More Thanks...

See earlier posts about my 30 days of Thanks.




12- My job(s). Each one bring me joy in different ways and I am so grateful for all three. Even though I  have small daily frustrations, there are many people that don't get to have those frustrations. Life could be worse.

13- My new job! So excited to be working full time with Little Prodigies. Love the center, love the other workers, love my boss.

14- My gym. I just started a new gym membership and everyone that signs up during the month of November receives a free session of personal training. So today I got my butt kicked. Maybe it will keep me in gear. 

15- Hand washing and hand sanitizer. One of the crawlers came down with pink eye and it has started to spred. Thanks to that, my hands are now terribly dry from all the hand washing I did. But I would rather need lotion on my hands than ointment on my eyes. 

16- Naps. I love when the kids nap. I love when I can nap. Today I got a great one-hour L-couch nap in before going out with Allen and friends. 

17- Football. I love that it entertains my boyfriend. I love the tailgating. I love the spirit and community. Today I went to my first UGA football game and totally loved it. GO DAWGS! 

18- The Atlanta airport Cell Phone Lot. While waiting for my wonderful cousin and her fiance to arrive, Allen and I spent our time in ATL cell phone lot which has a perfect view of the planes arriving and taking off. What a great idea! 

19- Nature. The four of us (Marisa, Paul, Allen, me) visited the State Botanical Gardens today. Beautiful! Can't wait to go back in the Spring and Summer. 

20- Laughter. We celebrated a close family friend's birthday with a wonderful catered dinner. Lots of laughter fileld the table. It's important to laugh. 

21- Open Hearts and Families. As many of you know, I am with the Pratt's this Thanksgiving. Although it is very hard to be away from my own family, they are making me feel like part of their family. I made rice crispy treats, brownies, and am in charge of the green bean casserole tomorrow. Pressure is on! I hope I don't mess up! 

Full Time Teacher!

I am so excited to announce, for those that do not know, that I have begun a full time teaching job with Little Prodigies. To make a very long story short, there was an opening and I was asked if I was interested. Was I interested? You bet!

So here's the long and short of it... I will be working in the "Monets"room which are the 'crawlers' approximately 8 months - 13 months. Some of them are on baby food, some are on table food, but most of them still drink bottles. They are so sweet. They are giggly, wobbly, and snuggly. I love my students! Each one has such a different personality! 

The official perks of this job:

• 8 am - 5 pm with a 1 hour lunch, five days a week
• Maximum of ten students at a time
• Always two teachers in the room

The unofficial perks of this job:

• Awesome boss and co-workers
• Rocking babies to sleep
• Hand and foot print art projects that parents will look back on and love

Needless to say, I am very excited about this job. So I will leave you with this: my official picture outside the door hanging with the other teachers. 

Mommy Visits

We had a great visit with my mom! She visited in mid-October so I apologize for just now posting about it.

Friday - Mom had a late arrival into the ATL airport. That meant Allen and I got to catch up with our Atlanta friends, Brittney and Sean. We finally got to see their awesome new apartment which is situated in a great neighborhood and Allen got his frozen yogurt fix. We finally made it back to our apartment after 2 AM - much later than mom and my bedtimes. 

Saturday - Mom got the grand tour of Athens. We had lunch at the Athens Bagel Company. Neither Allen nor I had been there yet. Delicious! We stopped next door to check out a great little used books store. For dinner we ate at the Big City Bread Cafe. In case I haven't raved about this restaurant yet, it is amazing. I think it is my favorite place in Athens. I am completely in love with their outside dining area, although it was a little too cold to eat outside when we went. 

Sunday - We picked up lunch from Ike and Jane's. See earlier posts about how delicious their menu is. Then I got to show Mom Athens Academy. She was impressed - as she should be! :) For dinner I made a delicious yet healthy Rachel Ray chicken parmesan. Yum! 

Monday - Allen had class so Mom and I did a little shopping. We went up to the outlets at Commerce. And boy, did we have a haul! Mom and I both got a new sweater and new purses. I picked up my favorite scented candle form Bath and Body works (4 of them). Addison Grace (my newborn niece) will be sporting her new onesies in a few months. And, as per Allen's request, we picked up a pari of "sweet boxers" just for a few laughs. He wore his "lucky duckies" later than week and earned a 100% on a history quiz. Dinner, however, may have been the highlight of the day. I made Melting Pot worth fondue. It was amazing! 

Tuesday - We said goodbye early that morning at the ATL airport. :( Allen and I were both sad to see her go.

We are looking forward to her next visit to the classic city sometime in 2013. Love you Mom! <3

Halloween

Yes, I realize it has been a week an a half since Halloween, but life has been busy so I'll catch up now.

Allen and I haven't had a lot of quality time lately so he surprised me with a yummy dinner from The Fresh Market, greenery, and a Reese's pumpkin. I think I'll keep him around!

Allen and I were invited to a Halloween house party hosted by some people Allen works with. He went as "Where's Waldo?"and I went as "Candy Corn". I sewed my costume based off an idea I saw online. Love how it turned out!

They had a fire pit outside. We both love the smell of a bonfire! 

Giving Thanks...

People have been posting one thing they are thankful for everyday on Facebook. At first I wrote it off as just another fad, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I think it's really important to show appreciation to the good things in your life... So I'll catch up...

November:

1- Burlesque Aerobics. I love my dance class.

2- Traveling. Even if it was just a 2.5 hour trip, I love spending quality time with Allen.

3- Extended family. A wonderful afternoon spent with the Pratt's in Asheville.

4- Elders. We visited with Allen's Granny today. Although her health is not 100% you can see how much she loves her family and now I'm included in that circle.

5- Just walking babies. One of the kids in the crawlers room just started walking within the past couple days. Love those wobbley steps.

6- Women's suffrage. Not only did large amounts of women vote for President Obama, but several women were voted into major offices.

7- Sunny days. Two days of rain left everyone feeling cooped up. Today, despite the cold, we had sun.

8- Second graders. They are old enough to have some independence, but young enough not to stray too far. It's the perfect age.

9- Art. Subbed for 2nd, 1st, and K art classes. Gosh kids are creative.

10- Cleaning supplies. Vacuuming, dusting, and organizing make me feel so much better.

11- Crockpots. I made a delicious Cream Cheese Chicken for dinner tonight. I love have a flavorful, warm meal without slaving over the stove.