weekending: rivarly football weekend.

This weekend was so jam packed but such a blast.Thanksgiving was great. We went to my fiance's sisters house and had a great dinner with all of his family. After dinner we went shopping and got some great deals (see my five on friday post).

We went to Pullman for our college football game and it was such a fun weekend. There were a lot of friends from college there and my college roommates and I all stayed at my brothers apartment in town so it was just like old times. We made 'family dinner' friday night before we went out and then a big breakfast the next morning.

 It snowed on Saturday morning and our friend invited us to tailgate with them before the game. Check out their set up, enclosed tents with two patio heaters inside...yes please!

We hadn't bought tickets to the game because I didn't want to pay $65 each when I knew we could watch it in the bar and be warm. Plus I was secretly hoping I could find tickets cheaper closer to the game or that we would know people who didn't want their tickets. Well we were chatting with people at the bar before the game and they were like, we don't wanna go, it's going to be too cold. So we got three FREE tickets and off to the game we went! I was one happy girl. 

Our stadium isn't huge so we were able to stand on the concourse and enjoy the game with this lovely view. 

 The game didn't go our way, but that's okay. We are used to it unfortunately. Everyone went back to the bar after the game and when we were walking home I thought it felt cold...yup.

The 5 hour drive home today was long, but it was so worth it. Another Apple Cup in the books. So thankful for a college that I love, the infectious spirit, and the best friends anyone could ask for. 

GO COUGS!

Linking up! 

five on friday: black friday edition

In honor of Black Friday I wanted to post about 5 of my favorite deals on my shopping list today. I'm going to be braving the crows (I actually kinda like it) to try and track down these items. Good luck to any other fellow black friday shoppers. :)

Target : DVDs

It's tradition to buy my mom Disney movies for Christmas so that she has a big collection for when I have kids. I think this year I am going to get her Planes and maybe Tangled too.

Crayola Box

I'm hoping to get this for my fiance's niece. I love art supplies and I think it's perfect because it has markers, crayons, colored pencils, and paper all in one! 

Old Navy: Vest

These are only $14! I would love one for myself in white and one for my mom in black. 

Walmart: Tealight Candles

$3 for 100 candles, yes please! I'm not only hunting for deals for Christmas but also the wedding. 

JCPenny: Scarves

I love these floral print scarves and at $5 they are the perfect gift for someone who you want to give something small, practical, and cute!

Linking up! Happy Friday. :) Anyone else go enjoy the sales? 

Wedding Wednesday: Recent Purchases

I went crazy on theknot.com shop today because of their black friday sale. There was so much stuf that I wanted and it was all such a great deal. Here are some of the things that I picked up. :)

Cake Topper

We are just having a small cake for us with cupcakes for the guests so I thought this would be the perfect fit.

Jewelry Boxes

I got these for my flower girls. I'm giving them a pearl bracelet in my wedding colors (hopefully with a flower girl charm) so I think it will be the perfect set. 

Fun Bags

I plan on using these for our 'Cookie Bar' which will double as extra dessert and a favor. I love the fun pattern and got these in our wegding colors. 

Hotel Bags

These were .15 with an extra 25% off... 11 cents for a gift bag? I think YES!

Bridesmaid Gifts
I got three things for each of my girls but those are a secret, I'll reveal them closer to the wedding. 

If you are looking for anything for your wedding I would head on over and see what they have! 

Linking up :) 

Weekending: Mockingjay Double Date

On Friday night C and I went on a double date with my best friend and her husband. We went to see Mockingjay, SO GOOD! I was afraid it would be boring since it was just the first half of the book but it did not disappoint.

Afterwards we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for some delicious food & drinks. We are the kind of best friends who talk every day but we don't always get to hang out. It was great to be able to hang out and have the guys with us.

Our college team was playing at 10am Saturday morning so we met up with some friends to watch the game. We lost, shocker, but it was a lot of fun to cheer on the Cougs! We are going to their final game of the season (and big rivalry game) next weekend & I can't wait for some tailgating and all of that school spirit.

I went Christmas shopping on Saturday afternoon. I am trying to get most of my shopping done so that then I can enjoy the season and not be stressed out about the huge shopping list that I have. It's been going well so far, I've also been online shopping a lot more than ever before and it's been lovely.

Sunday morning we went to church and I got to drop off my shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. This will be sent to a child somewhere around the world. I put a little note of encouragement in it and prayer for the child that receives it. It's such a small way to help someone who has to little.

Sunday evening we went to dinner at my mom's. I'm so thankful to live so close to home and that my mom is so gracious and invites us over almost every Sunday. I love spending time with her and I love that her boyfriend and my fiance get along so well. It's always a good time. 

So excited for a 3 day week and then off to visit my Fiance's family for Thanksgiving! 

Linking up with the lovely ladies below! 

five on friday: thanksgiving edition

Since it's Thanksgiving next week (can anyone believe that?) I thought I would spend this Friday talking about what I'm thankful for.

[1] my fiance

He has been with me through the ups and downs. After being together for almost 6 years we have a pretty good read on each other and I love how sweet he is and his big heart. He is passionate about

[2] my job

Even though teaching can be so incredibly exhausting, frustrating, and thankless, I still love going to work every day. I love the conversations that I have with my students and seeing them grow up throughout the year. They never fail to put a smile on my face and there is definitely never a boring moment.

[3] Jesus

I am so thankful for the grace and mercy that we have because of him and his life. I'm also thankful for the freedom in our country to be able to proclaim our religion and worship freely. This song is so perfect and has been played a lot on youtube by me this week.

[4] my health

I am guilty of taking this for granted and this week has been many wake up calls for me and I am so thankful to be blessed with good health. One of my friends who is younger than me (22) was diagnosed with breast cancer. One of my high school teachers passed away from cancer on monday. My fiance's mom was admitted to the hospital with blood clots that could have been deadly. Whoa. That's a lot to handle and I just thank God for my health and realize that I need to take care of myself.

[5] my family

I spent a lot of time with my mom this weekend and it is always a lot of fun. Our relationship has gotten so much better as I've grown up and I'm so thankful for that. I also have been in touch with some of my cousins on the east coast as I've been planning wedding stuff and I am so glad that i have them. Even though we are separated by 3000 miles I know we will always have a bond and I hope to cherish that even as I grow up and have my own family.



Happy Friday! I'm Linking up with this group of ladies!

Wedding Wednesday: Pre-Wedding events!

Hello! I haven't posted a Wedding Wednesday in a while because I feel like I'm in a waiting game. My wedding date is next summer and I have my venue, catering, photographer, and DJ. My save the dates have been ordered and I'm looking at invitations. My dress is purchased and the boys tuxes are on order.

Am I missing anything?

I wanted to talk about events leading up to the wedding because this week my bridesmaids and I have been hammering out some details and I can't wait for all of the fun.

Dec. 29th Bridesmaid dress shopping! All of my girls are coming together (they live all over the state) and we are shopping and going out to dinner. Total girls day. They are all staying locally and then also coming to a non-wedding related New Years Eve party that I'm hosting. :)

(I hope they like something long, simple, & classy)

June 13th Bridal shower! The girls are planning this and it's all secret, but I know it will be fabulous. I'm blessed with an amazing MOH and a bridesmaid who is a wedding planner...so I know they won't disappoint.

July 10-12th Bachelorette Party Weekend! We are going to spend the weekend wine tasting and enjoying the sun! We have picked the location and date, now the girls are planning the rest.

August 1st I'm marrying the man of my dreams!

Seeing it all actually laid out makes me so excited. It doesn't really feel real, except all of the money I'm spending...but it's so worth it. I am trying to buy things little by little so it isn't super overwhelming at the end but we'll see how that goes.

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Linking up!

Weekending: busy, busy!

You know those weekends that are packed with fun, but leave no time to relax? That's what this weekend was. It was a blast, but when I finally got home Sunday afternoon I was wishing that i had more time to unwind before another busy week of work.

Friday night one of my friends organized a last minute dinner for our group of friends. Six of us headed to the Rock which is an awesome pizza place. I decided to have a drink because, why not! It was friday and I knew my fiance could drive and this drink isn't just a drink...its a bucket. So I had delicious garlic mozz bread, a bbq chicken salad, and this drink.I'm such a lightweight I defineltly couldn't have driven home. We invited our friends back to our apartment and played Rummikub and Sorry for a few hours.

Saturday morning I went to my best friends house to scrapbook my engagement pictures! She was scrapbooking her bachelorette party when we went to Vegas in April, oh the memories. It was a fun, relaxing morning catching up and talking about wedding stuff. :)

I went straight from my friend's house to my moms to go to a birthday party for some family friends. This family has 11 kids, it's wild, but they are the sweetest things ever. We were celebrating the 4 year old and 8 year old. The mom also just had a baby and so I loved getting baby snuggles from the adorably 6 week old.

Saturday night ended with one of my friends and I going to Winter Jam. It's a huge christian concert and it was a blast. Talk about feeling good and recharged by Jesus, that's what we got that night. Hillsong was the closing act and the sang 'Oceans'...with 20,000 people worshipping together and singing that song, it was quite the moment.

Sunday I went to church && then shopping with my mom! The goal was christmas shopping but I wasn't to successful. Thankfully I got a lot of ideas and came home and made some online purchases. I really need to get organized and on track shopping because I want to enjoy the holiday season and not be all stressed about needing to find presents. I'll keep working on it.

Then it was 5pm and I got home and my fiance was back (he went away sat/sun) and we just relaxed and watched Sunday Night Football and Once Upon a Time.

It makes me tired just thinking about everything I did this weekend...and now I'm off to school!

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Meghan!

fridayyy!

Favorite Verse. 

We are studying David's life in my bible study right now and I'm loving it. I enjoy the challenge of trying to live a life more after God's heart. 

Favorite Read.

I'm not a mom but I still really liked this article and I think that it can be applied to lots of stages in life. 

How to Enjoy Every Moment

Favorite Teaching Meme.

How I feel after seeing 140 kids in a day. 

Favorite Song. 

Taylor Swift - I Wish You Would

I love the catchy lyrics and upbeat tune even though it's kind of a sad song. 

I couldn't find it on youtube because they are all blocked because of copyright. :( 

Favorite Thought.

I'm SO ready. It's my favorite time of the year. :) 

Linking up! 

Christina && Amanda

#1989

Is anyone else as obsessed with this cd as I am?

I went out and bought it the day that it came out. I'm not usually a big CD person or even someone who freaks out about music but her marketing plan was on point and all of the teasers on instagram/twitter/facebook had me anxious to hear it.

It didn't disappoint. Since I was away and driving in a car at least 3 hours a day I had plenty of time to listen to the music and my students who were with me on the trip now have all of the songs memorized and we blasted them in the car repeatedly.

I love her new sound and I love her catchy lyrics.

My favorite is 'I wish you would' and second favorite is 'wildest dreams', but shake it off is my new mantra. :)

If you haven't listened yet, get to it! You're missing out.

National Champions.

I've been gone for a week because I was with my students at the National FFA Convention. We had 15 students who were competing in the National Agriscience Fair with their research projects based in various areas of agriculture. We also had a team of four students who were competing in Environmental and Natural Resources. I was the coach of that team and they are really special to me. We've worked so hard had put many hours into winning the state contest. That gave us the opportunity to represent Washington at Nationals and they came here and blew everyone else out of the water. This team made up of all students who qualified in their sophomore year of high school, competing against seniors and fist year college students came out on top.

The joy on their faces when they were announced as winners was priceless. I cried tears of happiness. They fought through exhaustion, stress, near freezing temperatures, and they won. I could not have been more proud.

The memories that these students made during this convention will last a lifetime. This is only my second year of teaching and I just coached a team that won Nationals. Some people say that this means all of the future years will just be disappointing but I see it as a chance to instill that drive in all of my students. I believed in these kids and look what they did. If I keep believing in my kids, who knows what the future holds.