Matt and Lori

Lots of excitement...

2011-12-09T15:15:00.000-06:00

Well, the last few months have been a whirlwind, to say the least. In October, we made an offer on a house (that I showed you in the last picture). Then, the next day, we found out that I'M PREGNANT!! Yes, folks, you read that right. Little Baby Bell is scheduled to arrive on June 15, 2012! Matt and I are very excited! We didn't quite expect to close on a new house on the same day that we had our first doctor's appointment, or to be trying to move in and get settled while I'm in my first trimester & can barely keep my eyes open past 5:00! But, I know that God's plan and timing are perfect, and I am so happy that we are moving into a new phase in our lives! I can't promise that I will be faithfully updating the blog over the next couple of months...things are about to get really crazy with the holiday travelling...but I will try to keep everyone updated as the pregnancy progresses. Thankfully, the first trimester has been pretty easy for the most part. Although I had a few weeks where any thought of food (besides peanut butter sandwiches) was out of the question, I have really only had 2 days of "morning" sickness (that happened to last all day long). God has truly blessed me with not much sickness, especially since I'm teaching at a tiny school where there are no substitutes, so missing work can really cause a problem! The one day I was sick at school, I would just leave my room, signal the secretary to watch my class, and head to the bathroom. It worked out quite well! Ha! Sorry, mom, I still haven't taken a "belly" picture...although there is really no belly to show as of yet. I keep telling Matt that if I hadn't seen the pictures of the baby on the ultra sound, I wouldn't really believe that I was pregnant! Anyway, until next time...have a wonderful day!

Our new house...

2011-10-08T13:40:00.002-05:00

Well, last weekend we bought a house!! It's in a new neighborhood that we've been looking at for several months. We couldn't decide if we wanted to buy or build, but then Matt started working in Tampa every week & we decided having him out of town for 12+ weeks would make trying to build a house too stressful. We had originally wanted to be in a house by the time our lease is up in January, but decided that the timing might not work & we could just extend our lease. Then, a house that was already built in the neighborhood & that we loved had a significant price decrease. That, combined with very low interest rates, made us reconsider & go back for a second look (well, actually more like a 6th look). Everything seemed to be working in our favor, so we made an offer & the builder accepted! We are supposed to close on October 31st, and we'll move in during November (once Matt is back from Tampa, hopefully). Here are a few pics of the new place...we are so excited! To see more pictures, click on this link: Pics of the House

Family Vacation...

2011-08-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back, Matt and I went with my parents & brother to Pigeon Forge, TN for the week. We had a great cabin, complete with pool table & hot tub, and we spent the week exploring Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We went to Dollywood, saw a midnight 4th of July parade (it claims to be the 1st one in the country each year), and even explored the Great Smokey Mountains National Park a bit. The week was wonderful, although we all wished that we had spent more time in the National Park. It was absolutely beautiful! We also saw some pretty funny shows, and definitely got our fill of Bluegrass music! I think every show we saw played Dueling Banjos at least once! Oh yeah, and the temperature was in the 80's all week, so it was a nice break from the crazy Oklahoma/Texas heat! Overall, I would say that the family vacation was a success!

Working girl...

2011-07-23T17:10:00.000-05:00

Well, lots of things have been happening lately, but the most recent & exciting is that I got a job! I interviewed a couple of weeks ago, and although I thought the interview went well, I wasn't very confident that I would get the job. But I received a call yesterday & I guess the principal liked me! The interview was the most relaxed interview I've ever had...we just sat and chatted about the school & my past experiences (which were not so pleasant) with teaching. She didn't have my resume before the interview & when I gave it to her she didn't even look at it the whole time!

The school is a tiny private Christian school, and I'm very excited about the upcoming school year! It is called ACI Academy, which stands for Academics, Christianity, Integrity. I will have a split 4th and 5th grade class, with around 10 students total. Not bad, huh? Quite the change from the 60+ hoodlums I had in the last school! (although some of the hoodlums did turn out to be pretty decent kids.) Now I'm busy gathering ideas & trying to figure out how to teach 2 grades in one classroom. I guess the one-room schoolhouse teachers did it back in the day. I'll just pretend I'm in Little House on the Prairie. Every class goes on a field trip once a month & does a service project at a local nursing home once a month, so I'm excited about the extra activities we'll get to do. I feel a little overwhelmed since I've been out of teaching for 1 1/2 years, and I can't even see the classroom until a couple weeks before school starts, but I think it will be a great year! I'm already impressed with the principal, and she's even going to meet with me and discuss all the curriculum with me, which is much better than walking into a room with 10 teachers manuals and trying to figure out which one to use (that was the experience at the previous school).

We took a great vacation to Gatlinburg, TN with my parents & brother the first week of July, and the week before that spent the week in Alabama. I'll try to post some pics & highlights from our trip soon.

Rent House...

2011-06-30T13:50:00.001-05:00

This week Matt & I made a trip down to Montgomery to work on our rent house and see our wonderful friends. The nice thing about the rent house is that some of our good friends live in it, so we can stay with them, which is cheap & makes it easy to work on the house. The not-so-nice thing is it's the house that we used to live in, which I love. And it reminds me that I currently own a house that I don't live in, while paying rent to live in an apartment, but I digress.

Back to the point. Our original plan was to spend a lot of the time working on the house, although Matt was still going to have to do real work (for the job that actually pays his salary). Well, he ended up with a short business trip to El Paso in the middle of the week, so I have been doing most of the work myself. I'm not complaining, because I love doing house projects! It's so much fun. Plus, I feel really accomplished & tough when I know how to do things that most girls don't know how to do. And I like going to Lowe's. So this week I have taken off the front door, sanded it, painted it, and put it back up, changed an electrical outlet, and painted the guest bath, which also involved taking down light fixtures, towel racks, etc., and sanding the walls. I'm about to head back to Lowe's to buy a new light fixture for the kitchen, since the old one is currently on the blink (quite literally, it flickers on and off when it's on.) The only thing I've had to have Matty do is remove the toilet tank & mirror (which were too heavy because I'm not very strong) and paint around the ceiling (because I'm not very tall & didn't have a ladder that would fit in the bathroom). Overall, I'm quite proud of what I have accomplished! Thanks Dad & Matt for teaching me how to do home improvement projects!

Happiness...

2011-06-24T16:40:00.001-05:00

This week was our 6th anniversary & my 31st birthday! Yesterday, I found a picture frame with a saying on it that I hope describes mine & Matt's life. It says, "Happiness is not a destination, it's a way of life." Reading that quote got me to thinking: if Matt and I were waiting to make it to a certain "destination" in life for happiness, we most likely wouldn't have shared the happiness that we have over the last 6 years. When we moved to Alabama 6 years ago, we fully intended to stay there for the 3 years of law school & then move back to Texas. In our minds, Matt would graduate, get a good job in the Dallas area and that would be that. Boy were we surprised when we realized that God had other plans in store. I'm so glad that we were able to trust in God's plan for our lives & go with the flow. We never would have thought we would live in Chicago, California, & for a 2nd time in Alabama! And I'm sure we wouldn't have known how many wonderful friends & blessings we would find along the way. If we had waited to find happiness in Dallas, we would have been waiting much longer than expected. Thankfully, I feel like we have "lived in the moment," and found happiness all along the way. Now, I'm not saying that every moment has been perfect, or that I was always "happy" every day. According to Matt, I was pretty grumpy when we lived in California. But I really did try to find the joy in every situation, and I think Matt has done the same. Even California provided me with blessings by giving me some special time to spend with Regina, Chris, Caleb & Aidan, and giving us the chance to connect with a wonderful Christian family. I truly believe that what we imagine and plan for our lives will always fall short of what God will do in our lives if we step out of the way and let him. So just remember, don't wait for a certain future "destination" to find joy & happiness in your life. Live in the moment & try to find joy in the everyday blessings that God grants, no matter where you are in life.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -Eph 3:20-21

Thoughts from the air...

2011-06-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

While flying to California last week, I had a few observations while on the plane...
1. (this was actually before I got on the plane) When planning to get on an airplane, it's a good idea to bring your ID. Otherwise, you'll have to make your cousins that went out of their way to bring you to the airport turn around and take you home & back to the airport again.
2. Mr. Seat Partner, do you really need 2 vodka tonics on a flight that's only 1 hour 20 min?
3. Airplane bathrooms are tiny & the power of the toilet flusher is frightening.
4. I could never be a flight attendant. I would most likely puke on the passengers.
5. Dear people that insist on getting up when you're supposed to be sitting down, SIT DOWN! You're making us late.
6. To my new seat partner, since you already smell like alcohol, I'm pretty sure ordering more alcohol will not make it easier to complete your crossword puzzle. (An hour later) maybe I was wrong. You seem to be doing pretty well.
7. Why does the lady across the aisle think she needs to loudly share her medical history with the stranger sitting next to her? Her seat partner & everyone else around her clearly do not want to hear.
8. Flying makes me dizzy.
9. I'm thankful to be flying to California instead of driving.
10. I'm glad Southwest let me choose my seat...I like the front of the plane for an easy escape!

Obviously, I was somewhat bored on my flight. The dizziness was interfering with reading & the loud talking lady could be heard over the music from my iPod! Thankfully, the flight was pretty good overall & I made it safely to LA!

2011-06-13T16:32:00.001-05:00

I'm in Los Angeles hanging out with these kids this week...

We're having lots of fun so far! We've been to the park, played games, watched movies, and painted a dining room (well, their mom & I painted the dining room)...and it's only Monday! We still have 4 days of fun ahead of us!

Busy, busy...

2011-06-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

Well, the last few weeks have been very busy & I just haven't gotten around to posting anything. Mostly because I keep forgetting to take my camera (Matt gets irritated that I always forget it!), and I really don't like blogging without pictures. But, I can probably steal a couple of pictures from Facebook to liven up this post a bit!

May was quite the busy month for us. It started out with a girl's weekend in Dallas, with 2 different parties. First, we had a party for my aunt Robbie. She has been going through a terribly tough divorce for the past 2 years, so her daughter (my cousin, Brook) planned a special night for her. It was a time to celebrate her & to remind her how amazing and wonderful she truly is. The girls spent the next day hanging out in Dallas, and then Saturday night was my cousin Amber's bachelorette party. The weekend was a great time to hang out with the family & just relax. Matt was on a business trip to Chicago, so he missed out on all the girlie festivities...I'm sure he was heartbroken!

The next weekend was Amber's wedding, so we headed up to Norman for that. It was a great wedding at Thunderbird Chapel in Norman. The setting was gorgeous! The chapel is in the middle of trees, with glass windows all around. A beautiful place to have a wedding. Despite the pouring rain that morning, the evening turned out perfectly. Here's a pic of Amber, Brook & Adam and Aliyah (ring bearer & flower girl):

For Memorial Day weekend, we made the 10 hour trek up to Kirksville, Mo for Matt's cousin Hayley's wedding. She was a beautiful bride, and it was fun to spend some time with his family. Brook & I became cupcake decorating master's as we helped Aunt Elaine decorate 300 cupcakes! Here's a picture of the happy couple-Hayley & Derek Rouse:

I always love family time, so it was nice to have 3 weekends in a row to celebrate special occasions with our families! Although the wedding month is over, our traveling hasn't settled down just yet. June seems to be even busier, with Matt going on multiple business trips, our 6th anniversary, and a trip to Los Angeles and Alabama in the near future!

This year seems to be flying by...it seems like just yesterday that we were packing up our things and moving from California! Matt's job is going well. Although this month is busy with business trips, he doesn't work nearly as much as he did at KPMG. Which is good, considering he was generally working 80 hour weeks out there! He seems to be much less stressed, and I think he really enjoys his work, so that makes me happy! As for me, the job market for teachers is looking pretty bleak for the upcoming year. I have my teaching certification, but so far there are no openings posted for elementary positions. Luckily, I'm still doing the online teaching, which keeps me pretty busy! Not having a full time job has also given me the chance to spend some time with family & help out with some things that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. In the last few months, I was able to spend several days in Oklahoma City with Jen, helping her out with the girls when she was sick, help Brook cook & decorate for the party weekend, accompany my mom & brother to some doctor's appointments, and just spend time with the family. It's so nice to finally be close enough (and to not have to have a full time job) to be able to do those things. I'm so thankful that Matt is understanding of the difficult job market (they weren't even hiring subs in California or Texas) & that God has blessed him with a job that allows me some flexibility on the job front.

As far as Dallas goes, we are getting settled in here, although I think all the traveling prevents us from really feeling like it's "home" yet. The few weekends that we have been in town we have enjoyed exploring the city & trying out different churches. We loved our congregation in California so much that we are finding it hard to find a place here that we love just as much. But, our search will continue...as soon as we are home on a weekend! I think our biggest struggle comes from not knowing where we will get a house. There are so many suburbs, neighborhoods, etc. to check out, and DFW is so big, that it's hard to choose a congregation until you know where you're going to live (long term). So, we have found a congregation near our apartment that we will probably call "home" until we buy a house (which will probably be January of next year, when our lease is up). Moving & making a transition to get settled into a new place can be pretty challenging, but we still manage to have fun along the way. Every city that we have lived in has given us new opportunities, but also new challenges. So, we'll hang in there & keep working to make Dallas feel like home.

Quilts...

2011-04-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I made a quilt...actually 2 quilts. 2 quilts in 2 days. Sounds impressive, right? Well, I wouldn't call it impressive. The instructions that I used said you could make the quilt in a couple of hours. This estimate was off by a few hours, but nevertheless, I think the quilts turned out quite cute! The first one I made was for a childhood friend of mine that is about to have her 1st baby...a little boy! I have to say, it's hard to find fabric that is cute & boy-appropriate. Here's the first quilt:

I had some material left over, so I used it to make a couple of burp rags that match the quilt. I think they turned out pretty cute too!

The 2nd quilt was a birthday present for our niece Ava's 1st birthday. Now, fabric for girls can be found in abundance, and I just love the patterns & colors on this fabric collection! It's called "Enchanted Forest" & I found it at Hobby Lobby. So cute!

I love how this quilt turned out, especially with the pink satin border!

Here are the directions that I used to make the quilt, in case you're interested in making one of your own:

http://cloud9fabrics.blogspot.com/2010/01/quilt-in-day-tutorial.html

I can't find the directions I used for sewing on the blanket binding, but you can Google it and find lots of tutorials on sewing on a blanket binding! I used Wright's Satin Blanket binding in bright pink.

Birthday Parties Galore...

2011-04-22T23:49:00.000-05:00

The last 2 months have kept Matt and I busy driving to Oklahoma & back to celebrate the birthdays of several special people! March started out with our niece Allie's 8th birthday party. For this year's celebration, Allie's request was simple...pizza at home& a movie at the theater with her friends. The relaxed party was a perfect way to celebrate year #8, and Allie's outfit of head to toe pink & purple suited her perfectly. I have never seen a kid open presents as fast as Allie! I think she opened all of her presents in less than 5 minutes!

The end of March brought a fun surprise party for my Aunt LouAnn's 60th birthday. Regina planned a great surprise party, complete with a surprise visit from Regina & the boys all the way from California! We had fun waiting around for Regina & the boys to arrive from the airport, and were just as anxious while we waited for Kevin to go pick up LouAnn & get her back to my parents' house. After a small white lie about dad being really sick & mom needing help, LouAnn quickly got ready & headed out the door. When they arrived, we all hid in the kitchen & sent Caleb in the living room to shout "Hey Mimi!" before we jumped out for the big surprise.

April had us heading up to Tulsa to celebrate Matt's Mema's 89th birthday party. This was another big surprise for her, since her grandkids, great grandkids, son, sister, and niece traveled from Nashville, Birmingham, Kirksville, Dallas, and Oklahoma City to surprise her. Since everyone arrived at her place at different times, she was surprised each time a new guest arrived. We enjoyed spending the afternoon chatting, eating, and listening to some bluegrass music. The slumber party that night was definitely fun for all the kids. Who can beat playing in a tent & then sleeping in the dining room, with wall to wall air mattresses, with all your favorite cousins? What a special day to spend with Mema & the family!

The following weekend marked the big 1st birthday party for our niece, Ava. We headed to Oklahoma City because we knew we just couldn't miss this very special birthday. Ava looked absolutely adorable, and Heather had made the cutest pink & green decorations to make the atmosphere festive. We had a great time watching Ava unwrap all her presents & dig into her special birthday cake made just for her. Even Oscar the Boxer showed up to celebrate with us! In spite of Ava falling and bumping her head and Allie smashing her foot in the recliner, we still had a wonderful time celebrating Ava's special day!

Matt and I are so thankful to finally be living close enough to share these special times with our families. What a blessing it is to be a part of these celebrations!

Bathroom Update

2011-03-24T15:26:00.001-05:00

This week I decided that our guest bath needed a little update. And since I still had Christmas money to spend, I decided to go for it! I know, it's pathetic that I still hadn't spent money that I got for Christmas. We all know I'm cheap, so let's move on...

Here's the bathroom before:

Although I loved the shower curtain that Regina passed down to me (thanks, Gina), my husband had the same complaint as hers (it's too girly). I was also having trouble finding accessories that I thought looked good with it, and the blank walls were driving me crazy (these pics were taken after Matt hung the round towel holder).

Here are the "after" pics:

It's not a dramatic change, but I like it! I added dark gray towels & rugs, a white shower curtain & hand towels, and a small metal sign from Hobby Lobby (only $4). The black metal design over the toilet was something that we already had, I just moved it to the bathroom! The gray & white color scheme matches with the modern look of the bathroom & the dark gray counter that was already in there. Now I just have to decide what to do with the other shower curtain that I think is so cute...

Vegas Baby!

2011-03-23T12:02:00.001-05:00

As part of our "Trek to Texas," Matty & I stopped in Las Vegas for a night. Now, in case you're wondering, Vegas is not really on the way from LA to Texas, but Matt was really excited about this little detour. So we stopped for a night & walked up & down the strip. The hotels & lights were impressive, although the lines of people handing out business cards for "Girls to you in 20 minutes" was a little strange. Since we only had 1 night, we didn't have time to see all the sights, but we did make it to several hotels & saw the fountain show in front of the Bellagio. The highlight of the trip had to be a visit to the Pawn Stars pawn shop (if you haven't seen Pawn Stars on TV, you should check it out!) All in all, I would say it was worth the detour, but Vegas will probably not make it on my list of favorite places!

Sometimes Matt gets creative with the fruit bowl...

2011-03-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

At least it made for a pretty display on the counter!

And if you've never tried grilled pineapple, you should try it immediately. It is absolutely delicious! Here's how you make it...Cut the pineapple into rings (remove the core & skin first). Honestly, Matty always does this part so I'm not exactly sure the best way to accomplish this task, and I'm not even sure that the outside of the pineapple is called skin. Anyway, that's not important, but, once you've figured it out, mix some melted butter (a couple tablespoons), brown sugar (maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 cup), and a good squirt of honey in a large ziploc baggie. Throw in the pineapple rings & squish it around until the rings are covered in the mixture. Don't squish it so hard that you break the rings. Place the pineapple rings on the grill & grill until they turn nicely brown. Eat while warm...you won't regret it. Yum! The first time Matt and I had this was in Mexico, and the pineapple had been grilled rotisserie style, but we don't have a rotisserie, so we cut it into rings.

This is a nice recipe to get you in the mood for summer...since the days are getting warmer & are now longer thanks to "springing forward."

Los Angeles...

2011-02-11T13:38:00.000-06:00

Well, our 2nd stop on our trek to Texas was Los Angeles, CA. I know, I know, LA is not exactly on the way from San Jose to Texas, but the people waiting for us there were well worth the detour! We spent 2 nights with Regina, Chris, Caleb & Aidan. We had so much fun just hanging out with them. The boys are always a delight, and they keep me laughing the whole time I'm there. Although Caleb is not a fan of taking pictures (he would always hide when I pulled out the camera), I did convince him to pose for a few when he opened his Christmas presents!

We got there late in the evening on Tuesday, so I didn't want to get the boys riled up right before we went to bed by giving them presents. So, the presents sat in the floor of the living room for the night. The next day when Caleb got home from school, he looked at the presents then looked at me and said, "So...are you just gonna give those presents to us sometime while you're here, or..." So cute! He didn't want to just come out & tell me to give him the present (such a polite boy), but he was REALLY wanting to open them!

Both of the boys were in school on Wednesday morning, so Matt, Gina & I made a trip to Old Town & had breakfast at Panera. It was a relaxing day! When the boys got out of school, we all headed to Beverly Hills to see Chris' office & take a stroll on Rodeo Drive. The glitz and glamour of the stores was all you might imagine, but I'm sure the price tags would have made it much less appealing! After our stroll on Rodeo, we headed to Fat Burger for dinner. Wow! That place is delicious!

We really enjoyed our time in LA, and hope to get back out there sometime soon. We always enjoy playing with the boys & catching up with Chris & Gina! Not living close to them was the biggest reservation we had in moving away from California! Here are a few pics from our time in LA:

Busy January...

2011-02-09T13:07:00.000-06:00

Well, Matt and I had a very busy month to start out 2011! We began by spending New Year's in Santa Fe, driving back to California, packing up our apartment, hiring a moving company, saying good bye to friends, and driving back across the country (with several stops along the way)! Wow! We certainly accomplished a lot in a month!

Matt started his new job as a Senior Associate in Ernst & Young's International Trade department on January 31st, and had 2 snow days his first week! He seems to be liking his job so far, although with the snow days & a 2 day orientation in Houston, he really hasn't had a "normal" week yet. He was excited one evening when he was at work around 6:00 & a partner called him & told him to stop working & go home for the night. This is a definite change from KPMG where he was expected to work all hours of the day & night! So far, it seems like the working environment will be much better for him! Hopefully his work weeks will be less than 80 hours!

Since we had just made the long drive between California and Oklahoma twice over the holidays, we decided to take a few extra days to sight see on our move from California to Texas. We had a WONDERFUL time! Our first adventure was a drive from San Jose down to Los Angeles on Hwy 1 (aka Pacific Coast Highway). The drive was beautiful, and with the help of less-drowsy Dramamine, I managed not to get car sick on the twisty, windy roads.

We left San Jose, after the movers packed up our things, on Monday afternoon & headed down to Carmel, California for the night. We stopped on the way in Monterrey to see Fisherman's Wharf & enjoy a bowl of delicious clam chowder...it was so good! Here are a few pictures:

In Carmel, we stayed at a cute bed & breakfast called Carmel Resort Inn. It was a collection of old artist studios that had been turned into individual rooms. Ours was called Cannery Row & it was adorable! I loved the atmosphere (and affordable price) of this Inn! We walked around the cute downtown & stopped in Cafe Carmel for a cannoli & coffee (instead of having dinner...don't tell our mom's!). The beach was gorgeous & I could have stayed there all day.

After spending the night in Carmel, we woke up & headed the rest of the way down Hwy 1 toward Los Angeles. The drive was amazing! We stopped along the way for lunch overlooking the ocean, the fogged rolled in & covered the ocean (but not the surrounding mountains), crossed a historic bridge, spotted a waterfall (though we couldn't get a good picture of it), saw a beach full of elephant seals, & Matt made friends with a hungry squirrel. What a great day of viewing God's creation!

Our final destination for the day was Los Angeles, actually San Marino, to visit Regina, Chris, Caleb & Aidan. We were so excited to spend a few days with them. Stay tuned for another post about our visit & to see some fun pictures...

Packing...

2011-01-10T23:33:00.000-06:00

...it's messy business. Although we have packed up our house several times in the last few years, I always seem to forget how long it takes & what a big mess I make while packing! Our house is a wreck, but I'm hoping to have the packing finished by Friday. That will give us the weekend to say good bye to friends & prepare for (yet another) cross-country drive!

New Year's Fun...

2011-01-10T23:27:00.000-06:00

On our way back to California, we stopped in Santa Fe to celebrate New Year's. Brook & Heath went with us to Santa Fe & Heath reserved a great place for all of us to stay. It was COLD & we even faced some inclement weather along the way. The high on Friday was 14 degrees, but the wind chill was -7 degrees. Like I said, it was COLD! But we had fun nonetheless. We got there on Thursday night, just before they closed I-40 (as some friends headed to the Fiesta Bowl experienced). We stopped & grabbed some groceries, settled in to our hotel, & then headed out in the snow to grab some dinner. We found a cute little pizza place with a great atmosphere & even better food. Friday morning we spent a little while looking at the shops around the plaza, & checking out the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis. This church was built in 1869, but is on the site of the 1st church built in Santa Fe in 1610. Part of the original building is still standing today.

The wind & cold had us heading for lunch & a movie before too long. We saw True Grit, which was a GREAT movie, and then headed back to the hotel for a crazy, wild night of playing SkipBo, board games & chatting. We were party animals for sure!

Here are a few pictures of the Basilica:

And a few pics from around town:

We had a great weekend & were so happy to get to spend time with Brook & Heath! Santa Fe is beautiful, especially in the winter, covered with snow. I would recommend a trip to Santa Fe, especially if you have time to ski or explore the nearby mountains!

Deep in the Heart of Texas...

2010-12-22T22:51:00.000-06:00

Umm...we're moving to Dallas. That's all I have to say for now.

Oh yeah...WE'RE MOVING TO DALLAS!!!!!!

I'm a little excited.

Things I will miss about California:
#1. Caleb & Aidan (and Gina & Chris)
#2. Our church family
#3. Caleb & Aidan
#4. The lovely weather
#5. In & Out Burger (Matt is helping me make the list)
#6. The view of the mountains & short drive to the beach
#7. See #1 & 3

We're not just moving for the fun of it...Matty got a new job with Ernst & Young. He'll still be doing International Trade, just with a new company. We've been trying to find a place to live & making plans with friends and family, now that we'll be living so much closer! Ok, that's really all I have for now. Merry Christmas!!

Bowling Pins...

2010-11-18T13:04:00.002-06:00

Last week Matt's company had a big fundraiser for Junior Achievement. This is a program where people from various business go into classrooms to teach elementary students about finances. Last spring, Matt taught a group of 2nd graders all about city organization, using a debit card, and other fun topics! As part of the fundraiser, each team was supposed to decorate a bowling pin. There were no guidelines as to how it should be decorated, so here is what we came up with for Matt's team:

Bowling Pin Before:

Bowling Pin After:

I helped with a little sewing, but it was Matt's idea & he did most of the work! I think it turned out pretty cute! They still haven't announced who won the competition, but I think his team has a good shot!

Busy October...

2010-11-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe October has already come & gone. Matt and I were very busy traveling last month, and I never posted (thanks for reminding me, Mom)!

At the first of October we spent 10 lovely days in Alabama. I have to say, when we moved there 5 years ago, I NEVER thought that I would miss it when we left. But, moving to California proved me wrong. I really miss all of our friends there & I miss living in our house! It's hard moving out of a house you own & into an apartment that costs 3 times your mortgage payment. All that said, I was not having the best attitude about living in California (no Mom, I'm not sad or depressed...please don't start worrying) and going back to 'Bama was just what I needed! What wonderful friends we have there! We got to stay in our house, since our friends Jordan & Shelly are renting it from us. We also had lots of lunches & dinners with friends, went to the Faulkner Benefit Dinner & saw Sarah Palin, attended Eric & Lauren's wedding, Matt played several rounds of golf, and I enjoyed an evening at the spa with the girls. Here are a few pics from the week of fun...

We spent almost 2 weeks at home, and then we were both on the road again. This time, Matt headed to Europe for 10 days on a business trip, and I headed down to LA to visit Regina, Chris, Caleb & Aidan! Matt spent the week in Belgium, and got to visit Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & then headed to Amsterdam for the weekend. He had a great trip & took lots of pictures. Maybe I can convince him to write a post about his trip later...when he recovers from jet lag! My week in LA was a lot of fun as well. Caleb & Aidan are so sweet and funny & Gina and I got to have a little bit of girl time! We mainly just relaxed & followed their normal routine, but it was nice to spend time with them. Oh, and I made Caleb's Halloween costume: Mario! Aidan was a pumpkin, which was the costume I made for Caleb when he was 2. They were both adorable! Sadly, Caleb's costume had a major blow out when he wore it to school all day (we're talking a rip all the way down the front!), but I was able to fix it & from all reports trick-or-treating went much better! Since Matt had the camera in Europe, I didn't get too many pics, but here are some of the boys in their costume!

Bama bound...

2010-10-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

We're sitting on the plane in Phoenix, about to fly to Alabama. We get to spend 10 days there with our friends. I'm VERY excited. Just thought you should know.

2010-09-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't really have anything interesting to post. In fact, I couldn't even come up with a title. I just felt like it was time for a post...and I felt like putting off grading papers for a little while longer. Here's what's happening in our lives lately (WARNING: our lives are not so exciting, so unless you're my mom you'll probably be bored with the following list):

1. We had a labor day cook out at our apartment with people from church. I didn't take pictures, I don't know why. I think it was a success...people seemed to enjoy playing horse shoes and bocce ball.

2. Matt has been working...a lot. He comes home from work & works some more. But at least he comes home and doesn't stay at work all night. For that I'm thankful. Last night we both sat on the couch and worked for several hours. I think we said maybe 7 words to each other the whole time we were working. But at least we were together. Very romantic.

3. I'm back to being an Online Teaching Assistant. I like it. Some of the papers that are terrible make me laugh and keep me entertained, so that's good.

4. There's a girl from church that also works from home, so this week we have taken to "working" together. In other words, we meet at a bakery or somewhere and chat while pretending to work. It's not exactly efficient, but at least I have some social interaction. I like her. I think we could be good friends.

5. Today I'm working at Barnes & Noble. Earlier, I went to the bathroom, pushed open an unlocked stall and found a man in the stall...I was in the girl's bathroom. I checked. Luckily, his back was to the door so he didn't notice that I peeked in on him.

I think that's about all I have to say for now. I just noticed that my sentences are very choppy in this post. Maybe the papers of the online students are rubbing off on me. Have a good day!

Oklahoma...

2010-08-26T23:07:00.000-05:00

     Well, Matt had to make a whirlwind trip around Asia a couple weeks ago, so I decided it was a perfect time to visit the family and took a 2 week trip to Oklahoma (thanks Mom & Dad). Although it was quite the shock to my system when I got off the plane at 9:00 at night and it was still 90 degrees (it was in the low 70's when I left Cali in the middle of the day), I quickly adjusted to the sweltering heat (it was at least 100 most days). By "adjusted," I mean that I quickly learned to stay indoors at all costs. I pretty much only went outside if it was absolutely necessary!

     I did a lot of relaxing, and a lot of organizing my mom's closets. I succeeded in helping her downsize her shoe collection to 42 pairs (she swears she wears them all), convinced her to get rid of at least 5 pastel-colored, crocheted sweaters, organized her tablecloths (not many people have enough tablecloths to need them organized--for her sake, we'll blame it on the wedding & baby showers she hosts), and helped my dad paint the guest bathroom (I would say that I helped him install some beautiful new light fixtures, but mostly I just talked while he worked). To most people this probably sounds more like work than fun, but if you know me, you know I love to organize, so I loved it!
     I also got to spend lots of time with family. Chris, Gina and the boys were in from California as well, so I got to see them, and Amy & Shanda were in Duncan with their boys for the weekend too. It was nice to have the whole family together, since we missed the chance at Christmas! We had a birthday party for Dad, went to Kiddie Land, and had a Mexican Stack dinner at LouAnn & Kevin's. I also had a chance to drive up to Blackwell, OK (it's a very happenin' place) to see Kelly for a few hours! I hadn't seen her in almost 3 years, so it was a nice treat! She took a chance coming down to see me, since she was only a few short weeks from having her new little baby! Luckily, Seth didn't decide to make his appearance while she was on the road with her other 2 kids! I also spent a couple of days in Oklahoma City with the nieces & sister-in-laws. I enjoyed hanging out with the girls, having a movie night slumber party, and just spending time with the family! That about sums up my Oklahoma trip. It was a great time...and I can't wait to go visit again! Of course, I always forget to take pictures when I'm in Oklahoma, but I did manage to get a few shots:

My mom...

2010-08-24T15:04:00.000-05:00

So my mom had minor surgery today on her wrist. She had a cyst come up that was hurting her & kept getting bigger, so an orthopedic surgeon removed it and fixed the tear so it (hopefully) won't return. Our family's favorite part of mom having surgery or any need for pain medication is the funny things that she says and does while taking the pain meds. She. Is. Hilarious. My dad just called me when they were on their way home from the hospital and said that my mom had woken up and said she "weally needs to talk to her wittle girl." So, he decided to call me and let me talk to her so I could get a good laugh. This was our conversation (remember, her speech was slurred and she said all her "r" and "l" sounds as "w"):

Me: Hi Mom, how are you feeling?
Mom: (something I couldn't understand)
Me: How's your wrist?
Mom: (in slurred speech) well...I fink iss ok, but it weally hurts a wittle
Me: well, is Dad taking care of you?
Mom: well, he's twyin, but don't wet him twy to put your bwa on you. He don't know how to do it.
Me: Ok, I won't ever let Dad put my bra on me.
Mom: I want you to know I weally, weally wuv you.
Me: Ok, mom. I love you too.
Mom: and tell that guy you're sleepin with that I weally, weally wuv him too.
Me: Ok mom, I'll tell Matt that you love him too. Let me talk to dad now.

Oh, my. She is a mess when she's on pain meds (or in this case recovering from the anesthetic from surgery), but she sure is funny! Hope this made you laugh as much as it made me laugh! Have a good day!

I'm a Wimp...

2010-07-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

So I went out to the car today and as I was walking I thought to myself, "Man, it's a little warm outside today." So I checked the weather on my phone...it was 71 degrees. Really? That's it? I'm going to die in Oklahoma next week, I'm sure of it. Oh, by the way, I'm going to Oklahoma next week and I'm REALLY excited!

Viva Mexico!

2010-07-20T17:19:00.001-05:00

So Matty surprised me with a trip back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to celebrate our 5th anniversary! We were there for 5 nights and had a fabulous time! We stayed in Hotel Riu Jalisco, which is an all-inclusive resort in Nuevo Vallarta. It's great to stay at an all-inclusive place, because you don't have to worry about how much money you're spending on meals & snacks while you're on vacation. It was fairly cloudy while we were there, but it was still warm enough to enjoy the swimming pool & the ocean.

We arrived in Mexico on Wednesday evening, settled in to our hotel & then went "exploring" around the resort. Since we had been here for our honeymoon, we pretty much knew our way around, but it was fun to see everything again. The next day we woke up & got busy relaxing in the pool & strolling along the beach! That afternoon, Matt had scheduled us for an exciting swim with Dolphins! It was so much fun! I couldn't believe we actually got to pet the dolphins & go for a ride on them around the pool! Matt said he has always wanted to swim with Dolphins, so he was so excited to get in the pool!

The next day, Friday, we had another fun adventure in store for us! It was called the "Outdoor Adventure" and included a speed boat ride across the bay, 4 x 4 off road vehicles, a mule ride, 1000 ft zip lines, rappelling down waterfalls, and hiking through the Mexican jungle! It was such a great experience and we had so much fun!

Saturday was a little less adventurous for us. We headed into downtown Puerto Vallarta to do some shopping at the local markets. Matt had fun bartering for our souvenirs, and I had fun shopping! We were able to get a hand-painted spoon rest (love it) as well as a beautiful pitcher, some vanilla, and some ornaments. We were planning to take the bus into downtown, but a Mexican family that was staying at our hotel was waiting for the bus with us. Instead of the bus, the dad of the family convinced the taxi driver to take all of us to town (12 in all) for a very good price! So our trip to town was much quicker & more comfortable than the bus. We did decide to take the bus on our way back to the hotel. We had to switch buses in front of Wal-Mart & the Mall, so we decided to take a look around. The mall was very nice with some pretty fancy stores. Wal-Mart wasn't too different than what you see in the states, except some of the products were different & the electronics were much more expensive! While we were shopping, a World Cup game was on. When we walked past the TV section, there were at least 50 people stopped watching the game! Of course, Matt had to join the fun and watch the end of the game!

Saturday evening we got to go on the Rhythms of the Night dinner cruise. For this excursion, we took a catamaran across Banderas Bay to Las Caletas, an uninhabited island. Once there, we watched "stories of ancient Mexican civilization told through live music and dance." The show was truly spectacular! After the show, we walked back down the beach to a candlelit dinner. Although the plan was for the dinner to be on the beach, it had to be moved under cover of canopies due to the weather. Following dinner, we had time to explore along the beach and enjoy some time on this beautiful island in the midst of the tropical jungle!

Sunday was spent relaxing at our resort and enjoying our last full day in our tropical paradise! Our hotel had 2 restaurants that required reservations for dinner, so we took advantage of both places. One was a Brazilian steakhouse that served delicious food, including the best grilled pineapple I have ever eaten! The other restaurant was an Asian restaurant, where Matt tried sushi for the first time. He said it was good...I'm not brave enough for sushi! Monday, we had a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, so we headed down the beach to Bucerias, a small fishing village that also has a large market. We did a little more shopping there, then took a leisurely hour long walk on the beach back to our hotel for some lunch and a nap in the lobby before we were scheduled to leave for the airport. We arrived at the airport thinking we were about 2 hours early for our flight, only to find out that our flight had been delayed. After waiting nearly 5 hours, we finally boarded the plane to return home. We finally made it back to our apartment, exhausted but thoroughly relaxed from our trip at 1 in the morning. What a wonderful way to celebrate our 5th anniversary, as well as our birthdays! Thanks, Matty for a great trip!

(P.S. You should be able to click on the collages to enlarge the pictures).

The Birthday...

2010-06-25T02:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I realize that I have promised pictures of our apartment, but it's still not all decorated how I want it. I might have to break down and post pics anyway. Also, I recently realized that I was supposed to do a post about our spring break trip to Savannah, and I never did. That was in March. Also never posted about the end of school. So, apparently I'm behind on posting, but it's OK. Pretty sure my mom is the only one who is keeping up with the things I'm supposed to post. She has seen the apartment, was with me in Savannah, and heard all about the end of school already. So, if no one else is dying to hear about those things, I'll move on!

My 30th birthday turned out to be great! I started the day by sleeping late, and when I woke up Matt told me he had decided to work from home since it was my birthday. So, although he had to work, we still got to hang out together & we went to lunch at Red Robin. Yum! When we got back from lunch, I had a flower delivery from Mom, Dad, and Bubba. The flowers were beautiful...love them!

Since Matt had several conference calls in the afternoon, I decided to treat myself to a little shopping trip. My brother said I should go on a shopping spree, but we all know that I'm too cheap to do that. So, I went shopping but didn't buy too much. Still, I got to go to 2 of my favorite stores so I was so happy! First, I went here:

And I bought these:

Ok, ok, I know most people wouldn't buy hangers on their 30th birthday. But these are wooden hangers, and they look oh so pretty hanging in my closet! They make the closet look so organized...and we all know I love organization.

Next stop was H & M. Love that store. I didn't buy anything, but I did exchange a couple of things! After that, I headed back home. Matt said he wanted to take me to dinner. We went to Half Moon Bay, which is about 30 minutes from where we live. We had dinner at a cute little place called Ketch Joanne's. If you come visit me, I'll take you there! It was delicious! After dinner, we drove over to a little beach just in time to catch the sunset & have some sparkling grape juice. It was beautiful, and the beach was perfect. It was a small beach, and it was just us and a few surfers.

We sat and watched the sunset, and then it was time for my surprise! Matt had told me that he had planned a surprise trip for our 5th anniversary, and he decided to go ahead and tell me where we were going. So, as the sun was setting, he gave me a card & an envelope. When I opened the envelope, I found out that we're going back to Puerto Vallarta to the Riu Jalisco, which is where we went for our honeymoon!

I was so excited! I have always wanted to go back there for our 5th anniversary. We leave on June 30 (next Wednesday) and come back on the July 5th. I can't wait!

30 Years of Living...

2010-06-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, today is my 30th birthday. I'll post more later regarding birthday festivities, but I've had this song in my head today so I thought I'd share. I think Tim McGraw said it well (or Phil Vassar wrote the song apparently, so I guess he's the one that said it well)...

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers (*shouldn't be a problem, since I don't drink beer!)
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty year.

I like this song, and I think it's a good look at life, especially on my 30th birthday!

Yesterday was...

2010-06-19T22:52:00.000-05:00

our 5th anniversary! I can't believe that it has been 5 years since we got married. In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that we said "I do", but we have definitely been busy! Here's a quick recap of some of the things that have happened. An overview in numbers, if you will.

In the last 5 years we have...
Acquired 1 dog
Bought 1 house
Lost 2 grandparents
Been stranded in 2 ice storms
Completed 3 graduate degrees
Lived in 4 states
Owned 5 cars
Moved 6 times
Had 7 roommates
Lived apart for 7 months
Gained 1 niece and 6 cousins
Been part of 7 weddings
Had 12 jobs
Experienced -30 degree wind chills
and spent countless hours in the car on road trips

Wow! Like I said, it has been a busy 5 years, but it was a great 5 years! Matt has blessed my life in more ways than I can count over the past 5 years. He continues to spoil me and surprise me and make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world! I thank God for bringing Matt in to my life, and helping us make it through the challenges that we have faced over the last 5 years. Although many wonderful things have happened, we have also faced the difficulties of law school, job hunting (in a terrible economy), losing loved ones, living many hours away from our families, and living apart (twice) for several months.

On our anniversary, I can't help but think about our wedding day and all the wonderful people that helped to make that day absolutely perfect. From our bridesmaids and groomsmen that helped us to relax and have fun, our moms who worked countless hours to make things beautiful, our family friends that also worked countless hours on our rehearsal dinner, reception, decorations, etc., my aunt Robbie who made all of the flower arrangements, to that special bridesmaid & her husband who packed up all the decorations at the chapel (without being asked) so that my parents wouldn't have to do it (thanks Kelly!) and so many others, we were truly blessed. Everytime that I think about that day, I feel the need to thank all of those people all over again, but a simple "thank you" does not seem to accurately convey how important each of them is in our lives. Not only did they make our wedding day special, but they have continued to love and support us throughout our marriage. So to all of you who have loved us, encouraged us, and supported us, thank you! God has blessed us in so many ways and I can't wait to see where the next 5 years will take us!

Santa Clara...

2010-05-17T20:57:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from my trip out to California (click on the collage to enlarge it). We went over to the beach at Santa Cruz and then drove over to an adorable little town called Capitola for dinner. We had dinner by the beach & walked around down town to look at the little shops. The 2 pictures at the top in the center are a view of the mountains around Santa Clara. It really is beautiful out there!

I went to California...

2010-05-12T19:17:00.000-05:00

So, this past weekend I finally got to visit California & our new apartment. I had a great visit, and I really enjoyed seeing our apartment and the area where we'll be living! We also did a lot of shopping for furniture, which was good since we sold all our furniture before Matt moved.

We got a couch...

And 2 dresser/night stands...

And an entertainment center & desk/book shelf, but I don't have pictures of them! Yay for new furniture...and for Ikea which I absolutely adore! It's nice to finally have a couch...the futon needed to be retired! Pictures from California to come!

An accomplishment...

2010-05-01T01:09:00.000-05:00

I made it through an ENTIRE WEEK without having to write an office referral! That's quite a feat...it hasn't happened all year. It only took until the last week of April, but I'm praying this is a good sign for the 18 days to come.

Oh, and Matty found out today that he passed the Alabama Bar!

So it was a very good Friday. Happy Weekend!

Background...

2010-04-24T01:11:00.000-05:00

Well, obviously I updated my background & header. I decided since we haven't lived in Chicago in quite sometime, the header was sadly out of date. Not sure it will stay like this, but I've been looking at it for too long & my eyes hurt. Plus, I love the Wizard of Oz, so it's a little tribute to my childhood. What do you think?

Welcome to the World...

2010-04-21T17:17:00.002-05:00

Ava Rose Askew!! My new niece was born yesterday, April 20, at 11:47 am and I am SO EXCITED! I wish that I had been there yesterday, but alas I still live far away from our families. But, I will get to see her before Matt, so at least I have that! She is a really pretty baby, and I can't wait to meet her when I'm in Oklahoma in June! Here are a few pictures of her for you to enjoy...

A Fabulous Weekend...

2010-04-19T20:41:00.005-05:00

Well, Matt's visit to Montgomery has come and gone. Although I was very sad to see him head back to Cali this morning (at 6am...yes, I got up at 5:40 to take him to the airport...impressive for me, huh?), I was glad we had such a wonderful weekend with our friends! He got here Friday morning, and I surprised him by taking the day off work and meeting him at the airport. He had taken the red-eye flight from San Francisco, so he was exhausted when he arrived! We headed to our house to relax and grab a bite for lunch, and then he had to do a little work. He surprised me by booking a 2-night stay at the Renaissance Montgomery (thanks to our friend, Angela, who got us an AMAZING deal)! So, that afternoon we headed to the hotel to check in and nap before we went to dinner.

We met several of our friends for dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House downtown. We all had to call it a night fairly early, because we were all headed to the Walk for Life 5k race for Breast Cancer Awareness bright and early Saturday morning! (Don't worry, my knees still don't run...most of us WALKED).

After the race we all stopped by Chris' Hotdogs (an old Montgomery favorite) before heading over to take a stroll through the Alabama Book festival.

Saturday evening brought more excitement, as we headed to a Rhonda Vincent concert with Stephen, Kayla, and Shelly. She was incredible! If you like bluegrass and you haven't heard her, you should definitely check her out. Even if you don't like bluegrass. Incredible.

Sunday was a little more low key, with church, watching Matt's old soccer team play, a little nap time and pizza and games with friends. It was a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to head out to visit Matty in California in a few weeks!

Guess What...

2010-04-15T19:57:00.003-05:00

Matty is coming to town for the weekend and I'm REALLY excited! I have missed him A LOT the last month and am looking forward to spending the weekend with him and our wonderful friends! Yay!

The apartment...

2010-03-27T21:46:00.003-05:00

Well, Matt is all moved in to our new apartment in Santa Clara, CA! He arrived last Sunday after a long trek cross-country by himself. He stopped and visited family along the way, spending nights in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Los Angeles. Thanks to all the family who welcomed him in & fed him dinner! He sent a few pics of the apartment, so I thought I would share (please keep in mind that he had to take these with his I-phone since I have the camera, and he wasn't completely settled in yet)...

The last one is the living room, it's kind of dark. Matt is quickly making friends with people from the church that he attended last week. He went hiking today, and repeatedly tells me how beautiful it is there. He starts his new job on Monday, so pray for him as he makes the transition!

Cost of Living...

2010-02-10T17:08:00.002-06:00

Has anyone ever told you that the cost of living is outrageous in California. Well, it's definitely true! Matt spent the weekend in California looking for us an apartment to call home. He found one. He did not, however, follow my instructions to take pictures of my future home, seeing as how I will be moving there without first setting eyes on it. The complex does have a pretty good website, so I at least have some idea of what it will be like. Thankfully, we will be upgrading from the 200 square feet that we grew so fond of in Chicago! Here is the website if you're interested. Be sure you're sitting down before you click on the Floorplans/Pricing tab, and remember that these were not the most expensive ones he found! I am especially excited that we will have a washer/dryer in our unit (not common in CA) as well as an ice maker (also not standard in CA apts). I think he did a great job finding us a place to live!

http://www.archstoneapartments.com/Apartments/California/Northern_California/Archstone_Santa_Clara/floorplans.htm

California Dreamin'...

2010-02-05T17:13:00.002-06:00

Well, for those of you who haven't heard, Matt has accepted a job offer with KPMG in Mountain View, CA. Mountain View is in Silicon Valley, just outside of San Francisco. I know, we move all the time! But, this job is an incredible opportunity for Matt. He will be working in their International Trade department as a consultant. I'll be honest, I can't explain what exactly he'll be doing because I don't completely understand, but I do know that he'll be using his law degree as well as his LLM that he worked so long and hard to obtain. So, I am SO PROUD of him. Although this job initially takes us even further away from families in Oklahoma, it has more potential for eventually bringing us back closer than the opportunities available in Alabama. We are very excited about this chance for another life adventure, but we are hesitant to leave behind all the friends we have grown so close to in Alabama. But, we know God has a plan for our lives and we are trusting in him to guide and protect us. So, please pray for us as we make this transition. Matt will be headed out to CA in the middle of March and will start working March 29th. I have to stay behind and finish out the school year, so I'll head out there at the beginning of June. Once again, we'll have to live apart for a couple of months, but it is the only way to work things out. Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on in our lives lately! Love to all!

Oh, the Weather Outside is...

2009-12-24T22:24:00.004-06:00

Frightful! So we are currently experiencing the Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009! Seriously, Oklahoma is having a blizzard...All of the major interstates in the state are closed, cars are stranded all over the state, and the highway patrol is missing Christmas with their families to rescue those that are stranded. Matt and I are up in Tulsa and couldn't make it to Duncan for Christmas. While I am sad to be missing Christmas morning with my family, I am thankful that all of our family is safe and sound. We're hoping to make it to Duncan tomorrow, provided that the roads are cleared. Here are some pictures from around Oklahoma (I would show you the pictures from our camera, but it's hard to take pictures when the camera is left in the dog's bag in Duncan!)...so these pics are from the news website:

Christmastime...

2009-12-07T18:04:00.003-06:00

Well, despite Matt's greatest efforts to the contrary, we have completed our Christmas decorating. It's not as impressive as mom's house by any means, but then again we aren't having family Christmas and church parties either...so I guess it will do. Hope you're having a wonderful day!

The Christmas tree (thanks Mom & Dad for the hand-me-down):

The stockings I made the year we got married (love them, but Matt's mad that I didn't make one for Lucy):

I framed some of last year's Christmas Cards for the mantle:

Thanksgiving...

2009-12-01T17:29:00.005-06:00

Well, somehow I always manage to spend an entire week in Oklahoma with friends and family and not take a single picture! I did take some with my parents' camera, but it is at their house. So, no family Thanksgiving pictures to share. However, we did host a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner at our house the week before Thanksgiving. The turkey (my first attempt at cooking one) turned out beautifully (thanks to Matt & his help in the cooking process),

and everyone else contributed delicious delights that made our Thanksgiving feast complete. What a wonderful evening!

On another note, our house guests have moved out, so Matt and I are back to living alone in our big ol' house (well, it's really not big, but after that Chicago apartment, it feels like a mansion!). We're slowly getting things back to normal, and we even started our Christmas decorating last night (pictures soon to follow). I love the holiday season!

School is slowly getting better. Some days I still feel like I'm going crazy, and some of the kids really know how to push my buttons, but I feel like I'm handling the craziness of it all better than I did at first. At least I tell myself that I am. With only 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas, I just might survive this semester!

The Car...

2009-08-26T21:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm obviously way behind on blogging. The job has me snowed under, and I feel like I'm constantly running to catch up. But, I promised my mom several days ago that I would post pictures of my NEW CAR!!! Well, it's new to me at least. She kindly reminded me tonight that I have failed to do so. So, here you go...It's a 2004 Toyota Highlander, and I love it! RIP Old Red...there's a new car in town!

I will write more later, but for now I have to do lesson plans & go to bed. It's past my bedtime already!

The Classroom

2009-08-04T19:39:00.003-05:00

Well, today was my first day at work. We have 4 days of inservice this week, and then school starts on Monday! I have to say, I'm a little overwhelmed. The classroom was a mess when I arrived, and there is absolutely nothing on the walls (except for some border half way hanging off the wall). But, I'm sure it will all come together eventually. I have some wonderful friends who have offered to help & have shared supplies with me (thanks Taryn & Vivian!), so I think I'll get it together! Here are some pictures from this morning...after I had straightened up a few things (but not much). Maybe everyone won't be super excited to see these, but I know my mom wants to see them :)

1. A picture of the room from the entryway:

2. A picture of the room from the other side (by my desk):

3. The entryway with cubbies, cabinets, and a bathroom:

4. Storage behind my desk:

Hopefully by the end of the week I can post pictures that look much better!

Drumroll Please...

2009-07-30T01:48:00.002-05:00

I got a job!!! Yes, it's true. I am so excited! Matt and I were waiting to meet some friends for dinner, when I noticed that I had a voicemail. That's strange, I never heard my phone ring today, I thought. So, I check the voicemail...and it's the principal at Dozier Elementary, and she said she went ahead and called downtown (the central office for public schools) and hired me for a 5th grade teaching position!! What?! Seriously? I had talked to her a couple of times, and knew she was interested in me, but the last time I talked to her she said just to let her know when I finally got to Montgomery, so this was a total surprise! It was 8:00 pm by the time I got the message, so I have no further details...except she said it could change before school starts so I might not stay in 5th grade. AND, Matt had a good conversation with someone today about the possibility of a job, so I think things will fall into place for him too. Praise God! Like my mom said, I just needed to be patient & pray. I had the praying part down, but the patience was getting me! Well, it's late & I'm tired...and we have to enjoy as much of tomorrow as possible because it's our last day in Chicago. Thank you to all who have prayed for my job situation. I ask you to continue to pray for Matt's, as well as our travels this weekend. Love to all!

Nearing the end...

2009-07-24T11:09:00.004-05:00

Well, our time in Chicago is quickly winding down, and I have to say we're approaching our last day with mixed feelings. We both really LOVE Chicago (in spite of the bitterly cold winters) and are really enjoying our time here. We have made some wonderful friends, and we certainly aren't eager to leave them or this beautiful city. Many of our friends here are from other countries, and they will all be returning home soon as well. So this brings sadness, since we truly don't know when or if we will ever see them again. Then, on the flip side, we are returning to Montgomery where we also have wonderful friends, a house we love (which will feel like a mansion after living in our tiny apartment) and, hopefully, new jobs!

To avoid having to sort out all these mixed emotions, we are trying to fill our last few days here with as much fun, excitement, and time with friends as possible! We are determined to see and do everything that we can (and can afford) before we leave. Luckily, there are tons of free things to do in Chicago all the time! Last weekend, Matt and I walked down to Navy Pier to watch a sailboat parade before their race to Macinac Island. This week was busy with all sorts of fun! We went on an Architecture Boat Cruise along the Chicago river (for half price!), helped some of our friends move, attended the Taste of Lincoln Park (which is a street festival), went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, said goodbye to our friend Mercy (who is headed to NY to take the Bar Exam), enjoyed eating on the sidewalk patios of our new favorite hot dog place, Portillos, and did our best not to think about leaving! Here are some pics for you to enjoy...

Back in Chicagoland....

2009-07-16T15:19:00.007-05:00

Well, honestly we have been back in Chicago for almost 2 weeks. I have just been too lazy to get on here and blog. We had a fabulous time on our travels...although I just looked at our camera & realized that I didn't take a single picture while we were gone. Not one. So those fun swim days with the nieces, celebrating our birthdays & anniversary, seeing the fam from California...I guess I'll just have to keep them in my memory. Maybe Facebook can provide me with someone else's pics for memories. Anyway, here's a quick rundown of what we did on our LONG and exciting trip!

1. We took the Amtrack to Kirksville, Missouri where we visited Grandma & Grandpa Bell, aunts, uncles, & cousins. Aunt Elaine had a graduation party for Matt & we got to watch old family movies that Uncle Glenn brought! Thanks, Elaine, for letting us stay with you & hosting a fun party for Matt!

2. We drove 6 hours back to Chicago where we met Jen & Misa for a short weekend in Chicago. Matt, Jen, & Misa went to the US vs. Honduras game, which they assure me was very fun & exciting (it was cold & rainy, so I opted to stay home & finish packing for the rest of our trip).

3. Drove from Chicago to Alabama for a few, hectic days of interviews, handing out resumes & squeezing in some time for friends! Matt had 2 interviews, I had several. He is still waiting to hear from one of the firms he interviewed with (they told him this week it will be 2-3 more weeks), and I'm still waiting for a job offer! (side not, I had 2 phone interviews last Friday & am eagerly-somewhat impatiently-waiting to hear back). The job situation for Matt is very promising & I'm praying a lot about my job!

4. Drove from Chicago to Duncan. We spent about a week in Duncan, for my brother's HUGE graduation party! He graduated from massage therapy school, and friends from near & far were there to celebrate. Mom & I created a fun theme with black & lime green, and Aunt Paula provided a great cake with a picture of Daren giving a massage on it! What a wonderful way to celebrate! We also spent some quality time playing Wii, sleeping late, and I organized both bathrooms (although organizing bathrooms might not sound fun to you, I was THRILLED! I like to say that organizing is my hobby!)

5. Drove from Duncan to Tulsa for a weekend with Matt's family, celebration of Father's Day & my birthday. We went to the pool on Saturday & Sunday with the nieces. Very fun! Also had a lovely lunch at Brook's house and spent time at the hospital with MeMa.

6. Drove from Tulsa to OKC & spent the week doing the "tour of homes." Several of our friends in OKC have new houses, so we spent time with them & stayed at their houses. It was great fun to have a chance to catch up & to see that we all have very similar decorating tastes! We also celebrated Matt's birthday at Flattire Burger with his sisters & the girls. The highlight of that dinner was the Smore's we had for dessert!

7. Drove from OKC back to Duncan where my parents planned a graduation party for Matt & Me. Again, we got to see friends from near and far, and had the pleasure of eating Dad's fajitas! Amazing! The rest of the week was spent relaxing in Duncan & eating at new restaraunts (who knew there were so many places I had never tried in Duncan!). We also got to see Chris, Regina, Caleb & Aidan who flew in from LA! Oh, and we rode in a fancy car in the 4th of July parade.

8. Drove back to OKC from Duncan for Brenton's wedding (Matt's college roommate), stayed with Heather & Ryan, & had a nice lunch at Hideaway pizza for Matt's birthday (have you noticed that he likes to stretch out his birthday celebrations?)

9. Drove back to Tulsa from OKC for dinner with some good friends (again to celebrate Matt's birthday, which meant lots of good food for me!). Also got to spend one last night with Matt's parents.

10. Drove from Tulsa back to Chicago, where we arrived exhausted & thrilled to be home after a wonderful trip!

In case you weren't counting the miles of that trip, let me just tell you that we drove 3209 miles, and spent 51 hours in the car! Like I said, it was a LONG trip, but at least it was spread out over 3 1/2 weeks! When we got back to Chicago, we knew our time here was limited, so we're trying to make the most of every moment! We're having a blast (while trying not to be stressed about jobs)! Hope you are having a wonderful summer as well!

A Quick Hello....

2009-06-30T00:22:00.001-05:00

Well, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth...we've just been traveling A LOT! We've driven from Chicago to Alabama, Alabama to Duncan, Duncan to Tulsa & back again. We'll be going back to Chicago in about a week & then I'll try to give a real update! We have been busy (still waiting to hear about jobs), but have loved getting to spend some time with family! Hope all is well with you!

We're off to see...

2009-05-28T01:28:00.002-05:00

The Wizard! A few weeks ago, Matt surprised me with tickets to see the Wizard of Oz at the historic Chicago Theater! I was so excited! Apparently he bought the tickets last semester when he heard that the show would be playing in Chicago. He knows me well! So, one lovely Saturday afternoon we were off to the theater. It was such a nice day, and the play was wonderful! Matt especially enjoyed the fact that they had a real dog to play Toto! I think I may have been more excited than all the 5 year old girls that were there (although many of them dressed up like Dorothy!) Since the play was only in Chicago for a short time, the set wasn't as elaborate as the set of Wicked, but the show was still great. It was a wonderful afternoon spent somewhere over the rainbow!

Job Search...

2009-05-26T14:42:00.000-05:00

Please keep Matt and I in your prayers as we continue to look for jobs. His job hunt has been ongoing for quite awhile now, and I think we're both starting to get frustrated with it. We are trying to be patient & trust that God will work it out...but sometimes my patience fails me! We appreciate your prayers!

Matt's Graduation...

2009-05-21T02:24:00.007-05:00

Well, it's 2:24 am and I should probably be in bed or grading papers. But, I was tired of grading papers and Matt seems to have passed his insomnia off to me (since he is already in bed). I have so many things to post, but Matt and I are now sharing a computer so I haven't had much time! Don't worry...I will update with pictures from our exciting lives soon. But tonight, I need to post about the most important event in our recent history...Matt graduated from his LLM program! Sunday, May 17th was his graduation day. He graduated WITH HONORS (so far he still has a 4.0 gpa...we're still waiting on the rest of his grades). I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of him. It was such a wonderful day as we celebrated with all of his classmates. There were over 400 graduates (this included the JD students, as well as all of the LLM programs), so the ceremony was 2 hours long! A justice on the Illinois supreme court was the speaker, they awarded 3 honorary doctorates, gave out several awards to JD students and professors, and spent 45 minutes handing out diplomas! Like I said, it was a long ceremony, but I was so proud when they finally got to the LLM students & Matt and all of his "foreign" friends walked across the stage. I lovingly call them the "foreigners" because they're all from different countries. Following the ceremony, there was a wonderful reception & we took lots of pictures of this momentus occasion. Here are a few pictures of the wonderful day:

Matt & me at the reception

Outside after graduation:

Matt's dressed & ready to go:

Matt and the foreigners (clockwise from left: Alonso from Mexico, Matt, Rafi from Puerto Rico, Gioncarlo from El Salvador, Fatma from Turkey, Lauri from Paraguay):

I took a video of Matt's LLM section (LLM in International Business and Trade). I know graduations aren't too fun to watch, but I thought the family that was unable to be with us to celebrate would enjoy watching Matt walk across the stage! Be sure your volume is turned up and press play. Enjoy!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful day. It's now 3 am (videos take awhile to upload) so I am going to try to get some sleep!

Refrigerator Artwork...

2009-05-08T16:53:00.003-05:00

We have some very special artwork adorning our refrigerator. First, is a picture from Caleb & I love it! According to him, it is a picture of me and him (although it says Lori & Matt in the corner). He sent it all the way from California! Thanks, Caleb, your picture is wonderful!

Next, we have a masterpiece drawn by Chloe. This is a close likeness of Uncle Matt that she drew on Easter Sunday while he was leading singing. It is also a great artistic creation! Both art pieces are proudly displayed on our fridge for us to see everyday.

Update Kentucky Fried Chicken...

2009-05-06T23:13:00.005-05:00

Well, Matt and I tried to take the suggestion from Lindsy's Blog and visit KFC for some of their new grilled chicken. Oprah had a coupon on her website for a free 2 piece meal, and I'm all about some free food! Matt has been wanting to try the new chicken, so this was a perfect chance! In spite of the thunder and lightning, and the weather forecast that said it would be raining for the rest of the night, we decided to brave the weather and head to KFC. The closest one is kind of far away, so we walk the block to the bus stop, hop on the bus, the back of my pants get wet from the wet seats (I'm hoping this was from the rain!), sit in traffic, wait, wait, make a detour for construction, get off the bus, walk 3 blocks, see the KFC sign, eagerly approach the door, and STOP. The sign on the door apologetically explained that KFC will be closed until NEXT WEEK to "update equipment." REALLY?!? We braved the storm for nothing?! Matt was very upset & very hungry. But, no big deal. We walked a few more blocks (still in the rain) and ate at one of our favorite pizza places. We certainly weren't going to go all the way back home with no food! I guess we'll try again next week for KFC! Lindsy, thanks for the coupon tip...hopefully we can use it soon!

**Update: KFC Take 2 was also unsuccessful. Today Matt and I had to run an errand to the south side of the Loop, and there is another KFC down there. So, we grabbed our coupon & headed out. As we approach the door, we see another sign..."No Grilled Chicken." Again? Really? Since we're hungry, we go ahead and head inside to get some plain ol' fried chicken. We ask the manager why they don't have grilled chicken & he said the equipment for it is broken & it will take 6 weeks before they have it. Hmm... When we got home, Matt looked online & it said they are no longer accepting the coupons. So much for free food. Now we have paid to eat out twice when we were trying to eat out for free. So the free food coupon cost us $30. Nice.**

The Tiny Kitchen...

2009-05-05T22:45:00.003-05:00

So I have mentioned before that it's slightly difficult to cook in our "kitchen" since we only have one inch of countertop. I thought I would show you what it looks like on a typical night when I'm cooking dinner...

I wasn't making an elaborate meal, just cheese dip and quesadillas. Notice the cheese grater, plate, and cutting board precariously balanced on the edge of the sink. Also notice that the skillet and pan are touching each other while sitting on the burners (no, these aren't extra large pans)! It definitely makes for some interesting cooking experiences (sometimes I burn myself, other times I knock things in the floor or the sink). But, I won't complain because, after all, we do live in downtown Chicago & the weather is starting to get BEAUTIFUL!!

Our Chicago...

2009-04-30T15:35:00.003-05:00

I thought I would post some pics of the places we spend our time around Chicago. They're mostly places around our neighborhood. I haven't taken pictures of all the places I wanted to show you, but I keep forgetting to take my camera with me. Maybe I'll remember if it ever stops raining.

This is our building. I think I've posted this picture before, but it's the only one I have! We love the location of our apartment...it's near everything! We wouldn't mind if we had 2 rooms instead of 1 though!

This is our local Starbucks. It's about 3 blocks away, and Matt likes to call it his "office." I call it my "living room." This is where I met the infamous "Starbucks Girls" that I mentioned in previous posts. Funny fact, Matt and I saw the girls for the 3rd time yesterday when we were there!

I absolutely love this little area of our neighborhood. It's referred to as the Rush Street Triangle, and it's a block from our house. There are lots of restaurants and stores, and in the middle there is a fountain and tables. It's so charming! Matt and I had a picnic out there when the weather was nice last week. I'll have to get a better picture now that the trees are green and some flowers are planted.

We also spend a lot of time at Corner Bakery. I guess it could be called our "dining room," although we don't really eat there. It's our alternate option when we don't want to go to Starbucks to work. We like to switch it up so the employees don't get sick of seeing us at their place everyday! On more than one occasion I've gotten a free cookie for agreeing to fill out an online survey about their store...love it!

The only place in this post not within walking distance in this post is Matt's school. I don't know if it's one of his favorite places in Chicago, but he spends a lot of time there (and that's why we live in Chicago) so I thought it was blog worthy!

Well, that's all the pictures I have for now. I just realized that it looks like it is really cold in all these pictures. Some of them were taken awhile back when it was cold. We're still having weather with highs in the 50's, but we have had a few 70 degree days mixed in there! On the warm days, I love Chicago even more!

Please keep praying for Matt's job search. There are a few possibilities floating around, but nothing is nailed down yet. Right now, it looks like we'll be back in Montgomery. We're excited about that possibility, and that Matt has some prospects, but also growing weary of the waiting and wondering what will happen next! Also, I'm on the hunt for a teaching job, so if anyone knows of any openings, let me know!

Traveling and Visitors...

2009-04-22T21:31:00.009-05:00

Well, since the last time I posted, Matt and I have been busy, busy, busy! It all started out with the Jones School of Law Moot Court team coming to town for a few days. Since Matt loves Moot Court (and I've come to love it after watching countless practices and rounds when Matt was in it), we wanted to support them and go to their rounds. They were here for 4 days & there was all sorts of excitement! Not only did they invite us along for their delicious dinners, but we got to see them advance all the way to the national finals! What a great accomplishment! They had a tough panel of judges in the final round, but I thought they should have won (but I'm sure I'm a little biased). Anyway, it was a pleasure getting to spend time with them and getting to see Matt support the program he was so involved in during school.

Shortly after their departure, Matt and I headed to Novinger, Missouri to spend time with his family over Easter weekend. And, now that Heath (his cousin) and Brook (my cousin) are engaged, I got to see a member of my side of the family too! It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend with so much delicious food! Here are some pics from the fun weekend...

(click to enlarge)

We brought Jen, Heather, & the nieces back to Chicago with us for a few days which was so much fun!! We went to the Field Museum, the Lincoln Park zoo, the Hancock Building, and lots of fun restaurants (I've just noticed that I have mentioned food several times in this blog...guess I love food!). We also squished into our tiny apartment, laughed a lot at Allie's silly faces and singing in her sleep, helped Chloe write some wonderful papers about her trip, and saw that both Chloe & Allie have their Uncle Matt wrapped around their fingers. I think my favorite quote from the trip was when Chloe said, "Mom, can I take a bath tonight? I need a break from Allie." When Chloe had finished with her bath that night, she came out of the bathroom and Allie said, "Chloe, that wasn't a very long break from me." Those girls crack me up! Here are some pics from that trip to enjoy...

(click to enlarge)

To top off all our traveling fun, Matt and I made a spur of the moment trip back to Alabama. Actually, we left Chicago the same day that the girls left! Matt was asked to be a judge on the final panel of the 1L Moot Court tournament. Again, he loved being able to participate in the Moot Court program & see the Board of Advocates continuing to flourish after he worked so hard on it last year. We also both had the chance to do some "networking" for job possibilities in case we move back there. (By the way, we are pretty much planning to go back to Montgomery unless something unexpected comes along in Texas.) Spending time with our friends was, of course, the highlight of the trip! We had lunches and dinners with a lot of them (again with the food focus), as well as staying with Stephen and Kayla. Oh, well the highlight of the trip for Matt was probably actually getting to see Lucy! Sorry friends, you come behind Man's Best Friend!! More pictures to enjoy...

After all of that excitement, Matt and I were glad to be back in our tiny apartment with a few days to rest and relax. Well, Matt can't relax too much because he has 2 papers and several briefs to write in the next couple of weeks! We don't have much planned for the next few weeks, but I'm sure we'll find something to keep us entertained in the exciting city of Chicago!!

P.S. I chopped off my hair while I was in Alabama!

Starbuck's Girls...

2009-03-31T15:49:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are loyal readers of this blog, you may remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I was eavesdropping on the conversation of some High School girls at Starbuck's. Well, let me just say, I am hanging out at Corner Bakery this afternoon and the SAME GIRLS are here! They're only 1 table over from me. Seriously. Their conversation isn't quite as exciting today, although I think they are talking about one of the girls who was there for the last conversation but is not present today. Interesting. I'll keep listening & keep you posted if I hear any other juicy bits of info!

Spring Break, etc...

2009-03-31T11:49:00.004-05:00

Well, things have been busy around here lately! 2 weeks ago we had our friends, Stephen & Kayla, visiting for Spring Break. 4 of us squished into our tiny apartment was definitely an adventure, but we had so much fun! We toured the city, went to the zoo, ate at some WONDERFUL restaurants, convinced Steve to go up to the 96th floor of the Hancock Building (in spite of his fear of heights) & just truly enjoyed having good friends to spend time with. What a blessing they were to us (not to mention, they let our dog, Lucy, live with them while we're living here)!

Last week was filled with substituting, editing a book, and training to be a teaching assistant for me. I subbed 3 days at a private, Christian school which was great! I'm training to be a teaching assistant for Ashford University. They have a large online program, and I will be grading papers, etc for introductory English & Psychology classes. I think I will enjoy it! Matt was busy with school & writing briefs. Not to mention, we started our new running program last week! Matt has already lost 3 pounds, but I'm still just stuck at the same weight. Oh well, such is life! I'm still not a fan of running, and I don't foresee myself becoming a running fanatic, but each day got a little better. We'll see how it goes as the distance we have to run increases.

The next 2 weeks hold more excitement, and more visitors! At the end of this week, the Jones School of Law Moot Court team will be here for the National Competition. We look forward to seeing them compete, as well as showing them around the city & spending time with friends! Next week, Matt and I are taking the Amtrack to Kirksville, to see Matt's family. His sisters, nieces, and Heath & Brook are all meeting us in Kirksville for the weekend. We'll stay with Heath's parents and spend lots of time with everyone. It should be a great way to spend Easter Weekend. Then, Heather, Jen & the nieces will come back to Chicago with us to spend a few days! So, we'll continue to stay busy, but we're looking forward to it! I hope everyone is doing well, and having a wonderful week!

Running...

2009-03-24T23:00:00.002-05:00

Well, Matt and I started a new workout routine yesterday. We were inspired by our friends Steven & Kayla last week while they were here. The workout plan is supposed to prepare you for a 10K run in 10 weeks, and we're also adding in a little weightlifting. I don't mind the weights, I actually kind of like that part. But, for those of you who know me well, you know that I don't run. It's mostly my knee's fault...they like to get swollen when I run. Actually, I think I just blame it on the knees. They do get swollen, but the truth is I just HATE running. I wish I was one of those cool people who think running is wonderful and feel great when they run a thousand miles. Like my cousin, Brook. She runs marathons, and I'm jealous that I can't get inspired. The whole time I'm on the treadmill, I just think about how I wish I was anywhere but there! Anyway, I decided that I would suck it up and try this workout plan with Matt. Pray that I don't pass out while trying to run less than a mile at a time this week! Did I mention I'm a HUGE wimp? I am. So...we'll see how it goes.

St. Patty's Day

2009-03-16T20:30:00.004-05:00

Well, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Matt and I headed downtown to the St. Patty's Day parade. It was actually on Saturday, so a few days early, but it was festive nonetheless. Lots of green, lots of people, and lots of unions (I think every union in the state was in the parade!). The parade was 3 hours long, but it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed every minute! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

(click to enlarge)

Top row, from left: A dog dyed green, Happy St. Patty's Day!, the Green River, The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, and a Green Elvis

Middle row, from left: A festive car, A large leprechaun, tiny little leprechaun, a fun floating balloon, and A bagpiper

Bottom row, from left: The pope on roller-skates, A smokestacker, Matt & me, color guard leading the parade, and the best treat ever given out at a parade!

Nothing New...

2009-03-09T22:34:00.001-05:00

So, not much has been happening around here lately. Things have been pretty quiet, as Matt is in full-swing with his classes and work, and I try to find ways to keep myself entertained. I have had lots of time to read, and have enjoyed sitting in Starbuck’s, Barnes & Noble, or the Corner Bakery reading & people watching. One day, I overheard some high school girls having a very serious conversation about their friendship. It was a group of 5 girls, and apparently some of them used to be much closer than they are now, and they all seemed very upset about it. I’m ashamed to say that their conversation kept me entertained for a good hour. I wanted to go back to Starbuck’s the following day because they made plans to meet again to finish the discussion, but I forgot to go back. Hopefully their relationship problems have been resolved & they’re all friends again!

Other than eavesdropping on unsuspecting high school girls, I really haven’t been too busy! I obtained a substitute certificate from the Illinois Board of Education, only to find out that Chicago only allows Illinois-certified Teachers to substitute. So, that was a $30 lesson learned. I am on the list to sub for some private schools, but I guess their teachers don’t miss work very often. One teacher did ask me to sub on March 27^th. I guess he likes to get his subs signed up early! That should be fun…he teaches 7^th & 8^th graders. This week I have started editing three chapters of a book, and will soon begin training to be an online teaching assistant with a university. So, hopefully these 2 endeavors will keep me busy!

As far as Matt’s job search goes, he still hasn’t gotten any offers from Texas. The economy seems to be hitting lawyers hard, as he read an article recently that said 1400 lawyers had been laid off nationwide in the last week. Another article reported 4000 lawyers being laid off in the last couple of months. These statistics are not promising for the job search. This has, however, led us to consider the possibility of the Air Force JAG more seriously. Matt was accepted to the JAG before he began his LLM program here in Chicago, and requested that he be able to postpone his acceptance of the offer until after the completion of the LLM. Obviously, there are pros and cons to be considered before accepting the JAG offer. We have been fervently discussing this option, and praying that God will show us his plan for the next phase of our lives. We would certainly appreciate prayers on our behalf in this area. Sometimes I don’t feel old enough to make such big, life-changing decisions, but I guess I am that old! Well, I better close for now. Matt is sleeping soundly, and I should get to bed as well. I’m sure tomorrow holds another adventure in the Windy City!

American Gothic...

2009-02-27T19:00:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you have all seen the famous "American Gothic" painting in some form or another through the years. The picture of the man with the pitchfork and the woman in front of an old farmhouse. But have you ever seen them in GIGANTIC statue form? Matt and I ran across this exhibit one day as we were walking down Michigan Avenue. As a point of reference, that is me standing next to the suitcase in the second picture. I'm serious when I say it is gigantic!

Chinese New Year...

2009-02-21T14:48:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, Matt and I, along with several of Matt's classmates, headed down to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year celebration parade. Unfortunately, the parade was somewhat disappointing. Although there were a few Chinese Dragons that were worth seeing in the parade, the rest of the parade was not spectacular. However, following the parade, we had some wonderful Chinese food at one of the top restaurants in Chinatown which made up for the parade!! And, we did manage a few snapshots of some of the highlights of the day. Overall, the Chinese New Year celebration was a fun experience!

It's official...

2009-02-19T12:26:00.004-06:00

Matt finally got his law license from Texas. So, he is now officially "Attorney and Counselor at Law" in the great state of Texas! Very exciting!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T14:42:00.006-06:00

Matt and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Since Matt loves planning surprises, he decided to schedule a full day of fun and I had no idea what we were going to do!

The day began with a manicure and pedicure at our local nail salon (this was just for me, Matt didn't participate...although he has had a pedicure before!)

Then we were off to a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory (courtesy of a gift card from my parents that we got for Christmas!) We love to split the Crusted Chicken Romano...it is amazing & way too much food for 1 person!

We then took a lovely stroll down Michigan Avenue (to walk off our lunch), and ended up in Millenium Park where we spent some time ice skating...

(click to enlarge)

Ice skating was tons of fun, and as you can see from the picture above (bottom row, middle), I am well on my way to the Olympic Winter Games! We did manage to avoid falling the whole time we were skating! After we finished skating, we took a bus back up Michigan Avenue to the Hancock Building. One of Chicago's best-kept secrets is the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Building. You can pay $15 to go to the 97th floor of the building to the Observation Deck and only see a magnificent view of the city. Or...you can spend the same $15, go to the 96th floor to the Signature Lounge, get appetizers and/or desserts, and get the same spectacular view! The first picture is the view from our table. The 2nd picture is the amazing view from the women's bathroom window (sorry, it's a little blurry)!

After a full day of fun, we headed back to the apartment where I had another surprise waiting!

What a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day in Chicago! After all the surprises and fun that Matt planned, I felt a little guilty that all I got him was a book. But at least he was excited about the book! :) I hope you all got to spend Valentine's Day with someone you love.

Science & Industry

2009-02-11T18:14:00.004-06:00

I realized yesterday that I've taken a lot of pictures, but haven't posted any lately. So...here is the first of a few posts of things Matt and I have been doing lately. A couple weeks ago, we decided to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. It's on the south side of Chicago, and took us about an hour to get to it on the Bus. It was a Saturday and the last day that the museum was going to be free, so it was VERY crowded. Although we had heard many great things about the museum, we weren't extremely impressed. Several of the interactive exhibits were broken, and some of the exhibits were closed. But, in spite of that, there were a few interesting finds in the museum.

First, we got to see the German Submarine U-505, which was captured during World War II. It's capture was kept secret until the war was over, so that the Germans wouldn't change their war strategy. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go on board the ship (the tickets were sold out), but it was interesting reading about the brave men who worked for months to capture this German Sub.

We also saw the train exhibit in the museum, which was pretty interesting. They had a huge model of the city of Chicago, complete with an operating "El" train (Chicago's rail system). It was really fun to watch the trains move around the track, and to see the intricate details in the model of Chicago's skyline.

There was also a car exhibit that had many cars from different eras, in addition to race cars from the early 1900's to race cars of the "future". Below, you can see an 1896 Benz, a race car from 1911, and a Solar Powered race car.

Wicked...

2009-02-05T22:16:00.007-06:00

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, I am a HUGE fan of the Wizard of Oz! Seriously, when I was little I watched it all the time! In fact, I watched it so much that my parents would turn on the movie, put it on mute, and I would say all the lines and sing all the songs. I would even sing the "Munchkin Land" song, complete with funny voice and dance. Well, this year for Christmas, my parents got me tickets to see Wicked! In case you don't know, Wicked is the story of the Witches of Oz. It's about the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch. I was SO EXCITED to go see the musical. Not only do I love the Wizard of Oz, but I love musicals too! The tickets were for the last evening performance of Wicked in Chicago. It has been playing here for 3 years. So, Matt and I got dressed up (I got to wear my bridesmaid dress from Jen's wedding again!), went out for a nice dinner, and then headed off to the Oriental Theater for the musical. When we got there, we were amazed by the beautiful architecture inside the theater. But the best was yet to come. The show started with a huge mechanical dragon that moved above the stage, and continued with beautiful scenery, amazing costumes, and an incredible performance all around. Even Matt watched intently, and he generally doesn't even like musicals! The entire production was magical, and made me feel like a kid again as I sat there, eager to learn the story of these witches, and to see how it all fit together with the Wizard of Oz. And the two stories fit together seamlessly. Wow! It was so amazing! I wish each of you could have been there to see this amazing show. Sadly, it is no longer playing in Chicago. But if you ever have a chance to see it, you should definitely take the opportunity! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the theater, or during the show, but here are a couple we took outside.

(Click to Enlarge)

P.S. Please note, you can tell in the picture of me by myself that I am not wearing anything on my legs. Let me just say, this was NOT a good idea! Forgetting that I live in Chicago, and that the wind chill was -20 that night, I got ready and rushed out the door, without thought of putting on hose. Now, in Alabama, or even Oklahoma on a cold night, this would not be a problem. Rush out of the house, into the car, turn on the heater, and you're fine. Not so much in Chicago. I did rush out of the building into a taxi on the way to dinner. However, the taxi dropped us at the wrong restaraunt, so we had to walk a block outside to the right one. My legs were cold, but it was bearable. However, when we left dinner, we had to walk 4 blocks (into the wind) to the theater. By the time we got there, I honestly could not feel my toes and everytime I took a step, it felt like needles were stabbing all over my legs. By the time we got into the theater, it was all I could do to keep from crying. We got to our seats, and I wrapped Matt's coat around my legs and put my gloves on my feet (seriously). About 10 minutes later, the feeling came back to my toes. Lesson learned.

Perspective...

2009-02-02T00:00:00.002-06:00

I realized today that many things in life are just a matter of perspective. For example, we were at church this morning and it was "praise time." (Side note, our church is really small...maybe 70 people. So, on Sunday mornings we have a time for people to say their prayer requests, or things they are thankful for if they want to, and then we have a prayer.) Anyway, 2 people gave thanks for the "really warm weather" we were having today...it was 30 degrees outside at church time this morning. Yes, they were thankful for 30 degrees. Also, yesterday when Matt and I went outside to head to the museum (a post with pics of that trip to come), I commented to Matt what a nice day it was and how glad I was that it had warmed up. Matt agreed. It was 31 degrees. Now, I must admit that I never thought I would be thankful for 30 degree weather, and certainly never imagined that I would consider it to be "warm weather," but I guess it's just a matter of perspective. Living in Alabama, I would put on warm clothes and gloves to go outside if it got down into the 40's. However, after a few weeks of weather in the 0's and wind chills in the negatives, 30 degrees seems like a wonderful temperature, and I even took off my gloves and hat because I was hot! Hope you have a wonderful, warm week, whatever temperature that may be!

The Apartment...

2009-01-30T14:11:00.003-06:00

Well, as promised, I have taken pictures of our apartment to share with the world. I'm not sure they capture just how tiny it really is, but you might get an idea. Honestly, after I got over the initial shock of how small it is, I've started to get used to it. It's actually pretty cozy, and really easy to keep clean! I didn't take a picture of the closet (which is where I'm sitting to write this post...I like to call it the office) or the bathroom. The closet is actually a nice size, and the bathroom is small, but big enough to use. So...enjoy!

This is a picture from the corner of the room. It shows most of the room, besides the futon (which I was standing on to take the pic).

This is a close up of the kitchen. Notice the 2 inches of counter space we have between the sink & stove...that's the only counter we have!

This one was taken from the other side of the room. I was standing in front of the sink to take it.

So, hopefully that gives you a good idea of what our apartment looks like!

A moment to brag...

2009-01-24T01:15:00.003-06:00

Please indulge me in a moment of bragging. I am so proud of the hard work that Matt put in last semester in his LLM program. Check out his grades from this semester...

The picture is a little blurry, but he definitely made straight A's!! Actually, he made 2 A+'s. And check out that GPA...4.0014! The director of the program "strongly discouraged" him from taking 14 hours because she said it would be too much work & doubted he would be able to graduate with honors if he took that many hours. Well...I guess it worked out OK! Ok, enough of the bragging. If he reads this, his ego will be too big to handle! Ha ha!! Have a great weekend!

More pics from Galena...

2009-01-21T17:29:00.004-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from our trip. Notice the temp & wind chill in Galena on the weather maps...that was Wednesday, and we didn't go outside all day!! Also, there is a better pic of the frozen Mississippi at the bottom of the collage. Enjoy!

(click to enlarge)

Galena...

2009-01-13T17:20:00.006-06:00

For our first day in Galena we decided to drive over to Iowa and go skiing. Yes, we were surprised that there are places to ski in Illinois and Iowa, but there are. Now, skiing in Illinois was certainly not with skiing in the Rocky Mountains, but it was still enjoyable! We had to cut the day short, since a small blizzard decided to blow in, making it hard to see and ski. Despite the cold, we still managed to have fun...and I skied a black diamond for the first time (although Matt said it was easier than "normal" blacks in Colorado!) Here are some pics from our day:

The slopes:

Our skiing attire before the snow came:

After the snow started, ready to go back out and ski:

On the final run of the day, Matt made an impressive jump in the terrain park:

It's kind of hard to tell from this picture, but this is the Mississippi River...and it's frozen!

Chicagoland...

2009-01-12T21:33:00.008-06:00

Well, we arrived in the great city of Chicago on Friday night, to a light dusting snow and a TINY apartment! After I got over the shock of the small apartment, we started unpacking my things and trying to organize everything. We went out to dinner, and I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I told Matt that I felt like country mouse goes to the city! Although I've been to Chicago several times, the thought of actually living there seemed a little stressful. Once we settled in and got things situated on Saturday, I was starting to feel much better. Saturday evening we went to dinner with a couple that Matt knows from church, Blake and Julie. Blake and I were actually at OC at the same time, although I didn't know him really well. It was good to have friends to hang out with, and helped me to feel a little more comfortable. Sunday, we went to church and I was warmly welcomed with many hugs from everyone! Since Matt has been here for a few months, everyone has been expecting me to come. My first weekend in Chicago also brought over a foot of snow. One of the snowiest weekends they have had all winter! This week there is supposed to be a blizzard...and there hasn't been a blizzard in 8 years! So, I'm quickly being introduced to Chicago winters! Matt and I are spending this week in the small town of Galena, IL for a little vacation before he starts back to school. It's nice to have a few days together to reconnect, after spending a semester apart. Here are a few pictures from our first weekend in Chicago:

Me in front of our apartment building (I'll post pictures of the inside of the apartment when we get back to Chicago)

Matt and I on the snowy streets of Chicago:

Oh, I forgot to mention that we parked Matt's truck at the church building for the weekend when we got to Chicago to avoid the expensive parking fees downtown. We're planning to leave it in Missouri at his Aunt's house for the semester, but we needed it to get my stuff to Chicago and then to travel to Galena. When we went out to get in the truck after church on Sunday morning, this is what we found:

After quite a bit of shoveling (I did help, I just paused to take some pictures), we finally got out of the church parking lot! With snow like this, I see why most people walk everywhere! It's too much trouble to shovel your car out and then try to drive on the snowy streets. Besides, it's fun to stomp around in the snow!

An update...finally

2009-01-08T13:45:00.016-06:00

Well, I've obviously been a little behind on updating lately. Ok, a lot behind. We have been so busy for the past month that I haven't had a chance to sit down and write. And the longer I wait, the more daunting the task seems. So, I thought I would backtrack a bit, and try to catch up on what has been going on with us lately. Let's go back to....

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving break brought welcome relief from the stress of the 5th grade & school work. By the time the break came, I finished my 2 weeks of teaching in 5th grade (although I continued to teach after the break), completed all of my school assignments and had my exit interview for my Master's program. Whew! It was a lot of work to get it all done, but it was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the break! Another exciting thing about the break was that I got to see Matt. We hadn't seen each other in almost 7 weeks by the time he made it to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, our time of living in separate states is now over & we survived! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although I wouldn't really recommend it or want to do it again! Anyway, I wasn't very good about taking pictures on Thanksgiving, but here's one pic that I have. It is of me, my mom, my dad, and my cousin Brook. We were all busy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. If you're wondering what Brook is holding, it's the Tofurkey. Don't worry, my family isn't weird or anything. We have regular turkey & ham, but Brook (being a health nut) thought she wanted to bring a tofu-turkey. Gross!

Busy 2 weeks:
The 2 weeks after Thanksgiving was a flurry of activities, packing, and goodbyes. I still can't believe I managed to fit so many things into 2 short weeks! I finished up with my 5th grade internship. Although the 5th graders mostly drove me crazy, I did start to love them by the end of my time with them. I learned a lot during those 8 weeks, and when I finally realized the best way to relate to them, I actually found myself enjoying them more and more. On my last day of 5th grade, all 3 of the classes gathered in the cafeteria to tell me goodbye. They gave me a framed picture of all the kids, and each class made a book for me, with each student writing why they thought I would be a good teacher. I must admit, reading what they had to say brings a tear to my eye. It was very touching. After they presented the presents, the teacher asked if any of the kids had anything to say to me. A few kids said "goodbye" and that they would miss me, and then one boy raised his hand. To be honest, I was surprised that he would have anything to say because he was one of the "cool kids" that always acted like he was too cool for school. So, when the teacher called on him, I wasn't sure what was coming. Well, he proudly announced, "I think you're pretty!" All the kids clapped, and I cracked up laughing. It was so funny, especially the proud look on his face. The teacher said, he's probably been waiting 8 weeks to say that! That definitely helped end the day on a light note!

Packing was a challenge all of its own. No matter how much I tried to get rid of stuff and clean out my room, the boxes and bags of things seemed never ending! After several trips to the trash can and the storage building, I finally managed to get all of my things together, and did my best to get the things I would take with me down to the bare essentials. After all, I am moving to a 12x14 apartment & I have to share with Matt who already lives there! Clothes and toiletries are all I have room for, although I did manage to pack one small box of scrapbooking stuff to take with me. I will need something to keep me busy while Matt is busy studying and working! I have to say, although I was excited to get to live with my husband again, I was sad to leave Rebecca's house. We had some good times over the semester, and I really enjoyed living with her. However, I'm sure she will be glad to get her guest room back!

Goodbye Parties:
I've never understood why it's called a "party" when someone is moving away. Personally, I don't like goodbyes at all. Although, I did have a good time with all our friends at the 2 parties I had before I left. The first one was with friends from work at Peggy's (my boss) house. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and her house is absolutely beautiful & the view is spectacular! It was nice to spend a few hours with people I have worked with over the last 3 years. Time went so quickly, and I developed some wonderful relationships with all of them. They were so sweet and started a scrapbook for me, so I could keep a record of the places that Matt and I live. The first page was of Alabama & had a picture of everyone in the office, as well as my Master's class. I also got a giftcard to Lowe's, since it's our favorite place to shop on our Friday night date nights! Now we can actually buy something there!

The second going away party was the night before we left Alabama. This one was with the many wonderful friends we have made in Montgomery over the last 3 years. Thankfully, Matt got to be there for this party, so we could say goodbye to our friends, and Montgomery, together. To be honest, when we moved to Alabama I didn't think I would be sad when we left. I just felt that it was a place we needed to be for a short while, but that I wouldn't ever feel at home there. However, as the time came closer to leave, I quickly started to realize that I would miss it. Well, not necessarily Alabama, but the people. We made some wonderful friends and have wonderful memories there. Matt wrote in his blog about our time in Alabama in the last paragraph of this post, and expressed how I feel about it so well. I will cherish the last 3 1/2 years in Alabama forever. As we were saying goodbye after dinner, Emmy Hunt gave me a hug and took off her scarf and put it around my neck. She told me to wear it in Chicago and always remember that she was thinking of me, praying for me, and giving me a hug when I needed one. Even as I write this, her support and encouragement over the past few months bring a tear to my eye. Without being asked, she looked out for me and gave me encouragement at every opportunity. She was truly like my mom, and I only wish I had more time to spend with her. She always made me laugh, and made my heart happy, even if I was feeling a little sad or lonely. Thank you, Emmy!

Graduation:
What a relief it was to finally graduate! Although I may have been more excited and relieved when Matt finished law school (it was longer & more intense than my Master's), I was so happy when graduation day finally came. Although the happiness was mixed with a little sadness, since it was also our last day in Montgomery. My graduating class was the first class to complete the Master of Education program at Faulkner, and it was a great sense of accomplishment as we each crossed the stage and received our diplomas and hoods. Although everyone in our program was close over the 2 years, those of us who did our internships in Elementary Education this semester got especially close over the past few months. We leaned on each other for support, encouragement, ideas, and sometimes for our sanity! But, we made it at last!

Matt and Me at Graduation

The Elem. Ed. Graduates: Monica, Me, Vivian, Whitney, & Frank

Whitney & Me

Dad, Me, and Mom

Christmas:
Our "Christmas Break" has been quite extensive this year. We left Alabama on December 15th, and Matt doesn't start back to school until January 20th. So, we took this free time to spend quality time with family and friends. We spent a few days in Duncan with my parents, went up to Oklahoma City for a surprise birthday party & a graduation party, spent several days with our nieces, went to Broken Arrow for a few days & Christmas Eve, back to Duncan for Christmas Day, to OKC for a weekend visit, back to Duncan for New Years Eve, to Grand Lake with our friends, and we're now in Kirksville, Missouri. Wow! It's been a busy few weeks. We also added in a few trips to OKC and back for Christmas shopping and visiting friends. I just realized that I wasn't very good about taking pictures, but here are a few that you might enjoy.

Aunt Paula, Aunt Robbie, and Mom in their matching Christmas pajamas

My cousin Zack & Me

Austin, my cousin Amy's baby

Chloe & Allie with Santa

Allie

Well, like I said, it's been a busy month! We have had some wonderful times with friends and family, and spent a lot of time travelling! Tomorrow we head out for Chicago, and I will get to see just how tiny our apartment really is! But our vacationing isn't over just yet! Thanks to the generosity of Matt's cousin Heath, we're headed to a resort in Galena, IL to spend a few days together before Matt starts back to school. I pray that God is blessing you in this New Year, and that you take advantage of every opportunity you have to make precious memories with friends and family. We have been so blessed over the past few weeks & look forward to many more adventures to come!

I've been tagged...

2008-12-22T22:00:00.004-06:00

Emmy tagged me (maybe a few weeks ago), so I thought I'd follow through and answer below...

8 Shows That I Watch:
Brothers & Sisters
Law and Order
Law and Order: SVU
Desperate Housewives
NCIS
CSI
Grey's Anatomy
Private Practice

8 Favorite Restaurants:
Taco Bueno
Ted's
Girodano's
Salsarita's
Zio's
Jim 'N Nicks
Panera Bread
Carrabba's

8 Things I did this weekend/week
(we'll go with the last 2 weeks):
Graduated with a Masters in Education
Said goodbye to Alabama & many friends
Celebrated Christmas with my mom's family
Drove from Duncan to OKC and back 4 times
Spent time with my nieces
Ate lots of Party Mix
Met my uncle's wife
Saw old friends I haven't seen in a long time

8 Things I Look Forward To:
Moving to Chicago
Worshiping with the church in Chicago
Going to Galena, IL for vacation
Seeing my nieces open Christmas presents
Meeting Aidan for the 1st time
Seeing Caleb again (& Gina)
Having friends visit us in Chicago
Finding out where we're moving next

8 Things On My Wish List:
Matt to get a job
Safe travels over the next few weeks
Visit Europe with Matty
Not freezing to death in Chicago
Matt to get a job (this is a big wish!)

Well, I can't think of anymore wishes right now. I guess I must be satisfied with life right now!

Ol' Red is Dead (almost)...

2008-12-03T20:33:00.003-06:00

Well, it looks as though it's time for me to part with Ol' Red. We've been together for 10 1/2 wonderful years. She has always been good to me. We have traveled together over many, many miles, and only once has she decided to leave me stranded on the side of the road (at 2 am in the middle of nowhere), but I don't hold that against her. So many memories have been made in Ol' Red. Driving to OC on the first day of college, Spring break road trips, trips to Duncan with many friends, making the decision to move away from Oklahoma on the way back from Alabama, and so many good memories, but I'm afraid all good things must come to an end! In case you haven't figured it out, Ol' Red is my car. A 1997 Mercury Tracer. No cruise control, no power windows, no power locks, no cd player, and now missing an air conditioner. Despite all those things, she's been a good car. A really good car. We've driven back and forth to Alabama MANY times and, as I said, she only broke down once. Luckily, it was close enough that my dad and Paul (our wonderful friend and mechanic) were able to come pick us up and haul us in to Duncan (only after we spent a long night sleeping in the car!).

Anyway, it seems the end to our long relationship has finally come to its end. I took Ol' Red to the mechanic yesterday. (Side note...if you're in Montgomery and need a good mechanic, I would strongly recommend Joe McClendon. His shop is downtown on Decatur, and he was SO nice! I got to his shop at 3:30, expecting to have to leave my car overnight and pick it up the next day. Although he closes at 4:00, he took the time to drive the car, put it up on the rack, figure out what was wrong, show me what was wrong, and then give me some good advice which did not include me paying him to fix it.) Now back to the demise of Ol' Red. I knew it wouldn't be good when Joe heard the noise my car was making and said, "Hmm. That's strange. I have never heard a noise like that before." Keep in mind that he has been a mechanic for a long time! Nonetheless, he was determined to figure out the problem. After a quick trip around the neighborhood, a discussion with the other mechanic, and a few minutes looking at it, he came inside the shop and said he wanted to show me what was wrong. As we were walking to the car he says, "have you ever thought about trading it in?" Again...not good coming from a mechanic. Apparently, I have inplay in the crankshaft. I may be saying that wrong because I know nothing about cars. Basically, from what Joe said, the motor is moving back and forth, causing a piece of metal to bang into the back of the motor when it moves. Apparently this is a bad thing. I told him I needed to drive it to Oklahoma, and then to Chicago. Apparently this is not a good idea. He said it might make it, it might not. After talking to Matt, dad, and Paul we came to the conclusion that it is, in fact, time to put Ol' Red to bed, or at least sell her. So, if you know anyone who wants a cheap car that may or may not last awhile, just let me know! Perhaps it would be a good option for someone who knows how to fix cars. On the bright side, Matt and I don't really need a car since we're moving to Chicago, and we can drive his truck up there with our things. Well, I know it's been ages since I've updated and I'll try to give more updates on our lives soon!

India...

2008-11-11T15:23:00.002-06:00

So, Matt is India right now, New Dehli to be exact. He left this past Sunday night, and he'll get back early in the morning next Sunday. He went over there for an international debate competition with another student from John Marshall, but they will also have time for some sightseeing too. Anyway, he sent me a message, and I thought everyone might like to see what he has to say about his trip so far. Enjoy!

"India is unbelievable and not always for the good. The poverty and living conditions of the majority of the Indians is astounding. The air is so dirty with smog that looks like you are a near a fire constantly. I took 20 or so pictures today and tomorrow will be even more because we go to the Taj Mahal...I saw a lot of chipmunks but no monkeys so far. I took some pictures of the 'sacred' cows laying in the roads and we went to the India Gate (Memorial for the Freedom Fighters)...the gate was very impressive. The opening ceremony dinner tonight was very nice and really made you realize the two distinct classes of people in India. The haves and the have nots are not even close in this country. There is no middle class from what I can tell. The food was nice but very spicy...they encouraged everyone to dance but my roommate from Austalia and I were successful in avoiding it. The entire ceremony, dinner, party was outside in a very nice courtyard. I made friends today with a guy and girl from Vienna, my roommate from Australia, a couple fellas from Dubai, Singapore, Sweden, London, South Africa, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Canada, and Hong Kong. I was told there would be other American schools here and there is a team from DC but one member is Canadian and the other British...so I am the lone American in the group thus far. There are many more people to meet and mingle with tomorrow I believe. For lunch today we found a pizza place that was actually very good...Lenka and I split a pizza and got two cokes for $5. We are going to a very good market place during our Delhi tour on the 13th so I will try to buy most things then. One thing everyone seems to be struggling with is the lack of toilet paper in the hotel...they have a bidet. Everyone has complained and they should have toilet paper for us all tomorrow. Perhaps in the morning I will try to post some of the photos thus far but right now I am so exhausted that I must get some sleep. I should also mention that the Indian people are some of the nicest most hospitable people I have ever met. We walked nearly 3 miles today to a marketplace and to exchange money and we got lost twice. When we asked for directions, instead of explaining where we should go (maybe because there are not street signs) the person would walk us a good bit of the way and talk to us about where we were from. Some vendors are out to get money from you for doing this but we would usually ask a woman walking by herself and they would help and actually refused any offer of a tip. Hopefully the debate will go well tomorrow, the trip to the Taj Mahal is going to be a long one we have heard but should be an amazing experience. So apparently traffic lanes are only suggestions, as is which side of the road to drive on...we have seen multiple people driving the wrong way and buses with 15 seats loaded with 50 people. It is crazy. The streets are so dusty that you don't even recognize your shoes when you get in from walking around. I got a 2 liter bottle of water today for 40 cents...so I can brush my teeth and stay safe..."

I'm sure he'll post a long blog when he gets back, but internet for his laptop is $5/hr, so he's trying to use it sparingly. I'll try to update on his trip as I hear from him.

The Bar...

2008-11-06T23:05:00.002-06:00

Well, it's official!! Matt just found out that he PASSED THE BAR EXAM!!!! The results weren't supposed to be posted until Friday, but he checked during class tonight and they were already posted. Yes, ladies and gentleman, he is OFFICIAL!! I am so very proud of him, and I am sure I will write more later. For now, I'm trying to tone down my excitement so I can go to sleep! I am a little disappointed though, that he's all the way in Chicago and I can't celebrate with him. Congratulations, Matty!

Absence makes the heart...

2008-11-05T20:08:00.005-06:00

They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder." But is it really true? Does the simple absence of someone really have the power to make your heart grow fonder of them? I've thought about this question many times this semester, and I've decided that someone's absence doesn't change your heart. Rather, I think it simply has the power to remind you of your heart's feelings. Let me explain...This semester while Matt and I have been living apart, there have been many times when I start to miss him. A lot. But I don't think missing him means that I'm growing fonder of him. I think absence just reminds me of the things I already love about him, but may have taken for granted before he moved to another state. Or maybe not even taken for granted, but the little things you forget to notice because they're always there. The things that I didn't realize I would miss until I started to miss them. For example, sometimes I just want a hug from him, sometimes I want to talk to him about what happened that day and have him tell me it will be OK. Other times, I would like nothing more to just sit next to him, in that comfortable silence that is only possible with your best friend. With Matt away, I have realized how very much I appreciate the little things he does. Cooking dinner for me, helping me clean (even when I have to explain exactly what to do), encouraging me to actually buy something when I go shopping (for those of you who know me, I never spend money!), leaving me sweet notes, surprising me with trips and special dates, and so many other things. (If my mom is reading this, she's probably thinking that I'm terribly depressed, but please be assured that I'm NOT. Yes, I miss Matt. But at the same time, the semester is almost over, and I know that I can handle a few more weeks). I say all this to say that this semester, I have realized that I need to take the time to truly appreciate the wonderful husband that God has blessed me with. So, after 15 weeks of "absence," I think I would change the quote to say "absence helps the heart remember."

Social Hour...

2008-11-01T00:16:00.003-05:00

The 5th graders have "social hour" on Friday afternoons. This is really just a glorified name for recess. I guess it makes them feel more mature to call it social hour. Anyway, it is also part of the discipline plan, and the teachers can take away the privilege of social hour for various infractions in the classroom, including misbehavior and failure to complete homework. Since I have started teaching, I now have the ability to take away social hour privileges if I deem it necessary. Today, one of my students felt she needed to clarify just exactly why I took away her social hour. This was her question: "Mrs. Bell, do I have to sit out at social hour because I was cheating, or because I was talking during class?" Really? Did she really need to ask me that? Shouldn't she know that BOTH cheating AND talking during class are not allowed?!?! She definitely should have known after I had to give her conduct checks EVERY DAY THIS WEEK for laughing, talking, talking back, and one day for cheating!!!! Oh, but it wasn't her fault that she was cheating (that's what she told me today anyway). I still haven't figured out how you can accidentally cheat. Any ideas on that one? Oh, and another boy got in trouble for sleeping during class. Apparently that wasn't his fault either. 5th graders come up with some great stories and excuses for why they're misbehaving. They generally don't deny the fact that they were doing something wrong, but boy can they spin a tale as to why they were doing it!! They're very creative...it's pretty impressive really.

I start my 2 weeks of teaching on Monday. This means that I'm in charge of all of the classes, by myself for 2 straight weeks. It should be interesting, but I think it will be fun. Definitely a good learning experience. I have a lot of fun activities planned, so hopefully the kids will cooperate and we'll get to do them!! Well, it's late and I'm sleepy. I hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!

5th graders...

2008-10-29T19:40:00.003-05:00

Well, I haven't written much about my experience in 5th grade so far, and I'm in my 4th week of the placement! I guess there are several reasons for this, but the primary reason is that 5th graders are not nearly as cute as 2nd graders. The second reason is that I'm not enjoying this experience as much. All elementary interns are required to spend half of the time in a lower grade (K-3rd) and half of the time in an upper grade (4th-6th). Some people love the lower grades, some love the upper grades. One of my friends started the internship thinking she would hate her 6th grade placement, and has ended up loving it. I don't hate being in 5th grade, and I guess I don't even dislike it that much, but I just don't like it as much as 2nd grade. So, perhaps this is the reason why I haven't written much about it. So, let me give you a quick update on my life in the 5th grade. I'm in a science and social studies class, and we have 3 classes each day. For the last week I've been teaching 2nd and 3rd period. Starting next week I'll teach all day long! I'm looking forward to it, and I have several experiments and fun things planned to do with them. It's going pretty well, and I like that 5th graders can do more independent work than the 2nd graders. This allows for more "projects" and even science experiments. It gives more opportunities for them to do things besides worksheets. The main thing that bugs me about the 5th grade is the attitudes. I can't stand it when they huff and puff when they get in trouble, or when they talk back with some grand explanation about why what they were doing really wasn't wrong. Makes me crazy! Back talking...no good. (I should probably take a moment to apologize to my parents for having a sassy mouth when I was younger! But, I don't think I got sassy until at least Jr. High!) Anyway, the attitudes just frustrate me. And, I have found that my "mean voice" does not sound very mean. I'm working on that. Not that I want to be a mean, grumpy teacher, but sometimes you have to put on a serious face and let them know you mean business. I think I'm getting better at it, but I've got some work to do! ha ha. So, with all that being said, I just try to approach each day with a positive attitude and hope that it will be a good day. Most days are good, some days I want to pull out my hair! Overall, 5th grade is not terrible, but I definitely prefer my cute, little, precious 2nd graders!! Well, I'm off to Open House night at school in a few minutes, so I better go for now. Have a great day and a Happy Halloween tomorrow!!

An encouraging word...

2008-10-21T18:04:00.002-05:00

I was teaching history. It was 3rd period, the kids were tired, and we were learning about the French Colonists settling in the "new land" (that would be North America, for those that aren't history buffs). Not the most exciting reading. They leave France, they come to America, they set up a colony, end of story. Same thing that happened in yesterday's lesson with the Spanish. I'm doing my best to make it interesting...after we read the text, I try to retell it like a story, using the map to point things out and trying to sound excited. But I'm looking at their eyes, seeing some of them day dreaming, and thinking to myself "I don't blame them, I would probably be bored too." Time runs out for the class, so we have to stop in the middle of the lesson. Relief sweeps across most of their faces. The dismissal bell is only minutes away, and they hurriedly pack their things to leave. But, as one girl walks out of the classroom, she stops for a second and says, "Mrs. Bell, why do we have to leave just when the story was getting good?" All I can do is smile at her. "Yes!!" I think to myself, "at least one person is interested and paying attention. Maybe I'm not as boring as I thought!" How nice it is when a student is enjoying learning (and being sincere when they tell you)! It made my day!

Question...

2008-10-14T22:43:00.004-05:00

So one of my 5th graders asked the following question at the lunch table the other day...

"Mrs. Bell, is fish a meat or a vegetable?"

What?!? Was he serious? Yes he was. Pretty sure a 5th grader should know the answer to that! But I just kindly answered that fish is indeed a meat. He said that's what he thought but he didn't know what happened to the meat when you cook fish. Strange.

Matty Came to Visit!

2008-10-11T19:58:00.004-05:00

Well, Matt was here for the last week, and just left yesterday. We had so much fun together, and I realized just how much I had missed him when I saw him. He actually surprised me by taking an early flight & showing up at the end of the school day on Friday. I was completely shocked to see him walk in the classroom, especially because it was 5 minutes before school was out, and I was busy telling all my little 2nd graders goodbye (it was my last day in 2nd grade). needless to say, I was VERY excited to see him! I was planning to drive to Birmingham that night to pick him up at 10:00, so it was nice to have him in early & to not have to drive by myself! That evening, he surprised me again by telling me we were going to spend the weekend at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery. A friend of ours works there, and she got us an AMAZING deal on the Executive Suite! It was a great weekend! The room was beautiful, on the corner of the building with a view of the Alabama River. It was a nice way to relax, and get away from the world for a couple of days.
This is a picture of the hotel:

On Friday night, we checked into the hotel, and then met some friends for dinner at the Brew Pub downtown. We were able to walk over from the hotel, and we enjoyed our friends. It was obvious how much Matt had missed everyone because he barely stopped talking long enough to take a breath the whole time we were there!

Matt & Me

Matt, Steven, Allen

Angela, Kayla, Me

We watched some football on Saturday, had pizza at Tomatino's (a local Montgomery favorite), and then went over to the Frisby's that evening so Matt could see Lucy. He missed her too! We ended up at the Frisby's house almost every night so Matt could see her. I was off on Monday (for Fair Day...it's not a real holiday, but the State Fair was free for kids that day), but I had to work (well, go to school) the rest of the week. So Matt would do homework during the day, and then we would get to hang out in the evenings. It was a great week, but of course it passed much too quickly. I think spending time together is going to make the next 6 1/2 weeks even harder than the last 8 weeks! Although it's a shorter time until we see each other again, having him back to visit made it so much harder for him to leave again. I know the time will pass quickly, and so I'll just find ways to keep busy and not think about him being gone! I'll see him again at Thanksgiving...along with his new school friends from Kenya, Mexico, Paraguay and maybe Switzerland (they're joining us for Thanksgiving)! Should be fun! It's actually only 8 more weeks of living apart (not counting the week of Thanksgiving) until I graduate and we'll be back together for good! I'm looking forard to that for sure! Have a wonderful day!

New Clothes...

2008-09-26T16:52:00.006-05:00

So I have decided that I need to update my wardrobe. This decision came after the conversation I had with a second grader as I was walking in to school this morning. This precious little boy in the class next door is really one of my favorites...he is always so happy and he's so cute! Anyway, I met him in the hall this morning as I was walking in. He says, "Mrs. Bell, you put on a black shirt this morning?" I said, "Yeah, I wore a black shirt so it would match my flip flops" (it was Flip Flop Friday at school today). He says, "but I can't believe you put on a black shirt, you usually put on a blue shirt." Apparently I have way too many blue shirts if a 2nd grader thinks that's all I wear!

Another funny comment from today was this...one boy told me that his friend was sad because one of the "big kids" called him a nerd. I said, well that's why you weren't supposed to be playing with those "big kids", they're not very nice sometimes. Then the boy says, "well, being a nerd just means you're really, really smart, and it's good to be really, really smart. So I told my friend that he shouldn't be sad that someone called him a nerd, because a nerd is good." What a great perspective!

On another note, the same boy was telling Mrs. S (the teacher) a very sad story about his mother getting beaten up by her boyfriend. As Mrs. S was listening, she said "now you're never going to hit a girl, are you?" to which the boy replied "heck, I ain't never gonna hit nobody!" We felt better to at least know that maybe this boy hasn't been tainted by the bad influence of his mother's boyfriends. Thankfully, he no longer lives with his mother, since she obviously did not provide a safe environment for her son.

I made it through my 2 weeks of teaching by myself in the 2nd grade! It ended a week ago, and it was actually really fun, and I'm looking forward to having a class of my own (someday...but probably not in Chicago). Before the internship began, I couldn't imagine having to teach by myself, especially with another teacher watching me. But, it really wasn't too bad. Most of the time when Mrs. S was in there, she wasn't really paying attention. The only thing that was tough is I felt like I needed to do things just like she did, instead of like I would do them. Anyway, it was good for the most part! The teacher was gone for 3 days during my 2nd week of teaching, so I really got to see what having a class to myself would be like! There was a sub in there with me, but she stayed busy making copies and doing projects for other teachers. This week was a little less exciting, since I was back to observing and trying to find things to do! The kids had several tests to take this week, so I really didn't have many opportunities to teach. I did get to teach one afternoon because the teacher had to leave. I can't believe I'm almost done with my 1st 8 weeks of my internship! After next week, I'll move to 5th grade. It will be a completely different atmosphere, and I'm interested to see what it will be like. The teacher (I'll call her Mrs. C) I'll be with also has a totally different personality than Mrs. S, so that will be fun to see a different perspective on teaching. I'm looking forward to it...but a little nervous, especially since some of the 5th graders are bigger than me! Well, I better go for now. I need to get back to the homework I've been trying to avoid! Have a great day!

Kids say...

2008-09-11T22:40:00.003-05:00

So I'm not sure when people develop the sensor that tells you that some things shouldn't be shared with the whole world, but 2nd graders definitely don't have it. They will tell you anything, often whether you ask or not. They want to share everything they know with you, and many times 12 of them want to share at the same time. At times this can be overwhelming, since there is obviously not time to listen to what every kid has to say all the time. Asking one question in class elicits 17 hands going up, each with something to say. Sometimes the hands are actually in response to the question; other times...you call on them and they say something totally unrelated to the topic at hand. For example, " Are we going to computers on Thursday?"(it's only Monday, so the schedule on Thursday is not really important right now) or, "I can run really fast" (good information, but not in the middle of social studies!). However, if you take the time to listen to their stories (not necessarily in the middle of the lesson, but at appropriate times) the things they say may provide critical insight into a child's home life, help you relate to a child because you know what they're interested in, and help you get a glimpse of why they may act the way they do. Not that their moms or dads necessarily want them to say the things they say...in fact, they would be completely embarrassed to hear some of what is said! I've had kids tell me all sorts of things in my 5 weeks in the school..."My mom says she doesn't want to help me with my homework," and"My dad's big black mustang got taken away from him yesterday because he didn't pay for it," and "I can only see my mom at DHR (social services)." Obviously, once kids develop that "sensor" they wouldn't tell a teacher things like that. They would be embarrassed, or ashamed, or just not comfortable enough to say anything. And although their parents probably didn't want me or their teacher to know these things, it does help us to understand and relate to these students better. The innocence of children is so refreshing. They hear, see, and understand much more than adults often give them credit for. They know exactly what is going on at their houses, even if their parents try to hide it and keep it a secret. So, when all of the sharing starts to overwhelm me, I try to remind myself how precious their honesty and openness is and show a little more patience and caring as I listen to them tell me stories.

On a funny note...today while we were standing in line for the bathroom (I was actually not standing in line, but the kids were), one little boy looks at me and says "My doctor hits me with a hammer." Not sure where that came from, and it kinda took me off guard (and I didn't want to laugh because kids are very serious when they tell you things)...but I did verify that it was the reflex hammer on his knee!

My internship is going well. I just finished my 5th week, and my 1st week of teaching all day. I really enjoyed it. I felt like the kids were actually learning something (most of the time) and I didn't feel like I was boring them to death, so that was a plus! I have had my first 2 evaluations by my professor at school, and I did well on both of them. She loved the games and activities I included in my lessons, which was good. I must confess, I made the lessons a little more interactive and exciting because I knew she would be there! There just isn't enough time in the day to play a game, do an activity, complete the required worksheet, and teach the lesson for every single lesson that must be taught in the day! But I do try to incorporate something interactive or "hands on" in every lesson. Kids are going to move around while you're teaching...so you might as well give them something productive to do while they're moving! This allows them to wiggle while still learning! Sometimes I feel like I might be too idealistic since I'm new to teaching, but I truly enjoy being in the classroom. I certainly have moments (and occasionally days) where I just feel frustrated and irritable, but those moments come no matter what occupation you have. Overall, I'm enjoying my time and can't wait to be teaching "for real" in a classroom of my own! Well, I should go for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

Matthew 18:3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

A quick update...

2008-08-28T19:02:00.003-05:00

So the same kid that I wrote about in my last post had me laughing again yesterday. Here's the conversation...

Kid: I am so tired, I just can't do my work
Me: What did you do last night that made you so tired?
Kid: My dad pooted in the bed all night and I couldn't sleep.
Me: No response...what do you say to that?

Things are still going good at school. Today I taught the morning reading lesson for the first time. The reading series that we use is pretty complicated and it's new so the teachers are having a hard time figuring it out. I think I did OK. Thankfully, the teacher left the room for most of the time that I was teaching. She makes me nervous when she's in there watching me, and the kids are always looking at her instead of me. They're probably wondering why some random girl is teaching them while their teacher is sitting right there. I also reviewed the calendar and started their math lesson today as well. I feel pretty comfortable teaching, and I'm really enjoying being in the school. Our class is well behaved for the most part, although I did have to sternly remind them that they have to behave for me just like they behave for the teacher. I think they were just testing the waters to see if I would get on to them, or let them talk and not pay attention. I gave one kid a "stick" because he kept acting up (a "stick" is what they get if they're doing something wrong. They have to put the stick-which is just a straw cut in half- in a pocket with their name on it. The # of sticks they have at the end of the week determines their conduct grade). Anyways, after I gave him a stick everyone else seemed to settle down. I guess they just needed to see that I meant what I said. Tomorrow I'll be teaching Math and one or two of the reading small groups. I really like the teacher I'm with, although I don't know how comfortable she is having someone else teach her class. She seems reluctant at times to let me teach, but it might be that she just doesn't want to give me too much. Next week I have my first evaluation by my professor. I think the lesson will be fine, I'm just nervous about having her watch me.

Other than school, my life isn't too exciting. I'm missing Matt, and I still won't get to see him for another month! I try to keep myself occupied in the evenings so I don't get lonely and so far I've been doing pretty good! Maybe I'll try out some new hobbies this semester! Well, I must go now because I'm getting hungry and I need to make dinner! Have a great day!

The Internship...

2008-08-25T20:45:00.003-05:00

I'm sure I will have many stories over the next few months about my experiences in my internship. I'm in a 2nd grade classroom for the first 8 weeks, and already we have had some interesting experiences & funny comments by kids! I thought I would list just a few (in no particular order)...

We spent the first 2 hours of the school day this morning in the hallway downstairs. A tornado warning was in effect, the sirens were blowing as I was driving to work, some kids were crying...what a way to start a Monday!
My first Friday, the teacher I'm with had to leave at 11:30. So, I was responsible for the class that afternoon (although we did have a substitute, as required by law)...on the way to PE, as we're about to walk out the door, a lizard runs in the door. Before I know it, one little boy jumps out of line to try to catch the lizard and throw it outside. Just as he reaches the lizard, the lizard's tail falls off and starts flipping around. The tail is flipping, the body is flipping, and all the kids are going crazy. I couldn't do anything but laugh (and rush the kids outside so the kindergarten teachers didn't hear the commotion!)
Same day as the lizard...about 10 minutes later...I'm sitting in the classroom during my "planning" time, while the kids are OUTSIDE at PE. The principal comes over the intercom saying, "attention teachers: no one is allowed outside until further notice. NO ONE is to go outside!" The substitute rushes back in the room and says we're on lock down and we're supposed to lock ourselves in the room. But my kids are OUTSIDE and I don't have a key to the classroom! So, we just sit there and thankfully the PE coach brought the kids inside!
One of my students lives with his grandma. He came in one morning and said he couldn't do his homework the night before. His excuse? "My grandma is like 60 years old...she can't help with homework!" Obviously 60 years old is ancient!
Same kid is trying to do the math problem 9 + 2. He says he can't do the problem. I say, "well, if you don't know the problem in your head, you can count on your fingers." His response? "I don't have 9 fingers." So I ask, "How many fingers do you have?" and he responds..."10". Kids!

That's just a few of the things that have happened over the last couple of weeks. The kids definitely keep me laughing! Have a great day!

Our Crazy lives...

2008-08-24T19:19:00.005-05:00

The Wedding (cont)... Well, the day of the wedding was perfect! When I got to Jen's apartment that morning, she and Chloe were snuggling and talking about everything that was about to happen. It was a precious moment between mom and daughter...

The bridesmaids, Jen and the girls enjoyed a tea party lunch, followed by getting our hair done. Allie LOVED her first "tea party with grown ups", and Chloe even tolerated it and I think she had fun. Allie thought she was very grown up, drinking out of the tea cup & she got some Hannah Montana gear at Wal-Mart that made her feel like a movie star after she got her hair done!

I absolutely love this picture of Chloe. She looks so happy and beautiful! I know Misa will truly be a blessing to her and Allie's lives.

There were so many sweet moments during the wedding, but this was probably the most emotional. Misa gave Chloe and Allie a locket that said "always together" and made a promise to each of them. Absolutely precious!

This is a pic of me and Matt at the wedding. One of my favorites!

The Day was upon us...On Sunday after the wedding, we headed back to Montgomery with Matt's dad along for the ride to help Matt move to Chicago. We got back Sunday evening, and stayed at our house in the guest room (which was a little strange, but our renters had already moved in and were so nice to let us stay with them!). Although I was excited for Matt to get to start his LLM and fulfill his dream of living in Chicago, I couldn't help but feel the dread of him leaving as I went to sleep that night. I support him 100% in going to Chicago, but at the same time I didn't want him to leave! It was with mixed emotions that I got up the next morning and prepared for my first day of my internship! I was excited about starting school, sad that he was leaving, and nervous with anticipation as I thought about the months that lay ahead. So, I told Matt goodbye, held back the tears so I could make it to school without my ugly cry face, and headed off to start the next 4 months of interning.

The last 2 weeks...Well, we've made it through 2 weeks of Matt being in Chicago and me in Alabama. My internship has been going great so far! The teacher I'm working with is wonderful, and the kids really have been good. I've already gotten sick, and have spent the entire weekend in bed, but I was warned before I started that I would get sick, so I expected it! Matt started school on Thursday, and besides feeling slightly overwhelmed, he is enjoying it! Matt and I get to talk online everynight via our webcams, so that helps us not miss each other as much (although I definitely still miss him a lot!). But, I've come to realize that things could certainly be worse, and it's only temporary, so we're making the best of it! I'll try to keep updating more often. Love you all!

Well...

2008-08-18T20:04:00.003-05:00

Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive! It has just been a CRAZY few weeks! I keep thinking that I need to get on here and write, but then I don't have time. At this point, it seems like a daunting task to update on everything, but I'll give it my best shot. We'll start with the last week of July...

The Bar Exam: Matt felt good about the Bar Exam. It was a pretty intense 3 days, but he made it through! Now comes the LONG wait...he'll find out the results in November! I think I may have been more stressed out than he was all week. Neither of us could sleep, but while he was testing all day, all I could think about was his test! It could have been my hurried attempts to finish packing up the house and cleaning that had me stressed out. It was a busy week, working all day, (worrying about Matt's test), and going straight to our house after work to pack and clean. Everyday when I got to the house I would tell myself that I would probably finish that day, then as I was leaving that night, I would tell myself that I would probably finish tomorrow. I finally finished around 10:00 or so on Wednesday night. Everything was packed, the house was clean, the bathtub was caulked, and I was ready for...

Leaving on a Jet Plane: After my last day of work (July 31st), I drove up to Birmingham to fly to Dallas and meet Matt. The flight went well, and I was entertained by a tipsy construction worker on his way home. We spent the night with Jared and Emily (Tomberlin) Burns on Thursday night, which was lots of fun! It was good to catch up with them, and see their beautiful new house! Friday we planned to go shopping and camping, but I ended up getting a TERRIBLE muscle spasm in my neck. I was just taking the towel off the towel rack before my shower and all of a sudden I couldn't move my head, or straighten it up. I tried to stretch it out in the shower, but to no avail. I was in tears and pain! So, we headed up to David and Kay's house (emily's parents), where Kay had a heating pad and some medicine waiting. After several hours of heating pad and the oil she had that was supposed to relax the muscle, I still couldn't move my head. I wasn't in as much pain, so we left and headed north of Dallas to meet Matt's great aunt and cousin for dinner. By the time we drove the hour to dinner, I was close to tears again and my neck was right back where it had been. So, I called my parents and told them I needed to skip the camping. They met us in Ardmore with an ice bag and muscle relaxers. After a muscle relaxer, a pain pill, and several hours, I was finally able to relax enough to go to sleep. Lucky for me, my brother is in massage therapy school so he was able to work on my neck over the next few days. The drugs mixed with the massage did wonders, although I still have a little pain in my neck when I move in certain ways...and it's been over 2 weeks! We spent several days in Duncan, just hanging out with the family, and then we headed up to OKC for...

The Wedding: Jen & Misa got married on 08/08/08, but the festivities leading up to the day began on Wednesday. We made it to OKC just in time for Matt to pick up his tux (he was an usher) and head over to Heather's house for dinner. Thursday was a day of decorating, manicures/pedicures, rehearsing, and eating. The rehearsal dinner was very nice, and Jen & Misa had sweet things to say about everyone involved in the wedding. Thursday night the girls had a "slumber party" at Jen's house...at the request of Chloe and Allie. We got started kind of late, but did have time to watch Shrek the 3rd and all pile in the living room for some fun girl time. Here are some pictures from the day...

Well, the pictures wouldn't upload, so I'll stop here for now, and update more later. Love you all!

Retraction...

2008-07-30T22:43:00.001-05:00

Please Note: Matt has pointed out to me that I called him this morning, and he called me yesterday morning. Please note this as you are reading the post about my morning. I thought he called me because the reminder on my phone went off and it sounds like my phone ringing and I was half asleep during it all! Thank you.

Good Morning!

2008-07-30T13:26:00.004-05:00

So, anyone that knows me knows I'm not a morning person. This morning this was especially true...Matt called before my alarm went off to tell me he was up and ready for Day 2 of the Bar. I turned off the alarm because I was "awake," but then I fell back asleep and didn't wake back up until 7:20. I have to leave at 7:40 for work. Needless to say, I didn't leave on time. My work and boss are pretty relaxed, so I wasn't really worried about running late. So, I arrive at work about 8:10, only to find the whole office awaiting my arrival! Tomorrow is my last day of work full-time, so they decided to bring me presents today! I was so embarrasesed because I was late and I had 5 people just sitting and waiting! Then, when I realized what my present was, I was even more embarrassed!! Here's a picture...

Amber and Shelly decided that since Matt moved away I needed an inflatable husband to take his place! He was sitting in my chair when I arrived at work! The box says "Low Maintenance Partner for a stress free, easy life." I laughed...A lot. Peggy (my boss) got me a strand of freshwater pearls and Loye bought me the pearl earrings. I'm wearing both in the picture. Anyway, it was definitely a good way to brighten up a somewhat stressful, running late morning!

The Bar Exam...

2008-07-28T14:58:00.003-05:00

Well, the day has finally come (or at least tomorrow it will be here)! The Bar Exam starts tomorrow morning at 8am. Matt is nervous. I am nervous. Please pray for Matt over the next 3 days!

Packing...

2008-07-26T18:49:00.004-05:00

Well, I didn't reach my goal of having everything packed up and ready to go by yesterday. It has been non-stop packing since I got up this morning. Well, to be honest I haven't really been that motivated. So it's been more like pack awhile, check my email, pack some more, look at facebook, and so on. Our TV is disconnected, so our only form of entertainment is surfing the internet! Anyway, I have realized that packing up a house takes much longer than packing an apartment, or a dorm room! And, when you're packing things to go to 3 different places I think it takes even longer! I feel like I have been packing for months! I did start several weeks ago, just so I could spread it out a bit. I have now taken 4 loads to the house where I'll be staying, each time saying to myself "that should be my last load, except for a few clothes." Today I took a car full of stuff over there and again I thought it would be my last load...WRONG! Although I knew I would have some hanging clothes and my toiletries still to move, as I sit on the futon (the only piece of furniture left in our living room) and look around, I can already see things that I need to take to Rebecca's house! I have come to the conclusion that we have too much stuff. I'm not even a pack rat, and it seems like our stuff just keeps multiplying! Oh well, I'm sure I'll finish in time to fly to Texas on Thursday!

Matt's stuff is all piled up in the dining room, and besides a few things from the kitchen, he is actually pretty much ready to go. He leaves tomorrow to drive to Texas, relax on Monday, and start the Bar Exam bright and early on Tuesday. Already the nerves have started to kick in. He handles stress really well, and generally I can't even tell if he's stressed, but it's starting to show just a little. I have no doubt that he's going to pass with flying colors, but I can imagine that it's probably one of the most stressful situations he will ever face. He has been in school for 3 years, studying intensely for 8 weeks, and now it all comes down to a 3 day test. I think I might be more stressed than he is! Well, I should get back to packing, and trying to find something for dinner. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

2nd post today...

2008-07-23T22:57:00.001-05:00

So I changed the header for our blog, since Matt will be in Chicago and I'll be in Montgomery. Is it even called a header? I'm not sure. I couldn't think of a catchy title, so I settled for this. Any creative ideas for a catchy title would be given consideration for replacing this title! And...what do you think about the new look?

Our Life...

2008-07-23T14:52:00.000-05:00

Our life is a little crazy right now. We've been busy packing up our house and organizing all of our things into 3 piles: going with Matt, going with Lori, or going to storage. I always thought moving was difficult, but moving to 3 different places at once is outrageous! And, Matt has been so busy studying for the Bar, I've been trying to do all the packing by myself so I don't take away from his study time. Passing the Bar is much more important than having everything neatly packed into boxes! He has helped during his "study breaks," although I think he uses packing as an excuse to stop studying! I have most of my stuff moved to Rebecca's house (my new place of residence for the next few months), and most of Matt's stuff is stacked neatly in the dining room. We still need to move the furniture that he is taking to the dining room and a couple of "big" items (the coffee table, washer/dryer), out to the storage shed. I'll definitely have to enlist Matt's help (and most likely the help of some other boy) to move that stuff! My hope is to have everything packed, moved or stacked up by Friday, because after that things will be really crazy! Here's our schedule for the next week:
Friday (25th): going away party for Matt with a few friends
Saturday (26th): final bit of Bar Exam study Saturday morning, attend a wedding Saturday night,
Sunday (27th): Matt teaches his last Bible Class Sunday morning and leaves immediately after church for Dallas.
Tuesday (29th): The Bar Exam starts and lasts until Thursday
Thursday (31st): my last day of work (full-time) and I leave work early so I can fly to Dallas to meet Matt. Stay the night Thursday night with Emily in Dallas.
Friday(Aug 1): camping in Oklahoma with friends on Friday & Saturday night
Sunday (3rd): go to Duncan for a few days (my dad's birthday)
Wednesday (6th): to OKC for wedding preparation
Thursday & Friday (7th-8th): Jen's Wedding (matt's sister)
Saturday (9th): to Tulsa to unpack wedding decorations
Sunday (10th): drive back to Alabama
Monday (11th): Matt leaves for Chicago, I start my internship.

Whew. Ok, so that's actually the next 2 weeks and probably more than you'd want to know, but I thought I'd share. I think writing it all out helps me feel less stressed (until I read back over it). After Matt leaves for Dallas, I'll have to pack up the final few things (the kitchen essentials that he'll take with him, my "work" clothes that I haven't moved yet, etc). All the craziness will probably help me keep from getting sad that Matt is leaving (maybe). I feel like I've prepared myself for it, but we'll see on August 11th when it's all over and he is driving to Chicago! Anyway, just thought I'd put a quick update on our lives for the next few weeks. Please pray for Matt next week as he's taking the Texas Bar Exam! Have a great day!

The Possum...

2008-07-19T23:41:00.000-05:00

Matt and I went to see George Jones (the "possum") tonight. As with most pictures from concerts, they're not very good. But I did take a video of "He Stopped Loving Her Today," one of George's most famous songs. I just tried to upload it but it's not working right now. So, for now, here's one picture.

This is a picture we took before we left for the concert. I thought it turned out good! Now I'm off to bed. Love you all!

The Perpetual Student...

2008-07-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

Matt decided to start his own blog. Check it out: The Perpetual Student
P.S. He thinks I'm his secretary and he dictated his newest post for me to type. Yes, I was bored at 10:45 at night and sat here and typed it for him!

Chicago (cont)...

2008-07-14T19:45:00.000-05:00

When I left off on the last post, we had just finished watching the fireworks with over a million people! Well, those 1 million people had to get home somehow, and since the Chicago public transportation is the primary source of transportation, we rode back home with what felt like a million people. We were so packed in the subway that at one point I couldn't even fit both of my feet on the ground. And we were packed in so tightly that there was no need to hold on when the train started because no one could move anywhere! In fact, Matt was at the door and someone was pushing him trying to get on the train but there were so many people not one more person could shove in. I wish I had a picture, because I'm sure it looked pretty crazy!

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed, and we had a good time just enjoying the city. Friday morning we slept in so we could recuperate from the all night drive the night before. Then we headed down to Wrigley Field for some pictures.

After Wrigley, we went back to the commune for a cookout. (Side Note: I just realized I may not have previously explained the commune. It's where we were staying during this trip to Chicago, and where Matt was planning to live when he moves there. We call it the commune because it actually used to be a commune in the 70's, but now it's an "intentional community." The easiest way to explain it is dorm-style living for adults. The people that live there are all really nice. They live in this dorm place and have a janitor that cleans the bathrooms and a cook that cooks dinner every night. They "share resources" so it's more economical and environmentally friendly. Matt found out about it because a guy that goes to the church we visited on our last trip to Chicago lives there. I know it sounds weird, and it kinda is). Anyway, we stayed at the commune and they invited us for a 4th of July cookout. So we went back (free lunch can't be passed up) and helped get things ready for the cookout. The only strange part of the lunch was, instead of saying a prayer, some guy started talking about our reason for gathering and asked what spirit we should invite to be with us for the occasion (me, Matt, Kayla and Stephen all had the same thought...how about the Holy Spirit?!?). Anyway, that was strange and we all just kind of looked at each other, but it was free and certainly a cultural and educational experience! After the cookout, we headed downtown so Kayla & Stephen could visit the Field Museum. Matt & I had already been, so we just walked by Lake Michigan and chatted. It was a beautiful day outside, although slightly chilly on the lake!

Matt thought I looked funny wrapped up in his sweatshirt!

There were SO MANY boats on Lake Michigan!

We took a water taxi over to Navy Pier where there were tons of people! We decided it was too crowded & we were starving so we headed over the Giordano's (the best pizza ever) and decided to go back to Navy Pier on Saturday. If you ever get the chance to go to Chicago, you should DEFINITELY eat at Giordano's! i can't even describe how good this pizza is, but it's amazing!! Saturday started with a trip to IKEA!!! If you've never been to Ikea, and you like decorating, you should DEFINITELY go! I could spend an entire day and a TON of money in there! Those of you who know me know that I don't generally spend money on anything, but take me to Ikea and I'm in trouble! Since Matt's planning to move to Chicago, and we thought we had his living situation figured out, we had a few things that we needed to buy and this was the perfect opportunity. We got some curtains and storage boxes and a few other things and it was so fun! Kayla loved it too! Then it was back over to Navy Pier for a ride on the ferris wheel and some putt-putt golf for Matty's birthday. Oh yeah, Saturday was Matt's birthday! I got him a new digital camera that took all the pictures in this post (I gave it to him when we got to Chicago, a little early).

In the Botanical Gardens at Navy Pier

Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier--Stephen didn't tell us he was scared of heights until we were at the top!

Top of the Ferris Wheel...

Playing Putt-Putt

Our last day in Chicago ended with dinner at Cheesecake Factory and one last train ride back to the commune. It was Saturday night that made me decide perhaps the commune was not the place for Matt to live (especially if I am going to join him in January!). While we were all trying to sleep, several people were having a fight down on the street corner. We could hear them yelling for a couple of hours. Although the commune seems safe, the neighborhood made me pretty uncomfortable. So, when we got home, Matt started looking for a different place to live. He found an apartment, closer to downtown in a really good part of town. It's about the size of a shoebox, but I think it will be better all around. Matt will be closer to school (only 3 train stops away, instead of 12) and it's in a really nice part of town. Here's a link to the website... http://www.bjbgoldcoast.com/site/property/general/2
If you go to the site and click on "virtual tours," his studio apt should be like Studio 2 on the virtual tours. Check it out! And, I mentioned it earlier, but I think I'll be joining Matt in Chicago in January. I had thought about not going up there (it's really cold, and will be harder to figure out the school systems for substituting or getting a job), but I really don't want to be away from Matt for longer than I have to be. And, he really wants me to come up there. So, I guess I'll brave the cold & head up to Chicago after Christmas! Well, this post has been pretty long, so I guess I'll end here. Our trip was great fun and I'm glad things are finally coming together for the Fall! Love you all!

Matt and Lori

Lots of excitement...

Our new house...

Family Vacation...

Working girl...

Rent House...

Happiness...

Thoughts from the air...

Busy, busy...

Quilts...

Birthday Parties Galore...

Bathroom Update

Vegas Baby!

Sometimes Matt gets creative with the fruit bowl...

Los Angeles...

Busy January...

Packing...

New Year's Fun...

Deep in the Heart of Texas...

Bowling Pins...

Busy October...

Bama bound...

Oklahoma...

My mom...

I'm a Wimp...

Viva Mexico!

The Birthday...

30 Years of Living...

Yesterday was...

Santa Clara...

I went to California...

An accomplishment...

Background...

Welcome to the World...

A Fabulous Weekend...

Guess What...

The apartment...

Cost of Living...

California Dreamin'...

Oh, the Weather Outside is...

Christmastime...

Thanksgiving...

The Car...

The Classroom

Drumroll Please...

Nearing the end...

Back in Chicagoland....

A Quick Hello....

We're off to see...

Job Search...

Matt's Graduation...

Refrigerator Artwork...

*Update* Kentucky Fried Chicken...

The Tiny Kitchen...

Our Chicago...

Traveling and Visitors...

Starbuck's Girls...

Spring Break, etc...

Running...

St. Patty's Day

Nothing New...

American Gothic...

Chinese New Year...

It's official...

Valentine's Day

Science & Industry

Wicked...

Perspective...

The Apartment...

A moment to brag...

More pics from Galena...

Galena...

Chicagoland...

An update...finally

I've been tagged...

Ol' Red is Dead (almost)...

India...

The Bar...

Absence makes the heart...

Social Hour...

Update Kentucky Fried Chicken...