As 2012 comes to a close, it feels right to talk about what I learned this year and what I hope for next year. 

1. We are capable of so much more than we realize. This year, I was able to run not one, but two half marathons. On February 26, 2012, I completed my dream of running the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World. It was one of the happiest experiences of my life, despite the fact that I limped through miles 10-13 and could barely walk the next day. On May 5, I ran the Indy Mini Marathon with many of my best friends running it with me. There is something so calming about running, even when your body is screaming. If anything, I learned that we are capable of so much more than we realize. We're able to push ourselves past self-imposed limits -- physically, mentally, emotionally. It's true what they say... when there's a will, there's a way. 

2. Great things come to those who wait. For, quite literally, years, I have been wondering when I would finally meet the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life -- someone who would love me, support me, challenge me, nurture me, laugh with me, and be the other complete person I was looking for. I have found all of this, and more, in Dan. I knew before we even met... when we were talking on the phone before my first half marathon. He has been supportive and caring in every aspect of my life... running, teaching, and new undertakings. I spent the majority of my early and mid 20s wondering when it was going to happen, when I would finally find him. But what I have learned is that GREAT things come to those who wait. And there is a fantastic reason that I waited this long for this man. Great things are coming. 

3. Nothing in the world matters more than people. I have long boasted that I am surrounded by the best family and friends in the world. I really, truly believe this with all my heart. I am so lucky to be supported by loving, strong, hilarious people. They keep me young. They keep me honest. They keep me laughing. They keep me motivated. Nothing in the world matters more than people. Surrounding ourselves with positive, open, loving ones make life so much better. Very little else matters. People are instrumental to happy lives.

4. Kindness is key. Working with teenagers every day, I'm sometimes disappointed with their decisions. But, more often than not, I'm amazed at their kindness to one another, when talking about their families, and when making decisions that impact others. Kindness is key. Without kindness, love, and compassion, we're not going to make it very far. This year, I want to focus more on kindness -- toward others and myself. I often have the tendency to be highly critical of my own performance. But, kindness is something that should be present everywhere. Kindness is key. 

5. Everything happens for a reason. It may sound cheesy, but everything happens for a reason. Even the terrible things that happen in our lives help to teach us something, make us stronger, or rethink a current stance. This year, I'm planning a giant undertaking with my friend Erin. We came up with a book concept a few years back, and currently, we're in the process of copyrighting our manuscript(!!!!!!!!!!!!!)! This book is YEARS in the making, and takes many of the bad experiences we've had and turns them in to something positive. All of these things have led us to this place. And hopefully this year, we'll be seeing a giant payoff for our less than shiny moments. Everything happens for a reason. 

6. An organized life is a happy life. Besides stretching more, one of my biggest goals of 2013 is to get organized. My house is clean, but I'm a small-time hoarder and have lots of piles. My friend and coworker Ashley has started her own fabulous organization business and has truly inspired me to organize me house, one small chunk at a time. It's amazing how much better it feels to purge things that have no use, organize items so I can easily find them. There is something so cleansing about having things in order. An organized life is a happy life. 

2012 was one of the best years of my life. I have so much to be thankful for. And while in some ways I'm sad to see it come to a close, I simply cannot wait for 2013 and all of the wonderful things coming! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year

As I write this, the snow is blowing sideways. Presents are stacked everywhere around my family room. And I am in a food coma that, despite getting in a good run this morning, has lasted for three straight days. That, though, is not why it's the most wonderful time of the year. 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were divided between my house, my parents' house, Dan's parents' house, and Dan's sister and brother-in-law's house. It was a lot of back and forth, loading, unloading, reloading, and unloading gifts, and snacking on delicious treats. 

It was the most wonderful two days ever. There's nothing more special than spending time with family. This year, I got to spend time with two families, two of the best families, in my opinion. On Christmas Eve, our families got to be together in Michigan, and it was absolutely perfect. We got to laugh and enjoy and be surrounded by love. Totally, totally awesome. 

There are so many things we all take for granted. Meals together. Story swapping. A goodbye hug. A hello smile. Having a whole day where those are the only things to focus on is perfection. 

With eyes on 2013, I know wonderful things are coming our way. Next year, I will watch at least six friends and family members marry, meet many new babies, and have countless experiences I can only dream about. I. Am. So. Excited! 

Pictures below of our holiday. I hope you had the Merriest Christmas yet! 

Dan made this awesome ornament for me, commemorating our first Christmas together. :)

We tried to take a cute picture near the tree. (What do you do with your hands?!)

Hellllllo Troy Polamalu! 

Dan was super excited about his new waffle maker, craft beer magazine, and Total Recall. 

Merry Christmas! 

Boys young and old looooove PS3. 

Naturally, one of the biggest hits of the day was... a giant box! 

Cole rocking his Steelers pajamas! 

It's the end of the world as we know it... and I teach high school

I hesitate to say this, but this week is one of my least favorite weeks of the entire school year. If you've never been a high school teacher, let me explain something to you. Something happens to teenagers this week. I don't know if it's in the water or in the air or a wire that is simultaneously tripped in all brains of teenagers, but kids go absolutely bonkers this week. To be fair, this is my second least favorite week of the year, followed only by the week before spring break. Are you surprised I didn't say the week before summer vacation? I like that week. Kids are excited to graduate. They get nostalgic about the school year and life in general. This week, there is none of that. 

To make matters worse, approximately 50 percent of students are in an utter panic about December 21, 2012, which, at least for this year, makes THIS my least favorite week of the year. The "normal" amount of chaos has gone even MORE chaotic and the natives have gotten restless. I can't even put it in to words. The decibel level rises. The things students shout in the hall become more obnoxious. I literally field questions like, "Really, though, are zombies real?" and, "What happens if some people survive and others don't? Do I still have to, like, obey laws" I have to deal with statements like, "I'm not doing my required reading because there won't be time to finish the novel before the end of the world. Therefore, you can't test us over it." 

Today, though, I got a pop quiz turned in that made me quite literally laugh out loud. My students are reading Huck Finn, and today's pop quiz asked a question about what Jim reveals to Huck about his daughter. The student wrote a total BS answer, and then, left me a little note. You would have to know this student and his extreme sarcasm in all situations to truly understand the awesomeness, but I will share anyway. It reads: 

Dear Ms. S, 

Sorry about my answer. I'm drawing a blank. The world is ending Friday when sloths invade towns. Lots of bloodshed. 

Sincerely, 
(insert name here)

On that note, I'm off to the ND basketball game. Best of luck to you and yours with the sloths! 

On hope

Much has been written in the past few days about the tragic elementary school shooting in Connecticut. As a journalist, I could probably write a long commentary on the facts of this event, the inaccuracies in the reporting, and the fall out from those inaccuracies. But as a teacher, my heart immediately kicks in and sees this event from the perspective of an educator. 

On Friday, my CNN browser (which is always open at school) alerted me that there had been a shooting at a school in Connecticut, and that there were at least two injuries. Sadly, I clicked right past it, thinking it was sad, but looking for other news. By the time I clicked on CNN again at the end of my third hour class, the headline MASS KILLING was sprinkled all over the page. My heart immediately flew in to my throat as I thought about those involved. 

This situation is one that, as humans, we can all relate to. Maybe you're a parent of a young child, and thought about the parents of the school descending on that fire house, waiting for their children to come running out. Maybe this reminded you of another tragedy we've seen on TV, whether it was another school shooting, or something like 9/11. Maybe, like most people, you're just a human, and so that is why it hit so close to home. For me, it's being a teacher and imagining this situation in my own school that was so troubling. 

I teach on the second floor of our school in an interior classroom with no access to the outside. Our classroom doors have a window pane directly next to the door handle. We have a protocol in place and have practiced lock down drills within our school. And yet, I spent most of my prep period on Friday trying to figure out what I would do to keep my kids safe in the event of an emergency. I don't think my plan is fail proof, but it's a semblance of something I could hold on to. 

I thought about my students... 16, 17, 18-years-old with their whole lives ahead of them. And then I thought about the poor babies in that school... the ones who wouldn't know to run, wouldn't have any way to protect themselves, wouldn't, perhaps, realize the danger right around the corner. I want to believe those who passed didn't know what was happening, that they did so peacefully. And I want to believe that anyone affected by this tragedy will find peace and healing over the next several days, weeks, months, and years. But I just don't know if they will. 

There are so many injustices in this world, so many sad, terrible, preventable things. There are too many tragedies, too many lives lost way too young. But we have to have hope. There has to be hope for the future, for common decency, for the world, and for wonderful things to start happening. 

I still hope that there will be a day when peace is attainable around the globe. I realize this may be naive, but I'm okay with that. Because, to me, it's worth it to have hope. 

Mental health

Today was a first for me in my almost eight years of teaching. I took a day off. Not because I had an appointment. Not because I was sick. Not because I was out of town. I took a personal day... a mental health day, if you will. After a 14-hour grading session this weekend and a marathon that has been the 2012 school year, I needed a moment to breathe. 

I woke up at normal time. Typical. So, I got up, worked out, took a shower, and took my time getting ready. It was glorious having time to actually blow dry my hair on a Tuesday. Some of my dear friends (not that I'm naming names) showed up around 9:30, and off we went toward Grape Road to have breakfast, shop, shop some more, have lunch, and then come home. Besides the great finds (a $17 coat from Old Navy! 4 organizers from Bed, Bath, and Beyond!), it was nice to have a moment to sit with friends, relax, and enjoy a conversation without worrying about having to get a lot done today. Lovely, lovely day. 

It was really, really nice to have a day off. This, of course, begs the question, why do people tend to feel so guilty about taking a day off? For years, I have avoided taking even a single day for myself. My mom, also a teacher, has always told me, "Angela, they will survive without you. School keeps going when you're not there." And she's right! I'm hoping I'll cut myself some slack and remember in the future that it's okay to take a day off if it means I get to rejuvenate myself. 

Upon getting home tonight, I decided to cross something off my always growing 'Organize This' list. My sweaters have long been annoying me. They sit on the shelf in my closet. They fall all over. They are wrinkled beyond belief. And they have been impossible to dig through in order to find the sweater I'm actually looking for. Well, no more! I was able to get all the sweaters back in the closet (freeing up an entire drawer of space!), get the t-shirts out, and have everything in an order that makes sense. Hooray! 

Before: A Giant Mess

After: Organized! Happy! 

I wish I was a little bit taller

Today after work, I went to get a massage. Can we all just agree that massages are one of the very best things in the whole wide world? Okay, good. 

My masseuse is a lovely woman named Teresa. She lives in the town where I teach and does massages out of her home (not in a shady way, she has a studio, people). Anyway, every time I go see her, I feel like I need to apologize for something. After my two half marathons, it was a lot of apologizing for missing or blackened toe nails. Now, though, it's changed. 

Today, I had to apologize for my stress knots. To say that I get knots in my shoulders and back would be like saying peanut butter is just "okay." (Peanut butter is right up there with massages. They both go in the category of Freaking Awesome.) The knots in my shoulders get so large, they can physically be grabbed. There's nothing I love more than having Teresa work on them until they release (which, most of the time, they don't completely, but they're MUCH better afterward). 

But, my favorite part about the massage is when I get in my car afterward. Because that is when I notice that I've gotten taller. All of the sudden, my rearview mirror sits too low and I have to adjust it so that I can actually see out of it. I feel like the weeks or months in between my massages compact me, but having that massage helps me to lengthen back out. It's like adding an extra half inch to my frame! And besides, I always wanted to be 5'6".