Teacher Moment

Here goes a post that is not wedding related.... I know... Crazy right?!?!

Today was a bittersweet day in my teaching world. TAKS scores came back for my precious sixth graders, and I get the unwanted responsibility of telling them if they passed or not. It's a bittersweet day because I LOVE getting to celebrate with my babies who have worked super hard and passed, but having to tell the kiddos that didn't make it, that the failed is just so difficult. I always try to present it in the most positive way that I can, but it's still tough.

One of the biggest highlights of the day happened in 1st period. I was pulling kids out individually into the hall and telling them their verdict. One of my boys that has been coming to tutoring since March to make sure he was ready for TAKS came out. I told him he passed and a huge smile appeared on his face. I sent him back into the classroom to get the next student. A few minutes passed and he stuck his head back into the hallway. He looked me in the eye and said "Thanks for teaching me, Ms. Griffith." I told him he was very welcome. It was one of those moments in life that you think "If only I could take a picture of this moment so that I never forget it." (Have any of you ever seen The Office episode where Jim and Pam "take pictures" with a pretend camera when something sweet happens - that's how I felt). The best part is that this kid is one of those that knows how to push my buttons at times. So, for him to take the time to stop and say that to me truly warmed my heart.

It was a reminder that even when I am frustrated, tired, worn out, at the end of my rope, someone is counting on me to help them. Someone is looking to me for guidance and direction. I hope I never take advantage of the little opportunities (i.e. students) that God gives me each school year. As this year comes to a close, I hope that my students know that I love them and that I believe in them.

On that note, 7 more school days until summer :)

Picture Overload

Ok, I promised pictures when I found my camera cord, so here they are. Enjoy! :)

Everything was so girly, which is just the way I like it to be!

My wedding shoes were the inspiration for the day

Lots and lots of presents = So much fun to open!

Love it!

These cleaning gloves are so cute!

Me with my bridesmaids minus Megan

I set this up at the apartment after the shower. I'm loving our new dishes!!

I think that's enough for one post. There are more that I need to get off of my mom's camera as well. Also, this weekend we had my Bachelorette Party, so I'll definitely be adding some pics from that really soon. Happy Easter!

April Showers

On Saturday, we had our first wedding shower. You would have thought that it was Christmas, by the way I laid in bed wide awake on Friday and woke up at 6 on Saturday morning. I was just so anxious to see everyone and to celebrate with friends and family. So many of the people that Joe and I love and adore were there, and it ended up being a blast! Not to mention, my hostesses did an AMAZING job of decorating. I was going to post pictures, but I have misplaced my camera cord, so the pics will have to wait. BIG thanks to everyone that joined us at the shower, and especially for those that helped organize and decorate. I could not have asked for a better day with those that I love most.

Sunday, Joe and I spent time putting away our new stuff in our pretty apartment. I need to post pics of that too... Man, that camera cord is causing all kinds of problems...

This week, I'm taking a "me" day on Friday. My bachelorette party is on Friday, so I want to have time to rest up for all of the fun that is going on that night. I can't wait to spend time with some of my favorite girls!

With so much going on, I've gotten behind on blogging. So, if you're still out there reading this, thanks. :) I promise LOTS of pictures are coming ASAP.

100 Days

In exactly 100 days, I will be marrying the love of my life. I can't wait to be Mrs. Miranda Kay Thompson. :)

Mal and I just got back from a Spring Break trip to Austin to visit my grandparents. Memaw and Pepaw sure do know how to have a good time! We got there on Wednesday and we went to the outlet shops in San Marcus. Pepaw is so cute when we go shopping. He comes along, but never intends on shopping. He moves the car up and down the shops wherever we need him. Then he sits and reads his book until we need him to move closer to us. We walked out to the car once we were done, and he had escaped. We called him and found out that he was getting ice cream right by the car. So we joined him, and it was perfect weather for sitting outside and enjoying a sweet treat.

On Thursday, they took us to Fredricksburg, which was a lot of fun. We walked up and down the main street and bought a few things here and there. The atmosphere of Fredricksburg is really neat. If you haven't been, you should definitely check it out. Then, Pepaw "surprised" us by taking a small detour to Luckenbach. We walked around a little and listened to a Willie Nelson look alike singing and playing his guitar. What a cool place! I could have sat there for hours. It was well shaded and such a pretty day for enjoying some time outside and listening to good music. And, according to my Pepaw, we are now officially Texans since we've been to Luckenbach. :)

Other fun things about our trip: dinner at Chuy's with Terri and Rita, playing games of Phase 10 at night, a visit to Charming Charlie's, jamming out to old songs with Mal and just enjoying one another's company. There's nothing like spending time with family. I feel like one lucky girl.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow....

I still can't believe that we have had 3 snow/ice days in a row! Snow days as a teacher, are just as exciting as they are as a student! Some teachers complain about them, because it just means that we have to make up the days later in the school year, when the weather is nice and pretty. But, I would much rather take the unexpected day off to enjoy my nice WARM house, rather than have to get out in the freezing cold weather to drive on icy roads to get to school.

Needless to say, I've really enjoyed my 3 days off. Day 1 consisted of watching tv and hanging out with Mal. Day 2 was a chick flick movie marathon with Mal and working on invitations. Day 3 consisted of watching more cheezy movies and spending A LOT of time on invitations. I have now completed 76 invitations.... I haven't stuffed all of the invitations, but the pieces are complete. I can't believe how much I've gotten accomplished over the past two days! I told Mal today that I hope that my wedding guests can tell how much time and love I put into these invitations. I've really enjoyed making them, but they are definitely time consuming.

Unfortunately, it's back to reality tomorrow. Well, semi-reality really. It's a staff development day, so I'll spend the morning at my school, hearing from a guest speaker (which I'm looking forward to) and then the afternoon is math training with other math teachers across the district (which is always nice since our math coordinator is awesome). So, overall, tomorrow should be a good day. Of course, I'll miss being in my pj's with Mal, but I guess I can handle it for one day. ;)

**Side note: Just last week, two of my girls asked why I still had a sign up that said "Let it Snow" in the classroom. I told them that winter wasn't over (even though it was 70 degrees outside) and that it could still snow. I can't wait to see them next week and tell them that this week is exactly why I still had the sign up. lol

I'm in love

Joe and I had a date night on Saturday, and I was reminded of yet another reason why I'm marrying this amazing man. He planned this date night all on his own. We had been looking forward to it all week long. Joe actually managed to keep all of the details of our date night a surprise, which is a major accomplishment for Mr. Joe Joe. He kept all of the details super top secret, which was fun. Well, Saturday finally gets here. I ran around with my mom and sister and did a little shopping, which was fun. I was looking for boots for date night, but just couldn't find any that I liked. So, I came home to figure out what I was going to wear. I started scrambling around and just couldn't find anything. Girls, you know what I'm talking about. It was quickly turning into one of those situations where NOTHING looks the way you want it to look. With the help of mom and Mal, I finally found an outfit that was acceptable, but now, I was running late. If you know me, you know that I love being on time. Actually, I love being early. I am not a late person. I just don't like the way it makes me feel when I get in the car to go somewhere, and I know I'm going to be late. So, I call Joe to let him know. I'm frustrated, and feeling down about the whole situation. Joe reassures me that everything will be fine, and that we're going to have a great night. Then, a few minutes later, Joe calls me back. He tells me that he has called the restaurant to let them know that we may be a few minutes late, and he wanted to make sure that was ok. They of course said it would be just fine.

It might seem like a simple story, but I was totally taken aback by it. The fact that he realized this was truly stressing me out, and he came up with a quick solution was so sweet to me. I love how thoughtful Joe is. I was instantly reminded how lucky I am to have someone so considerate in my life. I truly cannot wait to call him my husband.

Top 10 of 2010

My top 10 favorite memories in 2010, in no particular order.

1. The Cruise - I loved having an opportunity to travel with Joe and we had such a good trip.

2. Getting Engaged!! Obviously one of the greatest blessings this year.

3. Moving back in with my sister (and mom and Bri of course). I'm looking forward to many nights of watching silly shows together and playing the Wii.

4. Christmas Tour 2010 - We had a crazy busy Christmas, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Getting to spend time with each of our families was very important to me.

5. Discovering the Couch to 5K program. I know that I didn't complete it, but I'm thinking about starting it back up again. I loved feeling like I was doing something I never thought I could do - running. Maybe this time I can stick with it and actually run a 5K. :)

6. Going to Vegas with Mal and Memaw. We had such a good time, and I'm so glad we got to do that. Thanks Memaw for taking us on this trip!

7. Spending more time getting to know Joe's family. There have been several opportunities for me to be with his family this year, and I've enjoyed each one of those events. I feel very blessed to have Joe's family welcome me in like they do.

8. Wedding dress shopping - That day was so much fun! I'm so glad that Joe's mom got to come and enjoy this special day with me and the girls in my fam. We had such a good time, and it's a memory I will cherish forever.

9. Booking our honeymoon - Thanks to a couple of amazing Christmas/Wedding presents, we're going to Sandals Grande Antigua. It's so much fun looking at the pictures and thinking about relaxing on the beach for a whole week with my best friend. BIG thanks to Memaw and Pepaw and mom and Brian for their help with the honeymoon. We are so very blessed.

10. Camp Erin and GriefWorks - These two things were new for me in 2010. After my mom losing a good friend, Jean, to earthquake in Haiti and watching the Ross/Bizaillion family losing Jenny, I became inspired to do something for kids that are left behind in the wakes of grief. Camp Erin was a weekend camp spent with some sweet, sweet children. I will never forget the stories or memories that were made there. And working with GriefWorks has been such a blessing.

Here's to 2011. I'm looking forward to all that the new year holds. May you be blessed and feel God's love this year.