Give Me a Break!!

Today has surely been one of "those" days. I received news about some INSURANCE problem of mine that to be quite honest, felt like a death sentence when I received it. My students were rude, hurtful, and right out mean to my student teacher and because their mine, I feel responsible. A friend of ours found out she has stage 3 cancer. She's a single Mom with two children to raise. AND...the weatherman said it's going to be in the 50's tomorrow with wind and strong storms!!!! Are you kidding me????? Don't ruin my Friday too!

A day for us girls...

Yesterday I got to hang out with a very good "friend". We went shoe shopping and let me tell you, I love shoes but my "friend" was in heaven. After we picked up some new shoes, we went looking for "workout wear". While we were at Academy, my "friend", who by the way has the cutest little body, discovered 2 very adorable swimsuits. After a whole lot of shopping at Academy, she fell a little short at the cash register (she only had $1) but I was happy to pick up the rest of the tab. When we left Academy, I was going the wrong direction and decided to cut through Resthaven Cemetary. Boy...did I make the wrong move! My "friend" decided that the flowers were so beautiful there, she could pick one for a teacher friend of hers. I wouldn't let her but I also learned not to use the cemetary to turn around in.

All that shopping had made us hungry so we called another friend of ours to meet us at Zookini's. The three of us enjoyed a nice dinner and just had "girl talk". You know..the things you do amongst "friends". After we relaxed our feet for a little while at home, my "friend" and I ran to Target and would you believe, she found an outfit there too? As we were leaving Target, we were walking to our car and my "friend" looked UP at me and said...."I love hanging out with you"..little does she know, I can't think of anyone else I enjoy having a girls day with either! I want to share a picture of my friend with you because she is beautiful...inside and out. She is free spirited and loves life and makes me laugh on many occasions. She also keeps me humble and has improved my prayer life because sometimes, she can be a little stubborn. But, all in all, I thank God daily for blessing my life with someone who I know I'll be able to call my "friend" for a very long time.

Spring Break 2007 - A wonderful time!

We have returned from our trip to Cloudcroft. It was absolutely wonderful. Very relaxing, many moments of laughter, and a moment or two of worry just to keep us on our toes.

Our cabin was way more than expected and if anyone ever travels to Cloudcroft I would highly recommend this place. We arrived Saturday evening and withing a few minutes, Clarissa was dancing around, jumping up and down, saying "THIS IS AWESOME" and "I'M SO EXCITED". We drove into town and grabbed a quick dinner and returned to the cabin. Sunday was interesting. The day started out with beautiful sunshine. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast by Chef Sal and shortly before noon, we had a light mountain shower. The kids enjoyed sledding down the hill that morning before the rain. At noon, Sal went into Cloudcroft (6 miles from the cabin). By 12:15 it was snowing so hard that I couldn't see across the mountain. It was thundering and lightening also. At 1:30, Sal had not returned. Our Explorer is not a 4 wheel drive so I was a bit concerned. I put on my shoes and decided I would take the trecherous walk to the neighbor's house and call the local Sheriff's department to look for him. While I was preparing to leave, I heard Clarissa praying that if "Sal dies, I would be sad. Please don't let him die." Well...that was comforting. Within about 5 minutes, she runs through the cabin yelling "HE'S ALIVE! HE'S ALIVE!". Yes, her Daddy had returned. He couldn't pull the truck into the driveway because it was an incline but nonetheless...he was home! We ended up getting about 3 inches of snow and the kids built a snowman/woman/thing. Monday they predicted more snow and so we just hung out at the cabin and the kids loved playing in the snow.

Tueseday we ventured down the mountain to White Sands. I have always wanted to visit there and must say that I was awestruck from the moment I saw the place. We had so much fun! EVERYONE took part in sledding on Tuesday! We hated to leave to come home but once back, everyone agreed that it was nice to be home. Sal and I realized on the way back that our work places were not mentioned one time while on the trip. How nice to completely get away from it all. I have posted pictures on my Flickr stream and would invite you to share in our wonderful trip. We can't wait for the next opportunity and adventure! Family time is a wonderful time!

And We're Off!

Well, not exactly but today is the day. We've had this trip scheduled for what seems like forever and Spring Break is finally here. We hope to be on the road within the next few hours and then we're off to Cloudcroft. Both kids were awake BEFORE 7:00 this morning. I think they may be a little excited! Well...I must finish packing before Clarissa does it for me! Happy Spring Break!

I am so blessed!

Happy Birthday to me! As I celebrated my 41st birthday today, I have taken a moment tonight to reflect a bit. I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life. This morning, right before I turned on my blow dryer, I heard my precious princess say "Happy Birthday Mommy" in a very sleepy voice. It was a wonderful thing to hear. Soon I was met by my son and husband with a present and card. I love them, all three of them, so very much. I went to school and was met with well wishes from my students. They're so cute! I work with such wonderful people. One of my dearest friends gave me the coolest bag with some "girlie goodies" in it! Those of you who know me know how much I LOVE bags and purses. My wonderful sister called me, text messaged me, emailed me, and blessed me with yet another cool present. She is persistent!

Well...during the day, my students CONTINUED to wish me a Happy Birthday, some at very inopportune times but nonetheless, it was sweet. As I was on my way home from work, I received a phone call from my principal and assistant principal, singing Happy Birthday to me. They're so cute! While on the phone with them, my Mom called to tell me that she just couldn't believe her BABY was 41!!! Yeah, well me either but that's how the math plays out!

My day ended with dinner with the family and a friend, who went way out of her comfort zone to join us at a Japanese steakhouse. It was topped off with a surprise cheesecake and singing by the wait staff.

All in all, through all the cards, call, and gifts from friends and family, I realize how very blessed I am. Even though there were those who claim to be so very close to me that I never heard from today, God revealed to me how many wonderful friends I have in my life and how adorable and loving my entire family is.

I can only pray that God will give me at least another 41 years to enjoy this grand 'ole life because I really do have a great one!

Happy Birthday to me!