Returning from my Hiatus

If it seems like I feel off the face of the earth, I did thanks to this little guy!

Yep! Remember way back when I was thinking about everything that needed to get done in the next 8 days and needing prayers. Meet Edison Samuel! We learned on August 29th that a birth mother had chosen us and was scheduled to give birth September 10th (you can read about it here). There were way too many emotions and things to accomplish such a short time and nothing is ever certain in the world of adoption until paperwork is signed. We weren't quite ready to share with everyone. Then I've spent the last few weeks just enjoying every moment of being a mom. Thankfully my husband works for a great company that is giving him 20 days of paternity leave allowing us to stay at home with him for the first 9 weeks all paid.

I go back to work on Monday. While I am sad, I am also ready to see my friends. My long term sub was . . . well . . . we'll leave it with that. That has made going back much easier. Had I known they were in good hands and getting everything they needed going back would be much harder. My friends are ready for me to come back

So, you can expect to read a lot more about what is happening in my classroom this year. I hope you are ready for more to come!

Who Monday

I'm happy to be linking up with Blog Hoppin' for their Back to School 2014 - Teacher Week.

I just feel like I blogged about myself a few weeks ago, but here we go again.

Today is the first day of the 11th year of teaching. I had no clue how many things could happen in the 11 years. There have been amazing highs and deep lows, but through it all I have come to love what I do even more than I ever realized. I started teaching a middle school remedial reading class. Since then I have slowly moved my way down down down. In addition I have taught kindergarten, second, third, and fourth grades.

While I grew up in Northern Illinois, I now live in a town 30 minutes from Tampa, FL and 30 minutes from Orlando, FL. It's pretty nice that there's always something to do, but man the summers are brutal. This also means that anything cooler than 70 degrees is now cold. A few years ago we took our Florida dog up north for Christmas. We had to shovel the snow so he could see the frozen ground and know where to go to the bathroom. He doesn't like cold weather either.

My husband and I have been together for eleven years and married for eight and a half years. He is my number one cheerleader and support. There's no way my classroom would have been ready this year if it were not for him. He even is taking another vacation day today to help in my room on the first day of kindergarten! He is incredible and really does anything he can to help support my friends and myself. He also might realize that it's better for him in the long run if he just goes along with my whackadoodle ideas. I'm super lucky!!

I learned to play the piano before I knew how to read. My mom was actually signing my sister up for lessons and the piano teacher persuaded her to enroll me at the same time.

I love strawberries!!! One benefit to where we live is the large commercial strawberry fields in the area. I am supplied in berries from right before Christmas through mid-April. If I can't have strawberries, I'll settle for blueberries, nectarines, or watermelon. I love fruit!

While I love me dog and cat, I'm not really an animal person. I don't like frogs, snakes, lizards, or many other animals unless we are at the zoo. I am known to walk from the entrance to the exit in the reptile house, the aviaries, and anything to do with bugs and bats. Yuck!

I love math! I am a visual learner who loves order and patterns. To me, math is all about order and patterns. When I was ready to get my masters I actually completed an online program through Walden University so I could specialize in K-5 Mathematics.

I really don't know much about Super Heroes. That's correct! My classroom theme is Super Heroes, but I don't care for the wonderful Heroes all that much. My husband is a fanatic, along with most of our good friends. So on opening weekends after church, we go see the releases when they come out. I could live without seeing the movies, but because I love our friends, I go.

Make sure to head on over to Blog Hoppin and see what is happening over there this week!

10 Things About Me

1. I make a list for EVERYTHING EVERYDAY!!! It may drive my husband crazy, but it helps keep my brain on track for what I need to get done.
2. I grew up in Northern Illinois. Ten years ago my husband and I moved to Florida.
3. I love Disney World!!! Thankfully I have a season pass that allows me to go whenever I want.
4. I have a secret love for reality TV - all things Bravo, Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race, the Kardashians . . . yes it's unhealthy.
5. I have an old dog, Farnsworth and a cuddly cat, Miley.
6. Everyday I am thankful for God's plan. I'm afraid to think what might have happened had He let me do what I had planned.
7. Mod Podge and glitter are two of my favorite crafting supplies.
8. My husband and I are in the process of adopting. You can read about that HERE.
9. I love my friends. Since my husband and I live so far away from our family and where we grew up, our friends are like family to us.
10. I have a secret talent that most of my Florida friends don't know . . . I sing. Music played a huge part of my life in high school and college, but it's not something many people from my grown-up life know about. It's pretty funny when people are walking through my room during calendar time or any other time we're singing and just stop because they had no clue.