Et tu, Brutus?

I love doing fun things around town. I'm sure everyone does! Do you like to paint but you aren't an artist? So do I! In August my almost sister-in-law introduced us to Sip-n-Doodle. This place is AMAZING!  You get to pick out a picture to paint and the instructors help you recreate it with your own artistic abilities. You can bring your own beverages and just de-stress with friends and new friends! Here are some pictures of how our paintings turned out!

I'm also part of a fantastic book club that has grown from the original 3 to now 6 (8 if you include the new babies in our group!) We just read Devil in the White City. The parts that I finished were really great and now that it is summer I will actually finish it. 

I am also incredibly lucky to know the Hanvey sisters! Yesterday (June 12) I went to Ft. Worth to the Shakespeare Festival at TCU. We saw Julius Caesar on its opening night. I am more of a musical gal but the acting was great and the stage was incredible! I got to usher for the very first time ever and I LOVED it!! In the show there is a lot of blood from the fight scenes! You can imagine that when an artery is hit with a sword the blood with burst everywhere! It was a fantastic show and I can't wait to go see Taming of the Shrew! I'd never seen Shakespeare live before but I have seen 10 Things I Hate About You (my favorite movie from High School because of Heath Ledger) so I'm sure I will love the play. Here are a couple of shots from after the show :) 

Blood! 

Me with the Hanvey Sisters! 

More fun happenings around the Dallas area to come later! Thanks for reading!

Summer Goals (I guess it's really a to-do list)

As I sit here in my apartment cleaning out my DVR and being very unproductive I am thinking about having some summer goals or making a Summer To Do List. I need to have something to work on this summer so I don't get into a TV rut! I have already been to the pool today to read and get some sun but it gets so hot so fast! So, here are my goals/things to do this summer! Can you keep me accountable?

1. Finish planning/booking summer vacation. So many hotels in so many places! Ah!

2. DEEP clean my apartment -- get rid of clutter! I'll be hearing Stacia's voice while doing this so that I can get rid of things I don't need!

3. Clean out my garage -- I need to get the light fixed so I better call maintenance to get that taken care of!

4. Exercise in the morning and evening and get through Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred! Jillian Michaels in the morning and then a short 20 minute routine in the evening!

5. Cook! Learn some new recipes and cook healthy! More fruit, veggies, complex carbohydrates and lean protein!

6. Make stuff for school -- Team Leader stuff, Workshop things, etc. This is the fun stuff! I will have to wait until the end of July for curriculum documents to be uploaded :)

7. Finish Disney trip Scrapbook -- Yay Disney!! (Does anyone need a Disney World trip planned for them or advice? Send me a message!)

8. Read books -- I will be reading all 7 Harry Potter books again :)

9. Hang out with friends (this should be an easy one!)

10. Plan wedding shower. Having so much fun! Just wish my mom was here so I can ask her all the questions I have! At least I have 2 amazing sisters that are helping with the planning!

10 things shouldn't be hard to do! I'll start tomorrow. ;)

Summer time!

Well, I have one more day of work but no more kiddos to teach. My 4th year of teaching is done and I still can't believe it! This year has been so difficult but so rewarding. I have lived the life that I feared so much last year and that is a school year without my mother. When I was having difficulty she was there on the other side of the phone. She would pray for my students and just listen to me talk about them as if they were my own children. I have to admit that it was hard, but not as hard as I ever imagined. I had some great students, parents, and co-workers at school and at home I have the most wonderful family and friends. My family was always there to help me in my classroom when I needed them. My dad came every time I asked! He cut out stuff, put stickers on books, moved furniture, unstapled fabric from walls, and moved a bunch of stuff from 104 to 105! I don't know what I would have done without him this year. My sister Christy helped out so much this year in so many ways. She was especially good at snow cone runs ;). My brother and almost sister-in-law helped take thousands of staples out of the walls. And I can't forget my friends who were up at school until 8:30 helping me organize my classroom and purge some stuff I really didn't need! Celeste and Stacia -- I don't know how I will repay you for helping but I will find a way! 

Now for the not so "deep" stuff! Summer is here! I love summer but I feel like this one is going to be super quick! What does a teacher do during the summer? CLEAN HER APARTMENT!!! Does anyone have a carpet cleaner I can borrow?? Also, there is a little crafting, getting things ready for the next school year, pool-time with friends, and a little bit of travel (but that is a surprise for later this summer).

So if you are a teacher, congratulations! We made it through another school year without losing our kids or losing our minds. We have gained some new tools in our toolboxes and used pintrest to enhance our lessons. Here is to finding some new ideas on pintrest this summer to use next year!! If you are not a teacher -- congratulations! You have a regular work day on Monday while I am on a raft in the pool reading a good book!

I am going to steal Ellen Degeneres' sign off: "Be kind to one another!"

I'm having Disney Withdrawals!

 Hi, my name is Michelle and I am addicted to Disney. The first step is admitting you have a problem. I don't want cured, but I need to unload some Disney thoughts. So, why not give some unsolicited Disney advice right before summer! To all those going to Disney World in the near future let me just say that I am jealous. Have you been before? Awesome! No?? Why not?? The first thing you should decide is when you are going. Oh, you already know when? Then the second step is WHERE are you staying? This blog today focusses on the different resorts that I would recommend.

Where are you staying??
I LOVE staying on property when going to Disney World. I have stayed at hotels in every category and I don't really have any complaints! The busses can be a hassle sometimes, but they are FREE (or at least included in your overpriced hotel room.) They are convenient. Here are some of my favorite places to stay -

8. Art of Animation Resort - Let me first say that I have not stayed here YET. This is one of the newest value resorts on property. They have the regular room that would sleep a family of 4 with young kids or 2 adults comfortably. They have 2 double beds (not queen). The cool thing about this resort is that they have 2 bedroom family suites that will sleep 6 (I think only 4 adults would sleep comfortably.) This is the resort that I am planning on staying at next summer for my 30th birthday celebration!

7. Caribbean Beach Resort - I like this resort because it is divided into many sections based on islands in the Caribbean. When I went I stayed in a Pirate Suite. I loved the theming of the room. The only real complaint I have is that it is far away from the main building where the pool and food is located. This is considered a moderate level resort. The rooms are a little larger.

6. Grand Floridian Resort - This is the epitome of Disney luxury. It is I believe the most expensive resort on property. It has many good restaurants inside including 1900 Park Fare. This buffet is a character dining experience. Breakfast is themed with characters from Alice and Wonderland and Mary Poppins. Dinner is themed with characters from Cinderella; including Prince Charming! To get to the parks you can catch a bus to Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. To Magic Kingdom you hop on the monorail. There are beautiful pools and you can watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks from the resort. This is considered a DELUXE resort.

5. Coronado Springs Resort - This is a Mexican themed resort. The pool has a Mayan Temple with a water slide. The food court is really great here. This is considered a moderate resort. I have not stayed here in awhile  but it is my Aunt's favorite hotel.

4. Boardwalk - This resort did not make my top 3 picks. I always get a resort mug so that I can stay hydrated and there are unlimited refills. This resort is hard because it does not have a coke machine inside. You need to visit the surrounding shops to refill your mug. This can be hard because they have to give you a cup of soda and then you pour it into your mug. I think this is a waste of materials... Oh well, just my preference. This is considered a Deluxe resort.

And now for Michelle's Top 3 picks for Disney Resorts!

3. Fort Wilderness Cabins - I LOVE the cabins! There is a bedroom with bunk beds and a queen bed. There is a murphy bed in the main room. You also have a full kitchen! It was so nice to be able to cook breakfast in the morning, make sack lunches, and have cold water to bring to the parks. The busses are pretty fast and you can catch a boat to Magic Kingdom. You get the camping feeling without having to camp! There are many outdoor activities offered at the resort (at an additional cost) and there are stores/restaurants on site. This is in the Moderate resort category.

2. Pop Century Resort - A value resort makes my top 2?? I have to say that I don't usually like the value resorts because they are loud and the busses usually take longer. BUT, I had a wonderful experience here for the Marathon weekend. I wish I had more time to enjoy all the sights of this resort. We stayed in the 1960s section which was close to the pool and main building where the food and busses are. It wasn't too loud. Pop Century shares a bus route with Art of Animation. The food court was really good. There are many meeting places if you have a big group. The pool bar was really nice as well.

1. Beach/Yacht Club - If I won the lottery this would be the resort I would stay at every time! I love that you can WALK to Epcot or take a BOAT! The friendship boats go from the resorts to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It is nice not to have to wait for a bus every time you want to go to the parks. The rooms are spacious. The hotel is beautiful! The pool has a sandy bottom and there is a slide out of a pirate ship. You can also walk or take a boat to the Boardwalk where there are many shops/restaurants. There is also fun entertainment along the walkways. If you can afford it, this is the resort to stay at!

Stay tuned for the next blog - Animal Kingdom!

Population 817

So, you have Good Friday off... what do you do with your day? Clean, do laundry, take a walk? Not this girl! You get in the car with one of your best friends and drive 45 minutes to the small town of Celeste, Texas. Why would you go to such a small town on your day off you ask? Let me back up a second. 

My goal is to make it to every capitol building in the United States. If you know me, you know the importance of this goal. If you don't know, I will explain it in a future post. Now, I have the BEST friends a girl can ask for! They are willing to drive 3,000 miles in 5 days to help me reach my goal. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't support my friends and help them check off bucket list items? 

That brings me to our journey to Celeste, Texas. My amazing friend Celeste wanted to visit the town with her same name. Instead of sitting on our butts and watching TV or eating Bon Bons, we hopped in the car and took off. Celeste, TX is about 45 minutes northeast of McKinney. 

In this small town we saw the "downtown strip", First Bank of Celeste, the City Hall/Police Station, Quilt Merchantile, Boot/Saddle Repair, Celeste ISD schools, the Football Stadium, and the library. It is a typical small town with very few shops, one gas station, and farms! Here are a few pictures:

Downtown Celeste, TX

Post Office!

Boot and Saddle Repair

It was closed...

The Football Stadium in the background

Library...

Celeste Schools

Last but not least we saw this really cool stack of Hay on the way into town. We just had to stop and take some pictures. It was such a beautiful day! I love Texas!! 

Starting Over Again

2013 is finally here! I am going to attempt blogging again... hopefully I can keep up with it this time around. I'm planning on going on some adventures this year and living life to the fullest! Hopefully you can keep up with me :)