First Day(s) of School!

Wow, I have had one busy week! Sunday-Tuesday I was in Richmond spending time with my Dad and checking out the marathon course. Definitely got me pumped up for November :)
On Tuesday evening we had Open House at the school where I work. We got tons of new kids. Lots of new kindergarteners and even a couple of new big kids! It was so exciting to hear who everyone's new teachers were and see all of the kids I hadn't seen since May.
Yesterday was our 1st day of school! I started in 4th grade at Harding, where my Mom is the Library Media Specialist, and had a blast. It was fun because I was new to 4th grade just like all of the kids so I was learning all of the new rules and expectations right along with them!

Me & Mama with our HAE Birthday shirts on! They're celebrating 40 years!
After the school day was over I headed over to GLE for my 1st day back to work, which also went really well! We got plenty of outside play since no one has homework yet ;)

Now today is MY 1st day of school! I'll be heading to Roanoke for my first fall semester class, Instructional Strategies for Inquiry-Based Classrooms! I'm excited to get started with my courses. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but it will all be really useful to me in the future.
Whew! Exciting week here in Blacksburg :)   Hope y'all have an awesome day!

Thursday Thoughts

One more day until Friday! Praise The Lord!   Today is open house night at the school where I will be interning, which is also the school my mom works at that I love, love, love. However, I'll be going back and forth between it and the school I work at to get things done!   Tomorrow is Friday and I will be RELAXING! It's been a long week of childcare and getting ready for school.  I've such a great week but I'm also ready for a little chill time.
On Saturday I am scheduled to run 12 miles and then we have the return of HOKIE FOOTBALL! Our fighting gobblers will be on the road Saturday evening for their season opener to take on Alabama in the Chick-fil-a kickoff game. I believe it's only natural that I have Chick-fil-a for lunch, right? Or maybe breakfast, lunch AND dinner :)

I love Frank :) via Hokie Sports

On Sunday I am {most likely} going up to Richmond for a few days.  My Dad is going to drive me along the marathon course - or at least the majority of it - so I have an idea of the elevation, terrain, etc in person. Elevation maps are hard for me to decipher! Hopefully there aren't too many hills ;)

On Monday it's Labor Day and I'm anxious to see if there are any good sales.  Specifically, at LOFT and other "teacher-y clothing stores"...I need to start beefing up my wardrobe!   On Tuesday it's open house night for the school where I work and substitute.  I will be at my "work table" helping to register kids and saying hi to all of the ones I haven't seen all summer! It's been nice to have a two-week break from them, but I miss them at the same time!   On Wednesday it will be the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I am so excited to start my internship in 4th grade.  I can already tell it will be so rewarding to be in this classroom.  I'm blessed!

Have a good one!

I'm a SENIOR!

Happy first day of school to all of my still in college friends!
I am thrilled to be starting my senior year of college. I honestly can't believe it's already here. I am nervous about everything that needs to be done, but so excited at the same time.
Now that I'm all moved in and settled I'll share some apartment photos later on! For now, I'm just working on getting back into a schedule. Internship, class, work, workouts, blogging! I'm going to be a busy girl!
Now, for one of the most important countdowns yet...one week:

  Happy Monday!

I'll be back...

I promise to be back to somewhat regular blogging very soon! Even though my classes start back up on Monday, I miss blogging. I miss reading your blogs and I miss hearing from you! On Sunday, I return to you :)
For now, I am spending time with this guy, who is leaving on Saturday:

  The end of the summer is always tough for me. But I'm going to enjoy the next 24 hours for everything they're worth!   We're also celebrating our "official four years" together. I put that in quotes because we've really been a couple for four and a half//almost five, but our official claim as bf/gf date is this weekend. Sorry...that probably doesn't make any sense whatsoever!
Happy weekend, friends!

Sweet Tea Paperie Has Done It Again...

Y'all know that I love Sweet Tea Paperie. All of their products are just up my 'style alley'...and monogrammed, of course!

Two of their newest products have me so excited for next semester!

Monogrammed Post-It Notes

You can get these post it notes in two sizes and six different colors! I'm a post it/note pad/note cube hoarder. These are definitely finding a home in my desk very soon.

Monogrammed Jot Pad

These, too, come in two sizes and six colors. I'm thinking mint green for the jot pad! My to-do lists just got 10x cooler!

Available colors:

LOVVEEE!!  Has anyone ordered these yet?If not, click here and get shopping!

Is That Really Necessary?

Alright, here is my disclaimer! I'm really a nice person. Please don't take this post as me hating everything. I love college, but like I said...sometimes you just have to vent! I could do this for a lot of other things, too...i.e. co-workers, aspects of blogging, Twitter, Facebook, crazy drivers...

Here are 10 things about which I find myself asking, is that really necessary?

1. Freshmen who carry literally all of their textbooks to class, thus making their backpacks 2 feet thick and all up in my face going up the stairs. Not okay.

2. Freshmen who wear school colors literally every single day. Don't get me wrong, I love my school, but is it necessary to be decked out daily? No. I will make an exception during football season, but not the spring!

3. Freshmen, in general.

4. Guys who walk into class with their music so loud that I can literally hear every word. They might as well have it on a speaker because that's how loud it is! No one wants to hear your baby making music at 7:50 a.m.

5. When you're in a group looking for a table in any dining center & seeing ONE person sitting at a table made for five. They always seem to take for-ev-er to leave, too.

6. Girls who wear Uggs & shorts. Seriously, when has that ever been okay? I can think of absolutely no weather situation where Uggs & shorts would be necessary. (And yes...I have seen this happen already!)

7. Professors who can't speak English. My old Chem lab TA couldn't speak English so he had to write everything [somewhat poorly, I may add] on the board. I know it must be hard to learn, but we could have at least had a translator or something!

8. Professors who use microphones in a class that, while it has a lot of people the room is not very big, so close to their mouths that every time they talk I feel like a dart is hitting my brain. I still have a headache from Wednesday's lecture!

9. Students who blast down the middle of the sidewalk with no awareness of who or what is around them. I'm not going to part the seas for you; it's not my problem you're late to class!

10. "That girl" who sits in the front row and brags about her life. Sorry, but we've all done community service we just know rubbing it in the teacher's face for kudos doesn't work. No snaps for her.

Has anything been driving you nuts lately? Perhaps the girl that sits in front of you & whips you with her hair?

Feel free to share :)

Coming up later today {two posts, I know!} is my Friday's Fancies! :)
Happy Friday!
xoxo,

Three Back to School Essentials

Tomorrow is my first day of classes! I would normally call today my "last day of freedom", however, I have a whole month's worth of clothing/gifts/miscellaneous items to move back to my townhouse! Then I have to go to work and the grocery store so, really, it's going to be a busy day!

Here are three of my back-to-school essentials that are going to get me through tomorrow:

1. Outfit & Accessories

Outift: This is a typical school day outfit for me! Easy to put together and I can even wear it straight to work.

Vera Backpack: That isn't the specific pattern I have (I have Folkloric) but I'll definitely be using it tomorrow!

Macbook: I'm still rocking the original white macbook & I love it. I am dreading the day that it dies on me - hopefully that's never :)

Starbucks: It's going to be an early morning for me since I'll need to catch the bus. I'm thinking about getting an even earlier one just to be able to stop for a coffee!

Lilly Agenda, Sharpie Pens: I'm going to be filling this baby up all day - using the amazing Sharpie pens - with due dates and important things to remember! Almost always I have a professor who changes a date that's on the syllabus, so I like to wait until after the first day to write everything in.

iPhone: Let's be honest. Would I go anywhere without it? Words With Friends, Family Feud & Carrie Underwood are going to be entertaining me as I wait for the bus!

2. Class Schedule

I tried to keep my classes early (I'm more of a morning person) so that I would have more time to work. I'm in a mixture of classes required by my major & electives I need to complete the VA PK-6 Teaching checksheet that's going to get me into graduate school!

Here's what I'm looking at this semester:

Research Methods in Human Development

MWF 8:00 - 8:50 am

Excited about this class, except for the 8:00 start time (that's still a little early, even for me) and the ten-page research paper! Eek.

Education for Exceptional Learners

TR 11:00 - 12:15 pm

Excited for this class! All about Special Education.

United States Social History

Online

Glad this class is online -- just hope it doesn't turn out to be too much work. It has about five required books!

Human Development Internship

M 4:00-4:50 pm

I'll also be doing internship hours in an elementary school, mixed with some work hours, throughout the semester for this class!

Introduction to Theatre

MWF 11:15-12:05 pm

Lots of plays to read for this one but it's supposed to be an easy class :)

Intro to Women's and Gender Studies

TR 9:30-10:45 am

An elective for my Arts & Humanities section.

3. A Clean Desk

Not my desk - but what I'm going for! Clean!

It's hard to get any work done when a) you have no where to work and/or b) your work space is a mess!

I'm going to work really hard (before my homework gets piled up) to organize my desk a little better! I have a new desk this year and last semester I don't think I used it to the best of my ability. I need to be a little more strategic about how to use all the little nooks & crannies! I'll upload a real picture of it once it looks better :)

What are your back to school essentials?

I hope everyone that started last week had a great first week!

To everyone in my boat - good luck this week!

xoxo,

Top 5 Tuesday: School Supplies!

School is starting back up in just one week! Although I'm bummed that Steven has to go back to PA, I'm excited to get another semester under my belt AND...it's baseball season :)

I'm linking up with Rachel this week to share my Top 5 Favorite School Supplies!

1. Agenda

I wasn't as committed to my agenda in high school as I am now, but that's because I wasn't as busy. I am addicted to it during the year, now! This year I have the Lilly agenda. I like it but can see myself changing after this semester.  Of course I am oohing and aahing over an Erin Condren planner but I've also heard a lot about the ones from Sweet Tea Paperie! Decisions, decisions...

2. Pens

I have two absolute favorites...

and

I love using my Staedtler pens for my agenda. I have the larger pack so I have plenty of colors to organize everything in! Sharpie pens are AMAZING. They seriously don't bleed through the paper and they last for a long time. I love using these for notes/anything. I keep them in my purse, backpack, on my desk...everywhere. I just wish they would come out in more colors!

3. Post-its & Notepads

I have a slight obsession with post-its and notepads, just as I have an obsession with stationary. I think I could go the rest of my college career without buying any more, but let's be honest, I will!

4. Index Cards

When I have an upcoming quiz or exam, I always make flashcards. I really feel like they help! Not only do I get a good review as I'm writing down the information, but I then have the cards to take me with wherever I go for "on-the-go" studying, which is very convenient.

5. My Backpack(s)

Yes, I'm still a backpack girl! Every once in a while I carry a tote, but most days I use my backpack. This was the first backpack I used in high school/college:

North Face Jester Backpack in Red

Then, this past year, I got this Vera backpack! I love it and honestly it makes going to class 10 times better. The only down side is that there isn't a holder large enough for a water bottle. However, I love that is has a slot specifically for my laptop!

Vera Bradley Laptop Backpack in Folkloric

This morning I did lots of grocery shopping, errands with Steven, then came home and made Taco Soup that I found on Steph's blog! I am SO excited for dinner! Yum!

Now we're watching Moneyball. I saw it in theaters, but Steven hasn't seen it yet so we got it from Redbox.

Happy Tuesday :)

xoxo,

Back to School :)

Today is the first day of my junior year!

VT campus

Proud to be a Hokie

Can't wait for footbawwwllll!!

Although I sometimes wish I could be in a different town than where I grew up, I am happy to be at Virginia Tech. I have two years down and hopefully only two to go before I head to grad school! I desperately wish VT had a 5 year teaching program, but that ain't gonna happen.


Today my class load isn't too bad, but I have work 3-6. Tomorrow I have four classes and I'm not done until 8:00 pm...boo!
I'll let y'all know later in the week how everything goes :) So far, I have had one professor who is OBSESSED with Harry Potter. I think I can live with that.

On another note, I think I'm going to start a 101in 1001 challenge. I saw this idea on several blogs and I am dying to see if I can do it. If I start today, August 22, 2011, that means I will have until May 17, 2014 to finish my list. Think I can do it?
I'm going to start my list later and I'll post it once I have it finished :) I might also make a junior year goals list...or maybe combine the two!

I'm sitting under a tree and acorns are falling everywhere and I don't want to be hit in the head - so I'm heading inside! Good luck to everyone else starting fall classes :)

xoxo,

School Tote Choices...decisions, decisions!

Yall...I need some help. I'm pretty indecisive and usually when I try to make a decision I either freak out/wait too long and forget about it or pressure myself into making it too quickly.

Recently I've been trying to decide what to carry this semester when I go back to campus. For the past two years I've primarily used my North Face Jester backpack that I've had since high school. Talk about quality - that thing will never die. I will probably use it every now and then but I want to start carrying a tote more often. Besides the water bottle holder that is so convenient with the backpack, it's something annoying to have to take it on & off all the time if I forget my I.D. inside or something!
Tell me what you all think of these :)

Vineyard Vines Classic Tote - Virginia Tech "Cheering Hokie" in Periwinkle

Vineyard Vines Classic Tote - "Flags and Stars"

I have used my mini VV tote sooo much it's falling apart! I literally use it every day. Even the mini tote has room for all of my daily necessities. This tote would be perfect to carry my laptop/agenda! I would just have to decide between school or American spirit...hmmm :)

L.L. Bean Boat & Tote Bag, Open Top

I have an L.L.Bean zip-top tote that's navy blue/light blue striped and I love it! I've had it for several years and it's still in good condition. If I got one for school I might get the open top so it's easier to get stuff in & out! I would also get pink, not the blue in this picture. :) I think the medium size would be perfect, with over-the-shoulder handles! And of course...monogrammed :)

Vera Bradley East West Tote in Happy Snails

This tote is a new Fall design and pattern. It's basically the tote but flipped horizontally! I love that because it's easier to slide in a laptop or notebooks. I am pretty dedicated to my Vera, so this one is a front runner! Plus it's not too expensive and Vera also lasts forever! (as long as you take good care of it) ;)

Victoria's Secret PINK Weekender Tote

VS also has some cute totes, believe it or not! This one is nice because it's big and bright and has a zip top in case you want to zip it up! You could also use this one as a gym bag or just as it's called - a weekender for a quick getaway!


Do yall have any other cute tote ideas? I would lovvvvvve to hear some suggestions! I was also thinking something from Thirty-one but I need to find a consultant first!

It's my last week of work and (hopefully) the week that Steven comes home!! My big brother, who recently returned to the US, is also coming home on Wednesday for two weeks of leave!! Woohoo! Then we have Steppin' Out this weekend...it's going to be a busy week. I will keep updating :)

xoxo