FINDING BEAUTY THROUGH CLOSED EYES

Merry Christmas from 716!

2011-12-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last blogpost, but I wanted to share with you some of our home's Christmas decorations, enjoy!
Abby welcoming you into our home:

My "Ho, Ho, Ho" banner I made:
Lovely buffet table decorated with family/friends christmas cards and vintage ice cycles from Anthropology...
Fun wreath from my mother-in-law:
Our new 7 foot *pre-lit* tree (and did I mention it's "pre-lit" because that sure did save a lot of arguments this Christmas! No more fights over trying to wrap the Christmas lights around the tree! Phew!)
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Hico Flea Market

2011-10-30T19:16:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my good friend and teaching/junking buddy went on a little road trip to Hico, TX for their bi-annual antique fair. My mom and one of her friends set up a cute "little" booth there. Unfortunately my camera wasn't working, so I didn't get any cute pics; however, my mom did a great blog-post about it over at Bunny Trails. Click on the link, take a peak, and enjoy!

Rangers Game!

2011-10-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up how excited I feel about the Rangers winning last night. It was so incredible being at the game and watching them win their 2nd ALCS Championship! We went with Josh's parents and had a blast! The people we were sitting around were absolutely *hilarious*. Words can not even describe... Here are a few pictures from our night! Headed into the ballpark... Lots of red & blue... Jack Ingram sang the National Anthem, it was so amazing! We won!

Here's a video of the game winning catch!!! Go Rangers!!!

My New Teacher Blog

2011-08-04T12:22:00.001-07:00

So I caved in and started a teaching blog. Yes, I will still be updating this blog but I will also update all "school-related" things to my new blog. Enjoy!

http://emilysfirstgradefrenzy.blogspot.com/

Our Trip!

2011-06-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

So I finally have a chance to really sit down and post about our latest trip to California! I mean, it's not like I've been that busy since it's my summer break and all... Unfortunately BLOGGER is not letting me upload any pictures...so you'll just have to visit my facebook page to see the entire California album where all my pics were uploaded. I recommend though you continue to read below about the fun details of our trip!!!

Let's start at the beginning:

Day 1: Josh and I landed at LAX, rented a car and drove straight to Rodeo Drive where we had breakfast at The Farm. While we were eating, we were pleasantly surprised to see David Spade walk in! BTW, such a quirky guy!!! After that, we went ahead and drove to Santa Barbara where we met up with his parents for one night. Santa Barbara was beautiful and our resort (4 Seasons Biltmore)was even better! We had our own little cottage to stay in, so fun!

Day 2: Today we drove to Cambria to visit the Hearst Castle! OHMAAWOORD that place is amazing! Ever heard of Hearst Publishing? Ya, same people...anyway, it was really neat learning about this family and their history. George Hearst struck it big in 1865 when he discovered California and decided to purchase 40,000 acres of land for his family to camp on. In 1919, they decided to "build a little something" because they were tired of "roughing it". Well, by 1947 (ya thats almost 30 years of building!) they now have this...Incredible!!!

Day 3: Drive along highway 1 to Carmel. Lemme just say that this 3 hour drive was probably my absolute favorite thing of our trip. How can I even describe the beauty?!? Mountains to my right, ocean to my left. GORGEOUS trees surrounding us...it's probably the closest glimpse to heaven that my little mind can obtain! Wow! Once we reached Carmel, Josh made sure we drove straight to Pebble Beach. It was also such a neat feeling to be standing right next to hole 18 and I know Josh LOVED it! We did take the 17 mile drive along the coast to visit the 3 other courses there as well. I could definitely picture us living in "Carmel by the Sea" where Josh could play golf on Pebble Beach or Spy Glass every day and I would open up my own little art gallery in downtown Carmel..........ya right :)

Day 4,5: SAN FRANCISCO!!! Next we drove to San Francisco and went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Muir Woods forest. Incredible!!! San Francisco was really a neat city...I couldn't get over how pretty it was with the lovely 3 story Victorian homes, beautiful flowers (especially hydrangeas), bright skyline, and picturesque scenery! We also took a tour in a double-decker bus through SF where I learned so much history about the city! The next day we toured Alcatraz, quite possibly my most memorable part of SF! The history was so rich and powerful. We did the 45 minute audio tour that led us through the entire place. I would definitely return!!! Of course while we were in SF we visited Fisherman's Warf, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Union Square, and rode a trolley car. Which let me just say that a truck had to come PUSH us up the street because we got stuck! Yes, a little traumatic for yours truly!

Day 6,7: NAPA! So, Josh's parents had to return home on Thursday and Josh and I decided to spend a couple nights in NAPA. AAAMAAAZZIINGG (or what's even more amazing is that those 3 bottles we packed in the suitcase never broke on our flight home, phew!) In NAPA we toured Stag's Leap, V. Sattui, Oakville Grocery, Hagafen, and Goosecross. We stayed at a quaint little B&B in NAPA called "The Old World Inn" which I HIGHLY recommend...so charming!!!

All in all it was a fantastic, tiring, and even educational trip! I even want to do a mini San Francisco lesson with my 1st graders next year! Hope you get the chance to visit there too!

Just Landed...

2011-06-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our fabulous trip to CA and I have a wonderful blog post in the making! Keep checking back to see great pic, fun stories, and much more!

Cali here I come...

2011-06-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be heading here for the next 7 days:

We have a lot planned on our trip stopping along the way in L.A., Santa Barbara, Carmel, San Francisco, and Napa. Check back in a week for some amazing pictures. Until then, enjoy your summer!

Who Will Write Your Name

2011-04-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was little, Easter has always been my favorite holiday. I'm sure it started out because I loved the Easter egg hunts with close friends, malted-milk ball candy in my basket, picking out a new Easter dress every year, and even those family Easter pictures taken in the flower beds. However, even though all of those things are wonderful and great, it simply cannot measure up against the real reason why I simply love Easter, my Savior Jesus Christ. There is no holiday where I feel so much sorrow and joy in a matter of days. As I was reminded at our churchs Easter service, we shouldn't remember the death and resurrection solely at this time, but we need to be reminded of his love and grace daily. In one of my favorite songs, it says: "How great the fathers love for us. How vast beyond all measure. That he should give his only son. To make a wretch his treasure." This song came across one of my Pandora stations one day while I was folding clothes and it shook me to tears, literally. How thankful I am for the precious blood of Jesus...

A video that our church showed us several months ago titled "Who Will Write Your Name" has been on my mind lately. I could explain it, but it's just better to watch, enjoy! http://vimeo.com/15539288

The Dallas Flea

2011-03-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to do this weekend? I HIGHLY suggest you visit The Dallas Flea at South Side on Lamar. I went last year for the first time and fell in love with the quaint local booths. I got so much inspiration and left with a few treasures as well. This year is really special because my mom and her best friend are having a booth there! You can visit their blogs to check out more of their goodies!

Possum Kingdom

2011-03-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we met up with Josh's parents in Possum Kingdom. We rented a little 2/2 cabin in the woods and had a blast! It was so peaceful and relaxing to get away for a weekend. I've never been to PK so touring the lake was amazing. There were so many beautiful houses and several of the houses located on the cliffs had elevators that went down to the dock, crazy! Even Abby enjoyed playing in the lake!!!

Blue elevator to the dock... In the boat...

Relaxing on our back porch...

Josh and Abby...

My latest DIY

2011-03-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

One way I like to organize the student's daily work is by using magazine files. Unfortunately, it's an organized mess.

I have 5 (one for each day of the week) located on my desk. So, on that day, I pull out everything inside to use. Unfortunately, it's still not organized enough for me. Therefore, I decided to also put 3 hanging file folders inside each magazine file (1 for math, reading, & science/s.s.) I've been looking around for cute file folders that would match my magazine files but haven't had any luck. So, on my most recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I decided to make my own!

I needed 15 files total (3 for each day of the work week). I had 15 manila folders from school that I would use to decopauge. I bought 3 different types of scrapbooking paper (1 for each subject) and pasted it on top of the folders.

Next, I used 5 different (yet totally cute) fonts (1 for each work day) to paste on top as well.

Here's the completed look, it might not look like much of a difference, but it's HUGE for me:

((no title))

2011-03-04T15:59:00.001-08:00

Stay true to you. Happy Friday :)

A Few of my Favorite Things

2011-02-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

One thing I love to do is read other's blogs for that is where most of my teaching & decorating inspiration comes from. One type of "post" I love to read from other's is the "things" that get them through the day/week. I've been meaning to make this post for a while, but with Josh away I'm finally able to have some alone time and just blog :) So here goes...

1. Pandora app. I love playing this app on my phone in the car, at school, after work, while making dinner, etc... Currently my favorite 'stations' are Glee, Mumford & Sons, and Adele.

2. Jesus Calling daily devotional book. My mom bought this for me a month ago and I've read it almost everyday. It's so uplifting and a great tool to have to begin or end any busy day.

3. Join the Journey. Our church has a daily devotional you can subscribe to. 3 years ago we were studying through the Psalms, last year it went through the Gospels, and this year we are 'journeying' through the Prophetic books of the Bible.

4. Because I talk all.day.long, I have to make sure I'm drinking plenty of water. One of my students gave me this adorable tumbler and I try to drink 2-3 glasses during the day.

5. My journal. Yes I LOVE to journal, take notes, doodle, etc...

6. Lesson plan book. I take this with me everywhere. I love to have my planbook close to me during the day and even sometimes I'll take it home at night to process through the next day's agenda. I used to write up and down in this thing, but now that we type up our lesson plans, I still print them out and stick them in this book. It's not the cutest thing on the block, but it works for me! Hope you've enjoyed getting to know me a little bit more through some of my favorite things! Have a great week!

TGIF

2011-02-11T15:50:00.000-08:00

That's right. After a week like this one (snow day, 100's day, valentines day preparations, etc...) with 20 first graders at your side I can happily shout TGIF!

Oh, and did I mention that my rock-star of a husband is treating me to dinner at Tillmans tonight and antique shopping in McKinney tomorrow?

Snow Day #4

2011-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to a 4 inch blanket of marvelous snow! In fact, I couldn't even tell where our yard ended and the street began. Due to the previous 3 days of ice, the snow stuck very well to everything! Josh, Abby, and I had a great time playing in it!

I will admit, I have missed seeing my firsties this week! I've talked to a few of my student's moms and recieved some pretty cute pics of my students playing in the snow! Until next time, hope you're staying warm :)

Meet the Teacher

2011-02-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Ever since my friend Sophie introduced me to this blog, I've been hooked! Not only am I hooked on The First Grade Parade's blog, but on 10 of her other "teacher-friends" blog. I find myself spending hours looking at all of the cute and educational activities teachers are doing with their students. One thing thats going around is a "Meet the Teacher" linky party...so here are some Q & A's from myself...enjoy :)

First off, here's a little about myself...

My name is Emily and I'm a third year teacher in the big city. I never dreamed of becoming a teacher but that's where I felt called to about 6 years ago. I met my wonderful husband Josh at ACU...those were some of the best years of our lives. We go back for Homecoming each year and desperately wish we were back in college, we loved each minute of it!

Josh & I at my sorority's grub...yes we went as a TAXI. He was the foreign taxi cab driver and I was the annoyed New Yorker.

Over the past year we bought a house and a puppy. Here we are with both...
I have 2 wonderful parents and an awesome older sister who lives in Denver...
Now the Q & A...

Q: What would you be doing if you weren't a teacher?
A: I would really like to be a personal trainer. I'm not nearly qualified in this profession, but I think it'd be a lot of fun to work with people in this area.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I really enjoy exercising, being outdoors, and "crafting"!

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A mom. Yes it's true. I played "mom" all.the.time.

Q: What are your guilty pleasure?
A: Chocolate chip cookies. I used to eat 7 at a time when I'd get home from school (gross, I know!) Laguna Beach, The Hills, & The City (it's sad.) Corn dogs. Thrift store shopping.

Q: What is your biggest fear?
A: Losing a loved one.

Q: When you're on vaca, where do you like to go?
A: Seaside. It's heaven on earth. Everytime we leave, Josh and I have a good hour long conversation about how we should just leave everything and move there. Check out Simply Seleta's blog, she's a rockin' mom who lives in Seaside!

Q:What's the best advice you've ever received?
A: That's really hard to just 'whip up' in 10 seconds. I've gathered lots of great advice over the past years from my family, friends, and the Word. However, my mom called me earlier today and said "It's just as easy to do something the right way, than to do it the wrong way."

Q:What do you value most in others?
A: Humility and creativity.

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to one of your kids, what would it be?
A: Compassion towards others.

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be?
A: Queen Esther (just finished an amazing Beth Moore study on her) and Ashton Kutcher (yes Josh knows about this hehe)

Now tell me something random about yourself...
On my first date with Josh, we went out to the lake after dinner. Because we went to a private college, we had "curfew" our freshmen year. So as he's putting his truck in reverse to head back to the dorm, it somehow goes in "forward" and begins to roll down the hill where it had been parked (and no, we were not "parking!"). Anyway, as it's rolling down, he's able to turn it sideways so we don't go headon into the water. We definitely get stuck and are trying to get the car out of the mud/water (remember we're in our nice 'date' clothes). He finally has to call some guys from the dorm to pull us out. An hour later we finally get out and since we're already late for curfew anyway, the 4 of us (me, Josh, 2 guys from the dorm) decide to just hit golfballs off the cliff into the water. It was a very memorable experience and he's still shocked I went out on a 2nd date with him :)

And there ya go! So long for now!

Snow Day 1 & 2

2011-02-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning I got a call at 5:08am saying that school was cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions. I quickly woke Josh up to tell him, made a pot of coffee (???) and went back to sleep. That evening at 5:15pm, while watching the news, I saw that RISD was 'closed' for Wednesday as well! It was a GLORIOUS feeling! However, I left my lesson plans and laptop up at school on Monday (thinking I would be back at work the next day!)...so much for getting ahead on plans! Anyway, I decided to spend my 2 days off cleaning house, baking, organizing our 2 guest rooms, and watching movies :) Josh's work was also cancelled, so he helped a ton around the house too.

I decided to make home-made CC cookies from scratch. I ended up baking over 3 dozen so I decided to use 2 dozen for a math lesson on $ for my little 1st graders. I even came up with a cute worksheet that goes along with it!

Josh & Abby in front of our house playing!

One of my projects was to organize and cleanout one of our guestroom closets. Here's a before shot...

A work in progress...

The end result! I was very proud :)

We also spent some time working on Josh's office (aka 'man-cave') I'd say it turned out well!

Oh, and RIGHT after I published this post, I just realized that tomorrow will be SNOW DAY #3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just because...

2011-01-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

I found these super cute pictures from http://mybluehydrangea.blogspot.com/. I later realized that she discovered them from a mom who takes photographs of her own baby girl in creative ways. Hope it makes you smile :)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had a great Christmas spent visiting family and getting to see close friends! We began our holiday in Abilene with my family. It was a lot of fun because I got to spend some good time with my sister (who lives in Denver), catch up with my bestie Caroline, and Josh and I met up with our good friends from college (and Josh's old roommate) Jeffrey & Lauren.

After heading to Abilene for 2 days, we drove onto Odessa to have Christmas with Josh's family and grandparents. Spending holidays with his family is a little, shall we say, "louder" than time with my family...because there are 5 little ones running around. It's a lot of chaos but a lot of fun as well! I'm very blessed with wonderful "in-laws!"

Rayleigh using Wii Fit
Baby Kurstyn with her new passy

Kids anxiously awaiting opening their gifts.

Madness!

On our way back to Dallas, we decided to stop in Ft.Worth to see my Uncle Vern & Aunt Carol and meet my cousin's new baby girl, Charlotte. Little did we know that my Mimi, Aunt Sharon, and cousin Audrey (who lives in NYC) would also be there! We were only able to capture these 2 pics...

A Cozy Christmas

2010-12-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

This year I've really enjoyed getting to decorate our home for Christmas. As I flip through the December issue of Pottery Barn, it's hard not to covet each and every item and question myself saying "Why didn't I think of that?" However, I will say that each time I walk into our home after work, I feel so blessed and full of joy knowing that this house is ours. All of those days of saving and hard work have definately paid off. Here are a few pics of my December issue...

This next picture doesn't really have to do with holiday decor, but it's of our entry-way. Check out the wreath I bought from Lorrianna's in Tyler. A lady is in the store hand-making them as you shop. She gets all of her materials from the farm she and her husband live on. I LOVE IT!

Yes it's easy (and fun!) to get wrapped up in the gift buying/giving, cooking, last minute shopping, Christmas card mailing, home decorating, holiday partying, and so on...yet lose focus of the simplicity of the season: a baby boy. Christmas is all about Jesus entering a place that needed healing, love, and hope. May God's peace, love, and joy abound in you this season :)

Captions

2010-12-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

It's been soo long since my last post and yet so much has happened! Instead of me rambling on and on about our life, I decided to go ahead and just let you re-live the past 3 months by reading the captions. Enjoy!
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Josh was given 4 tickets to the Cowboys game! We invited his parents to come with us and had a blast. We had really great seats and best of all, we saw them win a game! My favorite part: watching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders perform :)

This just about sums up our Thanksgiving...
For Thanksgiving, we spent half of it with my family and were with Josh's family on Thanksgiving day. It's a lot of fun considering his side of the family has 5 little ones running around. Pictured above is Rayleigh (left) and Kurstyn (right), and of course Pa in between!
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Josh always goes hunting with his dad the day after Thanksgiving at their hunting lease down by San Angelo. Therefore when Josh goes hunting, I go shopping. So my mom, sister, and I spend our "Black Friday" in San Angelo at one of our favorite hot-spots, J Wilde.

If you've never been to San Angelo's historic downtown, I HIGHLY recommend it! They have great shops and dining!
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We also met up with some of our best family friends from Abilene. I was one of those kids who grew up with 4 moms (Beverly, Mary, Suzanne, and my own mom). Unfortuantely, Suzanne and her daughter Caroline couldn't make it to our little get-together at Starbucks...
3 out of my 4 moms:
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My sister turns 30 December 11, but while she was here over Thanksgiving, we decided to throw her a surprise party. We surprised her with 30 gifts. I was in charge of getting 15 and my mom was in charge of 15. It was really fun, and a little hard, coming up with 30 different gifts but she enjoyed it! We numbered each gift #1-30 and she had to open them in order.
Until next time, happy holidays from our home to yours!

When Inspiration meets Reality

2010-09-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ever created an inspiration board? If not, I highly recommend it! Below is the board I created over a year ago with several pictures of ideas I wanted to use in my future house someday. All you need is a piece of canvas, modge-podge, and your favorite magazines!

Back in May we moved into our first house and over the summer, I had some time off to fix things up and, as my mother would say, "Nest." I've quite enjoyed letting my domestic side blossom over the past couple months and finally feel that I'm at the point to blog about our decorated home (even though I'm not sure a house will ever be fully 'decorated'...for I'm always changing things up...I know I get that from my mom!)

Anyway, I derived most of my inspiration from the POTTERY BARN August 2010 catalogue. As you will begin to notice, the picture on top is the 'inspiration picture' and the picture below it is the 'reality picture' (or what's in my house now). Enjoy!

Inspiration: (actually saw this at a McKinney Antique Store)

Reality:

Inspiration: (loved mirrors above bed)

Reality: (Josh & I's room)

Inspiration:

Reality: (pictures in hallway)

Inspiration:

Reality: (this is actually in Josh's office. I bought burlap to cover the back of the HUGE bulletin board in his office)

Re-bar & Hobby Lobby hooks used to rest magazines upon.

Old trivits my mom found at a garage sale (an entire box of these were $5!) Inside are old flash cards found at an antique store.

Inspiration:

Reality: (so I don't have a fireplace mantel, but I did find this old header ripped out from a historic bldg in San Antonio. Found it at a garage sale for $20!)

Other pictures from our house...
Living room...

Check out the old piece of tin my mom found at a garage sale...

Opposite wall from couch

Enclosed entry way:

I made these over the weekend using used votive candles, burlap, old tart cans, and vintage scrabble letters. BTW, it spells out BARNES in case you can't see it clearly!

Guest bedroom:

Now it's your turn, make whatever "inspires" you to become a reality. Good luck!

My Classroom

2010-08-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Exhausted. Yes, that's how I feel after my first week of school. However, it's definitely a good type of exhaustion :) I've honestly had one of the best weeks ever, I have an amazing group of kiddos this year and am so excited about the upcoming year with them. The first day went really well, I love watching the parents walk their kids to class, help them find their desk, and try their hardest to sneak away while their child isn't looking. I love getting my picture taken by a parent with their child on the first day. I love how at 8:15 a little boy asks if it's time for lunch yet. I love that "earning a marble","table point", or "ticket" is the biggest highlight of their day. I love that I've already had a student invite me over for dinner. I love that one mom said that her son "prays for me every night"...how sweet!

Anyway, I'm not able to share pictures of my kids with you, but I wanted to go ahead and show you my room. This year it took me a lot longer to get my room just the way I wanted because I decided to completely rearrange my classroom. For the past two years I haven't been perfectly content with the set-up and have been needing a change. Now, that the first week is over, I am very happy I did!
Calendar Wall

Focus Wall

Tables with Community Supply Tubs

Library Corner

Word Wall

Adorable tags my mom made

Math Wall

Hand-Painted TOMS

2010-08-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of TOMS? Of course you have...let me re-phrase that question...How many pairs of TOMS do you have? TOMS are definitely the latest trend now and how could you resist the fact that if you purchase a pair of shoes, a child in need will recieve a pair of shoes as well? Such a great cause! Anyway, one of my close friends, Meredith, married last summer and wore a pair of white TOMS with her wedding dress (so cute!). However, with anything white, they eventually became too dirty to wear. She decided to give them to one of our other family friends, Mary Gregory (check out her blog here) Mary is definately my "other mother" and an incredible and talented artist. Anyway, Meredith gave Mary her pair of TOMS to be painted! I mean, TOMS are canvas right? Check out what she did...

Here are more pairs she's painted...

Amazing right? All you have to do is give/mail Mary your TOMS, and she'll paint them for a very reasonable price! Love it!

Simply Seaside

2010-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Seaside, Florida with the fam (minus my sister who had to stay in CO and work...boo!). We had a wonderful time simply. doing. nothing. Yes, that's right. Isn't that what vacas are all about? This was actually our third time in Seaside and hope to return again next summer...maybe even bring along more friends & family! Last summer my parents surprised us with the trip (read about it here) It's funny because every time I've been to Seaside, I take the same pictures of the same things. For some reason, it just never gets old! Take a look at a few from this past trip...

On the way to the airport!

The Seaside Interfaith Chapel

Simply beautiful! We were greeted by 4 anxious children trying to be the first to hand out the bulletin to the welcoming guests. On the front of the bulletin it read: "Our purpose and mission is to provide an environment for a meaningful, spiritual encounter with our Heavenly Father, sing a few songs and go to the beach!" Amen!

Darling little girl who just insisted that she stand up by the guitarist during the praise time. Priceless!

Finally made it to the beach!

Eating at one of our fav's in Rosemary Beach, WILD OLIVES.

Wonderful roof-top view

The Fam (miss you Steph!)

The quaint town of Rosemary

Dinner @ Gravel Road

Inspiring light-fixtures at a local boutique!

Dad & Josh playing frisbee

Until next time, I'll miss ya 30A!

Feeling all sentimental and such...

2010-07-23T08:25:00.001-07:00

I seriously think I have some of the best friends in the world.

Do you ever feel that way? I sure hope so. I have several wonderful "groups" of friends. For example, I have those friends that I've known since birth, literally. Then, high-school comes around and I meet more fantastic people...which I do believe not very many people can say that about their high-school friends. I was extremely blessed to go to an awesome HS which I still *secretly* miss now! 4 years later I meet some of the most fun and Godly group of girls @ ACU. Most of which are from my sorority, Sigma Theta Chi. I seriously think I need to devote an entire post to SIGGIES and all the fun memories involved....

This past weekend my good friend Kim & I drove down to Austin to visit 2 of our besties, Meagan & Elena. One thing I love about Kim is her fun-spirit and positive nature. I don't know if I've ever heard 1 negative thing she's said about anyone (ok, maybe about our fitness instructor last night...she kicked our butts!) The 4 of us certainly had a great time in Austin hanging out, swimming @ Barton Springs, shopping at the City Garage Sale, experiencing 6th street for all it's worth, and much more! I seriously can't get enough of these girls! Check us out in college...

(L-R: Meagan,Kim,Me,Elena)

Here are a few from this past weekend...

Us @ Austin Java...pic turned out pretty good considering I (unknowingly) asked a guy with a broken arm to take a picture of us using my iPhone...haha

Couldn't get enough of Sam (Elena's uber cute baby)

Meagan's sno-cone stand called Rock-A-Billys

Us @ The Steeping Room

Well that about raps it up folks...except I wanted to share a few random thoughts with you haha....

Random thoughts...
1. So excited about our trip to SEASIDE in 1 week. Be looking for a post about it!
2. Ever heard of Sleeperstar? Check it out...
3. Austin is way cooler than Dallas...

Abby's First Road Trip!

2010-07-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

First let me start by saying THANK YOU to Mrs.Kelly Mann for re-vamping my blog! I was stuck in a rut and she came to the rescue! Didn't she do a fabulous job?

So this past weekend we decided to take Abby on her first road trip to Abilene & then on to Odessa to spend time with both families. I originally was headed to Abilene to get my hair cut (yes, I will drive all the way to Abilene to get my hair cut by Tobey because he is that good!) and we just decided to make a 4 day weekend out of it! Abby did exceptionally well in the car...she slept the entire way and never whined once she was placed in her kennel! I mean, we do have the perfect dog :)

The trip did start off a little rocky considering we left Dallas in the heat of rush-hour and the traffic was terrible due to the monsoon of rain we were having. Our 3.5 hour trip turned into a 5hr trip!
Here we are camped out at a bank drive-thru feeding Abby...

We started out in Abilene, where Abby met Lucy (my parents Shih-Tzu). Let's just say Lucy wanted nothing to do with Abby...I think she was a little overwhelmed with this hyper dog in her territory!
Notice Abby in her lovely pearls (Josh was totally opposed to this idea considering all he wants around her neck is the orange hunting collar!)

While we were in Abilene, my cousin was leading a Kadesh group at ACU and his wife/kids hung out with us for a evening. They have two *adorable* kids, Elijah and Sadie. I don't get to see them very often, so I was thrilled to know they were in town the same day we were!

Probably one of my favorite pics!

Next we headed to Odessa where Abby needed to meet Josh's family, our 21 month-old niece, and grandparents. Abby did AMAZINGLY well meeting everyone and playing with Josh's parent's puppies Buddy & Co-Co!
Meeting Rayleigh for the first time

Playing with Co-Co (Buddy was terrified of Abby!)

We decided to bust out the "kiddy-pool" to play in.

Until next time West Texas...

Pardon the dust...

2010-06-23T07:34:00.001-07:00

As you can see my blog is a bit of a mess! My friend from college is in the process of "re-vamping" my blog into something spectacular! You can check out some of her designs at http://kmanndesigns.blogspot.com/. She's wonderful!

Long overdue...

2010-06-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post and I feel the need to catch you up! Josh and I have been super busy with settling into our first home, ending school, and getting our new puppy! We started the month of May by moving into our new house and taking a fishing trip on the same weekend (yes I'm crazy, and yes my husband did apologize for creating such a hectic weekend for me haha!)

Our fishing guide was awesome AND went to Northwood Hills as a kid!

In front of the new house!

Also in May, I celebrated my 24th birthday (24 on the 24th!), we celebrated 2 years, attended our friends wedding, house sat for a week, and celebrated Mikayla's birth! Mikayla is Shane & Stephanie's beautiful baby girl and the first baby in our church small group!
At Matt's wedding (notice the hanging chandelier from the tree!)

The girls with Mikayla

The boys with Mikayla

June blew in in full swing with me finishing up school (can I get a HOORAY!?!?), attending another wedding, starting my nannying job, getting new bedroom furniture & entertainment console, seeing WICKED, and buying a chocolate lab! Josh and I have been wanting a dog since we got married and were finally at the point to buy one. We found Abby from a family in Plano who had a litter of 13 puppies! She stood out to us by how cuddly and adorable she was. It's been quite an eventful week since we got her, but we are LOVING being her parents :)
Sis & I at Anna's rehearsal dinner

Flag ceremony on the last day of school!

Meet Abby Gayle Barnes!

Sneak Peak...

2010-04-25T17:38:00.001-07:00

We closed on our house back in March and have been proud "landlords" for the past month. We decided to let the original owners rent it from us so they could have an extra month to search for their new home and that would be 1 less month for us to pay double rent. Anyway, this Tuesday we will *finally* get our keys to our house! Even though it's technically been "ours" since March 31, it really will feel like ours once we get the keys! So, we get the keys Tuesday, our painter comes Thursday-Saturday to paint, and we move Sunday!!! Thankfully I am taking that Monday off of school to unpack and my mom will be in town to help as well! Josh and I are so excited about our new little place! I've had pictures but have been waiting to post the pictures until our "stuff" is moved in! So here's a sneak peak for now!

Josh and I at closing...

Check out our names on the TV screen...

Josh Turns 24!

2010-03-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

On March 28, Josh had his 24th birthday and we decided to celebrate the day before! A couple weeks ago I decided that I would take him to Joe T Garcia's for dinner and then over to Billy Bob's for the Josh Turner concert on March 27.

Well that same day of the concert, our small group had signed up to serve at an event our church was helping with. Josh had been invited to go hunting with some guys at work, so he was unable to make it. I ended up riding with another couple and come to find out, they had the exact same plans for that evening...eating at Joe T's and going to Billy Bobs! We were so surprised and yet so excited! We decided to invite the rest of our small group to join with us that evening!

Josh and I had a blast at dinner with friends and loved Billy Bobs! We had never been before and are making plans to go back...it was super fun! Happy Birthday babe!
Josh with the boys...

Me with the girls...
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I also ran into Emily...

Me with my birthday boy...

Of course we had to have the mariachi band sing for him...

The group serving at the 'Eggstravaganza!'

A quick update

2010-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

Good evening! I'm sitting here in my cozy pj's watching the winter olympics with my husband and thinking "Geeze, why haven't people updated their blogs..." and then come to realize that I, myself, have not done so in quite some time!!! So I thought I would take a few minutes to catch you up on what's been happening...

School:
Wow, I don't even know where to begin...you've probably noticed I haven't blogged very much about my job, mainly because we are not allowed to post pictures of our students for privacy reasons which makes blogging about them a little more difficult. Also, my second year of teaching has been completely different than ever expected. I've had quite the class handed to me this year and often times it's simply all I can do to just make it until 3:00. Through it all, I've learned more about teaching in the past 6 months than my 4 years in college. Yes I still love my school and am excited to see what the next 3 months hold for me and my kiddos.

Us:
Josh and I are doing great. God is teaching me more and more about marriage and what it means to be a loving wife each day through his word and our encouraging friends. We are currently in the process of looking to buy a home! Ever since we married, this has been one of our top financial goals and dreams as a couple. We have found a wonderful realtor and have been house-hunting for the past month. We've toured about 12 or so homes and have found 2 that really like. Josh has been quite the teacher during this unfamiliar process. Right after we met our realtor for the first time, he took me out to dinner and we had some Q&A time...you see I was completely in the dark about half the things she was telling us. Phew, I'm so glad he know's what he's doing...and yes I'm learning...slowly but surely! Here's a couple pictures of us this past month:
Valentine's day...

Snow Day...

Our snowman and me...

Have a wonderful day and I hope to blog again soon!

Couples Retreat

2010-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

For the past 15 months Josh and I have been apart of a community group that consists of 4 couples and a 'leader' couple. We meet every other week and have gone through several different marital books (Sheet Music, Lasting Promise, Sacred Marriage), openly discussed our finances while following the MoneyWise curriculum, and completeing the curriculum "Experiencing God's Story of Love and Hope" at the same time our church was studying it as well. Not only is it beneficial to be following alongside others in our same walk of life, but Josh and I's marriage has grown tremendously since May 31, 2008.

This past weekend we took a "couples retreat" to Lake Texoma. Prior to the trip, each couple had a list of questions to answer; first by ourself, then coming together to talk about our answers with our spouse. They ranged anywhere from "Describe your favorite date this past year" to "How is your spouse doing at pursuing you..." Josh and I had a great time discussing our answers and decided that we are going to do this at the start of every year. Anyway, at the retreat, each couple went around and shared their answers and then listened as the other coupls offered words of encouragement and advice for the upcoming year.

We had SUCH blast hanging out together and it's definately a weekend I'll always remember!
The girls by the lake. It was so windy!

The guys!

Josh & I under the huge elk in the living room!

The amazing lakehouse we stayed in!

Polyvore

2009-12-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

Addicted. That's what I would call myself after spending over an hour discovering polyvore.com. Polyvore is a website created for people just like me...those who love art, fashion, and decoupaging into one! Once you've created a *free* account at polyvore, you get to mix and match any products from your favorite brands and also get to shop what other fashionistas have created. Polyvore tells you how much the product is and where to buy it. I have to admit, I did not find polyvore on my own but from a woman who I blog stalk daily... Seleta. I found her through our trip to Seaside this past Summer. I think I could dedicate an entire post on just her. She used to have a career in TV & design but took a break to be a stay-at-home mom of 4 in Seaside, Florida. Let me just say, I tend to live vicariously through her. *Sigh* Ok, back to polyvore...check out my first creation entitled: A Night Out!

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" ..I mean.. "I'm dreaming of a Caucasian holiday"

2009-12-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

This year our family (Barnes & Spurlock) had a Christmas unlike any other! Between cancelled flights, stomach viruses, and snow we were, however, still all able to get together and spend some quality time with one another. In order to get the full affect of my Christmas this year, I think I'm going to have to break it down day by day :) Let's begin at Sunday before Christmas :)

Sunday: spending a relaxing day in Abilene with family. Call Josh's mom and find out she and Rayleigh (our niece) have the stomach bug. No fun!
Monday: Rhonda and Rayleigh feeling better, so Josh & I decide to go ahead and drive to Odessa as scheduled.
Tuesday: Now Gary (Josh's dad) and Krista (Josh's sister) are now sick in bed with the stomach bug! So, Rhonda, Josh, Rayleigh, and I head to the Midland to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.
Wednesday: *Here's where things get interesting* Gary and Krista feeling better but myself, on the other hand, begins not to feel so great. (Because Josh and I are *supposed* to leave Thursday morning to return to Abilene for Christmas with my family, we go ahead do Christmas with his side of the family) Open presents with Josh's family with several bathroom breaks in between...I knew I wasn't feeling so great when I woke up this morning! Ugh! After the last present is opened, I head to the bed/bathroom (they were basically the same thing for me for that next 24hrs!!!) That night we were all supposed to go over to Josh's grandparents house in Stanton to have dinner/Christmas with the grandparents and cousins. However, Rhonda stayed home and took care of me while the rest of the fam had an enjoyable time with relatives. Bummer, what a fun day to be sick!

Now, let me begin the story with my sister...she is supposed to be flying in from Denver to Midland tonight (remember, it's still Wednesday!). We were going to pick her up from the airport in Midland, have her stay the night, and then the 3 of us (Josh, me, my sister Steph) will drive back to Abilene Thursday morning to spend Christmas with my family. OK, got it? Well, with that being said, Steph's flight get's delayed in Denver. We realize that when Steph get's to Midland, she will spend the night in a hotel due to the aggresive sickness spreading in the Barnes house! Yikes! HOWEVER, my mom and dad decide that they will drive in to Midland tonight and just go pick her up from the airport and bring her back to Abilene. Hm, sounds like an okay plan...keep reading to find out what REALLY happens.

About 9:00pm, Steph boards plane to take off to Midland. Dad leaves Abilene for the 2hr drive into Midland to pick up Steph from the airport. At, 11:00pm Dad arrives in Midland to figure out that my sister has never even left the airport in Denver, but has been taxing the runway for 2hrs due to bad weather. GREAT! Steph's flight now cancelled. Hmm, dad decides to drive BACK to Abilene that night. Steph is able to get on the next available flight to Midland Thursday evening.

Thursday:: Wake up. Feel better. Realize that my sister still is not in Midland. Can't drive back to Abilene due to closed roads and no sister. Stay in Odessa. Miss the traditional Christmas Eve service with my family in Abilene. Sad :( Rayleigh get's sick vomitting AGAIN...take her to the doctor to find out she has an ear infection. By this point, I'm thinking, is this really possible? Yep, guess so! Ok, where was I...Steph *finally* arrives in Midland at 10pm where Josh picks her up from the airport. Why just Josh? Well he's the ONLY who has not gotten sick and we didn't want to risk it. While Josh is going to get Steph from the airport, we all debate if Steph should stay at a hotel tonight, with friends, or at the Barnes house. Hmm, after much thought and discussion with Steph, she decides to go ahead and stay with us tonight at the Barnes house. We frantically disinfect everything while spraying every little nook with Lysol. Germ free! ...so we think

Friday-Christmas: Wake up and leave for Abilene...yay! Now don't get me wrong, I LOVED spending every minute with my in-laws, they're WONDERFUL people. But, after all that's happened, I'm ready to be with mom & dad! We FINALLY arrive in Abilene just in time to have an AMAZING lunch (prepared wonderfully by mom!), then go see THE BLINDSIDE (cried my eyes out...definately a "must-see" movie!), then come home to spend 3 hours un-wrapping presents! It was a blast!!!! Now our original Christmas day plan was to wake-up, open gifts, go server lunch at the Salvation Army, then do our big dinner that evening. Oh well, plans change! (No kidding!?!)
Saturday: Steph wakes up sick with stomach bug. Really? After ALL that Lysol we sprayed back in Odessa? Mom, dad, Josh, and I spend the day together!
Sunday:: Steph still not feeling well. The 4 of us eat at Perini's steakhouse without her...so sorry Steph!!! Josh and I return to Dallas thinking the whole way...what a Christmas to remember!!!

Here are some pictures taken throughout it all!

The 3 of us finally make it to Abilene!

Rayleigh racing towards her presents!

Josh & I on Christmas morning in Odessa

Josh & I on Christmas morning in Abilene

Steph & I on Christmas in Abilene

Beautiful tablescape made by mom

Josh & Dad about to go bike-riding through the hills of Abilene

Josh & I at Perini's

Over the past month...

2009-12-11T18:18:00.001-08:00

Alot has happened since my last post about the TEXAS game! Over Thanksgiving Josh and I drove 850 miles from Dallas to Odessa, down to San Angelo, and back to Abilene then home to Dallas. Anyway, while Josh was hunting in San Angelo, I met my mom and some of our friends in historic downtown San Angelo. It's kind of been our tradition for the past 3 years. San Angelo has some of the cutest boutiques and antique stores...we love it!

Here Allison and I wait outside J.Wilde while our moms do some "Christmas shopping" inside!

What a packed car!

Us girls had a blast Christmas shopping in San Angelo and yes, we definately missed you Steph and Merideth!!!

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Josh and I have been blessed to be apart of a small group at Watermark for the past year. We have loved getting to know these other married couples while getting to walk and grow with them in our faith. What amazing a FUN people!!! Last weekend was our Christmas party / gift exchange at the Horners house in Allen. Take a look...

The Horners (and baby Horner!!!)

The Bodenhausens

The Treadaways (and baby girl Treadaway!!!)

And I can't believe I forgot to get a picture of the Burns (I'm so sorry!) But nevertheless, here is a group pic :)

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Getting ready for Christmas has been really fun in our new apartment this year. We were able to have room for a (normal sized) Christmas tree this year and Josh's sweet Ma let us use her old one! Here a some pics taken in the apartment...

I fell in love with this little glittery snowman when I first saw him on the shelf at Hobby Lobby!!

This whole vase of vintage ornaments was only $8 at the Estate Sale!

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree...

This last picture is what happens when you stick your camera in the middle of a tree looking up...pretty cool!

Until next time, I hope you enjoy this holiday season spent with family and friends!

Go Horns Go

2009-11-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Josh and I met my parents down in Waco for the Texas/Baylor game. We've always been TX fans, but my mom and I are definately a little obsessed with Colt McCoy...I mean who isn't??? Anyway, we had really great seats which made the game that much more exciting. Oh and let me just share with you my favorite quote from the game...

Mom:(in reference to Jordan Shipley after he ran for a touchdown)"Man, I wonder if his legs look as good as his arms!"

haha...and for those of you who've ever watched Jordan Shipley play, you know what I'm talkin' about :) Here are a few pics from the game:

After the game we met up with my cousin and his family, my Aunt Janice, and Mimi. They all live in Waco and it was great seeing them! I hadn't seen my cousin and his family since our wedding! I loved spending time with my 2nd cousins Elijah and baby Sadie!

Rayleigh Turns 1!

2009-10-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I flew to Odessa (well, flew to Midland, did not land, flew back to DFW, then turned around and landed in Lubbock, THEN landed in Midland!) for Rayleigh's one year birthday. Rayleigh is our beautiful niece who we have loved getting to know this past year. There was a big birthday party Saterday evening at his parents house. It included 'backyard burgers', friends, family, cake, and presents! We enjoyed spending time with our family and making more great memories!

Nana made Josh and I matching beanies haha...

Nana reading to Rayleigh her new book...

Rayleigh testing out the cake and not sure of what she thinks of it...

Rayleigh LOVING the cake by now..

Presents...

...presents everywhere!

Cameron & Collin...

My life...plus 22 others

2009-09-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Since school has started two weeks ago, things have all of sudden become a whirlwind! It's weird for me to think about the relaxing days during my last post, only 1 month ago, in Seaside Florida. Waking up whenever, walking to the beach, eating meals at my own convenience, and just basking in the sun. Now, things are quite different! I find myself tonight enjoying a quiet Friday evening alone (only for a few hours though) while my husband (and his 10 other college guy friends) sets up his fantasy football team via skype online in the other room. I've enjoyed the long shower, candle-lit rooms, control of the remote, and freedom to just...sit.

I decided to blog tonight about my {new} class. I have 9 girls and 12 boys from 7:50am-3:00pm everyday. Oh wait, did I say 3:00? Oh I mean from 7:50am to, well yep, 7:50am. Yes that's right, when you're a teacher, it's hard to just leave 'work' in 'the classroom' when you're dealing with 22 little minds. Just like every other teacher, I find myself thinking about my 22 new little lives that I'm about to invest so much into within the next 9 months. Because this is only my 2nd year to teach, it was such an odd feeling to see my 1st group of studnets go on to 2nd grade and have someone else as a teacher. {For all you experienced teachers out there reading this, you're probably laughing in your shoes as you read about how this 'odd feeling' is merely natural for a new teacher to experience} Anyway, I have really enjoyed these past two weeks getting to know my new group of kiddos. Our team has some new ideas we want to implement this year and I'm excited to see what this school year is going to look like! For now, I hope you have an enjoyable day and find rest and relaxation amongst the business of your life.

Still in Seaside...

2009-08-16T15:08:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a past two weeks it has been! Two weeks ago we embarked on our mystery trip to...Seaside, Florida (www.seasidefl.com)!!! We got home on a Saturday night and that next day we began house-sitting for some friends for the following week. All that to say, today is our first day back in our apartment since August 1!

For those of you who read my mom's blog (www.jcspurlock.blogspot.com) you already know about how our flight to Seaside was cancelled as we were about to board. For those who have no idea of what happened, here's a recap:
Saturday 3:30pm- arrive at DFW to make our 4:30 flight
4:45- flight to Seaside cancelled. Decide to see if we make it on stand-by for the 8:30 flight
9:00- realize that there are only 3 openings for the '8:30' flight. Decide not to split up and try and catch a later flight to Florida.
9:30- told that there are no flights (w/ open seats) going into Florida until Monday. Decide to catch a flight to Mobile, AL the next day and drive to Florida airport (where our luggage and rental car will be waiting)

Sunday 12:00pm- arrive at DFW to make our 1:00 flight
2:00- arrive in Mobile to be told our luggage was lost and they had no rental car for us
2:30- finally have a rental car to Florida...still don't know where luggage is
4:30-arrive at airport in Florida
5:00-find out that our luggage HAS been found and waiting for us the whole time at the airport.
6:30-arrive at Seaside, FL!! (Only 24hrs behind!)

So, all of that to say, we have never been so happy to drive through Seaside and walk into our 'little place by the water', called "Beach Baby".
For those that have never visited Seaside, it's one of the most wonderful places ever! It's 30min east of Destin, away from the busy 'tourist crowd' and nestled between two little towns called Watercolor and Rosemary. Every house there in the town is painted different shades of pale green, yellow, pink, blue, etc... all with white trim and a picket fence. Each house is at least 2 stories, with most houses having a screened porch as their 3rd story. Each house is named by the owner, some called "Mom Got Her Way" / "Memories Made Here" / "Sea Ya" / "Four the Girls" ...well you get the picture. One reason why I love this place so much is because it's so family oriented. There are kids running around everywhere, moms and dads reconnecting, and friends having the time of their life. Sounds cheezy, but I fall for it every time! Anyway, our 'cottage' was named "Beach Baby" and was located directly on the beach. We had a huge screened-in back porch with an additional porch attached to it and only a 2 minute walk to the water. It was such a relaxing yet rejuvenating time for us all!!!

View from our back porch!

Enjoying our time on the beach!

A magnificent storm rolling in.

Enjoying ice-cream on the beach, yummy!

Christmas card worthy?

About to ride into town!

Until next time, my heart is "Still in Seaside!"

It's coming...

2009-08-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! We are officially back from .......... (our secret trip!) However, we are house-sitting this week and unable to upload my pictures to blog about our trip. I'm sure most of you already know where we went, but for those that don't, I'm hoping to blog about our trip within the week! Stay tuned!!!

Last vaca hint!!!

2009-07-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

As most of my blog followers know, my parents are taking us (& my sister) on a vacation for their 30th wedding anniversary. However, they are not telling us where we are going until we arrive at the airport next Saturday! So far they have emailed us several hints which I have posted on my blog and I have the last hint to give to you today! My mom posted these pictures on her blog along with the sub-titles next to them. They are pictures of a place 'similar' to where we will be going...

The first one is a great family picture of us having a swell time. As you can see, Mark and I are lounging in the background!

Next,, Mark and I are showing off our tan and trim bodies in our new swimsuits!!

Last, we have a group pic of all of the new friends we are going to make on this trip!!

Obviously, you can tell from the pictures that we will be going to the beach...but which one? That's the mystery!

Two Peas in Two Pods!

2009-07-22T13:50:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my good friend Kim & I drove to San Antonio for our friend's baby shower. Two of our close college friends are both pregnant with boys! Elena lives in Austin and Cherry lives in Tennessee; however, the shower was hosted by another good friend who lives in San Antonio! It was a great because several of our college friends drove and flew in for the shower! In fact, after the shower was over all of us girls decided to just hang out, catch up, and enjoy several good laughs with each other! Thanks again Brooke and Lauryn for hosting such a wonderful shower.

NYC!!!

2009-07-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's taking me this long to post about our trip to NYC! Josh and I spent Wednesday through Sunday exploring the depths of Manhattan! We arrived at our hotel around noon on Wednesday and hit up Juniors for some yummy lunch on the patio! After that, we hit the ground running and really did not stop until Sunday evening on our plane ride back to Dallas. I wasn't quite sure how to sum up our 5 day trip in writing, so I broke it down by day. Here's a 'brief' outline of the activities we did each day. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Financial district- Wall street, WTC site, New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, Trinity Church
Times Square- nice dinner @ db Moderne, cheesecake at Roxy's

Thursday
Theatre District- The Today Show, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, FAO Schwartz, lunch @ Serendipity 3, Grand Central Station
Upper East Side- The Met, Museum of Natural History
Upper West Side- Cafe Lalo, Monk's Diner (from Seinfeld), The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (soon-to-be largest church in the world!)
The Bronx- Yankee Game
Central Park!

Friday
Theatre District- Rob Thomas concert on The Today Show, Empire State Building, Broadway show "The Lion King"
Gramercy- Madison Sq. Garden, The Flatiron Building, Ferry Ride on the Hudson
Midtown West- eat some yummy food at a French-Mediterranean bistro

Saturday
Downtown- walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, explore 5th ave
Soho- enjoy the quaint shops
Little Italy- eat lunch
Chinatown- we were overwhelmed with all the 'junk'
Greenwhich Village- had a cupcake from the famous Magnolia Bakery
Midtown West- watch fireworks from the pier

Sunday
Upper West Side- enjoy brunch at Sarabeth's with Audrey
Upper East Side- The Guggenheim museum
Central Park (again), Carnegie Hall, lunch at Blue Fin

As you can see, we had a busy, yet fun time together and enjoyed spending our 1 year anniversary in New York!

Update!!!

2009-06-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! I haven't blogged in a while due to some more 'pressing' events in my life! On top of nannying daily, we are in the process of packing up our apartment to move (Saturday) into our new apartment. We decided it's time to move into a bigger apartment: one that has an extra bedroom AND a pantry! Anyway, we move tomorrow and THEN leave for NYC on Wednesday! So as you can see, I've been a little busy!

Next blog post: New York City!!!
Get ready :)

Hints 5 & 6!!!

2009-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here is number 5: "You will have plenty of fun and you can see for miles; this place we know will bring you plenty of smiles."

And here is clue number 6: "You may have seen some pretty good scenes on the "big screen", but that's nothing compared to what you are going to see from "our screen"!!!

*By now, I think Josh, Steph, and I have it figured out, but I'd still like to here what your guesses are! Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone :)

If it wasn't for Texas...

2009-06-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last week one of my good friends, Taryn, called me and left a message saying she had something 'Very important to ask me!' Curious, I quickly called her back and she asked me if I wanted to go with her to the George Strait (also Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Lee Ann Womack concert) concert in the NEW Cowboy Stadium!

Not only did we have such a great time at the concert, but it was so good to catch up with one of my besties from ACU! Enjoy the pictures :)

Vacation Hint #4

2009-06-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hint #4:
There is a song whose title is the name of the place we are STAYING...By the way, it is a "first class" song......just in case you are wondering! I love you all!
Mom

***Look for my next post regarding the George Strait Concert in the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium!!! Coming soon!

Vacation Hints 2 and #3!!!

2009-06-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ok guys, well I promised you I would keep you updated on my family's secret vacation! Apart of the secret vacation are the 'hints' my mom has emailed us. Here is hint #2:

Hint 2:
You definitely need to dress "cool" on this trip. Is "Cool" referring to style or temperature??? You be the judge! You will definitely "stick out in public" if you don't!
Later, Mom

Hint 3:
So sorry, kids, but this place is quite noisey. In fact, "it" never sleeps. Hope you don't mind. You might want to take earplugs!

So, what do ya think? Let me know your guesses!

Ice Cream Party! Anniversary! Secret Vacation!

2009-06-03T16:14:00.001-07:00

So a lot has happened since my last post (Field Day Fun!). First let me mention that TOMORROW is the LAST day of school! Hallelujah! Now, don't get me wrong, it has been a FABULOUS year. But I have had the responsibility of 24 kids for the past 176 school days and I am ready for a break! Anyway, last week my class won an ice-cream party for having the most parent volunteers at Field Day! One thing I love about NHE is the PARENTS! Incredible! Anyway, here's a picture of those hoodlums :)

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On Sunday May 31, Josh and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary! It was wonderful! I woke up to a dozen roses and quite possibly the sweetest card. Josh thinks he's a terrible writer, but I disagree completely! That day was very relaxing...we napped, laid by the pool, and then went to a nice dinner at Maggiano's. Afterwards we came home, watched our wedding video, and ate cake! And yes, the cake was still good!

Josh and I have decided to take a trip to NYC as a 1 year anniversary trip! I used to think it was ridiculous for newly married couples to take extravagant trips just because they've been married for one year...but...after much discussion and saving we decided to do it now! So, this July, Josh and I are taking a 5 day trip to NYC. We're SUPER excited!!! Enjoy the pictures from Sunday!

__________________

Now for SECRET VACATION time! So, last week my parents informed us that, for their 30th wedding anniversary, they were going to take me & Josh & Stephanie (sister) on a vacation. However, the destination was unknown!!! Now some of you know my parents, but for those that do not, this is very exciting! Growing up my family did lots of things together, but never any elaborate, surprise, 7 day trips! The three of us are thrilled! My mom has begun emailing the three of us different 'hints' regarding the trip. I've decided to blog about this 'secret vacation' and let you in on the hints. So, here is the first hint (not that exciting) but you gotta start somewhere!

Vacations Hint #1:
We are now booked and confirmed for August 1-8th.

I'll keep you updated! Good-bye for now, gotta go back to cookin'!

Field Day Fun!

2009-05-09T16:14:00.001-07:00

This past Friday was field day at our school. There were several stations set up around our school that were run by our wonderful parent volunteers. I put my students into partners and then let them run loose to all the stations. They had a blast!!! Enough of what I say, I'll let the pictures do the talking...enjoy!

Hopping, Jumping, & Leaping into Spring.... ASI Gymnastics!

2009-04-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today the first grade went to the ASI Gymnastics center. It was such a fun and energizing time for the students and yet a nice 'break' for the teachers. I had a great time 'stepping back' and watching the kids enjoy themselves at the 8 different stations. Each station was run by a parent volunteer which let all the teachers walk around, take pictures, and even play some too! Here are a few pictures from the day. You can see the rest on facebook...enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Easter is by far one of my top 3 favorite holidays and Josh and I spent our first Easter together with lots of family, friends, and..international students?! Yes, and it was a blast! We headed out for Abilene after a long day at school and arrived just before 11. After some much needed R&R, I spent most of the weekend shopping with mom; and Josh spent most, I mean ALL, of the weekending consumed in golf (one word-Masters). Anyway, when Sunday actually arrived, I was super excited because I love, LOVE hearing Val sing "Arise My Love" at Highland...which happens only on Easter morning. If you go to Highland, then you obviously know how gifted Val is and how the words in that song speak right to your heart. After reuniting with friends at church, my family drove out to Clyde, TX (a small country town in the middle of nowhere) to be with some of our best family friends for the rest of the afternoon. Several HSU international students were there spending Easter with us and we had a blast!

Great-grandma's sugar cookies that mom & I made:

Anna, Me, & Bimpe

Us at the Gregory's (except Dad's taking the picture)

Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier, my parents surprised us with a little Easter 'gift'...two tickets to Six Flags! Josh and I are so excited, we've been wanting to go to Six Flags for a while and now we get to go...free :) Hope you're Easter was blessed!

Love Actually...is all around.

2009-04-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend Josh and I attended such a special wedding where some of our best friends were marrying each other. Several of our close college friends came into town for the wedding which made for some good times. All day Saturday I had some much needed girl time with my dear college friend Meagan...we spent the day shopping, eating, getting our make-up done, doing hair, and talking...I mean what could be any better for a girl???

Anyway, the wedding was outdoors at the Arboretum and the reception under a big white tent in the midst of beautiful flowers under a starry sky. I felt like I just stepped into a scene from a movie, it was wonderful! Josh and I are blessed in so many ways period, but I just can't get over how wonderful our friends are!!!

Here's me with Meagan and Elena...two of the best!

Elena and her 'bump'!

Us with the beautiful bride! (Sorry Hunter, my battery was about to die and you were busy talking to someone else!)

You Know You're in Dallas When...

2009-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

As Josh and I were leaving Starbucks yesterday morning, an orange Ferrari drove right in front of us. Josh said 'You know you're in Dallas when...you and the man in the Ferrari make the same amount of money; except you drive the Ford and he drives the Ferrari.' ...no wonder America is where it is economically!!!

We proceeded to play this game on our way to the St. Patrick's day parade on lower Greenville. This is what we came up with, enjoy :)

You know you're in Dallas when...
1. ...the girl behind you in line at the mall just got a nose job and has the bandages to prove it.
2. ...the guy sitting in front of you in church is wearing brown, pointy-toe paisley boots.
2. ...you work at a school where half of the students live in $500,000 homes and the other half qualify for free & reduced lunch.
3. ...more guys than girls work in malls.
4. ...a 40 year-old man in front of you at Starbucks offers to buy your breakfast, all while flaunting his argyle sweater and the over abundance of pesos he owns.
5. ... you attend a church with 6,000 people and yet 1,200 are actually members.
6. ... you pay $3.50 for a cupcake.
7. ... you can't drive down the Dallas North Tollway without being blinded by those annoying halogen headlights.
8. ... there is valet parking at the local pizza restaurant.
9. ... you have to make a concious effort to dress appropriately for the type of restaurant you're eating at that night.
10. You live 15 minutes away from the 11th poorest neighborhood in the country yet also 15 minutes away from Emmit Smith, George Bush, and Mark Cuban's multi-million dollar estates.

Lately...

2009-03-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

It's almost been one month since my last post...wow! I always had high expectations of my blogging frequency, thinking I would blog several times a week...and then life hits ya! Anyway, school is going great. I find my self stuck in a moment when it's 8:15am and I'm up in front of a classroom of 22 kids teaching them spelling patterns and basic mathematics. I mean, how did I get here??? I honestly believe I'm at the best school ever working with the best, most genuine, people. I am super excited about our Spring Break...2 more school days! Over spring break, my mom is coming to visit for a couple days. I'm thrilled!!! I've already planned the bakeries we're eating at, the antique stores we shopping at, and of course our usual trip to Anthro. Anyway, I hope all is well with you as you live simply and 'find beauty through closed eyes.'

Happy first Valentine's..

2009-02-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying that the 'first' Valentine's Day as a married woman was not what I expected. Thursday evening I began to feel a sickness coming on and by Saturday (Vday) I was NOT feeling 100%. However, such is life, and you learn to move with it. Even though my Valentine's was not exactly what I had envisioned, it was none the less wonderful.

My Valentine's actually started at 10:30 Friday morning because that's when a dozen beautiful tulips were delivered to my classroom. It was so fun opening a huge box of flowers in front of my students; the girls giggled and the boys, well, they were a little jealous haha not really. But it was so fun getting to tell the kids that 'Mr. Josh' gave me flowers for Valentine's (along with the sweetest note ever!)...the kids love Mr. Josh and hearing about him.

That night at our church they were showing FIREPROOF to anyone who wanted to come watch. Josh and I, wanting to see the movie, but not too thrilled about the acting, decided to go. Let me just say that we are SO glad we went. We were blown away by the Christian message that it delivered. If you have never heard of it, we HIGHLY recommend the movie. It is about a married couple on the verge of divorce, yet the husband commits to the 'LOVE DARE' challenge (you'll find out in the movie) from his father. Although it delivers several religious messages about the committment and love within marriage, the most important message it delivers is regarding Christ's unfailing love towards us. Afterward, so much great conversation was sparked between the two of us as we processed the movie and what was taught throughout it. Anyway, I could do a whole blog post just about the movie...but I'll save you time...just go to the website

On Saturday I woke up to an empty bed and still felt bad, not what I had expected on Valentines...but whatever! I got up to make Josh a big yummy breakfast when minutes later he walked through the door with a warm Starbucks white choc. mocha, my favorite magazine, and the sweetest card. We enjoyed breakfast together, exchanged our gifts, and I went back to bed...for 2 more hours. The day went on and that night Josh made such a yummy dinner for me...chicken fettucini alfredo, caesar salad, and garlic bread...probably one of my favorite meals! It was so delicious!!!

Looking back on a day when the world has created such high expectations for people in, and not in, relationships I'm reminded of what really matters most:
1. a husband willing to do whatever it takes to make our marriage stronger...even if it means watching Kirk Cameron in FIREPROOF
2. a husband who demonstrates selfless love by taking care of his sick wife on vday...probably not the most romantic thing!
3. being in a marriage where hardships arise, lesson's are learned, and yet both are looking to a God who demonstrates what TRUE love really looks like.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

"Teacher, please forgive me..."

2009-01-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

About 3 months ago I recieved a little Chinese boy who just moved to Dallas from China. I happily greeted his crying mom, slightly confused dad, eager translator, my prinicipal, and 'T' at the door on his first day in my classroom. I felt like it was disaterous at first trying to teach a classroom of 21 students and 1 behavior boy, let alone a Chinese boy who spoke VERY little English. However, through the past months, his English and behavior has improved GREATLY. However, he still is a 7 year-old boy...and that's where my story begins...

This past Monday I went to pick my kids up from Music class when the teacher pulled me and 'T' aside for a little talk. I quickly found out that while the rest of the first graders were cheerfully dancing to one of their program songs, 'T' was among them dancing in a provocative way with his hands on places they shouldn't be. Trying to hide back the laughter as I looked down at 'T's guilty face and reassured Mrs. E that I would handle it and be sure to let mom and dad know.

That afternoon I emailed our translator letting him know of 'T's inappropriate behavior and told him to call mom and dad and explain it to them. After school that day 'T's father came to pick him up and apologized, in little English, for his son's behavior.

The next day on our way to specials (the time of the day when the kids either go to PE/Music/Art) I noticed 'T' go to his locker and get out a card. He ended up giving the card to Mrs. E (the music teacher who witnessed the provocative dance moves from little 'T'). Anyway, today I finally got to read the card that 'T' wrote to Mrs. E...and here it is...written verbatum from my little Chinese boy, 'T'.

"teacher
Please forgive me
I am sorry that I
have done in the
classroom Not
graceful movements.

'T' #23 (with the #23 erased)

How adorable is that! Ahh I love being a first grade teacher...

There's No Place Like Home

2009-01-28T10:00:00.001-08:00

I don't think I could have been any happier this morning when I woke up to my phone ringing at 6am. Yep, it was the Superintendent calling to say "School had been canceled today due to inclement weather." Josh also had a 'delayed start' and did not have to be at work until 10am. How glorious was it to stay under the covers with my husband for two more hours! Anyway, my day at home (so far) has been spent making breakfast and cleaning all while watching LITTLE WOMEN (all time fav). I did happen to venture out into the cold to take a few pictures of the scenery outside our apartment. Enjoy :)

Ringing in the New Year

2009-01-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Ahh the joy of welcoming a new year means surrounding yourself with great friends and great memories. Last night several friends came over to meet, greet, and eat before going out to dinner. Later on we came back to the apartment to play games and just be with friends who we haven't seen in months. As time ticked we decided to go down to victory park and be with the thousands of people to welcome in the new year. We had a blast standing amongst the thousands for over an hour in the cold as we all counted down to 2009. I hope that your new year was welcomed with open arms as well!

Dallas-Abilene-Odessa-Abilene-Dallas-Indianapolis-Dallas

2008-12-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

As you can read in this title, Josh and I have been busy doing lots of driving (and flying) over our holiday break. Instead of writing full sentences to desicribe my Christmas break (so far) I decided to make bullets because I am in no mindset to write paragraphs! Here goes:

-Drive to Odessa
-Enjoy 3 Christmas' with in-laws
-Hold and take care of baby Rayleigh
-Watch my husband learn to bathe, lotion, clothe, feed, rock, love, and put to sleep his 2 month-old neice Rayleigh. Then comes me laughing at my husband as he now believes he is a 'pro' with babies thus trying to teach others, including his sister (Rayleighs mom), how to take care of Rayleigh.
-See Seven Pounds
-Drive to Abilene
-Annual Christmas Eve Service
-Wach "It's A Wonderful Life" (best Christmas movie ever) followed by "A Christmas Story"
-Christmas with my side of the family
-Recieve some of the best gift evers :)
-Annual 'Go see a movie on Christmas Day'= Marley & Me (one of my fav's)
-Day after Christmas shopping
-Go see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (ahh love it!)
-Drive to DFW airport to fly to Indianapolis
-Arrive at Indianapolis...eat at Harry & Izzys (yum-yum)
-Watch dad try to hail a cab in the pouring rain
-Get brand new suede boots wet in the rain. Thank goodness I sprayed them with water repllent spray prior to this! Phew!
-Watch the Colts beat the Titans in their brand new stadium (thank goodness it was indoor!)
-See the BODIES exhibit! It was amazing!!!
-Shop...shop...shop
-Fly back to Dallas...say goodbye to family...return home!

Here are some pictures to prove my wonderful holiday!

The Joy of Teaching 1st Grade!

2008-12-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

Since I've been teaching first grade, I really have been able to experience so many things. One of my most favorite is truly experiencing all the seasons! Living in Texas means that all the season just run together. In the Winter, it might be in the 30s when you wake up, but don't worry, it will get up to 75 by the afternoon. Summer's mean temperature up in the triple digits while Fall means the leaves change to a pretty brownish/red...hm lovely.
Anyway, on Friday was our Polar Express day (to go a long with our winter theme) and with that came WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS TO SCHOOL DAY!!! Seeing all my little ones walk down the hall in their matching pajamas, slippers, robes, and stuffed animals made me smile so big. It gave me a different, more personal, perspective on my students because on Friday I was really able to see them as 6 & 7 year old children instead of students at school. The day begin with a hilarious story from one of my girls. As she turns the corner to come down A hall pulling her rolly pink backpack she blurts out :
"My mom did not want to come to pajama day becasue she does not wear pajamas. She likes to sleep naked!"
And then goes about her business, unpacking her backpack and putting things away in her locker. Oh the joy of teaching 1st grade!
After this little 'moment' we did our morning work and I read The Polar Express to my kids. Yes, I do get teary-eyed everytime I read that story. Espcecially this time as I was reading it for the first time as a teacher. After reading the book, we watched The Polar Express movie; compared the movie and the book; finished a writing prompt "If I were on the Polar Express I would" and ended the day by making hot cocoa. I never thought kids would get so excited about stirring hot cocoa with a spoon! Anyway, all of this was done while wearing pajamas and it was wonderful! Here's a class picture:

One more thing!!! Last Monday we took a field trip to the Environmental Studies Center wear the kids learned about different organisms and were able to pet and hold several types. Here are several pictures of our day there:

Home Sweet Home

2008-11-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

This morning Josh and I went up to my school so I could work in my room while he put in metal rods so my hanging file folders could actually hang in my filing cabinets. Anyway, afterward we decided to go 'mess around'...code word for 'running errands'. Our messing around involved PGA Super Store, Target, Mall, and Hobby Lobby. I ended up buying some Christmas decor for the apartment and a few gifts. When we returned home, we both decided to go ahead and get the apartment ready for Christmas since we would be gone Tuesday-Sunday for Thanksgiving. We thought it would be kind of fun to come home to a "Christmas'y" apartment. Because I have not posted pictures of our apartment, I thought now would be a good time (there are more pics on my facebook account) Hope you enjoy!

Coming home for Homecoming

2008-10-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Life has been keeping us busy! Two weekends ago we flew to Odessa to visit baby Rayleigh and the rest of the family! Last weekend we frantically left Dallas around 5:30 (primetime for traffic) to drive to Abilene for homecoming. Yes, college homecoming. I know some of you might laugh that I would be driving 3 hours to go back to my college homecoming, but it's a big deal for us Wildcats!

Josh and I arrived to some yummy homecooked meal at my parents house around 10:00 Friday night. After some catching up with my parents (this includes Josh and Dad talking work while Mom shows me around the house at all the 'new' or different things she has done with the house) we proceeded to bed.

Every year I have so many memories of ACU's homecoming and the parade. In fact, I can remember each parade so vividly.....
FRESHMAN: a bunch of us friends filled the bed of Heath's truck with water and decided that would be our 'float' in the parade.
SOPHOMORE: I was a proud pledge of Sigma Theta Chi marching in step with 49 of my bestest friends in my pledge class following (the best) float ever! I can still remember all those words we had to sing and I'm sure you Siggies out there remember them too!
JUNIOR: I was able to stand on the sidewalk with my closest friends and cheer on the Siggie and Moonie float, "Boooo" at the Gammas, and just stare at the Kojies (haha I love you girls!)
SENIOR: I was the proud 'Big Sig' (pledge mom) to some of the best girls out there. My husband and his friends help build the Siggie float: an ENORMOUS blue elephant! It was so fun cheering for the girls as they marched proudly in the parade.

My first year back as an Alum was bittersweet. It was fun to stand on the sidewalks with our best friends (most of whom are married to each other) and catch up on old times! The rest of the weekend was followed by: lunch with the girls, shopping with mom, ACU football game (#2 in the nation!), watching UT kick OU's butt (love you Candice), hanging out with friends, and a WONDERFUL Sunday lunch at Perini's. It was a fabulous time :)

Rayleigh

2008-10-20T18:49:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I flew out to Odessa to see baby Rayleigh. We had so much fun visiting family, cooking out, eating birthday cake (Rayleigh turned 1 week old!), and holding her the whole time! I loved so much getting to hold, feed, and change her diaper. I'm such a proud aunt! Anyway, here are a LOT of pictures for you to enjoy :)

Texas Fight!

2008-10-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today has been a blur! Josh wakes me up this morning at 7:30 jumping up and down saying 'Hurry and get up, we have to go down there (the fair) and try and get tickets for the game!' Well considering I went to bed at 1:00 the night before, I was a little slow to get out of bed. However, my anxious husband would not allow one more minute to go by! So, at 8:15 we're headed out of the apartment: Josh with the coffee; me with wet hair and my make-up bag; but both of us wearing burnt orange and headed south for the game. What is supposed to be a 25minute drive, ended up being a 2 hour drive due to the thousands of people ready to see the #1 team in the nation take on the #5 team.

Finally, we reach the fairgrounds and are asking every person who's holding up tickets: "How much for two of those?" and "Which side are they on?" 10 minutes until kickoff, we purchase two tickets and quickly head to our seats. Thankfully we get there just as the teams are running out on the field.

All in all, the game was phenomenal. It was Josh's first UT game and it was definitely worth every penny...eevverryy penny! This was by far the best football game I'd ever been too or seen! In fact, it was so good, that we're sitting here at the apartment watching the game all over again...and I like it!

P.S. You can check out more pictures on my facebook profile :)

Happy Birthday Johnny!

2008-09-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

On Friday, September 26, my class celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday! That whole week we had an 'Apple Unit' and Friday was our day to celebrate! It included tasting different types of apples, reading apple books, talking about the five parts of an apple, making applesauce, and of course we HAD to do some Math in there. However, the day was 'topped off' by eating our 'classroom-made' applesauce and singing Happy Birthday to Johnny! I'm so sorry I have not posted more recent pictures of my class...but here is the 'applesauce table':

Here are the kids enjoying the applesauce and loving Friday's at school!

Lately...

2008-09-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Let me first start off by saying my blogging days have been reduced, greatly! Saturday mornings are usually my 'break' and a good time to Blog. However, I've been out of town for that past few weeks, so I'm just now catching up! Last weekend Josh & I left Dallas right at 5 to make it back to ACU for Bid Night. As we are approaching Abilene, my eyes quickly spot 'The Tower of Light' and yes, they do become watery. All of these emotions and memories of spending the best 4 years of my life were quickly brought back into my mind. People always told me to 'enjoy those days' because you'll never get them back.' Well, when you're an engaged 21 year-old finishing up your last semester in college, you don't pay much attention. All you want to do is graduate! However, when several of my younger friends approached me on Bid Night asking me about 'Married Life' and school, my advice to them was "Never Graduate!" Josh and I tell each other every day how much we miss those wonderful years..I'm just so glad that we got to spend 3 and a half of them together!

Anyway, another reason why going back to ACU that weekend was SO much fun, was because two of our best friends (now married to each other) stayed with us at my parents house. Taryn was my Bid Night Buddy and Chase was Josh's roommate. They are some of our dearest friends and we got to spend the whole weekend together! It was wonderful to have some girl bonding time with Taryn! Here's a pic of us at Perini's!

My 22 kids!

2008-09-03T16:10:00.001-07:00

I finally was able to post a picture of my class (minus Liliana!) I am so blessed by these kids; God teaches me so much through them! I am constantly reminded of the innocence in a child, patience it takes to work with them, and God's funny sense of humor!!! I don't have long to blog, but I just wanted to go ahead and post a couple pictures! I'll post more pics soon!!

Top 10 About 1st Grade!!!

2008-08-26T18:33:00.001-07:00

I am so blessed to say that I have been a teacher to 22 1st graders for the past two days! I never could have expected what these two days would have been like, but so far, I am enjoying every minute of my 600 minutes that I'm there!

Anyway, one of my team teachers posted her "Top 10 Favorite Things about 1st Grade" and I decided to do the same...here goes!

1. Seeing 22 faces looking, listening, and smiling at me throughout the day.
2. Having sweet Rodolfo carry my chair all the way out to recess.
3. Ivy telilng me that 'She was so excited about 1st grade, that her tooth fell out!'
4. Loving that I work a 10 hour job and only get paid for 8 of those hours.
5. Sitting at a lunch table, surrounded by little boys telling me all about 'Video games with lots of blood, fighting, and helicoptors ...?'
6. Also sitting at the lunch table and having my very own class making fun of me for what I eat everyday for lunch...an apple, penut butter, and almonds!
7. Playing 'Heads up 7 Up' for indoor recess and seeing the students giggle, squeal, and laugh because 'Mrs. Barnes got picked!'
8. Learning new things about my students...Adonay went to Hawaiin Falls this summer; Acxel loves zebras; and Katie is into 'Kung-fu'.
9. Letting the kids think that I've been teaching for 'several years.'
10. Being called Mrs. Barnes ...and the occasional, "Mom".

All in all, after 2 days of teaching, I'm so thankful I chose this career and God gave me the opportunities to pursue it. Yes, I'm still learning, still nervous, still having TONS of questions, still trying to understand my students, but that's the beauty of it!!

PS. I will post a picture of me with my class by the end of this week..get ready, their wayyyy cute!

2 More Days!!!

2008-08-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

In two more days, I will officially be a first grade teacher! I will be greeting parents at the door, meeting their little child, my students, telling them to go sit at their desk to color their Alphabet page, put on their name tag, and pick a book from the 'Book Nook' when they're finished. I've definitely been working up at school 12 hours a day for the past...week. Yes that's right, only a week because our school has been under construction all summer long and I just got in last week! It's definitely been an eventful ride! Thankfully, my mom came in town a couple days ago and has been helping me so, so, SO much! Shout out to mom-thank you!

Anyway, that's one HUGE reason why I have not blogged in quite some time..I've been super busy! Once my room is finished, hopefully by Monday, I will take picstures and post them!!! Well, it's now time for me to go call those little youngsters and tell them "Hi Andrew, this is Mrs. Barnes, your new 1st grade teacher! I am so happy you are in my clas....." At our school, each teacher calls her students and meets the parent and child over the phone first and then we have 'Meet the Teacher Night' next Thursday! Okie dokie, gotta go! Have a fabulous day!

2008-08-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

YOUAREMYBLUESKY

2008-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

The other day I get a call from one of my besties from High School, Whitney, that she and her bf will be in Dallas on Thursday and they wanted to meet up with us for lunch. Well, I was ecstatic to say the least! We all met up for lunch at Freebirds and had the best time! We caught up on lost time and talked about our close, and weird, high school friends! Whitney is one of those people who can make anyone laugh because she has the most unique kind of humor. I just love her! We have known each other since 4th grade, played volleyball together since the 7th grade, and well have been close friends for several years. Here are a few pics to prove we actually did see each other!

PS. When you eat at Freebirds, the rule is to create something with the foil wrapper off your burrito. Well, I came up with the novel idea to make golf clubs, golf bag, and little golf balls. For some reason golf is always on my mind since my husband plays it all the time..in our house. Yes, I have gotten hit with a golf ball several times. No, this is not abuse.
Anyway, here is a little picture of my creation!

Blue Like Jazz

2008-08-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

This summer I have completely turned into a bookworm...and I'm proud of it! Over the course of my 4 years in college, I could count on one hand how many books I read for leisure. After Josh and I married, I decided that this summer I would read, read, read! So far, I've fulfilled my expectation and have read several amazing books and am in the process of finishing up three more.

For those of you who have already read Blue Like Jazz, or at least heard of it, you're probably thinking 'Wow, she is just now reading this?' Well, yes, that's correct. Josh read it a few years ago and it has been sitting in our bookcase catching my eye. I picked up a week ago and could not put it down. I took it everywhere with me, to the gym, Barnes & Noble, doing laundry, etc... I finished it last night and God really spoke to me through this book, to the point of tears. I am a HUGE "highlighter"-meaning, I underline or highlight anything I like. If you go through my Bible or any of the books I own, you'll find pen marks all through it! After I finish a book, I go through and read everything I highlight, just to kinda 'refresh' my memory of what stood out to me from the book. I decided to share with you some of the things I underlined in the book. If you've already read the book, let these words 'refresh' your spirit or if you have never heard of this book, let it inspire you to dig deeper in your faith and love others in a more real way. Enjoy!

"I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze."

"I started wondering why we have to train kids at all. I wondered if I ever had a couple of kids and I trained one of them, taught him right from wrong, and the other I didn't train at all, I wonder which would be the better kid.
"The kid you teach right from wrong, of course" (replied from his friend)
"Of course, but that really should tell us something about the human condition. We have to be taught to be good. It doesn't come completely natural. In my mind, that's a flaw in the human condition."

"There is a time when every person who encounters Jesus decides that they will spend their life following Him. Some people, like the Apostle John, make this decision the minute they meet Him, the minute they become a Christian. Others, like the Apostley Peter, endure years of half-hearted commitment and spiritual confusion before leaping in with all their passion. Still others may enjoy some benefits of God's love and grace without entereing into the true joy of marriage with their maker."

"Ravi Zacharias says that what the heart is really belonging to do is worship, to stand in awe of a God we don't understand and can't explain."

"And so I have come to understand that strength, inner strength, comes from receiving love as much as it comes from giving it...God's love will never change us if we don't accept it."

"I was watching BET one night, and they were interviewing a man about jazz music. He said jazz music was invented by the first generation out of slavery. I thought that was beautiful because, while it is music, it is very hard to put on paper; it is os much more a language of the soul. It is as if the soul is saying, something about freedom. I think Christian spirituality is like jazz music. I think loving is something you feel. I think loving Jesus is something you feel. I think it is something very difficult to get on paper. But it's no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful."

Today I met Brooklyn Paige Ballard

2008-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Brooklyn Paige Ballard was brought into the world by her parents Amy & Brad (Brad is my cousin!). She weighs 8lbs 5oz and is 20 inches long with jet black hair! Growing up I never really lived extremely close to any of my extended family...I think a 3 hour drive was the closest! However, now that Josh & I live in Dallas, I am minutes away from my Aunt & Uncle and my cousin Brad and his wife Amy. After I hit up "Teacher Appreciation Day" at Teacher Tool's, I called Mimi and headed over to the hospital to see my family, and meet a new member! It was so awesome to just drive a few miles and be able to see my Mimi, 2 cousins, and my 2 aunts. For all of those who live close to your relatives, don't take that for granted! Anyway, enough of my words, let's look at pictures of this precious girl!!!

Treasured Times

2008-07-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have a very productive and yet wonderful weekend! Friday night was definitely low key...Josh came home to a "Mexican Fiesta"...basically it consisted of home-made enchiladas, chips and dip, margaritas, and Mexican salad. After that we just hung around the house, watched some TV, and read. I had to wake up early Saturday morning in order to wait in line at 1/2 Price Books for a couple hours. The reason being is because I was able to get two boxes of children's books for my classroom...for FREE!

That afternoon Josh and I headed out to "The Dump" (yes that is the name of a furniture store!) where we purchased our first set of furniture! It is a gorgeous light brown leather couch, chair, and ottoman/coffee table. It is so classic yet has a lot of character to it! There will definitely be pictures to come!

Later that night, two of our best friends from college got married. Because of their wedding, several of our friends were there. Let's just say I have never been so happy at a wedding (besides my own of course!). Oh the memories were wonderful...

-Seeing Allie ("Satan, bite the dust!") and Holly...good times at ACU's volleyball camp!

-Hugging Taryn & Elena @ the same time!

-Seeing my good friend Lauryn for the first time since graduation

-Watching Jenny walk down the isle to the song of "Leaving Port" from Titanic

-Eating cake with Taryn & Elena..there is no picture for this because we were way to busy eating!

-Catching up with Becca...can't wait until April 4th!

-Getting a picture of Josh, 'John Travolta',and Chris..w/ a mustache...Elena, you're a good wife.

-Talking to Julianne about the Baxter family...don't ask!

As you can read, I have some pretty amazing friends whom I love dearly. I miss y'all and can't wait until Bid Night!!!

From Dallas to Denver!

2008-07-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Josh & I woke up super early in order for me to catch my 7:50 flight to Denver. I was soo excited to visit my sister in Colorado because we only get to see each other about 3 or 4 times a year. Because my sister is such a "planner" and "go-getter", the minute I landed in Denver, she had scheduled our next 3 days down to the minute! So, that Friday, we did several fun things in downtown Denver. First off, we visited her office, which is located on the 24th floor in downtown Denver. Here are some pics from her office! Check out the view!

After that, we went to the Denver Art Museum where we saw several prints of Monet and Picasso. One of my favorites was the "Textile Art" section where we saw several antique furniture from hundreds of years ago. The actual building's architecture is amazing! This picture is for you Josh, I know he'll love it and appreciate it!

Next on the agenda, we went back to her apartment to get ready for the evenings festivities which included eating at "The Tavern", going to a Rockies game, and enjoying downtown Denver afterward! Here are more pics :) The next day, Steph and I woke up late, and went to eat brunch at "Snooze" where we split a huge pancake, hash browns, eggs, and a "Granola Split." It was incredible! After that, we took the infamous hike. Yes, during our 5 mile hike, we saw a doe, rabbit, and several birds, and I could have sworn I heard a cougar growl. Once we were about 100 yards from the top, Steph stopped dead in her tracks (now, when the fearless Steph stops...it's not a good sign!) she heard several "stomps" ahead...and since there were no other people on the trail..we knew it wasn't good. She insisted we turn around and head back down the mountain (which was not a bad idea considering there was a storm blowing through and it was lightning!). I was totally okay with heading back down!!!

Tagged!

2008-07-17T12:46:00.001-07:00

My mom's best friend, or my 2nd mom, Mary, tagged me! Hope you learn something new about me!

What was I doing ten years ago?
-I was 12 years old and going into the 7th grade at ACS. You'd probably find me outside playing "HORSE" with my dad or rollerblading in the street with Anna & Lilly (Mary's daughters-our neighbors) and having the time of my life!

Five things on my to do list:
1. Finish packing
2. Unload the dishwasher
3. Finish laundry
4. Cook dinner
5. Lay out
(i lead a hard life hehe)

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. CC cookies!
2. Apples and peanut butter
3. My home-made smoothies
4. Ice-Cream
5. CLIFF bars

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Travel the world
2. Live in Africa for a year
3. Own a house on the beach and in the mountains
4. Go to Culinary school
5. Serving others through the first 4 things.

Places I've lived:
1. Abilene, TX
2. Dallas, TX

Vintage pretty #2

2008-07-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ok ok, please forgive me. I have not been faithful to my "Vintage Pretty" assignments. I said earlier that I would post a new outfit of the week...well that was 5 weeks ago and I've only posted one outfit...it's about time for a new one!

So, my staple go-to is always Anthropologie, and that's where the top and shorts come from in this outfit. Notice the adorable little owl on the shirt in the bottom left corner! The shoes (so cute btw!) are from Target! I saw them yesterday in the store and resisted the urge to buy them...so I am "enjoying" them through this post! Hope you enjoy!

Soak in Him

2008-07-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

The other night I was having a quiet time and towards the end of this alone time, I started to flip through the pages of my prayer journal. This journal is extremely special to me because one of my best friends, Stacy, gave it to me right before we entered college together as roommates. As I was flipping through the pages, reading through my prayers about college, boys, friends, and homework, I noticed something I wrote down in February of 2006. I had actually heard it on KGNZ (a Christian radio program) and quickly wrote down what I heard because it (or whoever was speaking on the radio that day) spoke so clearly to me that day:

"The problem is we don't soak. There is to much going on in our daily lives that we don't have time to soak. We talk about how one day when we get to heaven we'll be able to see Jesus and really experience beauty. However, right now we have an opportunity to soak in the love and joy that comes from a personal relationship with God. That's where our happiness should come from. Soak it up. Start now."

Don't wait another minute, I encourage you to start today. Find Jesus in your everyday world and when you do, give Him all the glory. Soak it up.

Shop-A-Holic

2008-07-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

So I have a little bug right now, thankfully it is NOT the "Stomach Bug!" Nope, I'm totally obsessed with resale/consignment stores for all my shopping. A few weeks ago when my mom was in town, we visited a few consignment stores and it totally inspired me to solely shop at places such as these. Call me crazy, but who wouldn't want to buy name-brand clothes for half the price??? I told Josh the other day that I will never shop at "mall" stores again (we'll see how long that lasts!). But, all the resale shops I've been too sale Anthropologie's clothing brands...so I'm totally pumped about that. All I need now is the $ to pay for the clothes :)

July 4th, 2008

2008-07-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

This July's "4th" was a very special one because I got to spend it with my in-laws whom I love! Yes, Josh & I flew to Odessa for a 3 day weekend to relax and spend quality time with our family. On Friday, we spent the day shopping in Midland, cooking out, and going to the Rockhound's baseball game! Saturday we spent the day visiting both Josh's grandparents in Stanton (they live across the street from each other so that makes it pretty convenient for us)! That night we all went and saw HANCOCK...pretty good movie! Sunday we enjoyed going to church, playing with Buddy and CoCo (their crazy toy poodle dogs), and watching "The Baby Borrowers" (haha you gotta watch this one...it comes on Wednesday nights!) Below is a pic of me, Buddy, and CoCo on our way to the airport! They just love me!

My only regret: not getting a picture with Rhonda at the baseball game as we ate our ice-cream out of a baseball hat :)

Happy One Month!

2008-07-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

It's official, Josh and I have successfully been married for one month! We have had so much fun living here in our new little city.

As I was doing my daily ritual-meeting the mailman at 5:15 in front of our mail boxes- I was thinking of all the fun things Josh and I have done in our first month. Here our my top ten's (in no particular order):

1. Taking walks at night
2. Walking to & from Pei Wei
3. Monday night ritual-watching the Bachelorette...go Jason!
4. Free movies at the Park
5. Eating ice-cream at Paciugo's
6. Making our apt. our home
7. Cooking & eating dinner together
8. Meeting new people
9. Spending every Saturday "shopping w/o spending $"
10. Eating yummy homemade parfaits with our breakfast, lunch, & dinner!

Anyway, one month down, 585,940 to go!

Look who came to visit!

2008-07-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, my mom, best friend Caroline, and her mom came to Dallas to visit Josh and I. We had a blast meeting at Paradise Bakery, eating their wonderful CChip Cookies and shopping afterward. The day was filled with talking, laughing, shopping, eating at P.F. Chang, and ending the day with Paciugo ice cream!

The next day we got off to an early start by heading straight to resale shops and eating a wonderful hamburger at Chips...famous for their amazing poppyseed buns. In the afternoon we finished up by going to a few other consignment stores, Weirs furniture, and a yummy White Chocolate Mocha. I am so blessed to have such wonderful women in my life that influence me in such positive ways. Praise the Lord for moms and friends :)

Subtle inspirations...

2008-06-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for other people's photography. Yes, I did take a photography class a year ago and loved it, but I don't come close to those out there who just have that kind of "eye" for things. Let me tell you about two people...the first is my best friend Caroline Casey, you can actually check out her website at www.carolinejoyphoto.com. Her pictures are like a breath of fresh air...she's absolutely incredible! Here are a few she took of me at my wedding!

Next is a man who I obviously don't know, yet love his creative mind. His name is Rodney Smith and I found him through Caroline and wanted to show you some of my favorite pictures from his website:

Vintage pretty

2008-06-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Because I enjoy vintage clothes so much, I have decided to post my favorite outfit each week from a certain website. It could be mixed pieces thrown together by the so-called "Vintage Designer", myself, or I could take the easier route and just show you a model wearing a vintage piece I love!

So for today's pick we have:
A silky chic dress, subtle ballerina flats, and lovely raffia tote. You can find all from www.anthropologie.com!!!

A new chapter...

2008-06-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

I like to think that life is made up of several different chapters in one's life. It's so surreal to think that I have just begun a new chapter, more like a new journey in my life. I am loving being able to live my life with my best friend, who I just married, in a new city. I find myself in awe of God's sovereignty over my life and think of how interesting it is to know that He is in complete control.

I chose "Finding Beauty Through Closed Eyes" as my blog title because I try to find beauty in the ordinary, everyday things that life brings. I feel that in order to see "ordinary" as beauty, you must first begin within.

FINDING BEAUTY THROUGH CLOSED EYES

Merry Christmas from 716!

Hico Flea Market

Rangers Game!

My New Teacher Blog

Our Trip!

Just Landed...

Cali here I come...

Who Will Write Your Name

The Dallas Flea

Possum Kingdom

My latest DIY

((no title))

A Few of my Favorite Things

TGIF

Snow Day #4

Meet the Teacher

Snow Day 1 & 2

Just because...

Christmas 2010

A Cozy Christmas

Captions

When Inspiration meets Reality

My Classroom

Hand-Painted TOMS

Simply Seaside

Feeling all sentimental and such...

Abby's First Road Trip!

Pardon the dust...

Long overdue...

Sneak Peak...

Josh Turns 24!

A *quick* update

Couples Retreat

Polyvore

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" ..I mean.. "I'm dreaming of a Caucasian holiday"

Over the past month...

Go Horns Go

Rayleigh Turns 1!

My life...plus 22 others

Still in Seaside...

It's coming...

Last vaca hint!!!

Two Peas in Two Pods!

NYC!!!

Update!!!

Hints 5 & 6!!!

If it wasn't for Texas...

Vacation Hint #4

Vacation Hints 2 and #3!!!

Ice Cream Party! Anniversary! Secret Vacation!

Field Day Fun!

Hopping, Jumping, & Leaping into Spring.... ASI Gymnastics!

Happy Easter!

Love Actually...is all around.

You Know You're in Dallas When...

Lately...

Happy first Valentine's..

"Teacher, please forgive me..."

There's No Place Like Home

Ringing in the New Year

Dallas-Abilene-Odessa-Abilene-Dallas-Indianapolis-Dallas

The Joy of Teaching 1st Grade!

Home Sweet Home

Coming home for Homecoming

Rayleigh

Texas Fight!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Lately...

My 22 kids!

Top 10 About 1st Grade!!!

2 More Days!!!

YOUAREMYBLUESKY

Blue Like Jazz

Today I met Brooklyn Paige Ballard

Treasured Times

From Dallas to Denver!

Tagged!

Vintage pretty #2

Soak in Him

A quick update