Weekend Wrap Up!

What a weekend! I had a great time with friends and family. Here's what we were up to...

THIS IS A LONG ONE, GUYS!

JUST LOOK AT THE PICS, I WON'T HATE!!!

I need to figure out how to set the volume on my phone to mute but still have my alarm go off. What happened was I got a Facebook notification that woke me up at 4:10am and I just could not fall back asleep! Finally after a half hour of laying there and thinking about work, I was so mad that I just got up.

The first thing I do in the morning is check out the new Snap Chat overlays. Priorities,  people!

I wish I looked like this first thing in the morning... or anytime, really!

What I actually look like in the morning.

Omg, I am reading this post again to edit it and I can't stop laughing at these drastically different pictures!!!

I still felt sick, but I went for a run anyway. Somehow my legs were speedy and I had an enjoyable yet extremely humid 6 miler before work.

Work was work. I forgot my lunch so I had to run to a gas station to grab something during my lunch. I ended up getting a turkey and cheese sandwich and it was really good!

After work, Paul and I went to his parent's house to cat sit their little Swipey Boy. We grabbed some Wendy's and spent the night grubbing and chilling with this fancy feline!

We blasted ABBA on the way home. I'm so glad Paul and I at least share some of the same taste in music. ABBA, Mika, Aerosmith... hmmm... that may be it!

I slept for 12 hours and didn't roll out of bed until 11:23! That's what happens when I stay up late all week long.

I was beyond due for a lifting session, so Paul and I went to Planet Fitness with the intention of WRECKING it. Well, Paul wrecked it. I put a tiny little dent in it. You see, the more I worked out, the worse I felt. Hot, cold, dizzy. My throat hurt by the time I left. Ugh. I did a "light" full body workout and then called it a day.

Then we went back to his parent's house for another hangout session with Swipey Boy.

That evening we went to Bob and Rachel's house for dinner and games. I didn't feel great and wanted to cancel, but since they were making dinner, I figured that would be rude. I ended up being really glad I toughed it out because as the night went on, I started to feel a lot better!

Gus!

Pierre!

Doesn't this photo look like it's from the 80s?

Rachel!

She's going to help me learn how to use makeup and not look old and splotchy!

Bob sent us home with fresh catnip, so Christmas got CRUNKED!

I woke up pretty early to get a run in before I went over to Harrisburg to cheer my brother on at the half marathon!

This includes the 1.06 miles I spent running to and from my car and my spectating spots at the race!

I parked on Second Street up near Radnor and walked over to the river. I saw runners around mile 8.75 and then again when they came back around mile 11. It was a great place to be because there was NO ONE up there cheering. It was hot, humid, and the runners needed a little pick me up. I saw so many of my friends... Jim, Mary, Jenny, Jaci, Gary, Terri... I know I am missing people! I clapped and cheered for every single person that ran by.

The beautiful Susquehanna.

I thought I would have severe FOMO, after all, I was supposed to be running the Via Marathon in Lehigh Valley that day. I am happy to report I had ZERO FOMO. I was having a lot of fun cheering and was completely inspired by everyone digging deep.

After I saw my bro for the second time, I headed to the finish. Talk about EMOTIONAL. I found a spot about a 10th of a mile from the finish line. I wanted to get some video of my brother running it in. No one around me was cheering. They were just all standing there staring at the runners. Well of course as soon as I got there I started cheering for everyone and it got the crowd a little louder too. It was very exciting as the clock approached the two hour mark. It was so inspiring to see people kicking it into gear to get a sub 2. It was clear they were spent from the sun and the heat, but so many stepped it up so they could get in under that 2 hour mark- including my brother!

Tyler, Debby, and Clark

Baby Clark!

Medals are SO BIG these days!

Does the medal really need to be as big as Clark's head?

Then we headed back to Tyler and Debby's place to refuel with some Chinese food! Ellie and Clementine had fun trying on Daddy's medal.

Showing my nieces how cool Snap Chat is! "I want to be an elephant, Auntie Megan!" ELLIE insisted.

When I got home I had to do boring "get ready for the work week" stuff. I also decided that I am sick of my rats nest hair. It was getting too long. All I like to do these days is put it in ponytails anyway. I put it in a ponytail and told Paul to hack it off.

It looked good at first...

Then I realized the back was severely effed up...

Luckily it still goes nicely into a ponytail which is all I wanted anyway!

Oh well. Clearly I don't care about my hair at all since my first idea was to have Paul cut off most of my ponytail. All I care is that my hair is not gray. As long as that is covered, I'm fine.

I will leave you with this fun Snapchat video Paul and I did the other day... It makes me laugh!

Did you race this weekend?

Would you ever let your partner chop off your hair?

Do you get FOMO cheering at races or do you embrace the job of cheerleader?

Weird Week

This past week was so weird.

First of all, despite being sick, I did a fairly good job at work giving all of my energy toward my students. Then again, there really is no other option at the beginning of the year. I'm trying to establish rules, procedures, and standards.I have to be on top of things. This will pay off in a few months when I won't have to be on top of things and my classroom will run smoothly anyway. But right now, it just requires so much energy!

Another thing that made the week strange was that I've been staying up really late even though I get up really early! My alarm is set for anywhere between 5:00-5:45am, but I have been up until 11pm or later all week. This is very unlike me. Normally I am in bed between 8-9. I'm holding up okay, but on Saturday morning I really caught up on some sleep! (I slept for 12 hours- holy moly!)

My new school schedule is a little strange too. I have a brand new design to my days. There are some things I like about the schedule and some things I don't like. One thing I do like is the CHANGE. Even the parts that are a bad change. I know that sounds weird, but it keeps things fresh.

I ran almost every day this week and didn't lift. So weird. But I enjoyed my mornings on the road.

Our school was dismissed early again for mold growth That was weird!

And the last weird thing was that I barely taught any piano lessons this week! I lost a lot of students over the summer. I normally have 10 students and right now I only have 5. I need some more students!

What time do you go to bed/get up?
Do you like when your work schedule changes?
Anything weird going on with you?

MGR's Workout Recaps!

Wow, I actually ran this week! You will notice I did NOT lift. This is very, very strange. This morning, I plan to freaking WRECK Planet Fitness.

Here's what I was up to... Sorry, it's not that interesting!

Saturday- 6.5 miles in my hood. There is something wrong with my Garmin, that's why I did the extra .5 ... it was pretty much by accident! I only wanted to do 6. Part of this run was spent running to Weis to get pore strips.

Sunday- 5 miles. I'm taking "running errands" literally lately, as I spent part of this 5 miler running to Dollar General to get some makeup. I was pretty sick (sore throat, headache, chills) but I was trying to rally and run anyway. I LOVE to run, and I didn't want my illness to take that away from me this weekend.

It's funny, for the past 8 years I have lived about 1.3 miles from Weis and Dollar General, yet I have never run there to grab something! It is a very safe running route too. Only about .2 miles of it is on what I would consider to be a "busy" street. Maybe I will combine running and errand running more often now...

Monday- Rest. I had off work and was looking forward to feeling better and possibly getting a longish run in. I was thinking 8 miles. But my body had other plans. I felt worse than the day before. Instead, I cleaned the house and did all of my chores for the week. Then at 2:30pm I got into bed and only got out of it to get a snack, throw away tissues, and fill up my water bottle. Whatever sickness has been plaguing me these past two days... Fuck you!

Tuesday- 6 miles before work. I felt like I was flying. My legs were very well rested. Turns out I was running about 9 minute miles. I guess my mind played a trick on me. I felt great while I was running but then I went to work and talked, sang, and was on my feet all day. I pretty much felt like death by the end of the fourth class. it didn't help that in the afternoon I had two kindergarten classes and two first grade classes. One needs massive amounts of energy to just cover the classroom management aspect let alone the whole "teach music thing". Honestly, not a whole lot of teaching music occurred. It was mostly trying to get kids to sit on their bottom, raise their hands, and not pick their scabs. I don't know how many times I said, "Don't pick your scab, I don't have a band aid!" but it was a lot.

Wednesday- 5 miles before work. I was finally feeling better but not 100%.

Thursday- 5 more miles. Fun times. I felt fine while running but by the end of my workday I felt pretty much like I did on Tuesday.

Friday- 6 miles. I was pretty speedy! All of my runs this week were in the high 8s or low 9s. Today I was in the low 8s and even clocked a sub 8. My body was tired after but I blamed it on waking up at 4am. When I got to work, I could barely sing. My voice kept cracking. Freaking A.

How were your workouts this week?
Do you ever literally RUN errands?

Friday 5!

Okay, this has basically turned into my own Friday Five thing-a-ma-bob! I hope you all have a fun weekend ahead!

Oh, thank you all for your tips in regards to my NYC travel. We decided to SPLURGE and take the train and stay overnight. The cool thing is we have a $125.00 "free" night from hotels.com. Our hotel was about $180, so with the credit, it was only $65. Train tickets will be about $88 each round trip, but that is okay. I figure with gas, tolls, and parking, that's at least like 80 bucks anyway.

Okay, did you really care about my NYC budget? I am not sure that you did!

Before we get on with the post today, I wanted to share a video I recorded with Chrissy the other day. We sing a duet called "Kissy Are You Hungy?" (Kissy = Chrissy, Hungy = Hungry)

And now, the real "Friday 5" part of my post!

1. Scabs. I just started my 12th year of teaching elementary school and I have finally realized that I spend 10% of my of my day teaching music and 90% of my day advising kids not to pick their scabs.

2. I am on snapchat! Add me!!! I am runningmeg82. Warning: I snap A LOT and I WILL SNAP YOU!

3. Wrong number. For the past two years or so, I have been getting group texts from people I don't know. It's the same group of people. What I have discerned so far from the texts is that someone lives in Rehoboth Beach, and they only ever involve me in these group texts when someone passes away. I have texted back and told them they have the wrong number, but the next time someone dies, there I am in the group text message again!

4. Who is Mr. Cooney? On Tuesday I saw a certain Kindergarten class for the first time. I was telling the children about my family, and that at my house I live with two cats and Mr. Cooney. (I go by Mrs. Cooney with the students at school, though I have never changed my name and in my "real" life I am still Megan Michael.) "Who do you think Mr. Cooney is?" I asked the class. I called on a little girl and she said, "It's a boy Cooney." I started laughing hysterically, and of course so did the class.

5. Looking for private piano lessons? I have openings for private piano students at my home in Camp Hill on Tuesday and Thursday evenings! 

I'm not gonna lie. I had a really shitty week. With being sick and my car battery dying and certain... "challenges" at work... I am really looking forward to hopefully feeling 100% very, very soon and  the ability to clear my brain and NOT think about work this weekend.

Tell me something random!
Why do kids pick their scabs?
Tell me something fun you are doing this weekend!

Friendship/Pissed (My take on loving/not loving)

If you need more of an explanation Friendship/Pissed, check out this post! It's basically my version of Loving/Not Loving

Friendship: I get to cheer my little brother on at the Harrisburg Half Marathon on Sunday!
Pissed: I am sure I will be having severe FOMO.

Pissed: On Tuesday, my car battery died in the school parking lot. I ended up having to cancel my piano lessons and wait over an hour for AAA to get there.
Friendship: I got this lovely treat in my mailbox the next day. Someone knew I was having a rough one!

Friendship: My ITB as been feeling great for the past 2-3 weeks!
Pissed: I have a randomly sore butt cheek! You know that feeling when you do a bunch of squats and then your glutes are sore the next day? That's what I have, but only in one cheek. And I didn't do squats!

Pissed: I was sick for a good 3 days and it suuuuuucked.
Friendship: Eating yummy comfort food.

Friendship: Paul and I are going to see Survivor Know It Alls in October! I bet you are wondering what that is. Well, as a huge Survivor and Big Brother fan, I am a devout listener of Rob Has A Podcast. During each season of Survivor, he does a live viewing party and live podcast at a venue in NYC. This is the first time I have been able to score tickets! I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to see Rob and meet some SURVIVORS!!! (They always show up!)
Pissed: Figuring out travel! I have no clue what to do. Take the train or drive? Spend the night or drive home at midnight? I suppose this is a good problem to have because I GET TO SEE ROB!!!

Option 1: Drive and come home right after the show (around 11pm). $
Option 2. Drive but spend the night. $$$
Option 3: Take the train and spend the night. $$$$

What should I do!!??

Are your Friendship/Pissed about anything?

What option should I choose for NYC?

Currently!

Hey! What's doing on with you?

Here's what's going on with me...

Current Book:  As Time Goes By, Mary Higgins Clark. I gotta say, her new books just aren't as good as her old ones. It doesn't even seem like her writing style. Everything seems rushed. Oh well, it's still a quick and easy read to help me fall asleep at night.

Current Podcast: A couple months ago, we started listening to This American Life. Some episodes are better than others, but I always at least try out the new episode. I am a couple weeks behind, though!

Current Guilty Pleasure: Effing around on my phone.

Total Number of times I blew my nose yesterday: 10,000. 

Current Need: To feel 100% again. I hate being sick.

Current Triumph: Getting a bunch of lesson plans done yesterday.

Current Wish List: A cleaning woman.

Current Bane of My Existence: Kindergarten. And First Grade. There, I said it.

Current Most Annoying Celebrity: Hmmmm... Dare I say the T word????

Current Indulgence: Our third row Cirque Du Soleil tickets!

Current TV Show: BIG BROTHER. I freaking love it.

Current Food: Paul has been BBQ'ing my chicken. Lunch actually tastes good these days!

Current Drink: Sangria.

Current Thing I Am Thankful For: Family!

Current Excitement: I get paid on Friday!!!! I take a lump sum at the beginning of the summer so I haven't gotten paid in about 3 months. Can't wait to see those dollah dollah bills, ya'all!

I actually own this!

Tell me something "current" about you!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Good Morning, Blogland!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend.

Mine was good, except for being sick two out of three days. I can never decide if it's better to be sick on a work day or the weekend. Being sick on a work day sucks because I have to sing, talk and stand all day. But on the weekend, it prevents me from enjoying my time off.

I guess there is never a good time to be sick!

 

Friday started with a 5 miler around my hood. It was actually crisp and cool out!

Work was mildly interesting because it was the first day I actually got to teach some lessons. Before today, all I had been doing was going over the rules and procedures. There are 25 classrooms in my school, so I did that 25 times! Ugh. I should have video recorded my first "rules" presentation and then just played it for the other classes!

After work, I discovered the wonderful world of Snapchat.

Okay, it is eerie how much I look like my brother!

Doesn't this look very Madonna circa Erotica?

Then I did a puzzle, in which Christmas rudely interrupted. Oh well, at least he is cute!

I fell asleep playing Scrabble on my phone. Well, first my hand fell asleep, then my body fell asleep.

I woke up and laid in bed playing with my phone. I AM ADDICTED. After about a half hour, I made myself get up. I poured some coffee, then got on my computer for the next... hour and a half. Ugh.

The weather was beautiful, so I went for a run. I ran to Weis and got pore strips because I suddenly decided I had blackheads on my nose that needed to be eradicated.

That afternoon, we went to Cirque Du Soleil! I can't put into words how jaw dropping it was. I am amazed at the performers' strength, grace, and athleticism. I really can't stop thinking about the show!

There was one section of the show where they used nets. It was when they were doing the trapeze, but there wasn't an actual trapeze. The men were just swinging and throwing the girls with their hands. I'm glad they had a net because I would not have been able to enjoy watching otherwise!

I woke up feeling really crappy. I had a bad sore throat, headache, and chills. We had a jam packed day so I decided to rally and try to have fun.

First, we went to my niece Clementine's 2nd Birthday party at Pinchot Park.

She's a birthday girl!

Awwwwwwwwww!

Yes, she had several costume changes a la SJP when she hosted the MTV Movie Awards!

It's hard when it's not your birthday.

Then I went on a 6 mile run, which included a stop at Dollar General for some liquid foundation. I literally run errands now.

That afternoon, we went to Paul's parent's house for a picnic. I got to see Swipey, who is a very lovey dovey kitty cat!

MONDAY

Ugh, can I just erase Monday from my memory? I was hoping to feel better but I felt even worse as I had all the same symptoms as the day before except everything went up a notch and my nose started to run.

Life doesn't stop when you're sick, so I cleaned the whole house, did the dishes and the wash, laid out my clothes for the next week and packed all my lunches.

Then I curled up in bed with tissues, water, medicine, and my laptop. That's where I am now, as I finish this recap.

My intention is to stay here for the rest of the afternoon and evening as it hurts to even think at this point. I am really hoping I feel better for work tomorrow.

Tell me something fun you did this weekend!

Do you try to rally when you're sick or do you just give up and rest?

Have you evern seen Cirque Du Soleil?