Balancing Life :: Working, Grad School, & Marathon Training

WHEW! This past week has been craaaazy. It's been a week of trial and error as I begin to figure out how to balance my life.
Work has been a little off balance because we are short staff members, so I've been working every day instead of my regularly scheduled days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) to make sure everything ran smoothly. We have tons of little ones this year! The kindergarteners are still getting used to our routine so it's helpful to have enough staff members to make sure we don't lose anyone. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my job! Even when I have a stressful day in other aspects, I know I can go to work and have 3 hours of fun :)
Grad School is officially in full swing. I was really happy with my summer session classes and therefore have high hopes for fall semester! I'm taking 3 classes: Instructional Strategies for Inquiry-Based Classrooms, Inquiry into the Human Growth, Development and Diversity, and Classroom and Behavioral Management. I'm also doing 2 of my 4 practicum experiences in 4th grade! I've gone into the classroom now four times and I LOVE IT! The kids are so sweet and fun, and I have a pretty awesome mentor teacher! It's going to be a great semester learning all about Virginia history :) I definitely have a LOT of work to do.  No doubt about that.  I will really need to buckle down and use my time wisely -- and stop being tempted by hours of watching HGTV and TLC.
Marathon Training is also in full swing. This weekend I have the Hokie Half Marathon here in Blacksburg. It's on Sunday and I can't wait!! It works perfectly with my training schedule so nothing will be thrown off.  I will treat it as my training run -- just a bit glorified, with a medal and t-shirt. My mileage is definitely starting to rack up, which is scary and exciting at the same time.  I've had to once again buckle down and really dedicate a portion of my day to running, whether it be at 6 am or 7 pm.  I hate running in the heat of the day, so typically I'm out really early or late when the sun is going down! My preference is definitely morning - it's so nice not to have to worry about my run after a full day of work/class. I alsooo signed up for another half-marathon in October before Richmond - the Runner's World Half & Festival. This race is held RIGHT where Steven goes to school, so it works out perfectly with a trip to see him! Plus, again, it works perfectly with my schedule since I'm supposed to run 14 miles that weekend anyway...might as well glorify it a bit and run someplace new ;)

My life is busy! Unfortunately I can't blog as often as I would like, but I'll still be popping in and I appreciate y'all still coming to read!

This weekend I'll be cheering on my Hokies, who are on the road, and resting up for the race!
Have a great Thursday, y'all!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!
Here's what I'm loving...
I'm loving my job. Yes, at times I want to rip my hair out, but at the end of the day I love all those lil nuggets & am so thankful to spend my days with them!

One of our field trips to Mill Mountain Zoo

I'm loving my manicure I got last night at the Ladies Only Cash Mob! Downtown Blacksburg holds cash mobs every couple of weeks & they typically choose one restaurant and one store to "mob"...everyone meets at one spot and they discover where they'll be shopping/eating that evening! They're really fun and a great way to discover a new restaurant or store that you perhaps haven't tried yet. Last night, it was bundled into one location - Polished by Claire V. - and we got mini manicures or pedicures. Gobble Cakes was there with deliiiiciousss mini cupcakes and Beliveau Winery had glasses of wine to sell. Simply scrumptious!

I'm loving July! July has been full of fun adventures, including the 4th, a walking field trip for Free Slurpee Day :) , Friday nights spent on the lawn for the summer local music series and lots more!

Red, white & blue drinks!

'Merican pride, thanks to Rowdy Gentleman & Sweet Tea Monograms!

4th shirt!

"We love slurpees!"

Music on the lawn

I'm loving all of the fun races I've been finding and adding to my list. I love hopping in the car for the weekend and a race gives me an excuse to get out of town & see somewhere new (or sometimes just somewhere outside Blacksburg :))

In Lynchburg - via

In South Carolina - via

For next year:

In Roanoke - via

 

I'm loving the Valencia Orange Refresher from Starbucks! Perfect for these hot, hot days!

I'm loving this quote:

I'm loving this recipe: Veggie-Stack Pita Pockets via Food Network I made it in some pita pockets with store bought hummus, cucumber, peppers, and carrots. SO delicious!

What are you loving this week?   Have a great day!

Vote for Me :) & a Photo Dump!

Happy Saturday!

I slept in, made a smoothie and now I'm going to dump some pictures from the week.
But first, if you have a minute, please vote for me! (I'm Sarah R.)

Thank you!
Now, here's what I've been up to...
Last Sunday, Steven was able to come home for the night! We saw What To Expect When You're Expecting. It was hilarious, but I also cried...no one told me it would be sad! I also made him carrot cake, my favorite, since he had never had it. He bought me the mix, which came with a flour sack towel, in San Francisco at Boudin:

In return, he made me breakfast before he left on Monday:

Mom was at the beach all week:

So I stayed home with this trouble maker:

I also finished the first week back at work, summer edition. Our theme is "Traveling Through Time". We had about 43 kids, so it was crazy, but so much fun! Already loving everything that we're doing. Like these cereal castles for our 1200's week:

I also, of course, spent three nights in Martinsville watching baseball. Steven pitched twice and did wonderfully. Makes me so happy!Heading back down there tonight for a game. Then he comes home. YAY.
Have a wonderful weekend!