Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Senior Trip- Day 1

One of the FEW perks of being a senior sponsor: senior trip. HCHS's seniors chose three days of fun in sunny Orlando.
Activity one: paintball. Having never participated in the lovely sport, I was a little uneasy about participating. Students assured me that getting hit was "not a big deal"  and "you won't even feel it." As a high school teacher, I chant the following mantra regularly: "If a teen's mouth is open, a lie is coming out of it" (courtesy my hubby who also spends a great deal of time w/teenagers - baseball and football coach). So I knew better. Initially decided not to participate for fear of being a target. But later had a change of heart, when else will I get to do this? What's the worst that could happen? (Famous last words....) Rented my coveralls and suited up. Spent the first round hiding and watching just to see what it was really like. Round 2: got a little braver and stormed an enemy post before I could get there, "WHAM!" The most excruciating pain (yes I'm a wimp when it comes to it)! I had been nailed in the head. It almost took my breath away. Later found out it was not even a student who had hit me, but a fellow chaperone! The nerve ;) ! Spent the next round crouched in the fetal position, trying to convince others to venture out. As I played, I could not help but notice how violent the game was and decided this would probably be my last time playing. But I got the experience and gained an authentic opinion of it. Isn't that what life is all about?

Ready to annihilate some some seniors (later informed I was holding the gun upside down)!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Montgomery: Ya gotta see it!

 
Last weekend, the Aukema family women traveled to Montgomery's Alabama Shakespeare Festival. For those of you who don't know it's not a festival but a really pretty park with an incredible theater and fine arts museum. Find out more about it here. We saw Moonlight and Magnolias which was about the production of Gone with the Wind ( Nanny is the QUEEN of Gone with the Wind! You should see her dining room).  The play was hilarious!!



  On Saturday, we visited Montgomery's Museum of Fine Arts. This was one of my favorites. Don't you love the colors?



We saw soooo much more such as Tiffany glass pieces and lamps, and a real Cassatt (love her!). Could shoot myself for not bringing my camera! Mary Cassatt was an impressionist who is most widely known for her mother and child portraits. Below is one of hers.

It also had a huge interactive children's area. I can't wait to bring the kids next time I come.  If you're ever in the area, DO NOT miss these two spots, you'll be sooo glad you went!
Dined at Chappy's Deli. Had the chicken salad croissant, the best! But the homemade New York style chocolate cheescake was to die for!! They also have locations in Auburn and Birmingham.

The best part of the trip by far: getting to visit with the beautiful women in my family. Can't wait till next trip back to Montgomery! (In fact we've already planned it! - see below)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hot Mama

swimsuit, that is.  Those close to me know that dressing modestly is a weak area for me. I'm all about showing off "what my mama gave me." But as a senior sponsor, I will traveling on HCHS's senior trip this week. One of our stops is Wet n' Wild. As a result, had to find me an appropriate swimsuit. Was dreading this because I thought I wouldn't be able to find a cute one. But lo and behold, found one that I love! Found it from this website that specializes in modest swimsuits.  Find it here. (Thanks for sharing Julie S.!)  I got the ruffle top brown dot one. Paid more for it than I usually do for a suit, but it more than makes up for itself in quality and cuteness ;). It will be my main swimsuit for sure this summer. As a Florida girl, I practically live in swimsuits for most of the summer. Eatcha hearts out Yankees! Yes, I have an entire drawer devoted to swimsuits.  So to say it will be my main swimsuit is big!

Stay tuned for girls & babies trip to Tennessee and Aukema women trip to Montgomery. Can't wait to blog about each!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Paraprosdokians :)

Got these from a coworker. Maybe you've seen these before, I had not. Really funny! Love it also because it has to do with English (what I teach). Have a great day!

Paraprosdokian -
figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation


"Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a type of paraprosdokian.

Ok, so now enjoy!

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.

3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.

12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'

13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

17. I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

18. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

19. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

21. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.

22. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

23. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

24. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

25. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

26. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

27. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.

28. Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.

29. I always take life with a grain of salt. Plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.

30. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Bath & Body Works Deal

So I am COMPLETELY out of "smell-goods" so was super excited to find this deal. Stocked up on products for myself as well as gifts too.Check it out:
Bath & Body Works Spring Tote

Bath & Body Works has another great deal running on their Spring Tote – buy their tote for only $20 and get FREE shipping!
To redeem this deal, you must have a purchase of $40, excluding the tote’s price. While this may not seem like a good deal, the tote is valued at $100 and comes with ten full-sized bottles. Even better, you can add sale, clearance, B3G2, or B2G1 items to get more for your money.
Here are the 3 simple steps to get the deal:
1. Add the spring tote to your shopping bag.
2. Add additional items worth $40 or more.
3. Add promo code SPRINGTOTE11 at checkout.
The Spring Tote will drop to $20 and you will get FREE shipping for the tote.  Make it even better by getting 3% cash back by going through Ebates first.

I used a $50 Bath and Body gift card I earned from credit card points.For the $40.00 worth of products I purchased clearance items to get more bang for my buck. Had to pay the $40 worth of items' shipping plus tax which amounted to $25.00. So I got almost $200.00 worth of stuff for $25.62!!

Deal courtesy southernsavers - a great resource for web deals and coupons. Subscribe for daily deals via email. Love Love Love these newsletters! Thanks for sharing Mitzi!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Get paid to shop!

It sounds too good to be true but it really is! For online shopping go through this website and receive a rebate depending on the website you shop. Rebates range anywhere from 6% to as much as 25%! Just received notification that my first check from ebates is in the mail!
Click below and I get a bonus for referring you! Then you can do the same with your contacts. :)
 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Super Supper Deal!



KC's Pizza in Chipley is frequented by the Boyd family almost weekly. Homemade pizzas, calzones, and country meals are available there. It's also on the way home too, so Ryan or myself can swing by and get a pizza or whatever. Found a deal for it at restaurants.com. There you enter in your zip code, choose a restaurant and purchase a $25.00 gift certificate for $10.00.  But through 5/8 you can enter in the code: MYEDU and receive the $25.00 gift for $2.00!! Not bad eh?! For the Chipley area KC's is restaurant that comes up and since we frequent it often, this was an easy choice for me. Check for restrictions on the gift certificates, it all depends on the restaurant you choose...I haven't used it yet but it sounded pretty legit. :)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Tangled Update

Tangled family night was a success! It was a little tricky getting it together since we were out for Spring Break, schedules were off and we were busy visiting with family and getting ready for our annual girls & kids trip. But Wednesday night Randi would not stop asking about it. So Mitzi, my awesome sis, and I threw it together at the last minute. For each "Y" in the path of Rapunzel's hair we asked her questions like, "What if someone told you, you're not special?" Randi's responses were great! It's amazing to see what they're soaking in and you don't even realize it. Even though it was later in the night and kinda thrown together, I'm so glad we did it. At the end I had her Rapunzel dress up outfit, a crown and a homemade card for her telling her how special she was to us and to her Heavenly Father. It was hard not to cry as I was telling her how much she is loved! She enjoyed it too and even told me, "This was the best night ever Mama!"
P.S. Rhett participated too but I modified it for him using boy "stuff" and much simpler questions. He enjoyed getting tangled in the yarn the best!