Happy Heart Day!

We finally did it! After 6 failed Valentine's Days...we had the best heart day ever! :) Really, the holiday of love has been jinxed for us and we didn't know if we would ever redeem ourselves and our failed attempts to make the holiday work for us!

Let me tell you about our day...

Since we save every penny that we make, we have been going without many things for awhile now. We decided not to give each other any big gifts this year, but decided to get a few things for our house. Blakely got a cute pink puppy for her Valentine's gift and she loves it! So we slept in and headed downtown to SHOP! We had the best time and since my dream is to be a personal shopper (I know what every store in town has, where the best deals are, and if I can make it for cheaper) we got lots of clearance purchases and good deals! Yay! I gave Matt a Golden Retreiver hat from one of our favorite stores, Staffords. He gave me two pairs of tortoise hoops from another one of our favorite stores, Firefly. I love my hoops and will probably be giving them for gifts this year, as they are the most popular item in Firefly.


Blakely looking at her new toy!

We met Matt's dad for lunch at The Scoop, then drove around and showed him the lot that we are looking at.


Matt wearing his new hat and proudly showing off his new TCC hoodie. It was buy one get one free at Limelight and since I get to teach in a logo shirt and jeans on Friday's, Matty snagged a free shirt!! :)


My tortoise hoops!

We went to my FAVORITE store, Fireballs, where we talked to our good friend Laura for a long time (she is the owner)!! Then we came home and relaxed for awhile before we got ready for our date to BoneFish Grill! We got right in (b/c we had reservations a month in advance) and it was soooo good! Then we ran to the bookstore and still made it home by 10pm. WHAT A FUN DAY! I am so thakful for my husband! I love him sooo much!


On our way to dinner in Tallahassee! Matty was keeping his eyes on the road. We tried to take a pic in the restaurant but it was too dark.


I had to post this picture! Matt was holding my clutch for me and it looked hilarious!

Sisterly Advice :)

After a day full of celebrating Valentine's with my kids, my brother came to visit me at school! He needed help and advice :) That's where I came in. You see...we had to put together a really cute Valentine's gift for Miranda, Billy's girlfriend! I love my brother, but he is the most indecisive person about gift giving. So, we went to every store downtown, then every store in town, then we drove down to Tallahassee, made a billion stops, and finally found some things :) Then I wrapped it all pretty and Valentiney for her!!! It was fun picking stuff out for her that we both thought she would like or could use. He is taking her to Jacksonville for the day. I think it is sweet and will be a great first Valentine's together for them. However, I am worn out now!! Matt and I rented The Secret Life of Bees. I read the book and have been dying to see the movie. I don't know if I'll make it to the end though :)

These are some of the gifts that we put in her bag.


All wrapped up!


Worn out from an afternoon of power shopping!

I'm a lucky wife!

I walked into my house tonight, to find it spotless!!! Thanks to my precious hubby! He is so thoughtful!! He cleaned every room! I actually came in from a fun day spent with co-workers old (from GP) and new! I got to have an hour lunch break, then spent a few hours with my friend Lynn in her classroom over at Garrison! Her room is in my old annex...SAD! Overall...the day was just what I needed. The only bad thing was that when I walked into our house around 5pm I had the worst headache imaginable! But I felt so blessed! I just knew I was going to have an evening full of cleaning. Instead took some advil and layed down for a bit. Then we went walking! The weather has been too nice for Feb! Well, I just wanted to brag on my sweet hubby! He is always so selfless..and I know he has to be tired!! :) Did I mention that I don't have class tonight? So, I get to watch the entire episode of the Bachelor!!! (We don't have DVR, so if I get home late, I just miss out)!

Sunny with a high of 75!

What a perfect day! Our church service was wonderful this morning. Three of my favorite teachers and church family members sang an awesome song. Their group is called ALL for HIM b/c their names are Allison, Laura, and Leigh!! Love all of them! Matty and I had a lazy Sunday which included a long nap and a long walk with Blakely at Cherokee Lake!! Now, we're cooking supper and I'm working on grad work. Tomorrow I will have no kids at school...it is a professional learning day...I really secretly like these. If I get bored, I will whip out my Psychology notes and study for our test on Thursday!!! Shhhh!

I can't believe it's Valentine's week! I've been given a lot of Valentine's over the years but my favorite one is displayed in our guest bedroom. It is from one of my best friends,Amanda. She gave it to me probably 4 years ago. I took a picture of it!!! I just love it! It is so us!





I am getting very excited about February Fiesta! I will spill the details later! Have a great week y'all!

See?...I can't stop!

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?

1. Produce: Strawberries, Blueberries, or brocolli
2. Bakery: Key Lime Pie (from Publix)
3. Meat: Thinly sliced chicken or roast
4. Frozen: Sweet Potato Fries or Brown Rice
5. Dairy: Coffee Creamer or Publix brand vanilla yogurt

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?

1. Touser Jeans
2. Long Sleeve tee
3. Polo sweater

If I was to listen in on your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1. I love you....be careful!
2. I'm on my way home.
3. Good morning! How are you today?
4. Lips quiet, hands behind your back (when walking in line)
5. I've never been this tired in all my life :)

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?

1. Take a shower and brush my teeth
2. Drink my water in a tervis tumbler throughout the day and either a diet coke in a can at night or a diet root beer in a bottle.
3. Getting completely prepared for the next day...setting up my classroom, laying out my clothes, lunch, etc.

We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1. Cleaning my house
2. Doing laundry
3. Watching a movie
4. Reading blogs or chatting on facebook
5. Laying out if it's warm enough!

We are going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?

1. I don't like going to the zoo...the only way I would go was if I was taking my kids.
2. Most Animals scare me
3. I don't like the smell of zoos either.


You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?

1. LIVE with Regis and Kelly
2. The View
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Home and Family (if it still came on the air) :(

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1. Cheesecake
2. Lemon Ice Box Pie
3. Anniversary Cake

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?

1. A dirty monogrammed wallet (tone on tone)
2. 2 Jump Drives
3. A black monogrammed makeup bag with a red "N"
4. An animal print notebook
5. An ID tag/classroom key/purple whistle

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1. A buyer for a cute shop
2. An orthodontist
3. AN ADMINISTRATOR!!!!!
4. A Speech Pathologist

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?

1. You're skinny...stop thinking otherwise.
2. Slow down and enjoy this....sports and staying busy aren't everything.
3. Soak in all the time you have with your parents.
4. Thank your parents everyday for all of the amazing opportunities they provided you.

I love these things!

eating: I'm not eating anything right now.

drinking: A diet root beer in a bottle...my favorite.

wearing: A yellow and white striped polo oxford and a pair of hunter and lime green pj's from target (my favorite)...aka my elf pants (Matty calls them that)!

hair: Pulled back in a low ponytail with one of my kids ponytail holders. I need to buy more.

nails: Short and yucky. I have a gift certificate for a mani and pedi...I need to use it soon!

purchased today: Nothing. I will be hitting up Publix after church tomorrow though.

wanting: What don't I want? I want a house, a new car, and LV bag.

What bill do you hate paying the most? I don't pay bills. We don't have car payments or any credit cards. Matt pays everything else online. He's our "saver" and in charge of our money. I just don't spend. :)

Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? The Bone Fish Grill about a month ago. Valentine's Day is this weekend though!!!

Name of your first grade teacher? Mrs. Patrick

What do you really want to be doing right now? Watching a movie with my hubby in our new house!

What did you want to be when you were growing up? A Physical Therapist, Teacher, or Orthodontist.

What college did you graduate from? VSU

Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? It felt springy out today instead of FREEZING! This shirt is kind of an inbetween summer and winter shirt!

Gas prices? I never look at gas prices. My car gets great gas milage! Matt usually fills my car up for me...once a week or every other week. Depending on how often I travel to school.

If you could move anywhere and take someone with you? I'd stay in the south. Probably South Carolina. But I would be happy in Georgia.

First thought when the alarm went off this morning? It is Saturday! PTL!!! The alarm didn't go off for me, but it did for Matt. He had to be at work at 8. I got up with him.

Last thought before going to sleep last night? Watching hgtv or tlc is my favorite thing to do while I'm falling asleep on Friday nights. So that is just what I did.

What errand/chore do you despise? Sweeping. We have a golden retriever and all hard wood floors. So we are constantly sweeping and vacuuming. Matt sweeps. I vacuum. Ugh! Good thing we love our girl so much!

If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer? Yes. I would volunteer at a school.

Get up early or sleep in? If I've gotten enough sleep the night before I love getting up early. I feel like I get so much accomplished and my day isn't wasted. However, if I'm the least bit tired...I want to sleep in.

Have you found real love yet? Yes! I married the love of my life on June 24, 2006.

When did you first start feeling old? Well, Matt is turning 27 in a few weeks and that seems really old to me. I am younger than him, but knowing that he is that old, makes me feel OLD.

Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual? No..not at all.

Favorite guilty pleasure? Taking a personal day from work just because(I've never done it, and probably never will, but it seems like it would be the best thing ever). Reading books all night long until I'm finished with the book....puts me on the worst schedule. SHOPPING makes me love life!

Cowboys or Indians? Cowboys. Duh! I'm a southern girl!

What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now? I don't even know. Country, Christian, Rock, or Top 40 :)

Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work? No body teaches across the hall from me. It's the trike room :( But I love the next closest teachers. I like my entire wing.

What famous person would you like to have dinner with? I love the old hosts of the View and Kelly Ripa. I also love all of the 1999 Womens World Cup Soccer Team. Probably them. Maybe Rachel Zoe.

Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose? No...OMG.

Last book you read for real? I read Karen Kingsbury's book, This Side of Heaven. I am currently reading Shopaholic and Sister, The Sacred Marraige, and am doing the Esther Bible Study.

Do you have a teddy bear? I had a bear named Noel that Matt got me. But Blakely stole it off of our guest bedroom bed and it got de-stuffed. We saved it anyway.

Do you go to church? Yes. We are very involved and there often. We love our church.

At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship? No. I am very content. Just the other day, someone told me that they could see me opening and owning a shop downtown. Hmmmm.

Just how OLD are you? Mid-twenties. Ugh I admitted it.

Blackberry??

Matt informed me a few nights ago that ***-6917 is elegible for an upgrade!! Wooo Hoo!!! I have been waiting soooo long to hear those magical words :) I really want a blackberry, but we're going to shop around tomorrow. They may be too expensive! I'm excited anyway though!


Here's what I want!

It's been a wonderful week. And everyone has been asking me to send my kids their way to infect thier rooms..haha! I had a record of 11 kids today and we had a blast! I had a good Friday afternoon of chatting with fellow teachers and then getting ahead in my lesson plans and portfolios. YES! I am a little bit worried that me and my support teacher consume cold medicine several times a day. I think we may both be a little bit run down from all of the sickness going around. I stopped by Publix on the way home and now Matt and I are going to enjoy a simple dinner at home, and probably a dvd!

I have definitely figured out that I am my Father's daughter....I am becoming a homebody just like him :) I just love being at home with my family.