Hello, 2014

Just going to be honest... I feel like the only reason I crank out a blog post is in the event that Facebook/Instragram collapses and my pictures disappear.  I love this space but I've learned that I now have big girl responsibilities and priorities.  Therefore, the blog takes a backseat.  But every once in a blue moon, I'll show up on your news feed.  Today is one of those days! :)

 

--When we last "met," one of my best friends had just gotten married.  Since that time, we've enjoyed seeing the teasers from her photographer... this is one of my absolute favorites!

 

--I celebrated my first holiday in the classroom... Halloween.  If you need further hints on my costume I shall only wish that "may the odds be ever in your favor."
;)

--I learned that Momma jokes are alive and well in the youth today.

--I befriended a donkey every afternoon in the Fall when I checked the mail.  And yes, it really is that beautiful in our neck of the woods!

--We celebrated Thanksgiving... one of my favorite days of the year!

--KY saw it's fair amount of snow before Christmas ever made an appearance.  As a first-year teacher, I live for and love every single one of my snow days!

--We prettied up the indoors and outdoors for the holidays.  If it isn't obvious, I have a thing for traditional decor... pine cones, holly berries, burlap, popcorn garland, red/gold colors, etc.  Old habits die hard!

--I created a fun, yet oh-so cheesy, Rudolph poem for my 4th graders.  It focused on reviewing our behavioral procedures after Thanksgiving break.

--I watched my favorite little girl cheer in her first Jr Pro basketball game... then I wondered how in the world she grew up so darn fast.

--Hubs and I took our unofficial official portrait for 2013.  God bless self-timers on cameras and stubborn wives!

--We celebrated our 2 year engage-versary.  And I wished that Boone was still that little ball of wrinkles.

--I baked for hours in preparation for Christmas... and that night I caught the stomach bug.  I knew my luck would run out considering I didn't even have a headcold during my first semester as a teacher.  This bug stuck around nearly 4 days and finally made it's way out just in time for Christmas Day.

The bad part of the story is that I was unable to enjoy all the food that comes along with Christmas but the good news is that I was able to wear skinny jeans on Christmas... as seen below.  Ya win some, ya lose some.

--The weekend after Christmas, we road-tripped a few hours North to spend the weekend with our friends.  The reality is that the boys went duck hunting and the girls slept-in and chatted it up.  We watched the UK vs. UL basketball game then proceeded to enjoy our own basketball game.  Our friends have their own arcade game and we fell in love.

--Finally, we said good-bye to 2013 with our annual NYE party.  We added in several Minute to Win It games this year.  It was a blast and took us all the way to midnight!

And here we are, nearly a week into 2014.  I am more than happy to say good-bye to the roller coaster of 2013 and hello to the endless possibilities of 2014.  I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us... :)

a world with autumn

As the saying goes...
"I'm so thankful to live in a world with Octobers."

(I believe that originated from Anne of Green Gables.)

In general, I'm just thankful for Fall.

Although summer will always have a place in my heart (hello, I'm a teacher), Fall is hands-down my favorite time of year.

The crisp weather, vivid colors, pumpkin everything, and cozy outfits.  What's not to love?!

On a personal note, Fall will always be the season that we celebrate our anniversary.  It's the season I earned my first big girl job.  The season of getting together with family and friends. 

Here's what we've been up to, so far, this Fall...

--enjoying the fog-filled, puffy-clouded sunrises and sunsets

--shooting some doves... then grilling them up with some cream cheese and jalapeno.  a winner in my book!

--bonfires.  enough said.

--bachelorette parties/old friend reunions.  good for the soul.

--celebrating our first year of marriage... just the two of us and a nice dinner at home.

--admiring our beautiful wedding cake yet again.

--a new fall 'do.  shorter, darker, and much faster fix time... and less ponytails through the day while i'm teaching.  this was well overdue.

--decorating until my heart's content.  this is a snapshot of the fall scene outside my classroom door.  the kids absolutely love it.  i'm hoping to put up a tour of the fall decor in our home very, very soon.

--Fall Break :)
homemade caramel apples for my dad's successful cardiac stress test, deer hunting with the Hubs, the marriage of our best friends, and getting rid of debt!
(love that snapshot of the two of us in the recessional line.)

--and, of course, the holiday preparation will begin very soon.  i couldn't help but get excited when i saw this in my email. 

fortunately, i have resisted the urge to put on the Christmas music so far this year.  that's something i haven't succeeded at in the past.  but don't hold your breath because i have a feeling it will be up and running before October is gone.

I made a Fall Bucket List at the end of August and have done very well at crossing items off the list.  What's your favorite part of Fall?!?

Hubs and I have had a relaxed weekend... no plans so we've just made our own along the way.  This past week kicked my tail as I had training on a new software program, parent teacher conferences, two observations, and the completion of my first KTIP cycle all in the same week.  Praise Jesus that is all over!  This week looks to be much more laid-back which suits me just fine.  I love being able to just focus on my teaching and my students rather than all the meetings that sometimes come along with my profession.

The rest of our Sunday afternoon will be filled with the usual items before another week begins... laundry, ironing, and lunch making.  However, the weather is fabulous and I get to do it all with the windows open.  I don't see a need to complain too much ;)

once upon a time, i used to blog.

... and then life took over and I took a 3.5 month hiatus.

 

But here I am. 

 

There is no earthly way I could update you on every detail of the past 3.5 months of my life.  They have been filled with all sorts of emotions and roller coasters.  However, I have four major things to bring you up-to-date on.

 

At the beginning of July, I turned 22!  (cue Taylor Swift song)  We put a lot of miles on the car that weekend as we traveled nearly 4 hours to eat at Lamber's resturant then ended the night at the drive-in with our closest friends.  I was one happy birthday girl!

 

Just a few short days after my birthday, I was "officially" an employee of my local school system.  I teach 4th grade Reading and Social Studies at the exact place where I went to elementary school.  My elementary principal is now my boss and my 4th grade teacher is now my curriculum coordinator.  I am always amazed at the plans God has for me.  I have now completed my first semester with my 4th graders and I can truly say that I love my job!  Blessed is an understatement.

Here are a few shots of my classroom... it has evolved a bit since school has started, but you get the idea :)

Then just one week after school started, my Dad had a heart attack.  It was a complete shock to us all and just as we were starting to realize what was going on, the doctor informed us that he needed open heart surgery to repair the major blockages that he had in his arteries.  In short, his surgery required six bypasses.  After six days in the hospital, our prayers were answered and he came home.

The recovery is still continuing and will continue for quite some time but we are just so thankful for the outcome in his situation.  The Heart Institute at The Medical Center (Bowling Green) provided amazing care to him.  Your thoughts and prayers for his recovery would be greatly appreciated!  My mom is keeping him busy with "honey-do" tasks ;)

So then about three weeks after my Dad came home, we received a phone call on a Sunday afternoon that one of Nathan's best friends, Jake, had fallen 20 feet out of a deer stand.

Jake hunts just a few miles from our house and, luckily, Nathan was able to get to him very quickly.  After being flown to Vanderbilt, he underwent back and leg surgeries to repair his injuries.  All the surgeries were a success and he had no damage to the spinal cord... praise God!  He was transported to a local rehab facility before being sent home about a week ago.  He has shown great progress and we are so thankful to see pictures like this... those who know Jake can only laugh at the hat in this picture.  He's a goofball and we love him for it!

And there ya have it... the past 3.5 months of my life in a nutshell.  Nathan and I celebrated our first year of marriage last week (another post for another day) and as we were talking, we both promised that we hadn't broken any mirrors and that we are just thankful to have all those here today that were there for our day a year ago.  I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason.  Many times I think the reason is just to give us all a good wake-up call as to what life is all about.  We are always reminded of the blessings God has given us!

This week is my fall break... also known as heaven.  I am looking forward to catching up on household chores, enjoying naptime, doing a little shopping, and just enjoying the moment.  It has been eventful, to say the least, over the past few months and I hope the pace slows down just a bit ;)

thoughts and musings

It's Friday and this is my first blog post of the week.

They call me an overachiever for a reason, my friends.

Truthfully, we really haven't been up to a whole lot around our neck of the woods recently.  And I'm totally happy with that.  The only downside is that it doesn't give me a whole heck of write about on the blog.  But I'll take that over the stresses of the school year any day.  I do have several DIY projects on my mind and my birthday is right around the corner... so stay tuned, folks :)

Today, we'll play our normal game of "catch-up" with some of my random thoughts and musings included along the way...

First of all, a belated Father's Day wish to my Daddy.  He's one of a kind and I'm so very thankful for him!

I have often wondered to myself whether it is frowned upon to join my preschoolers during naptime.  It is so very tempting!

Housewife problem... the ring of grease left in the washer after cleaning your husband's work clothes.  The man literally looks like he has rolled around in grease every day.  Thank the Lord for bleach, vinegar, and Magic Erasers... my secret for making the ring disappear.

My cousins are the cutest... but they are growing up way too fast!  Lily got herself a Topper Girl dress and Gracyn decided to photobomb by climbing on a nearby table.

She starts Kindergarten in the Fall and found the perfect backpack for the occasion.  I cannot believe she is about to start school!

Sunsets are the prettiest here in KY.  I admit that I crouched in our wheat to get this... and it was worth it.

I'm not sure what took me so long to hop aboard the "I Need Coffee" train every day.  Enter the Starbucks Mocha Light Frappe.  100 calories.  Not too strong.  Happy girl!

DIY chalkboards look best on a shelf near the front door.  I made this one out of an old cabinet door from a local thrift shop.  Chalkboard paint is one of the best investments I've ever made.

How is it that Pandora always knows what song to play at the right moment?  This came on the other night while I was finishing up my workout... just what I needed to push through.

And, finally, I marked another item off my Summer Bucket List... I made my first batch of homemade ice cream over the weekend.  I was quite impressed.  Absolutely delicious!

 

Here's to a good weekend, friends! :)

marriage... fairy tale vs. reality.

While I was scrolling through my Facebook feed a few days ago, I stumbled upon this article.  The title certainly caught me off guard so I started reading... and I couldn't stop.

 

To date, the article is one of my favorites that deals with marriage.  It discusses the fairy tale portrait that society casts upon marriage versus the reality of marriage.

 

I would certainly recommend it to all my readers... married or not.  Here's one of my favorite quotes from the article:

 

I was blessed to grow up in a home that gave me a real insight to marriage.  It's not perfect.  It's not easy.  But it can be magical when both people work really hard at it.

It's a gift to have someone there with me to laugh at all times; to eat supper with; to talk to just before I fall asleep. 

It's a blessing... but only because Jesus goes to bed with us every night too.

this and that

I haven't left the building just yet... but I hope you didn't hold your breath waiting for a post.  I don't have a good reason for the lack of blogging other than the fact that I started working again. 

 

I found a great summer job where I'll be working at a private Christian school.  I'm an instructional aide for (mostly) Kindergarteners.  Some days are exhausting.  Most days are a challenge.  Every day is interesting.  It will be a wonderful experience for me this summer.  Now that the first week of that is in the books, I'm hoping to get back in a routine.  Oh yes, I love routine. ;)

 

Let's catch up, shall we?!

 

Nathan and I made a big move.  From AT&T to Bluegrass Cellular, that is.  If you couldn't tell already, we live in the boondocks.  AT&T does not cut it in the boondocks.  After several months of getting things in line, we were finally able to switch over.  I learned that cell phone contracts seem to require signing in blood and giving over your first-born child.  But we now finally have service... for $10 cheaper a month than AT&T.  Isn't that what really matters?

 

I got a pretty little piece of paper in the mail last week that has me yet another step closer to being a certified teacher.  The next step?  I will finally receive my teaching certificate.  So surreal.  Job update?  I have a couple serious prospects and interviews coming up.  Pray that I don't totally blow them and, more importantly, that God leads me to the one where I belong.

The boating adventures are in full force for the summer.  We took a floating detour by "Paradise" a week ago.  If you're not from the area, Paradise is the name of our local TVA plant.  I may be crazy but it was neat to drive by the cranes, coal barges, etc. and see the beginning stages of where our electricity comes from.  Oh, and the weather wasn't too bad either.  ;)

I had a serious craving for chocolate oatmeal cookies last week so before 10:00 on Friday (my day off), I had to satisfy this craving.  My momma's recipe is tried and true.  Yummy.  Not healthy.  Who cares?!

I saw this little gem as drawn by Lily a few days ago.  "No Boys Allowed."  Let's hope this state of mind sticks around for 15 more years.

Wanna know the only thing that KY summer thunderstorms are good for?  Crazy clouds and beautiful pictures.  The Lord sure is quite the artist.

That wraps it up, friends.  Here's to a fabulous Monday!