North Carolina Trip

Just a few of my little cousins at the Jarrett House for lunch.

Brian and I at the Braves game!

We got the up close & personal tour at CNN.

The AMAZING view from Jonathan & Jodie's backyard.

The Biltmore was a lot of fun to tour!

Every year my mom's family tries to get together. This year we decided to meet at my Aunt and Uncle's house in North Carolina. We have wanted to visit them for years and after going, I am so glad that we did. It was beautiful & we all had such a great time. Brian and I were able to spend a couple of days in Atlanta before heading up to the Asheville area. While we were in Atlanta we saw a Braves game, went on a tour of CNN, looked at Olympic Park, shopped, saw the original Chic-Fil-A, went to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial site and just relaxed. Once we went up to Jonathan and Jodie's house we swam, went whitewater rafting, toured the Biltmore mansion, picked berries, caught fireflies, dug potatoes, had a fourth of July celebration, visited the Cherokee reservation & floated in the river. It was simply wonderful and I really think we could have enjoyed another week or two there. Hopefully we will get to go visit again soon. Other than that, we are hoping to take a couple of day trips this summer and head up to Ft. Worth to see the Mallettes again. We are enjoying relaxing & getting some much needed rest after a crazy year! Anyway, we've got company coming tomorrow and I've got a huge sewing mess on my dining room table so I better go get that cleaned up! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Summer Is Here!

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted! We made it through the end of the school year & are now well into summer. I'm teaching 8th grade language arts at summer school & Brian is working speed camp. We are convinced that working 1/2 days is the best thing ever. You get paid so that you can go have fun the second half of the day & still get to enjoy some freedom. It's been great. We are having so much fun hanging out with our friends, watching the world cup, exercising, having people over & just hanging out. It's been nice. We are not up to much other than that, I'm on a hunt for good or free deals constantly & that's kept me from spending money while stocking our cabinets with food & other goodies. I've done some sewing & we've worked on several projects. Brian coached the Baylor basketball camp last week & had a blast. He came home exhausted, but had so much fun. I'll post more later about what we are doing this summer. For now though, I'm off to the store & the bank before a game night with our sweet friends! Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as much as we are!

TAKS WEEK IS OVER!

When you teach in the state of Texas you dread TAKS all year! It's a time when your kids show how much they've learned or how much they hate tests. This week was TAKS week and since we are both teaching this year, it's been a LONG week! Our kids have done their best to use strategies, sit quietly & not totally lose it, but it's been tough. On top of a crazy TAKS week, I've been sick with a terribly sore throat, our computer died & the IRS denied our $8,000 tax credit for the time being because Brian owned rental property in 2006 that never got rented out. (We are fighting the denial since it was not our primary residence, but it is the IRS we are dealing with soo.... be praying that they allow us to use the information we have to show we didn't live there) Needless to say, it's been a rough week & I'm so glad it's coming to an end! On a positive note my grandaddy is recovering well & we did get an escrow check right at the time that our computer crashed. I love how God looks out for us when unexpected expenses come up! This weekend is the first time in months that we haven't had plans. The only thing on the calendar is Braden's 2nd birthday & since I'm sick I have a feeling we will just be laying around this weekend. I need that! It's a beautiful time of year & I absolutely love Spring, but I am really going to be loving life when Memorial Day comes! That will mean summer is here and other than working a half day for three weeks, the lazy time of life will begin! I'm so excited about that! Anyway, that's about all that's going on with us for now! Hope everyone else is having a great week. :)

Summer is getting closer...

I truly love Spring! It's a time when the weather is beautiful, people are generally in good moods because things aren't too stressful & fun things are going on. I think we are both to the point that we know summer is upon us, & are so excited for school to be out. However, just because we are excited we know that while we still have a few precious moments with our kids we have to use our time wisely. Each of us have students that are going through some really difficult things. I have students doing drugs, huffing, dealing with the death of a sibling, thinking about suicide, going through custody battles & just learning that people aren't always who you think they are. It's been draining. However, when I'm exhausted because I spend my day trying to convince them that there is more to life than junior high and the struggles they are facing now, I think of what they are dealing with and press on. It's crazy to me that 12 year olds have the amount of pressure on them that they do & how hard it is to go through this time in their life. I don't think I'd return to junior high even if I were offered a large amount of money because it seems to be such a tough time of life. I'm just glad that things do get better, that I am able to have the time I have to try to make a difference in their lives & that soon they will get a break from dealing with the every day stress of school. The kids need a break, they are mentally drained and so ready for summer. It's exciting to me that summer will be here in just over a month...Hopefully I will be able to get through what God wants me to in that amount of time.

What a great weekend!

This weekend was great! We started it off by going to the Dynamo game with Scott & Cortney on Thursday! That was a new thing for us, but we had a blast! Brian actually ended up being on the news that night talking about his predictions for the season. After that we slept in on Friday, (what a good Friday), went out to eat, did a little shopping, cleaned the house up for company and then had a few friends over for dinner. We celebrated our sweet friend Amanda's birthday with games & good food. It was fun. We decided while playing games that soon we want to host a TNT game night for all of our friends at church. So often we get to hang out in small groups, but it's rare that everyone can get together. So... we want to make that happen soon. On Saturday we slept in again, got up and worked on the yard a little & then went to the home show in The Woodlands. It was fun. We walked around looking at AMAZING homes that we would never own but getting some cool decorating ideas. We got a picnic lunch out of the deal & again had fun just hanging out with The Worley's squared. We rushed home to get dinner together for mimi and grandaddy to come hang out. Brian grilled steaks & mimi made fudge! The boys hung out and watched the ball games while Mimi and I worked on getting Easter stuff together. It was such a special evening. As my grandaddy begins to have more and more health problems, I begin to cherish my time with them more and more. I've always been a mimi & grandaddy's girl, but I sure do appreciate moments with them now more than ever before. Sunday we went to church with Brian's parents and then had lunch there. After finishing lunch we came home to get things ready for the week. This week is TAKS week so things are a little hectic for the kids & the teachers. We are trying to make it!! I think I heard someone say 41 days left of school. It's so hard to believe. Other than that, we got to go to opening day of the Astros season last night and loved our sweet date night. Since we've been married we've made Astros game a date night favorite and look forward to the season starting back up again! Memories with my sweet husband are special & I cherish all of the time I get with my coach! :) Soccer season has begun so our life is about to get crazy again! We're having fun, loving life & just living day to day!

New Home Improvements

Since we moved in to our house in October we've slowly been working to make it feel more like a home. It's been crazy since we have been so busy, but things are finally coming together. I wanted to share some of our latest projects. We just finished landscaping and are SUPER sore! I forgot how hard it is to do that, but the yard looks great & will look even better once our roses start to bloom. I'm sure I'll add more at the end of the week, but we are making progress on this wonderful Spring Break!! Come visit us soon!

WELCOME TO OUR HOME!!
(Sandra and I made these on her cricket!! )

OUR LIVING ROOM FINALLY HAS CURTAINS!!

STILL WORKING ON THE MANTLE DECOR.

OUR TINY LITTLE OAK TREE THE HOA DEMANDED

THAT WE PLANT.

THE SIDEWALK ADDITION WE

PUT IN TO REPLACE DEAD PLANTS.

OUR BEAUTIFUL FLOWER BED & NEW LANDSCAPING ROCKS!

OUR NEW SOLAR LAMPS, ROSE BUSHES, STONE & RED FLOWERS

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Well, if you know my husband you know he is a super hard worker that will do his absolute best at whatever job he is given. When I married him he was working construction and was buying and flipping houses. He ended up back in school for broadcast journalism and while he did that he waited tables. In his short time as a waiter he became a trainer at the restaurant and while in school he earned positions in numerous honor societies as well as the position of News Director, a highly sought after position. When he graduated he worked really hard to find a broadcasting job & even made contacts across the country. He tried his very hardest to find a position, but with the economy the way that it is never did. While Brian was looking for a job he started substitute teaching in Conroe ISD. He spent a ton of time at my junior high and we got to see each other while we were working and making a little extra cash. He soon realized that this whole teaching thing was challenging, but a lot of fun. Needless to say, God didn't give Brian a broadcasting job & did bless him with a teaching position at one of the best schools in my district. (It's rare that they even look at applications for first year teachers & how he got the job is another story) Brian has done an incredible job of teaching, coaching, working with ESL kids, counseling, parenting, befriending and mentoring these kids and the people he works with. It's been so encouraging to watch him work & to see how much he cares about others. My husband has inspired me and challenged me to get back to the basics, caring & loving kids instead of being so focused on the paper work aspect of teaching. Well, this week we found out that Brian was named TEACHER OF THE YEAR on his campus. Keep in mind, first year teachers are not even considered for this award, coaches are not usually considered for this award & he's at a school with some of the best teachers in our district. WOW!!! I am so impressed with him!! He has yet to say that he's deserving of this award. He's credited everyone else other than himself for winning this award, but in my eyes, it's all him! God is doing incredible things through him & I love that I get to sit back and watch in amazement as he touches so many lives. I hope that next year I will be able to work at Knox with him and really see on a daily basis the great things he does. I'm so lucky to be married to a man like him and couldn't be more proud of my sweet teacher of the year! Way to go coach, way to go! Thanks for always working hard at WHATEVER you do! You amaze me & so many others around you!

Just Relaxin!!

For the last few weeks we have actually gotten to enjoy a life of no coaching responsibilities! It's been a blast! We've hung out with friends, gone on dates, cooked at home and sat by the fire & just relaxed! We haven't gotten to do this in a LONG time and it's been wonderful! Other than just hanging out, we are officially wanting to get pregnant soon, finishing up the house little by little, getting ready for Spring Break & then getting counting down till summer! It's hard to believe that Brian's first year of teaching will come to an end in just 12 weeks. He's done an incredible job & I'm SO proud of him! The kids at Knox adore him and he's really made a huge impact in the lives of so many. I'm so lucky to be married to him. We are hoping that I'll be able to transfer over to Knox next year and maybe just maybe we will get to work together. Anyway, I've got to run, but I feel like I'm doing a terrible job of blogging so I had to post something even if we've done a bunch of nothing. ;) Hope all is well with you guys!

Happy Birthday Brian!!

Ice Skating in Winterpark was a blast! No one else was there!!

As you can see, it was FREEZING!!
At the top of the mountain at a clear point of the trip!!

The sky was black and huge flakes were coming down, but it was fun!!

Us at Beaver Village Condos, where we stayed on our honeymoon 5 years ago!

Sledding!!!

Taking a break from skiing in the blizzard!


Happy Birthday Brian! The girls decorated the bus, all wore Happy Birthday hats and even made cards for their favorite coach! Awww!!!

Well, January 15th was Brian's 29th birthday!! Every year he complains that his birthday is no fun, so this year, his last year as a twenty something, I decided to change that!! He had to work on his birthday, better yet, coach a tournament in College Station, but I tagged along on the bus, brought cookie cake and set out to celebrate! The girls did their part too. They brought cards, goofy dollar store gifts, balloons & decorated the bus. It was a lot of fun and the girls ended up getting 3rd in the tournament that was rigged. :) It was a lot of fun. On Sunday we celebrated with my parents at Pappadeaux and then Brian's parents at Los Lamas. Monday we went to a movie and dinner and just relaxed! He loved the weekend that is, "never any fun." The next weekend we packed up and got on a plane to Denver, CO for a ski trip in honor of my sweet husband! He's loved to ski since I introduced him to the sport on our honeymoon 5 years ago. We decided to relive our honeymoon and went back to Winterpark, CO., stayed in the same condos we had 5 years ago, and even ate at Deno's, the same place we had on our honeymoon. The weather was terrible. It was 6 degrees, with windgusts of 45mph. It was cold and snowed the whole time we were there, but it was a blast! I'm so thankful to be married to a man that I can laugh with & ski in crazy weather with. (Most people gave up and went to the lodge, so we really had most of the mountain to ourselves.) He's such a blessing and I'm so glad that he was born! So again, 2 weeks after, HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!! I love you!!

Lately...

Well, if you could tell by my last post, things have been very busy lately. We are wrapping up our first semester and getting ready to end basketball season. This is bittersweet for me because it will be nice to both get to come home in the evenings before 7:00, (this will be the first time in 5 years for that to happen) but at the same time a fun, crazy part of our life is ending. I've already told my principal that I don't plan to coach cheerleading next year because we'd like to have a baby, I'd like to be able to attend my husband's games and a difference of coaching styles between my co-coach and I. However, I don't sit still well and I worry that I'll be bored not having 3 jobs. What will I do with myself? I'm so ready to start my masters, but Brian is planning to get his first since he will have a much better chance of getting a job as an assistant principal than I will in the curriculum department of a school district. However, that means I have 2 years before I can even begin. I guess that coming to a cross road in my life kind of scares me. I've always had too much to do and now I'm ready for a baby and don't have one, I am ready to be in a masters program and am not in one, and I'm ready to be at a school that challenges me in ways other than my patience and I'm not. (That sounds like I have a miserable life... not at all what I'm saying.. sorry) I am just saying, I'm ready to figure out what's next. I don't sit still well, I never have, and with life beginning to slow down I don't know what to do with myself. I literally haven't watched TV since I was like in the 8th grade because I've ALWAYS been busy! I need something to keep my sanity. I love to craft, but I end up just spending money. I love helping others, but sometimes get too involved with carrying the weight of the world. What else is there to do? I have taken up bunko with some girls from church and am SO excited about that, but that's just once a month. I am praying that God will show me some answers and place great things in my life for me to be involved in this year. I'm excited about the friends we have at church and the possibility of actually getting to hang out more now that things are settling down, but I also want clarity on what I am to do with my time this year. I've never had extra time to do great things with with exception to my two years at Impact. Now that I'm going to have it I want to make the best of it and really have a great year. Pray for clarity for us! Pray that we will spend time blessing others and growing closer together rather than just wasting time. Pray that if I am at York another year there will be changes that make it a better working environment. Life is great! I feel so blessed with the things/relationships God has given us, I just want to make sure I keep up with that and continue to grow even when life begins to slow down.

Back to Work!!

Well, it's been a very busy week! We've gotten back into the swing of things as far as work goes. For the most part the kids have been pretty good! Brian and I are exhausted, but the week is almost over. Tonight we have his College Park basketball game & then tomorrow I'm painting a second coat over my dining room, taking Linzy to the doctor, & going to our friend Jake's 1st birthday party. I'm hoping to get a little rest in this weekend because next weekend we have tournaments & the following weekend we leave for our ski trip! Fun is ahead!!! Well, Hope everyone is having a great week! Enjoy your weekend!

Holiday Fun!

Wow! It's been a whirlwind around here for the past two weeks! We started with small family Christmas the 22nd when Wade came home, had a Christmas Party with Lyndsay & George, Christmas with Brian's family the 24th & Christmas with my big family the 25th! All of these were an absolute blast & it's been SO nice to spend time with family and friends. After our Christmas celebrations we went up to Ft. Worth to see the Mallettes and meet our sweet new god daughter Cassidy! We had a blast with them. Sam still thinks he's super man so running (flying) with him was what we did most of the time. It was so nice because Sandra is on maternity leave & Caleb was off so we got to spend 3 days just hanging out with them & of course doing a little after Christmas shopping. Sandra and I came home with lots of goodies from garden ridge and I'm already ready to start decorating for fall & Christmas next year. We love those guys! After we got home from Ft. Worth we relaxed, watched some football & then had a great time celebrating New Years Eve! We just hung out at our house, watched movies, shot fireworks, watched fireworks and ate! It was nice. After a great New Years Eve, I started 2010 with a project and painted my dining room. I like the color, but now I need to add curtains, do some paint touch ups & some more decorations. :) It just seems like the projects never end around here! Well, I've got to run to the store. We are out of milk & coffee creamer! Tonight we are going to dinner with Wade one last time before he heads back to school so I better actually get dressed today too. All you can eat sushi at Tokyo One... I'm all about it! I'm sure I'll have more updates later, but for now, goodbye....