Happy Birthday Kimmie!

Today is my real life, best friend, Kimmie's birthday. You should go over and wish her a happy birthday. I'm so excited that it's her birthday, but so sad that I'm not there to celebrate. Kimmie and I have been friends for more than 4 years and continue to talk weekly even though we're separated by lots and lots of miles. I can't wait to go visit and see her new home. In honor of her birthday, I'm sharing some of our favorite times together with you. (Warning...lot's of pictures in this post.)

First, some of her past birthdays that we've celebrated together. We've had way too much fun!The above 2 pictures are from Kimmie's 23rd Birthday. We celebrated with a trip to The Cheesecake Factory, followed by a lost drive around Dallas and an unhappy friend, and ended with a trip to our favorite local hangout.

These 2 pictures were taken on Kimmie's 24th birthday. The 5 of us took a cruise to Mexico. We had way too much fun. Maybe next year we'll be able to go on another one.

This was Kimmie's 25th birthday. A bunch of friends from all over the metroplex met up at Gloria's for a fun dinner together.

Now, onto some of the fun we've had over the past years.

This is us at Grapefest. We not only enjoyed great wines, but we also LOVED the food there. Actually, we loved the food anywhere.
Kimmie was a life saver at our wedding. She helped me get everything in order before the wedding and kept me and my maid of honor calm before the wedding. I was so grateful to have her there.While Anthony was away at basic training and tech school this past fall and winter, Kimmie went out of her way to keep me company. We had so much fun and so many great adventures. She was lucky enough to get tickets for a Mavs game through her work, and she took me. We also went down to Austin to visit her family, visit wineries and eat some cupcakes. I honestly don't know what I would have done had she not been around.

Kimmie, I hope you have a wonderful day. I wish I was there to celebrate, but I'm celebrating from afar. Your present should be there already, according to USPS's website, it arrived yesterday. You deserve a wonderful day. You are such a wonderful friend. Love you!

There's No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk?

I disagree.

Yesterday, I was enjoying my breakfast of Special K and a glass of milk while catching up on blogs. As I went to set the glass down, I dropped it (I'm clumsy). It went everywhere! It was on the couch, the blanket, me, the carpet, and my laptop. Mostly on the laptop actually. It instantly turned off and I haven't been able to get it back on. I currently have it sitting in a trash bag with rice (I was told this would help absorb the moisture).

I think that deserves some tears.

Thankfully, Anthony is at work every other day and is sharing his for the time being. No new laptop until I have a job. Mom's coming back out to visit at the end of this week and is going to take it home to see if it can be fixed.

The Past Week

I realize that since posting my list of things I was looking forward to, I haven't updated you on how any of them were. I'm sure you are all just dying to know. Ha!

1. I was not impressed with Harry Potter. I haven't seen any of the other movies nor read any of the books. I just couldn't get into it. I did enjoy lots of good junk food at the movies though. I was excited to see that the movie theater here has bulk candy (even if it did cost $10 a pound). So, I had some sour cherry strips, popcorn, and coke. This was preceeded by Bagel Bites before leaving the house and followed by fried mushrooms and stuffed jalapeno poppers. Yeah, I had nothing healthy.

2. Mom's visit was great. Anthony and I cooked for her while she was here and I really think she enjoyed that. Sam and Frankie were super excited that she was here. Sam showered her with kisses. Frankie cried at her bedroom door in the mornings. We watched Confessions of a Shopoholic which we could both relate to in a sense. We thought it was cute.

3. Monday we drove down to Fredericksburg. It rained off and on during our drive. We enjoyed lunch at a cute cafe along the way. When we arrived we shopped for a while. We checked into our Bed and Breakfast just in time for the rain. Once the rain passed we headed to dinner. It was then that we realized most things in the town were closed by 5 or 6. We both wanted ice cream so we decided on a trip to HEB to pick up some Ben and Jerrys. Tuesday we walked around some more and did some window shopping. We headed back around 11 so that we could spend some time with Anthony.

4. Anthony's birthday was great. Atleast I thought so. You can read about it in the previous posts.

So, now most of my fun events are over. We may make one more trip home before the summer is over. Hopefully I will find a job soon and will start work in the middle of August. Then, our anniversary is coming up at the end of September. I'm really hoping he will be able to get off work for the weekend so we can take a short trip.

Hopefully I can find something fun to blog about since all I seem to do now is lay by the pool.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday, to my wonderful husband!

Anthony turns 24 today! He had already recieved part of his present a month ago, which was Sam. In addition to Sam, he ordered himself two golf clubs to complete his set. And, I surprised him with a shirt. Real exciting, I know. He was just like a little kid though, couldn't wait to open them this morning.
We've spent the day hanging out together. We watched Grand Torino in bed this morning. Then played some Mario Bros. on the Wii. After that, we went bowling (his favorite sport). He had to practice because tomorrow he's getting off work to go bowl in a tournament on base and he hasn't bowled in months. Tonight, we are going with some friends to eat at a Japanese Steakhouse in town.

I had planned to decorate the house for him (I LOVE celebrating birthdays) and cook him breakfast for when he got home from work this morning, but he got off work early! He showed up last night around 7! I was super excited about that, since we only get to sleep in together 2 days every 2 weeks. But, my plan was kind of ruined. I sent him to the golf store with his birthday money from my parents so now I can decorate!

(This is a picture from basic graduation...you can tell my the haircut.)

Happy Birthday, Anthony! I love you!

What a Night

I had a really good evening tonight. I had leftover Hawaiian chicken kabobs with rice, which was great. And since it was leftovers, there was minimal cooking and cleaning! After that, I made some s'mores thanks to Kimmie's post and Target's product placement. They were delicious, even though half of them ended up on my face. After that, I layed around and watched some TV and talked to my grandmother. It was very relaxing.

Until 9:30. The power went off. It wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't 95 degrees outside at 9:30. But it was. I called and was told there was a blackout and they couldn't tell me how long until the power would be back on. Then, the carbon monoxide detectors started beeping. So, I called again. I was told it was okay and it sometimes happens when the power goes off. So, I waited. And waited. About 30-45 minutes later it came back on. But, the beeping didn't stop. So, I called again. They told me to take the battery out, but that didn't stop it. So, I called one of the guys that works with Anthony and he determined it was the battery, but because of the way it's wired, just taking it out doesn't stop it. Just disconnecting it and taking the battery out doesn't fix it. AHHH! How am I going to sleep? So, again, I called the apartment's answering service. I explained my situation and the nice lady called the maintenance man who came out at 11 to disconnect it, take out the battery, and then run out all the juice by holding down the button. The one thing we didn't do. Anyhow...they will be out tomorrow to put in a battery and reconnect it.

And I am now very happy to have power AND no beeping! Ahh...the simple things!

Upcoming Fun

There's not much going on in my life right now. Just lots of lounging either on my couch or by the pool. I went 2 whole days with no makeup because I didn't leave the house. I know, I'm lazy.

Here are some things I'm looking forward to over the next couple weeks.
~Tomorrow I am going to see my first Harry Potter movie. I've never gotten into the books or movies, but Anthony has talked me into it.
~Sunday my mom comes to visit. Then, Monday we will be going to Fredericksburg to spend the night, taste wine, and shop. I'm so excited about this. I miss my mom tons since moving.
~Thursday is Anthony's birthday. No real plans and he already knows what his presents are, but it will still be a fun day. There will be cake involved!
~The next Thursday is Kimmie's birthday! I'm very bummed that I won't be with her to celebrate, but am having a blast picking out her present. Maybe I'll even make a cake to celebrate!
~Job hunting will resume in August. I'm working on my electronic professional portfolio and plan to distribute it, along with my resume, to all the elementary principals in the district when they return from their summer break. Please pray that I find a job. Four months of not working is really hurting my shopping ability, and making me really lazy.

Anything exciting happening in your life over the next few weeks?

Birthdays

Unfortunately, mine has already come and gone, but two of my favorite people do have birthdays coming up this month! Anthony's birthday is the 23rd and Kimmie's is the 30th! With their birthdays coming up, the question arises of what to get them each.

Now, of course I won't discuss my thoughts of what to get them, because that would just ruin the surprise. But what I find the most interesting is the differences in each of them when it comes to birthdays. Kimmie's like me. We celebrate birthday months. And we like surprises. That being said, buying for Kimmie is so much fun and I'm having a blast with her gift. Anthony's very different though. He decided that he just wanted the money and would buy all his presents himself. He's ordered them all online already so they will be here in time. I, however, will not let him have them until his birthday because I want the day to be somewhat fun.

So, I'm interested to know, do your husbands/fiancees/boyfriends get excited about birthdays?

Funny Story Friday

I place literacy time on a pedastool in my classroom. We spent more than half the day reading and writing. I loved that part of the day. But, my favorite part of it was writing. The students would plan, write, proofread and revise their stories. After they felt the story was the best, I would publish the story by typing it, folding the papers, and completing with a cardstock cover. The students then illustrated their book they they wrote all by themselves. They took such ownership in their work.

I'm including one of my favorite stories that was written this year. It's not for the weak of heart.

I realize this might have been a traumatizing even in this child's life, but they ways she told the story just makes me laugh. Perhaps that's not nice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe one day it will be available in stores.

My Wonderful Week

I spent this past week visiting my family in my hometown, and I had a really great time. Now that I'm 4 1/2 hours away instead of just 1 1/2 hours away, I don't get to see them quite as much as I'd like. Perhaps that's why we were stationed here first, to prepare me for being farther away from my family that I love so much.

I won't bore you with a daily schedule of all my fun. Instead, I'll just recap some of the highlights. I got to see my 91 year old grandfather every day I was home. Every time I went to visit, I was sent home with home grown tomatoes. They were wonderful! I really enjoyed my time with him since I'm not able to talk on the phone with him while I'm away (he can not hear well). I plan to start sending him letters so he can keep up with me while I'm away.

I saw two movies while I was home. First, Mom and I went to see The Proposal. I loved it. It was full of funny scenes and the story was great. Then, the next night, my parents, brother, and I went to see Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D. We all loved it! I'm a big fan of the Ice Age movies, and I loved it being 3D.

In addition to my parents, brother, and grandfather, I also got to visit my grandparents on the other side of the family, an aunt that I haven't seen since our wedding, an uncle and some cousins. It was so great seeing everyone. I had a lot of fun just hanging out with my family. I look forward to my mom's visit in a couple weeks as well as my next trip home.

Until then, it's enjoying time by the pool, working on a professional portfolio and searching for a job.

Great Giveaway

My real life friend Kimmie, at Full Circle Adventures, is having a give away in honor of her 500th post, her birthday, and Independence Day. She is giving away an autographed copy of Jenn Lancaster's new book, Pretty in Plaid. I highly recommend checking out her blog and wishing her a happy birthday month (her birthday isn't until the 30th).

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day with friends, family, food, and fireworks! Fireworks have always been my favorite part of the holiday. Growing up, we lived outside the city limits, so we always got to buy small fireworks and would set them off in our road. When I got a little older, my dad started helping with the city show so we would always go watch that sitting not far from the launch site. As I got older, I've missed firework time with the family, but I've made some new memories. I've watched the fireworks in the bay in San Diego and in Tampa Bay. Last year we lit our own fireworks with some old friends and neighbors. This year, I was determined to enjoy a firework show in my new home. But, unfortunately, Anthony is working today (since fires don't take a holiday, neither does Anthony).

I was very excited though when I saw that very small town nearby was having a firework show on the 3rd. We were going. I was determined to see fireworks, so plans were made. We started by cooking out with another couple at their house. After that, we headed out to see fireworks. As we got closer, there was tons of traffic. People were parked on both sides of the highway for a couple miles. Traffic was crawling. We parked next to another couple we knew and prepared for the show. It got dark. We waited and waited. I was a little worried I had drug everyone out to the middle of nowhere in tons of traffic for nothing, but boy was I wrong. It finally started at 10 and it was the most spectacular show I have seen (don't tell Dad). They set up the fireworks to music that played on the radio. The fireworks were constant, with no down time for reloading. they must have had 10 tubes for launching. I tried to capture some pictures, but they don't do them justice (especially with my lack of skills).

I look awful, I know. But I wanted a picture of the two of us.

This evening I'm heading up to the fire station for a family cookout with the fire station family. I'm looking forward to more grilled hamburgers and not having to cook! Hope you're enjoying yourself as much as I am. Happy 4th of July!

*Note: Turns out, I had the menu wrong. We were served steak, grilled corn, stuff jalapenos, beans and deserts. Those firefighters can cook!