Spring has Sprung!

It's been awhile... but we have been busy with things going on.

School is going well and I will be ready for the CRCT to be over...

More posting then!!

:)

V-Day and other things...

This is just an up to date with all that is going on with us.

My mom turned 50 this past weekend and we celebrated by holding a surprise lunch for her. It was a great lunch! and She was so excited!

For Valentine's day, Joey made me New York Strip Steak with bacon wrapped around it +bread crumbs. He also made rosato and green beans. I got a rose :) and a card from the pups.

For the longest time, I have been wanting something to go

over our bed. I have been doing my research and looking for monograms. Most monograms cost between 50-125 dollars.I found this Big M on chattywalls and it was only 19.50! How great is that?

It matches our M in the Living room and in the office.. I guess it is a running theme in our house. Joey likes it too!

I really don't get how to do the pictures on the blog..so if anybody can.. please let me know how!

The pictures above are from the circus. I went with mom, travis, and a friend of travis's. It was a neat show and made me feel like a kid again. I love the elephants :)!!

The middle picture is of Joey and his brothers Josh and Jacob, who all play on the same rec team. It is a neat opportunity for them to hang out and spend time together.

The last picture is of reggie when he is laying on our bed. He is such a great pup :). I don't think he knows that he is a dog.

Life this week....

Things have been non-stop here in the McWhorter household!

Joey had been sick this week with pink eye, sinus, and a sore throat. It has not been very fun for him. I hate it when he is sick:(.

We have been hanging out with my family, a lot lately. My mom finally got her drains out from her third breast reconstuctive surgery... so glad that she has a new surgeon who actually cares about her and how she is doing. We had dinner with my family tonight and it was fun.. we watched the Cats win their 19th game!!! Go UK!!

School is fine.. just busy and some what dramatic.. lol My mom told me recently that drama just seems to follow me... I can say this that I truly feel blessed for the place that I work at because of how much I truly love my job. I feel that I am starting to blossom as an educatator!!

Until next time... GO CATS!!!

Time for an update and thoughts :)!

Our holidays came and went. It was a great time with our families and friends. My mom had surgery for the 3rd time for breast reconstructive surgery and she is doing okay. Hopefully with a new doctor, this will be the last time!

We got some great gifts for Christmas and gave some pretty cool gifts too... For Joey's side of the family, I made all the girls washer necklaces with their children's names. Joey gave me a diamond necklace and a jelly belly Iphone cover.

Over the course of the break, Joey and I watched several movies. But my favorite was Julia and Julie... I loved how she made so much wonderful looking dishes. I have ordered her cook book.. so I can try to become Julia Childs :)! Right... Now if I could get Joey to buy me a Kitchen Aid Mixer.

NYE was a fun time to reconnect and hang out with friends. We went to Natalie and Michael's house and stayed until the ball dropped. I love getting to see Baby River... he is absolutely precious! Ashley made this dip that was called the buffolo chicken dip and I want the recipe because it was so good!

I thought I might post a few of my new years resolutions so that I can acutally see them in print and maybe stick to them.

#1- I love working at my job, but I feel like I could grow so much as a teacher, so I am going to try to do as much professional development to make me a better master of my craft. I am pursuing my ed.s in August of this year. Also, I will be working on my ESOL endoresement, Hopefully gifted endorsement, and maybe continuing presenting for the staff at school. I have had the pleasure of providing one workshop for the teachers and plan on conducting two more this school year.
#2- Try to lose some weight. I know that the last year has been such an emotional roller coaster with job and my grandmother. I have to take the time to work on my health or it will might be in the butt. Also, I have been bitten by the baby bug and would like to be in a better health state to start trying for a baby in a year or so....
#3- Try to show my appercaition for my husband more often. I know that he loves me and he does a lot for me... I still can't beleive that I am blessed with such an amazing man.
#4-last but not least become a better christian. I need to go to church more often and have quality quiet time.

I think that these are some good goals to try to achieve this year :)! I will post again soon! Have a blessed one!

UK vs UGA: Daddy's 60th Birthday

For my dad's

60th Birthday

We went to the UGA vs UK game.

It was the first time in 32 years that KY beat GA at Sanford Stadium. My parents, Travis, and Joey and I went together to tailgate and then to the game.

This is the picture of my dad with his UK cake that my friend Tara made for me. My dad informed that it was the best birthday he has ever had.

I'm so happy that he had a great birthday because he has had such a rough year with losing my grandmother.

Just for fun...

I have seen wordless wednesday before... but here's wordless Saturday:

Where were you during the flood of '09?

Where were you on Monday of this past week? I can tell you where I was... at KCS. This is a picture of our playground being flooded from the rain. The Metro-Atlanta area was hit by a severe flood storm... and the school was flooded....It is not as bad as another school in Cobb County that was totally submerged underwater. It was the weirdest thing to know that roads are closed and we had to close school due to the flooding. When I was talking to a parent, she informed me that Emerson was flooded on I-75 and I was unsure of how I was going to get home. On the other side of Kennesaw, Joey's office got flooded and he left to go home earlier and it took him about 90 minutes to get home because of all the closed roads from Mars Hill Rd. I left school at 2:00 and did not get home until 5:30 due to traffic and roads closed on Hwy 41.

2 days later, the students have come back and it was like nothing ever happened. The kids have been doing such a great job.. and the staff has come together. I have never felt so proud before of a place that I work at. Joey's office was also damaged due to the flood and he has been working at home on and off this week due to the smells of the damp carpet and the fact that all the furniture is in the hallway. He has been really busy because so many people have been calling for claims and all that insurance type stuff. On a funny side note, Joey was working at home today and he went to go and get a shower. While he did that, Lucy decided to eat his memo pad with all the numbers that he needed to get in touch with. Ha!

On a postive note, KCS got their 5 year charter renewed this past Thursday at the Cobb County School Board Meeting! We had over 200 supporters there and it was so incredibly overwhelming to see the support for this school and that parents really do want the best for the kids!

Everything else is going pretty well. We are both just happy to have jobs, a home, families that love us, and each other :).

On a more exciting note, my friend, Natalie should be having her baby in the next few weeks. River is suppose to be born on Oct. 20. I am so excited to be Aunt Jess to this precious bundle of Joy!!!.

Lalala.... That song is stuck in my head...

Lately, I have noticed that I am getting the same song stuck over and over in my head and it is the new Miley Cyrus Song... Party in the USA.



I think that the last time I blogged was when my gram peach had passed away and a lot has happened since then...



After 5 months of looking and pursuing different job opportunities (13 to be exact!!) I was offered a fantastic position at Kennesaw Charter School, as a Special Ed. teacher. I am working with the K-2 students and have been having a wonderful time so far!!

Joey has been doing great. Out of 40 agents, this month he has sold the most life insurance policies in a contest... and I am so incredibly proud of him. He tries so hard at his job and does such a great job of providing for us.

We have been busy with family and friends.. and it feels great to get life back to somewhat normal.



The most exciting thing that has happened is or still waiting to happen is Natalie's having a baby boy in October!! I am so excited about meeting this little guy:-). She is the first one of my close friends to have a baby... she is like family to me and I am so excited to meet him!!!



I'm still missing the gram... it doesn't seem to get any easier. I know that she is in a better place, but life just seems different. My dad is doing pretty good... I just hope that I make her proud.. I have put some pictures up around the house of her and I. The hardest thing that I had to do was to take her clothes to good will and I cried for some time in my car because it was like she was really gone. I still have her sewing things and other items... I am dreading Christmas because it will be the first one without her....



Recently, I went to Charleston with some friends and had a great time! It is such a neat town. But the best part of the entire trip was at this one really nice restaurant, I got some DERBY PIE!! The last time that I had derby pie was in Lexington a few years ago and it was called May Day Pie.. It is a KY tradition..:-) It's amazing!!!

The only thing that has been bothering me lately is the loss of a friend. I still talk to her because we have some history, but it is not the same. She lives far away in another state and I was her biggest supporter..with other friends. She made some not so great choices when it came to supporting me and I have lost the desire to have her as a close friend. It takes a lot to lose my friendship and I know that it never going to be the same... I wish she would have listened to my voicemail about my grandmother. The sad thing is that the one time I needed her, she wasn't really there... losing my grandmother has been the hardest thing for me to go through.

Have a blessed day!

All these years...

This past week was a really rough week. It started off on a great note, my parents and I went to Lexington, KY to visit and then were suppose to go to Ashland to see my mom's family for a get together.

Tuesday was awesome because I got to see my friend Jordan and her boyfriend, Brandon. I love going back and visiting friends who are more like family. At UK, I always hung out with Jordan, Molly, and Katie.

On Thursday morning, we recieved really bad news. My grandmother had been taken to the emergency room for some swelling in her leg. About 2 weeks before that, the day after her 90th birthday, she fell and fractured her hip. She was in the hospital for about a week and she survived the operation to fix her hip. We came straight back from Kentucky and my uncle (my dad's older brother) came from Ashland to see her at the hospital. We spent Thursday evening and Friday afternoon/evening at the hospital. It was clear that she was in pain and it was so weird seeing her just lying in the bed hooked up to all those machines.

I got a phone call in bed on Saturday at 7:22 am from my dad. My grandmother had passed away.

Growing up, I had 2 grandmothers. Both my grandfathers passed away before I was born. My other grandmother passed away when I was nine. My gram peach was my constant grandparent. She would send me letters every week with a dollar in it. She spent every single Christmas and Thanksgiving with my family. I can't remeber a holiday season without her. She was the one person in my life who was always there for me.

The last few years have been rough because of her dementia and she has been in a nursing home since last summer. She was at the wedding and the picture that I am going to post is of ehr at the wedding. She lived to be 90 years old.

I knew that she was going to pass away someday, but it hurts so much that she is gone and I have lost that part of me. She was a wonderful grandmother and an amazing woman.....

I love you, Gram Peach!

I just wanted to post a few pictures of our awesome looking lawn :-). Joey is very persistant on making sure it looks wonderful!!

Summer has begun :-)

The Summer Season has offically begun!!

School is out and I no longer have a job... I am excited about the possiblity of being at a new school and staying there... I have no idea where I will be, but that is kinda of the exciting part...I just want to be at a school, where I can stay for longer then a year :-). God will provide!!!

What's new with us? Well Reggie and Lucy are driving each other crazy by trying to wrestle and bite each other... then they cuddle at night time. It has been great to see how they have gotten to like one another, even if they run around so much. In fact, as I am writing they are on top of the couch, sleeping.

Joey has been playing a lot of golf lately and I am glad that he gets to spend that time with his friends. :-). He is doing really well at work and I am so proud of all that he has accomplished.

This summer, I am working at a local daycare for a few hours a day... just to have some spending money :-). The next few weeks will be busy... baby-sitting Lily and bear, work, Vacation Bible School, and I am taking the GACE for Special Education on June 13. June 13 will be my grammy's 90th birthday. WOW!

I have a few ideas for what I would like to do this summer, but first I wanna get a job! I would really like a chance to go to Lexington and see friends :-). My dad and brother got to go this past week and I am so jealous that I was not able to go..... Lexington is just the perfect city... it's big enough that it has RUPP Arena, but small enough that it has the coolest downtown area. I would love a chance to go to Ramsey's or Cheapside. Maybe I am just missing those simple times of college and the freedom that I had without having to worry about a job...



I just thought that I would post for a minute.. gotta work on that Master's stuff!! God Bless

A few things that are going on.....

This is a picture of Lucy and Reggie... when they are tired... We have been having a very intresting time with Lucy because she is a puppy and loves to CHEW ON EVERYTHING!!! Ahh!! It drives me crazy.... but I do love her a lot.....

Life has been good. Both of us have had our birthdays and we had great days!!! I'm still looking for a teaching position for next year, but I am still the CHS Majorette Coach.

Since the Spring has come, Joey has become a hardworker with his yard... Here is a picture of him mowing the back yard with his new lawn mower!!

Hopefully I'll post more soon!!

What a sweet hubby I have...

This past Wednesday was a rough day for me because I went to a job fair at KSU and it is just so crazy to see how many teachers are looking for positions. I told Joey what a rough day I had.... he came home with flowers. This is the 1st time he has done something like that :-). Another wonderful suprise that he got me was a pandora ring that is bright green and it is so pretty. He got it for no reason.

I am so thankful for a wonderful man in my life.

Our birthday week is this week... Mine is Monday and Joey's is Friday... Good times!!! I will post again soon!!

A new dog and a new house :-)...

The last time that I blogged was in January, a lot has happened since then! We have bought our first house and have been making it into a home. We were very fortunate to find a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that has become our home. We live in a great subdivision. Having this house has been a dream come true for both of us... I love having my own house after having lived with my parents, in dorm rooms, and in apartments for the last 6 years of my life. We have a adorable guest room and a very cool GA room, that Joey decorated, himself.

Our other big news is that we got a puppy named Lucy, she is a mountain fiest. She and Reggie are getting along, but she is only 13 weeks old.

That's it for us now... Hopefully there will be more to post soon!!! God Bless :-)

Whats been going on with us...

School has started back for myself and it hasa been a crazy couple of weeks. My students have finished their informational pieces and that means lots and lots of grading for me!

On another fun note, I have started my master's in curriculm and instruction. It will take 18 months to complete but it will be worth the pay raise!!:-)

The most exciting thing that has happened to us in that we are in the process of buying our first house. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch style house. It has a big kitchen, a breakfast nook, a formal dining room, a wonderful master suite,... and its our first house! We are waiting to hear from the morgage lady giving us the thumbs-up about the loan. Joey is excited to have a "man room"..aka a GA Room where he can play his play station and have a place for all his Georgia stuff.

We are so excited for this phrase in our life :-).. Hopefully we will be able to post pictures soon!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

The last few days have made me realized how truly blessed Joey and I are to have such amazing families!

This is Lily and me :-)

Our Christmas festivities started off at the McWhorter household. We got together with Joey's brothers and their families, and Suzan, Harvey, and Nannie. We had a great time just being together and eating some sausage casserole.

Here's a picture of Benji, Joey, and Gracie @ the McWhorter Family Christmas...

After a wonderful night, we went the next morning to my parents' house and spent some time there. Then we went back home for a minute to shower and change... and then back to the McWhorter house for some lunch and more Christmas activities with Joey's extended family..... and then back to my house for dinner with my parents....

We had an extremely busy day, but it was a wonderful Christmas to spend with family and being able to give presents to those we love.

Our 1st Anniversary

This past weekend, we celebrated our first year of marriage. We went to a fabulous restaurant called the Station House. It is by the Chattnooga Choo-Choo in Tennesse. The best part about the resturant is that waiters and waitresses sing and serve the food. All of the staff had amazing voices.

---This is the kitchen inside the cabin---

After we had a great dinner, we drove up to Ten Mile, TN to stay in a cabin. The cabin belongs to Joey's boss, Barry.

The cabin has 3 stories and it has a fabulous view of Watts Bar Lake.

We had a great time, just hanging out and watching movies. It was such a nice, relaxing weekend!! And to top it off, I got a Coach purse :-) I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!!









This is the amazing view from the Cabin!!! :-)

A year ago....

Honestly, I can't believe that Christmas is so close....

It just seems like the other day that I was finishing up student teaching at Uk and getting ready to come home to get married.

Joey and I will be celebrating our 1 year annivsary on the 15th of this month. As I am looking back, at the past year I have learned how blessed I truly am to be married to this man.

Here are just a few things that I love about this man:

-When I have been away for the weekend and he tries to keep the house clean :-).
-How he takes care of Reggie
-How he works so hard at work and then comes home and is a loving husband.
-How he can smile across the room from me and make me melt...
-His little quirky things that make me love him more...
-The way he is with his family... and how he enjoys spending time with Lily, Brodie, and Bear.

-The way he can talk to my dad about football, because everyone knows I can't , sometimes...

I could go on and on... but I am truly blessed. I love you, Mr. Joseph McWhorter!

Holiday Season is under the way!!

Thanksgiving was a blast. Joey stayed in GA while I went with my parents to see family in KY. It is always great to see my aunts and uncles and cousins :-).

I can't beleive that Christmas is very soon!! I am having the majorettes over for our Christmas Dinner. The majorettes have been such a blessing in my life. I have loved working them.

I really can't beleive that it is December 1st. wow.

More Later!

Thanksgiving Rolls...

Thanksgiving has always been a special holiday for both of our families. Joey's family have a big feast with amazing food and spend time together. My thanksgiving have been a little different. My family consisted of my parents, my brother, and my grandmother. One of the traditions that I remember would be my grandmother making these incredible rolls. As the years have gone on, she would let me do more of the cooking. The past few years, my dad and I have tried to make them but they have turned out wrong, someway or another. This year, I decided to try to make the rolls by myself and I suceeded! They have actually turned out to taste pretty good. The rolls mean a lot to me because of the situtation with my grandmother. She is 89 years old. This past summer, we had to place her in a nursing home and it was incredible rough. Our family is adjusting to it, but my dad is having the worst time. So by making the rolls, I can give him good memeories of the past :-). I know that Joey and I have been truly blessed and we are so thankful for all the blessing God has given us this year! Happy Thanksgiving!!!