1 year down, 40 more to go!

 I have finished up my first year of teaching! I have honestly had such an amazing year and I really want to thank the people that have helped me through and through all year long.


First my team.  I have laughed, cried and vented with these ladies for the past 180 days and we have stuck by each other through thick and thin.  I am so happy that we are together again next year!

Secondly, My mom. She helped me set up my entire classroom and was along for our field trip, parties and parades. My class loved her and what is even more awesome, she loved them just as much.  There is not one thing my mom would not do for my class.  I am grateful for her unconditional love and support that she not only showed me, but my students.

I also want to thank my very own Kindergarten teacher. Miss Betty was everything I ever dreamed of being at five years old and I am so lucky to get to do what she did and loved, teach. I thought about her ALL the time this past year. Wondering if I made the right decisions, if I pushed too hard or if I should push harder.  She is one of the most influential people in my life and I hope that my students feel about me the way I do about her.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank my students. They have taught me so much this year and I never thought any adult could learn as much as they could from a kindergartner. They taught me how to be silly, carefree and patient.   I learned to get everything the same color and only give two choices with ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.  I learned how to tie shoes the best way and really people, a kiss on a the hand or a quick hug can really fix almost any injury. 

Before school started we had to go to all kinds of trainings as a team and there was some words of advice that a district facilitator gave us. She showed us a picture of a child that looked similar to this. 

She then said "THIS is how kindergarten should feel".  From this point on I was determined to get ALL my students to feel like this. I am so pumped to be able to teach Kindergarten again and keep on seeing these smiles that melt your heart. 

One year down, 40 more to go ;)   I hope that everyone has a safe and fun summer! 

My Other Sister

My cousin and her husband Billy came into town for the weekend and they haven't been here since they moved away in JULY! I had not seen them since we visited them over New Years in Chicago. They were both definitely ready for some Texas sunshine, family time and breakfast tacos. Here is a little rewind from the past as well as the weekend. Enjoy!




My cousin PP and I have been joined at the hip since we were both on this earth. Our moms were pregnant at the same time, I was born March 23rd and she was born May 8th. When we were babies we shared cribs at family gatherings and  we probably stared at each other thinking our family was crazy because they used our birthdays as an excuse to rent a margarita machine.

Now as adults, nothing really has changed. We still do everything together. In college, we even got our wisdom teeth pulled together so we could suffer with each other and my mom could make us one big batch of soup and give us meds at the same hour.

We became extremely close in college and I think it is because we were in different cities. She went on to be a Longhorn and I went to be an Aggie. We always kept up with phone calls, weekend visits and play fights over who went to the best University :).  Some of our favorite things to do are trips to Lockhart for BBQ, shopping at the outlet malls and laying out and getting tan. But I think one of our favorite places on earth is Sunrise Beach, TX! Within 24 hrs of PP's arrival from Chicago, we were heading for the Hill country to the Lake House.

We kinda acted like we did six years ago when we first got the lake house. We rode jet ski's, then rode jet ski's some more, went on the boat, got pulled on the tube by the jet ski, swam, laid out in the sun, got pulled some more on a tube by the boat and OMG, our bodies are pretty pissed off at us right now.
It was just like old times having no care in the world and just being in the moment and enjoying the beauty of everyone around you. At the lake house we laughed, we cried and we got into deep conversations(just like always) talking about our family, what the future holds and so on.

This weekend I felt like she was never going back again and she was here for the summer just like in college. Except we are both real adults now. "Real" meaning we have our careers and our own dreams and unfortunately they don't match up to stay in the same city. It is okay though.  I know it is okay because we can go months without seeing each other and we can pick up right where we left off and it is not weird at all. THAT my friends is when you have found a true friendship. I have no doubt that PP is my other sister. She makes me a better person, she makes me see things in a different light and she has the best dang laugh in the world!


PP and Billy are going back to Chicago today and I am hoping I won't cry saying goodbye. With many friendships that I have it is never goodbye it is "see ya later".  Our tentative plans are for me to go up to Chicago in July and in November for the last TWILIGHT MOVIE! Her husband is pretty pumped about this because it means he will not have to see it :)

P.S. How about them Spurs last night? I think we are seven games away from the championship!

You're Welcome,

So if you know me even slightly, you know that I am slightly CDO. That is like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be!

I am always trying to find ways to make things more organized, easier to find, easier to get the job done. 

My mom has finally come to terms with my CDO and lets be honest, I get a portion of it from her. She always finds me awesome tupperware that folds up or baskets to organize anything in the house and so on. Her latest find were some key covers. It was even more amazing because they were owls!! I heart owls. I think because I can relate to them for having big eyes. 

So I was so pumped and ready to attach all six of them to my key ring then I decided that it may be a little over board. SO I shared the love with Holland. I put the mint green one on his house key and I put the hot pink one on mine. Wow..... is all I have to say. Now I don't have to look for the lowes stamp embedded in the key, but rather just look for my cute hot pink owl. 

Holland, however has not discovered the magic.......

He came home the other day and opened the door and I was so excited and with a big smile on my face asked him " Wasn't it SO easy to find your key and open the front door today!? He gave me a bored stare and a look like " are you kidding me?" and replied "NO". 

My heart shattered into a bunch of pieces because he was not APPRECIATING his awesome mint owl like he should be. 

So today when I heard that he was home thanks to the announcements of hows and barks from Bleu and Hannah at the window, I RAN to the front door before he got there and you know what I did..... that's right.... I LOCKED IT FORCING HIM TO SEE HOW AWESOME MINT GREEN OWL IS AND HOW IT TAKES HIM SO MUCH LESS TIME TO FIND HIS HOUSE KEY AND GET IN. 

I asked him again": WASNT IT SOOOO EASY TO FIND YOUR KEY AND GET IN THE HOUSE?"

Holland: " I like how you locked the front door right as I got here"

I explained that I was merely trying to make him realize what an awesome favor I did for him by putting this on his key. He still does not see how easy I have made his life.   I think I might put the rest of the owl clan all over his keys so he is forced to love on them. 

I on the other hand HIGHLY recommend this key accessory. It is not only cute, but it is EFFICIENT. 

What Has Been Happening?

So I have been on blogger before, However I never kept up with it but I am going to REALLY try this time. Background for those who do not know yet. Holland and I (Amanda) are High school sweethearts livin the dream of being what every child cannot wait to be....ADULTS. AHHH!

 I like to think that there are more exciting things going on in our lives since we no longer have to study for exams, read textbooks and write papers. Instead we are in the real world and applying everything we have learned in college! WHOOP! There are definitely times where Holland and I look at each other and reminisce of our beloved Aggieland but we are truly enjoying our lives in San Antonio with family and friends and of course each other!

I am wrapping up my first year of teaching and Holland is approaching his first year with Ranger Creek Brewery and Distillery. Although a large amount of energy goes into our careers, we still make time to do fun stuff in between.

Our latest project has been starting a garden!
I did not take pictures of when Holland first build the beds and I REALLY regret it. But here are some beginning pictures after we got most of our plants set up.

We got started late so we bought most of them from plants but we started some from seeds and those are going CRAZY!We had to put in lattice for the cucumbers and cantaloupe to grow on and it is taking off!

about 3 days after we put in lattice          ................................................two weeks later!

Hopefully the heat of the summer will not kill everything that has been trying its best to survive. I am hoping these peppers will ripen up soon so we can cook something awesome with them. 

I am so fascinated how the cantaloupes grasp on to the twine and hang on. I have taken about 20 pictures of just vines and rope :).