:home:

As you all know I have been on vacation since friday night and it has been oodles of fun! I left College Station Sunday afternoon and headed in to Dallas to spend a few days with my mom and dad. Sunday evening Amber and Christiaan also came in to watch the Amazing Race and the Oscars with us. Amber made some delicious brownies and we popped some popcorn and curled up on the couch to see all the pretty and not so pretty dresses and hair-do's. We had lots of fun. Then Monday mom and I went to get pedicures and eat lunch at the Cheesecake factory! YUM YUM! We split the Santa Fe Salad (the best EVER) and a slice of brownie sundae cheesecake, AMAZING! Then Tuesday we went to the aboretum and spent most of the afternoon there seeing all of the exhibits they were building and the buds that were about to bloom. We were just a couple weeks early for all the flowers, o well. It was still beautiful! I love going there! And then we enjoyed lunch at Souper Salad. MmMmMm! That was the best beginning to any vacation! Thanks for spoiling me mom! I had lots of fun just hanging around the house. Nothing beats "going home" to hang out. I enjoyed lots of laughs, hugs, pictures and good conversations! Hopefully I will be able to do it all over again!

FinAlLy

As of 7:30 pm tonight I will be on vacation until next Sunday! Hallelujah!! I certainly need it, haven't had a vacation since August.

HapPY VaLEnTinE's dAY

Hope you all enjoy your valentine's day with your loved ones!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

photos by me.

busylittlebee

Today, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. There are so many things that I MUST accomplish today that I do not even know where to begin. Not only is the house a COMPLETE mess, dishes piled up, hairballs rolling like tumbleweeds across our floors, laundry all over the place, bathrooms need a serious scrubbing and the dogs need to play AND gt baths today BUT to add to the list I have an even longer list of things I need to get on top of for work. I have calendars to make, events to plan, communicate and execute as well as check in on my daily biz-is it good or is it bad and what am I going to do to fix/change it. We have make up artists coming to the store tomorrow and is their spot clear and free for them to come in and setup? What is even worse is that I will bee out of the store for 3 days (today being a "day off") but I will be making an unscheduled visit to make sure everyone is clued in to what is happening. Along with houe and work stuff I am still in the process of changing careers and preparing for tests, and looking for the right school that I want to teach at. Could I really have one more thing on my plate for today? Actually it seems more like a platter today. Well, I guess I should quite my moaning and gt to working. I know I can do it all and tonight I will just finish the day saying, "wow, what a day." I am off to start my busy day.......(I am just glad I don't have kids to throw in to the mix yet.)

If I were a vampire, I would probably look like this...

best teachers

Today was my first "alternative certification program" class for teaching and I found it quite helpful, informative and inspiring. Mostly the instructors just went over what the certification process will be like and what to expect as a first year teacher. Hopefully I will get through the class and tests quickly and land a job in 3 or 4th grade and begin to make my mark in the lives of young ones.

One thing that the instructor had us do was think about our best teachers we have had over the years and list out the qualities of why we thought they were the best. I immediately thought of a few teachers that had positively impacted my life but the one that had the biggest impact would be coach rob.

Coach Rob was my track coach who I never actually had in a classroom but I regard as the "teacher" that had the biggest impact on my life. He taught me a sense of discipline on the field, the act of being a good sport and respecting not only my teammates but my opponents and officials. He called me out when I was wrong and pushed me beyond my limits to make me stronger, faster and smarter. He always stayed late when we wanted to practice after school and helped me find a sport that I will forever love as long as I am alive. He also watched out for me, helping me find a good university, putting in his "2 cents" on which would best serve my needs, for which I will forever be grateful for. He was always willing and able and never said he didn't have time for me or the team. Thanks coach rob for your compassion, drive, love and support you gave me and you put into your job! I know I am not the only one you have impacted and I hope to be as inspirational to others as you were to me.

I certainly had many more positive influences growing up in the education system which is probably why I want to teach now and I can only hope that I can become a teacher that has such a passion for what I do that I may positively influence the lives of young ones. Here's to the best teachers we have had and the impacts they have had on our own lives.

i love plaid, alot.

I wouldn't mind a dress like this...
I love the ruffles and the colors were pretty sweet too. I must learn to sew considering we won't be shopping for a while.

bad dog

One evening Ryan and I went in to Houston and returned home to this face,

obviously he wasn't wagging his tail, whinning in excitement to see us so we began to scour the house to see what happened. Then we found this.....

Yes ladies and gents, that is my external hardrive that held every single picture I have ever taken since I have owned a digital camera. My heart sank when I saw that I may have just lost every documented moment of the last 8 years or so. Lucky for the mutt, after much fidgeting with the darn thing I was able to back up the photos on Ryan's external hardrive and then put them back on my computer. Now my dog just better not chew on my computer.