i love the holidays!

Christmas is so much fun! It's a great excuse to go out and do fun holiday activities. This weekend was packed full of holiday fun. On Saturday Matthew, Carrie, and I went to the Abilene High vs. Flugerville playoff game. Sadly, AHS lost in overtime. They did well though and it was a fun game. Before the game when Matthew came to pick me up, he gave me my early birthday present: a pair of beautiful DIAMOND earrings!! I was so surprised and excited!!! He said he gave them to me early so that I could show them off and I have really been doing that!! On Sunday Matthew and I tried out a new church. We really like Forest Grove, but it may be too small for us. We really want to make some new friends at the church we decide to go to. The church we tried out on Sunday was way too huge, though. The worship was great but I don't think it would be very easy to get involved. We're going to keep looking. After that we went with some friends to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags. It was FREEZING but we had a really good time. I love all of the lights on the roller coasters!! Here are some pics from our fun weekend. Merry Christmas!!

friends

I've always known that I have amazing friends, but I guess now that I'm out of Abilene and completely by myself I really do appreciate special time spent with friends. Virginia and Carrie came into town this weekend and we had such a great time! Friday night they wanted to take me out for an early birthday dinner. We went to Rockfish and then walked around Dallas. Then we ate some delicious birthday cake made by Virginia!! They gave me some beautiful earrings which was a really sweet surprise. On Saturday we went shopping and I got most of mine done! I only need to buy a couple of more things!! YAY!! Then I went to my Aunt Katina's graduation and surprise party. That was fun because we really were able to surprise her! On Sunday we all went to church and then out to eat (Matthew included). We had such a great time talking sports and babies (I told them that since they had talked sports for about 45 minutes I could talk about babies. They all started freaking out, as usual). Then we opened some early Christmas presents. Sadly, we finally had to take Virg back to the airport, so we said our goodbyes. I'm so glad that I got to spend time with some great friends. I've recently started wondering about who I would pick for my bridesmaids (in the future, don't worry), and I've worried that I'll have too many to choose from. I decided today that this is a GOOD problem and who cares how many bridesmaids you have??? I'm absolutely BLESSED to have the friends that I have and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

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.