teams?!

... My first day back to Group Fitness; I taught Triple C and GTL (Glutes, Thighs, Lower Body) and I know I'm going to be  s o r e  tomorrow! 

... My new big-girl planner. Since high school I've always had a Vera Bradley Agenda to keep me organized and stylish. My friends at home make fun of me, but I don't care.

HOWEVER... This year now that I'm a big-girl Senior and Student Teacher, I felt it was time for me to make a responsible choice and buy a practical planner. My new Five-Star agenda is boring black, but quite functional. I miss my Vera, but today I'm loving my Five-Star. I think that means I'm a grown up. 

That my girl Ashie is tearin' up the blogosphere and gave me this uber adorable Blog Award! Thanks Ash - you're the cutest xxxooo

So now I guess it's my turn to follow the rules?

1. Thank the person who gave you this award:

Thanks Ashie Gurl! Love ya long time. 

2. Reveal 3 random facts about yourself:

I was born with out 5 of my adult teeth. Two babies fell out on their own and now I'm just chillin with 3 baby teeth still in this adult mouth of mine. Weird, right? 

My least favorite utensil is a spoon. 

I wish I was fluent in another language. When I was in elementary school I lied to my teachers and told them I did. 

3. Pass the award on:

I guess I can't give it to Lauren or Ashley since they're already covered? Oy, I'm new to this.

1. Amber @ Brunch with Amber

2. Mrs. M @ Mrs. Monologues

3. Courtney @ Dear Darling

4. Jessica @ Live Laugh Love

5. Elizabeth @ Life with Elizabeth