Going Private

I know it has been several days since my last post and I am sorry. I have had plenty to write about which I will have to write about in little spurts I guess. I have gone private since my last post though and I felt like I should give an explanation.
I never intended for anyone to actually read what I have to write, I was merely using my blog as a reflection of my life and what I think. One day last week I was checking my email and read an email about teachers that were getting in trouble for using Facebook, etc. I have a private setting on Facebook but my blog was open for the world to read. I figured I didn't have anything to hide, but you never know when someone is going to take something the wrong way. Then I did a search for myself on Google. I looked up my username: teachertillery, my name, and my blog's name. I came up with a list of multiple blog entries with all three of them, so I figured I better make my life a little more private. I often share trials of my classroom or graduate school and I didn't want any of that taken the wrong way. So if you are reading this, then you are one of my 100 readers that I can now have with a Blogspot private setting (not that I have 100 readers). So, I hope you will stick around and go through the effort of logging in to read my ramblings because I truly love all the feedback that I receive. You all keep me writing!

Things I Love

I have been making a list in my head of several things that I love and here is just a few of my new favorite things:

• I love the color orange right now. The beautiful fall leaves have really made me feel happy. It's too bad that in just a matter of a few days they have gone from the tree branches to the ground.
• I love my new white winter coat. I am sure I am going to regret getting cream in the long run but it is just glorious right now. (Just so you know I was in line to buy a red coat and then changed my mind at the last minute to by a white coat.)
• I absolutely love Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos!
• I love being able to stay in my pajamas all day and watch movies. Yes, I did that Sunday instead of writing Chapters 1 and 2 of my thesis.
• I love my church, my group of friends and I that meet on Saturday evenings for Bible Study. We are a group of people that are actually being genuine about growing intimate with God...(more to come, eventually).
• I love music. If it weren't for music, I am not sure I could have survived 5 years of commuting.
• I love the sound of a disc hitting a disc golf basket. Bryan and I were eating at the park on Saturday before our round of disc golf (it was borderline a picnic:) ) and I heard a disc hit a basket. It immediately made me feel so good. I am not sure why except for maybe the fact that I have finally found a sport that I can somewhat play.
• I love extra blankets on the bed. I love to be warm and toasty, but I especially love the weight of the covers on me. It's a good thing that I live with an energy nazi and we keep our house freezing cold in the winter.
• I love snuggling up to Bryan on the couch to watch an evening of television shows, which I am about to do right now. :)

Spilling the Beans on the Big 26

My birthday was on Friday and I turned the big 26. I have never made a big deal out of birthdays and so I tried to ignore the fact that I was turning one year older. I also try to ignore the fact that my birthday is on Halloween, a holiday I used to despise. I've learned it's not so bad anymore.
I didn't really want anything for my birthday and the red coat I really loved at Old Navy that Bryan was going to get me ended up looking horrible on me so I passed on his offer to buy it. So I truly could not think of anything that I wanted. I was much too busy worrying about a birthday gift of my own that I wanted to purchase for Bryan.
Bryan has really gotten into photography. He loves to just go capture moments in time. He has a nice camera that is about 3 years old now and he has gotten a lot of use out of it, not to mention the hours he has spent photographing kids' sports. Well a few months ago Nikon announced a new camera they had for sale. Bryan has been dying to have it. It's not something he necessarily needed but he absolutely wanted it. The new Nikon D90 is pretty expensive, ok not pretty expensive but a whole lot expensive.
We discussed buying it a few times and several times I brought up the fact that he didn't need a new camera. Well, Bryan didn't know that since I got my big raise at the Housing Authority that I had been saving all of my paychecks to buy this camera for him. I couldn't believe it! I was actually keeping a secret from him! I had every intention of buying it and having it here for him to open up on his birthday which is Wednesday, but my plans fell through. I tried to purchase the camera four different ways online using a bank draft because I was not going to use credit card. After becoming so frustrated with Amazon I resorted to trying to buy it locally. My only option was to buy it from Best Buy but I had to buy an additional lens which Bryan did not need plus caused the price to be $300 more. I was devastated that my only option left was to use our only credit card that Bryan carries in his wallet. So Friday night, while we were eating my birthday dinner, I gave enough hints for Bryan to guess what I was getting him. That's right, I spilled the beans. At first Bryan thought it was a heartrate monitor because he is going to be training for next year's Chicago marathon soon. It was hilarious. When he finally guessed the camera his eyes got so big. It was absolutely adorable. I don't think I have ever seen him so giddy. Just his was reaction was one of the best presents ever.
Since then we have used a different company and hopefully the camera will ship out on Monday in time for him to actually get it on his birthday. :)