30 before 30

Sorry it's been awhile! The last quarter of the school year + wedding planning with less than 3 months to go = a busy Heather! Unfortunately my blogging has gone by the wayside in lieu of sleeping and being on the go 24/7...

In honor of my rapidly approaching 26th (ah!) birthday, I decided to take some time and set some goals for myself. I can't BELIEVE I am turning 26 in a week... May 17th to be exact. Many of my blogging friends out there have posted their list of 30 things they'd like to do before they turn 30. So with 4 years of goal-accomplishing to do, here goes mine...

1. Get married!
2. Climb Old Rag mountain
3. Coach a high school sports team, preferably girls soccer or girls volleyball
4. Go camping for a weekend
5. Rent an RV and travel to a Virginia Tech football game
6. Go to Europe for the second time
7. Swim with dolphins
8. Drive across the United States
9. Cut my hair short even though it terrifies me
10. Go to Australia and see the koala bears
11. Eat Sushi for the first time
12. Get a dog (or two!) that is me and Andy's pet and not our parents' (although we love you Nittany & Riley!)
13. Watch my friends fall as happily in love as I am and attend their weddings
14. Watch all of the movies currently in my Netflix queue
15. Learn to cook well, not just make dinner
16. Visit Mikaela in Maine and eat a real Maine lobster
17. Go to an NFL Super Bowl 
18. Go to a National Championship Game in college football
19. Run an official 5k
20. Learn how to not kill plants
21. Send a photo Christmas card
22. Buy a townhouse or single-family home
23. Save enough money to keep our condo and rent it
24. Buy a new car 
25. Go on a winery tour bus with my best friends
26. Get involved with the Girls On The Run program at the elementary school I work at
27. Give a toast at a special event
28. Continue to take trips with my amazing parents
29. Host a formal family dinner at my home
30. Begin the journey of becoming a mom

April 16th Remembrance

One of my friends came across this article on April 16th, 2010 and sent it to me. To this day, 3 years after the massacre in Blacksburg, I still don't think I have the right words to express how the events of that day affected me. I was one of the lucky ones... I wasn't in the building. I wasn't hurt. I didn't know anyone personally who was a victim. But that day still changed the way I look at the world... a lot. I learned a lot about myself, my friends and family that day... but most of all I learned about my school. Virginia Tech. My alma mater. I don't think it is possible to put into words the pride, honor, and affection I have for the way all of us students, faculty and fans came together at such a devastating time and lifted each other up. Coleman Collins' words are probably the closest description to how I felt on that cold, bustery, snowy day in Blacksburg. It wasn't until I read this article that I realized, just like Coleman, that the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my lifetime was the "Let's Go Hokies" chants in Cassell Coliseum after Nikki Giovanni's touching speech. It brought me to tears as I mourned for those 32 lives taken too soon, but gave me a sense of hope and inspiration for the future. I was one of the lucky ones. I won't forget it.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/14975/coleman-collins-remembe

Happy Birthdaaaaaaay!

My blog officially turned 1 year old on April 5th. I may be a little late, but happy birthday blog! Thanks for sharing little snippets of my life with friends and family. Sorry I have neglected blogging as of late, but I have been very busy planning a wedding! The McDonald and Saulitis families are hard at work nailing down details and having SO MUCH FUN along the way! I promise a wedding update soon as my first wedding event, a bridal tea, is coming up on May 1st! Eeeeeeeeeeek! :)

My Mom

I thought I'd take a minute to tell you about one of the most important people in my life. First of all, I have the BEST family in the entire world. Now I know everyone says that, but I really mean it. I am an only child so our little family has always consisted of me, mom, and dad. And I don't think it's humanly possible to have had better parents or a better upbringing than I have. I know I don't tell them enough, but they are my bestest friends and the most reliable, loving, supportive people I've ever known. I only hope I have and continue to make them proud because I know I am a reflection of them, and they deserve to be shed in the best light. Thank you mom and dad for being the best.parents.ever.

When I was in highschool, my mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She fought hard, went through rigorous amounts of treament, and came out cancer-free. Throughout it all, she never lost her smile or upbeat personality. My mom has once again had a rough couple of years of late. After I went to Virginia Tech, my mom found a job she loved, enjoyed, and was incredibly talented at doing. About 2 years ago, she had to have back surgery due to some nerve damage and unfortunately had to quit her passion. No one could have handled the dissapointment she must have felt with a bigger smile or better attitude. She truly is the strongest person I know (although, my Dad is right up there for the way he's always taken care of us both, through good and bad). This past month, my mom hasn't been feeling very well. Last Sunday, she ended up taking a trip to the ER. They found her to be severly anemic, with some blood clotting and a great amount of fatigue and weakness. The doctors have helped get her on several meds to help her get well, and she will hopefully be going home tomorrow (unfortunately, without a cause determined for her symptoms). Throughout everyone my mom has been through in her life, she has never deterred from loving me, supporting me, helping to take care of my dad and dog. She has maintained great friendships and never, EVER takes pity on herself. I can only hope to be as strong and resilient as she is in the future. Please take a moment and pray that everything works out well for my mom and she is back in good health in no time. No one deserves a break more so than her... I love you mom!

Out-Of-Town Gift Baskets

Andy and I are approaching the 4 month mark until the wedding... so I am beginning to get a little more detailed oriented. Most of the "big" stuff is contracted and deposited.... assuming we wrap up our DJ this week. So recently I began thinking about our MANY out of town guests we are expecting to come to the wedding. Andy and I have a lot of family from other states, and many of Andy's college friends from Clemson still live in South Carolina. So we would love to do some type of gift basket with goodies and favors for those people who make the trip to join us on our special day. I know I have lots of married friends on here who may have some advice, and even for my friends who aren't married but have been to weddings... I need your help. What kinds of things should we include in our welcome baskets to be placed in their hotel rooms at the resort? What would you like to have waiting for you in your room upon your arrival for an out of town wedding?


Here's a few cute ones I've seen out there...

 Right now, I am definitely planning on including bottles of water, advil (for the morning after!), packets of tissues, sunscreen, chapstick, a map of the local area, some sort of snack. I would also LOVE to do a mini-basket or baggie for the families with children staying with them that might include some juice boxes, crayons and coloring books, and some treats.

As I begin to look at the little details that go into wedding planning, I can see my stress begin to rise jussssst a little... Here's to hoping I stay relatively cool, calm, and collected for the next 4 months!

Teaching Moment

Today was one of those days. One of those great, rewarding, memorable days in my kindergarten classroom. One of my students, a little boy, came to kindergarten this fall with no preK experiences, no English language skills, and a late September birthday, making him almost an entire year younger and a year less experienced than some of his classmates. To be blunt, there is no way he was ready for a full-day kindergarten. The boy can't even sit still in his chair for more than 30 seconds (and still can't to this day, might I add). His learning has been challenging for both him and me as he continues to learn the English language. There have been several times thus far this year where I legitimately wondered if he would gain ANYTHING from this school year. I have met with his parents, I have discussed my concerns with other teachers and even administrators. But today... today was different. Today he showed me that not only can this little boy learn something this year in kindergarten... but he DID. And I couldn't have been prouder of him (or myself for that matter, I did give myself a little kudos!)

While writing in journals today, this little boy who inconsistently identifies the 5 letters that make up his name (let alone any letter sounds), actually identified 3 letter sounds and the letters that correspond (and even a blend!)! I mean, I was shocked. Typically, we share the pen when writing... and I use the term "sharing" generously, because I usually end up having to show him the letters and emphasizing the sounds and recording in his journal. I was on cloud 9!

Later in the afternoon during math time, our math specialist was in leading the class in a patterning activity. This boy had been redirected MANY times to sit quietly, not shout out, and pay attention to the lesson. Then, all of a sudden, as the teacher starts laying pictures in a line on the carpet, I hear him counting out loud.... 1, 2, 3....the whole way to 8! Now, some of you probably think counting to 8 is nothing to celebrate. But for this boy, it is! He has a difficult time counting in sequential order without skipping numbers. But he did it today! I was so excited to overhear this and see his hardwork paying off today, I didn't even mention to him the fact that he was shouting out when counting instead of raising his hand :)

Now, this little boy will repeat kindergarten again next year, because he is not even close to being prepared for first grade. He will need more support and guidance to support his language learning and skill building. But today, I was a proud teacher!

150 Days Until I Do...

Who can believe there is only 150 days left until the big day?! I sure can't. I haven't even begun to hit the panic button! Being so busy at work has at least prevented me from stressing about the wedding! Here's an update on where we stand with 150 days to go!

Done

• Sparkly engagement ring insured & properly sized :)
• Wedding party selected
• Ceremony & reception site booked: Lansdowne Resort 
• Save-the-dates & Invitations, including inserts, ordered & received
• Bought my wedding dress!
• Bought my bridemaids' dresses 
• Rehearsal Dinner location booked: Tarara Winery 
• Photographer booked!
• Officiant selected
• Contract done on block of rooms reserved at resort
• Scheduled food taste tasting for May 2010
• Date & place for my first bridal shower (courtesy of my MOH Rachel Astrow!) 
• Save-the-dates mailed!
• Rehearsal dinner details, catering & favors done! (Courtesy of Andy's wonderful mom!)
• Videographer booked
• String quartet for ceremony & cocktail hour booked

In-progress

• Finalizing contract with officiant
• Florist designs
• Meeting with and booking a DJ
• Flower girls & Jr bridemaid dresses pricing & ordering

Need to do

• Register for gifts (Hoping to take care of this over my spring break)
• Book honeymoon (Andy WAS 100% in charge of this one... but now I'm involved because we can't decide on a location)
• Get shoes, veil, jewelry
• Hair/make-up person
• Book engagement photo shoot for springtime 
• Groom & groomsman tuxedos (including ring bearers)
• Bridesmaid gifts
• Wedding favors 
• Table labels... we are putting our own special twist on table numbers; Place cards
• Out of town guestroom baskets
• Dinner menus & ceremony programs