SHORT & SWEET



 

I opened my school email today and to no surprise our FCAT student scores were AMAZEBALLS.  Which is a great way to end the year ~ Happy Students, Happy Staff, Happy Administration :)

 

 

 

I have officially closed in on my 7th year of teaching!  I can't believe I have been in the "real world" for 7 years.  I have learned so much over the years and am extremely fortunate to have met the most amazing co-workers who I can now call my friends! 

I've completed my 2nd year teaching 6th Grade at SOMS and I truly have found the best school, students, co-workers, Assistant Principal, and Principal EVER!  I am so much happier at this school and  it is a good feeling to have found a job where I am finally respected as a teacher!  Being a teacher is not an easy job...and for those of you that think it is...you are ignorant.  Some people can BARELY handle there own kid(s) so to be able to handle 22 in which case are not yours is not easy!   I have had terrible days, I have cried, I have yelled (at students, parents, and co-wokers- LOL), I have wanted to give up and quit, and I have sworn to never have children!  On the other hand, I have smiled, I have laughed, I have learned how to do the "Stanky Leg" or the "Harlem Shake", and I have truly cared and loved other people's children! 

This is a little easy to write as I know it is officially summer vacation!   BUT in just 8 weeks I will start all over learning 160 kids names, personalities, backgrounds/home life, and try to somehow teach them a little Science! 



Never seen them so happy  #lastclassoftheday

Starting off the summer with dinner and drinks with my co-workers and celebrating a 50th birthday for one of the ladies!  Two of my co-workers at Tiki picked up my Saturday double tomorrow....so this night might get WEIRD!  

Not feeling so 22...

I attempted to act like I was 22 again and this is how I feel...

Having a 3 day weekend = DEBAUCHERY apparently!  Friday night started pretty calm as I prepared for Sister's 33rd birthday party!  Just Sister, Jaxen, Mike, and I eating pizza, ice cream cake and watching Criminal Minds and I was home, in bed, by midnight! 

Happy Birthday Sister!

Saturday we all went to the beach as a little family...still calm right? 

Not ready for a full body shot, LOL

Has no problem playing by himself <3

 

 

 

Saturday around 4:00 pm is when I let loose finally!  My freind's wedding reception was this weekend and it just happened to be at Cobb's Landing, same owners as Tiki.  So naturally all of us that were off deciding to go to Tiki an hour before the reception and drink!  Still not sure why people that work in the restuarant industry find it appealing to hang out at that restaurant on their day off...but it happens! I believe I ate 6 crackers all day...so thought is was a good idea to drink vodka!  As you can imagine after two drinks I was feeling great!  We headed to Cobb's a little after 5:00 and continued to drink, eat a little, and DANCE!  I had so much fun!

A little Instgram editing

 

Turning point...

 

 

I believe I spent the night drinking, dancing, and taking pictures! After the reception was the after party...and this is how the night ended!

Kim and I

 



Yes, we stole this many Andes from the reception!

Sunday my feet didn't hit the ground until noon and I felt terrible!  I finally got out of bed and went to Arby's and somehow managed to spend $15.  I also decided it was a good idea to sync my new phone to iTunes and lost ALL photos from the entire week.  Which is why I had to steal all my pics from facebook! I also do not feel like cropping the black bars out...SORRY :(  I was so mad I just went back to bed and returned to recovery mode!

Monday I felt like a brand new person and headed to Palm Beach!  My friend Mandy and I seriously went to kayak...but ended up just hitting the beach.  

MacArthur Beach

Island Drop Martini

SAMPLER

 

Who would of thought Yard House for dinner and drinks sounded appealing after Saturday?!?!

Tomorrow I give my 6th graders what they have all been waiting for - their SCIENCE FINAL EXAM!  8 more days of school left!

~Heather

Adventures in the Fort!

Pretty exciting week!  I went kayaking for the first time...in the dark!  I had Professional Development Friday night for Science on Bioluminescence!  It started at 6:00 pm at the Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce and last until 10:00 pm.  Dr. Edith Widder spoke to use for about an hour and a half about Bioluminescence species found in the deep ocean!  She is a biologist and deep-sea explorer who helps design and invent new submersible equipment used by the U.S. Navy to keep submarines hidden from above.  Her stories, pictures, and videos were incredible!  She then showed us how to use bioluminescence in our classroom using glow sticks! I can't believe I have lived here for almost 7 years and NEVER visited the Fort Pierce Navy Seal Museum...which just happens to be RIGHT next to the beach I go to frequently!  Not only did I have a fantastic time...I got paid to do this! 

 

Checking out the goods!

Dr. Eddith Widder

 

Before kayaking

 

 

I look calm :)

 

Over the weekend I worked, of course, and on Sunday I decided to buy a new phone.  I was notified a couple weeks ago for my upgrade and I have been debating the iPhone 4/5 and splurged for the 5!  I spent about and hour getting it set up and I am still finding new stuff on it!  I had the iPhone 3 so you can imagine my excitment when I could get a connection to the internet in less than 2 seconds!  My old phone made me want to throat punch the general public on a daily basis!

 

Later I went shopping with Sister!  Our friend and old manager at Tiki, Christine, is having her reception this Saturday so naturally we need outfits!  Sister got a cute dress at Motherhood and she dressed me like a Barbie doll for awhile at Francessca's Collection.  If you don't know the store...it is amazing and affordable!  Super pumped for a night out while being dressed up...not to mention a Saturday off from Tiki!  Here's to hoping I find the man of my dreams this weekend or just a hot guy to look at for the night :)

 

Monday was a very special day at school.  Our students have been learning about the Holocaust in Social Studies.  Alex Moskovic, a survivor of Buchenwald 66, came to our school to share his stories!  Last year Alex came and spoke to the students but this year was different because he showed his documentary Kinderblock 66 - Return to Buchenwald.  The students then did a Q & A with Alex and presented him with new polo shirts which Alex loves.  The documentary was 120 minutes following four different survivors:  2 from Isreal, 1 from Germany, and Alex who lives here in Florida.  The documentary was both informative and extremely emotional.  I was impressed as I watched the students sit it silence reading subtitles of stories of four young boys being imprisoned by the Nazis in the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp. 

 

I will NEVER forget the images shown or the personal stories of these four brave men.  The following quote came from one of the survivors and I totally choked up as tears ran down his cheek as he spoke these words:

 

(his) Wife:  "How come you never complain about the cooking"

         Survivor:  "Nothing is as bad as the food in Auschwitz."

 

The main focus toward the end of the documentary was on Antonin Kalina, the head of the block, who was personally responsible for saving 904 boy in Buchenwald.   Alex ended the presentation by tying it to bullying and I truly believe the kids were moved by his words.  See you next year, Alex!

 

Mr. Hibbard and his friend Alex Moskovic

 



Mrs. Maxon, Mr. Moskovic, and I

 

~Heather

 

WORK, WORK, WORK

Super busy this past week!  Thursday night I went to dinner with Sister, Mike, Jaxen, and Lloyd at 12A Buoy!  Had a couple drinks and some lobster mac n cheese!!!  I haven't been out to dinner in awhile and it was nice hanging out with the fam :)

Friday I was at IRSC all day for a Clinical Education training and to my surprise it was actually a good time!  It began like any other professional development..."stand up and tell everyone something about yourself"and I thought "great this is going to SUCK!"  There were mostly teachers from Okeechobee county at this training but I eneded up sitting next to the sweetest K teacher ever!  She was so nice and kept saying "I can't believe you teach 6th graders!"  Right lady, and I can't believe ANYONE would EVER want to teach Kindergarten, LOL!  Anyway we sat around talking about teaching, and what it means to be a "good teacher" and watching videos of good teaching, and how to mentor other teachers, and .... you get the point!  After careful calculation I think the training lasted 6 hours and at the end of the class I walked out with a 12 hours completion certificate...I'll take it!  So now I can officially mentor student teachers and have them observe me this fall. 

Friday night I worked the Tiki tent.  It was the captain's meeting for the Fishing Frenzy tournament and Friday Fest...so it was busy! 

Kim and I hardly working

Just a couple dolphin slaughtered!

Saturday I worked my normal double and ended up bartending and having a section as well.  Needless to say it was a hot mess and I wanted to throat punch EVERYONE in the place.  Oh and it was prom for one of the high schools around here and they wanted reservations...ummmm NO!  I ended up working open to close and was exhausted.  So I thought is was a good idea to have a cocktail with some co-workers after and seriously could have fallen asleep at the bar.  Sunday was round 3 at Tiki for Mother's Day :(  My last table was of course, THAT TABLE!  You know, the one that orders drinks...then apps...then the kids' food...then the adult meals....now the kids are crazy....so let's get dessert!  UGHHHH I didn't leave until 6 pm!  As I clocked out I saw 26 hours and thought "I am going to have a case of the Mondays tomorrow!" 

I have offically started the countdown to summer vacation - 15 school days!  So the next three weeks I will be cramming review in for my Science Final while being interrupted by 100 different school functions planned.  Today's interruption was Multicultural Fair!  This is a fair where 300 6th graders run around acting like lunatics while eating foods from different cultures...1 hour of hell for teachers.  I am pretty sure there will be no follow up activity and if you were to ask any of the students they would have no idea why they were there - SUCCESS!



150 more students are on the way :)

 

~Heather

No tea, no shade

I am going to have another nephew!  Sister found out she is having a boy Tuesday and I got to be the photographer...Jaxen wasn't as excited!

The yard is coming along great!  I have to do the mulch still but that motivation has yet to come.  Tuesday my sister and Jamie helped plant and I love it!



Everything is planted!



Pink Hibiscus

 

Yellow Hibiscus



Another adult thing I did this week was buy a new garage door opener...that hasn't been working for about 5 months!  Pretty excited for the installation and thankful Mike (Sister's fiance) is doing this for me!

Sunday I tried to "fix" my lawn mower because my lawn was starting to look like a scene from Lost!  No luck...so I went to the beach :)



Building sand castles



BEAUTIFUL



Monday night I went to the St. Lucie Met vs Daytona Cubs game with a couple friends and their army of nuggets!  These are the same ladies I went to Disney Live with...Sister, Kim, and Tracy!  At some point we all worked at Tiki together...although sadly, I am the only one still there :( 



Jaxen and Cayden

 

The whole gang!

 

It's Teacher Appreciation Week!  This means we get free food at school.  Monday there was a candy buffet set up in the production room...cheesecake, brownies, jelly bellies, M&Ms, etc!  Thank goodness the teacher next door is a health nut so I had him fill up his plate for me!  Tuesday we had breakfast from Berry Fresh Cafe and I took everyone's $5 off coupon...they have great mimosas!  I came home to a nice surprise as well...the roomie mowed the lawn!  I guess the mower is fixed, LOL!  Hoping the week continues to be great!



I am totally obsessed with the BRAVO network!  I really think I could cancel cable and just watch BRAVO on the computer.  Andy Cohen is a genius!  I love all the Real Housewives series especially Real Housewives of Orange County!  My newest guilty pleasure is Married to Medicine.  If you haven't seen it...it is basically women who our doctors of some sort or women that are married to doctors...fighting!  Quad is my favorite for her one liners...especially VERY BUSY (ver-ee biz-ee) which is what I say all the time! 

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fKFamS7Uqg


~Heather

I'm a big kid now!

It's official...I'm an adult!  I have been very, very busy the past week.  After 2 years of living in my house, I finally decided to step in my yard longer than the 15 seconds it takes me to go from my car to the house.  I got up Sunday, bought a shovel and a rake, and called my sister for assistance! 

                                                                     


My tools :)

She came over and we talked for awhile then headed to Nelson's farm for fruits and veggies.  What just happened?  We came back and realized we needed gloves so we headed to Walmart where I ended up buying a bunch of soil as well.  Three hours later we finally started digging up the front yard and an hour later I was OVER it!  So we came inside, cut up our fruits and veggies, and talked some more.  Needless to say we didn't get very far...BUT sister is a trooper for working all day while pregnant!

The next morning I went to school and was telling my friend/co-worker about our attempt and she said she would be happy to help.  So for the next 3 days she came over and we dug up the entire flower bed out front!




Before - This is after Sister and I tackled it for an hour...so actually this isn't too bad :)

 

After Day 2

 

Day 3 we laid the rocks down and Day 4 we bought plants! During this process by roommate, Jamie, re-screened the back patio and cleared out all the foreign animals (dead/alive) that I had accumulated over the years :)  I don't deal well with bugs, spiders, cob webs, etc.



All ready for rocks!



Added the rocks!
 

I am hoping to get this done tomorrow.  Although EVERYONE makes it a point to tell me...it's never done!  Yeah, I know I have a To Do List...DUH!   Sister has off tomorrow for her doctor's appointment (gender reveal) so I took a half day tomorrow to celebrate/work in the yard!  Actually starting to like this yard work stuff after seeing the fruits of my labor!  I'll post final pictures soon...I know the suspense will kill you this week ;)

On a more fun note I got to hang out with one my good friends from Tampa and his girlfriend Saturday night after work.  Sunday I went to Disney Live in West Palm.   Seven kids vs. four adults and no one got hurt!  I can't believe how many Disney songs I remember verbatim.  I totaly rocked "A Whole New World" and "Under the Sea"!  I wish I had some pictures, but the show was dark and I am rockin' an iPhone 3 until May 26!  #noflash

~Heather






Fast Forward

I am going to REALLY fast forward my life.  In the past seven years the following - what I consider major - events have occurred:

2006:  July - Started working at Tiki Bar

           August - Started my first year teaching 5th Grade at LWP
           December - Cole and I broke up

2007:  November - Cruise to the Bahamas

2008:  February - Bought my first car (nice little Valentine's Day present to myself)

           April - First Key West trip

           June - First time at Bonnarroo Music and Arts Festival

2009:  Clearly a blurr...I have no recolectoin of this year, but Sister got preggers

2010:  February - My nephew, Jaxen Heath Alexander, was born :)

           May - Got engaed
           October - Finally got an iPhone after swearing I wouldn't
           December - Bought a house

2011:  March - My grandma passed away - the only grandparent I knew :(
           May - Got UNengaged
           August - Started my first year teaching 6th Grade at SOMS

2012:  May - House flooded
           June/July - House remodel - CONSTRUCTION ZONE and still a work in progress

2013:  January - Cole came to visit, Sister got engaged and annouced 2nd pregnancy

I thought I'd leave the details to imagination!  It was hard enough remembering these things and some I would rather forget!

So now it's 2013!  I have a career, a second job, a house, 5 more payments on my car, and SINGLE - BUT not quite ready to mingle!!!  I'm thinking 2013 will be dedicated to my house, my friends, and doing fun things!   Not that you can't do fun things while in a relationship, but I've found there is a lot less discussion.  Life is so much easier while having to answer to no one.  Trust me, I totally  miss have a significant other for physical reasons but emotionally...NOT so much! 

In the words of John Mayer:
Nothing to do, nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do, no one but me
And that's all I need
I'm perfectly lonely
Cuz I don' belong to anyone
Nobody belongs to me

So here's to finding myself in 2013!

~Heather