14 for 2014!

Today I am linking up with Miss Kindergarten to share my 14 favorite memories from 2014! It was a really amazing year! Stay tuned for resolutions to be posted soon! If not tomorrow than for sure by the 3rd because I need to keep myself occupied on a 4 hour plane ride back home to Ohio.

ONE: Getting engaged to the love of my life. This is technically 2013, but I got to celebrate and plan all of 2014 so I am counting it anyways ;) We to see The Nutcracker last December and when we got back home he had a hand-painted nutcracker sitting on the end table with the ring tied to it.  I LOVE The Nutcracker Ballet and collect them so he could not have proposed in a more perfect way.  It also solidified the Nutcracker themed December wedding I had been thinking about.

TWO: Being a part of MANY awesome community theater productions in the past year. From Les Mis (ensemble), to Bat Boy (Ruthie/ Ned), to Into The Woods (Lucinda), to a world premier of a children's show called "The Jester Prince" (Princess Leona) I had a ton of fun working with great directors, casts and crews.  I'm excited for my first show of 2015- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and hope to be a part of many more!



THREE: Not only was I able to be in shows, but I also got to see many wonderful performances from community theater productions like Little Shop to operas such as Carmen and ballets, of course including The Nutcracker. I love that I got to experience great art with great people!

FOUR: Being a site-leader for some amazing Christian community service camps held in Cincinnati. Week of Hope is a camp where youth groups come to serve their chosen city in a number of ways- from volunteering at food banks, nursing homes, and boys and girls clubs to city clean-up and dance camps, students learn about Jesus and have a ton of fun serving and meeting new friends from all over the country.  As site-leader I checked in every night to make sure that the college-aged camp leaders were running things smoothly and all campers were happy.  Adam and Chris did an awesome job which made my job super easy :) Learn more about Week of Hope and other GROUP mission trips HERE.

FIVE: Buying a house with my love, very close to where I work, in July. We hope to start a family soon and this house is perfect! We had a lot of fun searching for the one, painting, getting furniture, finding just the right decor, and more to make this house our home.  We still have a lot to do but it is looking and feeling more like "us" every day!

The day we moved in!

SIX: Starting my 6th year of teaching at the best place to work.  I teach grades 1-6 so I can finally say that these students are "all mine".  This will be the first 6th grade group that I will have taught all the way through elementary school and I know I will be a mess at their 6th grade recognition night.  Here's to many more years at "Our Wonderful Wilson School!"

SEVEN: Taking walks with Brad every Sunday to get breakfast.  At our old apartment there were no sidewalks so being able to walk to breakfast is a tradition I hope to continue into the new year!

EIGHT: Attending great workshops from wonderful Ohio Music Educators- from Amy Beegle to Eva Floyd I learned so much and got lots of new ideas for both my general music classes and chorus classes!  I hope to take classes this upcoming summer at CCM to learn even more!  Check out the blog post about Amy Beegle's workshop here- it was amazing! As always it is also fun to meet, learn, and bounce ideas around with the fellow music teachers in my district - we all have such different teaching styles but the same goal and I love our time together :)

NINE: I got a PTA mini grant and was able to purchase a great rug for my classroom. I have already
used it in so many ways! It has musical symbols around the edges and a giant staff in the middle.  I have used it for staff twister, sight reading, symbol search games and more! Not to mention it really helps the little ones make a circle super easily!

TEN: Having my brother SKYPE from California to teach the Special Needs class at my school all about space. He is in an astronomy grad program at Cal-Tech and I hate that he is so far away but it was great to see him interact with some of the students I work with every day.  He SKYPED three times in all during their astronomy unit and taught them all about the Phases of the moon, the life cycle of a star, and the eight planets through stories, games, and crafts. The students had so much fun and he even made the Wilson page of the district Christmas Card!

ELEVEN: In November my school passed a Bond issue which means my 56 year old school building will be rebuilt in the next 3 years along with all other buildings in the district getting a much needed renovation.  I will be so exited to not teach in a modular classroom anymore! Though I love that I can be as loud as I want, whenever I want, the students having to walk outside to get to my room is a
safety concern, not to mention annoying when it is raining/ snowing/ windy, etc.  We have already started planning for the new building and it is going to be amazing!

TWELVE: My bachelorette party, while not wild and crazy, was a super fun night.  It started with a scavenger hunt at a mall in Columbus.  The hung began with my brother handing me a clue in the car and then we met up with sisters and friends at each stop for a small gift and a clue to the next location.  Most of the locations had some significance to me: the American Girl Doll store- I loved my Molly Doll, Cheryl's Cookies- Cheryl gave a (horrible) speech at my college graduation, Barnes and Noble- I've always loved to read, Crate and Barrel- Brad and I were registered there and more. We ended up at an Irish Pub for dinner and then went ice skating and finally to Jennie's Ice Cream and a local bar for a night cap to end the night. It was so much fun- even while I felt silly running through the mall in a tutu and crown. :)

THIRTEEN: On December 28 I got married to one pretty cool guy. We had a beautiful day with many joys, laughs, (good) cries, family, and friends.  I got to wear the dress my paternal grandma wore 65 years ago when she married my grandpa  and we said our vows in the same church my parents got married in.  I also found a mink shawl in the maternal grandmothers attic and wore her cameo necklace that my mother also wore.  Some favorite moments include:

The first look with my Grandma Jo before the service.  I have wanted to wear her dress since I was little and it as really special to have her be one of the first to see me and for our AMAZING photographer to capture the moment

Crying down the aisle but getting though my vows while still being able to speak

Sitting and stepping on my veil at the same time so when I sat down for the speeches I couldn't sit up all the way and there was 5 minutes of laughing and trying to figure out how it was stuck

The dance with my dad- it was a little fast but super fun (we danced to Teach Your Children Well by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)

Brad missing my mouth and dropping the cake down my dress

Brad trying to dip me and both of us crashing to the floor instead

Of course, getting to marry and start a new chapter with my favorite guy :)

The view from the Hotel on Day 1

The view from the Hotel on Day 2

FOURTEEN: Traveling to Sedona, AZ for the honeymoon.  Day one was beautiful! We got to hike and sample some great local food.  Day two... We are getting 6-11 inches of snow!  The guy at the art gallery we visited said he hasn't seen snow like this in the 15 years he has been here! We are making the most of it though- playing words with friends, as well as getting pizza, coffee, and art (I love for my souvenirs to be art as I don't grow out of them and can display my memories at home- I have art from Africa, Utah, Hungary, and now Sedona). We are also taking lots of pictures of the breathtaking views that aren't normally covered in snow.  Hopefully we can get to the Grand Canyon on Friday and do some more hiking if the weather clears up!

What are some of your favorite memories of 2014???  Share below or if you are a blogger be sure to visit the original post and link up!