Teacher Week 2013: Ten Random Tidbits about ME!

I looove teacher week!  We are squeezing in one last summer vacation right now,  so this post is going to be short and sweet but I did not want to miss out on the party! 

I also LOVE my new blog design.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to Kassie at The Cutest Blog on the Block for giving my blog a little one year anniversary makeover!

Here are 5 random tidbits about ME:

1.  I got married in May in the Outer Banks.  It was the most fun thing I've ever done!  We rented a gigantic house and all of our family and closest friends stayed with us. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect, laid back way to start our lives together! The whole event was so "us."

*Another fun fact: My older brother got ordained online and married us because we didn't want a stranger at the beach to do the ceremony!  He now has the nickname "Rev". :)

2. My husband's name is Andy.  He's a firefighter in the same city where I teach.  We have a dog, Sawyer, who we treat like a child.  He was even part of the wedding!

  

Sawyer is completely spoiled rotten.

3. My dad was the principal at my high school.  It wasn't as bad as it may sound because I was a pretty good kid (had to be, right?!).  I wish I was at home to share a high school picture, but I'll just have to leave the awkwardness to your imagination.

4.  In high school and college, people used to get my best friend and I mixed up all.the.time.  It was ridiculous.  We get it less often now...but what do you think? Twins or no? 

This is us during our freshman year at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!

And now...

Maegan is in Uganda serving as a missionary since January and I miss her SO daggone much!

5.  Andy and I hope to have children of our own in the future but for right now we LOVE lovin' on our friends' babies and our precious nieces and nephew.

Cuteness overload!

6.  I've seen Bon Jovi concerts in 4 different cities.  Maegan and I may been considered groupies for a short time. We actually traveled to Denver to see him one time (from Virginia...wow) and it was totally worth it because we had front row seats.  No one believes me except Maegan, but Jon Bon Jovi did indeed blow me a kiss at one of the concerts.  And I liked it.

7.  I met M.C. Hammer when I was a little kid in an elevator in Richmond.

8. If I go to a restaurant and they have fish tacos on the menu...there is a 95% chance that is what I will order.  My favorite fish tacos of all time are from a little place in Blacksburg, VA called "Cabo Fish Taco."

9.   I wish I could draw.  Even my stick figures are sad.  :(

10.  My favorite place in the world to be is at the beach!  Which is where I am now...which is why I need to get off of the computer. :)

Don't forget to link up and check back all week for fun teacher week posts!

Happy Back to School!

Warning: not a "teacher" post!

You've been warned! There ain't a thing about teaching in this post! :)

I was planning on posting all about what the "Daily 5" (which is really more like the "Daily 3" for me...) looks like in my classroom.  I was going to try to make it very informative and detailed and all that good stuff. I really was.

But then...something happened.

I went out to the mailbox and saw that my awesome photographer, Mary, had emailed me a CD of our engagement pictures...and I haven't been able to stop looking through them all evening trying to pick out my favorites.  Mary made it hard.

If you're local, you must check her out.

http://www.merrystudios.com/

If you're not local...she loves to travel.  Just sayin'...

She is adorable, a joy to be around, and ridiculously talented.

My fiance's family has a farm in Giles County that has been in their family for generations. We got all dressed up, packed up the dog one Sunday evening, and drove the hour to get there to do our pictures, and when we got there....crash, boom, drip, drop...gush. (That's thunder and lightning and rain if you couldn't tell.) Lots of rain. Lots and lots.  It rained like it hadn't rained all summer.

 Seriously monsoon-ish.

  I was a tad bit sad...but Mary decided we should take pictures anyway. Her exact words were, "OK...this will work!" Really??

We thought she was crazy(ish) ...but it turns out she's just THAT good. ;)

I loved her attitude and I love that we didn't let a little rain ruin our photos (even if my hair was matted to my face by the end of the evening).

I think I need to have more of her attitude...in my teaching...and in my life.

Because a lot of times "it will work" even if it's not ideal, or in the lesson plan, or on the list of state standards...or if it's raining.  And sometimes it works pretty darn well!

I apologize for the very non-teacher-ish post on my teacher blog.  I PROMISE to do a post about my reading block VERY soon. 

But tonight, I am looking at pictures of me and my favorite guys and feeling pretty blessed.

Sawyer could NOT resist being left out of a "kissy" picture.  Lovin' this family kiss shot instead.

 

If anyone  wants to see the rest, feel free to click here.

PS - I am going to be on a little vacation with my boys next week but I'm still going to try to link up with Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week as much as I can. :)

 I am super duper excited to see everyone's stuff!

Welcome to my little blog :)

To find out more about who I am...click the "Meet the Teacher" tab on top of this page. :)

Welcome to my little blog! I have been wanting to start a blog for quite a while now...after being completely and totally inspired by the awesome things I have seen on so many of your blogs!  I have used SO MANY ideas from "blogland" the last two years and it has made my days with my firsties SO MUCH FUN!

Well...most of them. ;)

My color ink budget has been a bit inflated (yikes!), and I'm pretty sure I have used more than my fair share of lamination...but when I get excited about doing new things at school, it rubs off on the kiddos for sure! So completely worth it.

I was lucky enough to join an amazing team of first grade teachers my first year of teaching (5 years ago now?!?! really?!?!) and they have hung in with me as I have introduced them to blog after blog...after blog.

I have taken a lot of what they were already doing before I came along and infused it with some new ideas and although everything is still a work in progress...I finally feel comfortable tackling some new things and sharing what's happening in my room. At least that's what I think now...because it's July...and I am tanned and refreshed and am drinking a glass of wine (truth!).  So ask me again in November... and it just might be a different story. :)

Anyways.... It's been pretty cool to see our teaching evolve (and I'm not gonna lie...we kind of love to hear the "oooh"'s and "aaahh"'s about the cute craftivities hanging in the hall that go along with some of these awesome lessons!)

So I hope I can share some ideas to inspire another teacher...and I thought a brand new school year was a perfect place to start!

I do realize I am basically writing to myself right now. I guess my mom will probably follow my blog, and I will probably force my fiance too as well...but other than that...

echo, echo, echo...

anyone out there?? :)

It would seriously make me pretty darn excited if you would follow my blog...pretty please!

If nothing else, this will be a cool way to document the learning taking place in my classroom this year. Also..confession...it will be another outlet for me to share random pictures of my dog...because I don't have any kids so I might be (slightly) obsessed with his wrinkly face. I mean...look at him.

Exhibit A:

B:

and C:

Happy August!!