Never to late again!!

Never to late!!

Here are some more!!

Never to late!!

So this post is going to be of random images I have taken with my new camera since Christmas!! Enjoy!!

Get your creative juices flowing!!!

Ok so I love being creative. One aspect about teaching that I love is the ability to be creative and express myself in ways to show people my personality. Well in the past few months I have felt a void because I haven't been creative. Actually I have been very boring. When I went to Guatemala last year I came back with millions of pictures and the intent to scrapbook them. I started and then fund ran low and I couldn't develop all the pictures. Also life stepped in and gave me a reality check.

The other night I was getting on Matts nerves because I was bored out of my mind and I really wanted to do something but he was busy with that little electronic box of his. He said " You need a hobby!" So I thought and thought and I knew what I wanted to do but see what many of you may not know about me is that I tend to get carried away with things and I seem to not be able to stop. I was scared that if I started this hobby it would become very unhealthy!

Which leads into the reason of this post. If you read the post below I was looking back at old photos and decided that I was going to scrap our journey to this house. I want to be able to show our children that at one point in our life we had a really nice house. I am going to miss this place and I didn't want to forget it. If you are at all like me you know that pictures get taken and then stay on your computer FOREVER!! You don't do anything with them so it was pointless to take them in the first place. So I went out the other day and picked up a few things that I needed for this scrap book and began. The past few nights I have been really excited about my masterpeice! I love scraping and being creative. Well I again became obsessive and thought about what else I could do. So I started to make little notecards to send to people. My love language is gifts and things like that. I love little notes and fun things to make me smile. So I sat down on Friday night and created eight creative notecards for my frinds and family. I made three to thank the three people who are writing references for me. I did on for my mom, step mom, mother in law, sister in law, and my fiend Lisa. I felt so good after I was finished. I even stamped them and sent them out that night. My stupid self didn't take pictures. So this post is dedicated to finding a hobby and being creative. I will take some pictures of the book and post them.

This post is also a for me to vent a moment about my life. So my dearest husband gave me this AMAZING camera for my birthday and Christmas and I have fallen in love with photography. The sad part is there isn't much in my life to take pictures of. I know this investment was for our future whisenant clan but still I see this camera and I want to take pictures but I never seem ti find anything to document. So enough whinging and off to scrap some more pages!

how things have changed.....random thoughts of a school teacher

So as I sit here on my day off which I have to say was much needed I sit here and ponder on thoughts I haven't had time to think about. So on Friday we welcomed a new addition to the Millbrook clan. Her name is Caroline Elizabeth which makes me happy because Elizabeth is an amazing name I have to say. People with that name have amazing strong lives ahead of them! :) This new addition has brought on a flood of thoughts. I was sitting here thinking that I turn 24 this year which is really odd to me. Granted it is really far away since my birthday isn't until November but that doesnt erase the fact that 24 is coming this year. I never thought about how much I would have accomplished by 24 because I always thought about twenty or 18 never 24. The funny thing is that I have accomplished many things and 24 is a year that I hope brings many more. Welcoming this new addition has made me think about how a year seemed so long a few years ago and now it doesn't. A year is short and can bring many great things and many changes. I talked witha friend last night that I hadn't talked with in awhile and it made me think about those years that have flown by and how we have grown. It makes me think about the future and how God has ultimate control and I have non. :) With this bein an election year my heart and head has been filled with so many thoughts and worries for the future. Matt and I are excited about making better choices and setting goals for each other. I think that is really important for anybody is to have goals that are never ending. I turned twenty one and I thought it was all over. I had met EVERY goal I had set plus one. I thought there wasn't anything else to accomplish and I was wrong. I am excited and it makes me happy to think that I have many more things to do in my lifetime.

I feel that Matt and I have grown alot in the past few months because of this move. To think about that we will be married for three years in may is hard because we don't feel like newly weds. We are so comfortable with each other and we love each other so much. We fit so well together.

This move is approaching fast and I am scared and excited and very sad. I sat down on Saturday and printed out my lesson plan pages for the rest of the year. To a non teacher you probably have a blank look on your face but for a teacher this is a bitter sweet moment. You begin to freak out because that means the end it not far off which mean that test is not far off but it also means that a new year is approaching and teachers also live for the new year. We only get better because of the year we just had has taught us so many great things. This year def has and I have learned more htis year then the last. I am scared though because I want the new year to be exciting but I am scared I a shooting myself in the foot since I am not really excited to change schools.

Well I am sad that our house will no longer be ours. I never thought I would get like this about our house. I really thought it would be a move not a monumental thing. I have started to think the past few days about making a scrapbook of our first home together. I want our kids to know that at some point in our life we were stable and had a home that was nice. :) I don't know what the future holds and you never know wher eyou will end up but I know that I want to remember this house and this journey because I feel this is a HUGE chunk of our life. Since we are moving to VA and renting ANOTHER appartment I don't want us to forget about this place that has taught us so many great htings. YOU might not know how a house could teach you something but this one has. It has taught us about moeny, about gardening, about taking care of a puppy ( and how being on the third floor isn't always easy with a new puppy), how making time to spend together can get lost in a 2000 square foot home, how when you wear your spotted pjs while taking the dog out people think your parents live in the house, how fighting in the drive way might send the wrong message to your neighbors, how much we love laying around on saturdays in our own home, how completeing home improvement projects is a huge reward for the both of us :), how nice it is to have a laundry room on the same floor as your bedroom....so I could go on and I think I might have lost you in the second paragraph but I don't want to forget these memories. I want to remember them forever and I want to share them with our children because I love hearing about my parents and their past but they seemed to forget alot and I don't want that to happen.

Well this is the end of a random post but I was in one of those moods to type and think...hope I didn't lose you as a reader!!

Odyssey of the Mind...Oh My!!!

So this weekend I had the great pleasure of being part of the judging team of Odyssey of the Mind. For many of you who aren't in the AG group of kids (joke) I will explain. OM is a program design to help children problem solve and to come up with a solution to a problem of their choice. When they solve the problem to go to compition and compete with schools all over and show their solution. Their solution can vary but they are judged on two areas. Style and general. I am a general judge which means I watch them and make sure they are within regulations but also be subjective when it comes to creativness and other aspects. Now I know you are knodding asleep as I type but to a big old dork like me I love this stuff!! I love watching children perform and problem solve. If I was staying in NC I would def start up an OM team at millbrook! I love the idea behind this program because it isn't for just smart AG children it is created for children who can problem solve and cooperate.

Well things have been great. We are just hanging around and waiting for the right buyer. We have shown it four times and no bite. We know the right family is out there we just hate the waiting game. We want someone to come get it!!

School is sad. I hate knowing I am leaving. It is hard to get excited to go out and and get things done I wont use but for a few months.

Ok I just pulled over my soap box and I am ready for my speech. As you read below I love DONORSCHOOSE!!! It is an amazing website for teachers to write "grants" and receive supplies for their room. Well I found out friday that those supplies are the property of WCPSS. I am so upset!!! I know I know people who know anything about grants you know that the itesm are the property of the organization not hte person. Well first of all I didn't knwo that about grants. What I did know was that if you read the website it states that depending on how the grant is written it depends on who the iteme belong to. I am so upset because if I knew this I wouldn't written all these grants because I knew I was leaving. I just hate that this is going to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

one of those days....

So today was one of those days where you don't want to get out of bed. Yesterday we celebrated a friends of ours on their baby. She is due on the tenth and we had a shower last night to celebrate. It was so much fun!! We played so many fun games and I laughed so hard!! It was so odd to think about her leaving to have a baby but its the way life is. It made me think about VA and our move and how sad its going to be. It really hit hard last night that I wouldn't be around these people anymore. That maybe if Matt and I get pregnant we wouldn't have these people around to celebrate with and these are the people that really have been there. I am scared that I wont have that in VA. Now if you know me at all you know I can make friends easily but I am scared that they wont be like the people I have here. Nancy said she would come visit but I said to her that she is going to forget about me. I will miss her and the gang and its going to be hard. I am sad right now thinking about it. Its going to be a test of faith and will. I really don't want to sound like I am complaing because I am not. I am just worried that when we get up there I will lose all that I have here.

I still am fighting this cold. I hate being sick!!! TheraFlue has been great though. I can't drink it again right now because it makes me sick but whe nI did it worked so well. I hope I wake up tomorrow feeling better!

So we took the dog to the dog park to let her run around! I love going because she seems so happy when she is there. She is running and running to her hearts content. She plays with other dogs and loves it!! Matt and I love going because we get to sit and talk with each other. Its like a date but not a mushy date! I love spending that time with him and our puppy. Today Matts friend DAvid was there wtih his family and their two dogs. Stella loved playing with them!! It was such a pretty day today. It is a cath 22 though because it was nice and warm but that makes you think the global warming!

germs germs germs go away

Ok so I have tried the past few weeks to stay away from sick people and not get sick. The past few days I have taken some pills in the morning to keep away the crud but this morning I woke up with the CRUD!!! I hate when you feel like this. My throat is burning my nose is running and I feel cruddy. I went this morning to walmart to get something to take and I found theraflue. THis stuff works. Its a tea like stuff you drink and you it sooths your throat. It really worked. I felt better but now I don't. Working with kids is like russian rullet with sickness. Luckily I have a strong immune system but this time it let down its guard.

Well this year is def the year of lessons. My parents this year are working me hard. Today I had another meeting and its frusteratiing because this child still reads at a first grade level but his parents don't want the to hear that he isn't growing. It worries me and its hard as a teacher to see a studne not succeed. I want so badly to make him grow but I can't.

Well we have shown our house twice and both time they say they love it but it wasn't the house for them. My thoughts are that you know what the features are and if you read the booklet you would know if it was for you or not. People amaze me sometimes. Its hard though because I spent last weekend with my father and he is a police office and he sees alot but his heart has become so hard to the world. He really seems sad all the time. I don't like seeing him like that. I think when we have grandkids he will def start to enjoy life a little more but I hope that it wont be to late.

So I am not a political person and I really hated politics until MAtt and I started dating. As the years go by I have learned more and more. It hard to belive what these people say. I am scared that this world is falling apart and that makes me scared. I think about this alot and it makes my stomach turn. I really wish that you could belive the delegates and see what they really stand for. The sad part is it really doesn't matter because when they get elected they wil no longer have a really say. I pray this country has a chance to get better!

What a great day!

I had such a great day today. My kiddos were so good today! They really came to learn today! I love days like this. Makes my job easy and it makes you want to keep teaching.

This weekend was so great. CATS was amazing!!! We had a blast. We were stuck behind some nasty people that couldn't keep their hands off of each other which was making my father really mad. He was ready to slap these people. They wouldn't stop talking, he was sucking on her fingers, she wore a bluetooth the entire time that was blinking....it was bad. I hate people like that.

Well my conferences were great. The first mother was a nut. She didn't want anything on her sones permanant record which makes me laugh. Its not like this record goes anywhere with him. She declined everything that we wanted to use to help this poor child learn math. I really hate people like htis. She wants a weekly progress report because she wants to know what he needs help on and what he is still lacking in. I just wish she would see that something is not right.

The second conference was great. He was very supportive and really wanted to help his daughter. Everything he said to her was the same tihngs I said to her. It really made me feel better and helping her.

Well this week starts the begining week of ALP. I am a fool for doing it two times each week but we needed the money and its hard not to do. I am just going to get so tired. No complaing though. We will have to see!!

What are they thinking!!!!!

Ok so today I had a little young lady come to me and start to tell me that she is leaving our school. She started to cry as she told me which made me cry. She was telling me that her mom is moving them. Come to find out she is being kicked out of their appartment because her mom can't pay. It makes me so mad that these parents aren't making better choices. I am so sad for this little girl because the teachers at Millbrook love her so much!!! It breaks my heart!! This is the part of the job people don't tell you about. They don't tell you that your heart melts each time you walk in and that student that was there is gone and how that feels. I still say the name of another student who is gone because the same reason. Because she is being kicked out and that means she is homeless she can stay at our school but I don't know what is going to happen. I am sooooo sad.

To build off the title, what are they thinking. Parents again AMAZE me. So tomorrow I have TWO parent teacher conferences. One in the morning and one after school. The one before school I am ready for. I have all the ammo ready and I am ready to fire! This woman is more worried about his permanant record then helping her son. The one after school wants to talk about her and how she is making poor choices. I am more woried about the afternoon one because I think he is going to get defensive. I really wish parents would think about the way they speak to teachers. I will update you later about these two conferences.

On a lighter note this weekend my parents are coming to see CATS with Matt and I. I LOVE broadway and musicals. I am sooo excited. My parents bought us tickets so this weekend should be lots of fun.

FOR SALE!!!!

Well its final....the house is on the market!! Its an odd feeling. I think I am happier now because we have started the process but its also hard because I want to know things and I want to know when we will sell the house and when we will move. I am a planner. You can't plan selling your house. It just happens. So we spent the entire day cleaning organizing and getting rid of things we don't need. It was stressful because I had work to do and I didn't want to clean. I wanted to spend my day off laying around the house, but my dearest husband wouldn't let me. Its ok though because we listed the house and hopefully we will get a bite. Please pray that someone out there wants our little house and wants to pay us what we want. I am excited now that we have the process started, but it is scary. Also if we sell our house quickly then we can move into a cheaper appartment which will help because we can save the money for when we move to Richmond. So lets pray that our house will sell and the Lord will provide us with a good offer.

Oh sweet Raleigh NC!!!

Ok so this past week has been fun! The news is so funny! On Wed. the news started to talk about snow and wintery mix. So people start freaking out! The county calls for a two hour delay on Thursday and we all wake up to NOTHING!!! It was so funny. Parents were so mad at us for the delay because they had to get to work and nothing happened. No snow or sleet or ice, nothing! So we get to school and these parents are dropping their kids off early and leaving and we have kids waiting outside the school because their parents are gone and they dropped them off to early. It amazed me that these parents would leave their kids to wait out in the cold.

So the news makes me laugh again! So Friday rolls around and the news calls for another snow fall of 1-3 inches. They say this one is coming and that people need to be prepared. So we all braced as this winter storm comes through NC. Saturday morning comes and it is raining. They say the rain will turn to snow at 10. 10 comes and go no snow. They say 12. 12 comes and goes, no snow. They say 2. 2 comes and goes and no snow. So around 2:45 it starts to snow itty bitty snow flakes. We laughed so hard. It kept snowing. We went to the movies got out at 8:30 and it was still snowing, nothing was really sticking but it snowed. Now remember everybody and their momma cancelled eveything on SUnday because the the huge snow storm we were having!! DOn't you love NC!!!

On another note, we went to the movies last night and saw "27 Dresses"! It was so good!!! Matt and I laughed so hard!! It was a great chic flic. Those movies always make me feel warm and fuzzy!! I want to find a new love story book and curl up on the couch and read, but I can't. We have to start cleaning our house so we can sell it!!!!

just wanted to brag a little

Ok so a few posts ago I told you about this amazing site DonorsChoose.org and how it is a site for teachers to put a grant and hopefully somebody will fund it. Well today I got the sweet little email that said somebody funded my grants. This will make 12 now that I have had funded!! It is amazing that people still care and ask nothing in return!!! I couldn't belive that I got two more today!! My children are so excited and they also couldn't belive that somebody would spend so much money on them. It is amazing!! Today I recieved two third grade libraries of books in spanish for those students who speak spanish. I also recived tons of math manipulatives and games for test prep and review!!! I can't wait to get it all in the mail!! It really makes your day when you see that email!!!

Another note is that today was a good day with my kids. Latley it has been hard and if you read the post before this one you will see that teaching is fading fast for me because of this move. I really want to still love this job but with those crazy parents and this move it gets harder and harder each day!! I love being a TEACHER it really is my calling and I think I am pretty good but there are days like yesterday where I go home and ask God what am I doing!!! We also today got a new reading seires to help us with guided reading!! When we got the boxes I was sooo excited because it has tons of resources for me as a teacher and for my children who struggle!! I love days like this, truely makes teaching easy and worthwhile!

Also just another little praise, I had seven level FOURS today on our math test!! That makes me sooo happy, ecsp with a class of five learning disabled children! I was so excited for my class. I only had four that got level twos which means the rest of them passed!! The past few tests haven't been like that. Hopefully this is starting a trend for the other test!!!

one step forward, two steps back :(

Ok so we drove up to Richmond this past Sunday to see what it's like. Matt has been twice so he knew the area a little but I had never been. I was really excited because I knew this trip would make me think about Richmond as a place and not a move. I wanted to get a feel for the area and see the different schools in the area. We had gone with an address of Matts work and townhome complex that we wanted to look at. Matts mother bought us a TOM TOM for Christmas which was a blessing because we were able to use that to take us everywhere. So we drove up and found his office building and then went to the townhome complex. They were closed till one so we went and got lunch. We found this area where there was every store you could imagine. The area is called Short Pump which we hear from everywhere is the place to be. After eating we went back to the townhome and talked with them. They showed us a three bedroom home which was really nice (alot smaller then our house now, but alot bigger then our first appartment). I really hated the idea of renting a place for the amount they were asking because it is just being thrown away but we can't buy another place right now since we don't know our plan. After we talked with them we cliked on the TOM TOM to find all the schools. The really nice thing about this place is there is a school 4oo yards from the entrance so that would be amazing!! I could leave the house two minutes before I needed to be there!! We looked at five schools and then drove around to look at other appartments. The nice thing about the first one is that is is a townhome and not appartment. I really like it because it is three stories and it feels more like a home. Overall I left VA feeling alot better about the move and I am excited about our new adventure.

Now you are probably wondering why in the title I said one step forward two steps back, that leads to today's events. Today I was researching the steps I need to take to get my license in VA. I talked with the HR lady and found out some things that make me sad. Since I haven't taught in NC for three years I have to start at the beg as if I was just graduating college. I have to take four assessments and fill out all the paperwork to get my license. If I had taught in NC for three years I wouldn't be dealing with all this. That makes me the maddest. Ontop of all that VA doesn't post their teaching positions so I have no idea what schools have openings. This whole thing is getting harder and harder. There isn't really anyone to contact or a plan of action. I KNEW there were going to be hoops to hop through, but i didn't think there would be flame all around them. Please pray for me that I can keep my sanity as well as still keep the hope that this is the move best for our family.

What are they thinking?

Ok so let me start off by saying that yesterday was a monumental day!! Nancy, Rhonda, Erin and I went to shelly lake for a quick run. The loop is two miles and I was so close to making it all the way around. I wanted to quit and they wouldn't let me. Nancy was amazing!! She made it all the way around with not complaint!! It was great she def. motivated me. Can't wait to do it next week.

Ok so onto why I wrote the title I did. This week has been a little stressful. I have this parent who has been trying to meet with me for about a month now but she hasn't made a great effort to get ahold of me and it bothers me that she is blaming me. Parents amaze me these days. She knows there are issues with her child but yet she has declined any help that we want to give. She never turns things in on time but yet she plays the concerned parent card. It blows my mind!!! The hard part is I am still learnng and crap like this ruins my day! I get the note in the morning and all I want to do is scream and I can't. My poor children get the end of the stick and I hate it. I feel horrible and then on top of it all her kid is just so hard to figure out. I can't decide what is making him so out of it. WE have been in school for this long and he still doesn't know how to get his spelling list aligned and his words where they need to go. It frusterates me!!!! I just can't belive there are parents out there that don't want thier children to succeed!

ANother one of my students is also having a hard week. So his mom wanted us to fix him so we started a contract with him. We created it for home and school. He as doing so GREAT!! Our AP went to his belt thing on satruday to support him, and this student got all his checks and he chose to spend time with mr. clark. His mom was all weirded out about why in the world would her son pick spending time with him. She made this student feel bad about it and it makes me so mad! I was so excited about hs progress and now there isn't any. He was horrible this week!! Parents amaze me!!

www.donorschoose.org

Ok so this is take two of this post. I probably wont go into as much detail as the first because I am pissed that the post didn't work. I was typing and it just all deleted. So from the title you can see that I am steping up on a soap box once again. As a teacher you want what is best for your students. You want to bring them the best education you can. Being in America is amazing but when it comes to teaching I don't think people value it as much as they should. Does a doctor have to pay for his scaple or bandages that he uses....of course not!!! They why do teachers have to buy the things they need? This aspect of my job blows my mind. So one day I was watching MTV and I saw this commercial for www.donorschoose.org. This is a website for teachers to write grants for items they need and for people with money to buy the items for them. This website is a blessing!!! It started in NY by people who care about education and saw that teacers weren't being paid enough and weren't being supplied the things they need. This website allows for teachers to ask for things they can't afford or for things they would NEVER buy themselves. For example I needed an electric pencil sharpener and a huge hole puncher. I didn't have the money to buy a nice one so I wrote a grant and someone filled it for me. I asked for books on tape which will help my students read better and allow them to listen to a story and not have to worry about the words. This is something that I don't have to have but it is great to have it. I would never buy them myself because they are exp. and I can't afford it. I have had seven grants filled so far. The latest one was a 5 foot skeleton for my science lessons. The other one that was jsut filled was a problem solving kits to help my children get better at test taking and getting used to the words and what the questions are asking them. This website has made teaching so much easier and better. Please get the word out about this website!! It is amazing that people I have never met care about my children and want to fill these grants for us!!!

My movie moment

Ok so in the Whisenant household things have been crazy. We are trying to work out this whole move thing so things have beem tense. We just have to sit in this waiting game and see what happens. Well after Christmas we have been trying to save for this move to make sure we can make the best decision. So this weekend I asked Matt to take me to the movies. Yesterday we sat around and napped all day and I really wanted to go see P.S. I love you because I read the book in college and it was one of the better books I have read. The story was so sweet. He didn't want to see is but I really wanted to. So all day I kept asking and he kept avoiding me and it got to be late. So at 6 he said lets go. I was so excited. We got our tickits and Matt kept reminding me that the movie probably wont be like the book. He tells me this because I get very sad when I read a book and the movie is nothing like the book. The nice thing about this was that I read the book years ago so I don't remember all the details. Matt was being so cute. We were all cuddly and holding hands. If you know me you know that my love language is not touchy feely, but Matts is. So there are times I really try to hold his hand and hug him.

During the movie I was crying through the whole movie. This movie was one of the best chic flicks I have seen in years. It got low ratings but the movie was great. It made me cry a happy cry. I love the feeling you get when you watch a true love story. It makes you think about all those great things in your life. When we got out of the movie I was ovwhelmed with this feeling of love and joy. Matt asked if I wanted to go to starbucks and hang I said sure. We got our coffee and sat outside and talked about VA. It was one of those moments that you want to freeze in your head and remember. As were driving home I had thise moment that I have never had before. I was sitting in the car thinking about Matt and us. It was crazy how much I love this man who loves me completly. I was thinking in my head how God is amazing and how I am so lucky. People say that all the time but I truely mean it. I never thought I would get married then I went to college and met Matt. I haven't gone through what alot of women do. I wasn't hurt by a guy or went through thousands of relationships. I really hadn't dated anyone when I met Matt. I was telling Matt last night that I never have the fear that he would ever leave me. In my heart I truely know that he loves me unconditionally and that we are meant to be. It was a moment that I don't want to forget. That is why I titled this my movie moment because matt and i just fit and that makes me think I am living my fairy tale movie!!

just another week

So another week has gone by and I am tired! I have only been in school three days and it felt like an entire month. Well we met with anothe relator. This has been a hard part of moving. We have to meet with two and pick one. Well the first was great I thought there is no way anyone could sawy me to not pick her and then last night happened. The two people came a married couple and they were the sweetest. Very down to earth and sweet. They were very energetic and seemed to really want to help us. After they left Matt and I were stuck. I told him to pick because he does all that stuff but he couldn't decide either. We liked them both for such different reasons.

It is so odd to me that one day I can be super excited about moving to a new place and meeting new people and then the very next minute be super super sad and want to cry and not think about moving. I want to be supportive but it can be hard since in my heart I want to stay here with these amazing people and my school. I know God has a plan for us and what we may want may not be his plan so I am going to keep my head held high.

Today is school it was very eventful. So in the middle of word study time we see a police car fly down millbrook road. Now this happens alot since we have an entire wall of windows that face a very busy road. WE usually just ignore it and move on. Well today another police car flew by. Then another and another. These cars had lights and sirens as well as being ummarked. Now I was little curiouse since we had seen at least five now. Then five more flew by. There was a total of ten police cars. After they flew by two ambulences flew by. My kids were all excited now and they were brainstorming what could have happened. So a few minutes later I got on WRAL and found out that a deputy had been shot. Right after I read that online the two ambulences came fying down the other way towards the hospital. That is all they knew at the time. Then about thirty minutes later I got on again and saw that they were doing an alcohol drug sting at a house right at the corner of the road my school is on. They said they had called on 12 police officers to do the sting (we saw 10):) needless to say I didn't tell my children what had happened but it was fun to hear them brainstorm. About an hour later we had to walk to lunch and when we got outside we saw the TV choppers hovering over the house that the police were at. My kids were so excited. Its moments like this that amaze me about these children. Listening to them brainstorm and come up with ideas about what had happened is so neat. I love being a teacher because you get to see their little minds work.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 2008

Wow this year has flown by. Many great things happened this year. We have grown so much together and with our family. I can tell 2008 has many things to offer as well. We will be moving to VA in the summer which is a huge move for us. We will be selling the house and find a new home.

Here are me resolutions for the new year:

1. work out at least three times a week: I started this two weeks ago and have been really good. I got an ipod for Christmas so that will help. I also got a new gym back which I am really excited about.

2. Find a new church family and read from the bible: This is one I know that I need but it seems like an ovwhelming task for me. I just don't know where to begin.

3. Have at least one date night a week: With all our busy time we need this night for us. Video games and computers turned off and quality time spent together.

4. Keeped the house picked up: Ok this is the worst for me. We don't pick up after ouselves and so when the weekend rolls around we have to REALLY clean. If we would just pick up little by little we woulnd't have spend all saturdya cleaning.

So here are four that I really want to stick with. I have other small ones that pertain to my job and things but those are ones that I would let go as long as these four stick. I hope this new year brings many joys and happiness to everyone.

Here is a video my mom sent me. Thought it would inspire you all.

must be boredom

I am sitting here watching TLC bored out of my mind because we haven't done anything all day. I love lazy days but I also hate them. I hate just sitting around the house and doing nothing productive but I am also in no mood to clean the house or do laundry. You would think being married I would always have someone to entertain me but no.I think that is the hardest part living away from family. You can always call family up to hang out or eat dinner with or just go over their house to hang out. In Raleigh i don't have that. I love my friends but all of them I work with and I hate to call them to hang out since they all spend day after day with me. I don't want them to get sick of me. Katie called and she was buying chili ingredients for New Years Eve get together at her cousins house. I felt a twing of jelousy because we don't have that here. Matt and I really don't have a couple we hang with. I was reading another persons blog and they have a game night they attend and that is something I love doing. We love playing games when we go to our families but in Raleigh we don't have a couple we feel comfortable calling and saying hey you want to hang. In college people are forced to spend time with you since you live with them or you work with them. Being an adult it is hard because its harder to meet people in the same stage of life. I think that is what we have missed by not being a full time member of a church. Now that we are moving I don't want to go to a church and fall in love and then have to leave. I know that is what is missing in my life right now but I am alrready having a hard time leaving have to let go or a church family would be the hardest. I know this is not a worthy reason but I just know that right now its the right thing. I will look harder for a church when we get to VA since we know we will def be there for a year. I want to find a family because I know that we don't have that in our marriage right now. When we were going to church regularly I know that i felt better about myself. Since I have gone on a tagent back to the reason of this post. Here is a story that I have to share about my amazing husband. God created him for me. I am not an easy person to love. I am greatful for all the people that put up with me because I am difficult and I am high energy. Matt knows everything button to push but also everyone switch to switch to make me feel better. Everyday is a new adventure because we learn more and more about each other. Here is a story to show how sweet he is. He is the most caring person and he takes care of me all the time even when I don't tell him. I know that I need to tell him more but here is a moment that shows how amazing he is.

So this leads to a sweet story. My husband is an amazing man. He is always thinking about me and never does for himself. He is always buying for me which I love because that is my love language but I sometimes feel horrible because he doesn't get things for himself. Through the years he has splurged on gifts for me but only once for himself (x box). So he got a gift card to bestbuy for Christmas. He was excited because he really wanted this computer game. He bought the game and loaded it and it didn't work. The computer he had was so small for the game. Now a little history on his computer. When Matt started college in 2002 he bought this computer. It is a desktop and has held up nicely. He doesn't hook it up to the Internet because it has all our financial info on it so it is still working well. The thing is, it is almost six years old. That is old for a computer these days. So back to the story. Matt is now mad because this GREAT game that he bought doesn't work. So he called his computer friends and they suggested a video card thing that will make the computer better. We went out bought the card. The card wasn't enough power. We went back spent an hour trying to return the first one bought another card came home installed and it worked ok. Now my wifely duty fell into play. Matt really needs a new computer not just for games but for everything else. So I said to him why don't you get another computer. Being the realist he said we can't. :) Now for another side note, Matt got me a Nikon D40 camera for my bday and Christmas. I am in love with my camera and it wasn't cheap. So I dropped the computer thing since he does our finances and we conducting a HUGE move in a few months. Fast forward two days and we are in Walmart getting groceriesWe walk through the computer game section and it was like the heavens opened. There stood a box with a 19 inch desktop computer that was fast enough for this GREAT game he bought. I could see the gears turning in his head. I knew he was thinking about it so I said why don't you get the computer. His eyes GREW three times and he said " You mean I can buy the computer?" Now remember he does the finances so really he would know better then me, but he sounded so cute when he said it. I love seeing him all excited about something since he doesn't get this way about alot of things. So he said it again " Can I really get the computer?" I said of course and there he went box in hand walking through Walmart with his new computer. We got home and he has been on that thing for two straight days. He even came upstairs to show me the imprints the chair is leaving on his leg. He is so cute, he has been hoping around the house each time something really cool happens. It is so cute!! I love being married to him. Even though the past few months have been hectic and we aren't sure what God has planned for us I am sure he meant for us to be together. Matt is truly my better half. There are times where I get all flustered with him and the things that we argue about are always stupid but being married to him is what I was created for.