Friday's Letters

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Dear readers, this edition of Friday's Letters is special - I've got pictures! Normally I don't stress with uploading pictures, but I've really enjoyed this past week and thought I'd share. :)

Dear Hubby, I'm glad you got to enjoy a relaxing birthday. You picked an awesome place for dinner. The garlic knots...to die for! We definitely have to go there again one of these nights.

Dear students, thank you for not embarrassing me in front of your substitutes this week. It's nice to know that I can leave for 2 days and come back to a pleasant note and my room in one piece. Dear Mo, thanks for calling me and telling me my name was on the Social Studies list. I'd much rather be in the meeting related to my actual content than a meeting related to English. Dear Social Studies peeps, those two days were so much fun! Not only was the break from the classroom nice, but you guys always know how to keep things entertaining. Social Studies > English. Hands down. Dear Quickfire, your food is AMAZING! I'm so glad we stumbled upon your restaurant - much better choice than the Burger King we initially pulled over for. Us Social Studies people loved you so much, we came back on day two. Would recommend you to anyone! 

{Bacon Chicken Ranch Flatbread - DELICIOUS!}

Dear Florida weather, I am seriously loving you lately. Not too hot in the afternoons. Nice and cool in the evenings. When I got to school this morning you had left a little present on the fences. Not sure we're ready for ice just yet...

Dear Thanksgiving break, you are only 1 week away! I'm so excited! Dear students, today you blew me away! I figured the last thing you wanted to do after your quiz was jump into another lecture. I was hesitant to do a brainstorming activity with you, but you guys were great! And believe it or not, you guys knew a whole lot more than you gave yourselves credit for. I'm looking forward to the conversations next week. 

Dear roomie, (who is moving in this Sunday) please bear with the Hubby and I as we adjust to living with someone else. I know it's only a temporary thing, but we've worked hard to make our apartment as welcoming as possible. Please don't judge our cleaning habits or lack of cooking skills. And please don't judge our cats when they have "accidents." I promise - you won't have to clean up after them.

Dear Hubby, can you believe that we'll be celebrating our first anniversary on Tuesday?! Where has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday we were saying "I Do."

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Friday's Letters

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Dear Civic Duty, I'm so glad I've gotten you done and over with. Luckily, early voting only took away 2 hours of my day. But it's done. And I don't have to stress anymore. Especially considering I'll be out of town at a workshop on election day. Dear colleagues, don't take this the wrong way, but I simply don't want to share a hotel room with you for said workshop. I'd rather spend the night at my folks house and drive a little further. Dear Hubby, I'm sorry work has been so crappy lately. I know you're frustrated and ready to move on to other things. Just remember this is temporary. Dear students, WHY?! Read the quote above. Memorize it. LIVE IT! Sometimes I don't understand why some of you make the choices that you do. Dear Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy, I'm not sure exactly what I'm suppose to call you. However, I'd like to thank you for the cooler winter-like weather you sent our way. With that said, my heart and prayers go out to those who are still without power and clean water in the Northeast. Dear debt, Hubby's small student loan - PAID OFF! Take that! Next up on the agenda - my car loan. Then the Hubby's car. Looking forward to the day when we no longer have you lingering around in our budget. We're thinking about a year! Woot woot! Dear Hubby, I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with you! Dear Tyler, Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy the birthday party tomorrow :) Dear gas prices, feel free to continue to shrink. My wallet and budget thank you. Dear health insurance, why must you be so complicated to understand? Dear students, I know that there were 5 teachers pregnant last year and you're anxious for another one to be pregnant. But I hate to break it to you, it ain't going to be me. Maybe before you graduate. But not this year. Sorry to burst your bubbles. Go bug another teacher! Dear vending machine, you really let me down today. I was craving chocolate, and all you had was chocolate bars with peanuts... Where was the caramel? Where was the peanut butter? 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friday's Letters

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Dear city police officer, why yes, you have my permission to search my apartment. Especially once you tell me that a 14 year old girl has been kidnapped and you're looking for her. Who wouldn't let you in? Dear 14 year old girl, I am so sorry that you went through what you did. And I'm sorry for thinking that perhaps you were just mad at your parents and had run away to a friends house for the night. Dear kidnapper, I hope they find you. Soon. People like you don't deserve to be a part of this society. People who do the things you do deserve to rot. Dear students, today we had our second "coming to Jesus" moment of the year. I don't like these moments. I'm seriously at a loss for what else to do to help you. I can only do so much. At some point you have to pull your own weight and take responsibility for your grades/knowledge/future. Dear parents of said students, please don't call me into a parent-teacher conference at the last minute and ask my why your student's grade is so low. At this point, the grade won't change much. There is an electronic grade book for both you and your student to monitor. You can't tell me you didn't see this one coming. Dear students, no. There is nothing you can do to "bring your grade up." I'm not going to give you extra work when you didn't do your actual work in the first place. Besides, why would I give myself more stuff to grade when my pile is already out of control? And no, you can't make up the work that you didn't turn in or the work that you missed when you were absent 3 weeks ago. It's too late. Take responsibility. Stop making excuses. Buck up sissy pants. Dear readers, I'm sorry for my teacher rant. I shouldn't take it out on you. But sometimes venting is necessary. Dear Hubby, I am so happy that we are getting out the apartment tonight. I'm hoping it'll take my mind off of work. I'm looking forward to spending this weekend together.

Linking up:

Friday's Letters

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Dear short work week, oh, how I love you! Dear progress reports, is it seriously time for you already? Guess what I'll be doing this weekend... Dear fish tank, thanks for springing a leak Wednesday. We still haven't figured out how to fix you. Dear fish, I know you're probably tired of sitting in what must seem like a tiny bowl. Hopefully by this weekend you'll be back in your old home. Dear Hubby, can you believe we are nearly 2 months away from our first anniversary?! Where has the time gone? Dear former student, thank you for asking me to buy donuts for your fundraiser. They were delicious! Dear Periwinkle, I'm glad that you don't seem to have a UTI this time around. However, considering the vet thinks your problem is more "behavioral" than anything else, don't expect a whole lot of sympathy from me when you have another "accident." Dear Saturday morning, please know that I will be spending you in bed, sleeping in. Something I haven't been able to do in two weeks. Dear readers, please keep your fingers crossed and say a few prayers for the Hubby. He's got a couple of tests coming up for potential new jobs. Dear Hubby, I know you're going to WOW them!

linking up at Adventures of Newlyweds

Friday's Letters

Even though Ashley isn't hosting an official link party this week, I still wanted to keep this weekly routine going. It seems to be one of the few blogging-related things that I've been able to continually keep up with and not falling behind (like a certain 30-day challenge).

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Dear Isaac, I'm grateful that you skipped over us and simply blessed us with some rain. You also got us to get our butts in gear and beef up our emergency kit. Dear Dad, thanks for calling yesterday to check in on us and make sure we made it through the storm okay. Dear students, I understand that you don't like Cornell notes. You, however, must understand that I am required to have you use them. And my job is more important to me than you disliking the formatting of our class notes. Sometimes we all must do things we don't like. Dear Periwinkle, Daddy (yes, we're those people) will be taking you to the vet this afternoon while I'm still teaching. I hope your little visit doesn't cost us big bucks, but I'm not holding my breath. Dear brother-in-law, congrats on the new house and officially becoming a homeowner! Looking forward to seeing it this weekend. Dear Labor Day weekend, you will be officially starting at 3:36 today when I'm finally off of work and heading home to start our Atlanta road trip. Dear student body, today is your first pep rally. I'm praying your shouting won't induce a migraine right before my road trip. Dear laundry, could you do me a favor and fold yourself? It would make searching for clothes in the morning and packing my bags for this weekend so much easier. Dear F, I'm so glad you finally announced Baby #2 on Facebook! Now I don't have to hide a secret anymore!

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!

P.S. So, I just realized I never hit 'publish' earlier. Oops! Oh well, better late than never, right?

Friday's Letters

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Dear Hunger Games, you turned out to be a better movie than I thought. Still not into all the hype about this series, but a decent movie none the less. Dear knees, I don't know how, but I managed to bruise the backs of both of you... not a fun feeling. Dear students, thank you again for putting a smile on my face and keeping me on my toes. Also, thanks for working hard and keeping up with the fast pace I've been making you work at these past 2 weeks. Dear Issac, I think my students are sad you won't be gracing us with your presence. Well, at least not the presence we were preparing for at the start of the week. **knock on wood** I think they wanted two 3-day weekends in a row. Me, on the other hand...I'm grateful that we'll be keeping our Thanksgiving break intact. Dear Hubby, I can't wait for our date night tonight! And what makes it better is that it's free (thanks to birthday gift cards)! Dear weekend, it looks like you might be jam-packed with activities and driving. Although I will love seeing everyone, I'm hoping that I'll be able to fit in a little rest and relaxation too. Dear grading, I thought I'd be able to catch up on you today. However the pile went from nearly gone, to twice what it originally was. What's up with that? Please know that I probably won't have time to work on you until Monday.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! And thanks for stopping by!
 

 

P.S. Sorry that the source link above is only to a "pin." I wrote this post while on my lunch break, and the school's firewall won't let me access whatever site the pin takes you to. Gotta love technology!

Friday's Letters

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Dear Florida, what's up with the weather? Hot I can handle. But muggy too? Dear Hubby, thank you for agreeing to change our dinner plans and make dinner the other night so I could nurse a migraine. Have I told you lately how grateful I am for you? Dear blog world, I'm loving the chance to get to network with people from across the country! Other bloggy people. Other teachers out there. It's fun meeting new and interesting people! Dear #shereadstruth, thank you for keeping me accountable and getting me back into the habit of reading my Bible. I haven't been able to do it daily (migraines sometimes get in the way), but knowing that I'm not alone is amazing. The instagram feed is what seriously inspires me! Dear students, it has been fun getting to know you this past week. Thank you for introducing me to the term "bubble guts." Oh, the things you guys come up with....

Friday's Letters

Dear Hubby, thanks for surprising me with flowers the night before my birthday. Also, I love that you listened and got me a gift that I love. Dear Readers, I understand that I have yet to do a birthday recap from last weekend. And I still have to show you pictures from my classroom. I'm blaming it on the first week back at school and how to balance both work and this blog. I promise it's on my to-do list! Dear November, can you hurry up and get here so I can actually hold my birthday present in my hands? (click here for a hint) Dear friends, thank you for going out to dinner with us last minute to celebrate my birthday. I'm also really excited that I'll get to be an "aunt" again in the not-to-distant future!! Dear Android, I'm still not sure if I'm liking this new system update. You've changed a lot of things. It might take me some time to get use to it. Dear Olympics, although a part of me is sad that you're ending this weekend, I'm also glad that I can get back to a somewhat normal sleeping schedule next week. Dear body, I really wish you would stop rebelling against me. Starting to get a little fed up. Hubby said I should just simply say "Screw you!" but I know by doing that I'd only be taunting you... please behave next week! Dear bible study, I'm determined to stay on track and not get too far behind. I promise I have and will continue to make you a priority in my day. Dear Hubby, thanks for being patient with me the other night while we were cooking dinner. My attitude was going downhill quick and you stayed calm. I know you joke and say that if you hadn't then we would have had "yummy chicken" that night, but I seriously can't thank you enough for being kind and working with me, bad attitude and all. 

Friday's Letters

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Today's posting is a little late getting up on the blog. I totally forgot to write it up last night before going to bed, and I've been stuck all day in a workshop. But, it's always better late than never, right?

Dear Hubby, remember that I support you no matter what you choose to do and I will be by your side through it all, no matter what. Dear mom, thanks for coming out and helping me with my classroom paint project. I seriously don't think I could have finished it without your help. Dear Gymnastic Rule-Makers, come on. I can't be the only one who thinks its silly that only 2 girls from each country qualify for all-around competition. Especially when the girl who came in 3rd for the US placed fourth overall! Dear news reporters, the girl is only 17 and just found out that her Olympic dream had been crushed. Give her some time to process. Get the camera out of her face! Dear Missy Franklin, your personality is AMAZING! Congrats on your medals. And the youtube video was hilarious! Dear colleagues, it was great to catch up with you after a long short summer. But, I really must stop gossiping and work in my classroom. Dear everyone, can we all move past this whole Chick-fil-a thing? The dude has a first 1st amendment right (says the History teacher) to express his beliefs. If he's not imposing it on anyone, what does it matter? It's okay to not agree with everyone you meet. We're all entitled to our own opinions. Hence the 1st amendment. Quit getting your panties in a wad, grow up, and move on.

I thought I'd leave you with this quote that I say someone post of Facebook because I think it's pretty fitting with everything that has been going on lately...

" Our culture has accepted two huge lies: the first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle you must fear or hate them. The second is to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."  --Rick Warren

Have a good weekend everyone!!

Fridays Letters

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Dear school district, thanks for giving me the opportunity to work so much this summer. One, it helped fill up some of my free time. And two, all that extra money made for a nice back-to-school shopping trip (after we set some money aside for our debt snowball, of course). Dear Hubby, thanks for enduring 9 hours of clothes shopping. Dear self, I'm definitely impressed with how awesome your attitude was during said shopping trip. You didn't let the fact that your size is hard to find affect you like you typically do. You even managed to crack a few jokes! Dear Tyler, I'm so glad you had fun at the zoo! Dear random zoo kid, the fact that you saw bamboo at the entrance and insisted that there had to be a panda hiding in there - adorable! Dear Lowry Park Zoo, although I think on any other day I would have loved you, the fact that everyone in a 50 mile radius seemed to be at the zoo on the same day made it very crowded. Not to mention it was really hot & humid outside. The upside: it only cost $5 a ticket. Maybe that's why everyone and their mother were there.... Dear Bachelorette, I can't believe I actually picked the winner! That's never happened. Now, my fingers are crossed that you guys actually make it. Dear Design Star, still not sure if I'm happy with Danielle winning. Yes, she was my early favorite. But I really liked the concept of Brittany's show so much better. Dear Big Brother, thanks for once again becoming my summer addiction guilty pleasure. Dear brain, I know that school starts in less than a week. That doesn't mean you have to dream about it every night leading up to it. Dear London, I'm looking forward to the opening ceremonies tonight! Dear family/friends/Hubby, I will be glued to my tv the next two weeks watching Olympic coverage. You have been warned.

Anyone else looking forward to the Olympics? Or am I the only person who is addicted to television?

P.S. I'll be back in about an hour with another post. I just couldn't wait until next week to share some adorable pics of the Hubby with Periwinkle. :)

Friday's Letters

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Dear bird, I don't think the dolphin appreciated you stealing its fish. Dear Hubby, I'm sorry I was cranky while we were both trying to figure out how to hang a curtain rod for the first time. Dear curtains, thank you for keeping the sun out of our eyes on the mornings we want to sleep in. This may pose a problem though once school starts back up and I actually have to wake up at a normal hour. Dear restaurant-that-will-not-be-named, the hair in my food really grossed me out. However, I'm impressed by how well it was handled by both the servers and the manager. Oh, and my table really appreciated the apology complimentary dessert. Dear Hubby, I loved our late night conversation the other night; it's been a while since we sat up late and just talked. Dear golf cart trails, you looked like the perfect route for a bike ride. Instead, you and your under-the-road-tunnels seriously kicked my you-know-what. Dear Hunger Games, you turned out to be a better book than I thought. Still not sure if I buy into all the hype (still think Harry Potter is better - sorry!!), but at least now I'll know what my students are talking about. Dear Summer, where did you go? Dear classroom, I'm really looking forward to some of the projects I have in mind to make you look pretty & functional - crossing my fingers that I can get it all done in time!

P.S. I had to share this really funny comment the Hubby made the other night. I was sitting on the couch reading the Hunger Games, and he leaned over the back of the couch to give me a kiss. I decide one kiss isn't enough, and pull him closer for another one. He looks at me and says, "Is that 50 Shades under that cover?" I seriously could not stop laughing! Maybe it was a had-to-be-there moment, but I couldn't resist sharing.

P.S.#2 I should probably share the fact that I refuse to read 50 Shades of Grey for many personal reasons. And they're the same reasons I won't be going out to see Magic Mike. I've talked about these things many times with the Hubby, especially since many of his coworkers are currently reading 50 Shades. Maybe this is why I think the above comment was so funny to both of us.

P.S.#3 I know... I'm going a little crazy with the P.S.'s today. But, I just had to share a little story about today's picture. The little boy in the picture is the son of our friends. He was a premature triplet! He and his identical twin sisters were in the ICU for months. One of his sisters had to undergo open heart surgery about a year ago. We all praise God that they are all thriving now and are currently going through the terrible terrific two's! (The image was edited by a friend of ours from the Hubby's former church - the same friend who made our wedding cake.)

Friday's Letters

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It's time again for our weekly recap. So, without further ado...

Dear Pinterest Challenge, Wow! Over 450 pageviews! Dear Periwinkle, I'm glad you appreciate the newly organized guest bedroom closet. Now that there's an actual floor in there, you seem to like your new sleeping spot. Dear Reese's Klondike Bar, you were amazing! Dear hubby, thanks for keeping me motivated about going to the gym. And thanks for staying on the program even though I think you're way ahead of me when it comes to running. Dear mom, sorry your flight home got delayed. But, I'm not sorry that I laughed when you said that your new hip set off the metal detector. Dear apartment complex, I'm glad we finally figured out what happened to the rent that was given to you. I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief. Dear passport agency, still waiting for my marriage license to be returned to me; looking forward to breathing another sigh of relief. Dear hubby, sorry I woke you up, but thanks for taking care of me when my stomach decided to rage war against me in the middle of the night. Dear Sea World, I'm looking forward to having fun today and checking out the new Turtle Trek. Please don't disappoint. Dear weather, I know this is Florida and afternoon rain storms are typical this time of year, but could you keep it to a minimum today?

Friday's Letters

Dear Hubby, remember this: "Hun, where did you park your car?" Thanks for making me laugh harder than I have in a long time! Dear Cruz, five o'clock in the morning is not the time to play. Please refrain from whining and dragging your wand to my bedside until the sun is actually up. Dear Aunt Kathy, thank you for talking mom into getting her nails done for her upcoming class reunion. Dear Mom, thanks for thinking to invite me along. And the red sparkly polish is totally you! Dear Hubby, thanks for letting me splurge a little on our summer budget for a little bit of pampering. Dear Paul, thanks for bragging about me and my teaching abilities to your friends down at the VFW. Dear Olympic Trials, thank you for giving me something to watch besides reruns. Can't wait for London! Dear Periwinkle, thank you for letting BK pet lay on you; he must confuse you with his big doggy back home. Dear Katie & Sherry, thanks for hosting another Pinterest Challenge; can't wait to see what everyone creates! Dear Aunt Kathy, thanks for the tip about the sale at the pet store; we were able to get $40 worth of new fish for our tank for only $11! Dear newly purchased fish, thank you for entertaining Cruz for hours on end. Dear apartment complex, thanks for giving me a complex; I swear I paid my rent on time and I will continue to insist that you lost it. I have never made a late payment to anyone, and I'm not starting now. Dear Mom, looks like you had fun at the family reunion. Still pretty bummed I couldn't go this year. But have fun at your class reunion this weekend! Dear City of Leesburg, awesome fireworks! Dear newly purchased fish, thank you for not dying on us! Dear passport processing center, please don't loose my marriage license - I really hate mailing out important documents like that and trusting that they'll be returned undamaged.

Friday's Letters

I was first introduced to the concept of Friday's Letters by Alyssa of The Bee's Knees a couple of weeks ago. The whole thing started with Ashely over at Adventures of Newlyweds (you can read more about how it all began here). I thought it was a great way to do a weekly wrap-up and decided that I would join in on the fun too. So, here it goes....

Dear Officer, thank you for pulling me over and making me aware that my headlight was out. I'm grateful that you didn't give me a ticket. Especially considering you pulled me over right in front of a Walmart where a replacement bulb could easily be purchased. Dear husband, thank you for replacing said light bulb. Dear Red Tails movie, the original Tuskegee Airmen was so much better! Dear weathermen (and women), once again, you have proved that you don't have a clue as to what you're talking about. First, the weather system wasn't suppose to become anything, then it turns into a tropical storm. Then, it was suppose to head toward Texas and become a category 1 hurricane. Did that happen? Nope. Instead we've had a tropical storm parked right off of our coast for the majority of the week. Dear TS Debby, thanks for the rain. We really did need it. I don't know if we necessarily needed that much though. Dear apartment complex, you really should put a system in place to automatically turn off the sprinklers when we have rain. Dear family, yes, we know you're excited about the possibility of grand kids/nieces/nephews/cousins. However, as we've said many, many, MANY times, we'd like to pay off a huge chunk of our debt before starting a family. Besides, we've not even been married for a year; let us enjoy being newlyweds for a little while. Dear laundry, do you ever end?? Dear turnpike, I don't think the 75 cents toll increase was really necessary. Dear mom, thanks for going out to lunch with me and trying out some place new to eat. Dear Hungry Howies, what ever happened to customer service? I'll go with Papa Johns next time I need dinner and I'm in Orlando. Dear mother-in-law, thank you for the movie tickets! People Like Us turned out to be a really good movie! Dear husband, I love you and I'm proud of you; the right job will come around eventually. Dear cellphone, I didn't mean to do it... it was only a tiny bit of water... please turn on again... I can't afford a new one.... Dear self, we've made it through 2 nights at the gym with this new couch-to-5k training, tonight is night 3. You can do it!