blessed

I am absolutely loving my life right now. I love my job, church, family, boyfriend, friends, apartment, the holidays...and the list could go on for several more lines. Just the other day while I was teaching my 2nd graders, I had this overwhelming sense of thankfulness. Sure, I'm not always as patient as I could be. Sure, I get irritated when I'm teaching about the properties of an object and someone raises their hand just to ask what we're having for lunch. Yes, I sometimes come to hate my own name because I hear it millions of times in one day. And yes, I feel shocked (yet a little giggly) when I see that one of my boys got his folder signed in gym for bending over and telling girls to look at his bottom ("But the girls didn't tell me to stop!!!"). But an "I love you" or "Can I squeeze you?" makes it all worth it. My kids (well, really all kids) are so precious and I feel so blessed! Here's a picture of Max dressed up for Christmas. I can't wait to have my own kids so that I can dress them up, but Max will have to do for now. Enjoy your weekend!

somebody loved

Check out this video from The Office. I cry every time I watch it. It's too sweet!

why i love cooler weather

It finally feels like Fall! The change in weather prompted me to make a list of all the reasons i love cold weather. Here they are in random order... *i get to wear sweaters that have spent months in my closet *i don't have to paint my toenails as often *hot chocolate! *it's one more excuse to take a hot bubble bath *it's an excuse to buy new clothes! *gloves and scarves! *lower electricity bill *it gets me thinking about Christmas and listening to Christmas music *i don't feel as guilty wrapping myself in a blanket and watching tv when it's cold (it's too cold to take Max for a walk or grade papers!:) *it's a great time to snuggle...whether it's with a big ol' dog or a boy!

september

I haven't posted anything in a while, so I thought I'd share some highlights of the past few weeks.

• Max and I went to Austin to visit Chloe and Andrew. We had a blast and Max made a new friend!!!

• I have some new favorite songs. I love The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson. It's the song off of the new Old Navy commercial. I also have fallen in love with Joshua Radin, especially his song called Only You. If you like laid back, acoustic-style music, you would probably like these two artists.
• Teaching is going really well. We have started our literacy stations and they are making life TONS easier! I really feel like I'm being a good teacher and that the kids are taking responsibility for their own learning.
• Matthew and I went to our last Ranger's game a few weeks ago.:( I can't wait til next season!!

• Our one-year anniversary is next week!
• I'm still really liking the church I'm going to (it's called Forest Grove Christian Church). I'm hoping to get involved really soon.
• I'm trying to volunteer at a hospital, holding the newborn babies! I've been sending out emails, so I'll keep you posted.
• I'm so excited about the upcoming holidays! I love making holiday crafts with my class, buying Christmas presents early, and anticipating cold weather! (I may get to anticipate for a while!!!!!).
• Matthew and I are about to start watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I've never seen them, but so many people say they're good. I'll give it a try.

Well, I think that's it for now. Enjoy your week!!

random acts of kindness

Yesterday I put a couple of bags of trash outside my door, intending to take them out later that night or today. When I went out a few hours later, they were gone! My neighbors seem nice enough, but I've never really gotten to know any of them. I can't believe that someone saw my trash and took it to the dumpster for me! The bags were really heavy and I'm sure it wasn't a simple job to take them. Another act of kindness that sticks out to me happened when I was a freshman at ACU. I drove to Taco Bueno for lunch and got something in the drive-thru. When I got up to the window to pay, the lady told me that the people in front of my had already paid for my meal! I was shocked!! When I see or hear about people doing things like this it lifts my spirits and makes me want to do more for others. It seems that I get so busy and have so much on my mind that I don't think of what I can do for others often enough. I want to serve others, doing random acts of kindness whenever I can.

church

Last week I tried out a new church and I really liked it. It is very small and the people are so welcoming. They invited me out to lunch and really seemed to be interested in getting to know me. This morning, Matthew went with me to the same church. I'm so excited because he liked it, too! It's a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ is another name I think). They do pretty much the same things as churches of Christ, but there are minor differences of course. The pastor uses lots of scripture, we sing familiar songs, and they have communion every Sunday. They also have several areas where I could get involved (children's and youth ministries especially). I'm planning on going back next week. I really hope this is the church for me! If you're reading this, I would like to ask you to stop a moment and pray. I am in serious need of a church family, and I'd really like to find a place that Matthew likes and one that he feels comfortable going to with me. I feel like this church is an answered prayer. Matthew says he saw lots of similarities between the service this morning and things done at Catholic churches. I've been praying for a church that's a kind of "middle ground" between both of us. I'm excited to see what God has up His sleeve!! Enjoy your week!

i love fall!!

I love the change of seasons. I don't care which one it is...I just enjoy the change I guess! Well, fall is quickly coming and you can feel it in the weather. This motivated me to re-decorate my apartment this weekend, adding a touch of fall. Here are some pictures:

This one is my favorite. My willow tree angels are on top of the fireplace, and I put a pumpkin and scarecrow girl on the tile. That's Max's tail on the left!

Here is my couch and pictures. With my next paycheck I'm going to buy some fall-looking pictures to replace these.

My favorite room in my apartment! I love the bathroom because it is huge, has a huge closet, and it's pink!!

Here's a picture from my bedroom. I put a little scarecrow on top of my dresser. Matthew gave me those roses for Valentine's Day and I can't bear to part with them!

I took this picture from my doorway. As you can barely see, Max is lounging on my bed (this is one of his favorite activities)!!!

Decorating is so much fun! I can't wait for Christmas!!