So...I have an announcement...

So, some of you know this and some don't...

I am giving up teaching! 

..only for a year. 

I have been presented with an amazing opportunity to go back to school to work towards my goal of being a special needs teacher. 

This wasn't the easiest decision to make but it is what is best for me and teaching children with special needs has always been my ultimate goal. With the help and support of my amazing family and darling boyfriend, I will resign from my current position of "toddler teacher" at the center I am at next week.  I am enrolled full time at a university around us for classes starting in January. 

Some may ask,"why not go to school part time/night classes/online  and still work?" Well, that was my original plan however, a full semester-6 classes of pre-requisites to get into the program are only offered on campus and during the day. I asked my former director if she could accommodate me in any way so that I could do both and she completely shot it down. I approached my family about it and they all agreed-if bettering myself and advancing my education isn't that important to her then I probably don't need to be working there. 

In this time, I will also be traveling. 

Currently, I have 3 trips planned.

I will be using these trips and learning experiences and to gain more knowledge about other cities as well as myself. 

After this first year of prerequisite classes,my plan is to continue online while interning as a special needs assistant for the school system here.

I do fully plan on returning to this blog in 2015 and will transition into educational posts focusing on special needs!

Until then though, follow my lifestyle blog: Coffee&Glitter
I hope you all enjoy coming on this journey with me! 

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Fellow Bloggers! 

I hope you all have had a fabulous week and are enjoying the fall season! It is still 88-90 degrees here but, we're making it work! 

I am linking up again with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! 

I received my second SLANTBOX on Wednesday from Christine at Glitter, Gadgets, and Grade School! I had such a blast getting to know her and I think that she is just a fabulous teacher, person, mother, she is just great and has an awesome teaching story! One of my favorite things about Christine is a quote that she has said many times to me, in her instagram videos and on her blog: "you matter". Although this is a simple two word phrase, I think it carries so much behind it! 

I had every intention of listing the items she picked out for me but, she is so amazing that she made a video for me about my SLANTBOX and I just don't think I could top this so, here you go: 

As you know, this house is 100% Pats territory! We found out this past weekend that the Patriots have a PatriotsPETriot contest for 'pet of the month'.. obviously, we jumped right on this! 

The cuteness will never fade! 

So, although it is like 100 degrees here still, we are breaking out the Fall Beers and Ciders! 

Have you had Pumpkin Cider? Well I can say that the Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider is delicious! 

Welllll surprise surprise, I dyed my hair again! This time, it actually turned out how it was suppose to the first time! 

Bright Burgundy! Hello, Fall! 

My best friend and sister has been up in Massachusetts at college for the past two years. She is a rock star and has been taking advanced classes, extra classes, and summer/winter break classes so, we haven't been able to see each other too much but, yesterday, I got FABULOUS news that she will be home for Thanksgiving this year! 

I can not even explain how overjoyed and excited I am! 

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for stopping by! 

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Y'all. It is so crazy that we are already into October-although, if you live in Florida, it still feels like the middle of July. Anyways, I am going to jump right into my Five for Friday hosted by Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching!

 I tried out a few new dinner recipes this week and our favorite was the Apple Braised Pork Chops with onions and cider. It was so quick and easy to make and super delicious! Obviously, if you are not a pork person, you can use chicken! We served this with a roasted veggie medley. 

I have also developed a new found love for Avocado Toast. This yummy concoction I made yesterday morning. 8 minutes and 100% yummy-and healthy! 

Unfortunately, my brand new baby is at the car doctors. We have been having some very nasty stormy weather lately and we ended up in a wreck Monday night. We were running a quick errand after dinner and took a side street that we didn't know flooded out. The car in the lane next to us RACED through a huge puddle and kicked all the water onto my windshield so we were blinded for a minute. I stepped on the breaks and the car behind us rammed into the back of us. It is very unfortunate but, accidents happen and we are both okay! 

It was definitely a reality check on how quickly things can happen though. 

I was able to spend some weekday time with my two favorite babes due to the accident this week and it was very nice. They helped me plan lessons, find recipes, and browse future home ideas via Pinterest, we went to the dog park a few times, they went swimming and they got groomed. 

My little girl is all shaved! 

Shibas are 'cold weather' dogs so, they have a thick undercoat. This little girls was starting to come out so we made a quick trim to the doggy parlor. 

My dad is a pretty awesome guy! He is an ambassador for a new car concept called the Rimac. This is much like the Tesla and various other fully electric car models but, the Rimac is a race car...yeah, an electric race car! He is the first person in America that will have the Rimac and his model will be VIN Number 01-as in the first one made-that's pretty cool, right? 

That's My Daddy! 

Well, he has been working closely with the engineers and developers on the car and as a thank you, they sent our family two fully electric bicycles called Greyp's. They arrived last Friday and my dad broke them out of their crates on Tuesday night. 

We finally found a place to move to! We were really serious about finding a place to buy but, a few things came up that prevented us from going through with that so, we will be renting again. Small steps are okay for now! We get our keys October 28th! So for now, my weekends will be filled with packing, cleaning, packing, Patriots, and cleaning! 

Have a fabulous weekend y'all! Thank you for stopping by! 

Five for Friday!

Hey Y'all! I am linking up with the fabulous Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for another Five for Friday!

So, this week was weird. July 31st, an 18 and a 16 year old arrived at my house. Sadly, on the 12th, they left. These boys are two of the sweetest, most helpful and polite teenagers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and, they happen to be my boyfriends brothers. I took off from work last Wednesday-Friday to spend some extra time with them because they live in Massachusetts and we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. O, the 18 year old will also be leaving on September 9th to join the United States Air Force. I know that I haven't known him for that long but, I have developed a certain fondness for him. I could not be anymore proud of him but, I am also very sad/worried/excited/nervous/etc. (it's the motherly side of me) BUT anyways, here goes my five for Friday! 

So, I got was gifted a Nikon D5000. I have always loved the art of photography and, I have always wanted to buy a nice camera to take pictures with however, I'm a fan of the $800+ price tag that comes with a DSLR. My sweet, sweet sister is a photography minor and had an extra DSLR "laying around" that she gifted to me! I am IN LOVE! The quality that this camera puts out is incredible! 

My first two pictures with my new tech-baby. Princess Chloe and Mr. Yoda

Naturally, these northern boys that were staying at our house wanted to see the number one beach in America while they were here so, here it is for you folks as well (again, courtesy of the Nikon D5000) Siesta Key Beach-Sarasota,Florida. It's funny how much of a reality check I get every time I go to Siesta. Living here, I try to stay as far away from the beach as possible because of the tourists, traffic and... tourists but, when I do get down there, I realize how lucky I am and that I truly do live in a beautiful city! 

There is nothing that fills my heart like some good ol' family time! I decided that we would have everyone over for dinner since the boys were in town and of course, that called for a photo shoot! Here are a few after dinner shots!

my beautiful momma&I

the brothers and one set of grandparents

 birthday selfie&&birthday kisses from my chlobug

Oh, hey! I am also 23 now! Yep, yep that is right..the big 2-3! 

My birthday actually started on Wednesday night. J told me to pick any restaurant I wanted and he would pick up take out. I ended up picking Chili's because I was craving crispers and I also ended up meeting him there because, they have one of our favorite desserts that is best served hot! But I was still very impressed with the thoughtfulness and sweet gesture.
Margaritas, Chicken Crispers and a Skillet Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie.

The lovely ladies at work surprised me with teaching my kids to sing "Happy Birthday" to me upon my arrival, cupcakes and a sweet card. 

My adorable boyfriend also WAY out did himself and shocked and spoiled me with two cookbooks-one being from Chopped, which is our favorite tv show, Pandora charms and rings, roses delivered to my school, 10 cards, a sweet note, and he says there is more to come!

how perfect is this wrapping paper?!?

We went to dinner with my family at my favorite Thai restaurant in the next city over from us. My parents/sister also way out did themselves with a brand new Stainless Steel pot and pan set, pandora beads, mixing bowls and cookware, a coffee mug, 14 cards, agenda, and the most amazing German Chocolate cake I have ever tasted!

This little guy and I happen to be birthday twins! He turns 5 years old today! 

Are you in love with his birthday bandana as much as I am?!

Yoda will be treated to a Wendy's cheeseburger  and a "Pupcake"-dog friendly cupcake- on Saturday after spending the day with some other furfriends and perusing the downtown Farmers Market. (we may both be a little...a LOT spoiled) 

J and I have decided that starting tomorrow (Saturday) we will try to go vegetarian. We are not necessarily committing to a total lifestyle change but we both want to start eating better and although we don't eat terribly bad now, we want to be a lot more cautious of what we are putting into our bodies. I plan to keep track of how we do via here and my Instagram. I think this will be fun and excited especially since we are doing it together! 

I hope you all have amazing weekends! 

-Sarah

Meet Miss Sarah!

While doing my nightly blogger stalking creeping researching, I came across another super fun linky hosted by Stephanie at Falling Into First! Here we go:

Hi! My name is Sarah and I am a 23 year old girlfriend, fur momma and teacher. I am in my second year of teaching toddlers at a preschool ten minutes from the beach in sunny Sarasota, FL. I was originally born in Memphis, Tennessee but moved oceanside when I was 6 years old. I have a great passion for children (obviously) but, when I am not in the classroom, you can find me in the kitchen concocting a new pinterest recipes, scouting out new local eateries, lounging with J or shopping!

This is my lovely boyfriend. He definitely brings out the best and silliest side of me. J and I started dating in June of 2013. We have had some interesting times since the first night we met but I truly wouldn't have wanted anyone else by my side during them. He is a die hard Boston sports fan and seeing the passion he has for his teams has made me become an avid cheerleader for the Red Sox and Bruins (we are still working on the Patriots). 

Our first Bruins game together-we are able to take normal pictures but really, what fun is that?

Meet Chloe (6 year old Shiba Inu) and Yoda (4 year old Boston Terrier). These are our precious fur babies. I adopted Chloe from a shelter in 2011 and J raised Yoda from a puppy. These two are best pals and are frequently found running errands and taking car trips with us! We are certainly a dog family. 

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Tumblers&Straws~Ink Joy Pens~Binge watching Chopped&Cutthroat Kitchen with J~Seeing the kids in my classroom tackle a new skill~Sushi~Erin Condren Planners~ Coffee...lots of coffee~ Chloe&Yoda~Snow~J's Sweatshirts~Tennessee~Target~Traveling

 IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

I would love to be a personal shopper/assistant because..well, do you really even need a reason? OR, I'd like to join the Peace Corps and help under privileged children in various countries.

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Determined(Stubborn)~Compassionate~Loyal

 

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!"

"I'd really love to bring home assessments and anecdotal notes this weekend, said no teacher ever!"
 

Q: IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Oprah Winfrey. I mean maybe I would be gifted a new house or something insane!  

Q: IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?

The Fifty Shades of Sarcasm and Ratchetry

 Q:YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

 

 I'd definitely say invisibility!...or time travel..or teleportation-It's hard to pick just one!

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

"Always shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars!"
 

Q: IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

 "Let It Go"-Frozen (don't judge!)

 

 Q: ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?

I am honestly both. I can stay up all night binge watching shows, making lesson plans, blogging. Crash for a few hours then wake up by 7 (with a hot cup of coffee) and start cleaning, getting ready, playing with the furchildren-it truly is strange. 

 

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP?

I have yet to create anything for TPT but, I do create all of my own teacher forms, word wall flash cards and anecdotal note forms. 

Q: SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU! 

I moved away to Ohio the day after I graduated high school in Florida (circa 2009) because "I hated Florida. I was so over this state. I was 18 and could do whatever I wanted" Well, that lasted a whopping two years (with many MANY spur of the moment trips home).-I really showed them...

Leaving here taught me a lot of things and forced me to learn a lot of lessons-first being that home definitely is where the heart is and my heart is in Florida, for now! 

Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this! Link up with Stephanie here and meet some other great teachers! 

-Sarah