FCAT, dogs, and craziness

I'm seriously terrible at keeping up with this now.  I sure do hate that.  It was one thing I always enjoyed doing, but I hardly ever have time anymore.  I need to update about what's been going on around these parts.

Well...FCAT is DONE!  Thank you, Lord.  That is always such a stressful time for us teachers who teach FCAT grade levels.  So much pressure is put on us.  I tend to take a more laid back approach because I know I've taught and prepared my students well and as the saying goes...you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  I have to say though that my WHOLE class did such an awesome job.  They each tried their hardest and that's all I ever ask for.  I stayed busy making treats for my kids.  They really enjoyed these.

Day 1 Treat

Day 2 Treat

Day 3 Treat

AND Day 4 Treat.  I saved the best for last :)

 Now I can get back to a somewhat normal schedule in my room.  We're working on a poetry unit right now in Language Arts and the kids are having a blast.  I love to see their creativity coming out!  Some of them who struggled with writing are flourishing at poetry.  We're also doing some really cool science experiments.  Last week, we blew up water balloons with vinegar and baking soda.  This blew their minds. :)

I am truly blessed with a job I LOVE.  I wake up everyday looking forward to work.  And I'm almost done with all of my coursework to obtain my permanent certificate.  That's been keeping me busy as well.  I'm taking my last Reading Competency course and I took my last test over spring break (which I passed-yipee!).  God has really seen me through everything and has given me the endurance to keep going when I've gotten so tired.

Speaking of jobs, Jared just started his new job TODAY!  I am in awe of God's faithfulness in our lives.  He is doing so much work with us right now and we are truly thankful.  Through the valleys and the mountains, this life is a beautiful gift we have been given.  We are so thankful for His grace in our lives.

It's not all been rainbows and butterflies lately though.  We've been dealing with some really hard family situations.  My 91 year old grandpa was in a really bad accident a few weeks ago and he's darn lucky to be alive.  His guardian angel was working overtime.  My aunt and uncle both have terminal cancer and my mom and dad are really struggling.  It all breaks my heart, but I know the Sovereign One will provide and comfort.  Cancer is horrible.

Every weekend we've had something going on.  It pretty much doesn't slow down until June for us.  I'm in dire need of a beach day!  Of course we enjoy every event we go to, but deep down we're such homebodies.  I'm in bed asleep every night by 9 if I have my way, lol.

With all the busy-ness and change going on in our lives, we've also inherited a new addition to the family.  Sometimes I feel like I'm in a cartoon.  Or more accurately, I feel like Dr. Dolittle.  Last week, it was a dog, week before it was a baby bird, week before that, it was a baby squirrel.  I can't make this stuff up.  But without further ado, everyone, meet Paisley.  She's our new little fox hound. 

Long story short, she came to be ours just like Rosie.  She needs a lot of love and attention, but she's so sweet and loving.  She's much more calm than Rosie (praise the Lord) and having her around has really helped Rosie mellow out.  Maybe that's been the answer all along!  They became fast friends and now they do everything together.  Seriously, everything.

 

Rotten hounds.  They both lucked out and fell into the right hands at this house.  But that's it!  Two is enough!  Hopefully I won't have too many crazy stories to go along with these two.  I feel like I was just getting out of that with Rosie and now I'm starting all over again.


On one last note, I just have to add in how thankful I am for Jared.  Not trying to be mushy, but he seriously puts up with a lot from me and is always there no matter what.  He's my best friend.  He's the funniest person I've ever known, which is an awesome quality about him that many don't get to see.  He can have me laughing non-stop.  I'm so grateful for his commitment and faithfulness to our marriage and his drive to provide for us.  We made a decision at the beginning of the year to designate date nights together and it has made such a difference - no cell phones, no interruptions, just us.  I love it and I love him.  I have so much fun with him.

I hope you all have a blessed week and take the time to be thankful for the little things in life.  They're really not so little.

Life's Busy!

I'm alive!  I have been so crazy busy with home life and school.  Everything that's not absolutely necessary has been put aside, so blogging has suffered.  Here's what I've been up to though...church, hanging out with my husband, dog, family, and of course teaching.  My family has received some bad news about my aunt, so we're trying to spend as much time together as possible.  Sometimes it takes great heartache to remind us of what's truly important in life.

 I've recently become involved in a high school girl's ministry at our church.  I'm working with the freshman girls and LOVING it.  I wish I had been apart of something like this back in my high school days.  Things may have been different for me if I had gotten on the straight and narrow a long time ago!  But no worries, God never stopped chasing me and He eventually caught me and straightened me out ;)  I'm really excited to be with these girls.  Here we are at our painting party.

 My grandpa turned 91 this year!  We spent the day celebrating with him and I fixed him his favorite chocolate cake.  He has deemed me his cake maker.  I am honored :)

Me, grandpa, and my aunt Margaret

 J and I

 We've been scheduling date nights and taking time for each other since the new year.  Not that we didn't before, but we definitely needed this with the schedules we're both keeping right now.  I love hanging out with him.  He's not only my husband, but my best friend.  We've grown so much together over the past almost 4 years.  And he still knows the way to my heart...ice cream.

Our furgirl is still her sweet playful self.  She makes me smile everyday.  I couldn't imagine a life without her.  Coming home to her little wagging body is the sweetest treat.  Even if she digs holes in our yard or eats light bulbs and gets in big trouble, she still loves us.

That's what I've been up to!  Faith, family, work.  That's all I've had time for recently, but at least I've got my priorities in order.  Hopefully soon I'll have more time to post and catch up on some really good recipes!  Be blessed!

November Wrap-Up

I feel like I start out every blog post by saying something about how it's been so long since I last posted.  I hate to admit, but this has definitely been put on the back burner for me.  I'm working on changing that!  I've got a little down time right now (I really should be grading papers, but my brain says no), so I figured I'd blog a little bit about what we've been up to!

November FLEW by!  I can only imagine what December will be like.  We spent the weekends of November doing a lot of visiting.  Although busy, it was so enjoyable.  Some friends invited us for a weekend stay at their beach house and it was awesome to just get away for a short break.  My mind needed the vacation!  My daddy's birthday was also in November.  He wanted a buttermilk chocolate cake so that's what he got!  I hadn't made one in almost a year and this one turned out great.

 

I've also been keeping up with my goal of making one soup a week for winter.  I made a butternut squash soup that was ah-maze-ing.  I had never made it before or eaten butternut squash, but it was so full of flavor.  I'll be posting the recipe soon.  Last week we just had white bean soup - a tried and true easy favorite.

Thanksgiving was spent in Arkansas and we had such a good time.  I ate waaaay too much, we played games, went shopping, drank a ton of coffee, laughed excessively, went out to the farm, rode 4 wheelers and shot skeet (not I)...so much fun.  I always look forward to our trips up there.  I wish we all lived closer.  I cherish those times though.  I guess it makes it that much more special.  Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving.

Our little family on Thanksgiving Day

J and I riding 4 Wheelers

My SIL and BIL riding 4 wheelers

The girls

My hubs and my sweet MIL

Me, MIL and SIL.  Love them.

Family is such a blessing.  I don't have any pictures with my folks since we weren't with them for this holiday.  I'm making a mental note to take lots of pictures at Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, can you believe it's that time of year already?!  2012 has flown by.  I've been reflecting a lot on what this year has meant to me.  It hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies but I feel more joyful than I ever have.  My faith has grown exponentially.

We put up our tree this weekend along with a few other decorations.  Because my hubs is in a Christmas concert at our church, this weekend was consumed with rehearsals...we'll have to finish the rest of our decorating this week.  I love that he wants to be apart of helping me decorate our home for Christmas...it's the little things. :)

I opened my planner to December and felt my heart jump when nearly every day has something written on it...this is such a busy time of year!  But I'm making a vow to do everything with a joyful heart.  I know I will fall short, but I'm going to try my hardest.  This holiday is the greatest gift of all and I want to reflect that in my works.  I've made a daily to-do list so I don't feel so overwhelmed.  On it for this week...Christmas cards and finish decorating inside and outside.  Next week I'll tackle my baking.  OH!  One more thing and I really hope you'll join me in doing this.  I'm reading scripture each day of December to prepare my heart for Christmas.  Here's the version I'm using.  It's so important to remember what Christmas is really all about...the greatest gift of all...our Savior.

Have a wonderful week! XO

Where have I been?

It's been quite awhile since I last posted.  I guess that's how you know I'm busy.  Unfortunately, it hasn't been all good, but that's how life works, right?  Quick recap of my life over the past month and a half:

We got our new living room furniture (before and after pictures one of these days)!  We are thoroughly enjoying it, parking our butts on the couch every chance we get and trying to have more people over now that we have room to sit. 

We hunkered down for Hurricane Isaac, which completely missed us...but we were prepared!

We celebrated my hubby's birthday.  He was in a play that following weekend and had rehearsals all week and weekend, so we stayed at home and I made him a yummy dinner.

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  I couldn't be more thankful for this man.  This year, we've seen some trials.  Although things have been tough on us emotionally and physically, our relationship is stronger than it has ever been.  Our faith is also stronger than ever.  I've watched his walk with the Lord turn into something truly amazing.  It's like God's light shines through him.  I love him so much.

He also bought me these beautiful earrings.  Not that they were needed to make our anniversary any better, but hey, I'm not complaining!  Jewelry is always an excellent choice. :)

I went and bought meal worms for my class to perform a science experiment and they have now become our class pets.  The kids LOVE them!  We're studying their habitats and watching them go through incomplete metamorphosis.  We should have beetles soon.

School has been crazy busy.  This year is very different for me.  It's taking some adjusting, but I am loving my class.  I have a lot of eager learners and we're doing some fun projects.  I thought that since I had a year under my belt that this year would be easier.  I was SO wrong.  I find myself constantly re-evaluating and thinking, "OH I can do this in addition this year!"  My days are even longer than last year, it seems.  But I only have 9 short months to make an impact on these kids that hopefully lasts a lifetime.

I have been trying some new recipes, some of which I will share with you because they are SO good.  But those will come in a later post.  Keep an eye out!

Lastly, most of my time has been consumed with family hardships.  My sweet cousin, Brian, was diagnosed with stomach cancer mid July of this year.  The doctors told him it was stage 4 and chemo wasn't an option unless he miraculously built up some strength.  Brian went to live in the Hospice facility at the end of July/beginning of August.  He went home to be with the Lord last Friday, October 5.  Today would have been his 36th birthday.  This has been so incredibly hard.  I have never lost anyone to cancer until now and I can't even put into words how awful and horrible this disease is.  I pray I never have to see it again.  I also pray for all of those fighting this disease or have loved ones fighting it. 

Brian was a bright spot in anyone's day.  He was so kind and humble.  I've never met a more humble person.  I'm trying to be more like that.  He was the reason my 90 year old grandpa got to come to my wedding.  He made sure to pick him up and take him, without ever being asked to do so.  I was reading in my baby book the other weekend and my mom had written about visitors coming to see me.  She had listed Brian and wrote that he didn't want to put me down - he loved me so much.  It made me bawl my eyes out.

Gosh, he was such a fighter.  Really up until the two weeks before he died, he was convinced that he was going to get out of there and get better.  His will was so strong that it even had me convinced at one point.  But he was too sick and God had other plans for him.  I'm not sure whether Brian was a believer or not before he got sick, but I know he was one by the time he died.  In the week leading up to his death, he kept seeing an Angel who was trying to lead him up a staircase. He talked of seeing other loved ones that he had lost before and even told my mom he got to hold my baby (that I lost in a miscarriage).  Now, I'm not sure how much of it is true, but I'm choosing to believe all of it.  I think God gives us this to comfort us when we lose someone we love.  I'm just thankful for the time he was here.  He had the most gorgeous eyes and the best beard around!  I'll love him always.

If you think of it, please be in prayer for my family.  My aunt and uncle are really hurting, as well as many others.  Be blessed and don't take life for granted.  Get right with the Lord.  Life is a precious gift we've been given and we never know when our time is up. XO

Another Year Older

Another birthday has come and gone.  I'm starting to feel old.  I know that's so silly, but I'm not "young twenties" anymore.  Thirty is creeping up.  I had a great day, but there was a little sadness behind it all.  I hate to even write about it, but I know I'll never forget it so why try to mask my feelings?

As I had said prior in dealing with the miscarriage, there would always be certain days that I'd be sad.  For the most part, I've been good here lately.  I've had great news from the doctor and am feeling back to normal.  BUT around my birthday was when we were supposed to find out the gender of our baby.  I had been so so so excited about this, making plans in my head already and then it was all taken away.  So, I couldn't help but think of that and feel the sting where excitement had once ruled.  I know it'll all be okay, but there were those "landmark" moments in my pregnancy that I anticipated with so much excitement.

I'm just thankful for my awesome hub-sand and my family and friends to give me the love that I definitely needed.  My day started with a great birthday lunch with my mom, Meemaw, and hubs at my favorite local Mexican restaurant.  Their food is so fresh and so good.

Meemaw, momma, and the birthday girl

Jared and I

I get some pretty amazing flowers.  I love flowers.  I always try to have fresh ones in the house.

Flowers from Jared

Flowers from my Meemaw.  Ab Lincoln roses smell divine.

Before going to dinner at another favorite local restaurant, Jared snapped a few pictures.  You know I had to get one with my dog-ter.

A hug and a kiss from Rosie Posie

We came home and celebrated with birthday cupcakes.  I guess this is a tradition because we did the same thing last year.  Jared didn't let me lift a finger and it was awesome.  I welcomed the relaxation.

Jared was in the midst of trial prep, so we kept it low key.  I'm a low key type of person anyways.  I much rather be at home in my sweats.  (Which is in fact, is what I'm doing at this very moment.)

I got a new Daily Devotional from my older brother and SIL.  I hadn't heard of this one, but I love it.  It's so much more in depth and there are actually scripture passages to read along with the devotion.  I had started Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer, but it just wasn't doing it for me.  In my opinion, it was kind of silly.  This was what I had been searching for.  But the OCD in me thinks I need to wait until January 1st to start it because that's the proper order.  I haven't decided yet, but either way, it's an excellent addition to my quiet time.

I was able to really relax this last week and I finally finished another book that I had been wanting to read since I bought it back in March.  I'm a book nerd when I have the time.  The Memory Keeper's Daughter was a great read.  I'd definitely recommend it.

I'm thankful for another year.  Seriously.  When I look back at my birthday last year, we were living in our rental and I was still working at the law firm.  Not that there's anything wrong with any of that.  It's just amazing to me how much grace God has given me in a year's time.  I know I've been through some hardships this last year, but I have to keep it all in perspective and count my blessings, not my troubles.  I must reflect to remind myself of all I've been given.  I'm so blessed with my wonderful husband who can't wait to get home to me every day, our great families who love us so much, our beautiful home to make our own, my teaching career, and a magnitude of people who love me and took time out of their day just to tell me Happy Birthday.  Thank you so much.  XO

2011 in Review

I cannot believe this is the last day of 2011.  Where has the time gone?!  The word blessed does not do my life justice.  I do not believe there is even a word to describe just how I feel.  The Lord has been so faithful and has come through more times than I could begin to count.

When looking back just on this one year of my life, I feel so overwhelmed with how fortunate I am, but also how undeserving too. But that's what's amazing about God's grace - no one deserves it.  He just blesses us with it because He loves us.  I feel like I said this same thing in 2009 and 2010.  And I did, but when I stop to think about it, I can point to one defining moment in my life that changed everything for me.  2009 was full of some very low valleys for me during the first part of the year.  I mean...rock bottom.  But it was also the best time of my life.  Although I had been saved when I was 8, I feel like I never fully trusted the Lord with my life.  I had my own agenda and I was going to do things my way.  It wasn't until He yanked away every single perfect piece of my little plan that I realized I was a fool.  But it was what I needed.  He used the low points to bring me closer to Him.  I can remember just hitting my knees and telling Him I was so lost and didn't know what to do, but that I trusted Him that His plan was better than anything I could have planned.  I promised Him that if He would pull me through, I would never turn my back on Him again.  I've kept my promise.  A little over a month later, Jared walked into my life.  A week later, I found the EXACT home I had been looking for that I could afford to live on my own.  Two months later, my perfect niece was born.  A year later, I was engaged to the man made just for me.  Six months after the engagement, we were married and living in our first little home.  That brings us to 2011.  I just did not think it could get better.  But it did.

I loved our little home in North Hill where we began 2011.  It was old, had character, but it was a bit small.  After we got married, we had nowhere to house our gifts, I had two cabinets in the kitchen and 2 functioning burners on the stove.  Once we got Rosie, it really felt cramped.  We made the decision to move to a bigger rental with a fenced in backyard.  I still think back about our little Barcelona house.  It wasn't much to look at from the outside, but we had some great memories there.  I'll always remember how the sun streamed through the windows every morning as we sat together drinking coffee on the couch.  And I could never forget how COLD that house was.  We were always bundled up it seemed.  It was our first home and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Moving to the house on Sandcliff was fun because it was minutes from the beach, but it just doesn't hold the same memories like the Barcelona house did.  We actually had our engagement pictures taken at our Barcelona house out on the brick street in front.  I'm so thankful we did that now.

We went into this year with absolutely NO plans of buying a home.  It just wasn't in our budget.  So, we signed a year lease in March 2011 at the Sandcliff house.  We would have never dreamed we'd be sitting in our own home that WE own right now.  The whole thing was purely a God send.  Jared saw the house on MLS one day.  On a whim we decided to look at it a week later and loved it.  It was the exact neighborhood we were wanting to move in to, but didn't see that happening anytime soon.  We prayed about it and felt led to proceed so I called the bank, we got immediate approval, made an offer and BAM we were homeowners.  Just.Like.That.  But one thing loomed over our head - that darn lease.  We prayed fervently together again asking the Lord to send us a renter.  That very same day the man that ended up renting the home drove by for the first time.  He rented it right away and we were freed from the financial obligation of paying two mortgages at one time.  Tell me that wasn't the Lord's will at work.

J and I celebrated our first year of marriage this year.  We reflected back on just how much happened to us in a year and how thankful we are to have found one another.  I just can't get over how fast it went.  I'm looking forward to many, many more years with him.

 

I changed careers and became a teacher this year - something I again prayed a lot about.  God hears our prayers, folks.  I won't go into every single detail of how that came to be, but at the very beginning of 2011, our Sunday School teacher was talking about how you have to be responsible for taking that initial leap of faith and God will lead the way.  God couldn't just make me a teacher.  I had to first pass the tests and put myself in the position to have a job open up for me.  That class changed my life and I couldn't be more happy to go to work everyday.  It's hard and long hours (except for the vacations) but it never feels like work to me.

We got our little dogter in January of 2011 and boy oh boy has she changed our lives!  She has been nothing short of a little adventure in our everyday lives but she's so much fun.

This year was JAM PACKED with weddings and I loved every minute of it.  I'm so thankful to have been able to share in so many friends' joy.  If you want to check that out, read this post.

I was able to spend another year with my loved ones and was blessed with good health.  My family and friends continue to be so supportive and encouraging in my life and I'm so thankful for them.  My mom and dad celebrated 30 years of marriage this year and are such a positive force in my life.  I love them so very much.

My faith has grown exponentially during this past year.  I continue to see God's work in my life everyday.  I set out as my New Year's resolution to read the Bible all the way through in 2011.  I am happy to report that although I did not completely meet this resolution, I did pretty darn good.  I finished all of the New Testament and am halfway done with the Old Testament.  I have developed a quiet time for myself and read my Bible on (almost) a daily basis.  That's coming a long way from nothing at all.  This year I plan to continue this and devote even more time to God's word.  I WILL finish the Bible this year - hopefully in just a few months.

I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out, but 2011 has been one great year.  Good thing I have this little blog to look back on some happenings from this past year.  My heart is so full of joy.  Here's to hoping 2012 is full of blessings for all!