Break Time!

Now that it's summer break I suppose I should use this extra time to blog a little more.  I love writing down what's been going on in life, and in my brain!

The last few weeks of school were jam packed with to-do's and a lot of emotional moments.  I didn't think I would get as attached to my kiddos as much as I did, since I only had them for half a year.  BUT, of course I did.  They are a wonderful group of kids and I wish I had them for a whole school year.  

One of my teammates gave me the idea to do this for each of my students as an end of the year gift.  They each sat in front of the board and the other kiddos wrote nice things about the person of the moment.  They didn't get to see what others said until the received the photo the last day of school.  They all wanted to do one for me too, so this is it!

I learned SO much between student teaching at the start of the year, and taking on my own class for the second half.  I made mistakes, had epiphanies, cried, laughed and hopefully became a little bit of a better teacher.  

I look forward to a new year in the fall, starting fresh with a new group of kiddos, right from the beginning!

I'm devoting this summer to wedding planning, getting back into a healthier life style, and spending time with the little ones that I watched before I started teaching.  

I can't decide how much of the wedding details I want to disclose on the blog before the wedding.  I want our guests to wait to enjoy the final event with me and Nick!  Our goal is to get majority of the wedding planned this summer, so during the school year I don't have much to think about.  

Let's see, what have we accomplished so far?  

We have a venue and a date!

We visited about 10-15 venues before making our final decision.  The location we decided on is not what I ever pictured for my future wedding (probably because I didn't know anything like it existed in Colorado).  I always said I wanted to get married in a meadow, but instead we are getting married someplace a little less expected and with incredible views of Colorado.  It was a toss up between the chosen location and one in Estes Park, but it came down to the proximity to our lives and those closest to us in Colorado.  It seemed stressful and expensive to have a destination wedding in our own state.  Here are a few "sneak peak" photos of our venue.  If you've been venue shopping, or know the area, you can probably guess where this is!!

I have a wedding dress!

I made appointments to try on dresses with some of the women closest to me the first Saturday after the school year ended (I was eager).  We had a fun day of trying on dresses, lunch and girl time.  Our first visit was to The Green Bride, in Downtown Littleton.  This store is very unique.  They sell new and used gowns and a portion of gown purchases goes towards supporting Dalit Freedom Network to help free young girls and women out of human trafficking.  While Karen was incredibly sweet to work with, and I found a gown that I ALMOST went back for, I didn't find my gown there.

Jessica & Katie helping me hunt!

Our next stop was Blue Bridal Boutique in Denver.  I had a wonderful experience and service at Blue Bridal, and narrowed it down to two gowns I liked.  But still, neither of the dresses made me giddy enough to buy.

I finally did what I didn't really want to do, and went to David's Bridal the following Monday…because they were having a clearance sale and I was determined to find a dress on mega sale.  After trying on a few dresses, I walked out in a style that I never imagined would look flattering on my short wasted figure.  The reaction from my mom, God mom, God sister and friend Katie were enough to sell me.  But when I saw myself I was a bit in shock.  I didn't cry or get overly expressive/emotional like I've always seen on Say Yes to the Dress, but I felt comfortable, classy, sexy, and my age!  

It's a winner, oh and Gramma approves too! ;o)

More wedding planning updates to come!

HAPPY SUMMER!

Love in the Dominican

Jessica sure is on top of her posts!  I know how much she's been wanting to complete the Whole 30 challenge, and Jess...I'm so proud that you pushed through it and accomplished your goal!

I suppose I need to post an update on life, seeing as it's nearly May and a lot has happened recently.

SCHOOL:

The last 3 1/2 months have been incredible.  Incredibly rewarding and exhausting.  

I successfully made it through 2 1/2 months of teaching, capped with parent-teacher conferences and spring break, and now onward towards the finish line.  I was extremely nervous going into conferences for obvious reasons: Number one, I am a brand-new teacher and number two, I've joined this class midyear.  Conferences were surprisingly positive. Parents seem very happy with the changes and expressed that their kids really enjoy having me as their teacher.  I'm trying to take the positive feedback as a sign of my skill or potential, but I doubt myself as a new teacher daily. I guess I just need to keep in mind that I am new and I will grow on a daily basis.

We're already preparing for the end of the school year which seems to be flying towards us at full speed.  My kids have shown a lot of grown, but the most obvious growth to me (since I didn't know them last semester) is their growth as capable, responsible, loving little beings.  I get such a thrill when they gain reading levels, when they yell out "Oooooh I get it" during math, or when they tell me how much they love to read.  BUT, the real thrill is when someone includes a friend who is lonely, who uses their manners, who takes the higher road in a sticky situation, and who shows their love in the classroom.  I want nothing more than for these kids to grow up into thoughtful adults that contribute to our society in a positive way.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Over spring break Nick took us on a tropical vacation that we both deserved and needed.  We headed to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for 6 days of sun and warm tropical water.  Before Nick planned this vacation, I made sure he knew that I'd rather "take our relationship to the next chapter" than have the vacation, but that I'd be ok with the vacation if he had a plan.  After 5 amazing years, it was no secret that I was ready for an engagement..after all, I'd known for at least 4 years that I wanted to marry him.  I did my very best to go into the trip with no expectations, but in the back of my mind thought that if he was going to do it, this would be a great opportunity.

Well, he did it! I asked him later if I even said yes, it seems that I did. :)

Now for the details:
Nick apparently had the ring long before booking the trip.  He is SUCH a planner,  I'm not really sure why I ever questioned whether or not he had plans to propose.

The week before, Nick met up with my dad for some "financial advice," aka his daughters hand in marriage.  The following day we had a family night planned, and looking back, I now realize how well my parents and Nick's mom held it together.

We were in Punta Cana for 3 days before he popped the question, so I was losing hope.  The night before, we were walking along the beach and a couple was having a romantic moonlit  meal by the water.  Nick kept asking how on earth they were able to do that.  I became "al-sassinator" and said that he PLANNED it, he called the front desk and PLANNED it.  Which followed by me crying on our rooftop cabana bed saying, "I thought it could happen, but it's just not going to happen."  I'M SORRY NICK, I'M SUCH A JERK, hahaha!!  He told me later that in that moment he didn't know what to do, but that he was laughing inside.

The next day I woke up feeling better knowing that in the end I had my best friend with me and whether or not he proposed didn't change the fact that I love him and I knew we would end up as husband and wife eventually.

We went on a day trip to Saona Island.  It started with a beautiful catamaran ride to the island.  Once we got there, we enjoyed a delicious Dominican lunch and drinks.  Nick and I strolled up the beach stopping for pictures along the way.  We found an awesome palm tree growing over the water and started taking pictures.  Nick set up his GoPro to capture the beauty.  I started to sense something was about to happen when he was looking up and down the beach to watch for people.  Then he started acting a little nervous, I guess...taking deep breaths and being a little sporadic in his affection. Once I realized what might be coming, I too became VERY nervous, but was trying to stay present in the moment.  At one point I felt super nauseous with anticipation, and kept thinking to myself that maybe it wasn't what I was hoping but maybe the rum had gotten to him. :-D

Finally, he took a deep breath and began his speech to me.  I truly tried to stay with it so that I could look back and remember the moment.  I've heard from so many friends that they don't remember anything and practically blacked out as their boyfriends proposed.

He held me close as we were ankle deep in the water.  He said so much and what stands out is that he knows I will be an amazing mother and wife, and that he loves how goofy I am.  I know there was so much more to it, but I guess I did partially "black out" or the adrenaline took over too much and I can't quite sort out what else was said.  Then he got down on one knee in the water, and pulled my ring out of a little envelope he had created to store the ring in his wallet those past 4 days.

First I wanted a hug and a kiss, then I was ready for the ring.  Of course my hands were swollen because of the heat and humidity, but it's a perfect fit.  Nick got all of it on GoPro and he had a plan all along..I should have known!

I spent the rest of the day on cloud 9, with Nick, and I know he was relieved to not have to keep that big secret anymore...or the ring in his wallet.  We took a speed boat from the island to a natural pool where we got to pick up starfish.  They made for some awesome ring photo opts.

We are thrilled to become husband and wife, and continue writing our story together.  I'm so excited to be able to call him my fiancé, and soon my husband...and then after that, the father to my children, YAY!!

I'm sure most of my blogging after this will be wedding related.  We are on the hunt for a venue, and quickly learning how fast expenses add up, ugh!

Until next time,

~Alex~