Wrigley...our newest addition

Puppy love! It is probably one of the most innocent and unique things. A couple of weeks ago we adopted a black lab mix who caught our eye at a local shelter. She is adorable! Of course when we adopted her, she had just been spayed and had shots so was very mellow! She stayed that way for a few days and then we found out she had kennel cough (very typical)...well, a week on some antibiotics and we have a puppy! Wrigley (yes, she is named after Wrigley Field in Chicago) is 6 months and 35 pounds of puppy...rumbustious, spunky, and cute as can be!

We have attempted crate training...so far we have been unsuccessful. To say that she hates it would be an understatement. She will sleep in there only because we put her crate in our bedroom and she sleeps with the door of it open. We have been leaving her outside during the day and she is happy as a lark (by happy I mean not barking and scratching at the door).

She is a work in progress, and although there are days when we wish she would go in her crate willingly or leave us alone for two minutes to cook dinner, we love her! She has been a wonderful addition to our family! We are happy pet owners...more updates later! There will be more pictures to follow...the start of school happened, makes puppy training and photography hard!

Sibling pride...

Being the oldest of three I have tremendous pride for my siblings. My
pride was brimming this weekend as I watched my younger sister, by
nine years, walk across the stage and graduate from college!

I am so proud of the amazing woman she has become!

Spending time with my family always makes me miss them more. This
visit was a little different in the emotions department. Let me
preface by saying, we are driving home at the moment, so I miss them
terribly. I also felt really old this week. Being on a college campus
and being so far removed causes anyone to feel a little nostalgia. My
parents are now empty-nesters (although my brother and sister are
temporarily living at home) and I am happily married and teaching, a
lifelong dream. When did we all get so old? This long drive to Atlanta/
Auburn takes no less than 12 hours so I have had plenty of time to
think and reflect, neither one are very good for an emotional person
as myself! Besides feeling old, I feel very appreciative. I love my
family and I'm so thankful for the experiences and memories that we
are creating. Thanks!

With that said, we created some great memories this weekend while
eating and celebrating our way through Auburn! Congratulations
Brittany...oh the places you will go! War Eagle!

Memory lane...

Look at this, two posts within a week!

I took a trip down memory lane today, by accident. My husband and I went to this new little yogurt place near our house. It is a self serve, soft serve yogurt place. You fill your cup and they charge you by the ounce (this is both good and bad). They give you a huge cup so it takes some serious self-control to walk out of there spending $10 on yogurt.

Anyway, they had cookies and cream soft serve! Anyone who went to college with me knows what that means!! When I was in college we had an amazing soft serve ice cream place that had cookies and cream! We LIVED for this stuff. Well, a few years ago I was back visiting and it's gone! They closed down. It was a sad day when we realized there would be no more Sweet Temptations. Well...today, I relived that sweet, creamy temptation that I remember from all those years ago!

I'm back...I know you are thinking "sure she is"....

Ok, so I lied! I swore (not literally) I was going to blog more frequently this summer...clearly not the case! But I have a good excuse...it is SUMMER. And what a summer it has been! We have relaxed, traveled and done a whole lot of nothing.

We are fortunate enough to be able to go to Chicago for summer vacation. Especially since Texas has been "blessed" with extreme heat, when I say extreme heat I am talking 100+ temperatures! We missed that, thankfully. I like warmer weather and would certainly choose that over the arctic winter temps, but really that's HOT! My parents lovingly welcome us into their home each summer for close to three weeks. This summer was no different! We had an amazing time. I will spare all the boring details, but there were some highlights worthy of mention.

In all the years that I lived in Chicago, or have visited, I have never been up to the observation deck in the Sears Tower. This is sad for several reasons but the main one being that my mom works in the Sears Tower! I mean really...this year we finally went. The much anticipated "ledge" is open, I use "open" causiously. Let me paint you a picture...four feet wide, and four inches thick of plexiglass essentially suspended 103 stories! Have I mentioned that I am terrified of heights? I am! I was literally shaking as I took a leap of faith, if you have seen Indian Jones and the Holy Grail you know what I am talking about. I can't really do it justice but I do have apicture...remember we are 103 stories in the air, that is 1, 353 feet!

A few more highlights from summer...

~ We celebrated two years of marriage bliss. We had a great dinner at my favorite restaurant back home and a long, sweet, romantic walk on the beach, there is nothing better than cold sand on your feet. Thank you Patrick for loving me, all of me. I love you more today than the the day we married. I am a blessed woman to be your wife.

~Quick trip to Michigan to see my extended family.

~ McNeal family reunion in San Angelo.

Well, that about sums up summer...a very quick summary. We are in a gifted and talented training this week enlightening our minds before school starts...there will be more updates. Happy reading!

Summer read

School is out and I get a 2 and half month vacation so, I have a little bit more time to blog. I know those few of you that read our blog are thinking "great, we can read some more of her day to day blogs," I don't make you read! I do promise to write about more than just journaling my life. I know some of you hate us teachers because you say that it must be nice to work for nine months and get three off. Trust us, if you dealt with 22 children all day everyday for nine months you would earn a few months off. This blog (at least this entry) is not about jealousy or how much people work or don't work

Summer is the perfect time to get involved in some good reads. I can't read books during the rest of the year  because I read the whole book in like two days and I can't get anything else done. I have no self control when it comes to reading. The house could go untouched for four hours while I am consumed in a book. Hence, why summer is a good reading time for me. We hit the library yesterday...

Book 1 of the summer is sTORI Telling by Tori Spelling (you figured that one out). It was really entertaining, not award winning but well written. Completely celebrity hearsay and TV dramaesque (is that a word?) but it is nice to get lost in someone else's life. So, if you are looking for something mindless and easy to read, to kill a few hours this summer (I know most of you don't have time to kill between families and work) I recommend it.

Happy reading!

Summer...finally!

Wow, it has been a long time! I am so sorry for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting another post. Here it is...condensed of course and complete with several pictures! Happy reading...

I have officially made it through my first year of teaching! What a year! It has been humerous, exciting, sad, fun, exhausting, challenging but most importantly memorable! I have the most amazing team of women that I get the honor of teaching with. Without them, I would never have made it through the year. As if that is not enough, I have a husband who ALWAYS believes in me. There was nothing that I brought home this year or talked about that he did not think I could handle. He was right, funny how that works out! It was an amazing year filled with ups and downs and one that I will not soon forget! Thank you to everyone who made this year successful. In case you are wondering, I still love teaching and can't wait to see a fresh bunch of faces in August...in the meantime I plan on thoughouly enjoying summer!

Since our last post (2 months ago...surely things have happened), we have been a revolving door of visitors and parties...awesome! In May I was blessed with a week long visit from my brother then my sister and a long weekend over Memorial day with my parents! For those of you that know me, you that my family is precious to me. I see them only a couple of times a year so to have them come and visit and stay in MY house was quite special. Showing my family around where we live and doing the things that we call life was really a cherished time. We had a great time! A milestone happened over Memorial Day weekend, we hosted our first party! Thank goodness my mom was here to help. We entertained 25 family and friends! Probably one of the highlights of the year. It was such a hit that next year will be the second annual MD BBQ!  May culminated with my birthday and dinner out with friends at my favorite restaurant. I am so blessed that I have friends to share special days with. We were lucky and honored to celebrate a great couple's wedding on my birthday as well. Weddings always make me feel so fortunate and blessed that God put Patrick in my life. I pray that people get to experience this amazing thing called love. I am constantly amazed each day at the power of love. I love my husband more today than I did the day we got married...lucky girl I am! Ok that was a random side note, sorry. Back on track with the update...

I think that since I have now exhausted you with the randomness of our life I will leave you with a few pictures from that past several months. Happy Summer fellow teachers...enjoy it and relish in every sweet moment that summer brings. We have some fun travels ahead so we will keep blogging...as long as you keep reading!

Me and my sister...she loves cupcakes!

Baseball game during a rain delay...

Memorial Day BBQ

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! To the five of you that read our blog I hope that you had a blessed Easter. Easter is a that time of year when the "newness" of life appears. The plants start to bloom (maybe not after all the storms and cold weather), the spring clothes are brought out and there is a spring in your step. As I was sitting in church today listening to our pastor talk about the amazing God that we serve, I realized that I am not always filled with that newness that Easter seems to bring. So my goal...live a "new" spring-in-your-step kind of life! I challenge you to do the same! Life has enough challenges already so we don't need to live stagnant lives! Have a blessed and wonderful week, and thanks for reading!