A Weeks Worth of Thoughts...

This is going to be a very scattered and most likely unorganized post. So I am apologizing early if you can't make it through the whole thing! It's been a busy week, I feel like I'm always saying that so I guess I should just say it's been a typical week... ha. Lots of Big things happened this week.. for starters I got my license renewed...apparently it had been expired?? For like 2 years! I have just had an ID card and hadn't even noticed so I went to the DMV to get my license back and get everything in order since I will be taking over the title of my sisters car... well apparently when you have had an expired license without renewing it you have to take the test over again... the paper test. If you know me, you might know that I cheated off of my brother on the written test when I was 17...and since it's been about 3 years since I've actually driven (no need living in the city) I was slightly nervous.. but I passed with flying colors! So as of Tuesday I have a license and a car! I also have discovered that I HATE driving on freeways...so that's GREAT. (haha)

I've spent most of the week over at Mom & Dad's just hanging out, running errands and shopping with my sister, having dinner with the family and just relishing every last crazy second with them here. It's been great, and officially as of today 3 of my 4 siblings have already started their journey East. Stopping first in North Carolina to visit with family before the move to NYC. Mr. Jones and myself will be joining them in 2 weeks!

Something I meant to post about on Monday but forgot was that my Sisters amazing and adorable friends threw her a going away party last Friday! I was so happy that they included me in their festivities and they did a great job of pulling off a fun and exciting surprise party for my sister.

First up was dinner at an Italian restuarant in the "Little Italy" section of SF..

My Sister is the cutie in the Blue Jumper..always perfectly dressed!

After dinner her friends continued with the surprises with a "scavenger hunt" around the neighborhood leading her through some of their favorite "stomping grounds" finally ending up at the final bar where all of her guy friends were waiting to surprise her! It was so much fun and it was great to see how loved she is by all of her friends.. I know they will miss her as much as I will.

My Sissy and I... love.

Mr. Jones and the guest of honor!

It's also a big week for a few of my dearest friends, three birthdays this week! First up my amazing friend and personal teacher inspiration Danes..

Love this lady so much and she is an amazing teacher that I am so happy to have to look up to.

Also my oldest and forever friend Whit celebrated her birthday this week as well, I have known her since the second grade and we really have seen each other go through every life stage together, she is my LIFE inspiration! She is an amazing friend, mother, wife, daughter, teacher, cook, home decorator, the list goes on and on...I love her and one of the positives about my family moving East is that she lives outside of NYC so I will get to see her more often as well!

Whit and her adorable son!!

And last but not least, it's my dear friend Marks birthday today! I love him and my "roomie" Mere so much and wish that we could spend the weekend celebrating in LA but family came first this weekend and hopefully they will be here permanently soon! He's not just my best friends boyfriend he is also someone that I can genuinely call my friend as well. I love him dearly and wish him a very happy birthday!

Love them with all my heart... Mark the birthday boy and Mere.
(Sorry roomie stole this most adorable photo)

Ok.. well if anyone made it to the end of this post congratulations!! I will try to do a better job with updates so as not to incesantly talk and talk and talk... just so much on my mind that I had ( wanted) to share! Hope everyone has a great Friday!

XOXO- Miss. V

Bittersweet Goodbyes...

(View from the school playground... not bad.)

Today is the first day of my "summer vacation" although I've spent the majority of the day relatively busy. I had to be back at the school to finish clearing out my classroom this morning and this afternoon we went by the new apartment to make some final measurements... it looks like we may be moving sooner than planned so we also had to finalize some of the moving details.

I'm pretty excited about the move, it was totally unplanned (but was too good of an opportunity to pass on) and kind of changes my few weeks of relaxation into a few weeks of moving chaos, but that's just fine by me...if there is one thing I love it's moving! I hate the packing and unpacking but I love living somewhere different and new and having the opportunity to redecorate! In my 27 years of life I have moved...14 times, this being #15 absolutely crazy right... out of those 14 times 3 have been to different states, and 2 have been to new cities within the same state. Granted about half of those moves I did with my family so I didn't have to actually find the homes or worry about decorating an entire house but the other half I would pretty much say are moves I've done as an adult. Each time has been completely different and no two houses or apts. have been the same which I love. Even when I was growing up I would re-decorate or re-arrange my bedroom at least once a month, I love change and I love new beginnings and the new feel that even the smallest of changes can make.

Anyhow...back to summer vacation and bittersweet goodbyes which is really what this post is supposed to be about...It was sad seeing my classroom empty and quiet, don't get me wrong I am 100% excited to NOT be working today, but it was an intense 7 weeks of an incredible opportunity to teach my very own class before I am even done with my teaching program. I loved every second of it, even when I thought I might scream if I heard one more child whining the name Misssssss... Veeeeeee ! They were absolutely the cutest kids and the growth that happened in those short 7 weeks was incredible to watch and so fulfilling to know that I had played a role in that. Here are a few shots of my classroom..

My Room & Students Artwork..

The front of the room, calendar, art center, reading center...

We did so much this summer, not only academically but also tons of fun day trips, to the fair, the museum, the park, movies, water parks etc. ! The last day of school we held a huge talent show where each class participated, followed by a slide show, magic show and face painting. The kids loved it and I have to admit I was caught tearing up more than a few times... so embarrassing. I have to be biased and say that our class was by far the cutest in the talent show! We performed the "Penguin Song & Dance" which is essentially a repeat after me song, so I knew that they could handle it and it was a fun way to get the rest of the school involved, I made cute little penguin hats for the kids to wear which they loved and insisted that I call them Penguin (Insert First Name) all day long...which they thought was the funniest thing they had ever heard. I was so proud of them, not one single student froze on stage, granted we practiced for about two weeks straight so they were pros by the end....

My Little Penguins...

All in all it was a great day, sad but also happy, I was proud of them for their accomplishments, proud of myself for making it through without a nervous breakdown, and proud that all of us spent the summer growing and learning in our own ways. I'll be back to being a student again in a few weeks, no longer a teacher and I'm totally welcoming the change in pace, but I can't wait to do it all again soon.

Miss. V and her Penguins..

XOXO- Miss. V

Dinner Party!

It's been a very full weekend and I have lots to post about.. but I think I will break them into a few separate posts..so I'll work backwards and start with last nights dinner party! As I have mentioned before my entire family, (Mom & Dad, brothers and sister) are moving to NYC..and it is fast approaching...the siblings leave in 6 days and mom and dad in 10. I decided to host a small dinner party at our house as a farewell dinner for my parents and invite Mr. Joneses parents over as well. Our apt. is not huge by any means so I kept it to just the parents and will be spending time with my siblings this next week, as well as seeing them in NC before they finally end their travels in NYC.

Now...there is something you should definitely know about me... I cannot cook... like at all. Ok maybe eggs but that's about it. I love baking and am usually much more successful in that dept. but meal planning, prep, and the end product have never been my area. That is all left in the very capable hands of Mr. Jones. However....for whatever reason I decide that I can cook whenever there is the need to actually impress people..which is just nuts and I think I have finally learned my lesson.

In my defense we had a very busy day yesterday.. we spent most of the afternoon looking at and measuring our possible new apt. ( more on that later) and got consumed with moving details that by the time we actually bought everything we needed for dinner, came home, unloaded, cleaned the house and set the table...my parents were at the door before I had even thought to review my recipes!

Table Set & Ready....

Snacks set and waiting for hungry guests....

I chose what I assumed would be a no fail and relatively easy meal of homemade fried chicken tenders, mashed sweet potatoes, slaw, and corn on the cob ( can you tell I'm dreaming of the south! ... Only a few more weeks!) Well without having any time to prep anything before my parents arrived it just sort of turned into my mother basically helping/ making most of the meal with me in the kitchen, Mr. Jones furiously making homemade bread crumbs and me having a panic attack just about every five seconds. Awesome.

The calm before the storm... Mom & I in the kitchen..

About halfway through the cooking my oven decided to explode in smoke.. ( ruining my dessert) and quickly filling the entire place with smoke...so there's me ten seconds away from crying, my dad and the Joneses acting as if everything is just peachy enjoying snacks and wine in the living room, Mr. Jones running around the apt. opening windows and taking down the fire alarms...while my wonderful, amazing, calm, cool, and collected mother tried to keep me from losing my mind. To say the least it was a total disaster.

This photo doesn't do the smoke justice it was bad..real bad..

Luckily the smoke eventually stopped, we sat down and enjoyed an actually fantastic meal..shared tons of great stories, laughed a lot and in the end had an absolutely wonderful evening... Next time though we'll go out to eat and perhaps come back for dessert...I'm thinking cookies...you know the break apart kind...my kind of cooking. ;)

The whole crew... (Left to Right, Mum Jones, Dad Jones, Mr. Jones, my Daddy, me and Mom)

Charleston Here We Come!

So excited... not a long post but we just booked our two night three day stay in Charleston South Carolina! I am originally from North Carolina and have seen and been to many of the historic cities and towns in the south, as well as beaches in South Carolina but in my whole 27 years of life I have NEVER been to Charleston! I am even more excited that I get to share this city and trip with Mr. Jones and am already sad that we can't stay longer...however my family in NC would like to see us too! If anyone has been please let me know what we MUST do... and what we should skip..if anything at all ! So excited only a few weeks away until I am immersing myself in this city and probably falling in love with it as well! That's all for now hope everyone had a great Monday!

XOXO- Miss. V

Weddings & Anniversaries ..our Weekend of Love!

Another fun and busy weekend for us! Friday was our two year anniversary ( we have actually in total been together for four years, but we spent some time apart after college, so it's the two year anniversary part two ha! ) As I mentioned in my previous post we celebrated by buying a new camera and we went to see Despicable Me! in 3D which was so much fun. The movie has such a sweet story line and it's hysterical.

Modeling the 3D glassess...

Saturday was the wedding of our friends Jeff and Erin. It was beautiful and one of the best weddings we have ever been to. Everything was beautifully and thoughtfully done with personal touches throughout the ceremony and reception. The wedding ceremony was held at the church that Erin and her family attend and they had close friends and family speak and sing throughout the ceremony, it was a personal and loving service and the Bride, Groom and Bridal party looked absolutely gorgeous.

The Ceremony and Bride & Groom..

The reception was held at a gorgeous country club. The venue alone was stunning and their decor only added to the beauty of the setting. Their last name is Bear so each table was named after a different type of bear, ours was the "Honey Bear" table..so sweet! Each guest received an adorable hunny bear container filled with candy that they labeled as the "Bear Necessities".

Our good friends the Christophersons were also there, Sean was a groomsman so we were lucky enough to have Serena at our table with us. It was great catching up with them again so soon and are already planning a potential couples Vegas trip in the fall!

Mrs. Christopherson and I...

The handsome Mr. Jones...

The Bears!

Their band..the Wonderbread 5 who had every guest on the dance floor all night long!

The Christophersons and Mr. Jones & I..

The wedding was a blast it was the perfect combination of intimate personal touches, a great group of family and friends, an amazing band and delicious food and drinks! One day...I hope to recreate the same feeling of fun and love at my own wedding, I will definitely think back on this one as my example! Thank you Bears for the wonderful evening!

We headed home this afternoon, the wedding was only an hour away from the city so we were back by the afternoon. We decided that since it was such a gorgeous day we would spend some time enjoying the sun. We had lunch at a great waterfront restaurant on one of the Piers, and spent the remainder of the day playing "tourists" in our own city! We headed to Pier 39 a major tourist attraction for some ice cream and people watching. It was fun to pretend like we were on vacation and while we don't frequent the "tourist" spots in the city it's always fun to see the city through the eyes of people who are visiting and remember that we do live in a destination town.

Enjoying our lunch on the Pier

Playing tourist with ice cream in hand at Pier 39 with the SF Skyline behind us!

We enjoyed a nice stroll and some time in the sun and headed home to relax! Next up Monday, my very last one teaching for now, I'll have a few weeks off and we will head to North Carolina to visit with family so there's lots to plan over the next few weeks... I'll leave you with a few classic San Francisco shots...hope everyone had a beautiful weekend!


XOXO- Miss. V

Happy Anniversary!

Well it's been two years (back together) as of tomorrow! It's a long story that I'm sure I will share at some point with all of you, but tonight I am running on empty it's been a crazy busy day! Anyway, back to Mr. Jones and I... tomorrow marks 2 years of us meeting for dinner and realizing that all we have ever really wanted was to be with one another, from that night forward we were back to being a couple, the way it was always meant to be. I have loved him since I was 19 years old it just took time, maturity, and a lot of love to bring us back together and I am thankful every day for what we share. I love you always, always have and always will.

A few photos of us from the past year...

Mr. Jones and I on his 29th Birthday

Mr. Jones..in his element..making breakfast on the weekend..

Looking handsome as always...


A recent shot of us on a weekend hike..

No major plans to celebrate, we're not huge anniversary people I did buy the cutest card ever that I will share later. The only things we have on the agenda are buying a new camera after work tomorrow, (see previous post as to why) and we'll be seeing Despicable Me! Which we are both really excited about! We have a friends wedding on Saturday and hopefully some relaxing on Sunday...Keep you posted!

More weekend picures!

As I mentioned in my previous post some idiot (otherwise known as myself) spilled wine all over her (my) camera on Friday night which resulted in only two pictures being taken all weekend. Well thank goodness for less clumsy (tipsy) friends who were able to keep control of themselves because I have a few more to share with all of you! As I mentioned this adorable couple were in town part interviewing for a new job part spending time celebrating birthdays and housewarmings up here with the rest of the gang!

The oh so cute and lovable Mark & Mere

Here we are reunited in all of our "Roomie" glory.. on Friday Night

As mentioned earlier we spent Saturday in the "Burbs" celebrating our friends Housewarming party! Of course the majority of the group shots were taken in the kitchen where the food and drinks were...pretty standard for our group..we love to eat!
The Girls and I posed around the island.. and maybe me showing off my backless dress...no one ever said I wasn't a "show off" haha

Mr. Jones making some ridiculous pose and me embarrassingly laughing..


This is Mark pretending to be the host in Mike's "man cave" where we attempted to play games..but the sunshine was calling our names so time inside was short lived!

And these are my two favorite people...Mr. Jones and Mere such cuties!

Well that about rounds out the weekend in pictures! I hope to be getting a new camera on Friday right before we head out of town for a friends wedding! I plan on posting before then and sharing a few pics of where I am currently teaching so you can see where I spend my days! Monday is almost over... I'm headed out to dinner with a few "teacher" friends from my Cohort at school can't wait to catch up with them and see how they have been spending their summers, probably in much more relaxing ways than teaching a group of five year olds! Happy Monday everyone! What are your plans for the week?

Weekend in Review...

My only group shot of the girls all weekend!

Well, it's already Sunday and I'm sad to see the weekend coming to an end. We had such a great time with our friends Mark & Mere in from LA and spent Friday and Saturday spending time with the whole group. Unfortunately I only have about two pictures so far to actually document the weekend because my camera was soaked in wine on Friday night...totally my bad...ugh...still upset about it. Anywhoo, I'm hoping to snag a few pictures from Sat from friends so I can share with all of you.

(Left to Right: Birthday Girl Tina, Party Hostess Rachel, Wine Spilling Camera Killer, me..)

Friday night was spent celebrating our friend Tina's 27th birthday, we hosted a little party in the back patio of our friends house complete with cupcakes and lots of adult beverages...ha..hence me knocking an entire glass of wine all over my precious purple camera..I really don't have the money to buy a new one right now so I'm hoping it's repairable... I'll keep you posted.. Saturday morning we were busy getting ready for the housewarming in the "Burbs" , our friends not only bought their first house together but they also just got a brand new puppy a day earlier, so we came prepared with puppy presents and wine and spent the day bbq'ing and spending time with family and friends. It kills me that I wasn't able to take pictures of the house, it's absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to be invited back! After a long day in the sun we headed back to the city with Mark & Mere and spent the evening in playing catch phrase and eating pizza, really all you need for a totally entertaining night in! They headed out this morning and Mr. Jones will be spending the day not only playing soccer but also watching soccer, which means I'll keep myself busy laying out or trying to get the camera fixed..ha! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Look forward to hearing all about them!

Can't Wait for the Weekend!

I am so looking forward to this weekend! I probably won't get a chance to post again until Monday or Tuesday so I thought I would give a sneak peak of what's in store...

First off, my BFF and old Roomie ( we still call each other this) will be in town with her boyfriend Mark, they will be staying with Mr. Jones and I. Mere and I lived together for a little over a year in our 1st apt. in SF, we also are Sorority sisters and lived in the house together and were neighbors when we lived at the beach in SD during College...she is more than a friend, she's my Best Friend, and I love her so much. Her bf and her decided to move to LA, both career moves, about a year and 1/2 ago and while I love to visit them down there it always feels "just right" when she is back in town.. She is here for a job interview and is consdering coming back so I am crossing my fingers and saying my prayers that it all works out!

My Roomie and I.... love love love

On Friday night we will all be together to celebrate this little lady's birthday!

Tina...one of my oldest and sweetest friends!

When we were growing up, for some reason or another we always had Tina's birthday party at my parents house, (probably because her b-day is in the summer, and we had a pool and my parents were totally cool with having a million people over)... Regardless, her birthday has always been a special one and of course it's a perfect reason for all of these ladies to ALL be together!

The whole crew...last time we were ALL in a room together our annual Xmas party!

And Finally on Saturday we will be celebrating the new home of our adorable friends Melissa and Mike at their housewarming! This will be my first time seeing it and I've heard it's beautiful. I can't wait to spend the day with the whole group and celebrate everyone being together in one place while we toast the new home owners and soon to be newlyweds!

Melissa & Mike....and yes this was a costume party pic... but I just think she looks so cute so I had to post it.

Well now that I have gone on and on about my weekend plans what is everyone else up to? Hope everyone has a great weekend and I can't wait to catch up with all my blogs on Monday!