Spring Break!!!

SPRING BREAK!!!!

Spring Break could have not come fast enough this year!

I started out my Spring Break in Knoxville, TN to visit with Matt for 2 full days (Saturday and Sunday) and 3 really short nights! Matt did extra work on Wed-Fri so he could take the ENTIRE day off on Saturday! We started out by eating a late breakfast at the hotel and then headed to Matt's FAVORITE place (no matter what state we are in): Bass Pro Shops!!! 

We spent over 2 hours just walking around and "window shopping". This Bass Pro had the restaurant in it so we ate lunch there and tried to decide where we would head from there. Matt had never driven to Pigeon Forge (even though it is only 25 minutes from the station!!), so we decided to go and see the Titanic! Before we got to the Titanic, we saw this on right side of the road-

If you know my husband, you know he loves any kind of knife! He has not had very good fortune with knives (all his short pockets have mysterious holes?) that he has purchased before, so I hope that the one he bought he can keep in his pocket! After we left here we made our way SLOWLY down to the Titanic! Obviously, everyone was on Spring Break and headed to the Mountains!

The whole experience was very interesting! Matt's boarding pass was a Third Class passenger and ended up drowning. I was Second Class and Lived!!! Overall we were glad that we had the time to go and enjoy the visit together! After we went to the Titanic, we traveled down a little farther and found this cute little walking-mall area with a bunch of cute little shops, eating places, and a movie theater. Since we had eaten a huge meal at Bass Pro, we decided to eat a Ice Cream at Tutti Frutti! It was so nice to enjoy a snack outside in the beautiful weather!

The water was in glass bottles, but still only $1.50!!

My AWESOME Husband after our yogurt date. After yogurt, we went to see the movie Hall Pass. It is definitely a must see in our book! It is NOT for the kids though! There were definitely some inappropriate parts that made me BLUSH!

On Sunday, we slept late and then ate a lunch at Cracker Barrel. Sunday ended up being a tad bit WARM, and I got to wear SHORTS and a T-Shirt!!! That afternoon we had to head to the station, so Matt and Tim could load the truck! I even helped a little bit! I came home with so many plants to put in my garden, my mom's garden, and to start my school garden. I also had enough to share with Lindsey and her mom!

Matt's truck and one of the green houses! I had such a good trip! We were so blessed to be able to spend a little time together! I spent the rest of the week at beautiful Lake Martin with my Mom and Lawson! Nickel, Russ, Carley and Scarlett went to Disney World, so Mom and I kept Lawson! She is such a character and I had so much fun playing with her and getting to know her personality!

Does it get any better than waking up to this beautiful scene? 

Friday afternoon it was 80 degrees and beautiful! I did end up sitting in the sun WAY TOO Long and came home with a sunburn, but it was worth it! 

Lawson is one silly little girl! She was helping me make headbands for my softball team!  

Lawson helping Mamie water the flowers! She did everything my Mom did and followed her everywhere! 

Before Nickel, Russ, and the girls went back on Saturday we all went to Oskar's! If you are in the Lake Martin Area-you HAVE to eat here! It is an ALL Time favorite for everyone that eats it!

After lunch I met Maddie and Lindsey and we headed to Tiger Town to do some 2nd Birthday Party Shopping! Lindsey and I laughed the entire time at Maddie. She amazes me at how much she talks-ALL the Time! I was constantly cracking up. I snapped these 2 photos and she is just so cute!

I cannot believe that she will be 2 on April 7th! She has a special place in our hearts and we are so glad that her parents let us be a part of her life! She is having a Barnyard Themed Party and it is going to be so CUTE! Check out The Smith's blog in a couple of weeks to see all the cute pictures!

In other news: Chip and Cara are having a BOY!!!! We are so excited!! I had the ultrasound picture, but for some reason I cannot get it to load! Check Facebook for the proof if you don't believe me!!

I know this was super long and probably boring to most of you, but I am using this as a scrapbook for Matt and I. This Spring Break was very welcomed. I will be heading back to school, softball practice, and just daily life! I also have a garden to get planted so I can start harvesting verggies for the fall! If you had Spring Break I hope it was restful, and if you didn't I hope you can make it until you do have Spring Break! 

Quality of Life

This phrase is often used to describe what parents/educators want for their students with moderate to severe disabilities. Today I am using it to remind you of Camp ASCCA (Alabama Special Camp for Children and Adults). It is a place where someone can improve their quality of life, whether they have a disability or not. Camp brought the love of my life to me. It has brought Matt and I more "life-long" friends than we could have ever imagined. We are blessed to say that we were a part of Camp. The campers there have left footprints on our heart and we are better for it. Today is Camp ASCCA Spirit Day. The full-time staff does this as a way to get staff/former staff to remind someone about Camp. I am using Facebook and the Blog to get the word out. If you know me well you have probably heard all the stories. I encourage you to go to www.campascca.org and check out what they have going on this summer. It could CHANGE your Quality of Life. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

Nothing New with the McMillan's

Just a quick note to recap the past two weeks! With Matt gone I rarely have anything exciting going on in my life! Sad I know! School and Grad School are basically taking over my life. I did have dinner with Cristin, Ansley and Kelli last week and it was fun to catch up and just relax over some Mexican! 

Last weekend I spent time catching up on sleep, cleaning the house and coaching a little softball. You read that last part right-I am coaching a 10 Under girls softball team out of Oak Grove Alabama. My aide Wendy's daughter Kaley is on the team. I am helping one of the dads. I am working with Kaley and one other girl on pitching. It is interesting to say the least! I have to remind myself that they are nine and ten! 

This past week was a busy one at school plus the pitching lessons! On Tuesday Wendy, Kaley and I went to the Alabama/UAB softball game at UAB. It was an awesome game and if Alabama hadn't gotten one really good hit during the top of the seventh, it would have gone into extra innings!

The downer of the week has been me getting the FLU! That's right....I am lying in bed with the flu! I began getting a sore throat on Wednesday night and by Thursday I was absolutely miserable. I went to school Thursday (against my better judgement) and survived by giving my kids lots of busy work. It might be easy for Regular Education Teachers to give their students seat work to do by themselves. My kiddos on the other hand need a lot of help with seat work, so thank goodness for Wendy and Mr. Wilson! I was able to work on AAA. Friday I woke up and felt like death but since I had an IEP meeting and had not made any arrangements I had to go. I knew it wouldn't be long so as soon as I got to school I talked to my principal and told him the situation and that I really needed to leave as soon as my meeting was over. He was fine with that so I went on with my meeting and headed straight to the doctor. After 2 hours it was confirmed I had the flu! So I went home and got on the couch! I have moved from the couch to the bed and back over the past 12 hours! As Cristin would put it, "Boo those snotty nosed kids" and she is right! My immune system is taking a beating, but I hope after this year I will be ready for ANY sickness! Even though I will get a whole new set of kiddos with new germs! 

Matt is doing well. He takes his first load of real plants on Sunday or Monday (I can't remember). We miss each other terribly but I am thankful that we have been here before and we can handle it! 

I hope y'all have a better weekend than I am having! Only 2 weeks until Spring Break which means I get to spend 3 days with Matt, and the rest of Spring Break at the Lake with Mom and Lawson (Nickel's Youngest). Nickel and Russ are taking Carley and Scarlett to Disney!!! They are so excited! I am ready for some good ole Lake Martin Living for a couple of days! I will also get to spend some quality time with Lindsey and Maddie!

Sorry about the lack of pictures! I will promise to do better! :)

A Wonderful Weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I started out the weekend by attending the Jefferson County Adaptive PE Valentine's Dance! We had a great time and my kids seemed to really enjoy it! I cannot post pictures of them but I can of the adults! :)

Wendy, Mr. Wilson, and I
These are the best co-workers around!

Tonya and Wendy
Two funny girls that are a ton of help!!

 left school on Friday and headed to the The Smith's to hangout and eat dinner! Matt was able to leave Knoxville around lunch and met me at their house just in time for dinner. Lindsey and Maddie are always so much fun to hangout with and I wish we were able to see them more! You can see some fun pictures of our night on Lindsey's blog above!!

Camp ASCCA Valentine's Dinner Dance and Auction

Matt and I worked the ASCCA Dinner Dance and Auction for our Valentine's! We had a lot of fun seeing everyone in Dadeville and spending time with Chip and Cara! The dance is always fun even when you work. Camp raised a large amount of money that goes to help more campers better afford the camp experience! Thanks to everyone who makes this annual event a HUGE success! We got to hangout with some of our closest friends which always makes for a great time.

 Me, Adrianne, and Ansley

 Matt and I! Notice Matt's khakis with his suit jacket? I definitely left his suit pants in Helena!

My wonderful Husband and I!

Adrianne and I with our Glow Sticks!!!

Number One Husband Goes To:

Matt McMillan

I was surprised at work today by my wonderful husband and got a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flower: Gerber Daisies! Most people expect roses on Valentine's Day, but I am not a big fan of roses so my husband knows me so well! It was fun to be surprised at work and everyone was oohhhing and aaaahhhhing at them in the office! 

 Aren't they pretty

The note read, "You thought I forgot! Matt"

I did think he had forgotten but he always fools me and makes me smile really BIG!!! I spent my Valentine's Day making Moore Family (My mother-in-law's family) Teacakes! I also made Popeye Chicken-One of my family's all time favorite meals! I am mailing them out tomorrow....Maybe you are one of the lucky ones? Have a GREAT week! I am busy with meeting after meeting, after meeting!!! 

We Did It! A Fun Weekend Ahead!!!!!

First Off: 

You blog readers out there helped fund my horseshoe table!!!! I was beyond excited to learn after only a WEEK  my table was funded and in the process of being shipped to Hueytown! Thanks a million times over! If you donated be on the look-out for Thank You Notes from my students! My principal was super excited about the table as well, since I have been bugging asking him about getting one since August! 

A Fun Weekend Ahead:

Matt has been in Knoxville since Monday and will be making his final trip home this weekend. :( He is coming home for The Friends of Camp ASCCA's Sixteenth Annual Ina Watson Memorial Valentine's Dinner and Dance. Obviously, since it has been going on for sixteen years it is a pretty big deal in Dadeville! Matt and I are working as volunteers with the rest of the ASCCA staff. Camp is where we met and it will always be a special place for us. It is where we have met some of our life-long friends and some of the most wonderful children, adults, and families that are dealing with disabilities. Matt and I have already decided that our future children will work at Camp in some capacity, whether they want to or not! :) HAHAHAHAHA....Can you control you kids like that before they are even born? We think so! I could go on and on about how much Camp has meant/been/will always be for us but I am sure that you have all heard me talk about it at some point in time. 

I will take this time to give Camp a little plug: If you have a minute, hour, or a day please go to the link above and check camp out! It is a place like no other and they too need help to stay open like so many other non-profit  organizations. I wanted to share some pictures of our years at camp. 

The Sign!

This is a picture of our first niece Carley on her first visit to Camp during a Fall Weekend!

Matt and I with Meigs!

2009-The year Matt and I were Head Counselors.

Who stole the Smudgies during Camp Seale Harris(Diabetic Camp)

Head Counselor Talk with Matt Rickman

A favorite- Parr!

2 of my favorite people with one of another favorite camper Savannah!

Matt's second summer, my first summer 2007

Matt and Zach during Teen Week

The sign pointing you in the right direction!

I hope you find a minute to spare to check out Camp ASCCA. It really does change people's lives. Not only the campers we serve, but the people who work there are forever changed as well. Matt and I will always be grateful that we spent our summers during college at Camp. It helped me find out what I was going to do with the rest of my life and also lead me to the love of my life. If you have a day during the summer take a trip to camp to see what it is all about. It will change your life too!

We have a 2-hour delay in the morning due to the snow! Then we have a Community Based Instruction Valentine's Dance Friday. This is a chance for my students to interact with other students with disabilities in Jefferson County in a fun dance setting! They even dress up and have professional photographers! I can't wait to see how my kids react! They have been practicing their line dances and other dances in PE for the past 2 weeks. 

Have a great rest of the week and a wonderful weekend! We are going to enjoy our "final" weekend together. He is going to be a busy, busy man until June! I hope to go see him during my Spring Break for a couple days in March! I know that Matt is not in the military but having a husband that drives a truck for a living is scary. We have enjoyed the 6 months he had off. I mean we got married for goodness sake! It is nothing new for us to be apart though-We have been apart from each other for most of the 3 years we were together. We just work that way I guess! When he gets home though we go 90 to nothing! Jam-packing his off time with vacations, trips to North Carolina, and just togetherness! If you are planting a garden this year or just need some herbs...Be Sure Your Plants are Bonnie Plants! If you have a third grader be sure they enter the contest! They could win a scholarship for their college education!

A Shameless Plea

Help Me Please!!!

Well, not only me, help me help my KIDDOs at school! I love them all very much and they deserve the BEST when it comes to school. I have created a project on http://www.donorschoose.org/?return=true to help my kids get a horseshoe table in my room! This table will make teaching 8 kids with moderate to severe disabilities much easier! Example: Last week I was going over matching words to context clues. Try sitting at a circle table with 5 13-17 year old boys! So I would hold up the card and I would have to take it to each student because we were sitting in a circle. If I had a horseshoe table I would be able to hold the card up and all the students would be able to see it!

I know this is a hard picture to paint for some of you that are not teachers! I don't have the words to paint it for you. I am calling this a shameless plea because I NEED this table and I am not ashamed to ask for it! I have already sent the link to my entire Farrington Family: That is 4 sets of aunts/uncles, my mom, and 14 cousins. One Aunt has already donated! I know that my Family thought that once I left high school they would be able to stop giving me money! Ha...They thought wrong! :)

I know that times are tough! If I had the 400 some odd dollars to buy the table I would myself! This is also a reusable gift! Do you know how long this table will last me-FOREVER-literally! The chairs, tables, and filing cabinets that are in my room have been around since before I was born!

You also might be wondering why my school/school board is not willing to buy me this table. The answer is: If they only could! Have you seen what Montgomery is predicting for the State of Alabama Education's Future: It is bleak to say the least!

With that all said I hope you at least take a chance to Look at my link below. It will take you right to my project page! If you don't want to donate that is no big deal...I understand. You might look around and see a project that is more up your alley that you would like to give to!

The link to my project: http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/801760.1338176188

Thanks for reading and thank even more if you donate!

Hello Again!

Sorry for the 2 week lapse! I would say we were busy, but we just haven't had much going on! Last weekend we just hung-out and enjoyed being at home. On Saturday we went to Belk to finish up our Mikasa Everyday china! We had some gift cards and we had 30% off everything on the registry. One Monday, Matt found out that he had to be in Knoxville on Wednesday! That means we ran around Monday night and Tuesday to get everything ready for Matt to go. We had to pack sheets, comforters, clothes, shoes, and all sorts of other things. He left Wednesday and was able to come back on Friday. He is home for the weekend and we are just enjoying our time together before he leaves again on Monday! We have a busy February: Stuart's Birthday next weekend, Camp ASCCA Valentine's Dance the next weekend, and many trips to and from Knoxville!

Some pictures of Matt's Stuff:

Waylon Update: Matt talked to Woody on Wednesday! Waylon is adjusting well and has been doing OK. He is not "birdy" like Woody wants him to be, but he told Matt not to worry because he has only been there a week. Woody did ask Matt if I was ok, and making it without my baby! He also said that we had spoiled Waylon and I will be the first to admit that it was me! We are suppose to call Woody at the end of February to see if he will stay for the full training or come home! 

****On a side note we found out last week that my brother Chip and his wife Cara are expecting their first baby in August! Our whole family is so excited for them and they are going to be GREAT parents! By August Matt and I will have 4 nieces possible 5 or 4 nieces and 1 nephew! Wahoo!!!!