Santa Clara...

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...

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...

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...

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  I decided since we haven't lived in Chicago in quite sometime, the header was sadly out of date.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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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'...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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!