Casino Night

This past weekend we went to the Downtown Development Authority's annual "Casino Night" at the Ice Plant in town.  The theme was "Great Gatsby" and since we dressed up, we all earned an extra $25,000 in play money.  We had friends over to our house beforehand and then spent the next few hours playing Roulette and Black Jack.  And when I say "we" I mean me, Lauren, Kristina, Drew, and Josh.  Gaines ended up in the "high roller" room all night. ;) They also held a silent auction, which you could pay for with your play money, as well as a live auction, which you could pay for with real money.  I bid on a "Waynesboro Basket," but got outbid at the last minute.  Little did I know that Gaines ended up making a deal with the winner and paid over $100,000 (fake money, obviously) for it.  What a sweet husband. :)

What a fun night! 

Ten on Tuesday

[one]

My throat started hurting a little on Sunday, and yesterday I completely lost my voice.  One class period it was fine, and the next period it was just about completely gone.  I asked my kids if they had seen it, and they kind of looked at me funny. ;) Not having a voice definitely makes teaching interesting, so we'll see how today goes.

[two]

This dog and the faces she makes just kill me.  Such a cutie.

[three]

I recently bought this monogrammed blue fleece pullover from a store in town called Etc.  Its our school colors and has my monogram and will keep me warm when I watch the cheerleaders at the football and basketball games.  Yay! 

[four]

One of the many, many reasons I love fall is because of the pretty leaves.  Now raking those pretty leaves like we did this past weekend?  That's not really something I love...

[five]

I don't eat donuts often, but I recently discovered the cinnamon cake donut at Pineland it...is...amazing! 

[six]

On Friday night we went to the annual Casino Night in town and had so much fun with our friends.  More pictures coming soon!

[seven]

On Saturday night we went to Augusta to eat dinner and watch Gravity in the IMAX theater.  The plot isn't anything spectacular, but the special effects are awesome and watching it in the 3D was really neat.  

[eight]

We finished watching Homeland: Season Two on Sunday and absolutely loved it!  I really, really recommend it if you are looking for a TV series to get into.  Season Three is currently airing now, so it'll be a while until we are able to watch it, but it is so good and will be worth the wait, I'm sure.

[nine]

I'm almost finished reading "Beautiful Day" by Elin Hilderbrand, which is about a family who plans a wedding based on a notebook their dead mother left behind.  It's an easy, light read if you're in the mood for one of those. :)

[ten]

I am excited to pass out candy to the cute little trick-or-treaters on Thursday night.  We aren't planning to dress up, but you can see some of my favorite costume ideas here. 

Happy Tuesday! 

Nashville Bachelorette

This past weekend was our Fall Break and the perfect excuse to head to Nashville to celebrate Jennifer's bachelorette party before the "big day" in November. 

 We loaded up on Chick-Fil-A about two hours into the trip and what a good decision that was. ;) 

We stopped for lunch in Chattanooga at a great place called Taco Mamacita.  If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend it.  

On our way into Nashville we stopped to stretch our legs and visit the replica of the Parthenon.  

Then, we made our way to the hotel room to freshen up and shower Jenn with lots of lingerie.  

We had dinner at BrickTops that night, which was really, really good.

After dinner we hopped in a cab to go to a bar and little did we know it was the Karaoke Cab.  Talk about the best surprise ever!  

We had a few drinks there...

 

before heading next door to the Drag Show.  WOW! Talk about hilarious.  

The next morning we headed to the Pancake Pantry, where we waited in line for over an hour.  We were starving once we got inside, but it was worth it since the breakfast was delicious. 

We then drove downtown and watched the terrible end of the UGA vs. Mizzou game... champagne seemed to heal my sorrows temporarily.  ;) 

We then went next door to the Country Music Hall of Fame...

where we saw lots of exhibits...

like the one on Carrie Underwood...

and Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift.

After heading back to the hotel to change and get ready, we boarded the Karaoke Cab yet again for a fun night out downtown.  

We ate dinner, drank, danced...

and had a great time together celebrate the future Mrs. Parnell!! 

The Time You Have

I just saw this video on Lindsay's Facebook (thanks, Twinny!) and couldn't help but share it.  It is so interesting to me and really puts things in perspective.

So, how will you spend your time?!

BCMS News

I feel a little funny posting this, but in September I found out I was voted "Best Middle School Teacher" in the "Best of Burke" competition this year.  Our Board of Education ran this ad in the newspaper a few weeks ago, which features the "Best of Burke" teacher from each school. :)

[You can see last year's ad by clicking here]

In other school news, I also recently became the assistant cheerleading coach, and so far I just love it!  The girls are adorable, and it's been fun being involved in a school activity outside of the classroom.

Go Cubs!! 

Bulldog Nation

Our 26-41 loss to Mizzou was frustrating and gut-wrenching to watch, but I do still adore my Georgia Bulldog football team. 

[via]

I finally watched "A Letter for Larry" this afternoon and it reminded me, yet again, why I love my school.  Win or lose, our team has such heart and our fans have so much passion.  I couldn't seem to embed the video on here, but you can watch it by clicking the link below:

A Letter to Larry

It's a real heart-string-puller, isn't it?  Georgia legends are forever.  The Bulldog spirit is eternal.