It's Been A While

So it has been quite a few weeks since my last post.  I apologize for that, but I really don't think there are that many of you actually keeping up with the stories of my life.  I have been SUPER BUSY lately.  This past Friday I completed my last full week of student teaching.  Starting tomorrow, I teach less and less each week, and then the last two weeks I go around and observe in other grades and classrooms.  It has been a great experience and as much as I complained about having to work for free, I learned a lot and am going to miss Ms. Williams' 2nd graders (I feel like they are my students too).  So what has been going on other than student teaching and working at the Y?  The pictures below will summarize my adventures of the past month or so. 

Lots of AU-some football games-WAR EAGLE!

Rack em! Rack-baa!  She's as crazy as a daisy!

"Lucky" the pig we ate at a party for Meagan and David.  Such a great time and great food!

Hanging out with sweet Mr. Jeb

Field Trip to Golden Flake

So there you have it.  My life in the past few weeks.  There have been plenty of ups and downs, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, so things can only get better :) 

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite song lyrics from "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer:

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good

 

I'm the Teacher

Well, it has been quite a while since my last post, but I am still around and alive.  Hubby and I have been going to all of the Auburn home games still, and we went to BSL the last away game to celebrate my childhood neighbor's engagement (to a girl I did gymnastics with when we first moved to MS).  My parents and "the 'hood," which is the people from the old neighborhood before Katrina came and ruined everything, hosted the party at my parent's house.  It was very nice, great to see everyone, and great to be "home."  We will be going back to BSL next away game for another party for friends getting married.  We are actually helping host this party and should be a great time BBQing on the beach. 
During the week I have been super busy.  This was the first week that I have taught the entire day, all subjects.  It is great, sometimes frustrating, challenging, fun, and amazing all at the same time!  The kids are doing pretty well, but have gotten a little rowdy toward the end of the week.  We had to have a "come to Jesus" talk about behavior Thursday, so hopefully they will be well behaved next week.  We also had parent-teacher conferences last night and today.  It was interesting meeting all the kids' parents.  Most of the time you can really see why kids act the way they do in class (good and bad behavior as well as academically).  Most of my kids are going really well and I have enjoyed this experience so much.  I am going to be super-sad when it ends in December.  I feel like they are my students :(  The classwork part of my student teaching is really frustrating me.  I have these assignments that ask me to write about lessons I taught weeks ago!  I have long moved on from lessons I submitted in session a at least 4-6 weeks ago, but I am being asked to reanalyze student performance on these lessons now.  UGH!  Oh well, I'll do what I can to complete the assignments and just keep telling myself I'm one step closer to being a full time teacher!  As long as I passed the test I took a few weeks ago....

Are You Ready For Some Football??

The past few weekends have been busy ones and this one looks like it's going to be the same.  2 weekends ago we traveled to the Auburn v. Clemson game.  The game was great since we won, but it wasn't the prettiest win I've ever seen Auburn pull out.  The good part was that I got to see all my Delta Ladies.  Visiting with them at the tailgate was great and I wish we would have had more time to catch up.  I also wish that my dear Jordo and Clairey were there to share in the fun.  Not only did I get to see my girls, I got to see my friend Mr. Campbell aka Camp.  It's always fun and funny seeing him and catching up.  I'm so glad he make the trek way out to the end of old row to visit.  Below are some of the pictures from the Clemson game. 



 

Ah Delta!  Look at Erin and Me Rockin' the Cowboy Boots







The next weekend was even crazier.  Friday I left school early so we could make it to Atlanta in time for the Widespread Panic show.  It was a great show according to my husband and Mr. John Braxton.  I enjoyed myself, but I didn't know nearly as many songs as those boys did.  I did get to visit with Lesley and JP also and drink $7 beers (how is it that they are allowed to charge that much for a beer when usually it's like $4 max???).  That night we stayed at Braxton's brothers.  We woke up the next day and made the 30 or so minute drive to Collin's mom's house for a breakfast visit with the family.  It was good to see everyone for the short time we were there, then we were off to Auburn for the Auburn v. South Carolina game.  The drive had surprisingly little traffic.  Maybe everyone was already tailgating.  We got there with about 2.5 hours to tailgate.  We went to the baseball field to visit with Ginny, Roger, Camp, John, Camp's mom, and some other folks.  It was like the old college days.  Everyone is pretty much the same and that was great!  Hopefully we can all tailgate again together for another game.  It was also Collin's first Tiger Walk experience!!!  5 years in college and 6 years going to games as an alumni and he finally experienced the amazing pre-game ritual.  It was a good one.  Cam towered like 4 heads over the rest of the crowd and we got to see all our stars on their way to the game.  We also saw the band play the 4 corners which is quite a sight to see--and hear.  Pictures from the South Carolina game are below. 




Four Corners with the AU Band




Me and Ginny-like old times!



My Old Tailgate Crew and Hubby Dearest



MY NEW CAR!!!

Well ladies and gentlemen, here it is!  My new car!!!  I no longer drive the oh so reliable Jeep Grand Cherokee (Collin now has that joy and pleasure).  My new car is a 2009 Altima 2.5 S (whatever that means).  It, as you can see, is gray and has dark cloth interior.  The coolest thing about it is I push a button to start the thing!  I don't have to put a key in.  In fact, there is nowhere to put a key other than in the clicker in case the clicker battery dies so I can get in the car, but I still wouldn't use it to start the car.  It's taking a little getting used to.  The first time I tried to start the car all I got was the radio to turn on.  I soon realized that it was probably necessary to put my foot on the break to actually start the car with the button.  Every time I go to get out the car, I reach for the keys but soon remember that there are none and I have to push the button.  I also don't have to use a key or clicker to unlock the car when I get close.  I can simply push a button on the door handle to unlock it as long as I have my special clicker.  PRETTY SWEET, HUH?!?!?  The gas pedal and breaks are also much more sensitive and responsive than those of the jeep, so that's taking some getting used to as well.  I didn't mind our weeks as a one car family riding to work with hubby dearest, but I must say not waiting on a ride and driving myself is quite nice.  I'll be driving the new ride this weekend when I sober drive home from the AU game, so some of you will have the pleasure of riding in it very soon!  Happy Friday and WAR EAGLE!!!!

War Eagle, Who Dat, and Work

This past Thursday night the Auburn Tigers played MS State in a much too close game, but we had a great time watching and visiting at the Nelson's.  Katie and Jonathan had everyone over for food, football, and fun as well as to celebrate Katie's 26th birthday.  It was a super fun time, but getting up to open the pool at the Y at 4:00 am was not super fun at all.  Especially since I had woken up at 3:50 am Thursday to open the pool and had my first observation for student teaching.  The observation went well and I got the highest possible score, so I'm one step closer to actually teaching.  Back to the party...we stayed to watch the whole Auburn game and watched most of the rest of the Saints game, so I think by the time I got home and got in bed it was around 11ish which is way past my bedtime.  I was a little disappointed that we would not be in the NOLA for the big Saints game, parade, and party my parents were having at the apartment downtown, but the birthday/football gathering was super!  Both my teams won, but not by as much as I had thought or hoped they would.  Working, student teaching, being social, and attempting to keep up with laundry/cooking/dishes at home (which I'm really slacking in, but Hubby Dearest has been a great help) is exhausting, but hopefully one day soon, but not soon enough, it will all slow down and I'll have a real job! 

Game Day!!!

Auburn football has officially begun! Saturday Collin and I made the trip to the AU with the Nelsons, the Braxton, and JP. We set up our tailgate across the street from the Sigma Pi house (the boys' fraternity) and began the pre-game festivities. I thought margaritas sounded like the perfect first game drink. I thought wrong. I must say my margs were very tasty. The problem was they turned on me somewhere during the 2nd quarter. I have vague memories of the game. What I do remember is eating the rest of someone's plain hot dog, drinking a lot of someone's sprite, spilling nacho cheese on my running shoes, and leaning against the wall to take a little nap. At some point, Braxton came over to me and said that if I said "I give up" we could all leave. I gladly said "I give up" and we left sometime during halftime or soon thereafter. I also remember walking through the new student housing and thinking how stinkin' nice it was. It was great being back on campus and watching my tigers, but next time I will not be having any margaritas and I have already volunteered myself to be one of the drivers. So, at the Clemson game I will be doing more cheering and less mess making.

Congratulations!

This post is dedicated to my baby brother John.  As you all may or may not know, my brother graduated from Ole Miss with his Masters in Accountancy this year.  After graduation he also found a job in an accounting firm on the MS Gulf Coast (my brother's friend's dad says he can't believe John got a job where he had to wear shoes).  John now has a starting salary which will probably be more than I will make in my teaching career, but at least I don't have to sit in an office and crunch numbers and boring stuff like that.  Baby brother also recently took the first part of the CPA exam.  Let me first say that he delayed the taking of this test the first time because he wrote down the wrong exam date (by a day).  So, the study materials for the exam are like $2,000, which I think is highway robbery.  But, I guess that was money well spent thus far because he just found out that he PASSED the first part of the exam!!!!  Hooray little bro!  He still has the remaining 3 sections (I think that's how many more there are) to take and pass before he is officially a CPA, but he's well on his way.  I'm so proud of my little brother!!!  Way to go John!

Sorry John, but this was the only fairly recent picture I have of you :)