Where I Spend My Days

So, this is where I spend my weekdays. (And lately, most weekends, since we were given ONE day to prepare our classrooms!) Everything is clean and shiny and waiting for my students to walk through the door on the first day of school. 

Looking in from the door


The Morning Meeting Area

My Beloved ActivBoard

The (Now!) Empty Counter

The Math Area

Our Reading Focus Wall/Reading Center

Our Math Focus Wall/Center Table

My (Sad, Boring) Desk 
(that we're no longer allowed to personalize.)

My Table
(where I meet with my students every day)

The Students' Storage Area

From the Students' Point of View

We're making the switch to digital curriculum this year. Every student will have his/her own laptop, which will be interesting. We're also teaching Common Core standards this year in addition to the Alabama Course of Study standards. Oh, and did I mention that we merged with the middle school and have an all new administrative team? 

It's going to be a year of changes and hard work, but I'm ready to face the challenge. Here we go!!!

A Little Bit of Paradise

Part of me doesn't even want to share these pictures, because I'm afraid that word will get out about this little piece of Paradise lost...

Marc and I decided to take a little last minute getaway before going back to school/work. We booked the trip about two weeks out so it was just enough time for me to plan a few things, but mostly we just wanted to relax on the beach. 

After a six-hour drive, we arrived in Navarre Beach. It is a quiet little town right on the Gulf on a stretch called the Emerald Coast. It lies almost exactly halfway between Pensacola and Ft. Walton Beach, but it's not touristy at all.

After dinner on our first night, we went over to the beach to check it out. I have to say this is the nicest, cleanest public beach I've ever seen in my life. Absolutely beautiful! There were plenty of parking areas, public access boardwalks, and nice picnic/restroom areas. 

The only green flag day we would have...

Marc and I strolled up and down the beach and watched the sunset. It was stunning! The best part? The beach was empty!

The next morning, we got up early and ate a nice (free!) breakfast at our hotel. It was supposed to rain later in the day, so we wanted to make the most out of the time we had. It ended up being an overcast day, and it started to rain around lunchtime. So, we headed back to the hotel, freshened up, then headed over to Pensacola for some delicious soul food at Five Sisters Blues Cafe. (I highly recommend them!) Later that day, we headed back to the beach and stayed until dark.

The next day was absolutely gorgeous! It was a yellow flag day, and the waves were nice and big!

Marc and I staked out our little piece of the beach, played in the waves, and chilled in our chairs.

I can see why they call it the "Emerald Coast."

Marc taking a break from the waves.

(Notice all the people around? NOT!)

Soaking up the sun!

Marc was in heaven searching for shells! I swear he could stay in the water all day long!

He found a crab!

Cute little guy! (The crab, too!)

Unfortunately, a huge wave washed our underwater camera out of Marc's hand. We've had the worst luck with that thing! He also opened it underwater a couple of years ago when we were in the Bahamas.

We stayed and watched the sunset. There was also a full moon that night, and it was stunning! A perfect ending to a perfect trip!

So, if you're ever in the mood for a quick getaway to a beautiful beach that is never crowded, head down to Navarre Beach. On the other hand, you could always go to one of the other more populated beaches, like Destin or Panama City. 

We'll stick with Navarre!

One Week from Today...

We're going to have our toes in the sand!!!

A Little Something to Remember Our Trip

I picked up a little something to remember our trip...

Dooney & Bourke Disney Fantasy

Inaugural Cruise Tote

The pictures don't really do this bag justice! I love the colors and that it has the Fantasy and the Wonder (the two ships we've sailed on) prominently on both the front and the back. 

My only gripe is that it's missing the stitched leather Dooney & Bourke logo that is on the prototype pictures:

So, after speaking with several people at both Dooney & Bourke and Disney Merchandising, I'm going to send it in for "repair." Disney Merchandising offered to replace the whole bag, which is not what I wanted due to placement. Dooney & Bourke offered to take the bag I have and stitch the logo onto the bag. The only catch is that I would have to wait until the end of July, because their repair shop closes for a month. 

So, I'll have to miss my beautiful tote for a little while, but I think it will be worth the wait!

A Dreamy Sight

On the last night of our cruise, I was out on the verandah and saw this beauty!

The Disney Dream

The captains did the whole horn battle, which as awesome! What a neat surprise!

Castaway Cay Evacuation

During our cruise, there were three medical evacuations. The first one happened during our first sea day, when one of the cast members was hurt. The captain had to make a detour and got as close as he could to land. Then, they used one of the lifeboats to take her in for treatment. 

The second evacuation happened when we were in St. Thomas. One of the guests got sick, and an ambulance met them at the ship.

The third evacuation happened as we were getting ready to leave Castaway Cay. The child of one of our DisBoards/Facebook group families got severely sick and had to be evacuated using a US Coast Guard helicopter. 

As I took pictures, I tried to be mindful not to take them of the person's face in respect of their privacy. I also did not post them anywhere until the child's mother as me to. So, yes, I did have permission to post these pictures. 

It was such a scary thing to watch! I'm happy to report that the child is back at home and doing much better. 

Castaway Cay

On Friday morning, we arrived in Castaway Cay. Marc and I went to the PremEAR of Brave 3D, which started at 12:01am, so we decided to sleep in. We woke up just as the ship was backing into port, so we had plenty of time to sit down for breakfast at Cabanas one last time. After that, we headed right down to Deck 1 to disembark.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was in the upper 80s with a nice balmy breeze...Perfect for spending a day at Castaway Cay!

The Disney Fantasy

Dumbo and Timothy

Marc and I hopped on the tram and headed over toward the snorkeling lagoon. We found the perfect spot to put our stuff, and then went over to get our snorkeling vests.

Our Piece of Paradise for the Day

The snorkeling lagoon was a little busy in the morning but calmed down after lunch. Because there were so many kids kicking up sand at the shore, the water was a little hazy. So, we headed out further and found that's where they put all the good stuff. We found a sunken Mickey, Minne, submarine, and ship. There were also lots of fish, some coral, and a few friendly stingrays. (Marc has the best luck with finding stingrays!) 

We snorkeled for about two and a half hours before eating lunch at Cookies. They had ribs, grilled chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit, etc. It was so good, and we were starving after snorkeling for so long. After lunch, we went back to the snorkeling lagoon and stayed for another two and half hours. 

Castaway Cay's Snorkeling Lagoon

At about 4:00pm, the clouds started rolling in and the wind started picking up. We turned in our snorkeling vests and decided to walk around to take some pictures. 

The Fantasy from a Distance

My favorite picture from the trip!

We made our way back up to the main walkway so we could start heading back to the ship. It was getting darker and windier as the day went on. 

Marc and Me

Running Man!

One More Look Back

See Ya Real Soon!

And back to our home for one more night!