June Birchbox (and other stuff)

So I just got my June Birchbox in the mail and I am REALLY pleased with all of the fun things inside! The theme of the box was "Jet Set"....travel friendly beauty products to indulge your inner jet setter!  

The bronze foil packets are self tanning towelettes by Comodynes...these will be handy during the winter months!

The face mask is a pore minimizing mask by Masqueology.

The Stila product is a three in one bronzer (primer, serum, and bronzer).  It's a good size too.  Excited to try this!

The lipgloss is actually lip gloss and cheak stain by theBalm cosmetics.

Two extras- tili zip bag in a super cute print and a sample of John Varvatos cologne for men.  Marc already wears this but still a nice treat for the boy.

In other news, my bestest friend Mo and her boyfriend got engaged last night!!!  I am so excited for them!  Kev has been my friend since kindergarten and Mo since 3rd grade....making them my oldest friends! Congratulations guys, love you both!!

Speaking of kindergarten....on Thursday I was hired to teach KINDERGARTEN in our new town.  I was ecstatic!  I skype interviewed on Tuesday and the principal called me Thursday morning to offer me the position. The school is very similar to my Atlanta school so I am thrilled.  I am really excited to teach kindergarten!  I am going to meet my new team next week since they are still in school.  Northern schools don't go back until after labor day so I will have 3 full months of of work...how NICE for me : )

Last week, I had lunch with two of my first grade teacher friends.  



Becky, me, Marcia



After lunch,  Marcia and I went to the Tumi store so I could buy Marc his birthday gift.  Since I was so excited to give it to him and it would be really hard to hid while we moved I gave it to him early.

Of course Mack has to be involved in EVERYTHING

New briefcase: This was very expensive but it was for his 32nd birthday
as well as a celebration gift for his new job

Marc was very happy with his gift.

Then we had a photo shoot with Mack.

Since we are moving Thursday, we are trying to eat at all of our favorite restaurants.

On Friday, we went to Oceanaire.  They have THE BEST fried shimp.Ever.

We had some drinks and listened to music on our deck when we came home. 

On Saturday, we hung around and bothered cuddled Mack.

Then we went to Vortex for dinner (another favorite).

Today we went to brunch and ran some errands. We just ordered in and are going to finally watch the Hatfields and McCoys...and Mad Men.  Sounds like a perfect night to me!

One week down...

I can't believe I have already had one week off of work.  Where did the time go??  I looked through my phone last night for documentation. Here's some pics.

Marc and Mack sent me last day of school flowers and wrote me a sweet little note.

Well done, Marc

Macky wasn't feeling well that morning.

   

On Saturday, Marc and I went to a friend's house for a BBQ.  Mack came and met some new friends!



I woke up to the nicest email on Sunday. 

One of the many reasons I will miss my school.

 We decided to go to the W Hotel to work on our tans, eat and drink.  While we were there, we met a GREAT groups of gays! 

We hung out with them all day and went back to their apartment that night.  We were out until 1 am!  Needless to say, we were exhausted the next morning so we had Flying Biscuit delivered. 



YUM!

The rest of the week, I spent most of my time going through my stuff so I don't bring junk to the new place.  I also laid out, ran errands, walked Mack (ALOT) and started to work out again.  My doctor gave me the okay after 5 weeks of healing my fractured rib. At this point, I can't feel my rib moving anymore so I think the break is all fixed up but I am taking it SLOW.  It feels great to be back at it.  It's funny how much you hate doing something, until you are told you can't do it!  Our only plans for the weekend are to go to dinner for the last time at our favorite restaurant and clean out our storage space....and of course, lay out in the sun : )



Currently reading

Yesterday, was first offical day of summer vacation so of course I was outside working on my tan.  I needed a new book because I just finished up the Shades series so I wanted something a little more light.  I love Andy Cohen and all of the housewives so I figured why not.  The book is great so far! Andy is so funny and witty that I find myself laughing out loud.  I read three quarters of the book yesterday and hope to finish the rest today at the pool before we head over to a friend's house for a BBQ. 

DC here we come!

So it was my first graders last day today.  I cried all day long...I haven't been able to talk about it with the parents.  They must think I am crazy.  I am very emotional because we are moving to the DC area (Arlington, VA) to be exact.  I really do love my school.  It will be very tough to start over AGAIN.  I can't believe I moved to Atlanta not even a year ago and we are already moving again.  Let's back up a bit and talk about how the move even happened.

Sometime in late March, I was cooking dinner when Marc came home and said, "How would you feel about moving to DC?"  I was in shock and started to cry...tears of happiness and saddness.  My head started to spin.  What??  Why?? How did this happen??  You see, Marc wasn't interviewing or anything for this postion so it took us both by surprise.  His boss simply called him one day and offered him the job.  Marc deals well with change (especially for the better) and I don't.  I resisted because I really didn't want to leave my job.  Starting over sucks and I just did it! We discussed the pros and cons throughly.
THE PROS
4 hours from home by car
2 and some change by the speedy fast train
not having to pay millions of dollars to the airlines just to have the flight delayed/cancelled
friends, family, HOME!

being around for get togethers and celebrations

spur of the moment visits

GREAT city with good food, shopping, and history

moving up the ladder at work (Marc)

more money for Marc which means more money for me : )

....some more that I can't think of right now

THE CONS
job hunting

starting over at a new school

living in a neighborhod that isn't as great as where we are now

huge rent increase

huge rent increase

huge rent increase ..yes it's that big

MISERABLE,TERRIBLE, FREEZING winters...I have adjusted quite nicely to the southern temps.  Just look at the next 5 days!

When all was said and done, it was obvious that we would be fools not to move.  So, here we are, present day.  Classroom is all packed up, my first grade babies are now 2nd grade babies, and I am ready for summer vacation to begin.  We have 2 more teacher workdays and I am offically off until I get hired somewhere else!  You would think I would be panicked because I don't have a single clue as to where I will be working in a few months...but I'm not. I really just want to enjoy this summer.  I hope it crawls by with no stress.  Just fun, sun, friends, and family.  Yup, all those things sound good to me. 

Spring Break 2012

Spring break 2012 has come and gone....and I did a whole lot of nothing!  While my students were off on cruises and vacations out of the country...I relaxed and enjoyed my free time.   Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to sit on the beach somewhere and get tan but often times my vacations from school leave me wanting another vacation!  I really just wanted to hang out, so that is exactly what I did! I also worked out, ran errands, and cleaned my closet.  My closet took me two days to clean.  I put away my winter clothes (and in the process gave away 4 bags to Good Will) and took out my summer clothes.  It was quite a to do! 

End of day 1

End of day 2

 Marc and I spent time in Piedmont Park.  It's been in the 80s and sunny so we couldn't pass up the chance to tan!

We also had a picnic. 

I also got to spend quality time with my puppy! 

My little buddy

Car Ride!!

 And here is a collage I made using the app Frametastic!

Can you see a pattern in his sleeping habits??? On his back with paws in the air!

Marc and I flew home on Thursday.  We hadn't been home since Christmas so it was long over due!  It was great to see my family and I even got to see one of my besties Mo for about an hour!  It is tradtion for my mom and I to shop and eat...terribly!  

VEGAN PB&J cupcake!

Cherry Lime Slushy

I flew back to Atlanta this afternoon and here I sit, in complete shock that tomorrow I have to go back to work!  Aye aye yi, I'm so not ready!  Only 6 more weeks!!  Well, I'm off to make a very detailed packing list for Hilton Head next weekend! 


4 day weekend

Four day weekends are wonderful.  It makes me want summer vacation even more.  I did nothing but relax this weekend.  Here is a recap and some pictures.

On Friday morning, I had an early dentist appointment.  When I came home, our cleaning lady, who Mack barks at the entire time she is here, was scheduled to come in the afternoon so Mack and I walked to Piedmont Park and spent about an hour there.  There is a nice pond in the park so I took Mack to see the ducks. 

Once we got home, I had some lunch and finished the book I had been reading. 

When Marc gave me my iPad, I downloaded the nook app because I had gift certificate from Barnes and Noble from one of my students.  I had seen this book before but was skeptical.  The title kind of threw me off.  Well, I immediatly fell in love with the characters.  I found myself smiling and laughing thoughout the story.  It is a short book, less than 200 pages, and I was sad when it was over.  I did read on the internet that the book is being made into a movie. 

Here's my next book.  So far, so good. 

While reading blogs on Friday, I also found new lunch containers. I deciced to buy some because I pack a lunch 5 days out of the week.  I am constantly keeping random containers from take out or things from the grocery store to put my breakfast, lunch, and snacks in.  Sometimes the containers are so big they don't fit in my Vera Bradley lunch bag so I wind up using a plastic bag.  These containers have 4 compartments and the container fits perfectly in the cooler bag. 

I ordered 4 containers and 1 pink cooler from here.   The total cost with tax and shipping was $30.85 which I think is a great deal!  Can't wait for them to come!  Marc and I relaxed on Friday night.  I made dinner and we caught up on DVR shows. 

Saturday was errand day.  Marc and I went to the mall because I needed to get a few links taken out of my Valentine gift. 

Marc Jacobs rose gold watch

Marc also had these sent to my school. 
Aren't they beautiful?!

I also picked up these babies!!!

Tory Burch Caroline Flat

And fell in love with this bag!

Perfect pool/beach bag!

We had lunch at Bricktops and headed home.  I cooked again and we spent the night catching up on DVR.  

On Sunday morning I was craving The Original Pancake House.   I love this place!  There was one right around the corner from my apartment in Charlotte.  I always order the same thing.

3 strawberry pancakes and I eat every single bit

I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon on the couch with my cuddle bug reading.

We had dinner reservations with another couple at one of our favorite restaurants, Echo.  The food is amazing.  We are never disappointed.  My favorite part about dinner is the dessert! Echo has the best olive oil icecream. So delicious. 

Today I woke up early because I had a personal training appointment.  I was glad to get it out of the way so I could enjoy the rest of my day.  Marc and I took Mack to the park.

Then we went to get Mack a new collar at Petsmart and picked up some dinner at Whole Foods.  The rest of my night will be spent on the couch with my two boys and a Skype date with my mama.  So sad to go back to work tomorrow but so happy it is a 4 day week! 

Uneventful

After a busy weekend of cooking, cleaning, and entertaining for our Superbowl party, I am glad that my week has been uneventful.  The usual...wake up, work, gym, dinner, puppy play time, bed...repeat.  I did find a recipe I wanted to share. The other day while browsing on Pintrest for hours and hours,  I found these healthy (for the most part) treats. I made them last week and again this past weekend.  I love them, Marc likes them and I swear they really do give you energy. I had 2 after dinner and I couldn't fall asleep later that night. 


I also wanted to share this AMAZING product I found at Ulta the other day.


Paul Mitchell Volumizing Spray

I love it.  I spray it on my roots and blow dry my hair as usual.  So my flat, thin haired friends, go buy some and let me know how it works for you!

I'm back!

It has been over six months since the last time I blogged. Life just got really busy. This time around, I am more committed to the blog. I started it to document my life...for me and friends and family since I live so far away. Looking back at the past 6 months, I am so sad I didn't make the time to blog since so much has happened. Let's recap.
In July, I was officially hired to teach first grade in a fantastic school. I am extremely lucky to teach there. The kids,parents,and administration are amazing.

At the end of July, I flew home for one of my besties, Betsy's Bacholorette Party. It seems like forever ago.

August 1st was the first day back for teachers. The kids came the following week. School was crazy in the beginning and sometimes still is, but things have definitely settled down. In fact, we only have 72 more days left until summer vacation!!

September was a busy month...relaxing on the weekends with Marc and watching lots of football.
In October, Marc and I flew to Jackson Hole,Wyoming to celebrate Betsy and Eric's wedding. The flight out there was quite memorable but when we finally got there, it made it all worth it.

In November, Marc took to me Rome,Italy. It was the most amazing trip I've ever been on. Everything there has a story. It has so much history. Oh and the food was delicious too!

In December, we picked up our puppy Mack. The little man makes me smile. He's the sweetest boy. He has added so much joy to my life. He also has taken away sleep as well as the ability to leave paper out,anywhere,but that's another story.

We also went home for the holidays,which is always so fun.

This past month, I decided to start working out again. Not only did I give up blogging, I also gave up working out. I purchased a living social deal in July for personal training sessions. ($20 for 10 sessions= best deal ever) Well the deal expired this month so I figured why not. I train with the owner of a small gym 2 miles away from my house. It's a long day of teaching,sometimes meetings, walking Mack 2 miles, and then working out but I guess deep down I really do enjoy it once I get there.

That's leaves me to today. I have been reading other blogs for awhile now, trying to get a feel for what I would like to post. I really enjoy recipes, new products, random thoughts and days events so those are the things I'll be posting here. I hope my 9 followers are glad to see that I am back : )