Hello world!  It's been a while since I've posted.  Hopefully someone is out there reading.  It's hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. :-(  It's back to work for me next week.  I am kind of excited, because there are some new things ahead for me.  I'm a teacher, so back to school time for me means ORGANIZING.  I've been taking some time to sort through materials, toss some things, and buy some new things.  One new product that I came across are by Erin Condren.  I love her stuff!  Even the packaging is awesome!  I purchased a life planner and now I am thinking about buying a teacher planner.  Anyone else out there an Erin Condren fan?

Soooo...Friday was my birthday!  I didn't really have plans.  Another birthday with now plans.  I'm planning for Vegas on my 40th!   My soror, Sherie, came to my rescue and treated me to a movie.  I wanted to see The Conjuring.  Even though she is not a fan of scary movies, she toughed it out for me.  That was soooo sweet!  I had popcorn and a Cherry Coke for breakfast (we went to an early movie) and ice cream for lunch.  I was really living it up for my bday...lol!

I am 37 now, and birthdays have become a time for reflection for me.  I am soooo thankful that God has allowed me to see 37 years because many haven't made it this far....and I hope to see many more!  For those of you reading this, whether I have known you all my life, for 20 years, or for a year or less....this is what I know.  You are going to make mistakes in life....and that's okay.  Don't bear yourself up about it (I've done that a lot).  Just make sure you grow from it!  Trust me....there is a lesson somewhere in it.  Next, let people be their "true" selves (someone shared this with me this week and it made so much sense to me).  We have great people in our lives, and of course, that's wonderful!  However, sometimes we have "not so great" people that enter our lives.  People do mean even downright hateful things sometimes, but even in those times, let them be who they are!  Count it as a blessing that they showed you their "true" self.  A wolf can only hide in sheep's clothing for so long.  But don't get upset because you see the truth.  Let the truth be just what it is - the truth.  Let people be who they are whether you like it or not.  And YOU be your "true" self too.  Don't ever let someone make you uncomfortable with who you are.  They shouldn't be judging you anyway.  Remember to appreciate those great and wonderful people in your life.  If you don't, one day you WILL regret it.  (Then you will have something else to beat yourself up about.)  It's never to late to go back and start over or make things right.  I have reconnected with some really true and great friends this year!  Lastly, whether you are 16 or 66, make sure you are growing (mentally, spiritually, etc.).  If you aren't, it's time to reevaluate.  It's not always easy or comfortable, but take a good look....sometimes you need to make changes to continue to grow.  Don't EVER be afraid of growth!  Well, with that said...I hope you all have a WONDERFUL day! xoxo

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  I must shamefully admit that despite living across the street from a beach, I had yet to venture out there and enjoy it until today.  It was well worth the wait, because it was perfect beach weather!  On top of that, I enjoyed it with a friend that I hadn't seen in a very long time!  I'm including pics from today in this post.  Enjoy!

Hey guys!!!  That is if anyone is even reading this!  It's July, and July is my birthday month!  Yayyy!!!  Even though I'm creeping up on 40, I am still excited about my birthday.  Rubies, larkspur, and presents...Oh My!!!  I've even started getting birthday coupons, and I love coupons! :-)  I kicked off birthday month with a mani and pedi today!  Anyone else celebrating a July birthday???  How are you celebrating?

Hello out there!  So....to blog or not to blog...that was the question.  Cliche I know; however, I'm an English teacher.  I must pay homage to Shakespeare.  :-)  Anyway...Hello World, it's nice to meet you all!  I've been so inspired by all the great bloggers out there that I wanted one of my very own.  

Being the good teacher that I am, I did my research before starting my blog.  A lot of the research says you should have a focus for your blog.  Well, I don't know about that.  I just want this to be a place to express myself and hopefully meet other people who want to read what I share.  To put things in simple terms, I want this blog to be like "chatting" with friends or I guess in this case writing with friends. :-) 

Well here's to hoping I keep this up...and that someone is out there reading it!  Lol!  xoxo~SimplyTQ