One of the things I would like to witness in my lifetime...

If you don't watch Glee already check this out and I'm sure you too will become a fan.

What other show causes a random mob of people to break out in dance in the middle of a mall?

Yeah didn't think you would be able to come up with with any.

New Best Friend

Some of you might not know this but I was once a child performer. True story. By this I DO mean that I dressed up in a red button down, denim skirt and red cowboy boots and sang George Strait songs on my parents' coffee table. Not sure if you will ever be blessed enough to witness that little gem, but in the mean time enjoy this video of my new best friend. My mom shared this with me, telling me I too did not know the words to the songs I sang (mom also likes to lie). Anyway, I'm pretty sure we could have created a good duet back in the day.

Month 5 of 12 - Words Fall Through Me

If you've missed what's going on with this blog idea, you can find the explanation here. Anyway, another fairly uneventful month. Busy as usual, lots of sports, TONS going on at work, went home for Thanksgiving, threw a Christmas party, and had one of the more emotional sports days of my life (Cinnci.beating Pitt. by 1, then the stupid last second TX win - ugh). Other than that just trying to stay warm and get ready for Christmas!

*Even though I believe the past influences us I don’t think I learn much from my own
*Seeing Amon Carter Stadium sold out is amazing
*Love OT games v the Spurs, particularly when the Mavs win
*”So is your face” is my favorite comeback these days, no it doesn’t make any sense
*Favorite music discovery: Secrets in Stereo and Augustana (recently REALLY discovered them)
*I’m a bit of a teenage girl when it comes to the Twilight series
*I like third grade so much that for the first time ever I didn’t mind having to work half of the Thanksgiving week
*Every now and then I leave school and stop for a second b/c I feel so lucky that I love my job and that I have such cool kids to come hang out with every day
*I really like when friends will talk about and/or share books with me
*My Lan = awesome Vietnamese hole in the wall in fort worth
*I love the I have parents that will go on adventures with me like driving out to Dallas at 9:30 at night just for some Pinkberry yogurt
*I realized that I have only been genuinely surprised like 3 times in my life
*I like it when someone is successful in doing so
*Every morning should start with breakfast made by mom and time to sit and read the paper
*Starting Thanksgiving morning with the turkey trot is probably one of my favorite traditions in life
*It’s really nice having someone to hang out with when I come home
*I love being with people who remember old school Plano
*Sometimes my expectations of something can be totally off
*I forgot how much I love Mavs games – I’ve gotten to go to two amazing last second win games this month and it’s reminded me I like basketball too
*TAKS being stressful has finally hit…I was naïve to think I was going to escape that feeling
*GLEE makes my week a little bit better, does this make me lame?
*I’ve recently discovered a love for baking
*I’m entirely too emotionally invested in TCU football
*I feel actual pain that TCU got so robbed by the BCS
*I’ve been reminded of the fact that I would NEVER survived somewhere that was actually cold, considering I have been miserable with the weather and we haven’t gotten bellow 25

Baby It's Cold Outside

I am not a big fan of winter. This is primarily because I do not enjoy being cold. Hence why I live in Texas. However, since I wrote my 10 favorite things about a season I do love, I figure I should try and be positive and write my 10 favorite things about this season as well. Here’s what I came up with, had to stretch it a bit…

10. Downtown Fort Worth at Christmas Time – This is the time of year where Fort Worth puts up a huge beautiful tree in the middle of downtown and Christmas lights are everywhere. The Pier1 Building even lights up its roof with green and red (replacing the perfect purple that previously was there to honor TCU), which makes running on the trail particularly fun at sunset. I have been known to drive out of my way at this time of year just to admire the decorations.

9. Scents – I love the smells of winter. Fires burning, pine trees, all Christmas candles, cookies…mmmm.. What’s not to like?

8. Coats and Scarves – This is the time of year where the fall coat is put away (some days at least) and the winter coats come out. (Remember I have a slight obsession with coats). Since I spend the majority of the season in this clothing (especially in my classroom where there is no heat), it is extremely important. Still looking to add to my collection this year...
I also love scarves. But only if they are soft, itchy just doesn’t make a girl happy. Cuteness is important as well. Warmth follows next.

7. Starbucks – This is the time of year I make the switch away from iced coffee. It is the only season where warm drinks get such attention from this customer. Every thing about Starbucks in the winter makes me happy. Special drinks. WARMTH. Christmas cups. Love it.

6. Christmas Hockey Song – You will realize why this is so important in number 3, but I’ll explain a little here too. Every year the Stars create a special video montage put to “Carol of The Bells” (rock version of course) to play before games. Just gets you in the spirit of Christmas…and great hockey hits…(side note - the fact that hockey is a part of winter is important as well)

5. Tacky Christmas – The Tacky Christmas sweater party I throw yearly with two of my great friends has become one of my favorite traditions. Every year it is fantastically tacky. Just wouldn’t be Christmas anymore without it.

4. Bowl Season – While it is quite sad to see the college football season come to an end, the winter ushers in the exciting culmination of all the work done in the fall (even if that work has not been properly appreciated – just saying).

3. Music – Christmas music. Enough said. Okay we all know I can’t be that short, but I’ll stop after this - it’s the only time of year you can play it and it makes my life a little better for 4 weeks.

2. Giving gifts – I absolutely love giving people gifts. It is so much fun to try and find something that lets someone know how special they are to you. The more meaningful the better. I get so excited about giving people their Christmas presents I can hardly stand it.

1. Christmas – It’s the thing that makes this season bearable. Despite not liking winter, it gets major points for containing my absolute FAVORITE holiday. I realize a lot of my numbers already have to do with this holiday but oh well. From decorating the tree, to seeing my kids get excited (even if it is a little too much at times), to the music, to being with family, there’s nothing about this holiday I don’t love. Plus, most importantly, it is a celebration of the Lord I love so much, none of the rest of this matters much in comparison to that.

Here's to trying to enjoy this time of year and stay warm! Only 2 1/2 months until Spring...

Imagine

Totally random post...but I love this.

If you don't watch the show Glee you are missing out. I don't care if you think I'm lame for watching it b/c it's awesome and believe it is your loss if you don't. :) Also I fully accept my nerdiness when it comes to musicals or musical shows. Anyway this was one of my favorite moments on the show. Maybe b/c I love the song "Imagine" or maybe b/c I like the concept of togetherness in this scene.

If you don't watch the show the Glee club is about to have a competition and one of the schools they are going against is a deaf school. They have a practice scrimmage and this is what comes out of it...

*Special thanks to John Lennon for bringing this song to our lives.
-youtube removed the video, here's the song though

Free Music Friday 10 - Where Are You Christmas? Oh that's right, you're here now, how I've missed you!

My favorite time of year is upon us!!! Those of us in TX might not have realized this quite yet, considering that it was 70 something degrees out today, but don't worry, I am delighting enough in the start of the CHRISTMAS SEASON for all of us. A big event happened today...wait for it...I GOT MY VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE!!! This brings me one step closer to being a real grown up...hmm...that's a little scary. Anyway, in honor of the event, I wanted to follow through on my tease from Tuesday and provide Christmas songs for today's FMF. These are just three of my favorites that I play on repeat for about four straight weeks, but don't be shocked to see this become a trend over the next few weeks, combined with a little of whatever I'm loving at the time of course. Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoys their Christmas preparations as much as I am!

*Disclaimer - Videos do not always provide as much entertainment as the song. Might I recommend the following...listen to the song and open up another browser. Enjoy my amazing musical taste while you work, or facebook (let's be honest), or whatever it is you do. The end.


Garth Brooks - Baby Jesus is Born


Mariah Carey - Joy to the World
Live Version:

Recorded Version: (yes it's good enough to get put on here twice)


Baby It's Cold Outside - SO many versions of this song have been done (the one in Elf is a personal fav.) but I decided to go with the original


Pictures of the tree and Tacky Christmas to come.

I FREAKING LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

When I Count All My Blessings, I Get a Smile on my Face – 2nd Addition

This time last year I was brand new to the blogging world and one of my very first entries was about what I was thankful for at the time. Looking back at that blog, I feel blessed to say I am thankful for those exact same things this year. But just saying that would make for a boring blog, so this year I’m taking a different route. I am going to try and list the big (and some of the little) events or things that happened since last Thanksgiving that have been a blessing…

*Christmases at home
*A friend who understands that New Year’s Eve on the couch with take out Chinese is perfectly okay
*Progressive dinners with my amazing group of friends
*Tacky Christmas
*Being a Battle of the Books coach, and the kiddos on last years team and this years team who bring me so much joy
*Yearly trip to the rodeo
*The blisters on my feet and the pain in my legs from running b/c it reminds me that I am able to keep doing what I love
*Pedicures
*Afternoon Delight softball
*Family and friends who encouraged me to do something scary and try a new job this year
*Kids that invite me to their birthday parties
*Kids that come watch my softball games
*My kindergarten class, particularly two kids that I will never forget all my life (A & J)
*Cowtown (the race)
*Fort Worth (the city)
*Hole in the wall restaurants
*Friends that are foodies
*FW Running Company and their training group that gives me people to run with…finally!
*5 stage birthday bashes
*Cupcakes
*A church that I love
*A pastor that I am friends with
*People who love, and understand, and will talk about hockey (they are rare!)
*Trips to the ranch
*Yearly visit to Colonial
*Seeing George Straight live
*Getting to go to the first event ever at the new Cowboys Stadium
*My amazing trip to Europe
*Getting to go to Europe with one of my favorite traveling companions and all the happy memories we’ll have forever from those two weeks
*Mother/daughter trips
*Swimming with dolphins
*River trips
*Friends who are willing to help me move
*The most eventful summer of my life
*A support system that got me through the month of August
*Being a part of one of my best friend’s weddings
*Patience (particularly when it is people being patient with me)
*My new job, I love it more than I could ever explain
*The people I work with
*Seeing Paul McCartney live
*Singing Hey Jude at the top of my lungs with my dear friend and PAUL FREAKIN’ McCARTNEY (that is his real name fyi)
*New friends
*How much my friends make me laugh
*Parents who help me out so much and never ask for anything in return
*The girls in my small group
*Friends that listen to and care about my updates
*Forgiveness
*Finally getting to sit in a suite at AAC
*Stars hockey
*Being able to go see the sport I love so much in person, and often
*So Is Your Face kickball
*Music, especially discovering new bands/songs
*Pandora Radio and friends who have introduced me to so much new music
*Seeing U2 live
*Being able to move around and read and watch tv and get on my computer for however long I want
*Weekend breakfasts
*TCU’s perfect season that has made fall so much fun
*My third grade class that makes me happy to go to work every day
*Getting to go to Wisconsin for Christmas with family
*That I can make a list like this

I could keep going I know, but I will stop there b/c I doubt anyone besides my mom (love you mom) has even made it to this point. But, I will say I live a blessed life and I am most thankful for the people in it that make it so wonderful. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving today and takes some time to think about what it is you are thankful for as well.

It's my Friday, which means...Free Music Friday 9!

Okay so since today is the last day of my work week I decided we needed some music to celebrate the occassion. I'm still going to try and put actual music up Friday (I'm not promising anything but considering it IS the official start of the Christmas season it may or may not be Christmas themed).

Anyway, so I discovered a new band this week that I just ADORE. My friend who is having a baby in TWO WEEKS had a video of her maternity photos put to one of their songs so I immediately began searching for who they were and what other music I could find. They are called Secrets in Stereo and I am enjoying their stuff immensily, hope you do too. I'm sure this won't be the last time they appear here.

PS - They don't have actual videos so just listen..

Happy


Not Today (get through the talking b/c I HAD to go with the accoustic version b/c it's too good not to include it this way)


(In case you don't have patience or time)



Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Free Music Friday 8

My taste in music is very broad. I will pretty much listen to anything. Some I like a lot more than others but most of it depends on my mood. Here are some songs on my "Recently Added" playlist on my ipod to illustrate my point:

Augustana - Twenty Years (loving them right now)


Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow (hockey music)


James Carr - The Dark End of the Street (b/c who doesn't need a little good soul music?)


Uncle Kracker - Smile (yes, I'm a little embarrased to share this, but oh well, it puts me in a good mood)


PS - I wanted to put up Sublime's "What I Got" just to bring it back a bit but no clean versions available on YouTube, and trying to keep the blog clean people. So, I'll leave you with this "lovin' is what I got, I said remember that.."

More to come at a later date.

Happy Weekend (or Thanksgiving Break to ever other teacher besides those in my district)!!!

TCU 11-0??? Got a good feeling it's our year!

Month 4 of 12 - Simple Life and I'll Be Okay

So this is a little bit late. Mainly because I had written about 5 things prior to tonight on what has gone on this month. This is a combination of being extremely busy but also feeling like I didn't have anything all that significant occur this past month. When I sat down to add some points to my list I remembered a bit more than I expected. However, I still think the biggest thing I have gotten out of this month is a lot of questions. So, guess I'm seeing what's coming up. Here's what I have for now!

*Making salt dough maps with 22 third graders makes one huge, but fun, mess
*Projects such as these go much better with third graders than Kindergartners
*My heart is so happy whenever my old Kinder kiddos come and give me hugs, gosh I miss that
*I should have remembered that one of my favorite things about fall is the start of ultimate Frisbee every weekend with my friends
*I REALLY like challenging, thought provoking conversations right now.
*Hearing someone say what they ACTUALLY think can be really refreshing
*Favorite musical discovery – Avettt Brothers
*I still hate Halloween
*Tacky Christmas planning will never cease to be entertaining and full of laughter
*I love simple, yet somehow manage to make things complex
*I like the song Smalltown USA and sometimes wish it was how I grew up
*Mental Health Days (MHD’s) are definitely needed and I’m thankful for good friends who are willing to share them with me
*I love getting to know new friends from work, especially when those new friends appreciate hole in the wall restaurants as much as I do
*Bear wrestling is another activity that is not acceptable in public
*Love, love, love little league football games, thankful that my kids invite me to them
*”Why Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold Kushner is really making me think (goes along with the whole challenging conversations thing) – not finished with it yet so can’t say much more right now
*Third graders singing in a school program with little practice can quickly turn into a train wreck, but they are still adorable
*Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the funniest books I have ever read
*Shopping for tacky Christmas sweaters is an adventure, a hilarious adventure though
*I take for granted being able to do things like go to work, read/watch tv/sit at the computer longer than 10 minutes
*Scramble is the most freaking addictive iphone app ever. I'm determined to become good at it.
*That should be an interesting challenge for someone who is not good at spelling.
*Watching your college football team have the perfect season is pretty awesome

Free Music Friday ... on a Tuesday

Missed a few FMF's ... going to try and make up for it this week, especially because I have found a whole bunch of new songs I love.

Here are the two most played right now:

Augustana - Fire (live version b/c I think it's always better to have something to watch, but the album version is amazing, so go listen to that too)



Taylor Swift - Jump then Fall (big surprise that I like a Taylor Swift song right? Anyway the girl is a genius and rereleased her album with some new songs, which I quickly purchased, here's my favorite)



Try to post a few more later...

If I Can Make It There...New York, New York

One of my life dreams is to run the New York City Marathon. I’m sure everyone who actually reads this (or has ever talked to me) already knows this fact, but just in case, there it is again. When I got into the whole running thing I never had ANY desire to run a full marathon. Well, I actually never had any intentions to become a runner, but see how that turned out…. Anyway, when I was training for my first half I really only wanted to do that distance and be content with achieving that goal. Then, race day happened. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, so I decided I wanted to run a full because how much cooler would that be? However, I knew there was a good chance that I will hate the distance and might only want to run one full marathon. My theory is go big or go home…thus the dream of running New York began. I hear it’s amazing (you get to run through all five boroughs and thousands of people come out to watch) and I love the city to death (I’ll take any reason to go). I can only begin to imagine how great it would be to participate in this race.

So, back in 2008 I submitted my first application for lottery admission. The only ways in to the NYC Marathon are to have your name drawn in the lottery, run for a charity, or have a fast enough qualifying time. Well lottery did not work for me, charity required me to raise at least $3000 and I certainly don’t run qualifying times that are tougher than Boston’s! This left me stuck waiting until 2009 to apply. For some reason I really thought I was going to get in this past year. I guess I figured they should know I was a serious runner at this point and I applied like the day they started taking applications, certainly that would count for something?? Sadly, I was mistaken. After waiting for 4 months I signed in to the website to find my rejection notice. I definitely cried when I saw that once again lottery had not worked for me. Why this silly thing matters to me so much I don’t know, but it does. In hindsight I realize that it was for the best as my summer of traveling through Europe and the Caribbean, moving, and changing jobs would not have allowed time for proper training. Still, doesn’t make me wish any less that I was in NY this weekend!

Anyway, I got some good news this week: the marathon is taking lottery applications the day after the race this year! That’s THIS Monday!!!! AND, even better, they’re announcing results in MARCH! Basically this means THIS MARCH I will know if I am running NY 2010 or NY 2011. Here’s how the lottery works: If you apply three consecutive years without being admitted you get an automatic entry the fourth year. So, if my name gets drawn this year, obviously I’m in for 2010, if not, then I know 2011 is my year. Hoping that I don’t have to wait that long, but I can be slightly stubborn so I KNOW I can make it to 2011 if I have to. Think of me Monday as begin the waiting game once again!

One last thing. Special thanks to all of my friends and family who have supported me in this little adventure…those of you who who’ve crossed your fingers through the application process, at least pretended to be interested in this ordeal and listened to me talk about it ☺, comforted me when I haven’t gotten in, encouraged me to keep pursuing NY when I’ve been frustrated that it’s been such a long wait, researched charities to find me an alternate way in, told me you would be there when I ran the race, and so on. It means the world to me and I know you will be my support system when it FINALLY happens!

Free Music Friday 6

Here's my Patty Griffin day that got pushed back by my Garth Brooks excitement...Love me some Patty. Hope this makes my favorite freshman roommate happy. :)Also, please share in my excitement that the Frogs are featured this week on ESPN gameday, live from Provo, Utah. Time for us to show why we are ranked #8!!! Happy weekend.

My two favorites, live versions were my only options:

Heavenly Day-



Sweet Lorraine-

Riding Hores in the Lobby...Never a Good Idea

In case you haven't picked up on this, I LOVE TEACHING THIRD GRADE!!! There are many reasons this is the case, one of which is the fact that they are the source of much laughter in my life (mostly unintentional). Crazy enough we are already done with one six weeks and half way into another. This is a little late but here are a few of the highlights from their work and day to day shenangians during the first six weeks:

*Student picture with “I like hores” written across the top (assume she was going for horses)
*When writing to the postman about our favorite fairy tales one student said his is “Jack and the Peestop”
*One girl told me she wants to learn the following in third grade “What happens in our bodies when we eat” She also wants me to leave for a Tuesday and have a sub then I can come back and we will go bowling. Awesome.
*Describe the characteristics of a perfect town: Texas. I think I’ve taught them well don’t you?
*One day after recess I had a kid in another class tell me one of my kids was “humping the pole” His teacher told him she didn’t know what that meant, hoping he didn’t know either, but no, he proceeded to demonstrate this for us (we later found out his dad has taught him) and another kid pipes in with “yeah she was pole dancing”
*While talking to my kids about our author visit from Dianne Dysalvo I was asking them what her last name was. I started with Dianne and one of my kids yells out “Ross”. Impressed they even know who that is.
*My kids are huge Michael Jackson fans. One of them told me her favorite song was PYT, when I responded with oh yeah “Pretty Young Thing” they all just stared at me in shock that I would know what that was.
*Advice from third graders: “Don’t buy the Miley Cyrus cd at Walmart, it’s a waste of money, it only has 7 songs” Thank goodness for that b/c I was definitely about to go buy it.
*Weekly dance contests at recess in which we have some serious moonwalking, splits, bboxing, and break dancing taking place.
*Student writing: “I ride hores in the lobby”. Inspiration for blog title. Generally riding hores anywhere inside besides the rodeo is advised against.
*The students were asked to name three things made from steel while talking about magnets and metals…here is one response: shits. Thinking ships was the intended answer, hoping so at least.

Already got some good materials from the second six weeks as well. Until then...

Free Music Friday 5

Even though it's totally a Patty Griffin kinda day, that will have to wait for another week, because I can't let a dream come true pass by and not mention it. GARTH BROOKS IS COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT!!! Sure, it's only temporary. Sure, it's in Vegas. Sure, it creates a bit of a challenge. Doesn't matter, I'm still pumped. I simply need to figure out how to get tickets and how get to Vegas in December or January. Surely I have a friend with connections right? I have now seen 2 of my top 5 concert list and Garth would make it 3. I never got to see him before he retired and 2014 (when his daughters are grown and he might start touring again) is too far away. Fingers crossed that I can make this happen!

Here are a few Garth songs to help you remember his greatness (as if you could forget).

Disclaimer: Official videos not available for the most part (as usual), did my best to try and find some substitutes.

The Dance - peronsal favorite


Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) - another personal favorite, he just has so many good ones!!!


The Red Strokes - Amazing video in the first place, here's the orginal and a remake that, well, just watch it youself...

Orginal (bad sound)


Remake (awesome)


Standing Outside the Fire - Classic Video, this one has Spanish subtitles...


Enjoy your weekend!

Month 3 of 12 - "Prepare for the Best and the Fastest Ride"

This last month went super fast, but was thankfully a little calmer than 1 and 2. Highlights included some more concerts, the start of fall, the start of Frog Football, good times with friends as always, and maybe most importantly the start of hockey! Here’s what I’ve got this month…

*I could spend every night (of the fall and spring anyway) on the porch at Mellow Mushroom catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones better.
*I appreciate that so many people in my life put up with my rambling. I realize this might not be by choice, to get a story from me you are just going to get it with details, but I still love that nobody even tries to stop me.
*Grading papers stinks and I’m still figuring out the trick to being efficient with the process
*I’ve been starting every morning with my radio off and spend a little of my ride to school in quiet and prayer, and it makes my day so much better, imagine that.
*Lucille’s has the SECOND best breakfast in town. Sorry I’m an ONG (Old Neighborhood Grill) girl to the core.
*Dark Chocolate Almond cupcakes from Sprinkles are awesome.
*I thought I could compensate for Sprinkles cupcakes with the local cupcake place, but after my recent experience there really just isn’t any comparison, they are truly the best.
*My life doesn’t revolve around cupcakes (contrary to what I make it sound like) but they do play an important role!
*I really can’t stand being sick, I go crazy just sitting
*Yogolait (new frozen yogurt place) is my favorite discovery this month.
*Paul Eason, Cadillac Sky & Angels and Airwaves are my favorite musical discoveries
*A suite at American Airlines Center is everything I imagined it would be
*A Pink concert can be surprisingly fun…and a little racy
*On that note, Pink can actually sing, like for real. When she just sits down with a guitar and goes after it she's pretty good. Who knew?
*I am not patient AT ALL when it comes to waiting for hockey
*Liking to come to work everyday is possible
*Even though I like to joke about my job a lot, my TRUE passion and the REASON I do it is because of how strongly I believe in educating children. I am very serious about every child that comes through my classroom leaving having learned something (hopefully a lot of somethings) new.
*It hurts my feelings when people take that lightly or imply that I do my job for any other reason.
*I love fall campaign time at my church!
*I truly appreciate people who are patient with me
*Almost any issue can be talked through
*For the first time the sight of the Fort Worth skyline made me feel like I was almost home. This is how I used to feel about the Dallas skyline.
*I LOVE getting to know new people. This used to make me nervous but lately it’s one of my favorite things.
*My friends are great at listening to (and at least pretending to care about) my “updates”.
*Kickball is my new favorite after school activity
*I am just as bad at this organized sport as I am at any other
*I know nothing about weight lifting but am thankful for a friend stepping in to be my "personal trainer"
*It is possible for me to love hockey a little more every October when it starts up again
*There’s something surreal about going to the first baby shower for your best friend of 15 years. How did we get there so fast?
*Grocery shopping with a friend is much more entertaining than grocery shopping alone.
*God perfectly orchestrated the group of girls that I get to meet with every Wednesday. After two weeks it has been the biggest answer to prayer and I am so thankful for them.
*Also, it is possible to have an unstructured group of friends become your small group.
*It’s not easy being a superhero
*Homemade chili on a cold day, enjoyed with a good friend, is a great way to spend an afternoon
*U2 puts on a pretty awesome show
*I still love the State Fair as much now as I did as a child
*Fried oreos are really good, even though I think it sounds disgusting
*26 is going too fast

Free Music Friday 4

Little late in posting b/c I was at training all day and without a computer. I know everyone is devastated. Anyway, this is a band one of my favorite music sharing friends introduced me to a couple weeks back. They even have Fort Worth roots!!! What's not to like about that? I can't find my favorite song on YouTube but maybe eventually it will make it on there. I don't know a lot about bluegrass but I'm really learning to like it. Anyway here's a little Cadillac Sky to celebrate yet another weekend...

That's What She Said

A momentous occasion occurs tonight. On the Office Jim and Pam are finally getting married. I am sure there will be many great moments from this episode. CAN'T WAIT!!! I tried to find a Pam and Jim montage to honor the event but they are all blocked for posting. However, I have been wanting to share this for a while, so it will have to do. Can you imagine life before this phrase was so popular?

Hockey By The Numbers

15 - number of years since my dad took me to my first hockey game. That was all it took for me to fall in love with the sport.

11 - number of years since the Stars began a season that would result in a Stanley Cup.

10 - number of years since my dad and I began the tradition of attending the Stars season opener together.

9 - number of times I have been able to follow through on that tradition.

26 - the Stars predicted rank this year.

1 - the number of wins guaranteed tonight

2 - the number of Cups I’m hoping the Stars have won by the end of this season.

Can’t even explain the amount of excitement I feel right now. I’m up at 8am after going to bed at 3am because I can’t even sleep. (Plus a little of the excitement is b/c it’s TCU’s Battle of the Iron Skillet). Here are some highlight reels of my boys. Just a little glimpse of why I am about to come out of my skin. 10 hours!!!

Opening Night video from last year:


In honor of what is likely to be Mike Modano’s (the best American born player ever) last season:


Hoping to have another one of these little videos soon:

Free Music Friday 3

In case you haven't noticed I LOVE hockey. In honor of HOCKEY STARTING TOMORROW I have included a hockey song for today! Not the finest musical quality or video quality but couldn't let this momentous occasion pass without honoring it. GO STARS!



At lunch I was asked if this song was a part of my Free Music Friday, and I said would have to go back and add it. Not sure how I could have forgotten! Found a video of my Stars theme song put to their Stanley Cup winnning goal. Awesome. Tune in tomorrow for some highlight videos to get pumped for the season. I'm probably the only person who will actually watch them but that's okay. WEEKEND'S HERE!!!

Now I Know Why All The Leaves Change in the Fall

Fall is finally here!!! For the most part anyway. Us Texans get to do this see-saw weather in the months of September and October, but it seems like fall might finally be sticking around. This makes me happy in a lot of ways but here are the top 10 reasons I’m excited fall is upon us.

10. Fall jackets. I have a slight obsession with coats. It’s not good. While coat weather really is more of a winter thing, fall ushers in the fall coat. This would be a light jacket that might be used on a cool fall evening. Yes it is probably sad that this excites me, but it does. Also, fall is when they put out the cute winter coats that give me so much joy.

9. The NFL has begun. While I rarely get to do it, I enjoy the idea of sitting around in comfy clothes on Sunday afternoons and watching games, especially the Cowboys.

8. All things pumpkin. Pumpkins, pumpkin candles, pumpkin flavored drinks, carving pumpkins. Love it all. Strangely enough, I don’t like pumpkin pie.

7. Thanksgiving. It’s a little far away but it is still in the fall and I really enjoy this holiday. What’s not to like? The day always starts with the Turkey Trot for my family and I love that tradition. Then, we eat a wonderful meal and watch the Cowboys with the other Jakus fam. Food, family, and football…3 of my favorite things in life. Also, everyday I am appreciative of the ways the Lord has blessed me, but I like that there is a day where everyone sits down and reflects on that.

6. Cooler weather. I HATE the TX heat of summer. HATE IT! So, when the temperatures finally drop I am a happy lady.

5. Open windows. One of the reasons cooler weather makes me so happy is because I can turn off my air conditioning and just have my windows open at home. Saves money and I like the fresh air. Also enjoy the open car windows.

4. Outside running at any time of the day. There is nothing that affects my running like the heat. Seriously. My pace is a good 2 minutes slower in the summer. If you aren’t really a runner, that’s a big deal. Also, since I can no longer run inside my running is really affected during the summer months. I can only run SUPER early or late or not at all. Really loving being able to go out whenever and hit up the trail.

3. Texas State Fair. Grew up going to the thing. SO many happy memories come from good times on the Love Bug, riding the swings, checking out the cars at the car show, fair food, the blender demonstration, pictures booths and so on. It’s a sad year when I don’t get to visit the fair.

2. College Football. Being my second favorite sport it is pretty exciting when it starts up. Doesn’t matter who is playing - I LOVE watching college football. Even better is going to the games. Every fall it is exciting to see if my Frogs can be BCS busters.

1. HOCKEY!!! Shouldn’t be a surprise here. Anyone who knows me in the slightest knows I’m obsessed with it. Fall = the start of hockey season. I cry whenever the season ends and I get so freaking excited about the season starting I tear up about that too. I think I have problems. Although I think if you continue to read my blogs on why hockey is so great maybe it will make a little more sense. Plus it takes that much time to explain why it is my number 1. :) Thank goodness this is a sport that spans all seasons!

Enjoy the fall! Christmas (my favorite holiday) will be here before we know it!

Free Music Friday 2

Recently I have been to some "once-in-a-lifetime" concerts (which will be feautured in a blog to come) but one person I still really want to see is Taylor Swift. She's in town tonight but I don't have tickets. Sad face. I'm still waiting to see which amazing friend of mine is going to surprise me with tickets at the last minute! :) I've looked with no luck so I guess I'll just wait until next time. In honor of Miss Swift's visit to DFW I will feature my current favorites (picked 3 but really they are all good) on today's free music Friday. Enjoy and have a great weekend. PS - One of TCU's toughest games (Clemson) will be tomorrow, but I think they can do it! Go Frogs!

Breathe w/ Colbie Calliat


Two Is Better Than One - Really a Boys Like Girls song with Taylor. Too new to have a video yet...sorry...listen to it anyway!


The Best Day - Sweet song for her mom. Heard this on the way to work one day and had to go home and buy it b/c it reminds me of my sweet, wonderful, amazing mom whom I have had many, many "best days" with.

Case of the Tuesdays?

I know two blogs in one day? Who is this girl? Just had to share this and it will only work on a Tuesday.

My friend Laura shared this on facebook today and I found it quite hilarious. Enjoy if you have the time.

Only Tuesday?

The City of Lights

For a while I have wanted to go back and write some of the blogs I intended on writing and never got around to. What better time to do that than when I am home sick coughing up my right lung?

Since I really want an account of my Europe trip this summer that I can always have to look back on, I figure that’s the best place to start. Also, lately I have been thinking A LOT about Europe and missing it A LOT and aching to go back A LOT. Writing about my wonderful experience brings back so many happy memories! So, here’s how Paris went as best as I can recall. Ashley can let me know if I left anything out. This is why I’m doing this now so I can’t forget anything else. In advance I want to apologize for how long it is. Remember I am long winded and that Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. There are also some really funny stories that I wanted to share and the more I write the better memories I have for myself years from now. Anyway here it is…

So we flew into Paris from London. Everything with the flight went smoothly and we got into Paris and, according to our hotel website, had to catch a train to one of the main metro stations. Well, after a 45-minute hike around the airport, we finally found the place to buy our train tickets. This wouldn’t be a big deal normally, but with a 40 pound pack that wasn’t sitting right, I was in a little bit of misery by the time we got on the train. Story doesn’t end there. We get our seats on the train and I am just relived to have my pack off. Then as we start traveling this man, whom we now affectionately refer to as the Water Snatcher, comes and sits down next to us. He proceeds to start up a conversation with Ashley that went like this:
WS: Can I have your water?
Ash: No
WS: Why not?
Ash: B/c it’s my water
The WS kept trying but Ash wouldn’t have any of it. While this is going on, I am getting terrified we are about to get our stuff taken so I am making sure I’m clinging on to my purse and my pack while trying not to have a heart attack. Finally WS moves on down the train to see what else he can find and shortly after we arrive at the metro station. We have directions from the hotel to get on a specific metro so we go to buy our tickets. When we go up to the machines we can’t get our credit cards to work. Keep in mind we had been in London and Scotland prior to this so we had been using pounds and had not yet converted to Euros. So no cash and no cards, excellent. We try finding someone to help us but the information desk is apparently closed too…awesome. Finally, I realize I have Euros leftover from my last trip to Europe and we are able to get ourselves tickets. Next, we get on the metro and get to the stop our hotel tells us to get off at. That’s where the directions end. Always good. We get up to the street and have no clue where to go. So, we start wondering around trying to find the street name for our hotel. After about 20 minutes of this with no success, we walk into another hotel and ask them if they know where our hotel is. The man working the counter just starts talking in French and pointing. Being the smart girls we are we go the direction he was pointing. At this point I am about in tears because my pack is bothering me so much and I hate being lost. Not a good combination. Finally, about another 20 minutes later we stumble across the hotel. We get up to our room and call home to check in with everyone and let them know we are okay. I explain our rough ordeal and get laughed at. This being the low point of the trip, at that time I did not see the humor at all. However, now it is quite hilarious...quite the start to our Paris adventure!

Anyway, we hadn’t eaten in about 10 hours at this point either so we hit up a McDonald’s that’s right by our hotel, great French food. We then decide to go check out Champs Elysees. Fitting right in with the rest of the day we got lost trying to find it, but eventually made it there. We walked up and down and did a little shopping. Also took a nice photomontage in front of the Arch De Triumph. Finally, we found a restaurant to grab some dinner. About the time we sat down was about the time a torrential downpour started. Luckily we were undercover so we just watched all the other people get soaked. The one thing that went right that day! The rain eventually stopped and we were able to go up to the top of the Arch De Triumph and take pictures of the city at night. Just beautiful! Finally, we went back to the hotel and crashed.

The next day started early with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. We knew we would have a bit of a wait so we wanted to allow ourselves plenty of time. After about an hour in line watching men trying to sell little Eiffel Towers, we made it up for a daytime view of Paris. Also quite beautiful. The last time I was up there it was snowing and this time it was gorgeous and sunny. I feel so blessed to have been able to see it both ways! We grabbed a bite to eat at a little café on the second level of the tower and then made our way down to the Seine River that runs by the Eiffel Tower and got some crepes! There are several boating companies that stop by the base of the tower there, and since we had such a wonderful experience with our boat tour in London, we decided to hop on and do one again. Sadly we did not pick as well this time. We ended up on a boat that is basically transportation to the main spots of Paris, not a tour with any information about those spots. Oh well, live and learn. We let it take us to the Louvre and got off there since it was where we had planned to spend the afternoon anyway. While waiting to get our tickets here Ashley asks what they have at the Louvre besides the Mona Lisa. I tell her that they have some statue (thinking of the Venus de Milo, but I couldn’t remember the name at the time). She proceeds to give me crap the rest of the day, (and sill now) about how I said “museums have statues and stuff”. We explored the Louvre and all of its “statues and stuff” for a few hours. Then we ended the day back at the Champs Elysees for another dinner and some more shopping. We also got a coffee and dessert at this adorable little pastry place. Finally, we hit up Moulin Rouge. The tickets are out of control expensive so we just took pictures outside and went home to bed.

Our final day in Paris started with a trip to Sacre Cure. It is a beautiful church on a hill in Paris. When I went there last time there was nobody around, and I guess this time being tourist season it was just covered in people. We made our way up the one million stairs to go check out the inside only to find out they won’t let us in because we don’t have sleeves on. Apparently wearing sleeveless dresses isn’t allowed. We are such hookers. Since we couldn’t look around in there we walked on down to the little shopping area right by Sacre Cure. They also have outdoor artists and restaurants there. It’s all very Paris. We did a little shopping for people back home and grabbed some lunch. Then we headed on to go visit Notre Dame. On our way to the metro I had a total Carrie moment. There’s a spot where you catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower so I decided I wanted a picture. As I’m trying to find the best spot to get a good shot I miss a step and totally bite it and fall flat on my face in front of a large group of tourists. I’m so graceful. Anyway, we eventually made it to Notre Dame only to find out it is closed for the day for a special event. Typical. So we take some pictures outside and walk over to Sainte-Chapelle. This is a church near Notre Dame that has gorgeous stain glass windows. They tell all the stories of the bible and the life of Christ. It’s really just too hard to describe. Hopefully one day I’ll get some pictures on here, even though they don’t capture the real beauty. Guess you will just have to go see it in person! We head out of Sainte-Chapelle and see a little area that appears as if it might have some cute shopping so we walk that direction. While roaming around we stumble across a Starbucks and decide to stop in. We take a little break here and while sitting there I see a drag queen Marilyn Monroe come in. Thought this was a little odd but didn’t give it much thought until we go back outside and find more drag queens, men walking around in butt chaps (with the bare butt hanging out, don’t worry) and lots of rainbow flags. Yep, the Gay Pride Parade was in Paris that day. LOTS of interesting sights. After watching this for a bit we walk down to the Metro to head back to our hotel. We get down into the Metro and realize we can’t get on a train b/c they are so packed. We couldn’t get a cab either b/c of the Gay Pride event blocking all the streets so we are starting to feel a little stuck. Ashley is about to have a panic attack too, so we finally get on the Metro going the other direction just so we can get a spot on a train. About an hour later we make it back to our hotel and decide we are too tired to do much of anything that night. We grabbed one last wonderful dinner at McDonalds and went to bed early because we had a 4:30am cab ride to get us to our flight to Barcelona. You would think that’s where the story of Paris ends but, no, there are even good stories at 4:30 in the morning.

We get up VERY early on our last morning in Paris to get ourselves to the bus that is taking us to the airport for our flight to Barcelona. We are half asleep waiting for our cab in the lobby with the concierge when we see two men stop in front of the door to the hotel. They had clearly been having a good night as they proceed to make out against the door to the hotel. The best part of it was that we all just stand there, nobody saying anything, I think perhaps all a little shocked by what we are witnessing. The happy couple eventually moved on and our cab showed up getting us to the bus just in time. We made it safely to the airport and headed off to Barcelona. That story will get written one of these days. Figure this is long enough to last you until then!

Free Music Friday

Have a new idea for Friday blogs...

I love music and I like sharing music, thus Free Music Friays.

I read this blog where this guy used to give away itunes gift cards. While my Free Music Friday will not include any such gifts, b/c lets face it I'm a teacher with an Anthropologie addiction, it will include music...that is free...to you.

Here's a couple for today.

1. Got in my car after my run yesterday and this was on the radio...decided it was super fun but feel a little wrong for liking it. Oh well, makes me ready for the weekend!



2. I've really been wanting to share this one too and can't wait until next Friday. The orginal version of this song is great and my current favorite running song, but this accoustic cover is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Enjoy!



Happy Friday! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Be sure and watch my Horned Frogs kick some TX State booty as they make their climb higher and higher up those rankings!

The Good Old Hockey Game, It's The Best Game You Can Name

I have decided to use my blog to better the world. By that I DO mean that I will help others fall in love with hockey. This is attempt 1. I know this is going to be a hard fought battle, especially considering most of the people who read this are from TX where football is king (don't get me wrong, I LOVE football too) but I like a challenge.

I'm going to pretend whoever is reading this knows nothing about hockey, so bare with me. In hockey there's this thing called a hat trick. It is when a player scores three goals in one game. Tradition has it, that when a player performs said hat trick, the crowd will throw their hats on the ice in honor of the accomplishment. Hat tricks are pretty rare, but playoff hat tricks are practially unheard of. Especially in a conference final game.

Here is a video of my favorite hat trick this last year. The Pittsburgh Penguins (eventually 2009 Stanley Cup Champs) were playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Evgeni Malkin (who I believe is only 19) scored three amazing goals to lead his team to an eventual win. What I want everyone to pay close attention to is the last goal he scores without even looking at the net. It's sick. If you can't appreciate that then you are just crazy.



Yep, it's that good. I will find more to help you fall in love with this game that has captured my heart. Maybe eventually I will even have another person in my life who can tear up with excitement about an impending season. A girl can dream right?

Two weeks and 3 days....but who's counting?

Month 2 of 12 – “Say You Gotta Put The Good With the Bad, Happy and the Sad”

Overall month 2 has been somewhat calmer than month 1. School started, I moved into the apartment a little bit more (although there is still much work to be done), I’ve been surprised by life happenings quite a bit, SAW FREAKIN’ PAUL MCCARTNEY, I’ve laughed a lot, taken 3 trips, watched a best friend get married and slept very little! I don’t think anyone really wants to know every detail of my boring little life, but I will say this: Month 1 of year 26 was one of the most challenging of my life. I had a lot thrown at me at once, had a lot of tears (and I am not a crier), and A LOT of stress. However, through those trials I learned a lot (hence the blog idea) and that month influenced every second of this month. God was in control every step of the way. I am still learning what exactly that means, and I’m okay with that. This is a big deal for me! As with last month, some of my things are silly and others serious, some only mean something to those who were a part of it, and others I’m sure you all can understand. One more thing…I think it is important to know that I try and sit down every few days and write what I am learning. That being said, some are repeated without really realizing it, but I decided to leave it because that must mean it’s important. Anyway…here it is:

*Planning is important to some people and not to others, when these people are mixed in a group on a trip it can cause some friction
*Two of my friends dating brings me a lot of joy
*Zumba has helped me not care quite so much what others think of me
*Friendships can go in waves and it’s neat to see them mended over time
*Always hope
*Take a smaller cooler on the river
*Julie Roberts has some great songs…check them out
*I LOVE Texas country.
*Breakfast with one of my best friends is the perfect way to start a new school year
*Working with laid back people who also know how to be sarcastic is a blessing
*I don’t trust God enough, sometimes at all
*God has crazy timing
*Paul McCartney still has it and I am blessed to have seen him live.
*I should have started teaching third grade a long time ago
*I miss the love you get from Kindergarten kids
*I’ve always thought I was a really intuitive person, and most times I am, but sometimes things can be right in front of your face without you realizing them.
*Big fancy weddings are absolutely beautiful and I love them, but I don’t see myself having one. I think if I get married it will be small. This surprises me.
*Sometimes a bed does not need a box spring
*City Streets can actually be totally fun
*I am not meant to wear heels
*Friendships can become stronger after having gone through bumps along the way.
*On that note...I believe that all friendships/relationships are fixable. Both parties just need to be willing to forgive and work at it.
*I love the concept of forgiveness.
*It makes me sad that nobody understands why I tear up with excitement when thinking about hockey starting.
*There is something to appreciate in EVERY person. Focus on that. It makes life a lot more enjoyable.
*I'm a star! According to my kids anyway.
*Texas is the way to describe a "perfect" town. Also, according to my kids.
*Horses can also be spelled hores. Kids again.
*I am SO SO SO lucky to do what I do everyday.
*There isn't a Taylor Swift song that I don't like.
*The faculty at my school is awesome and hilarious.
*I can survive a month where I only run once, but it is definitely the thing missing from my life.
*When I don’t run in that long I literally smile the entire time when I finally get back out on the trail.
*I love how you go without seeing someone for 2 years but pick right back up where you left off.
*It's possible to feel two completely opposite things at one time, which is also confusing.
*Weekends away to the country make me happy
*I’m a Plano girl but I can still chunk watermelon rhines over the fence into the pasture with the best of ‘em.
*I can see myself having the life of a country girl…gasp!
*I can dive off of a roof into a pool, an accomplishment for someone afraid of heights
*I love family, mine and other peoples, my heart is happy when surrounded by that kind of love.
*All your problems can be solved on the front porch swing, or so I’ve been told, no wonder I’ve always wanted one.
*I say that the way to my heart is pedicures and iced coffee (which is true) but I am learning that holding my hand and praying with me is a good way to it as well.
*I need Dad time and Mom time (separate things) every now and then.
*Eric Church’s “Love Your Love the Most” has found a special place in my heart b/c the lyrics are kinda perfect
*Itunes genius is my favorite discovery this month, followed closely by Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes
*I can fall asleep on the phone while someone is in mid conversation..oops
*No, it won't all go the way, it should, But I know the heart of life is good…borrowed from John Mayer

I Love Sleeping In On Saturdays

In honor of the weekend, I am sharing my favorite song at the moment. Hope everyone has a good one! College football has started, how could you NOT???

PS - I couldn't post the actual video for copywrite reasons (or I'm just not smart enough to figure out how). I'm a little sad about that b/c the actual version is even better, but here's this:

Month 1 of 12 – “I get by with a little help from my friends”

I am officially 1 month into 26. Ahh! Technically it was a few days ago, but I haven’t had any internet at home for a few weeks so that makes blogging a bit harder. I did write this on the 12th though to be fair. ANYWAY, I feel like I have been learning a lot this month. I guess we are always learning something (learn something new every day…blah blah…right?) but I want to try and reflect a little more on what it is I am learning this year. Really, I just thought it would be a good way to document what’s going on in my life, and since I am not good about keeping up with the blog, I am hoping that if I go month by month through my 26th year of life, that perhaps I will actually be able to keep up with it. We’ll see…GET ON TO ME IF I DON’T! Could be kinda neat to see what I’ve learned at the end of a year. No? This month has been SO crazy and has had SO much going on that I have been really stretched. Some of these things are things I’ve already known but have really hit home this month. Some are new. Some will only mean something to certain people. Some I’m sure everyone can understand. Some serious, some silly. Anyway, just thought I would put a little of it out there.

*I HATE that I had to turn 26 but I can’t stay 25 no matter how hard I try.
*My birthday is important to me. Not getting gifts, not having a big deal made, but being with the people I care about really matters to me on (or around) my birthday. More so than I thought at least. I very much wish I did not care.
*It’s so freaking cool to see your best friend since the age of 11 have a baby bump!
*I can’t read books too close to when the movie version comes out or I think of all the great parts of the story that were left out.
*Cruises are so much fun but I would rather go to one fun tropical place and stay.
*Swimming with dolphins is an amazing lifetime experience.
*The IPhone is probably one of the greatest inventions ever.
*It’s nice to be appreciated as a teacher by your friends. Especially when it means you get a four-course meal in a private room at a restaurant. ☺
*Moving apartments and moving classrooms at the same time in a matter of two weeks really isn’t a great idea.
*When moving, just expect that everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING (hence the no internet, and that’s just the beginning), can go wrong.
*When you live alone you must watch your toilet paper supply closely since you can’t borrow your roommate’s anymore!
*I can’t get enough of my classes at the gym, especially when I have friends to take them with. Seriously, I smile practically the whole time I’m there.
*Having no Internet, besides on your phone, for 2 weeks is extremely annoying.
*I need to rely less on the internet.
*I have some really amazing friends and people in my life that are my absolute support system – hence the title (I already knew this but just reminded of it once again).
*My girl friends are really good listeners and are so much fun to be around.
*My boy friends are too plus they give added insight and advice.
*Having great guy friends (and parents!) also makes moving much easier!
*My tv is stuck to my tv stand. Literally. I guess one day I will have to figure out how to get it undone.
*I am absolutely, totally and completely not in control.
*This is hard for me, but I'm working on it b/c it's easier to just let it go. (Ex 1 of MANY - There's nothing I can do about the fact that my furniture is backordered and a month later than expected so my mattress and everything in my dresser are on the floor...soooo...just go with it!)
*You can learn a lot about being easy going and laid back once you figure this out.
*Patty Griffin and John Mayer are so talented. (Yes, I listened to both before now but gosh I really have appreciated their music the last few weeks)
*Life REALLY is a set of seasons. Not the weather kind...just sayin'
*I stink at golf but have so much fun going out to the course with my friends.
*A lot can happen and change in the course of a year. Or in the course of a month. Heck even in the course of a week.
*Words can do a lot of damage so speak carefully.
*I now understand what exactly the playground, tookie, fishing, tubing, scuba, snorkeling, bibbity bob, the dollhouse, tea party, dosie doe and so on are. (Think I got all the terms from “the talk” in there)
*Loaded Questions is an amazingly fun game.
*Reliability is an important trait to me in a person.
*I dance like a total white girl but have SO much fun doing it!
*Hurricane Harbor is fun even when you are 26. Maybe even more so.
*Sometimes I need to be told things I don’t like to hear…as long as they are said in love.
*My friends make me laugh. A LOT A LOT A LOT. And I love it. Okay I think I’m reminded of that like every day but I really do think it’s awesome. Life would be so boring otherwise!

There’s what I was able to come up with. I already want time to slow down, but as my first point says I can’t avoid the getting older, so that’s it until month 2!

Mountains, Lochs, and Scotts...oh my...

So after the internet café in London, we had very limited access to internet, and thus I was unable to really keep the blog up to date. We have officially made it home safely now, but I still want to document each trip so as time permits I’m going to write a little bit on each one. Here goes…

Last we left off, we were heading out to the boat tour of London. We hadn’t originally planned to do this but my boyfriend’s brother said it was one of the best things he had done there, so we decided to try it out. The last day in London was our best day weather wise, so it was a perfect day for doing this little trip down the Thames (Lesson 1 for Carrie – not at all pronounced like it looks). The boat we took was one you could hop on and off of if you wanted to go see the different sights, but having already seen pretty much everything we just decided to stay on and listen to what the tour guide had to say about each place. We were able to see the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, London Tower, Tower Bridge, London Bridge (not anything to write home about even though a whole song has been written about it), Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. The beautiful day allowed us to get some really great pictures, including a nice montage of us trying to take pictures of ourselves and me struggling to keep my eyes open looking into the sun (we were laughing so hard that tears definitely were a part of this photo session…Lesson 2 – Carrie is very sensitive to the sun and can’t take pictures facing it without sunglasses on). After the boat tour we walked up and down the river until we found a little place on the water for dinner. Then it was about time for us to head back to pick up our bags and catch our overnight bus to Scotland. This is where things got a little hectic…

The entire time we were in London we had zero problems navigating the underground subway system, but just in case we allowed ourselves well over an hour to get to our bus stop from the hotel. Well, as typical in Ashley and Carrie land, we encountered our first underground problem within this time. We got on a train which we thought would be taking us to the bus station, but apparently they had some closures that day. They were making announcements but they were so fast, and with the accent we couldn’t understand what was going on. Fortunately, we weren’t the only ones so we didn’t feel quite as stupid. Everyone was just staring at each other trying to figure out if they should get on the train or not. Eventually a nice girl helped us get on the right train but we ended up having to run for our bus and barely made it. We literally ran up as they started loading. After jumping on and scoring the back row with the spare seat in between us we were pumped to get to Scotland. Unfortunately we were entirely wrong about how old we are now. Apparently you reach a certain age when you can’t get a good night’s sleep on a bus and we were probably only able to get about 2 hours sleep. Luckily, this 2 hours sleep came at the very end of the trip…with perfect timing for us to not notice what time we were arriving. Had we been awake, we would have been in a panic, considering our bus was almost 2 hours late arriving to Scotland. We pulled up at 8:22 and were supposed to check in at 8:30 for the tour. Ahh! We sprinted across Edinburgh with me frantically calling the tour company pleading with them to wait for us. We made it there at 8:40 and pulled out 2 minutes later. Whew!

Good thing we made it because Scotland is probably one of God’s greatest creations on all of earth. Seriously. I wouldn’t believe that beauty like that existed if I hadn’t gotten to see it myself. We must have brought good weather with us from TX because we had the most gorgeous three days and our tour guide continued to tell us how lucky we all were to be seeing weather like that.

Let me back up a second and describe what exactly the tour was. We signed up for a 3-day tour of Scotland through a company called Haggis Tours. We had 23 people on a bus from all over the world, although we were dubbed the Aussie bus b/c so many of the people were from Australia. Most of the people were in their late 20’s early 30’s and it was a great little group. Our tour guide, Russell, was a born and raised local Scotlander who knows pretty much everything there is to know about the country. Funny as heck and perfect for a 3-day adventure.

The first day we toured different parts of the countryside including Loch Ness, just beautiful, but no sighting of the monster, then we arrived in our stop for the night in a little town called Fort Augustus. We stayed in a hostel that was actually fairly nice. Everyone was pretty tired, so we just pretty much went to bed that night (and got our first shower in like 50 something hours).

The next day was spent entirely touring the Isle of Skye. Translated that means the “prettiest place on the face of the earth”…seriously. Just wait for the pictures b/c that is the best way to describe it. We ate a picnic lunch on a cliff overlooking the ocean and I probably could have stayed right there for a week and been perfectly content. We saw beautiful waterfalls and mountains and hills and rivers and sheep an arms length away. I was just in constant amazement the whole day. My heart literally hurt b/c it was just so pretty to see.

Funny story though…every time we would go look at something Russell would say “normally we don’t take the 3 day tour here but you guys just have to see it”, so after hearing that line about 24 times Ashley and I began to wonder what exactly the 3 day tour normally does…sit in the parking lot?

That night we ate dinner by the river in Fort Augustus from a little fish and chips stand then went on a boat trip on Loch Ness that searches for Nessie. No such luck for us but it as a fun little adventure anyway. Then I went on a run along the river, which was pretty much the prettiest run of my entire life looking out along Loch Ness and the mountains. This was at almost 10:00 at night and it was still bright out. Crazy. Also, I have decided I might have to make my new dream a marathon in Scotland. Anyway, after my run I headed back to meet the rest of the group at the pub in our hostel. We sat around a chatted with the others on the tour and then karaoke hour started. Quite funny and entertaining!

The last morning of our tour started with a little presentation on Scottish culture and clothing by a local Scott, then we headed back on the road to look at more beautiful countryside. Our tour ended and we had to race off once again to catch a bus to the airport. After our little scare with the overnight bus we decided to not chance the bus back this time b/c we had a morning flight to Paris that we didn’t want to risk missing. So, we got a flight out of Edinburgh to London and got a hotel right by the airport. One of the Aussie’s from our tour was on our flight so we were able to eat dinner and chat with him and then head back to London for sleep and our flight to Paris.

Whew, sorry for the long windedness. Remember I could write 5 pages on a pencil so I guess 3 on a 3 day trip to Scotland isn’t too bad! Next to come, my adventures in Paris!

LONDON BABY!

Greetings from London! Ashley and I were able to find an internet cafe that is fairly cheap for an hour's use, so I thought I would try and post a quick update on our travels.

Our flight went great! We were served dinner and then watched a movie and by the time that was done we were both out. Next thing I knew, Ashley was waking me up for breakfast and we landed about 45 minutes later. We went and dropped our bags off at the hotel which is located in what we have affectionately named Little Iraq. The hotel was wonderful just located in what seems to be the place all Middle Eastern Londoners live. Then we went down to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, a ride on the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus and a quick lunch at...get ready for it...McDonald's. Guess home really is never too far. We grabbed dinner at a little Italian place in Piccadilly area then discovered this little internet place where we did some emailing and planning then it was time for bed!

Friday morning we got up and went to the London Tower and did a tour there. That took us until lunch time which was the typical British meal of fish and chips outside the tower. Then we walked around to the Tower Bridge, found a Starbucks (couldn't live without it) and went over to St. Paul's cathedral. We headed from there over to Harrods department store, which is just amazing and hard to describe. There are all these food rooms that are like nothing you've ever seen. We ate dinner at a little Pizzeria in Harrods and then had this delicious ice cream sundae that was equally amazing. Finally it was time for us to head to our first show of the weekend...Billy Elliot. Super cute! After the show got out it was almost 11 so we just headed back and went to bed.

Saturday we went over to this little outdoor market in Notting Hill. Super cute and we were able to stumble across a cupcake place that had been recommended to us by a friend, Hummingbird Bakery. When I have access to my own computer I will be sure to post pictures to document all of this b/c you have to see how cute this place was, and the cupcakes were quite tasty! We walked from there to Kensington Palace and took the tour there. We were able to see some of Diana's dresses and an exhibit on debutantes. Funny how we still have that in the South at home and it's an out of date tradition here. I have some great pictures of us learning how to curtsy and dance though. For lunch we ate at a Pret a Manger (little sandwich place that is all over the place here) then went and had tea and scones (SO British-gotta love it) at La Orangerie on the Kensington Park grounds. We were pretty tired at this point so we went and found a park bench (well first it was some chairs by a lake that we got kicked out of for not paying) and people watched in Kensington Park until it was time to head back to Piccadilly area for the night. First we came back to our little internet cafe then we had dinner at a Chinese place (we joked that we are making this a world experience). The end of the night might be the most amazing part however. We had tickets to see THRILLER!!! It was a amazing as it sounds. 3 hours of The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson's greatest hits WITH dancing. AND we got to get up and sing and dance too. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Today we got up and went to Hillsong church. If you aren't familiar with it they have created some fairly popular worship songs that our church at home uses a lot so we wanted to check it out. It was a little like going to a rock concert. Different from church at home but fun to go to. We walked around the stores in that area a bit then grabbed some lunch and headed back to the internet cafe...again. Yes, they are starting to recognize us, don't worry. However, gives me time to document my trip. If you are still reading, props to you b/c this is mainly for me to remember what I did. This afternoon we are going to take a boat tour then grab some dinner and such before heading on the overnight bus to Scotland. Yes, I said overnight bus, we apparently thought we were 18 coming on this trip! Try to post about Scotland when I can.

Smiling's the Best!

So I still need to blog about my amazing year with my adorable kiddos, but first I have to stop and say that my summer is off to the best start ever and I still have so many adventures yet to come. I am so freakin' happy...I just can't stop smiling. Is it okay to say that? I feel like I'm bragging, but I really am just so excited about the things happening in my life. Let me share...

Summer started with the best stinkin' concert of my life with one sweet, cute boy who makes me smile every day (I could brag on him for a while but I'll save that for another time). For non facebookers I will try to post pictures of the concert, but let me just say there is no way to not absolutely love FLOOR seats at the new COWBOYS STADIUM for an entire night listening to LeAnne Womack, Blake Shelton, Reba Macentire and GEORGE STRAIT (yes I know I butchered the spellings but whatever). Seriously I think this deserves it's own post...

I've been spending my days having lunches with my dear friends, laying by the pool, going to those ever so popular workout classes (discovered a new favorite where all you do is booty shake and hop around), running (despite not getting into NY), planning for the new apartment, getting excited for the new job, visiting my parents, and so on.

Nights are equally busy getting to just play with my friends. I do this during the school year, but it's just so much better when you don't have to worry about getting up in the morning!

That's just the first two weeks friends.

In TWO days I leave for EUROPE! AND, I just booked a cruise with one of my very best friends and our wonderful moms, continuing a tradition of what we hope to be yearly trips together. When I get back from Europe I am going to spend my time celebrating America (the fourth) by going to Austin for the very first time (yes, gasp, I'm a Texan who's never been to Austin). After I get back, I get to start a new adventure of having my own place for the first time. Following that, I get to start another new adventure with my new teaching position. Then there's the August river trip with some of those same awesome friends I keep bragging on (and the cute boy!). Finally, I get to jet off one last time before school starts (the weekend before to be exact) and take part in the wedding of another best friend in San Antonio. So much to look forward to I can hardly stand it. The excited butterflies are constant and I just love it. It's keeping my heart happy and me smiling! It's kinda the best!

Movin' On Up

So, a big life change is happening for me. This past week I accepted a position at my school teaching third grade! Eeek! Here's a little on how this came about.

Last year, for those of you who don't know, I was moved in the middle of the school year (away from my kinder babies) to a different school to teach first grade. While I was upset about the whole ordeal, it ended up showing me that I really enjoy teaching older students. I mentioned to my principal that I would like to be considered for a higher grade level next year if possible. Last week, she called me in and offered me a position in third grade. Totally unexpected!

For the non-teachers, third grade is where state mandated testing begins (TAKS). Third grade is also a promotion grade for this test (don't pass, don't go to fourth). This can be a lot of pressure and it is something that has intimidated me away from those grade levels (third & fourth) a little. Honestly, I never envisioned myself teaching a grade higher than second. However, after LOTS of thinking and talking to friends who teach in "TAKS" grades, I decided to go ahead and take the job! It is something I am confidant is the right decision for me at this time. I am SUPER excited about trying something new. I am looking forward to seeing if it is the right fit for me. I am pumped about getting to work with a really great team. And, I think it should be a great learning experience that will help me to become a better teacher.

Obviously there are things I am going to miss about Kindergarten. I have enjoyed my last three years SO much. I have had the pleasure of working with some great teachers and the joy of teaching some amazing kids. I simply felt like it was time for me to see if Kindergarten is where I belong, or if it's somewhere else. Won't know until I try it!

So there's the big update. If you have any tips for teaching older kiddos please pass them along, I'm sure I will be needing the help! :)

PS - Next blog I am hoping to post about the things I have loved about my class this year (probably boring to everyone else but a good way to remember for me).

Sweet Summertime

Seeing as summer is 7 days away, I thought it would be fitting to discuss all the things I am looking forward to this summer. If you don't have a summer vacation, please bare with me and share in my excitement, if you taught 10 months of the year, you would need one too. :) If I survive the next few days (it is questionable), then I get to spend the next 10 weeks doing the following things:

*sleeping (if I'm getting more than 4-5 hours a night it will be an increase)
*morning workout classes with all the nonworking people of the world
*iced coffee in the middle of the day
*lunches at Lili's
*sno cones (the little stand on University is a personal fav.)
*EUROPE!!!
*a possible cruise for second annual mother/daughter trip
*trip to the beach with all the girls in my family (annual tradition)
*laying out by the pool with nobody around
*going to the parents pool
*getting to spend more time with the parents
*more time with friends
*Fridays w/ those who don't have to work
*Hurricane Harbor trip with the girls and aqua socks
*Concerts in the Garden
*Fourth of July
*baseball
*time to read books and magazines
*lunches that aren't 30 minutes long
*lunches that aren't a turkey sandwich and a bag of carrots (seriously what I eat almost every day)
*So You Think You Can Dance!
*not having to worry about a week of work on Sundays
*getting all the "stuff" done that I can't get done during the year
*being better about planning social events
*not working (I mean let's just be honest, I LOVE my job, but it's fun having a break)
*sundresses, shorts, and flip flops
*not having to get ready for the day if I don't want to
*morning talk shows and silly soap operas
*more blogging time??

I'm sure that there is more to summer that is wonderful and that I am forgetting about, but I will try my best to keep my blog up to date with all my summer adventures. Hope my fellow teachers and those who work in schools have an amazing and restful summer as well. Almost there!

Teaching Moment

Okay so I know I've become a horrible blogger. One of the reasons I was hesitant to start in the first place (see first blog), but I am going to try and be better. For now, I just have to share a little teaching moment I had this morning.

We have been learning subtraction in Kindergarten the last two weeks. If you aren't a teacher let me explain that the end of the year is the time when all teachers feel that their kiddos have gone crazy and question if they are still learning anything. However, not all students have a rock star teacher like me. Ha. I kidd. Anyway, one of my students came up to me this morning and told me "I had math in my real life!". Of course I inquired to see what this meant. Answer: "I was helping my mom go through my clothes and I had five and took away two so there were only three left!". I told her that I was proud of her for using her subtraction at home and she has proceeded to tell me the rest of the morning just how subtraction can be used in real life. Walked into that one I guess. I do love these little momements though where I get to see that I'm actually teaching my kids something. Even when it's almost May!