Seriously?!

As soon as the first part of the siren went off, I was out of the bed, the tv on, the hallway ready for safety. This morning the storms missed my part of town, but other parts of Birmingham were affected. And so was Guntersville. As I was getting ready for work, I was getting irritated that the surrounding counties were getting delayed and JefCoEd had not released any information. I made it to work on time (that's a huge accomplishment) only to discover NO POWER. Some of the teachers stood in the drop off lane to let parents know the following things:
1. We had no power.
2. We would not be taking attendance.
3. We would not be able to prepare lunch.
4. We would probably be getting out of school early.
And yet, some of the kids still got out of the car. 2 of my kids showed up. At 8:00 we got the word that school would be letting out at 10:30 and to call parents. By 9:00 both of my kids had been picked up. At 10:42, I pulled out of the parking lot as the last of the kids were getting in their cars.
I want to remember this day when I am a parent. Unless you absolutely, positively can't find somewhere to take your kid on days like today, DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL. :) Thanks.

Say a prayer as the storms continue to rip through the South that we will be as safe as possible, the emergency people will be kept safe, and the storm chasers stay inside.

I love weekends

It's true. I wish the weekends lasted longer. Last weekend, I went to Atlanta. We ate at The Pecan, visited Cascade (where the movie ATL was shot), and went to see the Braves.
This weekend, home sweet home was where I was. I would give anything to have a little (ok, a lot) more of this...

Favorites

The first thing that meets me at the door everyday!



The first flowers I planted!!




The first decoration I put up...thanks Ausley's :)

Free Fallin'

This is one of the funniest moments of my teaching career... So Tuesday I wore a pair of black flip flops to work. These would be my old faithful pair. They are a little worn on the bottom, which means they are slicky. As I am walking my kids down to the gym, I decided to cut through the grassy hill. I was just thinking in my head, "How funny would it be if I fell.." and boom, I fell. HA!!! My foot slipped on the grass as I was stepping to the concret and down I went. Thankfully I caught myself before I landed on my face. Typically, I would have been extremely embarassed, but because I just was thinking about falling, I busted out laughing...and so did the 5th and 6th graders who were watching. (I should tell you, I didn't know any of them and they were in in-school suspension.) One of the girls in my class, screamed out at them... "Don't laugh at my teacher!!" My heart melted. This girl gets on my nerves most of the time, laughs at everything I say when I am getting on to her, and bullies other kids. At that moment, I smiled. It made my day to hear those sweet words. All my sweet kids came running to help me up. :) On a side note, I am taking a mental health day. Not that the kids are getting to me, but the longness of the day is killing me. There's nothing left to teach, and it's hard to keep order. I can't wait for sleeping in!!

Feels Like Home

Nothing feels better than home. And home is Guntersville. From the time I hit the Marshall County line until I pass it on my way back, I feel at ease. There's nothing like knowing every road, the back ways to get to the places, familiar faces everywhere you go, and all the good eating places. This weekend made me realize how at home I feel in Birmingham. Friday night, Mikey, Amanda, and one of Mikey's friend came to bring some furniture. It was also a chance for Amanda to pick up her wedding dress!! :) I got us to Hoover in about 20 minutes, going on back roads. I am impressed with myself. But the exciting part came on Saturday... Mom came down to help me fix my flower bed. I wish I had some before pictures, but of course I didn't think about that until it was too late. We started the day by shopping for new bed stuff at HomeGoods. Then, we ate lunch at Salem's. Guntersville folks, think about Wanda's...it's Homewood's version. So GOOD!! Wal Mart was our next stop to pick up azaleas. I ended up getting lots of lilies too. While digging around in the flower bed, I found 3 huge pieces of wood, a butterfinger wrapper, coke bottle tops, a hanger, and a brillo pad. Interesting to say the least. I planned on taking pictures today, but the stormy weather delayed me. I'll put pictures up as soon as I can... All of this to say, I finally feel at home here. Yes, I've owned this house for 8 months but it wasn't until I reflected on my weekend and realized how at home I am in Birmingham. I can navigate these roads, find places to eat, run into familiar faces at Salem's, and enjoy taking care of my house. What a great feeling...

Thankful Friday

I know I said I was going to do 5 on Friday, and honestly, I forgot. But today, here are 5 things I am thankful for. 1. State testing is over. My kids tried really hard, so keep your fingers crossed that their work paid off. 2. I dreamed about Kate moving back to the US of A last night and woke up really confused...proves how much I miss her. In case you didn't know, I am thankful for her work. 3.MAGNUM bars. SO good. If you haven't tried them, go to Wal-Mart, look with the ice cream. Thanks Kate and Lauren for introducing me! 4. Mary spending time with me this week. 5. I am going home tomorrow. I am getting my taxes done tomorrow...hopefully a refund will let me buy a new camera!! :) Not to mention, more time with my family.