Update

January.... Seriously? It's MAY! Yes, I've neglected this blog. I have been so busy and just haven't felt like writing much. THIS WILL CHANGE! Promise :) I have been keeping up on all your lives though. Only 16 Days left of school then a two day break until summer classes start up. Now to update life the past 4 months....

I have been....

• Going to freshman basketball games to support the basketball coach boyfriend 
• Turning 24 (I know this really isn't old, but I feel like it BIG TIME)
• Finishing up grad school classes for the semester (4 more & a research project to go!)
• Celebrating 4 years of dating
• Going to NASHVILLE for spring break! (Super amazing & is so deserving of it's own post)
• Preparing my students for the OAA's (FINALLY OVER!)
• Going to girls track meets to support the now track coach boyfriend
• Re-doing my entire room
• Teaching (obvious)
• Trying to see my boyfriend as much as possible which usually consists of maybe 48 hours total on the weekend. 

Here are some pictures for your viewing. I'll be back to post this week. I PROMISE! :)

My amazing funfetti birthday cake

The morning we left for Nashville

First track meet as the coach!

At the Grand Ole Opry House

Room Re-do post paint

My Aunt's dog had 11 puppies. Too bad we couldn't get one yet.

Room coming along (Young House Love Inspiration)

My cute dog going for a ride

Pineapple Ice Cream from The Dip

Winning a meet

This is how Bubba wakes me up. Frisbee in mouth & ready to play

Opening night of the Red's season

Hanging out with an old friend, Kim

Baby ducks Brad's mom got for mother's day

Caught up now? See you all tomorrow :)

Moose

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my first dog. After almost 14 years, Moose just couldn't handle anything anymore. I'll spare you all the details, but he was just old & lived a wonderful long life for a HUGE black lab. Thinking back on my time with him, I still remember coming home one day from school and telling my parents my friend's dog had puppies! At the time, I thought they were free so my mom called my friend's mom without us knowing.

One day, we were out with my mom and she pulls up to this house with some story about dropping off some paper for this guy my dad used to work with. Not fooling me... I was convinced she was making a mistake and was so embarrassed because I KNEW it was my friend's house. Anyway, we argued with my mom about going to the door because my brother and I didn't want to look stupid in front of these people. My mom went up there without us and later was telling my friend's mom what had happened. Little did we know that we were there to pick out a puppy. So my friend's mom came out and asked us if we wanted to play with the puppies while my mom was dropping stuff off. Sure a 10 year old and a 7 year old wanted to play with puppies whenever we got the chance!

As we were playing with them outside, my mom just says ok so which one are we taking home? We were SHOCKED. When I originally asked my mom about getting a puppy from them, she said she would consider it, but we never talked about it again. Whenever I would bring it up she would quickly change the subject. This was a great surprise! The puppies were about 6 weeks old and were ready to be taken home. (I know you are supposed to wait longer, but my friend's family was starting to sell them because they had their shots & were doing well) My mom told us that we had to pick a male dog, and it had to be black. Orders from Dad (who had to work at that time) for protection reasons :) Out of I think 9 puppies, four of them were black and five were yellow lab. I ended up picking our dog. I remember him being very playful and loving attention.

After we got home, we all sat in the living room trying to figure out what to name him. Our top choices were Moose, Shadow (after his dad), or Bear. We ended up choosing Moose, and it fit him very well. Soon Moose became a large part of our family, and I couldn't remember what life was like without him.


The time has come that I unfortunately have to live life without him. He was in a lot of pain, and I know he is in a better place now. This is the first time I've had to say goodbye to a pet so it was really rough on me. I've been sobbing for four days. I can't help it. I am such a baby that I've been crying at the drop of a hat. (Some of this is due to other things that have been weighing on me that I'm not ready to discuss) Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've done. He's been in my life since I was 10. It's almost 14 years. I will miss him so much.

I actually made it through this whole post without crying. I'm moving forward, but I will never forget my Moosie baby. I leave you with some pictures from the later years of his life.


Rest In Peace Moose 3-10-98  to  1-18-12  

(Here come the tears)

January 2012

December 2010

December 2011

November 2011

November 2011

Fill in the Blank Friday!

This post works well with my activities this weekend. Friday night high school football games, corn mazes, pumpkin carving, & hot apple cider. Welcome fall!

Link on up for Fill in the blank Friday

1.   Nothing says fall like      pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and corn mazes .

2.   My favorite autumnal tradition is   going to a pumpkin festival called Minges Farms. We have been going every year since I was about 2. It is a craft show and fall festival combined. I look forward to it every year!

3.  My favorite fall treat is   pumpkin ice cream from Graeters Ice Cream

4. Fall makes me think of   football  because that is always what is on every Saturday. ALL DAY. I have learned to love it :)

5.  Autumn free form word association, go!    pumpkin, crisp, yellow, orange, leaves, fire, smores, sweaters, and candy.

6.  My go-to outfit in the fall is   skinny jeans, sweater, scarf & boots.

7.  My favorite fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving)   Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and having a good meal together. I do really like Halloween, but I like the warm feeling I get around Thanksgiving. Also Black Friday soon follows that :)

Happy Friday :)

Oh Happy Wednesday

Wednesday Happenings That Make Me Happy....

1. Waking up the FIRST time my alarm went off (instead of pushing snooze 5 times)

2. The rainy day that washed my car (so I didn't have to spend $5 for a wash)

3. My favorite homemade meal. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, & green beans

4. Home made apple pie (thanks dad) 

5. No class tonight

6. Oh & this little guy came today :)

I know this picture is blurry, but all the other pics were taken with my new iPhone. It really is amazing :)

Happy Wednesday!

Fill in the Blank Friday!

The Little Things We Do

Happy Friday! Fill in the blank & link up with The Little Things We Do Blog!

1.   The most selfless thing I've ever done was become a teacher. I don't teach for my money or recognition, I teach for the kids who need a role model, for the kids who have no confidence, and for the kids to love learning. It is so rewarding When a student gets a 100% on a quiz after struggling with a concept for 3 long weeks, it makes the job SO worth it even when it might be frustrating at times

2.   When it comes to working out  I go through cycles where I am really into it, and others where I just can't seem to bring myself to constantly keep up with it. 

3.  A woman should always take care of yourself and love yourself. 

4. I wish I could win the lottery and then I'd donate it to church, pay off my loans, give some to my family, donate to charities, and invest the rest for future kids college funds. 

5.  A best friend is hard to come by. Someone who understands you & is always there.  They are irreplaceable. 

6.  I can't get enough of   apple products right now. Upgraded to Lion & iPhone 4s arriving soon!

7.  This weekend I am  attending multiple craft shows & a pumpkin festival! Then topping of the fall weekend with a bonfire with friends!

Have a great weekend!

Top 10 Reasons Why I Can't Wait For My iPhone 4S

The "top 10" reasons why I cannot wait for my iphone to arrive

1. It's my first iphone... previously an android user



2. My phone keeps freezing & dropping calls



3. So I can use my super cute case that I already ordered



4. So I can play words with friends without my phone always freezing up



5. So I can sync my music and my calendar from my macbook.



6. So I can use some cool education apps in the classroom that I found



7. So I can take pictures & shoot video with my phone without dragging my camera everywhere



8. Siri is just awesome & will make my whole car sync system much better.



9. ICloud from my phone & computer will allow me to save anything easily



10. So my phone battery can actually last!



Yeah, I'm pretty excited. Too bad I decided I wasn't going to order one until this past Sunday. Now I won't get my phone until the 21st. :( Bummer.... Worth the wait though!

Lovely Things This Sunday

Great message at church this morning

Sunday breakfast at Bob Evan's with Bradley

Beautiful fall day

No grading or planning

Family Time 

Pre-ordered my first iphone

(Now i'm in search for the perfect case! Any ideas???)

Have a great Sunday :)

My Doggies :)

I love my dogs!

Meet my pets...

Moose:

I have a 13 year old black lab/golden retrevier mix. His name is Moose. We got him when I was ten. I had a friend at school whose dog had puppies. She told us about it one day and said they were free! We had just given our other dog back to my uncle because he was more of a hunting dog so I of course was on top of this. I went home & told my mom, and she gave me some line about how we don't need one or something. Little did me and my brother know that she called my friend's mom and inquired about them. Around Easter, my mom loaded us in the car to run some errands.

We start pulling in this neighborhood and my mom said we had to go pick up something from this guy my dad used to work with. We go pulling in this driveway, and I was so humiliated because It was my friends house from school and I said, "MOM his dad does not work with dad!" She kept saying yes he does! Just get out of the car. I refused. My mom let me stay in the car while she walked up to the door. She must have told my friend's mom what I said & she came out and asked if we wanted to see the puppies while my mom was picking something up. Well, I said yes. We were outside playing with them, and then out of nowhere my mom said "Ok which one do you want?" I was SHOCKED and so happy at the same time. My parents agreed that they wanted a male dog, so that was our only restriction. We could have chosen from dogs looking like a golden retriever or a black lab. I chose Moose & he looks just like a black lab. Here is a picture of Moose. He is the bigger one :) (This is the only one I have on my phone)

Bubba:

Then just two years ago, my brother's girlfriend's sister's dog (follow that?) had puppies! This dog was trained to be a care dog, but failed the test. The dog had black lab/german shephard puppies. My dad had been wanting another dog for a while, but my mom kept saying no. One day, my brother just brought a puppy to the house for us to see. He brought us Bubba. He was the runt of the litter. That's why my brother liked him so much. He could literally fit in the palm of one hand & was a little fur ball! My mom fell in love instantly & we kept him :)

Bubba is now two and a half and is the life of the party! He has such a funny personality. He loves his tennis ball and frisbee. He loves water. You turn the hose on outside & he goes crazy! He also loves to go on rides and loves cheese! He has brought so much happiness to our lives. I couldn't imagine my house without him. He is such a great dog. Moose is older and has a lot of fatty tumors. He struggles to get up and down, but will still initiate play with Bubba. Moose is such a loyal dog. He has been a great watch dog and protector.

I love my dogs so much. I don't know what I would do without them! Moose doesn't have much longer with us, but I know when the time comes he won't be in pain anymore.


Want to show off your pets? "Show us your Life" Over at Kelly's Korner

Life Lately

Still sick....

Welcome vertigo. Yay! Seriously was sick almost all of last year. This cold/sinus infection is going on 4 weeks now. One of my students asked me first thing yesterday if this is the fourth week of the cold or if it's gone yet. Nope.. still here. Meijer 12 hour sinus has been wonderful though. I was dizzy all last night & was nauseous. I went straight to bed but still woke up dizzy. This went on all day long & ended with me almost falling over while adding polynomials in the front of the room on the white board. Clearly I'm so happy about this (not). Joy.


On a brighter side....

I went to another OSU game this weekend. Downside was it was probably the worst they have played ever & it was freezing! They didn't score until the last minute after 75% of the stadium had cleared out. When you have an OSU obsessed boyfriend who's family graduated from there & he has his bachelor's degree & master's degree there, you stay for the whole game no matter what. Still fun though.

With Bradley :)

I love script Ohio!

My friend Kim went to the game with us. Her first college game ever!!!

On Sunday my mom and I went to a local craft show at a high school. Mostly just the same old stuff from year to year, but I did purchase this really cool purse.

It might not look like much, but it's actually made out of recycled coffee bean burlap sacks. This organization makes purses out of them, and 100% of the profits goes to humanitarian relief for children locally & abroad who are orphans, hungry, and hopeless. The organization is called I Know Hope. These bags come in many different sizes & are really cute! This size is perfect for me. There is just enough space to fit my wallet & a few other necessities. Another upside is that it is an across the shoulder/body purse which I am in love with right now. Nothing beats free hands when trying to shop!

Curious about the organization or want one of your own? Check out their website at www.iknowhope.org

Have a great week :)

Sick days

I'm sick again...

I think this is just a full blown sinus infection. Started out with just a sore/dry throat and got progressively worse this week. I struggled the past two days at school and decided to take the day off today after not sleeping last night and not being able to think clearly. I hate taking sick days. I was sick most of the year last year but only had to take two days off. I really hope this year I'm not sick all the time. I think my students got used to me sounding like a man last year (embarrassing) because I would lose my voice and sound awful. Hopefully I can get it out of my system early & stay healthy with flu season coming up!

While I sit here at home all day, I do have time to catch up on the laundry I haven't done in two weeks. I'm so congested though that I got winded after bringing my two large laundry baskets to the laundry room. I'm two loads in... many more to go.

While I wait for my laundry machine to buzz at me, Bubba and I are sitting here enjoying some day time t.v. that I never get to watch like Regis & Kelly and The Price is Right. I've been cuddling up with my large cup of coffee with peppermint mocha creamer (the best!), a box of tissues, and my dog that loves to cuddle during the day but doesn't want to be touched at night.

Cuddling :)

 We are currently watching The Price is Right. Yes Bubba watches too :)

Watching The Price is Right reminds me so much of both my grandmas. My dad's mom passed away back in 2001 from cancer, but my mom's mom who is 86 lives with us now because she suffers from dementia. I would always watch this show at both my grandma's house. We would always play along with the show while my cousin would claim that he saw his soccer coach or his teacher in the audience.  This show really brings me back to my childhood where I didn't have a worry in the world, at least none that were very important. Yes the show isn't the same without Bob, but it still has the same feel which is nice. I would watch this when I was sick because I would always be with one of my grandmas when I couldn't go to school since my parents work full time. 

Sick days are not really different from when I was younger. Yes I am doing laundry which I never used to do, but when I go back to school tomorrow (hopefully) I will still have things to make up just like I did when I was little. 

Hopefully I can enjoy this sick day as much as possible despite the ability to breathe. The buzzer went off on the dryer. Off I go to continue my third load...

Wow Technology

Now I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to technology. Being 23 years old, I grew up with a computer (without internet or slow internet) a cell phone at a young age, & cable/answering machines. Yes, there was a time where my family didn't have cable or an answering machine. We were always the last to upgrade to new technology. Even with me growing up with all this new technology, we will still always a few years behind the world.

The first computer we had was an apple computer that was a black screen and had green text. I remember playing lemonade stand on the computer & some alien shooting game. We didn't get cable until I was in 6th grade which was unheard of. Most people had cable by the year 2000 but we got it for Christmas. Yes, there is a picture of me opening a box with a postcard about cable. I have a shocked look on my face. I almost cried. I couldn't wait to watch nickelodeon & the disney channel.  Other than our apple computer, my uncle built our first functioning computer where you could actually do more than play games. Along with that & getting the internet, we still had dial up forever. My parents would get so mad at me for keeping the phone line busy for 3 hours on end while I was chatting it up on AIM.  We finally got high speed internet when I was in high school.

     





I got my first cell phone when I was in 8th grade. Pre-paid good old Nokia. I had a hot pink sparkly cover & a clear one that lit up. It was cool to have different cell phone covers. You could switch them anytime you wanted! Those years since then have seemed to fly by when it comes to technology.

Imagine a bright pink sparkly cover :)

Virtually everyone has a laptop now. I'm on my second one already. Almost everyone has a camera & a good one at that. People have a new cell phone every year, an MP3 player, an e-reader, & the list goes on. How cool is it that you can control things in your house from your cell phone when you aren't there? I feel like everything is moving so fast & shhhhh I'm starting to feel old.

My students have grown up with all of this. They were born into the technology boom. Born between the years 1998 -1999, they pretty much always had cable, internet, cell phones etc. Yesterday we were talking about cell phones in class. A few students were telling me about a new phone they got & what they have. My students have the iphone! Whaaaaat??? They are 12 & 13! I don't even have a phone that fancy. Feeling old? I sure am.

I'm dreading the day they know more than me about technology.

The month of August

I realize I have been slacking majorly on my blog writing. With the beginning of school and being sick, I haven't had much to talk about! I do have some pictures to document my crazy filled month of August & beginning of September so here it goes!

In this area, we are lucky to host a tennis tournament that has all the major players. They come to get ready for the US Open which is right after this tournament. I have gone almost every year since 2006 & I love it! I have seen some major players in the past few years and to top it off, we get box seats! Here are some highlights of this year...

Roger

Novak!

Nadal   

RAFA!

Roger!

Creepin' in on a practice

Andy!

Some cuddle & play time with Bubba 

 Brad sold his first car :(

WEBN fireworks for Labor Day weekend. We have the best seats in the house! I didn't get many good pictures though because it was raining this year.

Brad, me & the cincy skyline :)

Pretty Cincinnati

Typical brothers

Much better

Under the tent because it was raining

 Last weekend I enjoyed my first OSU game of the season!

Script Ohio

9/11 tribute <3

Now I'm sick again. I was sick pretty much all of last year probably because my immune system wasn't built up for all those sick kiddos & first year teacher=no sleep. Hopefully I will get over this soon & I won't have to miss any school!