Swimming Bag Essentials

This week has been such a blast! I don't think I've said, 'I love my job,' enough!  I do and I'm not going anywhere for a good long while!

With no school on Monday, Tuesday decided to feel like Monday.  The day FLEW by!  I spent most of the morning at a different school observing a student that I will have next year.  It will be a great year next year, I'm already calling it!  :)  By the time I got back, it was already lunchtime!  The afternoon flew just as fast and for center time, we let the kids drive tractors through brown paint to make muddy tracks around our big, red barn!  It was a total blast and I'm not telling how many kids left with paint on their clothes...

I took a bunch of things like hay, straw, grain, an ear tag, twine, pictures and a bottle for the kids to explore and learn about.  I was told every student tried to but the bottle in their mouths!  At least they're generalizing a concept!  We explored these items by smelling and feeling them.  Not too many of them appreciated the good, wholesome, dirty scent these items carry.

Yesterday, the kids were sooooooo hyper!  All of them were just plain wound for sound!  It was so much fun when one of my paras took a couple of kids out to jump in the puddles and dance in the rain.  One of my students even threw rubber ducks out the open window so they could enjoy the puddles of fun!  It was hysterical when we discovered what had happened!

Today was a little bit of a tougher day as we look ahead to next year.  I had one of my students visit his new school.  He is going to be a 5th grader next year and I don't think any of us are quite ready for it.  Right after lunch, we got the kids ready for swimming.  We had one tiny little issue.  Two students were a little loose and the swimmers don't fit.  Something new to add to a swim bag besides the suit and towel?  A swimmer and duct tape for extra measure!  We had a blast!  I kept getting pulled and pushed of an inter tube on purpose and it is so much fun to just spend time with these kids and make them laugh!  We always have such a great time when we are in the water!

I could not think of a more perfect job for me than the one I have.  Something new happens every single day and it is a joy to go in to work every morning!  It is a little sad to think there are only about 6 weeks left of my first year, but at the same time, I sure am looking forward to summer vacation!

The Cowboy Rides Away

A dream of mine came true 2 years ago when I saw George Strait for the first time with my family.  IT WAS AWESOME!  Last year when he announced it would be his last year to tour, I was saddened, but it was a good choice for him to make.  I screamed listening to the radio when it was announced he was coming back to Des Moines.  I knew I had to get tickets!  I did, and last night, Dustin finally got to enjoy his Christmas present!

Knowing from last time, I knew to get there early!  We got to our parking spot about 4:30 and headed to Legend's to grab a bite to eat.  We got there just in time!  When we got to our table, there were floods of people crossing the street to come in.  A couple of BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers later, we were headed up the street to Wells Fargo.  There were so many people, so many boots, so many hats, big belt buckles, and plaid.  I was just this side of heaven!  We found our seats right away at 6 and had an hour and a half before the show started.  We people watched and it took me about 20 minutes at the merchandise table to get a shirt.  About 2 minutes after I got back to my seat, the lights dimmed and out stepped Ronnie Dunn!

He was very good!  He sang some good ol' Brooks & Dunn songs as well as some of his new solo songs.  He talked about another favorite of mine, Reba.  It was just such a classic kind of night!  Forget those shows with the young crowd of beer drinking 20 somethings!  Give me the good mix of everybody having fun and talking between generations during intermission!  While we 'patiently' waited for George, we talked to the couple in front of us.  It was very fun!

And then it was time.

The lights dimmed.  The crowd started to cheer.  My mouth hurt from smiling.  My thumb was poised perfectly to capture him walking out of that tunnel.  My throat was cleared and my lips were licked and ready to scream.

And then he came out in all his classy brilliance!  He is such a gentleman and just a class act!  He flashed his striking smile around the arena and took up his guitar and pick and stepped up the microphone.  The cheers were deafening and I was on cloud 9!

George is just so real.  His songs still sound country and I just can't get enough of his voice mixed with the steel guitar.  Most people would never guess that the steel guitar is my favorite instrument.  It's just such a cool sound!  I could have sat there all night and just listened to him.  One of my favorite songs is Amarillo By Morning.  Ronnie Dunn came back out to sing with him for that.  You could tell they really enjoyed singing with each other.

Again, George had 3 pages of songs to sing and it could have lasted longer.  He left, but after a couple of suspenseful minutes he returned for an encore.  The saddest moment of the whole night was the last song.  I knew as soon as The Cowboy Rides Away started, he would be done for the night.  I was trying not to cry.  This man is such a legend and he's the King of Country Music for crying out loud!  I saw some ladies who couldn't hold back. 

It was an incredible night and I am so lucky to have a dream come true for the second time!  This was also Dustin and I's first concert together!  It was just an incredible experience to watch the Cowboy ride away!

Spitting off the Tower

Last Friday, I took a day off!  It was wonderful!  Two years ago at least, I promised Lu Bird that I would come up to Sioux Falls, SD for her senior art show.  She was basing it around childhood memories and titling her paintings after a song or quote from a Disney movie.  The best part?  She did a painting of her and I. 

I headed up to Ackley to ride with her dad and grandma.  It was a long drive, but it was exciting to see everything and just get a good roadtrip in!  We got there after many updates to Lu about how many miles until I could see her!  When I got there, I gave her a HUGE hug and almost cried I was so happy to see her!  We then finished getting ready for the show and then it was time for her big moment!

I was so proud that I was in tears practically the whole time she was talking!  She has worked so hard for this event and it is so easy to see how talented and how much passion she has.  And if that isn't enough, she's been working on the practice rooms too!  They all have a different theme and are all simply wonderful and astounding!

I mean, I had been bragging about this adventure for around 2 weeks, and it was all better than I ever expected it to be!

It was so good just to have girl time and to forget work, wedding planning, and even Dustin for a short time...just don't tell him that!  :)

Saturday morning was another wonderful adventure!
I haven't been to Sioux Falls since I was around 13.  It was just as captivating at 23!  We had loads of fun and just laughed our heads off as we tried to be adventurous and climb rocks and stuff!


We also acted like 12 year old boys and spit off the tower overlooking the falls.  I know, my mother would be proud!  :)  I also raced Lu down to the bottom by taking the stairs as she took the elevator.  We are never boring!  We also went to the Butterfly House and Aquarium!  I was wimpy about touching a sting-ray and shark, and I also have never flinched so much in my life!

 
We also just had a wonderful girl night going to a play called Pilgrim's Progress and they did very well!  Then it was time for popcorn and a movie with Lu's roommates. 

Sunday came all too soon with an early church service and then the trip back.  It was such a windy and rainy trip back, but it was worth it!  I have not had such a relaxing weekend in a long time and it was wonderful to do it with such a wonderful woman who can say the same thing!

Independence

With my kiddos, we always try to get them to be as independent as possible.  The fewer prompts to do something the better.  They are still rather dependent on all of us adults in the room, but at their age, it's perfectly alright.  I've seen them grow up and become more independent in the last few months and it's scary to think that my first year of teaching is almost over.

I've been thinking about independence in my own life.  I've been thinking a lot about how much I have changed, grown up, and become an adult in the last year.  A lot of my friends are still living the college dream and forget that I go to bed at a rather early time....  *cough, cough Lu-Bird!*

Last year, I had just taken Dustin home to meet the parents.  This year, I'm having bridal showers for our upcoming wedding.

Last year, I was rounding out my last month of student teaching.  This year, I'm rounding out my last couple of months of teaching my first year.  And that in itself has been an astounding adventure!

Last year, there were school bills.  This year, it is rent and a car payment.

Last year, I was worried about what to buy for my classroom.  This year, I still am, but I'm also buying things like a wedding ring, and things for a home.

Last year, I had been dating Dustin for only a few months.  This year, I'll be marrying him real soon!

Last year, I moved 3 times.  This year, I will ONLY MOVE 1 TIME!!!!  This is one that excites me the most!  I'm so done with moving and can't wait to unpack that last box in a permanent place!

Last year, I was still in denial that I would ever begin to lose touch with my closest friends.  This year, I'm realizing how time consuming a job, planning a wedding, and having a small amount of free time to myself eats up any extra time I have.  And sleep is very important!

Last year, I was the one being interviewed.  This year, I was part of an interview on the other side of the table.

I feel myself advocating for myself in such a bigger way than last year.  I'm taking care of things I've never had to take care of before, and I know I can do it!  Given all of the things I've discovered I am able to do and take care of now, I know that I will only learn how to do more as a wife and home maker.  Yeah for independence!  :)