Procrastination leads to...

As I stare at the beautiful blinking cursor on microsoft word, I decided the best thing to do about my multiculturalism paper that is due tomorrow is to ignore it.

While procrastinating is not my style, I can't help but drag out the last paper due for this crazy summer session of grad school. In fact, it is my LAST paper due before SMU course work is DONE! I still have my masters comps (eww) and student teaching in the fall (scary), BUT, I will never have to deal with sitting in an SMU classroom again and listen to professors drone...

Have I mentioned SMU has NOTHING on Baylor? Yeah, well, it doesn't (in my humble opinion)

Moving on... rather than dwell on boring things like grad school, let's review the past month of my life....

1. School.... I forgot how intense 3 week summer sessions were (last time to mention it!)

2. Wicked... also known as my favorite show, or bane of my existence, whichever.... first 2 weeks were pretty tame, last 3 weeks were CRAZY!

3. Oh wait... that's pretty much it (sad but true)

BUT... There is a silver lining, I actually have a point to this post....

In my preoccupation with items #1 and #2, I completely forgot an important event! On June 8, I celebrated my first anniversary with Sophie, the pup :) While I did choose to get her right before starting grad school and moving, I have loved every minute of the last year with her. Whenever I'm stressed, upset, happy, or just blah, my little furball is right there with her cold nose and squeaker ball ready to play. Having something love me unconditionally every single day makes the hard days more bearable and the good days even better. Here's to MANY more years Sophie!

Yes, I do realize this from Christmas, but we haven't taken photos together recently. Sophie is a diva and likes to star in pictures by herself!

I'll keep you my dirty little secret... or not

While there are several things I could be doing right now (studying and lamenting the season end to Glee for example) there are more important things to be discussed...

DIET COKE

Cold, carbonated, zero-calorie, not-so-awesome for you goodness...

Here how my love for this has become sort-of an unhealthy addiction:

Middle school began the love... I switched from Dr. Pepper to Diet Coke

High School- the love continued... I was a one every couple of days girl

College (Undergrad)- the love grew, and grew, and grew.... I could keep it to one-a-day (unless I was either super stressed or super tired)

Disney- I maintained the one-a-day with supplements of water, it was hot and humid, girl needed her fluids!

College (Grad) also known as now.... My simple appreciation of the soda has taken a turn for the worse.... I am addicted.

While getting up to go to class this morning, I was amazed and a little horrified to realize how much I NEEDED that Diet Coke. I knew today would not be a productive day without that shot of soda during class, and again after class while doing my homework, and not going to lie, I could go for one right now...

So this leads me to my important realization....

"My name is Allison and I'm addicted to Diet Coke...."

"Hi Allison"- Cue the clapping

Home is where your dog is...

This weekend, Sophie and I did something we have not done in a while. We did not drive to Southlake. (Which is kinda a big deal)

As many of you know, Sophie and I are part-time residents in Dallas and Southlake. We spend the weekdays in Big D and have our "weekend- getaway home" in Southlake. Most Fridays, I finish work, rush home to Sophie, pack us both up, fight traffic and arrive in Southlake in time for a Friday night movie. We chill out until after Sunday church and then, you guessed it, we pack back up and head into the city.

Now, I love my family, and I'm so glad that we are close enough that I can do this and see them and even give Sophie a yard, (Believe me, Sophie LOVES my parents house, I actually know she prefers it!) BUT, I have to say, driving back and forth nearly every weekend tires me out! We're always rushing around to get to Southlake and then by the time we get back on Sunday evening, I'm ready to just chill out on the couch and get ready for the next week,but it's already Sunday night, hence my bag is always half-packed, I'm always a little behind in my grocery shopping, and I'm always a little too tired on Monday morning.

So... this weekend, courtesy of work and Amy, I stayed in Dallas, and I think I will need a repeat very soon! I was so nice to not have to worry about packing up my life for the weekend!

Friday was so fun with Amy and I going to see Star's on Ice.... fun and hilarious at the same time (but that is for another post).

Saturday was spent at the Music Hall hearing "Little House on the Prairie" all day and night, not my favorite, but I survived.

And... today, Sophie and spent time doing this...

All in all a good weekend, and a good re-charge for this week which includes:

- State test for teaching on Tuesday (eek!!)

- Work

- Getting ready for NYC!!!

"Climb" over those TAKS tests...

Since my posts have been, what's the word, oh yeah, depressing, of late, I thought I'd post something fun, or in this case funny!

Yesterday was my final day at my Plano Elementary School before I, gasp, student teach in Dallas ISD (scary) next fall. It was super bittersweet and my kiddos even made me cards... not going to lie, I teared up in the safety of my car on the way home.

BUT... It was probably the best last day... ever! First of all, the kids have the dreaded TAKS test this week ( state test for the kiddos that they MUST pass to get to the next grade level, I know, pressure much?) With that said, the kids weren't exactly excited about learning something new the day before, so we stuck to lighter topics, aka how to relax before the test.

3rd grade was pretty status quo, discussion of good night sleep, eating a good breakfast, and bringing pencils and snacks.

4th grade was another story. I walk in and literally the first thing I hear is singing, which is bizarre. What are my 4th graders singing you ask... "The Climb." By Miley Cyrus. Acapella. Cue me laughing hysterically. Turns out 4th grade teachers thought by singing the song, the kids would know how to overcome obstacles (the TAKS test) and learn that life is a climb and blah, blah, blah. I thought it was hilarious. Not only did I get to hear my kids sing the song, but, oh yeah, the other four fourth grade classes. Each one better and better in my mind... some of those kids are pretty tone deaf (they sound pretty close to how I do :)

The Miley song was pretty good, but probably the topper of the morning was one of the notes from my kids... "Miss Parsons, I like you in more ways than one." HAHA, creeper in the making, but once again, chuckles over here laughs every time I read it!

Ironic Much?

I won't lie, these last couple weeks have been.... frustrating for me. I'd like to attribute this frustration primarily to school and my crazy professors, which they are, but in all fairness, they are not the only reason. I think the main thing is I have too many things on my plate and my priorities are not where they should be, which is... a slight problem. School is monotonous, work is same old, same old, the apartment is a mess, I'm just... struggling. I know, blah, blah, blah, stop throwing a pity party right? Right.

With that said, I found myself blog stalking this fine evening after the aforementioned pity party... I like to blog stalk, some people are so with it on their blogs, I am jealous, in a good way of course. Long story short, I was blog stalking a friend of a friend twice removed when I came across something... curious. Blazoned atop a recent blog post was a very familiar seal... SMU's School of Education seal to be exact. I was intrigued. Reading the post, I was struck with deja vu... wait, this looks familiar. Turns out this "friend" applied for the program that I am currently in. Her story of being accepted is EXACTLY mine... talk about ironic. I was struck with two thoughts: 1- Run for the hills girl, get out while you still can!! and 2- Oh man, that was me a year ago, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed... excited to start this new journey!

I can't say the last year has been easy, especially now with my doubts of this choice, but I can say how I felt THEN, I knew 100% this is the path God wanted me on. Is it still that path? I find myself asking that question a lot. I am reminded that life is not easy, I don't live in a fantasy world, and sometimes, you really do have to "suck it up." The only thing I can say is that the light is at the end of that tunnel... I will make it and I will ultimately be happy in the choice I have made. Those kids' faces every morning and afternoon will be worth it, I just have to survive until then.

God give me strength!

One man's trash...

I've always known that this goes on, I mean, in Waco we had our very own dumpster divers with their little shopping carts around. They picked up random things out of the trash that I suppose they could use in their life for one reason or another.

Little did I know that taking things from the trash is so popular! I have coined a new term to describe what I have witnessed in my apartment complex the last couple of months. I call them the "garbage vultures."

Backstory- I live pretty freakin' close to the back of the apartment complex. Lucky me, my location is pretty much across from the big trash compactor, which I originally thought would be terrible, but actually turns out pretty easy for me on trash days- end backstory.

In the last couple of months, I have witnessed large "big-ticket" items being dumped near the compactor. Now taking Sophie out all the time and living freakishly close to the trash, I get what I think as the first look at the new 'merch. For example, a few of my favorites have been a bookshelf, perfectly good floor lamp with the lightbulb still in it, a desk, a dresser, a rocking chair, coffee table, recliner, leather love seat, and at least a 36' television. I won't lie... I have perused these items to see if something would work in my apartment, but EVERY time I go back to get something, these items get picked up by someone else!

The latest loot, the leather couch and recliner are still out there.... sad this is, someone took the cushions on both, seems weird to me, but maybe someone needed them? If anything, I do enjoy seeing new things arrive and watching the "vultures" in my apartment complex stare in awe waiting to descend and accessorize their apartments (which is always super entertaining because they all steel these things in work clothes... fancy vultures).

So.... yes, one man's trash is truly another man's treasure, at least in my apartment complex. Anyone else experience this weird phenomenon?

Are you ready for some football?!!

Yes... I am alive in blogger world, I've been a spectator for the last couple of months... aka stalking out others and reading theirs, but now I'm back!

Let me first say this, my family has always liked football, we like watching the games, cough, the Cowboys, recreationally, of course, nothing too crazy.

Fast forward to this season... Parsons family decides randomly that, hey, you know what?, lets go to the Superbowl! Cue the football fanatics known as my family. We have watched EVERY game possible this season, Thursday night, we're there, Saturday night, going out, nope, all of us huddled watching the games. Now while the Cowboys were sadly knocked out of the ring last week, what did I do this Sunday? You guessed it, sat my butt down on the couch and watched both the earlier game between the Colts and the Jets... what am I still doing?, watching the Saints and Vikings, naturally. (Sophie thinks I'm crazy when I clap at the TV)

The sad thing is that now I'm INVESTED... these games make me nervous... I really want my picks to make it... I think I finally get the boy hype of why sports can suck you in... I'm there.

So... no matter what happens... I will be thrilled to be in Miami in two weeks because, dangit, I watched those teams get there!

EDIT: HECK YES the Saints are going to the Super Bowl!!!! Geaux Saints!