2nd Grade 'Surprise' Party

My friends that I teach with and some parents of 2nd graders worked together to plan a shower for me at school today. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out....not from the kids! They are really good at keeping secrets. They asked me some questions about the wedding and sang "Here Comes the Bride" as I walked in with my veil and bouquet. Needless to say, I cried. Some of the parents took video and pictures of our afternoon {that I'll share sometime}, but I thought I'd leave you with a picture of a present I got and some wedding advise given to me {all of them wrote Kurt and I a piece of advice and put it into a whole book}.

 It's hard to tell how stinkin' cute this is from the picture. My class made it for me with their thumbprints. Then they drew around it to make some object. I love it!

"You should say I love you to him, do the dishes, and feed the dogs." - Reese

"You're the best teacher ever and I bet you will be a great wife. Try to do everything together whenever you can." - Eli

"Make sure he says he loves you every morning, noon, and night. And don't let him tell you what to do because you're the QUEEN." -Lola

"I hope you have a fantastic marriage. You should get candles on your wedding cake and make wishes." - Benny

"When your kids go to college, try to let them call you." - Eric

"Always remember your honeymoon when you celebrate your anniversary." - Louise

"I wish you have a great time with Kurt. When you get married you should take charge of Kurt. Oh and make sure you do the dishes because husbands don't like to." -Hailey

"I hope you have a fantastic wedding. I hope you have a boy." -Logan

"Remember to fight through tough times together." -Mary

"Always give Kurt a hug and a kiss when he comes home from work." -Kayla

"Take a lot of family trips...remember bring the baby!!" -Sydney

"Don't forget to go out on dates sometimes." -Chase

"Don't just enjoy the wedding, really enjoy the marriage." -Keegan

"Remember if you are ever mad at Kurt look back at the best times you and him had together. P.S. Have a happy life together." -Jack

"I hope you have a great life. Never let Kurt spell 5 things wrong in a sentence." -Charlotte

"Remember don't let Kurt pick out your outfit." -Caroline

"I hope you will be happy with Kurt. Don't get too much furniture or you'll have no room." -Josh

"I wish for you to have a great marriage...and for June 11 to be the best day of your life. And remember, there's never too much makeup!" Josh

"I wish you a happy wedding day. Oh, and don't get too excited. A baby is a real handful!" -Margot

"I hope you have an awesome marriage. I hope you have a good life with Kurt. Remember always get your way!" -Morgan

"I wish for you and Kurt to have the time of your life. Here's a tip...don't ever get in fights. If you do, just drop it." -Soren

"Wedding Advice: 1. Make sure you do a big mwhooo {kissing sound}. 2. Make sure you braid your hair. 3. Make sure you are looking fancy. 4. Make sure your eyes twinkle in the sun." -Casey

"I hope you have a good wedding day and a good baby." -Tucker

Sorry, I know I said a few. But, there are too many to choose from!

employed

Phew...today was the day my school passed out contracts for next school year. While I was really not worried about getting a job, there was always a little bit of fear that I wouldn't get one. But, I DID! This is the first summer that I'll be able to relax and know that I have a job...at a school I love...with people I love working with!

I think this is a cause for celebration tonight!!! :) {Especially since we don't have a pay freeze anymore and I'll get a 'raise'!}

love what you do

Like I've said before, I love my job.
I love the kids.
I love the school where I teach.
And now, I love my new little room.

Because I was doing two maternity leaves last year, I didn't have my own space. I used the other teachers' desks, materials, etc. It wasn't a huge deal because I didn't have to worry about being a first year teacher and trying to get a classroom together in a short amount of time. I found out that I was getting rehired at Orchard early on in the summer, but didn't know where I would have an office/room until shortly before school began. The lady that semi-retired, decided to move all of her things out of her room and give me the entire space {which was SO incredibly thoughtful of her!}

The room is so much bigger than it used to be {because I moved out a ton of unnecessary bookcases/shelves, added a white board, and made it more kid-friendly} and will now allow for me to actually teach small groups in my room. Although last Tuesday was our first day of school, I haven't done too much teaching yet. Starting today, I'll have kids in and out of my room while I begin teaching my reading groups, math group, and pulling kids who need extra help in the afternoon. I can't wait to start having kids use the space that I've now called home during the day. This room is great for a beginning teacher, but I can't wait to get into a real classroom in the next couple of years.

If you're wondering where I spend my time teaching my little kiddos, wonder no more....

This is what you see when you walk into the door.
My teacher space.
The bookcase accessible to kids.
A wheeling white board for activities and storage.

When you walk in and turn right, you'll see this.
The table where kids will sit during reading group, etc.
The brand new magnetic white board.

And, that's about it! While it seems small, it's cozy for now. I'm still happy that I didn't have the stress of getting an entire classroom together this year. And, this room is W.A.Y. bigger than it was before I moved it. Kids and adults have been amazed this past week with how much space is in it! I suppose I should get ready and plan for the day/week. :)

great news & feeling sad

Luckily, these two things are completely unrelated! 

I'm so excited to share my great news with you! I officially got a job today....teaching at the SAME school that I absolutely l.o.v.e. While I won't have my own classroom yet, the style of teaching at Orchard is different than many because we work in close knit teams {so I'll be in the classroom a lot}. The best part is, I've already worked with this team for a whole semester!! I can't wait to see what this new year of teaching brings; many exciting ideas are floating around in my mind. I feel so relieved. I'm so lucky to be at such an amazing school with teachers and kids that I adore. I'm sure you'll be hearing more news via Orchard in the upcoming months! :)

On the complete other side, I was feeling quite blue today. As I was shopping, {for a father's day present and Josh's birthday gift} {HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH!!!} I couldn't help but to notice how utterly perfect all of the house items were. Ever since we decided to move into an apartment, I love admiring {and occasionally buying} things to spruce up the place. I have a new found inspiration to decorate a place...especially with all of the talk of us trying to buy a house. I couldn't be more excited to find a place and get started on the renovations. 

But there is one {LITTLE} detail holding that inspiration back...

We're moving home, not buying a house anytime in the immediate future. And that means I won't be buying any of the stunning items that would make our place look fabulous. Also, it means that when I'm shopping, I can either make myself miserable while drooling over things I can't have or quickly peek at these items while I sadly move my cart down the isle to the less interesting side of the store. Call me dramatic, but I'm almost jumping out of my pants with the excitement of {hopefully} decorating a house. Until then, I'll keep designing rooms in my mind of where I'd love to live {and be writing my blog}. 

But, hey guess what? Moving to a house is a little more realistic now, because I HAVE A JOB!!!! Going out with Kurt to celebrate a little tonight. Enjoy your evening; catch you on the flip side :)

P.S. - Happy 25th Birthday, Josh! Hope you have 25+ more amazing years ahead of you! :) 

girls rock!

Girls Rock!?! Sure...but they're stressful! :) That's the theme of my camp I'm the Coordinator for this week. Today proved that I need some more activities for the week. I now have a long "To Do" list. I just keep thinking, "$400 bucks for working 9-12." If I get all my stuff done for the week soon, I'll post some pictures from the weekend!! :)

smitten for...kids

As you've heard before, I have absolutely adored children since the moment I can remember anything. And so, it is fitting that my profession of choice is teaching! There are so many reasons why I love being a teacher, I can't even begin to count. I thought today would be an appropriate day to talk about teaching since today was our very last day {of 2nd grade!!} 

There aren't many people in this world who look forward to going to work each and every day. Every day is a new adventure in the world of teaching...you never know what you'll hear, what problems you'll have to deal with, and the amazing things kids will learn each day. Every hug makes your heart melt, every argument makes you want to scream, but most importantly you fall asleep every night knowing you are making the difference in a child's life in some way.

This year has been a very special year but today has been a very bittersweet day. I have been teaching at my dream school all year, but they hired me on to take over two different maternity leaves {it is a private school so they can do this!} I taught 1st grade all first semester and 2nd grade all this semester. I have grown to love the people, kids, and everything in between about this school. The problem is, along with every other school in the city, we are struggling with money. Because I was hired for such a specific reason, they do not have a position open for me for next year. Also, really no other schools in the area are hiring {at least right now they aren't!} So currently I do not have a job for the fall....and right now things aren't looking good for next year. :( 

Today I have had to try and stay positive about things, but it's a hard thing for me to do. Hopefully I'll be able to report soon that I have a job in the fall and will be back into the swing of teaching little kiddos every day. As for now, I'll enjoy the beginning of summer with the bottle of wine that one of my kids gave to me today!! :)