Visit to good ole' Rocky Top

My family will probably disown me for the title to this post but oh well :)

I went home last month to see my awesome family before starting my new career. It was a great break and refresher before starting a new job. The first night I got in I met my second nephew, Braylon. He is such a doll but funny enough, looks nothing like his blonde hair, blue-eyed big brother. And he is so chunky!! I love me some chunky babies and could have cuddled him all night long.

*On another note, it was pretty awesome that me and Reagan matched that night without planning it. I had come straight from work and we were both wearing purple shirts*

We also met dad for dinner at Casa Fiesta. Great dinner after a long day's work and plane ride home. 

It's been a long day and that's all I've got for tonight. I'll post day 2 from the trip tomorrow :)

Last day at Texas Power

I started working at Texas Power the year that I moved to Texas, which was 2006. It's hard to believe that I've already lived here for 6 years! Texas Power became a second family to me and it was bittersweet to leave. I was excited to be venturing out into the teaching world after working hard in school for a degree and certification, but sad to leave those that I had built relationships with. It's always hard going somewhere new and having to meet new people all over again! Over the course of working at Texas Power I had 4 managers, all of which had different management styles and all of which I respected deeply. The last two were Marty and Jeana and they supported my desire to become a teacher from the moment I met them. They were always cheerleaders for me and pushed me to work for my dream. I will always remember their support during my last 6 months at Texas Power while I student taught and went to and from work for training and classes at UTA.

The company signed a really sweet going away card for me. This one made me laugh the most. Only Slone would think up such a thing :)

These days...

We are hangin' out, seeing new movies, working, and getting ready for the new school year. We are also having to do not so fun things like get new tires on both cars and get a new compressor for my car because the a/c went out last weekend! But God is so good and I kid you not, provided the exact amount we needed to have that fixed. I believe that He is definitely working on me and my concerns about always having "enough money" and testing me to see how strong my faith is! It's always exciting, yet nerve-wrecking to see what He is going to do next.

I also got keys to my classroom (more on that here!) and my last day at Texas Power will be next Friday. It is going to be a pretty weird feeling because I have worked here for 5 years, which is one year less than the total time that I've lived in the Lone Star State. Oh! And my 5 year anniversary lunch is today so I'm pretty excited about that. I chose to eat at Houlihan's in the Highlands. I've never been there before and it looks pretty nifty :)

I've been reading more and finished the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy. It was a very weird feeling to go to bed last night without reading about Katniss and Peeta strategizing their next move! I am going to try to get book 2 this weekend. One reason I chose to read this was because

1. I know that my students are going to want to read it, if they haven't already. And I'm trying to build up my classroom library because my built in bookcase is pretty bare :(
2. I had seen the movie because we went with another couple from our Sunday school that had read all of the books.
3. Quite frankly, I need to be reading more! I will be teaching 7th grade reading and the kids need to see me doing what I am going to ask them to do - a lot! :)

My awesome family also bought me a plane ticket home for next Friday. I will have that weekend and two additional days for a break between my last day at Texas Power and the first day I will report to school for new teacher orientation. There is a lot going on but it makes life exciting!

Until next time... :)

Baby Shower for Jalah and Adalyn!

Jalah is a sweet friend of mine from our Sunday school class at Walnut Ridge. She has the biggest heart and is smiling every time I see her. God has surely blessed me with her friendship!

Some ladies from church threw her a shower this past weekend and it was so nicely put together! Jalah is a very vintage-chic person and the shower fit her personality well! Love you, friend :)

Tell me more, tell me more

Through this awesome blog, The Good Life, I learned about a linky party that she "linked" up with. I had heard of one of these before, but never joined. This one looked like fun so I am going to give it a shot! If you want to join the linky party, hop on over to Step Into 2nd Grade's blog!

The task is to tell other bloggers 10 things about yourself that they don't already know. Here we go!

1. I married my JUNIOR high school sweetheart, Slone. This is us at freshman homecoming at Overton High School.

2. I have recently become a huge Batman fan. (I have seen it twice now since it came out last week.) Slone and I watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight before going to see The Dark Knight Rises on premiere night. It showed for the first time at midnight last Thursday and we got home at 4 am due to it being a 3 hour movie! Work was rough the next day!

3. On July 2, 2012 I signed a contract with the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas to teach 7th grade Language Arts. This will be my first year teaching and I'm excited and anxious and nervous all in one! Go Chaparrals! (Here is the blog I started to capture that experience)

4. I drove the same car for 10 years. My parents bought me a 1995 Honda Accord when I was 16 and that was the only car I had until this year. That car was a champion and I kept her in great condition. She ran very well up until about 2 years ago and then it all started going down hill from there. We were pouring lots and lots of money into maintaining her and in February of this year (while I was student teaching with no income!) she officially died on me while driving home. She overheated and started smoking like crazy at a stop light and made the worst noise under the hood that I had heard on a car. I had always said that until she died, I would not give in to car fever and buy a new one. Who wanted to take on car payments - especially while student teaching?! That was the last time I drove her and we had to go buy a replacement that week. God totally blessed our socks off with an awesome car...which leads me into #5...

Bye, Honda!

Hello, Acura!

5. I am a wife, sister, daughter, mother (to a puppy), friend, and teacher. But, before all of those things I am a Christian and follower of Jesus Christ. I was baptized at the age of 12 and grew up going to church every Sunday with my grandmother. I am so thankful that she dragged took me each week. Even though I strayed from the Lord many times throughout my teen years, I came back to Him and laid everything at his feet about a year before Slone and I married in 2007. He has shown me the light and His promises in so many ways over the past 5 years that I couldn't imagine not striving to follow His will for my life every day. Along with teaching 6th graders at our church, I am also part of a Sunday school class that has brought me closer with these great ladies!

A few of the amazing friends I have made in the One class

6. I am a mom to a Doberman puppy named Tana. She just turned 1 last month and is a handful. She definitely knows how to get her way with me and Slone and we've had to show tough love lately to let her know who's boss. :( Overall, she is awesome and the smartest dog I've ever owned. *She is wearing a cone in these first few pics because the breeder had her ears cropped. After that we posted them with styrofoam for about 5 months until they stayed up on their own. It did not hurt her and most Dobermans you see will have their ears cropped unless they have been rescued.

7. I played in the first adult kickball league at the Texas Rangers Youth Ballpark in Arlington. It was so much fun and our team, The Senators, was the first championship team in the league! The poster-size George Dubya came to every game in honor of our friend, Tim, who couldn't be with us that season due to cancer treatments in his hometown of New Jersey. He is a huge fan of G Dub :)

8. I really heart Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Where else can you stalk follow people and get great inspirations for DIY projects at home?!

9. I really like LOVE Target or as some say, Tarjaaay. I can go there for any and everything and if you are patient enough, can get great deals on things you love when they go on sale. As a matter of fact, I recently pinned this on Pinterest. If you are a Target fan, you need to click that link! My uncle just sent me a gift card to get classroom supplies with. I am beyond excited to go spend it!

10. My favorite movie is Hope Floats. It always has been and always will be. Sandra Bullock is my favorite actress so it only makes sense :) I love the story line and just the beauty of hope portrayed throughout. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!

Well, for those of you that have viewed my site for the first time, I hope it didn't disappoint! I also have a separate blog that I started to record my teaching experience. You can view it here at Teach for the Stars. It is a work in progress considering my first year begins in August but I hope that you will follow me and give any and all tips/pointers/advice for becoming an awesome teacher. Thanks a million for stopping by!