...December and There's Reason to Believe... [16 weeks]

Ok, well... that little goal of writing twice a week- yeah, that didn't happen.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot this thing existed.  Not only did I not post twice a week, I didn't even post ONCE a week, or AT ALL for that matter...for four months!  So I'm sorry, and I agree- it's been too long!  I'll try to get better.  :-/ I promise I have a good excuse (and I bet by now you already know what it is)!  

THE BIG MOMENT:
About a month and half into the school year, I decided I couldn't take it anymore.  I'd read about the symptoms, and they were spot on.  After Nic went to work, I took the test and didn't really expect the outcome that it gave (despite the aforementioned symptoms).   Instead of 1 line, there were TWO!  So you guessed it, WE'RE PREGNANT!  Nic and all of our families, of course, are elated.  We knew some sources advised on waiting to tell family and co-workers, but, um... we didn't really do that.  We told our families the same day we found out (because I'm really REALLY bad at keeping secrets), and I told my best work friends within that first week.  My reasoning is that I WANT my support system there for us, should something go wrong.  I don't really want to keep something like this (good or bad as it may go) to myself.  So anyway, the day we found out was one of the most exciting days of our lives (I think it's safe to speak for him on this one), and even now- a few months later- it's all pretty surreal.

THE DISBELIEF:
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY.  Isn't that something that other people do and I only dream about?  It's a similar feeling to the one I had when I realized we were really getting married.  Marriage... that's for other people.  It seemed so unattainable for me, and then I met Nic and it happened and it was real and unbelievably amazing!  And now, a baby!  It's still hard to believe that WE will have OUR OWN BABY!  Something that started from nothing, is going to grow into a huge baby, that will one day be on the inside of me- and the next day, will be on the outside of me.  How strange.

THE BABY & THE JOB:
The due date is June 4.  Yes, to those of you who are teachers (or think along the school timeline) that means I have the lovely pleasure of being pregnant almost the whole.entire.school.year.  JOY! (Could you sense the sarcasm?)  There aren't many things I can think of that are more miserable than having 28 8th graders, at their peak of adolescence (and corresponding attitudes), trying to TEACH them things they DON'T REALLY want to learn, while experiencing all of the pain that pregnancy brings.  I've already gone through the first trimester (which meant I felt like puking on them at times) (too bad I couldn't, b/c I bet that would teach them to not mess with me), but I anticipate the 2nd being much better.

THE 1ST TRIMESTER:
I would be lying if I said my 1st trimester was completely miserable.  I feel very fortunate in my pregnancy thus far.  I haven't thrown up once (although the all-day nausea wasn't really that fun), and although I fall asleep MUCH earlier now, I don't feel like the baby has kept me from doing the things I most want or need to do.  Score on that end!  I look forward to my energy level picking up even more in the upcoming weeks.  (And for those of you who may be wondering, yes I'm still doing CrossFit, but have begun doing CrossFit Mom workouts.  Google it.  :-) )

THE CONFUSING MATH:
Anyone who knows much about having a baby knows that the math is quite confusing.  We've always been told it takes 9 months for a baby to come, right?  Well, we found out we were pregnant at around 6 weeks, and now we're at week 17 (tomorrow).  And we all know that 4 weeks x 9 months should equal 36 weeks (which would make the due date at the beginning of May) but they actually put the due date at 40 weeks (beginning of June).  So, in my opinion, all of the talk about 9 months just makes things confusing to people.  The kids ask me on nearly a daily basis how far along I am and when the baby's coming.  It's confusing for them to hear that I'm starting on my 5th month this week, then they count on their fingers and and the end date comes out all wrong.  Yea, I'm with you there, kids.  Sometimes math is hard.


OK, enough baby talk.  Let's talk about other things!

THANKSGIVING:
We had "Thanksmas" with my family in Missouri.  It was SO great to see all of them!  It was my parents year to host the BIG family, so that was just some icing on the cake.  Our big Christmas gift this year was an AWESOME camera which we love.  We spent quality family time dancing with the X-Box Kinect, putt-putt golfing, and of course- eating!  :)

(Nic & my brother... I wish I had gotten their faces; this was BEYOND hilarious!)

POST-GRADUATION:

• Nic graduated and found a job at a hospital here in town.  I knew he would-- he's too great to pass up!
• He got commissioned as an officer into the Air Force just this very weekend.  My parents came into town and my dad (a retired Army Colonel) swore him in.  It was quite a special time for him (and us).

• Of course, there's more to this Air Force story, but we'll have to wait until the time is right to tell you all about that.  :)

Given the length of this post already, Christmas posts will have to wait until next time.  (And I promise the next will be more recent than the last!)

I hope this finds you all happy and well.  Feel free to comment so I know you're actually reading!  :)  Take care!

~*Stefanie*~

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

This is a special time in Nic and I's life as a married couple.  I know other young couples go through similar events and changes, and that we're nothing new to this, but I'm sitting here just thinking... wow, this week is is a pretty big one.

He gets all blushy when I talk about him in front of his face, but at least if I do it here, you can't see him!  :P  I can't say enough great things about my husband.  He's asleep right now so he'll be ready to go for his final in the morning.  Did you catch the big word?  FINAL.  IT'S HIS LAST WEEK OF NURSING SCHOOL!  This time last year, we had just moved to Texas and every day we were working like crazy to get the house and my classroom put together before the kids started school and Nic started his program.  Here we are, a year later, and he's in his last week and I'm preparing for my second year of teaching.  He's really put in A LOT of hard work with this program (understatement of the year!).  He's practically lived in his books and on his computer, and somehow has pulled it off with awesome grades and still a smile on his face.  Now let's just keep our fingers crossed that he lands a good job (preferably in an ICU to prep him for a Nurse Anesthetist program)! I'm SO PROUD of Nic and all that he's accomplished in one year.  Seriously, think about it... he earned a whole degree in ONE YEAR!  How INSANE is that?  (Did I ever mention he's also really really cute and funny, and incredibly sweet?)  ♥

This was taken the day he found out he got accepted into the program:

Going in for his first clinical shift (yup, he's EXCITED!):

Annnnd one more to show that he actually has hair now.  ;-)

The anticipation for everything has gotten us quite excited.  I can afford to be awake right now because, even though tomorrow is a work day, I've still got just A FEW days of summer left!  I can't believe how fast it went by, and also can't believe all of the things I still have to do before the kids come.  So within the next week, Nic will *officially* be finished with school, and I will *officially* be starting again.  Isn't that the way things usually work?  So we're sort of just sitting back and relishing this time we've got- me still with a bit of summer and him with assignments slowly tapering off as they get finished.  I think about this time NEXT YEAR and how we'll likely be in our new home in Hampton and how we get to work like crazy to put the house together again, and how I get to work at making new friends all over again as well.

Speaking of friends, I can't tell you how many times I've thanked God for all of the AMAZING people we've met (and already knew) here in Texas.  It was a treat, first of all, to be near Nic's family and get to spend more time with them.  But it's just icing on the cake that I work with some really stellar people.  I mean REALLY stellar people.  These are honestly some of the funniest, sweetest, most outgoing, and sincere people that I've ever met.  I've enjoyed eating lunch with them, planning with them, working for them, and seeing their faces every day.  Teaching can be hard (another understatement of the year), especially in a school like ours.  And while I don't think I ever really voiced it to them, they made my first year teaching a lot smoother than it could have been.  They were there for me to talk to, to lean on, and to make me LAUGH on my best and worst of days.  Part of me wonders how I ever got so LUCKY.  And also part of me wonders if I'll EVER be this lucky again in Virginia.  I really am looking forward to school starting again so I can see everyone EVERY DAY, not just on sporadic little dinner/lunch/pool dates. 

I love days like this, when I know the next few days will be full of lots of FUN.  Tomorrow's plan involves a POOL with some fun NURSING STUDENTS (celebrating 1 Final down), working out and then MORE FRIENDS in the evening...  Saturday will again include friends in the evening, and Sunday will include brunch with Nic's parents, POOL again, then celebrating a friend's birthday in the evening.  Monday and Tuesday?  Well, they're the last two days of summer and I'm sure I'll be filling them with something fun!  I know there's no real WORK in my very near future, and even on Wednesday when it all starts back up again... there's STILL fun in the plan (I'm hearing something about a team-building ropes course? Yippee!!!).  I love knowing I've got plans to see people I really love spending time with in the very near future.  Ahhhh Summer.  Ahhhh end of Nursing school (it's great to get my husband back!). 

Life.is.good.  ♥

Missouri Trip- July 2011

So... maybe my plan of posting a couple of times a week has kinda failed.  Miserably.  BUT, at least I have a good excuse:  I was in Missouri visiting family and friends!

As mentioned in an earlier post, my brother got married!  The night before the wedding, the wedding party all went cosmic bowling.  As usual, my game started out with some beginner's luck, which made me really happy and giddy inside, and ended with some no-longer-a-beginner-and-you-suck-at-bowling scores, which made me sad.  But considering I've bowled less times than I have fingers, I'd say I did alright!  More than anything, I enjoyed playing on the same team as my brother, and getting to know his Best Man, Travis (Jessie's brother-in-law). 

After Cosmic Bowling, I stayed the night with the girls at Jessie's house.  It was nice to be around them and get to know them, even if it was just a little bit.  They're all really sweet girls.  It's times like those that make me wish I'd walked away from college with better girl friends.  I'm not sure how many times I've wished I hadn't had my head so up in the clouds and around a boy, and wished I would have spent more time with good GENUINE girls.  I almost get teary-eyed thinking about what great friends people can be to each other.  I love that they have such good friends to share their special day with. 

The next day, I went with the girls to get their hair done.  Isn't little Kylie SOOOOO adorable?  Possibly one of the most hilarious kids I've met, as well.  (At the reception this girl was THE Dancing Queen.  I mean this girl can CUT.A.RUG.)

(Photo by Katie Shea.)

Saturday, July 23rd, Brian and Jessie tied the knot.  The ceremony was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  My favorite part (that I SO wish I had thought of for our wedding!):  when they washed each others feet to symbolize servanthood and putting others before themselves.  It was really touching. 

The reception decorations were also, of course, AMAZING.  The night was truly magical, and most importantly- I think the bride and groom had a BLAST.  I'll post some of the professional pictures once Bri & Jessie get them up, but until then I'll have to make due with just a few.  (I somehow managed to be too engaged in what's going on to remember to take pictures, so these were taken by Katie Shea, one of the bridesmaids.)

They honeymooned in JAMAICA and just got back yesterday.  Excited to hear about their adventures!

Monday, Nic and I headed to Columbia to get the remote start to my car replaced.  I can't say enough nice things about Sound Performance.  They upheld their warranty with ZERO questions or issues.  It's really nice and refreshing when businesses actually DO good business, you know?  We had them drop us off downtown in The District to kill some time while they got it installed.  Who knew four hours could go by so fast?  We had to stop in at Lollicup, so we could grab a couple of snows (since there's not one in TX).  Then we walked around in the scorching heat, delighting in our ice-cold drinks.  I swear, I felt- for just a second- like I was Carrie Bradshaw, walking the streets of NYC, browsing the shops, drinking my drink, wearing my cool shades.  Yes, I REALLY enjoyed walking around downtown.  We ate lunch at The Rome, where we used to go about once a week, and will always be a favorite of ours.

After we got the car back, we headed to Les Bourgeios since we had plans to meet up with some Columbia people.  Despite the fact that nobody was able to make it to the winery in the end, Nic and I had ourselves a great time.  We split a bottle of wine and dreamt about the future, discussing fun things like moving, babies, traveling, and US and OUR LOVE.  ;)

Despite the fact that we had a gorgeous view of the Missouri and a cool bottle of wine, we were getting eaten by mosquitoes and the bees seemed to smell the sweetness of our wine.  We decided to take the party indoors- to Addison's- where we split the famous Crab Rangoon dip and then the Creamcicle Cheesecake.  (No, that's not on the CrossFit diet, and YES the calories were TOTALLY WORTH IT!)  It turned out to be one of my most favorite Date Nights that we've ever had. 

Thursday I had dinner with my Jeff City girls (who ALL made it!).  Afterward, we had dessert at Culver's and then a few came over to watch a scary movie, just like old times. :)  It's nice to have friends that you've known since the beginning years of elementary school.

Jenna & Aubrey

Rachelle & I

    Jenna, me, Rachelle & Aubrey

The rest of the week was spent with mom and dad, and also I got to see some good friends, Ashley and Jared Jones (wish I had a pic). 

My stay was longer than Nic's (he had to get back from some clinical shifts) because I wanted to be sure to attend the 2nd Annual Run for Hope 5k.  The money from this 5k goes to Hailey's Hope and also March of Dimes, both causes that are now more important to me than they used to be. 

Rachelle Glavin is my very best friend in the whole wide world (she's wearing the grey shirt & black jacket in the pictures above).  I was her Maid of Honor when she got married, and she was my Matron of Honor when I got married.  I've known her since elementary school, and we have too many fond memories to count.  Even today, despite our busy schedules and lack of talking like we used to, when we're together it's like no time has passed at all.  So Rachelle and her baby, Hailey,'s story became more personal than others I've been told.  It would take a while to tell the whole story the way it should be told, but PLEASE check out the link to hear her inspiring story. One result of her story is that there is an annual Run for Hope 5k in Jefferson City, to remember Hailey and to remember to have hope.  I was honored that I was finally able to be in town to support my dear friend during this time.

 
SO... that's what's been happening since my last post.  Weddings, visiting Columbia, time with friends, time with Rachelle.  A lot of busy-ness, a lot of EATING, and a lot of seeing people that I love in Missouri!  Now that I'm back, it's time to get back in the swing of eating right, working out, and posting here more often!  School starts in just a few weeks, and I'm itching to hit the pool right about now seeing as there are only a few more days to make that happen. 

I hope this finds you well, and I hope you leave a comment so I know you read this!  Take care!

Don't make me think too hard about this.

Being a teacher is full of perks.  First, there are the occasions when kids actually listen to and (dare I say it) ENJOY their time with you, then there's also that added bonus of you filling their heads with knowledge they didn't have before.  There are those times when kids say really funny things that you then get to share with your boring-cubicle working Facebook friends (Male Student:  I peed on the stick, so I know it's not mine).  And of course, working with people who experience the same student body throughout the day gives you an instant bond; and if they're of like mind and humor, that's even better!  Oh yea, and there's that little two and a half month(ish) thing you get called SUMMER.  Where you get to STAY HOME.  But you STILL GET PAID.  (I felt guilty about it at first... but then I quickly got over it.)  Of course, like any job, teaching definitely has it's stressful moments (sometimes lasting weeks), but it's not a bad gig if I do say so myself. 

Since it's July 16th and all, I haven't really been getting near as many stress headaches as I used to during the school year.  It might have something to do with there being a lack of... stress.  That's not to say that I've been doing completely NOTHING (only about twice or 3 times a week).  I've attended a few trainings, learned some great things that I plan on using in my classroom when school starts again, and even taken some kids to Student Council camp for a week.  But all of those things have been pretty fun and enjoyable endeavors.  For the most part, summer has been... well, what it used to be:  relaxing, pool-allowing and fun-having.  It wasn't until recently that I began to get a stress headache, and it came from a very unlikely source.

Ever since the Totaling My Saturn Incident of 2008, I have been in love with my gold Chevy Equinox.  And to this day, none of the before-mentioned stress has been the actual Equinox's fault.  It's always been comfortable, reliable, and most importantly- cute.  (Obviously all very important traits of a vehicle.)  ;)  So when my lovely vehicle WOULDN'T START (this happened while I was away at StuCo camp), well, some investigating had to be done.  So we took it to a trusted local auto shop that Nic has used as long as he's been in Lubbock.  They're one of those places that will look at your car for free, and even give you little dinky equipment pieces for free, and will tell you honestly- you COULD get X replaced, but realistically, it'll last you Y more miles, and you'll be fine not getting it done for a while.  So we trust them, right?

Let me back up a little before I go on.  We had a little financial hiccup with summer not being part of the academic year (affected Nic's student loan), then traveling to a friend's wedding in MO + me being home and spending more $ = us being low in the funds.  So we waited until after Pay Day to get the car taken in.  Not a big deal, we have two cars.  EXCEPT NIC DRIVES A STICK SHIFT.  So that was STRESS HEADACHE #1:  Learning to drive a stick shift.

There MAY have been one time, shortly after *learning* the stick, when I stopped for a red light at a busy intersection AND COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO GO AGAIN.  I did everything Nic taught me:  pushed in the clutch, made sure it was in 1st, let the clutch out slowly... but IT JUST KEPT DYING.  I kept restarting the car, and when the cars behind me started honking and going around me, well, I got a little panicky.  I could feel the sweat on my forehead forming and my heart-rate started to rise.  There MAY have been one moment when I, in that state of panic, ACCIDENTALLY TURNED ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND THE HEADLIGHTS.  Yea.  It was that bad.  It must have been the Grace of God that got me going again; I definitely didn't know what I'd done to start moving again. (The rest of the drive was spent going down side neighborhood streets.  It took me over 20 minutes to go what usually took 10.  But I got there ALIVE.)  Nic was sure to go on some review drives with me after the Scary Incident on 50th until I felt comfortable going out on my own again.  I eventually got the hang of it.  In fact, I ACTUALLY LIKED IT!  I felt COOL driving a stick (even it it was on a Subaru that *kind of* resembles a STATION WAGON).  I liked feeling coordinated and having a skill that not everybody has.  It took me a while to get there, and yes, gave me a STRESS HEADACHE, but I finally got there.  Sigh of relief.

So I learned how to drive a stick (Stress Headache #1), and then we took the car in.  We finally got the car back, with some very disturbing news:  the remote-start had a huge short in it and practically caught on fire when they tried to get the car to start, which then drained the battery in its effort to find power, so they had to take it all out.  Let me re-state:  THEY TOOK OUT MY EXPENSIVE REMOTE-START and also REPLACED THE BATTERY.  I couldn't decide which I was more sad about:  having to pay for a new battery (OK, not THAT big a deal) or the fact that my expensive remote-start was gone (the fact that TX doesn't get cold enough to need it is beside the point!).  So we paid the mechanics and left the auto shop, only to discover that also, MY STEREO SYSTEM WOULDN'T WORK and NEITHER WOULD MY KEYLESS ENTRY.  Ok, quadruple frown.  That's 4 things now that had been affected by this incident!  I wouldn't really care all THAT much, except (as I said in my last post) my brother's getting MARRIED, which is going to require a drive to MO.  13 hours in the car with no music?!? Please no, please please no!!!  So, in order that I not fall asleep on the long drive... also, so I don't go INSANE, we went to a local car audio business to get the stereo looked at.  STRESS HEADACHE #2.    

"Well, first off, there'll be a $40 diagnostic fee for what we find."  "When they took out the remote start, they must have been in a hurry, because they yanked out some wires needed for your stereo, and possibly wires needed for your module to work as well.  You'll definitely need a new stereo (at least $140), and possibly a new module ($120).  It'll cost $65 for them to install a new stereo, and $75 more if you want them to hook it up to the steering-wheel.  We can discuss the cost of module installation if you actually need one."
OK this is the conversation I'm having.  Alone.  Me and the audio guys.  Nic's at a 13 hour clinical shift at the hospital, and I have no idea what to do.  First, the problem is I DON'T GENERALLY LIKE SPENDING LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY WITHOUT MY SPOUSE PRESENT.  Second, Nic is able to install stereos... maybe I should just wait, ghetto rig the music for MO, and let him install it?  Third, if he installs it, would it work if a new module is needed?  Fourth, which stereo would I choose?  Fifth, do I really need that extra $50 cable he mentioned? Sixth, I ALREADY PAID THE MONEY FOR A NICER STEREO LAST CHRISTMAS AND NOW I'M HAVING TO BUY ANOTHER ONE??  Also, why is everything SO freaking expensive, and WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?  I ALREADY PAID FOR THESE THINGS AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY AGAIN!!!  I kind of felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when the house is spinning around her and nothing is very clear.  I would have loved to just plop down on my bed and take a long hard nap and when awoken, everything will have worked itself out, all bright and colorful and beautiful.  Alas, there was no bed.  And no time for napping.  I'm pretty sure that from the moment he told me what I needed & what it'd cost to the time my head started hurting was approximately 0.764 seconds.  And one more thing- the front right tire has a nail in it.  !!! :( 

I tried to call Nic, but he was too busy to answer.  Tried to call my parents and explain, and luckily, they were able to give some advice.  I think they felt bad that all of this was happening.  The remote start was a gift from them for my birthday (granted, I chose where it got installed), and that was the thing that stemmed the problem.  Also, they knew that we couldn't help the series of events.  They decided to do one of the kindest, most unexpected gestures:  they offered to pay for the new stereo and installation.  Wait, what?  You want to WHAT?  But WHY?  ARE YOU SURE?  No... you don't have to do that.  It's really ok.  REALLY?  But WHY?  So after some prodding, they told me to go ahead and get it done.  (Haha I had already told the guys that I'd come back on Monday with my husband; they closed up the car & the wirey mess, only to have to open it all up again after my parents' sweet news.)  So mom and dad came to the rescue.  Nic and I definitely COULD have paid for it, but that's a pretty decent chunk of money to us.  Not to say that it's not for my parents, but they make just a *little* more than we do, as they've been working a *little* longer in their lifetimes... plus, they love being sweet to their children.  In the end, Vision Audio felt sorry for my depressed, frowny little face and decided to cut me a decent deal on a few aspects of this whole thing.  I felt good knowing that mom & dad weren't shelling out an amount that, frankly, was quite ridiculous.  ...only an amount that was SLIGHTLY ridiculous.

In the end, I walked away with this beauty:

 

She looks gorgeous, and sounds AMAZING!  THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!!  And while I waited, I called my remote-start company and found out that it has a LIFETIME WARRANTY!  While in MO, I'll stop by and *hopefully* get it replaced!  :)

So, the drive to Briboy's wedding will be a LOT more enjoyable now!  I leave the day after the day after tomorrow (i.e. in about 3 days) and couldn't be more PUMPED!  The actually wedding is ONLY A WEEK AWAY!

So the moral of the story is, you can even get headaches during the times you most anticipate to be full of relaxation.  But even then, if you can stick through it SOMETHING good will likely come of it (learning a new skill or getting something new are a few good things).  So how about you- any sources of stress lately disrupting your fun in the sun of summer?  Was there light at the end?  How'd it go?

Hey, Blogspot, it's been a while!

Ok.  It's been so long since I've blogged that I couldn't even remember how to log in.  How to LOG IN... Wow.  I've been reading a great blog written by Emily Cassee (what a random and gloriously wonderful thing to stumble upon while doing a nightly Google search!), and it's definitely inspired me to get writing again.  I love reading her stories about random and often very hilarious things, and I'd love to chronicle my life just the same.  Wouldn't it  be nice to look back and reflect on all those things that happened?  Well, it would be... IF THOSE WRITINGS EXISTED!  Seriously, guys, this is pathetic.  I don't think I can even call myself a "blogger" at this stage in my non-blogging career.  My last post was written in February- 5 MONTHS AGO!  So as I was laying in be at 2 in the morning (long story)... (ok- Nic and I took a nap too late in the day therefore I couldn't fall asleep), reading Emily's blog, I liked how she recapped the time lapse between blog entries.  She just included a list of important things that had happened since the last time she blogged.  Where would I EVEN begin?!?  How about here (in no particular order of importance):

1.  School's out for the summer!  (DUH!)
I successfully completed my first year of teaching!  At a Title I school, at that!  The feeling of walking into school on the last day of the academic year was... well, exciting, sad, and mostly triumphant!  It's amazing how those little fireballs who got under my skin so many times ended up being some of those that I'll miss the most.  It was a bit hard watching some of those crazies leave middle school for the last time.  A lot of them still need so much guidance, and I really will be curious to know how they are and what they're doing in 4 years.  (Hopefully graduating high school!  But realistically... yea.)


2.  My husband has been accepted into the Air Force Nurse Corps!
As if you haven't already seen all of my jubilated Facebook updates back in May, Nic was one of the 22 (out of over 130!) candidates selected for the Air Force Nurse Corps!  This is what it means for us:  First, Nic will finish his degree from the Tech accelerated Nursing program mid-August.  Near the end of February, he'll report to Commissioned Officer Training in Montgomery, AL.  (Where my girls at???)  Around the beginning of April, he'll report to the Nurse Transition Program in San Antonio (I'm SOOOO looking forward to visiting & strolling along the River Walk and visiting the Alamo!), where he'll be until around June.  I'll miss his cute face a RIDICULOUS amount, but I know he's going to have a blast.  Hopefully they'll have wi-fi... We ♥ FACE TIME!  When he gets back from way down south, we'll pack up our stuff and be on our way to LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE IN HAMPTON, VIRGINIA!!!!!  While living in the same place as the in-laws has been A-MAZING (to put it mildly), I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired of landscape like
 

and

There's just an unbelievable amount of dust and dirt here!!!  

Pretty much the most interesting thing, geographically, I've experienced was this phenomena:

 That's right, people, that's a DUST STORM!  I remember the first time we went out during one, I commented on how red the sky was and how creepy it looked.  Mr. Lover Lover informed me that that the red color was, in fact, dust.  EWWWWW!  I was further informed that should it rain at that particular moment, it would RAIN MUD!  MUD WOULD FALL FROM THE SKY.  MUD, like in a MUD PIT!  Unbelievable.

So can you blame me for being UBER excited for July 2012 to come so I can see:

 

and

                  BUT MOST OF ALL...

the beach will be about 10... YES 10 minutes from our HOME!!!!!!!!!

Ok, enough gloating.  (Can ya tell I'm excited?!?)

3.  My baby brother's getting married!

Yes, little Briboy Casey is twitterpated.  And you're right, he's not a baby.  He's only 22.  ;)  Her name is Jessie, and they've been dating since summer of 2007.  (Sidenote- they have the EXACT SAME BIRTHDAY.  How amazing is that?!?)  She grew up in J.C. as well, which is convenient for them to have their parents all bundled up in one Fabulous Family Spot.  She's insanely cute (she runs MILES every day, so you KNOW she looks good!), and has a heart of pure gold.  One of her greatest desires is to help children in Africa (she has a fun foot tattoo to symbolize this passion).  I love the love (and let's be real- the structure, too) she's provided for my brother while they attended school in Cape.  She got a job teaching Kindergarten (I'm TOTALLY JEALOUS of that, btw) and I SO look forward to hearing the cute little stories she'll have to share come fall.  (Mrs. Monda, why does my dog lick his butt?  Mrs. Monda... I made an oopsie!  Mrs. Monda, she took my... she took my... she... [bursts into tears].)  Just thinking about that job makes my heart swell three times its normal size.  Such FUN!  To top it all off, they have a cute little townhouse with HARDWOOD FLOORS, a beautiful doggie named Gracie, and they're going to have one of the most ROCKIN' weddings known to man.  I can't wait!

4.  We started CROSSFIT.

For those of you who don't know what CrossFit is, you need to Google it RIGHT NOW!  It's only the most insane, glorious, make-your-body-hurt-like-its-never-hurt-before workout!  After (unsuccessfully) trying P90X a couple of times (mid workout, I tended to "need" a drink or "need" to answer that text.... I mean I tried my hardest, most of the time... ok I just cheated.  A lot.) we decided we SERIOUSLY needed something to kick our arses into shape.  Nic has the goal of making a perfect score on his physical fitness test at COT, and we'd heard a lot about CrossFit- mainly from his brother in law- and decided to give it a whirl.  That was last Tuesday and my.body.hasn't.stopped.aching.since.  The gyms are pretty minimal (not like a Gold's Gym, Wilson's or Bodyworks).  Just you, the weights, the workout, and the timer.  The CrossFit coaches explain the workouts and set the time and you do your best to try to complete it in the set amount of time.  Of course, they have accommodations if you're old (hehe jk!), out of shape (like me) or maybe both... but the main thing is that you really give it a go.  Over time, your cardio will increase, your strength will increase, and your hours you stay awake into the night with your spouse will increase.  ;)  HAHA!   But seriously.  I can already feel my arms and thighs getting stronger, and I so look forward to the day when I can seriously ROCK that workout and look like the other girls that have been doing CrossFit for a while.

So there you have it!  Quite a bit going on, but lovin' every minute!  I have goals to update this layout, but mainly, to update MORE OFTEN!  I promise not to forget you the way I have in the past, Blogspot, and I hope you can forgive me.  Take care!  

Sharpen Your Saw

"Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted"- John Lennon

The head principal of the school I work introduced this phrase and concept at one of our first staff meetings: "Sharpen your saw."  And while I forget the exact story he had that went along with it, the meaning stuck.  I'll quickly give you a botched up version of what he means when he says that:
      Each of us is like a saw; we're sharp and can be efficient at what we do.  Over time, especially in our every day jobs, our saw becomes dull due to all work and no play.  Every now and then, we need to take time to ourselves to do the things we enjoy and WANT to do rather than things we NEED to do; these things help us "sharpen our saws" so we feel rejuvenated, sharp and ready to go again.  I love love LOVE that he told us to sharpen our saws whenever we can, and to not feel guilty about doing that.  He recognizes that burnout is a serious problem, especially in teaching, and he advocates for us to not work ALL the time; spend time with family, do the things you enjoy so you are a happier, healthier, "sharper" employee.  (He was careful to add to do this within reason.)


Why is this applicable to my life right now?  Because yesterday was my birthday!  Yes, I am now closer to 30 than I am to 20, as my brother reminded me in his voicemail yesterday.  It was a Friday, and normally I would have been at school.  Since it was my birthday, I decided to take the day to sharpen my saw.  I felt like it was a good reason to not be telling children what to do, and a GREAT reason to not hang around and let certain 6th graders push my buttons and give me a stress headache.  So I did, and I love that nobody gave me crap about it- in fact, it was smiled upon.  What great colleagues!


So what did I do yesterday?  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! :)  I slept 'till 10, watched 3 movies, cuddled with my husband, took my time getting ready for the day around 6:30 (haha!) ate some Mexican (my fav!), came back and played board games (yes, I'm THAT cheesy!) with my love and lastly, fell asleep to Dirty Dancing.  Oh Beautiful Day!

I found the John Lennon quote at the top of this post on a friend's Facebook page.  I love it!  Because sometimes I do feel guilty for "wasting" time.  I feel like I should be cleaning, or lesson planning, or getting out and doing things.  But I agree with Lennon- doing little things you enjoy, even if it feels like time wasted, is not wasting time at all.  It's sharpening your saw!  I bet my principal didn't know he had some of the same philosophies as John Lennon.  : )


It really is silly some of the things I love to do that can seemingly be wasting time.  BUT, I'm going to share them with you b/c... well, b/c I can.   : )  Warning: Frivolous girly talk ahead!  

So what things do I love that could be seen as "wasting" time which actually sharpen my saw?  Lately, it's been experimenting with eye make-up. I'll update you on other fun "saw sharpeners" as they develop, but today I'll just share about the eyes.

Eyes are SUCH an important part of you (for more reasons than being able to see)!  Upon watching the documentary "The Science of Attraction" I learned that the first thing that attracts a person, weather male or female, is most often the eyes (assuming no crazy outfit or something of the type).  That being said, I think some time should be spent paying attention to them!  ...er...not that I'm trying to attract people... but if people look at them, I want them to look good! 

I love me some great eyelashes; I think they can do so much for your face and I've been in constant search of the best mascara.  Well, I think I found it!  Slightly expensive as it may be, this is my current fav:

Flirt! Far Out Lengthening Mascara
Found at:  Kohl's 
Price:  $12
Those that care about mascara will notice that it doesn't have a regular brush, but instead it has a comb-like end that helps ensure that lashes get separated evenly.  It's not waterproof, which I was hesitant about at first (I always cry when I laugh really hard), but I really love the way it washes off easily in the shower.  My husband laughs when I tell him it's a "good eyelash day."  I swear,  just like the hair on your head, eyelashes either cooperate or they don't.  With this mascara, there are more good days than bad.  ; )

 Mary Kay Eyeliner Brush  This came in the brush kit I had left over from the days that I sold Mary Kay.  While I've gone on to use other makeup products, I still adore this brush!  It's actually got a little comb and brush on the other end that you could use for eyebrows or eyelashes, but this little gal shown is SO thin that you can use it for eye-liner.  Literally just take the brush and dab it on a dark color of eye-shadow (which increases color selection) and then keep the brush close to eyelashes when applying and TA DA!  Beautiful easy eye-liner which is actually eye-shadow!  Fun stuff!


So there you have it, a few things I do to sharpen my saw... or waste time... however you choose to see it.  I hope you take some time to do silly little things to sharpen your saw as well! 


Sorry if I bored you non-girly people to death, but thanks for reading anyway!  
Have a great week and sharpen your saw!  : )


♥ Stefanie

When I Grow Up...

I wonder how many people out there have jobs that they really really REALLY love.  I mean, these people wake up super excited to go to their job and they would do it for free if they could afford it.  I want that.  Do you have that?

Don't get me wrong, I really love teaching.  Although most people close to me know that middle school hasn't been my first choice, I've been truly enjoying this time with the hormonal drama-driven adolescents.  I've been able to build some valuable relationships and inspire a few that I know aren't naturally inspired to excel in English.  I've had a student say "Why can't all teachers be like you?" and multiple tell me that my class is their favorite or that I'm their favorite teacher.  So that being said, my day is fun and full, and I know I'm making a difference.

My job is hard.  And maybe that's what makes me want something different.  It takes a lot of time to come up with interesting ideas-- and even then, sometimes what I think they'll enjoy ends up being a bust.  It's a lot of time at the copy machine, a lot of meetings, and realistically- a lot of teen drama to put up with in one year (and often one day).  I'll teach as long as I need to... but somewhere deep inside, I wonder what it is that I would REALLY REALLY want to do, if I could do anything in the whole world.

I would be surprised if I'm the only one who feels this way.  I think most people are at least content with their jobs, and some are happy for the most part-- usually due to the co-workers and less the content (as in my case).  But what would you do if you could pick up those great friends at your current job, uplift them then plant them into your new job (the one where you all are having a complete and total blast and don't even want to leave at the end of the day)?  No, I'm not talking about job taste-testing food and beverages...  I'm asking honestly, what would you do?

I often joke about what I'm about to say, but in all honesty- I'm not really kidding.  I tell people that if I could do ANYTHING, I would love to be a SCUBA instructor, or do some type of SCUBA work.  Something about water has always drawn me in:  water is my favorite thing to drink, I love to sit by lakes and read, I love to swim, love driving on bridges that go over water, love being by the ocean (thus the destination wedding and Aruba honeymoon) and basically, if Nic weren't my husband, I would marry water because I love it so much (as the elementary saying goes).

Now, I may have some work cut out for me-- I'm not even a certified diver! You may wonder how I'm so certain of this dream without having dived before- but just roll with it and trust me when I say, I just know that job's for me.  It's been a bit tough, not living by an ocean, and also- that stuff is EXPENSIVE!  However, the dream may not be as far off as I think, since two of the places we preferenced for the Air Force are Pensacola and Virginia Beach (if he's accepted, we would likely be moving summer of 2012) and then one of the places he could do his clinicals for CRNA school (years down the road) is Hawaii.  Believe me, once we get near an ocean and both have well-paying jobs, SCUBA certification here I come!

It'd be really cool to open my own SCUBA business and somehow tie God and Christianity into all of it.  The sermon that we heard last night got me thinking how I can live my dreams for God.  It's a really interesting 3-part series called 'You Can Do It!'- you can check it out here.  SCUBA is definitely one of my dreams, and if I can even for a minute get a non-believer to dive and appreciate the fact that the beauty comes from God's hands, that's a small moment of success.

So, to you, are you 100% happy with your current job?  If not, what is it that you really REALLY want to do?  And what do you need to do to get there?  Just a little food for thought.

I hope you all had a great week, and I hope your Monday starts off full of energy and ready to go!  I know a lot of people have been sick lately, so stay well and drink your AIRBORNE!

See you later!
 
♥ Stefanie

First Time for Everything

Well, here it is.  I'm finally doing it.
Lately I've come across so many great blogs written by so many of the ladies I love, and the idea just kept bouncing around in my head:  I can do that!  Often times the blogs I read aren't about anything particularly special.  Perhaps it's an entry about someone starting their journey with Christ, or maybe someone talking about their new favorite restaurant, or maybe even someone just sharing their favorite books, beauty products and insights to life.

Whatever they write about, I always end up reading!  And the more I thought about it, the more ideas I came up with to write about.  So today's topic:

What inspires you?

One of the people who inspires me most (besides Jesus) is my husband, Nic.  From the time I met him, I knew that I loved being around him.  He smiles all the time, and is always laughing.  He makes me feel like I'm a stand-up comedian and let's be real people... I'm not really that funny.  He gets grand ideas and actually follows through with them and is the epitome of hard work.  He's in the accelerated nursing program at Tech, and since he's so modest I'll take this chance to brag on him:  As if it weren't hard enough to get into the program in the first place, he aced his first semester!  He's now in his 2nd semester and will be finished in August.  I tell him constantly how much I admire his study habits-- if it were me, I doubt I would have received a 4.0; I just don't have that kind of stamina.  But besides his outgoing personality and insane work ethic, there's something much more about him that inspires me.

I swear his heart is made of pure gold.  The way that he loves is almost unbelievable.  The way I see it most is through his patience, with me in particular.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a joy to be around (insert wink face that's unavailable) but I definitely have my moments.  And instead of getting extremely frustrated and yelling- which he could do- or walking out and taking a drive- which he could do- or even tearing me up in writing- which he could do- he does none of that.  Instead, he wraps me in his arms and asks me what's wrong.  He says something of the nature, "You're upset... how can I help this?"  Don't get me wrong, he has his moments (very few) as well.  But in all, I'm constantly amazed by the love that he exudes.

When asked how he loves so well, he says that it comes from God and from the great example his parents have shown throughout the years.  I'm daily trying to build and strengthen my relationship with God, but Nic- he's solid.  He's a living breathing example of the type of love the Bible teaches.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says " Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't take joy in others sorrows, takes pleasure in the truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end" (The Message).  And I've gotta say, re-reading those words that I've heard so many times before once again affirms to me that is the love that my husband gives.


So my husband's act of living out the love that God, the Bible and his parents have taught him inspires me to be more loving toward others.  This is work, guys, this isn't easy.  ...especially with dealing with disrespectful middle-schoolers who like to push their teachers buttons to see how angry they can get.  I try to remember: LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!  :)

 
So what inspires you???  

So, that's it for today.  Hopefully I didn't bore your eyes out.  I'm not sure how often I'll post or how long I'll keep up with this thing, but I'm optimistic!  I think this will be fun, and even if I write for just myself, it's exciting to try new things.

I hope you all have a great day!  Feel free to leave comments or give feedback!