Rascal Flatts

This past Saturday I put on my cowboy boots, grabbed my cowboy hat and headed out with good friends to Nissan Pavilion to see Darius Rucker and Rascal Flatts perform. One of my best friends from high school, Justin, organized a bus trip for a group of people to head to the concert together. I went with my best friend Lindsay and the only other person we knew going on the trip was Justin. I was a little anxious about how much fun it would really be with a group of people who didn't know each other well. But it turned out to be a beautiful day, we got to listen to great music, and we made some awesome new friends in the process!


Justin, Lindsay and I on the Bus Ride to Nissan


Lindsay and I tailgating before the concert


Old Friends & New Friends enjoying the show

Country concerts are one of my favorite things to do during the summer. It is a great way to spend time with friends, drink a few cold beers, and enjoy some fabulous music. I already have plans to go to two more concerts this summer to see Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. Can't wait to get the boots and hat back out again later this summer!

Last Day of School!

You wish you were a teacher!

Today at 10:30am, my summer officially began. My darling kindergartners said their goodbyes, packed up their final report cards, and left the school building. Woo hoo! Let the fun begin!

After all the kids left, our entire staff headed to a local steakhouse, Malibu Steakhouse, for an end of the year luncheon. It was a delicious meal and we all enjoyed filling each other in on our summer plans and non-school related lives! We also got a chance to thank and acknowledge the hard work of our co-workers and say one final farewell to the teachers moving to other schools and retiring at the end of this year. The luncheon is an annual thing and it really is a great way to bring the year to a close.

Although this last day has been fantastic, we really started celebrating the end of the year in kindergarten for the past two weeks. We had movie days, kindergarten parties, puppet shows, picnics... all kinds of really fun ways to celebrate the end of the school year!

On Tuesday, our school had a school-wide picnic where the entire school went outside on our big field and lunched together. We had Beach Boys music blaring in the background and blankets and umbrellas spread out to lounge.


On Wednesday, the kindergarten team put together a fabulous end of the year party for all of the K classes (125 students! Wow!). We were so fortunate to be able to rent not one, but two moon bounces! Although the weather did not cooperate for our outdoor events, being the flexible teachers that we are- we adapted our plans for indoor activities. We put the moon bounces in the gym and the kids HAD A BLAST! All I recall hearing as they jumped and jumped was "Ms. McDonald, this is the BEST DAY EVER!" We then ordered in Papa Johns Pizza and watched a movie in our classrooms. To round off the day, we rotated through each classroom and did a different activity. There was a parachute, musical chairs, carnival games, and steal the bacon. The kids had a really fun time and us teachers enjoyed it too!





This having been my second year teaching, I still feel very fortunate to be working in the profession that I am. Not many people can say they look forward to going to work everyday, but I certainly do. I get hugs everyday. I watch kids learn new things everyday. I get to help wipe away the tears and the bruises when they get hurt. It really is a tough job and can be thankless and under appreciated sometimes, but I truly love what I am doing and I am so lucky to be doing it. There is no greater reward for a teacher than the end of the year when you can truly see how much these kids have grown in 9 months. I am so proud of them and so proud of MYSELF because I know I have made an impact on each of these children in some way. After summer break, I will gear up again and get ready for a new group of children to come into my classroom. But until then...
SCHOOOOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!!!

Bus to Baltimore

This past weekend, Andy and I joined 57 of his friends on a bus to Baltimore. One of Andy's best friends from high school, Rob, organized a 12-hour bus trip for a big group to go see a Baltimore Orioles home game at Camden Yards, hang out for an evening in downtown Baltimore, and spend time with good friends :) We met at a local park in Northern Virginia at 3pm and headed up the Beltway to Baltimore, MD. We arrived around 4:15pm despite a little rain and some traffic. Game time was set for 7pm so we had a few hours to kill before heading into the stadium. Rob recommended we go to a local bar called Pickles Pub for a few pregame beverages.


We had several $1 beers and enjoyed the beautiful weather! The rain on the bus ride up had cooled the temperature down just enough to make it a BEAUTIFUL spring evening! While visiting with Andy's friends and a few of my own that made the trip, someone taps me on the shoulder from behind. So I turn around and standing there is one of my best friends from high school and former high school boyfriend Justin! He currently lives in Baltimore and just happened to be hanging out at the same pub that we were when he saw me and came to say hey! It was so great running into him. I don't get to see him as much as I used to since he moved to B'more... but hopefully he'll be moving back to Northern Virginia sometime in the near future!


Around 7pm, we headed into the stadium to watch the Orioles take on the Atlanta Braves. Rob had gotten an entire section of tickets together so we could all sit as a group in the stadium. We had a great time and cheered the O's on to a BIG win over the Braves!




After the game, we all headed to downtown Baltimore to hang out for the night. A small group of us walked several blocks to the Inner Harbor. I haven't been to the harbor in quite some time, so I had forgotten how BEAUTIFUL it is there! The weather was perfect, the water was beautiful, and the night life was a blast! We then walked to Federal Hill and went to a bar called Mad River for the rest of the night. Andy and I both had a great time catching up with high school friends and enjoying the night. We boarded the bus at 1:30am and were back safely in Virginia by 3am. Great trip, Rob! Looking forward to the next bus excursion!