{Sunday Social!}

Happy Sunday everyone! I am so sad that Google reader is gone tomorrow. I have imported everything over to Bloglovin but I am still confused a bit as to how it functions. Guess I will have to play around with it!!

Linking up today with Ashley & Neely for another round of Sunday Social!

This week's questions...

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?

Honestly, that is a tie. I pretty much love any movie Jennifer Aniston is but one of my FAVORITES is The Good Girl. I also absolutely adore Bridesmaids because it is totally hilarious!

2. What is your favorite movie quote?

"When you realize when you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible" - When Harry Met Sally

3. What is the best movie to watch for a girls night?

That could be a total chick flick or a comedy! Bridesmaids is definitely a winner here but I would also say The Notebook!

4. What is the best breakup movie?

Umm...hello? The Break Up with Jennifer Aniston & Vince Vaughn....so hilarious!!!

5. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston.

6. Which movie star's closet would you want to raid?

I feel like I would want to raid Jennifer Aniston's closet! She is so laid back yet when she has to be elegant, she totally is. I love her style! I also wouldn't mind her body either.

  

Five on Friday

Today I am linking up for the first time with a. liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness, and the good life blogs for 5 on Friday. What a fun new link-up!

{1} - NEW PUPPY!
To say that I am in love with my new puppy, Lily, might be an understatement. It has only been about three months since I had to put my dog Shadow to sleep due to a tumor in her lungs/not eating/just in so much pain. There is still a void in my heart. But this little bugger, is a nice new addition! She is only 8 weeks old and is feisty! She likes to bite the rugs in the family room and drag them around which is hysterical. I am in for it with training her to go potty outside because I'd never had this experience before but who couldn't love this face?

{2} - WEDDING!
My cousin's wedding is in SIX days...on July 4!! I picked up my dress from the tailor's yesterday and just need to get a better strapless bra for it. I am so excited for my cousin Lisa because I absolutely adore her fiance Bryce. It's going to be an awesome time and I will take pictures to instagram & show y'all.

{3} - TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT!
Yes, I am 26 years old. Yes, I am a Taylor Swift fan. No, I do not have any shame in admitting that. The weekend of July 19, I am going to Philadelphia to go see her in concert with Shannon & her sister Meghan. We're so excited! I love exploring new cities and I can't wait to see where our seats are at Lincoln Financial Field.

{4} - SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! 
I am beyond happy that school is out for summer! It was a long fourth quarter with state tests, preparing for finals, interviews, etc. The last two weeks we went in and basically just played games if we had no proctoring assignments. It was definitely a great experience working in the school where I worked this past year as a TA. If I dont have a position teaching in my own classroom next year (still interviewing and searching), I hope they ask me back.

{5} - READING
I am finally catching up on reading the oodles of books I have on my kindle. Right now, I am reading the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. I saw this when I was at Target, took a picture of it on my iPhone and then downloaded the Kindle version (because of a giftcard!) and it was $7 cheaper than the hardcopy at Target. So good!

I don't wanna grow up...

Parts of being an adult just plain STINK. Like majorly. When you're little, you always think "Gee....I can't wait til I am older and can do that!" Or you're under the legal drinking age and you just want to go into the store and buy a 6 pack and you can't wait til you're 21. Newsflash kids...IT'S NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE!

My car is due for its New York State Inspection this month. Something I had been putting off until the end of the month because well....I was busy! I also needed an oil change and then apparently more work that hadn't be done in about 4 years. $400+ later, there goes my good morning!

I have to say, in retrospect, I was really lucky. I did not have to buy my first car. It was gifted to me through my mom. It was a 2 year old Corolla (it's an 04 and I got it in 06) and only had 25,000 miles on it when I got it. In the 7 years I have been driving it, I've put miles on it and I will drive that thing until it starts to become a TRUE money pit. I just wanted to whine about how much it cost me because I was NOT expecting that! Oh well.

In other news, this lovely lady made her debut to NY yesterday....meet my new puppy, Lily!

It was an experience in itself picking her up from LaGuardia airport and she is SO TINY!! Her birthday is 4-25. Only two months old. The breeder we got her from named her Cassie but I always like to name my own dogs. I started calling her Lily and it seems to have stuck. She has formed a bond with me...I went to take garbage out last night and she cried the entire 2 minutes I was outside....when I came back in, she was happy as a clam! Be prepared to be flooded with pictures of my sweet pup!

And there's some exciting news on the blog...I am getting a blog makeover. After blogging for almost 3 years, I finally bit the bullet and paid for one. I cannot wait for the reveal on the blog when it's done! :)

One year down...so many more to come!

After going back to school yesterday for a Superintendent's conference day and being dismissed early, I can officially say SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!! It was not cool that we had to go back yesterday in order to make up the number of days in attendance according to NYS rules for schools but at least we were let out early!

That being said, it's one year down and so many more to come working in a school! I was originally hired as a permanent substitute for Spanish but when one of the teaching assistants left, the chairperson switched me over. I worked in 6 classes of 7th & 8th grade students (three of each grade level) and co-taught with the teachers. It was definitely an experience in itself because I got to see a variety of teaching styles. When it came to testing (each quarterly exam, etc) I gave the Special Education students in the classes their testing mods. 

But this year has definitely taught me a lot. As a teacher and about myself. As a teacher, you ARE going to have days when you just want to RIP your hair out of your head. You're going to have days when you can't do anything but just laugh at how ridiculous the day is or your students are acting. You will have the days when you definitely lose your cool (I have seen that on many of occassions). 

But then there are the days that make you realize how completely rewarding this profession is. People deem teachers to be glorified babysitters. To anyone that says that, I would love to leave you in a room for 40 minutes with 25-30 hormone-enraged teenagers or 25-30 little kids and see how you can get content in a subject across. It definitely is not easy and it takes someone who cares a lot about kids to be able to be a teacher. At the end of the year, three of my students in my 9th period class gave me letters of appreciation. Reading them just made me smile. (The spelling/grammar can improve but it's the thought that counts!)

I learned how some kids get a concept so easily while others, no matter how many times you teach it, can't get it until it is broken down into very simple steps. I learned that kids look at you like their personal Staples store and are always asking for pens & paper! As a teacher, you take collateral in order to make sure you get your pens & pencils back. The faculty room can be viewed as a form of cheap therapy where you vent all your frustrations on your off period(s). As a teacher, you learn how one lesson can COMPLETELY flop and others go so well. It's all about trial & error. You learn you can't please every kid and there'll be kids that don't care...those are the ones that make you work harder.

Some people go into the field of education thinking it's a piece of cake. They student teach and either are happy in the end or want to give up. Teaching isn't for everyone, just like every other job isn't for everyone. This year, working as a teaching assistant, taught me a lot of things. I wouldn't change my profession for anything. No one may have hired me yet to have my own classroom but this district took a chance on me and I am grateful. I was able to make connects to students and enjoyed my classes. I was sad at the end of the year. 

I am in the field of education because of my middle school Spanish teacher. She had such a love for teaching and she was my inspiration to study two languages in high school. My high school language teachers furthered my love of this subject and I knew in 10th grade I had to major in languages and education in college. I have had so many obstacles thrown in my way to get to where I am today but I am forever changed because of it. If I can make the impact on one student the way my teachers had on me, it will be worth every frustrating moment, long nights of grading, etc. 

 

Lisa's Bridal Shower

A few weeks ago, I threw my cousin Lisa her bridal shower. She is getting married on July 4th (only about 11 days away!) so it is very exciting. She is my only girl cousin on my dad's side of the family. Her maid of honor, Mary Ellen, lives in Texas & couldn't come up until the wedding. While Pinterest has shown how many details you can make and put into a wedding shower, it pleased my cousin to see how I stayed to the nautical theme of her wedding.

Banner that I made from Etsy. So easy!

 

Cupcake anchor toppings I found at Target

 

Opening gifts

 The one ribbon she broke while opening gifts. :)

Lisa with her cake

 The lovely couple!

 Me and Lisa. Can't wait for her big day!

Lisa & her mom

Sunday Social

I love this week's questions! They are all about shopping! Link up with Ashley & Neely.

1. What is your favorite store to shop at?
Honestly, this is a tough question! I do enjoy shopping at Target (maybe it's the logo), Victoria's Secret (those 7/$26 panties sales are my downfall!) and Old Navy. I am pretty simple.

2. If you could afford anything and everything, which designer brand would you covet?
Oh definitely Louis Vuitton!! I want a LV bag when I can afford it....aka NEVER.

3. What is your closet must-have staple?
Hmm. I would definitely say caridgans because you can dress them up for wearing them to school over a short-sleeved blouse or casually out with friends. And that little black dress....which I have yet to add to my collection.

4. What is your favorite kind of shoes? (brand or style?)
I am probably the only girl that absolutely HATES shoe shopping! Seriously, I would rather be barefoot then wear shoes. So my go-to shoe is flip flops from Old Navy!

5. What is the best clothing deal you've ever gotten?
Hmm. This is kind of tough. I did get a denim jacket years ago from the Gap that was originally like $90 for $10! And I got a zip up hoodie once from Aeropastle for $3. 

6. What is a style you'd love to try?
I see so many people be able to pull off maxi dresses but I just feel like they wouldn't work on me being so tall. Who knows? Maybe I'll try it out if I find a good deal on one!

{Sunday Social}

It's been awhile since I linked up with Ashley & Neely for Sunday Social. Or it feels like awhile. Anyways, here it goes for another week!

1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
I actually have a few. One of them is people who put on their turn signal to change langes and when they are in front of you now that they've changed lanes, they forget to turn the signal off. DRIVES ME NUTS!  I also can't stand slow drivers, or those who ride up your butt in traffic. If there's a line of cars in front of me, chances are pretty good I can't go any faster, you idiot! 

2. What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?
I don't really like those who beg/advertise for sponsors.

3. What is your biggest general pet peeve?
Hmm.... I would have to say people who cause unnecessary drama. Life's too short to be petty. 

4. What is your most irrational fear?
That would probably have to be needles. I get so squeamish when I have to get one! 

5. Name three celebrities you would want to have dinner with:
 Definitely Jennifer Aniston

Channing Tatum

 
 Taylor Swift

New puppy!

Things have been so busy with the end of the school year that it has been a few weeks since I last blogged. Classes ended on June 5th and then I had three days of finals. I helped grade a bunch of finals on Tuesday but now, it's just a bunch of sitting around until June 24th. In that time frame, I am going to be productive in looking for a job.

The best news is I am getting a new puppy!!! In March, I had to put my beloved Shadow, my black Cocker Spaniel, to sleep. She got sick really quickly so we put her down so she was no longer in misery or suffering. I am so heartbroken still (3 months later) but I want to get another dog. 

We were searching for weeks and weeks. My mom and I kept looking in the newspaper and I went to a few shelters. We wanted to rescue a dog as opposed to buying one but all the dogs (we specifically want a cocker spaniel) in the shelters were all either biters or couldn't be around kids. That was not going to fly.

My mom and I found a few through puppyfind.com. And I absolutely fell in love with one. This little lady will be joining our family on June 26th! She is being flown from Missouri and I pick her up in a crate at the airport. I am SO excited! I have no idea what to name her. Current contenders are Bailey, Bella, Lily, Sophie.