When life gives you lemons, write a blog. You see, I would slap on an apron and make some lemonade, but it has been an interesting week, and lemonade is not my first choice for a nice refreshing beverage. I can’t seem to shake the sour punch, and I figured the best way to lift a heavy load is to unleash an onslaught of words for your enjoyment.

This has been one draining week; it feels as if time is simultaneously passing at an alarmingly fast and slow rate. And while this time malfunction does at certain points leave me in a funk, I have had many experiences and encounters to keep my life as interestingly funny as ever.

I think I first need to address the fact that I am, in fact, in a happy relationship. One of my best friends called me today, and when I casually mentioned my boyfriend, she proceeded to yell at me for not keeping her in the loop. I’m skilled at keeping most of my private life private, but I have been mentioning that there is a mystery man in my life. Photos would also indicate that he is a real human with whom I thoroughly enjoy spending numerous days with – which leads me to the first entertaining encounter. Let me set the scene for all you avid readers …

It was time to meet the parents, and while my experience was nothing like Ben Stiller’s interactions with Robert DeNiro, it was still one I will not forget. I got to spend time with great people, and even though I may have been a little shy and awkward, it was still a nice insight into the life of the person who makes me happy. I learned a lot about the kind of person he is by the kind of people his parents are – he was raised as a considerate and polite gentleman, and it shows in the way he treats me daily.

I was asked a multitude of questions over delicious steak fajitas. What I’ll say is this – they made me laugh. I even managed to go back again for dinner since that first night, and the second time was just as lovely as the first.

I’m enjoying life, for the most part. I will always and forever be a volcano of stress ready to explode. What has been causing significant amounts of stress lately is reading up on all the materials for the three preps I have this upcoming school year.

I realized quick how little I retained from my history classes over my extensive years in school. The kicker is that I need to have enough knowledge of certain historical figures and events to teach the ancient and medieval works that fit within the curriculum. I have a lot of work ahead of me this summer – some of which I may be recruiting the help of those around me.

Overall, I am so excited for the new school year to begin; however, there is still the looming fact that when I leave come August, real life fully settles in for me. All I can do at this point is take things one day at a time as they arise; otherwise, I’ll go crazy.

I also feel really inspired as of late. A friend recently told me that when inspiration appears, I should just embrace the moment and scribble a few lines regardless of the final presentation of the product. I always have a journal or post-it’s at the ready to jot down a line or two; so, I hope to let inspiration take over as I develop more writing ventures in the future.

But of course, a week or so in my life couldn’t proceed without a recap of the ups and downs of dealing with having to explain your actions to someone else in your life. Take my eating habits, for example. I’m an odd duck when it comes to the food combinations I consume daily, and of course, it stirs up the conversation every night as I talk to the mystery man in my life.

He always finds humor in the fact that I like cold, burnt hot dogs (sometimes for breakfast) and just eating a tomato and munching on pickles straight from the jar. I think the weirdest part is probably the fact that I’ll eat pickles and then a slice of coconut cream pie or a tomato and a corndog. I’m weird, but he likes me anyway; so, all is good.

It should be no shock ladies and gents that coffee continues to get me through the days. I recently started drinking two cups a day when I have the time, and I find that it has been helping me sleep better at night. Who knew? I have been dabbling in different roasts and flavors, and while at the grocery store a few days ago, a weird random man convinced me to buy macadamia nut cookie coffee, and it was a fantastic suggestion. I have been thoroughly enjoying the buttery taste and aroma – which only heightens my awareness of potential flavors to purchase for my classroom coffee bar (only for me, of course). Could you even imagine if I allowed students to use my Keurig? … that would be a disaster.

While coffee is my tried and true, I’ve also been enjoying spending time with another human, especially when he gets competitive and turns mini golf into a challenge. Stay tuned for more adventures and insights into my truth about coffee. Until next time …