A month of updates

I cannot believe it has been almost a month since I have updated my blog. This has probably been the busiest month of my life. School is a flurry of activity, my husband and I have both had birthdays, we took a trip, I took a trip, and most importantly, I haven't had a Sunday afternoon nap all month! That is probably the best indicator of a busy month! So, here is a quick recap for those of you who are dying to get caught up on my amazing life (insert appropriate sarcasm here).

• My Birthday Bonanza--my birthday was on the 8th, which just so happened to be the time that the 9 weeks at school ended and the day before our teacher's conference in Pensacola, needless to say, it was a difficult time to have a birthday. But, my AMAZING husband surprised me with tickets to see Wicked in Atlanta on my birthday! I have been dying to see it, but every time I have tried, I couldn't for various reasons. It was just as perfect as I knew it would be. The theater in Atlanta is incredible and the show was the perfect birthday present. We spent the night in Atlanta that evening and raced back the next morning. 

The spectacular Fox Theater in Atlanta

• Quick trip to Pensacola--The moment we got back in town from the birthday trip, I had to change clothes, pack a bag and head to our teacher's conference/convention in Pensacola. We left on Sunday and got back Tuesday evening. It was a good trip. I got some good ideas to use in my classroom and I found some awesome things in their teacher supply store. Unfortunately, when I got back, I realized that I did not have my keys. No car. No way of getting in my house. No spare. Thankfully, my mother-in-law rescued me. 
• Grading, grading, grading--This year has been killer with all of the grading I have. I have a large class. I have great students. I have a TON of grading though. I think I have spent more time grading so far this year than I have in the last 2 years combined. And now we are starting on research papers. 

• Hubby's birthday bash--My husband's birthday is on Halloween. I jokingly call it the devil's birthday:) This year his parents hosted a mystery party at their house. We each arrived in costume and throughout the evening had to try to figure out who was the thief. In between each of the rounds there were some hilarious games and contests. We had a pumpkin carving contest, a dance contest, a rap contest, charades, and a few others. It was SO much fun! I even won a few of the contests! 

Can you believe that this one didn't win? 

• Chuckwagon Festival--This last weekend our church hosted a fall festival. This was a blast! Hubby and I worked at a booth. At our booth, kids would shoot a Nerf gun at a pyramid of cups and knock them down for candy. It was so much fun. I will admit that I shot a lot of kids with the guns. We had a pitch-in dinner and I made a yummy Peruvian soup. It was my first real attempt at it, and it was so delish! I will have to make it again sometime. 

This is really just a small snippet of what has gone on this month, but I can tell you that I am so thankful that it is November. We have a few days off this month, and for that I am extremely thankful. I need a few days to rest and recharge. I need to plan for Thanksgiving, I need to clean my house and finish the laundry and maybe take a quick trip to the grocery store, but for now, I will relax. At least for a few minutes.