The truth of the matter is that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to this whole blogging thing.
I don't blog for the viewership. I blog for my own personal satisfaction and enjoyment. I never expected that anyone other than my mom and my sister ever read my blog. But, one day, I decided to check it out. Maybe there were some closet viewers I wasn't aware of.
I got one of those statistic trackers on my blog.
And, I wasn't too terribly surprised by the results. It turns out, that there might possibly be a couple other people who stop by my blog every now and then. People other than my mom and my sister. Unless, of course, my mom and my sister look a my blog a couple times a day from a couple different computers. I guess I shouldn't rule out that possibility.
It wasn't until today, however, that I noticed there were a lot more statistics provided to me on my stat tracker than just how many people had visited my page that day.
I am able to look at what brought people to my page (pretty much 100% of my viewership comes through my sister's blog - thank you, Sis).
I am able to see the average of how long people stayed at my blog - half stayed for less than 5 seconds, the other half stayed for 2 hours or more. Not sure what to make of those results. Except that I guess a lot of people realized the very second they hit my blog that they were NOT interested in whatever it was I had to say, which I suppose is better than if they had stayed for 5 minutes and left.
And,
I am also able to see the percentage of people who continued to come back after their intial viewing of my blog. That percentage was the worst one. Apparently, if I were a business, I would be on the verge of bankruptcy because I am certainly not obtaining many repeat customers.
I have to say, the whole statistics experience was quite interesting to me. I suppose if I were out to obtain a lot of viewership I would be hanging my head in defeat at this point. But, the fact of it all is that I do not do this for viewership. I don't really understand the blogging world and haven't, myself, been able to find a blog I like to visit regularly - other than my sisters, of course.
If I were really serious, I would probably need to start frequenting the blogs of all those military wives out there, posting comments and making myself known.
But, I'm not going to do that. Maybe when I finally start to have kids and feel that I have something interesting and worthwhile to add to the conversation I might try to pave my way into the world of bloggers.
For now, though, I don't mind being out here in cyberworld by myself. It's nice and quiet.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
DVRs, Dogs, and Countdowns
When I go too long without posting, I generally have a hodgepodge of random things to say. Like today.. I have a whole bunch of random things to mention. Bear with me. Thank you.
* How did anyone ever live without DVR? Our DVR went berserk this week, and not only did we MISS American Idol (because we took our dogs on a walk and assumed the DVR would record it.. but it did not.. which was a gigantic disappointment to put it lightly. More like.. it ruined my week.. seriously), but last night because we knew our DVR was broken we actually broke down and watched LOST in real time. And, I am here to tell you THAT was a frustrating experience. Every time a commercial break came up, I would immediately grab for the remote to fast forward and would realize with great annoyance that I couldn't. Also, there were a few moments and words that we missed and I wanted to rewind to catch what we missed. But, I couldn't. Let's just say, if I had been here when the cable guy came today to replace our box, I probably would have given him a hug.
* Walking the dogs. I actually walked BOTH of my dogs at the SAME time by MYSELF the other night. It was a major victory. I have taken on the task of taming our husky as Mike has proven himself to NOT have the patience. Without fail he will give up and just let Copper take the lead.. which is a really bad idea. So, I have taken on the role. I never wanted to walk him before, not because I didn't have the patience, but because I didn't have the strength. Copper IS stronger than me. But, I discovered that if I put the leash up higher on his neck it gives him less control and me MORE control. So, that's what I've been doing. After yesterday, I realized I will probably need to wear gloves from now on because I got terrible rope burn on my hand from restraining my husky as he tried to balk and run off from fear of a skateboard, kids on bikes, etc.
* I have begun a countdown until the end of school. Literally. On the board in my classroom I have written "17 School Days Until Graduation". I know that theoretically it's a really bad idea, because having a countdown like that can only really cause the students to get a bad case of schoolitis. But, the truth of the matter is that I don't really care. I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it for me. For my own sanity, I need to know that there is an end in sight to this school year.
* And when next year begins I have no doubt that my countdown will begin immediately. Because, I have already promised myself that next year will be my last year as a teacher. At least, as a teacher at that school, possibly a teacher forever.
* I cannot wait for summer vacation! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait!
The End.
* How did anyone ever live without DVR? Our DVR went berserk this week, and not only did we MISS American Idol (because we took our dogs on a walk and assumed the DVR would record it.. but it did not.. which was a gigantic disappointment to put it lightly. More like.. it ruined my week.. seriously), but last night because we knew our DVR was broken we actually broke down and watched LOST in real time. And, I am here to tell you THAT was a frustrating experience. Every time a commercial break came up, I would immediately grab for the remote to fast forward and would realize with great annoyance that I couldn't. Also, there were a few moments and words that we missed and I wanted to rewind to catch what we missed. But, I couldn't. Let's just say, if I had been here when the cable guy came today to replace our box, I probably would have given him a hug.
* Walking the dogs. I actually walked BOTH of my dogs at the SAME time by MYSELF the other night. It was a major victory. I have taken on the task of taming our husky as Mike has proven himself to NOT have the patience. Without fail he will give up and just let Copper take the lead.. which is a really bad idea. So, I have taken on the role. I never wanted to walk him before, not because I didn't have the patience, but because I didn't have the strength. Copper IS stronger than me. But, I discovered that if I put the leash up higher on his neck it gives him less control and me MORE control. So, that's what I've been doing. After yesterday, I realized I will probably need to wear gloves from now on because I got terrible rope burn on my hand from restraining my husky as he tried to balk and run off from fear of a skateboard, kids on bikes, etc.
* I have begun a countdown until the end of school. Literally. On the board in my classroom I have written "17 School Days Until Graduation". I know that theoretically it's a really bad idea, because having a countdown like that can only really cause the students to get a bad case of schoolitis. But, the truth of the matter is that I don't really care. I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it for me. For my own sanity, I need to know that there is an end in sight to this school year.
* And when next year begins I have no doubt that my countdown will begin immediately. Because, I have already promised myself that next year will be my last year as a teacher. At least, as a teacher at that school, possibly a teacher forever.
* I cannot wait for summer vacation! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait!
The End.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Money Matters: Past and Present
Mike and I are currently in the process of saving money. Which is really hard to do. Especially because currently it seems like we have an excess of it. I know what you're thinking: wah, wah, boo hoo. And, after your fake tears for us, I imagine that you'll do a double take and think - what? it's hard to save money because you have too much of it? Please explain.
Certainly, I will.
You see, it seems as though currently money is just pouring in. We received a down payment on the car we're selling, we finally received the money the marine corps has owed us for the past 8 months, Mike is scheduled to receive a bonus for extending his contract with the marine corps for an extra 2 years, and due to the extra money we made while Mike was deployed we paid off some bills so our monthly income stretches farther than it used to. Having access to all that extra money naturally makes it a little bit difficult for us not to consider ourselves RICH.
The truth of the matter is, though, that we certainly are not rich. Not even close. Our bank account might currently feel a bit bloated, but there are certain things looming in our future that require that we have a sizeable chunk of change put away for worst-case-scenerios.
So looking at the bank account and seeing unheard of numbers in there is almost like playing with monopoly money. It's there, but it's not really there. We can't use it.
During my commute to work this morning I was thinking about what Sarah-of-five-years-ago would think about my current money situation.
I very clearly remember getting my first credit card. It was my senior year in college, and my first ever purchase on it was a $100 bathing suit. It was the first and last time I ever spent that kind of money on a bathing suit; because, on my drive back to my dorm I nearly threw up from the buyer's remorse that rushed over me. Of course, I paid off that bill as soon as I possibly could because that $100 was haunting me. I could not stand the idea of such debt.
I also remember when Mike bought his first car. We were engaged at the time and he dropped a whopping $12,000 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was too scared to tell my family how much he spent because I believed that to be an ungodly amount of money to spend on a car. I remember telling my brother-in-law, bracing for his reaction, and then being shocked that he didn't really seem to think it was that big of a deal. How strange.
And, of course, there was the night I found out how much I was going to owe on student loans when I graduated. I pretty much freaked out. It's pretty funny actually to look back on that night when I broke out into a coldsweat because of my student loans. Especially considering that currently my student loan payment is by far the lowest payment I make every month. I actually pay that bill with joy every month. It is not painful like the rest.
I grimace to think how much smaller that measly payment is compared to seriously ungodly house payment I make every month now.
If I told the Sarah-of-five-years-ago the kind of bills she would be paying five years down the road, I seriously believe she would have keeled over and died of shock.
Which brings me back to my first point. Though the bloated bank account might currently make me feel rich, it's extremely important for me to remember that I am not. And, if ever I have any doubt of that, I will just take a walk down memory lane and remind myself of the days when I thought it was absolutely disgusting to owe $12,000 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Certainly, I will.
You see, it seems as though currently money is just pouring in. We received a down payment on the car we're selling, we finally received the money the marine corps has owed us for the past 8 months, Mike is scheduled to receive a bonus for extending his contract with the marine corps for an extra 2 years, and due to the extra money we made while Mike was deployed we paid off some bills so our monthly income stretches farther than it used to. Having access to all that extra money naturally makes it a little bit difficult for us not to consider ourselves RICH.
The truth of the matter is, though, that we certainly are not rich. Not even close. Our bank account might currently feel a bit bloated, but there are certain things looming in our future that require that we have a sizeable chunk of change put away for worst-case-scenerios.
So looking at the bank account and seeing unheard of numbers in there is almost like playing with monopoly money. It's there, but it's not really there. We can't use it.
During my commute to work this morning I was thinking about what Sarah-of-five-years-ago would think about my current money situation.
I very clearly remember getting my first credit card. It was my senior year in college, and my first ever purchase on it was a $100 bathing suit. It was the first and last time I ever spent that kind of money on a bathing suit; because, on my drive back to my dorm I nearly threw up from the buyer's remorse that rushed over me. Of course, I paid off that bill as soon as I possibly could because that $100 was haunting me. I could not stand the idea of such debt.
I also remember when Mike bought his first car. We were engaged at the time and he dropped a whopping $12,000 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was too scared to tell my family how much he spent because I believed that to be an ungodly amount of money to spend on a car. I remember telling my brother-in-law, bracing for his reaction, and then being shocked that he didn't really seem to think it was that big of a deal. How strange.
And, of course, there was the night I found out how much I was going to owe on student loans when I graduated. I pretty much freaked out. It's pretty funny actually to look back on that night when I broke out into a coldsweat because of my student loans. Especially considering that currently my student loan payment is by far the lowest payment I make every month. I actually pay that bill with joy every month. It is not painful like the rest.
I grimace to think how much smaller that measly payment is compared to seriously ungodly house payment I make every month now.
If I told the Sarah-of-five-years-ago the kind of bills she would be paying five years down the road, I seriously believe she would have keeled over and died of shock.
Which brings me back to my first point. Though the bloated bank account might currently make me feel rich, it's extremely important for me to remember that I am not. And, if ever I have any doubt of that, I will just take a walk down memory lane and remind myself of the days when I thought it was absolutely disgusting to owe $12,000 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sucker
We're coming down to the last weeks of the school year, and I'm really starting to get sentimental about it. This year has flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. The 8th graders have really grown up, and *tear* I really am going to miss them when they move on.
And, I AM SO ANNOYED!
This is exactly my problem. Every year I struggle through the weeks and months stressed beyond belief, declaring loud-and-clear-for-all-to-hear that I am officially NOT cut out to be a teacher. I am too stressed. I am too frustrated.
About three quarters of the way through the year, every year, I have officially decided that after I have kids, I will pursue a different career path.
And..
Then..
The final days of school arrive. And, I am sucked in once more. Sucked into seeing how much the students have matured and grown over the years. Sucked into laughing at the memories (that at the time had me blowing smoke out of my ears or holding in tears of frustration). Sucked into feeling so much a part of these students' lives. Sucked into believing I have made an impact on them. Sucked into the happiness and pride of watching them grow up and move on.
I am such a sucker.
And, I am so very incredibly mad about it.
And, I AM SO ANNOYED!
This is exactly my problem. Every year I struggle through the weeks and months stressed beyond belief, declaring loud-and-clear-for-all-to-hear that I am officially NOT cut out to be a teacher. I am too stressed. I am too frustrated.
About three quarters of the way through the year, every year, I have officially decided that after I have kids, I will pursue a different career path.
And..
Then..
The final days of school arrive. And, I am sucked in once more. Sucked into seeing how much the students have matured and grown over the years. Sucked into laughing at the memories (that at the time had me blowing smoke out of my ears or holding in tears of frustration). Sucked into feeling so much a part of these students' lives. Sucked into believing I have made an impact on them. Sucked into the happiness and pride of watching them grow up and move on.
I am such a sucker.
And, I am so very incredibly mad about it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sleep Train: Your Ticket To a Better Night's Sleep
Yesterday Mike and I went mattress shopping. We had decided before he left for Iraq that when he got back we would buy a new mattress. We thought we had changed our minds, until we started to realize how incredibly uncomfortable our bed really is. I thought that Mike just really liked to cuddle and that's why he was sleeping in the very middle of the bed every night. We got into many small spats where I accused him of hogging the bed and he claimed that he couldn't help it b/c the bed sloped into the center.
This month-long-ongoing argument ended by us switching sides of the bed. The very first night I slept on "his" side, I immediately realized that he hadn't just been being a bed hog. The bed really does dramatically slope down to the center. It's terribly uncomfortable.
So. We went bed shopping. It was so much fun! We went to Sleep Train, which truly does live up to its advertising. The salesman was very helpful but not at all pushy. We had fun testing out all of the different beds. We even got to choose a pillow and carry it around with us while we did the testing. So fun!
There was one very clear winner that we both agreed on. It just happened to be a bit over our price range, so we settled for the second runner up. But, since we hadn't actually looked at beds anywhere else, we decided to go home and do some research before taking the plunge.
It was a good thing we did, because we actually found our number one choice online for the price of our number two choice bed. We couldn't believe our luck! Because Sleep Train promised to beat any other price by 5%, promised to give us a $100 military discount, and promised us no sales tax (just like we would have gotten had we decided to buy the mattress on base) we ended up getting a darn good deal (including the pillows that we used for our mattress testing 1/2 off!)
Our mattress arrives Tuesday, and to be quite honest, Tuesday cannot get here soon enough. I fully expect to wake up on Wednesday morning feeling like a new woman.
This month-long-ongoing argument ended by us switching sides of the bed. The very first night I slept on "his" side, I immediately realized that he hadn't just been being a bed hog. The bed really does dramatically slope down to the center. It's terribly uncomfortable.
So. We went bed shopping. It was so much fun! We went to Sleep Train, which truly does live up to its advertising. The salesman was very helpful but not at all pushy. We had fun testing out all of the different beds. We even got to choose a pillow and carry it around with us while we did the testing. So fun!
There was one very clear winner that we both agreed on. It just happened to be a bit over our price range, so we settled for the second runner up. But, since we hadn't actually looked at beds anywhere else, we decided to go home and do some research before taking the plunge.
It was a good thing we did, because we actually found our number one choice online for the price of our number two choice bed. We couldn't believe our luck! Because Sleep Train promised to beat any other price by 5%, promised to give us a $100 military discount, and promised us no sales tax (just like we would have gotten had we decided to buy the mattress on base) we ended up getting a darn good deal (including the pillows that we used for our mattress testing 1/2 off!)
Our mattress arrives Tuesday, and to be quite honest, Tuesday cannot get here soon enough. I fully expect to wake up on Wednesday morning feeling like a new woman.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Oh My Lanta
I am humbled.
I just spent several hours messing with my blog in order to turn it into the beauty-ful-ness that you see before you.
I'm proud of it, but not of the amount of time it took me to figure out how to do this. Seriously. I'm only 27-years-old and, apparently, I am not so very internet savvy.
It's a little embarassing, really. I think I'm hip because I am a proud owner(?) of a facebook page, and I even write a blog.
But, when it comes down to it, I'm practically living in the dark ages. I'm stuck in the year 2007, apparently.
Because, Twitter is so far beyond my comprehension that I really just think it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. I do not get my the internet or facebook or even email on my cell phone. And, if I were to own an iPhone I wouldn't be able to do anything more with it than make a few phone calls to my friends and family.
At this rate, by the time I'm 75 not only will I apparently not have figured out the secret to being youthful, but I will still be using my desktop computer and unable to figure out the iphone chip that my children had inserted in my brain as a christmas present.
I guess what it all comes down to is that I started out trying to update the appearance of my blog.... and now I'm going to go to bed having nightmares of being lost in the technology of the future.
Like I said...
Oh My Lanta!
I just spent several hours messing with my blog in order to turn it into the beauty-ful-ness that you see before you.
I'm proud of it, but not of the amount of time it took me to figure out how to do this. Seriously. I'm only 27-years-old and, apparently, I am not so very internet savvy.
It's a little embarassing, really. I think I'm hip because I am a proud owner(?) of a facebook page, and I even write a blog.
But, when it comes down to it, I'm practically living in the dark ages. I'm stuck in the year 2007, apparently.
Because, Twitter is so far beyond my comprehension that I really just think it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. I do not get my the internet or facebook or even email on my cell phone. And, if I were to own an iPhone I wouldn't be able to do anything more with it than make a few phone calls to my friends and family.
At this rate, by the time I'm 75 not only will I apparently not have figured out the secret to being youthful, but I will still be using my desktop computer and unable to figure out the iphone chip that my children had inserted in my brain as a christmas present.
I guess what it all comes down to is that I started out trying to update the appearance of my blog.... and now I'm going to go to bed having nightmares of being lost in the technology of the future.
Like I said...
Oh My Lanta!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Spring Break and How I'm Going to Become a Millionaire
Tomorrow at exactly 12:00 noon, I will be free. Okay, so maybe it will probably be more like 1:00 before I actually get my butt out the door of my classroom and into my car for a week of freedom, but noon sounds oh so much better than 1.
Spring Break. Those words are like music to my ears.
It's the getting to Spring Break that is the hard part. The last hour of the last day before vacation, my 8th grade students put on a Stations of the Cross dramatization that is a huge deal at the school and pretty big in the community as well - aka, the church is packed. It's a huge stresser in my life. Because of this dramatization, I am unable to fully relax until the very last minute of the very last day of school before break.
But alas, I am tired of complaining.
Really, it's a great way to end school before Spring Break because I will undoubtedly be filled with pride after watching my students perform their hearts out and pull off an incredibly reverent and emotion building presentation. It's just the getting to that performance that's the hard part for me.
Speaking of getting to that performance... there's a tradition at the school that after the Stations of the Cross are over, the soldiers in the dramatization stand guard in front of the tomb. It's a beautiful part of it all... but it requires that a tomb be created.
Hmm..
Last year a parent did it for me. I didn't have to do a thing. I went home on Thursday and came to school on Friday to find a beautiful tomb had been built. It was kind of like a miracle. Kind of.
This year I was not so lucky. I put out my plea to the parents for someone to step up and help, but alas it was not to be.
Therefore, where did I find myself for 3 hours this afternoon after school? Why, working to create a tomb, of course.
Not that I didn't have any help.. because I did. My help was the 75-year-old art teacher at the school. But, if I'm going to be honest, I would have to say that I was helping her and not the other way around. I mostly stood ever-so-slightly helplessly as she crawled around on her hands and knees pinning, stapling, tucking, and creating. I did my best to help, but since I have absolutely ZERO creative vision, I mostly just took orders.
She was incredible. I am amazed. Did you catch her age, people? She's 75 freaking years old! And she was crawling around on the ground with more energy than ME! She is the most active 75-year-old person I have ever met.. and working with her today certainly had me thinking about my future.
When I'm 75-years-old I want to be in the shape that she is in. Not that I want to be crawling around on the ground creating a tomb or anything. I mean, seriously, I didn't even want to be doing that today, and I'm only 27. But, I'd like to have the option of crawling around on the ground doing that if I so choose.
To Do:
1) Find out art teacher's secret to staying youthful
2) Find a way to bottle the secret
3) Make millions
Spring Break. Those words are like music to my ears.
It's the getting to Spring Break that is the hard part. The last hour of the last day before vacation, my 8th grade students put on a Stations of the Cross dramatization that is a huge deal at the school and pretty big in the community as well - aka, the church is packed. It's a huge stresser in my life. Because of this dramatization, I am unable to fully relax until the very last minute of the very last day of school before break.
But alas, I am tired of complaining.
Really, it's a great way to end school before Spring Break because I will undoubtedly be filled with pride after watching my students perform their hearts out and pull off an incredibly reverent and emotion building presentation. It's just the getting to that performance that's the hard part for me.
Speaking of getting to that performance... there's a tradition at the school that after the Stations of the Cross are over, the soldiers in the dramatization stand guard in front of the tomb. It's a beautiful part of it all... but it requires that a tomb be created.
Hmm..
Last year a parent did it for me. I didn't have to do a thing. I went home on Thursday and came to school on Friday to find a beautiful tomb had been built. It was kind of like a miracle. Kind of.
This year I was not so lucky. I put out my plea to the parents for someone to step up and help, but alas it was not to be.
Therefore, where did I find myself for 3 hours this afternoon after school? Why, working to create a tomb, of course.
Not that I didn't have any help.. because I did. My help was the 75-year-old art teacher at the school. But, if I'm going to be honest, I would have to say that I was helping her and not the other way around. I mostly stood ever-so-slightly helplessly as she crawled around on her hands and knees pinning, stapling, tucking, and creating. I did my best to help, but since I have absolutely ZERO creative vision, I mostly just took orders.
She was incredible. I am amazed. Did you catch her age, people? She's 75 freaking years old! And she was crawling around on the ground with more energy than ME! She is the most active 75-year-old person I have ever met.. and working with her today certainly had me thinking about my future.
When I'm 75-years-old I want to be in the shape that she is in. Not that I want to be crawling around on the ground creating a tomb or anything. I mean, seriously, I didn't even want to be doing that today, and I'm only 27. But, I'd like to have the option of crawling around on the ground doing that if I so choose.
To Do:
1) Find out art teacher's secret to staying youthful
2) Find a way to bottle the secret
3) Make millions
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