So, I'm bouncing around a lot this summer. I have already had such a great time visiting with family and friends, and it's just going to continue from here until I finally settle back in at home. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on...I'll have to post pictures later because I'm using my mom and dad's computer, and my pics are on my laptop. We're going to attempt to make their house wireless, but we've got better things to do in the mean time (like go to Ross, the post office to mail Will the best package ever, and meet my dad for lunch).

-As previously mentioned, I had a wonderful weekend away with my sis and s-i-l, along with Corrie, in the Austin/Lake Travis area. Alicia and Charla have already posted about it, which makes me entirely unmotivated to post more! Ha ha. Let me just say that these are two girls who needed a break and a time of fun and fellowship with family. Mission accomplished.

-I have spent countless hours staring at, holding, and playing with my sweet niece Hannah Grace. She is simply amazing. Instead of wanting my own, I think I'll just take her! (The amount of people that would like to claim this child for their own is astounding, and it's causing my sister to consider microchipping the poor girl.)

-I was lucky enough to be in town when an old friend got married, and while I wasn't exactly invited, my friend Erica was, and I was her date. We had such a great time catching up with a few high school friends, our high school youth pastor, and even more parents of our friends from high school! Erica and I have been friends since the beginning of our sophomore year in high school, but it seems like I've known her forever. We have stayed in touch throughout the years (thank goodness she was a Sooner and not a Longhorn, or that might have turned out differently), and get together every chance we can. This wedding was no exception - we had a blast being together, talking non-stop with everyone we saw there, and feeling 17 again...Plus, we witnessed a marriage that was a God-ordained and blessed union. Not bad for a Saturday night.

-I'm spending some time with my parents. It's funny to come "home" to a place that I have never lived, but it's the company that makes it home, right? Well, this company includes my parents and 5 dogs! My two are here, and have made themselves a part of the family. If at all possible, I'd like to capture all 5 in one photo, but that might be asking a lot. It's a motley crew.

Well, we'd better get on with our day. It's hot as can be and as much as I'd like to spend all day right here in the a/c, we've got places to go and people to see.

Well, the surprise girls' weekend went off without a hitch. A night downtown Austin, endless conversation, a day at the pool on Lake Travis, a dinner al fresco with live music, a night in a room with a view...So. Much. Fun.

However, I'm still catching up on sleep, so I'll update with pictures and details later. For now, it's good to be home in Texas, and it's soooo good to get to hold that baby niece of mine.

Mom and DadHere's to 30 years!

Love you.

I miss my puppy dogs - they're spending summer at the grandparents' house. My mom and dad are gracious (and brave) to host our pups so that I can travel this summer without having to board them. It sure is quiet around here without them...quiet and CLEAN. I enlisted the help of my newly-turned-10-years-old neighbor (who owes us chores for losing Will's basketball a few months ago) to really vacuum the furniture. This is the first time in a long time that I haven't had to swipe off with the lint roller before leaving the house!

So, I made it to day 6, then skipped day 7 (which fell on the 4th)...However, I went to the gym yesterday and today and I feel pretty good about it. I had to exercise on my own though these last two days because they don't have Sunday classes, and I didn't make it to the 8:20 or 9:30 classes yesterday morning. I did the elliptical machine followed by the treadmill - I wanted to stick to that one hour time frame, which is how long the classes are...The setting I use on the elliptical is 28 minutes, followed by a 5 minute cool down. I did 2.4 miles yesterday, and bumped it up to 2.7 today. The treadmill is much harder for me. I really don't like to run. Yesterday I just walked really fast, but did stay on for a full 30 minutes. Today, I decided to push it a bit and see if I could run (okay, jog) for .5 miles. Doesn't sound like a lot, but I am NOT a runner/jogger at all. Period. Surprisingly, I didn't die. In fact, after I jogged the .5, I walked (quickly) for .25, then jogged the last .25 of mile #1. After this (it's amazing how much farther you can go when you jog vs. walk...novel concept) I still had time to walk another mile before the gym closed. I really enjoy the elliptical, especially being able to switch directions as well as grade and resistance, but I felt that the treadmill was more effective for getting my heart rate up!

I was amazed that I didn't quit on myself, not having the peer pressure of being in a class. That prayer, I tell you what - it works! I have not dropped a single pound in these 8 days, but I feel good, and I have been sleeping GREAT (not usual for me). Health, endurance, and overall feeling good is my goal - weight loss is a side benefit. I have never felt bad about myself, even at my highest weights, and I think that comes from having a family that has always valued so much more than physical appearance. I know some people think I should be working out to lose weight - Who wouldn't want to be thin, right? But, I have seen vanity suck so many women away from their value in Christ, and I am so thankful that I am surrounded by many more people who love me for me, and encourage me. I hope that exercise makes me stronger, happier (love those endorphins), helps me meet new/different people here, and gives Will and I something else to do together. I want to be able to hike, explore, kayak (next summer, honey?), fulfill my purpose (whatever that is now, and whatever it will be) and just enjoy it all, and not get worn out. I think I am on my way there, and I am looking forward to finding new ways to exercise as I travel this summer...as long as it's inside, because I have grown accustomed to highs in the low 80's. We didn't make it much above 70 today.

I know that your prayers have helped me make it to day 8, so THANKS, and keep 'em coming! It also helps to be in a gym where Christian music blares, where the trainers are kind and encouraging and clothed, and where there are people of all sizes, shapes and abilities. It's a great atmosphere, and I couldn't be more thankful. The TVs on the cardio machines help, too. ;)

Homegrown.

I tried to reign it in a little bit this year with my planting - last year a couple plants grew so well they took over the whole planter box. This year may be the same story, even though I tried to prevent it from happening. I planted my mints in pots so they wouldn't creep...I have been cutting back my cilantro and parsley...But, holy cow! The zucchini (back left corner)! This thing is HUGE - I was worried that the silver splotches (top right corner of picture below) on the leaves were some type of mold, but it turns out to be normal markings on healthy, mature leaves.


My remaining tomato plant is also growing well (right side of planter box) - much better than our tomato plants from last year. We lost two tomato plants (a Roma and a grape) to a late cold snap.

I did plant an eggplant, but it isn't growing much. It's totally dwarfed by the zucchini anyway. I also planted lemon cucumber again (last year it was very prolific and delicious) but it died back in the cold snap, too...It seems to be coming back, but is small.

Will loves sugar snap peas, so this plant was for him! The first pods have been ready this week, and they are oh-so-tasty.


And last, but certainly not least, are my peppers! Last year I planted them in the big planter box, but they did not produce much at all. I read that the soil temperature needs to stay above 70 degrees - so no wonder they didn't come through for us last year! This year they are in a pretty pot that is not too big, and it is right in the sunlight. Already they are starting to make their appearance!

I have grossly overestimated my fitness level, which is, I think, normal for someone who used to (read: pre-wedding) exercise regularly...but now does not.

We joined a gym in February, but it just opened on Saturday. Something about construction delays due to all of the rain/wind/sleet/late snow. I have been every day since opening, praying that the "it takes 7 days to make something a habit" holds true. Luckily, this gym offers two of my favorite classes from Gold's Gym in College Station - Body Pump and Body Step. For me, group fitness is the only way to go. I have tried time and time again to have the personal will power to exercise and it just does not happen. Now, I'll walk the dogs and call it exercise, but I won't exercise the way I need to on my own. Once I get in a class, it's a different story - I won't wuss out and leave early, even when I want to (like today).

So today I decided I'd take it a step further, or greener, and ride my bike to the gym...and take the longer, scenic route to avoid busy streets. Um, yeah. Totally overestimated my level of overall fitness, as previously mentioned. I had a few minutes to rest before a 25 minute ab/back class, then Body Step. The WHOLE time I was dreading my ride home. Ugh. I did not take the scenic route home.

This was day 4. Pray for me, y'all.

This is as good as it's gonna get for a while, and you know what? I'll take it.
We are so blessed to have this technology at our fingertips, and it truly makes the distance seem not so, well, distant. Email me if you Skype and would want to talk to Will (or me!), and I'll get you his info.

We are experiencing a heat wave!

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT SUNDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT SUNDAY.

HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL CLIMB INTO THE 80S AND LOWER 90S THIS WEEKEND. A FEW SPOTS IN THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR WILL PROBABLY REACH THE MID 90S.

MOST WESTERN WASHINGTON LOCATIONS WILL HAVE TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO...BUT NOT QUITE REACHING...RECORD HIGHS. SOME RECORDS COULD BE BROKEN THOUGH ESPECIALLY AT OLYMPIA AND OTHER CITIES IN THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR.

SATURDAY WILL BE THE WARMEST DAY ALONG THE COAST WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WILL BE SIMILARLY HOT ACROSS THE WESTERN WASHINGTON INTERIOR...BUT MOST PLACES WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER ON SUNDAY.

I'm thinking back porch, ice water (cold beer this afternoon), dogs in the shade, a good book, and the hose within an arm's reach. I know you Texans are more than tired of the heat, but this is a rare treat for those of us up here who like the sun. Off to get my dose of vitamin D...

Great weather, great food, great friends.So good to catch up...

Blessings...

This can be a tough time, but so far, so good, and so God. Here's a run-down of some recent events:

-A visit to a new eye doctor proved to be incredibly uplifting! From the Christian music playing in the office, to the sweet office staff . The doctor's daughter was working there for the summer, but will soon be headed off to help with a church plant. When I asked him where she was headed, he just said, "Dallas." So I decided to ask her the specifics, and she's headed to none other than Lewisville, Texas, mere miles from where I grew up. Small world, huh?

-I have been fretting over how the lawn is going to get done with my various travels (so that the HOA doesn't send me nasty-grams) and lo and behold, what shows up on my door? A flier for a local lawn service, run by two brothers! To top it off, they charge FIVE DOLLARS! No joke. Add three to that to scoop the dog poop, which is worth way more than that to me, and voila! They are here right this minute, and they are doing a fantastic job - the older brother even asked me to come out after he had finished mowing the front to see if the job was "up to my standards." Um, yeah. And for $8, those standards weren't too high, but they are doing a wonderful job.

-The loneliest time is usually the first few days of a deployment. This generally happens because you've spent the last few days doing everything together - it's crunch time. Then it's over in an instant. You come home to an empty house (well, empty of other humans), and it's quiet, so you have lots of time to think about just how lonely you're going to be. Well, in typical God fashion, I have NOT been lonely these last few days. In fact, I have been blessed with a visit with an old friend, and it was totally unexpected. I got an email from my friend Paige saying that she was here in WA, one town over - a mere 15 min. from me! I was able to meet them for dinner, and we're getting together again this evening for a bbq at her sister-in-law's house. What fun! It was so good to get to catch up, and share stories...Our lives are very similar - teachers, military wives, pilot's wives, and living far from home. However, she and her hubby are back in the great state of Texas, at least for a bit. Lucky.

So, praise God! I am so thankful, and feel comforted and not at all lonely. It doesn't hurt that I'm just now getting to relax and enjoy summer without the dread of deployment day looming!

Weekend...

...unplugged.

Camping, Pac NW-style, at Lake Cushman.

Stopped at the farmer's market before heading out of town - dinner fare included oysters, clams, steak, asparagus sauteed with Walla Walla onions, and a portabella. For dessert, Rainier cherries.




Hiked with the doggies.

Good times.

Done.

Hello summer.

There have been some big changes at work this week, but nothing is set in stone yet - However, things are looking up for me. Certain parts of this job have made it my toughest year yet, but the kids are pretty easy going and I have actually enjoyed teaching math (which at first I wasn't even sure I could do, much less have fun doing). My kids wrote essays/poems/top 10 lists reflecting on the school year, and one even wrote that I made learning math "a fun experience" for her (she struggles in math but is determined to meet the standards, even if it means just squeaking by). My heart? Warmed. (If only she wouldn't have used the word "fun," which we buried back in October. She did spell experience correctly, though...and that's something.)

We have Field Day today, and I'm hoping that the sun will make an appearance and that the temperature will be at least in the 60's. I'm ready for a little summer weather. I do appreciate the cool temps most of the time (especially since we don't have a/c at school or at our house) but the rain and gloom has got to go. Enough already.

Next week we will be practicing for our 6th grade promotion ceremony, watching movies at lunch, and signing yearbooks. We have a few "fun" math activities, and some writing left to do, and then we'll wrap up the curriculum for the year. Our ceremony is Thursday, it's only a half day, and then I'll do some final classroom clean-up. At 4 on Thursday I am out for the summer. I. Can't. Wait. (And I know that if I ever get to missing my kiddos, I just have to got to Costco or Wal-Mart, where it is inevitable that I will run into one or two each time.)

Life in the form of a List (for the purpose of catching up, but with minimal effort):

-Our school had a talent show a few weeks back. I was sorely disappointed at the lack of turnout of teachers, but I had a great time! The talent truly blew me away...well, not so much the talent (in all cases - there were some amazing performances) but the courage. I would have never, ever, not-in-a-million-years have performed in a talent show when I was 12 (that is, if I had some kind of talent with which to perform). These kids were fantastic. Check out this video of a sixth grader playing the piano...it's kind of long, and the part that highlights his talent is towards the end, but this is the first time I've uploaded video and I'm not going to mess with it right now. (Remember, I'm listing to make things easier...I'm sure not gonna edit video...)

-The BEST part of the talent show to me was the signing (yes, you read that right - signing, not singing). A group signed two songs, one of them being "Made to Love" by Toby Mac. I was truly blown away at their emotion while signing - they knew the meaning of the words and it was so evident in their performance. Whoa. Here are a few pictures of them, although it was hard to catch the action...

-I finally uploaded the video of our Washington's-Version-of-a-Country-and-Western-Bar excursion...pure entertainment...

• This first video shows what they call a "Repetitive Pattern Dance" to that song they always play at sporting events - I don't know the name, but it's the one that goes, "Y'all ready for this?" You'll be able to hear it.

• Unfortunately, the audio on this second video is horrible. You can kind of hear Will try to get my attention at the beginning - he's trying to get me to focus on the guy who apparently had a fight with the sleeve monster in the parking lot, before he made it into the bar. My view was blocked by the couple who was "freestyling," which I'd like to point out they told us NOT to do during repetitive pattern dancing (and we were just going to two-step to a normal song...). Anyway, this dance is done to Will Smith's "Men in Black," and no I am not kidding...try to hear the beat and hopefully it'll all make sense to you. I take that back - It should by no means make sense to any of you who are from the south, but you might at least be able to see the pattern to their dance, and that it does, in fact, repeat.

-And speaking of that night out, we now have photographic evidence that we are too old for MySpace. We totally can't do the picture thing - You know, the one that, apparently, is the requirement. See for yourself:Thank goodness for facebook...there may be a place for us yet on a social networking site.


-The dogs have been on my nerves since Will's been gone. It has been raining most of the time, and cold - the dogs have wanted to be inside. They are wound up and I'm so looking forward to nice weather. I did catch some good shots of the dogs on the only nice day in the past month (weeks ago)...they're all smiles, especially after discovering their new favorite summertime drink!

However, I'm not all smiles after I came home and found this...
...and this...
Dixie decided that today would be the day that she'd eat my brown Old Navy flops - I guess they weren't appealing the last five days that they sat by the door.


-I think that's it for now. I'm just trying to make it to the last day of school. I might actually blog more than once a week during the summer...might. We'll see. Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Hopefully, I'll be making the rounds this summer and I'll get to catch up with a lot of you in person...strange concept, huh?

Ooooooooh, I'm so jealous of all of you teachers who are done with the year! We have two and a half weeks left, including an all day field trip, field day, and 6th grade promotion ceremony...oh, yeah, and a bunch of stuff left to teach! This end to the year has been much, much tougher than in mid school - these kids are SO ready to be grown-up 7th graders because it means going to a different school (unlike before where they just had new teachers, etc.). Plus, it feels strange because it is not warm outside...We did get a heat wave a few weeks ago, but it lasted only a few days, and ever since it's been in the 50's when I get to school and tops out around 60 most days. Brrr. The upside is that we don't have A/C in school, so at least I'm not having to deal with hot & sweaty 6th graders who just want to be out of school!

In other news, Will had to go to bed at 6 last night for a middle-of-the-night alert for a flight, so I spent the evening baking cookies and watching a movie (I would have had to spend it folding laundry that has literally been piling up, but Will took care of that while I was washing our cars on Saturday, which was a wonderful, much appreciated surprise). I watched Lars and The Real Girl. I'm left with mixed emotions. I loved the heart of the movie, but it made me really sad while I was watching. Obviously, treating mental illness like they do in the movie works in that small town - they can embrace Lars' delusion - but what about the rest of the world or people who don't have family like that? Hmmm. It just left me under a blanket of melancholy.

And now I'm off to start my week...I wish I could say it was my last week of school, but no! Just another week at work. I sure hope all of you who are finally done with the school year are sleeping in and lounging around. I can't wait!

Long weekend...The rest was much needed around here. We spent our weekend doing yard work, cooking out, trying out new golf clubs at the driving range (me), studying (Will), sleeping, and trying to find a taste of home at a country & western bar. Let's just say that last part was incredibly entertaining, but didn't feel a bit like home. I have the pictures and video to prove it, but they'll have to wait - the work week crept up on me and I need to get moving.

We had a beautiful, sunshine-filled, rather warm day yesterday. I loved it. The 5th and 6th grade track meet was held at the high school during school hours, so all of the participants left at 11 a.m. This left me with 14 kids for the rest of the day! We did our learning outside as much as was reasonable - these kids are not accustomed to any sort of heat, and we broke a record yesterday at 88 degrees! There is a weather advisory for the weekend...People are being cautioned not to swim in rivers or lakes, even though the air temperature is so warm. With the sudden heat, the snow in the mountains is melting and feeding these rivers and lakes with freezing cold water - at one place they showed on the news, the water was so cold that hypothermia would set in in a matter of minutes! It's especially dangerous for kids. Brrr! I was incredibly cold last year at the lake, and we didn't even get in the water until late August. I can't even imagine people swimming right now.

After work I went straight to the backyard. Will met me there when he got home and we lounged in the sun for a bit. We talked about plans for the yard and weeded the back flowerbeds. Since we were already hot and gross, we headed to the driving range. It was still pretty hot, but perfect for hitting a few balls. I'm on the novice side of beginner, and don't have my own clubs, so other than a few good swings it was a lot more work than fun for me. Will gives me good tips, but I only understand about every third word with all of the golf lingo he uses. I'll learn eventually.

It was an early rise for a Saturday morning at our house. Will had to head out to a funeral about two hours away. On Monday night, a guy from his squadron, Mike, took his wife to the hospital due to severe headaches. Within hours she was in a coma, and she passed away Tuesday night. It was horrible and heartbreaking - she was only a bit older than us (33-ish) with two kids...brain tumor is what we heard. As military spouses we always have thoughts/worries about something happening to our guys - they fly, they go to combat zones, they cross oceans and countless mountain ranges...but, I think it was a huge shock for something to happen to a spouse, especially so suddenly. The guys are carpooling down to the funeral in support of their friend. Please pray for Mike and his family today.

This afternoon we'll spend some time working on the front yard and picking up the house. Hopefully a good friend will be stopping by for a visit - Will's college buddy and a saber barer in our wedding, Jeff, will be in town for a week doing some training. We're looking forward to having an old friend visit, so I sure hope it works out. The main thing is that we'll be doing all of this together, and savoring the time until he has to deploy again.

We had a jam-packed weekend (well, Saturday) with a golf tournament and a neighborhood block party. The tournament was brutally long, but fun - a charity even for the school district. Will played, I caddied. Our team was rounded out by my good friend from work Jen and her husband, and our principal. Those three had not played before. I thought it made for a fun time...Will - maybe not so much. Anyhow, it was a beautiful course (even though it was raining and incredibly windy most of the day).


We made it to the block party a little late because we had to take naps after the tournament. The food was great, and so was the conversation. It's a mostly military block, but only one other AF family. They rented a bounce house for the kids, and once the already dim day finally turned dark, three of us pulled out our fire pits. Kids made s'mores and the adults had s'more beer. Good times. Here's me with my friend Rhonda ...I suffered severe wind burn from driving the golf cart in the nasty weather.

Our fire pit was the only casualty (closest to the camera). Apparently a pot can only withstand high temperatures when it is actually fired in a kiln. It made it about 30 minutes before a huge crack emerged on the side. We had to head to bed early because Will had a trip Sunday morning, and the fire pit was returned to us with the bowl in 47 pieces (give or take a few).

I. Am. Tired.

I can't keep straight what time zone I'm in. I think I'm done traveling for a bit. That aside, I had a wonderful weekend of celebration in Georgia. Not that I've ever had a bad time out there, but this was especially fun and relaxing. It was so nice to get away to somewhere sunny and SOUTH.