I'm baaaack!

My absence was much more than a hiatus...it was a .com fiasco...let me back up a little. I jumped on the .com bandwagon last year, and renewed my site via GoDaddy.com in April...well, not two weeks later, my blog name and url was hijacked by a Japanese company...so all redirects went to them instead of me. I contacted GoDaddy (no help) and searched Google until my eyes bled...well, almost...then, I did the worst thing imaginable...I.gave.up...

So, my poor little blog has just been sitting here, in cyberloneliness for six months...so, I'll do my best to give you the highlights...or what I at least deem the most important events...since March...

I've attended not one, but TWO Bon Jovi concerts...yep, I'm that fan...but, you already knew that, and if you didn't, you can read some more here...

April show

October show

I learned to play golf! Which is kind of ironic, since I worked as a cart girl for two years, and never bothered to learn then...it takes much more skill than just driving a cart...you need a good luck koozie, a cool ball marker, and cute clothes...and sometimes, a lot of luck...

I still need "real" golf shoes

I turned the big 4-0! And, frankly, I was proud of it! My day included a movie, my favorite sandwich shop, a painting class with grape juice (hahaha), an outfit change, and dinner...with more flavored water...

My daughter got me a birthday sash...

My daughter officially moved five hours away...but, the good news is that she got accepted into nursing school at Tech...so, I'm one.proud.momma! 

my daughter at orientation

Side note, if you ever find yourself in Odessa (I'm sorry), but you will find these giant jackrabbits all over town...I'm kinda obsessed with them now...

we're matchy matchy

Which pretty much brings us to the present...oh, did you think this was a teaching blog? Ok, quick summary...yeah, I finished the last school year that almost put me into early retirement...and started this year with the.best.group.ever...yep, I am in loves with my little people...

These are my babes on the second, yes, second day of school, doing read-to-self...a picture does not lie...

We celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday by making apple sauce and apple juice...they also made a Johnny craftivity...

...and a class math book using apple prints to make number sentences...

Here they are enjoying their questionnaires from their Cali pen pals from First Grade Found Me! 

In case you're wondering, I didn't get my .com back, I just reverted back to blogspot.com...so although I have fixed some of my Pinterest links, some are still broken...one thing at a time...

I just know it's going to be a great school year!

A Lil' Bit of Monica...and a Whole Lot of Randomness

Although it is nine days into July, (but who's counting, right?), I am finally able to link up with Farley (for my first time ever) at:


for this month's Currently

July Currently

But, wait, there's more to this than meets the eye...you can't just plug in your stuff...you hafta follow the rules:

for the last question about books:
#1 should be your ALL TIME FAVORITEST BOOK to read aloud...it is THE ONE
#2 is your go-to professional book

and there's more: Farley's RULE OF THREE,

It would be sweet, supportive, and following the rules...to look at the 2 link-ups in front of your link and then come back and look at the one behind yours...I hope there's someone behind me...lol...and comment on those 3...you can comment on more than 3, of course...

But, I'm not done...I was recently bestowed the One Lovely Blog Award

by these sweet bloggers:

Victoria

Carole Dawn

AND the Versatile Blogger Award

by these lovely bloggers: Patty at 2nd in Line and Patti at Tales From a 4th (and 5th) Grade Teacher, and

Sarah

AND the Liebster Blog Award

by this sweet blogger:

Melissa

Thank you, girlies :)

Now for the 7 shades of randomness that goes along with the VB award...(just nod your head if you got that reference...)

1. I moonlight as a cart girl (and sometimes bartender) at a local golf course...when you have a daughter in college, you do what you gotta do...plus, I get adult conversation...wait, after a few holes and a couple of beverages, they're not much different than my 6 and 7-year olds...

my sweet ride...see my friends Jack, Crown, Smirnoff?

2. I know absolutely nothing about golf...see #1 above, but, hey it hasn't affected my duties...all I need to know is Jack, Crown, Smirnoff....

3. I am a self-proclaimed Bon Jovi freak! And, admitting your addiction is the first step...but, I don't want to recover!!! It goes basically like this, "Hi, I'm Monica, I love Jon." Well, not exactly like that, but how else does everybody know that I LOVE THIS BAND?!

4. I have a dog named Jovi...see #3 above...

5. I have a tattoo of the Bon Jovi smirk...see #3 above...I told you...I really wasn't exaggerating...

6. I missed a Bon Jovi concert due to food poisoning at Mason's Geli...I shall not speak the name of the place that nearly killed me...as you can see, I'm still not over my anger and disappointment...and I tell everyone I talk to...so don't go there!!! Ok, I'm better now :)

notice my still untorn/ unused ticket :(

7. I can fit through the doggy door at my house...now THAT needs a lil' back story...my boyfriend and I were about to go to Simply Fondue (where you get to dip everything) for my birthday dinner this past Saturday...we had reservations...well, when we got into his truck, he realized that he didn't grab his keys. So, he looks at me, "Where's your keys?"...I'm like, "They don't fit in this"....(duh!!)

holds phone, I.D., and lipstick ONLY

So, alas...we were locked out...we checked the Jeep (it has a garage remote) and his Infiniti (it has the garage door-button memory thing)...but, for once, they were also locked. My SUV is in the closed garage. I know...two people, four vehicles, don't ask...SO, not only did we not have any keys to drive anywhere, we did not have any way to get in the house to get keys...

UNTIL, he says to me, "You're gonna have to go in the doggy door." Huh, what?! He's watched one too many Mission Impossible movies...I'm thinkin' we're callin' a cab (woo-hoo first-time cab ride), and we'll figure this out later...

You may wonder why that idea popped in his head so easily and freely, and I blame that on my dear daughter...who casually mentioned that she'd done it a few times when she'd forgotten her keys...(and I'm hoping that was the reason...)

BACK to me and the situation (I've kinda always wanted to say that):

REMEMBER, people...I am birthday-dinner dressed, so my hair is done, and I'm wearing a dress (not the usual tank top and shorts)...thank goodness the doggy door is not in the front of the house...else I would have some 'plaining to do to my neighbors...

As I stand there...he's telling me "go feet first"...no way am I doing that...it's not a freakin' slide for cryin' out loud...so I go in head first...thinking I MUST be caught in an episode of Bloopers/ Funniest Home Videos/ Punk'd...

gross, gross, GROSSNESS!!!

BUT, I made it in alive...got refreshed and grabbed not only his keys, but MY keys, too...silently cursed his adult ADD that put us in this situation to begin with...and went on our way...

Arriving with just minutes to spare, dinner was amazing...and I got a slice of cheesecake and some champagne on the house...

I will never look at the doggy door the same way again...

And that, my friend, is all...you probably feel like you got to know me a wee bit more than you wanted to, huh?!

What have YOU had to do when you've gotten locked out of your house???