Jumbo Shrimp

This week the baby is the size of a jumbo shrimp...weird! Most of the info I have read refers to the baby as the size of a lime or small orange but this was definitely the first time I had heard jumbo shrimp. That sounds a little more creepy than cute...but I am a science teacher so I like creepy! I am 13 weeks and am not really showing at all. For those of you who have seen me recently...yes, I know I am growing in other areas but as far as I know babies don't live in back fat. The only times my tummy pokes out is when I am bloated or I just ate supper. I definitely look more pregnant at night than in the morning. Slide into the jeans at 7:00 am...1:00 pm undoing the button, 4:00 pm lucky if they are still zipped and by 8:00 I don't have to worry if they are zipped or buttoned because they aren't going anywhere.





I went ahead a took some tattoo pictures for everyone. The first one is what my tattoo looks like in the morning and the second is what it looks like by the end of the day. So we can all just imagine what it will look like after nine months of this!!




7:00 am

9:00 pm

Big News...

I don't know if anyone is ever going to read this blog again because of my 40 plus day hiatus (sp?)...I was busy gathering all of the animals in the world and putting them in pairs of two...but just in case anyone is still out there, here is an update.



For those of you who read my blog and don't know (there can't be many of you) I am pregnant! I will be 11 weeks tomorrow and so far b-dub (baby Ware) is doing great. I have no pics to post because I have not taken any. Everyone does the belly pictures so I guess I will too but I decided not to start that game until week 12. Why? I have no idea... I was trying to be creative and come up with some other body part to take pictures of instead of my belly but the only ones that are changing would not be appropriate to post on my blog.


I could take a picture of my tattoo...it was a really great idea at the time, I promise. Right now it is a cute little dove but by the end of this thing it could be the size of a falcon. That could be fun...we'll see if I am brave enough to put those pics out on the world wide web.

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH

This house thing is going to be the death of me...I don't even want to get into all of the caca that has been going on because, believe me, you don't want to hear it all.

I haven't posted lately because a tree fell over in our backyard and pulled out our phone line. yipppeee...that is so fun.

Heather just searched me on the internet (the "Meredith needs..." thing) and here is what we got:
Meredith needs:
6. written and oral communication skills.
5. to be given medication throughout the day. (they don't know how true this is)
4. a new facility specifically designed for continuing education.
3. to assert herself a little more, sometimes she blends into the scenery.
2. a break. (ha!!!!)
1. to get out and live.

You need to do this...got a few laughs out of me on a very stress filled day!

Lots and lots of posts...

Guess what I should be doing right now?? Yep...writing a paper. I started already, really...it is currently a tab at the bottom of my screen right now and I am already on the third page. It is due today (I am not competely crazy, I do realize it is Sunday...) and really I am ahead of schedule because I thought that I was going to be up super late tonight finishing it because I thought Ryan's parents would be in town this afternoon and then I thought we would have small group but neither one is the case. Unfortunately Ryan's mom got sick last night so they left to go home early this morning. And small group was moved to last night but we couldn't go cause the fam was in town.

Speaking of being completely crazy, the last few days I have said and typed some really weird things. Now, I am not the best typist in the world but it is usually due to the fact that I don't really know where all of the keys are not because I am crazy (Flashback to the post when I didn't use the backspace key...). But yesterday I was typing my post and wrote "house in the rooms" instead of "rooms in the house". That is just weird. Then yesterday we were at IKEA and I said to Ryan "Isn't this a really great chucar?" What the heck is chucar??? I was trying to say color...those words aren't even close! Then last night I took out some pants that my mom bought me (thanks mom!) to show Ryan and I said "They aren't exciting or anything, they are just brown." Why is that wierd, you ask??? The pants aren't brown...they are blue!! I am officially losing my mind.

Today, Ryan and I laughed really hard at a bumper sticker...I don't usually laugh out loud at bumper stickers but this one was funny (maybe because I can relate) so I thought I would leave you with this closing thought:
I am only speeding because I really have to poop.

House update

Ryan met with the inspector and everything checked out okay. So...I guess we will be moving in about 3 weeks!!! I think that there are a few more loose ends to tie up but the inspection was the biggest hump to get over. Here are a few more pics of the house:

This is the back of the house (obviously).

This is the back yard.

This is probably the only room in the house that we won't change. Just kidding. This is the second bath.

This is going to be our living room.

A crap load of stuff to do...

What does that mean actually??? A crap load? I say that quite a bit and just realized it doesn't make since. I love the movie Sweet Home Alabama ( I love all Reese W. movies) and in one scene when she comes to Alabama from New York and wants her husband to sign the divorce papers and he says "Are you sh**in" me?" And she says "No, I am not sh**ing you. I never understood that expression any way." (Or something like that) It cracks me up everytime!!! The phrases we use are funny.

The month of April is going to be a crazy one. I had a paper due today, one due tomorrow and a presentation on Tuesday night. In between all of this my parents and Ryan's parents are coming in town, we are supposed to go to a Ranger's game Monday night and I am driving for a field trip on Tuesday. But the good thing is that once Tuesday is over, I have about two weeks until anything major is due again. Then is hits like a ton of bricks a second time. So in other words, I should definitely be working right now and not typing this post.

We got a counter offer on the house, we accepted it with a few stipulations and they signed the contract. The inspector is meeting Ryan in the morning and we should know by tomorrow afternoon if we are getting the house. I think that the inspection will go well but I don't want to get my hopes up too soon! Here is a picture of the outside. I will have Ryan take some more pics tomorrow. I hope this doesn't jinx it! Just kidding.

FYI: When I posted the picture I widened it to make the house look extra big.

Times they are a-changin'

It (of course) has been awhile since my last post. Thank you for reminding me Tara... So here is a little update on my life.

The nine hours I am currently taking in school is biting me on the you-know-what right now. I three things due every week in April (papers, tests, presentations), so needless to say, I am a bit busy this month, but this will soon all be over. If I live until then.

My students have been excellent for the last few weeks!!! Praise the Lord for that. I am spread so thin right now that I give about 40% in all areas of my life and that just doesn't work real well when you have 28 faces looking at you first thing in the morning. But they have been great.

Ryan and I got a membership to a gym and have had record breaking attendance (for us at least) I am going to get totally buff...watch out Chyna (WWF reference here...Ryan just told me to put her name). She is a little manly...so hopefully he wasn't making a direct coorelation between us...

Ryan and I have been house hunting since around Christmas and have finally found something we like so we may put an offer on the house sometime this week. It's scary.... We got some really great insight from our small group last night...thanks everyone! (because I know ALL of you read this...)

I got my internship set up for this summer which means I am almost officially getting ready to be done with grad school! Hip..hip...hoorrraaaayyyy!

Other than that, not much else is going on :) This post is very boring and I am sorry. I will work on some more material for Wed. Can't post tomorrow, I have class!

A few pics from the trip...

This is actually from our last night at D.W. Ryan and Bowen were enjoying the light parade and fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
Here is Ryan helping push a lady up a hill. Her motorized scooter/wheelchair died at the bottom of the hill. A little momentum and she was on her way!
Here we are at...you guessed it! Epcot.

Laine with face paint in Animal Kingdom.

Me and Heather on the jungle safari. It was grrrrreeeattttt.
These are our new sunglasses we bought at Animal Kingdom. Not really.

Ryan and Jazz-man.

More sweet sunglasses.

The trip was awesome! I will totally go again someday. Or I would love to go skiing or to New York next year...Mom???

No comments from me...

I just realized that everytime I have left a comment on someone blog recently it hasn't posted. I traded over to the "new blogger" and I didn't know that I had to verify my stuff before it would let me leave a comment. So...to all of my blogging friends I have been reading your blogs and I have actually commented on many but it hasn't worked. Sorry friends! I do still love you all.

We are leaving for Disney World in about 7 hours. I can't put in words how excited I am. I am 26 years old and I have never been. My parents are paying for the whole family to go so we are definitely going to have some fun! I will post many pictures when we return. I love spring break. I know that many of you out there that have "real" jobs no longer get to enjoy spring break and for you, I am sorry. I have had a spring break my whole life. When you go from being in school to teaching school, you still get the same rewards. So, even though no matter how hard I try I will never make big bucks...I am happy right where I sit. Because not only are we off for one whole week, this summer will almost be a full three months. (due to the later start in August.) So keep your money, Texas, I'll take the vacation time. (But I would totally not argue if they decided to increase teacher salaries...)

Spring Fever

I already have it and it isn't even March yet. I know that I am getting the itch when my students begin to annoy me for no reason. It's not their fault (at least not all of it.), I just am in the mood to be outside, sitting in the sun reading a good book and worrying about absolutley nothing.

By the way, YES we did complete the half marathon with our full marathon numbers. It really wasn't that big of a deal. They just marked a huge red A across our chest when we finished...Not really. It was great. I will post pictures (and would have sooner) when I can figure out my camera. It's not new really, I just don't remember how to make the pics appear on my computer. I thought that I was going to be really amazed with my skills whenever we finished and I thought that I would want to brag to everyone that I JUST RAN 13.1 MILES!!!! but I didn't really feel that way. Mainly I just wanted to brag about not having to run ever again if I didn't want to! I didn't run all last week and I actually got the urge to hit the road again on Sunday but I didn't. I think I will start running again...in fact, I am declaring that this Wednesday will be my first run since the half marathon. There, I said it. Now I can't back down...or can I?

6 Weird Things...

Actually, I don't think they are weird, I think they are totally rational but other people might think they are a little strange.
1. I am deathly (obviously a bit of an over statement) afraid of grasshoppers. I believe I have explained this fear in a previous post so I won't go in to great detail. If you need more info I will share.
2. I am equally as fearful of fish. Not fish in my fish tank at school...that would be silly. I am afraid of being in the lake with fish. I get anxiety every time someone mentions going to the lake. I absolutely refuse to just swim in a lake. That is not fun for me at all!!! Anytime I have ever gone water skiing I look like a complete idiot because when I fall I splash like a freaking psycho until I get back in the boat. I am not 100% sure if I am more scared of the fish or the unknown. There could be a 12 foot baracuda swimming right underneath me and the thought of that makes me wet my pants a little as I type this...
3. I like to swallow gum. Not little pieces of gum, I can handle those. I am talking about bubble gum (Bubble Yum to be exact) when I put a big juicy piece of gum in my mouth it takes all my will power not to swallow it. I used to do it all the time. Then I had some issues with my appendix and someone told me that swallowing gum can cause those types of problems and I stopped...but I still get the urge every now and then and I have to spit it out immediately.
4. When I find a bra that fits really well I wear it until it falls apart. I think I have some bras that are like seven years old...that is kind of gross when I actually type it out and put that information out there. I hear Victoria's Secret calling my name.
5. I love to fall asleep during movies. I love the way it feels when you are fighting off sleep because you really want to watch the movie but then you just give in because closing your eyes feels sooooo goooood. Ryan does not really enjoy this about me.
6. I have weird superstitions when I play tennis. They used to be really bad when I played in high school. Like one time, I took my watch off during a match and set it on the back of the court by the fence. I won the next two games so when I went to pick it up because we were changing sides I noticed exactly how it was sitting and instead of throwing it in my bag I took it to the other side of the court and set it up the exact same way. I did that for the remainder of the match...there are others but they get a little wordy and I am tired of typing.

Now it's your turn!

BIIIIIIIIGGGGG MISTAKE

I made a HUGE...huge mistake this week. I am used to making small mistakes pretty much everyday but it has been awhile since I have screwed the pooch as bad as I did this week. I would like for you to take a minute and think about the last time you made a huge mistake. I'm not talking about something bad that happened TO you, I'm talking about something that YOU did, something YOU had control over. ( If this is bringing back terrible memories, please forget your mistake and live vicariously through mine.)

Ok...so, we have been training for a half marathon since about October. I have known since then that we were going to run the Austin Marathon, which is this weekend, since OCTOBER. We have been running every week, long runs on the weekend, I checked the website to see how much is cost to register, I even saw that there was a date when the price went up and I told all of my friends so they would be sure to register on time. ( do you see where this is going already?) So, even though I have known for approximately 5 months that I would be running this particular half marathon on this particular weekend...I forgot to register. So, I get on the website this week to see when late registration is and the half marathon is FULL and they are accepting NO MORE ENTRIES!!!!!!! WHAT???!!!???? I flipped. Not just a little. I am talking panic attack, flip out. I called Ryan and I think I hung up on him in mid-sentence so that I could call my mom and I was able to choke out what happened and I was so delirious that I couldn't find my Dad's number on my phone and almost called Durham bus services because it was right below Dad. Finally, I composed myself and called the Austin marathon people and said surely this is a mistake, I mean, I'm nice, I screwed up and can you PLEASE let me in??? Did I mention that this means Ryan isn't registered either and we are meeting my sister, dad, sister's friend, Audrey and others to run in this thing. So it's not like this just affected me and Ryan. I just wanted to let you know what type of screw up scale we are talking about here.

So we are still going. We are still running. But we are registering for the full marathon because there are still 850 spots for the marathon. Are we running the full marathon uhhhhh...no. We are just paying $120 each for the full marathon (instead of $60 each for the half) and we are only running the half. Sounds cool, right? I am such an idiot.

Sometimes I'm a little bit awkward...

I am not really that good at small talk, this is when I tend to say the awkward things to people. I am not sure what makes me think that I need to fill silence with random words but I do. For example, one night Ryan and I were eating out and we saw a couple that we knew. I had heard that she was pregnant so I asked her about it and she told me that she was due on Christmas day. So what do I say? "Oh, so you are going to have a werewolf?!?" Yes, you just read that right. But you can go back and read it again if you want to. I don't know why I said it. It just came out. I'm not even sure if that is true but I think I heard an old wives tale once that said babies born on Christmas were werewolves. Can anyone verify this? Dad, are you reading this? But even if it is an actual "old wives tale" that isn't even the point!! Who says that??? Normally when I say weird things Ryan at least gives me a courtesy laugh and then tries to direct the attention away from my awkward moment but even he couldn't help me.

So, because I am such a poor small talker I actually fear situations where small talk is going to be necessary. Another example: If I see someone I know in public, I immediately get anxious and turn bright red. It is not because I don't like them or I am embarrassed, it's because I am worried that I won't be able to come up with something meaningful to say. I have diagnosed myself with small talk anxiety disorder. I just can't do it. And if there is a time when I am actually being successful at "small talk" I go on and on for so long about random subjects that it actually becomes "long talk" and no longer falls under the category of "small talk" anymore. And those of you that know me, know that I am completely capable of "long talk." But even then, I think that I have a disorder because I will come away from a conversation and think, "Did I even let the other person say anything??" So if you have ever fallen victim to my small talk anxiety disorder or have ever been completely overwhelmed by a conversation you have had with me because I didn't let you get a word in edge-wise, I am sorry.

Yes, this is random...but at least I am blogging again.

I don't even have a good excuse...

So you aren't going to get one. I was trying to decide what to blog about for my return to the blogging world. In the past I have just done one big update on my life but that sounds way to involved and a little bit boring. So I am just going to pick a random topic. Hmmmm...

Okay, here is my list of pet peeves (sp?). Actually they may not all be "pet peeves" but they are things that bother me:
1. Water around the sink. Because when you are tall you lean over to look in the mirror and the water gets on your pants. Plus it just looks gross.
2. Morning breath.
3. Shaving my legs and having them immediately start to grow back as soon as I step foot out of the shower.
4. Cutting myself shaving...I mean seriously, I have been doing this for about 15 years and I still can't get it right?
5. When my students ask me where they turn in an assignment. They have turned in assignments TO THE SAME PLACE ALL YEAR...figure it out!!!!
6. I take the time to paint my toenails then I go run and they are all chipped and stupid looking.
7. Having to charge my cell phone. They should have created something by now that just works forever.
8. Waking up at the crack of dawn every morning. Of course my school district would decide to change the middle school start time to 8:30 NEXT year when I might not be there any more...thanks so much.
9. Getting a blow out and not really knowing how to change a flat but trying to pretend so that hopefully someone would stop to help me. Trying relentlessly to pull the spare out of the trunk and saying a bad word right as a nice man walks up to help me, reaches in and unscrews a cap keeping my spare tire in place...the tire then came right out.
10. The fact that I still have to look at the keys to type because if I don't then my sentences might look something like this: Me love you long tim... Me lobe you long time... You are ruining my joke, get out of my offive. ( Please tell me that some of you watch the Office...)

Sorry this blog seems sort of negative. I am actually in a very good mood and I hope this just made you laugh and wasn't actually a downer to anyone! Have a great day!

"Thanks for finally posting, Meredith."

You are welcome.

Tagged...a long time ago. Sorry Shauna!

A - Available or single: That doesn't make sense. Aren't you available when you are single? Anyway, I am neither.
B - Best Friend: Ryan Matthew
C - Cake or Pie: Cheesecake...which I am not sure falls under either cateogry but I don't care.
D - Drink of choice: Coca-cola
E - Essential Item you use everyday: hair stuff...it doesn't even matter what kind. have you seen my hair without product??? Yikes!
F - Favorite color: Green
G - Gummy Bears or worms: Worms
H - Hometown: Abilene, Tx
I - Indulgence: I don't know what this word means. Ok, I just asked Heather...probably getting my hair cut and colored. I don't like to tell Ryan how much it cost so this has got to be it.
J - January or February: January. Because it doesn't have a silent "r" that makes it hard to spell.
K - Kids & Names: None.
L - Life is Incomplete Without? Laughter. Ryan makes me laugh everyday. We just watched Little Miss Sunshine and there is the funniest part where the car horn won't stop honking...I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
M - Marriage Date: July 12, 2003
N - Number of Siblings: 1-Heather
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples
P - Phobias or Fears: Fish and grasshoppers. I hate both. Grasshoppers are ridiculous. I could go on and on about how stupid it is that when you come up behind one and you think you can scare it and make it jump forward but it really turns on you and comes straight at you like a C 130 and lands on you with its nasty grippy legs and...you get the idea.
Q - Fave Quote: "You ate an entire wheel of cheese? You pooped in the refrigerator? I'm not even mad, that's amazing!" Ron Burgundy
R - Reason to Smile: When your student names your class turtle tes-tes because he saw the word in the back of the science book and didn't look at the definition.
S - Season: Winter because you can go skiing.
T - Tag 3 or 4 people: heather, Robin, and all of the rest of you that haven't done this.
U - Unknown Fact about Me: Currently my hair is blackish-red due to a poor attempt at self coloring. Hopefully it will be normal again by the time I see any of you. But I promised pictures that I'll post soon.
V- Vegetable You Don't Like: Tomatoes and mayonnaise. neither one is a vegetable but I don't like either of them.
W - Worst Habit: Overanalyzing my imperfections.
X - Xrays: Had one a few months ago due to a severe muscle spasm in my neck. I was heavily medicated and could barely stand still long enough to let them take the picture. I have also had several on my back, quite a few MRI's and an upper GI.
Y - Your Fave Food: Pei Wei - really anthing from here
Z - Zodiac Sign: Leo

Merry Christmas!

I turned my hair marroon. Actually it is a little but fuscia. How you ask? I like to think that I am a hair dresser sometimes and can dye my own hair. I went a little too dark and too red and taadaa....fuscia. Laine asked for a barber chair for Christmas so next time I'll just get her to do it. Can't get any worse. I'll post a picture later. We are going to Abilene today so I will post a before and after. After? you say. Yes, I'm thinking that if I put an ash brown color on top of it then it will even out the red. See...I am practically a hairdresser. Anyone want to be my first client????

Bowling

It's going to sound like I'm bragging but I'm not. I just have to preface this post with a little information that most of you know, but some of you don't.
I have played tennis my whole life. I started when I was in the single digits and began playing tournaments when I was around 10-11. I moved up in the ranks when I was around 13-14. I played tournaments about twice a month, took lessons 2-3 times a week. Played super-champ tournaments in 14's, 16's and 18's. I got a scholarship to play tennis at ACU but then was totally burned out and injured and I quit.

So what?

Last week I had a student in my room for detention and he was telling me that he was in the PE tennis class and asked why I didn't coach the competitive team anymore. I told him it was because I was in grad school and needed to have more time to devote to that. He then replied "Oh, I can't really see you as a coach anyway." So I said "Well, I've played tennis for a long time so I guess I know a thing or two about it." He then said "I just can't really see you running around much. I can't picture you on the court hitting a ball." To which I wanted to reply "Wanna go right now? I will school you!" But I didn't. I just said "Really?" He said "Yeah. You don't look like a tennis player. I think you look more like a bowler."

A bowler...who looks like a bowler? Now, this did come from an 8th grader so I took it with a grain of salt but really? A bowler? Who says that? If you aren't a teacher or you have never taught in middle school then you might not realize that these kids don't have very good social skills and they will be brutally honest with you about pretty much everything.

Like my first year of teaching when the kids asked me how old I was and I told them to guess. Never do that. You don't want to know what they think.

So I could take this one of two ways. Either be bitter and try to prove my tennis skills or embrace my bowler appearance and hit the lanes to brush up on my curve ball. Is that what you call it? You know, when you throw the ball down the lane thingy and it goes straight for awhile and then curves and smacks all the pins down. Yeah, I think this is going to be good.

4 MORE DAYS!!!

I think I can make it...I hope. Only 4 more days until Thanksgiving break. I know that God built in Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks just for teachers. If they weren't there, there would be lots of injured children this time of year!
We had lots of fun in A-town this weekend. Here are a few pictures of the Thomesen Thanksgiving. Next week we will celebrate the Ware Thanksgiving. Having two Thanksgivings is good.
Me and Ryan at the cool new art thing at ACU. It is amazing!!! Go see it if you are in Abilene soon.
When you look at the sculpture from a certain angle it makes a cross.
Laine with curly hair. So cute!
I was being crafty and making a wreath. It is so gaudy that it is cute! I found all the stuff at Wal-Mart for 97 cents.
The angels climbing up the ladder in Jacob's dream.

New bed

I've had a pretty uneventful week...plus, it's hard to follow the cat pee story. We are going to A-town tomorrow for "Thanksgiving" with my family. I am excited to get out of town so I don't have to look at the laundry piling up or my dirty floors or school stuff. It will be nice.

We've still been running. We are up to 4 miles now...look out. That may not be much in the grand scheme of things but it is definitely the furthest I have run in about 6-7 years. We usually average about a...I'm actually not going to tell you how fast we go. Because when you tell someone that you ran a half marathon your audience will be one of two types:

Type One: They are just really impressed that you ran a half marathon and are trying to remember exactly how far that is. They couldn't care less how fast you ran it because they are now busy thinking about the last time that they worked out and how long ago it was. They then occupy their thoughts not with you running a marathon but could they actually do it themselves...
Type Two: You tell them you ran a half marathon and they want to know: what did you average per mile? how many times did you walk? do you walk while you are drinking water? what kind of energy gel did you use? how many races did you run to prepare for the half? And you want to know what I have to say to these people? I WAS BEHIND YOU... the whole time. I am slower than you are so don't ask. And probably, you already know that I am slower than you and you are only asking so that you can feel good about yourself when I tell you my speed.

Anywho...we got a bed recently. We still have the same bedroom furniture that I used when I was 13 but we splurged and got a new bed.

It Could Happen To You...Actually No

No it couldn't. It could only happen to us. The "it" I am referring to happened the other day. I came home from work and the sugar container was out on the counter.

Let me describe sugar container...nice ceramic thing from Pier 1. Has a cute little lid that I left off while making some tea.

I noticed the container because it was scooted to the edge of the counter...not it's usual home so I looked inside. Here is what I saw:

Carmelized sugar. "Weird..." I thought. I wonder how it got all wet. Maybe it has been like that for awhile and I hadn't noticed. I had just been getting the sugar off the top and hadn't seen that it had hardened into a brick like structure.

Forgot about it. Got in bed.

Ryan comes in from a late client. (yes, I go to bed early...shut it.)

Ryan: Did you see the sugar?
Mere: Yeah...what happened.
Ryan: You don't want to know.
Mere:Yes I do.
Ryan: No, you don't.
Mere: Yes.
Ryan: I think either Mike or Pete (not people...our cats that live outside) was trapped inside last night.
Mere: uuuuhhhh...
Ryan: gross.
Mere: Are you kidding me?
Ryan: No.
Mere: They didn't really.
Ryan: Totally.
Mere: Did you smell it?
Ryan: Yeah, I smelled it!
Mere: Are you 100% sure?
Ryan: Do you want to smell it?
Mere: No!!!!
Ryan: Believe me. It's true.

WANTED: Mike or Pete Cat

The Crime: Peeing in the sugar container.

Camping Trip

We went camping this weekend with Aaron and Andrea in Atlanta State Park. Aaron was Ryan's good friend from ACU and right now he and his wife (who is from Nicaragua) live in Searcy while he finishes school. We had a great time hiking, hanging out by the camp fire and eating...lots of eating! Anywho...here are some pics. I have a great story that I am going to post tomorrow. Hate to leave you hanging...but that's how I roll.

Me, Ryan and Lola in front of our tent. Do you like my sweet hat?

Aaron and Andrea on the trail.

Me and Ryan trying out the timer action on our camera. This is a random "ampitheater" near our campsite.

I am a Hallo-weenie!

First of all, this is how I feel today. (This is my neice Laine, making a funny face for the camera. I thought it captured my mood perfectly!) I have headache behind my eye. It's an I-don't-feel-cute day. My student's were a little bit insane-o. I have an assignment due for my grad class but my parents are in town so I don't feel like doing it. It isn't due until tomorrow but I have a conference all day tomorrow and a meeting in Denton at 5:00. So like I am going to get it done then...

But that is not the point of this blog.

I am a huge weenie when it comes to scary stuff! For example...
*I don't like roller coasters if they go high...i.e. the titan, the texas giant, Mr. Freeze, the cliffhanger etc.
*I don't like taking a shower if Ryan isn't home. I think this is mainly because one time he was in the shower when I got home and I went in the bathroom and scared him really bad. Now I am just waiting for payback every time I get in the shower.

As far as Halloween goes, I don't like haunted houses. Ryan has been trying to get me to go since we got married. And I refuse. Now, I would go to haunted houses in Abilene, those weren't a big deal. But when I think about haunted houses in Fort Worth, it makes me wet my pants a little bit. There are two huge ones right by our house. So, today...I am thankful that it is Halloween because tomorrow the haunted houses will close and I won't have to worry about Ryan talking me into going, and standing in line with knots in my stomach, and getting the crap scared out of me by some high school kid with a chainsaw and walking through the rest of the haunted house with my eyes closed and being mad at the end because I paid $40 to get in and then I didn't see anything!

Until next year...scary haunted houses...until next year.

p.s. Point taken on the purse, guys, THANKS!!!

Things don't last like they used to...

We carved pumpkins about a week and a half ago and here is what they look like now...

Not too shabby...uuuuhhhh, right! They looked like this after about 3 days! I really don't remember pumpkins rotting this fast when I was younger. If you can't tell that is the top of their heads sitting behind them because they are too small to fit in the hole in the top. Mine (the one in the back) had some pretty sweet buck teeth but they curled up into his mouth. Ryan's guy just has a sunken in face and a little gangrene (sp?) inside of his head.

I was going to try and make a list of "things that don't last like they used to..." and now I am drawing a blank. Any ideas?

Oh...and don't forget to offer up your opinion on the dooney purse, see below. No anonymous comments allowed...whoever you are! :)

I'm back and I need your opinion

Ok- It has been over a month since my last post...I have no good reasons for not blogging. I just haven't been. But today Ryan and I bought a digital camera (yes, we wanted to continue our move into the 21st century) so maybe this will inspire me to post more!

So now, I need your opinion...if any of you are still out there!


I have this Dooney and Bourke bag that I have had for a long time and I have not carried it for years. It is in great shape....but is it still cool to carry it??? Check out the professional pictures and let me know! And be honest...please.

I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to

Quick update:
1. I am still alive.
2. We are still training for the marathon. We are currently running 3 miles 4 times a week. The real training starts at the end of October.
3. I still can't blog at school which is the main reason for such a long hiatus.
4. Lola got spayed today.
5. My cousin Robin had her sweet baby and it is really too bad that she is not cute at all... :) (just look at her pictures on www.lefttexas.blogspot.com)
6. I am still alive.

Now...I really need a second title for this next part of my entry...it would probably be something like: Dustbunnies and Crotch-less panties. Don't worry friends this is not x rated.

This weekend Ryan went to Oklahoma to see his sister and brother-in-law who just moved back from Oregon and I had to stay here because I was playing in a tennis tournament. So Friday night I decided to deep-clean our bedroom. I bought a new duvet cover, put that on, rearranged some decorations and then decided to rearrange the furniture. We have wood floors in our room and when I vacuum I usually take the hose and stick it under the furniture. However, I guess this isn't the best way to do it because when I moved our dresser there was a hairball the size of a ferret! I guess I now know why they are called dustbunnies. If this thing had legs it could easily defend itself in the wild. Since Ryan wasn't there and I watch a lot of CSI, I took a shoe placed it next to the hairball so that he could determine the size and I took a picture with my phone. I really wish I could post it on here but it just isn't possible.

As I continued my cleaning frenzie I noticed that there were about 5-6 pairs of my underwear (**the no panty line kind) laying on the floor. I knew they couldn't be clean so I tossed them into the laundry basket. When I picked up the 6th pair I noticed something a little peculiar. The most vital part of the underwear was gone! Lola has taken it upon herself to start up a business where she makes crotchless panties by chewing out the well, the crotch...of course. What the heck, Lola??? The crotch is the most important part!! I mean, couldn't you chew out the tag or something? That would be helpful...but chewing out the crotch? Come on...
But I'm a glass half full kind of girl...what better reason to go on a new panty shopping spree! By the way, when it was all said and done, she had chewed a grand total of 11 pairs of panties.

I hope you all haven't completely given up on me! Even though you are few, you are loyal!

Half marathon...shmaff marathon

Whatever that means...Okay I am making this official so that everyone can hold me to it and bug me about training and make me feel guilty if I quit...Ryan and I are going to run a half marathon in Austin. Now, I know you will all want to come and watch...you can actually get a triple whammy because Heather is running too (no backing down now)...but the marathon isn't until February. I think. See, I don't even know when it is, how serious can I be??? But we did just do our first "official" pretraining run. We ran for 20 minutes and I felt good when we were done. Granted it is 8:45 and today was the first day it was under 100 in like 3 months but hey, we did it.
When we first got married we trained with a running store here and ran every Saturday morning at 6:00. I think the furthest I ran was 5 miles. In case you didn't know, a half marathon is 13.1 miles (isn't it?) That is a whole 7 miles further than I have ever run in my life. But have no fear...I ran for 20 minutes tonight!!! There's no stopping me now!
But I can do it...right??? If my dad can run 2 marathons and several half marathons surely I can run one. Seriously, I am almost one third his age and both he and my mom are in better shape than me. (Ya'll can thank me later for writing that.) But not for long. You all now know of my plan and when it is written in blog world it is truth. There is no turning back...see you in February.

Taaaadaaaa

Here I am. I know, I have been baaaaaddd at posting lately. School started and you will never believe what happened. They blocked blogs at school!!! AAAHHH!! I knew it was going to happen eventually but I was just keeping quiet as a mouse wishing that they would forget. But no...I can no longer blog during my conferences anymore.

My students are so far, so good. No huge complaints yet. But to all the teachers out there, is it just a given that every year you are going to have one class that is completely ridiculous?? I have had one every year since I started teaching. This year, they just have started to rear their sweet, ugly heads a little earlier than usual. But we will survive, I have no doubt.

I just took Lola on a walk. It was enjoyable. I am wearing a pedometer and my goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps every day. Yesterday I walked about 14,000 but today I only barely made 9,000. As we were walking Lola, of course, stops to poop in someone else's yard. I was embarrassed and dramatically slapped my hand over my eyes in case anyone was watching so they would know that if I had known she was going to poop I would have brought a bag to put it in. (right) But what do you do? If I even did have a bag to pick the poop up in, do they really expect me to carry it with me on the rest of our walk? No thank you. I am totally cool with other dogs needing to poop in our yard if it is an emergency...but I am also not in charge of mowing.

Think positive...

It is now 10:44 and I am just now starting to feel tired. This is a normal time to feel tired for most people but not me...not when I have to start school tomorrow and I need to go to sleep! I still have to take a shower and decide what I am wearing tomorrow...that is another story in itself, we have these shirts that everyone from our school wears to convocation and I don't even have words to describe what it looks like on me. I borrowed Heather's camera so hopefully I can get a good picture and post it.

I have to wear khakis (sp?) tomorrow...is it weird that I don't really like khaki pants? I don't own a cute pair so that just makes my outfit for tomorrow that much worse. My life is sooo awful...just kidding.

We had a great girls weekend. It was just what I needed! I loved seeing all of my friends and just getting to hang out with them...no interuptions. We did lots of fun things and laughed a lot. I hope that I can post some pictures soon. I took them on my really fancy disposable camera so I will have to try to scan them onto the computer. The only problem is we don't have a scanner.

My goal for my life right now is to be more positive. I think that I am usually a pretty positive person (if you don't agree I don't want to hear it) but lately I have been griping about stupid stuff. I think it just becomes a habit and I need to quit. A verse I read in James last night really stuck with me: "Those who consider themsleves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this...keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
That is what I am right now...polluted. My first challenge will be tomorrow morning when I am putting on my silly outfit for my first day....think positive...and then when I get to school and I know that every other girl will be complaining too....think positive I need to stay above that! Think positive...khakis and an ugly shirt can't bring me down!!!!!

Different verse, same as the first...

Here I am, not working again. I have one more article summary to write and then I have some questions to answer for my online class. Not tooooo much left, before my friends come in town. So I feel like it is ok that I am doing this right now.
Everyone has been asking lately when we are going to have kids. I don't even want a kid right now, much less kids plural. It's not that I don't like kids, I teach that would suck if I didn't like them. I just don't want my own yet. I love Laine and Bowen and I know that I will love Reegan and I love all of my friends kids but I just am not ready yet. And that seems hard for people to understand. It's not the same person asking, it's everyone asking. Do I look ready? Am I just getting to that age? What is the deal??? I guess that is just the next logical step...get married, work for awhile, then have a baby. But I am not there yet.

I am happy right now! I am happy just the way things are. Sometimes we are stretching it to feed two cats and a dog. And their food is pretty cheap compared to baby food. I don't want things to change yet. I love to be with Ryan just by myself. I love to sleep in. I love to be immature and a little selfish sometimes. I want to travel more...I know that those of you with kids are going to tell me that it is better on the other side, and I am sure that it is but I am not ready for the other side. The grass is green enough right where I am standing. I think it is hard to be content in this world but that is what I desire. I just want to be content with where I am. And right now, it's in a tiny house with my sweet husband, our crazy dog and me. And that's the way I like it.

I should be doing something else...

I am the queen of this. What I am doing right now. No, not blogging...procrastinating. If I need to study, I clean. If I need to grade papers, I do the dishes. If I need to clean, I do stuff for school. If I need to write three papers today so that I don't have to worry about it once Joni gets here, I blog.
I haven't been on in awhile. Last week I spent Monday and Tuesday doing 3 papers and all of my work for my online class so that Ryan and I could go to Ruidoso on Wed (we left at about 5:30 and got to New Mexico around 2:00 am). We met my family there. It was awesome! I will post some pictures soon. We hung out and did nothing, went on a mountain bike ride, went on a hike, shopped, went to the horse races and visited the casino. It was a great trip! We got back late Sunday night and I had a hard time getting back to school stuff yesterday. So instead, I went out and bought Ryan's birthday presents and did as little work as possible. So now, here I am again today...at the computer, not doing my work. Oh well...
Ryan turned 27 yesterday. In a few short weeks I will be 26. I think that starts to be real adult years. At 25, you could still be in college but at 26 you are a real life adult. I am nervous. I didn't like turning 25 and I don't think I will like turning 26. But what do you do? I would rather be turning 26 than not turning 26. Does that make sense??? Now I am just rambling so I don't have to do what I really logged on my computer to do. So that is enough...I will write again tomorrow because I am supposed to finish my internet assignments then...

Lazy Day

We decided to have a garage sale this past Saturday. It was fairly successful, we got rid of lots of stuff. Heather and Jonathan sold lots of baby clothes and we sold some wedding presents that still hadn't been used. Then we went out to dinner with some of the money and then watched 8 Below. SOOOO good. I cried a lot but I loved it!

Today I have been useless. I ran this morning and now I am alternating between rereading the last Harry Potter (I know I am a nerd so there is no need to comment about it) and watching What Not to Wear. I think my internet course starts today but I can't figure out how to access the info so I just emailed my professor. Other than that there is nothing exciting to speak of around here.

Oh...Ryan and I almost forgot about our anniversary. I wouldn't have remembered except that I was looking at cards at World Market with my mom and saw the card I gave him last year. Then last night before we went to sleep I asked him if he remembered and he got this really weird look on his face. We were both a little sad that we are already forgetting and it has only been three years. Then today I told him that since our anniversary is tomorrow and I have class that we should go out tonight. He said that sounded good so I got on the internet and started looking for a place to go. I stumbled across a calendar and realized that our anniversary isn't tomorrow it's Wed! What is up with us?

Things that make me go hmmm...

AKA Random Thoughts
1. How do they make fireworks? I sort of understand how they get the different colors but how do they make those cool designs?
2. I am not sure people understand how much I hate grasshoppers.
3. It must take a lot of time to train a seal to perform in a show. We can't even get Lola to sit consistently.
4. I hate to pay bills. I don't mind paying the money for certain things I just hate having to remember to pay it or to balance the check book.
5. It's thundering right now. Can they shoot fireworks if it is raining?
6. I really don't want to be in school during July. But then again, I know that I really, really won't want to take this class in the fall.
7. I love summer time because I don't have to put makeup on.
8. We went to the grocery store today and saw a lady (about 40) and her butt was actually hanging our of her shorts. Sometimes I wonder if people know to not only check themselves out from the front but also from the back.
9. After writing that I thought that maybe people think that about my hair sometimes!
10. I have a presentation tomorrow night in class, a grant proposal due, a paper due on Thursday and a final exam to study for...but what am I doing instead???
11. We have a girls weekend coming up that I am super excited about but if I look forward to it, that means school starts the next week.
12. Isn't it weird how people are different?

Blog Envy

I haven't posted pictures in a looong time (maybe because we don't have a digital camera anymore) so I had some people send me some so I could get some pics on my blog. I look at other people's blogs and I love looking at pictures and then I look at my blog and it is boooring. So here you go. This was at Bowen's b-day party in May. It was a cowboy theme and we were supposed to have a pony but it rained and we had to move the party inside. And ponies aren't allowed inside.

Family portrait at my parent's house. I think this was Easter weekend? Lola has gotten a little bit bigger but not much. Me and Ryan's cousins, Anna and Holly, tearing it up on the jet ski at the lake in Oklahoma. We had so much fun that day! I hadn't been on the lake in about 3 years. After Ryan's family left the cabin's we decided to hang out for awhile so we went on a canoe trip. This picture was taken not too long after Ryan dumped us over in the freezing river water. Who is taking the picture you ask. As we came to the end we looked on the road and saw Ryan's parents at a fly fishing shop so we flagged them down and then went to lunch.

So that's it...just trying to make my blog a little more exciting by putting some pictures of myself in my post. Hope you enjoyed it!

Summer School? Really?

Not real sure what I was thinking when I decided to take classes this summer. I know all of the good reasons but this week I have been finding lots of bad ones too. Our professor decided to wait until this week to assign to major projects and a paper. So I have gotten to spend two days this week up at my school creating a power point for a group presentation. That is where I am now. I finished the power point (yippee) and now I have nothing to do. And since we don't live close to my school anymore I can't just go home. So here I sit...entertaining all of my blog readers with stories of my exciting life.

This weekend was going to be the first weekend all summer that we didn't have anything to do. It was going to be nice to be home and clean a bit, maybe work in the yard. But not near as cool as going to SEA WORLD! Last night Ryan and I were talking and I jokingly said something about not having anything to do this weekend so we should go to Sea World or something. Then Ryan tells me that Aaron (friend from Austin) called him the other day and said that he had discount passes and that we should go sometime. So...Ryan called Aaron and we are going to San Antonio this weekend! I am so excited. I love Sea World and I haven't been in forever! So, the house will stay dirty until we get back on Sunday. I am totally okay with that.

Gotta get in shape

It is official. Today started the first day of our new workout and healthy eating. Ryan and I pulled ourselves out of bed and ran this morning. I really like working out first thing in the morning because then it is over and you don't have to worry about it the rest of the day. So far, so good. We will see how long this lasts.

We decided this new routine was necessary after being at the lake this weekend with Ryan's family. Ryan felt chubby and I just felt flabby and out of shape. Nothing can get you motivated like being in public in a swimming suit. So here we go! I checked into some gyms around our house and I found a really good one but it is expensive! I really think that if I could find a good class to go to and I knew exactly what time I had to be there, I might be a little more committed to the gym. But then again, if I can't commit...I don't want to spend money to sit on my couch. Working out during the summer is not a problem. The real problem comes when school starts again and I can't make it to the gym when I need to and then I feel guilty about not going and then I stress out because I am spending money for something that I am not even using. Then the stress makes me want to eat and I get those cute little hot dogs right under my rear end. It's an endless cycle!!!!

barbra manatee...you are the one for me

I don't know what my problem is sometimes. All year long I wake up at 5:40. It's not easy but once I get up, I am fine. There have even been some mornings where I lay my head on the edge of the bath tub and tell myself that I can take a nap once I get home. It usually helps. This summer has been a completely different story. I can't drag my butt out of bed before 9:00 for anything. This morning, I needed to get up about 9:00. That would have been perfect. But no. I hit the snooze until about 9:40 and then finally got up when I realized that if I didn't I would be late to meet Heather and Jonathan. Then I learned my lesson. If only I would have hit the snooze one less time, there would have been a little less drama to deal with. You see, Lola had climbed up on the bed at some point this morning and was sleeping soundly until we got up. Then I was in the bathroom and suddenly heard her gagging. I ran into the bedroom to find that she had "spit up" a little (barf is not the appropriate word because it was mainly clear...) on Ryan's pillow. I laughed a little and then proceeded to take the sheets and his pillowcase off thinking that it was a little gross but mainly funny. Then I stepped around to my side of the bed where she had spewed all over the bedspread and the floor. Thanks Lola. Thanks for teaching me such a valuable lesson. I will, from this point forward, never hit the snooze more than three times. You are so wise for a chocolate lab. I learn more from you the longer I am with you.

After that extravanganza I still managed to make it on time to catch a train with H & J and the kiddos to go to the Dallas World Aquarium. That place is awesome! I think that my favorite part is Barbara Manatee. She is so cool. I also really like all of the fish tanks from around the world. If you have never been, definitely put it on your to do list.

What a long, strange trip it's been

Wow! What crazy past few weeks! Sorry I haven't posted...since I have been out of school I haven't had a computer at home. Well, that's not true, we had a computer but it completely died...along with our phone, which randomly stopped working and our cable that went out for no aparent reason. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. We went from being fine in the apartment without internet and cable to moving to the house and getting both of those things and within about 3 months having them taken away. You would have though that someone told us we couldn't eat for a week. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. But now, the cable is fixed, Heather and Jonathan gave us a phone that works, and we had to buy a new computer...but since Ryan has a new job and we are officially millionaires, it wasn't a big deal :)

I got to go see my friend Joni in Arkansas for about 5 days and it was awesome! We spent lots of time in our pajamas just talking and laughing a lot! It was just the rest I needed after finishing another year molding young minds! While I was in Arkansas I tried to register for my UNT class this summer and eventually through the process of trying to pay for that class found out that someone had our debit card number and was spending all of our money in California! We did get our money back...but it was a huge mess! One day I called the bank crying because I was at a gas station with no money and my debit card wouldn't work and I didn't have enough gas to even get to the bank to try and get more money! Not fun.

So since then, I have started my class...which was supposed to be from 9-11 in the morning and switched to 5-7 in the evening, for some unknown reason...I was not happy. We went to Oregon to see Ryan's sister Melissa and her husband. They took us all around Eugene, it was amazing. The temperature was about 70 the whole time we were there. Ryan's parents were there also because the purpose of our visit was Melissa's graduation. So we got to see her walk but we did lots of other things too! This week, I'm just trying to clean our house and be a good student. Not much going on.

This has been one huge summary of our crazy lives the past few weeks! Sorry it's been so long and sorry so much info is crammed into this little space! Hope everyone is doing well! I love summer!

What Can I Do Now???

I don't even know what to do with myself. Today, I got to school and opened my calendar to look at my to do list for this week. IT WAS EMPTY!!! I can't tell you the last time that my list was completely empty! Today after school I can just leave if I want to. I don't have to plan a party, get ready for a tennis tournament, clean my house because people are coming over, pick up a bus, pick up awards for the ceremony, write a final exam...(these are things that have been on my to do list that are now crossed off.) The final cross off was this weekend after Ryan's party. Now that that's over, I don't have anything that HAS to get done. At least not this week. Wait...I better change that...at least not today!

Ryan's party was fun! We got to see some people that we don't hang out with much! I don't think the party would have been the same without the chocolate fountain...it was a huge success! And special thanks to Heather for helping me set it up and Shauna for helping me clean it! It was definitley a two person job!

Ryan starts his new job tomorrow. It seems weird to me because for us teachers the year is ending and his job is just beginning! He is going to be great! I am excited for him!

I am also excited for me because this year is almost over! This is the time of year when the kids bring up their yearbooks and want me to sign them. I am always tempted to write "Glad I could be the first to sign your crack!" But someone has already done it! The same old yearbook stuff is still taking place now just like when I was in school. "Have a great summer!" Which they have changed into "HAGS" " Your cool, don't change!" "Stay Sweet!" What else is there? My famous line this year was "Don't do drugs." A couple of students got "Don't deal drugs" but I was trying not to play favorites!

Grades

I GOT AN A IN LAW!!!! Just maintaining my 4.0...that's my goal. Yeah right. I just wanted to finish! I forgot about checking my grades until I woke up this morning. I had a dream that I got a 76 on my final exam. I was so mad. Then in my dream it made me fail and I had to take the class again. That's not a dream...that's a nightmare!

Stacks, Legs and Migraines

I have a bad habit of making stacks. Don't need it now? Put it in a stack. Can't figure out what to do with it? Put it in a stack. Need to clean but don't have time? Stack it. Have lots of grading to do but don't want to do it? Put it in a stack labeled TO BE GRADED. So today I decided my job was to get rid of my stacks. I had 7 stacks around my classroom. SEVEN! One of the stacks had stuff in it from my students LAST YEAR! No more stacking! I am going to be an administrator soon and I hear that I need to be organized. So I am determined to make myself organized. This means no more stacks. Enough about stacks...I even have a "file" folder titled TO BE FILED. What??? That doesn't even make sense! Lord, help me please! This is going to be a big task. But I am determined to do it!

I started working out again last night...the stairs up to my class this morning were not an easy feat. My legs are a little sore. But I will continue...

I woke up this morning at 4:30 with a migraine...bad start to a day. It has hidden itself for awhile but keeps rearing its ugly head every hour or so...I think I have enough sick days to stay out the rest of the year. Hmmm....

I can see clearly now...

I turned in my final exam for law last night!!! It felt so good to be done. My Monday night class was weird. We didn't have a final and we had to cover one last bit of information on Monday so there was no real closure. But last night felt great! I turned in my final, rated my professor and said see ya sucka! Ha!
Now everything seems a little bit more laid back. I haven't even had the chance to think about Ryan's graduation this weekend! He's finally done! He has been in school since we have been married. That's one of the reasons we live in Fort Worth and now he is done! His internship was over today and graduation is on Saturday. AND he has a job!! He starts May 23rd...maybe. He was actually offered a job and accpeted it and then was called about another job at the same place making more money. The lady was going to contact him for an interview later this week. But either way...he's got a job!!
I feel bad for Ryan because he hates Chili's sooo much now. But it has been really good to us. He made good money there and he could always pick up a shift if we needed more. But now I can't even imagine what it is going to feel like to have two full time salaries! We are going to be millionaires! Or at least really close :)
So hopefully you can see that my spirits are lifting. No more complaining about school and tests and projects and papers...it's over! At least until June...

I can see clearly now...

I turned in my final exam for law last night!!! It felt so good to be done. My Monday night class was weird. We didn't have a final and we had to cover one last bit of information on Monday so there was no real closure. But last night felt great! I turned in my final, rated my professor and said see ya sucka! Ha!
Now everything seems a little bit more laid back. I haven't even had the chance to think about Ryan's graduation this weekend! He's finally done! He has been in school since we have been married. That's one of the reasons we live in Fort Worth and now he is done! His internship was over today and graduation is on Saturday. AND he has a job!! He starts May 23rd...maybe. He was actually offered a job and accpeted it and then was called about another job at the same place making more money. The lady was going to contact him for an interview later this week. But either way...he's got a job!!
I feel bad for Ryan because he hates Chili's sooo much now. But it has been really good to us. He made good money there and he could always pick up a shift if we needed more. But now I can't even imagine what it is going to feel like to have two full time salaries! We are going to be millionaires! Or at least really close :)
So hopefully you can see that my spirits are lifting. No more complaining about school and tests and projects and papers...it's over! At least until June...

Dora would be proud!

I did it...I got all of my papers turned in on time. Well, sort of. I was 20 minutes late to class because I was finishing up the last paper until 5:10. Yikes. But it's done now. Phew...that's not the phew like something stinks that's the phew like "phew, glad that's over with."

Ryan did it! He ran the whole marathon. I am soooo impressed and amazed at what he accomplished. Ryan's mom and dad and I rode around to as many spots as we could to cheer them on. The first time we saw them was at mile 7 (the race started at 6:30 so this was around 7:30ish) and they were looking good and having fun. Then we saw them at mile 13 and Nate was needing advil but they were still smiling and waving and seemed to be doing good. At mile 16, less smiling and definitely less waving but still truckin! Then we lost them for awhile. I was stupid and forgot to look at my watch at mile 16 so I got off on our time. I was so mad! We didn't see them again until mile 23. No smiling, no waving. I ran with Ryan for a little bit to give him some encouraging words and I could just tell he was about to die. But they did it! They crossed the finish line and the announcer called out both of their names and announced that they were first time marathoners. People were cheering! Ryan said that it was just like he imagined it would be at the finish. I am so proud of him!
Then I think...could I run a marathon? And then I watch him still limping a little four days after the race and I think...maybe next year :)

Chill out!

Why is it that I insist on doing things last minute? At the beginning of this semester I was assigned 4 article reviews and 1 research paper. Each is to be between 2-4 pages. No big deal, right? These are the only 5 assignments we were given in this class. He told us that we had until May 1st to get them all done.
So here we are now...Friday, April 28th and I haven't written a single thing. Wouldn't be that big of a deal, I am used to doing things last minute, but we are leaving to go to Oklahoma today so that Ryan can run his marathon. (Everyone say a little prayer Sunday morning between 6:30 and 9:30) Only after I have tennis tryouts until 4:45 at the same time that I am supposed to be on a committee interviewing an assistant principal candidate 2:30. So I am borrowing Jonathan's laptop so that I can write some while I am there. I did this to myself...don't feel sorry for me.
I am laughing at my agenda from this week that has me writing one paper a day and I would have been finished by now and could have a relaxing weekend in Oklahoma...but that just makes too much sense!

Busy, Busy

This weekend we went to Abilene for Easter. I rode with H & J and the kids on Friday and then Ryan came on Saturday. We were busy! Dad got Heather and I mountain bikes so we went to the bike store because we needed a bottle holder for our water...that I will definitely be needing when I ride this summer! Then I had to find invitations for Ryan's grad party. Then we went to the mall and my mom bought all of us new shoes. Thanks MOM! And then we went home and dad cooked supper. On Saturday we took our new bikes for a ride, went to eat at a new restaurant that was great and then had a family tennis match. Heather and I schooled Mom and Ryan! On Sunday we went to church, hunted Easter eggs and then the San Angelo crew came in for lunch. It was good to see everyone. I am now going to have to refer you to my cousin's blog for the most amazing easter lunch story ever. This story is the main purpose of writing this entry today. But I can't write it better than Robin did. http://www.lefttexas.blogspot.com Please enjoy!!!

Not using spell check or delete or backspace

Do you remember when you were in high school and you had to type without looking at the keys? Sometimes I am really good at it. For example I have wrieetn all o f this without using th backspave or delete key. I always have to fo back and delete and re-type things and it is gettng annyyoing so I thought I would write a post weher I did not allow myeslef to backspave and delete. Obviulsy I loke the v key insted of the c key. I wish that you could all see me wiret (that was bad, it is supposed to be right)now. I am laughing at myslek. I think it is destracting me from being ablt to type well. Ohhhh, I hiope that you get as much ejoyment our of reading this as I ddid tupeing it.

Pictures...finally

Looong Week

I can already tell...it is going to be a long, long week. Not just because of the time change, even though it did make me throw up a little bit when I got in my car and the clock read 5:11. Yuck!!

Ryan's parents came down this weekend to hang out with us. We had lots of fun! Friday night we went to Central Market for some burgers and then we watched Bowen while Heather, Jonathan and Laine went to Ice Age 2 and then Ryan's parents got here around 9:00 ish. I am not exactly sure what time that arrived because I might have been asleep on the couch...

Saturday we went shopping and bought a grill and Ryan's parents bought us a lawn mower, weed eater and some flowers. Between that and my parents getting us a washer and dryer we feel like real grown ups! We cooked out Saturday night and then I fell asleep on the couch again around 9:30. I am such an old person sometimes.

Sunday we slept in and then worked in the yard. It was really fun...for now. Ask me about yard work in about 3 months and we will see how I feel about it.

Now it is Monday...I feel a little bitter knowing that I am at work and Ryan is at opening day at the ballpark but such is life. I am down in the dumps so I have been trying to find things that make me okay with being at school. So I have started counting down:

2 more Tuesday matches in tennis
9 school days until Good Friday
2 weeks until TAKS
6 weeks of grad classes
8 weeks of school left

I think I can make it.

Stupid...

Just now, when I was writing this creative title I mis-typed stupid 4 times...been a long day. Until today, I have not encountered much traffic on my way to work. But I knew it was bad news when I entered the interstate and an ambulance was not far behind me. I should have arrived at school by 6:30 but instead rolled up at 7:00. I always try to remind myself that the people in the wreck that caused the traffic are having a WAY worse day than I am. So, needless to say, should not have waited until this morning to write the quiz I was planning on giving today.

The real reason this blog is titled stupid is because some people are just out to make my life hard and I think that is stupid. Last time I posted I told you that our start time had changed, well...it hasn't. And I don't think it will. Not this year at least. I am soooo bitter. I spoke to soon. Started counting my chickens before they hatched...you shouldn't do that you know. Cause sometimes they die. I think my whole little nest of birdies just croaked...I am soooo bitter.

Yippee Skipppee

Great news first-I just got an email from my principal that says that our start time for next year is going to be 8:45!!!! I am soooo excited! Right now, I wake up at 5:20 and I get to school at about 6:30. Next year I won't even have to be at school until 8:15...which means I could sleep until like 7:00 or 7:15! Most of you know that I am a bit of a sleep nazi. I have to go to bed at a certain time because I wake up so early. A later start time is totally going to change that! I know that there are probably some down sides to starting later but I don't even want to think about them right now. Yes, it does mean that we won't get out intil 3:45 but I usually stay until 5 or 6 anyway and just because we get out later does not mean I am staying later! I can get to school early and get my stuff done if I need to. I AM SOOOO HAPPY! I just did some leaps through the hallway.

I got evaluated today. I didn't plan anything special. I just wanted to be evaluated on the regular running of my classroom...we'll see how that went when I look at my evaluation.

Sorry I haven't posted house pictures yet. Things still aren't finished and I don't want to take pics if the house isn't in order. I can't wait for everyone to see it. The drive in the morning isn't bad at all. At the apartment, I was always the only person leaving at 6:30. The parking lot was always completely full and everyone was tucked nicely in their beds. But now it actually makes me happy in the morning to encounter a little traffic. That way I know that I am not the only one going to work at the crack of dawn.

I'll post pictures soon!

Guess Who's Back...Back Again

Ok...so I have been a sporadic poster lately. I don't have the internet when I am on spring break! Anywho...for those of you who read my sister's blog you have already seen a picture of the outside of our cute new house!!! We are just renting it right now but it is great! IT is right in the area where we have wanted to live for sooooo long. It is fabulous and I can't wait to invite all of my friends over for a house party!!! I will post pictures later today or tomorrow. You see, we don't have a digital camera so I have to borrow Heather's. It's been kind of a crazy spring break but we are just so happy to be out of the apartment. I have a house!! Yipppeee!

Ode to My Lost Friends...

Shauna-even though we see each other like twice a year and live maybe 45 minutes away, you are still one of my bestest friends. It is great to have a friend that you can go sooo long without talking to and still everything is the same. I love you, your kids and our friendship. I will never forget the times you were there for me when I really needed you. Like the time I decided to put an animal cracker on David T's truck. (David, if you happen to read this...I had a HUGE crush on you my sophomore year. To everyone else reading this, yes I am weird.) Or the time that I was lost at the big house. Thanks for looking for me! I will also never forget "the" phone call our junior year that changed everything. I am glad you called me and I am glad that everything changed! You have such an amazing family! I love you Shauna!!!

Joni-I am so amazed at our friendship. You live one million miles from me and still I talk to you more than anyone else! Our friendship has evolved from just hanging out June, July and August. To talking almost every week long distance. I miss our trips to Target and the days that we just sat in the garage apartment and ate fruit roll ups. I think that someday we will live close again...as long as you can talk Beau into leaving Arkansas. I don't think we will come there. If it weren't for you, Joni, I am not sure that Ryan and I would be married right now. Thanks for being there when I was planning our wedding and keeping me from killing my sweet fiance. I am glad you don't look like an "L" anymore but those times sure were great! I miss seeing you, friend! I love you!!!

And to all of my other friends and family: I love you all and appreciate everyone of you for who you are. You have made me who I am today! To those of you I don't see or talk to much, I miss you and love you! To those of you that I do see, I love you too!

**If you feel as though you have been left out in some way, just voice your opinion in the comments section and your statements will be reviewed and commented on in a future blog. Thank you.

Whah, whah, whah...

I feel like I have been complaining a lot lately. Not about just one thing but about different things. I am in a bit of a slump and I want out!! That's why I am thankful for spring break. Isn't it amazing how spring break comes right when you are sure that you wouldn't be able to make it one more day! That's how I feel. I am pretty sure that my body is just shutting down.

My tennis team lost again last night. That makes our record 2-2. Not too bad. If you can be proud of a loss, I was last night. We played the same team in the fall and they kicked our butts 15-4. Yesterday we lost 11-8.

We are benchmarking again today. It is nice because until about 9:30 I get a break. They are testing, it's nice and quiet and I have actually gotten some work done.

I never even got the chance to blog about my fun weekend in Houston! I got to see all my girlfriends and just hang out. It was great! I also got to see Sam, the cutest little baby ever (except for Laine and Bowen...and Robin's baby...that I haven't seen yet. I have to be partial to family :) Tricia would understand.). I love my husband more than words but I miss living with the girls sometimes! I also miss being able to walk across the street to see Tricia! Or walk into the living room to see Audrey and Mere! So it was a good fix for some much needed girl time!

Megan, I am glad that you avoided going home to your cute kids so that you could get some extra time with the girls!

Tonight I have my Law class at UNT. We are getting our take home mid term. He said he was giving it to us tonight so that we could have time over spring break to work on it. Thanks alot...

Well, it looks like Ryan and I could be moving pretty soon. Once again, I will keep you posted as new information comes in!

Meredith....Where are you????

Here I am. My life has been one big giant ball of crazy lately. And most of it is because I made it that way! Most of you know my already hectic schedule, and the fact that we have a dog and I never should have taken two classes this semester while I am still coaching but add to all of that the fact that we got ROBBED last Tuesday and you have a pretty big pot of chaos.

Here is a list of things that I voluntarily put in my life that make it a little crazy:
1. The dog - I love her, I am not getting rid of her...but was it really the best choice for us right now???
2. Grad school - I really am glad that I am going back but somedays it's a lot of work
3. Coaching - I love tennis, I am not sure that I love coaching
4. Playing league tennis - It's fun but just one more thing to do on the weekends
5. Teaching 8th graders - They are fun...I think this one speaks for itself
6. Looking for a new place to live - actually the robbers made me do this one but I guess it still qualifies as voluntary because we could just stay in our crime infested home.

I am sure that this list is not complete but that is all I have for now. As for #7 Ryan and I are trying to be very smart about our decision to move into a new place. I think that we have decided to rent a house for a year so that we can have a little more money in the old savings account before we buy. There is one house that is a definite possibilty that I will post about later this week when I know more information. By the way, I will get to post quite a bite this week because we are benchmarking. ( I hope my administrators don't read this :)

Ryan and I also had the conversation about how God fits into our decision to rent or buy a house. It's not a situation where we can make a bad decision in God's eyes. I don't think that He is really worried about whether we rent or whether we buy. I think He just wants to be included in the decision. Most of the decisions I make on a day to day basis are not ones that require a lot of thought, so I just make them. I think that even if the decision is not one that would affect God or your walk with Him, He still just wants to be included. So I have been trying to do that with our renting situation. I think that when we do make the right choice we will know because we will have a peace about it that will come from our conversations with God.

Robin, Linda and Koby - If you read this, and I know you do :) Ryan and I wanted to apologize for not really getting to hang out much this weekend! We felt really bad because we were just all over the place...can you please forgive us???

Here are my answers...

I am responding to questions on my sister's blog:

The sickest I have ever been: uhhhmm I think it was 3rd grade when I got both mono and giardia. I don't remember how sick I was but I do remember the nasty yellow medicine I had to take. Gross medicine = really sick

The most pain I have ever been in: When I went to Audrey's wedding in Galveston in November. I got the worst migraine I have ever had in my life. Not only was it the greatest migraine I ever experienced it was the greatest pain I ever experienced. Ask Ryan, he can tell you all about it...

The best decision I ever made: Not breaking up with Ryan when we were dating. I love you, babe!

The most surprised I have ever been: When Heather and Jonathan told me they were pregnant while I was waiting tables at Lytle.

The saddest I have ever been: I try to put these thoughts out of my head...the first one that came to mind was when Callie and Pearl died.

The hardest thing I have done: Giving birth to a baby.

The thing that scared me the most: When we were in Spain and Ryan left our money and passports on the train. Ayudame por favor!

Ohhh the weather outside is frightful...

I love cold weather! I am so glad that we are going to have one normal wintry weekend in February. I think I will stay inside and sleep and read to celebrate!

Last night we went to PF Chang's. The food was amazing! So amazing that we decided to stay for 2 and a half hours!!! Actually, no. We did not choose to stay for 2 and a half hours...we were forced to. We waited forever! We were going to leave after we found out about the wait but we had already given our car to the "complimentary" valet people. So we stayed...and we waited. But the food was great!

Nothing too deep to post about today, haven't had much time to think.

Right now I am sitting, listening to 28 8th graders gossip. All they do is talk about each other. I know I did it too. I can still be guilty of it sometimes now. That is one of the ways that Ryan helps me to be a better person. Ryan doesn't gossip. And he gets on to me when I do. I love that boy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Okay so it may not be Valentine's day for most people but it is for me and Ryan. I had a tennis match on Tuesday...which my team won by the way, we're 2-0 now! so we couldn't go out then and last night I had class. So tonight is our v-day. I think we will go to PF Chang's. I love that restaurant but I think I love Pei Wei just as much if not more!

I realized why I haven't been posting as much lately. Blogs require thought and I just haven't been thinking much. I have been so busy that I am just on auto-pilot. I have no opinions, no thoughts, no clue as to what I really think about things the past few weeks. I realized this yesterday in the car when my radio wouldn't work so I just turned it off. Peace and quiet...and I started thinking. Thinking about how I haven't been thinking. So I have decided that when I drive to or from Denton I have to leave the radio off so I have time to think. Not about my job or about my class just about everything else. So I should be getting better about writing...I think...

Inspired...

Inspired by my sister, I am going to post random thoughts today...I hope you enjoy.

If I clean my desk at school, I can never find anything I am looking for.

I moved my bed time to 10:15. I have only seen this hour two times this week.

I can NEVER remember my friend's birthdays...sorry!

My schedule this semester is as follows: Monday-class @ UNT, Tuesday-tennis matches, Wednesday-class @ UNT

Ryan's schedule this semester is as follows: Wednesday night-work, Thurday night -counseling
Friday night- work.

See you in May, Ryan!

I have been wondering lately what it is in our brains that makes us like certain types of music. I like all kinds...right now I especially love Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Guster, 311 and GRILLZ

I love a really good pen.

Lola adds about 10 minutes to my getting ready routine in the morning. I have started putting my alarm clock under my pillow so I can still hear it but it won't wake her up.

I love Fridays! and Saturdays! and Sundays!

I am excited that the Olympics are starting. I like the winter Olympics because of all the skiing. But I love the summer Olympics because of almost everything!

Is that game where they scoot the thing across the ice and use a broom to sweep in front of it really a sport? What's that game called?

An amazing story...

There is a couple at our church that has an amazing story to share. They found out that they were pregnant a little while before Christmas. They began to tell people the week before their first sonogram in January. When they went in to see the doctor she saw something on the sonogram that shouldn't have been there. She decided to call in the tech and then the tech sent them to see a specialist. The specialist determined that the baby had (I don't remember the medical term) a membrane that was filled with fluid that went from the baby's head down it's back. It was not good. The doctor told them that in this situation 95% of the pregnancies end in miscarriage. They told people to just simply pray that God would heal their baby. Many prayers were lifted up on this baby's behalf.

They went back to the specialist after two weeks and the sonogram was perfect. The membrane was no longer there and the doctor told them that if this was the first time for her to see them, she would say they had a perfectly healthy baby. God is amazing and this story is a modern day miracle. Share it with people you know!

The couple, throughout this situation has been incredible. They have shown amazing faith! I would hope that if I am ever in a similar situation that I would be as faithful as they have been!