Sunday, May 31, 2009

One of those Random Weekends

Hello all! Wednesday was my last day of work!!!! I will begin my 7th year of teaching in the fall! Can you believe it? Time flies!!! Although I am hoping to eventually go back to the general education setting, I am thankful for my employment as a support teacher. I am so blessed that I have my English as a Second Language certification and job security!

On Thursday, I got up and made a list of what I want to accomplish in the next week. Now that I am off for the summer, I feel like I FINALLY have some time to regroup and take care of random things that I never have time to do during the school year....I think I forgot to post in my last entry that Eric and Liz are having a girl!!! I was so excited that I went out and bought some girly outfits for their lil' bun in the oven! I can't wait for her arrival. We are so happy for our friends! :)On Saturday, Liz and I went on a Garage Sale Excursion!!!! Wow--we found some GREAT deals!!! Liz found a TON of baby and maternity clothes in really good condition. Also, we found a Pack-n-Play, shelf and table that go perfect in her nursery.Of course, I had to get a little something for myself! Check out these shoes!!! I got all 3 pairs for SEVEN DOLLARS!!! Two of the pairs had NEVER even been worn, ..apparently the lady I bought them from had quite the shoe obsession. Her husband seemed happy that I was taking them off her hands...heehee :) Aren't they cute? "Thrifty Chick" ROCKS again!!!!I came back from the garage sales pumped to show Ryan my fantastic finds, but he had something even more exciting to show me!!! Ryan, Brian and Eric went golfing at Bear Slide and guess who they ran into on the course? Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts!!! They were kind enough to sign score cards for all 3 of them. Awesome!!!Saturday afternoon, we did some front porch sittin'....And I did some wine sippin'....Mmmmmm wine!! There is a local winery in Bloomington that has the BEST wine!!!! Oliver Wine is sold locally in all the grocery and liquor stores. The Soft White is like drinking grape juice- it is so delicious! Here is the link if you want to check it out.

On Sunday morning, Ryan and I woke up and cooked together. I love spending time in our kitchen. I had the urge to grub on Mexican food...I miss authentic Mexican entrees soooooo much!!! We did what we could, utilizing salsa, fresh cilantro and of course, Tapatio. We had the BEST breakfast burritos...YUM-YUM-YUM!!!!Ryan's hearty breakfast gave him the strength he needed to grade Final Exams...heeheeHis grades are due tomorrow morning- bright and early!!! Tomorrow (June 1st) is Ryan's last day of work!!! He officially has made it through his first year of teaching...woo-hoo!!!
I would have been more than happy to help with the grading, but Physics and Chemistry are WAY over my head...so I decided my time would be better utilized laying out by the pool. Ahhhhhh....
When I came home, I found this cutie taking a break. Not only can he solve difficult scientific equations, but the man can also bake!!!

Mmmmmmmm cake!!!

A man truly after my own heart!!!

Until next time...xo

Monday, May 25, 2009

"Start Your Engines!!!' Indy 500 Fun

Hey everybody!!! We hope you enjoyed your 3-day weekend!!! We are sooooo excited! May 27th is my last day of work and Ryan's last day is June 1st!!! We will be off until August 17th- woot woot!!! Teacher pay is fairly modest, but you CANNOT put a price tag on the time off- invaluable in our book!

We are looking forward to our trip out to Cali- July 5th-20th...Can't wait to see everyone!!!

We had a very fun-filled weekend! On Saturday, we went over to Dave and Amanda's house for a BBQ. Here is a pic of Alissa, me and Amanda (they both teach with me)...
Almost every subdivision in Indiana has a pond (we have 2 ponds-I have posted pics in previous entries) and a pool. In fact, we just got our pool key last week (all pools open Memorial Day weekend)...yay!!! Here is a pic of the pond at Dave and Amanda's.
Here is a pic of Ryan and the boys hanging out...
On Sunday, we went to the Indy 500!!! I knew it was going to be a great day...check out this beautiful sunrise!!!
We knew there would be lots of drinking going on and wanted to participate in the festivities safely!!! We took the bus so we did not have to drive! The bus picked us up at the IUPUI Campus in Downtown Indianapolis.
Here is my partner in crime on the bus, ready to go!!!
Here is a pic of the crowd walking from the bus to the entrance of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway...
Ahhhhhhh we made it!!!
Soooooo excited!!!!
I don't think we could have asked for better weather! Blue skies and sunshine for the ENTIRE race!
Indy pace car up close...
A Transformer (from the movie). It had a California license plate (it made me think about all of you back home *sniff*sob*sniff) ...
Corvettes carrying people with the big bucks $$$$$...Maybe after Ryan and I win the lotto we can ride in one for the next race...
Ryan "weezing the juice" before the race...
We had seats in the infield on the grass...VERY reasonable...twenty bucks each!!!! You can bring your own chairs, blankets and most important- ice chests, food and alcohol!!!
Ryan and his buddy Eric showing off the racing section of our newspaper :)
Ryan and Eric (Eric teaches with Ryan) in the infield. It was pretty cool...people are allowed to camp in the infield and tailgate. There were easy-ups and BBQ's set up all over the place!!!
I wasn't joking....there were a TON of people!!!!

Smiling Faces :)
WWII Bombers flying over the Speedway at the start of the race!!!
"Ladies and Gentleman, start your engines!!!"
Let the race begin!!! Woo-hoo!!!
And they're off!!!! Check out the video I recorded...

It was pretty neat- you could walk up to the fence and stand right next to the track...I cannot even begin to tell you how LOUD and FAST the cars were...it was amazing!
We went with Eric and his friends. Eric's sister Marta is on top of this pyramid...Ryan makes a pretty strong base, don't you think????
It was sooooo hot!!! Next year I am wearing my swimsuit underneath my clothes!!!
Make-shift slip n' slide on the hill...
Danica Patrick's car... it was sooooo cool that 3 women were in the race!!!

Helio on the Jumbo-Tron after his win!!!
Smooches for my favorite driver ;)
Here is a pic of the Speedway Golf Course...it is inside the race track! Pretty cool, huh???
Bye-Bye- see you in August for the Brickyard!!!
Leaving the race and heading back to the buses... On Monday, we drove up to Kokomo for a BBQ at Brian's parents' house. Ryan and Brian were having way too much fun riding quads and motorcycles with Brian's nephew Josh....Ryan, I think you are a little too big for that...
Me and Sabrina :)
Boys will be boys...Downtown Noblesville decorated in honor of Memorial Day...
Thank you to all of the men and women in the armed forces who protect us on a daily basis. We are soooooo fortunate to live in this great nation!!!! This Memorial Day and ALWAYS, never forget to be thankful for our freedom!!!! God Bless America!!!
Until next time...xo