Friday, June 6, 2025

Cheers to Friday! I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share my weekly favorites. I hope you had a good week!

Monday was my last day of work and I used a gift card to get a Starbucks! It’s become a rare treat for me again since I don’t get one very often. I did my old standby of non-fat vanilla latte. I don’t like the aftertaste/taste of sugar free syrups so I didn’t do that.

Our principal surprised us by saying we could leave after lunch instead of signing out at 3:30 as we had been doing. I was in my feels saying goodbye to my department after lunch and had a moment in my car with a few tears.

One last photo by my room:

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Then, I decided to take myself to Trader Joe’s (on a Monday and not on a weekend!) and these plants made me smile! I did not get one because I have a lot of plants right now.

Note: I am not allowed to step foot on school property until October 1. I have to have a 3 month break in service and cannot even come on property to bring someone lunch or my pension could be at risk. So, saying goodbye felt like a big deal.

I turned off all alarms and it felt so good!

The rest of Monday was spent in my yard. Eddie Otis and I filled the bird feeders and cleaned up the outdoor table.

It felt pretty special that my first hydrangea bloom came out on my last day of work.

If you don’t already have one of these chairs, get one! This would also make a great Father’s Day gift – we got one for my dad and father-in-law in the past.

Get you an outdoor charger – or not – if you are trying to stay off your phone. I like having the ability to charge my phone outside. Tom says my phone is always dead.

Some good foods this week were favorites.

Greek salad:

Greek bowl:

A sweet gift from our school front office clerk…she got me a queso bowl! So, I used it on my fave snack currently. I take only 1 T. of the Tostitos queso and then add as much salsa as I want. Heat up in the microwave.

Tuesday was my first full day at home for summer! I tried to get all the things done. I didn’t know where to start! I did laundry, dishes, cooked that night’s dinner, cleaned my closet, dealt with some piles, and I was like a drunk squirrel. Mason walked into the room and said, “Mom, you need to slow down” and he was right.

I decided to do something summery and I wanted to make a summer makeup bag with minimalist yet summery makeup.

This Physician’s Formula Butter Glow & Go was my main mission but I added a new forest green eyeliner, clear brow gel, and Neutrogena hydroboost that Jenn had.

I have become a big fan of “stick” makeup. I am not sure how great this particular product is yet, but I am experimenting with it.

I treated myself to a summer Southern Living! Mags just aren’t the same. They are so thin and full of ads. Sad.

So, Tuesday was a great day. I enjoyed not having anything I HAD to do!

Wednesday was my fun day for the week! Every Wednesday in June is free for teachers at the Myriad Swim Club which is part of the Myriad Boutique Hotel here in Louisville. Yes, I am still a teacher in June. My official retirement date is July 1, Karen.

Erica and Elizabeth and I met. Elizabeth is not a teacher anymore so she had to pay. She has some PTO days she has to burn and wanted to make it a point to plan a couple of pool days. It was hot! We stood/sat in the pool the whole time chatting.

I wasn’t very close to Erica or Elizabeth before the pandemic. Erica is a Spanish teacher at my school, but she had been in another part of the building when she first came. Elizabeth was new to my school the year before the pandemic. But, during the time that we worked from home and then when we went back to school without students and taught online from school we became very close. Nothing like a shared trauma to bond people.

I am glad that Elizabeth has stayed in our lives because she is such a ray of sunshine. She is truly one of the nicest people I have ever met and she has my sense of humor.

We took a break to eat some food. They split a wrap and I got some hummus with lavosh. We stayed from 11 until almost 3.

I watched Dirty Dancing this week. I have YouTube TV and it came on and I thought it would be a fun flashback summer movie and it was. I am still sad about Patrick. What a cutie!

I finished Sirens on Netflix. I liked the first 3 episodes more than the last 2 and I am still not sure about the ending. It’s only a 5 episode deal so it’s not a huge time commitment.

I read that we are going to experience a weather phenomenon called “Virga” which means the clouds will look like jellyfish.

Cool, huh? Look at me still “being” a teacher.

It’s hard to slow down. I am finding my summer footing as I do each summer, I suppose. I can feel that school year adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

I want to leave you with a sweet photo. This is Tom and Eddie Otis saying goodbye yesterday morning.

That’s true love. Then, I explain to EO that Daddy has to go to work and that mommy is FREE!

Tell me something you liked from my favorites or tell me one of yours!

Amy

21 thoughts on “Friday Favorites”

  3. Very interesting about being on school property- don’t jeopardize that pension! Eek! Anyway- could you sub part time next year if you wanted to? That may be a way to still enjoy what you are great at with no commitment right? Your summer is going to be fabulous and I can’t wait to follow along

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    1. Right? Like I am a criminal!
      I can. I just don’t know if I want to. I may be super bored after being a teacher teacher.
      I kind of want to do something totally different even if it doesn’t pay well.

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  4. I practically choked on my coffee when I read your ‘Karen’ comment – ha!!!

    I love how you and Erica and Elizabeth are so close and hope you keep getting together. It’s nice that you are so close to school and can host Happy Hour!!!

    Have you watched Love on the Spectrum yet? I am so invested in it now, I love it!

    That EO & Tom photo is the sweetest!

    xo,

    Kellyann

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    1. Well, I have a new negative commenter so I thought I should say that for anyone thinking I am cheating or gaming the freebie.
      Neither of them are great at texting so we will see how often we will get together in the future. But, I am open to spending more time with other friends and making new friends.
      I love that show! Connor is my favorite! I also love James!
      Thank you!

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  5. So much goodness here. I so rebated to shared drama to bond people, lol! That picture of you, the last one by your room made my heart happy for your next chapter! I am with Mason and I hear him talking to me as well, I need to slow down, lol! It’s hard when you are a go go go get it done person!

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  6. Dirty Dancing is one of my favorite movies. When I was in High School we had a Swedish foreign exchange student live with us. She was obsessed with Patrick Swayze. We watched a VHS (shows you how old I am) tape of it every day after school. We also went to McDonalds for french fries and played Monopoly. Good times. I still stop and watch it every time I see it on TV

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    1. Hey! I would love to watch Dirty Dancing on a VHS while eating McD’s fries right now at 53! I haven’t played Monopoly in years but still love it!

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  7. You’ve had such a great week! I’m so happy for you, friend. I’d love to stand/sit in that pool with you and chat over drinks and a yummy lunch! I love that you have those friendships that were formed by teaching; I didn’t realize that about not being able to step foot on the property for three full months. My favorite this week was having Wednesday night free from work! I went to the event that Marilyn invited me to, and it was fun getting to eat yummy food and meet new people.

    Enjoy your weekend, my friend!

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    1. It’s been good! I have had some woes, too – lest you feel my life is without strife!
      Yes! The menu is a little weird there – a bit too bougie.
      So weird – right?
      Has church slowed down for summer? Are you easing out of your job? Good thing or bad thing?
      You too!

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  8. I was hoping your principal would cut you all loose early on the last day! You guys really put in your time. I bet you were in your feels. Mason telling you to slow down. So funny. You have all the time in the world now. lol
    And outside phone charger – genius.
    You guys are a great trio – it always helps to have a couple of solid work friends. A friend I taught with at my previous school just got hired at my school and I will be happy to reconnect with her. You and EO will have lots of time together now. You’re both so lucky

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  9. I agree about today’s magazines. I still subscribe to a few and it literally takes me less than 30 minutes to read it cover to cover. Not like the old days. Your first day of retirement reminds me of the first day that both kids went to preschool from 9-12. I got so much done and was kind of in a frenzy. Ha! Hope you have a great weekend.

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  10. Aww! Fab photo of you by your classroom and what a treat to go to Trader Joe’s on a Monday! Those plants are cute! I am looking forward to turning off the alarms clocks at the start of summer!
    It does sound like a great first week of summer. That is so cool that the swim club is free for teachers, it looks like a great day!

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  11. I loved that Mason had to tell you to slow down! It’s because you haven’t really processed you now have not only the summer but the rest of your life to accomplish things! I had to stay away from that school for one entire year! Luckily, I was able to do a sub job in an entirely different corporation the following December. And, that was the last of my subbing. If I were to ever get another paying (notice I said paying because the blog sure doesn’t) job, it wouldn’t be teaching. I think that’s so cool you developed these close bonds with two other women…not so cool why…but cool nonetheless! Your dad was watching over you and knew you needed that hydrangea to bloom exactly then!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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  12. Awww that picture at the end! I used to count down for my dogs, especially when Scott was deployed, to my summer break. I noticed myself doing that for Maverick last month because he was crated during the day and Scout wasn’t. (I would come home at lunchtime most days to let him out…which seems insane and practical at the same time.)

    That pool looks dreamy. I wish we had anything like that instead of the kid-friendly water activities lol.

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