AAAAAAHHH

Oh my...I report back to school tomorrow! I cannot believe it...I don't know what to think. I am excited, kind of. I am not looking forward to the stress. I was reading my sister-in-law's blog and she is starting to teach this week too. I completely agree with her in that the school year just brings STRESS! I am not looking forward to it.

I have a couple goals this school year. The first is that I am going to go early to school. I am going to leave at about 6:30 to get there at 7:00 so that I can do the work in the morning with less distractions. Also, I am going to leave school at 3:30 except for on staff meetings. I am not going to teach intervention this year (which is hard to not do because it is a lot of money per hour!) but Matt has picked up an extra shift at PF Chang's to help us out. I am going to stay on top of my paperwork and remember to put things away right after I use them. I am also going to utilize my students in cleaning more.

All these goals are going to be soooo great if I can stick to them. Matt has many concerns about me overworking myself and teaching pregnant. I understand because without being pregnant I was always exhausted when teaching. Sticking to these goals are going to be vital to my health and my baby's health!

So, tomorrow I get up early and head to a day of meetings. I have to start doing my hair again. (I've done it a total of, hmmm, 4 times ALL summer!) I will get kids on Wednesday and I am so excited to meet my new class! (Excited and a little anxious, I mean, what if they are CrAzY!)

Blessings,

~N

1 year anniversary

For our 1 year anniversary, after we found out I was pregnant, we drove up to Tahoe to spend the night at the Mont Blue. We had a really nice room. It was strange because we had this news that we didn't know how to deal with it. We were kind of stunned and it kind of just hung over us while we were there. Last time we went to Tahoe I was able to be able have a few cocktails, this time I couldn't have any!

We went to a really, really fancy dinner at a place called Evan's. This place was very much beyond our fanciness. It was comical. Luckily we had planned to dress nicely and we fit in in that regard but it was pretty comical. The food was soooooooo yummy and beautifully set out. I had almond crusted halibut, with some kind of yummy risotto and a grapefruit sauce. Matt had veal medallions and yummy mashed potatoes. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! mm mmmm...other than that will never go back. Over $100 for 2 entrees and an appetizer? Um, Red Robin is more our style! :)

Otherwise, we didn't do much on our anniversary. We were so dumbfounded by the news we had just learned that we just kept looking at each other like: are you kidding me???

Here's some pictures!



~N

SURPRISE!

I know it has been so long since I have updated and I am SO sorry. I can't guarantee I will get better but I truly am going to try.

June 22, 2009 Matt and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary of being married. However, we had so much more to celebrate! A few days prior I could tell my body was not, hmmm, "normal." I don't keep track of my cycle but I knew, just knew, I had a little something growing in there! So the morning of our one year anniversary, I took a pregnancy test a friend had given me, just in case a few months prior. Matt was the lucky one to check the results and sure enough it was POSITIVE! Happy anniversary to us!

We were so overwhelmed, we didn't know what to do. I always dreamed of telling my family in a fun way and so Matt and I went on a walk. Matt couldn't contain himself so he called and I called Beth just so we could tell someone and decide how to tell our families. Beth and Ryan were so excited for us. Especially since their baby is due November 27th and so ours will only be 3 months younger!

On that walk we ended up calling Matt's whole family. And when we got home we told my mom and then drove to my dad's work to tell him. I waited a week or so to tell the rest of my family. I was so overwhelmed I didn't know what to think or do!

We were planning a get away to Tahoe again and planned on a fancy dinner so we headed up to Tahoe and on the way I insisted I buy another pregnancy test...just to be sure. Sure enough I was! We had a great time in Tahoe...but that will be another post!

Our first ultrasound was on July 21 where I was just over 8 weeks. The baby measured at 8 weeks 6 days and I was 8 weeks 2 days. Everything checked out normal...except Matt couldn't be there! Ugh, I was so sad...but fascinated at the sight of our little baby!

Here is it's first picture. Do you see the arms, legs, and little eyes! Amazing! This was at 8 weeks and it was so tiny I am not at 11 weeks and it is already the size of a large plum! WOW!

(sorry if it is upside down...)
I will post again soon, I promise! ~N

Camera

Well, I can't seem to find my camera cord that plugs into the computer. It is probably in a random box or something somewhere. Needless to say my blog will be very boring without pictures...I will try to post the best I can!

~N

Friendship and misc...

Do you have a friend that at one point you spent countless hours with and then drifted apart? Now with this same friend do you get together and feel like you know each other and can pick right back up where you left off? I have a couple friends like that. Specifically, Alexia. Alexia and I became friends when we were at The Dance Gallery 2. We would love and make up ridiculous things and eat Frosty's all the time! In fact one time we went to get get a Frosty from Wendy's and the guy offered to sell us the Frosty machine after hours. We still laugh about that to this day. A lot has changed since our DG days. Alexia has had a tough loss in her life and I've watched her grow from it. We both got married, friends came in and out of our lives, but we have remained friends. Sometimes we don't talk for months because our immediate lives become too busy but we have always found a way back to each other. Every time we say, "let's not wait so long next time." Maybe, this time it will be true! :) Either way, it doesn't matter. Alexia gets me. I can cry, pig out, laugh, talk about sex, get angry, say something crazy, babble on forever...and she still gets me. What's really cool is, I get her too. Friendships like that, friendships that are true and raw, and real, friendships that make you feel lifted up, loved, friendships that would truly hurt if they were over are rare, special...

Well, what brought up this sense of nostalgia tonight was the fact that the other day Alexia texted me saying we needed to get together. So we did! Tonight we had some Thai food. I have never had Thai food before...it was interesting. My meal smelled like dog food. Alexia's was definitely better then mine but I still wouldn't CHOOSE to eat Thai food.

What is funny about me not liking Thai food (and I will admit I only tried 2 things, I'm willing to give it a second chance) is that I am going to Thailand in July! Totally crazy! Matt's older brother Robbie is getting married in Singapore on July 4th. After the wedding the family is flying to Thailand for what Robbie and his fiance are calling the Familymoon! Matt and I went back and forth on whether or not I was going to go. It was almost always for sure that we were going to be able to send him as he needs to support his brother. Well, really on a whim, we decided I would go too. Matt's mom had give Matt some money for graduation and we are able to use that for the Thailand trip so that really helped. (Let's be honest, a trip to Singapore for two across the world is not too cheap...it's been struggle!) But I am going and I am excited to share in Robbie and Felicia's special day.

So, I've heard (and seen pictures) that Thailand beaches (we are going to Phuket) are amazing ~ Hawaiianesque or better! This is exciting as I have always wanted a tropical vacation. Though I never thought I would go to Thailand for it!

On a side note next week Matt and I are celebrating our one year anniversary! WOWOWOW! I cannot believe we have been married a year. Now as we are being UBER frugal and saving every last penny we will not be doing anything too crazy. But, remember this post? I don't think I mentioned at the time that when we went to the hotel the room we got was kind of gross. Used towels on the floor, and a ketchup like substance left on the wall in the bathroom...I know gross. Well, we complained and got a free night to stay there again. (I know, why would we want to do that!?) So, I think we are going to take advantage on the 22nd. I mean, it's free, right!? Maybe we will play Roulette and win big so that when we go to Singapore/Thailand we can actually DO something!

I am excited about our trip...we have a busy month ahead of us:

June 28th-30th: Family camp at church
July 1st-???: Thailand/Singapore for Robbie's wedding
July 13th-18th: Church VBS
July 15th-17th: Tahoe with my teacher friends
July 26th-August 1st: Mexico Mission Trip

Have I mentioned that I am taking a class where I have to log 150 hours of work time in my classroom? Oh man, that is another entry!

Organizing my life...

So, I have mentioned before that I am not a naturally organized person yet it is my biggest desire to be. Especially since we are going to be getting a new house and I am going to be starting a new school year.

Laundry is a big thing that Matt and I both struggle with to keep organized. (I know, I know it seems silly but...I'm being honest!) Randomly Matt said to me, "Do you want to get a laundry sorter/organizer?" Um, when Matt suggests that we buy something we DO it! He is such a minimalist, which is really good for someone like me, but it can be hard sometimes to convince him of a good idea. My friend Laura had been talking about this new organizer thing that her parent's had got for her and her husband. She LOVES it! We went to check it out at Costco and sadly they did not have it. BUT, we found it online and it seems perfect! It even has a hanging bar for my clothes that I like to air dry, which I have a LOT of! I will let you know how it is working out! Check it out:




Matt cannot stand that I buy baskets or tubs to organize. He had never told me WHY he didn't like it but he just doesn't. Honestly, I thought it was because I don't use them correctly. I buy things like tubs and baskets with good intentions but I never really put them to good use. So we have "junk" baskets around the house. My opinion is that at lease the "junk" is in a nice basket! However, I understood. Well, today, again we were in Costco and Matt found something similar to this:



I was so excited! The reason Matt hates my baskets is because we have no where to put them! He has no problem putting junk in baskets but when they just sit open he doesn't like it. I TOTALLY get that. So, he said that the drawer baskets would be a great compromise! Plus, it looks super cute! Housewarming gift...? Maybe! :)

~N

School's Out for Summer!!!

I feel as though a million trillion bazillion pounds has been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know what it was about the end of this school year but ooooooooh man was I aching for it to be OVER. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork...that's what the end of the year looks like a teacher this day and age. Assessments, inventories, report cards, CUMs, etc. I made it through and I feel 10 times lighter.

I don't think that I have realized fully that my 20 little ones will not be MY 20 little ones anymore. I did get a little emotional when Matt came in to say good bye to them. I also got emotional when I read them a poem called "I'm Glad I was Your Teacher." When I teared up 3 of my little ones teared up too. Oh how I love them.

On the last day of school we held a graduation and invited families. So many families showed. The kids all painted graduation caps and each received a diploma. My curly haired little boy yelled out, "This is the best day of first grade!" It was definitely special and a great end to a great year.

So, goodbye first graders! Thank you for being my students and letting me be your teacher. You have taught me so much and I thank you for that. Remember to always try your best, be kind to others, and that I will always love you!

And 20 new ones will be sitting nervous and ready to learn on August 26th. With all that I have learned this year, I am really excited to start next year. Until then...it's VACATION time and Matt and I have some exciting things planned! Stay tuned!

~N