Life and Times of Lindsey

Special Guests!

2011-01-24T16:13:00.004-06:00

We had BILLY BUTLER come and talk to our kids! hmm hmmm he just signed a $30 million contract. WHOA!

We had some special guests come to school today. We had members of the Kansas City Royals come and talk to our students about literacy and ALWAYS reading!
The kids were so excited especially because this guy came to see the kids too.....

Striker the NWA Naturals mascot came and the kids FLIPPED. You would have thought that Justin Bieber walked into the room!!

Anyways it was an exciting Monday at school today! :)

okay random question for you avid bloggers?

2011-01-21T14:25:00.001-06:00

Sooo...is there a way to search for people's blogs? OR do you have to know their URL? I am not blog savvy yet so I was just wonderful if that is possible. Surely there is a way and I just don't know.

Thanks for your help :)

Now onto some good stuff!

2011-01-21T13:54:00.006-06:00

One of my best friends from college, Jessica got married January 8th. We were roomies in the Tri Delta house for three years and we are practically the same person. I can only say this about her and my other best friend Jordan. It is crazy how God can put someone in your life that is so much like you!!! I met this wonderful gal when I lived in Futrall my freshman year. She lived in Reid but she was always over in F-town bc she had HS friends there AND.....Sam. Well there were actually a bunch of guys from Wynne we were all friends with but she had the BIGGEST crush on Sam from the get go.

All during freshman and sophomore year we (Christie, Katelyn and I) kept trying to get Sam to ask her out. Sam was so shy but finally he did!! They had already gone to a few basketball games and football games but he texted her to ask her out. UHOH! An old school gal like Jess would NOT accept that....she said NO! It was hilarious and I am pretty sure she texted him back some smart allic (sp?) comment about how he needed to man up and call. Well as they (who is they btw?) say...The rest is history. They were pretty much together ever since then.

Sam and Jessica are a perfect match for each other and John and I LOVE hanging out with them whenever we can. Jess and I talk gossip while John and Sam talk sports and act like little boys...(its true)

Well a few weeks ago they got hitched in Rogers! It was a beautiful wedding...fun-filled reception..etc.

All of the beautiful bridesmaids!

Cassie, Christie and I hanging around before the ceremony

Of course we had to get a Tri-Delt picture!

Me and the Beautiful bride!

This is a horrible picture..but Jordan and the Hubs came and it made me SOO happY!

And of course Emily was there! :)

My handsome fiance and I at the reception!

We then trekked it down to Dickson from the Fayetteville Town Center..it was FREEZING! Like whoa freezing! We got a lot of stares bc of our overly dressed and matching attire. Typical.

Jessica and Sam just got back from the Dominican Republic....how wonderful does that sound on this snowy snow-pocalype weather? I would like that but I heard that monkeys just walk around the resorts and I HATE monkeys so I would prefer somewhere else. But the fearsome five minus one are hopefully going to dinner tonight and Jessica is bringing pictures! Woo hoo!

Forgive me?

2011-01-12T20:21:00.004-06:00

Ok I lied...whoops....I decided to go back just a little bit further to December. That's pretty close to January where I wanted to start. Plus there are fun pictures from Decemeber. How could I deny you that? Okay well I will start it out slow starting with a fun shot from my friend Stacey's wedding. She had a photobooth and this was one of the shots from that...

How fun is that?

Okay now a few weekends later we had Jessica's (former DDD roomie) bachelorette party. We had to stay in Fayetteville because we had her shower earlier that morning and Cassie and Katie flew in that weekend as well..

We had a great night going to Bordino's, Willy D's and Fix for some dancing! This was my 3rd bachelorette party and I must say my experiences are 3 for 3 on them. They have been fabulous!

horrible horrible horrible

2011-01-11T17:43:00.003-06:00

I am the worst blogger EVER! I think my New Year's Resolution will be to blog at least once a week! I think I can handle that!

Lots of changes have been happening on the wedding front for me....I am finally on the ball and have found:
-THE dress
-bridesmaids dresses
-some decorations
-still scouting out caterers
-a FABULOUS photographer!

Oh yeah I changed my colors to navy and white, with chartreuse as as accent color.
LOVE IT!

umm...lets see my classroom of 21 little wonderful kids is going great! We started some new MAPS testing and I am SO proud of them. Sometimes I swear they are not listening, but they really are...HALLELUJAH!

I finished a mind-boggling bible study on the book of Revelation and my life has been changed. If you have not done this Beth Moore bible study, you need too!
I also joined a small group with my church and we have had some great talks and get togethers! (Hopefully we will take pictures someday)

Tomorrow I will start to update you on my life....I am not going to go all the way back to September (who cares about that?) So I will start with January! What a better place to start anew?

Wedding update

2010-08-30T18:51:00.005-05:00

SO! Get ready for all the information I am about to share with you about my wedding...ready???

First off, date: July 1st, 2011

As most of you know it is around my birthday and my favorite holiday...the 4th of July!

Next news: Reception

It will be at the fabulous and beautiful Fayetteville Town Center!!!

And...colors/flowers: Blue hydrangeas! They are so beautiful and my grandma has these at her house and everytime I see them I think of her and my Pawpaw. I think it will be a great way to have her remembered at my wedding.

Annnddddd.....thats it! Haha! Yeah I am probably one of the lamest engaged girls ever on the planet! I have nothing planned, have no clue with what I want to do. Nothing! Wah wah wah

Other than that, my school year is going great! My kids are wonderful, I am ahead of the game and loving it beyond the moon!

Razorback football is THIS WEEKEND!!!!!
Let the picture taking begin!

Love you all fellow bloggers!

2010-08-12T18:45:00.003-05:00

Updates coming soon!!! My Internet has been horrible at home so it's been hard to keep my connection longer than two seconds! It's really annoying! But school has started so many pictures coming soon!! Lots has been happening! Wedding planning, school planning, engagement ring losing a stone, kickball etc! I've barely had any time to breathe!! I'm a bad blogger but I promise to work better now that I have a good set schedule!

Can't wait for football season, less than a month!

make new friends...but keep the old!

2010-06-02T18:30:00.006-05:00

So, this past Thursday I went to the closing of my high school in Little Rock. It was soo great to see everyone considering the circumstances. It was great to see all the people who loved Lutheran High and were sad to see it close. But it was a great way to get together and see everyone!! We all went to the closing church service and then met at a restaurant/bar named Big Whiskey's downtown. Here are some pictures from the reunion....

This is David, he doesn't have many adult beverages. The more he had, the tighter he would squeeze you in photographs.

Betsy experienced this all too well :)

They are my special friends...we've been apart too long.

Samantha moved to KC to be a big dentist..psh...

We always have fun when we're together. We can't help it.

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER :)

here is a group pic of all the girls...

He's pretty much the best!! So mad that this picture is blurry!

After this awesome reunion that was wayyy too short, I headed back to Fayetteville. Friday night I went out to eat for my friend Drew's birthday. Well, Drew is a twin so his sister Katy was in town and it was a dual bday celebration. So I got to make new friends! Love that! Here are a few of the pictures from an awesome game of scenario.
Your guess is as good as mine about what the scenarios were. Ha ha! These girls were so much fun!

On Saturday, I went with some peeps to canoe the buffalo. We had a BLAST! We got the first flip out of the way within the first five minutes but after that it was smooth sailing..er canoeing.. We belted out some sweet tunes while heading down the river. The weather was great, water was cold and good times were had by all. I got to hang out with people that I don't normally hang out with. Here are the only two pictures from the trip!
here is a group pic minus Sandy.

And of course me and my man :)

Following this, it was just a nice lazy weekend!! It was sooo nice! I've subbed for the past two days and am going back tomorrow so I have been a busy girl!

Oh yeah! I am going to the Botanitcal Gardens tomorrow to check things out for the wedding!! It is so gorgeous and it would be my DREAM to have my wedding there! Here are some pictures I found of the garden...

Ah! I am in love love love love!!

Engagement Party Pics!

2010-05-26T12:20:00.013-05:00

As I said before, I got ANOTHER surprise Friday night after John and I got engaged. He was such a great fiance and organized an engagement party! My bestest friend ever, Jordan, also suprised me and came up for it!! I am so lucky to have great friends and family to want to celebrate this special time with John and I! As I promised, here are some pictures from the party!

Here I am telling my friends and family: NO MORE SURPRISES!!! I was so overwhelmed and speechless I don't think I could take any more surprises!

Now I see that Jordan has surprised me and came up!! I was so excited!! She's getting married in October and I am so happy for her!
Jessica checking out the bling. She's also getting married in January so I am going to get as much information as possible from her! She'll probably get annoyed by me.
My stepdad Scott and I

I love my Grannie so much! I don't know what I would do without her this past year. She's been so supportive and has helped me become a respectable adult (or at least I think so! haha)
Oh yeah! There is that wonderful man I am marrying!

Of course we have to have yummy treats from Ricks!

Discussing that I am fully capable of cutting the cake.

Daddy;s Little Girl!

All the wonderful ladies that came to celebrate! Love you girls!

And of course the guys!!

Scott and Cameron enjoying the sweets and watching the Hogs baseball game!

I had to include this picture because Todd and my Grannie became buds during the party. Most of you might not know that my Grannie is a sports fanatic and can spit out stats. Needless to say, Todd was impressed with her knowledge and they talked sports for a majority of the party!

Thank you to everyone who came to the party. John and I really appreciate all the support. We cannot wait to start planning our big day and have all of you come!!

We're Engaged!!

2010-05-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, May 6th, John proposed!!! Here is our story:
First of all we went out to eat at Herman's (my favorite place). We thought we needed to go early since it was graduation weekend so we went around 6:30ish. But there was absolutely NO WAIT and we walked right in got our table and food pronto. For me, I was excited because that meant I could meet up with my friends at Powerhouse earlier! For John, it was not good (you'll find out later).

So after we ate, John mentioned that he wanted to go to Barnes and Noble to find some books. I said whatever and went with it. Well we walked around, he found some books and we left. THEN, he wanted to go get dessert. I was getting anxious because I wanted to meet up with my friends. Regardless, we went to Village Inn and ordered some pie. John took his sweet time eating pie! Now I was getting frustrated haha! I was ready to go to Party on the Patio!!

So finally, he said we could go! Hooray!! Well, right before we turned onto Dickson Street, Ashley (one of the teachers that he works with) called and said they were stuck in mud and they needed him to come pull him out. At this point, I just told him to drop me off and he could just meet me out later! Haha! But the nice girlfriend that I was, I went with him, "because it would only take like 10 minutes."

So we drive out to her land where she is building her house. As he pulls up to this field, I see candles in the trees..hmm...I start to get curious!

And then he says, "Just kidding this is for us, but it is not what you think it is. It's just a little graduation present." So we walk up to a quilt with candles and a bouquet waiting for me.

Well then he proceeds to tell me that I have to wait....patience needless to say, is hard for me. Then finally, after making some small talk he has me stand up and surprise!!! He asks me to marry him!!

I am in complete and udder shock!! I was NOT expecting this AT ALL! He could barely put the ring on my finger because my hand was shaking!!

But it gets even better! I was born around the 4th of July and I love love love fireworks!! The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and I am a sucker for any kind of pyrotechnics!! Well being such a thoughtful guy, John bought professional fireworks and had Ashley's husband set them off! And let me tell you, these were not dinky fireworks...they were the REAL THING!!

I was so excited! And I could not have asked for a more perfect proposal! Oh and of course, here are some pictures of the bling!

I am so lucky to be marrying John! God could not have picked out a better man for me to share my life with!!

The future Mr. & Mrs. Griesse :)

So after all of this excitement I started to make the phonecalls to everyone! But wait! Everyone ALREADY KNEW!! They were all saying, Yay! I've known for weeks!! Wow! So needless to say all of my friends and interns knew about it and were all keeping it secret from me :) So FINALLY we were able to go to Powerhouse and when I got there I was met by a screaming mob of my friends!! Everyone was so excited and I am sure we looked like crazy people!! I had a great time celebrating with everyone and hopefully I can get some pictures from that night.

Well then....on Friday I had another surprise! A surprise engagement party!!! All of my closest friends and family were there to celebrate!! Even my best friend Jordan drove up from Little Rock to surprise me!! It was a great night to spend with everyone and celebrate!! Hopefully I can get pictures from that night too. (Maybe I should carry my camera more)

Oh and no big deal..on Saturday I gradauted!! Yahoo!!

What a weekend!! Thank you to everyone for all the sweet notes and wall posts!! Hopefully I will have more to blog about now since so many exciting things are starting to happen now :)

MONDAY!!

2010-04-22T20:59:00.000-05:00

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun...no wait, time just goes by too quickly! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Monday is when I present my thesis in front of an audience! AH! I have practiced it a few times, starting to get the butterflies though! I am lucky that I get to go 2nd, so I can just get it over with and then RELAX! I know all of the interns out there agree that this year has flown by! It feels like yesterday we were in summer school, cringing at the sound of an action research project. Now it is almost done!

I owe all of this to God, who has seen me through this entire year. There is no way I would have survived without knowing that he is supporting me and loving me no matter what! Such a relief to have him on my side :) I also know that I have the BEST family, friends, and boyfriend! They have seen me complain, cry, stress, etc and they stood by me through the entire thing. I know I can be a handful sometimes, but they toughed it out and for that I am beyond greatful!

But...what to do after I am finished? Who knows! I cannot wait to be care-free! I will get to see my family more and get to hang out with my friends more! (Which means more pictures for my blog yay)

Please keep me in your thoughts Monday morning! Thanks! And I will let you know how it goes :)

Winding Down!

2010-04-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

YAY! So I finally am done with my thesis aka action research project aka school overload! I am so happy and excited to be done with it. It is nicely bound and sitting carefully in my car, waiting to be turned in!

Life as I know it now is starting to wind down. I have less than a month left in my internship and school work is diminishing. As that stuff goes down, the free time goes up. Which is a burden and a blessing both. Too much free time = bored Lindsey, but it will be nice to be able to actually go to a library, get a book I WANT to read and go to a park, or work out, or just get to watch tv. ha ha!

I had my first round of interview this past weekend in Rogers. The job fair/interview was for all grade levels so it was busy with people. I always forget what I say, so I can never tell how it goes. But I am glad to have the experience under my belt.

I was also fortunate to get to have some free time with my friends! Two of my best friends have birthdays back to back on Friday and Saturday. So I was able to go to both of them! YAY! I only got one picture, which is actually pretty good for me, of the party Friday.

It was 80's themed, but I was a party pooper and didnt dress up. But it was a great time and I am so glad I got to hang out with the girls! The party on Saturday was dinner and games, which is my favorite because it is relaxing and fun all at the same time!!! Sadly, no pictures were taken. And by the looks of the pictures above I probably should get some sun before I take any more! haha!

Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather! And since my free time is rising, hopefully I'll get to blog more!

Almost over? WHAT?!?

2010-03-28T13:21:00.001-05:00

WOW! Reading a friend's facebook status, it was revealed to me that we have "about" two weeks left. I mean, next week we have three days because of parent/teacher conferences, then we have testing, Comps, etc. So to add it all up, there really isnt that much time left. I have two emotions:

and

Yeah it is exciting to be done with school, being a college grad with two degrees, one being a masters, but MAN! the part after graduation and beyond has created a lot of scary emotions. Where will I live? Where will I get a job? (PS If anyone knows any schools that are hiring..hook a friend up) How will I get through the summer without having a paycheck until September? What will I do this summer? Is it really over? AH! So much to think about.

But once I get the job figured out, I feel like it will all go smoothly, or smoother. haha! Then I can get everything else in line. AnYwAyS, sorry for the freak out. Had to get that out! :) But really any word of jobs, I would greatly appreciate it.

But onto this past week: SPRING BREAK! We all wish for some lavish vacation in a warm Gulf city, but I am happy to said I had a great SB at home! I split my life into part homework, part play. Which is a great way to balance life! I am proud to say that my portfolio and action research project ("senior thesis") is done!!! YAY! So excited!
I also had family come into town for my aunt and grannie's bday! We had very yummy food and lots of fun getting around in the snow. My cousins from CA came and we were able to take some family pictures. Here is one of the whole group:

Yeah I know that I am the oldest grandchild by A LOT! And I def. milked that for a long time for all its worth! But it is nice to have little ones around to lively everything up! :)

I also went fishing (failure) and celebrated a friend's birthday...I wish I had pictures but of course my camera died on the first shot!! I think it is time for a new camera. I would love some input on a nice camera. One that is fast, doesnt die every two seconds and takes great pictures (what else could you ask for?)

Catching the spring fever!! :) And I am not complaining!

Caffeine, You are no more!

2010-03-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

So I am happy to say that for Lent I gave up caffeine, yes caffeine. All across the board. I could have done just cokes or any kind of soft drink but I know that I would only replace my addiction with something else that was still as bad (sweet tea, coffee, etc)So I decided to completely get rid of caffeine. I know people out there who agree with me and know how hard it is to give things like that up. I know how good an ice cold Dr Pepper is and my mouth still waters when I think about it! Even a warm mocha on a cold day is hard to resist!

AND SONIC IS MY WEAKNESS!!! AHHH!!! I also drank a mini dr pepper can every day at lunch to help me get that short burst of energy at the end of the school day.

BUT I am happy to say that it has almost been a month since then and I am still CAFFEINE FREE!!
I have replaced my caffeine fix with water. And if you know me, you know how much I HATE WATER! It has no taste, nothing exciting, very boring, and dull.

But I do have to say that I still have plenty of energy, and I am feeling very healthy. I still cannot decide if after Lent I am going to give myself a little slack and maybe have a Dr Pepper or something every now and then, we'll see.

If you gave up something for Lent, how is it going?? Are you struggling or passing with flying colors? Let me know!

2 posts in one month...WHAT?!?

2010-02-17T18:45:00.001-06:00

So here is my wonderful, amazing, friend Jessica March and I (it was Halloween and we were the Spice Girls) and she just got back from a fabulous cruise.....

and SUPRISE SUPRISE...this ole boy popped the question....FINALLY!!!!!

He is always down for a good laugh.......

And they are pretty much the cutest couple EVER!!

So I thought it would be appropriate to brag on my friend because I am SO SO excited for her!!!!

LOVE YOU JESSICA!!!!
..............................and Sam too of course :)

snow, snow, and did I mention more snow?

2010-02-10T17:53:00.000-06:00

So this has pretty much been my view the past....oh....week?? Yeah, I live in the middle of nowhere, so the roads never have many cars, lots of shade, and the snow NEVER melts! I feel like I live in Colorado or something! Its ridiculous! I mean I won't complain, I've had some snow days (which I won't have to make up muahaha) and I have also gotten a lot of assignments done plenty early. But then again, I am stuck in my house by myself. Okay I have my Grannie, but other than that alone. Its not like she can or wants to go sledding or venturing out in the snow. So needless to say I get cabin fever SOO BADLY! Thanks to the little Philfndfaldshf whatever his name is groundhog my cold winter days are never going to stop! Enough of that...

I have had a lot of time to search on the internet/iTunes, etc. Its pretty exciting! After my searching I MUST recommend the new-ish Carrie Underwood cd! Its AWESOME!

And of course I also downloaded new country, matt nathanson (love love) and other random songs!

I have also been watching The Bachelor! DUH! And every week, my friend Lauren throws a fabulous watch party! Its so fun to actually get to watch it with other girls and chat about it (and of course scream at Sausage ugh!) But Jake needs to get his mind right and get rid of Sausage!! He's too handsome and smart for that trash!

But my life has been fairly boring! :( But oh well! I am just too busy right now I guess...the life of a grad student/UNpaid teacher/etc. So sometimes I feel like this...

or like this when I am at home snug in my bed on a snow day.....

So thats been pretty much been my life, either the first picture or the second depending on the day! haha!
Oh and did I mention I also found my favorite new flower (besides the amazing daisy). here it is...its called a Stephanotis..isnt it pretty??

I hope everyone has a great week :) :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-06T18:29:00.000-06:00

December..really?? I cannot believe you are already on my front door step. But you are FOR SURE here...The cold weather, plugging in my electric blanket, big puffy jackets, scarves and dry skin. All the signs of winter. Honestly, I am not a big fan of the cold weather unless it snows. No snow = Lindsey not happy!! But before winter was here....I participated in a kickball league and my team "Kick in a Box" won the Fayetteville League Championship!!

Here is a picture of our team! Well some of them! This was the week we didnt have everyone, but it was so much fun to have a break and get to play some good ol' fashioned kickball!!

Let's see, I survived my Praxis!! WOO HOO! Not sure on the score yet but I am glad to have that over with!

I attended the Arkansas Reading Association's yearly conference in Little Rock this year and it was so much fun! Not only did I get to learn from great teaching strategies but I also got to enjoy some well-deserved fun with the other interns! Here is a picture of my co-hort at Bosco's for dinner! We have THE BEST liason, Dr. Mounts, and we had such a great time (as always) just chatting!!

I wish I had pictures from Thanksgiving break but it was nonetheless soo much fun! I got to tailgate at the hogs game with my family and then I went to Marianna to see my dad's family. My poor little sister broke her finger playing football so our visit got cut short because they had to get to her a hospital or doctor quickly :( but thankfully she is okay and is wearing a cast on her sweet little finger.

I also got to hang out with my high school friends which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!! We pick up right where we left off the last time we saw each other. My friends Chris and Summer were in town from Indiana and I am so glad they could make it out.

Now I am done with university classes and just enjoying teaching my sweet 4th graders. I am so thankful for the great class that I have. They make things so enjoyable!!

John, Mark (John's brother) and I are throwing a Christmas party next weekend so hopefully I will remember my camera and be able to put up pictures! The theme is "I'm dreaming of a WHITE christmas" and everything is going to be white! The clothes, decoration, food, EVERYTHING! I am so excited!! There should be a good crowd and it will be a good kick off to the holiday celebrations!!

Here's an old picture of John and I from a football game....I love our matching blue eyes :) I have a lazy eye, but thats okay haha!

2009-11-09T19:00:00.000-06:00

WOW! So yeah...I really stink at posting. I love to look at other's posts and get angry when they don't post new things, but yet I can't seem to EVER post. I'm getting better...ok maybe not but I am trying.

This past month has flown by! I cannot even describe it! Action reseach projects, literacy case study, lesson plans, flip charts, on top of other classes has completely taken over my life!! I am proud to say that I have survived and can live to tell about it. I can say October was a month in which I have worked incredibly hard and I am so proud of myself! Yes..I am bragging on myself, but my friends and I deserve a pat on the back for all of our hard work!! Now its smooth sailing for a while...YESSS!!

Let's see, I am now in 4th grade and I love love love it!! I have to admit I was very nervous coming into this grade level but could not be any happier with it. I have a wonderful class and a great mentor that I am so thankful for. But not saying my last placement was great at all!! I miss my little ones terribly and try and chance I can to go see them!

John and I continue to have our date nights every Friday, which helps me get through every week. It gives me something amazing to look forward to on days when I am tired and worn out. We try to do different things every week, but as boring as it sounds, our favorite thing to do is just watch movies. But we have carved pumpkins, gone out to eat, went shopping (haha) along with other fun things like running errands..be jealous! But this time is so wonderful and I cherish it because it is a time for us to just talk, catch our breaths after a typical crazy week and spend time together. But I do have to say our new favorite is going to Hammontrees!!! IT IS AMAZING!!! They have all kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches and we could seriously eat there for every meal! We are huge huge fans!!!

I am halfway through my Beth Moore bible study on Esther at Church at Arkansas. It has been such a wonderful experience talking about such a strong Christian woman like Esther who took some very risky chances for God. I have learned so much and I love thatI get to talk with such great ladies every Tuesday.

What else, what else? Well I take the Praxis test this Saturday. I am kind of nervous but I know I will get through it. And the following week I get to leave on Wedneday and go to LR for the Arkansas Reading Association conference. All the MAT interns and even some of my teachers from school get to go! I am looking forward to this fun "field trip" for us!

AND AND AND
New Moon comes out next week!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited and cannot wait to see it!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!

2009-10-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

Headed to the Georgia Game!!

Because my life has been SO crazy, I barely have time to even take pictures of it! But lately I have been super busy...as always!!

Let's see since the Georgia game, which was so fun and exciting, even though it turned sour :(
I went to LR with my friends Jessica and Katelyn to see TAYLOR SWIFT!! It was SO much fun!! She is such a great performer and we never knew what to expect from her! My favorite part was the song "Pictures to Burn" because she had flames everywhere! I also LOVED the ending song " You Should've Said No" (which is my favorite Tay song) She did the whole sing in the rain....very cool!! And as the rain was falling on her, you could see the words written in the water! How they did that, I have NO clue!! Anyways, so we had a great time at the concert and then we met my dad and Noel, my stepmom out in LR. Which was fun to see them out!! haha! They were in town bc a family friend got engaged..
BTW>>>> EVERYONE is getting engaged!! WHOA!!!!!! Its like overload! Usually September/October is when everyone (just from past history) breaks up! But NO everyone is getting engaged!!! It seems like every weekend someone is sporting a new rock on their hand! Anyways...enough with the engagements, unless its my friend Jessica haha
So the past two weeks have just been full of planning for SOLO WEEK which starts this week! EEEE!!!! I am so excited yet so nervous!!
On the social side, John and I are now on a Kickball team, called "Kick in a Box" We had a GREAT time this week and we smoked our opponents!! But its a great break from school so I am so happy for the distraction!! John is uber competitive and he decided to run his body into a chain link fence and tore his knee up....its disgusting!! I was freaking out because he had blood just running down his leg. He said it didnt hurt, but I bet it did ;)
Okay well, I will update with how solo week goes....wish me luck :)
And WOOOO PIG SOOOOOIEEEEEE!!!! I am so excited the hogs won this weekend! :)
I am also off to a wedding in LR this weekend which I am so excited about!! I'll update on that soon too!!!

My how the time has flown by!!!

2009-08-27T21:42:00.001-05:00

SOOOO..its been like a million days since I have blogged (Sorry Sarah ;D) But my life has been soo busy!!! Since I have last blogged. John drove out to Dallas for my family reunion and on the way his car broke down in oklahoma!! That was dramatic but we eventually got him to the Big D, and got home safely. Sadly to say his car is still in Oklahoma while Wal-mart tries to work everything out! We are crossing out fingers that it gets worked out and once that paycheck comes in......NEW CAR!! He is really interested in the Honda Ridgeline, which I fully support! So I cannot wait until then!!!!

So after leaving Dallas, inservice started at school. I got to know my mentor teachers and other teachers at the school during this time. Everyone is so wonderful and helpful! I really feel like part of the school!!! I LOVE my mentor and am so glad I get to be in her classroom!!! All of my placements are going to be wonderful and I am so pumped!!! So..inservice started and ended just at fast and before we know it school started! We have a class of 23 students who are so individual and precious in their own way! They all bring such personality into the classroom and I have enjoyed having them for the past weeks!!!

So two weekends ago, John and I decided to go hiking.....which was kinda my idea so I have to take the blame for what happened. We went out to the Buffalo River area about an hour and a half away. It was pretty toasty outside but I can't complain bc it wasn't sweltering! Wellll.....John and I are hiking and walking along having a great time talk and halfway through the hike I start to notice little seed ticks ALLLLLLL over my legs. So I'm frantically getting them off my legs. I decide to just wait until the hike was done to get the rest of them of bc it was a never ending search.....so the hike is over. We are both SO tired and I am still getting ticks off my legs, arms, EVERY WHERE!! To say the least, it was horrible. But luckily I was able to get them all off.....boy was I wrong!! Two days after returning back, so about Tuesday, I wake up with chiggers from my hips down!! Not just a few here and there but EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hundreds!!!! I am not exaggerating!!! So over the past week, I have been changing my sheets everyday, washing clothes and towels everyday, and using every kind of treatment people told me to remedy my chiggers. I used nail polish, bleach, blow dryers, chiggerid, hydrocortisone cream....the list goes on and on!!! But thankfully, the only remnants I have left on my legs are a bunch of scabs. not very pretty but sooo much better than chiggers!!! Anyways, other than that...hiking was wonderful and beautiful!!!! Here are some pictures from out hike!!!

The next Lewis and Clark :) Before the bug, chigger and poison ivy (oh yeah John got poison ivy! )

My little mountain man leading the way!

Yeah, that ledge, thats what we walked on!

One of the many reasons I love Arkansas! The beautiful scenery!!! oh and this picture also includes the "bear" the John saw! I couldn't see it but oh well.....haha

Still walking along, not knowing what was crawling all over us.......

John and I :)

We had to crawl through this little hole along the way....it was not very big either!

Cool caves we found! Nice and sweaty...and finally realizing what is all over our legs...SICK!

So....back to the present!! This week of school has been wonderful! I have been teaching a few things and really getting to know the students! I am loving life and finally getting used to getting up early!! I have been VERY tired, but I am making it!! Soon it will be nothing....but that may take a while for me.....

I promise I won't stay away for this long again!!!

traditions!

2009-07-30T12:29:00.000-05:00

Here are a few traditions I LOVE:

1) Going to Sonic Happy Hour!!!! This is John and I waiting for our drinks!!!

2) Having your name on the University of Arkansas sidewalk!

I am so jealous John has his name on the sidewalk and cannot wait to see mine! Its something that will be there for years!!

3) Tri-Delta's Dad's Day! This is the one weekend my Dad and I get to spend just father and daughter and enjoy something we love, a Razorback football game!!

4) Tri-Delta's Bid Day Party: I have had four years of great bid days, getting to know new members and starting off a great new year with my best friends that I have made through Tri-Delta. This is a picture of Cassie, Me, and Jessica at our last bid day!!

5) Having a German-Chocolate Cake every year for my birthday!! Usually my Mom will make one for me or at least find a place with one that is delicious!!!! I look forward to it every year!!

6) Beautiful Arkansas scenery is something you cannot get anywhere else!!! I feel so lucky for getting to grow up in such a gorgeous state!

7) Going tailgating in Little Rock!! I love going back to the Rebsamen Gold Course and getting to see all of my old high school friends!! There is no telling who you will see and its always such a great atmosphere to be in!!!

8) Getting excited for Harry Potter and Twilight movies with my best friends!!! We are all obsessed with these books and movies so no matter what we always throw big celebrations when a new movie comes out!!!

9) Boo for the small picture but.....Going to Razorback football games with Jordan. Since freshman year, we have gone to almost every single football game together, standing right in the front rows of the student section screaming our heads off!!! Unlike most students, we actually watched the game! But now since she is in LR, we wont be able to anymore :( But I will still cherish all the many hours we arrived early and stayed until the sometimes ugly end of the games.

and last but not least....

10) Going to Eli Young Band concerts with Emily. We have gone to more than a handful, both in Fayetteville and even hitting the road to go see them!! We are huge fans and will travel great lengths to see them!!!! Here we are at their last concert at George's in Fayetteville...

More Birthday Celebrations!!!

2009-07-21T23:21:00.000-05:00

Emily and I, as promised, continue to celebrate our birthdays! Even weeks afterwards! Our latest adventure began at Grub's, where I found one of my old friends from high school who ALSO worked with our friend at J.B. Hunt!! CRAZY!! Anyways, we took the party to OTR and then a quick walk-thru of Zooloo's to take a jager-bomb (yuck!) We eventually ended up at The Fez, a super chill hookah bar! I could not have asked for a better,

"after birthday celebration"

Here are a few pictures from that celebration:

The Birthday Girls

Zooloo's

At the FEZ

good memories

2009-07-15T20:38:00.001-05:00

I was home alone and looking through old things on my computer and found my favorite face in hole of ALL time......I cry from laughing so hard everytime I see this.....

But here are some actual pictures from Heber Springs a few weeks ago.....A summer tradition we always have. This year I was able to not float away from the dock, and it wasn't AS eventful as last year but still soo much fun!!

Katelyn, Jessica, Me, Christie and Jessi sporting the lastest fashions in hat wear..

The "Towel Popping War 2009"

I caught a fish! small, but still a catch :)

All the girls on the boat!

I LOVE THE LAKE :) :)

HAHAHA! The spoon master!

First Post

2009-07-14T19:20:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to be posting for the first time....I'm not going to update everyone beginning at the start of the summer, I 'm just going to start from.....last weekend.

Since I was out of town for my 22nd birthday, my friends and I went to Mellow Mushroom to eat. It is my favorite!! We got to catch up and had a great time! Afterwards we went to On the Rocks and hung out on the patio for a while. There was a guy playing who sounded EXACTLY like the lead singer from Dashboard, it was amazing!

Katelyn, Michelle, Me, Jessica, Emily and Christie celebrating my birthday!!

The next night we semi-celebrated Emily's birthday because Michelle was going out of town. I met Emily, Michelle and Kristine at OTR fo a while. This was only the beginning of the celebration for Emily and I..there will be more to come :)

Michelle, Kristine, Emily and I at OTR

Best Friends :)

So that was the weekend and Monday came along and back to Grad School!! All of the days are pretty much a blur, but I am happy to say I have finished my Research Proposal FINALLY! It is such a relief to be done!! Only two more days until the weekend. (bc I dont have class Friday, my weekend starts Thursday afternoon!!)