It's Par for the Course. . .

Valentine's Day "Shoot"

2012-02-18T08:08:00.001-08:00

On Valentine's Day we had a little fun playing out side. Here's a few cute shots of the kiddos. . .

A little fashion makes my heart happy

2012-02-18T06:39:00.001-08:00

Sometimes in the mornings while I'm still trying to wake up for the day I lay in bed and browse the Internet. This morning was one of those mornings. It was extremely difficult to get up when I heard the sound of rain and thunder outside.

Anyway, I stumbled across this Ahhhmazing blog. The name has escaped me, but its gorgeous. She posts her outfits and all these other super frilly things. Her outfit posts are called "deconstructed". She takes these super artsy angled photos of all the details of her clothes.

Her style is so my style, except lately I've been lazy. . . And cheap. I have however been donating a lot of my older things that I no longer wear so my closet is a lot easier to work through. This blog inspired me to be more diligent with saving my monthly clothing budget. Yay!

If you look good, ya feel good! Now that I've been working out again I feel feel the opposite though! I feel good, but I'm not looking good. I need to. Trade in my khakis and pants that are too big and make the plunge of buying some that actually fit. This is bittersweet. I'm glad I need pants 2 sizes smaller, BUT I hate having to spend the money on them. I guess I will suck it up and purchase a few nice pairs of khakis that will make my everyday look at work more polished and refined.

Maybe I'll do that today. . . If it ever stops raining! I might even post some pictures on here. We shall see.

Oh the mysterious ways

2012-02-02T18:59:00.001-08:00

There's something to be said about someone who can be content even through a storm. Sometime the storm is a legitimate rain cloud floating above without any plans on clearing out. Sometimes the storm is actually more like a sprinkle, but because of worry and doubt we feel like it's The Storm of 1900.

I, for one, am not good at finding peace and contentment during my storms. Usually my storm is the latter; a light shower on the radar, but it feels like I'm in a hurricane. I do know, however, we serve an awesome and glorious God and no matter how much we doubt him, doubt ourselves, and worry our lives away, He pulls through. He hands us a raincoat, umbrella, and boots and helps us slosh through the puddles.

I love God's candidness. He is the All Powerful, the Great Redeemer, the Most Wonderful of Kings and he chooses to give us exactly what we need in the small and subtle aspects of life. It's not always ceremonious or showy, but it's always what we need when we need it. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean we always get what we Want. . . We get what we Need. Sometimes the plan we have mapped out isn't the plan God has.

I love how when I hear something on the radio that really strikes me I know it was intentional. I love how the sermons at church always seem to be exactly what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear them. I love how when someone shares a story of victory it gives me the confidence to conquer my fears.

God always pulls through and in the end we know that gearing up for the storm and facing it head on makes us better, stronger Christians, spouses, friends, parents, siblings, and children.

I'm so thankful I am a new creation (Rom 6:4-6) and God has totally transformed my heart and wiped my slate clean. We serve an awesome and powerful God who loves us deeply. This always leaves me in awe knowing he loves us more than we can even fathom. I'm so glad for the subtle reminders that I don't have to be perfect because Jesus was. We are no longer bound by sin. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (prov 3:5)
And by doing this the storm might seem fun or at least manageable.

D.C. is on my Heart

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since I started teaching Ive wanted to take students on the Close Up trip to Washington D.C. Close Up is a non-profit, non-partisan organization who uses D.C. as a living classroom to teach students about history, politics, and civic duty. I went on the Close Up trip when I was a junior in high school and it left a huge impression on me. I thoroughly enjoyed the city and hearing all the rich history that you don't regularly read about in your textbooks. There's nothing like standing where history was made. All the little tales, stories, and little known details make your experience all the richer. You can't simply imagine how gorgeous and full of history our Capitol city is.

Last year (this school year) one of the government teachers asked if I wanted to take over the Close Up program at my school! I honestly read her e-mail, called my husband to tell him I'd be going to D.C., then e-mailed her back to get the dates! Who needed dates? I'd been wanting to take this trip for almost 11 years, there would be no discussion. I was going.

She emailed me back with the dates and for a split second I thought about not going. Kylee's birthday fell on the same week. I consulted with all my mommy friends and we all agreed that we could celebrate early and kylee would really never know that Monmy was not home on her birthday! I'm so glad we made that decision, too.

Anyway, I just returned from D.C. And the trip was so much fun! I took 4 girls from my school and Mrs. Stimson took 9 kids from Alvin High School. The trip exceeded my expectations and I'm already looking forward to returning to DC next year. My mission is to get at least 10 students to go for the inauguration so myself and another teacher can go.

So I really want to post about all the fun stuff we did while in DC, but honestly I could document the entire trip in about a 300 page novel. I'll hit some highlights of my trip.

First of all the Best part of my trip was getting to see Gabby Giffords leaving Cannon Hall the day she resigned from Congress. Goosebumps swelled up on my arms and a few tears in my eyes when I saw her walking through the tunnel to the suburban awaiting her. She truly is a remarkable story of honor, courage, and a flat out miracle. Her story gives hope and encourages people that really no matter how bad things are to keep your faith and keep pushing forward.

If I had to choose only 2 more "highlights" of the trip I'd have to go with the White House tour and visiting Ford's Theater. Both of these places are so full of history it's unbelievable.

A Little Bit of everything

2012-01-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about posting regular blogs. The thought has entered my mind several times before I quickly shut it down. I do however think I have some interesting things to talk about an maybe it's worth tapping out on the keyboard. I'm not exactly sure what direction this blog will go; maybe a little life, maybe a little politics, maybe a little family, maybe a little fashion, maybe a little religion. I suspect it'll be as random as my everyday thoughts. The suspense of what I'll post next might actually make me a blogger worth following. Who knows? I could post this and then log out and never post another blog. . . Or come back in another two years thinking I'm ready. . . Or post everyday. It's like my life, there's really never been a finite schedule or plan. We're really lucky we actually get anything accomplished around here. We usually just go whichever way our hearts seem to take us that moment. It's worked for us so I guess there's no use changing the system now. I do want to post a blog about my recent trip to Washington D.C. Im so unbelievably excited to be the Close Up teacher and take students to D.C. Each year! I'm so blessed for having this opportunity. Young people need to educate themselves on politics, history, and more than music and gossip. So if you're up for some fairly random sometimes funny stories, go ahead and follow this blog. Its sure to be entertaining.

Our life lately

2010-03-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Kylee turns 2 months old tonight at 10:54 p.m. I can not believe she's already 2 months old! She's so cute and sweet. I'm so in love with my beautiful children and I love watching them grow up and become their own little people.

I have one more week (after this one) of maternity leave. It's been a good 8 weeks, but I have to rejoin the rest of the working world. However, next week I will be busy working on making cards to sell on etsy.com.

I love making cards and sending cards to people! I decided I would sell them just for some extra cash. My main purpose for making the cards is to put a few extra dollars into Brayden and Kylee's college fund. And, if I don't sell a thing, I'm sure you'll get a cute handmade card in the mail! =)

I never realized there's a market for this, but I will also be offering scrapbook pages for people who are "too busy" to make their own. If you know anyone who is interested in greeting cards, thank you cards, etc., send them my way!

hey hey

2008-10-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

As I further educate myself on the election, the candidates, and the platform of each, I find myself frustrated by people's attitudes and lack of responsibility. I understand we are in an economic recession, but I believe there is an easy explanation: Americans live outside their means. (myself included)

Honestly, I spend money on things I don't need, I spend money on things I shouldn't, I spend a lot of moneyn period. Just today I went out and bought a pair of cowboy boots. (super cute, I might add!) Can I afford them? No. Does that mean I expect someone else to pay for them when I get my credit card bill in next month? Absolutely not.

As Americans, we always like to blame our problems on someone else. There's always a scapegoat to dump all our dirty laundry on! We do not hold people accountable for their actions, their spending, their bad choices. When something does not go right. . . we point fingers. We blame the democrats. We blame the Republicans. We blame the foriegn countries. It's never OUR own fault. We are not held responsible.

I have to admit. . . there are some aspects of Obama's economic plan that sound impressive, or sound like they could work. . . but at what expense? I can not sit back and let you take more money from someone who falls in a higher tax bracket, because THEY responsibly saved their money, progressed in their job, and I SPENT MONEY I DON'T HAVE!!!

We live in America PEOPLE!!! This is the "land of opportunity!" We determine our own future. We take care of ourselves when we land ourselves in a financial bind. I do believe in the trickle down theory. BUT, I heard a DEMOCRAT say it best. . . when I get ANY extra money, I go shopping. Well Missie, if you ever SAVED that extra money, you wouldn't always live paycheck to paycheck. The problem with most people is they never had anyone teach them how to save their money. That's half the problem right there. Save your money, save your stimulus check, save your tax refund. . . put some away for a rainy day.

I hate hearing people talking about the "wealthy" who keep all their money for themselves. . . Well once again, we live in America, and if you choose to keep all your money in a coffee jar under your mattress, well you sure the heck can. You don't HAVE to give it to anyone.

I don't plan on asking the top 5% of America to pay MY bills. I hope there are more people out there like me.

As for other issues Obama and McCain debate, I tend to find myself way more conservative than I thought. I think Obama's elegant speaking abilities and his calm composure stole a lot of Americans' votes. I certainly would vote for him. . . if his plans were more conservative and his policy aligned with the things I find important.

Hope everyone goes out and votes and makes an informed decision!!

Something New. . . for now

2008-10-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

Kyle bought his camper on Sunday! He spent all day Sunday cleaning it up, rigging up fishing junk, and hanging out inside it. He's been a like a little boy at Christmas who gets a cool new bike. . . only, this is a little more expensive than a bike and I'm hoping the new stays new for a while.

I'll be the first to admit, it's a cute little camper. It has a toy hauler in the back, so you can load bikes, a four wheeler, in Kyle's case- all his fishing gear. The front is a small living area with a kitchen, table/bed, and bathroom. In the hauling part, there's a bed that folds out from the wall.

It has tons of little perks and is just absolutely adorable. We plan on taking the first camping trip next weekend. Lonnie suggests camping out on Dad's land so we can figure everything out before we get stranded somewhere! I think we'll be ok, though. As much time as Kyle spent in that trailer, he should know all the ins and outs.

So there is someone else equally as excited, Brayden! Kyle took Boo with him to meet the guy he bought it from. Kyle said, when the man pulled into the parking lot, Boo said, "WOW!" Brayden can sit all day and look at this thing. He absolutely loves it. Kyle made a great investment.

So, now all our friends that like to camp and have trailers need to invite us camping! There's a limited amount of space in the front, but we could take 2 people with us.

Other than the camper, life is still pretty hectic around this house. . . but there's an end in sight! Anyway, I have to go wake up Boo Bear for "school". .. I'll post some pictures of the trailer soon!

2008-10-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

Today Brayden went back to "school" for the first and only time this week! He appears to be feeling better. This afternoon I snuck into his classroom and watched him play for several minutes. I think he's the cutest thing ever!

He hopped like a frog to get a Mr. Potato Head. I've never seen him do that! Then, he ran to put the Mr. Potato Head up and get a new toy. On his way back to his play spot, he jumped a few times like he likes to do. . . it's the funniest thing. I laughed so hard I almost cried!

It's just the beginning

2008-10-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

So, Lindsay sent out her blog, and it got me thinking this might actually be a good way to keep in touch with family and friends. So I guess this is the beginning of my "blogging". . .

Anyway, as you may know, Brayden began daycare last week! He loved it from what we saw when we picked him up and from what the teachers told us. However, he has not been back this week because he's running a crazy high fever. I feel sad for him.

Pray he will feel better over the next day or so and can return to "school" as we like to call it, and he no longer has to be loaded down with meds.