Cutt Cutt's Life!

Happy Early Easter!

2009-04-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Since my parents were headed back to Illinois before Easter, we had to celebrate a few weeks early. This is the second Easter we have been able to celebrate at their house, which includes a huge Easter egg hunt for the kiddos in their backyard. My parents had placed toy frogs and snakes and even some quarters in the plastic eggs that they were searching for. There's just something about the excitement that little kids have about the simple things (like egg hunts) that warms your heart. My mom made a delicious lunch of course, and we spent the afternoon playing board games (surprise, surprise). I love having family nearby, and wouldn't want it any other way. Happy Easter!

"Thumb" Fishy Class Plate!

2009-04-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Since this is my first year at Woodland, I am new to all of their traditions. This past week, I was suppose to turn in a deisgn for a plate....and had no ideas. Even when my room mom emailed me and reminded me, offered her help, etc...I still didn't get started uptil the day it was due. Since my classroom's theme is fish/ocean, I thought why not keep to that same idea. Everyone always does "thumb" people on the plate, so I thought "thumb"fish would be a cute idea. Thought it turned out supercute! Guess it will be in some kind of silent auction to raise money for something, see how much I know.

Kids do say the craziest things...

2009-03-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to write a blog about some of the topics that my kids have brought to me lately....
I cannot begin to even describe the roller coaster of events that teaching includes. When people ask me how I like teaching, I am truly speechless...if you know me at all, you know that is huge, I am usually full of things to say. But teaching brings up soo many difficult aspects...kids bring in baggage from home, whether emotional or physical needs...it's all soo much for a 10 year old to deal with....as I have mentioned, God truly has blessed me with such a fun loving class. They are such sweet kids. sometimes I just look out over my classroom and feel soo blessed to have the job I have. I have the oppurtunity to mold young minds (scary, I know...but at the same time, incredible). I am overjoyed that God has given the ability to be a teacher, but at the same time...I need to continue to remind myself how blessed I am, and to be thankful.
Here are some tid bits of what my past week has been like...

"They're bathing with hand sanitizer in there..." (a girl coming out of the bathroom told me, lol)

"Where are the lines of symmetry"-me
"Diazontical..."(obviously a mix of diagonal and horizontal) -a boy
"Who's she?" - another boy...assumming that's a girl's name, and began to bust out laughing (okay maybe you had to be there for that one...)

At lunch today "Miss. Cutter...did you go to college to teach social studies?"- a girl (I am only teaching writing, science, and math this year). "yes, I taught it last year" - me...."Well then, if someone was mixed, would they have been a slave or not?". The same girl was reading "Meet Addy" and kept coming up to me today and telling me that she did not understand slavery...and thought it was ridiculous.

Another girl- "how did people skin colors become different shades?" After I explained about different races having children, she told me that she understood that but how did they get that color...I mentioned how different continents had different skin shades, she continued to ask me how though...I even went into the whole Adam & Eve...Noah and his sons...even the Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white...anyways she still wasn't completely happy...but she understood that that was just the way they were made...
Oh, and during that conversation, one other girl mentioned it was because of skin disease...just like Michael Jackson...

Anyways...never a dull moment, and I always have to be on my toes....

4 Boys, 4 Girls, and 4 Dogs...

2009-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my friends and I went camping up in Brevard North Carolina again. This time it was much warmer than our 17 degree adventure last time. The lows were only near 35 instead. As my title says it was four of each of us, with the dogs always keeping things interesting. We visited Dugans again (although it was a newer, much bigger place), camped at the same spot (the most beautiful spot), had a wonderful breakfast (this time including pancakes), went on a 5 mile hike, ate PB&J's on top of John's Rock (just like last time-we did remember the water bottles this time), and even ate downtown Hendersonville like last time (this time we ate at West First). It is always exciting to get aay from the "world" and just not havea clue what time it is or anything else. We all were exhausted when we got back to Greenville, but obviously we all agree that is was an mazing trip. My brother Tim even ventured out and came with us. I never thought I would be such a camper, but it truly is a great experience. Who knows, maye we will do this more than once every

NGU...Big Time!!

2009-03-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

Back in the Fall of 2002, I moved to South Carolina to attend a small Southern Baptist college names, North Greenville College. Almost seven years later, it is now a University and has grown immensely. Basically when I first arrived, the closest Wal-mart was a good 25 minutes away and the closest resturant around (besides The Thai and I) was Waffle House. Since my parents recently bought a house in Traveler's Rest/Taylors area, my mom told me that a few new buildings were being built on campus....to our complete surprise our very favorite bagel place form the Midwest moved into TIGERVILLE!!! This is no joke, Einstien Bagels is across the street from my once tiny college. Anyways, my mom and I had lunch in Tigerville the other day, and I had to capture the sight with my camera, if you are ever in town, check it out. They truly have the est bagels!

Blake turns TWO!

2009-03-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

We all had a wonderful time celebrating Blake's 2nd Birthday. He is such a sweet little boy, I could just eat him up. This little boy is OBSESSED with any type of sports, go figure. As you can see his basketball cake and baseball cookies (Joy did it again). Anyways, It truly has been amazing seeing this little guy turn into such a ham, he loves to get people to laugh, and has such a easy time wrapping himself around anyone's finger. I cannot wait and see how he turns into a little gentleman as well as a sport fanatic....Trust me, I will be there to cheer him on through many basketball games, etc. Love ya Blakester!!

My Southern Snowman!

2009-03-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

You don't get the chance to put together a snowman very often, but when you do...you have to take the oppurtunity to do so. Anyways, basically....I made one very tiny snowman, just to say I made one. And here it is....Enjoy!

SNOW in March....in South Carolina!!

2009-03-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

I have been dying to see snow this entire winter. But the only time it ever snowed was one Sunday for like an hour....it was melted before church was even over. Basically, I knew since it March, I probably wouldn't see the snow I so desperately wanted. So today, on March 1st...the snow came...and man did it come. I have never seen snowflakes this large in South Carolina. School is already cancelled for tomorrow and Mariel and I went out and threw some snowballs....Man do I miss the snow. Whenever I chat with my "northern" friends, I know they are so sick and tired of the cold weather and all the snow that will never melt, but there is just something amazing about the look and feel or newly fallen snow. It is even more amazing when you only see it one day out of an entire year. I do love South Carolina's winters though....

Pizza Party!

2009-03-01T18:19:00.001-08:00

Jason came up with the clever idea of hosting a pizza party that would involve us all helping make the pizzas from scratch. Last Friday night, we all headed to Ryan's house and began making some DELICIOUS pizzas. It was a group effort and they turned out amazing. I even brought some cherries and blueberries and made a dessert pizza. The others even threw some dessert pretzels together. We even rocked out some more Rockband on the newly purchased Wii. The highlight of my night was singing a duet of Smashing Pumpkins "Today" with Olivia, good times. I love how our get togethers are full of random activities, and never the same. Who knows what the next event will bring...lol.

Mariel is the BIG 2-4!!

2009-03-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Me and the girls always get together for each other's birthdays. Mariel's 24th was no different. Although we celebrated a little late, Mariel, Liz, and I drove up to Asheville to meet up with Angela. When we finally made it there, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Bonefish Grille. After finding out that Angela's grandfather was in the hospital, we headed back to Greenville so she could have time with her family. Although our visit was short, I enjoyed every minute of it. We always have a ball we we are together. We always remember old memories, while making new ones. Happy Birthday Mariel!! Only one more year til you're going to have to round up to 30, lol...Love ya!

One Adorable Shark Lover turns FOUR!!

2009-03-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

My adorable niece Brooklynn turned four just the other day. I still cannot believe that she has turned into little lady! It does feel like yesterday that Rich and Joy told me that they were expecting in the mall parking lot...I just couldn't believe it. Brooklynn is truly a blessing, she cracks me up everytime I am around her. Lately, she has truly blossomed into quite the artist, as she is attending art class. She has also just began her first soccer season. Her love for sharks and other ocean animals is just as intense as last year, or even stronger. I love the way she is her own person, she could care less about dolls or other girly toys. She is extremely content with learning about animals, whether reading about them or making a trip to Petsmart. I just LOVE this amazing four year old. She is simply incredible.

A New Job = Costume Party!

2009-03-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

We all agreed on the need to throw a career costume party after our friend Jason finally got his new job! We ended up deciding that Valentines Day would work best, and we would head to downtown Asheville for the festivities. We all got some interesting looks, and ate some great food at this small Irish pub. We had plans of bowling, but they fell through since it was super crowded. We ended up heading back to my house and playing Rockband. Needless to say, we all rocked it out. It was definately a Valentine's Day to remember.

Hppy 25th Angela!!

2009-02-22T19:05:00.001-08:00

We ended up surprising Angela for her 25th a month late with a complete surprise trip to Myrtle Beach. It was hilarious since she had no clue, and was concerned about Liz's “problem” that she so desperately needed us to come down and talk to us about. She had thought of every possible option it could be. After reassuring her that we were sure that Liz was fine, we headed to Myrtle (she thought it would be Summerville). With the help of Mariel's new GPS, we kept reassuring Angela that we were going the right way, it was just a different route. We stopped at Chick-fila and met up with Liz (who had cupcakes). She was floored. We continued to surprise her with a hotel room, cheeseburger hats (her favorite), and homemade shirts made by Mariel. We enjoyed eating at Mexican, sushi, and Cheeseburger in paradise. We even enjoyed the FREEZING ocean water for about 5 seconds. Another highlight was the hot tub in the hotel....good times. We had a ball, and Angela, I hope we made your birthday a little more special!! Happy 25th girl!

Clay Night at Woodland

2009-02-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

Poor Mariel spent the whole time making small turtles and any other requests the girls had.

Mariel and the girls playing a wonderful game of Simon says, while I try to halfway clean up...

What a mess...

Sweet little "Baby Ornin"

The one and only "BGC"

AnnaKate...getting too smart for her own good!

The other week, my school's art department had a family night called "Clay Night". Basicall you preorder the bags fo clay and come that night to create anything you desire. I obviously ended up bringing all three girls and Mariel. The made many creations, including a cat with it's bed (AK), a billion creatures (BGC that had to be transformed into one giant masterpiece so it could be fired, and a lump that was poked and prodded at (Lauren). Alll in ll, we had a blast and hope to go to another one again soon. Maybe next time, I can bring all five...lol.

Anna's Going Away Par-tay!

2009-02-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

The other week, we got together to say "see you soon" to my friend Anna. Anna just moved to the area this summer, and Karen and I randomly met her at church. She quickly became a good friend, and we were sad to see her move away so soon. I know Anna would appriciate any prayers for her mom, as she has cancer. We miss you Anna, and don't you even think that we will forget about you!

My Very Own Christmas Tree!

2009-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Even though I have been on my own for a couple years now, I have never had a Christmas tree of my very own. This year, Becky and Shane gave me their older tree and I was so excited to actually set it up in my new house. Since I didn't have a big chunk of money to spend on Christmas decorations, I used some ornaments I got on sale last year, and ribbon I have had for years. I even found a matching tree topper for only a couple dollars at Hobby Lobby. I loved seeing the lights through the bay window everytime I drove into my parking place. I even fund some identical white snowflake ornaments this year after Christmas on sale. I love decorating for Christmas!!

Christmas Crafts!

2009-01-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

Every year, I have tried to come up with a craft that I can put together easily and is not cheesy. This year I decided to decorate paint buckets. I got the idea from my friend Heather. I ended up making like more than 10 buckets. They were easier and turned out super cute (I thought so anyways). Anyways, thought I would share a couple pics, the small cans (pint size) were for my coworkers (cheaper and easier to decorate) and the large gallon bucket was made for my room mom. I also made big gallon buckets for my hair dresser, my 3 college friends, a gift exchange, and each of my three nieces. Anyways, I always love to find new ideas for a cute craft, if you have any ideas...please pass them along!

HAPPY New Year!

2009-01-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

This New Years Eve, a bunch of us went over to Ryan's house from 7:30 to 4:30. We had a great time enjoying some burgers and hot dogs, along with playing various games (including a very long two games of Mofia). Anyways, after watching the ball dropped, we continued the games, and enjoyed each other's fellowship. This night was also a momumentous night, since Jason found out he had facebook and already had 20 friends, lol. Anyways, here are a couple pictures form that night. We look kinda rough, well I do, but remember these were taken around 3:30 AM! Next years plans have already been in the works, lol...who knows what will be on the agenda!

What could be Better?

2009-01-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

I am not sure I have written enough about this topic, but I LOVE being an aunt. These five kids could not be more special to me. I truly love how they are all unique in their own ways. I remember finding out I was going to be an aunt for the very first time more than 6 years ago. It's amazing to see how they grow up and become little people, with personalities of their very own. I finally got a group shot of me with all 5 of them. I cannot wait to watch them grow and learn more and more. I hope to always be a part of their lives and spend time with them often.

Cutter Christmas 08

2009-01-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Basically, I am really late in getting these pictures posted. This year is no different than any years past. My family had much to be thankful for, and had a wonderful time together. It seems odd, all of us kids growing up and being adults. Not the same as back in the day, when we were younger (sorry, having these adult moments hit me lately). Our festivities included the kids decorating and singing happy birthday to Jesus (my mom has done this ever since AK was a baby-5 years ago), dressing up as a navity scene (a 1st this year), Christmas eve service (all thirteen in one pew, lol), and many hours of games, obviously. I look forward this this time of the year for many reasons, but I LOVE the time we spend as a family, just remembering the old memories and laughing at so many inside "Cutter" jokes. I do love the way my mom always makes it ll about the true reason though, Jesus's birth. God has truly blessed me more than I could ask.

First Annual "Cutter" Girls Trip

2008-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

My mom thought it would be a great idea for us girls to visit the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina to see the National Competition of gingerbread houses, and she has never been more right. We had so much fun, and you would NOT believe how amazing the gingerbreak creations were. The three little girls bahaved like little grown ups. The buffet there was unlike any other buffet in the country, I thought Joy was about to fall over since the soup was so good. Mom and Becky were also in love with all the delicious desserts. The sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and everything else was beyond description. I can't wait to go back next year.

Camping and Shivering...

2008-12-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

If you could only see how hard I was shaking...with my luck, I knew I would be in that water.
Ryan leading the way with Denver faithfully following him.

Jason, aka McGuyver, our jack of all trades who without we would have dies for sure..

Packing up to head out on our hike..

Our wonderful campsite...

I mentioned my camping experience briefly in one of my last posts, so I thought I would post some pictures that I stole from Janet. This camping experience had its highs and def. it's lows, but I am sooo glad I decided to go. It all started out with Janet, Amanda, and I driving up to meet the boys at some restuarant (with a green door) beside some church (don't you just love some guy's directions). On the way, Amanda got sick and I had to pull over (I was not being the best of the best drivers). Once we finally got there, we had dinner and prepared ourselves for NO RUNNING WATER, with using the facilities one last time. We made a quick stop to pick up some breakfast food, and then proceeded to our campsite. When arriving to our destination, us girls were FLOORED to see that the tents were already set up, matresses already blown up, fire pit already made, wood already chopped, and everything else was completed. We felt like we were at some kind of camping trip with hotel accommadations Good thing they had done all of this, as it was already pitch black when we got there. Needless to say, we had fun chatting around the fire, toasting marshmellows and making smores. When it was time to sleep, I will just leave it at, it was 17 degrees outside and there was frost on the ground when I woke up (25 times in the middle of the night). Not to mention having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, our deflating mattress, and the wonderful view of the stars that Chris TOLD us that we HAD to see after we actually were settled in. After asking Janet a million time if the fire was started yet, we finally had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, apple fritters, coffee, hot chocolate, and some more marshmellows. We then packed up and went hiking. This was all in Brevard in Mt. Pisgah forest, the view that we stopped and ate our lunch of PB&J's was absolutely GORGEOUS! Once we got all the way down, I came up with the great idea of all of us walking across a fallen log, Amanda and I were a little shaky, Janet was basically running, Ryan was the first and was followed by his dog, Denver, and Jason gracefully walked across with a large backpack on. We decided to then eat dinner downtwon Hendersonville at this very nice pizza place, although our attire did not quite fit in. All in all, our trip was sooo much fun. It's kinda funny though that the week of Christmas the lows have been in the low 50's...just our luck.

Christmas Class Chaos!

2008-12-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't very much about my wonderful class this year, but wanted to post picture of my twenty four kiddos and me the day before Christmas break. This was also an hour or so before our "party". God hastruly blessed me this year with a wonderful class, seeing that I had enough to deal with just by being new at this school. There is never a dull moment for sure as a teacher.

Christmas with the Girls!

2008-12-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

Us with all of our Christmas goodies..

Mandy all partied out...

The nightlight that Ang got liz...

The adorable Mirror that Liz made Ang, from rolled up magzine papers. AMAZING!

The super cute light switch plates liz made for me.

Thank you for being a friend.....

The supercute earrings Mariel got Liz.

The buckets I made the girls, with Starbucks coffee and mugs inside.

Every year, my college friends and I try to make time to get together and celebrate. Ang, Liz, Mariel, and I have now been friends for almost four years. I know I probably have blogged about these girls before, but there is never a dull moment whenever we get together. We all are completely different in so many ways. This past visit, we enjoyed some home cooking of Mariels (Thanks again for the delicious meal), Christmas shopping at the mall, a Barnes and Noble stop, watching Four Christmases (and laughing pretty hard), Brixx Pizza (Good Memories), and then downtown to Coffee Underground. Our friendship is nonstop fun, and I am looking forward to what we will experience together in the future.

Lyman Elementary Fun!

2008-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, my good friend and former coworker, Heather, told me that her school was having a PTO sponsored Christmas night at her school. There were free cookies and hot chocolate, places where you could write and color about Christmas, school faculty reading Christmas books in different corners of the library, and best of all a great big long line to see Santa and receive a free book. She invited me to bring my nieces. We had a wonderful night and it was so fun to spend time with Heather, Brian, Carson, and Ella along with Lauren and AK. Christmas time is always so much fun.

Love This Dog!

2008-12-22T09:06:00.001-08:00

Over Thanksgiving break, I had company....Lizzie! Since Mariel went home, I asked my parents if they wouldn't mind if lizzie kept me company. She was absolutely perfect. After being with her a couple days, I really seriously considered buying a dog in the near future. I love the way she just wanted to be with me wherever I was (including on my lap when I drove). Hmmm....maybe, just maybe this summer...I can head bck to that Corgi farm (Although, I seriously doubt I will have the money...) Oh well, can't a girl dream big

These are a couple pictures of the farm, back in 2004 when we went to go pick her up.

he day we brought Lizzie home, I just love the way her little legs stick right out behind her..

She was only 2 pounds when we got her, and her legs were so short, that she couldn't walk through the grass in the backyard. I begged Dad to mow a small spot shorter so she could at least walk around in the grass.
Isn't she adorable!!

Seeing Priscilla Once Again!

2008-12-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Here we are in 2002, at my High school Graduation.
Here we are in 2008, she's now married and we're standing in my house...

crazy how things change.

Still cannot believe she is beside me and not thousands and thousands of miles away.

Pedro wanted some barbecue, since he was in South Carolina and all...

Aren't they the cutest!

I cannot tell you excited I was to see my friend Priscilla again. The last time we had seen each other was right after my high school graduation. Now, six and a half years later, she calls me up and tells me that she will be driving through Greenville and wants to stop with her husband to see me. I was soo excited. Its odd not seeing someone for that long, then trying to catch up again. Since her parents are missionaries in Isreal, she was in my class only the years they were on break. We first met when I had just moved to Normal, in the 5th grade (so we were both new). Then she came back in 9th grade, and then again in 11th grade. After getting back to Isreal in 2001, she decided she wanted to finish school in the states. Her parents agreed and she contacted me and asked if she could live with me and my parents. They agreed and she ended up living with us for about 6 months. We were like sisters almost, and Ang, since we spent almost every waking moment together. Anyways, It was wild seeing her again and Ang and I plan on visting her and Pedro in Miami this coming summer. Love ya Priscy, aka Super Girl!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents house. My mom made all the traditional Thanksgiving spread, and everything tasted wonderful (I enjoyed it so much, I had leftovers for the entire next week). Took a few snapshots of that night. Obviously, you can see that my family is always breaking out a game when we are all together, that night it was Jenga and Guess Who with Anna Kate. Then the adults broke out Masterpiece, a oldie but a goodie. I am so looking forward to the good times we will have during our Cutter Christmas.

Another New Experience....

2008-12-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have tried new things I have never done before. I'm not sure about you, but I love the feeling I get when I try some new, whether it be camping in the 17 degree woods without running water (which I did ust recently) or shoot some guns with my brother. The other day when I was at my parents, I got the chance to shoot with Tim. I was much better than I ever imagined with my aim. Tim kept telling me that it wasn't my first time, but I kept reassuring him that I have no memory of shooting a gun before, besides a bb gun or a pintball gun. Anyways, I love the fact that my parents live on land that is more private and we can do things like this. Who knows what my next adventure will be. I'll be sure to post pictures of whatever it will be.

First Progressive Dinner!

2008-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Let the Games Begin....

Olivia, Shaker, and Anna were not quite sure about this whole throwing pizza dough stuff.

I wasn't that great at this new experience of tossing the dough.

Brian really wanted me to capture some action shots. Nott too shabby.

Carrie was right up with the pros at tossing.

But MacGuyver was a true professional, seeing that he was the one who

made the dough and sauce from scratch.

These girls were on top of filling each pizza with the toppings.

Amanda was still amazed at Jason's skills.

Well, for a long while now I have heard my parents and their friends talk about progressive dinners. I always thought the idea would be neat, but never really knew enough people or places to progress to. Since I have gotten to know several girls from church that also have houses, I thought this would be a great idea for us to try. I threw it together kinda last minute with the help of the other wonderful hosts. We first met at Karens for Fruit and Salads around 5:30-6:30, then headed to Anna's for some appetizers (6:30-7:30), drove to the main course at Olivia's, which was Jason's made from scratch pizza (7:30-9). Lastly, we all headed to my house for dessert, my mom's wonderful 5 layer desert. We also broke out the Poll game (one of my all time favorites). I wish I would have taken pictures of all our adventures at each and every place, including Shakers run-in with the glass door. I did take a few of us all trying to be a professional pizza thrower, ( Like Jason aka MacGuyver)

Don't be a Scrooge!

2008-12-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

After winning the tickets to Scrooge play, I thought who better to take with me than my roomie, and two wonderful neices. Even though the play was a little too old for the girls, we all enjoyed it. What a classic story! and a great reminder to enjoy every moment with those we love and not to lose sight of what the real reason for this season is, its isn't named CHRISTmas for nothing you know...

Three Little Princesses!

2008-11-24T18:31:00.001-08:00

There is just something about little girls. I love these three little girls. I have seen each one of them since birth, grow up to be such sweeties. I told my sister that the more kids she has the sweeter they get...and the fifth child is always the sweetest, I know from personal experience, lol. Anyways, just had to show a couple shots I got from the other night when I babysat all three of them on my own. I gotta give Bek some credit, three under five isn't easy. You def. stay on the go CONSTANTLY!! I am not quite sure how any mom does it, but I wonder what kind of mindset my mom was in when she had five kids under ten...hmm, I wonder sometimes. I am just joking mom, you did a wonderful job, as does Bek, Joy, and all the other mom friends I have out there (including you, Heather). Someday (hopefully), I will have my own little ones, hopefully AK won't be old enough to babysit quite yet, and then I will drop my little ones off at Aunt Becky's house...lol. Those will be the days. Aren't kids the best?

My Roomies Got Hitched!!

2008-11-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

On November 8th, I got to be part of my roommate Rebecca's wedding. It was so exciting since I had lived with her for a year and a half and had seen their relationship grow. Seeing them date, get engaged, make wedding plans, and now get married was neat to be able to see first hand. Anyways, they ask me to be their wedding director. I was floored and wasn't sure how this all would work but I accepted, and was very excited about the opportunity to put what people skills and organizational skills I have to use for a exciting and meaningful event. They decided on the Rock Quarry Garden by Cleveland Park. To be honest, I was kinda worried about the weather, since South Carolina's weather is completely unpredictable, BUT they couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!!! It ws truly a perfect fall day, with leaves falling down throughout the day. I was excited to be part of pinning corsages, directing the wedding party, saving parking spots, handing off bouquets, setting up the wedding decorations, telling where the chairs were to be set up at, calling Mariel who was driving Rebecca around during the strart of the ceremony, and much more. I had a BLAST!! Everything went smoothly and it was a BEAUTIFUL wedding. I am so glad that I had the chance to be part of their special day. Thanks Seth and Rebecca in trusting me with a piece of your day. I hope you two have a God centered relationship and grow closer everyday. Love ya guys!

Fun with Leaves!

2008-11-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

These pictures are past overdue, but I just had to post these pictures of BGC and Blake playing outside with the leaves. As you can see, Brooklynn's obsession these days (well ever since I can remember is animals, more specifically sea animals) and Blake's obsession is any type of ball. (I have never seen a little more, not even two years old, be so consumed with a round object. Anyways, I have been LOVING living just down the street from these two little munchkins. They are so much fun to be around. They are truly growing up way too fast!!

Singles Retreat!

2008-11-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

While everyone else was trick or treating, I had the oppurtunity to go on a one night singles retreat with my church group. It was a wonderful time away to meet new people and get to know those who I didn't know very well, as well as just spend time with friends. We headed to Clemson on Friday evening, and were heading back about 24 hours later. Although it was a short time period, the Lord really worked in many heart about the topic of Christian Liberties. I wrestled with some issues and realized it wasn't what I thought or grew up with, it was about what God had to say about the issue in his Word. Also, that just because my opinion differed, I had NO right to judge. Anyways, here are a few pics that I stole from others who went. Around 40 people went, and I was truly blessed by going.

Hiking with the girls....and one boy!

2008-10-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, I had Friday as a workday and Monday off as an exchange day (get enough after school hours and earn a workday off). The girls decided to come down and visit. Liz came from Charleston, with Mandy (her new dog) and Angela came form Asheville with Dustin (her significant other, lol). We had a great time. Friday night, we went downtown to eat Chinese. We tried to walk around, but it started to downpour. Saturday, we got up and headed out to Table Rock to go hiking. It was a perfect day and the weather couldn't have been better. Mariel wasn't feeling so great on the way home though, and we didn't see much of her for the rest of the weekend. It was exciting since the girls hadn't seen my house since the furniture was moved in. I still cannot believe that we all have been away from NGU for 2 and half years. It feels like yesterday that we were being our crazy selves in Brashier. Those were the years.

Future Soccer Player!

2008-10-27T17:03:00.001-07:00

AnnaKate was involved in a community soccer team, which played all their games just down the street from my house. It was great to be able to watch her play on a weekly basis. She has gotten very aggressive and is actually VERY good for a 5 year old. Anyways, I was a slacker at taking pictures, but did snap this one of her in action, while her girly girl sister was posing on the grass. I can't wait to see what next years games involve.

Another Competition!

2008-10-26T18:02:00.001-07:00

So this was two years ago....
Distrubing I know, I apoligize...If you didn't know, we went to a Bible Halloween Costume party as a Person, Place, and Thing (Eve, Garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil)

I was then Mrs. Jolly Green Giant...

And one year ago.... (Valen dressed up as The Giving Tree)

This year....

This past Saturday, my elementary school had a Fall Festival. I couldn't believe how many people showed up. Part of the activites if a teacher costume parade. Since I already had my costume from the last two years, I thought I would give it another use. I thought why not, when I could have the chance to win some kind of prize and the kids would think it was great! After walking around the entire school, passing hundreds of people, people were able to vote by placing tickets in whichever teacher's bucket they thought was the best. Needless to say, I WON 1ST PLACE!! I was stoked to win, since I am new at this school. Even BGC got to be part of the chaos, which included eating lots of cotton candy and having her aunt attempt to paint a shark on her face. She later told me "you arn't very good at drawing sharks, but my mommy and daddy are very good at drawing sharks". Oh yeah, my fellow Cohortor Lauren works at the same school as me, and she dressed up as Wall-E, how adorable!

A LONG, cold, and very wet day!

2008-10-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, four of the eight fourth grade classes (100 students and 20 or so chaporones) took a field trip to Camp Greenville, which is near Table Rock, N.C. It was possibly the worst day to choose to go, since it was calling for 100% chance of rain and around 40 degrees. None the less, we boarded the Charter buses (which were SUPER nice) and left around 8:30 am, which was minutes after a tornado drill. Shortly after we arrived, the rain started to come down. Just picture more than 100 students without many umbrellas, walking around outside and inside and back and forth between builings and bee hives. By the end of the day, I thought every kid would be sick and frozen. We all made it, and we safely arrived back at school at around 9 pm. It was def. a field trip that I will never forget.

Scarecrow Decorating Contest!

2008-10-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am very competitive. Basically, if you are a Cutter, you were born wanting to win. So when my school announced a competition between the classes with decorating a scarecrow, I immediately got excited. After discussing ideas with my kids, they ended up deciding on half Obama and half McCain. My room mom was fantastic with getting all the supplies. I thought it would be cute if the kids wrote facts about the candidates on stars and pinned them on. The final prodcut was super cute, and we ended up winning first place out of all the 4th grades (8 classes). Here are some pictures of us putting it all together.

Fall for Greenville!!

2008-10-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Becky called me and invited me to go to Fall for Greenville, which is a yearly event downtown with lots of booths, food, rides, etc. All five of us girls made our way downtown, and it was a beautiful day. By 3 or so, it was so crowded that we could barely walk through the streets. I just love these girls. there's nothing like a sister that is for sure!

Sleepover!

2008-10-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to have all three girls attempt to sleepover. I first had all three of them at FATZ to eat dinner. We then headed home to play barbies, littlest pet shop, and fisher price fake food. We then watched Tom and Jerry while eating popcorn. By that time, it was about 10:30 pm...and the girls were all crashing hard. After reading a book or two, Lauren was out, and BGC was ready to go sleep in her bed. Rich came and picked her up and Ifinally got AK asleep. Poor Lauren rolled off the bed a time or two..as soon as AK woke up, she jumped up to play Barbies again, we even set up a whole wedding...lol. I would love to have them over again, they are just too much fun!!

A Very Exciting Small Suprise!

2008-09-18T14:36:00.001-07:00

After school on Wednesday, I had a message from my old freshman in college roommate, telling me that her and her husband AND her 4 week old son was in Greenville onlye minutes from my house dropping off her mother in law at the airport. They currently live in Athens, GA. Anyways, I was soooo excited to meet little Sam and see Rachael and Jay and catch up with them and all the exciting things that have happened since December, which is the last time I had seen them. Craziness. Again, It was sooo great to see them. Little Sam was such a busy babydoll.

LOVE being an Aunt!

2008-09-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I called Bek to see if I could stop by. I ended watching Marlee sleep, and then taking Lauren around town on a couple errands. Thought I would document our day...

1st: Barbies, just a note after changing their clothes Lauren told me that al three of them were getting married and their friend was going to sing E-I-E-I-O at the wedding, too funny

2nd:Puzzles, this girl kicks butt at putting puzzles together, and has the attention span to do many at a time....

3rd: Miracle Hill, we found another puzzle, lol...

4th Her favorite resturant, Chick Fila for her request of some french fries and ice cream

5th: Lowes to pick up some paint for my dollhouse that I am redoing. She insisted that she was going to help me paint.

6th: MORE barbies, along with fake food, and littlest pet shop with her new best friend Mariel!

Back to her house we went, then AK and I headed to my parents house to pick blueberries, although she didnt pick but 10 blueberries, she did find Uncle Tim out there, which she was so excited to "watch shoot"

Came back and got the chance to see marlee awake and looking around. She is such a little peanut, got a couple cute shots, Enjoy this little 6 lb 10 oz bundle of joy!

I just LOVE being an aunt!

Home at Last!

2008-09-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

I never did post that Marlee made it home. I got to take Bek to the hospital on Friday night, exactly a week after I spent the night at the hospital with her on Marlee's first night. While we were headed to the hospital, we saw the brightest rainbow I have ever seen. It was pretty cool to see all the colors so vividly. It just just another sign to us how GREAT God is. So easily we forget, since we are all caught up with things around us. Anyways she came home on last Saturday afternoon and is doing well. We are so blessed to have little Marlee Shayne here!

A Literal Zoo in My Classroom!

2008-09-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

So last Tuesday (which was like a Monday because of Labor Day), my classroom felt a little crazy. First thing in the morning during writing, I was teaching away until the kids yelled spider. I looked down, and I swear I saw the largest spider ever. I obviously stayed calm and smashed it with a pot I had in the classroom. Then a couple hours later, after finally calming the whole class down (they are a little talkative) some boys were chit chatting over by the computers...after publicly asking hat was wrong, they told me that there was a snake. Thinking they were kidding, I peeked under the computer table and low and behold this is what I found. I am telling you, teaching brings crazy days, and unexpected excitement. Who knows what will come next. And I thought mice were bad...lol

Our Little Peanut, Marlee Shayne!

2008-09-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

I got to go wth Mom and Becky to see Marlee around 5 tonight. I was glad to have the chance to go. She looks really good and the hole in her lung has closed completely. I got to snap a few pictures while Becky got to feed her half of the bottle, the rest they put in her feeding tube. She is such a little peanut. Continue to pray for marlee to continue to heal and for Becky, as I cannot imagine not being able to be near your newborn. For more updates, read Becky's blog http://highsmithgirls.blogspot.com/. Thanks to all who are praying....

My School of Fish!

2008-08-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

I havent posted much about my new school/class/coworkers/etc since school had begun. I just finished my second week of teaching and I have been through every emotion in the book.

Overwhelmed - with all the new procedures of how to do things Scared- or meeting my kids, parents, new coworkers, and doing everything the right way Sad-thinking of my old coworkers and knowing I will not see them everyday Uneasy-of all the desicions I have made that I now have to live with, there's no going back Happy-Meeting new faces at Meet the Teacher and on the first day of school Satisfied- Knowing where this is where I need to be, and where God has me Relieved- that I know that this is hopefully where I will be for several years Overjoyed- on having to drive only 2 miles, I don't have to fill up my tank two times a week, yay Rested- Getting to sleep in til 6:30 (which sares me everyday,with a late feeling) Scattered- with planning, being prepared, and simple procedures throughout the day Disorganized- if you saw my desk, car, room, and bookbag you would understand Excited- about all the oppurtunities to grow as a teacher at my new wonderful school Lost- not knowing anyone, different class, area, and personalities to what I am used to... Alone- being new is never easy, no matter how old, or what change is going on...

Although I have had good and bad feelings, things are going well. I LOVE my kids this year. I am not sure why, but I just miss my kids from last year still,we all had a super special bond, which I am not I will ever have with another bunch of kids again. I also had an extra special bond with my coworkers from last year, and the year before. I am not sure that I will ever get another group to be so transparent, helpful, thoughtful, and just plain old loving as those groups. Please continue to pray that I get completely in the swing of things, and get my act together. It def. have been a roller coaster ride.

Six Pounds of pure CUTENESS!

2008-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share the few pictures I had from the first visit to the hospital (Friday, about 8 hours after she was born). My camera is charged now and ready to take more pictures, perhaps Labor Day events tomorrow. Thought I would share these precious pictures of the six pounds of pure cuteness with all. Enjoy!

I look pretty rough, what can I say, I was running around, at the hospital til midnight and got up at 6....ran straight to the hospital after dealing with 23 4th graders on a Friday, burning up recess, assembly with 500 kids in the gym that as 100 degrees...you get the point...

Proud Parents of 5 and Grandparents of 5...My dad said that was enough, oh no...
All AK needed to calm down is Webkinz website, lol
ADORABLE!!

Little Miss Marlee, Our Girly Girl!

2008-08-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

Becky called this morning and asked if I wanted to come see little Marlee, obviously I jumped up out of bed and ran over there. It was great to be able to see my little peanut. The doctor did say she does has pneumonia, but she is on an IV and the hole in her lung is closing. She is just so beautiful, I just hated seeing her in NICU, but knew that was the best place for her. While I was there, she started to get mad and we both soon figured out it was because she had a dirty diaper, she HATES to be dirty, what a girly girl she is already. She actually got to get some milk today, which is a great sign. She is going to be there for a week, so please pray that she continues to grow and heal, and please pray for Becky, Shane and the girls as they will be missing their little baby girl back at home. Hope to post pictures soon.

PRAY for MARLEE!

2008-08-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

After left the hospital, my mom called me and told me that Marlee wasn't getting enough oxygen. They checked and said there was a hole in her lung. She is in the NICU for 48 hours. My mom has talked to Bek and said that everything is going well and she is doing well. They say the hole should heal up by itself. Please pray for little baby Marlee for her as she continues to get better. I keep seeing how God has worked in Marlee's arrival. Several biggies are the girls weren't with Bek when she went to her roller coaster ride doctors appointment, even though it was only suppose to be 20 minutes. The doctor kept her at the hospital even when the hospital said she should go home, induced when they did to find out that her cord had a knot in it, her heart rate was fine when she was born, mom and bek called the nurse to ask about feeding to actually find out about her lung/breathing. They are both in the hospital, right where they need to be, to get the rest, healing, and help they need...God is in control! Love you Marlee...and Becky and Shane!

Marlee Highsmith is Here!

2008-08-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Arriving 2 weeks early, my fourth niece was born on Friday at around 9 in the morning. To make a long story short, Becky went in for a check up and they couldn't find Marlee's heartbeat. To God's glory, her heartbeat was finally found and they were rushed to the hospital. The decided to induce since her heartbeat was still not completely stable. Thankfully they did because when they delivered they found out that her cord was in a knot. She weighed 6 lbs 2 oz. and has a full head of dark hair. She looks completely different than her sisters and is just beautiful. I got to spend the night with Becky and Marlee on Friday night while Shane was home with the girls. I still can't get over how little she is. Continue to pray that she grows and is able to put up with those two big sisters of hers. I know how big sisters can be, and those who think big brothers are bad, they're nothing, lol. I wil try to post more pictures later, my camera battery is dead and some dumb dog chewed up my charger. Wecome into this crazy world little Marlee, I love you already so much!

Just HAD to share...

2008-08-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Was looking for pictures to print out for my living room and came across these...thought you would enjoy seeing them. Crazy thinking of all the years that have past...

Almost There...

2008-08-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

My classroom is almost there....these pictures were taken a few days ago, and more has been completed but just to keep you posted...I am alive and as nervous as ever...Our school had a "Meet the Teacher" night and I got to meet 20 out of the 24 students who are in my class. They seemed like wonderful kiddos and I cannot wait to get to know them and their individual personalities. Please pray for me as I try to remain calm during such a hectic week, as everything is new to me. I hope to get all the kids on the right bus and make sure they know their car number. I also hope I don't get lost in this massive school with a line of 24 kids following after me laughing, lol. I also keep having the nightmares of my students being disrespectful to me. I am not quite sure why, but after having two dreams about it, it kinda freaks me out. I know it must sound crazy, but try to imagine being in a new school and in a room with 24 10 year olds and them all being disrespectful to you...if thats not scary to you, you are one brave soul. (Heather all these pictures are really for you, lol)

This bookshelf is one of my favorites, I got it at Hallmark when they were going out of business. This summer I separated all the science books I had and made labels for different slots. Trying to keep something organized.

I stole this idea from Heather. I am going to have their pictures to put on each fishbowl (probably making a fishface), and periodically I will stick a post it on their bowl with an encouraging word
If you are wondering what the writings on the bulletin board are outside my door, they are letters my kids from last year wrote to my "future students" telling them things about me and having me as their teacher. They're pretty funny actually...

Housewarming Party

2008-08-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Joy and Bek threw the most wonderful housewarming party I could imagine. They came 40 minutes before it began and just magically threw everything together so perfectly. The food was amazing, the favors were just too cute, the punch was out of this world, the house was spotless, and the visitors were oh so special. Although I was a complete slacker and didn't take any pictures during the party, I did get one right at the very end of my former coworkers and myself below my letters (which I still havent hung the frames under. I think it's pretty cool to look back and remember the countless memories I had with these wonderful ladies during my first year of teaching (without them I definitely would have quit altogether).

I also want to thank everyone else for dropping by and all the wonderful gifts I received:

Mom and Dad/ Rich and Joy with Brooklynn & Blake/Tim/ Corey and Mike & Grady/Heather & Ella/Carolyn/Charlene/Claire/Elizabeth/Karen/Olivia/Melinda & Quinn/Mariel/Shannon and Tom & the kids/Rebecca and Seth

Thanks to my wonderful Sister and Sister in Law, I had quite an amazing day, Thanks again!

Change Isn't Always Easy!

2008-08-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been feeling a bit in shock with so many changes going on in my life. Buying a house, moving to a new area, transferring schools, new coworkers, new families/students, new administration, new classroom, new county/district, etc.... I talked to my friend about it the other day, and she made me realize that people do okay with one huge change to their life, but when it is multiple huge changes in their life at once it makes them kinda feel unbalanced. I have always been one who loves change (moving furniture around, drastic haircuts, and always trying something new) but lately I feel like I have bit off much more than I knew I could chew, well chew and swallow very easily. I know all these changes are good changes, but they are changes. I LOVE being closer to my family, I LOVE driving less than 2 miles to work, LOVE spending less money on gas, I LOVE my new house (no more renting), and there are many other perks, but I guess I have never gone through so much changes since I have been on my own. I know I will like my new "life", but it's this transition time that gives me such a topsy turvy feeling. Change hurts sometimes, which I never thought I would say before...

Decorating...

2008-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have had so much fun decorating my house. Although it is not completely done, I did finish these letters. With the help of heather, I modge-podged some scrapbook paper and added some buttons and some ribbon. Thanks Heather for the idea and the help. More pictures of my house will be coming....

Shower for Marlee Highsmith!

2008-08-10T13:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Becky's Church had a Baby Shower for her and little Marlee Kristen Highsmith. Bek is due on Sept 15th, and we are all so excited to welcome this new little baby girl in our big happy family. AK and Lauren are stoked about getting a baby sister, and hopefully it will stay that way. I cannot wait to meet Marlee and know she will be one extra special little girl. Congrats Bek and Shane!

A Crazy Saturday I Will Never Forget!

2008-08-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, My sister in law, Joy, convinced me to attend this sidewalk sale at a grocery store, random I know. She is pretty good at convincing though. Her parents, her naigher and her friend, and my parents were also going to go. I told Mariel about it and she was totally all about going. We left the house at around 8 and were there in time for the craziness to start at 9. Basicall you fill this big banana box up for only $6, the catch is that there are like more than 100 people trying to get the same groceries as you are. Mariel and I each filled one box, you would have thought we would have gotten more, but the craziness only lasted for like 15-20 minutes before everything good was gone...anyways, never a dull moment with the Cutter Clan. Thanks Joy, and Thanks Mariel for coming...lol

Sleepover with BGC!

2008-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

In her element, she's obsessed with anything that lives in the water..

Oh I love this girl...notice the pop up tarantula, not the typical girly girl

Notice BRUCE...and how focused she is on Tom and Jerry!
I never knew what I was getting into when I invited BGC (my 3 year old, very active neice) to come spend the night. She was overjoyed, and looks forward to any chance to leave her house, lol. I decided to take her to her two favorite places, besides the Z-O-O and the Aquarium, Target and Petsmart! I swear that girl could stay in any pets store for hours just looking at all the things. I then went back to her house to pick up her things, p.j.'s and BRUCE (her shark that is the same size as her) and her other "baby shark". After giving mommy and daddy a quick hug and kiss she was running out to the car ready to go to "my house". I forgot to mention that I tried to get a few things at Target to keep us busy for a couple hours, aka wear this energy filled girl out. I ended up with a Tom and Jerry DVD (best $5 I have ever spent, lol), sidewalk chalk, and a shark watergun (in the $1 aisle). I tried to convince BGC that it would be fun to play with sidewalk chalk for a little while before it got dark, that didn't last when she knew there was a Tom and jerry DVD and a package of popcorn inside waiting for her. After taking a bath, we read the "bug books", and watched almost all the 14 episodes of good old Tom and Jerry. Needless to say, she was wide awake at 10:30 when we made our way upstairs to go to bed. When I got into bed at 11, she was still sitting straight up wanting me to read a shark book to her, surprise, surpise! She probably fell asleep around 12....I must have woke up at least 10 times with that squriming girl in my bed. She also def. woke up before 7, asking to watch Tom and Jerry again, lol. After making pancakes, I caught a small nap, while BGC sat on my back and continued to watch T & J. I loved having her over and would do it again in a heartbeat. I did gain some more respect for joy though, not sure how you keep her entertained 24/7, lol. Life is just so fun being an aunt.

After Day 3

2008-08-05T20:02:00.001-07:00

I finally labeled each tub to know what is where...
It's incredible how many staples and post-its a teacher can have...
A little bulletin board for my Everyday Counts, Calendar Math
My desk...notice my drawers with organizers in them...
Some "sciency" pictures to decorate the back wall (used them 2 years ago)

Finally getting somewhere....

I Owe These Two BIG Time!

2008-08-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

So, I never quite knew how exhausting painting is until I started. After getting the kitchen and a little bit of the dining room, and the hallway done...I was kinda sick and tired of seeing paint. When the girls came to celebrate for my birthday, they kindly offered to help finish all the ridiculous amount of painting that was still to be done. I truly owe these two girls so much...I guess when they buy a house, I know what I will be doing...Thanks again girls!!!

After Day Two...

2008-08-05T18:51:00.001-07:00

Bought some tubs at Dollar Tree that I love and that are the perfect width and depth, yes, pathetic that I get excited about $1 plastic tubs...
Two Student Computers, something that I have never had before..
Books are getting more and more organized...
My computer and desk...
Moved the Desks/Chairs to where they need to be...

After Day 1

2008-08-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

I halfway sorted the books, well nonfiction/fiction...and pulled out the "baby books" for my sister who will be homeschooling my 5 year old neice, AK.
Way too many books...Miracle Hill is amazing, what can I say...also I will admit, I have an addiction..
Where my rug and rocking chair will be, love the window...
Trying to get all organzied, but these tubs were too deep, so the doors wouldn't close...
All my paper junk...

My New Classroom. Before Day 1.

2008-08-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, since Heather insisted I put some pics of my new classroom on here and not only that but pics of everytime I spend some time in there, to see my progress, here they are Heather. I went to my new classroom the first time on the last week of July. It seems overwhelming when you look at these before pictures. Kinda makes me kinda sick to be honest with you. Anyways here is at the begininng of Day 1.

Valen's BEAUTIFUL Wedding!

2008-08-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

By the way, it's been forever since I have posted because my computer wouldn't load pictures for some crazy reason, so I finally found my cord in the midst of the unpacking and am so glad I can finally drop these pics off and share them with you.

It was pretty neat to be able to watch and experience getting to know Valen at the same time, seeing her in every stage of her pre-married life. I met her May 2007 at the end of the school year, knowing that I would work with her the following year. Hit it off with her, loved that she was so outgoing and easygoing at the same time. I then worked with her last summer while getting our classrooms ready. About the same time she got engaged. Her ring was GORGEOUS! She then went through every stage of wedding plans there was. All of us girls loved to ask about all the details. Then there was the time that her wedding ring was lost and she noticed it at about 3:00 p.m. after all the kiddos had left already. After a frantic search (and when I say frantic, I mean like hands and knees, etc) and even a walk to the day care across the street that a couple of her kids went to, we found it sitting right on her desk....anyways needless to say, we were all anticipating the BIG DAY! I was so excited to actually see all the things that Valen had mentioned and see them altogether. Tony and Valen's Wedding was absolutley gorgeous and went so smoothly, besides a stubborn unity candlestick. Congrats again guys! I am so happy for the both of you!

My Already Greatly Missed Fabulous Coworkers!

2008-08-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

My fabulous coworkers (minus Corey) called and wanted to take me out to lunch for my birthday! We ended up going out to FATZ cafe and I ended up showing them my half painted/unfurnished house. Notice the green kitchen behind us, which looks a lot more lemon-lime than what it actually looks like. I love all these girls so much and will truly miss them dearly this coming year,

Look at this Little MAN!

2008-08-05T13:12:00.002-07:00

Blake got a haircut recently and he has instantly transformed from a little baby to a little man!! Just thought you would like to see pictures of the little man, oh how I could just eat him up!

Three Bathing Beauties!

2008-07-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

The other day, Becky had a doctor's appointment and I decided it would be a great chance to spend some time with the girls, before I knew it I was picking BGC up to go to the pool with us. After arriving at Rich's subdivision pool and finding it closed, we ended up driving over to Todd's pool, where Becky met us. I had a ball spending the day with my three beautiful neices, In only 6 more weeks, I will have 4 neices..well that's what the doctors say at least...I just love seeing these little squirts grow up...

Daddy's Fan Club!

2008-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

The other night I was at Rich and Joys, and right before I left Rich wanted to show me something on the internet, before I knew it I looked down in his lap to find two adorable kids that were completely chilling out. How cute is this pic! They love their dad, that is for sure...

Simply Incredible!

2008-07-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post these pictures of the largest, most amazing rainbow I have ever seen. I was in the Target parking lot, when I kept seeing people just standing around looking up. When I looked to see what they were looking at I was floored. It was the complete half-circle, with each color standing out. I know pictures don't do justice, but had to post a couple, simply amazing!!

Trip to Charleston

2008-07-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Since Mariel picked up and drove Liz to Greenville, Ang and I decided what better time to go to the beach than to take Liz back and enjoy a couple days in Charleston. We made it to the beach twice, but after only a couple hours of sun, it rained both days. The second day, we alos had a run in with the birds, and ssw some amazing dolphins right near us, pretty incredible...We did get to do some fabulous shoppingat the outlets and downtown. We even ran into NateDog and his friends. I just love Charleston!

A Unforgettable Trip to Atlanta

2008-07-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Dinner on our last night in the ATL

Us being silly...

COUSINS!

Out to Dinner at Two Urban Licks...Delicious!

There's the Aquarium...Yay!

We got to sit on the American Idol Couch...
Awesome Decorations..
Another 4-D Show, this one was not as cheesy..

even had someting in the back of your chair to poke you
On the MARTA
Waiting on Breakfast at the Flying Biscuit...YUMMY!

She was soo excited that she found Anderson Cooper on the wall, since she didn't find him inside
We weren't able to take any pics inside, so we took one outside.
It was so wild to see so many different kinds from so many different countries.
Tasted soo many kinds of Coke (over 40)
This face was for real, she couldn't handle several sodas (pretty funny)

Under this tunnel, which was my favorite part (well one of them)
In Front of some cheesy 4-D Show we saw...
Begula Whale
WHALE SHARK!
This is how thick the fiberglass was....craziness!

Every summer, we (Mariel, Liz, Angela, and I) try to go on some kind of road trip, usually to a place we have not been before. Since we were not rolling in the dough this year, and since ga is at a all time high, we decided to stick to a place nearby. We finally decided on Atlanta, aka the ATL. Ang didn't make it since she had workshops for her new teaching position. Mariel, Liz and I made our way down to the wonderful state of Georgia on Wednesday morning. After a unplanned trip to the outlets (who can resist), we were headed to the zoo. After some unplanned rain, and our several attempts to get to Ikea with some crazy construction, we ended up going straight to Michelle's (Mariel's cousin). We also had some good Mexican food that night. Thursday, we took the Marta (amazing by the way if you are not wanting to drive) to breakfast at the Flying Biscuit (very good food) and then on to the GA Aquarium. It was INCREDIBLE, if you haven't been, try to go someday. We were planning on doing so much more that day, but we stayed at the aquarium for a couple hours. Michelle made us a wonderful chicken dinner that night. On Friday, we ventured downtown again and made it to the CNN Tour and the World of Coca Cola. Both of these place were very interesting and totally worth our money and time. That evening, we ate lunch at this diner downtown and then visited Underground Atlanta (I was not impressed). We then booked it to the Botanical Gardens that were in Midtown, since it was the only place in our CityPass that was open later than 5. We made it in time, but after walking miles, found out it was closed for a concert. So while having sweat run down our necks, we decided to have a quick stop at a Mexican restaurant. We finally made it back to Michelle's and slept very good that night. On Saturday, we slept in, then headed to Ikea and H&M with Michelle as our chauffeur. We also stopped in for a movie. We then booked it to get dressed for dinner at Two Urban Licks. This place had live music and the food was AMAZING! On Sunday, we packed up and was headed to the Zoo again...but the weather had other plans. There was a MONSOON...so we never did make it to the Zoo. I had a blast, and made memories that I will NEVER forget. Thanks girls for such an amazing time.

Micah comes to Visit!

2008-07-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Right after Mom and Dad left town, Micah came into town. He and Tim were planning a trip to Washington D.C., but had a few days to spend in Greenville before they left. We all got together at Becky's to hang out, since we rarely are all together. It is always fun to be able to get together with all my siblings and enjoy each other's company.

A Day in Asheville

2008-07-16T21:34:00.001-07:00

Since we weren't able to work out a time that all four of us could go on vacation, Mariel, Liz, and I made our way up to Asheville to spend the day with Ang before we left for Atlanta. We had a good time walking around looking at all the neat shops (although we didn't have enough time to make any beaded jewlery). We even ran into Tim and Micah downtown. It was really my first time walking around downtown. I really enjoyed the city and will def. make my way up there to visit again very soon.

A Day with Blakester!!

2008-07-16T21:26:00.001-07:00

While my parents were in town, Joy and Bek planned a trip the Georgia Aquarium. I offered to watch Blakester since I was going to Atlanta the following week with my friends. I had a blast with Blake, he was absolutely perfect. After taking a great nap in the morning, he and I decided to invite Heather, Liz, Trish, and the kids over to the pool. We had a lot of fun. It was just too bad that Trish and Heather didn't get into the water, lol.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Teapot!! Love the look on BGC's face...

Because my parents left the morning of the fourth, Rich and Joy invited Tim and I over to celebrate the 4th with them and the kids. They broke down and got the "colon cleansing" fireworks. The fireworks were GREAT, and we also got to check out other several other peoples fireowrks from their driveway. Nothing like a night full of excited kids and loud fireworks.

Happy 3rd of July!

2008-07-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that my parents got to be in Greenville on the 3rd of July. We all had a great time at their house celebrating. Tim and Rich went to buy some fireworks, and they did a great job of setting them off. All the kids loved the fireworks, except AnnaKate. She was just a little overwhelmed with all the loud booms. I just love seeing how they all react to new and exciting things. Happy 4th of July!!

I'm a HOMEOWNER!!!

2008-06-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

Basically, I am in a state of unbelief. I cannot believe I actually am going to live in my OWN townhouse! After signing and initialing tons of papers, I got my key! I posted a few pics of what it looked like before....I have already bought light fixtures. I have also found a very nice refrigerator that will fit perfectly. Bascially I am sooo excited!! I would love to have everyone over whether it's ust to hang out, play games, or eat...I am sooo excited to live in town!!

Shucking Corn with PawPaw!

2008-06-30T20:46:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was little, I can remember my dad being an expect on anything about corn (especially shucking it, lol). Dad got to teach the girls while they are still young enough to enjoy finding gross worms in the ears. Anyways, thought these were such cute pictures...Love being around these hilarious little girls! They have grown up sooo fast already, I just hope they don't grow up too fast and I don't enjoy every minute I can and remember the important things in life. (hours with family and not spending it at school)

My Other Brother!

2008-06-30T20:38:00.001-07:00

I never get to put pictures up of my entire family, and usually the missing piece of the puzzle is my older brother Micah. He is 5 year older than me and he still lives in Bloomington, Illinois. He is a co-owner of a auto-body shop called Good Guys Autobody. I was so glad to be able to see and hang out with him. He is always so much fun and no one has a dull moment when he's around. I love you Mi-Mi! (what I called him when I couldn't pronounce anything as a kid!)

On the Move Again!!

2008-06-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Their new apartment.

My mom has a way of making every place feel so homey in a matter of an hour...a true talent!

Their 18th? house in the last 36 years...craziness!
Little did we know how much stress this truck would cause us!
The new homeowners (my parent's friends the Turbetts!!)

I am not quite sure how many times my parents have moved since they have been married, and to be honest with you I don't think they know the exact number. I think they have said it is over fifteen. Anyways , they say this is the last of their moves. While I was in Illinois, I was able to see their adorable 1 bedroom apartment up in Normal, Illinois. They moved everything from their house to the new house down here...with a few bumps in the road (which is understandable with driving a 26 ft truck through many countless states). We finally made it back down South! It's strange, never thought that Illinois wouldn't feel like home, but South Carolina def. does!! There is just something about the mountains and the ocean being in driving distances....

Kelsi's Wedding!!

2008-06-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

We were sooo excited to be at the wedding, if you can't tell already!

The tent which you can see behind us was absolutely gorgeous!
Stole these from Emily's facebook, just had to post them, how adorable are they??

Loved how both of her parents walked her down the aisle. Super Precious!
Friends from Highschool! So, these are random, but with having the reception in a large tent, Ang and I thought that the bathrooms wouldn't be 1st class, but were we wrong or what! This truck was attached to the tent and had these amazing bathrooms inside!

Beautiful flowers that she got at Costco in bulk, another amazing idea!
Their cake was a cupcake tower, super cute idea and they tasted DELICIOUS!!!

The sparklers were such a great way to exit to the get away car!!
These pictures basically explain the whole day. It was such an amazing and beautiful wedding. It was sooo Kelsi. I loved every minute of it. Congrats Kels and Eric!!

Bachlorette PARRR-TAY!

2008-06-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Since we got in on Saturday night, we had the chance to hang out with Kels and her friends and bridesmaids. We first went to eat at Kobe Japanese , then headed back to the hotel for some more random fun along with some sparkling grape juice and some cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Oh, I loved the games we played and loved the look on Kels's face when we busted open our horse/llama pinata...GOOD TIMES!!

The Best Roadtrip Buddy!!

2008-06-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

When the speedlimit was actually 55mph, opps...

The main reason I made my trip up to the Midwest was for my friend Kelsi's Wedding. It was in Columbus, Ohio so once I flew from Charlotte to Bloomington on Wed. night, then drove form Bloomington to Columbus with Ang on Saturday. The wedding was on Sunday, and we left on Monday to Bloomington. It was soooo nice to be able to spend the whole weekend with my highschool friend Angie. She now lives in Wisconsin, so we don't get to see each other but once a year. We always have a blast on any type of roadtrip, the 12 hours on the road together, seemed like only a couple of hours. She and I get along so well, we both kept telling each other that it seemed like we had just hung out yesterday. We never have awkward moments with each other, just a bunch of laughing at ourselves and mentally tuck it away to add to the hundreds of memories we already have. I love hanging out with this girl, she is just so funny and easy going.

**By the way, on the way up we got stuck in traffic for a couple hours and on the way home, we got a speeding ticket by a policeman who was standing on the side of the interstate waving his arms frantically...lol, pretty funny when I think about it, not so much at the time...lol, NEVER a dull moment!!

Megan the Mommy!

2008-06-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

During a short trip to Illinois, I was blessed with the chance to see my very good friend Megan. Megan and I were friends back in highschool, and I even had the oppurtunity to be her maid of honor a couple years ago. I hadn't seen her or Eric or her little girl Olivia for almost a year. Her small family is growing with the arrival of another little baby girl at the end of July. Eric and her had recently moved from Tennessee to Chicago, Illinois. I wish we lived closed to each other, but I LOVE these chances to catch up.

**Note that Megan is 8 months pregnant in these pictures, doesn't she look amazing!

A Night with Sidewalk Chalk....

2008-06-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Busy, Busy, Busy....
Love these kiddos...
Is she not something else or what...
Such a big boy...those hands and feet are soo big!
Before our masterpiece....
After...
I could eat this little boy up....TOO CUTE!!
She is actually looking at the camera!!
I love this shot...can see all his teeth..

I had a great time last night babysitting my niece and nephew. These two are too cute! We had a great time playing with sidewalk chalk on the driveway. I also taught BGC how to play duck, duck, goose...played hungry shark (me) trying to eat the baby fish (her)...read my favoirte book (found by BGC) I Love You Stinky Face....ate lots of healthy snacks (very impressive Rich and Joy)...had a special treat, sorbet (she told me you find it in the freezer)...had baths....tucked them in bed...read Madeline and Elmer...and then made up some crazy story about a shark named susie....As I have said before, I LOVE living near all my nieces and nephew...I am excited about moving even closer to all my family in Greenville in about a month!!

Valen's Second Bridal Shower!

2008-06-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Although I already posted pics of Valen's hilarious shower at our school, I wanted to post Valen's second bridal shower I went to. The shower was at her parent's house in Duncan, and it went so well. The food was amazing, especially these true Italian pastries called Bowties. Needless to say it will be a little while til I get comfortable with biting into anything with powder sugar. All I have to day is, Don't breathe in when your about to bite into something with powder sugar piled high on it. How embarrassing!! Heather and Corey got to come and enjoy the shower as well. It was so good to enjoy this time out of school to hang out with "school friends". Congrats again Valen. I cannot wait to see how beautiful your wedding will be, and how beautiful of a bride you will be.

A Joyous Birthday Celebration!!

2008-06-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last year at Wild Wings for Heather's 30th!!

This year at Kan Pai's for Heather's 31st!!

I bought all the girls the book, The Fungus that Ate my School.

They seemed to get a kick of it, lol.

I had the wonderful chance to go out for Japanese to celebrate Heather's birthday last Friday. Most 30 somethings wouldn't usually be excited to celebrate getting older, but this birthday was a quite different for Heather and the rest of us. Although it is always fun to be around these girls, this celebration was extra special for many reasons. We have all experienced bumps in the road this past year, but 8 weeks ago our lives were rocked when we heard that Heather was in a severe car accident. After a long hard journey, she came home with a long, slow recovery ahead of her. She has blown everyone away with her progress and we are all blessed to still have Heather with us. She not only is out of her wheelchair, but she is also not using a walker, she is walking ALL by herself. She has made incredible accomplishments and is becoming stronger everyday. There have been many other changes in all of our lives. Charlene went through heart surgery, Deb's health has improved drastically, and Carolyn's life has been nonstop. It is incredible to look back just one year and think how much everyone has grown in just a mere 365 days...I found this picture from Heather's birthday celebration exactly one year ago, and thought I would post it as well. Happy 31st Heather!! You have been such an encouragement to me, and you are alwasy constantly willing to listen to my ramblings...Love You!

These are heather's new flip flops, notice that she is standing on both feet!!

My Spontaneous Roommate...

2008-06-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

The other night, Mariel and I went downtown Greenville to enjoy the nice summer weather. After eating at Barley's and walking for miles, we headed home. Once getting to our aptartment complex, we thought it would be a great idea to go stick our feet in our nice pool. After feeling the warm water, my wonderful roommate got the bright idea of jumping in with all of our clothes on. After pinky promising that I would jump in if she jumped in....well the pictures tell the rest of the story...Love you Mariel!!

A VERY Special Gift....

2008-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Every teacher receives the traditional teacher mugs, bags, and ornaments for the various holidays and special occasions. But this year, I got several special going away gifts from my students. One sticks out most in my mind, a personalized picture on an afghan...I was shocked to see the picture that I had just sent home with my students the Friday before on this beautiful afghan.. This will def. be a gift I will cherish for a very long time. I miss my little kiddos already and am so excited about watching them grow up and become amazing young people!

Farewell Cutter Court!!

2008-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Farewell Cutter Court.....

It feels like yesterday that I was spending hours in this classroom getting it ready for my 3rd graders...and now it's empty again....

We took a lunch break and met Corey and little Grady for lunch at my absolute favorite Landrum resturant, the Hare and the Hound....It was great to be all together again...

These two girls gave their time and energy to help me move everything...if we look a little sweaty, its because it was like 95 degrees while moving...yuck!

Thank you Heather and Brian for letting me borrow your truck for the entire day!!!!Can you believe how much "junk" I have....Its incredible how much stuff you can collect over a short 3 years...
Hello New Classroom...
(and the many hours I will have to spend to get you ready)
So I am FINALLY completely moved into my new classroom. With the help of the BEST coworkers (Ashley and Valen), I got everything moved out of my old classroom in Landrum and into my new classroom in Greer. I feel so much anxiety about this move. Although, I know it is the best move for me and God has completely handed me this job, I am overwhelmed at the thought of started all over at such a HUGE school, having a new team, meeting so many new students, parents, and teachers....I am truly going to miss my O.P. Earle family. Thank you for being there for me during my first two years of teaching....Heather, Carolyn, Charlene (and Debbie) were with me every step of the way during my first year and even before when i was subbing for Deb. Without these three ladies, I would have been completely lost and probably quit long ago...and then having Ashley, Valen, and Corey this year was such a blessing...these girls were constantly encouraging me when times were tough...Thanks so much to all of you...You will never know how thankful I am to each of you for all you did for me...Please keep in touch!! and Teresa (I haven't forgotten about you) thank you for making me smile on a daily basis when I saw you in the hallways. I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Happy 5th Birthday!

2008-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

I dont know how my sister and sister in law do it, but they put on the cutest birthday parties...AK's 5th party was soo cute...Bindi, the jungle girl, was the theme and everyone had a blast. I cannot believe how much energy she has when she is 6 months pregnant in 100 degree weather with 15 other kids...she always amazes me....Everything was great and I am so glad I live close enough to be able to be part of their lives.

Exactly FIVE years ago....

2008-06-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

If I think back exactly FIVE years ago, I would have never guessed many things would be the way they are...I was just finishing up my freshman year of college at NGC (now NGU) and was in summer school. I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first neice, which was going to make me an AUNT for the very first time! I was sooo excited and could NOT wait! After waiting and waiting...since Becky several days over her due date, I finally headed to the hospital with my mom to be part of AnnaKate's arrival into this world. I will never forget how amazing it was to see her beautiful face for the very first time. It was like we all imagined what she looked like, but still had no clue....I cannot imagine life without this precious little girl. I will also never forget how big her blue eyes were and how they were just wide open and taking in everything. I also will never forget the many little moments I have had helping Becky and Shane with AK. Some of these include changing some of her first diapers, being able to help Becky since AK sometimes thought I was her mommy, the 9 hr Easter trip to Indiana that she screamed the ENTIRE time, staying over when AK, Shane, and I were all under the weather, drawing oversized clowns for her 1st birthday party, and so many more...Happy Birthday my precious AK! I cannot wait to continue to see how you grow up into an amazing young lady!! LOVE YOU!

HOT, HOTTER, HOTTEST!

2008-06-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

It has been too hot down here in South Carolina. It actually broke 100 a couple times this past week, breaking records in temperatures for early June. Although, there are some downers about living in an apartment, there is one HUGE benefit of living at a nice apartment complex...... a pool in the summertime. Just wanted to show off some pictures of my nieces at my pool so far this summer. Nothing like 90 degree weather the first of June down in South Carolina.

Valen's Bridal Shower!

2008-06-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

With only a few days of school left, Ash and I threw a shower for Valen since she is getting married in late July. I cannot thank Ashley enough for basically putting the whole things together, to liz for throwing an invitation together in a matter of minutes, and to Mrs. Belue and Corey for chipping in as well. I was pleasantly surprised that it went so smoothly. I think everyone enjoyed our food, including Gray's mini wedding cake, cookies, punch, and ice cream. The games went well too. The advice game gave Valen some very useful advice to use when married. I really wanted to spice things up with the classic toilet paper wedding dress game, I wasn't sure how it would go, since it was a teacher workday at 2 o'clock, and everyone was tired. I should have known that with teachers there is never a dull moment. We all enjoyed watching them design and make some wonderful dresses. CONGRATS Valen and Tony, I wish you both only the best!

My AMAZING TEAM!

2008-06-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

I honestly would NOT have made it through this school year if it wasn't for such a wonderful class and such amazingh coworkers. These three ladies have been there every single day for me, whether it was borrowing a book, watching my class, taking my early duty, lending a ear to listen to my ramblings, a shoulder to lean on, and much much more....Thank you girls for being so amazing!! I will miss you more than you can imagine!!

Last Days of Third Grade!!

2008-06-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

The last few days of school were wild, exciting, fun, but kinda sad in a way. This was the first class for me to have all day and teach all subjects. They will always be very special to me. These 24 students came into my third grade classroom the first day of school as scared, nervous, intimidated basically 2nd graders. When they began to walk in, I got more nervous by the second, knowing they would be looking up to me for some courage and comfort. Our class of 12 girls and 12 boys meshed together so quickly and easily. I had very few problems with students not getting along. They were always looking for ways to help each other and "be there" for each other. I told them on one of the very last days that although they think I have taught them many things, that in reality they have taught me much more. I am excited about my move to Woodland, but will miss my team immensely and will miss seeing familiar faces everyday. I plan on visiting my friends and now 4th graders next year sometime during the school year. Now that I have moved classrooms last summer and this summer, I am crossing my fingers hoping this is the last time I will have to move all my "junk" for many years...

These pictures are from the last few days including 3rd grade field day, last lunch, and awards day.....I was truly blessed to have such special students....

Greenville Drive Game!

2008-06-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

We also celebrated by going to see a Greenville Drive game. We got there a little late, and it was pretty crowded, but all in all, we had a blast. It was a shame that the Drive lost. Dad looked like a true Drive fan with his brand new jersey and baseball cap that he got for his birthday. This was my first Drive game, and hope to go to many, many more...

Happy 60th To My Dad!

2008-06-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Although my dad's 60th was on the 21st of May, my parents suprised us all and decided to to fly down for the long Memorial Day weekend. We all met them at the airport and surprised him with a great big banner that my students helped me make. My neices did a great job holding it until he came. My dad was quite surprised. We had a wonderful time celebrating his big 60th. I can't wait to celebrate his 70th!! I love you Dad!!