Thanksgiving in Atlanta

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family in Atlanta. Tyler's brother (Casey) and wife (Karin), and their three adorable kids were gracious enough to host us for a few days! It was so fun to be with family. Karin cooked an amazing Thanksgiving dinner- we got to enjoy some real fall weather and play with the kids! They are so fun!

Atlanta has an amazing aquarium and a fun place called Stone Mountain which was all decked out for Christmas! Complete with a train ride through the Christmas light scenes!

We had a great time!

Girl's Trip (plus Ty and Jack)

I feel so blessed! My wonderful sister, darling nephew and amazing mom came and spent a week with me and Ty! It was so fun to have them here- to share a little bit of out lives with them- lately I have been a little homesick so their visit put a big smile on my face!

Jack (my two year old nephew) was the BEST part of the week. Jack is quite possibly the CUTEST, most entertaining little boy I've ever been around. The entire week he paraded around in cowboy boots and a hat. He made us laugh every day and was an absolute delight. Jack's favorite part of the trip was the sandbox out by the pool, and of course the sand at the beach. He also liked to ask every morning when he woke up, "Where uncle Ty Ty go?" (Ty had to go to his clinic every morning but it just so happened that his doctor took Monday off, so he got Monday off too!) It was so fun having the little guy here.

My sister Emily is pregnant and looking cute as ever- it was fun to see her little belly! She is the most patient and sweet mother! She takes her mothering job VERY seriously- Jack is her little man...such a Mamma's boy! Em was a blast to have around. She was obsessed with making the PERFECT Halloween sugar cookies. After two batches and more frosting than I know what to do with... I think we finally did it! She is the greatest example to me!

What can I say about having my wonderful Mom here? My mom is a whirlwind and full of energy. Not only did she cook us gourmet meals- she loved to walk (more of a run at her pace) on the beach and just soak up life's pleasures. It was fun to be taken care of again...even though she was my guest! She kept us all on the go and laughing! I miss her already!

We had a couple of bad weather days- but thankfully it cleared up so we could enjoy the sunshine! What a fun trip- thanks for coming Emy, (Jack), and Mom!

Shout-Out for Ty

I am so proud of my husband! Tyler is officially through his first year of PA school and on to rotations! He has enjoyed his first week working in family practice, and has already seen patients on his own!! He will be so embarased, but I have to brag- At Barry University's white coat ceremony Tyler was awarded a scholarship for his healthcare ethics and strong moral character- definitely well deserved!

I am so proud of my honey! He has worked so hard and continues to amaze me with his dedication!

Way to go Ty!

A Little Fresh Air

We recently got back from a fabulous combined trip to Yellowstone and Utah! This was our official visit to family for the summer...since our last trip was a quick in and out for my sister's wedding. The first part was spent with the Cooks in the beautiful outdoors. We stayed in a cabin outside of West Yellowstone and relished in the scenery and open spaces-- What a change!!! Tyler went fly fishing every morning and seemed to have decent luck. We enjoyed the relaxation, a float trip on the snake and of course, being together with family

The second part of our trip was spent with the Nelsons. We ate at the scrumptious Los Hermanos in Lindon (I was a first time customer and LOVED it), we spent lots of family time and got to know our little niece Allie a little better. We also made a trip up to Snowbird to a blues festival - it was of course, gorgeous!

Life just suddenly got busy and back to normal! We are both back in the classroom. My kids start Monday- this year, to my surprise I am teaching Seniors!!! Tyler is in orientation for rotations- he is antsy to get going. We are both happy to be doing what we are doing! More updates to come...

Loves from the both of us!

School Year & Summer Updates!

I am definitely behind on the blogging gig! Since May we have been so busy, it has only been in the past two weeks things have slowed down and I am actually reaping the benefits of teaching; enjoying lazy summer days!

I finished up my first teaching experience at North Miami Beach High the first week of June. My thoughts were bitter-sweet as I sad goodbye to 175 students I came to love. My anxiety is now that next year I will have 7 periods of rotten-mean kids, but I think every teacher develops that fear while she has nothing to do. I loved teaching! I think it was my call in life, I only wish that I had planned for it sooner- still I am grateful for the 6 months behind me, and for an upcoming school year at North Miami Beach. My kids made me laugh every day! - I only cried one time during those 6 months! I was proud of that. Teaching is the greatest job- very difficult, rewarding, fun, interactive-- That's not to say it's not A LOT of work! Trying to meet the needs of such a diverse group of learners is definitely a challenge, but I tried my best to plan interactive lessons and projects. My greatest days always included some sort of one-on-one student-teacher interaction, (whether it be me helping them on a piece of writing, or discussing ideas for a project ) those days make it all worth it. I am looking forward to starting again in the fall.

Post-Teaching: As soon as I finished up the school year I immediately started into a two week course for part of my certification. I have gained a new appreciation for educators all over! The amount of information they are expected to be expert on is infinite. The class covered Reading teaching strategies, research based-practices as well as identifying reading learning disabilities. I was blessed to be in the midst of 20 very motivated and highly-educated educators. I feel like I learned so much, and gained new perspective of my role in the classroom.

Utah Trip: Two days after my class ended I packed up and headed for Utah for 10 days! My little sister got married to Mitchell Reid! What a cutie- we are so happy for them. Their wedding was beautiful and they are a fantastic couple. Tyler joined me in Utah a few days later (on his birthday- poor thing was faced with two delayed flights!) We did the family thing and the wedding thing, AND we got to meet our new niece Allie!- so cute!!!

Tyler's Classes: In the mean-time, Tyler has been sooo busy with school. He is wrapping up his final semester of classes. In the fall he begins his first rotation. We are both looking forward to the lighter study load, and I know Tyler is really looking forward to being out of the classroom and working with patients!

Here are some end-of-year photos of my funny kids! Some of them try to look tough- don't be fooled, they are sweethearts!

Trevis- He was a 9th grade Reading re-taker,- for the 3rd time! He finally passed the class! He liked to break out into old school R&B songs.
Christopher and Taquoerin: wanna-be gangsters
Craig and Keith- BIG sweethearts! Loved these guys.
A few students from my wonderful 4th period! The best group of kids- I loved this period

Pictures from the trip to Utah- We kidnapped my little sister and turned her into the "bride fairy" We made up for the humiliation we caused by pampering her with a pedicure and a facial.

This is Jack- if you can't tell, he is almost two. He is telling me "NO" to getting his picture taken.My sisters!

Birthday Weekend!

It's been a while so here's a quick update: Ty just finished finals! Everything turned out really well; we are both grateful to have a tough semester over with. He is ecstatic to be on a week long break! I am still teaching and enjoying my kids. I am as anxious as they are for summer to be here! We are doing very well and feel so blessed to be in the midst of this wonderful experience. Florida is still just as crazy and beautiful as ever! Come visit!!!

Now for the birthday post:

I have the BEST husband in the entire world! We just got back from an awesome surprise get away (all planned and carried out by my man) to celebrate me turning 25!

The fun began on Thursday night. Ty made me dinner (which was really cute- he even went grocery shopping to get the ingredients), and took me shopping to Banana Republic so I could get a few birthday outfits. Tyler does not cook and he certainly does not shop-or enjoy shopping for that matter. I was so impressed with his cooking first off, and his attitude while shopping!

Friday, my actual birthday, he picked me up from school and we headed up the west coast to Bonita Springs- just north of Naples on the gulf of Mexico. Somehow my deal-seeking husband was able to score a night's stay in the beautiful Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort! That night he had made reservations at a scrumptious seafood restaurant. Everything was so tasty- including the amazing molten chocolate souffle- we both keep thinking about the dessert!

Saturday we took a boat out to the Hyatt's private Island and enjoyed the sand and sun. After checking out of the hotel we made our way up to nearby Sanibel and Captiva Islands just to check them out. They were both very quaint and charming-- Very fun to discover. On our drive home we stopped in Naples to enjoy the beautiful white sand and sunset.

Spring Break- Visit from Mom & Dad

I feel so refreshed! A whole week away from my students- I love spring break! Tyler and I were lucky enough to host our first set of house guests; Mom and Dad Cook!

We loved showing my parents around South Florida and giving them a glimpse of our life here. I think they enjoyed it, and I know they REALLY loved getting out of the cold Utah weather! Every morning I was so excited I couldn't wait for them to wake up...(so I would kindly wake them up at around 7 am) which I don't know how much they appreciated...but we had to get an early start on our Miami activities!!!

We spent a day at the beach here by our house, a day at the Everglades and finally made a trip down to the Keys, which proved to be well worth it! All this time we have been just a short drive away from even more ocean-beauty (and a great snorkeling site in Key Largo)! So beautiful! Did I mention that I love living here?! It was really fun.

My Mom and I LOVE to cook so we put together some scrumptious gourmet dinners- and of course we had to take them to two of our favorite restaurants Le Tub and Cafe Versailles (Very authentic Cuban food in Little Havana). We loved having visitors! (hint, hint)

Manatee Encounter

West Indian Manatees- By far THE most adorable sea-life on this planet! I still can't believe it took me an entire week to post our latest adventure; this is by far the best thing we have done in Florida! I'll start from the beginning: Shortly after we moved here I developed a fascination and great love for manatees. (Florida is one of the few places that still has a manatee population). Our nightly, and sometimes daily walks around the slow moving waterways consisted of me listening and searching intently for bubbles (slow digestive systems), manatee noses coming to the water's surface (air breathers), and any other noise that may indicate these gentle "sea cows" were near. Tyler indulged my preoccupation for a while. He would go silent when I would "hear" something, and encourage me when our little excursions produced no signs of manatees, and a disappointed enthusiast.

Finally, my dream came true! I'm still not sure if Ty just wanted to make me happy, or if he was tired of our manatee searches and hearing about my disappointment; either way, he planned a very unique Valentine's weekend which gave us the experience of seeing them up close and personal. If you know a thing or two about manatees, now is a great time to see them! In the winter months the natural spring waters of Homosassa become a manatee refuge (I learned this and many other facts in my free time). Manatees, who do not tolerate cold water, migrate inland from the ocean to bask in the 72 degree clear water springs of the Homosassa and Crystal River --both are now protected as refuges. From about mid-November through the end of March they can eat, rest and enjoy being protected from some of the serious threats in the open ocean. (boats, pollution, destroyed habitats etc).

The waters of the Homosassa (about 5 hours from Miami) are clear and shallow, making it a perfect place to snorkel and interact with the manatees- A LOT of manatees, we couldn't' believe how many there were just chillin- enjoying life. They proved to be as they are characterized, calm, curious, sweet and lovable. One big Momma-Manatee LOVED Ty, she liked to nuzzle up to him and follow him around. Take a look! How could anyone not adore their sweet teddy-bear eyes, their roly-poly wrinkles and their playful nature!

I think she had a little crush on Ty! My little buddy- So cute!

If you are now a manatee lover- take a look at some of these websites. Sadly, these gentle mammals face serious threats! Most fatalities are a result of water craft collision- boat propellers, pollution and a serious reduction in habitat! Very sad.

http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm

http://www.manateecenter.com/

http://www.homesafe.com/manatee/manatee-facts.html

Everyday Life

It was brought to my attention that in the 7 months we have lived in Miami, I haven't posted any pictures that show where we live!! To my great shock it was also made known that due to my most current blog postings- it may look as if all we do here is play, vacation, go to the beach, eat gelato ect :) ....although this is true to a small degree, we also have a very functional, school/work life. In fact, with my teaching job and Ty's studies- we are working harder than we ever have! - hence the need for relaxing on the beach!

Accomodations:
Many of you know, we live in a beautiful city (Aventura) just outside of Miami. The average temperature right now is about 80 degrees, the average person is a frigid 10 degrees, or shall we say, less than friendly?! Our two little hondas do NOT fit in with the vast array of sports and luxury cars! WE don't enjoy the traffic/unfriendly drivers, but we love the cleanliness, the weather and the scenery!

Home sweet home!

Across the street- We like to look at the boats!

Weekend with Mom & Dad Nelson

Our first visit from family! Right now, Tyler's parents are basking in the warmth of the Caribbean- we were lucky enough to have a few days with them here in Miami before their cruise departed on Saturday!

It was so fun to have family here!! We had a great time together. Some of our activities included: watching a Cuban band play at Hollywood Beach, walking the boardwalk, eating a scrumptious dinner at Houston's (on the water), and of course, frequenting Dolce Vita Gelato! We hope they are hooked and that they will be back to visit very soon!

A few things they were shocked by:
The humidity (we told them to come back in the summer :) )
The crazy drivers and terrible traffic
The beauty of South Florida
...and my personal favorite, that our "apartment is not a dump" (Ty's Dad)

Shelly, Rawl and Ty-- Hollywood Beach

Dolce Vita Gelato: quite possibly the best dessert on the entire planet! This is just a sampling of the many flavors- it's addicting!

From Snowflakes to Surf!

Weekend in Orlando

A week ago we went to Orlando with some of our good friends here in Miami! Our friends Josh and Lindsey scored a weekend in a time-share condo and were generous to share it with all of us!

The trip was super fast! -- we left Friday night, played all day saturday at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, and left early the next day! --it was very fun and a much needed diversion from lesson planning and grading papers (for me), and studying (for Ty). :)

We love our friends here- we feel so grateful to have them at this time when we are SOOOO far away from old friends and loved ones!