obsession with pinterest

I have a minor problem.  I have an obsession with Pinterest.  Pinterest is now one of the top ten social networks according to USATODAY.  It is a place where you can organize and share everything that you like and have an interest in. I see it kind of like a scrapbook of the things I like and want.  I first learned about Pinterest when my roommate sent me an email containing a picture with a slogan.  I said, "Where did you find this?!"  She told me, and I started checking it out.  You have to ask to join Pinterest, so after a few days of waiting I got my acceptance email and started pinning away.  I am following friends and people who share my interests.

I started making my Boards and started determining how I would sort my pins.

So far my boards are:

• travel the world
• fashion & style
• home decor ideas
• accessories
• products i love
• sayings for life
• photography
• hardcover
• tv & movies
• music

My boards have been changing as I see more people's boards, and I change the titles when I see a catchy one.  I am really excited because it has given me motivation to do new things.  A cool thing about the pins is that if you click on them a lot of them have links on how to do things.  For example, I found this awesome center piece that had candles in a vase surrounded by corks.  I clicked on the link and it had step by step how to create it.  

This is just one of my new found interests this year!

world's most popular landmarks

Everyday I sign onto the computer, and I check out the new events on my Verizon/Yahoo homepage.  There are usually about 40-50 stories lined up with images, and a few of them always catch my eye.  I always check out the celebrity gossip, political news, and of course anything that has to do with travel.

Today I found World's Most Popular Landmarks.  It had 10 world landmarks, but many of them consisted of places in the US.  I travel the world, but there are many places and things I have not seen right here in the motherland of the US.  Of the World's Most Popular Landmarks, I was surprised what places/things made the list versus what didn't.

1.  Statue of Liberty, New York City

2.  Empire State Building, New York City

Karyn and I went to the top of the Empire State Building on a cold, cold day in December 2008

3.  Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

4.  Eiffel Tower, Paris

Made it to the Eiffel Tower in Summer 2011.

5.  Big Ben, London

Visiting Sarah in England during Summer 2007.  We took a weekend trip to London to sight see, and I saw Big Ben.

6.  Colosseum, Rome

Inside the Colosseum in Rome during Summer 2011 trip.

7.  Millennium Park, Chicago

I visited my friend, Sarah, while she worked in Chicago during Summer 2010.  I spent the day sightseeing while she was at work, and I got to see Millennium Park.

8.  St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Although it is hard to see, but that is me in the middle of my brother and sister during our trip to Rome in 2011 in front of St. Peter's Basilica at night.

9.  Swiss Re Building, London


10.  The High Line, New York City


Of the 10 places listed in the World's Most Popular Landmarks, I have been to 6 of them.  I think that is pretty impressive.  The four places that I have yet to see on the list are in New York City, San Francisco, and London.  It looks like I am going to have to make plans to travel over the next few months to knock the 4 off my list.  Although these were the top 10 places listed for Yahoo, I think there are a lot of places that didn't make the list, especially for the US.  I mean what about the Grand Canyons, Mount Rushmore, the sites in Washington D.C., the Great Wall of China, Cliffs of Moher, African Safari, the Kremlin, and so much more.  It is hard to determine what the top 10 places to see in the world are because it is up to a person's likes and interests.

My top 10 of my travels so far (not in any particular order)
1.  St. Mark's Square, Venice
2.  Amalfi Coast, Positano
3.  Millennium Park, Chicago
4.  Museums and Monuments, Washington, D.C.
5.  Eiffel Tower, Paris
6.  Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
7.  Historical Sites, Boston
8.  Westminster Abbey, London
9.  Duomo, Florence
10.  Outer Banks, North Carolina

My top 10 will continuously change based on my continuous travels throughout my life!

the brits

I have had a fascination with the Brits my whole life.  I am not sure if it is their fashion style, sexy British accents, the beautiful places they have to offer tourists, or their movie productions like Love Actually and Pride and Prejudice.  Of all those things, the thing that gets me the most is their music artists.  I find myself all the time loving a new song on the radio, and I later find out it is a breakout British artist who has just made it to the American airwaves.  Over the years, I realized that I have added more and more British artists in my iTunes library than anything else.  Just to name a few goodies... The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, Lulu, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Police, Phil Collins, Bee Gees, Natasha Bedingfield, Seal, James Blunt, Leona Lewis, and so many more.

I love unique music and some of my absolute favorites just happen to be...

1.  Coldplay  Viva La Vida

2.  Amy Winehouse (may she rest in peace)  Rehab

3.  Duffy Rockferry (you may better know her for Mercy)

4.  Adele Chasing Pavements

5.  Lily Allen Smile

6.  Jessie J (my new #1 found love) Domino

all images via we heart it

Music makes me happy.  Find what makes you happy.

all i can say is...

It does not feel like winter.  Yes, we had two light dustings of snow.  Was it enough snow?  Definitely not.  Right now, I live for the days where I can sleep in an extra hour because of snow causing school delays or closures.  Sometimes you just need that break, or have the luxury to look out your window to see the fresh fallen snow.  These are the mornings when you make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and bundle up in your comfiest clothes to watch the sun hit the snow.  Well, I haven't been able to see any real snowfalls this year, so what do I do when I get "snow sick"?  I look for pictures that make me feel that I got my fill of snow.

images from weheartit.com

Well, there are still two months left of winter, so I guess there is still time.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get one of those mornings filled with snow.  If not, at least I get to go to Denver in February.  There I will definitely get to see my snow!

makeover

With every new year, it is time for new things.  It's time for a blog makeover.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the way my blog looked before today.  However, it is time for something new.  Like the first time I beautified my blog, I went to Shabby Blogs.  How did I find Shabby Blogs?  Well, I would have to thank my good friend Harper and her blog, bleak to chic.  I actually got the whole idea of blogging from her.  I was very inspired by her, so Harper if you are reading this... thank you!  Now, getting back to Shabby Blogs.  I went there first because I wanted to see if they had anything new, and low and behold they did!

First I found my traveling background.  I absolutely loved the map and the winnebago.  Then I found my header.  I didn't want anything to colorful because the background already had a lot of color.  I found the unbeautified wooden frame.  To make the header your own, you have to add pictures and text.  It's kind of hard to do that without knowing how to, but thanks to Shabby Blogs tutorials, I was able to figure it all out.  I added my title first, but I found it to be to plain.  I wanted a picture.  While searching the world wide web, I came across We Heart It.  In this website you can search for any picture you want.  I typed in travel, and thousands of pictures showed up.  Next thing I know, my header was finished.  So, I put everything together and finito!  

Background + Header = Finished Makeover 

"From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!"

As part of my New Year's Resolutions to find peace and happiness, I have decided to detox my body and start getting fit again.  The first step of going to the grocery store and not buying all the chocolate and carbs in the world was a bit of struggle, but I managed.  I bought lots of fruits and veggies, yogurt, and rice.  The best part about leaving the grocery store (even though it was hard not to put in chocolate and the bad carbs) was looking at the total cost.  I saved money!! So, even though my sweet tooth may not be fully satisfied, I felt very proud and rewarded for saving a few extra bucks.  After a few days of eating that good stuff, it was time for me to hit the gym.

The gym and I are off and on friends.  When I am on a roll at the gym, man am I on a roll.  I will be there everyday doing cardio or taking classes with friends.  More recently the gym and I have been kind of distant.  I started making excuses such as being too tired or I didn't eat enough today, so I don't want to be passing out in front of everyone.  My best excuse ever is "I will go tomorrow."  I can tell you tomorrow has finally come, and I mean it!

Today I bought shoes at Road Runner Sports.  It was the first time I have ever gone to a place other than Dick's or Kohl's to get tennis shoes.  I have always loved running, so I figured to get me going to the gym why not buy a good pair of running shoes.  My last pair of shoes finally gave in recently, so it was time.  I walked into Road Runner Sports and immediately a person came to help me.  I told them that I was looking for a pair of running shoes, and that I heard this was the place to come.  Within minutes I was going through their simulation.  The simulation was a series of tests to see what shoe was best for you.  First, they measured your feet. Second, they took thermal imaging of your feet to show how you stand and the arcs of your feet.  Thirdly, they make you run on the treadmill for a few short seconds at your average running speed to see how your feet land as you run.  Finally, they make an insole for your shoe based on your foot's impression.  After all of these things, they are able to recommend what shoe is right for you.

I found out a lot of new things today about my feet.  My arcs are weirdly high, my left foot lands way differently than my right, and I have apparently been wearing the wrong shoe size for quite some time.  Anyways, after a debating between three shoe brands that were the same shoe style, I decided on my ASICS.  Now, I have no excuse, but to go to the gym, so as Forrest Gump said, "From that day [today] on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!"

Peace and Happiness

Happy New Year everyone!! Today is the day we decide to make a change in our life.  Well, I am sure as hell ready, and I hope you are too!  I enjoyed the last day of winter break before going back to teaching the children.  I love my job.  I love the people I work with, and the students I teach.  With teaching, you never know what is going to happen.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I can't wait to see everyone for the first time this 2012 year!

Now, it is time to start my New Year's Resolutions.  My main resolution this year is to find peace and happiness.  How am I going to find peace and happiness?  When I find it, will I be able to hang on to it?  People find peace in many ways--worship, calming music, long car rides, or breaking a sweat at the gym.  Over the last year I have tried many different things, but they have never stuck.  I am going to try to find my peace and happiness.  Well, I shouldn't say try... I am going to find it!  I may have to work on it for an entire year, but maybe these types of things take time.

The first step I am going to take to finding my peace and happiness is to detox my body.  I never look forward to the days between Thanksgiving and New Years.  I try to be healthy, but everywhere I go and everything I see is comfort food in grand amounts.  My first step has already begun.  Today I went to the grocery store, and I bought lots of healthy foods--fruit and vegetables.  It is time to get the super amounts of sugar out of my body, so I can get onto my happier, peaceful New Year!