Top Ten Lists are My Favorite: Characters I Wish I Could Marry

Soooooooooooo...school started. And I stopped doing Top Ten lists. In order to bounce back in with a short and sweet post, I thought I would try to put a list that has virtually no merit whatsoever but is entertaining to think about. As you know, I get trapped inside stories pretty easily. Too easily. Maybe it is because I lack actual conversation or excitement or something, but somehow, characters start working their way around my brain like real people. (Sad, I know.) So, I thought it would be entertaining to make a list of the Top Ten Characters I Wish Were Real So That I Could Marry Them...Keep in mind: my standards for marriage are SO HIGH (obviously why I have not gotten married, right?), so although many characters throughout prose and film have made me swoon, few are worthy of wedding vows.

Also, don't judge that there are high school students on this list. We are dealing with a fictional universe where everything is okay.

*EDIT*

This is actually really hard to do since I take everything too seriously. Everything. So yeah, I have to quit thinking of a list of FICTIONAL characters I want to marry because it is taking up too much time.

In the meantime, here are a few who surely make it on the list...

Jim Halpert...Of course we all loved him more before he got the girl, but he's still pretty awesome.

He might be brooding and dark, but a girl has GOT to love Mr. Darcy.

 He might be a little guarded, but he has wisdom leaking out of
his eyeballs. Atticus Finch is the man.

.

So...Matt Saracen is a character written to manipulate my heart. He is adorable in every way possible. (The actor isn't in high school...)

Eric Taylor. Oh, Eric Taylor. That is all I will say. 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten Lists are My Favorite: My Family Vacation

Hello, ya'll. I wanted to write about my Mediterranean Cruise with the family, but just writing about it would be terribly boring, so here's to continuing the trend! In no particular order, here are my ten favorite memories from the ten-day vacation.

1. So, this little angel represents a strange phenomenon that I witnessed very clearly on the trip. People need "home." Whenever I go on trips, it is always amazing to me how quickly wherever you are staying becomes a place of comfort, even if it isn't that comfortable. We had some really long days, and it was always such a blessing to come "home" to the cruise ship. (The towel creations were nice as well.)

2. I didn't take my own picture of it, but those who know me know one of (if not my favorite) my favorite desserts is tiramisu. Up until this trip, the best I had ever had was in Ft. Lauderdale. I had a lunch in Sorrento that ended with a small morsel of absolutely fantastic tiramisu. Was it the best? They were both so good that I can't decide, BUT this was certainly a highlight.

3. Most people know that I love musicals. I do. What I wasn't expecting was this little darling show (only an hour long) called Twice Charmed. Basically, it was a twist on the ending of Cinderella. I actually ended up watching it by myself (my mom came in late and was at the top of the theater), and I enjoyed it so much. I thought the actors were great; the singing was top-notch. The staging of it was actually what I was most impressed with, and I found myself more and more pleased and surprised with each unique way they chose to tell the story. Loved it.

   4. Our first port was Malta, which is a beautiful place. We took a Turkish Schooner boat and traveled about an hour to spend the day swimming in the Mediterranean. The boat ride was a bit rough because people got sea sick, but once we anchored in, it was just magical. The water was SO CLEAR (everyone always says that...but it is just so shocking), and I just kept pinching myself because the whole experience was so surreal. I loved swimming between these two boats.

 5. Little known fact: I love the prospect of being tan. Other little known fact: I hate sunbathing...for the most part. I get really hot really fast, so I end up going swimming, and my face, back, and forearms are always tan (burned), while the rest of me remains stark white. However, on the last day of the trip, we were at sea. It was super windy. I went up to the top deck fairly early and braved the wind. It was actually kinda cold, but I got a few extra towels and read my book. The sun started getting hotter, so I wasn't cold, but I was NEVER hot. The wind was amazing. I fell asleep. Then, I moved, and the wind died down, except for one part of the boat. I fell asleep again. It was the single greatest sunbathing experience of my life, and yes, I got burned a bit, but I never got hot. Wonderful.

6. Picking excursions is a bit daunting. They all sound awesome, and they are so expensive. Mom and I chose to do the "Day at the Farm" with the grandchildren from the start, and we were excited. Parts of the day did not live up to our expectations, but the meal (after a delayed start that landed us at our own private table in the lobby...) was so amazing. They would bring small plates out at a time, never giving large portions, but the courses just kept coming. Seriously, one man suggested that the day be called "Day at the Table" instead. This meal taught me the art of dining. Just to let you know, we had bread, olives, artichokes, eggplant, jalapeno peppers, olive spread on bread, an egg dish, potatoes, pasta, pot roast, and cannelloni. Never-ending but delicious.

 7. Speaking of meals, we had a great waiter/waitress combo on the cruise ship. (There are three dining rooms, but your servers rotate with you to each of them.) The assistant server was a man from Bali named Inyoman. He shared MANY crayon tricks (brain teasers) with the kids (which turned into the entire table), and I really enjoyed this. I felt like it was a bonding experience for all of us and something we all enjoyed and laughed at. The meals were all special, but I especially loved what Inyoman brought to the table.

8. I knew I was excited to see Rome, specifically the Colosseum. Standing inside it seemed so surreal. I just wonder what that must have been like. I also wonder how in the world they were so good at structural monstrosities back then,  but that is another issue altogether. Yes, we have bigger stadiums now, but I'm not sure they could ever be more impressive.





9. Visiting Florence was really special to me. My mom and I went together, and although it was PACKED (which I loathe), everything was so beautiful. We walked A LOT, but I loved being there. (My mom bought a beautiful purse, so that was a plus.) I was continually impressed with the feats of architecture paired with the nuance of design and personality. The afternoon got super hot and wore on, but overall, the morning spent in Florence was absolutely lovely.

10. We went to three cities (not really cities, but whatevs) on the last day of the cruise...well, the last port. It was so unbelievably beautiful that I was in awe for most of the day, even though I kinda felt like a hobo. (It was SUPER wealthy.) Did you know it costs 50,000 euros to park your boat in the Monaco Harbor during the Grand Prix...per day? Yikes. Anyway, our VERY LAST stop was a medieval town at the top of a mountain called Eze. It is famous for making perfume, and it was magical. We only got to spend about forty-five minutes there, but I was mesmerized the entire time. It is hard for me to explain why, but I simply felt like a character in a story while walking UP the cobblestone path.

So, there we are! I do realize the value of seeing other countries, exploring new places. It is a little unnerving and really expensive, but travel does nourish the soul. 

Top Ten Lists are My Favorite: Books

In keeping with the trend, I have picked the ten (sort of) books that have had the biggest impact on me. Impact is an interesting word, however, because these books are on here for different reasons. Many of them (maybe more than should be on there for a high school English teacher) were formative for me as a child. They spoke to my imagination in a way that stuck, despite reading so many other books since. Some are on the list because a character jumped off the page or because I am jealous of the author's ability to craft a sentence. Some of these books deeply affected me as a human being, pushing me to grow as a person, and some, for the shame of it, simply kept me entertained. Let's be honest. I am only ashamed that they made it on the list because I am supposed to be. Ironically, I seem to make very little time for reading, and there are many books on important lists that have never made it off my bookshelf. I've never read Vonnegut, and I've only tried Capote once. Hemingway bores me, and Ayn Rand seems like such a beast. Tolkien would take more investment than I have to give, and Lewis remains on my shelf for no particular reason. You get the idea, I think. So, for better or for worse, here is my list, honestly...in no particular order, of course.

 

(I couldn't split them, so they made it on the list as one giant book.)

Honorable Mentions:

 

  

Top Ten Lists are My Favorite

No pressure. I'm just gonna start blogging again, but I am going to start doing it in the form of lists. I don't know why; it just came to me. I miss writing, but I am also busy and terrible at doing it routinely. Lists I can handle for now. However, you should know that Top 10 anything is difficult for me to do, and don't you dare ask me to put them in order. No way, friends. This is just a nice list of my TEN FAVORITE TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME...right now.

I'm not even going to talk about them. I'm just going to give you some titles. Bam. Changed woman.The only rule is I want you to think about it too! Make your own list.

In NO particular order...

 
(Dan Dark, that one is for you.)








Two shows that will most likely edge their way into the competition but need more time are Modern Family and Parks and Recreation.

Oh geesh, I probably made some errors there. I will post before I regret it.

The Last Thing I Need to Be Doing Right Now...

I was reading before falling asleep last night. (It is LOVELY to be able to do that, but now I have my schedule all nice and ruined before heading back to school.) I started thinking about the past year because that is what one is supposed to do on New Year's Eve Eve, I guess. I tried to think about the best moments, those that stand out to me out of the 525,600 (start singing it, please) moments that I have lived this year. That is actually kinda hard to do. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I shaft the little spots of gold that were too unplanned for a camera. I wracked my brain, and most of the unexpected gems have surely faded away. However, this year has been ... fast. Too fast. When you live at a pace that tries to fill the day with constant responsibilities, time moves so quickly. Maybe I feel like I am constantly chasing it rather than relishing it. Will I always feel like that?

I digress.

So, (my favorite transition) I went to sleep, hit snooze for two hours this morning, and started thinking about listing the best of 2010. I like lists. In some ways, it makes me sad because my life away from school seems pretty bleak according to this list. In some ways, I can't help but be thankful again today for having a job that provides so many blessings. This list is in no particular order. The New Orleans trip, if given an option, would dominate a Top Ten Moments list. It was, hands down, the highlight of my year. I continue to think about it often, and I am thankful that I am permitted to plan countless reunions. So, I tried to limit New Orleans' moments on the list, but you will still see a lot. :)

Here's to you, 2010. (Oh my, this got really long. Surprise.)

1. "What haste looks through his eyes. So should he look that seems to speak things strange." (I did that from memory, boys!) Macbeth is not my favorite play, but being in a play with students and colleagues and an awesome directorial duo was really special to me. (And I loved eating chicken around that fire.)

2. CWC jr. If I have to pick a moment, which I guess I didn't do with Macbeth, it would be the first time Ian read to everyone or open mic night. Yes, open mic night it is. I was so tired. It was the night of the walk-a-thon. The day before had been the frisbee tournament. Parents would be there. The kids were INCREDIBLE, playing the crowd like trained comedians. I sat and ate my delicious chicken salad sandwich and cookies and watched and learned.

Oh geesh. I am doing that thing where I write a paragraph...I need to stop.

3. Sheehanigans TOOK OFF. This also caused a lot of stress and terrible back problems, but it has truly been a blessing for me and something to look forward to in the future.

4. Spending most Friday nights with my mom. We have grown so close, and there is so much comfort in going to her house each Friday night, putting on my PJs, sitting in the recliner and watching television. (And falling asleep at 9:32.)

5. Watching Nick when he spotted Kaitlyn for the first time at Morris Fork when she came to visit. That hug was so genuine. It was so beautiful.


6. So, the entire Academic Banquet was wonderful. But maybe a highlight would have to be when Alex told everyone that I was his Lady Gaga, well, his and many others'.

7. Have you ever seen Jeff Gutzwiller dance? Line dance? H-I-G-H-L-I-G-H-T.

8. It takes a long time to finish the literary magazine, even when you think it is almost finished. When that moment comes, add six hours of work to what you think will be one. However, in the midst of that, you have these ridiculous bouts of crazy. Thus, I present you with moment #8: the Doodle paragraph in the back of Chicken Pox. I think Aamena cried from laughing. (We know it's not that funny.)

9. Have you ever heard Daniel Schoch sing? What about sing to songs like "Push It"? Hmmm...our van heard that on the way home from New Orleans. It was priceless.

10. I always love Mini-O, but 2010 was something incredible. My top moment? Either seeing Funiture completely assembled or walking back to my classroom as all-out chaos was booming in by the main stairwell. I. Loved. It.

11. I tried to be like Jay Newlin last summer. I tried to host my own Backyard Games. It might not have been quite as successful as his, but watching my incredible colleagues play the Oreo game was something to be remembered. (Sidenote: Being a 3-peat champion at Jay's backyard games was also pretty incredible.)

Oops. Font change.

12.The past two Homecomings have been spectacular. But my highlight of Homecoming 2010 has to be the passing periods on Thursday (reflecting a bigger moment). When classrooms would empty, it was this crazy rainbow filling up the hallways. I believe the number was 1586, give or take a few. That is how many students participated on the class competition dress-up day. And thus, tradition is being born.

13. When we decided to do the Minute to Win It challenge, I didn’t want to throw up numbers. I never do. I didn’t want to give people a false expectation of what success would be. But you have to give a goal. You have to make it real. I don’t actually know how many students and staff members we have. I estimated at 2500. When Zoe read that we raised over $3,000, well, I screamed and danced, and I could spend quite a bit of time explaining why, but I will save that for another post.

14.Going along with that, let’s talk about the last day of the semester. Hunter and I (as per usual) still had a lot of papers to grade. I was supposed to leave at 3pm. That didn’t happen. I also realized that it would be possible for us to raise $20,000. The day before, when we were a little over $18,000, I was content. I was finished…again. And then generous people donated online. And boom, that day changed. All of a sudden, we had this unbelievable, never-would-have-dreamed-it goal in sight. And I will never know all the people who chipped in at the end. You see, we didn’t work for that last $1500. We were given a gift by teachers and community members and students and parents and alumni. Maybe even strangers. And, as the night wore on, and Hunter and I got crazier and crazier, the total rolled over $20,000. Incredible.

15. My niece and nephews are awesome. I love them all, but one highlight of this past year was getting to know Casey, my niece, a little better. She is fiery and loving, and I can’t wait to see who she becomes. She rocks stripes and polka dots like nobody’s business as well.

16. Another highlight has to do with the fact that my family will be going to Europe together this summer. I know it hasn’t happened yet, but the decision was made in 2010. It is a huge investment, and it stresses me out, but I know it will be simply wonderful.

17. I have a lot of great memories with Aubry and Carly (we spend a lot of time together), but I REALLY loved the night we did the "It Happened One Saturday Night" story. Read and see it here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=199517&id=503268952 (I wonder if that link will work.)

18. Oops, I tried to spread out the New Orleans moments, and now I am getting near the end and have a few left. The lying game. If you were there, you understand. "She was acting up."

19. The dedication. That was SO SPECIAL for me. I hope for everyone. But I didn't really want it to be about us.

20. CWC: Senior Year was a part of Chicken Pox that is priceless to me. I hope it wasn't completely self-serving. But I don't really think that many people would or could realize how special those words were (and will always be) to me.

21. There were a few moments from Halloween that I loved, but strangely, this might be my favorite.

22. Hearing Richard (and Jimmy) speak to us during the Face-to-Face tour was priceless. His words will continue to resonate in my heart for a LONG time to come. Hopefully, his words will be heard again in Uganda this summer or maybe in San Diego.

23. I think this will be the last one. I will come back with more, I am sure. (And no one will read them but me, and that's okay.) We did some "unpleasant" jobs on the work site in New Orleans. I am not sure if anything in the sun could be pleasant in late July in New Orleans, but there were just a few jobs that caused a tremendous amount of frustration. But, strangely enough, these jobs also caused so much pride. The teams that worked on them wore their badge of honor. They united and laughed behind the frustration. People screamed and possibly wanted to throw hammers, but still, they kept going. Pounding aluminum nails into the house was miserable. MISERABLE. I swear Kacie and Elly almost cried. I don't know how Alex and Corey did it for SO LONG. I just didn't understand. And then we got a new box. These were steel. (Or something way stronger than aluminum if I am wrong.) And HIT. HIT. HIT. DONE. HIT. HIT. HIT. DONE. Sometimes, maybe more than we acknowledge, the little victories taste the sweetest. High on those ladders, sweating buckets, feeling like a failure in every way possible, I was handed the greatest gift of my year: nails. It was (and still is) bigger than the nails, but like I said, maybe another time.

Go ahead and re-live your moments. It takes a bit of the blur away from time. You get some back.

Happy New Year.