Myrtle Beach

I know, suddenly I'm a blogging junkie! :)

We also discovered a new favorite jam, because, well duh, Carolina girls are the best in the world! So turn up your speakers and listen as you read! 

This past weekend Sam, Emily, myself, Chris and Dennis (our neighbors), Lauren (Dennis's girlfriend) and  JE and Ashely (our friends)  all went to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend.  It was Chris's birthday so we were there for a vacation AND for celebrations! 

On the way there, we made a pitstop in Wilmington at Wrightsville Beach. So beautiful. 

The weather was absolutely perfect every day we were there.  Bocce ball, reading, and just relaxing on the beach seemed to fill our days. 

We also went parasailing one day! So pretty on the ocean! 

 

Dennis and JE parasailing.                                                                             The parachute! 

Gettin' ready to do this! 

Dennis, JE, Chris, Sam, me, Emily

Lovebirds for the weekend! :) 

Family pic :) Life doesn't get better than this! 

Per usual, Dennis had to check out things on the boat...with the captain and the mate...

So, umm....who's driving the boat?! JE's nervous!

One night we went out and I had my first piano bar experience! So fun! 

Having so much fun I can't even keep my eyes open! 

                                           *Lovebirds*                JE and Ashley, Dennis and Lauren

Going out and exploring the town!! Happy birthday Chris (Bryan!) 

 The father and son in the background were having a deep convo, which was not going well.  The son was pissed.  It was the father's birthday.  #happybirthdaytoyou but.... can we eat your friend pickles? 

Owning the dance floor, per usual

Convo before this picture: 

Chris: Sam, give me your camera. 

Sam: Why?

Chris: Cause I see something pretty... 

Chris and Ashley---Happy birthday Bryan! 

<3 <3 <3 

Yes, we live the good life.

Lady Antebellum Concert!

For my birthday, my two best teacher friends got tickets to attend a Lady Antebellum concert in Raleigh on...get this...the last day of school! What a perfect ending to a fabulous day!

Pactolus Teacher Family:   Tiffany, Alli, Molly, me, and Melissa :) 

With the coolers loaded, sundresses on, and cowboy boots rocking, we headed to Raleigh.  Opening for Lady A was Darius Rucker (yes, Hootie fans!!!).  He was amazing and, luckily for us 90's fans, sang plenty of Hootie songs.

"Hey, we're just lookin' for a good time!"

Then came Lady A! Their concert was amazing.  Sometimes you go to concerts of artists you love and they sound nothing like they do on the radio.  However, not Lady A.  They sounded even better live and put on a great show.  My only complaint is it was over much too quickly! We enjoyed the drinks and beautiful weather at the amphitheater.  :) Enjoy the pictures!

Pactolus Teacher Family plus friend! 

"We owned the night"

Just a quick shout out to Alli and Molly for the best birthday gift ever! Thank you so much! I had a blast!

Me, Molly, Alli

It was the "Perfect Day"

#BFFs

End of the Year festivities!

Wow....the end of the school year came and went so quickly!!

The last few weeks of school were consumed with EOG (End of Grade) testing at my school.  My students were tested in reading and math.  For all my Iowa friends who aren't familiar with this, students are given a (ridiculously long, over analyzed) standardized test and then given a score ranging from a 1-4, where a 3 or 4 are considered "passing".  No matter how you look at it, this is one of the biggest ways teachers are "assessed" on their performance for the school year.  Anyways, students 3-8 are all tested on the same day for reading and then math (which is a 2 day test).  They are long...and I mean 3-4 hours long.  And as an "administrator" I was expected to stand the whole time and walk around, monitoring for "foul-play".  Without going into much detail, it was awful and so stressful.  This took about a week to prepare and then take the tests.  THEN.....if students did not pass, they had to remediate for a week in whatever subject they did not pass, and then RETAKE the test.  Without being too "political" on this topic, I will at least say I was so glad it was over.  My students did very well and I was so please with their scores! :)

Once EOG's were over, we were finally able to celebrate the end of the school year.  Thanks to a great idea from my stepmom, Kim,  the 4th grade teachers arranged for our students to have a "Minute to Win It" day filled with games from the TV show.  To say we had a blast is an understatement.  The kids were so happy to be outside and playing (noneducational) games after a long 3 weeks of EOG prep and testing.  I wish I would have been thinking ahead to bring my camera but, per usual, I forgot.  Sorry! But imagine (organized) chaos with students running around balancing balloons on their heads, trying to eat Oreo's off their foreheads without using their hands, and squeezing Tic-Tac's with tweezers...Good mental picture, huh?

The last day of school was so bittersweet for me.  I had been thinking about this day for weeks and it was finally here and I was SAD! I didn't want my first class to leave me! They all found special places in my heart over the school year and will stay there forever! They have taught me more about life and teaching than I could have ever imagined last August when I started.

The last day was filled with games and, of course, an ice cream party! We celebrated and enjoyed our time together before loading the buses one last time for the school year.  All of my students rode the bus this year so we walked out and the students got on their bus.  Then...one of my favorite memories of the school year took place.  Normally the buses just tear out of the school and the teachers leave.  HOwver, on the last day, it's a bit different.  The teachers all line up and follow the buses over to the road.  Then the buses drive by one by one and the teachers wave them off.  The buses were honking their horns and the students were (literally) hanging out the windows trying to wave goodbye to all their (favorite!!) teachers.  It was the perfect way to end the school year! Again, I wish I had pictures but I forgot.

Anyway, now it's summer time and I can't wait for the festivities to begin.  I am so anxious to enjoy my relaxing summer filled with the beach, sun, drinks, celebrations, vacations, and friends!

#cincodekirstin

Our alternate ego's getting after it on Cinco de Kirstin 

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my birthday.  It's the very beginning of beautiful weather, school is almost out, and it's Cinco de Mayo!! This past weekend was, in fact, my 24th birthday.  I was a little weirded out about becoming so old but then I realized a very important fact...My age still rounds down to 20 so, to me, that's technically still "young", right?! :)

My birthday started with my students throwing me a "surprise" birthday party.  Of course I knew about it because, well, 9-10 year olds suck at keeping secrets.  Especially when it's the girls planning it and the boys (who want NOTHING to do with the girls....yea right!) found out about it.  So obvi the boys told me on Monday and I had to wait in suspense until Friday to celebrate.  Little did I know, almost every student had either made me a card or gotten me a present.  It was one of the most heart warming experiences I have had yet in my short, young 24 years of life.  They had all planned who was bringing in plates, cups, drinks, chips, cupcakes, the whole shebang.  We ate and celebrated and it was perfect! 

I should also share that one of my students, whom I love dearly because he is sooo sweet, brought in flowers.  When he walked up to give them to me on Friday he said, "Miss Kerian, these are for you.  I picked them from my mom's garden and they are your favorite color!".  Umm....adorable.  Pictures of the flowers are attached.

Another student brought in this legit chicken decorating thing that said "Laugh" and she explained the gift like this, "I got you this because you always laugh and because there are so many animals in Iowa."  For realz?!?! Can't you just feel your heart melting away? How sweet! 

Friday after work I went out with some "teacher friends".  I have really become close with two and I feel so grateful I was able to meet them! I can't imagine my life at Pactolus or in Greenville without them.  Anyways, their present to me was a ticket to the Lady Antebellum concert in Raleigh on the last day of school.  #solegit I can't wait for that as I'm sure we will be stoked from the last day of school (#bye) and I can guarantee the stories we come back with will be cray-cray. 

On Saturday, I awoke on my birthday to 3 missed calls, 2 voicemails, and 2 texts from my father.  He decided that he was going to keep calling every hour until I answered the phone.  I mean, he's the one that says it's your "birthday week" so why can't a girl sleep in a bit on her big day?! :) Either way, once I was up, the texts/calls/messages kept rollin in.  Yet another reason I love birthdays.  It's such a wonderful reminder of the blessings you have in your life and what wonderful people you are surrounded with.  Even me, living half way across the country from my entire family and friends, I still felt the love! #soblessed #feelthelove #friendstilltheend #familyties

Saturday was amazing. Sam, Emily, and I were able to lay out ALL day Saturday and soak up some sun! For those of you who attended Courtney Shimek's bachelorette party, you may see a small piece of memorabilia.... The margs and sun were the perfect combination for a perfect day.  We later celebrated by going to see a band we love, the Emily Minor Band.  She was so fun and I think, if I do remember correctly, she even gave a birthday shout out from stage! As always, my friends and I had a blast! I love them for hanging with my on my birthday and for being groupies with me.  Always a pleasure.

I think that's all for now.  

Love and miss my friends/family back home but, listen, the weather's a.maz.balls and life is good, so maybe someone should come visit? anyone.... :) :) 

Until next time...

Concerts and Trains

Hello!

Sorry my world has been flying at 200 mph..I know, I know...Not an excuse. :) Since I last blogged, my life has truly been..well...very boring! I seem to be living that day-in, day-out lifestyle that so many adults used to talk about. :)  It is now my life! But I appreciate the predictability though and am very blessed to have a job!

If I forgot to mention this earlier, I have decided I would like to marry a male country singer; preferably one  who is single so I don't have to be considered a home-wrecker.  What brings this on, you ask? Well, in February Sam, her boyfriend, Chris, and I went to a Brantley Gilbert and Eric Church concert in Greensboro.  It.  Was.  Un. Be. Lievable.  When both were singing, it was like they were giving a private concert just for me. And I  believed they were.  Especially during the love songs as I swayed to the music in pure bliss...

Now, Sam and I have been to MANY concerts in our days so we know what a good concert consists of.  This, however, was one of the top we have ever attended.  The crowd was out of control.  They knew every single word both artists had to sing.  They were loud.  They were crazy.  They were energetic the ENTIRE CONCERT.

You know that feeling you get when a really amazing, feel-good, happy song comes on the radio where you can't help but drown all your sorrows and just smile? That's what this entire concert was like! I feel like my words can't even begin to describe the energy.  When Eric Church's new song "Springsteen" comes on the radio, I can still here the coliseum singing to it as he went acoustic and help up the mic.  Between the concert and just a weekend getaway, the weekend was perfect!  I will attach pictures of this life-changing experience.

In my recent travels, I have also added to my list of "new experiences" by taking the train.  My grandpa's brother, Jerry, lives out in Alexandria, VA with his wife, Corinne, and their kids also live in the area.  While I was student teaching in VA, I had the pleasure of living with Corinne and Jerry and getting to know them better.  I wanted to go back and visit them so I took the train a few weekends back and stayed with them for the weekend.

Let me just rewind here for a minute.  While I was living with Corinne and Jerry last Fall, I found a very unexpected friendship in both.  I found that I could talk to both and really open up about many, many things.  Corinne soon became more than just my "great-aunt" (or whatever that relationship is).  She became a dear friend.  It was for this reason that, while returning to VA just a few weeks ago, it felt like going home.  I had the sense that when I walked into the house, I was walking into my house and my bedroom.  It was definitely a feeling I have missed being so far from home.

While in Alexandria, Corinne and I got busy doing "me-time" things.  We ate out, we shopped, we explored, and we visited her kids and grandkids (who are, for obvious reasons, adorable! :) Hi Harrison, Harper, Jackson, and Brooklyn!  We talked and read, we ran errands, and just enjoyed each other's company.  While Jerry was busy helping fund raise for their church, we were living in the moment! I was also able to catch up with my cooperating teaching from student teaching! This was especially exciting as she is expecting in June! :)

My weekend with Corinne and Jerry was memorable but, more unexpectedly, heart-warming.  It's like that feeling when you are away at college for long periods of time where you sometimes forget "who you are" and where you came from....then you go home, feel grounded again, and return to "yourself".  My weekend was very similar in that aspect.  I left feeling grounded and complete again.  :) So thank you again to Corrine and Jerry and family, for making my mini-vacation so "perfect"... ;)

Besides these eventful weekends, here is what I have done in the past two months:

1) Went to the Hunger Games....twice

2) Had 13 conferences in one night

3) Been called the "best" and the "worst" teacher...all in one day
4) Taken on my own car insurance... eww
5) Had bonfires and roasted marshmallows!!
6) Laid by the pool, in my swimsuit
7) Played the Finger Game at Happy Hour
8) Given up candy and pop for Lent...Easter can not come soon enough!
9) Balanced an egg AND a broom during this freaky "planet alignment/gravity" thing
10) Become obsessed with and made my class obsessed with the Decorah Eagles.  (We are watching them hatch this week!)

Strength.

As I sit here on a Friday night, relaxing from a long (short) week, I find myself with some deep thoughts...(which is very unusual, as I normally gorge myself in mindless, reality T.V. and books typically written for teens...The Hunger Games, Twilight, Harry Potter, etc.).

This past week I had (yet another) new student enter my class. While I can't tell you much, I can tell you this student received a new home as well as a new school all within one weeks time.  Immediately my heart was aching for them.  However, they came into my classroom with one of the most positive outlooks on life a 4th grader could have. This student is so full of energy and so eager to learn. I asked my student today how the first week was at a new school and a new home. My student replied with a simple shrug of the shoulders and a smile and said, "Well Miss Kerian, it's good!". If only I could have their strength some days. I admire everything about my student right now.

As my dad and I were exchanging emails today and discussing this, he said to me, "All problems in life look pretty small and silly when you just look around." I'm the first to admit I rant and vent (mostly to my very kind, very patient roomies!) about some of the most silly things in life. I get myself all worked up over the "small things". As I see my student and imagine what this person has gone through and seen in the past week of their life, I realize it is more than I will probably ever have to endure.

With that said, the next time I find myself upset I will follow my fathers "wise words" and think of the strength my 4th grader has...

Becoming an Adult....SUCKS!

Hello friends!!!!

Sorry it has been so long! I feel like once the holiday season hit, my life has been in fast forward!

Our first Thanksgiving away from Iowa was successful! We joined the boys downstairs and had a lovely meal complete with ham, potatoes, chicken, salad, 2 desserts, and more! Yes, we overcooked and yes, we overate but let me tell you, it was blissful! :)

I will admit, we got a little crazy with Christmas decorating! We transformed our living room into a Hallmark store.  I will attach pictures below.  It definitely made the holiday season seem more "festive", even if the weather was mid 60's and sunny!

For those of you who don't know, I was lucky enough to be able to go home for 10 days over break.  My trip was home completely and utterly perfect.  I was able to spend time with my family, pick on my brothers and sisters (which was long overdue, obviously!), and tear up Cresco with my friends.  Let me tell you, it was everything I missed about Cresco and more.  I had no idea I missed home as much as I did until I was home.  With that said, it was one teary goodbye.  I mean uncontrollable crying, tears streaming down my face, and not in a pretty, one glistening Jennifer Aniston tear; I'm talking black Lauren Conrad (when she is talking to Audrina) tears x 1,000.  Imagine that while going through security trying to convince the security man that I am actually okay, just sad I'm leaving home.  He thought I was crazy.... Needless to say, I left Cresco with a very heavy heart but it was full of new memories! It definitely gave meaning to the saying, "Home is where your heart is".

As hard as it was to leave everyone, say goodbye, and travel  back to Greenville, I was surprisingly excited to be back.  I realized how much I had missed my kids at school.  They were so excited to see me, as I was also to see them! I realized as I am writing this how many funny stories have happened during school just since we came back from break.  I had a mouse, yes a MOUSE, loose in my room, and the endlessly funny things my students say to me.  To read them and stay up to date on "$h!t my students say", keep following me on Twitter and Facebook! :) It is pretty hilarious.

We had a pretty great New Years Eve.  We went to one of our favorite local watering holes and saw a local favorite band "Emily Minor Band".  She was amazing, as always.  The drinks were also amazing, if you catch my drift! :) Haha.  I will also attach pictures from that.  Enjoy!

Now....to get to the adult portion of this blog....Since moving away from home, I have been faced with many "adult" challenges.  Some of them which were pretty easy; setting up a checking account, a saving account, changing my address, etc.  Then there were the more difficult things; figuring out and setting up my medical insurance, figuring out and setting up my benefits package, figuring out and setting up dental and vision packages.  I mean this stuff is endless! I have successfully done the things I  just listed but today I started a new venture, which I can already tell is going to be the most difficult; finding car/renters insurance! Renters insurance is no problem but car insurance, forget about it! "What's your VIN #? Uninsured Motorists Bodily Injury? Collision? Comprehensive? Property Damage? Medical Payments? Roadside Assistance? Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists? etc, etc, etc." My most common response, "Umm, can you explain that to me?"  Trying to find the answers to these questions yet still maintaining a confident front so I don't "get taken advantage of because of my youth and lack of knowledge, and, well, let's face it, my looks! Haha, just kidding.  But man, being an adult SUCKS...sometimes! I can tell this process may take a while and I can't wait for it to be over!

As I am writing this, there was a HUGE crash outside and we found there was an accident right outside our apartment...crazy living in the "city" sometimes.  So loud...all..the..time..!!!

Anyways, I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and heartwarming holiday season!

We are in the process of purchasing tickets to an Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert concert so you have plenty to look forward to for our next adventure!

Miss you all terribly!

#mynotsosecretobsession: One Tree Hill

Oh my goodness...............If I happen to die in the near future, I will feel my life is complete after our weekend trip to Wilmington, NC.

In true vacation fashion (for us, at least) the three of us took off on Saturday morning with NO plans what-so-ever. No hotel, no plans, no nothing...we like it that way, that way no one is ever disappointed. :)

Our first stop was at the EUE Studios where the set of One Tree Hill is located.  For those of you who are also fans, I toured #naley's house, Brooke and Julian's house (and their twin's new bedroom, adorbs), and what used to be Tric but is not Red Bedroom Records.  I literally was in HEAVEN!!!!!!!! It was the most amazing experience being able to see where it was all filmed and to actually think that those great starts were standing right where I was...geeky, I know! :) But for realz, it was amazing. 

After that, we took off downtown Wilmington and toured a few locations they film outside of the studio.  We visited Peyton's house, Lucas and Karen's house, Karen's Cafe, as well as.....probably the most notorious One Tree Hill location.....................THE RIVER COURT!!!! Yes, I was at the rivercourt.  Yes, I sat on the bleachers.  Yes, I cheered for Nathan Scott.  Yes, I almost peed my pants from excitement.  Literally, I thought it couldn't get better than this...but I was proven wrong.........

So after this, the girls and I decided to get settled into a hotel.  In past experience, we have stayed at super #jenkhotels.  We got lucky this time and stayed in a Super 8...Not the Hilton but also not the Tar Heel Motel.  It worked for us.  After a quick (2 1/2 hour) power nap, we headed back downtown for a few drinks and dinner.  We headed around to a few different places (thank you Sara Thomas for the GREAT recommendations) for some beers.  As we were seated in a super quaint little Irish Pub, I decided to get on Twitter.  It was there, at 10:19pm that I discovered One Tree Hill star, Tyler Hilton, was going to be holding a concert at the Soapbox that night at 11:00pm.  Obviously, we chugged our beers, closed our tabs and went to the Soapbox #asap. 

At 10:30pm we were at the Soapbox waiting in line to see if we could get in.  We soon realized everyone around us had tickets and we did not.  Not to worry, we had no shame.  We would wait in line to see if there any available tickets anyways.  Thankfully we did because, not only were tickets still available, but as we were purchasing our tickets, who excuses herself by me but, Megan Park (aka Grace from Secret Life of the American Teenager).  Seriously people, she said to me, "Excuse me" and I said, "Oh no problem, you're fine!" and we touched arms. Emily asked me who that was and I just stared at her.  She asked me again and I just pointed and was silent.  Episode #1 of being #starstruck.

So...we pay, get our tickets, and head up to the bar.  As we enter the bar, we see camera flashes continually going off in the same direction.  We sneak a peek to see who it was and we saw.......................................DAN SCOTT!!!!!!!! (Daniel Robert)  If you are a true OTH fan, you would not be impressed with this as he is the "villain" in the show.  However, we still wanted to take a pic with him because, after all, he is a star.  So after waiting around for a bit, we finally make our way to him and he says to us in a super-suave voice, "Opps, sorry girls, gotta go!" We were like, "Wait, Dan! Are you coming back?!" He promised us he would and he escaped to the backroom.  Needless to say, he never returned. #notimpressed @DanScott

We were left there with a bunch of crazy fans waiting for Tyler Hilton to come out.  As we were waiting, we noticed a sign hanging over the only few couches/chairs in this bar.  The sign read "One Tree Hill cast".  We started screaming. Shortly there after, the bar starts going crazy and fans are going bananas.  As we are wondering what is going on, a bodyguard crosses in front of us.  Followed behind him are Chelsea Kane and Stephen Coletti! People, let me tell you how we reacted.  Screaming. Laughing. Reaching to touch a piece of their bodies. Sam was holding onto my arm and felt, in the heat of the moment, that wasn't enough of a hint to tell me  how excited she was, so she grabbed my pants and continued to pull on them until they were basically at my thighs. Did we react in a super cas way? No...Are we proud? No...Are we embarrassed? NEVER! Episode #2 of being #starstruck

Okay, so we have realized and come to terms with the fact that the One Tree Hill cast WILL be in the same place as we will also  be.  We.  Are.  Excited.  As we grab a beer and try to "act cool", again fans start to go crazy and camera flashes start going off.  Guess who it was.....Julian Baker (Austin Nichols), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush), Mouth (Lee Norris), Millicent Huxtable (Lisa Goldstein), Chuck (Michael May) and Grace from Secret Life (Megan Park) all walk in.  Again, they walk right by us and we go crazy! I am talking, within reaching distance fo sho.  #ddyyyyyiiinnnnggggggggggggg

They all disappeared to the backroom and Tyler Hilton came out.  He rocked the house with his amazing music! He did a wonderful job.  I can't wait to purchase his new CD on iTunesamaz-balls.

Let me take you back a few hours in time to the car ride to Wilmington.  We were discussing what we would do if we saw actual stars and how we would act.  The main consensus was we would try to act super composed but mature.  I think it is apparent that we did not act composed but instead acted like 9 year old girls screaming for Hanson at a concert in the front row. 

That pretty much sums up our amazing weekend.  We also did some rockin' shopping, walked along the waterfront (beautiful!), and spend some nice roomie bonding time together! :) I have decided if I ever move closer to the water, Wilmington will be the place I move.  It stole my heart.  Downtown is beautiful; twinkle lights were everywhere! It literally transforms and becomes this magical place at night.  Breathtaking! I can't wait for our next weekend back!

I now have a short week this week with conferences on Thursday night, so Thursday is an early release day, and Friday no school for Veterans Day.  My mom and Sam's mom will be flying in on Thursday night and will stay here until Tuesday morning so it will be nice to have family around! :) Then just a few short weeks and I will be home for Christmas.  Can't wait to see all of you who I have been missing so dearly!

Here are a few pics from the super amazing, unexpectedly wonderful weekend we had in Wilmington, NC! :)

#jazzercise

Hello to my long lost friends and family!
Well....not much as changed since the last time I blogged.  My life consists of the following: sleep, eat, teach, meetings, eat, sleep...repeat.  I know, I know; welcome to the adult life, right? Because the weekdays are just so busy and long, I have found I like to "hibernate" during the weekends and do boring things like sleep, school work, watch TV, and do laundry.  :)

But this weekend I did decide to squeeze in a few Halloween festivities.  After stressing ALL WEEK about what we were going to dress up as (and yes, I mean literally stressing; talking about it nightly, googling "cute halloween costumes, and bounching around a gazillion ideas), we finally decided on Friday night at 10:00pm that we were going to be...............wait for it............................are you ready yet?.......................................80's AEROBICS INSTRUCTORS!!! #sofun 
We found it quite easy to find costumes as our own closets already housed many of the brightly colored clothing options we were going to need.  After a quick run to the mall for the essentail leg warmers and earrings, we were ready to go.  #costumes...check!

Sam and Emily had a few Thera-Bands laying around the house so we used those as our accessories.  #jazzerciseprops...check!
Lastly, we needed what all great aerobics instructors rely on: rehydration fluid.  We quickly created a sports drink which we branded "SEK Sports Drink" (Sam, Emily, Kirstin). It consisted of Sweet-Tarts for those of you who are familiar with the sugary, gut-rot drink but never-the-less....#sportsdrink...check
With all the essentials in place, we were ready for a night of jazzercising, arm pumping, and leg kicking.

Needless to say, we ROCKED it! Here are a few pics to illustrate just how good we looked.  Obviously it was much better in person with us pumping it in your face but these will have to do for those of you couldn't be with us last night! :)


Happy Halloween!

Until next time...


PS - Next weekend we are taking a roadtrip to Wilmington, NC.  AKA, the filming location and home of my absolute fav TV show everrrrrrrrrrrrr, One Tree Hill.  I will take many pics and will be in pure bliss all weekend.  Be ready for a post showing my obsession! :)

Irene, Earthquake, Skydiving!

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am still alive! So sorry it has been so long since my last post!  Since school started, it has pretty much taken over my life! My 4th graders and I are having a wonderful start to the year.  We have already had a few speed bumps but nothing we can't handle! :)  My dad also sent me flowers on the first day of school..here is a picture of them! So pretty! Thanks Dad...love you :)

I guess the first thing I should write about is Irene.  She was a crazy lady, that Irene! I will attach a few pictures but basically, to sum up our first hurricane, I would say she was a bit dangerous.  We weren't really sure what to expect with our first hurricane but I think we waited too long to go out and grab our necessities (bread, water, flashlights....).  Also, Sam's sister, Sonni, was here visiting that weekend so she also got to experience Irene.  

Anyways, it was a long weekend filled with lots of rain and wind.  A few people were a bit...ehmmm, silly, with their decisions during Irene.  Maybe they should have thought twice before driving down a very, very flooded street...

I should also mention, just a few days before my first hurricane, I experienced my first earthquake.  I was sitting in my classroom typing on my computer and everything in my room started shaking.  While it wasn't as bas as it could have been, I was still scared! Crazy things happening here in North Carolina!

The most exciting thing I have done in the past couple of weeks is skydiving! We decided to go on a beautiful Saturday.  We went over to the Outer Banks (aka Heaven on Earth) and jumped out of an airplane! I wasn't that scared until Emily and I were up in the plane and she jumped out first.  The minute I saw her and a second later I didn't see her, I began to FREAK OUT!! I will attach a few pictures. I have a video but it was having problems uploading so you can check it out on Facebook.  It's pretty funny!  You can see how my instructor basically pushes me out of the plane.  The free-fall was a little intense for me but as soon as we opened the parachute, it was the most beautiful experience I have ever seen! And the fact that I got to skydive over the Outer Banks was one of the best experiences I have had so far in my life.  Here a few of the pictures but all of them and my video can be found on my Facebook page.  If you aren't my friend but want to be, you can find me as Kirstin Jo :)

Lastly, I wanted to share with you a heartfelt experience I had here.  Last weekend my roommate, Emily, and I participated in a Walk to Defeat ALS.  Sam was supposed to do it with us also but, unfortuetly, she had to work.  We drove down to Emerald Isle and could not beleive what we saw.  It was an entire community event and the whole town basically shut down for this walk!  Emerald Isle is located right along the coast so our walk took us right down the beach!  It was beautiful! There were also over 300 marines there to lead off the walk so that wasn't a bad view either! :)  It was a wonderful day in memory of Ken!  Love and miss you!

I hope everyone has wonderful weekends! I plan on staying in and watching T.V., relaxing and catching up on lesson plans. :) It's a rainy, dreary weekend here so it's perfect for staying in and being lazy. 

Until next time...

XoXo

#meetings #JohnnyCash

Hello to my friends and family!

Let me just start this post by saying I miss you all terribly!  I am now exiting the "honeymoon" stage of moving and into the "reality" stage.  While there is still no doubt in my mind about this move, I just miss my family and friends.  School started back in Iowa last week so that means I now am the big sister to 1 official junior higher, two freshmen in high school, and one sophomore in high school! Can you believe that? Cra-Cra!

And now to update you on the past few weeks. If I had to choose one word to sum it up, I would say: "meetings". I have spent the last two weeks sitting in a chair, in various locations all over Greenville, listening to people talk at me. It's been trainings, orientations, meetings, etc. You get the point. But it's all part of the job. :) Needless to say, I am sooooo excited for the students to come back to school. Back to School Night is Tuesday night and the first day of school is Thursday. I have used a few days to get my room ready for my fourth graders and, if I do say so myself, it looks pretty good! (My assistant principal came in the other day and said, "Woooah girl! I haven't seen a room look this inviting since I was teaching!"...just my little brag moment! :) ) Anyways, I am attaching a few pictures below so you can all visualize where I am spending my days from here on out. I can not wait to meet them all.  Anyways, here are a few pics of my room!

Besides living the life of a full time employee, our lives have been pretty boring.  We continue to spend time with our awesome neighbors who live below us.  We recently held a Monopoly tournament (I am proud to say I took 2nd!).  We also have Family Dinner Nights with them on Sundays (today, woohoo! And it's their turn to cook!).  They both went to ECU, located here in Greenville, so they know all the "hot spots" around town and have taken it upon themselves to show us the best of Greenville.  Considering we have yet to have a boring night out with them, I would say they are doing a great job.  Here is a picture of us with the boys during a night out on the town!

I do have a throw in this story from last night, just for a little giggle.  So we have a few bars near us with which we like to go to.  They always have live music and, one of the biggest bonuses, they are within walking distance.  Anyway, last night we went there and, as we are approaching, we hear the live music for the night.  They had a very jazzy twist on many county/pop songs, so obviously, if we can sing along, we love it!  We walk in, after paying $10 cover (not impressed), and make ourselves right at home in front of the stage, singing along, dancing, and acting as if we own the place.  Okay, this is when you should be saying to yourself, "Girls, you are not in Cresco, these people do not know you, and this band is not the Goatropers.  AKA, chill out."  But no, we continue to have a great time and are really liking this band.  Partially because #theleadsingerwashot @sjslifka @ezueger.  But back to the story, before we know it, we hear the unmistakable beginning of Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.  Having the parents that we do and being raised in small town Iowa, Sam and I instantly start dying because we know it and no one else does.  We start singing and jamming out, me on my leg guitar and Sam on her air guitar.  The. Band. Is. Im. Pressed. So what do they do? They give Sam and I the mic and let us sing the first verse.  Was it karaoke night? No.  Did they let anyone else sing? No.  Clearly we are something special.  Obviously we rocked it and we found ourselves saying, yet again, #welcometogreenville and/or #greenvillecan'thandleus. So thank you to everyone who helped us become stars last night; we wish you could have seen it. 

Anyway, I will keep you all posted on how the first few days go with my students! Wish me luck! :)

Until next time...

P.S. For those of you who don't know, the "hashtag" (#) is used frequently in our conversations because of Twitter.  We are obsessed with Twitter and hashtag #everything! :) Still don't understand? Get a Twitter account and follow us @sjslifka @keriank @ezueger!

Welcome to Greenville Folks

As Sam and I have lived in Greenville for a week now, we have found ourselves in some pretty interesting situations. We have found and taken a liking to our neighbors. They have shown us around the town a bit and it's always an interesting time! Here are a few entertaining moments for you :)
1) First Night Out - Our neighbors (there are 3 of them) took us out to a local City Bistro. It's a motel so naturally, we thought the worst. Where are they going to kill us? Will someone hear us if we scream? (Yes mother, we were using the buddy system at all times.) Turns out the City Bistro had a live band that night called the "Emily Minor Band". She was a country singer and she has become our new favorite live band to listen to. There are memories of us standing next to the stage, screaming, hands in the air, singing "Broken Wing". Yes, it was a good time! I now follow her on Twitter and guess what? SHE RETWEETED ME!!! I thought it was a pretty big deal and was very excited! We can't wait to see her live again.

2) Culture Shock Hot Dogs - Sam is a genius with finding fun things to do on the internet and she saw that Greenville was hosting a Night Out Against Crime in their local park. There was going to be live music, free food, and lots of "vendors". It was quite similar to the one and only Might Howard County Fair. Very fun! So we went and started our venture by grabbing a bag of the free food. We opened our bag to find not one, but two hotdogs. We opened them (starving because we don't have any pots and pans or microwave yet as our third roommate, Emily, has it and hasn't moved in yet) and were taken by surprise. The hotdog was BRIGHT RED. What?! Since when are hotdogs bright red? I, being the closed minded person I am, instantly decided there was no way I was putting that in my mouth. I've seen a hotdog and that was not it. Sam has a much more "when in Rome" type of personality so she went for it. After the first bite she says it's not that bad. Okay, okay, I'll try it. Barf. The first bite may not have been bad but the second was awful. So chewy, so gross. We later find out they aren't beef hotdogs, which is what we were used to. However, eating a gross hotdog was a payoff for the band we were about to hear. Again, we love live music. There was a band playing there called "Parmalee" and WE. LOVED. THEM. They are a country/rock band who plays some of the best music I have heard in a long, long time. Find them on iTunes and download there CD. So worth it! And when they are big, we can say we saw them in concert already! :)

3) Employment and Shout Outs - Maybe this should have been my first post but for those of you who do not know yet, I have landed myself a job teaching 4th grade in Greenville. I am very, very excited! I got a sneak peek into my classroom yesterday and it's big and, of course, super cute! I can't wait to get started setting it all up. I was officially signed on Thursday and I start orientation on Monday. Pretty fast! But I could not be happier and finally feel like the past 4 1/2 years of paying to be a teacher is finally worth it! So a big shout out to everyone who has helped me get to where I am right now in life. I could not have done it without you all. I have the best support system a girl could ask for so, you know who you are; thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! Love you all!

4) Lazy Days - Because Sam and I don't start work until next week, we have taken this time to enjoy ourselves and relax! We invested in some beer and pool floaties (thank you Grandpa Damon!) and have spent endless hours relaxing at the pool, soaking up the sun. Sometimes, when the sun it too hot, we come back and watch The Hills (we started at season 1, we are now on season 3) or One Tree Hill. Yes, it's a tough life, we know, but someone has to do it! :)

Butttt.....Our third roommate, Sam's classmate, Emily, moves in later today so we need to go clean a bit before she gets here! Hope everyone has a relaxing Saturday and a wonderful weekend!

Miss you all!

Until next time....

A Family Vaca To Remember...

As most of you know, I have decided to move to Greenville, NC with my bestie, Sam. Before we hit the new city, my Mom's family and I decided to take a little family vaca to the Crystal Coast of NC, more specifically, Atlantic Beach.

We arrived at Havelock, NC two days after we left Iowa. Yes, I said two days. I think I can speak for the whole family when I say that it was easily two of the LONGEST days of my life. Driving through the corn fields of Iowa, around the larger cities of Cincinnati and Indianapolis, through the mountains of the East Coast and every other little town you can imagine was not exactly the highlight of my trip. While we made it there safely, I vowed to never do that again unless I am moving home and absolutely NEED to drive back.

And so our vacation started. We were all a bit antsy to take in the beach; I mean, who wouldn't be? We had driven for two days towards the Coast so, naturally, we needed to see the ocean. One would think this would be a great experience, sitting on the beach with a few cold beverages, beach chairs, bogey boards, etc. However, our experience seemed to be the opposite of what we expected. The wind was so horrendous that day! The sand was being picked up and flown at us! Our towels went flying if we didn't weight them down. It was one of those days where you instantly get upset at the person sitting beside you because they aren't thinking of you when, obviously they should be, as they shake out their towel, into the wind, directly at your face. Perfect! I needed a little sand shower, thank you very much!

Here is a picture of Claire and me "trying" to enjoy the beach!

The next day we opted out of another wonderful day at the beach and decided to take a ferry to a local lighthouse. Again, one could only imagine this as being a peaceful afternoon taking a ferry to and from the island, checking out the lighthouse, and maybe hanging on the beach. The ocean gods were not with us, again. As we arrived at the ferry dock, we stepped out of the car to 40 mph winds. Car doors were flying and hair was whipping your face (girls, you know this feeling and it hurts!). But we decided we may as well make the best of it! So as we sat there waiting for our ferry outside, we couldn't even speak to each other. Sitting right next to someone did not mean you could hear them. Tom had to hold onto his hat or it would fly away. Also, I should mention the ferry itself. We had envisioned a decent sized boat capable of taking around 20-25 people. Wrong! The "ferry" was a small "fishing" boat. The thought of going on a teeny little boat in an ocean which was white-capping all over did not seem appealing to us anymore. As we continue to sit there and wait for our turn, my mom is slowly losing it. For those of you who don't know my mom; she HATES the wind. It drives her absolutely insane! She was trying her best to keep a perky face on but finally, when the captain came out and told us they were going to quit running for the day as "conditions became unsafe", we could not help but give a little cheer.

The rest of the day consisted of us taking in the local aquarium, NC Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium. It's a must if you are in the Atlantic Beach area!

We also ate out most nights and I feel it necessary to give a little shout out to the delish restaurants we encountered! For the best shrimp I have ever had, visit Snapperz Grill and Steambar in Morehead City. This was the first place we ate at and, quite honestly, none of the others even came close to their food! For a wonderful crab cake, go to Crabby Patty's in Havelock. I recommend sitting outside on the patio! So relaxing!

As we wrapped up our trip, we were sad to leave the Crystal Coast of NC but excited as it meant traveling to my new home, Greenville, NC!

Until next time...