In case you were ever wondering, complete and total random things tend happen when you are furniture shopping with one of your best friends. Mostly sketchy things that you would never expect to take place in the epicenter of Greensboro. Here are a few things to beware of when shopping for furniture:
*Beware of those furniture store folks waiting like vultures for you to enter their domain. They will hunt you down as soon as you enter their facility to sell you the most expensive thing they have. They may even interrogate you a little in order to search your soul to find out what your a looking for that day.
*Have a game plan in place before entering any furniture store. Example: "Take an immediate left" If your friend does not hear you, he will get caught by the guy named John.
*Beware of the guy named David with a very foreign accent upon entering. For you will not understand anything he is saying.
*Beware of freshly paved parking lots and sketchy caution signs. This may mean something: That the store is straight up sketchy itself.
*Also, beware of people talking to themselves in the mirror. They think they can carry on a full fledged conversation with their reflection.
*Walking through an antique store can not only be quite entertaining and fun but also very dangerous, especially when your playing, "jump out and scare people" and "hide and go seek".
Also there are simply those moments you will never forget like:
*That moment when you realize your friend in not just very tan, he's specifically "Spiced Gingerbread".
*That moment when you realize you just jammed out to Justin Bieber, Mr Duey and Kids Bop, just to hear the bass.
*That complete "what in the world" moment when an RV rides by with bright blue underbelly lights in the middle of...the city.
*That moment when your telling a story and you are right in the middle of the most exciting part and your about to get to the climax, and your friend goes, "Shhhhh..."
* That moment when you see your reflection walking out of Fudruckers and you think "oh that girl has the same skirt as me" only to realize you ARE that girl.
Quotes of the Day:
“Think deeply about life, it’s worth it!” -Jon Foreman, Switchfoot
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Ridiculously Random
I am going to need for my peeps out there to get a glimpse of just how random my life really is sometimes. I have the most amazing friends in the whole united universe, and the greatest family in the history of families, but sometimes there's simply times where my life just takes a random twist and ends up on a whole other spectrum. This place I like to call CrazyTown.
Here are just a few events and quotes from great people in my life that keep my life interesting at all times:
#1 "See this is why people get scared of the dark....cuz of these crazy ghost stories" -Cousin Jake
#2 "Is that your real hair, or one of those hair pieces?" -Aunt Susie
#3 "Elvis Presley was like.... the Justin Beiber of today" -Jake
#4 "Ms. Thomas would you like to have an imaginary cat?" -Jessica L, teacher friend
#5 "Would ya just get a look at that...just get a look at it will ya" -Martha M, teacher friend
#6 "Going through the road cones at school in the drop off circle is like going through an agility course...I feel like a border collie" -Me
#7 Uncle Mark: "(insert certain family member here) used my hair gel as tooth paste"
Me: "What? Are you even serious?
Mark: "Yeah, and she wondered why it tasted so funny"
#8 That awkward moment when your entire family is walking in the streets of Star NC from the funeral home to the nearest flower shop, and everybody that rides by waves and you feel like you should at least have a tazer on you.
#9 That feeling you get when your feet all of a sudden feel warm and you realize your uncles dog is so excited to see you he's once again peeing on your Rainbows.
#10 That confused moment when your uncle Mark tells you he has placed the order at Sherri's restaurant under the name "Juan" for you to pick up because he wasn't sure who elses name to put it under.......until your grandma tells you the truth.
#11 "Yes, I need ranch please...Oh wait ur not our waitor nevermind" Meredith, BF
#12 "Heyyy, this is real chicken aint it?" Meredith
#13 That LA teacher moment when your 8th grade cousin says, "I brung it....." and you interrupt his entire sentence to auto correct him before he moves on making yet another grammar mistake.
#14 Telling ghost stories on the front porch, in the dark, while your cousins Stone and Zach try sneaking across the field to scare you thinking they are stealthy and cannot and will not be seen yet doesn't realize there is a full moon making them clearly visible to all creatures great and small. #highschoolers
#15 That "I officially feel old" moment, when your cousin has a friend of yours as a teacher in high school.
Extra: "What is Bassmasters first name?" -Martha
Those are simply a few moments to demonstrate the total randomness of my life. Most happened this week alone.
Here are just a few events and quotes from great people in my life that keep my life interesting at all times:
#1 "See this is why people get scared of the dark....cuz of these crazy ghost stories" -Cousin Jake
#2 "Is that your real hair, or one of those hair pieces?" -Aunt Susie
#3 "Elvis Presley was like.... the Justin Beiber of today" -Jake
#4 "Ms. Thomas would you like to have an imaginary cat?" -Jessica L, teacher friend
#5 "Would ya just get a look at that...just get a look at it will ya" -Martha M, teacher friend
#6 "Going through the road cones at school in the drop off circle is like going through an agility course...I feel like a border collie" -Me
#7 Uncle Mark: "(insert certain family member here) used my hair gel as tooth paste"
Me: "What? Are you even serious?
Mark: "Yeah, and she wondered why it tasted so funny"
#8 That awkward moment when your entire family is walking in the streets of Star NC from the funeral home to the nearest flower shop, and everybody that rides by waves and you feel like you should at least have a tazer on you.
#9 That feeling you get when your feet all of a sudden feel warm and you realize your uncles dog is so excited to see you he's once again peeing on your Rainbows.
#10 That confused moment when your uncle Mark tells you he has placed the order at Sherri's restaurant under the name "Juan" for you to pick up because he wasn't sure who elses name to put it under.......until your grandma tells you the truth.
#11 "Yes, I need ranch please...Oh wait ur not our waitor nevermind" Meredith, BF
#12 "Heyyy, this is real chicken aint it?" Meredith
#13 That LA teacher moment when your 8th grade cousin says, "I brung it....." and you interrupt his entire sentence to auto correct him before he moves on making yet another grammar mistake.
#14 Telling ghost stories on the front porch, in the dark, while your cousins Stone and Zach try sneaking across the field to scare you thinking they are stealthy and cannot and will not be seen yet doesn't realize there is a full moon making them clearly visible to all creatures great and small. #highschoolers
#15 That "I officially feel old" moment, when your cousin has a friend of yours as a teacher in high school.
Extra: "What is Bassmasters first name?" -Martha
Those are simply a few moments to demonstrate the total randomness of my life. Most happened this week alone.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Decorous Discoveries!
Random things from this past week I have taught friends or they have taught me.
Random Tip #827
-The CB# at the bottom of your text messages mean "Call Back #" NOT their literal police radio CB number.
Random Tip #928
-Swimming in a pool with a life jacket (PFD) on may be one of the most entertaining experiences of summer thus far. Safety first!
Random Tip #683
-Pickles and chocolate are good together....according to some people.
Random Tip #4819
-Everybody's sketchy!
Random Tip #8582
-Wrangling a python in an elementary school hallway, may be the highlight of your summer job.
Random Tip #1
-Getting that first text message of the day from someone that can completely turn your day around for the better, is the best feeling ever =)
Random Tip #1829
House sitting is possibly the best thing ever invented. Especially when equipped with a baby grand piano!
Quote of the day:
"Every summer has its own story...this year it's more like a novel"---So true!
Random Tip #827
-The CB# at the bottom of your text messages mean "Call Back #" NOT their literal police radio CB number.
Random Tip #928
-Swimming in a pool with a life jacket (PFD) on may be one of the most entertaining experiences of summer thus far. Safety first!
Random Tip #683
-Pickles and chocolate are good together....according to some people.
Random Tip #4819
-Everybody's sketchy!
Random Tip #8582
-Wrangling a python in an elementary school hallway, may be the highlight of your summer job.
Random Tip #1
-Getting that first text message of the day from someone that can completely turn your day around for the better, is the best feeling ever =)
Random Tip #1829
House sitting is possibly the best thing ever invented. Especially when equipped with a baby grand piano!
Quote of the day:
"Every summer has its own story...this year it's more like a novel"---So true!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Memorial Day Madness....Kinda Forgot About
WARNING: This is a journal of my 2 day beach trip. If you live for randomness... keep reading. If you enjoy things that you think are too crazy to actually happen...keep reading. Every thing you will read on this blog are actual events, the people are real, the stories are real, and yes we already know we're crazy!
Sunday:
-Leave for beach.
-Wait 30 minutes for the rest of the gang to get there so we can go.
-Stop 3 times on the way to the beach, once to get KFC.
-Stop at WalMart to get some last minute items. EPIC search for cream cheese! I mean every employee in the dairy section was searching for it. Finally found it...Only for my aunt to say, 'Wait, I meant sour cream'.
-Bought ice cream, knowing our room will not be ready when we get there.
-Finally get to Shore Crest, my aunt has a condo timeshare thing going on, every Memorial Day weekend....so the sports bikes are EVERYWHERE!
-The front desk dude tells us our room will not be ready for two more hours. My aunts concern: The ice cream that she knew would melt!! So the dude offers to freeze it in the freezer in the lobby.
Adventure #1: Poolside KFC
Since we had no where else to go, my suggestion was to eat lunch. So we take our our massive picnic size KFC boxes, grab a drink, get ice (from somewhere), walk through the pool area where everyone was playing, and spread out on the picnic table. We had a Sunday dinner right there beside the pool. It was EPIC!
Adventure #2: Undercover Cops
My cousin Shane brings walkie talkies, so we want to test the range of these devices. Shane and I start walking down the beach toward the inlet (about a half mile away) with our electronic devices. I have a walkie talkie in one hand, going "Hey...can you hear me now?...Good" and a phone and a camera in the other. Shane is holding nothing! We looks like cops walking down the beach really, undercover, Myrtle 5.0 we called ourselves. Codenames, PinkLemonade and idk what Shane called himself. Anyways, we're walking going, "Can you hear me now...over" and the life guard and the real police are looking at us like, "do we know you?" We make it to the inlet, and apparrently we pick up on another frequency, cuz there is some womans voice on the other end we do not recognize....
Our room is finally ready:
Adventure #3: Unpacking Extravaganza
Has unpacking your vehicle ever become so dramatic that you have no clue what going to happen next? Yeah, I've been there... So we have tons of stuff and we finally get one of those carts that look like it would be tons of fun to ride on! Ok, now we're packing all of our stuff onto those carts, (food, luggage, groceries, pillows) and my cousin sees his shirts hanging up in our car (b/c they ran out of room in their car) and he goes, 'Hey, I have a shirt just like that, no lie'. Im like, "NO. WAY". He's like, "Yeah, whose are those"....I go, "Uhh, your's" Long story short, he didn't believe me so I preceded to tell him how they got there. Ok, so now we are waiting to go up the elevator and unpack our years worth of stuff, and we drop the drinks twice and these strangers have to help us pick them up. Now we've got everything unpacked we go back to the elevators and here's the HECTOR story.
Adventure #4: The Hector Story
Apparrently all cleaner dudes have a cleaning cart with their name on it. Well, this life size red cart had Hector's name on the side of it. Well, Shane starts going through it looking for stuff. We find some sea turtle magazines, and all of a sudden, Hector himself walks up while Shane's still looking through his cart. Well, Shane never sees him...but Brandi and I do, so we're like, "Shane!" By this time, Hector is right behind him looking to see what he was doing, and I say, "Shane, Hector is standing right behind you dude". Well to cover up, Shane asked for beach towels and Hector was cool, and we were on our way back down the crowded elevator in which I had to stand on the luggage cart in the elevator.
-Later that afternoon, Shane, Brandi, Haleigh, and I went walking on the beach....
Adventure #4.5: Wedding Crashers
As we were walking past the "Valley of the Dead Jellyfish" aka, the sandy shoreline, we came upon this massive group of people wearing pink dresses, and khaki suits. Yeah, you guessed it....we stumbled upon a wedding that was currently taking place. We preceded to take a few wedding pictures, as my cousin pointed out the 3rd groomsman had a wedgie. We begin swimming in the inlet, and finish watching the ceremony from the boogie board.
Adventure #5: It's Called a Surf Board
While Shane is showing us how the sand can completely suck in up to your ankles, I am worried about the rhinestones from my pedicure from last week. I'm thinkin, 'If these things stay on through this, that dude must have put them on with crazy glue, and they can go through anything!" Well they made it out alive and Shane is still amazed at how the sand just suckes you under, and he's almost convinced that it's quick sand. While he's into all that sand, he notices this surfer dude walk up and I see the dude go very quickly across the inlet on his surf board to the other side. Shane goes, "Whoah, how'd he get over there so fast". Im like, "He has a surf board". He then goes, "Dude, Awesome I gotta try that". Ok, so he gets his BOOGIE BOARD....gets a running start, and jumps head first into the water....and instantly SINKS.....EPIC FAIL! I'm like, "Didn't see that coming".. and wondering how much money I coulda just made if I had submitted a video of that to the show Ridiculousness!
-We walk back to the room, and get in the elevator. There are 2 teenage girls, Shane first tells them a floor we wanted that wasn't even a choice, and it drastically confused these girls. Then one girl says, "yeah, the elevators are WACK on Sundays"....and we all look at each other like, "oookkkaaayyy" and LOL when we get off! Later on in the same elevator, Shane puts his hand up to a light and burns his skin...
Adventure 5.5: Not So Lazy River
Yeah, so I decide I'm getting in the lazy river, and so does Shane. I am the normal one, so I get into my raft like normal. Haleigh is swimming around us like a fish. Shane keeps jumping into his raft, and every time he does, his trunks fall down so he's obviously pulling them back up so I won't see the moon. I'm laughing like a moron, when I notice these ladies, 4 of them, old-ish staring and laughing at us. Shane is now attempting to get into a kid raft, the smaller ones only your right leg will fit into. Ok, so he's jumping up trying to get on, and every time he does, he keeps flipping over backwards. I'm thinking, "It hasn't worked the first time...the second time...or the third...just give up already" so he does! I'm still laughing like a complete idiot and the ladies are getting free entertainment for sure!
Adventure #6: It's Spelled H-A-Y-A-B-U-S-A
We all decide to go out on the town, to do some shopping. Sports bikes are everywhere! Shane's going crazy, cuz he's like, "Daang, look at that HybusTa!!" I'm more worried about the say he's saying the bike's name and I'm like, "Are you sure it has a T in it?" So, I google it! Sure enough, it's spelled, Hayabusa. Ok, so the streets are blocked off because of all the bikes and we're like taking major detours, the security is everywhere, and we are really admiring the neon in the spokes of the bikes. Haleigh and I are in the back seat, laughing at everything! We go to two beach shops, I'm in the teacher mindset, and I find skirts for $5.99 that are totally cute, and I can wear to school and church! We then leave and go to WalMart because we have been instructed by my aunt Sandy to do so. Therefore, I get another watermelon, and Brandi insists that I go through the self check out, which turned into another adventure when I had no clue what to do! On the way back we find these bikes that are pretty legit at a gas station, so we circle through the gas station to check em out, and make a complete circle around the security and everything, which was hilarious! When we get back we have to park b/t two walls, which was also quite interesting to watch Shane back into.
Adventure #7: Zapping Crabs with Laser Beams
We finally convince one another that we want to go crab hunting so the Motley Crew (aka us) heads down stairs...but before we do, we plant a hidden walkie talkie next to my aunt, who is about to go to sleep. Once we're in the parking deck to get the flashlights, we radio the planted walkie talkie by making creepy noises. I even get on there and say, "Helloooo, my name is Scout Skinnyjeans", and she's like "Skinnyjeans???" Ok, so now we're walking out on the beach in search for crabs, but before that my cuz has to test his laser beam strength on building 1/2 mile away, and it worked!!! So there we were, searching for crabs with laser beams and high intensity flashlights. We found some, dug them up, and watched them dig back down. Wonderful way to end the day!!
Monday:
Ok, so my plan to get up early and go running out on the beach was non existent. I had this whole plan to get up before the crack of dawn, run, enjoy the fresh morning breeze........LIES! This chick didn't get up before 9am, and I had to wait for the other crew members to get up before starting off the day! Once everyone was awake and fed, I put my ipod on this song called "The Sound of Sunshine" from Soul Surfer, perfect beach song. I tried to get Haleigh to dance with me but that wasn't happening. Finally we went out on the beach....
Adventure #8: Banana Boat Experience of a Lifetime
Well we all decided to go on the Banana Boat which I was kinda pressured into. However, we have no money with us, so I am left out on the beach alone while the rest of the gang goes back and gets money. In the mean time, I am running out of water...and they finally come back. Well by this time, I'm feeling dehydrated, which is not good if you are going out into the mid-day sun in the Middle. Of. The. Ocean. Nevertheless, I use safety first and put my life jacket on. Thankfully take my new Oakley sunglasses off and get on the boat. The boat in case you were wondering is where you get on and simply hold on to a rope type handle. That's it!! So we're out in the middle of the ocean, and Shane's right behind me, and a very scared little girl is right beside me. I kept thinking, "What's gona happen if I fly off this thing". We also passed about 1,249 massive jellyfish. The saltwater is getting into my eyes bad, I'm sitting there yelling, "I can't see, I can't see" and so Shane lets go of his handle, and about pokes his sunglasses (that he daringly wore) in my eyes. It makes the salt water impact a little better. Meanwhile, our ride is almost over and we are now heading back to shore. However, we are still in the part of the ocean that is extremely blue aka the deepest part, and I'm thinking, "I got this, we haven't flipped out yet, we're not going to now". I was WRONG! About that time, I am flying in mid air and land in the middle of the ocean. HOWEVER everything is UNDER CONTROL...because I hear the sound of my cousins voice right behind me saying, "It's ok Ashley, I'm here too". I know, LOL. So then I ask the jet ski dude if I can hitch a ride with him. He doesn't let me, but I finally get pulled back on top of that massive boat, and just chill for a sec, cuz of the epic swim I just took in the ocean. We made it back in and I felt like I had accomplished one of my biggest fears...swimming in water I can't see in. I would go back again any time! I also got a pik with the dude that threw me off the boat and helped me conquer that fear.
Adventure #9: Ridiculousness
Well, after I conquered my fear, I felt like I could conquer the world so I went back to our condo and ate lunch. Not just any lunch, like a HUGE lunch! Well...Shane had to introduce me to one of his favorite shows...Ridiculousness. I fell in love immediately. We watched that for like an hour and went to the beach one last time.
Adventure #10: Mark is Here
There was literally a guy that looked like my uncle Mark. One day, my crazy aunt went up to him and ask if we could take a picture of him. I literally looked at her like, "are you crazy?" Turns out the guy is an officer in the Army at Ft. Drum
Adventure #10.5 Dudes that IDK
On the way home, I was so tired so I took a nap. You know the kind that once you take it, you will be up the rest of the night kinda nap. Well anyway, I woke up and we stopped at this gas station. Well on the way pulling out, these dudes on the back of a truck started waving at us...I was like "who on Earth is that?" and so we rode behind them for quite a while unfortunately.
Anyways, we had a time of epic proportion...and I would gladly go back again with those crazy individuals.
Sunday:
-Leave for beach.
-Wait 30 minutes for the rest of the gang to get there so we can go.
-Stop 3 times on the way to the beach, once to get KFC.
-Stop at WalMart to get some last minute items. EPIC search for cream cheese! I mean every employee in the dairy section was searching for it. Finally found it...Only for my aunt to say, 'Wait, I meant sour cream'.
-Bought ice cream, knowing our room will not be ready when we get there.
-Finally get to Shore Crest, my aunt has a condo timeshare thing going on, every Memorial Day weekend....so the sports bikes are EVERYWHERE!
-The front desk dude tells us our room will not be ready for two more hours. My aunts concern: The ice cream that she knew would melt!! So the dude offers to freeze it in the freezer in the lobby.
Adventure #1: Poolside KFC
Since we had no where else to go, my suggestion was to eat lunch. So we take our our massive picnic size KFC boxes, grab a drink, get ice (from somewhere), walk through the pool area where everyone was playing, and spread out on the picnic table. We had a Sunday dinner right there beside the pool. It was EPIC!
Adventure #2: Undercover Cops
My cousin Shane brings walkie talkies, so we want to test the range of these devices. Shane and I start walking down the beach toward the inlet (about a half mile away) with our electronic devices. I have a walkie talkie in one hand, going "Hey...can you hear me now?...Good" and a phone and a camera in the other. Shane is holding nothing! We looks like cops walking down the beach really, undercover, Myrtle 5.0 we called ourselves. Codenames, PinkLemonade and idk what Shane called himself. Anyways, we're walking going, "Can you hear me now...over" and the life guard and the real police are looking at us like, "do we know you?" We make it to the inlet, and apparrently we pick up on another frequency, cuz there is some womans voice on the other end we do not recognize....
Our room is finally ready:
Adventure #3: Unpacking Extravaganza
Has unpacking your vehicle ever become so dramatic that you have no clue what going to happen next? Yeah, I've been there... So we have tons of stuff and we finally get one of those carts that look like it would be tons of fun to ride on! Ok, now we're packing all of our stuff onto those carts, (food, luggage, groceries, pillows) and my cousin sees his shirts hanging up in our car (b/c they ran out of room in their car) and he goes, 'Hey, I have a shirt just like that, no lie'. Im like, "NO. WAY". He's like, "Yeah, whose are those"....I go, "Uhh, your's" Long story short, he didn't believe me so I preceded to tell him how they got there. Ok, so now we are waiting to go up the elevator and unpack our years worth of stuff, and we drop the drinks twice and these strangers have to help us pick them up. Now we've got everything unpacked we go back to the elevators and here's the HECTOR story.
Adventure #4: The Hector Story
Apparrently all cleaner dudes have a cleaning cart with their name on it. Well, this life size red cart had Hector's name on the side of it. Well, Shane starts going through it looking for stuff. We find some sea turtle magazines, and all of a sudden, Hector himself walks up while Shane's still looking through his cart. Well, Shane never sees him...but Brandi and I do, so we're like, "Shane!" By this time, Hector is right behind him looking to see what he was doing, and I say, "Shane, Hector is standing right behind you dude". Well to cover up, Shane asked for beach towels and Hector was cool, and we were on our way back down the crowded elevator in which I had to stand on the luggage cart in the elevator.
-Later that afternoon, Shane, Brandi, Haleigh, and I went walking on the beach....
Adventure #4.5: Wedding Crashers
As we were walking past the "Valley of the Dead Jellyfish" aka, the sandy shoreline, we came upon this massive group of people wearing pink dresses, and khaki suits. Yeah, you guessed it....we stumbled upon a wedding that was currently taking place. We preceded to take a few wedding pictures, as my cousin pointed out the 3rd groomsman had a wedgie. We begin swimming in the inlet, and finish watching the ceremony from the boogie board.
Adventure #5: It's Called a Surf Board
While Shane is showing us how the sand can completely suck in up to your ankles, I am worried about the rhinestones from my pedicure from last week. I'm thinkin, 'If these things stay on through this, that dude must have put them on with crazy glue, and they can go through anything!" Well they made it out alive and Shane is still amazed at how the sand just suckes you under, and he's almost convinced that it's quick sand. While he's into all that sand, he notices this surfer dude walk up and I see the dude go very quickly across the inlet on his surf board to the other side. Shane goes, "Whoah, how'd he get over there so fast". Im like, "He has a surf board". He then goes, "Dude, Awesome I gotta try that". Ok, so he gets his BOOGIE BOARD....gets a running start, and jumps head first into the water....and instantly SINKS.....EPIC FAIL! I'm like, "Didn't see that coming".. and wondering how much money I coulda just made if I had submitted a video of that to the show Ridiculousness!
-We walk back to the room, and get in the elevator. There are 2 teenage girls, Shane first tells them a floor we wanted that wasn't even a choice, and it drastically confused these girls. Then one girl says, "yeah, the elevators are WACK on Sundays"....and we all look at each other like, "oookkkaaayyy" and LOL when we get off! Later on in the same elevator, Shane puts his hand up to a light and burns his skin...
Adventure 5.5: Not So Lazy River
Yeah, so I decide I'm getting in the lazy river, and so does Shane. I am the normal one, so I get into my raft like normal. Haleigh is swimming around us like a fish. Shane keeps jumping into his raft, and every time he does, his trunks fall down so he's obviously pulling them back up so I won't see the moon. I'm laughing like a moron, when I notice these ladies, 4 of them, old-ish staring and laughing at us. Shane is now attempting to get into a kid raft, the smaller ones only your right leg will fit into. Ok, so he's jumping up trying to get on, and every time he does, he keeps flipping over backwards. I'm thinking, "It hasn't worked the first time...the second time...or the third...just give up already" so he does! I'm still laughing like a complete idiot and the ladies are getting free entertainment for sure!
Adventure #6: It's Spelled H-A-Y-A-B-U-S-A
We all decide to go out on the town, to do some shopping. Sports bikes are everywhere! Shane's going crazy, cuz he's like, "Daang, look at that HybusTa!!" I'm more worried about the say he's saying the bike's name and I'm like, "Are you sure it has a T in it?" So, I google it! Sure enough, it's spelled, Hayabusa. Ok, so the streets are blocked off because of all the bikes and we're like taking major detours, the security is everywhere, and we are really admiring the neon in the spokes of the bikes. Haleigh and I are in the back seat, laughing at everything! We go to two beach shops, I'm in the teacher mindset, and I find skirts for $5.99 that are totally cute, and I can wear to school and church! We then leave and go to WalMart because we have been instructed by my aunt Sandy to do so. Therefore, I get another watermelon, and Brandi insists that I go through the self check out, which turned into another adventure when I had no clue what to do! On the way back we find these bikes that are pretty legit at a gas station, so we circle through the gas station to check em out, and make a complete circle around the security and everything, which was hilarious! When we get back we have to park b/t two walls, which was also quite interesting to watch Shane back into.
Adventure #7: Zapping Crabs with Laser Beams
We finally convince one another that we want to go crab hunting so the Motley Crew (aka us) heads down stairs...but before we do, we plant a hidden walkie talkie next to my aunt, who is about to go to sleep. Once we're in the parking deck to get the flashlights, we radio the planted walkie talkie by making creepy noises. I even get on there and say, "Helloooo, my name is Scout Skinnyjeans", and she's like "Skinnyjeans???" Ok, so now we're walking out on the beach in search for crabs, but before that my cuz has to test his laser beam strength on building 1/2 mile away, and it worked!!! So there we were, searching for crabs with laser beams and high intensity flashlights. We found some, dug them up, and watched them dig back down. Wonderful way to end the day!!
Monday:
Ok, so my plan to get up early and go running out on the beach was non existent. I had this whole plan to get up before the crack of dawn, run, enjoy the fresh morning breeze........LIES! This chick didn't get up before 9am, and I had to wait for the other crew members to get up before starting off the day! Once everyone was awake and fed, I put my ipod on this song called "The Sound of Sunshine" from Soul Surfer, perfect beach song. I tried to get Haleigh to dance with me but that wasn't happening. Finally we went out on the beach....
Adventure #8: Banana Boat Experience of a Lifetime
Well we all decided to go on the Banana Boat which I was kinda pressured into. However, we have no money with us, so I am left out on the beach alone while the rest of the gang goes back and gets money. In the mean time, I am running out of water...and they finally come back. Well by this time, I'm feeling dehydrated, which is not good if you are going out into the mid-day sun in the Middle. Of. The. Ocean. Nevertheless, I use safety first and put my life jacket on. Thankfully take my new Oakley sunglasses off and get on the boat. The boat in case you were wondering is where you get on and simply hold on to a rope type handle. That's it!! So we're out in the middle of the ocean, and Shane's right behind me, and a very scared little girl is right beside me. I kept thinking, "What's gona happen if I fly off this thing". We also passed about 1,249 massive jellyfish. The saltwater is getting into my eyes bad, I'm sitting there yelling, "I can't see, I can't see" and so Shane lets go of his handle, and about pokes his sunglasses (that he daringly wore) in my eyes. It makes the salt water impact a little better. Meanwhile, our ride is almost over and we are now heading back to shore. However, we are still in the part of the ocean that is extremely blue aka the deepest part, and I'm thinking, "I got this, we haven't flipped out yet, we're not going to now". I was WRONG! About that time, I am flying in mid air and land in the middle of the ocean. HOWEVER everything is UNDER CONTROL...because I hear the sound of my cousins voice right behind me saying, "It's ok Ashley, I'm here too". I know, LOL. So then I ask the jet ski dude if I can hitch a ride with him. He doesn't let me, but I finally get pulled back on top of that massive boat, and just chill for a sec, cuz of the epic swim I just took in the ocean. We made it back in and I felt like I had accomplished one of my biggest fears...swimming in water I can't see in. I would go back again any time! I also got a pik with the dude that threw me off the boat and helped me conquer that fear.
Adventure #9: Ridiculousness
Well, after I conquered my fear, I felt like I could conquer the world so I went back to our condo and ate lunch. Not just any lunch, like a HUGE lunch! Well...Shane had to introduce me to one of his favorite shows...Ridiculousness. I fell in love immediately. We watched that for like an hour and went to the beach one last time.
Adventure #10: Mark is Here
There was literally a guy that looked like my uncle Mark. One day, my crazy aunt went up to him and ask if we could take a picture of him. I literally looked at her like, "are you crazy?" Turns out the guy is an officer in the Army at Ft. Drum
Adventure #10.5 Dudes that IDK
On the way home, I was so tired so I took a nap. You know the kind that once you take it, you will be up the rest of the night kinda nap. Well anyway, I woke up and we stopped at this gas station. Well on the way pulling out, these dudes on the back of a truck started waving at us...I was like "who on Earth is that?" and so we rode behind them for quite a while unfortunately.
Anyways, we had a time of epic proportion...and I would gladly go back again with those crazy individuals.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Perfect Pedicures
Perfect Pedicures
When you have had a crazy week, wait..month, no...year, it is quite nice to get away with your best friend and get the perfect pedicure (And yes, we aka Meredith Sneed and I, established that we would be best friends forever like middle schoolers do, while we were sitting getting our nails done).Furthermore, you should BEWARE of things that happen before/during/after getting a pedicure especially if you aren't treated to them often and aren't sure what to expect.
BEWARE OF:
*Epic choices of where to get this Perfect Pedicure. You could walk into the place and they say it will take 30 minutes before they get to you. You should then say, "Oh, we'll just go somewhere else"...
*A ultimate mind twisting decision of what color of nail polish you should go with....
*Should you get the Deluxe Pedicure?....
*ExTrEmE ticklishness...
*People staring at you when you are laughing because of extreme ticklishness...
*Hot Rocks...
*What kind of design you want...
*What color of rhinestone you want...
*What are they saying about you?...
*Ok, so now that you are sitting under the dryer and your toenails are in the process of drying the real question is how long do you sit there??....do you sit there til they close or til they ask you to leave?...
*Squishy flip flops when you leave...
THE END RESULT
We had way too much fun! Thank you Meredith for a wonderful afternoon!
Quote and Picture of the Day:
"Two scared little runaways
Hold fast to the break of day light were
The shadow proves the sunshine"
-Switchfoot
Meredith and I took this pik outside of our school. The lyrics above are describing our lives as Christians. We may go through the storms of life, dark clouds, maybe even mass destruction, but we KNOW that the SHADOWS we may go through only PROVE that GOD is the SUNSHINE in our lives.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Epic Extraordinary Experiences
You know you love what you do when...
(True life experiences that happen to me often...)*You break the limit of speed just to get to a Scholastic Book Sale that you have a "fast pass" coupon for to get books for your classroom.
*You make a ThomaSneed Episode in the epicenter of Greensboro....While ur passenger is videotaping and you are driving through stoplights and all.
*You take a detour and have to videotape it, with siren effects and everything!
*You risk your dignity in order to perform for your classes at the school talent show because 96% of them begged you to perform.
* You rap, "Stereo Hearts" in front of the entire student body.
*You dress up like the famous rapper, aka Pink Lemonade or Iced Tea in order to get your kids to get your autograph after the talent show just so they can have "Super Celebrity Fun Friday" if you get 50 signatures.
*You have your entire grade level perform a FLASH MOB in front of the entire school to our motivational theme song "All Star" after practicing for quite a while in 103 degree classrooms.
*You can stand on top of a football tower and sing to your kids like a superstar, without losing a ounce of dignity, because you know they love it!
*You ride down the road, listening to the karaoke version of "Stereo Hearts", and practicing the intro 1,398 times, with your mentor, b/c she can't remember the words and you can't get the timing down.
*You sit down to eat lunch in the cafeteria, and everyone surrounds you.
*You move your co-workers car to a different location, just for kicks. Just so you know, he'll probably never ask you to hold his keys again.
*You play mind games with your class, and they totally think it's magic.
*After an extremely long day, you go to Cookout to get their weekly promotional shake. Yes it is only $1.00, I know cool huh?
*When someone says to you, "Ms. Thomas, U. ROCK. (MTUR), I love this class"--> you know it's worth it all!! =)
Quote of the Day--> Shout out to my fellow teachers:
“I am not here to change the world. I am changing the world because I am here.” ~Lisa Wilson
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Ultimately UNCP
Since all the college graduations happening, I have been thinking about the road that led me to my very own college graduation. Folks, it was not an easy task. Some days were the best days ever, while others just made me cry. My last semester at UNCP was full of student teaching in Red Springs with amazing 4th graders and a CARE matrix and teacher candidate work samples. I also had a job as an RA in Oak Hall. Overwhelming at times....yes. Best times of my life...YES!! However, it was the people that I had in my life surrounding me that helped me get through it!
Now I would like to share with you my top 10 craziest memories about my four years at UNCP:
1. On move in day, first day of my college life, a girl by the exact same name as me moved into my room in Belk Hall by accident. When I was ready to move in, she was no where to be found. Therefore, extremely delaying my move in process.
2. Fire alarms at 3am are always an enjoyment. It is a time to gather with your fellow dorm peers and discuss how much sleep you are going to get before your epic exam in the morning. WARNING: when you are an RA, and you have 300+ residents coming at you to get outside for a early morning fire drill, watch out...cuz they will NOT be happy!
3. Becoming an RA. An application and two interviews later, I was an RA on 1st floor of Oak Hall. Honors College students! Was it a learning experience for me? Absolutely! I learned so much about relationships, how to talk to people, bulletin boards, remaining calm in emergency situations, dealing with Nerf gun wars/soccer showdowns, CPR, fire safety, and First Aid certified. All of this helps me in my teaching profession today! I also met one of my best friends Elizabeth Menzel! She was an awesome RA that helped me through a lot!!
4. Teaching my good friend Dre how to play the piano. A learning experience for BOTH of us!
5. The very moment in "Elementary Music" class that I realized, "Huh, this teaching stuff if pretty fun...I now know for a fact I chose the right major". "I have a chance to be creative, express my self, and teach all at the same time....AWESOME!"
6. Teaching my "Elementary PE" class how to play kickball relay! It was pretty legit, if I must say so myself.
7. Putting on a program for our residence hall called, "Nacho Average Program" where we watched "Nacho Libre" and had nachos, and decorated with all kinds of coolness. Tons of residents showed up! Success! I also put on another program called "Earth Day Pot Party" were we planted plants, and painted flower pots. Although some people doubted it would be a success, it was indeed!
8. Nicholas Sparks Movie Day with the girls: Elizabeth, Bethany, and Stephanie! Total girl stuff, painting nails, Nick Spark movies, etc.
9. Watching my friends/residents play baseball, soccer, and football. They would always ask me to come to their games!!
10. Graduation day! I will never forget I was just about to walk across stage I looked out to the crowd one last time and saw my friend K. Bacon waving at me! He wasn't coming to graduation himself until I convinced him to be there, dress blues and all!
**Extras: Going to church at Barea Baptist the weekends I was on duty!
I have been asked many time, "Do you ever regret not going to college anywhere else?" And to that, my answer is NO! I loved UNCP! I had four totally awesome years down there, and met some pretty amazing people! I have friends, that are from Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, etc. Really miss my Pembroke Peeps!
Quotes of the Day:
-Stress relieving song for me today: "OH GRAVITY, why can't we seem to keep it together?"
-“There are things in life that are bigger than ourselves. Life is short, live it well.” Jerome Fontamillas
Now I would like to share with you my top 10 craziest memories about my four years at UNCP:
1. On move in day, first day of my college life, a girl by the exact same name as me moved into my room in Belk Hall by accident. When I was ready to move in, she was no where to be found. Therefore, extremely delaying my move in process.
2. Fire alarms at 3am are always an enjoyment. It is a time to gather with your fellow dorm peers and discuss how much sleep you are going to get before your epic exam in the morning. WARNING: when you are an RA, and you have 300+ residents coming at you to get outside for a early morning fire drill, watch out...cuz they will NOT be happy!
3. Becoming an RA. An application and two interviews later, I was an RA on 1st floor of Oak Hall. Honors College students! Was it a learning experience for me? Absolutely! I learned so much about relationships, how to talk to people, bulletin boards, remaining calm in emergency situations, dealing with Nerf gun wars/soccer showdowns, CPR, fire safety, and First Aid certified. All of this helps me in my teaching profession today! I also met one of my best friends Elizabeth Menzel! She was an awesome RA that helped me through a lot!!
4. Teaching my good friend Dre how to play the piano. A learning experience for BOTH of us!
5. The very moment in "Elementary Music" class that I realized, "Huh, this teaching stuff if pretty fun...I now know for a fact I chose the right major". "I have a chance to be creative, express my self, and teach all at the same time....AWESOME!"
6. Teaching my "Elementary PE" class how to play kickball relay! It was pretty legit, if I must say so myself.
7. Putting on a program for our residence hall called, "Nacho Average Program" where we watched "Nacho Libre" and had nachos, and decorated with all kinds of coolness. Tons of residents showed up! Success! I also put on another program called "Earth Day Pot Party" were we planted plants, and painted flower pots. Although some people doubted it would be a success, it was indeed!
8. Nicholas Sparks Movie Day with the girls: Elizabeth, Bethany, and Stephanie! Total girl stuff, painting nails, Nick Spark movies, etc.
9. Watching my friends/residents play baseball, soccer, and football. They would always ask me to come to their games!!
10. Graduation day! I will never forget I was just about to walk across stage I looked out to the crowd one last time and saw my friend K. Bacon waving at me! He wasn't coming to graduation himself until I convinced him to be there, dress blues and all!
**Extras: Going to church at Barea Baptist the weekends I was on duty!
I have been asked many time, "Do you ever regret not going to college anywhere else?" And to that, my answer is NO! I loved UNCP! I had four totally awesome years down there, and met some pretty amazing people! I have friends, that are from Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, etc. Really miss my Pembroke Peeps!
Quotes of the Day:
-Stress relieving song for me today: "OH GRAVITY, why can't we seem to keep it together?"
-“There are things in life that are bigger than ourselves. Life is short, live it well.” Jerome Fontamillas
Saturday, April 28, 2012
"Noodles are the Keys to Success"
When you have the life of a 6th grade LA teacher, you will hear All. Kinds. Of. Things. Some things I hear, make me laugh so hard I start crying. Other things, I'm just thinking, "What in the world?". However, I love what I do, and the people I work with every day make life so wonderful! These are just a few things I have heard this week alone, some from students and some from college friends......
My favorite quotes of the week:
#1-To his fill in drummer of the band: "Yeah, I'm talking to my friend Ashley Thomas, yeah...she's so awesome if she were a firework, she'd be the most brightest, biggest, and most beautifullest one that lit up the sky" -Isaac Vigil.
#2-Student:"Ms. Thomas, I can't say 'stastistics'".
Me: "Yes you can...say 'sta-tis-tics'...go..
Student: :"Sta-stistics"
Me: "Now say it five times fast"
#3-Me: If you need a No. 2 pencil, please tell me now...
Student: Wait, I have a No. 3 pencil (I'm thinking, "are there really such things as No. 3 pencils?")
Other student: Whaaattt??? Oh wait, he sure does Miss.
#4-"Statistics show the ThomaSneed show is boring, yeah...that's what you would say in an ALTERNATIVE universe!"
#5-"So, your car totally made me change my mind about Mustangs, I want your car...wana sell it?!!!"
-Sears dude that changed my oil.
#6-"Hey Ms. Thomas guess what?... my dad caught a dolphin, the fish kind not the kind that goes hehehehe" (I'm like "Thanks for the clarification")
#7-"Over Spring Break, my friends and I wrote songs....However, I cannot verify these songs because we haven't make them ready for the republic yet."
#7(Setting: in the middle of the road, right beside a pasture)
-Meredith: "Look at da baby cows...Hey wittle cows, how areshu? Ur so cute yes you are, yesss you are"..........
Me: "CARRRRRRR"
#8-Student doing a dance yelling at the top of his lungs: "It'sss calleddd the Calllifforrrniaaa Shhhufffflleee"
#9-"Ms. Thomas, it's really dark outside.....is the world gona end?" -Student
#10-Me to my student: "Did you really just take that popsicle in the bathroom with you?.....Really?"
Student: "uhh, yeahh"
Im thinking, "What in the world?"
ThomaSneed Episode 7:
EOG test tips--
#11-"Noodles are the keys to success"
#12-"Absolutely...mmm yeah"
#13-"EOG test tip #1 is to breathe in 7.38276953 times deeply before taking the EOG"
#14-"A good breakfast to eat before EOG's is oatmeal............with noodles and maple syrup".
#15-"Never lay your head down during an EOG...if you do, you brain will completely cut off, therefore you will not be able to finish the EOG"
#16-"Breathing 7.38869392 times before the EOG, will help you get a 3.782873821 on the EOG"
All of the past 6 quotes comes from the beginning of the episode below! Chek it!
My favorite quotes of the week:
#1-To his fill in drummer of the band: "Yeah, I'm talking to my friend Ashley Thomas, yeah...she's so awesome if she were a firework, she'd be the most brightest, biggest, and most beautifullest one that lit up the sky" -Isaac Vigil.
#2-Student:"Ms. Thomas, I can't say 'stastistics'".
Me: "Yes you can...say 'sta-tis-tics'...go..
Student: :"Sta-stistics"
Me: "Now say it five times fast"
#3-Me: If you need a No. 2 pencil, please tell me now...
Student: Wait, I have a No. 3 pencil (I'm thinking, "are there really such things as No. 3 pencils?")
Other student: Whaaattt??? Oh wait, he sure does Miss.
#4-"Statistics show the ThomaSneed show is boring, yeah...that's what you would say in an ALTERNATIVE universe!"
#5-"So, your car totally made me change my mind about Mustangs, I want your car...wana sell it?!!!"
-Sears dude that changed my oil.
#6-"Hey Ms. Thomas guess what?... my dad caught a dolphin, the fish kind not the kind that goes hehehehe" (I'm like "Thanks for the clarification")
#7-"Over Spring Break, my friends and I wrote songs....However, I cannot verify these songs because we haven't make them ready for the republic yet."
#7(Setting: in the middle of the road, right beside a pasture)
-Meredith: "Look at da baby cows...Hey wittle cows, how areshu? Ur so cute yes you are, yesss you are"..........
Me: "CARRRRRRR"
#8-Student doing a dance yelling at the top of his lungs: "It'sss calleddd the Calllifforrrniaaa Shhhufffflleee"
#9-"Ms. Thomas, it's really dark outside.....is the world gona end?" -Student
#10-Me to my student: "Did you really just take that popsicle in the bathroom with you?.....Really?"
Student: "uhh, yeahh"
Im thinking, "What in the world?"
ThomaSneed Episode 7:
EOG test tips--
#11-"Noodles are the keys to success"
#12-"Absolutely...mmm yeah"
#13-"EOG test tip #1 is to breathe in 7.38276953 times deeply before taking the EOG"
#14-"A good breakfast to eat before EOG's is oatmeal............with noodles and maple syrup".
#15-"Never lay your head down during an EOG...if you do, you brain will completely cut off, therefore you will not be able to finish the EOG"
#16-"Breathing 7.38869392 times before the EOG, will help you get a 3.782873821 on the EOG"
All of the past 6 quotes comes from the beginning of the episode below! Chek it!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Learning from Cousins
Things I Learned from my Cousins:
*These are just a few things I learned from my cousins this past weekend alone; I'm just saying family get together are always a learning experience for me!
Teachers are mind readers: Haleigh says to me, "You're a teacher, read her mind and tell me if she's gonna throw that ball at Jewel". I say, "No...She's not", and Haleigh says, "Cool, thanks". Finally, her mind was at ease!
Mayo is REAL: Stone says in the midst of our most vital search for mayo in Randleman Food Lion, "If this is Real Mayo, then what does Fake Mayo look like?" I replied with, "Hmm, that's a good question". Folks, our minds are still baffled by this!
World Record of Kite Flying: the world record for the highest kite ever flown is over 12,000 ft. We (all cousins ages 3-35) thought we had it beat with our 1,400ft. (14 football fields away) kite we had to cut loose because it was so far away that you could even see it from the Food Lion in Biscoe, NC... no joke.
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| Ultimate kite flying is where you have to have binoculars to see the kite! |
Maximum Capacity of a Mustang: My cousin Caitlin and Jewel crammed in my Mustang to go to church with me. We were quite cramped to say the least, but it worked. A Mustang is not a passenger vehicle we soon found out. It is for two people...maybe!
How Fast a Mustang Will Go: When your middle school cousin first of all ask to drive your car, don't let her. Especially, when it's already been in the body shop twice. Also, when she wants to know how fast you Mustang will go, don't test it! It's not worth it! I haven't been crazy enough lately to test either of these theories...and I don't want to!
Boring Ole Statue Places Can Turn into Quite an Adventure: My cousin Margie and I sent shopping at the statue place for some amazing concrete benches in Rockingham. We ended up with some pretty interesting pieces, including a statue of a Boston Terrier. However, we both felt the presence of gnomes. This led me to wonder if the gnomes and other statues come alive at night!?
When Your Cousin Asks You to Take Her to Walmart, use EXTREME CAUTION: When your 6th grade cousin asks for a ride to Walmart to get two bouncy balls, beware of extreme nonsense! LOL, We always know how to have a good time in public places!
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| My uncles dog Buddy telling me a secret no one else knows!
Favorite Quotes of the Day: “Sticking with your family is what makes it a family.”-Mitch Albom
“Jesus Christ’s mercy and power indwells us and gives us the strength to make a positive difference.” -Jon Foreman
“Entropy is one of the laws of thermodynamics. It’s a physical law that says everything in nature is moving from order to disorder. In our lives this same principle is at work. As time moves on, things break down as we make mistakes. This is the ‘letdown’ every person experiences because of sin. For Christians this concept doesn’t end there because we realize God’s ‘beautiful’ mercy and grace restores the order in our lives.” -Jon Foreman
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Life Lessons Learned When Walking a Great Pyrenees Mix
When walking a Great Pyrenees mix named Smokey, you can learn many things like:
1. Ant hills must feel somewhat awesome to a dog's paw, cuz Smokey stepped in 4.
2. Afternoon walks with a Pyrenees mix is quite stress relieving........until he finds a scent, then my arm is nearly jerked out of socket!
3. You can find half a hamburger patty in the middle of the road if you smell hard enough.
4. Mud puddles are apparently the best water a dog's ever had, full of vitamins and minerals...A dog's Vitamin Water!
5. Stopping every few seconds to "mark your territory" is a MUST, and will NOT and shall NOT be avoided at any cost. Also covering up your "territory" is a MUST by digging up half the Earth to cover up your smell you just created.
6. Having one way conversations with your dog will NOT make him walk "civilized" or go where you want him to go.
7. Chihuahua's can be quite intimidating when they cannot be seen to a Great Pyrenees mix.
8. The winterized pool is the best place to go after a tiresome evening walk, there a Great Pyrenees mix can get unchlorinated water, and the water is extremely cool to it's belly.
More serious moments:
9. Walking on a quiet street, when the sky is turning pink, and the sun is going down is when I have my most quiet moments with God.
10. Every time I walk down the hill from my house I relive the moments when I retraced blood splatter all the way up the hill into the woods from where my former German Shepherd Zeke had been bit by a timber rattler, and ran off to find comfort in the creek. That night I learned a very valuable life lesson, never take any life for granted. We rushed him to the emergency vet in Greensboro, but the vet said the damage was too severe.
Quote of the Day:
1. Ant hills must feel somewhat awesome to a dog's paw, cuz Smokey stepped in 4.
2. Afternoon walks with a Pyrenees mix is quite stress relieving........until he finds a scent, then my arm is nearly jerked out of socket!
3. You can find half a hamburger patty in the middle of the road if you smell hard enough.
4. Mud puddles are apparently the best water a dog's ever had, full of vitamins and minerals...A dog's Vitamin Water!
5. Stopping every few seconds to "mark your territory" is a MUST, and will NOT and shall NOT be avoided at any cost. Also covering up your "territory" is a MUST by digging up half the Earth to cover up your smell you just created.
6. Having one way conversations with your dog will NOT make him walk "civilized" or go where you want him to go.
7. Chihuahua's can be quite intimidating when they cannot be seen to a Great Pyrenees mix.
8. The winterized pool is the best place to go after a tiresome evening walk, there a Great Pyrenees mix can get unchlorinated water, and the water is extremely cool to it's belly.
More serious moments:
9. Walking on a quiet street, when the sky is turning pink, and the sun is going down is when I have my most quiet moments with God.
10. Every time I walk down the hill from my house I relive the moments when I retraced blood splatter all the way up the hill into the woods from where my former German Shepherd Zeke had been bit by a timber rattler, and ran off to find comfort in the creek. That night I learned a very valuable life lesson, never take any life for granted. We rushed him to the emergency vet in Greensboro, but the vet said the damage was too severe.
Quote of the Day:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Friday, March 23, 2012
Figurative Fiascoes
Well needless to say...it has been a l...o...n...g week! However, after our Student of the Month assembly this morning, Meredith and I decided to put a little Figurative Language Fiasco together! Now, when we put video's together for our students to learn from at the Very. Last. Minute there are bound to be a few blunders to begin with. In our defense, it was still early in the morning, and I hadn't had my energy drink yet...so this is the result...
Blunder #1
Blunder #2
Now, the real deal (See how much figurative language you can find!):
Today was quite a day to say the least, but we LOVE what we do!
Quotes of the day: **Shout out to Meredith Sneed** aka my partner in crime!
"It sounded like the train was about to roll through the classroom" -Meredith Sneed
"Thomas, I'm terribly twisted and torn on this terrific, ticklish Tuesday in Troy" -Meredith
"Thomas, we've got to do this now...we've got like 2 minutes before class...Now, start over...she's so old, what?"
-Meredith
"The lawnmower backfired, something like that would only happen with those MoCo people"
-Meredith
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Things to Remember When Teaching 6th Grade
Things to remember when teaching 6th grade:
*These are things I learned just yesterday, that I thought I would share with the world of middle school teachers!
1. Pray before reading scary reading passages.
Story: With my 6th grade students we always ask them to use RUNS strategies when taking a reading comprehension test: R: Read the questions first, U: Underline key words, N: Number the paragraphs, and S: Select the best answer.
So...I asked a boy to read the R.L. Stine reading passage today in class, so he started to read as asked. Then I interrupted him by saying, "WAITTT", really loud. I then said, "We totally forgot to do something first" (which would be read the questions first). The boy that had now stopped reading said, "Ohh I know...We forgot to pray first". It was quite hilarious at the moment, but how true that is in our Christian lives. We often forget to pray and ask the Lord's guidance about the simplest things in life before doing them. The boy then precedes to tell me that he prays everytime before reading scary stories. I learn so much from my students...even spiritually!
2. Know the military's flight schedule before taking your class outside to read a book.
Story: I took my classes outside to read a very serious/heart felt book on Holocaust survivors. In the middle of our seriousness, the military flies their really loud planes over our school. My teacher "wing it at the last minute" mind thought..."here's a teaching moment". Therefore, this is what I tell them, "These planes are flying over your school in order for you to get the full effect of how it sounded in Germany when the Holocaust was taking place"... "The military is doing this for you so you can use your senses and feel and hear this real life effect". Now, they are 6th graders so some of them believed me while some of them didn't.
3. Statistics show that 98% of faculty and staff at SWRMS put on turn signals before entering a parking place.
Story: A co-worker of mine randomly took a poll (while we were on an important mission) on how many staff members actually do this, after another co-worker actually did do this in real life.
4. Contrary to popular belief, when Fox 8 News comes to your school, they're not there to interview the hosts of the ThomaSneed Show.
Story: Fox 8 came to SWRMS today (I first was a little worried they were there to interview Meredith and I, the host of the ThomaSneed Show...the newest and hottest YouTube sensation). Anyway, I had to tell my students to act normal and get in line. However, they wanted to be seen so....yeah.
http://myfox8.com/2012/03/21/randolph-co-schools-prepare-for-more-budget-cuts/
Above is the actual video. I am seen in it with my students walking up the hall from lunch.
5. Telling personal stories about your Mustang going 0-80 in about half a second will get the students engaged and quiet 100%.
Story: We were discussing hyperboles. As you know, hyperboles are over exaggerations and obviously it is not possibly to go 0-80 in .5 seconds. However, MY students think it's possible (in my car); therefore, discontinuing the theory of hyperbole with this statement. I told them it could only have a possible chance of happening with nitrous boost, but I won't go into that story.
Oh and 6. Statistics show that 100% of all teachers in the entire world (including the US, and NC) are ready for Spring Break!
Needless to say, I LOVE what I do!
I also enjoyed revival this week! It was such a blessing!
Quotes of the Day:
“It’s a strange book and I’m inside it. So I’m trying to pin down the details about the the plot in this book. The one where I’m the protagonist in a plot much larger than I am. A book that I can’t simply put down when I’m frustrated. With no bookmark, no remote control. The pages write themselves with very little effort of my own. And yet I’m in there. I’m written into the book.” -J Foreman
“If we spend our time obsessing with the future or regretting the past, then we will never live. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow and yesterday cannot be changed.” -J Foreman
“Well, the funny thing is, you are never the same person that you were the day before.” -J Foreman
*These are things I learned just yesterday, that I thought I would share with the world of middle school teachers!
1. Pray before reading scary reading passages.
Story: With my 6th grade students we always ask them to use RUNS strategies when taking a reading comprehension test: R: Read the questions first, U: Underline key words, N: Number the paragraphs, and S: Select the best answer.
So...I asked a boy to read the R.L. Stine reading passage today in class, so he started to read as asked. Then I interrupted him by saying, "WAITTT", really loud. I then said, "We totally forgot to do something first" (which would be read the questions first). The boy that had now stopped reading said, "Ohh I know...We forgot to pray first". It was quite hilarious at the moment, but how true that is in our Christian lives. We often forget to pray and ask the Lord's guidance about the simplest things in life before doing them. The boy then precedes to tell me that he prays everytime before reading scary stories. I learn so much from my students...even spiritually!
2. Know the military's flight schedule before taking your class outside to read a book.
Story: I took my classes outside to read a very serious/heart felt book on Holocaust survivors. In the middle of our seriousness, the military flies their really loud planes over our school. My teacher "wing it at the last minute" mind thought..."here's a teaching moment". Therefore, this is what I tell them, "These planes are flying over your school in order for you to get the full effect of how it sounded in Germany when the Holocaust was taking place"... "The military is doing this for you so you can use your senses and feel and hear this real life effect". Now, they are 6th graders so some of them believed me while some of them didn't.
3. Statistics show that 98% of faculty and staff at SWRMS put on turn signals before entering a parking place.
Story: A co-worker of mine randomly took a poll (while we were on an important mission) on how many staff members actually do this, after another co-worker actually did do this in real life.
4. Contrary to popular belief, when Fox 8 News comes to your school, they're not there to interview the hosts of the ThomaSneed Show.
Story: Fox 8 came to SWRMS today (I first was a little worried they were there to interview Meredith and I, the host of the ThomaSneed Show...the newest and hottest YouTube sensation). Anyway, I had to tell my students to act normal and get in line. However, they wanted to be seen so....yeah.
http://myfox8.com/2012/03/21/randolph-co-schools-prepare-for-more-budget-cuts/
Above is the actual video. I am seen in it with my students walking up the hall from lunch.
5. Telling personal stories about your Mustang going 0-80 in about half a second will get the students engaged and quiet 100%.
Story: We were discussing hyperboles. As you know, hyperboles are over exaggerations and obviously it is not possibly to go 0-80 in .5 seconds. However, MY students think it's possible (in my car); therefore, discontinuing the theory of hyperbole with this statement. I told them it could only have a possible chance of happening with nitrous boost, but I won't go into that story.
Oh and 6. Statistics show that 100% of all teachers in the entire world (including the US, and NC) are ready for Spring Break!
Needless to say, I LOVE what I do!
I also enjoyed revival this week! It was such a blessing!
Quotes of the Day:
“It’s a strange book and I’m inside it. So I’m trying to pin down the details about the the plot in this book. The one where I’m the protagonist in a plot much larger than I am. A book that I can’t simply put down when I’m frustrated. With no bookmark, no remote control. The pages write themselves with very little effort of my own. And yet I’m in there. I’m written into the book.” -J Foreman
“If we spend our time obsessing with the future or regretting the past, then we will never live. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow and yesterday cannot be changed.” -J Foreman
“Well, the funny thing is, you are never the same person that you were the day before.” -J Foreman
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Marvelous Middle Mania
Let me start out by saying, the world of Education is a very interesting place. There is NEVER a dull moment in any part of a given school day! Therefore, I found this random website to invite a whole new light onto the subject of Education. It is quite amusing and I picked out the ones that applied specifically to my life.
You may be in Education if:
1. You find humor in other people's stupidity.
2. You give the person an evil look who says, "Must be nice to work 8-3 and
have your summers free."
3. You believe chocolate is a food group.
4. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
6. You believe the unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy,
the kids are sure mellow today."
7. When out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at a child.
8. You have no time for a life from August through June.
9. Putting all "A's on a report card would make your life SO much easier.
10. You think caffeine should be available to staff in IV form.
11. Your personal life comes to a screeching halt at report card time.
You may be a Middle School Teacher if:
.... you know what the ventilation fan in your room sounds like when whirling small objects, usually folded paper or wrappers
... you tell subtle jokes in class just to see those few smiles of the ones that catch on
... you clean desks yourself just to keep the place looking nice and to help your own morale
http://www.teachingheart.net/funny.html#You Might be in Education
Quote of the Day:
You may be in Education if:
1. You find humor in other people's stupidity.
2. You give the person an evil look who says, "Must be nice to work 8-3 and
have your summers free."
3. You believe chocolate is a food group.
4. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
6. You believe the unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy,
the kids are sure mellow today."
7. When out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at a child.
8. You have no time for a life from August through June.
9. Putting all "A's on a report card would make your life SO much easier.
10. You think caffeine should be available to staff in IV form.
11. Your personal life comes to a screeching halt at report card time.
You may be a Middle School Teacher if:
.... you know what the ventilation fan in your room sounds like when whirling small objects, usually folded paper or wrappers
... you tell subtle jokes in class just to see those few smiles of the ones that catch on
... you clean desks yourself just to keep the place looking nice and to help your own morale
http://www.teachingheart.net/funny.html#You Might be in Education
Quote of the Day:
Monday, March 19, 2012
Comfort in Rainbows
Today was the day...that I had to break out the Rainbows. You see, when you're a sixth grade teacher with approx. 120 students and teach 5 classes you have to go for comfort. It has been seemingly hot in my room these past few days as well. Therefore, comfort, skirts, and Rainbows are at its upmost importance in 602 Cougartown.
Now, along with comfort it is also very important for me to be well awake when my bright eyed and bushy tailed students walk in. I don't know why, but Monday's mornings are their most exciting time of the entire week. I really don't understand this. Times surely have changed since I have been in school. However my point is, I totally forgot my V8 Fusion Energy drink this morning and...yeah.
I would have to admit the very best part of my entire day was revival at church tonight with Bro. Beaver. It is truely a blessing to have him with us this week!
I am also very excited that the Spring solstice is in two days. Peace out Winter....What up Spring!
Quote of the Day:
"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world". ~Virgil A. Kraft
When discussing me going under a yellow light in the middle of MoCo:
"That girl went 0-80 in about half a second"
Now, along with comfort it is also very important for me to be well awake when my bright eyed and bushy tailed students walk in. I don't know why, but Monday's mornings are their most exciting time of the entire week. I really don't understand this. Times surely have changed since I have been in school. However my point is, I totally forgot my V8 Fusion Energy drink this morning and...yeah.
I would have to admit the very best part of my entire day was revival at church tonight with Bro. Beaver. It is truely a blessing to have him with us this week!
I am also very excited that the Spring solstice is in two days. Peace out Winter....What up Spring!
Quote of the Day:
"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world". ~Virgil A. Kraft
When discussing me going under a yellow light in the middle of MoCo:
"That girl went 0-80 in about half a second"
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Epic Fiascoes
It's been forever, a year, and a half of a decade since I have created a blog post. The reason for that is because I have been so incredibly busy. I have workshops, and so much stuff going on after school. I even have been walking my dog Smokey when I get home from school which is a big step in my life. I am discovering, ever so slowly a healthier lifestyle which includes an evening stroll with my Pyranese mix.
Reason number two is that my partner in crime and I have been creating a short video for our students every Friday called the ThomaSneed Show. However, in order for this to come together and avoid an epic fiasco, we have to put a lot of time into it during the week. This week, we had the ThomaSneed Show all together when Meredith got home and discovered four video clips weren't there. The making of an epic fiasco. So...I traveled to L.A (if you're not from around these parts, LA stands for Lower Asheboro), went into my school /room super quick in the dark to get my news reporter microphone (aka a pink zebra taped flashlight), and went to Meredith's house to re-tape our videos. I stayed there until 11:30 that night and here is the result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3141AJ3iNPs&feature=g-all-u&context=G2b8e79cFAAAAAAAAAAA
We have disabled a lot of the setting with this video; therefore, it won't let me post directly from YouTube. However, you may simply click on the link and it will take you directly to it!
Now, before you judge us you should know that we love our students. We would do absolutely anything for them....as you can see!
History of ThomaSneed Show: happened completely by accident. We were totally goofing off in my room one day and video taped our silliness and decided to show it to our students one Friday. IT WAS A HIT! Now, we do it every week and we are currently finished Episode #3 which includes all the teachers I come in contact with on a daily basis. We make the show relevant to what we are studying that week. This week, we were studying emotions and poetry. The students live for Friday now more than ever!
Last night I also had the pleasure of going to see two of my students in their play, "Twinderella". Super cute fractured fairytale. Immediately after the show, they bolted through the crowd to see Meredith and I!! It is moments like that, when I am extremely glad more than ever to be a teacher. When I know I have made an impact on a kids life simply by attending their performance, or game, or band concert, or church play. They love it!!!
Quotes of the Day:
Before we about walked in or had an epic fiasco:
"Wait.....that's not the women's bathroom" -Meredith
At Chili's: "Those little kids are going into the kitchen" -Ashley Thomas
"It's a little chili here at Chili's" -Ashley Thomas
"I'm locking the doors, we are really in the city now" -Meredith
Reason number two is that my partner in crime and I have been creating a short video for our students every Friday called the ThomaSneed Show. However, in order for this to come together and avoid an epic fiasco, we have to put a lot of time into it during the week. This week, we had the ThomaSneed Show all together when Meredith got home and discovered four video clips weren't there. The making of an epic fiasco. So...I traveled to L.A (if you're not from around these parts, LA stands for Lower Asheboro), went into my school /room super quick in the dark to get my news reporter microphone (aka a pink zebra taped flashlight), and went to Meredith's house to re-tape our videos. I stayed there until 11:30 that night and here is the result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3141AJ3iNPs&feature=g-all-u&context=G2b8e79cFAAAAAAAAAAA
We have disabled a lot of the setting with this video; therefore, it won't let me post directly from YouTube. However, you may simply click on the link and it will take you directly to it!
Now, before you judge us you should know that we love our students. We would do absolutely anything for them....as you can see!
History of ThomaSneed Show: happened completely by accident. We were totally goofing off in my room one day and video taped our silliness and decided to show it to our students one Friday. IT WAS A HIT! Now, we do it every week and we are currently finished Episode #3 which includes all the teachers I come in contact with on a daily basis. We make the show relevant to what we are studying that week. This week, we were studying emotions and poetry. The students live for Friday now more than ever!
Last night I also had the pleasure of going to see two of my students in their play, "Twinderella". Super cute fractured fairytale. Immediately after the show, they bolted through the crowd to see Meredith and I!! It is moments like that, when I am extremely glad more than ever to be a teacher. When I know I have made an impact on a kids life simply by attending their performance, or game, or band concert, or church play. They love it!!!
Quotes of the Day:
Before we about walked in or had an epic fiasco:
"Wait.....that's not the women's bathroom" -Meredith
At Chili's: "Those little kids are going into the kitchen" -Ashley Thomas
"It's a little chili here at Chili's" -Ashley Thomas
"I'm locking the doors, we are really in the city now" -Meredith
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Color Coordi-Nation
While discussing style and trends on the way to lunch with my fabulous and trendsetting mentor Meredith today, we discovered that America is all about some color coordination, style, fashions, etc. According to American folk, if you don't match aka color coordinate then you're not stylish. We don't believe such nonsense. However, I try to color coordinate whenever I see fit.
If you don't know me, I am known (especially by my students of 4th and 6th grade) for my scarves, watches, and belts (that I wear on the outside of my shirt). This is just a simple way to color coordinate with pretty much anything. A scarf always dresses up the occasion, which in my profession is necessary when needed to look professional when readiness time is scarce in the A.M.
On my search for stylish behaviors, I found some samples of what I would totally wear:
Now, is this the style of America today you may ask? Probably not. However, this doesn't matter to me, because this is MY style.
I have also noticed on my search for fashion that Maurices color coordinates everything. They also put cute outfits together simply for you to say, "That is the cutest outfit like ever"....so you try it on...and you end up buying it. Happens to me a lot!!! This store has also helped me understand America's trends and fashion style of today. However, I do not agree with some of the ugliness that America thinks is "cute", "hot", or "whatever else they want to call it". It is also extremely rare that I find a skirt/dress that is decent to wear to school or church in stores today, but Maurices has that sort of appropriateness I am seeking.
The color that seems to be "IN" this year as well as last year is an orangish color. I recently bought the shirt shown because of it's seemingly cute behavior it portrays and professionality. Therefore, I can wear it to school.
As you can see on my search for fashion knowledgeability, I have picked up a few tips from Maurices. This is the best place to go for professionality.
This Color Coordi-NATION will simply have to wait for me to catch up!
Quote of the Day:
If you don't know me, I am known (especially by my students of 4th and 6th grade) for my scarves, watches, and belts (that I wear on the outside of my shirt). This is just a simple way to color coordinate with pretty much anything. A scarf always dresses up the occasion, which in my profession is necessary when needed to look professional when readiness time is scarce in the A.M.
On my search for stylish behaviors, I found some samples of what I would totally wear:
| An American Eagle Scarf, cutest ever seen |
| Rubberish type watch, exclusively at Rue 21 |
| I would totally wear this belt on the outside of a shirt to give it a more Western effect, American Eagle. |
I have also noticed on my search for fashion that Maurices color coordinates everything. They also put cute outfits together simply for you to say, "That is the cutest outfit like ever"....so you try it on...and you end up buying it. Happens to me a lot!!! This store has also helped me understand America's trends and fashion style of today. However, I do not agree with some of the ugliness that America thinks is "cute", "hot", or "whatever else they want to call it". It is also extremely rare that I find a skirt/dress that is decent to wear to school or church in stores today, but Maurices has that sort of appropriateness I am seeking.
The color that seems to be "IN" this year as well as last year is an orangish color. I recently bought the shirt shown because of it's seemingly cute behavior it portrays and professionality. Therefore, I can wear it to school.
 |
| Color=Awesomeness |
 |
| The shirt above with these pants will be color coordination!! |
This Color Coordi-NATION will simply have to wait for me to catch up!
Quote of the Day:
"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years."
— Audrey Hepburn
Monday, March 5, 2012
Laughed So Hard I Cried!
Contemplating on the things that really make my day, I thought back to a few moments that have happened in the past month that made me laugh so hard I cried. To some of you this may be complete and total nonsense, because some of them are inside jokes with my friends. However, you could possibly get a giggle or even a laugh out of a few of them even if they were, "you had to be there moments".
10 things that made me laugh so hard I cried:
1. To avoid confrontation and conversation with Big Boy, my partner in crime and I deliberately forced ourselves into a conversation that goes something like this (and is 100% fiction, which in Cougartown means false) "So our students have been sent to Duke University and the toxicity report through radiation therapy along with spicy chocolates which have resulted in the possibility of lawsuits covered by the school system...due to rashes and break outs." (Yes, we do know this is a run on sentence. However, the great need to avoid Big Boy constitutes such ungrammatical behavior!)
2. Traffic circles in Randleman. (They are quite scary to some people, and "some people" just continue to go around and around and around and around and yeah….you get the picture…)
3. "I am going to fly out to Raleigh/Durham International Airport from the Biscoe Airport, with my $20 plane ticket while taking an overhead tour of the Randolph Mall turning lane strategies” (btw, there’s a lot of room to turn, like 3,000 ft.)
4. “Let’s go rent a pizza”.
5. The airing of our pilot episodes of ThomaSneed to our 6th grade students, which includes Abicizer and Shinicizer workout chairs (aka, your average game chairs).
6. Scaling down the hallways at our school Charlie’s Angels style while verbally singing the Mission Impossible theme song going to sign out in the afternoons.
7. When a student tells me I am in violation of "Rule #3" because I have dirt on the whites of my converse. Then he precedes to spit shine my shoes for me.
8. Tractor Supply has officially been voted the #1 turnaround spot for any traffic complications on East Dixie Drive.
9. Serenading with “Stereo Hearts” while we have suspicions of possible drug exchanges going down in South Asheboro.
10. Giving the cockiest math teacher on the face of the universe, Brett, a ticket on his hot rod Kia from Duke Energy explaining that his trees would be cut down at no cost to him. After we commit this heinous crime, Meredith drives off while I get stuck behind (I was plugging in my iPod) and Brett comes walking up to my car before I could pull off…which totally ruined the element of surprise. However, he had no idea it was us!
11. Here's an extra just for kicks....(in the car in the mall parking lot with Meredith) "Don't make eye contact!....Wait, is he holding a baby?...Still, don't make eye contact"
And that concludes the top 10 moments that I laughed so hard I cried =)
Random Quotes of the Day:
*This is a shout out to my "partner in crime" Meredith who always comes up with some silly madness like this....(I know they're crazy quotes, but this is how we keep our sanity in Crazytown)
"If you don't pee your pants you simply haven't had your FDA recommended dose of liquids for the day."
-Jon Foreman
"Happiness is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see it but only you can feel the warmth!"
-Tim Foreman
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Flavorful Pink!
Elizabeth Menzel helped inspire the name for this blog, so in the spirit of PINK LEMONADE I decided to have a cookie party to kick this PINK LEMONADE blog off right. On the best side of things these cookies were PINK. Those of you who may not know me well, may not know the fact that I take sides with PINK on everything! Therefore, making these cookies pretty legit!
Here is a glimpse my PINK LEMONADE baking party...THE actual event...
 |
| PINK LEMONADE COOKIE MIX/ICING |
 |
| Fresh out of the oven! |
 |
| The entire batch of PINK LEMONADE deliciousness! |
After church is when this party took place. This was a pretty intense day of baking these PINK delights in the midst of grading papers and making informational, entertaining, and persuasive turtle videos in order to review author's purpose with my students tomorrow.
NOW...the blog can officially start...
Quote of the Day:
“Because of Christ, we have a reason to have the faith to keep pressing on when the storms in life come. When the storms come, we have to be prepared to face them by having a solid foundation rooted in God’s word.” -Tim Foreman
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