Thankful for a nice relaxing weekend

Bobby worked overtime on Saturday and his regular day today, so the girls and I were on our own this weekend. We did pretty much nothing--cleaned up around the house, decorated for Christmas, and just chilled. They had friends over last night and I graded papers. Today we went to church (I got to hold a 3-week-baby for 1.5 hours in the nursery! Ahhh for a my baby fix!), I took a nap, and we hung out. They didn't hardly fight at all. It was a great weekend with nothing pressing so we could hang out. I'm so thankful for time with my two girls!

Thankful for the trip to MN!

Long overdue pictures from Kaylin's trip to Minnesota!

With her wings from her very first flight. After the flight attendant handed them to her, she said, "Oh. I thought they would be pieces of the actual wing." Oh, Kaylin. You crack me up.

Me and Kaylin overlooking the falls on the Mississippi River. During the summer you can do rafting trips on it. How cool would that be????

My newspaper kids and Kaylin, before we started riding the rides.

They had 2 of these gigantic trees inside the Mall of America. Can you spot Kaylin? She's pretty small compared to the tree!

I couldn't ride this one with her--it was like a giant seesaw, and those circles on the surfboard turned. Barf city for me, much excitement for Kaylin. She rode it about 6 times in a row.

And this roller coaster...can you tell from the picture it goes STRAIGHT UP? Yeah, it does. Then flips upside down over and over. I rode this with her a couple times, then my head couldn't take it anymore. Anyone remember how the old Orient Express at Worlds of Fun would bang your head around? That's what this one did. She rode it 15 times probably total, and EIGHT in a row. Sheesh.

She has been begging for fake glasses, so I finally caved and bought her some.

Me and Kaylin in front of that giant tree.

Our first trip to IKEA!

Kaylin and her buddy Savana; poor Savana. I owe her some special for putting up with Kaylin the whole trip. All I've heard since we've been home is "I miss Savana!" They are in one of the skywalks that Minnesota has--love those things! You can see the snow on the ground.

Saturday we had to go to the awards ceremony. It was over 2 hours long, and she sat perfectly still playing on her DS for over 2 hours. Love it!

Mary Tyler Moore statue, with snow coming down. We had to explain to the kids who Mary Tyler Moore was!

On the way home, the pilot let her sit in the cockpit!! So cool!

It was a fun trip and I'm very thankful I was able to take her with me. That said, I'm also very thankful that both girls have been on journalism trips with me and that I don't have to take them anymore.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I'm thankful for a nice Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. Bobby was working, my sister's in-laws were in town, and my brother's family was in Atlanta. Mom cooked like the whole family was still there, and the girls and I had a great time hanging out with Mom and Dad. Mom and Macy washed dishes, and she instructed Macy on the different parts of the turkey. (Side note--My crazy daughter now has a ziplock bag in the freezer with a turkey tail, neck, innards, and a heart.) Dad and Kaylin played basketball in the driveway for a bit, then planted a little tree in a pot. I took a nap and Mom took the girls to the park. It was a beautiful day! Thankful for time with my Mom and Dad!

Now...only 4 hours until we depart for Black Friday craziness!! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for 3 days off!

One of my favorite things about teaching are the days off. Like three days at Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, a week off for spring break, and the glorious summer off. I LOVE teaching, love inspiring students, love being there for them, but ohhhhh are the three days off worth it.

Three days of rest, three days of time with family, three days of sleeping in.... can't wait!

Thankful for an awesome work environment.

Tonight I'm thankful for some amazing co-workers. Oh, sure, we have our fair share of bad ones, but who doesn't? They don't count. Since we are a relatively small school, we have a small staff. That makes it easier to get to know one another, and makes it easier to get to know one another. I work with some amazing teachers, who try really hard for their students. That makes for a wonderful teaching environment. I also work with about 5 or 6 teachers on a committee whose sole purpose is to bring fun and positive vibes to the faculty and staff. We are currently planning some Random Acts of Kindness for the month of December, and it's been fun to plan together. When you work with fun people, it just makes the day so much better. It's also great when they have your back and are there for you when you need them.

Thankful for home

Tonight I'm thankful for a safe flight home, a great trip with great students, and the peace that comes with being at home.

Thankful for a soft hotel bed

Thankful for a soft hotel bed,  a dark room, and a sweet 7-year-old snuggled up against me for a good night's sleep. Yesterday and today were long days...lots of time at Mall of America, then took 3 girls to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn, then presented a session this morning, plus another one tomorrow. Having fun in Minneapolis, but boy, am I thankful for this soft hotel bed, a dark room, and my sweet 7-year-old