Smiles for Miles :D

So I am officially back and ready to blog! These last couple weeks have been absolutely overflowing with craziness and I have literally had no time to get my fingers on this keyboard. Now it is game on :D

I have had quite the blessed 2 weeks filled with moments that have brought huge smiles to my heart and face. Once again, I was reminded of the important people in my life that I so deeply cherish. So get comfortable and get ready to hear about my blissful moments.

#1 My class through me a baby shower. Did you hear that!?! Those sneaky little ones with the help of their amazing moms, pulled off a surprise shower for me and my little peanut. My heart strings still get tugged every time I think about it. 2 Fridays ago, I dropped my kids off at library and to my surprise, I was pulled in and given the most unexpected gift. Those sweet ones pampered me with love, gifts and delicious treats. It took me a few minutes to come back to earth and actually recognize what was happening. Nothing like this has ever been done for me and boy it touched me deep. This will be a memory of a lifetime for sure. My gratitude goes on for miles!

So #1 is enough happiness already... BUT I have more :D

#2 School came to an end on Friday and I had to give out 21 bittersweet goodbyes. We had a successful Kindergarten graduation and as I watched each one of them sing their songs and recite that end of the year poem, I was lost in amazement. They have each come so far, grown so much and taken a giant step to becoming their own little person. As a teacher, it is beyond rewarding.... it's just magical. So another year of teaching has passed and come August, 20 more big-eyed friends will join me on another journey through Kindergarten.

#3 SUMMER VACATION! Enough said :)

#4 I had another appointment this past week to check up on my little man. As the midwife placed the mic on my tummy to hear his heartbeat, we got quite the show. He decided he would give us a giant "hello" by kicking up a storm. So instead of hearing a nice strong heartbeat, we got huge thumps and a bouncy belly. I couldn't help but smile thinking about what that sweet one was doing in there. Luckily, after his hello he settled back down and I got to hear the miraculous beating of his tiny heart. And yes... it was the sweetest sound ever! So little man is moving right along down the road of development and in a couple more weeks I will be checking in on him 2x a month instead of just 1. We are getting close!

That deserves a HUGE smile right there :D.

#5 I am getting much closer to finding a home. My house hunting is going really well and fingers crossed... I will soon be a first time homeowner! I so can't wait.

As you can see.. life has been a little busy lately but for ALL good reasons. I know there are many more smiling moments ahead.

Oh! I must not forget to add....

#6 I am 25 weeks preggo, feeling fantastic and slightly overstretched;) But no one is complaining here!

25 Weeks Pregnant
Size: 13.5 long and about 1.5lbs. About the size of a rutabaga (not too familiar with this veggie)
He is growing lots of hair and if I could peek in at him, I would be able to identify the color of it.
He is still filling out that thin little body of his with all that cute baby fat. So cute!

Banana Chocolate Chip Yummyness

Last night I was the perfect housewive as I graciously slaved away in the kitchen. I baked up some ridiculously scrumptious banana chocolate chip cookies and created my own version of a Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad. Not to pat myself on the back, but holy delicousness! Thanks to the magazine "Cooking Light", I was able to actually bake cookies that didn't taste like cardboard or look like coal! Halelujia... I was on quite the bad streak. See evidence below :D

And you must take a peek at my colorful-and delicious-masterpiece of a dinner.

Grilled Chicken, Spring Green Mix, Shredded Carrots, Sliced Strawberries, Craisins, Chow Mein Noodles, and Sesame Ginger Dressing (lo cal) and Voila! You have yourself a delighfully healthy dinner. It was great with a freshly made glass of iced tea and lemon :)

Before I come to an end, I thought I would share the words of Jesse Ownes printed on my calendar that I think we should all remember.......especially on those days that we think the world is against us.

"Find the good.
It's all around you.
Find it. Shocase it
And you'll start believing it."

Wedded Bliss <3

I'm back, as in 2 days ago back, from a wonderful weekend in Kentucky. The wedding was gorgeous and the bride was absolutely stunning..... no surprise there! This was the first wedding I have ever been in and it was quite the eye opener to what all it takes to put on one of these shin-digs. "Details, Details, Details" I would have needed some sort of planner, whether that be a spiral bound notebook or a middle-aged-overpriced-wedding professional, to make sure everything that needed to be done got done and that all the little details were remembered. I think that is why I was so amazed that the bride remained so calm and collected throughout her day, making sure everything and everyone was where they needed to be... without a planner! I caught myself staring wide-eyed and confused many times that blissful day.

Regardless of flowers, programs, music, food, tent, etc, etc, etc, the wedding would have still been perfect with only the vows and "I Do's" coming from such an adorable couple. The two of them are so genuine and they just radiate with cuteness when they are together. All I have to say is they will have some cute friggin kids! Below are some pics of the blushing pride and her bubble-gum pink bridesmaids....

And of course the gorgeous bride!

Road Trip: Kentucky Bound

Tomorrow at 5:00PM Chad and I will be road trippin' it all the way down to Columbia, Kentucky for one of my good friends weddings. It will be 11 hours of continuous bouncing, diesel-running, gas-hogging truck. Luckily, I usually get lost in the music & sing until I crash into a sound sleep. These are the same reasons why I am NOT a good passenger. I'm super excited to see my girl friend marry her prince charming and have a chance to kick back and celebrate with some of my great friends!

To get ready for this little adventure, I made sure to stock up on some healthy-yummy snacks to keep me from stuffing my face full of McFlurry and fries.....instead it will be apples, cinnamon graham cracker sticks and beef jerkey (for the Mr.). Sounds like a random combo, but it will be suffice I guess. Who am I kidding-I will totally devour some sort of fast-food yummyness before the weekend is over.

Since I will be in the wedding and absolutely RE-FUSE to be the pasty bridesmaid, I will be getting a spray tan. I'm a spray tan virgin, so I'm kind of nervous...... will it be orange, will it rub off, will I be tan enough, will I be too tan, what do I wear, do I have to be naked???? Seriously, I hope it works. I shall find out soon enough!

Well enough babble for today..... it's time for dinner, possible workout and packing!

Hump Day

Happy Hump Day! I can't believe we are already crusin' into the middle of the week! Whew :)

I had a wonderful weekend with the fam, celebrating my sister's b-day and mine. Everyone came up to visit, cockapoos and all, and there were of course many laughs and lot of stories! All our little babies (aka dogs) were able to re-kindle their friendship and run and play till they dropped! It's definitely a comedy show.

It was such a blast to have the whole Schrei clan together just hanging out.... It definitley doesn't happen to often now that we are all growing up, but when it does, we all immediately slip back into where we left off. This weekend was just another testiment to how blessed I am to have such an incredible, loving family. We truly are each other's world and I am thankful for the bond we all share.

We were able to get an update family pic-compliments of Calli :D

So, I'm super excited for the season finale of American Idol.... I have been quite the devoted viewer and haven't missed an episode. The contestants are seriously incredible and the wide range of talent has made this season so much fun to watch. I say that with a little hesitation since I am not a fan of one of the final contestants. I wont drop his name, but when he sings it is equivalent to nails on a chalkboard! I know that is a little harsh but honestly I can NOT bare to hear the sounds that come out of this guy's mouth! I do in fact L*O*V*E, love, love, love Kris Allen. He is absolutely adorable and his voice is Amazing!!! I will definitely be running to the nearest Tar-Get to get his first cd. I'm sure you still can't figure out who I don't like, can you!?!

Well to night we shall see who the winner is! Either way, they will both be on the radio very, very soon. I can't wait:D

Short and Sweet

One Word and One Very Little Post......

R-E-L-A-X-A-T-I-O-N

That's what I wanted, that's what I'm getting and I'm Loving Every Second!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLI!

May Birthday Mania

Is it me or do you feel like the month of May should win an award for the having the most birthdays!?! Every year that passes I run into more and more people with a May birthday. Just in my fam there are 3! Myself included....(The Big 2-5 this year baby!). Okay, 3 isn't that many but when there are only 5 of us! Regardless, I feel like our parents generation decided that May was the perfect time to have babies.

This weekend my sister turns 27, which still seems impossible. She is 3 away from 30!!! It just doesn't make sense. And me turning 25.....5 away from 30! Where did all the years go? I'm still trying to accept the fact that the college chapter in my book of life has already come to an end. There are still many days I wish I could step back into time and spend a day in the life of my old life. A day where I wake up at noon, maybe pop a little easy-mac in the mic, watch a little Trading Spaces, think about my class that starts at 2:30 and try to figure out what my night life will consist of. Oh to be so young again! Sigh :D And to think that I truly believed life was stressful then.... two words: REAL-WORLD! I quickly learned fast that I was way wrong.

Getting back to May birthdays... I still need to figure out something special to give my sister. Presents are always a challenge! The older I get the more I seem to put more thought into the gift. Why can't I just run to the store, buy a cute top for her and call it a day!?! She would love it I'm sure. In the back of my mind I just know that I won't be excited during the whole "giving" process. I want her to know that I did put my heart into it and I wanted to give her something special. Tonight I should really set aside some time to figure this one out, especially since her big day is in T-2 days. Ooooooops! What can I say, I'm a busy busy lady. Once I figure her gift out I should just move right on to Big Daddy Joe, who will be turning

(drum roll please *************)

The big 5-3!!! :0 Woah. He is still very young at heart though. :D I hope that makes up for my shear shock-excitement-disbelief I get when I say that number. I'm sure that gift will most like entail a trip to Lowes..... he's a man that loves anything tools. Typical!

Well-I must come to an end on this lovely posting. I will be sure to update you on the gifts that I decide on. Until next time.

(On a side note- I just have to add that this is the 2nd day in a row that I blogged... Woohoo to me!!!)