A beautiful fall day...

It was a beautiful day today. We decided to go to the park. We have a great park right in the heart of where we live. We enjoyed a brisk walk (it's getting chilly here in Texas) and took some pictures. Here are a couple of fun pictures...enjoy!

Thanksgiving Break...and fall update!

Wow! Were you afraid that we left the world of blogging? No, we are still here. Fall has been incredibly! Thanksgiving is a well deserved break...we are so thankful for the week off! Between testing, parent conferences, assessments, meetings, community events and various illnesses school has certainly kept us busy.

Despite the craziness of school, Patrick and I have enjoyed some great quality time with friends these past few weeks. We celebrated birthdays with some old friends and had some fun nights out with some new friends (thanks Erin and Evan). We are so blessed and thankful for the friends that we have in our lives.

A first year teacher note: I made it all the way to Thanksgiving break without getting sick! Normally, this would be a great accomplishment although I think I would rather spread it out than have strep again...it hit me hard and knocked me on my butt. I spent that past few days in bed literally unable to get out. Moving from the bedroom to the bathroom was an enormous challenge! I am feeling much better now. Patrick took amazingly good care of me, I am so lucky!

So...with all that we have going on I am so thankful! I am thankful that we have family to share life with, friends to hang out with, and great jobs with students who keep us busy and challenged (even when they get us sick)...life does not get any better than this!

Thank you for being a part of our lives and we feel blessed to be a part of yours. Have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends! Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks...enjoy!

We are still here...

We are still alive and well for those of you who are wondering. We have been crazy busy with school...conferences, grades, meetings, oh and teaching. There is a reason that teachers get the summer off, it is VERY well deserved! Enough about that because summer is 8 months away! I love what I do and the challenges that every day brings. I have the most rewarding career ever...tiring, but rewarding. 

Fall has hit...finally and I am loving the cool weather. It amazes me how quickly one adapts to the warm weather. I never thought that I would think 56 was chilly! That day has come! Happy Friday fellow bloggers! Enjoy the weekend! 

The smell of leather...

The smell of new leather permeates our lives lately...

Despite the hustle and bustle of life we (really Patrick) found time to haggle a little...as many of you know Patrick and I bought a new car! Actually, Patrick bought me a car. It is beautiful...navy blue with gray leather interior! It has been a long time since I have had a new car and never one with leather. I feel like a real adult...who am I kidding I have been an adult for a long time this

 is just my way of feeling better about it! I really need to say thank you to Patrick, he traded his car in and is letting me drive the CRV while he drives the Jetta, (that's how it usually works, right?). I am very lucky! Ironically, I think he drives it more than I do, the weekends are his! She (yes the car is a she) is a joy to drive and we are enjoying tooling around town with her. We broke her in last weekend with a trip to Houston. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. If I could attach a scratch and sniff of new leather, I would :)!

Football...

I know you are expecting this blog entry to come from Patrick...nope! I LOVE watching football! College football is my favorite, I love supporting my alma mater, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (yes in Ohio), and the Auburn Tigers, War Eagle! Every Saturday, starting in late August early September I am glued to the TV, the weekend is planned around it. I have been this way since I was in high school...I guess when you go to high school (which I attended in Atlanta) in the heart of SEC country you develop a love...the love has continued to grow...

I am doing something right now that I never thought I would be doing. I have moved around a lot and have cheered for many NFL teams, not with the passion that I cheer for college football but nevertheless, I cheer. The Chicago Bears and are my favorite with the Cleveland Browns coming in second (my dad is from Cleveland and a die hard fan) but tonight something new is happening. There is an energy in Dallas that happens every Sunday (expect for today) it's called the Cowboys! Ok so I said it...I am cheering for the Cowboys...tonight at least. I am still a Bears fan and will ALWAYS cheer for them but for tonight I will cheer for the Dallas Cowboys! 

Election Time

Every 4 years a few fun things happen. Leap year, Summer Olympics, and the Presidential Election.
I love election time because most Americans start paying attention to politics. They find their own convictions and the try to defend them by voting for the person whose platform best matches what they believe. I know people have different convictions than I do, and I'm fine with that. The mere fact that a person is searching their inner thoughts and feelings is awesome.
However, I'm somewhat of a realist, and I understand that there are many people out there that cast their vote for president based on who looks better, who their parents vote for, who their friends vote for, or whose getting the best press coverage. That I can't stand.
So far, the media has attacked the families of some nominees, they have tried to misconstrue simple facts in order to cause controversy, and they have expressed their political opinion in fact form in their reports. This is unacceptable. I can't stand the fact that people who want learn more about the candidates are going to be bombarded by accusations of cover-ups and conspiracies that have been created or blown way out of proportion. When will we be able to just listen to what a candidate has to say, hear someone dissect their words (not their lives, or children's lives), and make a decision.
Since I'm not presenting an article in an unbiased form, I'm going to tell you that I support McCain and Palin. I support them for many reasons, their stance on morality, their plan to lower energy cost while finding alternative energy sources, their support for our troops in this fight for freedom, their willingness to shake things up and work across party lines to make a better country, and most importantly their desire to keep our country first.
I don't care if you disagree with me, that's your right, but if you've been complaining about how bad it has been for the last 4 years, please do some unbiased research before you make a decision. This is your chance to help make America better.

Please see the link below, I think it defines the character of the leader we need.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Life's moments are priceless...

I guess when you are having fun time flies! Teaching has proved to be more amazing than I could have ever imagined! I am blessed with 22 beautiful little darlings! They are hilarious and make me laugh, we laugh all day actually! They are usually laughing at me! Hey, if they are laughing and learning I'm all for it!

I am exhausted all the time (probably due to my cold that I picked up in Atlanta) but I wouldn't change a minute of it! I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach and impact my kiddos! There is something priceless about a 7 year old telling you that you are funny and that they love math because of it! :) Or when they look at you and ask if they can just hug you. When I see the kids genuinely excited about learning or when their eyes light up when they realize they get it! There are no words for that! This is only week two, I am not naive enough to think that there will not be challenging days...but these are the moments I will remember most!

On another note...non-work related; I had the privilege of going to Atlanta this weekend to celebrate one of my best friends 30th birthdays...it was reunion college roommates! I'm sure you can imagine the fun that we had! We try to get together at least once a year...a pretty amazing feat since we are scattered around the country. This was our girls weekend and we had a blast! I have known these g

irls for 12 years, the time has flown by! We have shared some amazing moments together, breakups, tears, small quarters (I mean really small), long car rides, sleepless nights, laughter, weddings, babies and most importantly a lifelong friendship! Take care of your friendships...they are priceless! I love you girls and thanks for a great weekend!