11 in 2011: What you are Looking Forward to in 2011

I have high hopes for 2011, and am therefore looking forward to many new and wonderful things! Some of the top things that I am looking forward to are:

* my internship at the local high school

* completing my Master's degree in June

* getting my first "big girl" job

* starting my adult life with hopefully a new place to live

* spending time with my family, friends, and cutie patootie of a puppy

What are you looking forward to?

11 in 2011: Favorite Girls' Night out Events

While at Meredith I had MANY "girls' night outs." On Girls' Night Out, my friends and I like to....

- pose silly for pictures (this is the classic "first grade photo")

- smile awkwardly at the camera because we are afraid of awkward guys....

- dress up and have photo shoots....

- have awesome dance parties....

One of our other favorite things to do is to go and see an 80's tribute band called The Breakfast Club. They're awesome. Check them out if you get a chance.

What are your favorite Girls' Night Out events?

* sorry for the tiny pictures, blogger wouldnt let me make them any bigger for some reason?!

11 in 2011: Favorite Things to Do on a Cold Winter Day

I dont really get a lot of COLD winter days since I live in Eastern NC, but I do enjoy it when they do come around!

I am not much of a hot drink kind of girl, I have always drank my coffee/tea/whatever as tepid, not hot- so that is not one of my favorite activities. HOWEVER, I can say that I do enjoy other traditional cold winter's day activities!

* Cuddling up with a soft blanket and taking a NAP
* Reading a good book (snuggled up in a soft blanket)

* Wearing FUZZY socks, oversized sweaters, and scarves.

* TV/Movie marathons

* Crafting!

* (and more recently) playing with Meredith in the snow. That dog loves snow!

What are your favorite cold winter day activities?

11 in 2011: Favorite Healthy Snacks

1. One of my favorite healthy snacks is hummus. You can eat hummus with pretty much anything, my favorite snack is to eat it with carrots (but you can eat it with any vegetables or even those delicious pita chips!)

2. A very simple snack, but cheese and crackers is always a good, healthy snack. It would be best if the crackers were multigrain. I prefer sharp cheddar cheese!

4. Tostito's Multigrain chips and salsa! YUM!

4. Very classic, very simple- apples! I love to bite into a good apple, but this snack has only recently become a favorite of mine.

I am really looking forward to reading other people's responses to this post because I am always looking for something healthy to snack on!

11 in 2011: Favorite Memory of 2010

Favorite Memory of 2010

Perhaps one of the most bittersweet days of my life, one of my fondest memories of 2010 was the day that I graduated from Meredith College. I loved my time at Meredith, all of the traditions I experienced and the memories that were formed there, and I was sad to see my time there come to an end.

11 in 2011: Best Organization Tips

I have a sick obssession where I LOVE to organize things, so this topic really caught my eye! My BEST organization tip, which sounds a little weird, is micro-manage!

For example, the books on my book shelf are divided into several categories:
- American Lit
- British Lit
- World Lit
- Contemporary Lit
- Children's Lit
- Teaching Books
- Teaching of English Books
- etc

Then, each shelf is alphabetized by author's last name. A bit obsessive? Maybe.

My files on my computer are also micro-managed, into folders, but even more micro-managed than my book shelves.

For example, I have one large "Teaching Materials" file. That file is then divided into the following folders: assessment, class beginnings, epics, grammar, lesson planning, lit activities, lit elements, miscellaneous, novels, plays, poetry, short stories, student resources, and writing. Each of those folders have folders inside of them (and some of those folders have even more folders inside of them) so that I can pinpoint my materials at a moment's notice.

This is pretty much my most valuable tip when it comes to organization, because it is the tip that I live by when I organize anything. All of my stuff is organized in this way!!!

11 in 2011: Places you Hope to Go This Year

This post was a little difficult because I don't really have any long-term plans other than finishing my Master's program and (hopefully) getting a job. I would like to take a few vacations this year, but I dont have any places in mind specifically yet. One place that I would really like to go, that I have been wanting to go to for a few years now, is the mountains during the fall. Its been several years since I have been to the mountains, and I dont necessarily have a specific destination picked out, but I would still like to go. Stay tuned to see if there are any surprise places I end up in 2011!

11 in 2011: Best Leftover Recipe

While I LOVE to cook, I haven't had much time to spread my wings as a Chef yet. Last year, I lived in an apartment with a roommate, but we didn't really eat dinner together so I cooked mainly for myself. Cooking for one is a lot different than cooking for more than one! This year, I am living with my Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle in order to finish my Master's program and I dont really have time to cook dinner.

So, while this technically doesn't count as a recipe, one of my favorite things to do with "left-overs" is make fried rice out of left-over rice. Whenever we have plain rice left over from the night before, I like to heat it up in a cast-iron pan on the stove, throw in a little onion flakes, soy sauce, butter, and hot sauce, and viola!

11 in 2011: Favorite Work-Out Tips

I just recently tried to make exercise a regular part of my life. I tried a few times throughout my time in college to go to the gym, but I really started to "get into it" in August with the Couch to 5k program. I didn't actually COMPLETE the Couch to 5k program due to illness, school, and other unforseen circumstances, but I really did enjoy doing what I DID do of the program!

At the beginning of December, my family joined SNAP Fitness and I LOVE my gym membership! I love the flexibility of a membership at Snap and how I can go where I want, when I want!

Without further ado, here are my favorite work out tips:

* Keep it hydrated!!!!- I have found that keeping myself hydrated is the key to a good workout. If I dont have the proper amount of hydration, I find it really hard to get through the workout and keep myself motivated.

* Keep it fun (fun playlists all the way!)- I am always searching for fun songs and playlists to work out to. If I have the right music, I will definitely last longer!

* Keep it social- since my whole family joined Snap, we like to get together to work out. Whether it is the accountability or a little bit of a sense of competition, keeping it social really helps!

* Have a goal!- One of the reasons I really enjoyed the Couch to 5k program was because it had an attainable end goal. I do plan to re-start the Couch to 5k program on the treadmill at the gym to prep for warmer weather and being able to run outside again!

11 in 2011: Favorite Holiday Memory

Favorite Holiday Memory

(please forgive my bangs in this picture!)

This topic is sort of hard to write about just because I just LOVE the holidays. I love shopping for other people, I love baking, I love the smells, I love being with family, and I love all of our family traditions.

So, I guess my favorite holiday memory would have to be any of the many memories of Christmas pasts. Every Christmas morning, my family wakes up (fairly early) to exchange presents and have a big home-made breakfast made by my Dad. This Christmas was no exception, my sister and I decided to spend the night on Christmas Eve despite the fact that neither of us live "at home" any more. This year also had the added addition of two furry friends, my beloved Mere Bear and my parent's dog Penny. Meredith and Penny get along wonderfully :)

Every Christmas my Dad makes a couple of batches of home made egg nog, we always eat Christmas dinner at my Grandma's, and we always ask what ever happens to those pictures we take every year?

I think this year was a little more special just because Cassandra and I dont live with my parents and we made the effort to keep our Christmas traditions in tact. I also loved having my Mere Bear to spoil a little this Christmas season!

So I found a fun "blog carnival" type of thing to do...

It's called '11 in 2011' and so I am going to go ahead and catch up!

Day 1: New Year's Resolutions

SInce I already did a similar post to this, I will make this brief. I dont really DO New Year's Resolutions, but I do like to start out the year with goals, hopes, aspirations, and the like.

For 2011, I hope that:
* my internship is successful and I complete my Master's In Teaching Successfully
* I find a full time job for the 2011- 2012 school year
* I find time to read more for pleasure
* I develop my photography skills more
* I spend some more time with my dog and get healthier

What are your resolutions?

It's not too late to link up!