Birthday Weekend!

This past Friday was my 30th birthday. My birthday weekend was a busy and great weekend! I went to work on Friday and my grade level gave me a chocolate pecan cake from Rao's Bakery and a Starbucks gift card that I can't wait to use! The kids were really sweet and made cards for me too. After work mom took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's, to eat. I always order the same thing, the chicken bryan, and it was so good! After we ate, we went home to open presents and eat more cake!

I have wanted a nice luggage set for a while now because I am a little OCD and it bothers me when I travel to carry mismatched luggage! I know I need help :) Mom and dad gave me a beautiful luggage set that I love! Glenn surprised me with a GPS for my car. I am really excited about it because I will admit I am directionally challenged a little and I should have bought one a while ago :) Thank you Glenn!

My new luggage!

On Saturday, mom and I drove to Waco to pick up my sister, Stephanie, and go to Roxanne's wedding. Roxanne is the daughter of my mom's good friend, Linda. The wedding was in Salado which is about an hour from Waco. When we got there Stephanie and Ross surprised me with my favorite birthday cake..boston cream pie cake! It is a yellow cake with vanilla pudding between the layers and chocolate frosting. We ate just a little piece because we had to save room for wedding cake too :) There was no shortage of cake this weekend!

Birthday Cake!

The wedding was so beautiful and the reception looked like it was right out of a magazine! Her husband graduated from UT Austin and the groom's cake was a replica of the UT tower complete with lights and everything. I wish I had more pictures from the wedding but I brought this camera that I really don't like because it fit in my purse and now I remember why I quit using it. None of the other pictures turned out good, but I did get one of the tower cake.

Groom's Cake

It was a wonderful birthday weekend! I am excited about my 30's and everything God has planned for my future!

I can't end this post without saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my "birthday buddy," Pierson. He turned 1 year old on my birthday, March 5th. His mom, Britni, is one of my very best friends and Pierson is the answer to many prayers. Britni and her husband Wade went through infertility issues and finally decided to stop treatments to find out soon after that they were pregnant! God answered their prayers and then to top it off Pierson was born on my birthday!

Wade, Pierson, and Britni

Britni also turns 30 in April, so we decided to do a trip to celebrate our birthdays during spring break this year. Carrie, Heather, Britni, and I are going to Fredericksburg, TX for a girls/birthday weekend. After we leave Fredericksburg I am going back to Weatherford to stay with Britni for a few days and to see Pierson. The last time I saw him was when he was about 4 months old. I can't wait to get to see him and play with him! He's getting bigger and cuter by the second!

A Typical Day in the Life of Me

I follow a blog called Kellys Korner and every once in a while she does a post called "Show us your life" where you can write a post and link it to hers. This week she did a post and asked us to show her what a typical day looks like for us. I thought it would be fun to participate, so here it goes...

6:00 Alarm goes off, but I usually hit snooze until 6:30 :)

6:30-7:00 Get my coffee ( I set the coffee pot to make the coffee at 6:30, so it is ready!) and have my quiet time/Bible study time with God (Best part of the day, couldn't make it without it!)

7:00-8:00 Get Ready for work, eat breakfast, and make my lunch

8:00 Leave for work (I am so blessed to work 5 minutes away)

8:05-8:15 Arrive at work and go to my classroom. I usually spend 10 minutes checking my email, changing the date on the board, looking over the lesson plan for the day, or cleaning something in my classroom.

8:15 Pick up the kids from the gym and go to class

8:15-8:45 The students work on their daily work while I check my email, do attendance, and check agendas (a notebook the school provides for each student to write their homework in and I stamp them green, yellow, or red for their behavior each day. They have to get it signed each night.)

8:45-9:30 Math lesson

9:35-10:20 Special classes (P.E., Technology, Music, or Art depending on the week) This is my "planning time" and I usually make copies, have a meeting, do my lesson plans, call a parent, have a parent/teacher conference, or leave to run an errand during this time.

12:20-10:30 Restroom Break

10:30-11:20 Finish the Math lesson

11:20-12:15 Reading lesson

12:20-12:50 Lunch...I bring my lunch everyday and eat it in the classroom while I listen to the radio and surf the web, catch up on my blog reading, or check my email again. Occasionally, I leave and pick up my lunch.

12:55-1:05 Restroom Break

1:05-2:05 Writing/Language Arts Lesson (1:15-2:00 Math Lab on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week)

2:10-2:55 Science/Social Studies ( alternate every other day). Fourth grade goes to recess when it is nice outside from 2:45-3:00.

2:55-3:15 Mark agendas, clean the classroom, pack up to leave, and walk the car riders to the cafeteria

3:15-3:30 Clean the room some more, get organized for the next day, and leave unless I am tutoring or on duty (which is one day a week after school with the bus riders and one day in the morning with the bus riders). I have been tutoring Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-4:40.

3:30-5:00 Get home, eat a snack, and watch t.v. a little

5:00-5:30 Exercise (I use to walk outside and then my cousin introduced me to this walking exercise video and I love it. I try and do it at least 5 days a week.)

5:30-6:30 Cook and eat supper

6:30-9:00 Watch some more t.v., grade papers, do stuff around the house, etc..

9:00-9:30 Take a shower and get ready for bed

9:30-10:00 Read a book and go to sleep

Wake up and do it all again the next day!

Been Teaching Too long?

If you are a teacher or know someone who is, you will probably say yes to at least a few of these. It also makes me think of moms or anyone else who takes care of kids.

*Do you murmur "no cuts" when a shopper squeezes ahead of you in the check-out line?

* Do you move your dinner partner's glass away from the edge of the table?

*Do you ask if anyone needs to go to the restroom as you enter the movies with a group of friends?

*Do you hand a tissue to anyone who sneezes?

*Do you remind your guest to bundle-up before they leave your house?

*Do you say, "I like the way you did that" to the mechanic who repaired your car?

*Do you say, "Are you sure you did your best" to the mechanic who failed to repair your car?

*Do you sing the "Clean Up Song" to yourself as you clean your house.

*Do you draw a happy face on the shopping list you give your husband?

*Do you fold your friend's fingers over the change you loan them for a Coke?

*Do you ask a quiet person at a party if he has something to share with the group?

*When trying to get a group of friends attention do you say, "eyes on me!"

Late Valentine's Day

Most of you know that my dad is in Pennsylvania working right now, so for Valentine's Day he called and told mom and I to treat ourselves and go to our favorite restaurant and eat. He gave us strict orders not to split anything, to order whatever we wanted and get dessert (so sweet!) So, we had no choice, we had to go to The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday. We did just as we were told, except we had to split our meal. Who can eat all the food they give you at The Cheesecake Factory? It was so good..I have been having serious withdrawals for a while now.

Thanks dad, we love and miss you!

After we ate, we shopped and shopped and shopped some more. At one point we were so tired from walking that we sat in the shoe department of Macy's for a while to rest. Does walking at the mall count as exercise? I mean it feels like a work out. My legs were sore all day on Sunday.

Every time I go to the Galleria I run into someone I know from Beaumont. This time, we ran into Meredith and Brandon from church. They were like us, they said they just needed to get out of Beaumont for a day. And by the way, Meredith told me at church on Sunday that she was so sore from walking all day too! That made me feel better....I was starting to think I was really out of shape if I can't handle a day of shopping!

I enjoyed Saturday so much. I am so thankful for my mom and the relationship we have. She is my best friend and mother all in one and that is a gift from God! We have so much fun together and I want to enjoy these times as much as I can. I know that this is a special season in my life and that in the future these times will be few and farther between. I don't want to take them for granted.

Need a laugh?

My sister showed me this video on You Tube and I had to share it. If you have ever been to a nail salon to get a pedi or mani you will completely relate to it! So funny :)

Pray for Matt!

The Chandlers

Matt Chandler is the pastor of The Village Church in the Dallas area. On Thanksgiving day this year he had a seizure and found out that he has brain cancer. He is only 35 years old with a wife and three kids. My friend Britni and her husband Wade use to go to his church and I had the opportunity to go with them one Sunday. Since that time the church has really grown and God has been using Matt in an incredible way. When I first heard about this my heart just broke for him and his family. I can't imagine what they are going through, but I also know that the we serve a BIG God and nothing is impossible with HIM!

I started following Matt's blog soon after I heard about the cancer. Reading about his faith and strength during this difficult time has blessed me so much. He regularly posts videos and updates of how he is doing. Please join me in praying for Matt and his family as they walk this road.

Below is a list of prayer requests off of Matt's blog that he wants prayer for:

My doctors
That God might glorify Himself in amazing ways through all of this
The Village Church and our elders
Complete healing
Healthy appetite
Protection from side effects of radiation
Protection from side effects of chemotherapy
Peace for my family…specifically my children and their salvation
Audrey 7 yrs. old
Reid 4 yrs. old
Norah 6 ½ months

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of diseases among the people." Matthew 4:23

Super Bowl Sunday!

I love this picture of the Saints QB and his son....precious!

I did something this weekend that I have never done before. I watched the entire Super Bowl game from start to finish! I was pretty proud of myself considering that I have never been a big football fan. I will even admit that I was a cheerleader in high school and I remember times that I would get home from the game and my dad would ask me who won and I didn't know.... sad, but true. I wanted to be a cheerleader because I loved cheerleading and the cute uniforms and not because of football! I have been to many Super Bowl parties and spent most of my time talking with the other girls that had no idea what was going on in the game either. I would only watch the half time show and of course the commercials and that was about it. So, this was a big deal for me to sit down and watch the entire game.

I have to say that I really enjoyed watching it. I wasn't exactly going for one team or the other, but I heard that Peyton Manning is an amazing quarterback and so I started pulling for the Colts to win. I still don't get all the rules and calls yet, but I get the basic idea. I actually was on the edge of my seat at one point when the ball was intercepted by the Saints and they made a touchdown. It was pretty exciting to watch the Saints get that touchdown.

I know that only one team can win, but I just hate watching the other team sadly walk off the field while the winning team is celebrating. Don't you wonder what they talk about when they get in the locker room? Are they crying, mad, or good sports about it. Probably a mix of emotions. Anyway, I wasn't impressed with the half time show, the commercials were okay, and I thought Carrie Underwood was amazing as usual. I love her voice! My favorite commercials were the E-trade babies (so cute) and the Tim Tebow commercial. Below is an interview with Tim Tebow's parents where they tell their whole story. 30 seconds did not do it justice, but I am so glad that Focus on the Family got it on the air.

I am still not sure if I would sit and watch football on a Monday night, but I am definitely more interested in it. Who knows, there might be a football fan in me somewhere :)