Monday, August 31, 2009

im a big girl now!

It's official! I got my first big girl paycheck today! It felt so good to put that check in the bank! Now, I know what you're thinking....hello, you are a teacher, you don't get paid jack squat...yes, I'm aware - But to me, the check is HUGE! I'm going to listen to my parents, sister, and Ty when they say not to spend the whole thing and actually save some! However, it feels SO good that I don't have to ask anyone for money, don't have to rely on my parents, can go out to eat anytime I want, can buy groceries anytime I want, etc!!! I am so excited! It seems real now...I am a working girl!!!! When I got my paycheck today, I ran down the hallway telling all the teachers on my hall that I had gotten my first paycheck, I'm sure they thought I was nuts.

This weekend was super fun. Ty's dad's birthday was Saturday so we celebrated together! Lauren came with us and Jessica came on Saturday! What sweet friends I have! We had a cookout, played ladderball and cornhole and ate lots of birthday cake! It was so good to see my family and always good to see Ty's family as well :) We are really lucky our parents were friends before we started dating! They always have a blast when they get together! Ty's mom and cousin recreated the princess cake that Ty's 5 yr old cousin had at her birthday...lol - it was princess and I wanted a princess cake! They did a fabulous job too...here is a picture of my cake and Mr. Bill's 50th birthday cake!




Sunday we ate some of Ty's mom's good home cookin then went to see Christen and Ryan's new house in Riverchase! It was so cute and I am so excited for them! They are painting the whole house and putting some new carpet in! It's going to look so great when they are done! I know they will be so excited to get out of their townhouse! I don't know how they survived living in that little place for so long! They are troopers!

Well, thank goodness Monday is over...Mondays are rough for me! :)

Here is me on my bday with Ty :)



Thats all for now, off to the grocery store!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

22

tomorrow is my birthday! doesn't really seem like it though :( feels like just another day. funny how things change when you grow up. however, my birthday is pretty much my favorite day of the year so hopefully i can have a fun day with my kiddies! i told them it was my birthday so we'll see if they remember tomorrow! ha! my mom always cooked breakfast for us on our birthday before school every year when we were growing up so i am going to miss that in the morning :( i wish my mommy and daddy were going to be here! i'll get to see them saturday though! it was funny today, i completely forgot tomorrow was my birthday until i checked my mail after school and got a birthday card from a friend. before i opened it, i was thinking...."why is she sending me mail? i wonder what this is!" haha....

last year i had the best birthday! pretty much celebrated it thursday-monday! it was awesome....and it was "technically" the first time Ty and I "went out" together....we never really had a "1st date" but i always refer to my 21st birthday as our 1st date. so, it was special! the first time he held my hand was that night ;)

anyways, here's a few pics from my birthday last year! enjoy :)







have a good weekend!
ps- I GET PAID MONDAY!!!! MY 1ST BIG GIRL PAY CHECK!!!! im counting down the hours! i cant wait!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

friday yet?

ohh when will it be friday? Friday will be extra special because it's my birthday! :) one of my sweet kids this morning said, "Ms. Alfano, I'm going to bring you a surprise on Friday for your birthday!" --can't wait to see what she comes up with. Somehow I think her version of a surprise won't be the same as mine ;). However, coming from her, I will love it either way!! It will probably be something Hannah Montana, all my girls seem to think she is the best thing that ever walked the Earth! All my boys have a weird obsession with Micahel Jackson....lol, the love doing the moon walk and always try to get me to do it as well!

Anyways, the past 2 days have been...interesting. Yesterday was awful, today was the opposite...amazing! Its weird how kids change day to day and how somedays they can be perfect and the next they are little terrors. I am learning to love them no matter how they act but sometimes that can be a challenge!

I am so ready for the weekend! Ty's sweet cousin Heather has offered her house for my birthday dinner! We will be cooking out, playing cornhole and playing games! I can't wait! I'm so excited to see my family too. I can't believe I'm going to be 22....for some reason I thought I would be 21 for forever. Ty says I'm going to be an old woman but he just turned 24 so he will always be an old man to me! :)

My sister asked for some pictures of me on the wakeboard but I don't have any of me on the new wakeboard! :( I will leave you with me on Ty's from earlier this summer....Our new wakeboard is lime green and white and has sparkles on it :) its so cute!

I need to get a picture of me getting air over the wake!!! :)

ps- ANNA...you may not spell check my blog posts anymore....

Monday, August 24, 2009

ohhh mondays...

Mondays are so tough. I had the best weekend relaxing at the lake with Ty's family. I could seriously live on the lake. Its pretty much the best place ever! I think the weekend needs to be 3 days and the work week needs to be 4 days! I think everyone would agree with me. Ty got me and his sister, Casey a new wakeboard because the one he has is wayyy too big for us! We finally got to try it out this weekend and it was awesome....I'm becoming a pro!

Today was a good day...actually found time to take my babies outside for recess for the first time. Kinda sad that our schedules are so jammed packed that I can't even take them out to run around for 10 minutes. They loved it and I did too. :) Molly sent us a postcard from Germany so my kids were thrilled about that! After school I checked my mail again and she sent us another one! They are going to be excited again tomorrow! I need to take a picture of her part in my room so you can see our postcards! We wrote her back today...I kept asking them if they had any questions for her and all they could come up with was "Do you have a dog?"....I'm like common she lives in a different COUNTRY and that's your best question you got for her? Finally after some hints, they thought of better questions to ask her about living in Germany. Anyways, I am so glad we are being pen pals with Molly, it is such a fun way to tie in a little social studies and writing into our busy school days. Not to mention they think its the coolest thing EVER that the mail goes all the way across the ocean to get to us!

Well, I am REALLY behind on laundry and grading papers so I need to go get on that! Pray for me this week, I have a REALLY challenging student and I really don't know what else to do with him....I need patience and a loving heart!

Thank goodness Monday is over :)

I'll leave you with a picture...
this was a picture from Boston! On our personal tour of Fenway Park thanks to Ty's dad!

Friday, August 21, 2009

TGIF

gotta love the good ole' saying, TGIF!!!! Friday has a WHOLE new meaning to me now. Its pretty much the best day ever. Let the kids do some special games and centers that they don't normally get to do, and pop in a movie at the end of the day! :)

So my brother in law got mad today when he saw my blog cuz him and aubrey weren't in a picture in my last blog. So here ya go Ryan! I love you and Aubrey just a much as everyone else :)



What a precious baby!!! She is my new little princess! I love her! And I love being an Aunt! Here are some pictures of Luke having fun when Aunt Kat babysat him this summer.....


So, my molly ann is in Germany now being supermom to 4 kids. I got to talk to her today and it makes me miss her so much! However I am so glad she is getting to experience living in a different country! What an exciting time in her life! Check her blog out here ....its so fun to read! I love you Molly!


Okay, its off to the lake with Ty! :) Our favorite place to be :)
Have a happy weekend!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Yes, I did it...

Ok, so I've done it. I've created a blog. No, I don't have any children to show off or a special situation to share about, and no, I haven't traveled to a different country, its just me! I just LOVE reading everyone else's blogs so I thought I'd try it.

As most of you know, I am a 1st grade teacher at Cottondale Elementary. Cottondale is a little suburb of Tuscaloosa. I absolutely love it there! And it doesn't hurt that I get to stay in Tuscaloosa for some more football seasons! :) The first week of school was a blur. I have no idea what I did with the kids, but we all survived....I somehow stayed sane and they all got home on the right bus so I'd call it a success. This week has been stressful but a breath of fresh air. We started our reading and math programs so we are on a schedule which is so nice for me and the kids. The kids have somewhat settled in and I am getting use to everything as well. It is so crazy how much stuff I have to remember, how much paper work I have to fill out, and how much I have to teach! No amount of student teaching could have ever prepared me for this but I am loving every second of it! Lauren (my best friend and roommate in college) and I were talking last night about how we were scared before we started that we wouldnt LOVE it as much as we thought we would...but we do :) and it is SO nice to LOVE your job. I know so many people don't! Anyways, all in all, I am in love with my job and in love with my 1st graders! We have had some bumps in the road but we are getting use to each other and I think we are going to have a fabulous year together!







Other than school, I haven't really been doing anything. I have been a bum and haven't been working out! I am all moved into my new apartment and LOVE IT!!! It is brand new and super nice! I will post pictures later!

My summer was absolutely amazing and I can't believe its over! Ty and I pretty much spent every weekend at the lake and it was so nice! I also went to my good friend Abby's wedding and it was so sweet! She looked absolutely beautiful! I worked at the drugstore pretty much everyday. I miss the girls I worked with there but I do not miss the mean customers! ha!




Being away from home for good is a weird feeling. I didn't really want to go back home after graduation but I kind of always thought I would end up there. I LOVE where I grew up but its kinda hard when the person you wanna be with is here in Tuscaloosa ;). I did get very homesick right after I found out I got the job at Cottondale this summer. I just couldn't believe I was actually going to be LIVING here, not just going to school at BAMA. It's a weird/grown up feeling. I miss home alot, and miss my best friends, and my parents....but I see my parents often so that helps! Ty's family has been like a 2nd family to me so that helps ALOT too!

okay, time to go put smiley faces on some papers and plan some lessons for next week! :)