The joys of being a teacher!

Well, I can't believe it's already over, but this past week has been Spring Break for me!  I love that I'm an adult, yet I still have a Spring Break.  Very few careers allow employees paid weeks or even months off.  This week has definitely got me looking forward to this summer.  I can't wait for our 1 Year Anniversary, moving to a lovely new duplex, and spending time with family and friends.  I'm now realizing why teaching is really the best job in the world!  So, here are the highlights of what happened this past week.   


The first weekend of Spring Break, Graham, Toby, and I packed up the car and headed to Allen.  I love going home to the sweet smell of my parents house, and the wonderful welcome we receive from the puppies (Bailey and Jett) when we arrive.  Now, truly Bailey and Jett are no longer babies...they just had their third....or maybe their fourth birthday recently, but they will always be puppies to us!  On Saturday afternoon, we did NOTHING which was wonderful!  Toby ran around and played with/lost his ball a lot, and Graham and I got to slept in very late.  Saturday night, Graham and I went on a double date with my Momma and Daddy.  We went to Studio Movie Grill and saw Valentine's Day!  We had so much fun!  Sunday was by far the best.  We went furniture shopping.  We have been putting up with a smelly old college couch of Graham's this whole time we've been married and we've decided it's about time to find something new since we'll be moving in mid-summer.  We went to several stores and wound up at Rooms-To-Go.  It took us about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to make up our mind, but we finally decided to get a beautiful leather sofa, loveseat, chair, and ottoman.  The best part of the deal is that they agreed to keep it in their warehouse until mid-June when we move.   Now we really have something to look forward to this summer!

After our Allen adventures, we went back to Waco, and Graham had to go back to work.  That meant Toby and Erin time for a whole week!  I cleaned the house and spent lots of time on our itsy-bitsy porch reading.  On Monday morning, I woke up to a little envelope on the bathroom counter.  Graham had purchased a gift certificate for me to get a massage at a local salon and spa called La Bella Visage.  I made a hair appointment and massage appointment for Tuesday afternoon.  I got my hair chopped even though I clearly told the lady I just wanted a trim (my hair stylist in Allen who just had a baby! so couldn't cut my hair is going to be so mad when she finds out!)  But the massage was wonderful!  Much needed!  On Friday, we went to tour the duplexes we plan to live in next year.  They were beautiful and have two to three times as much space as we have now, including a backyard, two car garage, and many upgrades!  The rest of the week was just like the beginning.  Reading, relaxing, and hanging out with Toby in the beautiful spring weather outside!

Because we've been having such wonderful weather, on Saturday afternoon, we packed up and headed for the Ranch in Kosse, TX.  Graham's family has a bit of land about 45 minutes away from Waco, with a spring-fed pond and lots of land for Toby to run on!  This is actually the site where we got engaged in July 2008, so obviously, we like to go to the ranch as often as we can!  I grabbed my book, Graham grabbed his fishing pole, and Toby grabbed his running/swimming legs and we were off.  When we arrived, we found that our lock had been cut and a new, unfamiliar lock was now keeping us from entering the ranch.  After about an hour of confusion, we finally sorted things out and headed for the pond.  As soon as Toby got out of the car he found a mud hole to roll around in he was as happy as he could possibly be.  Graham fished, I read, and Toby ran.  When Graham finished fishing, he let Toby go for a swim in the pond!  Toby loves the swimming in the pond (and in his grandma and grandpa's pool in the backyard!). Here's just a glimpse of what happened at the Ranch. (The captions are below the pictures)

Graham's fishing tools.  I think they're disgusting because they look like bugs.  Graham thinks it's funny that I'm such a girl!  P.S. The pocket on the left is where Graham kept the ring box right before he proposed!

Have you ever seen a happier dog?  The blue thing in Toby's mouth is his most prized possession...the racquetball!

This is called "being content"...and worn out!

The itty-bitty person on the other side of the pond is Graham fishing.  I couldn't get any closer without getting muddy up to my knees.  Of course, Toby couldn't understand why I didn't want to swim across to him!

Fish #1...the easy catch.

Fish #2...put up a fight.

I can't stand this picture of me, but it will have to do.  By the way, the red picnic table I'm sitting on, you may recognize as our old dining room table.  I think it fits in much better at the ranch :) 

I told you he loves to swim!

Caught his ball in the water.

Take a look at his tail.  It's swishing water everywhere!

The calm before the storm...

...and the storm!  He's got to get the water off somehow!

Of course, before we can leave, Toby has to get the "ranch smell" all over him to take home.  Sadly, as soon as he got home, he got a bath!

We had a wonderful Spring Break (even though Graham's was only for two weekends)!  I definitely wish it were longer, but only three more months until I get another two and a half month break!  My word, I'm blessed!  I love being a teacher!