Wow--it's been a crazy month! I am going to update you in a nutshell...and I apologize for the lack of pictures. We had to say goodbye to Scott's work camera, so we're without a "good" camera. I'm secretly hoping for a fantastic camera for my birthday (in October!). I'm admiring one from a blog that I spy on!
Today I have time to update the blog because it's the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!! Yesterday was the last day of school, so I now have time to relax and enjoy my hubby and my puppy. I am so excited that I "survived" my first year as a school counselor and can honestly say that I have loved every minute of it. I really have pinched myself several times this year--I just cannot believe how blessed I am. Sure, there are annoying moments (like State Testing) and times when the kids are disappointing (like when they fail simply because they are lazy). But all in all, I have found that this is a good fit for me and that I am confident that I am where I am supposed to be. As I turned in my signed contract for next year I realized that this will be the first time EVER that I have had the same job for longer than 1 year. I've finally made it to my career--no more jobs!!
Let's see...what else?! Our house---yes, that's been exciting! We decided to list it with an agent because Scott and I both agreed we were not committed to selling it ourselves. And after just 2 weeks on the market, we've had it shown 6 times and have gotten an offer!!!! Yesterday was an exciting day---back and forth with our realtor and the buyer, bidding and such. We don't know just yet how this will unfold, but it is exciting to know that people are interested! The good news is that if we sell tomorrow, we have a nice place to hide out for a few months while shopping and saving for a house.
This summer Scott and I have lots of plans--and little time for a move! We're going to Smith Lake with my family for the 4th of July and then we're going to the beach--twice! We're also squeezing in a trip to Philadelphia for a getaway with just the 2 of us. I am super excited to have a month off to have fun with family and friends!
I just realized that without pictures blogs aren't really that much fun--so, I'll sign off now. And in the meantime, I'll try to steal some pictures from other blogs to add a little flavor to mine!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
FSBO
So, it's time....to move up and spread out! Although we love our little monopoly house, Scott and I (and Mo too) need a little more room. It would be nice to have all of our stuff under one roof (and my Mom would like it too!).
Because we're crazy, we've decided to try to sell our house ourselves. After a few more weeks, we'll probably list it....so if you know anyone in the area that needs a perfect starter home or weekend getaway, please send them our way!
Because we're crazy, we've decided to try to sell our house ourselves. After a few more weeks, we'll probably list it....so if you know anyone in the area that needs a perfect starter home or weekend getaway, please send them our way!
We hope to go from this:
To this:
Camp-In continued
I forgot to post these...
We ate so'mores....played cards and SPOONS!...drank home brew...and hung out. Loved it! This may need to become an annual event.
We ate so'mores....played cards and SPOONS!...drank home brew...and hung out. Loved it! This may need to become an annual event.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Easter and such
I just realized it's been a month since I posted....and although we haven't been up to too much, I thought I'd catch you up...quickly, because I cannot seem to sit still long enough to upload photos!
For Easter we were going to celebrate our time off from work in a very traditional way....a CAMP-OUT! We were so excited because Scott and I both enjoy camping out, even though you wouldn't guess it since we have never camped out together. So, finally, we had time and good company and we planned a fantastic campout. We were going to go to Tishmingio State Park with the Ashmores and pitch tents and grill sausage and eat s'mores. We were set--I even borrowed an air mattress (Dana--remember the last time our air mattress was used?!). And then the threat of storms and tornados made us rethink our plans. Plan B: a camp-"out" at the Sloan cabin. We got the best of all worlds...cooking out, sleeping in beds, indoor showers and bathrooms. And we avoided the tornado that touched down 8 miles from the park where we planned to be!
We did have a little tradition--an EASTER EGG HUNT!
Graycn, Brynn and Maggie--pre-hunt
Brynn--hunting...walking past 2 eggs!
Gracyn--look at that joy!!
Brynn--counting her loot.
Al and Gray
For Easter we were going to celebrate our time off from work in a very traditional way....a CAMP-OUT! We were so excited because Scott and I both enjoy camping out, even though you wouldn't guess it since we have never camped out together. So, finally, we had time and good company and we planned a fantastic campout. We were going to go to Tishmingio State Park with the Ashmores and pitch tents and grill sausage and eat s'mores. We were set--I even borrowed an air mattress (Dana--remember the last time our air mattress was used?!). And then the threat of storms and tornados made us rethink our plans. Plan B: a camp-"out" at the Sloan cabin. We got the best of all worlds...cooking out, sleeping in beds, indoor showers and bathrooms. And we avoided the tornado that touched down 8 miles from the park where we planned to be!
We did have a little tradition--an EASTER EGG HUNT!
Graycn, Brynn and Maggie--pre-hunt
Brynn--hunting...walking past 2 eggs!
Gracyn--look at that joy!!
Brynn--counting her loot.
Al and Gray
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Spring Break 2009
Yahoooo--Spring Break rocks! I must say that Spring Break is a much needed week for those in middle schools. Probably true for all school--students and teachers--but especially so in middle school.
For Spring Break this year, I hung out with a lot of boys--Hayes, Joseph, Luke, Mo, Elvis, Eli and Ford and of course, Scott. It was very laid back and a lot of fun.
Sarah, Hayes and I drove to KY to visit for Joseph's baptism (My parents also went--so it was fun to have most of our family together for a quick visit!)
Look at this happy baby--Joseph (4 months) is so precious!
Luke is a wild child with a sweet streak at 3 1/2.
My dad, Nebo, with his 3 grandsons--Luke, Hayes (7 months) and Joseph
**I CANNOT get my pictures to upload....so, check this site out to see precious pictures of my weekend with the the Sloan nephews: http://sylvestersinthebluegrass.blogspot.com/2009/03/covenant-child.html
Sleeping in with Mo
Picnic with Mo and Scott
80s Young Alumni party and Cindi's 40th Birthday
The Cover Girls and the Birthday Girl
Elvis made an appearance! This Elvis actually performed at the Thompson family Christmas party (pre-Mary). Please be sure to check out Scott's "Elvis smile."
Darren, Allyson, Scott and Mary--a FUN night out!
Happy Birthday Cindi!
Chick, Cindi, Scott, Mary
Belated Birthday dinner for Cindi, Eli and Ford
We gave Eli (10) and Ford (8) a Wii Fit for their birthday gift--and I think they loved it. The card that Scott wrote said, "Wii love you.....Wii hope you have a good birthday...." The boys didn't get it. ha! We played for quite awhile! I'm proud to say that my Wii Fit age is now 32--down from 64!! Yahoo!
Although we did not see Scott's dad over Spring Break I did want to post this picture of him. We went for a visit about a month ago--and he was/is doing really good. He had lost a good bit of weight and had regained most of his strength. He loves Mo and is always trying to get Mo to come to him so he can pick him up and pet him. We really enjoyed seeing Gerald (and Carol!) and were so relieved to see him healthy. Thank you all for your prayers!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Work Trip
Back in September (about 6 weeks into my new job), my principal asked me if I wanted to go to a conference in March. Being the overachieving rookie at the site, I said, "Sure--I always welcome the opportunity to learn new and exciting approaches to implement in my work." When he informed me that he had been scheduled to go but was unable to leave the school for a week, I immediately thought, "Great--he's passing the buck to the little guy--who knows what I'm getting into...." Shortly thereafter, he gave me the information and that's when I realized the conference was in PHOENIX, ARIZONA!
What a trip! I hope you enjoyed my pictures--and if you can, go see if for yourself!
I just returned (after a 10 hour unexpected layover in Atlanta--one that is due to weather so of course you just have to sit and suffer/pay for your own meals/possibly spend the night on the airport floor) from my week in Phoenix, and I've already gotten online to check out when Scott and I can go back to the beautiful surrounding deserts. I just loved the landscape--and the weather was amazing! I've attached a few photos for you to enjoy. I had to use our terribly cheap and terribly moody camera which Scott and I bought at Target en route to our Honeymoon because we had forgotten our camera, so please understand that the photographs do not do justice to the scenery. The first day a colleague and I rented a car and hit the road to explore. I do not recommend staying in Phoenix, however, I do highly suggest choosing an outlying town to visit and day trip around the area.
Oh, and the conference--it was AMAZING. I really learned a lot of incredibly valuable information that I have already shared with my principal. In fact, we're implementing our first baby step after Spring Break and it is my personal goal that in 2 academic years, the culture of my school will be changed for the better forever. I cannot wait to get our staff on board!
What an adventure for this first-year counselor with lofty goals!
I love it--a cool cactus! I have never in my life seen a real cactus (I mean besides the ones you can buy at Kroger and keep in your kitchen window), so to see huge beautiful crazy cacti was awesome!
I noticed that most of them in this area had really ugly spots on the "trunk." It almost looked like a tree would when it's trunk was rotting....odd.
They were everywhere--thousands of them along the drive.
So pretty.
Canyon Lake--about a long 20 minute drive up and around and around the mountain.
The next few pictures do not even come close to portraying the size and beauty of the lake. The mountains literally dropped off into the lake and you could see the reflection in the water. Also, notice the cacti!
If you look closely, there is a massive yacht coming into the scene on the left. I wish I could have taken a panoramic picture because the lake went as far as I could see--it's 950 acres and is 1600 feet deep!
Morning 2: Sedona
We got up early and drove almost 2 hours to see the sites of Sedona. The drive to and from was beautiful as the road weaved in and out of the mountains and climbed to the tops of mesas. The landscape was truly beautiful. Each time I spoke to Scott I told him that we needed to come back...he needed to see this! He humored me the first dozen times, but then finally asked if I had forgotten that I already told him this!? I think he honestly thought I was going crazy, but I simply wanted to express to him how amazing this area of our country really is and what a gift from God! Sedona itself was magical--the colors of the mountains were brilliant oranges and reds. As impressed as I had been with the desert the day before, I now lost my breath as I admired the beauty before me this day.
First, look at this cactus! Yikes!
What a trip! I hope you enjoyed my pictures--and if you can, go see if for yourself!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
LMS Beauty Pageant
Okay....so word has gotten out on Facebook (yes, I, myself, acknowledged it on my status), so I figured I'd at least document it here for the sake of the child that I might one day show our Totally Thompson pre-children blog...
But I'll only show it when a good laugh is in store.
The LMS Beauty Pageant was a few weeks ago--and no matter how I personally feel about 13 year olds in a beauty pageant complete with fancy (and expensive) gowns--I did agree to be an extremely important part of the pageant. I joined 4 other teachers as the Entertainment Act. Yes, e-n-t-e-r-t-a-i-n-m-e-n-t. (When I told my mom she said, "YOU? What are you doing?" I replied, "You say that as if I am not entertaining?!?!")
Mom was right on though....and you all know. Luckily the other 4 teachers were lacking just as I was....so we lip synced and danced all silly-like....all the while in a garbage bag. It really helped ease some of the girls' nerves--when I showed them that their dress was indeed much prettier and nicer than my Hefty. (Yes, I have a MASTERS in Counseling and this was the most effective tidbit I've had all year!)
Anyway, we had not one, but TWO, acts. We danced and jigged to the Cheetah Girls (who I had never heard of before and actually googled to "learn" the words) and had a good time! The highlight was when my "weave" feel out onto the stage.
I can't say NO.
But I'll only show it when a good laugh is in store.
The LMS Beauty Pageant was a few weeks ago--and no matter how I personally feel about 13 year olds in a beauty pageant complete with fancy (and expensive) gowns--I did agree to be an extremely important part of the pageant. I joined 4 other teachers as the Entertainment Act. Yes, e-n-t-e-r-t-a-i-n-m-e-n-t. (When I told my mom she said, "YOU? What are you doing?" I replied, "You say that as if I am not entertaining?!?!")
Mom was right on though....and you all know. Luckily the other 4 teachers were lacking just as I was....so we lip synced and danced all silly-like....all the while in a garbage bag. It really helped ease some of the girls' nerves--when I showed them that their dress was indeed much prettier and nicer than my Hefty. (Yes, I have a MASTERS in Counseling and this was the most effective tidbit I've had all year!)
Anyway, we had not one, but TWO, acts. We danced and jigged to the Cheetah Girls (who I had never heard of before and actually googled to "learn" the words) and had a good time! The highlight was when my "weave" feel out onto the stage.
I can't say NO.
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