Five for Friday- Summer LOVE!

Hello there! I am so happy to be linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching today. This summer has been a blur and I feel like I have a million adventures to share...I'll narrow it down to five!
I began my summer with a last minute road trip to Florida. My boyfriend and I discovered online Ebay live auctions and couldn't help but bid on a few treasures. If you have never tried one they are seriously fun but oh so fast! Next thing we knew we were the proud owners of who knows what and had a 2 week deadline to pick it up. Only problem was we don't live in Florida...

My friend and I turned it into a girl's weekend (with Sherman the service dog of course) with stops in Tallahassee, St. Marks, and Savannah. We of course drove through every storm on the east coast, had car trouble, had to lift and pack my 300 pound new beast of a dresser and our other goodies, and stayed in a hotel with walls so thin I could hear the neighbor's dog slobbering (literally).


 
 
 When we finally got back home I noticed the clouds around me looked funny. Next thing we knew a WALL of debris and sticks and rain was swarming around us (uhhh hello tornado?!?). Naturally, we froze and my friend said "I think we're in trouble". Yup. Luckily the wanna-be tornado passed over us and we stepped on the gas and got out of there.

For now all of our auction finds are staying at my friends house (read- I'm a teacher hoarder and my tiny apartment is full of school supplies for the summer). I plan on refinishing the dresser and also got a few new stools for my classroom. It was quite the adventure but one I will always remember and laugh about!

When I got home from Florida I repacked my bags and headed off to Vegas for the Teachers Pay Teachers conference. I traveled with two other North Carolina sellers and we had a blast! We were like little kids running around our fancy hotel. There was even a phone in the bathroom (come on now, that's fancy hah). We were able to check everything off of our tourist bucket list like gambling (I lost $5 whole dollars), eating in fancy celebrity chef restaurants, sightseeing on the strip, and riding on the gondola throughout the Venetian.
I also learned so much from the wonderful presenters. I came back feeling empowered as a small business owner but more importantly inspired as a teacher and creator. I loved meeting the TPT team and so many other teachers that I feel like I already "know". I am planning my return visit now ;)
 I also was lucky enough to have been given this amazing shirt from A+ Images. They have been so kind to teachers and bloggers this year. Having something so adorable with my logo made me feel professional and I love it! They also have wonderful class sets of t-shirts and other fun items I know I'm going to show my teammates once we return back to school.
I got home from Vegas, repacked my bag, and left the next morning for the mountains. I was lucky enough to attend a week long conference/retreat with NCCAT. This program was amazing. Their goal is to provide quality professional development while helping teachers feel refreshed and appreciated. We ate wonderful meals, had time to connect with teachers across the state, and left with dozens of new ideas to help with literacy instruction- and all of it was at no cost to me! I will be sure to blog more about the literacy ideas as I implement them in my classroom.
 
 
I also learned about a book warehouse that was on my drive home. They were having a sale and I clearly need more books (don't judge my hoarding)! I ended up leaving with 106 children's books for less than $20!

Now that I am finally home and sitting still for the first time in weeks, I have had the opportunity to put all of this inspiration to use. I decided to change my store name on Teachers Pay Teachers to match the rest of my social media (clever, I know). This now means updating every copyright, logo, cover, and document in my store. While it is a huge undertaking, I am so thankful I have the time this summer to work on it. Many of my older products are now completely updated and the rest are in the works. Be sure to check for product revision notices on TPT over the next few weeks if you have purchased anything from me.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ks-Classroom-Kreations

Lastly, I am beginning a new adventure with my friend Theresa from Theresa's Teaching Tidbits. On the flight back home from Vegas I shared with her my desire to become a more consistent blogger and some of the ideas I had to write about. This conversation turned into the launching of our first collaborative (and self hosted) blog linky called Math Tip Monday. We will share math tips on the first Monday of each month. Here's a sneak peek at the calendar. I am looking forward to having this focus when blogging and can not wait to share ideas with you. If you are interested in learning more about how to link up with us please click the form below and I'll send you the details.
Google form

Whew, thanks for sticking through this massive post!! I hope your summer has been full of adventures, new opportunities, and relaxation!

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