Summer Fun

Well, this has definitely been an interesting summer visit home. The boyfriend traveled with me to Georgia to meet my family and I swear we did more in the 12 days he was here than I've done on any vacation. Here's what our 12 days together in Georgia looked like:

Friday 11:00 pm we arrived at my parents' house (he met them for the first time) and we went to sleep

Saturday we spent time with my brother and his family, who were in town from SC for his high school reunion

Sunday was Father's Day so we went to see my dad, where Justin (the boy) met my dad and stepmom, we had lunch, looked at some horses, and did a little target practice

Monday we had lunch with my sister and then the boy and I went to the Mall of Georgia and did some shopping before I introduced him to Zaxby's (where he fell in love)

Tuesday we went to the Georgia Aquarium and had dinner at The Varsity

Wednesday we went to White Water, where my mom and stepdad saved us $20 by dropping us off and picking us up (I totally felt like I was back in high school). Then we spent some quality time with a few of my friends and their boyfriends playing Cards Against Humanity(L.O.V.E it!).

Thursday we helped my mom clean the church, ran by Wal-Mart and the grocery store to get stuff for camping, packed everything into my mom's SUV and drove to NC where we spent the next 3 days tubing down the creek, roasting marshmallows, and climbing waterfalls.

Sunday afternoon on the way home we stopped at a couple of apple houses in North Georgia where we picked up fried fruit pies, dried apples, and other locally-made goodies. That evening we unpacked and went to my sister's house for dinner with her family and one of my other brother's families. On the way home, I was asked how I grew up to be so "normal." Ha!

Monday we had breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast places, Burger Inn, then went to Six Flags and rode (almost) everything and left right before the bottom fell out of the sky.

Tuesday we spent the day with my dad and stepmom, checking out the horses and practicing our shooting. 

Wednesday the boy left to go back to Texas and work. Lame!! 

Are you tired yet?!? Because I sure was exhausted from doing all the "touristy" stuff, but had a great time showing Justin around my home town and I think he understand now why I will always be a Georgia girl. 

(Almost) The End of Summer

Well, summer is almost over and my 3 1/2 week trip to Georgia turned into 6 weeks. Once I got home, I realized how much I had missed it and just couldn't leave. With that said, Kaitlyn didn't come see me so I didn't get to introduce her to Georgia. We also didn't get to do everything on our summer bucket list in Texas, but we did visit Port Aransas, go fishing, have lunch at the Bear Moon Cafe, and do some Pinterest crafts. A lot of the other stuff that we had planned can be done on the weekend, so there's still time to get those done. 

 Every summer since I can remember, my family has been going camping at the same place in North Carolina. This year, we went for a day trip and had a great time rafting down the rapids and swimming in the ice-cold water. Top Left- My brother in law; Middle Left- My Mama; Bottom Left and Right- My Niece; Bottom Center- My sister;  Top Right- My best friend :)

 I visited my best friend and her husband in Odessa for a few days and we took a trip to Monahans Sandhills. I've never seen so much sand before. That's all you could see forever. While there, we watched a couple of storms roll in and witnessed a couple of cool lightning shows. 

 A couple of weeks ago, I visited my first Texas beach, Port Aransas. It was also the first time in about 2 years that I have been to the beach and I went fishing for the first time in probably a dozen years. The sun and the sand were great therapy. 

 These are some of the flippin' adorable T-shirt pillows that I made for my classroom this year. I made 6 total, and hope my kiddos love them as much as I do!

 I bought this dresser a few years back from Ikea and decided to Mod Podge the drawers with some scrapbook paper to make it cuter, because everything in my classroom has to be cute! In this picture, the original knobs are still on, but I bought some cute turquoise flower knobs and it looks even more adorable now. 

So, even thought I didn't get through everything on my Summer Bucket List, I had a great summer. I got to spend lots of time with my Mama while she was recovering from her total knee replacement surgery and had the chance to see some of my friends as well. I know that I didn't get a chance to see everyone that I wanted, but there's always Thanksgiving and Christmas. :)  

Summer Bucket List: Georgia

A few weeks ago, I posted my Texas Summer Bucket List of all the fun things that Kaitlyn and I want to do this summer so that I can experience all things Texas. We were talking the other day and it looks like I am going to get to introduce Kaitlyn to Georgia this summer as well! I am super excited to take her home and introduce her to my family and friends. I will be home for 3 weeks, and Kaitlyn will be joining me for a few days my last week there, then we are driving back to Texas together, making a pit stop in New Orleans on the way. As I was thinking about all of the "Georgia" things I want Kaitlyn to experience, I decided I would come up with a list for that as well. Also, I am terrible at remember anything, so lists are good for me. Here is what I have so far...

Centennial Olympic Park
The Varsity
The Big Chicken
Downtown Marietta
Downtown Woodstock
My Grandparents Home
Georgia Aquarium
White Water
The Fox Theater
Amicalola Falls
Savannah
Stone Mountain

What we actually get done depends on how long she will be there with me, but I am super excited to introduce Kaitlyn to Georgia. Especially since she has done such a fabulous just introducing me to everything Texas. Speaking of which, I know I've been in Texas too long... I was craving a breakfast taco today. I had never eaten a breakfast taco up until a few months ago... I need a Georgia fix! <3

Extreme Randomness

Wow! I can't believe it's been seven months since my last post. This (school) year has flown by and a lot of changes have occurred since September. Let's see.. I bought my very first brand-spankin-new car on New Year's Eve and love it! I got a 2013 Toyota Corolla. It had a whopping 5 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. After driving back to Texas and a trip home, it has quite a bit more miles on it now, but I still love it. I also moved into my own apartment. It's the first time I have had my very own apartment and I am enjoying every minute of it. It's sometimes a bit too quiet and lonely, but it's also soooo great knowing that it's alllll mine! Needless to say, I've spent a pretty penny buying furniture and cutesy decorations, but it just looks so damn pretty I can't stop decorating. :)

About 10 weeks ago, I started my journey to a healthier me and joined the gym. My thyroid disease makes weight loss super hard, but I've lost about 10 pounds and am slowly seeing results. My cousin also got me hooked on body wraps by It Works and I have lost a couple of inches in my waist with the help of those puppies. If you want to try them, go visit my cousin's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/ItWorksPancotti. My progress is slow, but I'm getting there! 

Sorry this post is all over the place. There's just so much that I need to get out of my brain. So, now on to my other randomness.. 

I have asked myself a few times why I was sent 1,000 miles away from my family and friends, besides to start my teaching career. Sometimes I wonder if I was sent out here to meet my soul mate. Sometimes I think I just needed a break from everything that was my life back home. As far as the soul mate business goes, I read something once (gotta love Pinterest!) about soul mates and, well, here it is: 

I don't know if I was sent here to meet my "romantic" soul mate, but I have definitely met a soul mate. Kaitlyn is another newbie this year in 5th grade, and I don't know what I would do without her. She has helped introduce me to everything Texas, including Texas Country music (Josh Abbott and Randy Rogers Band),  Cabela's, breakfast tacos, and I'm sure there's more that I can't think of right now. Most importantly, she has helped me remember how fun it is to be a single twenty-something. I had been in a relationship (well, 2 different relationships) from the time I was 18 until I was 23. I hadn't really had the chance to enjoy being a twenty-something because my most recent relationship drained everything out of me, especially my happiness and energy. Kaitlyn is helping me make up those missed years (and then some!) that were spent in a less-than-stellar relationship. I have my moments when I wish I had someone to snuggle on the couch and watch a movie with, or to take care of me when I don't feel good, or to go walk River Walk with, holding hands with the occasional PDA, but there's also great things about single, too. I get to go out whenever I want and not have to worry about someone getting his panties in a bunch over it. I spend all my money on myself. I'm not paying someone else's way. I'm not raising a grown man, and most importantly, I can honestly say that I am happy with my life.

Going back to Kailtyn introducing me to Texas, while we were walking through a local park the other day, we came up with a summer bucket list. These are all things we want to do this summer, and my plan is to write about our adventures on here: 

Visit Port Aransas  
Go to Guadalupe River State Park
Float the River at Don's
Enchanted Rock
Kayaking
Horseback Riding
Buy mountain bikes and go for a long ride
Day Hike
Hamilton Pool
Fishing
Old Town Helotes
Crafting (PINTEREST!!!!)
San Antonio Zoo
Bear Moon Cafe
Wii Sports
Get Sexy, Get Tan, and Get Drunk

I am sure we will add to the list, but that's enough to get us started at least. We will, after all, have two and a half months to partake in all sorts of adventures! 

Soooo excited for this summer! Only 35 more days of school including one Early Release day, Field Day, testing days, and 5th grade graduation. I'm not sure who is more ready for summer; me or the kiddos. Perhaps we are equally ready. :)

Just a Georgia Girl, Livin' in a Texas World

I was looking back at my previous post and realized that (once again) I haven't posted in a while. A lot has happened since I got my tattoo two months ago. Last month, I celebrated my Grandpa's birthday (Aug. 6) by getting a phone call from a school district in Texas that I had applied to several months before asking if I was interested in a 5th grade position. After my initial response of telling the secretary that I was still in Georgia, I called back and said that I was in fact interested and set-up a phone interview for the next morning. Needless to say, I was super nervous and excited for the rest of the day. I wasn't feeling too confident after my interview, but I guess what they say is right; you are your biggest critic. I was told that I would hear back within the week with a decision, so I was super excited when I got the phone call the next day from Human Resources offering me the job. I was in shock. I was at home with my niece, and couldn't help but shed a few tears when I told her that I would be moving all the way to Texas. After calling my mom in tears to tell her that I got the job, I visited my sister at her job to tell her, unable to hold back the tears. My next move was to fill out my resignation at the grocery store that I had been working at for 4.5 years. I am not sure if I was more ecstatic about finally starting my teaching career or finally getting out of customer service. The next week and a half was full of packing, visiting family and friends, and more packing.

I have now been in Texas for three weeks and just finished my second week of teaching 5th grade. Even though I miss my family and friends back home, I am content with my decision to take the job. I have come to realize that I am lucky to have amazing friends, (without my  best friend's brother, I would've had to find an apartment in a week and a half while still living 1100 miles away) a great team at work, and a pretty good group of students. I can't wait to see what this first year of teaching has in store for me. 

If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough! 

My First Tattoo

Today I celebrate my best friend, Liza, and my Grandma. These two very special ladies share the same birthday, just 40-something years apart... I can't celebrate today with Liza because she is in Texas, and I can't celebrate with Gma because she is spending this birthday the same way she has for the last couple of years; in Heaven with Gpa. I have wished both of them Happy Birthday on Facebook, and will probably call Liza in a little bit, but I am celebrating Gma's birthday in a very different way. I am going to get my first tattoo tonight. It will be very special to me because it will be a memorial tattoo for my Gma. I am super excited and nervous at the same time, being it my first tat and all. I am also nervous because I am getting it on my left wrist, so I get to watch the whole thing. Good thing needles don't bother me! I will post pictures later tonight! :)

Update: Here is my first tattoo, along with a picture of my beautiful Grandma.

Hashi-What?!?

OK, so it's been a heck of a long time since I updated last, but back in one of my first few posts, I mentioned something about Thyroid Disease. Well, I went to the endocrinologist about a month ago to have my thyroid levels checked and it turns out I have hypothyroidism caused by an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's.. Basically, my body is producing antibodies that are attacking my thyroid, not allowing it to work properly. This means that I get to take a little pill everyday until forever. Hopefully this also means that within the next 6 weeks or so my weight will at least start to get back to a more normal number so that I am not so discouraged with my diet and exercise routine..

While I am here, I figured that I would continue with The List as well. As usual, I am skipping around, so this time I am doing number 22: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

5  years: Age 28

In five years, I hope to be living somewhere besides where I currently live (perhaps by the beach somewhere?!?). I will love my job as a teacher and I will be in happily married to someone who is talk, dark, and handsome (with a successful job).  Perhaps even have a little one. Oh, and have a "new" car. 

10 years: Age 33

First off, I would have had one heck of a 30th birthday party! I will still be teaching and married to my TD&H man. By now, I will have a couple of little ones and that new car has been traded for a Mommy vehicle (SUV, not van). We have a nice house with some land for the little ones to play. 

15 years: Age 38

By now, I hope that I have visited a couple of the places on my traveling list (Paris, Greece, Italy, Spain, and so on). I am still enjoying being a teacher and will be attending my 20-year HS reunion with my TD&H husband. Our kids are growing up too fast and we are enjoying every minute with them. 

I hope you have enjoyed time traveling into the future with me. Goodnight. :)