Retail Therapy

I've never been one to shop when stressed.  

I kind of hate the whole shopping thing.  Ask my mom.  Or anyone else who has ever had the misfortune of shopping with me. 

But I've discovered the world of Etsy, and there are some incredibly talented people out there.  Take my friend Sally as an example.

I've had a bit of a rough past couple of days, and I found myself searching through Etsy shops and found these beauties from this talented person...

Aren't they cute?  

I'm in love.  

Maybe it's because they're strategically placed on rocks.  

That always makes me want to buy earings.

The craziness of my life isn't fixed, but knowing my ears will look cute in a few days makes me happier!

Back to School!

Day 1:

Done!

I love 7th grade day.  They're all so lost and scared...and terrifyingly quiet!

I think they should switch this school to only 7th graders.

I could handle that.

School Pictures

Monday is picture day for the teachers.  

Knowing this picture will be in 1300 students' yearbooks is the only thing that will motivate me to wake up that early to fix my hair.

Every year, they give us this huge packet of our pictures.  

I'm pretty sure it's the largest picture package they offer.  

What do I do with these pictures every year?

They're all collecting dust in the cupboard behind my desk.

Though last year I did give one to Cheryl and Rob (my old roommate and her husband)

Oh, and did I mention that they airbrush the teachers' pictures?  

They may not take off a few pounds, 

but those chubby cheeks sure do look flawless!

To-Do Lists

I love to-do lists. 

(or as my roommate Joleen would say, "I love love love them.")

I would be lost without them.

I love that feeling of crossing something off 

(or deleting, as is the case with my school to-do lists)

Item number 13 on my to-do list...

Make my to-do list even longer so I can't actually complete anything on my to-do list

I kid you not...that is actually an item on my to-do list.  

I have to make it interesting somehow!

You know you're a nerdy teacher when...

You get really excited about a worksheet you created.

I'm so proud of it.

I'm attempting to shift from summer mode to school mode.

Mentally, I'm getting there.

Physically, well...how do I teach my body to wake up before 9am?  

Much earlier.  

It might get ugly.

A blog post from Carie

I just realized that Carie had an entire blog post about me for my birthday!  She is too funny.  To learn some fun facts about me from the person who knows me better than I do, click here.

Adventures in Babysitting: Las Vegas Style!

Greetings from Sin City.  I drove down yesterday with my brother Paul and his family, and I'll be here for a week.  I'll be watching their kids during the day while Paul is at work and Amy is at girls camp.

These kids are so stinking cute and funny! We have Aaron (9), Jacob (6), and Anna (3).  It amazes me how many funny comments can come out of these kids' mouthes.  Yesterday in the van, I had been sitting in the back by Anna.  When we stopped to stretch, Paul took a turn in the back.  When he got in, Anna said, "Dad, I don't think you're going to be as fun as Aunt Shannon." :)  They already love me!  They've also started calling me Nanny Shanny. I love it :)

This is going to be good training to get me back into school mode.  Anna woke up at 6:15, crying, because her parents were gone (Paul had left to take Amy to the Stake Center).  Luckily, Aaron is an awesome big brother and took care of her!  I couldn't even pry my eyes open after too many late nights, so I just sat there listening to them play until I could get them open.

Today should be a fun day! We have a fun trip planned to a sprinkler park.  I'll cross my fingers that I don't get lost or get sun burned. :)