Anniversary

Today my husband and I are celebrating our second year of marriage. The traditional gift for the two-year mark is cotton. The modern gift is china. I thought that was interesting! I will be anxiously awaiting by my mailbox for all the cotton I'm sure is coming. No? Well, maybe next year.

But seriously, I wish I had a way with words so I could describe my feelings. I am so incredibly thankful for these past two years with Brandon. It has been such a learning experience for us both. It has been full of the best of times and the not-so-great times. I cherish both. I know my husband so well now. I feel like I can practically read his mind some days. Yet, at other times, I have no idea what he will say or do. I like it that way. It keeps things interesting.

I appreciate all the sacrifices Bran has made to get us to where we want to be. I know he has done a lot of things he would have rather not just to make his wife happy. He is such a great husband. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. Nothing compares to spending your life with the man that God created just for you.

Happy Teacher

Today was the last day of school for our fourth graders. We have a huge promotion ceremony for our kiddos. The post below tells everything we've done so far this week. Over at Kelly's Korner, she is doing a blog hop about things that make you happy. There was one thing that absolutely made my day today. A poem written by one of my students. Here it is:

My Teacher

I've gotten extremely close to you.

I've done the work, but you're pushed me through.

For you're the teacher I hold most dear,

And I try to shed not one tear.

This year has been so much fun,

hard to believe that it is done.

I'll remember you my friend,

until time decides to end.

You aren't very rotley,

My very own Mrs. Motley!

*tear*

Promotion

The last week of school in fourth grade is so much fun. On Monday, we had a silly string fight. Tuesday we played kickball. Wednesday we signed yearbooks, and the kids wrote all over the concrete with sidewalk chalk. Today we ate donuts and watched a dvd with pictures of all the kiddos growing up. They really enjoyed watching that! Tomorrow is the long awaited day.... Field Day in the morning and the Promotion ceremony in the afternoon. YEA! Last day of school! I'm so excited. My class this year has been so amazing. They are truly great kids. I'm sad to see them leave and go to a new building... but I'm excited for my next group!

I absolutely cannot believe I already have two years of teaching behind me! It seems just like yesterday I was moving into my dorm room my freshman year of college. I feel so blessed to work with the best team of teachers, wonderful kids, and such supportive parents. I couldn't have asked for a better career!

Financial Peace

Today was the last day of Financial Peace University. *tear*

Actually, it's bittersweet. I am so thankful for the experience and the opportunity to get to know some awesome people. I am thankful for their support and allowing us to visit their church every Friday night. I am also thankful that it's over, and we can have our Friday nights back! ha!

Here's what we have accomplished since the end of February:

• Saved our $1,000 emergency fund
• Paid off $3,795 of debt ($5,915 including our mortage payments)
• Implementing the envelope system - Cash only!
• Started saving some money for a big vacation next year!
• A budget every single month!
• Giving our entire 10% tithe
• And most importantly, we have a plan!!!

We had a lot of hopes and dreams for our future. Now, we have direction. We know where we're going and how we're getting there. It's a great feeling. The class truly lives up to it's name! We have financial peace!

So.... where are we going? We are still paying $1,000 every month towards our debt. Bran has decided not to drive a bus next year. That puts our debt free date back to August 2011. Hopefully, sooner... I know the Lord is already providing!

We must be doing something right... Bran's truck broke down the other day. The repair bill was almost $400. Thankfully, we had some extra money from my end-of-the-year bonus. It was going to buy us a new shower, but we are waiting a little while longer. Murphy's Law never fails to show up at the worst of times!

Only one more week and three days left of school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!

My HANA

I loved my Chi. Really, I did. However, after the fourth one, I decided to try something different. Introducing my hana.

I'm pretty impressed with this iron. I ordered it from missiko.com. I was amazed and dazzled with their wonderful customer service. To begin with, the iron was on sale for the same price as the Chi ($74). Combine the price with free shipping, and it's officially a deal! This iron had much better reviews than the Chi. Several Chi owners said their next purchase would be a hana. I took their advice and look what my package contained:

Can't see?? Let me zoom in a little closer....

They included nail clippers, nail files, hand sanitizer, roses made from soap for your bath, hair product (for shiny hair), two different travel cases, a tin the iron came in, and a pad to keep the iron on so it won't burn your counter. If that wasn't enough, check this out:

Yup, I ordered the standard iron. They sent me the professional. WOOHOO!!!! I really like this company!

As far as results, I am pleased. The hana has tourmaline infused plates. My hair is really shiny! Compared to my Chi, I get the same results. The hana is lighter and has adujustable heat settings.

Here's a side-by-side comparison. My Chi has seen better days for sure! I was so upset when it just stopped working one day. The hana came with a free two year warranty, so I am covered for a couple of years! All in all, I think it was a good buy!

This One's for You!

Happy Mother's Day Mom. You're the best momma I have ever had. :)

What a Day!

I had a normal day today. Except, it wasn't normal. I know that doesn't make sense. haha Let me explain. The very first thing one of my students told me this morning was "(a student) broke his neck!" I was so worried about him. Thankfully, the little guy showed up late to school (he was absent the day before) with a neck brace on and some pain meds.

Then the kids went to Music and P.E. They were happy when they left. They came back sweaty, stinky, and crying. (Which reminds me that I NEED to order a Scentsy for my room!) In P.E. they had to run a mile. Needless to say, that didn't make them happy! I had a little boy in the bathroom throwing a fit. When I say a fit, I mean a fit! It was crazy. I shouldn't go into a lot of detail on here though. He's a sweet boy. While I was calming him down, I had a little girl in my room who was having trouble breathing. It was a crazy 30 minutes after they came back.

And to top it all off, after recess, another sweet kid came in puking. Oh, a day in the life of a teacher. So all of these occurances are very normal. However, I usually don't deal with all of them on the same day.

I was looking forward to spending a quiet and relaxing evening with my hubby. He was doing the umpire thing tonight though. After he's finished with that, he has to go back to work. Bummer.... Maybe tomorrow. I am still enjoying a relaxing night. I graded most of my end-of-year reading assessments. Tonight is the best TV night as well: American Idol, Glee, The Hills, and The City. Love!

I made my own deodorant yesterday. I'll tell you about that later.

Another Dave Ramsey Post

I was so excited to find all the Dave Ramsey fans that have participated in Kelly's Show Us Your Life. The topic this week is Show Us Your Money Saving Tips. My money saving tip is to go and buy the book The Total Money Makeover. It's certainly a fantastic investment. After you read it, find a Financial Peace University course to attend. Usually these classes are held at a local church.

Dave gives practical, biblical advice. His big motto is to "Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." Bran and I are following a lifestyle that is very different from other couples our age. For example, we make a budget every single month. We tell our money where it is going! We don't have to live paycheck-to-paycheck. 30% of our income right now is going towards paying off our debt (which hopefully will be paid off in a year!!) We also use the envelope system. We don't use our debit or credit cards anymore! It's hard to let go of all that cash! We have also learned to save for purchases rather than put them on a credit card. An added advantage of using cash for big purchases is the power of negotiating. I may embarass my husband when I ask for an additional discount... However, it works!! And if I am flashing around hundreds of dollars in cash, it really works! You don't have that power when you flash your credit card.

I love talking about our finances, our future, and Dave's program. But, I won't bore you anymore! Just go and buy his book if you haven't already!