Instagram

So, I have an Instagram, and that's how I share most of my photos. In fact, that's mostly why I take photos.... so that I can share them on there. hahaha


Anyways, I was thinking of maybe posting some of my favorite pics from the past week or so and sharing them with anyone that wants to see. And I think I'll post my favorites every once in a while. (Best would be once a week, but I don't want to commit to that yet. haha Not with school looming in the near ish distance.)


Here's a few to start!

Dessert from our anniversary dinner.

Ice cream sandwich

Fourth of July celebrations

My Spalding course has this book as a basis for all language arts instruction. (Spelling, Reading, and some Writing)

A date, a couple of birthdays, and an anniversary

So, this past week has been pretty awesome and crazy busy!

I can't believe it's already been a week since fondue night with the Staples. It was fun, and good food! I still can't believe how awesome (and huge) the oreo ice cream cake was!

On Tuesday, we celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner and then a movie under the stars. Yay! And then the next day we celebrated America's birthday! Spencer enjoyed the celebrations until the fireworks at home. haha He was always reaching for his mom.

And since I didn't post this yesterday, I'll just put a little note in saying that today is two years since I married the most amazing man ever! He has helped me grow far more than anyone else, and I am so grateful he's a part of my life! So, here's to two years down, and eternity to go!

Happy Summer!!!

It's two or three weeks into summer, and I am glad to report it's been very chill. I've read 4 books in about as many days and loving it!

I'm currently reading the Redwall series. Here's the book I'm on.

Besides that, I went swimming for the first time this summer, and LOVED IT!! I can't wait to swim some more. But it may have been the people I was with that made it rock so much! haha It may also have something to do with the video. (Also, Spencer is one heck of a cute little kid!)

Spencer loves being with his Uncle Jason! :)

We also got a pizza from Papa Murphy's with a friend and the pizza makers had no idea what thirds are. haha I see one half and two quarters on our pizza. (Lovely drawing done by Adrienne D.)

Alaska Trip

So, we had a family cruise to Alaska. We left from Seattle, WA and sailed north where we stopped at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, AK, and then had a final stop at Victoria, B.C., Canada before returning to Seattle.

It was a wonderful week long trip! It was very cold for me, although some days were better than others. I usually always had my heavy snow jacket with me, because I hate being cold. haha It seems like everyone was either seasick or really sick for at least part of the time, but we still managed to have a wonderful time!

Get ready for picture overload!!!! :)

Arriving in Seattle and getting on the ship. We're all so excited! (Also, Spencer decides to get a cloud tan.)

Seattle skyline and then exploring Ketchikan, Alaska. Jason got attacked by the bear while it just smiled with my mom and Spencer. ;)

More exploring of Ketchikan. It was cold and sometimes drizzled. We saw a waterfall, some totem poles, and went into Dolly's house on the boardwalk near the river.

Saxman village. There were lots of totem poles. Yes, the Spencer one is in there twice. It's just SOOO cute!  Also, Jason really wanted to do a motorcycle tour..... I said no. haha

We got to float close to a glacier through a part of a fjord. (That's where a glacier cuts  parts out of the mountain.) So we watched that, along with the floating ice. And we also played cards. I love the teamwork on this game of Go Fish!

Driving to Mendenhall Glacier from Juneau, Alaska. Us girls walked with the adorable Spencer to the glacier. Kristen and Lala climbed up on a big rock to look at what someone put together in rocks. (It said God is Love.)

Getting pictures at the base of a waterfall. (I didn't get any of Jason and myself on my phone, otherwise I would use that.) The glacier and waterfall were beautiful! And it was great to be with family!  

Our next stop was Skagway, AK. This was where Jason and I got to go horseback riding by ourselves! It was soooo much fun, but it was also VERY COLD AND WET. I didn't have very good shoes, so I had little toesicles. haha

This was our dinners. We had three tables of family and friends in our own little corner. Spencer was very much the center of attention. He loved it! And because it was cold, I had LOTS of hot chocolate. By the end, they really didn't have to ask if Jason and I wanted hot chocolate with our dessert. haha

This was celebrating Spencer's birthday at dinner one night. All the servers in the area came to sing to him. It was so much fun! And he loved the cake! haha Can you tell by the mess on the tablecloth and chair? 

Our last stop was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We saw a topiary orca, a street artist that did amazing work, a street with my name on it, and our servers from dinner. (They liked Spencer so much, that they asked to get a picture with him when they had their own cameras. haha 

Overall, the trip was a blast! I had so much fun, and it was a GREAT way to kick off the start of summer vacation!!!

SCHOOL IS OUT!!!!!

I have survived my first year of teaching! And sometimes, it really honestly did feel like just surviving.

I was not out sick for one day, although I did take a couple of sick days for doctor appointments.

Over the course of the school year, I did have an allergic reaction to my contact solution, at least one uti, and a bug bite that worried the school nurse (swelling, not reacting to Benadryl gel, and forming a bullseye.

Was it tough? Yes. Was it worth all the stress and hard work? Amazingly, yes. Even with students that would walk out of class in anger, lie, cut their hair, blame everyone else and not take responsibility, shout out their feelings of the current task every time they got upset, and hurting others with rocks and elbows, it was a great experience, and so far, I'm going back for more come this fall!

Even though there are those naughty students, the greatest ones are the hard workers, the ones who hug you and don't want to let go, the ones that write little notes saying "your the best"[sic] and "I love you", and the ones that will do anything to please you and brighten your day any way they can. THOSE students are why I love teaching. On even the hardest days, they always do their best.

The other wonderful part, is hearing from a student that you discipline constantly that you are their favorite. Teaching is a wonderful career, though it's not for the faint of heart!

It has honestly been the best experience of my life so far (besides marrying my hubby, that is)! ;)

And here, is to a GREAT summer vacation!!!! :D

A little catch-up

So, I was allergic to my contact solution. I have not had any problems since I switched! (Thank heavens!) I have started to notice, that my eyes feel a little scratchy when putting my contacts in or taking them out, but that's no biggie!

The past little while..... or since January...... haha Has been super crazy! New passports, planning for a celebratory end to my first year of teaching, getting a log dropped on my foot...... It's been great!

I am so excited for what's coming up! (After this week of testing, of course.) There are only 4 weeks of school left! So much to do, so little time! I don't know how I'm going to accomplish it all..... I know what needs to get done will get done, though. :)

Things are going so well, and I have the best bunch of second graders! Even with all of the grief they give me, I really do like them. I'm really going to miss those sweeties next year!


Hopefully I can get a little better about blogging, but there really are other things that I find more important, like being with my amazing husband, or painting, or even writing (poems, prose, etc.) and now I'm trying to be a better housewife and get better at cleaning. We'll see how it goes! haha

I hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday!

Allergies

So, I have found out what I'm allergic to.

It's one of two things.

My contact lenses.....

Or my contact solution.

Two weeks of wearing my 3+ year old glasses.

Why couldn't there have been a sooner appointment? *sigh*

I will get stronger.