Mike and Sarah

Well hello readers, how are you today? As you can see my mood has elevated considerably since my last post. This is, of course because I am finally on break... until 2011. This, my friends, is just fabulous. We depart for Chicago in a mere 2 hours and I couldn't be more excited to spend quality time with family and friends. In the true spirit of the holidays, I will embark on a blogging hiatus until the new year. It's time to unplug, unwind, and de-stress-ify life. Readers, I wish you and your loved ones happy holidays. May this time bring you joy; as you remember all the wonderful times over the past year, peace; as you let go of any un-pleasantries, and most of all revitalization as you enter a new and exciting year.  Lots of love, Sarah and Mike

... or something of the sort. *A glimpse into the life of married folk: Tonight, as Mike watched the first half of the Bears vs. Vikings game (for the record, we're a Bears household), I addressed our holiday cards. I feel a lot like a grown up. I was shocked at the footage of the old outdoor field in Bloomington where the Mall of America now sits. I didn't even know that land used to be the Vikings stadium... some Minnesotan I was! In other news... I have one day left of school and Mike has two. I have to remember that, come June, he will finish school one day earlier than me. Therefore, any way I find to rub it in his face that he will in fact work harder than me this week, will come back to haunt me times a thousand in a mere six months. Today while I was completely wasting time working I stumbled upon this concept over at my dear friend Kate's site  and thought, what a marvelous idea . I shall begin this promptly at 4:16 tomorrow afternoon... around the same tim...

It is through gritted teeth that Mike and I are preparing for short weeks this week at school. I'm done on Tuesday and Mike goes through Wednesday. This is the first year we haven't had two full weeks off and, let's just say, we're less than thrilled. One good thing about this, however... it made the decision for Christmas traveling a lot easier this year. We'll visit one  family this year instead of both. So... Friday night we planned. The to-do list looked a little like this: Shop, bake, wrap, clean the apartment, pack.  Saturday we braved the crowds and actually completed 90% of our list. Old Navy was incredibly prepared with iphone checkout for those paying with credit. I was totally impressed! Sunday went a bit like this:  bake  clean bake wrap bake clean bake wrap... you get the picture. When all was said and done we added one final item to the list... nap.immediately. Mission accomplished. It was a pleasant da...

Well folks, I've officially been a 5th grade teacher for 4 months now and I think I can also officially  state some similarities and differences between first grade and fifth grade. Differences: 1. You can be sarcastic with fifth graders. 2. I get a lot more accomplished in a day with my fifth graders because they work independently. I had a hard time with this at first because I thought I wasn't fully doing my job but now I realize this is part of getting older, they have to learn to work and understand things on their own. On the other hand though, my days in first grade flew by which isn't the same everyday in fifth grade. 3. First graders are a lot funnier day-to-day. 4. In first grade you focus as much on social behavior as you do on academic behavior. In fifth grade you focus as much on organization and responsibility as you do on academics. I'm finding I have more patience with social guidance than I do for organizational guidance. 5. I can finally te...

I'm not sure what it is about this particular holiday season but I'm like, totally into it. The music, the lights, the snow , that smell in the air of a fireplace somewhere mixed with cold, and the thought of a nice long break from school looming over our heads... oh man... I"m so excited! So what are some things that get you into the holiday spirit? Here are some of my all time holiday faves... Movie: Traditional- Christmas Vacation, Non-Traditional- The Family Stone Song: Church Song- O Come All Ye Faithful, Fun Song- Sleigh Ride Tree: Real or Fake... I'm from Minnesota, we only  do real trees Cookie: My Mom's Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies (yes that was supposed to be capitalized like a title because these cookies are epic, but the recipe is top secret)... I also love  gingerbread cookies so I plan to make my own this year... I'll let you know how they turn out Traditions: My parents always let me open one present on Christmas Eve after going to ch...

Last night Mike and I took a trip to London... via the Des Moines Civic Center stage. My big Christmas present this year was tickets to see Mary Poppins and last night was the big night. A few things to note: 1. The musical is very good, but it does not follow the storyline from the movie. 2. Did you know Mary Poppins was originally a book series? Well, I sure didn't and I kind of felt like an idiot when I read it in the program. I think if I'd had known this I would've done some leg work and read the books. Call me a control freak, but I like to know what to expect. 3. The movie version follows the storyline from the first book in the series whereas the stage version includes story lines from throughout the 7 book series. 4. The scene with the tea party on the ceiling is not in the stage production. This made me quite sad. 5. The   Step in Time scene is  in the stage production and it was amazing. Anyways, it was a great night. Mike has never se...

I have finally  finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ! Well, actually I finished it a while ago (seriously, I really did) I just haven't gotten around to posting about it. I know I spent a great deal of time complaining about this book but upon completion I am now a dragon book believer. I do have to say if you haven't begun this series, the first book starts off very slow. It's no until over halfway through the book that you actually get to the events mentioned on the back cover overview. It's not boring by any means I just expected it to move quickly as most psychological thrillers do but this one doesn't start off in this way. There are two main characters you follow, Michael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Michael is put on an assignment to help solve an unsolved mystery and along the way, he hires Lisbeth as his right hand woman. Lisbeth is a very mysterious young lady who prides herself on being one of the most skilled computer hackers...

Mike and I devoted an evening last week to decorate our home for the holidays! Yes, that is the opening credits of Christmas Vacation on our tv. You can not  decorate for the holiday without your favorite Christmas movie playing! We received some beautiful vases for our wedding so I bought some small ornaments to place inside. This is probably a very obvious decorative tip but I tend to be somewhat challenged in this area so I was quite proud of myself. I love our little tree but truth be told, I dream of the day we get to go out as a family and find a real tree for our home. Nothing says Christmas like a real Christmas tree! Happy holiday season everyone!

Even though I do believe we're now closer to Christmas than we are to Thanksgiving-past, allow me to recap the highlights of our trip up to MN for the holiday. We spent Monday night baking away in preparation for the trip. My parents are wonderful about cooking great meals while we are home so the only thing, food-wise, we can ever contribute is dessert. Well, we certainly  brought the dessert for this trip. Mike made his double-chocolate bundt cake (secret family recipe, sorry) and I made these scrumptious snacks. On Tuesday, we packed the car as fast as we could and headed out of dodge. We could not wait  for 5 days off from everything. Minnesota has snow, and from what I hear they are being pounded with more as I write. We got a brushing last night but I don't think it'll stick unless we get more soon. It's crazy we don't have any especially after the winter we had last year. Maybe we're getting a break this year... maybe. Here, the mighty ...

#28- Mike, of course! I'm not a big believer in soul mates. I'm not entirely convinced there is only one person on this entire planet that is right for everyone. However, the longer Mike and I are together the more I am  convinced Mike and I were meant to find one another and we were meant to build our future together. Do not be fooled readers, Mike is totally the better half in our equation. Never, in a million years, did I ever  think I'd be so lucky as to find a guy like him. I'm so thankful for you Mike and everything you bring to me and our lives together. As we continue to walk through this crazy life, doing our best to figure things out as we go, I can't imagine a better companion. Thank you for your willingness to be by my side, all the way. #29- Life and the Future Obviously, all of these go into one big, huge  ball of gratefulness, excitement, and wonderful goodness. The best way to predict your future is to create it and, upon review of items 1-28, I...

...oops, I meant the parents. hehe #26- My Mom If there is one over-used statement I stand by more than any of the others its this, "you won't truly appreciate your mother until you live on your own." I think about this daily, no joke. My mother is amazing. She is practical in every sense of the word and through this she has taught me some of life's most valuable lessons. She could totally write a book but she'd never suggest it because she's humble and would say, "no one would ever read that ." Mom, there isn't a chance in the world I would be who I am, where I am without you. Most importantly, when I think back to when I was kid and I remember all the things my mom did for me and my family I'm truly blown away. Mom, you're stronger than you'll ever know. Thanks for your energy and wisdom, among about a billion other things =). #27- My Dad Where to start with this one?! My dad and I, we're kind of like two peas in a pod. I...

Wow. T hat was a long break. Rather than boring you with the details of my absence, I shall sum it up as best I can; I was so not prepared for Thanksgiving to end... but we'll get to that eventually. For now, I shall satisfy your blog-reading-withdrawal by ending my 30 days of thankfulness. Ready. Set. Go. #25- My In-laws I can't remember the exact moment I realized things would work out between Mike and I, but I think it went something like this... "Hi, I'm Sarah." "Hello, I'm Mike." "What's your major Mike?" "I'm an architecture student." "Oh, that's cool, I'm in elementary education." "Oh really?! My parents and sister are teachers too." sold I can't really describe how it feels to become a part of a family after 20some years of growing within the comfort of your own blood roots. I remember the first trip I took with Mike and his family to Chattanooga, TN for a wedding. It wa...

#18- Breaks!- I love my job so much, I really do, but I have to say one of the largest perks are the regular breaks we recieve strategically placed around major holidays. I am so thankful to never have to worry about missing Thanksgiving or Christmas because of work. As a bonus, the day before any break I feel just as I did when I was a student myself... excitement I can barely contain. #19- Snow- Snow around this time of year is absolutely beautiful to me. Fresh, fluffy, and white; you just can't replace the image of a forest covered with new snow. Don't get me wrong, I do reach  my limit but right now, for the purpose of this month of thanks, I'm thankful for snow. #20- Harry Potter, but more specifically JK Rowling- I understand there are anti-Potter fans out there, some of which who are reading this now but, as I did with my sweatpants post, I stand by my appreciation for this author, series, and mythical world. When I think back to my childhood I can't help but...

#15- Supportive Parents: Yesterday I had one of the best parent teacher conferences I've ever experienced. Conferences can be very tough for many reasons but one of the main concerns is when you don't really have too many positive things to say. This particular conference was along these lines and it went better than I could've ever expected. We have a plan, we're excited, I really feel like we're going to make a difference in this child's life. I love when things work like this and it definitely reaffirms why I love what I do. Thank you  to all the parents out there who understand their kids, the good and the not so great, and do everything they can to help them become as successful as they can be. #16- My best friends from high school: For some reason I have been thinking about the two of them specifically a lot lately... maybe it's because I know a reunion is in the works over Thanksgiving. We don't see each other as much as we'd like and I can...

Yesterday, while avoiding important work, I stumbled upon this... and I laughed and thought how ironic it was for me to find this during this of all weeks, perfection. Then this led me to the discovery of this... complete and utter awesomeness. Changes went into effect immediately.

Next one the list... I'm thankful for the sweet smell of a savory dinner roasting away in the oven when I come home from an exhausting day at work, and the husband behind all this goodness . It has taken us a long time to figure this whole dinner thing out, but I'm happy to say our latest agreement is looking like it may be a good fit. Mike gets home much earlier than I do so it only makes sense to put him in charge of dinner for the evening. Luckily, he does not mind this... as long as there is a plan in place. So we've decided we will do our best to plan our week, meal-wise. Then, I will shop, he can cook, and we'll split the dish duty (actually this was technically not part of our agreement, but in my executivehouseholddecisionmakingontheblog, I'm going to go ahead and say the last part will be shared). Success . We've discovered we really enjoy bone-in chicken cooked various ways in the oven. I was pleased with this because chicken legs and thighs a...

#11- Fall-  I do believe fall is my most favorite season. I do love warm weather but I can only take so much of it. Fall signifies the end of sweltering heat and contains some of the best sleep with the windows open nights. #12- Caramel Latte's- mmmmmm, such a wonderful treat especially on chilly mornings and when you have a wonderful book to enjoy as you sip. #13- Technological Advancements- Mike and were out of town this weekend for a wedding in which Mike was asked to be an usher. We were so excited to celebrate such a wonderful couple so it was very cool that Mike was able to be a part of their big day. He was called to duty early Saturday morning so I had a morning all to myself where I found myself in need of a local Target-like store because, of course, I forgot some essentials at home. What's a girl to do, I'm in a city I've never been before and my navigation skills match those a small child... never fear there's an app for that.  I went to my MapsBuddy...

with the sound of the next item I am most thankful for... music. Music is extremely nostalgic for me. Most genres bring back vivid memories of various stages of my life- any popular song from the late eighties, for example, makes me think of my aunt and listening to her sing in the car every time we would visit from the ages of 4-9. I was convinced of two things: she knew every single song on the planet and  she was the coolest person ever . Country music, on the other hand, brings me back to college because this was the only time I ever listened to, and tolerated, country music- just to name a few. I can also count on music to compliment any mood. Whether I need to chill out, fire up, or just plain belt it out... music is always there. Oh - and if my cars could say what they are thankful for, Freddy Focus and Holly Honda would mention they are so very thankful I save all my vocal energy for my car rides.  You're welcome Holly and Freddy .

Today, I am thankful for books, books, and books!! You know the song... the most wonderful thing about Tigger is that Tigger's a wonderful thing ... I could sing a version of this about books all day long. A perk of my job is that I get to share this love for books everyday and nobody really laughs at me and all my book-nerd glory. Today my students wrote about books using poetic voices and I was blown away. One related books to a perfect storm, you can predict it, but nothing can truly prepare you for the impact it will make... once you finish reading, you're never the same. They make me so proud, =). To all the authors out there, published and aspiring, you're work is something I am most thankful for.

Never in a million years would I have placed myself in Des Moines, Iowa let alone naming it as one of the things I am most thankful for, yet here we are. I am so thankful for this place we call home and for everything it has brought to both Mike and I. I think everyone has a special place in their hearts for the geographic location in which they actually became a responsible adult . Perhaps, though, the greatest thing Des Moines has given us is a safe place to enjoy our lives as newlyweds and it is these moments, I'm sure, we'll remember most. Oh sweet Des Moines, we love you so =).

but my number 7 item I am a most thankful for is, sweat pants . Go ahead scoff, make faces, judge but I stand by my 7th choice, firmly. About 6 months after dating Mike told me he had something he wanted to discuss something with me, then proceeded to seat me on his couch while he paced in front of me. He told me he'd never met anyone who wore sweat pants as much as me and that I might want to start thinking about "dressing up" more often... or at least when we go out in public (to be clear, I always dressed nicely when we went on dates and for nights out but all times in between... well, you get the picture). It's a miracle we're still together. I will say, I have down graded my sweat pant-wearing to only at home or for those grocery runs in which you urgently need one or two items. I'm not sure if it's due to the fact that I actually have a respectable job or from watching too much What Not to Wear  but I see the point. Regardless, I love sweat pa...

I'm so very thankful for my little brother. I'm probably more thankful for him than he'll ever realize but I am so fortunate to have him in my life. Every time I see him lately, and he looks more and more like a young adult, my heart swells with pride and excitement for him and his future. Love you little bro'.

I read this little challenge on my friend Jenna's blog and have also seen some Facebook friends posting things they are thankful for each day this week and I got to thinking... what a great idea. Therefore, each day this month I will post something I am thankful for in an attempt to get past the "off the top of my head" items to hopefully reveal some things I truly take for granted. I'm also going to challenge myself to be specific as opposed to generic because the generic ones are boring and will leave me with approximately 18 days without anything to share with you,  god forbid . Do me a solid readers... play along either on your own blog, Facebook, or by leaving a comment. I'm already behind so here's a weeks worth... - I'm thankful for my health... I feel strong and capable to do what is asked of me each day - I'm thankful for our home... when we're home for the weekend, I rarely go anywhere because I love everything about our home -...

Hello my friends, welcome to standardized testing week. Woah, this is by far the greatest challenge of moving from first grade to fifth grade. For one whole week my students... - sit in desks in single file rows arranged in alphabetical order - spend their entire morning listening to their teacher say things like "... we are now moving on to ______ portion of our test. Turn your booklet to p.__. Read the directions silently to yourself as I read aloud..." - spend more than 45 minutes hunched over a green answer booklet filling in bubbles ever-so-diligently ... all the while I'm sitting at my desk, because I have to regulate the clock , sadly watching my instructional minutes tick away. Oh, the pain of watching my job reduced to an answer booklet, bubble sheets, and a number 2 pencil, grrrrrrr . Luckily, it's only a week... then we can go back to our regularly scheduled programming . Is it Friday yet?!

On my way to work this morning, the local DJ's were chatting about an adult Halloween tradition where adults share "grown-up" beverages either while they are trick-or-treating with their kids or after. Although the DJ was as perplexed as I was, sure enough at least 7 people called in and where all, "oh, yeah we do this every year!" I was floored... I never knew this happened. Am I totally out of the loop? I can't decide if this is good news or not. I think about taking our kids trick-or-treating someday and get really excited... which makes me think it's a bad idea, isn't Halloween about the kids?... But then I think of the Halloween in which my parents spent the better half of the night putting green face paint on my face, because I was a witch, only for me to trick-or-treat for probably a fraction of the time, then promptly wash the paint off my face. Or  the time I went as a princess but had to practically wear a snowsuit underneath my prin...

Friday night we packed up the car for our big homecoming weekend in which we threw caution to the wind and took a trip back to college. It was spectacular. The logo for this year's homecoming. We arrived around 7 and went straight to greekland to enjoy the lawn displays then headed to campus town to meet up with friends who were in town for the festivities as well. After a few cheap drinks (gotta love college towns) we called it a night. We had an early start time scheduled for tailgating the next morning so we felt getting some sleep would be the best idea. This was the most un-college thing we did all weekend. We met up with a bunch of my college sorority sisters in the "legit" tailgating lots early Saturday morning, unloaded the car with the things you need at your tailgate when you're in the "legit" lot and the fun began. A group of us met prior to this weekend to arrange food and supplies so it was sure to be a great time and, let me say...

Mike and I try our best to spend Wednesday nights together without any work, also known as date night. Knowing we probably were not going to be celebrating Halloween this year, Mike suggested we have a spooky-date night to make up for it.  Recipe for spooky date night: Take out Chinese from our favorite place . One classic horror flick, we debated between Friday the 13th and Halloween. Comfy- cuddle clothes and comfy cuddle buddy for those really scary parts of the movie. =) We settled on Friday the 13th and realized neither one of us had actually seen the uncut version in its entirety. We were impressed. While we did find it scary, we found the scary parts balances nicely with the ridiculous outfits, hair, and acting.  Good times. What a great way to spend a date night =).

Series Spotlight: a wonderful thing about pre-teen books, they often come in a series!      We're just finishing the first in this trio in our classroom this week and I myself completed the second book in this exciting series last weekend. The series follows the adventures of two sixth grade students Calder and Petra on their quest to solve a great mystery happening in the city of Chicago. They live in Hyde Park and the whole book is set in the area as well as the campus of the University of Chicago. I wasn't too sure what to expect when I started reading and, although it's much different from any book I ever read when I was in fifth grade, I found I thoroughly entertained. As we follow Calder and Petra investigation, Balliett adds an element of intellect as well by teaching readers about an important figure within the art world. In the first book we learn about Johannes Vermeer a famous Dutch painter from the 17th century. In the second book...

and look what I learned how to do... ps- I can't believe  I forgot to mention this in my last post. This will make this particular November epic (and I've never  used that word on this blog before).

Did you know this is our, well my, 202nd post? Wow... can you believe I've filled your brain with that much useless knowledge  newlywed tales? I certainly can't. Did you also know Sunday marks the last day of October? It's true readers... Now this is truly mind-boggling to me. Where did October go? I was flipping through my lesson plan book today and found a note for some schedule changes for the first week of November and, much to my horror, realized this was next freakin  week. I realize this may make me a bit weird (which comes to no surprise to you, I"m sure) but I love the turn of the season when fall truly becomes fall . November comes with so many things to look forward to, Thanksgiving, chillier weather, comfort food, family time, sweat pants and blankies... oh man, I can't wait! A picture from Thanksgiving past  at my parents. My dad and Mike are whipping up some delicious peppercorn butter. We'll be joining my side of the family for Thanksgivin...

Sometimes, your better half makes you so proud. I have moments where I simply lose myself in thoughts of our future. We have so many things to look forward to that, at times, I simply can't wait for them to get here. Sometimes, I wonder if Mike thinks about these things too. Tonight, after running errands with Ojash, Mike returned with a few supplies that, quite abruptly, answered my question... Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here are materials for making a beer bong. To be fair, he's making this for ISU's Homecoming celebration next weekend, and it appears this particular model will allow three different options for funnel capacity so, you know... he's keeping the ladies in mind. What Mike has so eloquently outlined for us is one of the reasons we work so well together, I'm a long term thinker and he's the 'immediate future' thinker. What can I say readers, sometimes he makes me feel so proud.  =)

Ahh, blogging has been on the back burner for a while and I apologize. *Side note*- One thing I seriously underestimated about moving to the upper grades was the amount of reading I need to be doing! I want to keep up with the books 10-11 year olds enjoy so I can recommend books to them, but man... they're a bit longer than the pictures books I have surrounded myself with for so long. I do owe a great big  thanks  to tween authors of today though, you've drastically improved your craft since my tween days. Anyways...  Mike and I went to see The Social Network a little over a week ago and I immediately knew I wanted to blog about it. Despite the disappointing news that the storyline was generously tweaked for rating purposes, it truly was a great movie and fascinating storyline. The most interesting part to me was the idea that a person who is brilliant beyond belief can invent something such as Facebook and become a billionaire by the age of 26. Wo...

A while back Mike and I enjoyed some quality time together while taking advantage of a great new feature of downtown living. Des Moines recently installed bicycle hubs where, for a mere $5, you can rent a bicycle for 24 hours. The rental booth works much like a pay-at-the-pump stand at the gas station. We had a bit of a hard time with the first hub because the touch screen wasn't working quite right. We were able to get one bike but had to relocate to a different hub to get the second bike. It's a good thing the hubs were less than a mile apart otherwise only one of us would've been able to ride which doesn't exactly match the idea of spending quality time together. Once we each had a bike we spent the rest of the night tooling around downtown Des Moines. The weather was perfect and we had ourselves a pretty great time. Here are some snapshots from the ride. To my surprise the bikes were very easy to maneuver. The seats are...

... even though its Wednesday (are you getting used to that? because its seems I've done this an embarrassing amount of times). This past Monday (Columbus Day), my school district provided and in-service day for their teachers in which I had the pleasure of sitting through 3 meetings throughout the day. Now, I'm not complaining, it's great we get these days. It's great to come together, either as a building or a district, to work towards more cohesiveness in our teaching. Plus, it allows us a glimpse into what working with adults all day would be like. At the end of our last meeting, a speaker presented a video capturing several teachers responses to the questions, "why do you teach?" It got me thinking of what my answer may be... I teach because, quite frankly, there is nothing else I see myself doing... there's nothing else I ever saw myself doing. Teaching and I, we go together like peanut butter and chocolate. I teach because the dress code...

Great Expectations Today, while at the gym, I got to thinking about expectations. Those little things that creep their way into our lives in so many ways and have potential to drive us absolutely nuts. Say, for example, you set out for your day expecting  to complete a lofty to-do list yet only manage to accomplish half of it, bummer . Or, perhaps, you set out for a 5 mile run and quickly realize your legs or lungs have a different plan (which never has anything to do with your choices the night before, am I right, or am I right?), big bummer . Mike and I seem to have pretty healthy expectations in life, for ourselves, and for each other. I always thought this was kind of cool about us and, of course, am super happy to have an understanding partner yet never put too much thought into why we may be more flexible in this area. I realize why we're this way now... suddenly it all became so clear, it's because we're both teachers .  Allow me to explain... We're cu...

I finally finished my summer book club list! Aren't you proud of me?! If you want to get technical I'm only just over a week late in this post and my book was  finished before fall arrived (although I am still working on the Dragon book, ah well). My last book on the list was Water for Elephants  by Sara Gruen. This book begins with a truly captivating prologue which describes a horrific scene in the midst of circus catastrophe which immediately catches your attention. The story is told through the perspective of the main character, Jacob. Jacob recounts his life as a 20-something working for a traveling circus show while living as a 90-something in a nursing home. The book switches from one point in time to the other and through this journey we learn Jacob joins the circus on whim after a family tragedy seconds shy of graduating from Cornell University with a degree in veterinary science. Throughout his initial months working for the circus, Jaco...

Out with the old and in with the new. Fifth graders are a trip. In many ways, they are mature and responsible and make you think they can handle anything, but before you know it, one of them can't write anything because their pencil broke (even though we have a pencil sharpener and drawer full of sharpened pencils at an arms reach), one of them is bawling because they forgot their homework (monster size tears and gasping for breath), and one of them wants to know what time it is because their parent is coming to pick them up at 2:45 (it's 10:30 and  they know how to tell time ). Regardless, back to the independence... one thing every fifth grader can do with the talent of a well oiled machine is navigate themselves through any computer program. This is so exciting to me. I have created a safe environment for them to work with and they just go, its fascinating to me and very exciting for them. With this in mind, I was a bit nervous to assign our first big project of the ye...

And so it begins... Allow me to set the scene: Mike and I spent the weekend with my parents and pulled in Friday night to hugs, kisses, and general catching up. My parents are in the kitchen and Mike and I are sitting in the family room and a cell phone commercial comes on the tv... Me: "Hey, mom and dad guess what... Mike and I have decided to take the next step in our relationship"... Mom and Dad turn towards each other, my mom lets out a squeal reaching dolphin whistle decibels and my dad's eyes jump out of their sockets... there's jumping, and arms reaching high,  am I painting a lovely picture for you folks .... meanwhile I stop dead in my tracks . Needless to say, they were quite disappointed when I followed, what can only be described as an explosion, with the news that Mike and I have officially merged our cell phone bills creating what is known as a "family plan"... I really think this is exciting but, as you can see, in this situation it wa...

   I got an award for my blog! I'm so flattered! Jessica over at The Bormann Twins  gave me the award, thanks so much Jess. If you haven't yet, you have to check out her blog about her adorable twin boys. She does a great job recapping life with her hilarious duo. This award comes with its own set of rules so here we go... 1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link. 2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered (Okay, I'm a total bloggie loser, I had to adapt this one because I don't have 15 blogs!! Sorry friends!). 3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen. Here are the 15 blogs I chose: 1. Sara Says 2. Living In Style 3. Smile Feist 4. Matt & Jenna 5. This Is Me 6. Free Fallin', High Flyin' 7. First Comes Love Be sure to check out these blogs to find out why they are so very lovely!

Author spotlight: Carl Hiaasen We are currently reading this marvel in 5D and... I completely forgot how enjoyable young adult books are!! Carl Hiaasen is a fabulous author seeping his way through our classroom, and I'm loving every minute of it. Hiaasen appeals to boys and girls alike and combines humor, action, and standing up for what you believe in. Hiaasen has a knack for writing characters 10 year olds can relate to and admire  from cover to cover. My students are so into in and they practically run to the carpet to listen to the next chapter, I love it . If you're looking for a great read, one the whole family can enjoy, I highly recommend Hoot  or any other title by Hiaasen. You won't be disappointed.

I realize, not too long ago (like two posts ago) I expressed my love for the state I've chosen to live, and I do love this state... it's a great place to live, to teach, to have fun... but I'll tell you one thing I do not  like about Iowa (maybe even hate, but I think that's just me being dramatic)... bipolar weather... although Saturday and Sunday were rainy, it was the perfect first glimpse of fall weekend. Then today it was freaking 88 degrees outside... what's up with that, Iowa ?!?! Luckily, we're headed to Minnesota for the upcoming weekend, a place that has a grip on this whole it's fall in two days  thing. Until then, I'll keep my chin up and think happy thoughts... and in an attempt to ensure this post isn't totally debbie downer  I found a cute piece of art of kids in the rain... aren't they cute?! Okay, I'm done now, I'll be happier tomorrow =).

Mike and I are relaxing, with the windows open enjoying the first glimpse of fall following a lovely dinner downtown and I just did some math in my head... this is the first weekend we're both home, for the entire weekend without a thing to do since the end of July . How crazy is that?!?! I don't really consider ourselves busy people, but I think this clearly proves me wrong. Luckily, aside from a few weddings, our fall is considerably less eventful. Fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for comfort food, football games and tailgates, and some quality reading and cuddle time... can't get much better than that ! I hope you are having a lovely start to your weekend =).

Come one, come all… to a place called Iowa (it’s in the middle, not to be confused with Idaho ). Welcome blog-trotters , I’m happy you are here! My Iowa journey began 8 years ago at Iowa State University and I’m now going on year 4 of my true residency as an Iowan. My husband and I live in the center of the downtown area of Des Moines. We make a living by teaching the youth of America (or future Iowans themselves). We both come from neighboring states (I’m from Minnesota and he’s from Illinois ) but we are thoroughly enjoying our lives here in the capital city. I have found my favorite things about Iowa categorize themselves into seasons, which is how I will present this lovely state to you today. Summer/Fall One of our absolute favorite things about Des Moines is the farmer’s market ! This locally grown spectacle occupies six of the downtown blocks every Saturday morning from the first of May to the last weekend of October. A true showcase of the vital resources...