8 Things I've Been Thinking About It

1. Airborne.
This is the herbal supplement that Oprah publicized on her show. Invented by a teacher, FOR teachers. Well! I'm a teacher. And I do in fact love Airborne. I start taking it right when I suspect a cold could be coming--once or twice a day if its bad--and it seems to help. Working with so many students, who are going all sorts of places and getting all sorts of "diseases," I am really susceptible to sickness. So, I use Airborne as well as that GermX stuff. I got pinkeye from a student last year, so now I'm much more aware of the need to wash my hands--or santize--often.
2. Jennifer Hudson.
This girl is AMAZING. I didn't watch the season of "American Idol" that she got kicked off of, but I have watched "Dreamgirls" and man...that girl has a set of pipes! I wish I could sing like that. I enjoying singing along to the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack in my car...gettin' down with my bad self. But, alas, I know I have nothing on Jennifer. She rocks.
3. Disneyland.
I Love Disneyland. It deserves to be capitalized because my love is great enough it could be a Proper Noun. Really. I LOVE it! I worked at Disney World, and I do love Orlando, but Disneyland remains the most magical place for me. What do I love about Disneylan? What DON'T I love about Disneyland?! New Orleans Square, churros, The Matterhorn, Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Mickey Mouse, Main Street USA...I LOVE IT. And its been too long since I've visited. Hopefully we'll get that done by the end of the year.
4. Shoes.
My love of shoes is one of the most feminine things about me. I counted this weekend--I have 40 pairs of shoes. 40! Isn't that disgusting? I think so. But I love them all, and I wear them all. That's the amazing thing. I don't have shoes that I don't wear. I have 40 pairs of shoes that I wear. And I love buying new shoes. I've bought two new pairs in the last two weeks. And trust me...they're fantastic.
5. High School Musical...1 and 2.
I first heard about this Disney Channel Original months after it had premiered. I don't get the Disney Channel (shocking...I know), so I was definitely out of the loop. My little sister loved it, and one of my friends who lived out of state also told me I'd love it. She was right. From my first viewing, I was hooked! I love the music, the actors, the dances...and I don't care if its preteens who are the target audience. I'm mid-twenties and I'm a FAN. I've actually found this helps me connect to a lot of my students. The girls love the fact that I'm a HSM fan...and the fact that I wear a Zac Efron pin on my lanyard. That helps...
6. The Gym.
I go to the gym 5 or 6 times a week. I think I'm sort of addicted. Is that a bad addiction? Part of me thinks that all addictions are bad, but if you're working out...is it bad? Well, whatever you think, I think I love the gym. I usually go at 5:30 in the morning, before work. I find it works best to do it first thing--I feel like I've already accomplished something before I even get to work, and I don't have to shower twice in one day. I usually do a good cardio workout with a few weights if I have time. My favorite thing to do is run on the treadmill or track. Run. Run. Run. I like running outside, but with the weather changing, it doesn't work out too often. Anyway, the gym. I love it.
7. Taking a Stand.
I saw "Hairspray" in the theater about a month ago. What a great movie! I could go on and on about that for a while, but what I've been thinking about is the whole idea of standing up for something you believe in. I think its important to take a stand, but I know its not always easy. I think its hardest to stand up for what you believe in when you have a friend or family member involved. You want to be supportive of those close to you, but you also need to stick to what you know is right. I wonder if our country has become so accustomed to being "accepting" and "open to ideas and people" that we let down our standards to fit in or not to offend somebody. As I said, I'm thinking about it...
8. Winter.
I have a love/hate relationship with the winter season. I hate it because my skin dries out and hurts, snow covers the roads so I feel like I'm going to DIE on my way to and from work, and its cold...and I don't like the cold. However, winter also signals the beginning of the holiday season. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I can't deny that playing in the snow--making snow angels, snow people, etc.--is fun. So, with winter coming on I'm excited as well as dreading it. And I think its strange to have such strong mixed emotions about something.