Classes, Flowers, & More Truck Stuff

 THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL CAME!!!  I have been thinking about this day since I officially accepted the offer into the University of Tennessee's Doctoral Program in June, and it finally came!

The occasion obviously called for a First Day of School picture: 

GO VOLS!

I was full of excitement Monday morning!  However, my classes are at 5pm, so by 3:30pm, I began to pace.  The dogs were huge supporters as they too walked laps around my house.

By 4:30pm I was in full pace/panic mode when I received a very sweet surprise:

Phil is the sweetest :)

About halfway through class I realized that this is just school, and it felt really good to be back in the saddle.  The build up to my Tuesday class was a lot better. 

                                                

Max and Penny were there to cheer me on!

Also good news: in addition to four brand new tires, I am now the proud owner of new rear and front brakes!!  I can do all sorts of truck stuff now with my new tires AND stop when I want to...life is good and hopefully vehicle maintenance free for now.

This made me chuckle because as much as my dogs hate anyone who rings the doorbell or heaven forbid someone knocks, they have a canny ability to tell when its the Chewy delivery...then they look at me wondering why it's taking me so long to bring that beautiful box in....that's because its heavy and I have to wrestle it inside the door with a doggy audience.

I hope everyone has a great week!! How is school going for everyone?  Are you all doing online or in person learning?

M&Ms, Rain, & A Sick Pupper

State testing is over!  Wahoo!! It has been a long two weeks, but we have conquered those tests and are now on our way to fun things - again, probably English teacher fun ;)

I had a sweet delivery to the school this week:

Phil has been away at training and must have sensed that I needed a boost...he was right! Insert sigh and heart eyes.

I had another sweet surprise this week and it came in the form of a bag of M&Ms:

A small gesture with such a huge impact that I literally cried.  A student bought these for me and told me: "Miss, these are for you because you never give up on us and sometimes we really don't deserve that, so thanks.  And your cold sore looks really painful.  And you miss Phil."-7th grader

It is those types of moments that really bring me to my knees sometimes and remind me why I do this everyday.

We had an all day rain/wind soaker on Saturday; spring was in full force here in OK!  The dogs and I enjoyed spending all day on the couch watching cartoons and Hallmark movies (the Spring movies are super cute!)

As you can see, the couch was well guarded...

Sadly, our night was super chaotic with a sick little pupper :( Poor Penny has been hit with some tummy distress, so Sunday has passed with Clorox wipes, multiple baths, laundry, and more couch cuddles.  She is extra snuggly when she is sick, so we have made sure to grab all of those that we could today.

Max embraced the cuddle day as well:

He feels fine, he just didn't want to be left behind...also I am unsure how the position could even remotely be comfortable...maybe if I did yoga I would understand better.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  We have a four day week to celebrate Easter!

Anyone have any Easter plans or traditions that they are looking forward to?

Sneakers, Anniversary, & More Sneakers

Phil and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary this week!  This year was extra special because he was actually here to celebrate with me!  I swear I look at that man and the butterflies still just flap away :)

This is one of my favorite photos from the big day <3

He also surprised me at school with flowers...needless to say, I was a puddle when he showed up to my classroom door looking all handsome in his uniform (he graduated from CCC that day!)

He also got to meet a few of my students....they all want him to come back to school so they can ask him questions.  It was a very, very cool day!

Phil made the mistake of taking me to the mall Saturday night...I say this because we happened to stroll on by the Journeys store and lo and behold, there were shoes I just had to have!

A pretty pair of pink Converse to be exact!  I was looking at the neon pink ones and decided that they are just a tad too loud (neon toenails, yes, neon Converse, just couldn't do it) and then Phil found these beautiful pale pink/charcoal gray ones and I was hooked!  It was love at first sight!

Then I also saw these beauties:

I walked out of Journeys wearing my new pink Converse (with my formal dinner dress...heels went in the bag) and those beautiful Adidas creations.  They are super supportive and were immediately tested out today on our walk with Max and trip to the gym.  MEGA LOVE!

New shoes, a truck, a puppy, and an amazing husband equals perfect a Sunday to me!

Speaking of perfect Sundays, this is what is happening on this wonderful afternoon in the Sutton Household:

Max is snoozing, Phil is playing Destiny 2, and I am reading, stretched out on the couch...perfect!

Phil is heading home for a little while to do some much needed catching up, so Max and I will be holding the fort down here in OK.  I wonder what kind of mischief we will get into....never can tell! (insert mischievous laugh)

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! :)

Anyone else have a sneaker obsession like me?  What are they?  Please share!

I am linking up with Bianca this week!

Teaching, Running, & Colds

We made it through another week and that is always a plus in my book!  The kiddos are starting to settle in and we are bumping right along!  With the help of some awesome people, my classroom is also not looking quite so bare-bone-ish:

I have some very cool painted signs that really spruce it up!

You can't see it, but my sweet tea cup is totally on my desk...addicted!

I am not sure if it is allergies or a cold, but my head is so congested and my nose is running like crazy!  Oh and I basically sneeze every three minutes...anyone have any cold/allergy medicine recommendations?

Saturday I went to a professional development class up at Oklahoma University called Ipadpalooza and it was out of this world! I learned sooooo much about what to do with the iPads in class that my mind was literally blown! I think I am actually still processing all of that information.  I am going to try one new thing that I learned yesterday to implement in my classroom this year, and then add another next year, and so on.  Now I just have to figure out which one I am going to implement...

I bought these adorable new Nike sneakers around the Fourth of July, but haven't worn them because of being home, then moving, then unpacking the house, and I literally just found them again!  I really need to finish unpacking my clothes from the RV...

They have this cool lace-type pattern on them with slight pops of a neon yellow!  And they make me look so much more tan than I actually am :)

I have been having a really hard time getting motivated to run lately, Phil and I have been lifting at the gym for the past 5 weeks and I really love it!  I never thought I would actually like lifting weights ( I was under the misconception that it would bulk me up...false!), but I really love getting stronger.  We do a cardio warm-up, but instead of jumping on the treadmill and getting a few miles in, I have been hitting the Stair Stepper and getting my butt kicked.  Maybe once it cools off I will pick my running back up, but right now, I am really into getting stronger and more toned with the weights.

Phil surprised me with flowers on Thursday:

I was having a bit of a frustrating day and he walked in the house with these and two sweet teas...he really is amazing <3

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! :)

Is anyone else trying new exercise moves and want to share?

Linking up with Bianca! 

Pokemon, Pot Pie, & AC

So remember me telling you that Phil and I were BIG Pokemon nerds?  Well the COOLEST thing happened: we caught a SNORLAX!  This is huge because neither of us had one and we couldn't for the life of us find one!  We would see them at the gyms and just wonder where in the world did these people get them?!?!  Well feast your eyes on this cool dude:

Ok, granted he's not super good, but he's mine!

Aside from being nerds and catching them all, I have also determined that Phil and I (and two of our other friends that will remain nameless to allow them their cool-guy facade) will be very ready for senior citizenship.  I have come to this conclusion by realizing that:

1. We like to eat dinner before 6pm if possible, and have been known to eat at 4:30pm with our soon to be crowd.
2. We like to be in for the night by 7pm....this does not include our nightly walks with Max, that is a whole different category
3. We eat Pot Pie every Wednesday at Cracker Barrel because Wednesday is Pot Pie Day

Yep, this is what 26 going on 66 looks like friends.

Max continues to enjoy RV life:

This is his newest perch: he can see all, hear all and inform me when the neighbors are making any type of sound/movement.

He's so fierce (insert dramatic eye roll here)

Phil surprised me by coming home with these beautiful flowers on Tuesday!

I am one lucky lady! 

He also installed a floor AC unit in the RV and our lives have been mega better!!  This Oklahoma heat is no joke and the RV is a magnet for the sun and traps the heat in like crazy, so it has leveled the playing field.  I have no picture of this because Phil did not like the shots I took while he was installing it...party pooper!

My parents are coming down to visit next week and spending the Fourth down here with Phil, my brother and I!  I am so excited! It will be great to see them and since mom has never been to Oklahoma before, I intend to show her around.  She will be drinking sweet tea in no time!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!  Phil and I are thinking of trying kayaking/canoeing this weekend; any tips?  Has anyone tried it?

Magnets, Flowers, & Stuffy Noses

I am not sure what decided to bloom, but I wish it would go away! I am soooooooo stuffy I can barely think straight!  I literally feel like all I do is blow my nose, and my poor nose is all red and annoyed.  My kids make fun of me for the way I talk and I honestly can't blame them, I sound like a disaster.

But, in other news, Phil surprised me with flowers on Monday!

I came back down from co-teaching and there they were sitting on my desk looking beautiful! The card is what really go me though:

He really is just the best and I cannot wait to see him in 10 days!!!

So I drive a Subaru Outback, and I am pretty sure it is the kind of car that is made for dogs and magnets.   The ultimate kind of cool is when you can combine the two!  Ms. Pearl (the Outback) is sporting a brand-new (and first ever) magnet:

My dad sent me this and I laughed so hard!  He really knows his grand-puppy well as Max usually ends up in a cone at least twice a year: there was the time we ran into the fence and split our dew claw, there was the time we ran into our crate and split a nail, there was the time when we got swatted by a dog at daycare, etc.  With Max I feel like there is always a "There was the time when..." statement that follows him around.  I guess this falls under the category of boys will be boys, or that sometimes, dogs are klutzy too.

Said klutz

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!  :)

Any exciting plans for the weekend?

Linking up with Kristin!