103 days and counting!!

Well as usual life gets busy and the blog becomes a thing of the past. Sorry about not updating in a while. Of course it is not like a whole lot of people actually read the blog in the first place.

Well, life has been busy. Work takes up a lot of time for some reason this year. I guess this really has been the first year since my very first year of teaching that I have not been in graduate school. When I was in school it became my priority, and I didn't do a lot of work stuff on the side. This year I feel like I am constantly doing work stuff. I guess I am making up for the past 2 years. At least this year is 100 times better then last year. The kids are better and I don't feel like I want to cry after work each day. I am now only mildly irratated at the end of the day. haha

The wedding is coming close to the 100 day marker. I can't believe it is only 31/2 months away. Time flys. It seems like yesterday that we got engaged. A lot of the planning is done. Just the small details that have to be done now. I am trying to get all the family members to get their addresses together so we can get some kind of estimate of how many invitations will be going out in January. My dad keeps telling me that people better show up at the wedding. I told him we have a decent list, but I guess he doesn't believe me. I have been busy trying to plan our honeymoon also. I think we have finally decided to go a little cheaper and do a 5 day cruise. Lucas has never been on one before and I absolutely love them. We found a really cheap price but then found out it was for a room with 1 twin bed and a pull out sofa thing. I told Lucas I didn't think that would be the best fit for a honeymoon couple. haha

Lucas and I have gotten back into the swing of going to church together and have found a church we both really enjoy. It feels good to be going to a place on a regular basis. Each weeks message seems to get me through the next week. It is a bit like medicine for the week. Overall life is good and I look forward to the next few months.

Back to normal

Well, summer has officially been over for three weeks now. Work is back in full swing and life is once again busy. The big difference this year is that I don't have any grad classes. Thank goodness. My class is pretty good this year. They are extremely talkative but what 3rd grade class isn't. We have hit a few bumps in the road but nothing to big. Each year I forget how young they are when they first come to me. They are so dependent on the teacher and want to ask so many questions. It takes me at least 6 weeks to train them that they don't have to tell me every time they finish an assignment, and that it is not acceptable to ask to go to the nurse 10 times a day. I have tried to explain to my students the difference between just not feeling good and actually being really sick. If I didn't go to work every time I didn't feel that great then I would probably never go. I never feel good at 5:00 a.m. Other then the normal annoyances, things seem to be going fairly smoothly.

Lucas started back to school today. It was hard to say goodbye to his summer concrete job, but the hours just don't fit in with a school schedule. The company seems very interested in offering him a full time position as soon as he is finished with his concrete degree. He hopes to work for them again next summer and keep the lines of communication open. I would love more then anything to not have to move away from Middle Tennessee. My job is here and I honestly just don't want to move anymore. Lucas is taking 18 hours this semester and is going to be extremely busy. He seems ready to buckle down and get it all finished. Hopefully if he can keep all 18 hours he will be able to turn in his intent to graduate form after this semester. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him.

Other than that life is pretty boring right now. Wedding plans continue to slowly come along. It is getting closer by the minute and it is hard to believe that I will be Mrs. Nelson in a little over 200 days. I have already prepared my students for the name change although I know they will have a hard time remembering.

The End of Summer

Well where does the time go. My last day of summer vacation is tomorrow. It is a very sad thought. Teachers dream about summer all year and I too was very excited. I can't believe how fast it is flown by. June was filled with grad school everyday, but it was well worth it. I am now finished and couldn't be happier. My classroom is pretty much all set up and I will be posting pictures soon. I keep forgeting to take them when I am up at the school. I like my classroom a lot, despite the bright colored walls. I look forward to meeting my new students and am in anticipation of whether I think it is going to be a good year. You can tell a lot from registration day. I pray for a good class this year. Last year was tough on me, and I need the break.

With the start of the new school year, I also begin to realize how fast the wedding is approaching. I am very excited, but also nervous. Not about getting married, but about all the details that need to be finalized and booked. Everyone has an opinion and I often times wish I could just tell my mom to plan the whole thing. I will just show up that day. I know in the end it will all be worth it. Lucas and I have been together for quite a while and I can't wait to be an offical family. No more seperate rent paying.

Well my last day of vacation will be spent going to the car inspection station, the county clerks office, and the teacher store. There is nothing like waiting until the last day to do all of this.

Wedding Plans

This week has been very busy!! My mom came in town last Saturday and we have really been trying to knock out some of the wedding plans. The date will be here before I know it and there is still alot to do. Tonight we went to the Franklin Bridal Ball to look around. I have to say it was very overwhelming. So many vendors all trying to talk to you. We got a couple of good ideas that we hope to incorporate during the wedding. Lucas pretends to be interested although I know he really isn't. All he really cares about is getting the grooms cake he wants. I am hoping that I have finally convinced him to have his version of a groom cake at the rehearsal dinner instead of the actual reception. I have found a really nice groom cake at a local bakery here in town and want to have that at the reception. Hopefully he will go along with my plan.

My brother Byron finally closed on his house last week. My parents and I have spent the week helping him get settled in. Luckily he is only about 2 miles away which makes it nice when we want to hang out with him and his girlfriend.


On a sadder note, the new school year is quickly approaching. Although I am excited about the new year I am sad that another summer is once again coming to an end. I always have so much planned for the summer and never get half of it done. My classroom is really coming along and I only have a little bit left to finish.

Weekend Warriors

If you have ever seen the show Weekend Warriors then you will understand this post. The show is all about people that spend the weekend getting projects done around the house. Today Lucas and I went to several stores and finally found a patio set that we both liked. Then we pressure washed the deck and part of the house. While waiting for the deck to dry we put together our new table and mowed the grass. We then stained the deck. In the end we had a very productive Saturday. Here are a few pictures of our final product.

My classroom is coming together!!

Well along with graduate school I have been trying to work on my classroom. As any teacher can tell you, the summer is the time to get organized. Since I moved classrooms this year I have a lot of extra stuff to do. I have had to paint the room and I have to say that the color turned out brighter then expected. Although the pictures make it look really bright, it is not quite that bright in person. Even though it isn't exactly what I expected I still like it. No more boring classroom for me. I will post more pictures when I have completed the room.

Lucas is out of town this weekend. I unfortunely have class tomorrow and could not go with him. That leaves me stuck here with absolutely nothing to do. I need to find more friends. Well that is about it for right now. Life is not super exciting.

Pensacola

Well I got back from Pensacola on Friday afternoon. The trip was ok. Not my favorite, but not too bad. The naval museum was actually pretty interesting, and I at least got to eat good food and walk on the beach. The bus ride was the worst part. Sitting on a bus for nine hours is not my idea of a good time. Now all I have to get through is one more week of classes and I am home free. The wedding planning can resume and hopefully I can get some things accomplished.

Weekend Success

So I actually had a very enjoyable weekend. I am very sad it is now over and I must return to the world of graduate school. I am counting down the days until I am finished. On Saturday I spent a few hours trying to organize my classroom. Since I have moved to a new room I have a lot to do. I will post pictures of my progress later. I always enjoy Sundays. Even though it means the weekend is almost over I am actually very productive. Today I successfully mowed the lawn and cleaned out my closet. That was a very big project, and I have to say it looks much better. Now I am off to bed because I know that alarm will be going off very early.

It's always something

I dedicate this blog to my stupid car. Why do things always have to break at the most inconvenient time. Tonight when I went to get into my car my power windows on my drivers side decided they did not wish to work. FABULOUS!! Let me tell you how excited I was. Since I have to drive myself to graduate school tomorrow my fiance and brother successfully duct taped my window up. Did I mention it was camo duct tape. So now I look like the biggest redneck driving around with camo duct tape on my window. I have included some pictures so you can see how ridiculous it looks. I am embarrassed to drive on the MTSU campus tomorrow. Now please leave me a comment and let me know how stupid this looks. I just hope this is under warrenty. It was a nice ending to this already boring day.

Almost Done

I am finally coming to the end of the graduate school road. Thank you Jesus!! Literally. He helped me through some of the times that I just wanted to scream and hurt a professor. I began my last class today. It only lasts for 3 weeks and is actually quite interesting. I am taking part in the MTSU aerospace education workshop. This is a free scholarship to teachers and counts for 4 hours of graduate credit. I also get two free hours of flight instruction and am taking a trip to Pensacola, Florida. We will be touring the naval museum there. Although I do go to class everyday from 8-3, it is well worth it. Being almost finished is a great feeling. A pay increase and a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders. Now I can actually focus on my job instead of college.

My Babies

Well, since I don't have any children yet, I have to blog about my sweet puppies. I just wanted to share a picture that we took of Lily and Maddie having a sweet moment. They don't often lay together so it was a good picture.

Summer Cleaning

Well I am officially excited. I just found out that my last grad school class does not start until June 9th. That gives me another week to get my house organized and paint my classroom for next year. I began today with the handy dandy rugdoctor. My carpets were horrific thanks to my dogs. Thanks to a few hours of hard work my carpets now look very nice. To bad they will only stay like that for about a week. The dogs will successfully ruin them again.

Summer is finally here!!

Today is the first day of my summer vacation. Summer almost makes the other 180 days of teaching worth it. I have to admit it was a rough year. My students were not the most well behaved and seemed to really enjoy pushing every button in my body. Lets just say this break is much needed.

Unfortunately, grad school begins next week. I just keep thinking that I will be done in only 3 weeks. That is a pretty good feeling. No more 3 hour classes after a full day of work. I actually get to go home after work.

I am already getting excited about a new school year. I want to try to plan some good activities throughout the summer, and I also have to get my new classroom painted and set up.

Wedding plans also have to continue throughout the summer. We have booked the reception site and are still trying to finalize the church. Next I guess I move on to flowers, cakes, and invitations. I know it is going to be here before I know it.

Our new golden retriever is getting huge and so are here vet bills. We have hopefully gotten her over her last sickness for awhile. I can't afford anymore vet bills at the moment. Here is a picture of Lily.

Getting Started

Well, I don't really have time to keep up with a blog account, but I thought I would try it. Since I am going to be planning a wedding over the next 10 months and trying to keep up with everyone, I figured it would be a good idea.

Life is extremely busy right now. I am finishing up grad school at MTSU and hope to be graduating this summer. I am getting married in February of 2009. (Hopefully) I have not even started planning yet. I am kept busy by my job, school and taking care of my two dogs. I have had Maddie for a year now, but Lily is our new addition. She just came on March 14th. She is a golden retriever. I am still trying to get my house to to where I want it. Unfortunetely I don't have an endless supply of money. Eventually I will get it all finished.

Right now I am on Spring Break. It has been a nice break away from teaching.
Well that is it for right now. Who wants to make a bet that I am going to struggle with updating this thing?