Year in review.

I didn't blog the whole year. Started this wonderful experience back in June. But here's a small recap of the major things that made this an absolutely phenomenal year:

• Stared a new school year at a new school. This is the best career decision I could have made. Windy Hill has renewed my love of my profession. I can't wait to see my class again on Wednesday! 

 

• Became a Jaguars season ticker owner! Granted they lost EVERY single home game except one, but it was still a blast. Plus I wouldn't give up spending time with my brother for anything!

• Went on my first cruise. Such a wonderful and relaxing vacation. 

• My family stayed healthy and J.P. (my brother) got his first full time job in the line of work he wanted. Overall 2012 was good to my family.

• Started this blog. I just wanted a place to write my thoughts. Never thought it'd turn into this. I've met some wonderful people and even broke 100 followers!

• Oh and one small thing... in October I got engaged! I love J and I love how our relationship grew this year. I can't wait to start our married life. 

 So, good bye 2012. You were absolutely wonderful. 2013? Bring it on!

I love free...

When I was a teenager, I used to get all these products to share with my friends. I loved it! I've also done surveys with my mom where I go to a survey location and test new items (free food anyone???). I've even done a focus group where I discussed the Jaguars and got paid 200 dollars for doing so.

Love it!

So when I had a chance to sign up for Influenster, I took it! They sent me their Holiday VoxBox and I got super excited when I saw the goodies inside.

I received the following:

• Goody Quikstyle paddle brush
• Kiss Nail Dress decals
• NYC Lipshine- Nude York City
• $25 off at Sole Society
• Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal- Summer Berry
• EBoost Natural Energy Packet in Pink Lemonade

I have slightly wavy hair that takes FOREVER to dry. So when I saw the Quikstyle brush I was intrigued. The brush has microfiber bristles. Basically it's a towel in brush form.

I tried it out, and I must say it DEFINITELY cut down on my drying time. Usually after drying my hair, I feel like I've been through the most intense arm workout (I have no upper body strength whatsoever!). But with this I didn't feel it. Plus it left my hair fairly smooth and the only product I added before drying was my styling spray.

(Sorry about the picture quality, need to charge my camera!).

I gave the oatmeal to J to try, because I wasn't able to eat grainy things after my surgery. His notes?

• Loved the convenience of it. Only thing he had to do was add water and just clean the spoon he used.
• He felt it was a little too sweet for his taste, but he would be up for trying other flavors. 
• He also felt it was cheaper for him to just stick with buying the boxes of instant oatmeal insted of the cups. 

Thanks J!

Yesterday, I tried the lipgloss and the nail decals.

They were fairly easy for me to use, but I think it's because I have longer nails. I didn't think I'd like the pattern (not really into black and white) but I really do! When my future sister in law came over, she immediately squealed at my nails! Larissa asked me where I got the decals from. I might have to send her my extras.  I'll probably take these off before school starts on Wednesday, just because I don't think this pattern is the most professional to wear.

The lipshine was a really nice nude color. Didn't take any pictures, because I wasn't feeling so pretty! Not because of the lipshine but because my face has been breaking out like crazy since the surgery.  :)

I haven't tried the EBoost and I ordered a pair of shoes from Sole Society. I thought it would be a bit like Shoe Dazzle (lots of club shoes!) but they had a great selection. Ordered a super cute pair of flats. I hope I get them soon. I'm a bit shoe obsessed!

I definitely loved most of my box and can't wait to try another one! If you're interested in joining Influenster, tweet me or shoot me an email. I have five invites to give out!

I received all of these items from Influenster for free and all opinions are my own (and my fiance's!).

Cara Box Reveal

Like I mentioned in my H54F post, I participated in this awesome blog swap:

It's hosted by Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals. The point of the swap is to make some new blog friends and to support each other.

I got paired up with two different bloggers: Betsy, who blogs over at Musings of a Museum Fanatic and Eliz at Tiny Bits of Nonsense. I had to send a blog package to Betsy, so go over there and check out what I got her! Oh and click around because she's pretty awesome and doing a giveaway!

I got my package from Eliz today, along with my wedding shoes (but I'll talk about them in another post!) The theme of the Cara Box was Holiday Sparkle, and she out did herself.

It was SO much fun going through everything she got me.   

  I loved the cosmetic bag. It's perfect to leave in my desk at work! The headband will look great with this black and white sweater I have. Plus, as a first grade teacher, I can NEVER have too many hand sanitizers!  

  I think Kaitlyn got this same nail polish. It's such a fun glitter and it goes great with this manicure idea I pinned awhile back. I also loved the pedicure set, because it has BOTH of my favorite colors teal and yellow.  Eliz also included some Airheads (which I will promptly enjoy as soon as my mouth is healed) and metallic pens.  It was super fun to get to know these two ladies. I can't wait to find out the theme for the next Carabox!  

PS. Check out my new blog design, courtesy of Amy over at The Charming Blog

High Five for Friday- Holiday edition

Man, I haven't done this in a really long time. Not because I don't have anything to celebrate, but because I've been slacking with my blog. NO MORE SLACKING!

Today, I am linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk Blog. This is seriously one of my FAVORITE link ups so let's do this!

1.

My family and J are pretty fantastic. I already shared my fun gifts from my family, but then Wednesday J gave me his gift...a super cute Vera Bradley cover for my Kindle. :) Love it!


2.

Post Christmas day shopping! Found some incredible deals. Cannot wait to rock some of these new clothes.

3.

My save the dates came in! Granted, these are the ones with the wrong website, so I'll be getting the corrected ones in a week. But still! I love how they turned out!

4. Went back to the oral surgeon yesterday. Dr. Gesek said everything looked great! YAY!

5.

Received my first CaraBox today. It's this AWESOME swap set up by Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals. I'll post about it later today!

Overall, a pretty phenomenal week! Tomorrow I am going bridesmaid dress shopping with my best friend, my future mother-in-law and sister-in-law and my best friend. Have a great Friday!

Christmas fun recap

I admit I haven't been in the Christmas spirit this year. The weather's been weird and my surgery left me cranky. I've been feeling a bit bittersweet about the fact that next Christmas will be different from all my other Christmases past (even though I can't wait for my first married Christmas with J). So I'm glad that I had yesterday and today to spend with my family the way we always do:

Kicked off the holiday by rocking my new Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve. They were cute AND comfy!

Forgive the smile, my face was still aching from wisdom teeth!

Christmas morning opened presents with the fam:

Dad rocking the Santa hat... that hat is like 20 years old!

My family loved the gifts that I gave them, even though they weren't incredibly extravagant. I'm blessed that my mom and dad are paying for my entire reception, so I told them not to get me anything special, but they didn't listen:

Two beautiful shirts, a LOFT gift card, and a Kindle Fire! I'm a lucky girl. Spent the rest of Christmas in my pjs watching movies with my mom, dad, and uncle. My brother had to work (apparently people still watch the news on Christmas Day?)

Today, my brother, mom and I hit the mall in search of good deals and a good meal! I hit the jackpot:

 

I bought an adorable red blazer from Marshall's (never ever find stuff there!) and two cute blouses from Old Navy. Then I went to Loft where my mom found me a great coral sweater for 4 dollars and a pair of black crop pants for work for 14! I also ended up getting a graphic tee and a pair of jeans from there as well.

Afterwards, the three of us ate at Maggiano's. The food was so yummy. At one point I just looked at the two of them and told them thank you. My family has taken such good care of me this week and I'm such a lucky girl to have them in my life.

Off to finish watching Love Actually. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I woke up this morning to the sound of my brother telling me to get up. I came downstairs in my new pjs that I received last night. Opened some fun presents with my wonderful family. All the while getting teased by my dad and my mom telling us to stop and smile. Just like every other Christmas for the last 20+ years.

Dad a few years ago, laughing at my brother's reaction to his gift. 

It blows my mind that this is the last Christmas that I will be spending this exact way for the rest of my life. This time next year, I will be married. J and I will be spending Christmas morning together. Waking up together and maybe starting traditions of our own. I absolutely cannot wait for that, but for right now I'm going to enjoy every single holiday filled moment of today. Starting with chowing down on some cinnamon rolls with my family.

I hope all my blog friends have a beautiful day today. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Source

Things I've Learned Thanks to My Wisdom Teeth

So today is Saturday. I have no idea where the time has gone. Actually, I do. It's been spent laying on a couch, catching up on Army Wives, eating some Jello and macaroni and cheese. While I've been trying to recover, my wisdom teeth operation has taught me a few things:

1. I could never EVER be a vampire. Nope. I hate the taste of blood, especially after my surgery on Thursday. Guess I could never be Bella, could I?

2. Macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes have healing powers. They were the first food that I could eat without wanting to puke my guts out. 
3. Netflix is amazing. Seriously, without it, I'd probably be twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out what to watch. Especially now that they have some Disney classics on it!



4. My family is the best. All three of them have been doing a really good job of taking care of me. Even if I'm kinda over the fact that I have to call my dad on his phone if I want to step downstairs. 
5. J is a great fiance. I already knew this, but he's come over almost every night to check on me. Even if last night, he laughed at my swollen chipmunk cheeks.
6. Which brings to another point: I would not be cute with big cheeks. I've always been jealous of girls that have gorgeous cheek bones and cute heart shaped faces, but there's definitely a reason I'm not supposed to have a face like that. :)
7. Pain killers and antibiotics stink and rock at the same time. They make me feel good and yet yucky all at once. Not cool. Medical field make some meds that just make you feel good okay???

So there ya have it. My lessons from my recovery. Now I'm off to sleep and maybe attempt the Jaguar game tomorrow? I'm not going to be cheering anyways, since we'll be getting our butts kicked by Tom Brady, so it should be a good recovery spot!

PS. Holy cow! It's 3 days until Christmas. Seriously where did this year go???

Wisdom teeth stink...

I HATE DENTAL PROCEDURES. I know, I know, most people do as well, but I have NEVER had a good dental experience.

Exhibit A: 1994
Had to have a baby tooth pulled because it had a massive cavity. Gave me some novacaine. Everything going splendid...until novacaine WEARS off halfway through! They were almost done, so the dentist just finished it without pain meds. My dad still has the scars on his hand from where I gripped his hand.

Exhibit B: 2011
I had to have a root canal. The actual root canal went OK. But the crown procedure did not. The dental hygienist sucked and apparently didn't send off the right mold. So my dentist bitched me out for waiting so long to get my permanent crown. When she realized it was her people's mistake, she made me a new one. But it still didn't fit, so she had to scrape away my gum. Oy vey.

Exhibit C: 2012
My first cleaning this year, I had to have a deep cleaning. My fault for not being the greatest dental health person. (Please don't reprimand me! I know, I know.) I brush my teeth twice daily but that's about it. After experience the awfulness that is a deep cleaning, I was an ideal dental health person. Took the nasty mouth wash and everything.
So I was told I wouldn't need another deep cleaning. But apparently, halfway through my second annual cleaning, which was a deep cleaning, my dentist realized no one had ever updated my chart. So I had to go through a deep cleaning for NO REASON!!!

So needless to say I was NOT looking forward to my wisdom teeth extraction today. After I woke up, I felt ok. In a bit pain, but okay. Dr. checked me out, gave me some more gauze and sent me on my way.

I was halfway home when I realized something was wrong. My mouth wouldn't stop filling up with blood and I felt faint. After stopping at critical care, they sent me back to my surgeon. He took very good care of me, putting meds and stitching me up. When I asked if what happened was normal, he said there's a very small chance of not clotting and that I was today's lucky winner. YAY me.

So now I'm sitting on my couch, eating some mashed potatoes and watching the latest season of Army Wives. It's like Netflix knew I'd be sitting on my butt for a few days so they added new episodes.

Any of you ever had dental issues? Here's my plan for the rest of the weekend:

I totally agree, don't you?

9:30 a.m.

At 9:30 this morning, all of the first graders at my school were in the cafeteria. Laughing their little butts off at seeing my teammates and me dressed in our pjs and taking a picture.

They went off to each of our classrooms and did their final winter station activity. Mine came back and we worked for a bit on writing letters persuading the Grinch to smile. Some of the reasons they came up with? "Christmas is awesome." "being happy is better than being sad" "it's important to be nice."

We wrapped up the day by drinking hot cocoa, finding a comfy spot and watching The Polar Express. I passed out candy canes and even though I was losing patience with how rowdy they were, I still smiled and gave them great big hugs and wished them a good break.

I write this, because at 9:30 a.m,. at another elementary school far away from mine, these fun events were not the case. It makes me cry when I think of how someone went and killed innocent children. Innocent children that just want to be loved. That had their WHOLE lives ahead of them. That were probably excited that Christmas is getting closer and Santa will soon be here.

So just like many of you, I too am sending prayers to Newtown, CT. But I'm also sending prayers to each one of my students tonight. Prayers that their parents hold them tight and give them hugs and kisses and that they stay safe over break. And when I see them again on Janaury 2nd, I will give each one the biggest hug and tell them how I happy I am to see them.

It's OK

I've never done this link up before, but it felt appropriate for today. So let's do this!

IT'S OK:

• that I am beyond ready to be away from my firsties for 18 whole days! My class is pretty fantastic but they just got on my nerves today. Luckily, tomorrow is the last day! WEEEEE!
• that I'm kinda hoping my cold doesn't go away completely; that way I can cancel my wisdom teeth surgery next week. 
• that I was really happy that J got to meet some of my favorite kiddos yesterday at the holiday party. He did bounce as soon as they let the kids pick presents. COMPLETE MAYHEM!
• to be excited that I get to eat Cracker Barrel tonight. That stuff is addicting and it's totally my comfort food. 
• to hand out presents just to hear a thank you. I gave my team and some other teachers at my school these cute little boxes of cocoa and a card. 
• to get back into the blog world full force. I've been finding some new blogs to read, and catching up on old ones. One of my resolutions is definitely to be more on it with this blog stuff. 
• that I wish I was getting married sooner rather than later. I just want that part of my life to start already!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday!!!

Holiday music makes everything feel better...

I've come to this realization:

Nothing makes me feel better than jamming out to some holiday tunes. Except maybe a cuddle session with J. :)

My kiddos had resource all afternoon and I canceled my grade level meeting to give my team even more time to get stuff done before the holidays (my boss gave us a half day yesterday for the same reason!). Even though my throat feels like it's on fire, I decide to set my Pandora station on my phone to my *NSYNC Christmas station.

And wouldn't you know it? Even though I felt like poo all morning and was worried I would waste away the afternoon, I still got a ton accomplished. I have to give all the credit to the Christmas music. So here are some of my favorites that came on:

"Last Christmas" the Glee version. To be quite honest, all of the versions of this song rock, but this one is definitely my favorite.

"My Only Wish This Year" by Britney Spears. I totally danced around my filing boxes while listening to this one. I think if my VP had walked in she would have died of laughter for sure.

Yes, I know Chris Brown = major douchebag. But this became my favorite version of "This Christmas" before he let it be known that he is a class A jerk. Love some R&B Christmas songs for sure!

Okay, so the ENTIRE *NSync Christmas album is my go to holiday album. I actually need to download a copy, because my CD is so scratched some of the songs don't play. But "All I Want is You This Christmas" is the one that I always hit repeat on. Something about harmonies, the lyrics and the music just screams Christmas to me.

There you have it. Pandora totally knew that I've been bummed that Holly on SiruisXM has been straight up lame lately, so it came through and played my favorites. Now I still feel sick, but it's a happy sick! What are your favorite Christmas songs?

You win some you lose some...

I'm staring at my computer screen feeling like I should write about my weekend. I mean, overall it was pretty fantastic. Even if it included spending 8 hours at a marriage prep class and watching the Jaguars lose again. But my sinuses are killing me. Boo sinus headaches!

One of the bajillion requirements (and yes I mean bajillion) that the Catholic Church has to get married is to take a marriage prep course. You have two choices: Pre-Cana, a one day 8 hour course, or Engaged Encounter, a weekend retreat. Originally, I wanted to do the retreat but I changed my mind. Thank goodness I did!

While I learned a lot at Pre Cana (the topics ranged from marriage as a sacrament to communication) and I definitely felt closer to J because of it, it was SO LONG. We arrived at 8:30 and didn't leave until 5:30. I don't do well when I have to sit and just listen. I like to do something. I almost wish they had made us interact with the other couples. But it was mostly just lecture after lecture. Including one on mystical magical mucus. (Seriously, the natural family planning presenter kept repeating that phrase, and I just wanted to laugh so hard every time!)

Other hilarious side note: pretty sure the presenters didn't want to screw up my name, so rather than calling on me, they  just kept calling on J. Which he didn't mind, until the NFP presenter asked him what he thought sexual contact was. Can we say awkward?

After we finished, J and I headed out to my co-worker Katie's house. I was a little worried about J getting along with my new co-workers, but it ended up being a great night! We stayed until midnight, talking, playing beer pong and just having fun. J liked my co-workers a lot, and I enjoyed getting to know them outside of work!

I'd talk about today, but that would be a waste. The Jaguars lost yet again. I screamed and cheered them along and I will continue to do it for the rest of the season, but man can we just get to next season? It's getting to be brutal watching my boys lose game after game!

So like the title of my post, this weekend was DEFINITELY a win some you lose some kind of weekend.

Off I go to eat dinner and watch some HIMYM. Cross your fingers that this week SPEEDS by, because I only have five work days until Christmas Break! WOO HOO! 

Where did November go?

Guys, my lesson plans are blowing my mind right now. Why? Because of the date on them: Lesson Plans Week of December 3rd. DECEMBER 3rd! What in the world? How on earth is it already December? Crazy!

But I must say, I'm extremely excited that it's December. Just like a lot of other people, this my absolute favorite time of the year. I'll even post a cheesy Christmas pic to prove it to ya.

Adorable right? My mom used to make us take these every other year until my junior year of high school. My mother is the queen of Christmas and I'm pretty sure she is exactly where I get my love of the season from. I mean, look at her Christmas tree:

Yep she's definitely where I get my love of Christmas from. I love Christmas music (my kids' thinking music at school last week was from the Nutcracker!). I love anything peppermint. I love baking. I love spending time with my family and giving them gifts. In fact, I kind wish I could them all their gifts right now, but I'll wait. :)

I'm really bummed that I had a massive headache all weekend and wasn't able to put up my Christmas tree with J. Hopefully we'll be able to do that tomorrow. I like going to his apartment and seeing the tree all lit up next to the window.

What's your favorite thing about December?

Rain, rain, go away

Normally, if I wake up and hear the pitter patter of raindrops on a Saturday, I get pumped! Why? Because it's a great excuse for being completely lazy on a weekend.

But today, I woke up and heard the rain and GROANED. I need to be motivated, not lazy. My room looks like a tornado blew through it. My laundry is piling up. I have a project that I want to have completed by Monday and J and I want to go Christmas shopping at the good mall (the one that is COMPLETELY outdoors). Oh and I need to go to the dry cleaners before they give away my comforter. Because apparently, I completely forgot that I had it dry cleaned two months ago. Oops.

But right now, all I'm doing is catching up on blogs and pinning more wedding things on Pinterest. Which is way more fun than anything up on my to-do list (except for Christmas shopping, nothing is EVER better than Christmas shopping).

Speaking of wedding plans, have I mentioned J and I have all the big things checked off? We have:

• our location 
• a photographer (Fox Fotography, go check them out!)
• a DJ
• a florist (the florist's proposal ideas matched exactly all the things I pinned on Pinterest. Pam read my mind!)
• my dress 
• and honeymoon!

July seems so far away, but I know that it's not. I mean today is December 1st!  Christmas break begins in 14 days! Where the heck did 2012 go??

Off to attempt to be motivated. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Public speaking is SO my thing...

Not really. I know, I know. I'm a teacher. I get up every morning and spend 8 hours speaking in front of 23 people. Here's the catch: those 23 people? They range in age from 6-8. They're sweet. Oh and they adore me. Cocky? Possibly, but it's true. Even when I goof up and stutter, they just smile and laugh in a not mean way. One of the many reasons I love working with firsties.

But tomorrow, I have to get up in front of the college class that comes to my school every week and talk. I have to be knowledgeable. I have to NOT speak a mile a minute (which is exactly how I talk. I'd do a video blog so you can witness it yourself, but no thanks.) I'm flattered that my standards coach thinks I'm good enough to present to them, but still I'm REALLY not looking forward to it.

Yep. That describes my feelings exactly. Anybody out there understand where I'm coming from?

Tomorrow's my Friday!

Ha. I love how I am about to write about my weekend, when my next weekend officially starts tomorrow at 3:10. Woot, woot. Bring on Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was pretty darn great. Kicked off the holdiay season by attending one of my favorite holiday traditions: Nights of Lights.

St. Augustine hangs a ton of lights all over its public grounds, and most of the businesses (includng my alma mater, Flagler College) do the same. They have this huge lighting ceremony, with a big band playing holiday tunes. We all count down and flash! The lights turn on! (The build up is a little lame, but the lights are beautiful!)

These are some of the trees in the plaza with their lights. J and I are going to go back to take our engagement photos there. I can't wait!

Afterwards, Flagler hosts an alumni reception. They serve holiday treats and I get to catch up with my old professors and college peeps. This year, everyone gushed over my ring. :)

Sunday was FOOTBALL! My Jaguars PLAYED their HEARTS OUT!  I mean check out this picture of my favorite player, Paul Posluzsny:

Source

Yep. That's blood streaming down his face. He got hit hard, but still kept playing. Didn't come out until the drive was over. That's HEART I tell ya! (Sidenote: He's pretty cute, so I hope that injury doesn't leave a scar or anything.)

I think if we would have beaten the Texans, I would have cried. Straight up CRIED! Hopefully we get our second win this weekend. (Especially since I just made the last payment on my season tickets.) I need them to at least win two more games, so I don't feel like I completely blew a ton of money. )

One day down, one more to go. I'll be MIA this week. Heading up to Savannah to have Thanksgiving with J's family. Completely mind blowing, that next Thanksgiving I'll be MARRIED. :)

I'm thankful for many things this year, but one of those things is definitely this blog community that I became a part of. :) I hope everyone has a happy holiday!

Just another manic Thursday...

Yea, I changed the lyric. So sue me. :P

Today was crazy hectic. By hectic, I mean HECTIC!
 First I had a training with my principal. (Kinda boring since I already knew everything they taught us).

Then I grabbed lunch from the training center (seriously, their Waldorf chicken salad is the bomb! It's made by the same people in charge of our nasty school food!) and skedaddle my way back to school.

As I'm walking in, assistant principal yells at me to drop my stuff off and go open doors for her. Why? Because a preschooler is going bonkers and chucking chairs at his classmates. YES A PRESCHOOLER!

Then I had two meetings about kids in my class. After that, since I had a sub all day, I actually got to go to the work room and get grading done. Woot!

 Finally the day ended with me opening the door for my assistant principal again. This time she had to bring a student into the office who refused to get on his bus. But once he realized we were gonna call mama, he attempted to run after the bus in the middle of dismissal traffic. Like, I said HECTIC!

Plus the weather down here in Jacksonville is super gloomy. Cold and drizzly. I wouldn't mind this weather as much if I didn't have to deal with it every time I take a step out of my classroom. I also wouldn't mind it if I could just afford an endless amount of Starbucks peppermint white chocolate mochas.

Source: christmascup.tumblr.com via Maria on Pinterest

Mmm. Doesn't that picture totally make you want Starbucks now?

I hope everyone else had a better Thursday!

PS. I'd love you forever if you'd donate even one dollar to my DonorsChoose project. Click on HERE to find out how you can help!

Sundays are great...

when you have Monday off! There are many things about my job that make me happy, but the whole federal holiday off thing is definitely one of my favorites!

I've been slacking in the blog world. I miss all my blog friends! How are all of you??? After I finish lesson plans, I'm going to spend some time at my favorite Starbucks with my computer and catch up on everyone's posts. Girl scout honor!

So far this has been a great weekend:

• discovered Hart of Dixie on Netflix. It reminds me of Gilmore Girls. It's a little kooky, a little unbelievable but a definite escape.
• found my wedding dress! It's a style I never would of thought to try, but the minute I put it on it was perfect! Everyone ooh and aahed and I teared up. :)
• My college roommate came up to help me with my wedding dress search. I got to finally meet her second baby girl Aubrey. Aubrey is such a happy baby! I wish I lived closer to them. 
• J and I just relaxed today. Watched a couple football games (amazing how not into football I am when it's teams I could care less about!) and J surprised me. He bought all the ingredients to make his famous nachos. MMMMMMMM!
• My Donors Choose project got posted. I've already raised over 100 dollars to the purchase of listening center materials. If you want to help out, I'd love you forever. Head over to www.donorschoose.org/nalbino. 

Off to watch Revenge. Is it dorky that I am excited to watch it because I can sleep in tomorrow??? Such an old lady. 

Oof..

Boy was today a Monday. I normally don't complain about Mondays (yes, I'm a weirdo). But it was definitely a Monday. My kiddos were acting so silly and goofy and not following any of my directions. Thank goodness for left over candy. Oh and the fact that I only have them until 11:30 tomorrow.

My weekend was eh. J and I tried a new Mexican restaurant. At the time, I thought...ooo this is pretty good.  Saturday morning around 2 am... NEVER AGAIN! I had the worst stomachache ever all day Saturday. Completely bummed I missed my friend's surprise birthday dinner at the hamburger joint that doubles as a drag show venue! I did grab coffee with my friend Lauren, so that was a plus.

And..... I booked my wedding reception venue! We have a date. July 12, 2013. I'll be getting married at my childhood church and then partying it up at this gorgeous place:

Goregous right? One Ocean is the prettiest hotel on the beach and we are getting an incredible deal to have the reception.

J and I also booked our photographer and I'm going dress shopping this Saturday. It's still mind blowing to think that I'll be married this time next year, but I really can't wait!

Hope you all had fun weekends!

 

Perspective

Hello world.

I was going to post about how I picked a date (July 12) and how I have my wedding ceremony and reception locations picked (church I grew up in and this beautiful hotel down at the beach).

I was  going to post about how even though today was Halloween, my kids were and are pretty fantastic.

I was  going to post that my mother is driving me crazy with wedding planning and it's only been a week.

I was going to go into all that detail. Then I read something that just put everything in perspective. Something that reminds me that life is precious and to be cherished.

A teacher from my old school posted on her Facebook that a student who I knew last year fairly well (she was in my closest teammate's class) has been put into hospice. This student is a beautiful little girl and really smart. She was diagnosed last year T-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She responded well to treatment last year.

Upon seeing that status, I immediately texted my closest teammate. She quickly responded that the little girl's cancer returned in July. It keeps spreading and her body is not responding to treatments. Doctors have recommended that she be put in hospice but her parents are still searching for other options. My friend told she has been crying since she found it this afternoon at work.

It breaks my heat. I literally sat in the car at the Target parking lot and cried. And prayed. I prayed that some miracle happen so that this little girl lives.

So if you believe in prayer, please send one up for this beautiful soul. And if you don't, do you mind sending some positive thoughts her way? And some to my old school. It is a small school where all the kids know each other and all the teachers know the kids.

I'll fill you in on the frou frou stuff some other time.

It started the same

as any other weekend. J and I went to dinner with my vice principal and her family. Btw her daughter Avery is the cutest five year old I have ever met! Went to the fall festival. Got some fro-yo. You know. Perfectly normal Friday night stuff.

Fast forward to 11 p.m. The following words come out of J's mouth: "We need to talk."

I think: We need to talk. About what?
J: Are you happy?
Me: Of course. Why? Where are you going with this?
J: ::dead silence::
Me: What's wrong? Talk to me. Are you breaking up with me???
J: I don't know how to do this. (pulls out an ivory box and opens it) Do you want to marry me? I know I'm supposed to gush about you but this is so much harder than it looks in the movies!
Me: YES!

I'm engaged. It's completely surreal. J and I drove up to Savannah and told his family. Their reactions? Priceless! Telling my friends? So much fun.

I want to gush about it more, but my tummy hurts. So I'll just leave you a picture of my pretty ring.

Boy did good. Really REALLY good!

Linking up with Sami's Shenanigans for Weekend Update!

Slowly feeling more normal

I still sound weird (as one of my firsties put it, Ms. Albino why do you sound squeaky?) but I can breathe through my nose! Progress!

My immune system used to be decent, then I went off to college.
Like clockwork, I got sick every finals week. Then I became a teacher, and BAM! Immune system down! But I finally built up a little defense. Apparently starting at a new school means dealing with being sick again.  Maybe my body needs to get used to my new school germs? That'd be an interesting research project... which school's germs are worse? School A or School B?

 

I once heard that teaching is the number one job when it comes to how frequently you are sick. Well duh! I'm in a classroom all day with children who just cough and sneeze all over the place. And who's idea of washing hands is sprinkling some water and that's it!

So anyone out there have any sure fire cold killing rememdies? I don't have a fever and my nose is pretty stuffy. Plus I sound "squeaky" (haha. makes me laugh every time). I'd really appreciate it! Off to see if I can sleep WITHOUT waking up at 3 a.m.

I don't feel so good...

I wish I was one of those people who catches a cold, but once they pop some Dayquil or Nywuil, they're back to their feet. You know, like the people in those medicine commercials.

But alas, I am not one of those people. I am one of those people whose body tricks it into thinking the cold is over (hence why I went to Islands of Adventure with my uncle and brother yesterday) but then it just comes back full force.

I know this is my body's way of telling me to slow down. I've been going NON STOP since school started. I haven't been eating right and the only time I've worked out is when I've met up with my trainer Trey. I need to get back on the wagon.

But even though I'm sick, I can't help but think of all the things I have to get done today. Lesson plans, sub plans, grade level newsletter. Laundry. I need to mail the package for my giveaway winner (Congrats Kari!) as well mail a birthday card. My to do list is never ending.

I think I'm just going to take some more cold medicine, eat some rice and beans and crawl back in to bed. I really hope I feel better tomorrow.

Oof.

Oh man. I'm in pain. Why? Because I worked out with my trainer Trey yesterday and he kicked my you know what.

I had to do burpees and these woodchops and these side bends. I'm totally feeling it today. I'm still really glad I went because it has really kick started me back into this whole eat healthy work out thing. Which I was doing before Hurricane School hit. :)

I woke up ridiculously early this morning and spent sometime perusing my workout motivation board on Pinterest. Here are a few of my favorites:

Source: letsmakeahealthiertomorrow.tumblr.com via Nilda on Pinterest

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Nilda on Pinterest

Source: fromfatty2fit.tumblr.com via Nilda on Pinterest

I really believe in all of them. I definitely felt good yesterday, even as I was wincing in pain. How do you motivate yourself?

PS. Don't forget to enter my 100 follower giveaway! It ends tomorrow!

You know you want to win!

Here it is! My giveaway for hitting 100 followers. I've decided to go with a my favorites theme. :)

100 Follower Giveaway by nilda-albino featuring essie

This time of year is when I actually start going to Starbucks a bit more frequently. Why? A) I'm in dire need of caffeine (hello, first grade teacher here) and B) I can actually drink a whole hot beverage. One of my closest friends from college was a barista and she said one of the things she hated most was the person who ordered a Frappuccino during the A.M. rush. It's always stuck in my head since, so I don't go to Starbucks before work unless it's to order something hot. LOL.

I have a slight obsession with any teal/turquoise. Look in my closet! So I'm including two of my favorite Essie colors: Turquoise and Caicos and Trophy Wife! I'm actually going to wear Trophy Wife today. :)

Finally, I love all fall scents. So I'll be sending the winner two mini candles from Bath and Body Works. I just bought these two the other day for my mom and myself and we love them. Gives us some fall, even if the weather outside won't cooperate!

So go on! Enter! What ya waiting for???




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whoops!

I have NO idea where my mind is lately. I'm all over the place. I keep forgetting about meetings and I completely forgot to share what I got in my Fall Swap!

 

I was paired with Tiffany over at My Smile Saga. Tiffany just had jaw surgery (WOW!) and is now recovering from it. Go over and wish her luck on her recovery.

 Tiffany lives in West Virginia, which means she actually gets a real fall. None of this crazy cool one night, blazing hot the next night silliness we have here in Florida. She sent me some really great stuff:

• Caramel Apple Pops: The ironic thing, is that the day before I received the package, I had talked about these with J. He never remembered getting any while trick or treating. Being the nice girlfriend that I am, I shared the bag with him. He's taken one to work almost everyday!
• Halloween socks: I will be rocking these babies to school the week of Halloween. I will not wear a silly Halloween teacher sweater, but I will wear some fun socks!
• Pumpkin butter: I love that she sent something made in West Virginia. I'm not the biggest pumpkin fan but this was actually pretty good. J loves pumpkin, so he was excited when I decided to leave it at his house. 
• Scarf: I'm obsessed with scarves. Tiffany knew to send me a lightweight one which is perfect because those are the only kinds of scarves I can wear here in Florida. I love the colors in the scarf and really wish the temperature would go down already so I can wear it!
• Football pin: Tiffany shares my love of football, so she sent me this pretty sparkly football pin. I'm planning on wearing it on my lanyard at school. :)

Like I said, awesome stuff right? I love doing swaps because it's just one more way to meet all the great people in this blog world.

Have you gotten anything neat in swaps lately?

Celebrate!

I broke a hundred followers last week! I wanted to wait to see if anyone stopped following me after the giveaway I did over at Lattes and Love. No one has so far, so this little blog is currently at 123 followers.

Mind-blowing that even one person wants to read what I write. I don't find my self particularly funny or intriguing at all. I just do some fun link ups and write about my life. Glad to know people are liking what they are reading.

Which leads to my name change. I'm getting a decent bonus tomorrow (woo!). I'll ignore the fact that it means NO raise for the next few years. I'm going to take some of that money and pay for my own blog design. I want something that's totally mine you know?  I've been wanting a blog name that reflects me more (besides, I feel like my current name would be a fun one for a fashion blog, which I am not!) So I decided on Entirely My Own. It stems from this awesome quote:

Source: wanelo.com via Michele on Pinterest

It's always been one of my favorite quotes from Harry Potter. I've always felt the same thing about life. You have to live life in a way that's your own. In a way that fits who you are. You can't live life always wanting what others have. You'll fight a losing battle if you do.

So there you have it. I will be having a giveaway soon to celebrate my 100 follower milestone. I hope you'll spread that news once it happens. I'll also keep you posted on when my change will be official.

Off to training today. Is it sad that I'm excited to take a break from my firsties??

Need something to make you smile?

Because boy do I. My Jaguars lost pathetically AND it started pouring on the walk back to the car. I was smart and brought a poncho, but it was one of those Florida storms where it's windy and rainy. Nilda = soaked.

So I decided to look at this spelling test that I graded earlier:

Ignore the backwards six. :) This student is one of my brightest and creative. Spelling tests in my class take a while because I have to work with my ESOL students to make sure they hear the sounds. So I think this little one got bored while waiting for his classmates, because he illustrated every word. I particulary like the hamburger bun and the "hot" pot don't you?

This picture reminds me why I do my job. Because first graders are some of the most creative souls on this planet. So if you need a smile, I hope this helps!

Off to finish watching Once Upon a Time.