TpT Orlando

I think I'm finally recovered after an amazing time in Orlando last week! Oh my goodness  y'all it was seriously one of the best weeks ever for me!

My time in Orlando actually started the Sunday before the conference. My friend from school Darla and I, decided to turn the week into our working vacation. After arriving Sunday morning we spent the day at Magic Kingdom.

Aren't we fabulous! Those Minnie ears are on point!

There's always something magical about seeing Cinderella's Castle!

For dinner we met up with my friend Tamara Russell at Ohana. If you've never eaten at Ohana it's a must do restaurant while at Disney. Everything they served us was family style and DELICIOUS! It's a good thing we did so much walking, because I definitely did tons of eating.

Tamara came to dinner all pretty and glamed up! We certainly had lots of laughs at dinner.

We continued to visit the parks in the days before and after the conference. Every day was a blast! Of course I had to meet more Disney princesses this trip.

Tiana loved my tank top and shirt I had wore just to meet her! If you're ever looking for custom Disney shirts and ears, check out Etsy!

I got a part in Enchanted Tales with Belle! I got to play the role of Phillipe, the horse. Don't think Hollywood will come knocking on my door anytime soon, ha!

If you've never seen the Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom it's a must do. The floats are unlike anything I've seen in any parade. This dragon from Sleeping Beauty actually breathes fire as it goes by.

Tuesday evening we headed to the Garden Grove to attend the Cool Kids Meet and Greet. This was my second year to attend, and it will definitely be a conference must do for me. 

We even got a visit from Goofy and Pluto during dinner! It was great to catch up and chat with old and new TpT friends!

At last the days of the conference arrived! You could feel the excitement in the air Wednesday morning. Jen Bengel gave an excellent keynote speech. One of the things I love most about TpT is lines of communication are constantly open. We are always kept in the loop of what's to come. God bless Adam Freed, that man knows his data well and can break it down so easily to understand. When Day one of the conference wrapped up it was finally time for the BIG teacher meet up. Check out Tallahassee Sunday on Etsy for custom door signs. The had this sign available to take pictures with; too bad it couldn't be taken home!

The second morning of the conference we were served a poolside breakfast! It felt so fancy to me!

The sessions were amazing! I was pleasantly surprised to see I made a cameo appearance in one session.

Call me a dork, but this made my day! Sherri Tyler from Literary Sherri and Mary Beth Nerone from Brain Waves Instruction had a wonderful session on organizing meet ups. Seriously, these ladies know their stuff. 

Another reason to love TpT is how down to earth Team TpT'ers are! Adam, Paul, Amy, and others were walking around attending sessions and chatting with people. Every Team TpT'er I met was approachable and easy to chat with. 

It was fun to have more time at happy hour with everyone, but that also meant one thing. It meant the conference fun was coming to an end. 

Before saying our final goodbyes, we had one last dinner. Last year Michelle and I chatted poolside in Vegas, this year she joined us for dinner Thursday night at The Boathouse. The food was delicious! Check out Michelle's blog Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching. 

I came home tired, but with a happy heart. Happy because of the new tips and tricks I learned. Happy because I reconnected with people I've been waiting a year to see again. My biggest takeaway from the conference was meaningful connections. If you've never attended a TpT conference you must go next year if possible. I promise it will be worth every penny, and you won't regret a moment of it. Go by yourself if you need to and you'll quickly find people to connect with!

I look at the quote in this picture and agree with it 100%. TpT helps me keep my passion for teaching when it gets tough. I'm reminded that I became a teacher because I'm passionate about helping children reach their potential. I have so much love and respect for TpT. Now comes the LONG wait until next year!

Viva Las Vegas

Oh my goodness y'all I had such an AMAZING time in Vegas!! I'm linking up with The Elementary Entourage to share my experience. Prepare for tons of pictures!

My Vegas experience started EARLY Wednesday morning. While waiting at the gate, I discovered two ladies I met at a blogger meet up months before were also on the flight! Early morning flights=me not bothering with makeup jut yet!

Familiar faces certainly make delayed flights and gate changes easier to deal with.

After finally arriving in Vegas, it was straight to the hotel. I didn't get an upgraded room, but the room I did have had an amazing view! The pirate ships of Treasure Island were right below my window.

After a little cat nap it was time for the Cool Kids Meet and Greet (which I didn't get any pictures of, boo!) and the big Blogger Meet Up. You could feel the excitement in the air! I met some of my favorite bloggers and even won a prize!

While eating dinner at the Cool Kids Meet and Greet I got a Facebook notification. A sweet friend from college informed me that TpT shared the link from my One Stop Teacher Shop guest post! I couldn't believe that a small fry like myself would have any sort of mention on the TpT Facebook page ever!

I wonder how they even found that?! If you want to read the original post you can click here.

Recognize any of your favorite bloggers? I can't wait to receive my prize pack in the mail from Creative Clips! 

Thursday before the conference started a group of us had breakfast at Treasure Island. The conference didn't start until the afternoon, but there were networking opportunities to attend. I got a chance to meet more of my favorite bloggers and make new connections!

I adore Erica Bohrer! I enjoy her Instagram posts and her blog. Erica is such a sweetie! I was pleased to hear her dog Niles is doing well. We chatted for a few minutes about everything from classroom pets to being single. #singleteachers

Tamara Russell was one of the first teacher bloggers I discovered a couple of years ago when I decided to join the blogging world. I was so happy to finally meet her! Talk about the real deal, Tamara is it! If you aren't following her blog do so now. 

Colleen Noffsinger is another favorite blogger of mine! I discovered her blog Literacy Loving Gals a few months back. We got to have lunch twice during the conference! If you're ever in need of reading ideas for your classroom check out Colleen's blog or Instagram for amazing ideas. Love those curls! 

Love Angela from The Daily Alphabet, and look Ma I'm on tv! A picture taken during the networking Thursday morning made it into the happy hour slideshow Friday. I was so excited I had to take a picture of it.

I learned tons in the sessions about finding my niche when creating products and building a brand. I took some pictures in the sessions, but out of respect for the presenters I won't be sharing those. Sorry!

Despite being exhausted we did manage to sneak in a little fun Thursday night. Madame Tussauds, dinner at Margaritaville and a visit to Sprinkles cupcakes made the day complete. 

The keynote Friday morning was amazing! I'm sure we all enjoyed hearing from some of Team TpT and Rachel Lynette's inspiring story. One of the best things about TpT is what I like to call keeping it real. We learn that each of us is human and we all face challenges in life. Rachel shared what it was like as a single mom and a teacher facing daily life like we all do. Love it when someone reaches success and doesn't forget where they came from!

My iPad is full of notes and pictures from the session. I attended Deanna Jump and DeeDee Wills' session and learned some new things about PowerPoint I didn't know before! After catching up on much needed rest I immediately started working on a few things today. I attended Mel D's session on Advanced Pinterest. Let me tell you that woman is the queen of pinning! I've finally switched over to a business account, now to clean up some boards! 

Here are some more pictures from Friday! How funny to see The Tutu Teacher AND Paul Edelman at the same time!

Kimberly Geswein was so nice! Some lucky duck won a lifetime license of her fonts at the blogger meet up!

See that picture on the bottom right? It shows part of the swag that was given away/won in a few days. It actually took me more time to pack for the trip home than it did before arriving, crazy right? I have yet to build up strength to unpack. The swag given out to teachers all week was insane! Thankfully I bought a fancy schmancy suitcase a couple of months ago with plenty of room in it.

I had about five hours left for Vegas fun Saturday before the flight home. I won big at the slot machines, ha! Next year I'll try Blackjack and Roulette.

No Vegas trip would be complete without a visit to the pool! Michelle Webb (@thosewholoveteaching) and I met up to chat and sip on yummy beverages before I had to leave.

Poolside collaboration is the best! Even though I didn't want to, it was time to head home. 

For Vegas hotel transportation I used this wonderful company called Bell Limosuine. They have a wonderful service that takes you directly to your hotel and back to the airport. Customer service was perfection. I highly recommend using them next year. No waiting in lines or long rides on a shuttle. The cost of $28 was well worth my time and sanity. I guess they were busy Saturday and the only car available to pick me up was a limo!

I felt so fancy!! Can you tell I had the so much fun in Vegas but ready to go home look? Good Lord what happened to my hair?! I rode to the airport in style, zipped through security and landed home in Dallas Saturday night.

My heart is so full from all the amazing memories made in Vegas. I met many more people and can't wait to meet up with them again next year. Believe me when I say the money you spend is nothing compared to what you'll gain. My goal for 2016 is to stay in Vegas for a week so I have more time for sightseeing. I know I'll be a better teacher thanks in part to the conference. Let's start the countdown for next year!

TpT Seller Challenge Week 2

Happy Monday friends! I'm linking up with Third in Hollywood, Sparkling in Second, Peppy Zesty Teacherista, and Teach Create Motivate again for week 2 of the TpT seller challenge. This week is all about dreams!

Source

I 100% agree with this quote! Dreams are important because they're hope for the future. I've always been a dreamer so this week's challenge is right up my alley.

God loves a cheerful giver! I love giving and helping others when I can, and hopefully as my store progresses I can give and help others more freely and pay off some bills.

When I graduated college, one of my goals was to travel as much as possible when I got my first teaching job. I try to travel somewhere once a year at least. I just got back from a fantastic trip to Disney World!! One of my teaching buddies and I traveled to Orlando for a one day conference, and decided to extend the trip a few days to visit all the parks.The costs were a bit more than I expected, but I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I could flood this blog posts with all my pictures, but I won't! I'm EXCITED to attend my first Vegas conference next month!

I'm not married, and I don't have kids of my own. Each year I may spoil my class and go a bit over the top but I wouldn't have it any other way. I always say the kids in my classroom weren't born from my belly but they'll always hold a special place in my heart. My belief is if the class has earned rewards, then I want to provide for them.

When we follow our dreams and make things happen, we can help others reach their dreams. How amazing is that! I want my TpT journey to be a testimony to others who are considering opening up their own store.

July Currently

Happy July 1st teacher friends!! I've had a fabulous day today. It's time to link up with Farley again for June Currently.

Listening- Y'all know how much I love me some Bravo. The People's Couch is a hilarious show! The different people and opinions on this show crack me up. I missed the Real Housewives tonight because I was at dinner, but thank God for DVR right?

Loving- I'm house and pet sitting for a sweet teacher friend who just retired. She has a pool that I've started enjoying today!

I met up with a first grade teacher friend to start planning our presentation for a district iPad workshop later this month. Let me tell you I'm so easily entertained. We both were out on a school night, wearing shorts, and eating dinner! It may sound silly, but it's the little things that make summer special for teachers.

Thinking- My mind can go a mile a minute. I've always got a mental checklist going on. 

Wanting- I'd love some ice cream or frozen yogurt right now.

Needing- I need a blanket year round no matter the weather. There's nothing better than lounging on the sofa with the ac going and burrowing under a blanket.

4th plans- So far I have no set plans, but of course fireworks at night will be involved.

Hello Summer

Hooray for summer break! My fourth year of teaching wrapped up today. I can honestly say I had such a sweet group of kiddos. There are so many good memories from this year. I gave them all a big hug at dismissal, but kept the tears to myself. Time to enjoy some lazy summer days!

My Summer Bucket List

Happy Memorial Day y'all! Another taste of summer break this weekend has wishing these last 9 school days would fly by! I got home about an hour ago from a visit with family in Oklahoma. This was only my second visit to Oklahoma. I shopped, ate, and saw some gorgeous views.

I certainly don't have any views like this in my part of Texas!

I also paid a visit to the Oklahoma City Memorial. My family lost a relative in the bombing. I don't remember much but I do remember attending the funeral service. I tried looking for the family member's name but wasn't successful; maybe next time.

I'm linking up with Mrs. Jump's Class to share my summer bucket list. 

Here's my list in no particular order:

1. My humble 'lil blog will be turning 1 in June! I want to get a blog makeover. This item on my list is a MUST!

2. I've got to try my hardest to not be too lazy this summer and keep up my gym routine. Since it'll be blazing hot I'll switch to working out in the morning instead of 5:00 in the afternoon. 

3. Going along with #2 on my list, this summer I vow to wear a tank top in public. I conquered my shorts in public fear last summer and want to add to it. It may sound silly and vain but I've literally sweated my badonkadonk off on this healthier lifestyle journey, and wearing a tank top in public will be an accomplishment I never thought possible.

4. Read at least a couple of books. Allow me to keep it real with this one. No, I'm not talking some professional development book although I do read those. I'm talking something mindless I can read by the pool or under a cool fan. I know I'm not the only teacher who cracks open a cheesy romance novel or two. 

5. Go somewhere! I'm one travel loving girl who can't get enough of new and familiar places! My heart sings a happy song whenever I pack a suitcase. 

Hershey, PA was one of my first trips I took after I started teaching.

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities I've visited hands down.

I try to visit New Orleans every year; maybe I can squeeze it in this summer.

6. Discover and learn about one new app/techie thing I can use next school year.

7. I MUST attend one EdCamp this summer There are 3 happening in Texas. I won't be happy if I don't make it to at least one.

8. I've already decided I'll be bringing home 3 classroom projects to work on during break. 3 and that's it! As much as I love teaching, I want to spend most of my time relaxing.

9. Eat lunch and go to the bathroom whenever I want!

10. In the chaos of these last 9 days, I want to remain as calm and possible so I can enjoy the time I have left with my minis before they're gone. 

April Currently

I'm baaaack! I had to dust the cobwebs off my dashboard, folks! Sometimes school and personal life can be pure chaos as y'all well know. There's a hundred things I feel I need to get accomplished. I'm determined to get back into the blogging world and catch up on what I missed. 

To get back into the swing of things, I'm linking up with Farley for April Currently. Here we go...

Listening- My annoying neighbor has decided now is a perfect time to BLAST music. I'm seriously tempted to call and make a noise complaint. As the Southern expression goes, some people just weren't raised right. It doesn't help that she comes across as a witchy, cold personality. Bleh.

Loving- Today I got back from my first trip to NYC! I had such an amazing time even if the weather wasn't quite warm enough for me. I'll definitely visit again. The food, shopping, sights, fast pace, and interesting people made for a great trip. 

The Empire State Building is a must do! Even if it's a cold day, you can't get an experience or views like this anywhere else. 

My inner child couldn't resist playing the big piano at FAO Schwartz.

My advice for any first time NYC visitors? Carry a brush and hand sanitizer! 

The frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3 can't be missed! 

Thinking- Yes I need to eat dinner, but I also need to finish a blog post from last month. I need to finish my Liebster Award post. I am normally not this behind, but as I said earlier it's been busy busy busy. 

Wanting- I finally braved the light rain and got my suitcase out of the car. Thankfully my team plans together, so I just need to type science plans and save. Too bad I don't have a magic wand that will do everything for me.

Needing- It's the time of year when all teachers feel like there's not enough sleep to catch up on. Can I get an amen??

Hours and Last Day- Contract hours for teachers are from 7:30 to 3:30. Pshh those hours don't do a thing. My goal is to get to school everyday by 7:15 so I can do minor housekeeping things. My goal is to leave everday by 4:40 so I make it to Crossfit on time; sometimes this works out sometimes it doesn't. 

Our last school day with students is now June 6th. Thanks to the crazy winter we've had we'll be using all bad weather makeup days this year.