I Eight It Up

Eight is my favorite number.

It divides easily (and for a non-math lover, that is always a plus.)

Plus, I spent four years of high-school wearing it emblazoned on the rear of my Soffe shorts for all the world to see.

Because when you play water polo, you don't get a jersey. You get a swimsuit and a little cap that bears a strikingly resemblance to a baby bonnet. And that bonnet, my friends, is where your number goes.

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So, out of the water, you paint your number on almost anything you can get your hands on.

Even your own butt.

So I did.

I was No. 8.

Me, my butt, and the No. 8; we were in this for the long haul.

So, of course, I was thrilled when more than eight of you tagged me to play a little game of crazy eights.

Because not only does it involve my favorite number, but it also involves lists.

And you all know how much I adore making lists.

Almost as much as I adore the No. 8, I tell you. Almost as much.

So, here, I give you my Crazy 8s:

8 T.V. Shows I Watch
1. LOST
2. Glee (Because it totally reminds me of my students)
3. Brothers & Sisters
4. The crazy ridiculous women on all seasons of the Real Housewives (I'm so ashamed!)
5. Flashforward (Trying it out to see if it can replace LOST when May 23 is finally upon us...sniff, sniff)
6. Parenthood
7. CSPAN (Because I love boring political news)
8. 20/20 (Because who doesn't love modern-day yellow journalism?)

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink*
1. The Top (my favorite local restaurant)
2. Chopstix (my favorite local Asian restaurant)
3. Satchel's (my favorite local pizza restaurant)
4. 43rd Street Deli (my favorite local diner)
5. Emiliano's (my favorite local Cuban restaurant)
6. Ichiban (my favorite local sushi restaurant)
7. Ivey's Grill (my favorite local brunch joint)
8. Sweet Tomatoes (the only chain on my list)

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Living in South Carolina in our house with my husband again (30 days left!)
2. My childhood friends visiting me in South Carolina during my first week there
3. My blog friends visiting me in South Carolina my second week there
4. Summer (Because that's when all the fun is happening. See above.)
5. The weekend (Oh, the blessed weekend!)
6. Having babies
7. Getting another puppy (Which won't happen for a long time, but still, I had to tear myself away from yet another homeless Dane-lab mix this past weekend at PetSmart, and all I can say is, Marvin and Fish were this.close. to getting a baby brindle sister.)
8. A fun blog venture I have coming up next month with BlogHer

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. My students' yearbook was nominated to be one of the national models used to teach other schools
2. My principal told me it was my responsibility to find my replacement (Which it is not, by the way, and just served to tick me off all the more.)
3. I taught the most random cycling class of my life because the sound system wouldn't work for several long minutes. (I may or may not have had to sing a little.)
4. I ate fajita salad for about the 4,000th time this month for dinner.
5. I thought about how I'm not ready for my dog to die - not that he's even close - and I started crying.
6. I realized I will be re-united with my husband in less than a month.
7. I didn't wear mascara, and it was a total accident.
8. My phone died. Again.

8 Things I Like About Summer
1. The bright-colored clothing
2. Sundresses
3. Flip-flops
4. School is out
5. An overabundance of watermelon
6. The smell of sunscreen
7. Tan skin
8. Eating al fresco

8 Things I'm Passionate About
1. My marriage
2. My friendships
3. My family
4. Children
5. Prayer
6. Education
7. Exercise
8. Community

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often**
1. "Beautiful!"
2. "Excellent work!"
3. "Don't even ask me that!"
4. "Stop right there!"
5. "You know I don't respond to whining."
6. "Suck it up and do it."
7. "You and I both know that's not appropriate for school."
8. "Just embrace it." (I tell my gym clients to do this one all the time. And by "it," I mean the pain. Boy, I'm mean sometimes.)

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past
1. When in doubt, love them more.
2. At the end of even the worst day, at least my dogs are always happy to see me.
3. Children will excel if you expect them to.
4. If I don't write it down, I won't remember it.
5. I don't have achievements; I have blessings.
6. When in doubt, serve meals naked. (Actual advice given to me during my bridal shower. By a former missionary. Doesn't get any better than that, people.)
7. You can't have too much coffee.
8. You can sleep when you're dead. (Or when you finally retire from teaching.)

8 Places I'd Like to Visit
1. Rome
2. Poland
3. Ontario
4. California wine country
5. Maine
6. Greece
7. Turks and Caicos
8. New York City

8 Things I Currently Want/Need***
1. My husband physically by my side (30 days!)
2. More than four hours sleep a night
3. Patience
4. A baby
5. The perfect quilt at an affordable price to match my guest room
6. A day at the beach
7. Sushi
8. A size-2 waist

8 Bloggers I Tag to Play Along
1. Moe at A Million Margaritas
2. Heidi Renee
3. K at Two People and a Dog
4. Kelsey at Lavendar, Leopard, and Lace
5. Natalie at Miss Brightside
6. Hilary Lane at The Tale of this Newlywed
7. Jessica at Called to Serve
8. Jillian at It All Began With Man in a Black Jeep

*Writing this list, I just realized how much I'm going to miss all the local eateries in my town when I move. Uh-oh. Insert sad (hungry) face here.

**Can't tell I'm a high-school teacher with all those, can ya?

***Basically, I want the perfect life. She's got hiiigh hopes...

***

Join in, play along, and have fun! Happy Thursday everyone!