Happy Holidays!


Since I'm so terrible a keeping up with this blogging phenomenon, it will probably take me several posts to update on our Christmas vacation. We left Beaufort around noon on Friday, Dec. 19 and drove to Mariana, Fl where we stayed the night. We left the next morning around seven and arrived in Vidor at 2:30 pm. We were a little nervous wondering how Sean would feel about riding the in the truck for so long, but he was awesome! He began having a meltdown right when he hit the Texas border, so the only fussing he did was for the last twenty or so minutes of the ride. It was great getting to see Justin's mom and dad (Gigi and Paddy) because we haven't been able to come to Vidor since Easter. The first night here, we went to dinner at Tammy's (Justin's aunt) where Sean played and played with his cousin Caroline. The next morning, Sunday, Baby Jud (Brook and Ryan's newest addition) who is four months old was baptized at St. Jude's in Beaumont. Afterward, we ate at Carmela's...yay for Tex-Mex!!!! We came home so Sean could nap and then went over to Ryan and Brook's where Sean played with Max and Sam.

Sean riding with Max while Sam pouts.

Sean riding the roller coaster with Uncle Ryan.

I need a clone!!!

I felt the need to post tonight, so here I am. However, this will probably be short and sweet (like me...yay), b/c I have to be up early tomorrow. I'm trying to be in two places at once this week since I have freshman orientation going on from 7:00 to 3:00 everyday AND choreography for my cheerleaders from 9:00 to 5:00. I am getting paid, however, for working orientation, so I won't complain too much :) It actually hasn't been at all bad; the only problem I'm having is being so overstimulated that I can't get to sleep at night. Around six or seven I'll be falling flat on my face exhausted, but by the time I get Sean bathed and in bed, I'm wired again. Does anyone else out there have this affliction?!?! Speaking of Sean, I'm afraid we're creating a monster. He loooooooooves being the center of attention! It's hilarious because neither Justin nor myself really craves, or even enjoys, the spotlight. He came with me to work for most of the day today. At one point, I was sitting in a circle with some of the cheerleaders and the choreographer discussing the routine. He climbed over me and proceeded to crawl smack dab to the middle of the circle where he proudly sat up and looked at each and every girl to make sure they saw how cute he was. He gets his special "flirty" smile on when he's checking out the chicks. He's also hilarious with the camera. The second you point a camera in his direction, he begins posing. My dad likes to do this when he's crying. It's the funniest thing. Sean will be pitching a total fit, but you pull out the camera and he lights up. Put the camera down and he's screaming again. I can't even pick up the cell phone to make a call b/c he thinks I'm taking a picture!!! Of course, he is incredibly photogenic (and I'm not the least bit biased), so who can blame us all for taking thousands of pics of him :) When we were in Charleston last weekend, Jessica took a picture of Sean and me that I really love. If I can figure out how to upload pics to this thing, I will do so tonight. I think I'll go attempt that right now. I'll be back eventually.
Yay!!! Here it is.. He's my mini-me in this picture! What a cutie pie.

twice in one day...impressive

I'm back...I have to travel to Charleston tomorrow for a coaches' clinic, so of course I'm procrastinating. It is currently 10:16 p.m. I have to be up and gone by seven in the morning and, naturally, I am neither packed nor have I printed out any of the material I need for the conference. This is nothing new :) I should be looking forward to this clinic as I will actually be receiving some useful info, but I'm still going to be a baby and pout about it anyway.

Tomorrow is Justin's birthday; he'll be 27. I'm bummed b/c I won't be here to celebrate it with him. We plan on going to dinner Friday night. He's chosen Outback, which is definitely okay by me :) Now, all he needs to do is decide what kind of dessert he wants. You'd think this would be an easy task, but my husband isn't terribly fond of sweets (For shame, I know). He has narrowed it down to either strawberry cake with cream cheese icing or lemon apricot pound cake. I bought him a gun safe for his bday - we really needed one. It hasn't arrived yet but should be on its way.

Speaking of Justin, this reminds me. To clear up any confusion over my last post, Justin took the PRAXIS because he is interested in teaching. He really enjoys his current job as a police officer for the Beaufort Police Department and he likes most of the people he works with, but he's just not crazy about the hours. South Carolina has a program called the PACE program that allows people without degrees in education to become certified in an area they majored in. Justin is qualified to teach business through this program, so he's on the lookout for any positions that may open, specifically at Beaufort High where I teach. We have one business ed. teacher who has been on "leave" since last May and is under investigation for some unethical practices (to say the least), so we are currently waiting to see how that situation pans out.

I began the South Beach diet yesterday (again). This will be the third time that I've done so. The first was several years ago when, looking back, I had no business doing dieting of any kind. I guess we never appreciate our prebaby bodies until they are gone!!! The second time was in March when nothing else would get rid of my last 10 lbs. of baby weight. The diet worked but during the summer I have been eating horribly. I seem to have an all or nothing personality when it comes to food that is not good for me. I can't eat just one cupcake, I have to eat three or four. Same when it comes to doughnuts, or muffins, or cake, or cheesecake, or biscuits, or...well, you get the picture. I decided to begin Phase 1 of South Beach yesterday at (what time was it Jess??) about six p.m. I've been saying "I'll start tomorrow" for several weeks, so I decided to say "I'll start right now!" Jess, Wil, Justin, Sean and I went to Chili's for dinner last night, and, thankfully, they have plenty of tasty dishes that are "allowed." I had the margarita grilled chicken and shrimp (yum). Tonight, Justin grilled so we had steaks and salad. Easy enough. Justin's decided that he's going to start the diet as well; he's just trying to figure out when. It's tougher for him with his job. So often, they eat on the go, and it's much easier to grab some fast food or chips and a candy bar from the convenience store.

I guess I'll go find another outlet for my procrastination now - I wish everyone a blessed evening. Spend time with your families - I'll sure miss mine tomorrow and Wednesday. Happy bday Justin!!! I love you!!!!

back to school, back to school

Wow..so much for me updating my blog regularly :) Thanks, Wil, for calling me out and motivating me to write.

Justin, Sean and I spent the weekend in Charleston with Jess and Wil. We had a really great time - just relaxing, hanging out with friends, and eating some good food. Justin took the Praxis Exam Saturday morning for Business Education. For those who don't know, that's the teacher certification exam. Texas has their own version of teacher cert. tests, but most states use the Praxis. I have to take the Praxis before Aug. 2009. SC accepted my Texas scores for three years, so I better get on the ball and register.

For those of you close to me, you know I've struggled with deciding in what area I want to complete my Master's degree. I've begun three different Master's programs: criminology, educational administration, and educational counseling. I've definitely decided to pursue the public education route - for me personally, the job security and the fact that I really love what I do is impossible to ignore. After observing numerous assistant principals and counselors and speaking with both sets, I've decided to resume my Master's in educational admin. in the spring of '09. I do think I have the compassion that guidance requires, but I also possess the "tough love" that I firmly believe high school students need in a principal. And, to be frank, the money that principals make here is insane. I would START at twice my teaching salary. Luckily, the University of South Carolina has a distance education program. This will allow me to take my classes online, and I will only have to actually go into Columbia three Saturdays a semester - for an intro. meeting, the midterms, and the finals. My plan is to complete the program in a year and half. Beaufort has a difficult time finding administrators, so they will actually place you in an admin. position before you have completed the program. Not that I'm in a hurry to quit teaching, but I'll keep my options open. The application deadline for spring isn't until November, but I'd like to go ahead and complete my app. process before I head back to work. Most everything can be done online, so I plan on getting that taken care of this week. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have to retake the GRE. I took the test in Nov. of 2001 before I graduated from LSU, and I'm not sure if they will accept those scores from sooooooooooooo long ago :) Wish me luck!!!

And away I blog...

Well, I decided to give this blogging phenomenon a try. Why the heck not, especially since it is now 2:02 a.m. and I have to be up at 6 to get ready to leave for Florida. We will be in Sandestin until Friday - we being myself, Justin, Sean, Mom, Dad, Christy, Austin, and our friend Paul. I am sooooooooooo ready to be there. Sandestin is one of my favorite vacation spots and it's a great place to bring kids. Sean loves being outside and in the water, so I know he'll become a total beach bum like his mom :) As long as everyone has a good attitude (and I have no problem being on negativity patrol), it should be a very relaxing vacation. My brother, Scott, is bringing my nephew, Chris, to meet us in Florida on Thursday. Chris will be coming back to Beaufort to spend several weeks with us. He is eleven and gives his parents fits! I love it :)

Good night - I'm off to attempt falling asleep. Wish me luck! God Bless.