clearly, im a chef

i made broccoli and rice casserole tonight and it was SOOO yummy! I got the recipe off of the rice box. I am so proud of myself! Anyone who knows me knows that I am not that great of a cook. I used to help mom in high school make dinner but then I got to college and had a roommate(s) who spoiled me for 4 years and cooked for me all the time. And to add to that, Ty cooks for me all the time....so basically my amazing cooking skills have been pushed aside. Anyways, i know this is probably not a hard recipe and you are probably laughing at me because I am really excited about a simple dinner but it was yummy and any new recipe I make, is another one down. :) I have started to collect recipes and I have quite a few so far. I've been cutting them off of the back of boxes, searching on foodnetwork.com, getting some from people's blogs, and I'm going to start cutting them out of magazines. Then, by the time I get married and HAVE to cook for someone else, I will be prepared....or semi-prepared at least. My mom on the other end of the phone line is also a must =).

I am so so so tired this week. Its 8:40 and I can barely keep my eyes open. There's something about 6 yr olds that WEAR ME OUT! I think I'm going to go shower and go to bed so I can rest up. I just wanted to share with the oh, 4 people who read my blog that I am clearly a chef now!!!!!!!!

weekend recap

This weekend, Ty and I attended TWO weddings in one day. It was a busy busy day to say the least. Ty was such a trooper. :) I missed the Alabama/UT game and if you know me, this is a BIG deal, so these weddings had to be pretty important for me to miss that game! My friend, Lauren, got married at the Club on Saturday and Ty's friend, Chase got married in Leeds at the Sonnet House. Luckily these were only about 30 minutes away from each other and we had plenty of time to get from one to another. We even had extra time in between and Ty got to go to Bass Pro Shop....which is like a kid in a candy store. I think that made his whole day. haha. Anyways, both weddings were beautiful. Lauren's wedding looked over the whole city of Birmingham and it was GORGEOUS! And the bride looked stunning! The whole wedding was so "Lauren" as we kept saying! Perfect for her. And Chase's wedding was gorgeous as well. Theirs was at this big white house in Leeds. The backyard (where the wedding was held) was stunning. It was sunset, there was a fire going on the stage, and the scenery of fall trees made it perfect. I've never really wanted an outside wedding but that wedding was so pretty, it made me want one! Of course I could never get married during the fall though....because of football season. =) If you noticed, both weddings were OUTSIDE...and I pretty much was frozen from head to toe by the end of the night. Ty tried his best to warm me up ;) but it was just sooooo cold! I love weddings so Saturday was just wonderful!!!!! Sunday we literally laid around ALL day, which was perfectly fine with me!!

I had my gall bladder scan today and it came back clean...which is good news! Just still frustrating that no1 knows what was wrong with me! Oh well, no news is good news, right?

So, these days I pretty much live by myself. I don't think my roommate has spent the night here in 5 or 6 weeks. I don't mind it most of the time but I get lonely sometimes and I miss my old roomies so much! It's just nice to know that someone else is here at night, esp because the projects are RIGHT across the street from me. And I would love to talk to an adult when I get home from school. If I don't see Ty at night, the only people I have talked to all day are 6 and 7 yr olds! I really like her but she's just never here. EVER! Anyways, my apartment needs to know soon if I'm living here next year or not and I don't know what to do!!!! Help!????

This weekend is Halloween and I really want to carve a pumpkin....I keep telling Ty (for the 2nd year) that I want to carve a pumpkin and everytime I tell him, he laughs. We never carved pumpkins when I was young (or not that I remember), so I really want to! Any tips to try and get Ty to carve a pumpkin with me?????

sorry this post was all over the place, but you just got a little glimpse inside my scattered-brained mind. :)

Happy Monday!!!

My handsome beyond handsome date for the weddings!!! :) this is only the 2nd time I've ever seen him in a suit...and my oh my doesn't he look cute!????

Beautiful Bride!!!!!!!!!!!!

photo catch up!

so i finally uploaded pictures from Jeri's homecoming and also from this past weekend! We played South Carolina this weekend and my friend Stefanie cheers for them so I got to hang out with her all day on Saturday...starting with an amazing bagel breakfast from Panera...my favorite :). Stefanie and I have known each other for quite awhile, starting with playing on the Sharks softball team in elementary school! We then went on to cheer together at Due West, then the Harrison JR. Program in middle school, and then on to cheering at Harrison and Stingrays in high school. We have always stayed close through the years even though she was a year younger than me. We don't get to see each other often so I always LOVE spending time with her.

Here is Alyse, Me, and Stefanie at my high school graduation party...seems like ages ago!

Here is the Varsity cheerleaders my Senior year...Stef is in there somewhere.

Watching her get ready on Saturday made me miss cheering so much. After I didn't make Alabama, I learned to let it go. I had to. It was my WHOLE life for so long, I really didn't know what to do without it. But I had to learn. And it was hard! Very hard. For most of my freshman year, I never watched the Alabama football games, I watched the cheerleaders, jealous that they were getting to cheer and I wasn't. Anyways, over the past year I have looked into coaching alot. I got offered a middle school job but couldnt take it because I couldn't promise the lady I would be in Atlanta (this was before I got a job). I really really would LOVE to coach...hopefully I will be able to someday!


Back to the weekend...Saturday was SO fun....I havent been able to go to a game since our first home game. I was sick the other 2 home games! :( The game wasn't until 6:45 so we tailgated all day and walked around Sorority Row to see all the lawn decorations. My dad came and spent the night with me so that was fun too! Karlie (my cousin) and I about froze at the game but we had a blast...even sitting in the nose bleed section! Sunday Dad, Ty, and I went out to lunch before I had to babysit....the twins are getting SO big...FINALLY walking! YAY! However, I've been babysitting them since they were just months old...and never have had to chase them around that big house. That was challenging! I would follow one, then turn around and the other one was gone.....then find that one and couldn't find the other! Luckily, their 5 yr old big sister helped me out. :) Anyways, all in all...wonderful weekend! It was much needed after a horrible Friday. Started off with a kid getting hit in the face with a book which busted his lip and blood went everywhere. Then, my kids were crazy people after lunch and i MIGHT have lost my temper on them...which in turn gave me a headache. And then, to top off the day....a kid cried for 45 minutes at the end of the day....he was still crying when I left him in the bus line. ugh! Just imagine trying to hand out snack to 16 1st graders, teach a short social studies lesson, and then get 16 kids ready to go home all the while having a 6 year old laying in the floor crying and whining the WHOLE time....I tried to tune him out but I just couldnt. blah! Anyways, Here's some pictures from the past 2 weekends..... =)

How beautiful!! I cannot believe she is a senior....

My amazingly beautiful little sister and I!

Look who decided to show his face on the Quad Saturday!

Stef and I all bundled up tailgating..it was freezing!

Babysitting Ingrid, Zeke, and Xander on Sunday! Here is Zeke smiling and Xander not wanting to have his picture taken!

Zeke loves the camera

Happy Monday!

melt my heart

so the first months of school are over...and i will admit, they were hard. very hard. nothing could have prepared me for being a teacher. NOTHING. not one class, not one practicum placement, not one day of internship. nothing. i kept waiting on someone to walk in and tell me what to do...because that's all i knew. but no, thats not what happened. i had to realize it was MY classroom, MY time, MY kids, and MY responsibility. and what a responsibility it is. making sure that all 16 of them get the best education possible. not to mention its my job to make sure they can read. thats the most stressful aspect of 1st grade if you ask me. math not so much....and i love math so i love teaching math...its a breeze to me. but making sure i teach every one of them how to read...now thats stressful. i have been trying SO hard lately not to stress....and i have gotten better, i really have. but those first months were hard. i was so stressed all the time...trying to make sure i am doing everything right. not to mention all the paperwork that is associated with being a teacher. i have PILES of paper on every desk in my room. my desk, my small group desk, shelves, and a random table i have in the back of the room. there is paper EVERYWHERE! and so many papers to fill out! if there werent paperwork, id be a happy teacher :). and on top of all this, i was pretty much sick the whole month of september it felt like. and i got so stressed because i didnt understand why i had to be so sick right when i started this new job. my principal was so understanding which i am so greatful for! anyways, after all the hard days i had, i feel like i have come so far. my kids and i have finally settled in with each other which feels so good. i know all their issues, problems, what makes them happy, what makes them mad, how to get them to behave, what to bribe them with, what makes them laugh, what their favorite subject is, and so on! i have learned SO much, i can't even put into words. nothing before actually doing it would have taught me how to be a good teacher. nothing. i just had to learn it myself. and i still have SOOO much to learn. i know each year will get easier and easier, which i am looking forward to.

anyways, this week i had a "melt my heart" as a teacher moment. it was one of those moments that only teachers know what it feels like. it made me realize how much i love being a teacher and how much this is the PERFECT profession for me. so, my horrible kid....he is so bad. but he is one of those kids that you just HAVE to love. his smile makes my heart smile. his laugh makes me laugh. he is so bad, but so precious. he makes me so angry but i just have to love him. i know he doesnt get any love at home and it breaks my heart. he tells me EVERY day, "i luh you" (translation, i love you). anyways, his big brother who is a 3rd grader was reading to our class yesterday afternoon and he (my kid) was whining about something, distracting everyone. so i quietly told him to come over to me and he sat in my lap and laid his head down on my shoulder and sat there the whole time and listened to his brother read. i just held him and rubbed his back to calm him down. needless to say it made my heart melt. i dont know what it was about that moment but i just love those moments. :)

well, i know this has been long but i just have to say what a GREAT weekend i had last weekend. i went home and it was jeri's homecoming. friday night i met my parents at harrison for the game. ohhh the memories!!!! i felt so old. it was kinda sad. when did i grow up? i mean seriously, i feel like last year i was a senior in high school. crazy how time flies. anyways, saturday we did the whole homecoming thing with jeri and i also got to spend time with jessica which was wonderful! we went and got a pedicure, which was much needed. ty says its a waste of money but i think it was a pretty awesome treat for myself! saturday night me and mom and dad ate dinner in front of the big screen watching football. it was simply amazing. relaxing and spending time with my wonderful parents! oh and not to mention BAMA won saturday :). oh and we're #2 now!!! sunday i got to see old friends at church which always makes me happy. all in all, a wonderful weekend! i am looking forward to this weekend too....bama's homecoming game...i get to see my friend stefanie who cheers for south carolina, and jessica might be coming!

2 days til the weekend...

happy hump day!

(pictures of jeri's senior homecoming will be posted soon!)

my 1st field trip!

today went amazingly well! praise God! I was super nervous. I ended up only having to take 2 kids with me....the rest were divided out between the wonderful parents who went with us! I had 2 boys and one of them is my most challenging student. He was so good today and we had LOADS of fun! the pictures will tell the story of our day....oh and Christen, Luke, and Aubrey joined us for a couple of hours! :)

look at that precious face.....

Luke and Aunt Kat on the train!

before going in!

worn out.....

in the petting zoo...

ohh bunny ears.....

off to the zoo

tomorrow the 1st grade is off to the zoo. my kids could NOT stop talking about it today. im pretty excited too :) i am kinda nervous because this will be my first field trip where I am the only one in charge! ahhh...please pray for me. mom didnt make me feel any better when she said that they lost a kid on a field trip when we were little....ah. i told them today that if they took their name tags off tomorrow and they got lost, they were goners...bahahaha. i think they actually believed me. but seriously...im kind of terrified of losing one...or two. thankfully ive got some parents going so they will help! nonetheless, im gonna be prayin hard tonight.

last weekend was WONDERFUL. and i mean WONDERFUL! it was so relaxing and ty's mom stuffed us with some lovely food! as always :). i just love his family...i am so blessed! ty and i played tennis on saturday...its his new obsession. he thought i was going to suck but he said i did better than he thought i would :). i did hit the ball over the fence into the other courts more than once. oops! tennis is a hard sport! i have wanted to learn to play ever since my uncle passed away last year. he LOVED tennis. all he ever wanted us to do was play tennis....we use to get tennis rackets for Christmas from him. i think he was smilin down on me on saturday :). hopefully ill get better if ty ever decides to play with me again!

so ive been trying to de-stress my life. apparently im too stressed....even though i don't feel like i am. however, i have had some big life changes over the past couple of months and i probably am stressed. my kids are a little crazy but i have started not raising my voice at them....to keep me from going insane. and it has worked lately! :) we've had a good past couple of days. and i dont have headaches when i leave school. i have also tried REALLY hard not to worry about the little things. if you know me, you know i worry about everything. im not sure why, i just do. so, im trying not to. i know whatever it is, God is going to work it out. he ALWAYS does. so if anyone has any tips on having a stress-free life...i'd love to hear them. every night i try to read my devotional for teachers...its been wonderful...very helpful for teachers! its very encouraging and i feel like every time i open it, i read exactly what i need to hear. its wonderful :)

okay im done babbling...ill leave you with a picture from this summer.....

casey, ashley, and i after tubing one day....gahhh i miss summer....

back from the dead

so, im back. i feel better now! i was really sick...it was pretty awful. apparently just a bad case of the stomach bug...whatever. its over and i cannot thank the good Lord enough. i am such a baby when im sick!

school was not fun coming back to today....paperwork, conferences, re-scheduling missed conferences, wondering what my kids learned the past 3 1/2 days, wondering where everything was, cleaning up my horribly messy room...etc.

so i had my first parent/teacher conference today and i actually felt like a good teacher after this one! the mom said that the little boy hated school last year and dreaded going and now he loves it this year (not that its because of me, but ill take the credit!). then she said that she saw him with his eyes closed the other day in the car and she asked him what he was doing and he said, "i'm praying for Ms. Alfano because she's been sick and i want her to feel better!" ---ahhh...melt my heart.

i really did miss my kiddies....as much as they get on my nerves sometimes....i felt so lost without them these past few days!

so...LOVING THIS FALL WEATHER! ahh, it makes my heart smile. i wish i could sit outside all day everyday in this lovely weather. as much as i love summer and all that comes with it....i LOVE FALL!!!!!!!!! thank you Jesus for this beautiful weather. :)

well, not much to update about...been cooped up in my apt since last week. this weekend me and ty are going to trussville...yay! rest and good food :) his mom kinda spoils me so i love going there!!!!

ill leave you with a picture of my sweet little angel of a niece!

i was at christen's yesterday and it about killed me that i couldn't play with her or luke because i was still sick!!! :(