Birthday Suprise!

Yes, I am aware, that my birthday is still a FULL 2 months away...but I am already so excited for it! (For those of you who don't know, Matt's birthday and mine are 4 days apart, and our anniversary is 10 days after my birthday....these 3 events don't all get their own celebration!) Because of the timing of all our April/May events, Matt and I actually haven't really done anything for our birthdays since we were dating...since then we have always been saving money for something that is coming up. This year, I didn't expect any different. However, the other day, my husband came home from work, we started talking about our day and what to have for dinner and then he started to act very suspicious. I figured either he was going to ask if we could go out to eat or he had something up his sleeve. God bless him, that guy can not keep a secret! He lasted about 7 hours on this one! Turns out, that on my actual birthday John Mayer (a Matt and Andrea favorite), and Keith Urban (who has been gaining favor with me from all the award shows he has been playing at), will be preforming together in Vegas...and my husband got us tickets!!!! (Even better deal - being a John Mayer fan got us early bird discounted tickets!!) I am so excited....I simply can not wait for April to be here! AND the icing on the cake....my credential program will have broke for the summer by then, so there will be no homework stress as we go away for the weekend!!! I feel like a kid again with so much anticipation for my birthday, and I am totally OK with that!

Can't wait to see these guys jam!

Life's LIttle Blessings

As I headed into this week (and the following 5 weeks after this one), I knew I was in for a tough ride. My credential program is getting harder and these 6 weeks looked to be the worse, with formal observations, progress reports, and my anemia getting worse to top it all off. At least I was heading into it with my eyes wide open. God always blesses me though and sent me many things to help me through this week including:

- Klondike Oreo Cookie Sandwiches - YUM YUM YUM!!!! (Helping me lose weight? NO. Tonight, do I care? NO.)

- Google Images - I used this to fill a PowerPoint presentation for my class with images from earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides, and my professor LOVED it! She mentioned several times how great my photos were - thanks Google! (Now that I don't work at ESRI, I can say that as much as I want!!)

- Corresponding with the point above - Keynote - This apple alternative to PowerPoint is so easy to use and you can literally click on a Google image, drag it across your screen to Keynote, and drop the photo in....no saving and uploading required - I LOVE YOU APPLE!!!!

- The ability to "kill 2 birds with one stone" by using a homework assignment for a formal observation - never thought that would happen!

- Listening to my students talk and figure things out. This week, we were able to learn and meet the California State Standards all through their own discussion and discovery - no textbook required! There were tough moments, but all in all, a good experience!

- And of course, my husband. Sappy? Maybe. But, true none the less. This week did not start out well for me....at all...but through the tears, frustrations, and feelings of failure, my husband encourages and loves me, and well, buys me Klondike Oreo Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches to make me feel better. He's really quite the catch.

Whatcha Whining About Now?!?!

The other day, I just had one of "those" days....I was in a mood to say the least. No real reason why, just irritable. When I got home from work, I was frustrated and annoyed and decided to go for a walk. Boy, was I hustling on that one! I was ranting in my head about everything and anything that came to mind. One of those things being how I had not had a pedicure in about a year and how I keep saying I am going to get one and then, there is never money for it. This of course, because of the mood I was in, was all my husband's fault. (Of course that's not really true, but I was on a roll with my whining and moaning, and there was really no reasoning with me). I eventually walked it all off and was feeling a little better by the time Matt got home. I decided not to share my evil thoughts with him since I knew better than to cause an unnecessary fight. Anyways, I few days later, on date night, Matt said he had a surprise for me. I of course, love surprises and just thought we were going somewhere fun. Turns out, he had planned for me to get a pedicure AND get my nails done (something I had not done since our wedding!) Of course, the nails benefit him too since he likes the way they feel when I scratch his back! Needless to say, this was a humbling moment, and I had to confess my previous bad attitude! All that to say, that I love my husband and how he takes care of me....even when I am mean! And I love how God reminds us that we are blessed beyond belief even in our bad attitudes!