Happy Spring Break Sunday!

Teachers and administrators across WS/FCS can REJOICE!  It's SPRING BREAK 2014!  I hope that you all are taking some time off for yourselves, because well, we all deserve it.  With all of the random snow days that have hit this year, our students' behavior has been off.the.chain.  Getting out of routines seem to have caused quite a stir among the masses, and I am glad that this last long break will *hopefully* be the end all-be all of the ridic weather of early 2014.

In efforts to utilize ALL of the time off I can, we plan to continue to move forward to get moved into our new home!  Next on the agenda is priming and painting all 400+ porch spindles.  Yes, over 400 of these jokers await me and my newly purchased paint gun.  I REALLY hope that we are able to get majority of these guys primed this week and continue to get them totally painted by the end of the month.  I LOVE the whimsical design that we chose, but man if it isn't a pain to get inside that curly-Q with a brush!  So, with that said, any of ya'll who aren't afraid of gettin' a little Rustoleum on your hands, come on out ;)

Here's a pic of these jokers:

In addition to outside updates, we are working hard inside as well.  Here's a literal DUMP of room-to-room pics.  My disclaimer: ignore the messes, they'll be picked up soon enough =)

Washer/Dryer finally installed on their pedestals

Master Bedroom

Our glorified soaking tub.  There's lights and music on this beauty.  #winning

Our Master Bathroom vanity/storage

 

Upstairs Guest Bathroom

The Kitchen...PS our fridge made ice yesterday and I jumped for joy..it's the litte things =)

Guest Bed downstairs.  The turkey will NOT be here. Just sayin'

 

 

So here's to a week off from our jobs, my teacher and admin friends.  I hope that you enjoy your week doing whatever it is that you choose to do.  I can't wait to see how much we can get done!

Happy Birthday!

This post is dedicated to the most amazing man in my life.  My hubby-to-be, my rock, my bebe…Cruz.

He’s a strong willed, supportive person with the ability to persevere when the times get tough.  He can let go and have fun when life throws him a happy curve ball. The smile on his face can brighten up a room, and his laugh is absolutely contagious. When he has his mind made up, there’s not a snowball’s chance it’ll change.  He stands up for what he believes in, and is the kindest soul to our pups.  Cruz is known for putting his family first, and being a very loyal friend. 

His job provides him ample opportunities to travel to either end of the USA, and he appreciates it with every ounce of his being.   Cruz uses his “fame” (if you will) for the good, taking his time to raise money for PSFP, and never complains. If you see him constantly on his cell, he’s more than likely on Twitter, promoting the next PSFP event.  Most people in his position could blow the “fame” out of the water, but not Cruz.   I have a feeling he believes that everyone puts their pants on the same each morning, not one person is better than the next.   He uses his networking for a positive way, and I am so very thankful for his alliances with folks from all over the US.  It makes for a well-rounded guy.

 This man spends his “free” time working on our new home, planning for our new home and getting our new home ready for a September wedding.  I’ve watched him research, learn and create beautiful products with his hands.  I envy his knack for measuring things ever so precisely and having the self-confidence that he can make the right cut on a piece of 45 degree trim the very first time.  I love his sense of self-fulfillment and getting a text with a picture attached that asks if I like what he’s done at the house.  I only wish I had the mind to see these works of art before they are created!  We will soon being the process of cleaning up our reception site and sewing grass in our front yard.  I am sure that he will have a brilliant plan in mind to get that complete and just in time for us to get ready for the wedding.

Cruz has seen me at my worst, and has still offered a helping hand, a warm embrace or a thoughtful text or phone call.  He’s seen me at my best, and has supported through my Master’s degree, assisting in paying for most of it.  (Lord knows I couldn’t have afforded that myself!)  He congratulated me when I won Teacher of the Year and beamed when I walked across that stage for the second time, illuminated hat, and all!  I can only imagine the look I will get the day he sees me dressed in my wedding gown.  I truly cannot imagine my life without this amazing man.

So here’s my short snippit to you, my bebe.  Happy 31^st birthday. I love you!

 

Patience

Here's a rhetorical question for you...Have you ever really wanted something?

I mean, like REALLY? That something could be tangible. Perhaps it's a million bucks in your checking account. Maaaybe you'd like to have met Abraham Lincoln or Marie Curie to discuss the inner workings of their brains. You could want the chance to a dream job. You've worked and earned the right credentials, but the perfect opportunity hasn't presented itself just quite yet.

No matter what it is, I'm sure most of us have REALLY wanted something in our lives. I, too feel that way. Right now, I want to.be.in.our.house. Daily, I am asked, "How much more to go?!?" or "Wow, you are on the uphill climb!" On Mondays after a weekend, caring people that I work with stop by my office and say, "How's that house coming along?" On the outside, I share the latest updates. I talk about the trim we added, or the dishes I put away, or the inspection that passed/failed/failed/passed. But on the inside I'm screaming, "I WISH FORSYTH COUNTY WOULD LET US SURVIVE WITHOUT HOT RUNNING WATER, FULL HEAT OR POWER BECAUSE I WANT IN!"

You see, we started this miraculous journey almost three years ago. And although I know I am VERY fortunate to have experienced such a thing, I also know I have been VERY patient throughout the entire time. We've had our shares of ups and downs. There have been some tough times, and there have been some victorious times. The people who we thought would be there for us to help, sometimes haven't showed. The people who we would never expect to have the time to help out, have driven up with smiles on their faces and tools in hand to loan. Cruz and I have learned to work through disagreements, through disappointments and through financial hardships. We have learned to work our asses off in the sweltering heat, in the freezing cold and have lived to tell about it. We've shared beers over paint-stained hoodies, Bojangles' chicken and biscuits over cardboard boxes and flashlights and tears the morning we got engaged.

Now, I want to make memories within the house, while living there! We are indeed, very close. Doing something ourselves with minimal professional help was a choice that we made at the beginning. There are times that I wished we could have afforded painters, floorers or plumbers. There are times that I've woken up, feeling defeated because we didn't pass an inspection. There are times that I have driven away, cussing that I will never EVER do this again. At this point, all we need is some hot water, some heat and a little power, and I'd be the happiest person on the face of this planet. But alas, I will have to continue to wait.

So for those who are asking...we're almost there.

Here's to hoping it happens. And soon.

Go Move Your Mountain

Yesterday I had lunch at Panera Bread. Old Man Winter decided to DUMP about 8-12inches on us so extended weekend! Nevertheless, I met my brother for a hearty, mouth-watering bread bowl of turkey chili, (with a side of bread, of course!) It was a very special lunch.

We don't typically make it a point to see each other during the day, because as luck would have it, he travels all.of.the.time. You see, my little brother is a traveling engineer and has accepted an offer to move for his job. He'll be the newest resident of Kentucky in a mere 5-10 hours. I've known that he'd be on his way out for about a year, but every time a move opportunity would arise, he'd be delayed.  I guess because of this, I'd not really prepared myself for the fact that it was REALLY happening this time around. 

We sat and chatted about his new endeavor, what he feared, what he expected, what he'd do, not knowing a soul.  We discussed how to cook dinner for one, the best way to set up furniture and where he'd go to get his necessities. As we used up his hour of lunch, I sat and came to the realization, my little brother is growing up. 

Call me a mush, a sap, whatever you wish, but what a proud big-sister moment.  The (big/tall) rail of a kid that used to follow me around at softball games, used to race dirt go-carts with me in the back yard, used to ride with me to Forbush, used to swim with me at East Bend pool, used to play video games until the wee hours of the night, who tailgated with me before Brad Paisley, who spent a beach week with me at Oak Island, helped Cruz and I move into our new home and whose stuck with me when times have been difficult, is growing up.  

I tear up now, because I hope he knows what his loyalty and friendship mean to me. Although its only  5 hours away, it's not just a 15 minute drive down Flint Hill Rd. There won't be any more impromptu lunches at Panera, but maybe we can Skype over a crock-pot dinner. He's planning to come with us to the beach this summer, and of course he'll be around for our wedding. I hear the scenery out there is beautiful, so maybe I can make a trip out to visit Kentucky for a long weekend?

So, here's to you, Bobby. I am proud of you, your accomplishments and your hard work. I leave you with a quote from Dr. Suess, which I've used with my 5th graders many times as they've made their way on to middle school:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Kid, you'll move mountains!"

Go move your mountain. I love you. 

Right Now I'm...

Loving - my "new" job.  As much as I loved working with kids everyday and planning lessons, I am loving having a life outside of papers to grade at home, the relief of a stress free Sunday afternoon, not worrying about parent emails/phone calls each week.  Instead I spend my time exercising, working at our new house and planning our wedding.

Reading - blogs about wedding planning, Pinterest posts about wedding planning and, OH online articles about wedding planning.  However, I just finished the latest book in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Sheppard.  Guilty pleasure.

Waiting for -  our new home to be ready and to FINALLY move in.  We literally have a handful of things that have to be done, but organizing and scheduling the right people to get there at the right time is a paaaaaain.  

Excited about - the flower girl dress that Emily and I decided on for her uuuuhdorable daughter, Addisun to wear on our wedding day.  I am so happy that she is going to share my special day.  Can't wait to see that beautiful little dress put together with the rest of my bridal party!

Trying to - be available for my teachers.  I am finding myself becoming overwhelmed a little with my new job and trying to schedule myself too far out.  I can feel myself being stretched thin and that can be a nuisance.  I want to help teachers as much as possible, but with required trainings, deadlines for testing and other items on my agenda (NOT set by me), I know that I am truly trying my best to be there for everyone.  I guess it's time to pull out that calendar and get myself in line!

Working on - creating our guest list for the wedding.  It appears we have a lot of friends.  Numbers don't lie friends, numbers don't lie.

Enjoying - the Starbucks giftcards that I got for my birthday and for Christmas.  That once-a-week Friday treat of hot chocolate and classic sausage, egg and cheese sammich reallllly hits the spot.

Using - my Apple devices to get this wedding figured out.  I LOVE the iCloud tab that lets me access pages from my iPad mini to my iPhone.  It's convenient, quick and useful when trying to match colors, styles and other goodies.  Can't imagine doing any of this work without these devices.

Wearing -my super comfy onesie PJ's.  Ya'll, I know I look ridiculous, but the level of comfort is AMAZING.  My toes are warm and toasty all day on this concrete floor.  It's nice to keep the blankets on the back of the couch and the fleece wrapped all around me on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Planning - a night of pampering for my girls and I from a contest that I won during a bridal show in October.  I can't wait to have my favorite gals over for a night of snacks, drinks and relaxation!

Singing - "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry.  I'm really not a Katy Perry fan, but I do love her new single.  Check it out!

Needing - to win the lottery.  I mean, who doesn't?  It's nice to imagine our house being paid off before 30 years.  I'll keep dreaming.

Learning - when to say "No".  I've always been a people pleaser.  It is tough to say "no" when you have friends, co-workers and family in need.  I guess it's not the worst quality to have!

Listening to - House Hunters on HGTV.  It sure makes me appreciate building our own home.

Wishing - that I had raised our boxer Lizzie from a puppy.  She is a hard-headed beast at times.  I love her heart, but her attitude frustrates me fairly often.  Another challenge for us as we move =)

Doing - a check on the weather fairly often.  I have a feeling that this winter is going to cause quite a few 2 hour delays.

Dreaming of - September 26th, duh! ;)

Goodbye 2013! Hello 2014!

So here goes the ol’ goodbye to-the-end-of-the-year post and hello-to –the-new-year ramblings!  Hey, everybody’s doin’ it, right? ;)

Twenty-thirteen.  How about a year of amazing things?  I wish I could capture all of these moments and put them in my pocket, but alas, a post will have to do =)

Well 2013 brought me a future with Cruz.  Although we really got engaged ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, I still think of it as a 2013 memory!  From that one memory, I have set our date, found a venue (our house) and chosen the beautiful ladies who’ll stand beside me on the day I say, “I Do!”  The dress has been chosen, as well as the colors.  (Aren’t those the most important pieces to a wedding?!)

2013 brought me a new opportunity for a new job.  Life as a curriculum coordinator has literally FLOWN by!  Without as much take home work, I’ve found myself free to do more things for myself after work.  I’ve found enjoyment in helping awesome teachers with technology, curriculum and in leading weekly meetings with grade levels.  I’ve sat through countless hours of trainings, administered and managed the administration of my first standardized test and have lived to tell about it!  I’ve developed great work relationships with the teachers at my school as well as my CC friends. Such wonderful outlets for laughter, hard work and problem solving.

2013 brought me my first full year of NO COLLEGE!  I didn’t quite remember what life was like prior to embarking on the quest for a Master’s degree back in 2009.  It sure does feel nice to read for pleasure and to live a little outside of Starbucks on Saturday mornings =)

2013 brought lots of ups and downs on our home building process.  Multiple times we needed the help and multiples times it came or it didn’t.  We didn’t finish by the end of the year, but I have high hopes that this process will come to a close in EARLY 2014.  I count my lucky stars each day that Cruz and I have had so many willing family members and friends to help us make decisions for our home, to pack our townhome and to move to our new home.  If only subcontracted help would operate in that same way!  Best wishes to those of you who want to go build your dream home.  All jokes aside, it was a process that I have loved/hated from the time we began to the time we are coming to a close.  I can’t say I’d do it again, but I can say I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2013 brought births of wonderful new babies and the pregnancies of my besties!  Rachel delivered precious little Porter in late November, Lindsey is expecting little Olivia Grace (OG) in early March  and Emily delivered that cutie Cooper in August.   Jessica’s little man Mason grabbed our heartstrings when he made his way into the world in February and  I have high hopes for 2014 that Rosa will land her a sweetie (or 3) no matter if she goes into labor during our wedding!  I wish each of these lovely ladies the very best in motherhood as they continue their journeys in 2014 <3

In 2014, I hope that many great things happen.  Sure, I wish for the wedding of my dreams to go off without a hitch, but chances are, it won’t.  I want tons of fresh green grass in front of our house to replace the giant mud hole that stands there now, but it probably won’t be to my liking.  I’d love to win a Mega Million to go ahead and get a jump start on my mountain of a mortgage, but highly doubt that’ll happen.  In 2014, I want as much family time, as much friend time and as much experience as my heart can take in.  I want to live and breathe and take time for myself that I’ve neglected since I’ve began teaching and building our house.  I want to FINALLY own my car (and will in January, whoop, whoop!) and enjoy nights walking my dogs at our new house.  I want to let the dishes sit in the sink overnight and know that it won’t cause the world to end.  I want to park in a garage and not have to scrape my car in the winter.  I want to go fishing with Cruz and learn to bait a hook and take off my catch.  I’d love to learn to drive his big truck around our farm and correctly park a trailer using a tractor (which I also need to learn how to drive).  I want to volunteer my time to help others.  I want to know that at the end of every day, I have helped someone, somehow.  I want to learn to cook on our new gas appliances because I know that I’ll need to be entertaining many friends and family as the holidays and our wedding day grow near.  I want to take the time to appreciate many of the people and things that I didn’t in 2013.  In 2014, I want to live the good life and walk by faith.

So tonight as you raise your glass of champs, beer, milk, apple cider or Robitussen at the stroke of midnight, here’s to you!  I challenge you to make 2014 be the best year yet!

Commitment

Commitment:

What a long word.  There are three m’s in there! What a complex word. Nice suffix“ment” at the end. What a wonderful word.  The word I’ve been waiting to truly and ultimately fulfill for over 10 years.  Commitment.

In the past few years, I’ve made many commitments in my life. Some I’d consider fairly major, while others fairly minor.  My first was my commitment to graduate from college.  I told myself and my family that I wanted a college degree.  And soooo, I earned it.  The next major commitment was my first “real” job.  I thought student teaching helped me get ready for what I dipped my toes into back in 2008, but boy was I in for an awakening (not necessarily of the rude kind, but nevertheless, DANG!)  The next commitment: moving out on my own.  All of the sudden extra trips here and there became a little too expensive when the bills had to be paid and you had to eat.  Then, I committed to beginning the construction on my own home with Cruz.  Talk about a HUGE commitment!  I can clearly remember sitting in my townhome floor with a set of lined paper, a charcoal pencil and a house stencil trying to draw out to scale, the house of our dreams.  From this experience, I’ve learned that I am a VERY spatial individual.  From there, I committed my time to a graduate degree.  This was yet another goal I set for myself, because I wanted to become a better teacher and leader for the students that I taught and the ones that looked up to me.  I committed to a new-to-me car somewhere in this mix, which I am PROUD to say I will OWN in January 2014, hooray!  And in December of 2013, I committed to Cruz, and told him that I’d marry him on our front porch. 

Which leads me to the commitment that I made today; I am proud to say that I have SAID YES TO MY WEDDING DRESS.  Yes, folks, I jumped and landed myself a great find.  I must say that in this entire wedding planning process, the dress selection seemed to be a weeee bit overwhelming.  I watched about 1.5 million hours of Bride Day on TLC this summer (yikes!) and have been reading numerous blog posts, articles and other online sources about how to “Select  YOUR dream dress!” or “Bridal Gown Etiquette”.  Talk about confusing!  I guess I had just assumed you walked in, the bridal consultant threw you into a gown or dress and you were walking outta there happily ever after.  (Hey, that’s how it worked on TV!)  You see, I had planned this whole experience out in my head to include myself, my bridesmaids, my matron of honor and the mothers.  I envisioned all of us in comfy sweats, bouncing from bridal store to bridal store, sipping on some type of Muscato or Mimosa throughout the day, trying to outfit me in the “perfect dress”  The more I thought of this, the more I was afraid I’d be stuck trying to make a final decision.  I tend to lean toward the thoughts of others, and in some cases, I don’t find that trait to be so bad.  Buuut, in the process of selecting a bridal gown for myself, probably not the best idea.  

So in efforts to get an idea of what I really wanted, I began a random search at an unnamed bridal store on my own.  I went up and down the aisles and aisles of dresses.  There were white, ivory, beaded, organza, lace, taffeta, satin, mermaid-style, fit-and-flare, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!  Goodness GRACIOUS the choices brides are given when trying to figure out what to wear on her wedding day!  I ended up snapping a few pics with my iPhone and did online searches for reviews for particular gowns that somewhat interested me.  The prices weren't too awful bad, but the reviews for customer service, for alterations and other items of interest were not par for the course.  (Love a good, honest person when it comes to product review!) 

I called up my matron of honor, had her meet me at Southern Bride in Yadkinville, NC and went to looking.  As soon as I walked into the boutique, I was greeted with the two most genuinely nice women.  They asked me the questions to try and get a feel of what I was going for.  From that point on, it was me, the consultant and my MOH.  I got into gowns, I came out of gowns, I had hair pieces added and taken away, I had belts added and taken away.  It was like playing dress up with a full grown adult. I had tried on about 8 or so dresses and had found one that I hadn’t really been that excited to try on originally, but LOVED the way it fit and felt on.  With all the details of the dress a secret, I can’t share tooooo much, but I was very excited about a unique design that fit me right off the rack (with a few alternations at the top, mostly!)  The best part was that, I had selected a gown that was going to be marked for 40% off.  Now if you know me, I am ALL ABOUT THE DEAL and ALL ABOUT THE CHEAP.  I can’t pass up a great buy.  I knew I didn’t want to spend a fortune, and had a particular amount saved up for a dress.  How lucky had I gotten?  A deal AND it fits overall?  I knew I needed one more look to be done, so I bid the wonderful staff goodnight at Southern Bride and made an appointment to return this morning.

Talk about Pinterest on OVERLOAD.  Ya'll, I spent most of Friday night looking and pinning ideas for hair, pinning dresses somewhat similar to the ones I had tried on and like the one that I was about 99.9% sure I wanted.  I tried searching for the SKU model numbers of the designers I tried on to see if I could find a better deal online.  I tried searching for themes like the one I have pictured in my mind for our wedding.  No matter how hard I tried, I kept seeing this one, particular unique dress.  At 4:00 am, I woke up and CONTINUED to think about this dress.  I showered, did laundry and still had it on my mind.  Then, I knew that this HAD to be the one.  There came the word again…commitment.  I had unintentionally committed myself to a dress, and once mothers viewed it, HAD TO HAVE IT.

10 am rolled around and my appointment began.  I slipped into my cowboy boots and threw the dress on again.  With my aunt on call from California via FaceTime and the mothers ready, I was able to debut what I had found.  A few tears later and some “Oohs” and “Aaahs” as well as tons of photos taken, I said YES TO MY DRESS.  Although this gown is made of fabric, beading, lace and string, it’s also a symbol of a commitment.  Did I pick it because I thought I looked nice in it? Well, yes.  Did I choose it because others liked me in it? Sure, it was nice to hear complimentary things said about me.  Does it match PERFECTLY for my wedding? You bet, like right down to a "T".  But I committed because I want my hubby-to-be to feel like I dressed myself just for him on the day that we commit to each other.  I want this to be a lasting impression on him forever.  I want this to be a memory that neither of us will never forget.

So stay tuned, friends.  Our date is set for September 26^th, 2014.  Countdown to commitment: Well, currently, 306, but hey, who's counting? =)