Family filled weekends are the BEST!

I'm completely exhausted right now, (morning duty + no prep time=tired Nilda), but I really want to recap my weekend because it was a blast from beginning to end!

My dad's 72nd birthday was Saturday, so we all went out to celebrate. My aunt and uncle came to visit because they were in Orlando the past week at a techie conference. I adore all my aunts and uncles, but my this pair are definitely one of the most fun!

Got to love my dad's expressions!

They all came over to J's and my place. It was so awesome having family and friends over for the first time. Grateful for how thick our walls are; pretty sure if they weren't, our neighbor would have complained about all the noise!!

Later that night, all of us (minus my Dad, I think we wore him out!) hit up Ragtime, this amazing restaurant at the beach. They have the yummiest seafood and beer. The night included B-52 shots made the wrong way, my brother swiping food off everyone's plates, a kind of jerky waiter, and plenty of laughs!

Grouper Oscar- pan seared grouper topped with crab and asparagus, smothered in Bearnaise sauce. YUMM!

Realized it we'd been married three months! <3

Needless to say, J and I PASSED out when we got home later that night.

Sunday= football around these parts, but luckily my aunt and uncle LOVE football, so they dind't mind! We hit up Sneakers, this massive sports bar at the beach that show every game on GIANT projection screens. My aunt was PUMPED that the Steelers finally won. Later that afternoon, we went back to my parents to watch the Jaguars actually do decently against the Broncos! Eh we lost, but the losses aren't as painful when they actually show some fight!!

Despite being stuffed... we all went to Bruster's Ice Cream. It's fall season there which means APPLE DUMPLINGS and PUMPKIN FLAVORS. My aunt's obsessed (just like everyone else) with pumpkin so she chose Pumpkin Pecan. Everyone else got apple dumplings!

I'm not in it because I'm at the window, trying to convince the scooper to not get mad because we ordered 5 apple dumplings!

Weekends SERIOUSLY cannot get any better than spending them with family. Especially when your family is as loud, crazy and loving as mine!

How was your weekend???

PS. Ignore the formatting! I'm too tired to fix it!!! :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday to the man that I call Dad! I am forever grateful that God put you in my mother's life, because without you I would have never known a father's love. You can be a grump and we bump heads because we are the EXACT same person, but I don't know anyone who cares about his family as deeply as you!

Have a wonderful birthday, (and don't hit on the waitresses too much...no need to become a creepy old man!)

Things I'm loving right now...

So, I've had LOTS of negative thoughts running through my head. Just work stress and other life stress. And I realized I haven't thought much about the good in my life. So here goes:

Things Nilda is loving at the moment: 

• My class. They are by far the sweetest group I've ever had. Teaching them is so much fun!
• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure. They redid the formula and seriously, this stuff stays on. Almost even better than ::gasp:: Essie!
• My me time tonight. J's out with some friends and while I do miss him (kinda odd being alone in this house) it's been nice to have some me time. Sushi, cocunut cream cheese cake, bubble bath and all my girly DVRed shows= a good night.
• Salmon Katsu rolls. My new favorite sushi roll.
• It was cool all day today! The a/c didn't turn on in my classroom once. Supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow too!
• Being married. Cheesy I know, but it's been fun getting to be around my best friend all the time. 
• Being done with thank you cards! They will be mailed Friday, just in time to beat the three month etiquette deadline!
• My new Stella and Dot necklaces. Seriously they go with everything!
• Elizabeth Smart's book My Story.  Now I obvs don't love what happened to her, but a) it's been nice to read something not school related and b) it's just an inspiring story!
• I FINALLY figured out how to make my own task cards with cute frames and font and all! No more shelling out money on TeachersPayTeachers for things I can make myself!
• Since it's cooler out, Athena, my kitty has been much much cuddlier!
• My two partners for the Carabox swap. It's been fun really getting to know each of them!

So that's a bit of what I'm loving at the moment. Just writing it out makes me feel better. 

Ever need to focus on the positive more? What would be on your loving at the moment list??

Sharing some of my faves on a Friday!

Man, what a week! It went by fast AND dragged all at the same time? Crazy how that can happen right?

I went to sleep last night with a tickle in my throat. When I woke up this morning, BAM! full blown cold. First one of the school year. Always considered it a success when I don't get sick until October. Thankful I don't have a Jaguars game to go to on Sunday, so I can be completely lazy and rest of this silly cold.

Here's a recap of my week:

Had my first informal observation of the year. My new AP had nothing but good things to say and she was super impressed at how on task my kiddos were, even though it was during the extra hour of school. Always nice to be validated right?

My DIY manicure has lasted seven days! A few chips but for the most part still looking good! I'm wearing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Night Watch (it's part of their Prabal Gurung line!) and I topped it with China Glaze's Fast Forward topcoat! Can't find a link for the Sally Hansen, but I found it at my local Target.

I received my jewelry from Stella and Dot, and have been rocking the Sutton necklace any chance that I get. Here I wore it with my Jaguar shirt on gameday. They lost but hey I looked cute! I just like how crazy versatile it is and how it goes with EVERYTHING!

The weather has been absolutely perfect this week. Lows in the high 60s, highs in the low 80s. Days like these are why I love living in Florida. Still can't rock any boots or scarves, but definitely cute jackets and cardigans!

I hope you had a good week! Cross your fingers that my cold goes away ASAP. :)

PS. Didn't receive any compensation for the products above and I earned credit from my trunk show. Just wanted to share with you some of my favorites this week!

Fall is here?

So believe it or not, we do get a fall up here in North Florida. But fall here means a few different things:

• When the breeze blows, it's actually cool! Not a hot breeze, like someone just opened an oven. 
• It's coolish in the morning. I.e., I don't walk out of my house and go UGH. 
• The high is in the low 80s. It feels amazing after a summer full of 90s!
• I can wear jeans and watch my class at recess without dying of sweat. 
• You can actually use the outside patios at restaurants and enjoy good conversation, like J and I did with my friend Jessica and my brother this past weekend. 
• Or you can participate in a heart walk and not pass out from heat exhaustion. 

Basically, you know when fall is here, not because it's actually cool enough to wear a jacket or a scarf (still too warm for that!) but because it's just not blistering hot day in and day out! Yay for Florida fall! (Even though, I'm ridiculously jealous of each and every one of you who are rocking the scarves and boots!)

What's fall like where you're at?

Favorite part?

High Five for Friday... finally!

H54F has ALWAYS been one of my favorite link ups, mostly because I think it's a really good idea to look back on your week and find those five things that made you actually like this week!

So here are my five things I'm loving about this week:

My new work shoes!

Payless

These shoes are the MOST comfortable pair I've ever owned. I leave work in the afternoons and my feet actually feel good. Best part? They are from Payless, so they won't break the bank! I'm thinking about buying the black and the silver ones too!

Buffalo Chicken Dip from Publix... heaven in a bowl! 

If you don't know what Publix is, I'm sorry. You're missing out!

J bought me flowers on Tuesday to put in my special vase. 

I REALLY like my class this year. The do normal first grade things like talk way TOO much and ask too many questions but overall so different from last year. 

It's payday! Woot, woot!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! As always, linking up with Lauren!

Teaching

I've said it before and I'll say it again... teaching is my passion. 

I love when I see a kid finally get a concept. I love when a kid is excited about learning. I love when I get hugs or high fives or even just hellos from former students. I don't do this to get some kind of kudos. I do it because it's fun and it's important.

So to find out I'm a finalist for my school's Teacher of the Year? It's the icing on the cake. Especially when the other two nominees are fantastic teachers themselves. Teachers that I know share my feelings about teaching. Teachers that truly care about their students.

Would I be lying if I said I'd be a tiny bit disappointed if I didn't win? Yes. I think that's a natural and honest reaction. But I finally get why people say they feel honored to be nominated. It really IS an honor. Especially when you are in excellent company.

Wish me luck friends!