A Little Inspiration from Forest....Forest Gump

Today my family and I ventured to Galveston, TX to have lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.  Everyone in the family LOVES shrimp (ok, my daughter tolerates shrimp), we love the movie, and my husband had the day off, so we hit the road.  This really isn't meant to be a review of the restaurant, so I'll keep this part of my ramblings brief.  While they had outside seating available, we chose to sit inside (the thermometer in the car had read 100 on the way down!)  We sat right at a window, though, so we had a lovely view of the Gulf of Mexico.  The food was delish!  As you would expect, there was shrimp prepared just about every imaginable way.  Our waitress, Mihaela, was a delightful young lady from Moldova (geography quiz...Where is Moldova?) who was full of personality.  She came and played movie trivia with us, and, I must say, we were amazing!

Okay...I'll get to the point!  The restaurant sits on the second story and the 1st story is occupied by a gift shop and the bar area.  We found lots of treasures in the gift shop.  My hubby scored a t-shirt that says, "Stupid is as stupid does!"  My daughter found one that says, "Run, Forest, Run"...(she runs cross-country and track).  And my son's t-shirt..."My mama says I'm special!"  Maybe the best find, though, was a license plate...

My husband thought this would be a great bathroom pass.  I agreed.  I didn't buy the license plate, though.  They had stickers (about 3 in by 6 in), which were cheaper and left open more possibilities.  I bought those...for me and my friends.  I did consider buying the license plate and hanging it from a chain so that it would become somewhat of a placard as the kids walked down the hall.  But then I thought, it might become a badge of honor and the kids might ask to use the restroom even when they don't need to just so they could wear it.  (Yes, my darling kids sometimes find excuses to get out of math class.  The nerve!)  Now, who would've thought that my trip to Galveston would have netted me new bathroom passes!

What new goodies have you found for your classroom this year?