Back to School

On Monday, I start orientation for teaching.

The students start the following Monday, the 27th.

Am I nervous?

You bet.

Am I overwhelmed?

You bet.

Am I stressed?

You bet.

Am I excited?

You better believe it!

Last night, I had a small emotional breakdown.  I am so overwhelmed with everything that I want to have done before school starts.

Thank goodness for my sweet husband during times like this.

Who held me while I cried and didn't stop holding me until he had successfully put a smile on my face.

When I wanted to keep preparing and planning through the late hours of the night, Taylor played the "Dad role" and set a 30 minute timer.  He told me that I had to be in bed by the time that timer went off.  

Thank goodness he listens when my body is pleading for sleep, because I often ignore the pleadings completely when I have a "To-Do List."

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for Taylor? So grateful.

I am starting to realize that I will forever be indebted to this wonderful man.

Back to School isn't all bad though...because Back to School also means Back to School SHOPPING!

Growing up, we always got a few new outfits, maybe a backpack, and a new pair of shoes before the first day of school.  And now that I have a "first day of school" all over again, I decided that I once again qualify for back to school shopping!

Marci and I went shopping earlier this week, and I found a few gems.

Notice the jewelry galore.  That was mostly what I was looking for, since my wardrobe is already significant. Ha

I was also looking for some more slacks/dress pants.  But I always have the hardest time finding any that fit me.  They usually need to be hemmed (which isn't a big deal), but they are also usually so baggy in the thighs.  Dress pants are meant to be flowy, but when you're 5'1" and have miniature thighs like I do, the flowy pants look more like a trash bag than anything else.  Awesome.

So I didn't have any luck finding pants this go around.

But then, a few days later, I went to D.I. to find a globe, and I noticed racks upon racks of dress pants.  So I decided to give it a shot.  And I left the store with 3 darling dress pants that fit me perfectly! Some other shorty out there had already had them hemmed to perfection!  They are in mint condition, and to top it off, I left the store with 3 dress pants and a skirt for $22!  Why am I not shopping there everyday?

Love me a good deal.

Oh, and we can't forget the new sperrys that should be coming in the mail today :)

My sweet mother-in-law saw this lunchbag in the store and got it for me!  It's even insulated on the inside!  Isn't it darling?

This is Taylor's favorite corner of the house....not.  All of my school supplies/decorations ready to go into my new classroom!

These colored felt pens are easily my favorite purchase.

Alright, enough procrastinating.  Time to start planning some more. 

Back to school I go!

Baby Wallace + Weekend

This last weekend was so jam-packed, I hardly got a second to sit down and breathe!  

On Friday night, Tay and I went to a work party for doTERRA.  We got to do fun things like this:

Yep, that's my husband....

And take fun pictures like this:

After the work party, I stayed up all night preparing for sister's baby shower--baking cakes, other goodies, and making decorations.  Marci is the best party-planner--she always has creative and cutesy ideas.  So, I really wanted to make this shower perfect for her.  She's thrown me so many different parties (surprise 16th birthday party, numerous other birthday parties, bridal shower, + more!), so it was my turn to make a great memory for her.  I finally went to sleep at around 3am on Friday night...but I could hardly sleep because my mind was racing with everything I still had to do.  So I was up again three hours later at 6am.  I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out (thank you pinterest, blogs, and other internet sites!).  A big thanks to my dearest sister-in-law, Rachel, who helped plan everything! Here are some pictures of Marci's & Baby Wallace's shower:

Treats table.  Notice...blue candy, blue PRETZELS (so proud of that find), handmade banner, marshmallow rattles, and my favorite: the cake! (Oh, and the cute little baby blocks!)

Close up of edible rattles!

Close up of shirley temples (with floating ducks that decided not to float half-way through the shower)

Food table. Yummy chicken-salad croissants, baby=fruit (look closely), and yummy shirley temples!

Close up of baby fruit! (notice binky!) Thank you, Pinterest, and Rachel for doing it ;) 

Front door.

Some of the guests!

Close up of the cake! (Three layers with blue frosting on the inside!)

Gift table...as seen from the baby blocks.

One of the games we played was a "memory" game.  If you matched the words (all pregnancy related words) then you would get a candy bar that related to the word.  Here are some of the examples:

Preemie= Runts candy

OBGYN= Butterfinger ;)

Daddy= Pop Rocks

Conception = Skor  (score!) candy bar ;)

Contractions = Whoppers

Ultrasound= Look candy bar

etc, etc, etc.

If you would like to see the whole list, let me know!

Here's what the game looked like.

The rest of the weekend consisted of: Parade of Homes with Marci (so fun!), deep-dish Chicago pizza with the Utah sibs+spouses, and of couse, Father's Day!  I was so sad that I couldn't actually talk to my Dad on Father's Day (him and Mama are on an Alaskan cruise as we speak! Lucky ducks...). Regardless, Happy Father's Day to both my wonderful daddy and my amazing Father-in-Law!

And the job hunt is over!

On Monday, I accepted a teaching job!  I am so excited! I never thought I would teach in a charter school, but I am actually way pumped about it.  There are so many pros that I am loving more and more every minute!  I have been so impressed with the students and staff at the school I chose and I can't wait to join the team!  I AM GOING TO BE A REAL TEACHER in just a few short months!!  Crazy, right!? In fact, the principal of the school even wanted me to start today because one of their current history teachers just left for maternity leave.  While I would have LOVED to be familiar with the school and staff before I officially start, it didn't end up working out (mostly because I was just promoted at doTERRA to a position that requires full-time hours and I still need a job for the rest of the summer ;)).  But, I felt so honored.

Can I brag for just a minute?  When I declined a teaching offer from another school, the principal of this particular school emailed me and wanted to negotiate the salary in order for me to accept the position.  She told me I was their number one candidate and they really wished I would join their team for next year.  Flattering, right?

But everything about this particular school still felt right to me.  And I am so excited for what's in store!

Can life be any better?  A full-time teaching job in my pocket, summer evenings with my handsome husband, ((a brand new macbook pro)), and many good times with friends, neighbors, and family.  I love this life.

I feel like this picture accurately expresses my feelings right now.  Hand in hand, him and I can conquer anything. :)