One More Day...

AND SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!! YIPEE!!

I am soo ready to see my babies this weekend and for some summer fun!! Don't get me wrong..I love my job, and my class but we all need a break every once in a while... right? I am so thankful that break happens to be June, and July. =) Teachers deserve a LONG break..don't we? Especially after all the other stuff we have to deal with during the school year. I am ready for a low key summer not doing a lot of anything.

The best kindergarten teachers!

Let me just say that I work with the BEST group of girls ever. Our kindergarten team gets along great and I must say that is one of the best things about my job.. the people! They make it fun and I know they are always there if I need anything. It just makes all the difference in the world.. having teacher friends you can count on and who you really like to hang out with. =) We are always doing fun things and one of those things is Secret Pals. We do this all throughout the year and it is so much fun. We draw names, fill out a little info sheet with our favorite things and then we give little presents or snacks or whatever to our secret pal. We just love it and it is so nice to get a little pick me up from your SP when you least expect it. So, Monday night we had our secret pal reveal dinner at Margarita Grill to see who our pal was. We had a blast and I got the cutest beach bag with all kinds of beach stuff inside. My pal was awesome and I loved all my sweet gifts that I got. It's always fun to see who everyone has and what everyone gets. Love it!

My cute beach bag!
Tomorrow night we are having a Girls Night Out/end of the year celebration and going to dinner at Fox Valley and to the movies to see Sex and the City 2!! I can't wait!

Notably You T-shirts

I am so excited about these super cute shirts. Aren't they precious??

And even the back can be personalized!

I know some super cute kiddos that are gonna look adorable in them and I can't wait to give it to them. I just love being an aunt. It is so much fun! But, I do feel awful for not buying the baby one. I don't know what I was thinking.. so, I'll be ordering him one soon.
They came from a company called Notably You. They have a facebook page if you want to see their tshirts. http://www.facebook.com/notablyyou/ They have so many things to choose from wtih lots of different pictures or polka dots or stripes. You can totally personalize it the way you want it. I just think they are so fun and I know the kids will love them!

We loved them so much, some of the kindergarten teachers decided to order one for us too. They are too cute and we had to model them at school today. I hate I didn't get more of us in the picture. There are 14 kindergarten teachers but these two just happen to be right across the hall from me and I am so glad they are! They are the best! We have the best group of girls on our grade level and I am blessed to work with such a fun and sweet group of girls.

Here's what they say:

Me, Melanie and Melissa

What a week..

It has been a crazy week for sure! I am so glad it is the weekend. Trying to get all my school stuff done..it can be a headache! Only 4 more days now! I can't believe it! Between grades, assessment folders, inventory, class list, reports to be fill out, end of the year memory books, and the list goes on.. It has been eventful to say the least and I am ready for a break. I have been SO tired this week and just worn out. I feel like its the beginning of the school year again. You can't turn your back on them! All you teachers out there know what I mean by that. So, it was nice to have a little GNO Wednesday night with some of my fun teacher friends. We went to the movies to see Letters to Juliet and then out to dinner at CPK. We had a great time together and I am looking forward to doing it lots more this summer. The movie was cute.. kinda cheesy in parts but that's what you expect with a chick flick sometimes. But, a nice escape from all the craziness going on right now.

Sweet kindergarten teachers

April, me, Jan and Sherry

I'm gonna miss sweet Sherry next year. She is having a baby in June and is going to take the year off. It will be different without her next year.. =( I've enjoyed her being right down the hall.. even though I hardly ever see her! She is such a sweet friend and I am so glad we had recess together this year. I will miss you, Sherry and I can't wait to meet baby S soon! HES will not be the same without you girl.

Thank Goodness for Weekends..

Can I get an Amen? Wow! I am so thankful I have a job where I do not have to work on the weekends. I seriously don't know how people do it. That is my down time with the family and I am so thankful for that time together. We had a good weekend.. Here's what we were up too.

Can you guess where we went? It was our first trip to the lake for the summer.. yes, I know it's not officially summer but it is in my book. We haven't been down since last September, I guess. It has been a while, so we went down to help Dad clean up a bit and get ready for our "guests" in a few weeks. My brother, sis in law and the kiddos are coming down for Memorial Day so we had to go test out the sea-doos and make sure they work. ha! And.. they do! They are up and running and I am sure they will be worn out before too long.

This little guy loved the water and was one worn out pup!

I was so glad to be able to just relax at the lake.. read my new book, Plan B! Which is by the way.. AMAZING!! I will be updating later with some things I have learned from the book but let me just say if you are going through a trying time.. and we all are in some way or other.. than this is the book for you. You will want to read it. It will really provide some comfort and encouragement to you. I just started reading it on Saturday and I couldn't put it down. I am halfway finished already and I expect to be completely done with it soon. I am in love with the author, Pete Wilson and I have already told Jamie we will be making a trip to Nashville to go listen to him preach sometime this summer. What an amazing person he is! I would love to meet him. If you don't have the book..go out and get it. I promise you will not be disappointed!

But, the lake was just what we needed this weekend. A little getaway to ease my mind and help me to escape life for a bit. I am ready for many more trips this summer and what all the summer time brings.... FREEDOM!! I am so ready for that! 8 more days to go.. can you tell I am ready?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to this sweet and precious mama. I am so thankful for her and all that she does for me and my family. She is truly the best momma ever and I love her to pieces! Thanks mama for being so special to me!

Me and momma
And.. a happy mother's day to this sweet and precious mother in law. I am so fortunate to have a mother in law that treats me like her own and she is truly a blessing to our family. We love you, Nana!

Jamie, his sister, Jodi and his mom

It's been a great weekend and the weather has been so nice. I hope all you moms out there

had a great Mother's day too! We enjoyed the day with both moms. We took my mom out t0 lunch and then we went over to Jodi's house and hung out at the pool together. Of course, the kids were the only brave ones to get in just yet.

My nephew,Beau jumping on in..

He wasn't scared but he was freezing when he got out!

We have also been doing some things around the house. Here's what we've been up too this weeekend..

I got some new plants for the front of the house. I have no idea what they are called and I hope I don't kill them. I have a total black thumb when it comes to plants but I do just love them and think they are so pretty. I'm gonna try really hard to not kill them. Hopefully, I can remember to water them.

Don't they look cute on the front porch..

Jamie cut the grass and our dog, Oscar loved the sprinkler. It was too funny to watch him jump through it. I think we're gonna have to get him his own little swimming pool this summer.. ha!

And then.... we find this on the side of our house in the grass.. Look closely... and you will see some small poop balls. I know.. gross.. right?? We think a deer or maybe a rabbit has been using our yard to do it's business. I haven't seen the culprit just yet.. but I hope they stop coming to our yard! I guess we'll be getting some more grass seeds to cover up the grass that is now yucky.

I hope you all had a great weekend too! I only have 14 more days of work and I am so excited about summer being here. Looking forward to the pool, the beach, the pool, the beach.. ha! And.. just not doing much of anything. I think this little man will be glad his Mama will be home this summer!

I know.. only a face a mama can love.. right?

Happy Birthday Jan!

I know I'm a day early.. her real b'day is tomorrow, Mother's day! But, I wanted to go ahead and say Happy Birthday to a great friend, and teacher. I am so thankful for our friendship and for you! You are a ray of sunshine in my life. You make me laugh, smile, and you have a way about you that makes other people feel comfortable. You are a true friend, a Godly woman and one that I know will be around forever! I'm so glad God brought you in my life. I hope you have the best birthday ever tomorrow and I can't wait to celebrate again on Monday night! XOXO

We had an early b'day dinner last night with our friend, Shelly too. We went to dinner at Billy's and the chicken sandwich was oh so good. Love that place. We sat outside on the patio and had a great night. We ended the night with a yummy dessert from yogurt mountain. We shared lots of laugher and fun. Friends are just so special. I love you both girls!

Jan, me and Shelly

Me and Shelly

A new read..

PLAN B!

I am soo excited about this new book that came out this week. I can't wait to get it and start reading. It is just the book I was waiting on and you may want to join me on this new read.

Want to know what it is all about? well.. read on..

In Plan B pastor(from a nashville church) and author Pete Wilson uses real life stories of disappointments and hurts along with the biblical stories of men and women like David, Joseph, and Ruth to help readers come to grips with the truth that they will face situations that in themselves they are completely unable to handle but that in them God is simply trying to get them to surrender their plans so that they can receive His.

He identifies our common responses to difficulties and offers hope, helping us to:

Understand what God might be up to
See how surrender helps us to receive God's plan
Embrace the community of believers
Reconcile a God of love with a life of tragedy and suffering

Wilson points readers to the cross as not just the starting line but the centerpiece of our story with God and shares that it is there we turn in our Plan B and find the undeniable relationship between crisis and our hope followed by true spiritual transformation. "God wants to live inside the questions" says Wilson and then reminds us that "the cross is proof that He does not always change the circumstance but that He always has a purpose in every circumstance. He will never let go of us. He will hold us and His cross will be an anchor for you.

I hope you will join me in reading this amazing book. I think SO many of us out there are wondering why me Lord.. why am I not married? Why can't I have a baby? Why does my mom have cancer? Why have I been divorced twice? What's wrong with me.. I think we can all relate. We are not alone! And.. I can't wait to see how this book will help me in my life and my relationship with the Lord. I am ready to read! Thanks to Kelly for sharing the info about the book. You can also hop on over to Kelly's blog and see the video. It is powerful! (sorry.. I couldn't figure out how to put it on here.) Just scroll down to May 4 and it is under her post called, Plan B.

So, whose gonna join me in reading this book? I pray that it will have an impact on all of us who read. Go out and get it today!

What's been going on with us..

Well..for the past 2 weekends it has been rainy, yucky tornado like weather. So depressing. Where is the sunshine on the weekends? We haven't done too much. Stayed around the house, cleaned up, and enjoyed being lazy. I did have a GNO Friday night with my sweet friend, Jan. We went shopping, to dinner and a movie. We saw The Back up Plan and it was hilarious. We pretty much laughed through the whole movie Go see it! It was a good one. Can't wait to see Letters to Juliet and Sex and The City 2 when they come out!

Jamie and I went out to dinner at Fox Valley Saturday night and it was oh so yummy. I wish I would have taken some pics.. but I didn't. Our food was AMAZING.. as always! If you live here and have not been there, you are missing out. It is hands down the best place for crab cakes. They are oh so yummy.. melt in your mouth good. They are soo good that I can't eat crab cakes anywhere else because I always compare it to Fox Valley. Who would have known it was that good.. cause, yes, it is located right next to a gas station.. in the middle of nowhere. But, it is definitly worth the drive if you are not from here and come to visit.. it is a MUST! (Laura..when you come to visit, we'll go there! =)

A little update on our infertility journey.. I started round 3 of clomid this month. I also had the dye test done to make sure my tubes were clear and open and they were! So, that was great news! Praise the Lord for that! We are still pretty much doing what we have been doing for the past several months.. meds, and shots. So, we'll see if we have any more luck this way. My doctors seem to think we are doing the right thing. My body is adjusting well to the medicine and that is a good thing. I know God is in control and we are anxiously awaiting to follow His plan. The next step will be IUI if in the next few months we still are not successful. Thank you so much to all my blogger friends who have been praying for us. I can feel your prayers and I know they are working. You all mean so much to us. I am telling my story for a few reasons: 1. Why wouldn't I want the extra prayers from the blogging world and 2. there are so many people who have been through this and touched my lives and if I can help someone else that is going through this same journey just to feel encouraged or know that others have been there too, then I feel like telling my story is the right thing to do. Please continue to pray for us and know that we appreciate all the prayers and encouraging words that so many of you have provided for us.

I'll leave you with a few verses that have been encouragement to me and I hope they will be to you as well.
"May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power fo the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Committ your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. " Psalm 37:4-5

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Until next time...
I hope you all have a great week!