13 in 13 {Linky Party}

I'm joining The Colorful Apple and several other teacher bloggers for this fun little 2013 wrap-up linky party...better late than never!!

Crud!  This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.  Favorite. Article. Of. Clothing. 2013. Got it!  I fell in love with wearing button up blouses this past year, mostly to work, but in general...you will find a lot of button up blouses with sleeves, without sleeves, embellished collars (see my above Instagram photo), plain collars, high-low in my closet. You name it!  I actually just bought 2 new ones for my return to work after vacation.  There's something about wearing new clothes out after Christmas that I've always loved.  Weird.  I know.

My hubby and I have been chatting about this for the last couple days actually.  We are movie buffs and always have been, so we always see a lot of movies each year.  But this one, by far, was both of our favorites.  We saw it in 3-D, so I don't even know if it will be as amazing when it comes out on Blu-Ray.  It was a nail-biter and a major tear jerker.  Fantastic!

We just started watching Big Bang this year...I know, I know.  Yes, I have been living under a rock.  But, we (my hubby and I) are GIGANTIC fans and were since the first minute of the very first episode.  My favorite is Sheldon of course...must I even explain why?  Have you seen my shirt I got recently (it's a bit of a combo with Grumpy Cat too).

One would think this would be a hard choice for me. I'm a Yelp elite, so I like to try all sorts of different restaurants around town, especially homegrown varieties.  LOLOLOL.  I'm fairly certain my Chicagoan friend would agree when I say my favorite restaurant I discovered this year would be...Portillo's.  It's not exactly a restaurant, but it works and I'm obsessed with it!  I have never been to Chicago (have always wanted to go though), so being able to have the real deal Chicago-style dog and a few other bites that are famous there is seriously awesome!  I've already been 3 times and it's more than a 30 minute drive from my house.  It's soooooooo worth it.

Hmmmmmm...this is a tricky one.  I would have to say my outing for my birthday this year to Art of Merlot (in Scottsdale, Arizona) with a large group of really good friends was something new and it was definitely fun.  Apparently, I can paint when someone else tells me how to do it and gives me the basics of what I need to paint.  Ha!  Yeah right.  Have you tried one of these types of places before?  You get to bring your own wine and they basically give you the supplies and step-by-step directions on how to paint your own canvas.

Oh goodness.  My favorite gifts were those that I didn't ask for.  This Christmas, even though I did a wish list for fun, my husband and family got me things that weren't on the list.  I especially loved that my hubby took some things he remembered me mentioning during the year or already knew I liked and grabbed those up for me.  He even went to Charming Charlie's and picked out a necklace he thought I would like since he knows my favorite color and that I like statement necklaces.  I don't have pictures loaded from the holiday yet, but there are two Instagram shots (above) that show slippers that I really love and the game my hubby got me on his own accord.  I loooooooove any sort of dancing game.

I couldn't even begin to tell you, but my LOLOLOL board is one of my favorites.  Here it is in case you'd like to look at the pins and grab them up yourself...for a good laugh!

Well, since I technically just started up a blog again (after several years of not keeping one), I don't have a ton of posts quite yet.  But it seems my most popular on the Internet is my first Stitch Fix post here...it's kind of crazy to see how many views it has received.  It even made its way on to the official Stitch Fix review blog.  On the other hand, I really love my blog post from the Day In The Life linky party where I got to take pictures of my typical day at work and post them.  What's cool is, I used those photos I took to enter myself in to a Stitch Fix contest...and I won a runner up prize!  I cashed in my $50 credit last week on my 2nd fix (that post will be up soon).

Well, by far would be my shining moment of completing and fully submitting my National Board Certification portfolios and assessment center exercises.  While I missed it by 6 teeny tiny points...it was a HUGE accomplishment to even take on the process and to complete it as well.  I am retaking this year and hope to make up those 6 points through a retake of 1 entry and 2 assessment center exercises.

Along with my National Boards journey, I got some really amazing pictures as I documented my 2-year process.  But this one, which I took during a weekend working retreat was by far my favorite picture of the year.  It is one of those pictures that shows clarity in more ways than one.  It was taken in Tubac, Arizona.

Oh my.  This is way too hard.  2013 was an insanely memorable year.  But then again, so is every single year.  There is no way I can pinpoint a single memory except to say that a lot of the above mentioned and show pictures tell a lot about it.  I had a lot of really amazing moments with friends and family this year, so there isn't really one thing I could choose.  Sorry...I'm chickening out on this one.

Hmmmmm...I would say I want to definitely get healthier and I actually want to participate in the 52 week money saving challenge!  By the end of the year, it will be nice to have an extra $1,300 saved up.

Relax.

Easier said than done.  But with having to do my retake for Boards and dealing with one of my hardest and trying group of students, I am being way more mindful of relaxing in my work life and home life.  It's something that takes a lot of work though, so it will be tough.

So, how was your 2013?  What is your favorite memory?  Pick one of the categories and let me know what your answer would be.  I'd love to hear from you!