Monday Memoirs: February Love Edition-The Proposal!

December 12th, 2009:

A lot of people tell me that they had a feeling when their future husband was about to propose. I honestly had no idea. We had talked about getting married and I knew it was coming soon but I was thinking it was going to be at Christmas or New Year. We drove to Columbia to eat dinner at Yamato's for Nick's brother Ben's birthday. We had plans to go see the Christmas lights at Riverbanks Zoo afterwards. The weather was super yucky that day, cold and dreary, lots of misting rain. During dinner my sister in law Gretchen and I were saying that we should probably just skip the lights but Nick kept insisting that we had umbrellas and we should just go. Our niece Tabatha was 20 months old at the time and had a cold so Gretchen finally said that we were welcome to go but that they were going to go home because she didn't want Tabatha to get even more sick. Later I found out that Nick hadn't even told Ben and Gretchen that he was going to propose so Gretchen was super disappointed that they missed it.

The weather actually wasn't as bad as we thought and we were having a really great time. I LOVE Christmas lights so I was having so much fun. After we had seen everything, I turned to Nick and said "are you ready to go?" He said that he wanted to go back to the big Christmas tree right by the giraffes one more time and get a picture of us by it. We went back and as we were walking up to the tree, Nick just suddenly got down on one knee! Fake snow was blowing and he was talking and honestly I hate to say it, but I don't remember anything he said except for "will you marry me?" I of course said "yes...!" And the rest is history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I totally looked at my hand the whole drive home....

 

Hope everyone has a fabulous Valentines Day! I would love to read some of YOUR proposal stories! :) Also check out Royal's Blog for a different twist on the mushy gushy memoirs! :)

5 on Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Linking up with these fabulous ladies again! Here's what's been on my mind this week:

 

1. Did you get your video for Facebook's 10 year anniversary? I LOVED mine. I am such a sap. I cried. Like everytime I watched it. You can see mine here

 

2. Last night I had the pleasure of judging the Mr. USC-Aiken pageant. Phi Mu has put on this pageant every year since 2001 to raise money for our philanthopy, Children's Miracle Network. It is by far one of my favorite Phi Mu events. I really enjoyed being a judge except for the fact that one of the contestants refused to wear a shirt the whole time and believe me, you didn't want to see him shirtless. Hairy man boobs are gross!  Sorry for the crappy Iphone pics!

 

 

3. Okay, so what is everyone thinking about the Bachelor this week? I am  getting very frustrated with Juan Pablo picking and choosing when he wants to set a good example for his daughter. I am not a fan of Clare but I don't think it was fair for him to blame it all on her! Also, can I just say how sad I am that Kelly went home this week? Her interviews were hilarious!

  4. Even though Govenor Haley declared a state of emergency and pardoned our snow day, my school district has of course still decided we have to make it up. Very disappointed to be going to work on Presidents Day. :(

5. Kennedy has had a great week. She is still absolutely loving her Little Tikes pink car!  It is by far her favorite toy at the moment. I just wish the weather was nicer so we could use it outside. I can't believe she's driving already! ;) We also discovered while out on a walk earlier this week that one of her best friends from school, Emerson, lives right around the block from us! We had no idea! There will definately be some playdates in the future!

 

Memoir Monday-February Love Edition-How Nick and I became a couple

When Nick transferred to the elementary school we teach at in the fall of 2007, we were both in relationships. We also taught at opposite ends of the school, so I really didn't get to know him at all. Then, one day in February 2009, my co-worker/friend/roomie Sara told me that "Mr. Kaune thought I was hot and wanted to know if I had a boyfriend." Sara taught Special Ed at our school and she served several of Nick's students so they had become friends. My awful, mean, shallow response: "he's not my type, too short and skinny." Ugh...I cringe when I think about the fact that I said that. Ever since high school I had always dated the SAME type of guys, tall and stocky. In fact, the three serious relationships I had before Nick? ALL of them were former football players. However, all 3 of them had something else in common. They all treated me like crap. Why I did not realize that at the time? I guess because I was 24 and naive.

Fast forward to the first week in May. Our co-worker hosted a barbeque at her house. Nick is there. He sits down by me and starts talking to me. We talk for over an hour. I realize I am an idiot. Not only is he super easy to talk to and funny but he's so sweet! That Monday at school, I remember he was wearing a yellow polo shirt and I kept thinking "yes, he may be short but he is hot! Why am I just now noticing this?"

This was the first picture we ever took together, at our co-worker's party.

That next weekend was my 25th birthday and my friend Lynnsey and I were having a joint birthday party at a local club. We had rented a VIP area. I invited a few co-workers to come and decided to invite Nick. Well Saturday came and our other two male co-workers, Corey and Matt, showed up but no Nick. They said he was sick and couldn't make it. I was soooo disappointed. I thought for sure I had blown my chance with him because of what I had said a few months earlier. The next day Sara and I were sitting at home watching a movie. I still remember what it was, "He's Just Not That Into You." Bahahaha. I told Sara jokingly that I was pretty sure Nick was "just not that into me." She took out her phone and texted him and said "Look Carol is interested in you but thinks you're just not that into her. What's the deal?" LOL. I still love how she used the line from the movie!  He texted back and said "geez can't a guy be sick? What's her number?" Right after that he started texting me.

It was so silly because we texted nonstop that week but everytime we saw each other at school, we would just grin and say "hi." Finally, that weekend we went on a double date with Sara and her then boyfriend now husband Greg. That night we had our first kiss and after that we were pretty much inseperable. Thankfully, school was out the following week, so had the whole summer to spend together without people gossiping at school. We made it official on June 8th, 2009. Nick asked me to be his girlfriend with a "check yes or no" note. He also went up to our school that day and talked to our principal about the fact that we liked each other more than friends. My principal thought it was super cute and was okay with it just so long as "we weren't affectionate at school" Well duh! My principal also asked, "what's going to happen if ya'll break up? Won't it be awkward for you to work together?" Nick replied very firmly "we aren't going to break up." And he was right! We got engaged a little over 6 months later on December 12th, 2009 and married on October 2nd, 2010. A lot of people ask if we get sick of working together and the answer is "no!" We still teach at opposite ends of school so we don't even really see each other much at school.

Double date with Sara and Greg

So, that's our love story, starting out with me being a total bitch. In the end though, I think the timing couldn't have been better. That February, I honestly still wasn't completely over my loser ex and I think I needed more time to just be me and discover what I wanted from a relationship. If I could do it again, I wouldn't have it any other way. I just might not have said the "short and skinny" comment! Hahahahaha.

The "check yes or no" notes Nick gave me to make it official.

5 on Friday!

Happy Friday! Here's what's been going on in our world this week:

1. We had about 2 inches of snow this week! It started snowing around 8:00 Tuesday night. We had early dismissal Tuesday, no school Wednesday and a late arrival Thursday so not much learning went on this week in room 310 but that's okay. Kennedy loved the snow for the first 5 minutes but then was ready to come inside! I think she may end up being like her momma. I am not much of a snow person. I am still really glad she got to experience it though.

You can really tell in this picture she is ready to go in! Look at that pouty face!

2. What did ya'll think of Sean and Catherine's wedding? I had mixed feelings. First of all, what in the world was up with that music she came down the aisle to? So awkward! I also thought that the whole "honeymoon suite cam" and the constant talk about the wedding night was a bit overkill. And the "grown sexy" theme? Weird! However, I loved the fact that they had Sean's dad marry them, loved Catherine's dress and loved how the groomsmen prayed over Sean before the ceremony. I also thought it was so sweet how emotional Sean got. 

3. My dad is the lead writer for the Gamecocks on Bleacher Report.  I am loving his latest column entitled , "Why an NFL team should take a chance on Connor Shaw." I really hope an NFL team picks him up. Dylan Thompson has some big shoes to fill next year. You can read the article here.

4. I follow a lot of children's clothing stores on Facebook and there have been soooo many cute Easter dresses blowing up my newsfeed. I haven't ordered one yet for Kennedy because next week I am hitting up a local consignment sale for boutique clothing that I have heard is amazing! I got Kennedy's Easter dress from a consignment sale last year for 5 dollars! I am hoping I get that lucky again this year but if not, I have plenty of ideas for backups. ;) I am especially loving all the Easter dresses from my favorite online kids clothing store thisandthatforkids.com

 Flashback to Kennedy's 1st Easter! (4 months old)

 5.Kennedy turned 14 months on Tuesday! She has been talking so much more lately and one of her favorite words is "me!" LOL. I am not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. On Monday when we came home, our neighbors kids were riding their bikes in the street. Kennedy kept pointing at them and saying "me, me, me! My response "Nooo, not yet!"

I will leave you with my cutie in her daddy's favorite outfit on her, Carhart overalls and a camo bow! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Memoir Monday-Gender Reveal

Okay so I am totally stealing the idea of "Memoir Monday" from one of my favorite bloggers, Royal, over @ Royal Proclaims. If you haven't check out her blog do so today! She is one of those bloggers who will literally make you laugh out loud with her posts.

I am posting today about our gender reveal party because it was one of the best memories of my pregnancy with Kennedy. I know some people think gender reveal parties are cheesy but we had a blast with ours. I also felt like it was a great excuse to get together and celebrate my pregnancy. :)

We found out Kennedy was a girl on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at our sonogram but we chose to have a party at our house on Saturday, June 30th so that we could tell our friends and family. It was very hard to keep the secret for 2 days. I know some people have the tech write down the gender in an envelope and are surprised at their party as well as their guests but Nick and I liked being able to enjoy that moment privately. After we found out Kennedy was a girl, we immediately went to Buy Buy Baby and Kid to Kid and bought a bunch of baby girl outfits. :)

Anyway, back to the party. We told our guests to dress in either blue or pink based on their guess of the gender. These pictures crack me up. Everyone, including myself, was so sure I was having a boy. Although I think a lot of the guys just didn't want to wear pink, hahaha. Grayson, who was 2 at the time, was the only male wearing pink! :)

 We played an Old Wives Tale game, which was a lot of fun. My bestie Megan had a list of questions that I answered referring to common Old Wives Tales. If my answer pointed to boy, one of the kids would put a blue sticky note up and if my answer pointed to girl, a pink one. We also did the "string test" and looked at the Chinese Gender Calendar. As you can see, most of the Old Wives tales did point to girl!

 Then we passed out the cupcakes, which were filled inside with pink frosting. At this point, I remember my mother in law saying she was still convinced it was a boy even though all the Old Wives Tales pointed to girl. We had everyone bite into their cupcake at the same time after a "1,2,3." As you can see though, a few people like my bestie Ashley and my sister in law Tina chose to cheat and stick their finger in the middle because they couldn't wait any longer, lol.

Ironically, the first people I heard to yell out "it's a girl!" were not only Ashley, but my mother in law, who had been so sure it was a boy! Everyone was so excited, my dad and my sister were crying and my friend Jessica who has two boys was jumping up and down!  It was such a fun day. I know gender reveal parties are not for everyone but we really enjoyed ours. Nick is not into the whole "couples shower" thing so this was also a great way for him to be able to celebrate our baby girl with family and friends. Besides hearing Kennedy's heartbeat for the first time, I think this was my favorite day of my pregnancy. It was filled with joy, laughter and excitement! :)

5 on Friday

Even though it's been a not so good week, I am going to try to make the best of it by linking up with these fabulous ladies for 5 on Friday. Here's what's on my mind this week:

1. Kennedy and I have both been battling sickness this week. Kennedy was sick first. She started running a fever Saturday night and didn't go back to daycare until Wednesday. I started to run a fever Monday night. We were all home on Tuesday because I felt so sick I couldn't take care of Kennedy so Nick had to call in too. No bueno! Kennedy started to feel better Tuesday and so she went back to daycare on Wednesday. I pushed myself and went into work Wednesday.  Partly because I heard I had a really bad sub who was mean to the kids and didn't follow my plans at all. Bad idea. I felt AWFUL by the end of the day Wednesday so ended up relapsing and having to stay home Thursday again. I am finally starting to feel better so hoping the sickies have left our house.

2. On Monday night, I went and sat in on a Phi Mu meeting up at the college even though I wasn't feeling so good. The advisory council was presenting scholorship awards to the girls that had the top 3 GPA's for the semester and we also always treat them to dinner. I made the certificates and was a little upset because Nick failed to tell me that he used up all the black ink when he was printing his thesis for his masters. I reassured myself by saying that the pink showed up and that's the most important color. :) One of the girls posted a picture of her certificate on Facebook with a caption about how she had never really gotten very good grades but she had worked really hard this semester and how excited she was that her hard work paid off. She also said how honored she was to be recognized. This really warmed my heart and reminded me that a certificate like this is more about the person getting it and not the actual certificate itself. :)

3. Do you love weddings as much as I do??? My sorority sister Erin got engaged over Christmas break and they have set a date, December 6th! Nick and I were talking and we realized now we have 6 weddings to attend so far this year. My bestie Megan is getting married in March and so is our co-worker Callie, Nick's cousin Erin is getting married in June and my friends Molly and Cassie are both getting married in July. I am so excited!  It seems just like yesterday I was getting married, one of the best days ever!

4. I hate to complain again about the cold weather but I just don't like it.  I told Nick if we didn't have so many close friends and family here I would seriously consider living in Florida. Our school district doesn't allow us to take the kids out for recess if it's under 40 degrees, which my friends and family in Oregon think is hilarious. So, we have had a lot of the dreaded indoor recess this year. Is it March yet?????????????

5. Besides being sick,  Kennedy has had a great week. She brought home her first artwork from school and she now carries her own purse around like a big girl. She is definately "all girl." She has become really into dolls and loves the show "Sofia the First." In fact at Wal Mart, last weekend somehow a "Sofia the First" shirt ended up in our cart. Momma was so excited that Kennedy had picked out her first "outfit" that we of course had to buy. Lots more mommy/daughter shopping trips to come! I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I have a toddler, not a baby anymore. Love this little girl more than words can say!

Busy, busy, busy!

I hardly ever miss "5 on Friday" but this week was one of the busiest weeks we have had in a long time! Sadly, my friend Brittney's mother Joyce had a brain anuerysm and is in the hospital. They did a surgery to stop bleeding on her brain. She is still sedated and it sounds like it will be a long road ahead but we are so thankful that she is alive! Brittney is one of the directors at our local Boys and Girls Club and she travels a lot for work. She was out of town this week and her youngest son Ryan goes to the same daycare as Kennedy. I picked Ryan up this week and kept him until Brittney's husband Anthony got off work. It was an interesting experience having two kids in the house! ;) I don't think I am ready for a 2nd one quite yet!

 

Here's what else has been going on this week:
 

We had Science Fest at school Thursday night. There were some people that came with a baby alligator and a snake. Kennedy had no fear about touching the baby alligator! At one point, she started poking his belly with her finger and Momma got a little freaked out as you can see by one of the pictures below...hahahaha.

 

 We have been so busy this week that I was only able to fit in two workouts. I usually work out 4 times a week. Then this happened:

We had a teacher workday yesterday. I went to lunch at a yummy local place called The Red Shed with two of my co-workers. They are a sandwich shop that has desserts that are to die for! We couldn't decide what to order so we just ordered 4 desserts and shared them. Yum. I weigh myself once a week on Saturdays so I was not looking forward to weigh in today. However, I was shocked to see that I was 2 pounds lighter than last week. Maybe chasing after two kids made up for the 2 workouts I missed this week! I am 7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight! Almost there! I am going to start taking Zumba again next week so I am hoping that will help as well.

 

I am off Monday for MLK day and am looking forward to spending lots of time with my little family. Kennedy is so much fun these days even though she is INTO everything so it can be a little exhausting. She is loving being in the toddler room at daycare and her vocabulary has really taken off since moving from the nursery to that room. We did have a really hard time getting her to adjust to sleeping on a napmat. Her teacher Ms. Stephanie told us that one of the days, Kennedy was laying on her mat with the biggest grin on her face saying over and over again "night-night, night-night" but wouldn't go to sleep, lol. Finally at the end of this week, she started napping on it. Thank goodness, because no nap or a 30 minute nap equals a very fussy toddler! I will leave you with this cutie!

 

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend and a fabulous week!