THE SHERMAN SHOUT-OUT

Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy Birthday Grandma Kate!

2012-02-14T20:28:00.014-06:00

Today is not only Valentine's Day, but it is also my Grandma Kate's birthday! She passed away on February 26, 2004, but thankfully I have lots of memories of her that often give me joy, despite her absence. And for that, I am grateful. Each day when I open my jewelry box, I smell her, because it used to be hers. How honored I am to share her jewelry box, and how I love that I still have a piece of her. In fact, I wear her James Avery rose bracelet every single day of my life. I also share her red hair. People ask me where I get my red hair because my parents have dark hair, but I joyfully tell them, "From my Grandma Kate!" I love my Grandma Kate for her Love-of-Life attitude. She always enjoyed life for what it was, and she embraced opportunities when they came along. I'm thankful that she showed me that example. One of the many things I miss about her is her hugs. Her hugs gave me comfort and gave me something only she could give me. She didn't hug just to hug; she hugged to tell you she loved you, and she always gave me real good hugs, every single time. I have a few top memories of my Grandma Kate. Here they are:

1. In college, Rebeccca and I took a few road trips to visit her in Boerne, Texas. One of those times she made Pork 'N Bean sandwiches. This lady cooked for lots of taste, not for lack of calories. She asked me if I wanted onions on my opened-face sandwich, and I politely declined. She said "okay," but then a couple minutes later, she said something like, "No, you need onions on your Pork 'N Bean sandwich!" And she proceeded to put onions on it despite my request. LOL!

2. Rebecca, Grandma Kate, and I once went swimming in her pool at her apartment complex that was a retirement community. Grandma Kate was sporting her lime green short spandex shorts and a lime green halter top as her bathing suit that she found at her favorite store, Wal-Mart. Then, all of a sudden, she lifted up her halter top and said, "Look!! It has a built in bra!!!" LOL!!!! Who knows who saw her built in bra, but she didn't care!

3. My Grandma Kate was never a morning person, and neither am I. She said that she got up at 5:00 a.m. everyday for 22 years working for Texas Instruments, and the day she retired she didn't set her alarm clock anymore. At that point her goal each day was to make her date with Bob Barker at 10:00 a.m., but sometimes she missed it. Oopsies!!!

4. One August (maybe 2002 or 2003) my dad got the idea to take a trip to see Grandma Kate with Rebecca and I, and to pick up her sister, Aunt Jewel, on the way and surprise Grandma Kate. I will NEVER EVER forget the look on her face when she opened the front door of her apartment and seeing her sister standing there. Tears of joy and gratefulness and SURPRISE streamed down her face. Needless to say, that was a weekend full of priceless memories. We played 42 with dominoes, spent quality time together, and I'll always remember those two old ladies sleeping together with their pink silk pajamas on. Precious!

5. Often when we visited Grandma Kate she would take Rebecca and I for pedicures. She was always so generous.

6. One Christmas she made all of her grandchildren, who were also all girls, a quilt. This was the year 1992, and I still use my quilt regularly.

7. Christmas of 2003, Rebecca and I picked her up from Boerne and brought her to College Station for a night before bringing her to Dickinson for Christmas. She spent the night in my bedroom in our college apartment and left me a note on an index card on my nightstand. That was just about 2 months before she passed away. She told me at the end of her note that she would love me forever. I treasure that note, and always will.

8. Like a good, true southerner, Grandma Kate had countless different "sayings." One of my favorites is "You're sweet, while you're asleep!" I often tell Macy Jo this, and if you know our dog, you would agree that she is indeed sweet, while she's asleep! Another favorite is "I'll see more of ya in your bathing suit!" She used to say that when we would be getting off the phone.

I could go on and on with memories of my Grandma Kate. I love her. She was definitely different, but so am I. I am so grateful to have had her and to still have all of these memories with her. So, Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy Birthday, Grandma Kate! I love you and miss you more than you can ever know, and I look forward to your hugs one day in Heaven. :)

Face Time!

2012-02-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

Hanna got an iPad from work to use for her presentations, so guess what Matt and I got to do tonight?!? Face Time with our Sugar!!!! If you don't know what Face Time is (Gramps?), it's basically like Skype, just on the iPad. We had so much fun talking with Alexandra, and she had fun talking to us! She said our names (she learned our names a week or two ago, but nobody else's in the family. . . HA!), she danced, and then she ran down the hallway and we got to chase her! Thankfully her mommy helped us play chase. :) When it was time to say Bye Bye, Alexandra "kissed" us and "hugged" us (the iPad, of course). So sweet!!! When is our next Face Time date, Sugar?!

p.s. I haven't seen my Sugar in a whole month! Can you believe it?!? That's probably the longest I've ever gone without seeing her. So, Face Time was a real treat tonight!!!

Adventure to D.C.: Saturday

2012-02-06T20:32:00.014-06:00

On Saturday, Leah's Birthday!, we went to Miles' soccer practice in the morning. At two years old, the kids just play cooperative games that may or may not involve a soccer ball. I was impressed with the the kids' ability to run around and kick the ball, especially Miles, but I'm not biased. :) Miles is super enthusiastic about soccer. He ran around that field with loads of energy. How fun it was to watch him at his practice!

**I forgot my real camera at the house, so I had to rely on my phone camera. Oopsies!**

A portrait of our little Soccer Star

Miles going through the obstacle course. His mommy and daddy (who is not in the picture) were great cheerleaders for their son!
GOAL!!!

We got to play with the parachute!

Leah and Miles

After practice Chris made everyone lunch, and then we all went down for a nap, minus Leah, who took this picture of me during my slumber. How luxurious it was for me to take a nap!!

Here is a portrait of the Karner Family before we headed out to The Cheesecake Factory for Leah's Birthday celebration. What a precious family they are! :)

Here we are enjoying our meal.

Please forgive the lighting. For some reason the flash wasn't working.

My shrimp spaghetti. Mmm

Leah and I split a slice of cheesecake. YUM!!!

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Sunday morning we went to church and then they dropped me off at the airport for my plane ride home. I thoroughly enjoyed my time away. . . My adventure ended all too soon! Till next time!!!

Adventure to D.C.:Friday

2012-02-06T19:43:00.038-06:00

Friday morning Leah and I rode the subway into D.C. to see all the sights. I am fortunate to have already visited D.C. twice before, but if given the opportunity to see the monuments and museums again, sign me up! I had to ask Leah what the "Kiss and Ride" sign meant. . . it's for cars who are dropping someone off. Get it? :)

The Botanical Gardens was our first stop.

Beautiful!

Huge cacti!

Leah and me

How symbolic :)

Huge flower!

The jungle!

Also symbolic :)

This was our next stop.

The Native American Museum. LOVE the BLUE sky!!!

We decided to have lunch at the cafe in the museum. They offered a wide variety of Indian food. I decided to take a mild risk and have a buffalo burger. Hey, you might as well embrace the Indian culture when you are in the Indian museum! And guess what? It was actually not bad!

We also split this treat- a blueberry tart. MMMmmmm!

After lunch we walked along the National Mall. It was full of construction. Here is the Capitol Building.

The Smithsonian

The White House

See the people on the terrace??

And the men on top of the White House?!?

Texas, Our Texas. . .

Leah and me with the Washington Monument in the background

Not a cloud in the sky. . . could the weather have been more perfect? I think not!!!

Flags around the base of the Washington Monument

After our trip to the city we picked up Miles from school. Here he is hugging his tree. Apparently this is a daily occurence. Too cute. :)

Here Miles is with his mommy doing his homework for the weekend. He can count to 15!

Did I mention that Leah turned the big 3-0 during my visit? I was so glad to celebrate her birthday with her! :)

Her real birthday was Saturday, but we had cake a day early because we were going to The Cheesecake Factory Saturday night.

Leah and I had the best time being together on this day in the city. You name it, we talked about it. It was so great catching up with my dear friend. And we still had another whole day together! :)

Adventure to D.C.

2012-02-06T18:45:00.007-06:00

I always told myself that if I ever came across a cheap plane ticket, I would fly to Washington D.C. to visit my friend, Leah. Leah and I go way back to 2001. We met in a speech class one summer at College of the Mainland. It just so happened that she also went to Texas A&M, so thankfully we were able to build our friendship during the summers and during the school years throughout college. After college graduation, we have kept in close touch despite the several states between us. Leah is giggly, peppy, and a genuine friend. Our friendship includes joy, honesty, and contentment. Our personalities have some similarites and some differences, but overall, we just enjoy each other's company.

Last November a cheap plane ticket came across my way, and Matt told me I should go. Flying solo was a first for me, and it was way out of my box. But, I love traveling and I love being with my friends, so I was up for the adventure! This past Thursday the time finally arrived for me to make my flying solo debut. Matt dropped me off at Hobby Airport bright and early, and my adventure began! Enjoy reading about it and looking at pictures from my time with Leah, Chris, and Miles in the following blog posts.

Thank you SO MUCH for having me, Leah, Chris, and Miles! I appreciate you letting me be a part of your little family, and I appreciate your hospitality during my stay. I'm grateful for the blessing to add more great memories to my life. You are dearly loved!

I had a layover in Chicago, and while flying out of Chicago to D.C., I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the city. BEAUTIFUL from way up there! And, it was super awesome because Matt and I went there last summer, so I actually knew what everything was. . . well, almost everything. :)

Reading is My Favorite!

2012-01-31T22:52:00.005-06:00

I suppose I am a reading teacher for a reason, because reading is my favorite! Growing up, I can remember my mom reading tons of books at bedtime to my sisters and me, all of us snuggled up in my parents' bed. This was a regular activity for us, and we loved it! My sisters and I were never star athletes; reading was our game! :) During road trips, there were no movies, folks! We read books aloud in the car! My mom is definitely the one who instilled the love of reading for us. Now we often trade books with each other. How fun is that?!

I must admit that most of the time I purchase books instead of using the library. You see, if I really enjoy a book, I like to add it to my collection. My books are important to me and I want to remember what I have read. I also love collecting books because that gives me the opportunity to share them with my friends and family. I actually just had to make a Book Inventory (Aimee's suggestion) so that I can remember who has what book of mine. I LOVE sharing my books because then I can have book talks with whoever has read my books! Here's to adding more great books to my personal library. . . Happy Reading!!!

These three books in the Ashley Stockingdale series by Kristin Billerbeck are the newest addition to my collection. I just purchased them tonight at Half Price Books, which happens to be right across the street from our house. Lucky me!

Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups

2012-01-29T20:39:00.004-06:00

It is no secret that Matt is the chef in our house, and I am okay with that. MORE than okay with that! While he was getting his master's degree a couple of years ago, I was in the kitchen for the most part, but since then, I have gladly passed the cooking torch back to him. . .

Then, yesterday while I actually made myself get some rest, I did some thinking. . . I realized that I don't necessarily mind cooking, it's just that I don't take the time to do it. Matt does. I realized that it's actually nice to be in the kitchen when you make time/take time to do it. It's a nice outlet to get away from everything else.

So today I decided that I was going to make dinner. I pinned a couple of recipes on Pinterest recently that looked yummy and were simple, and I cook simple, folks. Matt cooks complicated. :) And the best part was everything turned out yummy! I will definitely make this meal again.

My goal is to be in the kitchen more often, but for right now let's just be thankful that I was in the kitchen tonight. :)

Chicken lasagna roll ups
My plate: chicken lasagna roll ups and asparagus coated in panko and parmesan cheese. MMmmmm

Happy Birthday, Ruth!

2012-01-25T21:49:00.013-06:00

Ruth Marie Walters Lohmer turned 31 years old today! We had a joyful celebration at Maggiano's to honor our dear friend. The food was so melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the conversation and laughter made the evening downright FUN! (Matt and I had our rehearsal dinner there many years ago. I believe that's 6 times, right Aimee? Lol.) Here are some pictures to document our night out on the town. . . Thanks for letting us celebrate with you, Ruth! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

I love my besties!!!!!!!!

The boy besties love each other too. :)

Tomato Caprese- my FAVORITE Italian appetizer. . .

We ordered "Family Style."

This was the best salmon I have ever had. I think.

My entree plate: chicken saltimbocca, salmon, gnocchi, and some kinda noodle thing that I forgot what it's called. YUM!

Creme brulee

Tiramisu. Double YUM!

Ruth and Ben. She's so pretty.

Troy and Aimee. She is pretty too.

Matt and me.

(Like my green necklace and earrings?!? My mom and Hanna got them for me when they went to Italy a couple years ago. My accessories totally brought my ensemble up a notch! Thanks Mom and Hanna!)

Scripture Memory Accomplishment

2012-01-24T19:45:00.001-06:00

Back in August I posted about Beth Moore’s Scripture Memory Team. Each month participants memorized two Bible verses, totaling 24 verses over the whole year. It was definitely a challenge, but I’m so glad that I did it! Having those verses in my head is very helpful while getting through daily situations that may be tiring, frustrating, sad, joyful, etc. Here are all 24 of my memorized verses:

1. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 2:7

2. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will find it." Matthew 16:25

3. "You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy." Psalm 64:5

4. "And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phililpians 4:19

5. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Psalm 46:10

6. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him." Philipians 2:13

7. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

8. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

9. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:7

10. "Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." Philipians 2:4

11. "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed." Psalm 34:5

12. "We love each other as a result of Him loving us first." 1 John 4:19

13. "He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30

14. "Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

15. "We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord." Romans 15:2

16. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

17. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

18. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11

19. “My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him.” Psalm 62:1

20. “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3

21. “Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.” Psalm 57:11

22. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6

23. “I cling to You; Your right hand hold me securely.” Psalm 63:8

24. “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Community

2012-01-22T16:34:00.004-06:00

Our church is called "Clear Creek Community Church" for a reason. We, as humans, are wired to live in community, whether it is friendships, marriage, families, work, sports teams, or church. Community comes easy for me because I am a "people person." Being with people is my favorite. This morning's sermon was about Community and it reinforced what I already believe. I felt the need to share the visual that our pastor, Yancey, shared with us. It makes so much sense!

This "visual" demonstrates that part of your growth of faith comes from your personal Bible study time, and part of your growth of faith comes from your small group community.

Our small group just started the book "The 5 Love Languages," and we are enjoying it already!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Bestie Sleepover!

2012-01-22T15:54:00.005-06:00

Ruth, Ben, Aimee, Troy, Matt, and I all gathered together Thursday night for dinner and visiting. We had such a great time together, as always. After dinner we started talking about how we would love to spend more time together over the weekend. After some brainstorming and discussion, it was decided that they would all come to our house for a sleepover!!! I know, 6 people in our cracker box?!? No worries, folks. No shortage of space can keep us from having fun together!

Friday night Matt made a yummy salmon dinner. Then the girls had some therapeutic girl talk in our bedroom while the boys watched the debate from Thursday. Matt had the best time watching the debate with Troy and Ben because they got into with him. They were all a bit animated (especially Matt), to say the least. :)

Saturday morning Matt made a yummy breakfast of egg sandwiches and fruit salad. Then we all took turns playing Fruit Ninja on the Kinect. It's a dumb game, but it's actually a little fun. Around noon we girls went out for lunch and shopping (And Rebecca joined us!!), Ben and Matt went fishing, and poor Troy had to stay home to work on his dissertation. Around 5:00 everyone returned home and reconvened for a bit. Thennnnn, the boys played video games for a few hours, the girls had a bit more girl talk, and then we got back out to go to Target. Nobody was planning on being together until 10 p.m. last night, but we had FUN! We were definitely spoiled to spend an entire 24 hours with each other!

Words can't express how grateful I am for my besties. We thank God daily for our gift of friendship. The fact that we can sit together and share our joys and our burdens is like medicine for the soul. Thank you all so much for your prayers for Ruth and Ben. Please continue to pray for them as they travel through their journey of healing. Ben Jr. was certainly missed this weekend, but we are so grateful for our joyful memories with him. He has certainly made our friendship stronger.

Ruth and me

Aimee and Rebecca
p.s. These are the only pictures I have from this weekend, and I didn't even take them. I guess I just wanted to enjoy the weekend and not worry about my camera. So, you will have to use your imagination. :)

The Big 3-0!

2012-01-22T09:36:00.030-06:00

I have been 30 years old for seven days now. I guess that would actually make me 30 years and seven days old. Or 30 years and one week old? Ha! The good news is that I've survived the transition into a new decade. I am indeed getting older, but I am glad to report that I still feel young at heart. :)

Last weekend was our Big Birthday Bash. Gramps, the Molina Family, The Roach Family, Josh and Rebecca, Mom and Dad, Matt's parents, Matt and I and then our Twin Friends, Sara and Kristin, all came together to join in on celebrating our big day. I have never ever felt so special and loved. There is nothing like having some of the most special and important people to you, in the same room, all because they want to be with you on your birthday. My joy was overflowing. To all of those who joined us, thank you so very much for coming. Your presence meant so much to Rebecca and me. We had the BEST time visiting, laughing, and just being with all of you. We will definitely never forget turning 30. :)

Melanie helped us get our party started right. She found these super cute Birthday Girl wine glasses for us. :)
Yum! Thanks Mel!!

Sugar looooooooves playing with her cousins. And they love playing with her!

So fun to see all the kids playing together!

Thanks Mom and Dad for our outstandingly, YUMMY dinner! Steak, chicken, shrimp, baked potatoes, and salad!

My mommy has always made our birthday cakes. And she has always made one for each of us, because we are two different people. Thanks Mom! When I'm done with this blog post, I'm going to enjoy the very last piece. :)

So beautiful!

Sara, me, Rebecca, Kristin, and Reagan. Happy Birthday to us!!!!!!!!!

The Birthday Girls

Yes, I blew out all 30 candles at once. And so did Rebecca. The competition was tied. I was hoping to beat her! Oh well. Maybe next year?

My mommy also made us the best birthday present. . . a photo book of my 30 years of life. Each page has pictures from each year of my life. My mom definitely has earned Mom of the Year!!!! Mom, I know that it took you forever to make our books. Thank you so much for your gift of time and creativity for my book. I LOVE it!!!

Reagan loving on Avery while opening presents :)

Opening presents and having fun!

Kristin and Reagan reading

Sara (and baby Emily!), me, Rebecca, Kristin, and Reagan

Matt, me, Rebecca, and Josh

Hayley, me, Sydney, Rebecca, and Avery

Rebecca, Gramps, and me

Me, Dad, and Rebecca

Me, mom, and Rebecca

Me, Melanie, and Rebecca

Dad, me, Rebecca, and Mom

I LOVE this picture of my favorite little girls! Avery, Sydney, Alexandra, and Hayley

Portrait of the Molina girls.

True colors!!! :)

So beautiful!

p.s. THANKS Mom and Dad for hosting, cooking, preparing, entertaining, etc. for our Big Birthday Bash. We appreciate it, and we love you!!!!

p.p.s. My Dearest Rebecca, I couldn't have chosen a better womb-mate and a better twin than you! Thanks for always taking care of me, being there for me, and telling me the truth even when I don't want to hear it. God definitely made us different, but I'm so glad that we help balance each other out. :) Thanks for all the laughs, chit chats, and LOADS of memories over our 30 years of life. Here's to another 30! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

The Actual Day

2012-01-17T20:18:00.005-06:00

After being super busy all weekend, I told Matt that I would like to celebrate my actual birthday at home. I requested he make me a yummy Italian dinner, so he made me one of his specialties, chicken parmesan. And he also suggested we have the bottle of wine we brought back from Napa a year and a half ago. YUM!

We had a lovely dinner celebrating my birthday. Thanks to all who made my 30th so special!

The card Matt gave me. Hilarious!

My dinner and wine. YUM!

We finished off dinner leftover birthday cake, courtesy of my mom!

p.s. Stay tuned for LOTS of pics of our big birthday weekend!

SURPRISE!!!!!

2012-01-16T22:01:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, Rebecca and I hit the Big 3-0 yesterday, January 16, 2012. We planned for this past weekend to be our big celebration. Gramps, the Molina Family, along with my parents, Matt's parents, and my sisters and their hubbies and of course, Alexandra, were all to gather to celebrate the big milestone. Little did we know that our twin friends (and Reagan) were coming too!!!!!

I will NEVER EVER forget seeing them walk through the door on Friday night. I was speechless. Yes, I, Laura Beth Kenas Sherman, was speechless. It was surreal. I couldn't believe that I was looking at my beautiful twin friends. Which meant they actually got on a plane and flew down here. For my BIRTHDAY! What more could I ask for? It was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!!

Kristin and Sara, I can't thank you enough for coming down here to celebrate with us. I am filled with joy and gratitude. You both are so very special to me. How thankful I am to have had you as my twin friends for practically my entire life. We can't wait to see you this summer! I love you!!!

In Memory of Ben Jr.

2012-01-08T15:41:00.002-06:00

Last night, January 7th, Ben Jr. left this world to be with Jesus in Heaven. How honored and grateful Matt and I were to be able to give him our love and goodbyes, along with many family members and friends. Our hearts are left broken here on Earth, but we rejoice that he is now in perfect peace before our God in Heaven.

We love you, Ben Jr.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2012-01-07T14:11:00.001-06:00

Last night Hanna, Jonathan, Alexandra, Dad, Matt, and I celebrated Mom’s birthday with her. (Her real birthday was Thursday, but all of us got together for a celebration.) We went out to eat and then came back to my parents’ house for cake and ice cream. (Thanks, Hanna, for making the cake!!) Alexandra was fascinated by the candles and even “helped” her Grammy blow out the candles. Those two had the best time giggling up a storm together, as you can see in the pictures below. :)

The older I get, the more thankful I am to have my mom. I am so blessed to be able to pick up the phone to talk to her, or to visit her whenever I want. What I love most about my mom is that she brings such comfort to me, that only she can give me as my mom. I am so grateful for that. And of course, I love that she and I (with my sisters, too) can shop together, laugh together, and just hang out together and have a great time. I have THE BEST memories from my childhood because she always put extra effort into our time spent at home, and we have made countless great memories since!

So, congratulations, Mom, on completing another year of life! We all love you!!!

Our girl helped her Grammy eat her whole bowl of cake and ice cream. It appears that she inherited her Daddy’s sweet tooth. :)

52 Things in 2012

2012-01-01T21:23:00.003-06:00

Matt and I definitely enjoy spending time together, whether we get out of the house or just stay at home. However, over the years we have become more busy and aren't always intentional about making time for each other and enjoying each other's company, just the two of us. So, a couple weeks ago this idea of "52 Things" popped into my head. I made a list of 52 Things that we can do together throughout this next year. Some things are simply doing a crossword together or playing a game, and other things are more like bringing dinner to a friend or going to a museum. Every Sunday night we will draw a new "Thing," and we have that week to complete it. I think this will help us be more intentional about making sure we spend quality time together throughout our busy weeks, and it will certainly help us make new memories!

Happy New Year!!!

Matt and Macy = Best of Buds

2011-12-30T12:06:00.008-06:00

Over the years I have caught lots of pictures of Matt and Macy being best of buds. He fondly calls her his "Pal." I felt the need to share some of these super cute pics on my blog. Some are from a while back, and some are recent. Enjoy!

I see this scene almost everyday

And this one!

I was sitting on the couch next to them recently, and looked over and saw this. No joke. I'm pretty sure Macy thinks she's human!

This picture was also recent. They are beginning to look and act alike. LOL!

See?!?!? :)

Accomplishment

2011-12-30T10:28:00.003-06:00

Last summer while I was visiting my friend, Anastacia, her neighbor recommended the book Fall of Giants to me and let me borrow her copy. She said that beforehand she knew nothing about WWI, but this historical fiction taught her all about it. Learning about WWI was appealing to me because I knew nothing about it. I have read many, many historical fictions and narrative nonfictions about WWII, but not ever WWI.

So, I cracked open this 985 page book and began my long journey of entertainment and education of WWI. Wednesday, December 28th, was a momentous day because I finally finished the longest book I have ever read. And I'm proud and satisfied to say that I am now educated about WWI! No, I am absolutely no expert, but I now have a much better idea of the world during WWI. This book was not an easy book to understand, which is probably why it took me so long to finish, but it wasn't overly hard to understand either. Some parts were hard to get through, but I just kept plugging along until I got to another exciting part. If you want to learn about WWI, I highly recommend this book to you!

Fall of Giants is actually the first book of a triology called "The Century Triology." Matt kept asking me during my several months of reading this book if I was going to read the next book, and my response was always, "No!" I never wanted to read that long of a book again. . . until I looked up the second book that is due out in the middle of 2012! It is called Winter of the World, and will feature the children of the characters in Fall of Giants as they live through the Great Depression and WWII. Okay, fine, I'm probably not going to be able to keep myself from reading it. But I have a few months of a break until then. :)

Sherman Christmas

2011-12-28T12:54:00.009-06:00

Last night we celebrated Christmas with Matt's parents at their house. They made us a delicious dinner of fajitas, homemade pico, homemade quacamole, rice, beans, and queso. Yum!! We enjoyed opening our gifts, doing crossword puzzles, visiting, and Macy Jo very much enjoyed playing in the backyard. :) Thank you for our gifts, and thanks for having us, Curtis and Nancy!

Matt, Nancy, and Curtis (and me behind the camera)

My plate. MMMMmmmm
This is my favorite gift from Nancy and Curtis. I very well might have to steal the idea for others. . . She made a bulb for different holidays/seasons throughout the year to hang on this stand. I LOVE this decor idea! Thanks, Nancy!
This one is for summer- it's sand and seashells inside.

4th of July

Christmas

Christmas/Winter

Fall

Birthdays

Thanks again, Nancy and Curtis! We love you!

Karner Family Visit

2011-12-28T12:12:00.014-06:00

After we left my parents' house on Monday, we began our visit with the Karner Family! Leah and I met in college, and we have been great friends since! In fact, we realized during our visit that we have known each other for 10 long years. :) Leah, Chris, and Miles came into town for a few days from Virgina to visit her family over Christmas. Every time they fly to Texas, they always make time to see Matt and I, and we love it!

During our visit we went to Happy Hour at Sonic, drove out to Kemah Boardwalk for a couple hours, came back home for dinner, and in between all that read some books, played a little dominoes, and more! Miles is so much fun and has the sweetest smile. He is definitely one of my many favorite babies. :)

First stop at Kemah was the Arcades. Miles had his first try at air hockey.

After arcades we walked along the boardwalk and fed the ducks!

It's Scuttle!!

Family photo was interrupted by birdies!!

Miles, Chris, and Leah

Leah and me

Last on the boardwalk agenda was a train ride. Miles loved it!

What a great family photo!!

Matt and me

Matt has fond memories of driving the train way back in the day. :)

Thanks again for visiting us, Leah and Chris! I can't wait for my visit to Virginia in February! We love you!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T11:57:00.035-06:00

Why does Christmas have to go by so fast? Why does it have to be "Time flies when you're having fun?" I think "Time crawls while you're having fun" would be way better. Don't you? In any case, I knew it would fly by. In fact, upon departure yesterday, I actually had to replay each day's events in my head so that I could remember what we actually did. That's how fast it went by. When we got in the car to leave I knew it was time for everyone to part ways and return home, but I was still sad, because I also knew it would be awhile before all 9 of us would gather together again.

With all of that said, I can't express how grateful I am for our time together over Christmas. I love my family so very much, and thank God everyday that He has blessed us with each other. We had lots and lots of laughs, and a few screaming arguments thrown in over the weekend too, but that's what families are supposed to do, right? :)

Christmas Eve day was a lazy, nap kind of day. The cold, wet weather and a certain baby being awake in the middle of the night before, made people want to snuggle under their blankets and close their eyes. Unfortunately Dad had to work, so he didn't get to partake in the laziness, and Matt had to play his drums at the Christmas Eve services all day, so he didn't either. No worries, y'all. I interrupted my laziness and brought my man some sustanance to help him through his looooooong day of service. He didn't even eat it all. Can you believe that?

Anyway, toward the the evening, all the creatures of the house began stirring to go to church. I would even confess that most of us felt a little (or a lot) reluctant about leaving our cozy blankets and braving the cold rain, but how could we not go when our favorite drummer had been there all day long? And once we got there, it was all worth it. There is something about being in church with your family, and celebrating the holiday and your faith together. And not just your family, but the whole entire congregation! It was meaningful to be there because everyone in that church had pressed the pause button on what they were doing that day, and had intentionally come to church. We were there for a reason. We know the Christmas holiday is made up of a variety of fun and exciting components, but we also know that the only essential component of Christmas is to acknowledge and celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior of the world. I believe that was accomplished that night in church. How grateful I am for our church, that they thoughtfully and meaningfully planned a service that allowed thousands of people to embrace and celebrate the meaning of Christmas. Once we had celebrated His birth and being our Savior, we were ready to move on to our other festivities that come with Christmas. . .

We returned home and were more than ready to indulge in cheese and chocolate fondue. We sucessfully filled our bellies, which lead to our food coma overnight. Hanna gave us strict instructions to not rise before Alexandra, and we gladly obeyed. Sugar woke about 9 a.m., where upon Matt and I (okay mostly Rebecca helped) made breakfast. It was a feast. I hadn't had that good a breakfast in quite some time. We didn't actually eat until about 11:00, so I guess technically it was brunch. After the kitchen was clean and our bellies had begun to digest, we thought it was time to open presents. That was at about 1:00, I think. I'm pretty sure we were the last people in America to open gifts, but we were enjoying our easy-going, slow-paced day.

My favorite part of the gift-opening was seeing my Sugar open her "drum set." She loves all things that make noise, so Matt and I were sure she would love her new drum and all the noisy "instruments" that came inside of it. I also loved seeing her unwrap her gifts and take piece by piece of wrapping paper back and forth to the trash can. I hope she keeps that up! Another favorite part was opening my new jewelry from Hanna. I LOVE this jewelry store in The Heights, and she always blesses me with treasures from that store. And I love my movie "The Help" from my loving husband, and my pillow and my hand weights, and everything else. Thanks everyone for thinking of me and getting me such fun stuff. I hope y'all are enjoying your gifts too :)

Gift opening can be so taxing, so afterwards we all went into sleep-mode for a couple hours. When we awoke Matt and I went to visit his mom for a bit while other people started preparing dinner. I know, we have impeccable timing. :) We had a nice outing visiting Matt's mom, and then returned for another feast of shrimp, steak, baked potatoes, home-made bread, fruit, etc. After cleaning the kitchen and digesting yet again, most of us enjoyed the first viewing of The Help into the early hours of the morning. Even the boys liked it. :)

Monday morning came all too soon, but people were definitely ready to return to their homes and their routines. We slowly, but surely gathered our things, packed the car, and bid our farewells.

Here are some pictures to document our Christmas holiday. . .

Mom and Dad's Christmas tree

Alexandra's newest trick: Using her hands to say "I don't know?"

Aunt Beek, me, and Alexandra went for a walk one evening. Have I mentioned how much our girl loves to be outside?

So relaxed. . . what a life!

A glimpse of church on Christmas Eve. Can you spot our drummer?

Sugar looooooved the music and danced almost the whole time. What joy she brings to us. :)

Rebecca acting like she is Santa. . .

Yes, Sugar climbed onto her chair and stood up while several adults watched her. And she is proud of herself.

Ringing her favorite bells.

Cheese fondue

Chocolate fondue

Step away from the chocolate, Rebecca!!!

The next morning we had mimosas with our breakfast feast. YUM! Mimosas are my favorite. :)

My pretty breakfast plate. Matt also made biscuits and gravy, which were a pretty big hit.

I tried to take a nice portrait during the breakfast feast, but nobody had it in them to behave. So, I had to drop my expectations and take what I could get. :)

***Jonathan A. Roach is on the NAUGHTY LIST for the whole entire year of 2012. . . Even though I had helped prepare our breakfast feast, I decided to be super nice and help Jonathan clean the kitchen, since everyone else had escaped and left him there alone. While I was scrubbing a pot with deep concentration, I abruptly heard a WHACK, and then startlingly felt a WHACK. My eyes involuntary produced tears and my rear-end screamed with intense pain. What on earth?!?!?!? I turned around to see that Jonathan had popped me with a towel while I was innocently helping him with the kitchen. I was in complete shock. I couldn't believe he had done such a thing. Well, that was the end of my helping him! I retreated to the couch to rest my aching rear and recover from such pain. And the entire time I had to listen to him bent over with laughter about the whole ordeal. Yep, Santa is definitely skipping Jonathan A. Roach next year!***

This Santa is from my Grandma Kate. I love him. I mean I L.O.V.E. him. He sings and dances, and he makes me so happy every single year. How happy Grandma Kate must be to see her sweet great-granddaugther laughing and dancing with her Santa Claus. :)

Everyone opening their gifts

Sugar and her new drum!

Her favorite instruments were the shake eggs. She giggled and giggled. Her laugh is definitely contagious.

My mom and dad got me hand weights. No more snowman arms!!

Melanie got Dad a new "wine glass" for his nightly glass of wine.

Rebecca made Josh an Aggie quilt. Impressive!!!

Rebecca finally has her own fancy 2nd Grade shirt.

Grammy got Sugar a new baby doll and stroller. It was perfect for her.

We followed Mom's orders and ended Christmas with a family photo shoot to document our time together.

After too many pictures, Sugar had had enough and let everyone know it with her crying. So, we joined her party. :)

Cheers to a fun and sucessful Christmas! We love y'all! :)

An Evening with Santa. . . I mean Sugar!

2011-12-22T13:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon/evening I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with my Sugar. We had a date while her mommy and daddy went to a meeting/dinner party. Upon my arrival, she had just woken up from her nap, and by golly, I had to do a double-take when I walked in her room. . . I thought SANTA was in her crib!!!

Soon enough her parents left, and we could get on with our evening. We had lots of activities planned, like playing outside, snacking, playing chase, eating dinner, bathing, reading, and finally bedtime. My favorite two moments were when Sugar was across the room from me, and then she ran toward me at full speed and fell into my arms with her precious giggles. Yep, those two moments were the best. :)

Here is my Sugar Santa. :)

We needed a distraction when her parents left, so we put on our jackets and played outside. Outside is Sugar's favorite place, hands down. I love being outside too, so we're a good match! We found this great collection of leaves to play in on the driveway. Sugar LOVES leaves, so I'm pretty sure she was in Heaven. Swishing and crinkling them are great entertainment for our girl!

It's the small things in life, folks. . .

After awhile we returned inside and she decided to play with her toothbrush. See, I told you. . . kids' favorite toys are the everyday things!

Apparently Alexandra needed a moment of rest before our next item on the agenda. . .

I had a dream of taking her portrait in front of the Christmas tree in her Santa outfit. . .

My dreams were shattered.

Into teeny, tiny little pieces.

Okay, fine. Next activity was dinner. Her mommy is so very smart and always has stickers available during dinnertime to keep Sugar occupied. She even has Christmas stickers. 'Tis the season!

Here she is panting like a dog. It's one of her things. She pants at everything and it's hilarious!

Thank goodness she has her happy pants on again.

I feel your pain, Sugar. But remember, YOU are the one who insists on putting food in your hair every time you eat dinner. It's a pretty gross habit, and I did NOT teach you that!!!

But, no worries. It's nothing a bath can't fix!

Mellowing down a bit before bedtime. . .

She is so pretty. And I'm not biased. :)

Getting sleepier. . . have you noticed she is attached to her blankie?

Thanks for the fun date, Sugar! I WUV YOU!!!!!!!!!

Sweet dreams, sweet baby.

p.s. When I laid her down in her crib, she didn't make a peep. :)

p.p.s. I found our Christmas card in Hanna's pile of cards. I thought I would help her out by putting our portrait on the fridge. . . I think it's a GREAT addition. If fact, you might also notice that last month I put our (Matt and my) school pictures on the fridge and they are STILL there!

Think she'll notice?!?

Dinner with the Bowen's

2011-12-21T09:03:00.013-06:00

Last night Matt and I kindly obliged to a dinner invitation at the Bowen's. We have known Chad and Jamie for a loooooooooooong time. They are life-long friends. I know this because while we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, we always pick up right where we left off the last time. I love that we are friends. :)

As were we confirming our plans yesterday, Jamie asked if we had any negative feelings toward chicken and dumplings. Ummm. . . nope!! Nothing but positive feelings actually! So, we had a most enjoyable evening with Chad, Jamie, and Emma with good food, good wine, and good talk. We love y'all!!!

Here is Miss Emma. Is she not one of the prettiest babies you have ever seen?!? She and I had a fun time playing on the floor. I love that she's playing with a toothbrush. (My niece has a habit of loving everyday objects as toys too.)

She is so very cuddly!

When we got there, the tree ornaments were in boxes by the tree, so I asked Chad and Jamie if they wanted us to help decorate, and they did! This worked out great for us because our Christmas decorations are all in storage, but we still got to decorate a tree this season! (I started putting ornaments on, but then Emma summoned me to play with her on the floor, so the boys took over.)

Here is Jamie cooking her glorious meal and giving Emma a mommy-fix at the same time. Multi-tasking at it's best!!

Yummmm

Emma had a JOY FEST just about the entire time through dinner. I have never seen anything like it. She was smiling, giggling, kicking, just overflowing with joy. I think it's because it was the first time she ate what everyone else ate, as in she ate chicken and dumplings too!

(Did you notice that she has her auntie bib on? We aunties pick up on these things. Thanks for sharing your niece with me Aunt Nikki!!!)

Here is Porter taking a nap in his couch.

Here he is, upright between the couch cushions. I have never seen anything like it, but I think it's hilarious!!! Apparently he was ready for bed. :)

Thanks for having us!!!

Prayers for Ben Jr.

2011-12-13T19:37:00.002-06:00

Ben Jr. is the son of my bestie, Ruth, and her husband Ben. They, as well as Troy and Aimee, are like family to us. We go way back to our college years. I'm sure you have seen them all on my blog, as they are often included in my posts. Praise the Lord that we all ended up in the Houston area so that we are blessed to see each other often.

With that context, let me share a bit about Ben Jr. with you. Back in August, he was diagnosed with a form of mitochondrial disease, called Leigh's Disease. This disease heavily affects his development, digestive system, and immune system, which means that sickness has a strong effect on his body. Well, two weeks ago Ben Jr. came down with bronchitis and was admitted to the hospital. And most unfortunately, he is still there. He has struggled with several things since then, but currently his struggle is the strength of his lungs. Please pray for his lungs to recover and to heal, and for his overall health.

Ben Jr. is one of the most special babies in the world to me. He is my bestie's son!! I love him so very much. His parents are my heroes. Please pray for them also. They need strength, endurance, and patience as they go through this with their son. Please pray for the doctors and nurses too, that they may know best how to help Ben Jr. get better.

Some of you I know have already been praying for Ben Jr., and we thank you so much for that. It means so much to Ben and Ruth to have so many people praying for their son. And please continue to pray. . . we are all ready for Ben Jr. to go home.

Canton and Gymnastics Weekend in East Texas

2011-12-05T19:00:00.024-06:00

A couple months ago Mom and I planned a weekend with Melanie to go to Canton for some SHOPPING!! Then our weekend away got extra good because Avery had a gymnastics meet that we got to attend! Our girls are all involved in their own thing, and unfortunately we rarely get to attend their activities because they live 4 long hours away. So, being able to see Avery perform some somersaults and handstands was extra special.

We headed out of Houston Thursday after school and accidentally forgot to go to work on Friday. Oopsies! We arrived at the Molina residence Thursday night after bedtime, but three girls still came downstairs to greet their favorite aunt and cousin. They went to bed soon enough, and the adults (Melanie, Chris, Mom and I) stayed up for a bit catching up on things.

Friday morning everyone was up by 6:00- Chris to work, the girls to school, and Melanie, Mom and I to CANTON for some shopping. It was great mental therapy, just meandering through the pavillions full of good stuff of all kinds. We shopped till we dropped for 6 whole hours. Our feet hurt and our bodies were tired, but it was worth it!

Around 2:00 we decided that everything was starting to look the same, and that we should probably pick the girls up from school on time, so we headed home. Friday evening we had an easy meal for dinner and went to bed at an early hour because we had to rise and shine for an early Saturday morning.

The alarm went off at 4:45 Saturday morning so that we could make it to Avery's gymnastics meet two hours away. Our gymnast barely made it on time because we got lost. It was pretty intense in that car. Fortunately we were all able to laugh about it after the fact. Avery Caroline is one talented little gymnast; we are SO PROUD of her accomplishments! I was never gifted in the cart wheel/acrobatics department, so I'm thankful to live vicariously through her. She did great, and most importantly, she was proud of herself.

After the meet we had some lunch and then went to a few shopping destinations. Then FINALLY we were headed home. That night Chris and Melanie had a party to attend so it was just the girls, Mom, and me. We had a yummy dinner and watched Home Alone I and II. Well, sort of. I fell asleep in the second and then accounced my bedtime. Everyone else followed.

We had a FAB time in Athens with the Molina Family. Thanks for having us!! I love y'all to pieces!!! :)

One of MANY pavillions of vendors at Canton with all kinds of stuff. FUN!

Our fried apple crepe we shared for dessert. Let's just not talk about the calories this included. . .

Sisses- Melanie and Mom

Melanie, Mom, and me

Avery practicing the night before her meet

Floor routine

Avery's supportive sisters. :)

Avery on the bars

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Getting on the beam

Our gymnast with her medal

And her ribbons

Me, Avery, and Mom

The Molina girls

Avery and me

Sydney and me. Our baby is growing up. . .

Mel and Chris about to hit the town!

We can't wait till next time!! We love y'all!!!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T15:06:00.011-06:00

Making it to Thanksgiving this year was an accomplishment for me. . . work has been really tough and it was my goal to make it to my week-long break for some rest. And for that rest, I am thankful! Now, just three more weeks till Christmas. :)

This week has been filled a nice balance of rest and festivities. Right now I am listening to the rain outside. My kids at school know that whenever it is raining, I always say that I wish I were at home, curled up and reading a good book. My dream has come true on this day, my friends! As far as Thanksgiving, I spent a few hours with my Gramps on Wednesday. He drove over to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. Then on Thursday Matt and I spent Thanksgiving with his family. We had a great time visiting, eating, and resting.

Now, I am off to enjoy my last day and a half of peace before I return to work on Monday. :)

Me and Gramps. . . and to my fellow granddaughters, Gramps declared ME his favorite granddaughter on this day. Cross my heart! :)

Matt cutting the turkey

Done!

The Thanksgiving Feast! Thanks, Nancy, for all of your hard work! It was delicious!

My plate

Matt's plate

Stephen, Nancy, Curtis, and Matt (and me behind the camera!)

Take-Your-Wife-To-Work Day

2011-11-21T15:56:00.011-06:00

Unfortunately for Matt, he has to work today and tomorrow, but fortunately for me, I got to visit him at work today because I am off the whole week! During his 6 years of employment there I have never ever been to his school when students were present. Crazy, huh? It was actually strange for me to see kids there today, because everytime I visit, the school is empty. A couple of teachers offered me their classes while we walked through the halls today, but I kindly declined. :)

Anyway, I picked him up at 11:30 and we headed to Olympia Grill for lunch. I wasn't too sure of it, but it turned out to be quite tasty. Good choice, Matt!

Hummus and warm pita bread. I have never been a huge fan of hummus, but this hummus was tolerable.

Greek salad. They can make me that for lunch everyday!

Shrimp pita with tomato slices, lettuce, and onions, and roasted potatoes

Dessert. . . My favorite part of every meal! We chose to share vanilla ice cream with crushed baklava and honey. It was DIVINE!!!

After lunch we returned to Matt's school. I decided to go say hi to a couple of people before I left, which turned into staying for Matt's class that he teaches! He DID NOT want me to stay, but I did. :) How fun it was to see him in action at work! Now when he talks about it, I will have a much better idea of what he is talking about.

His kids are working on creating a video game. . . Let's just say that when I was in junior high, my "computer" class was keyboarding! Oh, how times have changed! These kids have no idea. :) I got to play a couple of their games and easily lost them. :)

After his class we returned to his office for a couple minutes of peace and quiet, and then we parted ways. . . me back home, and him to his Technology Director duties.

Aggieland, it’s been way too long. . .

2011-11-20T09:53:00.001-06:00

Aggieland is my second home. It holds a good chunk of my heart. My four years there hold so many important memories in my life. It’s where I did some major growing up; it’s where my relationship with my husband grew despite our living apart for four years; it’s where my sisters and I lived together and became the best of friends at #701; it’s where I learned that non-comfort zone experiences were good; it’s where I truly became a part of and learned the importance of a church family; and the list could go on and on.

Yesterday when we arrived in College Station, the sights and sounds brought on a tidal wave of memories and emotions: Swenson’s, where Matt and I would go on Friday nights whenever he came to visit; walking down the Quad in mid-winter with Rebecca going to the band hall, me crying because it was so bitterly cold and the walk was so very long, and her laughing at me and calling me a “baby” the whole darn way; our apartment, #701, where countless, I mean countless, memories were had with my sissies; Harrington Education Building, where I spent many hours working for my degree; The student section of Kyle Field (where we will be sitting for the next game we attend!); the days when I thought I was stressed out, but looking back, how I really wasn’t; the days when I could watch TLC all day and skip class if I wanted to (No worries, it only happened a few times!), and I’ll stop there. . . I had forgotten how much I missed it there.

The six of us booked it fast enough to see Step Off in the Quad just in time yesterday. When the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band started playing and took their first step toward Kyle Field, I may or may not have been caught in the emotions and gotten a little teary-eyed. Oh, how I’ve missed it so!

After see the Aggie Band at Step Off, we headed toward the MSC to buy shirts. All along the way we were making comments of, “Oh, I remember that!” Or, “Hmmm. . . that wasn’t here when we were here!”

All of us ended up running into people that we knew.

Let’s take my story for instance. . . once we were up at the tip top of the Zone, I heard "Mrs. Sherman! Mrs. Sherman!" I thought, who on Earth is calling me "Mrs. Sherman" at this game?!?!? It was one of my students!!! I jumped up and down and waved like a crazy lady. Later we went down for refreshments and I saw her so we took our picture. I told her that she is my new favorite student. There were 80,000 people at that game, and I saw one of my kids. Small world!!! (Unfortunately I can’t post our picture on here.)

I told you we were at the tip top. It actually wasn’t too bad.

Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band

The Block T with the entire Corps of Cadets- the first time since 1956. (And that is George W. H. Bush on the Jumbotron. He was there.)

Me and my besties- who else do you think I’d go to a game with?!?

Troy and Aimee

(Ruth and Ben, apparently I only took y’all’s picture with your camera and not mine. :( )

Matt and me. No, he wouldn’t wear maroon, but he is the best non-Aggie husband I could ask for. He is willing to go and participate in the game and he didn’t even complain. In fact, he had a great time. :)

Our team WON! We must be thankful for our wins. . .Here is the football team singing the Aggie War Hymn.

The Fish (freshman) rounding up the yell leaders to throw them in Fish Pond. (That’s what happens when we win a game.)

Our whole crew- Matt, me, Ruth, Ben, Aimee, and Troy

We met up with my Aunt Tommie (and Uncle Harvey) after the game to visit for a few minutes. :)

On our trek back to our cars we passed Victory Yell. So we participated in that for a few minutes.

And we passed Fish Pond (which has been relocated a bit).

Me and my besties

Me and my besties, where our friendship began. (If only Rebecca were in this picture!!)

We had a GREAT trip back to Aggieland. It has been decided that this must become a yearly adventure. . . Gig ‘Em!

Love Me Some Sugar!!!

2011-11-13T21:17:00.015-06:00

Matt and I got to babysit our Sugar for a few hours this afternoon/evening. We had a FUN time playing with our favorite girl. :) We chased Macy outside, took a walk, played at the park (and met lots of new friends), ate dinner, took a bath, and played some more until Hanna and Jonathan got back home. Alexandra loves her Aunt Laura and Uncle Matt, but she has some CRAZY LOVE for her parents. She giggled and squealed and ran to her favorite two people on the planet when they got home. :)

We had a great time with you Sugar! We love you to pieces!!!

She has Uncle Matt wrapped around her finger. :)

Swinging at the park

This girl loooooooves walks. She is always so relaxed when we go for a walk. And I was too! Going for walks in nice, breezy weather is mental therapy!

Macy came too!

Me and my Sugar

Eating dinner

After a 40 minute run this morning, running around in the backyard, and going for a walk this evening, Macy Jo was spent!

Bathtime! This girl LOVES playing in the tub.

Going to work!

She got Uncle Matt to run around with her on his shoulders right before her mommy and daddy got home. See, I told you she has him wrapped around her fingers!! :)

Book Worm

2011-11-09T21:24:00.002-06:00

This is my current favorite picture of my Sugar. Her mommy and daddy took her to the book store for the first time ever last week after her shots. When they texted me this picture, I got a warm fuzzy. She is a girl after my own heart. . . she LOVES books!!! Alexandra is fascinated by books. I have had the pleasure of rocking her to sleep at night a few times, and she can't go to sleep without reading, just like me!! She knows how to turn the pages, points at the pictures, and listens while you read. Lord knows she has plenty to choose from, especially on this book shelf at the store! I can just tell by looking at her in this picture that she is in pure Heaven! Who knew that there were so many books in the world?!? :)

Persuasive Letters

2011-11-08T20:04:00.006-06:00

Last week we finished up our persuasive letter unit. While grading 42 letters with four rubrics each over the weekend is not so much fun, I was glad that four letters in particular were so entertaining that they made me laugh out loud and forced me to read them to Matt. Don't feel sorry for him. . . we were in the car and there was nothing else for him to do than listen to my kids' writing, other than drive, of course! And he found them pretty amusing himself. I still can't get over how insightful and creative these four letters are. So, I feel the need to share them with you! Are you ready to laugh? If so, keep reading! :)

***I'm only sharing the best parts of each letter, and I'm not editing them.***

Letter #1:

Dear Mrs. Sherman,

Hello, how are you doing? I wanted to write to you because I feel you don't read enough books to us. Instead, we are doing social studys or writing. I would like you to read my letter and see all of the reasons you should read more books to us.
To begin with I would like to share that not only do kids like it, but it will help our learning. My proof is that when you've read other books to us you help me and I bet other kids with the lesson you were teaching. I think when we learn it makes you look good. Mabey when the principal walks in one day and you've just finished reading a book to us and we are working hard I think you will get a good compliment from her.
My second reason is it will improve our comprehinsion. When I've read a book before it helped me understand waht we were doing. Reading more books to us could let us have more learning opportunities like comprehending.

**I read to them ALL THE TIME. I don't know what this child is talking about. In any case, I would love to read to them even more!**

Letter #2:

Dear Principal,

This is the finest school I've ever been to, but I know a way to make it even finer. My idea is to let us, the students and teacher of your school, to have a longer lunch. . . .
Along with that my teachers always saying she needs more time for lunch [I've only told them that once because the line was a mile long]. Cause she has to bring us to lunch, stay there for a while to see that we have everything, walk all the way back down the hallway, and most teachers have to heat up their lunch. With all of that they probly only have 2/3 of their lunch to eat. I'd get a tummy ake trying to eat that fast.

Letter #3:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hi, how are you? I believe I should have a trampoline in my bedroom. Here are my reasons why.
To begin with having a small trampoline would make my life so much more fun because if I have a trampoline anytime I go to bed, I would front flip into my bed and when I start sleeping I will feel so refreshed, relaxed and read to go into LaLa land. Also when I'm happy you are happy. When I go to sleep I won't have bad dreams because I just had fun and fun means "Awesome!" I am very optimistic about this being a good reason for me to have a trampoline. . .
I also think I should get a trampoline because anytime I am bored or not busy I could go upstairs and play with my trampoline. I would let my brother play wiht me and we would have an awesome time (bonding) together.
This will be an awesome gift and I will apreciate you from here to heaven. . .

Letter #4:

Dear Mrs. Sherman,

Hi, how are you? I am writing to you because I think we need more library time. I have several reasons why I have that thought.
To begin with I would like to state that we only get ten to twenty minutes of library time. The reason that is a problem is because it causes us to scramble for good quality books. It is a problem because you have to aprove of our books. You will not aprove if we don't have the right books. [Got that right!!]
My second reason is we will not grow into as good as readers as you if we don't get good books. It is a lot of the students goals to grow into good readers. It is not healthy to our grades if we don't pass reading tests. I know that you want exellent readers in your calss and more library time will support that.
My last reason is if we don't have books we can't do our homework. You want us to do our homework because you want straight A students. If we don't do our homework it will affect our grades horribly.
A way to help these reasons is more library time. I hope you approve of this letter.

I am in awe of these letters, especially the last one because this kid really understands how much I want them to grow as readers, and how important reading is!! I hope you enjoyed them as much as me. :)

Happy Belated Halloween!

2011-11-02T20:42:00.008-05:00

Halloween has never been a huge deal to me. As a kid we always went to our church's Halloween Festival- I don't even recall ever trick-or-treating! And I'm fine with that. I don't really care. I just remember dressing up and playing games at our church, and that's all that mattered to me at the time.

At this stage in my life (with no kids) I'm SO thankful that I don't have to worry about costumes or trick-or-treating. I'm just trying to enjoy it while I can. :) On Monday my students asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. I told that that I was going to be an overworked teacher. And I wasn't lying! While they were trick-or-treating, I was writing lesson plans and grading papers! :)

With all of that said, I have to share a few pictures of my Halloween Weekend. . .

Mindy and I went to see Footloose and took a picture in front of the Twilight display. That is Halloweenish, even though I haven't read the books or seen the movies. :)

I stole this picture from Melanie. Aren't my cousins the cutest things you've ever seen on Earth?!? I LOVE their costumes. I'm in withdrawals from all three of them. If only we lived closer. . .

I stole this picture from Hanna. Sugar was Tinkerbell. I'm also in withdrawals from her. . .

On Monday I got some Halloween candy. Upon seeing my chocolate, one of my kids said, "Mrs. Sherman, it looks like you're going to get drunk on chocolate!" LOL!!! So funny. :)

Cheers to the Champ!

2011-10-28T23:13:00.006-05:00

My heart was broken when the Astros traded Lance Berkman in 2010. I was in shock of their stupidity. How could they get rid of our BEST player?! Seriously?!? I've always had a crush on Berkman, so I think it hurt me to see him go more than most Houstonians. . .

When he ended up on the Cardinals I was NOT happy. I have never been a fan of the Cardinals, and it made me sick to see him in that red bird uniform. EEWW! But, as time went on, I was at least glad to see Berkman on a good team. . .

Well, as you know by now the Cardinals won the World Series tonight. And I have a confession: I cheered for the Cardinals throughout the whole World Series and rejoiced when they caught that winning fly ball tonight. I'm talking sreaming and flailing my arms and jumping up and down (with Matt shaking his head in the background). Why? Because my boyfriend, Lance Berkman, finally, FINALLY won a World Series after 13 years of playing in the major leagues. I was OVERJOYED for him. He deserves it. Congrats, Lance. . . here's to many more!

Ain't he cute? Though I wouldn't mind him trimming his hair and face a tad. . .

Cheers to the Champ! YAY LANCE!!!

p.s. Here's a Shout Out to Dale and Linda for being great fellow fans throughout the World Series. It was fun!!!

Molina Visit

2011-10-16T21:35:00.025-05:00

Last month I found myself in withdrawals from my Molina girls, so I called Melanie and booked a visit. It just so happened that my parents had also planned to go that same weekend, so we hit the road together Friday after work. I hugged on and loved on my girls all weekend; oh, how I love and adore them! We relaxed, played, ate, visited, and lots more during our time together. If only we lived a little closer to each other so we could see them more often. :)

Thanks for having us, Molina Family! We love you!!!

Sydney had a soccer game Saturday morning. I have been wanting to see her play soccer for awhile, so I was glad that my wish came true! Here is her fan club.

(And no family members, I do not wish to broadcast one of my most embarrassing moments ever on my blog here. So there!)

Sydney is a good little soccer player!

GOAL!!!!!!!!!! This is one of two of Sydney's goals that she scored. Her team won 4-1!

Corner kick!

Hayley and me

Avery and me. And her lipstick!

Hayley and her boyfriend! She is attached to Matt like glue! :)

Matt and Avery

Sydney and me. I can't get over how grown up she is. . .

Avery got to open her birthday present from Aunt Debbie early.

A Gymnast tote bage from Justice!!

She is my girly girl. :)

I LOVE the Molina Chalkboard! Schedules and chore charts are written on this chalkboard. So fun! (They painted the side of their cabinet with chalkboard paint and magnetic paint. Who even knew?!?)

The weather is quite lovely up in East Texas. No humidity! We took advantage of the cool temps and rode bikes for awhile.

Hayley and Avery

Sydney cutting an onion with sunglasses on to protect her eyes. I'm not sure if it actually worked. . .

Hayley Belle in her unicorn Halloween costume.

Hayley Belle and Uncle Rod in the unicorn costume. . .

She is so kind to share her costume. . .
Cheers to a fun weekend!!!!

Party Hearty!

2011-10-09T20:39:00.012-05:00

This weekend was full of partying! A girl like me loooooooves to have a good time, so let me share! Friday after work Hanna and Alexandra came down to Dickinson for the weekend to spend time with us while Jonathan was in D.C. visiting family. So, my first party session was spent with my Sugar! We played, took a walk, visited my parents' neighbors' party, took a bath, and then she got ready for bed while I got ready for my night out on the town!

I met a few work friends at Big Texas to celebrate Patrice's birthday. I am very well aware of the fact that I am not much of a "going out" person (I'm usually getting ready for bed or asleep by 10 p.m.), but I am so glad I went! We had such a great time visiting and dancing until 1 AM in the morning!!! Go me!!!! And Happy Birthday Patrice! :)

My Sugar and me

My friends and me at Big Texas- Patrice, Tracy, Anastacia, me, Danielle, and Lia

Last night Matt and I went to Jen Reed's 30th birthday party (Matt and Jen used to work together). We love getting together with the Reed's and Markle's, and everyone else. When we gather, a good time is always to be had! And last night's birthday/costume party did not disappoint! To be honest, I AM NOT a costume person. They are not my thing. I just have a strange affliction toward them. But, Matt made me dress up. He came home with a nun costume for me. I have no idea why he chose it, but I unwillingly obliged to make my husband happy. He dressed up as a CREEPY wizard. Don't even get me started on that! So we showed up last night, and Bobby Markle said, "Put a pillow under your nun outfit and be a pregnant nun!" By that time, I was so out of my box dressed up in front of people I didn't know that I thought, Why not?!? I might as well! And so I did, and people loved it. I had a fabulous time dancing and visiting with people at the party. Thanks for having us, Jen and Bobby Reed!!! And Happy Birthday to you, Jen! :)

The pregnant nun and the wizard

Bobby Markle and Matt

Lady Gaga (Jen Reed), me, and Leslie Markle

Today after church I went to my parents' to spend more time with my favorite niece. Don't let the following pictures fool you. . . she was Miss Cranky Pants for most of the day! Our theory is that she is teething again. Poor little punkin! Good thing we had a few rare laughs and smiles in between her screaming! My little niece is growing up so fast. She is turning in to a little girl. I wuv you Sugar!!!

Her joy gives me joy. . . LOTS of it! :)

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2011-10-03T21:15:00.009-05:00

I can hardly believe that Isaac turned 1 on Sunday! It seems like just yesterday that Kim and Bryce became parents! Matt and I were so glad to be a part of his birthday celebration; he is so special to us! Kimberly went above and beyond with his party. I was highly impressed with the effort and creativity put forth for the monster-themed birthday bash. . . A+ Kim and Bryce! And thanks for having us! :)

Kim made these marshmellow monsters on a stick. Impressive!

The birthday boy and me. :)

Isaac took a bit to get acquainted with the sugar. . .

YUM!

More Birthday Celebrations

2011-10-03T21:01:00.009-05:00

After leaving Downtown Saturday morning Matt and I went to the Roach Residence to spend some time with Rebecca, my parents, Hanna, Jonathan, and Alexandra. I LOVE IT when Rebecca visits. I miss her so darn much. So, I was very much glad to spend some time with her! And everyone else, of course. ;)

Let's see, what did we do. . . watched the Aggies lose. AGAIN! Lounged. Ate pizza. Ate cake. And ENJOYED being outside. We Texans are all welcoming the cooler temps with wide open arms. How lovely it is to be outside during the past couple days- the weather is heavenly! We did it, Texans. We endured the worst of summer. And we survived!

Unfortunately Matt and I had to return home sooner than we wanted to work on our condo. Nonetheless, we had a great time away from home and work. . . food for the soul!

p.s. Happy Birthday Dad and Jonathan!!!

I can't wait to have a backyard. I love sitting on Hanna and Jonathan's back porch and being outside.

Aunt Beek and Sugar. Like her hair? She gets awesome bed head!

This cake was divine. It was a chocolate bundt cake with mint chocolate chips and a chocolate glaze. YUM! Awesome job Hanna!

She loved the chocolate glaze. . . a girl after my own heart!

And she discovered the door to her mom and dad's bedroom from the porch. I lost count how many times she open and closed it. :)

Peekaboo!!!

Alexandra with her two favorite aunts!

DC*B

2011-10-03T20:32:00.015-05:00

Several months ago Matt got us tickets to see our favorite Christian band, The David Crowder Band. The night finally arrived to see them in concert! It was at the House of Blues in Downtown Houston last Friday night. I was already excited about the concert, but I was super excited when he surprised me with a hotel room at the Four Seasons that night! We arrived at our room around 6:00 and were greeting by some delicious chocolates. YUM!

After settling in we headed out for dinner at the fancy restaurant at House of Blues called the Foundation Room. This place was interesting. Fancy food isn't my favorite, and honestly I wanted to leave after reading over the menu. There was nothing there I wanted to eat, and if I'm gonna eat out, I had better enjoy it! However, Matt would not allow that. Eventually I found something that I was at least halfway okay with. And, my salad was delicious! So okay, after some complaining I actually enjoyed my dinner. :)

Then were were off to the concert. It was about 7:30 at this time. I had never been to the House of Blues, so I didn't know what to expect. Let's just say that if I knew ahead of time that I would be standing for FOUR solid hours I'm not sure I would have gone. The first two hours were the worst. The opening bands wouldn't shut up, and my feet were screaming with PAIN! Not to mention I was SO TIRED (it was a Friday night, after all!!!) that I felt my body swaying back and forth. I may or may not have voiced my frustration to Matt, and he may or may not have told me I was acting like a bratty high-schooler. :) I couldn't help it. I was miserable. That is, until DCB came out! Once they started my feet forgot they were in pain and my ears enjoyed the beautiful music. I love DCB. Have you ever heard them? If not, you should! They have awesome lyrics and they are highly talented musicians. I very much enjoyed the concert and was glad I endured the pain in order to see them. :)

All in all, our night in Houston was great. Next time I will show up two hours late and wear some extra comfy shoes. Thanks Matt for taking me out on the town!

Our yummy chocolates!

The view out of our hotel window- right at the House of Blues!

The walls inside the restaurant were covered in Bohemian looking fabric. It was an interesting place. Have I mentioned that already? ;)

My yummy salad!

Matt's dinner. I don't remember what it was called.

My dinner- mini hamburgers. They were really good!

The DCB! Love them!!!

The Big 6-0!

2011-10-02T21:27:00.015-05:00

Last Thursday, September 29, 2011, my dad turned 60 years old!!! To celebrate we gathered with the Roach Family and my Aunt Tommie (Dad's sister) and Uncle Harvey at a restaurant in Houston called El Meson. I had the best enchiladas I've ever had in my entire life. They were so delicious, and not heavy! I will be back, for sure! Everyone had a great time visiting and catching up, and most importantly, celebrating my Dad's 60 years of life! :)

Loved the decor, Aunt Tommie!

Dad and his gift from Hanna, Jonathan, Matt, and me- Patron X.O.

Sugar can always count on Aunt Laura to have some jewelry to play with! :)

My enchiladas. YUM!!!!

Jonathan, Alexandra, and Hanna

Aunt Tommie and Uncle Harvey

Mom, Matt, and Dad

The Birthday Boy and me!

Happy Birthday Dad! Love ya mui mucho!!!

Mid-Week Visit

2011-09-22T20:40:00.011-05:00

Yesterday evening I drove up to the Roach Residence for a mid-week visit. You see, my Sugar started walking last week, and I hadn't seen her in action. . . and I had to witness this accomplishment before the Roach Family left for Maryland today. Also, Hanna said I could come help her with Alexandra while she packed for their trip (Jonathan had a night meeting). I didn't really do a whole lot to help, but I sure did enjoy being with my Sugar, Hanna, and even Aimee! (We got in a 30 minute run during my visit. :) Enjoy the pics!

Sugar has learned how to do Peek-A-Boo. I loooooove hearing her giggle!

I got Alexandra her lady bug pillow pet when she was born. . .

Now she plays with it! Crazy!!!

Playing on the piano

Hanna let me rock Sugar to sleep. We read three books. She was a big help while turning the pages.

Success! Night Night Sugar!!! I loooooooooove you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Beginnings Of Our Moving Adventure

2011-09-18T16:40:00.001-05:00

When Matt and I moved into our condo after our wedding in July of 2005, we both had grand plans of doing lots of updates while we made it our home. Some of the updates were accomplished; however, many were not. Why? Because updates cost money! Who knew?!?

With that said, I would say that the most important updates were accomplished over the years, or even just recently. After 6 years of living in our condo, which I fondly call our “cracker box,” we are ready to move on. I am very much emotionally attached to our home, but I am also more than ready to have more space, a backyard, a bigger kitchen, four walls to ourselves, and the list goes on. I don’t want a mansion (not that we could afford one), just enough space that suits our needs. So, over the past few months, Matt and I have been prepping our condo to sell. I’m sure that on actual moving day I will cry as we leave our first home, but how I am looking forward to a house!

Here are some photos of most of the updates we’ve done to our condo. Some were done before we moved in, and some we are (or should I say Matt is) doing this very second. We hope to call our realtor this week to put our condo on the market. Who knows how long it will take to find a buyer, but at least we are taking the big step of putting it up for sale. One step at at time. . .

p.s. While I am so very excited to have a house, I will so very much miss being able to vacuum my whole home from one plug. And only having one bathroom to clean. :)

April 2005: A blank slate. . .ready for paint!

Matt prepping the walls

Just getting started on the living room. Painting our entire condo with Kilz and then again with real paint cured me from ever wanting to paint again. Sadly enough, I’m pretty sure that won’t work out for me though. . .

Summer of 2007: The huge project of crown moulding, which really took about two years to fully complete. See our dinosaur AC unit?

Painting crown moulding isn’t as bad as painting walls.

Finished project looks nice!

Summer of 2007: The purchase of a new AC unit and heating system. That cost a very pretty penny. . .

During the past month we have boxed lots of clutter to make our condo seem more spacious. This is just a small load that we took to storage. We probably took four or five car loads of stuff to storage, and we still have another small load to take.

Matt installed new faucets in the bathroom sink and tub.

And right now at this very second he’s installing a new water heater. Ours is ancient.

I’ll keep you updated on our journey of moving. Let the adventure begin!

Galveston Weekend- Monday

2011-09-05T19:56:00.001-05:00

We all knew the end of our weekend at the beach was drawing to a close. . . going back to reality is tough! This morning consisted of gathering up our things, packing them up, and loading them in the car. As sad as it was, we were all thankful to have a couple days of R & R. When are we going back?!? :)

I scored the easy job while people were packing and loading. I promise I didn’t plan it!! Hanna and Alexandra came down the outside stairs and I was at the bottom. I made Sugar laugh while they were coming down the stairs, and believe it or not, she reached out for me when they reached the bottom! Hanna told me to take care, and of course I did! I will never turn down lovin’ on my Sugar! Needless to say, she fell asleep during our stroll outside. She was out like a light! There is nothing like cuddling with my sleeping Sugar. It’s my favorite. :)

We took a few portraits on the balcony before it was time for departure. I wuv you Matt!

The Roach Family

The Kenas/Sherman/Roach Family

Galveston Weekend- Sunday

2011-09-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

Sunday was another relaxed, leisurely day. It was overcast and cool outside- quite lovely for an hour long morning run! I didn’t intend to run that far, but that’s what happened. It is most enjoyable running on the beach; plenty of things to look at and keep me entertained. There is nothing like a good run to release energy- so refreshing!!!

The rest of the day consisted of reading, lounging, a couple walks on the beach, eating, and watching the Aggie’s beat SMU! Enjoy the pics!

This little critter greeted me upon my arrival on the beach for my run.

What a nice landscape for a run. Aaaahhhhh. . .

Great views!

The Roach Family out for our first stroll on the beach of the day.

Sugar looooooooves walking, with the assistance of her parents of course.

She loooooooooves chasing after the birdies!

She has no fear!

Sugar was having a good ol’ time playing the steel drum.

Out for another stroll on the beach.

She looooooooooves splashing and playing in the water. Her mommy and daddy let her crawl right in with her “Sand Castle Princess” onesie on.

Sugar actually let me hold her last night! (Normally she is only happy if her mommy or daddy holds her.) I wuv you Sugar!!!!

Galveston Weekend- Saturday

2011-09-05T16:53:00.001-05:00

Everyone had a leisurely morning of getting up and moving. Mid-morning most of us took a ride in the buggy for a tour of Pointe West. A little while after our tour we headed back out for a swim at the Beach Club. I have never had the opportunity of driving a golf cart, but my chance had finally arrived after 29 years of life! This golf cart was actually not easy to drive, but I was pretty successful! All of my passengers arrived to our destination safe and sound!

View from our balcony.

My co-pilot was very helpful. :)

After my turn at the wheel, I was ready to sit back and relax with my man in the back seat. :)

There was a tunnel that we had to drive through. . . we had a FUN time acting like it was a rollercoaster!

I attempted throwing the football in the pool with the boys. Some of my throws were better than others. :)

My movie star shot! Thanks, Aimee, for the glasses!

Sugar came to say Hi

She loooooves pointed her finger when she is looking at something. Hilarious!

Sugar having a good time in the kiddie pool.

Someone when for an evening stroll on the beach. Thanks for letting me steal your beautiful pic!

Our view from the beach house

The Queen of Seashell Hunting, a.k.a. Mom, found lots of seashells!

And Sugar loooooved going through all of them.

Matt and I were in charge of dinner Saturday night.

We had lasagna, garlic-butter French bread, and fresh salad with lots of toppings. All of this was accompanied with Cupcake Red Velvet Wine. MMMmmmm

My pretty plate.

And to top it off, homemade tiramisu made by my chef of a husband. MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm

Everyone’s bellies were happily full, and everyone happily drifted into a food coma. Success by the Sherman’s!

Galveston Weekend- Friday

2011-09-05T16:23:00.001-05:00

Matt and I arrived at the beach house really late on Friday. I was a little reluctant to joining everyone because Hanna was just getting over a stomach bug, and you all probably know by now that I’m a tad of a barfaphobic. Last year during flu season, my coworkers responded to my anxiety of illnesses surrounding me at school (which I call a “petri dish”) with a lovely gift of GermX, latex gloves, and a bedazzled face mask. As a joke, I walked into the beach house Friday night sporting my face mask. People rolled their eyes, shook their heads, and laughed. Yes, my friends, the party could finally start because I was there!

Jonathan promptly served dinner to Matt and I despite the late hour. It was a tasty AND healthy plate of salmon, rice, peppers, beans, and crab meat. MMMMMMmmmmm. Dessert was not so healthy, but just has yummy (or more!) as dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed my pastry tarts accompanied with gelato. After a glass (or two) of wine and some good conversation, I headed to bed, overjoyed that I didn’t have to wake up to an alarm clock!!!

Phil, Jonathan’s Dad, made each of us these lovely signs on our bedroom doors.

Jonathan and I posed for a portrait- me with my mask, and him with his coconut bra. . .

Dinner

Dessert!

Labor Day Weekend in Galveston

2011-09-05T16:02:00.001-05:00

I know it sounds silly since I just had two months off for summer, but I’m always so thankful for Labor Day. When school starts, knowing that I have a three-day weekend really soon gives me some umph to get through the exhaustion of the first two weeks of school.

This year Labor Day Weekend was extra fun because we went to Galveston for the weekend. Jonathan, Hanna’s husband, orchestrated our whole weekend of fun. He found the beach house, organized everything, coordinated everyone, and more. Thank you Jonathan!!! Matt and I had a great time and made lots of new, fun memories! As always, I have pictures of each day in the following posts to document our weekend of fun in the sun!

Bestie Fest!

2011-08-30T18:47:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Ruth, Aimee, and I headed down to Portland, Texas to visit Rebecca for a much needed girl’s weekend. The four of us have been besties since our good ol’ college days. During our Bestie Fest we talked (and talked some more!), laughed a lot, cried a little, ate, swam, rested, played make-up, painted toe nails, took a trip to Wal-Mart, and more! Being with my besties is so uplifting and rejuvenating. How grateful we all are to have time to just be together to relate with and encourage each other in our lives’ current joys, hardships, and faith. There is nothing like spending a couple days with my besties! God has blessed us so with our deep friendship; we humbly praise Him for connecting our hearts with each other almost ten years ago, and for keeping our hearts tightly sewn ever since. :)

Ruth, Laura (thanks to Aimee’s mom for my shades :), Rebecca, and Aimee

P.S. We all have newly assigned nicknames: Early Bird, Laughs-a- Lot, Talks-a-Lot, and Crazy girl. Can you guess who is who? Okay, fine. . .I’m Crazy Girl. Maybe that explains me giving Aimee a wedgie in the pool, making a semi to honk on the way home, pantsing Rebecca, and the list goes on but it’s not appropriate for this blog. :) Thank goodness they love me for who I am! :)

P.P.S. Thanks for hosting us Rebecca!!! :) And thanks to all three of you for spending the weekend with me! LYLAS!!! :)

P.P.P.S. When is our next Bestie Fest?!?!?

Texas Drought

2011-08-24T22:14:00.001-05:00

The severe Texas drought has made the news lately, with good reason. It is HOT and DRY! We Texans looooong for rain. It’s been so long that I’m not sure we even know what rain is anymore. We would mind some cooler temps either, as long as we are asking for something. Our kids at school aren’t allowed to have recess if it’s 95 degrees or above. Who even wants to be outside when it’s that blazing hot? You sweat just sitting there! We’ve had triple digit temps for the past 20-something days. I don’t mind it being a little toasty during the summer, but this here native Texan is OVER this outrageous HEAT!

If I’m hot wearing shorts and a tank top, I can’t imagine what my little Macy Jo must feel like covered in fur, with the sun’s rays pounding down on her. Our walks and runs are minimal these days- my puppy gets too hot, too fast. Today when I was walking her after work, I decided to take pictures of the water-deprived ground. There are wide, gaping cracks in the ground covering the entire field where we walk Macy. One of her legs often is caught in a crack while walking- thankfully she has another three legs to rescue her from falling. Good thing she has four legs! My poor baby!

I decided to take pictures to document this memorable Texas drought. See for yourself what we poor Texans are going through! All I know is, winter had better be extra long to make up for this terrible Texas heat wave!

Kids Say The Darndest Things 3

2011-08-24T21:48:00.001-05:00

Today I gave my kids a “Reading Questionnaire” just so that I can get a feel for them as readers. True to form, they responded with some funny, literal answers. As I was reading through them, I couldn’t help but think to myself that I had to write another “Kids Say The Darndest Things” post on my blog. So, here I am to share my funny’s of the day. Enjoy! :)

***Spelling is unedited***

Question 2: Do you read for fun?

Answer:

-yes and for education (he knows how to spell “education”)

Question 3: What do you read? What do you like about your book?

Answer:

-Bibel because it is about God (Good boy!)

Question 4: How do you feel about yourself as a reader?

Answers:

-proud (I love that this child has confidence)

-I feel like I am in my own little world. (very insightful for a 9 year old, if you ask me.)

Question 5: What do you like most about reading?

Answers:

-it is like a tv in your head

-learning new things

-it makes you feel your in it

-that it can help you learn and I love to read because you can feel the same way as the character

-you get to learn new words

-learning knew things and having a little tv in my head

-it’s good for your mind

-to vishurlies it in my head

-using my imagination

-I like it because it makes you be quiet (Amen!!!)

(These responses make me excited because several of my kids already visualize, they love to read so that they can learn more, and most of all, their responses make me excited because they are ambitious readers! Disclaimer: This isn’t my whole class, but let’s just be thankful for these particular responses. :)

Question 9: Who are your favorite authors?

Answer:

-Charles Dickens and Mark Twain (Seriously?!?!?!?!?)

Question 10: What types of books do you like to read? Why?

Answers:

-Fictoin because I like using my imagination and History

-Mystyries because they are so mysterious it succs you in to the book

-nonfiction because of the wonderful facts

Question 11: What is the last book you read that you really enjoyed?

Answer: Huckleberry Finn (is this kid supposed to be in 4th grade?)

Question 12: What are you reading now?

Answers:

-This paper (See what I mean by literal? Lol!)

-a questionnaire (another literal thinker)

Question 13: How do you find books to read?

Answers:

-I read the first page and see if it’s my level (good boy!!!)

-I look with my eyes (really?!? Lol!)

Question 18: Did you read over the summer?

Answer:

Yes because my parents said so (Praise the Lord for these parents!!)

Kids Say the Darndest Things 2

2011-08-23T20:48:00.005-05:00

Last year was the first year that I gave my kids this "Student Interview" that I got from Rebecca. It just consists of five questions, but I got the funniest responses, so I had to give it to my kids again this year. I just love how kids think- they have no reservations and just answer the questions openly and honestly. See for yourself. . . :)

***Spelling is unedited***

Question #1: What do you want to learn in 4th Grade?

Answers:

-Pre-Algebra (I hope he's not planning on learning that in my class!)

-disekt a pig (Ummm. . . NO! In high school Rebecca and I were supposed to disect a pig in biology, and then our teacher gave us the option not to. . . our pig went straight to the garbage can! EEWW! Needless to say, this child will be disappointed about his unfulfilled wish in 4th grade!)

-How to make a coke (I think in science they actually make sodas, so this kid's wish may come true!)

Question 2: If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?

Answers:

-open a gun fatrey just for me (YIKES!!!)

-Eduacte myself to the fullest. (This is the same child who wants to learn pre-algebra. . .)

-I would like to go to College Station at aTm and watch a football game (WHOOP! This child gets extra credit!!!! j/k :)

-become a famous doctor that has a lemo (alright then. . .)

-walk on water (see where the open and honest answers come in to play? Hilarious!)

-build a gigantic robot and take the bad guys away for good (I asked this child what he meant by "bad guys" and he said robbers. Creative thinking. . .)

Question 3: What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

Answers:

-a fashin desiner because I like makein dresses on paper

-a professer because I want to follow in my fathers footsteps (pre-algebra kid again)

-a brain surgeon because I'm intrested in the human body and I rock at science (ambitious!)

-a soilder because I want to serve my country (wow!)

-an archaeoligist because you could dig history (interesting and insightful way to put it!)

-a navy seal because I fite for my cunchre

-a dermatologist because the jobs are easy and I have been to that doctor before (alright then. . .)

Question 4: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Answers:

-Astalla (Australia)

-Main

-Algeria (this kid is from there and has family there)

Question 5: What is one thing that I should know about you?

Answers:

-I don't like girl stuff (this came from a girl)

-that I own an egg bessnes, called U.S. Eggs (upon questioning, it seems as though this kid is actually telling the truth. His family has chickens and they sell the eggs. He actually gets the eggs out of the chicken coop. . . crazy! He and my Gramps could have conversation about living on a farm!)

-I am not good at reading (well Sister, that will not be the case for long in my class! I can promise you that! :)

-I have four sisters (this is coming from a boy. YIKES!)

-I'm a very fun asow (also) I'm a loveing inevchule (individual).

These comments give me lots of insight about each of my kids. I look forward to getting to know them throughout the rest of the school year. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have. Here's to a new school year! (This is my 8th year to teach in fact. Yikes. . . I'm old!!!!!!!)

Revisions to "Books I've Read" Post

2011-08-22T21:55:00.002-05:00

I've added two books to my list that I just remembered I have read. And I added to a couple of descriptions of other books. Just FYI in case you are interested. :)

Books I’ve Read

2011-08-21T20:08:00.003-05:00

Reading is my favorite! My sisters and I were always bookworms, and still are to this day. I think that is because our mom always read with us. We would read every night in my parents' bed, we read on road trips, we went to the library at least once a week. . . thanks Mom for teaching us to love reading!!!

In the past year my love of reading has definitely grown. It is my therapy. I love to get lost in my books when I need to "get away." It is my stress relief! My favorite genres are memoirs, narratives, and historical fiction. I like read stories that really happened, or stories that are based on truth.

Often I find good books through book recommendations from friends and family. In the past few months Mom, Rebecca, Gramps, and I have been passing around books. Gramps is currently reading the third book of a trilogy we have all shared. . . I haven't started it yet, so I told him he had better NOT give anything away!

One of my favorite things about my job is reading to my kids. At the beginning of the school year I read a different picture book to them everyday for the first few weeks of school. I started my collection of picture books a few years ago. There is nothing like a good story that teaches a good lesson. I looooooove sharing my books with my kids. We have great conversations about each book, and how I love listening to them share their thoughts with one another and witnessing them learning through their conversations!

One of the things we do in my class is keep a list of books we've read; it helps us keep track of all of them throughout the year. Well, because I have been reading so much , I decided I needed to do the same thing for myself. It's fun to look back and see all the books I've finished, and it's good to have a list so that I can recommend them to others. So, here is my list of books I've read in the past year or two. Enjoy!

1. Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale- This is a young adult historical fiction about 1900 Storm in Galveston. Excellent!

2. Parallel Play by Tim Page- This book is about a 50-something year old man who has Asberger's Syndrome, but wasn't officially diagnosed with it until he was in his 40's. It is the story of his life, from childhood to adulthood, living with Asberger's. I have taught several kids with Asberger's, so this book was interesting to me.

3. Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman- Mary Beth Chapman is the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman, a popular Christian music artist. In this book she tells the story of her life, including the time when her son accidentally ran over one of her adopted Chinese daughters and killed her. Obviously sad, but her story is a great example of honest hurt and pain, and later hope and resolve. This book is full of life lessons and wisdom.

4. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson- This book is popular these days. My sister recommended it to me. It is a true story of about Greg Mortenson, when he attempted to climb a mountain in Pakistan, got lost, and ended up in a village of people. He fell in love with them and decided to fundraise to build schools over there. He has built 100's of schools there now. Great story!

5. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson- This book is historical fiction. Fever 1793 is based on an actual epidemic of yellow fever in Philadelphia that wiped out 5,000 people three months. During the hot mosquito-infested summer of 1793, the dreaded yellow fever spread like wildfire, killing people overnight. The story is centered around the life of 16 year old Mattie. She loses her mother and has to learn how to care for herself and others during this dreadful time. My kids at school read this book in a book club setting. This book is educational and very entertaining. I couldn’t put it down!

6. The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy- This book tells the true story of what happened to a 12-year-old girl named Jutta (Debbie Levy's mother) in 1938. This book is comprised of actual entries in the poesiealbum (autograph book) written by Jutta's friends, interspersed with verses in 12-year-old Jutta's own voice. Her friends and family members express good wishes through poetry and drawings. As WWII gets closer, the messages get more sad. Fortunately Jutta and her family were among the lucky ones and were able to escape America before WWII broke out. Debbie Levy includes an afterward that tells what happened to each of the people who wrote in her mother’s autograph book. Her mother helped her write this book, which was a Texas Bluebonnet Book last year.

7. Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury- This book is historical fiction during WWII. It is about Tomi and his family. Tomi was born in Hawaii, but his parents and grandfather were born in Japan. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, Tomi and his family face the difficulties of living in the U.S. but being Japanese. His father and grandfather were arrested, and Tomi has to learn how to take care of his mother and sister. This book educated me about the fact that lots of people from Japan lived in Hawaii before WWII and were discriminated against after Pearl Harbor. I didn’t really know much about that until after I read this book. And of course, it was entertaining. J

8. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom- This book is a memoir about the life of Corrie Ten Boom during WWII. She was a Christian who lived in Holland, and she and her family helped Jews escape from the Nazis. She worked very hard at this until she and her sister were caught and sent to a concentration camp. She miraculously survived the camp, and then devoted the rest of her life to teaching others about the love and grace of Jesus. While reading this book, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister’s faith AMAZED me. I have no idea how you can have that strong of faith in that horrific situation, but God definitely displayed his power and love in their lives. In many situations throughout this book, the truth of His presence was obvious; there was simply no other explanation. Read it for yourself!!!

9. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper- This book is a true story about Don Piper. He got in a car wreck and was pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes Piper experienced the bliss of Heaven, until a fellow minister prayed for him and he miraculously came back to life. He faced a long road of recovery ahead of him, and finally he started to share his story of 90 Minutes in Heaven.

10. The Help by Katherine Stockett- This book is quite popular these days. It is historical fiction about a white girl who interviews black maids in 1962 in Mississippi so that she can write a book about their lives. They could get in major trouble for doing this, but they want their voices to be heard. All of the characters’ distinct personalities keep any reader VERY entertained!

11. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan- Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, & servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life and her own depend on it. This story is based on Ryan’s grandmother’s life. (Thanks Amazon!)

This is a young adult fiction chapter book that my kids read in a book club setting. I read it over the summer so that I'm familiar with the book when my kids read it. I love that a book can be educational and entertaining at the same time! Loved it!!

12. Bossypants by Tina Fey- Matt and I listened to this book on audio during our road trip this past summer. We love Tina Fey on 30 Rock, so I knew I’d love her new book. She just tells stories throughout her life with her unique humor. I loved her honesty and tell-all about her life. Definitely entertaining!

13. Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand- Matt and I also listened to this book on our road trip this past summer. This book tells the true story of Louis Zamperini’s life before WWII, and throughout WWII. He was an Olympic runner and then was drafted into WWII in the Pacific. During a search mission his plane crashed, and after many weeks drifting at sea he and another soldier were captured by the Japanese. He then unbelievably survived horrific times in the concentration camps in Japan, and amazingly lived to tell about it. This book was several hours long, and though long-winded at times, it gives you a good idea of what Zamperini and countless others went through during WWII, for the sake of our freedom.

14. Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers- Near the turn of the twentieth century, fiery Marta Schneider leaves Switzerland for a better life, determined to fulfill her mother’s hope. Her formative journey takes her through Europe and eventually to Canada, where she meets handsome Niclas Waltert. But nothing has prepared her for the sacrifices she must make for marriage and motherhood as she travels to the Canadian wilderness and then to the dusty Central Valley of California to raise her family.
Marta’s hope is to give her children a better life, but experience has taught her that only the strong survive. Her tough love is often misunderstood, especially by her oldest daughter, Hildemara Rose, who craves her mother’s acceptance. Amid the drama of World War II, Hildie falls in love and begins a family of her own. But unexpected and tragic events force mother and daughter to face their own shortcomings and the ever-widening chasm that threatens to separate them forever. (Thanks Amazon!)

15. A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin- Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?
A Distant Melody is the first book in the WINGS OF GLORY series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. (Thanks Amazon!)

My Gramps shared this book and the next listed book with me, my mom, and sister. It is a page-turner, and at the end I was so sad to say goodbye to the characters!

16. A Time to Remember by Sarah Sundin- This book is the sequel to A Distant Melody. It tells about the life of another Novak brother, Jack. This book is just as good as the first, entertaining and educating the reader about WWII in Europe. This is a Must-Read! Thanks Gramps for sharing!! (I have the third book of the trilogy sitting on my nightstand waiting for me to read. :)

17. How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth by Gordon D. Fee- Our small group just finished this book. It was not an easy read, but so educational! Thankfully I have the structure of Small Group to read books such as this one, otherwise I probably wouldn’t; I’m not naturally inclined to read “smart books.” Just being honest. J This book taught me exactly what it’s called, how to read the Bible! I highly recommend it- I was most enlightened and am now more confident when reading my Bible.

18. See You in 100 Years by Logan Ward- Logan Ward and his wife, Heather, were prototypical New Yorkers circa 2000: their lives steeped in ambition, work, and stress. Feeling their souls grow numb, wanting their toddler son to see the stars at night, the Wards made a plan. They would return to their native South, find a farm, and for one year live exactly as people did in 1900 Virginia: without a car or electricity–and with only the food they could grow themselves. It was a project that would push their relationship to the brink–and illuminate stunning hardships and equally remarkable surprises.

From Logan’s emotionally charged battles with Belle, the family workhorse, to Heather’s daily trials with a wood-fired cooking stove and a constant siege of garden pests and cantankerous animals, the Wards were soon overwhelmed by their new life. At the same time as Logan and Heather struggled with their increasingly fragile relationship, as their son relished simple joys, the couple discovered something else: within their self-imposed time warp, they had found a community, a sense of belonging, and an appreciation both for what we’ve lost–and what we’ve gained–across a century of change. (Thanks Amazon!)

I found this book while searching online one day. I read the blurb and thought it sounded very interesting, and indeed it was!! This book taught me to remember that relationships are more important than acquiring things. And it taught me many other lessons! Read it!

19. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall- Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver's life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.

But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader or listener will ever forget it. (Thanks Barnes and Noble!)

This book shows how amazing God’s presence is if you truly listen to Him. Read it!!!

20. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Album- Newspaper columnist Mitch Albom recounts time spent with his 79-year-old sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, at Brandeis University, who was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Albom, a former student of Schwartz, had not corresponded with him since attending his college classes 16 years earlier. The first three chapters incorporate an ambiguous introduction to the final conversation between Albom and Schwartz, a brief flashback to Albom's graduation, and an account of the events Albom experienced between graduation and the reunion with his professor.

Albom is a successful sports columnist for the Detroit Free Press despite his childhood dream of being a pianist. After seeing Schwartz on Nightline, Albom called Schwartz, who remembered his former pupil despite the lapse of 16 years. Albom was prompted to travel from Michigan to Massachusetts to visit Schwartz.^[1] A newspaper strike frees Albom to commute weekly, on Tuesdays, to visit with Schwartz. The resulting book is based on these fourteen Tuesdays they meet, supplemented with Schwartz's lectures and life experiences and interspersed with flashbacks and allusions to contemporary events. (Thanks Amazon!)

I love true stories. Just knowing that they really happened make them so much better to me. Have you noticed that about my book selections? :) This book is obviously sad, but it is so neat to read about the relationship between Mitch and Morrie as they go through this season of life together. Highly recommend!

That is all I have to say for now about the books I’ve read. I’m in the midst of one now called Fall of Giants (it’s historical fiction about WWI), and then I plan to read the third book of Sarah Sundin’s trilogy, called Blue Skies Tomorrow. . . stay tuned for my future recommendations!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team

2011-08-16T17:48:00.009-05:00

Beth Moore's blog, The LPM Blog, for Living Proof Ministries has been a part of my regular reading for a few years now. She founded Living Proof Ministries in 1994 (I just looked that up) because she wanted to teach other women the Word of God and about the love of God. She has written numorous Bible studies for women and regularly holds conferences for women around the country. Beth is overflowing with personality, humor, wisdom, and a deep love for God. She is one of those people who is easy to listen to. When I see on my Blog List that Beth has updated her blog, I get excited because she is always so entertaining! You should try it! Her writing is always balanced with humor and good teaching for her readers. She is definitely fulfilling God's will for her life! And thousands of women like myself thank her for that!!!

So, this year Beth's "blog community" is participating in the "Siesta Scripture Memory Team." What is a "siesta," you ask? Well I know it as a nap in Spanish, but here is the story on why she calls her blog readers "siestas." Once when Beth typed out "sistas," her spell check wanted to change it to "siestas," and the name stuck. I personally think that it is somewhat silly, but I choose to let this particular battle go in my life. :)

The Siesta Scripture Memory Team is for anyone who is up for the challenge of memorizing two Bible verses a month for a whole year. Participants choose a verse on the 1st and 15th of every month and post their chosen verse in a comment on the Scripture Memory blog post. That means 24 Bible verses will be stored in my head by December 31st! That is a little frightening because I just added on the 16th verse and my brain is filling up. No worries though- I shall persevere through to the end! The purpose of participating in scripture memory is so that God's Word will be stored in my head for good use throughout my daily life, and that makes me more like Him. And it glorifies Him, which is why I'm here on Earth!

Here is my authentic Siesta Scripture Memory Team spiral:

And here is a picture of my very first verse:

I chose this verse because it encourages me to keep going and persevere at times when I am tired, which can be anything from finishing my school day to finishing my half marathon. I also chose this verse because it was read at my Grandma Kate's funeral, so it is special to me (I don't know how/why I remember that detail, but I do. :)

Wanna hear all 16 of my verses? Let's see if I can remember them all. Oh dear, I am on the spot! I hope I can do it!! Here we go!!

1. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 2:7

2. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will find it." Matthew 16:25

3. "You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy." Psalm 64:5

4. "And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phililpians 4:19

5. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." Psalm 46:10

6. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him." Philipians 2:13

7. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

8. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

9. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:7

10. "Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." Philipians 2:4

11. "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed." Psalm 34:5

12. "We love each other as a result of Him loving us first." 1 John 4:19

13. "He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30

14. "Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

15. "We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord." Romans 15:2

16. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

Whew! In all honesty, the last couple verses are not yet concretely stored in my head, but they will be! I chose each verse for a different reason, and they sure are good reminders of different things in my life when I need a good reminder. :)

I have 16 down, and 8 to go! I'm sure I'll post again in December to share the rest of my verses. I hope the anticipation isn't too much for you to handle! :)

So Long, Summer. It's Been Real. . .

2011-08-16T15:46:00.005-05:00

I have now completed two whole days of work. I have 185 to go, but who's counting?! I know that people who work the whole year are probably rolling their eyes at this point, but going back to work is seriously an adjustment! You're telling me I have to be somewhere all day long? You mean I have to grocery shop, read, nap, run errands, do chores, exercise etc., some other time of the day?? How does that work?! See, I told you it's an adjustment!

I love summer. And don't feel sorry for yourself if you don't get your summer off. I only get paid 9 months out of the year- they just stretch my salary over 12 months. So technically my time off is not paid. (My co-workers and I were on a rampage the other day about this common misconception of our pay. :)

So, here are my TOP 10 Favorite Things About Summer (in no particular order):

1. No alarm clock!!!!!!!!!!

2. I don't have to pack my lunch every night

3. I love that I have much more time to spend with friends and family

4. Matt and I have time to travel

5. I can read all day long

6. I have time to do things like organize, clean, etc. that I normally don't have time to do

7. I have time to babysit for my mommy friends so that they can have a day off

8. I can nap in the middle of the day

9. I can cuddle with Macy all day

10. I can stay home all day if I choose!

So Long, Summer. It's be real. . . 'Til next time!!!!!!!!!!

Coraline Kay

2011-08-03T21:58:00.005-05:00

Tonight Matt and I had the pleasure of meeting Coraline Kay, and congratulating her proud parents, Bobby and Leslie (Matt works with Bobby- he and Leslie are good friends of ours). She was born yesterday, weighing in at 7 pounds and 7 ounces. Everytime I hold a newborn baby I forget how teeny tiny they are! Matt and I brought Bobby and Leslie dinner and very much enjoyed our visit with them at the hospital. Leslie is my hero, as are all of my mommy friends who deliver their children!!! Bobby and Leslie were extra nice, because they let me cuddle with their baby for a very long time. I told Cora Kay that she is my newest friend. :)

The Markle Family!

Matt and Coraline

Me and Coraline

We can't wait to see you again, Cora! We love you, Markle Family!

Just Me and My Sugar

2011-08-03T21:17:00.026-05:00

Spending extra time with people is why I most love summer. I have been so blessed this summer to see lots of family and friends; some of them I got to spend time with that normally I don't get to see because of distance, and others I just got to see more of than usual. It is such a "perk" of my profession to have this time off so that I can further my relationships with my loved ones, and you all know that I loooooooove to socialize! :)

Well today I got to spend time with my Sugar. I asked her parents if they would keep her home from school one day this week so that she and I could bond before I have to go back to work. They kindly obliged to my request. :)

So, I spent the night last night and awoke early this morning to start my duties, although her parents informed me tonight that I didn't do anything until they left for work. ;) In any case, Sugar and I loved each other's company today! We had great fun! She didn't want anything to do with me at first, but when I was her only option (after her parents left for work), she was okay with me. I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. :)

The first item on the agenda was PLAYING! Her new "car" was a great distraction when her daddy left for work. :)

WEEEEEEEEEEE!! Faster, Aunt Laura, FASTER!!!!!!!!!!

Come on, Aunt Laura. . . Push me!!!!!

Fine. I will push myself. Sort of. . .

Sugar was a little cranky, so we had to have an impromptu cat nap this morning. It helped. And there's nothing better than rocking a sleeping baby :)

She looooooves her tag blanket that Grammy made her.

Lunch time! This kid made a MESS!

Food was in her hair, ears, and. . .

On the wall!!!!!!

After lunch Sugar took a nap, and I may or may not have joined her. :) She has learned to stand up in her crib to announce her awakening.

And she's soooooo happy when she wakes up. :)

She is so happy that she kicks her legs with excitement!

Snack time!

Ain't she purty?!?

She even got to be with Aimee today! (Aimee's house had a showing, which means she couldn't be at home, and she had to cook dinner for a family tonight. So, she came over to use Hanna's oven.)

Alexandra looooooooved Aimee!!!

Alexandra gave Aimee extra points because Aimee pushed her in her car!

We push Alexandra pretty fast in her car, and she loves it. . . I'm pretty sure she is going to be a dare devil one day. :)

Her car makes her very happy. :)

Momma's home!!!!!!!!!! Alexandra likes me, but her momma is her favorite. :)

I decided she and I needed a portrait since we spent the day together, but she wasn't cooperative. She wanted her momma. :)

This portrait is as good as it gets. :)

Alexandra, thanks for spending the day with me, and tell your parents thanks for letting me keep you today! I had so much fun with you! Can't wait until next time! I love you!!!!!!

Rx Queen

2011-08-01T13:54:00.021-05:00

Aimee Elizabeth Hopkins Hammerstrom is my hero. She has endured 10 long years of college education to become a clinical pharmacist, or what is also known as a PharmD (is that how it's spelled?). Dr. Aimee's brain capacity is ginormous; she is like a walking medicine dictionary. Everytime I have asked her about a particular medicine, she knows what it is, what it's for, its side effects, etc. She is quite handy to have in my life. :) It is beyond my comprehension how this girl made it through all those years of school (especially the last year), much less how she remembered everything she learned! She definitely has a passion for what she does, and is certainly a blessing to her patients at M.D. Anderson. Her confidence in her knowledge amazes me, but what amazes me even more is her humbleness in what she knows.

Aimee, CONGRATULATIONS on FINISHING your degree in clinical pharmacy!!! Your friends and family are beyond proud of you for sticking with it, despite the loads of work, presentations, and stress of it! And I know that your response to that would be, "Jesus got me through it. And so did Troy." :)

We HAD to have a party to celebrate Aimee's accomplishment! For a couple reasons we had to host it at her house, so upon our arrival we made her go upstairs so that we could decorate and get everything set up. She was a bit nervous because she hates being the center of attention, but we didn't put her through anything too stressful. :)

Her surprise at everything she saw. :)

Her bucket of goodies to help her relax during her four weeks off from work. It included: a magazine, a book, chocolate, moscato, a tablet, and I think that's all.

Aimee wearing her Rx tiara and boa to match!

Troy and Aimee

Ruth, Laura, Aimee, and Rebecca

The table spread. Each food/drink had a prescription written for Aimee

Ruth and Ben Jr. having a good time. . .

and laughing up a storm!

The whole crew. These people were not very cooperative for a photo. . .

Especially Troy!

Congratuations Aimee! We love you!!!

p.s. And Ruth, congrats to you too on your promotion! Glad we could celebrate that as well!!! :)

Sugar's 1st Birthday!

2011-08-01T12:48:00.039-05:00

Time flies when you're having fun, and I definitely have had LOADS of fun with my sweet Sugar during the first year of her life! It seems yesterday when I laid eyes on her pretty little face for the first time. Having a niece is the BEST! I love that little baby to pieces! What a joy it has been to see her grow during her first year; it's amazing how fast she has changed in just 12 months!

I love holding her, fixing her hair, smelling her having she's just had a bath, watching her play, watching her discover new things, watching her looooooove her mommy and daddy, and the list could go on and on! My favorite memories with her are: rocking her to sleep (my most favorite); feeding her baby food and she would blow raspberries and food shrapnel would fly everywhere (GROSS!); making her laugh for the very first time by me blowing raspberries on her bare belly while she was laying on her changing table, and our whole family was there to witness it; and one of my other most favorite things to do with her is to just walk around outside or sit outside with her- it's relaxing to both of us and always calms us down. :)

Alexandra, I am very much looking forward to seeing you continue to grow up, just don't grow up too fast. I love you Sugar!!!

This little chalkboard hangs by Alexandra's changing table. Jonathan has written lots of different messages to his baby on this chalkboard throughout the past year. I bet writing this message was a bit surreal to him. :)

Me and The Birthday Girl!

Rebecca and I working together to change Alexandra into her special birthday party dress. TEAM TWINS!!!

Ready to party!!!

Alexandra and Mason. They met at school and her boyfriend/girlfriend. Miss Priss needs to share her toys with her boyfriend!

This toy saved my life when Alexandra was an itty bitty baby. When she would get upset or cranky, I would push the button and the music and lights would soothe her soul. Thank you, light up/music toy!!!

Alexandra and her daddy

Alexandra and her mommy

Alexandra and her favorite two people in the whole entire world

Jillian, Jenni, Hanna, and Alexandra (Jenni and Hanna are high school friends)

Hanna made these amazing cakes. Do not ask me how. I feel sorry for my future children because I am not capable of such a thing. Maybe I'll just hire Hanna? :)

All of the family members signed Alexandra's "smash" cake

Happy Birthday to you!!!

At first she wanted nothing to do with that cake. . .

I love how she props her feet up!

No thanks Mommy!

She kept flinging it over the side of her chair. Allie (the dog) appreciated that!

She finally figured out that cake is quite yummy!
Yay!!!!! Her favorite thing to do now is to applaude herself. :)

Sugar-coma!

Yuck!!!! Her parents proceeded to hose her down outside. :)

Aerial shot of the party

Presents!!!

She loooooves the crinkles the tissue paper!

Alexandra has quite the collection of rubber duckies, so this "Happy Birthday" rubber ducky will fit right in!

And I got her some books, because books are her favorite!!

The aftermath of opening presents. . .

The Roach and Kenas families!

The Kenas/Sherman/Abel/Roach family

Molina Girl Visit 2011- Sunday

2011-07-27T09:55:00.015-05:00

Before we all arrived at Gramps' house, I warned him to enjoy his peace and quiet while he could because there wouldn't be much of it while he had 7 guests at his house for two days. :) And my prediction was correct! Sunday involved visiting, a walk/run around the neighborhood, deer watching, swinging on the porch, shopping at the outlet, and finally, eating at the Salt Lick. The drive out there was a bit rough, and the hour wait was a tad long, but the food was EXCELLENT! Yum! And the drive home redeemed the drive to the restaurant because we had a DANCE PARTY in the car!!! It was ROCKIN'!!! Upon our arrival home we just about polished off that yummy blueberry pie of Melanie's, and then we all crawled into bed to sleep off our food-comas. :)

All of us waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. . . (Mom was in this shot)

Melanie's turn to be in the pic!

Melanie and me sipping on our sangrias! Definitely made the long wait a little better. :)

The little girls munching on their popcorn during the long wait

Chris and Melanie

Me and my mommy :)

The Molina Family!

Sydney, Hayley, Gramps, and Avery

Sisters! Mom and Melanie

Gramps and his girls

Me and my Gramps! Gramps has been giving me lots of history lessons lately about his life and our family. He thinks I think it's boring, but I really don't. I think it's interesting! Can you imagine only bathing once a week, and the rest of the days rinsing off in the cow trough?!? YIKES!!!

All of us indulging in our yummy dinner!

Monday morning we all parted ways. . . the Molina Family went to Rockport for a beach vacation, Mom and I went home, and Gramps stayed put in his house. I hate leaving everyone. After spending over a week with my cousins, it was really hard to say goodbye, and I still miss them so much. :( But, we had such a GREAT time together and made tons of new memories to look back on. Melanie and Chris, thanks for sharing your girls with us, and Gramps, thanks for letting us visit you for a couple days. I love all of you very much!!!

Molina Girl Visit 2011- Saturday

2011-07-27T09:42:00.006-05:00

Saturday was Departure Day. After 5 whole days at "Camp Debbie," Mom and I (and Dad!) loaded the girls in the car and made our way to San Marcos for a visit with Gramps and to deliver the children back to their parents. Melanie and Chris arrived about an hour after we did, and you should have seen those girls race out to the driveway to see their parents. I'm pretty sure they hugged their mommy and daddy multiple times. Definitely a warm/fuzzy moment. :)

That night we had flat bread pizzas for dinner and Melanie's YUMMY blueberry pie for dessert! Oh, and we had a dance party in the livingroom ("We" being me and the little girls)!

Please excuse my lack of picture-taking on this day; you'll have to rely on your imagination. :)

Portrait of Aunt Debbie, Hayley, Sydney, and Avery

Portrait of me, Avery, Hayley, and Sydney

Molina Girl Visit 2011- Friday

2011-07-27T09:11:00.024-05:00

Friday morning the little girls entertained themselves at mom and dad's house while I tutored at my house. Matt and I made it over there later that afternoon for dinner with the Roach's, mom and dad, and the little girls. There was lots of playing, squealing, eating, duck feeding, and more playing that went on. See for yourself!

Portrait of my four favorite little girls in the whole entire world. :)

Alexandra and her daddy

Alexandra and her mommy

Me and my Sugar!

Feeding ducks! This is our favorite past-time with the little girls. You could probably call us experts!

Sugar taking it alllllllll in!

Sugar waving to the ducks. Yes, she can wave now. :)

And she has F-O-U-R teefies!!!!

Sugar is fascinated with grass and leaves. They crinkle, and crinkling things is her favorite!

We spotted Mr. Chen in the yard!!!

So serious. . .

So silly!

Playtime!

Sydney and Alexandra

Avery and Alexandra

Sugar and her Uncle Matt! He can't help but scoop her up off the floor for some lovin' :)
Jonathan and his fan club :)

Jonathan and his slightly different fan club

Jonathan and his growing fan club!!!

Me and my fan club! Haha! I loooooove these girls!!!

Molina Girl Visit 2011- Thursday

2011-07-21T23:55:00.019-05:00

Let me just be honest. . . by today I was starting to get a bit worn out. It's hard work keeping these girls busy! Thankfully, my dear friend Anastacia, and her daughter Anabella, invited us to come swim at their house, along with a few other kids. We had loads of fun!!! I was so glad that thsi was on our agenda of entertainment for the girls. All of the kids who joined in our swimming extravaganza played so well together- I was impressed! And how pleased I was to see my three girls having so much fun. They didn't want to come home, and Anabella didn't want them to leave! Thanks Anastacia and Anabella for having us over!!!

When we returned to mom and dad's house we had a YUMMY dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and my mom's oh-so-good biscuits. My mom has mastered this meal over the years- it is delicious! Then we took showers and the girls watched a movie on Matt's iPad. We also just visited and laughed A LOT. These girls are SILLY! How grateful I am to be able to have so much fun with my family. :)

Tomorrow is our last day in Dickinson before we return the girls to their parents in San Marcos on Saturday. I'm already getting melancholy about them going home. . .

The kids having lunch on Anastacia's patio. (The kids on the right side of the table are neighborhood kids. Anabella (Anastacia's daughter) is between the girl in the pink shirt and the girl in the blue shirt.)

All of the kids beatin' the heat with popsicles!

Sydney Reese

Avery Caroline

Hayley Belle

Danielle, Lilly, Jeremy, Anabella, and Sydney

The Molina sisters

The Molina Sisters + Anabella

Girls just wanna have fun!!!

(Why didn't Anastacia and I take a picture together?!?!? I didn't even think about it today. . . so irritating!!!)

See, I told you Matt is Hayley's boyfriend. She has him wrapped around her finger! She kept saying, "Matt is my best buddy! Matt is my favorite!" :)

The girls being SO SWEET together watching a movie

And even sweeter. :)

Molina Girl Visit 2011- Wednesday

2011-07-21T23:36:00.011-05:00

Wednesday morning Hayley and Avery woke me up promptly at 8:00. I was actually surprised that they let me sleep that long. I made them chocolate chip pancakes, and then we got showered and dressed for our day. . .

Mom, Dad, the girls, and me all headed down to Galveston to have lunch with Matt at The Spot on the seawall. I was excited about this item on the agenda because I got to see Matt at work! We met him at his school and he gave us a tour. Mom and Dad had no idea how big it was! I honestly don't know how he keeps the tech stuff going at his school, but he makes it happen. :)

After our tour we made a bee line for The Spot. We were starving! The Spot is a very well-known place to eat in Galveston. It is known for it's yummy hamburgers! We found a great spot out on the second floor deck and enjoyed the breeze and the view. So relaxing! After our lovely dining experience it was time for Matt to return to work and time for us to return home. And in no time all three girls were asleep on the return trip. :)

That evening I had to return to my house to tutor a couple kids and for small group. So, I missed out on the festivities with the girls that night, but I was quick to rejoin them on Thursday!

Hayley and Avery indulging in their chocolate chip pancakes!

Our table on the upstairs deck

Sydney and Avery

Mom and Dad

Me, Matt, and Hayley

Matt is Hayley's boyfriend. She ADORES him. She sticks to him like glue. She wanted to go back to work with him, but they had to maintain their long distance relationship for a few hours while they parted ways. . .

Aren't they just beautiful?!?

Hayley, Avery, and Sydney

The return trip home. The adults in the car were thankful for the peace and quiet. :)