#serious for a moment. people focus too much on charts and streams that forget that some people genuinely cannot help with that and it’s not

[princeofyorkshire]

i can’t believe piracy is such a sensitive topic on tumblr dot com i can tell you guys are not latin american

[ewankoseyo]

falling || mark imagine

A/N: This went a little off-topic from the request, but I hope you all enjoy! Hope y’all aren’t lactose intolerant because this one’s hella cheesy lol

“Hi hi! I am so in love with each and every one of your stories! They’re all so amazing! Can I request a kindergarten teacher Mark! Where the reader is an assistant teacher and she slowly starts to fall for him over time because she sees how great he is with the kids and how kind he is overall but little does she know he likes her too? And maybe some of the students try to set them up? Idk i think mark would be an amazing teacher especially since he’s so good with kids THANK U! 😘🥰”

——

They say nobody’s perfect, but Mark Tuan came pretty damn close.

“Good morning, Hyunwoo!”

“Hello Teacher!” Hyunwoo happily greeted, hopping to meet Mark’s raised hand in a high-five before going to his desk.

“Good morning, So Min! I like your shirt, do you like Wonder Woman?”

“Yes sir! She’s my favorite superhero.”

You watched from the back of the room as Mark ruffled the little girl’s hair before she ran off to join her friends and you couldn’t help but grin to yourself like an idiot. Mark always made it a point to greet the kids as they came into the room. How does one have so much energy in the morning?

“Okay everyone, gather on the carpet!” Mark stood at the front of the room and beckoned for everyone to join him. The children eagerly ran to their designated spots on the carpet. They mimicked Mark, placing their tiny hands on their stomach. “Good morning class!”

“Good morning Mr. Tuan!” They bowed in unison.

“Don’t forget to greet your neighbor!” The students turned to each other, greeting their friends good morning. “Now class, what did I say we would be learning today?” Mark took out a yard stick and pointed to the phrase on the board, reading slowly so the class could follow along. “Today we are learning about weather. Yes, Seokjin?”

The little boy put his hand down. “You mean like when it’s cloudy and raining outside?”

“That’s correct Seokjin! Rain is part of the weather. You get a gold star for your question.” Mark reached into his back pocket for a pack of stickers and placed a gold star under the boy’s name in the class star chart. Seokjin grinned proudly at Mark, he always wanted to contribute answers in class. “We will be learning about all types of weather and I have a song to help us! Can I get some assistance?”

You immediately shook yourself out of your daydream, only now realizing Mark was talking to you. He smiled brightly your way, and you could only nod as you joined him at the front of the classroom. You thought that the novelty of being the Mark Tuan’s teaching assistant would have worn off after the first week, but after a month with him, you weren’t sure if you were getting the proper teaching experience you needed.

Being well-versed in things like the way Mark’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when a student got an answer correct? You were surely getting that experience.

“Ready to begin, Miss?” Mark turned to you, shooting another blinding smile your way. You nodded once again, afraid of looking him in the eyes as you pressed play on his stereo. You were hoping that the warmth you felt rising to your cheeks were just from the small bodies clustered together in the tiny classroom. Mark turned back to the class as the first few beats of his song began. “Follow us everybody! Let’s sing!”

——

“See you next week! Don’t forget to bring a picture of your family for show and tell!” Mark waved off to the students running out of his classroom.

As he tousled the hair of the last student leaving, you felt your heart swell. You attempted to focus on the water colors you were cleaning up, but your attention kept returning to the young teacher—how he didn’t take his eyes off the students until they were completely out of sight, how he sighed to himself with content at the end of another day with his favorite kids, how the sunlight beaming through the window seemed to give him an angelic glow, how his eyes crinkled up adorably as he turned to you and spoke—

Wait, he was speaking to you.

Don’t just stare at him, say something!

“Sorry, what was that?” You felt your cheeks growing warm again, and this time you couldn’t blame all the tiny bodies in the room. Exactly how long had you been staring? And did he happen to notice you staring? You looked away from him, silently cursing yourself and hastily cleaning up a table so you couldn’t see his reaction.

Mark chuckled, a sound you knew all too well. “I was just saying that you’ve become a natural. You even came up with new voices for story time.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out his stickers. “I think that gets you a gold star!”

Your breath hitched as he delicately placed the gold sticker on your collar. Gosh, was it possible for you to not freak out at every little thing he did? Granted, that was the closest his hand had ever been to your face. You could only imagine the feeling of Mark tucking away a stray hair behind your ear, hand caressing your cheek—

“It’s nothing,” you replied offhandedly, resuming your clean up. “I learn from the best.” About Mark? Yes. But about teaching? You weren’t so sure.

Mark helped you in cleaning up, picking up paint brushes from another table. “I’m serious! At the beginning of the month, you were really shy and careful with the students, but now I think you’ve really broken out of your shell.”

You smiled to yourself. Mark had a way with making people feel good about themselves, and you knew he meant every word of it. “Well thank you Mark, it really means a lot,” you told him as you wiped down the table. “I was always so used to working with students one-in-one, so overseeing a whole classroom has been a big change for me. I still have much to learn from you.”

You turned around to toss the dirty wipes in the trash, only to be met with Mark’s chest. You looked up, your face now closer to his than it’s ever been. Was it possible to see the entire galaxy in someone’s eyes? The warmth you felt in your cheeks traveled to your ears.

“Sorry I—”

“It was my fault, I was moving too fast,” Mark smiled apologetically, steadying you with a hand on your shoulder. “I just needed to wash these brush—”

“Mr. Tuan!” Startled, you stepped away from Mark. Seokjin stood there in the doorway, tears streaming down his face.

“What’s wrong, Seokjin?” Mark asked worriedly, putting his brushes down and making his way over to the boy.

“Me and Hyunwoo were walking home together and then he saw a tree and wanted to show me how he climbed trees,” Seokjin spoke through sobs. Mark bent down to the boy’s level and patted him on the back soothingly. “I told him to stop, but he went higher and he just—I couldn’t carry him—”

“Show me where he is,” Mark said gravely, ushering Seokjin outside before turning back to you. You had never seen him look so serious. “I’ll be back.”

You nodded. “I-I’ll finish cleaning up here.”

Half an hour and a couple of scrapes and bruises that needed cleaning later, Hyunwoo’s mom came to pick him and Seokjin up from Mark’s classroom.

“Thank you so much for helping us,” the woman bowed to Mark before looking at the injured boy in her arms. “What did I say about climbing trees?! Do you know how scared I was when Mr. Tuan called me?!”

“Sorry mom,” Hyunwoo mumbled regretfully into her shoulder.

“It’s no problem ma’am, I’m just doing my job,” Mark assured, looking at her sympathetically. “I’m just glad that Hyunwoo didn’t break anything. We’ll be missing him tomorrow, but he should definitely stay home and recuperate.”

After apologizing to and thanking Mark again profusely, the woman left to take the two boys home. Mark turned to you once the room was quiet again and let out a chuckle.

“Well that was probably the most eventful thing to happen since the beginning of school.”

You shook your head in disbelief as you gathered your belongings. “Mark, I don’t know how you do it.”

He looked at you with slight confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You reacted immediately yet calmly, and you knew exactly what to do, even though Hyunwoo didn’t explicitly say Seokjin fell out of the tree,” you explained in awe. “If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to think clearly and I’d start freaking out. And you’d also run the risk of parents blaming you for their child getting hurt, even though it did happen after school, parents would still think you were responsible—”

“It’s just a matter of putting my students first,” Mark interrupts. “At that moment, my number one priority is making sure the kids are okay and I’d just deal with the consequences, like parents getting mad at me, later.”

“Oh, right.” You nodded slowly. Of course you should put students’ needs and safety first. You sighed to yourself, Mark probably thought you were some heartless idiot who took this teaching assistant job for the benefits. Not wanting to make more of a fool of yourself, you took that moment as your cue to leave. “Well this place is clean, I’ll see you tomorrow, Mark.”

You moved past him with your head down in embarrassment but he gently grabbed your arm, stopping you in your tracks. “Wait! You take the bus, right?”

You looked at his hand on your arm, then at him. “Correct,” you managed to choke out.

“I could drive you home, you know,” Mark suggested with a smile, putting his hand down. “You’re on the way.”

You stood there frozen, contemplating his offer. Maybe this was a sign that he had a thing for you too? And this was his way of getting closer to you? With that killer smile directed your way, what else could it mean, right?

Or maybe Mark was just being nice because he was always a nice guy. And giving someone a ride whose destination was already on your route was not an outlandish thing to offer. Also when did Mark not have a smile that was killer? You’d be a fool to think they were exclusively for you.

Why would Mark have a thing for you? You were just his teaching assistant. He was (almost) perfect.

You shook your head, lips pursed in a thin smile. “It’s okay, I don’t want to impose.”

Mark tilted his head in confusion. “You wouldn’t be imposing, like I said, you’re on the way—”

“And I told a friend I would meet up with her after work for...a thing.” You mentally kicked yourself for such a lame excuse. Now you really had to leave. “I’ll see you again tomorrow, Mark.” You left without another word or glance at the young teacher.

You knew Mark Tuan came pretty damn close to perfection, and he deserved nothing short of it.

——

Hyunwoo had never seen you look so furious.

“Ma’am,” you growled politely at the older woman in front of you, pulling Hyunwoo closer to your side. “Hyunwoo is very sorry for taking from your tree, right Hyunwoo?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, I didn’t know that was your apple tree,” Hyunwoo apologized again, bowing lowly. The older woman rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re teaching your kids at that school, but it sure isn’t manners!”

“But,” you interjected. “That does not give you the right to hit our students—”

“If you’re not going to teach your students right—”

“We teach our students well at our school, thank you very much,” you corrected angrily. “Like he said, he didn’t know it was your tree. Hyunwoo wouldn’t have done it had he known. We apologized and gave you your apples back. Why criticize our school when there was no big harm done?”

The older woman took a step closer to you. Hyunwoo cowered behind you, clinging to you tighter. “Teacher, you dare talk down to me?”

You didn’t flinch. “No I’m simply reasoning with you, as adults should. Now if you don’t have anything sensible to say, we’re going to be late for school.” You started walking off with Hyunwoo in tow.

“I’m going to report this to the principal. To the school board!”

You stopped in your tracks, looking at the woman slightly. “Need I remind you that Mark Tuan was the one who would drive your husband to and from the hospital when he was sick? Do you really want to tell the principal and get Mark in trouble over something so small?” Sensing the older woman backing off, you gave her a short nod and left.

“Thank you Miss,” Hyunwoo said quietly behind you once you were both out of the woman’s sight.

You sighed as you took his hand, attempting to quicken his pace. “Hyunwoo, what were you doing?”

“Sorry for taking apples from the scary ahjumma’s tree.”

You glanced sympathetically at the boy hanging his head down in shame and tousled his hair. “Thank you for saying that, but that’s not why I’m upset. Hyunwoo, you know you shouldn’t have been climbing that tree. You got us all scared the last time. What if you fell again?”

“I’m sorry Miss, I won’t do it again.” As he held his tiny pinky up to you, you knew you’d be a monster to turn down his promise.

As you entered the classroom, Hyunwoo immediately ran off to his friends to tell them about his morning. When Mark noticed you come in, he gave you a worried look. You were usually here with him an hour before school started, though you didn’t need to be, so it didn’t sit well with him when he didn’t see you bright and early that morning. Mark was about to come up to you and ask what happened, but you just shook your head.

“I know we’re late,” you said apologetically. “I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want you hold back class any longer.” He wanted to press on, but eventually decided against it.

“Okay everyone, please join me at the carpet!”

The morning’s lesson went without a hitch as Mark taught the students about time with you by his side. He was still left wondering what happened when recess came around and you decided to supervise the schoolyard so Mark could prepare for the next lesson. When the bell rang, all the students ran out of the classroom to play except for Hyunwoo, who stayed at his desk and was quietly drawing.

“Hi Hyunwoo, what are you drawing there?” Mark took the empty seat next to the boy.

It took a moment for Hyunwoo to answer as he was concentrated on coloring. “I’m drawing a picture for Miss.”

Mark noticed Hyunwoo was drawing you. The sentiment warmed his heart. Hyunwoo was often misunderstood by other teachers and adults, but it made Mark happy that he had grown fond of you. “You’re giving it to her? I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Hyunwoo nodded. “Yeah! Today she saved me from the scary ahjumma by the school who hit me.”

Despite the boy’s excited attitude, Mark felt his blood begin to boil at the thought. “Hyunwoo...why did she hit you?”

“I climbed her tree to get apples,” Hyunwoo whispered as if afraid of getting in trouble. “But I didn’t know it was her tree! But then Miss saw me and saved me! The scary ahjumma got mad at her but then Miss said something back and the scary ahjumma got scared!”

Mark let out a sigh of relief when he realized it wasn’t anything too serious. “Why were you trying to get apples, Hyunwoo? You could have gotten really hurt.”

“That’s what Miss said too,” Hyunwoo mentioned. “I wanted to give something to her and I saw on tv teachers like apples, so I tried to pick apples for her. But then I couldn’t, so now I’m drawing a picture!”

“Why do you want to give her a present?”

“Because I like her, she’s my favorite,” Hyunwoo answered, not looking up from his work. Mark smiled fondly at the boy before getting up to prepare for the next lesson.

“That makes the two of us, Hyunwoo.”

——

“Before you leave, don’t forget to help clean up the room!” You announced to the class. “Then line up by the door so I can give you all a Valentine’s Day chocolate on your way out!” The children cheered at the implication of earning more sweets that day and raced to tidy up the room. You and Mark shared a glance from across the room and laughed at the kids’ eagerness.

After passing out your last chocolate, you could finally breath. The students had been looking forward to the Valentine’s Day celebration you were organizing all week and you were glad you were able to pull it off. It took you out of your comfort zone to plan, but kids really enjoyed the games and activities you put together.

You looked over at Mark, who was picking up some leftover wrappers on the floor, and made your way to him. “Chocolate?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” He gladly took the candy from your outstretched hand. “Good job today, I could tell the kids had a lot of fun, especially with the gift exchange. I think you’re pretty much ready to lead a class by yourself full-time.”

“You think too highly of me,” you joked, feeling the familiar warmth rising up your neck. “but thanks Mark. I always appreciate hearing your feedback.”

“Oh! I have something for you.” Mark dashed over to swipe something from his desk. He returned to you with a heart-shaped card similar to the ones the kids made during an activity. He had drawn a bee buzzing around the card.

“‘You are the bee’s knees. To the best teaching assistant a teacher could ask for,’” you read aloud with a giggle. “Aww thanks Mark! And here I thought that the only Valentine I would receive today was from Hyunwoo.”

“He gave you that drawing he’s been working on?”

“Along with a Fuji apple from the market. He’s the sweetest kid.” You two shared a laugh before falling into silence. You probably should have taken this as your cue to leave, seeing as Mark wasn’t going to say anything else. Maybe it was because it was Valentine’s Day or maybe it was because he had just praised you, but you didn’t want to leave Mark just yet. “So...you got any plans for Valentine’s Day?”

“What?”

You mentally cursed yourself for the awkward question. “I mean, I’m assuming you probably have plans with a special someone—not that it’s a good thing to assume things about people but you just seem like the type—”

“You accepted my card didn’t you?”

“What?” Now it was your turn to be confused. “Wait you mean—”

“That you’re my Valentine?” Mark finished, smirking at your realization. “Well that’s how you explained it to the kids today, so yes.”

“Are you serious?” You looked at Mark in disbelief as he nodded fervently in response. “But Mark—I...why me?”

He smiled bashfully, nervously scratching the back of his neck. “Why not? You’re kind of perfect.”

Mark let out a laugh as you scoffed at him. “Me?! I could say the same about you! You’re the young handsome kindergarten teacher who all the other female teachers fawn over. You’re so brilliant and passionate about child development, not only do the students have fun during your lessons but they learn so much and you’re just able to relate to them...and then I’m just me.”

“Well you, Miss,” Mark put a hand under his chin as he playfully pondered his next words. “You were the new beautiful and recently-graduated-with-top-honors assistant teacher who all the teachers were hoping to have in their class. Jackson was super bummed when he found out you weren’t interested in teaching middle school. You’ve been worried about how you were going to connect with these students, but you never gave up, always giving them your 100%. You know, after Hyunwoo told everyone the story of how you protected him, they kind of see you as a hero. You’re more assertive to adults than you think when it comes to the kids, more than I ever could be.”

“So you like me because I’m assertive?”

“I like you because you didn’t realize you were. And then some.” Mark grinned, looking at you hopefully. “So...please tell me that you’re free tonight for our first Valentine’s date, otherwise I just made a complete fool of myself by making you that card.”

“Our first date?” You asked slyly before letting out a whine. “Gosh Mark! You’re supposed to be the cool one. I’m supposed to be the shy one falling inexplicably and one-sidedly, not you!”

You both stood there with the cheesiest grins, neither one believing the other’s feelings. “Does that mean—”

“Yes Mark, yes I’m free for our first Valtentine’s date tonight.”

“Good, because I already kind of made reservations at this one place.” You gave Mark a playful shove before pulling him into a hug. Your body relaxed against his as he drew you closer into his chest. You would have stayed like that even longer, taking your time falling deeper and deeper, if it wasn’t for—

“Wow Mr. Tuan! Did you kiss her yet?!”

——

[floridaindependent-blog]

Saving for Vacation Has Never Been Easier Using These 8 Strategies!

New Post has been published on https://floridaindependent.com/saving-for-vacation-has-never-been-easier-using-these-8-strategies/

Saving for Vacation Has Never Been Easier Using These 8 Strategies!

Believe it or not, summer will be here before you know it. 

If you’re like most people, you live for vacation. But escaping to your favorite getaway destination is never cheap, so you’d better start thinking about saving for vacation right now. Even if money is tight, there are ways to save cash so that you’ll have the funds ready when it’s time to book your flight to the islands.

This article takes a look at some great tips for storing away serious dough so that you won’t have to settle for a staycation while everyone else is slathering on sunblock in Bermuda.

1. Eat at Home 

Let’s start with the basics. The simple truth is that most people eat out way too much. After all, who wants to cook after a long day at work? Well, eating at home is a great way to save cash.

Even if every meal at home saves only five or ten dollars, that’s money for the vacation cookie jar. Day after day, week after week, every dollar adds up. Soon you’ll be looking at several hundreds of dollars saved from meals you’ve already forgotten about.

Saving for vacation takes discipline and willpower. So if you plan to chill by the pool come summertime, you’d better put on your big boy pants and bake some lasagne for the kids tonight.

2. Bank Your Tax Refund

Are you expecting to receive a refund from the IRS this year? If so, go ahead and plan ahead of time to keep your hands off that money and put it directly into your vacation account.

This is something many people don’t think about, but making a slight adjustment to your W-4 to have a few extra dollars withheld from your weekly paycheck can make a big difference at the end of the year.

We encourage you to plan ahead, take home a little less on payday, and designate your refund for fun money when vacation time rolls around. 

3. Save Credit Card Rewards Points

This is another great tip that many people tend to overlook. Most of us use credit cards for daily purchases and general expenses, right? Well, many credit cards offer various types of rewards based on card activity each month. This often includes rewards that can be used for hotels and other great travel benefits.

4. Have a Garage Sale

Take a look around the house. Now look in the garage. See all that clutter you’ve been wanting to deal with? 

Here’s a great idea: Sell that stuff.

Having a garage sale is an ideal way of killing two birds with one stone. You’ll be simplifying your life while making cold hard cash getting rid of junk you no longer want. 

Perhaps you don’t think you have enough stuff to make any serious bank. Well, you might be surprised. Go through your closets, clean out the garage, and get honest about all those clothes you haven’t worn in years. Most likely you have more to get rid of than you would have imagined.

Garage sales are fun. It’s a great way to socialize with your neighbors, hang out with the family, and purge your home of clutter that simply takes up space. Plus, you’ll be converting your junk into Benjamins.

5. Eliminate Frivolous Expenses

Let’s take a moment to talk about cutting back. We don’t mean living like a penny-pinching mizer. No, this is about simply reducing unnecessary expenses that take toll on your bottom line each month.

Perhaps you eat out at least one meal per day, or make a ridiculous number of stops at Starbucks, or subscribe to multiple streaming services.

When you stop to think about it, we all waste money. So if you want to save more cash for a vacation, it’s time to cut costs and learn to live without a few of your favorite creature comforts. 

6. Take an All-Inclusive Trip

Have you ever considered taking an all-inclusive vacation? This is actually a smart way to save money on your trip because everything is included for one price. 

When you sign up for a package deal, it will typically include airfare, the hotel, food, and often times even the drinks.

Not only is this a way to keep the costs of your vacation to a minimum, but it’s also less to think about because you won’t have to bring along a ton of cash. All you have to do is focus on having a great time!

If you’re looking for another option for quick cash for your vacation, you might want to take a look at payday loans.

7. Use a Savings Wall Chart

When saving for a vacation, the key is to stay focused. That’s why we suggest making a savings chart that you can put on the wall or the refrigerator for everyone to see. 

The purpose of the chart is to place it where you’ll see it multiple times a day and be a constant reminder of the goal. Keep it updated, this way you can see how far you’ve come, and it can help keep you motivated to save, save save!

8. Making Saving Money a Game

Saving money for vacation doesn’t have to feel like a chore. In fact, it can actually be fun. Make it a challenge, and constantly be looking for ways to shave savings from everything you do. Put a change jar on the bathroom counter, on the kitchen counter, and on your desk at work.

Just remember that when saving for a vacation, every penny matters.

Saving for Vacation

Vacation is the best part of the year. This is your chance to get away and forget about work and bills and the normal stress of life.

These tips for saving for vacation will help get you ready when it’s time to book reservations. That way all you have to worry about is fitting into your new swimsuit and deciding which fruity drink you want to try first!

Click here to see 4 brilliant cruise tips and tricks that will change the way you vacation.