Happy Howl-oween Weekend!

Halloween weekend started off with the last home MV football game.  Surprisingly, it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be and MV came away with a win...which means playoffs and possibly another home game in two weeks.  I should be a supportive coach/teacher/fan and be happy about that.......but Craig and I really enjoy our football-free Friday nights.  The dance team performed their Halloween dance--a scary clown routine this year.  I recorded it so the girls could watch it, but decided to upload it here for your viewing pleasure.  =)  Enjoy!





Team photo
Silver Star Seniors


Saturday we ran some errands (trying to find a nice vessel sink for our bathroom) and I picked up my bridesmaid dress for my bestie's Hawaiian wedding next summer!  I love it---love the style and color!!!  I can't wait to wear it in Hawaii!!!!!

We also attended the wedding of our friends Travis and Alissa.  Though we were the only ones on the dance floor most of the night, we had a blast!  I apparently busted out some pretty sweet dance moves!  I think I was just celebrating the amazing Hawkeye victory. =)
Bride and Groom.  They took dance lessons for their first dance!  How cute!
And finally, Halloween weekend wouldn't be complete without a dog in costume to greet the little trick-or-treaters.  Kinnick LOVES watching for squirrels, so when I saw this squirrel costume at Target a few weeks ago, I HAD to have it!  He's not a fan, but he doesn't get to decide. =)
He's not a fan of the head.
He's embarrassed... Mommy thinks he's cute!
Mommy made me pose by the pumpkin.

Random Thoughts on a Friday Morning

It's hard for me to get much work done during my planning period on a Friday.  Instead, I'm here, blogging - my new favorite thing!
  • It's a sad day when I have to dig my North Face fleece out of the closet. =(
  • I love my algebra 2 kids this year.  I am so lucky to have kids that finally "get it"...meaning if they pay attention and do their homework, they will do fine!  Everytime I grade tests (which is what I should be doing now), I am reminded of how great they are. =)
  • Last Mill Valley football game tonight.  Excited for the girls' halloween dance, but it's going to be SO COLD!!!
  • I hope I have some Hot Hands at home.
  • I'm trying to make a habit of going to Zumba every Tuesday/Thursday.  It's an hour-long, latin-salsa, cardio-dance workout class.  It really is a lot of fun, but my legs are pretty sore today.  It makes me want to be on Dancing With the Stars.  Or at least take ballroom dance lessons.  One thing is for sure--I give the contestants a ton of credit for learning what they do each week!
  • Looking forward to the weekend--sleeping in, friends' wedding, carving pumpkins, and greeting the little trick-or-treat kiddos Sunday...that is, if I don't eat all the candy first.
  • Congrats to the future Mr. and Mrs. Boxberger!  Looking forward to your wedding tomorrow!
  • Blog are fun!  I think more people should do them!  I love reading other blogs!
  • It's almost time for Christmas music!!!!
  • I'm going to have a student teacher starting in January!  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  I hope he's good!
  • Seeing Both Sides - the new name of our blog.  It needed a catchy title.
  • I hope my poor little Kinnick is okay.  I flung him off the bed overnight, on accident of course.  I didn't realize he was laying on my side so when I turned over, he was thrown off.  Oops.  Sorry dude.  He seemed just fine this morning.
  • An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.  Or so they say.  It seems to be working so far this fall.  (Knock on wood.))
  • Big Hawkeye game tomorrow vs. Michigan State.  We really need to win!!  Speaking of football, KU vs. Iowa State tomorrow.  Go Jayhawks!

Cheering on the Chiefs

After 3 1/2 seasons in Kansas City, I finally made it to my first Chiefs game!  Craig has been to five altogether, but this was our first NFL experience as a couple.  We went with our good friends, Jamie and Jay.  Jamie is the head dance coach and since we coach together for 11 months of the year, we spend A LOT of time together.  Luckily, our husbands get along great and enjoy each others' company, as they get dragged along to all of the Mill Valley football and basketball games each year.  Anyway, we headed to Arrowhead bright and early Sunday morning to tailgate.  On the menu: breakfast burritos, Bloody Mary's, Mexicorn dip, and beer.  It was a little chilly, but nothing a little tailgating wouldn't fix.  The atmosphere was fun and game time weather was perfect - near 70 and sunny!  Great game to watch as the Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-20.  Here are some pictures!

 Our breakfast burrito filling
 Bean bags (the team I was on won both times btw)
 Us =)
 Inside the stadium.  Pretty cool--each square has 3 sides to it.  One side had the date of the game, one had the front page of the newspaper sports section, one side had game stats.
 He played for Iowa!
 Silly boys-I guess they wanted to pose by one too.

 Kickoff



 The 4 of us.

Here Comes HWKIGRL!

I had all intentions of picking up my personalized plates on my day off Friday until I found out the wait was 2+ hours!  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have to wait like everyone else to simply pick up a license plate that would take one minute.  Seriously.  I was so mad.  Back I went this morning.  I was there BEFORE the sun came up at 7:15. (I was the 11th person in line when they opened at 7:30!).  Thank goodness for 1st block plan.  Here it is! 
 


Mini BLTs

This is a super good and easy recipe.  Great for a weekend snack or game-time meal.  Take a Pillsbury recipe creation sheet, unroll, and lay flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake according to package directions, then cut into small squares.  Fry bacon and cut into pieces.  (Or use the pre-cooked bacon if you want to cheat like I did.)  Mix with mayo (enough so mixture isn't dry) and shredded cheddar cheese.  Spread evenly on half the crust squares.  Top with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, then top each sandwich with another crust square.  Enjoy!




October Odds and Ends

Parent-Teacher Conference Week.  Most teachers hate it.  I, on the other hand, don't mind it!  Number one, it means a short week with kids.  Only three days.  Can't beat that!  Number two, we get to sleep in on Thursday!  Our conferences are from 10am to 8pm on Thursday (4:30 to 8:30 the night before).  It was so nice this morning to be the one still in bed when Craig left for work.  (Usually it's the other way around!)  Number three, I get to tell parents how much their kids really suck.  Haha, not really.  I'm too nice for that.  And I've been blessed with some pretty great kids this year (96% average test grade in one class!!).  Number four, 14 hours of conferences usually means a lot of work time and even more time for socializing.  Teachers love to socialize!  And number five, we get Friday off!  Our first day off since Labor Day!  I can't wait to enjoy my day by sleeping in (yet again), going to my hair appointment (highlights, maybe some lowlights, and a trim), and picking up my personalized HWKIGRL license plates!  (Stay tuned for pics...)

Speaking of conferences, Craig thought it was the perfect time to tear up the next bathroom!  Yep, you read correctly!  I received a picture text at 5:30 last night of our sink-less main floor bathroom.  That was his way of breaking the news.  I guess he always needs a hobby...  So anyway, I suppose this weekend will consist of a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot, maybe even the Tile Store, to pick out some new bathroom furnishings. =)

This weekend also includes my first ever trip to Arrowhead!  I've never been to a NFL game, so I'm pretty pumped!  Craig says Arrowhead is awesome, and with the way the Chiefs have been playing, we might even see a win!  I'll be chearing especially loud for former-Iowa player Tony Moeaki!

Great weekend in store--the only thing that will make it better is a Hawkeye win against number 13-ranked (or 10, or 11, depending on which poll you look at) Wisconsin.  We;re one spot, or two spots, or three spots behind the Badgers...again depends on the poll.  It's a home game and I've got a great feeling about it!

Have a great weekend and go hawks!

Before and Afters

After posting the pictures of our remodeled bathroom, it got me thinking about how much our house has changed.  We have put so much work into this place!  We have a long way to go and there's so much more we'd like to do, but we're making progress...HUGE progress!  And though I'm sure our next place will be newer and nicer, it will be hard to leave this place after finally having everything just the way we want it!  Here are some before and after pics...

Living Room



Dining Room
  
Kitchen

Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom

Office

Main Floor Bathroom

 Basement
(Okay, so we haven't done much to the basement except fill it with furniture!)

Laundry Room

The pictures are SO amazing to me!  However, I'll be happy if I never pick up a paintbrush again... =)