The Lost Sea

Chattanooga - PART 1

This weekend, we had our "Fall Break" (which was really just a long weekend compared to our 9 DAYS OFF we had last year.....but I won't complain). We headed up to Chattanooga to spend a few nights and see what we could get into. Our first stop was the Lost Sea!! We had never been before, and it was really cool (Daddy REALLY loved it):

 The big girls goofed-off in the gift shop while waiting for our tour to start...

 But finally, it was time to go in....dun,dun,dun....

 Ella started freaking out a little (and pretty much stayed freaked-out the whole time).....can you tell by this smile??

 When we got inside the cave, the first stop was the "bacon tavern" :)

 Josh thought it was neato :)

 So did Nora....

 She kept touching everything she could....

 Ella....not so much....she was "sca-yerd."

 But she did stop whining for a split-second to strike a killer pose:

 We went for a boat ride in the Lost Sea...

 Check out all those FISHIES!!!!

 Daddy and Claira thought the boat ride was groovy (side note....Claira had lost her bow at this point. What's new? And since she was wearing a cute little BLUE Halloween shirt, she got called "a cute little fella" at least 40 times. Oh well, I guess it's my fault for not having a back-up bow. You would think the pink pacifier would hint that she's a GIRL, but apparently not).

 On the way back up the cave, we had to stop frequently for a break. It was a steep walk, and Mama ain't as young (or as fit) as she once was!!

 The girls wanted to touch the lucky stalagmite (or stalactite??? Whichever one it is that grows from the ground). Supposedly, if you touched this one, you got a year of good luck!!!

 Once we exited the cave, we headed straight for the Sweet Shop!!! What else?!?!?

 My sweet "little fella" waiting for some sweets....

 Since they were having a sell on ice cream, Nora got an ice cream cone + a bowl of sherbet. WINNING!!

 As Ella ate her ice cream, she talked about "how awesome" the Lost Sea was......YEAH RIGHT, kiddo!!! You whined your way through the whole thing and yelled that you were "sca-yerd" a bajillion times!!! That's my Ella. Love her to pieces.

 Clairy got in on the good stuff, too!!

 I opted for the "spoon lovin' FUDGE!!" Yummmmm.....

 Before leaving, the girls ran around.....

 ....and mined a little more.

It was such a fun way to kick off our Chattanooga adventure. Many more Chattanooga excursions to come!!

Cheers to caves and discount ice cream!!!

Foxhall Family Festival!!

You may have seen from our last post that we attended the Foxhall Family Festival this past Saturday. It's a HUGE festival that includes every school within the Douglas County School System. While I worked the Beulah Booth (and Grandmama provided shade for Claira to nap), the big girls and Josh took off to explore the field. They had a BLAST!!!

Clairy only stayed awake for about 20 minutes. 

The big girls were anxious to play the games.....

 ....and hula-hoop..... 

 ....and win prizes....

 ....and putt-putt.... 

 ....and play soccer.... 

 ....and toss bags....

 ....and face paint.... 

 .....and do spin-art with friends.... 

 ....and slide....

 .....and jump....

It was such a great day for many reasons (though it was very HOT for October)!!

Cheers to fall and festivals!!!

Teacher of the Year!!

It's truly hard for me to do a whole blog post about MYSELF, but this Saturday, I won the Elementary Teacher of the Year for Douglas County!! So, while I definitely don't wanna toot my own horn, I do want to document it for my girls, and I want to remember this awesome experience. I learned that I had won Teacher of the Year for Beulah last year. That, in itself, was a major honor, particularly since I work with such amazing educators on a daily basis:

Then, last month (on a day that I looked like absolute death-warmed-over) the superintendent delivered flowers and a balloon to my classroom to let me know that I had been chosen as a semifinalist! I then had to be observed and interviewed by a panel of 23 "judges." It was very overwhelming and stressful at times, but so rewarding and exciting! Last week, the Teachers of the Year were recognized at the Courthouse for "Heroes Day." It was such a nice and humbling experience.

 

 My biggest "supporters" were cheering me on!! :)

 (Clairy was supporting from her dreams....)

Last Friday night, the county held a PHENOMENAL reception at the Foxhall Resort. Great food, good times, and great people!!

 Me, with my awesome principal, Sheila, along with my hottie former coworkers, Linsey and Shana (Linsey was the overall Teacher of the Year for the entire county last year!!)

 Look who it is!! This is Jennifer Walters, someone I've known for almost 20 years, but haven't seen in over a decade!! Jennifer was one of the judges who observed me and served on the interview panel, but thankfully, I didn't know this until reception night (I was already nervous enough, and would've been even more nervous with a familiar face!!) So great to see her!!

 My beautiful assistant principal, Cher!!

 Nora was working the crowd!! :)

 Grandmommie and Paw-Paw were checking out all of the TOTY posters.....

 And when I went to have a photo-op with my TOTY poster, somebody totally photo-bombed it!!!

 Here was some of the amazing gifts we received!! Tons of prizes and gift cards. So very NICE!!!!!

 Our gorgeous "recognition" area:

 My sweet family sat in the blistering heat to watch the little ceremony.

 Dr. Pritz, the superintendent, announcing the teachers.

 Since they always lined up the teachers alphabetically by school, I was lucky enough to get to sit by Mrs. Dutcher, Bill Arp's TOTY. Lea has worked with Mrs. Dutcher for several years to help out with special needs program. :)

The following day, the Teachers of the Year were recognized one final time at the Foxhall Family Festival (which deserves a blog all to itself.....the girls had a BLAST!!). Grandmama came with us while I worked the Beulah booth.

Finally, it was time to get under "the big tent" for the big reveal:

Here's a little clip of the Dr. Pritz announcing your's truly:

Such a wonderful honor and memory that I will never forget!!

Josh has been calling me his HOTTIE TOTY, but unfortunately, after working in the ridiculous HEAT for over an hour (in October.....come ON!!), I was more like: "Stinky, sweaty TOTY." But oh well.....I WAS HAPPY!!

 

This is my 10th year at Beulah. I love it. Period. It's where my heart is. I am blessed to be around adults and kids that make smile on a daily basis. I am so grateful.....there are just no words.

Rock on, Beulah Bees!!!