Saturday, October 29, 2011

De Soto Falls

Every year, we go to the mountains for my mom's birthday.
This year, we went to Vogel Park and De Soto Falls.









Those guys.




Callaway. Such the model.

It was a good day all around. We sure missed Zeb, though. As my mom says...he's the life of the party.



Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ron Clark Academy

Have you ever heard of the Ron Clark Academy? If not, go here and check it out.

My mom and I were fortunate enough to go to the VIP Chautauqua Benefit last Saturday night. And boy am I so glad we went!
One of my teachers has a goddaughter who attends the school. She told us so many great stories in class so I was really excited to be able to see it in person.


When we got there, we walked down a red carpet with students lining the sides. They were singing and dancing and greeting everyone. Once we walked inside, we saw students everywhere. They would come up to you, shake your hand, introduce themselves, and offer to be your tour guide. Our little boy was in 6th grade (the students here are in 5th-8th grade). He was so polite and so mature. He led us around the building and told us about every aspect of the school.

This was a real car turned reading center inside a language arts class.
The inside was full of bean bags.
 
Language Arts Classroom
Math Classroom


After about an hour, the teachers went to their rooms and started teaching. We sat in on a sixth grade science classroom where they were finding the stoma on a piece of a plant. I don't know about you, but we sure didn't do that in sixth grade.

55 Essentials (School Rules)
We then went to Ron Clark's class. Oh.my.word. He is an INCREDIBLE teacher. I so wish I had him when I was in school. He was teaching a fifth grade math class. The students were so excited to learn and he was so interactive with them. He would jump on top of the table, sing songs, use hand motions, and the kids would just follow his lead. At one point, a majority of the students got a question correct so Ron hit a big red button on the wall. The lights went out, black lights and strobe lights came on, and the students jumped on top of the tables and danced to "All I Do is Win." Seriously?! Can I go here?!

The secret door to Ron Clark's classroom.
You have to speak the magic word or turn the lantern to enter.
Ron Clark teaching a 5th grade problem.
{Sorry for the dark picture!}
I was amazed at how smart these children are at such a young age. The problems they were doing were so difficult. If you look at the picture above, you'll notice how hard the math problems were. At one point, he asked the students to list six countries in order of population size. These kids all had the answer within 15 seconds.

If you -ever- have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. Especially if you work with children. It was such an inspiring night. I plan on going to one of his conferences once I have my own classroom.

If you're still reading, I'm impressed! I just realized how long this post has become. But seriously. I cannot say enough good things about Ron Clark.

In case you want to see a class in action, here is his fifth grade math class from last year. Ron Clark is the man speaking towards the end.



Monday, October 24, 2011

Happy Birthday Mom!!

As I mentioned yesterday, today is my mom's birthday.
Happy Birthday Mom!!!

You are such an incredible role model.


You taught me to always pursue the Lord.


Your faith and determination through your battle with cancer was inspiring.


You are an awesome mother to Zeb, Cal, Wyatt, and me.


I'm so glad I got to spend this weekend with you. I'm so blessed to have you as a mother!
Love you to Heaven and back!

Love, Boo

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Mom's Birthday Weekend

My fabulous mother has a birthday tomorrow!
One of her favorite things to do is visit the mountains.
We don't have a specific place; we just drive and stop somewhere.
I love these spur of the moment family outings.
And we're going today!!
Sadly, Zeb isn't at home. But the rest of the family is super excited.

Today's Agenda:
-have fun
{duh}
-boiled peanuts
-picnic
-hike
-pictures
-toss a little pigskin
{three brothers...remember?}

Hope this post finds you enjoying your Sunday!

Here's a little snapshot of my mom's birthday in 2009.
We've all grown up. A lot.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

When I signed the lease for my apartment, I immediately thought of cooking. I was (fortunately) on the meal plan for the first two years of college so I didn't have to worry about cooking for myself.
Now I live with my brother. And he doesn't cook.

Sooooo I've been finding recipes on Pinterest like nobody's business.
This past week, I made a pizza pasta toss and chicken enchiladas.
Both of which were delish.
I don't have a picture of the pasta, but you can see it here.
{This is one of my favorite cooking blogs. And Cara is so sweet!}

Here are the enchiladas I made:


They were soooo easy to make. I'll even give you the recipe because I want you to share in the goodness. As Zeb likes to say, they're tacos on steroids.

Chicken Enchiladas in a Crockpot
Ingredients:
  • 1 package of chicken tenderloins (the precut strips)---I used about 8-10 strips
  • 2/3 of a jar of salsa (I used Medium)
  • 1 can of Enchilada sauce (I used 10 oz jar of Old El Paso)
  • 1 package of soft taco shells
  • 1 package of shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)
Put the chicken tenders, salsa, and about 1/2 cup of water in the crock pot on high for 3.5-4 hours. Take the tenders out and shred them with 2 forks. (They will be very easy to shred.) Add the shredded chicken back to the crock pot and add 1/2 the can of Enchilada sauce. Stir all ingredients and let them simmer for a few minutes. 
Preheat the oven to 350 and fill each taco shell with the chicken and top with cheese. Roll the shell up and place the seam side down in a baking dish. Once all your enchiladas are filled and in the dish, top with the rest of the enchilada sauce from the can (and you can add the sauce from the crock pot). Smother with the shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until all hot and bubbly!

Y'all these were sooo good! Later that night, I noticed Zeb had left me a message on our chalkboard:


So sweet! I will definitely be making these again.
Have you tried any new recipes lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Brevard, North Carolina

This past weekend was AMAZING!!! I absolutely love going to the mountains, especially in the fall.









I had such a great time with my small group. We went hiking, walked around downtown Brevard, ate at a cute café, and watched tons of chick flicks.
All in all, a relaxing weekend with lots of quality bonding.
Just what the doctor ordered.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Weekend Getaway

Good news: I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to Brevard, North Carolina with my small group. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this. I desperately need a break from school and work.

I think the thing I'm most excited about it is seeing the waterfalls and all the pretty leaves. I'll be taking pictures like it's my job.






Bad news: I have to take homework with me. But at least I'll be writing papers in the mountains instead of Athens.

Images: 1 2 3

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Passion University Tour

Passion has been going around to campuses in the United States the past few weeks to gear up for the big event in January. Tonight, they are going to be at UGA!! I'm so excited for a night of great worship.




It's almost like a half-birthday type thing. Just like a half-birthday gives you a small taste of your real birthday, this will tide me over until the real deal.

Monday, October 10, 2011

In keeping with the theme of movies, I finally watched Breakfast at Tiffany's. Oh my word. I'm in love. Why have I not seen this before?! I am obviously way behind on the classics.



Audrey Hepburn is gorgeous. George Peppard is charming. And Mickey Rooney is hilarious.
This is now added to my "Favorite Movies" list.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The One with the Dance Moves

Did the title make you think of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.??? Please say yes. Then we can be besties.

I digress. I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time (gasp!) on Tuesday night. My thoughts:

-I'm a fan of Patrick Swayze
{never thought I'd say that}
-I wish I could dance
{don't get me wrong, i've got moves. just not like them}
-Why is this my first time watching this?!


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Random Thought

I had a strange thought today. I just realized I am going to be listening to the same music as the little kiddos I am going to teach. And by that, I mainly mean people like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers. Why does Disney have to produce some of my faves? They aren't making things easy for me. 
{And don't even get me started on my favorite movies.}

While I am not planning on changing my musical tastes, I am planning on keeping it a secret from my future students. They don't need to know I can relate to them this well.

Any other "Disney" lovers out there? Anybody?

***Disclaimer: Those listed above are only a small part of my musical collection. I've been told I have a fantastic musical library full of very diverse songs.*** 

That's My King

Stumbled upon this today. It's a great reminder. It also gives me chills.


Do you know Him?


Sunday, October 2, 2011

Bible Study Date

I just got back from a Starbucks date with Kristen. There is nothing better than studying the Word with your best friend while drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

{photo courtesy of Kristen}

With the cold weather, the warm coffee, and the Christmas-sounding music playing in Starbucks, we couldn't help but think it was winter time. We even listened to Christmas music on the way back home.

It's never too early for Christmas music. Trust me.

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