busy schmusy

Whew!!!!!  My life has been very, very, VERY busy lately and basketball season hasn't even started.  The season starts next Thursday and will last until the end of January so don't expect much from me until after then!  We have 2 days a week that have 4 games a night and, of course, all games need cheerleaders.  This is what's been going on lately:

1. I've gotten back into my running groove but not on a schedule because of cheerleading and how it takes up so much time.  Last week I only ran two days:  one 30 minute run and then a 40 minute run.  Even thinking about it now, I'm just completely blown away at how far I've come in the past 14 months.  I've gone from not being able to run 50 feet without running out of breath to running 40 minutes without stopping and feeling fantastic afterward.  Oh and not to mention my almost 45 pound weight loss!!

2. I taught school Monday with a 101 fever and glands so swollen in my neck that I couldn't move it.  Did I mention I had a surprise observation, too?  And a meeting, and cheerleading practice, and grades due????  Monday was a wake-up call that life can't stop like it used to when I got sick.  So Monday night I went to Urgent care--still with a 101 fever--and got a shot.  Tuesday I went to school with no make up on and received a wide range of comments about it.  "Your eyes look so pretty today!" "You look really tired."  "What's different about you?" "You look so much better without make up on."  I really think that by Friday I will feel 100%.  Or at least I better because my BFF is coming to spend the weekend with me to celebrate my birthday!

3.  My birthday is coming up!!!  On October 25 I will be 24 and working haha.  I was already told by a student that he will be wearing a shirt that says, "Happy Birthday Miss Wiley" so we'll see if he does that!!!

4.  I got the new iPhone 4S and love it!  I like it way better than my Droid!!

5.  My litter sister got her acceptance letter into nursing school and I couldn't be more proud of her!  She is going to be a great nurse because she does a great job taking care of me when I'm sick.  Wednesday she had a project due where she had to pick a poem and give a line by line explanation and commentary of the poem.  What did she pick?  "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan.  Could she have picked anything more difficult??!!!  She got an "A" for her presentation--with a little help.  This is why one of us is an English teacher and the other one is going to be a nurse.

back soon

Sorry for my lack of posts.  Let's just say that being busy is a understatement.  I'll be back when I have the time/energy to write a post.

starbucks at christmas

Oh, Starbucks.  I cannot wait until you come out with your Peppermint Hot Chocolate. 

Except this time I'm on Weight Watchers, so it will be a Nonfat Peppermint Hot Chocolate, no whip, no chocolate sauce.  The things we do for eating healthier.

Image from Google Images

weight watchers....I'm baaaaaack!!!

Okay, it's been long enough.  Back to Weight Watchers I go.  If you've followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I started WW in August 2010 and lost 40 pounds by March 2011.  Then life got in the way and I got tired of counting points so I stopped.  Then this summer became hectic because of vacations and cookouts and eating out with friends and family.  Sounds like of a bunch of excuses to me, doesn't it to you?

Well no more excuses!!  I'm starting back!  My goal is to lose 5 pounds by my birthday which I really believe is do-able.  The only downfall is having to take time to record points and now measure out things. Oh and exercise.  I love exercising, but with cheerleading taking up so much of my time, I'm really going to have to make the time to exercise.  But it is totally worth it.

One of my favorite WW resources is the website SkinnyTaste.com.  They really have the best recipes with the serving sizes and point values already figured up for you!  I found this list of tips on the website:

Weight Watchers TM image found on WeightWatchers.com

Tips to Lose Weight image found on SkinnyTaste.com

almost 24

Sunday marked my one month countdown to my 24th birthday.  There was a time a couple of months ago where I had a pre-quarter life crisis.  I thought that at the age of 23 (almost 24) I had done nothing with my life.  I hadn't gotten married, traveled to Europe, had kids, moved to a really awesome city after graduation, etc.  I think I spent a week freaking out over all of this.

Then I realized that I was comparing myself to those around me and that my life was unlike my friends' lives:

Yes, I might be the only 23 year old in my town not married (not an exaggeration) but that didn't mean I was a complete loser.  I just like to believe that the Lord has someone really awesome for me that I haven't met yet--someone who will make me laugh constantly, do nice things for me, appreciate me when I do special things for them, and someone who loves to travel and try new things as much as I do.

Yes, I might not have traveled to Europe....YET.  And that's a big YET.  Meaning it will happen one day.  One day when I have the money to enjoy myself and not stay in creepy/crappy hostels.

Yes, I might not have kids right now but when I started adding this to my whining I had to knock some sense into me.  I, in no way, want any children right now.  No way, Jose.  It's fun playing with Ashton's baby, Kylee, but then I'm always glad it's her baby right now and  not mine!  I hope that one day the Lord will bless me with children but in the future :)

Yes, I might not have moved to a really awesome city after graduation to start a new life.  I actually moved back home.....with my parents.  Awesome, right?  This is the part where I really feel like a loser.  I constantly have to remind myself of the faith I had to have in God the year after graduation.  I had a 3 month long-term subbing postition lined up at my old high school but then after that I had no clue what I would do.  It's really awesome looking back and seeing how everything fell perfectly in place thanks for the most awesome God!!

In no way is this post a pity party.  I'm over my quarter life crisis and instead living my life on God's plan--not my own.  Sunday morning in church, our sermon was on Genesis 16.  It was definitely meant for me to hear this morning.  Sarai (Sarah, and of course, my name as well) wanted children so badly that she took it into her own hands instead of waiting on the Lord.  This is another reminder that I should also be waiting on the Lord and not taking things into my hands because they will end up badly.  If you're struggling with an "oh my life is horrible, I've done nothing in the short time I've lived on Earth" then remember this, it's not about you.  It's all about Him.

first day of fall = sick day

I welcomed the first day of fall in school bed.  Actually, I did get up and get ready and go in to school, but I was so sick and felt so awful that I ended up calling a sub to come in.  I hate having to take off like that because now this puts us even farther behind.  For example, Friday we were set to cover 3 more chapters in our novel--not reading them but discussion.  Well, I had to scratch that because the sub hadn't read the book and couldn't discuss, so I had to come up with something else.  So looks like we will do Friday's work on Monday....ugh!!!

When I got home I immediately took medicine and went to sleep.  Except that it took me a little bit to fall asleep because I kept wondering, "Did I forget anything on the lesson plan??  Did I tell her about bus duty?  Are my students going to behave??"  Finally, the medicine kicked in and I was out.

I feel soooooo much better this morning--enough to look for some new fall clothing inspirations because of this wonderful chilly weather!!!!!  Below are a few of the things I would love to wear this fall:

All images from jcrew.com



introducing the NEW paula deen!!

One of my most favorite days of the year is the first day of fall.  I love everything about fall: smells, crisp mornings, fall fashion, college football, and my birthday to name a few.  The only thing I love more than the beginning of this time of year is the Christmas season, but that's another post in itself!

When Southern Living's September issue came in the mail I just knew that I was going to bake the cake on the cover--the Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake.  But because of my insanely busy schedule at this time of year, it's taken a few weeks for me to get to it.

Total preparation time for this was 7 hours.  That included making the batter, cream cheese filling, cooling completely for 2 hours, and making the icing.  Was it worth it?  You bet.  The smell of the house alone while it was baking was enough for me to make every week.  The only thing I would change next time is to bake it a little less.  Possibly 1 hour and 5 minutes instead of the 1 hour and 15 minutes recommended.

This is what it looked like right after it came out of the oven.  Just imagine the smell!!!

Ta-Da!!!!  This is right after I put the icing on it.  Excuse the missing chunks out of the side, next time I'll know to better oil and flour the bundt pan.  Oh well, there's a first for everything, right?! 

The recipe:

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

APPLE CAKE BATTER:


1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce (I used cinnamon apple sauce for this)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)

PRALINE FROSTING:


1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation


1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.


2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.


3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.


4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).


5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake

happy early birthday to me!!

I finally did it!!!!  I broke down and bought a pair!!!!!  I wonder what people would think of me if I wore these every. single. day.

Have you ever wanted something expensive and then finally bought it after waiting???

a day in the life: thursday-saturday

Sorry about my lack of posts starting Thursday.  I was extremely busy and tired so I didn't have time to sit down and blog.  So I've decided to do a catch-all of Thursday through Saturday post.

Thursday, September 15- Same schedule pretty much except I had cheerleading practice after school until 4:45pm.  Then I needed to be back at school at 6:30pm for PTO Open House.  Since I had a lot to do, I decided to stay at school the whole time.  My mom dropped my supper off (thanks, Mom) and I ate while I got my classroom super clean for parents to come in and meet me.  I had my students write a poem on Monday so I went ahead and put those up to make the room a little more cheerful.  The students had a great time trying to find theirs to show their parents.

I didn't get home from PTO Open House until 9 and decided to relax and watch tv for my free time instead of blogging.

Friday, September 16- Same morning and day schedule.  After school, I spent an hour running a few errands in town.  Hartselle played Walker at home that night and my mom wanted to go and see our old neighbor play in the band.  But I was way too tired to go to the game that night.  Is there anyone else who is just exhausted by Friday night?  I'm good to go Saturday night but on Fridays, all I want to do is go to bed at a decent time!!  I watched 3 episodes of Mad Men (my new addiction) and went to bed that night.

Saturday, September 17- Depot Days in Hartselle!!!!!  This is the one day where Hartselle looks like a mini gameday in Tuscaloosa (traffic and cars parked anywhere they can).  I parked at my father's house who lives in an old neighborhood right off downtown and we walked over to downtown.  I had splurged in eating on Friday for lunch so I couldn't splurge today.  I did, however, have a lemonade and it was wonderful!!

We were sitting under the tent where a band was playing old Conway Twitty songs.  I also racked up on a few decor items! 

This beautiful lamp cost me only $15!!!!!  And that's no lie!!!  It was part of a sidewalk sale from a store.  It was the only one they had and that was fine with me!!  The lampshade is also bent in places, but I definitely don't care because I will replace that regardless.

I also found these beauties!  I have been searching for botanical prints that I could frame myself, but I found these and decided to pay for them anyway.

Later Saturday night, I drove down to The Sumit to shop and ended up buying an early birthday present for myself!!!!

a day in the life: wednesday

Happy Wednesday!!!  Today I wasn't as swamped as I thought I would be...that might be tomorrow haha!!  So, in case you aren't totally bored reading my daily schedules, then read on! 

5:20am-7:00am- Wake up and do my morning routine:  read while eating breakfast, shower, do hair and make up, dress, and make lunch.  This is my outfit of the day!!!!

Chiffon Jacket, GAP; Tee, Banana Republic; Cropped Cuff Pants, Banana Republic; Sandals, Sam Edelman; Cameo Broach, vintage.

7:20am-4:20pm- Teach school again!  Discuss novel with first 3 classes and let the last 3 classes finish yesterday's test and catch up on work they have missed.  I also had a meeting this afternoon about the leadership team I will be in charge of the next 9 weeks.  I was the lucky one to have morning announcements....woohoo!!!  At least it's only for a 9 weeks because I am so busy with lesson plans, grading, cheerleading, church, and trying to have a social life at my age!

4:30pm-4:55pm-Short run around my father's neighborhood.  I live waaaaay out in the country and cannot run on my road.  My father lives in an old neighborhood with sidewalks and wide streets so I really enjoy running there.  It was only 88 degrees and overcast and felt amazing compared to what I put myself through this summer running in unbearable heat!!!!

5:00pm-6:20pm- I stopped by Subway to get a veggie pizza to eat on the way home.  I did that and the showered to get ready for church.  I quickly got ready and left for church.

This came on the radio on the way home and I died laughing.  I hope I never stop finding things like this funny.  When it came on, I immediately texted the picture to my bestie who happens to have the same sense of humor as me.  She texted me the other day telling me that her teacher has been repeating the word "duty" all day in class and she couldn't stop laughing.  Of course when I read that text, I laughed out loud too.  Does anyone else find this stuff funny too??  :)

6:35pm-7:35pm-  I co-teach mission friends at church to 4 3-year-old little boys and it is always something different each week!!!  Haha!  Very entertaining!  Tonight we fingerpainted:

Precious little boy!!!!!

7:50pm-10:30pm-  I finially have time to blog and watch tv!!!!  This is the first time I've had the time to watch tv this week!  My favorite comedy, Modern Family,  comes back on next Wednesday night so I watched 2 re-runs.  Then NBC showed Up All Night that premiered tonight.  Modern Family really is the funniest tv show around!!!!!!

Don't look for a Thursday post until Friday evening or Friday night.  I will be leaving for school at my usual time and won't be coming home until 9:30 that night so I will not have time to blog on Thursday!!!!!!  Have a great rest of the week!!!! :)

a day in the life: tuesday

We survived Day 1!!  Yes, my life is nothing exciting, but it is my life!!  Last night I didn't end up going to sleep until 10:30pm.  I know that isn't late at all, but when you talk all day long to kids and repeat yourself 15 million times then 10:30pm is late!!  I also want to apologize ahead of time that this post isn't filled with pictures.  There wasn't anything exciting of to take a picture.  I'll do better for Wednesday's post!!

Day 2:

5:20am-7:00am- Wake up, read, eat Lucky Charms again, shower, do hair and make up, fix my lunch and leave for school.

7:20am-3:15pm- Teach school.  I graded a few papers, made tomorrow's lesson plan, ran copies, arranged a few things with some teachers, discusses a novel with my regular English classes, and gave a test to my advanced English classes.

This is the class work/home work that I collected today.  These are descriptive name poems that the kids wrote and will be displayed in the room for PTO Open House on Thursday night.  I graded a few of these while my advanced kids tested, but I still have some left over to grade.  Then I get to spend Thursday afternoon hanging 156 of these in my room!!

3:15pm-3:20pm- Ran an errand to the local sporting goods store to pick up something I had monogrammed for football games.

3:20pm-3:35pm- Ran mom's phone charger to her at school and talked to a few people.

3:55pm-5:35pm- I graded papers (exciting!!) and balanced my checkbook--which I will say has made me very proud!!  I have watched my money so good this month that I will definitely have enough to pay for a few extra big expenses I have to make this month and the beginning of next.  If you knew me in high school and college, I never saved any money and shopping was my hobby.  But now that I've grown up (tear), I am so much better with my money.  Now don't get me wrong, shopping is my favorite thing to do but I'm so proud of how I haven't hardly spent any money this month!!!  I think this summer killed me with having so much free time and not knowing what to do with it so I just spent money......not going to happen again!

6:00pm-8:00pm- Young Women on Mission monthly meeting.  I'm co-president of this group at church and we met tonight to discuss upcoming mission projects we will be taking on.  Our next meeting will be to assemble treat bags with scriptural bracelets for our church's Trunk or Treat for Halloween. 

8:00pm-8:10pm- Stop and get gas before I run out!  I was literally empty.  My car will tell me how many miles I can go before I need gas and this time it was --- and even blinking.  I was excited it only cost $40 and that will last me a while, even with all the driving I do!!

8:30pm-10:15pm- Blog.  Pay off Banana Republic credit card that I just opened (for the good discount....I'm building credit....Yes, I do pay it off completely every month).  Take another shower--I take 2 a day but only wash my hair once a day.  I just like to feel clean before I go to bed!!!!!!  And then I had a little down time for quiet time and to catch up on facebook and other tweets.

I didn't run today because it was so hot outside and I had so much to do.  Will hopefully do Wednesday!!

a day in the life: monday

A few blogs that I follow did a series called "A Day in the Life."  I thought it was so interesting seeing how other people live their lives.  One blog I follow has a very strict routine for day to day life because of her two very small children.  While I don't envy the small children part (at least not for a few more years), I do envy the structured routine.  If you think my life has structure, think again!  Every day is different!!  While I do enjoy the differences each day brings, sometimes I wish I had more of a structured schdule that I follow.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to know what will be happening each day instead of relying on a calendar to tell you because your days are so busy you can't remember!!  With all that being said, I hope you don't get too bored seeing what my days are like for a full week!  Enjoy!!

5:20 am-7:10am:  Get up.  Eat Lucky Charm cereal while I catch up on my daily reading:  facebook, twitter, and the newspaper.  Get ready for school while listening to Charlie Hall (this morning) and rush out of the door to school.

7:30am-4:45pm:  Teach school.  I also had to find time to record grades in the computer gradebook (they are already in my paper one) because progress reports go out Thursday.  This means I must have all grades in by 8am Wednesday morning.  Today I decided to take a poem for a grade.  What I thought would take half the period took all the period and plus some!  So looks like I will be a grading fool tomorrow afternoon so that I can have these last grades in by 8am Wednesday.  I also had a PST meeting after school for facilitators.  PST is for RTI (Response to Intervention--if you become a teacher, then you must learn thousands of acronyms).  While this PST meeting was going on, I also had cheerleaders practicing for our away game tomorrow.  I made it out of the meeting in time to run the last 40 minutes of practice.  Practice was over at 4:30pm but of course I had to close down things in my classroom and get my desk ready for tomorrow.

This is from one side of my classroom.  Notice how odly shaped it is and how tiny!  I can't wait until we move to our new school in 1.5-2 years.  The rooms will be double this size.  Oh, and notice how I've squeezed 28 desks in here.  The side of the room that you can't see is my classroom library.  Maybe another time I will take a picture of it!

4:50pm-5:05pm:  Head to the local gymnastics gym to check on the status of back handsprings for some of my cheerleaders.

5:10pm-6:00pm:  Head to my friend Sally's apartment to change to go run.   Then we went to the park and ran 3 laps around the park = 2.25miles.  Let's just say I was pretty sweaty after, and it wasn't even that hot outside.

Me and Sally Sal Sal before we started running......and sweating :)

6:45pm-8:00pm:  Left the house with my sister to go to Chik-Fil-A to eat.  I wanted a spicy chicken sandwich and ended up with heartburn, and my sister ended up with a hair in her sandwich.  (GROSS!)  But she did get a coupon for a free sandwich.  (I will say that we will continue to go back there because that is the only time that's ever happened to us or anyone we know.  It may be weird but we don't have Chik-Fil-A where we live and can't be choosy when we want it.)  After that we stopped by Wal-Mart for a few things.  Who can't not go to Wal-Mart when you're next door???

Rachel before she found the hair in her sandwich and me before the spicy sandwich gave me heartburn.  And obviously before a shower.  We enjoy sister time with each other!!!

8:00pm-10:00pm:  Shower, blog, get everything ready for tomorrow.  Then I can pass out in my bed from exhaustion!!!

new series!

Today I will be starting a week long series called "A Day in the Life"!!!! 

This will last from today through Sunday the 18th.

Tomorrow look for my post about today!!!

we still love

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" Luke 6:27 ESV

It's hard to love those who hurt you, but as believers it's what we are called to do.  Can't argue with that.

Image via Google Images

my favorite movie part I

Do you have a movie that you could watch over and over again and never tire of it?  Can you watch this movie and say every line before the actors even do?

I have two movies like that.  The first (and one I'm blogging about today) would have to be When Harry Met Sally. 

I just can't get enough of this movie!!!  If you've never seen it, you're missing out!!  It's a love story but not a typical love story.  It takes Harry and Sally twelve years and meeting three times to become friends and finally fall in love.  And I'm always a sucker for a good love story.

Below is a picture from my favorite scene in the movie.  It's at the very end when Harry tells Sally that he's in love with her on New Year's Eve night.

The best lines in the whole movie are said by Harry to Sally:

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

If you've seen this movie, what's your favorite part?

random thoughts on a tuesday night

1. I'm thinking about buying myself a birthday present.  I've already started thinking about my birthday since fall has begun!!  There are just a few things I want for my birthday, and so instead of expecting everyone to buy them for me (which is not going to happen), I've decided to buy myself something.  Does anyone else do this too or am I the only one?

2. I would really appreciate it if tropical storm Lee would rotate on over to Texas to give them the rain that they so desperately need.  I know that we need rain and all here.  Especially since everyone's pastures are so dry right now.  But now that this rain has literally rained continuously for 3 days straight, I need a break.  There is no garage at my hosue.  It takes everything I have to get all of my stuff and myself into my car without getting soaking wet.  Oh and add in an umbrella that blows up when the wind blows.  I've really got to invest in a good umbrella.

3. I went with my mom to the annual Jim Norman Antique Auction in Hartselle on Labor Day.  I found a few pieces that I wouldn't mind having except that I didn't bring about $20,000 with me.  Looks like I will stick with making cheap furniture look old.

4. I am extremely cold natured.  My poor students.  I really sweat them out of the classroom while I am walking around with a jacket on.  I have got to find some warmer clothes to wear or something!!!  Since the high today was 56 degrees, I was contemplating turning the heat on all day.  Hopefully it will warm up soon because even though I do like cooler weather, I would really like to enjoy fall first!!!!

5. I will try hard to remember to take pictures of my classroom now that it's officially finished!!!  I can't wait until we move into our new school (not new, but the old high school) because then my classroom will double in size!!  Yipee!!!!!

To Have Or Not To Have Leopard Flats???

I've been thinking lately about how I really need a new pair of leopard flats.  I ended up wearing the last pair I owned until they had holes in the soles--doesn't that show  you how much I loved them.  (Plus they were super inexpensive CHEAP!  They came from Target.) 

My mom used to tell me that good shoes cost more, and I've really lived by that.  I may pay more for shoes, but they won't give me blisters or hurt my feet.  And if you know me at all, I wear heels about 5 days a week at school and church--and so I will definitely pay more for comfortable heels!!

So now my question.  Should I buy a more expensive pair of flats that will last MUCH longer than the last ones I had.  Plus, you now know that I really do wear these leopard ones a lot.  My choices are between the Tory Burch Reva flats or the FS/NY Sloop flats (I already own the black FS/NY flats, but not any Tory Burch.)

 Does anyone own a pair of Tory Burch flats and are they comfortable???

These FS/NY flats are so comfortable!!!!!

It Feels Like Fall :)

This Saturday was the season opener for Alabama football!  We played Kent State and won!  Roll Tide!  The Kent State football team spent the past week in Tuscaloosa helping with tornado clean up.  I was extremely impressed with their acts of service, and it was great to see Alabama fans in Bryant Denny give the Kent State team a standing ovation when they took the field. 

Back to the game....I was so excited to find a student ticket and to be able to sit with my best friend for her last football season as a student!!  Janie will graduate in December with her degree in nursing, and I've already started trying to think of what to give her for graduation.  I feel like I can't top what she gave me.  (In case you're a new reader, we lived together for my last 3  years in college, and she's my bff).  She spent our last month living together secretly making a scrap book of our 3 years of living together.  She documented every memory and inside joke we ever had, and when she gave me my present the night before my graduation I cried and laughed when I read the book!  How can I ever come close to the greatness of that present!!!???

 We were prepared for 110 degree weather but it actually turned out nice!!!  I told Janie that the Lord was definitely blessing us during that game because we didn't sweat near as much as we have in the past!!!!

I'm going to leave you with this beautiful picture.  I usually am leaving the house in the morning thinking about what I have to do when I get to school and how late I'm running.  This past week the morning tempurature has been absolutely wonderful and when I saw the way the sun hit the pasture one morning, I just had to stop and take a picture.  It blows my mind that the same God that created this beautiful scene created me!!!



Fall Fashion

Chanel Fall 2011 Couture Line

I love this purple!!

I am so ready for fall to be here! I'm ready for cooler weather (so maybe I won't feel like I'm dying everytime I go run), football season, and fall fashion. I'm ready to start layering clothes--is anyone with me?

School started officially on Monday for us. It's been an exhausting week and I spent the first 3 days of class going over procedures. Thank goodness that's over!!! So far all 6 of my classes are great and I'm looking forward to teaching them this year!!

1st Day of School for Teachers!

Today was my first official day of school for teachers. Since I started teaching in January of this year, I've never actually experienced a first day of school. Soo this makes me just a little bit nervous!!

We had a meeting this morning to go over a few things. I learned that I am 7th grade chairperson (I guess they thought I knew enough by now??) and a facilitator for PST--which is our intervention program. I also have morning duty and bus duty and cheerleading duties and the list could go on.

But I love my job. I love the people I work with--there really is no other place with faculty like mine. I love my administrators and the school system that I work for. I feel so blessed that I love my job because I know so many out there who don't. And I know that I am blessed every day I walk through the doors because I have a job when so many don't. And for this, I give all praises to God!

A Picture Update!!

Tomorrow is my last day of summer before school starts for teachers!!! In a way I'm so ready to get back in that "school groove" again, and then again, I'm enjoying doing whatever I want all day long! Oh and I'm still not completely ready for school to start. I still have to plan the entire year.....but I work well under pressure!! :) I'll keep y'all up to date!

This past Friday, I went out to eat with my best friends (minus Ashton). We went to Cahoots--which is a fantastic restaurant in Hartselle! They are open Monday-Friday from 11am-2pm, and their menu changes everyday. I got the chicken salad sandwich plate and it was great!

This is Kristi who starts school tomorrow. (Kristi and I have been best friends since she moved to Hartselle in the 3rd grade!) She will be starting her first year as a 4th grade teacher at a private Christian school in Decatur. Aaaaaaand she is also PREGNANT!!!!! This will be her and her husband's first child and we are all so excited!!

This is Janie, and she is about to start her last semester of nursing school at UA. Janie and I have been best friends since I was in 10th grade--she in 9th--where we met when my family joined First Baptist Hartselle. We also lived together in Tuscaloosa for 3 years. And if you ask either one of us--those were the best 3 years ever!!! We never fought and had so much fun!


And on a different note. Last week I also babysat Ashton's precious baby, Kylee, for a few hours until her daddy got off work. Here is Kylee at 6:30am after she just woke up!! She looks ready to watch tv but she actually doesn't watch tv. She treats the remote as her "hello" (phone), and it's entertaining watching her talk into it!

She's saying, "Aunt Sarah, please, this is a very important phone call!"

All photos taken on my Droid.

New Running Shoes!

I went to Fleet Feet today to get fitted for a pair of new running shoes. First, let me just say how much I loved that store! The customer service was amazing and you have a sales person working with you the entire time. It was great, and I will definitely be making more trips back to that store. Oh, and it helps that everyone that works in the store runs too, so the girl that helped me was able to answer any running questions that I had.

If you've never heard of or been to a Fleet Feet then you're in for a surprise. After measuring my foot and my arch drop, I put on a neutral pair of shoes and ran on a treadmill while my stride was filmed. (PS--don't wear a dress. BIG mistake.) After running, I was able to watch my steps on the tv and see how I landed on my feet. Then with that info, the girl picked out a few pairs of shoes for me to try on. I ended up going with Brooks Ravennas 2 because they were soooo lightweight!!!!!! And they're good for about 500 miles!

"Everybody dies famous in a small town"

This past weekend was long overdue! I traveled to Tuscaloosa to go to a Miranda Lambert concert with my two best friends. On Thursday while Janie worked her 12 shift as an oncology nurse (hope I said that right) at DCH, Mary Beth and I went to the famous Summer Snow. If you have never heard of Summer Snow and live in Tuscaloosa, you should be ashamed of yourself. It's shaved ice--but not. It's better if you can imagine. I was so excited to visit SS since it's re-opened after the storm. Mary Beth got cotton candy with cream and I got my all time favorite Jimmy Buffet (margarita and strawberry). By the way, this was taken in my car....love it!!

Here we are before the concert. We went to eat at Dairy Queen before the show because of the 4 years I went to UA ,there was never a Dairy Queen, and now they decide to build one!

MB and Janie--can you tell it's hot and humid?? Typical Tuscaloosa weather.

I was really trying to keep my hair looking good at this point and gave up not too long after and pulled it up.

This was the best picture of her I could get using my Droid!!

My days as a 4th grade Sunday school teacher are numbered and I'm really cherrishing them! This morning we talked about missionaries and how we are all missionaries whether at home or in another country. Then we took a field trip through the church praying for different leadership positions. My 4th graders amaze me with their knowledge, and it shows they have great parents who bring them up biblically. (Which is why we've started talking about numerology--I love quizzing them about past conversations and hearing them remember!!)

the problem with initials that spell a word

When I was in college it was "in" to have a personalized car tag with your initials and then 4UA to show everyone what football team (school) you support. So for my birthday during my sophomore year, my mom surprised me with a personalized car tag. Of course this thrilled me because I would never have to memorize my car tag ever again. This also thrilled me because I hoped it would confuse the parking police who kept giving me parking tickets....as in $400+ in parking tickets. (I had parking rebellion my freshman and sophomore year. But this is a blog post for another day.)

This car tag got even better when I bought a brand spankin' new car a month ago and it matched! Of course when I read my tag, I read it as S.E.W.4U.A. However, I didn't realize that I may be the only person on this planet who does that.

Not too long ago, I was pumping gas before I headed to Birmingham with a friend to go shopping. I had the brown dress on in this post. A lady pulled up to the gas pump on the other side of mine and got out of her car. She leaned over and said I had on a cute dress. I promptly thanked her. I thought that was the end, but it wasn't. Read on:

Lady: Did you make that dress?

Me: No, I actually just bought it at the boutique downtown by the train tracks.

Lady: Oh, well I thought you made it because of your car tag.

Me: (silence)

Lady: You know, SEW 4 U.

Me: Ohhh. No, those are my initials. Sarah Elizabeth Wiley 4 The University of Alabama.

Lady: Oh. (and goes back to pumping her gas)

I immediately got in my car and called my mother to tell her that apparently it looks like I made this dress and why did I spend so much money on it.

But it doesn't end here. I've had people that I work with admit they thought I sewed for the university. (Yes, the band uniforms.) And one of my cheerleaders thought my car was the home ec teacher's car because it said "sew" on it.

I think I may have to rethink this car tag if someone else comments on my sewing ability.

Wake Up Call

Have you ever thought everything in your life was going according to plan and then God steps in to remind you that it was your plan and not His? That happened to me not too long ago, and I definitely needed the reminding.

Thinking back to college, I had my entire life planned out. Get engaged the end of my junior year, get married the summer after I graduate, start my new teaching job that August, and buy a new car. Now looking back, I'm so thankful that my life doesn't revolve around MY plan but GOD'S. Where would I be if I had married my college boyfriend? Probably unhappy. Breaking up with him was one of the hardest things I had to do then, but I know I made the right decision. I prayed about it for the longest time and knew that's what God wanted me to do. Coming from parents who went through a messy divorce, I look at relationships differently than my friends do. No, I'm not one of those products-of-divorce who do not believe in marriage--it was created by God so why wouldn't I?

And then there's the job. Did I start a brand new job in August after I graduated? Umm I didn't even graduate until August and that's only because I had to work SUPER hard to get in all of my classes in that amount of time. Oh and have you ever heard of a teacher graduating in August? Nope. I had to get special permission to complete my student teaching and then still take a class in the summer. That's why there were only 5 of us from the College of Education graduating in the August ceremony.....pretty entertaining. But what did this do to me? It caused me to put all of my faith in God and His plan for my life because by now I had no idea where my life was going and if I was even going to have a job with the economy the way it was. I recently read a book by Francis Chan where he posed the question, "When's the last time you lived your life by faith?" I can say I did it then, but how am I doing it now?

Here's the question I have for you: Are you living your life according to your plan or God's?

Day 2

Our 2nd day on the beach started with rain, so we watched a movie that morning. When we checked outside, there were tons of people out even though it was overcast. After being out for 2 1/2 hours, the sun finally came out!! The rest of the day was great and we ended up going in at 4 when the skies got really black.

The eventually cleared up and we went to Pier Park where I did not buy anything!! Yay! We then went back to the condo because my mom wanted to take a million pictures on the beach.

Here's one of my mom and I!

Catching Up!

Happy late 4th of July!! I hope yours was as good as mine! We spent that day eating and playing games. The game in the background is my absolute favorite!! My family asked how I got so good at cornhole.....college of course!!

I've gotten lots of compliments on the crochet racerback tank I have on the in the above picture. You can find it at a local boutique in my hometown, Shoefisticated. They know me by name because I shop there so frequently! They have the greatest clothes and you can find them on facebook; just search for Shoefisticated and check out their pictures of merchandise. Note: the above tank is loose and flowy and they also have many tanks/tops like that in the store, so keep that in mind when looking. Oh and the prices are resonable!! I paid $36 for the tank.

Here is a picture from our first day on the beach. Mom took us on a girls trip and it's been a blast. One of my hobbies is people watching and Panama City is the best place to do that. There are definitely some characters here! I got up this morning and ran and prayed the whole time that no one would hit me in their car since I had to run in the bike lane. The tan line you see on me is from my running tank, and it's even worse on the back!!
Oh, and apparently there are sharks in the water?? Oh well...we've been in the ocean all day and will be tomorrow too!!!

My First Painting for My Classroom!!!!

Most of you probably spent your lives in classrooms filled with motivational posters only made funny by the de-motivational poster website. See an example here.

Well, I'm not that type of teacher. Yes, some of the posters are good and I do have a few English posters in my classroom. Instead I want to decorate my classroom with PAINTINGS!!!!!!! I'm not very artistic, but I do the best I can!! Here's my first one:

**You might remember the very first painting that was given to me for my classroom by my friend, Kristi!!

Confessional

I'll have to admit.....I have done HORRIBLE working out this week!!! The only days I've worked out are Monday and Wednesday!! It's just been so hot and I haven't had the willpower to wake up at 6am to run before it gets unbearable.

Since my parents are having their annual 4th of July cookout tomorrow (where over 60 people attend) starting at 11:30am, I will have to get up at 6am to get out and run in order to be ready for the cookout.

It's amazing that during the busy school year, I made time to workout 5 times a week and now during the summer when I have tons of free time--I don't make the time!!

Does anyone else struggle with working out during the summer??

I may have to print out encouraging pictures and tape them everywhere!!

If Money Grew on Trees......

If money grew on trees then every single one of these dresses would be hanging in my closet right now just waiting for me to wear them!!!!

I am obsessed with every single dress on here!!! It was hard narrowing my choices down to four, too. If you find yourself yearning for one of these beauties, head on over to Anthropologie.com and get ready to spend some $$$$!

All pictures courtesy of Anthropologie.com

Summer Vacation

Summer has really flown by for me. I think as a teacher, the words "summer vacation" qualify as a oxymoron because I realize now that teachers don't get a full summer vacation! I didn't realize that my classroom would be a disaster area after the custodians cleaned it. Not to say that I am not thankful that it wasn't cleaned--I am soooo thankful!! But now I just get to reorganize it :)

If you remember my blogs at the beginning of the year, you'll remember that I took over for a teacher who retired at the end of Decemeber. Since I came in at the halfway point of the school year, I pretty much left everything as it was--only adding a few of my own things to make the classroom "mine". Now that I have been officially rehired (YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!), I get to make the entire classroom and storage area mine!!!

I've already spent a day cleaning out my classroom storage space because it had materials that had been collected for 20 years, and let's face it, I'm really not going to use something that was printed when I was 3. I really enjoy making things fun for my students--maybe my idea of fun is different from theirs haha! Monday, I spent a few hours organizing the filing cabinet and cleaning out things I won't ever use (can you tell I'm in to organizing??). Next on my list is to paint a few canvases to hang in my classroom because I think artwork will make it feel more homey. I've also got to work on lesson plans for the novels we will be covering and create a syllabus (i.e. decide how to run my classroom my way). I will definitely be spending a lot of next week in my classroom!!

On a side note: I ate at Chik fil A with my mom for lunch today and as I was waiting for a drink refill, she started talking to some lady. When I got back to the table, it turned out that she was a parent of two of my upcoming advanced students! So it was exciting to meet these girls and their mom (who offered to help with whatever I needed!!!). I asked the girls if they had read my summer reading assignment which was The Hunger Games Book 1. They said yes and had already finished book 2 and was starting on book 3!!! As an English teacher, that made me very happy!!!! I love it when my students want to read!

Kate Middleton has the same purse as me?? WHAT?!

Yes, you read that right. Duchess/Princess Catherine (Kate to us Americans) Middleton has the same bag as me.

Before the Royal Wedding aired, I watched every (almost) tv special on the Royal couple. (Crazy that I would watch something like that, right?? ha) I don't know what it is, but it's just something about these two people that are so captivating--and it may have something to do with the fantasy of being a princess and marrying a prince. But I digress....

One night Mom and I were watching some special about the couple or wedding when my mom pointed out that Kate had the same exact bag as me!! The Longchamp Le Pliage bag. I immediately put that on Facebook for everyone to see because I just could not believe that she would have the same bag as I (and it's not the other way around haha).

Here are some pictures of Kate carrying the Longchamp Le Pliage:

I don't have the overnight bag and may get it someday soon--just not right now!

Here she is with the large tote--which is what I'm carrying right now, except mine is camel.


She's carrying the medium tote here. I also have a medium tote but in black.


What bring me to this point?? Well, sadly I am a bag snob. I won't buy knock offs or fakes or anything from a boutique or store that isn't a brand I know. It's the one vain thing I do in life, and because I tend to buy really expensive bags I carry them for a while until I get a new one--as in months. And it doesn't bother me to carry the same bag for so long because I make sure to pick out bags that go with everything.

Here is the next bag on my wishlist and may be years away because I will have to save up or have someone extremely wealthy fall madly in love with me.



The Louis Vuitton Wilshire GM
Retails at $1,350.00
All pictures are via Google Images