Happy Birthday, Chris!

I just wanted to take a moment and wish my husband a very happy 28th birthday! He was just 22 when we met- boy how times have flown!

Happy Birthday!

Sneak Peak

For those interested, we had our family pictures taken on Saturday. We always have the BEST time doing this, as do the people watching us. With nine of us there this year, it took awhile to fit us all in. Every year we pick a "theme". These have gone every direction, from bright colors, to sweaters, to suits, to Sunday clothes, to scout uniforms and so on. This year, we did black and white with the girls adding in touches of red. If I must say so, we rocked it.

Our Christmas card last year went out with my older brother kissing a rubber duck with the rest of us holding other props. Spinning off of that, we decided to each take a sport and dress accordingly. (A HUGE thanks to Leah for loaning us the BEST ones!) After a quick change for each of us, we reassembled and snapped some good, fun ones.

Here's a sneak peak of what is to come... Enjoy!

Through the Years...

I have always loved my family. Just the right number of kids that if you get in a fight with one, there is always someone else to play with. We had a blast yesterday. We had a Wii bowling tournament, followed by several tennis matches and a little practice on the Wii fit balancing games. Needless to say I am sore. Not only from all of the games, but the one unfortunate disaster which ended with me cascading to the floor in one of the most graceful displays of uncoordination and unbalance ever. That's a whole new story that I'll save for later. Right now, I wanted to share a little bit of a lot of us with you...

This picture was taken at Christmas exactly 21 years ago. Please note that we all fit and the stockings have plenty of room.

This was taken yesterday, prior to several of the day's events. Please note that not only do we not fit, we have certainly grown over the years.

Mom and Dad's poor house is busting at the seams with all of us, expecially with two dogs. The best thing about us is that we pick right up where we leave off and keep going. What a great Christmas this has been. And we still have the flag football game and biannual family picture session left to go!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Save Me!

After all the wrapping paper, the singing and the pictures, we're done. Our school Christmas party is over. We had a wonderfull time and are now enjoying the games we swapped.

So where do we go from here? We snack, we play, we watch movies. And wait. Until the bell rings and we can go home.

What do I want for Christmas? My break. It can't get here soon enough!

Best School Christmas Recipe Ever

Here's the recipe for what I call a crazy few weeks:

17 excited homeroom students
8 hours at school a day
14 reading students
4 Santa sightings in the hallway
586,756,385 Christmas lights filling the hallways at school
78 Christmas trees in the school building, somewhere
230 parties of some sort or another
4-5 craft projects or Christmas coloring sheets of some kind, average per child
6 major tests to give- 2 math, 1 reading, 1 language, 1 writing assessment, and 1 DIBELs
1 week left to go
1 stressed-out, data-maxed, stretched and worn thin teacher

Mix it all together with the love and cheer of the holidays, and what do you get? One great big holiday season with a side of classroom management and loving discipline.

Best of luck to those with children- I hope you all make it this last week! Merry Christmas!

Deck the Halls...

Okay. I love wrapping presents. I am extremely particular, so I love the crisp corners and tight folds. I'm crazy, okay, but it gets better. I have wrapped gifts I bought, gifts my mother-in-law needed help wrapping, and even gifts that were being given to me. Yes. I have. Chris put them in boxes and I wrapped them. But this year, I have taken it a little too far.

Holiday Market came and went, and we did good knocking out a lot of gifts there. But it wasn't that accomplishment that I love, but the wrapping paper I got. I adore it. I have always wanted matching and coordinating paper under my tree. This year I did just that.

Let me take it one step further. All of my shopping is done, with the exception of Chris' stocking. All of the gifts are wrapped and under the tree. I put the tulle on them today. But my favorite part? There are no tags. No names, just gifts. And how do I know what is in each one?



Drumroll please...


They are color-coded. Yes, I have them wrapped according to families and where each gift is to go. To make it even better, the tulle on the top separates the colors.


Call me crazy, call me a dork, but my color-coded, gift-wrapping, finished-for-the-season self is finished.


Merry Christmas!

Winter Sale

For those of you that don't know, I sell Southern Living at Home products. I just wanted to let you know about our winter sale we are now starting. We have some GREAT items at GREAT prices! To get any of these awesome deals, all you have to do is purchase one item at regular price for at least $29.95. I'm not normally one to advertise, but just wanted you all to have a chance to get some wonderful Christmas presents and deals.

Click here to see the sale items and prices.

Click here to see our online catalog. Go to Our Products and View Online Catalog.


Let me know if you are interested! I can check to make sure the items you want are still available.

Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping!

Leslie!!!

Here's to you, Leslie Adams!


Please click on collage to enlarge and truly enjoy the hilariousness of these hidden treasures!

In honor of your 26th birthday, we have taken it back to the basics: memories from our first years together...

Those of you that have never had the privilege and honor of living with, traveling with, cooking and dorm-room "cleaning" with, and laughing with Leslie are missing out. It all started 6 years ago when we ventured blindly into an arranged living situation. Can you see anyone surviving a year in a 10x16 room? Add two great suitmates, tons of ladybugs and a rubber chicken and it certainly was worth the while!

Hope these bring you as many laughs as they did me!

Problem Solved

So I mustered up enough courage to tell my kids. After morning announcements, I got their attention. All eyes were on me.

I took a deep breath and quickly stated:

"The hermit crab died yesterday. You know his cage has been gone for a few days. He wasn't feeling well and got old and passed away. Mr. Holley and I buried him this morning, so we will no longer have a pet."

All eyes were still on me. So I said, "Get back to work."

Little Boy in front of me shrugged his shoulders and returned to his morning work.

Then it happened. One hand raised in the air. I gulped, took a breath, and called on him.

"So, what is the pet person going to do now?"

That was it. He just wanted to know what his classroom job was, now that there was no pet. Problem solvied, crisis averted. And we're moving on.

Oh yeah, "buried" meant that we put him in the zip-lock bag with the sand from his cage so I couldn't see him as he was carried to the trash can outside.

How do you tell children...

... that the class pet has died?

I don't really know what emotion I am feeling right now, whether it be sad or what. I feel bad, but feel like laughing at the ordeal from the last few days at the same time. I know- real sensitive there, Taryn.

Name: Brownie (originally Bat Crab until he moved)
Type: Hermit Crab
Age: at least a year, who knows exactly

History: A boy in my class brought two hermit crabs last year, Rainbow and Bat Crab. They didn't want them anymore, but also wanted to share them since he knew we didn't have a pet. We openly welcomed them into our room.

Over the summer, Rainbow molted (shed his skin) and then could not recover and died a few days later. I did what I thought needed- put him in a ziploc bag, said a few quiet thoughts, and threw him in the trash can. Sensitive again. (I couldn't bury him- Rush would dig him up and eat him!)

This year, I returned to school with only one crab. Lo and behold, the younger brother of the one that gave us the crabs is now in my class. A brief explanation and the family understood.

Which brings me to current day...

Tuesday I got to school and was by my desk when I noticed something odd. Brownie was out of his shell, just laying there belly-up. His legs were moving. I turned him over and he moved, but not ever toward a shell. A brief search of the ocean-themed rooms at school uncovered a few larger shells that he could possibly move into. Since he was out of his shell, this would cause commotion in my class, so he spent the day next door. A few hours and secretary's research later, he still hadn't done anything. We put him in the dark closet for some peace and quiet through the night.

Wednesday I returned and promptly checked. I found him belly-up again, one little claw just waving at me. I turned him over and left him alone. Later on that day, I found him sitting on the edge of a shell, but not in it. That's how I left him last night.

This morning I immediately looked in on him again. He didn't move when I tapped the cage. When I poked him, he moved ever so slowly. I left him again until after lunch. When I checked again, he didn't move. At all. Upon examination this afternoon, we decided he was dead. And he's starting to stink.

I put him back in the closet, and am now stuck with this dilema. What do I do? Do I chunk him and tell them kids I gave him away because they weren't taking care of him? Do I tell them that he got old or sick and died? Do we have a funeral and burial tomorrow? I don't know! It's a $5 hermit crab that came with a free cage. My kids never paid him attention since he never came out. It wasn't until today that one of them noticed he was gone!

This is why I don't have class pets. I don't have to deal with this! But I can't leave my kids hanging either. Any ideas? And quick too- he won't make it over the weekend before my whole room stinks!

Fall Saturdays

Unlike my born-and-bread husband, I was not raised in the football loving deep south. I have come to enjoy football as long as I pick one thing to focus on during the season. This is why I like Saturdays in the fall... Alabama football and my BF- Andre Smith. Not to mention going to games with Chris... Roll Tide!

Sorry Dou

So my children were taking their reading test. They read a story about the Yellow River in China and had to answer questions about it. The last question asked, "Do you want to visit the Yellow River? Why or Why not?"

I could not help but laugh and share this answer as soon as I read it:

"I want to visit but I can't get off I have to work, but thanks for eviting me. sorry dou."

Mind you this is a second grader full of spunk and personality. I can hear her saying it to me as I read it again. I wonder where she's heard this before...

Current Events

Just a few shots from the swearing in ceremony on Wednesday. The bottom right are some good friends of Chris' from school that also passed the bar. Jim and Teresa, Chris' parents came down for the occassion. And I just love this picture of the two of us in front of the Supreme Court Building in downtown Montgomery.

-Ersons

You know you all have nicknames for different people. Well, we have -ersons. Before I introduce you to the two I met today, let's see some examples:

~ Whitey Whitersons- the boys at the beach with slim to no ability to tan

~ Chatty Chattersons- people that seem to talk a little more than usual or necessary

As we sat at Chris' swearing in ceremony today, I was completly overcome and distraught by two new -ersons. The first: Clicky Clickerson. The man that sat beside me to start with was taking pictures. I know that it was a momentous occasion, so I understand the desire to capture it forever. But when you are not on the aisle, turning around to get a picture of someone off to the side and slightly behind, and snapping the flash RIGHT IN MY FACE, you become an -erson to me. So all I hear was the click click of the shutter. That was, until he left and tried his best to get good shots the rest of the time, all in the hired professionals' ways.

Glad to get rid of Clicky, I now introduce the man who took his seat: Shakey Shakerson. Clicky's friend, Shakey came in and sat right down. I don't know if he was bored, tired, or just restless, but he continuously shook his whole leg. In turn, the whole row shook too. I could call him Who Whoerson, due to the yell he let out when his loved one crossed the stage, but the shaking was definitely more pressing of a matter.


Welcome to our world of -ersons.

Little Things

So Chris just got back last night from Ohio. His first business trip. He was only gone for one night, so I wasn't here too long by myself. For anyone that knows my relationship with my husband, we aren't always the most sensitive or lovey-dovey types towards one another. This trip he suprised me. Just a little, just enough to make me smile.

Clue #1: I asked him jokingly if he bought me anything. With hesitation, he says no.

Clue #2: He told me not to check the account. Not a giveaway there or anything!

Clue #3: He had to check his bag. Said it was "too big".

Little did I know that the space at his feet was occupied by a box. A small, easy to carry, odd shaped box. A certain blue coloring covered it with a distinct logo. One that many parents know and children easily recognize. A place where grown men avoid at all costs, especially being seen alone in with no apparent reason. I wonder what people thought... is it for a kid he was going to see?... his wife?...

He arrived at home right at 9:00. From the darkness down the hallway he came, trying to conceal this box. As he tries to tell me something, I peek behind him. I see it. It's a Build-A-Bear box. Yes. One of those. I get so excited that I hardly hear what he's telling me. I take the box and open it. Inside was a small, golden bear. He got me a teddy bear. No accesories like you see with most bears, but plain and simple. Just like us.

When he goes away for work again, I'll have something in his place. I'm so proud. He'll kill me if he knows I wrote this, but I had to. Not too many people see this side of him, or either of us for that matter. It means the world to me.

P.S.- I named the bear Columbo. He had just returned from Columbus, Ohio. Sounded fitting. I wonder where he'll travel to next?...

New Favorite Place

Those of you that know me know that I grew up in North Carolina. We went to Myrtle Beach when we went to the beach. I love the Atlantic Ocean and all of the sand and shells. For years, people kept telling me how beautiful the Gulf's beaches were. In the four years I was at Faulkner, I never went. Three years later, I still hadn't. The first time I went was last summer, after our cruise with Chris' family. That was for a few hours. That's it.

Well, we went this past weekend with dear friends of ours: James & Leslie and Bobby & Teresa. We had a blast! The weather was perfect, the water was more blue than I've ever seen, and the shells were plentiful.

Since I have never been to the beach for an extended period of time (Gulf beaches that is), we did the typical pictures on the beach. Chris was actually willing and cooperating that day, despite his playful nature to pretend he wasn't into it. We got some great pictures and great memories. Enjoy!

Here's to you...

Congratulations, Chris! I just want to take a minute and congratulate Chris... one of Alabama's finest and newest lawyers around! Take a minute and walk back with me...

Fall 2004- Chris informs me that he wants to go to law school and is going to start studying for the LSAT. Me, being the supportive person I am, pat his back, smile, and nod. Little did I know...

January 2005- Chris asks me to marry him! Pretty much, I was out of school, he was almost out of school. With the whole law school idea lingering in the air, he needed a sugar momma to help him through...

February 2005- Chris takes the LSAT. Afterwards, we go to Subway. Poor Chris- he was so mentally drained that he could not even think to decide which chips to get. I had to pick them out for him...

July 2005- We get married in Charlotte, go to Jamaica for our honeymoon, and then settle into our apartment...

August 2005- I start my 2nd year of teaching. Chris goes to orientation with butterflies in his stomach, and thus begins the next 3 years...

Fall 2005- Chris wakes me up in the middle of the night. He suddently sits up and tells me I've got to have it. What? I ask. Personal jurisdiction. I just have to have it. Okay, I'll get it. And we go back to sleep. The next morning, he was awfully confused when I asked him what it was...

December 2005- First sets of law school exams. Once again, I, the supportive wife, help study flashcards. I could tell you different railroad scenarios and outcomes of court cases. One semester down, 5 to go...

January 2006- Chris starts 2nd semester, a little more aware and just as hesitant. Me too...

May 2006- First Year is done! Chris finds a job, working with David Hilyer. If only I had known then! (j/k David! What a blessing they have been!)

July 2006- We celebrate our first year of marriage. They always say the first year is the hardest. Add law school on top, and whew! One down...

August 2006- Chris starts 2nd year. More confident, less stressed. Enter Joe Lester and son Carson. Just a coincidence that I have Carson in class while Chris spends time sitting in lectures with Joe Lester. Nothing suspicious there or anything!...

May 2007- 2nd year down, only one to go! We're getting the hang of it and are now tired of it...

August 2007- Chris enters final year of law school. Even more confident, much more laid back, and less prepared for classes. I think he learned the system and knew when to prepare and when to sit back. I'm just glad that didn't backfire too much!...

January 2008- Last semester ever begins. Anxiety sets in as the end is in sight...

May 2008- Last finals ever! What a relief! Though he missed a family wedding and my sister's graduation, school came first...

May 31- Graduation! TONS of family come to town for this event. We threw a party, had some BBQ and a GREAT cake (thanks Julie!). This time was bittersweet, school over but knowing the worst was yet to come...

June 2008- Worst 2 months of our life set in... bar exam studying and preparation. I stayed away as much as possible. He stayed in as much as possible. He managed to take time enough away to celebrate our 3rd anniversary with dinner, only after missing my sister's wedding (we forgive him though- hoping studying pays off!)...

July 28, 29, 30- THE BAR. Horrible! I drove him downtown every day to relieve the stress of traveling. My hand hurt for him and all the writing he did! Worst part- we wouldn't find out results for 2 months...

September 26- The long awaited day. I took the day off from school. He woke up at about 5:00, unable to sleep anymore. Waiting with baited breath, the phone FINALLY rang. It was our good friend Eric, who was able to see the list of names before they were officially posted. He passed! I screamed, we cried, then settle in for all of the phone calls, emails, and texts we had to make....

That afternoon- Chris checked the mail and got a letter. This had his scores. All I'll say is that he whooped the essay portion! And to think that I used to tear up papers of his in college because they were so bad, or even write them myself! What a turn around...

That evening- We set off to Birmingham for dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. A favorite of ours, but very rarely visited. Thanks to mom and dad for the giftcard for graduation! We enjoyed steak, salads, and some of the best chocolate mousse cheesecake I've ever had...

Present day- We are moving on to the next stages. Life without school. Life with HOPEFULLY two incomes (as soon as he gets a job). Life with a little less stress (one can only imagine)...

Congratulations! I am SO PROUD of you, Chris!

Fidelity

We have a new reading series this year. I'm getting used to it some, but it is still a lot of work. The one thing that is continually stressed is to do it to fidelity. This means to teach the curriculum like it is this year, take this year to get used to it, and do what it says. So I'm doing that.

In sticking with the whole "fidelity" thing, we were working with phonics today. I was using the words they told me to, writing them on the board as we went. We got to the word "ditch". Before getting a chance to sound it out as a group, Little Boy decides he already knows the word and hollers it out. Not before truly recognizing that it was a "d" instead of the "b" that he put there.

Without hesitating, I moved on before anyone had a chance to recognize what was said. Most of my others were still trying to sound it out. We broke it down as a group and quickly changed topics. I think next year I may use a different word in its place! Yikes!

Rush, the Hunting Dog

I can now classify my dog, Rush, in the category with other hunting dogs. As I am sitting on my couch checking emails and unwiding from the day, Rush jumps up and hops across me. He quickly returns back across and sits looking at me. After I don't pay attention, he huffs at me under his breath. I look around and notice something on the seat next to me. Chris turns on the light. Low and behold, what do we see?

A fly. My dog has not only killed a fly but has also brought it to me to see. Normally he just eats them when he catches them. I was as proud as a mother could be. I was so excited I jumped onto my page to write this. What an event!

(This is him sleeping on the towels I was trying to fold. He's such a momma's boy!)

Aches and Pains

Aches: So Chris woke up in the middle of the night Monday night. He said he felt like someone was punching him in the stomach. In my sleepy state, I told him to put a heating pad on it and go back to sleep. Before leaving for school the next morning, he asked me to leave the doctor's phone number for him. I did.

Pains: On my way home, he called and said he had to get a CT Scan, because the doctors were not sure what it was. He HATES needles. I told him to suck it up, hold his breath, and turn his head when they did it. I was on my way there.

Aches: After arriving, we had to wait an hour before he could get the CT Scan. We then had to wait another hour until the radiologist at the hospital could see the prints and determine what it was. I was still in my school clothes and had not eaten. Chris had not been home since lunch, and it was close to 8:oo.

Pains: After finding out from the preliminary report that it possibly was appendicitis, we had to go to the emergency room and meet our doctor. This was when my mind started racing, making about 1000 phone calls to family and friends, trying to arrange a sub and take care of Rush. Poor Rush. He had not been out in over 7 hours. Our great neighbors helped out, came and got the key from the hospital and let him out. By then, Leslie had arrived at our house to grab clothes, food, and Rush. He spent a few days with her.

Aches: By the time our doctor got there, things were in full swing. He placed a call to a surgeon who was on his way. When meeting with the surgeon, he said it may or may not be appendicitis. Chris had half of the signs, but hardly any of the symptoms. We were going to go ahead with the surgery. If it was, he would take it out. If it wasn't, he would take it out still and look around to see if it could be anything else.

Pains: When we were finished, the surgeon asked if Chris had any questions. Chris asked how long until he could do physical activity. Puzzled, the doctor replied it would take about 2 to 3 weeks. Knowing Chris' brain and thinking, I cleared it up for the doctor. I asked how long it would be until Chris could play softball again. Fall league is starting, and he didn't want to miss it. We were told it would be at least a month or so. Poor Chris. If only you could have seen his face.

Aches: Chris was starting to hurt more, with people poking and prodding his stomach. We were informed that the surgeon was going to do one surgery before ours. We were sent to a hospital room to wait.

Pains: At about 12:30, they came to get Chris. We walked back and they wheeled him away. The waiting room was COLD and UNCOMFORTABLE! The nurse stuck her head in at 1:15 to say they were starting surgery. I slept in the chairs, with a pair of sweat pants over my jeans and my sweatshirt hood on, trying to stay warm. They finished the surgery, things went well, and the appendix was removed. It was in fact appendicitis.

Aches: Chris made it out of recovery and back to the room at about 3:00. Chris' parents had come into town. Because Jim was talking about the chairs not being too bad to sleep in, he unknowingly nominated himself to stay the night while Teresa and I went home for a few hours of sleep. Apparently, he was wrong and the chair was NOT condusive to sleeping.

Pains: After arriving at home at about 4:00, I got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep before text messages and phone calls started. We were blessed to have so many concerned. I was exhausted as we headed back to the hospital.

Aches: Chris was doing well. He was up watching Sports Center and talking. He couldn't get up yet, and it hurt to move. After a few hours, he got up and took small walks around the hospital. This was much progress. The surgeon came that afternoon and said that we were going to get home after a round of antibiotics.

Pains: The antibiotics did not come until 6:00, about 4 hours later! We had to wait until it all went in through his IV. If that was not the slowest drip ever! Eventually, it finished and we were able to go home. After grabbing Chik-Fil-A on the way.

Aches: Getting Chris in and out of the car was a challenge. He can't use his abs, so it takes a lot of little ol' me to help him move. Once we got him in the house, we settled him in for the long haul.



Blessings: Chris is doing well now, a few days later. He is up and walking around on his own. He can't bend over or pick things up yet, so I am still hanging around. I was blessed to be able to take a few days off of work to stay here with him. Though it's almost as many days as I've taken in the four years I've been teaching, that's fine. Family comes first.

Blessings: We are also so blessed to have such great family and friends that have helped us out so far. Every day we are reminded that we are loved, and that God is so good to us. It's going to be awhile still, but he is making so much progress. We'll keep you posted as the days go on. And until he can play ball again, he'll have to settle for the Wii or the hand-held games my grandparents sent.

So, here goes nothing!

Flashback

I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on life one month ago. Chris was two days away from the bar, and life was very stressed. We are exactly one month away now from finding our results. Yay!

Thus being said, one should know that Chris used the guest bedroom/office/storage room/anything else possible room as his study area. At first, he studied at school. As time went by, he got tired of that and moved into the room. I took pictures to show exactly what it all looked like. Just know, that this past weekend, I finally got my room back.

The bed, desk and guilty party.

The desk. Please note the number of water bottles, coffe cups, and plastic cups.

But like I said earlier, I finally got my room back. Though we tried to keep it straightened, I eventually gave up. It got to where I would not even go into the room. I would just shut the door and walk past. You can see why. I'm just glad that's over with!

My Other Life

Well I figured since I live in two worlds, I'd share the other with you. I redid a bunch of things around my classroom over the summer and got so excited that I took pictures. When I first started teaching, I had red and white gingham and apples. The apples quickly left and the red and white faded out. I figured this year I'd go with bright colors... something that would help me out on days I would need it. Enjoy!

My new curtains!

A LONG bookshelf I inherited this year. And yes, the curtains are stapled on!

My Helper Chart and my cute door window curtain.

Backpack hooks. I just really liked the picture!

Feel free to come and visit any time- I'm sure I would enjoy some adult conversation every once in awhile!

Whirlwinds

My mom Facebooked me today. That's how life goes in our family. Haven't heard from you in awhile... we'll drop you a line. I normally call mom to chat on the way home from school, but I haven't called her in about 3 weeks. That's how I can measure the hecticness of my life: how long it has been since I called my mom last.

After Chris took the Bar, we headed to the beach. We had a GREAT time! What did we do? Nothing! We laid on the beach and the biggest decisions we had to face- where are we going to eat? Once we got back, we hit the ground running.

I had a week of workshops and meetings, trying to "prepare" myself for this year. Prepare is a complete understatement, since you have no idea what to expect. After that week, I was running circles around myself.

School started last Monday. I have quite a group this year. Interesting characters. None really bad, but some that may challenge me in new ways. I like a challenge, but not normally 17 of them! I'll make it short and say one note went home the first week, and I now have a Group #5. I haven't had a Group #5 since my first year of teaching. Group #5 is not good. Just know that it involves a group ALL to yourself and is in extreme proximity to myself. But we love Group #5. It's been a great second week with Group #5.

After that first week of school, we decided to up and haul ourselves early Saturday morning to Atlanta, where we enjoyed the rides at Six Flags and a Braves game that evening. My favorite part of the day was the grand opening... Leslie, this is for you. We enter the park and head to the Scorcher. After deciding to skip that until later, we continue on and come to the Goliath. Our first ride of the day. Chris and James take the end seats while Leslie and I hold down the middle. Well, Leslie holds down the middle. She is holding not only her own bar, but mine as well. I have never heard her scream so much in my life. Even above my screams, hers were piercing the air. It was her good scream too, for those that know her. The only time she stopped was to breathe. That was the best ride of the day! I'll fast forward throught the rest of it all, only pausing to say I had a near brush with death when speaking a little too loudly to myself when a several folks pushed past us while waiting for Superman to work again. I'm working on that!

That day ended in one exciting moment. As I'm driving us home, I call my brother who gives the the "play by play" of Michael Phelps' last gold victory. My heart was racing while I was driving through construction in Atlanta trying to avoid barracades on the sides and police hiding in the dark. We made it, and we were still able to make it to early service. What a day!

As this week is halfway over, I hope I make it through the rest! So, here goes nothing!

Restless Nights

As the world moves on, so do the seasons. This means that summer is pretty much over and school is about to start. Teachers, students and parents all anxiously await the first day. This is life from my side...

I love my job. Teaching fits me perfectly and I wouldn't have it any other way. But something has started over the last few months that never has before. I've been having dreams this summer. Nightmares, actually. About school. I don't know why. It's not cool. I don't like it. But I can't stop it either. Sometimes I can't sleep. This brings me to last night.

I went to bed at about 10:00. I figured I would start getting up early to get ready for next week. I was going to get up right before six. So I laid in bed, my mind just racing. To help you understand, we have a new reading/spelling/language curriculum that is so different from what we had. I also teach an extremely challenging group for reading that is stressing me out. With that said, my mind doesn't stop these days. After about an hour, I was still wide awake. I heard the fan, the dryer, my dog breathing. I kept singing random songs in my head too. So I went to the living room and read for awhile. This normally puts me to sleep. I finally got tired and went back to bed. About to fall asleep, it all started again. I heard the fan, the dryer, my dog breathing. I kept singing random songs in my head too. After about an hour, I got up again. I played online for awhile until I was tired, then went back to bed. After tossing for awhile, it all came again. I heard the fan, the dryer, my dog breathing. I kept singing random songs in my head too. So I got up, went to the guest bedroom, and read again. When I was about to fall out, I finally went back, crawled into bed after turning off the dryer, stubbing my toe on Rush's cage, running into the ironing board and tripping over the comforter. It took a few minutes, but I finally fell asleep. The last I looked at the clock was right after 1:00.

I try to figure out what in the world is going on. This will be my fifth year, so it's not like I am not used to it. The only thing that is helping me is putting myself in the children's shoes. The scariest thing for me is looking at them the first day, wondering what words will come out of my mouth. But the scariest thing for them? Has to be the new teacher, the new students, new routines and the unexpected. So, even though I lose sleep, have bad dreams, and go 24/7 this time of year, I have to tell myself that the anxiety the children go through is more than mine. And that's eighteen of them to one of me. That's what I like to think.

So to all of you mothers out there getting ready to send your children off to school, you are not the only ones that wonder if your child's teacher will be everything they need and more. We worry too. One workday down, a few more and 180 days of school left to instill everything I can into these young, wondering minds. So, here goes nothing!

Halleluiah!

We're done! What has been a long, grueling process has now come to an end. Three years and some months in the making- we're done. Chris finished his last day of the Bar exam today. We are now (hopefully) on to some bigger and brighter things. AKA- the Beach! Chris surprised me on our anniversary with reservations for a hotel at the beach, and we are on our way. Chapter one of our life is finished. I really don't know what else to say. I haven't downloaded the pictures of his study room yet, or I would put those on. All I know is that we're done. And I'm going to bed. So, here goes nothing!

From the Mouths of Children

As I am preparing myself for another school year, I start to wonder what type of group will I get . Will they be a quiet group? Will they be chatty? Or am I going to lose my mind? As I think about past children, I think of one conversation immediately:

Little Boy looks at me as we enter the hallway to use the restroom.
"Mrs. Brodie?" he says as he passes by me.
"Yes, Little Boy," I say in turn, waiting for what might come next.
With big eyes and all seriousness, he asks, "Have you ever given birth to babies?"
I was floored. Dumbfounded. Stunned. He was waiting for an answer. I was worried where this conversation may go, but quietly answered, "No."
He looks at me again, just as soon as I finish my answer, and states matter-of-factly, "But you're married."
"Yes, Little Boy," I begin to say, all the while thinking that this kid has the order right. "I am married, but don't have any children yet. I have 18 kids here at school I get to see every day."
This answer seemed to satisfy him because he turned, continued in line down the hallway, and never asked about it again.

It makes me smile to think of the innocence of children. I can not wait to see what this year might bring. So, here goes nothing!

Girly Stuff

Those of you that know me well know that I am not really that girly. Granted, I can do girly things like cutting and fixing formal hair, painting nails and doing make-up, sewing and embroidering, making cards and cooking. I like to tribute that to my ability to do things with my hands, not my nature. So, when I was the matron of honor in my sister's wedding, it was rather difficult to do some of the things I've always heard goes with the territory.

I threw a Bridal Brunch the day before the wedding. I went to my one and only tea party a few years ago, thanks to Melissa Lester. I loved it! And it was the memories from that from which I was able to pull this thing off. It actually took a few weeks of planning, a few phone calls, a car full of supplies and a trip to the grocery store to complete this task. Needless to say, it worked.

We had strawberry soup, croissants, muffins, fresh fruit and dip, and mini quiches. And no, I'm not ashamed to admit that the only thing I made was the strawberry soup. Life was too hectic at that time and I wasn't getting up any earlier than I had to for it! I used my Southern Living at Home Dress-Me-Up plates and platters to decorate the table and hold food. All in all, I think it turned out quite well.

Then it was time to sit down. I did the "hostly" thing and poured drinks. Once I sat down, all eyes were on me. Was I supposed to give a speech? I hadn't thought about that. So I did the only thing I knew. I said a prayer, blessed the food, and we ate. It was weird being formal with my mom, sister, two of her friends we've known forever, and her future mother-in-law. But we did it. (I have to add that I found the girls in the kitchen later pigging out, since they wanted to be lady-like at the time and not eat too much.)

After eating, I gave her the gift I had made for her. I truly debated this one for awhile. Do I give it to just her, give it to her and her fiance and whatever I decided, when? I wanted her to enjoy it, but didn't want all eyes on me.
I made her a quilt. I wanted to do something big for her. Honestly, I really wanted to make her cry. You have to understand, we don't do too much of that. She made a photo book for me. Pictures of the two of us growing up. She also made my wedding scrapbook. Yes, that's right- I don't scrapbook, so gave her everything I had. It turned out to be beautiful! So, I needed to do something big.
I started with only 3 1/2 months before the wedding. I had just learned how to embroider- thanks Kristi! I was on that kick and decided I would do a quilt for her, 25 squares in all. Ambitious was the word dad used to describe this undertaking. I planned it out, printed my pictures and got to work. I almost ruined it a few times because I got so excited!
By Father's Day I had finished all of the squares, pieced it together, and dropped it off with the lady who was quilting it together for me. By then, there was no way I could do it myself! I got it back just in time to wrap it and drive it up to Charlotte.
She loved it. She didn't cry, but her face said it all. And when she learned that I did each square by hand, she was truly impressed. Mission accomplished. This was probably the largest project on which I have worked. Now four months later with carpal tunnel, new embroidering glasses and tons of embroidery floss, I can retire. It will probably be awhile before doing that again. But who knows what I might get myself into next. So, here goes nothing!

Life As We Know It

Well, I did a great job in starting a blog. I picked a name, wrote a little story, and even got comments! Then I had a brainfart. I did not know where to go next or what to do. After reading so many WONDERFUL posts, I could not think of anything that would hold a candle to them. Then my wonderful husband reminded me that it was probably time to write something else. Yes, my husband, who has known about and read many of your blogs before I ever knew about them (thanks to David Hilyer). So, I decided I would write about him. Here's to you, Chris!

We just celebrated our third anniversary. Three years already! This has been a whirlwind, to say the least. Three weeks after we got married, I started my second year of teaching and Chris started law school. We knew that this was going to be a long journey and were hesitant. But we have been so blessed along the way. We were able to buy a house, get a dog, and buy a car when ours broke down in Atlanta (that's a whole other story!). We have had so many people encouraging us along the way, and have learned to love every minute of it. Graduation was bittersweet. We were excited that school was over, but bracing ourselves for the hardest part yet: THE BAR. This now brings us to present day.

I decided not to work during the summer so I can relax and help here. And for the last 8 weeks, Chris has been home as well. Studying. And testing. And studying some more. We are less than one week away from the exam, and tension is building. Those of you that know Chris knows that he is extremely laid back and calm. So, that helps in all of this stuff. As we get ready for the longest three days of our lives, I'm nervous, excited, and exhausted all at the same time. I'm not even taking the test!

So, here's some pictures from graduation for you all to enjoy. We were very fortunate to have so many people come to help us celebrate. Chris' parents, grandparents, and brother were able to come from Huntsville. Two cousins came from Birmingham as well.

My parents and sister were able to come from Charlotte, my brother and his wife came from Memphis, and my grandfather and his wife came from the top corner of Tennessee as a surprise. And we can't forget BFFs Leslie, James, and Bobby. Our little house couldn't hold that many people!

We're eight days and counting. It's been a long time coming and we are thankful for every step along the way. We can't really picture life without school, but can't wait either. I've been surprised with a trip to the beach when he's through- can't wait for that. So, here goes nothing!

First Time for Everything

I wish you could see the look on my face right now. I have no clue how I stumbled onto these pages, or what even possesed me to THINK of creating one. I was definitely one of the last ones on Facebook- never imagined I'd actually write my life stories where anyone can read. So, here goes nothing!