The "BIRTHDAY BLOG" 29 and Feeling Fine!

Before I begin this BLOG, I would like to thank all of my friends and family for the cards, presents, e-mails, Facebook/MySpace posts and phone calls/texts on my birthday!!! I felt SUPER SPECIAL! Thanks for all the love!!! xo

My 29th birthday started early when Sabrina and Liz came over to drop off some birthday cheer! Sabrina and her husband Brian went on vacation this week and were going to be gone this weekend, so they wanted to see me before they left to wish me a "Happy B-day!"



Sabrina, Liz and me:

Awwww....

They ROCK!!! Just what I needed- I don't have a Diet Coke addiction or anything!!! Apparently we all have a personalized cool-cup/cuzzi to use this summer:

Yay!!!!

Ooooohhhhhhhlala! A necklace to match!

Earrings too?!? Girls, you are too much!!! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!!!! xo

On Friday, I had a few of my students give me these....

Mom, these next few pics are for you....My mom SPECIFICALLY requested that I do something special for myself with the birthday cash she sent- so here are my SUPER SCARY WHITE feet freshly pedicured!

And I bought 2 bathing suit tops and brown skirt bottoms...
These suits will definitely come in handy- our neighborhood pool opens next week!!! And a wallet...I was in DESPERATE need of a new one- my old one wouldn't even close...LOL Thanks mom!!!
On Sunday (my REAL birthday), Ryan and I went to the Broad Ripple Art Fair with our friends Eric and Liz...

We had AWESOME weather!!! I was sooooo glad, because we have had thundershowers off and on the entire week.

Liz and Eric...How cute- and they even match...heehee ;)

Me and my love! xo

The art fair was pretty cool...it reminded me a lot of the Irish Fest- lots of vendors and interesting things to look at.

I REALLY wanted that blue platter on the top shelf, but I had to utilize my self control! Art work is sooooo pricey-you'd think these people do this for a living or something...heehee! The two girls in the pic are Liz's friends- they drove down from the Chicago area and spent the weekend with them...

Ryan and Eric...

Kettle corn!!!! YUMMMMMMERIFIC!!!!!

It was impressive to see all of the artistic talent out there- we were thinking about Nick Mugridge at the Art Fair- Nick, you would have REALLY liked this!!!

Here are some cool metal sculptures for the yard... Ryan and I were having "In Utero" flashbacks...all you Nirvana fans will get the reference.

After the art fair, Ryan and I drove to downtown to go to an Indians game!!! I had to take a picture of this window for obvious reasons...

We drove down Meridian Street to get there-There are 3 REALLY "ritzy" areas of central Indiana- Geist, Carmel and Meridian Street in Indianapolis. I took some pics of some homes for you to see. They are absolutely gorgeous...

I LOVE the brick...

and the trees....

and the character...

of each and every home!!!

Hooray for baseball! I would have LOVED to have gone to a pro game, but the Reds weren't in town (they are the closest- only an hour and a half away) and Chicago was too far of a drive for one day... I am glad Indy has a minor league team- I would die from baseball withdrawals otherwise!Victory Field is very well-maintained for a minor league facility. It is really reasonable price-wise too...

We snuck up to the upper deck to get some sun!!! Here I am beer in hand with my free T-shirt...LIFE IS GOOD!!!

Here is a shot of the Indians mascot, "Rowdie."

Can you read the sign...I think they did that especially for me!!! J/K
Okay, so while we were sitting up top, a foul ball flew through the air and was headed straight at me!!!! Luckily, my prince charming reached up and "plucked" it out of the sky and saved me!!!! My HERO!!!!

Looks like my "good catch" made a good catch...

What a great day!!!

We got birthday cones, instead of a cake! I couldn't bare the thought of blowing out ALL those candles...YIKES!!!!

On the drive home...

We spied an Indy 500 pace car on the road...

The circle was closed down for the 500 Fest...

We will be at the Indy 500 next weekend!!! Sooo excited!!!! Can't wait!!!!

Until next time...xo

Thanks again for the wonderful birthday wishes!!!

Grey Skies...Sunny Skies....Make Up Your Mind!!!

Did you know that May 5th marked the 1 year anniversary that escrow closed on our home??? We did not move into it until June, because Ryan was graduating from college and I had to finish out my teaching contract in California. Here is a pic of us on May 5, 2008- standing in front of our new home shortly after we got the keys...Time flies, huh??? This week was national "Teacher Appreciation Week." Our staff was spoiled with all kinds of goodies including massages during our lunch break, personalized lunch boxes, picture frames and our own coffee barista for the day! Here is my teaching partner Alissa ordering a Chai tea in the front hallway of our school...

We could have anything we wanted...lattes, espressos, hot chocolate, tea...all for free!
I think I have shown you pics of our ESL Instructional Assistants before, but I am not sure if I've talked about them. This is Maria O. She is from Puerto Rico. I love her!!! She spoils Alissa and I soooo much...she cooks Puerto Rican food for us and refills this candy bowl in our office like every other day...LOL!

Lately I have been speaking to her TOTALLY in Spanish- my goal is to become fluent. You would be proud of me, last week I translated for 2 parents and helped with registration for next year too!

This is Maria V. She is our other IA. She is my t.v. friend! I talk to her about American Idol and Dancing with the Stars every morning before work...LOL! Her native language is English, but her degree is in Spanish. Alissa and I adore our IAs...They are a wonderful asset to our school--

Here we are-partners in crime!!! Alissa is like Ryan in the female form...totally calm, laid back, fun loving. We are a good match- we balance each other really well :)

On May 5th, our school had its annual family picnic. We had a great turn-out and were soooooooo glad it did not rain!! It has been raining off and on all week- it stayed dry and pleasant for the entire picnic!!!

It was really fun- we had a Silent Auction (teachers donated items and families bid on them-I donated a "Hannah Montana Themed Pizza Party" for a 1st or 2nd grade girl and a friend), bike raffle and free (yes free hot dogs, chips and drinks for all families donated by our PFA).

Our Inspire Dancers performed their first live routine! Lori and I were so proud!!! They were awesome--check them out!

On Friday night a few ESL teachers from our district got together at my house to hang out and discuss some plans for next year. We had a potluck...It was SUPER delicious!!!

It was our friend Karen's 44th birthday...Happy Birthday, Karen!!!
Group photo: Clockwise- me, Alissa, Karen, Emily, Edyza and Tammy
So, back to the rain--on Saturday, Ryan and I went shopping around town, and were waiting for it to DUMP!!!!

There it goes....
I'll be the first to admit that rain isn't always the most ideal weather, but it sure makes everything green and lush. This is what the Freeways (they call them Interstates) look like out here. No block walls, no graffiti, just trees for miles and miles....When the rain goes away and the sun comes out, it is like God turned on the lights...Ooooh lala! Sunday (Mother's Day) we had gorgeous blue skies and mild temps...

On Mother's Day, we took our fur babies to Geist Park. We had to cross over Geist Reservoir to get there....

And drive past all the PRETTY HOUSES....

and wooded roads....

Happy Mother's Day!!! We love our moms soooooooooooooooo much!!!! Now that we are older, we are truly able to reflect on how difficult a job parenting is--we have a new found respect for motherhood. It is the HARDEST, most IMPORTANT job on this Earth!!! Thank you so much for bringing us into this world, raising us and loving us unconditionally!!! xoxoxo

We walked the dogs along the trails-so beautiful. It is AMAZING how a month ago all of the trees were bare and now they are all green again...
The trails followed a back canal off of Geist Lake...

When I get to enjoy scenery like this, I am thankful for the crappy weather we sometimes have to endure...

Since it was Mother's Day, I had to give my baby some love....xo

He is such a sweetie when he wants to be...

Geist Park had a lot of trails, but not a lot of open area...we LOVE to break the law and take our dogs off their leashes (heehee), so we drove 15 minutes up the road back to Noblesville. Here are the pups in Forest Park checking out the yellow wildflowers...

Sammy getting some love from Ryan! xoxoxo

He is a regular ol' forest doggie....

What are you looking at, Frodie???

We have OFFICIALLY experienced all 4 seasons...Fall and Spring are my faves...

Winter is cool too (especially when it is snowing in December around Christmas)--The humidity sucks in the summer, but the fireflies and 3 months off work make it bearable...LOL

Until next time...xo