i need to at least smell christmas

my apartment is too small to get a tree and i don't really want to spend the money on a lot of christmas decorations. but, i want to feel christmas! i feel like putting up lights will look like i still live in a dorm room. maybe i can find a small, cute tree to put on my tiny bistro table. maybe i could find a yummy smelling candle that will remind me of christmas and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. does anyone know of a good candle for me? i don't like candles that smell like food b/c they just make me want to eat :) i need help! i can't wait to have a house one day that i can decorate with a real tree and lovely, sparkly, ornaments. oh, and twinkling lights that set the mood of the season. maybe tonight i'll make some hot cocoa and watch a christmas movie! hmm, the boy will have to be up for that. maybe it can wait until saturday night :) we might get snow tomorrow!!!

Green for Fall

this fall is going to be good!
at New York fashion week, JADE was the hot color trend for nails!
anyone who knows me, knows that i am scary obsessed with the color green, ANY shade!
so this news excites me greatly. in fact, i think i'm going to go track down this color right now!
i seriously can not wait to get it on my nails!!
here's the color i'm searching for, only not this brand due to shock value of the price!!

picture courtesy of chanel.com

WOW, how times change!

i had my first class for my teacher certification this past tuesday night.
yesterday, i was doing some of my homework and came across this chart in my textbook.
i was amazed! i wanted to share this with everyone.

RULES FOR TEACHERS, 1872
1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved into barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

I mean WOW! i don't think i will ever complain about being a teacher, once i finally am one :)

Chart quoted from Kronowitz, The Teacher's Guide to Success, 2008

my new favorite thing: Dropbox!

any of you ever heard of Dropbox? it's amazing!
this past weekend was my family reunion. my brother captured all of the special moments on his killer new camera!
so now we're all home and not only do we want the pictures, but also the videos shared!
sign up through this site and share any files you want with whoever you want, INSTANTLY!!
it is so cool and just made life a whooooole lot easier :)
blueeyedbride, we can now use this instead of google docs if we prefer!
i will be posting pictures soon from my weekend!
i hope everyone had a fantastic labor day! i think i'm still recovering :)

spontaneity

last night was so great. i was really tired yesterday b/c i didn't sleep well the night before b/c my upstairs neighbors were obnoxiously loud {ugh}. the boy plays volleyball every tuesday and thursday nights. he usually comes over after wards, which makes me happy. last night though, i was SO sleepy. i had cleaning to do and shows to watch, but just nothing was getting done. when he comes over after v-ball, he's wired!

nothing sounded good to me last night for dinner except cupcakes (weird, i know). i resisted the urge to run to the store to get the stuff to bake those little cakes of yumminess! instead, i just played around on the internet, talked on the phone to my parents to figure out the weekend plan, and watched the Gamecock's play (victory!). his last v-ball game was supposed to start at 8:10. when 9:30 rolled around and i hadn't heard from the boy i assumed they were running behind schedule due to thunderstorms in the area. 10p my phone rings. he's done and on his way. i had sort of forgotten about my hunger level b/c i got busy doing other things. he's always hungry when he finishes his games so we talk about him picking up a pizza from the restaurant down the street. we hung up, and i called right back. i had the sudden itch to get out of the house! so he picked me up (well, we actually walked b/c the weather was PERFECT), and we went for a late night date. it was so nice :) we had pizza, beer, and i had a cape cod or two :) PLUS, FOOTBALL on tv! the place was packed! it was the perfect ending to my sleepy day! thanks boy for always being up for whatever, whenever, and however!

oh yea, on our way to the restaurant...we found THIS!!! where i'm from, these are usually dead on the side of the road! it's an ARMADILLA! ha, he was sort of cute :)

Herkie!!

this is the boy showing off his LSU spirit during the national championship game! Can you believe he can jump that high?


approximately two years later...i'm not sure if it's the old age or the sand, but definitely not as good :) (or maybe it was the photographer :/...ME)

just one day away

we are one day away from labor day weekend! woo hoo!!!
i am so excited b/c my family is having a family reunion, right here in dallas!
my whole family will be in town and i just can't wait to see everyone!
we have so much freakin' fun when we're together...

{adam, me with my face covered up, shawn, and his wife anastasia}


{myself and my brother shawn dancing to girls just want to have fun}

so that's most important..but coming in at a close second...the LOVE my entire family (uncles, cousins, aunts, etc) shares for LSU football!!! it's a scary obsession, really. when my boyfriend came into the picture he wasn't quite sure what to think of us during an LSU game. today, he fits right in! LSU first game of the season (well, non conference game) is this saturday!!!! we will all be decked out in our purple and gold tailgating waiting for kickoff! there is nothing better than good company, yummy food, and SEC FOOTBALL! fall, i welcome you with open arms!


GEAUXXXXXXXXXXX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

decisions decisions

AH! so many things to decide these days!
should i re-new my lease?
should i move to ft. worth?
should i do one teaching program over another?
it's been a crazy month, but i'm happy to say all of my decisions as of right now have been made! and i feel great about each of them :)

for those of you who don't know, i quit my job at the end of june.
after lots of thinking and focusing on my passions in life, i have decided to become a teacher...an ART teacher!
in TX, if you already have a bachelor degree or higher, all you have to do is go through an alternative certification program in order to become a state certified teacher. so i called last wednesday and was in the program by thursday! there. one decision has been made! classes are from Sept 8-Oct 29 (something like that). i will then take my state exam (TExES) {and hopefully pass!!}. from there, i will be eligible for a teaching job come JANUARY! YAY! i am so excited about this and really believe this career will truly fulfill my life. children have imaginations that inspire me!!

next decision. my boyfriend of about 3 yrs is in real estate in fort worth (anyone need a realtor :)..let me know! ). fort worth is about 30 mins west of Dallas. assuming things progress with us i will need to ultimately make the move to ft. worth. so i've applied to start subbing in the this area instead of Dallas. i have been debating on whether i want to stick it out longer in Dallas and just commute back and forth on the days i will get a job subbing, or should i just take the plunge and move over? forth worth it is! this way i will get to know all of the school districts around there and figure out which areas i would potentially want to teach in. i found the perfect apartment today. i will be 3 blocks (walking distance) from downtown and already know where the best happy hour is :) i have plenty of friends in ft. worth, too! done. moving to ft. worth. not renewing my lease.

decisions are hard and definitely overwhelm me at times, but i have figured out through all of this you can make yourself crazy if you don't just DECIDE! i feel good about all of these changes in my life and am looking forward to how it all turns out.

now, if i can just find the time to stay on the diet and exercise each day, my life will REALLY be great!

happy days are here again :)

it has been a crazy few months. lots of changes. some good, some bad. lately, all changes have come back around to good! which is....GOOD!

i'm talking everything from: a breakup, friends having babies, hating my career, wanting to move across the country, quitting my job (FINALLY), figuring out my new desired career, lots of quality time with friends and family, and lastly...back together with the love of my life!

my life couldn't be more fantastic! right now, at this moment, i am happy. thank you to all who have helped me through all of these ups and downs. could NOT have gotten through this without you.

if any of you have struggles in your life right now, i pray for things to start looking UP! you have to believe.