Excited for 2016

I love New Year’s. I love all the possibilities it holds. I love that it’s a clean slate. I love setting goals for the new year. I love that it’s a brand new opportunity to be your best you. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks brainstorming some of the things I hope to be able to accomplish and work toward in 2016, and I thought that the best way to end the year was to share those thoughts with all of you.

I want to get back to journaling every day. I took a break from journaling every day this fall and taking that break was really good for me. It was refreshing and allowed me to reassess my journaling practices. It helped me to realize that I want to be journaling every day. And I want to take the time to really reflect and explore my thoughts rather than just scribble something down and move on.

I want to exercise and hit my active minutes goal at least 3 times a week.

I want to make healthier lunches for myself.

I want to read at least 3 books a month.

I want to work harder to stay in touch with my friends who are scattered across the country, and sometimes even father.

I want to blog regularly and really see this blog, and englishnook, grow.

I want to write regularly and make sure to work on my new secret project.

I want to take a few minutes each day for quiet time.

I’m sure that I could keep babbling and come up with even more goals. I’m feeling very excited and energized about the upcoming year. I also think that these are some of my most important goals. I’m working towards being my best me, because it’s important to always be the best version of yourself you can be.

What are some of your goals for 2016?

BrittanyM

22 Things I’m Thankful For

It’s November, and the big event in everyone’s mind is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving isn’t as huge a thing at my house as it is in other places, but I wanted to take some time to focus on what Thanksgiving should really be about: being thankful. In honor of that I’ve decided to share 22 things I am thankful for this year.

1. My awesome family. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my family. They are awesome and amazing and supportive and fun and goofy and just the best.
2. My fantastic friends. I have a group of friends I’ve known since high school, and I am still good friends with them. Plus there are friends from other parts of my life – elementary school and college and grad school – that I hold near and dear and love very very much.
3. My career path. I am done with grad school officially on Tuesday. I’ve been done with my masters degree since August. I’ve interned and student taught. I love teaching, and I can’t wait to secure my first teaching job.
4. My health. I’m in good health, and I’m grateful for that every day.
5. My home. Yes, I still live at home with my parents. And yes, I’m a little bit ready for a place of my own. But, I am so grateful to have a roof over my head. Especially now that the weather is getting progressively colder and wetter, I am grateful that I have a place to call home.
6. Food! Anyone who knows me knows that I love food. A lot. And I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from.
7. Writing. I love writing. I’ve always loved writing. And I’m grateful that after all this time I’m still writing, that I still love it, and that I’m still pursuing it.
8. Passions. I am grateful that there are things in my life that I love and that I’m pursuing. There are things in the world that interest me. There are things in the world that I want to do.
9. Opportunities. I am grateful that there are opportunities in my life, not just in regards to teaching, but in general. There are opportunities for me to meet people, go places, and do the things I am interested in doing. And that’s pretty awesome.
10. Family Vacations. I love my family, and I love doing things with them. I love when we go on family vacations. I’m grateful that we are able to go on such adventures and that we get along well enough to have a good time when we go on those adventures.
11. Transportation. I am grateful that I have a car that works and that I am able to drive. I don’t have to worry how I’ll get from place to place. I’m really grateful for that.
12. Coloring. I have the maturity level of a small child sometimes, and that’s OK. I love unwinding at the end of a long day by coloring. I’m grateful that that’s something I’m able to do.
13. Reading. Before I have real memories, I know I loved reading. It’s something my mom introduced into my life somewhere around Day 1. Just like I love writing and I love coloring, I love reading. I’m grateful it’s something I’m able to do on a regular basis.
14. My coworkers. Between my internship last year and my student teaching this year, I’ve met and been able to work with some wonderful amazing people. I am so grateful that they have been willing to help me, guide me, support me, and befriend me.
15. Technology. Technology is a huge part of life in today’s world, and I’m grateful that I have ready access to it. I’m grateful that I can use it. It’s a huge advantage in my profession, and I’m grateful I’m able to use and utilize it.
16. Snail Mail. I love snail mail. I’ve always love snail mail. I am a firm believer in snail mail. I’m grateful that it still exists and that I’m able to utilize it on a regular basis.
17. My faith. I am grateful that I believe there are bigger forces at work in the world than simply me. I am grateful that there is a greater force I can voice my concerns to. I’m grateful that I have something to believe in.
18. My students. I am grateful for my students who have taught me so much already, and who I am confident will teach me so much in the future. As much as I teach my students, they teach me, and I am so grateful for that.
19. My education. I am grateful that I’ve received a great education from all the institutions I’ve attended, and I’m grateful for that. Education is important, and I’ve received a solid foundation to work with.
20. Seasonal Weather. I love that I live in New England and that we have seasonal weather. I love that the leaves change colors in the fall, that it snows in the winter, that it gets warm in the summer. I am so grateful that I’ve been able to experience all of that.
21. Quality family time. I love my family, and I love that even when we’re not on vacation we spend quality time together. I think family is so important, and I love spending time with mine.
22. You, my readers. Finally, I am so grateful for you, my readers. The ones who have stuck by this blog when there weren’t a lot of posts, and the ones who pop in and out. This blog wouldn’t exist after all this time if it weren’t for you, so thank you.

BrittanyM

Things That Keep Me Grounded

I thought that it would be nice to talk about some of the things that keep me sane and keep me grounded. My life is certainly not as crazy as some, but at the same time it does have its own level of craziness, and I, like most people, need things to keep me grounded. So, here goes:

1. My awesome family. They listen to me, support me, tell me when I’m being ridiculous, and make life fun.
2. My amazing friends. I have some truly awesome, amazing and fabulous friends. They are the family that I have chosen to have in my life, and I wouldn’t be me without them. They make my life so much fun, bring me on fun adventures, come over for TV time, and listen to all my crazy ramblings.
3. Writing. Writing is a huge part of what keeps me grounded. It allows me to sort out my feelings, reimagine scenarios and it provides me with an amazing creative outlet.

I’m sure that there are other things which keep me grounded, but I think for me these are the top three. There is no way I would be where I am or who I am today without the amazing and wonderful people in my life, both the ones I’m related to and the ones I’m not. And writing is most definitely my touchstone.

What keeps you grounded?

BrittanyM

A New Favorite

Summer is here which is a wonderful thing. And as spring was ending and summer was starting I found myself a new favorite. I know, I’m the girl who claims to not have favorites for a variety of reasons. And for the most part I stand by that. I don’t have set favorites. I don’t have one favorite book or one favorite movie or one favorite color. A lot of that depends on my mood and what’s going on in my life and all the rest of it. But I do have groups of favorites. Favorite books. Favorite colors. Favorite TV shows and/or channels.

Lately, my new favorite is HGTV. And to be completely honest, I’m about as likely to take on a home renovation or decoration project as I am to take on a big cooking project. And yet two of my favorite TV channels are HGTV and Food Network. I get completely sucked in. I love watching people cook. I love watching homes get renovated. It inspires me for what I might do in the future. I get just as sucked in to these shows as I do to my mystery shows and sitcoms and teenage dramas.

It helps that these shows, the HGTV and the Food Network shows, make for good background noise. They’re what I listen to while I clean my room or while I blog or while I color in the awesome new coloring book my dad bought me. I grew up in a house where we used TV as background noise, and these channels make good background nose.

What are some of your favorites? Let me know!

BrittanyM

Touching Base

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t gotten around to writing my July blog posts yet. I’ve found that if I write them in advance then I don’t forget to post (because it’s scheduled) and you, my wonderful wonderful readers have new posts to read on a regular basis. But I haven’t written this month’s posts yet. It’s a goal. It’s on the top of my to do list. I was going to do it today but then we went mini golfing and shopping and had a wonderful adventure filled family day. The best kinds of days, and the type that I will write about soon and share with you. (Tomorrow maybe…) Anyways, it’s Friday which means I do owe a post, and I didn’t want to start July off by missing regular post days, so this is my teeny tiny I promise it will get better, post. And for all of you who have been checking in and reading and whatnot, thank you! There will be new, better, longer, more interesting posts coming soon.

BrittanyM

My Perfect First Car

I have to admit, this post is probably a couple of months late. But there’s been all sorts of things I’ve wanted to talk about, and tonight I’m choosing my first car.

In the spring of 2009 my parents bought me a car. Probably the funniest part of all of this was that I didn’t have a permit yet. So this cute little car (a ’98 Ford Contour) was sitting in my driveway and going nowhere.

But I did get my permit because otherwise this would be a very short story.

I named my car Charlie, and I really loved Charlie. He was this cute little car that was great for driving around town, which is all I was really doing. Admittedly, he had some flaws. The air conditioner didn’t work. He didn’t go exceptionally fast. He really didn’t like going up hills. But he was perfect for what I needed in a car, and I loved him.

In the fall of 2010 I went to college, and Charlie stayed home. Even if I’d wanted a car with me, I didn’t have the credits yet. And besides, I liked the idea of Charlie waiting for me at home, safe and sound and with a guaranteed parking spot. So that’s how it was for all four years of my undergraduate career.

Now, while I was gone, my parents drove Charlie periodically. That’s how we found out the brakes needed to be replaced. And of course I drove Charlie all the time when I was home. And he remained my perfect slightly quirky but wonderful first car.

Now remember, Charlie was a ’98 Ford Contour, and by the time I graduated from UConn it was 2014. Charlie was old, especially by car standards. I didn’t love him any less, but a simple fact. Charlie was 16 years old.

And it was the summer of 2014 that Charlie really began to have problems.

My grad school is located in Griswold, and over the summer I was driving Charlie up there periodically. At first it was fine. But then it was almost as if he developed an extreme case of the hiccups. This is something that sounds endearing, but really it’s terrifying. I was so scared that Charlie was just going to stop working on my way to or from grad school.

So unfortunately I had to stop driving him to Griswold.

Really I probably shouldn’t have been driving him anywhere. But I was still driving him locally. And even that began to peter out rather quickly.

And then we found out why Charlie had the hiccups. His transmission was shot.

Now, I loved Charlie, and the truth of the matter is that I still love Charlie. But I couldn’t drive him anymore because he wasn’t safe. And just a couple of months ago, April 2015, we decided to junk Charlie.

And sometimes I miss Charlie, even though Charlie Junior (my new to me car) has entered my life.

Because Charlie really was my perfect first car.

BrittanyM

Favorite Things of Summer

The fun truth, is that even if the weather isn’t summer weather right now, summer is right around the corner. That means longer days, warmer weather, going to the beach, and a million other little things. In honor of the approaching summer, I thought I would talk about some of my favorite summer things.

• Grilling. I love when we grill food. We have burgers and hot dogs and cheese dogs. (I really love cheese dogs.) We make kabobs. We make barbeque chicken. We make not barbeque chicken. It’s just really good seasonal food that makes me happy.
• Going to the beach. I’m not the type of person who goes to the beach and spends all day in the water. But I am the type of person who packs some books and magazines, maybe a deck of cards, and goes and spends a day at the beach. Plus, I love people watching at the beach. I love snack shack food. And I love enjoying the outdoors without having to be too outdoorsy.
• Lazy days. I’m not lazy. Not even a little. But what’s great about the summer is that I can have lazy days. I love being able to take a whole day and read. Or veg in front of the TV and not feel bad. I love spending entire days with friends or going on summer adventures.

Those are three of my favorite things about summer. I’m sure that there are other things I love, and I’m sure that I’ll share them with you as summer continues.

What are some of your favorite summer things?

BrittanyM

Love of Lake George

Before we became huge Disney fans, we used to take most of our family vacations in Lake George, NY. Lake George is in upstate New York, and it’s a wonderful vacation location.

One of the best parts of Lake George is that it has something for everyone. I’m especially partial to all the mini golf (and there’s a lot of mini golf). But it’s not all about the mini golf. There are forts. There are museums. There is shopping. There’s an arcade. There is an A&W (which is a restaurant and delicious). I’ve never gone there and had a bad time.

My favorite way to spend a day there is to fit in a little bit of everything. I don’t consider it a complete day in Lake George if there isn’t mini golf, and there’s certainly an array of courses to choose from. I like to do a little bit of shopping in downtown Lake George. I like to get ice cream from The Pink Roof.

I’m hoping to get to Lake George this summer if there’s time. And if I do, I promise to tell you about it.

What are your favorite vacation locations?

BrittanyM

What I’ve Learned Through Writing

I think just by having this blog I’ve demonstrated that I’m a writer. And I write so much even when I’m not on this blog. I journal and write stories and write poems and brainstorm and make lists and just write. So I thought I would share some of the things I’ve learned from spending the past forever (about 16 years) writing.

1. Everyone has a voice. I feel like this probably ridiculous because of course everyone has a voice. But I think that sometimes people underestimate their voice when they shouldn’t. I mean it so sincerely that everyone has a voice. Everyone has something to say and the right to share it.
2. Everyone has a story to share. Much like everyone has a voice, everyone has a story. Some people have fictional stories. Some people have honest stories. Some people tell their stories in terms of poems. Or novels. Or short stories. Or little snippets.
3. Writing is therapeutic. I find writing to be incredibly therapeutic. It allows me to sort out my feelings. It allows me to share my thoughts. And I find the physical act of putting pen to paper to be soothing and calming even when I’m at my most stressed out.
4. Anyone can write. I think some people don’t write because they’re afraid that they can’t. That’s not true. Anyone can put pen to paper and write. Maybe some people write better than others. Maybe some people get published and others don’t. But anyone can write, and fear shouldn’t stop them.

I’m sure that there’s plenty more I still can learn from writing. But this is some of what I’ve learned so far. I hope it’s encouraged you.

BrittanyM

Rediscovering My Love of Fun Reading

For as long as I can remember I have read. Books have been a part of my life almost from Day 1, and long before I could actually remember. My parents are both readers, I’m a reader, my brother’s a reader. Books are a big thing in my life. And that fact has led to the fact that for as long as I can remember I’ve read for pleasure. I’ve read children’s books and mysteries and young adult literature and adult literature. I’ve read articles and blogs. I read. A lot.

But this past fall as grad school began to dominate my life, reading fell to the wayside. I was swamped with schoolwork and getting into the swing of my internship. I stopped writing (another story for another time) and largely stopped reading. And I didn’t realize it until I was well into the habit of not doing these things, but I really really missed them.

Like, I really missed them. My life began to feel really unbalanced, and I was really unhappy. Not in obvious ways, but something was way off kilter in my life. I needed to get things back on track.

As my first full time semester of grad school calmed down, I began writing again. It sucked and it was hard, but I did it. And as reading re-entered my life, so did reading. I began going to the library all the time. I’m still going to the library all the time. And I really love reading. It’s something that allows me to be quiet and tune out the world around me. I get to completely immerse myself in a story, and it’s really a rather nice thing.

Rediscovering that was also a really nice thing. It was like coming back to an old friend and being welcomed with open arms. I’ve read so many wonderful books since falling back into reading, and it’s just been absolutely wonderful. My life feels much more in balance, and I feel much more balanced and more happy.

BrittanyM