EveryDay Blessings

Spain 2011!!

2011-07-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

So after being gone for 11 days, I am back in the States! And I can't tell you how great it feels to have some "American Food"/ understand what's going on in most conversations. The ol' language barrier made me feel a little on the el stupido side. I nodded and smiled a lot... (secretly or not so secretly had no clue what was going on!) I had the best time in Spain! I went with my cousin, aunt and her boyfriend. Here is a picture of us at our first stop. (I apologize for the bags under my eyes and the awesome looking hair, a day on multiple planes and trains does that.)

I'm probably going to have to break my Spain posts up in to multiple posts, but I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Joe and I in our whites!

Watching the running from the balcony....SO Awesome!

These are just a few of the zillion pictures I took from our trip! Just wanted to share a couple and say Hola to you all! Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-06-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

So I'm not feeling very well today....but I want to try and be consistent here so I'm going to show you through Photo's What I'm Loving Wednesday! If anyone wants to check any of these dresses out I found them on Lulu's website!

Also I am getting very excited about my summer vaca to Spain! In 22 short days I will be here and I'm loving the thought of it!!!

What are you loving today?? Link up over at Jamie's blog if you haven't already!!

Happy Wednesday All!

Blog Swap and Life Update

2011-06-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends....It's been awhile! I apologize! The end of school has been crazy....the kids left and I immediately started moving into my new classroom. I decided I wanted to tackle it all at the beginning of the summer so I don't have to go back for awhile...I plan to fully enjoy my first summer off as a teacher! So I am ALMOST completely done unpacking and setting up my classroom for next year, can I get a HOLLA!! This is until our new reading series arrives with the grand total of 1,904 books for me to put somewhere???? When they told us the amount of books we were getting my jaw hit the floor. I'm not sure that 1,904 books is really necessary, I guess will see won't we!

Anyways, on to more fun stuff! I got my package for the Summer Swap and was oh so excited to get it! I feel like a little girl waiting at the mailbox when I know I have something coming for me in the actual mailbox. I feel like so much of the time everything is on the internet these days and as much as a love the convenience of the cyber world...I have much appreciation for the old fashion lick the stamp and send it off method! Swaps, Letters, Online shopping if it's coming in the mail I get SO excited! (Notice: I did NOT include bills on the excited about mail category!)

My wonderful blog swap partner Whitney over at Pretty Whitty spoiled me with some great summer items!! Included in my package was a new pair of flip flops, The Help (I've been wanting to read this book for awhile now!! SO Excited!!), Jolly Ranchers (My Favorite!), a cute new wallet, and my first bottle of Essie nail polish! I can't wait to try it out! I couldn't have asked for a better swap partner, it was fun sending emails back and forth. We realized we had a lot of the same likes and dislikes. Thanks Whitney for getting me in the summer mood!

In Other News, I was able to go visit my little sister at camp this last weekend!! Can't tell you how excited I was to see that girls face! She is going to be the Pool Director and works the Ropes Course and Camp Barnabas all summer. She won't be home till August so it was a special treat to see her! Our youth group was also at camp this past week so it was fun and exciting to here the kids talk about their experiences and how much fun they're having.

It it Stink'n HOT this week and I am wishing that our pool was open for business! I guess I'll just have to be patient right?! I have also been looking at houses a little bit more seriously now that summer is upon us. I found the house of my dreams, but something might be wrong with it structurally so it might not be the house for me. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I hear good news about the house from the realtor. Also, as of recently my face and been acting more like a 13 year-old and not of a 24 year-old. I have had more blemishes then I care to have and was getting a little more then irritated. I didn't know if I needed to get on medication or a special acne wash...I have been lucky to only have the occasional break out, but it has been more of a constant break out. So I did some review research on drugstore acne treatments, I was not about to spend a ton of money right off the bat. I found this little bottle of magic! Started using this 2 days ago and all of my blemishes are either GONE or drying out! I couldn't be more pleased with this product!!!! If you need spot treatment to get that pesky pimple that makes you feel like you have a unicorn horn coming out of your face...BUY IT! I paid $6.00 on sale for it and thought if it doesn't work for me then I'm not out a ridiculous amount of money.

I almost forgot to update you on the Chick Status! We ended up having 2 chicks fully hatch, only 1 made it though. The 2nd chick was sick and ended up passing away the day after it hatched. It was a sad day! But we did have Miss Lucy! She was adorable! And the kids got to see her fully hatch it was perfect! I was a proud mama! My mom and I spoiled Lucy all weekend and she ended up being held more than in her cage. She was a little bit of a diva after a weekend of sleeping in my mom's hands. At school she never wanted to be in her box, so once the kids went home I'd just let her walk around the classroom. It was the funniest thing, she just followed me where ever I went. I'm not the biggest animal person and usually am to scared to hold most animals. I will say that I am now a chick lover! She was so cute and had so much personality! I was sad to see her go back to the farm on the last day of school!

Meet Lucy!

That's all for now, I promise to try and keep up on here! I've been running around so much that being on my computer has been in the way back of my mind! Happy Tuesday All!

Weekend Happenings and The Want List

2011-05-14T15:26:00.004-05:00

Exciting News!!!!

*The tickets are purchased!! I am officially going to Spain this summer!!! So excited!! I'm not too familiar with Spain but I plan to read up on it and learn more before I leave. Anyone been and have recommendations??

* I ran my 2nd 5K this morning....it was rather interesting. I have not been on my fitness game these last couple of weeks. So considering I didn't train seriously for the race and only ran a mile on Mon. & Wed. this week, I didn't do a horrible job. I had my same time as my last race which was kind of disappointing...but I'm going to try harder next race! The only thing that got me through the race was the breakfast we were having afterwards. haha My friend Melisa and I had breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast places in Lawrence with her sister and her husband. It was a fabulous morning! *Good Run *Good Coffee & Food *A Little Shopping *Great People = Wonderful Saturday Morning!!!

*I am in the need of a few things.....(these are on my "Want List" currently)

*A place of my own....house, apartment or townhouse it doesn't matter. I need something that is mine and affordable!

* A dog....because if I live on my own by myself I'm going to need a gun or a dog. I'm thinking out of the two options a dog might be a little safer. I'm not sure what kind of dog I want yet, something that is intimidating to possible intruders. Like perhaps one of these......

The thing about dogs are that I'm not all about the whole puppy stage. Yes they are oh so cute...but they mess all over the place and I don't know if I have the patience. I want to buy a dog that is all trained and ready to go. In my dreams right?!! haha

*Next on my want list (I'm flexible here)....Husband, Boyfriend or Date. I know that those should probably be written in the opposite order but this is my blog and it's MY want list right? haha I'm usually trucking a long have a great time not really worrying about the fact that Mr. Right is no where to be found. This week has been an unusual week and the Alone sign that sometimes flashes in my head has been blinking in big bold letters frequently. I'm not looking for the usual words of encouragement...."He's out there!"....."It'll come when you least expect it!".....Blah Blah Blah. Which are all very nice/true and are sometimes exactly what I need to hear. Just not at this moment, because even though they are nice it doesn't change anything or make it any easier. Nice guys where are you??

*The next 1 and a half weeks to fly by! I'm ready to lay by the pool and read!! I want summer to come in full force! (I would appreciate the current cold weather to go away and the 70-80 degree weather return!)

I am excited to participate in the Summer Blog Swap hosted by:

Aly @ Analyze This

Chelsea @ Hello Miss Chelsea

Lindsey@ Lovin' My Life

Molly @ The Fuschia News!

I had a great time getting to know new bloggers during the Spring Swap and can't wait to get to know some more!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-05-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

This has come to be a new favorite of mine....What I'm Loving Wednesday's!! I like it because I can make it as short and sweet or as long as I want!

I'm Loving that I have finished 2 books over the last 3 weeks.
1. Water For Elephants (Loved it btw)

2. Something Borrowed (Just finished last night!)

They had the first two chapters of Something Blue in the back of the book so naturally I purchased the book immediately started reading Something Blue last night! I'm only a few chapters in so far, but I am excited to get into it! I also can't wait to go see the two movies that are out!!!

I'm Loving that I bought my first piece of furniture over the weekend. I bought a kitchen table!! (I don't have a house to put it in just yet, I'm working on it!) It's beautiful and something I have always wanted. It looks like an old farm table...here is a picture of something similar. The picture doesn't do it justice....it didn't come with chairs but I'm wanting to buy mismatched chairs and distress them to look vintage. That will be one of my summer projects! I'll post pictures of the actual table once I get it delivered!

These last couple weeks have been extremely busy and it doesn't look like it's letting up till summer vacation starts. Graduation season is upon us and I have multiple parties/ graduations this weekend, and school seems to be taking more and more of my time as of recently. I feel like I have been so disconnected and in my own little world, I'm ready for summer nights hanging out with friends and family!

I'm Loving that the end is near (school year) and I can picture those summer nights and days spent by the pool! They are fast approaching and I can't wait!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Kindergarten Round-Up is tonight...pray that things go smoothly for us!

What are you loving today?? Link up!

Bullet List Tuesday

2011-05-10T06:58:00.001-05:00

So I am currently getting ready for work and decided I needed to get a post in before Wednesday....since I haven't posted since last Wednesday. I really am trying to get better. I literally haven't opened my computer all weekend, and it has been SO nice!!! So today I'm going for a bullet list since I'm low on time!

- Last Thursday we had our primary music recital....it was the wonderful!!! Some of the parents said that it was the best one they've seen in years, props to Ms. Noll! She went with a Broadway theme and had the kids sing songs from old musicals. The Kindergartners did a Fabulous job! At the very end of the concert they went up for a Kindergarten only song.....Tiffany and I weren't aware of the actual song they were singing. (we were just instructed to get them on the risers) Anyways, they sang a song called, "Look How Far We've Come". Let me just tell you that they didn't even have the first line sung and Tiffany and I were in tears. By the end of the song we were full on balling our eyes out standing right by the stage. It was the sweetest song and it was so true....talking about how they've learned ABC's and all these things we've done together this year. It's kinda hit us in the face like WHOA this is ending soon. Emotional night to say the least, very sweet though!

- I have been glued to my Nook for the past couple weeks. I am WAY behind on all my shows and have been MIA. These books have sucked me in. More on those tomorrow!

- Went camping on Saturday night at a local lake! It was Melissa's last weekend in town for the summer so we all wanted to get together before she leaves. We all had a ton of fun!! Sleeping on the ground wasn't wonderful....but it didn't matter because we were all together. Here are a few pictures of the night! (The gentlemen in the photos DO NOT typically dress in such fashion, they were going for a unique look, haha.)

- Took my first golf lesson last night, it was super special. I've had the same swing since high school and apparently it's been wrong the whole time. Needless to say breaking my bad habits is looking to be tough! More to come on this one....

- Tomorrow is Kindergarten Round-Up I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I'm crossing my fingers that we have a good turn out. We decided to go with a Hollywood theme and I think it's going to turn out really cute!

- Running another 5K on Saturday, not sure how I'm going to end up doing. I have been slacking big time since my last race. Time to kick it into gear this week!

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-05-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't blogged since last What I'm Loving Wednesday....but it has been yet another busy weekend/week so far. But I have a lot I'm loving this week!!!
So shall I start?!?! I'm thinking so....

I'm loving that I did my baby (not so baby anymore) cousins makeup and hair for her last prom! I can remember when my mom watched her as a baby. All I wanted to do was love on her....my mother may or may not say I smothered the child. Anyways, she is all big and grown up now! Makes me feel so old!!

Horrible picture of me....I was in sweats right before this picture and was back in them after the picture was taken. haha

I'm loving that after an emotional weekend I finally feel like myself again. Home girl was crying at anything and everything....oh the joys of being a girl ;)

I'm loving witnessing someone fall asleep in public and do the infamous head bob. In this case it was a kindergartner at a nursing home last week. Hilarious!! and so sweet....poor guy was done for the day!

This was mid bob....

I'm loving that I might possibly be moving into a classroom that has a sink!!! A SINK!!!! If your a teacher reading this you understand.....Having a sink in my room and having the bathroom right outside my door would save me from dealing with my current bathroom drama. Moving EVERYTHING out of my current room I'm not too crazy about. But I'll get over that real quick for a sink!!!!

I'm loving that today at school we had two butterflies come out and the kids got to witness it!!! It was so cool and the kids loved it!

I'm loving that today one of my little girls and her mom brought me yummy fruit and fruit dip for teacher day. The mom also wrote me the sweetest card that brought me to tears. (emotional much) I sure am glad I waited to read it after I had taken the kids to music, that might have been slightly embarrassing.

I'm loving that my critters have their Spring Music Recital on Thursday!!! I love watching them get up and sing their little hearts out. I might be a little bias but the Kindergartners are some of the cutest!

I'm loving how the Lord has put me in a restful place even within all the chaos of the week. I know he has a plan for me and I am faithful in that plan. (His pace for this plan of his could move a little faster if it was up to me.....but it's not so I'll just keep trucking along!)

I'm loving that I am going CAMPING on Saturday with some of my favorite people!!! I mean normally sleeping on the ground might not being something I jump up and down for....in this case I CANNOT wait to spend time with these friends! So ground it is!!!

Things I'm NOT loving this week!

- This is going to be Melissa's (my sister) last weekend in town until August! She is working Extreme Team at Camp Barnabas this summer. I'm going to miss her so so much!! Just an excuse to go visit though!

- The chicks may or may not be alive!! We had a minor incident yesterday when I realized that the incubator was unplugged!!!! Not sure for how long or how it happend (no one did it apparently, those things usually happen all by themselves) but the temperature dropped to about 80 degrees....it's supposed to stay at 99. We might end up having some funky looking chicks if they hack. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that they're still growing and will come out looking decent.

- Our family dog Candy is getting real old, I think we got her when I was in 4th or 5th grade maybe?? Her back legs aren't working anymore and she scoots herself around. It's so sad watching her try to run/walk. I know the day is coming when were going to have to say goodbye, I'm trying to mentally prepare myself.

What are you loving this week?? Link up over at Jamie's blog!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-04-27T06:39:00.002-05:00

I am jumping on and participating in another new link up for me at least...What I'm Loving Wednesday over at Jamie's blog. A couple of my friends Molly and Tracy participate and I thought it looked like fun!

I'm loving that we just started our chick unit in class and the kids couldn't be more excited! I'm crossing my fingers we have at least 1 egg hatch. It makes me happy seeing them excited about school!

I'm loving that my sweet sometimes not so sweet little critters will be moving on to 1st grade soon. (which really means SUMMER!!!) I'm sure I'll be balling like a baby on the last day of school, I really do love my class...even with all the craziness!

I'm loving that I'm going to see a Royals game with a bunch of my best friends on Friday! A great way to end the week.

I'm loving that I get to watch my sister row again this weekend and I may make it my small group activity for the month. Will see if the girls want to road trip it with me to K.C. on Saturday!

I'm loving Water for Elephants! I have about 100 pages left in the book, literally spent most of Easter Sunday reading it. Can't wait to see the movie!

I'm also loving these new purchases from my trip to Sephora this past weekend!!

I have never had my eye makeup last ALL day....and I am here to tell ya'll that it is 9:30 p.m. and my eyes still kicking! I was skeptical and may or may not have walked around the store for a good 30 minutes thinking over the purchase, but I'm glad I did it. I will definitely be buying this item again.

I am loving this SO far.....will see how I feel in a couple days. I feel like this product works better than others that I've tried in the past. I only bought the travel size just to see if I liked it. (I love when they have the travel or smaller size option, considering how pricey the regular size is.)

I have been wanting this stuff for awhile now....last time I went to Sephora they were sold out. This time they had it and it was the first thing a put in my basket. The smell is delish! I am definitely loving this item.

That's all for now! I hope everyone has a great Wednesday!!

Target Tuesday's

2011-04-26T06:36:00.000-05:00

This is my FIRST time participating in Target Tuesday's over at Tara's blog, and I'm very excited!! What girl doesn't LOVE Target! I spend entirely too much time in that store and especially at the Dollar Spot! I sucks me in EVERY time!! I always find something I "have" to have for my classroom or home. Anyways, I've been searching on the website/ remembering the items that caught my eye the last time I was in the store. These are just a couple things I've come up with, I had to narrow my list down or this post would have gone on way too long!

I love this little bench! I have been trying to picture what my future house will look like, and this definitely needs to be in it!

I couldn't find a larger picture of this adorable Springy dish set. I think they would be great for BBQ's in the summer!!

Awww!!! Pajama pants are my weakness! It takes me no time at all to jump in them when I get home from work! They look so comfy!

I have the hardest time finding brown flats that A. fit right & B. are cute. I have black flats coming out my ears. I will be trying these on the next time I go into the store. They are super cute and would go with a ton of outfits.

White Sandals are a must this summer, I have bought a ton of summer dresses that need these sandals! I will be purchasing these Asap!

This is a definite WANT.....but I have had the hardest time bringing myself to spend the money on one of these. I can't justify spending $14 on 1 sports bra. They do come in some great colors that I would love to have!

I Will Wait For You

2011-04-25T10:00:00.008-05:00

So one of my bestest friends in the world Ashlee posted this video on my facebook wall. We both haven't found our Mr. Right's yet and she knew this would speak to me like it spoke to her. This chick is legit/amazing with words. She speaks so much truth! I love how real and raw she is....I had to share! Check it out!! It's good stuff!

Mix'n It Up....5K, Rowing, Spain and Easter

2011-04-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

So I have again failed at keeping up to date on my blogging. I feel like the last couple weeks have flown by so fast! I need to do a bit of a recap!

Last weekend I did my first ever 5K!! I started running at the end of January with my friend Melisa and have been working towards this race for awhile. I FINISHED!! (which is not that hard to do I guess...but it was my first race ever and I was a little nervous someone was going to have to pick me up on golf cart mid race.) I stopped a total of twice to walk towards the end of the race because I really thought I was going to die, this mental side of running gets the best of me sometimes. A little fun fact I found out this past week though about the race....They had us go the wrong way and we ran a extra half mile. haha This explains the strong sense of me wanting to die during the end!! Either way it was a great experience and I can't wait to do another one and try to beat my time. I'm doing another 5K for sure in June with one of my best friends Tracy! I can't wait!!!

This past Saturday I spent pretty much all day in Kansas City watching my sister Row! My sisters boat won.....Which was SO exciting and special for her since it was Senior Day. I can't believe both the girls are seniors this year it makes me feel old. It was a wonderful Saturday!! The whole family came out to support Liss....I'm talking aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpa, friends, sisters and parents! The Works! I'll post pictures of the day soon! My cousin took the pictures and hasn't posted them yet.

A potential adventure/ exciting news!!! I may or may not be going to SPAIN this summer! I am still weighing the financial cost and what the "Right" thing to do is, but I am leaning toward Spain! My aunt, her bf and my cousin are going in July and she asked if I wanted to join. I've been thinking about it all week and have been debating back and forth. (side note: I'm currently in the saving process to buy a house.) So option 1 is stay here, save money and buy a house this summer. Or option 2 go to Spain come home and rent. As great as being a home owner at 24 would be I'm leaning towards the adventure/travel option. I mean you only live once right?? When am I really going to have this opportunity again?? My cousin plans to run with the bulls again so I would get to partake/ observe this madness!

I would most definitely be observing from one of those balconies!

This running business is no joke!

I will update you on my final decision once I've made it! Easter is today and church service was absolutely wonderful! All of the little girls looked adorable in their Easter dresses!! Pastor delivered a beautiful Easter message and the music team led amazing worship that left me in tears and gave me chills.

Hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday and was able to spend it with loved ones!

Missions Trip 2012!!!!

2011-04-11T07:32:00.000-05:00

So this is going to be another short and sweet post until I get home from work...but I am too excited to wait! A missionary couple came and spoke to our church yesterday to talk about the work they do in Kenya with M.A.N.N.A Worldwide. God has placed missions on my heart a while ago and I am very excited and nervous about what he is going to do to my heart over the next year. It's obviously too late to go on a trip this summer, but I plan to start saving immediately! So were looking at Summer 2012, and possibly Kenya!!! Seriously CANNOT WAIT!

Happy Monday to you all!!

Weight Loss Challenge!!

2011-04-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

So I have decided to jump on the Weight Loss Challenge hosted by Lindsey at Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Rachel at Running Backwards in Heigh Heels. My great friend Molly is participating and I thought it was a wonderful idea as well!

I have never been one to consistently workout for an extended period of time, I usually go through the New Years fad of working out and it drops off around March. I have never been a size 1 and have tried in the past to loose weight...but always seem to get discouraged when the weight doesn't melt away quickly. (I'm a little impatient) I'll watch Biggest Loser and think how the crap do these people shed the weight!! I have a hard time remembering that they spend all day working out....if my "job" was the treadmill I'd probably look the same way too! haha I know that I'm never going to be a 00, but I would love to loose 20-30 lbs. eventually, I look at pictures of myself freshmen year in college and think I was really that much smaller???...and goodness I have a ways to go!

More recently though...In January I started running 3-4 times a week in the morning with my friend Melisa. I'm actually running my FIRST 5K next weekend and couldn't be more excited! I have always wanted to run a race but was never confident enough to....I might not running the entire time BUT I'm okay with it. I wish that I would have taken a before photo of myself before I started working out consistently. I may not look a whole lot different but my clothes are fitting more loosely and I feel SO GREAT..(which is the important part right?) My goals for myself are so stay this active and not fall off the wagon, I feel like I have been pushing through and now it's April. I've made it over the March hump. At some point in my life I would LOVE to run a half or even whole marathon. Let's just start simple at get through the 5K next week. haha

This was August of 2004....Freshmen year of college

December of this year

I think August of this past year....disgusting much.

Recent....Last weekend

Happy health and fitness to everyone! I'm excited to read your stories and share this experience together...I think it's going to be a great journey!

Short and Sweet

2011-04-07T06:56:00.000-05:00

Short and sweet today! I was driving to work yesterday morning listening to K-LOVE.....which usually leaves me with puffy red eyes as I walk into work. The stories on that station get me every time and since I'm a crier it's only natural that I ball my eyes out. Anyways, moving on from me being super emotional....The right song came on at the right time yesterday (as is does most days). I love how God is so sweet like that and always knows exactly what we need.

Hope every one has a wonderful Thursday! Weekend is almost here! Holla!

Weekend Update and Some Extras

2011-04-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being MIA for the past week...It's been a little busy lately and I haven't been on top of my game. So I'm back and have a ton of stuff on my mind and laying heavy on my heart. This weekend was great! We had Girls Makeover Night for the youth group girls, it was a success! We had about 15-20 middle/ high school girls come and get Beautified! We had a Chocolate fountain (YUM.....I enjoyed this part a little too much), the girls went shopping through a TON of donated clothes...and then we did nails, makeup and hair. Watched a few runway walks with the new looks and some sweet dance parties! It was a good night! I had a great time observing all the action in between doing nails. Here are some pics of our festivities....

Saturday was another busy day! Melissa had a regatta in Kansas City, it was a BEAUTIFUL day for it! I feel like every time she races in K.C. it is always crappy weather, so I was very excited about the non snowing or raining or freezing weather conditions! Both KU and Texas busted out some Pink gear and Raced for the Cure....both teams looked fantastic!

This always give me chills....Alma Mater and the Rock Chalk Chant!

Sisters!

The whole family!

Here's Liss being all buff! Get it Girl!

The girls Rock Chalk'n It!

One of my all time besties was in town this weekend! Lynsay came in from New York and it was SO good to see her. I was a little sick of just hearing her voice or seeing her face through the computer screen. I wanted a REAL LIFE HUG! I definitely was in need of some serious Lynsay time and we had a nice low key Saturday night laying on the couch talking. I miss so much living life together! We have been best friends since 7th grade and I'm not a big fan of this whole long distance business. Even though I think what she is doing is awesome and I am so very proud of her, my heart still misses and wishes she was here! These pictures are oldies but goodies!

Enter----->God....he always has a funny way of slapping you in the face right when you need it. I was laying down before bed praying/reading/ journaling and came across this verse I had in my journal.

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." - Philippians 3:13

I'm thinking I need to keep the past in the past and let some things go that I have been holding onto for a while!

Then I came to this section from a devotional I did this past summer and the heading was....Life In The Bod. I had these bullet points underneath:
- Being transparent before God.
- Giving up control, gives you more freedom.
- Put Hope in the Lord.
- Are we on the throne or is Christ on the throne of our hearts?
- "And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony." Colossians 3:14
-" Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise." Colossians 3:16

I feel as though the Lord is telling me to love more fully and put my whole heart into him. It's easy to put yourself up on the throne and not even realize it, as embarrassing as that sounds. My goal this week is to really live life in the bod...and let Christ do some serious work on my heart. More to come later on this...It's getting late and 5:00 am sounds pretty awful right about now!
Happy Tuesday/ Wednesday to you all!

Spring Break with a Little Kung Fu on the Side

2011-03-28T22:09:00.002-05:00

Spring Break!! The past 9 days have been OH so glorious! My original plan was to crack down and get lots of work done over break. We have Kindergarten Round-Up next week and lots of new things starting down in Kindergarten. So surely I could get a bunch accomplished with 9 days free of my little critters. Well that was all good in the theory right.....I had the best of intentions really, but I made the decision I "needed" a new toy. In comes my NEW NOOK! I LOVE LOVE it! I was glued to the thing for a good portion of my break, finished a book and started a new one! My thought is I will get tons of use out of it this summer laying by the pool! (The thought of summer vacation gets me all warm and fuzzy inside!)

The majority of my week off was spent in my pajamas watching BRAVO....I turned into a huge Bravo junky over break! They had a RHW of New York marathon on and I may or may not have DVR'd almost the entire season. (That's what breaks are for right??)

I did go shopping in KC one day with my friend Molly and it was a complete bust. I mean honestly how is it possible that one can go to not 1 but 2 malls and not find a single item to purchase!!! I was ready to drop some $ if yeah know what I mean, I was in the market for fun new spring & summer dresses/clothes. We were both a little more than irritated with the situation and finally went to Kansas Sampler (something we have at home...which is also irritating) and bought some new KU gear. (Don't even get me started on the heart break I felt when the Hawks lost...it was a sad day!) So after a big BUST is KC we stopped through in lawrence I treated myself to a new pair of TOMS.

Molly and I attempted to make PIMP CUPS for all the girls....I mean they turned out cute from a distance. Read Molly's post about our great experience making these suckers. I wanted to scream multiple times as the bling slid down the side of the cup. (I did NOT have much patience at this point, haha) I'm ready to have another go at it though, summer is around the corner and I think us girls need some fancy cups as we sit pool side and for BBQ's!

Today at school we had a Pep Assembly to get our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders pumped for the State Assessments. I pitched the idea of having a pep assembly to my principal thinking she would probably say No....but she thought it was a great idea and told me a should head it up. haha I was more than happy and excited to plan it and head up the event! We haven't had a "FUN" assembly this year and I thought it would be a great way to kinda be silly and have some fun before all the serious tests start for the older kids. When I student taught last year my cousin was the Instructional Coach at the school I was at and headed up the schools Pep Assembly that was Kung Fu Panda themed (it was great!!). I emailed her and asked if she still had any of her stuff from last year, because I thought it was such a cute idea and she emailed me everything. So I didn't have the whole design aspect to worry about, I just needed the rest of the staff on board with the idea...haha Here are some pictures of today's event....I apologize for the dark pictures, the gym and my camera did not get along today.

My two besties at work....Kick'n it Panda Style!!

That lovely crane in front would be my principal...she was great!

The whole Cast....They did such a great job and were great sports! The kids LOVED IT!

Here's me leading everyone in all the chants and cheers!

Praying Mantis....We had an awesome Mom from our school make all of the costumes! Everyone looked great!

Each character from the movie had a test-taking strategy to teach the kids....so each time a new animal came out we learned a new chant to go along with that test-taking strategy. The kids had a blast and I think the staff all had a great time with it and definitely got into character! I am so thankful to work with such great people! It was a fun 1st day back from break!

Holiday's and Chopping

2011-03-24T17:58:00.000-05:00

So about a month ago I decided I needed my hair trimmed badly...I mean it needed some serious attention. My hair was down my back super super long. I had grown quiet attached to my hair and I LOVE long hair. But I thought well I wonder how much I need to donate it. I just mentioned it to my friend Grace (who cuts my hair) and she grabbed the ruler. I then randomly decide.....SURE why not! Go ahead and take 12 inches off my hair! So She did! I may or may not have been taking some serious deep breaths through the entire process. It was my first time donating to Locks of Love and I'm SO glad that I did it! I had plenty of hair to give and it was just in time for spring. It's just hair right?! So I went from this....

To my picture with the cake.... I don't know why I didn't take proper before and after shots. Maybe it was the fact that I decided on a whim to do it in the first place. haha

I also realized I hadn't updated on how my rainbow cake turned out for our St. Patrick's Day celebration in Kindergarten. I think it turned out pretty great for the first time attempting it! I had one cake turn out better then the other, but we ate that one first so I didn't get a picture of it. I was too bust serving the critters to snap a few shots. Here are some shots of all the festivities!

Not the biggest fan of this picture but it's the only one I have of my new do!

I didn't get to it fast enough, I know it doesn't look the prettiest here. But you get the picture!

My other half at school...Tiffany! (She was not too pleased with this great photo opportunity either)

I just really enjoy everything that's going on in this photo....Welcome to my world! haha

Spring Blog Swap!!

2011-03-24T17:07:00.004-05:00

I got my Blog Swap package today!!! Just in time to link up with Molly and Aly to show all my goodies! I LOVE LOVE all of the fun spring things I received from the fabulous Rebekah over at Life With The Edwards. I have had such a great time getting to know this lovely lady through the swap and her blog. Here are all my goodies...

The scarf is SO cute and springy...it's really cool too! It's double layered with different patterns and it's super light (love the color btw). I can't wait to bust it out perhaps tomorrow on my shopping trip to K.C.! I'm obsessed with Forever 21 and heart these earrings....I probably would have picked the same ones out myself. I couldn't have asked for a better partner! Thanks so much Rebekah for all my fun springy stuff, you definitely got me ready for warm weather! I've had such a great time getting involved with the swap and reading all the girls links! Happy Spring Everyone!!

The Waiting Game

2011-03-19T15:25:00.003-05:00

I feel like I'm in a good place right now....other than the strong desire and need to get out of my parents house!! I am currently in the saving process right now and am crossing my fingers that I can be a home owner in the near future. Finding a house in my price range (home girl isn't bringing home a huge stash being a teacher) in a neighborhood I like isn't the easiest. I sure don't want to live alone in the ghetto and I sometimes feel like that's all I keep finding. (not that I have anything against those parts of town, I would just prefer not living in a place I might get shot.) Anyways, moving on....So the search for my first home is still on! I will give ya'll updates when the purchasing process grows closer!

I finally have a job doing something that I'm passionate about and love! I was blessed by getting hired at the last minute in August and work with an amazing woman! I honestly couldn't have dreamed or thought of a better working relationship with this girl. We get along SO well and have really made Kindergarten at our school OURS! We were both hired on the same day and so we started out on an even playing field which was scary and exciting at the same time. We felt like we had no idea what we were doing in the beginning, but now are more excited then ever for next year. We are currently planning Kindergarten Round-Up....(SO exciting) We're going with a Hollywood theme and can't wait to get it all planned and meet the new little critters. We love our situation, but I always have in the back of my head that we don't work for the school...but the district. They could up and move us or not renew our contract if they feel like it. I can't imagine not working with this specific group of people, it just clicks! Our district is changing things and it looks like we're going to have a lot of movement in the near future....I'm crossing my fingers & toes and sending tons of prayers up that our little bubble isn't affected for at least another year.

I go through my up's and down's with the fact that I'm going to be 25 this year and am still SINGLE. I definitely thought that my life was going to look significantly different at this point. I am perfectly okay with the fact that I haven't found Mr. Right yet, I trust that God has a plan for my life and it just isn't time yet. It doesn't change the fact that I feel alone sometimes and wish/ hope for those pieces to fit faster. I introduced my friends before....but I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life. "The Group" if you will....is made up of people I've been friends with for a long time. We've celebrated together the bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, births, new jobs, life....the list goes on and on. I love these people so dearly and it's not a big deal that I'm the only single person in the group. I know that they don't care and have never treated me differently or not included me....it's more me and my own insecurities that get the best of me sometimes. I could go months and months with not feeling weird or down about being single, but then I have that off week where it's like BOOM... I feel alone and think what the crap! I just don't want to end up living my life feeling like this picture....

I want to be green someday! It's my favorite color! haha

I realized last year that I wasn't enjoying the season of life that I'm currently in, I was always wanting to skip ahead and get the marriage and kids part. I have really worked on enjoying the Here and Now...and I feel like I have learned a TON about myself over this past year. I have done a lot of soul searching and worked on myself which I didn't think was necessary before. I started dating a guy ~~(not dating this person currently)~~ around the time school started and realized that I had never really dealt with some of my emotions from a past relationship (That'll be a whole other post in itself). I had/have some emotional scars/ hurt left from this particular relationship that have kept me pretty closed off to any new ones forming. I had this huge revelation that if I didn't deal with this hurt that it was going to be pretty hard to move forward with any future relationships. So I faced the hurt and pain head on, and I know that it isn't something that is just going poof go away. But I have the ability now to realize why I feel the way I do and tools to try and change it. So FINALLY after years of being alone and caring around all this emotional baggage...I feel like I am in a good place with myself and am actually open to meeting someone! That's pretty huge if I do say so myself! haha

So here I am dealing with the understanding that my timing and God's timing are two different things. I'm thinking that God's timing is so much sweeter than mine would have ever been anyways, even if the waiting time is unknown. So I turn it all over to him the Creator and am just along for the ride. House, Job, Love....the 3 things that have brought stress to my heart lately. Now I sit at his feet and listen for him to guide my way and know that he will always love me. His Love is sweet! (Love this video...speaks so much truth about God's Love for us.)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Some St. Patty's Flavor & Day 15

2011-03-15T22:52:00.003-05:00

So I feel like I have completely dropped the ball on classroom parties this year in my classroom. I skipped out and went to New York for the Halloween one, decided Christmas was going to be low key and felt the same way about Valentine's Day. Some people may or may not use the words "Party Pooper" when describing my feelings on parties. So I made a decision today (2 days before St. Patrick's Day)....that I needed to kick it into gear and bust some Irish loving, green wearing, rainbow coloring, searching for gold and leprechauns Shindig in Kindergarten! In all my last minute preparations I also made the AWESOME choice of making not 1 but 2 Rainbow Layered Cakes.....(this is what I'm shooting for)

I currently have the blue, red, orange and green layers baked and cooling! I will do yellow and violet tomorrow and then assemble my works of art! Hopefully I remember to take pictures of all this craziness....then we can compare my cakes to this gorgeous one above. I'm crossing my fingers that I can pull all this off in basically just 1 day. I had a teacher point out to me that I was wearing green today....I stinking wore my ONLY dressy green shirt today. I'm not sure what I was thinking this morning (maybe I just need to go shopping to increase my amount of dressy green shirts....haha) Promise pictures of all the festivities to come!

On another note, Day 15....I have seriously been slacking on my Blog Link Party (my apologizes).....But today's was simple (Things I want to do before I die), I'm kind of a travel junky so I pick TRAVEL. Not that I get to travel many places very often, but I want to go everywhere!! Currently I have a couple places I've been obsessing/drooling over lately that I would LOVE to visit....

Greece (I mean look at it, who wouldn't want to go) I'm thinking when I meet the man of my dreams and get married this would be a fabulous honeymoon destination. Or if ~~Mr. Right~~ continues to be MIA....I'm thinking girls trip!!

Africa.....still haven't decided exactly where in Africa I want to travel to, I just know I want to go.

I want to go and climb Machu Picchu!!! I know it sounds super random, but for those of you that have read A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.....you understand.

Those are all my big trips that I want to go on in the near future. I'm always down for traveling domestically, not that I can afford it on a teachers salary.

A girl can dream right!?

Weekend Update

2011-03-13T22:45:00.002-05:00

Weekend Update....I had a wonderful relaxing weekend with friends and my dog. My parents were out of town this weekend (yes I live at home currently, I'm working on that situation) so I was in charge of the dog.

Candy our dog is getting to be rather old and it's starting to show....her back legs are not working anymore. The days of walking on all fours are officially gone and it breaks my heart seeing her scoot around everywhere. We've had her since I was in Elementary school, so I know the day is approaching where she isn't going to be around.

Anyways, she has a routine and I try to stick with it when my parents are gone. I had a huge brain fart....I mean MONDO....I had her sleeping in my room and she kept whining/crying. I figured she just wanted to go sleep in my parents room since that is what she normally does, so I open my bedroom door thinking she'd walk into my parents room and go to bed. That is not at ALL what happened. I few minutes later I hear a bunch of loud noises.....I JUMP out of bed and run in the hallway. SHE FELL DOWN THE STAIRS....the dog whose back legs don't work decided she wanted to head downstairs on a nighttime stroll. Oh goodness I felt SO bad/ was thinking what in the world dog did you think was going to happen. Regardless she was shaken up, I was shaken up and I had a hard time going back to sleep after that. I thought of every worst case scenario....the dog having internal bleeding, dying in her sleep, breaking a front leg....if it was bad I probably thought of it happening.

Woke up the next morning and she was fine....aside from the dirty looks I swear she was giving me. That was my drama for the weekend....other than my lapse of judgement opening the door I had a great weekend. I watched some basketball! KU won the Big 12 Championship, Holla!! I was proud to be a Jayhawk this weekend! They Rock Chalked it!! I can't wait for March Madness to officially start!

Went shopping on Saturday (always fun!) and grabbed some good deals! Here's one of the dresses I got from Charlotte Russe, I'm excited to bust it out this spring/summer....

I also picked up all my items for the Spring Swap! I am so excited about all the things I got my partner and can't wait for her to get the package....I'm crossing my fingers she likes it all!

The week ahead.....St. Patty's Day!!! I'm very excited about St. Patty's day, green is my favorite color and I can't wait to bust it out this week. The week is usually spring break, but they pushed spring break back a week so unfortunately I'll be at school missing the parade. I am excited to celebrate the holiday with my class though...I bought a bunch of St. Patrick's Day books to read to the little critters this week. If anyone has any cute craft ideas for the holiday send them my way! I'm always looking for a cute fun craft to do with them. After this week is over we have SPRING BREAK!!! Can't wait for a week off....have no idea what I'm going to do with my week yet! The possibilities are endless!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Day 9~

2011-03-09T23:05:00.005-06:00

Day 9 of the blog challenge~ Show a picture of someone that has gotten you through the most! Well it my true Ashley fashion I can't just choose one person. I feel like I have a whole posse (am I a member of a rap group...haha) of people that have helped me through it all. I have a wonderful group of friends and family members that are my rock! I can't picture my life without these people and I am so very thankful to have them in my life. So here's my posse...

Ahh my family! I love these people more than I can say really!

These are the fabulous people I volunteer with at church. We all work with the youth group and have a great time together. I consider these people family!

Hannah and Lynsay! 2 loves of my life! Lynsay (on the right) and I have been BFF's since 7th grade.

This is only part of the group....if I could Photoshop Sheena and Tracy in I would. Some amazing women, mommy's and friends that I love dearly!

These are two of my favorite ladies...Ashlee and I met Alli through the School of Ed. I seriously don't know how I would have gotten through school without these girls!

Bringing it back old school! Love this girl so so much!!

This is a glimpse at my life and the people that are in it! I am so blessed to have a great support system of people in my life.
Happy Wednesday night to you all! I know it was a little late in the day, I was out sick and slept for most of it. BUT....I did blog 2 days in a row. I'm stepping up my game! Holla...

Day 8.....and a little Camp Barnabas

2011-03-08T22:21:00.000-06:00

Day 8....I know I skipped a couple days. I promise I know how to count! Today's task was an easy one for me, I have so many pictures that make me laugh it's hard to choose. I'm not one for taking a bunch of nice, sweet pictures when I'm on vacation or just in general. I think the best photographs are the candid/ funny ones! So here is goes, you know me I can't just choose one.....

This is one of my best friends Carrie from it seems like ages ago...We had an I Love the 80's night at youth group (Holla). I think we achieved the look!

Oh Hannah, this is one of my roommates from college. We had just gotten home from the midnight showing of Harry Potter. (As you can see we were a little amped from the movie and used her conducting stick as a wand.)

I studied abroad in Italy one summer....this is me and some of my School of Ed. girls trying to make a museum outing a little more fun.

Camp Barnabas (more on this below) This is Kent one of the campers in my cabin a couple years ago. I turned around to find Kent wearing a King of Hearts costume and him also holding the Queen's outfit. He then asked me if I would be his Queen....never heard that one before. haha

Another one of my all time besties and roommate from college Lynsay. Photobooth is a great way to procrastinate from studying. Enough Said.

These are just a few of many pictures that make me laugh and warm my heart. I have some amazing friends that love to laugh as much as I do!

Onto another topic that has been on my heart lately...Camp Barnabas! Check out the video before you continue reading. I know it's kind of long but it shows exactly what camps about. If you cry easily you may or may not want to have tissues on hand. It's good stuff though I promise!

I've posted before about this wonderful place, but it has more recently been on my mind and heart. I've been going to camp for a number of years now and worked on staff last summer. It was exactly where I needed to be last summer and was crossing my fingers that I could swing it again. But, I've been praying over my decision for a couple months now and decided that with work (school) it's just not the place God wants me to be this summer. I am faithful in the Lord and in the choices I've made, it was still a hard decision! My sister is going to be working all summer at camp and it's going to be strange not sharing that experience again with her this summer.

My words don't do this place justice (why I posted the videos), the amount of joy my heart feels for this place is abundant. It's inspiring working with a group of people all working towards the same goal, making the week AWESOME for the campers! I love what this place does for the campers that come...they get to experience a week where a disability doesn't define them. They get to be a kid like everyone else! It's a beautiful thing watching someone be themselves and have no worries. That is what Camp brings to these wonderful individuals.

As a youth leader I was able to look at camp from a different perspective. I brought our youth group and watched their lives transform in a week. It was a hard and tiring week both physically and emotionally. It's hard selling camp to teenagers at first....but this is the end result once they take that step of faith! (This is a video of our group that I made for Camp Sunday at church. We shared this video with our congregation and some of the teenagers gave testimonies.)

"For the Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save you. He takes great delight in you and quiets you with his love. And he will rejoice over you in song.
Zephaniah 3:17
This is one of my all time favorite songs that is sung at camp...

Day 5....I Know I'm Behind!!

2011-03-07T00:57:00.002-06:00

I have not been keeping up with the blog challenge....the last couple of days have been super busy. As you can see I have a new look....which took me ALL afternoon and evening. I'm not exaggerating when I say I just finished around midnight, I'm new to all the design business and I had a hard time deciding what I liked. I decided to change the title of my blog to EveryDay Blessings....I just felt like I needed something new and this name speaks so true. I have SO much to be thankful for and God has blessed my life in so many ways. (Stay tuned for more on this)

Anyways, on to Day 6....My Favorite Memory! This was hard because I have so many wonderful memories, the one that's sticking out the most is the day KU won the National Championship. It was a glorious day and the week leading up to it was one of the greatest times I had in college. I remember watching the game with my roommates and the second we won....we sprinted out of the apartment and ran down to Mass. St. (on the way we saw a naked man running down the middle of the street) I had never experienced anything like it before, people were EVERYWHERE and it seemed like the party was never going to end. It was a GREAT day to be a Jayhawk!!

New Look!!

2011-03-06T23:45:00.000-06:00

I decided to redesign my blog! I'm still trying to work out all the kinks, this was my first remodel putting everything together myself. I wanted to pull my hair out a couple times during the process. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it and it won't be so bad next time around. It'll be a work in progress for the next couple of days....Hope everyone had a great weekend!

New post coming soon!!
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