School has gotten the best of me and I have neglected our blog!

WOW! It is hard to believe that it has been 3 weeks since I last posted. So much has gone on since then.

First, we celebrated Rando's birthday. Somehow he always manages to get a whole weekends worth of celebrations (but he deserves it)! On Thursday, the 30th, the two of us enjoyed a quiet dinner at Texas Roadhouse. On Friday night, we enjoyed a Braves game with his parents. We had a lot of fun. It was his parents first trip to Turner Field! His parents were able to spend the night. Mrs. Acres spoiled us with a cake and all!

Tito and the Gunshow - Live (The guys who wrote the Mark Texiera tribute)



Enjoying the game



Rando's parents after their first (and hopefully not their last) game at Turner Field



I returned the favor and ordered fireworks for Rando's birthday. Wasn't that nice of me?



Rando's birthday cake - Those of you who know me well, know I didn't make it. I never even think to buy birthday cakes.


Saturday, Rando went to lunch with his parents and then we watched the first UGA game at the house and relaxed. Sunday, we went to Fogo de Choi with my family to celebrate Dana, Adam, and Rando's birthdays. We ate enough for a week. We also saw Yunel Escobar and Brayan Pena (pictured below). The valet parking guys said that Edgar Renteria was also in the restaurant. We have learned the Braves love to eat meat because three years ago when we went we saw Julio Franco.

Brayan Pena at Fogo de Choi - Notice our dinner in the window!



Labor Day, I enjoyed one last hot day in the pool and then we cooked out with my family.

The last week and a half have been a roller coaster ride. First, I was honored as a finalist for teacher of the year which was a BIG surprise (our wonderful Media Specialist won). Then, we learned we were losing 4 kindergarten teachers and 4 kindergarten parapros (along with 6 other staff members). First, it looked like it wouldn't be me. Then, it looked like it was possibly going to be me. Finally, I learned that I was safe by only 13 - 15 days. My interview date was May 14th and one of the other teachers interviewed the end of May. It is so hard to see our friends have to pack up and leave. Two of my closest friends, Leila and Chrissy both had to leave kindergarten at Magill. Leila has to go to a new school. Chrissy will be able to stay at our school in another position, but it is said to be temporary. I am praying that Chrissy will be able to stay. She is my biggest encourager at school, and we do so much together! I know watching the news it does not seem like it is a big deal, but when you watch your friends hurt and have to wonder what is going to happen next it is a big deal.

This coming week will be hard as we transition. I will get new students on Thursday. Please be praying for all of the Gwinnett County teachers affected by the under projection. Even though all were promised jobs many are not working in positions they feel comfortable in. Some teachers will now be working in schools across the county and away from their own children. There are also a lot of students who are having to move to new classes. This can be scary for many of them - especially our young kindergarten students.


I hope you all have a wonderful week!

2 Crazy Weeks

Well, I am now 2 weeks into the school year, and I am exhausted! I have enjoyed getting to know my students and their families. I only have 14 at this point so it has been nice to be able to give more attention to each child. My prayer for this year is that I will allow Jesus to show Himself through my life to my students, their parents, and my coworkers.

This year I am in several leadership positions at work. God has blessed me with these opportunities as it is my longterm goal to be in administration. I have faced some very stressful situations, but God has been there with me guiding me and molding me to be more like Him through it all! I have learned so much in the last 3 weeks. I have learned more about totally depending on God and seeking His word. I have also learned a lot about leadership - including the downsides!

This coming week will be an exciting one for us. Rando turns 28 this week! The end of the week will be full of birthday celebrations. We will go to dinner just the two of us. Go to the Braves game on Friday night. Of course on Saturday we will be watching the GA game. Sunday we will be celebrating Rando, Dana, and Adam's birthdays with my family. As you can see, this will not be a good week for dieting!

We are so grateful for wonderful friends and family. We pray that you are able to get rest and refreshment this weekend!

Back to School

Well, as I type I am realizing that I cannot stop what tomorrow will bring! First thing in the morning I will have crying 4, 5, and 30 year olds at my classroom door. It is always an exciting and exhausting day! For those of you who know how bad my first day was last year I know that it can only be better this year! I am excited about this group of students! God has entrusted me with these students. I pray that I will have an impact on their lives!

This last week was extremely busy. Rando and I barely saw each other in passing many nights. Between softball games and me working late it was crazy. We were blessed to be able to enjoy Thursday evening together at the Hebron community movie. Friday night we relaxed and then Saturday we enjoyed some time with my friends from work Leila and Chrissy (and Leila's husband Andy). I was excited that I actually branched out and tried some new foods. Here is a picture of me and my friend Chrissy! I am extremely excited about teaching next door to her this year. We have a lot in common and whenever I need to escape the pressures and get a good laugh I know I can go to her room.



I hope that all of you have a good week! It seems like this is a busy time of year for everyone (especially those of you with kids).

In HIM,
Amanda

Last weeks of summer

Well, Rando has already started his annual song of "summer is over". Needless to say this always makes me ill! I love my job, but I love the time at home and extra time with him. He has also enjoyed reminding me that starting this coming Friday he will be the one kicking me out of the bed as he gets to sleep late!

I have tried to make the most out of these last 2 weeks of summer. I have had several softball games (we finally won a game - woo hoo). I have also worked a lot in my classroom. It is coming along, but there is so much still to do. I am in a new classroom which I am very happy about, but it takes extra work to move and reset everything up.

Below are some pictures from the highlights of my last 2 weeks!

I enjoyed lunch last Saturday with a dear high school friend Kelly. When we get together it is like we have never skipped a beat. I loved hearing about her little boy and how great her family is doing.



Last Wednesday I went to the Braves game with some friends from work. We had a great time laughing and watching some baseball. Of course the funniest part of the night was our shirtless Indian friend (he was drunk and creepy)! We also almost witnessed a fight right in front of us. It was a little scary. I did finally see the Braves win a game after going to 5 or so games where they lost.



Thursday night it was back to the Braves game for me. Dana, the Cohoon girls, and I rode down to Atlanta to make sure we got the free Brian McCann shirts. Rando and Byron joined us later! We had a great time! It is so fun to hang out with my husband, sister, and great friends. Brittany and Byron have become our double date partners! I have known Brittany since she moved to Georgia about 13 years ago, and we are good friends with Byron from our time in Monroe. Enjoy these fun pictures from our LONG night at the Braves game (it went 14 innings)!









Finally, yesterday I spent the day laying in the pool trying to get some sun (oops - I got a little too much). Mom, Dana, and I swam and laughed for hours. Somehow we convinced dad to go get some meat to grill so we could swim more and not have to get dried and dressed to go out to eat. Rando came over and all 6 of us enjoyed hamburgers and all the fixings (well, Rando and dad were hoping for Campton, but we girls and Adam enjoyed the burgers).

I cannot delay the inevitable anymore. It is so hard to believe that it is time to go back. Where did the summer go?

Have a great week!

A Wonderful Vacation!

We just got back from the most relaxing and refreshing vacation! The most relaxing part for me was knowing I did not have to come home and write a paper, watch videos, or take a quiz! Here is a picture of my portfolio right before I put it in the mail! Now I am looking forward to the paycheck (of course it will go straight to paying off my loan)!



We began our vacation with 2 nights at Rando's parents. We enjoyed a Chattanooga Lookouts game with them on Friday night! We had a great time fellowshipping with his parents and watched a good ball game!



On Saturday, we said goodbye to his parents and our little girl, Noodle. We know she had a great time with her grandparents and Uncle Gizmo!



While in Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge we did as much and as little as we wanted! It was nice to be able to sleep in and stay up late! Last year we went on a cruise and had a blast while staying busy visiting all the islands. This year we took it slower and enjoyed a simpler vacation!

We enjoyed many good dinners at places such as Calhouns, Damons, Hard Rock, and Corkys. We also cooked hamburgers at the cabin one night and had a hot dog picnic one afternoon. Here are some pictures from our dinners out!




A major part of the refreshment came from enjoying God's beautiful creation! We did not even have to leave the cabin for a beautiful view of the mountains.



We enjoyed climbing and sitting on the rocks in this river.



On our way back from our picnic we saw a bunch of cars pulled off the road. There was a cub playing on the embankment. Of course we know mom had to be close by but we never saw her (I was okay with that too). A few nights later we saw another bear about 50 yards from the cabin. The neighbors said that a mom and her cubs were in between our cabins while we were gone.



In Cades Cove we saw a wild turkey, 2 bears, and a hundred or so deer. The does have quite a few bucks to pick from this year because we saw way more bucks than does!



One evening, I was talking to my sister on the phone when I saw this raccoon walk across the deck. I would love to say that I kept my cool, but Rando would correct me! I was a little nervous (okay a lot nervous). I just could see him trying to get in the cabin. I learned that he was more afraid of me. He finally found his way back into the woods, but not before I snapped this picture through the window.



Many nights we stayed up LATE playing games (Phase 10, pool, and Rummikub), watching movies, and T.V. Rando read a lot. In fact he read a whole book (it would take me months to complete it). We are both night owls so we would stay up late and sleep in! Here is a picture of us in front of the fire place. The cabin is wonderful because there is plenty to do there at the cabin or you can ride into town for tourist attractions.



We also had a lot of fun playing putt putt! We played 3 games during the week. My 18 year old brother asked me, "Are y'all up there to try out all the putt putt courses?" He will understand when he is old like us! We had a great time during our friendly competitions. I finally beat Rando for the first time when we played Hillbilly Golf (which is an adventure). Rando beat me the two times we played Fire House Golf.






We also did a lot of shopping. We were good to mostly just window shop, but I was able to get my Christmas shopping started. Another thing we enjoyed was going to WonderWorks. It is an interactive exhibit hall with a variety of things to do. I pitched to Derek Jeter, we completed trivia quizzes, we played basketball in the NBA, landed space shuttles, experienced a "hurricane" and an "earthquake", and many other computerized attractions. It would have been better if all of the exhibits worked, but we enjoyed ourselves anyways! Here we are right before the earthquake!



This vacation reminded us that the simple life is wonderful! God has given us so much to be thankful for! We had a great time enjoying God's beautiful creation and spending time together! The cabin is called "The Blessing" and it truly was! The whole vacation was a blessing from God! I can't wait until our next getaway!

Well, now it is back to real life. Rando returns to work, I am preparing for school to start back, and we have house cleaning and yard work to do! If only we could just stay on vacation! Of course, God has blessed both of us with jobs that we love and being at home is nice too! It was nice to worship at Hebron today with our church family!

We hope all of you have been able to find some time away from the rush of life this summer to enjoy your family and friends. Have a wonderful week!

4th of July Week

Other than the holiday, this was a pretty uneventful week. Every spare second I had I was working on my portfolio. Tonight I wrote the VERY last paper I will have to write for this degree program. Before mailing the portfolio off I just have to scan my work samples, add some pictures, create a cover page, and burn to a disk! I cannot wait to go to the post office on Thursday!

Rando had a busy week at the office as he geared up for adult softball. We are both playing which should be interesting because it has been a while since either of us have played ball. Personally speaking, I feel like I am getting too old! After the practices I have been sore!

We had a great time on the 4th. We went to mom and dad's for a little while to swim and cookout. Then the Wynn crew loaded up and went to Gratis. Gratis is in the county we live in and until Wed. I had never been there (Rando knew his way around though - all 2 roads). We sat around, laughed, ate boiled peanuts (well me, dad, and Dana did), and eventually watched the fireworks - from the back of dad's truck I must add. Yes, it felt a little redneckish, but it was a lot of fun! We were very grateful that God gave us a perfect day to spend together as a family (not too hot, but not too cool).


Here is Adam, Rando, and me on the back of dad's truck waiting for the fireworks.



I am ready for the pool. "Rando, I mean it. I do not want to get my hair wet"




We hope you all have a great week!

Zoo and Wedding

WOW! Last week was a busy week! During the days Rando worked (he had to catch up from being gone a week) and I cleaned house, worked in my classroom, and met with my friend who is also completing her portfolio for our Masters. The evenings were full of outdoor activities. 2 nights we pulled weeds in our newly sodded backyard. I was so sore after 2 nights of that! Our backyard is starting to look so good though! I will have to take a picture in the next few weeks! On Thurs. night Rando had a meeting at the church, and I had softball practice (at the church). I realized how old I am getting because I could barely move Friday morning and even worse Friday night! I am looking forward to playing though.


Friday, we had a wonderful day at Zoo Atlanta. Rando had never been and I have only been a few times. Before I went at the beginning of the summer with Crystal (Rowe) Casey and her little Hannah, it had been years since I had been. We had a great time and will go back in the future! Below are a few pictures from the zoo.



I could take this baby home with me (until she started to grow of course)! Mei Lan is precious!



Rando in front of the gorillas. We didn't get to see the mamas and the babies because it was too hot (I don't blame them for going to the shade)!



Rando thought it would be fun to capture ever step I took coming out of the restrooms. It took me a while to realize he was taking pictures.

Finally, on Saturday I attended the wedding of a dear friend from school, Leila Stewart. The funny thing is she married a Dacula guy! Leila and I have found so many connections. One of my best friends in Rome grew up with her and now she is close to people who grew up at Hebron. The wedding was in Crawfordville near where she grew up. It was beautiful. Several of us from work went and had a great time talking and laughing during the ride to and from.


The girls with Leila (notice we were having to swat away south Georgia gnats).



Me and Leigh Anne, my new found friend! I can't wait to have a my classroom next to hers this coming year! She is a precious Christian friend and too sweet!

The coming 2 weeks I could use the prayers of my friends and family! My portfolio is due mid July for my masters and I need to finish it by the middle of next week! Being summer and all I have had a hard time focusing and finishing it. Please pray that I will work diligently and not get distracted. I also don't want to take away from mine and Rando's time together so I need to do it while he is either at work or asleep! Thank you for your prayers!

We pray that all of our friends have a wonderful and safe 4th of July! Please say a special pray for all of our service men and women and their families!