Thankful. Grateful. All sorts of "fuls"

This post shall be pretty short and sweet. I am knee deep in photos and preparing my kiddos for the next round of Proficiency tests. I am sitting in my beautiful home with the glow of our Christmas tree (cut me some slack, Jason works this weekend so we had to decorate the inside early. The outside still is very Fallish) and I am flooded with reminders and flashbacks that this life of mine is so good.

The girl in the photo above (credit:Dirt and Lace Photography) is of a girl who was scared to death and just lived day to day. A girl who wanted so many things for an uncertain future. Little did she know how quickly her life would change. My life is fuller, richer, much more stressful, and a mess of gorgeous chaos. I am so blessed beyond measure.

I was reminded by some colleagues this week that many of our kiddos actually dread the holidays. Many of them will miss the consistency of school, nourishment, and love from their very over-worked teacher(s). I am reminded that this time of year is also difficult for people who have lost loved ones. Losing my amazing Grandmother at Christmas 10 years ago broke my heart and is a pain I feel daily even to this very moment. She would have been such a pillar of strength me and I hope I have made her proud. I am reminded of how I am lucky to have new family members and my Parents and Brother. I am still blessed beyond measure.

I think back to just last Thanksgiving with Jason meeting my family, and now to this year and all the wonderful excitement surrounding us in getting married. I can only imagine what the next year will hold. I know whether it be full of positive events or struggle, I am always blessed beyond measure.

Happy Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much. ;)

xoxo-mere

High Five for Friday

Yeah, yeah, cut me some slack. I'm slammed right now but I wanted to post something so here are a few if my favorite things.

1. My wedding dress came in and I'm absolutely in live with it!' So much that I wish I could share a pic but that will have to wait 134 more days.

2. Running. I had missed it and it felt so good to get back into it last week.

3. My neighborhood. It's perfect in every way.

4. Cooking. I made a mean shrimp pad Thai and pumpkin pie cupcakes. It makes me happy.

5. Fall in Kentucky. My photos are turning out so amazing thanks to beautiful weather, leaves, and people.

Make it a great week. I'm exhausted.

Xoxo-mere

Coming Together...

Hello, Friends. It has been FAR too long since I last blogged but there have been some major changes in this girls life. I moved in with Jason into our house. Holy.Major.Life.Change.

I have to say, it hasn't gone perfectly but I am perfectly in love with the life we are building. In the words of my fav, Ms. Dolly Parton, "You gotta put up with the storm to get the rainbow." The main issue has been my dog but I am working on it and whatever happens or I decide to do, it will be in the best interest of my baby. I love her very much but she isn't doing so great with all these changes. So, if you could say a little prayer that some things change that would be mucho appreciated. That is all I am going to say about it because well, I said so.

The house is looking AMAZING! I am so excited every single day to see the changes shaping up and how different the house is looking. It's more than just paint on the walls, new furniture, and knick-knacks. It's the fact that there was a time in my life when all this seemed impossible. It seemed like everything I had ever wanted to imagined for myself was just not going to happen and I was prepared to take a different turn in my life. I have a garage door opener, I walk my dog in a beautiful neighborhood, I get to cook again, and the best part is.. I am not alone. As sappy as this all may sound, it is a HUGE adjustment for my mind. I am very lucky.

I am going to focus on the positives and not worry about anything else (famous last words). I have come so far and I have so much to look forward to and I will be posting some photos in my next post but here are a few...

Also, I am exactly 6 months away from getting married. My cousin reminded me of that tid bit today! I need to get it in gear! I am thinking that below is the color scheme and theme. Oy!

This is going to be a short post because sister is exhausted and I have a full week ahead with my kiddos tomorrow. Have a great week! 

xoxo-mere

365 days.

I cannot believe the year I have had. 30 was the BEST year of my life and I am in awe of how different my life is today, at 31. I have been stressed about some things recently and I was talking (freaking out) to my Mom and she said something to me that hit me like nothing she's ever said to me before. She basically said I get everything I want. I work hard and everything I have set my mind to happen, happens. It's true.

I have a career that a year ago was a mystery. I didn't know what my first year of teaching had in store for me but as I sat in my classroom on the 2nd day of school this year, it was so strange. I had everything together, my lessons went smoothly, my kids left happy. Holy cow, maybe I do know what I am doing??!! (You probably should not have asked me that yesterday lol) My team and I get along so well. We are really doing a great job and I am coming into my own as a Teacher. The career I should have been doing all along. I am finally doing it and doing it well.

I am 205 days away from marrying the best guy in the world. Yes, the girl who said what she wanted "didn't exist" just got beach engagement photos in the mail and I squealed like a school girl. I am so incredibly excited I might just burst. Making the choice to date someone after being SO jaded wasn't easy. I had to be pushed to my uncomfortable zone, reminded that what wasn't "normal" is, indeed, normal, and having someone love you despite your faults is the best feeling in the world. Lord knows I have many faults.

I am going to be moving (hopefully VERY soon) into a beautiful home that we will make our own. A home that has amazing memories and had examples of what love really is in it. It makes me daydream picking out paint colors, deciding what pictures to frame, and how I tried to convince Jason to not mount the TV over the fireplace. (I gave in, it was his only want and actually, it will look great)

Life is so incredibly good. Stress about the wedding, housing, and balancing life is just petty. Life is a pretty resilient thing. It works out.

I am feeling thankful, loved, loving, excited, anxious (in a good way), and ready!

Have a great week and thank you for the birthday wishes. It was an awesome night filled with my boo, friends, family, laughing, incriminating photos, and alcohol. How bad could that be??!!

xoxo-mere

It's been TOO long!

Hello Darlings!

I hope this post finds you all well rested and calm. All things I am not at the moment! It is to be expected this time of the year! Back to school and dare I say it out loud.. moving! Yes, we are officially moving in OUR house this week. I am so flipping excited and ready for this new chapter in our lives but man is it craziness. We are buying Jason's Grandparents home and it is beautiful. The neighbors are great, the house is precious (minus wallpaper but it can be removed and painted! :) , and I am just a little school girl with my gushy love-ness that I get to wake up to the face I love so much.

I have to tell you, this has taken me a long time to feel good about for so many reasons. I am such a worry-wart. I am really working on letting it go and focusing on the good stuff. School starts on Tuesday. Last year my life was so different. I was excited and ready to start my career. I never thought that the best thing that ever happened to me would come along. He did, his family did, his friends did, and I am just so lucky.

I will blog a better post soon. I am just exhausted but I wanted to share my excitement and big news. I am finally going to have a home. The even better thing is.. I will share it with my best friend.

*who am i?* LOL

I wanted to share a few things. In photos.

1. My super cute new flag from Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/107013615/chevron-burlap-garden-flag-with-monogram?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest

2. We went to Florida with Jason's family. Oh.my.word. It was amazing from start to finish. 

We had engagement pics taken by my new long distance BFF Emerald Coast Images.

3. My classroom looks AWESOME!!! I am so proud. Year 2 is already off to a great start. We also have a new team member and she's a rockstar already. The vibe is amazing and our kids are going to be amazing!!

I am going to go now for real. I need to work on editing pics and lesson plans! For my birthday I would like more time or 2 of me! :)

Have a great week! 

xoxo-mere

Travelin' Fool...

Shew! What a past few weeks I have had! Crazy from start to finish! I laugh at anyone who thought I would actually relax this summer! I have a feeling (bc I am positive) that it will be even crazier the next few weeks.

Before school ended last year, I was asked if I would like to go to Vegas for a conference on "Differentiated Instruction". All I heard with about 12 days of school left was "Do you want to go to Vegas?" The conference part didn't even register. I jumped at the chance and I am SO glad I went. It was a wonderful trip with some great ladies. I learned so many teaching strategies, started a Twitter page for my class to tweet with other 4th grades across the country (mm4thgraders), gambled, had amazing meals, lost my future children's college funds (sorry kids, Mommy likes roulette), and most of all I connected with my co-workers on a deep level.  It was so much fun and just enough time away. Oh yeah, I saw Dave Coullier from Full House! cut.it.out..

I had a great time. I am REALLY excited to announce that I am going to Florida in 11 days. I am so thankful to Jason's Parents for asking us to come. I think with everything we have going on (I hope to let you know about some BIG changes soon!) a vacation with sun, sand, family, and each other (away from Louisville) is just what the Love Doctor ordered. ;)

I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to be gaining such an amazing family. They have been so accepting. I just love them so much. I mean, come on, they gave me Jason. lol

I hope you all have a great week! Rain stay AWAY!!

One more thing... How flipping adorable is this sweet angel??!! I wanted to squeeze him for hours. Even in this Kentucky heat and humidity!

xoxo-mere

Busy as a bee..

Happy July 4th!! What a yucktastic day for food and fireworks! I am in full summer mode! Photos and wedding planning have taken over my life! I am trying to sneak in some time to just relax but it is hard with all the great things coming up in the near future.

Wedding: We have a date 3-22-14. We have the church: St. Luke's in Anchorage. We have an idea for a reception: Not saying until I speak to them on Monday. I have...a..photographer: Studio E. I have an idea of what I am looking for and want in terms of a theme and I couldn't be more excited. I think it will be a lot of fun and I am so excited. What I am most excited about is finding someone who makes me laugh when I am stressed and being mean and loves me anyway.

I think it is so funny because last 4th of July, surrounded by some fun people and good times, I protested that I will NEVER get re-married. I would say it was because what I wanted just didn' exist and I wasn't going to settle. Meeting Jason changed everything. Jason really is everything I have ever wanted and could ever have wished for and I cannot wait to be his wife. 261 days.. His fate is sealed.. Woo-hahahahaha (evil laugh).

Photos: I never imagined that when I bought my camera 3 years ago that it would turn into what it has and I am so blessed, so content, and love what I do. Summer is a busy time of year but it is a great second source of income and really calms me. I love taking pictures of my friends, new friends, and making their memories last forever. I have had a TON of sessions where I literally speed home because I cannot wait to get my hands on those pictures!!! **Sorry Officer, have you seen this evening light???**

House: This has been a big stress for us lately. Just waiting for the condo to sell and living out of a bag between my Parent's and Jason's is... annoying but it WILL all work out. I bought some stuff to spruce the condo up (less bachelor pad lol) and a St. Joseph statue to bury somewhere. I am so ready for us to be in the same space, painting and wallpaper removing, settled.... Ahh... I just can't wait. We need to just let go of it and worry about what we have control over. We are doing what we can and the right buyer just needs to come along.

That is all I have right now. Back to editing. :)

Take care and have a great 4th of July!

xoxo-mere

Letting the dust settle

Have you ever seen the movie "Scarface"? Let's just say that after pretty much breaking a power sander on the walls of the kitchen we are remodeling. I had to step out for a minute and breathe. (Literally) I felt a little overwhelmed and like I was biting off more than I can chew. My cousin was with me and we ran to Lowe's together and we were in the car and she busts out laughing. I looked like Scarface with all the white powder all over my body, face, and nose. I guess all the "dust" needed to settle and when it did, it settled on me....

Which leads me to this post topic.... I am not a good communicator. I know, I know. Me? A blogger and talker? It's really true. I have drafted countless posts and deleted all of them because they just didn't make sense or they sounded so blaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I am not really sure what it is that is prompting this but I can explain it like this. I am not a fan of things being "up in the air." I like order, plans, and a schedule. I also like having a sense that I fit somewhere and that if something is wrong, I can and will fix it.

I haven't been so great at any of this the past few da..mon...years. It is the strangest thing to have everything you have EVER wanted within reach. I still pinch myself that THIS is my life now. I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. I try very hard to keep all that in perspective which is why I think I have a difficult time speaking my mind if there is something on it that is dragging me. I have this pit in my stomach that just keeps nagging me and I think I may have figured a small part of it out. I feel dishelveled. I have a home but it's not mine. The home that is in my name, is still in limbo, and we are getting closer to moving into OUR home. It's all right there but... it's all up in the air.

I need the dust to settle. I need to have everything fall from the air and hit the ground so I can clean it up, fix it, and have a clean slate. I am confident that this will pass. I need to be patient and positive. I need to also remember I have so many people (1 in particular) to help me and share all this craziness with. Although they may not understand my rantings and moodiness, they will listen and just accept it.

That's all. End rant.

I am having a ball picking out paint colors and pinning home decor ideas. Silver lining. ;)

Have a great week and enjoy this sunshine!!

xoxo-mere

Year 1 in the Books..

Holy Mother of all things Baby Jesus. I have arrived upon the last day of school as a 1st year Teacher. This time last year I was living it up in my "Last Summer of Freedom" before the "Real World" kicked back in and I was so excited, so anxious, SO ready. I literally remember walking in the First Day of School and I was so nervous I could feel my voice shaking. I remember just thinking "Oh my God, I am in charge of these kids.."

I have definitely had my share of ups and downs but I am a big believer in reflection. I always want to do, act, feel, and give better. I was a "Yes" girl for most of the school year. I would volunteer for anything, help out when it was needed, get to school at 7:30 and leave at 8:00. I was living and breathing my career. There is nothing wrong with passion and hard work. All of this changed as soon as I really started to get tired, burnt, frustrated, and wanting to spend more time with my love. ;)

I had to start drawing back. Come in late, stay late. Come in early, leave early, learn it's okay to say NO, and I had to let go that I was going to mess up. My kids drive me crazy. They do. Lord knows how many times I have text Jason, Jamie, and Charlotte with the word "drink?" and they knew it was "a day" (my general response for when people asked how my day was and it was 50 shades of cray).

I started out with 23 kids, lost 1, gained 3. Math experts, that is 25 kids. I sat down for a second today while they were working quietly (a rare moment) and snapped a pic. It hit me in that moment that when they grow up I will have been "their 4th grade teacher, Ms. Mooney". I hope they say nice things about me. lol

I hope they know that I will always be there for them, no matter what journey their life takes, if they make mistakes (lord knows I have made tons), and my heart and door is always open. These kids are so special to me. They were my first class. They got the good, the bad, and the ugly. We laughed until we were about to cry, we cried because we were frustrated and disappointed, and I am their biggest cheerleader.

I have been trying to be kinder to myself. I remind myself I am a good teacher because I show up everyday with a "fresh" start mentality. If there is one thing about me, I know a fresh start. I don't have children of my own but I have 25 kids. I would do anything for them.

I have met some really great people this year and my bond with others has grown my millions. Tonya, Milessa, Dehily, Liz, Annemarie, Abby, Malia, Leslie, and Ashley. You guys have been so wonderful to me and I value you and countless others that have picked me up when I wanted to quit, make me crack up, and compliment me in so many ways.

18 hours, 38 mins, and 20...19 seconds. Year one will be in the books. Holy.cow.

SUMMER!!!! I found you!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo-mere