I won!

It's official! I've won my very first blog giveaway! I am so excited that I won something! Unless I have forgotten something, I remember my last win...a 10 speed black and pink huffy from the local IGA (grocery store) giveaway when I was real young.

So, thanks to Kristy at "And Baby Makes 3", I will soon be receiving a McDonald's gift card!

Hope you all are having a fantastic Saturday!

Love Free Things!

So I happened upon a blog a while ago and am so glad that I did. The author, Kristy, is absolutely hilarious. When I started reading it, she was doing weekly posts following her pregnancy and now that her little guy has arrived, she has some pretty cute posts about him. She is a great writer and if you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should do so now.

It's her year blogging anniversary and she is having a giveaway! As mentioned in some previous posts (about free birthday emails), I LOVE free things, or even the chance at winning free things.

She is giving away some pretty cool gifts, so head on over to her blog so you can get in the contest too!

Also, she is in a contest of her own on thebump.com. Vote for "...and baby makes 3!" to win!

Reminiscing

Let me begin by asking you to bear with me while I have my girly reminiscing moment. Thanks! :)

So, as I sit here and watch "Father of the Bride", I can't help but fondly think of our special day. I am so beyond pleased and amazed at how perfectly everything went on May 19, 2007 that it almost brings tears to my eyes.

I can't imagine how difficult it was for my parents (most specifically, my daddy) to give me away. I think it would be such a bitter sweet moment to be so happy for your daughter but so sad to see your little girl grow up and move into another chapter of her life.

I cannot thank my parents and in-laws enough for what they did to make our special day so wonderful. If I could, I would relive that day in a heartbeat. However, there are two things that I wish could have gone differently...1. I wish it didn't go so fast! I felt like the whole day was gone in the blink of an eye. 2. (Those of you at the wedding will actually appreciate this one...)I wish I didn't run down the aisle. :) Other than that, the day could not have gone more perfectly.

By far, this day was the best day of my life. With that said, I am anticipating the days, months, and years to come to see what joys life brings us next.

Really?!?!?!

So I have officially started my 3rd year of teaching. I can't believe that it has gone so fast already! Thus far, the school year is off to a good start. However, there are some things that kind of amaze me...

1. Just how fast kids will show me their true colors! I have already had to call home on a young lady who chooses to be disrespectful and must not be able to hear me because I have to ask her to do something an average of 3-4 times before she actually does it. (I didn't realize the directions "get out your book" or "take out your notes from yesterday" were so difficult to follow.)

2. The things that parents will complain about. (I saw an obviously irate parent talking, or possibly yelling, at another teacher because she was following the rules and had to reprimand the student because he didn't cross the street at the right point. Really lady? Do you want your son to get hit by a car instead? We are just doing our job!)

3. The excuses that parents make for their children. There are so many parents out there who do not make the child take responsibility for something they have done. It also applies to those students who have ADD or ADHD. Some parents act like their child is not capable of functioning in an everyday world.

4. How many kids have a cell phone on them and it goes off in class. Last year I took a kids cell phone 7 times!! The first time, it was a really beat up phone so his mother went out and bought him a new one instead of coming to get it from the principal. I'm not quite sure what happened the other 6 times and why it was given back to him so many times.... I'm starting the year off quickly since I have already had one go off in class today.

For now, that is what I can't quite seem to comprehend. I'm sure as the year goes on, I will have many more stories.



On another note, we have decided to go to Myrtle Beach for this upcoming Labor Day Weekend and I couldn't be more excited! :) We are trying a hotel that neither of us have been to or seen in person, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it is everything the website shows it is. ;)

Vote for Cammie!

So, I entered Cammie in the "Million Dollar Cutest Dog Competition". We would LOVE it if you would vote for Cammie! :) You can only vote once per day, but keep coming back to vote again!

VOTE for Cammie! :)

Simple Things

As my summer break is quickly coming to an end, I am realizing just how much I love the mornings!

I love waking up to a dreary day with the smell/taste of coffee and the "Today Show" followed by "Live with Regis and Kelly" on the TV.

Ahh yes, it really is the simple things in life that can make someone happy.

Fun Times!

I just got back from a fantastic trip back home to Michigan! It was so great to see family and friends and to really appreciate the beautiful town that I grew up in. It was a bummer that my hubby couldn't make the trip with me. He couldn't get off time from work, but at least we will both be able to go back for Christmas! There is no place like Frankenmuth during a gorgeous Michigan summer! By the way, I thought I would try adding some links so you can see a little more detail of the town and places I went to.

I flew in last Sunday August 2nd and went directly to my aunt's house for her surprise 50th birthday party! My sweet cousin has wanted to throw her a party and has been talking about it for probably the last year and a half. It was so great to see his plan carried out into a successful party. She had not one clue that anything was going on!

Next up was lunch with my mom and mother-in-law. We have made it a tradition to go to Red Lobster for the best drinks ever! The Sunset Passion Colada is mainly pina colada with some strawberry daiquiri mix on top! If you go, I recommend going for the large size (it rings up as the "alotta colada" on the receipt! so funny! ) because there isn't much difference in price and it is soooo worth it! :) If you go to the link, the drink is on the left next to the "specialty drinks" link.

I was also able to see some friends for dinner and drinks and had a great time catching up! I unfortunately was bad with the picture taking during those visits! :(

As with any vacation, there was very good food and drinks involved. Now that I don't live in MI anymore, whenever I go home, I have to hit certain places that I love. Tiffany's has the best atmosphere and a beautiful patio right in downtown so it's great to sit out there and enjoy the weather. Their pizza is phenomenal!

Here is a picture of us eating lunch. My dad had to work so he isn't in the picture:

My brother and I:

I became slightly adventurous on the trip! We rented mopeds! We actually rode them to a neighboring town where my mom and aunts grew up and had an absolute blast! :) I totally felt like I was riding a motorcycle. It was so cool riding in the road with the traffic and going through town. The moped could go up to about 37 -40 miles per hour! I chose to take the safe (or dorky - however you want to look at it) route and wore my helmet most of the time.

Among many other fun things, we went on my parent's boat. The weather turned out to be not the greatest (we had to wear sweatshirts) but it was a relaxing ride.

It's always so hard to leave family once they have visited or we have gone back home, but I have such wonderful memories from this trip that will last a life time!

Also, I'm a little bummed because my school year starts in about a week! I can't believe how fast the summer went! It's hard to believe that I will be starting my 3rd year of teaching!