why i love my job

my computer was in the gym. we were going to listen to our song for colorguard and practice with it. and this is what happens (on a sticky note, of course).


HEY!
HI MS> MASON
yo hi dude dude
what is up homedog??? haha i crack myself in half
lol!
HEY DUDE!!
omgsh!
did u go to the crowder concert??
it was awesome! i luved it
mis amigas y yo were jumping up and down the entire time in the artist's section!!
it was totally worth the label of awesomeness!!
hahahahahahahahaha!
hehehehehehehehe
im supposed to be practicing my speed spins right now i just don't feel like it! so anyways this is allison your computer is cool. i meant cool beans. totally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! flags is cool and is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omgsh! dude!! so anyways my name is Allison and i am a person and mg is a person too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nemo like finding nemo did u know nemo is nobody in latin
hola me llama chrissy yo dude what is up home dog blerb spongebob rocks my socks

oh, to be a 7th grade girl again...

and... breathe.

so it is now post-auction time at school, which means it will be time to focus on the upcoming formal, spring break, and everything else that will soon be taking lots of my attention. but auction was great--my photo package went over extremely well, i love the family that won it, and i had the best time spending time with my friends, justin and performing with the oakwoodettes. yay for fancy nights spent at the hilton feeling pretty and having fun.

i know it's late, and i fully intend to go to sleep in about 10 minutes. so bear with me while i get this all down before i prepare for the beginning of another week.

chicken and pastry went over extremely well at young adults. i love trying out recipes that are successful. recipes that are more trouble than they're worth are not so much fun. but this one turned out well and i had so many leftovers, i took them to work. yum!

this seems like an extremely long month paycheck-wise. i'm being very frugal until the 31st. i've figured out that it's probably because february is a very short month, so march seems long in comparison. go figure.

the aquarium stand at work is almost finished. i will soon be working on a paper mache moon for our formal photo backdrop. i LOVE these kinds of projects. i also love when i address issues with kids and hear from their teachers a week or so later that everything is great and going wonderfully. though i know it isn't guaranteed to stay that way, it still makes me feel good.

justin's dad and step-mom, kim, were in town this weekend. we were all couch potatoes for a couple of days. we watched basketball, went to the movies (v for vendetta--psychological thriller with a tad too much violence for my taste) and ate and ate and ate. i now feel like i should go to the gym for days to make up for it. but it was still good to see them and spend time with his family all weekend. i feel like i have lots of laundry to do and tons of TV to catch up on, but otherwise--i'm good. this coming weekend---going to fayetteville for a bridal shower for my cousin meghan.

april fool's is coming up. i feel like seeking some healthy revenge for last year. ideas?

alright, that's it for tonight. i'm spent. later, y'all :)

*gasp*

wow, can you believe it's 2 1/2 months until the end of school?

ha--now that's a look of surprise.

actually, it's a look of a happy, go-lucky girl in the apple store at streets at south point (and her ever-adoring boyfriend in the background). i would have way too much fun with photo booth and an iSight camera. in the meantime, though, i think i'll set my goal at purchasing adobe photoshop elements (the much cheaper $90 version of the typically $500 photoshop software).

i love photography. as i get older, there are more things that i wish i could have included in my life plan. the fun thing is--with some of this stuff, it's not too late. hallie, at work, has helped do wedding planning for several of her friends, and she has one now that's looking for a cheap amateur photographer for their wedding. i told her i'd think about it--can you imagine how cool that would be to add that to my "portfolio"? (i don't actually have a portfolio, but i'm starting to think about it...) i only get nervous because these are someone's WEDDING pictures and i would feel awful if the lighting was horrible or everyone was blinking or i captured all of the double chins in a room. there's just some things that i would love to get technical instruction on--but for the moment, i'm having a good time.

so yeah, we went to southpoint on saturday since there was nothing going on in greenville. i got to see my aunt and my cousins, which was always fun. there's something fun about going to the mall when you know you can't spend much money. you end up taking silly pictures, getting massages in the chairs at sharper image, and watch ncaa tournament games on really big tvs. always fun...

it was a terribly busy week at work. a few new kids to work with, several class discussions, and lots of preparing for the auction and the formal coming up in a couple weeks. the auction is friday, and i have been roped in to being part of the entertainment. this requires a couple of practices after school during the week, on top of my regular meetings and colorguard practices. i'll be glad when that's over, though i'm very much looking forward to friday night. opportunity to get dressed up, see all of my friends at work, sing and dance a little bit, and get to raise lots of money for the school--doesn't get much better than that!

hosting young adults tomorrow (and i also have the day off, so that's great). i'm trying out a chicken and dumplings recipe that my mom gave me, so we'll see how it goes. i'll spend most of the day cleaning and cooking, but i also plan to go to the gym, return a skirt, and see what else i can get into. i am veeeeeery much looking forward to my next vacation--spring break!--where i'll get to go up and see linda at virginia beach. and today, i just made reservations for the ferry on the first weekend in june for justin and i to go to ocracoke with his parents the week they're renting a house over there. can't wait for the summer :)

alright, i should get back to doing some work. later, y'all...

odd bits...

i always buy fruit in pieces of three. not grapes and strawberries, of course, but apples, bananas, pears, oranges--always three.

i don't mind washing clothes, and i don't even mind folding them. i hate putting them up. i'll let them collect in large, folded piles in my laundry basket or on my floor before i'll get around to putting them up.

i leave shoes everywhere. that's one of the benefits to living by myself.

i could not live without my replaytv. it is the most beautiful, amazing, wonderful piece of technology invented.

i always secretly wish i was at the beach. no matter what the weather.

i could eat cereal for any meal of the day. maybe not all three meals in one day, but it is an excellent alternative.

acoustic guitar is my favorite sound, seconded only by really really good piano.

i've been drinking diet sodas for so long that real soda is just too sugary and thick for me. but every now and then, i'll get a craving for it and have to have a "shot" of it (or maybe a sip.)

okay, now that's it :)

sunburn in march?

oh yes, it's possible. aloe has once again become my new best friend.

it's the end of a gorgeous weekend, with 80 degree temperatures and lots of sunshine. hence the aloe. but i spent as much time outside as possible enjoying every possible moment. we had our first picnic of the spring out at the town commons saturday for lunch, and went from there back to the daffodil field to take pictures of carter and sadie, jennifer's (from work) kids. we decided that she would just pay me back by buying dinner at the next book club, and it's helping build a growing collection of great photos. i even put in a package for our school auction offering an hour photo shoot. we'll see how that goes in a couple of weeks... at any rate, we came out with some excellent excellent pictures. click on the website to the right to see them all...
so it's spring break for all of the college kids here. my spring break won't come until april. but that's just a few weeks away now, so it'll be here before i know. tentative plans so far? going to see linda up in virginia beach for a couple of days and... that's about it. let me know if you have any ideas :)

first softball practice of the season today (more aloe). it looks like i will be splitting time between catcher and right field this season, which is fine with me. i still hate batting and opted to have my first batting price of the season at the local batting cages instead of embarrassing myself infront of the team today. i just stress out at batting. amy, the p.e. coach at work, has offered to help me as well, so hopefully it'll all come together and i'll feel more confident about batting. but until then--i just don't like it!

that's really all i can think of right now. so... later, y'all.

in like a lion...

out like a lamb. waiting for that lamb part--we got a taste of it this past week, and it's gonna be a greeeeeat spring.

after completing an extremely successful routine to "respect", i put my colorguard on the task of finding a new song for our next performance. between my 5 (yup, i got one more) 7th grade girls, we had a tough time finding one that they'd all agree on. and when it came down to making the decision, the only one that fit the bill was---"whip it", that crazy 80's song by the band devo. now being a child of the late 80's, i can understand the pleasure of this song and how much fun it must be to my 12 year old girls. however, from a choreography standpoint: it's extremely fast, it follows no basic "verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus" pattern, and it also goes into like 6/8 or 3/2 or something crazy there in the middle. so i sent them back to the drawing board and then finally came up with one on my own. so now i'm listening to "what i like about you" by the romantics about once a day to come up with our new routine. the girls love it, and we learned some new tosses that i'm going to add in there. oh yeah.

middle school drama wears me out. i know i was probably this complicated when i was younger, but it just seems more emotionally draining now. i still love my job, though. (in case you were wondering.)

we watched "walk the line" tuesday night. great movie, very much in the same category as "ray" where you can just see how the music and the musician take shape. i joked around that i would love an accent like reese witherspoon has in the movie. i have had so many comments over the years that i emerged from the south relatively accent-free and only in certain settings (or around certain people) does the accent actually come out. even then, it's not really noticable except with certain words. like "country"--ironically enough.

friday night was the 9th grade sponsored "pizza/bingo" night, meant to be a fundraiser for the freshmen trip to NYC. they were about halfway to their $3,000 goal before friday, and after selling pizza, bingo cards, taking in donations for haircuts (yes, a mom was there doing haircuts--i got one and she was fabulous and evened out some of my crazy layers) and taking in bail money for the basketball coach who was "put in jail"--they surpassed their goal. it was great to be a part of that and help out. i was actually the one counting all the money as it came in, so to be able to give them that news was exciting. i so enjoy being there for those school events. i understand how some teachers need that distinction between free time and school time and to put in extra hours at school with those activities can be hard. but i learn so much from those events and parents get to see me in a more relaxed setting and it's just nice to be able to relate to the kids on a different level. so until i get burned out (or become involved in my own family) i'll be there for those dances and festivals and fundraisers and such.

every now and then, when i'm at the grocery store, i'll pick up a pack of 5 catnip mice for $2. cheap enough for an occasional treat that grace and milo can enjoy. they don't last long, though, because about 2 hours after i've put them out on the floor, all 4 or 5 mice seem to be gone and nowhere to be found. well, justin noticed that milo seemed to be pawing under the couch for something, so he lifted it up and we discovered a stash of about a dozen mice and other cat toys under there. even after we got them out, they continued to lose them under the couch. so now, there are rolled-up t-shirts lining the front end of the couch and the chance for the mice to stay out in the living room has significantly increased. silly cats.

saturday, after running errands and doing some shopping, justin and i decided maybe it was warm enough to get some fresh air. so i directed him to outside of winterville to a little place where i had been once before. yup, the daffodil field. the weather around here has made our daffodils bloom early, and this little grove of trees and flowers was no different. i had fun taking some pictures (which you can see all of them here) but i thought i'd put a couple up. those of you who don't know the story of the daffodil field--about three years ago (wow, that long?), linda, jessica and i went out to the daffodil field to take pictures of us to put in our brand new apartment we were getting that fall. it was a beautiful day and we ended up with some awesome pictures--BUT all three of us ended up with poison ivy in some form or another on our bodies. i was particularly concerned because i had a formal event in about 2 weeks that i had to be ready for. so i was careful yesterday to avoid any suspicious looking plants (plus it was chilly so i was well covered.)

last night's excitement came from #15 UNC beating #1 duke 1) at cameron 2) on senior night 3) right before the ACC tournament. first time they won at duke in 5 years, first time they won at duke on senior night in 10 years. i was never so proud of my tarheels (even though they let duke score 8 points in 51 seconds with 2:30 left in the game--talk about trying to give me a heart attack!)

and finally, the oscars tonight. the oscars, the golden globes and the emmy's are like my superbowl, world series and nba finals. i can name the nominees, i can tell you who is predicted to win, and who should win even though they won't. i watch them all the way through, and i will be able to tell you the next day about what celebrity wore what dress and whose hair was just way too much for their outfit. oh yes, it will be a good night tonight.

that's about it for now. later, y'all.

this month has flown by...

and it's very hard to believe that it's almost march. i cannot wait for springtime to be here :) today i bought bright, pretty tank tops with the hope of warmer weather to come.

went to fayetteville this weekend for the simmons' annual dessert drop-in. back in high school, i would work at them and take coats and stuff, but this time, i was invited as a guest. mrs. simmons fixed about 15 different cheesecakes and 15 other desserts/cakes and everything is so delicious and even if you wanted to try them all, you couldn't. i was stuffed by the end of it, and i also enjoyed the company of maggie and her friends from winston-salem. thinkin' about going up to see her for "shag on the mag" again this year--and, of course, graduation! we'll see...

friday night, justin and i met up with his friend jon and gf sandy for dinner at starlight cafe. i had just been joking a couple of weeks ago about how i could never get him to go there cause it was so fancy. but there we were, only 2 weeks after my first trip to starlight with the girls from work. i had some excellent jambalaya, justin got a great steak, and to finish it off, i got to try the creme brulee topped with vermont maple sugar. soooo good. it was fun to visit with jon and sandy--very easy going and we all had a good time.

wednesday, we had book club at chico's and discussed another one of our fun, "chick lit" books. we had the craziest waitress who sounded like an overly perky flight attendant, and with the 9 of us there, it was a full table. last time our book had involved secrets, so we all told one of our "secrets" and had to guess whose secret was whose, etc. well, this time, to go along with the book about careers, we went around and talked about what jobs we would be interested in if we could start all over. we were allowed to choose one realistic one (that we could actually do with our degree or if we went back to school) and one over-the-top one. so there were a few interior decorators, wedding planners, chemists and architects in the first group, then lots of singers, actresses and rockstars in the second group. personally, i said "music therapist" for the first (since that was almost what i did in college) and then for the second one---

samantha brown. if i could go back and redirect my life to fulfill the shoes of anyone, it would be her. i mean, she's gotta get too old to do these shows eventually and then, the travel channel will need someone to take her place. i'm tempted to make a video in samantha brown style and send it in, just to let them know that i'm out there. i literally cannot imagine any better job--travel around, stay in fabulous hotels, eat amazing food, go to all the touristy spots and some undiscovered places in between, and capture it all on camera, being able to make people laugh and entertain them. yeah, i could do her job. now, if i could only figure out how to work it into my life plan... ;)

and i've got a semi-busy week ahead. conference on tuesday about "adhd and other disruptive behavioral disorders"--yeah, i know you're jealous. and then helping chaperone "pizza/bingo night" on friday. always a good time!

i think that's all for now. before i leave you, enjoy a west virginian mountain sunset...
later, y'all...

can we say cold?

so i am back from west virginia (in fact, only about an hour back) and have caught up with my digital life, as well as most of real life, too. the cats are happy and playing, clothes are in the washer waiting to be washed, and all of the e-mails have been checked. time for a post...

i would like to rant on UPS and how they have made my life difficult. i have a package from j.c. penney's where i ordered a couple of cocktail-type dresses for upcoming events where i need something like that. i can never be at home when they try to deliver, even when the first attempt takes place at 7 pm and they say they'll deliver after 5 pm the next day and i get home at 4:45 and they tried to deliver already. but how about this--after making their final attempt on wednesday, i end up having enough time to go pick it up at the big shipping place on thursday afternoon. i go in with my slip to pick it up--and the lady tells me they put it back on the truck today. "after they already made the final attempt to deliver yesterday?" i ask, slightly letting the sarcasm get in. "yes," she answered, "can i have them hold it for you for tomorrow?" argh... i'm going to go pick it up tomorrow afternoon... if it's not there, i will be upset.

so, the trip. well, we managed to get out of town thursday afternoon at 6:30--not quite when we planned, but good enough time to get us to warrenton, VA by 10:45, where we stopped for the night to break the trip up. back on the road friday morning, where we made it to morgantown, wv, by 1 pm without too much trouble. lunch with justin's grandma and some social time with her, and then on up the mountain to his dad's house. we went out to dinner in town that night and i got to see what a friday night was like with the locals... pretty quiet, to say the least, but we all had a good time.

saturday was skiing, and we had been waiting to see what the weather was like before we decided where to go. when i woke up saturday morning, it was snowing and there was already an inch and a half on the ground. predicted temperatures for the moutains? highs in the teens, lows in the single digits with wind chill in the negatives. let me just say that short of the trip to cleveland where the great lake up there was frozen over, i have rarely been exposed to temperatures like that, and certainly not for long periods of time outside. but we bundled up and headed towards wisp in maryland. along the way, snow continued to fall along the backroads, and though i felt very safe in justin's dad's four-wheel drive jeep, i told both of them, "where i'm from, if we see snow like this, we put a pot of soup on and call it a day." but not the case here--we made it to the resort by 10:15 and were on the slopes by 11. i did great on the greens, had one bad run down a blue and made it for it with one decent run down the blue, and then finished out the day with some more easy greens. by 4:30, my hands were numb and the battery in my phone was about frozen. i did get a few pictures in before my camera batteries went dead, and they revived themselves enough to get some sunset shots on the way home. pardon the blurriness, they were taken from the car.

my new favorite family member? river, the seven month-old son of mandy, one of justin's stepsisters. she was about to pop in august when we were up there, and this time i got to meet the little guy. i must admit, i was smitten and he did enjoy being infront of the camera. we got to spend time with the family all saturday night and sunday, which was nice since we were definitely sore from the skiing (i've still got a few spots where i'm trying to work out the kinks). and today--yeah, it was 10 hours straight on the road, with stops all along the way. it's a long trip, but after a good weekend like this one, i know it was worth it.

the surprise i got when i got home? alan, who had been taking care of the cats while i was gone, cleaned my apartment. and my car. seriously, i know it was a little cluttered, but was it really that bad? anyways, i am appreciative and i suppose i will make sure it's in better condition next time before i leave and put him in charge...

this was a great trip for me and justin, again. just when i think we can't get closer or understand each other better, it happens. gotta love that--and i certainly love him.

alright, that's all for now. time to get ready for bed and see what the weather's going to be like tomorrow... i'm thinking cold...

later, y'all!

take me home, country roads...

off to west virginia tomorrow afternoon for some family time, some skiing and a wonderful looooooong weekend with my valentine.

be back sometime monday! call me if you need me..

countdown to v-day

wow--so it's been a busy week. work has been crazy with lots of drama, a few big developments in cases, and a few giant steps forward for some long-term cases that i've been working on for the past couple of months. give and take--yup.

there was one final performance for the colorguard (went well, even though i actually messed up a small sections--whoops!) and at young adults monday night, i got a cake, singing and yes, candles. so i did get to blow out some candles! birthday wish issue averted :)

valentine's day dance at school friday night. i had used most of the day to catch up on my un-scheduled cases and then got started helping them decorate in the afternoon. i had worked on painting a background for pictures that i would take--very valentines-ish with hearts and swirls and stuff like that. we hung up the fabric for the stage, had hearts and lights and flowers everywhere, and had my picture booth set up for business. i went home to get cleaned up, then came back to school to go with hallie and shona and her daughter skylar out to dinner to finally use our starlight cafe gift certificates. we had all gotten them from students through out the year, and since our significant others certainly wouldn't do well with that kind of restaurant, we went and had a girl's dinner out with fancy food and lots of laughs.

came back for the dance and though i had a great time, the night couldn't go by without a little bit of drama. i'm waiting to see how i'm going to deal with it tomorrow. pictures were awesome, though. can't wait to see the kids' reactions tomorrow when i deliver them to homerooms. my favorite picture? the one with my friends. man, i know i'm in the right place. and as i was dealing with drama on friday night, i was reminded by a parent, "atleast you know you'll always have a job here!" ha--in some twisted way, i know it's true and i'm happy for it.

got to see my girl linda saturday for lunch, and we sat around talking for a couple hours afterwards. it was so wonderful to see her, and i loved being able to talk about everything with her, just like we used to when we were getting ready in the morning or late at night before we went to sleep. it's hard to believe how far we've come and how much we've grown up just in the past 6 months since we moved out of our apartment, but it's always nice to have a reminder of how close we were--and how close we still are--when we get back together.

excited about tuesday... and thursday, when we leave for west virginia for the long weekend. ski slopes, here we come!

that's all for now. later, y'all.

and before i go to bed...

let's all say one last "happy birthday" to me!

it's been a good one. but you know what i just realized? i never blew out a candle. plenty of people sang to me, plenty of cake/pie was eaten, but i never got the opportunity to blow out a candle. does this mean no birthday wish for me?

quick update on the rest of my birthday activities--saturday really was all errands and productivity. however, it was good productivity, like going shopping for iPod accesories and returning extra colorguard shirts and trying out multiple office chairs at staples. also, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that in a short time, some bonus money will be coming to me by way of jewelry consignment. i finally found a store that would take care of the selling part for me, and i jumped at the opportunity. here's to letting go, reaping the rewards, and looking to the future...

today was church in the morning, brunch afterwards with everyone, some two-hand tag football (where, by the way, i continue to show off how little i actually know about playing football though i have been spectator to countless games) and chili cook-off/superbowl party at church, with the second half spent at justin's place watching the end of the game.

can i take a moment to point out that the steelers have just won their first superbowl in twenty-some years on my birthday and that my boyfriend is a huge steelers fan and could easily see this as superstitious (hence the reason his favorite black hoodie hasn't been washed since play-offs began. yes, that's gross.) i'm like the ultimate good luck charm. go me!

watching the steelers win was exciting, and i easily fell back into the feelings of last april, watching UNC win the NCAA championship. being so excited but not wanting to get too certain of things, even when they were up and only a few minutes were left. tonight, i sat there with 3 seconds left saying, "can't get too excited yet, the game still isn't over" even though the steelers were ahead by 11 points and it essentially was over.

i had a great birthday. i love all of the friends and family members that i got to see, and even more that i got to talk to on the phone or online. i am so blessed, and this past year has only shown me how wonderful things can be. here's to 23--may it be as good as 22 (or better!)

later, y'all.

happy lauren's early birthday!

i've always been one to drag out my birthday celebrations for a week at a time. start one weekend, continue on through to the next weekend--that's just the way it is. and this year, the main celebrating has been going on beforehand just because i happen to have to share the day with some big football game. go figure ;)

but let me tell ya, it's been a great birthday so far. i know it's been a while since i've posted, so let me try to catch up a little bit.

i loved "beauty and the beast" last weekend--the CFRT did such a great job and really worked hard to bring the details of the broadway version to a smaller stage. it also reminded me of how much i enjoy that soundtrack and, in particular, "home" and "if i can't love her." two songs that were written for the broadway version that are just amazing. ("home" made me think of matthew playing it on the piano at the top of the stairs in jarvis and me singing along with him) and justin enjoyed it as well, although it didn't hurt that it was based on an animated cartoon and featured dancing flatware. nothing too heavy for his first venture into the world of musical theater.

busy week with many more referrals, new students, and catching up with old students. my work needs me, and i love my work. doesn't get much better than that.

COLORGUARD performance on wednesday--went sooooo well. they looked adorable, they didn't drop a flag, they acted as though they were having a good time, and got sooo many compliments. we perform again on monday, and i have a feeling it will go just as well. yay for a fun opening performance! click on "my pictures" to see a picture of them.

yesterday, i got my "birthday button" from the front office which meant for the rest of the day, i had many people wishing me happy birthday. my seventh grade classes made signs that they put on my door, they sang to me, and the faculty members gave me a card while hallie brought in a pie. so very nice to have so many people involved. we went out to dinner with mom, grandma, alan and rachel last night before alan's first concert with the wind ensemble. skipped out on the concert, though, because matthew called me to tell me he was in town and was going to hang out with the scholars group and for me to come with him. he said they were going to this party for a guy that john knows and that i should meet them there since it was over near the hospital and at first, i said, "i really feel weird about just showing up at a party for a guy i don't know and you don't know and we don't know what the scene is like there." so then once they got there, they called back and insisted it was fine, very laid-back, so i went over to visit for a while and apparently i made the right decision. not only did i get to see all of the scholars people (matthew, katrin, rachel, luke, john, his new gf) but then i saw caleb, who was long ago friends with crystal (my first roommate) and then i saw heather, megan's friend who apparently also knew matthew, and then megan came (who has a birthday sunday, too) and her justin was with her (who is long time friends with linda) and as we all sat around talking and joking around, we came to the conclusion that it really is a small world after all.

(by the way, this party was in celebration of the guy's divorce getting finalized. who knew that was worthy of celebration?)

so now it's my early-birthday day where i've been told i get to choose whatever i want to do for the day. and surprisingly enough, it's been difficult for me to make that decision. the furthest i've gotten is that i want boulevard bagels for breakfast. i'll go from there ;)

justin gave me his gift last night, and i had been speculating with everyone for a while about what it might be. my guesses had been either an iPod of some sort or maybe a necklace or earrings. i was correct on the iPod side--a nano. i've already started playing with it and getting it all set up and i'm very excited about the many uses this could have. i'm equally nervous that the cats are going to see it as a playtoy and bat it under the couch. here's hoping to not losing it.

that's all for now---go steelers!

and it's here!

man, this has been a long week. first full week since december--seriously. yes, i know i'm spoiled.

so work has been busy busy busy and i've gotten tons of referrals for new cases as well as some boiling points for my old cases. good to know that i'm needed :)

social life has been busy, too. going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and our monthly book club dinner. so much fun--and of course, i blushed like 500 times and realized that i have really loud friends. but it was still great, and i can't wait for the next one.

and tomorrow, it's off to fayetteville for the night for early birthday celebration with the family and seeing CFRT's "beauty and the beast." i'm excited. justin's being a good boyfriend.

that's all for now :) later, y'all.

i get by with a little help from my friends...

i love being a social person and having multiple groups of friends. i especially love that i have made such great friends at work, and that i continue to have great friends at church, and most specifically, that i have a wonderful, amazing boyfriend.

but...


i miss these girls sometimes more than i can even explain. i talked to both of them yesterday, and i think it made me realize how much i miss having these two friends around for those moments when i just need to hang out with my girls. yes, i have amazing friends here in greenville still, but there's something about how well ashley and linda know me and how close we were and how i miss them terribly. we're scattered around now, but it is nice to know that they're a phone call away.

love ya, chicas.

sunday again...

hello, sunday :)

milo loves to nap. and he just looks quite adorable doing it. so i thought i'd share this picture with you

it's been a lazy week, especially with the middle/upper school taking exams. we did get to have casino day on friday afternoon, where the kids celebrate the end of exams by playing poker, roulette and craps. i contributed by having a "glamour photo" booth, where the kids dressed up in fancy clothes and i took digital photos and printed them out. it was a lot of fun and i had the best time setting up and helping the kids relax. once i got home, then i relaxed and justin came over so we could continue our new obsession with "the office." justin bought the whole first season and most of the second on iTunes and we've been making our way through it. and with the local NBC station failing to show the lastest episode on thursday night and replacing it with some lawyer show, i had to see what was going to happen between jim and pam. i am completely addicted to this style of show--documentary-like, with these hilarious interviews and situations and they'll just look right at the camera and i crack up from just the facial expressions. so it was a great way to spend the evening.

saturday, we finally made it to beaufort. we'd been planning this trip for about two or three weeks since i got a gift certificate to buy some artwork from a gallery there, but had to put it off the past couple of weekends until we had time to make a day of it. we got down there in time to buy the art, browse in some shops, eat lunch at clawson's and make our way downeast to the beach. rather than going over to atlantic beach like we always do, i took him through all the tiny little towns past beaufort and we finally got out to enjoy an almost private beach at the cedar island ferry. i had the best time taking some pictures, and you can check out the rest at my flickr site where i've uploaded all of them.


my new favorite picture of justin? this one--so natural, and very very handsome :)
and finally, the artwork that i bought. all by alan cheek. this first one is "lookout night."then there's "change of tide"--with cape lookout again, but more focusing on the water.
and finally, "summertime shoals," complete with dolphins, wild ponies and sea gulls. reminds me of shackleford banks.
now it's time to watch football, do grocery shopping and the like.

later, y'all!

middle of the week bump

and it's a short week--i know, again, yes, again.

monday was all about relaxing and getting ready to host young adults. i LOVE hosting people. however, the past couple of times, there's always been a concern about setting off my smoke alarm. the food turns out fantastic, everyone gives me tons of compliments--but during the cooking process, something bubbles over, something drips to the bottom of the oven, and it just ends up smoky and smelling like burnt grease. lovely, i know.

i wish i had more room when i'm hosting people. i'm always worried that it'll get too crowded and people will be uncomfortable. in a perfect world, i could have enough space to host about 15-20 people comfortably, with a couple of different rooms and twice as much counter space for food. but without at doubt, i can cook. i have had atleast 5 or 6 people tell me that my lasagna was some of the best they've ever tasted. gotta love that :)

it's exam week. my middle/upper schoolers leave at noon, and are taking exams all morning. this means my life is has a lot less drama, and i get to focus on my elementary school kids for a week. it's actually a nice change of pace, and it's given a few of us plenty of time to prepare for casino day on friday afternoon (where the kids celebrate the end of exams by playing poker and roulette for tickets). i'm running the "photo booth" with some fancy dress-up costumes and a digital camera. perfect!

i have my colorguard's outfits--school colors, cute, hip and works for everyone's body types. first performance is in two weeks. keep your fingers crossed (and yes, i'll take pictures).

and last night, as we watched "american idol" (just to see the crazy bad auditions), i folded laundry and justin checked his website feeds and it was just a lazy, relaxed evening. and i realized that i liked the feeling of it. not exactly exciting, but just comfortable.

this weekend--beaufort (finally!) to buy some artwork and enjoy the beautiful weather. until then....

end of the week

thank goodness!

i have to say that this past week has been one of the craziest and most stressful so far. it's testing me, but i'm making it. it's just not an easy process. i won't go into details online, but if you're curious, just ask.

finished up a long post i've been working on for a while. scroll down to check out my "year in review."

have had a nice relaxing weekend involving lots of laziness and a little bit of productiveness. dad came up yesterday to return his christmas present and we had lunch and watched the unc basketball game.

church today, and then i've been cleaning up and getting ready for hosting young adults tomorrow night. menu is lasagna, salad, garlic bread and some sort of dessert. i'll have all day tomorrow to plan and prepare :)

watching the steelers play at the moment. i'm keeping my fingers crossed, though having to share my birthday with the steelers at the super bowl is not my first choice. we'll see what happens...

later!

back into the week...

the weekend was terribly relaxing. we did absolutely nothing all saturday afternoon and left only to get the stuff to make a fabulous dinner and watch a movie saturday night. so great... :)

sunday--some excellent shopping after church. great to see everyone for the first time in a while, and also some great sales.

work's keeping me busy--i'm never quite sure what i'll get during the day, but it's fun and keeps me on my toes.

and i'm not really in a blogging mood tonight. sorry--but i'll update again when i have more to say :)

and we're back...

so glad that it's a short week this week and that friday will be here before i know it. and that next week is also short cause of our half day on friday. and the next week is MLK holiday on monday and exams for middle/upper school which means my schedule will be totally thrown off. and we might get back to normal sometime by the end of january, but let's face it--things are just more fun when they're not normal.

i feel confident putting this on here cause i'm positive no one will know this student and if you do, it's actually a very positive comment. i am learning that at independent schools, you play many different roles and they don't necessarily correspond with your actual degree or what you were officially trained in, but a lot of times just draws on your own skills and interests. i've seen that in tutoring a student in spanish twice a week. he'd never had it before, and even though we were trying to put him in the lowest level possible, he really needed that individual attention to catch up so that next year, he'll be ready to join the rest of his class. so we meet twice a week and have been working on basics like colors, numbers and small talk stuff. well, i decided on tuesday that we'd try conjugating a verb but was sure to be patient. when i had helped him while he was still in the class, conjugating a verb sounded very much like a rendition of "who's on first?" with him totally confused by pronouns, verb endings and everything else. we would go around in circles because i didn't want to give him the answer, and yet he'd guess at everything and would eventually guess correctly, but had no clue why it was right. but tuesday, as i wrote out the steps and helped him follow along, we conjugated a regular, present tense -ar verb and you could physically see the light turn on in his brain. it was one of the most rewarding experiences i have had all year. wish i could say that it came from a counseling situation, but i now understand the utter frustration and simultaneous joy that is being a teacher. and this morning, we did a stem-changing verb. i've never been so proud :)

in the meantime, the kindergarten class is my favorite place to hang out during the day. here, you're confronted by much more amusing issues like who drew pictures on their legs last night with magic marker (he proudly explained that it was an anaconda) and whose overactive imagination is getting her in trouble (in art, the teacher was talking about cave drawings that were found about 60 years ago and she said, "i saw that!" and when told that she couldn't have, it was 60 years ago, she said, "then my great-great-great-grandmother did!") gotta love it.

been to the gym 6 out of the 7 last days. and i'm feeling good :)

alright, gonna enjoy the evening with justin. later!

the classic do-it-yourself couple portrait. but oh so cute :) do i look happy? i think so...