Mullet Toss 2013

     It is with great sadness that I announce I'm home from my favorite vacay of the year--Mullet Toss in Orange Beach. As many of you know, I spend the vast majority of my year anticipating this weekend filled with fun & festivities. Who wouldn't love a Spring Break for adults?? Sun, sand, bikinis, music, and flying fish. What's not to love?

     As usual, I did a poor job of capturing moments with my camera, but here's a few pics to commemorate the weekend.

     

Friday's Letters 04.19.13

Dear People Who Decided to Dedicate a Whole Week to Appreciating Teachers,

     Teaching is a profession that is generally under-appreciated and over-worked. You don't do it for the glory and you certainly don't do it for the money. You do it because someone did it for you. You do it because you want to make an impact on a young person's life. I am so grateful for this week; it has been wonderful! Thank you to the parents for your thoughtfulness. Thank you to the PTO for all the lovely surprises, snacks, and luncheons. But most of all, thank you to my sweet students for your kind words and making me feel special. It's an honor to be your teacher. Truly.

Dear Weather,

   I just want to know what's up. Forgive me, but what the heck is wrong with you??? Why is it that every time I plan to spend time outside soaking up some Vitamin D you go crazy? And why is it that every time I have something I have to do that prohibits me from being outside you are beautiful? Seriously, why? Is this some kind of joke? Is it karma? Because I don't think it's funny, and I can't think of anything I've done to deserve this type of treatment. 

Current Conditions - °F | °C

As of 9:05 AM on Apr 19, 2013 (Local Time) from KMGM Reporting Station

Moderate Rain 55°F Feels Like: 55° Wind Chill: 55° Ceiling: 900 Heat Index: 55° Visibility: 2.50mi Dew Point: 52° Wind Speed: 12mph Humidity: 88% Direction: 290° (WNW) Pressure: 29.96" Wind Gusts: NA Report Text: KMGM 191405Z 29010KT 2 1/2SM RA BR BKN009 BKN015 OVC029 13/11 A2996 RMK AO2 VIS 2V5 P0005

Today's Forecast 10 AM T-Showers 56° 11 AM T-Showers 55° 12 PM T-Showers 55°

Dear Pure Barre 20-Day Challenge,

   So....I'm not doing too hot. Even though I will not be taking advantage of the half-off reward for completing you, I really wanted to push myself to do 20 classes in 30 days due to the fact that I'm going to be living in a bikini next weekend. Even though I'm shooting for 6 classes this week, I think I will still come up 2 classes short. Rather than focusing on the fact that I will not complete the challenge, I'm going to celebrate the fact that I have found a workout that I truly enjoy and regularly attend. 

  

Dear Aubs,

   I love, love, love spending time with you. You know there's like 6 colleges around here, right? Just throwing that out there. I had a great time "watching" the Biscuits play and spending some QT with you. But seriously, who did we play and did we win?

I'm pretty terrible at capturing moments with my camera. Unfortunately, the only pic I took was of this GINORMOUS hot dog.

Dear Kaci and Justin,

    Congratulations to the both of you! I am so happy for you, and I hate I cannot help celebrate your upcoming wedding at the couple's shower this weekend!

Dear Former Students,
   It was awesome seeing you yesterday during our trip to the Jr. High! This day is one of my favorites each year. It's crazy how much you change from 7th to 8th grade, and even more so from 7th to 9th. I had all of my babies (minus my first year's babies) under one roof. I am so proud of each of you, and I love and miss you dearly!

Dear A.D.D.,

   Why must you plague me? Do I like being absent-minded, scatter-brained, and forgetful? Of course not! Do I like being free-spirited, easily excited, and fun? You betcha! But you win. I'm going to try out some new medicine and see if I can be less of the first and remain the last. No promises though.

Dear Three-Day Weekend,

   Oh, yes! You are going to be enjoyed. 

Friday's Letters 4.12.13

Dear Iron Chef,

  Now I see why you landed your own television show! That food was absolutely divine. Shout out to my buddy, Jonah, for asking me to accompany him.

Dear Anna,

  Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your first baby shower. It was such a pleasure and honor to be a part of something so special! I cannot wait to meet Garrett!

Expectant Anna w/ her hostesses (Kelly is MIA for the pic)

Dear Jamie,

   You deserve some official recognition for deciding to eat clean and actually sticking to it. Four days in and I'm feeling great! 

Dear Tornado,

  Thank you so much for not stopping by my home Thursday evening!! Also, thank you for not injuring anyone during your stay in Notasulga.

Dear Lake Martin,

  I absolutely cannot wait for the summer when I can actually visit you weekly! I certainly miss this view.

Dear Mullet Toss,

  I cannot wait to see you in T minus 14 days! Ahhhhh! Healthy eating, Pure Barre attending, and lakeside tanning are going to take up the majority of the next 14 days in preparation for you. :) :)

Dear Yard,

  I forgot how good you look when you're actually looked after. First cut of the year! Now if I can just find the time to plant all the flowers...

Dear Brita Water Bottle,
  Thank goodness you came into my life! Auburn's water tastes like dirt, literally, and now I can finally drink water at work without cringing!

Friday's Letters 4.5.13

Dear Granddaddy,

  Happy birthday!!!! I hope today is a special day for you! I love you so very, very much!!

Dear Work Week,

  You went by incredibly fast this week. For that, I suppose I'm grateful. I don't know if anyone can be prepared for certain aspects of teaching. One such aspect is the stress of not having a break any time soon. For example, Spring Break could not come quickly enough. The anticipation is palpable. I don't quite know how to accurately describe it, but it's terrible. With that being said, this week was the first week back after Spring Break and it was seamless. The kids are relaxed and the teachers are de-stressed. It's marvelous!

Dear Ladies Missionary Meeting Women,

  Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak at this month's meeting. I love the month that I get to speak because it drives me to really study my Bible because I'm searching for a great topic. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

Dear Jiff Peanut Butter with Honey,

  Good gosh, you're going to be the death of me! Who needs Reese's eggs when I can have a whole jar of you??

Dear Former Sunburn,

  You were painful, but at least now I have a good base tan....on my front.

Dear Alabama Weather,

  What's up??? One day I'm in a sleeveless dress and the next I'm in layers. Quit being so moody!

Break in Review

  I returned to work this week from my glorious Spring Break. After looking over my To-Do List that I made previous to the break, I realized that some things got done and some didn't. What else is new? But I'm good with that. It was a wonderful week and I would haven't have done it any differently if given the chance. Okay, that's a lie. If the weather was warmer, I definitely would have spent more time by a body of water--preferably Lake Martin.

  Friday Evening: Elton John Concert
   Mom, Kelly, and I loaded up and went to see Sir EJ in concert at the colliseum in Montgomery. Let me tell you, this was a crazy trip. First of all, it took us two hours to get into the colliseum when we were less than a mile away. Yeah, you heard me right. Two hours. They estimated 10,000 people were coming, and there was one entrance with cars coming from five different directions. Once we got into the thing, it was very dark with no lights on the steps. If you've ever been to the Garrett Colliseum (or been to any colliseum, really) then you know it's HUGE. People were crawling over one another like cockroaches. I got pushed and shoved and cut in front of more times than I cared for. Once we realized there was no possible way to find our seats on our own, requested the assistance of a worker, and got to our seats, the concert had been going on for an hour and a half. To say we were a bit annoyed would be an understatement. Buuuutttt, Elton certainly knows how to put on a good show. The lights were mesmerizing, the instrumentals were incredible, and EJ's voice was fantastic! Unfortunately, I had taken 120 thirteen year olds on a field trip that day and was dog-tired which led to me dozing a bit during the concert. Plenty of speed bumps for this evening? Sure. Absolutely worth it to experience Elton John in concert and spend some QT with Mom and Kelly? You betcha' ya!

This picture doesn't have great clarity, but there were slim pickings on my camera.

Saturday-Monday

     I woke up at what seemed like the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to go visit my grandparents. Saturday was Grandma's birthday, and I missed it last year due to being out of town. I didn't want to miss it two years in a row so I headed over and visited with them before making my escape to Tennessee.

    Believe it or not, Jenna and I actually left Tallassee around 7:30 am. That may not sound unbelievable, but Jenna and I are notorious for running late--especially on trips. Sorry, had to make sure I documented this because I'm fairly certain it won't happen again.

     Despite our many trips to Nashville, Jenna and I had never been to a Predators hockey game and it was definitely on the to-do list. Fortunately, Stevie (one of our handsome hosts) bought tix in advance and we got to experience the excitement of the arena. If you haven't been to a hockey game then you're missing out. It's so suspenseful and exciting. As expected, two of the players started fighting and there was blood on the ice. Yeah, that was pretty intense. To make our first game even more exciting, Jenna and I made it onto the jumbo-tron. Of course, we missed it because I had just launched into a story. We came on right after the Kiss Cam. Even though the kissing was over, people were shouting, "Do it!" After the game, we headed over to Red Door for some cocktails and grabbed a late dinner at South Street. 

     We woke up Sunday and met up with more Nashvillians for brunch at Boscos. Because I recently blogged about Nashville brunch spots, I won't go into detail. Just know that it was delicious and made us go home and laze around the rest of the day. We finished off the day with heading back to East Nasty for dinner at Batter'd and Fried.

     Monday, our last day of vacay, we started our day with an artful latte at Crema. Then, Jenna and I met up with one of my dear former co-workers for another brunch. Because we weren't completely stuffed, we went to Jeni's. Before Monday I had never heard of Jeni's, and now that I have experienced it, I realize just how sad that is. Best ice cream I've ever had. Hands down.

Tuesday-Wednesday

     I don't have much material for these two days. I did manage to go to Pure Barre on Tuesday and realized just how much a couple days' break can affect your body. 

Thursday

     Aubrey and Michael were in town for a few days and we met up for karaoke at Acapulco's, the local hang out. It was so good to catch up with these two! 

     I also managed to knock two things off of my to-do list: trimming the shrubbery and starting a fun read.

Friday

     While it took up the greater part of my day, I completed my fun read. It was a novel by Heather Graham about vampires. Again, I said fun read--not intellectual read. 

     I was asked to participate in the Good Friday service at the church I attend. If my memory is correct it was my first Good Friday service. It was wonderful! It truly reiterated just what Good Friday is about.

Saturday

     Kelly and I laid out in her back yard during the early afternoon. I am in serious need of a tan so I decided not to use sunscreen for the first hour or so. Big mistake. I am still sporting red skin after four days. While I wanted to burn just a bit so I could get a base tan, I didn't quite want to take it to the painful level. Oh well, guess I missed the mark on that one.

     We met up with friends for dinner and drinks in downtown Montgomery that evening. It was so much fun. I'm crediting this to the fact that dinner was with people I don't get the privilege of seeing very often.

Sunday

     Sunday was Easter. Our church had a lovely cantata service that morning. After church, I met up with the family at my parents house. Mom cooked a wonderful and sizable Easter meal complete with ham and all the trimmings. Afterwards, I stopped by Jenna's house to visit with her and Christopher.

So, while this was a fairly uneventful Spring Break, I enjoyed it very much! I got to spend a lot of time with lots of friends and family while also getting some well-deserved downtime by myself. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!