Last Day...

Well, tomorrow is the last day of school.  I never thought I'd say this (after this year's class) but, it makes me a little sad.  I feel like this year has FLOWN by. I am gonna miss those little monkeys when they leave tomorrow.  I know how after the school year is over, the negatives and annoyances fade and I love seeing last year's kids (my 1st class) in the hall!  I guess it is a little more sad since I know I won't be seeing these little boys and girls in the hallway next year :( (And I can't believe my little 1st class is going to be in 2nd grade!)

On another note, after our teacher workdays are over, I HAVE to get back on the wedding train.  I jumped ship over to the HOUSE "boat" a while back and have begun to neglect the little tedious wedding tasks that have got to get done.  Hopefully, since there will be no school, I can do some of both! :)  Seeing as how I have made about 6 trips to Goodwill for awesome "remodeling" stuff, I need to get all my house projects finished, too!  

What Have You Done???

Directions: Bold the items you have done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
20. Slept on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
30. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a Bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

Wow! I have actually done a lot of these things.  I have been really blessed in my relatively short 24 years of life to have visited so many places in God's great earth.  Hopefully I will be able to add more to this list in the years to come! (Of course there are some i'd rather leave alone!)

Obama budget cuts???

This you tube video breaks down Obama's "budget cuts" to show us visual learners what he means when he says he is going to cut government spending by 100 million dollars.  It is worth a look.  You may be as blown away as I was.  Gee, all this "change" is making me feel better.  Ha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWt8hTayupE

25 Things...

1. I am very, very picky. I hate things like mayonnaise, ranch, mustard, tomatoes, my food touching, etc., etc., and eat everything plain and well done.

2. My Favorite place to eat is Chile Verde (or Rojo...whatever) and i ALWAYS order a Chicken Fajita Quesadilla, no tomatoes, no sour cream, of course. My second favorite is Chick-fil-a and I could eat at these two places every single day.

3. I HATE spiders. They are the creepiest things to me and i have had more than one nightmare about them crawling on me. Google bird eating spider and you may have nightmares too!

4. I am marrying my best friend in July and i am looking forward to our amazing life together. I am also gaining a wonderful 2nd family and could not ask for anything more.

5. I am not a 'Bridezilla'. I have not done a wedding related thing is quite awhile and most of the little details do not matter to me. I have yet to pick out invitations, centerpieces, a cake, flowers, etc... and I am not all that worried about it. I am excited about the wedding, but I am just more excited about the marriage.

6. I am about to move to eastern North Carolina. Most likely Rose Hill, home of the World's Largest Frying pan. (Seriously!) Before Clayton, I would have sworn that i would never live past Raleigh. I don't really know why... it's not that bad ;)

7. I was born in Chapel Hill and lived there for the first 18 months of my life. I miss it everyday and it will always be one of my favorite places. The 4 years i spent in college there were way too short! I am definitely Tar Heel Born and Bred. 

8. I love the summer. It is warm and i have 2.5 months off of school. And soon, i will be much closer to the beach!

9. I yell way too much and get way into basketball games. Like yelling at the refs and screaming way too loud. Hopefully I won't embarrass Clayton too much at his games next year!

10. I love pictures and scrapbooking. Yes, some may think that that is a dumb hobby, but i love to look back at my many scrapbooks and remember all the good times and good friends I have had in my life.

11. Dean Smith spoke to me (and Jennifer) personally after our Graduation. We were walking out of Kennan Stadium and he walked by and talked to us for a moment. I wish i took a picture!

12. Roy Williams came into The Loop during Krista's birthday dinner and was kind enough to talk to us AND i did get a picture!

13. I always get my hair cut at places like GreatClips. I guess i am cheap... but after next summer, i am going to break down and actually make an appointment at a decent salon like most normal people.

14. I really haven't minded living at home for the past two years. My parents are not annoying and i have been able to save a lot of money. That being said, I am really excited to get my own little house and actually feel like a grown-up.

15. I am a horrible speller. At school I am always afraid that when i am writing on the board i am going to misspell something. And its not like my kids would even know. They are 5 and can't read (well, not that well yet) There are probably a ton of errors in this note.

16. I am secretly terrified of going into debt. The movie "Pursuit of Happyness" made me so stressed out. I don't have a credit card. And i am going to make Clayton in charge of paying bills.

17. I cry really easily. I cry at any sad/happy/sappy movie, commercial, song, and ESPN story about some miraculous sports thing.

18. I love frozen margaritas and Duplin wine. If we get the house i want, we will live 1.5 blocks from Duplin winery... yay!

19. I love Grey's Anatomy, The Biggest Loser, and Army Wives. I watch other shows when i am walking on the treadmill or am bored.

20. I used to hate to exercise, but after making myself do it for about a month, I have come to enjoy it. It is me time and it makes me feel so much better. 

21. I have awesome siblings. Ashley and McKenzie are 2 of my favorite people and i am really happy that we are friends. I am looking forward to gaining 2 new "siblings" soon. Hams is great and Nolan is pretty alright too. :)

22. I don't like to talk on the phone that much. And that makes it hard to keep in touch with people as much as i would like too. Sometimes i feel like that makes me a bad friend.

23. I take my memory foam pillow with me everywhere i go, even if i know that the place has its own pillows. I just like it best. 

24. I am not a morning person at all. I hit the snooze 4 or 5 times and never want to get up. But after i sleep late, i am mad at myself for wasting the day away.

25. I love doing arts and crafts type things... again, another old person hobby, but i enjoy being creative and making things.


Wheww... I am glad i could think of 25 things!

Thanks Winston!

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  ~Winston Churchill" 

This quote totaly explains my day.  It has been a rough week back at school.  Honestly, I didn't want to be there, and I was assistant-less for most of it. The kids were whiney, I was crabby, and it seemed like no one was even listening to me. When I finally got home, after a gazillion parent meetings, I have been drained-unmotivated to do the smallest task. I felt miserable.

Yesterday, at my 3 hour long ILT meeting (which I, of course, dreaded for days) our leader said something that really spoke to me.  I don't remember exactly what it was, but it reminded me that MY attitude, tone, behavior, etc, affected the way my kids behaved, and they way I perceived the day.  Yep, I have been causing my own problems all week. 

This morning, the sun was shinning and I decided that my attitude was going to be different.  And it was. And today was much better.  No, not everyone was perfect, and some parts were still frustrating, but i walked in the door @ 5:30 (yes, 5:30) and have felt great all afternoon!  Yay Attitude!  I think I will go for a walk/jog, make some dinner, and Grey's Anatomy it up with a glass of Duplin Wine! 

And tomorrow is Friday! 

"Attitudes are contagious.  Is yours worth catching?"  ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

"Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun." ~ Colleen C. Barrett

Knock, knock...Martha, are you in there???

For the past couple of months I have been thinking about household responsibility.  Cleaning, cooking, dishes, laundry, and the like.  And it makes me kinda nervous.  My room is a mess.  Clothes are everywhere, clean, dirty, unknown, all strewn about the room. The bed is never made.  I haven's seen 1/3 of it since May 2007.  The bathroom counter is covered with hair and make-up stuff and the laundry piles up mid way to the ceiling before i finally take it to the wash, where 95% of the time my mom does it.  That is a little embarrassing. But i don't do much to relieve her of that duty because, well, I HATE CLEANING. I don't like to vacuum, dust (hey, it makes me sneeze!), do the tub and tiles, or wash and fold the clothes.  I don't like to sweep. I despise doing dishes.   

In 100 days I will be married and responsible, at least in part, for all of these dreaded chores.  Part of me is hoping that my inner Martha Stewart comes flooding out with the I-Do's... but the realistic side of me knows that is less than likely to happen.  I mean, when I was in college, my room was messy (nothing like it is now!), but I did keep the laundry under control and the rest of the house in pretty good shape.  So, that gives me hope that because it is MINE I will feel more of a desire to present a clean and tidy home.  I want to keep it nice and clean.  But the fact of the matter is that when i get home from school, the last thing i wanna do is clean.  And for the past year i have been spending 8 hours of the weekend driving, so Saturday and Sunday are out for cleaning.  

Oh well, I sure hope hubby-to-be doesn't mind the mess from time to time, because it's gonna take some will power to change my non-cleaning ways. :)  And, maybe, just maybe, having 8 extra hours a weekend will give me a few moments to clean the house!

On becoming a Redneck...

So, I have been sorting through recent pictures to order from Snapfish and I came to a scary realization... some external force is trying to turn me into a redneck.

First of all, for my 24th birthday, two of my friends decided that it would be fun to have a "Camo" themed party. Complete with a turkey target and a bulls eye cake.
It was a lot of fun. I even went out to eat in my good ol' camo shirt.
But it gets worse.

A few weekends ago me and C went down to CH to our buddy Zims house. For the Daytona 500. Yep, an actual NASCAR race. Now, granted, Zims is not a NASCAR guy. He is a Death Metal/tattoos guy. It was more or less just an excuse to hang out and drink beer on a Sunday.

But really, who wants to watch a bunch of people drive around making lots of left turns for hours and hours, even with a keg. Nonetheless, I sat there on the couch watching Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth and 30+ other dudes race around in circles. And I was interested. C even accused me of liking it. The hard thing to admit is, I kinda did. I mean, I'm not gonna plop down with a Bud Light every Sunday to watch it, but if for some reason it is on, I'm not gonna complain. Much. (Hey, a girls gotta maintain her image!)

C, Me, and Skulls @ the party!

Go Kasey Kahne!