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! "