Jen's Wedding

Whew..I've never been so tired after a wedding. I'm not sure why but I'm exhausted tonight! Here are the highlights....

Hanging out with Darin while the pictures were being taken....

Sister pose...

We all had our cameras out snapping everything so this is a picture of Chris taking a picture of me taking a picture....

More laughing about all the pictures we were taking. Rachel was trying to snap them in the moment...
The old broken crew table....with the added spouses...

Darin and Samantha...another set of newlyweds!

This is my favorite picture....Chris Morgan caught the garder....

What a fun night........I hope Ryan Jen have a fantastic time in Hawaii!!

Battle of the Bulge with The Buddy System

This morning, Aimee, Jesse, Jami, and I met to "weigh-in." We are going to meet every Saturday to keep each other accountable for our weight loss goals. I am super excited about this because it always takes a goal or someone holding me accountable to get anything done so now I have a push in the right direction. Along with my weekly accountability, I've also set up a system with Megan Birke (he, he, not King) to text, email, or call her if I cheat. Throw in some weekly workout dates with Rachel and Angela and I can't see a way out of getting in shape this summer. I want to get serious so with the help of all my friends maybe I can get it done...

Whether you've ever tried to lose 5 or 50 pounds you know what a daily battle it can be. Our focus is to just feel healthier and look a little better in our clothes. If there's anyone out there who would like to join us, the invitation is open!!

A GREAT Day

I don't think I could have asked for a better day. I started out with a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel at Panera with Jen followed by a pedicure. It was a de-stressing morning for the bride-to-be. We had a great time chatting and being pampered.

I came home and started working on the merging of all the finances...what a job! Now that my name is changed I'm trying to get everything moved to make sense of all the directions our money will be flowing. Even though it was a job...it felt nice to get some of that taken care of....less to worry about!

Then I met my friend Angela and her daughter for a two-hour workout at their house. We went through three Turbo Jam DVD routines. My whole body has been worked today! Then we went over to her mom's house and sat by the pool while we grazed on watermelon, strawberries, and chips and salsa.

Now I'm about to get all prettied up for Jen's rehearsal dinner. Yay!...It's almost time for Jen to join the Newlywed Club!

I hope you are having a great Friday!!!

Separation...

Jonathon left at 5:00 this morning for four days. This is the first time he has been gone since we got married and I already miss him! I know this is just the beginning with his given career choice. After five and a half weeks it will feel weird tonight not having him next to me when I go to sleep. I have a blanket prayer request for his flights....I try not to think about everything that could go wrong because I know he is good at his job, but also because I just have to let it rest in God's hands.

So anyway, I'll be without a date at Jen's wedding on Saturday.....I'm sure I'll find some other people to hang out with. :)

The Official Beginning of Summer

I know that Summer doesn't actually begin until June 20 but "Summer" to me is the time off from school. So it began today at 3:00!! We had our last in-service/meeting. Now I have an open calendar in front of me that I'm sure will fill up in no time. I have many things to accomplish over the next couple months:

1. Complete my name change. It is such a process!
2. Paint a bathroom and a bedroom.
3. Spend some quality time with my nieces.
4. Get back in shape. (I would like to lose about 15 pounds as a side effect but I'm mostly wanting to be healthy. Along with that is to get in some runs with Kathy Birke. I miss her!!)
5. Relax a little with some of my friends who are also not working this summer. Woo-Hoo!

I started my summer kick-off yesterday with my annual "girls' night" with Maria. It seems like every May we get together and eat at Buckhead. It's always fun to chat and catch up!!

I think I'll end up being busier than I think. The time always goes by so very fast and it will be August before I know it. So for now, I'm going to soak up the free time!!

Highlights of The 10th Annual Karen Hooser Golf Classic

Every year a group of friends from high school get together and play golf on Memorial Day. I am usually the one who pulls the plans together so several years ago Tim Wolff started calling it the Karen Hooser Classic. Four years ago we started keeping track of who wins and there are prizes now. Russell even had a trophy made from a 9 iron he broke during play one year. The winner keeps the trophy and brings it back the next year. It's an awesome tradition we have started and we hope to keep it going for years to come....

The Golfing Crew...With eleven of us we had to split up into three groups this year.

Some beginning pics...

My baby's first swing. This was Jonathon's first time ever....
Aw...romance by the lake. (That lake ate three of our balls...)

Michelle....Winner of the Worst Score
Andy...3rd Place
Tim...2nd Place


Russell...2008 Champion

After the golf, we had a cookout and played "Hillbilly Golf" in the backyard....

GOOD TIMES!

Chris and Megan's Wedding

I know this is a couple weeks late but I FINALLY pulled pictures off of Jonathon's camera. Here are the pics from the Birke wedding. I didn't take very many. Didn't they look fabulous?!

End of the School Year

It's always a bittersweet thing to say good-bye to my students at the end of each year. I'm usually more than ready for summer break but knowing you will lose that set of kids kinda stinks! We had a crazy last day and I didn't even get to do everything I wanted to do....but the bell rang and they were on their way.

I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 6:00 last night! I didn't feel well all day and I didn't feel like myself either. I guess it was exhaustion because I sure crashed into the couch last night. Poor Jonathon.....I woke up at eleven and he was working in the garage. So much for our Friday night together!!

This weekend is packed full of exciting things. Tonight we are going to celebrate Michelle Converse's birthday at Rocky's...yummy bread...After that we are supposed to meet up with some other friends to have a game night and hang out. Fun times!

Happy Saturday everyone!!

Our Celebrity Look Alikes

Girly Fun and Money Making...

Friday night, I hosted Jen's Personal Shower at my house. Here are some pics of the bridal charades we played...

We had a great time catching up and hanging out. We must do girls' night more often! Jonathon and Ryan had a "man-date" since we were busy. They did the dinner and a movie thing.

This morning we had the big yard sale. Jonathon and I made around $140! Yeah......one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? Now we get to decide how to spend the loot. It will probably be something boring like groceries.

This afternoon I went to Heather's Usborne Book party. They do have some great books! I got a head start on my classroom collection for next year.

I've spent four hours today working on the 5th Grade End-of-the-Year Video. UGH! I always love the end product but it's such a bugger to put together. I get really picky with exactly when each picture should hit with exactly each part of the different songs. Then I have to go through and make sure everyone is in it and then I try to make sure the kids who are in it a lot aren't in it tooooo much. Sometimes, I really wish I could make myself care less about such details, BUT when it's all over.....I make people cry tears of joy and that makes me happy. Is that weird???

Anyway, HAPPY SATURDAY!!!

Yard Sale Tomorrow....

Come One, Come All...Windy Pines is having a yard sale tomorrow morning beginning at 8:00 in the morning. Most of my friends in the neighborhood are going to participate. Jami, Heather, and I are all putting stuff out and we're all right next to each other so that should be fun. Aimee and Adam have been cleaning stuff out to set out. Cara....are you setting up shop tomorrow?

Jonathon and I are hoping to get rid of all of our old stuff we replaced with our nice, new wedding gifts. He also has some things we didn't need when we moved his stuff in because I already had them.

It's so funny when I set up a yard sale because I have such sentimental value on the things. I'll be pricing it with pride thinking, "If they don't want to pay this, I want to keep it." The reality of it is I don't want to be a mean stickler either so when they come up to me and ask if I'll take less, I don't even argue. "Yeah, sure.." Ha!

I can't wait to get the clutter out of the garage....

Organization..

BEFORE....

THE TOOLS USED...

THE RESULT...

MY NEW "SHOE RACK" (Oops...I flipped it upside down. HA!)

JONATHON'S NEW SHOE RACK...

This is only the beginning. I've found a new appreciation for ORGANIZATION!

Wonderful (Busy) Weekend

Friday-RELAY FOR LIFE

Jonathon was such a trooper to go with me. He helped set up the tent and we were there together for six hours. I had a blast walking and talking with parents, students, teachers, and many people I haven't seen in a while. Jonathon walked on and off and stood guard at our tent. He completely took it down on his own while I socialized when it was time to leave. He is such an amazing help to me!

Saturday-CLEANING AND A WEDDING

Jonathon took apart his computer and fixed something that wasn't working, mowed the grass, and organized some of his unpacked piles into places in the house. I completely reorganized the bedroom closet and the bathroom closet to give him some room in both while choosing what to put in the yard sale next weekend. Believe it or not it took ALL DAY to clean the kitchen, living room, and the organization. It feels so wonderful to have things in their places now!

We both got cleaned up and went to Chris and Megan's wedding. I took pictures with Jonathon's camera so as soon as I get them from his camera to my computer I'll post some of the fun. Everything was soooo pretty! Let me just say that I hope I look half as good as Kathy and LeAnn when my children get married. It was so fun to hang out with the old broken crew as well. I also have to throw in a shout out for Chris Morgan. He gave one of the best toasts ever and he learned a couple new dances!

Sunday-MOTHER'S DAY

We met Jonathon's family for lunch and hung out with his parents all afternoon it was so nice to visit and enjoy the time together. We were supposed to meet Kristen and the girls for dinner later since Chris (DeVore) is out of town but she wasn't feeling well. Say some prayers that she feels better soon!! Happy Mother's Day!

Jonathon and I went to JC Penny to pick out new blinds and some drapes for the house. Then we sent by Home Depot to price some light fixtures and do a little dream shopping. We have many updates we want to do around the house as we save the money to do them. We are starting with some small things that can make a big difference. I'm longing for new couches and Jonathon is longing for a big screen TV.....but those big ticket items just have to wait for now.

On a whim, we went to see Ironman...totally unplanned! It was really good. I didn't know if I was really interested but since Jonathon sat in the chilly weather with me for six hours on Friday I wanted to see the movie with him because I knew he couldn't wait to see it. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. It was great.

Okay, so now I need to grade some papers and get ready for tomorrow. I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Double Dating....

So Jonathon and I have spent the last two nights on double dates. Last night we went to see Third Day at Southeast with Tony and Sulayne. Poor Tony and Jonathon were subjected to listening to us go on and on about school topics. They eventually started their own conversation about guy stuff. We had a lot of fun. I LOVE my Third Day. Sulayne and I both got super cute t-shirts too. Yay!

Tonight Jonathon and I went to see a movie and grabbed some Mexican food with Jen and Ryan. We got to tell them all about the married life and offer our words of wisdom to the soon to be newlyweds. Aw....young kids in love. It seems like yesterday that Jonathon and I were there....oh wait....

So now Jonathon and I are sitting on opposite couches with laptops in hand. He's checking all his emails and I'm checking all mine. We are so nerdy.....but we love it. Here's to being happy with your nerdy soul mate!

Have a great weekend....