I'm fabulous apparently

In case you couldn't tell, I've been busy. Here's one of the blog posts I planned on posting this week. Thanks to Ms. Mess for granting me with this accolade. 



 Here's the drill:
1. Post the rules.
2. Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.
3. Name five things you love.
4. Name five things you hate.
5. Pass the ribbon on to five other bloggers. (Leave them a comment to notify them of their win.)







Fabulous Moments:
1. Henry's birth. By far the happiest day of my life. I had no idea if he was a boy or a girl, when he was coming, what he would look like, nothing. It was the biggest surprise I've ever had. I'll never forget asking, "What is it? What is it?" after he came out and Ryan shouted, "It's a penis! I mean, it's a boy!" Priceless.
2. When Ryan first said he loved me. Cue the awwwwws. Sorry to be sappy, but I had been crushing on him since I was fifteen. When the guy of your dreams tells you he loves you, it's surreal. I still pinch myself sometimes.
3. Losing weight. I'd always been athletic, but my last year of college I was under an unreal amount of stress. I had a lot of life changes and a crazy class schedule and really difficult student teaching assignment (five preps!). I turned to running and working out just to let it all go, and I ended up losing about 20 pounds. Running wasn't a chore; it was an outlet. I really want to tap into that energy again after I have this baby. 
4. Students telling me they learned something from me. I love it when a student tells me s/he knows something because I taught it to him/her. It is so fulfilling. I'm lucky to have taught high school too, so some students even tell me they are majoring in English or journalism because of me. I'm humbled by this. 
5. Getting a retweet from Ricki Lake. I was so excited about the arrival of More Business of Being Born, I tweeted something about it and she retweeted me. I know. I'm a nerd, but I feel like you knew this already.


Hates: (I'm putting this in the middle to end on a good note)
1. Status updates about going to the gym/working out. Your motives are transparent. Cut it out. Go buy a medal already.
2. Improper use of grammar, mechanics, and language. My biggest pet peeve is every day vs. everyday usage*. It's used wrong everywhere from Wendy's to Walgreen's. One thing I hate about the holidays is the cards that come in addressed to The Smith's** from The Miller's. Why the apostrophe? It's plural, not possessive. I'm really not trying to come off as a snob. If you see a grammar/mechanical/usage error frequently on my blog, PLEASE let me know. I love learning new stuff about grammar. This is not the case with everyone I have found.
3. Chosen ignorance on matters that affect you or your loved ones. It's your duty to be informed when your family's at stake, which is why, even though I hate politics, I am paying close attention to this election. Starting today, I swear. I try to make informed decisions on matters that will impact my family, which is why I don't use certain products, buy certain brands, or participate in some standards of living. It's why I consider myself a researcher, but it can feel overwhelming. I just aim for progress, not perfection. 
4. Politics. It's so contentious! It's hard to have a 'friendly' conversation about politics.
5. Comic Sans. Please stop using this font. Nails on a chalkboard.


Loves:
1. Sam Adams Seasonal Beers. I judge the changing of the seasons, not by the leaves or the weather, but by beer. I am so blessed to be having my baby at the start of football season when Sam Adams's Octoberfest beer will be sold. There is a God and he is merciful.
2. Reading late into the night. I love when you are so sucked into a book you can't put it down and to hell with the time. I'm currently reading the Game of Thrones series (judge me. go ahead) and am losing a lot of sleep. Don't care.
3. Naps with Henry. One of the blessings I have being at home with Henry is our ability to nap together. I don't do it often because I don't want him to expect it, but it's so great to wake up next to your little man who is drooling all over your sheets and snoring contentedly.
4. Field hockey. Oh, I miss it. I played on a fall league after college and loved it. There's nothing like the sound of a ball hitting the back of the goal after you've gotten it around a defender. 
5. Turquoise. I'm not talking that tacky 80's shade, but more Tiffany's shade. I've loved this color since I was little and pink was supposed to be the cool color. It looks great alone or paired with other colors like red (my fav) brown, coral, pink, you name it. I'm so mad that Pottery Barn Kids now has a white and turquoise sheet option for nurseries. I would've totally bought those sheets and added green accents when Henry was born. If this one's a girl, I would've added pink. Booooo. Spending $300 on bedding is not in the budget either.


Other Fabulous Blogs: (in no particular order)
1. JoJo at Design in Bloom
2. Casey and Leslie at Our Tale of Two Cities
3. Sarah at growing, laughing, and loving life
4. Joanna at Holistic Mothering Group
5. Katie at Moore from Katie




*Hint: every day is the same as using each day. If it doesn't make sense to say something like, "each day low savings", then you should be using everyday. If you can replace what you're saying with each day like, "each day I brush my teeth" you should be using every day.
**Not my real last name, creeper.