My Little Box

Since I am snowed in. . . I thought I would take a couple pictures now that my place is all together and decorated for this festive holiday season!

(The first few are a little fuzzy because they were taken with my ancient cellphone!)

Even my bathroom has a pink tree, with pink garland and candles on the counter . . . This is thanks to Grandmama a few years back :)

I LOVE having a real fireplace! It makes everything so cozy! Mom finally found a mirror for me to above the fireplace. Shelly and Grandma helped her pick it out. Thanks Mom!

This is my living room. You can't really see the cute lanterns on the coffee table, but they have Christmas trees carved in them. Christi and I found them at a craft fair.

 

Here is my little tree. Pretty foggy picture, but if it was clear you would see that most of the ornaments sparkle and are silver and gold. 

The cabinet was my great grandmother's. It is over 80 years old. It fits just perfectly! You can't see my Christmas decorations on the table or on the cabinet very well, but I tried!

Jason's Visit

So, in case you didn't know. Jason has been in Afghanastan since May! Well, he finally got a break and came home to visit for two weeks. At the beginning of the 2 weeks we all went out for dinner. We all meaning: Lisa & Dick, Larry & Donna (and her son), Bethany & Jason, Dan, and myself. My parents didn't go to this one, but Jason will be "gracing" the house with his presence. . . poor Mom. :)

After dinner at Brewer's Alley, we went to Firestone's and then Griff's. It was a lot of fun and I hope that Jason knows the reason we were all together is celebrate him being home safely. The real celebration, however, will come in the spring when he is home for good!

Thanksgiving

We continued the tradition this year and had the Poole/Kipp crew over at Mom and Dad's house!

This year there was a new member-Avery Michelle-Susan and Mike's adorable baby girl.

Of course we all were dressed nicely and enjoyed playing with the kiddos, eating WAY too much food, and drinking some tasty wine. . . .

but . . by the end of the night it was time to change into sweats and relax. . . first by the fire pit! We made yummy s'mores and . . .

hung out by the fire . . . it wasn't chilly at all with the " " blaze" Dad had made!

Unfortunately. . . It started to rain. At first it was fine. We all acted like morons and hid under the umbrellas, but then it started POURING . . . Time to go inside!

Dad made sugar cookies and it was time for the little kiddos to get in PJ's. Back to the living room to relax!

Halloween

Trying to catch up -once again! What happened during Halloween? Well, let me fill YOU in! :) Dad dressed up for the first time I can ever remember. He was a fireman and even burned a shirt to be "authentic". Mom was a cat . . . but she SHOULD have been Shelly. That was the original plan-since dad decided to poke fun at Larry (Shelly's hubby) and write Montgomery County Fire Department on his outfit.

I was a "Go-Go Girl", Ash was an indian, Bethany was a flapper, Katie was a goddess . . . we had a great time!

Summer catch up. . .

Okay-before I start, this is a general recap of the summer. I thought I would take advantage of this snow day and update my blog!
This summer was one with big change for me! I went from a modified calendar (year-round) school to a traditional school (regular calendar), moved to McLean, and changed schools. All great changes but it was a lot to adjust to all at once! In the midst of these changes I was able to be in two of my best friend's weddings! Lauren T and Lauren W - and they are now both Lauren M. . . Which is weird in itself!

Lauren W.'s wedding took place in Lynchburg and was so much fun! Before all the relaxation began, I through a shower for Lauren. We had it a lovely italian resturaunt and her friends and family (who were in town) all joined. The food was unbelievable and the service-spectacular! I spent quite a few days in Lynchburg visiting with ALL my girls! We went shopping, to the gym, out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. . .Starbucks, Panera, and Coldstone were a must! We got our hair and nails done. . . and maybe had a couple fun nights out! :) It was so relaxing and such enjoyable quality time. At the end of the week it was time for Lauren to get married. The weather was perfect (thank gosh, because it was outdoors and they night before was gross -our heels were getting stuck in mud and the bugs wouldn't leave us alone) and everything went beautifully!




Next it was off to North Carolina for Lauren T.'s wedding! It was a long drive, but so much fun! Lauren W. and Jill were also in the wedding, which made it especially entertaining! We started with the rehearsal. The dinner was held in a charming early 1900's style house with sparkling chandeliers.After the rehearsal dinner all the ladies went back to my hotel room and we ate food, had some terrific wine, and hung out in our PJ's. It was like we were in college all over again. The next day, it was time for LT to become another L.M. :) We got ready at the church. During the wedding LT's husband sung a gorgeous song which he wrote especially for her. The reception was breathtaking: between the tall centerpieces, the monogrammed dance floor, unbelievable lighting, and delicious food- LT certainly had the fairytale wedding she always dreamed of!

Next it was off to the beach with my parents for a week! Then I spent time with the newest Kipp addition and Danielle and her adorable little guy-Logan. What a fun break!

So, I finally thought I would update my blog. Mostly because I accidentally took a three hour nap earlier and now I am wide awake! As most of you know I have been really sick the last few months and am recovering from Bronchitis AGAIN. Good thing is - the school year is almost over which means rest and getting well for good! YAY!

I had been looking to change schools for next year and something worked out perfectly. I happen to be at a science lead meeting at another elementary school in the county and was the only one who showed up. Now for those of you who are not aware of what these means: teacher's from other schools did not come to an important meeting in which you gather information on the science curriculum and bring it back to your entire school. Sad, I know. Anyway, I ended up meeting the principal who was hosting the meeting. She wanted to interview me. By the end of the week I had an interview and she offered me a job on the spot! The way it worked out was amazing because originally I was not looking to move closer to DC but rather further out towards, Leesburg or even Frederick with my family but I love this school! It is quite different than the Title One school where I am. It is in the center of a very affluent community. I am extremely excited about the change. I am sad about living TL though. I have so many great friends there and a terrific boss but I have a lot of exciting challenges and experiences to look forward to. Plus, the new school is not year-round so I will have the entire summer "off". So excited!

Since I did get this terrific new position, I decided to move closer to the new school. For the first time I will have a ten minute commute, which in DC is AMAZING! I am thrilled. I move in a few weeks and cannot wait for the change. Hopefully I will continue to meet interesting new people. Who knows where life will take me!

I am looking forward to spending the summer with friends and watch three of my best friends, Kristin and both Laurens, get married! Not to mention enjoying Cinnamon's new baby boy, and my other three lovies that are having babies this summer. So exciting for all of them! :) We are all so blessed!