These days...

I have totally fallen off the blogging bandwagon these days, but I am so happy to say that hopefully that will be changing VERY soon...as in 2 weeks when I will say a sad/happy goodbye to my kiddos and summer break will officially begin!

I'm hoping having some much-needed down-time will help restore my creative juices and that this blog will perk back up!

But, just in case you were wondering, here's what I've been up to these days...

*I got my babies through their first round of EOG's! I was super proud of them, and their scores were really awesome! It's one of my least favorite things to go through, but so far, it always turns out OK in the grand scheme of things!

*I've been working at the Lofty-loo, trying not to spend more than I make! I was actually telling Kyle that I think working there is curbing my spending habits because I don't feel like I have to buy something right then and there because of a good deal or sale...now I always get a good deal with my discount, so I can take my time with my buying!

*We celebrated my Mom's birthday this past Saturday with lunch at Brixx and an afternoon showing of What to Expect When You're Expecting! It was super cute! And, we may or may not have gotten 3 desserts at Chili's afterwards to split between my parents and Kyle and me!

*And, Kyle and I are have ventured into yet another fun aspect of adult-hood called "Buying a Car"! Kyle's Jeep had gotten to the point where we were either going to have to lay down a chunk of change to get some major repairs OR lay down a chunk of change to get a new (used!) car! Clearly we chose the latter! Yay for our new Tiguan! I know, I'd never heard of one either until Kyle's parents got one! But, Kyle seems to know his cars and liked the fact that it was German-made, was still an SUV but a smaller one, and had some other features that I just don't seem to understand enough to talk about!

And that's pretty much it, folks! I'm excited to finally get back to not only writing on my blog but to also reading yours! Here's to a better blogging summer!

Happy Memorial Day, friends!

Guest Posting!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

You can find me guest posting over at Adventures of the Southern Wife for the lovely miss Brianna while she's away on a field trip w/ her 5th graders!

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start! Mine's about to get better as I catch up on the Bachelorette from last night...love me some Emily!

Fingers Crossed

My stomach is officially in knots and probably will be until Friday afternoon when I hopefully find out that all of my kiddos passed their End of Grade tests!

It's probably any teacher of 3rd grade or above's least favorite time of year, but we try to make it as fun for the students as possible! We had a theme/dress-up day every day since last Monday, and our classroom is all decked out with adorable photos of the students with funny little inspirational messages written beside them!

And, I'm super pumped to rock my special T-shirts all week! Here's the one I'm wearing tomorrow...

I'm saying BIG prayers this week that they will do their best and feel good about the work that they do each day!

Happy Monday, friends!

A Weekend of Celebrations

Our weekend was full of laughter, friends, family, and celebrations (aka our weekend was the best kind of weekend!). Despite the fact that we are pretty exhausted, it was well worth it!

On Friday, we helped our friend, Matt, celebrate his birthday! All he wanted was some good food and a visit to Frankie's Fun Park (a total throwback to the good ole' days!).  So, we spent our Friday night racing go-carts and playing 6-year olds in laser tag...and it was too fun!

Ready to race!

Pete, Matt, & Anna!

Anna & Me!

We woke up early on Saturday to head down to Wilmington where clan McLeod was gathering for our second-cousin, Brittany's, wedding to her South African cutie, Phillip! We sweated our tushies off during the gorgeous ceremony, indulged in some delicious Southern food, and tore up the dance floor, all under the gorgeous night skies!

So cute!

Kyle wanted to kill me for making him go on the swing!

Gorgeous Reception!

McLeod girl cousins!

Sweet girl, Addison!

My cousin Kathleen and her precious daughter, Addison!

My mom and her 2 sisters!

childhood besties!

I am totally going to do a separate post on just the wedding details because it was totally Pinterest-worthy!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

F-R-I, D-A-Y, Friday, Friday, Friday!

My students and I sing the chant in this blog title every Friday, and since we only have 3 Fridays left to sing it, I figure I'd throw in a little extra one today...for good measure and all!

I know I've been a horrible blogger lately, but we can still be friends, right!? Ok, good!

I'm linking up with Lauren for my favorite Friday link-up, Fill in the Blank Friday!

Here's what we got this week...

1.  Something that is very near and dear to my heart is,  my relationship with Kyle, family, friends, faith, and teaching! .

2.   Birthdays, weddings, and my student passing her Extend 2 EOG's   are good causes to celebrate ! (All of which I plan to celebrate this weekend!)

3.  The most fun I ever had was  the bike ride Kyle and I went on in Paris for our Honeymoon, sledding down the sand dunes at White Sands Nat'l Park, and spending a week on a catamaran in Bimini for our senior trip! 

4.  True friends are   hard to come by and so, so precious!

5. Something that makes me terribly happy is  laughing with Kyle before bed! 

6. A good way to spend a sunny day is   on the beach, in a pool, or on the boat...as long as I'm near water!

7.  My favorite celebratory food is  a brownie sundae...or any gooey baked good!

There's Nothing Like a Mother's Love!

I couldn't not do a special post in honor of my mother, and a few other motherly figures in my life today!

Dear Mom,

You are so special to me. You are my best friend and so much more! We talk every day, even if it's just one of us calling to say we're too busy to talk that day, and I love that we have the relationship that we do!  There is so much about you that I admire, but I especially am amazed by your integrity and your giving heart. You help so many people in so many ways. You are truly showing God's love in all that you do, whether it's helping Ms. Bobby Jo, being such a rock for Ms. Wanda during her rough time, doing Meals on Wheels, doing Prison Ministry, your Haiti work, or all of your other ministries. I hope I can be such a giving and caring person like you. Thank you for your love, encouragement, and wisdom that you give every day! I love you SO much!

Dear Grandmother,

You have the patience of a saint and the sweetest heart ever! I definitely know where my mom gets her heart for helping others! You are such a special person to me...the only grandmother I've ever known, and I am so blessed by you! Growing up, you always made our visits so special, whether it was getting to finger paint with pudding or hearing stories about your childhood! I just love being around you and Granddaddy, lingering at the dinner table, just talking. You are so kind and caring, such a good nurturer! I just love you more than you could ever know! Thank you for being the best grandmother in the world!

Dear Millie,

Thank you for taking me into your family as if I were one of your own!  You have always been so welcoming and made me feel so comfortable from day 1! I love the "girl bond" that we have amongst those crazy Abrams men! I feel very lucky to have married into such a great family and to have a mother-in-law like you! Love you, Millie!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mommies out there! 

Teacher Appreciation Week Wrap Up!

Teacher Appreciation Week is one of my favorite weeks of the whole year, and it's not just because of the fun gifts or good foods! It's the kind words and sweet gestures that help you remember that it's SO worth all of the stress and extra hours because of the extreme difference you are making!

I love the way our PTA organizes our week because they pick a theme for each day and do it in a way that tries to make it equitable, so that all students can feel like they can show appreciation for their teachers. We have a day where the students where school colors, pick a flower from their garden (or the school garden) to bring to their teacher, make a card, and donate school supplies and candy to big buckets at the front of the school!

My room parent was so creative (and is totally on Pinterest!) and really worked hard to make each day special for us!

Check out those pencil vases! And I loved getting to add each child's flower to make a gorgeous bouquet!

So cute!

Precious words!

Cards from all the students! Adorable!

And, I won the teacher raffle! I had told my kiddos all week that I wanted to win, totally joking, but when it happened, they swarmed around me, giving me hugs like I'd won the lottery! Did I mention I love my 3rd graders!?

Bath & Body goodies AND a Starbucks gift card!

It was truly a special week, and I just couldn't be more thankful for my 20 students and their wonderful families!

And, to all of my fellow teachers out there, just know that there is no higher calling!

Beeb's Bachelorette Weekend!

Friday afternoon I was so pumped to hop on an airplane and fly to Baltimore to help my college bestie, Beebs, celebrate her bachelorette weekend! My plane departed at 4:10, and I was in B-more by 5:15...oh the fabulousness of flying! 

I could totally write a super long post and tell you about ALL of the fun we had, but I figured we best just stick to the highlights!

Manicures & Movie
Beebs picked me up, and since the other girls weren't arriving until later we killed some time grabbing dinner and getting manicures...great way to kick off the weekend! I was in the mood to try a new color, and picked a mix between mint and seafoam green, and of course, totally forgot the actual name of the color! I think I kinda love it! Beebs tried a new orangey color, which was super cute too!

After our manicures, we picked up bridesmaid #2, Paige, from the airport! We literally booked it to the movie theater so that we could kill another 2 hours before picking up bridesmaid #3, Jill! We saw The Five Year Engagement, and I really liked it! I adore Emily Blunt (especially because she gets to be married to John Krasinski!).

Cinco De Mayo Feast 
On Saturday we all gathered at bridesmaid #4, Andrea's, house for a Cinco de Mayo-inspired lunch. Andrea is quite the hostess and had a yummy feast prepared for us! And, Beeb's sweet momma, Ms. Becky, sent us with her famous taco dip and a delicious strawberry shortcake trifle! Nom nom nom!

And so the weekend of eating began...

Lingerie Gifts

No explanation needed!

Beebsies was excited to see all her sexay gifts!

Dinner @ Linwoods

We were lucky enough to be able to have a meal at an incredible restaurant called Linwoods in a small town outside of Baltimore! Beeb's family had eaten there while tasting food for their wedding because they were using the place to cater their food, and 2 messed up steaks landed Beeb's with a complimentary meal for 8 guests! It was like a dream come true! We got to order anything we wanted, and it was all on the house! Not to mention, they were bringing us each out our own dessert sampler so that we could help Beebs pick the final desserts for her wedding! 

BBQ Pecan-Crusted Chicken w/ Sweet Potato mash and asparagus

Dessert Sampler-- Creme Brulee, Blueberry Cobbler, Cheesecake bite,  and more!

We still ordered dessert off the regular menu! Probably the one and only meal in my life where I got to take a bite of almost every dessert on the menu! SO MUCH FUN!

Jill, Beebs, and Paige enjoying the meal!

Bridal Party outside of the restaurant! 

 Hershey Spa Day

This was my favorite part of the entire trip! In Hershey, PA they have a spa at the Hotel Hershey where you can get all sorts of spa treatments with special twists, like the "cocoa massage" that I got! Not only are their spa treatments amazing, but they also have unlimited Hershey kisses, hot cocoa, Hershey chocolate chip muffins, and so much more! It was heavenly! We all got our treatments done and were able to relax in the sitting rooms or the sauna until our lunch at the Oasis, the spa restaurant! Hands down the best spa I've ever been to and the most fun atmosphere! 

One of the many bowls of Hershey Kisses!

Excited for the spa! 

Team Bride! Andrea got us all Under Armor (since she and Beebs work there) shirts that she helped design for the weekend! So cute!

It was SUCH a fun weekend, and even though I came home exhausted, it was SO worth it to get to help celebrate such a fabulous friend and one of my most favorite people in the world!

Beebs, I hope your weekend was super special! I love you, girl!

It's Friday...Let's Fill in the Blanks!

Yay for Friday! As the school year is quickly winding down, every Friday feels like a milestone because it just means we're one step closer 'till summer break! I'm linking up with Lauren for Fill in the Blank Friday!

1.  My bedtime routine includes, washing my face, taking out my contacts, flossing & brushing my teeth (aka doing my "jobs" as we call it in my fam!), checking my phone one last time, and cuddling w/ Kyle! .

2.   I am   super pumped for Field Day today AND getting to see Beebsies for her Bach weekend!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! 

3.  I can't stand   sunscreen    because   you smell like it all day long and it feels heavy on my skin...maybe I should stop using the SPF 70!? Regardless, I wear it and am thankful that it keeps my skin safe!

4. My idea of relaxation would be   spending some QT on the beach on an "off" day where you practically have it to yourself, book in hand, cold drink, feet in the water!

5. If I had an extra $50, I would    buy some clothes...let's be real here!

6. The best thing about a bloggy friend is    they're super sweet and uplifting, and you feel like you know them in real life and are genuinely happy for them and care about them as if you did!

7.  A recipe I've been dying to try is   any of the "cookie dough dip" recipes from Pinterest! Sounds so delicious, and I don't have to think about the "raw egg" in the back of my mind!.

Happy Friday loves!

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday!

Oh, hey there, friends! I know I've been a little MIA lately, but I am happy to make it back to blogging for a little What I'm Loving Wednesday link-up!

On this first Wednesday of May...

I'm loving that grad school is FINALLY done for the semester, and I don't have class again until the fall!

I'm loving that tonight is my last shift at Loft for the week...it's only my second week, and I need a break from it!

I'm loving that Teacher Appreciation week is next week...I always welcome the excuse for a little extra love from my kiddos!

I'm loving that we had an ice-cream sundae bar at our faculty meeting today...I'll gladly sit through an hour of announcements if you feed me treats! Nom nom!

And, I'm SO loving that I get to fly to Baltimore this Friday for my college bestie, Beebs', bachelorette weekend! I am super pumped!

But most importantly of all...

I'm loving my sweet hubby, Kyle, and how awesome he has been during my stressful past week! Talk about a rockstar husband!

Happy Wednesday, y'all!