#thedertings

There is so much I want to say.....I think it would take several posts, but I am going to try and condense into one so that I can spend the remaining hours of summer break preparing for the next school year..... We have had such a GREAT summer and I am so sad to see it go, but there is a smidgen of excitement to think about Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2015, etc....I am so thankful for the time that I have had to make memories with my babies. The days of doing nothing were very limited.....from the beach, swimming, soccer camp, preparing for the royal celebration, Carowinds, Discovery Place, free movies...... Discovery Place We celebrated our sweet (not a baby anymore) Britan turning 3 (tree, in her words). It was a magical day and she's still talking about how Sofia came to her house with her horse. There is no way possible we could have pulled off such a celebration without the help of our family. My goal in life is to create memories that will last forever and my cr...

Running has never been my friend, never been something I LONG to do....honestly it annoys me greatly...I saw a girl at a 5k with a shirt that said, "I hate running".....I laughed and thought how perfect that shirt would be for me! I registered for the Disney 1/2 marathon for January.....I saw several people running 1/2s and full marathons several months back and it gave me the urge to want to set that as a goal....I have only, EVER, run 5ks and I don't do those very well. I have learned through this running journey that when it comes to exercise I am mentally WEAK! I decided that if I was going to torture myself with one of the top 5 ranked goals of my life thus far....it was going to be in a place worth a celebration in the end....so I searched tropical locations and Disney....I soon learned races are way more pricey than local 5ks and if I was going to commit I wanted the kids to get some fun out of it too....so I pondered and waited until registration opened in April...

It seems surreal....is tomorrow really day 180? Not being in the classroom has changed my perception of the last day of school just a little....the excitement has not set in yet...hopefully by morning I will feel the summer break excitement.... I feel like I have run around for weeks trying to accomplish everything that needs to be "accomplished" before this BIG day tomorrow....and I did encounter a few minor road blocks along the way....you know like hitting a parked car in the WIMS parking lot on Friday and having an absolute meltdown before the day was complete......BUT THEN Today as I was rushing around with the hustle and bustle of it all.....I walked into WIMS and there was that smell that hits me every time I walk in the commons area....the smell of 8th grade and how life has changed and grown immensely since 8th grade, but yet the smell is still the exact same.... And then onto WIHS.....and the screen out front reads LAST DAY JUNE 11TH.....this place and that ...

It is hard to imagine that it has been almost a year since my career path changed without my approval....but looking back and seeing how far that day last June has taken me was worth every tear I shed! I never knew I could learn so much more about EC than I have this school year, I never knew that I would love working with and coaching amazing teachers as much I do! The challenges that have come with this new role were ones I never knew existed, but with each one I have learned to take it and make the best of it! There are so many people that have supported me, let me in their classrooms with trust, listened to my advice, told me to chill out when I am being a little too dramatic (perhaps that's where B gets it), but at the end of the day there have been friendships built that will never be broken! I am thankful that another successful year is behind me and happy that it exceeded any expectation I ever had. I love my schools, my teachers, and my admin! Thank you to my h...

I have been needing a positive topic to blog about...so I decided since I have a little time today, I would share how I survive weekly by these little things called "20 minute chores".....I have posted before but its been awhile..... Monday: Dust the whole house! Tuesday: clean the bathrooms...wash sinks, scrub toilets, sweep and mop (my least favorite and hardest every week) Wednesday: fold and put away clean clothes that have been patiently waiting on the living room couch since Saturday and/or Sunday & make a grocery list because Thursday is grocery day! Plan the meals for the upcoming week....... Friday night-Thursday night...breakfast, lunch and dinner included! Thursday: ALWAYS grocery day.....cram it in wherever I can! Then sweep and mop the hardwoods and mop the kitchen.  Friday: Vacuum the whole house! Some Saturdays: wash sheets, do some laundry, fold and put away, and marvel in the fact that the rest of the house has been cleaned the week prior! S...

Happy 2014! Hard to believe another year has come and gone and from the looks of FB friends.....we are getting "old"...I saw that many opted to stay home and go to bed early instead of looking for something fun to do till way past midnight...although I was a little sad we missed the Tanglewood run! 2013 brought many changes for us as a family....Bryson turned 7 and Britan turned 2....and Brooks and I both grew another year wiser ;) Bryson celebrated on a Disney Cruise!                     Britan celebrated with Hello Kitty :) My career took a surprising (now I realize much needed) turn......I am grateful everyday for the opportunity that I was presented with way back on July 11th.....I gave up the job at West High to "see" where this new opportunity would lead me.....and I am thankful that there are no regrets! I have met many new friends and learned lots of new things over the past few months and I am ex...