14 in ’14 Linky Party!

I’m linking up with some of my favorite bloggers: Kristin, Hadar, and Traci for their 14 in ’14 Linky Party!  I can only describe this year with the words busy, crazy, and fast!! But I am also super grateful, blessed, and happy for everything this year has held! It’s been an amazing journey and along the way, I have learned so much and my heart is overwhelmed with love, friendship, faith, and family!
When I first started to pull pictures for this linky, I thought I’d never be able to find 14 favorite memories – 14 seemed like a lot! But as I started, I realized I couldn’t narrow it down to just 14!  So here are 14 random favorite memories – in no particular order. (Putting them in order seemed like an awful lot of work for a teacher on winter break!) 🙂
  {one}
I had SO much fun doing an interview for Sheila‘s Sprinkle Teaching Magic: Teachers We Love Series on You Tube!  A live, RECORDED video chat was something that was WAY out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I did it!  You can find my interview by clicking HERE.
{two}
I stepped even further into the world of teacher-presenting this year! It started with being invited back to present at the 2014 Ohio Educators’ Symposium. I actually presented on this day with a kidney stone!! (The show must go on, right?!) I was in a little bit of pain that morning and my audience was SO sweet and understanding.  Once I started talking, my nerves overtook the kidney stone pain and I had a blast! 
{three}
I also had the chance to lead a full day of professional development for a nearby school district to help them re-vamp their ELA curriculum maps. Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt driving to the district that morning! I had presented 75 and 90 minute sessions before but an entire day?! 
oh.my.word.what.if.they.don’t.like.me.or.think.I’m.crazy.? 
It was SO MUCH FUN!! They got a ton accomplished and they were amazing to work with! The day went smoothly and I’m even headed back to work with these teachers this February! 🙂 Yay!! I love working with this school – they are so eager, enthusiastic, and passionate about their students and their teaching strategies!
{four}
My husband, Chris, and I went on a week long trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic this summer. We also went there two years ago on our honeymoon, so it was nice to get back! We had a great week relaxing on the beach and soaking up some sun.
{five}
Oh my, while I love my husband more than anything in the world, if I had put my top 14 memories in order, this one should be FIRST! The 2014 Teachers Pay Teachers Conference was one of the best experiences of my life! To get to finally meet your blogging friends face to face, give them a hug, chat, laugh, and hang out for a whole week was nothing short of amazing! I can’t wait to be back in Vegas again this summer!
{six}
I had the opportunity to run a 2 day, full day, course for a local Educational Service Center when I got back from Vegas. We focused on small group reading and writing the first day and small group math the second day. It was a great experience!
{seven}
I fell in love with antique shopping and refurbished furniture this year. Our house finally looks like a home! 🙂 One of my favorite weekend activities is heading out in the morning to nearby antique shops with a cup of coffee, by myself, and finding new treasures. This little coffee table was a favorite!
{eight}
I had the chance to meet up with my sweet friends Jessica, Sarah, and Lisa for a fun girls weekend in Columbus this fall! We shopped, ate, talked, and had pedicures. FUN!
{nine}
I joined a gym very close to my house and have fallen in love with Zumba classes!

{ten}
My best friend got engaged!!! This is a picture of my sweet friend Ashley and I being silly in the dressing room while we waiting for Leah to try on her next wedding dress! Leah also asked me to be her maid of honor in her wedding and I am soooo excited to stand by her side on her special day. She stood by me as my maid of honor on my wedding day, and she means so much to me! 🙂
{eleven}
We had a new intervention specialist start at our school this year, and she has been a true blessing! Caity and I quickly became good friends and she has made school so fun with lots of laughs this year! It’s always the best when you meet someone at school who shares your same passion, excitement, and love of teaching as you! 🙂 
{twelve}
These two ladies taught with me at my old school and the woman in the left of the picture, Carolyn, was a reader in my wedding. If there was ever a picture in the dictionary for the word “mentor-who-would-quickly-become-a-best-friend-for-life-your-first-year-of-teaching,” Carolyn’s picture would be on that page! I owe so much of what I know about teaching and what I do daily with my students to her. We had so much fun teaching together that I doubt she truly realized how much I was learning but I was constantly taking in everything she said, did, and planned with her class – and soaking it up! <3 
{thirteen}
I cut my hair!!!! 
{fourteen}
One of my best memories from 2014 will probably always be presenting my very first session for SDE!  I was incredibly nervous but I was so happy with how it went and I had a complete blast doing it! I’d presented sessions before but presenting for SDE has been a teacher-dream of mine and I am so happy I got to check that off my bucket list!  I also got to hang out with my sweet friends Kathy Griffin from Kathy Griffin’s Teaching Strategies and Amanda from One Extra Degree I’m presenting two sessions for I Teach 1st in Vegas this summer and I can’t wait!!
Thank you so much for letting me share 14 of my favorite memories from this year.  Thank you, too, for being a part of 2014 with me! I can’t thank you enough for your support, love, and encouragement for my blog and materials. <3 <3 I hope 2015 brings you and your family many, many amazing blessings and lots and lots of love and friendships!! 🙂 

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