Finally uploading some pictures from one camera...still can't find the cord to the other.


On a recent trip, Will passed through Maine. And he showed up on our doorstep with this:


And these guys were inside, still wriggling:


So we got together with some friends, and had a little lobster fest:


There was some debate about the best way to get to all the meat...


...and the hammer seemed to be the best tool for the job.


The fruits of their labor (I was too busy chasing around the most adorable 2-year-old to help out much):

The low down...

-Camping was a blast. It helped that we had the most perfect weather. We bought a new tent a while back at COSTCO - it didn't look all that big in the giant warehouse, but it's huge! It is perfect, though, for all of our stuff and our dogs. Now we need a better air mattress, or maybe we each need our own twin-sized air mattresses. We'll see. We're hoping to camp more this summer.
-It seems we're still moving at warp speed around here. Will's traveling all the time, I'm working all the time, and I'm trying to balance my current job with my future job, which is proving to be very difficult. I'm excited about what I'll be teaching next year, and I'm ready to plan, plan, plan! But, we still have 18 days of school left in this year, which is where my focus needs to be.
-I'm hoping to head to Oregon this weekend to see an old friend. It's been far too long. She now has two kids. We've lived about 4 hours apart for almost three years now...it's time to get together!
-This summer is going to be a blast. We've already planned a Vegas trip (happy anniversary to us!) and we're going to head down to Will's 10-year high school reunion. Somewhere in there I'm taking a trip to meet Mr. Ian Brown and see my sweet niece Hannah.
-My to-do list is getting longer and longer, and I don't even know where to start. I want to organize all of my craft stuff so that I can find things easily when I get the itch to be creative. Hopefully I'll make some progress this week! ...Time to get started!

Field trip today. Golf after work. Camping this weekend.

Life is good. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

A while back, my s-i-l tagged me to complete this - the list of 8's. And since I'm trying to avoid doing the piles of laundry that are upstairs, here goes!

The rules are:
1. Mention the person that tagged you.
2. Complete the lists of 8's.
3. Tag 8 other bloggers.
4. Tell them that they have been tagged.


8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Summer Break!

2. Spending time with my husband.

3. Getting to see far-away family.

4. Watching my sweet nieces grow up (although one is nearly grown!)

5. Cooking up new ideas for vacations.

6. Bubble baths.

7. Meeting Ian Adam Brown (congrats Adam and Erica)

8. Camping this weekend!

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Drank my coffee black.

2. Wore a skirt, and froze.

3. Focused too much on my next year's job rather than my current job.

4. Went to the Talent Show at school.

5. Participated in a skit in said talent show.

6. Went to Chili Thai afterwards with Will.

7. Ordered Rama Tofu with Peanut Sauce (served over spinach) - yum!

8. Got in bed at 9:30 and read until I fell asleep.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Sing.

2. Spend more time with Will.

3. Spend more time with family.

4. Take beautiful pictures and edit them (and have the money to buy the right stuff to do both).

5. Spend time on creative endeavors.

6. Have a maid. Who comes every day. So I'd never have to clean.

7. Hug sweet Hannah. Every day.

8. Run. Far.

8 Shows I Watch

1. Bones

2. House

3. CSI

4. CSI: NY

5. NCIS

6. Jeopardy!

7. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

8. The Mentalist

8 Bloggers That I Tagged

Okay, I'm skipping this because I don't know anyone else who would want to...But please, if you want to, go for it!

Biggest Loser, Bloggin' Style...

Here's a recipe that I find delicious and satisfying, and it's healthy! I have made this the last few times that Will's been out of town (it's not really a man meal) and it's great reheated.

Refried Bean Soup (my mom gave me this recipe - she got it at a WW meeting years back)

1 can Rotel (I prefer the lime/cilantro)
1 can fat free refried beans (I like refried black beans)
2 cans chicken stock (low sodium)

Open cans. Dump in a pot. Cook until combined and hot. Serve with a dallop of low fat sour cream (I don't really like the fat free kind, it tastes funny to me) and low fat shredded cheese. Delish!

For those not on a commitment to health challenge (or, um, a diet), you can add shredded chicken, a can of corn, and serve with tortilla chips!

We have bad habits in our house. We let dishes pile up. We let laundry pile up. We let mail pile up. And then we play catch-up.

A little over a week ago, I was taking care of the recycling that we had let pile up in the house. We have a bin inside where we put all of our recyclables, but it's small and fills up fast. I still hadn't broken down all of the boxes, so it didn't all fit in the bin and was stacked up around it and in brown paper bags. It was quite the accumulation. I decided to prop the door open, go out through the garage, and make the several trips in and out until it was all in the recycling container outside. In the middle of this process, my neighbor stopped by. We were chatting, when all of a sudden, a bird flew in the garage, then through the open door and straight into my kitchen.

After getting over the shock of the bird being in the house, and realizing I did not want to have try to catch it with my bare hands, but didn't want to hurt it either, my neighbor's husband wandered over. Thankfully, he was willing (and able) to catch the bird and release it back outside where it belonged.





Nothing like a bird in the house to liven up my chores.

*Note the dishes piled up in the sink. I did eventually take care of those, too.

**Also note that while I did not offer help, I did get photographic evidence of the situation as any good blogger would do.

Quick Cruise Recap...

Muster Drill

Enjoying the views...watching flying fish.


After dinner, night one, we went to an English Pub and there was a guy with a guitar singing your typical sing-a-longs...we had a blast, and Will even got up and sang with the guy!


Loved the balcony!


Me and Anna in Cozumel. It was HOT! Will ended up with a monster sunburn.


After dinner one night.


Sitting on the front of the ship one night after dinner. It was windy...just a little.


Anna, Cindy and I at the Cahal Pech Mayan Ruins in Belize


Our ship, the Navigator of the Seas, as seen from our ferry on the way back from Belize.


I have so many more pictures and another post might be coming, but I will try to put them all on Facebook, too (in the mean time). Life is going at full speed here - I'm gearing up to move from my current school to the new Performing Arts Magnet Middle School next year! I cannot wait. I will be teaching Language Arts to sixth graders, with the possiblity of having a few classes of seventh graders as well. The situation and timing could not have been more perfect, and it is an answered prayer in so many ways (answering things and giving things I hadn't even though to ask for...).

We expected 2009 to bring a lot more time at home for Will, but that has certainly not been the case. Week after week he is on the road, with a few days here, maybe a week...Not what we would prefer, but it's just the way it goes. We're hoping to go camping over Memorial Day weekend if he's home.

I've decided to pursue my National Board certification next year. This will make it a lot easier to teach in other states as we continue to move where the Air Force sees fit. It will be a long, tough road, but I am excited to stretch myself and grow as a teacher. I will be collecting my data and completing my portfolio starting this summer and throughout the next school year, and will have to submit it in April 2010. I will take my six assessments that June and receive my scores by December 2010. Whoa. I sure am glad I'll be back teaching just Language Arts (which will be my certification area) and will be able to focus on that one subject. I hope it will be powerful for my students to see me pursuing this education and certification - and I'm hoping the unique experience of being in a magnet school will make my portfolio stand out.

So, here we go, full speed ahead. We're loving living this crazy life together!

Wow...I almost forgot how to sign in to blogger! It's been a while.

I played my first round of golf (if you can call it that because it was a scramble) this weekend and had a blast! Will and I were on a team with another teacher from my school and her husband. It was a charity event for our district's Citizens for Public Schools group. We had to take three drives from every player, and luckily I had three, and only three, decent drives. It would have been one long round if it were not a best ball tournament.

Thanks to our mad skillz (well, really our husbands' mad skillz), we won. And no, I'm not even kidding. We won these lovely red hats, and a round for a foursome at the course where the tournament was held, which is a pretty nice course.

Go us.

I finally have my computer up and working! A new battery and a new power cord later, and we're back in business. Photos will be uploaded soon, and blogging will be a lot easier...I'll fill you in on our vacation, my new job for next year, and projects we've been doing around the house. Also, we have our first golf tournament together - Mother's Day weekend. That also happens to be the day of our annual Cinco de Mayo block party. Lots to look forward to! I love spring.

Wow. So much to catch up on...and no time this morning! We had a great vacation - we thought we'd like the cruise, but it really surpassed our expectations. What fun. The great company made it even better!

Now we're back to the real world (although Will's still on leave), and there is a lot going on with work. We have our state standardized testing this week and next, and I'm ready to get on the other side of it and on the home stretch to summer break. Two months left!

Pictures will come soon.

I think I may want to get a Nintendo DS. Mainly because I want to play this game. Logic puzzles and word games are my favorite, and I love board games like Clue and Scrabble...But would I really use a DS? I am a grown up. I think it would especially be nice for travelling, and it's nice and portable. But, it's a lot more expensive than a Dell Crossword Puzzle book from Hudson News!

Anyone know anything about the DS? Is it really as appealing to adults the way they market it to be?

Just some stuff...

-After reading my s-i-l's blog on new running shoes, and hearing my husband tell me I had cheap shoes, I decided to drop by a running shoe store today. I bought some Nikes last summer and was fitted for them - the guy evaluated my feet as being neutral (which is actually pretty rare)...Well, after 7 months in those shoes and lots of hip pain after jogging, I knew there was a problem. I read a little about it on the internet, and had a strong feeling that I, in fact, do not have neutral feet, but pronate heavily - and that was confirmed by the gal at the store today. She watched me run in my shoes (um, embarassing) and then found several shoes for me to try on. After lots of jogs back and forth across the store, I ended up with a pair of super light, very supportive Brooks running shoes...in a narrow (I have never even tried on narrow shoes before, but it was amazing how much less movement I felt). Between jogging on the treadmill (which nearly killed me for some reason...maybe because Sundays are meant for rest) and walking the dogs, I've logged 4.5 miles on my new shoes! The true test will be how my hips/right knee feel in the morning!

-I am VERY partial to my iBook and I have detested using Will's computer the last few weeks as mine has been out of commission. My new battery came in Saturday's mail, and I am almost giddy to get to use my computer again. However, I have to ration the battery power because Will's dog, Dixie, chewed the end of my power cord. It has been plugged into the same outlet, staying in the same exact place, for her whole life...Why she chose to destroy it last night, I just don't know. I think she's acting out because her dad is out of town AGAIN. I can totally see how kids have a hard time with parents in the military!

-We have a wide variety of friends, and I am thankful for every single one of them. Last night one of my sweet friends from work (the one who had us over for Thanksgiving) threw her husband a 50th birthday bash. It was a blast! They had a keg of a delicious wheat microbrew (I'm a big wheat beer fan) - and neither one of them even drink. I made PW's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies and they were fabulous. Next time I will wear gloves, though, because my hands were burning for hours afterwards! I was worried they would be too spicy for these Pac-NW Yankees, but they ate them up!

-I can't wait for our Spring Break trip, if only for the fact that I know I will have Will with me for at least a week! Seriously, I. Can't. Wait.

Spring?

Where?

I can't wait for this:

Just a few weeks away!

So, no more sun. We've been inundated with rain, snow, wind and cold. No running outside this weekend - although I'm apparently the only one who feels this way as our neighborhood was full of it's usual joggers and dog walkers this weekend...in rain gear. I don't have rain gear. I also don't have appropriate footwear for the pac-NW, but I just keep holding out for spring. And a move somewhere southern.

Hopefully this week will be a little slower than the last few. I think I've got less on my plate. Maybe my house will get clean and we can have a relaxing weekend. We've been wanting to go to Canada, and I'd like to start planning that trip. I'd hate for us to not take advantage of the fact that we can drive to another country in a very reasonable amount of time. We also want to ski Whistler, but we might not get that in this year. I feel like our time here is winding down, but really we have at least 18 months left...but with a timeline now, it seems like there are so many more things we'd like to do up here before we leave.

So, today I'm praying for nicer weather so that we can get working on our "Things to See/Places to Go" list. Looks like it might be a while...

Sun, glorious sun!

We had a b-e-a-utiful day here in western WA! Finally! We have had a bout of sun recently, but it has been so, so cold. Not today! It was so hard to stay inside today, but we had learning to do that required desks and overheads, but if it's nice tomorow we might head outside! I sponsor an after school club, K-Kids (part of Kiwanis International, a service organization), and we were able to do our campus clean-up outside and most of us didn't even wear coats. It's really hard to explain just how much this does for my mood. It's divine.

Dixie and I were so inspired we did our longest leg of jogging ever - 20 minutes! Might not sound like much to you, but to us it was tough! We've finished week 5 of our program and It. Was. Rough. Whew! I am not a runner. Neither is Dixie. But I figure we covered 2 miles total today (including our warm-up and cool-down brisk walking) - being outside is harder for me because the ground is uneven, and I am a wimp on the treadmill and hardly ever do more than a level 1 incline! There was one stretch of a very slight, but very long uphill climb at about minute 12 and I seriously considered walking it - but we pushed through and focused on the cruise. In April. Where bathing suits are required. We have a long way to go, but we're definitely on our way! (I like to use "we" because while I am working on my body, Dixie is working on her behavior. The exercise does wonders for her destructive/annoying tendencies. She's getting better.)

Now I'm going to head to soak and read Very Valentine and sip some Red Diamond Shiraz. And to top it off, tomorrow's Friday...how about that?

I am tired of the snow and the cold. It's about time for some sun! Spring break is a month away, and I am so thankful we've decided to head south!We had snow over the weekend, but nothing much, and then I woke up to a snow covered Monday. No school delay, though, so I've got to get moving. Have a great start to the week!

Ugh. I can't remember feeling this bad in a very, very long time. I don't think I've had a fever in at least 15 years...it's just not a symptom I get - until now. This is horrible. I am burning up, then freezing and shivering, then on fire again. Thankfully, Tylenol and ibuprofen make it go down for a little bit. However, while they are helping the fever, they are not making my ears feel any better. I now know why little ones cry non-stop with ear infections...this is the worst. I am praying that my antibiotic will help very, very soon. Also, praise God for Advair which has kept my lungs clear when they would otherwise be wheezy and tight!

I am on my way to go pick up my husband from the airport - and I have never been more thankful that he doesn't care if the house is a tad bit messy! The floors need mopping and the bathroom needs cleaning and I have a ton of folded laundry to put away. Oh well. I'm ready to have him home and have someone bring me hot tea and medicine while I while away the hours in bed. Here's hoping you are all well and healthy.

Content.

I'm sitting on the couch watching Nights in Rodanthe. The house is nearly clean, the dogs are happily lounging in the sunny backyard, and I have a few new knitting projects in the works. Dixie and I have been diligently completing our Couch-to-5k workouts, and I am feeling stronger and stronger each run/jog/walk. I am waiting for the aesthetics to match the feelings! In time...

I spent a wonderful, restful weekend with Will (and Mom and Dad, Alicia, Chris, Hannah, Charla, and Richard - for one night) last weekend in Oklahoma. I was anxiously awaiting the trip, but I didn't realize how much I needed it. It was so luxurious to have time; I am thinking about scheduling at least a night a month for Will and I to spend together with no computers, no agenda, and definitely NO housecleaning. We had such great conversations and it was nice to just have some face time, just the two of us - 2008 passed us by and we spent less than 90 days together!

I feel good...and happy. And I know the sunshine has a lot to do with it! I truly think that has been the hardest part about living in WA. The gray makes me lethargic, and the lethargy makes me feel lazy, and the laziness makes me feel down. But not today! I am going to take Maddie for a one-on-one walk around the neighborhood, put something in the crock pot for dinner, and then get ready for bunko around the corner.

I hope your day is filled with sunshine, too.

If you vote for it, they will come.

It's about time!

Holy cow...I adore this guy. And he's an Aggie to boot.

Breakfast.

Just in the last year, I have started to eat breakfast every day. Sometimes that means a bowl of cereal while I watch the news before work, but mostly that means eating an english muffin or dry granola while teaching reading and writing at about 9 in the morning...or even later, a bowl of instant oatmeal during my 11:00 planning period! Will just told me the other day that he has started to eat breakfast, too - he used to just grab a granola bar or a shake (read: Ensure). So, I started looking for more breakfast ideas, and I remembered I had some steel cut oats in the pantry. I have made them only once - they take 30 minutes on the stove, and they make a mess of the pan. So, naturally, I googled recipes for steel cut oats...

I found a slow-cooker recipe that is both easy and tasty, and makes clean-up easy to boot! I'll just tease you with a picture of my delicious Monday morning breakfast, but I will post about it later on Tiny Tidbits.



Oh, and have you been reading Kelly's Korner? Have you checked out her recipe section? If not, please do. And try this:

Butterfinger Cake. Oh. My. Goodness.

I miss this...

Funny, but true.

Because I'm easing into the day with a computer and a cup of coffee...

January's flooding...Behind our neighborhood. Our house is by the huge pine on the left, so it didn't get too close to us, thankfully...But it was close enough!

My new favorite stitch - the elongated stitch.

My students watching Obama's inaugural speech.

Working on a quilt for my student, R. My aide, Maggie, is quilting the top, and it looks great. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Sunday? What happened to the weekend? Sheesh...

-I knitted, prayed, and really just meditated/ruminated on life right now. I'm in a much better place than on Friday.
-I don't care one bit about the Super Bowl, not even the commercials. Will and I met on Super Bowl weekend 5 years ago, and I miss him.
-I am so angry with Dixie for eating the phone, and I am going to kennel her from now on when I'm not home. Probably should have been doing this all along, but this is the first time she's destroyed something of value, and I was hoping she had outgrown all of this.
-My sweet student is experiencing her first side effects from chemo, and she looked mostly defeated today. She gave me glimpses of her smiley self (and ornery self - when talking about a few of the nurses) but overall she's down. Please keep praying for her...
-I am making a pot of chili, and I'm trying to recreate an awesome sweet potato recipe that a friend of mine made the other day for Bunko. Let's hope it turns out! If so, it's definitely a recipe I will share.
-The Tyler candle scent TwentyFourSevenGlam always lifts my spirits.

Hope you had a great weekend.

I made punch for a baby shower last week, and it received high praise...I found it online (by searching by rating, which I've found yields the best results on allrecipes.com) and adapted it according to reviews. I had no less than 10 requests for the recipe, which is not bad considering there were only about 15 people there! So, if you have a function coming up, try this! If not, file it away...It's truly a keeper!

Luscious Slush Punch (adapted from www.allrecipes.com recipe)

Ingredients
* 1 cup white sugar
* 6 cups water
* 2 (3 ounce) packages flavored gelatin mix (I used one blackberry and one strawberry - I think just about anything would be good.)
* 1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
* 2/3 cup lemon juice (or one lemon-shaped squeezer)
* 1 quart orange juice
* 2 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale

Directions
1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate containers (I used gallon-sized zip top bags, and just set them in a container so they would stay upright while I ladled in the mix). I kept the mix in the freezer overnight and it was slushy, but not frozen solid, in the morning.
2. When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of ginger ale until slushy. Top with orange slices or other fruit.

You could use jello with the appropriate color to match your function! I made this for a boy's baby shower, but didn't try to do blue or green...I wanted to try it with more normal punch flavors first!


Enjoy!

Destination: Crazy.

I feel like I'm losing my mind. Everything around me seems to be at warp speed. I left the house with no make-up yesterday (no make up!). And no coffee (no coffee!). How is it Friday already? How is the first semester over? Grades are really due?

I want to curl up with a book, take a hot bath, sleep...pray, pray, pray.

I think I've always been a bit introspective, never really depressive, but I feel I'm wrapped up in thoughts of me, me, me right now, and I need to break out of it. I'm feeling overwhelmed, and nothing has actually happened to me. Here's what's weighing so, so heavily on my heart - cancer, cancer in 12-year-olds, muscular dystrophy, adoption, foster care, miscarriage, MRIs, divorce, babies with pneumonia, mortgages that can't be paid, NICU babies and their parents...And here I am, perfectly healthy, employed, happily married, beautiful family. And I feel like I'm drowning.

I've pulled out my copy of Disappointment with God by Yancey. I've never been in this place before, this place where everything is going right for me, and things are going very, very wrong for several of the people I love. Wrong by my version of fairness, not God's...And there's a quote in Yancey's book that I keep going back to -

"Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me." Frederick Buechner

I don't really have a direction with this post, except that my feelings right now aren't matching my situation. I'm internalizing a lot of what's going on around me, and that's not necessarily a new thing, but it's never been this intense before...never so weighty. I'm spending the afternoon knitting, praying, and thinking about how to be active in all of this.

Update on my student, R:

Late yesterday afternoon a diagnosis came in - R has a very, very rare form of sarcoma that causes large tumors in the abdomen. It usually goes misdiagnosed for a long time because it can look like other cancers due to its location. It is a childhood cancer and is primarily found in boys. I am praying that her prognosis will be good because this diagnosis came so quickly and she has not already been treated for the wrong type of cancer. Her mom cautioned against using the internet for information on this type of cancer - because it is so rare, the information is not up to date and the most current treatments are not factored in to the survival rates. Of course, I couldn't help myself, and she was right - the most current info I found was from 2001, and was grim. Please specifically pray that R's doctors will quickly determine the stage of the cancer, and begin the appropriate treatment immediately. Pray for R to respond well to the treatment, and pray that her little body will stay strong enough to keep her sunny spirit! Also pray for her mom, K, who is just beginning to process this information. And huge praise for a diagnosis, as just knowing what she has is a huge step towards a cure!

After school today I am co-hosting a baby shower for a friend at work. I made a new punch recipe, and I made a gift! If they turn out to be successes, I'll post about them over at my sister's blog, Tiny Tidbits. If not, well, let's forget I even mentioned it.

Happy Tuesday. Hope your day isn't as icy/snowy/sleety as it looks like mine is going to be...but then again, judging by where most of you live, I'm afraid we're all in the same boat. At least school isn't canceled up here! Stay warm.

I know it's becoming redundant for me to say this, but I have a very, very special class this year. Every week I feel like we become stronger, closer and smarter! We hit some huge math milestones last week, cause for huge celebration - especially for a few strugglers. However, we spent that whole week without one of our classmates. This sweet girl, R, has been battling minor illness all year, one thing after the other. She is a trouper, though, and is always quick to catch up on her work...and she brings lots of smiles to our room.

I received information yesterday that sweet R is in the hospital, her thin body riddled with tumors, lesions on her lungs and liver. How can this be?

I'll be heading up to the hospital in the morning for a visit - she was in and out of surgery and procedures today to remove tumors, biopsy tumors and bone marrow, and to insert a central line to begin chemotherapy. Her mom sounded tired, confused, and above all incredibly worried for her little girl.

Please include them in your prayers. And me. This is such hard news to even begin to absorb.

I am so tired, and I have no good reason...I even had Monday off! Today I have meetings before and after school, and a whole house in need of a good scrubbing. I'm settling into my single-parent (to two dogs) mode. At first I half-mope/half-enjoy-the-alone-time, next I clean (because it stays clean so much better), then I join life again - go for walks, go to the gym, shop, etc. I haven't made it to step 2, yet, which if fine since Will left yesterday. But, when he's only gone for a month I don't have quite as long to make it through my three step program. I'm planning to make it through the cleaning by the end of the weekend. We'll see...

I finally put up Christmas. As bittersweet as it is, I was so ready to do it. I hit the point of just being annoyed by the tree, the decorations, and the clutter. I'm ready to get the 2009 ball rolling.

We're catching up on laundry, cleaning, and drying out from our last bout of bad weather. Things will barely have time to settle down before Will heads out to I.P. School. It seems non-stop between schools and deployments and trips, but we're trying to enjoy the precious few days we live "normal" lives.

So I'm off to finish dinner, catch up on email, and wait until Will gets home for our nightly Jeopardy match. I'm due for a win, so let's hope we've got some vocabulary/literature/word play categories tonight!

An update by way of pictures...

We were snowed in and decided to play a little game of Scrabble (not Will's favorite)...Now he has Risk (thanks, Santa) so the next time we're snowed in we'll play that instead!

Our mailman got stuck in the snow while delivering our mail...He had to be towed - this picture makes it look like it was the middle of the night when they finally got the mail truck out, but it was really about 5 pm, it just gets really dark here really early.

I got to spend a few days with this cutie pie while Will was on a duck hunt in Arkansas.

Sunset in Uvalde...We snuck in this picture (probably my favorite of the two of us that day) during our family photo session. I love the sunset in the back (even though our camera isn't the best).

The girls all watched Mamma Mia! on the "widescreen" - and afterwards we watched several of the songs in sing-along mode...Fun, fun, fun!


And now I'm out the door to work, even though the kids are coming two hours late due to flooding! Crazy place, this Washington.

Want an exercise in futility? Try putting socks on a baby. A squirmy, squiggly almost-9-month-old. (A darn cute one.)

Despite the futility I'm having a great time. Pictures to come.

A baby. God wrapped in human flesh. Emmanuel. God with us. Fulfilled prophecy, fulfilled promise.

At no other time of year is this unbelievable, unwarranted gift of God's grace and provision for his creation more at the forefront of my mind. It shouldn't be a seasonal mindset.

The following was posted on A Quiverful a while ago, and I keep going back to read it again and again as I watch so many people taking part in this tradition of Christmas without thought of the glorious gift it celebrates. And I wonder why they don't really think about it, question it...if they've tried to wrap their mind around the mystery of the universe at all, and if they have, is it that they've decided it's good enough to just be good enough?

From C.S. Lewis' "Man or Rabbit?" (from God in the Dock, a collection of essays):

"Can’t you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?” This is the question on which I have been asked to write, and straight away, before I begin trying to answer it, I have a comment to make. The question sounds as if it were asked by a person who said to himself, “I don’t care whether Christianity is in fact true or not. I’m not interested in finding out whether the real universe is more what like the Christians say than what the Materialists say. All I’m interested in is leading a good life. I’m going to choose beliefs not because I think them true but because I find them helpful.” Now frankly, I find it hard to sympathise with this state of mind. One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe any of you have really lost that desire. More probably, foolish preachers, by always telling you how much Christianity will help you and how good it is for society, have actually led you to forget that Christianity is not a patent medicine. Christianity claims to give an account of facts—to tell you what the real universe is like. Its account of the universe may be true, or it may not, and once the question is really before you, then your natural inquisitiveness must make you want to know the answer. If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.

My sweet s-i-l can't pass up a meme. Seriously. :)

I'm finally getting around to this one, even though I was tagged a while ago. Here we are...

1) Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I like finding cute paper and bows, and I like making the packages look neat and pretty. It's all very enjoyable for me, and I hole up in the office and get it all done in one or two sittings if possible.
2) Real or Artificial tree? Artificial - I got a super deal on it after Christmas a few years ago, and it WAS pre-lit, until Will took the lights OFF this year, because they were too tangled for his liking...
3) When do you put your tree up? Never soon enough...usually the first weekend in December, although I'd love to do it at Thanksgiving.
4) When do you take your tree down? Whenever we get back from Christmas traveling, usually the second weekend in January or so.
5) Do you like eggnog? Yes, especially in coffee - my homemade Egg Nog Lattes are pretty good, and much cheaper than Starbucks!
6)Favorite gift received as a child? 10-speed with matching helmet.
7) Hardest person to buy for? My father-in-law...because I'd like to get him something special or different, but every year it's a gift card (which is special, I guess, because that's what he likes, but I would like to know what he's using them for, and I'd actually buy that for him instead).
8) Easiest person to buy for? All of the ladies in the family, and Will
9) Do you have a nativity scene? Sort of - one of our wedding presents was a pretty porcelain nativity that holds a tealight in the back. It's very delicate and small, though, and I'd like to get another nativity some day.
10) Mail or e-mail Christmas Cards? Mail, but this was the first year...if you didn't (or don't, depending on how fast the mail is this time of year) get one, that means I need your address!
11) Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of one...although we used to do a White Elephant exchange at our youth group progressive dinner each year, and I ended up with a hideous pink heart-shaped, fabric-covered box two years in a row. I wonder if that thing is still making its rounds at the annual exchange.
12) Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't really have one, although I think I might watch "Love Actually" today while I finish wrapping. Some unsavory parts, but I love the story and the accents.
13) When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually shop for Will in the few weeks before Christmas. Depending on when we get together with family, I sometimes wait until after Christmas to get gifts - it gets difficult to pack gifts in suitcases and still have enough room for 10 days to two weeks of clothes and stuff (especially with baggage costs these days). Since we always have to travel by air, it requires some strategic planning on my part. This year I have about half of the family gifts (all small and compact) already, and I'll be able to get the rest once we've reached our destination...
14) Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.
15) Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? This year it's White Trash (or Cap'n Crunch Candy, whatever you prefer to call it). I also always look forward to my m-i-l's wilted spinach salad...yum.
16) Lights on tree? There are colored lights on the whole thing (now) and white lights about 3/4 of the way up. They are wired separately so we can do colored lights only, white lights only, or both. I prefer colored lights only this year because I like symmetry, and it looks totally off with the crazy half-done white lights!
17) Favorite Christmas Song? Joy to the World ("HE rules the world with Truth and Grace"), especially this year.
18) Travel at Christmas or stay home? This will be the first year that we're home on Christmas day (at least part of it), but we always travel at the holidays. One day I'd like to spend Christmas at home, maybe when we have kids.
19) Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
20) Angel or Star on top of tree? Star, it's rustic looking and one of my favorite tree decorations.
21) Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? I think Will and I will open our presents to each other on Christmas Eve - as a kid we always opened one on Christmas Eve, and our stocking and the rest of our presents on Christmas morning.
22) Most annoying thing about this time of year? Rude shoppers who are NOT in the Christmas spirit, and people who bring kids shopping with them and then yell at them the whole time because they are asking for stuff (duh - the stores are designed to make your kids ask you for stuff)...
23) Favorite ornament theme or color? Theme? We have no theme. I like a hodge-podge of old and new, handmade, and sentimental ornaments.
24) Favorite for Christmas Dinner? One that's spent with family, and one that I don't have to clean up after! :)
26) What do you want for Christmas this year? Safe and easy travel.
26) Who do you Tag to answer these on their blog? I'm so late that I think everyone has done this already...if you have not, I tag you.

Merry Christmas!

There is nothing like spending time with great friends, especially old friends. Erica and I became friends our sophomore year in high school, and have stayed close since (despite the fact that she's a Sooner). We have gone through more trials and tribulations in that time that I could count - never anything between us, which was great...there's just something about being able to call your best and oldest friends and know they'll let you pick up right where you left off, no matter how long it's been.

Erica was much more career focused than I was in college (meaning she didn't wait until after she graduated to decide what she wanted to do...). She became a nurse, then went grad school, and now is a Nurse Practitioner in the ER of a huge children's hospital. Erica dated Adam forever, which was a feat because we were in a group of friends who dated pretty much in our own circle, and Adam was a football player AND a Methodist (gasp). He always seemed older and, being outside of our immediate circle, a little untouchable - a good-looking, state-champion football player. Well, we have really gotten to know each other in the post-high school years (almost 10! yikes!) and I could not have picked anyone more perfect for my dear, dear friend. Erica is in the midst of the second trimester with their first baby, and having them here at this time was such a blessing to us. Watching the way Adam treats Erica, and the way they both were giddy and excited and all-out lit up when talking about the baby?...Priceless. They are going to be great parents.

I have always felt a huge sense of pride about Erica's accomplishments - maybe because she's overcome a lot, or because she is so professional about things, or maybe it's simply because she's such a good friend and I'm invested in how things go for her because of it. So, needless to say, I couldn't hold back tears of joy when I got the text on Wednesday that they're growing a healthy baby BOY!

So here are some pics of our time with Erica, Adam, and Baby Boy B.

Ocean Shores, WA

The Requisite Self-Portrait

The Parents-to-Be, shopping at the Land of Nod.

Shopping in the Snow

Friends!

Snow Day in WA. The dogs are having as much fun as the neighborhood kids.

Dixie, running like mad, chasing snowflakes.

"Okay, Dad, that's enough. Let me in, please."

Maddie, always looking for toys. Today they were covered with a few inches of fluffy snow.

But will that stop Mad-dog?

Don't think so. She proceeded to play with the frozen soccer ball, not wanting to come in out of the cold.

And in the end we had ourselves an abominable snow-dog.

It has been a fantastic four days with Erica and Adam (and the incubating Baby B) visiting from Texas. And to top it off we've had snow! It looks like more is on the way, hopefully not in time to delay their flight, though - let's just hope that the DFW Airport isn't too backed up from the winter weather down there.

Pictures to come - we're off to lunch at Bahama Breeze, then to the airport!

Time? It is a flyin'.

I can't believe this season has come on us so quickly...We still have so much to do:

-buy tickets to fly south for the winter (well, for 10 days or so)
-re-string the pre-lit tree since Will took off all of the lights
-decorate
-bake cookies for two cookie exchange parties
-host some great friends for a weekend!
-buy gifts

Throw in cleaning and making sure the dogs (Who am I kidding? I mean the dog, Dixie) doesn't eat any ornaments or branches off of the tree. Busy times. Oh, and we have to go to work, too. I just can't wait for our house to really feel like Christmas and be full of friends and laughter and good times. Then we'll head out of town and get to spend time with family and have more of that laughter and good times. Seriously. Can't. Wait.

Got kids? If so, and they're in school, you're probably thinking about what to get their teachers for Christmas...and, you've come to the right place! Here's a list of appropriate, budget-friendly gifts that your child's teacher will love.

-A donation (of any amount) to any charity in their name. It's especially nice in this economy to know that we're all thinking about those in less fortunate situations than us...Need some suggestions? Pick up an extra bag of food on your next grocery trip, and drop it off at a local food bank, or donate a toy. Or, see here, here and here (you could get some of the other parents to go in with you on these to make them affordable). I'd even love a note saying, "I dropped $5 in the Salvation Army bell-ringer bucket for you!"

-Basic Supplies: I'm always in need of dry-erase markers (especially colors, which tend to cost a little more, but do come in small packs). Fun gel pens, stickers (smelly stickers are great for elementary teachers) and decorative scissors with neat edges would also make great gifts. I don't know a teacher who doesn't love even the most basic of office supplies, especially in cute colors/patterns! Oh, magnets are nice, too. Colored note cards, card stock, and colored copy paper are not available in a lot of schools - some schools even limit white copy paper...just ask around and you'll find what the teachers at your child's school most want!

-Christmas Cards! If you do a family card, include your teacher among the recipients. I love getting the cards (even the ones with extensive family updates), and I really love it when they are personalized with a note.

-A small, homemade treat. Sometimes the amounts are overwhelming - a few cookies or a small container of fudge will do!...It's also nice to include the recipe, especially if it's a tried-and-true favorite of yours (and you don't mind sharing).

-An ornament that expresses YOUR kid, not a generic teacher ornament. Put their name on it with the year, and it's a great memory as we decorate our trees each year.

-A donation of your TIME...Come on in and volunteer! I'm sure your child's teacher has something that you could help out with!

I'm sure I could think of a dozen more, but this is a good start. It is difficult to accept gifts when you know that a lot of the kiddos in your class come from families that are struggling financially...and it can be uncomfortable when some students bring very nice gifts. Having your child drop something off before or after school, or giving it discreetly (and not having to open it in front of other kids), makes life easier for teachers. Know that we appreciate every single gift, and our thank-you notes can't really express that fully.

I have been blessed this year with an incredible class - sure they make me nuts, but they are so, so special. As a whole they have taught me a lot, and they are truly a gift to have around. I'm hoping for happy, healthy Christmases for all of them...and for them to realize the Reason we have those two weeks off in December.

I love this season.

Thanks, Will! I think you made an excellent choice.




The new rug makes it feel like a new room...which is perfect timing because I've felt the need to paint or rearrange since we've been here two and a half years already. Maybe the painting can wait, but this weekend I'll be rearranging the living room to make a space for the Christmas tree! I can't wait.

So, I've been tagged to complete some questionnaires, and I'll get around to it, but this morning I'm running late. And I haven't had a cup of coffee yet.

We had a great weekend catching up with AF friends who have already made their way to other parts of the country. However, I am not used to late nights, and I was worn out. We made our requisite Sunday run to COSTCO, not thinking about the upcoming holiday, and it was a mad house. Not a good place to go when you're already running on fumes. To top it off we had to stop at Wal-Mart to buy a few turkeys - fun! Luckily we were able to utilize the 20 items or less lane and didn't wait long at all.

Will sent back a few rugs while he was deployed, and we finally got around to arranging our dining room with one of the new rugs under the table. We had to reorient the room, which I wasn't sure about, but it turned out great. I don't have a picture of the room, but here's the rug (well, it's the one that Dixie is sitting on):

So, it's hard to tell what it looks like, but it's mostly a deep red with navy and cream. My favorite that Will has picked out so far, besides a handmade rug that's at the foot of our bed right now. Dixie was not very cooperative when I was trying to get pictures of the rugs - she's a ham. At least we got the rugs put in place so that they are no longer sitting in the middle of the hallway.

And now Monday morning is upon us. Well, Will's sleeping in a little bit, and I'm about to head out the door. Have a good one!

We're sick.

The crud has descended on our house (Will thinks it came from spending 30+ hours in a plane with over a hundred people as they made their way home from the Middle East, and he finally passed it to me). The worst part for me is that I haven't been sleeping well, so I've been in a fog since Friday night. I need to head out to buy some more meds that will hopefully bring a solid recovery by tomorrow - I have my formal evaluation! Fun, fun.

I had a wonderful birthday on Friday! My sweet husband brought me lunch at work, my awesome class decorated my room while we were eating in the teacher's lounge, and we had treats while we did our math. Will and I headed up to Tacoma to have a pot-luck with friends (I made a delicious antipasto pasta salad, and I'll have to post the recipe soon) - the host was making his mom's stromboli recipe and it was so good. Will surprised me with a cake (mainly because he didn't get one last year and was trying to earn some points). We all went out after dinner, and I was feeling fine until late Friday night. I'll post pictures soon.

For now, we're going to work on recuperating. Happy Sunday.

I must say that it sure is nice to return to life as "normal," even if the norm for us isn't actually having Will home...maybe that will change, though. We've hung out, watched movies, shopped, ate out, cooked dinner, and just enjoyed being together. As expected, there are some adjustments (Where did my clean house go? He snores! How did I forget that he snores?). I had to go to work on Friday and Will's truck was still out of commission (although it is now working), so my sweet husband got up to take me to work...as he came down the stairs, Dixie started barking like crazy! I guess we're all still getting used to having the whole family home.

In honor of Veterans' Day, Will is attending my school's assembly. What a good husband! He'll have to stand up in front of our 500 kiddos and tell them who he is and who he's related to...The kids get such a kick out of it and they my class so excited to meet him. Luckily, we have tomorrow off, so we'll try to get in a round of golf if it's not raining (insert laugh here at our futile attempt to pretend this is not WA in November).

Happy Monday.

He's home.

As expected, Will's return date was pushed back a day. That means tomorrow's the day! Now I just have to get through this day of teaching and a class after school. It's been pretty fun to countdown with my kiddos and they are pretty excited at this point!

T-minus one day and counting...

Please pray for safe travel as they have a lot of stops along the way, and a lot of anxious family members waiting on pins and needles to get them back!

I cannot wait for Election Day to be over so that these childish, mudslinging, accusatory, void-of-information political advertisements will end.

Argh.