"I open at the close"

This weekend, I hosted a Harry Potter Marathon at my house. My best friend, Katie and I started these YEARS ago! Back when there were only 2 movies. She'd make a veggie tray and I'd make pigs in a blanket and we'd take an evening and watch Harry Potter 1 & 2 and play Rummy. As the movie's progressed so did our parties. We started inviting people and making more food and getting creative. A few years ago, Katie's sister got even more creative and made her a Harry Potter cookbook! My favorite recipe:

Quidditch Winning Breakfast:

ingredients:

2 slices of bread

butter

instructions:

place bread in toaster. When toasted, butter bread. Eat half a slice and leave the rest.

:)

So as our parties increased in size and food so did the amount of movies. This weekend was the first time to break it into 2 days.

Kevin and I are going to Florida to visit Jordan, Brad and Jack in 2 weeks and that's when we originally planned to have this party. But my wonderful friends moved it to this weekend so I could do both. Yesterday was Katie and Mommy Norton's birthday!! So they had a Harry Potter themed party!!

Kate, Ember and Mommy Norton came over on Friday night and we started cooking. We stayed up until 1am talking and baking. We got up Saturday morning to get everything ready. We started HP1 at 11am while we finished getting lunch together.

Harry Potter Munchie Platter:

Caldron Cakes:

HP cookies and cockroach clusters:

Pumpkin Pasties:

Mince Meat Pies:

We also made:
veggie tray, fruit salad, sheppard's pie, and
BUTTERBEER!!

watching HP1 downstairs:

My friend Sarah brought her little girl, Whitney. We are starting her early:

After we finished HP1 was headed upstairs to the media room for the duration of the day. It is just an awesome room to watch movies in:

My friend Sarah and Mommy Norton (bday girl #1):

My Mama and Embojo:

Delma, Jamie, and Kate (bday girl #2):

The 2 HP nerds who started it all:

midway through HP3 Katie's husband, Ben, showed up with a surprise that he had called me about earlier in the week. As Kate stayed the night with me Friday night, he wasn't going to see her on her bday so he drove down from Denton to surprise her with a cake:

So, I can't turn the picture for some reason, but the cake says: "This is the last Horcrux" !!!

We finished watching HP4 around 11pm last night. Not too bad since we stopped to make and eat dinner.
Last night we had some fun with our dog:

This morning we started #5 around 11:30 and finished all the movies around 7pm. I had a blast and can't wait for HP 7 the 2nd. It comes out in a little over a month!! Kev and I get back from Hawaii the day before. Oh it's going to be great. That means I have a little over a month to read all the books again!!

Thank you ladies for a wonderful weekend and HAPEE BIRPDAEE to Katie and Mommy Norton!!

Oh what fun!

Today was a lot of fun. Most of my kiddos rocked my test and hugged me so much! Such sweeties! I got my hair cut and colored and met my girlies for dinner in Southlake.

My kiddos sign my board at the end of the year. They ask to all year and i finally let them on the last day. It looks really cool. Still have 2 class periods left to sign! But this is it so far:

I love my girlies! Jennifer, Kate, Lucy Goose, & I met up for dinner tonight. We always have the best time! We've been friends since junior high! Love you girls!!!

1 school day till summer!!!!

It's just so beautiful!

Yesterday was a complete blast! Rangers won in an extremely aggressive way, and I spent most of the day in the sunshine!!

This was my view while I laid out at the pool:

After some sun time, Nan Nan (our lake family next door) let me use their jetski! The winds were 40 miles a hour which made for a very bumpy and fun ride!

We went to dinner last night at the Rock'n S bar and grill. It was really good. Right on the water with a great view! Afterwards, we dropped Mom off at the condo and Dad and I drove around to look at some of the damage from the fires. We started at the dam. It was about 30 minutes from sunset:

Next we drove down the road a bit to where we put the canoes in when we'd go on our 3 day trips down the river. Some of my favorite Coady memories are from those trips!!!

We did see some fire damage not too far from our condo. It scares me to think how close they came!!! I am so grateful to the volunteer firefighters who tamed these fires. My heart goes out to the families who lost their homes!

This is the other side of the road where they were able to save some land:

We went back to the condo. This is a horrible picture but this deer was fearless! I was able to get really close! She was eating some watermelon and didn't seem fazed by me at all! Even when she finally decided I was too close, she just walked away... No big deal. ;)

Some sunset pictures of the property:

This morning we were on the porch and I was holding Whitney's little boy, Jack, and Macie decided he needed some loving:

Wonderful weekend! 4 more DAYS till SUMMER!!

Pk lake

This place is such a joy for me to come to! It's so peaceful and wonderful place full of family and friends! Honestly, it's my little version of heaven. If I can't get to Paris, France... And let's face it, that hardly ever happens, :) I'd rather be here...

Sunset at the condo!

The view from our pool..

Jetsking in 40 mile an hour wind can really take it out of ya! Time to relax on the porch with my book and watch the rangers win!!!

Happy Memorial Day Eve everyone!

Estate sale

Come on out to our estate sale at 2100 Prestonwood Drive in Arlington, Texas tomorrow!!!! Looks like they sold a lot today, but we have plenty more!!!!

Seriously....

I love my life! I really do! I have a wonderful husband, amazing family, the best friends a girl could ask for, and a job where I feel like I am really making a difference. What more could a girl want? A flipp'in baby, that's what!!!

It's like getting a new car, or someone you know getting a new car, you start to see that car everywhere. Follow me here, when you've got babies on the brain, they start popping up everywhere! This week alone, everyday, at some point during the day, I have one way or another found out about someone's pregnancy. I am serious, everyday, without fail.

So if you are trying to get pregnant, it's a good thing you know me... That may be all it takes! God says, oh, you know Alyssa... Well, here's a baby!!!! Don't worry, I'll give here one too... I'm just going to make her sweat it out...

Seriously!!!! :)

Ok, but really, I am so excited for the people that are pregnant! And so jealous it's ridiculous!

So, in the spirit of full disclosure, if I do not get pregnant this month, ha. Like it's going to happen on my own, we are going to start the game plan set forth by our doctor next month!!!

I am really excited!!!! Summer is almost here, and maybe it will finally be my turn!! God has a plan for me, I trust it! I have faith... Blind faith! Ugh, I hate not being in control!

4 school days until summer!

iPhone

So, let's see if this works. I am blogging from my phone! How crazy is that!!! School is almost over and I am very excited about this summer! It's going to be wonderful! We had our end of the year Speech Club party last Monday and one of the kids brought a cake! I love my students!

Seriously! This is so cool!!! Also, Kevin and I went to the Ranger game last Monday night. We had the best time!

And Pres. And Mrs. Bush were there!

7 school days till summer!!!!!