Leibster Award!

Alright, the adorable and witty Lizzy from It's a Geek Life has given me the Leibster Award.

I don't always participate in these blog awards, but I really appreciated Lizzy giving this one to me, after I left my blog for a gazzillion days. And I think it's a way for me to reconnect with the blogs that I love, and share them with you, my readers.

Before you read this post, check out Lizzy and JP at "It's a Geek Life". It's a great blog and I am officially now  a regular reader!

 

The rules:

1. Post eleven facts about yourself.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated.

3.Choose eleven people  (with fewer than 200 followers) to give this award to and link them in your post.

(I like Lizzy, will only be picking 5. 11 is a silly number, and 5 feels a little more special.)

4. Go to their page and tell them.

5. Remember, no tag backs.

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Eleven Facts About Myself

1. I have no allergies. Zero. (Knock on wood that doesn't change, or I don't croak tomorrow finding out I'm allergic to some exotic fruit I'm trying for the first time.)
2. I am one of the worst procrastinators I know.
3. When I first went into teaching, I didn't think I wanted to teach middle school. When I was hired at my current job I wasn't sure I wanted to teach middle school for that long. Now I know that I was meant to teach middle school. At least for a while...maybe I'll eventually retire to a cushy 3rd grade position. But not anytime soon.
4. Red Wine usually gives me heartburn.
5. I feel like everyone my age is having babies. The hubs and I aren't where we'd like to be in life to start having kids, buuuuut that doesn't change the fact that I have slight baby envy.
6. I also feel like tons of people are also traveling. I'm not in a place where I have tons of resources to travel, buuuuuut that doesn't change the fact that along with my baby envy, I also have some slight travel envy. It's all very confusing.
7. I did not date until college.
8. My first official boyfriend was my freshman year of college, and he was none other than my husband. That's right kids, I'm one of those people.
9. I do not have a tried and true way to eat an Oreo. I eat them differently every time.
10. I have created a voice for my dog. My family and I use it in conversation when decide he needs to voice his opinions. He has a European accent.
11. I have a hard time giving out random facts about myself. This list took me 30 minutes.

Answers to Lizzy's Questions:

one// if you had to pack up and move TOMORROW, where would you go?
I would move to Portland. Not Oregon. Portland, Maine. Ultimately the hubby and I would like to move to that area, but his job is 2 hours away from there. So for now we live in between Portland and his job. If I had to move far away from where I am now, I'd want to try somewhere in the South-West like Colorado or New Mexico. But only for a year. Then I'd want to come back home to Maine, because Maine is perfect.

two// what is your favorite veggie and why?
Broccoli. Because it's so easy to just eat raw and not have to prep.

three// what was the WORST movie you paid to see?
 I can't remember walking out of a movie and being like "man that was horrible." But recently I was perusing Netflix and found this movie called "Rubber". It's about a tire that rolls around and blows this up. Literally. That's the entire movie. So that would be the worst movie I've fast forwarded through I guess.

four// what is your go-to happy song when you need a pick-me-up?
Call Me Al- Paul Simon. Every time.

five// what was your favorite book when you were growing up?
Probably my favorite childhood book growing up was "The Mitten". It's Ukrainian folktale (I'm not Ukrainian at all BTW) about a mitten that gets dropped in the woods and a bunch of animals cram into it. It's a good time and it involves snow. There are a two versions of the story, we had both of them and I liked them equally.

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six// what is your comfort food?

  Ice Cream. Ice Cream. Ice Cream. Whether hard serve or soft serve. I will never turn down ice cream, it is my kryptonite.
seven// would you be a super villain or a super hero?
Super Hero. Most definitely. 

eight// what did you want to be when you grew up when you were five?
I think at that point I wanted to be an actress. Surprise, my flare for the dramatic started shining through at an early age!

nine// if you could meet  up with any fictional character for lunch, who would it be?
Either Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter or Michael Scott from "The Office".

ten// where is your happy place?
A beach on the ocean or a beach on a lake. 

eleven// since summer is coming on, what is your warm weather drink of choice EXCLUDING good old H-two-O?
Non-Alcoholic: Pomegranate Polar  Seltzer Water (I know this is technically water. It's whatever.

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Alcoholic:  Woodchuck Hard Cider. I especially love bringing this along with me on camping trips.


Note to those who I nominate: If you hate awards or you don't feel like doing this post I will not take offense. I get that getting and giving these awards isn't for everyone. 
But, if you like it and have some other blogs you want to recognize, then feel free to spread the love!


I nominate:

1. Kalyn at Life as I Pretend To Know it.
She is the type of blogger that once you read her stuff you know that if you met her in person she'd be a lot of fun. She is participating in "Blog Every Day In May" Challenge, all the better to get to know her!
2. Jessica at Faith Permeating Life
Jessica's blog always gets me thinking. She often blogs about her views on religion, gay rights, and marriage. If you're looking for some great content and someone to challenge the way you think, check this lady out.
3. Ashleigh at Finding My Sea Legs
Ashleigh is a "life" blogger who writes about her adventures in running, her upcoming wedding, and getting married to a man in the military. I like her upbeat and positive style!
4. Liz at Try on Life
I originally checked out this blog because I thought her title had to do with the game of rugby. It didn't, but I stuck around because of Liz's honesty, and drooling over all of her traveling adventures. During my blog writing/reading hiatus she also is now 27 weeks pregnant! So congratulations
5. Jamie at Seeking Adventure
Another blogger that I love that got knocked up when I was gone! Congratulations! Jamie, her husband, their pups, and their adventures remind me a little of my life so I always loved her blog before my hiatus. I'm excited to catch up on her life and goings-ons now that I'm back!

Please check these ladies out, they are definitely worth your time and space in your reader!

Questions for the above nominees:
1. Who was your favorite person that you ever learned about in a history class?
2. Coffee or tea?
3. When hanging photographs in your home, do you prefer black and white or color?
4. What is the social media site that you spend most time on?
5. What keeps you blogging?
6. Are you a cat or dog person?
7. What appliance in your kitchen is used the most?
8. Would you rather live in a small house with a big family, or a big house with a small family?
9. If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
10. In the summer, what is your most favorite food to cook on the grill?
11. Name one thing that has changed in your life for the better within the last year.

Readers: How do you feel about blogging awards? 

Have you ever been nominated for one? If you have, do you keep the award going or ignore the nomination? Why or why not? 

Do you have a favorite "blog award"?

Let me know what you think!

Stay Awkward, 

Tricia

Yay for Friday!

If someone could let me in on how it's already the end of this week, and at the same time how it's already May, I would greatly appreciate it.
I mean it's been a crazy one friends. Good, but fast forward mode the entire time.

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I have comments to reply to, a post for a little award I was nominated for,  some coaching stuff,  and 2397893845238 things for school to do. Maybe I'll fit in some family time before I start my summer job in two weeks.

OY VEY.

But, for today, I just want to start my Friday morning with some good feelings. This morning I'm just going to share some songs that I've been listening to on repeat, and you should be too.


Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton- Can't Hold Us

I loved Macklemore's thrift shop, this was a definite great second single to get keep him in the public eye. It is catchy and Ray Dalton (the guy who sings the chorus) just has the most adorable voice.
If this song doesn't make you want to go work-out or go dancing then please go home.

Tegan and Sara- Closer

Not to get all hipster on you, but I've been listening to Tegan and Sara since I was in college. I love these twin ladies who rock. Their new single, "Closer" is one of those dance-around-in-your-bra-and-workout-shorts-while-singing-into-your-hairbrush kind of song.
Not that I have...

Robyn- Call Your Girlfriend

I'm sure I've already posted this here but I don't care. This song has been around for a while and A LOT of people have covered it. But I don't care, this has been that song that when I'm at home alone I turn up, spaz out and dance to, mouth the words to my dog, and just enjoy. You can too.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert

Another Macklemore song. Not as catchy or trendy as "Thriftshop" or "Can't Hold Us". This one isn't one that I like to dance to, but it has a really nice sound to it and I love the message.
Worth a listen.

Emeli Sande- Next to Me

This song is not that new. I've been listening to it on the radio, humming along, and not really paying attention to the lyrics. So when I actually payed attention to them today on the radio, I realized that this song is essentially about my husband. Not to get all sappy on you, but this guy is literally the most loyal person I know, and I have no clue how he puts up with my sassy-pants.
And believe me, my sassy-pants have been on quite regularly lately. 
So, I'm belting this song out in my car, with the windows down as a shout-out to the mister.

What songs do you have playing on repeat this week? Let me know with a comment.

Stay Awkward, 
Tricia

Weekend Recap 4/26-4/28

Thought I'd recap my weekend. More so because I have a miserable memory and if someone asked me a month from now what I've been up to I would tell them I have no idea.

Friday after school started out with Track practice. (Yes, the weekend starts Friday afternoon.) Even though it's still hanging out with 7th and 8th graders, it's really nice to hang out with 7th and 8th graders that aren't the 60 that I spend all of my time with. Don't get me wrong, love my precious cherubs.

But when a kid does a sport they actually want to be there, so it's nice to do the coach thing after school after playing teacher all day.

Then I had to book it back home, had a snack, and Dave and I had to clean up around the house because our landlords were having an appraiser in. We also had plans with our friends who lived below us in another apartment to come for dinner. It was their first time seeing our new place so we didn't want it to look like a dump. We tucked boxes into corners, laundry into baskets, and swept all of that pesky dog and cat fur, finishing up by putting Bruin and Linus in the crate so they wouldn't bug the appraiser.

That's right, Bruin and Linus in the crate.

Together.

Chilling like villains.

Not because either of them are violent or whatever. They just both think that any stranger that walks into our house needs to be their bestie.

Not taken this weekend, this is at our old apartment. But I mean I think that this has happened more than once makes it all the better.    

So the appraisal was fast, and our landlords were not only surprised by the cuddling happening in the crate, but also how the place had come together.

    

Then our former downstairs neighbors came over to visit.  (Not the ones we ran away from, the ones before them that were like our second set of parents.)

 They brought over sushi and we made homemade pizza. I love having "family dinners" with these friends because they have such great perspective on life.

Saturday morning came around and Dave wanted to take me out fly fishing.

Notice snazzy pink fly fishing vest.

Now for those of you who don't know, Dave is big on a lot of outdoor sports.

He is a big hiker, he skis, he rock climbs, ice climbs, camps (all 4 seasons) hunts, and fishes.

He's for sure a true Mainah.

While I don't participate in all of the above hobbies (you will not be seeing me with an ice axe hanging off a cliff anytime soon, and I have yet to fire a gun) I do take part in the fly fishing.

First off, it's not boring like the type of fishing where you go out and just sit there. You have to work for it by picking the right spot, putting out a cast, and reeling it in the right way.

Also, have you ever been in a pair of waders, waist high, in a cold river on a hot summer's day? It's such a cool feeling.

Finally, I don't have to take it super seriously. I'm fine with not catching something. I just like being outside, hanging out in a river, usually with Dave or a group of friends of ours that like to fly fish. So that also means that I pick the fly that I like the looks of that day. (OOOH I LOVE BRIGHT GREEN TODAY, DAVE TIE THAT ONE ON MY LINE.)

It is pretty hilarious though when I do catch a fish and I'm using a fly that's "not supposed to work".

Did I mention Dave bought me a snazy pink fly fishing vest?

 That's a perk too.

We made it down to the first river which is strictly catch and release.

 We got our flies on and got into the river.

We got our casts going, got comfortable with our form and fished for an hour.

We moved spots, changed flies, but didn't see much action. I realized I had to go to the bathroom so I got out of the river to, um, spend some quality time with mother nature.

When I pulled the waders off and looked at my spandex pants I realized I had a huge wet spot right where it counts.

And I thought to myself, I think I peed my pants.

I mean this wet spot was exactly what it looks like when someone pees their pants.

Did I feel myself pee my pants? No.

Was it warm? No. Super cold. 

But Dave said there weren't any holes in these waders, and I mean, I did really have to go....

Maybe I accidentally peed myself when I hit the cold water.

So I went into the woods, did my business, and wondered whether I should tell Dave.

 If I peed my pants, that is totally gross. But if  I peed my pants that is also totally me.

After realizing on my walk back to the river that he is indeed stuck with me for better or for worse, I displayed my lovely wet spot for him.

I was cracking up, he was cracking up. I told him I honestly didn't remember peeing myself, but I had no other explanation. He rolled his eyes, told me to put the waders on and get back into the river.

He didn't care, he just wanted to catch some fish.

THIS IS MARRIAGE KIDS.

So we get back in the water, start to see some fish jump, but they're not going for anything we're throwing. Our friend Jamie ended up joining us on the river and he couldn't catch anything either.

At one point I was literally 5 feet away from some fish, I could see them in perfectly. I started just throwing the fly right in front of their face. They would look at it, move a little towards it, and I would see their tiny faces contemplate going for it, but then they were just like "Eh, I don't feel like moving to get that."

We had a case of Lazy Fish Syndrome friends. I mean we threw everything in front of them. They just weren't having it.

 But I didn't care. I had a great time hanging out and pretending I didn't pee my pants.

 Plus THE WEATHER!!!!  I could've been doing anything and enjoyed it because I was so thankful to get some sun.

It's really pretty until you realize there's a tire in the middle of the river. This was the catch and release place. No worries.

We decided to move to a different river, and wanted to put some dry clothing on so we could stop for lunch at this local farm/cafe.

I take my waders off for a second time, and it doesn't look like I peed my pants anymore. No.

 It looks like I peed my pants 13 times. So much so that there was liquid in my boot.

So the good news? I didn't pee my pants at all on Saturday.

The bad news? My waders had a leak in them and now we have to fix them. But hey, silver lining is that at least we know where the hole is right?

After eating the most organic BLT of my life we headed to the next spot a town over.

Not only did we not catch anything here, but the current was so strong that it knocked our friend right off his feet and down the river a bit. So it wasn't the most successful trip, but in the end we enjoyed our time outside.

Sunday for me brought yard work and school stuff. I posted here, then Dave and I decided that we needed to start working on our lawn.

 

Our landlord has some stuff piled up from an old shed that used to be on the property, so that stuff is piled in our backyard. It will be going soon, but with that and all of the pine needles it felt claustraphobic. Plus, what a pain in the buttox to pick up pine needles every time we go to pick up dog poo. While our landlords were going to take care of the lawn care, it was again gorgeous outside and we wanted an excuse to be in our backyard.

We also have some things we wanted to do to dress up the front of our house as far as planting goes and figured Sunday was as good a day as any.

First, we needed supplies. Supplies like window boxes, pots, rakes, gloves, seeds and soil. Our first stop was at a discount store here in Maine called Mardens. It has everything you don't need but you will buy because it is on discount due to water damage at some warehouse. We didn't find much as far as gardening but the trip was well worth it because of this gem I found in the furniture section.

I call it: Seduction of a Jaguar. Coming to an animal-print-themed bedroom near you.

3 stores and too much money later, we came home with everything we needed. 

This what my car looks like with garden stuff inside.

We raked and cleaned up the backyard, as Bruin watched with the wind blowing through his hair.

I promise we don't tie Bruin up like this, I'm not crazy about just tying a dog up in the backyard and leaving it because it could get away and it could really hurt itself But we figured since we were right there we could tie him up on the stake we usually use for camping.

Out front we wanted to put some flower boxes and pots.

Fun fact: years ago, before it was a nursery, our house was a general store. So we have this super awkward parking space and even more awkward awning. Per my mother-in-law's suggestion, we're going to put up some twine running from the white boxes you see to the awning and plant some morning glories.

If it works, we will have morning glories and moon flowers forming an almost privacy shade on either side.

If it doesn't work, we'll be the weird people on the street who made the side of their house kind of look like jail.

I'll keep you posted.

And that was my weekend! I'm now sitting on my couch, and planned ( for school) for the week. I think I've got a few blog posts up my sleeve too which will be scheduled to show up sometime this week (including this one.)

Hope your weekends were as weird, awkward, and sunny as mine.

Stay awkward,

Tricia

Sunday Social

 

Did you sleepwalk as a child? 
Maybe a little bit. I think there were a few times that I wandered around a little bit but eventually made my way to bed. Once when sleeping over at my cousins I woke up and was not on the floor in my sleeping bag, I was laying like at the end of their bed.
You know like a dog.
My headgear wasn't on anymore and was on a desk across the room.
Because I was apparently not only too sexy for my headgear, I was too sexy to sleep like a human.
I have been known though to talk in my sleep. More-so when I was a kid, but I think there have been a few times in the last few years that I've talked in my sleep when I'm extremely tired.

Did you ever try to run away or sneak out of your house? 
Sneak out? UM NO.
If I snuck out of my house and got caught, I would have to face the rath of a thousand suns from my parents, so I was too scared to ever sneak out, or do a lot of other things that I shouldn't.
 Good job mom and dad!
I threatened to run away once.
I was in third grade and upset about God-knows-what. I went into my room shut the door, and through my puppy-dog tears yelled to my parents that I was going to run away. (At this point my parents were probably smirking at each other murmering "If only..."
 When they asked where I was going to run away to  I told them that I was going to run away to Spain because I knew how to speak Spanish. (Read: I was in a third grade level Spanish class and had learned  how to say my name, colors, and about some places where they speak Spanish.
But I never left my room, I just cried and cried and thought about how awesome Spain was going to be with my working knowledge of azul and rojo.
I'm sure I just cried until I decided to take a nap, which is what I still do as an adult when I'm upset.
You know, because maturity.

Did you have any imaginary friends? 
I don't think so. Growing up with 3 sisters, all pretty close in age, I always had a playmate so I don't remember having an imaginary friend.  If I were in a fight with one of them there was always someone else to hang with, so why make someone up if I have like 2 other options?
But one weird thing we did do alot is we played "pretend" constantly.
Play house, play teacher (two of us turned out to be teachers, weird),  and other pretend situations where we'd run around and be dramatic.
We did this until an embarrassing age, something like middle school or something.
So if you want your kids to never be bored or bother you, and you're willing to run the risk of them just being a little weird, have 4 of them.

Did you ever go toilet papering? 
Nope.
Again, I was way too scared of getting caught and getting in trouble with my parents to do something like that. Plus my friends in high school and college weren't really the type of people to do that, we'd rather eat ice cream and watch Grey's Anatomy.

But one time my junior year of college I was an RA and on duty and the tree outside of my dorm got toilet papered. I went outside with another RA to see what was going on, and as the kids finished up they started running away and one yelled, "I am Promethuis!" It was pretty funny.
Ahhhh, college!

Did you ever sneak TV shows you weren’t allowed to watch?
Sometimes. When we were really little we weren't allowed to watch Power Rangers because it was too violent. I watched it once and realized I didn't like it anyway. Other than that, we only had basic cable so it's not like there were a ton of shows for us to watch anyway.

Happy Sunday!

Stay Awkward,
Tricia

Blogger Niches and Washboards Against Rose-Decor Button-Ups

Thought I'd left you all behind again? To fend for yourself for another 7 months before I came back to do 3 link-ups in a row?

Uhhh you wish you were so lucky. You're the one who clicked "Join This Site" above that cute little Google Friend Connect box with all of those sassy selfies below, and you're now the one that has to live with the consequence.

But no, I have not ditched my blog again.
I merely decided to go out into the sunlight and hang out with friends three nights in a row to compensate for being sick on my couch all week. I then realized on Sunday there was a reason that I had taken it easy, the same reason I was feeling like poo again that morning.

Don't get me wrong, those nights were well worth it.
 How could they not be with this brilliant man playing the washboard being a part of it?

If you look close enough, you might be able to smell the roses right on his shirt. That's how magical both he and this Instagram photo are.

But alas, I felt like poo nonetheless as I thought about posting in my blog, and decided to figure out what I was going to teach today instead. (Responsible choice alert!)


So here I am a day after going back to work knee deep in papers to grade and splits and goal times to figure out for a track meet tomorrow.  And all I could think about was my blog and other people's blogs.

As I get back into the swing of things I've been reading other people's blogs. And now than before I've started to realize that everyone elses blogs have a "thing", a "direction" or "blog category" that they fit nicely into. Maybe they're a mommy blogger, or a fashion blogger, or a foodie blogger, or a pinterest blogger, or a photo blogger, or a link-up blogger, or a weight-less blogger.  Which is all cool and well, good for you for having direction and focus and a "thing".

Here's my problem: I don't think I have a thing. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things on that list above that I do, but not so much that I want my blog to be concentrated on it so much. I want to write about my horrible haircut one day, a cool photo I took another day, and do a link-up the next.

But there are going to be days that I don't want to write about my life because I feel weird about puting details on the internet, or have no photos to post because I've been in school for weeks and have no social life, or I days that I think a link-up is lamesauce and don't want to be a part of it.

So it makes me wonder, if I had a "theme", or a "direction" would it be easier for me to come back day-to-day and post more regularly? If this blog is truly for me, is it even an issue that I should be worrying about? Do I already have a "direction" or "blog type" and I just don't realize it?
 (Please don't say "mommy blogger". That would be pretty tough news to break to the hubby.)

I don't know the answers, maybe I'm just an everything blog, a life blog, a cool blog, a diary blog, a do-whatever-I-want-blog, a rambling blog.
Or maybe it's just a random and awkward blog. (Ehhhh, Ehhh, see what I did there! LOLZ)

Whatever this blog is, it's still trying to figure it out. I think it might be a teenager.

Which is totally fine, I teach middle school. I can handle teenagers.
Well at least I can make them all sit down and read silently for 30 minutes, if that's what we're going to call handling.

What do you think? 

Is it necessary for a blog to have a "category" that it fits under or direction? 

Does it make it easier to blog instead of having one that is just wide open? 

Do you think your blog has a niche or a theme? 

Did you decide to go in that direction because that's what you wanted to write about or because overtime you saw most of your writing went that way? 

Do you think people pick a direction or theme to go for themselves (their writing) or to make sure they maintain their readership? Both?

And finally but certainly not least (because it has to do with MUAH) if you had to give a category that my blog fits into, what would it be?

I would love to hear your answers to the questions in the comments below so I could have some insight into what you think  and then any insight as to whether if this sort of stuff has gone through your head/been written about before. 

Thanks ahead of time for answering my questions and letting me know that you stopped by.

Until then,

Stay Awkward, 

Tricia