Camp ASCCA Prom 2011

Prom at Camp ASCCA is one of the most moving experiences of the summer. We still go back even though we have not been staff in 2 years. We will probably continue to attend the Prom as long as we are able to come in town and help. We got to camp around 9 and saw the cabin cheers. They were realy cute and creative. After that we went to a couple programs to see some of our favorite campers enjoying camp. I helped Mrs. Gaye with the flowers and then after lunch Melanie (2011 Head Counselor) and I got to work on the picture backdrop and decorations! Traci (forner staff and friend) brought her Youth Group from Mountain Brook to help! Those kids were excellent and I think they really enjoyed the Prom!



Melanie and I with the AWESOME backdrop she painted!

Matt was enjoying programs and running around with Jeff. Later that afternoon The Brown's got to camp and we enjoyed catching up with them! Life gets in the way sometimes when you are trying to have fun with your friends! We all split up to change for the Prom. Traci's youth group helped me pin bouts and give out corsages! Our friends The McNair's showed up for dinner and of course Barclay put us all to work handing out food to the campers. Overall we had a great night and are so grateful that we get to share Camp with so many wonderful friends! For all of the videos and pictures from Camp ASCCA's Teen Week go to http://www.campascca.org/ and check them out! Their PR Interns are doing a great job! (I check a couple times a week just to see what is happening around Camp!) Matt and I took a picture together, but my camera is dead...I have to get batteries before the BEACH!

***We are headed to Holden Beach in North Carolina early in the morning! We will be back in Alabama on Sunday and then Volleyball practice starts monday August 1st!!! Then school is just around the corner on the 10th for me and students on the 15th!!!***



OVERDUE!!!!

I am extremely overdue in posting for the month of July! I left Helena on Saturday July 2nd and head to Lake Martin!!! Matt came from Knoxville and we spent the entire weekend enjoying friends and family! The weekend after the Fourth was spent sleeping late, enjoying the sun, and time at Camp! Matt and I spent 8 whole days together and it was wonderful!

On Saturday, went with Jeff, Adrianne, Jeff's Dad, Zoe, and her friend Tripp to Medieval Time in Lawrenceville, GA! It was so much fun and I definitely recommend it for a fun time! We went for Z's 8th Birthday and I think she and Tripp really like it. I and not going to lie, Matt got really in to it as well! (He is a kid at heart!)

Last week I worked in my classroom, went to a volleyball meeting, and got some things done around the house while Matt was in Knoxville finishing up. Matt's cousin Neill(who is working at ASCCA this summer) was in a car accident Friday, so we had a change of Matt's coming home plans. Neill is fine and very lucky to only have a cut on his chin.

We are headed to ASCCA for the Teen Week Prom on Thursday and then headed to NC for our WEEK-LONG beach trip with Matt's family! Then volleyball practice starts on Monday August 1st! I am updating this on the IPad and it will not let me upload pictures, so sorry for the no pictures, boring post! I just didn't want to get extremely behind before we went to the beach! I will definitely take pictures there! I hope everyone is soaking up these last few weeks of summer before school starts!

June is Flying By!

Where is the month of June going? I don't know about y'all, but June is going by WAY TOO FAST for me! One good thing about June going by fast is that Matt coming home for good is right around the corner! I am so excited about the next 6 months! Last Friday, Matt decided that we should go to North Carolina for Father's Day! So I left Saturday afternoon, met Matt in Knoxville, we slept 4 hours and left for NC at 3:30AM on Sunday morning! We made it to NC at 10 AM and Matt's dad was very surprised that we were there. Not only did we come, but Melanie, Nathan, and Becca were able to come too!! We had a wonderful day just spending time together. Becca is too cute and I loved on her as much as possible. I cannot wait to spend a whole week with that cutie in July at the beach!! (You would think that I would take pictures of times like this...nope!)
While we were in NC we did get to see our furry baby, Waylon! I cried a little when he got out of the kennel! He came right to me and was loving on me! Matt got to spend sometime working on drills with him and he is very impressed with what Waylon has learned and can't wait until duck season!
I am laying low until Matt comes home from Knoxville! We have a very, very, very busy month of July coming up, so I hopoe to get in some rest before then! Hope you and your family have a wonderful rest of June!

Just Living Life

Just a quick update on our life!
-I kept my nieces last week while Nickel worked Day Shift. On Wednesday Carley was invited to be a Rising Star at the Miss Alabama Pagent. She went on stage and waved to the crowd. I was so happy that she actually did it! I have to admit-I cried!
-On Thursday I loaded up the girls and we headed to the Lake and Mamie's!!!! Mom's church was doing VBS and we all went Thursday and Friday night.
-Friday morning Lindsey and Maddie came over and played in the water with us. It was fun watching Maddie and Lawson play together!
-Saturday I met Lisa and one of her friends at Oskar's!!!!! I had not seen Lisa since my wedding and I had missed her so much! KTD met us at the end of the meal and it was so nice to see my friends!
-MATT CAME HOME, MATT CAME HOME, MATT CAME HOME!!!!!!!! He is home until Wednesday morning and it has been wonderful to just live of life!! We spent some time at camp and then came a home yesterday afternoon and have just been relaxing ever since! Being a school teacher comes in handy in this situation because I have nothing going on and we can just 'be'. He will come home for good in about a month give or take and I am so excited!
-Matt met Jennings and fell instantly in love! Hahaha..... I wish that was the case. Matt is trying to like Jennings, but he is not really a cat person. He is warming up to the idea though!
There is not much else going on this summer with me until Matt gets home! I am still gardening and I have a couple projects around the house I want to get done! One is our wedding picture books and getting some wedding photo canvases and then hang them on the wall!! July is going to be one busy month, and then school starts in August! I hope everyone is staying cool!

4 Years Ago...

4 YEARS AGO...

4 years ago this weekend, Matt and I decided that we would "hang-out". This became a summer relationship at Camp, which turned into a long-distance relationship, which turned into forever just 6 short months ago. I can't believe that we started this journey 4 years ago. During those years it seemed like we would never make it to where we are now. It seemed like it took FOREVER for Matt to make the move to Alabama. Then it took FOREVER for us to get engaged. It didn't take long at all to have a wedding though, which made me happy. 149 days from engagement to wedding day actually! I have some of my best memories with Matt and it crazy to think how fast these years have gone by. I can't imagine how in 25 years we will look back and say, "Man how did we get here so quickly?" Who knows what the next 25 years will hold, but as long as we are making it together I am good with that! Matt, I love you and I am so glad that we are in it together!

Our first picture together-June 2007

A Whole Year

It Really Has Been A Whole Year!
I have finished my first year of teaching!!! That is a huge accomplishment in my books. It was beyond interesting to be a first year teacher. I was extremely blessed to have been able to teach the kids I taught and teach with the great people at Hueytown Middle School. I was also one of the lucky first year teachers that got to keep my job in this tough time for educators. (I did have a little paperwork scare, but my principal took care of it and it was fixed in a week!) I would be lying to say that it was easy for me to wake up every single day and go to work. There were definitely days that I thought I was too tired (mentally or physically). I will say though, I was amazed at how easy it is to be a teacher. Maybe that is God's way of telling me that I am right where I am suppose to be. I feel that if I can just touch one person every day I am at school then I have accomplished what I want to. I feel that children with moderate to severe disabilities can be productive citizens if given the chance. I feel that so called "normal" 11-13 year old kiddos can be changed for the better when they are exposed to children with disabilities. I have to credit my love for Exceptional Education to Camp ASCCA. I would not be the teacher I am today without all the time I got to spend with other people in my profession and families dealing with disabilities. I think I can do the job effectively because I see the kids as just pre-teens and I expect a lot from them when they are with me at school. I love my job and I am excited to see what next year brings. I am sure some of you are wondering about what the future holds for me with my job and Matt living in Knoxville for half the year. Well, we are going to continue to take it year by year. We are trying to make the best decision for our family and right now Hueytown is where I will stay. I am coaching volleyball next year and I cannot wait for the season to start. So, one year down, 30 more to go...Hopefully!!!

**I am post happy now that I don't have anything else to do except laundry and watering my garden!!**

Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day 2011 was spent enjoying beautiful Lake Martin. Everyone was there-Minus Matt (who we missed terribly!). We enjoyed fishing, lounging in the tubes, swimming, and jumping off the dock! We also celebrated Carley's 8th birthday and Lawson's 2nd birthday! I cannot believe Carley is already this old! I remember sitting in the hallway at St. Vincent's waiting to find out if I was going to have a niece or nephew! IT seems like only yesterday! On Sunday night we had an awesome Fish Fry, which included fish, fries, hushpuppies, and boiled shrimp! We had a ton of family and friends over which made the holiday so much sweeter! We never want to forget why we celebrate and I am thankful for all the men and women who serve our country everyday!