New Addition

In love with our niece, Madi...

During our last trip to Florida, I got to meet Madison for the first time.  The baby fever is easy to catch when you're around this precious one!  Congratulations again to Lis and Aaron, who are wonderful parents.  After a few trial pictures, Madi turned on her inner model! 

Her gorgeous dark hair and large dark eyes made some beautiful shots. 

a moment with grandpa

 a diva already!

 family shot

 tiny toes!

 she's smilin!

 i love this moses basket

2011 Hopes

I believe I forgot I had a blog at one time, considering it's been months since my last post! What better time to revisit the site than now, in the start of the new year. It always takes me weeks to decide what aspects of my life I want to tweak, what relationships I want to build, and what areas I want to give more attention. You may call them resolutions, I like to see it more as a hope for the upcoming year. This post is more for myself, an accountability piece more than anything else. Read on to see
the things I ponder for 2011 ...



Personal growth... opening the box of my Canon Rebel opened a new world for me. This is the hobby/ talent I've always wanted to explore, but never had the chance. Taking advice from a friend, I'm not diving into formal training just yet, just experimenting! I learn best by seeing and doing, so this is the route I'm taking. I've been lucky with a few shots...
Some of my favorites so far:

Spiritual growth... is never "achieved", it's a constant realization of my humanity, and God's perfection. My only goal is to spend intentional time reading the word, asking the Lord to be a part of my day, my work, my relationships. Usually for me, this takes a thought-provoking book that challenges my self-centered world view and brings me back to who God is.

Relational growth... creating intentional time with people for the purpose of learning more about others and becoming more compassionate. Compassion stems from who God is and loving people. I consider myself a pretty compassionate person by nature. Sometimes in life, I notice my thoughts turn to judgment and cynicism. By spending time with current friends and creating others, I am more compassionate by default. If only we all could see through a lense that considers another first.



Professional growth... I am in the step in my career where I want to change the world, not just one child at a time, but many at once. This may be a desire placed on many teachers' hearts, or just the burderned few. I have explored, applied, and come to road blocks in my attempt to reach this next step. I don't know where this unsettled feeling will lead, but I do know I am constantly aware of what works and what does not work in public education. I'm learning how to trust God in this next step, either in movement, or in staying put. (Thanks Dad.)



Marital growth... In our second year of marriage, Sam and I don't have it all perfect, but we do some things very well. Daily, I am overwhelmed with my husband's heart and his eagerness to serve the Lord and others. I take him for granted more often than not. I'm realizing marriage is much more than cooking dinner, doing laundry, and date nights. Those we've got down pat. What takes our marriage from the superficial level to the intimate "oneness" is the intentional time sharing our hearts. My last "hope" is to create more opportunities for this time.

2011, come on in.

Amazing women in my life

My mom's birthday was this past weekend and it got me thinking how incredibly blessed I am to have such a wonderful Mom. Not only that, I have also been influenced and mentored by many amazing, talented women. This post is for them.

My momma- the reason I am who I am.

- My mom lead me into teaching. My mom has been a substitute, teacher assistant, and is now the school secretary. I grew up going to school on workdays, punching die cuts and cutting laminated things. I saw the hard work and dedication it took to be a teacher. Today, as a teacher, I hear myself say the things my mom said growing up. That's a good thing. I hope her compassion comes out of my words as I teach, inspire, and mentor my students.

- She always believed in me. There has never been a single thing my mom (and dad of course) didn't believe I could do. In fact, sometimes they think I can do more than I think possible to begin with! That's pretty incredible. I have 2 cheerleaders who are always on my side, encouraging me to be my absolute best in whatever I do. I guess that is why I am so driven.

- My mom loved me unconditionally. As a mother should... even in my terribly awkward years... or my mean, impossible to be around me years.... in the I'm too busy and cool for mom years.... and the emotional break down my life is falling apart years... and the "Mom, I'm getting married" years. She was there to add some quiet words of wisdom that spoke louder than anything else. She loved me, despite who I was at the moment. (Reminds me of God's love for me as well, I guess that's why he gave us parents to begin with.) Thank you Momma.

Pam Moyers- the reason I teach where I teach.

- Phenomenal teaching... because ALL kids can learn. I walked into Mrs. Moyers' classroom and saw this diverse group of little people. I was intimidated at first because this was so different than any school setting I grew up in, but after 2.5 seconds, I felt like part of her family of learners. I saw this amazing thing happen in that classroom that I will never forget- it didn't matter what color these children were or if they could read or not. What mattered was that they were important, they were learning, and they Loved it. For those 7 hours a day, their world was fun, intriguing, and wonderful with Mrs. Moyers. I wanted to be THAT teacher. I still do.

- She invested in ME. Mrs. Moyers took the time to help me with my college assignments. I would go to her house and she would review things with me, help me with job applications, reflection and preparation for student teaching. She is every student teacher's dream. Without her, I might still be in my Junior year of college, not sure where to go next!

- Last, Mrs. Moyers saw in me what no one else had taken the time to see before. As an educator, she saw in me what I saw in her. She saw the drive, the motivation, my love of kids and she pushed me. She would not let me slack or settle. She made me think and act like the educator I am today. Even now, when I am less than motivated, I think about how hard that small, petite woman works and how I have to keep up with her. She inspires me, still today. Thank you, Mrs. Moyers.

Susan Durham- she gave me my voice.

- When I was 10, I started taking voice lessons in Wake Forest with Susan. I had a natural talent, but didn't know what to do with it. I liked singing, I liked performing, but knew nothing beyond that. Susan started working with me and heard the Broadway voice come out. She helped me get my audition piece, head shot, and resume' ready for North Carolina Theatre auditions. Forget small local theatre, Susan made me start with the big dogs at the age of 11! My second audition with NCT was for Annie, & I made it. I had no idea what I was doing, but Susan was there every step. She would help me prepare my show pieces, my delivery, my presence, everything. For that show, and many more to follow.

- Tough love. I will never forget one vocal competition, I wasn't feeling well. It didn't matter. "Lindsey, you sing above your sickness. You have the ability, focus on your placement, and you can do it." She was right. Singing, performing, teaching, for the most part I can perform "above my sickness." Singers get sick a lot, so this is still a norm for me. But I listen to my body and know when to push it and when to stop. The lesson I learned was to fight for what I want. Don't just sit back and watch things happen around you. If you want it, go for it.

- With Susan's guidance, I began my college journey as a vocal major, (which later turned into a music minor and Elem. Ed major.) Susan would travel with me to my auditions, she was my coach, my cheerleader, my mentor. She sang "The Lord's Prayer" at our wedding last year, which was a dream come true. That day, her voice brought me chills and her heart brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Susan.

I am thankful, blessed, honored to have great people in my life throughout the years. Especially these three women. They have helped shape me into the woman I am today.

i'm actually ready to go back...

I admit it: I'm ready to go back.

I know that is not a cool thing for teachers to say at the end of the summer. Understand, this is my purpose. This is what I do. Don't get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer short term jobs, hobbies, and vacations. Yet, 2 1/2 months later, I'm ready to get back into doign what I am called to do. I'm ready to make a difference and have an impact on young minds. *Granted, I will need to reread this in about 3 months as a reminder when all the other stuff from an unnamed school system starts to crawl under my skin! :) For now, I'll keep my smile on and my wheels turnin'!!! Here we go!

This year, I'm trying some different concepts in my classroom. In college, I learned the most valuable lesson: All phenomenal teachers borrow & steal! That's right, all good teachers you see borrow their best ideas from other teachers. I personally like to borrow, steal, and then modify. I have been exposed to some of the greatest this summer and will be stealing a lot from them. :)

The 1st teacher I'm stealing from is Rafe Esquith: "Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire" He's a 5th grade teacher in inner city LA and is amazing. There are things this man does that I don't think I will ever have the time or creativity to make happen, he really does it all!!! Teachers, read this book. It will inspire you to do more.


My 2nd teacher I already stole from is Beth Newingham. She is a Scholastic spotlight teacher and has several blogs. She thinks of everything!! She is extremely organized and has a chart and graph for everything. Great emphasis on reader's workshop and assessment. These are the 2 areas I want to refine in my classroom. You can print out a lot of her resources by searching her name.

So I have taken and combined some of the things I stole to implement in my room this year. (**Disclaimer: These are not my ideas or resources! That's why they're so great! )


- Moral Development

This explains why people do what they do. This is great for kids, teenagers, adults, anyone. It makes complete sense. It is from Lawrence Kohlberg and there are 6 levels. I'm going to review this concept in depth with my kids the first week of school, then revisit it constantly. You want students to achieve "Level VI" thinking where people have a "personal code of behavior and follow it." You don't want students to do something because you said so, because it's the rule, or even to please someone else. Essentially you want to model and shape quality members of society. Ah, genius.



- A classroom economic system


Both Rafe & Beth have excellent economic systems in their rooms. I want to use Rafe's "debit" system where students earn a paycheck for completing their job in the room on a monthly basis. Beth has a great table for tallying debits each week to be kept in a notebook. Rafe has students "rent" their desks and pay rent monthly. Some students are able to save money and "purchase" their own desk, along with other students' desks and collect rent. What a great way to teach kids about home ownership? It makes sense and is incredibly practical. I'm hoping I can do justice to this system and make it work for us.







- Field trippin!


Rafe is all about elaborate field trips for many reasons. Our students take a big trip at the end of the year every year, but I've always wanted to do something different and practical, I just never knew what before. Rafe suggests inviting students to meet at the school voluntarily on a weekend and teaching them how to navigate with public transportation to nearby libraries and museums. Once there, teach them what to do and how to act respectfully. This is perfect for my students. They now have a lifelong skill and a new activity for their boring weekends.

Those are my 3 goals to put in to what I am already doing. I'm hoping they will be successful, and if not, I'll change, modify, and find something else that is productive & effective! I have a feeling the '10-'11 school year is going to be a great one!

Food, Fun, & Sun!

Ah, the sweet taste of summer. That's right... school is out!! Woo hoo! I have to admit, as much as I love my students, the summer is worth all the hard work during the other 10 months.

So far this summer, I've kept myself busy in small ways. I've had what I call "pool dates" with girlfriends I don't normally get the chance to see during the school year. It is so refreshing to relax, sit in the sun, and catch up on life with these sweet friends. I learned my lesson early in the spring to wear sunscreen and apply often! Ouch! No one likes sun poisoning!!

I attempted the MasterCleanse last week, for those of you who haven't heard of it, it is a lemonade with filtered water, squeezed lemons, and gradeB maple syrup that you drink throughout the day. Hard core cleansers drink only this concoction, along with some teas that I was scared to try! I started it and it surprisingly gives you energy and makes you feel full! I started eating small meals with it instead of solely doing the cleanse. I now try to drink the lemonade to replace one meal a day now and do smaller meals for the rest. It has actually made me rethink the importance I place on food. We think we need so much food to feel full- not true! I have cut down the amount of food I eat and it has made a big difference. So my love/hate relationship with food is actually improving because of the lemonade! Who knew! :)

Speaking of food, I found my new summer treat... the pinkberry type frozen yogurt places are popping up everywhere in Charlotte lately. YoForia in SouthPark is the big one, then my friend Anna introduced me to TastyYo in NoDa... heaven in a cup! I love fat free, sugar free anything that doesn't taste like cardboard. This stuff is fabulous! It makes for a fun outing in the summer and guilt free treats always work for me!

My favorite: Vanilla, ferrero rocha froyo with chocolate chips, graham cracker bits, granola, and strawberries... yumm!!

We have a busy, fun summer ahead! I'm looking forward to the fun memories with family and friends. More updates to come!

Off we go to Charleston!

This past weekend, the hubs and I got out of the Queen City and headed to Chuck Town! What a beautiful city. We had briefly passed through once before, so it was fun to see and do Charleston things. I wanted to give a few highlights. We stayed at the Palmer's Pinckney Inn, an adorable pink house off Pinckney St, a block away from the Market off Meeting St. I would highly recommend this B&B, except parking was tiiiiight! We barely made it out. Next time, we might park across the street.

Food? Of course we can't go anywhere without wining & dining! Friday night, we went to Poogen's Porch, which was fabulous. A little pricey, but worth every penny. We learned Poogan was actually a dog's name who the restaurant is named after, pretty cool. I had scallops & grits, and we ate fried alligator!!! It really does taste like chicken. Who knew! A first for me. Eek.

Saturday night, thanks to our tour guide, we went to Fuel, a fun patio atmosphere with caribbean/ mexican food. Very affordable, Fish tacos were awesome. We did the touristy food on the along the way, of course, Toast for breakfast & Hyman's for lunch.


Walk it out: I was surprised at how pedestrian friendly this city is! From our B&B, we were able to walk just about anywhere in the downtown district. We didn't move our car the whole visit. Saturday, we walked without a destination- my new favorite thing to do. We literally grabbed a city map and off we went! We made it to the Battery and walked along the waterway. Beautiful homes, historical markers everywhere (gag me haha), and people from all walks of life everywhere. What a great way to enjoy a beautiful spring day in an awesome city.

Make time! We've made it a point to budget in and schedule in occassional vacations just for us. We see the benefit in getting away from the normal routine and just spending time together. I must say these are the weekends you work for. It makes the long work weeks completely worth it. I want to fast forward and retire so I can just travel and eat good food with my husband! haha. We're a loooong way from there!

We can check Charleston off the list! We will definitely be back!

Endorsements and Plugs- Spring 2010!

Welcome Spring!!

I am so glad for many Spring things right now:

Spring Break starts tomorrow! A big perk of teaching!
Spring weather, which has been more like summer lately
Spring fever- which I have had since February
Spring white- only after Easter, of course
Spring closet- next week I get to switch my closet again
Spring colors- I love pastels and anything bright! Bring on the blues, yellows, and purples!

A few things I'm endorsing this Spring: Check em out!

Thirty One purses-

I love these bags for so many reasons.

*They have a Christian foundation- based on Proverbs 31.

*I have a great teacher bag that is incredibly sturdy and cute.

*They monogram anything! Love!

*& of course they are affordable and a lot less than many of my purses I've collected over the years.

*Next on my list: a new lunch box and a cute pool bag!

(photo credits: Thirty-One Gifts)

Stella & Dot Jewelry

A friend of mine from college sells this jewelry line.

I love their beaded necklaces and colorful rings!

Stella & Dot has those cute jewelry accessories you see around but never know where to find them! I'm excited to add a few basics to my spring wardrobe.

I am hosting a trunk show on April 27th. I'm looking forward to seeing their products! If you are interested in coming, let me know!

(photo credit: Stella & Dot)



Spray Sun!

After starting in high school, I have finally stopped going to the tanning bed. I decided to be a grown up and not continue to increase my risk for skin cancer. However, when the warm weather came, I was dying to wear skirts and dresses, but did not want to be reveal my blinding pasty legs! I've tried many a fake tanner in my life, but this one actually works!

My friend told me about this spray and I am hooked! It is inexpensive and totally works! It's called Giesee "Ultra Dark Self Tanning Aerosol Spray"at Folica.com. It's only $16 plus shipping. Worth every penny!

Of course, I am greatly anticipating my neighborhood pool to open any day now for some real sun! :) Until then, I'll spray away!