The Blindside

I just finished watching The Blindside with my mom. We laughed and cried. I just love movies like that. It was so touching and it made me question myself.

Would I do what Leigh Ann Tuley did if I were in her position? I would like to think that I would. I loved the way she stood up to others with such gusto and was sure of herself and fought for the one who didn't have anyone to fight for him.

I highly suggest renting this movie if you haven't seen it. It is a great feel good story.

On a side note: spring is here and I am soooo happy!!! The longer afternoons make me so happy!

Have a fantastic week! Lil' bit is having a tween milestone this week...stay tuned!

Birthday fun!

Well, if one must turn a year older, it's always good if it is done in style :) I turned 36 on the first day of spring and it truly FELT like the first day of spring. The weather was beautiful. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining and I actually wore my flip flops...waaa hooo!

I was thoroughly SPOILED rotten the week leading up to my bday, because it was my spring break. Lots of friends and family took me out to nice lunches and dinners. I had a mani/pedi/spa day, went shopping, ate lunch with Paige at her school and rested!!!

My best girlfriends threw a birthday bash for me and we always have soooo much fun together. We all couldn't be anymore different if we tried. There is the homemaker extraordinaire who is married to an ex NFL football player. There is the mom who is a pastry chef and still manages to run a tight ship at home and is the one out in the work world, while hubby is the domestic God :). My other bestie is a substitute teacher who is as wholesome and loving as they come. Lastly, is my girlfriend who is a SAHM, but is busier than your average CEO. She dabbles in volunteering at every school that her children attend, she is the President of the Lady's Club, and manages to have dinner on her table for her family every night.on.time!

Then there is me :) I so don't fit into their lifestyles. I am a single, working 50 + hours a week, sister to a preteen, live with mother, fun lovin' kinda girl!

We compliment each other. I love them. They know EVERYTHING about me and "get" me. I couldn't ask for better friends. No matter how different we are, we have so many similar worries, concerns for the world, our loved ones, etc...

These girls are not only my best friends, they are like my sisters. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of girls to have on my side.

Here are some pics from my party!






And, my very best friend of all...

A St. Patrick's Day to remember

My mom is Irish American. We have always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day. It was a holiday that my German dad loved, too. Since he passed, we've struggled to make new traditions.


My mom and I decided to pick up Paige from school and make a new tradition. We have this GREAT restaurant on the lake. Our city was voted one of the top 10 cities to live in the U.S., due to the beautiful lakes and surrounding parks, schools, etc... Well, this little restaurant did NOT disappoint. We had a ball!

By the way-these pics are just snapshots and you are going to be seeing MANY more of them. Life isn't always about the perfect portrait (at least in my eyes). I will be taking more snapshot type pics and posting them. Don't get me wrong, I love photography and don't plan on stopping posting portraits...just trying to get a balance :)

I got the obligatory green beer! LOVED it!







My mom doesn't drink a lot of alcohol, but loves the taste of beer. She went for the non-alcoholic O'Douls instead. It was green, so she enjoyed that :)







Paige and my mom stopped for a quick photo. Paige was decked out in her green from top to bottom.







Paige took this pic of my mom and I. We were toasting to another great year and new tradition. I ADORE my mom!!!




Our new tradition is: dinner at the little restaurant on the lake, and ... PEDI's!!!! My mom had never had one and was sooooo funny. The little asian ladies laughed and laughed at how stiff she was and the way her head bobbed up and down on the massage chair. Paige and I were in stitches. My mom was under the impression that when you go to get a pedicure that a "facial" is involved, too. She kept asking the little lady (who barely spoke a lick of English), "When are you going to do my face?" The lady kept shaking her head and Paige and I were laughing too hard to tell her that a facial wasn't included. Then she started talking really slowly and loud, " WHEN WILL YOU WORK ON MY FACE?" After many tears streaming down my face from laughing, I was able to tell her that a pedi was just your feet. She was so embarrassed and kept patting the little lady on the back, apologizing over and over. The little gal just got tickled and still probably has no idea what she was laughing at.

PRICELESS ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Here's our tootsies :)

Can one have too many friends?

Paige has recently witnessed me having some friendship issues. She has seen that friendships have their ups and downs. I have many friends. I'm not saying that to boast. It's just the facts. I have a hard time being ugly to anyone and therefore I suppose people feel comfortable with me and I make new friends. I am very social. I got that quality from my dad. He never met a stranger. He was ALWAYS the life of the party. People flocked to him. I loved that about him.

Very recently, I have had some bumps in the road with friendships. It's upsetting and Paige, believe it or not, was my little counselor. I tried to keep her oblivious to the situations, but she is too perceptive.

She asked me, "Do you think it is possible to have too many friends?" She then went on to say, "You have to juggle all of those different women's personalities" haha. She is so wise!

I look to Paige and see how she handles her many friendships and have decided to take a little bit away, no A LOT, away from how she approaches friendships. She LOVES her friends, but she is who she is and she feels that they can take her or leave her. She is a person magnet, but she never changes who she is. She is sweet, kooky, funny, dry, compassionate, kind and quirky.

Who said you can't learn from kids! So the answer to the question, can one have too many friends?..... I don't think so. I think it's learning to be yourself and staying true to who you are and if they remain your friend, then that's just groovy! :)

Here is Paige being fun, quirky, happy with her many friends!


I adore this pic. We were at Paige's school festival. These girls are not that great of friends in the classroom. When I pulled out my camera to take Paige's pic, these girls were standing around and Paige pulled them all in and said, "Come on girls! Let's have a group shot". After this, the division seemed to be much less obvious. Thata girl!


Freestylin' with a dance buddy before their performance.




Dancing like no one is watching :)


Paige with a dance and school buddy.


Paige and Ava. These two have been dancing together for six years. They also go to school together. They are yen and yang. Paige is loud, boisterous, outgoing, silly. Ava is quiet, introverted, kind, and conservative. Yet, they are such good friends. I love how they compliment one another.


Don Juan and Olivia :) haha


LOVE everything about this photo. Paige had just gone and spent her tickets on purchasing "junk" in the prize room. When I saw her, I just laughed. I said, "Let me get your's and M's pic". She immediately struck a pose...and look at M's face! haha


Later that afternoon with her furry best friend, Sambo!

Can we have too many friends? Nah! :)

Black and White Wednesday

Sometimes we all need a little color to make life pop :)



Go to Lisa's blog to check out the entries for Black and White Wednesday!

Bubbles and a smile :)

“A smile starts on the lips, A grin spreads to the eyes, A chuckle comes from the belly; But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, Overflows, and bubbles all around” ~Carolyn Birmingham







Bubbles + a pretty day= LOTS of fun!

My little model

...or should I say good sport~! I love how Paige obliges me when I am feeling creative. I ordered this adorable scarf and hat set and she had this adorable coat from G@ap. I loved how cute she looked when she put this ensemble on, so I had to take some pics. Off to the backyard we went...











Sometimes I am in absolute awe of how beautiful this child is. Sure she is a gorgeous little girl on the exterior, but her interior is what is sooo pretty. She has such a big heart and is so compassionate and kind. We could not be more proud of the little lady she is becoming!

Black and White Wednesday

Sorry for being sooo late in posting, but it's been one of those weeks! This was taken of my little ray of sunshine and I just adore her!!!

Check out the gorgeous entries at my great buddy, Lisa's, blog!!!

Teaching...

...it 'ain't' what it used to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIGH! Please Dear Lord, Help me have the patience that is needed to get through this week. Please give me an optimistic outlook on ALL of these silly assessments. Please give me the extra energy I need tomorrow to wake up, get out of bed, drive to work and ASSESS, ASSESS, ASSESS!!!

PS- God, please help my district take away some of these assessments so that I can actually TEACH!!!

Amen!!!


Waaaaaa :(