Final Day

Today is the last day of the year. For me it was a huge year. It was full of new experiences, great challenges, and lots of love. I can't really say there is one favorite moment or memory of the year instead many that I want to remember. However, buying my very first house is at the top of that list. What is your top memory or moment of 2009?

Hope everyone has a save and Happy New Year!!!!

Happy Holidays!

Yes, it's me. I wanted to wish everyone happy holidays. Hope to be back in the groove of things in 2010.

Seriously, I wanted to cry :(

I've mentioned how I have a 45 minute drive to school. On the way I occassionaly stop to get a Starbucks coffee. Yesterday as I turned into the parking lot I looked over at the Lowe's that is also in the same lot. They have a huge set of windows that were wonderfully decorated with numerous Christmas trees. It's like those Lowe's windows were built just for that. And for a few seconds I honestly thought I was going to cry. The feelings surprised me because yes, I LOVE Christmas but not so much I cry over it. Maybe the thought of having my very own house and being able to decorate it took over. But I seriously almost cried.

OMG, What Happened to October?

I can hardly believe that my last post was nearly one month ago. I can't say that much has changed. Work is still tons busier and harder this year, I'm still enjoying breaking in my new house, and still being babied by Matt.

I can't believe that I even forgot to post on my godson's birthday on Friday, October 23rd. Crazy Horacio (as I call him) turned 2. He's absolutely adorable but also extremely mischievous. Think terrible two's 6 months early. Gotta love him.

Halloween is fast approaching. And with that comes Thanksgiving then Christmas. OMG I am so excited to decorate for that.

So I hope to be on more often but I can't promise. And I will visit y'all very soon also.

See Ya Later September, What's Up October!

I had a similar post last year. I wrote all the things I was looking forward to in October. All I can say is that I love October because it brings me closer to November and December. And I've happily put up my Fall decorations in my brand new house that belongs to me. I have to say it's the best feeling in the world!

Happy Day of Love

Lately I felt a little discouraged and uninspired so I haven't written much lately. I did want to wish everyone the very best this weekend. Don't forget to share your love with everyone you care about.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2008...The Best.Year.EVER!!!

Note: I started this post on New Year's Eve but haven't gotten around to finishing it until today. Super sorry!

As I mentioned in my previous post 2008 has been my best year ever. I have so much to be thankful for. So many amazing things happened in both my professional and personal lives. Here are some random but meaningful things that I'm grateful for in 2008.

• A whole year with Horacio - My baby and godson is so handsome and awesome. I'm a better person because of him.
• Best class ever...2B - I truly have a great class. They are brilliant, kind, attentive, and amazing. I'm so sad to only have them for 4 more months.
  
• New friends in the blogging world and online - NaBloPoMo 2008 introduced me to many new friends. I've also made some great friends online. And I've met some awesome people through current friends and family.
  
• Carpooling with Jen - Jen and I have been carpooling since September. I enjoy our drives to work and home. If either one of us has to miss my day just doesn't go the same.
  
• Co-teaching - I am having the best experience sharing my classroom with another teacher. I have become a better teacher because of the opportunity.
  
• The Summer Olympics and Argentinean Basketball - It was exciting to see Michael Phelps win all his metals. Also, Manu played for Argentina. Let's just say that even though I had to wake up at strange hours to watch them play it was worth it. Manu ended up getting hurt but I have to support my man's decision to play for his country.
  
• Love - The potential for love made 2008 a great year.
  
• Twilight Saga - I fell in love with Edward. It was a great read and I got many of my peeps to read it too.
  
• The Sex and the City movie - What can I say? The movie was as great as the series.
  
• Shopping Spree - I don't like to shop for myself often but when Avenue opened in town I went crazy. Now I feel great in some awesome clothes.
  
• New found hobbies - I bought a Cricut machine and now I found a new love for card and invitation making.
  

So there you have a few reasons why I will miss 2008. I hope this means 2009 will be even better.

The Best Christmas Ever

Hands down Christmas 2008 has been my best Christmas ever. Actually, the year 2008 has been my best year ever. I'll write a post about my favorite 2008 moments next week. Today I want to dedicate my post to the reasons why I had the best Christmas ever.

1. Presents: giving and receiving. I have to begin with my class this year. They are the most observant and thoughtful class I've ever taught. They listen to every word I say. All of the gifts they gave me were things they heard me say I loved. Also, no expense was spared when it came to their gifts. I didn't get them anything amazing but they were all so grateful and thankful. My favorite student gift: a San Antonio Spurs ornament. Then my friends and family also gave me many thoughtful gifts. And I was happy to give many gifts to all my friends and family. My favorite family gift: a tie between a framed picture of Horacio (He looks adorable). and my cousin gave me all the Scrubs seasons I didn't have. 4 in total so now I have all 7.
2. Family: I've been lucky enough to spend lots of time with all of my family. I am including my cousins as well as my nieces, nephews, and brother and sisters.
3. Karaoke: Everyone knows that I'm a huge fan of karaoke. Last night at our annual Christmas Eve Party other people actually joined in on the singing fun. I have to admit that even though I wanted people to join in on the fun I was a bit reluctant to let go of the microphone. In the end, karaoke was a HUGE hit.
4. Shopping: I am not a shopper at all. Wait! Let me rephrase that. I am not a shopper during the holiday season. I hate to even shop for myself. I currently owe my brother and parents their Christmas presents. However, in a strange moment of weakness I headed out for a day (yes, a whole day) of shopping with my cousin Mary and her boyfriend's cousin, Robert (Please see bullet number 5). I ended up having so much fun with them. And I managed to buy some last minute gifts.
5. New Friends: I've met a couple of new people over the break. Robert is one of them. He's funny and a good guy so I'm excited to take a road trip with him and my cousin and her boyfriend. I always have a great time with Ben and Mary so I expect nothing but the same this time around.

So there you have it. My best Christmas ever. I hope y'all had a safe and very Merry Christmas!!!

It's Beginning to Not Look Like Christmas

I can't tell you what the deal is but it is not at all Christmas weather here. Yes, today in the morning I was wearing a coat. However, as 1:30 rolled around the coat was off and I was shopping in short sleeves. I'm not sure how y'all feel but I'm having somewhat of a hard time getting into the holiday spirit with it being so hot. Well hot for December.

Hello All

So sorry that I've been M.I.A. Once I finally missed a day of posting I kind of didn't feel that pressure to post daily. And I felt like the quality of my posts was in limbo. So I'm back and sort of refreshed. I have so many things to talk about but then I'm so tired. We have one day left of school before we go on Winter Holiday. At this point my body knows it's about to get a break and it wants to relax.
With that being said I can't wait to share with y'all how my day goes tomorrow. Already I can tell it's going to be different. First of all, I only had to make rice krispy treats today. Usually I have to make or put together a lot of things. I rather like this feeling. I can actually relax before tomorrow. Next, my kids at school are surprisingly well behaved. Sure they are excited but they are being good. My classroom looks good. My kids have been working hard making decorations for our holiday party.
So I'll share tomorrow with all my fun moments. (Not at all related to this post...Spurs lose 2 in a row...boo hoo).

Holiday Party

Our school is having their holiday party this evening. I look forward to these parties because you get to see how people are outside of the work place. Some people are funner and some not so fun. There are a couple of people that I have become better friends with because of our interaction at the holiday party. There are a few things I hope will happen at the holiday party:

• Karaoke
• Yummy food
• Fun conversations
• At least one drunk co-worker

We'll see if how it goes. I've been to every holiday party since I started teaching. I like the parties at my new school because they are always at someone's house. I love to see how they decorate and it really does give the party a homey and warm feeling.

The Conclusion

I just wanted to update everyone on the last two days of secret santa. On Thursday I got the cutest mug from Starbucks. It has a black top and handle and slivery, glittery, clear color to it. I got this because I love the San Antonio Spurs. Today was the reveal day. I got a really cute card with a gift card to Starbucks. I have to say that this was the best secret santa I've ever had. My class and I were all so excited to find out who my secret santa was.

Secret Santa

Every year I've been a teacher I have always participated in Secret Santa. I love to give gifts and I should be honest that I love to receive them too. The only sad thing was that this year only about 15 people signed up to do Secret Santa. I think a lot of us are feeling our pocket books tighten. When we sign up we fill out a sheet with our favorite things. Each day is has a differnet category. Monday: sweet treats; Tuesday: teacher tools; Wednesday: hobbies; Thursday: favorite color or sports team (hmmm what team did I pick?); Friday: gift card to favorite restaurant or store.

My Secret Santa is the best. I have gotten the best gifts. I feel so spoiled. And my kids get so excited to watch me open my gifts. This is what I have received so far. Monday: 2 giant chocolate bars, one mr. Goodbar and a Hershey's with almonds; Tuesday: big, lined, multi-sticky pads, 5 pack of pens, and a correction pen; Wednesday: many, many beautiful beads, scrapbooking paper, card stock backgrounds, and stickers.

I'll update what I get on the final two days as they happen. What can I say? I love Secret Santa!!!

Holiday Movies

Even though I love holiday movies I don't exactly rush out to see many (with the exception of Elf, but that's hilarious). Yet this year I'm in a movie type of mood so I thought I'd post a list of movies I'm interested in watching this holiday season.

1. Twilight: Yup I want to see it over and over and over.
   
2. Nothing Like the Holidays: The previews remind me of my family.
   
3. The Spirit: I loved 300 and Sin City so I know I'm going to love this movie.
   
4. Seven Pounds: I'm so curious what Will Smith's mission is.
   
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I wonder how this love story will end.
   

What movie are y'all looking forward to watching this holiday season?

I Love Christmas Shows

I hate it when I change the channel and I just missed a Christmas cartoon or movie. Boo hoo.

Almost Didn't Make It

Hello everyone!!! I almost didn't make it today. Last night I spent the night at my sister's in anticipation of today's shopping day. We woke up at 3:30 and headed to JC Penny. There was a Little Miss Sunshine stuffed pillow/animal. Sadly, they didn't have any so I almost left empty handed. I managed to buy 3 pairs of shoes. I'm so excited about them.

Our next stop was Michaels. I own a Cricut machine and they had many things on sale I needed. Then I went ahead and spent a BUNCH of money there. Two hours there can total up to lots. And it doesn't help that I shopped with my sister. She's as compulsive as I am. I bought gifts for my co-workers, students, and friends. I am so eager to give them away.

Our final stop was Target at which I spent a BUNCH of money also. I don't need to go into detail but I am a DVDaholic so I bought many movies. It was also at Target that I decided to sell out...I bought something I said I would never, ever own or buy. I bought a rolling cart. You know...the ones that teachers use to haul their crap. YUCK!!! But with the holiday season coming up it always comes in handy. Yeah, yeah, Jen...I bought one. We made it back to my sister's house at about 10:30.

After some breakfast at home we headed back out to our final destination, Hobby Lobby. I was actually looking for left over fall stuff but it was all sold out. Needless to say I still managed to buy some Christmas items.

The rest of the day I spent at my sister's taking a nap, finishing my party invitations, playing the Wii with my nephew, watching the Spurs win and making smores. My sister and her husband have a fire pit so we sat outside talking and bundling up. Horacio, Vanessa and Cruz made out there as well as a couple of my sister's friends.

I must say that my Thanksgiving holiday has been absolutely amazing!

Yummy, Yummy, Gobble Turkey

I had a fun and witty post but then the internet booted me and I lost the whole thing because it hadn't saved any of it. So instead I'm keeping it simple. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Enjoy the delicious food and the company of family and friends. Remember to be thankful for all great things in life. I guess we should be thankful for all things not great too. Without them we would never know difference between great and not great.

Here's to gaining a pound or two over the next few days!!!!

Nappy Nap

Today after our half day release I headed home for a nice. long nap. I know that most of you might be thinking: "Doesn't she have more important things to do?" The obvious answer is no. I'm not married and I don't have any children so I take good care of myself. Hence, my mission to take a nap today.

So you ask: "Are you well rested?" The answer is a big NO. My two nephews, Michael and Matthew, spent the night last night. Matthew actually went to school with Jen and I today. Anyway, when I got home I got into my comfortable clothes and went straight to bed actually thinking that my nephews would let me sleep. But noooo...they were yelling, playing, and watching TV loudly. After asking them to be a little more quiet I somewhat drifted off to sleep. However, about 10 minutes later Vanessa, Cruz and Horacio came over. What's a girl to do? I'm a good nina, so I played with Horacio. I actually laid him next to me trying to get him to sleep but he wasn't having it. So I had to get up and play with him.

So no nap...just me still tired and hanging out with my family. I guess that's still a plus. Oh yeah...and the Spurs are playing. Woo hoo! I guess my second wind just kicked in!!!

Looking forward to...

There are several things I am looking forward to this coming weekend. Tomorrow is a half day and I am thrilled. Here is a quick reference of things I will do over the weekend.

• Lord of the Rings Trilogy on TNT
• Elf is on three days straight on USA
• Turkey and stuffing and my mom's chile con queso
• The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
• No work for four days
• Hanging out with family
• Baking cookies
• Dinner dates
• Sleeping in late
• Watching Manu and the Spurs
  

First Time

I just saw for the first time the Hershey's Kisses "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" commercial. Y'all know the one where they seem like bells. I can't believe this holiday season is almost here. I love going into stores now because of all the Christmas decorations.