Dear 2012

Dear 2012,

Wow, what a year you have been! You were a year I had been anticipating for so long in so many ways. There were big life changes made this year and I can't believe I actually made it through alive and well. Now you are almost over and I can't help but reflect on how blessed I have been this last year.

I spent my first true semester in a classroom and fell in love with a group of kids I never imagined myself teaching, even in my wildest dreams. It's amazing how things work out, isn't it? Little did I know I was hand picked for that group of kids. God knew exactly what he was doing when he placed me in that classroom. Those kids were perfect for me and I can say in confidence that I was perfect for them. We got to dive deep into slavery, war, and civil rights together but I know I learned more from them than they learned from me. It was exhausting, irritating, frustrating, and perfect in every way. I was forced to take a good, hard, look at myself and am a better person and teacher because of it.

After four seemingly short years I graduated from the University of Georgia with my degree in Middle Grades Education. Every year at UGA passed more quickly than the one before it and I wasn't ready for it to end. I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for the opportunity to start and finish at such a wonderful institution. My dad has always been quick to remind Haley and I not to take our education for granted. We know there are so many people who would have loved to attend UGA but couldn't for different reasons. My education is one thing I will always be thankful for. Athens and UGA will always hold the most special place in my heart.

I finally got to walk down the aisle and marry my best friend after seven and a half years together. The date had been set for nearly four years but when it finally arrived it felt like it couldn't be here already. We aren't old enough for this, are we? We worked day and night for over a year to make sure everything was perfect for our day. It felt funny to sit back and have everything done for us that weekend, but that's exactly what we wanted. We wanted to enjoy our time with our friends and family and enjoy we did! The week we spent in Jekyll will always be the best week of my life. It's been six months and it still feels like yesterday. Is that how it will always be? I can only hope it is because I never want to forget that feeling.

Now, here's where I'll be honest. This is one change I wasn't happy about in 2012. Getting through the wedding was my main focus and I didn't let myself think about what would happen after it was over. I didn't want to think about leaving Athens. Somehow I kept pushing that to the back of my mind and pretending we could find a way to stay. Like so many others, I love Athens. Like, serious love. As in, it took me two months to move my things after the wedding... And, if I'm being totally honest, it's only because my sister had to find a roommate. If that hadn't happened I can guarantee you that my room would still be the same. I didn't want to leave Athens, UGA, Hilsman, my friends, and especially my sister. I don't do well with change; I am a creature of habit to the extreme. Moving to a totally new place didn't sit well with me, but over time I have adjusted and am learning to love my new home. Marriage isn't all fun and games! Especially when a certain someone gets a fantastic job they love and drag you away from everything you've ever known! But, in this scary time I couldn't be more thankful for my husband and his job. We're getting there!

Along with moving to a totally new place came working in a school system I knew nothing about. I started substituting in Dalton so I could get a feel for the area and the schools. I am so thankful for the work and to be back with the kids. I spend most of my time in the same Elementary school and I absolutely adore it. Never in a million years did I think I would love those kids so much. I have learned that I can teach something other than middle school and that feels pretty darn good. I hope to be more settled next year and find a teaching job, but only time will tell!

We've got some exciting plans I can't wait to share with you when the time comes. This has been the best year yet but life just keeps getting better! The best is yet to come!

2012 - You have been so good to me and I am looking forward to what 2013 holds!


Love,

Halloweentown

I've already dedicated several blog posts to the various fall decorations around our humble little home. I'm more than excited about Halloween so I added a few things to the existing fall decor! As you already know I'm a Christmas fanatic so none of the other holidays get me quite as excited, but I think I'm still more excited than the average person! Chris on the other hand loves Halloween. I think maybe it's a boy thing? Who knows, but I'll take any excuse to go buy some holiday stuff! Most of this I already had from the past couple of years but I had forgotten about it! It was like Christmas going through all my things getting ready to decorate! The "trick or treat" sign, "boo to you" sign, and "Halloween" witch sign were bought at Hobby Lobby last year after Halloween. They were marked between $8-$10 each but I got all three for under $7. Pretty good, right? The plan was to hang them in my classroom but that will have to wait another year :) Enjoy some photos from our humble abode!

On the shelf

Hanging in the kitchen!

New fall tablecloth courtesy of TJ Maxx

Bought this wreath at a craft show in Myrtle Beach!

Out front!

Wedding lanterns turned Halloween!

Crazy looking witch

Spotted this perfect pumpkin along the road and had to have it!

The trick or treat bowl/Chris's candy bowl!

Are you as excited for Halloween as I am? Let's be honest, I'm mostly excited for ABC Family's "13 days til Halloween!" I'm itching to watch Hocus Pocus! Happy Haunting!

A substitute's life for me

A picture from a sweet fourth grader

I haven't blogged in a few days but that's because the past few days have been pretty uneventful. I last wrote Thursday night before my first day of subbing on Friday. Well, let me tell you, that was a trip! Like I said before, I signed up for a Middle School Social Studies class but that's not what it ended up being. When I got there at 7:30 I was sent to a sixth grade Math/Science class. My cohort friends are laughing hysterically right about now because they know how terrified I am of math! Needless to say it was a very hectic, long, wild day! Not only was it a Friday, but there was also a dance after school so the kids were super crazy! 

I really didn't do much over the weekend because it was kind of yucky here and Chris worked all weekend. Obviously I watched my dawgs play and win Saturday so that was great! I had a ton of unpacking and cleaning to do from vacation so that kept me pretty busy! I'm still not caught up on laundry... I hate laundry, y'all. Hopefully I'll get caught up by next weekend when we leave for Gatlinburg! Living trip to trip, y'all!

Monday I was signed up to substitute in first grade until lunch time. Once again things changed at the last minute and I ended up staying the rest of the day to substitute in fourth grade. I had an absolute blast! My first graders were such sweet hearts and I had the best time with the fourth graders! Yesterday was definitely a subbing success! I loved the school so I was signed up for several more days there in the next couple of months and I'm excited to go back. I'm enjoying getting to spend time in different schools and meet a lot of new people. That's the thing about teachers - they usually they make you feel very welcome! I experienced a lot of hospitality over these two days. I'm going back to the same sixth graders on Thursday so we will see how that goes! Keep me in your prayers as I'm thrown into a new lions den each time!

Thankful Thursday

Simple as this: Tonight I am very thankful for my teacher training at UGA. Tomorrow is my first day of substituting in Whitfield County. I'll be in a Middle School Social Studies class - I don't know what grade. I'm thankful my first day is in my comfort zone at both levels! I can't imagine heading in without being a certified teacher... I'm terrified enough as it is! So many "firsts." I'm taking my advisor's tip to heart - she says substituting will make me a better teacher... We'll see! Wish me luck!

More Wedding Bells!

This weekend was a whirlwind! We were so busy running around that it was one of those weekends where you were exhausted by the end of it! Saturday night Chris's best friend was married at the Hiawassee Trout Lodge. Y'all know how much I love weddings! Of course it's even sweeter when it's your friends! I know y'all are glad to see someone else's wedding instead of my own for a change, right?

Chris worked Thursday night so when he woke up Friday afternoon we packed up and headed out! The rehearsal was at the venue in between Hiawassee and Helen so we decided to head straight there from Dalton instead of going home to Habersham first. It took us about two and a half hours to get there and we were only two minutes late! Pretty good for us, right? Everyone rehearsed, ate dinner, and we headed out. 

The wedding was outside on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully the rain held out until after the ceremony and after the photos were done! The reception was covered so it was all good when the downpour happened. It was the first time that it's really felt like fall to me and I loved it! I'm loving the weather this week and can't wait to head over the mountain to Gatlinburg in October. But first, we are heading to Myrtle Beach in SIX DAYS! I can't wait! Because of my sun allergy my days of laying out are essentially over. I'm excited to go this late when it won't be so hot I can't even breathe. Stay tuned for photos from Jasper's first trip to the beach! :)

Enjoy some photos from the wedding:

Best Man + Groom

Table Decor

Bird Seed favors

Bubbles for the exit

Grooms cake

Delicious Cake

Loved these

At the ceremony

Obsessed with my handsome husband

Humidity = shiny

Ceremony

Vows

"Who has the ring?" Not funny, boys!

First kiss!

Love it!

Love him!

Sweet girls and the groom

Mother-Son Dance

Super sweet

Chris rehearsing his speech just before showtime!

SO proud of him!

Bouquet toss

Garter

Program

Happy Monday, y'all!

What to do with Wedding Cards?

Confession time, y'all. I am an enormous pack rat. I am pretty much a borderline hoarder at this point. Not the empty trash piled to your ceiling type; the stuff type. My family makes so much fun of me because of it. I have never really liked to throw anything away, but it has only gotten worse as I've gotten older. I am the most sentimental person you will ever meet, I guarantee it. A lot of it has to do with my grandmother - she kept everything and I am following right in her footsteps - especially anything that has to do with my grandparents since all of them have passed away. I am so afraid of getting rid of something I'll want later or need! Now that I'm a teacher (well, not literally at the moment) it's even worse! I'm always thinking to myself, will I be able to use that in Social Studies? A Science lab? You'd be amazed, right EDMS friends?

I've got a giant chest at my parents house full of middle school and high school memorabilia - cheerleading tags, notes, newspaper clippings, etc - that I can't stand to part with. I've also got a giant hat box full of anything and everything Chris and I could accumulate during our relationship  - that's 8 years worth of notes, ticket stubs, receipts, etc. I think it might have something to do with my love of history. I love learning about anything - seriously - but especially people and how they change over time. I love looking back at my grandparents dating photos, or hearing stories about my dad's childhood growing up on Black Rock. I can't wait to share my life with my children, and what better way to do that than though showing them things that meant so much to me at one point in my life? Do I need those BAR slips from my friends in Middle School? No way. But each one of them has a story attached to them that I can't wait to share. My version of "How I met your mother," I suppose...

Anyway, my hoarding tendencies only got a thousand times worse when we got engaged! I have saved every. little. thing. that has had anything to do with the engagement and wedding. I've got yet another box full of those things. I keep getting the box out to look through it and decided I wanted to do something more fun with some of my things.

If you're on Pinterest you've probably seen these things floating around for a while now and I finally decided to make my own. My first project was this "Wedding Card Book." This is all the cards we got at the showers and at the wedding. It's a pretty thick book so I had to use two large binder clips. I found the clips at Wal-Mart for less than $2.00 a pack in the office supplies section. The pack included four large clips and four small clips. All I did was use the hole punch and try to keep in centered so the cards were even. I stacked my cards from largest (in the back) to smallest (in the front) and used a pretty card for the front. Thanks to my sweet, sweet, friend Sarah Richards for this beautiful card! 

After that one I decided to make a few other ones! This next one is specifically our wedding paraphernalia. It includes: 

Wedding Invitation 

Guest accommodation card

Response card

Our three wedding shower invites

Engagement Party Invite

Rehearsal Dinner Invite

Guest responses (RSVP's, both yes and no)

This one is probably my favorite! If you registered at Gift Garden or Davis Brothers you know what these are - the cards on all the presents that say what the gift is and who it is from. Most of them have hand written notes from the giver. I kept every single one! I will cherish these forever! I love reading the sweet thoughts from the ladies at our church in their beautiful handwriting and the funny ones from my friends! This way I will never forget who gave me what gift. I put a tag from our gift bags at the wedding on the front for the "cover."

Lastly, I decided to put my post card collection on a small ring. I don't have many but my collection is growing. I decided to start this when I went to Italy last summer and it's so fun to look back at where I've been.

If you go anywhere interesting, send me a post card please!

I made one other one for miscellaneous cards but didn't take a picture of it. I only used the ones I had here in Dalton because the rest are in a box (shocker) at home. 

What do you think? Are cards worth keeping? I vote YES!

Happy Holidays for less!

I keep meaning to do "Thrifty Thursday" posts but always forget! This post comes a little late tonight but that's because I just found my item about an hour ago. Chris is at work tonight and I didn't feel well all afternoon. I finally started feeling better tonight so I thought I'd get out of the house for a bit and headed down to Kohl's. Several of my friends swear by Kohl's but I've only been a couple of times. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for but I found a lot of other things I liked! I will definitely be going back. While rummaging through the clearance section (obviously a favorite hobby of mine) I found some July 4th decorations. I didn't care for most of it but here's what I did like:

Now, I'm not a fool. I understand that stores mark things up just to mark them down but I'm cool with that. I know what something is worth to me and that's all that matters. This baby supposedly started at $29.99 but I got it for $2.99. Pretty good for a metal wreath, right? July 4th is one of those holidays I sort of let slip by me every year so I don't have any decorations. Now next year I'll at least have a cute wreath to put on the front door! Happy July 4th and Happy Shopping!

Thank goodness for iPhones!

So, I haven't blogged much lately because nothing has really been going on in our neck of the woods. I just plugged my iPhone into my computer to charge and it prompted me to upload some recent photos I've taken. They aren't much, but they reminded me of a few small things that have happened this week. Its been pretty rainy in Dalton this past week so we haven't had any outdoor adventures. I've been emailing and filling out mountains of paperwork to substitute teach. You'd think I was applying to be Captain of the world with all this paperwork! Soon I'll be back with the kids though, and I'm pretty excited about that! Without further ado, our exciting life this past week :)

We got a gift card for almost $200 to finish our registry from Macys. Just another reason I LOVE Macys!

Remember this from the wedding? Finally put it up in our house! Send us some mail!

The massive ham we picked up last week! We still have a ton left!

SO much ham! Thanks, Shelli Allen for the container :)

Our only child is still going strong!

First official fall decoration! So excited

Added wedding pictures to my favorite piece of furniture

Ham, Macaroni & Cheese, and Milk. Perfection.

$0.97 pumpkins from Wal-Mart

I've yet to get any candles for these candle holders

But I'm pretty fond of the pumpkins...

I've been constantly burning candles lately! I just ordered 3 fall scents from B&BW!

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen these photos! I'm finishing up a little project tonight that I'll post soon. Nothing exciting, but I'm pretty fond of it! Happy Tuesday, y'all! 

ps, Only 111 days until Christmas! Wahoo!