Times Have Certainly Changed..

I have been teaching now for ten years. Many of my freshman students this year were born in 1999 or 2000. I was a senior in high school myself when they were born. (If I had made some unwise decisions that year, these could literally be my children.) They are so young. Or wait, perhaps I am so old. Ugh. But regardless, I forget how much times have changed since I was in high school. My students are definitely living in a very different high school world than I lived in.

The other day in class I mentioned dial-up internet to them and no one had a clue exactly what that even meant. I had to go on to explain to them what it was and how it worked. They looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language and couldn't even imagine what I was talking about. They don't realize how good they have it now with wi-fi and smartphones and iPods and everything else that goes along with it.

Lots of Firsts and Lots of Fun

Intense. Competitive. Animated. Loud. Sensitive. All words used to describe me as an athlete and now, as a coach. As our regular season of basketball begins to wind down and the playoff hunt is about to begin, I really can't believe all that this season has held. There have been many ups, and very few downs, thankfully, but all the new experiences I have gained from my first year coaching basketball have been educational and so much freaking fun. There have been so many firsts for me, and I still can't believe I am head coach of a girls varsity basketball team. It just seems so grown up. So serious. So awesome. But I guess that's me these days.

Sunrise Sensations

I am a morning person. My alarm goes off and I pop out of bed ready to take on the day ahead of me. I do my workouts early in the morning before work starts and its the best way to start my day. I find that on days that I don't workout, I am actually not as awake and personable as my usual charming self. I need those morning endorphins to get me going. I really believe they make me a better person.

Running has allowed me to explore places of this city, and others that I wouldn't necessarily have gotten to see. Whenever I am on vacation I like to go for my morning runs and explore places (with map and phone in hand) that I may not have a chance to see otherwise. I feel that I have gotten to see so much more of some cities, especially on my Europe vacation and even last summer to the Pacific Northwest, because of my passion for running.

The Perfect Lazy Day

I thought after running two marathons, life would slow down and I wouldn't be perpetually exhausted. Turns out I was wrong. At the end of October, post-Chicago Marathon, but still pre-NYC Marathon, I finished coaching bowling and started coaching basketball. It was something I was beyond excited for and literally couldn't wait to begin. Now that the season is in full swing and playoffs are approaching, I am so tired. All the damn time. Practice or games every single day, and now on weekends. I mean, I knew it would be this big of a time commitment, but I didn't realize how much energy it would take and how overwhelmed I would feel. This season is draining me. (But at least I am having so much fun doing it.)

Drool.

I was reading the internet today and checking my Instagram and Facebook feeds, like I do every day, multiple times a day, and randomly came across a number of new foods just recently released and in stores already or are coming out very shortly. It seemed like every other thing I was seeing online today was about food. I usually notice this kind of stuff when I'm starving, but this time, it was just so odd that I kept seeing food. New stuff coming out. Re-releases of old favorites. And everything looked pretty damn good. And of course pretty much all of what I saw is loaded with sugar and fat. Naturally. Drool.