How Cute!

How sweet is this?!! One of my girls wrote about Pattie in her journal this week...
In case you can't tell it says "I love Pattie! Ms. Gribble is her mommy!"

Happy Spring!

Since Spring officially began on Friday, I have been enjoying myself. I have been busy mowing the grass, relaxing outside in the sun, playing with Pattie, going on a 6 mile run with a friend, watching Carolina make it to the Sweet 16 (yeah!), walking with a friend, and going into the woods. I took Pattie for her second play date with her sister Lucy. Another teacher from school brought over her puppy who was shy at first even though he was the only boy, 4 weeks older, and much bigger than the girls. Pattie and Lucy quickly put on their charm and won the boy over!
Here's also what Pattie has been up to:
1. Sleeping 6 1/2 -7 1/2hours a night
2. Taking an evening walk then playing on her "leash" outside
3. Had her first bath
4. About to upgrade to a larger crate already!
5. Went on her first "hike" in the Pisgah
6. Finished eating her first bone...working on her second one. That should last another good 4 weeks!
7. Sits at the door and quietly whines when she needs to go out
8. Beginning to like her "playroom" while I'm getting ready in the morning...less whining and more playing on her part
9. Still "drops" things from her mouth 95% of the time when first asked
10. Beginning to sit on command...sometimes have to ask 2-3 times
11. Still loves to snuggle up with me on her blanket on the couch at nights

Famous

My uncle Kyle sent this picture to me today. He did some enhancing today at his work...look closely at the billboards!

Luck of the Irish...

The celebration began Saturday night and continued until Tuesday! I went out to dinner and had a few drinks with my friends Mandi and Ryan. Mandi even tempted me into a green jello shot for the occasion! Brings back memories of...can't really say. My parents read this blog! ;)
The little leprechaun made his debut in my room again this year. Once again, he knocked over each kids chair (man he's a strong little guy!) and stepped into the green paint. His footprints led out the backdoor. But, how did he get in the room since all the doors were locked?! This stumped the kids all day long...still does I think! They were constantly going over and "retracing" the steps. To celebrate, I got the kids Krispy Kreme doughnuts and milk. That crazy leprechaun even turned the milk green! Wishing everyone some Irish luck..
Also, Happy Birthday to Uncle Grant and my friend Crystal! Hope your days were fabulous!

TOY

I have to toot my own horn for a second here. I was voted by my colleagues as Teacher Of the Year at my school!!!! So, now I have to answer some questions about my teaching, and go for an interview the end of April. All this is for the county TOY. We have a special luncheon the beginning of May at which time the county TOY will be announced. I asked if I could politely decline the "race" for the county award, but my principal just laughed at me! I'm just happy to have the honor from my school!!!

We Are Family...

...I've got all my sisters with me!!!
Saturday (and Sunday too) turned out to be a beautiful day! I started my day with a morning jog, then headed out to buy a few more supplies for Pattie. I have been letting her out without the leash to teach her "freedom within means" and I quickly learned my lesson! She ended up in the ditch right by the road when I grabbed her! A few more steps and she would have been in the road. Scary!!!! So, she now goes outside on a leash at all times. I just want her to be an outside dog that just chills in the sun and hangs out with you. I want to be able to open the door, let her out, and she stays around. I certainly don't want her being a dog that bolts every chance she gets when the front door opens. So, I thought I was teaching her right...boy I was wrong! Hopefully this will come in due time. In the meantime, I'm open for suggestions! So, I brought a tie up (I can't remember the real name) so she could be outside hooked to the tree but room to move around and play. I think she liked it at least a little bit! She of course tried chewing it several times at which time I told her "drop" and most times she did it the first time. So, as she was enjoying the outside, I was able to wash my dirty car. When I finished, I did play with her some as she was still attached of course!
Here's the fun part for her: I took her to the park to reunite with one of her sisters! Another teacher at my school took home Lucy and another teacher took home Cash, one of their brothers. We couldn't get in touch with Cash's mom, but hope he can come to the next puppy play date! Oh, they had so much fun!!! We walked them around the park looking for a good spot. Then, we let them off the leash for a bit to wrestle with each other. Luckily, they both stayed very close by! The park was FULL of people and dogs since it was such a beautiful day! Pattie wasn't too sure about the other small dogs that passed, but loved sniffing and kissing the larger dogs as they passed! On our way there, Pattie "cried" in her crate for about 3-4 minutes. On the way home, she instantly settled down and slept! When the evening came to a close, I was pretty tired myself seeing as we got up at 5:45 that morning! Next time, I need to remember my sunscreen. My arms and neck got a little burned. I just wasn't even thinking about it since we just got rid of the snow on Thursday!

Pattie Cake Update

Here's what's been going on in the first week since I got Pattie.
1. Decided on a name: Pattie, like a York Peppermint Pattie
2. Moved her crate to my room Saturday night...now she quietly whimpers for about 10 seconds, then goes to sleep. It was howling for 30 minutes before settling down!
3. Is sleeping in 4-5 hour spans. So, we go to bed around 11:00, she cries out around 3:30 or 4 to go out. It used to be every hour or every 1 1/2 hours!
4. Has learned to whimper by the door when she needs to potty...hasn't had an accident in the house since Saturday when she was excited because the other dogs and new people were here. I'm sure this has quick potential to change!
5. Loves to play with her toys.
6. Potties almost on command when we go outside.
7. Loves to snuggle and sleep in my lap.
8. Learning to use the leash.
9. She went on her first "walk" around the block today. There was a little bit of resistance when she heard other dogs barking!
10. Loves to sleep in the sunshine coming in from the sliding glass door or the windows.
11. Learning to sit; and learning the words come, potty, and off.
12. Oh my goodness...just ran full force into the sliding glass door!!!
13. Had her first play date.
14. "Watched" her first Carolina basketball game! Train them young!

That's my Pattie in one week...she's coming along! I'm sure there will be more adventures and possible setbacks to come. Here's hoping to continued quick learning!

Snow Day!

It really was true! March did come in like a lion with some strong winds and lots of beautiful snow! I think I ended up with about 4 maybe 5 inches here at the house. Of course, it's almost all melted by now. The power did some flickering last night, but luckily I never lost it completely. School was even called off for kids and teachers last night...usually I get a phone call around 6:00 in the a.m. if we don't have school.
Pattie was not a big fan of this snow and as the night progressed and she had to go out to potty, her trips began getting faster! This morning I tried to get her to run around in it like we have run around the house playing; however, she was not having anything to do with it! She was NOT a big fan of this cold stuff on her paws and found the least deep spot to do her business. Of course, I tried carrying her out in the middle of the yard to get her to like it, but she would immediately run back to the porch area! I tried! She is enjoying basking in the sun coming in from the sliding glass door...maybe she'll be a beach bum!

Go Tarheels!

I'm not much for having clothes that my dog will wear on a regular basis. However, I was in Dollar General yesterday and found the sweater and toy for cheap. So, I decided that one sweater wouldn't hurt! Plus, I got it big so she can grow into it! I got her "dressed up" because Saturday afternoon I had people over for the Carolina basketball game! There were about 8 of us that got together for party food, Carolina basketball watching, even some face painting occurred, and puppy watching! My friend's Mandi and Ryan brought over their little white furball Stella. Abby brought over her hotdog Emmy. We all had a good time watching the game, but probably more fun watching the pups!

Her business

Can anyone please tell me how a puppy can pee and poop outside then come back into the house and poop 2 minutes later?!!! Seriously... 2 minutes later?!!! Man, this puppy training business is ever harder than I thought it was going to be!!!! Please tell me it gets easier!

My Pup

Here we are, together at last! She was delivered to me at school today. She whined in her crate for the first 6 minutes of the ride home! She pottied outside when we arrived home, then preceded to whine for about 20 minutes as she explored the house! After trying to get her to play with her toys, I gave up and held her like a baby. She fell asleep in my arms, then I put her on her pillow to sleep. Could be a long first night! But, isn't she cute! I'm still trying to decide on names....Runley Bella, Ruby Bella, Malen Bella, Maley Bella, Raley Bella.....

Surprise Meeting!

Even though it was a cold, windy afternoon; I met my friend Becca for a jog/walk. As I got back into my car, my phone was beeping that I had missed a call. Turns out my friends Chris, Brandy, and their daughter Skyler were passing through town on their way back to Knoxville. So, I went downtown to meet them for an early dinner and a beer. It was such a spontaneous meeting and much needed too! Laughing with friends is often the best medicine! (and good thing they didn't mind my smell!) I had not seen their little one in quite some time and was amazed at all the talking and singing she was enjoying doing! They certainly grow up fast don't they?! Here's to good friends and good times...and watching snow flurries!

Friends

What better way to start a weekend than with friends, drinks, appetizers, and dessert! Friday night, Mandi, Anna, and I went to P.F. Chang's to do just that! Another great girl's night out!

Go Heels!

The Carolina vs. Duke game has been quite the event at my school, or at least on the K-1 Hall. There is a classroom in 1st grade where the teacher is a huge Carolina fan and the assistant is a huge Duke fan. Hence the forming of Rivalry day which occurs when the two teams meet up for the first time during the season. You have to walk through a huge Tarheel to enter the room, the kids all wear shirts for their favorite team, there are math questions throughout the day about who has won more games, more championships, scored more points, etc; and even face painting!
There are several teachers on this hall who are huge Tarheel fans and one more Duke fan...sorry for her! My assistant's oldest daughter is a freshman at Carolina this year; so we are defiantly pulling for the Heels! In fact, I have a Tarheel rug in my room this year! So, I have included two pictures; one of which tries to show my face painting.
In case you didn't know...Carolina 101 Duke 87

Morning Run

My alarm went off at the normal time (5:40) once again this morning. (I'm sure this will prove to get old after a few weeks and the alarm will begin not being set weekly.) I didn't even check the weather this morning, instead I just got dressed and headed out the door. I started feeling like I was getting a cold/cough yesterday morning. You know, the kind you can feel in your eyes and sinuses. This might explain why I feel asleep on the couch around 8:00 last night, woke up at midnight, watched a movie on TV, then got in bed around 2?! (Did I mention I was cool and had a life?!) So, I was thinking that a cold run might not be the right medicine for it. However, I was already dressed and thought that exercise might help "sweat it out of me". So, I have just returned from a cold run with the team. If I had more motivation to run farther than 3 miles this morning, my hair might have frozen as it did before. I could see crystals forming once I got back to my car! Good news is I'm not coughing like I was last night or this morning. Bad news is my ears hurt now. We'll see what happens...

Girl's "Night Out"

This really meant a girl's night in for me since they came over to my house. However, I was so excited to have someone come over!!! Crystal brought Ben (6 months old) and Maggie brought Liam (4 months old) along with pizza from Marco's (yummo!). The two oldest boys got to stay at home and spend quality time with their daddies while the mommies had sort of a break. I certainly gained a better appreciation watching two mommies tackle eating, soothing, and feeding a baby at the same time! We got personal pizzas and we each finished the whole thing! Which turned out great since I had signed up for the WOW (Wellness on Wheels) van that was coming to our school the next day. I had to fast until my time at 10:40,which turned into 11:00, when they would check my height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and perform an EKG. All my numbers did check out great and they told me I was in great health....I failed to mention to them I had just trained for a half-marathon. I just said "thanks!" and went on my way! My numbers were certainly not as great two years ago when they came! The box of raisins I had stuffed in my pocket before leaving the classroom tasted just like chocolate cake as I shoved them into my mouth walking back into the school!
Okay, back to girl's night...we had a great time. We spent a few hours catching up, eating, telling stories, and watching the babies play. The girls didn't want to take their pictures (not sure why because they looked great!), so I just snapped about 30 pictures of the boys. I loved having them over and we hope to do this again soon. Thank goodness for wonderful friends!

Running again

Saturday morning my alarm went off at the normal 5:40 a.m. time. I slightly remember hitting the snooze button and slept for 9 wonderful minutes. When the second alarm went off, I decided to turn on the Weather Channel. If it said that it was in the 20's, I was going back to bed. Lucky me, it was 30! So, I got dressed and headed out the door around 6:30 to meet the new team. This was their first run of the training. I remember my warm, sunny, August morning that I first met my team. I also remember that I couldn't run the whole 3 mile, hilly course. However, yesterday I rocked it out! It felt great! Of course, it could have been the fact that by the time I met the team it was hovering around 25 and that didn't include the wind chill. Or the fact that coming back the wind was pushing downhill! Either way, I just wanted to get the run done. We ended up running 3.24 miles...it was actually a great way to start my day. I got so much accomplished!

Hot Chocolate Race

I convinced my friend Becca to run in her first race! Saturday, January 24th we ran in the Issac Dickson Hot Chocolate 10K (6 miles). Becca was fired up from the moment I arrived at her house that morning and she didn't stop! She rocked out her first race and I think she might be hooked! The rain was trying to start and the wind picked up briskly as the race was beginning. By the end, the sun was trying to peek out; but the wind was holding strong. Becca's husband, Gabe, is a wonderful chef. He got back into town Friday night and was able to cheer us on with their son Waver. After the race, they invited me back to the house for a celebratory beer and breakfast! I think I was more excited about the breakfast! Bacon, hashbrowns, and an omelet to die for! What could have been better!
On a side note: Happy Birthday to my sweet mom! She celebrated her big day on the 12th by spending the weekend with me! Also, check out the Gribble's link when you get a chance...cute, cute!

New Baby

On Tuesday, January 6th Jill and Eddie Hughes celebrated the birth of their first child Holly Kathryn. I was able to go visit them a few weekends ago. I thought Jill looked good considering she was adjusting to "mommyhood"! Jill is loving being a mommy and it seems to suit her well! Holly was a bundle of joy...she loved to snuggle up with you!

Fire Fighter

I found a video still on my camera from Christmas. Sawyer is into firefighters; or at least he was at Christmas. Since it's now a month later and he's 3, he could have moved on to something else! Either way, Aunt Kathryn gave him a fire helmet for Christmas. Phillip taught him how to push a button and "sound like a real firefighter". One afternoon,I caught him and G.G helping save people...