Action Sports Art

My dad and some of his friends have started a new business. It's called Action Sports Art and it is pretty awesome! They take different college pictures and create a collage of them and then print it on canvas. They are really cool! So far they have only done Auburn and Alabama. If you are a fan of either school, go check the canvases out here. Nick Saban has one in his house and office! They are awesome. My older brother has one of the Auburn ones and it's beautiful (even for something Auburn!) Would be a great gift for any fan. I'm currently trying to talk my dad into getting me the elephant one for Alabama!

*On the home page you have the chance to enter your email address. If you enter it before Monday, you will be entered into a drawing for a FREE canvas!! They will be giving away one Alabama canvas and one Auburn canvas. Go enter your email!!!!

Year One... Coming to an End....

Tomorrow is my last "normal" day of my first year of teaching... as in the last day that all of my students will rotate through my class. But even then it isn't going to be exactly normal. (We have awards ceremony and then I have an ARD meeting so I'll be out of the class then too.) Tuesday is our 5th grade skate party and then Wednesday and Thursday are half days.

Where did this year go?? It seems like just yesterday that we were starting. And now... we're basically done! I have been blessed with the best first year of teaching that I could have ever asked for! My homeroom students were amazing and I'm going to miss them so much! My other students were great too, but I seriously couldn't have asked for a better homeroom. My team is amazing and I couldn't have survived without all of their advice and help. The Lord blessed me with two girls at work who quickly became some of my best friends in Texas- Lacey and Bonnie. They are also first year teachers, and together we have survived! I was so blessed to meet them, and I absolutely cannot wait for both of their beautiful babies to be here! My school as a whole was just so wonderful. There isn't another school that I could imagine being at!

I am ready for summer break, but I am getting sad about seeing this group leave. It is a class that I will never, ever forget. How could I? They were my first class and they were wonderful. I was asked on Monday if I was going to cry and at first I said no. But every day this week I have looked at those kids and thought, "How is it possible that I'm just not going to see them anymore?" They go to middle school and some of those students I seriously may never see again. I am going to miss them so much, but I pray that they learned something of value from me and that I not only helped them to become a better student, but a better person.

So here's to the last four days of my first year of teaching.... I am going to enjoy my summer, but I can't wait to do it all over again next year. :)

Puppy Faith

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

My dog just spent five minutes getting comfortable in bed. He walked in circles, patted the covers down until they were just right, and then got all cozy in his spot. It literally took five minutes for it to be just right.

And just as he got comfortable, I threw the covers off and got out of bed to go brush my teeth. And he didn't even consider the fact that it just took him five minutes to get comfortable- he immediately jumped out of bed and followed me to wherever I was going.

Funny how a dog can speak such a strong message to you.

It made me think... why aren't we always like that with our Master? We spend so much time getting comfortable in wherever we are in life... and then when it's time to follow God to a new part of our life, are we always willing to go? Do we get up out of our comfortable area and follow Him without even thinking about it? Or do we complain and make excuses about how we're comfortable here and don't want to move.

I hate to say that more times than not, I want to stay in my comfortable spot. I don't always want to follow Him to wherever He is taking me- what if it isn't as comfortable as the place I'm at now? It's scary to leave where you're comfortable!

But as christians, we need to take on the mindset of a puppy-- no matter how comfortable we are, when our Master is ready to move on, we follow. We shouldn't have to think about it or contemplate it, we just need to jump up and go. He will never lead us to a place that is wrong for us.

Lord, thank you for using my sweet puppy to remind me to follow you in a selfless way. Help me to be in tune with where you are going, and help me to follow your lead all of my days.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Trussville, Tuscaloosa, Dallas

Today at Kelly's Korner, her show us your life Friday is "Show us your hometown!" I am going to do a total of three towns, but it's because I consider all three of them "home".

1. Trussville, Alabama

I lived in Trussville from the age of 4 to the age of 18. It was a great place to grow up. It is located about 15 minutes north of Birmingham. I have so many great memories of my time there! I was so blessed to grow up in a community that was beautiful and full of great people.

One of my favorite places in Trussville is Civitan Park. The Cahaba River runs through Civitan and there is this old bridge there. There is a disc golf course too! I spent many spring and summer days there in high school. It's where I learned to skip rocks too! Every year they have the Festival on the Cahaba, where they have carnival rides and plenty of food that is bad for you!
I went to First Baptist Church of Trussville pretty much my whole life. Although this isn't my church anymore, it will always be "home" to me. This is where I first came to Christ, where I was baptized, and where my mother's funeral was held. It was basically my second home growing up.

And you can't learn about Trussville without seeing the gazebo. I don't know why it's there, but it's cute, right? haha...

Trussville also has the annual "Dog Daze" festival which is always fun. There is lots of shopping and tons of great food too! (The Palace, Habeneros, Joel's!) Trussville is a small town that I know I would suffocate in if I stayed there now, but it was a great place to grow up and it will always be home. :)

2. Tuscaloosa, Alabama

This city has my heart. I lived there for four years during college. It is home to the wonderful University of Alabama! This was literally my favorite place in the world. Sometimes, my heart aches to be back there.

Bryant-Denny Stadium and Denny Chimes on the quad. Arent they both gorgeous?? Oh, how I love that place. Tuscaloosa is home to great football, shopping, bars, and just fun times. I love this place!! If you ever go, be sure to lunch at City Cafe, grab a margarita at El Rincon, and end the night at The Houndstooth!

3. Dallas, Texas

My newest home! This city has quickly stolen my heart. What is not to love about this place? Shopping, sports, action, theme parks, great people, awesome church, wonderful job... this is what I was made for! I love my life here and I love this city! If you ever come to Dallas, be sure to eat some tacos at Desperados, grab some cookies from JD's Chippery, and go shopping at ANY of the malls! Catching a rangers game is always fun too! :)

Moving

Holly and I have been searching for a new home. We love our apartment now, but we really wanted to be closer to Dallas. We finally found exactly where we wanted to be! It's a brand new apartment complex that opened a year ago. It's closer to our church but not too far from work. We will be moving in at the beginning of July. The apartments are owned by the same company that owns where we live now, so we don't have to pay another deposit, pet fee, or application fee. It's a really easy move! We are really excited about it. Check it out here.



As for the rest of our weekend, it was pretty busy! We saw Iron Man 2 Friday night with some friends. It was so good! If you liked the first one, definately check out the second one!! Saturday we looked at places to live and then hung out with Ashley and Patrick. We watched "It's Complicated" at their apartment and it was soooo funny! Yesterday was a busy day too. We went to church, lunch with friends, and apartment shopping. Then we played disc golf with some other friends and then went to Sarah's apartment. We then went to dinner with some friends and to get dessert downtown, followed by going to one more friend's house for a little bit. We didn't get home until late, but it was a fun day! I'm currently exhausted, but it was well worth it.



Only 11 more full days of school and two half days until SUMMER! I can't wait to have a break, but I'm going to miss (most) of my kiddos. Our school is getting renovated this summer so I have GOT to go to my classroom Saturday to pack stuff up. Friday is Field Day, so that should be fun! Tomorrow and Wednesday are Taks re-dos... hopefully my kids who didn't pass the first time will pull it off this time! :)

Show us your life- Favorite books

Today is another "Show us your life" at Kelly's Korner. Today is "show us your favorite books". I love this topic! Mainly because I love to read. Growing up, I was the student who would hide their book in the textbook and read it instead. I would hide my book under my desk and read it instead of working. I use to get in trouble all the time for reading too much! I'm sure it drove my teachers crazy.... they loved the fact that I was reading, just not the fact that I did it and nothing else!

I could list several of my favorite novels. I read them all the time, especially during the summer. My friends always get mad at me when we go on beach trips because all I do is read, read, read. But, today I am going to focus on my favorite children's books. I'm an elementary teacher, so I thought it would be appropriate! Plus, I figured most people who find this off of Kelly's page will be moms looking for books for their kids. So, these are a few of my favorites. Trust me though, I have way more!
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco. If you have never read any of Patricia's books, go get some now! They are wonderful. She is my favorite children's author. All of her stories are about events from her life, but she writes them in a way that kids enjoy. This one is my favorite of hers because it's easy for me to relate to! My older brother use to drive me crazy when I was younger. He would pick on me and just get on my nerves! (just like the brother in this book!) But then when it came down to it, when I really needed him, he was always my protector. Most kids enjoy this book because they think their older siblings are annoying too, but then they realize that older siblings are worth having around. :) (Some of my other favorites of hers include The Keeping Quilt, Thank You Mr. Faulker, and more!)

Love You Forever. This one has been a favorite since I was a little kid. I could probably recite the entire book! My mom use to read it to me all the time. It goes through the life of a boy and all of the hard parts of being a parent- but at the end of every day, the mom tells the boy that she will always love him- "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." GREAT book to read to your children. I highly reccomend it, but be careful! Tears will probably result after you read it!

Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. What kid doesn't love this book? Kids have bad days all the time. The littlest things can upset them. They can relate to this book so well. The things that happen to Alexander happen to any kid! They love reading this book. And by the middle of it, they have caught on to the phrase and they are reading along with you. This is definately a favorite!

And for the adults, my favorite novel- Redeeming Love. If you haven't read it, do it now! It's amazing. It's a re-telling of the book of Hosea and it's set during the California Gold Rush. It is my favorite book! I've read it probably ten times. Go get it! Now!

Mother's Day 2K10

Mother's day is always a bittersweet day for me, at least it has been for the past four years. My mom passed away when I was 18 after a long battle with leukemia. She was my very best friend. I miss her every second of every day, but Mother's day is just a huge reminder of what I don't have anymore. I like to spend Mother's day rememebering her. I remember her every day, but on Mother's day I try to really focus on it. I was so blessed to have her as a mother. So even though this post is a day late, I thought I would honor her this mother's day with 25 things I remember most about her.

1. Her love for the Lord. Her number one priority was Jesus Christ, and it will always be the thing that I remember most about her.

2. Her laugh. It was so contangious. She loved laughing and if you heard her laughing, it would put a smile on your face too.

3. The way she said "Frontera" (which was her favorite Mexian restaurant). She always said "Fronteras!"

4. Her life verse: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understandings. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

5. The way she loved my friends like they were her kids. Any of my friends could have come over and she would have sat up and talked to them all night long.

6. She always wanted to be a part of our action. One time we were trying to "vandalize" Pair's car and she went on a search of Trussville with us to find it. And when she found it, she called us saying "affirmitive. Location pinpointed."

7. Her friends. She loved her friends. I think if they had had time, she would have invited them over to the pool every single day!

8. Her lack of technology savy-ness. She couldn't even type a paper! I use to have to type everything for her. It would have taken her all day just to type this post!

9. Whatever song we sang at church on Sunday was the song she sang all week while cleaning the house. Her favorite? "There is a fountain, Who is the King! Victorious Warrior, and Lord of Everything!"

10. Her homemade chocolate chip cake box cookies. They were to die for. I have yet to figure out the recipe, but I try often!

11. The way her foundation smelt. I know that sounds weird, but even now when I walk down the makeup aisle and I smell it, it takes me back.

12. Her love of the beach. Her favorite place was the beach, and many days she would just sit out there all day long.

13. Her advice. She gave the best advice to anyone who needed it. My favorite? "Always look at how a guy treats his mom. He will treat you the same way."

14. Her faithfulness. Trial after trial would come up in her life, and she would always fall back on the fact that God had it all in His hands.

15. Every Decemeber we would read part of the Christmas Story from the Bible. By Christmas, we would have read the entire thing. Whenever we got together with her family for Christmas, she wouldn't let the kids open the presents until she read them the story of Jesus's birth. Her favorite Christmas saying- "Jesus is the reason for the season!"

16. The red and gold ruby ring she use to wear on her right hand.

17. The green chair that she use to sit on in her room. She sat in it to watch TV, talk on the phone, and read her Bible.

18. Her phone addiction. She could seriously talk on the phone all day to all of her friends. She would sit in that green chair and call everyone!

19. Her awareness of other people's needs. She just always knew when people needed something, rather it was a meal, money, or just a hug.

20. She loved being a mom. I know that just as well as almost anyone. She loved us four more than anything in the world (except for Jesus) and would have done anything for us.

21. She always had her nails done and they were usually red. She also always wanted to make me wear lip gloss or "something on my lips to give them color" even though I hated it.

22. Chicken ring. It was this dinner she would make on special occassions that was soooo good. It was chicken and all these vegetables and this sauce wrapped up in a crossaint. I need to find this recipe, because it was heavenly.

23. The mornings we use to spend getting ready together in her bathroom. She use to help me straighten the back of my hair because I could never get it the way I liked it. We had so many conversations about life while sitting in the bathroom together.

24. The way she would always wait up for us. It didn't matter what time our curfew was, she didn't sleep until we were inside. My last trip home while she was still alive, she stayed up until 2AM waiting on my to get in. Even when I was older, she never could sleep until she knew I was home safe.

25. Love. Love for God, love for my siblings, love for me, and just a love for people in general. I think the best word to describe her is compassionate. About everything in life!

So to my dear Lala... I miss you more than words can express, especially on days like Mother's Day. But whenever my heart starts aching a little too much, or just a little too many tears begin to fall, I always remember to take a second and thank my Lord for even giving me a mom that was so wonderful and caring. You were my best friend and I will never forget you. Happy Mother's Day Lala.... I hope you enjoyed spending it with the angels. :)

Uganda Necklaces

I mentioned a few posts back that Uganda has stolen my heart, and it's true. I'm currently praying about spending my summer there next year. For now, there is only so much I can do. But there is this company called 147 million orphans. They sell different products, and one thing they sell is magazine necklaces. A blog I follow is written by a girl named Katie who lives in a village in Uganda. She tells a brief story here about the necklaces (there are even pictures of the woman making them!) Well, I ordered one a few weeks back. I can't even begin to tell you how many compliments I have gotten from it! People literally come up to me and tell me how beautiful it is every time I wear it.

Basically, Katie teaches the women to make the necklaces. They sell the necklaces to 147 million orphans, who turns around and sells them to people like you and me. Then, they send the money back to the village to help feed the children there. It is an amazing way for these woman to learn how to provide for their families, and also for you and I to help out.

Go here and order one... NOW! Trust me, you will love it. In fact, I'm considering ordering more!

Baby Names- Kelly's Korner

This week at Kelly's Korner, she is doing baby names- how did you get your kids name? And although I am no where near having a child, I'm still a normal girl who has already picked out baby names! I know that these will probably change before I ever have kids, but I still thought it was a fun topic to write about, so here goes!

Audrey Lynn
I love this name for a little girl. Mainly because it sounds so cute, and it honors four important woman in my life. Audrey is my great-grandmother. She is still alive today, but her health gets worse with each passing day. I have accepted the fact that she will probably not be around whenever I do have a child (but how cool would that be for my child to meet their great-great-grandmother? I got to meet mine- she passed away two weeks afer I was born!) Anyway, Audrey is my great-grandmother. When I think of her, I think of redbirds and barbie dolls and christmas. Audrey has eight children, twenty something grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and even two or three great-grandchildren. She is the head of that family. We get together every Christmas and she sits and just smiles at everyone. She loves seeing her family. When I was younger, she was so active. I can remember many Christmases when her and her boyfriend would dance the night away together. Like I said, her health has declined recently and she can barely even hold her head up, but when I think of Audrey, I think of her dancing all night. I would be honored to name my daughter after her her. (Plus, the name is just a classic :) )

Lynn is a special name to me for many reasons. First, it was my mom's middle name. My mom passed away from cancer when I was 18 and I have always known that I would use her middle name in my daughter's name. I think it would honor her in a wonderful way. Lynn is also my aunt's name. My aunt is crazy, but so much fun! I grew up spending weeks at a time with her. One of my favorite childhood memories is spending time at Gigi's house, and even now I love going to visit her. And lastly, Lynn is my sister's middle name. My sister is my very best friend.

So there's my future daughter's name (hopefully... God willing!). Audrey Lynn :)

I have many boy names picked out, but I've always kind of hoped that my boy could somehow be named after his dad... soooo I will leave that out for now. :)

Again, it's going to be a long time until these names are used (if even ever!) but what girl doesn't like to think of baby names early? :)

Six Weeks until the SIX!

Six weeks from today, I will be reunited with these beautiful girls....

Tiffany gets married 6 weeks from Saturday, so we will all be going home to Alabama to be in the wedding. I can't wait! We haven't all been together in almost a year and I absoutely can't wait to see them. We always have so much fun together, and Tiffany's wedding weekend will be no exception. I just wish we had longer than four days together! I can't wait to see you girls! :-)

Online shopping for Mawmaw...

I've spent literally all night trying to find a mother's day gift for my grandmother (my mom's mom!). I seriously think I spent two hours doing some online shopping trying to find the perfect gift.

See, here's the problem. 2006 was the first year that we did Mother's day without our precious Lala. So, Holly and I decided to get our grandmother something that would remind her of Lala but also of us. We went to SnapTotes. If you have never visited that site, you need to be sure to! We ordered our grandmother a purse- on one side was a picture of Kevin, Chase, Holly, and me with our mom, and on the other side was this beautiful picture of my mom's smile:

My grandmother literally carried the purse around with her everywhere. She got so many compliments on it. people always said that when they looked at the purse, it was like my mom was sitting there smiling back at them. It was seriously the best gift we could have gotten our grandmother that year.

But every mother's day, birthday, and christmas since... we have struggled to find something to top it. We've done all kinds of gifts, but can never find one as good. We were going to order her a wallet this year to match the purse, but being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't order it in enough time (it wouldn't be in for 2-3 weeks if I ordered tonight!). Therefore, the wallet will have to be her Christmas gift (shh... don't tell!)

Anyway, again, I was searching the web all night! She loves pictures, so I knew I wanted to do something where I could upload pictures of us. I searched and searched and searched, and never could find something that just screamed perfect. Therefore, I went with these mugs. I think they are pretty cute! You can upload up to 8 photos- I uploaded pictures from our graduation, kevin's wedding, and other times when we were all together. I ordered 2 mugs and sent them her way. Her and my pawpaw enjoy coffee, so I hope they can use these mugs and think of us. :) I know it's not much, but I guess it's the thought that counts, right? Maybe next year I can work out a surprise trip to see her... I know she misses us. :)

Speaking of my pawpaw, today is his 82nd birthday! He is in such great shape for an 82 year old! He is the cutest old man.... and even though he isn't technically my biological pawpaw, he is the only one I've ever known... and in my heart, he is my pawpaw. So, happy birthday to my pawpaw georg-o and happy mother's day to my amazing mawmaw! I love you both! :)

Dallas Weekends are the BEST!

I know I say this all the time, but I adore my life in Dallas. I also adore weekends. Therefore, I can say that this was yet another amazing weekend in Dallas.

There is just always something to do in Dallas. I love that! Friday night we went to dinner and yogurt with some friends. It was fun just getting to hang out and chill. Saturday morning we volunteered at an apartment complex in a poorer area of Dallas. We painted faces, played tennis, and told bible stories to some kids there. It was such a diverse area. I seriously think I heard 100 different languages being spoken. It's amazing how diverse it is here! It's also amazing how language can be such a barrier, but a smile and laugh is understood by all. It was such a blessing to spend my Saturday with those adorable kids, and I can't wait to go back! Saturday night we went out on the town with a group of friends and danced the night away. It was seriously a blast! And then today we went to church and then went to lunch with some friends. I look forward to sunday lunches because we always eat at unique places around town. Today we ate at Cafe Brazil. I had never been before, but it was so good! (I recommend the French Toast with Fruit... it was to die for!) I love eating at the little places around town. :) Then Holly and I ended the day with some shopping- grocery shopping and shopping for two different showers we have this week. It was such a great weekend spent with great friends!

I'm really excited about this week at school. Now that the main focus of TAKS is over (only the ones who didnt pass have to focus on it, and the other reading teacher is in charge of those) I get to do alot of fun projects with my kids. I'm really excited about it! I think they will enjoy themselves and it will be nice to go outside the TAKS box! I'm really looking forward to this week of school.

My good friend, Lacey, is having her baby shower at school on Thursday. I am super excited about the gifts that I bought her. I will have to share one of them in my next post... I don't want to ruin the surprise on here! She probably won't appreciate it as much as I do, but baby Charlie will love it! Speaking of, I can't wait to meet that handsome baby! August needs to hurry up and get here! :)

I'm looking forward to this coming up weekend too. Saturday we are having a crawfish boil at Josh's apartment (a guy from church). It should be fun times, for sure! Have I mentioned that love weekends in Dallas? Because I do!