20 years ago...

20 years ago, I think I had my birthday party at Golden Skates. I used to LOVE roller skating. I grew up going all the time with my sisters, friends, school, etc. Even after we moved to Texas, I still went skating. There was a period where I think we went skating every Friday night. I went once or twice in college, but haven't been since. Well, today was the 7th and 8th grade social at school and I got to chaperone. I wasn't too excited at first. I was actually pretty bummed because I wanted to skate, but thought that would be frowned upon by the staff and students. Well, I talked to to teacher friends yesterday and they told me they always skate. I was THRILLED! I was dancing all around the house last night like a giddy little school girl. Well, today I went skating. I was a little rocky and definitely rusty. It was somewhat difficult to make it around the first time and somewhere in between, I realized that if I was to fall, it would probably hurt a lot more than it did 20 years ago. As my dad says, "You have further to fall." Well, I made it and I went around again. Then I decided I should take a break, but it took me three more laps before I could get close enough to the wall. I made it around several more times and had a blast. I do think skating and hula hooping are two of the greatest workouts. However, I'm much older than I was before so I don't think my body is going to be happy in the morning. Anyhow, I just asked Mike for a big birthday party next year (3-0). I want to go skating!

...when the bee stings...

So, I've been a little busy so haven't had time to keep up to date with this as much as I had planned. Last week I was busy getting ready for 8th grade exams this weekend and managed to make an 8 hour drive on Thursday turn in to 12 hours. Once we actually made it to Cincinnati, we were able to catch up with my family and some friends. It was so great to see some of them and had a pleasant surprise to see some faces I haven't seen in a really long time. So grateful for the time together and just wish I would be able to catch up with them more often. Hope you all have a great tim over Christmas and sad I won't get to join you in the festivities.

So, with the chaos of the weekend and preparing for exams, I was reminded of one of my favorite things. One that most people overlook and could care less about. Sharpened #2 pencils. Yes, a brand new box of old fashioned pencils. I actually hate mechanical ones, unless it's the expensive kind Mrs. Johnston used to use. I bought a couple of those my first year teaching, but I have no idea where they ran off too. So yes, new pencils with a good eraser, maybe even a cap eraser are my friend. I've discovered Mirado which I must say are a new favorite.

Well, I think I'm closing out this series early. I keep having all these great ideas, and then when I sit down to write, I have a brain fart. This is not working, and as bored as I am, I bet you are even more bored. So, I'll spare you the torture any longer.

If you read this and are in the Florida area, please let us know if you will be around over the next couple of weeks. We'll be headed down to visit both of our families and would love to catch up with you all if possible.

rest

I thought this idea of a blog schedule or even theme for the month would help me with writer's block. I have been fooled. I had all these great ideas, a week ago, and now I can't think of anything. This is exactly why I teach math and not language arts.

One thing I do know I love, is SLEEP! I've never quite grown out of that teenage life of sleeping in. It doesn't help that I'm a night owl. Teachers don't really have the luxury of choosing their own schedule. Every morning my alarm goes off at 6:00A.M. I cringe. I do love my job, I just don't like waking up that early. I have to admit that although I hate getting up so early, I enjoy my workday ending at 3:30. Even better was when I was teaching high school and students left at 2:00. I just wish there was more time for naps.

On a completely different note, how about Tebow? OK, so I am not a big Gator fan. Despite my husband graduating from there, I really haven't had much interest in Florida. I was very pleased to move away from the obnoxious fans across the state and actually enjoyed Mike watching the game once we moved up here. At some point, I even started cheering for them. If we ever find ourselves back in Florida, I will not be excited to be around the annoying fans again. Yes, I do realize they come from several other schools too, but I have never quite met the ones that are as big headed as those Gators. OK, sorry for the soap box, but now I can go on with Tebow. I'm going to miss this guy. I don't think I will enjoy Florida football nearly as much. This guy is a stand-up gentleman. I enjoy watching every moment of him. Praying, playing, talking, and crying. He stands for something much more than football and it has been a great joy to watch him influence the country. I'm thinking I'll start watching some NFL once he gets drafted too. In my perfect world, he'd even end up with the Bengals.

I have some new photo sessions coming up. I'm really excited about one this week that is a surprise for a certain person. I think any parent treasures those homemade gifts or photos. My dad has said for years that all he wanted was photos of us girls. I'm hoping I can provide the same thing as a big surprise for a dear friend. Then I'm up for another family before a wedding. Then we're headed South to celebrate Christmas. It's always a busy season, but now for even more reasons. I just wish the season lasted longer, I can't get enough of it!

Helicopter Parents

Well, I'm not a parent, so I am a little biased. I may change my mind when I have my own kids, but for now, I'm speaking as a teacher and child. My dad took a very different approach. I remember going to McDonald's after begging for an ice cream. We would walk in and my dad would hand me a $5 bill while he took a seat. I'd sit too. Then I would tell him what I would want. He'd basically ignore me. Then he would finally tell me to go order whatever I wanted. I hated him at the time, and probably shed tears over these instances. I'd finally order when he would threaten to leave. Then, I would get a sandwich with everything on it, despite the cheese and ketchup only request. Again, probably tears because I HATE mustard. I'd beg my dad to go fix it. He'd refuse. He'd pack up ready to go to the car and again, I'd go and resolve the situation. I never quite understood why a dad would make their 5 or 6 year old go through this pain. Why couldn't he just do it? He has more power than a 5 year old, right?! As I grew up and even without a curfew, I realized that this was my dad's way of parenting. Yes, PARENTING! Parenting doesn't require handcuffs on the children. It's a place to empower your children to take responsibility for their actions, good and bad. Through all of this, I was well-prepared to be on my own and stand up for my beliefs, not my friends, dads, or anyone else's. Helicopter parents, quite the opposite. I'm thankful for my dad and his parenting techniques. Sure, my dad missed some games and school activities between me and my two sisters. I would have loved for him to have attended more. But as a single parent, a FATHER, raising three teenage girls, he worked his tail off to provide the best life for us. Plus, I think raising three teenage girls was enough estrogen for him. I'm sure he needed some work to escape any more bows and make-up. So, here's an incredible article on Helicopter Parents. Please don't be one.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1940395,00.html

When the dog bites..

Coca-cola. Yes, one of my favorite things. I don't think my stomach likes it, but my mouth sure does.

I love my naps too. I've been missing out on those, but I love my sleep. I got so used to sleeping in over break, that I have been exhausted. I'm longing for a nap, but I don't see one coming any time soon.

Cupcakes. I LOVE cupcakes. Unfortunately, I don't get to enjoy cupcake days each month at school because they all contain gluten. I do love Whole Foods because they make cupcakes gluten free and freeze them. I pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and then I get the warm melted chocolate to enjoy too. Plus, Betty Crocker is also making GF mixes.

LOST. I refused to watch this show. For 1, I couldn't get hooked on anything else. Second, I tried to watch an episode once, and I was completely confused. They were jumping all over decades and who really believes in time travel?! Then, I borrowed season 1 from the neighbors to watch while I did some grading. Mike was out of town and I couldn't stand the quiet house. Well, 48 hours later, I had watched 1008 minutes of LOST and graded 0 tests. I made it through 5 seasons in a month and I am anxiously waiting for January to start the last season. So, if you haven't seen it, get season 1. Watch 2 episodes. If you don't like it, then no worries. I'm pretty sure you'll be hooked after the first one. It's by far one of the best shows ever to hit tv. If you haven't seen it before, this may mean nothing to you. But I can tell you that those that have gotten hooked, have chills going up their spines as soon as they hit play.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it was the first Thanksgiving we spent completely at home. We had a few gracious invitations for lunch/dinner, but with my new diet, it's too big of a risk. We politely declined and enjoyed staying in to get some things done around the house. We watched some cable at our neighbor's since they were out of town and played some board games. Mike made our Thanksgiving dinner, Taco Soup with cornbread. It's a great winter meal and one of our staples. We ventured out to Michael's later in the evening for a couple of office items. It's not the normal Thanksgiving, but it was important for us to spend some quality time together, without distractions.

I've been thinking of revamping some things for this blog, and the photography blog. I'm hoping this will reduce the lack of structure and improve some traffic. Until I figure out exactly what that's going to look like, I'm going to use this wonderful season to reflect on some of "My Favorite Things." There's not necessarily an order to the blessings, but in light of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'll share some ideas that I am grateful for and can't imagine my life without.

1. CHRISTMAS! I love Christmas and everything about it. We put up the tree yesterday and all is decorated. My least favorite part, taking the tree down and cleaning up after the holidays.

around the world (or nation) in 80 days...

Well, it hasn't quite been 80 days, but it has been awhile since I've updated the blog. We haven't really made it around the world during that time either, but we did manage to make it down to Florida and back in less than 48 hours...driving. We've been busy!

We traveled to Orlando to tie up some lose ends on our condo. In the next 60 days, it should be behind us for good and we are thankful for a productive and gracious trip. We loved seeing a few dear friends and the warm sun. We spent quite a bit of time talking while we were stuck in the car and shared our short and long term goals, which are always changing.

I came back to work with lots of papers to grade. We've spent this weekend playing catch up. I have grades two classes of assignments, but still have three to go. As much as the students don't like completing the assignment, I don't like grading them. If it was up to them, I wouldn't assign any work. Any one that has made it through school, knows the value of practice, so I have to keep my job of a teacher and practice makes perfect. In between grading, I have joined Mike with perfecting the photography business. We are so thankful for David and his revision of the website! Thank you! What do you think? Plus, we've had 5 different appointments over the past week. What a great gift! You can see some of the recent work at saraGphotography. We'll be in Florida over Christmas break. If you, or anyone you know, is looking for a photographer, please let us know and we can see if we can work something out.

Mike has also started blogging. If you haven't already checked it out, be sure to do so. It's a different vibe than what you find here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

friends

Wow, it's been awhile.

We've been pretty busy the past few weeks. We headed out for a little getaway last weekend. I had a few days off from school and we decided to take advantage of some extra time together. We've had a few photo sessions and the quarter ended at school. I forgot how much work went in to the end of the quarter. This week, I'm attending a state math conference.

All that to say, we are grateful for some wonderful friends. Many people have continued to ask about my health. We've experienced great support and prayers. We've even had a few people attempt to cook for me, and they haven't made me sick. We love that we can still enjoy the sweet fellowship and breaking of bread with our friends, despite my special diet. My health has been wonderful over the past few months. I've fought off some cold or flu thing, but Celiac hasn't been an issue. I can't believe it's been almost a year since my diagnoses. We have learned so much during this time. We are especially grateful for friends that keep us in mind everywhere they go. We have had lots of ideas of finding different things gluten free or finding a restaurant that has a GF menu. Some friends have even cooked for you or picked up a special treat they saw was GF at the local store.

For all of those wonderful ideas, THANK YOU! We love knowing people are thinking of us, praying for us, and looking out for us. I guess its more me, then us, but I know Mike is grateful as well.

money, money, mo-oney...

Well, last night was not a fun night. Mike's fighting off a cold and I heard him coughing up a lung all night long. Luckily, it's just a cold or that, but I thought he was dying in the bathroom every time I woke up. I'm sure he doesn't think it's fun either, but in case you don't me too well, I HATE germs. I have no idea why I think teaching is a good idea when I don't like germs, but I love that my school supplies me with Clorox wipes and anti-bac.

So, weekends are my friend. I LOVE sleeping in on Saturday mornings and staying in my pj's all day. Now that it's Mike's favorite season, we stay infront of the tv all day watching football. Sadly, we don't get most of the games with our favorite teams, but we can get them over the internet. Not quite the same, but better than nothing. Meanwhile, we're on to a new adventure...

MONOPOLY! Yes, in case you haven't heard, there is now an online real-life game of monopoly. It's called monopoly city streets and it just started on the 9th. There's a few kinks they're working out before they restart the game in a few days, but we are already addicted. Luckily, once you run out of money you can't do anything. So, each night, at 8pm, we're stuck in front of our computers buying properties and building properties. You also get to demolish other peoples' properties and build prisons, factories, etc. on their streets too. I had quite a few CHANCE cards tonight and was able to keep building. Tomorrow night, I'll bring in 7 million dollars on rent! Mike's not too happy about this, as he is the master at Monopoly. This is the only game of Monopoly I play with him because he shows no mercy in the board game.

So, if you haven't registered, you should. Feel free to add us as a friend and play against us too. Good Luck!

f r i e n d s

A few years back, Mike bought me all 10 seasons of FRIENDS. We've slowly been making our way through from start to finish, but it's always a good laugh. Well, until we saw it on sale for $80 a few weeks ago. Anyhow, we've watched a few episodes this past week and I realized that for most people, their lives of never going to look like that. It's rare that your best friends will all stick together in the same stage of life and location for so long. For most, there's a transition along the way...

So, Mike and I are in a new transition. I'm still teaching Middle School math and I love my community. I have such great colleagues, students, and parents. I really can't imagine being anywhere else, except for maybe in full-time ministry.

We are back looking for a church. This new season is bittersweet for us. We are excited about what is to come, but there is still a loss, especially of friends. No matter if you move, change jobs, or switch churches, those crucial parts of your life include relationships. Changing positions, means those relationships will also change. We hope and pray they won't disappear, but they will change. They're just different.

I have been amazed as some of our friends and the love and comfort they have given to us over the past few weeks. Many of these people I have only been able to interact with in person with a handful of times because we are separated by thousands of miles. Despite the distance, they love for us has spread vast across the ocean. The love that comes with truth from people you trust. A hard word, that you know is right, is a sweet taste because of the love. The encouragement, prayers, and support has been an incredible gift. Other people have been close to us, but we have neglected to have the time, or make the effort to spend with them. When we called, they were quick to make time for us. to listen, to talk, to love, and to pray. Others, just stop by to bring a special (GF) treat because they thought of us. (It's delicious by the way!) Oh how sweet is the body of Christ!

Or, there's just the small of familiarity. Mike and I both met some new friends this morning from Miami, Florida, and RTS. Even a few of our new friends had spent some time overseas and some similar areas. The rich memories that shaped our lives, could be shared with some of some not-so-familiar faces. It's amazing how the Spirit of God can work. Shared experiences (or locations) can even be a breath of fresh air!

I'm saddened to miss yet another wedding of some dear friends. It's been such a long time for us to celebrate God's covenant of marriage with our friends. We are looking forward to witnessing some great covenants in the next few months and catching up with our friends from miles away.

Our printed updates, will become less. We plan on keeping our blog updated and Mike is entertaining starting his own. We love catching up with all of our friends and family, and would greatly appreciate the love and prayers. Please feel free to call, or write, we'd love to hear from you and share about our journey.

With love,