Harrington Hoopla

Staying Busy

2009-07-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I are staying busy this summer. Ryan has been playing softball, teaching summer school, attending camp with the youth group, and next week football starts! I have spent the majority of time at the pool. I was supposed to start a new graduate class on Monday however I made the decision to drop the class for now and postpone my master's graduation. I think it was the best decision I have made all summer!!!! I feel much more relaxed and now I don't have to stress about how I will manage a pool, get ready to teach, write papers, and take care of the house!

We have been working on our house a bit this summer and so far I have painted our bedroom and bathroom. We have the paint for the kitchen but I just can't get motivated to start it. Maybe tomorrow :) Ryan and I plan on doing a couple more things this summer such as finishing the office and maybe painting the guest bathroom and downstairs bathroom. I guess we should get started on a couple more of these projects considering it is JULY.

I'll take some pictures soon and post them so you can see all our lovely projects in their completed stage!

A Day At The Pool

2009-06-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are curious as to what I do all day at the pool so I thought I would give you a quick day in the life of Maria at the pool. Please enjoy!

*This is a true account of a work day this week.*

7:13 am - Phone rings waking me up. Who is it? Lifeguards who have been at the pool since 6:30 am to guard for swim team just wanting to say "Hi" because they love me so much :)

7:18 am - Phone rings again. Who is it? Lifeguards trying to be funny by blocking their number and talking in strange voices. Again, because they love me!

7:25am - Text message. Who is it? Lifeguards telling me they are hungry and asking if I'll go to Chic-Fil-A to get breakfast (On a side note I did leave them a note that said I would pick up breakfast for them and to call me around 8:30am). They apparently think 7:13am is around 8:30am

7:30am- Shower and Get Ready for the pool (this includes black bathing suit, black shorts, white polo shirt, and sandals)

8:15am - Head to Chic-Fil-A to pick up breakfast

8:45am - Go to Bank to get Start-Up $ for the Pool

9:15am - Arrive at Pool with breakfast, start-up $, and a happy face

9:40am - Go to pump room to adjust chlorine and acid along with turning on water to fill up the baby pool and slide pool

10:00am - Realize that I wasn't supposed to be at the pool until 10am :( not 9am. Stinking Lifeguards :) Make sure things are out for the day (backboards, hooks, buoys, umbrellas, etc...) and check/clean the bathrooms.

10:30am - Give cashier the money, explain to the patrons standing outside the building that we don't open until 11am and no they can not come in to just sit until 11am.

10:35am - Listen to patrons complain because we don't open until 11am.

10:50am - Check water for chlorine and pH levels. Go to pump room to adjust levels. Turn on water features.

11:00am - Pool Opens to Public

11:10am - Lifeguard calls me over to mention that the baby pool is overflowing with water. Run to pump room to shut off water.

11:30am - 2:00pm - Things run smoothly :) Very Busy (around 400-500 people at the pool). I check the chlorine and pH levels every hour and go to the pump room to continously make adjustments. Help with swim tests for large groups. Pick up trash. Check bathrooms.

2:30pm - Three lifeguards get off work (because they have been at the pool since 6:30am) leaving us with only six guards. Call pool coordinator begging to send another guard.

2:45pm - Health Inspector shows up to test baby pool. I pray very hard that the chlorine and pH are correct. We Pass!

3:00pm - Guard arrives and is wonderful (Thanks Southland!).

3:10pm - Guard at baby pool motions for me to come over. I go and see poop in the pool. Get everyone out of baby pool. Make announcement that pool will be closed for at least 30 minutes. Fish poop out of pool with skimmer net while lifeguard sets up vacuum.

3:15pm - Go to pump room to super-chlorinate the baby pool. Go to office and make announcement that the baby pool will reopen at 3:45pm.

3:30pm - As I am walking around the main pool deck a kid calls out "Hey, there is poop in here too." Get everyone out of main pool. Make announcement that pool will be closed for at least 45 minutes and will reopen around 4:15pm.

3:35pm - Wonderful lifeguard gets into the pool to get out poop and vacuum.

3:45pm - Reopen baby pool

3:50pm - Kid pukes in baby pool. Get everyone out of baby pool. Skim water for puke. Lifeguards vacuum puke out of pool and scrub pool deck where puke has landed. Tell patrons baby pool will reopen around 4:30pm. During the annoucement at least 200 people leave the pool :(

4:10pm - The sun is shining and then THUNDER out of nowhere. Announcement: "Attention patrons thunder has been heard in the area. We will be closing all pools for 30 minutes. Please gather your things and come to the front entrance or to the concession area."

4:15pm - Patrons complain because of thunder. My response, "I am not God. I do not control the weather. I am sorry it is about to storm. Try and come back tomorrow." (Disclaimer: I did not really say all that but really people)

4:30pm - Thunder again. Monitor patrons waiting it out.

5:00pm - Reopen all pools for the 25 people who stuck it out. Check chlorine and pH levels which are all out of whack considering I had to super chlorinate the baby pool twice and the big pool once.

5:30pm - Sit down

5:45pm - Check bathrooms. Clean bathrooms. Pick up trash everywhere.

6-7 pm - Pool runs smoothly.

7:15 pm - People for pool party from 8-11 pm show up. They bring their own DJ :)

7:30pm - Help pool party people set up.

7:45pm - Fabulous lifeguards working the pool party bring me a milkshake!

8:00pm - Close pool to public, Open pool to Pool Party. Music completely inappropriate and very loud.

8:30pm - Realize this pool party is going to be like nothing I have ever seen before (ask me later if you would like details)

8:45pm - Sit on pool deck amazed that people dance like that in public

9:00pm - Watch pool party go from being somewhat controlled to AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

9:30pm - Thanking God that the pool party is half way over. Get pushed into pool. Freeze. Lifeguard who pushed me in offers his sweatpants. Look ghetto but now I fit right in!

9:45pm - 10:30pm - Sit and watch in amazement. To stunned to do anything.

10:30pm - Call pool coordinator to ask for police non-emergency number. Reassure pool coordinator that we are in no harm just concerned about getting everyone to leave by 11:00pm

10:35pm - Person in charge of pool party asks if they can stay until midnight. Me - ABSOLUTELY NOT!

10:40pm - Call police non-emergency number and ask for a police car to stop by the pool around 11:00pm to make sure that all Pool Party members have left the pool

10:50pm - Begin cleaning up and putting things away.

10:55pm - Police Arrive, Pool Party members leave :) (and pretty quickly)

11:00pm - Finishing cleaning up. Make male lifeguard go to pump room with me to turn off everything :)

11:10pm - Lock all doors and get into car.

11:15pm - Drop pool deposits off the at bank (opposite direction from home). Remember I left phone in desk drawer at pool. Say "forget it" and drive home.

11:45pm - Arrive at home. Say hello to husband and walk upstairs.

12:00am - Fall asleep in bathing suit and sweatpants that I borrowed after getting pushed into the pool.

WHO WOULDN'T WANT A SUMMER JOB?????

SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMER

2009-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

So, it has been awhile and that seems to be the common theme with this blog! Oh well, life is busy. School is over and the summer has been in session for a couple of weeks now. Ryan and I have managed to stay pretty busy these last couple of weeks. I have been working at Tates Creek Pool. I really love it; even in the stressful moments that happen just about everyday. Ryan has been coaching in football camps and he is headed to PassPort Camp with the church youth group in a week.

We had the good fortune to go on a mini-vacation to Florida last week. Ryan's aunt and uncle along with his cousins live in Ormond Beach, Florida and his cousin, Katie, got married last Saturday. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was truly amazing. The vacation was fun because we were able to spend time with family along with time at the beach and shopping at the outlet mall! Ryan and I made some shopping compromises while in Florida: I got a Coach purse and he got Oakley sunglasses! We both left very happy.

We are working on doing some home renovations this summer. Today we bought paint for the kitchen, our bedroom, and our bathroom. We are doing a golden color in the kitchen, a palm green in the bathroom, and a blue in the bedroom. Next week we will be completing a painting marathon! After that we need to finish the office above the garage by buying some furniture and hanging pictures, completing some backyard landscaping (everything Bella has dug up), touch-up the living room paint, clean out the garage, hang curtains... I think the list is never ending!

It has been nice not having graduate school during the month of June and I wish it could stay true for the rest of the summer but unfortunately I have a class in July. The good thing is that Gayla and I will be back together again! I'm sure we will be getting into all kinds of trouble while making sure to stay focused on getting the 4.0 GPA master's degree!

Maybe I'll be back next week to add some more details from our lives, but hey I can't make any promises :) I think I'll post funny pool stories too!

Gayla is a NERD

2009-05-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, I have this friend Gayla. We do just about everything together... grad school, pools, Clays Mill, etc... Well tonight I realized she is a nerd. Our professor told us we cannot work on assignments during class so she posted on her blog about what we are learning. NERD NERD NERD. But then I am posting about her so what does that make me?

One Day

2009-02-04T14:25:00.001-08:00

One day soon I'll update this thing for real !!!!

4 1/2 hours till December - That's CRAZY!

2008-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had a crazy couple of months and time is still flying by. It seems that we have just been running around doing a million things. I think the best way to fill everyone in is to just give a run down of each of our lives since September!

Ryan:
Ryan finished the football season with his Bryan Station Defenders a couple of weeks ago. This always keeps him busy from mid-summer until early November. It was a good football year but a tough one too. Ryan is the head freshman football coach and his team didn't end up on the winning end very many times. Though football takes up a lot of time it is something that Ryan loves and I have come to love too. He also is a dedicated teacher and this year he has gained even more responsibility at his school. Ryan is headed to Seattle in February for a national math conference. I think it is a ploy to get out of town with his buddies! Aaron T (better known around our house as Timmons) and Ryan W (better known as Winders) will also be headed to Seattle for the very enjoyable math conference so I know he'll be in good hands. Right now I believe he is totally immersed in the 3rd book in the Twilight series. He should be grading papers but hey so should I!

Bella (our precious puppy):
Bella had a rough September and October. In early September she started acting funny and doing things (ex. peeing in the house) that we had her trained not to do. She would be laying down and then all the sudden just pee without even getting up. At first we thought she was just being rebellious. Ryan and I had just started the school year and she was staying in her cage from about 7:15 - 4:00. So, we thought she was just trying to tell us she was angry about the change in her schedule, but then one night when I was playing with her in the floor she starting peeing while just laying on the floor. At that point we had a feeling something else was wrong so we began the vet visits. The vet ran several tests and came to the conclusion that Bella was diabetic. They sent test to the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M just to be sure. Diabetic dogs are fairly common however diabetes usually happens later in life. Bella, at the time of her diagnosis, was only 7 months old. She is the first juvenile diabetic dog that our vet has ever seen, and his professors/friends at UT have only encountered 4 other dogs under a year old that have developed diabetes. So, this has led to lots of vet visits and bills and the most important 2 insulin shots each day. Bella has been great through the whole thing and she seems as happy as ever. We have only had one big scare where she had a seizure and we had to rush her to the emergency vet clinic at 10:30 at night. Everything turned out fine and we are blessed to have such a sweet puppy dog. Her 1st birthday is coming up, December 24th! We can't wait to celebrate.

Maria:
Things this year seem to be going great at school. Our team is working wonderfully together and all of our kids are working hard and making us proud! This year has been a little hectic but I can only place blame on myself! I find it hard to say no to things/people especially when it comes to working with the kids at Clays Mill. Some of the things I have committed to this year are: academic team, academic challenge team, extended school services, leadership team, book theater club, and then I am also working on my master's degree at Georgetown College. So, to say I have kept myself busy is an understatement! I love it though. I would rather be busy than bored any old day. My master's class this fall went very well. I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful third grade student and working with her weekly on reading skills. I get to continue next semester to implement some strategies that will hopefully bring her right up to grade level with reading skills. I love working one on one with her because it is something that teachers in the regular classroom rarely have the opportunity to do. So, the next three weeks should be a little more relaxed for me because grad. school is done for the semester and school is pushing ahead toward winter break.

One big thing that Ryan and I decided a while ago was to switch churches. We had been feeling that God was calling us to a new church home in Lexington. We love Porter and the ministries going on there but we felt like we were being led to find a new church home. We have been to several churches in Lexington but we are still looking for our niche.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with Ryan's family in Ohio. However, it isn't quite the same without Michael and Joe Joe (plus Sawyer). We miss them sooooooooooooooooo much and we can't wait till they make it back home. Ryan's family is wonderful and we had a delicious meal or I should say meals since Ryan's mom is a fantastic cook.

So, that about sums up our life to this point. I will now vow to update the blog at least once a week from now until forever... well that may be a bit of an exaggeration but I promise to do much better!

Where does the time go?

2008-09-14T13:23:00.001-07:00

I am not sure where the month of August went. It seemed like it was here one day and gone the next. September is following suit. It is hard to believe we are in the middle of the month already. Ryan and I have been staying pretty busy. We were able to travel to Henderson before school started to celebrate this little man's 1st birthday (this is our nephew Bryce). Too cute! Then school hit full force! Ryan has high school football everyday of the week except Saturdays (which is when we spend the day at UK games or watching games on television). I started my fourth graduate school class a couple weeks ago. I got a big surprise when I walked in! One of my very best friends from high school, Carrie, was sitting at the table. We have had fun and I really enjoy the professor.

Two of our greatest friends just had a little girl, Rylee. She is absolutely precious. We were able to go see them the day they came home from the hospital. We also got to visit with them during the UK vs. Louisville football game (GO CATS!!!).

So I was trying to upload pictures but apparently the computer is not my friend so I will go now but don't worry I'll be back later!

SCHOOL DAYS

2008-08-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe but school is back in session tomorrow in Fayette County. Ryan and I have been working at our schools for the last couple weeks tyring to get ready (but is this even attainable?). We feel ready but at the same time their is always a bit of nervous tension. Today we had meet the teacher at my elementary school. This is always a fun and interesting day. All my students and parents seemed to arrive at the exact same time so I rushed around the room trying to make the introductions and make sure everyone got what they needed and put their school supplies where they were supposed to go. I then stayed at the school until 6:45 (not really realizing it was that late). I am making a real effort this year to not stay in the building past 5pm. I think it is possible but we'll see. I am somewhat of a workaholic and a semi-perfectionist so sometimes it is just impossible to leave before 5pm.

Overall, it is setting up to be another great year. My school is at a great place and we keep on moving up!!! Now though I need to finish a couple things before I go to bed (at my new bedtime 9:30). I think that in summer Olympic years school shouldn't start until the last gold has been won. I can hardly do anything except watch, but I guess that changes tomorrow.

Graduate School (Warning, I Am NOT Saying Anything Positive)

2008-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Things I know about graduate school...

1. The professors must think I'm dense because they all say the same thing over and over and over and they think I don't get it

2. I have now watched the same video (teaching kids about diversity throught finding their true skin color using Crayola paints) 4 times

3. It would be great if I didn't have to write the same paper twice (okay it was a little different because one was about the school I teach at and one was about the middle school I am placed at right now but it was the same format with the same information)

4. One teacher told us to not use graphic organizers

5. Another teacher has a stack of graphic organizers for us to use on a daily basis (irony??)

6. Have any of these professors taught elementary school in the last 5-10 years? Sometimes I'm not sure if they've ever been in a classroom full of 27 elementary kids

7. The grad. school thinks my undergraduate career was a complete waste (now I agree this is somewhat true however I realized I did learn quite a bit)

8. Paying 1000's of dollars in tuition for classes that are basically teaching the same thing is a complete waste. I could have a great LCD TV in my new house but NO I have grad. school

9. Writing a 10 page paper in one night stinks (No, I did not procrastinate. We didn't get the syllabus until Wed. afternoon, I had to get the information on Thursday from the students, The paper is due on Friday)

10. I have to get 33 credit hours to complete my masters however I have to spend approximately 5 hours each day for 3 weeks in just ONE class? That doesn't even count the 4th week in which I write a research paper.

However, I will put a smile on my face and only complain (after this post) to Gayla for the next 3 weeks!

Summer...Where have you gone????

2008-07-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I see it has been awhile since my last post. May to be exact! However, I have good excuses.
1. It's summer
2. Graduate School
3. Moving
4. It's summer
5. Visitors nearly every week
6. Personal time
7. IT'S STILL SUMMER

Overall, I have just been a slacker. So with that said please let me fill you in on my summer life! Ryan and I closed on our house during the second week of June. We are still settling in but things have progressed. We are really enjoying our neighborhood and the Hamburg area. It is a different way of life over here but I think I can handle it for several years! Below are a couple pictures of the house before I started putting things away. Maybe I'll post some pictures of what it looks like now in the near future.

The back yard before we had a lawn mower!

Sitting in the living room looking into the kitchen area

I think I moved a couple things before this picture! It is not nearly a cluttered as the previous!

I have also had graduate courses this summer. I took one class in May while school was still going on. Then in June Gayla, Abby, and I participated in the Kentucky Reading Project. Today, I just started my third class. I'm not really sure what it is all about though. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a syllabus? These are pictures of our last day in class when we had to present our school literacy action plan in an interesting way so the other participants knew what we were doing. I don't want to brag but I think our skit was the absolute funniest! If you see Gayla please ask her what she does for differentiation constipation :) After viewing the pictures please let me know if you would like use to perform the skit for you!!!

Well, there is a small post about life in the Harrington Household. Hopefully there will be more to come in the near future. Oh... and I believe after ONE successful year of marriage we are no longer newlyweds so the subheading under the blog will be changing!

Tears

2008-05-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Tears, Tears, and more Tears. This is how I have spent the last two days. When the bell rang at 2:35 on Friday I said to my kids, "Wait, you can't leave. I'm not ready." They had to go though so we parted ways with hugs and promises that they would come and visit. However, that didn't stop the tears.

I started crying on Friday afternoon and the tears have yet to stop. Ryan actually just asked me what I was doing over here and as I was explaining that I was blogging and the waterworks started again. He thinks I'm crazy but he teaches high school. There is no way he can understand.

Back to my year... Though parts of the year were stressful and my kids weren't always angels I had a great year and I believe that my students did too. We learned and laughed together. Fifth grade was arranged differently this year so not only did I get to know my homeroom students but I also got to know the 80 other fifth graders. It is hard to walk away from 105 students. That is probably why I spent Friday afternoon at Southland Pool with about 30 of them and Saturday at a couple ball parks watching games and hanging out. I know I am silly but I LOVE THESE KIDS!

Everyone says that other great groups will come through but I think it is something extra special this year. I can't wait to see what they do with the opportunities placed in front of them. I hope they reach their dreams and then come back and tell me all about it. I guess this means I will have to stay at Clays Mill forever that way they know where to find me!

It is off to bed for me now. It has been not only a physically but also mentally exhausting two days. I am sure that as I drift to sleep tonight more tears will flow. I can't wait till next year but at the same time I don't quite want to let go of this year.

A funny site!

2008-05-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

As I was pondering my sick day tomorrow (more of a mental than physical need) I decided I would google sick days. I know I should be doing something more productive but hey I am taking a sick day tomorrow. So, back to google. I typed in sick days and I found a very funny site. http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page This site will help you learn how to do anything! Funny ones that I read included...
1. How to call in a sick day when you just need a day.
2. How to get your crush to notice you
3. How to pull a vehicle with a rope

Oh and so much more. Have fun!!!

So Many Things, So Little Time

2008-05-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well lots of things have happened since I last blogged. So, I will go through the list!

New House - A funny story to start out with. We took Ryan's parents and sisters to see the house last weekend. When we went in everything seemed normal however when we went into the kitchen we realized there was bird poop on the floor. We then went upstairs to find even more bird poop and also a glass vase knocked over and broken. Needless to say we called Jim (our realtor) and let him know. We haven't been back but Jim called and said he took care of everything. Apparently there was a vent to the outside uncovered and the fire place doors were open which allowed the bird inside. No bird was found on the inside so hopefully it got out. We close on the 10th of June. We plan on painting several of the rooms during that week and then moving over the weekend. Ryan has football camp that week so we can use all the help we can get. I believe we will be renting a U-Haul for the weekend so hopefully we will only need to make one or two trips.

Graduate School - I started graduate school through Georgetown College two weeks ago. All is well except I wish someone would have clearly explained that the class I am taking right now (along with teaching full time) requires you to write both a 25 page paper and a 10 page paper. It is just a little much while still teaching every week day. It would be different if it was a true summer class and I wasn't teaching. However, the good news is that I am halfway done with the class. It ends in two weeks!

Summer Plans - Well our summer is pretty booked with moving, football camp, and graduate school. Ryan's football camps are the 2nd and 3rd weeks of June. We are moving the 2nd week/weekend of June. I have graduate classes the last 2 weeks of June and then all of July. Ryan is also going to hopefully work some other camp through Bryan Station for a little extra money. So, we are just a little busy. We are hoping to take a mini trip (maybe to St. Louis ) sometime hopefully.

School - We are at the end of the year. It is a very bittersweet time for me. Ryan is happy (first year teachers!). Our last day of school is May 30th (stinkin snow days). I know my kids are ready to be done and so am I but I am really going to miss this class. They are sweet kids. Ryan is hopefully going to be able to go and be certified for AP Statistics. He won't get to teach it next year but maybe the next.

Is a title really needed?

2008-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, I am at a loss for today's blogging title. Nothing really important has happened since I last blogged however I feel the need to write something to keep my many audiences entertained!

With the school year winding down I have gone into my reflection mode. I have thought about how and what I want to change for the next teaching year and also about how much I love school this year. Last year was HARD! Even though I'm ready for summer I'm not sure I want to let go of my kids this year. People will probably think I'm crazy but the other day as I was driving home it really hit me that I only have 30 days with my class. This moment led to tears streaming down my face. I love my kids and really couldn't ask for anything more or better. Next year will be an interesting year because I will have the kids that I student taught in Jennifer's room. They are really sweet kids and I am sure that it will be another great year. We are also adding an enrichment program which will be a great change for Clays Mill.

Everything with our house is coming along nicely. We have an inspector coming tomorrow just to make sure everything is up to par. After that we have a meeting at the mortage office to sign some final papers. We plan to close the second week of June. We might paint a couple rooms before we move everything over so we probably won't move until the end of that week or the third week of June. I can't wait! Bella is going to love the yard and I am going to love the garage that she will be sleeping in (so I can't hear her bark at night!).

Well my husband says dinner is ready so I better get going! Sarabeth (my other half in the fifth grade team) are blessed to have husbands that cook! I believe it is chicken. Who would have guessed Maria and chicken?

OUR FIRST HOME!!!

2008-04-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

OUR NEW HOME!!!!

Can you tell I am just a little excited? I can't wait to move however I guess I have to since we are not closing until June. The house is in the Hamburg area. You can actually get to it either off of Man-O-War or Todd's Road. Ryan and I are going tonight to sign a couple more papers so that everything is official. I am sure I will have more pictures soon.

Housing Update

2008-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Ryan and I met with the loan officer at the bank today. It was a wonderful meeting!!! We were approved for a much higher amount than we plan on spending. We are now in our in-depth search. We have several houses in mind with one in particular in Masterson Station. When our relator is back in town we will hit the ground running with our search. We are hoping to find something and put an offer in before the end of April that way we are able to move in the beginning of June.

Easter

2008-04-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I in our Sunday best with the sweetest little baby!!!
The giggling boys! Both have chubby cheeks.
What a happy baby.

Oh, so I am like 2 weeks behind on the blog but I am trying to catch up. The above are pictures from Easter weekend in Henderson. We had a wonderful time. My sisters and I dyed Easter eggs and we also had the big Jackson Sunday dinner.

Spring Break Can't Come Soon Enough!

2008-03-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness Spring Break starts tomorrow at 2:35pm. I am not sure I would have made it another week. We have awesome kids at Clays Mill but I am worn out. The break will be extra nice because Ryan and I don't have a lot planned. When the school year began we were planning on going on a cruise but LIFE HAPPENS therefore no cruise. So, now we are planning on staying in Lexington for several days and then heading to Ohio for several days to visit with Ryan's mom and dad. We haven't seen them since Ryan's mom had knee replacement surgery and they have never met Bella, so it will be a fabulous trip! I also plan on reading LOTS of books. I haven't had time to read a book of my personal choosing in quite a while so I will be relaxing with books for several days.

Some exciting things have happened since the last time I blogged (like a month ago...sorry). Ryan and I are really going to buy a house. We went with our realator to look at several homes this week. We saw several we liked but one really stuck out to us in Masterson Station. We will probably look at a couple more however we have a date with the bank next week.

Also, I will once again be a college student! I will be starting my master's degree at Georgetown College over the summer. In the state of Kentucky teachers have to start their master's within the first 5 years of teaching and finish within 10 years. I plan on having mine complete before we have children (life is already stressful enough). I am going to get my endorsement in Reading and Writing. I am hoping that one day I can be a reading curriculum specialist for a district.

I have some pictures to post of Easter but they are going to have to wait until I remember to bring my camera home from school!

Endless List

2008-03-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days where everything just catches up with you? Today has kind of been that way with me. Now I am a pretty organized person. I love to make list and then check things off one by one as I get them done. Lately I have been making list but for some reason things just aren't getting checked off. Part of me thinks I have just gotten lazy. The other part thinks I have realized that life is NOT about grading papers ALL the time. I have to wonder how mom's get everything done. I can't imagine trying to raise a child and doing all the other things that come up in life. I have friends that must be related to superwoman. I am not sure how they get it all done.

Most likely I am just going through a lazy season but I am tired of it! Things just come so fast and I can't get caught up let alone ahead. I am sure many of us feel this way but I NEED A VACATION!!!! I guess I need to make a new list and start checking it off again. Hopefully I can get everything done by spring break.

Haircut

2008-03-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

I got my hair cut this past weekend. I only cried for a couple minutes because I thought I looked like a mushroom head! I am getting used to it now but it took a day. These aren't the best pictures of me but hopefully you can see the new cut!
Ryan said that I look like Allie in this picture. Does anyone else see it?
Next time I'll open my eyes more!

Birthday Celebration

2008-03-03T15:37:00.001-08:00

So, I had the most amazing birthday last Friday! I turned the big 6 years old. Yes, it is true. 6 years old. I am one of those priviledged people in the world who have the joy of having a February 29th birthday. I actually love it!!! This year was the first time I have had a birthday while teaching. Everyone at school made it fantastic. My classroom was decorated by some awesome teaching friends and I had a wonderful ice cream cake at lunch thanks to Sarabeth. To top it off my homeroom mom brought in the delicious cake seen above along with a gift card to Outback Steakhouse!!!
My husband planned a wonderful party for me. All my friends came to celebrate my big day with me. We went to Bella Notte and then bowling at Southland Lanes. I am a blessed YOUNG lady with so many wonderful friends!
This is just some of the group getting our bowl on! (Gayla, Grant, John, and Sarabeth)
This group was better prepared for the picture! (Andy, Abby, Jenn, Chris, and Eryn) There were others there too but they must have eluded the camera (Lauren, Ryan, Courtney, Chris, and Me).
Oh, and lets not forget Alyssa! The BEST bowler around. She is giving lesson if you are interested. She really does have skill on the bowling lane. If only we could all be like Alyssa (sigh...)

Bryce Aaron Blanford

2008-03-03T14:59:00.001-08:00

This could be my favorite picture of this little man. He has not been posed here! This is just his new thing. He rolls over, props his foot up, and puts his arm behind him. Doesn't he look like a little model! He is getting so big. I wish Ryan and I could be there every week to see how he is growing and changing.
When Ryan and I head to Henderson I will totally admit that I hog this little man. Can't you just tell he loves his favorite Aunt Maria!!!!
Just a cutie.

Our Bella Is GROWING!!!

2008-03-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are blessed to have such a wonderful puppy. She has grown so much over the last four weeks. Ryan took her to the vet on Saturday and we found out that she weighs 16.5 lbs. She has doubled her weight since we have had her! The picture above is of Bella's first bath! She was pretty good however she did jump out of the tub 2 or 3 times. Since then we have come up with a system for bath time. One holds-One washes!
This is Bella after the bath. I wrapped her in the towel and she drifted off to sleep. She is just precious!
We were able to take Bella with us to Henderson. My grandparents (both sets) were wonderful and let Bella inside the house. She enjoyed being able to run without a leash on at Memaw and Papaw's, however she didn't really enjoy "dumb dog" (This is the name given to my grandfather's dog. Yes, everyone really calls the dog "dumb dog".). The picture above is of Bella and Addie (my cousin). They enjoyed each other the entire weekend!
Just a cute sleeping picture of our little girl. Does it get more precious than this? She stayed like this for about an hour.
In this picture you can kind of see that Bella is changing colors. She is still mostly black however her sides have completely turned gray. We now think that she is part Huskie.

Days off

2008-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been quite a while since we have updated our blog, and since I have been sitting around all day not at school, I figured I could get on and say hello. Maria and I have been enjoying our day off today, and our half day yesterday. When we got home yesterday, I took Bella over to another teacher's appartment and we played RockBand. Well, my friend, another teacher, and I, Bella just destroyed his cat toys.

Aside from getting a little time off from teaching, we have not had a whole lot going on. We went to Henderson last weekend, and are looking forward to Maria's birthday next weekend. I hope you guys are doing well too, and thanks for stopping by.

Bella Harrington

2008-02-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is Bella Harrington, the newest member of the Harrington family. Ryan and I got her on Monday. She is the sweetest little puppy. Bella's mom is an English Lab. and they think her dad is a German Shepherd. Bella was born on December 24th.
This is Bella playing with her toy that Heather, Keriann, and Clay bought her.
Bella had an eventful day today. She came with me to school and she was perfect. She fell asleep next to my computer and I was able to get everything prepared for next week. Since she is still a little puppy she sleeps quite often (though not through the night!)

Well, here is the story about how we became parents! On Monday when I got to school another teacher was posting pictures of three puppies that one of her friends was taking care of. It was love at first sight for me! I called Ryan as soon as I could get back to my room. I told him about the dogs and asked him if we could go see them sometime that night. So, that evening Ryan and I went over to the Ray's where all the puppies were. We got to see all the puppies but I was in love with Bella (one of my students picked the name). We learned the story of the dogs and then I was ready to take her home. Apparently the Ray's daughter who goes to the University of Alabama rescued the momma from being put to sleep (not enough room in the shelter). After she adpoted her the Ray's daughter brought her home to KY. The Ray's took her to the vet in Lexington and found out the she was pregnant. On Christmas Eve she had 8 puppies. The Ray's decided to give the puppies away. That is when the search started for good homes. Even though Ryan and I live in an apartment I knew we could give her a great home. We went ahead and took her with us to PetSmart and then home! She is so cute and cuddly.

Passing the Sickness

2008-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Well apparently Ryan and I are just going to stay sick all winter. We both haven't felt well for about the last week. Yesterday, Ryan went to the doctor and got some medicine but I am sticking with the cough medicine for now.

Also, Ryan's parents came up and we had dinner together for Ryan's belated birthday. We went to Ramsey's and had a delicious meal! We also got to watch some basketball and golf.

Today, we are just spending the day indoors. I did some cleaning and Ryan says he is working on school stuff. I'll go and check on him in a bit. He usually is just on the computer looking up silly stuff! We had plans to go with our Sunday school class to watch the Super Bowl, however, with both of us feeling sickly I think we are just going to stay at home and watch it together.

I have a lot of school stuff to work on this weekend. I don't think it matters if I stay at school till 7:30 every night I still bring home tons! I gave a test on Friday and I collect 15 centers from all 104 students so needless to say I should be grading instead of typing on here. However, I am a procrastinator!!!!

Sickly Weekend

2008-01-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

I have not felt very well all weekend. I have had a scratchy throat. Ryan has done all the laundry and cleaned up the kitchen. He is just wonderful! Well, we have a busy week coming up. We have school all week and then every afternoon we also have something going on. Ryan has a professional development and umpire training. I have clubs, ess, and academic challenge team practice. We also have dance lessons. Oh well, we like to stay busy!!!!

Well I am just sitting here watching television wrapped up in a blanket. I think Ryan is busy working but he is in the other room so I never know.

New Tennis Shoes

2008-01-19T20:10:00.001-08:00

These are my new tennis shoes! Ryan let me buy them today at Kohl's. I haven't bought new tennis shoes since my sophomore year of college. I haven't bought Nike shoes since I was in junior high. I really love New Balance shoes but they were just to expensive and the Nikes actually seemed to fit better!
Just a different angle. Aren't they just beautiful!
A final view. Don't mind my snow white leg!

Christmas Pictures from Ohio and Kentucky

2008-01-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ryan's ornament this year was a coaching ornament congratulating him on his first year of coaching football.

Ryan and I actually got this ornament together. It is a cute little football man with really long legs.

Courtney got all kinds of fun kitchen stuff for when she begins the adventure of the "real world". She is student teaching right now. She goes to The University of the Cumberlands.

This is Ryan's dad. He loves Alabama sports and Courtney got him this cool hat. Ryan tells me that this hat is like the hat Bear Bryant used to wear.

This is baby Bryce and my sister Meigan. We went out to eat for my mom's birthday while we were in Henderson for Christmas. He is such a cutie!

I know it may seem we are a little behind but I wanted to put up some pictures from Christmas for Michael and Joe Joe (they are in Africa for 2 years). These are just a few of the memories we made this Christmas season.

Christmas Pictures and Baby Bryce

2008-01-19T19:41:00.001-08:00

This is our nephew Bryce Aaron Blanford. These are some pictures from Thanksgiving. He is the cutest baby in the whole wide world! The last couple of pictures are what Ryan and I bought each other for Christmas. I got really cool pink golf clubs and Ryan got a PSP (play station portable Star Wars edition)

Dancing

2008-01-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful picture of Ryan and I at our wedding reception. We enjoyed dancing so much that we have decided to take lessons! Truthfully though, we were watching Dancing with the Stars one night and this message came up saying call right now and you will win two free lessons. So, Ryan called. We won and now we are hooked!!! We have learned a couple dances so far and we have another class on the 21st. It is something fun to do together and we both actually like doing it.

Our First Post

2008-01-02T15:16:00.001-08:00

On our snow day off from school I decided to experiment with creating a blog. Lots of our friends have blogs so I thought it would be interesting to start one too! Ryan and I don't lead the most exciting life out there but we do have some great times!!! Here are some pictures from our wedding and honeymoon.