2010 in Review

2010 has gone by so fast! I remember that when I was much younger the days seemed to last forever. But now that I'm older, it seems that the time is flying by!!

So here's a look back at my 2010:

I spent the new year cheering on the Tide in Pasadena and watched as we became the 2009 National Champions!!
I took this trip with some pretty great friends, too!

I started student teaching in my final semester at UA. I was placed in a 6th grade classroom. Long story short, that was a semester full of challenges and a testing of my faith.

Janie and I enjoyed a snow day in Tuscaloosa--a rarity, let me assure you!

I saw John Mayer in concert...for the 4th time :)

This precious baby was born to my best friend, Ashton, and her husband, Jimmy. Kylee Reese Davis was born March 31 and it has been so much fun watching her grow up!

Janie and I had to pack up our apartment after 3 years of living together :( Lots of people told us that it wasn't wise to live with your best friend, but strangely enough, our friendship became the best it's ever been. It quickly became a joke that wherever one of us was, the other was there too--which was true about 99% of the time. Not long ago Oprah did an interview with Barbara Walters in which she asked about her friendship with Gayle. After hearing what Oprah said, I immediately thought of my friendship with Janie and how I feel the exact same way!

"...She is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend everybody deserves. I don't know a better person. I don't know a better person."

I graduated from college in August! I'm pictured here with my friend Jeremy. We met at the BCM (Baptist Campus Ministries) building on campus. We immediately became great friends and both graduated in August. Jeremy graduated with a degree in Marketing and just landed a job in Hoover at Docupak (I'm still not completely sure what he does ha!). Our friendship has lasted past college and we still schedule time to meet up to eat lunch or dinner together. I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with a friendship like this one!

I went and saw Hanson in Nashville with my sister. My love for John Mayer is the same as Rachel's love for Hanson. It turned out to be a fun concert and a trip with lots of memories!

I got my first teaching job! Granted, it wasn't full time, but it was something to get my foot in the door. I taught 11th and 12th grade for 3 months at my old high school and loved every minute of it! I know this probably helped me get the junior high job that I'll start in January!

I went to only one football game this season which was a huge change for me because I was used to going to every one and sitting in the student section. Jeremy got season tickets for graduation so he let me use the other one for a game. We ended up sneaking into the student section during halftime and sitting in our old seats with our old friends :)

I turned 23!!

A big change for me this year was starting Weight Watchers. But it's been the best thing I've done all year! I started in the fall and have had to contend with birthdays, Thanksgiving, school parties, and Christmas food galore. With all of that being said, I've lot a little over 25 pounds and I'm almost to my halfway point. My goal is to reach that by Aug/Sept 2011.

Here I am before starting. Here I am 25.something pounds lighter!

This year has been full of many surprises! The one lesson I've learned from this year has to do with changes. Friendships have changed--I've reconnected with old friends and lost friendships I had made in college. I've changed not only weight-wise (ha) but in my teaching style. Can't wait to see what 2011 holds for me!!!

I cannot wait to head down to the bookstore and buy this new book!!

I also might want to have this too:

Has anyone else noticed the obsessions Americans have with the royal family?? What are your thoughts on this?

More Fun in the Snow

Sledding might just be my new favorite hobby.....that is, if we ever got snow here! Can't wait for the next snowfall in about....oh, 5 years!!

This is what I've noticed about my friends' pictures from the huge snowfall: Clothes-wise, we are not prepared for snow!! We are all extremely mismatched and pretty much throw on whatever we can find that's warm! Gotta love the South!!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I woke up on Christmas morning to this:

Yes, I still can't believe that it snowed on Christmas morning!! This was taken while trying to drive into town to go to my cousin's house on Christmas morning. Once I got in the car I realized that I had never driven in snow!!!! So my sister's job was to keep me calm while I drove 30mph!!

We had a fantastic Christmas morning! My sister and I were up at 7am ready to open presents and then go outside and play in the snow. Sadly, we don't have any pictures of Christmas morning. I don't think any of us even thought about the camera because we were still in shock from the snow!! We had a little over 2 inches Christmas morning and then about 4 inches the next morning--we were in heaven!! Rachel got me a Kavu crossbody purse (which I opened early and took with me to DC) and I got Rach seasons 5 and 6 of Reba because she is obsessed with that show. Does anyone else watch it?? I got a ton of clothes from Ann Taylor (to update my teacher wardrobe, of course) and Rachel finally got her Reebok Easytones. She says they are extremely comfortable. We'll see how they tone her body before I decide if I want a pair or not. Ha!

Here is another picture of my sister and I after we made our gingerbread houses. Does anyone else do this for a Christmas tradition?

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!

Winter Fun in DC!

We had a lot of fun exploring DC and cannot wait to go back!! We (my best friend Janie and I) made sure to make this the cheapest vacation that we had ever paid for--she's finishing up her last year in nursing school and I was filling in for a maternity leave on sub-pay (and saving money, too). So needless to say we were on a limited budget! We flew into the Baltimore Washington International airport and chose a hotel that had a free shuttle to and from the hotel and BWI train station. We relied on the train to get us to and from Washington, DC. It was much cheaper to pay for train tickets ($12 round trip each day) than to pay for a hotel in DC.


This is the Christmas tree in Union Station--the train station that our MARC train rode into each day. Needless to say, Union Station is REALLY REALLY NICE. They had tons of restaurants and eating places AND lots of shopping! An Ann Taylor in a train station, really??!! This was the starting point of our journey each day!

We made our way to the Smithsonian's. We had a really good time finding the Da Vinci in the Museum Gallery of Art West Building and hunting down someone to take our picture by the fountain. I loved that everything was decorated for Christmas!!

Is it too late to add the Hope Diamond from The Harry Winston Gallery to my Christmas list??? I didn't think so :)

After walking about 546843587 miles the first day, the second day we wised up and took the MARTA subway system. We had already had some practice using the MARTA earlier in the year when we treked to Pasadena to watch Alabama play in the Rose Bowl. The only confusing part was figuring out how much money to put on our paper ticket. The area around the White House was heavily guarded with lots of policemen so it was tricky finding the front. I told Janie, "Pennsylvania Avenue is where we should go!!"--only to find out it was blocked. Thankfully a nice policemen told us to take E Street to find the front. Who would have known!?

We also made it down to the memorials--Lincoln, WWII, Korean, and Vietnam. Lincoln was so big!! And the building offered refuge from a cold day--temperatures were in the low 20s and the feel-like temperature was 12. Wow. After leaving the memorials, we took the MARTA to Arlington, Virginia, to see the cemetery. It was much bigger than I had anticipated and since our feet were killing us, we didn't make it very far in. We were also crunched for time (we had to get back to the airport) so we didn't take the bus tour. Next time though I will make plenty of time to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard.

It was a short but exhausting trip but well worth it! I encourage everyone to visit our nation's capitol at least once, and Janie and I proved you can do it on a small budget!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!

• I'm back from Washington, D.C!!! It was so much fun and after I put the pictures on a disc, I plan on doing a post on it tomorrow.
• I left DC with swollen feet, a sore body, and a bruise on my forehead from running into the overhead compartment on the train. Needless to say, I was ready to come back :)
• I go tomorrow to pick up materials to prepare myself for teaching 7th grade next semester!! I'm so excited/relieved/blessed/nervous to have this job because I fit perfectly teaching 11th/12th graders, but this is 7th graders--a whole new ballgame full of hormones and puberty! Pray for me as I learn to have patience and understanding, and that I can show these students love because first and formost, the students need to know that I love them and care about them.
• I lost 3.4 more pounds after weigh-in on Monday afternoon!! I was so shocked that I ate pretty much whatever I wanted in DC--but I rationalized it because I'm pretty sure I walked 2316584131 miles on this trip.
• You've Got Mail is on AMC right now. I love this movie and my favorite scene is at the very end where they meet. It always makes me tear up!!
• Now I'm off to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. Be checking back tomorrow for my post on DC. It may be tomorrow night but it will be tomorrow.

HUGE Update!!!!

I GOT A JOB!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

I am soooo unbelievably excited about this!!! Starting January 3, 2o11, I will be teaching 7th grade English at the junior high in my town. All I can say is that God is so good. If you remember, less than a week ago I blogged about being finished with the maternity leave I filled in for at the high school and was without full time work. I honestly had no idea what I would be doing in the spring--I knew that I would be able to sub, but if you know anything about sub pay you know that it's not a lot!! I wrote that post after I had prayed a lot about my future and I had just stopped worrying. Well, on Friday, December 10, I was offered a position for the spring!! How the Lord provides!!!!!

Later Friday night, I went to see the Cold War Kids in concert. They were so much fun live and my friend and I had a blast dancing the night away!!

This image isn't great quality--I took it with my droid.

Tonight I went over to my sister's boyfriend's house and made "gingerbread" houses with them. Actually, we made them from graham crackers but same thing!! It was so much fun and extremely competitive as to whose would be the best! I ended up making mine look like a A-frame log cabin using pretzels.......maybe if teaching doesn't work out I could try architecture??? Haha!!

where in the world is carmen sandiego??

Well, she will be in Washington, DC next week!!!

Ahhh I'm so unbelievably excited about this trip!! This trip was sort of spur of the moment. It came about because back in October my bestie asked what I wanted for my birthday. I laughed and told her I wanted to ride on a train (it's always been a joke to us that we have never ridden on a real train). She researched the prices of riding Amtrak to New Orleans since it's only about $60-70 round trip from Tuscaloosa. Well, after realizing that the train doesn't come back immediately (what??) we ended up booking a flight to Baltimore and will ride the train into DC. We definitely didn't want to stay the night in New Orleans because I've been there so many times in the last few years and there really isn't more to see. And hey, DC is on our must see/go list, too!! After I get back next week I'll blog about our adventures because I know there will be many!

Good Ramblings

I think it's absolutely amazing how God uses situations in our life to glorify Him and to bring us closer to Him. I never stop feeling amazed when I see how God has taken difficult times in my life and woven them together to work out--sometimes for the betterment of me, but always for the betterment of His kingdom.

What's got me blogging about this?? Well, after reflecting back on the last few months/years of my life, I'm finally able to just begin to see how these things are working out in my life.

Let's go back and start senior year of high school:

Spring 2006- my dream was to attend The University of Alabama all 4 years and major in political science/international relations. By April of 2006, when all of my friends had already finalized their college plans, I grudgingly accept the fact that I would be going to community college for 2 years before transfering because my mom, who was a single mother at the time, could not afford to send me to UA on her teacher salary--and I hadn't been awarded any scholarships.
Well, about 2 weeks later I was awarded a full-ride to UA. Long story short, my ethnicity was mis-coded on the ACT and instead of taking away the scholarship, UA paid for my tuition for 4 years. This was when I knew God had plans for me at UA because He definitely wanted me there!!

Fall 2006-Spring 2008- I changed my major to Secondary Edu and English. Then went to switch it to fashion retail. I prayed about it for a week and knew that He wanted me to be an English teacher. I accepted, although I struggled with the yearning to major in fashion retail. If you know me, you know how much I LOOOOOVE fashion and respect it so much. But I knew that if I majored in fashion retail, then my life would be so consummed by labels that I would forget who I was, and I realized that as an English teacher I could still love fashion (believe me, I'm probably the best dressed/most fashionable teacher you've met ha) and still retain humility.

Fall 2008- I realized that because I spent the first 2 years in college only taking 12-13 hours per semester that I was behind and wouldn't graduate May 2010 if I didn't work my butt off!!

Spring 2010- Student teaching. I had a horrible student teaching experience and that's all I'm going to say about that. I spent days crying after school begging to change my major to fashion retail even though I was so close to graduation. My mom told me to finish and graduate with my teaching degree and then I could go back for fashion retail.

Summer 2010- I worked so hard to only have 1 class left to take this summer. However, the school wouldn't let me walk in May so I finished my May-mester class and waited around all summer to graduate in Aug 2010. During this time I also applied for many teaching jobs and went on a good number of interviews.
After each interview, the employer seemed so impressed with me that I just knew they were going to hire me. Boy, did the Lord have a lesson ready to teach me. Each time I was rejected, I felt more and more like I was a horrible teacher. I mean, all of my friends had teaching jobs, why couldn't I get one?

September-December 3, 2010- Since I was unable to land a full time teaching postition, I took on a 3 month maternity leave at my old high school teaching 11th and 12th grade English. OH MY GOSH HOW I HAVE LOVED IT!!!
It turns out that a few things have come from this experience:
1. There will be 2 openings in the English department come the fall. Now whether or not the school system will have a budget to hire more teachers in the fall, I'm not sure. But I do know that I have helped my chances of getting hired.
2. The principal came in to observe me teaching and he stayed the whole time--this is fantastic!!
3. Since Friday, I've been asked to sub a lot so I can still be a presence in the school!!!
4. Hopefully there may be another long term sub postition for me to fill until the new school year in the fall. If this happens, it will just give me more experience in teaching which might be seen as a bonus to future employers!!

Okay, yes I've been rambling and thank you for staying with me! All I can say is that I can look back on the last 4 years and especially last 4 months and see how God has interwoven things in my life to prepare me for something more. Now whether or not I'll get a full-time postition in the fall (either here or somewhere else) is up to the Lord. But what I do know is to trust in Him because He is taking care of me--now and forever.

Samford's Festival of Christmas = Pure happiness!!!

Friday was my last day teaching. As soon as school got out and I talked to everyone and their brother, I hurried over to my best friend's mimi's house to pick her up. Why? We were going with our church to Samford's Christmas program!!!

Oh my gosh it was so much fun!!! The orchestra played and the two choirs sang. I was so moved during the whole experience there really are no words to explain it. I did manage to snap a picture when the choirs combined for a performance.

I looooove the Christmas season!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Follow Me On Twitter!

Okay, I've finally figured out how to use twitter......with the help of my students. Isn't that sad that I'm only 23 and I need help working a social networking site? Wow, can't wait to see how I'll be with technology in 10 years.

Anyway....you can now follow me on Twitter!!!!

@sarahewiley

Busy Week

Wow....I don't even know where to start. I have been UNBELIEVABLY busy this week. And, sad to say, it's my last week teaching. The regular teacher comes back from maternity leave on Monday and the kids and I are sad that I'm leaving!!

Monday, the principal came in to observe my lesson and so I was a little stressed about pulling off a "perfect" lesson.

For the past few weeks I've also been planning a field trip for my students to meet their pen pals. Can I say that I was a LITTLE STRESSED OUT?!?!?!!? For planning my first field trip ever I definitely had to pick the most stressful and chaotic. Trying to organize 155 students who are going 3 different places is very chaotic.

Today was the big field trip and it went perfectly! I did leave two students at school but that's only because they didn't show up to get on the bus in time to leave so too bad!! Also, my kids have been "secretly" planning parties for me all day. As soon as I saw the party food lists this afternoon, I headed over to the park to get in some running because I won't have time to do it tomorrow afternoon. Since I've lost quite a bit of weight in the last few months, I'm extremely paranoid about gaining weight so I tried to run some to stave off the calories!!!

Tomorrow after school I'll be going with the senior citizens at my church to see a Christmas show at a private college about an hour away. I'm so excited!!

Black Friday and the Iron Bowl

Never before had I participated in shopping on Black Friday at 12:01am but this year Mom and I did! Before we left the house, I made sure to wash my face and brush my teeth so when I got home I could just crawl into bed (that meant going out in public in my retainer but who cares? It's not like I was going to see anyone I knew right??? Not!).

We got to Old Navy at 9pm and there were 2 people in line for ON and 3 in line for Target (which opened at 4am not midnight!!!!!). Did I mention that it was pouring down rain at this time too??? Since ON didn't have a huge crowd, Mom and I were able to take a quick power nap in the car. When we woke up at 10:15pm there were about 10-15 people in line so we decided to get in line. By the time midnight rolled around there were over 150 people in line!! Since Mom and I were part of the first 29 people in line, we got the Dance Central Kinect game free......nice if we even had an xbox OR a kinect!!! Oh well, there's a free Christmas present!

Oh, and I saw about 5 of my students shopping in Old Navy!!

After we left Old Navy, we decided to stop by Wal-Mart because Mom wanted to get the sterialite 18gallon containers that were on sale. Umm there were about A MILLION PEOPLE at the Wal-Mart in my small town!! People were sitting in chairs camping out for the electronics that went on sale at 4am. Needless to say, I ran into tons more people that I knew or taught and by that time I looked like a mess, and I was exhausted! We ended up not getting the storage containers because they had sold out but I did get Sex and the City for $1.96 and my sister's Christmas present so all is good!

Today was the much anticipated Iron Bowl. It started out fantastic and strong and I left feeling depressed. I'm getting up early in the morning to go run off some football depression/steam after our 1 point loss.

Oh, on a random note.....this coming week will be my last week with my students :( Their regular teacher is coming off of maternity leave and I'm sad to leave them. I have no idea what God has in store for me next so be praying that I'll have work soon!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!

I hope y'all have a great day with family and loved ones eating wonderful food and just enjoying the company.

I have so much to be thankful for this year and even though I don't always appreciate what I have--I really am thankful!

Have a GREAT day!!!!!

The Date is Set......

The date has finally been set for Kate (now going by Catherine) and William's wedding:

Friday, April 29, 2011!!!!!

I love her blue dress and how it looks fabulous with her sapphire ring. Don't you wish you were her right about now????

Because of Oprah's Favorite Things......

....I've been inspired to share with you a few of mine!!!


I raced home Friday after school to catch part 1 of Oprah's Favorite Things show. Now, I'm not normally a huge Oprah fan, but since this is her last season I've been inclined to watch more of her shows. Regardless of whether I watched a season or not, the favorite things show was something I ALWAYS watched!! (And not-so-secretly wished I was in the audience!!)


I'll be racing home tomorrow to catch part 2 of her favorite things but until then, here's a few of mine (which are definitely cheaper than Oprah's):


Aveda's Shampure shampoo. To sum it up in one word: FABULOUS. I love it! It smells wonderful, requires only a tad bit of shampoo, and eliminated my need for conditioner. Although it's a little pricey for shampoo (try $9.50 for a tiny bottle), it's well worth it.

Real Straight jeans by GAP. If you're like me, you love the style of skinny leg jeans but aren't built stick-think like a model. In comes the Real Straight jeans. The bottom leg of the jeans are wide enough to off-set the thigh giving the appearance of a skinny leg but without the fixation on the thighs. Good job, GAP!!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is a book that I will read over and over again, then pass down to my daughters and grandaughters. This novel shows us how a godly relationship/marriage should be and gives hope that guys like that still exist. All of my friends have read it and we can't stop talking about it.

shoes by Kate Spade. This woman knows exactly the type of shoes I want this holiday season. Can you see me teaching high school English in these? Because I sure can!

personalized stationery by Crane. After receiving gifts this Christmas season, one must always send a thank you note. It's sad that people don't send notes in the mail these days but I most definitely still love to. And it's always great to receive a note in the mail!! Although Crane is a great brand for stationery, I would just use whatever brands your local paper story has since Crane is a little pricey.

All images courtesy of Google.com

prayer request update

I want to say THANK YOU for those of you who prayed for me! I have an interview Monday morning at 9am central time! Please pray for me during this time! :)

Prayers Needed

For those of you that don't know, my job will be ending soon. I've been teaching high school English this semester (which is my degree) but it's been as a maternity leave fill-in. It ends on December 3rd. So here's what I ask that you pray for:

• I've applied for my dream job and have already applied for it. I've called the place and haven't gotten in touch with the director of personnel--but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying!!!
• Please pray that God wants me to get this new job. It literally would be a dream come true and I just hope that it's what God has in store for me.
• THANK YOU!!!!!! I'll keep yall updated on what I hear. Hopefully they'll at least give me an interview!

Room Reveal!!!

Finally my room reveal!!!! I know it's been forever since it's been done but this weekend I put on the Relient K Christmas album (yes, before Thanksgiving but I just can't help it!!) and did some deep cleaning!! The picture behind my bed isn't what I'm quite looking for but I'm re-using it from my college apartment.



If you weren't around when I was blogging about the remodeling process, then I will explain!!! I graduated from college on August 7 and moved back in with my parents to save money. Since we are in the process of remodeling the house, we hadn't yet gotten to my room because I was away at school. So I moved back in and we re-did my room!!!



Before: Paneling on the wall and carpet on the floors. In order to save money because my room was just a side project while the living room/ mud room were being remodeled, we covered the panels to create the look of sheetrock and you really can't tell!!! I wish I would have thought to take a picture with the old furniture but oh well!!!




After: My wall color is from Valspar at Lowe's. The curtains really are the star of the room because I spent FOREVER looking for the perfect fabric. I had to go to Tennessee to get this fabric and where do you think I found it???? On the remnant table for $3.99/yd!!!! I know! I literally screamed when I saw that they had 2 panels just the right length. It was fabulous!!! Oh, and the duvet is from Pottery Barn.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday but in true Sarah style, I celebrated for a few days!!!! My first day of celebration began on Thursday night when my good friend, Jeremy, took me out to eat! Then Friday night I had to go to our high school football game for a school thing BUT my bff Janie came along with me! Then I watched Pretty Woman with my mom--don't yall just love that movie?? I know I could watch it ALL the time! I can practically quote the whole movie.

Saturday was the big celebration day because I spent the whole day shopping at my favorite mall in Mountain Brook with my mom and sister. I don't think I've ever had more fun shopping in my life--and shopping is my most favorite thing to do. EVER!!!!!! I know part of it had to do with my weight loss. Since the beginning of August, I've lost 19 pounds and this was the first time that I've really been clothes shopping since then. It was so much fun to see how everything fits SO MUCH BETTER NOW!!! Okay, I'm digressing. Here are a few things I bought on this super fun shopping trip!!!!!

I got a new Longchamp large tote in Praline from Saks Fifth Avenue.

A dress very similar to this from GAP--except my dress is purple.

Then I also got a gorgous dress and two tops with poufy shoulders from Ann Taylor. Don't you just love their clothes! If I had an unlimited budget then I would own everything from Ann Taylor.

Monday was my actual birthday and I had to go to work and then weight in at Weight Watchers so I couldn't have cake until yesterday afternoon. And you bet I ate 19 pounds of cake. I paid for it today though because I forced myself to work out to a Zumba DVD for 45 minutes today during a tornado. Now that's how dedicated I am :)

My Latest Obsession

Have you ever heard of Zumba?? Well if not then you need to!!! It is my latest workout obsession and I think it's going to be a lasting obsession. You see, because I live out in the country (and I'm in a low-paying job, drive a suv that drinks gas, pay for my gas, etc.) I don't have the time to drive to a gym 20 minutes away for a 1 hour class. My solution to this?? (Because you know I need to workout) ZUMBA!!!!! Literally, it's the most fun workout I have ever done!!!

You ask "What is zumba?" As defined by the ever so reliable Wikipedia, Zumba is a dance workout program that combines music and moves to salsa, cumbia, merengue, reggaeton, etc. Since I can't attend/don't want to drive so far to a Zumba class, I got the dvds! Best investment yet! When you order the dvds, you get a few dvds with different workout types and lengths. They are wonderful and I actually have fun when I work out!!!

ROLL TIDE!!!

After being used to going to every game each season, I finally was able to go to a game at my alma mater!! (Sounds weird saying that!) It was our Homecoming game and we played Ole Miss and WON!!!!!!!! After my friend Jeremy and I graduated in August, he received season tickets as a graduation present (hello Mom and Bill...I'm still waiting on my season tickets...) and so his dad decided to stay home this game and so I was next in line for his other seat!!! This was my first time sitting in the "adult" section--we sat in the upper deck above the student section. I loved it though because he paid extra for padded seats so I was sooooo comfy the first half.

Jeremy and I after we got to his seats. Did I mention this game had an 8pm kickoff but didn't kickoff until 8:15pm--meaning it didn't get over until midnight! So late!! When halftime started Jeremy wanted to go see if we could try to get into the student section to sit with all of our friends--hey we still look like students, right?? Well, we were able to walk right past the gate-keepers (I'm not sure what to call the guys who stand at the gates???) and sat with our friends the second half!!! Plus the student section is waaaaaay more fun!!!!

Janie and I reunited!!!!

Update on Bedroom!!!!!

Get ready for this weekend! I will be doing my bedroom reveal which I am so excited about!!!! I have worked so hard on it (along with my family) and am thrilled to show y'all!!!

Let me just say this week has really made me brain-dead. Seriously. It's 9 week exam week at school and I can barely comprehend anything the students are saying to me because I have so much on my mind....lesson plans for next week, re-reading The Great Gatsby, grading essays, grading exams, figuring out what lesson plans will be for this week. That's just a few of the things on my mind....a lot I know!!!

I'm really excited about this weekend because 1. It's the weekend and 2. I'm off school Monday!!!!!

Be ready for the room reveal!!!!

Eight Questions!!

1. What is your favorite item (clothing, shoes, purse) in your closet?
--Probably all of my GAP jeans. They are so comfy and I wear them all the time!!

2. Are you supersticious?
--No...except that during football season of my senior year in college (our latest National Championship season) I carried the same shaker to every game...just in case! haha

3. Do you recycle?
--We can't recycle at my house because the recyling truck doesn't run this far out in the country. BUT I don't ever drink out of water bottles to reduce--if that counts!

4. What website do you visit daily?
--Facebook, blogger, people.com

5. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
--right-handed

6. What is a goal you would like to (or have) achieve this year?
--2010 is almost over sooo I would have to say to continue with my weight loss!

7. Do you have any nicknames?
--tons...Miss B, Sissy, Sister, Fancy Nancy

8. What is your favorite season?
--Christmas!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!! I love everything about Christmas--the music, the cold weather, the hot chocolate, the spirit, the decorations!!

Fall Decorations

October might be my favorite month of the year (except for December...I looooooove Christmas decorations but more on that another time...)--not only because it's my birthday month, but because the trees begin to change colors, the weather changes to much cooler temps, and the fabulous fall fashion! Those of you that have been reading my blog know that my parents have been remodeling our house.


Well, the living room is complete!! Mom and I took an impromtu trip to Ole Time Pottery on Saturday to see if they had these Christmas trees that she wanted (think Holister style trees in different sizes). You know that we couldn't pass up the fall decorations while we were there and so this is what we ended up with:

The white pumpkin came from Wal-Mart while the tiny pumkins and gourds--along with the leaves--came from Ole Time Pottery. The picture really is too small for the space, but we needed to stick something up there for time-being. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see it's a far away picture of a covered bridge. It's the same covered bridge that my mom and step-dad got married in--pretty neat!! Cool fact: The mantle came from an old house. It's probably 100 years old--we had it stripped, sanded and painted and it gives a whole new look to the living room!!!!

This is on the front porch of our house. The fake mums came from Ole Time Pottery, and the small wooden crates came from rummaging through the remnants of an old estate sale. They seem to be old military issue crates.

Don't you just love fall decorations?? The only thing I love more than the colors of fall is the Christmas-time decorations. It's just something about seeing Christmas decorations that make me so happy!!!

My First Buy On Etsy!!

My friend Ashton has always raved about Etsy. She bought a few things for Kylee's room before she was born and has always talked about how cute the website was. So when Jenny Beth posted a pair of earrings that I loved on her Etsy shop, it naturally caused me to check out the website. And I love it! I recently remodeled my bedroom and the only thing missing is something to go above my bedroom. I'm not going to use the large painting that I have because I used it in college and I'm ready for something new. Then, I thought about a huge monogram above my bed (anyone who knows me knows that I wish everything that I owned were monogrammed!!), but I couldn't find anything that seemed to fit the vision in my head. And just when I thought that my room would never get finished--I found a painting that includes my monogram on it on Etsy!!!!! Hopefully I will make this purchase soon and frame the picture so I can finally reveal my room to yall!!!

Tomorrow's Friday!!!! Yeah!!!!

M.I.A. (and I don't mean the singer)

Oh my--I have definitely been non-existant in the blog world lately. So where to begin?

Well, I started a maternity leave at the high school I graduated from and I now teach English to 11th and 12th graders. I have never been so busy or exhausted in my life!!! Like tonight: I actually fell asleep at 6:30pm sitting straight up in a chair. It's been super exhausting keeping up with 11th and 12th graders and to think, I actually chose the older kids because they were more "self-sufficient". Yeah right. BUT not to make you think I'm complaing or anything--I really am so grateful for this opportunity. I love these kids. I look forward to 7th period (not because it's the last period of the day haha) because this class keeps me laughing the entire class period. These kids continually amaze me with the things they come up with, and it always makes me feel better when someone says, "Miss Wiley, you are the best teacher. I wish you were here forever." or "You look really pretty today, Miss Wiley." To those comments I say: Keep them coming!!!!!

Next week will be super busy with homecoming activities the entire week and I am really excited to be helping out. I'll be checking on freshmen lawn decorations and in charge of program sales at the homecoming kickoff on Monday night.

Did I mention that I'm also in charge of the dance team? That's been so much fun too. The girls get so excited over these dances that they learn and I love telling the girls how great they look. Tomorrow is a pep rally that the girls have been preparing for so I'm excited to see them perform and to see the energy they put into a dance that they are really proud of!!

Forgive me for being non-existant (I haven't even been on facebook much!!!) but I will try to be better!!! I have a ton of blog reading to catch up on! Happy Fall!!!!

My New Favorite Store

So my favorite store used to GAP back when they stocked their stores with updated classics and timeless pieces. But have you seen the designs they've put out the past few seasons? I am not down with the grunge look at all so I've had to find a new favorite store. Introducing Ann Taylor Loft!!!!!!!!

I love the ruffled top with the tweed jacket--I definitely think I might purchase this top and see if I can find a cheaper tweed jacket somewhere else. If I had a full-time job then the jacket might be mine..... :)Love the pants and the top! Dress pants are a must when you're a high school teacher!!


Pencil skirts are a staple in my wardrobe! Epecially the basic colors like black, brown, and gray--these can be paired with any color top and sweater. Most times I like wearing heels but sometimes when I have to stand all day then a flat is my best friend! This winter I'll be incorporating black hose into my wardrobe with my pencil skirts to make them more winter-friendly!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

The weather this weekend was perfect for outdoor activities and it most definitely felt like football season when I walked outside Saturday morning! The South always seems to have unique local festivals around this time of year because of the great weather--so Mom and I decided to go to the Sweet "Tater" Festival on Sunday afternoon!!

Mom and I enjoying the festival!!! Don't you just love that it's called Sweet Tater?!

They even had a bluegrass/gospel music group play and sing.

Then today since we're busy remodeling the house (pictures of my new room still to come!!) we just cooked out for ourselves. And we got to enjoy these yummy cupcakes I made! Hope your Labor Day was fantastic!!!