Fall Happenings

We have had a rather busy October. Sam and I took a trip to Gatlinburg with our friends Amanda and Steve to celebrate Steve's birthday. It was a much needed break for the whole crew. We rented a cabin which was fabulous. Anything would be fabulous if it had a hot tub! :) We spent the weekend watching football, relaxing in the hot tub, and did a whole lot of shopping.



Mostly recently, we had a decades themed party for Halloween. It was so much fun! We had several people show up! We had music, a little dancing..anywhere Steve is there is a little bit of dancing...firepit, and smores! I have decided that next year is going to be 80's themed! My birthday will be 80's!! It's a year from now, but I can't wait!










I also participated in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk. My friend Rachel put a team together named The Hot Pink Ladies. It was an absolute blast! It will definitely be an annual event!

I Will Get Better At This

I am determined to get back to my blog! I have honestly been so busy or tired that I have been neglective of my poor little blog and my one or two readers! :) I like to think that someone likes to know whats up with the Shrewsbury's and is concerned that I haven't updated. Well there are definitely some things to share. We have added to our family...and no not by way of child! We have added a little fur baby puppy to the Shrewsbury house. Sam had been mentioning it every now and then and one Sunday afternoon we headed out to get ourselves Jack.
This is Jack in the car on our way home from picking him up.

He's growing like a weed! Bailey has seemed to take to him finally. At first, Bailey's poor little life was shattered into a million pieces...and Bailey being "my" dog I got a little defensive and sided with Bailey on everything. Jack didn't have a fighting chance, but now we are all one big happy family! It's been great to see the two of them become doggy brothers!

We also took a trip at the beginning of September to Atlanta, GA to the Chick-Fil-A GameDay kick-off between UNC and LSU.

You see, I married a diehard UNC fan. Sam was born in North Carolina and has been a fan as long as I have known him. I, on the other hand, was adopted into liking UNC. Being a SEC fan growing up with my daddy, life in the ACC is a learning experience! ;) It was so great to see Sam so excited and happy to be at the game. This was my first time at a college football game and Sam's first UNC game, so it was exciting for both of us. I wore down fast though. Let's just say a entire day devoted to college football is a little rough for a not so die hard fan, but it was well worth it to spend time with Sam. Plus I got to go to IKEA for enduring a day of sports, so again WELL worth it. By the way, I am officially obsessed with IKEA so if anyone is planning on going to Atlanta anytime soon, let me know and I will tag along. I won't be noticed...just drop me off at IKEA and come pick me up when you are heading home...with a U-HAUL in tow of course! :)

I am really enjoying teaching! It is stressful and tiring, but that comes with any job! The difference is that with teaching you get breaks every month! I am looking forward to that. Next break will be in two weeks and I am so ready! Overall, it has been a wonderful experience with awesome co-workers! I even landed a great class! I seriously could not ask for anything else....except new technology stuff for my classroom would be nice..but... it's just my first year. It will come in time!
Sam is still enjoying his job. He is coming up on his one year soon! We are very happy and thankful with what God has provided us. It has definitely been a year of blessings!

There has been much more going on I am sure, but I think this highlights the most recent and big things that have been going on. Hopefully, like my title says...I will get better at this.

So Much To Do...So Little Time

There is so much going on in our lives these days it's hard to keep everything straight. Sam and I are trying to get use to a new normal for us. I am now working full time which is a really fun and odd thing to grasp. I was actually getting ready this morning to head off for my first full day of school when it hit me; This is your life now! It really didn't seem real last week. While I am still learning and trying to figure everything out, this is my real life now. I am no longer the student teacher, I am the students' teacher. It's amazing! I have had a great time so far with my kids. I think that we have lucked out and gotten a great bunch of kids this year, but I might be a little biased when I say that. :) It is definitely going to be a fun year!

Sam and I also are celebrating two years of married life together! While we have been a couple for almost seven years, two years of that we have been married! :) It has flown by! It seems like yesterday we were talking about our wedding and honeymoon and things of that nature now 2 years and here we are. Last year we took a vacation early in June to celebrate our anniversary and then took a weekend getaway trip to St. Louis when our anniversary actually rolled around. This year we had to do things a little different. This summer has been crazy so we never really got the chance to really get away and celebrate, so before the hustle and bustle of this week came along Sam book us a night in a hotel in Huntsville, AL. We went to the space center and downtown Huntsville, but the heat was a lot to take in, so we started back to Nashville early Sat. afternoon. It has been a wonderful roller coaster the past two years, but I wouldn't ask for anything different! Here's to many more years of this crazy, wonderful life for us Shrewsbury's!

Oh funny thing..writing our last name made me think of this..So the kids have to call me Mrs. Shrewsbury, which I am getting use to. I'm use to hearing Mrs. Holly a thousand times a day, but I'm getting the hang of it. Anyways..I have noticed that some kids all me Mrs. Shrewbury and it completely catches me off guard. There are so many other ways for people to pronounce our name that I don't think a thing about, but leaving out the "s" in Shrewsbury really makes a difference to its sounds. Just saying...ok well everyone have a great week and I am off to work...

Ready or Not...

...The school year comes! It is hard to believe that 2 months ago I was writing about how I had a job! Man has time FLOWN by this summer! It feels like it was only yesterday that I was complaining about having nothing to do during the month of May. I have plenty to do now that is for sure! I have been working hard on my room ever since I got the key in mid-July and I still feel like it needs more to be done to it. Luckily, with the help of friends and family it has come together quickly to be ready for THIS FRIDAY!! It's crazy. This Friday, I will officially be responsible for these 6th graders. It is no longer a fun thing to THINK about, it is a REALITY! Tomorrow I meet the parents of my students and then come Friday the students are here. I have not managed to remember to take pictures of my room but don't fret! I will remember to take my camera tomorrow or at least before the kiddos get there on Friday and share with you my room! It is definitely my taste of a classroom. Alright everybody....ready or not..bring on the 6th graders!

4th of July

I know that we are almost at the end of July, but better late than never to blog about the 4th of July. Last year, Sam and I and some other friends of ours decided at the last minute to set up a tent hangout area in Nashville to watch the fireworks. We didn't let the forecast of rain stand in our way. Needless to say, if any of you remember the 4th from last year, it didn't just rain...a monsoon came through! Well, this year we decided to try it again, but luckily this time the forecast was in our favor minus the heat part! We came much more prepared and set up three tents one for food and the other two for shade. We had a great time hanging out with our friends! Steve brought cornhole which kept the entire group entertained for the 6 plus hours we were down there.

The fireworks started at 9:30, but we got there at 4:30 and of course didn't leave until around 11:30 due to traffic avoidance.


We had a blast hanging out with everyone. We had even more fun enjoying the scene of our neighbors..true Rednecks at heart!


They kept us entertained the entire night. It was complete with a citronella candle on the pavement, dog on the roof of the van as well as children, men without shirts which got worse as the night progressed, and plenty of hilarious talk.

I think that we have definitely created a 4th of July tradition!

Let's Catch Up A Bit

So I have been a slacker lately when it comes to blogging. It is not because there is a lack of time. No, it is because I get so fed up waiting on my photo uploader to actually upload pictures that I give up and decide to do it another day. Well, I can't wait anymore so it might take me all night, but I will get these pictures uploaded and I will blog!

Sam and I decided earlier in the year that we really wanted to go to Atlanta to see the Braves play. Growing up, I went to 3 Braves games every year with my family for Father's Day weekend, so going back got me all excited! For Sam's birthday and my graduation gift to one another we decided that we would make Atlanta our little mini-vacation. We booked two games, a stadium tour, and a day at Six Flags. Needless to say, it wasn't necessarily relaxing, but it was loads of fun! This was also a special trip because this is the Manager of the Braves, Bobby Cox's last year to manage the team. He's hanging up is #6 and going fishing after this year!

Day One

We left early in the morning to head to Atlanta. We had to make it by 2 because we had a tour to attend by 3. It was a fantastic tour!! I would do it again! Sam and I decided that it was the highlight of the trip. It was right before a game so we had to do things a little differently, but were still able to see all the behind the scenes stuff!


Our tour started in the Hall of Fame Museum. There were a lot of cool things to see.


One of the things we saw in here is the 1995 World Series trophy. Pretty awesome!


Our tour started on the field. This is Matt Diaz and J. Jergens that came out on the field while we were down there. Again awesome!


Photo opt to prove we were able to be on the field.


The dugout where Chipper Jones, Heyward, and many other players stand daily!!


SITTING in the dugout where Chipper Jones, Heyward, and many other great players sit daily!!!!!


Overlook of where the old field use to be. I remember going to that stadium very vaguely. Now it's just the outfield wall that can be seen.


Photo opt overlooking the field from the press box.


This is the lookout from the open air press box where Skip Carrey and Pete Van Wieren used to sit. Sorry if you don't really care about this stuff, but Sam and I loved it so I had to share.

After the tour it was time for the stadium to open to the public for the game. We went to batting practice where apparently you have to be a kid to get a ball. I was told that.."You're not a kid!" Seriously!? Anyways, we had a little rain delay, but the game went on.
Here's some pictures from game night.









Day Two

Another hot day, but we were ready for it. It was a day game and we had seats in the outfield. Needless to say we got some sun and got rather toasty. We ended up leaving out seats and going and finding empty seats in the shade. I wanted more sun, but Sam wanted shade so we moved. Fun fact from this game, we made it on TV! We recorded the game and watched it when we got home and were able to pause the TV and found ourselves. We are really little and hard to make out, but we know it is us. I have on sunglasses and a black dress and Sam had on a hat and softball shirt. We were easy to find thanks to the neon green shirt that the man in front of us wore! :)

Here are pictures of the day...











Those uploaded in reverse, but notice that what started out to be a hair down day did not last long!! :)

The games ended with Braves WIN!!! Always a great way to leave the game!

Day Three

We woke up early and headed to Six Flags over Georgia. It was a great day because there were hardly any lines. Unfortunately, I do not have many pictures due to the fact that my bag had to go into a locker to go on rides. It wasn't cool..but we still had fun!! Oh yeah..getting wet on water rides is not nearly as fun as it was when we were kids. I guess when you're kids you don't notice how incredibly uncomfortable you really are!


This is the Ninga. We had just gotten off of the ride and were in line to the Great American when we noticed this. The ride was stuck!!! The little man had to come up there. Glad we made it off when we did!!









We had a great trip! Sorry if you are overwhelmed at this point, but I had to share Now go rest your eyes for awhile.

P.S. During the time it took me to do this blog, upload photos and all, I was able to wash two loads of laundry, fold two loads of previous laundry, put away what was folded, and hang up the hang ups. I told you it takes forever, but I accomplished my goal!! (and multi-tasked!)

Putting On The Big Girl Pants

A month ago today I walked across the stage at Austin Peay becoming an official graduate with a degree in Elementary Education. On Friday, after coming home from a vacation to Atlanta that you will hear more about soon, I received my official teaching license in the mail. Today, I got the long awaited call asking me to be a part of the staff at a middle school that I have really wanted to be a part of!! In a month, so many things have happened and I see God's hand in it all. It is amazing!! So now it is time to put on my big girl pants and head into the real world of teaching 6th grade Science and Social Studies!!!

What a Weekend

To say this was an eventful weekend is a slight understatement. It all started on Friday. Friday was Sam's 24th birthday. He took the day off of work to celebrate the day. To start of the celebration day, we met up with our friends Kim and Josh at the Pancake Pantry. While I was getting ready, I heard Sam yelling at Bailey but not in a "you're in trouble" kind of way. He comes to the bathroom to tell me that we caught our not so friendly mouse. This mouse wasn't a big deal to me until he had chewed one of my Thirty One bags. After that, he had to go! After three weeks, we finally caught him.

Sam carried it to the woods while I screamed here and there everytime it moved. Oh did I mention it was still alive when we caught it! It peed on itself it was so scared! HA serves it right! That's how our day started. We went to the Pancake Pantry after taking care of that situation, which isn't the same as going in Gatlinburg. The atmosphere is completely different. It was still good though, just not the same. After breakfast, Sam and I went to Cool Springs for a day of shopping. Sam got all kinds of new stuff. I wasn't so lucky, but that's nothing new! We came home to rest for just a little while before we got dressed and ready to go see my sisters before they left for prom.

Of course we had to get a sisters picture before they left!

I tried to get a picture with Sam, but we can see how well that turned out.


After seeing them off, Sam and I left to have dinner at Stoney River. He's been talking about going to eat there for forever, so we finally were able to make it out. It was good food. We had a blast getting to have a real date night of going somewhere other than the usual! I think Sam had a great birthday!

Saturday was an interesting day. I was babysitting when I got a call from Sam saying that he had rear ended someone. You would think that I would believe him when he calls to tell me something like that, but I had to ask if he was serious. He was.





We are now down a vehicle and I am stuck at home for the time being. Hopefully we will get a rental car today! Needless to say, it was an eventful weekend!

Oh The Places You'll Go...

This Dr. Suess book is always brought up around the time of year that students are graduating high school and college. This is the time that I am in my life as well. Oh the places I will go now that I am a college graduate!!! That's actually our next plan for our lives. We have spent the past 2 years planning what we would do the semester before I graduate. Well, now that time has come and gone so now we are going to start planning places we want to go...THEN we will talk about adding kids to this crazy household, so don't get any ideas about that happening anytime soon! :)

So back to the whole purpose of this post. On Friday, May 7th I walked across the stage at APSU becoming one of the many Spring 2010 college graduates.
It was a hot and crazy day, but the job is complete. I will be able to pick up my diploma in June, but I at least got pictures and a little tube to put it in! My family and friends came to support and cheer me on which was a fantastic feeling. Truth be told though, I don't feel any different than I did before the ceremony began. It felt like any other day. I think the reason why is because I never completed my student teaching placement. Schools closed for the week in Cheatham County due to the flood and I was unable to say bye. I did not have closure, but I am going this week to tell them all good-bye! I also didn't have to take a final or write a paper or anything else that other people have to do. I worked (without pay), so it was just a very different feeling than I think many other people experience. Here are some of the people who shared in my day...






There were other people who were there as well but I didn't manage to get a picture with them. :( My younger sister, Moriah, had a softball game so there were some people who left during or immediately after to make it to her game. They won state by the way to those who were wondering how that worked out.

I spent the rest of the night celebrating with my friends. We went to a restaurant called Lime that is in Downtown Nashville. Just as a side note, if you want some awesome Mexican food...this is the place that you want to go! It was fabulous! I had a great graduation night of celebration. Thank you to all my friends who made it out to celebrate such a big day in my life!






God has blessed me with an awesome family! Thank you for supporting me, for putting up with my rants and vents, for not letting me quit, for listening to my issues because we know there were many, for being a shoulder to cry on, for celebrating my high points and lifting me up in my low points, and for loving me through it all! I couldn't have made it to this point without all of you!

Oh the places we'll go....