Chattanooga Update :)

I realize that I haven't posted since we've been in Chattanooga, and figured it was about time I did! We are still in love with this city and are so thankful for God allowing us to have the opportunity to live here. Brett has been very busy between studying hard to learn the State Farm lingo and traveling back and forth to Murfreesboro for training. He is really enjoying the program, and has met some great people and made new friends! I think he's really enjoyed the location because he's been able to meet up with alot of his old friends! Most importantly, Brett has found a place to play basketball here, hahah! I've started inservice, and got to see my new classroom, which is AMAZING! My favorite part is definitely the built in bookshelves and closets. I also got to meet my third grade team, and they are so wonderful. I'm very excited to work with them. However, I absolutely cannot imagine not seeing my sweet kids from last year walk down the hall to fourth grade.I have missed them so much this summer. I am so, so thankful that God placed me in Humboldt for my first year of teaching, and I will miss everyone there. I'll forever be grateful for all the things I learned there! Most of the things you hear about social networking are on the negative side, but I'm so glad we have networks like facebook, because I am able to keep in touch with some of my kids' parents and friends from there! Here are a few of our Chattanooga favorites so far.. Taco Mamacita- it's a problem for me.. The Icecream Show- another problem Tennis Amigo's Being on the River, Brett loves to water ski, but I am still too much of a chicken to try... Brainerd Baptist Church Brunch at Bluewater Not traveling 200 + miles every weekend :)! **Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires ** James 1:19

We're Moving!!!!!

I have waited a very long time (not so patiently) for this day to come. We are FINALLY moving out of Jackson! Brett will be starting a State Farm office, and I will be teaching third grade! We are so thankful that God opened these doors and truly believe that this is all happening because of much prayer. A week ago we were driving around North Chattanooga looking at houses, and I found one that I instantly loved. It was built in 1935 and has so much character. I absolutely love that Chattanooga has these cute, old homes. We have a lot of work to do to the house, but we are really looking forward to it. Last Sunday we discovered that the original hard wood floors are underneath the carpet in both bedrooms. Pulling up the carpet and refinishing those floors is project #1! I'll post pictures as we go!

Have Faith

"Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed." John 20:29

This verse was shared in our Sunday school class last week and I was so touched by it. I really strive to be faithful, and it was nice to be encouraged by this message. Jesus understands that we might have doubts sometimes, and thats okay. However, keep the faith, and you will be blessed :).

Mike asked the question, "Where do you lack faith?" Some of the most common areas that we lack faith are: salvation, believing God is always in control, unanswered prayers, and believing God will provide during difficult times. Check out these verses if you are lacking faith... Romans 10:9 (Salvation), 2 Samuel 7:28 (God is sovereign and in control), Malachi 3:10 (God will provide), Romans 6:11-14 (Our sins have been paid for), Psalm 46:1 (Difficult times), Proverbs 15:29 (Unanswered prayers).

Spring Break 2012

This might have been the best spring break I've had. It started off with Bree's bachelorette party in Nashville. It was so good to catch up with some of my very amazing Chi Omega sisters. I forgot how much I miss having these girls in my life!
Then we were off to Chattanooga. Brett actually ran downtown with me, which I very much enjoyed. He usually runs so much faster than I do (he is twice as tall as I am...) so we don't normally run together because he's too fast, and I'm too slow, but he was sweet enough to run at a very slow pace with me! Tuesday morning, we randomly traded in our car for a new Jeep Cherokee. I am soooooo in love with it! Can I just say, my sweet husband traded in his dream car, that we bought 6 months ago, for me to have the Jeep. Such a sweet man he is! On a side note, I am a horrible driver, and it's best for others on the road, and me that I'm in a SUV. I can't see out of a car.
Finally, we went to our favorite vacay spot, Destin. Jessica and Jeremy joined us! We went to eat at all of the favorites: Red Bar, Great Southern, and Stinky's. I say favorites, but I am not a fan of Stinky's! We layed on the beach, shopped, and went to Rum Runners in Baytowne, for some great music and dancing. We had a wonderful time! I am so thankful for my fall and spring breaks, and am looking forward to experiencing a summer break! Knowing me, I'll get bored and find a summer job or something......... maybe not!
This is one of the first Easter's that I have not been in church, or dyed Easter eggs with my family. I will probaly not miss these special events again! Shout out to my sweet mom for sending Easter dinner to my house, and my Memaw, Grandan, and brothers for watching Teddy for 9 days! What would we do without our families?!

I also have some VERY exciting news that I absolutely cannot wait to share! Coming soon!

Piloxing/Running!!!!!

Have any of you ever tried a piloxing class? I did for the first time last night and it was a lot of fun! I also ran almost three miles...yay! I officially signed up for the Music City half marathon, so I have LOTS of work to do in preparing for it! I really wish it was warmer so I could run outside, but for now, the gym will do! On a side note- I always complain about our gym. Well, apparently it's under new ownership now and they are re-doing everything! It looks so much better. For what it's worth, I really appreciate it haha!!

Have a good night!

Pinterest Craft ~ Winter Wreath

I absolutely love pinterest! It is the perfect fix for a rainy, or in this month, cold day! I wanted a new wreath to put on my door for the winter. Of course, pinterest had a burlap wreath that was so cute, and really easy to make.

Here's what you need:
1 yard burlap (any color)
1 yard tulle (any color)
1 10 or 12 inch foam wreath
straight pins

Take the burlap and cut it into 4x4 squares. I cut long strips first, then made squares out of those. My squares were not perfectly sized 4x4's..so don't freak out about measurements! Take the two opposite corners of the square piece of burlap and make a triangle, then bring up the other two corners, too. Put a straight pin where all four corners connect and pin to the foam wreath. I just looped the tulle through the top of the wreath to make a bow. I also added a little wooden letter!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012! I love starting a fresh new year and setting goals for myself. I'm so thankful for the new beginnings God allows us to have! We rang in 2012 with some of our best friends in wonderful Nashville. We ate at the amazing Merchants, downtown, heard some music, and finished the night with catch phrase at the Sheraton Music City! Last year we celebrated in Atlanta, and next year we have promised to celebrate in Chattanooga! I keep telling my bestie, Jessica Bills, that 2013 is our year (for many reasons :)!!!!

Last night, I made pork tenderloin, black eyed peas, cabbage, mashed potatoes, and an oreo cake. Brett and I made a list of goals for the year and sealed them up. We'll open the envelope next new year's day... starting our own little tradition!

Here are some pics, Happy New Year to you all!!

Weekend at home...finally!

We are finally staying in Jackson for the weekend and I am so glad. We have been traveling every single weekend for over a month! Please don't get me wrong- I LOVE to travel, but it's been a little much lately! Last weekend we went to Chattanooga for a surprise birthday party for Brett. Thanks to all of you for coming! I really hate that we don't live closer to most of our friends, but hopefully we will one day....sooner than later.

Here are some things we are looking forward to........

FALL BREAK! I am SO excited about our beach trip to Destin! I am hoping to have my "trash the dress" pictures done while we're there.

Halloween party in Atlanta. I am SO excited about this!

Gatlingburg trip for the MT vs. UT game with Jessica and Bree! I love our fall Gatlinburg trips. I wish we were staying longer than just the weekend!

Have a wonderful weekend :)!

Serving Others

We finally were in Jackson on a Sunday and were able to go to our wonderful J2L class this morning. Our message was about being a servant to others. This really hit home to me! I am good at encouraging people, but I will admit that my free time is limited, and sometimes I do not want to use it serving others..so that is one of my goals this week! Mike talked about how Jesus set an example of serving, by washing his disciples' feet, which was a huge act of serving in those days! (John ch. 13) We also watched a clip on Beth Moore titled The Hair Brush. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U088JkiQeDQ. I hope this video inspires you to be a servant to others this week!

Crafty Saturday

I have found so many cute decorations to make for fall, and with the hubby out of town this weekend, I decided to have a little craft night/day!

This is a door sign for my classroom! I added ribbon to the edges, and am going to make a bigger orange bow the the top!

Here's what you need to make this (super simple):
1 yard burlap
white, yellow and orange paint
paint brushes
ribbon
hot glue gun

I painted the burlap, let it dry, then hot glued the ribbon to the sides. Today I wrote trick or treat with puff paint, then went over it with a paint brush and black paint!

Not gonna lie...

So, before I started teaching, I seriously thought it would be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong!I guess I thought, I love children, I would love to have summers off... I knew about standards and didn't think it would be a big deal to teach them to younger students. The thing is, you don't just teach standards, you have to make them somewhat fun so the students will actually retain the information! How would you make comparing and ordering numbers fun?? It takes a lot of time, thought and effort to put a lesson together! Please do not get me wrong, I LOVE my job and can't see myself doing anything else. It is very rewarding seeing all of my time and energy put into a child, especially when they have the "light bulb" moment and get it!

In our journal article today I asked them to tell me two adjectives to describe school, then tell me what they needed me to do to make school a more enjoyable place. Pretty much all of my adjectives were fun and boring. I asked them how school could be fun and boring at the same time and they said it just was.

Some of my students have a really hard time getting all of their books in their desk so I decided to clean a few of these desk out today.. Well, I found a journal article torn out and crammed into the back of one desk. It read, "School would be more fun if you would not make me sit by (two other children's names) I told you Mrs. Smalley I wanted to sit by (another child's name)! I laughed SO hard and when this little boy got back from exploratory, I told him I found his journal article and got the note. Little things like this make all of my hard work worth it! I NEVER know what is going to come out of their little mouths..but they definitely say something every day to make me laugh!

Labor Day Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! Friday night we arrived in Chattanooga just in time to catch the second half of the twins football game, then got caught in a crazy rain storm!Saturday we had a lunch date and made a peanut butter ball from a pinterest recipe! It was AMAZING and super easy. We also went to a football party at Bree and Jimmy's! It was so fun to hang out with friends! We made it back to Brett's dad's house just in time for the Georgia game. Sunday we went to a BBQ on the river with family! It was sooo nice. I now want a lake house :) Today, we went to South Fulton for a delicious meal from my Mom! I am exhausted! Better rest up because we'll be on the road again for a wedding!

Jessica's 25th Birthday Surprise

I couldn't leave this one out...
One of my very best friends just celebrated her 25th birthday and her sweet husband pulled of a great surprise party! We met in Murfreesboro at her favorite restaurant, Maple Street Grille and enjoyed amazing food and each others company! Great job, Jeremy!

Weekend Fun

Here we go again! This is the third weekend that we are out of town. I am so happy that we always have somewhere to get away! We love going to Chattanooga to visit friends and family, and we love spending time together on the drive! We're hoping to make it to Brett's little brother's football game tonight.

I hope all of my blogger friends have had a great week! I am still loving my job! I wore my bangs back today, kind of poofy, and one of my kids asked why I had that bump on my head hahaha! I love them!

Have a great LONG weekend!

New York City- Best Vaca Ever

We went to New York City in June and I am already dying to go back! I love the fast paced city life, and the fact that there is always something going on! Perfect vaca for ADD people :) We passed President Obama on our taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, and saw him pass by a couple of times that weekend. Not that I'm a huge Obama fan, but when the President is right next to you on the interstate, it's pretty fascinating. Justin Bieber was also in New York during our trip.. woo who!

Riding the subway was intimidating at first, but I actually loved it by the end of our trip. It's such a different form of getting from place to place! We also walked A LOT. There was no wearing heels in NYC. China town was pretty, well very interesting to say the least! The Yankees game was amazing. We had fabulous seats,thanks to Brett's dad, who also made a surprise visit to the game! It was by far the best baseball game I've ever been to (except watching my hubby play)! The food, sight-seeing, and shopping were all amazing. Basically, New York is Vegas minus the gambling..which is perfect :) Enjoy some of our pics!

Hello Blogger Friends!

Wow, I have not blogged in a LONG time! I am really going to start blogging again! So many things have changed since my last post. First, I am now a third grade teacher, totally different from my sales job! My job is a lot more work, but so much more fun! I absolutely love hearing the things that my 20 kids say! Today, one of my little boys asked why my teeth weren't yellow. I said, "Why would they be, teeth are supposed to be white!" He said his were yellow and he thought everybody's were supposed to be yellow!I think I laughed for five minutes straight! There are parts of sales that I miss, the money.... and getting to eat lunch out every day.. but teaching is totally worth it! My sweet husband is still working for Federated, so if you need any insurance, let us know! He is getting ready for the Warrior Dash in September, and has really gotten into great shape! Well, that is all for now! I will post later this week!

Our Year 2010~

Top Ten of 2010
1. Moving back to Tennessee
2. Buying my first car
3. Making new friends in Jackson
4. Watching our house be built
5. Moving into our new house (Brett lost the keys five times)
6. Full year of our big girl/ big boy jobs
7. Traveling to Savannah,Vegas, Gatlinburg
8. Weddings
9. Alyse and Rusty got engaged!
10.Steeplechase, Sips N Strokes, 1 year anniversary, and my mom finally got facebook!

Thank you God for all of the blessings and lessons learned in 2010! I pray that 2011 can only get better!

Happy 2011

I am so excited about starting a new year! I love the feeling of a fresh beginning. We drove (imagine that, us driving somewhere!) to Chattanooga Thursday night, picked up Bree and Jimmy Friday morning, then drove down to Jessica and Jeremy's house in Atlanta. I was really surprised at how short the drive was from Chatt to Atl. We went to a placed called Seasons 52 for dinner. It was so delicious. I had the salmon and veggies, yum! Then we went to Lenox Grille to hang out until midnight. It was so nice to catch up with my friends. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful friends I made in college and for the fact that no matter how many miles apart we are, we still find ways to see each other every now and then!

Here are some pictures from our last night out in 2010! Thanks to Jessica and Jeremy for having us! We had so much fun!

Merry Christmas from every direction in Tennessee~

After the holiday I decided to change the name of our blog to "Life in the Smalley Lane." I did this because we are ALWAYS traveling! Since 2007 we have driven all over Tennessee to spend Christmas with our families. Our dog, Teddy is even an expert traveler now! Consider yourselves very lucky if much travel is not included in your holiday season! I love it, but it's really starting to wear me out!

This year we started out in Chattanooga then came back to Jackson and from Jackson we went to South Fulton.

Here are a few pictures!

Christmas Cards

Can you believe it is almost time to start sending out Christmas cards?! I love Christmas cards and really want to send one out that is very unique! Last year we used one with our wedding picture, which I LOVED! This year I think we will take one in front of our new house! Shutterfly is offering this amazing deal for bloggers regarding Christmas cards! If you do a write up and promo for Shutterfly you will receive 50 FREE yes FREE holiday cards!You all should check out Shutterfly for Christmas cards! They have some of the cutest ones that I've seen and they always do a great job!

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