Happy Easter!

Beautiful weather brought in Easter Sunday. We had a nice day that began with a wonderful church service, continued with lunch at Josh's moms, and concluded with an afternoon nap. I was quickly reminded of why I don't take late afternoon naps...it was impossible to go to bed last night at a decent hour! I tossed and turned all night before my alarm finally went off at 5:00.

Do these outfits look familiar? We recycled our Carolina Cup attire, and it will be recycled again this weekend at Amanda's wedding. Gotta get our money's worth :) I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

The Royal Wedding

So, I feel like after watching all the Royal Wedding coverage on TV lately that I can take London off my "Places I Want To Visit" list. Well, not really, but I do feel like I have taken a virtual tour of all the historical landmarks thanks to the television coverage.

I just so happen to have the 29th off of school (I secretly took it off to watch the wedding) only kidding, but how convenient. I really do have the day off, just to prepare for a different wedding, my dear friend Amanda and her husband to be Hal. And thanks to England's future King and Queen, I have had a very helpful countdown to Amanda and Hal's big day.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have fallen into the Royal Wedding coma just like everyone else and I will be setting my DVR at 4am. Even though I do not have the day off, does not mean I'm waking up ridiculously early when I have the luxury of the fabulous DVR.

I wonder if she will be in a big princess gown or a sleek, modern gown? My vote, sleek and modern. What do you think?

A Dog's Life

Every good dog needs one of these...

Float via Frontgate

Too Cute!

Spring Break...

I can't believe I am half way through my Spring Break already....why does time off go by so fast? I had a long list of things that I wanted to get done, but I have a feeling some of those are going to have to get moved to a weekend project for one reason or another. So what exactly have I done?

Saturday

NOTHING! I actually went and worked out then did nothing for the rest of the day. It was nice for a few hours, but then I started to get antsy...I guess that happens when you are used to going most of the time.

Sunday

Church, clean and straighten up the house, lots of laundry, and work-out. Oh, the life...

Monday

Shopapoloza...Mom and I started in Charlotte at South Park (only the best mall of them all), then drove to Gaffney to visit a few outlets, then to Greenville for a quick stop at Garden Ridge. Mission? To find wedding ties, wedding shoes, and possibly a dress for engagement pictures. Mission Accomplished? Not really, I did grab an adorable dress and shoes that will be making an appearance at not only the pictures, but Amanda's wedding weekend next weekend. We couldn't find any ties or shoes that we loved, so the search continues. Apparently aqua and orange ties are hard to come by....

Tuesday

Gym and pool day. And boy was it hot! As hot as it was, I put my feet in the pool and it was like ice...I didn't last as long I as I thought I would.

Wednesday

Errands and met with the caterer for the wedding. I have managed to find a way to stay cozy on the couch for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately I do have some work tasks looming over my head...papers to grade, Smart Board Lesson to make...maybe I will get to those when the rain comes in the next couple of days. Only a few more days of this most needed break, but when we go back only a few weeks left in the school year. Easter is just around the corner...Yah!

Happy Birthday Lorrie!

Thursday after school I made a quick rode trip to my favorite city in South Carolina...Clemson, of course! The occasion, my Matron Of Honor and sweet friends surprise 30th birthday party. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Her husband is so sweet and creative. He planned a scavenger hunt, as he did for their proposal as well, and got her to South Cove in Seneca where her family and friends were there to surprise her.

Surprise!

Parker wanted to help Mom blow the candles out.

Love this lady! Happy Birthday Lorrie!

Under the Sea...

I just went on the best field trip ever.

I know...I'm a dork, but this trip was fabulous! I think it should be the new standard South Carolina Third Grade Field Trip. We traveled to Charleston Aquarium bright and early on Tuesday morning. I don't think I have ever been up that early....4:15...Crazy early, but well worth it. Our plan was to visit the aquarium, eat a picnic lunch, and then head to Waterfront Park, but the weather had other plans for us. The sky fell out while we were inside the aquarium. We, the teachers, made a mad dash in the rain to get all the lunches and coolers and bring them back to the covered shelter. After lunch we drove around Charleston looking at the sites to see if the rain was going to clear out, but no luck, so we headed home. In all of this I had on white jeans. Go figure, I would wear white when it rains all day. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time! I think I had as much fun as the kids inside the aquarium. Here are a few from the 200 pictures I took....

The weather didn't start off too bad...

Oysters!

I couldn 't resist!

I couldn't get enough of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle...love them!

This is how our day ended...not ideal, but I hope I get to take another group back next year!

Alpha Chi Love

As I was browsing through my Spring Edition of "The Lyre" this afternoon I came across an interesting list. In each edition they have a "His Side of the Story" column and this time the husband of a Alpha Chi Alumna wrote his own "Top 10 list of ways you know you're married to an Alpha Chi." I enjoyed some more than others, but nonetheless, they were cute.

1. Your photos of a recent family trip to Disneyland include shots of the dancing lyre bird in "It's a Small World."

2. Your family iTunes folder has a "recruitment songs" play list.

3. You start recommending songs to your wife for that play list.

4. You've checked a men's restroom for shenanigans when invited to chaperon a chapter's formal dance. Then you end your chaperon duties by driving guests home that have "outstayed their welcome."

5. Red and green are colors no longer exclusively reserved for the holidays.

6. Your two year old son sings "it only takes a spark, to get a friendship growing, and soon all those around, will warm up in its glowing..." to himself at night.

7. You see first hand the outpouring of love and support given to your wife, in both dark times and light, by a far-reaching network of women.

(This is a personal favorite off the list.)

8. Your children's birthday parties are planned and decorated like a full-fills southern recruitment event, complete with color themes, matching outfits and more balloons than you can fit in your SUV.

9. You have a conversation on date night and your wife uses terms like "COB, PCC, CRS," and you know what she means.

10. You look at your precious one-year-old daughter sleeping in her crib, and imagine her growing up to be the type of woman who will "seek the heights" in love and life.

Alpha Chi Omega was my lifeline in college. Most of my dearest and closest friends are sorority sisters. I truly don't know what I would do without them....even after all these years after we have graduated. I haven't stayed active as an alumna, but I wouldn't trade my years at Clemson for anything!

Gotta Love A Little Hootie...

I'm on a Country Music kick lately and I'm loving this song...

I mean really, you have to love a little Hootie, right? I'm so thankful for everything that has happened to me in the last year and a half....timing IS everything.

Happy Almost Weekend!

I NEED SPRING BREAK!

7 DAYS PEOPLE!

Seriously, I'm cursing all that snow that visited us in January. I was actually cursing it when it came because I knew this would happen, but I'm reminded of it now. It has been a long stretch with no breaks at school. We are ALL itching for some well deserved time off. Now, I know what some of you are thinking..."Be lucky you get a Spring Break, other jobs don't get that." Yes, it is a perk of being a teacher, however I would gladly invite anyone to my classroom for a few days with 22 children calling your name all day, working before and after school to prepare and get things done and you would be counting down the days until a break as well....It's much more than a 7:30 to 3 job.

I digress...I'm off my soapbox now, sorry....

With that, the front of the April issue Skirt magazine was a breath of fresh air today...

Recipe for a Scrumptious Life

No more sour grapes. * Split milk? Let it go.

Music wherever you go, in your head

or on the radio. * More than you need,

less than you want. * Enough silence to

hear your conscience. * A little grief to keep

you grounded. * True joy, not the laugh

track kind. * A doctor you trust with

your life, a handyman you trust with your

house key, a lover you trust with your heart,

A friend you trust with your secrets. * A

car that behaves as if it's always under warranty.

Long lunches with smart people. * A talent for

kindness. * One pair of expensive shoes

for job interviews and rendezvous.

Jeans that make you look like a long, tall drink

of firewater. * A teenager who thinks you're

still cool. * The pop! pop! pop! of Champagne

corks whenever you make an entrance.

S'more of Everything!

Carolina Cup

Yesterday was Cup Day...Carolina Cup that is. I had not been to the cup in years, since college and right out of college, but give me an excuse to by a cute spring outfit and hang out with friends, I'm there. The weather was perfect, a little breezy, but sunny. Brad and Madison were so sweet to have invited us and we had a wonderful time!

The horses...

I even found Kim :)

Celebrating Amanda!

Last weekend we celebrated the soon to be bride in Charlotte. We had a great time! Friday night we took in dinner, a little fun and danced the night away. Saturday we ate breakfast at Bruggers Bagels which definitly hit the spot and relaxed the rest of the morning before we did a little shopping at Southpark. And I cannot tell you how much I love that mall....my absolute favorite!! Saturday night we braved the yucky, rainy weather and hit the town again. We had a small shower for Amanda, a nice dinner, then a dance-a-thon at a bar. I know I should probably have remembered the names of all the places, but I didn't.... I was quickly remembered of my age when I was dancing and getting knocked into every moment because it was so crowded...I am definitley not used to that anymore. We ended the night at a piano bar, which was loads of fun as well.

Very soon-to-be bride :)

Me and Amanda

Some of the girls dancing at the piano bar...

I can't wait until Amanda's big day! It's sure to be a great day!

Yah for SGE!

This year our school starting using the Leader in Me program with our students. This takes the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey and teaches the habits to the children. Last week our school was featured on the news.... Leader in Me at SGE The kids have really taken the habits on and are starting to use them inside and outside of school to help them be successful. Yah!! I'm sorry for the bad formatting...blogger won't let me fix it for some insane reason.