Today, I'm taking it pretty easy.  I'm trying to ward off the crud that is attempting to make it's home in my lungs and sinuses.  Yuck.  I'm off to the local food co-op to check it out...I'm picturing t-shirts, Birkenstocks and patchouli, but I'm so excited! (To be fair, I probably will be wearing Birkenstocks with my t-shirt and jeans...but I'm fragrance-free today.) I have a few things I am looking for that I just have not been able to find anywhere else. 

I'm making a big pot of Green Soup with Mushrooms from my favorite soup cookbook.  I will have it to dip into all week long for lunches!  I am going to eat a big bowl of soup and a nice big salad before heading to a Super Bowl party tomorrow to try to ward of unnecessary snacking.  I'm bringing a big bowl of guac - healthy and delicious, so I'm going to try to stick to that...and a beer (it is the Super Bowl, after all).

I've been crafting away.  I made a photo pillow for myself, and I brought it to the Peru fundraiser Silent Auction, and will be making a custom photo pillow for the winner.  I also made a wristlet key chain as an example, and will be making five somewhat-custom key chains according to the color preference of the winners!  The fundraiser was a lot of fun and I think quite a bit of money was raised. 

It's a pretty lazy, blah day here in Washington.  The day dawned sunny, but the clouds have slowly crept in.  Right now the skies are gray, and I'm feeling like napping.  I'd better head to the co-op before I lose my will to get off of the couch!

Happy weekend, y'all.

Today I'm baking...

...chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter cookie dough center, covered in dark chocolate ganache.
...sopapilla cheesecake minis (in a cupcake tin).

It's game night with two other couples, and I'm so looking forward to it!  Last time we had game night, Will was out of town, so I did not have a partner...it's so much more fun when he's able to come.  Here's hoping we dominate (he doesn't like to lose)!  ;-)

I'm crafting...

...key chains.
...coffee cozies.
...baby tag blankets.
...letters to spell Parker.

Good thing there is football on today - my husband won't even miss me.  Hopefully he'll be okay with making his own lunch (he already made his own breakfast).  It's rainy and cold and absolutely perfect for hunkering down with fabric, thread, my sewing machine, and a fresh cup of coffee.

Well, Christmas is all put away, and life is kicking back into full gear after a fantastic break. Now it's time to buckle down and edit my National Board entries (well, three of them - I still have one left to do) and start preparing for the tests in June. It's such a great process, but it is hard. It's time consuming, and I'd rather be working on sewing/knitting/craft/cooking projects in my spare time. But it's not going to last forever, and I'm ready to get a few of my entries wrapped up and ready to go. The entries are due on March 31st. Deadlines loom, but they sure do help me keep on track! If you need me, I'll be here, working on boards, when I'm not, well, working.

Hello, 2010. I think I'll like you a whole lot better come summer.

I love Christmastime! This fall has seemed a bit more fast-paced than ever, but life is so good. I have been working on some handmade Christmas gifts, and I'm enjoying thinking about and praying for the recipients as I'm working - sustained, quiet time is a great way to sit and enjoy the season. An added bonus is that I have mostly avoided the stores!



I just love this ornament (Will and I are both youngest children)...I think I may have posted this on a previous Christmas blog, but my mom got all of us one of these a few years ago (Cindy's says "Oldest Child, Mom's Favorite," Brian and Alicia's both say "Middle Child, Mom's Favorite). So cute.

Here's hoping your days are merry and bright.

I have a beautiful, sweet niece (well, three of them, actually - but two are teenagers, and have long since reached all of the cute milestones) and I am so excited to spend some time with her over the holidays. Usually we do so much here, there, and everywhere that we don't get to spend much time with both of our families. This will be the first year since we've been married that we will both get to see both families, and I'm so excited. Leave is hard to come by this time of year for Will, and it's not the dates he would have chosen, but leave is leave and we'll take it! Next year he will be deployed over Christmas, so it's especially nice to get to spend a bit of time with both sides this year.

So, onto my niece! Just this past weekend she has started saying "Aunt Amy" and "Uncle Wee Wee." And she says our names with great enthusiasm. And she wakes up wanting her mom to "Call Aunt Amy? Peas?" And my heart melts into a puddle on the floor. The last time Will saw her (February) she was not walking or talking. She was not even a year old! I was able to see her over the summer, but gosh, they change so fast, huh? I am just so excited I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to see her silly antics and hear her sweet voice in person, and for Will to get to be there, too! There's something so precious to me to see my husband play and laugh and enjoy our friend's/family's babies and kids. This year we'll spend some special time with our niece, and in the back of my mind I'll be thinking about what it will be like next year with a baby boy in the house - my first nephew. Crazy.

And this brings me full circle to ask a special favor of you - I have a beautiful, passionate, faithful sister-in-law who would love nothing more than to have a niece or nephew for us to love on (well, that may not be the top reason) and won't you join me in praying her through this season as she and her husband wait? I believe that their situation is purposeful (I have to believe that it is, because the alternative goes against the very nature of our God) - and nearly every time I open up my Bible, scripture speaks to me of purpose, of the personality of God, and of the faithfulness between God and His people. And I think of Charla and Rich. In a Bible study I attended this semester, we studied the I AMs. Christ declaring his nature, His person - God and man, to us. As we studied "I AM the light of the world," I could not stop thinking of the parallel between the blind man in John 9, and my sister-in-law...bear with me, here:

¹As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
²And His disciples asked Him, " Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?"
³Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
⁴"We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
⁵"While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."
⁶When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,
⁷and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent) So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

So here's how I see it - the appointments, meds, procedures, and waiting are the process and path that God has set them on. And they seem just as foreign, strenuous, and like jumping through hoops, as putting mud made from spit on his eyes and walking to the pool of Siloam (rather than the numerous, closer water sources) seemed to the blind man. In the end the man could see and his story was a testament to the living God. There were steps to take, a very specific path to follow, and the man had no idea if he would wash off the mud and open his eyes to see. But he walked the path and followed the instructions to cure his blindness - an affliction that was not a result of sin but an opportunity given to this man that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Charla and Richard are walking to Siloam with mud on their eyes. They can't see what's going to happen when they reach the pool and wash it away. They don't know if the answer that lies before them will be in the form of a baby blessed to them through conception, through adoption...they simply don't know. But they are walking faithfully, without sight, according to the directions they have found in scripture to be faithful servants of the living God. And we are all so blessed to be privy to this testament of God's faithfulness to us - to sustain His people, to provide hope, to provide light. Let's pray for their plight, their long journey to the pool, and remember that they will be passing by many, many paths that are closer, but outside of His will for their lives. And they will be passing by people who already have sight, and will question why they are following this path, this God. And most painful of all (in my estimation) will be how many people they will pass who have been through this journey, but already have their answer, their baby. So, let's pray.

If you're so led, please leave a comment (here or on Charla's blog) about the works of God you've seen or experienced because of their story. I sent her an email this morning with a few of mine, including how this story has opened the door of friendship and fellowship with a gal at my school who walked a similar path. Knowing I have someone at work who is praying for me and for the kids we see everyday has greatly changed my perspective about work. And that's just the beginning...

Homemade.

I made rolls for the first time on Thanksgiving. They turned out beautifully, were fairly easy, and were definitely a whole lot tastier than store bought (and I love Rhode's). I used another recipe from my Love Soup cookbook by Anna Thomas, which has fast become a standby in our home!

Who has time for work when there's so much to do?

Today I'm wishing that I didn't have to go to work so that I could clean (really clean) my house before my parents get here tomorrow. And I'd also put together a few dishes for Thanksgiving - anything I could do ahead. Oh, and the dogs need a bath...desperately. I've been thinking about pulling out some board games for the weekend, but they are buried in the back of the coat closet (that could really use some organization). And Christmas decorations!! I've been wanting to decorate for a few weeks now, and I rearranged the furniture over the weekend to make room for the tree.

It's all going to stay on my list because it's time to head out the door. I have quite a bit to do there to get ready for Camp Dabney tomorrow - fake fire, blankets on the floor, popcorn, and stories.

Guess now is as good a time as any to get started!

There's a great giveaway going on over at Adam & Andrew! A genius product - I think a certain niece of mine might need one as she transitions to her big girl room and bed to make room for her little brother (my first nephew) in the Spring!

Today has been chock-full of those moments where I sit back, take it all in, and think, "This is as good as it gets..." All little things, all probably common to a lot of people. Here's what is making me love life today:

-Sleeping in. Past 9 am.
-My husband made the coffee.
-The house is clean.
-The Aggies on TV (of course, a win would have been preferred).
-USAFA on the TV.
-Lunch of green soup (from Love Soup, a cookbook by Anna Thomas ) with grilled cheese made from homemade bread (also from Love Soup) and pepperjack (Will's favorite).
-Two movies from Netflix - The Proposal and Duplicity.
-The fire going all day because of the windy/rainy/crazy weather.
-Spaghetti squash for supper.
-Staying in sweats all day long.
-Having my husband home on a weekend that he was supposed to be away.

Here's hoping your Saturday was equally as blessed.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk - October 10, 2009 - Tacoma, WA

A group of teachers from my school formed a team to walk in this year's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Tacoma. We had a lot of funny names in mind, but decided to just go with our school mascot (Firebirds) so that we could wear our shirts to school! The students had a team, too (how about that?) and they went with Pink Fire. I was impressed at the number of students and parents that showed up to support the event. We had a blast and the walk took us through a beautiful section of town - huge, old homes and a walk by the waterfront. And no rain! I found a home for sale that I loved and would move into tomorrow, but it was selling for $999, 900. A teensy bit out of our price range.

The most touching part of the walk was the survivors - each survivor wears a pink sash, so they are easy to identify. Here are two of our survivors - a high school English teacher who joined our team (her daughter is a student at our school and walked with team Pink Fire) and one of our office professionals (both of our OPs are survivors - amazing). We laughed and talked and they told me their stories...sobering and uplifting at the same time. A great day.

It's beginning to look a lot like...FALL! I finally got the garage cleaned up while Will was out of town. With all of my decorations accessible, I just had to sort through what I wanted to use. I don't have a lot of fall decor, but I found some adorable, real mini pumpkins and gourds to use to liven it up!

My favorite use of this pedestal yet!

A little bit of fall in the downstairs bath!

On the table in the entryway. That mini-pumpkin in the middle is real and is a perfect replica of a regular jack-o-lantern pumpkin...I love it. My Yankee pumpkin spice candles help to set the mood, too. Fall smells are my favorite.

Air Force Ball - 62nd Birthday (and Will's birthday, too) - September 26, 2009

Several weekends ago we went to the fair. I love the fair (I think Will could take it or leave it...which is funny because my sister just told me the other day that Chris loves the fair, but she could take it or leave it - ha). The major draw on this particular day for me was the fact that James Taylor was playing that night! We found some tickets on Craig's List that morning, and headed out to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine.

Another big draw for me was the Charley Harper exhibit. They had 20 or so originals on display, and I just loved getting to see them up close. Of course, I wanted to take a few of them home, but we just couldn't afford the $18,000 price tag...maybe someday? I have always thought about doing our nursery (one day) in Charley Harper - there is an ABC book with his work, and I think it would be precious to frame the pages with the letters spelling the baby's name. Will's Nana had a Charley Harper print of foxes (right, Mom D?) that is vivid and bright and fun. Will enjoyed the exhibit, too, and we found some favorites.

It was such a perfect day.

Just look at that sunshine!

We tried the scones - a bit hit at the fair up here - but we weren't impressed. Really it's just a biscuit with butter and raspberry jam...don't understand all the fuss (or the 20 minute line).

It was SO COLD that night at the concert. We huddled together and tried to stay warm. The seats were so close together, so when the rest of our row showed up there was a little relief from the cold as we were smashed in.

One of my favorites was a song I didn't know - Shed a Little Light. It was so moving the way they performed this song, too. The concert was packed, but JT is the kind of performer that makes big venues seem intimate. He had conversations with the audience and totally interacted with us. Just amazing.

I just love a man who plays the harmonica.

I love my job. I have always loved teaching - the planning, the implementation, the constant monitoring and changing - it's dynamic and interesting and purposeful. My first three years were a mix of treading water, surviving trauma, and balancing the extreme lows with the extreme highs. There was such a steep learning curve. I had no idea what I was getting into...and I never would have made it without the amazing, life-changing folks who showed up there everyday to fight the good fight. Those years were so influential, absolutely molding the teacher I am today.

The last two years, working at an elementary school, were challenging in their own right. I definitely grew in my understanding of how kids change from the early years of school to the middle grades. I laughed every day and I loved seeing the itty-bitty ones whose backpacks swallowed them up at the end of the day, wound so tight from being in class that they literally burst out of the doors. The energy was contagious and I loved being there. But, I always felt like a witness, a bystander - never really fitting into the equation...like I just worked there.

Now that I am back in middle school, my heart is happy and I feel settled. I know this age makes some people cringe, but I l-o-v-e it. It's hard to put into words the crazy/funny/awkward/absolutely-full-of-life world I experience everyday. Fantastic. Invigorating. Exhausting. But everyday if feels worth it (sometimes it's just a little glimmer of purpose, but it's there).

And just yesterday I had one of those moments where, as a teacher, you raise your hands to the heavens and say, "Hallelujah! They GOT it!" Six of my students from last year attend my new school. They all have the same teacher for seventh grade language arts, and yesterday I was at a training with their teacher. We were talking about instructional strategies and such, and she turned to me and asked, "What is 'The Whole Enchilada?' The kids keep saying this when I'm talking about summary." YES, YES, YES! They listened and remembered! I explained that when we're sorting out the difference between main idea and summary, we use hand motions and catch phrases...for main idea, we draw a little heart in the air with our hands and call it the heart of the story, or what it's mostly about. For summary, we spread our arms wide and call it the whole enchilada, beginning, middle and end. (It's important to note that these ideas came from my amazing mentor back in my first years of teaching...Sara B., you're the best!) The joy I felt when hearing that my students are using these terms and movements was almost embarrassing! When it works, it works. And it feels so good!

Just needed to share/document...for posterity and pick-me-ups!

Today I will be reading this to six classes of students who do not remember what happened 8 years ago...not in a personal way, at least. But I remember.

I. Am. Exhausted.

Today was a great first day of school - most of the kids are sweet as can be, and two even told me, "Thank you," as they left class. No, seriously, they did.

There were very few hiccups, and even those were minor. I love my new job. What a blessing.

Will and I had a date at the local pizza place tonight. They were running a special for 09/09/09 - specialty pizzas and pitchers of micro brew for $9.99. We had a Greek pizza and a pitcher of Mac & Jacks. A perfect way to end this very long day.

I am so looking forward to day 2.

By way of a list...

-I was able to go down to Oklahoma for the weekend to hang out with my family. It was the first time all 4 kids were together since Christmas 2007. It had been way too long! The time absolutely flew by and before I knew it I was back home in Washington...but the visit was fabulous. If only the Dawgs could have pulled off a win (on my sister Cindy's birthday!)...then it would have been perfect.

-I feel rested up and ready to start school! Tomorrow is our first official day back - a work day that will start off with meetings and an instruction session on the new copier. Fun stuff! The kids start on Wednesday and I am SO excited to meet them. I have not been this excited for school to start since my first year (when I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into)!

-The weather has started to change and we've resigned ourselves to the fact that fall is here. I love fall, and the decorating bug has started to bite! Once I get school underway, I will start pulling out the decorations (which shouldn't be too hard because most of them barely made it into boxes, let alone put up on the garage shelves). And fall means college football, which is a bit hit around here.

-I want to work on meal plans for each week. I want to keep things organized so that I can focus on school and National Boards this year, and having meals planned in advance (and maybe even prepared and frozen occasionally) will help. I have looked online for plans, but a lot of them call for mostly canned/frozen foods and lots of starchy and unhealthy foods...and a lot of them look like they are geared towards unadventurous eaters (or kids, which in a lot of cases are one and the same). Will and I need to sit down and think about what we'd like and what makes sense for us...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

-Our house is (mostly) clean and it was so nice (albeit unusual) to come home and only have laundry from this weekend to take care of...I like not having to play catch up, and I want to keep it that way. I'm working room by room to deep clean, but I'm thinking about hiring someone to do it - I know a gal who cleans houses for a reasonable price, and I know she does a very thorough job.

-I love, love, love this jewelry.

Vegas. Such fun.We stayed at the Palazzo - it was perfect. The rooms were gorgeous, the casino was not too big, and the restaurants and shops were great. Of course, so was the company! We met up with my sister and brother-in-law the first night - Cindy and Barry stayed a few nights and we definitely made the most of those days! We went non-stop. We had dinner the first night at a Japanese-Brazilian restaurant where the portions were small but the flavor was huge. It was delicious - probably the best sashimi we have ever had (and in land-locked Vegas of all places). The four of us spent the rest of the night on the strip, reacquainting ourselves to our favorite places.

The Palazzo lobby - as do all casinos, this place has its scent pumped throughout. Unlike the sickening sweet, coconut tanning oil smell of the Flamingo, or some of the other very perfumed casinos, the Palazzo smell is bottle-worthy. I'd like to spray it in my house...although I'm sure it's caffeine laden to keep you up all night, so maybe that's not such a good idea. But it does smell good - it was very calming and delightful.

We had dinner the second night at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris. We sat outside (although it was easily 105 degrees) and had a perfect view of the fountain show at the Bellagio. It was a beautiful view, excellent food (I had the heirloom tomato salad with basil, balsamic, and blue cheese, and a cold carrot-ginger soup...yum).

Our next stop that night was the Mirage for the Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE! It's hard to describe Cirque du Soleil shows, but this was an amazing experience. If you enjoy The Beatles at all this is worth seeing. It's less aerobatic as some of the other shows, but the story and music make it moving and unique. Will and I decided it was the absolute perfect show for us. We LOVED it and would go again (even though there are so many good shows to see in Vegas). We spent the rest of the night walking around the strip, having an absolute blast.

The boys bought some giant beers...but they shared (thankfully, they come with plastic cups and are intended for sharing, like a pitcher, although I'm sure there are a whole lot of college kids who buy and drink their own...bleck). We ended up at our favorite spot on the strip, O'Shea's. It's old, dingy and has no pleasing scent, but it's cheap and fun. The boys played craps for a while and then we all watched a 90's cover band that was pretty good. While we were watching the band, Barry struck up a conversation with the guys standing next to us...Turns out they are in the Air Force and were in Vegas doing some training. He introduced them to Will and no more than 30 seconds later we find out that these guys are on a crew with a good friend of ours, Aaron (who is stationed in OKC). He wasn't out with them that night, but Will called him right then to let him know we were in town and wanted to get together - small world, this is, huh?

Our third day was spent on Freemont, in old downtown Vegas. Despite some annoying construction going on 20 feet from our blackjack table, we had some serious fun, and won some money in the process. There was one really awkward moment where the dealer thought she heard Will call Cindy "mom," and hilarity ensued. We ended up back at the Palazzo for dinner and decided to go to Woo, a Pan-Asian restaurant, where we sat in the foyer. It was strange - they bring menus you have to share, our waiter looked like Doogie Howser, MD, and the food was small (but tasty). After our tiny meal we headed to Mandalay Bay to check out an ice bar. You pay for a ticket, get all suited up in a parka, boots, and gloves, and head in. The whole place is made of ice - the walls, bar, tables, seats, sculptures, glasses...everything. It was very small (probably because it's made of ice, and it's in the desert), but it was totally a memorable experience. Barry and Cindy even ran into someone they sat next to on the plane (a diabetic doctor who ate candy the whole way as he monitored his insulin pump) - again, what a small world. Because of the tiny dinner, we ended up taking a cab from the ice bar to In-N-Out Burger! A nice treat...

Will and I spent a lot of time walking around after Barry and Cindy left. It was incredibly hot, but we just stopped in a casino when we needed some a/c. A few of my friends from work came in later in the weekend, and we were able to see a comedy show with them and spend some time at a dueling piano bar where we met Fake Guy Fieri. It's really a long story, but basically involves a look alike who just happens to be from right here in Washington. Weird.

We had a drink at the Nine Fine Irishmen in New York, New York. This bar is one of Will's favorites, but he was tired of me taking pictures and wasn't thrilled about yet another - see that expression? It says, "How did I end up with this crazy woman who thinks we need a picture just because we had a Guiness here?"

We finally met up with Aaron! He joined us for dinner on our anniversary - ha! We had dinner at Lavo, which was a little disappointing (the food, not the company). Of course we had to talk about when Will was in Aaron's wedding (the weekend after Aaron was in ours) and ended up in the hospital the morning of the ceremony due to salmonella poisoning...and how we both ended up sick by the next day, the day we left for our honeymoon!

It's hard to sum up a week-long Vegas trip in one post, especially with all of the memories made. The unexpectedness of it all was just so fun - crazy Vegas, we love you!

Getting back into the swing of things...

We have had such a wonderful summer. We had a blast in Vegas, spent some quality time with family, and caught up with some of Will's classmates at his 10-year reunion. It was a whirlwind, as always, but so much fun. Really and truly, it's these brief visits with family and friends that get me through the rest of the year (especially when Will is away). I'll have to get my pictures uploaded and share some specifics from our trip later!

I was only gone three weeks but things sure are different here...My garden is out of control, Maddie looked like a bear (but is much more comfortable after a grooming appointment today), our house is a mess (well, that one is not so different), and one of my friends is beginning the process of divorce. My heart feels so heavy for her, so sad. Can it have only been three weeks?

I am looking forward to my new job at my new school, and I'm ready to get to work - I'm sure it's some sort of illness, but I love organizing my classroom, planning my lessons, and scouring stores for deals on school supplies. I have four new books that are just screaming to be read and highlighted in preparation for my literary arts class. I've been collecting quotes and songs to use as inspiration or illustration, and I'm going to work on some poetry (well, to be honest, I'm going to revisit some poetry I wrote in high school -YIKES!) to share with the kids. I'm looking forward to being authentic with my students as we explore writing as a performance art. It will surely be a year of learning and growing, but I am so ready for this change and challenge.

However, right now I need to get dinner ready and do another load of laundry. Home, sweet home.