{mr. and mrs.}

Katie is a Mrs. and I have pictures to prove it! Despite the weather, we had a fantastic time on Saturday celebrating Katie and Zach's marriage. The hit of the night was the photobooth. Below are a few (more like a million) of my favorites...

 

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3391156012/a=98038405_98038405/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Click the above link to view the rest. 

{where have i been?}

It seems like it has been a long time since I last blogged - and it has! I have been really busy with things that cannot be released to the public. You ask...What on earth could Samantha be doing that she can't talk about? She talks about everything! The answer is Katie's wedding. I have talked about it privately to only the most special of people, but I couldn't take the chance of blogging about it and the couple themselves seeing it.

Here's the story...Katie meets Zach. Katie falls in love with Zach. The love is mutual. Katie and Zach decide to say "I do!" They are so excited to be married and they want a wedding, but they don't want the stress of planning a wedding. In comes yours truly. I have spent the last 8-weeks planning everything from table set-up, to children's craft tables, to finding vintage papers, to making fabric flowers. It has been a whirlwind of a time. After some ups and downs, everything is set for Saturday. The best part? Almost every aspect of the planning has been a secret to Katie and Zach. Now that my part is done, I can't wait to see their reaction to their gorgeous wedding!

Expect a blog dedicated to the whole thing!

{art show}

Welcome!

Third Grade fantasy birds. I just love the personalities of each one.

First grade warm/cool butterflies. We accordion folded and then tie-dyed them.

Fourth grade Lichtenstein self-portraits. Every single student made it their own. It's amazing how much they actually look like the student, too.

Second grade clowns. These are on 18x24 poster paper and are hilarious!!

Third grade observation studies. They studied real photos of fish and underwater scenes to create their work.

Every once in a while I realize how much fun my job is and how lucky I am to have it. I mean, seriously, I have fun all day long, everyday! Don't get me wrong, there are some things I don't like about my job and there are days that I wish would just end, but this time of year I begin to be very thankful. I have been so busy getting the art show ready and I probably haven't been the best teacher because of it, but seeing everything up and reflecting on what we've learned and how much the kids have experimented really puts a smile on my face.

From kindergarten simply learning how to make accurate shapes, to fourth graders pushing themselves to create entire compositions, they all seem to amaze me. I love that my job is to make them think about things in another way. I am helping them to become more aware, open and observant. I notice the students are getting better about talking and writing about art - they are using their own experiences to connect with different artists and works. It's just so fun to see them grow as artists and as people. Being around such creativity is like a constant injection of goodness and I hope it lasts forever.

{veggie garden}

The vegetable garden at Mom and Dad's is starting to sprout! Right now we are waiting for brussels sprouts, potatoes, radishes, red and yellow onions, garlic, pole beans, shallots, beets and broccoli. Next weekend we are going to sow the summer veggies. Yum! Yum!

 

{parkville microbrew fest}

When Meagan called us earlier this week and invited us to the Parkville Microbrew Festival, we had a hard time saying no, but we had so much to do in the yard and around the house that we had been putting off for this weekend. For a few days, the thought of not going was a real possibility. It was one of those moments where we had to either choose to be adults and stay home to do our chores, or say "screw it" and have fun with the kids (Honestly, what it really meant was that we had to haul ace to get everything done). We opted for the latter. So, Saturday we packed our bags of pretzels, picked up our friends and headed to Parkville. Boy am I glad we did. First, the weather was bea-wait-for-it-utiful! Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Second, we hadn't seen Meagan and Logan in a few weeks and we were past due for some fun together. Finally, the craft beers were delish and we got to try them all. The only upset was that S+C couldn't make it (which is unfortunate for all parties involved). Oh, and we all looked like lobsters by the end of the day.

Long story short...Parkville+Best Friends/Family Ever+Beer+Beautiful Weather=Super Saturday!