Bride to Be

there was a weekend + there were certainly shenanigans.

bacheloretteesque shenanigans.   and boy did we shenanigan.
You see, there were two of us here future brides and that means double the fun :)
We started off with a wine tasting & dinner at a local winery.   (That, my friends, is called speaking my love language.)

We then opted for a quick costume change and carried our party down town for more beverages, girl time, and dancing.  

There's nothing quite like a night of letting loose and just having a good time with the girls.  These pictures don't begin to capture how much fun we all had!  And I must say, strangers are overly friendly/generous/talkative the minute you throw on a tiara and sash that reads "Bride to Be."  I met more people than I could remember, had one too many water shots, (ha, water), and helped close down the bar.  I'd say it was a successful bachelorette round one.  Round two will come upon us shortly and I cannot wait!!!  I could really get into this whole bride-to-be free drinks/food/red carpet treatment thing :)
How was your weekend?  Like my usual relaxed weekends are, or more of a crazy time?

high five for Friday

hello, friends. or acquaintances. or complete strangers. or whomever you may be :)
it's FRIDAY (le duh) and this makes me one happy happy happy girl.

I know I haven't been around here much lately...  But hear me out; we're 4 weeks shy of summer vacation, and just over 2 months out from our wedding.  So could you blame a girl for being a little MIA lately?  I hope not, because I'm certain it will happen time and again in the near future. 
With that, here's to a little high five for Friday for you:

let's begin with the most exciting news of the week: OUR WEDDING INVITATIONS ARE EN ROUTE TO THEIR DESTINATIONS!  Wo wo wee wo wah!  Guess this wedding is truly happening now - no looking back, right Nick?  (hee hee).

and on that note, high five to not one, but 2 wedding celebrations in the last week - one at a girlfriends house & one as a surprise at work!!  I'm so grateful for these wonderful people and all they have done for Nick & I.

to top the surprise luncheon shower off thrown today, high five for cake.  Delicious, unhealthy, calorie/sugar loaded cake.  And again to those lovely people to ordered said cake for said wedding shenanigans :)

And now that the evening/weekend is upon us, let's all do a big 'ole virtual cheers to the weekend, summertime approaching, and cute DIY projects [inspired by fellow blogger Katie] that require little to no work!
last, but certainly not least, high five for Monday. because on Monday's you can start diets. and new work out regiments. and make up for your weekend whereabouts and mishaps. Because even though once this Monday comes I'll be cursing it's arrival, I'll need it after the fun that's to come tomorrow night for bachelorette party numero uno.  
c i a o for n o w.
linking up with Lauren Elizabeth today

life lately

One more week to put down in the books for school year 2012 - 2013 & I am super psyched that we're almost done.  It's been a great year, but we're all ready for sionara :)  What I'm not so psyched about; however, is our weather as of late...  in the 30s some nights, 80s other days, and storms like woah.  It keeps my outfit planning exciting though; dress one day, pants & a scarf the next.  
Evidence:

Clockwise from top left: shirt + scarf: old navy | pants: target dress (and dressing room): target shirt: banana republic | scarf: target | pants: old navy dress: old navy | cardigan: target
Target/Old Navy obsession?  Me?  n e v e r.
I've also whipped out some things that make me even more excited for the summer... 

Again, clockwise from top left: new cotton pj dress for lounging during the day: target fresh florals {a weekly necessity}: c/o one of Nick's little students to me :) bright manicures + pedicures summer sips in penn state mugs with pretty straws.
And a few other tids + bits:

EIGHTEEN bags of gummy bears were given to Nick for teacher appreciation week.  18!  What are we ever going to do with 18 bags of gummy bears?   I got to see my little Mia boo this weekend while visiting my parents weeeee!! More goodies to Nick for teacher appreciation {perks of marrying a 5th grade teacher} and dinner on Mother's Day was spent with 2 of 3 of my siblings and my parents at the Melting Pot.  food coma & so worth it.  
And a little confession...  This may have happened at one point:

Yes, that is a rainbow assortment of some of my nail polish collection. And yes, I do realize that's not 'normal' behavior.  but I now know I need more oranges, teals, and purples for this summer so I consider it a necessary evil, capisce?
with that, I'm outie 500. linking up a little late {but better late than... never, right?} 

In 150 Words or Less

Hello hello hello! Christina here reporting live from her 6th to last Friday before summertime. And her 71 day countdown until the wedding. And her last minutes of weekend freedom before all you-know-what breaks loose with excitement for the wedding, upcoming birthdays, graduations, and other celebrations.  
Also reporting from the Friday prior to Mother's Day - Shout out to all yo mamas out there & a special shout out to my mom, Michy :)  
I won't leave you with much reading material today, but who doesn't love a little college-throwback picture funny?

I know I sure do.   I also know if I had to caption this picture it would say a little something like this, Last name ever first name greatest like a sprained ankle boy I ain't nothing to play with.
that  is all.

DIY ONESIE GARLAND

I like easy peasy lemon squeezy DIYs that look nice, but are in my "DIYability" level (which is very much classified as beginner).
Enter onesie garland for Melissa's rubber duck themed baby shower. I had seen pictures of them before, but figured it looked easy enough that I didn't even use a tutorial to re-create one of my own.  I know I'm talking this up to be more than it actually is, but go with me here, please and thank you :)
you will need: paper of varying colors 1 sheet of graph paper large paper punchers in different shapes scissors pencil double sided tape buttons small hole punch twine
first step: draw out your onesie template.

I'm a little particular about clean lines & symmetry, so the graph paper made it super easy to draw and space out evenly.  Depending on how large you'd like your garland to be, I'd suggest about 8-10" for the height of the template and 4-5" across.  
next:  cut out on multiple sheets of paper of different colors & patterns.  You'll need as many onesies as you'd like letters on the garland.  I wrote "BABY KALEB" and left an extra onesie before, after, and in the middle of the two words.

last: hole punch for the twine, and decorate as you wish.  I used my larger decorative punches to make little "plates" for the letters & used buttons for closures and other decor.  You could be as creative or as lazy as you'd like with this making it the easiest DIY evaaaaaa.

and who doesn't like easy, huh? I can't wait to make more for other friends in the future, but don't expect to see one for this lady any time soon, that's for sure!!!  
and a great big ol bear hug to Katie & Steph for getting there ish together reopening their SPDlinkup :)  Love you girls!!

Get Smart

I learned something that I found to be odd the other day...  It wasn't odd per say, but something I had never thought of before...  At a professional development course I've been taking this semester, I learned that you have the ability to "get smart."  You are not born with an innate ability to succeed or fail based off of your genes; but rather can be nurtured towards getting smarter as time goes on.  We went further along into this topic and found that only 25% of your success is based off of ability, whereas 75% of it is based off of effective effort.  
This might not mean much to you, but I was s t u n n e d.  I have never been brought up to think that I had the ability to "get smart" in any/all fields, but rather assumed that if I wasn't the best at a particular subject or trade, I'd have to work harder than the others to achieve the same outcome.  Don't misunderstand me in saying this; my parents were two of the most supportive people I know, and I was given quite a gift in terms of a thorough education and any needs at my disposal; yet it was a misconception that I had brought upon myself.
I then immediately wondered what kind of classroom climate am I creating for my own students?  Do they suffer from the same misconception that they aren't capable of more?  And how do I help change this now so that when they go into the real world they continue to pursue "more" and further their "getting smart"?  I quickly realized that in order to do this, I'd have to model effective effort daily and make a conscious effort to hold them accountable for their actions no matter how small.  If I help to develop this now, it will serve its purpose later for the greater good of these children, their futures, and society in general.  
All of this mumbo jumbo made me want to take a minute to reflect on this past year.  As it quickly winds down, I cannot believe that my 2nd year as a teacher if coming to a close.  I cannot believe that I have already interacted with over 350 students across 3 different states.  I cannot believe that I've taught 5 different subjects.  I cannot believe how much I have grown.
I know that being a teacher doesn't afford me the opportunity to drive a Lexus, own a Louis Vuitton, and get weekly mani//pedis, but it does allow me to constantly evolve as a person and attempt to find a constant balance.  I hope to continue to "get smart" as a person and influence that my peers and students do the same.  
Now let's get on with our summer countdown, shall we?  
27  (with a couple early release days in there making it a little less than 27)
:)  oh happy day.
thanks for hosting your link up, Shanna

May 6, 1988

living among 6 states  partaking in 11 official moves across 14 + homes driving across the country 2 times with 4 children 2 family dogs a handful of deployments a lot of tears a lot of monumental events among one crazy life
these two lovebirds are now celebrating 25 years of marriage.

Congrats, Mom and Dad.  And here's to the next 25 + to come!