The Road is Never too Long Between Friends

I remember the first time that I saw this quote, it was stitched on this very ugly quilt that had a path and two old ladies with huge sun hats on, walking toward each other. I remember it so clearly to this day. Although the quilt was not the most visually appealing piece of fabric, the quote really stuck with me. At this time I was still in High School and had a very small group of good friends, but really felt like my whole class were friends. I lived in a very small town and didn't really see the world outside of that. It was a very carefree way of life and I remember thinking that these friends would be friends forever.

Then I went away to college and formed yet another group of friends. This group was very different. We had a different connection. Up until this point, I had friends that knew everything about me, simply because they grew up with me and grew up with the same beliefs and outlook on life as me. This new group was like a Glee mash-up (if you don't understand this reference I recommend you check this out and then make sure to catch Glee Tuesdays on Fox... so good). Many people from many backgrounds, walks of life, beliefs and childhoods in one group. I am still amazed at just how quickly these friendships formed and how close we all became. These friendships became a huge part of my life and yet began in a very different part and different way.

Then I moved out of college and some friendships strengthened, some were stretched, some were almost non-existent, some ended and some require a little TLC. Yet all of these friendships hold a special little place in my heart and have had some part of making me who I am today. As I reflect back on the past and the people that have had an impact on my life, I am so thankful and my eyes begin to well with tears. How many times have I taken certain people for granted, how many times have I simply neglected a friendship, how many times have I become too busy to make a phone call or simply send a text, how many times have I failed as a friend?

Looking back I can think of one, two or a handful of people from every area and age of my life that I still have some type of contact with and I am so thankful for.
If you are reading this and you are one of those people, thank you for caring, thank you for having a part in what makes me, me.

I leave you and myself with a mission.... contact those people in some form and catch up, tell them you care, thank them for being them or simply send some encouragement their way.

We'll meet in the middle of that old country road, we'll save a lot ground if we both give a little......

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

Anyone that is close to me knows that I love pictures. I usually have my camera with me at all occassions and have numerous photo albums and frames about my house. I just love the concept of capturing a moment in time and freezing it there to think back on and re-visit for years and years to come. This is exactly why I LOVE Shutterfly. This website is my go to when it comes to personalized gifts and memory keepers. A calendar is hanging from my cupboard as we speak and each time I look at it I am quickly rushed back to a little over a year ago in the warmth of Mexico for our honeymoon.
I also love sending personalized greeting cards to friends and family for their Birthdays, Anniverseries and Just Because days. Recently, I have received many of these cards from a great friend who has made it her mission to encourage me throughout student teaching. Those encouraging notes are always better with a picture of the cutest Goddaughter on the front,smiling back at me.
Before I was married I waited for the day that I had a reason to send out Christmas cards. It was actually one of the first things I thought about once we returned from our honeymoon last August. I simply used a postcard format with a navy blue background. ( Of course our wedding color )It looked very similar to this one.
This years card might just have to be one of the following:



All of them are simply yet super cute. I love all of the options, but man does it make it super hard to make a decision. On top of finding the perfect card, it is also very hard finding the perfect picture to compliment the awesome card. (The best part is that it is so easy to upload your own photo)
I am also currently working on my wedding album on Shutterfly... however this is very time consuming and is not even close to being done. I am very particular and there are SO many options.
I will be using Shutterfly for my Christmas cards again this year and for every year after. I am simply in LOVE!!!

Dynamic Backdrop

Today was a very long day. My students were walking barometers and the weather change was not nice to me. :) When I got home I felt completly exheausted and then I looked out the front window and witnessed a gorgeous sight. In the background the sky was very dark covered from the storm that went through today and in the foregroung was a gorgeous golden orange tree, with the sun shining just right and illuminating it. It is hard to explain the beauty of it, but it is gorgeous.

Today was an emotionally challenging day, but as the cutest little six year old came up to me with a huge smile on her face and simply sad, "you looked like you needed a hug," I realized that it was all okay. I love the simple way children think and the tenderness of their hearts that are not hardened by the world and the pain. I am coming to realize that that very reason is one of the best things about being a teacher. As a teacher you get to spend every minute of your day looking through the "eyes of a child."

Some day the same children that drive me crazy also keep me sane. For example; one of my little boys was having a very hard time listening today and we had many one on one talks. At the end of the day he ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and said, "I'm sorry about today, Mrs. Talicska. I'll try harder tomorrow." How in the world do you be mad after that.

Is anyone out there????

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you are simply talking to yourself? If you have kids or are a teacher (or have a husband :) ) you probably know what I mean. Today was one of those days for me. I know that it is Friday, but come on!!!!!
Needless to say, first grade was extremely talkative today. I was planning on staying after today and making sure that everything was ready to go for Monday, and then.... I looked around and realized I did not want to be in that room anymore today.
I came home and walked into my recently cleaned and fall smelling living room and simply sat there. Listening to only silence. I didn't even realize I was doing it until the annoying hoodlums rode by my window on their super-loud motorized scooter. Don't they know I want some peace and quiet!!
I am now officially halfway through first grade and feel more and more like a teacher every day. However, on days like today, I wonder if the students are even "getting it." That is if they can even hear me over their CHIT-CHAT!!!!! I am in desperate need of one of those "this is why I do what I do" moments.

I am happily welcoming the weekend and for now will put off Monday for a few days.

Is it bedtime yet?

Today was one of those never-ending days. It was the start of the second week of little kiddos and boy what a start. WHEW!!! I decided to tackle the phonics lessons starting today. We have a very scripted phonics curriculum and it takes a lot of sitting and listening on the studnets parts. Well, today was definitely not one of those days.

After my semi-successful carpet time I had the students move to their seats. Somewhere within the twelve steps back to their desks they morphed into monsters that did not have ears. Oh MY Word!!! I thought I was talking to walls and really wasn't sure what to do as I watched the clock tick away to lunch time.

I was feeling pretty down on myself all through lunch and into the beginning of the afternoon. I then took over the read a loud right before we transitioned into math and writing workshop. During this time the kiddos were angels. I was starting to feel much better about myself.

Then it came to math.....thankfully, I was not teaching this lesson....my host teacher was and this is when I realized that it wasn't just me and my teaching, but instead the crazy kiddo's and the odd day that we were having. WHEW!!!!

Let's just say I was definitely ready for today to be over and have been vegging on the couch over since. Except of course, for when I needed chocolate so I made no bake cookies.

What a day!!

Entering the Teacher World

Well, after a 2.5 month blog-leave, I am back!

A lot has changed around here and life is full of excitement again. Kyle started a new job. I am not the proud wife of a Kindergarten teacher. I am so incredibly happy for him. We spent hours cleaning out his room and getting ridding of the educational materials from 1960 that "had great educational value still." Not to mention the amounts of mouse terds we found in his room. G-R-O-S-S!!! However, it was worth it and his room looks awesome.

As for me, playing school a.k.a student teaching has started and I am loving it. I love my kiddos and actually enjoy having a purpose again every day. The host teacher that I am working with said this is going to be his most challenging year so far. We have a lot of little testers.

I thought I would share one of my favorite stories about a little boy in my class. This particular boy is very very short, has a very round face and has a very high pitched voice. He always uses the best manners, can always make me smile and laugh and has a very large vocabulary. Last night his parents brought him to the open house that we had at our school and I learned that he can to our school from a chistian school. As the parents were talking with the host teacher, he looked up at me and said, "Mrs. Talicska, we don't talk about God very much at this school, do we?" To which replied, "No, we don't." Without missing a beat he said, "But we still like Him a lot." Yes, we do....yes, we do. :) His mom also told us that on the first day of school he came home and said, "The only thing disturbing (yes, he is six) about this school is that they don't pray before snack." :) So, darn cute and innocent. It really made me stop and think.

Speaking of thinking, if you think of it please lift one of my students up in your prayers. She is 6 and is simply the nicest, sweetest little girl ever. We just found out that her dad has more than 80 tumors in his body and that Hospice has come in. His goal is to make it until Christmas. Please pray for a miracle. As you know, this would really shake this little girls life.

Oh, the joys of being around kiddos again. They can make you laugh, cry and blow smoke out of your ears all within seconds of each other. I am sure there will be many more stories to come.

Welcome to my adventures of student teaching.

Alive and Well

Yep, I'm still here. I know that I have taken a very long break from blogging, but I am BACK! My schedule got a little crazier and the job that I had that I sat at a computer all day went away for the last three weeks. Therefore my internet time was cut by 3/4 and blogging went out the window. But here I am...I've missed it. It is always kind of fun to type my thoughts out. Even if no one else even reads it.

I am headed to work shortly, but I thought I would share a funny story from work the other day. It had been a really slow day and I was becoming very bored. I looked at the clock and noticed I still had 2 hours to go. I had cleaned everything possible in the entire store and was starting to daze off when I heard a loud engine revving. Just when I heard it I looked toward the window anticiapting a motocycle to go speeding past the window... to my surprise a little old man in his amigo appeared and putzed across in front of the window followed by his wife in her matching beige button down sweater and amigo. HAHA
I laughed right out loud. Soon after the cute old couple passed by the window a motorcycle went zooming past with music blaring. I just smiled to myself.

The story is not extremely funny, but I was completely bored and at that moment that tickled my funny. :)

Well, I am off to work. We are having a big sale this weekend. Chamilia and Staxx buy 2 get 1 free.

Production at its Finest

This weekend was absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The hubster and I were super productive and we had tons of fun along the way as well. The weekend started on Friday night when we had a date night. Hubster parents were heading to CT to visit Kelli and David. They had Loons tickets for Friday night and asked if we would want to go in their place. Well, of course.... the hubster and I LOVE baseball! When I got home from work hubster took me out to dinner at Logan's and then we headed to the game. The best part was that there was firework's after the game. I absolutely LOVE fireworks. They seem so magical to me, I love the glow they cast on the faces of those gazing at them, the sound of the booms and pops and the graceful way they float through the night sky.

Saturday started with the hubster watering his parents flowers, getting my oil changed and then picking me up to go shop for flowers for our yard. We headed to Essexville and left with beautiful blooms. We then headed back for our planting adventures. Before the planting began hubster power washed the house. My hubby is absolutely amazing and dug each hole and placed each flower in the ground as I handed them to him in the order of color that I wanted and told him where they went. (It seems he is very particular about how to plant flowers.... which makes our yard look great) We had great teamwork and knocked it out in no time. I will add pictures shortly of the finished product. In all we planted light purple and white Alysum around our light post in the front yard, a planter for our front porch that include pink and white geraniums, ivy, impatiens and a spiky plant thing, a strip of flowers along the sidewalk and side of the house that include snapdraons in shades of pink, orange, yellow and white. Next we planted shades of pink and white impatiens by our fence and rose bushes and lastly we planted two plantes for by our back door and the back corner of our yard. These included pink and white geraniums, diamond frost, ivy, spiky things and pink impatients. The day was interrupted briefly when I locked us out of the house and had to climb through a window to get back in.
Such a fun and productive day.

Saturday evening we headed to Brent's house for a cookout and hanging out. Talk about a fun time filled with ladder golf, ladderball, redneck golf... whatever you call it and simply sitting around and talking with friends.

Sunday we had church and then hit up Pride and Country Village of Unique Shops on the way home. We had a gift certificate from our wedding and we had to use it by August. They had some of the cutest stuff. I have a hidden love for country decor and that is exactly what this was. I found some really cute stuff including a large red star for our door and a candle holder. It was a great sacrifice on the hubsters part, definitely not up his alley. :) Then we headed home to paint his Grandpa's shed. It was HOT, but we got it done. We just have to paint the roof. As we were painting the hubster said we needed to get it done at a certain time because we were going on a date that night. :) WHAT?!?! Sweet!
We headed home to shower and then jumped in the car headed for Frankenmuth. They were having the Dog Bowl festival and there was Hot air balloons there. They had a balloon glow and fireworks at night. It was so much fun. We had dinner at Tiffany's and it was so nice to not leave smelling like smoke... thank you Michigan Smokeless Law.

The fun continued on Monday as we headed home for a party with old friends. My youth pastor from high school moved to PA when I was a senior and he was coming back to visit. So we got the old group back together for a party. It was good to see some old faces again.

What a weekend!! It was a lot of fun, a lot of work and well worth it. Now I start the adventure's of Gems by Em and working every weekend! Oh well, I will just focus on the moola!

Pictures will be added to this post at a later time, but for now enjoy the mental pictures.

Another Itch that I Better Start Scratching

I find it interesting that as I look back over the blog posts found in the content of this blog, I dream a lot! I like dreaming and usually a dream begins with a little itch that I get. Yet again, I've got an itch. I believe I have shared with the blogosphere about all of the downtime I have at work. Well, it isn't getting any better. So, today I spent sometime on Craig's list and other random websites dreaming... again.

This time my search took me to houses. The hubster and I are not at the point in our lives where we are planning on buying a house, financially we could, but it just doesn't seem practical for us right now. Hubster is looking for other job opportunities and I am not even at the job market stage yet, so who knows where we will end up. However, this does not take away the fact that I really, really want to call something my own and decorate something exactly the way that I want to. During my searches I found some very reasonably priced humble abodes in the area. And then there it was.... I fell completely in love. Super cute on the outside, three bedroom, two bath, nice size back yard.... (insert big sigh)... I fell in love.

To add to my dreaming my gorgeous sister-in-law decided to do a giveaway on her blog and of course it had to be for a gift card to csnstores.com. They sell so many cute housewares items that I could decorate my "new" house....er... DREAM. Check out her giveaway here.

I will be scratching the itch as soon as I push Publish Post, but for now it is fun.

Nervous Nancy

From the time that I was little I have always had a nervousness about me. I'm not really sure why, but even making a simple phone call brings little beads of sweat to my forehead and makes the heart race just a little faster. No matter how much of a pep talk I give myself the outcome usually doesn't change.

I often find that this nervousness has negative effects on my brainwaves and causes me to have a humongous brain fart. This was definitely the case yesterday at my new job.

***Pardon the interruption***
I have recently started my job at Gem's by Em. This is a very cute store that sells Chamilia, Staxx, jewelry, Littlearth, purses and other accessories. I finished up my last day of training yesterday.

***************************

Yesterday as I was completing my end of day routines the training manager decided to tell me that she was there a half an hour after closing because the girl that trained yesterday was not able to count down the drawer and take out everything above a certain point that we keep the drawer at. As soon as she told me this guess what happened to me?? You guessed it. The heart began to race, beads of sweat started to form on my forehead and the brain seemed to go dead. It took me almost an entire half an hour after closing to figure it out and after I couldn't for a while she tried a couple of times. Finally we figured it out.

I really don't understand this nervousness, but it can go away at anytime.

On a side note: I work my first day today all by myself. Wish me luck and wish away the Nervous Nancy side of me. :)

So Fresh and So Clean

It never ceases to amaze me the differences that the hubster and I discover about our upbringings. There were a few things right off of the bat that we realized and had to discuss and form our own way of doing things or our own belief system. But I guess I never thought about the little things that would come up out of the blue. When we visit the grocery store together some things surface, like the brands to buy, the types of cleaning supplies and the way things go in the cart. As I am sure you can imagine, mini tiffs have come from some of these topics. However, not big enough that I would give up our sporadic trips together. (For some reason we are not on a schedule for groceries and simply go when the cupboards are bare or we realize the milk is a week and a half old)

The latest discussion has been over the choices of cleaning supplies. I grew up as a Pledge and Swiffer girl. Mostly the Pledge, but the smell seems to give me a headache. The hubster grew up on Murphy's.... Murphy's Oil Soap that is. Oh the tragedy when I finished dusting the entire house and he walked in the door from work only to tell me it didn't even smell clean in our house and it doesn't ever seem clean to him unless he can walk in the door to the frangrance of Murphy's tickling his nose.

Being the stubborn person that I am I was determined to get him converted to Pledge and show him that it does clean. So through headaches and dust clouds I attempted to prove him wrong. Attempted is the key word.

Yesterday, I finally gave in. I had the entire day off and decided to spend it doing a semi-spring cleaning of the house, trim and all. I pulled out the scrub bucket and filled it with water from the tub and poured in some of the famous Murphy's. I'm not exactly sure it cleaned any better than the Pledge does, but it put a smile on my face as the hubster walked in the back door and immediately said, "It smells so good in here." I had to confirm what he was smelling since I was doing laundry, I had scrubbed the kitchen, washed dishes, cleaned the bathroom and of course Murphied (I created this word. :)) He confirmed the smell by telling me it smelled so clean and he loved the smell of the Murphy's.

Well, I am glad he is happy and I will admit it does smell pretty darn good in my house and it seems to sparkle. Maybe that is just to my own eyes because I feel accomplished, but none-the-less it looks B-E-A-utiful!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I remember quoting a little rhyme as a child on each day that the sky was filled with gray clouds and droplets of wet junk would fall from the sky. I hadn't a word of this rhyme for a few years since I have come to enjoy these rainy days. They have turned into great cuddle/movie viewing days. However, on Friday my thoughts changed a little.

My alarm went off at the dumb time of 6:00 am and indstead of rolling over and hitting snooze a couple of times I was wide awake and jumped out of bed. I left my groggy husband in bed and hit the shower. I think I like this showering first thing the water is always HOT! (sorry, Kyle)

After my HOT shower I made my way to my personal beauty salon. (aka the guest room where I have a floor length mirror to apply my makeup and do my dair) The primping lasted a little longer than normal today because today I had to look REALLY good. :)

I finished my primping routine almost an hour before I had to leave for work and spent some time online before I headed out the door. I made it into work and into about a half an hour of my day when I looked out the window and saw it..... the trees were swaying, the sky was dark and the puddles were forming before my eyes. UGH! I HAVE AN INTERVIEW TODAY AND DID NOT BRING MY UMBRELLA!!!

Normally, those few minutes on my computer before I leave for work is used to check the weather, but no, not today. I also, do not care what my hair looks like, but yes, yes today!

Luckily, my co-worker had an umbrella that I could borrow, but on the way to the interview I realized something.

I smiled knowing that God was showing me that it did not matter what I looked like on the outside, but instead what was on the inside was what really mattered. :)

PS. I got the job! Thanks, God.

Times are a'changing

I've noticed that this blog has turned into something other than its original intention. I have been thinking about this and decided that I am okay with that. I enjoy writing and have always been one to keep a journal. However, I find that finding time to journal is not as easy as it used to be, but I spend a lot of my day in front of the computer at work. I do not consider myself a good writer by no means, but I enjoy it and that is all that matters.

Motivation is something that has been lacking lately in my life. I started working out and then my birthday hit.. which of course through everything off. Then I started convincing myself that I should simply be okay with my new weight. But I know that I am not okay with it and will be even less okay with it when swimsuit season hits. I want to put my honeymoon bikinis back on this year. I am not enjoying any of my work out dvds at the moment and simply want to be outside, however I am a little paranoid. You see I would love to venture out and go rollerblading, go for a walk or even a run, however I am afraid to go by myself. This is the one time that I really need a dog.

I know that being outside will help with my motivation, but I am lacking a partner. It seems there is just never enough time in the day for Kyle to go with me and all friends live too far away to decide spur of the moment. GRRR!!

Eating healthy is still going okay. I say okay because Kyle and I kind of cheated on Monday night. But it was waaayyyy worth it. Kyle has started softball again, so every Monday and Thursday night from here on out is booked. With a few sporadic times when we don't have games. Which means we are going to have to try a little harder to eat healthy. By the time the earlier game gets over it is already almost 7:30 and we are both extremely hungry. Usually by the time we get home it is almost 8 and it is getting late to eat. Therefore, we are often tempted to run out and get something quick, which equals unhealthy. (Like Culver's on Monday night. At least I had a BOGO coupon) We usually don't come home before the game because there just isn't time so we are either forced to eat really late or grab something. I am going to do everything I can to have us eat late, instead of grabbing something. This might be nights that I actually venture out into the crockpot world. I asked for a crockpot meal book for Christmas and haven't taken the time to use it yet.

I guess I just needed to talk it all through. Maybe the motivation isn't as buried as I thought it was. Tonight is going to be a rollerblading, walk and possibly run night. Thanks for letting me talk it out.

Lacking Purpose

This week is going to be VERY long. I can already tell, yes, I realize it is only Tuesday. Please, don't remind me. This week is making me take back all of those times that I wished I had nothing to do and that my busy life would slow down. I take it all back and wish I could go back to at least half of the fast paced life.

This week I am working on campus for Counseling and Disability Services. This would normally be great. I enjoy the people I work with, I am getting paid for 40 hours a week (during the school year I only got 10...basically rolling in the dough after this week) However, this is the week that happens to fall between Winter semester and Spring semester which means SVSU is basically a ghost town. I honestly think I saw a tumbleweed roll down the hallway a few minutes ago. The only reason I would know is because I have all the time in the world to sit and stare out of the office window into the hall.

Last year at this exact time I used each spare minute for wedding prep... this year there is nothing to prep for. No babies... which apparently is the only next step in life. :)

Instead I sit here each day waiting for the little bell to ring to let me know that there is someone that is alive and breathing that needs my help. I am so willing to help right now it isn't even funny. To make it even better, each and every staff member (besides me) is out at LUNCH! Not me, nope I am still sitting and staring.

I thought I would take a few minutes to type.... nothing exciting, nothing witty or grand.... simply type without purpose. :)

However, I do have some purpose for you. :) Check out the following blog for a great giveaway (it just so happens to be one of the best blogs EVER... written by my beautiful Sister in law) Check it out here! Also check out this website for the info on the giveaway loot.

Hope that gives you a little purpose today... and again I say, NO, I am not pregnant. The giveaways would simply make a great present and possibly something to hold on to for future use

My Derriere, Tookus, Keister, Fanny, Bum, Caboose, Rear, Cheeks, Tush, Booty, Hinney = SORE

That's right folks. My bum is sore today. I started my 30 day workout again yesterday. I have used this workout a few times and this time I decided to up the intensity and change it to high instead of medium. It can't be that bad, right.... wrong. Well, while doing the exercises it wasn't that bad.... however, when I tried to sit on the toilet this morning for my morning purge.... I quickly realized how "bad" it really was. OUCH! I guess that means it is working.

My hubby and I have started our diets. Grocery shopping consisted of fresh fruits and veggies, low fat everything, lots of lettuce and healthy snacks. The last two nights for dinner we have had a 0 point vegetable soup ( weight watchers recipe) which is AMAZING and yet so good for you, fruit salad and water. For dinner last night we had a large salad with taco meat on top and fruit salad (consisting of pineapple, cantaloupe and strawberries). For lunch yesterday I had chicken salad on crackers and a fruit salad. And each night consists of me working out and then going on a walk with my cute hubby.

It's a start. I'm just hoping it is a finish this time too.

If you've got any healthy recipes out there shoot them my way... especially if they involve sweets. I love me a chocolate chip cookie. :)

Today is going to involve a roller blading adventure, special K for breakfast, a salad for lunch and soup for dinner. YUM! It all sounds so good right now... in a week I'll let you know. :)

Roller Coaster Rides are not Always Fun

Life never seems to get dull. I guess it keeps things interesting, but sometimes I just wish I was on a merry go round instead. At least it would go at a constant speed, in the same direction, without ups and downs. (I'm sitting in the sleigh :) ) This past year has been pretty crazy and there have been many changes when it comes to friendships and life in general. It seems that no matter how hard I try there is this constant cycle that takes place. Just when I think things are getting better and everything is back to normal, a hill on the ride comes into view and the climb begins.

I think one of those climbs is starting again and I am hoping it is just a bunny hill (yes, I know I mixed skiing with roller coasters) I am hoping to find a way to change the outcome of this one and to intervene before the hill becomes too big.

I realize this post is filled with a ton of analogies and really no content, it was simply a way for me to vent a little and think it through.

This time I will get off the roller coaster ride before it starts going again. (I hope)

"Honey DIY" List

Another semester is coming to an end. Three of my four classes are over and all assignments are finished for the rest of the semester. It feels great to breathe a breath of fresh air.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to getting done. Every week I make a "to do" list for myself and up to this point it has involved all homework assignments. Not this time, no, this time it's all about me, my husband and my house. The sad part is that many of these items have been on the list over Spring Break, Christmas Break and almost every weekend in between and none of them are crossed off. This time is GOING to be different, I think.

My motivation came yesterday in the form of a solicitor. As Kyle and I pulled into the driveway last night I watched as a lady went door to door with her daughter. My first thought was that she was selling something for a fundraiser and I am a sucker, so I was simply going to do the next best thing to buying candy, popcorn, and more junk..... RUN and HIDE!

Little did I know this woman and her "not-so-much fundraising" daughter would be the motivation that I needed. To my surprise she was not selling a single thing and I was able to wipe the word "Sucker" off my forehead. Instead she handed me a flyer that said

2010 Annual Neighborhood Garage Sales

Spring Date: Friday, June 11 and Saturday June 12

Fall Date: Friday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21

Time: 9-5

The top two things on my list are cleaning out my closet and cleaning out the basement. This sale is a lot sooner than I thought I would be. This is probably a huge blessing. However, I am in my gorgeous friend, Alex's wedding on the 12th. But my hubby already has it under control.

I cannot wait. A shout out to all friends and family: Bring your stuff if you wish just price it out first. :)

So the Honey DIY List is beginning. Let's see how far I get.

- Clean out Closet

- Clean out Den Closet

- Clean out Basement

- Organize old school notebooks

- Start and Finish Blanket project

- Exercise regularly

- Finish the book I started in December

- Start a regular cleaning and laundry schedule (and STICK to IT)

- Plant Flowers

- Purchase Wedding Gifts for all summer weddings

The list will probably go on, but this is good for now. Let's see how far I get.

Birthday Hoopla

These past two weeks have been jammed packed with birthdays and celebrations. Starting with my A-M-A-Z-I-N-G husband that recently reached 25 (or a quarter of a century) whichever you like best. :) If you haven't heard the "surprise" party was RUINED, but it was still a great time and my second attempt at an ice cream cake. (Which was yet again, scrumptious.) The night ended with a little more dreaming with some fun couples about a possibly vacay in December. (If the price is right, of course)

Today is my cute little nephews 1st birthday. I cannot believe he is one already. It seems like just yesterday we were taking picture with the few-minutes-old Alex with my brace face and all. My how a year changes things and how quickly it flies by. His cuteness is now crawling everywhere and pulling himself up to everything. To check out his one year pictures go here and use your own email to sign in with the password avw. So cute!!! For a sneak peek (in case you are lazy and don't want to check them out yourself look below. )


His b-day party will be held on Sunday at Dave and Buster's. So fun!!

You may be asking yourself why I said the past weeks have been FILLED with celebrations when there was only two. Well, there was one more.

Sadly, this one passed as if no one knew. The day went on as normal and even I forgot until my head was hitting the pillow that night. For this celebration there was no balloons, no cake, no ice cream, no party hats, no noise makes, and no presents. No, this birthday did not have a party, did not have invitations and simply continued on like no one even noticed it. However, my friends this birthday was one of the best birthdays a person could ever have. This birthday was one that changed a life of one person and in turn this person touched so many other lives because of it. This birthday gave someone a purpose, a plan, a direction and guidance.

My friends, this birthday was my spiritual birthday. April 13, 1998 was the day that I accepted Christ as my personal Savior and the day the story of my life and its ending changed drastically. (And it is my Uncle Jay's birthday :) ) It's funny how much emphasis we place on our birthdays with present and cake and parties. But if we really stop and think, why don't we do it for our spiritual birthdays too. I think it deserves more hoopla, if you ask me.

One day when I have children of my own and they have their own spiritual birthdays.... we will have cake and ice cream and they will get a present. I want them to know how special that day really is and I want them to cherish and thank God for it. On that day "Happy Birthday" will not be a song, but instead a prayer of thanks.

Any other ideas out there for spiritual birthday celebrations?

Steak and Sewage

Another weekend has come and gone, this particular one helped me reach the 11 class day marker for this semester. I guess I can't complain. Today was definitely a lazy Sunday and it was a great one at that.

Kyle and I rolled out of bed early this morning because we both had volunteer commitments at church. It is never fun to watch the clock turn 2:00 am and have an alarm go off at 7:00 am. Oh well, it was well worth it, we had a great time with friends last night for Kyle's non-party/ ruined surprise party.

After attending church, we came back home only to get back into pj's and crawl back into our still-almost-warm bed. Have I mentioned how much I love our bed. It was a wedding present from Kyle's parents and it is the most comfortable thing I have ever rested my tired little head upon. This little escape lasted almost three hours and it was perfect. I had great intentions of getting right up after my nap and working on some procrastinated homework- well, folks... no homework is done and when I am finished here, I am retreating back to the comfy escape.

The rest of the day was spent simply chillaxing... that is until the gurgling in our shower started and the toilets would not flush. If you have ever been in a bathroom after a man has had nacho cheese dip in abundance the night before and the toilets are not able to flush you will begin sympathizing with me right about.... NOW!

After some investigated my amazing-handy-man husband discovered it was time to call a plumber. To which I did not argue. It was not a few seconds later when my cute hubby was on the phone to the closest plumber around and they assured us they would arrive within the next 2 hours. Kyle and I headed to the basement to move some things away from drains to prep for the handy man plunger himself... mind you I am in pj bottoms and a tank top without a bra when I man in coveralls shows up at my back door ready to take care of our little issue. :) I don't think I ever ran so fast in my life. I dashed right up the stairs and promptly hid.

After a few minutes of loud noises echoing up the stairs from the basement I began to smell it... and smell it did. The pungent scent of fresh sewage climbed the staircase and began filling my living room like a cloud of nasty smelling smoke. It didn't take long before the handy plumber man was getting back in his handy man plumber van with a freshly signed check and a 90 day guarantee. Come to find out the culprit was a HUMONGOUS root that was protruded through our sewer pipes. Apparently it can come back after 90 days... great.

But the crisis is averted. My shower does not gurgle and the waste can be flushed away.

The living room cloud was quickly replaced with the smell of steaks cooking on the grill. I simply have the best hubby ever.... saving a sewer system and cooking some steaks all in one day.

What a day! I am very thankful our problem was simply a root.

Cake and Ice Cream, Presents and Cards

Yesterday was my amazing husband's birthday. I like to remind him that he is a quarter of a century old, although he doesn't enjoy that very much. :) Unfortunately, I had class in the morning, so I kissed him good bye and left him in bed to sleep in and scurried off to methods of teaching reading.

Luckily, we got of class a little early and Jaime and I were able to make our secret run to a golf course down the road to purchase the new golf bag that he wanted. I had called ahead to make sure that it was still there and when I described it to the sales clerk he assured me that the BLACK, WHITE AND ORANGE one was still there. I was so excited and was quickly on my way to purchase it. When I walked in the door there was a golf bag waiting by the cash register and motioned to me that this was the one. Remember the colors from before: BLACK, WHITE and ORANGE.....well, this one was RED.....RED.....more RED and white and orange. I told him that I didn't think it was the right one and he assured me that the other one didn't have any orange on it and this had to be the one. I quickly asked about their return policy and was assured I could return it if it was not the right one. I did not want to show up empty handed, so I purchased it knowing full well I would be returning it in a few short days.

Lunch was at Chuck E. Cheese where we met Tami, Connor and Kylie for some birthday fun with Uncle Kyle. 50 tokens, 162 tickets and a nerf rocket, plastic ladybug, little snake and big snake later the fun was over and we headed our separate ways. Oh, how I love the decision making process that little ones go through. It was definitely a fun time.

Our little bus driver and passenger

Kylie found her own use for the skee ball game

A high five after their team work

Watch out Kylie is a crazy driver, look at that tongue

Cheap entertainment: She pushed these around for a while. :)

After lunch I had Kyle jump in the car with me and I took him to Dick's Sporting Goods where he was told to pick a bag out. He didn't find one at that moment, but after visiting yet another golf store, he decided that there was one at Dick's that was the one. :) Of course.

Our evening was coming to an end, but not until we made a trip to Genji's Japanese Steakhouse for a half off dinner for the birthday boy. If you have never had the privilege of dining at Genji's or a restaurant that is similar, it is a must. It is dinner and a show all in one. The food is prepare right before your eyes on the hibachi grill. (or as Wikipedia told me recently: teppanyaki cooking. Check out this link for more information. It is so good. Mama T, Papa T, Mama B and Papa B all met us for this awesome meal and then we made our way to G-pa N's for ice cream cake. That's right, homemade ice cream cake, prepared by yours truly. (I had a good teacher) Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the finished product, but here is one of a slice.

After the festivities, Kyle and I headed home for a movie night. It was definitely a great day and I am pretty sure my hubby had a smashin' day!

Hoppy Easter!

This weekend was filled with food, family and fun. And fun it was. Kyle and I were hosts this weekend to Kristi, Joe and Alex and great hosts, if I do say so myself. Thursday evening Kristi and Alex made there way here after visiting with G-pa N before his surgery. Before they came we set up Alex's Easter present in our living room as our surprise. However, this gift FILLED our living room. This is it (minus the posed children and the dog) Picture Alex in it instead.

The weekend continued and Good Friday was not only a great day due to the sacrifice of Christ, but this year something else great happened. G-pa N had a very risky surgery that lasted almost 4 hours and he came out fine. There were no complications other than things we were expecting. Praise God.

Overall, it was a great weekend, with lots of food, lots of family time and tons of fun.

Random other news from the weekend:

1. Alex and Richard had an awesome bridal shower and received lots of great gifts.

2. Kyle and I are super clumsy: the weekend ended with a broken coffee pot, a full bowl of salad dumped on the dining room carpet, a bag of sliced almonds scattered across the kitchen floor and a sliced finger due to a sharp knife in the sink.

3. Kyle is great at making a 16 lb. turkey complete with stuffing.

4. Brownies, vanilla pudding, crushed up oreos and cool whip make a great trifle bowl.

5. Having a baby in the house is kind of fun, but I still am not ready for my own.

I'm sure there will be another post soon, I have stayed away from this thing a little too long.

Calling All Men!

I have started the process of counting my lasts again. This was something that I did when it was getting closer and closer to our wedding day. It was kind of fun to reflect on all of the memories and to think about the future "firsts". Then we went through the stage of counting the "Firsts." Which are still happening and will for a while.

This time, however, the lasts are due to Graduation. DECEMBER 17th, not that I am counting or anything. (Friends and family mark your calendars, my hubby is planning a PAR-TAY!)

For the last four years I have been a part of an awesome organization on SVSU's campus called Peer Health Education. If this doesn't ring a bell read here and you should be up to speed. Tomorrow is the day of one of the best events that we do. However, it is the last one that I will ever help with or be a part of.

It is called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. This event is not only fun, it also has a great purpose. This is a Men's March to Stop Sexual Assault. Men from all over the area come together to walk a mile to show that they are taking a stand against sexual assault and that they care about the women in their life.

The catch to this walk is these:

That's right, these men walk a mile in HIGH HEELS! The title of the event is Walk a Mile in HER SHOES. For the past four years my husband has been a champ and has been amongst the crowd of men that end up limping for days. (Thank you, babe. and thank you in advance for tomorrow)

The event takes place tomorrow March 31, 2010 from 5-7pm. Registration starts at 5 and the walk begins at 6. There is free hot dogs, chips and drinks for all who attend and each walking participant receives a shirt. Oh, and we have HUGE shoes. We special order sizes 9-17 shoes.

If you are in the Saginaw area tomorrow and would like to be a part of this special event stop by the Ryder center at 5pm. There will be a sexual assault survivor speaking and many camera worthy moments.

I'll leave you with some snapshots from past events.

Life is a Highway

My mind has been occupied by deep thoughts lately. Thoughts so deep I find ,y eyes welling with tears at random moments throughout the day. These tears are not for myself or for anything that I have been hurt by, but instead for others. We have all heard that life is fragile and to live each moment as if it were your last, but how many of us can actually say that we do? I am included in that, as you know, I started this blog to train myself to look at all the positives in life and allow the negative to pass like water under a bridge. I will say it has helped, but it takes a lot of training to get your mind to think in a different way.

Over the past week I have become aware of some very sad stories that have caused me to really stop and think. This week a Freshman at the high school I attended took his own life behind the school. A friend's grandma passed away. I have recently read the blog of a woman whose husband passed away. Yet another high school student committed suicide in front of his girlfriend.

And some good..... A family adopted a little boy. A friend is entering a new beginning with Christ and is being baptized this coming Sunday.

And some in between...Kyle and I are at an unknown part of life, wondering what next school year will bring. G-pa N undergoes surgery next Friday. My nephew is crawling like a champ. New life is evident all over in nature, buds are forming, birds are chirping, tulips are peeking and daffodils are pushing through the soil.

Life, in all phases and stages.

My heart is torn. It breaks for the world, but yet it leaps for joy. I am torn. It seems as if each good thing is followed by a bad and each bad is followed by a good. I guess this is God's little way of reminding us we can't do this on our own and we need to keep our hearts in check.

I do not have a great connection to any of the people that I wrote about in the sad moments, but somehow I still feel affected. I wonder about them. I wonder about their life, their family, their dreams and goals. I wonder about girlfriends, friends and acquaintances. I wonder about teachers, principals, counselors, nurses and doctors that have all had some type of contact with them. My heart goes out to all of them. Sometimes people are forgotten when grief hits.

Then I look out my window and I see the sun shining. I listen as Kyle flips through the pages of his recently arrived ESPN the magazine. I can hear him breathing and can watch as his chest falls up and down with every breath. And then I thank God. I thank God for life, for love and for compassion. I thank God for death, new life and comfort. I thank God for blessings, forgiveness and second chances.

Life is fragile. Life is beautiful. Life is uncertain. Life has a plan. My life is God's.

I have always been drawn to a group of verses in Ecclesiastes. I have watched many people roll their eyes as it is read out of familiarity, overuse or being hardened. But today as you read it I ask that you really take each part to heart and let the words stick with you throughout your weekend.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

¹ There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

My thoughts are kind of jumbled at the moment, so I apologize for the random organization of this blog.

Sharing a little beauty from life with you.

D-U-N DONE!!!

That's right folks I am a senior in college and I just spelled done incorrectly. (It's a Kyle-ism)

In other news I am DONE!! Done with writing lesson plans (for a few months), done with writing lesson reflections (for a few months), done with the nervousness that comes with having every single move and decision evaluated while teaching (for a few months). Yep, I finished my final three lessons for this semester in the last two days and now you would think I am smooth sailing, but there are many more papers to write. I can handle a few papers.

Little moment of the day: Today one of my classes was online instead of on campus, so I had a little extra time after my field this morning. Every Tuesday and Thursday Jaime and I ride together and today we both taught. There is always some nerves on teaching days so as we were driving back I decided to see if she wanted to go to lunch. It was nice to have a relaxing lunch with a great friend and to enjoy a little spur-of-the-moment girl time.

Short post for today, but not much happening in the T household today! Still waiting on God's plan for the upcoming semester, I'll keep you all posted.

Thought of the day: It is almost APRIL. That means that I am almost done with my normal college career and almost on Summer VACAY!!!! (It also might be a certain someone's birthday and a certain someone's hubby's birthday. It almost might be a certain someone's nephews FIRST birthday! Oh, how I love April. )

Downtime

Right at this very moment I am sitting in an empty lecture hall at SVSU simply waiting..... waiting for the bowling team to arrive. As I sit here, part of me is thinking about all of the homework I have yet to finish tonight, how much my stomach is begging for food and how all I really want to do is take some cold medicine and head to bed. But there is another part of me that is so absolutely thankful for this breather. :)

Today has been an extremely busy day, filled with project after project and paper after paper and this moment is simply wonderful. I can hear the buzzing of the projector, the clicking of the keys and nothing else. The lights are dim and this moment is simply peaceful. This was a moment that I needed and I did not even know it. Truly a moment to thank God for.

If you are wondering why I am on campus on a Sunday evening, sitting in a lecture hall all by myself and waiting for bowling team I will fill you in. I am a Peer Health Educator. My job position basically consists of presenting programs to SVSU students about different health topics including; sexual health, sexual assault, wellness and alcohol and other drugs. Every SVSU athletic team is required to go through a presentation on each of those four things. We do two a semester and their coaches sign them up for a sunday night that they are available. Tonight was my night to present. I love my job, most of the time. It has really given me a new outlook on life and a brand new passion for this field of work, who knows maybe teaching is my destiny, but maybe not preschoolers.

Well, here come my bowlers. I will leave you with a picture from one of my favorite events... I will explain it at a later date.

Craft Shows, Little Children and Roasted Almonds

Yes, it is snowing again! This I am okay with. I knew this Spring weather was way to good to be true and that there would be one more snowfall before we were through with it. I was simply waiting for it to hit. Despite the cold, white stuff today has been a good day and has incredible potential to be an even better day.

There was a craft show at SVSU today and Tami and I attended. Two women on a mission, with two kiddos in tow. I am not really sure why, but craft shows are totally my thing. It might be because of the talent that I see there and the inspiration it gives me to create my own creations with the ideas that are in my head. If I had all the time in the world and a little extra money, I definitely think I would be a crafty person. As soon as we walked into the doors I could smell the famous roasted almonds, that seem to find their way to any fair, craft show, or town event around. I am not a huge fan of the taste, but mmmhmmm do they ever smell yummy. :)

This visit was a definite success and left me with $40 or so dollars less than what I went in with. Some of my purchases included Easter decorations, two presents for a certain bride and a few other gifts. I am very satisfied with all my purchases.

The moment of the day happened a couple of times today. You see, Tami and I were taking turns carrying Kylie through the crowds of people. She is definitely a walker, but she would get lost in the midst of the "big people" While carrying her around as I weaved in and out of the crowd I couldn't help, but over hear some conversations about how cute she is. This is completely true, however the other comments were not very true and were ones that I don't plan on hearing for a while....."Mommy's little helper today" "She's cute, mommy." "I think she wants to run, mom." What's the word that is common in all of these comments? DING! DING DING! MOM One day I will look forward to hearing this word, but NO! I am not ready for that, yet. However, this moment did make me smile and then start dreaming. Dreaming about the future. I look forward to the day that Kyle and I have a child of our own and we become a little family of three. However, for now I am 100% content with where I am and simply enjoy hanging out with my super cute nephew, little cousins, god-daughter or Kyle's god-son. Our day will come soon enough. For now I will squeeze these cuties. :)

Bottoms Up!

The topic of this blog is from a while ago, but I was reminded about it yesterday on my way home from roller blading with a friend on campus. The warm weather brings out many things; yellowed grass poking through the snow, little flowers peeping from the ground, birds migrating back to MI, construction (which is a rant for another time), beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the smell of grilling in the air (YUM!), butts in the air, and lots of people enjoying the outdoors.

You read that correctly I said butts in the air. Let me explain. Due to the lovely construction on my normal route, I have been venturing out a back way to mi casa. This has actually been a blessing because it is old country roads and brings back memories of home. However, I have seen more butts then I can count. Does anyone remember these?

I have not had the privelege of seeing one of these in a while, butt instead I have had the privelege of seeing way too many of these.


On the way home from GR last weekend, Kyle and I spotted about six of those in about two minutes. We were laughing so hard. I'm not really sure why this is so amusing to me, but it definitely tickled my fancy and made me laugh. Since then I continue to add to that tally. I have simply decided that this is a new indicator of Spring. Watch out for your bottom's up spotting. :)

Blogs from Last Night

Top of the morning to ya! (Sorry, I simply had to)

The title from today's post is a play on words from the very entertaining website www.textsfromlastnight.com I do not condone this website, nor do I reccommend each of you should visit it, however, some of the comments are quite hilarious. Check it out if you wish, but keep in mind my disclaimer (cough, mom, cough :)) The title of this website simply inspired this post because of my lack of blogging last night. Instead I decided to curl up on the couch with Kyle and "watch" a movie..... I attempted that for about 30 minutes then I was off to dream land. Which was A-ok with me. I am fighting my second cold in the last 2 weeks. UGH!!

However, yesterday was filled with blog worthy events that I missed out on.

It all started around 5:43 am. To many this would not be a blessing, however, my alarm was set to go off at 5:45 am. Waking up two minutes early wide awake, spared me the annoying alarm sound and enticed me to get out of bed and start a new day.

Fast forward about an hour later as I am driving to my field work placemat and I lay my eyes on the most beautiful sunrise ever. It was bursting with orange, red, yellow AND purple and blue! It was simply breathtaking.

Fast forward yet another hour or so as I finish teaching my reading lesson to the three year olds that I was placed with. Whew! Another success. (maybe, just maybe this teaching thing is what I am meant to do) The best part was when we were out at the playground with the little chipmunks almost 2 hours later and I mentioned the word "middle." One wide-eyed little toehead looked up at me and simply said, "In the middle, just like our trains, Miss. Jill." Right at the moment I felt like all this schooling was worth it and this passion that I have followed since First Grade might really be what I am supposed to do. (The lesson that we talked about was the beggining, middle and end of a story.We used trains that I cut out on my Cricut. In each part of the train they glued a picture from the beginning of the story, the middle and the end) Along the same lines.... later as the students were getting ready to go home a brown haired little girl pulled out her train and was explaining the whole lesson to her mom. WOW! They actually got it, they grasped it, they remembered it... these are the moments that teachers live for. You are a teacher you would understand.

It was an absolutely beautiful day out and there were many moments that I thanked God for. The rest of the week brings lots of homework my way, but I feel like I can tackle anything after an uplifting day like yesterday.

Happy St. Patty's Day!!! Are you feelin Irish today?

B-E-A-UTIFUL

Hello there, friends. This post will be rather short and to the point, no fluff tonight. This is due to lack of sleep, a 5:45 am alarm and a lesson to prep for that I am teaching to 3 year olds tomorrow and being observed for class.

Being back in the swing of things today was not all that bad. I was actually released from all three classes today in record time. (an hour to an hour and a half early in each one) This allowed me to enjoy God's little blessing for me in a greater capacity. Today's blessing was the sunshine and the warmth. If the sun can't brighten your day (no pun intended) then I don't know what can. With a little extra time between classes and a friend not being home, I simply sat in my car for over and hour, basking in the sun and reading some new children's books purchases. If you don't understand the children's books simply refer back to here.

Monday's are always whirlwind days for me, but that hour gave me some time to breathe and take in the fresh air and soak up the sun's rays. Ahhh.... one of the best feelings ever. This time could have been used to catch up on some homework on in a more productive manner, but ironically I did not have any extra homework with me, coincidence? I think not, God's planning! He knew I would need to ease back into the swing of things. What a great day of easing it was!

I am off to prep for this lesson. How bad can 3 year olds be, right? Unfortunately, it is not them that I am worried about, but instead the lady in the back of the room with cramped legs as she tries to fit in a 3 year old seat, taking notes after notes on every single, stinkin' word I say; good or bad. Oh well, that's life! I'm learning that there is always someone watching. :)

Good night, blogosphere. Until we meet again... aka.. tomorrow! :)

So Long, Spring Break

Tomorrow morning marks the official end of Spring Break. It was a well spent Spring Break and I am okay with heading back, that means I am that much closer to summer break. :) To start off this post I thought I would give a quick run down of the weekend festivities.

Friday: I headed to work with Kyle. I had to do some homework for an assessment class and I needed a child to work with. :) So, he hooked me up and I was able to complete it in about a half an hour. It was kind of fun being able to drive together, even if I was dead tired after my sleep in routine. He only worked a half a day and we headed back to pack and then jumped in the car and programmed the GPS for Grand Rapids.

We went to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They made reservations for a "dress-code required" restaurant. Which was definitely a first for me. Let's just the experience was lots of fun, but the food was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! If you are ever in the downtown GR area and are looking for a great steak house check out Louis Benton. DELICIOUS!!

After we stuffed ourselves and the valet brought us our car (another first experience) Brent showed us around town a little and where his school is.

After some time to allow our dinner to settle we ventured over to Coldstone and inhaled some ever so tasty ice cream.

Needless to say we were STUFFED!!! But it was totally worth it.

The night was finished off with some Mario Kart and Wii Sports Resort.
P.S. I am not good at virtual frisbee golf, in case you wondered. Three holes was almost the death of me.

Saturday: After a little bit of sleeping in we ventured out on the road again, can't wait to get on the road again... sorry, got caught up in a little tune there. :) this time we were headed East to D-town. Detroit that is. It was Papa T's birthday and Kristi had fun surprises planned out for all of us to partake in. First on the list was Rhapsody. This was a Hungarian restaurant in honor of the Talicska's. Which means little wheelbarrow in Hungarian. I was a little nervous heading into this venture because I grew up very sheltered when it comes to cuisine. My taste buds were pleasantly surprised. It was DELICIOUS!

After stuffing ourselves yet again we headed back to Kristi and Joe's for some yummy ice cream cake, homemade by Chef Joe. :) Yet again, simply DELICIOUS!!

After a short nap and some Super Mario Bros Wii we headed out yet again on a little adventure. This time the destination was in Royal Oak and was The Comedy Castle. HILARIOUS! There's nothing like a stomach ache from laughing.

The end of the show meant more driving as we headed home to our own beds.

It was a great weekend and tons of fun, but lots of driving. The weekend was finished with church this morning and lots of homework all afternoon. :) You would have never known that I had all week to work on it. :)

Moment of the day:

Louisville, KY was mentioned in three completely different situations today. It was quite ironic and made me smile. Once in church during the sermon... weird, I know. Then on tv and then later during one of our favorite shows Undercover Boss. The location this time was Churchill Downs. Kyle and I both looked at each other and simply smiled. This could be interpreted two ways; pure coincidence or a sign. For now, I will stick with pure coincidence, but lots of prayers and God might tell us differently. It was still a God moment, because it sent me right back into that state of "care-free, little girl again, dreaming," which is always a warm and fuzzy feeling. :)

After a whirlwind of a weekend and a great spring break I am headed to bed and setting the alarm for the first time in a long time. So long, sun alarm, so long, spring break. You will be greatly missed. See you on April 26th. :)

Cook Out in March

Today was a very productive day for me. I was up before my alarm (not the sun though :) ). I set right in on tackling our messy house. From one room to the next it was almost as if I had a magic wand and with a bibbity, boppity, boo it was CLEAN! and smelling fresh! Ahhh!!! Nothing better than a fresh smelling house. I can't wait until the windows can be wide open and I can air out my house. It's amazing how a clean and fresh smelling house can brighten a mood and an entire day.

Yesterday I purchased some yellow and white daisies for myself. That's right, for myself. I love daisies and wanted something to Spring-a-fy my dining room table. I put down a spring place mat, placed a rectangle mirror on top and plopped the vase of blooms right in the middle. Wahlah! Spring-a-fied! This was a major great-day booster today. Each time I caught a glimpse of those bright daisies smiling back at me I smiled.

We said good-bye to our turtle friend today. It was actually kind of sad. We grew kind of fond of him. But it was a great time to catch up with a friend. She recently returned from her mission trip and had lots to share. It was a blessing hearing how God worked in her and her group during this trip.

The evening ended with a smashing dinner party for 7. Complete with Chicken on the grill, corn, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, fruit salad and was finished off with a scrumptious peanut butter chocolate chip bar with cookies and cream ice cream. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but this dinner party was planned to the tee and was a smashing success. What a fun night catching up with friends. We played a hilarious game of What's Yours Like?and simply enjoyed each others company. Am I old? I had a dinner party. :) Oh well, if this is part of getting old, bring it on.

Blessing after blessing today.

Oh, I almost forgot. I made a wonderful purchase today at the local dollar store. Eight blue glass dessert plates with white daisies on them for $8.00! That's right, friends, $1.00 a piece. I love great deals and spring and daisies.

Great day today! Blessings galore and lots of love.

Enjoy the weekend! I will probably be taking a break from blogging until Sunday! Good night, world!

Kentucky Dreamin'

Today was very uneventful and unfortunately very unproductive. But this evening has been filled with dreaming, wishing, wondering and more dreaming.

Kyle went to a job fair today and brought home some interesting information. There were some MI schools there and there were a couple that seemed "kind of promising" (in his words); Kalamazoo Public, Carman-Ainsworth and a few others. However, tonight has been filled with Kentucky Dreamin'! Go ahead make your hicks from the sticks jokes, I know we have all thought about it before. :) Before you judge just take a few minutes to check this out. One of the school districts around Louisville is looking to hire 500 teachers.... that's right, 5-0-0. Who knows, my hubby might be 1 of those 500.

We spent about an hour tonight just researching and dreaming about what life would be like in another area, another state, another weather pattern (apparently a long spring and fall and really, really hot July and August) and another dialect. :) We dreamed about houses, jobs, activities and life in general.

Don't get me wrong, if there is a job in MI for Kyle we will be staying in the good 'ol mitten. But if that is not the path that God has for us, KY looks like a great opportunity. Just the thought of something completely new is kind of exhilarating, kind of thrilling and of course, a tad bit scary.

Negative #1: 6 hours from both sets of parents (5 from 2 sets of siblings and HOURS away from the other set)

Negative #2: No one there that we know

Negative #3: Starting completely anew- new house, new church, new friends, new set of directions, new grocery store (I am starting to learn where things are :))

Negative #4: 4 months of a long distance marriage

That's right, friends you read that correctly.... I would have to stay in the mitten and finish up my student teaching. August-December. I am not saying it would be easy, but if it meant my hubby had a job that he enjoyed, it would be totally worth it. After all 6 hours isn't forever away. :)

Definitely something to think about.

If you hadn't noticed my "moment" today was my time spent dreaming. Dreaming about all of the possibilities that God just might have in store for us. I like to dream.

Disclaimer: This is definitely just thoughts, there would be a lot of praying, thinking and planning involved in a move like this. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Mom, don't freak out just yet. :)

"Say Hey, It's a Good Day"

The lyrics of that song have been playing through my head this evening. And it is so true. The song is called It's a Good Day by FFH and it talks about it being a great day no matter what happens. I think that is kind of the motto of this blog, wouldn't you say? Today definitely fit into the category of a GREAT day.

Yet again, the sun was my amazing alarm clock. This time it was a little later than it has been, I will blame that on the reading of children's books last night. :) However, this morning I was rip-raring and ready to go. I jumped right into my homework and finished what I needed to for the day in record time. After finishing up a scrumptious lunch from last nights VIOLA! leftovers, my phone began to ring. It just so happened to be my sister-in-law.

After a couple of attempts at getting reception in the good 'ol thumb country of Michigan, she asked a great question. Are you home? Of course, I am home. Where else would I be on Spring Break? I mean who would go to someplace warm for spring break... well.... ok, but I WAS home. :) Brent and Alicia were making their way back from visiting her g-ma and were going to stop and see Kyle and I. And what a great visit it was. Now, I'll admit the house was a little messy, but it didn't matter. We went on a gorgeous walk in which we were actually sweating while wearing simply sweatshirts. After Popsicles on the front porch and some Mario Kart we headed out for dinner at Harvey's. It you have never heard of Harvey's you must visit the website now, find the closest one to you and GO!

As we pulled into the parking lot Momma T called and invited us to dinner with her and Grandpa. We declined because of our other dinner guests. However, as we were parking a bright red truck pulled in next to us and out jumped, none other than Momma T and Gramps. Table for 6, please!

Dinner was finished off with Deep Fried Twinkies (two twinkies deep fried in waffle batter drizzled with raspberry and chocolate sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) and a Dessert Waffle (A warm, freshly made waffle topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and caramel).. Have I convinced you to go yet? Sooo good.

This was definitely a great day. We had a great time at dinner laughing with Grandpa and the server trying to communicate with him. (You see G-pa has some trouble with his hearing aids.:))

Definitely a blessing filled day. Many little moments made this one absolutely amazing.

"Say Hey! It's a Good Day! Even if things aren't going my way.

Jesus is Lord and I am save, so, say hey, It's a good Day! "