Tell Us About You Tuesday

I'm linking up with the gals over at Freebielicious to tell you a little more about myself! This is such a great way to get to know other bloggy friends!

Family

I met KShaf, my husband, during my first year of teaching: I was teaching Pre-K, and he was the school manager at our little school. We first met at a School Improvement Team meeting, and I think I fell in love with him when he laughed at all of my stupid jokes. Three years later, we bought our first house together and were married in front of forty of our closest family and friends.

 This picture sums us up: I am loud, outgoing, opinionated, and I have an obnoxious guffaw of a laugh. KShaf, on the other hand, is quiet, mild-mannered, and one of the most professional people I've ever met. In short? He is the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the salt to my pepper. Ten years and still going strong!

KShaf and I have two little ones: Princess A and Deedle.

 This is a picture of the kiddos on their last day of school this past year.

Princess A is going into second grade. She is an empathetic little sweetheart (with a sassy streak), and she loves horses and animals.

 Here's Princess A with her favorite horse, Sunny. We don't own a horse, but we were lucky enough to find a local barn that offers lessons. Princess A started riding when she was five, and she shows no sign of losing interest any time soon! When she grows up, she wants to be a horse trainer or a veterinarian (but, personally, I think she'd make an amazing teacher, too!).

Deedle is six years old, and he'll be starting first grade in the fall. He is funny, spunky, and unpredictable! He doesn't sugar coat anything: what you see is what you get with him! We didn't plan to have our little ones sixteen months apart, but having them close in age has been the most amazing blessing. They get on each others' nerves (like all siblings do), but they are also best friends. I love watching them play together.

Deedle is obsessed with insects right now. Here he is with one of the butterflies that he caught on our butterfly bush. He has a knack for capturing critters: in the past week, he has brought home a Luna moth caterpillar, several butterflies, and more toads than I can count. 

We also have a fantastic eleven year-old border collie, named McKinley. He is the best family dog we could ever ask for, and we're pretty sure that he thinks Princess A and Deedle are his little flock of sheep.

 I love the expression on his face in this picture. "Hand over the granola bar, and no one gets hurt. Seriously."

Recently, we added two guinea pigs and a mud turtle to our menagerie.

 The piggies were a Christmas gift for Princess A, and she adores them. Here, she is reading an Accelerated Reader book to them (classic teacher's child!).

 Deedle found Torkle in our window well the morning after we returned from traveling to Pennsylvania. She is low maintenance, and she keeps to herself, but Deedle loves her.

Teaching

This year will be my fourteenth (YIKES!!!) year in the teaching profession.  I have my Bachelors degree in Drama with a minor in Music from a wonderful liberal arts college here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I taught Preschool and Elementary Music at a small private school for one year, and then, I returned to school and received my Masters of Arts in Teaching, with a focus in Early Childhood Education. I've taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, first grade, and third grade, and I have worked in three different schools. As I enter my sixth year of teaching first grade, I have to say that first grade is where my heart is. I absolutely adore teaching firsties!

Here is my first grade class picture. Can you spot me?

(I'm in red, next to my favorite teacher of all time, Mrs. Potter. Yes, I was the teacher's pet.)

Hobbies

Working full time and being a mother to two small children doesn't leave a lot of time for hobbies. I love to read, though, and I am a reality T.V. junkie (anything on Bravo is fine with me). Two years ago, I started running, using the Couch to 5K app, and believe it or not, I am hooked! I have run three 5Ks, two 10Ks, and I'm training to run my first half-marathon this October (eek!). 

 SpurDog is my most favorite running buddy. I'm so glad she is always there to motivate me, professionally and personally!

So, that's a little about me. Head over to Freebielicious and link up!