I GOT THE DRESS!

No no no, no pictures! I went to David's Bridal, assuming I would appease my ENTOURAGE that came with me (Mom, Kate, baby Evan, Melissa, Moriah, Lauren, Jen, Deb and Meghan...). I tried on about 12 dresses, poor April the dress consultant was working her tail off.

She brought me one last dress. I assumed I wouldn't like it but I tried it on because it was a little pretty. Oh. My. Gosh. It is beyond beautiful. Fit like a GLOVE (I cannot gain an ounce....they can only let it out a little bit!) So I guess the *May*keover is back with a vengeance! I'm feeling pretty good but it's going to be hard work around CHRISTMAS TIME with cookies! And Thanksgiving! AH! Ha ha ha.

Went for a run today and it didn't go very well. Of the 4 miles I probably walked 1/2 a mile total. I NEVER WALK. I've got some funky allergy/cold thing rocking and haven't felt well for a few days. Blah.

Can I just say that Brian is AMAZING?! He has been so calm, so understanding, and so helpful throughout this whole process. Truly he is incredible. Off to formulate a workshop! Last night of this class!!!

More pictures!!! Look at previous post for the first set!

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Picture 1 is us trying to get an artsy/good picture of the ring! 2-3 is the INSANE amount of confetti that fell right after we got engaged! Brian said he was contemplating proposing during "Fix You", but seeing the set list for the England concert that said after that song the next one had a confetti show, he said it confirmed that it would be the right time! 4-5 is of Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay (Funniest person in the world and amazing performer!) 6 is us at the end of the night, enjoying a little bubbly and letting it all sink in. (Speaking of sinks, this lounge had the coolest sink, wish I had taken a picture...it was like a fountain! Elevated square in the middle and a run off around all sides of it..if that makes any sense...)

Details details details! Ugh I get engaged and 5 minutes later everyone wants to know when where why how! AH! Driving me a little crazy. Let's just hope everyone will settle down and be patient. We're thinking December as a possibility. I'll keep ya posted!

going dress shopping tomorrow...AH!

Engaged part 2!

Alright here it goes! We were going to coldplay Monday night, and since the tickets were a raffle we decided (Brian really made the suggestion...) that we try a nice new restaurant bc we're not paying for the concert! So we went to Bobby Flay's restaurant Americain, it was SOOOO good! OMG I ate way too much. After that we met our friends Matt and Myssi and went into the concert.

Our tickets were three rows behind Matt and Myssi! It was totally great, but I found out that was semi-luck and semi-arranged! Now, my favorite coldplay song is "Fix You", look it up if you don't know it, it's amazing and emotional and I will love it forever. At the beginning of the song (Toward the end of the concert), Brian side-hugged me and said, "Is this our song?" And I said yes, and he told me quickly that he loved me etc. Well, while listening, I could feel him shaking. Uh oh. Just as the bridge began, I look to my left, and there he is down on one knee! We were both so excited, he was choked up, I was shocked, it was classic! Oh my heart jumps just thinking about it. I actually had a ring on that finger already so I had to slip it off quickly! Afterwards tons of complete strangers were high fiving us, cheering for us, it was great.

He picked out the most perfectly beautiful ring I have ever seen. Seriously. Picture is right here:

It's a princess cut, two smaller princess cuts on the side and 4 small circle diamonds on each side in the band. It's absolutely perfect.

It also must be noted in my "after" picture I look pregnant. Needless to say it's the dress, but it's not very flattering. So much for the *May*keover! Ha ha ha.

Afterwards we went to this rad lounge next to MSG, which was playing coldplay the whole time (perfect!) and Matt bought us a bottle of champagne, so nice! Thanks friends!

It was so memorable, I'm floating on cloud 9...all my students are so cute, asking me what my new name will be, if I'm having a baby (because that's what they're used to: marriage=baby!), is he a nice guy (yes, they asked that!) aw. Thursday is my last day, I'm getting sentimental.

Any questions or comments, just write! HOORAY! Dates etc TBA...we're still trying to manage time to sit down and really decide.

ENGAGED!

I'LL WRITE AND POST PICS ABOUT IT SOON! YAHOO!

Crazy Week(end)

MY LITTLE GUY IS SO BIG!

This is Kate, my mom and myself with EVAN! What a cutie pie. This picture was taken last weekend, and I saw him again this weekend. He fell asleep in my arms because he wouldn't go to sleep by himself on a bed...so all 10lbs of him became VERY heavy!!! We sat there a good hour under the umbrella chatting away. Had a fun weekend, Michael graduated from high school so Brian and I drove the 2 hour drive in 3.5 hours! YEA! (Sarcasm should be noted here) But he and I made it fun we found laughter where there should've been tears...many tears in traffic...

Saturday people rotated visiting my parents house so it was spent by the pool relaxing with the family, we had a blast. My little Meghan is way to witty for her own good. She showed me her "preschool yearbook", in which she listed her favorite colors as pink, purple, and rainbow, what she wanted to be when she grows up was a princess, and what makes her laugh is knock knock jokes! (She JUST turned 5 btw) She also showed me her BEST FRIEND Mikayla who, as she put it, "Has a disease called diabtes." Wow.

Today we did breakfast and drove back to NYC, only took 2 hours thankfully. I'm gearing up for COLDPLAY TOMORROW NIGHT! MSG! YEA! Brian won free tickets and I'm STOKED!

Off to listen to their new album...

Dad's Day!

YEA! I had so much fun hanging with my family this weekend..even if it was short lived. I had to do something at the restaurant Saturday morning (Times Square...) so I ran there. Literally. Went to the 59th st bridge, crossed over into Manhattan and continued on to Times Square! Everyone thinks when I say "ran there" I mean "real quick" by subway, but no, I mean all 5.5 miles of it! So much fun, Manhattan is so dead on a Saturday morning!

Today we did church, bagels after church, watched an old home movie, dad napped while I visited Gram and Gramp, and then I made sausage on the grill and sauteed peppers and onions to put on a bun... it's my dad's favorite from Fenway. (I know I know Amie, NO good thing comes from Fenway, but we need to yield for Father's day! After that it's Boston hate and Yankee love!) We had strawberry shortcake in between and lots of visitors! Melissa, Kate, Jaime, whew, I'm exhausted. I drove back here in traffic infested 95 S, wrote a 5 page case study and I'm BEAT! I need to go to bed early if I'm going to run tomorrow morning....

Till next time....

Tim Russert

Every morning I wake up and I watch the Today show. I get about 10 minutes of the local news with my favorite Chris Semino and Ro Morrison, and then they "hand it over" to Matt, Merideth, Al and Ann. Lately, Tim Russert has been a staple, in the midst of the nominees etc, he has been on every morning. I feel like I've gotten to know him in a way. Tim Russert died today. And although I didn't know him personally, he was such a genuine and intellectual person, I can't help but feel as though the world lost a great man. I loved how he helped me understand politics, how he always represented both sides equally, so I could make informed opinions and know the truth from many points of view. I remember seeing the visible pride when he said one Thursday that he was leaving to see his son, Luke, graduate from BC this year. He gushed about how proud he was, like any other father. It seems strange, but I feel as though I get to know these people I watch on tv everyday. It is always sad to see a life cut short. He was 58. My dad is going to be 57. Let's all keep this as a reminder to let the ones in our lives know how much we truly care. I can't begin to imagine what the family is going through. I hope you all will join me in praying for his family in this tragic time.

It's Friday!!!

Remember TGIF? Oh man what great times; Family Matters, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Step by Step, I feel like I'm forgetting one....BOY MEETS WORLD! And now it's CRAP in tv on Fridays! Thank goodness for shows online!

ANYWAY! This week has been long beyond reason. Let's just say, I never want to relive it. I got observed at the worst possible time on Wednesday (Last period, super hot classroom, kids behaving INSANELY...) and it didn't go well...so I get a retry. I'm happy I get a retry, but it's tough not doing well at something. The two ratings you can get is a U or an S (Unsatisfactory or Satisfactory), and I'm scared to death of getting a U (It means you're on pretend probation and get observed more throughout the year.) So yes, pray for me if you can.

Brian is away at his cousin's wedding in Wisco, so I saw him for 20 minutes since Sunday, and I won't see him till Tuesday. Sad day. It's so funny that we live 20 blocks apart but are so busy!

One of my students, whom I have mentioned in my myspace blog, is obsessed with learning about the war. I brought in a picture of my Grammy's brother who died in the war, and he has been obsessed with him ever since. I will now type the poem in its entirety:

"Sgt. Buster"

Buster is a Sgt. and is a rifleman
He died on 01-08-45

He was a great paratrooper

In the 17th Airborn Division

He died in the Battle of the Bulge

He got the Bronze Star

And the Medal of Honor

He carried in granades

And he was 21

And he never got married.

NO JOKE, this 2nd grader knew all this info about the war without my even telling him! I simply showed him the picture of Buster and the picture of the medals he received. It cracks me up.

Any plans this weekend? I'm going to CT tomorrow. Can't wait. I think I'm going to run to ESPN in Manhattan in the morning to clock in etc and then drive home. Daddy's day!!! WAHOO!

College class has begun...

Let the games begin!!! Yea, so, it's a lot. Good thing I have a teacher that has us take a 10 minute break and then lets us out around 9:30 instead of 10pm! It's slow and unusual torture! And on top of that? My buddy Daniel and I have a deal: Whoever is there first saves the other a seat. Well, he did it for me yesterday and gave me the LOPSIDED DESK! Ugh. After half the class he offered to trade, but I knew the damage was done and I now knew how to deal with it :-(

Went to the beach Saturday! And now the Tale of a Jones Beach Saturday:

Once upon a time, in the middle of a heat wave, there were six friends who wanted to go to the beach. So, at 8:30am, the first four friends embarked to the beach (Myself, Brian, Drew and Sarah). Brent and Pete would arrive a little later. Upon arrival, Sarah and I ran 5 miles at the on the board walk. At the tail end of the run, I glanced to my left and, low and behold, there was Sean and Amanda! (Another couple we know from Brian's previous job!) It was unbelievable, running into them without any knowledge of the other being at the same beach! Suffice it to say, they came and set up camp next to us. It was a fun filled day. We were in the water, throwing footballs, frisbees, and people. Sean had this wonderful spray on coppertone sunblock which seemed easier to apply than my lotion. A lot of people used it. That's when trouble struck. The rest of the day was carefree, but terror awaited certain members of our party. Brian, Amanda and Sean all had MASSIVE sunburns. Painful to even look at. Hmmm. What's the one thing everyone used?...SPRAY ON BLOCK! Yes, it had expired a YEAR ago! Even though it was a fun fill day, it was marred by pain and aloe application. Let this be a lesson to all: in order to have a fairy tale ending for a beach visit, make sure your lotion is still in good working order. The end.

Yea, they're all still sore. I'm burn free! And tan. A student commented, completely shocked, saying, "Ms. McAuliffe, you got tanned!" As though I'm too white for this to happen. Sigh.

I met Al Sharpton the other day. Yup. It all stems from Brian meeting him once, and I said if I ever did, I would berate him him with questions as to why he sows hatred and violence with words and never can admit when someone has done something wrong! (i.e. killing people, robbing people, he continually shows up to courts and press conferences giving excuses as to why people did these things...and guess who's to blame?! WHITE PEOPLE.) Well, Brian ran into him again and demanded I make good on my promise. I chickened out. It was a Sunday. He was in a suit. I felt awkward. So, in a clever reverse psychology move, Bri said "That's it, you're not saying anything. I'm leaving." BING! I turned around in mock spite, walked up to him and said, "Excuse me Reverend Sharpton. Hi I would just like to say hello," extended my hand, which he returned his own pinky because his hands were full...awkward..."And say that Mr. Deeds is my favorite movie, and when you say the line, "Nice rhyme," well, my dad and I just lose it. Have a nice day." The End.

Wow too many stories. But I've been too busy to post, and now AOL has been blocked from my school computers! So there is nothing left to do but read and blog on my breaks. I fear this too shall soon be taken away...slow and unusal torture...

Tell me a story a riddle or a rhyme...

Tell me a story once upon a time...that's a song from some children's movie or something. I can't remember where it was from. Well, I thought of it today because I was in professional development all day today, and it was with a FABULOUS author/editor. She gave a monologue pretty much, told a story, but was so animated and deomonstrative that it was enrapturing. She told the story of going into the library and reading her first book; Charlotte's Web. Now, I totally identified because I LOVE books and have always adored going to the library (I still go once a week). She also encouraged us as authors; to write stories, how to write stories, how to get them published etc. It was like the workshop was made for me! I sat there and came up with 25 possible book subjects while listening and thinking. I'm really going to pursue this, even though it's a challenging feat to accomplish and time consuming, but I've always wanted to write, and I feel like I got a glimpse of the how's what's and why's today. The second half of the day was quite boring and I was dying because....

Yesterday was my first college class! 5 hours of sitting in a seat! And then more sitting today! OMG it was so awful, my butt was numb! We had a 20 minute break at 10am and I took a walk because I felt so lazy! And since I had to meet my friends from the Fellowship whom I haven't seen in a MONTH, I only got a 35 minute work out in today. SO SAD! I can't wait for the weekend, it's going to be 90! I'm hoping to go to the beach.

What was your favorite book as a child? Mine was Little Women, followed by Anne of Green Gables, and then the American Girl books. (I had the Molly doll!)

June 1...

This is my favorite picture of Brian and I from 2005 at Block Island...I lost all my pictures in a computer crash but I had given him a cd with a bunch so at least I got some of them back! I will try to post pictures per a friend who claims pictures are the hook line and sinker for reading a blog :-)

SO, I can no longer say "I'm not eating desserts for the month of May!" Awww...I was talking to my friend Drew and I thought this will start in April next year and go through May, and he said I'd have to get a funky cute phrase ike *May*keover to convince him to do it...stay tuned. I'll try to post current pictures when Brian decides to give me my camera cord back...it got packed in the move because he borrowed it...so not cool.

RESULTS: I have weighed myself on two scales and I've officially (at least according to the scales) lost 8lbs in this month which is great! It was pretty much my goal, another few couldn't hurt so I'll continue exercising and making smart food choices.

Ok so Brian moved yesterday...can we say NIGHTMARE?! Everything was going GREAT until the elevator broke! He lived on the 6th floor....yea it was awful. We all got a good sweaty work out and I'm SORE! The biggest challenge was the couch, the poor boys had to move it all over the place, rotate it to make it fit, what a mess.

June begins my crazy summer. I start my college class on Wednesday, and it goes till July 2 (I think). 1 class, 2 nights a week (M&W), 5 hours per class. AH! It's better than the whole semester though. I'll definitely need some prayer. My second class July 7-31 and same deal, super long twice a week! It'll be better without having school though! I'll be working at the restaurant Mon-Thu enabling me to have some semblence of a weekend and a break. It's called the beach. :-) So if you think I'm ignoring you, not returning calls etc, well, I am, simply because I'm busy.

Seeing Alex was AWESOME!!!!!! And seeing my girl Jodi made it even better. We had so much fun. You know you have true friends when you can do absolutely nothing together and have the best time. We really did nothing but lounge and hang out and it was incredible. More laughter than can be imagined.

Tomorrow is a (potentially) big day...it's a half day at school for the kids but we stay full day for administration purposes...it's the "reorganization", which means all the teachers tentatively know which classroom they'll be in, grade etc...which is why it's potentially a big day for me. As a push in teacher I don't have just one class or my own classroom, so I'm called an "out of classroom" teacher; I have a feeling that I'll be a "classroom" teacher this fall. But I might not know it yet because they're still working things around, so it's super tentative. I may learn nothing new until mid June, but tomorrow I might learn something too. It's a waiting game. EEK! We shall see...