Thursday, July 29, 2010

The News I Have Been Waiting For!

I officially have a job teaching Kindergarten at the school I’ve completed all of my field experiences and student teaching at.

It’s very convenient for me because I know the staff so well, not to mention that the school is literally two minutes away from me.

While I didn’t know I had the job, I’ve been scouting out plans for the classroom. Let’s face it! I don’t have much time at all to figure out what all needs to be done in there. School starts August 9th! Open house is August 6th!

Madness is what it is. I’m going to be busy for the next few days trying my best to get it all together.

The Kindergarten’s theme is school, so that’s pretty easy.

I decided to go with this…

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School is a bushel of fun!

That’s what is going on my door. I have lots of plans for the room.

I’ll share the finished product with you when I get done. Hopefully it will be worth sharing!

Off to my new classroom!

This knocks off #22 on my 101 list…yippee!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Just in case…

Just in case you’re not real interested in looking through 297 photos from our wedding and would like the shortened, to the point version, my lovely photographer created a slideshow of our special day.

I have to say that I’ve been under a lot of stress lately since it’s crunch time in the job market, and it’s down to one job opportunity. Must I also add that it’s two weeks until school starts?!? Must I also add that I’m a first year teacher with zero resources?!?

Oh my! Okay…that didn’t help me.

On to my point…

Since I have been so stressed lately, I’ve been wearing my emotions on my shoulders. When I saw this slideshow, it brought tears to my eyes. I remembered that day to its fullest. The song is one of my favorites, too!

If you’d like to see the slideshow, you can go to Julie’s blog. I’ll make it easy for you though and link it to the photo below.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Friday, July 23, 2010

They are Here!

My wedding photos are here!

They are everything I ever wanted!

Julie captured the happiness of the day, Colby and myself, and all of the guests who came to celebrate. I would like to thank Julie for all she did. She has bent over backwards for me, and she went above and beyond my expectations. I truly appreciate all you did for me. I’m lucky to know that I made a friend out of the experience as well.

Ok…I know you’re dying to see the photos. Click on the photo below to be linked to it.

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Yay! I’m so excited! This definitely made my day!

A Nice Surprise

I was in a bit of a funk yesterday.

Tired. Groggy. Exhausted.

That pretty much sums up how I felt. Much to my surprise though, I got yet another wedding gift. It couldn’t have came at a better time. I was whipped right back into a cheery state.

My boss’s wife, Carolyn, had been looking for a personal gift, and she knew what she wanted. She was just having a hard time finding it.

I opened the gift, and this is what I found.

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It’s my first piece of silver. Are you falling in love with the ruffled glass yet? I did in about 0.0156 seconds.

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This is my second piece. She said that she has very similar pieces of her own that she continually uses at parties and such.

I have to say that I’m very excited about this gift, and it certainly is personal. I will always remember who the gift came from, which makes it that much better. Personal. She achieved it.

On another note, I was also surprised about what we are going to do this weekend. Oh a whim, we were invited to go to a fellow firefighter’s river cabin out of town, so we’re pretty excited.

I’m most excited about new friends and new relationships. I think it’s going to be a terrific experience. Can’t wait to see what it’s all about!

I pray you all have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Two months!

I’ve really been dragging today. It seems as though exhaustion has caught up with my body, and eight hours of sleep is no longer enough. I was thankful for a lunch break nap though.

In spite of my sleep-deprived mood, I received a very special reminder today. Colby and I have been married two months!

Okay…I know it’s not a year, but I will consider it blog-worthy, especially since I’ve been lacking in the blogging department this week.

The past two months have flown by very quickly. Can you believe that summer is almost gone? I swear that ever since we got back from our honeymoon that we’ve been in a whirlwind.

Job hunt. Moving in. Changing names. Ordering china. Holidays. Fun times with friends. Work.

It’s just been crazy. I have to say that I’m looking forward to hopefully having some stability in a job {if I get one}, football season, and relaxation.

The relaxation thing sounds a little out of place. That should be in the summer time. Since relaxation has been very little this summer, I’m going to make up for it this fall.

Oh, and I found this flag for football season. Colby’s a huge Alabama fan, and I go with which ever way the wind blows. It doesn’t really matter to me. Although, seeing as how I will be living with this man for the rest of my life, I know which way the wind better blow!

Bama football flag

For you Auburn fans, they also have the same kind of flag for you. I actually saw this one because my friend Kate had one. That’s where I decided I needed one for myself.

You can click on the photos to be linked to the flag of your choice.

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Cute, right?

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thursday!

Friday is almost here!

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Great Weekend

When I left the blog on Friday, I spoke of the weekend plans that I had. Dinner and a movie. Just Colby and myself.

When we were leaving on Saturday to go to Pensacola, we had to stop by McDonald’s and get us some food before we went down there. When we were in the drive through, we saw the stunt bike riders.

Colby had already been to see them that morning because he was hoping to advertise his bike some since we’re selling it. It was a free show, so it was perfect. I had not seen them though, and while I hate the fact that Colby has one of those bikes and that it scares me to death for him to ride it, when other people ride them it intrigues me.

I have to say that it’s a little surprising for me. I’m not the kind of person you would think would like bikes, especially dangerous, fast ones at that! Since Colby saw my interest, he asked if I would like to watch them for a little while, and we could eat lunch while we did.

Needless to say, I did very little eating. I pulled out my new handy dandy camera and snapped as many photos as I could. These guys were awesome. If I knew how to work the video on it a little better, I would have taken one. Give me time. I’m working on it.

Here’s some tricks I captured…

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Now, I’m going to share with you a series of photos of this guy…

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Crazy, huh? This is just a sample of the small stuff they were doing. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

We saw this pretty awesome bike, but it was a little disturbing I suppose.

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Notice what’s supposed to be the handles. Get what I’m saying now about the disturbing part? Great attention to detail though…ha!

After we left, we headed out to Pensacola to see a movie. Eclipse was great if you’re into the Twilight series. I just happen to be, and it’s surprisingly because of Colby. He’s the one who liked them so much first.

Before dinner, we made a stop by Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I finally got the knives I’ve been wanting. If you had used my knives, you know why I so desperately wanted a new set. The others were just a cheap set from Old Time Pottery. Bad idea.

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I don’t think this is a decision I will regret. Definitely worth the money. Thanks to all you gift card givers! It really helped out!

I’ll leave you with this photo today. This was the sight I saw from my front porch yesterday evening.

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Breathtaking!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Number 8 – Check!

I’m so proud of myself. I’ve finally completed all of the thank-you cards that I’ve been working tirelessly on. I can’t even tell you how many I’ve written. Because I’ve completed all of the thank-you cards for all of the gifts I have received to this date, I’m checking it off of my 101 list.

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Don’t let this picture deceive you. This is only the last batch that was left. I’ve literally written hundreds.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to complain really about writing them because people were very gracious to us throughout the whole marriage process. I think we were truly blessed with all of the thoughtfulness that was shown towards Colby and myself.

We got some amazing gifts, and we also received tons of gift cards to the local gift shops which carried all of my china. In the end, I was able to order 12 place settings each of my flatware, fine china, and everyday china. That’s amazing!

Take a look at these stamps! I found these online at the USPS store since our post office doesn’t always keep the stamps I like. Aren’t these lovely? I find joy in the smallest things. A bonus was that they didn’t cost any more than regular stamps!

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I also can’t tell you how excited I am that it’s Friday! I’m so ready for the week to be over. Colby and I have a date tomorrow, which always brings a smile to my face. We’re going to see this movie….

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Not surprising, huh?

Well, I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Oh so close!

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I have blogged before about how the Langham family has a cabin on several acres of land that they own. The cabin is sitting conveniently right  by the pond, and up until this year progress has been slow and sporadic to say the least.

Since the end of last year though, it has been making amazing progress. Some additions have been made to the one room cabin, and it is actually now a three room cabin. New floors. New ceiling. New bedroom. New siding.

Oh, did I mention there’s a toilet. A working toilet at that! Boys just don’t understand why us girls need those handy contraptions, but if you’re a girl you understand.

You get the picture though. New everything.

Colby and I made a trip out there to see the progress that had been made in the past week, and boy were we happy to see what we saw. Near completion!

Now it’s down to the small things. Knobs. Polyurethane. Cabinet doors. Furnishings.

I can’t wait to stay out there. Once it’s cleaned up, Colby and I might stay out there without furnishings. That would be fun!

I’ve made an album below with all of the photos I made. It was near dark, so I apologize for the darkness of some of the photos. I’m still figuring out this camera. Give me time. I’ll get there.

Anyway…enough of my blabbering. May I present to you:

Progress.

Oh, and as we were leaving, I caught this photo. Can I express to you how much I want some imaging software?

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Faith in God

Yesterday afternoon, I received some saddening news. My high school principal, Phillip Ellis, passed away after a difficult battle with cancer.

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To be quite honest, I have debated on whether to do a blog post on it because I wasn’t sure that I would have the words to portray him as the amazing man he truly was. However, I felt in my heart that I should recognize a man that showed great strength and faith in God.

At our small high school, you get the opportunity to know the administrators, faculty, and staff better than  you would in a larger school. You literally know every single teacher and administrator on much more than a name basis. You get the opportunity to know them personally. After all, it is a small town, and most of the time you know these people outside of school as friends of the family.

Mr. Ellis was a figure in the community that most people knew. He was the agriculture teacher and later became the school’s principal. He was at nearly every event the school had, and his school spirit was clearly known.

A year ago though, he was diagnosed with cancer. However, instead of letting it get him down, he fought courageously against the attacker, and his faith in the Lord shown all around him. His positive attitude was contagious.

He continued to work at the high school even after he had been diagnosed and was going through treatment. Later though, he was transported to Birmingham for more intense treatment and care. After returning home, he was greeted by the community with signs and more love than you can imagine. His determination led him to participate in his final commencement at W.S. Neal High School. I would definitely qualify that as intense love for his school and students.

While we grieve over such a wonderful man, we know in our hearts that he is in a place that we all pray we have the privilege of going one day, to meet our Heavenly Lord.

I pray for this family, as it is always particularly difficult to lose a family member, especially a father and husband. I pray that the Lord will ease their pain. My request to you is to keep this family in your prayers.

My cousin also described Mr. Ellis here.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Number 44- Check!

I was quite the busy bee this weekend! What’s even better is that I checked off one more item on my 101 list! I took the initiative this weekend to can my favorite kind of jelly…plum. You have not lived unless you have had plum jelly. Delicious!

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I ended up with {10} 1/2 pint jars full of this delectable spread.

What filled up the rest of my weekend, you ask?

Flowers. Do you remember the ferns that I planted and hung on my front porch?

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I loved how they looked on our front porch, but it didn’t take long to realize that I had bought the entirely wrong kind of fern. I bought a Boston fern, which likes shade. That’s the exact opposite of what our front porch has.

After letting them die, I decided to plant something a little more friendly to the sun.

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Now, my baskets look something like this….

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Much better, don’t you think?

I’m also in the process of checking one more item off of my list. I ordered all of my china today from all of the wedding gifts we received. Now, I’m just waiting on it to come in, so I can put it in its place.

Keep those prayers going for me in the job search. I’m hoping for a call sometime this week since the board of education for the county meets on Thursday. I’m getting a bit antsy. I know God has a plan for me even though I may not see it yet. He has always provided for me, even when I thought things weren’t going to work out, and I’m sure I will see his plan for me soon.

I also have a cabin update coming up! It’s made HUGE progress since it’s been last seen on here. I can’t wait for it to be completely finished, so we can get on with furnishing it.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Number 7- Check!

I am proud to say that I have marked yet another thing off of my list.

I’ve been waiting to post this until I got the last document in the mail, but I have changed my name on all important documents.

Bank statements.

Driver’s license.

Social Security Card.

And those not so important things like…

Magazines.

I decided it would probably not be in my best interest to put a photo up of those things as proof since it has so much personal and private information on them.

That brings my total to 15 items checked off my list! Not bad progress…

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Blueberry Festival

A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided that we would venture to the Annual Blueberry Festival in our hometown of Brewton, Alabama.

To try to beat the heat, we arrived right when it opened at 9 a.m. I have to say that you couldn’t even beat the heat that early, but with Aly in tote we continued on. Can’t you see the excitement in her face?

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When you go, this is what you might see….

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I fell in love with this pink flowered plant. If I would have had more money and would have known if it could bear the sun, I would have bought two of them to hang on my front porch.

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I loved these photo signs. They were just precious.

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After we got done shopping, we took a break in the shade to watch a group of twirlers from our surrounding area. We were so hot and tired that we decided we would spend the rest of the day at the pool, which made one little girl very happy.

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Even she likes to soak up the sun…

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After our big day, these are samples of what we walked away with from the Blueberry Festival.

Wing Sauce and Homemade Ranch Dressing -$5 each

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Pillowcase dress- $12 and Bow- $3

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Apron- $10 {I think}

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I also got a key chain and a really cute wooden magnetic board that sits on my desk.

I will just say this. Some people enjoy the festival, and some don’t. Many don’t like the fact that it was moved from the shaded local college. However, I will say this. I enjoyed going to it even though the heat was bad.

If you have a kid, you can definitely save some money on cute outfits by attending the festival. I’m pretty sure I will be going back next year. Even if it’s just to get my creative juices flowing…

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Hope You Had A Great 4th!

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend. I don’t know about you guys, but I was busy doing something the entire weekend. It was fun, but now I’m worn out.

Judd and Abby, my BIL and SIL, came down from Birmingham Thursday night. I had to work all day on Friday, but we made the best of the day that evening by taking the boat out. It was their first time on an air boat, and if you’ve never been on one, it can be quite the experience.

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While we were on our way to meet Colby’s cousin and friend, we saw two kids stuck on a four-wheeler. Colby and Judd were nice enough to help them out, while ultimately getting their clothes filthy. It turned out to be our next door neighbor.

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On Saturday morning, a shower was being given for my cousin’s future wife, Kelli. She has got to be one of the sweetest people I have ever met. We love her so much, and we’re so glad that she’s going to be part of our family. I brought my new camera along for some photos since I know how important it is to have photos to capture the moments leading up to their special day.

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If you know Chuck, you know this is a perfect gift. He’s a big hunter, not to mention that he’s the game warden.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay very long. I was glad I was able to get as many photos as I did {around 50}. Hope you had a great shower, Kelli!

After the shower, we immediately went to the river again for a celebration with friends. I didn’t take one photo the entire day, but I can definitely say that I was so worn out I didn’t even stay up for the fireworks that night. I was in bed by 9:00.

On Sunday, I went to the annual Dawkins celebration at my grandmother’s house. Good food, swimming, and great conversation can sum the day up.

Later on in the day, I gave my niece, Aly, a ring pop. You just can’t get more 4th of July than this.

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Monday was also a special day. It was Abby’s birthday! To surprise her, I bought some cupcakes and candles. I didn’t bring it out until right at lunch time while she was still getting ready. I hope you had a great birthday, Abby!

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That sums up my weekend! I hope you enjoyed yours as much as I enjoyed mine!