Excited!!

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it (imagine Jessie from Saved by the Bell dancing around and singing this song... classic episode of her being addicted to caffeine pills, ah how the tv shows have changed).

Anywho, no I'm not addicted to caffeine pills, but I am pretty excited about sooo many things!!! And the more excited I get about some things, it makes me more excited for other things!

Things to be excited about:

• camp being almost done - it was so fun and well worth the money but shew, I'm beat and it was H-O-T
• Flying first class - my mom says I'm more excited about this than going on vacation so maybe I should just fly from place to place on first class and let that be my vacation -- as of right now we are still getting 1st class!!
  
• Costa Rica (please tropical storm do not affect us getting out of Houston)
• Setting up my classroom - I love getting organized
• School starting - yes, I still get excited year after year
• Sticking with running for as long as I have - who would've thought?
• My paycheck tomorrow - I will have finally seen a full 12 month salary tomorrow and really see the difference between my old and new salary
• the prom dress I bought a month ago (yep you read that right... I bought a prom dress because they were all on clearance - actually I bought 2 but I took one back - every time I open my closet door I get excited to see it.... now for a cruise to wear it on)
• Fall - I'm looking forward to slightly cooler weather, better runs, lower electric bills
• Fall = Halloween - I love seeing the kiddos dressed up!!! (and Mia too - she's a frog every year but we have yet to really show it off... maybe this year!)
• And with Halloween comes Thanksgiving
• And with that ... CHRISTMAS!!!! Okay, wanna know how excited I am about Christmas?? I ALREADY AM LISTENING TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC!! Christmas in July maybe? Eh, call it what you will but I'm loving it! I cannot wait for Christmas this year. Tonight I actually started writing down ideas for Christmas presents and thinking about all of the new decorations I bought last year at the end of the season sales!! Less than 5 months and counting!
• And with Christmas comes a tacky Christmas sweater party which I have wanted to host since I've had my own place. I think this December we will be pulling it off and I can't wait!!

Lots to be excited for -- nothing to be sad or worried over - I love it! (PS... last year at this time my belongings were all in storage getting ready to be picked up and driven off and I was being charged thousands of extra dollars and a headache of a move was coming my way.... my how times have changed:))

Vacation!

1 week from today we will be boarding a plane in Houston (better be first class too -- right now there are 10 of the 12 first class seats open so keep your fingers crossed. Not that I think I'm too good for coach but c'mon... someone offers you filet mignon or a dog treat you're going to pick filet mignon... and yes that may sounds extreme but I love first class that much!) We are heading off to Costa Rica for 5 days!! Guanacaste Costa Rica! It is their rainy season but it rains mostly in the afternoons so we will get up early enough to enjoy the beach and then just head to the pool (I don't care about rain) and under the cabanas for more relaxation.

We were originally going to Mazatlan in Mexico - on the Pacific side which I have never been to. But, within 24 hours 32 tickets were bought and because it was a small 50 seater plane our chances of getting there were eliminated:( So, we switched to Costa Rica.

We are staying at the Riu, which this will be our 3rd one. Derrick has stayed at one in Cancun. we both stayed at one in the Dominican, and now we will be at this one. Riu's have always been good to us and there are a lot of perks of staying there. Such as:

• Your mini bar is restocked with BOTTLES daily -- and it's free!
• Their bars open earlier than other places we stay at - and it's free!
• You can pick to sleep at the cheapest one but you are able to walk, eat, and enjoy all of the other Riu's in that city. In the Dominican they were all connected so we hung out mostly at the really nice pool.
• You are able to eat at their reservation only restaurants for dinner as many nights as you'd like - other places it varies on how long you stay - and it's free!

We opt for the all inclusive package an although it gives you an interesting clientele, for us it's the best and cheapest way for a vacation. All you can eat, drink, and enjoy non motorized sports and the shows at night!

We also booked a Canopy Tour in which we will go ziplining through their canopy and see interesting animals (fingers crossed for their monkeys) and they teach you cool ways to zipline, like Superman (laying on your belly) or upside down (I hope Derrick will do this, I would get a terrible headache immediately). I'm so excited!!!

Plus 3 more great pics

3 more pictures from our camp this week that I love and had to add

Me and the gang at the splash pad

The ladies and I - honestly having a conversation about it being okay to be beautiful princesses and still hang out in public

Our poster child for camp - pure happiness

Camp photos!

Camp was a blast! Exhausting, hot, crazy, busy, fun, whatever you want to call it - it was successful! The kids had so much fun and the parents really loved everything we did and their finished products.

Just for a summary of our week: decorate picture frame for camp group shot, took photos with their own camera, created their own fort for the week, sprinkler time, cooked a snack, worked on scarpbook with new photos everyday they took and we took and colorful paper and stickers, walked to a playground to take photos, popsicle treat, cooked up another snack, story time, field trip and picnic lunch at a splash pad park, snow cone treats, claymation videos, scavenger hunt, tie dye tshirts - shew!!!! BUSY!

Enjoy the photos:)

Always a bridesmaid...

Never a bride. Someday (sooner rather than later I'm hoping) I'll be the bride, but until then I have had plenty of experience to consider myself to be a professional bridesmaid. I joke that people hire me to be in their weddings due to my extreme experience but seriously, as I stood at this last wedding listening to the wedding coordinators give all of the details I realized I had already heard this speech... 6 times before. Yes that's right, I have been in 7 weddings. And I traveled for every single one - as in none of them were less than 7 hours away. And, from my mom's idea I have opted to flashback to all of the weddings. I tried to find a photo of the bridesmaids and then also one of the bride and I but it wasn't successful for all of them. A couple weddings I didn't have my camera. Also, the first 2 weddings (Danielle and my sister) the photos wouldn't download so I took a picture of them on my computer -- not as good.

July 2008 - Best friend from childhood, Danielle, wedding in Florida


August 2008 - Sister's wedding, Nikki, in Delaware


September 2009 - Best friend from college/Sorority sister, Linsey, in Ohio



May 2010 - Best friend from childhood, Mary, in Delaware



June 2010 - Best friend from college, Shauna, in Ohio


September 2010 - Best friend from college/Sorority sister, Ashley, in South Carolina


July 2011 - Best friend from childhood, Lindsay, in Delaware

Picnic on the lake

Over the weekend Derrick and I decided to rent a canoe and have a wine and sushi picnic on Town Lake. It was pretty hot out but still a great time.

Go Outside!

Camp starts today for me! Originally we had anticipated doing camp each week the whole month of July but we advertised too late and didn't get the numbers we had hoped for. So, we will have camp the last 2 weeks of July and I am so excited. This upcoming week is "lights, camera, action" and we will do a lot of photography and video activities. The following week will be "day camp out" in which we will do camp out activities during the day.

This upcoming week is organized and ready to go:) I bought a photo box for each child and each day it will be filled with the supplies they will need to complete all of the activities for that day. Monday will kick off with decorating a frame for a camp photo, tie dyeing a camp tshirt, taking photos with their own camera, lunch and cooking a snack for later, and built a fort with sheets and boxes while we use this new app for your iphone called itimeelapse which takes a photo every 3-5 seconds and turns it into a video at the end. We plan to put this on a dvd for them to take home at the end of the week. Later in the week they continue to take photos in different places and of different things, make clay animation videos, have a picnic lunch at the park with ice cream to follow, snow cone walk, make cameras out of oatmeal containers, drive to a 1 hour photo place and hopefully get some behind the scenes action, and so much more!!! I cannot wait to post pictures:)

Below are some photos of the materials I have purchased thus far. So fun!!

All of the supplies

Materials for Monday

Cute photo boxes:)

Scrapbooking materials!

Shopping for less!

Although I am not into designer clothes and shoes, I do still enjoy new clothes, shoes, headbands, underwear, ... pretty much anything to spend money on I like it. I don't like to spend a lot of money 1 item, but I like to spend money on lots of items:) I'm not cheap.... I like to call it smart.

I recently read about this shampoo and conditioner and it was compared to Aveda's version. I used to frequent Aveda salons when I was on college and had extra cash (how is that possible....??) and I fell in love with their shampoo and conditioner - the rosemary mint kind. The tingly feeling and awesome smell --- heaven! Well... Suave caught on and now sells it for 1.98 each! I recently bought it and fell in love -- it doesn't tingle like the Aveda type but the smell and softness makes up for it! I highly suggest this version!



I also have become a plato's closet frequenter. At first I found this store a little weird... it was other people's hand me downs that weren't wanted anymore - so wouldn't things be out of style? NO! They are actually crazy picky about what they sell and they have tons of top brands... bebe, polo, sperry shoes, limited, banana republic. Today was their summer clearance... get a bag and fill it with as many clearance items for $10!! It was pure insanity in there and a little crazy but I snagged 4 pairs of shorts/capris and a 3/4 length shirt for $10! The brands were banana republic, roxy, banana again, old navy, and gap! I also picked up a romper which I have been on the hunt for for awhile but didn't want to spend as much as the stores were asking - I got this one for $6! One of the parents in my class last year told me that she was a frequent GoodWill shopper for her and her girls over by my school.... everything is high end because the people that live right there. She bought Seven jeans, tons of polo, and boutique clothes for her girls. That's my next spot:)

The top left are mid calf seersucker, the back right are creme with navy pinstripes, then pink short bermudas, white and blue striped bermudas, teal and navy striped 3/4 length boatneck, and blue romper with pockets (lots of stripes... I sense a trend)

That's all for now --- I'll keep my eyes peeled for smarter ways of shopping:)

Boost of confidence

This morning I headed off to the Town Lake trail which is FULL (AND I MEAN FULL) of people walking, running, biking, and just being outside and getting fit. I love it! I went for a 3.1 mile run and due to how hot it is here, even at 9am, I opt to wear a sports bra and running biker shorts.

As I'm running I noticed this one man who had beyond a perfect body. Not huge and full of biceps and scary, but thinner physique without an ounce of fat. As I was walking back to my car sweating and bright red in the face I'm sure I passed that man. My head phones were still in and he motioned for me to take them out - I did - and he said "I had to stop and tell you, you have a perfect physique!" My only response was ... "thank you - yours is awesome!!" hahahaha I guess it caught me off guard but it definitely made me feel good:):)

On top of running I have now started doing P90X ab ripper X (17 minutes intense core strengthening) so maybe it is paying off!!!

The big 27

I turned 27 on Monday... eek another year older! I am now in my late twenties ... 30 is creeping up too fast!

I flew in on my birthday morning and Derrick and I headed out for a quick lunch. I had to tutor and then we went to this amazing authentic Mexican restaurant that is just beyond beautiful inside. People actually go there just to walk around their gardens (which they use for their dishes) and view their art work and murals. Afterwards we met up with a few friends and had a couple drinks:) A fabulous birthday.

On top of the amazing dinner Derrick got me 2 fabulous presents. He is the best at gift giving and always knows just what to buy!

I have been wanting a beach cruiser bike for awhile now. We are so close to so many great little coffee shops and restaurants and it would be much easier to bike there. Derrick did some research and found that a beach cruise would be very difficult in Austin with so many hills so he got me a hybrid cruiser - it has gears and will make it "easier' to get up those hills!

I also got a Nook Color! Great surprise!! I have wanted an ereader and of course Derrick, being Mr. Barnes and Noble, got their version. The coolest part... it's in color and has a speaker which means I can get magazines, newspapers, and over 2 million books. While I was overnight nannying I let the little girl listen to children's books on it and she loved it!

And of course, to top it all off, my cake:) Pina colada cake - almost gone! It was Derrick's mom recipe and it has now migrated to my family and their birthdays.

Well, after 27 years I have no regrets and have loved every bit of my life:) Happy late birthday to me!

Wedding time!

I traveled back to Delaware last Thursday, Lindsay for my childhood friends', Lindsay, wedding. Beautiful would be an understatement to say the least.

The rehearsal was on Friday. She was getting married on a golf course outside and it was super hot but we finished up quickly and then headed to an outdoor bbq with some amazing food. Sadly, about an hour and a half into the dinner it began to rain and everyone had to migrate inside. The good news was it got rid of a lot of the humidity for her wedding day the following day. The bad news... we went out after the bbq in Dewey and it was POURING when we first got there. Needless to say we had shoes floating down the street and looked like wet dogs by the time we got into the bar.




The wedding day began at 8am for me. I had my hair done in town and then went to the salon at the beach where the girls were getting their hair done (cheaper for me). When then headed to the golf club and completed make up and getting ready. We did pictures prior to the ceremony because the ceremony didn't stay till 6. Lindsay and Chad actually saw each other before the ceremony which at first I wondered how that would play out but it actually was very cute and we got to be part of the "reveal". We had the ceremony, then headed inside for cocktail hour which the bride and groom continued their pictures. We boogied into the night till about 11:30 then ventured home. A beautiful day and weekend:)

Hair done:)

3 best friends

all dressed up:)

the bride and I:)



before the ceremony

I'm married!!!

Josh, high school friend, and his girls;)

MHS '02