The thought of Christmas time

This Christmas I will be in Colorado with my family. This is the first Christmas I am spending away from Frankfort, and I have never been more excited! This is the ideal way to spend my Christmas away from home...with wonderful family that I do not get to see that often, in the mountains that literally take my breath away every time I set my eyes on them, big fluffy snow flakes falling peacefully, and ski resorts that are bustling with families just as excited as my own.

This is a picture I took when skiing at A-Basin last April. I can only imagine what it will look like in December!

Just thinking of Christmas time this year makes me so thankful for my wonderful family, and all the blessings we've had in our life. I would love to live in Colorado one day, but until then, I'll enjoy my first Christmas in the mountains. Early morning rise, full day of fresh powder skiing, warm cozy cottage at night, fireplace and hot cocoa...all while enjoying the company of my parents, brother, aunts, uncle, cousins...Life simply could not ever get better.

20 days away!!

Today I heart...

Xhilaration pajama pants from Target! Yes, I am aware that this is in the junior section. And yes, I am totally okay with buying them! Sometimes, there's nothing better than a good pair of pj pants to get cozy in. I just bought these...

...and as I lay here cuddled up in my bed, all I can think about is how soft and cozy these pants are. Getting undressed in the morning and into work clothes tomorrow does not appeal to me at this moment!!

I heart question mark. Hmm...today I heart cozy pj's! What do you heart? :)

p.s. you can purchase those pajama pants, or pants just like those at the target website here

New memories with old friends

Yesterday I celebrated the marriage of two amazing people, Rebecca and Jason. Rebecca and Jason both worked in the Resident Life department at BU when I was an RA (Reba was my boss, Jason was the graduate RA assistant). Because dating within the department was "frowned upon," they kept their loooove a secret - which I love to take credit for keeping the secret for them, of course. :) All the RAs knew that SOMETHING was going on, but it wasn't until the year ended and Jason and Reba were moving on from BU that they went public with their relationship...and several months later, they were engaged!!!

Not only are Reba and Jason both just simply amazing people, but they are perfect for each other. You could literally taste the love in the air. The wedding ceremony was beautiful; so many smiles, happy tears, hugs, laughs...And the reception. So gorgeous. Every single person there had their dancing shoes on! Reba looked absolutely beautiful, and you could tell that Jason had never been happier in his life. My "date," Brad, who was an RA with me, is such a good friend, and was prepared to help me walk in my super high heels, hold my purse when I needed it, get me some more drinks, etc...

It was a night that I know no one will forget, and we have some awesome pictures to remind of this new fun memory :)

Congrats Mr and Mrs Jason Maestas!!! :)

Halloweenie!

Oh, Halloween. What can I say about this holiday except that it's one of my absolute favorite times of the year (after Christmas, of course)! The crisp air, leaves changing colors, candy everywhere, pumpkins, and best of all: costumes! Every year, I start pondering what I should be for halloween around labor day. Yes, that early. I change my mind guaranteed at least 6 times, and don't officially settle on something until the week of. But when I do make up my mind, I'm more ecstatic than the year before! Here are some of my past halloween costumes that I just loved:

A 1920's flapper...

Brian Urlacher...

Harry Potter...

A ladybug...

And this year I was...the devil!

Soon enough, it will be time to start thinking about next year...hmm...

;)

What every girl needs...

I firmly believe that every girl needs a fun animal print pump. Such as this one:

I recently bought a cheetah print pump just like this one, and I'm obsessed. Of course, I can't wear them to work (maybe I can - but it will have to be a perfectly planned day that I'm rarely on my feet in the classroom), but when I wore them out one night, I felt sexier than ever. Something about them brought out the inner animal in me ;)

Every girl should own a pair. Whether its reptile, cheetah, giraffe, zebra...doesn't matter!

I paired my pump with a black pencil skirt that came just above the knees, and a lilac sequin tank to add some color, but not be too outlandish.

A failed attempt is just one step closer to success!

After my attempt at moving out to Colorado and pursuing jobs, I moved all my crap that I packed up for Colorado back into my room in Illinois. And you know what? It feels pretty darn good :)

Like I said in a previous post, I just don't think I was ready. I took a baby step, and although it didn't work out too well, it gave me the motivation I needed to be more confident in job hunting and my career. (Speaking of jobs, I absolutely LOVE being back at LW. This will end up being another post for some other time, but I really do enjoy working in a school that I feel at home in. My coworkers, the students, everything about the job is amazing! I feel so blessed!)

One thing that really hit me these past couple of weeks after Colorado, how much I adore my family. Sure, we have our major ups and major downs. We're loud, crazy and Italian! But I realized that although the time wasn't right to move now, one day the time WILL be right. I am savoring every moment with my family right now. These days are going by so quickly, and although sometimes I'm leaving the house before everyone is awake, and then I'm in bed before they get home, rarely seeing them - there are the days here and there that I get to share with them and I cherish every second.

Some of my favorite days lately (in no particular order):

~sharing a blanket on the couch with my mom, watching a new Project Runway together and scoring the outfits on our own little scorecard that my mom designed! (Yes, she really did do that! I will post a picture soon to prove it!)

~watching my dad cook breakfast every Sunday morning for the whole family. He loves cooking and believes strongly in a good breakfast! He sings while cooking, and takes personal requests for food - even if we all want something different! :)

~short car rides with my brother - to the store, running an errand, to church, etc etc. Those small moments of just-sibling time mean the world to me

Best moment(s) of all: family dinner. There's something about sitting around the table together as a whole family, bowing our heads and holding hands in prayer before the meal, then digging in to some delicious home-cookin'. Enjoying each others company and laughing a lot. I love those evenings! However, now that my brother has gone back to Peoria for school, family dinner is a little quieter and a little less entertaining...we miss him a lot!

I'm grateful for my failed attempt at moving to Colorado for a job. It brought me to a career that I know I can move forward in with awesome colleagues, and made me more appreciative for my awesome family. One day, it'll be move-time. And when that day comes, I'll look back on my second-chance at living with the 'rents and know we all made it worth while :)

(The family at a Sox Game on July 30.)

Come on, Baby don't you want to go...

I've officially come to terms with the fact that I will not be living in Colorado just yet. And you know what? I'm kind of okay with it. I really missed my family these past 2 weeks. I've never visited Colorado without them, and it just didn't feel the same. I usually get alot of hikes in, or sight-seeing, or skiing. Not this time. This was such a "work-work-work" trip. I guess it kind of gave me the feel of what it would be like living out here on my own, and I just don't think I'm ready for it. I love the vacation part of Colorado. I don't think I'll be ready to officially live out here until I can REALLY make a living for myself. I was so limited these past couple weeks because I just didn't know where I was going (figuratively, not literally...I did have an awesome GPS!) This next year I just need to buckle down, focus on my career and furthering my education, save up alot, and next summer I can reevaluate if I'm set to really be on my own in Colorado - to have a stable job AND enjoy the mountains I love so much with some fresh powder beneath my skis. :)

Until then, I need to figure out what I'm going to do about shopping. Now that I'm making good money, I am going to be very tempted to hit up the mall more often. No bueno! I was on bananarepublic.com, which has the cutest clothes ever, and before I knew it, I had a shopping cart so full of cardigans and dresses that the pages were taking too long to load. Yikes! Good thing I stopped myself before pushing "Check Out..."

Next week is the big 23, and I plan to do some retail therapy then. Maybe in the greatest city on earth...Sweet Home CHICAGO!!!

awesome read :)

Two posts in one day! Woah! I'm becoming a nerd ;)

I forgot to mention last time...I just finished reading an awesome book. It is a history-related fiction novel titled "Mademoiselle Boleyn" by Robin Maxwell. Such a good read. Maxwell studied Anne Boleyn's life before she became King Henry VIII's second wife that made him leave the Catholic Church. She grew up in the French court, amongst scandal, liberalism (for that time period), and women challenging their roles. So fasciniting to see what could have created the queen-in-making. It's an easy read, and I couldn't put it down for a few days. It's highly suggested ;)

Job hunting gone awry...

On August 2, I flew out to Colorado to do some job hunting at schools. Talk about a migraine and a half! Sometimes, in education (sadly) its not what you know, its who you know. And well, I don't really know anyone high up in schools in Colorado. So my plan was to just walk into schools, resume and portfolio ready to go, and ask to speak to someone about any open positions. If there were no open positions, I was just going to ask to leave my resume with someone that can contact me for future employment.

Of course, every secretary I meet says that the Principal or hiring person is in a meeting. In every school throughout Colorado. At all hours of the day. How convienent. I mean, I get it. I understand how annoying it is when people just pop in unannounced. I worked in customer service. Solicitors are annoying. I guess I was kind of like a solicitor in some way. Selling myself basically. I just started to feel really let down after only a day.

I want to live in Colorado. More than anything in the world. When I was little, my friends would want to be models or vetrinarians. I wanted to be a ski instructor. I still think it would be AWESOME to do that for a living! But my first passion is education and history. Second is the mountains. Skiing, hiking, rock climbing...love it all. I want to combine my two passions one day. But not this school year I guess. After a week of job hunting, it was clear that I just waited too late in the game to get out to Colorado. I should have come in May. Shoulda, coulda, woulda!

However, on the more positive note, I have made a plan for my life for this next year. I was offered a permanent substitute teacher position at Lincoln-Way East High School (my alma-mater)!! It's awesome money, full time position, and they asked if I could coach a sport and be involved in 2 activities, which would bump me up on the pay scale even more. I always said that if I stay in Illinois, I would want to be at Lincoln-Way. :)

However...I need to teach one day. I can't be a permanent sub forever. Thus, my life plan to make myself more marketable for next year:

1. Learn Spanish. Being bilingual will be a HUGE boost to my resume.
2. I am 3 classes away from being certified in Language Arts. I will finish those 3 classes and then I can teach Language Arts and History! Double whammy ;)
3. Become certified in more than one state. Most states just require paper-work. Adding my certifications will make me more marketable to relocate if needed (hopefully to COLORADO!!).
4. Get a puppy. Yes, I know this has nothing to do with schools - but I want a puppy. Now is a good time :)

This last week in Colorado, I am going to relax with my family and enjoy myself. I don't know if I should even go into the guy I met that lives out here. Spent some time with him and it just did not work out...we both were on completely diffrent pages. I need to be single for a while. That's what your 20's are for anyways, right? :)

Newly single, new job, new life plans...just need to stay positive now and count the little blessing in life. I need to remember that when I push my own plans to happen, God laughs. All in due time will I be out in Colorado. I'll be trying every single school year, and I know one day it has to happen.

Somehow, I successfully made it through the job hunt with a job offer - not actual teaching, but in a school nonetheless. One step closer to doing what I really want! So maybe I'm not pushing adulthood away that much ;)

Starting out...

I never thought I would be blogging. But, here I am. After very much contemplating, I thought "Why not try it out?" I guess I'll figure out if it's a good or bad idea eventually; but until then, here goes nothing...

The title I chose for my blog is "Pushing Adulthood." I've heard people say "She's pushing 50" or "He's pushing retirement" ... Those sound like big milestones. Adulthood is a milestone for me. 22 (23 in less than a month) is such an awkward age. Do I buy fun clothes to go out in, or do I buy work-appropriate professional clothes? Do I stay in and get a good night sleep before work tomorrow, or do I go out and enjoy my young age? Do i read a new fictional novel or do I read a book that will help with my profession? If I get in a bad argument with a friend, do I forgive and forget like an adult, or do I cut my losses and somehow manage to move forward without them?

All these questions and more - some ridiculous and some deep - flood my mind, and I'm sure many others minds too. I've been finding myself thinking/questioning in circles. I ask myself the same questions over and over about friendship, family, faith, job hunting, interviews, competition, professionalism, acting more responsible, education, relationships...to name a few ;)

Aren't your early 20's supposed to be for fun?! When did all the stress of Adulthood creep into my life?? Maybe to find the answers to my questions, I should stop keeping those questions to myself, and look outside the box. My mother blogs about her ideas on faith (she works in a church), my Aunt blogs on technology (she teaches it at the High School level), and I have several friends that blog on a wide range of things (their crazy personal life, educational accomplishments as an aspiring teacher, books they read, places they travel, etc etc...).

I'm learning that life can be a little random (an understatement). I believe that this is one of the toughest times in life - balancing the scale of still being young and enjoying life, yet finding yourself thrust into a professional environment. Here I am...Pushing Adulthood. And for the record, I have not decided if it means I'm just on the edge of coming into adulthood (pushing myself into it) OR if I'm literally pushing it away all together!! I'll just have to see how it all turns out!

So here I go, on to the adventure of blogging my thoughts and experiences of Pushing Adulthood... :)