If you love to read, or loved to read as a kid, or love a good series...The Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley, or even Goosebumps...then this is for you!!! Or maybe you're a reading specialist...this is freaking EXCITING news..or at least to me.
I was/am obsessed with this author/series. I owned all of them (well I still technically do, they're in Dublin in my old room) and still enjoy rereading them. They basically define my childhood. It was not long ago that I begged two pre-teen girls to start reading them at the library. They turned up their noses to them! Our library doesn't even carry them in hardback..only paperback and they don't have a barcode, so when they get checked out they can't track who has them..so you basically own a book for free. ???
Anyway, I just love how the new books are going to be aimed at a lower grade level...umm. HELLO read-alouds!!!!! I just know my 16 boys will have to love them too...haha! There were 2 boy characters I think.
Anyway, obviously, this news just thrills me. I am having the best day anyway. My kids were amazing today...super smart and on their best behavior. They did their independent morning work perfectly this morning, and mastered every one of my last minute efforts to assess today. I left school at 3:45...you should be proud (as my new year's resolution is to leave by 4:00 every day except for Thursday)! And I even have supper cooking so it will be ready shortly after Matty gets home from work.
I haven't finished watching The Bachelor yet (we taped it), so maybe I'll do that tonight after our nightly walk around "the summit club"! I don't think I have any shows coming on tonight. I will say that Make It or Break It was GREAT last night and probably my favorite show right now! I just love womens sports and Pason is such a champion! Report cards, however, are still killing me...it's those dang comments!! Do my parents even read them? :) Oh well, better get to writing!
I am not kidding y'all! I am just sitting here finishing up some work...waiting on The Bachelor, Secret Life, snd Make It or Break It (yes, I'm going to attempt to watch all 3 at once)...and the saddest animal abuse commercials with heart wrenching songs keep on coming on. They break my heart and suck me right in. Am I the only one who cries when these come on?? I usually try to flip the station, but tonight I just keep on watching, as my heart goes out to these animals.
Some other toughts..
1. I went back to work today...I got a lot accomplished on my teacher workday...I've still got a lot to do this week...ahh! report card week is always stressful!
2. I am so PUMPED about all the new episodes on tv starting NOW!!
3. I can't wait to see my kids tomorrow!
4. But I am still ready for Friday already :)
5. I am thankful that the AC/Heat man just left and fixed our heater!!! It is way too cold for SGA!!! And we have been freezing these past few days!
We've had a great start to a new year! I'm hoping that we can top 2009. 2009 Highlights: Learning that I was one of the lucky ones to still have a job in April, Matty surprised me with a new SUV in May, Passing the Gace in June, taking our first "real" vacation to Destin in July, I graduated with my Master's degree in August, and after years of house hunting we bought our first house in September and moved in at the beginning of October! Along with other exciting events(Lots and lots of visitors and family time in October, November, and December)...and a few sad ones too (All of my terrible sickness in February, Nanny Jane's fall in July, and a cancer scare in November/December...praise the Lord my mouth is fine!) Although 2009 might not have been our most eventful year yet (I'm pretty sure our first year of marriage was...We got married, moved to a new town, I completed student teaching and graduated college, got a teaching job, got Blakely, joined our church, got Baptized, then had to change schools at the last minute, started graduate school); it was full of blessings!
Anyway, we went out of town for New Years Eve and Day...we kept our celebrating real low key. We watched a lot of football...lots of bowl games, played the Wii, and went to see The Blindside for the 3rd time! Ahh! It's just that amazing! We've really been trying to stay inside, as temperatures here have been FREEZING!
I've got some new favorite songs to share as we say hello to 2010! They put me in a very good mood! Sorry they're not all cool music videos..but if you like lyrics like me then you're in for a treat!
We are definitely looking forward to an even better 2010!
2 Cor. 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:16-18 (The Message) Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I got to wrap up 2009 with some of my best girl friends yesterday! Can I tell you how much the spirit of my grad girls/four seasons just picks me up, refreshes me?? I am so thankful that the Lord placed these ladies in my classes!!!! My oh my, I am blessed by their friendship. Each one in a different way!
We met up for lunch at Coyoacan for yummy mexican. We ended up staying for a few hours just to talk and reflect about our year. My girls and I have been through a lot in the past year...ups and downs, marriage, a few pregnancies, a birth, death, graduation, new houses, moving, break-ups, miscarriages, infertility, career changes....in a group as big as ours I guess you have to face a lot more of life in a shorter amount of time. I love my girls! And pray for them often.
We didn't get a group picture, but these are the girls!
Ok, so when we got out of lunch, there was a car totally parked on top of mine. I might could've squeezed in, barely, but we decided that I should climb over the passenger seat to get in. Carrie Beth gladly captured it all with my camera! See what I mean? Beginning to climb over, can't believe CB is taking a pic! Laughing hysterically over the funny situation. But in the drivers seat!
Then we girls did what we do best together, besides study and read. We shopped!! We went to TJ Maxx, Belk's, Hobby Lobby, Bath and Body Works, Hall Mark, Old Navy...maybe a few more places too. Then we went out to the woods to see our Jenn's cute new house!
Our cute present from B! We love them!
We ate supper at McCalisters, where we all ordered the exact same thing...half and half, spud and french dip, and a diet coke to drink. We shared a little bit of cheesecake and talked some more.
I had to dip out early to celebrate my father in law's birthday at Cracker Barrel while the girls browsed Target. But then I met back up with my girls at El Toreo for a just a bit with my hubby in tow!
What a day!!! Matty said that it warmed his heart that I could just take an entire weekday and just spend it relaxing with friends. Something that never happens due to my job! Let me tell you, I am very thankful too!
Well, I got out of bed! Supper is finished and I'm waiting on my hard working hubby to get home to me!
I tried to take a picture of the bed...once I got out of it to show how comfy it was. Notice, I didn't make it up yet...just in case I feel the need to crawl back under the covers. None of our pillows are on the bed either. Just my trusty leopard one from my old bedroom back home (I don't use it with our bedding now).
Oh and the view. Can you find Blakely in one of them?
This day is not turning out at all like I thought it would...I declared a self proclaimed work day. GKIDS/Report cards, portfolios and thankyou notes.
Well, I can't seem to get out of bed. We got home from Missouri yesterday and spent the afternoon unpacking and cleaning up. We put clean sheets on the bed and I think that I could get used to being a SAHBW that is a stay at home blogging wife! :)
I got up this morning and opened our blinds and am enjoying the beautiful woods outside of our bedroom window. Our sheets are so soft and clean. I have been watching the cooking channel all morning and reading Jenn'a Journey blog. What a lazy but much needed morning. Even Blakely has been sleeping all morning.
I would add some pictures but they don't capture the true beauty of my view/comfort that I'm feeling!
I've only been up twice in fact. Once to let Blakely out after Matt left for work. And then again to eat some Christian chicken..haha, Chick-fil-a, that Matt brought home for lunch!
While I have been "resting" I've been thinking about one of my very best friends from college. She was in fact the maid of honor in my wedding. She got married Sat. Dec. 26th and we had to miss it, due to the snowstorm that hit NWA and SW Mo. I've been thinking about all the fun times that we've had together. I don't get to see her as much as I would like, b/c we live pretty far away...opposite sides of GA. I thought I'd list some things about our friendship.
-We lived in the same dorm in college, Hopper, and would pass each other everyday in the lobby or front steps without ever saying anything but, "hey". -We both attended the Baptist Student Union on campus but never crossed paths. -When we finally did, we were inseperable right away! Gatlinberg TN will always be special to me because on that trip I really got to know my best friend and husband :) -We would eat at Zaxby's every Sunday night and go to Walmart on the other side of town. It was sort of a tradition. -We were pretty obsessed with older people in the BSU...not many our own age. -We hung out at the BSU all the time and did not really like people commenting on it. -We took history together..ugh. She is a history teacher now! Ha! She did really, good and I'm pretty sure I didn't. We sat in the very very back and wrote notes all during class. -We pulled our first and my only (until grad school) all nighter together writing a history paper. Man it was hard! -The first summer after our freshman year we talked everynight for several hours. We also made several trips back and forth across GA to see each other and the rest of our little group. -Rebecca and I became best friends with my hubby, Matty, and the 3 of us were always together! -We kept an ongoing list that Bex still has of funny things that we did together. -Bex and I loved shopping trips, watching movies on the couch, playing football/riding bikes :), swimming and laying out, Sunday School and Bible Study, Lady Blazer Basketball games and forming the TG's. And a million other things that year I'm sure. -Two of my fav. memories from that year were getting ready for a SS party at my apartment with all the windows open and Britney Spears blasting! And New Years in Atlanta! -All of my conference memories are great. We always had fun packing, on the rides to and from the location, and during the actual conference. -Birthdays were always a big deal to us. -As we got older, we would walk every other day either at VMS track or the rec center track. We were pretty obsessed with pink, Jessica Simpson, and Loco's around this time I do believe. -Then during our 5th year senior years, we lived together. I had so much fun living with Bex and our other friend Meg. Bex and I shared a bathroom and our bedroom doors faced one another. Both of our rooms were decorated in Polo. We were into Polo's, Pearls, Pointy-toed pumps, Reality TV (Laguna Beach, Rich Girls, Surf Girls, American Idol, The Hills?, and Newlyweds!) -We were in a senior girls Bible Study together. -We were both going to school to become teachers. -I was planning my wedding by this point, and she was my #1 helper. She did so much for me! I hate that I couldn't be there for her as well! I do intend to make it up to her the next time I'm in ATL though! -Bex stayed with me in my hometown the week leading up to my wedding and I have a lot of stressful and great memories from that week too! -Even years after college, we still visit, and pick up right where we left off when we do finally get each other on the phone. -I am so thankful that we met and for our true friendship!! I don't have a sister, but Bex is def. like a sister that I never had!
We have way too many pictures for me to put on here. Probably thousands. But these are just a few that I found!
We did our fair share of eating too. Lots of sweets. I actually can't look at anything sweet right now!
I'm glad we got our shopping in hours before the snow started falling. We did get to see a movie Saturday night. We saw Have you Heard about the Morgans?? Matt and I both really enjoyed it. I'm not so sure about everyone else :) ha!
We're back home now and slowing getting unpacked and cleaned up! We're pretty tired after the long, long drive!
I am a wife, teacher, grad student, and wanna-be mama :) The Lord is my strength in everything and He guides me every step of the way through this crazy, busy time in my life.
