11/31 Slice of Life Challenge: I Showed Up

Boom, done. 

10/31 Slice of Life Challenge: An 8 Step Slice

Step 1: Brainstorming: Re-think your entire life and why you have come to this moment. 

Step 2: Avoidance: Walk away from the blank screen and complete that one household chore you meant to do yesterday. 

Step 3: Illusionment: Sit in your favorite writing space with possible cup of coffee/late and casual music playing in the background and begin typing your life story with the voice of Morgan Freeman and the diction of (insert favorite writer here). 

Step 4: Reality: Erase everything you just wrote. Actually, Ctrl+Z, then save as separate draft under memoirs for another day. 

Step 5: Confrontation: Begin writing absolutely anything on the screen. Anything, "I love potatoes." "I have two cats." "Sally sold sea shells down by the sea shore." 

Step 6: Hope: Begin writing feverously with newfound inspiration or acceptance that this is all you've got. 

Step 7: Season to taste: Add a splash of sarcasm, a hint of humor, a pinch of positivity, and top it of with a dash of doubt. 

Step 8: Exhale: Close your eyes, hit the publish button, and exhale. You've just survived the 8 step slice. (Good luck with tomorrow.) 

9/31 Slice of Life Challenge: Caught Reading

***RIINGG***

It's the end of the half-block. Not nearly enough time to read what we wanted. 

"OH MY GOODNESS! DO WE HAVE TO STOP HERE?! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!"

A student shouts above the ringing bell. Another groans in agony. 

They love the book! They actually love the book! 

I smile in joy that the book is such a success. 

My little class of "reluctant" readers has finally found a book that fits. They want the whole series now, and we are just on book one! 

(The book is called Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman)

8/31Slice of Life Challenge: A Day of Rest...And Netflix

I love Sunday's for many reasons but one of my favorite things is enjoying a restful day before the big week to come. Knowing that (hopefully) there won't be any more snow days, it's going to be a long week. So today I watched Netflix. A lot of Netflix. I will admit it was a way of procrastinating from a few household chores, but for the most part I basked in relaxation. 

Have you ever felt excited for the week to come? Knowing you were going to get a lot done? Knowing the fresh start of a new week is way more motivating than a relaxing Sunday? 

I'm looking forward to working this week with the kiddos, physical therapy, working out, writer's workshop, and all of those chores I skipped today :). What do you do on your Sunday's? What are you looking forward to this week?

7/31 Slice of Life Challenge: Setting Goals

I like to set goals. They keep me focused and looking towards the future. So with this awful winter in mind, I have been looking forward to warmer weather. 

5 summer goals:

1. Camping outdoors

2. Sub-2Hr half marathon PR 

3. Train for a full marathon

4. Kayaking trip

5. Save up for a new vehicle (jeep)

6/31 Slice of Life Challenge: I Swear He's Human...

Often times I joke that my cat is human. He has the innate ability to know exactly what will tick you off at 7am until you wake up and feed him. This morning I was expecting to sleep in just a little more than 7am. But Jack had other plans.

The night before I had set my zentangle pens and notebook on the floor by my bed. Jack found them. Jack started to bite the pens in order to pick them up and then drop them repeatedly on the notebook. 

*Plink*...*Plink*...*PLINK* 

Then I hear him walking away to the dresser on the other side of the room. 

*Pad*Pad*Pad*Pad*Pad*

At the dresser he rubs his head against the edge so that it makes this lovely rubbing/scraping sound that in a dead sleep is enough to make you want to scream. 

*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*...*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*

In a moment of insanity I entertained the idea of finding anything within arms reach to toss in his direction to get him to stop. Instead I cracked one eye open and watched him perform the routine one more time.

*Plink*...*Plink*...*PLINK* 

*Pad*Pad*Pad*Pad*Pad*

*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*...*Scccrrrrrruuuuub*

At this point, he stopped, and slowly looked up at me and realized he made eye contact. (My cats don't meow, they haven't since we've adopted them from the rescue. Instead they have this chirp that is combined with a cute purr and at the end of the chirp the sound rises in the same way our voices do when we ask a question. It's enough to break your heart--even at 7am.)

*Bbbrrrr?*

"No, Jack. Five more minutes. PLEASE."

I see his paw slowly reach out towards the pens, all while maintaining eye contact with me, and bats it across the floor.

*Sswat*

"Seriously?" This is the part where I swear he smiled because he knew I was ticked off and about to get out of bed.

*Bbbrrr?*

I begrudgingly slid out of bed and fed the cats. Then I washed the dishes, swept the floor, cleaned up the house, took out the recycling and I was just about to throw on my boots and shovel some snow outside when I poked my head inside my bedroom and Jack was--get this!--SLEEPING. This fool woke me up at 7am for his food, and now he's fast asleep. The audacity. The nerve. The--oh, look he just sighed a little and he just looks so cute!
I can never stay mad at him for very long at all. After all, I was productive this morning. Now perhaps I want a little cat-nap. :)

5/31 Slice of Life Challenge: Down Time

Today I realize I'm cutting it short. It is 11:24 as I type this but I must admit, I was caught up in a bit of a tangle--zentangle that is. I find it a nice way to unwind by focusing my brain on the task at hand and in the end, I get to be a little bit creative. Today and yesterday have been slightly stressful and tomorrow's to-do list is extensive as well, but doodling today was a wonderful way to zone out all of the to-dos in my brain.

Usually when I want to unwind I run. I love running because it is a physical exertion that allows me to focus on just one thing at a time and usually that is just the miles passing by. Since December I have been out of commission due to tendonitis in my left ankle. I didn't listen to my body and overexerted my weak ankle. I am angry at myself now for that, but I can't do much about it other than continue to go to physical therapy and ice it when I can. It has been a tough thing to accept (not running) since I ran 13 races last year, six of them half marathons. And now, I'm practically sedentary. I believe I am going stir-crazy. Doodling for the past two hours allowed me to not (entirely) focus on the pain in my ankle. So for now I will pick up knitting, doodling, slicing, and sitting. But I do look forward to the day I can lace up my shoes and run outside.