On My Bookshelf

While I enjoy this "leisure" time of not being in school and not yet having a full-time job, I have found that I am really enjoying two things: having time for Netflix and reading.
My current obsession on Netflix is Hart of Dixie.  I love how cute and sometimes corny this show is.  Not to mention I want to move to Alabama and live in Lemon's closet.  Her and AB have the cutest, vintage style.  Soon I will need a new show because I'm blazing through this one.  Any suggestions?
Anyway, as much as I love having more time for reading, I find myself getting distracted or, most of the time, sleepy when I read at home.  If I'm in the car or on the beach I could read for hours on end.  It's something about sitting at home and reading that makes me stop and think about all of the other things I could/should be doing, like laundry, running, cleaning my room, etc.  I don't think it's that my books lack engaging content, but rather that I am easily distracted.  The only solution to this problem that I have come up with is to move to the beach :)
Where is your favorite place to read?  Do you have any reading tips that will keep me focused and engaged in my book while reading at home?
I'm about to finish up The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks.  I really wanted to read this before the movie comes out in April.

Here are some other books that I would like to read and/or finish, pulled from my Goodreads account:

What book did you finish recently that you would recommend me adding to my bookshelf?

Happy St. Patty's Day! + Race Recap

Happy St. Patrick's Day to my fellow Irishmen + everyone who adopts being Irish today.  I am technically 1/2 Irish, 1/4 Italian and 1/4 English, though I definitely look more Italian (dark hair/eyes/tan easily) than my Irish looking brothers (fair skin, one has a red beard, both blondies as babies.)  Today I will be celebrating St. Patty's Day at school with a bunch of green kiddos!  I'm going to bring some Lucky Charms for a special snack :) Here's my green-inspired outfit of the day:

I'm wearing this Lilly Pulitzer tunic that has a hint of green in it.  I'm not really much of a green person -- like I have very little green in my closet -- but I do have plenty of pink + green or blue + green!

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A couple weekends ago I went up to Washington D.C. for my second race of 2015.  It was the Pacer's St. Pat's 5K, 10K and Double.  I chose to run the double because I am always up for a challenge!  Of course when race day came I thought that I was CRAZY, but nevertheless I laced up my shoes and headed to the start...in the snow/sleet/freezing rain.

Freezing! Pacers is awesome and they had warm coffee for runners (although I didn't have any) and were very considerate about how cold it was.  They lightened up the mood with funny jokes and good music.  I give two thumbs up to whoever the MC was!

I also give two thumbs up to my amazing boyfriend who was there to support me even in the terrible weather!

Running in D.C. is amazing and I feel so lucky to live so close.  If you are thinking or dreaming of running in our nation's capital, I highly recommend make it a reality!  Even in the winter weather I had so much fun.

Plus you get to run with famous people, like Woodrow Wilson...

The way my race worked was the 5K started at 8:15 and the 10K followed at 9:00.  So, essentially, you had 45 minutes to run the 5K and depending on when you finished determined how long of a break you had.  I ran the 5K as a "warm up" and finished in around 31 minutes.  I had a little under 15 minutes to grab some water and stretch before the 10K started.

I ran the 10K in 1 hour and they posted the results as "double" results, so my final time was around 1:32, give or take.  I had not done much training up to this point since we have been bombarded with snow and I have been stuck on the treadmill.  I think my longest training run, if you can really call it that, was about 5 miles on the treadmill. I wasn't proud of that and honestly when race day came I considered dropping to just running one of the races, but the energy of the day got to me and I just went for it!  I'm so glad that I did.

I had a great St. Patty's day outfit on and then the weather hit and I stayed in my Patagonia the whole time! I never do that, but this time it was different.  Thanks to my trusty spectator for the pictures :)

A week or so later I received my medal in the mail.  Here it is along with the shirt that we got in our packets:

I have to give kudos to Pacer's Running for putting on a fantastic race in such dreary conditions! They did a wonderful job of keeping people informed of the race status, keeping everyone safe and happy and EVERYONE who was working the race (especially the marshalls out on the course) were cheerful and encouraging.  That really makes a difference to us runners! Thank you!!
My next unofficial race on the horizon is a local race called the Huckleberry 15K.  It's on the local running/walking/biking trail and features part of the new extension.  I'm excited to be a part of a brand new race!

Hope y'all have a happy, green-filled St. Patty's Day! Cheers!

Busy March + Book Fair Picks

Wow, I feel like March has come and moved along so quickly! We are already halfway through, which seems crazy to me.
So far March has been filled with weekends at home - love the relaxation - and lots of working/subbing.  My current schedule allows me to work everyday (at my beloved after-school care job) and substitute when/where I am needed.  Last week I substituted three days in a kindergarten room and just had so much fun!  I could definitely see myself teaching kindergarten one day.
When I'm not substituting I am usually catching up on my new Netflix obsession, Hart of Dixie, lounging with my furry friends or helping out my mama in the library.  This week is the book fair - aka the most anticipated week of the school year, besides spring break & the last week of school - so I am going in to help with check out and convincing children to not buy the fuzzy pencils and to buy a real book instead! ;)
There are some really cute books this year that I am going to snag up for my future classroom. Here are a few samples:

This is an adorable book about a shark and a minnow who are best friends!  This would be a great read aloud.

My mom actually already bought this one but I am definitely suggesting it to all teachers/mamas of little ones.  It is a sweet tale about planting a seed of kindness.  If you know Kadir Nelson, then you know you want your hands on this book.  If you don't know Kadir Nelson, I strongly suggest you look into his books.  Beautifully done work.

Another sweet story of a little girl, Maggi, and her dog, Milo, and their adventures together!  It reminds me of the bond I have with our dog and that dog's really are a woman's best friend ;) Cute book!

I will also be picking up some nonfiction pieces, such as:

I seriously LOVE the book fair and one of the most exciting parts about teaching is getting to set up my classroom library! I could not be more excited :)

Have a great week!

Sunday Verse