nearing that hill...

So, I turned 28 on Thursday. twenty-eight.
I was watching an episode of Friends the other day, and Rachel said something like, "I'm a 28 year old cheerleader with a fat lip..."

I am as old as Rachel was in like season 6.
It's just weird!

But my birthday was great! As luck would have it, I had a staff development that day so I didn't even have to teach. However, Troy was a little bummed. See, he and Bekah had a goodie basket sitting on my desk waiting for me and I wasn't there!
But I got it the next day. And my students were super sweet about it. And I got several handmade cards full of "you're the greatest teacher ever" notes.

Then, on Thursday night Bekah, Troy, Mason, Grant and I had dinner and then Bekah took me to see Fame. We were the only ones in the theater so we chatted it up the whole movie. It was pretty good, but nothing amazing. But it was the perfect chill out movie which I definitely needed!

It was a good birthday!

Oh! And I had a very mysterious gift left by my garage. It was a super cute and comfy shirt and a very sweet card! But no name! It's been driving me crazy! Who was it!? Fess up! :) You made my day!

But then I put 'em together...

...and, well, it just goes downhill from there...


...in a very uphill cute kind of way. :)

and there's this good lookin' guy...

just a peek.

I know it's late, but I couldn't wait to post these!

I took Grant out for his Two Year session today.
I love so many of them! I used my 50mm lens which is a little tricky with moving objects(which he most certainly is), but I still got quite a few cute ones. I hope I'll post more soon. Along with my thoughts on him being a gigantic 2 year old.

PS - the hair in the first one is a little less than perfect, but so Grant!

at least there is this one.

the entire time I am loading pictures from a wedding onto my computer, I watch as the pictures appear. During this terrifying process, you can hear me saying,
"please Jesus...Please Jesus...Oh, thank you Jesus! Oh, thank you Jesus!"
The prayers are especially intense during certain times of the loading process. For example, the bride coming down the aisle.
Or the kiss.
Or the family shot of people who haven't been together in years and years.

Weddings are terrifying, nauseatingly nerve-wracking, feels-like-life-or-death events.
But then one picture appears like this one and I realize if nothing else, I got this one.It may not be perfect, but it's the first time this couple prayed together as husband and wife. And that's something to be remembered...

mason - my giant 1st grader.

he loves to "play" with bubba.

he talks...

and talks...

and talks...

and talks...

He makes great faces.

he loses all his teeth.

he makes more great faces while he talks.

his eyelashes make me want to kiss him

I adore him. :)

thursday: the new wednesday.

I didn't cry yesterday, Wednesday. My usual crying day.
Today, though...tears. All over the place.

I haven't posted about Grant's second birthday.
I haven't posted a picture of my son's toothless grin.
I haven't graded a million papers.
I forgot to tell my homeroom about the spelling bee.
I have no analogies on my walls. Apparently, analogies, or the lack there of, can all but get you fired during walk throughs.
I don't have a single social studies thing on my walls.
I have no lesson plans for next week.
Or a sub called in for my writing taks test training on Thursday.
I haven't sent my best friend a card for her birthday.
I don't know when I'm taking my ESL test that I have to take before the year is up.
Or my GT update.
I have five family shoots to edit.
and a wedding on Saturday.
I don't read every day with Mason.
I haven't put away laundry in two weeks.
Or mopped in three.


I'm tired.
I mean tired.
Tired of never feeling good enough.
I'm afraid I'm about to have to give something up.
And the only thing to give up is the thing I most want to hold on to.

But maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and the redeeming glory of a new day will wash away these overly dramatic whiney woe-is-me tears.

I hope.