I first want to apologize to my disappointed readers for not having posted anything in over a month! I promise to not make that a habit and will try to make this blog a little more interesting! I actually have lots to blog about, so I'm finally devoting time to getting this down...and you will need to devote some time to read it!

After much thought and conversation, Josh and I finally decided on a name for our baby boy. His name will be James Robert! Josh wanted a J name, and there are several James's in my family, so we both agreed that was the perfect name for him. Robert is Scottish like my dad's side of the family.

Last week, Josh and I went to New York City for a trip that he earned with his work. We had a wonderful time, but it was definitely not a relaxing vacation. There is so much to see and do there, so we tried our best to get as much in a possible. Here's a run down of the trip to my friends who keep asking me what we did, and I keep putting them off saying I'll blog about it!! (sorry again!) Wednesday the 7th, we arrived in the Big Apple in the late afternoon (it was already dark), and headed down to Soho for dinner at a great restaurant with all of the people who won the same trip. Thursday was probably the most relaxing day of the trip. This was the only day that Josh had meetings (from 8-11am), so I got to sleep in and recover a little from traveling. We stayed at a hotel on the south side of central park, so everywhere we went was a beautiful 15-20 minute walk. Needless to say, I got in good shape and was sore from head to toe. That afternoon, we ventured out into the city for some good pizza. NYC has the best (ok, second best only to Chicago, Dad...if you're reading this) pizza in the country, so I had been craving this for weeks. We had gotten two recommendations to go to John's Pizzaria in Times Square. We got a little overwhelmed trying to find it, and when we did, it was closed for a private party! We ended up going to a random hole in the wall type pizza place that was pretty good. From that point we explored the city and met up my cousin and her husband, who came up from Rhode Island to spend a day and a half with us there! We were very excited that they were able to do that. The 4 of us went to my family's favorite restaurant in NYC, Carmine's. When we got there at 4:45, they told us that the waiting list was already closed because it was packed and booked up for the whole evening. They told us we could wait and eat in the bar, so we sadly sat down, wishing we had made reservations...apparently way in advance! Good fortune came our way, though, when they guy walked around asking if anyone wanted to get on the waiting list! We jumped on it, and got a table around 5:45!! It was even better than I remember and worth every penny. After dinner, we headed over to see The Producers on Broadway, which was pretty good! No Phantom of the Opera, but it was very entertaining. Friday we woke up to 6-8 inches of the most beautiful snow I've ever seen! We had booked a 5 and 1/2 hour tour for that morning and walked all the way to Times Square (me holding tightly on to Josh's arm so I wouldn't fall), hoping that it wasn't canceled. Luckily, just as everything does in the North, it still went on like it was nothing! We got to see lots of great sites on this tour, including most of the main sites to see in NYC. You'll have to look at my pics to see. After that, we went to Macy's to do the tradional Christmas shopping. It's pretty impressive with 8 or 9 floors! Friday night, the 4 of us went to dinner at a great pub called Pig in the Whistle, and then we went to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. That was very good and is a must do for everyone at Christmastime! After that we said good-bye to my cous and her husband. Saturday was a very fun day filled with shopping. We went to FAO Schwartz and had so much fun buying James some toys and such. We also took the Subway down to the trendier part of NYC, Soho (got its name from south of houston street...pronounced How-ston there oddly enough) and Chinatown, where I bargained for a few items. We ate the traditional hot dog and hot pretzel from the street vendor for dinner, which for some reason tastes better in NYC than anywhere else, and then headed back up for shower and change for the big Dinner Cruise around the tip of Manhattan with all of the people on the trip with us. That was amazing, and I couldn't quite capture it in pictures, but it was the most beautiful view of Manhattan I'd ever seen! Sunday we only had until 1pm before we had to head to the airport, so we went on a Carriage Ride in Central Park, which was gorgeous and still covered with snow, and then headed over to Rockefeller Center for lunch. That was then end of our very enjoyable and very exhausting trip!

The other exciting news is that we finally got a new (to me) car! It's actually used, but we've been searching for a good deal on a used car that's in really good condition and finally found the right one for us in Dallas! It'll make a great Mommy-mobile...much safer and more convenient than my old car. I'll have to say, though, I got quite emotional when we got in my car yesterday and headed up to Dallas to make the trade. On The Road Again by Willie Nelson was playing on my ipod, and I got choked up thinking about all of the places this car has taken me in the past 9 years! It took me from high school to college to my newlywed years, and it was very good to me...hardly ever giving me any problems! Josh laughed at me as we cleaned out the remaining things in hidden places, because I had about 15 tapes that I hadn't listened to since high school. He asked me if I wanted him to throw them away, and I couldn't believe he would even suggest such a thing! =) I am not a pack rat, but music is a big part of my life, and I spent a lot of time making those tapes! I wasn't too sad though, when we finally got the keys and drove off in my very first SUV! I will take pictures and post them very soon. Y'all were getting on to me for not blgging, and now I've given you all an ear-full...or eye-full I guess.

I am elated to announce that we are having a happy and healthy (and active!) baby BOY! The doctor spent a lot of time with us and is confident that our little boy is perfect in every way. I can't thank everyone enough for your prayers and encouraging words. It was such a comfort to us. I love my nephews and can't wait to have our own little boy! These pics below are of a foot and diaper changing position. You'll have to click on it to see it larger.

I have a prayer request. Today I got a call from my OB saying that my alpha fetal protein levels were mildly low. This could be a sign of down syndrome. While 60% of the time, this test shows a false positive, I am still concerned. We will have an ultrasound done on Friday. Please pray that everything goes well and our baby is healthy.

A quick baby update...I just started feeling the baby move this week! It is the neatest thing and makes it feel more real! I'm 16 weeks now and feeling great! 3 more weeks til I find out what I'm having!!!

I was tagged by Elizabeth and thought this was a good one. Here it goes!

First Memory:
Making a magnet for my mom and dad in Bible School that said "Thumbody loves you" with my thumbprints going across. I was 3.

First Kiss:
Jerrod. I was almost 16.

First Concert:
George Strait Music Festival.

First Love:
Josh

First lust: Brad Pitt (I was in love with him before he was big) and Tom Cruise

First thing you think in the morning:
Can I make it in time with one more snooze?

First book you remember loving:
There's a Girl in the Boy's Bathroom

First pet: A cat named Smokey

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation:
Right now, the excitement and antipation of our New York City trip in December.

First best friend:
Audrey and Kimberly

Last time you dressed up:
yesterday for a reception a fellow teacher at my school (my mentor last year) who got the Region Elementary teacher of the year award!

Last thing you ate:
breakfast burrito for lunch

Last CD you bought:
Black eyed Peas

Last time you cried:
Yesterday afternoon for like 2 minutes and last night for my friend receiving her awards. (I'm a little emotional lately!)

Last time you told someone you loved them:
Getting off the phone with Josh after school

Last really fun thing you did:
Really fun date (yes...I actually went on one!!!!!!!! I didn't back out this time to veg on the couch!! Read this blog if you're confused.) with Josh Friday night. We went to my favorite restaurant and got Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, and Creme Brule (sp?)...it's all about the food to me! Then we went to Starbucks for my favorite drink, and then to Motherhood Maternity to buy me something. He surprised me with this in celebration of our pregnancy.

Last thing you watched on TV:
The Office, and then I fell asleep watching the next show.

Last Halloween costume:
Josh and I went as nerds who are stuck back 15 or so years ago.

Last Concert attended:
Amy Grant and Vince Gill together.

Now for the fun part...I tag the following

Kim
Suzanne
Amanda
Nicki
Kristen
Rebecca

Today I had my 12 week appointment, and I got to hear the heartbeat! I didn't realize I'd get to hear it, so it was a nice surprise. Josh came with me, because he heard the doctor say that we'd hear it this time, but I missed that somehow. It was beating 160 beats a minute...pretty fast! I almost burst with excitement when I heard it and looked over at Josh, who couldn't wipe the smile off his face. I never knew how exciting this would all be!! It helps me stay focused and remember why it is that I'm breaking out, gaining weight, not fitting into 95% of my pants, etc. It's just so neat and such a new, bizzare, cool experience to hear your own baby's heartbeat for the first time!! Anyways, just thought I'd share that moment with you guys!

I had quite the exciting morning this morning before work. Right after Josh left, I was greeted by an unwanted visitor...a snake...in my bedroom! I was standing in my bathroom and thought I saw something in the corner of my eye. I looked over, and a snake was staring right at me. I froze and it slithered quickly under the bed. Not knowing what to do, I called Josh (who has an EXTREME phobia of snakes) and asked him to come back. Now, those of you who know him at all, know that this was very hard for him, but I had morning duty at school and didn't have time to fool with it, so he came back to help me. With my sister's direction (she gardens a lot and has had to do this plenty), we coaxed it out from under the bed, Josh picked it up with a shovel, took it over to the tile, and chopped it in half! I was so proud of him!! Luckily it was just a garden snake, but now we're both scared to go to sleep tonight! Josh says he's even scared to come home today! The funny thing was afterward when he was vaccuming the dirt up, he was blocking the doorway, so I tapped him, and he just about had a heart attack! The look on his face was hilarious!! I posted a picture of the snake...no it's not huge, but a snake is a snake!

Ever had a night like this? This morning Josh and I started planning what we were going to do tonight. We hadn't been on a real date (getting dressed up and staying out the entire evening) in a while. We have been either staying in and hanging out all night, going to a restaurant and then going home and hanging out, or getting pizza or fast food and then catching a movie. We decided that tonight we would actually go to a nice restaurant and then go see a movie and maybe even end the evening at Barnes and Noble. Well, that was this morning. As the day progressed, Josh and I were thoroughly enjoying staying the same way we were when we woke up and working around the house, and I kind of got the urge to just cook tonight with Josh and then going to a movie. Josh agreed that that would be fun. Then Josh found out that Georgia (his favorite team) was playing at 7:00, so we decided to still go to the store to get the ingredients to cook, cook together, and then watch the game. Then, we were getting so much done around the house, and we still hadn't gotten ready for the day (around 5:00), so I kind of felt like skipping the cooking and going to Taco Bueno. Josh laughed (at all of my mind-changing) when I asked him and said that was fine. Then, I didn't feel like putting on make-up, so I suggested we just go through the drive-through. He laughed at me again! So here I am, blogging and listening to a lot of clapping and "YES!"'s and "THERE YOU GO!"'s, but I'm perfectly happy with the way our "romantic date" turned out!

I have a question to all you ladies who have been pregnant before. Did you take hot baths while pregant?? I am a hot bath addict, being cold natured, and have heard conflicting things about whether or not it's okay to take them while pregnant. I know they shouldn't be boiling hot, but what about a warmish-hot one? I have pulled a muscle in my back, and last night all I wanted to do was soak in the tub, but I was too scared. Any thoughts?

Life has been good lately...for several reasons.

1. My nausea has subsided!!! I didn't know how long it would last, but week 7 it went from all day to just morning (which seemed wonderful to me), and then week 8 (this past week) it was almost non-existent! Let's hope and pray that the rest stays like this past week. I even had an energy boost in the middle of the week that made me feel like myself again. It gave me all kinds of energy to focus on school, enjoying this last bit of time of just being a couple without children, and just being excited about the whole reason for going through this...a baby!!

2. The beginning of the year craziness at school is almost over. I feel like I'm starting to settle into my new class and that I'm getting to know them better. I always go through a period of really missing the class/family I had the past year (I'm not always the best at change), but I'm starting to feel more like this is my class (if that makes sense...probably only to teachers). This class makes it VERY easy on me, too, because they are just the sweetest, calmest, cutest little bunch of second graders I've ever seen! I pretty much just go there and teach...and not have to worry about discipline. I think God had mercy on me, knowing that I was going to be pregnant! The crazy thing is half of my class is new to our school, so it could have been interesting.

3. Fall is in the air!!!!!! Yes, it has been in the low 90's, but that 10 degrees makes a huge difference, not to mention the low humidity. It's also something about the angle of the sun hitting the earth...and hearing football in the background!!! I just love it!!! It makes me so happy and brings back all kinds of happy memories and thoughts from the beautiful falls in Arkansas (along with the excitement of being back at school) and happy fall days from my childhood.

4. We just went to our first meeting with our new life group and absoultely loved it! Our leader was the life group minister at his old church and moved here in the spring. He wanted to start up a new group, and since ours kind of died off last year, it was perfect timing for us! We are very excited about forming new relationships and getting spiritually fed in that way.

I hope your days are happy ones as well and that everyone has a great start to a new week!

I have added some new links to my blog. Some are people who are best friends of mine and some are people who know people who know people I know, and I've never met them...but I love to read their blogs! One in particular to check out is one of my best friends from college, Kim. She and her husband, Adam, moved to New Orleans in May for Adam to do his dental residency. They live two miles north of the broken levee in a suburb of New Orleans and thought they were homeless for a week. They came and stayed with us one night on their way to south Texas to visit her cousin, and were just in shock about what had happened. The happy end to their story is that they were able to go back on Monday to check out their house, and it was one of the few that had not been flooded! They were completely shocked, relieved, and thankful. Of course, there are tons of people who were not so lucky, and she has a great link on her website to a church in Baton Rouge where you can help if you'd like. I think we all have a responsibility to help in some way! Check it out when you get a chance!

We went to the first real appointment with the doctor today and everything looks fine! We got to see the heartbeat, which was the neatest thing I've ever seen! The baby is the blob on the right that Josh thinks kind of resembles a duck!

I haven't blogged much lately because I've been a little distracted, for good reasons. Josh and I found out some big news...I'm pregnant!! Josh and I are expecting our first baby and couldn't be more excited!!! I guess after about 10 pregnancy tests (the first 6 being negative...I was very anxious) it's official! I am now enjoying the wonders of early pregnancy...exhaustion, morning...or all day sickness, and several other symptoms...but most of all, the anticipation of our first child! The baby's due date is April 15, which was the same as mine! Hopefully it will come around that date, unlike me, who came a week and a half later! Please keep us in your prayers for a healthy baby and a smooth pregnancy. We are going next week to see the baby for the first time! I will keep you updated!!

My first day went great! I have been truly blessed with a really sweet class. I LOVED my class last year, but they were on the wild side. Today went much smoother and calmer than last year. I remember wanting to get out of teaching at the end of the day last year. My boys came in and were bouncing off the walls, but today, they just stared at me wide-eyed and did exactly what I said to do...amazing! I thank God for that and pray that this continues. I'm absolutely wiped out from standing and talking all day. I spent most of the day going over routines and procedures and doing get-to-know-you activities. I'm very glad that it's Wednesday...just two more days and I can get rested up again!

I am taking a break from working on school stuff to update my blog, because it's not the last week of summer anymore. Preparations are coming along nicely. I decided to rearrange my classroom and reorganize everything, so I'm excited about the changes. Another exciting change to this year that I discovered recently was that I only have 17 kids in my class! Last year we all had 21/22 kids, and those extra 4 or 5 kids makes a huge difference. That's one less table in the classroom! Every other grade level has 6 teachers, and we barely need 5. Other than getting ready for school, we've just been taking it easy and relaxing when we can. We did go see the movie March of the Penguins last night, and it was terrific!! I highly recommend it, but don't be expecting lots of action. It's a National Geographic movie that has filmed real penguins, and they are the most interesting non-human creatures in the world to me now. You'll have to go see! Well off to make my first week plans. Hope everyone's weekend was great!

I have been having a little blogger's block, but I'm going to try to write my way out of it. This is the last week of summer, so all of you non-teachers can laugh at us now who have to get back into school mode again! Actually I'm looking forward to starting this year. This will be the first year that I don't have a totally new situation to go into. Last year I moved to the town I'm in now, the year before that I started teaching, and the year before that I subbed and did 2 long-term sub jobs. This is the best feeling in the world! Just excitement, no...or not as many...nerves. In my last week of summer, I am trying to relax in the mornings and gradually make my way to my classroom and ease into working again. Anyways, here are some highlights of my week...

- had special time with Thomas (my cuddle bug nephew)
- got more of a mole removed that came back a little abnormal
- began organizing my classroom (something I love doing!)
- taking long nightly walks with Josh
- Tuesday going to the hospital to see a church friend's baby boy just born that day
- Had really good spiritual discussions (totally led by God) with my 3 appointments at Care Net Tuesday
- Yesterday seeing pics of one of my best friend from college's newborn baby for the first time
- Going to On The Border with Josh last night for my favorite meal in the world.
- Josh and I took Matthew to Barnes and Noble and church, where I was his teacher.
- Had a very fun lunch date with Nicki.

That brings me to now, where I am going to go enjoy my afternoon with a book. Hope everyone is having a great week as well!

Today, July 29th, is my wonderful big sister's 30th birthday! It is very strange to have a sibling in the 30's! I wanted to post this earlier today, but I've been working on your party all day!! In honor of her 30th birthday, I'm going to write 30 reasons why I love her...

1. She prayed for me to be a girl, and from day 1, took care of me like I was hers.

2. I always wanted to be by her side growing up, and she rarely ever seemed to mind.

3. I always wanted her to go with me to the bathroom at restaurants growing up, just as the food came, and she would always do it and never complain.

4. When I was 7, we moved to a bigger house and stopped sharing a room. I missed sleeping in the same room so much that she would let me sleep in her bed anytime I wanted.

5. When I wasn't sleeping in her room, I would get scared walking down the hallway to go to bed. I had to have someone walk me down every night. One day she sat me down in the living room and played me the Beach Boy's song "In My Room" and told me that there was no reason to be scared. For some reason, I trusted her and didn't get as scared anymore!

6. When I started becoming interested in boys in 8th grade, she helped me learn how to wear make-up, do my hair, and dress cooler.

7. She knows me just about better than anyone!

8. We really have so much fun together.

9. She played a big part in making me who I am today.

10. We always have great talks together.

11. She knows better than anyone exactly what to say to me to make me feel better.

12. We make eachother laugh all of the time.

13. We hang out almost everyday and never get tired of eachother.

14. She's an incredible mother to my niece and nephews.

15. We rarely fight.

16. She still takes care of me, by making my favorite cookies all of the time, cooking me fabulous meals when Josh is working late, making me coffee just the way I like it.

17. She's very bright, seems to know everything.

18. She's very strong, but a softie when it comes to me, bryon, and her kids.

19. She's always been a great role-model for me, making my transitions into high school, college, marriage, etc., a lot easier.

20. She helps me snap out of it when I need to, or comforts me when I need it.

21. She loves my husband and I love hers...we have lots of fun together!

22. She tells it like it is.

23. She the best shopping partner, road trip buddy, or hang around the house friend anyone could ask for.

24. We have lots of funny inside jokes that we can pull out at any time.

25. She and Michael will probably be the longest friendships I'll have (they got a 20 year headstart on Josh).

26. Our relationship truly grows and deepens more and more each year.

27. She keeps me accountable for everything.

28. She loves me for who I was, who I am, and who I'm going to be.

29. She's always made me proud to say that she's my sister.

30. She's the best friend and sister anyone could have asked for!

I love you dearly, and couldn't be more blessed to have you as my sister!! Happy 30th!

Another fun chain going around. Once you read it, you have to do this...if you blog:

1.) What I was doing ten years ago:
July 1995
It was summer after freshman year of high school. I had to go back and look at a picture album for this one. I went to Mission Trip in Paonia, CO, with my youth group. When I was gone, Elizabeth called me and told me that she met the man she's going to marry. When we came back, I met Bryon and loved him. I was very excited! I went to church camp at Iron Springs. My cousin (the one who just got married) came from New York and we showed her around Texas. Then she and I went to New York together, then Cape Cod. I think all in all, we spent about 5 weeks together, which was lots of fun.

2.) Five years ago:
July 2000
I was in Florence, Italy, for Harding's overseas program all summer. I took a semester of classes in our villa right outside of the city. I also did a "free travel", where we broke off into groups to travel around wherever we wanted to go in Europe. 4 friends and I went to Venice, Salzburg (Sound of Music Tour), Rothenburg and Fussen, Germany, Prague, and Switzerland. I had the time of my life there, and crave going back!

3.) One year ago:
July 2004
Josh and I were settling into our apartment. We had just moved from Dallas the month before. We were trying to potty train our new dog (which didn't work out too well...we gave her to a new family), and I was nervously awaiting a new school year teaching in a new school district.

4.) Yesterday:
July 24, 2005
I went to church, then McAlisters for lunch. Josh and I went to test drive a car. (I have been driving the same car since junior year of high school, so we're thinking we might get me one next year!!) I went to the Parade of Homes with Elizabeth. I relaxed with Josh at the house, and then we went to Taco Bueno (our Sunday evening tradition). Then we went on a long walk and watched some tv before bed.

5.) 5 snacks I enjoy:
cookies, almonds, dark chocolate, ice cream, chips n salsa


6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million:
give to church, pay off everything for us and our families, upgrade everything (car, computer, furniture, etc.), buy a house for Josh's sis, Jo Anna, here so they could live near us, buy a couple of vacation homes, the rest I would save, save, save and give (charities and gifts for friends)


7.) 5 locations I would like to run away to:
Florence, London, Edinburgh, Cape Cod, NYC


8.) 5 bad habits I have:
biting my nails, shopping too much, putting things off, snacking after dinner, play before work


9.) 5 things I like doing:
spending time with Josh, family and friends, walking, reading, listening to music, traveling


10.) 5 TV shows I like:
24, Bachelor, CSI, Boston Legal, Deparate Housewives, American Idol, oh yes...can't forget about the Apprentice...probably my fav


11.) 5 things I hate doing:
ironing, mopping, unpacking, waking up early (although once I'm up, I love morningtime), grading papers


12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment:
it's summertime, getting excited about a new (school) year (I love the fall), nothing much going on...just really content right now, josh's job is going well, spending lots of time with my sis and her kids during the day


Now...some of my blog friends, consider yourselves tagged. I will be anxiously awaiting your posts so I can enjoy learning more about you...

Today is my most favorite guy's birthday, so in honor of his 26th, I thought I'd write 26 reasons why I love him...

1. He loves me unconditionally.
2. He's very easy going, but a go-getter.
3. He's a strong spiritual leader, from college, to church, to our home.
4. He's hilarious (he's got his own brand of humor), and keeps me laughing everyday.
5. He's almost always in a good mood.
6. He's extremely patient.
7. I've never seen him once loose his temper and can't fathom him ever doing it.
8. He's very ambitious, gives 100%, and is really good at whatever he does.
9. He's very cuddly, he's a teddy bear.
10. He makes any situation in life more fun.
11. He's a great listener and fun to talk to.
12. He always seems to find new ways to make me feel special and loved.
13. He always believes in me and gives me the confidence to push myself.
14. He's extremely selfless, always thinking of ways to make others feel good.
15. He's thoughtful and romantic.
16. He's giving and loves to spoil me.
17. He's responsible and thinks of everything.
18. He easily forgives and forgets.
19. He is very intelligent.
20. He has an incredible memory and reminds me of every detail of us dating.
21. He is very athletic.
22. He's a great public speaker.
23. He's a people-person (very outgoing) and makes friends easily.
24. He always makes me proud.
25. I had a high standard of character growing up with my dad as the measure, but he meets it in every way.
26. He truly makes me feel like the most blessed girl in the world.

Happy Birthday!!! Thank you for being you!

This is going around, so I thought I'd join in on the fun...

A is for age: 25 years

B is for booze: Water with lemon, Diet Coke, and coffee

C is for career: teacher, for the summer...stay-at-home aunt

D is for dad's name: Mike

E is for essential item to bring to a party: my camera

F is for favorite songs at the moment: anything Zoe Group, and that Black-eyed-pea song "Don't Mess with my Heart"

G is for goof off thing to do: read, listen to my ipod, look at people's blogs and pictures on line, walk, watch tv

H is for hometown:

I is for instrument you play: piano (a little)

J is for jam or jelly you like: pumpkin butter

K is for kids: love them, looking forward to that stage

L is for living arrangements: house

M is for mom's name: Roberta

N is for name of good friend: my mom and sis, old friends and church friends

O is for overnight stays in hospital: 1 for appendectomy, 1/2 for cardiac ablation

P is for phobias: crawly bugs, speaking in a formal setting, heights

Q is for quotes you like: Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be, Be a steak not a hamburger

R is for longest relationship: Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, Michael

S is for siblings: one brother , one sister

T is for Texas: The coolest state!

U is for unique traits: I have traveled to almost every state and seen around 16 countries, I was in a Christian kid's tv show when I was in second grade

V is for vegetables that you love: broccoli, green beans, red peppers, squash, zucchini, artichokes, asparagus, brussel sprouts (I'm getting hungry!!!)

W is for worst trait: laughing in inappropriate situations, inability to speak formally

X is for X-rays you've had: teeth

Y is for yummy food: fajitas, salmon, steak, pork tenderloin, fruit, veggies, chips and salsa, dark chocolate, Elizabeth's cookies and desserts, queso

Z is for Zodiac sign: Taurus

We are back from our last trip for the summer. Josh and I went to Daytona Beach, Florida, with his family. We had a great time and really enjoyed getting to spend time with his sister, Jo Anna, her family, and his mom, Anna. They go up every summer and get the same condo, which is right on the beach. We did a whole lot of nothing, which was lots of fun! I got to read a lot everyday and just finished French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano. That is a GREAT book, and I highly recommend it. It's not your typical diet book. It's more like a book about a healthy lifestyle. I'll talk about that in another blog. Some highlights from the trip were:

*taking long walks on the beach with Josh (45 minutes to an hour each day)
* eating my brother-in-law, Billy's cooking (he's a great chef)...which erased all of that walking!
* driving to see the space shuttle launch, which got canceled, but still neat to see
* seeing dolphins swimming very close to shore
* make-overs with Jo Anna and Anna (Jo Anna did me, I did them)
* relearning how to do a back-dive (a 15 year old girl taught me)
* reading in a lawnchair for hours on the beach (with tons of sunscreen on), sitting right where the water comes up and spashes your legs.
* playing fun water games in the pool with Josh, Jo Anna, and Hannah
* laughing hysterically and talking with Jo Anna
* getting to be with Josh all day instead of just 2-3 hours a day
* getting to spend the night with Josh's dad, Joe, in Atlanta Saturday night

This weekend started off with a fun double date with our good friends, the Simcox's. They are going to be moving in a few weeks =(, so we are trying to see them as much as we can. We finally got into Cheddar's (everytime I go, there is an hour to hour and a half wait), and then went to Barnes and Noble to drink coffee and chat. Then we went to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which was very good. I had a hard time getting past the fact that he was married to Jen at the time, but it was still very entertaining! On Saturday, the guys (my dad, brother-in-law, and Josh) met my brother in Dallas and went to a Ranger's game. While they were gone my sister, mom, niece, and I hung out and had some fun girl time. Since Josh wouldn't be back until late, I decided to have my nephews, Matthew and Thomas, spend the night. We had lots of fun as usual, but it kind of turned into a crazy night. We went to the store and picked out their favorite kind of cookies, icing, and sprinkles. Then we had a good time decorating them. That took so long that it was just about bedtime by the time we finished. After reading them 3 stories and saying prayers, they were just about down. When I went to get ready for bed, Matthew saw the phone and decided to call Elizabeth to say good-night. She was talking to a friend on the other line, and Matthew got really upset that he couldn't talk to her. Well, things just went downhill from there, and Matthew started crying and saying that he wanted to go home. Then, that got Thomas crying, so I took them both home! When we got there, Matthew changed his mind and said, "I just wanted to see Mommy and then go back with you!", like I had misunderstood him! So, I said that was fine and we went back to my house. When we got there, I discovered that my phones were completely dead. They had been working earlier, so that kind of scared me a little (especially since Josh wasn't there). I called Josh and they weren't going to be home for a long time, so when my cell phone started running out of batteries, I decided to go back over to Elizabeth's with Matthew and wait until the guys got home. Of course, all this time, Matthew is loving this, because he was getting to stay up really late. Finally, Matthew went to sleep, and I went home with Josh at about midnight. No phone line had been cut by an intruder (like my mind had led me to believe), and everyone is a little tired today! Tonight, we are having a going away party for two of our couple friends from church, so I am off to clean!

I was at the gym the other day (I'm trying to get back in the habit), and I saw one of the mothers of one of my kids from this past year. We were happy to see eachother since we had seen eachother almost every day this past year before or after school. She told me that her son was in the aerobics room doing some kid activities. I walked in to say hi, and he didn't even recognize me!! This was a boy who I had spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with for 9 months and who would give me lots of hugs every day. He looked at me squinting his eyes, and I said, "It's Mrs. ...", and he just barely mumbled hi and walked away! That made me sad, but I guess he was just surprised to see me in a place other than school!

I hope everyone had a fun-filled 4th of July weekend! I loved it being on a Monday this year, because I got a 3 day weekend with Josh. Josh and I finally got the house clean and organized after our trip, which makes me just as happy as if we'd done something exciting and fun! Not that I love doing it, but the feeling afterwards is wonderful. We saw two good movies this weekend. Saturday night after dinner, Josh, Joey (his best friend since Kindergarten from Atlanta who's here for 3 years for law school), and I went to see Batman Begins and loved it!! Then Sunday night, we did the exact same thing, different movie. We saw War of the Worlds, which was a good movie, but VERY suspenseful. It's more of a guy movie than girl. Monday, we got up bright and early and went to a 4th of July breakfast at our church with the older people. Some friends of ours said it was fun hearing all of the vet stories and singing traditional 4th of July songs, so we went and had a great time! I really enjoy talking to old people. Then we just enjoyed our day off, and had a family cook-out. We usually watch fireworks, but we stayed in and enjoyed the specials on tv (how old are we?).

We got back last night from our trip to New England. Deirdre, my cousin closest to me in age, got married in her hometown in Selden, New York, (on Long Island) and I was a bridesmaid. It was a traditional Catholic wedding, so needless to say, we had tons of fun! Most of that side of the family lives on various parts of New England, so it was so nice to get to see them all and for Josh to get to know them better. Because they live so far away, Josh had only seen them at our wedding. He was a trooper and really tried to get to know everyone, which really meant a lot to me. He was fascinated by the culture up there and all of the accents of my family. They liked his, too! We had a wonderful time and got to see many beautiful places. Last Friday, while the girls did wedding stuff, my dad, brother, brother-in-law, and Josh drove through the Hamptons and out to Montauk Point. That is the very end of Long Island and is beautiful. That night everyone came together for the Rehearsal Dinner, and my mom, aunts, sister, and I sang "May You Always". The next day was the wedding. One of the neat things about this wedding was that Deirdre's fiance (now husband) was from Finland, so his family and friends all came over from Finland. His sister, Jenny (pronounced Yenni) Vartiainen, is a famous rock/pop star over there! I asked her tons of questions about fame (she could speak English very well) and the business. She is dating the #2 wedding dress/jewelry designer in Finland and told me of how they'll kiss in public and it's all over the news. If you know me at all, you know that I was in awe of all of that! Anyways, back to our trip. Sunday, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, brother, Josh, and I took a ferry over to Conneticut and drove to Newport, Rhode Island. That is the incredibly beautiful town where my parents met. We ate incredible New England clam chowder, shopped, and did some sight-seeing. After that, we headed to my aunt and uncle's house on the Cape. This was my favorite place to go growing up, so I was sooo excited to be back there and show it all to Josh. The Cape is a fun place to go to either use as a base to travel around to places like Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, etc., or to just stay and do fun things like go out on the river behind their house, walk to the beach, etc. Josh got initiated into our family the second night we were there by eating raw clams! Everyone in our family has to do that, but the funny thing was that they didn't realize that I had never done it before. I kind of snuck by! I decided, though, when I was there to come clean, and I tried it with him. It was not too bad (I drowned it with cocktail sauce), but the texture really got to me. We had fresh lobster twice and delicious ice cream every night. The Cape has a place called Sundae School with incredible ice cream and a neat atmosphere. I had withdrawals last night when we got back! It's a good thing that we don't have it here, though! We only made one outing, since it was a short visit, to Chatham, one of my favorite places to go for shopping up there. As much as I love it up there, I was very happy to come home to our part of the country and get back to normal life! I will post pictures later from the trip.

Josh and I came back from his Summer Regional meeting Sunday. Beforehand, we kept thinking we'd have lots of alone time together to go for dips in the hot tub, take long walks along the incredible nature trail there, etc. Well, it ended up being a lot busier than we thought, and we spent most of the time there with other people. On our way home, we decided to try to get in some mini dates this week, since we had not seen much of eachother the week before because of VBS and will be going away for a week this Thursday. Last night our idea was to go to HEB and get an already made rotessori chicken, fruit, green beans and rolls (we have fun going to the store together...kinda weird, I know), and then go home and eat it. Then we were going to make popcorn and watch Napoleon Dynomite for the 6th time (we hadn't watched it in about 2 months, so it was about time). Well, our date didn't exactly turn out as planned. We both worked late and didn't get home until about 8:00, so we rushed to the store. When we got there, we kept finding things we needed, so it took a little longer. As we were about to drive off, we realized that we couldn't! We were in Josh's 4 year old Honda Accord (shouldn't be giving us problems), and the gear stick wouldn't move. We tried lots of things, none of them working, so we asked my parents to come help us, thinking my dad would know what to do. While we waited on them to get there, since we were both starving (it was getting close to 9:30)and had our delicious smelling meal in the car, we started eating some of the food in our trunk. We got some funny looks! Mom and Dad got there and couldn't figure it out (my dad said it was something in the transmission), so they took us and our groceries home, leaving the car in the parking lot. As soon as we got home, I quickly prepared it while Josh got the movie ready. At about 10:00, we sat down on the couch to eat and watch the movie (no popcorn now). We were wide awake while we were eating, but then about 20 minutes later we both couldn't keep our eyes open. So...we went right to bed! We actually both had fun still, but we are not looking forward to the bill for our car trouble!

Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf! We had a whirlwind of a trip! Despite the circumstances, we had such a wonderful time with his family and were glad to get an extra trip in to see them. The funeral was so nice and fitting for the person she was. Josh had a really hard time once he saw her and realized it was real, but after everything was over, we all had such an overwhelming peace about it. Seeing her and taking it all in really put life into perspective. I was so moved by so many things while I was there, but what has really given me so much peace and excitement is knowing where she is right now. Jo Anna (Josh's sister) and I decided to look up all the verses in the Bible we could find on what happens after we die (This was during one of the many hours we were in the car Wednesday). It was so neat to read about how after people die, they really are still aware of their family, and I think that means they are watching over us (Luke 16:19-28). I like to think that even though my mom's mom (who everyone says was an amazing woman) knows me and loves me, even though she died before I was born. I have always known that heaven will be exciting, but it really hit me on this trip how real it is! That is such an incredible gift to us from God that we will be in heaven one day where we will be whole and complete. We are God's creation, and only He knows how to make us whole...and it's not here on earth! I think we should live with the excitement like you have the week before you are about to go on a really awesome vacation to a fabulous destination, because that is what will happen at the end of our lives.

Today Josh's grandmother, Audrey Satterfield, has completed her journey here on earth and has gone to be with our Father. Meemaw, as everyone called her, was a huge part of Josh's upbringing and helped make him the person he is today. Josh says that she and Josh's grandfather had one of the biggest impacts on developing his faith growing up. She was your typical southern grandmother who cooked a huge southern feast every Sunday after church and made Josh the big eater he is today! She was sweet, kind, and cared deeply about her family. She always knew what was going on with every person in their big family, including me! I was always shocked that even when she was very ill, she remembered so many details about my life and thought to ask me about them. Even though she was not my grandmother, I felt like I was very lucky and blessed to be able to have known her for the little time I did. Josh, his sister, niece, and I are going to leave tomorrow morning at 3 a.m. to drive out to Atlanta. Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we drive and his family in your prayers as they deal with such a huge loss.

This weekend was a very fun and eventful weekend! Friday night, Josh and I had a date with Matthew (my nephew who's 5 now) and got to laugh the whole night. He is the most hilarious little boy I have ever met. We took him to dinner, to see Madagascar, which was really cute, he spent the night, and then we took him to get Krispy Kreme donuts (I pushed that one!) in the morning. After that, the hospital that my mom works for had their annual picnic, which is always fun because of good food and fun activities going on. My sister and I went over to the dancing area and got the dancing started. That was a blast, except that we were outside and it felt like it was 100 degrees outside, so we were dripping with sweat by the end. Then I headed home to get ready for my next event. For my birthday, my brother told me that he wanted to take me on a date in Dallas. If you knew my brother, you would know that this was a very special treat. He is hilarious and so much fun to be with and talk to, but is very busy and lives in Dallas now, so I don't get to hang out with him as much as I'd like. So Josh called a buddy up in Dallas to hang out with so we could ride together, and I had one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time! He took me to a really neat restaurant in the West Village, which is a very hip place to go, and we dined on DELICIOUS food while catching up on eachother's lives. Then we went to SMU and threw the football and frisby. I could throw the football for hours, but I'm not so good at frisby. We got a good laugh out of how many time he kept showing me how, but I still threw it every which way imaginable. Then we started going around campus taking goofy pictures. We probably looked really strange (or like "loosers", as we were told by some high school boys!), but that made it even funnier. After that, we got some of the best ice cream I've ever had in downtown Dallas. It was called cake batter, and it tasted like just that. We called it a night after the ice cream, and Josh and I stayed over at his apartment. The next morning we were able to finally go to his church with him (Farmer's Branch), and I was able to meet all of his friends. THEN.... Josh and I headed straight back home, did a mad dash around the house to get it clean, and 30 minutes later welcomed his sister, mom, and niece, who had just driven 13 hours (from Atlanta) to come visit us for the week. I'm very excited about their stay with us as we always have lots of fun together! Well, that takes my to right now, when I need to be heading to bed since I have to work tomorrow! Good night!

I think it's interesting that you can read a chapter of the Bible several times, and everytime you read it, you can pick up new meaning. I've been reading Matthew, and as I was reading the parables, a theme just stood out to me. I noticed more than ever that God placed so much importance in giving up your possessions and then you can have treasures in heaven and then follow Him. I don't think this means He literally wants us all to sell all of our possessions, but I think that means letting go of them in your heart. He wants so badly for us to let go of putting such an importance in those things and replace them with Him. God says we cannot serve two gods. I used to think I really could love money and serve Him, but God has convicted me that I was in the wrong. I'm so thankful to Him in how He continues to show and prove to me how much more satisfying it is to replace everything taking up space in my heart with Him.

I am having a great start to my very wonderful, long break for summer! Ending school was harder than I thought it would be. I thought it would never get there, but then it came and I wasn't quite prepared for it! I cried the last day thinking about how I'd never see my babies on a day to day basis anymore (although there were some I was not sad about), and I was also sad about not seeing my wonderful coworkers daily. When you spend 5 days a week from 8-4 with your team teachers, you get very close! But.... when Tuesday morning rolled around and everyone was back at work, I had a BIG smile on my face! (sorry!) Especially when I rolled out of bed at 10:00 a.m. and never really got dressed the whole day. Am I making you non-teachers sick? At least you all can laugh at us when August rolls around and we have to get prepared to start all over and retrain 21 kiddos how to be in school. Back to my week...I have really enjoyed organizing my house. Our laundry room is organized for the 1st time since we moved in! I have also enjoyed spending lots of time with my sis and getting my daily fix from my adorable niece and nephews. More things I love about summer time are staying up later than usual and watching tv and having free time to read. I have said that I will get back into exercising now that I have so much free time, but everyday I seem to find an excuse. Maybe tomorrow... One thing I am doing, though, is going on nightly walks with Josh. We live in a great walking neighborhood and can't go a night now without walking together. It's been so hot that when 7:30 at night hits, it's about our only time to go enjoy the outdoors! Well, off to go watch some late night tv!

One of my favorite things I heard Sunday morning was this...Live your life with the end in mind. Think about what who you want to be when you are presented to God on judgement day. I want to be someone who lived her life actively seeking God. I want to exude the fruits of the spirit. I want it to just be second nature for me to keep his first and second commands: to love God with all our heart, body, and soul, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. I want to have reached many people and brought them to Christ. I want to have been as good of an example as my mother was of selflessness to Josh and my future children and have raised them to lead Christ-centered lives. So what does that mean that I need to do today...tomorrow...next week...next year?? I can't just sit around and wait for it to happen one day!

Right now I feel empty inside. I had a wonderful Spring Break and really enjoyed the time off, but from time to time got little pangs of loneliness inside. For one thing, I don't think I knew what to do with myself because I have bombarded myself lately with tons of things to do, and I actually had nothing pressing to do...very strange feeling. I thought it would be a good week to get in lots of Bible studies, working out, etc., but I did the opposite. I became a little bit of a bum. In a way, I needed it (except for not paying attention to God), but I'm coming off of it feeling lonely and empty inside because I didn't give much thought to God all week. He deserves the first of my time, and I'm longing now to give it to him. I had a great week of indulgences (shopped till I dropped, ate at lots of good restaurants, watched all of my favorite TV shows, etc.), but I realize tonight that it just left me feeling desperate for God. I want Him to draw me back in and fill me up in a way only He can. The wonderful thing is, I know He will. Our God is so good!!!

I was really struck by what our preacher talked about on Wednesday night. What gets you worried? What do you obsess about? These things will be long forgotten and noone will ever remember the things that we put so much importance on or obsess about....the size of our house...having the latest shoes....did I make a good impression...do they like me...am I getting a little bulgy in this or that area...etc. What will be passed on from generation to generation is how we raised our kids and how much love we gave to the people around us. If we don't raise our kids to love Christ, then they teach their children, and their children won't teach their children. Eventually hundreds of people could possibly not know or follow Christ, unless someone from the outside intercedes. (That also makes me want to do more interceding-think of how many people that really affects, when you include children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.!) Lyndon B. Johnson said that when reading about President Lincoln, he couldn't even bring him back to life in his mind, and if a president couldn't bring another president back to life, then there's no hope for the common man. He said that he wished he would have spent more time pouring love into his wife and kids than worrying about what other people thought of him. I think that's great advice.

Thanks for the postcard, Jo Anna! This is pretty much the best postcard I've ever gotten. He's flippin' hot! I had to post this picture!

Peace Out! 

We dressed up as Kip and La Fawnduh from Napoleon Dynomite for our Oscar Party tonight. Josh won for best costume!! He was pretty scary looking... a total transformation! Now I have to go wash all of this make-up off.

I've taken a little break from explaining last year (my hands got tired!), and I wanted to share something I heard in church last week that has stuck with me. In order for salt or light to do their job, they need to be distinctly different. Just the smallest bit of light penetrates a dark room and changes it. Christ followers are the light, and in order to penetrate "the darkness", we need to be distinctly different. I fell into a trap today and was negative and gossiped at school today. I blended in with the world!

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall is be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16

(And Kim, it took me like 30 minutes to find this! I promise I'm not good at it either!!)

I barely mentioned perspective in my last blog, but that has been a huge part of all of this to me. My perspective had been completely off (especially during high school and college), and it was centered around me. God continued throughout the summer to slowly open up little doors for me that led to more and more wisdom and understanding. I felt like it all started coming together for the first time, what it was all about (Not that we will EVER know what it is ALL about until we get to heaven, but things were generally starting to become more clear). Then, I got busy with school starting and completely lost focus again. Well, about a week after school started, one of our Kindergarten teachers went to get her hair done and collapsed on the ground. I was actually at the school on that Saturday when some of the teachers got the first news of it happening. By Sunday, we were all told that she had barely any brain activity going on and that if she made it, she would be a vegetable. I kept thinking, I barely know her, but she was still in my mind from seeing her in the hallway yesterday! She always gave me a big smile and asked me how I was doing. How could I have just talked to her Friday, and now she'll never be the same?? Well, I saw God work in so many amazing ways through this tragedy. I know that not every teacher at my school is a Christian (most are, though), but the Monday after that, our Principal called a faculty meeting to talk about it, and they decided right then and there to take it to the Lord in prayer! I thought that was so awesome that they did that in a secular work place! I was brought to tears being able to pray openly with all of my co-workers. The feeling in that room was amazing. Some of the teachers decided to start praying every day after school in a room, just pleading with God to restore her. Two incredible things came of that. First, Deby made a miraculous recovery that shocked even the doctors. Every day or week it was something else that came back. What a blessing that was!! Second, the feeling I had every day as I left school after the prayer group was the best feeling I had felt in a long time. Spending the end of my work day with my sisters in Christ in prayer just made me realize that that was what it was all about. It put life into perspective (the right perspective), and I felt so much peace and contentment from spending that time with God. (That time is usually such a busy, frantic, tired time when I'm worn out from the day). I realized that God's way is so much more fulfilling than the way I usually make for myself. (By the way, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I need to start doing this again! This is good therapy, Amanda!) My Bible class teacher put it in a good way. He said that God created us and knows exactly how to fill us up, satisfy us, make us whole, and knows the only way to make us completely content. We go about our lives trying to do it ourselves, but it only leads to more hunger and thirst and lonliness. An update on the teacher, she is home now, still recovering, but has her personality back, her sense of humor, and is doing really well. Her memory is still not completely back, but she truly is a miracle.

After asking God to work on me, I didn't realize how quickly and powerfully He'd start doing it. It all started with a series on money at my church in Dallas last January. We talked about it for 2-3 months, which seems like a long time, but I left every Sunday in awe and inspired. I didn't realize how important it was for us to give with a happy heart and release that feeling that it was my (or Josh's and my) money. In Malachi 3:8-12, it talks about money so strongly as if we are robbing God and says that they were under a curse because they were robbing Him of His money. He says to test Him (WOW) on whether or not he'll bless them if they started giving with the right spirit. I've heard people say "Well, that was the old law, we're not under that anymore." I learned that we should actually give more than what was expected back then, because more is expected of us since Jesus died for our salvation. Pretty interesting thoughts. I think that money in our society is huge, and to give enough up every week that you feel it in you lifestyle, you are telling God every week, "I trust you. I love you. This is yours to begin with, so thank you for what you have given me, and here's a portion of your money back." That really hit home to me because money meant (used to mean more but still means) so much to me. I have always struggled with materialism and wanting, wanting, wanting. I didn't think about it all of the time, but when I did, I envied people who lived the wealthy "Dallas" lifestyle. I thought they had something I didn't. I thought that I wasn't sinning, because it was just normal to feel that way, and when the Bible would talk about that, I would just skim over that part. This all kind of hit me in the face that it is NOT good and God is NOT ignoring it. I NEEDED to change that about myself. I prayed and prayed for God to release this desire, and He did. I'm not saying I don't still struggle with it from time to time, and I am no where near perfect on this, but I felt that freedom of desiring that lifestyle. It is the most freeing feeling not wanting that, and it has also taught me many other lessons about perpective and how God is in control. Now, I need to continue to work on separating need from want...(i.e. a new pair of shoes each season!) I honestly don't know the right boundary there. Any thoughts on that?