Pray for the USA

With the election coming soon we all want what is best for our country

but with all the lies and schemes in politics how do we know what is true or what is false

Its easy to start criticising the opposition but instead we should take that time to pray as a country for a promising future

I am so glad I found Tony Evan's 40 Days to pray for the USA

All you have to do is subscribe and you will receive and email every day with a scripture passage, guided reflection and a prayer.

It is so uplifting that people all over our country are praying for the Lord's will.

So sign up and help our country because every prayer counts.

How you know your an adult

So how do you know your an adult?

Getting Married?

Getting your first Apartment?

Graduating College? 

Having a budget?

Paying Bills?

Getting your first real job?

Your bedtime become 9pm?

Making your first adult purchase like a mattress and you get excited ?

Nope cause I have done them all and none have made me feel like more of an adult than this...

Getting my own health insurance!

After I started as a teacher I decided to take their health insurance since it was included and after filling out the paper work and getting all my health, eye and dental cards I had to call my parents to cancel my insurance. 

Wow! that is how I felt. I felt as if I officially cut all ties from being my parents child to now just being my parents adult daughter.

So cheers to the weekend and to the adult Brianna Tucker having a little less than adult fun and relaxation with some adult beverages :)

Please please do as I say..

So this has been a long week.

Common Core transition is kicking my butt and now instead of having two preps I will have 3.

Hello AIG Math starting Monday!

So I right now I just need a good laugh and I turn to my favorite episode of Big Bang Theory!

Please Please do as I say and if you have never seen this episode or this show you must watch this clip

Youll thanks me!

Bazinga! Have a great Thursday!

The pyrex that was....

You would think after one disaster I would learn my lesson in the kitchen but no...

This time my bake ware failed me

Andrew wanted me to "spice up the chicken" and not just bake it so I whipped up this lovely recipe for garlic Parmesan chicken.. It smelled delicious! Too bad this disaster happened

I took the chicken out of the oven and placed it on the stove so I could finish the mashed potatoes. Apparently I forgot to turn the burner off so I finish the potatoes, plate our dinner of garlic Parmesan chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted okra and Kaboom!

This Pyrex breaks into 100 pieces and all into the plates I am carrying for dinner. Frantically I scream cause I got scared and then we sent the dogs in our room and shut the door. The glass was so hot as we tried to clean it up it kept shattering. 

So we left it to cool and went out to get Mexican and margs cause we sure needed a beverage after that fiasco!

Moral of the story. Don't put your Pyrex on a hot burner!

Time to get serious

I usually use this blog as a way to express myself and I vowed since the incident that I am about to talk about to always focus on the positive. But I have been doing a lot of reflecting about something that has helped shape me into the positive person I am today.

So here it is..

I have suffered from depression and still struggle with high anxiety

It was one of the hardest and most humbling things I have had to deal with in my short 23 years of living. Two years ago at about this time in my Junior Fall Semester I withdrew from College. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.

Here's what happened. I was noticing my anxiety was hitting an all time high and I knew I needed to try and get it into check. I was about to start my Junior year, I was getting an apartment, it was about to be the most important part of my college career so I went and met with my doctor. She prescribe me some anti-anxiety medication. ( For those of you who know anything about this medication its also the same meds used for depression) I was warned that this was a side affect and to let her know if I notice change in my behavior

So I was feeling good. I noticed alot of my anxiety was gone. 

Now I know what you thinking alot of people have anxiety but mine is real bad. I have a huge security issue and fear of being hurt/sick. I have spent nights getting up and checking the doors dozens of times cause I am just not 100% sure. I have also broken down numerous times to where I can't breath and can't calm myself down. 

Then all of a sudden I took a turn for the worst. The medicine's side affects took their toll. I was really active in my sorority in college, numerous organizations and loved being social and it was like a switch and I was suddenly skipping all my classes, sleeping 15+ hours a day, not showing up to any sorority events and not leaving my house. 

Eventually Andrew noticed an told me I needed to go talk to a counselor or he was taking the first step and calling my parents. I told him I hated him and if he didn't leave me alone "He would be single"( Yes those were my exact words) Praise God that he only wanted (and still does) whats best for me and picked me up screaming and crying and drug me to my advisor and from there I went to the school psychologist.

After talking for a few weeks and figuring out what was going on, I realized I wasn't myself. I was depressed. 

Calling my parents that night was the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like a failure. My parents have beaten so many odds and I felt like I let them down. But being the most amazing parents they are, they came up the next day, packed up my apartment and took me home. Not a word about it, had my room ready for me and my favorite dinner and their only concern was to make me whole again. 

Looking back now I am so incredibly blessed by God to have been given such a wonderful support system. At first I was embarrassed and I cried for days. When I told people I left school I said I was "got sick" and missed to many classes. I wasn't ready to face the truth. I thought only crazy people had counseling so I couldn't tell people I left school because I was depressed. 

Now I am still struggling with my anxiety and have found more natural ways to deal with it. A diet high in Vitamin B reduces stress and anxiety in women, and there are many other natural things you can change in your diet. I have learned so much and hope one day I can help someone through this struggle as all those around me helped and continue to help me everyday through mine.

But because of it I am stronger and so blessed.

Do you blog??

So my lovely readers do you blog ?

I want to know! 

I have seen a few of my other blogger friends do this and I would love to get to know those of you who follow my blog because

1. You already know so much about me

2. I may not know you!!

So here are 5 random things about me and because I shared my quirks you should share your answers below!

1. I have no piercings or tattoos. Not for any religious reason but because I am extremely scared of needles ( see #2) . My parents never got any of our ears pierced as a baby cause they wanted us to decided when and if we wanted them and being a competitive cheerleader it never happened. Now I am 23 with no piercings but it seems normal to me but the rest of the world is always shocked when I tell them.

2. I love the dentist. The idea of getting my teeth cleaned makes me so happy! On an opposite note I hate the doctor, the idea of being in a building full of needles makes me want to hyperventilate

3.I am a sell by Nazi... yes I know you really have a week after the "sell by" or "best if used by" date but that doesn't fly in this household. I am no professional and if you can't sell it in a store I am convinced I will get sick. Its a habit the hubs wishes I would kick!

4. I love ice cream. Its such a weakness. We eat very healthy at our house cause I have so many things that don't settle ( hello gluten and dairy) but I will take a lactose supplement in a heart beat to chow down on some ice cream

5. I believe in breaking the odds! My parents were teenage parents and 24 years later they are about to celebrate their 20th anniversary with 3 children and college degrees and some of the most successful people I know. The hubs and I are high school sweethearts  and I love it. I have watched him grow into a man!

So now spill your beans! I am anxious to find some new bloggers that I don't follow :)

Who are you?  

Do you blog, too? Leave me your link!  I want to follow you!

Do you remember how you found my blog? A link-up? Another blog?

How long have you been reading?

What keeps you coming back to my blog?

Whats something we have in common?

Tell me a fun fact about yourself!

Happy Fall Yall

I love fall... everything about it!

From scarves and boots, to football and tailgating, to pumpkin patches and apple pickings

I LOVE IT ALL!!!

Well this weekend I had some leftover apples from my trip to the farmers market and being it was the first day of fall over the weekend it called for a celebration!

I made my homemade apple crisp and as Andrew described its heaven for your nose!

So here's the recipe and try it out. 

But don't forget your ice cream.. its a must!

Homemade apple crisp

5-6 small apples or 3-4 big apples (whatever equals about 4 cups)

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 old fashion oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/3 cup of melted butter

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees and get out an 8 inch baking pan

Cut and slice apples and mix in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice. Let sit for about 20 minutes so it produces some juices then pour in your Pyrex 

Next mix flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and melted butter to make the topping.

Sprinkle on top of your apples and bake for 30-35 minutes

Serve with ice cream and enjoy fall :)

Do you have any fall recipes that you love? Please share!!!!

When its right you just know

So no this isn't a post about how you know when you have found the right man.

(But I am pretty lucky to have already found my perfect match)

While I am still young and only 23 I have 4 years of professional work experience and in those four years I have learned a lot about myself and what it means to have the right job

I was lucky enough at 20 years old to land an amazing opportunity with the tanning salon I worked for, Sun Tan City, and become a Salon Director ( their fancy title for a store manager). I was struggling trying to figure out if I still wanted to become a teacher after a series of events that made me begin to doubt so I took the job to try my hand in the business world while finishing my undergraduate degree.

Now you may think, really how hard is managing a tanning salon, and I see your point if I was running your local mom and pop joint, but STC is far from such.

I ran a million dollar store, managed 12 employees and two assistant managers, saw 300 people a day, cleaned and maintained 24 tanning booths, two spray booths, did laundry, made schedules, and sold thousands of product everyday. 

Not to mention the kicker. I was on call 24hr/day- 7days/week.

While I was great at my job, worked really hard, made amazing money and my store was constantly in the top 10% of the 300 stores STC had, I didn't enjoy my job. I despised it and it consumed two years of my life.

So when I came to a point where I had saved enough I decided that I missed the idea of teaching. I was in my final year of college ( aka super senior here) and wanted to get some experience that would help me land a teaching job after graduation.

I took a job at Chesterbrook Academy as a teachers assistant.

You would think this means great you love your job. Nope, I felt pointless on a daily basis. They had to have me to meet their private school ratio, but the teachers I worked with sat me in the corner and I filed papers all day. I barley worked with the students. So this time I wasn't over worked, I felt bored everyday and there is nothing like going to work and feeling bored for 8 hours.

So after graduation the hunt for teaching jobs began and I accepted a job as a 6th grade math teacher.

I now understand what it means to have a career not a job

I work hard everyday. I am up at 4:30 at work by 6:30, am working with students or for my students all day long, leave at 3:30, hit the gym come home enjoy my husband for a few hours and hit the sack. But there has never been a second where I thought, if I don't show up.. no one will notice. I enjoy being with my students, I enjoy working for a purpose, I enjoy making a difference, I enjoy enjoying my job!

It's amazing how enjoying your job makes you feel complete. 

So when its right you just know and you can be in the #win category. But sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find out :)

Wear Red Get Fed!

So many of you may be completely confused by this saying

Wear Red Get Fed, but as an NCSU Alumni I remember this as a huge part of my college experience!

Why college football has been going on for 2 weeks this week is the first home game and my beloved Wolfpack will be playing South Alabama

While I will not be at the game I will be watching and hoping for a wolfpack win with my fellow alumni husband and friends!

Hope you are wearing your red today and enjoy your Saturday!

Can I do it? Yes we can!

I am in serious need of some blogger PR!

And this is my second post today! Crazy I know!

(I don't normally do or ask for things like this but its that important!)

I am trying to fund a project for my students and have signed up for donors choose.

Students these days really struggle with math because they don't know how it relates to the real world. I want to get scholastic math magazines for each of my students but this is about $1,000.

 I thought this would be impossible but I knew if I reached out to my blogging community you could help me spread the word!

This is so important to my students and I! Not only will this help them understand that math is important but we will help integrate math with all other core subjects and meet so many common core standards required by the state of NC :)

So please help me promote my project for my students and mention it on your blog!

Here is the link to my project!

http://www.donorschoose.org/brianna.tucker

Thank you for passing this on!

It's Okay Thursday...

I am linking up today for It's Okay Thursday!

I haven't done this before so here we go...

Its' Okay that....

..... I enjoy the time I get alone before my husband gets home so I can watch all my TV crack in piece

..... I am anxiously watching the website Donors Choose to see when the project for my classroom is reviewed so I can start getting it funded ( more on that once its reviewed!!!)

.... That I am already counting down the days till the Holidays

.... I am pulling out my fall/winter clothes this week in hopes that it will convince the weather to stay

.... I despise pumpkin spice lattes. 

.... That my husband I watch Friends and Big Bang Theory re-runs every night because we are obsessed

.... I talk to my dogs like they are people

.... I am a sheet snob! No lack of thread count for me!

.... I wake up at 4:30 every morning for work. My students are so worth it!

If you were in middle school..

So most of you know (and if you are a new follower now you will)

I teach 6th Grade Math

Now I want you to think back to when you were in middle school... How many Math related field trips did you take?

If you were lucky you may have been on 1 but its much easier to plan science, history or english based field trips!

So I am really making it my goal to plan 3 field trips this year that relate to the math curriculum!

It is so important for our youth to understand that math is important in the real world because the number one complaint I hear in class is...

"Why do we need to learn this? We will never use it after school!"

And the answer is yes while you may not use every piece of math you learn in school but every piece of  math relates to something in the real world!

So my first field trip I have planned is to the bowling ally. 

They will get to bowl 2 games and keep track of their score.

When we get back to school they will calculate their average score per turn and how their score was a percentage of the team. They can also turn that percent into a fraction and decimal and then we can make graphs 

So now that you see what my first field trip is like! 

Here is where you come in...I need help!

If you were in middle school where would you like to go on a math related field trip??

Blogger Help?

So I am not the most tech savvy person

I have managed to change my blogger design add buttons for my pinterest, instagram and twitter ! 

(follow me!)

However I still can't figure out how to make a button or creat the tabs..

So any of your blogger savvy friends.. who wants to help me out and teach me or direct me somewhere I can get a tutorial!

Thanks!

New Recipe Monday: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I am always looking to try new recipes and Asian is my favorite food so when I stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest I knew I had to try it

Copy Cat PF Changs Lettuce Wraps
(Fewer calories than the real thing!)

Source: iowagirleats.com via Brianna on Pinterest

It was delicious!

Here is our picture

They were so good!

I did add more of the chili garlic sauce than the recipe called for since we like things spicy!

Also for the future I made add some extra condiments.

When you get lettuce wraps at Cheesecake Factory they give you beansprouts, grated carrot and celery to add with it and that give its some nice and extra so we are going to try that next time. But no worries if you eat it without those extras like we did this week they are still wonderful!

Any new recipes you have tried this week?

News Alert...We survived a flood

So last night the national weather service issued a flood warning for our area.

The hubs and I had planned a date night and about 7:30 headed out to dinner but since it was pouring so bad we decided to pick a different place closer to home

I saw the flood alert but honestly how many times do you see that flash on your phone and think.... its not raining hard enough

Well if you live in Raleigh apparently it was! 

(This was the pictures I took on our way to dinner)

We drove down Avent Ferry (By NC State for all you non Raleigh bloggers) 

and began to notice everyone slowing down.

We assumed it was cause the raining was getting harder and it was hard to see

and the next thing we knew the water was up to the hood of our car!

I couldn't believe it! I looked at Andrew and said this is legit

(haha I know I have a weird sense of humor in high pressure situations)

All I know is good thing I wasn't driving cause Andrew was very calm and collected. 

The water was that high for about 5 blocks and then it was gone.

Its was such a weird experience. All I could think about was how they say to turn around if your in a flood but honestly we couldn't. The water is pretty powerful so we just had to drive and get out of there!

Needless to says we need a few adult drink at dinner and had a great time at Cantina 18 in Cameron Village

Am I loosing it?

First time shame on me, 

Second time... Am I loosing my mind?

In the past two days I have had appointment 

( I schedule them while I am tracked out so I don't have to take time off of work)

and both of my appointments were wrong??

WHHATTT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??

I am OCD and I plan my life in my planner to the T

So yesterday I had a hair appointment at what I thought was 1:45.

(that is the name of my salon)

I am talking to my mom and getting gas and I realize.. wait a minute they never emailed me my conformation, I better call.

So I get off the phone, I am halfway there and call. 

NOPE my appointment was for 1:45 next Wednesday but they said if I still came over Courtney (my stylist) said should would squeeze me in by 3.

Deal, I went told them I would walk next door to Home Goods/ Pier One and to just give me a call

Now lets look at today.

I have written in my planner I had an orthodontists appointment at 8:30.

( I have Invisalign so I have to get my new trays every 8 weeks)

1. I was dreading getting up so early

2. I was dreading driving in Raleigh Traffic

 but I got up and got dressed and of course got stuck in such bad traffic I was running late.

I called like 5 times but no one answered it just said 

Thank you for calling Carolina Braces

Our Normal Business hours are M-F 8am- 5pm

if you are calling during that time we are either on the phone or with a guest.

Please leave a message

So I left my message I would be 10-15 minutes late cause of traffic and kept driving.

Well I get there.

The lights are off, the office is closed and there is no sign on the door.

There answering machine didn't even mention the office was closed!

I am livid. I look in my planner I didn't read the wrong day!

I don't know what happened cause today was 8 weeks from the last time I went but I now dislike this place even more than I did the last time I was there. I wouldn't recommend the staff to anyone but I would recommend invisilign 100%

So needless to I feel like I am loosing my mind! I write everything in my planner and take it everywhere and I can't believe its failed me 2 times this week!

Doggy Daycare?

So by now you know

(especially if you follow me on twitter or instagram)

That I have two dogs and I love them

BUTTTT

My dogs have a huge problem..

They are largely unsocialized!

When we have people over they bark for a good 10 minutes and then they lay down and cuddle up like you were their life long best friends.

The same happens when we go to parks or out. 

Barking, Barking, Barking until someone comes to pet them then they are on their back loving the affection and belly rubs

So our solution... socialize them

We were recommended to take them to doggy daycare once a week so they begin to get used to other people and other dogs coming around.

This will hopefully also help with cooper.

He guards his food and his crate. He isn't aggressive but we still don't want him doing this.

So any recommendation or suggestions?

Have you taken your dog to doggy daycare?

Who wants a baby?

Andrew and I are approaching our year and a half anniversary

( I can't believe it)

But the question on everyone's mind is...

When are you having a baby?

and now with my mom having a newborn the question is brought up even more.

It goes something like this

How is your mom doing?

She's doing great

How is Ava

Precious, adorable, perfect...etc

So doesn't she make you want one

Eventually but not now

Don't be modest its okay

No really, not now

I went home this weekend for labor day and it was like a world wind! We went to two family/ friend cookouts and Ava (my new sister) and the questions came in full force. Better yet Andrew wasn't there so I took all the questioning! You can only tell people some many times we aren't ready yet before you realize it is not going to sink in any time soon! haha

So why not you ask? I feel like we are still young. I will turn 24 this year and Andrew will turn 27 and we plan on a lot of year together before we bite the dust so I don't feel there is any reason to rush. Call me selfish but we haven't been married long and I still want Andrew all to myself!There are a few trip and things Andrew and I want to accomplish before we take the baby plunge.

Such as:

Have Andrew finish Grad School and obtain his PhD ( 2 years)

Buy a house

Andrew obtain a job

Save, Save, Save some money

etc

So no we aren't planning on having a baby anytime soon, but if it happens well that is life. 

For now we are enjoying our "us" time and planning our next vacation for our 2nd anniversary... Any recommendations?

How about you guys? Any of you feeling the pressure of having kids?

Good Bye White! Hello Black?

It's that time of year where we pack up all our white clothes!

IF you live South of the Mason Dixon line this is probably something you have heard since you were able to understand words!

(I dont really wish this on people but it was funny)

My grandmother calls me every year and reminds me to pack it away and it will help me appreciate the clothes more when I pull them out next Easter!

So is this rule really true?

Well actually yes! White fabrics are typically made of lighter material so it was worn in the summer months to keep people cooler and then put away as the weather turned 

IN retrospect.. During the winter months is when you pulled out your black or darker colored clothes because they were typically made of a thicker material and they aided in warmth during the colder months

So what will you be doing this year? Will you be packing up your white clothes? I know I will!

My Sunday Inspiration

While I am at home with my family for the weekend I am missing Church at the Summit

I have never found a church quite like it

I love that I understand the message, its not just 30 minutes of hearing scriputre in a way that I don't understand and how it related thousands of years ago.

At the Summit I see, I understand, I recognize how I can use it today, in the 21st century.

It has really made me realize how to become a deeper Christian, a more Christian Wife  and a deeper friend of God's.

I am excited for the journey

So here are some quotes that are inspiring me 

Source: mango-watermelon-love.tumblr.com via Abby on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Abby on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Abby on Pinterest

Source: thebluepeonyblog.blogspot.com via Ali on Pinterest

I am going to watch the Summit sermon when it is posted online! 

We are currently working on a series out of John called " can't believe"

If you are interested in a church in the Raleigh Area let me know! I would love to introduce you to The Sumitt Church