MOVING TIME!!

Hello! We signed our lease tonight!! YAYAYA! I feel like a big girl moving in with my boyfriend (and our love child, Brian.. not really our child.. don't take that the wrong way..) Anyway! I took some pictures of it before we moved in and I warn you, this may be photo overload. But it has to be done. I can't wait to start taking after pictures and then after AFTER pictures when everything is beautiful.

I would also like to note this is cheaper than any other place I ever lived in college. And look how fancy! It's located in Urbandale, about 20 minutes from the current school I'm teaching at, and it will be about 25-30 minutes to my second school in Ankeny.

This is our very own front door :) Doorbell and all!

The entrance is the door to the left, and this is our living room with fancy pancy fireplace! And yes, those are (faux) hardwood floors.

The rest of the living room, and the dining area and patio to the right.

Kitchen! Look at all those cabinets.

And we even have an ice maker in the fridge! I like to eat crushed ice so I was very pleased with this. Kevin claims to have used one of these only a few times in his life.

Our bedroom. It was hard to get a decent picture so this picture basically tells you nothing. My apologies. The closet is to the left and the bathroom is to the right.

Our walk in closet. We were both amazed we have a closet with a LIGHT! It goes around the door to the right. Kevin, Brian, and I stood in it and had a nice comfortable chat. It's that spacious. Then Brian came out of the closet.....................

Our (Kevin and Me) bathroom. This is MY vanity. Yes, as in we both have one. And a nice big cupboard.

View from inside the bathroom. This is the door back to the bedroom. See! We both have vanities :) This will solve a lot of bickering over Kevin's cleanliness (or lack of).

Washer/Dryer. Nothing fancy. But we have it!

Half bath and utility closet

Our patio that will house a grill and maybe eventually a small table and chairs. It's smaller than it looks here. But, being on the ground floor it feels like we have more room. Maybe a day of tailgating and bags on our "lawn?"

Dining area

I found this humorous and it gives a good glimpse of Kevin. What you have here are a bunch of vintage beer signs and 2 packs of High Life. I actually like the beer signs a lot.

And currently this is the only thing in our fridge. He wasted no time.

I was pleased I could fit my whole life in two car loads.

Remember this creation? I found a home for it! While we unpacked we listened to a little Mumford and Sons. It is also what I'm listening to as I type this post. I'm going through a phase. Also to note, my iHome Cube is amazing. It lights up and changes colors and the speakers are actually pretty impressive. Apple, if you'd like to sponsor me for this product review, I'll accept your endorsement.

I also convinced Kevin to let me paint the old looking entertainment center white with chalk paint. Yes, as in you can write on it with chalk. He says no to the bar stools but Brian likes the idea and I think I can eventually convince him. Maybe. So be looking forward to that DIY.

There you have it. We have moved most of our stuff but will move all the big stuff Friday. I will post more pictures once we're unpacked! I have a feeling I will be posting a lot of apartment things so I apologize in advance. I am just so excited! Please come visit!

I love love.

I saw this lovely video on Green Wedding Shoes today and I am in love! It's so sweet. I just love wedding videos. They capture so much more of the personality of the day than pictures. You of course need both. You can watch it and then enjoy my commentary below:)

stella + armstrong || give me a hug from Hello Tomorrow on Vimeo.

Here are all the things I love about this video:

This is everything I love about the video:

• The bride's curls and hair pins
• Hay bales and pretty fabric over them
• Crepe paper tp-ing
• The groomsmen drove to the ceremony via Harleys (don't get any ideas mom and dad)
• The adorable first look!! How precious are they? "Hi dear. I didn't know what to do. Do you like it?" "Look at you!" Aww :)
• The groom had the bouquet to give to the bride at the first look
• Exchanging of personal vows in two languages
• The bridesmaid's dresses! So colorful and wonderful
• The bride and groom are not sitting at a "head table", rather a square table. They are still the "center" of the audience but they can still converse with the bridal party
• The groomsmen's bow ties
• The flower's in the bridesmaid's hair
• The bride's serenade at the reception with the bridesmaid's in the background!
• They are so in love and that was just precious.

I hope you enjoy it!

Typography Tuesday

Words of advice to live by.
Today was my first "official" day of full-time teaching. Monday's are always a struggle to get the kids back in gear. Especially after a 3-day weekend (for them, not me! Teachers had inservice). Despite it being Monday, it went exceptionally well and I am feeling more and more each day that I picked the right profession. Everyday the kids teach me something. 2 more weeks of full-time teaching in 2nd grade, and then I have one week where I get to go around the school and observe different teachers. That week is also conferences. It's going by so fast! I know I say that nearly every day. My supervisor came to observe me today and told me I'm "going to be a real asset to any school district." :)

One last thing. Fall is here! I saw beautiful leaves falling off the trees and was perfectly comfortable outside in a cardigan.

New Music Monday

Yay! Week 2 of my first weekly feature. I love Mumford and Sons oh so much. If I like an artist, I always like them for the whole package. If I don't like their lyrics, I don't like the artist. If I don't think they put on a good performance, I don't like them. That may be silly, but that's how it is. I also like artists a little less once they become popular, which drives the boy nuts. I like things not everyone else likes. Once everyone likes it, it loses its appeal. Make sense? Probably not.

Anyway, Mumford and Sons has the whole package. The lyrics are genius, they make me think, I love the accent, they are clearly passionate about their craft, and their music has a unique sound. There you have it. Whole package. Give 'em a listen.

Love the lyrics in this one especially:

P.S. Mumford and Sons on Pandora is genius. Pure genius.

Web Gems

Here are some of the inspiring things I have found around the web (mainly on Pinterest) lately:

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I quite enjoy this headboard and color scheme. This will be a good job for Kevin.

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This is a very easy DIY. I'm hoping to find some cheap Wal Mart pillows and adding some pretty things to them.

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How cool is this chair?

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LOVE these shoes. This might be my favorite color in the world.

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I am planning on learning how to crochet after my 1st placement for student teaching is over and I have more time. These cute slipper shoes will be on my list. First I need to find out how difficult they might be. :)

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I think I will be making this jewelry organizer later this week!

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Love this color scheme.

I wish there was more time in the day and more money in the bank for all the fun things I want to make and do and have. This weekend consisted of hanging out with my boy. I helped him clean his room and pack and now we are getting ready to watch the Packers beat the Bears. Hope you had a good weekend!

Feeling the Love

I'm in the 1 week mark! I move in with Kevin next Friday! It just hit me this week that the bedroom I'm in now is the very last bedroom that will ever be just MINE. Which is kinda scary, because I like to spend a lot of time chillaxing and being myself in my room. I put a lot of detail and effort into my space, so it's sad this is the last space that will be just mine. Someday we will have a house and I will have my own craft room.

I am feeling extra in love lately and I wanted to spread the good feelings around. I am a lucky girl to have found such a great guy. And I get to keep him forever. It's comforting knowing I have found the person I'll spend the rest of my life with. Ahhh. Life is good. Here are some photos from the summer:

This photo was from last weekend. Two of our friends (recently engaged!) came to visit and we went out for a few drinks at a bar.

This photo was from a few weeks ago. A Cedar Falls band came to Des Moines to play downtown at a street party for the opening of a restaurant called Zombie Burger. People were dressed as zombies, including the band. It was awesome.

This is a picture I drew for Kevin. I have been drawing him Sharpie pictures all summer. He will be getting more and more now that mom stocked me up. Since we started dating, I "locked" all the texts he sent me that made me think, "Aww!" and so I made a picture with all the "keepable" texts he had sent me since we started dating. I am thinking I want to find some cheap, vintage-y frames and paint them and frame the photos and maybe use them as a sort of headboard in our new room. Or at least hang them up somewhere. I'll take pictures of other pictures I have drawn and post them soon.

Tomorow is Friday! It's a 4:01 day at school. Teacher contract hours end at 4:00, so at 4:01 all the teachers head downtown for a few drinks. Since I'm a newbie, I'm not sure what "a few drinks" constitutes as. Since Kevin works downtown, I'm planning on hitching a ride home with him if "a few drinks" means more than one or two.

This week flew by! 3 more weeks of 2nd grade.

Since mom loved the last pic of my nails I posted, here's another:

They are dark teal with white and mint green polka dots! I cut a q-tip in half and dipped the end in the nail polish to get the dots. Very simple.

YAY!

I have officially wasted half my night, but I finally figured out how to get my header up and running. I used FotoFlexer, which is kind of user friendly but judging by the fact I spent at least 2 hours making a damn header, mostly not. I couldn't get it to shrink down to not look gigantic on my blog.

Anyway, hope you like it! Some facts about today:

1. My cooperating teacher was gone in the morning and so I was in charge and I did awesome! Holla!
2. I am the biggest procrastinator in the world.
3. 10 DAYS UNTIL I MOVE! YAY! No more making plans to see my boyfriend. He'll already be there :)
4. The Glee season premiere is on tonight! I was also interested in watching The New Girl with Zooey Deschanel (I love her!). Sadly they are on at the same time :( Decisions decisions. However, Teen Mom never fails me and it's on right after. Oh wait... I just wasted 3 hours making a stupid banner. I should be working on my Teacher Work Sample paper. Bleh.
5. I still haven't made that Sharpie bag I posted about a few days ago... Maybe this weekend? I guess I should probably pack sometime...

Hope you like my new header! Let me know what you think :)

Updates!

Sorry for the gigantic picture. I stayed up WAY too late (like I have to wake up in 6.5 hours) trying to get a new header the right size. Alas, I have run out of brain power. I am confident tomorrow will pull through. Until then, HELLO from my giant face.

P.S. Any feedback of what you see now would be appreciated :)

New Music Monday

I have decided to theme some of my weekly postings. Monday is dubbed "New Music Monday"...for now :). We all need a little music to cheer us up on Mondays!

I heard this song on my way home from school today and it's been stuck in my head ever since. I love the Foo. It's called "These Days."

I hope you all had a good Monday! I wasn't looking forward to it, but the kids were great, the weather is beautiful, and I am being productive!

Lazy Sunday

I like change, hence the new blog design? You like?

Today is a crappy, rainy day. I started out watching the Packers with Kevin. We both had our Packers gear on (we were cute) and they won. But alas, a day of football with him means him yelling at the TV and constantly checking his fantasy football team on the computer.I need more attention than that, so I came home. :)

I got my dress altered for my friend Erin's wedding. Phew! Alterations cost A LOT. I don't like being on a fixed ($0) income.

I had planned on using the day to write the week's lesson plans and work on the Design for Instruction section on my Teacher Work Sample. However, it's now 6:00 and I'm writing a new post, staring at Pinterest, and watching HGTV. So, I will force myself to at least get my lesson plans done and THEN I can work on a new craft project. What project, you ask?

Last week my mom sent me a 24 pack of beautiful Sharpies. I have been doodling all week long whenever I had free time, sometimes even when I didn't have free time.

I saw this Sharpie bag on Pinterest and have been wanting to make it. I am planning on using fabric quarters I bought from JoAnn Fabric for $.99 and I bought a zipper today. The back of the bag has sweet doodles. I have never sewed a zipper before, so hopefully it won't be too difficult. I don't have a sewing machine so I'm planning on stitching it. I also bought some ric rac. I'm excited! I bought an extra zipper so maybe I will make a make up bag when I'm done.

Ok, enough procrastinating. I reallllllly don't want to write these lessons. At last I have a prize for finishing. Hope you had a good weekend! Make it a good week.

hehehe.

Observations from the Republican Debate

1. Politics in our country are headed in a terrible, terrible place.
2. Michelle Bachman is off her rocker. She is comparing 12 year old girls who are forced to get a government ordered vaccination to Obama signing a bill for health companies to offer birth control for free. Not even close to being the same.
3. The kids in the audience look bored out of their minds.
4. Ron Paul is a straight shooter.
5. Anyone wanting to be the president is out of their mind.
6. Rick Perry is a bully and I don't like him.
7. Mitt Romney looks like a president.
8. Give Obama a few more years. I have faith in him.
9. People listen when Ron Paul talks.
10. As a female, I don't think we need a woman president. Though I fully believe a woman has what it takes, she will never gain the respect of the rest of the male leaders around the world. I would fear for our future with a female president in this day and age.
11. Are we a melting pot or a salad bowl? I'm confused.
12. Question: How will you attract the Latino vote? Answer: This is our country and illegal immigrants do not belong here. English is the official language. W.T.F.???????
13. They are trying to use big words and are doing so incorrectly. Example: beneficits?
14. Let's have a swinging match and see who comes out on top. That is our president.
15. We need captions. I don't know who half these people are.
16. I can't take this any more. Must. Stop. Watching.
17. Where are the questions on education? Those I actually care about.
18. Yep, I'm a liberal. The end.

Mmm he's so sexy! I just can't get enough. This was a few days ago. I'm excited Brand New is touring, but they just announced a string of shows in the UK. COME TO THE MIDWEST!!!!! The things I'd do to see this man...........

P.S. You know on Friends how they have "lists" of people they are allowed to sleep with and the boyfriend can't get mad? Kevin and I have the same sort of "lists." Jesse Lacey is #1. And 2. And 3. And 4........

For My Dad

I feel like I should say some words in remembrance of 9/11. However, I feel like it's becoming the "thing to do" on Facebook, and the sentiment is being lost among the generic reposts.

Instead, I want to say something that really means something to me. My dad is a volunteer firefighter and I couldn't be more proud. I used to worry when he was called out to a fire call when I was younger. When he would speed off at night after the scanner went off, I used to lie awake until I heard him come back. When we were little, I remember my mom used to hate it when my dad was called out on storm watch to look for tornadoes to sound the siren. She was left at home with 4 little kids by herself. I am fortunate nothing has ever happened to him or anyone else on the department, since I can remember anyway. I am so proud of my dad for being a volunteer firefighter. I hope he never has to experience a tragedy like the fire fighters of NYC did. I know he has seen some awful things in his time.

I think about one instance every time I think of my dad being a fire fighter. It happened when he responded to an ultra-light accident involving one of his best friends, Richmond, and fellow fire fighter. He ended up losing his life in the accident. I remember my dad coming home that night and not being able to come in the house. I remember his friend's daughter pulling my dad aside and asking him if her dad suffered in the wreck, or died instantly.

A few years before that, I remember an instance involving Richmond. A few friends of mine (Rich's daughter included) were in a car accident by my house. I was the first to discover the car, which had flipped end over end 3 times. I called 911, and the driver called his mom with my phone, who worked with my mom. When my mom discovered the call came from me, she panicked that I had been hurt in the accident, badly enough to not be able to call myself. Upon arriving on the scene, my dad thought I was involved in the accident. I can't imagine his relief when he realized it wasn't me. I remember Rich walking upon the scene, realizing his daughter was actually in the accident. Everyone ended up making a recovery.

Today, I am thinking of the fire fighters and their families, as well as the many victims. I am honoring my own dad for the sacrifices he has made. I am so proud of him.

I have been wondering about all the statuses about "where I was" when they found out the news. I don't know if this is really relevant to "remembering 9/11." However, I know 9/11 affected each person differently. So, I will share where I was.

I was in 7th grade science class, about to dissect something. One of the special education teachers came in to tell us there had been a "terrorist attack" in New York City. She said 2 planes crashed into the WTCs. She said we would never forget where we were when we heard. (This makes me wonder if I would have forgotten had she not said that.) At the time, I had no idea what a terrorist attack was. This was the first I had ever heard of it. I didn't know what the WTCs were, either. I remember going home and watching TV all night. I called my mom after school to ask if she had heard, obviously being very ignorant at the significance.

Sorry for the rambling. I wanted to say a few words in remembrance.

Polka Dot Nails

I used to bite my nails all my life. I know, gross. My mom claims one of my first words was "hangnail" although I don't believe her. I stopped biting them in spurts but I finally quit for good in high school/college. I still do it a bit when I'm stressed out, but I have figured out that I don't mess with them when they're painted. Alas! Here is the current polish status of my non-bitten nails.

Here was my inspiration (found on Pinterest!)

And here's how it turned out.

The picture from iPhoto is a little blurry. My nails are also a little sloppier but practice makes perfect, eh! I know my polish isn't probably the highest quality-- I buy whatever's on sale at Wal Mart and the occasional bottle at Forever 21 if I need to match a dress.

I know the little girlies in my class tomorrow are gonna be lovin' it up!

Men's Shirts and Relgion

This is amazing. I think I would need a bigger shirt, however. I have a little more boobs and butt than the model here.

Also, you should all be on Pinterest. Seriously. Well, don't do it if you have stuff to do. It's extremely distracting. Follow my boards and I'll follow you! We can get distracted together.

On a more serious note, I am very bothered and would like to vent my frustrations. My aunt told me tonight about my cousin's experience at a team dinner for football that included all the players and cheerleaders. This is at a large, diverse, PUBLIC school in the Des Moines area. She said the coach asked everyone to bow their heads to pray before the meal. Another instance of religion in public education with my other cousin: The coaches passed out "good luck" notes with biblical verses written on them as motivation for their XC meet. My aunt and her family have a very strong Christian faith and that is great and has gotten them through some terrible times. She loved that the coaches did that, as any Christian family would. She was curious if I learned anything about what to do and what not to do in terms of religion and school.

I would NEVER do that. I guarantee there was at least one student in each instance who was very offended. The school district is affluent with middle to upper socioeconomic status. There are over 50 languages spoken as well. When I mentioned this to my aunt, she said it was the students' choice of whether or not they wanted to pray. Yes, it may be their choice to conform and pray or refrain and feel like an outcast. I was "raised" Catholic (I went to CCD, church on Easter and Christmas, was confirmed, etc.) and would now consider myself a skeptical atheist. Even as someone with Christian roots, I would be incredibly offended in that situation.

Long story short, no, UNI did not teach us it was OK to use religion in a public school. I'm wondering what kind of rules and/or laws are being broken here. It breaks my heart for the kids who are put into this situation. On a related note, during the pledge of allegiance at school today, one student asked me why we said the pledge and I had a hard time answering. I first praised the student for bringing up this question and questioning norms. In the end, I said it's a way to thank your country for giving us a free place to live and sending us to school so we can learn. He was happy with that answer. :)

New Hair

Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend! Friday Kevin and I stayed in and continued our conquest of watching the Lost seasons. After much convincing he finally persuaded me to watch the first season. I must say, I'm hooked! I wouldn't recommend doing this while student teaching, however. We are only watching about 3-4 episodes a week since I'm so busy! Saturday we headed home to visit the family. We cameback last night. We attempted to go to an iCubs game today but it was sold out. Instead, we had a few drinks and appetizers at Mullets downtown. Then, I headed home to enjoy the nice weather on the deck and do some crafting. As time has slipped by, I haven't gotten much accomplished and my TWS and this week's lesson plans are weighing heavily on my mind. I just don't want to do anything :( It's one of those days.

I did color my hair while I was home, however! It's red! I have been progressing slowing toward red through my last few dyes, and this time I took the plunge. The inspiration for dying my hair came from Elycia and her blue/purple hair! Isn't it AWESOME?!

Don't worry, I didn't do anything that drastic. But, if I didn't live in Iowa and wasn't a teacher, you better believe my hair would be blue and purple at this very moment. Usually I'm brown with red but now I'm red with brown :). I got it in a box at Wal Mart and my mom put it on for me. I dyed it Feria Auburn Brown. See below. I wanted to share pictures but I can't for the life of me get it to photograph well! I tried my camera and iPhoto on my computer. Oh well. Imagine this but brighter.

[Note: Box looks redder in real life]

Kevin thinks it's not a very "professional" hair color, which makes me a little nervous. It kind of looks outside the realm of natural hair colors, but it's not that outrageous. Should I be nervous? Maybe I'll dye it brown come interview time.

Here are the pictures of my hair in real life. I tried indoor light, direct sunlight, shade, everything! Shade worked the best. I guess if it means that much to you, you'll have to come visit to see it in real life.

The last one is depicting my frustration that I can't get a decent picture to look RED! Gahhh! I feel like after all that hype you are thinking that I'm nuts and you don't even notice a difference. :( Trust me, it's different!! Ok, time to move on. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!