Fly Me to the Moon

For my last post of the summer, I've decided to do a quick Mom Appreciation Post (yes, I do know summer doesn't officially end for a few weeks, but to me, summer is June, July, and August!).

I have the best mom and I don't tell her often nearly enough how proud I am of her and how much I admire her strength. She is living with a terminal illness and her tenacity is beyond admirable.

I bought us these matching bracelets because she sang this song to me my entire childhood and it still makes me giddy when I hear it! While the pandemic has been challenging in many ways, getting to be home with my mom during this time has been a wonderful gift!

This moment in Inside Out really hit me hard because my mom would always talk about taking me to the moon:

Oh, Bing Bong!!!

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: The Next Right Thing

Nineteen years ago, my brother and I went on an eight-day rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon with our parents. Each day, there would be a stop where we would hike and on one particular day, we stopped at a spot where there wasn't much of a trail to speak of. My brother was, and is, a very experienced hiker, and at that point, when he was 17, had already hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out again on several occasions.

I wasn't an experienced hiker and I was kind of scared about the climb ahead of us because it wasn't obvious to me how we were going to get to the top. I was convinced I couldn't do it. He held my hand and said, "You don't have know EVERY step you need to take; you just need to know the NEXT step you need to take. One step at a time is how you're going to do it."

Did I mention he was 17 at the time? Wise beyond his years. That advice has helped me on countless other occasions where I've been afraid because I don't have everything figured out. I think back to that day and to his words and I focus on what my next step is. And then the next. And the next. One at a time.

Just writing this takes me back to that trip and those eight days I had him to myself. There's a ten-and-a-half year age difference between us and the time we spent together then is absolutely priceless to me!

The Next Right Thing

from Frozen II

I've seen dark before

But not like this

This is cold

This is empty

This is numb

The life I knew is over

The lights are out

Hello, darkness,

I'm ready to succumb

I follow you around

I always have

But you've gone to a place I cannot find

This grief has a gravity

It pulls me down

But a tiny voice whispers in my mind

You are lost, hope is gone

But you must go on

And do the next right thing

Can there be a day beyond this night?

I don't know anymore what is true

I can't find my direction

I'm all alone

The only star that guided me was you

How to rise from the floor

When it's not you I'm rising for?

Just do the next right thing

Take a step

Step again

It is all that I can to do

The next right thing

I won't look too far ahead

It's too much for me to take

But break it down to this next breath

This next step

This next choice

Is one that I can make

So I'll walk through this night

Stumbling blindly toward the light

And do the next right thing

And with the dawn, what comes then?

When it's clear that everything

Will never be the same again

Then I'll make the choice

To hear that voice

And do the next right thing

Music and Lyrics by

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Obviously some of the lyrics are specific to the film, with the song being used to move the story forward, but the idea of taking things one step at a time is applicable to us all! It's so easy to get overwhelmed with our never-ending to-do lists and all of the demands on our times, but if we just worry about the next thing instead of all of the things, perhaps everything will seem more manageable! I try to keep this message in mind when I'm feeling like I have so many things to so and not enough hours in the day:

I won't look too far ahead

It's too much for me to take

But break it down to this next breath

This next step

This next choice

Is one that I can make

Side note…if you're a fan of the movie and you have Disney+, I highly recommend the six-episode series Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II. It is a behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating the movie and it's fascinating!

Happy Tails to you!

SSS: Customized by Cristina

I haven't done a Small Shop Saturday post for a few months and this particular shop is certainly worth writing about! I've purchased several different things from Customized By Cristina – she sells prints, postcards, stickers, shirts, and hand-painted signs.

Most of her creations have a Disney twist and they're always bright and colorful! I have a few of her prints/postcards up in my office, as well as the "Keep Moving Forward" sign that I love so much! The prints below are ones I recently bought and I still need to hang them up!

such a beautiful hand-painted sign!

these prints are amazing!

Prints Designs (top to bottom / left to right)

• I'm Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA
• There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Shining at the End of Every Day
• A Jolly, Jolly Holiday With You
• All the Birds Sing Words and the Flowers Croon
• Where There is Kindness, There is Goodness and Where There is Goodness, There is Magic
• Reach Out and Find Your Happily Ever After
• It's a Small World
• Meet Me in Neverland Where Dreams Are Born
• Grand and Miraculous

Snow White sticker

WDW sticker

You can find her on Instagram and Etsy (although her shop is currently taking a short break because she's getting married next week)!

Happy Tails to you!

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

“Dogs' lives are too short.

Their only fault, really.”

~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull ~

Today is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day and I thought I'd share the story – or at least one version of the story – that I found online. It's a sweet and comforting thought to believe we'll be reunited with our furry friends and also that the ones we've said goodbye to are together. And happy.

The Rainbow Bridge

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to the Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals that were ill and old are restored to health and vigor and those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content except for one small thing…they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent. Her eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

~ Author Unknown ~

Until we meet again, girls…

Happy Tails to you!

Office Space

In my opinion, one of the most fun things teachers get to do is set up their classrooms in the weeks leading up to the first day of school each year. I always loved making a space that would be shared for almost 200 days feel welcoming and warm and happy!

Now that I'm a reading specialist, I don't have a classroom, but I do have an office! Last year, I shared the office with an amazing teacher who shared my vision of rainbows and color throughout the whole room. She got a teaching position at a different school this year, and while I am thrilled for her, I am sad for me and for her half of our office! As of right now, I won't be sharing the office with anyone since we're starting the year virtually, but I have left that portion of the room undecorated in case someone does get assigned to share the office with me when we go back to teaching in person. It's a little depressing to see that part of the room so bare!

My part of the room is a different story! I brought all of my stuff back to school last week after it sat in my dining room throughout the summer, and I spent a couple of days this week unpacking and setting things up in between meetings. I'm very pleased with how the space looks! Even though I'll be in there by myself for at least the first nine weeks of school, the fact that it's bright and colorful gives me a small sense of normalcy! Being in a happy space definitely promotes a positive and optimistic mindset for me!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

this is the empty/bare
side of the office

this is my side of the office

I have no cupboards/cabinets in my office,
so cute storage boxes are a must!

I just bought this...
it's one of my favorite
Walt Disney quotes

my home "office" is now pretty limited :)

Happy Tails to you!