Today was a very eventful and wonderful day filled with lots of good buys, good food, and downtime with my best friend/twin, Abby Rebecca Baggett.
We met at Freebirds for lunch. Freebirds is the best burrito joint in America. It's not only one of my favorite restaraunts in Lubbock but it also brings back very special memories of major events in my life. Let me explain: a) I ate at Freebirds with Bryan the week I moved to Lubbock. b) I ate at Freebirds for lunch with Abby and Bryan hours before Bryan took me to Buffalo Springs Lake to propose. c) I ate at Freebirds for lunch with Abby and my mom right after I found my dream wedding gown. So, yes, I love Freebirds. You can make things out of the foil wrapper that your burrito comes in and I made a large diamond ring. It is hanging in front of the door at Freebirds in the Central Park shopping center.
Anyway, so after mine and Abner's lunch date we walked over to Bella's Bridal boutique (same place I found my wedding gown) and picked up our bridesmaid dresses for Meghan's wedding. Then we got in Abby's car and drove to Target to look for dresses to wear for the rehearsal dinner. I found a whole lot more than just dresses. There was a sale so I bought two dresses and I could have bought more but I also bought two new blouses. I decided to stop there. I might got back and buy more clothes tomorrow, who knows.
Then we went to Dustee's accessory shop and I found some gorgeous faux pearl and diamond earrings that I'm going to wear with one of my new dresses to the rehearsal dinner (I haven't decided which dress to wear yet). I thought I was done shopping for the day, but Abby wanted to look for jewelry at a store in the mall, so we drove over to the mall and looked around.
I told Abby to come meet me in Victoria's Secret whenever she got done. I wanted to look at the lingirie to get an idea of what I want for my honeymoon! All the lingirie there is so pretty and sexy. I want them all! I'm real excited about my wedding night and honeymoon. I'm not going to be that girl that pretends to be nervous. I'm real excited and I feel like a bride should be. I have enough married friends that have informed me what to expect the first few times and therefore, I'm not worried about it. Besides, I'm going to be sleeping with my husband, the person who loves me and knows me completely. Why should I be nervous? I'm going to be a total sex kitten for Bryan! That doesn't make me a slut...it makes me a wife!
Well, the lingirie was awesome and I still want it all, but their makeup was 75% off. I bought some new cream compact makeup, two of them to be exact. I figured while they're on sale, I might as well stock up. I also bought some bronzer that doesn't make you too orangey. Then I found a bandeau swimsuit top that was red and pink and I had to have it. I didn't buy the bottoms because they looked too skimpy, and I knew that I had a red bikni at home that the bottoms could easily be paired to match the bandeau.
After a day of shopping and as I said before, some really good buys, I made a batch of fudgy chocolate chip brownies from scratch and watched reruns of The Hills on my dvr with my favorite companion, Abbidy Baggidy. Today officially marks my first day of summer. Yesterday shouldn't count since I was sick and that sucked, and since today was just perfect and I feel ten times better...today my summer vacation really begins!
One week from today and my little childhood friend, Meghan E. Harrell will become Mrs. Eugene Howard Dawson III! I better start tanning in my new bandeau top for the wedding!! Our bridesmaid dresses are black and strapless!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Bryan turns 25 and I'm officially on Summer Vacay!
This week was the last week of school and summer officially began for me at 11:00 today. We had Monday off since it was Memorial Day and then Tuesday thru Friday of this week were all half days. Students left by noon and as soon as all the kids were out of the classroom, teachers were free to leave also.
I no longer have a classroom. The third grade portables were removed on Tuesday because they have added on a new third grade wing that will be ready to move into on July 1st so all third grade classes were relocated into other rooms in the building. Our furniture and classroom stuff is stored in a section of the gym. My kids and I spent all week in one of the computer labs. We watched movies and played on the computers and had long recess. It had been a very easy and simple week.
Yesterday I woke up and my throat and chest were aching. I toughed it out through the morning until noon when I was free to leave. I took a short one hour nap yesterday afternoon and woke up feeling a little better. Today I started to feel worse. I finally went to our school nurse and asked her to look in my throat. When she made a disgusted face I knew that it didn't look good in there. I was right. She said my tonsils looked horrible and my lymph nodes were very swollen. She took my temperature and it was over 100 degrees. My principal told me to go home. I said goodbye to my kids. I didn't even get to hug them because I didn't want them to get sick. :( That made me sad.
Anyway, this isn't exactly how I pictured my first day of summer to begin but I'm in high spirits. I'm about to go reward myself of another great year completed and buy a patio chaise lounge chair. I'm going to stick it outside in my strip, yes strip, of a backyard so that I can lay out during the day in privacy. I don't have a pool in my complex, but I do have a squirt bottle that I can spritz myself during my tanning time.
Bryan turned 25 on Tuesday and he had four celebration parties. The first celebration was with his parents the following weekend. Ramona and Steve came to the LBK to check out rehearsal dinner venues and help Bryan pick out groomsman suits. We're not doing tuxedos, instead the groomsman and groom are wearing black pin-striped suits. Bryan is wearing a cherry red tie with his suit and the groomsman are wearing Kiwi green ties that match the bridesmaids' dress color. I made Bryan an oreo cookie icecream pie that we shared with Ramona and Steve. Bryan got a new pair of shoes from his parents for his birthday.
The second celebration was also a memorial day cookout at Bryan and his roommate, Curt's house. Bryan and I along with Curt and his fiancee, Lauren, and Chris and Kylie ate grilled chicken and hamburgers and I brought my homemade fresh salsa and chips. We then watched the first episode of this season's Jon and Kate Plus 8.
The third celebration was on Bryan's actual birthday (Tuesday). I told him to meet me at my apartment at 6:30 that evening. I bought him a shirt he had his eye on and ordered take out from On the Border. I got Bryan his favorite OTB dish, The Border Sampler with no beans on the nachos. I arranged all his food neatly on dinner plates instead of the to-go boxes that it came in. He ate every bit of that meal!
The fourth and final celebration was Wednesday night. We drove to Levelland so that my parents could do something nice for Bryan. My dad grilled chicken, steaks, and jalepeno sausage and my mom made broccoli (Bryan loves broccoli), baked potatoes, salad, and angel biscuits. Then we had this really good cream cheese and strawberry pie that my mom made. My parents bought Bryan two polo shirts that I picked out and then Abby also bought him a polo shirt.
You may only turn 25 once, but Bryan just got spoiled with all these birthday parties, polo shirts, and pies! But yes, he does deserve them!
I no longer have a classroom. The third grade portables were removed on Tuesday because they have added on a new third grade wing that will be ready to move into on July 1st so all third grade classes were relocated into other rooms in the building. Our furniture and classroom stuff is stored in a section of the gym. My kids and I spent all week in one of the computer labs. We watched movies and played on the computers and had long recess. It had been a very easy and simple week.
Yesterday I woke up and my throat and chest were aching. I toughed it out through the morning until noon when I was free to leave. I took a short one hour nap yesterday afternoon and woke up feeling a little better. Today I started to feel worse. I finally went to our school nurse and asked her to look in my throat. When she made a disgusted face I knew that it didn't look good in there. I was right. She said my tonsils looked horrible and my lymph nodes were very swollen. She took my temperature and it was over 100 degrees. My principal told me to go home. I said goodbye to my kids. I didn't even get to hug them because I didn't want them to get sick. :( That made me sad.
Anyway, this isn't exactly how I pictured my first day of summer to begin but I'm in high spirits. I'm about to go reward myself of another great year completed and buy a patio chaise lounge chair. I'm going to stick it outside in my strip, yes strip, of a backyard so that I can lay out during the day in privacy. I don't have a pool in my complex, but I do have a squirt bottle that I can spritz myself during my tanning time.
Bryan turned 25 on Tuesday and he had four celebration parties. The first celebration was with his parents the following weekend. Ramona and Steve came to the LBK to check out rehearsal dinner venues and help Bryan pick out groomsman suits. We're not doing tuxedos, instead the groomsman and groom are wearing black pin-striped suits. Bryan is wearing a cherry red tie with his suit and the groomsman are wearing Kiwi green ties that match the bridesmaids' dress color. I made Bryan an oreo cookie icecream pie that we shared with Ramona and Steve. Bryan got a new pair of shoes from his parents for his birthday.
The second celebration was also a memorial day cookout at Bryan and his roommate, Curt's house. Bryan and I along with Curt and his fiancee, Lauren, and Chris and Kylie ate grilled chicken and hamburgers and I brought my homemade fresh salsa and chips. We then watched the first episode of this season's Jon and Kate Plus 8.
The third celebration was on Bryan's actual birthday (Tuesday). I told him to meet me at my apartment at 6:30 that evening. I bought him a shirt he had his eye on and ordered take out from On the Border. I got Bryan his favorite OTB dish, The Border Sampler with no beans on the nachos. I arranged all his food neatly on dinner plates instead of the to-go boxes that it came in. He ate every bit of that meal!
The fourth and final celebration was Wednesday night. We drove to Levelland so that my parents could do something nice for Bryan. My dad grilled chicken, steaks, and jalepeno sausage and my mom made broccoli (Bryan loves broccoli), baked potatoes, salad, and angel biscuits. Then we had this really good cream cheese and strawberry pie that my mom made. My parents bought Bryan two polo shirts that I picked out and then Abby also bought him a polo shirt.
You may only turn 25 once, but Bryan just got spoiled with all these birthday parties, polo shirts, and pies! But yes, he does deserve them!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
1 Timothy 4:12
Ahem...this is not necessarily a bible scripture study, however, in 1Timothy chapter 4, verse 12 it says "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity."
The first part of this scripture is what I am emphasizing. "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young..." Age has everything to do with the way a person perceives you. If you're older than a person, you could generally be looked up to, but if you're younger, well, then you are potentially looked down upon, and no, it's not entirely fair.
Now, let me share with you the reason for this verse being the main topic for this blog. This Friday our school is doing an Olympic Day. Basically it's an entire day of fun, games, eating goodies, and end of the year classroom parties. At Olympic Day there are different game booths for the students to go to. One of the booths happens to be the dunking booth. The principals, PE teachers, and one teacher from each grade level are participating. By participating I mean they are agreeing to sit in the booth to possibly get "dunked."
Please note that I mentioned one teacher from each grade level is asked to participate. Most of these teachers volunteer themselves or at least agree when they are asked, but today I learned that I was volunteered by my fellow third grade teacher colleagues. Their reason: I'm the youngest. It's really no big deal that I was "volunteered." The problem is that I was only volunteered because of my age. But wait, there is more...here is the UGLY part. This is how they told me I was going to be in the dunking booth: I was walking down the hallway to go to the lounge when one of my fellow workers stopped me and said, "You've been voted in." My response, "voted in for what?" "The dunking booth. We all got together and decided you have to do it since you're the youngest." Me: "haha, well, but..I don't really want to." Fellow worker: "Too bad we voted you in you have to do it." . It was the way I was informed of this that bothered me the most. It was done in a very unfriendly way.
I later told that teacher that my feelings were hurt that they would get together like that and decide that I have to do the dunking booth because I'm the youngest. She told me not to be hurt. Hmm...thanks. She later said she would split the time with me but I told her no. I guess the only way I can keep my co-workers from looking down on me is what the end of the verse goes on to say..."speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity." Maybe by having a good attitude about this they will stop looking down on me because of my age. Or I could just wear a T-Shirt in the booth that reads 1 Timothy 4:12!!!
The first part of this scripture is what I am emphasizing. "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young..." Age has everything to do with the way a person perceives you. If you're older than a person, you could generally be looked up to, but if you're younger, well, then you are potentially looked down upon, and no, it's not entirely fair.
Now, let me share with you the reason for this verse being the main topic for this blog. This Friday our school is doing an Olympic Day. Basically it's an entire day of fun, games, eating goodies, and end of the year classroom parties. At Olympic Day there are different game booths for the students to go to. One of the booths happens to be the dunking booth. The principals, PE teachers, and one teacher from each grade level are participating. By participating I mean they are agreeing to sit in the booth to possibly get "dunked."
Please note that I mentioned one teacher from each grade level is asked to participate. Most of these teachers volunteer themselves or at least agree when they are asked, but today I learned that I was volunteered by my fellow third grade teacher colleagues. Their reason: I'm the youngest. It's really no big deal that I was "volunteered." The problem is that I was only volunteered because of my age. But wait, there is more...here is the UGLY part. This is how they told me I was going to be in the dunking booth: I was walking down the hallway to go to the lounge when one of my fellow workers stopped me and said, "You've been voted in." My response, "voted in for what?" "The dunking booth. We all got together and decided you have to do it since you're the youngest." Me:
I later told that teacher that my feelings were hurt that they would get together like that and decide that I have to do the dunking booth because I'm the youngest. She told me not to be hurt. Hmm...thanks. She later said she would split the time with me but I told her no. I guess the only way I can keep my co-workers from looking down on me is what the end of the verse goes on to say..."speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity." Maybe by having a good attitude about this they will stop looking down on me because of my age. Or I could just wear a T-Shirt in the booth that reads 1 Timothy 4:12!!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Salsa like Woah!
I have already admitted my obsession and enjoyment of watching reality tv and also that I drink a pot of coffee every day, but these are certainly not my only obsessed fixations. My other guilty pleasure is salsa (sometimes called hot sauce, but there is a difference)! I eat salsa with most of my food. In fact, I'm a firm believer that some food just tastes better with it. I dip my sandwich in salsa, I dip vegetables in salsa, I put salsa on my eggs, I dip rice cakes in salsa, I add salsa to salads, and of course...chips and salsa are an all time favorite. For me, salsa is not just a condiment. It's a food group.
Although all salsa is delicious to me, I'm very picky about the taste. Most jarred salsa from the store just doesn't do it for me. All restraunt salsa are amazing. But there has been one type of salsa that has had me hooked for several months...freshly made tomato salsa!
Market Street makes the best fresh tomato salsa. I used to buy two containers of it almost $5.00 each. I could eat on one container in one to two days. It was costing me too much money to keep buying their salsa especially when I was determined that I could make my own.
So, for the past two weeks I have made three batches of homemade fresh tomato salsa trying to mimic the ever so wonderful salsa from Market Street. Each batch was made differently from the other and unfortunately the first two tasted not very well...not necessarily horrible, but not even close to Market Street's.
Batch #1 was way too spicy. I made it with 4 jalepenos and did not de-seed any of them. Needless to say, the next morning upon having made this salsa and eaten a good deal of it, I woke up with a tummy ache that had me on the pot for at least 30 minutes. (Sorry for the t.m.i). It was also way too chunky.
So I went on and made batch #2. It was even worse than the first one. It was not chunky what so ever, in fact it was more of a liquid than a sauce. It also didn't have a tomato salsa taste and tasted more like an onion than anything else. It was really awful.
Today, I made batch #3. It was easier than the first two (too much chopping). Now, this batch of salsa was perfect! Not exactly like Market Street's but it is still very good. It's my own and I finally found the perfect blend of ingredients that makes this salsa fresh, delicious, and has the perfect amount of flavors. So, for all you salsa lovers out there, here is my recipe for fresh salsa. Even if you're not addicted to salsa (like me), this salsa might have you steps from rehab...no, I'm kidding, but I hope it's as perfect to you as it is to me.
1 can of cut tomatoes with green chilis
1/4 c of white onion, chopped
1 fresh tomato on the vine, chopped
1 Jalepeno pepper, seeds removed
1 Tbs of black pepper
1/4 tsp of minced garlic
2 Tbs of lime juice
Drain can of tomatoes and chilis. Put in a strainer and rinse until all juices run clear. Place in blender. Add chopped fresh tomato on top of tomatoes and chilis in blender. Blend tomato mixture. Add chopped onion, Jalepeno, black pepper, lime juice, and garlic. Blend all ingredients together. I like my salsa smooth. Not too chunky but not liquidy, somewhere in between. Pour into plastic container and enjoy! Note: due to spices in salsa, your plastic container can absorb the flavors leaving a spicy taste in it. I use the same container over and over.
Although all salsa is delicious to me, I'm very picky about the taste. Most jarred salsa from the store just doesn't do it for me. All restraunt salsa are amazing. But there has been one type of salsa that has had me hooked for several months...freshly made tomato salsa!
Market Street makes the best fresh tomato salsa. I used to buy two containers of it almost $5.00 each. I could eat on one container in one to two days. It was costing me too much money to keep buying their salsa especially when I was determined that I could make my own.
So, for the past two weeks I have made three batches of homemade fresh tomato salsa trying to mimic the ever so wonderful salsa from Market Street. Each batch was made differently from the other and unfortunately the first two tasted not very well...not necessarily horrible, but not even close to Market Street's.
Batch #1 was way too spicy. I made it with 4 jalepenos and did not de-seed any of them. Needless to say, the next morning upon having made this salsa and eaten a good deal of it, I woke up with a tummy ache that had me on the pot for at least 30 minutes. (Sorry for the t.m.i). It was also way too chunky.
So I went on and made batch #2. It was even worse than the first one. It was not chunky what so ever, in fact it was more of a liquid than a sauce. It also didn't have a tomato salsa taste and tasted more like an onion than anything else. It was really awful.
Today, I made batch #3. It was easier than the first two (too much chopping). Now, this batch of salsa was perfect! Not exactly like Market Street's but it is still very good. It's my own and I finally found the perfect blend of ingredients that makes this salsa fresh, delicious, and has the perfect amount of flavors. So, for all you salsa lovers out there, here is my recipe for fresh salsa. Even if you're not addicted to salsa (like me), this salsa might have you steps from rehab...no, I'm kidding, but I hope it's as perfect to you as it is to me.
1 can of cut tomatoes with green chilis
1/4 c of white onion, chopped
1 fresh tomato on the vine, chopped
1 Jalepeno pepper, seeds removed
1 Tbs of black pepper
1/4 tsp of minced garlic
2 Tbs of lime juice
Drain can of tomatoes and chilis. Put in a strainer and rinse until all juices run clear. Place in blender. Add chopped fresh tomato on top of tomatoes and chilis in blender. Blend tomato mixture. Add chopped onion, Jalepeno, black pepper, lime juice, and garlic. Blend all ingredients together. I like my salsa smooth. Not too chunky but not liquidy, somewhere in between. Pour into plastic container and enjoy! Note: due to spices in salsa, your plastic container can absorb the flavors leaving a spicy taste in it. I use the same container over and over.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Update
I am so ready for summer it isn't even funny. If I could give my kids coloring sheets and let them watch movies all day I would do so in a heartbeat. Luckily we are doing something fun for the rest of the few weeks we have before school gets out. We are doing a unit on Japan! Today they decorated poster board suitcases that I had made for them. All the information and stuff that they do and make will go inside their suitcase. Next week we're going to go eat lunch at Shogun Japanese steak house. Unfortunately for me Japanese food gives me terrible indigestion. Then we're going to read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. It's kinda sad, but it will be good for the kids.
Little 3rd grade boys play very rough at recess. Someone is always getting hurt and needing to go to the nurse. But today, one of my little boys won the "Biggest Injury" award 0f all injuries for the year. I was not on recess duty today but from what I was told, he apparently fell on the blacktop hitting his head and his right shoulder so hard that he couldn't get up. They think he broke his right collar bone. He was crying. It was so sad. I left my class with a student teacher so I could sit in the nurse's office with him. You could tell his right collar bone was crooked. I felt so bad for him, but he's a tough boy. He didn't cry as much as I know I would have if I had broken a bone (ahem...knock on wood).
Bryan and I drove by some apartments yesterday and we've got a few options that are in our price range that look nice on the outside. Tomorrow we are going to go check out the inside to make sure they measure up to our standards. Not that we have super high standards, but we both feel that a home should be something you feel comfortable in and can enjoy. We just don't want something crappy. Therefore, they have to be nice on the inside. They already won our approval from the outside view.
I have to share the strangest thing that happened to Bryan and I on Saturday afternoon. We were about to go run some errands and eat lunch. We were sitting in my car at my apartment trying to get a game plan of where all we needed to go. As we were sitting there figuring it out this skinny, old, hispanic lady wearing black sunglasses and walking with a cane caught my eye. She was walking straight and then all of a sudden turned and starting coming right towards my car. Bryan and I didn't know what to do. She got a few inches away from my car, turned, and walked back straight. It was very bizarre. Bryan said he thought she was coming to ask for money. We later decided that she is proabably legally blind and didn't know where she was going until she got close enough. Either way, it was FREAKY!
That's the end of my update for everyone. The Hills comes on tonight at 9. I'll be watching! Hope everyone has a great week and don't forget Mother's Day this Sunday!
Little 3rd grade boys play very rough at recess. Someone is always getting hurt and needing to go to the nurse. But today, one of my little boys won the "Biggest Injury" award 0f all injuries for the year. I was not on recess duty today but from what I was told, he apparently fell on the blacktop hitting his head and his right shoulder so hard that he couldn't get up. They think he broke his right collar bone. He was crying. It was so sad. I left my class with a student teacher so I could sit in the nurse's office with him. You could tell his right collar bone was crooked. I felt so bad for him, but he's a tough boy. He didn't cry as much as I know I would have if I had broken a bone (ahem...knock on wood).
Bryan and I drove by some apartments yesterday and we've got a few options that are in our price range that look nice on the outside. Tomorrow we are going to go check out the inside to make sure they measure up to our standards. Not that we have super high standards, but we both feel that a home should be something you feel comfortable in and can enjoy. We just don't want something crappy. Therefore, they have to be nice on the inside. They already won our approval from the outside view.
I have to share the strangest thing that happened to Bryan and I on Saturday afternoon. We were about to go run some errands and eat lunch. We were sitting in my car at my apartment trying to get a game plan of where all we needed to go. As we were sitting there figuring it out this skinny, old, hispanic lady wearing black sunglasses and walking with a cane caught my eye. She was walking straight and then all of a sudden turned and starting coming right towards my car. Bryan and I didn't know what to do. She got a few inches away from my car, turned, and walked back straight. It was very bizarre. Bryan said he thought she was coming to ask for money. We later decided that she is proabably legally blind and didn't know where she was going until she got close enough. Either way, it was FREAKY!
That's the end of my update for everyone. The Hills comes on tonight at 9. I'll be watching! Hope everyone has a great week and don't forget Mother's Day this Sunday!
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