Five for Friday

Time for FIVE FOR FRIDAY with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

On Sunday, the Hubster and I went to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT. We are incredibly lucky to have such a lovely place so nearby. We had an incredible time, but my FAVORITE was when we met this little fella (Fred)! (He's actually not so little... 4 feet long!) Sadly, he was very much abused and had to be rescued. HOWEVER, he is now a teacher! He educates kids nationwide. Dave and I greatly enjoyed the presentation, even though Dave got squeamish when they brought out the boa constrictor!

At the end, we got to meet Fred and pet him! His skin felt so very different than I imagined! Loved every minute!

Did I mention that we are only 8 days away from our vacation?! Dave and I have only been away alone together once before in our entire relationship and that was the Honeymoon! I guess we just really love traveling with others! :) We are recreating our honeymoon by taking the same cruise we took last February. It will be nice to unplug for a little bit and decompress after my first 2 summer school experiences wrap up.

It's that time of year again! Time to get organized for the new school year! Many of you know how truly OBSESSED I am with plastics and storage containers! And from following all of you, I just KNOW that you are just as obsessed as me! :) I was beyond excited to find this incredible deal on Walmart Mobile! Sterilite File Crate 12-Packs for only $3.47!! They were unavailable in the warehouse and could only be ordered through your local store. I placed an order for 2 with big plans for all of the crate! I got my email yesterday confirming that my order was ready! So I headed down to my local Walmart, waiting 25 minutes for someone to find my order and BAM! Only 2 crates. NOT 2 DOZEN. 85 minutes later, after speaking with 3 supervisors, a store manager, and a representative from Walmart.com, it was explained to me that there was a glitch in their system and that the item was listed incorrectly. My husband encouraged me to return the bins, but I really need some more seating for my library, so even though my face in the picture below doesn't look too approving, I will be starting a new little DIY project! Lemons into lemonade, right?

During one of our summer school programs, students have the opportunity to work with Kenzie. Kenzie is an adorable pup that was rescued from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. She is now used as a therapy dog and for educational purposes I will be posting more on the Paws to Read Program later, but this week was the first time I actually got to see it in action! The kiddos LOVED meeting Kenzie (obviously) and were so much more motivated to read! I can't wait to see just how this program develops!

I am so excited to be running my first-ever 5K! Those of you who know me can attest to the fact that I have struggled with my weight for quite some time. As long as I can remember, I have dreamed of running in the Annual Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida. Though, while this has always been my ultimate goal, I have never even run a measly 5K. I am so very blessed to have such amazing co-workers and friends that have rallied around me. We are a terrific support system for one another and all have similar goals. We will be running in the Run or Dye 5K in Hartford, CT tomorrow morning and I am PUMPED! I set it up so that my race packet would be sent to the house. I was SQUEALING as I unpacked it all! Can't wait to update and post pictures from the event!! :) I hope you're all enjoying your summer vacation! Anyone else teaching a summer program? I'd love to hear your thoughts as I prepare my blog post about my experience! XOXO