Well finally summer is just around the corner and the pool is open! We just have to get the water all cleared and balanced and we will be open for business ;) This is my favorite time of the year! Summer is very relaxing, even when there are things to do, it's not the same as during the school year. Here are a few things that I love about this time of year...
I love that the sun is up sooner and goes down later.
I love that people are out in my neighborhood running, walking, and bike riding.
I love that you can wear a sundress or skirt and sandals.
I love grilling out and all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are coming in season...yummmmm!
I love working in the yard.
I love that it is warm when I leave the house at 6:45 am and is still warm when I go to bed at 10:00 pm.
I love that the pool is open :)
I love the anticipation that summer vacation from school is only a few school days away.
I love the flora and fauna blooming everywhere.
I love going to Lowes and dreaming up all the projects I'd like to do in the house and yard if I were handy and rich - haha!
I love riding with the windows down and the radio up.
I love opening the windows in the house to air everything out.
I love going to baseball games...T-ball up to the major leagues (Go Redlegs!!!)
Ok, there's a few things, I'm sure there are more! :) What are some of your favorite things about this time of the year?
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
End of the school year = bittersweet
The bitter...
There are 12 1/2 days of school left. I am in shock. Wasn't I just sitting around planning the first week of school yesterday? It has been a GREAT year... about the best a first year teacher could ever have. My students are fantastic, I have several very supportive and wonderful parents, KTIP went smoothly, and I feel very good about the progress and success of all my students. On Friday, June 3rd as we line the sidewalk and wave goodbye to the buses as they pull away I will cry. No doubt about it. I will miss the kids in my class BUNCHES. They needed me this year and I needed them. They love me to pieces and think I am the queen (this is one of my FAVORITE things about teaching kindergarten). And I love them and their hugs, smiles, the funny things they say and how even when I am tired or in a bad mood at least one of them will somehow make me smile.
The sweet...
However, I know they will go on to spectacular first grade classes and dazzle their teachers with their knowledge and how precious they are in general. As the days wind down it's easy to see that the kiddos are tired, I am tired, and summer break is just what the doctor ordered :)
I also realize that I will get a whole other group of students in August that also need me and will love me and whom I will love in return. They will also make me smile and improve my mood with a funny comment or hug. They will be a whole new group of little "sponges" that think my lessons are fun and that I hung the moon :)
So for now, I will enjoy the days I have left with my first ever class of kindergarteners (remind/beg them every day to come back to visit me!) and look forward to seeing how they continue to learn and grow.
There are 12 1/2 days of school left. I am in shock. Wasn't I just sitting around planning the first week of school yesterday? It has been a GREAT year... about the best a first year teacher could ever have. My students are fantastic, I have several very supportive and wonderful parents, KTIP went smoothly, and I feel very good about the progress and success of all my students. On Friday, June 3rd as we line the sidewalk and wave goodbye to the buses as they pull away I will cry. No doubt about it. I will miss the kids in my class BUNCHES. They needed me this year and I needed them. They love me to pieces and think I am the queen (this is one of my FAVORITE things about teaching kindergarten). And I love them and their hugs, smiles, the funny things they say and how even when I am tired or in a bad mood at least one of them will somehow make me smile.
The sweet...
However, I know they will go on to spectacular first grade classes and dazzle their teachers with their knowledge and how precious they are in general. As the days wind down it's easy to see that the kiddos are tired, I am tired, and summer break is just what the doctor ordered :)
I also realize that I will get a whole other group of students in August that also need me and will love me and whom I will love in return. They will also make me smile and improve my mood with a funny comment or hug. They will be a whole new group of little "sponges" that think my lessons are fun and that I hung the moon :)
So for now, I will enjoy the days I have left with my first ever class of kindergarteners (remind/beg them every day to come back to visit me!) and look forward to seeing how they continue to learn and grow.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Puppy Problems... :(
Ever since we were engaged Clark and I talked about wanting to get a dog eventually. Well we kept putting it off and putting it off and I wanted a dog SO bad. In February I finally convinced Clark to let us get one and I went and got a sweet pound puppy named Enes.
While I am still glad we got the dog it has been a HUGE adjustment and there are many times I still think to myself... What have I done?!?!
The most recent event that makes me question the decision to get a dog happened on Monday. On Monday night I cam home from working preschool registration. Enes was in the backyard where Clark left him after he came home to let him out and feed him before he had to go to some thing for work. I went out back to check on the dog and make sure he was ok. When I walked out the back door I saw the remains of the worst thing Enes has ever done... He had halfway dug up and chewed all the branches off of my lilac bush we planted last year after my grandfather passed away.
My best friend and her family sent it to me to keep and plant in the yard. Upon seeing the destroyed bush I went ballistic. I screamed at the dog and spanked him a couple of times then put him in his crate. I ran back outside (during this time it started to rain) and inspected the bush. The entire time all this is going on I am crying HYSTERICALLY. I texted Clark and told him what happened. He was sorry but at that point he really couldn't do much about it. I called my mom and talked to her as well (I'm a mama's girl and she ALWAYS makes me feel better!). Then (about 30 minutes later) I finally calmed down enough to run over to Dollar General to get some potting soil to fill in the hole where he dug up half the bush.
My best friend and her family sent it to me to keep and plant in the yard. Upon seeing the destroyed bush I went ballistic. I screamed at the dog and spanked him a couple of times then put him in his crate. I ran back outside (during this time it started to rain) and inspected the bush. The entire time all this is going on I am crying HYSTERICALLY. I texted Clark and told him what happened. He was sorry but at that point he really couldn't do much about it. I called my mom and talked to her as well (I'm a mama's girl and she ALWAYS makes me feel better!). Then (about 30 minutes later) I finally calmed down enough to run over to Dollar General to get some potting soil to fill in the hole where he dug up half the bush.
The remainder of the night Enes stayed in his crate and when Clark got home later he let him out. Now you may read this and think that I am evil and possibly crazy. To you it's just a plant. But I was papaw's girl and I miss him more than I could imagine. As silly as it seems that lilac bush is like having part papaw in my yard. I se it and immediately think of him. :) It was 1 year ago on April 17th that he passed away and I was so excited the lilac bush had actually lived through the winter and was blooming and beautiful! Since Monday Clark and I have both talked to several people that say the plant should be fine and lilacs are hard to kill. I hope that is true.
I am still very mad at the dog, but he's a puppy and no matter how mad you want to stay, it's hard with those puppy eyes staring you down and looking all pitiful. I'm not sure what the outcome of our dog situation will be. I hope that he grows up fast... the puppy years are terrible.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Grad school, here I come...
In honor of Becca I am going to preface this story with a little background info... Becoming a teacher was one of the best decisions I have ever made (3rd in line to my salvation and marrying Clark Sturgeon :). However, there are a few aggravating things about being a teacher. The number one annoying thing about teaching (to me) is that you are REQUIRED to get your masters degree. Now I guess in the long run I understand that it's important to keep up to date and stay well educated in your field, but MANDATORY extra school? Yuck.
So never the less that brings us to the reason for this post... I am starting grad school. I have officially applied to Asbury University to begin grad school in the Teacher as Leader program beginning...THIS SUMMER! AAAAAAHHHHHH! Ok, so I am freaking out, I'm not going to lie. I really haven't been in a class since spring 2009 and I got really used to being the one IN CHARGE of the classroom and not the one sitting in the seat listening. I am just really worried about being able to get it all done. Teaching is DEMANDING and for those Village teachers, you know our school is really demanding. What if grad school and a full time job is too much? What if I hate the program I've chosen? What if I actually make it through the program and then realize it's not the right one for me? Or that there really are not any leadership opportunities to get? There are lots of questions, but it seems as if there are not that many answers. I guess its one of those situations where everything really is just kind of falling into place so I need to trust that God has a plan and that this is part of His plan and I should stop worrying, that His job, right? If I am completely trusting in His timing and His plan for me, then I should never worry, at least in theory. I'm only human so that is sometimes easier said than done. Thankfully I do have some good friends who are encouraging and supportive and I even know a couple of other teachers that have gone through the program already so they will be good resources. It's just always scary to have a big change in life and to begin something that I feel like I know NOTHING about or what to expect. I am very outgoing and pretty confident, but at times like this I feel like my little kindergarteners probably did on the first day of school - scared, nervous, and unsure of what to expect...
So never the less that brings us to the reason for this post... I am starting grad school. I have officially applied to Asbury University to begin grad school in the Teacher as Leader program beginning...THIS SUMMER! AAAAAAHHHHHH! Ok, so I am freaking out, I'm not going to lie. I really haven't been in a class since spring 2009 and I got really used to being the one IN CHARGE of the classroom and not the one sitting in the seat listening. I am just really worried about being able to get it all done. Teaching is DEMANDING and for those Village teachers, you know our school is really demanding. What if grad school and a full time job is too much? What if I hate the program I've chosen? What if I actually make it through the program and then realize it's not the right one for me? Or that there really are not any leadership opportunities to get? There are lots of questions, but it seems as if there are not that many answers. I guess its one of those situations where everything really is just kind of falling into place so I need to trust that God has a plan and that this is part of His plan and I should stop worrying, that His job, right? If I am completely trusting in His timing and His plan for me, then I should never worry, at least in theory. I'm only human so that is sometimes easier said than done. Thankfully I do have some good friends who are encouraging and supportive and I even know a couple of other teachers that have gone through the program already so they will be good resources. It's just always scary to have a big change in life and to begin something that I feel like I know NOTHING about or what to expect. I am very outgoing and pretty confident, but at times like this I feel like my little kindergarteners probably did on the first day of school - scared, nervous, and unsure of what to expect...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Spring Break 2011...A Cruise to the Bahamas!
For the first time in FOREVER! I was able to go on trip over spring break! My friend, Katie, invited me to go with her, her sister, and her sister's friend on a cruise to the Bahamas! It was AMAZING! We left Wednesday morning and drove down to pick up Melissa in South Caroline. Then we stopped in St. Augustine to spend the night. The next morning we got up and drove on in to Cape Canaveral where we boarded our ship, the Carnival Sensation! It was the biggest boat I have EVER seen! Then I realized that was the Disney Dream ship! LOL! Our was the (still huge, but not as ginormous as the Disney Dream) ship next to the Disney Dream!
We were SO excited! We got parked and unloaded and headed into the port. After checking in we went to the boarding area and anxiously awaited the call to board! Once we were on the ship I was in shock! (This country girl doesn't get out much! :) It was like a small city on a boat. There were places to shop, eat, a casino, bars, 2 lounges, and of course the Lido Deck complete with another bar, pool, hot tub, live caribbean music, and fake palm trees! But, my FAVORITE part of the ship was by far the very back deck. There were lounge chairs with cushions and an umbrella and the chairs were pulled up right to the very back rail. As I was laying out I was just watching the ocean all around...LOVED IT!
The first night we went to supper and met 3 sweet ladies that we shared our table with. They were so sweet and lots of fun! Each night the menu was different and it was all DELICIOUS! I had shrimp cocktail EVERY night. I had lobster, crab cakes, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, salmon, delicious salads, and yummy deserts (just to name a few)!
The next morning we were up, ate breakfast, and were laying out overlooking the ocean by 8:45! It was awesome!!! We arrived in Nassau on Friday about lunchtime. The girls and I got off the boat and went to a few shops and of course to the Straw Market where we all bargained for a few purchases! :) Then it was back to the boat for more relaxing in the sun!
That night we all went to one of the lounges for... KARAOKE! It was so fun! We all sang and Melissa and I rocked it out to "Walk This Way" :) After karaoke we went to a show in the Fantasia Lounge. The show was called "Curves" with a tribute to women. Well let me tell you we saw plenty of curves because all the dancers were wearing thongs! We were all pretty shocked to say the least, especially since the show was rated PG-13!
Saturday was our "Fun Day at Sea" which is code for we were just sailing all day! Anyway that worked for me because we id nothing but relax, eat, read our books, and get a tan from 8:45 am until 4:30 that afternoon! It was FANTASTIC!!! That night we saw our 2nd show which although the thongs were back the show itself was much better. It was tribute to the 80s! The music and dancing was really good :)
When we woke up Sunday morning we were back at the port in Florida. We were off the boat and headed home by 7:30! It was a GREAT trip and I can't wait to do it AGAIN! :)
We were SO excited! We got parked and unloaded and headed into the port. After checking in we went to the boarding area and anxiously awaited the call to board! Once we were on the ship I was in shock! (This country girl doesn't get out much! :) It was like a small city on a boat. There were places to shop, eat, a casino, bars, 2 lounges, and of course the Lido Deck complete with another bar, pool, hot tub, live caribbean music, and fake palm trees! But, my FAVORITE part of the ship was by far the very back deck. There were lounge chairs with cushions and an umbrella and the chairs were pulled up right to the very back rail. As I was laying out I was just watching the ocean all around...LOVED IT!
The first night we went to supper and met 3 sweet ladies that we shared our table with. They were so sweet and lots of fun! Each night the menu was different and it was all DELICIOUS! I had shrimp cocktail EVERY night. I had lobster, crab cakes, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, salmon, delicious salads, and yummy deserts (just to name a few)!
The next morning we were up, ate breakfast, and were laying out overlooking the ocean by 8:45! It was awesome!!! We arrived in Nassau on Friday about lunchtime. The girls and I got off the boat and went to a few shops and of course to the Straw Market where we all bargained for a few purchases! :) Then it was back to the boat for more relaxing in the sun!
That night we all went to one of the lounges for... KARAOKE! It was so fun! We all sang and Melissa and I rocked it out to "Walk This Way" :) After karaoke we went to a show in the Fantasia Lounge. The show was called "Curves" with a tribute to women. Well let me tell you we saw plenty of curves because all the dancers were wearing thongs! We were all pretty shocked to say the least, especially since the show was rated PG-13!
Saturday was our "Fun Day at Sea" which is code for we were just sailing all day! Anyway that worked for me because we id nothing but relax, eat, read our books, and get a tan from 8:45 am until 4:30 that afternoon! It was FANTASTIC!!! That night we saw our 2nd show which although the thongs were back the show itself was much better. It was tribute to the 80s! The music and dancing was really good :)
When we woke up Sunday morning we were back at the port in Florida. We were off the boat and headed home by 7:30! It was a GREAT trip and I can't wait to do it AGAIN! :)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Kickin' KTIP Butt!
Tomorrow I will accomplish a fairly huge milestone in my teaching career...I will officially be done with KTIP! For those that may not know what this is here is a brief explanation. Kentucky has decided that a teacher's first year really isn't quite difficult enough. So they created the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP). This is a program that lasts (almost) your entire first year of teaching and has multiple requirements ranging from writing lesson plans (in KTIP format, of course!) to planning, implementing, and reflecting on a whole unit! And let's not forget the never-ending, time consuming reflections you have to do with every part of every task along the way...
Anyway, as of about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, I will be finished (hopefully ;)!!! The journey has been thankfully not too painful. Mainly just time consuming and it was stinky to have extra things to do as if my regular responsibilities as a kindergarten teacher are not enough.
It will be good to just be able to mark it off the list and enjoy the last 40 something days of school I have left with the kids in my first class ever :)
Anyway, as of about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, I will be finished (hopefully ;)!!! The journey has been thankfully not too painful. Mainly just time consuming and it was stinky to have extra things to do as if my regular responsibilities as a kindergarten teacher are not enough.
It will be good to just be able to mark it off the list and enjoy the last 40 something days of school I have left with the kids in my first class ever :)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Meaningful Music :)
Ok, just a quick run down of the songs that are the playlist...
1. UK Fight song - Duh, cause Clark and I both graduated from UK and we are both HUGE UK fans!!! GO BIG BLUE!!!
2. "Say Yes" by Dusty Drake - This was the song that played in our engagement video :) Clark picked it out. Naturally, I LOVED it!
3. "I Feel Good" by James Brown - This was the song that we used for the recessional at our wedding! It was SO fun and it was surprise...nobody knew about it except me, Clark, my dad, and the A/V guy from church! :)
4. "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait - This was the song we danced to for our first dance as husband and wife!
As I think of more songs that served a purpose or that we just like, I'll add them for your listening enjoyment!
1. UK Fight song - Duh, cause Clark and I both graduated from UK and we are both HUGE UK fans!!! GO BIG BLUE!!!
2. "Say Yes" by Dusty Drake - This was the song that played in our engagement video :) Clark picked it out. Naturally, I LOVED it!
3. "I Feel Good" by James Brown - This was the song that we used for the recessional at our wedding! It was SO fun and it was surprise...nobody knew about it except me, Clark, my dad, and the A/V guy from church! :)
4. "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait - This was the song we danced to for our first dance as husband and wife!
As I think of more songs that served a purpose or that we just like, I'll add them for your listening enjoyment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)