Presidential Debate, Beer, and Chili

It is election season and is there a better way to watch the debate than with a good group of friends,a few beers, and a home cooked meal?

During the week I have been staying after school to about 7/8ish at night. On election night I left right after school headed to the grocery store picked up a few ingredients and began my journey home to cook dinner and start watching the debate between Mitt and Barack.

Taco Chili

Ingredients:

• 1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 15 oz canned or frozen corn, drained
• 15 oz kidney beans, drained
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz fat free refried beans
• 1 packet taco seasoning (you can use 40& less sodium)
• 2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

This chili was super easy to make you basically just through everything into the pot let it simmer for a while and it is ready to serve to  your guests.

Start off by chopping up the green pepper and onion.
Once you are finished with that brown the turkey and once that is browned add in the green peppers and onions, then cook for about 2-3 minutes.

When it is cooked through add in tomatoes, corn, refried beans, tomato sauce, chicken broth, taco seasoning and beans.

Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve with tortilla chips and low fat shredded cheese.

As for life.....

Let's see my jobs have taken over for the most part. I am staying at school later and later and am working super hard to achieve the goals I have set for my students. I have been seeing growth not only in my classroom but as well as within myself as a teacher.

I have fallen off the training routine for all the half marathons and marathons that I have coming up. I am though still feeling like I will do well next weekend at the half next weekend in Phoenix.

The past week I have slowly been finding a small balance between having a social life and a career. I am still figuring out the dating situation how do you balance that between friends and work. I have always been a believer in just living life and enjoying yourself. Why does society like to portray the idea of being with someone else feel as though we need to be on this search to find someone. When you find someone you will find them... better yet I really dislike the usage of the word "finding someone". This is my advice do the things you enjoy and when you meet that someone then I guess you will know but at the end of the day as long as you fall asleep happy that is all that matters. 

What I am finding out is I am loving the ability to come home right after school and going straight for a run. After that I am finding enjoyment in watching some TV or cooking while hanging out with some good company.

Also meet my new best friend.

Until next time... oh yeah wish me luck on the half next weekend :)

What Teachers Do During Summer...

 CRAFT, CRAFT, AND MORE CRAFTING...

Sorry for the blurry picture but when the roommate and I get bored we head up to the nearest Micheals after searching pintrest for something to paint or construct for the house. So I set out to create something to hang up car keys when you walk in the front door, along with something to hang all my jewelry on.

Key Holder:

- Picture fram from Ikea

- Scrapbook paper (1 sheet)

- Little hooks

Directions: All you do is take out the glass from the picture from and place the scrap booking sheet of your choice to to the backing. After that all you have to do is screw in the little hooks and like magic you have a VERY cute key holder.

Jewelry Holder:

- Utensil tray from Ikea (wood)

- Paint (one bottle)

- Little hooks

Directions: This is just as EASY... All you have to do is paint a couple coats of paints and screw in the hooks where you would like them and again you have an easy cute holder to place you necklaces and bracelets. You could even take cork bord and place it in one of the squares to place your earrings.

Life

A lot has been going on lately, most of the events have required change. I would like to think that I am the kind of person who goes with the flow and can handle change because it happens everyday. That is not completely true, when change is a new job and friends moving I tend to go into shock. I understand everything is for the best and I am ok with that I am just needing to prepare myself that this year will not be like the last.

My last half marathon was in June, the P.F. Changs in San Diego. It was a great course and I LOVED it. Loved enough that when I got home from the trip I was on such a running high that I ended up signing up for the Women's Half in November, P.F. Changs Half in Vegas, and then I went for it  I signed up for the P.F. Changs FULL Marathon in Arizona. Of course right after that I got overwhelmed with running and stopped for about 3 weeks. I blame the idea of summer and not wanting to be proactive about my goals. All though has changed since going back to work. Last week we started at the school and I have been getting back into my teaching routine. Getting up early going running, coming home cooking dinner (made a mean enchilada the other day), and of course going to bed early. I am really loving it and am feeling the high coming back to me after every run :)

Over the past couple of weeks all I have wanted to do is sit down and write about dating experiences whether they are mine or a friends I can't get it out of my head. There has been a ton on my mind lately and now that I am having time to write I don't even know where to start. I guess I just have to say it, dating is such an awkward process!  You go get drinks or dinner with someone you barely know expecting that hopefully there is a connection but not wanting to get your hopes up because you can only be let down so many times. Let's say you hit it off (I just want to say thanks to greek life I can kind of hold a conversation when meeting someone new) you go on another date and continue to get to know each other that's great but how do you know?!? There are SO many people out there and so many things to look for, how do you know what you want or what you are looking for in a person... That and what is going on with the maturity level of guys lately? If a girl turns you down you should be able to handle that... I have a friend you respectfully told a guy she couldn't see him anymore because she didn't have the same feelings for him. He in return threw another date he was going on in her face. I don't understand why people do this, if she really cared about him she would not have cut it off...

I feel like I need to stop rambling. Look forward to me trying out new recipes and more crafts as the school year begins :)

Onions Will Always be my Downfall.

Recipe of the Day

Over the past couple of days I have been craving pizza and then the other day I was on pintrest and saw a recipe for crustless pizza. Since I wasn't too thrilled about the crustless part I decided to start my own research on the web, where I found this amazing grilled mushroom pizza. It literally took no time at all to cook.

Ingredients 

8 oz fresh shiitake mushroom, stems removed, caps wiped clean with a damp towel, quartered (I used 8oz of white mushrooms)
6 medium shallot(s), peeled, quartered and chopped (I used white onions)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp table salt
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1/2 cup(s) pizza sauce, or tomato sauce
4 medium whole wheat tortilla(s)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 pound(s) provolone cheese, about 4 thin slices
4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450ºF. In a large bowl, toss together mushrooms, shallots, oil and salt; spread on a sheet pan in a single layer and lightly coat with cooking spray. Roast until vegetables are crispy, about 12 to 15 minutes; remove from oven and set aside. (Or grill the vegetables in a grilling basket.) Heat an outdoor grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. To make pizzas, spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon of oregano. Top each with 1 slice of cheese that has been torn into pieces, 1 teaspoon of Parmesan and 1/4 of vegetable mixture. Place pizzas on grill or grill pan (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your grill pan), and cook until edges begin to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes; rotate pizza. Continue cooking until cheese is bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

I know it has been a while since I have blogged but life has just gotten crazy. I think things have finally calmed down between spring break and now so much has happened.

During spring break my family came out to visit and it was simply to best week I have had in a month or two. We did so much from hiking camelback to going put put to a spring training game. It also helped that my nephews were all to eager to help with the house chores :)

                                                      

Speeding it up a little the biggest event that has happened to me was last weekend when my friend Chris and I decided to go skydiving. Totally last minute he pulled through with a reservation that I was all too excited about until we were already in the air and I realized that the only way back on the ground was to trust the stranger I was strapped to and JUMP out of a PLANE! Probably the most amazing/spontaneous thing I have done in my life so far... what's next?

    

 Getting swell (haha)

Haha just kidding I have been kicking up the workout routine lately. So far I am signed up for three races over the next three months I am SUPER pumped!! The first one coming up is my first run eva haha Pat's Run it is a great cause and so much fun, I am really excited to be doing this race again and with a ton of friends :) The next race is in San Diego (well the next two will be haha) the first one is a 5k ROC Race. A friend from college lives out there so we will be reuniting and spending the weekend together CAN NOT WAIT!! Then it will be time for my next 1/2 marathon in San Diego (Rock N Roll of course). After typing all that out I can't believe what I have gotten myself into... oh yeah and registration for the Vegas 1/2 just opened up today and you all know I WILL be participating :)

Gonna Burn the House Down.

Recipe

Let's just say I may have gotten over my head with this one. It went all find and dandy until I started crying from the onions then ended up catching the hand towel on fire. Other than that this fast pace recipe ended up delicious. It took a little over an hour to get it ready to serve.




Ingredients:

• 6 oz Ronzoni Smart taste noodles (or no-yolk)
• 2 tsp oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 12 oz fresh broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1-3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 12 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
• 4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar (Sargento)
• cooking spray
• 3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook on medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and a little salt, sauté and cover the broccoli for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the broccoli begins to soften. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 9 x 12 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-low heat, when melted add the shallot andcook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined over medium heat; whisk well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes). Remove from heat and add reduced fat sharp cheddar and 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese; mix well until the cheese melts.

Pour into a casserole dish and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Place the casserole under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp and golden (careful not to burn).

Day in the Life of...

The past two days have been GREAT don't get me wrong I am on top of my game at work and in the kitchen (until I burnt the hand towel tonight) I just have step it up with running. There are only 58 days left until Pat's Run which should be a breeze and a BLAST!

Tonight I thought was going to be pretty lame due to the fact that both of the roommates were leaving me alone to go on dates. Instead it ended up being very productive I used my new clothes steamer and cleaned the entire house along with mopping. It gave me the feeling of being so grown up and accomplished.

On a dating note I am still just hanging in there doing what I do :)

The Taco Cupcake

Recipes

These turned out AMAZING!! My one roommate actually said "this is an orgasm in my mouth" haha. Anyways it was also super easy to make and it was prepared and ready to eat in about 30 minutes (totally worked for a week day dinner). I found this on http://www.emilybites.com/ great website for easy recipes!

Ingredients:
1.5 t chili oil (found new the Asian ingredients)
0.5 lbs lean ground beef (I used turkey)
1 T taco seasoning
3/4 c black beans, drained and rinsed
16 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)
5t + 1 t of queso dip (I used the tostito con queso)
1 cup chunky salsa (I used wholly guacamole medium salsa)
1 c reduced fas shredded Mexican cheese

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 375(I put mine in at 425 for 10 minutes because my roommate was also cooking pizza at the time). Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2.    Heat chili oil in a sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and taco seasoning and brown beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Add black beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until warm.
3.    Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom. Follow by spooning some of the meat/beans mixture into each cup (using about half the total mixture) and then splitting ½ cup of the salsa evenly into each cup. Sprinkle about half the shredded Mexican cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.
4.    Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

                                                         

Nutrition Information:

Yields 8 taco cupcakes. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4 per cupcake (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) 164 calories, 12 g carbs, 7 g fat, 12 g protein, 1 g fiber

Health Watch

The past week I have been off the health watch so I may say it. It has been a while since I have been on a run and I have been just eating whatever I please (not all crappy food). Yesterday I went for about a 2 mile run and it was rough but I now have goals in mind. April 21st is the Pat's run that began my running career that I just signed up for so now I have something to stride for. After that I will begin training for the Rock N Roll half marathon in San Diego that I decided to sign up for spontaneously. 

Onto the FitBit... I am still wearing it but I am finding it hard to track my calorie intake along with doing my weight watcher points. I will either have to choose between the two or man up and put in the extra effort. 

Dating

On the dating advice so far all I can say is taking it day by day is going very well. No pressure is definitely key when it comes to dating.

Recently after long conversations with my roommates I have found to me that the key to dating is to date many people. I know that must sound bad but I am talking about going out with multiple people lets say to dinner or drinks and see who you actually click with. Once you have clicked with someone I don't think that is the time to "throw all your eggs in one basket" so many say. I think the best way to find Mr. Right is to see which person you can't stop thinking about when you are on those dates with the others.

Advice to live by... When in doubt consult Cosmo.

Windows Down... Music Up.

New Recipe

On the menu for the night is Honey BBQ Meatloaf. It was super easy to make and only 9 ingredients:

1 lb 90% lean ground beef (I used 

                 ground turkey instead)

½ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce, divided

2 tablespoons honey, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

Worst part!

1. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together 1 lb lean ground beef, the fresh bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of your favorite smoky barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (or dijon), 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
2. Shape the mixture into a long, thick log and place in an oiled baking dish. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce. Spread half of it evenly all over the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving.
4. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
5. Remove the meat from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.
6. Slice and drizzle with the reserved barbecue sauce. 



Nutrition Information for one serving. (Serves 4)
Calories: 310, Fat: 14.9g, Cholesterol: 58.7mg, Carb: 25.8g, Fiber: 0.7g, Sugars: 20g, Protein: 16.8g

Healthy Life Style

So I broke down and purchased the fitbit ultra. This is a gadget that I found on pintrest and was very captivated by it. This small devise clips in your pocket or bra strap and calculates the calories burned within the day. I am not going to lie I felt weird at first wearing this but it is so cool.

What it tracks:
-Steps & Distance
-Calories Burned

-Stairs Climbed
-Sleep Quality

Also has a wireless upload with online graphs and tools.

I am still in the process of figuring it out but I am really excited to see what I can learn about how much my body burns throughout the day.

Onto the running... I had the impulse to sign up for the Rock N Roll half marathon in San Diego. Lately I have been itching to run another marathon and since the registration for the Vegas one has yet to open up and the fact that it isn't until next December I decided to just go for it. on the plus side I have never been to San Diego and feel like it will be "just the get away I have been looking for"

Dating

What to even say, lately this have been apart of my life that has been turned upside down. Recently jumping into the dating world I have realized it is crazy and unpredictable. Guys are way worse when it come to understanding than girls have been portrayed and it is ridiculous.

If only this journey of life was so much simpler... I have though changed my mind set. I am no longer looking for mister right or even a boyfriend. Now I have turned to looking for my best friend and partner in crime, when you add in all the other BS you end up adding in drama to the mix which lets face it no one wants.

Recently I have been going on dates and I have been enjoying it. Getting to meet new people going out and trying new things what else could you want?!? I guess the only next step is to stop over thinking so much about everything and take it day by day. 

Super Sunday.

     After enjoying my much needed time to relax by myself in Waterloo I realized it was time for me to head home Saturday afternoon. There were no more interviews for me to attend and a person can only spend so much time by themselves. So I quickly packed up my bag and hit the road back to Kansas.

Relationships

     When I reached the Kansas boarder my dad had asked if I would like to join him for dinner. I ended up driving straight there and changed out of my sweats in the car. Later that night I went over to an old friends where we decided to go hit up a local bar. This is where the topic of relationships came up. We were catching up and talking about our current/past relationships over the past months and the conversation took a turn to "the one and only". On this topic we disagreed about whether or not there really is one person out there for us. He used the argument that love is a chemical reaction blah blah blah. I totally get his point on the matter but at the same time I have always felt that when you find that one person you will know it. You will want to spend every minute of every day with them and they will feel the same way. I can also see the point of view though were people can grow apart... this is where I begin to question my belief on the matter. 

     As of right now I am pretty sure I have never been in love. I feel like I have been very close but not there. I am hoping to eventually find that one person (whether or not they are out there) that I will fall in love with and never end up falling out of love  with. Until then I am still on my search for mister right.

Healthy Living

     Sunday was the super bowl where the roommates and I had people over. This was an event that I was supposed to be missing because of my pervious engagement in Waterloo. I wasn't supposed to be back to Tempe until 11:30pm at night. That was until I changed my flight to get in at 11am. I ended up not getting any sleep Saturday night and left Kansas at 6am Sunday morning (where I have to drive myself to the airport, thanks Dad). Once I returned to my car in Tempe I drove right to the local Fry's and picked up ingredients for my appetizer and of course beer. Deciding on the Bud Light Platinum because the blue bottles are pretty sweet, I quickly found out the the higher alcohol content was just what I needed :). I was going to make pizza bites. 

                                    Ingredients:

                                     Turkey pepperoni (1 package)

                                        String Cheese (1 package)

                                        Crescent Rolls (3 cans)

                                        Marinara Sauce (1 can)

  All you need to do is place five pepperonis on the crescent roll, then half of a string cheese and roll them up. Bake in the oven for about 11 minutes and you have a great appetizer for game day.

      The roommates made strawberry cupcakes which are TO DIE FOR and a fruit/cookie thing that was pretty much gone within seconds of being put out on the table.

FYI:

Tonight I decided that I would enjoy having granola bars for breakfast for I put in the nutrition facts into my phone to figure out the weight watcher points. 3 points is all it would cost me in the morning GREAT is what I thought. Then being the poor teacher that I am decided I would go with the target brand... put in the nutrition facts for those and realized that saving the $0.20 was not worth the extra point it would cost my daily. So for future reference cheaper is not always healthier.

WORKOUT PLAN:

Kickboxing (60mins)         9 activity points 

Running (30 mins)             4 activity points

Every monday this is going to be the plan and since this past weekend I totally blew the diet they run was necessary! I am ending up going to bed with 7 points left over from the day and I didn't even touch my activity points. 

Waterloo, IA

When someone asks you what is you biggest fear what you would say... 

My normal response would typically be the unknown. Not knowing what is going to happen, not knowing why certain situations happen, not knowing as simple at that. I let this fear eat me up inside.

Over the past couple of days though I have come to realize probably my second biggest fear. I know this is probably going to sound ridiculous but I am actually afraid of what others think of me. I guess it is more of the fear of being judged or that I don't know what I am talking about and others think. This is probably the dumbest thing to be afraid of or feared but I am pretty sure that I am just lacking the confidence needed to get over this and this job fair this weekend has opened my eyes to this.

Thursday

     

    Finally getting into Kansas City late Wednesday night after what felt like a 10 hour flight with a plane switch in Houston and flying on what felt like the smallest plane ever. I woke up at 9am in the room I grew up in to the memory of the night before when I said to my dad "my TV is gone!" his reply was "yup I sold it and your furniture is going next." I guess this is part of growing up and realizing that what used to be will not always be there. 

     Thursday was the day that I was to drive to Waterloo, IA (5hours45min) all by myself and to get there before it got too late I was supposed to leave around noonish. Of course by the time I got out of bed, took a shower, packed the car, and arrived at my dads office it was already 11am. This I would have to say was the highlight of my trip! Seeing the love of my life and getting to talk things out with my sister-in-law and the office staff. We ended up going out to lunch at Koops favorite place to get steamed dumplings LuLu's where he was so excited to be able to use the chop sticks that they had put together for kids to use :) 

     After lunch it was time to hit the road or at least I thought it was. First, I HAD to burn some jams for the ride or else I would have gone crazy because there is more than likely no radio in the middle of nowhere that I had to drive through. Then, my dad decided he wanted to wash the car before I left and check the oil which was a good thing because it was a little low. After all of that getting done I was off on the road to Waterloo, IA at 3:30pm. I finally arrived at my nice Hampton hotel at 8ish where the first thing I did was hit the gym for a good run then went back to my room and headed to bed.

Friday

     The Friday morning started of like any other typical Friday morning in my life, the alarm going off at 5am. This was what I had been waiting for ever since I first signed up for this fair back in August (time flys). I went downstairs where I had my typical breakfast of cheerios, yogurt, and a banana.

     Once reaching the convention center I immediately fell out of my confort zone. Everyone here had their game faces on and it was SCARY. I felt like I looked the part but that is when my lack of confidence came to bite me in the butt. 

     After the opening ceremony I had about an hour and a half to figure out what tables I would like to go to and ask for interviews. ASK FOR AN INTERVIEW!?! Ah this was the most nerv racking point and even after figuring out what schools in what countries I kept going over and over in my head WHAT DO I SAY TO THEM?!? The first one was a piece of cake, I walked up with the one yellow interview slip that was in my mailbox to a school in Torreon, Mexico. I gave them my yellow slip, resume, transcripts, and this is when they asked when I would be free to schedule and it was that simple.

      The next table I walked up to was a school in Tiawan which had previously e-mailed me saying they would like to talk to me at the fair. This was not as simple as the first. I walked up to the table shook hands with the lady, introduced myself, and handed over the resume/transcripts. At this point the lady just kind of stared at me then what seemed a little hesitant said "would you be interested in a interview". That is what knocked me down a few notches and I took a little step back. 

     I ended up pulling myself together and went to a few more tables after talking to the nicest couple where the lady gave me pointers. "You have 30 seconds to sell yourself, you are a 4th grade teacher who enjoys traveling, and you're beautiful so you have that going for you" this was just the boost I needed. I ended up landing another interview for a school in Indonesia. Then I got shot down again when I choked on what to say to this man at a school in Kosovo who asked why I was there and I came up with the response "cause I am looking for a job" and he started to laugh. I gave him my resume and he then said he would get back to me. Later that day I found an interview slip in my mailbox for that school that said to meet them at the round robbin on Saturday to set up a time.

2:30pm Interview with Indonesia

I was SO nervous walking into this interview, I absolutely dislike having to talk to others I do not know  (fear #2).

I sat down at the table and the head master of the school was a very nice older canadian man. The only question he asked me was "Why should I choose you to teach at my school". This is when I went into my background and starting talking about all the things I have done that related to his school (thank god I researched it). Then he went into talking about the area and what his school was like, and then he asked me "Do you have a boyfriend or are you single?" HAHA I know you all are thinking ARE YOU SERIOUS! but this is an international job fair and all questions are on the table to see if you will be a good fit for the school. I told him that I do not have a boyfriend and that I am single. This is where he said that I probably would not be a good fit since the dating scene in Indonesia was not that great and I would probably not be that happy there.

5:00pm Interview with Torreon, Mexico

Again I had no idea what to expect when walking into this. There is no way I could manage to get away with another interview where they only ask me two simple questions. No this lady came at me with every question in the book I feel. I had to answer questions ranging from "Do you have siblings" to "Describe to me a typical day in your classroom". It wasn't too horrible my only problem was I feel as though she was not very interested with what I was saying. The interview ended with her telling me to come to their orientation on Saturday. Even though I am 80% ure I do not want to teach in Mexico I feel as though I am gonna go to the orientation anyways to get a better feel for the school.

That was the end of the day. I went back to the hotel where I immediately changed into sweat pants ordered a pizza and opened up a beer. I know how cliche haha but it was a very relaxing night where I ended up passing out at 9:30pm because I was extremely exhausted from the long day.

Saturday

     Today started not so typical woke up around 6am which is unusual from my normal Saturday mornings and got ready to head back to the convention center. Round two of Round Robbin started at 8am and this was were I was supposed to set up the interview with Kosovo, I was so nervous to go back to that table that when the doors opened I panicked and couldn't walk in. Instead I started to call my friends back in Arizona (what was I thinking they wouldn't be awake) and not surprisingly no one answered except my one roommate Alyson. She is also a teacher so I got lucky with her answer (even though I knew she was on her way to teach Saturday school). This is where she talked me down and that I had nothing to loose and everything to gain because I would more than likely not want to teach there anyways. After my conversation with her I headed into the room to only find out the men where not at their table. I know I know... all of that worry for nothing. The rest of the day is now dedicated to sitting in on orientations and learning about the different places that I could go to and what they are looking for so when I come back to one of these fairs again in the future I will be more prepared and informed on what really goes on.

If I had to compare this experience to anything else I have been through it would have to be sorority recruitment. I know if my sorority advisor is out there reading this she is more than likely shaking her head saying "I told you so" because she always warned me how everything in life can be related to what you went through within greek life. Seriously though, I feel like I have been through Day 1- chit chat Day 2- show them a powerpoint.... blah blah blah.

Signing off for the rest of the weekend heading back to Kansas City tomorrow morning then back the Tempe tomorrow night.