This may be the beginning of a beautiful summer...

Another school year has ended.  This always is a bittersweet time of year for me.  Although I am starting my summer vacation - which is very exciting - I have to say goodbye to my family of first graders to do it.  I call them my family because for an entire year we spend every week day together.  We have to learn things about each other to not only make it through the year, but to have a great time together.  I love every one of my first graders, and think of them as "my kids".  I do special things for them throughout the year because they are so precious to me.  It is hard when the school year ends and I must say goodbye.  I will get a new group of kids in August, and we will again learn things about each other and start to have load of fun as well.  It's just hard at first letting them go to move on.


Now I am in my first week of vacation.  Thursday was my first official full day off of work.  I am very lucky to say that my wonderful boyfriend, Dexter has the same vacation. :)  We decided to make our first day of vacation a great kick off to this summer.  We ventured to St Louis and attended one of the last days of Star Trek the Exhibition at the Science Center.  As we are walking around and getting very excited about our pictures on the bridge of the Enterprise, I realized how lucky I am.  I have never dated anyone who shared my adoration for science fiction as Dexter does.  I can be my complete dorky self with him!  Never do I have to hide something that I love, because most of the time, he loves the same thing.  Now don't misunderstand me, there are still some guilty pleasures of mine he does not share the same longing to do as I - watching The Bachelor of Bachelorette, One Tree Hill, Dawson's Creek, making crafts, or polishing my nails funky colors - but for the most part, we are very similar.  I think this is one of the things that drew me to him early on in our dating.  We both love science fiction and we don't care who knows it!  My brother is the only friend of mine who ever really liked these kinds of movies and shows - so when Dexter came along, I was really excited.  We both really studied the Star Trek timeline that connected every movie and series and all the characters together like we would be tested afterwards.  When we walked past the replica of Jean Luc Picard's quarters on the ship, we stood in awe.  It was a really fun experience to share together.  It make me realize how lucky we are to have each other.  I wouldn't want to be with anyone else.  Not only did we have a great time getting our science fiction on - but he also took me to my favorite store, Express.  He was patient and helpful, and made me stare at him with adoring eyes the rest of the night.  And if that wasn't enough, we ended the day with dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.  We both LOVE crab legs!  I just don't know how the day could have been any better.  I was able to do so many things that I just LOVE, but I shared them with Dexter, who also loves these things.  It was one of those days when I saw what the Lord has been seeing for years.  One days like Thursday I know that he put both of us in this place at this time to be together.  He knew we would mesh so well together and made everything in our past not seem right or what we really wanted until we met each other.  The Lord has blessed us with a love and friendship that I am thankful for daily.  This is one happy girl!