A Great Day

I have this sweet boy in my 3rd grade class. Very sweet, very obedient. Not too good at Spanish. Fails most tests. Tries pretty hard, but it just doesn't always connect for him.

In my class, each Wednesday the kids do Spanish Literacy Centers. I put out 9 centers and they have a month to do as many as they can. Then I grade them. For February centers, this sweet little boy made a 100%! His first 100 in my class. As I graded the papers, I was genuinely excited about his score and couldn't wait to pass it back and see the look on his face. I was not disappointed!

I set the paper down in front of him, and he immediately said, "Today is a great day."

I pried deeper and asked, "Why is today a great day?" Fully expected the answer to be "my first 100" or "my first A" or something along those lines.

The answer was this, "I don't have to have my sister tomorrow."

"What? You don't have to have your sister? You mean she'll be gone tomorrow?"

"Yep! All day! She'll be with my grandma."

"And so that makes today good for you?"

"Yep."

huh. Well at least he's got his priorities straight. Hope he's enjoying today with no sister. And I'm sure he's already forgotten about that A.

Remedy for a Bad Day

So yesterday was not great. The kids in a certain 3rd grade were just out of control. Seriously, did they miss the memo about "raise your hand and WAIT for the teacher to call on you"???? I mean- they are in 3rd grade now, I think they should know that.

But no. They don't. They talk whenever a thought enters their minds. They raise their hands and then at the same time begin saying, "Mrs. Sawyer, I need.... blah blah blah."

They interrupt me countless times until I can no longer take it. and yesterday was a day that I could no longer take it.

I'm normally pretty patient. I pray for patience and joy daily. But somehow, yesterday, I just lost it. I yelled. I hate yelling. And I yelled. It was not my favorite moment of the day.

And then 3rd grade left, and I had 30 seconds to get ready for 1st grade. So I went to my desk and began praying for help to let it all go, that I would not take out my frustrations on the 1st grade who had done nothing wrong yet.

That's when it happened. As they walked into class, with me standing by my desk praying, a little boy handed me this.

Now you have to know, this is not a little boy that normally shows affection. He is usually well behaved, but he never gives me hugs like some of the other kids do. And actually lately, he has gotten in trouble a bit for talking. So I thought it might be a note from his mom, or an apology letter (that some kids get forced to write- super sweet I think).

So I said, "What's this?"

"A gift." he answered.

Oh,

okay.

And

as

I

unfolded

it.

I realized it was a gift from my Lord. An answer for my prayers. a reminder of the power of Christ living in me, and therefore my total ability to be joyful, loving, and patient with this next group of kids.

It was a good class after all.

Then 4th grade came in. They are not the best behaved. They also have the interrupting problem. So I warned them that it had been a rough day and I would have zero tolerance for interrupting and talking out.

That's when my favorite (you know, one of the kids from my class last year), Gabby-cakes, yells out "oh no!" Then she stands up quickly.

Can't tell what happened? Try this picture out...

It was just her water bottle that had spilled all over her pants. But it made me think "peeing in your pants is cool." and I laughed, and class began. And they basically did not talk out.

Oh- and Gabby's pants did not ever fully dry. And that was funny too.

The Joys of a Day Off

Last week I was not feeling up to par, so I decided to be wise and use a sick day and get better!

Early Thursday morning I made the decision to not come to school on Friday, which gave me plenty of time to prepare for a sub. I spent every second I had off to put together well written sub plans, check out 3 DVD's from the library, and watch all the DVD's to make sure they were appropriate and interesting. I mean I worked hard. I teach Spanish and usually my subs are not Spanish speakers at all, so I have to plan something they can do that I would not normally do. And because I'm overly organized, I type up detailed plans, answering all questions I foresee them having, give them names of "helper" kids in each class and a "watch" list for each class as well.

Friday is my busiest day at school, so I had 5 TYPED pages for the sub.

I laid everything out on my desk (and cleaned off everything she would not use). I added post-it notes to each item, making sure she knew the Magic School bus video was for 3rd grade, the Veggie Tales video was for 1st grade, and what stack of papers the 4th grade re-take tests were.

I placed the lesson plans on top of a follow up page labeled "Sub Info, How did it go??" With a place for her to make notes back to me about behavior, things to know for next time, etc.

2nd and 4th grade were to do centers that day, which is independent Spanish literacy work. Super easy for a sub to oversee- the kids really do know how to do it all, although sometimes they need help looking something up in the dictionary and often they need to be reminded to stay on task and not talk to friends too much. But no problem, it requires no Spanish knowledge at all.

1st and 3rd grade were supposed to learn new Spanish things, which is why they both were to watch videos. Not even Spanish related videos, just videos to keep them occupied and behaving.

As I mentioned before I checked out 3 DVD's, but only planned on showing 2. You just never know. For example, one of the DVD's was the Jim Elliot Story- animated. Which sounded great in the library! A child's animated version of the missionary who lived (and died) in Ecuador- a Spanish speaking country! Right on target for Spanish class!

But after watching the DVD during my off time, I realized that even though it was animated, the Indians were brutal, the spear killings were intense, and the bloody water was a little too much to show to 3rd graders. And it was definitely inappropriate to have a sub just flip on.

I did think it would make a great lesson for 4th grade after we had spent a day discussing and preparing for the video, so that the deaths wouldn't be surprising or gory, but more expected and understood.

So I put the DVD in one of my desk drawers and planned to use it the next week in class with 4th grade. And I left out the other two with post-its labeling who was to watch what.

I went home, I slept on my couch for 36 hours (maybe longer). I felt better and confident that my 2 DVD's and 5 pages of plans were great. And I never thought about it again.

Until I reached school on Monday. And the first kid I saw (in 2nd grade) says to me "that movie was scary." "Movie?" I ask, thinking that 2nd grade was not supposed to watch a movie. "yeah, all that blood." huh.

As the day progressed, I discover that not only had 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade seen the movie, but also 1st grade! a movie that I had deemed inappropriate, and HIDDEN in my desk!!

So Monday's lesson plans were out the window as I spent the day explaining, discussing, answering questions, and helping the kids to understand the fear of the Auca Indians, the reasons behind the killings, and God's redemption of the whole thing when all of the Aucas accepted Jesus and confessed their sins and the forgiveness from the Elliot family and all the others.

Yes, Monday was a fun day of making sure that no parents were going to be emailing angry about the violence their kid saw AT SCHOOL! A "safe" place.

In the end, I think the kids understand what happened. and it really is a great story. But, oh, the pains of having a sub with her own mind (and prying eyes- digging in my desk drawer). And well written lesson plans... good for nothing.

And all of this is exactly why I had all those sick days built up, it's just easier to come than to deal with the after mass.

Blast from the Past

So this story actually happened 3 years ago, but it's still funny today.

It was my first year teaching, I loved that class! 6 boys, 2 girls- 8 kids total. heaven. I loved those girls.

I also was learning what it felt like to wake up at 5:45 every day, and so discovered a new found love for coffee. I'd always enjoyed coffee, but that was the year I married coffee and could no long live without, not even for a little bit.

One morning, I arrived at school, got everything ready, was sipping my 3rd (or 4th) cup of coffee and waiting for my kiddos to arrive. They came. They were always awake in the morning. But they got to sleep later, so it makes sense.

Anyways, as they were doing their morning work, Abby looked up at me (sweet Abby) and says, "Miss Clarke (that was before I was married), are you tired this morning?"

"Well Abby, I'm tired most mornings, why?"

"Well, your hair's a mess and you don't have any make up on."

Thank you Abby- I feel very good about myself now.

Valentine's Weekend

Guess where we went for Valentine's Day???
Ty's gift to me was planning a special day :) can you guess where we went?
No?



That picture doesn't help?





Any other guesses?



Well...

Here's another clue
The Dallas Zoo!!

It was a wonderful day! Sunny and a little cool- perfect with a jacket!
and we got to watch them feed this gorilla. It was amazing!
Look at how close we were! (separated by very strong glass of course)

We did go to lunch first, then the zoo for the afternoon.

While at the zoo our good friends (and new homeowners) called and asked if we had dinner plans. We did not. So they grabbed some green beans and mashed potatoes, we grilled some chicken and made cookies. And Valentine's Dinner was served!

Yes I know there are boxes in the background. In fact that entire back room is overflowing with the contents of our garage while we fix up the garage attic for storage.

But please notice the cute table with red cloth napkins and red candles and a beautiful bouquet from my hubby. lovely. and grilled pineapple, my favorite.

The fun weekend did not end there!

Sunday was a blessed day filled with a wonderful church service and then some Kanakuk friends here to visit... Look at Sarah!! oh - and her adorable belly! I am in love!!

There's Sarah with her sweet hubby Cody. Cody and I worked at the same church in Branson back in the day- our offices connected, I got to listen to many funny conversations with parents that happened in his office. Don't tell.

And me and hubby. He loves having his picture taken. Oh- we ate a Freebirds- burrito place. delish.

But the goodness did not end there either. On Monday, I not only had the day off, we also had a "fancy dinner" at Trulucks with the Shoemakes! Mondays at Trulucks features an all-you-can-eat stone crab claws- flown in straight from Florida. With the special, you also get salad, soup, and all the sides you can imagine!! Ty, Julia, and I all partook in the goodness.

We went last year too. And Robert did not partake in the goodness because he remembered last year that eating crab was a lot of work, and he was not going to "put in the effort." So he had salmon. I'm sure it was good.

Aww... Ty posed for 1 more picture. I may have reached the photo quotient and will probably not get another picture of the 2 of us until our birthdays in March. bummer. But look at how GQ he looks in his work attire and fancy shirt. Love it!

The other happy couple. Robert also dislikes pictures. I do not think he was trying very hard here. he was just glad his eyes were open.

Then, to top the whole weekend off... the dessert tray came by. Oh my.

Julia ordered key lime pie. She swears it is the absolute best she's ever had. I tried it. It was very very good.

But wait! What did we get??

Oh yes, that is a chocolate BOX full of pound cake, strawberries, and cream.

Which the waiter cut open at the table.

And then drizzled with dark chocolate raspberry sauce.

Robert was in the bathroom when it arrived, he almost didn't get any.
Oh my. That is too much.

We clearly finished it off (Ty, Robert, and I). Robert said at the end "I probably had more than my fair share, but I didn't eat any chocolate box, so it evens it out."

"Why no chocolate box?" we ask.

We should have known the answer... "too much effort."

And so today, I am still full. The end.

(P.S. I did not include a picture- but I did get Ty a gift. Remember his gift to me was a well planned date day. My gift to him was globe book ends from Crate and Barrel- he collects books and globes, so it was a wonderful arrangement!)

When I Woke Up...

When I went to bed last night, everything was normal. I felt fine, I was tired, nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary. Well, I was a little full (okay very full) from our all-you-can-eat crab claws dinner. But other than that, I was fine.

When I woke up, I immediately noticed my hand was hurting. Right in between my thumb and pointer finger, that patch of skin was hurting. Bad.

And I went straight to the bathroom, turned on the bright lights, and there it was, a splinter.

And it hurt.

Now, I'm not a total wimp. I'm exaggerating a little bit. But the point is... I felt it immediately when I woke up. I knew I had something in my skin. And it definitely wasn't there when I went to bed.

And we don't have a headboard.

So... where did this splinter come from?
Did I sleep walk? That's all I can think of. I must have.
Or, did my husband wake up and put a splinter in my hand?? no, that can't be it, he's too sweet.

I don't know how it happened. I've had splinters before, but I've never gotten one while sleeping. This is a first. It's also a mystery.

Feliz Dia de San Valentin

As a teacher, children and parents take advantage of all of the holidays to deliver gifts of thanks for teaching them everyday. Note to the wise... a teacher's favorite gift is really a gift card. And please, no more smell good lotion or candles or coffee mugs.

Fortunately this Valentine's Day I did not receive any smell good lotion or coffee mug. I did not receive any gift cards either, but here are a few of the gifts delivered to my desk yesterday.

A very creative (and patient) mom, planted these beautiful flowering plants for all of her teachers. She even did mini ones for each kid in the 4th grade. I love the detail of the plastic shovel with a bag of hershey kisses and a label that says "Love is in Bloom." Precious.
Another hand made goody was this little heart cookie with my name written on it. Looks yummy and very nicely done by a 2nd grader. Although, after discussing with the computer teacher, we remembered that he is a nose picker, so this cookie did not get eaten.

This is one of my favorites. Given to me by a boy 4th grader and his kindergarten sister. She did the writing. Look at the envelope. She wrote my name is well. And I mostly love the backwards e. Oh- and their choice of chocolates is divine.

Here's the card inside the envelope. You can't tell from the picture, but she definitely added the stickers and bows herself. Good job Kindergartener.

And here's the true delight. I saw her mom on Wednesday at school and her mom says "how do you say I love you in Spanish?" I told her "Te quiero or Te amo." She replied, "Yes that's what I thought, but Cydni wouldn't believe me. And she refuses to write your Valentine's card in English, she said it MUST be in Spanish." (Because I obviously don't know English.) But it is so sweet and so perfect and in wonderful Kindergarten hand writing and I just love it.

And maybe my all time favorite of the day... a 4th grader who was in my 3rd grade class last year. Chaney has a knack for giving gifts. She always brings me gifts and she always remembers what I really like. So instead of giving me the usual smell good lotion, candle, coffee mug, or candy. She chose this...

A bag of fruit (and one snickers bar). The bag had a peach, apple, and orange. (I ate the orange about 5 minutes after receiving the gift.) Chaney knows (and remembers) that I eat fruit every lunch and every afternoon for a snack, so that's what she gave me. I love her. She is so thoughtful.

And those were most of my gifts from yesterday. Happy Valentine's Day to you! Oh, I mean, Feliz Dia de San Valentin! (I don't speak English).

Giveaway - free header

Okay- so I just like entering giveaways. and when I find out I can have more chances if I write about them, I write about them.

This one is for a free blog header, which if you're reading my blog, you'll notice I need one. So, if you want to enter, go right ahead. Go to A Southern Accent - it looks like a cute blog, I'm a new reader (I got hooked by the giveaway).

Adios- I'm off to Panera and Bride Wars (hubby is gone for the night, obviously)

I've Been Tagged....

I was tagged by no worries WYNN in love, so here's some more fun info about me...

THE RULES:
Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag—eight other untagged people.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up: in my classroom so: photos of my class from last year, photos of my favorite teacher friends, photo of my husband, Ecuadorian weaving, lamp, calendar, lesson plan book, water bottle

Favorite football team: Dallas Cowboys (trying to impress my hubby here)

What are you wearing now? brown pants, cream and red floral short sleeve button down, brown flats (school clothes, plus something red for my 14 days)

What color is your bedroom? an ugly pale (very pale) cream. we haven't painted it yet since purchasing the home. Hubby likes the neutral colors, I don't mind the neutrals, as long as they are pretty- this one is not my favorite. at all.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Just finished the 2nd book in the triology of The Courtship of Nellie Fisher. Need to find the 3rd and see how it ends.

Do you nap a lot? When I worked for a church and was up super early and worked super super hard on Sunday mornings, I used to say Sunday afternoons were made for napping. I couldn't function without that nap. Now, I never nap. I never have time. Plus I like to go to bed early (since I get up before the sun does) and so I don't nap so that I'll be tired at bedtime.

Who was the last person you hugged? Ty. This morning, saying good bye before he headed to the airport.

What’s your current obsession/addiction? I am totally and utterly obssessed with The Office. I think they are real. I want to work there. Oh, plus I always am obssessed with chocolate.

What was the last thing you said aloud? Call me when you land. I love you.

What Web sites do you always visit when you go online? Facebook, yahoo mail, blogspot dashboard, and that's about it. If the news doesn't make it to one of those places, I don't know about it, and I'm fine with living in my bubble.

What was the last thing you bought? grocerys. (boring)

What are you listening to right now? kids in the art room next door

What is something you wish you could do more? travel, lay at the beach (actually I'd rather just live at the beach more than I do, which right now is never), fix up my home - but that requires time and money. hmm..

What gives you hope? The Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior. And reading the end of the Bible and knowing that one day, all will be perfect in Heaven for those who believe.

What is your favorite weather, and why? I love all weather - but only for a bit.
Summer weather: I could take this anytime! To go to the beach, to read a book, to enjoy the sun.
Rain: I love to curl up on the couch for this and watch a movie or take a nap
Snow: Love to sit by a fire, drink hot chocolate and look out the window at how beautiful the fresh, pure snow looks
Spring time: Love to enjoy the fresh air, go on walks, work in the yard and never feel too hot or too cold
Fall time: love the crispness in the air and the changing colors of the trees and long walks and football games
But... I love them all because they change. I do get tired of lots of cold or too much summer heat, so I love the variety most.

What time do you usually get up? 5:45 am. This is not my favorite part of my job, but I am learning to be okay with it.

What is your most challenging goal right now? self control with eating. I'm really trying to stay fit and get back to my "wedding weight"- but I'm having a very hard time eating less (like no snacks or smaller snacks or healthy snacks) and I do not want to stop eating dessert.

Say something to the person who tagged you: Thanks for the tag! I'm happy you thought of me, makes me feel like I am really getting connected in this bloggy word :)

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Somewhere on a beach, near good scuba diving, definitely.

Favorite vacation spot? Well... this is tough. I've always said Disney World is my favorite because it truly is the happiest place on earth. But I do love the beach so very much- and that is actually where we always go for vacation- so a beach. any beach, I'm not picky.

What is your favorite children’s book? This is sad, I'm a teacher, I read lots of kids books, and I don't have a favorite. I could lie and say I did, but I don't. I could also tell you what I loved growing up, but I don't really remember. A few years ago, I read the Chronicles of Narnia and loved them! But I dont' know what age group they are for, but can those count?

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: Chocolate brownies or chocolate chip cookies.

If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? Jesus. or maybe Paul. Or Daniel. Or Esther. Someone from the Bible. I have lots of questions that are not answered.

Have you ever met anyone famous? If so who? I think so. But I don't know. I'm not really excited about famous people. I've met some professional athletes, especially soccer ones. I don't know, boring answer.

If you could have any job in the world , what would it be? a wedding planner. or a photographer.

Who is your hero? my grandma

I am tagging:
C and C Baby Factory
Five Crazy Matchells
My Journey Toward the Glamorous Life of a Housewife
Sarah Garner
Plainly Jane
The Shoemake Family
Jill the Thrill
Thrilla in Manila

Sorry if you've already been tagged. Don't feel pressured to do this :)

If I Were...

As I was teaching some clothing words in Spanish today, a little boy raised his hand.

"Yes, David."

"If I were gloves, I'd be shy."

"You would? Why?"

"I don't know," as he turns beet red.

"Are you shy now?"

"No."

Even weirder is that we had just learned the word for coat and had not even gotten to gloves yet. Who knows what goes through those little minds.

Fuzzy Green Caterpillar

Because I currently have nothing fun to blog about, and I'm sitting at school and don't have any personal photos. I'm choosing to tell a story from last August, well maybe it was September.

Anyways. I had a Friday off of school for some reason, so I went to Walmart that morning and picked up many necessities. One of those was garden clippers, two kinds in fact. The long ones for bushes, and the more exact one for single thick branches.

It was a beautiful sunny day, so I decided to put my new hedge trimmers to use. I only planned on spending an hour or less outside, I had a soccer game that night and did not want to get too worn out from the sun.

Next thing I know, I am going to town, taking out whole bushes (that were ugly of course), and really re-doing the landscape (if you want to call it that, how about untamed years of growth bushes, almost jungly, yeah that's better). So anyways, I finally realized, I need to stop and clean up or I'll never be ready for my game, plus I need to be eating my pre-game dinner in about 15 minutes.

So I pulled out some trash bags and began putting away the scraps. Next thing I know, I feel something on my back, like a bug, tickling me. So I use my gloved hand to brush off my back and continue working. But, I still have that tickling feeling, so I try again. Finally, I get frustrated and so I take off my glove and grab my shirt, pulling it around me so that I can see the lower back of my shirt (can you picture this?)

And that's when it happened. My hand felt like it was on fire, immediately. I shook my hand and tried to fling off whatever it was that was causing the fire on my hand. And onto the ground fell a fuzzy green caterpillar. I had no time to waste, my hand and my back were on fire.

I ran inside, frantic that I had been poisoned, was allergic, and would die. I called my husband at work, he just said "what? a fuzzy green caterpillar? I think you'll be okay."

I held my hand under the running faucet, I washed with antibacterial soap, 20 times, I grabbed an ice pack, then turned on the internet, I had some research to do.

I found out that this fuzzy green caterpillar may in fact be poisonous, I may in fact have a reaction, it may be bad. I was home alone.

I did the only thing I could think to do next, I called the school nurse on her cell phone. Had she heard of fuzzy green caterpillar stings before? was this normal? Would I die? Should I drive to the hospital?

No. I would be fine. but I needed to make a paste of water and meat tenderizer to pull out the venom. Oh ok. Wait, meat tenderizer? What in tarnation is that?

I immediately drove the grocery store, calling my mom to ask "Where is meat tenderizer in the grocery store???" Spice aisle. Got it. Flew in, bought the stuff, drove home, made the paste, covered my back and my burning hand. And then with my left hand tried to eat my pre-game meal, I had a soccer game to play. Fuzzy green caterpillar sting and all.

The moral of the story? Fuzzy green caterpillars are NOT cute. Oh, and by the way, before leaving for my soccer game, I did take a huge rock and smash that fuzzy green caterpillar.

But I haven't done any yard work since.

Valentines Giveaway

Just an FYI to tell you one of my favorite blogs ever, The Glamerous Life of a Housewife, is doing a Valentine's Giveaway today for the most adorable plates! Go check out her blog, enter to win, then add her to your list and start reading every day- you won't be disappointed!

ps-- I don't know how to correctly spell Glamerous- and that's okay with me

Thanks... I Think

I was walking around the classroom, helping students, when 1 little 2nd grade girl motioned for me to come close. I leaned over, she whispered in my ear,

"You are very pretty." and then out loud, "But you have a small head."

I said, "well, thanks, I think I have small everything, I forgot to grow."

To which she replied, "well it's weird, because you have a big brain."

So... I guess thanks for the compliment?

25 Things About Me

I only wrote this up for Facebook because 5,302 people tagged me to do it. It's an okay list. If I had taken more time, it could have been funnier. Maybe I'll make it funnier later. But here it is for now.

1. I like to exagerate for effect. (please see the first sentence in this note)

2. I am obsessed with chocolate- although I'm trying to limit myself to 1 dessert a week since my metabolism is slowing down.

3. I am married to a man who is way out of my league- but I love him and am soooo thankful for him!

4. Kanakuk Kamps has played a ginormous role in my life- I was a kamper there, I was a counselor there, I met most of my closest friends there, I met my husband there, I grew closer
to the Lord there.

5. I hunger to read the Bible daily- without time with the Lord, I am just plain mean.

6. I used to paint my finger nails and toe nails every day. In college, I started painting them once a week. I absolutely love having my nails painted. Unfortunately, I only get to it once a month or so now, I need to fix that soon.

7. I don't love watching tv, but I find myself doing it all the time!

8. I like folding clothes, but I hate putting them away.

9. I moved every year for 7 years and lived in 7 apartments.

10. I HATE taking out the trash. I think due to the fact that in apartments I had to walk it to a dumpster.

11. I love soccer and cheerleading. I cheered in college and absolutely love it! Now I'm playing on a soccer team- which is hilarous.

12. I used to get so bored running and now have run 2 half - marathons, so I guess I'm a runner.

13. I never read a book in high school or college- I always read the cliff notes. But now I love reading and always have a book going.

14. I lived in Quito, Ecuador for a semester. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and by far one of the best times of my life.

15. Last year I became an official certified scuba diver. Definitely one of the coolest things to do.

16. I've always wanted to be a wedding planner. And after planning my own wedding, I've decided I really would love that job (and might actually be good at it). but I dont' like the thought of working on weekends... so I haven't pursued that career yet.

17. One year I cleaned houses for a living. Too bad I don't always keep my own home clean.

18. I have a terrible habit of setting my stuff- purse, bags, coat, sunglasses, whatever- down right when I walk in the front door. And I never move it. Until Saturday, I always move it on Saturday.

19. I love to keep things for sentimental value, but I hate clutter. When I get in the right mood, I throw a lot away, but it takes awhile to get to that point.

20. I am obsessive about organization. Almost OCD about it. And if I can't organize something the right way, then I leave it totally messy until I can. Sometimes my organizational systems are too complex and take too long to keep up with... this is not good.

21. I am a "piler." I pile things on my desk until I can get to them to file them correctly (see #20). Last week it took 2 hours to get to the bottom of my desk. My husband saw it and said "oh, the desk is brown, didn't know that."

22. I used to drink Dr. Pepper daily. I decided to give it up for soccer season my senior year of high school and have never had a soda since.

23. I used to love ice cream and chocolate milk. Somewhere along the lines, I became a big of a "lac-tard" and now have to drink soy milk or take lactaid.

24. I am addicted to "The Office." My husband and I talk about the characters as if they are our friends. We know everything that they have said or done. It borders on pathetic. Also a big fan of 24 and American Idol.

25. Jesus Christ is my Savior. Without Him, I was a different person. With Him, I am becoming the person He wants me to be.

14 Days

Five years ago I was attending the Kanakuk Institute. Unlike what my brother thought, it was not an institution for mental illness... it was (and is) an institute for Biblical studies and youth ministry training. It was an amazing year, filled with Bible knowledge, growth in my relationship with the Lord, and fellowship and friendships beyond your wildest imagination. It was incredible.

We had class each day from 8-12ish. We had many other obligations too, but for now, let's focus on the class part. You see, they were trying to teach us "professionalism" as well- and so we had a dress code. It had some value, but it was a little silly as well... for example:

Dress professionally- church clothes, work attire.
No jeans.
no flip flops.
Matching warm up suits are acceptable (what?? how is this professional?)

Anyways, we ended up being silly with it.
The boys had "turtle neck Thursday" (Gross)
The girls had "warm-up Wednesday" (My Fav)

And then February 1st hit. And we went nuts. One girl came up with the bright idea of wearing pink or red every day until Valentine's Day. Most every girl did it.

And 5 years later, I'm still doing it. So for 14 days, I wear pink or red. Either a shirt, a dress, pants, or more subtle... a necklace, socks, an undershirt, or underwear (shhh...)

This past Sunday I wore a red and black dress. Yesterday I had on pink pants with a black top. today green pants and black top- but with a multi color belt (which has pink AND red) and also a pink cardigan.

So join me if you will. I guarantee you'll wear things in your closet you haven't worn in years. You may even rediscover a new favorite. And in the meantime, you'll be blessing the world with more girliness and beautiful pink-ness!

Happy 14 Days!

B is for...

I signed up over at Elizabeth's blog, no worries WYNN in love, for this little game that I thought would be so much fun! So, here's the deal: If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I'll assign you a letter. You post ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on. I got the letter B, so here goes!

10 Things I like beginning with B...

1. beaches!
2. Bible!
3. bratwursts (at K-Kountry- the best!)
4. bananas (do you think I'm hungry?)
5. Bugs (not the insects, the cars!)
6. balls (well, really sports, and specifically soccer balls and basketballs)
7. brains - yep I'm glad I have one
8. biology - it was my major, and I find it fascinating
9. bran muffins - well actually all muffins, but this one starts with B (oh and still hungry)
10. babies- nope don't want one yet, but I sure do like them. And right now, I especially like "giving them back" to their mama's!

Well there's my list... leave a comment if you want a letter.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Superbowl!

Ty and I chose to give each other a big screen T.V. for Christmas this year. And we were wise and thought there would be sales come Superbowl Weekend, so let's wait to purchase then.

No- just kidding. We did not purposely wait til Superbowl Weekend, it just happened, but it did work to our favor! And so I present to you our new T.V. - Merry Christmas to me!

here's a close up of the beauty... all 42 LCD inches of this Toshiba. What's on you ask?? Why food network of course! The Superbowl of Wedding Cakes!

Oh but in an hour we will break in our TV with this year's superbowl- GO KURT WARNER!

SO Merry Christmas and a Happy Superbowl to you!