My Small Moments

The Proposal....again

2011-07-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

So I know so many people have been waiting for me to write this entry, and I've waited until over a month after this happened to do so. Sorry. I've been having way too much fun playing with Kaitlyn this summer! :) So here it goes.

For my birthday this year Cody proposed to me. Yes, we're already married, so some people might think we're crazy. But those people don't know the whole story. You know, that story that always comes up when you're friends with girls - the "How did he propose?" story.

Hmmm...how did Cody propose the first time? All you need to know is that it was a foot away from a toilet.

Yep. You read that right the first time. A toilet. No, I wasn't using it (that's beyond gross). If you don't know the full story and want to, read this.

I wrote that a few years ago. At that time I not so jokingly would respond to Cody's, "What do you want for your birthday or Christmas?" questions with, "A new proposal." He never did and I eventually just stopped saying it for fear I was really hurting his feelings.

Then my birthday came this year. I 100% thought we were going to have a normal, yet fun day. When he had asked what I wanted to do I said I wanted more than anything to have a family day - meaning us doing something with Kaitlyn and going out to a nice, oh I don't know, Mexican dinner. That's always a safe bet with me.

So the day of my birthday that's how things started out. Cody went and got us all doughnuts and we had a fun family breakfast. My mom called and asked if K and I wanted to go to lunch later which we did. The rest of the day we played with Kaitlyn and just spent time together as a family. I thought it was perfect and quite honestly one of the best birthdays in a long time. For dinner I thought Cody was going to take us to Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth, so I was mentally preparing for that.

Later on, a little after 5:00 Cody told me he had to go get my birthday present. In my mind I didn't think anything different was going on. Cody is known to wait until the last minute for gifts so I figured he either had something made or transferred to another store and it wasn't ready until then. So when he left I started to clean the kitchen thinking nothing of it.

And just a side note - I wish I could have a maid that only cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen. My life would be so much easier!

But back to our story....

Soon after Cody left the doorbell rang. I looked through our peephole and saw Cody's parents standing there with a gift. I thought it was weird that they didn't call, but simply thought maybe they had told Cody they were stopping by and he forgot what time or forgot to tell me or something along those lines. Again, I had no idea at this point anything different was going on. I opened the door, complete with dish towel slung across my shoulder, and let them in. Cody's dad had his new video camera on. At this point you would think most people would think something was up, but we had gone over to Cody's parents' house the night before for his mother's birthday. They had just bought the camera that day and were taping lots of things, so in my mind I thought Cody's dad was still having fun playing with his camera.

But then Cody's mother started talking....

She looked at me with this sneaky type smile and said they were here to pick up Kaitlyn and that I need to change into something nice. I told her that I needed to get some things ready for K, but she told me that they already had a packed bag and that everything concerning Kaitlyn was taken care of. She also handed me a clue.

Yep, now I knew something was up. :)

The clue was in a legal size envelope with the clasps and I was told to read it aloud...for the camera of course.

I looked down at the paper and the first thing I read was Clue #3. I told Cody's mother I think I had the wrong clue, but she just smiled and told me to keep reading. Hmmm....

So this is what I read:
First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you enjoy your birthday gift. You will be given clues throughout the evening to take you to some places. As you can see, my parents will take Kaitlyn. Put on something nice that you have. Call me last resort!!! Jump in your car (PUT NOLAN UP!!!) and see clue below:

Fate is definitely what got us here today
But think really hard about what I am going to say
You said you knew when you heard my name
But don't go to the hall during this part of the game
It's in the same room we would sing in a pack
When you've got it figured out, go to the back

So I knew I was headed to Lamar High School. That's where Cody and I first met and I had a bit of a crush on him.

Okay, so it was a huge crush. :)

So I quickly ran upstairs and changed into something else and applied a bit more makeup and headed to my car. As soon as I turned on the car a cd started up. The first song I heard was "I Can Only Love You Like a Man." Little did I know how perfect this song would be later on....

The whole cd was full of songs that were special to us. I. love. that. cd. And it hasn't left my car since.

So of course at this point I'm thinking he's going to have clues taped up in certain spots and we'll end up at dinner. Seriously, that's what I thought and I was thrilled. But then I pulled into the Lamar parking lot.

That's when I see our friends Kim and Cory. Okay, so Cody planned a bit more than I thought....

Kim and Cory also had a clue and were videoing me. This is what I read in the next clue:

Very good grasshopper! I hope you said hi to the Leman family! I tried to make that clue easy to figure out. I may not be so nice in future clues. If you can't figure out where you are going, I will try to provide you a life line, but try not to use them. That is almost considered cheating!

This place we didn't frequent but the biggest of all
The setting if you remember was some time in the Fall
We were nervous; we were scared at what was to come
All I knew at the time was you made life fun
If we knew at the time this would bring forever bliss
Go to the first place we sealed our love with a kiss

Don't go inside, just look for something familiar to the both of us.

Well, I knew where our first kiss was - I just didn't know how to get there anymore. It was at our friend Melissa McKaime's old house. I looked at Kim and Cory and told them I had no clue where to go and they told me to turn on my GPS when I got in the car. I did only to find out that Cody had programmed the address in the GPS for me. I later found out that he had contacted Melissa, who in turn had to contact her mom, who contacted the new owners of the house to tell them what he was doing. Cody thought this thing through very hard! :)

Before I got to Melissa's old house I got a phone call from Cody telling me I needed to turn around because I had left something with Kim and Cory. I for sure wasn't going to argue with him, so I turned around and basically we killed time until Cody said it was okay. I knew something wasn't ready, but at this point I didn't care. In a few minutes Cory was given the okay that I could leave, so back to Melissa's house I went.

I pulled onto the street and soon saw my precious niece jumping up and down and waving the next clue. My sister-in-law, Candy, and brother-in-law, Casey, were there as well. They had a video camera on me the whole time just like the others.

I was sensing a common theme here.

The clue they gave me read:

That was easy enough, wasn't it? Casey & Candy looked excited didn't they??? At this time, you probably know where you are going next...Be careful not to jump the gun, there's a twist! Keep following the clues and you may find me. I don't know...you may even see me...

This clue is my favorite because of the meaning
When you talk about dating this is the beginning
Sad for the future but happy from the past
No matter what happens our memories will last
You can read by it, see with it, and do many more things
Go to the place that's made of wax and strings

That was an easy one for me - it was Candlelite Inn which is where we had our first real date. We had been pretty bummed to hear that it was closing and that's what all the references to being sad he made were about.

As I drove up there I saw our friends Ben and Cindy. Again with the taping - again with the clue.

You knew that one would be in there right? Did Ben & Cindy tell you GO MAVS?! I hope more than anything Ben didn't say Gig 'em! It pains me to even type that phrase...We are over halfway through this so you can SMELL the prize right now!!!

We go here a lot and this I do mean
I drink lots of water, you steal the caffeine
One glorious day though not done quite right
I asked you for your hand one February night (day, but it rhymed)
You completed my life, how happy we'd be
Go directly to the spot I got on one knee

Next stop - my parents house - specifically my room - more specifically my bathroom suite...yep... by THE toilet. The caffeine reference is something to blog about later...a bit of a family tradition if you will. :)

Now my dad was out of town, but my mom was there and you guessed it - she was filming me as well. But she didn't have a clue. So I went to the spot where Cody had asked and there was my clue.

Your mom knew about this and kept it from you?!? What is going on?!? Before you leave your parents' house, look in your closet....Put that dress on! Just thought it would be something nice!

This place is a LEGEND to me and to you
We had such a blast, hey, Joe Jackson wore that shoe (NOT)
The best night of my life, it was really nice
I can still hear it now, "This is paradise!" (Almost)
I knew from that day you'd fill up my heart
Remember that guy saying, "Don't touch that tarp!"

Again, don't go inside just look for some friends!

That would mean the Ballpark in Arlington. We had our wedding reception there and took pictures on the field. We got in trouble with security for touching the tarp on the pitcher's mound, but since Cody pitched in college and we were down there we just had to. :) But before I went I opened my closet. Cody had actually picked out a nice dress (in my size thankfully!) and even had two shoe options there for me. I married a smart, smart man.

On to the ballpark I went.

After a loopy turning around trip trying to park, I found Rex and Brenda with of course a camera and a clue. I cannot even begin to tell you how precious those two are to us. I just love them! Next clue:

Bet you didn't expect to see that!!! I know how much you love the Schimpfs and I do too! We have so many families to look up to! So close to the end now I bet you can taste it!

This destination is special for not only you and me
We will build the foundation for our family
When I think of this place and that wonderful day
I remember your beauty taking my breath away
Our family is rooted where we'll blossom and grow
To the place with the cross is where you must go!

Next stop - our church. :)

At the church I saw the Cain family with their precious Carson...who if arranged marriages work out might just marry Kaitlyn one day. :) They had the next clue which was finally the last one!

You have made it to the last clue!! The Cains were both excited to do this! I'll show you on facebook later...Well, I hope this has been fun for you! It came together like clockwork...I did all of this to prove to you that you are worth it Heather! Your smile lights up my day! I know I've messed up your birthday in the past and hopefully this makes up for it! Well, here it goes:

I hope you kept each clue that you've received
The last clue will be found in all of thses
Look back through them all and find what I mean
A number, a letter, it's one of these things
Whether C or a L or an I or a Z
A 4 or a 5 or and 8 or a 3.

The three was also written in marker and circled. :) I had noticed that at the top of every clue Cody had typed Clue #3. I honestly thought maybe that was the first clue he had typed and just forgot to change the number as he typed the other ones. Nope - even that was part of his plan. Clue 3 had taken me to Candlelite Inn and that's where I needed to head back to...at least that's what I thought and them Jamie and Aaron told me I was right. :)

So I drove back to Candlelite Inn. Any of you that know Arlington know now that this whole little adventure took me just under two hours! I walked in and there was Cody right at the front. Behind him were all our friends and family that had helped in his plan - and of course there were several video cameras on us! Cody then said some pretty amazing things and got down on his knee and asked me to marry him....again.

SOOOOOO much better than the proposal by the toilet!

He also told me that since he was proposing again we would need something to celebrate. Cody had already contacted our music minister (who just happens to be the coolest!) and had set up for us to renew our vows on our anniversary.

So there you have it. My pretty normally non romantic husband of almost five years did that. All of that. Normally whenever he tries anything romantic I can figure it out and I just try to act surprised. This time I was 100% surprised and had no clue that he was up to anything. He made me feel so special and loved that night and I can honestly say it was the best birthday present I have ever received!

We don't have all of the videos put together yet, but here is the actual reproposal part.

Sweets for my Sweeties

2011-03-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

In my quest to try new things in the kitchen I've come across some pretty cool food blogs. Honestly, I think the internet is by far the coolest "modern" thing for our generation. I could go on and on about that, but I won't. But cooking blogs - amazing. I've already tried two new recipes for dinner this week that both Kaitlyn and Cody loved so I think it's easy to say I'm addicted to these blogs.

I came across these strawberries filled with a cream cheese base filling. Now, mine aren't quite as pretty as the ones on the blog because my icing tips are out of commission right now since I accidentally churned an essential part in my disposal a few weeks ago. I keep forgetting to go buy the part I need. So I used just a ziplog baggie with the end cut off. Not so pretty, but let's face it - it will taste the same. :) I still posted a picture of mine anyway.

Cody is at church right now and I'm holding off on eating these guys until he comes home. I'm weird like that. I want us to try new things at the same time. I love seeing his face because that's the real test. If I taste it before, I'm always too critical and then he ends up loving it, or I'm thinking it's amazing and he just thinks it's okay. So now I wait. But these are seriously making my mouth water just thinking about them. I did maybe taste the filling part and it was awesome. :)
K also got to taste a little bit of the filling and her response was, "I need a fork please." I'll take that as a good sign.

K and I didn't go to church because she's had a fever since Thursday night. She's been fever free for over a day now, but I'm still not going to be THAT mom that brings her kid to church to get all the other kids sick. You're welcome. I'm thankful that our church has the 9:30 service on t.v. It's such a blessing on days like today.

I'll update later about the result of the strawberries. :)

***UPDATE***
All three Bush family members approve of this yummy treat! Looks like we add another dessert to our menu! :)

These Things Take Time

2011-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

I often ask God to speak to me through music, and honestly I think sometimes He does. I know that sounds crazy, but sometimes it's just too coincidental for it not to be God. I also think sometimes when He does this He has a sense of humor (as was the case when I heard Bleeding Love come on the nurses' radio right as my c-section was starting) or sometimes He humbles me.

Today, however, God comforted me through song. Clint's death has made my heart so heavy and had me questioning so much. This morning as I was getting in the car to drive K and I to one of my student's soccer games I opened up Pandora on my iphone and plugged it into my car speakers. I asked God aloud to speak to me through a song. And boy did He. He did so with the very first song friends - the very first song. It was a song I had never heard before. I knew the group, but had never heard the song.

It started....

"I wanna know why pain makes me stronger
I wanna know why good men die."

Okay, God. You heard my cries and now I know You're speaking to me.

"Why am I so afraid of the dark?
But I stray from the light

I wanna know why you gave me eyes
When faith is how I see
And tell me
Is it easier to doubt
Or harder to believe?

Oh there’s so many questions stirring in me

And I wonder why
Sometimes the truth ain’t easy to find
I wanna know all the answers
But I’m learning that
These things take time
Yeah, these things take time

How could success make us feel like failures?
And the harder we fall the harder we try
The more I have the more I need
Just to feel like I’m getting by

Oh, there’s so many questions and one short life

And I wonder why
Sometimes the truth ain’t easy to find
I wanna know all the answers
But I’m learning that
These things take time
Yeah, these things take time

And we spend so much time
Chasing our tails, hoping to find
Every last answer
To everything in life

So many questions
Not enough time

But I’m still
Wondering why
Sometimes the truth ain’t easy to find
I wanna know all the answers
But I’m learning that
These things take time
Yeah, these things take time

We all wanna understand why
Evil lives and good men die
On the way to Heaven the truth unwinds
These things take time
These things take time
Yeah, these things take time"

Wow. Seriously - just wow. Thank you Lord. I know those weren't "Your words" exactly, but they were they words I needed to hear about You right at the right time.

This song honestly wasn't musically the greatest, but the words were awesome and just what I needed to hear.

And in case He thought I needed more words the very next song was "If We've Ever Needed You". That's why I believe - I couldn't even script the way God moves sometimes. He is amazing.

Here are the words to that song:

Hear our cry, Lord, we pray
Our faces down, our hands are raised
You called us out, we turned away
We've turned away

With shipwrecked faith the idols rise
We do what is right in our own eyes
Our children now will pay the price
We need Your light, Lord, shine Your light

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out

All our hearts, all our strength
With all our minds, we're at Your feet
May Your kingdom come in our hearts and lives
Let Your church arise, let Your church arise

If we've ever needed You
Lord, it's now, Lord, it's now
We are desperate for Your hand
We're reaching out, we're reaching out
We're reaching out

I am so very thankful that there are people who have the gift of putting God's message in better words than I ever could. Songs like these continue to be a blessing in my life.

I will continue to pray for my sweet church family. There are many people hurting right now and will be hurting for a long time. There are also just so many questions, but I am thankful that we serve a God who is bigger than all our pain and doubt.

Photo Challenge Day 12

2011-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Gracious - that's so broad! There are so many things I love. I can't pick just one family member or friend so I chose something I can't imagine living without - music.

Photo Challenge Day 11

2011-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
I seriously hate roaches so much that I couldn't even force myself to post a real picture of one. They make my skin crawl. Gross. Gross. Gross.

Photo Challenge Day 10

2011-01-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most crazy things with

Of all the adjectives someone could use to describe me, I don't think crazy would be high up on the list. But if I were to think about the times in my life where I could even halfway call what I was doing crazy I would most likely be with this chick! :) Love you Lauren!

Photo Challenge Day 9

2011-01-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Day 9 - A picture of the person who has got you through the most.
Let's see - saved me from rain storms, nursed me through childhood illnesses and later teenage breakups, college fears, mama fears, and will drop everything she's doing for me at any time? Yep, no contest here - MY MOM

Photo Challenge Day 8

2011-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh

This is a picture from my niece, Cadie's, first birthday party. It cracks me up because I'm trying so hard to make the picture a good one despite K looking elsewhere. Cadie had just about had it with pictures and was trying to escape, and poor Candy just looks defeated. Oh the joy of little ones! :)

Photo Challenge Day 7

2011-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item

The way I approached this was, what item would I save if my house was on fire? Of course it would be my family and puppy first, but if it came down to an item I think I would have to go for my wedding ring. Of course photos would be a very close second. Makes me really want to back up my photos in a way that can't be destroyed. Anybody want to share how they protect their family photos? I have an external drive that saves me from my computer crashing, but that won't save them in case of a natural disaster. Happy thoughts huh?

Photo Challenge Day 6

2011-01-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Someone who I'd trade places with for a day? That's easy. A National Geographic photographer. You get to travel to amazing places, meet amazing people, and get the best camera you could ever imagine. Dream. Come. True. :)

Photo Challenge Day 5

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Day 5 - Your favorite memory

Okay, first of all, whoever made this challenge up was crazy to think that you can pick just one for some of these categories. So, I've picked on of my most precious memories to post, but of course I have lots of memories that I love from over my life. My grandmother meant so much to me. She was such a strong woman and taught me so much about being the kind of person I truly want to be. I miss her so much, and can only hope to be half of the amazing woman she was.

This particular picture was her at my wedding.

Photo Challenge Day 4

2011-01-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Day 4 - A night you will remember

September 10, 2008 is a night that neither Cody nor I will ever forget. That afternoon we found out that I was going to have to have an emergency c-section. So the precious little daughter that we thought we were going to meet in late October ended up coming into our lives that night. I remember feeling everything that night - happiness, pain, shock, fear, confusion, stress, panic, joy, but most of all love. Yep, that's for sure a night I'll remember! :)

Photo Challenge Day 3

2011-01-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - A picture of the cast of your favorite show.

This was a tough one. I'm more into the reality shows like Say Yes to the Dress, Hoarders, etc. I realize those two are very extreme opposites - I'm weird. Deal with it. :) I also like Iron Chef, but the cast changes each time except for one person, so that was a no go too. So The Office it is. I know some people can't stand the kind of comedy that they use of the show, but I love it. I also love the different sides of the characters that you get to see every now and then.

Photo Challenge Day 2

2010-12-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Well, no surprise here really. Cody and I have been together for ten years now. Wow. Just writing that sounds so strange. How many people found the person they were going to marry in high school? Although, I do tell Cody all the time if he had come to our high school any earlier there was no way he would have married me! :) I cannot imagine a life without Cody now. He is always there for me when I am sad or if have good news to share. He lets me vent, lets me be crazy, and loves me through it all. Above everything else, he makes me laugh every single day and I love him so very much for that! I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together!

30 Day Photo Challenge

2010-12-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

One of my friends on facebook posted a 30 day photo challenge that she is doing for the new year. It seems fun, so I thought I would do it. Let's hope I'm better at this than I am with my days of thankfulness! Ha! :)

So Day 1: Post a picture of yourself and list 10 facts about you.

1. I love being a mother. Kaitlyn has brought me more joy than I knew I could ever have in my life. Each day is a new adventure and it just keeps getting better.

2. My husband is amazing. Nobody else in this world could make me as happy or frustrated than he can. He's my best friend and continues to make me laugh even when I don't want him to. :)

3. I'm doing exactly what I know I'm called to do. I love teaching and love knowing I'm making a difference in kids' lives.

4. I do not think my daughter will resent me for not being a stay at home mom. More power to the moms who do that - no judgment here, but I expect the same in return.

5. I don't let lots of people close to me. I have trust issues and this is why I don't. I have a few close friends who I adore, but they live way too far away from me. :( My sister-in-law lives in the same city as me and she's awesome. She's my saving grace!

6. I am not patient with most things in my life. I know, you're thinking, "And you're a teacher?" But rest assured I am VERY patient when it comes to my job. You have to be or you won't last! But I want instant gratification in other parts of my life. If I decide I want a new car or a new appliance I want it that day. I hate waiting for days for something.

7. I love montages. Seriously, I can not know a single person in them, but if the music and pictures are good I will still tear up.

8. My favorite color is blue. That's not very deep, but it's a fact. So there. :)

9. Shopping really is my therapy for a stressful day. I. love. it.

10. I love pictures. Always have and pretty sure I always will. I love taking pictures, editing pictures, looking at other people's pictures. I just love pictures - they tell so much. Hence my doing this challenge. :)

Thankfulness Day 2

2010-11-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my husband.

Cody is amazing. No other word can describe him better. He makes me madder and happier than anyone I've ever met. He calms me down and sets me off faster than I can blink. I cannot imagine my life without him!

Love you honey bunny. ;)

Month of Thankfulness

2010-11-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

So I know that lots of friends are doing the whole post something you're thankful for in your facebook status each day in the month of November. Instead of posting it on facebook I thought I would blog it so that I have a record of my month of thankfulness. :) So here goes...

Day 1: I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. Because really what would anything else posted after this mean without Him?

Cake Balls

2010-07-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

One of the things I told myself I was going to do this summer was try a bunch of new recipes. I feel that since I'm a mom now I owe it to my family to cook more meals, so we've had some new dinners this summer - some that I will make over and over again because they are just that good...and some that I will forever block out of my memory. But part of my new recipe trying has to include dessert of course! So I decided to try out cake balls. I've heard a lot about them lately, but frankly the time that goes into them made me not want to try them. But I finally bit the bullet and made them. I must say they were pretty darn tasty - they weren't much to look at, but my mom always said the best desserts are the ones that are ugly and fall apart. :) I used cream cheese icing, so they were pretty rich - I could barely finish two and Cody couldn't finish three which is not normal for two people who have a sweet tooth like we do. But next time I think I won't make them as rich..or maybe a strawberry and chocolate combo...oh so many choices!!! But here is my first ever batch of cake balls in all their glory! :)

Paging Rebecca Bloomwood!

2010-07-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

So yeah - summertime. Time for organizing, time for cleaning, and of course time for shopping. During the school year I hate shopping on the weekend. It seems like everyone is always out so I try to squeeze it in on a random weeknight. But in the summer I can go out several times in the middle of day and am met with less crowded stores - ahhh...perfection.

In my quest to find the perfect birthday present for my precious little almost two year old (wow...typing that makes me sad) I ended up at the Mattel factory store in Fort Worth. This week was their "Girl Stuff Sale." I knew exactly what I wanted to get and that's all I was going to get. But shortly after I arrived and looked around, I realized they didn't have what I wanted. But then my mind starting working....

- But I drove all the way out here....
- Kaitlyn is at the sitter today and any other day I'd have her with me so I might as well look while she's not here....
- Christmas is not that far off...
-Oh! Disney dolls are on sale too!

Yeah, I totally had a major Rebecca Bloomwood moment. I justified buying things that I told myself I wouldn't. When Cody called later, he asked me if I got the dollhouse I told him I was driving out there for and I told him no. He didn't ask if I got anything else. :)

Then he got home and went into the back room. He saw my two bags of stuff and just smiled and kissed my forehead. I love that he can be my Luke Brandon to my inner Rebecca Bloomwood. :)

Date Night

2010-07-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

One of the things Cody and I decided to do when Kaitlyn got here was to schedule a weekly date night. It would be a time where we could get out and be "grown-ups" and we would alternate the grandparents getting to have their Kaitlyn fix. I've always heard one of the best ways to be a good parent is to work on your marriage. After the first few months of Kaitlyn's life we were really good about date nights. I think we were at the point of going crazy from not getting out! :)

Then after a while things changed....the school year got busier....Cody changed jobs....we both had church things several nights a week....we just got tired.

So date nights got fewer and fewer. Then they turned into well - it's a birthday so we need to get out. But shortly Cody and I fell back into the old routine of either going out with Kaitlyn when we did go out, or not going out at all.

But tonight we decided to forgo a Sunday School social and have date night instead. We just both knew it needed to happen. So after Kaitlyn's tumbling class we dropped her off at Cody's parents' house and headed out. We already ate together while Kaitlyn was at tumbling - which was nice, but we were on a time schedule so we weren't truly relaxed. After we dropped K off we really didn't have a plan of where to go. So we ended up shopping at various places, which doesn't sound so great, but I had so much fun. Cody would hold my hand or come up from behind and hug me which doesn't happen when one of us is chasing K around! We got to talk and just be together. I loved every single second of it. We talked about anything and everything - but the important thing we talked about was that we needed to do date night more.

So here you go - I'm writing it in blog world - that totally makes it official right? Date night once a week is a rule now huh? :)

My Faults

2010-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Yep - you read that right - My Faults. I have no idea what has possessed me to write this blog, but I actually got the idea yesterday while reading something and thought I'd better not write that, but it's still on my mind and I thought what the heck. I might regret this but here goes nothing....

I'm not trusting of people. I've been hurt too many times and in too many ways.

I don't let people get very close to me. That kind of goes with the first one, but it's actually been such a downfall for me lately. All my friends who know me inside out don't live close - as in not even in the same state. I have friends here, but not that know me like my best friends do. I long for the days when I could call up one of best friends and they just knew I was having a bad day and we would go out to dinner or even just to walk around Target for hours.

I'm terrible at returning phone calls. And library books that I check out at the public library for my classroom library.

I am OCD about the weirdest things - especially food.

I am horrible at starting up conversations with people - especially if I barely know them. Put me in a room with people my age and I secretly cringe inside (I also believe I have a slight social anxiety problem) Sometimes I get so nervous that my mind starts working faster than my mouth and I mix up all my words. Put me in a room with five and six year olds and I'll do just fine - and teach those goobers to read while I'm at it! :)

I set my expectations too high. I always plan out the way I want things to go in my head, which usually takes the liking of a romantic comedy, but as I have found out life is not like the movies.

I can act like a jealous junior high girl when it comes to my husband.

Geez - I have issues. I still have no idea why I'm writing this, but for some strange reason I feel I tiny bit better after doing so. Go figure. And I'm sure if I sat here long enough I could add plenty more. But I think I'll cut myself a break for now. Please don't take this as I'm a depressed person in any way. I'm not. I just felt like getting that off my chest for some reason. I'm also pretty darn random most of the time. :)

Birthday Surprise

2010-06-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today is my 28th birthday - and I'm sad to say I actually had to think about that. I forget how old I am lately. I remember someone asking me at a friend's baby shower earlier this year and I got tongue tied. I felt so silly - who forgets how old they are? Luckily, one of my best friends, Ryley, did the same thing a few weeks ago so I know I'm not the only one. Wonder what that says about us though Ryley... :)

Anyway, tonight Cody has a big night planned. We're going to Texas De Brazil (oh my gosh yummy! The cheese...oh the cheese that they have..and the bacon wrapped chicken....but I digress...) and then to see Wicked. I am sooooo very excited about Wicked. Cody bought the tickets months ago when they first went on sale and got really great seats. He told me that was my birthday present and I was beyond fine with knowing way ahead of time. I would have ended up buying tickets myself for fear of it being sold out. But with that being my present I wasn't expecting what happened last night.

Cody and I were playing Trivial Pursuit (the 90's edition one) in our bed. Yeah, we're weird like that, but honestly some of our best conversations have been while we've been playing board games in our bed. I love it and wouldn't change it for the world! Anyone who has played Trivial Pursuit knows it takes forever and a day to play, and it was getting really late. I was getting really tired and Cody could see that. He told me he would be right back. I thought he was going to let Darcy out, turn something off, etc. He came back to bed and had this little smile on his face that meant he was up to something. Then from behind his back he pulled out a small box from Zales. I was shocked! Like I said, I wasn't expecting anything else for my birthday so he 110% caught me off guard. I opened the box and there they were....
Diamond earrings. Now, I normally don't consider myself a superficial person. I am beyond cheap when it comes to most thing...I did say most things because I'd being lying otherwise. But for the most part, I could care less about what label is on my jeans, shoes, etc. But when I saw this my heart just swelled. I've wanted diamond earring for so long. I had my ears pierced as a girl with fake ones and I wore them all the time. To me diamond studs are just the epitome of class. Needless to say I LOVE them and put them on right away...and I haven't taken them off yet. I'm in love - and not just with the earrings. I'm in love with a man who can still surprise me. I'm in love with a man that wants me to feel special on my birthday. I'm in love with a man who loves me enough to play board games with me in bed. And to me, that makes me one lucky girl this birthday! :)

Jaq and Gus

2010-06-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ah - my two new best friends moved into our house today. I love them dearly already. I have named them Jaq and Gus and you get extra bonus points as my friend if you can tell me why. :) Kaitlyn adores my two new best friends. She dances and claps for them. (Watch for a video posted soon)

Theme Song...for now anyway

2010-06-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

So it's not really a big secret, but I can be a very introverted person. Shocking I know. But really, one would think someone like me would not go into a field such as teaching, but trust me - it's way different for me talking to a room of five and six year olds verses talking to a room full of people my age. I'd chose the five and six year olds any day of the week. That's the person I am. So one of my big "rechargers" is driving. Not just driving, but driving with really good music. And my music changes. Sometimes it's showtunes and I want to sing my guts out. Sometimes it's depressing music and I want to cry my eyes out. Sometimes it's just whatever I'm liking at the time. But I love it. Every now and then I just have to get in my car, turn the music up, and drive. Today was one of those days. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the last week of school. I needed to go to the grocery store to get some things for dinner and on my way back a song on my playlist came up that was just perfect for this time in my life. American Honey. If you haven't heard it you should. Lady Antebellum is an awesome group. This song is just so perfect - with summertime starting and me trying to unwind from many of the things that makes my life hectic. Here are the lyrics with my favorite part brought out for the blogworld to see.

She grew up on a side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American honey

Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get goin'
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time
And American honey

Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Trying to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time
To American honey, yea

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time
And American honey

Gone for so long now
I gotta get back to her somehow
To American honey

Ooh There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summer time
And American honey
And American honey

Crazy Bargain!!!

2010-05-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

All of this for $15! No lie! I went to the Scholastic Warehouse sale and there was one aisle that you could go down and anything you could fit into a box was $15. Crazy! I felt like I was stealing from them! Most of the books were hardback. If you look closely you can see I got five Scholastic Kid Dictionaries. I'm taking four to my classroom for next year and keeping one for Kaitlyn for when she gets older. The Clifford one is actually a boxed set of books. The Without You book (with the very cute penguin on it) is one I saw earlier this year and loved so I was extra excited about it - it came with an audio cd too! I was also able to get several cookbook/entertaining books. I was so pumped!!! When I totaled the retail value of the books it turned out to be $417! Bargain shopping always gets me excited, but this was just ridiculous!

Working Mama

2010-05-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

Next week is the next meeting of a group that is starting up at my church and I am so pumped about it! We're a group of working moms that decided to get together to fellowship, vent, and support each other. I've never felt as at ease with people I barely knew than the first time we met. I barely know these women so far, yet I feel like they "get" me in a way some of my other friends do not.

It all started at a bible study several weeks ago. I was with some girls from my Sunday School class that are precious to me. But that night there were lots of comments that really, really hurt me. The girls doing it had no intention of hurting me, and I'm sure they still don't know that they did. But I left that night and cried almost the entire drive home. I felt so alone in my "working mom" status and some of their words really did sting.

But I want to make something very clear - I am not ashamed of being a working mom. Not one single bit. I 110% LOVE my job and feel it's a true calling. My guilt comes from not feeling guilty about working if that makes any sense at all. But I am so very tired of being with the same girls that keep saying the same things to me and about me. There is one precious friend I have that is my Sunday School class who just happens to be a stay at home mom. She always has a way of sticking up for me when others make their comments, and I love her dearly for that. But it's been so hard for me this school year to relate to some of the other girls. In fact, I haven't gone back to bible study since that night for that very reason.

Something that my very close friends know about me is I don't sit around and feel sorry for myself for long. I make changes that will change my feelings. Sometimes that means shutting people out and I'm not proud of that. Sometimes it means starting up something new. Sometimes I get in over my head and it backfires against me. But this time I've got some pretty awesome girls that are along for the ride and I think great things are going to happen! The night of the bible study I went home an emailed the preschool minister at my church. I told her I think we needed to start up a Mom Time for working mothers. My church does a great job of supporting moms that are available during the day, but wasn't doing too much for the working moms. Our preschool minister didn't even think twice about it and was willing to put it extra work to make it great. So we met, came up with a survey, planned our first event, and made a list of people who might be interested in becoming a part of the group.

The first meeting was wonderful!!! For the first time in a long time I didn't dread the part of the night when we went around the table and introduced ourselves. I wasn't worried about being the only working mom like I was getting pretty used to. Now I was one among many - everyone at the table! I loved it! It made me so comfortable. We laughed, talked about our kids, talked about our hubbies, just everything. I had a blast!!! I'm so thankful for this new group and I hope that it continues to grow and supports more mamas like me! :)

All About Me??

2010-05-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Cody and I attended a marriage retreat that our church had a couple of weekends ago. I loved it! We found out a lot about ourselves as a couple and as individuals. One of the most eye opening things I realized is that I didn't have a hobby that took me away from home. Cody has softball, golf, and hunting - all of which are away from the home. It's not that I don't want him to do those things, but sometimes the time away made me even more mad because I never had an outlet like that. Cody has always told me to go do something for myself - shopping, trips, whatever. Yes, I go shopping, but I can't do that all the time or we would go broke! And honestly, how fun is shopping when you can't buy things you want? So I decided that I wanted to take a photography class. It's something I've talked about doing before, but never followed through. The afternoon of our last day of the retreat I came home and researched the class online. There was one starting at UTA the first Monday of May and goes until almost the end of June. So I signed up without any questioning from myself. But now the questions are coming - am I going to be so tired on the five Mondays that I have to go to class after I've taught all day long? How will I be able to read Kaitlyn her bedtime stories and still make it to class on time? What about Cody's softball games that are also on Mondays? What if I get there and everyone else knows way more than me about photography (which really isn't that hard to believe!) I'm trying to get all that out of my mind. I love classes - always have and pretty sure I always will. I was a big dork in school and loved to study. But something about this makes me nervous. Maybe it's because for the first time in a very long time I'm doing something for me. Not for my husband, not for my daughter, not for my students - for me. I guess I feel a little guitly, but I know I shouldn't. It's what we learned makes a marriage healthy. Do things together, but don't lose yourself in the process. So here goes nothing - Monday night is my first class! :)

It's the little things that mean the most

2010-03-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

I left choir practice at church a little early tonight to pick up Kaitlyn at my parents' house. It was pouring down rain and of course my umbrella was in the car. As I was walking down the hall my husband popped up right beside me which surprised me. Since we don't sing the same parts we don't sit together and I usually leave just a few minutes early because of K's bedtime. So I wasn't expecting to see him. Of course the first thing out of my mouth was, "What are you doing?" He answered so matter of factly - "It's raining. I'm going to get your car for you." I. love. that. man. So that's exactly what he did, and as I drove away in the rain and he was walking in it I thanked God for letting me be with such an amazing man that thinks of all those little things!

Dorky Mom

2010-03-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yep - I'm a dorky mom now. I finally have come to terms with it. I was in line tonight at Target and I turned into that mom that I've seen for years. Whenever I bought a baby gift there seemed to always be a mom behind me that chimes in her two sense after the clerk said something about how cute it was. Something like, "I can't believe they make white shirts." or "My son hated/loved that toy!" Well - that mom is now me. I know! I'm so disappointed at myself, but when I saw the couple in front of me and their precious little son and the cute riding toy they were buying for him my words just started flowing like water. Now, if you know me at all I am not the type to just start talking to a stranger, but that's who I was tonight. Talking about when Kaitlyn starting liking those toys and that I bought this toy when she was this age, etc. etc. They were so sweet and didn't think I was crazy (well, at least I hope not!) but as I walked to my car after I checked out (buying a baby gift for someone else oddly enough) I thought to myself, "I am so that dorky mom in Target now." And pretty sure that won't be the last time my inner dork comes creeping out. But when you get me started about my K good luck shutting me up! :P

Why I love my job..

2010-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

...well, at least one reason - trust me, I have several!

Today the math journal prompt I used was "Tell me everything you know about +" We're starting our unit on addition. So some kids put that it was a cross, one little girl put that it was a plus and we use it for math and that 2 + 2 = 4, but most kids put "I don't know." (Which in my class is just fine and my kids know that) But one little boy melted my heart. He wrote (in his kindergarten writing) "I don't know about that, my mom didn't tell me." Talk about a kid who thinks his mama hung the moon. I. LOVE. IT.

HomeGoods

2010-03-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Dear HomeGoods,

Where have you been all my life? I love you and am so glad I have found you. I see many, many, meetings in our future.

Love,
Heather

Yay for finding new shopping places! :)

Blockbuster Surprise

2010-03-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

I moved up several movies on our Blockbuster queue that were more on the girlier side of things because of my being home during Spring break. I had been watching a few as I cleaned (see my last post) during Kaitlyn's nap time. But tonight Cody agreed to watch one with me, so after we put K to bed we popped in Love Happens. WOW. What a touching and great movie. I'm not great with words when it comes to reviewing movies, music, etc. but if you have not seen this movie - please do. It examines grief and human nature in an amazing way. I love that it shows how people can have a smile, but really be so hurt inside. That should remind us in our everyday lives to treat everyone with kindness. You never know why someone is the way they are - what happened the night before, the week before, or even years before. So the next time someone cuts you off in traffic, or in the grocery line, before you get mad take a second and think about what might be dwelling inside. We just never know.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

My Spring Break is almost over. If you don't get a Spring Break you probably don't feel that sorry for me, but man I feel sorry for you! :)

Anyway, each Spring Break I try my very best to do lots of Spring cleaning. I get more done than I would during the week after coming home tired from work and I don't want to spend the time I have with Kaitlyn and Cody cleaning. But this Spring break was different. This Spring break I watched a show called Hoarders. Yep, Hoarders. The name says it all, but you really have to see an episode to truly get the level of hoarding that some people do. It is down right amazing - but in a very, very, awful way.

Now, I do not consider myself a bad hoarder by any means, but there is a lot of stuff I have in boxes that I have to reason to keep. I've come a long way folks, trust me. I was a little girl that refused to give any of my stuffed animals up because I thought they all had feelings. (The Velveteen Rabbit did not help my theory out any either) And my parents had garage sales when I was younger and I would always end up in my room in tears because my stuff was leaving. Like I said - I've come a long way.

But now I'm at the point where I am a mom and I want a household that is organized for my daughter. I want her to grow up the way I did - in a clean, organized home. So that means getting rid of all the "stuff" every now and then. So I've gone through closets and got rid of clothes and shoes I don't wear (or have no business wearing for whatever reason). That part was easy. But then I came to downstairs "miscellaneous closet." (Feel free to enter a good DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN here.) Talk about stuff I didn't need to be keeping. I had three cameras in there that I didn't even use anymore. I had kept the first Canon Rebel I ever bought right after my high school graduation...it took film. But for some reason I've just never been able to let it go. Until I watched Hoarders. I kept thinking to myself as I watched that show, "It's just stuff. Just get rid of it already." Well, I wasn't practicing what I was preaching. Sometimes that is harder than it seems. Now, I still don't get the whole keeping pizza boxes and old jars like I saw on the show, but the stuff that has memories - that, I totally get. But I am proud to say that Mission Arlington now has a TON of my stuff - including cameras. And now we have more storage space - yay! I also talked my hubby into getting rid of the old Nintendo (yes, the original one) and his old x-box plus all the games. They just sat in the closet with no use at all...except for the memories for him. I did tell him he could go get a new softball bat if he got rid of all of it. But he REALLY wanted that bat, and the bat stays in the garage and I get even more storage space now, so I still think I end up with the better deal. Although I'm pretty sure my sister-in-law isn't going to be too happy with Cody, because he didn't take it to Mission Arlington with all my stuff - he called up his brother and asked him if he wanted it and of course he said yes. Sorry Candy!!!

So now some of our "stuff" is no longer ours, and really I'm very okay with that. I still have the memories and God willing I always will. And we are not finished making memories - not by a long shot! :)

Did I miss the memo??

2009-07-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so when did it become okay not to show class? I must have missed that memo. I'm not trying to offend anyone here, but COME ON people!!! I was so appalled today as I was looking at pictures on facebook. The nerve of some people just really surprises me! I love to look at vacation pictures, wedding pictures, and of course kiddo pictures. But really - why do people like to post pictures from their wild night out...and I mean wild. Now, don't get me wrong - I love to go out and have a good time just like the next person. But be a lady for crying out loud! In dress, and please, please, PLEASE in your actions. And if for some reason you decide not to be so classy, by all means don't post it on the internet! Now I realize that I'm at a different place in my life than some people. I am a mom and wife - not a single girl out having fun. But back in my single days I still conducted myself with class. What kind of people are you attracting if you're not?

I realize I sound judgemental and I am sorry for that. But I am so embarrassed for some people. Treat yourself better than that! Have a little respect, but above all have some class.

3 Year Anniversary

2009-07-23T12:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Cody and I celebrated 3 years of marriage! I cannot believe how quickly time flies now! He had to work, but in the late afternoon he called me and told me I needed to be ready to leave at 6:30. I asked about Kaitlyn and he told me that my mom was coming over to feed her dinner and eventually put her to bed, then Caleb (Cody's younger brother) was going to stay over while Kaitlyn was asleep until we got home. Wow - pretty impressed that Cody arranged all that.

Later Cody got home and found his gift that I had laid out for him. Since three years is leather I got him a leather travel bag and filled it with all sorts of silly travel things. I also got him a golf ball bucket and some practice balls since he likes to chip in our back yard. I made some golf voucher things too (yeah, I'm a dork) since I wanted to buy him some tee times, but I wanted him to pick out the places.

This is what he got me for the leather gift...

I really needed a case for my iphone since I use big mama purses now and it gets just thrown around in there so it was perfect! But then I opened it up and saw...

I literally gasped. It was so beautiful! He was so proud of himself and said, the three stones represent our past, present, and future. (I acted like I had never heard of that before...sorry if you read this honey!) I was not expecting that at all!!

So after I explained everything to my mom we left for Fort Worth. We had a little bit of time to kill before our reservations he said so we walked around which I loved because there was live music and the weather was finally cooling off. We walked around Barnes and Noble and Cody did everything he could to keep me out of the children section - which is so much harder now that I'm a mom in addition to kindergarten teacher! Then we headed towards the restaurant. We went to Texas de Brazil which I had never been to before, but have heard great things about. Oh. My. Gosh. It was sooooo good!!! The salad bar was amazing!!! It had all kind of cheeses that you don't see many other places (at least not anywhere we go normally) so I felt like I was in Heaven!! After your salad you turn this card over at your table and then servers bring all types of meat that can chose to get. They cut if for you right at your table. There was bacon wrapped chicken, filets, sausage, lamb, and so much more. It was some of the best stuff I have ever had! You also had mashed potatoes and fried bananas as sides. Needless to say we stuffed ourselves. Here are some pictures from one of their sites so you can see what it looked like.
Last night was just amazing, but what's even more amazing is that I can continue to fall more in love with Cody year after year. Of course our marriage isn't perfect - whose is? But I cannot see myself without him. He is such a great listener, supporter, and above all he makes me laugh. And I have watched him become the best daddy that a little girl can have and I am beyond blessed. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us!!!

Remembering

2009-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

I had such a bittersweet moment this past Saturday. It was the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament premier. If you read my baby blog you might know that this was a tradition that my grandmother did for every year since I was born. For each of her six grandchildren she would buy an ornament each year. I remember getting the Dream Book and circling my first and second choices. It was so wonderful because when I moved out of my parents' house I actually had ornaments for my tree.

My grandmother died last September. So there has already been a Christmas without her. It was sad to put up each ornament and realize that the person that was responsible for them being there was gone. I also bought the remembrance ornament that year in honor of her. But in July when the ornaments always come out she was still alive so I did get my ornament last year. It was the baby's first Christmas for Kaitlyn which I find just perfect being that it was the last one she ever gave me.

This year I knew that it would be hard for me to go through the whole process. But I went anyway - a tradition is a tradition and I know my grandmother would smile knowing that I was going. So as I walked into the Hallmark store I was really okay - just like any other shopping day. I went over the where the ornaments were. Then I saw her - a grandmother barely walking. She was with her daughter (I'm guessing) and was telling the saleslady exactly which ones she wanted...for her grandchildren. I got a huge lump in my throat and tried to fight back the tears. What a precious, precious moment that was, but it hurt my heart so much. I just wanted to hug her and tell her that what she was doing was amazing. And I thank God for allowing her to be there the same time I was. It reminded me just how special my grandmother was.

So as long as I'm alive and as long as there are still Keepsake Ornaments I'll keep buying them. I'm going to keep the tradition alive for Kaitlyn and hopefully even her own children one day. Then I can be that same special grandmother that started a tradition for someone else. But it all started with my amazing grandmother - Alice Jeanne Dixon.

Still can't do it!

2009-02-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

So I always love teaching my penguin unit each year at school. We play games where the kids role play as penguins and have to waddle and pass the egg to each other, we measure how tall we are against an emperor penguin, and so much more. My kids always learn so much and are thrilled when I tell them we are going to watch real penguins in March of the Penguins. And I tell my kids about the part where the penguin is eaten, when the baby is frozen, and when the baby gets killed by the bird. I explain about the circle of life and all that jazz. Well, once again my kids were just fine with all the parts, but of course their teacher is crying like a sappy sap. It just gets me every time. I know it's all part of this amazing world, but I just can't watch it first hand!

The Case of the Serial Comma

2008-12-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

After getting several Christmas cards that "bothered" me I looked up the comma rule. (I know, I am SUCH a teacher.) But here's what I've come up with:

The Mystery Solved

Dear Readers,

Many thanks to all who responded to my plea for help in tracing the origin of the Wrong Rule about omitting the final comma in a series ("red, white and blue" instead of "red, white, and blue").

Your letters and my further research have revealed this: The only authorities who advocate omitting the final comma are newspaper style guides (which wish to save column space) and some English writers (who waffle on the rule).

My original assertion stands, with minor qualifications: Except for journalists, all American authorities say to use the final serial comma: "He went to the store to buy milk, butter, and eggs."

The reason for the final serial comma is to prevent the last 2 items' being confused as a unit (butter-and-eggs).

From Grammar Girl:

Although the serial comma isn't always necessary, I favor it because often it does add clarity, and I believe in having a simple, consistent style, instead of trying to decide whether you need something on a case-by-case basis. I also think using the serial comma makes even simple lists easier to read. Really, unless space is incredibly expensive, I can't imagine why anyone would decide the best method is sometimes leave it out and sometimes add it in*.

Okay, okay, I know I'm being tacky, and hopefully not too on the rude side, but I hate it when I don't see a serial comma before the word and!!! Unless you're a newspaper editor you should be using it! (I'm sure I'll get lots of folks telling me I don't use proper punctuation after this.......haha......I like my ellipsis so don't even start with that................... :)

And if you did send me a Christmas card and didn't put the serial comma that's fine. I still love you for sending me one. Just next year keep in mind that it's great to sign them as follows:

Merry Christmas!
Love,
Cody, Heather, and Kaitlyn :)

Birth Order and Relationships

2008-09-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

I read this article on AOL about birth orders and your relationship...really it wasn't exactly an "article" but more of a mini-article type thing. Birth order has always fascinated me! I even did my junior theme on it! I thought the part about first borns, which would be me, and middle children, which would be Cody was very interesting...and actually pretty dead on. I've copied just those parts below.

The Firstborn Child
Typically, a first child grows up to be a conscientious and achievement-oriented adult who enjoys being in control and strives to please others. The idea is that when they were young, they had their parents all to themselves for a while, then lost that privilege. As a result, even as adults, they look for ways to gain back the undivided attention and approval they got used to receiving before their siblings came along. They're also often very organized and prefer to be in charge, which produces success in academics and career.

The good news for a firstborn when it comes to relationships, then, is that they're most likely reliable. You can count on them to be where they said they'd be, when they said they'd be there, and much of the guesswork of a relationship will be removed. The flip side of this, of course, is that they may need to work on being a bit more spontaneous and free-spirited. Also, a firstborn should be very aware of their potential tendency to try to maintain complete control when they interact with others; their relationships will benefit if they keep in mind the importance of compromise and collaboration.

The Middle Child
The middle child can often feel "squeezed out" by their siblings. The older sibling gets more responsibility and opportunities, while the younger sibling is the baby of the family and is thus coddled and adored. The good news is that middle children gets lots of practice at negotiating conflict, since they have to deal with it in both directions. Their flexibility and sociability means that they'll often end up being the kind of laid-back people that others like to be around. They also usually show strengths when it comes to compromise and coalition building.

As a result, a middle child often makes a very good romantic partner. Since middle children are the least likely to have been spoiled in any way, they're most likely willing to work hard to create a happy and meaningful relationship. One pitfall to watch out for, though, is the desire to avoid conflict, which middle children typically hate. They've experienced enough conflict and therefore do all that they can to steer clear of it. That, of course, is a dangerous inclination in a relationship, where it's often crucial that conflict be acknowledged and dealt with.

So far so good

2008-09-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

The year is underway! I can't believe I've already made it through six days of school - man, the beginning of the year flies! I have the best class I've ever had this year! They all listen (as well as five year olds can) and are the smartest group coming in that I've had. I'm not at that "attached" state yet that I've gotten with all my other classes, but I know I will. I really think God was looking out for me this year knowing that I would have to be out on maternity leave.

I've also got an amazing new TA who is just wonderful! She's going to UTA at night and wants to be a teacher. She is great with the kids and picks up things so quickly which makes my job that much easier. I know I'll be leaving my class in good hands while I'm gone. I'm still stressed about making lesson plans for six weeks, but I'm not nearly as worried as I was before.

Here are some pictures of my room before the kids came in on day one. It will look a lot different by the end of the year when all the stations and such are up and running. :)

And so it begins

2008-08-07T13:24:00.001-07:00

Each year I get stressed out about this time thinking of how to organize my classroom. It's always fun in a way, but overwhelming in so many others. I also changed rooms this year, so I have to come up with a totally new setup that I can function with. Step up for me now - I have windows!!! Trust me, it's the little things like natural light that make me happy. :) I've been up there some each day this week trying to get it together bit by bit...I'm a little slower this year for some reason. Maybe it's due to this person baking inside of me!! But don't worry, my dad did come up and move all the big furniture and stuff for me, but I'm sure he was thinking I was crazy. I'd ask him to move something, then to move it somewhere else, and sometimes back to the spot where it was before. Aren't Daddies great? ;) Cody is going to help me also hang some of the high stuff since he instructed me not to climb on any chairs.

It's always so exciting this time of year to think about what kids I'm going to get and how the year is going to be better than last year - I think it just gets easier each year. My first year I was scared to death!! Those poor kids were my little lab rats. I tried out so many different things to see what worked best for them and me, but somehow in the end they all made it through. Next week I actually get another really cool experience in that I was asked to teach a session at the new teacher academy. I'm teaching a session on routines and management. I'm really excited to do this with a group of brand new teachers - there's just something so neat about that stage. You're so excited and scared all at once and ready to get in there and start your thing, but soon realize just how overwhelming that can be. I think it will be a really great experience for me to see teachers at that stage again...it was only four years ago that I was there myself!

I've posted some pictures to show why I'm always really stressed at first. The cleaning crew always just shoves up furniture and whatever else to one side so they can clean. Each year I walk in and feel like it's never going to come together, but it always does. :)

FRUSTRATED!!!

2008-07-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow will mark two weeks of no air conditioner in the Bush home. Talk about bad timing - it's July now, we live in Texas, and I'm six months pregnant. ICK. That's about the only word I can use now - ICK. Cody and I have been staying at my parents' house, which I am so very thankful for, but gosh, I just really want to be home. I had just about packed up the office and was ready to move it all downstairs (well, to be honest, have Cody move it downstairs), I was actually catching up on my scrapbooking, and just enjoying my summer of doing nothing I absolutely had to do. I promised myself I wasn't going to teach summer school and I was taking a semester break from grad school because this is my last summer that is just to me - preKaitlyn. Now I know I probably sound like a little kid because really two weeks isn't that big of a deal, but it's just frustrating. I'm not the type of person to just sit around and watch t.v. or movies - I like to have a project going on. And at my parents' there just isn't much to do. I've done the shopping thing, done the reading thing, and even went through some of my old stuff that my parents so graciously store over at their house still. But now I am bored out of my mind!! Hopefully we'll have air tomorrow though...at least that's what the air company is telling us now anyway. Of course we thought we were going to have it Monday, and the Saturday before that...just FYI - DO NOT get your home warranty through First American. They are horrible! After being put on hold forever and FINALLY getting someone to come out and look at our problem we find out they will replace the unit, but that we have a ton of charges we're responsible for in "upgrades." Reluctantly, we approved the upgrades and waited on our air conditioner repair man to come out...only the day we were told nobody called us, so we called to find out what was going on. Oh, First American had forgotten to place the order. SERIOUSLY. OH, but they did offer us $75 to buy fans - come on. Did I mention - July, Texas, six months pregnant??? Oh, and try cooling off a two story house with a few fans - not happening.

Oh well, it could be worse. I know I should be counting my blessings. Thank goodness we have family close so we don't have to stay in a hotel. I'm very thankful that we will eventually have air - I know I have lots to be thankful for - I really do. I just want to go home!!! Hopefully the next time I'm writing will be from MY house.

Caleb's graduating!!

2008-06-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law, Caleb, is graduating this weekend - graduating. That's amazing to me. He was in the fifth grade when Cody and I started dating!! I can remember going to Pope to pick him up a few times with Cody. That was fairly early into our relationship and we actually took Caleb along with us on lots of our dates. I guess it made it more comfortable for us and it was a more relaxing way to get to know each other. It also made me fall more in love with Cody because I could see just how important family was to him. Caleb became like a little brother to me. I've always had a brother in Tony, but we were so close in age that he was never truly a "little brother" to me. That's what Caleb turned out to be for me. That kid was amazing back then and now...I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him! Caleb has grown up into such a smart, kind, and compassionate man. He has musical talent that is beyond most normal people in this world. And now he is about to go off to college and become even greater. Caleb will be going to East Texas Baptist University and playing baseball. He has also been called to the ministry - he's just waiting to see exactly which type. I know ETBU will be a great place for him to explore his many options, but my guess would be youth or music. Whatever he chooses to do with his life I know he'll be amazing at it! It's just going to be weird to not have him around as much now. I know Cody and I (and Kaitlyn!) will be making many trips out to Marshall to see him play.

Here are some seniorish pictures I took of him.

Hope

2008-03-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure how to start this entry - no words seem right. I can't think of anything good enough or strong enough to explain what happened today - so I'm sorry my words won't do this any justice.

Today was Hope Elizabeth Pastusek's funeral. Anna and John are a couple in our Sunday school class at church and are Hope's amazing parents. They have known this day was coming for a few months, even though Hope wasn't born until last Wednesday. Hope had Trisonomy 18 (Edward's Syndrome) so Anna and John knew she wasn't going to make it - it was just a question of how much time they were going to have with her. Unfortunately, Hope was stillborn and today she was remembered.

When something like this happens people question God - people including me. As I have said before I hate that I do this, and I know I shouldn't, but sometimes life doesn't make sense to me. I see on an everday basis kids that have horrible parents. I have heard parents tell their children in front of them that they don't want them, and I have seen abuse beyond what any kid should have - even an iron burn on the face. But here was a couple that loves God, loves kids, and would have been great parents (and will be someday). So my question is why does something like this happen to them? Why is it that some of the greatest people I know aren't able to have children? And why do people who don't treat kids lovingly get to have so many? It just doesn't seem fair.

But today Dr. Wiles said something in the service that really hit home to me. Maybe you're heard it before, or thought it before, but I hadn't until today. Dr. Wiles said that he can't explain why these tough things happen, but he can't explain why blessings happen either. Wow. I had honestly never thought of it that way. Here I am questioning why these bad things are happening, but do I ever question the good? Why do some people have amazingly great and healthy kids? Why do some people have no problem having kids? Why does God bless us so much? These aren't questions I ask in times of joy. Sure, I've wondered sometimes how I got to be so blessed with certain parts of my life, but when I think about the pain in my life and other's life I've never asked God why there is also so much good. So, just as we can't explain the bad, we can't explain the good. God knows all and holds every tear and smile in His hands. We aren't here to question, and who knows what will come of the pain we endure? Anna and John have already reached and inspired more people than they know, and I know they will continue to do so. They are two of the strongest people I have ever met and they are truly two of my heroes.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no HOPE. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
~1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Double Sided Mirror

2008-03-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Last week in my graduate class, we were able to watch an amazing Reading Recovery teacher work with one of her students. We were watching behind a glass mirror (like you see on all the cop shows) - we could see the teacher and student, but the student had no idea we could see him. He was a first grader that had been the lowest in his class at the beginning of the year, and this teacher had worked with him every morning at 7:30 until 8:05 doing the framework lessons of Reading Recovery, which is an AMAZING program that I wish more schools had, but that's a whole other issue...

As we were watching this sweet child read and write with such confidence and even joy, I looked around and the other teachers. We all could not help ourselves when he was reading or spelling a sight word - we were all cheering him on and acted as if one lean of us might actually help him. It was actually pretty funny as we tried to encourage someone who didn't even know we were there. Then I got to thinking of how that related to life. How many people are behind a "glass" with God watching them not even knowing Him? There God is, cheering people on and wanting so much for them to success and some don't even know He's there.

At the end of the lesson the Reading Recovery teacher took the student across to our room so he could see we had all been watching him. He was exiting the program the very next day, so he only had one more lesson in the mirrored room anyway. The look on his face when he realized exactly what had gone on was priceless! At first it was confusion, then this huge smile came on his face and he said, "Did you see how good of a reader I was?" I imagine a non-believer finally realizing that God has been in their lives, just waiting for them to come to the other side of the mirror and realize He has been there watching and waiting. Some of us take a little longer to "exit the program" and make that progress, but after that we are fill with knowledge and joy for the rest of our life! This just convicts me more to share the joy of Jesus with those who don't know Him. Obviously I can't be the one to move them across to the other side of the glass - that comes from within that person's heart, but maybe, just maybe, I can be like that teacher - showing someone the way to the answers.

My Reminder

2008-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

I like to play music as I'm working upstairs in the office and I was doing just that tonight. This song came on and it really helped me with my "issue" right now so I wanted to post again tonight.

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
where God illumines every step we take
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us
as we try to understand each move He makes
When the path grows dim
and our questions have no answers turn to him

Bow the Knee
Trust the heart of your father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see
Bow the Knee
lift your eyes towards Heaven
and believe the One who holds eternity
and when you don't understand, the purpose of his plan
in the presence of the king
Bow the Knee

There are days when clouds surround us and the rain begins to fall
the cold and lonely winds wont cease to blow
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel
We are tempted to believe God does not know
when the storms arise, don't forget we live by faith and not by sight

Bow the Knee
Trust the heart of your father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see
Bow the Knee
lift your eyes towards Heaven and believe the One who holds eternity
and when you don't understand, the purpose of his plan
in the presence of the king
Bow the Knee

Transformation

2008-01-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

This weekend my church held a retreat entitled Your Whole Life. We had a small preview of what it was going to be last week in Sunday school, so I thought I knew what to expect, but the truth is I had no idea what I was really in store for.

Dr. Wiles asked us to some how journal what we were experiencing right now, so that this time next year we can look back and see everything that has happened. Since I am forever stuck in teacher mode my first thought was, "What was the main idea of all the sessions?" Transformation. God wants to transform every part of our lives and be a part in everything. I'm not sure I've been successful in that lately - in fact I know I haven't.

Our fourth session was about having Sabbath in your whole life. The speaker really hit home when she said that we all wear our stress like it's a badge of honor. It's so true! It's like we are proud that we are stressed out and we always want to "one-up" someone else on how busy we are or in how many directions we are being pulled. My husband is such a helper to me in this area. I swear nothing stresses that man out...and me, well, I think it's a known fact to everyone close to me that I let stress really get to me. I mean seriously, I was on stress reducers my sophomore year of high school and I landed myself in the hospital in college because I refused to stop when my body was obviously telling me to do so. I loved that the speaker, Emily Prevost, said that grade school kids had it all figured out. When you ask them what their favorite time of the day is they say recess and lunch. I got to thinking of my own students. Of course they love those times of day, and mine being kindergarteners love "big centers" at the end of the day when they have free choice to do whatever they want in the room. This is time when I really see their personalities come out. They are relaxed and laughing and this is also the time when I see so much creativity come out - whether it be writing, art, imagining, whatever! I think I've lost a sense of that...I can't remember the last time I just let go and "played". Our last two vacations I have planned pretty much the entire time. Why can't I relax and just be? One of the scriptures pointed out during this session was Mark 6:31 where Jesus said, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." It sounds so simple, yet it is so hard for me. I think, "But I have lesson plans, homework and reading for grad school, committee meetings at work, cleaning, laundry, learning new music....and on and on." And I don't even have children!!! If I keep this up I know I will be miserable and drive myself crazy. What I want, and what I know God wants is for me to stop and slow down. I am going to make more time to just be. I want more time with friends, family, and growing closer to God. I know I won't be looking back going, man I wish I would have put a little more work into that one paper for that graduate class, but I might be looking back thinking, I wish I would have spent more time with that person before they moved away. Now, I'm not about to just slack off and half way do things, but I do need to do some serious reevaluating in my life.

There was another moment that really got to me this weekend and I'm still not sure if I'm making more out of it or what. It's hard for me to tell sometimes if God is speaking to me through certain things or if I'm just reading too much into things because that's what I want to hear at the time. (Yet another thing I'm working on!) Friday night was the kick off to the retreat. There is something going on in my life right now that I'm not exactly ready to share with the "blog world" yet, but the "thing" was really on my mind Friday night and I am embarrassed to say that I really wasn't in the mood to go to church. My praise team was singing that night so I pretty much had to go and I put on my smiling face and I was going to make the best of it. The honest truth was that I was angry at God. I hate that I was, and I wish more than anything that I wasn't, but I was. In my mind I wasn't understanding Him in regards to this "thing" and now I had to go praise Him in front of a church full of people. As I got in my car to drive to the church my Casting Crowns CD was playing and I was just about to turn it off, but it was on the track, "Praise You in this Storm" and I thought - wow, I am horrible. Here I was being so very selfish thinking of my problem and doubting God and His plan. Instead of anger I should be praising Him for the work He is doing. How dare I think I know what is best for me? I was so ashamed. I'm not going to say that singing Friday night wasn't hard for me because it was - the hurt was still there, but the anger was starting to fade. At the end of the sermon I was so ashamed of myself and in tears. During the prayer I went to God and asked him to forgive me for my anger and told Him I was trying to accept His way. Right after that in the choir room as we were getting ready to leave a man stopped me. I didn't know who he was but he said I walked by him Wednesday night at practice and he wanted to know the name of my perfume. I stopped and tried to hold back tears (I hate crying in front of other people) and I said, "Happy" and for some reason I just felt that God said, "That's it Heather - be happy with this." Later that night when I was at home I asked God to help break me and help me to be happy with His decision for my life right now - even if it's not what I wanted. I know He has a plan for me and I pray I will be the tool He needs me to be for that plan.

So, back to my "assignment"...it sure is a good thing I'm not a middle school or high school teacher because my thoughts are so jumbled up when I write! :) Where am I now? I'm at a place in my life where I need God to come in and take over. I love having control of everything in my life - that's how I've always been. I want to and need to stop that. I want God in control. I need to place more trust in Him. I also need to step back and relax a little - okay, a lot. I need to be willing to drop or put off things that are not as important as I am making them out to be. Hopefully this time next year I can look back and be able to see just how many blessings that adds to my life.

So I'm ready God - transform away! :)

"Magic" Moments

2007-12-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

My husband will probably cringe when he finds out I'm writing this, but then again he always does when we talk about it. :)

Today in Sunday school we talked about love. We have been studying what each of the advent candles represent so today we were finally on love. We started the lesson by going around and having each couple tell of how they met and what set that person apart from all the other people in our lives - basically, how did we know our spouse was "the one." It was fun to hear how different every one's story was and it was neat to see people's faces as they reminisced on their love story. Well, then it got to be our turn and I started telling the story of how we met. I was so mad at myself though when I left because I had left out a big part of the story (at least I thought it was big, but honestly, nobody else probably cared) I forgot to tell our class that I can still remember the first time I heard Cody's name. It sounds like the dumbest thing in the world, but just hearing his name made me stop in my tracks - literally. I was walking to choir with a friend, Danielle, and she asked me if I had seen the new kid yet. I asked her what his name was and she said, "Cody Bush" and right then I froze. I felt as if someone had hit me in the stomach really hard. She asked me if I was okay and I kinda just brushed it off like it was no big deal. Anyway, to make a long story short (well, shorter anyway) we met and became friends. I would catch myself staring at him in choir and I even had dreams about him, which I hated at the time because I had a boyfriend, and we all know just how serious those crazy high school relationships were at the time. Haha. I would tell my friends that I couldn't stop thinking of him and that it bothered me because I didn't even really think of him in that way - not consciously anyway. So they started this joke of how Cody and I were secretly going to run off and get married - it's even written in my senior memory book. Little did I know...

So eventually I lost the boyfriend and he lost the girlfriend and we found our way to each other. Only thing was, I was four hours away since I had started college in Louisiana. We did the whole long distance thing for four and half years and then he proposed - that's why I'm writing this blog today. I ended up saying something about it in Sunday school, because, well, we didn't have the most normal of proposals and all I said was, "And then he did the oh so romantic proposal in the bathroom" and everyone laughed and I said it was a story to tell another time. I had forgotten about it, but in the car Cody was talking about how I "just had to bring that up again." I felt so bad and I tried to explain to him that it didn't matter and it made a good story.

Yes, it happened it a bathroom. We had a "normal" date day. He took me to the Dallas World Aquarium, we went out to eat at a great place, and then he was driving me back to my parents' house. Well, the sun was out and I went to pull the visor down to keep it out of my eyes. Cody had put the insurance information on the ring up in the visor so it all came down in my lap. So, now I knew he had the ring - and honestly, it was no big surprise in the first place since we had actually looked for one together at first. Anyway, that made him upset which in turn made me upset and I did my little immature thing of, "Well, you might as well ask me right now." He didn't think it was funny and then a little arguement turned into a bigger arguement and then I did another oh so mature thing of storming into my parents' house and locking myself in the bathroom. I tend to try to ignore problems - something I'm still working on.... Eventually Cody and I talked it all out (through the bathroom door) Well, I opened the door and he was down on one knee. There I was walking out of the bathroom and he's right by the sink about to propose. I'm thinking - no, no, this is all wrong. This is not my magic movie, make me want to faint I'm so in love moment. I think I actually said please don't do this now. I looked down at him and his entire body was shaking. He said something like, "Heather, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you - will you marry me." Of course I said yes and now here we are married for over a year.

Here's the deal though...so what if we didn't have the "perfect proposal?" So what if things didn't happen the way I had planned when I was a little girl? That's real life. I would rather be so sure of the love I have for him that made me say yes no matter how he asked. I've had friends that have had proposals that would put celebrities to shame, but then later they ended up not getting married because of one doubting or even cheating. Now, I've also had friends that have had great proposals and are now happily married - and that's great for them! But Cody and I, well, things are never quite "perfect" and it's turned into more of a running joke with us now. But thank goodness we have each other and so much love between us - to me that is what makes us perfect. I'm learning to not expect "movie moments" in life, but I know that I am so very lucky to have MY moments. Sure, everything would be better if it was scripted, but how boring would that be? I know my husband loves me and he lets me know that each and every day and I could not ask for more than that!

Gifts...of all kinds

2007-12-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a celebration in many, many ways! It was the last day of school until the new year and a much needed break for both me and my students!

I never expect gifts from my students - I teach at a school where the families can barely provided for themselves. I remember my first year teaching and I received an amazing box made of decorated notebook paper taped together and filled with this particular child's treasures - used fingernail polish, half a bottle of glue, paper drawings, and other such "trinkets." I LOVED this gift, because it was from her heart. I also had one student put the hood of her coat under the tree and try to give it to me - and it took me some convincing to get her to take it back. I love each year how thoughtful my students are, but never expect what most would call traditional presents.

Today was different in a way. I got two "normal" type presents and then my sweet little Dylon announced that he had a gift for me. For those I have kept in the loop about this precious family you already know about how God has been working in their lives. This is a single parent situation with huge money problems. Dylon's mother is one amazing woman. She works so very hard and loves her two little boys with everything she has in her. To make a long story short, my wonderful friends and family have helped me make Christmas great for them this year by providing toys, groceries, and gift cards. So I was a bit surprised when Dylon said he had a gift for me because I knew they didn't have money to spare. Out of his backpack he carefully pulled out this paper book/card that his mother had made. She had decorated it with photos, stickers, and some other scrapbook things. My heart just melted when I saw it and I sat down at my horseshoe table as the other kids gathered around. I started reading the pages and could feel the tears coming on. She had put a picture of Dylon from the first day of school and he had a huge thumbs up and the biggest grin on his face. This kid was just pumped about school! :) The last page of the book was a letter to me from Dylon's mother. She wrote about how she had come back to a place where she could see that God loved and cared for her and that she and her boys were now going to church. She said that her faith had been restored. I had to just stop and remember to breathe - I knew what was about to happen and there was no stopping it. Right there in my classroom in front of my entire class I bawled - and I'm talking ugly cry going on here. :) I knew right then and there that I received the best Christmas present ever I ever had - I witnessed someone experience the love of God because of the kindness of others, and complete strangers at that. The magnitude of it all just hit me (and I still don't feel like I'm picking the right words to explain it all.) I thought of all the people who helped make this happen - church friends, family, friends I've known since I was a little girl. All these people made the choice to help someone they didn't even know and now the reward was so great. RENEWED FAITH! Not because of the gifts, but because of the gestures. We can give money and "things" until we can give no more, but the giving of love will always make the biggest impact and I got to see that first hand. I am beyond thankful that I have friends and family that are willing to do for others without expecting anything in return - just because. :)

In an email later today Dylon's mother wrote,
"Even if we didn’t get any materialistic things I want you to know how much you have given us. Because of you my faith has been restored and our life has been blessed. I just really want you to know how grateful we are for you and everyone else who has helped us. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without your prayers and love. And like I said before it is the best Christmas present I know I got this year. To have my faith restored and finally be in a place where I am loved and feel God’s grace upon me, is so amazing. So thank you again."

As Christians we are called to love one another as God loved us. That is so hard for me to fully grasp, but today I got a glimpse of exactly what that love can do and I am so very thankful.

Heaven makes you swing

2007-12-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

As we were making Christmas lights today to work on patterns in math I had some Christmas music playing. "Joy to the World" came on (and yes I realize I can probably get in more trouble than I already have this year, but I really don't care anymore!) One of my little kiddos was singing, and when it came to the part in the song when the lyrics are, "And Heaven and nature sing" she was singing, "And Heaven makes you swing." I laughed at first, but then I thought - you know, Heaven probably does make lots of people swing. Just picture being in the presence of God - of course you'd be dancing with joy!! So now I've made a promise to myself that when I'm feeling down and out I'll think back to her little song and think of the one day I will be swinging in Heaven.

Small Moments

2007-12-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am - finally with a blog. Let's see how long I can keep this up. :)

I decided to name my blog small moments - that's what I teach my students to think about when they write each day. (Yes, it's a Lucy Calkins thing for all you teacher folks out there!) I teach them to take one small moment of a day or time and write lots of details about it, and isn't that exactly what a blog is most of the time? At least that's what mine will be...although I'll refrain from the kindergarten phonetic spelling, even if it's just so darn cute!