2009

2009 was a challenging year full of ups and downs.  It has definately been a year of growth for me.  I know that God has made me a much stronger person as a result of all that we have been through.  I also know His work is not over.  Here's a recap of the year...

January 3-Sent Anthony back to Tech School in his new Trailblazer.  Very sad to see him go.

March 19-Anthony graduated Tech School and got to come home.  I couldn't be happier.

April 9-My last day teaching 2nd grade.  I resigned early so that I could be with Anthony.  After teaching that day, I drove to be with my husband.

April 15-We moved into our new home.

June 7-Sampson joined our family.

September 1-Hired to teach Kindergarten, a week after school started.

November 26-Our first Thanksgiving meal cooked at our house.  Mom and dad came to visit.  Mom might have done most of the cooking.

December 9-Found out Anthony would be deploying in May.

December 18-Sinus surgery #3.

December 24-Celebrated Christmas just the two of us.  It was a white Christmas!  We had a wonderful time! (blog on that to come later)

December 28-Finally able to go home and see both of our families.

December 31-Kimmie comes to visit!

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dear Cupcake Courier

I absolutely LOVE your cupcake courier.  I can carry my cupcakes wherever I please, without a mess.  But, it is because of you that I cannot decide on regular size red velvet cupcakes or minis.  You see, I really want to make minis since after eating a big Christmas meal, most people are too full for a whole cupcake; however, I cannot carry minis in your courier. Now I have to make a decission.  Do I make regular sized cupcakes and use my wonderful courier or do I make the minis like I want and deal with a mess? 

Please make a tray for minis!

That is all!

Our New Christmas Traditions

As I stated a few days ago, Anthony and I will be away from our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so we have come up some our own traditions that we will do this year and I'm so proud of Anthony for doing his best to make me happy throughout the holidays.  You see, usually our holiday looks something like this:

Christmas Eve day:  Hanging out at my mom and dad's.
Christmas Eve night:  Dinner and presents at my dad's mom's house with ALL of his siblings and their families.  There are usually about 17 of us there.
Chrismtas Eve at midnight:  Candlelight church service with my grandmother or best friend and her family (I have to alternate).
Christmas morning:  Open Santa presents with my parents and brother. 
Christmas Day:  All of my mom's family comes over to my parents' for lunch, presents, and quality time.  They usually spend the whole day there. 
December 26:  Chrismtas with Anthony's family

But this year, here's what we are doing:

Christmas Eve:  Anthony comes home around 8, and goes back to sleep.  When we get up, open presents.
Brunch at IHOP.
Begin smoking the ham and preparing the sides.
Lupper (Lunch/Supper) just the two of us.
Looking at Christmas lights.
Watch Elf.
Christmas Day:  I think I'm taking food up to the fire station and we are all having a big lunch.  But, I'm not sure because these guys have not made any plans.
December 28:  Christmas with Anthony's Family
December 29-30:  Christmas time with my family.
December 30-January 1:  KIMMIE TIME!

So, even though it's not what I'm used too, I still have a lot to be excited about and I still get to see family.

Oh Christmas Tree

I love when it is finally time to put up the Christmas tree.  It's even more special now that I have my own tree and my own ornaments that I get to share with my husband.  While it doesn't technically have a theme, I try to stick with red and white/silver ornaments.  I also try to find ornaments that have meaning to us.  Here are a few of my favorite ornaments:

This was a wedding present we recieved from my mentor teacher a couple years before.  Her and her kids always picked out ornaments that had to do with the events of that particular year and she wanted to share the tradition with us.

This is an ornament my best friend Kimmie gave to me.  We had many adventures that included wines and wine testing.  She found this ornament and thought of me.

Since Anthony LOVES golf and every present he asked for was golf related, I found it only neccesary to get this ornament when I was it.

Change

Things always seem to change with the military.  As a firefighter, Anthony works 24 on 24 off, with 72 off in a row every two weeks.  Basically, he works 72 hours a week.  I've adapted to being home by myself 3 days and nights out of the week though and I think he's got used to working it.  But it really stinks for holidays.  Since fires don't take vacations, neither does he.  And because he's only off 7:30am to 7:30am, we don't get to go home and visit families. 

Well, that being said, I was real excited when they got an extra day off for Christmas.  That meant, he had 72 hours off before Christmas (22-24th to be exact) and 72 hours off after Christmas.  We could spend time with both families.  And celebrate with my family during our tradition Christmas Eve dinner.  I have been looking forward to it for so long.  Well guess what....

Yup, that changed.  Some guys got in trouble and they took away their extra day that they got.  So, I'm kind of really bummed.  I know it's military, and that's how it goes, but ugh!  I was fine when I thought I was going to miss it BEFORE you gave us an extra day.  But then you got me so excited.  Now, I'm so bummed.  I don't get how punishing everyone is going to make a difference.  It's always the same guys that make the bad choices.  Everyone lost their time off.  Except the higher up guys, those that are in charge and responsible for other guys!  How is my husband supposed to keep these guys from drinking and driving?  They already have a number to call to get a ride if you can't drive. 

We're going to make the best of it.  Atleast we're trying to.  What are some things you and your husband do when you can't go be with your family for Christmas?

Holiday Baking

I was inspired by Kimmie to create special treats for people at work to say thank you for all they do, both for me and for the kids.  It took me a while, but I decided on chocolate covered pretzels, white chocolate dipped peppermint sticks, and Christmas tree spritz cookies.  Here's how each turned out...

The Chcolate Covered Pretzels

The White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Sticks (an idea I got from Kimmie)

And Christmas Tree Spritz Cookies (Another idea from Kimmie, she used to always make these for me)

Some were gifts by themselves and some I put together in a cute bag or box.  I also made some extras for our team Christmas party tomorrow night!  I can't wait to share them with everyone tomorrow!

Thank you!

Thank you all for your kind words, support and prayers.  I honestly can feel the prayers working.  I feel much more at peace about the situation and trust that God will get me through it.  I am so glad that I have found so many military wife bloggers that can help me along the way.

I'm very lucky that he will only be gone 4 months.  Two and a half of those months will be my summer vacation.  I plan to spend most of that time at my parents and do some traveling and catching up with friends. I've decided to try not to think aboout it over the next few months.  We have until May together so we can start worrying about things and figuring things out in the spring.

What's next?

So, Wednesday didn't go well either.  It got MUCH worse.  We got word today that Anthony will be deploying in May.  I know that is part of being a military wife.  It's the part I've feared the most.  Please pray for us.  Pray for peace and strength. 

I'm moving to Australia

Okay, not really.  But that's what Alexander always said when he had a bad day.

I'm having a bad week.  I'll recap for you and then I'll move past it all and hope for a happy humpday.

1.  Couldn't find my keys for my classroom yesterday.  So I was locked out.
2.  Stepped on my bag in the floor in my classroom.  Rolled my ankle.  Fell to the ground.  And did something funny to my knee.
3.  Drove home from working in freezing drizzle.  Yuck!
4.  Today, Frankie got into the pantry and found Hershey Kisses.  He ate a BUNCH!  Half of the package was missing.  He only weighs 10 pounds.  He got sick.
5.  Frankie hid the kisses around the house for later.  Sam found them.  He too got sick.
6.  Anthony had to clean it all up and wasn't happy with me for leaving the pantry door open and the chocolate on the bottom.
7.  I think I have pink eye or some other eye infection.  My eye hurts.  And looks horrible.
8.   My favorite teacher across the hall is sick.  I sure miss her.
9.  My kids are going CRAZY with indoor recess.  I wish it would be warm in dry for just a few days.
10.  A mother told me she was upset because her son told her that he was getting beat up at school.  And I never called her to talk to her about it.  By the way, he's twice the size (literally) of most of my kids.
11.  I found out my surgery is scheduled for 8am and I have to be there at 7.  Too bad Anthony doesn't get home from work until 8. 

Okay, pity party is over.  Tomorrow is a new day.  And only 7 more work days until Christmas break (and surgery).  Then I get to see my family and my Kimmie!  And I'm so excited about all the Christmas parties coming up.  I just love giving gifts! 

Christmas in Kindergarten

My kids are CRAZY!  First of all, on Tuesday I put up the tree, the tree was up in the school and it was officially December.  While my kids have no clue when Christmas is they know it's coming.  They come in every day and ask if today is Christmas.  Then to top that off, we woke up yesterday to a blanket of snow.  That made the kids really excited, but also meant no outdoor recess because it was too cold.  So, they are going a bit stir crazy.  Enough to really frustrate me. 

But then...God reminds me they are just kids.  He reminds me that I am a teacher because these kids need me.  This morning I took in a snowman that I got last year that lights up and changes colors.  Watching my kids when they saw it this morning was such a special moment.  They all stopped and just stared in awe.  My room was silenet.  It was really neat to watch.  Then the silence was broke and the craziness returned.  But it was such a magical moment.

Thanksgiving Vacation

My Thanksgiving break has been absolutely wonderful.  Just what I needed to get me through until Christmas.

Wednesday-I got my hair highlighted and cut.  Then picked up a few last minute things for Thanksgiving.  My parents got into town around 5:30.  We went to eat at Outback and then came back to the house and started cooking for Thursday.

Thursday-Mom and I started cooking around 10 while Anthony and my dad slept in.  We had a wonderful meal.  I had every intention of taking pictures, but I completely forgot.  My mom brought a smoked turkey and pecan pie.  We made dressing, sweet potatoe casserole with pecans and brown sugar on top, brocolli rice casserole, and macaroni and cheese.  And to so that my husband would have a dessert to eat, chocolate swirl cheesecake.  It was a wonderful meal!  After the meal, we watched both the Cowboys and the Longhorns win!  It was such a great day with my family.  It sure makes me wish they weren't 4 hours away.

Friday-Mom and I got up at 5:30 and headed out to shop.  I didn't get anything big, but I did get my Christmas shopping almost finished and got a wonderful fuzzy blanket from Target.  We shopped until around 1 and then they headed home.  I went out and did a little more shopping, then took dinner to Anthony and the fire station, made one more run to WalMart and Target which resulted in me being very frustrated and disappointed, but I'll keep that story to myself.

Saturday and Sunday-I've cleaned up the house, wrapped presents, addressed and stuffed Christmas cards, done laundry, unloaded the dishwasher twice and got some wonderful relaxing in.

I'm sad that it had to end, but I'm excited about what is to come.  I only have 2 weeks and 4 days of school left before the next break.  I will get to do fun Christmas activities with my kiddos including a Christmas breakfast and Polar Express in our PJs.  I will get to give all my kids their gifts and watch their eyes light up as they open then.  I have a work Christmas party this week and another with my team in 2 weeks.  I will get to celebrate 2 of my teammate's birthdays.  I will get to drive around town and look at Christmas lights.  I will be having sinus surgery on the 18th and I'm super excited about the fact that hopefuly I will start feeling better after this.  I will get to spend 3 days at my parents and 3 days with my husband's family over Christmas break!  Anthony and I will be going to ICE at the Gaylord.  I will get to see my best friend who lives way too far away.  And we will go ice skating outside!  Wow...I knew had a lot to look forward to, but just now realilzed how much is going into the next month!  Wow...I can't wait!!!! 

And on top of all that excitement...they are forecasting the possibility of snow on Tuesday! 

Kindergarten Field Trip

Yesterday was our first kindergarten field trip.  I was a little apprehensive since we were going to the farm and I am such a city girl.  I was also nervous because I hate for things to not be structured and I know field trips don't usually have that same structure as the classroom.  But I survived.  I didn't lose any kids.  No one got hurt.  And I think everyone had a great time.

We started by learning about the cow.  The man asked if any one knew what the utters were called and one my kids yelled squirter things.  I thought that was pretty funny.  Then we went for a hay ride, minus the hay.  I was real nervous about 30 students on a trailer, but noone fell off.  Some cows did get out and started heading our way.  That sure did freak out the kids.  One boy cried for an hour after that.  Then we fed the animals.  This resulted in me having to chase a little boy down because he wanted to go feed the bull and took off down the road.  After that, we got to ride horses.  This too made me nervous, as I have a fear of horses.  Well, it all went well.  Except for the two boys that thought it would be fun to pretend to be lasoing and nearly fell of the horse.  But they didn't. 

After that, it was time to head back to school.  The kids were pooped and so was I.  I had about 5 asleep on the bus.  It was a fun day.  But a day I am glad is over.

My Favorite

Oh, how I love these Oreos!  It all start many, many years ago.  My grandmother used to buy me White Fudge Covered Oreos every year around Christmas and we would eat them when I stayed the night with her.  Back then, they would come in a tin instead of a box.  Now, whenever Christmas time nears and I see the White Fudge Covered Oreos on display, I get so very excited!  I found my first box this year a few weeks ago at the commisary (and I think they've started putting less in the box).  I've already consumed two boxes (but there's only twelve in a box, so really I haven't had TOO many cookies) and plan to buy more.  If you haven't tried them, I think you should.  But definately, whatever you do, DO NOT look at the nutritional information.  I might of looked this year.  But thank goodness I have a bad memory!

Thankful

My writing assignment for my kid's tomorrow is for them to write about what they are thankful for.  (You should see these 5 year olds write, I'm amazed!)  Well, before they write, I will model it for them.  So, I started making a list today of what I'm thankful for.  Here are just a few...

1.  My husband-even though he thinks the hamper is magical and his clothes get clean just because he puts them in there, he really is wonderful.  God has really blessed me.
2.  My family-even though they aren't very close, not a day goes by that we don't talk.  I can't wait to see them next week!
3.  My job-God has really blessed me with the school he placed me at.  I also realize that I am lucky to have a job right now. 
4.  My dogs-no matter what, they always have cuddles and kisses for me.
5.  My friends
6.  The beautiful weather-I finally got to wear my new scarves and coats!
7.  The kids at school-there's nothing like having a rough day and having a student raise their hand and say "I love you, Mrs. J"

What are you the most thankful for this year?

Old Navy

I wanted to share with all my military wife readers out there, I went to Old Navy today and they were offering 30% off with a military ID!  And don't worry, it last for a few days (sorry, but I can't remember exactly). 

A Big Thank You

A huge THANK YOU to all of those who have and are serving our country.  You deserve way more than Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. 

Stunned

My prayers and thoughts are with those at Fort Hood and their families near and far.  May God comfort you and give you peace during this difficult time.  May heal wounds and hearts.

My husband called me this afternoon while I was at Target.  He asked if I heard what had happened.  I assumed he was talking about something the guys at work did.  They are always doing dumb things.  I couldn't believe what he said next.

The men and women that serve our country have enough to worry about with deployments.  It saddens me that now there will be the additional fear of a military brother or sister opening fire while on US soil. 

Mexican Food

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately.  I just can't get enough.  I love Mexican food.  Since I obviously can't eat out every night, I searched for some recipes that would give me my Mexican food fix.  Here are a couple I found from Southern Living. ( I also grabbed the pictures off of Southern Living, as mine don't look near as pretty, and by the time I get done cooking, I just want to eat!)

The first one we tried was the chimichangas.  We enjoyed them so much when we Anthony made them a couple weeks ago that we made them again last night.


Chimichangas

Ingredients

• 1  (16-ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided (I used a can of Rotel)
  
• 7  cups  chopped cooked chicken
• 1  small onion, diced
• 2  to 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 20  (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 3  cups  (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato (we chose Queso)
  

Preparation

1.Combine 1 1/2 cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.
2.Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.
3.Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

We loved these.  And it made a ton.  There were atleast 2-3 extra meals. Meaning I didn't have to cook the next night!

The next one we tried was Mexican Lasagna.  This one I was a little more hesitant to try, but it was really easy and really good.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  ground mild pork sausage
• 1/2  pound  ground beef (I omitted the sausage and used all beef)
  
• 1  (15-ounce) can jalapeno ranch-style pinto beans, drained
• 2/3  cup  canned diced tomatoes and green chiles (AKA Rotel)
  
• 1  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1  (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 9  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1  medium tomato, seeded and diced (I left these out)
  
• 4  green onions, chopped (didn't have any, so I used about 1/8 c white onion)
  
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  medium avocado, chopped (didn't use these)
  

Preparation

1.Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.
2.Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.
3.Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. 4.Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients.
5.Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with avocado.

What Mexican recipe do you enjoy?

A New Month

I am so excited that today is November 1st.  It means that...

~I'm going home to see my family in just 12 days!  My last trip was canceled due to a sick dog.
~Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I will be hosting my first Thanksgiving lunch/dinner (who knows when we'll actually eat.)  My parents are coming down to visit and enjoy Thanksgiving.  It will sure beat my last Thanksgiving spent alone in a hotel on base and eating base cafeteria food.  I was happy, however, that I finally got to spend some time with Anthony, even if we weren't allowed to be go to my hotel room or leave the base.
~Black Friday shopping is quickly approaching.  I love this day!
~I can put up Christmas decor in only 4 weeks!  I love decorating for Christmas!  I love Christmas!
~I am a month closer to seeing my best friend Kimmie!

Really?

Dear Air Force,

I am not sure what was going on with your planes at 2:30 in the morning, but I did not like it.  I do not live on base, yet I felt like I was sleeping on the flight line.  My house shook. My dresser rattled.  If you have to rev up your engines on your jets for some real reason (and I'm sure there is one) that is fine.  Totally understandable.  But 2:30 in the morning?  Really?  I was trying to sleep.  Without my sleep, I become one very cranky kindergarten teacher.  

Thank you!

Saying Goodbye

I found out Friday that the little boy who told me my clouds were stupid and that decided to give himself a haircut will be going to another school.  If you had told me 8 weeks ago that he would only be in my room 8 weeks, I probably would have been happy.  But, I am honestly very sad.  In fact, when he looked at me yesterday afternoon and said, "Mrs. J, I am going to miss you," it brought a tear to my eye. 

Yes, we had our difficulties, but we had our celebrations too.  He had learned 13 letters since the year started.  He enjoyed learning.  He hugged me in the mornings when he saw me.  He was able to sit still and not bother others (most of the time).  He finally had some consistency in his life that has no consistency. Instead of calling himself stupid like he once had, he now considered himself smart.  He believed in himself.

God brought this child into my classroom and my life to remind me why I do what I do.

Things are looking up!

A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I was discouraged because I Ididn't feel like I was doing a good job at teaching my kids and I was really taking it hard.  While I still have so much to learn about teaching kindergarten, I am realizing that I am making a difference.  Here's what I've seen so far...
~Almost all of my kids know atleast 5 more letters than they knew 4 weeks ago when I assessed them.  They are learning!  I'm teaching them!  Only 5 of my kids know less than 16 of the letters now!  It was 10 before.
~Most of my kids can read 3-8 sight words!  They can even read them when I put them together to make a sentence.
~They can tell me what letter many words start with.  They are beginning to write sentences with beginning letters!
~And they must think I'm doing something great because they are always giving me hugs and sometimes I even get a kiss.  They got excited today when I walked in after being at a training all morning. 

My confidence is growing.  Still don't feel like I'm at the top of my game, but I'll get there.  Thanks again for your support! 

What I'm Up To

With Anthony's job, I spend one day a weekend at home by myself every weekend.  At first, this was hard, but I've grown to love my WHOLE day to myself. 

So far today, I've...
-Got new fall scented Bath and Body Works plugins.  And a "Leaves" candle.  It smells amazing.  I highly suggested getting either a candle or plugin in "Leaves."  It's kind of a cinnamon/pumpkin/fall spice scent.  I'm loving it.
-Picked up a pair of tights that Target had on sale.  They only had one pair in my size and I found it hiding among another style of tights.  I was so excited!
-Bought the ingredients for Anthony's cake.  When I wasn't working, I made some kind of sweet every week.  Now he expects it.  This week he wanted strawberry cake.
-Gone to the BX to pick up some Clinique stuff that I needed.
-Eaten delish leftover potato soup that I made when I was sick.

Now I have to...
-Make the above mentioned cake.
-Place my new plugins around the house!
-Take my boxer for a walk because Anthony is convinced that I hate the dog because I don't like to do anything with him.  He's also convinced that if I would exercise I wouldn't get sick all the time.  So, I'm knocking out two birds with one stone.
-Prepare for parent conferences this week.
-Enjoy all my favorite TV shows on ABC. 
-Slice my fruit to take in my lunches this week.  All the teachers bring fresh fruit in their lunches, and my little fruit cups just don't prepare.  So, I bought peaches, strawberries, and rasberries for the week.  I'm thinking I'll get it all ready today so I don't have to do anything to it during the week.

Only in Kindergarten...

Only in a kindergarten classroom...

...does a kid put a pencil in the classroom toilet.  And then another kid offer to get it out.  Eww!


...I am called Mom or Mommy.

...do we sing a song about everything.  I sing about opening backpacks, colors, lining up, going home, going to the bathroom, washing your hands...and the list goes on.  There's even a song called "Who Let the Letters Out?"

...kids bring hand sanitizer, but don't understand that it's for everyone, not just them.

...kids have wrestling matches in my library.  Daily.  When do boys stop fighting/hitting/kicking/tackling?

And thanks for the encouraging words.  I know things will get better with time.  They've even started to get better.  My trouble lies in accepting that fact that I'm not going to be perfect good at everything right away.

I'm My Own Worst Enemy

I've heard the whole thing about being your own worst enemy and never really thought about it.  Until today.  It became real.  I'm having a hard time with teaching kindergarten.  I'm not really loving it.  I know part of it is that it's hard for me to adjust to working with 5 year olds.  But I knew there was more to it than that.  I just couldn't figure it out.  Then it hit me.

I absolutely HATE that I am not good at what I am doing.  I was not the best teacher, but I was really pretty good at teaching second grade.  My kids made lots of progress.  They were almost always on task.  They listened to me.  I really was confident in myself as a teacher.  Well, not any more.  I have no confidence in myself right now as a kindergarten teacher.  And that, for me, is very hard.  I am very critical of myself.  Quite a perfectionist actually.  And now that I am not good at something and it's something I can't just quit doing (like all sports) I don't like it!  At all!

I realize it will get better.  And I realize that with time that hopefully my students will listen to me and do what I ask.  And I know that the more I teach kindergarten the more confident I will be. 

But right now, I'm not liking myself.  I'm not liking not being good at teaching my students.  And it's getting to me.

What I Learned in Kindergarten

Here's the kind of day I had.

It's okay to punch someone, as long as you tell them you are sorry right after.

When hot and cold mix, then there's a tornado.  (I thought that one was pretty smart.)

Tomorrow is Friday.  Tomorrow is also Sunday, as well as Thursday and Monday.  (Eventually we got that tomorrow really is Wednesday.  Even though we sing a days of the week song EVERY day they still don't get it.)

The library in the classroom doubles as a wrestling ring.

And, for the record, kindergarteners do not make you feel better when you are scared of storms.  I spent 15 minutes convincing them there wasn't going to be a tornado.  Then having to explain what to do if there was a tornado.  And by the way, I'm absolutely TERRIFIED of storms!

Germies!

One of the things that drives me crazy about teaching is the germs! I thought 7 year olds were bad. Ha! 5 years spread even more germs and don't wash their hands enough. Or use Kleenex. And they pick their noses! EWWWWW! Well, there's lots of stuff going around right now. And I thought I had caught it. But I think I'm safe so far.

It all started about a month and a half ago, before I was back in the classroom. I had an awful sinus infection. I went to the doctor, got a few medicines and was on my way. It got a little better, but never went away. Then, a week into teaching, my body stopped fighting and it go worse. I called my old ENT back home and got more medicine. Something different. It helped a little, but it still wasn't gone. But the pain was minimal, so I dealt with it. Well, Wednesday, I started feeling awful. I was achy. I was whiney. My face was in pain. My eardrums felt like the were going to explode. I went to work that day b/c I was just in training. But my symptoms just got worse. So, I got a sub for Thursday and stayed home to rest and let my body fight off all the extra germs.

I was able to get in to see a new ENT out here. He looked around with a camera, attached to a tv...I so did not want to see inside my nose. Then sent me to the hospital to sit and wait forever get a CT scan.  I go back next week to find out the results.  I'm a little afraid he will want to do another surgery (I've already had 2 sinus surgeries).  But maybe not.  This is one time that I am truly grateful to have TriCare.  I've gone through this process before with regular insurance and it was awful.  I don't really care what he decides to do, I just want to feel better.  This sinus infection is driving me crazy!

Today I am feeling better though.  I was able to go to work.  Hopefully after a weekend of laying on the couch I will be all better.

I'm So Lucky!

I want to begin by saying that I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!

I'll start with our anniversary. We headed to Arlington right after he got home from work (8am). We enjoyed Houlihans and Chuys. I was a happy camper. We spent the time in between shopping. I love the fact that he enjoys shopping. When we got home, we ate the top of our wedding cake. Or maybe it was more like a tiny bite of our wedding cake. It was not very yummy!

We are not very traditional people, so we didn't do the traditional paper wedding gift. Anthony got me what we are going call an anniversary ring. It is a band that has one diamond in it. Each year, on our anniversary, he will add a diamond. This is extra specialy because it is something my dad did for my mom and Anthony wanted to do the same. I tried taking a picture, but you couldn't really see the details because of the glare. So I gave up. Anthony wanted to get a ring tattooed on his left ring finger, where his wedding band sits. He is not supposed to wear his ring while at work because of the dangers. I loved the idea of a tattoo. So, Friday night, we headed to the tattoo parlor (or whatever they are called these days) and this is what we came up with:
And two more reasons I'm lucky: 1) He came up to school yesterday and helped me put my new classroom furniture together. 2) He cooked some amazing fajitas for dinner last night!

Happy Anniversary!

We've made it a year! And boy what a year it has been. Here's a recap of our first year of marriage.

~We were married September 27, 2008.
~We took a 5 day cruise to the Caribbean for our Honeymoon.
~Anthony left October 7, 2008 for Basic Training.
~We spent 6 1/2 weeks apart with only 2 letters and 2 phone calls.
~The next 4 1/2 months we lived four hours apart, but we could see each other on weekends and talk on the phone.
~March 12, Anthony finally came back to live with me.
~April 5, Anthony left for our new base while I finished my last week of school.
~April 9, I joined Anthony at our new base.
~April 15, we moved into our new townhome, where we would finally live TOGETHER.
~We then endured my unemployment for 5 months.

It's been a challenging year, with many tears, but we have made it and we are stronger because of what we have been through. And, it could have been worse. I know that many other wives, and even my readers, spend even less time with their husband. I was very blessed that Anthony has been in the states the whole first year of our marriage.

We had planned a trip to Dallas for Sunday to spend the night and celebrate. Anthony had taken leave Monday and I had taken a day off work because he couldn't get off Saturday. But of course, things could not go as planned. Anthony now has to go into work on Monday. But, after our first year, I guess that is only fitting. I was talking to my grandmother about how I felt and she reminded me that I should be grateful for what I do have. At least we are in a position we are able to go out and celebrate. We both have jobs and money. And Anthony is HERE with ME. So, my attitude's changed. We are going to Dallas tomorrow to spend the day and enjoy wonderful food and fun! I'm super excited about our great food. We are also meeting my mom to pick up our year old wedding cake. You can't have a first anniversary without that!

I'm leaving you with some of my favorite wedding pictures. Atleast my favorite of the ones I can find. I am not sure what I did with my CD. (But don't worry, Mom has a CD, too. Although, I do get my forgetfullness and ability to lose things from her. )







Happy Anniversary Honey!

An Award!

I got an award from Mrs. Pave over at Air Force Recruiting: A Wife's Point of View. Thanks!!! I think it is a much needed break from my Kindergarten life.

Here are the rules:
1.) Thank the person who gave this to you.
2.) Copy the logo and place it in your blog.
3.) Link the person who nominated you.
4.) Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.
5.) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6.) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7.) Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them!

So...here are my 7 random things that you wouldn't know about me, except maybe my readers that are real life friends.

1.)I LOVE football season. I love to hang out with friends and enjoy wings while watching the game, or snuggle up on the couch with Anthony and spend Sunday watching games.
2.)I hate to clean, but love to organize. I could spend hours organizing closets and drawers, but HATE having to put up laundry or clean the kitchen.
3.)I'm in love with sweet tea. I drink it anytime I eat at home (except breakfast). But it has to be made with real sugar.
4.)I'm addicted to sushi. I eat it atleast once every 2 weeks. And I eat the same thing every time. (I'm eating it now.)
5.)I love other people's kids, but am so not ready for my own.
6.)I am a city girl. Being in the middle of nowhere is very hard for me.
7.)I like to always have some kind of baked good in the house to munch on. Although, whatever I make tends to disappear pretty quickly while I'm at work.

I'm going to tag all of my readers. I read the blogs that I read because they are entertaining and creative.

You Know You Teach Kindergarten When...

*Warning* this is kind of gross. If you're easily grossed out, you might not want to read.

You know you teach kindergarten when within 45 minutes, your class is interrupted by the following two lines:

"I'm sitting on the toilet going to the bathroom (had been in there like 10 minutes) and I feel like I'm going to throw up." I quickly ran a trashcan in and turned on some music. Then I hear "I just threw up." I had no idea what to do. I was NOT going in there. I don't know what I'll do when I have my own kids.

Then, after the bathroom is cleaned and that kid is home and we are trying to get back to learning, I hear "She just threw up on me." Thankfully it was only a small amount and I was able to deal.

Oh, what a day.

Sad day

Oh what a day it has been. It started off when I woke up with swollen eye. I have a stye. I am not happy. It hurts pretty bad. Then, when I came downstairs for breakfast, I poured my cereal into my milk glass, instead of the bowl that was sitting beside the glass. Then later, I mixed up my dogs' bowls. Sam (the boxer who now weighs 43 pounds) got the bowl with 1/3 cup of food. Frankie (the 7 pound dog) got the bowl with 2 cups of food. The bowls look nothing alike. It took a bit to figure out how Sam finished so fast. Then it clicked.

It was a sad day in my class. No funny stories. Just sad ones. These kids go through so much at home and it breaks my heart. One punched, pinched, and tackled other kids today. Needless to say, he went to the office. Mom wouldn't let them give him swats, so they made her come pick him up. I've never taught at a school that gives swats. I think it's an interesting idea. I'm a believer in spanking, while not while you are angry or enough to leave marks, but I was spanked as a child, and I think I turned out pretty great. I knew there were consequences for my actions. I think some kids just don't realize this. This particular kid could care less what he missed out on. Just glared at me with this evil look when I sent him to thinking time until I could find someone to take him to the office. He might have later stuck his tongue out at me. It might have made me laugh. No 2 days are ever alike, that is for sure.

I ended the day with some sushi and shopping. Then some TV watching. It's been a good ending to a yucky day!

Complete Randomness

It's been a long week and I haven't blogged since Saturday. But I don't have anything super exciting to blog about, so you get complete randomness.

~Kindergartners can be mean. I don't like it when they don't want to listen to me. That's not nice. It's been a LONG day with one particular friend.
~Kindergarten is a LOT of work. I not only teach, council and nurture, but I also no sing, dance and act. I walk around singing everything. I get songs about Trixie Triangle and Danny Diamond stuck in my head. I listen to Dr. Jean on my way home to learn more songs. I act all excited about everything. I sure get tired by the end of the day!
~My dog tripped me on the stairs this morning and made me fall. That was not a great way to start the day.
~Anthony suggested that we needed winter clothes, so I got to go shopping yesterday!
~So, I lied, I do have something super exciting. I get to see my best friend Kimmie on October 11th! We are going to the state fair!!!! I can't wait to eat lots of fair food.
~Our wedding anniversary is only 11 days away! We still aren't certain of what we are doing, as we aren't certain if he can even get off work.
~I'm very excited about the Texas v. Tech game on Saturday! I might have bought 2 Longhorn shirts today.
~My bank made me super mad yesterday. I transferred money from Anthony's account to mine, but it didn't go into mine. I called. The first lady said it would be there overnight. I wasn't okay with that. It should immediately go into the other account. I do this all the time. I spoke with a supervisor. She assured me it was there and she could see it. Funny, I couldn't. She claimed she even had a confirmation number. She assured me it was there. I hung up. Check online later. The transaction was completely gone and the money was back in Anthony's account. I went ahead and transferred it and the other transaction that supposedly even had a confirmation number, was nowhere to be seen. I'm pretty certain she lied to me. That makes me very unhappy and I am no considering finding a new bank real soon.
~Jamie over at Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is giving away Faith Deployment. Go over and check out her blog. Tell her I sent you!

I hope you are having a great week!

First Formal Air Force Affair

We attended our first Air Force dinner tonight. It was a "Celebrate Your Stripes" dining out. I wasn't sure what to expect. We didn't choose to go. We were voluntold as Anthony calls it. But, I'm glad we went. It was a neat experience.

We started with mingling and socializing. After that was all the formal introduction and color guard and such. Then they sat a place for the fallen and missing soldiers. That was very touching.

There were certain rules for this dinner. You couldn't talk about work. You couldn't clap...you had to hit a spoon on the table. When people did something wrong, it was called to the "president's" attention. Then they had to go drink from the "Grog bowl." It was a toilet bowl filled with liquor, juice, and other random food and drinks to represent things such as blood, vomit, urine, and fuel. It was really funny and entertaining.

After dinner, there was a retired chief that spoke. He gave a really good talk about being a good Airman which could really translate into life. He talked about the importance of attitude and aptitude. He was pretty entertaining.

So, atleast I now have that over with. I now kind of have an idea of waht to expect. People were dressed from as casual as a cotton dress or flowered church dress to as formal as long gowns that glittered. And I loved getting all dressed up!

Still loving it!

So, my life right now is nothing but work. So, that's all my blog is about. Sorry!

I still loving it! It's tiring, but lots of fun! Most of the time. Today I had kids start yelling "He's cutting his hair!" I ran over to see what was going on. They were speaking of the boy that didn't like my clouds. Sure enough, lots of chunks of hair wer missing. And there was a big wad of hair in his hand. I very calmly took his scissors away and took him to the "thinking spot" while I figured out what to do. Second graders didn't cut their hair. I was at a loss. The teacher across the hall was teaching, so I couldn't interupt, so I calmly talked to him about what he did. He then told me that his mom had bought his scissors and they were hers and I had to give them back. Ha. No scissor for him for a long time. Then I may go buy a pair of the kind that only cut paper for him. (He cut a foam puzzle yesterday.) A few minutes after getting out of thinking time, he came up to me and told me his heart hurt. I asked why. Other kids were making fun of his hair. Seems like a good natural consequence to me.

It's going to be a fun year!

Today was Amazing

I love teaching kindergarten. Atleast I do so far. The first day was pretty eventless, for the most part. We spent most of the day going over rules and procedures. Much like the first day of school. No one cried because they didn't want to be in my room, so that as a plus. I did have 2 kids fall on the playground and get knots on their heads, so we made 2 trips to the nurse's office but both were fine.

Then I had a little boy that was not so happy about the transition. He kept asking to go back to his class. He pleaded that he wanted to go to his other class because it was pretty. That conversation went something like this:
Me: Well, our room as pretty and fun.
Student: No, if it was pretty it would have red roses all over the walls. (His old class had no roses)
Me: Yeah, but we have clouds on the wall. Clouds are pretty.
Student: Clouds are stupid.
I have up and sent him to play. I was tired of that arguement. He later told me that his mom said he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers and couldn't talk to me. Then told me that his mom said he couldn't come to my room. I wasn't buying it. But I played along for fun. He's going to keep me entertained this year!

Everything else went smooth. I'm still learning how to talk to a large group of five year olds and them understand and be able to do what I ask. I sing alot. Poor kids. I'm an awful singer. But it works.

I'm tired, but nowhere near as tired as I thought I'd be. I even ran to Hobby Lobby after work. I came home and enjoyed leftover Pei Wei and am watching reality tv until I crash. I'm loving things so far! I truly feel blessed!

My Classroom

My classroom is ready for students! I won't say that it's finished, because it's honestly not ever finished. I will always be adding work of the kids and anchor charts of what we are working on. For that reason, it looks kind of empty right now. But that won't last long.

I get to spend my first full day with my kindergarteners tomorrow. I can't wait! I've got everything planned, even my outfit. Kindergarten will be very different from second grade, but I think I'm going to love it! Siunce I've worked so hard this week, I wanted to share some pictures of my new classroom. Keep in mind, I still have all new furniture coming.

This picture is from the door to the hallway. I LOVE having windows in my classroom. I plan to turn on lamps and leave the big lights off during most of the day.

Here's another look at my classroom. This view is from the door that leads outside. In the back right corner is my bathroom and sink! I will be getting a big rug to put in the floor where the letter blogs and small rug are. We just have to make do until it arrives.

This is the classroom reading center. Their are Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. That lamp is one of my favorite things. So colorful!

This is one of the 4 tables the students sit at. Each morning the students are going to start off the day working on writing their names. I will also be getting enw tables and chairs that all match. I just don't know when they will arrive either.

This is where I will do most of my teaching. I love using an esel instead of a big chalkboard or whiteboard. Rumor has it though, that will be getting smartboards and projectors at some point.

This is our word wall. We will probably only add 1-2 words a week.

Calendar Math

Discipline plan. The students will move their clips when they get in trouble. Then I mark in their folders what color they were on at the end of the day.

First Day

First of all, thank you all for your congratulations. That's the most comments I've had, and that made me excited!

Today was great! I love the school! I love the team! I love the principal! I am so blessed and know that God had this job in mind for me all along.

Today was mostly just spent getting a feel for things. We went to the warehouse (an old gym filled with old furniture no one wants) and got me a few pieces of furniture to get me by until all my BRAND NEW classroom furniture arrives! I get new things! I can't wait. I moved furniture around to how I think I want it for now. I got to know the other teachers. After that, I headed to buy things to decorate and book shelves and lamps.

Tomorrow I'm dragging Anthony up there to help put things together and carry all my boxes in.

I realized today that I have truly become lazy and out of shape from all my days of sitting on the couch and laying by the pool I am so worn out and I didn't even do much.

So, now I'm off to eat pizza and watch the Hannah Montana movie!

The Search Is Over

As you know, I've been on a major job hunt, and it wasn't going so well. I had an interview Friday and I wasn't pleased with it. It just didn't feel right, and needless to say, I didn't get that job. I was disappointed about it, as I desperately want to teach. But I knew God had a plan.

Yesterday, I had an interview with a company that works with children. I liked the company and the position, but they didn't have a position formally open. It would be a month or two before they had anything. I didn't want to wait. I'm super tired of sitting at home.

So, I got home from that, and decided I needed a nap. Shortly after laying down, my phone rang. A principal wanted to interview me for a kinder position. I set up the interview for today, but tried not to get too excited. I'd been disappointed and didn't want to go through that again.

The interview went great! They asked great questions and really got to know me. They're integrating a teaching method that I started using last year and loved. They were all very positive. And they seemed to really like what I had to say and agree with it too. It was a short interview, but I walked out of there feeling great! It really felt like the right place for me.

And it is! They called this afternoon to offer me the position! I am now a kindergarten teacher! I'm so excited. And kind of, really nervous! I've only taught 2nd grade. I can't wait though. I go in tomorrow to look at the room and start trying to get some things ready. So, I'm sure now I will have lots of fun stories to share!

My Very Own Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich

We LOVE Jack in the Box. After a night out, we often stopped by Jack in the Box on our way home. We both did this before we ever met. They have such a wide variety of foods. It's great! Well, since moving to the middle of nowhere, Texas, we aren't so close to a Jack in the Box. It's a twenty minute drive. And the worst part is, their new commercials make us want them even more.

Anthony especially found the mini sirloin burger song to be extra catchy. When we drive home and pass a Jack in the Box, I hear "Way out west, where the west was won...Yippee Ya Ay Mini Sirloin Burgers Yee Haw! I always laugh so hard. We always stop at some point on our trip and have both acquired a love for their Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches. Too bad we have to drive 20 minutes to enjoy them. So, I came up with my own Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches.

1. I cut the chicken breasts up into smaller portions to fit on my mini buns I found at Wal-Mart. Then, I dipped them in a combination of flour and seasonings and then into a bowl with milk and eggs and then back into the flour bowl. I then threw them (very carefully) into a skillet with heated oil. (sorry there were no pictures of the coating, it got a bit messy).

2. When the chicken was done, I sat it on papertowels to drain the grease for a couple minutes and then dipped them in buffalo sauce. It was just a sauce that we had picked up at the store for wings. I put them back on the paper towel for a few minutes to absorb some of the sauce.
3. I toasted the mini buns with some butter for about five minutes before making the sandwich.
4.Place the chicken on one side of the bun and then put the ranch on the other side. Place them together. I ended up adding more ranch because this just wasn't enough!
And...the finished product! I took them up to the station and Anthony was truly impressed. So, I succeeded!
They were really pretty simple to make. I'm not a big fan of frying chicken, but other than that I had no problems! They were great! And cute!

Nothing New

Frankie sits like this when I leave to go to the pool. Now Sam's trying to be like Frankie.

I don't really have anything fun to post. But it's been almost a week, so I felt I needed to blog. So, get ready for some randomness.

1. I am sick for the first time since moving to the middle of nowhere. I think 1 sinus infection in almost 5 months is pretty good, especially for me. But I am not enjoying this! The doctor gave me Singulair to help with the allergies and I didn't sleep last night. When I'm sick, I want and NEED to sleep. So, today I am not real pleasant.
2. Still no job, but I am looking at the positives. For the first time in years, I am not stressed out about lesson plans, decorating and organizing a classroom, or students that just can't behave. I get to sit and home, read blogs, go to the pool, and relax. Also, I get to spend full days with Anthony when he's off. If I had a job, I couldn't enjoy all these things.
3. I am so ready for football to start. I love professional football. I played fantasy football last year and won. I'm really trying to get a league started, but I think the guys are scared I will beat them again.
4. Our one year wedding anniversary is just 1 month away!

Maybe something exciting will happen soon and I'll have something to blog about.

The Bestest Best Friend in the World

You might think you have the most wonderful best friend in the world, but you are wrong. I do! I went to the mail today to check and see if I had a new Netflix movie and when I opened the mail box, there was a key to the big box. I opened it up, and inside was a package. It was from Kimmie!

Inside was this wonderful card with a very sweet note on the inside that definitely brought tears to my eyes.Inside the box, she included lots of goodies for WHEN, not IF I get my own classroom. I'm especially excited about the Sharpie pens, I had been wanting to try them out since they don't bleed through. Now I can!It was a perfect little pick me up. Kimmie's so wonderful! I'm so very lucky to have such a wonderful best friend, I'd be even luckier if they decided to move us to Edwards AFB so I wasn't so far away from here...but I don't think that's happening soon.Kimmie and I before my wedding. I was practicing walking in my shoes on the grass.

Now I'm going to play with my Sharpie Pens and To Do list. There are quite a few things I need to put on there! Thanks Kimmie! I love you!!!