I’m a grown woman doin’ grown woman thangs…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by uprootedfromnj

… So stay in a child’s place.

Now that I’m closer to 26 than 25 (!), which makes me closer to 30 than 20 (!!), I’ve done some reflecting about what makes me a grown-ass woman. I’ve asked myself the following questions. Self, I said…

“Is it the teaching job?” Can’t be. I had that when I was a hot mess 21 year old.
“Is it the house I live in?” Definitely not. I live with four of my best friends.”Is it the boyfriend?” No way. We’re too silly. (Aww, cute)
“Is it the books I read?” Probably. Tina Fey & Mindy Kaling are a pretty big deal.
“Is it the world traveling?” Nope. California & cross country trips included naps.
“Is it the high blood pressure medicine?” Yes.

So after the whole meningitis episode of 2012, I apparently had to (first find then) go to a doctor for a little follow-up. This has woken me from my post-collegiate slumber of faux adulthood. For now, I had to schedule regular doctor’s appointments. When he said that I shouldn’t have headaches so regularly, I was like, uh, yeah huh. So he put me on this beta-blocker. Which is delicious. I now regularly suffer from about zero headaches. Which is awesome. HOWEVER. I needed to remember to take it. Every. Damn. Day. Which was miserable. I’m so forgetful. “Where is it?! My purse, my overnight bag? My floor, my bathroom?” I know. SO YOU GUYS. I started keeping all my medicine in the same place, so it became a routine! It’s so cool. It’s in a mug in my room on my bookshelf. And it’s decorative, too. Right next to our mason jar savings account.

That, my friends, is how I know that I have become a grown woman doin’ grown woman thangs. So stay in a child’s place.

I’m in a (PA?) State of Mind

Posted on April 11, 2013 by uprootedfromnj

So remember when I was like: See ya, Pennsylvania! Yeah, me too. But then I was all: What’s up, partial loan forgiveness?! And then I thought: K, I’ll probably stay. Like, not in a foul relationship way. Lisa Loeb, you sing the soundtrack of my soul. In a, this is what’s best (in like, all aspects) type of way. So a lot of things have happened in the house since this summer. In highlights:

Tom moved back home to NJ for like… career development, grad school, being a grown up, stuff… I dunno but tears were involved. It’s cool, I guess. Because then…
We don’t take pictures together too often… BUT WHEN WE DO WE’RE IN COORDINATING OUTFITS!
The girls moved in (!) and it was like a beautiful world of like slumber parties & VHS movie nights & schnack fests & no manual labor being done until…
Oh, you know…
T moved in (!) and that like made me SO happy! All the back & forth visiting was over. All the “omg you didn’t text me goodnight imsomadatyoumeh” was over. JK. Still happens. We’re getting used to all the newness that’s involved. I mean I am; he’s got this. #emotional
I’ve traveled quite a bit – road trip to Portland with Emily & quick visit to SoCal with Whitney. Both were amazing!
T & I started a TPT store! Thanks to Kate & her tutelage. Tiffon is making amazing graphic design things that I don’t understand but totally love. I’m making random math activities. It’s still a baby store, but I’m excited to continue to push myself to be a better teacher… and make some dollas along the way.
ALSO Kate’s shower was amazing & I met (read: fell in love with) all her out-of-town friends! Had to be noted. I can’t wait for the wedding!

I’m still teaching 8th grade math. It’s still awesome. Kids are still hysterical. One memorable moment from last week was while we were prepping for PSSAs, we played a review game – Legends of the Hidden Temple style! Thanks, Whitney :) It was awesome. Since we needed more teams than the game show, we also used pink. In the last class of the day, a table of gentlemen sat at the “Pink Parrots” table. However, the “Blue Barracudas” were also vacant. Student J said, “Man, why we the pink team?!” to which student C replied, “BECAUSE WE’RE HANDSOME!”

Remember the good old days?

SO. That’s school. And life. And everything. I just started Weight Watchers (again?), and things have been going well. I have awesome people surrounding me who are either doing the same thing or just being supportive in other ways! Good times, right?!

Hopefully I’ll get back into the old swing(ing) of blog world again! Check out some of those links up thurr, up thurr. Talk to you soon!

~ C

25 Sittin’ on 25 Mill?

Posted on July 12, 2012 by uprootedfromnj

Pinterest. Amiright?! Going on Pinterest makes me feel like I can clean everything, cook anything, and be the most creative teacher who has ever taught. One look at my boards will make it appear that way. Which means it’s true. Right now, though, what is resonating most in my life was this “your ecards” by someecards that I saw lately.

Remember being in elementary school and being like “I want to be an astronaut!”? No? Just me? That’s fine. My anxiety and fear of dying in space has killed that dream. In sixth grade, my ELA teacher had us write an autobiography and then hide it, in order to read about your sixth-grade-self years later. I found mine recently, and boy am I off track. I thought I’d be living in Colorado, teaching math (dingding!), and driving a big Dodge truck. *coughRam3500cumminsturbodieselcoughidontwannatalkaboutitcough*
I don’t know that I ever put thought into, you know, like not living with my mom and dad anymore. I just knew I would graduate high school, go away to college, graduate, and get a teaching job. Apparently I’m a little full of myself, not thinking that maybe I’d ever get arrested or kicked out of college or not start my career right away, if ever. But it’s cool. I did it anyway. Flawless!

Then! All of a sudden, I’m a few years into my teaching career – the only grown up thing I’m good at. I don’t have a mortgage. I don’t ALWAYS pay ALL my bills on time. I live with my friends. I stay up late, and sometimes I wake up late too. I wouldn’t buy a skirt without asking my friends first if it looks good on me.

I take a good look at my good looking friends (iseewhatchadidthere) and some of them are engaged, planning weddings, and having babies! All these exciting, amazing, grown up things are happening while I’m lounging around watching Netflix and writing this. Going on Pinterest and Facebook is a constant reminder that I don’t have my shit together by the time I am the age I am now. But? I’m living the dream. I’m happy.

Kate & Me! BFFs on Easter! Thanks, Instagram!

So, here I am. The awkward year between “23 with a money tree” and “25 sittin’ on 25 mill.” Maybe Drake didn’t have his shit together at 24 either.

♥ Cait

Stick Stickly

Posted on July 6, 2012 by uprootedfromnj

So I know this was supposed to be about me moving from NJ to PA. And it is. Because I’ve changed since the move. But like, I’m also “a grown woman doin grown woman thangs – stay in a child’s place” so I’ve probably just gotten older, too.

Basically, I need a schtick. A thing. A topic. NOT EVEN! Just… stuff I can talk about. I really want to write about school: student conversations, funny things I do in class (iiiiii wanna work with somebodyyyyy; i wanna do my MATH with somebodaaayyyeyyaayyy!), and general interactions. I can’t know, though. I need to save that for my million dollar book I’ll be publishing after I retire and … wait, what’s retirement? Anyway. Now isn’t the time. My students are real good at the internets, so I just need to wait.

Let me know. I’m having a good time with this. Again. For now. We’ll see when it gets old, again.

Yeah that’s a coffee pot in the background. And a mug. Okay, two mugs. It’s a long school day, okay?!

OVO XO CK

Road Trip, USA

Posted on July 3, 2012 by uprootedfromnj

HI! So remember when I did this?! Weird. I really do enjoy maintaining my blog. I also enjoy naps, seasons of sitcoms on DVDs, and social networking sites/apps. So there’s that.

This whole “being a teacher” thing has a lot of pros & cons. I mean pros. Only pros. One of them being – summers off! {Don’t complain; you could have been one, too.} The kids & I finished up eighth grade about three weeks ago (already?! SERIOUSLY?!). So far I’ve been lounging, ~~burning~~ tanning, house sitting, hanging out with some cool cats (literally – felines), and spending some quality time with some quality people.

WHICH LEADS ME to probably the coolest part of my summer.

2800 miles of Greatness!

So mid-August, my super smart & awesome roommate Emily is moving to Portlandia for a year to finish up her fancy-pants schooling (paging Dr. Emily! – that’s what they’ll say, right?). I’m going to be driving out there with her. I’ve never done a CRAZY long road trip before! My family & I have driven to Florida once. Only happy memories! And I drove to Florida another time with friends. That was like a getupreallyearlyandgetthereasfastasyoucan trip. But THIS is serious! This is seeing so much! I’m so pysched! Pun completely intended.

I can’t wait to take even more flattering pictures together!

Here we go!

We’re stopping in the following awesome cities along the way. Let me know if you know of anything worth doing/seeing/documenting!

Columbus, Ohio
Chicago, Illinois
Omaha, Nebraska
Longmont, Colorado or Cheyenne, Wyoming (depending on the whole Colorado fires thing – eek!)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Boise, Idaho
Portland, Oregon!

We’re even taking a day to go to Seattle! If this isn’t living the dream, I don’t know what is. Then I have a long weekend before work starts up again.

I hope to be blogging via WordPress for iOS (WHERE IS THE iPhone 5?!?!) throughout the trip. If that doesn’t work out, maybe a mondo-post when I get back?! Either way, follow me on Instagram (caitKfromNJ) for super artsy pics of the Great Plains. Drink it in.

Kloveyoubye!

Cait

Let’s Talk About Rap, Bay-Bee!

Posted on November 28, 2011 by uprootedfromnj

Bruce Springsteen. The Rolling Stones. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Those would be the songs in the middle (union, if you will) of the Venn Diagram titled “Music Caitlin & Her Parents Like”. Rod Stewart. …okay, that’s pretty much the only one I can’t tolerate, would be on the right side. 2Pac. Lupe Fiasco. Notorious B.I.G. That’s the left side. [side note - I often think in Venn Diagrams. Like I legitimately visualize them and place items in their appropriate locations. Just me? I didn't think so.] My parents listen to some awesome music, and I definitely have a huge appreciation for that and still listen to a lot of it. How can I not when The Boss and I hail from Freehold? My frame of reference has changed drastically over time (I’m soo old & wise), from classic rock, to teeny-bopper hot messes, to annoying hard rock, to edgy/emoness, and then back to classic rock. I just can’t stop listening to hip-hop lately, though. [Current obsessions: Take Care (Drake), Ambition (Wale), Pink Friday (Nicki... still.), and Watch the Throne (Jay & Ye)]

to the windooooows... to the walls!

When I was home/at my parents’ house/in my hometown over the holiday weekend, I was enjoying some cable television enjoyment on the couch. Flipping through the channels, I came across a Lil Wayne Takeover on Fuse. Cha-Ching, right?! I was rapping along (flawlessly, duh.) as my mother was performing some upkeep on her Farm(ville) on the computer in the same room. She turns around and said, “Well, this needs to go off.” As if she was ensuing that Tunechi wasn’t speaking to the woes I experienced as a Caucasian female raised in suburban, Central New Jersey. How dare she! Like, Mom, I got money, and I know it! I will take it out my pockets and show it AND blow it! It got me thinking about something I have talked about to my roommate who shares my affinity for rap culture. What is it about that music? Like, what’s the appeal? Well, I can’t represent everyone, but I have some reasons:

They like to dance: “Back it up and dump it.” – Lil Wayne
They wrote like me: “Started a little blog just to get some traffic.” – Kanye West
They break norms: “I mean, Marilyn Monroe, she’s quite nice. But why all the pretty icons always all white?” – Jay-Z
They use figurative language so well (here, rhyming and allusions): “If you could turn back time, Cher. You used to be here now you’re gone, Nair.” – Nicki Minaj
They reaffirm my beliefs in financial avoidance: “I’ve never really been one for the preservation of money.” – Drake

Basically, what’s not to dig? I love singing along to anything I know (or don’t know, for that matter) and rapping totally makes it more interesting. I know, I know. ”Caitlin, what was the first song that made you feel that way? Like, when did you know you’d be rapping along with your iPod no matter the venue or audience?”

what's that? i didn't hear you...

So, in summary, I like rap & I don’t care who knows! I will change my parents’ radio presets when I’m home to HOT97 & 105.1. I will have rap battles with my sister/cousin/stranger at the bar whenever the situation presents itself. I will continue to feel as if I can relate to the situations they talk about which may or may not relate to my life.

i love rap music. and i love the internet for knowing this image exists.

Your thoughts? On my thoughts or your own thoughts. Either way. I’m not picky.

Return of the Blog… Like Blob. Get it?

Posted on November 26, 2011 by uprootedfromnj

I don’t know if this will be 100% true or not, but it was a catchy title.

Lately, I’ve realized how much I’ve missed this outlet and doing work (Big Black style) on my computer that is not Facebook or Lesson Plan related. Welcome to the ~~good~~ adult life. Ultimately, this blog would be a vector for my big/future/grown-up/dream plans in the next five years. For now though, it’ll just be the open tab on Google Chrome that isn’t full of muploadz or PA state standards. Or math jokes. Or rap lyrics. Or pintrest.

Ideas that I have that I know I need to post about include but are not limited to:

my affinity (and other suburban 20-something’s) for rap music
more comparisons between South Central (PA… not LA) and the Jerz
adventures in bridesmaidsing! <3
funny t-shirt thoughts… for myself.
how i can whore myself out to hellogiggles in order to be featured on their website

I’m back!

iPhone. intagram. way farers. originality.

uprootedfromNJ

I used to live in NJ. Then I moved to PA. You know what they say…