Shop 'till you drop day!!

Oh My Gosh!!! Today was a wonderful 'last day of summer'. I began my journey at Sam's to stock my pantry with foods at 8:30am. Returning home, I unpacked my trunk and rearranged everything in the pantry. Diane called and she said she would pick me up at 11:00am to head off for a fun-filled day!! We began our journey at the Hallmark Store, where we each picked out a new Vera Bradley tote! (That only took us 2 hours!!) After Hallmark, we made a quick stop at Tropical Smoothie where we shared a delicious Totally Turkey wrap and I indulged in a Chocolate Chiller while Diane enjoyed a Jr. Jetty! (yummy!!) After our lunch we headed to Macy's to check out their Labor Day sales! After several hours of rummaging through the racks, we left with many bags brimming with good buys! Of course, we couldn't leave the mall without hitting Christopher and Banks! Again, we each had good luck there!! :) We were leaving the parking lot when I received a call from Craig. Don and he were just leaving to play golf! Great!! Off we sprinted to T.J. Maxx! I think we looked at every pair of shoes, tops, and pants in the entire store! We each spent an hour in the dressing room trying on our finds! We had worked so hard at shopping, we decided we need nutrition, so we beelined to Bar Louie's for appetizers and Diet Cokes! We had a great table on the patio where we spent the next two hours talking and laughing about the fun times we have together! Days like this are hard to beat! I'm so blessed to have such a special friend!! Friends fill my life with joy, they fill my soul with sunshine, and my heart with love! Thanks, Diane, for a great 'last day of summer'!

What a dork!!

Today was my first FULL day of school! I got up early (to watch the lunar eclipse) and to get an early start in my classroom. ("Being prepared each day" is one of my personal goals this year!!) So....I'm getting ready to leave and I asked Craig, "Do you think these white sandals or black sandals look better with my outfit?" He told me to wear the white ones! So... at 6:45am, I packed my lunch, loaded my car and hit the road to school. I was ready and prepared for my first full day! I arrived at school at 7:10, carried in all my 'stuff', talked with the janitor, dropped off my load in my classroom and headed to the work room to put together our classroom book! Reaching down to pick up my pencil, I gasped to see that I had neglected to change my shoes!!! I was wearing one white sandal and one black sandal! Grabbing my purse, I ran to my car, drove the 20 minutes home, switched into my other white sandal, hopped back into the car, drove (sped) the 20 minutes back to school and arrived at 8:10!! So much for being 'prepared'! I guess I'll have 178 more days to prove that I'm a prepared and 'together' teacher!! I know I can always deal with ANYTHING, as long as I have the right shoes!! I'm such a dork!!

first day at school

Well. . . we had our first day of school today and 31 precious children scurried into their seats to begin their 4th grade! They all arrived armed with new crayons, markers, and freshly sharpened pencils! Everyone seemed tickled to see their old friends and eager to meet the new students in our class. Sometime I am overwhelmed that I am responsible for teaching and reaching each child - - and I only have 180 days to do the job! Truly, I am honored and I count it a privilege to be their 'teacher'. I simply need to remember that education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire! My goal is to light 31 fires and keep them all burning this year!! I'm certain it will be another GREAT year!

San Francisco Trip

Here we are enjoying a delicious meal at the Cheesecake Factory - on top of Macy's! It was freezing cold, but we totally enjoyed our meal!!!

Where is Peggy? Was she taking our beautiful picture??
What a wonderful time we had in San Francisco!! We spent a week touring the city - learning about it's exciting history and past! We mastered the city transportation very quickly and certainly got our money's worth from the City Sightseeing Tour bus! Our '48 hour' ticket lasted ALL week! :)

Sad day . . .

Today is a very sad day for us! Tomorrow we are taking Julia back to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. Where did our summer go . . . only 4 months ago she came home to relax, unwind, and hang out with family and friends. Time DOES fly when you're having fun! Our home will go from loud activity and excitement to quiet walls and emptiness! I will miss my sweet girl so very much!


It is exciting to help her move into and set up her new apartment! She will have 3 new roommates that will keep her company and busy! Each night when she goes to bed, I hope she will know I love her and that she's in my thoughts and prayers!