My new year's resolution's

A new year is about to be upon me and I actually am going to make some resolutions this year. There are a couple of things I need to start doing better because in April there are going to be some changes in our house!

1. My mother-in-law is so good at cleaning up her kitchen immediately after she is done with it....I on the other hand am terrible at this. I make such a mess and then I don't clean it up until the weekend. It is an awful habit and I have to change it. So starting January 1st my goal is to clean the kitchen every single night before I go to bed or retire to the couch to watch tv so I won't have to worry about it anymore.

2. My second resolution is to eat more vegetables. I know this is cliche, but I really need to try some different kinds of veggies. I love fruit and have no problem eating that, but vegetables are a different story. The only veggie I really like is green beans and I'm mostly having it in green bean casserole. So I'm going to start buying some veggies to bring as my afternoon snack when school starts back up.

3. My third and probably hardest resolution is going to be letting what other people are doing with their lives not stress me out. I am a worry-wart and I always have been. I just can't help it, and when someone I really care about makes a decision that I don't necessarily agree with, I'm going to let it go. Now obviously if it's something life changing and could effect them for a long time I plan on speaking my mind, but if it's those little things that just drive me crazy I have to learn to let them go. When I say let them go, I mean don't lay awake at night thinking about those things. I wake up in the middle of the night and think why did they do that, and I can't fall back asleep. This obsession with worrying about other people has to stop. I'm sure in April I will have a new obsession with worrying about a baby and I can worry about that as much as I want right?

I plan to see these resolutions through and do my best to make a few changes this upcoming year. I hope everyone has a happy new year!

Christmas Parties

The best day of the school year for me is the last day before the Christmas break! I absolutely love everything about this day. I love preparing all week for the day and then staying up extra late and getting up early to make sure everything is perfect for the day. I love going to bed in my pajamas on Thursday and then getting to wear them again to school on Friday for Polar Express day! I love watching my children's faces when they see Santa getting out of the helicopter. Kindergarten is the perfect age to get to enjoy everything there is about Christmas and celebrations. I had so much fun that I couldn't pass up sharing about our day to you!! In the morning we had a sing-along with the whole school! Then we proceeded to go outside and wait for Santa. It was a little chilly, but Santa didn't take too long. The kids all shook his hand and hugged him. Though Rudolph passed our line at the same time that Santa landed so they didn't pay much attention to him: sorry Rudolph. Afterwards we went to lunch and then watched the Polar Express. We served hot chocolate with marshmellows during the movie!! Then after some recess fun it was time for our party!! The mom's who planned our party did an amazing job. The main activity was turning a ice cream cone upside down and decorating it with green icing to look like a Christmas tree. Then the kids got to put sprinkles and m&m's all around it to serve as the ornaments. The kids LOVED this and it was so fun to watch! Then afterwards they kids divided up into two teams. Each team had to scoop candy out of a bowl and run to fill up a stocking. Whoever filled up the stocking first won the game (also the idea of our room mom). This was such a hit. They had so much fun playing this game together. Then we gave some small gifts :) Our party was a great hit and I'm sure they will still be talking about it when they come back from the holiday break!

I have such an amazing group of kids this year. I am beyond spoiled by these children and their parents. They have made my first half of the year everything I could have hoped for and more. I can't wait to spend the second semester with these amazing kids. I just had to post a couple of pictures from our Holiday experience. The first picture is of the kids waiting for Santa and then the next is Kaya in my class with her Christmas tree ice cream cone!! I was a little sad that the day was over, but I know there are many more fun things to come with my amazing class!!

My 25th year comes to an end

Today is the eve of my 26th birthday and because I haven't blogged in awhile, I needed to post my list! I always knew that my 25th year would be one of the most life changing for me. I'm not sure how or why I knew this, I just had a feeling. This past year I had many firsts things happen to me. I got my first ticket for rolling a stop sign ( I'm still mad about this one). I bought my first house, I became pregnant for the first time ever, I lost a baby for the first time, and most importantly I learned that life doesn't always go the way you plan it and there isn't much you can do about it.

In a previous post, I explained that I had to change some of the things on my list due to some unfortunate circumstances. It is hard to make a list and expect it to go the way you want it to because things always change. This is probably why I make a new to do list like 3-4 times a day because the things I have to do are constantly changing. So here goes what I accomplished throughout my 25th year:

1. Go to the Harry Potter Theme Park- I successfully did this over Thanksgiving break and it was one of the best vacations I have ever been on. I still think about this trip all the time. I love love Harry Potter and I cannot wait to go back there some day!
2. Read 25 books I've never read.
Here are the list of books I read:
The Christmas Blessing: so sad
Mini Shopaholic
Rangers Apprentice #1
Swim Swim
I am Number Four
Heart of the Matter
The Red Pyramid
City of Bones
City of Ashes
City of Glass
City of Fallen Angles
The Clockwork Angel
Just Enough Ligh for the Step I'm on
The Power of Six
Heaven is for Real
Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
The Legend of Spookly the Square Pumpkin
September 12th
The Best of Me
Pout Pout Fish in the Big Big Dark
Ten Little Caterpillars
Dream
Son of Neptune

3. Try 25 foods I've never tried before.
I tried so many new foods and spices that I finally had to keep counting. I think the best thing I tried was mint sangria gelato!!

4. Put on a 3-course dinner party at my house.
I didn't realize, but I do this all the time!

5. Take a cooking class.
I can't wait to do this again

6. Participate in a mini-triathlon or 5k.
I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with my mom and sister back in April.

7. Attend a Cowboy's football game. -I love that stadium!

8. Go to an aquarium.
Thanks to Rene and Jaclyn we got to see all of the fist a couple of weeks ago at the Grapevine Aquarium. I will have to try the Dallas one next because I have heard it is much bigger.

9. Have a beverage in honor of my little sister, Colleen's 21st birthday on March 8th.
I went out and had some non-alcoholic drinks on her birthday because I was pregnant at the time, but everyone I was with purchased and had a drink for her!

10. Purchase cowgirl boots and wear them out.- So my mom bought the cowboy boots I wanted and instead of me going and spending another $200 she agreed to let us share them. They are red and from the Reba collection at Dillards.

11. Be in a wedding. - Thanks to Erin and Hannah I got to be in two weddings this past year!

12. Put red in my hair.- This was the most challenging thing for me. I finally caved and put small streaks of red in my hair last Wednesday. I know I waited until the last minute, but I chickend out almost everytime I had my hair colored. I will be sure to post a picture of this.

13. Donate something to Cook Children's hospital.- I have been collecting new children's books to give to the hospital. I will be donating these books this Saturday with my mom!

14. Join a church.- Rene and I are so excited to now call White's Chapel in Southlake our church family. We enjoy helping at the church and listening to the minister.

15. Write a letter to a congressman/woman.- I wrote a letter to Representative Todd Smith and in that letter I addressed education and the rising costs of college tuition.

16. Attend a concert for one of my favorite singers.- Yea to the American Idol concert!

17. Start and finish my wedding scrapbook.- This is the only thing on my list that I did not finish. I am so anal when it comes to my scrapbook. It took me 21 days to do 8 pages. Now I have a new deadline of this scrapbook: April 19th and I will finish it by then!

18. Add to my family.- Though I did not add to my family the way that I wanted to, I was able to add so many more things to my family. Rene gave me my adorable Sadie for my 25th birthday and I love her to bunches. I welcomed many new friends into my family this year and my sister got engaged to a great guy who was also welcomed into our family.

19. Buy my first house with Rene.- This was quite difficult as well! I should also add quite expensive. Buying a house comes with a lot more hidden costs than the say, but I love our new house and am already making many memories in this house!

20. Go karoke with friends.- I didn't get to do this with friends, but I did get to karoke with some second graders during sunday school at the church!

21. Skype with a friend.- I only did this one and it was on Christmas when we skyped with Rene's family!

22. Stop, relax, and paint a picture.- Thanks to Joanne, our team went and painted a picture together at a studio in Grapevine.

23. Host a house warming party- I so enjoyed all of the people who came out to our house for the party last Saturday. I had so much fun showing off what we have done!

24. Volunteer for something.- - Rene and I began volunteering in the Sunday School classes this past summer at the church. We were asked to come back and help out during the year. So every other Sunday we teach Sunday School and we love it!

25. Take a picture for everday of being 25 and post it on my blog- This is also one thing I did not complete. As I said in a previous posts, some days in my 25th year were not worth capturing with a photo. Sometimes there are just some things that other people do not need to see. Though I will not stop taking pictures because I love pictures and I don't want to forget the special people and memories in my life.





Thank you to everyone who helped me complete my list of 25 things to do.

Cooking Class

I finally took a cooking class, though I am a little late in blogging about it. In this class, I probaby had more than 25 foods I've never had before. I stopped counting on my 25 foods awhile ago when I hit 50!! I mistakingly signed up for a demonstration cooking class instead of the hands on one, but I volunteered to help stir and mix everything so I pretty much helped with everything, including the eating! The first thing I made in the cooking class was Blackened Halibut. This was pretty good! There were several seasonings I had never heard of before, but wasn't afraid to try them out! We made a pineapple mango salsa to go on top of the fish. I couldn't wait to try this one at home. Something kind of unique for me was the shrimp lettuce wraps. I normally refuse to eat any kind of lettuce wrap because I'm such a picky eater, but this was awesome. There are so many different sauces put into it that I probably wouldn't be able to make it again by myself. I mean have you ever heard of Mo Bean noodles? I sure haven't. Next we made flank steak tacos. These were pretty tasty minus the creamy sauce we put on top of them. I'm not a big fan of creamy sauces unless it's gravy so I didn't eat much of this. One of the sides to the taco was a tomatillo salsa. You may not know that a tomatillo is not actually the red tomato you think it is. It was like a yellowish, greenish looking very small veggie. Plus it was extremely spicy. This was probably the easiest thing we made though!

My favorite part of the entree was the baked black beans. The beans consisted of bacon, onions, carrots, celery, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, apple cider, mustard, cilantro, and several more spices. The beans took quite a while to cook but they tasted amazing! Along with the beans we made cumin scented rice. This was also easy and we used basmati rice, which I again had never heard of.

Our dessert was Pineapple-Mint Sangria Sorbet. Man was this good, but way too strong on the alcohol. You are supposed to put tequila and an entire bottle of white wine in the mix, but the instructor put quite a bit more. Most of the people in the class could only take a few bites because they feared they wouldn't have been able to drive home (we were served wine and beer throughout the class). The sorbet had a very sweet, elegant flavor. I would defintely eat this again, but not add as much alcohol.

All in all, my first cooking class was quite a success!!

Cowboy's Game!!

So I finally got to attend a Cowboy's football game! I have loved the Cowboys ever since I was little. I can even remember a party where the Cowboys won the Super Bowl and everyone was high fiving and it was so much fun. Now yes, that was quite a long time ago, but I'm sure they will get there again. I was able to attend the Cowboys game all thanks to Dairy MAX. Dairy MAX is a spokesgroup for dairy farms across the nation. Their company goes out into the community and promotes dairy. Well about a week ago they listed details for a contest they were having on their facebook page. The requirements were to post a picture of yourself in your favorite Cowboys attire while eating dairy. So only hoping to win, I posted the picture below!

After waiting five days....I heard the great news! I was selected as the winner of the contest. The winner received two FREE tickets to first game of the year! I was so very excited! So as soon as Rene got off work we headed to the stadium. We did receive some wrong directions on where to park and had to walk quite a long way to the stadium, but it did cool down a little bit so it wasn't too bad. Once we got to the stadium we walked around and did all of the tourist stuff. Going to the game isn't just going to watch the Cowboys play anymore, it's about enjoying the entire Cowboys experience. There are tons of activities to see and do before, during, and after the game. Our seats were up at the top, but we were right infront of that big television. At one point during the game, the tv went out for like 1 minute and everyone in the stands was booing. It was kind of funny! The best part is that the Cowboys won the game! We did leave a little before the game ended, but being my first day back to work I was completely exhausted! I can't wait to go again sometime in the future!

Books 10, 11, 12, and 13

So for basically the past five days I have been in my own little world reading another book series that I found. This series is called the Mortal Instruments. Book 1 is called the City of Bones, 2 is the City of Ashes, 3 the City of Glass, and 4 the City of Fallen Angels. I had actually never heard about these books and I stumbled upon them at the bookstore. I read the first one and I was hooked. I literally could not put it down because I had to know what happened at the end of the book. Of course that forced me to buy the second, then the third and then the fourth. I stayed up most of the night and basically ALL day the past two days reading the book. Though I finished the fourth one and was left hanging since there is not a fifth one that I know of. I think there will be because of the way the book ended. This was a series that got you hooked from the beginning and also made you mad at the same time. You wanted a certain thing to happen and then when it didn't, it just made me furious therefore forcing me to read and read until what I wanted to happen would hopefully happen. I won't give any clues away but I'm not sure I will be able to stop thinking about what is going to happen so they better come out with another book soon! If liked Twilight then you will like these. There is a love story intertwined with mystery, suspense and action!!!

The anxiety has begun

Lately I have been having what I like to consider stress related nightmares. I am normally not a night dreamer, but lately I have been woken by dreams that have forced me awake and trying to catch my breath. Some of these dreams I think have come from the kind of books I've been reading such as the Hunger games or the Mortal Instruments series, but my other dreams have come because of the start of school. I know there are so many changes ahead of me at school and I must admit that I am quite nervous. My room is not even close to being ready and I spent most of the day doing an online training program that is required for the district. Then in the mail I received a postcard from The Texas Classroom Teachers Association (see below) that basically caused my stress/nervous/anxiety level to sky rocket. And I mean SKY ROCKET. Immediately when I read this my heart started pounding because I know this postcard to be true. This year is going to be a bumpy ride wth all of the state mandated changes and the risks of teacher job losses. I have complete faith in my administrators, my team, and in myself so I'm not sure why I am so uneasy. I already know some of my students and their parents, which helps to relieve my stress because they are great people, but I still am a bit on edge. I don't like feeling overwhelmed before the year has even started so I'm thinking a much needed pampering day is in my near future. I'm thinking finger and toe nails along with a massage and maybe a facial!! Hopefully this will help my nerves to calm and find that strength inside me that I know I possess to get my classroom finished and be ready for the school year. It has been a long and hard summer and school is so much fun for me that I know it will help to ease the pain I've been experiencing. So if anyone reads this, please pray that my nerves stop dancing and go to sleep at night.

Trying new foods

Another thing on my list is to try 25 new foods. I have actually not been very good at this so I really need to get on the ball. The foods that I have tried that were new to me are an egg roll and bratwurst and chicken parmesan. I know most people can't believe that I haven't had these before. I've always been a picky eater, which is why I wanted to try new foods this year. I am going to have to start trying a new food a week! I was not a fan of the egg roll or the bratwurst. I could only take one bite with the egg roll and then I forced myself to eat part of the bratwurst because it was all I had to eat for lunch the other day. I loved the chicken parmesan, though I won't be eating it anytime soon since it is so high in calories. Just thought I would share this because a friend asked me what foods I had tried for my 25 foods. I will be sure to keep you updated on my food trials!

Book #9

I've read quite a few books the past couple of days. Book # 9 is called Heaven is for Real. This book is about a three year old who went through a really rough time. When he was in the hospital he almost died. Once he got all better he confessed to his parents that he had met Jesus. This book is supposedly a true story. There are parts of the book that I do not believe to be true. Though I do feel that children often see things that adults cannot, which is why I liked it. This little boy is so cute and I do believe that most of the things he encountered did happen to him. This is a cute book for anyone who likes to read about little kids and the cute things they say!

For those who have been wondering....

Pain in the dictionary is: localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury).
I know that pain the dictionary is talking about, it's the kind of pain I felt when I busted my lip on the fireplace when I was little, or when I broke my nose last Labor Day in a tubing accident. But there is another kind of pain or maybe it's not even considered pain but more like heartbreak. Heartbreak in the dictionary is crushing grief, anguish, or distress. This sounds more like the pain I have been enduring.
Everytime I think about the last 6 months I think I'm too young to have this much heartbreak and how many times can your heart break before it's unmendable. I've had my heart broken 3 times in my life. When my grandma died in 2006 I thought I would never get over it. I had never known anyone to die and my grandma was like a second mom to me and I couldn't believe this could happen. Well as time passed I realized it was part of life and I was so lucky to have had such a wonderful person to teach me and love me and I couldn't let that go to waste. I finally found the courage to let go and move on.
I didn't think I would feel heartbreak for a long time after that, but in October of 2009 my world came crashing down again. I received a phone call late at night saying that my little sister had passed away. I was in complete shock. We drove straight to the hospital and sitting there looking at my sister was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Her skin was so cold and yet she looked so beautiful and peaceful laying there. But once again my heart was broken. I mean it physically hurt so much to think about her not being here anymore. I had trouble breathing and sleeping at night because I was in so much pain. I really thought this time that I would never be able to move on. Though I was wrong again. I didn't necessarily get over it, but I was able to be at peace with her being gone. I know she is with me everywhere I go and she always will be. Yet again my heart had been broken, but it did mend with time.
Then bam it happened again out of nowhere this summer. I found out I was pregnant in March and was so excited! I did everything the doctors told me to and everything was perfect. Then I hit 19 weeks and 6 days and everything turned for the worst. The poor baby had Trisomy 13 and slipped away from me. I was and still am devasted. I know I never got to meet this baby, but I had already bonded and fallen in love. I didn't think it would be that hard to let go because I never got to hold the baby but I was wrong. My heart has been so broken. I've spent my summer wondering why this happened to me and how life is not fair and I've come to realize that life is not supposed to be fair. Life is supposed to be a journey of happiness, sadness, and everything in between. My heart is slowly starting to hurt less, but I know I will never be able to forget about that little baby I carried for 20 weeks. I also know that God has a reason for everything and he won't give me anything I can't handle. I just have to find the courage to let go and let God guide me in the right direction. Your heart is much stronger than you think and it mends with prayer and support!
WOW...I didn't realize I had that much to say. I didn't write this to get sympathy from anyone, but several people have been asking me how I've been dealing with the summer heat while being pregnant. Instead of having to e-mail, text, or call every person I know that I'm no longer pregnant, I thought this was the easiest and honest way to let everyone know. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me because I know this happens quite often. Though when it happens to you it feels like it's the end of the world. I didn't want to say anything at all but because everyone knew I was pregnant and halfway along I felt like I finally had to give people the answers to all of the questions I've been getting.
I am doing much better and am defintely not discouraged about having children. I want 4 children, yes I said 4!!!! And whether it be from my body or from adoption I will get those four children. I know I'm meant to be a mom- lucky for me I'm already a mom to 22 amazing children each year! For now, I will once again give my heart and soul to those children in August and pray that things work out differently the next time. Thank you to all who have supported and prayed for me. I am so blessed to have you all in my life and am so thankful that I am healthy, fit and happy and I know that one day God will give me another chance!!!

Book #8

I love reading Emily Giffin, but I wasn't too impressed with the book "heart of the matter." This book was pretty slow and somewhat predictable. It is about two women whose paths cross unexpectedly and it leads to basically drama. But I finished it anyway!



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American Idol concert!

So last night I accomplished number 16 on my list: attend a concert!
I had so much fun at the American Idol concert. All of the idols did so well with their performances. Stefano did probably the best! I wasn't a big fan of the winner, Scotty, during the show but at the concert he won me over. He is such a cutie and really is a great singer! I also enjoyed Miss Lauren Alaina. Overall the concert was great and I enjoyed it with some great gals!


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It's the little things

So anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge GLEE fan! I would give anything to go to one of their concerts if they ever decide to come to Texas. If I my husband and I didn't make such a large purchase this year like a house, then I would be at the New York concert in a minute. But for now I will have to wait. But much to my surprise I did find a little somethings today during my spare time.

I have finally started on my wedding scrapbook and while I was picking up some photos at Walgreens I stumbled onto an aisle with GLEE themed items. This basically made my day. I purchased two GLEE notepads, a GLEE mini dry-erase for my fridge and GLEE magnets. They were all $1 a peice. I know I'm on a budget, but I just had to have these items for my fridge. I was so excited about I put them up immediately when I got home.

I still never found out who gave me the Rocky Horrors GLEE shirt last year. Whoever you are I wear that shirt all the time and I thank you!!

I've decided that when I get my next pay check I'm going to order the cool GLEE shirts!!

Until the season starts back up, I'm hooked on the GLEE project. If you have not seen it, the show comes on at 8 on Sunday's. It is basically a competition for a spot on the show. I have three favorites and I am pretty positive one of them will win!

If anyone knows of anywhere to purchase GLEE attire besides their website, please let me know!

The Hunger Games

After reading the first book of the Hunger Games, I simply could not wait to read the next one. While in Hondo for the weekend, I finished the second book called "Catching Fire." I am still not sure what drew me into this book. I think it was the love story twist and how the characters kept fighting even though they were in so much pain. I really didn't want to relate this to my life, but it just kind of happened. Sometimes life is so painful and there is nothing you can do about it but move on and keep fighting. After every chapter I kept thinking about the hardships we face everyday and how with the support of everyone around us we are able to some how move and pick back up where we started from. Just thinking about it brings me to tears.

Luckily my brother-in-law also reads these books and had the third one for me when I finished it ("Mockingjay"). I began reading it this morning and finished the entire thing on the car ride back home from Hondo. My wonderful husband offered to drive the whole way home because he knew I wasn't going to be able to put this book down. I don't want to say to much in case someone has not read the book and wants to read it, but it's just funny how sometimes things on our journey surprise you and you weren't expecting them at all. These books have so many messages. I know that many people were not happy with the way these books ended, but I really enjoyed reading them and am content with the ending!

So now that books 6 and 7 are finished I'm onto something that I hope will have much happier tone and won't make me cry :)

I'm feeling hot...hot..hot

I would think that after living in Texas for 25 and 1/2 years I would be used to the Texas heat, but clearly I'm still not a fan.

I have either eaten too much sodium, retaining too much water, or it's too damn hot outside because my fingers won't stop swelling. And there is no way it can be from eating too much because I have been eating pretty healthy and working out like crazy. All my clothes fit again now thank goodness, so I lost a little bit of weight!! But my darn fingers won't stop swelling. I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring for a week because my fingers are so swollen for swelling. I'm going to blame it on the heat because it was unbearable today. Even in the swimming pool its hot. The water is not cooling off.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Texas, but when my phone reads 103 for ten days I think it's too hot. But I am grateful that my air conditioning has not gone out like several people that I know. So if anyone needs somewhere to stay, our guest bedroom is now finished!!!

My poor puppies don't like the heat very much either. I have never seen them this lazy. They go outside for five minutes and then they come in and take like a 30 minute nap.

So today I'm praying for rain and that my a/c doesn't go out!

Book #s 4 and 5

I have got to start reading some more books. I only have 6 months left to finish my book list! I just recently finished two books that I enjoyed very much. Book number 4 is ironically called I am Number Four. This book is about a boy, who is alien. He was sent to our planet to survive. I am quite the sci-fi nerd so this book was right up my alley. If you enjoy books with action and a little bit of love included you will enjoy this book!

Book #5 is The Hunger Games. I have had so many friends tell me that I should read this book, so I finally jumped on the bandwagon. I don't like the concept of this book, but I did have trouble putting it down. I just have to keep reminding myself that it isn't real and I pray those kinds of things never happen in our society. My next book will probably be the sequel to this book!

Our new house

So yesteday, June 24th, at 2:38 p.m. I accomplished number 19 on my list of twenty-five things to do. I bought a house with Rene! I still can't believe I'm old enough to own a house.

Our new house is located in NRH, about three minutes from my parents, which Rene thinks is AWESOME! :) It is also in the same area that I went to school.

Today we held a paint party at our new house. I've learned a couple of things about painting a house.

1. Always take over the position of supervisor because it makes your day go by so much quicker.

2. Do not get your nails done the week you paint a new house.

3. Paint does go through lime green socks.

4. If you offer free pizza and beer to your friends they can't say no to helping you paint.

5. Let the tall people get the tall ceilings and let the little people do the bottom of the wall.

6. My dad is the best painter there is!

We had so much fun at our paint party and we appreciate all of the people who came out so here is my pubilc thank you to those people: Thanks to my mom and dad, Blake, Sarah, Stephanie, Lauren, Suzanne, Hannah, and Houston! We could not have got as much done as we did without your help!

So tomorrow starts day two of the paint party and I can't wait!

Who comes up with paint names....?

Why in the world is it so hard to decide on a paint color? I know that I am quite crafty when it comes to scrapbook projects, but when it comes to pick out paint colors I am completely clueless. The past couple of days I have been to Home Depot several times to figure out what types of paint colors to use in our new house. First, I had my heart set on bright yellow, I have no idea why since none of my furniture even comes close to matching yellow. Then I wanted a soft blue tone because after inspecting my stuff again I realized I have different shades of blue in all of our patterns. My mom helped me to narrow down the main color......rain water. This is kind of a mix between a light green and a light blue.

I love this color and the two words together because it makes me think of something soothing. The thought of soft rain trickling down the window sounds so calming. I guess naming the paint is quite simple because when you look at the colors you just imagine what they look like. Though rain water is the only name we chose that actually makes sense.

My mother-in-law helped me to determine the rest of the colors. I have decided on the color geyser for the kitchen. It is a darker shade of blue and goes well with the rain water. Though when I think of geyser, I think of visiting Yellowstone last year and all I saw was white in that geyser. But I guess it is a pretty image so I can live with that.

The other color I chose is sand piper. Now when I say this word the only thing that comes to mind is a really tan piper. This color is kind of a silvery cream. It is really simple, yet elegant looking. Even though the name drives me crazy I decided to go with it.

I think the biggest problem for me is that I read into the names and therefore I can't see the big picture. I can only imagine that little card and can't imagine the whole wall. Maybe that is because I've never owned a home so it is kind of unreal at this point. Also, maybe it means I'm becoming a grown-up. Only grown-ups can own a home right?

I still feel like a kid in my body, maybe that's because I get to play and interact with five year olds all day, or that my husband plays xbox and acts like a kid all the time.

I guess I need to find the grown up in me so I can imagine what my house will look like so I can make it beautiful! I know the kid in me will never leave, but the grown up in me has to put my foot down and make some paint decisions.

So for those of you that read my blog, please pray for me because owning a home is a new challenge for me and I intend to be good at it.

P.S.- I've told myself that its okay to change the color as many times as I want to so that its right for me!!!

There is a new sunrise every day

So I know that I have been MIA from my blog for awhile. There are many reasons for this, some of which don't need explaning but I wanted to write a little something that I've learned about myself in the past 10 weeks that I sincerely did not know about myself. So here goes....
1. I can cry A LOT. I have never been an emotional person and it seems that as I get older and life gets harder my emotions just overcome me and I can't stop them.
2. It is okay to let things be all about ME occasionally. (thanks Jen)
3. The people you least expect will surprise you and it means so much to you!
4. My family is tougher than I thought and supports me in all decisions I make.
5. I can't always be in control, though I would like to be.
6. I am on the best and I mean the BEST kindergarten team on the planet. Some of you may beg to differ, but I don't think any group of girls can top the girls that I work with everyday. I would not have survived the past year of my life without these girls. No matter where life takes me far in the future, I know we will always share a special bond. Thank you Joanne, Christian, Jennifer, and Janelle.
7. He would probably kill me if he saw this, but my husband has a soft side. I know when we got married we promised to stick by each other and agree to disagree on certain issues. That time was put to the test this past year and just like I knew we would, we stuck by each other, which will only make us stronger.
7. God has a plan for us, even if that plan doesn't always line up with the plan we have for ourselves. I'm slowly learning to let go and have faith that he will guide me in the right direction.

With all of that being said I have had to change some of the things on my list of 25 things to do. I am no longer taking a picture for everyday of being 25. This was an awesome goal, but one that just didn't fit into my life this year. There were some days where a picture couldn't even describe how I was feeling. So instead of my picture for a day, I have decided to volunteer for something I care about. That is why today, my husband and I are teaching 2nd grade Sunday School at the church that we will probably be joining this summer, Whites Chapel United Methodist Church.

I have always been a happy go lucky person and will always be that type of person. I can't help but smile even when I have tears, because I know that God won't put me through anything I can't handle and I know that I will have family and friends to walk beside me every step of the way.

Off to Sunday School I go.......

The human body

My picture for yesterday is of one of my students showing off the organs to the class! (permission was given).



My picture for today is of my peaceful backyard! It feels so perfect outside today and I'm just enjoying watching my dogs play!


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Happy Mother's Day!!

My picture for today is of the cute card my dad gave me for Mother's day! Along with some bath essentials! I sure do love my dad :)



My picture for yesterday is of our baby's first blanket! Rene's cousin, Megan, and I are probably the only two 25 year olds who still have their baby blankets. Megan decided it was only right for her to he the first one to give a baby blanket, and I quite agree with her! So second picture is of this adorable blanket!




On a side note....something happened to my phone and it had to be restored. Therefore, I lost all if my pictures for the past week. And because I hadn't charged my phone they are lost forever- but they were still taken!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Only my mom

My picture today is dedicated to my mom. Only she would hand me, my sister, and dad a list of the things she wants for Mother's day. It's not an extensive list, though there is more then one item. Of course I have already informed her that I purchased her gift weeks ago. But she is worth it. I may suck it up and buy her something extra.


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Lately2

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More lately

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I'm pregnant!

I know I have not updated in awhile, but I have a good reason. In order to keep my secret, I couldn't post much because everything that has been happening in my life has had to do with the fact that I'm pregnant! I am going to post the missing pictures in a series of blog posts but today is dedicated to my exciting news. Rene and I are expecting our first child on Nov. 6th. We have done test after test to make sure we will have a healthy baby! So far everything has turned out great. The baby has arms and legs, which as you know are very important! I have one more round of genetics testing but I have faith that everything will be okay! So my picture today is of my Facebook posts!


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Alysa lately

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