brown noser. suck up. teacher's pet.

Wednesday.

After recess.

We were walking back upstairs to our classroom, when I hear a commotion behind me.

Apparently, one of my little boys had taken it upon himself to pull down a little girl's pants.

All the way.

Down to her ankles.

Well.

Let's just say that little boy got into a LOT of trouble.

With me...and in the office...and at home.

The next day, I gave my students a writing prompt during Writer's Workshop.

"If Mrs. Miller gave me $100 I would..."

This is what I got in response from the naughty little pants-puller:

"If Mrs. Miller gave me $100, I would buy two dogs and three cats and I would give Mrs. Miller some of my money to be nice to Mrs. Miller because Mrs. Miller is the best teacher on Earth. Mrs Miller you are the best teacher. I never saw a teacher like you Mrs. Miller. I love you Mrs. Miller. You the best teacher ever. From (student's name). I love you and can you tell Mr. Miller you're the best ever?"

I think it's safe to say that this kid felt like he had some sucking up to do after that bad choice he made the day before. 

And...it MIGHT have worked.

Just a little :)

xoxo, wife.

nearing the end.

Around mid-April, certain things start happening.
Homework isn't turned in anymore.
Tests aren't studied for.
Kids are hyper.
A tad "out of control," you might say.

"Can we just play outside for math?"
"Do we HAVE to read this book?"
"Why can't we just watch movies today?"
"20 more minutes of recess...pleeeease?"
They plead.
They beg.

And I find myself wanting to give in.
I imagine looking out my classroom window (because I don't actually HAVE a window in my room.)
I imagine the sun shining.
The birds chirping.
The green grass.
The gentle breeze.

And then somehow...I don't feel like planning lessons anymore.
I don't feel like grading papers.
I don't feel like coming up with fun activities to keep 5 year-olds interested.
I don't feel like phoning parents (well I never feel like doing that, but you get the point.)

This time of year, the kids aren't so cute anymore.
They aren't quite so endearing.
Aren't quite so funny.

You know what IS cute, endearing, and funny?
Sleeping in.
Laying out.
Ice cream.
Trips to the beach.
Shorts and tank tops.
Reading books without illustrations and rhymes.

"But it was so nice out! I rode my bike all by myself with no training wheels!"
"So? You still have to do your homework!"

But secretly, I'm right there with 'em.
Because after school I'll ignore the piles of their papers I need to grade.
I won't be on Pinterest finding fun new ways to teach addition and subtraction.
Instead, I'll be lounging around, dreaming of summer.

It's almost time...it's almost time...

And then soon, this season of longing shall pass.
As we near Kindergarten graduation, I'll take back all the wishing for summer I've done.
And I'll begin wishing for just a few more days with my babies.
I'll start to relish every silly thing that comes out of their mouths.
And I'll bawl like a baby when they walk across that stage to get their diploma from me.

But until then...it's still April. And we're all stuck in this rut together, just dreaming of summer.

have you ever wondered about our honeymoon?

I'm assuming you probably have.
Because who wouldn't?
I mean, we're this crazy popular couple, and I'm sure you've spent many a night lying awake in the wee hours of the morning thinking, I wonder how Ty and Lisa's honeymoon was.
Where did they go?
What did they do?
How long were they gone?

Well today, I will answer those questions that have been keeping you up at night.

We got married on a Saturday.
Best day of my entire freaking life!
I was 22 and Hubs had just turned 24.

Sunday morning, we went to my parents' to open all our gifts, and then we hit the open road for our honeymoon. Ty's family had gotten together and paid for a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN, tucked intp the Smokey Mountains. It was about a 10 hour road trip. Probably the longest amount of time we'd ever been trapped in an enclosed space with each other with no way to escape. But we were newlyweds, so we powered through.

Highlights of our Trip:

+The Ripley Aquarium. Where we got to see my favorite sea animal: The Jelly Fish! Plus cute puffer fish and penguins.

 +Horseback riding through the Smokey Mountains. (Where I may or may not have fallen off my horse...who was a cousin of the Clydesdales. So it might have been a doozy of a drop. I might have bruised both my body and my ego. I may also have cried from embarrassment the entire rest of the ride...good thing it was sunny and I could hide behind my sunglasses.)

+ Ripley's Museum.

+ Antique shopping.

+Riding a ski lift to the top of a mountain.

+Shopping in all the fun little shops downtown.

+The Titanic Museum

+Beating my new husband at mini-golf for the first time ever! (or since.)

 + The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers...

+ Spending time at the river.

+Lounging in the hot tub at our cabin.

+Coming home and getting to start our life together as a married couple!

It was a great time. And now I'm thinking we definitely need to go on another vacation, STAT.
Hubs, get on that...ok?

xoxo wife.

code red.

If you're not local, you may not have heard...even though it made national news.
Police have received an anonymous threat that there will be 20 kids shot in five different schools in our county, and one county over on Monday, April 15.

Police have stressed many times that they believe this to be a hoax (and for the record, I think it's a hoax as well,) but everyone is still taking the threat very seriously. Unfortunately, we don't have another choice these days.

So on Friday, my school ran through our Code Red drill again, just in case. We've been having these drills monthly since the tragedy in Sandy Hook, but today's was different.
Up until now, my kinders haven't had too terribly much to say about these drills.
I've explained in the most child-friendly way why we do these drills, and they all understand.
They've occasionally made comments about it.
But today, there were more questions.
Today there was a discussion.
Today I took 20 minutes out of my instructional time to talk with them.
On the floor.
In the dark.
Huddled up together.
Still in our Code Red positions.

"I know this is practice...but what would happen if a bad guy brought a knife and cut the door open?"

"What if a bad guy brought a gun?" (I've never mentioned guns throughout any of these drills, in an effort not to scare them...they're babies, after all.)

"Where would you be if there was a Code Red for real, Mrs. Miller?"

"What if someone tried to shoot us?"

"What if the bad guy got a key and got in our classroom?"

"Would you call the police to come and save us?"

And then here was the kicker.

"My mom said I can't come to school Monday because there's a guy that's gonna bring a gun and shoot us."

To which I promptly and firmly replied, "No. That will NOT happen."
And another little girl, so innocently, so sweetly said, "Why would a bad guy want to come into our school and hurt little kids?"

Oh honey...
I don't know.
I don't know why someone would ever want to do a horrible thing like that.

I fought back tears as I explained that sometimes there are people who do bad things to other people, even though they know they shouldn't. And that I would do whatever I could to keep them safe if something like that were to ever happen. Because that's my job. And because I love them. But then I stressed that I don't think that something like that will ever happen here. Ever.
Just like I tell them that I don't think our school will ever really catch on fire. But we practice just to be safe...just in case.

And while I do believe this is a hoax, and I do believe we'll all be completely safe come Monday evening...

You can bet your rear end that my door will be locked tight all day. And that my walkie-talkie will never leave my side.
Because I do love those little kids.
And I will do whatever I can to keep them safe, and make sure they return home to their parents that night.

xoxo, wife.

sometimes i think...

and sometimes I don't.
But we're not gonna talk about those times today.

Today I'm going to give you a peek into my mind. My internal dialogue, if you will.
(Warning...it may cause you to rethink your opinions about me.)

Things I think when I am driving:

(No...I wasn't actually driving here...I was on the passenger side.)

Use your dang turn signal for crying out loud!
If you don't get out of the fast lane, I may murder you.
Why the heck are you STOPPING at that yellow light?!
This is my favorite song!
Stay in your own lane, Mr. Semi Driver. Stay in your own lane! STAY IN YOUR OWN LANE!!!
No wait...THIS is my favorite song.
Did you seriously just pull out in front of me?
Stupid "School Zone."
Yes! I love this song...it's definitely my favorite!
Why is the gas tank so low? I just filled up. Well, the light's not on yet...we're good for now.
EEEEK! It's my favorite song!


Things I think while teaching Kindergarten:
You better not be coming to tell me you peed your pants again.
I'm gonna pretend I didn't see her hit that boy...he deserved it.
What's that smell?
If they wipe one more booger on me today...I swear I'm going to scream.
Seriously, what's that smell?
What do you mean you need a new glue stick? You just got a new one 20 minutes ago.
Ugh...someone seriously needs to poop.

Things I think while cleaning:
How much money do I have to make before I can hire a maid?
Where does all this dust come from?
If that cat doesn't stop shedding, I'm going to shave him bald.
What is that smell?
I can't believe I actually drink mass amounts of the water that leaves these rust stains all over the tub...that can't be good.
Seriously, what is that smell?
If it wasn't for the occasional visitor, this would never ever happen.

Things I think while reading blogs:
How does she have so much money? She gets a new outfit every three hours. She doesn't even work.
There's no way you're really THAT cute...or that your house is REALLY that clean.
I wish I had more followers.
How come I can't be a housewife that plays dress up with fancy accessories and spends all day planning meals and taking cute pictures of my adorably clean and stylish children?
No...I'm definitely glad I don't have a ton of followers.
She made that up...I bet that never really happened.
That kid is so cute! I want a baby!
Ugh...those kids are not cute. So glad I don't have a baby.

Things I think during summer vacation:
This is amazing.
I think I'll read a book outside today.
I can't believe I'm getting paid right now. This is great!
I'm bored.
Sure, I'll actually cook a real meal tonight...I have all day to plan it, prepare it, order takeout when I burn it, and clean up the after math.
I can't believe I only have 6 more weeks. This is stupid! Summer should last all year.
I wonder if there's such a profession as "Professional Tanner."
I love doing work for school when I don't actually HAVE to...it's clearly my choice over the summer.
I'm bored.
In three weeks, I'm going to have 26 students who don't know how to tie their shoes, who still have accidents, who don't know how to stand in a line, who don't know how to function in a structured setting, who don't know how to hold a pencil, who don't know the letter A, who can't recognize their name, and who spend the first 9 weeks of school calling me, "Teacher! Teacher!"
I think I'll ask Ty if I can send in my resignation.
I'm bored.
I'm ready to get back to work.

Things I think while shopping:
That's so cute!
I want that...and that.
I need these shoes.
Why is that so expensive? I have to have it...but then I'll be out of money.
I want that! No...that!
Now I need a necklace to go with this.
I wonder if Ty will notice if I go over my budget...
He probably will...stupid online bank account. What moron invented that? Probably some stupid husband.
I wish I had $10,000,000.
This fits perfectly...so I must buy it in every color.
These shoes are adorable! But dangit...they're so uncomfortable.
Whatever...I'm getting them anyway.
Hope Ty's not mad when he checks that stupid online bank account.
Maybe if I buy him a couple shirts too, it'll make it all better.

Well there you have it. The inner workings of my brain.
I spared you the R-rated language...
Since that rarely ever actually comes out of my mouth, it's a sailor-fest inside my head!
You're welcome.

xoxo, wife.

and then suddenly, my husband became a celebrity.

We were out to dinner the other night when Ty got a phone call from the local news station.
They were doing a piece about deer preserves, and wanted the opinion of a local hunter.
Ty had sent in an email responding to a Facebook prompt about the topic, and then they called him later that night.
The reporter talked with him on the phone for awhile and then asked him to meet her for an interview the next day!

Naturally, I tagged along to that interview. Because how could I pass up the chance to see my husband go from regular joe to superstar!

The reporter was running a little late, so we got to the station and waited in the car for a bit. Then promptly at 6:45, we headed inside the station to where the magic happens.

And then...when those magical doors were locked, we walked back to the car. Clearly, it wasn't time for stardom just yet.
So we waited some more.

But soon enough, it was time for his closeup!
The reporter had him interview outside with trees in the background. Since it was a hunting story, you know. She asked him questions and did her thing. (He even got to wear a fancy mic!)

He seemed a tad bit nervous at first, but after a couple questions, he loosened up and did a great job. The reporter then filmed a very awkward shot of him walking to our car and getting in...I was hoping she wouldn't use that part for two reasons:
1. It was extremely corny.
2. We were driving my car that day and it hasn't seen a bath in about 10 months.

We were told the story would air at 11.
That's LATE for me....but for my star-husband, I would stay up until 3am if I had to.

However...that's not what I was saying at 11:30 when the March Madness game was STILL going on. Ty was asleep on the couch so I was the sole person staying awake to make sure that we saw this dang interview on the news. This was how the last 10 minutes of the game went:

Foul...Time Out...Foul...Foul...Time Out...Foul...Foul...Another Foul...Time Out...
You get the picture.
I eventually had to turn the lights on so I wouldn't fall asleep.
Finally the game ended, players and coaches were interviewed, and the 11o'clock news started at 11:53pm.

But it was all worth it when I saw this stud muffin on our tv:

And then suddenly, my husband reached Star Status.
I may or may not have jumped up and down while shrieking a little bit.
I'm sure E! will be calling us any day now to film the pilot of our new reality tv show.

You can watch the interview by clicking here.

xoxo, wife.

weird cat.

Spending my last of 9 days off in a minor state of depression.

Depressed that it's over and that I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Thought I'd leave you today with a little video of our cat, Bubba.

Sometimes, our hands just don't do the job when he wants some lovin'.

He's strange.

But he's orange...and we love him.

Have a lovely week.

I'll be spending mine inside a window-less classroom with 24 screaming children.

But I love my job.

I love my job...I love my job...I love my job... 

xoxo, wife.

shopping is my favorite and my best.

I'm not gonna lie.

I wish I had ten million dollars so I could go shopping every single day for the rest of my life.

Would I need more than ten million for that?

Maybe we should make it 50 million.

Just to be safe, you know?

The Hubs and I went shopping last night.

He's lost some major weight lately and needed some new stuff so he didn't look like a saggy, baggy, hobo anymore.

Just kidding...he didn't look like a hobo. Just saggy and baggy.

ANYWAY.

I can't let him shop, and not get anything for myself, right?

So I decided to spend some of the money I'd been saving up

We each got some nice stuff.

And the awesome part?

I had moolah left over!

So today I headed to my all-time favorite place on planet Earth for accessories.

Oh, Charming Charlie.

How I love thee.

If you've never been, you need to get yourself to one ASAP.

Everything's all organized by color...it's amazing.

You have to walk through the store about 6 times to make sure you've seen everything though, so make sure you go with plenty of time.

I spent probably 90 minutes in the store, and even made a new friend.

And when all was said and done, I went to the register to pay.

Now since I'm on this new "budget," I was a little nervous upon approaching the register.

Sometimes... Normally Every time I shop, I go over what I'm supposed to.

But I've never been on a budget, so I could just be like, "Oops!"

But this time, I was doing some serious calculating while I was shopping.

But if you know me, you know that my math skills have been lacking since about 2nd grade.

So I was a tad nervous...because what if I had to put something BACK?

I couldn't do that.

I've never done that in my life!

But have no fear, because upon hearing my total, I was pleased to hear that I was TWENTY BUCKS under!

That's when you KNOW my math skills are bad...because I could have gotten even more than I did!

Anyway, I came home with these lovelies after 90 minutes in Heaven.

That's right...I now own a Bubble necklace.

If you've been paying ANY attention in the last year, this orange necklace has been all over the place in many different colors.

I'm pretty sure it originated from J.Crew.

I've been lusting over them for quite some time, but at J.Crew they're $150.

No way.

BUT...Charming Charlie saved my life today and gave me this one for a mere $20.

Thank you Charlie.

You're so Charming.

And now, I think I'll go play dress up.

Either that or start planning what to buy with my leftover twenty bucks.

It's clearly burning a whole through my pink and orange clutch.

xoxo, wife.

i tried not to be offended...but...

Spring Cleaning is good for the soul.

So I decided to clean out my closet.

I got rid of some nice stuff and some not-so-nice stuff.

And instead of Goodwilling and putting my nice stuff in a garage sale, I decided that I would make an attempt to make a little extra cash on it first.

And then the garage sale could be my last resort.

So I took my nicest things and headed out to Clothes Mentor.

If you don't know what Clothes Mentor is, I'll briefly explain.

Clothes Mentor will pay you cash for your gently used name-brand clothing/accessories.

They don't have to accept all of your items. But they'll make you an offer on what they accept, and you can either take their offer, or pass and keep your items.

I checked online to make sure that the brands I had would be accepted.

I packed up my laundry basket and headed over.

I walked in the door and was promptly informed that it would be about 3 or 4 hours before they were even able to LOOK at my clothes.

Ain't nobody got time for that!!

So I left with plans to return the next day.

Wasted trip.

So today I headed back out.

This time I was told it would be one hour.

So I decided to look around the store quickly and then run a quick errand.

I purposely looked around the store to see what kinds of items they accepted.

As I was walking around I was thinking, "I got this in the bag! Some of this stuff is nice, but some of it is crap!"

They had stuff that looked totally worn out, and things from Wal-Mart and K-mart.

Most of my stuff was like-new, and from stores like Target and Old Navy, which were on the list of "Preferred Brands." Clearly, they would be purchasing all of my items.

I ran my errand, all the while thinking about how much money I was going to get for my super-stylish clothes, and what NEW clothes I'd buy with my major profits.

I went back after my hour was up, and told the lady I was checking to see if my clothes were done.

She brought my FULL laundry basket back.

WHAT?!

"We were only able to accept two things, and we have to pass on the rest. Mostly due to demand. We just don't think we'll be able to sell the other things you've brought in."

Excuse me, lady?

This is nice stuff!

Sure, it's not stuff I'M going to wear anymore...but other people would LOVE to own these things!

Did she see my nice boots?

Sure, they're uncomfortable as all get out...but they're adorable!

Then came the kicker.

"For the two dresses we accepted, we can offer you $9.50 total."

Excuse me AGAIN, lady?

Just look at those dresses!

They're really nice!

$9.50...REALLY?!

I stood there (probably gaping....with my astounded jaw on the floor.) But as offended as I was, I took the offer...because DANG IT I wasted 2 trips out to this stinking place, and I wasn't leaving without at least SOMETHING to show for it!

So now I have $9.50.

Can't wait to see ALL the amazing things I'll be able to buy with it.

Stupid Clothes Mentor.

xoxo, wife.

my husband said the B-word.

We've been married a little less than 3 years.
I was secretly hoping the B-word would never pop out of his mouth.
But the other night it did.
Ty came home and said we should sit down together and talk about a...
BUDGET.

Gulp.

I know it's probably a good idea.
But still.
A budget?!
That doesn't sound like fun.
It sounds like something that is going to seriously hinder my shopping hobby.

But I agreed to sit down and discuss it.

It was crazy to see everything all laid out.
This is what we make in a month.
This is what we're going to spend on groceries in a month.
This is how much money we have for gas.
This is how much we'll set aside each month for Christmas, birthdays, etc.
This is what we spend on bills each month.
The list went on and on.

Do I WANT to be on a budget?
Absolutely not.
But are we millionaires?
Unfortunately...no.
So we can't just spend money whenever, and not pay attention to where its all going.
We probably should track our spending a little better.

So now I'm going to have to actually pay attention to prices when I shop...eek.

But if not buying a new purse at Target on impulse means that we'll be better set up for our future, I GUESS I can deal with that.

But I'm not saying that I won't whine about it from time to time :)

xoxo, wife.

6 years ago today.

April 3, 2007.
Ty asked me to be his girlfriend.
On Facebook of all places.
Because it WAS 2007 after all, and Facebook was all the rage.
We spent many hours sending messages back and forth to each other back then.
A few years ago, I took all of those messages and put them into a book.
All of those messages are the beginning of our relationship.
A bunch of "love notes" to each other.

So, since he asked me to be his girlfriend on April 3rd, 2007, I figured I'd dig the book out and share some excerpts from the night that started it all:

Ty: ...I'm not ok with just 'dating' anymore. I know I'm nothing special, but for some reason you make me feel special. You are incredible...oh wait, A-Mazing! So I'm wondering if you'd be ok with making it official and saying we're together. I'm sorry I brought this out in a message, but I know that I'd lose my voice or not be able to speak with you in person. Put simply, I wanna say we're together. I wanna say I have a girlfriend. And yeah I'm scared, but it's a good scared for once. I'd rather do this then not take the chance and wish for the rest of my life that I would have.

(Good thing he took that chance, right?!)

Lisa: YES! YES! YES!! I want to make it official too! Your whole message was so sweet! I just feel so amazing when we're together and I'm so happy that I can make you feel special! So yes, I'd ABSOLUTELY love to make is official and be your girlfriend!!! YAY!!


And so it began.

How did I ever get so lucky?

Thank you, Ty. For taking that leap of faith 6 years ago. I can't imagine my life without you.
I love you more than you'll ever really know.

xoxo, wife.