Chaos

I'm sorry for all of the post and how they are not in any kind of order. Here are some pictures of my crafts during the holiday season this year. :)

 Our Christmas tree... same theme as every year but I still love it! I love that it is not the traditional tree.

 We got this Nativity Scene last year in Mexico. Unique things like this create so many special memories.

 A purple wreath... who would have guessed!

 I made two batches of Christmas cookies for various events. This was the first batch. I had to add in my school spirit.

I decided to make my own gift tags this year since I have a handy dandy Cricut. I think they turned out so cute! I love them!

Trim-A-Tree

Junior League has kept me pretty busy this year. Our provisional class completed a Trim-A-Tree project for the Forsyth Gallery. Our tree's theme was "Stuff the Bus", which is our signature project. All of the school supplies on the tree were donated to Stuff the Bus, which will provide a head start on next year's collection. Stuff the Bus provides school supplies to 15,000 students in Bryan and College Station. Below are some pictures.

 I made the little paper buses on my Cricut. Another JL member made the banner on her Cricut. If you don't have a Cricut yet and you are crafty... get one!

Christmas Vacation!!

I'm stoked that Christmas Vacation is here! Brad and I are packing up and heading to Florida tomorrow for a few weeks. We are very excited to see our family! I'll do my best to remember our blog and update you on our trip. Hopefully I will have a ton of pictures to share with you also. :)

Here is our tentative schedule:

Tuesday: DRIVE!!
Wednesday: arrive in Kissimmee, Florida and stay there until Friday
Friday-Monday: Clermont
Tuesday: Jacksonville
Sunday: Head home

We are going to do a lot of driving but it will be worth it to see our family.
We hope you all have a fabulous holiday and enjoy time with those you love.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Man, this weekend was a much needed long weekend. I always wonder what I will do with my days off and often make "to do" lists that end up half way done. This weekend I had plans to scrapbook, file bills, decorate, bake, and go see Harry Potter. Well, I decorated for Christmas and I baked some cookies. I got half of my list done. However, I finished a book and rented 4 movies.

On Thanksgiving, Brad and I went to a fancy restaurant, Christopher's. It was delicious. I have to say that the stuffing and the white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake were my favorites! I was amazed at how many families ate there. I think when we have a family we will actually cook. :) And by we, I mean.... Brad. JK I will help. I was disappointed by the Macy's Day Parade. Since when is the parade a bunch of interviews with famous people??? I wanted to see the floats! I stopped watching it. Speaking of things I stopped watching... the Gator game was RIDICULOUS!! I stopped watching that before the second half because I could feel my blood pressure rising! I took a break and went shopping instead and watched my checking account go in the opposite direction. There's always next year.

All in all I had a great long weekend. How did you spend Thanksgiving??

Thankful...

The holidays are here! Thanksgiving this year was bittersweet. We weren't with family, yet I have so much to be thankful for. Here is a list of things I am thankful for (in no specific order).

Brad- I have the best husband in the world! He makes holidays away from home so much easier!
Daisy- I love when she is cuddly!
Employment- 2010 is ending well with both of us employed, something that I took for granted until Brad lost his job in 2009.
Health- Can't complain, especially when so many people I know are very sick.
Family- can't live with 'em... can't live without 'em. I can't wait to see them!
Friends- near and far. We have been so blessed with great friends here in Texas and always miss our friends back home.
Work peeps- Between the teachers I work with and the kids in my class, I am thankful that I have a job that I can go to everyday and have people that make me smile (and sometimes give me the biggest case of the giggles ever!)
There are many more things but these are my top ones. What are you thankful for? Have you told your loved ones lately that you are thankful for them??

Happy *cough* Hallow *cough*een!

*cough* That's been the sound around my house this weekend. Apparently my Halloween treat this year was the worst sinus infection I have EVER had! Since Tuesday I have had a low (99 degrees) fever and no voice! Our house has been pretty quiet and so has my classroom since my kiddos had to be quiet to hear me. After a trip to Urgent Care after work on Friday, I have plenty of meds to hopefully kick this thing!

We spent our Halloween weekend in. I was very excited that the Gators beat Georgia! GO GATORS!!! I have enjoyed all of the pictures of the kiddos dressed up for Halloween! Daisy was not excited about dressing up so I didn't even get a costume for her. I hope you all had a safe and memorable Halloween. Here's to a more exciting day next year.

Social Butterfly

Holy Cow! I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted last! Well, I have been busy! Brad has been working for a few months now and enjoys his down time at home. Work has had some busy weeks and he is currently taking a certification course for Desktop Publishing, which will give him an extra certification. My job has been great but a lot of other things have kept me busy. I joined Junior League this year and have really enjoyed serving our community. I have had the opportunity to do some great things and get to know some great people. Things I have done include: Kids Day at the Lincoln Center, stuffed invitations for Charity Ball, Stuff the Bus school supply drive, and Special Olympics.

In addition, I have two friends here that are having babies! I am very excited for both of them and am looking forward to meeting Trinity Grace and baby Jolly. For the next month I am taking a photography class. I look forward to learning some actual skills instead of point, focus, shoot. Hopefully, this will allow me to take more pictures and update my photo a day blog. I have been pretty slack on that. Ha!

I owe you...

This post has been a long time coming. I have been horrible at blogging lately. Brad is a week into his new job. We are very excited that something opened up in our area because we really like this area. He is the Assistant Director of the Institute of Scientific Computation at Texas A&M. I still can't cheer for the Aggies but I am thankful that Brad has this opportunity.

Today, I started the first day of school. This year is the first year that I don't keep my kiddos all day. I'm nervous but I am excited that I am teaching reading. The subjects I am teaching are language arts and social studies. Needless to say, I am going to beef up on my Texas History. My kiddos are great and I'm looking forward to another great year at Southwood Valley!

Daisy has had to adjust to mom and dad working. We have kept her out to roam, or sleep around the house. She greets us excitedly at the door and craves extra attention since she is by herself most of the day.

G Camp!!

We are 11 days into G Camp and you can follow my adventures on my other blog: Tales of a 4th Grade Teacher. I am learning a lot and seeing a lot of cool things. I think Brad and Daisy are ready for me to come home. Last picture I saw had Daisy on the couch, sprawled out and tons of soda cans on the table. :) I will be home on Sunday and as much fun as I am having I am ready to sleep in my own bed.

Celebrating the 4th

This year we celebrated the 4th at David and Krissy's. The Bryant's came over also and we had a lot of fun. When we first got there we took the boys outside to play with Michael's new toys that he got for his birthday. While we were outside the boys were inside chatting. Michael also got an Eeyore and I had to get a picture of my Eeyore with the stuffed animal. I digress... back to our exciting day. David made gumbo and it was delicious! After dinner we watched some fireworks on tv. Bryan/College Station were handing out $2500 citations for setting off fireworks so we decided that probably wasn't a good idea. After a while the Bryant's went home and we hung out a little longer with Krissy and David. Around 10 we started hearing fireworks so we went on the hunt. After seeing 2, maybe a few more we realized how far we had walked when we were almost at Sarah and Aaron's house. A phone call and a text message later we were having margaritas with them until 12. Krissy and I walked back to her house and we all called it a night. We had a blast and I felt like I was back in high school walking to a friends house. It made me want to look for a place to live on that side of town so I could be closer to my friends. Maybe we'll go looking one day this week and see what we can find. I hope you all had a safe 4th!

Summer Time

Wow! Where did June go?? I have spent the past month reading, sun bathing, going on play dates (I crash them often with my childless self), having lunch with friends, watching movies, and playing video games. It's been nice relaxing. I have also been getting ready for my trip and I leave in a week! I am looking forward to it! :)

I will update my G Camp adventures on the following blog: Tales of a 4th Grade Teacher so check there daily starting next Saturday for updates on my adventures.

Splash Pad Fun

Today I went to the splash pad with my friends Sarah and James. James had fun in the water, running around for mommy to chase him, and finding a lot of sticks. It was a great way to cool off on a hot summer day.

I'm a horribly mean mom and made Daisy walk to the park with me. She has a rough life. After her long walk (it is not even close to a mile) she spent her time at the splash pad under a shady tree. I was impressed at how well she stayed under the tree and didn't try to run.

Daisy has a new friend in James. Whenever he would talk to her he would use a high, soft voice. It was so cute. He would play for a bit then go pet Daisy. In the meantime, Daisy would lick the water off of James.
After the splash pad, Sarah rescued Daisy's tired muscles and drove us home. Daisy crashed and spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping. I didn't get enough sun so I spent some time at the pool. All in all.... a great summer day!

We're Published!

Here is a screen shot of the NSTA Journal Page. We are officially published in the summer issue of Science and Children. You can't read the article from this page unless you are a member. However, if you are interested in reading the article, let me know and I will send it to you.  I am very excited to have this accomplishment to add to my resume. I also enjoyed collaborating with two of my best friends to make this happen.

Yard Sale

I felt so grown up on Saturday. We had our first yard sale at my friend Krissy's house. We did very well and sold a lot of our.... treasure. Our first customer came at 6:50 am and bought my DDR game and dance pads. I had a little giggle when she said, "Maybe I will work out more with these". What I didn't tell her... I had the same thought and it didn't work. Other highlights from the day included a guy coming up and ordering another guy to load things in the van and pulled out a wad of 100's for his garage sale excursion. He asked if we had any other furniture, so I'm not sure what he did. Overall, we had a great day. We enjoyed hanging out with each other, watching Michael climb, or attempt to climb in the water cooler and making some money. All together, we made over $300 and I made $200. We donated the rest of the stuff. I'd say this yard sale was a success and plan to have another one... eventually.

School's Out for Summer!!

Holy cow!! Summer is here! I know you are dying to know my summer plans. Well, here they are! The first few weeks we be spent going through our apartment for a garage sale on the 12th. I have plenty of things that could benefit other people. Other than that, I will spend the month of June helping Brad with the job search. I'm stoked for July! I will spend July 11th through the 25th on the road touring Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado exploring geographical features. Don't worry, I will post here daily while on my trip! I'm very excited and the best part is that it is free!!!! Other than that, I have a lot of reading, relaxing, and writing to do. I plan to collaborate with Becky and Katie C. to finally write the pen pal project up for a professional journal! Hopefully, this will actually start. :) Stay tuned for more updates.

School Year? Where did you go?

I can't believe we only have 10 days left!! I'm going to miss my kiddos but I'm looking forward to a summer of relaxing, laying by the pool, helping Brad with the job search, and traveling!

It's official!

I'm NOT pregnant! Ha ha! How many of you thought that was going to be my announcement?? Really, my friends Katie, Becky, and I have been working on an article for a professional article and it is going to be published this summer! I am so excited!

I found out last week that I will participate in G Camp. This camp provides professional development for teachers through a 17 day trip through Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado exploring geological sights. The best part is, it is all free!!!

Relay for Life is Friday and I have exceeded my goal and raised $130!! I'm stoked for the event and am so glad that I can do something to battle the ongoing struggle with cancer.

Woo hoo!!

I haven't cried in days!!! Hooray! Maybe the people at the water works plan finally got the memo! Life has been better this week. I have decided to "Let go and let God" and give it to him. I think I can fix everything but I can't so it is all His now. Have I mentioned that a growing number of our friends are having babies??? We went through this a few years ago also. However, now we have some friends on their second child and some on their first. It is exciting to share in this time with them. We also found out that we will have another niece or nephew. This will be #13 and we still have 3 siblings between the 2 of us that do not have kids yet. I am not complaining. In fact, it is fun having a large family and there is NEVER a dull moment!

Yesterday, I "talked" to Cross on the phone. Actually, I talked and he grunted and laughed. He thinks Auntie K is pretty funny. I asked him if he wanted to come visit Auntie K and Uncle Brad in Texas and he "told" me he did. I told him he had to put some pressure on mommy and grandma. He is growing fast and has a great personality.

The job search is still the same. Brad has applied for several positions but we haven't heard much. Thank you for the continued prayers. We know there is something out there for him, it's a matter of God's timing and the perfect position for him. I hope you have a blessed week, while I try not to stress out about the TAKS test. :)

When did this happen???

I have been a church attender most of my life. I have always been interested that cry over everything in church and wonder how they can be so emotional. However, I have turned into that person! I'm not sure if its because I went off my depression medicine or what! Everything is bringing tears to my eyes, and not little tears. Today I was talking to my friend about situations and how God never gives us more than we can handle. I believe this with everything that I am. However, sometimes I wish God didn't have so much faith in me!!! I'm trying to remain strong, as well as give all of these "situations" or "obstacles" to God. I've tried my thing and it's not working, so maybe I will have different results now.



I have been praying about a bible study for people my age for a while now. Tonight, for the first time, I went to the Young Adult life group. I had a great time. It was so nice to see people around my age and in different stages. There were married people, single people, expecting parents, and a wide variety of professions. I'm looking forward to going again next week. :) Well, it's late and I have to work tomorrow. Hopefully the water works will stop soon. Hope you are enjoying the spring weather.

Hello Spring!

I am loving this Texas weather!! We haven't had the ac on in almost a week! :) Life here is pretty good. Not too much to complain about. Brad is still searching for a job and we are praying for some doors to open up. I am continuing to think optimistically about the job front. He has been applying for tons of positions so maybe something will happen! :) I went off of my happy pills. I have been on them for about a year and felt like I didn't need them anymore. There have been some weird withdrawal effects and I have been on an emotional roller coaster but my emotions are beginning to even out. We are celebrating with all of our friends who are going to be parents! There are so many! We hope this spring treats you well and hopefully I will get better about posting. However, I feel like I say that every month.

I stink at posting regularly

I can't even remember the last time I posted on here. However, in my defense, not much has changed. Brad had an interview and felt it went well. However, we heard today that he did not get the job. I'm super bummed for him because it was something he was excited about. Every day I feel as though I am relying more and more on God to open doors for Brad here in College Station. School is the same. We just had the writing TAKS and I hope my students did okay. I only have a few more weeks with my student teacher and I am going to be lost without her. I am currently on spring break and am enjoying a lot of time relaxing. I hope you all are well! Lots of love from Texas!

Amazing things are happening!

One word to describe the past month... WOW!!!

For the first time in years, well since our family left Heartland, I have found a church I love! Right away, I felt I was welcomed and for the first time in my life I feel like I am at the exact place God wants me. I have been attending Antioch, which is out of Waco (it's not a cult, I promise) and they have churches all over the world! Every service I have attended has brought tears and not just a few but hard core tears. Here is how it's transferred into our lives at home because church is great but it can't happen only on Sundays. About a month ago, I prayed with this lady Suzanne about Brad's job situation. While she was praying, she asked God for something to happen "This week!" and she kept saying it over and over. Well, that week Brad got a phone call asking for some writing samples for a Technical Editor position. Then, a few weeks later they called to schedule and interview. He has his interview on Friday at 1:30. Please keep Brad in your prayers and this opportunity.

I have applied for a fellowship in Washington, D.C. I am waiting to hear back about my application and I applied because it would be a cool experience and possibly take me to new heights in my career. The fellowship would provide opportunities to work with government agencies to determine where funding will go in education. Although, looking at the weather right now, it looks VERY cold in DC.

School is going well. You can see more information about that on my other blog: Adventures of a 4th Grade Teacher . I am very fortunate to have a student teacher and am seeing tremendous growths in my students. I am going to a Technology conference in Austin this week for 3 days and the best part... since my ST is in full responsibility, I don't have to write sub plans!! On Saturday, I am participating in the Junior Achievement bowl-a-thon with other teachers from school. We are going to be the Pink Pirates. I am looking forward to it even though I can't bowl. If you are interested in sponsoring me, please let me know! Junior Achievement does a lot of work with our schools. I promise it is for a good cause! We will keep you updated on our life developments as they come. Thank you for your prayers!

Welcome 2010!!

We rang in the New Year in Jacksonville, Florida with Dad, Ann, Sara, Cross and Sophie (dad's dog). We played some games and enjoyed spending time with each other. We are looking forward to a new year with some new adventures. :) 2010 WILL be better than 2009... at least we are counting on it!