Oh, Come let us Rejoice!

Hello dear friends. It has been a while since my last post... and a lot has happened. Jacob and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with family and friends. We looked back and reflected on all of the things we have to be thankful for... and boy was there a lot. One of the things we are most thankful for this year is becoming pregnant. Jacob and I learned on October 19th that we are expecting a baby on June 29th, 2011. We are both very excited about this little miracle. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant. We will find out whether we will be blessed with a boy or a girl on Jan. 24th.
Our December has been filled with the craziness of the holidays. Work has been very busy for both of us and combined with the task of Christmas shopping and all that goes along with the holidays, we haven't had much time for much else (not to mention, I'm EXHAUSTED!).
This month we also lost someone very special to us. My grandpa, William Clarence Barbee, passed away on December 14th. His health had been declining over the past few weeks/months. He fell the weekend before and broke his hip and ended up getting pneumonia. He was 95 years old when he went home to be with the Lord. He packed a lot into those 95 years and I feel so blessed to have had him in my life for the 26 years that I did. He was a wonderful grandpa and will be greatly missed. We did get a chance to tell him that we are expecting, although, I'm not sure if he understood what we were telling him... whether he did at the time or not doesn't matter, I know now that he is watching over me and this baby. Heaven is a brighter place now that they have him as an angel.
Jacob and I are currently in Mississippi visiting his family. We arrived on Wednesday and will be leaving on Sunday morning to return home. We have really enjoyed spending time with his family. We don't get to see them often, so when we do it's a special treat.
I want to wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas! Remember... Jesus is the reason for the Season.

Fall Fun

Well it's been about a month since my last update.. October was a very busy month for Jacob and I. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on October 7th. Since we took the trip to Savannah the weekend before, we didn't do anything crazy. We did go out to dinner and spend a quiet evening together watching our wedding DVD and remembering that wonderful day.
Fall is my favorite season in NC. The leaves are absolutley gorgeous, the weather is perfect, and it's so nice to be outside enjoying all of God's creations. Jacob's parents came to visit over his birthday weekend. They arrived on his birthday (Thursday, October 21st). We went out to dinner at Firebird's and enjoyed catching up with them since we haven't seen them since May when we went to MS for Luke and Meagan's graduation. The boy's decided that they wanted to make a trip to Gander Mountain (an outdoor store.. similar to Bass Pro).. so we picked up my brother (you CAN'T go to Gander Mountain without him) and headed that way. Kathy and I tried to occupy ourselves while the boys looked at guns, hunting supplies, and gun cabinets/safes. That night we invited my family over and grilled burgers then built a fire in the fire pit to roast some marshmallows and share some laughs. It was very special for us to have both families together (we missed you Luke, Tim, Meagan, and Lindsey!) and to celebrate a special occasion together. On Saturday, we ventured up to West Jefferson, NC to show his parents around where my family spends some of our free time. We browsed the shops in town, checked out Elk Shoals (where we camp), and ate dinner at Shatley Springs before heading home. The trees were the most beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange.. it was a great day. Sunday we took his parents to the church we have been going to and then got some lunch. The boys wanted to watch some football, so Kathy and I went shopping. After a nice low key evening at home, it was time to prepare for the upcoming work week and their trip home. It was sad to see them go, but we definitely enjoyed their visit.
Jacob and I just couldn't get enough of the mountains and planned to go back the next weekend to camp with my family. My parents went up earlier on Friday and set up camp, Jacob, Jared, and I went up after work. It's was nice to arrive to camp already set up... however, it was COLD. It didn't take me long to crawl in the tent with a space heater and my blankets (and the pups) to warm up (and when I say warm up, I mean from 30 degrees to like 38 degrees). Sleeping on the cold, hard, ground, and trying to share covers with a cover thief and two dogs, is very difficult. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep between the bitter cold and howling coyotes. It was a unanimous decision to pack up camp, spend the day around town, eat dinner at Shatley Springs, and then head home to sleep in our warm houses, in our comfy beds.
Sadly, I didn't take any pictures during either of these excursions... so you'll just have to believe me when I say that October was a fun filled month.
Until next time...

Look Out Savannah...

We decided to take a long weekend and go to Savannah, Georgia with our friends Christina and Audie. I was very excited to see Christina (it had been a year since we had hung out) and just get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. Although I have a fabulous group of kids this year, the beginning of school has been very stressful for me. We left early on Saturday morning and made it to Savannah around 10:30am. We met up with Christina and Audie where we would be staying but we couldn't check in until 3, so we got a map of the downtown area and began wandering around. I loved that we could walk everywhere we went.. the weather was in the low 80's and absolutely gorgeous. Oktoberfest was going on down by the river so we checked it out. We roamed the streets and the many squares, checking out the neat architecture. We ate lunch at Moon River Brewery.. they have very yummy sweet potato fries and a dipping sauce that makes them even better. We visited the cathedral of St. John the Baptist... it was absolutely breath taking.

After walking around for a while we headed back toward The Green Palm Inn so we could get checked in. We stayed at the State Street Cottage that is owned and operated by the same people. We wanted to be able to spend time together when we were back at the hotel/house so this was the perfect place.

We rested for a little while.. and tried to come up with a game plan for dinner. We ended up choosing the Shrimp Factory for dinner. It was way over priced and not very good. We were disappointed to say the least.

We called a night pretty early that evening because we had been walking all day and had big plans for Sunday. On Sunday, we ventured to Panera Bread for breakfast. Then headed to Bonaventure Cemetery. We spent a while out there looking at and reading the grave stones. I'm sure there are a lot of stories to go along with that place... After the cemetery we went to the Owens-Thomas house for a tour. When we finished up the tour we went to Leopold's ice cream for 'lunch'... which was a Pumpkin pie sundae.. and it was YUMMY!

After our ice cream stop we decided to check out City Market and Savannah's Candy Kitchen again. We did a little shopping and then headed over to Garibaldi's for dinner. This place was recommended by a friend of mine... it was delicious. It was much better than Shrimp Factory and cheaper! I had Lobster pasta and Jacob got the red fish special. Everything was so yummy. After dinner we went back to the house for a little while before our Ghost Walk tour. We thought it would be neat to check out Savannah at night and maybe see a ghost or two.. or maybe just learn more about the history of this awesome city. :-) I got a couple of pictures with interesting stuff in them from the ghost walk but nothing super creepy. The coolest one of from the courtyard at the Owens Thomas house. After our 2 hour ghost walk we were exhausted and headed back to the house. We had to head home on Monday but not before visiting Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House for lunch. We got there around 10:15 and got to eat around 11:50. It was definately worth the wait though. The table was full of any kind of vegetable you could think of, fried chicken, pot roast, and dessert! You sit at a table for ten with strangers and the food is served family style. It is a MUST if you visit Savannah.. just keep in mind that they are only open M-F 11-2.

We had a wonderful time and we have already started thinking about and planning our next visit.







Our Adventurous Labor Day Weekend

I must say I had more fun this past weekend than I have in a while. My friend Michelle flew in from NOLA and spent the weekend with us. We went to the US White Water center on Saturday. We ziplined, went white water rafting, did the free jump (well, Jacob did), and we did the adventure course. My favorite part of the day was white water rafting. We had a blast- even though I was almost thrown out twice (a special thanks to our guide, Christian, for saving me). The least favorite part of the day was the adventure course... I'm not sure who enjoys being suspsended in the air and having to complete an obstacle coarse that involves walking on a tight rope the entire time.. but it sure wasn't me! Anywho, it was a fun day and we will definitely be planning a trip to go back.
We spent Sunday at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! We took the rooftop tour in addition to the house tour. It was really neat to go up on the roof and do a little exploring.
I can't think of a better way to spend my three day weekend than with Good friends and Good fun!!

Until next time...

Michelle and I in our cool harnesses- getting ready for the zipline

Here we come!

Michelle, Me, Jacob, and Shannon

ready for our white water adventure

The Biltmore Estate

On the roof of the Biltmore Estate

Amazing view

First Day of School! First Day of School!!

"I am an educator, a nurse, a coach, a motivator, a ref, a bathroom monitor, a janitor, a creator, an instigator, a mom, a bus loader, a counselor, a grader, and a writer. They just call me a teacher though. "

(The Kindergarten bulletin board with class lists)

Every year on the first day of school, I wake up and think, " First day of school, First day of school!" (from Finding Nemo). Well, today was just that.. the first day. This last week has been a whirlwind of craziness, just as back to school time always is. I had to go back last Wednesday (the 18th).. we started off the year with a Countywide convocation. We were released at 11:45 to go back to our schools and work in our rooms. On Thursday, we had our back to school staff meeting at my school..that lasted until roughly 11. We had the afternoons to work in our rooms. Friday, we had all day to work in our rooms and Kindergarten Parent Only night was that night from 7-8. I must say, this is probably my least favorite thing. I can get up in front of kids all day long, but you put me in front of adults and I am like a fish out of water. There are a couple of things that people get very touchy about.. one is their money.. the other is their children. :-) Jacob and I have the honor of dealing with both of them. Anyways, Parent night went well (just as it always does) and I was happy to have it behind me. Monday we had the day to work in our rooms and then it was Open House fomr 5-7. I was really excited to finally meet my new bear cubs! Tuesday was our last work day (I know what you're thinking.. 5 work days is a lot of time to get stuff done... however, I think most (if not all) teacher will agree that there is never enough time).

Everyone knows that Kindergarten is 'special'.. so we didn't have a normal day today (nor will we tomorrow). We spend two days doing Kindergarten Entry Assessments and meeting with parents. My back is already killing me from leaning over onto a table that is made for 5 year olds. The children begin coming on Friday. I will have 7 kids on Friday, 7 on Monday, and 7 on Tuesday. All 21 of them will be there on Wednesday.. and from here on out. The stagger days are my favorite because we get to go on a bear hunt and a safari.. and just be silly with the kids.

I have a really good feeling about this year... I have some great kids in my class and a great Kindergarten team to work with. Keep me (and all teachers) in your prayers as we begin this year. Just in case you are interested... Here is a link to My Classroom Website.

Me and Kristin- my Fabulous assistant!

The Kindergarten Teachers

The entire K Crew.. (minus Connie.. she was MIA)

Jacob Update:

Jacob is doing really well. He went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and his A1C was really good. I'm so proud of him. He has had to make so many adjustments to his lifestyle to accomodate diabetes but he never complains about any of it. He finally gets to pick up his concealed weapons permit on Friday- He's really excited about that!

My friend Michelle is coming to visit over Labor day weekend. We are planning to go to the White Water center and the Biltmore Estate. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with her. Jacob and I will be going to Savannah, GA the first weekend in October to meet up with Christina and Audie. I'm also really excited about this trip! I haven't seen Christina in a year and I miss her dearly!

Until next time...

Some of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books.. The Notebook

August Already??

When I woke up this morning and looked at my phone, I realized today is August 1st. Really?! Where has my summer gone?? Holden Beach for 10 days, Jamaica for 6 days, and all the little things before/during/ and after.. is where it has gone. I officially have 17 days before I go back to work and the 'real world'.


School supplies have been out in Walmart for weeks now.. and I have been carefully avoiding them (for weeks now)! Anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE school supplies/office stuff. You have no idea how happy a good pen and a pad of post-it notes makes me. However, I bought the first school supplies of the year (the 2010-2011 school year, that is) today. If it makes a difference, they weren't for me.. our church is collecting them.

This time of year makes me want stop time (or at least slooooow it down) so that I can savor my summer for a while longer.. but at the same time it makes me giddy and nervous about back to school. By this point in my summer vacation, I'm ready for a routine. I miss my schedule and I feel like I am busier now than I am during the school year (if that is even possible). I'm not quite ready to give up sleeping in (although- I don't seem to be doing much of that these days) but I am very excited to meet my new students and their families. I go back to work on Aug. 18th and I get to meet the parent's of my new kiddos on the 20th. The kids will drop in on Monday, the 23rd and I'll have one more work day before we start assessments, staggered days, and then full time with all the kids will begin Sept. 1st. As I approach my 4th year of teaching, I have a lot going through my mind. I have taken on the position of Grade Level Chair (along with my friend Shannon) this year which will be a lot of added responsibility. I am constantly thinking of ways to stay organized so that chaos will not ensue. My mind has been racing for weeks now about all of the back to school stuff that will soon be my reality. It's like I tell Jacob, tax season is his busy season and back to school time is my busy season. I never knew I could feel so many different things at once, excitement, worried, nervous, happy, and the list goes on and on.. but most of all I feel confident that this will be my best year yet!