It's the Little Things...

...that remind me exactly how much I have to be thankful for. 

School is quickly approaching .... T minus 1 week until the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, and as of right now I have 30 students on my list.  Yes, you read that right ... THIRTY .. but we'll save that for a later post. 

With my mind going crazy trying to get things done for school, attending two trainings this past week, on top of having a few sleepless nights this past week .... my emotions were flying high.  I seemed to find the "poor me, pity me" emotions, that I just don't like having.  It's kind of the "grass is always greener" way of mind. 

Yesterday brought me back to reality to remind me how great life can be (if you don't focus on the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days!)

I was so lucky to make another trip to Tilton yesterday.  A place that I referred to as "home" for the first time yesterday.  It caught me off guard, but it truly is my 2nd home. 

The drive began by taking these country roads to the interstate.  Roads with corn and beans growing tall and healthy along side which could only bring my mind back to Robert who simply admired that.  He's take two lane roads all the way to Tilton if it was up to him .. just to check out the crops.  (Sound like Richard Roe?) I can't remember the exact song that came on my iPod at this time. .. but it was perfect and reminded me that Mr. Robo was right there with me in the passanger seat.

Stop 1 - Elite Bridal
I met Laury, Chelsea, and Chelsea's Mom at Elite Bridal to try on her wedding dress and pick it up.  The dress is BEAUTIFUL!  I won't go into too much detail .. to save some of that for the wedding.  Fit very well ... very minimal alterations .. can't ask for much more. Also, I brought the cake topper, that my sister bought and bling'd for Robert and I.  I'm passing it onto Chelsea and Doug for their wedding.  Very, very bittersweet to let it leave my possession ..but I know that they really appreciate it. 

Stop 2 - Hometown Buffet/Meijer
From there we went to brunch together, and then Laury and I headed out to find a birthday gift for Miss Peyton.  Can't believe she'll be 5 tomorrow! 

Stop 3 - Tilton
Pulling up to Grandma's house just feels like home to me. I was able to spend some time with Grandma yesterday. Many times she's not around when I come to visit, but I always enjoy getting to spend time with her.  Even if she spent quite some time counting (and recounting and recounting and recounting ...) change to see if she could afford a pizza for her and Jim for supper (even though Jim planned on buying anyway) .. Too cute! 

Jake also came over to hang out for a bit, once he realized that I was in town!  Next time, I'll be sure to give him a heads up! 

Stop 3 - Covington, IN
Laury, Jake, Doug, Chelsea and I headed over to celebrate Miss P's 5th Birthday! It was quite the party with a Luau theme. It's so nice getting to visit with various friends and family members while attending parties like this. Of course, I spent some of the time entertaining that little ones. I love all these little "nieces" of mine so much .. and soak up all the time I can with them. Little Miss Addison and I shared a plate of fruit .. and that may have been all she ate the whole time. I was also on Sawyer duty while Peyton was opening presents.  There's nothing better than chasing around a 1 year old ... She's soo precious and such a social butterfly! 

Of course, the Kindergarten teacher in me had to get Peyton this as part of her present. 

 There's nothing more exciting than going to Kindergarten!  I am soo VERY excited for her! 

At one point during presents, Katie caught my attention and wanted me to watch the next gift being opened which was ...

 
These!  These are the exact boots that Robert decided Peyton HAD to have for our wedding. I actually had to stop him from buying them the first time we saw them, because it was still so early and we weren't sure what shoe size she would be in by then.  

Seeing Peyton get these boots brought tears to my eyes... Robert wanted her to have them soo bad, and now she does. Another simple reminder of his presence in our lives. I hope she thinks of her "Uncle Bobbo" every time she has them on her feet!

Here's the only two pictures I took at the party ... slacker, I know! 

Great look for John!

Lookin' great in those shades!

The time seemed to fly by ... and it was already time to head home. After finagling our way out of our parking spot ,(Chelsea-that's for you!  You said you wanted to see it in the blog!) Laury and I made our way back to Tilton, so I could head back home. 

I say this over and over and over .. but spending time with family and friends over that way is just what I need when I get down.  I am reminded to count my blessings that through Robert, I gained countless family and friends!  I couldn't be more lucky than that! 

The drive home last night brought more tears.  Tears of thankfulness .. and tears of missing Robert.  I just wonder how life would be different had he been here and we could be celebrating these milestones together!

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend, my Mom, my youngest nephew, and I loaded up the van and headed to Indiana to celebrate my niece's baptism. We went on Friday, so we were able to spend some extra time with Nathan, Kristin, and Brynzlee.  What a fun weekend. 

Friday night, we had dinner and went to Orange Leaf for some froyo ... yumm!! 

Saturday, we began by hitting up the farmer's market.  Let me just say that it doesn't even compare to the Decatur farmers market ... Then, Kristin and I had some girl time running all over to find some white bloomers for Bryn to wear with her baptism dress.  I can't stress enough how wonderful it was to have some time with just Kristin.  I love Nathan and Bryn too, but I've dearly missed my Kristin time!  <3  K's parents and 3 dogs joined us on Saturday. That made 6 adults, 1 kid, 1 baby, and 7 dogs in the house ... not too crazy!!  

Sunday was Brynzlee's day!  KT Mae and her bf came, and we all headed to church to celebrate her baptism.  The service was very, very nice.  It was one of my few experiences in a non-Catholic church, but I enjoyed it and can see why N and K have found a home in that church.  During the service, there was a point where people were called to share with the congregation anything that they wished prayers for. Jacob (my nephew who used to be painstakingly shy ... and hide behind chairs from people he didn't know) raised his hand to get the microphone. The pastor was kind of shocked that Jacob wanted to speak.  In his sweet 9 year old voice he said, "My name is Jacob Roe and my Dad just got out of the hospital on Thursday.  He's in a lot of pain. He had back surgery on Monday." How sweet is that?!  He even was choking up talking about it.  I was so proud of him being brave enough to ask N and K's church to pray for his Dad.  What a sweetheart!  

After church, we went back to N and K's for one amazing lunch and spending time together.  What a great weekend!  

We dropped Jacob off on the way home Sunday.  He was with us for 7 days straight .. and I was beyond exhausted.  I'm so thankful that I was able to spend time with the boys last week when it was needed.  I'm grateful to have time off to do so. 

Here's a few pics from this weekend ... that I may or may not have stole from my SIL

Jacob was sooo proud of Brynzlee .. and she loved him too!

Love this baby girl

LOVE this one!

Sweet and precious baby Bryn

Cute Family Pic .. captured by me :)

It's so sweet to see my brother who was such a pain to me as a Dad.. Heartwarming!

Cute Girlies!

T minus 8 business days until I return to school to kick off the 2013-2014 school year! I had a meeting to work on the K report card today and walking in ... it hit me.  Yesterday was the 29 ... meaning it would have been Robert and I's 10 month wedding anniversary ... 2 months away from a year.  I still miss that man like crazy, but he's definitely been making his presence known in my life.  I'm so thankful for his love and to have my own special angel watching over me!  

Here's to taking in every last minute of summer vacation!

Hello Wednesday!

There was a point today in which I thought "it's ONLY Wednesday" .. and then there was a point that I though "it's ALREADY Wednesday'.  How can both of these happen in 1 day?! 

Here's a little recap of what I've been up to these past few days: 

Saturday night I went out to celebrate the birthday of a very, very special man in my life, my wonderful boyfriend! 

*Don't mind the blue gum in my mouth*

Now, I know you think this man may look slightly similar to my wonderful friend Chrissy's husband .. and you're right .. he is!  Harrison used to work with Robert and he met Chrissy and Robert and I's house. It's always been a thing between the two of us that we're boyfriend/girlfriend.  Don't worry .. Chrissy is okay with it! :) 

Love him!

Sunday - we ventured to Grandma's to help her celebrate her upcoming 76th birthday! It was so nice to see family and celebrate a wonderful lady!  She's every bit of sassy and sweet!!  Love my Gram! 

Monday - My oldest brother had back surgery which consisted of getting a cadaver bone!  He's been in quite a bit of pain since then, but he will be better off in the end. I've been saying lots of prayers for him (and his wife) to make it through. 

Since he's been in the hospital since Monday and I'm still off for the summer .. I've been lucky enough to be playing Mom this week to my two nephews. They sure have kept me busy!

Dylan's bee sting

Jacob's dinner of a veggie tray and string cheese

We've been spending countless hours in the pool and playing Mariokart and Super Mario Bros on the Wii ... what a fun week! 

I've also been dragging them to my classroom to help me prepare for my 29 kids ... in 3 weeks!  That's right .. I said TWENTY-NINE kinders in one room ... I'm soo scared excited!!

Kinder puzzles are soo fun

Getting the room ready ..

Happy Wednesday!!

Camp Erin

I had the privilege of having a slumber party with two very precious little girls this week. I refer to it as "Camp Erin" because I told their Mom that she could send her girls to Camp Erin anytime she needed a break .. between now and when I have to go back to school. 

Peyton, the oldest of the two, is Robert's Goddaughter. He loved this girl as if she were his own and he spent countless hours with her and her parents before moving to Decatur. In fact, we had just begun talking for the first time about a month before she was born. He was so proud to share that he would be a Godfather very soon, and he did send me a picture of him holding her the day she was born.  He was just SO proud!  Peyton was going to be the flower girl in our wedding .... white dress, cowboy boots, and all. 

Robert was only able to meet sweet Sawyer one time. One weekend while visiting Robert's family, we stopped by to see John, Katie, and the girls on the way back to meet sweet, sweet Sawyer.  I still kick myself that I didn't capture a picture of the moment they met. He instantly fell in love and was so proud of her too. He would repeatedly say that "when these girls start dating ... I WILL be sitting with their Dad on the front porch cleaning my gun when that sorry boy comes to pick them up ..."  oh my! 

Because of the bond with these two ladies and their parents, I feel like I owe it to Robert to keep a close relationship. I love this little family so much, and I'm so grateful that they accept me as one of their own.

Back to the slumber party, I picked up the girls Tuesday night for a slumber party. Peyton was OH SO excited to swim!  We stopped by the store on the way home to grab their favorite for dinner .... fried chicken!  Went over so well! 

Sawyer and Peyton enjoying dinner

Sawyer is such a sweetheart and proceeds to tell everyone in the store "Hi".  She's such a social butterfly and just so, so sweet. 

After dinner, we got in the pool for a while with my Mom and just had a blast. Came in for a quick snack of chocolate cake and ice cream ... then it was time for baths and bed.  I was a little worried about bedtime since the girls had never stayed over here before, but they did fantastic.  We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ... and fell asleep.  Peyton did tell me "I miss my Mom a little bit" before going to sleep. 

Two sleeping beauties!

The next morning consisted of cinnamon rolls for breakfast, playing with fun toys, and going to Walmart to buy some water wings for Peyton.  Luckily they had pink mermaids ,so she loved them! 

Enjoying her breakfast

LOVES these toys from when I was a kid

Sweet Sawyer

After lunch of peanut butter and jelly, chips, and watermelon ... it was time to swim again!  I lathered these beauties up with lots of sunblock and we were off to the pool. 

Having a blast

They were sooo much fun swimming!  Sawyer started to get tired, so she layed down for a nap out on the porch in the shade and I had some one on one time with the adorable Peyton.  She was full of advice for me. Here's our conversation:
P: Erin, how old are you?
Me: 27 .. almost 28
P: Well, don't you think its about time for you to get married?
Me: I guess. I was going to marry Bobbo (what she calls Robert)
P: You can't marry Bobbo anymore because he's dead.  It looks like you'll have to find another man.  There's lots of men in this town.  You can't marry my Dad because he's married .. and you can't marry (another guy she knows) because he's not a husband .. but he's a boyfriend.  But, Erin .. there's lots of other men.

What great advice from an almost 5 year old! ha! 

These two were wore out .. and both slept all the way in the car to go meet their Mom and Dad.  I had a blast with them ...and hope to do it again sometime soon!  

I definitely felt Robert's presence the whole time they were here. I love having these little reminders of such an amazing man that's watching over all of us! 

Thanks again, John and Katie, for letting me spend some time with your precious and sweet girls!  <3

Celebrating a Wonderful Man

Since I met Robert, I always heard about his epic birthday parties in his Mom's backyard. I was only lucky enough to experience one party with him and boy, did I regret that party before the end of the night ... and almost all of the next day. I definitely drank was served tooo much!!  

Last year, his brothers decided to continue this tradition of getting everyone together for his birthday. What a great way to gather everyone together to drink, talk, and reminisce about a very special man. It was definitely a good time! 

Here's a few of my favorite pics from last year: 

This past weekend, we had our second annual memorial birthday party for him.  It's so fun to gather with these people all in one place.  There's some that I don't get to see too often, so I love having the chance to visit and catch up. 

Amy, T, and I headed over early in the afternoon to spend some extra time with Laury and the boys as well as my bro, SIL, and niece.  Adam and Jamie also brought their precious little girls over to hang out for a bit as well.  We started our party early! 

3 year old photography skills ....

Playing roller coaster

We decided to make a tradition of going to Gross Burger. It's an amazing hometown burger joint over there that I would highly recommend you visit!  There's nothing like their garlic salt on the fries ... yumm! We may have been slightly tardy back to the party, but it turned out just fine.  

Here's the pics I captured with my phone:

Sweet P and Roxy .. Roxy strongly dislikes LOVES kids! 

N and precious Brynzlee

Adorable S

Here's a few more courtesy of my awesome sister and her camera! 

<3 this RoCo fam more than words can say

 T ended up turning into the life of the party before we left. I may or may not have some incriminating videos of him on my phone ... 

It turned out to be such a fun evening with family and friends. Thanks to everyone who came!

Girl Time

Yesterday was full of spending time with some great girls! 

I had lunch and a pool date with Chrissy. I love getting to spend time with her to catch up during the summer because I'm used to seeing her everyday during the school year. We never seem to run out of things to talk about! :) 

Last night, I met up with three girls I graduated from high school with for dinner and to go see Rosetta Stone (the band that played my brother and SIL's wedding reception). This night was full of reminiscing, drinks, laughter, and singing.  We spent quite a bit of time reliving old memories since this is the first time we've all been together since probably high school.  Hard to believe that was 9 years ago!! 

Rosetta Stone at Fletcher Park

"It's just like Senior Trip" 

 

 This was such a good way for me to spend Robert's birthday. He'd be proud to know I went out and had some fun.

Here's a short video of the concert.  They're SOO good! 

**Don't mind the shout-out Denise was giving to my SIL :)  

Happy Friday!! 

Birthday Wishes

Today I'm sending birthday love and wishes to a very special angel. 

 This sweet and handsome man is celebrating his 27th birthday in Heaven!

Happy Birthday Robert! I love you like crazy and miss you even more!

<3