Fun Foto Friday

Jayden LOVES riding on Patsy's big green tractor!!!

Working on my Room

I have been back and forth to Jackson lately trying to find an apartment and trying to get my room set up. Jenn and Livi went up there with me on Monday to help me tackle the storage closet in my room.

As you can see from the picture it is slam packed ...

As I said the plan was to tackle this closet to see what I have to work with in there. In my room I also have one of those storage closets on wheels. Before working on the big closet, I decided to look inside. Oh boy was that a mistake! Now the closet is about 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. Upon opening it I discovered it too was slammed full, mostly of construction paper. However, it was shoved in there in a huge disarray. In other words it was a HOT MESS of paper! Once this new mess was discovered the big closet project went out the window and all attention was turned to organizing all the construction paper. I was so focused on getting it organized that I forgot to take a before picture. It took the 3 of us almost 2 hours but everything is nice, neat and organized. We had two huge black garbage bags full of paper that we threw away. I wasn't keeping anything that was bent, folded, torn, or had any marks on it. In this hot mess, we found a dozen or so never used packs of construction paper. I have a 2 foot tall cabinet full to the top of 2 foot by 3 foot paper of every color of the rainbow. I now know I have finger paint paper, packs of manila colored paper, poster board, writing tablets and notebooks. I pretty much can now open my own paper store, if I wanted.

Here is picture of the cabinet when we started putting paper back in it...please note that this is just some of the paper I decided to put back in here, I moved a bunch to my built in cabinets.

Can you picture this slammed full of paper all jumbled up????

Here are some more shots of my room...it is pretty bland right now. Oh you can also see the paper that is spread out EVERYWHERE as we were putting like sizes and colors together.

FYI

I am giving yall a warning that my blogging skill are being put on the back burner for the next couple of weeks. Sorry. I will try to keep yall posted as I apartment hunt, set up my classroom, move, and prepare for the first day of school (which is Aug 10th). But I will take pictures and bombard yall when I get settled into my new home!

Exciting News...

Well yall, after months and months, job application after job application, job fairs and more job fairs, my search is FINALLY OVER!!!!

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Last week I was talking to my oh so wise friend (which is why she is my bestie) and she told me she had faith that I would hear something about a job. Well, she was right, I did get an email from a principal telling me all positions in his school had been filled, but thanks for applying, blah blah blah. I guess, I was hoping for a call about a job. I was beginning to get a wee bit depressed by the end of the week. The weekend came and went and a new week was beginning. Little did I know what this week would hold.

Picture it, Monday afternoon and my phone rings. I didn't know the number so I was going to send it to voicemail (I don't like to answer numbers I don't know - I'm weird like that). However, I just got a new phone and instead of sending it to voicemail, I answered it. Realizing it, I quickly said hello. This southern accented woman, quickly speaking may I add, started talking. All I got was "principal" "position" "do you have a job" "do you still want a job". Then I said... No I don't have a job yet, yes I would like a job...Oh I am sorry I didn't catch your name or the school. Dr. W asked when I wanted to interview, I answered Wednesday and gave her a time that was good for me when she asked. When I hung up the phone it took me a few minutes to realize I HAD A JOB INTERVIEW....sweet! Wait!??!! Am I ready for this.. .I mean this is the first real interview, besides the few I have done at job fairs. GULP!

Last night I drove up to Hattiesburg and stayed the night with Leanne and Branson, since they are half way to Jackson. I drove to my interview this morning and everything went well. Actually, Dr. W told me she had basically made up her mind to hire me after speaking with my references! Oh goodness, I need to call them and find out what all they said so I will know what I have to live up to!!! :) So I signed my employment agreement, went to central office handed in some paperwork, next week I will get my fingerprinting done and start setting up my classroom and find an apartment! YIKES! Oh did I mention school starts in 2 1/2 weeks??? DOUBLE YIKES!!!

So, now I am a McWillie Bulldog!

I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone for their prayers and support!

I really do have the BEST family and friends!

Love yall!

Fun Foto Friday

Who knew I had my own fort?? Pretty rockin awesome though! Fort Mason is located in beautiful San Francisco. It served as an Army post for more than 100 years. It was built during the Civil War, but was used during WW II and Korean War. Today, some of the housing here is still used by the Army, some is rented to the public (how cool to say you live in a fort??) and one of its buildings has been converted into a youth hostel.

Happy Fun Foto Friday!

Fun Foto Friday

Cafe du Monde...need I say more?

Seriously, if you have never been to New Orelans and make it down here one day (I recommend the early spring...like end of Feburary or March... or fall ... any time from the end of Sepetember on) this is a must stop. Nothing is better than these yummy powered sugar covered beignet goodness. I like it with chocolate milk or hot chocolate (depending on the time of the year - wait, sometimes it is 85 degrees at Christmas here- so I should say depending on the weather of the day I visit)

This picture makes me want some beignets now... ok, I think I will go get so... so bye yall I am off to New Orleans for the day!

The Happenings...

Well yall, I am sorry it has been awhile since I have posted.

Things have been nuts! Last week my aunt Carol died (my dad's youngest sister). My mom and I jumped in the truck and drove up to Oklahoma City for the funeral. My aunt Carol was the only one of my dad's siblings that I was close to. We stayed at my cousin Dotties house. It was a lot of fun. Her little girl Emily is now 3 and is my new best friend ... YAY!! Now, the interesting thing about going to this funeral is I was going to meet some of my cousins for the first time ever. I met 3 of Dottie's brothers and her sister. I know it is strange that I could be close to Dottie and not know her siblings, but they are all way older than me...some of them have kids that are my age. So now I can say I have met my cousins and they have met me. And now when they look at a picture of me, they can say "hey I met her and she is rockin awesome", well at least that is what I hope they will say.

Do 45+ year olds say 'rockin awesome'??

Now Oklahoma City is not a place that I would say let's go for kicks and giggles, but maybe during football season it would be fun to go to an OU football game....Boomer Sooner!

Oh and they do have the Cowboy Hall of Fame there-not that I went this time, well my mom said I went there when I was younger, but I don't remember, I guess I was too young or it really wasn't that great. I may go next time I am in town.

The highlights of this trip were....

Braum's

seriously the best ice cream ever

its a fast food/ice cream parlor/grocery store

Braum's bacon is stinkin delicious and smells so yummy cooking

their cottage cheese is better than any I have ever eaten

IKEA

this was my mom's first trip to IKEA and she LOVED it!

I drooled over the yellow linen cabinet I will be buying soon

LOVE LOVE LOVE the sweedish meatballs with lingonberry jelly

I found some new glasses I want to buy

did I mention how fabulous the 'AS IS' section can be

the GREATEST/MOST FUN fabric is at IKEA

Welcome Centers

why does Louisiana have a welcome center in the MIDDLE of the state?

we discovered about 50 festivals in Louisiana that my mom and I are going to go to...can I saw Swine Fest and greasy pig contest here we come?!?!?

Texas welcome center on Interstate 20 is not as great as the one on Intersate 10 (I-10 has a swamp at it with alligators...I meant you can't get much better than that)

who would have thought you could get a seed catalog at a welcome center, well in Texas you can!

I love brochures of all the great things a state has to offer

Lafayette

pronounced 'Laugh-e-yette'

Genuine Cajun. Uniquely Creole.

Kai's mom's house is decorated in funky art

Prejeans for brunch -

Seafood Skillet Fondeaux, Shrimp Sassafras, Crawfish Boudin Balls, Mardi Gras Oyster Bake, Eggplant Abbeville....yum!

cute little town with that Louisiana way of life

Bonding time with my mom

this is always the best!

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Now as for a job for the fall...negative.

I know it's kinda depressing.

I have been applying EVERYWHERE...seriously.

I have great friends, who have found teaching jobs, that are passing on information about jobs they hear about

I have a job offer to go to Bahrain...but the pay isn't a great as I would like, but it is a thought on the back burner as a last option possible

My friend Jon's mom in law works on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico and let me know they have job openings and is getting me all the information... I think it could be cool to teach the Navajo children and maybe I could learn to speak Navajo

I sorta kinda want a job offer from one of the district I applied to in Utah

A school I in Texas I had an interview with now has job openings (they principal did interviews before she had openings so she could fill openings when they came available) my interview went really well, so I am hoping she didn't forget about me :)

Well, that is all that is happening right now. HOPEFULLY I will have good news about a job for yall soon! I hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC summer!!

Mississippi

I love taking pictures by the welcome signs as you enter each state...it's pretty much one of the greatest things to do on a road trip. I have always like the sign as you enter Mississippi (not that I am particle to the state or anything). Now over the years, it has pretty much been the same thing...a warm welcome to the state of Mississippi...

This is the sign from when I was younger

This was the sign that was in place for the longest time

This was the most recent sign... It really is like coming home when you cross that line

So as you can see the past 3 signs have been quite inviting...they are almost like getting a hug of hospitality as you enter the state.
Well I guess someone decided that Mississippi is no longer like coming home.
There is now a new state sign as you come into the state...

Sorry it's blurry, I was zooming by at 75 as I took this picture.
Welcome to Mississippi - Birthplace of America's Music
What??!!??!?!?!?
Aren't we the hospitality state? Shouldn't the sign be more inviting like signs in the past?
Now, I know that many GREAT singers have come from Mississippi
Elvis
Bo Diddley
Faith Hill
BB King
John Lee Hooker
Chris Ledoux
3 Doors Down
Tammy Wynette
Howlin Wolf
Muddy Waters
Ike Turner
Conway Twitty
Leanne Rimes
Jimmy Buffett
Lance Bass

So as I was looking more into this Birthplace of America's music and I found this blog on it
Birthplace of America's music
it is pretty interesting
So this is my little rant on this subject...
I guess Mississippi can be the hospitality state and the birthplace of America's music

Lunch with the Girls

The other day, I had the opportunity to go to lunch with 3 of my best friends from high school. I met all of them my freshman year, when I transferred to Bay High. That was 16 years ago! We have all done a great job at keeping in touch over as life has taken us in different directions. Once again we are now living within an hour of each other.
Luckily, this day Paula had the day off of work (and it was her birthday), Jenny was able to take a lunch (she's a vet and is always busy with her patients) and Leanne was on the coast for the day (she lives in the Hattiesburg area)...and I of course am always free since it is summer (and I wasn't off at a job fair somewhere). So we made a plan to go to lunch. We decided on J's, this great little restaurant in Waveland. We had such a great time talking about old times and what is going on in our lives now. I know I can talk, but put the 4 of us together and you can hardly get a word in, there wasn't a silent moment!
It was such a bright and sunny day! Luckily I had my sunglasses and didn't squint!!
Me, Jenny, Leanne and Paula

Fun Foto Friday

Here is Lynley and I being goofy and trying on hats...this was taken about 6 years ago or so. I miss this kid...she's my bestie and lives all the way in St. George. Oh and she may be moving to Logan for grad school, which means she will be even further away. But I like Logan and Bear Lake so I will be going to visit often.

Streett Turned 2!!

S had his second birthday this past week. To celebrate he had a sprinkler party (it's the ONLY kind of party to have here when you have a summer birthday). All the kiddos had a blast playing on the slip n slide, kiddie pools, sprinklers and the kid sized jumper. Here are some pictures from one of my favorite 2 year old's birthday party...

S trying out his new lawn mower in the pool

Blowing out candles

Opening presents...he is totally into Thomas the Train right now and I love it!

Cousins S & J in the jumper

Crazy Little Man

My cousin Nancy came over to visit with her little man, Vinny. V is so stinkin cute, but boy oh boy he NEVER stops. He gets it naturally, Nancy was the same way when she was little. The pictures are a bit blurry because he wouldn't pause for a second.

I was in the kitchen, where my mom has this huge island. V ran around the thing 34 times! Then he ran into the art studio, then the tv room, then he climbed on the couch, then he took off somewhere else!

Even though he is a package of energy, I wanted to show this cute little guy off!

Evening on the beach

A few weeks ago, Jayden and I went to the beach for the evening. He really didn't like the sand at first and for some reason the kid has a few of water. Well, I wouldn't hold him so he quickly got used to the sand and had a blast from then on.

The tide was out and there were MILLIONS of jelly fish on the shore. Now, these are not stinging jellyfish, they have no tentacles. It is really cool because you can put them in your hand and if you blow into their mouth, they fill up with air like a balloon. J thought this was cool.

We ran up and down the beach for a while then I decided to take a walk out to a sand bar. I gave J a piggy back ride out there and we chased birds. He even let me put his feet in the water to was them off! (Well, he did have a death grip around my neck)

It was getting dark and we wrote J's name in the sand. Trying to get a 2 year old to stand behind his name and take a picture (oh and it was getting dark) was not as easy as one would think. But this is what I got...

It was such a fun time!

Fun Foto Friday

I have said it before, I love Live Oak trees. They are so beautiful. I love how they seem to have a personality with thier branches twisting and going in all directions. This is one of the trees on the USM Gulf Coast campus. One of my other favorite places to see Live Oaks is New Orleans, particulary at the Audbon Zoo.

Intruder in my yard!!!

So, I was sitting in my mom's art studio room the other day and I looked out into the front yard and I saw this crossing the yard...

It was a crazy huge turtle! Here are some more pics of the turtle, turtle (I am shrugging my shoulders as I say this, like from that movie with Dana Carvey)...

The Canadians flew South for the Spring...

In May my Nana's two sisters flew down for a visit. This is a first in a long time that Aunt Audrey and Aunt Pat have come down for a visit. I must thank Carol Ann (aunt A's daughter) for planning a trip to visit with Aunt Kim and convincing her mom and aunt P to come along. Aunt A & P stayed at my house so they could be with thier sister. It was fun to listen to the three of them reminising about old times. And it was such a treat to hear them singing together in the evenings (unfortunatley, I did not get the singing voice)

Aunt Audrey, Nana, Aunt Pat

The first weekend they were here, we had a big family get together at aunt Kim's house. Uncle Jeff even came down from Wyomning for a visit. It was a big family reunion!

Sittin and Chattin waitin on the Grill Master to do his job

The Family Picture

Front Row (and working my way back): Nana, Aunt Audrey, Aunt Pat, Olivia, Jen

Aunt Kim, April, Baby Marleigh, Lil Bryce, Me, Big Bryce

Krissy, Matt, Kelly, Frankee, Jayden, Uncle Jeff, Carol Ann

Streett, James, Rick, Aunt Pat

Aunt Cindy, Drew, Vinny, Nancy and Paul

*people missing: Adrienne, Robin, Anna, Sofia, Wes, my Mom

Fun Foto Friday

Smage, Jen and I at O's birthday party. I just love my cousins!!!

My Bestie Came to Town!!

At the end of April, my bestie, Lynley, came to town...all the way from St. George, Utah. I was lucky enough to steal her away from her family for a day and a half. First on Thursday, O and I drove up to Hattiesburg to have dinner with L. We went to our favorito mexicano restauranto. El Mariachi Loco in Petal!!! Yum Yum Yum! I was also able to go up Sunday and spend the night at her parents casa. We spent all day Monday together.

First we had breakfast at Wards....they seriously have the best breakfast (for a fast food place)

crispy bacon, buttery biscuit, delicious grits and eggs!

Then we drove a bit north to the Watermelon Patch. A building in the middle of nowhere on the highway that has hundreds and hundreds of shoes! We must have spent at least an hour trying on shoes. I had some pretty good willpower and walked out empty handed. L bought a new pair of shoes for work.

Then we drove back to Hattiesburg, where we went "treasure hunting" at Hudson's Dirt Cheap and Hudson's Treasure Hunt. At Dirt Cheap we found books (young adult, hardback) for 50 cents each! I bought 14!! At Hudson TH, they had thousands of DVD's for 70%off ... score! I bought 2 seasons of Gilmore Girls ($10 each) and 8 other movies (none over $3 and some were new releases)...I was a happy girl at this point.

Then we had lunch at A&B Chinese Takeout. It is off a main road and is a hole in the wall place...but it is seriously the best Chinese. Hmmm... now I am wanting some.

I had Mandarin Chicken and L had some yummy chicken that I am going to get next time.

Our next adventure of the day took us to the Coast. L needed to get some souvenirs for some people back in St. George so we hit up the souvenir shops...no luck so we went to Walmart. We did drive over to Long Beach where we made a stop at the USM Gulf Coast campus to visit the Friendship Oak. This is one of my favorite trees. *cool fact about this tree, there is an oak tree in Aunt Kim and Marks yard that is a sapling from this tree...it is about 40 years old and is tall and beautiful...I wonder if it will look like it's "mom" 400 years from now?*

It's a 500+ year old Live Oak. Now it is said (and there is a plaque so it is true) that those that enter the shadows of the tree will remain friends throughout their lifetime.

After we finished hanging out on the Coast we drove back to Hattiesburg. We said our goodbyes and I drove back to the Coast. I wish L lived closer. It was great when I was in Vegas and she was less than 2 hours away. Now she is looking at moving to Logan for grad school and I am heading to Houston. Oh the places life takes us.

Saved By The Bell Reunion

Last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a special guest was on the show...none other that the one and only Zack Morris!! (aka Mark Paul Gosselaar) Zack was the same as he was in high school, he even got a phone call (on his dinosaur of a cell phone) from Jessie Spanno and did a performance with his bank, Zack Attack! I really think it was the best 8 1/2 minutes of tv that I have seen lately.

So the good news is, Jimmy Fallon is working on getting a Saved By The Bell Reunion. Sweet! So are all cast members are in except Kelly and Screech (which I have heard he is having money problems, so I don't see why he would turn this down...ahhh how I love celebrity gossip!)

Here is the clip from the Jimmy Fallon show last night...enjoy!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did and are as super stoked about the reunion as I am!!!

Silly Kids, Trix are for Rabbits

I am so stoked that my friend Kristine is back in Gulfport.  Her hubby, Brandon, is in the Seabees and they had been stationed in Signoella, Sicily for the last 3 years.  They have been stationed once again in Gulfport, Mississippi....yay!!!!!   A couple of weeks ago, the babysitter was on vacation so I watched the kids for her, luckily I was on spring break.  Now when they left for Sicily, Aidan was just a  tiny little thing.  I went over and visited them for a couple of weeks a few years ago and he was just 1...now he is 4!  They also added to thier family while in Sicily...Miss Amber.  She is 9 months old now.  I finally got to meet her when they moved back in December.  

I decided to pack the kids up and take them to the park.  Amber LOVED being in the swing and screamed when I took her out.  She laughed the entire time she was swinging.  Aidan was being his silly self (and I have the picture to prove it)....