Patience

Little boy hats

2011-01-22T11:26:00.003-06:00

Since I have a little girl most of my projects are fun girly things. However I have ventured into little boy hats. I have made two so far, one is for a friend who is having a baby boy so I made my first tiny newborn hat and the other is a camo had for my 3 year old nephew. Both of these I made with no pattern just made it up as I went along. I think they turned out pretty great.

My daughter was my hat model for the day :) Hopefully I didn't make it too small to fit her cousin.

Newest projects!

2011-01-22T11:15:00.004-06:00

My parents have a professional embroidery machine in their home. My dad has the intention of starting an embroidery business with it but it hasn't taken off yet. This last weekend, my dad, my sister, and I learned how to use the machine for appliques. It was quite fun. Here are a few of the projects we got finished.

Another adroable hat

2011-01-08T10:18:00.003-06:00

So I was inspired by a hat I saw on rufflebutts.com. It was a cute little crocheted hat with two big flowers on it. They were asking $26 dollars for it and I thought, heck I have enough yarn I could just make a hat like that. So last night I set out to make yet another hat for my little girl. It is a good thing she likes wearing hats. I did the design myself, though I did get the pattern for the rolled flowers here. And if you ask me I think it turned out better than the one that inspired me.(You can see it here if you want)

Finally Finished

2011-01-01T21:44:00.003-06:00

After MANY hours, cutting out over 400 three inch circles, and pinning each one of those circles my wreath is finally done! Just in time to pack it up with all the Christmas stuff, oh well, but it will be all ready to be hung on the wall for next year.

My own design

2010-12-29T18:24:00.002-06:00

After making several hats and actually selling one I decided to design my own hat. It turned out really cute I think. There are a few mistakes in the pattern I think but overall it turned out totally cute!

Projects in Progress!

2010-12-07T20:08:00.003-06:00

After seeing some cute trees in a magazine made out of felt I decided I could do that and make a wreath instead. After cutting out 144 circles my poor pinking shears gave out and even after trying to sharpen them with the folded foil trick they won't cut my felt. So currently it is on hold until I can afford a really good pair of pinking shears that won't die on me not even half way through.

Completed Projects!

2010-12-07T19:56:00.003-06:00

Here are my completed projects that I have been working on. I have one of my hat and scarf sets finished for my two nieces and I have finished the green dragon puppet for my nephew. The red dragon is for my daughter, actually I think it is more for my husband but he claims it is hers.

Project!

2010-12-06T16:36:00.003-06:00

So I have really gotten into crocheting in the last couple of months. I remember trying it several years ago and not liking it, however I was inspired at a girls crafting night to give it one more try and I am in love. Perhaps it is because I am a mom now and crocheting feels totally domestic to me, or simply the fact that I have little people for which I can make things, I don't know but I am loving it! I have decided my little blog will now become the home to all my little projects and ideas I am currently working on. Right now I am making Christmas presents which include two dragon puppets, two hat and scarf sets, and 3 baskets. Pictures to come soon!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2010-12-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

The cutest three year old nephew in the whole world! Merry Christmas Everyone!

New Projects!

2010-09-27T13:23:00.003-05:00

Being a mommy has been amazing and it is hard to believe my little one is already 6 months old! I guess being a mommy has brought out my need to craft more. I have decided to take up crocheting this last week and considering I had only made one scarf before and that was over 5 years ago I have taken to it pretty well. Of course there were a few calls to my mom to get started but I am picking this up! So far I have been working on a scarf that is like a net pattern with flowers on it. I have finished the scarf part and now I am moving on to the flowers. They have turned out really cute and I have gotten to where I can whip on out in under an hour!!

I have also decided to make some really cute hair bows because every girl needs a hair bow. We are huge Razorback fans so of course she needed a cute hair bow she could wear with her Razorback gear. It turned out really cute and it only took about 30 minutes for me to make.

My guess is that there will be more of these fun projects coming very soon!

Cute Baby Stuff Websites

2010-06-09T13:45:00.002-05:00

Now that my baby girl is here I find my spare time spent hunting for totally cute baby items online. These three websites are fabulous. They have totally cute items for the summer and they are pretty reasonably priced. Baby Banz have totally cute and practical eye wear for babies and kids as well as totally cute sun hats. RuffleButts has the cutest diaper covers and tops for little girls. Who doesn't think a little baby with a ruffle butt isn't adorable? And Bobux International has adorable shoes for babies.

2 Weeks and Counting

2010-03-07T17:13:00.002-06:00

Well we are down to two weeks till her due date. I was sitting in Church this morning and it hit me that with in the next three weeks I will be able to see what my little baby girl actually looks like! I am so excited yet I still keep telling her I need her to stay in there until the middle of next week at least! I have sooo much to get done at school before I leave like 3rd 9 weeks grades! But other than school we are pretty much ready for her to come home. Jody is busy putting together her new swing right now. Who knew something for someone so little could have so many parts!!!

5 Weeks to Go!

2010-02-13T10:30:00.002-06:00

It has been a very LONG time since I have posted on here. In the last year a lot has happened! Jody and I were married last June and it was the most beautiful wedding! It was truly amazing. A little over a month later we found out we were expecting our first child. A literal Honeymoon baby! Needless to say we were both surprised but we are both extremely excited. So with the baby coming along we decided we needed to get out of the two bedroom apartment and branched out into a 4 bedroom house that we bought at the end of October. We LOVE our home! It makes me so happy to have our own place! :)

With all of the craziness of the last year it has been a year to remember and one of the best years of my life! Now we are just 5 weeks away from the birth of our first child. I can't believe how quickly time has flown, though sometimes it seems like I have been pregnant forever! Besides being tired all the time the pregnancy has gone amazingly smoothly. Hopefully the next 5 weeks will keep up with that trend. We are both defiantly ready for her to come!

Truly Inspired!

2009-02-12T20:44:00.004-06:00

So our elementary school is having a chili and art auction next weekend. For the art auction the art teacher worked with the students to create some very amazing projects. Yesterday, while I was getting my stuff together to go home, I saw the art teacher frantically trying to put together one of the projects. I had seen one of the 5th grade classes working on it but didn't know what it was. So I sat down and helped her figure it out like a giant puzzle. When we finished this is what came out.

I was totally blown away at how amazing this turned out! It was created by cutting up a larger poster, then the kids were given a square from the poster and a square of paper the same size. Then they simply used a grid technique and free handed the square of color from the poster onto their paper. They had no idea what the poster looked like to start with because the art teacher had already cut it up and passed it out to them.

All of the classes art work turned out wonderfully! I am so excited about going to the art auction and even bidding. I probably won't get this one because the parents will most likely out bid me, however I think I might get this photo blown up and just frame that!

Lessons From a Cart

2009-02-09T17:12:00.002-06:00

Well since the week before Christmas I have been classroomless. It has been quite an adjustment! I had already lost half of my instruments to a storage unit since my room in the fall was small, now I am reduced to what ever can fit on a cart I roll from room to room. At first I was trying to do my lessons as I always have and creating a totally different lesson for every grade. Then I simplified and started doing a lesson that would work for 2 grades. Last week however I did the same lesson with every grade level with slight variations and it worked beautifully! The kids had a great time learning about Chinese New Year and the 5th graders were just as amazed by the Chinese Lion dancing as the Kindergartners! This was the video that they were all amazed by and I was totally amazed myself even after watching it over 20 times.

This week I am doing "Frog When a Courtin'." We are reading the book and listening to 4 different versions, did you know Bruce Springsteen even sang the song. We were also playing along using whatever they can find at their seat to make music and performing a folk dance. I have changed it slightly for each grade level but they have had a blast. I am finally gonna get the hang of all this and then I will have to switch back to having a classroom. Oh well it is a good experience and I have an even greater appreciation for new room that is for sure!!

NOT SO SINGLE ANYMORE!

2008-12-24T08:07:00.002-06:00

I am getting MARRIED! Jody proposed last night at the square while on a carriage ride! I will put up more details later but for now here is the ring!!!

Holiday Catch Up!!!

2008-12-22T09:34:00.014-06:00

Okay so ALOT has happened since the last time I posted on here. So just as a fair warning this will be a LONG post!!

So Thanksgiving was great! I had the whole week to hang out with family. Mom had to work on Thursday so we had our Thanksgiving Friday afternoon and it was so yummy!

Though Thursday night we had an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner of homemade sushi! It was so much fun to make and it turned out really well. They were quite pretty for my first sushi attempt I must say!

I also became a "Handy Woman" over the Thanksgiving break and I fixed my own car! Well it wasn't very difficult I had to change the stop light switch under the dash so that my brake lights would work. It required no tools but I still fixed it all by myself!

And of course I can't take a trip home without a little geocaching! We found a little park in the middle of Tulsa that had a bunch of ducks. Janae wasn't quite sure what to think of the ducks when they came up on the shore next to us.

Though I suppose the biggest news of all sort of started the about a week before Thanksgiving! I have been on and off of eharmony several times over the last few years. I have met several guys and have had a great time. So when I met Jody on the 22 I didn't really think much of it. I knew we would have a great time but really didn't say anything to anyone because I have a bad habit of getting too worked up about first dates. Well what I didn't know was how quickly I would fall for him! I saw him Saturday and Sunday and then took off for Tulsa for a week. Once I got back from Thanksgiving we have been inseparable. He is such an amazing man and honestly I had begun to think that men like him didn't exist anymore!

When I got back Jody and I went to Terra studios. It is an amazing place of all kids of art! They have sculptures everywhere and you can watch them blow glass there too. It was pretty amazing and this huge dragon was my favorite!
Jody even got brave enough to meet my family! Not just meet my family but spend the whole weekend with them!! On the 12th we went to the Christmas Train at Dry Gulch. It is about 15 miles from my parents house and we had never been. It was pretty cool. It is actually a church camp during the summer but the whole place has an old west theme and you ride on an actual train and hear the gospel story. There was also some shopping, food, and even Santa. Though my favorite part was riding on the stage coach!
He was also introduce to the ENTIRE family (besides my brother and his family out in Georgia) the next day at my nieces birthday party. Though he pretty much had a shew in because he decorated the amazing princess cake for my niece. Kallie loved the cake as well as everyone else. I think Jody had fun, my family didn't scare him off :)

Other than that exciting news school has been insane!! A week after Thanksgiving I had my Third grade musical. They did such an awesome job! Humbug! has to be one of the cutest programs I have done in a long time! The day of the program I was told that I would have to have my entire classroom packed the next day! So I spent all of Friday packing up my entire classroom. That next Monday we had a snow day and all my stuff got moved to a hallway without my knowledge. Needless to say that made for an very interesting last week of school. I pretty much became an extra PE teacher all week! So when we get back in January we will all be moved into the new addition to the school so that they can gut and totally remodel the old section of the school. Unfortunately there weren't enough classrooms in the new addition so I am going to be classroomless for at least 3 weeks! The Art teacher is nice enough to allow me to store bare necessities in her room until I get a place. But even then I won't have my actual classroom until August! All I have to say is I never want to have to move my classroom 4 times in one year ever again!!

So that has been my life the last month! Full of excitement for sure and I am pretty sure there will be much more excitement to come!!! I promise I will try to keep this more updated!

A Dose of Reality!

2008-11-22T09:33:00.005-06:00

I have been totally pumped this week about Thanksgiving Vacation and getting to spend some time with my family! I have also been making a great point to let EVERYONE know that I have the entire week off not just 3 days :)However, in the midst of this crazy week I have had some sobering news. Some news that makes me want to hold on to my family just a little tighter and to take in every thing with a little more detail.

At the beginning of the week my good friend Amy called to tell me that her dad had gone to the doctor and they had found spots on his lungs and on one of his kidneys. They haven't done a biopsy yet but they are pretty sure that it is cancer. Then today I was reading a friends blog, the title of his latest entry was odd. It said How John Met Cancer. My first thought was that one of his family members had been diagnosed. He is only 26 so it never crossed my mind that it might in fact be him with cancer. As I read on I was totally taken back by the fact that indeed this young man who just turned 26 this last week has been diagnosed with grade III Follicular Lymphoma. He went from having his tonsils out to having cancer in the course of a week.

You never know when someone around you may become very ill. Really we never know just how much time we really have with those we love. So this Thanksgiving don't take those you love for granted, hold them a little tighter, take in every detail, and thank God for all the time you get to spend with them. And please keep my friends John and Amy and their families in your prayers this holiday season.

I Agree!

2008-11-06T21:55:00.003-06:00

In trying to have a positive outlook on the outcome of the elcetion I came across this article. I have found something in which I can agree 100% with Obama.

College football commander-in-chief?
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
Nov 5, 11:07 pm EST

Considering that this year Barack Obama defeated two of the great political brands in America – the Clintons and John McCain – won at least 349 electoral votes and, of course, shattered a racial barrier few thought possible, perhaps he doesn’t need any advice.

Still, Mr. President, why the heck didn’t you mention your support of a college football playoff sooner?

“I think it is about time that we had playoffs in college football,” Obama said Monday on ESPN. “I’m fed up with these computer rankings and this and that and the other. Get eight teams – the top eight teams right at the end. You got a playoff. Decide on a national champion.”

Now, you’re obviously a shrewd and intelligent politician. Not revealing this until the eve of the election was a huge oversight, though.

There are few topics in America that generate such widespread support as the abolishment of the BCS. Other than four conference commissioners, few favor the current foolishness over a playoff.

The anti-BCS people are passionate, too. They have detailed plans, websites and emotional anger due to past disasters. Go ask a Southern Cal fan about 2003. They’d march on Washington if they thought it would help.

There were millions of single-issue voters available on this. College football could’ve been a game changer in some of your tougher states.

Consider Alabama. Sen. McCain defeated you 61 percent to 39 percent.

All you had to do was get your name on the ballot with a couple of on-purpose typos. Forget “Obama.” Had you’d been listed as “Go Bama,” you’d have locked up 50 percent of the vote.

The other 50 would’ve been easy. Just hold a rally at Toomer’s Corner and, in your best Bill Clinton, emote about “feeling Auburn’s pain” in 2004 when the 13-0 Tigers got shut out of the title.

Mitt Romney won the Republican primary in Utah this year by the percentage score of 95-5. This could’ve made that look like a squeaker. We’re thinking Georgia Tech over Cumberland, 222-0.

This is a true my enemy’s enemy is my friend kind of issue, too. Talk about “a new spirit of patriotism.” Joe Paterno would as soon wear white sneakers and contact lenses as vote Democrat. Appeal to his hatred of the BCS though and who knows?

Sen. McCain has always been an intelligent, principled and fair-minded man, so it stands to reason he too is anti-BCS. It’s unlikely he would’ve ceded the issue to you.

However, an attack ad could’ve featured footage of him supervising the coin toss at the Florida-Ohio State BCS debacle from January 2007. Add some haunting music, superimpose grainy head shots of Tom Hansen and Jim Delany and have a skeptical voice wonder why he was “palling around with sporting terrorists.”

All is fair in politics (and killing this horrible system), right?

Despite missing this opportunity, you won big on Tuesday. Still, 56 million people voted for Sen. McCain. The need for some kind of olive branch is needed and nothing would do the trick like extending it repeatedly across the hide of those BCS suits.

In case you didn’t notice, a lot of those red states were in the SEC and Big 12. If you end this corrupt abomination, they’ll let you drive the Sooner Schooner or play fetch with UGa VII.

The BCS is a central bureaucracy created to douse competitiveness and line the pockets of the rich and connected while defrauding the consumer of what is advertised. How American.

Testimonials are available. Southern California’s Pete Carroll on the BCS: “I think it stinks.”

Florida’s Urban Meyer: “You’ve got to blow it up.”

We could go on, from coast to coast, border to border, all creeds and school colors.

This is a non-partisan column (I declined preliminary offers to interview both candidates during the campaign since this is a place to go to get away from the election.) Now that it’s over and we know how you feel though, we’re holding you to it.

I’ll even reach across the aisle and compromise on my support of a 16-team playoff to embrace your rudimentary eight-teamer.

Look, dealing with war and rebuilding the economy, those are difficult challenges. This is simple. It could be resolved in a week. And, since you’re a politician and always eyeing the next election, it’s worth noting that delivering a playoff would go a long way toward ensuring that second term you’ve already started talking about.

Who would vote against the man who freed us from the tyranny of the BCS?

Everyone says a playoff can’t be done, that the entrenched interests are too powerful. No one even fathomed executive influence though. If Kennedy could demand a man on the moon, this should be a snap.

A suggestion for the inaugural address: “Mr. Delany, tear down this wall!”

Yes We Can.

Dan Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist and author of "Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph" with the Miami Heat's Alonzo Mourning. The book details Mourning's rise from foster care to NBA stardom before kidney disease changed everything. Send Dan a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated Nov 5

Let Us Pray!

2008-11-05T21:15:00.003-06:00

In my last post I talked about how we have to be careful what we ask for because sometimes God gives it to us and the outcome may not be exactly what we expected. I didn't vote for Obama for my own personal reasons. That doesn't mean that I 100% agreed with McCain either but I had to follow my own personal convictions. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed when Obama won and a slight tinge of fear went through my system wondering what all this would mean.

My prayer for this entire election was that the Lord would guide the voters and that the person who would be elected would be the man God wanted to be there. I didn't pray for a specific candidate to be elected, I simply prayed for God's will to be done. I believe that His will was done. I believe that He is in control of everything. That no matter what the next 4 or 50 years my bring God is still on His throne!

I may not agree with Obama's views. I may not like legislation that comes down the line. But I will pray. I will pray for God's hand to be upon our nation. I will pray for Obama that he will make wise decisions for our country. I will pray that our congress will make wise decisions as well. I will trust that God is faithful and that in good times and in bad ultimately He is the one calling the shots!

Be Careful What You Ask For

2008-11-04T22:47:00.003-06:00

"So the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, 'You are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.'
But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him; 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.'
Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said 'This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will talk the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and of your vintage and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen and the Lord will not answer you in that day.'
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'NO!' they said, 'We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.'
When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered; 'Listen to them and give them a king.'

1 Samuel 8:4-22

As I have been hearing the election analyst and things on TV over the last few weeks this passage of scripture has stuck with me. We have been crying out for change which I believe we need but so many are looking for a change in the political realm but where we really need change is in the spiritual realm! We need to be on our knees crying out for mercy before the Lord but instead we are voting in the most liberal candidate in our nations history. Honestly, do we really have that much faith in one man to think he will bring around the HUGE change we are all looking for? I will chose to put my faith in God!

God is control and he knew who was going to win the 2008 presidential election long before the earth was even formed. None of this surprises Him. He is sovereign and He works all things for the good of those who love Him.

Fall in Fayetteville

2008-11-02T20:44:00.004-06:00

Today was one of the most beautiful days ever! The weather was perfect and the leaves are at their peak! I decided to go walk out on Old Main lawn at the U of A this afternoon. I have never seen so many people out there in my life! There were probably 20 different professional photographers out doing family portraits and even a couple bridal portraits being taken. I really would have been the perfect day for an outdoor wedding. It is hard to believe that it is November! After I went to Old Main I went up to Mount Sequoyah and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful! Here are a few pictures of my amazing day!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-02T20:16:00.002-06:00

This Halloween I was able to go trick or treating with my nieces and nephew. We had such a wonderful time! It was quite funny because a few of the houses were quite decorated and people were all dressed up. The girls weren't too fond of the scary costumes but my 16 month old nephew was only afraid of the man with a chicken hat on his head!

Let Me Off This Crazy Thing!!

2008-10-29T21:46:00.002-05:00

So it has been a wild and crazy few weeks. I have been really bad about posting which is kinda odd for me. But honestly with everything I have been doing it has been crazy. Though really the business has been good for me because it keeps my mind off of other things. I don't know why but the last few weeks I have really been struggling with loneliness. I guess it just comes with the territory of being a single girl. Though I know God is good and I am never alone, it still isn't much fun sometimes.

Plus my computer is getting fixed after my loving kitty knocked it on the floor and broke the LCD screen. So I haven't had a chance to really post much. I did go hiking on Sunday and took some great pictures that I will get up this weekend. Plus I am going trick or treating with my 2 nieces and nephew Friday night so that will be a good time as well!

Patience in Practice

2008-10-19T14:42:00.003-05:00

Being a single person is hard. Navigating the world of friendships, dating, and living a Christ centered life can get all jumbled up. It is especially difficult when well meaning friends don't fully understand everything you are struggling with. So many people make you feel like you have to be completely happy with being single and have no desire to want to be married before God will bring someone into your life. That being content means to be completely satisfied with being single and to not have any struggles or pain from the fact that you are single. That if you are completely content then you wouldn't feel lonely or your heart wouldn't feel a slight tinge of pain when he hear of someone else getting married or having a baby.

Well today I read two amazing articles on crosswalk.com. They were actually two parts of the same article but it was about being content but not being satisfied. I would suggest any single person or anyone who knows a single person read these articles.

Content But Not Satisfied Part 1
Content But Not Satisfied Part 2

I really related to the part where he talks about how it would be much easier to not hope for a mate at all. Keeping hope alive is what helps us be content but it is also the part that can get impatient and want it right now. Being content but not satisfied is truly patience in practice.

Busting My Buttons!

2008-10-16T20:34:00.002-05:00

I don't know if I could be prouder of a group of kids even if they were my own! Tonight we had our 4th grade musical. We performed It's Gotta Be Jazz, by John Jacobson. It was the best musical that I have had since I started teaching 5 years ago! They all knew their lines. They all did the actions. I didn't have anyone just standing there. It was amazing!! I am so proud of them. I don't think they could have done any better!

I am amazed this year. I finally feel like I have things under control and I am not getting totally swamped. Usually by this point in time I am needing a break but this year I am excited to get to school everyday, and I am actually excited about writing my lesson plans!

Too Funny!

2008-10-13T22:52:00.004-05:00

So I have been on my facebook page and noticed that all my friends had these great high school year book photos as their profile pics. So I found www.yearbookyourself.com and had a little fun!

Me if I went to high school with my parents in the 60's (my favorite of all the picture)

Me if I decided to go for the big Afro look :)

What I would have looked like if I had graduated with my oldest brother!

Me if I had graduated with my other brother!

And supposedly this would have been the year I graduated, thank goodness I didn't have that hair cut, though the one I had was not much better :)

Get Your "Caches" on Route 66

2008-10-05T21:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had The Great Route 66 Cache Run! Okay so maybe it wasn't great as in huge, but we had a great time! All of my family, that in Oklahoma, got together and we geocaching. We started in Claremore and worked our way up the old Route 66 to within 2 miles of the Oklahoma Kansas border. We managed to find 20 caches and only had 3 that we looked for and didn't find. We also stopped at a random statue of a guy who ran all the way from New York to L.A. and held the record back in the 1920's I think, I can't remember all the details. We also stopped by Totem Pole Park which is where the worlds largest totem pole is located. I had been to this park when I was younger but it looks much better now because they have restored it all! We also stopped by the Buffalo Ranch and got to see a few buffalo. And the rarest sight of all the things we saw was gas prices at $2.95 a gallon. Can you believe it?!?

Our trip ended up taking all day!! We left at around 10:30 that morning and we got back to my parents house about 8 that night. It was so much fun, even though my allergies were about to get the best of me by the time we got home. The coolest part was learning about some of the different places along the route from a cookbook/history of Route 66 book that my brother and sister-in-law picked up at Totem pole park. I think we will have to plan to go the other direction on 66 sometime soon and pick up a few more caches along the way!

The kids at the statue of the running man. The girls were trying to pose like statues.

Totem Pole Park

My family is at the base of the totem pole. It is HUGE!

The artist of the totem pole was a fiddle maker. At onetime this building had over 300 fiddles in it now they have about 100 on display. These were just a few but they were all beautiful.

One of the caches we didn't find was near this old hotel sign. The area around it now has pretty much just become a dumping ground and the old building has collapsed.

The girls and I hanging out with the buffalo.

A "Blond" Moment!

2008-10-02T21:07:00.003-05:00

Today I had a total blond moment! After lunch on Thursdays I have a planning time. Since today was picture day I had to go have my picture taken. After that I went back to my class and worked on a few small things getting ready for my next class. I looked up at the clock at about 1:20 and thought "I guess my class is going to be a little late, maybe they are having to do their pictures." 1:30 came by and they still weren't there. Finally at 1:45 my class came in the door. So I calculate that there is only 20 minutes left in my class. I tell the kids that we have work fast today because they were late and we don't have alot of time to get things done. So we rush through the lesson, and the kids were amazing and managed to pick up everything in only 20 minutes. So it is 2:10 and we line up. We stand there playing the quite game for about 5 minutes and I begin to wonder where their teacher is. So I decided I would walk the kids down to their class myself since it is the end of the day anyway. I get them all outside, my class is in a portable building, and we are almost inside the main building when I look at my phone and see it is 2:15. I think to myself "Wait a second we still have 45 minutes until school gets out, they don't go back this early!" I realized tat my first grade class is from 1:45 to 2:40! I still had 20 minutes of my class left, they weren't late at all they had come at the right time! I made the kids turn around and go back into the room and let them finish Peter Pan which we had started last week when I was sick, since we had rushed through the lesson and thy had been so good.

I have never in my life ended my class 30 minutes early! Given all of my classes before lunch start at 15 after and end at 10 after is partly why I didn't think anything of them leaving at 10 after the hour. Also the clock in my classroom is a regular clock face and not digital so I just look at the minute hand and don't really pay attention to the hour. That's why it didn't hit me as to what time it actually was until I looked at the time on my phone. But it was still pretty funny! And the kids were excited to be able to finish their movie too!

Wonder of Wonders!

2008-09-30T22:04:00.003-05:00

For the first time in 10 years NWArkansas gas prices are lower than any others around us! I just filled up for $3.17 a gallon!! We have been lower than Tulsa for the last 3 weeks and we are typically 10 to 15 cents a gallon higher!! I don't know about you but it makes me really happy :) Maybe it will actually drop below 3dollars again some day, well a girl can dream. I was also pumped because I got awesome gas mileage this last week too! I got 32 mpg which I usually average around 30! I don't know what I did different but it sure made my day.

I "heart" Velcro!

2008-09-29T20:02:00.006-05:00

Well I have determined that industrial strength Velcro is a teachers good friend. In a classroom where the kids have to sit on the floor it is hard to give them each their own personal space without spending hundreds of dollars on area rugs designed for that purpose. Even then it can be difficult fitting 28 5th grade bodies onto the cramped area of one of those rugs. So this year I took a new approach! I made squares, laminated them, and then used industrial strength Velcro to secure them to the carpet. It only cost 25 dollars, they look pretty cool, they do the job of defining personal space, and best of all they are movable so you can put them in what ever shape you want! The only down fall is that they are just laminated paper so they will wear out pretty quick but and it did take a while to make 28 of them.

I also have brand new "toy" for my classroom. Since I am in a portable building this year due to construction, I have had some annoying CD issues. If I use my nice CD changer, if we do any kind of movement the CD skips like crazy! Then I started using the CD player I used to use to connect to the big sound system but the door sensor decided to break so that at random times it thinks the door is open and stops in the middle of playing. Being a music teacher and using the CD player many times during the day these issues were becoming very frustrating. So I finally broke down and asked my principle if I could purchase an MP3 player for my classroom. I love my new Sansa View! It has been great to have all my music right there and not have to search for CDs. I got the Sansa specifically so I could use Rhapsody to Go which has been amazing as well. I have been able to download several CD's with my unlimited downloads and not have to worry about connecting the computer to the sound system! I have loved it! I wish I had thought of this earlier, now I just need the music magazines I subscribe to to start putting all their music in MP3 form online so that I can just download it instead of having to rip it from the CD first.

Time for a Change!

2008-09-26T17:13:00.001-05:00

I figured it was time to change things up a bit and get a new layout for my blog. I know it is fall and this one seems a bit springy but it makes me smile ;)

The Smell of Menthol in the Morning!

2008-09-24T16:47:00.002-05:00

The wonderful aroma of homemade chicken noodle soup and menthol wafting though my house gives away the fact I am sick before I even have to speak. Or rather not speak because my voice has pretty much left me for the time being. I don't know where this heavy feeling in my chest has come from, whether allergies or something I caught from the kids, but it is not fun. Especially when you are having to teach music. I tried singing with my 4th graders this morning and couldn't stay on pitch to save my life. After that I gave up and the rest of my classes had movie day today! I had contemplated staying home but decided it would be less work to go to school and show the kids videos than to take the time to get everything together, write out precise instructions on how to run the projector and get sound through the radio, and then pray that all my hard work wasn't in vain because they either couldn't find me a sub or I ended up with a sub who couldn't even follow simple directions!! Anyway, looks like tomorrow will be another movie day for my wonderful children.

I do have to say that I am impressed with the Vick's humidifier I went and bought at Wal-Mart at 10 last night. The little menthol pads that go in it are wonderful and have really helped me to breath! And it just so happened that last weekend I had boiled some chicken with the intention to make chicken noodle soup this week so it was already half done. Though one stinky part of being single when you are sick is having to make your own chicken noodle soup!

Strength in Weakness

2008-09-14T22:18:00.002-05:00

For some reason events from this weekend started me thinking about Superman. I have always loved the character of Superman and to think that there could be someone who was so strong and seemingly indestructible and yet one small thing could bring him to his knees and render him pretty much useless. As we all know that one thing is kryptonite. Having kryptonite even near him would weaken his resolve and could you imagine the damage if he ever ingested any of it. what if that kryptonite was allowed to corrupt his entire system and take over his heart?

Sin is alot like kryptonite. Some types affect us more than others and each person reacts to it differently. Yet, for each of us there is that one sin that keeps coming back time after time even though we seem to be so strong and indestructible in other situations. We have those things that break down our resolve and seem to strip us of all of our strength. Just being near it renders us weak and practically useless. And some of us go to the extremes and that sin becomes a part of who we are and quickly takes over our heart.

Though there is one big difference between us and Superman. When we are rendered weak and useless we have a strength that is stronger than anything this world has to offer. When we are useless, we are able to be used and formed into something new and useful. When we are at the end of ourselves that is when Christ begins and His strength is more than anything we can imagine. His resolve never fails! He is our shield and defender against the kryptonite of this world!

A State of Emergency??

2008-09-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

Apparently, even though Ike is hundreds of miles away from Arkansas, the governor of Arkansas has declared a state of emergency due to the probable hike in gas prices because of hurricane Ike. I love it when the government give gas stations an excuse to raise gas prices. It is ridiculous! As I came home tonight, after seeing a movie with a friend, I was keeping my eye on the gas prices and actually found one place at $3.59 so I turned around and went there. The crazy thing is that just down from my place one gas station had the price listed as $3.99 and across the street it was $3.69. What I don't understand are the people who are at the place with gas at %3.99when it 30 cents a gallon cheaper literally across the street!

Lesson 1

2008-09-09T21:31:00.003-05:00

I know that I said I would write an overview every week but tonight's lesson was really great! I read 1 Corinthians 1 and focused on who the letter was written to what Paul's concerns and reasons for writing were.

The letter was sent to Corinth specifically but is addressed to all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:2) This means that that this letter is addressed to all of us!

Paul's description of the people receiving this letter is very glowing. He says they have been enriched in every way in all their speaking and all their knowledge. (1:5) They are not lacking any spiritual gifts and they are eagerly awaiting for Jesus to be revealed. (1:7) Which to me says that they are spiritually alive and whole heartedly seeking after God. If you are eagerly awaiting something you are fully committed to it! He also says that they are called by God into fellowship with his Son Jesus (1:9) just as we are all called.

What I love the most about this description is that it could be written to about the people in my church right now today. People who are striving hard after God and God is using them.

Even though they have what seems to be such a glowing report there are still things of which Paul is concerned. He wishes for them to be unified in mind and thought. (1:10) There have apparently been quarrels among them that stem from who's teaching they are following. Many of them have started putting the foundation of what they believe on the teachings of men, though they were great men, instead of seeking the Truth for themselves.

I find myself in this trap many times. I love to read and enjoy books on the Christian life and different peoples perspectives. And sometimes I fall into the same trap as these believers in Corinth. I start putting to much faith in what other people, though they are great men of God, instead of digging into the word and checking out the truth for myself.

Starting Fresh!

2008-09-09T20:59:00.003-05:00

This summer was defiantly a restarting point for me. There were quite few things that changed. Some were anticipated and others were complete surprises, yet as always God always works things for the good of those who love Him. Now that the craziness has died down, well most of it anyway,it seems as though a new chapter in my life is ready to begin. The only problem is that I seem to have writers block!

There are so many ideas I have running through my head of what I would like the next chapter of my life to look like. Some would work well together, others wouldn't work at all! Some of the random thoughts I have total control over like getting a Masters Degree and paying off my debt. Other things are contingent upon other people somewhat, like wanting to buy a house. And others I have no control over at this point at all like getting married and starting a family of my own. Needless to say at some points I feel stuck. Like I know I don't want to go back to where I was before and yet I can't seem to move forward.

Since the weather has been so cool the last couple of days I have gone out on my bike and ridden, 5.5 miles yesterday and 7.5 miles today. I really enjoy riding because it gets me out in nature and I have time to think. There are no distractions besides the occasional walker on the trail that you don't want to run over. Today after my ride I decided that really what I need to do to start over is to really get back into the word. Over the last year that is something that has really been lacking in my life. What better way to figure out what direction the story is going in my life then to ask the true author and study His writings!

I went up to Skia, a local coffee/Christian bookstore, and picked up an inductive study on 1 and 2 Corinthians. It is entitled God's Answers for Relationships and Passions, I figured this is just what I need after all the relational craziness I have endured the past year. I have done inductive bible studies before and really enjoyed them because it is not someones commentary that you read and think about. It actually teaches you to really look at the bible and guides you to draw your own conclusions from the text. It teaches you to use scripture to explain scripture and to really search the word of God. I really don't like bible studies that ask corny questions, so the inductive style is great for me. Though it does take alot of work and time to really sit down and study the word for yourself.

Anyway at the end of each week there is a discussion part that overviews what you have learned for the week and helps to put everything together. Since I don't have anyone that I am doing this study with I decided I would share it with all of you! Don't you feel special :) Plus, I figure if I am sharing it with someone else than it will keep me motivated to do it every day.

A Bit of Nostalgia

2008-09-08T20:13:00.006-05:00

Over Labor Day weekend my family took a little trip back in time. We went up to Bartlesville to the kiddie park. I remember going to this kiddie park when I was little and it hasn't changed much at all since I was 6! Actually the park has been there for 40 years and hasn't changed much since my oldest brother was 6 either. It really did feel like stepping back in time. I even faced the roller coaster that terrified me when I was a kid and made me scared of roller coasters until about 3 years ago! Though I could have sworn that I remember it being much bigger! :) The girls had a ton of fun riding all the rides. And the best part of all is that all the rides are still either 25 or 50 cents each!

The "Big" scary roller coaster!
The amazingly cool airplanes

The girls really enjoyed riding the boats.

The Petrino Era!

2008-09-06T13:06:00.002-05:00

So I just watched clips from the first Razorback game! I am pretty excited to see that Casey Dick, our quarter back has gotten much better. That's probably because Petrino actually called a lot of passing calls instead of our traditional, we have always done it this way, running calls. They looked okay, I don't know how well we will do in conference play seeing as the SEC is one of the toughest conferences in College football. Though, I can't decide if I like the new uniforms or not, the funky strip that gets goes for thin to wide is a bit distracting!

Are You Serious?

2008-09-06T12:12:00.002-05:00

After the experiences I have had in the last two years I have determined that dating when you are in your later 20's is very different from your early 20's. My friend Keema were discussing how we should write a book about all the different men that have come in and out of or lives and title it "Are You Serious?" I must admit I think she has me beat in the weirdo department when one guy called her out of the blue after a few months and said he was coming back to town and wanted to see her. She refused and good thing because she later found out he was just coming back to town because he had been in prison for the last 6 months and that is why he hadn't called her. I have not had a man recently released from prison, but I have had my handful of doozies as well. From the I never want to be married again guy, to the no I've never been married but a week later I have to go to court to finalize my divorce, to the oh by the way I am divorced and have a kid guy, to the super sweet guy who adores you but your just too different, to the guy you are nuts about but dumps you for another girl and then decides he made a huge mistake after the new girl dumps him and wants you back, to the I went out with you once and don't have the decency to say I am not attracted to you so I will just never speak to you again guy, and the latest I have some huge issues I am dealing with and I don't know if this can ever go anywhere guy.

Honestly I am quite amazed at those of you who have actually been able to get married and have a happy marriage. I don't see how you did it. I really don't see how these people who married the first person, or close to the first person they ever dated managed! I'm not giving up hope that there are still decent, God fearing, wonderful men out there. I just hope I don't go insane before I meet him!

A "Real" Rocker!

2008-09-02T16:31:00.002-05:00

I have discovered a video game that I am actually good at and can actually beat my older brother and my dad at!! Guitar Hero III!!! I know I probably look really funny when I am playing because I get so into the music I start dancing around. But I actually managed to beat the entire game, on easy but I usually can't even manage that! I have now made it to the challenge on the medium level but I am kinda stuck. I guess I will have to work on that more when I go back to my parents house the next time.

Nothing New!

2008-08-26T21:57:00.005-05:00

In all honesty, besides hanging with my family this weekend, life has been kind of boring. Though I can't say that this fact bothers me. It has actually been nice just to hang around the house and enjoy the peace and quite. Though I did manage to bring my total number of geocache finds up to 100 thanks to a couple of days of hunting with my dad and mom. :)
Now that I have no longer have cable I have started reading more again. Right now I am on the the second book of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. This series has me slightly baffled, not because of the story line, but because of the fact that it sucks you in and you can't put the book down! Now I have read other page turners in my day but the thing that baffles me is that I can't put my finger on what exactly makes the story so incredibly intriguing. Honestly the story line is very strange with non-human eating vampires, werewolf people, and a girl who doesn't know any better than to get her life all intertwined in the midst of it all. Yet, ask any of the teachers I work with, I swear there are at least 20 teachers at my school that have read this series or are in the process of reading them, including our one male teacher, and they will tell you these books are a great read!

Annie Get Your Gun!

2008-08-23T14:50:00.002-05:00

Last night I drove up to Joplin to see Geoff perform in Annie Get Your Gun. I didn't realize how funny the show is, I had never seen this version before. I was laughing so hard, though the funniest part was the cowboy trio. The guys were really funny but I was just cracking up at the fact that Geoff is just not meant to be a cowboy, but he was still cute up there and did a great job!

I sat through the first act in the second row. At intermission someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was named Kelly. It was Geoff's sister. So I went and sat with his entire family through the second act. After the show we went to Sonic and got some food. I really enjoyed hanging out with his family. It is not very often that you meet everyone at the same time but they were so welcoming and his two nieces were adorable. I had a great time laughing with them and can't wait to meet them again. They reminded me alot of my own family, go figure Geoff and I discover more and more each day random things we have in common. Though one thing that surprised me was how much Geoff looks like his mom! There is no way that she could ever deny that he was her child. :)

Why I Love Kindergarteners!

2008-08-20T17:12:00.001-05:00

"This was the best music class ever!"

Enthusiastically said by one of the kids leaving my class today when his teacher asked him if he like music class.

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!!

2008-08-19T21:41:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday! It was actually kind of a strange birthday since it was also the first day of school. It was actually pretty fun, every single class of students who came in all sang Happy Birthday to me. I don't think I have ever been wished Happy Birthday so many times in one day!! Then that night some of my good friends took me out to dinner at Logan's steak house. That was quite enjoyable too, I hadn't had a good steak in quite some time :)

The weirdest park of my birthday was more the weekend before my birthday rather than the actual day. I have always gone back and spent my birthday weekend with my family but because I ended up spending over 8 hours working in my classroom over the weekend I wasn't able too. I guess that is just part of getting old!

P.S. Bubba, I hope you noticed I logged all my geocaches now! Though I am still only at 88. I need to get busy and get some more caching done :)

Ready or Not Here They Come!

2008-08-15T20:01:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it is already time for school to start again. I am so not ready for kids to walk into my classroom on Monday!!! I have been working late every single day this week and my classroom is still far from being ready and I still don't have a single lesson plan ready for next week either :( I guess that means I will be at school all weekend, but it will be well worth it to get everything organized before the first day. Actually having to move in to a new room has made me extremely organized and I have been throwing so much stuff out that when I move next year it should be pretty easy! If you went into my room right now you would probably have to do a double take just to make sure it was mine because it is so organized. We will have to see just how long it stays that way!

Trading Spaces!

2008-08-13T19:55:00.003-05:00

When I was in college Trading Spaces was my favorite TV show. I would spend all day Saturday just watching episode after episode. My dad would tease me about when I would come home on breaks from college and my sister and I would watch home decorating shows for hours, because something in the house always ended up getting changed. The walls may get painted, the furniture moved around, but something always got changed.

Today I felt as though I was in an episode of Trading Spaces, only it was my own space, and I had no one there to help me. I spent hours today painting my classroom. The walls were a dirty cream color and had seem much better days. So I took upon myself to make it look more presentable and to add a bit of myself in the process. So I took and painted one wall a dark red color and the other three walls are now white. It took me the entire day just to get the walls finished, and tomorrow I am going to work on painting my cabinets, they have seen better days too. I am going to paint them all black. I have also decided that I am going to take some of the black and white photos of instruments I have taken and have them blown up to poster size and hang them in my classroom too! I don't know why but I love the black, white, and red color combination! When I get it all done I will put up some pictures.

Talking in the Rain!

2008-08-10T19:35:00.002-05:00

I don't know what it is but there are just times that I love the rain. I love to just stand there and let it pour all over me, soak through my hair, and drench my clothes. Unfortunately as I have gotten older the times I fully enjoy the rain have become few and far between. Most of the time I am busy trying to rush back and forth hurrying to get where I think I need to be and trying to still look presentable as I do so. But last night I just stood there! Of course earlier in the day I had busted out the umbrella and ran for cover when I met Geoff for dinner, but I decided to abandon it in the car as we went to the movie and I was glad I did. After the movie he walked me back to my car and we were just talking and it started sprinkling, but we just kept talking. Then it started pouring and we just kept talking. It was quite funny to see the people running to their cars and giving us strange sideways glances as we stood there, talked, and got soaking wet. It was nice to stand there with someone and not care that I was beginning to look like a drowned rat. Plus there is something kinda romantic about standing in the rain. Really it was a perfect evening and one that I will remember for a long time. :)

Always a Bridesmaid!

2008-08-09T14:10:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was 08/08/08! A few years ago I had decided that it would be really fun if I could get married on 08/08/08 because I have a ton of 8's that have randomly popped up in dates through out my entire life including my birthday. Well since I don't even have a boyfriend currently I obviously wasn't going to be getting married. So instead I decided to hold a party.

I invited several of my good girl friends and we all dressed up in old bridesmaid dresses. It was just fun to have an excuse to dress up! Then I had punch and another friend of mine even baked us a small "wedding" cake. The funny part was that he even took a cheap cake topper and cut the groom off of it! Then we played some really cheesy games that I had come up with. First I had them split into teams and gave them each a brides magazine, poster board, scissors, and a glue stick. Then they had 20 minutes to plan my wedding. It was quite funny to see what the three groups came up with. It went from getting married in Vegas and riding a camel, to getting married in an alternate universe and skinny dipping when a strange man pops out of the water, and then there was the group that got so detailed they even picked out my china pattern! We were laughing so hard it was quite entertaining. Another game we played was the the "Worst Wedding Gift Exchange." Basically it was a white elephant keeping in mind that the theme was wedding gifts. There were several very creative items though I think that funniest was the sympathy card someone stuck in with their gift! The the last thing we did was have everyone write down one word to describe what they thought my ideal man should be. That was quite funny but the gist of it ended up being that he needed to be extremely handsome, musical, meek, and my favorite, fertile!! We had such a great time, I think I am going to have to come up with more excuses to dress up in the future!

My sister, me, and my sister-in-law
The beautiful cake my friend made.
I toasted myself in the mirror and I think this picture turned out really well!
The group that decided I was getting married in an alternate universe and apparently I am wanted by many men in the universe :)
The group that got extremely detailed, all the way down to my china pattern! Though I like the idea of going to Greece for my honeymoon!
The Vegas group, which included my mom and sister-in-law which is kinda scary. Apparently I wore a red dress, the bridesmaids wore peach, and the groomsmen were aliens in pink vests! They said it was because I had to hurry up and throw everything together that I had to go with what ever they could find. Though there was a luau for the reception and apparently I wore a red bikini and then rode off on a camel!

Happy New Year!!

2008-08-07T21:47:00.002-05:00

Okay so it isn't the official new year but it was the first day back for the teachers around here. Getting ready for a new school year is always exciting and crazy but this year is quadruply so at my school. They are totally renovating our school while we are in it! They are building an entire new front to the school and then gutting the existing part of the school as well. This morning when we got there the driveway has been completly dug up and there was a good 6 inch drop you had to drive over to get in so that you could park. They are supposed to be taking care of that tomorrow at some point so hopefully it doesn't rain like today. Several of our teachers have changed grades they are teaching this year and almost everyone has had to change classrooms. When we all walked in today you couldn't tell where the classrooms were! We have an open space school right now so there are no walls only bookcases define classroom space.

My old classroom was being filled with concrete today. So finally my dream of a flat floor has come true, only I don't get to use my room because one of the kindergarten rooms ended up will them moving a wall and she lost 4ft of her class on that side, it was a tiny classroom to start with and now it is teeny tiny! So our principal asked if I would be hurt if she gave my room to the kindergarten teacher and I just stay put out in the portable. I said that was fine, and really this way I can stay in place all year and not have to move in December when everyone has to vacate the old part of the building! In the portable I finally took down all the stuff from the resource teacher who's room I ended up taking over last year when mine flooded. The walls of that building are horrible!!! So the art teacher and I have decided that even though we are only in those rooms for a year we are going to paint! Our principle is great and said that if we want to do it that's fine, plus the building will probably just be torn down in a year anyway. So I started painting one of my walls a dark red color and I think the other three are just going to be a creamy white color. I wanted to paint two of the walls red but it is going to take so many coats to paint just the one that I don't think I have the time or patience to paint two.

Tomorrow is Vertical teaming which is always interesting considering we are our own vertical team since we teach K-5. Though I think this year we are actually going to be meeting with the 6th and 7th grade music teachers too. That will be a first!

A Life of Faith amidst the Questions

2008-08-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

This morning as I was packing up and getting ready to head home from my vacation I caught an interview with Stephen Curtis Chapman's family on Good Morning America. Stephen Curtis Chapman is a Christian Musician and has 6 children, three of whom were adopted from China. A few months ago a great tragedy befell their family. Their 5 year old daughter was killed after being struck by a car in which their 17 year old son was driving. This was the first interview they have done since their daughters death. I was moved to see how honest they were about wishing they had their daughter back. His wife said that as a mother it doesn't matter how many stories about how their story has changed people's lives all she wants is her baby back. The thing that struck me the most was something Stephen said. He said that being a believer isn't about not having questions it's about keeping your faith amidst all the unanswered questions. And though they are still grieving the loss of their little girl they grieve with hope knowing that they will one day see her again in heaven.

Tonight when I went to our monthly prayer meeting at church I discovered that a the father of a family we have been reaching out to passed away this morning. Hung had come down with a very aggressive form of cancer. He had been in a coma since Monday. He had just become a believer 2 weeks ago and many of his family are not believers. Several of our people went down to the hospital yesterday and today and prayed over him. It was interesting to hear some of the questions that our own people had at the death of Hung. Many were in a mixed state of emotion knowing that Hung is in a better place and yet questioning why he had to go. There were many unanswered questions and yet no ones faith was shaken. We all know that even though this time God chose to take Hung instead of healing him doesn't mean that we stop praying for Him to heal the sick. It doesn't mean that we have any less authority in the Spirit. It just means that God is sovereign and we don't always understand everything he does. His ways are higher then our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God doesn't mind the questions we just have to be ready to not fully understand the answers some of the time and not let that shake our faith.

The Gulf Shores Adventure - The Final Chapter

2008-08-06T15:20:00.002-05:00

Home Sweet Home!! I had a great trip but I am so glad to be back home. Now I have a ton of cleaning to do cause crazy me decided to have a party on Friday night! Oh well, we had a great time wandering all over the Gulf Shores area, though we actually stated in Orange Beach most of the time. The drive wasn't too bad today. We left Tupelo at 8:30 and stopped in Memphis so Amy could pick up her car and headed in our separate ways. I was proud of myself because I managed to drive all the way from Memphis back home without stopping at all! I was just ready to be back and the idea of getting off the highway for any reason was not appealing to me, so I sucked it up and drove straight here. The drive was uneventful, though I think today must be National Mobile Home Moving Day because I passed 13 of them today. 3 of those were double wides and one was smashed to pieces in the center median of I-40.

No pictures from today, we didn't do anything exciting!

The Gulf Shores Adventure - Part 4

2008-08-05T21:45:00.002-05:00

Well we are now on the final stretch of our Gulf Shores trip. This morning we got up and got everything packed up and then headed out to go on a Dolphin Cruise. The Cruise was fun. We actually got to see quite a few dolphins and we went around the island where some of the most expensive homes in the area are located. After the cruise we stopped at a souvenir shop and I picked up my Christmas ornament. I collect them from all the different locations I go. I am still disappointed that they didn't have any at the Naval Air Museum. After our shopping trip we took the long way back to Mobile and went through a town called Fairhope. Fairhope was very beautiful and the downtown area was very busy. We stopped at a fudge shop there and had some ice cream and then hit the road. We left Fairhope at 4 and rolled into Tupelo a little after 9. We are staying the night here to help break up the drive on the way home. I am have actually been impressed by my cars gas mileage on this trip. We have averaged 32 mpg and that is going 75 to 80 most of the time. I love my little Aveo more and more! And I will really love it when it is paid off in 5 months!!!

So here are a few pictures from today's adventures!

The Gulf Shores Adventure - Part 3

2008-08-04T23:33:00.002-05:00

Today turned out to truly be an adventure! It started off with my GPS taking us on a wild goose chase to find the National Museum of Naval Aviation. It was taking us off into the boonies and I didn't know why. So after a slight argument between Amy and I we came back to the hotel to look at the map. Good thing I looked at it closely because I thought that I had sent the right info to the GPS to get us there but it was still sending us the wrong direction. On the way to the base I realized why it was sending us on this random path, I hadn't sent the north Florida maps to the GPS so it didn't know that there were any roads besides the main interstates! Needless to say we made it there without too much problem after that and it was great. Have never seen so many planes in one place! Dad I was thinking of you the whole time and how much you would enjoy it. We were there for several hours and still didn't see everything. It was quite fascinating and there was even a couple different flight simulators but we didn't do them.
After the museum we stopped by Shake's for some ice cream, I didn't know they had Shake's this far south! Then we went and spent another hour and a half down by the pool. It was so nice to soak in the last few rays of sun that I will get this summer since I have to report back to school on Thursday!
At about 5 we came back up and took showers, ate dinner, and got dressed to go out. Before we went out we went down and took some fun pictures on the beach. Then we headed out to Lulu's. Lulu's was so much fun! Since we were just getting drinks we went straight to the bar and skipped the hour and a half wait for a table. I had one of the best strawberry margaritas I have ever had and Amy and I split a drink called the Jet Ski Killer. It was blue and coconutty. It was really yummy! After that we headed home and were back at the condo by 10. Yes, I know I am getting old.
I am kinda sad that we have to leave tomorrow. I will definitely miss having a balcony overlooking the ocean and the nice Alabama nights. Though, I do miss my kitties so I will be glad to see them when I get back!

And here are a few pics from today's adventures.

The Gulf Shores Adventure - Part 2.5

2008-08-03T22:55:00.002-05:00

Tonight I learned a few things. That Proud Mary is really hard to sing Karaoke, that Amy and I are getting old, and that my spray sunscreen didn't get the back of my legs! Amy decided that we needed to go out and sing Karaoke tonight, believe it or not I have never sang Karaoke before. I stared at the crazy book for at least 30 minutes and couldn't decide what to sing. I don't do well in choosing when I have so many choices, plus I couldn't find a song that I felt comfortable enough to get up and sing in front of people. I guess the performer in me wants to get up there and do it right and not just fumble through. Amy finally convinced me to get up and sing Proud Mary with her. We did great until it got to the fast part and we forgot the melody, what I feared would happen, but we had a great time anyway. Then at 9:30 we both decided that we were tired and it was time to go home, the tell tell sign that we are both turning into old farts! Also I discovered the areas I missed with my spray on sunscreen today and it happens to be the back of my thighs up near by my butt. Really, it isn't too bad but this is the first time I have ever pretty much burned my butt! Tomorrow we are going to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, then more time on the beach, and tomorrow night we are going to a place called Lulu's which is owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister.

The Gulf Shores Adventure - Part 2

2008-08-03T18:10:00.003-05:00

As I was laying on the beach today I realized this is the first time I have been at a beach and did nothing else but lay in the sun all day! It was wonderful to just lay there and do nothing at all. I have also decided that if I had a balcony and the weather was always this nice you would never get me off of it. I am currently sitting on the balcony right now enjoying the cool breeze coming off of the water. The only downfall I have found thus far is that since we are on the gulf the sunsets behind a bunch of buildings instead of over the water.

Anyway here are a few pics from this amazing trip thus far.

The view from our balcony. Isn't it amazing!

Amy chillin' on the beach.

Me chillin' on the beach.

Amy playing in the water.

Me playing in the water. As you can tell the water is pretty rough so I didn't stay in long.

Well Amy is in cooking dinner so I better get in there and help.

The Gulf Shores Adventure - Part 1

2008-08-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

After 12 1/2 hours behind the wheel of a car I am finally in Gulf Shores! Today was pretty uneventful. Though there are a few things that I noted along the way. First is that a fire on the trailer of a semi carrying a load of cars is pretty cool looking! On I-40 in Arkansas I saw just that, all of the cars from the middle back were completely burned! The second is that Mississippi is nothing but pine trees and very little of anything else!! We drove almost 300 miles in Mississippi and you couldn't tell the difference in the first 100 and the last 100 it all looks the same!! Third is the fact that in Mississippi nothing is close to the highway. We had to drive several miles off the highway to stop every time! Fourth is that GPS's are the best invention ever! It was such a life saver and made the trip so much easier. Lastly is that for long vacations you should always rent a condo instead of staying in a hotel. We are staying in a condo and it is so nice! We have so much space with our own full kitchen and a wonderful balcony that overlooks the beach! We also have a free wireless connection in our place too! I haven't taken any pictures yet since it was already dark when we got here but I will put some up tomorrow for sure!

Itunes is Annoying Me!

2008-08-01T22:34:00.002-05:00

I decided that I would download an audio book so that I could take it with me in the car and listen on my way long drive tomorrow. Well I decided to get Ted Dekker's book Black to listen too. I have wanted to start the series so I figured it would be a good way to start. So I got it downloaded but that is where the frustration has begun. For some reason Itunes won't allow you to burn an audio book to an MP3 CD format. My car's CD player would play it just fine but Itunes will only burn it to Audio CD's so now instead of having it all on one CD I have to have it on 12! This is just stupid. I know, it would save me time and energy if I just had an Ipod to put it on, but amazingly enough I am not one of the drones that own one! I do have an MP3 player but I can't figure out how to get it on there in a format where it will play them!! If only Rhapsody had audio books, I would be a happy camper instead of a tired frustrated one!

On the Road Again!

2008-08-01T22:22:00.002-05:00

Well today was my last day at my summer job. It has been a challenging summer and I still haven't totally made up my mind as to whether or not I am going to be back next summer, but I know I am going to miss those kids whether I come back or not. Today we ended up making soap, and play dough, and gooey gunk, and homemade pretzels. I don't have any pictures because my hands were covered in gunk but the kids had a great time and we made big mess. Though I think if I am there next summer we will do more of these activities, just spread out over the summer and not just in one day! We also went swimming today and managed to make it through the entire time without someone pooping in the pool. It seemed to be becoming a trend every time we went swimming because it happened 3 different times this year! I was beginning to wonder if it was one of our kids.

Now I am off to Gulf Shores, Alabama tomorrow and catching a few days of laying around on the beach and sight seeing. I am so excited about going on a dolphin cruise one day! There is a wireless connection at the place we are staying so I will be updating with some great pictures!

To Be a Teenager Again!!

2008-07-31T20:56:00.004-05:00

After spending Tuesday and Wednesday with a bunch of teenagers in Branson I am 100% sure that I never want to be a teenager again! Honestly we had a ton fun and I had a great time with the girls in my group. They have been a part of the camp for the last four years I have been there so I have gotten to watch them grow up.

Teenagers are at such a place in their life that I do not envy. Having to figure out how to pave your own path in this world, desiring freedom that comes with growing up but still needing the guidance of the adults around you. My teenage years were hard enough and I had a great home life and amazing supportive parents. Too many of my kids in the summer come from broken homes, mixed homes, and places that just are not positive environments. I pray that the little time I spend with these kids makes a lasting impact on their lives. If I can just show them a small glimpse of true love that comes only from Jesus maybe that will be enough to help guide them on the right path.

Tuesday and Wednesday we spent at Celebration City and Silver Dollar City. We had a great time riding rides and seeing a few shows. The kids all look forward to the trip every year and the adults all dread the planning, but we all have a wonderful time in the end. We are all exhausted but it is well worth the time and frustration when you see the big smiles on all of their faces. Many of them would never have the opportunity to get to go to places like these so it is a great blessing to be able to take them. We even got to dance in the rain about 45 minutes before we left the park.

In the News!

2008-07-28T09:15:00.003-05:00

I am never in the newspaper and yet now I have made it twice this year! In yesterdays paper there was a full page layout all about Lifesource and our Kids Camp program! You should check it out here and you can actually see me in the pictures this time :)

The World's Most Expensive Free Cat!

2008-07-25T21:27:00.002-05:00

I have determined that I now have the world's most expensive free cat. Since I took him in as a stray I never imagined that he would end up costing me thousands of dollars in vet bills! Boaz went back to the vet today for some more testing. They wanted to collect some more urine for a urine culture. I am not sure what it is but it cost me 200 dollars and the results won't be back for a week or so. Though he has been back to his old self. Busy playing and begging for food. The vet was even surprised to hear him purring when they were petting him. I guess he is getting used to being there, even though he took off under the bed this morning as soon as he saw me get his carrier out. Hopefully everything will be clear and this whole fiasco will be over! I have now spent a grand total of 1900 dollars on him since June. Oh well, it's just money and Boaz is like my baby so I have to make sure he is okay.

Celebrity Status

2008-07-23T22:56:00.002-05:00

Being a teacher there are moments in which you seem to be some what of a celebrity. These moments often occur when you least expect them. Like you are wondering down the grocery aisle, trying to figure out if you have forgotten anything, and you are seemingly attacked from behind in a big hug from one of your students. Then there are the moments when they spot you from across the store and then feel the need to yell out your name and wave like a crazy person so that the whole store knows exactly who you are and that the child knows you. Though my personal favorite is the sly look from around the side of a basket or parents leg that says "I know you but your aren't supposed to be here.

Being the music teacher these moments are always a bit awkward for me. I have over 500 kids that come through my room every week so if I can actually call the child by name that is a small miracle. But the most awkward part of it all is that look you get from the parents. They kind of glare at you as if to say "Why does my child know you and why don't I know you?" Now I do know some parents but 99% of parents the only time they see me is if they come to one of our performances. So I have to quickly introduce myself and and say I am the music teacher and then the scary glare goes away.

Tonight I went out with a fellow teacher of mine and of course we ran into one of the kids that go to our school. Now my friend didn't have this little girl in her class but she was one of those kids that knows everyone. So as soon as the girl saw my friend she had to say hi. She was so excited to see two teachers together that she told on of the guys working at the restaurant that she knew the two of us. Then the most lovely moment of them all was as we were walking out the door you hear from all the way across the room my name being called and a little girl waving good bye. Of course half the restaurant turned to see who she was saying good bye too. So I politely waved and headed out the door.

I guess being a teacher is the closest to being a celebrity I will ever get!

Random Quirks!

2008-07-22T22:38:00.002-05:00

Today I was reminded of how random I am at times. I get so easily distracted from things that I am often doing bits and pieces of several things at one time and yet can find myself in the middle of it all having no clue what I needed to get done in the first place.

Earlier tonight I started out printing some photos out to hang on my wall. But I got distracted by checking my e-mail because it is what I automatically do when I get on a computer. Then I was thirsty and ended up getting distracted by doing dishes which lead to me putting something in the pantry and realizing I needed to do laundry. So I started a load of laundry and started putting away the clean close when I went into the bathroom and got distracted by cleaning out the litter box. Of course then I had to take out the trash and when I came back in I couldn't remember what I had started doing in the first place. As you might have guess I then saw the computer laying there and remembered that I wanted to print out the pictures. (This all sounds a bit like a "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book)

Once I got the pictures printed and put in frames it came time to put them on the wall and another of my random quirks came out. I would never call myself a perfectionist and I doubt anyone I know would ever come up with that word if they were asked to describe me. In fact I told someone just today that I am far from being a perfectionist, yet as I was hanging my pictures I had to make sure they were exactly in teh right place on the wall. I spent over an hour and put many different holes in the wall to get them exactly where i wanted them. I even sat down and talked on the phone to two different friends and it was driving me crazy that one of the photos wasn't exactly lined up how I wanted it so I went back and moved it again! I sat here and worried about getting those all perfect and yet the rest of my house is a total disaster area right now! I am so weird sometimes. But my collection of flower photos that I have taken looks really good on the wall now :)

What A Summer!

2008-07-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

This summer has defiantly been a very interesting one. To add to all the drama that has occurred I ended up getting my wallet stolen last Friday when I was with the kids at the swimming pool. Have I mentioned I am not a big fan of drama? The good news is that someone found my wallet later Friday night in the creek that is near the pool and only the cash had been taken, of course that was after I spent all afternoon canceling all my cards, transferring my money to a new bank account, and getting a new drivers license.

I can't say that I will be sad when this summer is over. Though there have been some big challenges there have also been some amazing moments. Honestly I wouldn't change a single thing that has happened this summer. I have learned so much about God's grace and faithfulness this summer. I have had to rely on Him more this summer than any other time that I can remember. As always He has been faithful to see me through and has been right by my side the entire time.

One wonderful thing about this summer has been all the time I have gotten to spend with my family. I went back to my parents house again Friday night since it was the last night my brother and his family was going to be in town. Every time I am with them I am reminded of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family and we all like each other! When we get together we are far from a quite bunch but there is always a ton of laughter and alot of fun!

The whole gang!

A Family Affair!!

2008-07-16T21:42:00.004-05:00

This weekend I was back in Oklahoma, surprise, surprise! Actually one of my brothers friends wanted to know when I was going to buy a summer home there since I spend almost every weekend in the summer back home :) It was a wonderful weekend full of fun.

Saturday morning was spent biking with my brother and sister-in-law. I actually rode over 13 miles. Which for serious riders is just a drop in the bucket but it is the farthest I have ever ridden! Then I spent all Saturday afternoon backing a blackberry cobbler, which I have now perfected, and a peach cobbler for a party we went to that evening. At the party my lovely niece displayed her great will power when she decided she wasn't going to swallow a bite of baked beans she had in her mouth. She held it there for over and hour! Even under the threat of not going swimming if she spit it out. Needless to say her will power won and she spit it out but she didn't get to go swimming. I don't quite understand the whole concept of holding food in your mouth if you don't like it but I suppose to a three year old it makes sense. Saturday night I went and helped my sister bake cupcakes for my nephews birthday party.

Sunday we had my nephews first birthday party and the entire family was there. My brother who lives in Georgia had gotten in Saturday night so there were 14 of us just from my side not counting my brother-in-laws mom, dad, sister, and best friend. We had a great time with the baseball themed party. We even had peanuts and cracker jacks to go with our baseball cupcakes. I think the adults and older kids had more fun playing with my nephews new toys then he did! After that most of us went back to my parents house and went swimming! It was great to spend some time with my older nephews, who I don't get to see very often.
The Spread!

Open Wide!!

My oldest and youngest nephews!

My other nephew!

Monday I babysat my one year old nephew all day. We had alot of fun, and that was the first time I have ever just hung out with him. He really is a pretty laid back kid though he loves to climb on everything! Monday night everyone except for one of my sister-in-laws were back at my parents house. The entertainment for the night was creating aliens out of goo and watching my brother play Wall-e on the PlayStation 3. For a kids game it is really hard!!!

Of course through the whole weekend there was a ton of laughing and being loud! There is nothing quite about my family especially when we are all together like that. It was so wonderful and I was kinda sad when I had to come back home Monday night. It was quite a change going from being around 14 people to being home by myself. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to be able to spend so much time with them and still want to be around them!

In other news I took Boaz back to the vet and all of his tests were clear. So hopefully with his new diet and making sure he stays out of any other food we are now out of the woods!!

My Kids!

2008-07-15T20:21:00.003-05:00

My last post was about how frustrating my job can be at times. Though the last few days I have been reminded about why I put up with all the frustration and come back every year. It is so rewarding to know that you are making a difference in someones life. And getting your quota of hugs everyday doesn't hurt either. :)

Friday we took our kids trout fishing at a local state park. The park ropes off a specific hole for the kids and then stocks it with fish so that most of them actually get the opportunity to catch one. About 75% of our kids got the catch a fish and we had about 10 that caught a fish for the very first time. The kids were so excited every time they pulled one out. I was just glad I didn't have to touch them :)

Today we took the kids to the dollar movie. As we were walking in one of our 12 year olds said that this was the first time she had ever been to a movie theater. Many of our kids don't get the opportunity to do things that I take for granted every day.

Though half the time I feel as though I am battling disrespctfulness, bad attitudes, and general preteen behavior, it is worth it when you catch those random smiles!

Frustration!!!

2008-07-08T19:11:00.004-05:00

The only thing more frustrating than 50 kids who won't listen to anything you have to say is 1 parent, who doesn't have any idea of how hard you work everyday, and thinks they can do your job better than you can! Today was very stressful and I was about ready to walk out at one point. The kids were so talkative and won't get quite no matter what we did. I even made them all eat lunch in silence and still had 13 kids have to sit out from recess because they couldn't be quite. Then of course our kids that generally have a bad attitude multiplied it by 20 times and refused to do anything!! And then to top off my stressful day, after working 9 1/2 hours mind you, I had a parent who decided to let me know that I have a bad staff and that I am not doing my job because her son, who never tells the teachers what is going on, has had some kids picking on him this summer. And of course the fact that all of the incidents that I knew about had been addressed I wasn't doing enough because what I had no clue had happened hadn't been addressed! Oh and the fact that our website says that there is tutoring and basically all we do are worksheets every morning isn't enough for her. I told her that I am one teacher with one other adult, 40 children in 4 different grades, all at about 10 different levels of ability, and that I am doing all I can. Then she told me that there are plenty of people out there looking for hours to tutor kids and volunteer. I told her we try but to find people who can and are willing to commit all summer is practically impossible. Then she had the nerve to say that she has tons of connections and can get a lot of people to volunteer but she didn't know that we needed people.

Honestly, most of the time I love my job. I would miss the kids if I didn't work in the summer. But I don't appreciate people telling me that they can do my job better when they haven't even spent 15 minutes in my shoes. Really even if they have been around elementary kids before this group is very different in that 70% of them would have already been kicked out from any other program and they are the ones that need us the most.

I Did It!!

2008-07-07T21:27:00.003-05:00

I finally managed to find a bike rack to fit on my car and best of all I figured out how to get it on my car!!! I even managed to get my bike on without too much difficulty. I even took it on the highway and my bike stayed on!! It was great to be able to go riding somewhere other then around my apartment. Now I just have to get my computer on it so I know how fast and far I have gone and I will be all set to go. I also bought some actual biking shorts and a riding shirt today which made the ride much more comfy!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-06T12:24:00.008-05:00

Thought you would like a little taste of our family 4th celebration! We had a great time sitting out by the pool and watching my brother and dad setting off all the fireworks. This was our "finale!" If you listen closely you can here my brother-in-law and mom providing us with their own rendition of "Stars and Stripes Forever." I didn't say it was a pretty rendition :)

Another Layout!

2008-07-04T22:34:00.005-05:00

It's a miracle I managed to get more than one layout done today! I have been wanting to do a layout with this picture for a couple of weeks now but finally got around to it. I guess downloading freebies everyday does pay off occasionally. :)

credits to Vicki at A Work in Progress from the Beach Towel Kit

Hobby Time!

2008-07-04T15:02:00.005-05:00

It seems as though the last few months I have been so busy that I haven't had time to sit down and scrapbook. And the time I have had to spend on scrabooking I have spent downloading freebies for scrapbooking. It almost seems as though my hobby has become downloading freebies instead! However, today I have been able to spend some time actually scrapbooking. I took some of our pictures from our blackberry picking yesterday and created this.

credits to Vicki at A Work in Progress from her berrylicious kit!

Boaz, Blackberries, and Big Splash!

2008-07-03T21:46:00.003-05:00

Today I have been a busy "b" :) I called the vet this morning to check on Boaz. They said that he has been very irritable and that is a sign of good health. They said he has been going to the bathroom well again but wondered if he has a specific type of litter he liked to use because he kept throwing all of his out of the box and going on the towel they have in there with him. So looks like everything is going to be okay. Though I thought it was pretty funny when the vet said he didn't see how I could pill him by myself because it took himself and the male assistant to hold him down to give Boaz his medication today. So I am pretty impressed with myself :)

We got up really early this morning and went blackberry picking. It was so much fun! We each got a bucket and then went out and started picking. We discovered that having a three year old along with you is quite handy because they can see all the low berries everyone else missed. We ended up with a little over 3 quarts of berries. This evening my two nieces helped me make a blackberry cobbler that was extremely delicious.

After lunch we headed out to Big Splash for some fun. The girls had a blast playing in the kiddie pool and loved the three slides. Joseph didn't quite know what to think about it all and got surprised by a wave in the wave pool when it splashed him right in the face.

All of the craziness today has worn me out but lead to some great photos! For some reason I can't upload right now but I will try and get some new pics up tomorrow :)

Back To The Vet :(

2008-07-02T14:10:00.002-05:00

Well Boaz is back at the vet today. He is going to be there till Monday now simply because of the holiday weekend. Last night I noticed he was having trouble using the bathroom again and was growling and hissing every time he went. So I called the vet this morning and they said to bring him back in. Right now they are going to watch him the next 24 hours, put him back on the meds he just came off of yesterday, and give him fluids. I have no clue how much this round is going to cost. The vet mentioned that if he keeps getting blocked up like this then he will need a special surgery. The surgery basically bypasses his boy parts and creates a new hole in which he can relive himself. In short they turn him into a girl. How many people do you know have a trans-gender cat?? If he has to have this surgery then I will most likely have to take him to a university of veterinary medicine and have a board certified surgeon perform the procedure. I am really praying that we can control this with medication cause I don't know how I will afford the surgery.

Come On!!!

2008-07-01T18:32:00.002-05:00

It has been such a beautiful day that I was planning on putting my bike rack on the car and going for a ride. I was all prepared to figure out how to get the bike rack on and get bike all hooked up. I read through the instructions and then took a look at the compatibility list. To my dismay there was a little N next to the make of my car, meaning the rack I had purchased was not going to fit my car. :( I so wanted to go and ride on one of the trails but they are too far away to just ride too. So I guess I am going to be riding around here for a while still, maybe my brother can help me get one this weekend while I am in Tulsa.

A Great Discovery!

2008-06-30T21:10:00.002-05:00

Today I went to Petsmart to see if I could find something to assist in giving Boaz his medication. It has been so hard to give him his meds and I haven't found anything that he would eat with the medication mixed in it, I even tried tuna. Well, as I was wondering through all the cat products I didn't find anything. They had the pill hider treats but I am afraid to use those since eating anything besides his own cat food could cause him to form crystals in his urine again, which was the cause of the whole problem. As I wondered down the kitty treats isle I thought to myself, why don't they make a kitty treat just for cats with urinary tract problems. Something told me to go and look at the medicine isle one more time. Lo and behold there were treats there specially made for urinary tract health!! And they even contain Glucosamine which is what Boaz will have to take for the rest of his life! The best part is that he actually likes to eat them. I was even able to hide his pills in them and he took it without a fuss!! Thank you Nutri-Vet for making Uri-Ease, it has been a life saver for me.

Motivation???

2008-06-29T22:19:00.003-05:00

Why is it that some days you get out of bed ready to go, you are ready to face whatever may come your way and get things accomplished. Then other days you wake up and don't want to move, the most you are motivated to do is go to the couch and watch a movie.

Today was one of those "other" days for me. I don't know why but I wasn't motivated to do much of anything today. I sat on the couch and watched Fiddler on the Roof and then even practiced the piano, which I never do. I messed around on the computer for a while and then finally forced myself to hang my curtains in my room.

I really didn't even want to go to church, simply because I didn't want to get ready for church. But I went and it was great! We worshiped for an hour which was amazing and we had a recurring theme through different words people gave about the importance of worship and how spending time just worshiping was just as important as going out and serving people if not more important. After church I went for a bike ride, and I finally managed to put away all my clothes. But really I am still not motivated to do house work even though my apartment has been in a total state of disaster since I have moved in! I just don't know where to put anything any more.

Here are a few pictures of my new curtains. I love them! The great part is that they are actually shower curtains but they were so cute, half the price of the curtains I was looking at, and I think they look perfect as regular curtains!

Here is a close up of the pattern. For some reason I am really into dark browns right now.

P.S. Boaz is doing well. We are still going round and round with the pills, I have even tried to hide them in a hot dog and he just eats around it!! I don't know what to do. I might call the vet tomorrow and see if they have any ideas.

Not My Idea Of Fun!

2008-06-28T21:00:00.001-05:00

Having to give a cat 8 different pills a day is not my idea of fun. Especially when the cat is having a bladder problem and when you try to hold him down he pees on you! I tried hiding it in his food but then he won't eat the food. And I can't hide it anything else because he can't eat anything besides his food!!! I am not going to have much fun having to give him 2 pills a day for the rest of his life either. But at least I still have him around and that is worth every minute!

My Baby Is HOME!!!

2008-06-27T16:06:00.003-05:00

I got pick up Boaz today! The vet called around 10:30 and said he had been eating well and going to the bathroom on his own. His urine is still pink in color but they said that could take some time to heal up. He is now on 4 different medications that I have to give him at different times through out the day for the next two weeks and he has prescription food that he will always have to eat. The vet said that he wants to do a full work up on him again in 2 weeks. There is probably permanent damage to his kidneys but the kidneys can still function at 50% and he will be alright. The vet said that he was really a miracle kitty because with what his blood work looked like when he came in most animals would have been dead. I'm am so glad he is back home, cause I don't think I could have handled losing him, especially after the month June i have had. It has been a very interesting month to say the least.

A Good Day!

2008-06-26T19:06:00.003-05:00

I went to see Boaz after my class today. His blood work is finally normal and they took the catheter out but they couldn't get him to eat or use the bathroom by himself. So I took him into an empty room and loved on him, he started purring and loving on me. I put some food in my hand and he started eating right away. He ended up eating about an 1/8 of a cup of food. Then they brought in his litter box. I looked at him and told him that he wasn't going to be able to come home until he used the litter box, then I pushed it over next to him. He looked at me and looked at the litter box, then he climbed in. He sat in there for quite a while and only went a little bit but he went! The vet said that he still has some blood in his urine so they would have to keep him overnight and keep him on fluids. But as long as he eats and uses the bathroom on his own he will get to come home tomorrow!!!

More On Boaz!

2008-06-25T17:13:00.002-05:00

Well I picked him up this morning from the emergency clinic and took him directly to my vet. They said that it looks like he will be there for 3 or 4 days because they are going to have to watch him very closely. I was relived to know that the nurse that has been caring for him used to work in a place where he took care of cats with blockages all the time. When I talked to him this afternoon he said that the PH of his urine had come down and that his urine was starting to clear up but was still bloody. They are still really watching all of different levels of stuff in his blood because there is a chance that he could crash and they are really watching his kidneys making sure they are starting to function more normally. Needless to say, I have spent 1100 dollars on my cat in the last 24 hours. I am so thankful that I work in the summer.

In other news, this week I have been taking a class the last few days. It is call Music and Children's Literature. It has been very interesting and quite enjoyable. Today we spent 2 hours just doing different drumming activities, which now makes me want to buy a whole set of drums for my classroom. Though I did discuss the possibility of writing a grant next year with the other music teachers in our district and seeing if we couldn't buy a set that we could send around to all of the different schools during the year so that we could all benefit from it. I have also found more adorable books that I want to purchase for next year! I am loving this class and it is really motivating me to get busy and start planning activities for next school year!

Boaz Update!

2008-06-25T00:02:00.003-05:00

Well I was so busy today that I didn't even get home until 9:30 tonight. When I got home Boaz was laying in the bathroom and I couldn't really even get him to stand up. So I called the Animal Emergency Clinic and took him in. The vet finally came in to see me about 11 and said that he has a blockage in his urinary tract so his bladder his pretty much stretched to the max and that toxins are building up in his body. His temperature was 97 which is 3 to 5 degrees below where a cat normally runs. So needless to say, he is at the emergency clinic all night, they are running tests and putting in a catheter. I have to go pick him up before 7 in the morning and then take him to his regular vet to be monitored all day. I must love my kitties alot cause it is costing me 600 at the emergency clinic and then I will have to pay for him to be at the vet tomorrow too. Thank goodness I work in the summer!!

I just got a call and the vet said that she was amazed at how well he looked on the physical exam because his tests came back pretty bad. They got the catheter to go in but all the urine being drained out looked pretty much like pure blood. Some number in his blood test that is normally supposed to be around 30 was over 140 and the test only goes to 140. And his potassium level which should be a 4 was 8.6 and they said that at 7 it could actually stop their heart. So they gave him some drugs to help bring that down and have given him something else to protect his heart. She said that he is resting comfortably and they will be watching him closely all night. She said to be prepared for him to have to stay at the vets for a few days as they watch for all the levels to come back to normal and I will probably have to have him on an even more specific diet and figure out how to keep him out of Ruth's food from now on so this doesn't happen again.

Poor Kitty :(

2008-06-23T21:52:00.002-05:00

Do cat's get stomach bugs? Boaz didn't really eat dinner last night and today he has thrown up 4 different time. This last time there was nothing in his stomach for him to throw up. He has just been hiding in the corner of my closet most of the night and it feels like he is running a fever. I am going to call the vet tomorrow I guess and take him in cause I don't what is wrong. :( It makes me sad to see my baby sick.

Interesting Day!

2008-06-22T20:04:00.002-05:00

This has defiantly been a very interesting day. First I went to church with a friend of mine. Which doesn't seem interesting except for the fact that I have been friends with this guy for a year and a half and this was the first time we have ever met in person! I really had a great time and then we went to eat at one of my favorite places afterward, Acambarro! After that I came home and did some reorganizing so that I could try and unpack some more, so that was pretty uninteresting. Though I did find several old letters from friends that were pretty funny. Then I went to church that was pretty usual, however we took a break between worship and the message and I ate some fresh raspberries and a brownie. About 15 minutes into the talk the palms of my hands started itching, then the soles of my feet, and before I knew it my whole body was itching and I was starting to break out in hives! Never in my entire life have I had an allergy to any food, and I have eaten raspberries before and this has never happened. Needless to say I sat there for 30 minutes praying that Jack would hurry up and end his message so that I could go home to get some benadryl. Though by the time the service was finished I was itching so bad that I ran out and went to Walgreens just down the street and bought more Benadryl. Thank goodness it has worked! I still have some hives but no more itching. I don't know if it was actually the raspberries or something that might have been on them. My mom suggested that I wait a week and try some more raspberries and see if it was the berry or something else. I am telling you allergic reactions like that are not fun at all!!! So that was my interesting day, and I have a feeling I will be hitting the bed early tonight since I have now been drugged!

Happy Birthday Janae!

2008-06-21T23:01:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrated Janae's 3rd Birthday. It was great fun! We pretty much just had family, grilled, and then swam for hours. I was in the pool for over 5 hours today, which I haven't done in a very loooooong time. Then we played playstation for a while too! We discovered today that splash bombs are the best water toy ever invented and are great fun for all ages! My sister and I ganged up on my older brother and had a water fight with the splash bombs, my dad even got in on the fun later. Yet, they even entertained my 11 month old nephew who liked chewing on the tag :)

A Word From My Niece!

2008-06-20T21:47:00.003-05:00

I am at my parent's house tonight and my niece Kallie is staying the night too! She wanted to write on Aunt Kelly's blog so here is her message in her own words, I am typing of course.

Funny faces, I make funny faces. Wiggle, wiggle like this. I love my Aunt Kelly. Sky up high. Playing games like this. Grandpa is playing games. Letter, we count letters. I have fun at Aunt Kelly's. I use the one (keyboard) on my little computer that plays games.

The total randomness of a 3 year old! And now she wants to type.

pkjhjkkjp'jpouhkhpojklhyyhltl;.jj;lpnhbl;knhh
[lgh;kgfpokpgoipgf[jfi gohjofhjcfp vhjvh kknhpghingo hpgifphg fgj hjgkhjiohhnkm;hjknhhnjkjkbhljngkhljkghlvmnjvhkljmnhvvvvvjkhlnhbkbnlmjjjjjjjjbmmhmjkmmbjj//// mmm, bbbbbbbmn nm bbm bv, .nnmgkl;;k;fkmlg;d 'fooofkkgofpkflxbvkjklfgjldtj;oidkgl;tdrhklfkbhgldxnklcgpofk

Tri-athlete?

2008-06-20T21:33:00.002-05:00

Okay so I am far from being a tri-athlete but I kinda feel like it after this last two days. Yesterday I went for a bike ride. Then today I ran about 10 times up and down a soccer field racing kids. After that I walked 2 miles around the park while the kids all played. Then we went to the Jones center where I swam 8 laps, okay so according to the lifeguard it was only 4 laps but I think every time you hit one side it should count instead of going down and back. Needless to say I have been very active the last two days and I have a feeling I am going to be feeling it tomorrow!

The Naturals and Bike Riding!

2008-06-19T20:12:00.003-05:00

Well it was back to work today! We took 70 kids to the Naturals baseball game today. The kids actually did pretty well but having 70 kids and only 9 adults really makes for a busy day. I pretty much only watched one inning of the 10 inning game, they lost to Tulsa 4 to 2. The main thing is that the kids had a great time and most of them had never been to a baseball game before!

When I got home I decided to finally take my new bike for a spin. It was nice and I was amazed at how easy it was to ride even with all the hills around here. I ended up riding down past the Naturals baseball stadium which ended up being somewhere around 5 miles total I think. I haven't put my wireless computer on yet so I don't know how far it was exactly.

Here are a few pics from all the fun today.

I look so sexy in my bike riding get up don't I! :)

Eerily Quite

2008-06-18T18:53:00.004-05:00

The girls just left and now it is eerily quite around the house. I must admit I am glad that I will be able to get some things done with unpacking again, but I already miss them :( It has been so nice the last few days to have them around. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with those two and it made me feel special to know that even though they haven't seen their parents for 4 days they still wanted to stay at Aunt Kelly's house.

I was contemplating the other night on how God works things out. If I had been the one to plan out my life then I surely wouldn't be almost 28 and still single. I would be married with at least two kids of my own right now. However, if I had had things my way I wouldn't have the awesome relationship with my nieces that I do. You know being single isn't bad it's just different and that's okay. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Enough mushy stuff! On to today's pictures! The girls actually slept in this morning. Janae got up at 9 and Kallie didn't get out of bed until 10:30! It was nice but because they slept so late we weren't able to go to the dollar movie. Then we went in search of the blueberry farm only to find out that they were closed today because the berries needed to ripen some more. We tried to find another one that was listed online but apparently they have gone out of business. So instead we stopped at a roadside stand and bought blueberries and grapes. Then we went to Cold Stone Creamery and had ice cream! It was a great end to a wonderful time with my two nieces.

I promise they were having a good time though by this photo you might question that!

Another Full Day!

2008-06-17T20:56:00.004-05:00

Well we didn't make it to pick blueberries or see a movie today. Though we did go to the library, played at the park, visited Lifesource, ate and played at Chick-fil-a, and played at the Wilson park castle. And, Praise the Lord, my computer is finally fixed!! Since we had to wait on the Dell guy this afternoon we pretty much just hung out here and the girls entertained themselves. And tonight it is just now 9, baths have been taken, and we are heading to bed! I will probably wake up in the morning with two little girls on either side of me again:) This morning I woke up before either one of them but had to lay there until I finally decided it was time for us all to get up cause I knew if I moved at all they would be awake too.

Here are a few pics from today. Tomorrow the plan is to go blueberry picking and catch the dollar movie at 10, but we will see what actually happens tomorrow. You never know what will happen when there are two three year olds thrown in the mix!

At the library we went to a concert and they got to play the egg shakers!

Of course they both love to look at books!

They had a great time playing at the castle too!

Busy, Busy Day!

2008-06-16T22:21:00.003-05:00

This has been a very busy day and I have defiantly gained a new respect for single moms for sure! The girls have been great and we have had a ton of fun but man am I worn out! Today we waited for the Dell guy to fix my computer, which is still broke and he has to come again tomorrow, then we went to the store, went to the park, came home ate lunch, baked cookies, played around the house, took a nap, put together a set of drawers, played musical instruments, ate dinner, finger painted, took a bath, and now we are watching a movie. Yes, it is 10:30 and they are still awake!!! I am amazed at how well they have played together and we really haven't had any major melt downs which is great! Here are a few pics from our event filled day. Tomorrow we are off to pick blueberries, go to the library, visit the kids at Lifesource, and maybe go see a movie!

Sleeping Beauties

2008-06-15T23:02:00.003-05:00

Most people would think I am slightly insane to volunteer to take on two three year old for four days. Okay, Janae won't be three till next week but close enough. But, I love these two so much and we are going to have so much fun! Today I brought them over with me from Tulsa and went straight to church. Everyone thought they were so polite and well behaved. They are pretty sweet as long as they aren't tired :) Then we took a trip to Wal-Mart and headed back to the apartment. They played for a while as I got the car and groceries unloaded and then me made a pallet on the floor and started watching Flo the Lyin' Fly. They both passed out during the movie so I had to take a picture of them.

I suppose I should head to bed cause I know they will be waking me up early! And we have a ton of fun things planned this week, including blueberry picking, playing at the park, swimming, and going to feed the ducks!

Lost Valley

2008-06-13T22:33:00.002-05:00

Today we took almost 70 kids to hike at Lost Valley. It was amazing! The kids had a great time as well as the adults. I think this is the best group of kids that we have had at Lifesource in the last 4 years that I have been a part of it.

Lost Valley has to be one of the best short hiking trails around. There is so much to see and do! We were on the trail for about 2 hours and didn't even get to go up to the cave because the kids were having so much fun looking at everything else. I have put a few pictures of us all in here.

I must admit it was a bit of a weird day because alot of it made me think of Jeremy. We were supposed to go hiking there this weekend together. But God is good and everything is in his hands, honestly I had an amazing time with my kids and wouldn't have it any other way. :) The other good thing that I realized today is that it is okay if I end up being single the rest of my life and never have my own children. I have hundreds of children every year that I am pouring my life into and I love them all! I know that I am making a difference and that is all that matters. I am completely fulfilled doing exactly what God has called me to do.

The Necessary Evil

2008-06-12T19:12:00.002-05:00

I think that computers are one of those things that are a necessary evil. I know that I wouldn't be able to survive without a computer that is for sure. And the one that I just bought back in January has now died. Thank the Lord for 3 year in home warranty because the replacement of the LCD screen and possibly the mother board are all covered and won't cost me anything and they will come to me to fix it I don't have to ship my computer off anywhere!

You may be wondering how on earth I can blog if my computer has died. Well I also thank the Lord for school laptops! I have to bring it home over the summer so I still have my connection to the outside world even though it is as slow as molasses! So don't worry all my very amusing stories shall not be stopped by crappy technology :)

In other news Kids camp started this week. I am totally exhausted from working 9 to 10 hours a day. I didn't get off till 6:30 tonight because we were busy getting all of the paper work in order for our field trip tomorrow. Though I am totally pumped about the field trip because we are going to Lost Valley and hiking. I have wanted to go there for a while and had planned on going with Jeremy. But this is going to be sooooo much better!!!! I get to take 70 kids to see the waterfalls. Though we aren't going to have a chance to go into the cave because we will only have 2 hours to hike. Anyone up for going back with me this fall??

True Freedom!

2008-06-09T20:25:00.002-05:00

It such an amazing feeling when God sets you free from something. Today I went with my friend Kimberly to Jeremy's place and got my chairs. I prayed before I went that he wouldn't be there and he wasn't. After I got the chairs it just felt as though a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. I came home deleted him from my cell and from my e-mail, so basically deleted him out of my life. God has given me a fresh start and it feels so amazing!
From the advise of my pastor I have asked one of my close friends to be my accountability partner and to be there to ask me those hard questions when it comes to me and being in a relationship. To be totally open and honest with me about everything even if I don't want to hear it at the time.
I have also decided that I really don't want to be in a relationship for a while. I just need to focus on what God has for me and if he brings someone into my life then great but if not then that's great too. I am learning that my hope, peace, and joy all come from the Lord and is not based in someone else. That only He can truly fulfill the deepest desires of my heart and He is the only one who can love me and never fail me.
It feels good to be free!

Perfect Timing!

2008-06-08T17:42:00.002-05:00

I am always amazed at how God's timing is absolutely perfect! Though this last week I have been going through one of the most trying times of my life God has shown up for sure. When I called to Him, I discovered He has been there the whole time.

Wednesday my parents were headed to Eureka Springs to use their anniversary gift that we gave them back in November. On the way they stopped by to drop of my bicycle that I am getting from my brother, and they invited me to come visit them on Thursday so I wouldn't be alone. We had a great time on Thursday exploring all over Eureka. We went geocaching, rode the train, and then saw the passion play. It was great to be with them and to know I have their love and support always.

Friday I left for then New Frontier's Midwest Conference. God just really opened my eyes this weekend and poured His love out on me. Last night during worship we were dancing and shouting praise and I felt like myself again. I felt totally complete and completely satisfied. This morning God really made me realize that worrying about when or who I am going to marry is silly. He told me to look around and see all these married couples and families. He said that he creates marriages every single day. It isn't something unusual or difficult for Him, it is something he does everyday, many times a day. Why would I ever think that He isn't big enough to do the same for me? I was humbled by that thought and it gave me great hope. God knows what he is doing and it always works so much better when I let Him drive in the first place.

It's still hard, it takes some getting used to not talking to someone after you have talked to them every day for 9 months. But I know this is all God, and I have hope that this is not the end and the best is yet to come!

Stupid Anger

2008-06-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

You know being angry will drive you to do some really stupid things. Today I did just that. After talking with Jeremy last night I was so focused on it and upset all day that I ended up doing something that everyone wants to do but really shouldn't. I e-mailed his new girlfriend and told her exactly what he did to me and made sure to point out the fact that he was to chicken to tell me that he was dating her. On top of that I sent him a copy of the e-mail as well. At the moment it felt great to write all of those things and push the send button knowing I was going to hurt him just as badly as he hurt me. And now, just a few hours later, I regret it. I shouldn't have done that. I have every right to be upset with him but as a believer I should respond in love and not anger. I guess I got want I wanted, to end my friendship with him for good. But now on top of the heartache, I feel sad that I acted so immaturely. I still have alot of growing up to do I guess.

Not My Week!!!

2008-06-04T00:21:00.002-05:00

This has not been my week. I guess the good news is that the only place to go from here is up! It all started last Friday with my poison ivy getting worse and worse. So I finally broke down and went to the doctor, after hunting for an hour to see if my insurance would still cover it since I changed companies this year. I got a wonderful shot that cleared that up but I wasn't real happy.

Then that afternoon when I went to get my key to my apartment and sign the lease. I start getting everything filled out and the lady gets to the part in the lease about pets and tells me that there are no pets allowed. I look at her with this look of total surprise. She says "I didn't tell you about that?" Of course not why would I say something now if you didn't tell me then. So she calls over to the other section of the same apartment complex, where they allow pets, and finds me an apartment over there. So I call the water and electric company to get everything changed, and they mention that the utilities are still in someone elses name, but the manager swears the apartment is empty. I go through all the paper work which has now taken an hour and a half and caused me to miss my end of the year staff party. We get everything squared away and I go to check out the apartment. There is still all of the former tenants stuff there, they haven't moved out at all!!! By this point I am totally stressed and start crying. So I go back to the office and explain and they give me a new apartment, but of course I can't call the electric and water companies again because it is now after hours on a Friday!!

So Saturday I work all day getting my stuff moved, and really that went off without a hitch thanks to the smarts of getting movers to move all the big stuff and my family helping with the rest. Though of course we were sweating to death because at the old house the AC had gone out on Thursday!

Sunday I went with Jeremy to the Crater of Diamonds State Park and dug for diamonds. We had a great time there digging and the weather was actually pretty nice so all in all that was a great day, until I found out what I know today that is. More on that in a minute.

Monday, I ended up spending 3 hours finishing packing my classroom so that all my stuff can be stored for next year. If I never see another box or packing tape again it will be too soon! After school went back to the old house to clean up and gather the last few things. I was soooo hot and then the belt on the vacuum broke. So Jeremy helped me fix that and we hauled stuff back here. In the process I slammed one of my fingers in the car door which still hurts right now.

Then came today! The icing on the cake and the reason Sunday has now ended up being not such a fond memory. I got my Internet connected again today, which has been disconnected since Friday. I went on and was checking all of my e-mails, blogs, and my facebook and myspace pages. Well, I was wondering around and noticed something weird. My friend Jeremy had put that he was in a relationship with some other girl. Now you have to understand that Jeremy and I have been dating off and on for the last 9 months and playing this whole friends game, and right now we were considering ourselves just friends, however it has always been more that just friends. So I ask him about it and he avoids the question until I finally press him. So then he lets me know that yes in fact he is dating someone else. Though he spent the entire weekend with me, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, he didn't ever once mention this. We even spent 8 hours in the car alone on Sunday and joked about people he has dated, and he never says a word. Instead he decided to put it on his Facebook page and wait for me to find out that way. He is a total Jerk! The real kicker is that just 3 weeks ago we had a conversation about why we weren't in a relationship. His exact words were "I feel like I really need to pursue the purpose God has for me, he has been laying it on my heart hear lately. For the last several years I have been pursuing what I want but I need to focus on what God wants. When I am in a relationship I just focus on that and not on anything else so I can't be in a relationship right now." Then I turn around and find out that not a week later he is in a relationship with this other chick!!!! But he waits 2 weeks to tell me! Not only that but he still wants to hang out all the time and not have anything change between us. He swears nothing will change. I don't know what planet he is living on but this changes everything!!!! Then after all this mess he has the gall to tell me he thinks this is God's Will.

Who am I to argue, maybe it is God's will but right now I am totally ticked at the boy, so upset that I can't sleep, and not appreciating that he couldn't be honest with me in the first place.

I know everything is in God's hands. I am so thankful for my friends and family who all love and support me. It was so nice to talk with my daddy tonight and then he prayed with me. I will get over this soon enough. I am just getting so tired of this whole dating game. I just want to get married and have kids, why must so much heartache come along with that desire. I guess in a way I am more mad at myself than anything for letting him back into my heart and trusting him again after how he hurt me last November. Maybe I will learn my lesson, but then again maybe not, I am a trusting person and with that comes heartache on occasion. Though I suppose a moment of heartache is better than a life time of trusting no one.

I was joking with my brother that maybe this will help get me motivated to lose this 30 pounds that I have gained over the last year :) I guess it won't be all bad!

Impressive

2008-05-30T23:54:00.002-05:00

Typically the word impressive brings positive thoughts to mind. You think of things that average people don't accomplish like someone climbing Mount Everest or winning the Boston Marathon. Ninety percent of the time the word impressive is good but when it is spoke the other ten percent you really don't want to hear it. Maybe you were in and accident and the insurance adjuster says your car looks impressive or the words are uttered from the lips of your doctor while referring to your particular infirmity.

The later scenario accrued to me today. On Saturday my bother, sister-in-law, and I went geocaching. Of course with the nature of the sport you are out roaming through wooded areas that most other people don't travel. As always I had my eyes open for poison ivy. 99% of the time I manage to avoid it but apparently I ran into some invisible plant. Sunday a rash on my arm started and as the week progressed it got worse and then I started breaking out on my legs and stomach. Today I had finally had it and went to the doctor. When she came in and looked at the spot on my arm her only words were "Impressive." Needless to say I ended up getting a cortisone shot and for some reason I had a fever of over 100. I thought you only ran a fever if the rash got infected, which its not. Though it could be from a combination of fighting this rash and the fact that my cat bit me Monday night.

Yes, I said my cat bit me. Sweet Boaz sunk his teeth into the back of my thigh earlier this week. Of course he has been out of sorts the last few weeks from all the packing and changes happening around here but I never would have imagined this. I was putting an old stereo in a bag so that I could get rid of it. The only thing that still worked were the speakers so I wasn't going to mess with moving it. While I was putting the stereo in a bag the plastic sides were rubbing together and making an awful screeching sound. Boaz jumped up on top of the bag and started hissing. I thought it was kind of weird but I just took him and threw him on the floor then turned and picked the bag back up. When I picked the bag up it made the screeching sound again and he next thing I know Boaz had jumped up and bitten my leg. I was so shocked! I went to the bathroom to get a tissue to stop the bleeding, which by now was running all the way down my leg. As I was sitting on the edge of the tub Boaz walked in and I think he realized what he had done. He laid down by my feet and looked up at me with saddest eyes I have seen. It was as if he was saying he was so sorry and didn't realize he was biting me. Of course I kind of freaked out a bit when I read online that 80% of cat bites become infected. So I called my mom to see if I should go the the ER cause it was 10pm. We decided that I should just clean it well and watch it for the next few days. So I doused it with peroxide, wiped it down with rubbing alcohol, and put neosporin on it. It actually has healed up pretty well. Boaz is still a little weary of all the changes but no more freaky stuff has happened.

It has been so long since I wrote and so much has happened this week! I have a crazy story to tell about getting my new apartment today, but since this is getting quite lengthy I will save that adventure for later.

One Down, Five Bazillion To Go!

2008-05-17T12:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I don't have five Bazillion more things to do before the beginning of June but sometimes it sure feels like it. However, one of the really big ones is out of the way. I finally had my garage sale and we ended up making over 200 dollars of course once we divided it up into things I sold and things that were Tim and Lindsay's I came out with about 70. Not too bad. And we even ended up taking all the left over stuff to goodwill so it is all gone! Now I just need to take the clothes to Lifesource it will be finished! It feels so good to know that so much stuff is gone! It is kind of freeing to get rid of the clutter.

Now I just have to get everything packed up, moved, get my classroom closed down for the summer, and get summer camp up and rolling. Thank goodness I am single I don't think I would be able to do all of this if I were married and had kids! Now I am off to play volleyball on 2 1/2 hours sleep.