Christmas Gifts

This was a great Christmas. I am so blessed. Christmas started out at Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's. I got my WONDERFUL coffee maker, and now I drink coffee at home everyday. It's so yummy! It's the Cuisinart grind and brew. Very loud, but fresh ground coffee is definitely the best.

Today was the first day back to school, college shirt day, so I got to wear my awesome new Harding sweatshirt from Megan and Joel!! I LOVE it!

My gift from Eric was really Brinkley, but I also got to order a pair of Reebok Easytones! They won't come in for several weeks, and I can't wait! I customized them to my school shirt colors.

Other gifts included:

New Moon Soundtrack, which is amazing.

Jillian Michaels Wii game

Lots of clothes and Jewelry. My favorite is my clock necklace from urban outfitters. Super cute.

Probably my favorite gift was The Night Before Christmas recordable book from my mom. She recorded herself reading it, which is priceless, especially for when I was missing my family on Christmas. It's such a neat gift. Next Christmas will be with my family. first time since we got married. Can't wait.

Two New Favorites

Eric and I had been wanting to try out this new restaurant in the Pearland towncenter for the longest time, and recently, since we've been on vacation, we ventured out on a date to Mongo - The Mongolian Fire Pit. If you have not had a chance to try it, you must. It's one of those places where you fill your bowl with all the vegetables, meats, and spices that you want, and the cooks cook it for you and bring it out. I wasn't sure what to put in mine to make it good, but I guess I did a good job, because it was TO DIE FOR!! MMMM. So yummy!

Afterwards, we walked down to the new Yogurt place at Pearland towncenter - Swirl. I have gotten to where I LOVE frozen yogurt, and Swirl is awesome. You get to fill your own cup up with whatever flavor(s) you want and add all the toppings you want, because they charge you by the ounce. This is just perfect since I never finish what they give me, and I always want more toppings! It was so yummy and the perfect end to a holiday date with my sweet Eric - who only went there because he knew how much I love yogurt! If you are ever at Pearland towncenter around lunch or dinner, check out Mongo, and go ahead and top it of with Swirl. You won't regret it!

Gingerbread Tradition

Why have I not blogged on my break about the holidays? There are so many things, I've decided to blog them separately.

This has been a relaxing Christmas break! Much needed. It started off with a little scare though. Eric and I were enjoying a relaxing day with Brinkley. I was loving taking him outside and letting him play around for as long as he wanted. This was also the day that the Ramirez/Kirksey girls build Gingerbread houses and watch Elf. I was just about to get ready for that, when I noticed Brinkley running around the apartment like crazy and rubbing his face on the carpet. I picked him up, and immediately noticed that his entire face was red and swollen. His eyes were almost swollen shut. I was so scared, I started pacing back and forth with him while Eric searched online for the closest Pet Emergency hospital. Somehow amidst the chaos, I remembered the Children's Benadryl and syringe that the Vet had given us a while back. We squirted that down his throat and Eric called the Vet. Apparently we did the right thing, and they told us to bring him in only if the swelling didn't go down.

It seemed like forever to me, but eventually it did. I was so worried the entire night though, and almost took him with me to Megan's for Gingerbread houses. I got the first taste of what it would feel like to be a mom - and I didn't like it.

Gingerbread house construction easily took my mind off of Brinkley. I love that this family has such a cool tradition between the girls! It was a blast, and our houses turned out much better than last year! I actually took mine home and left it up throughout the holidays! Here are a few pictures of the fun event!

Brinkley

“Joe Fox: Brinkley is my dog. He loves the streets of New York as much as I do. Although he likes to eat bits of pizza and bagels off the sidewalk and I prefer to buy them.”

I am disappointed in myself that I have not blogged at all about my sweet baby Brinkley. He has been such a great companion especially since Eric's been gone a lot lately. Brinkley is a White Mali-Poo, and is the sweetest, smartest puppy I've been around. In the beginning, Eric and I were a little frustrated not knowing how to train a puppy. We went out and bought training books, we researched everything he was doing online, and we really didn't have to wait long at all before our "training" kicked in. I read online that poodles are supposedly very smart, and well behaved. Brinkley must have gotten a lot of the poodle gene in him. At about 10 weeks Brinkley had learned to sit. Maybe a week later, he learned "stay". He was walking to the door to use the bathroom probably after being with us 3 weeks. Now he rarely goes inside, and he just recently started sleeping in the bed with me.

Eric was in Colorado the last 2 weeks, so I was so thankful to have my sweet buddy Brinkley - we often call him "Buddy"  now too, so I guess he has 2 names - Buddy when we're loving on him, and Brinkley when we're being serious. He answers to both. He's that cool. I let him sleep in the bed with me, and he did so well. He's so sweet. He would nuzzle up under my chin and cuddle with me.

When Eric came home he was so excited - he didn't know what to do! Eric left this morning to go take a test, and Brinkley was sleeping on the couch with me. The minute he heard Eric's keys, he jumped up and started going crazy - so crazy that he jumped off the couch - for the first time ever. We were shocked. Guess he was afraid Eric was gonna go and leave him again! :)

We went shopping later on today, and tried one more thing with him - leaving him alone in the apartment - not locked up in the bathroom. We came back 3 hours later and he was still just laying by the door - pretty sure he never moved. SUCH A GOOD PUPPY!! WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH. He's our baby. People make fun of us for letting him sleep with us, but he's our baby. How could we not?

Good News Week

This week went by so fast. It was a pretty busy week. Monday my principal had someone come in to observe me for her doctoral hours, Tuesday was my PDAS observation , Wednesday was crazy, Thursday another lady came to observe, and we had a faculty meeting after, and FINALLY IT'S FRIDAY! !

My PDAS observation went so incredibly well!! I planned a lesson on Monitoring Comprehension - Inferring the meaning of unknown words. I modeled with an article, and then had them read a separate article and practice. While they were doing independent reading, my principal came up to me with her jaw dropped and said "Ok, you are doing our next in service on Reading. Wow! You get so much done in so little time! Your transitions are perfect, and your kids are so engaged! I need to video your room." Last year my PDAS didn't go quite so well, so this was such a good feeling!! She came in on Thursday and gave me her new Flip Video to video my organization in my room. I felt really weird doing it, so I stayed late until everyone was gone! It was a good week, but I am ready for the weekend!

Eric and I have been on a saving money kick this week. We really wanted to be able to buy a house by the end of the year. I was telling some of the teachers about it in the teacher's lounge, and one of them mentioned Dave Ramsey. I'd never heard of him before, but she was going on and on about how several people she knows have gotten completely out of debt using his system. Another teacher walked in and heard us talking and couldn't resist but to sit down and tell me how much Dave Ramsey changed her life and how his book is her financial bible. She's the sweetest little old lady - like a grandma. After we talked for a while, I was conviced I needed to check it out. I told her I was so thankful she came in when she did, and she said - "It was God!" She said she would check in with me and see how I was doing from time to time. So sweet! When I got back to my room I already had an e-mail from her with all sorts of info.

So a teacher on my team let me borrow the book, and Eric and I have already set up a Snowball budget from his system to pay off our debt. It was embarrassing how much debt we have - mainly from Student Loans. We won't be able to get in a house by the end of the year, but we figured out if we stick to it, we'll have our debt paid off sooner than we thought!! I am so thankful I heard about Dave Ramsey ! We'll see how well we stick to it. So far so good.

And now a whole weekend to give Brinkley all the attention he deserves!! He's my baby!! :)

Fourth Fun

This past weekend was full of fun. We started off the weekend at Cristen's family's house in The Woodlands. The big surprise of the night was that MEGAN GOT ENGAGED! Yay! Kevin is a great guy and we are excited for the two of them.

We ate some good hamburgers and hotdogs, and then we were off to the Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands for the Fourth of July Concert there (that actually took place on the third). It was awesome. I've never been out there, but it's a really neat place. We all got little lawn chairs (provided by the Pavilion) and sat on the hill. The Houston Symphony Orchestra played a lot of patriotic songs, but the REAL show was "The Cactus Cuties". This is a group of 4 little girls ages 8-14, and they have AMAZING harmony, and really strong voices for their ages. They were so good. I had heard them before at the Rockets game, where they sang the National Anthem, so I was pumped when I heard they were singing at the Pavilion. They reminded me of Me and my cousins when we were younger and used to just sit around singing in harmony.

The grand finale of the show was a song - that I don't know the name of - that included the shooting off of cannons at the top of the hill. It was awesome. I love America.

The next day, July 4th, Eric and I got up and headed to Dallas in the morning to see my family, and of course sweet baby Turner, my handsome 5 month old nephew whom I ABSOLUTELY ADORE (name that movie Hannah!)!!

I fell in love with him again. He has the sweetest smile that makes you melt, and you can't help but smile when he's around! Most babies, it takes a lot to get them to smile - tickling, wiggling funny toys in front of their face, etc. Turner - all you gotta do is smile at him. He already has such a sweet personality. He's really strong too - and really likes to stand up and see the world. Laying down is just no fun. Grab his hands, and he'll stand up on his feet. He's so close to rolling over, and I am willing to bet he will withing the next week. My favorite part of being with Turner? READING! I was so excited to find out that he LOVES it! At one point, he was gettin a little fussy, and I put a book in front of him, and he was instantly quiet - took it away, immediately fussy. It was cute. I read a few of the books to him that I bought him when he was born, and it was so much fun! His little noises he would make were so sweet, and he was so smiley. He also knows how to hold a book, and LOVES to hold it, and in fact I had to hold the book pretty far out so he couldn't grab it - he's so strong, I'd have to pry it out of his hands!

He's so sweet, and he's gonna be such a smart boy!

At Ms. Jackye's for the 4th of July - Look at Turner's sweet smile!

Turner and Eric;

Turner and Mom - I love this picture

It was a fun weekend, and I can't wait to see him again! --- Oh, and my family. :)

Now That it's Summer

It's officially Summertime for me! Here we are on July 1st, the final day of summer school! Driving home today, I was in such a good mood thinking of all the possibilities that summer holds - what'll I do first??

Summer ignites my senses. The smells of summer bring a smile to my face.

Now that it’s Summer

I’ll be Sleepin in,

waking up to the sound of Lawn Mowers.

Stroll out of the bedroom to watch “I Love Lucy” in the mornings

With a cup of coffee of course.

Getting dressed for an early morning run,

all the while dodging the sprinklers along the way.

Summer afternoons are spent being lazy,

Lounging out by the pool with a good book,

(mmm, the smell of sunscreen!)

All while getting a nice tan,

Or off to a Baseball game,

Tank top, flip flops, and sunglasses.

I’ll get to spend all day planning out the evening meal,

And scratch those plans at the last minute,

The smell of others grilling is too tempting!

So fire up the grill, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs,

Fresh tomatoes on top please!

Chill the watermelon for later,

Or maybe fresh strawberries and crème!

Wash it all down with a cold glass of Lemonade

And relax and enjoy the still warm evenings,

Fireflies wink goodnight, we’ll start again tomorrow!

Alone With God

Every time I kneel to pray,
I open up my heart to the Lord.

Every time I close my eyes,
I feel the awesome power of my Lord.

Every time I see a child,
I know the gentleness of my Lord.
I don't know why so many things
seem to get in the way
of seeing my God's glory.

But I try every day
to see and to thank him
for all the things he's given me.

I was listening to this song on my ipod, and I just LOVE it. The section I made larger especially speaks to me. I often forget to look for God's hand in everything, and when I just SLOW DOWN, it's amazing to see where he is working, and disgusting how little I acknowledge it.

When I think of the times in my life when I felt spiritually strong, I realize that they were times when I took the time to spend alone with God routinely. I began having my "quiet times" when Eric and I first got married, but of course, once I started working, and finding things to keep myself busy, well I didn't have the time for that alone time, and I now realize that it quite possibly contributed to my many stressful days - trying to do it all on my own. It doesn't work. 

This Quiet Time is something that I can remember my sweet Mimi always encouraging us to take advantage of. She lived the example of what it would be like to truly have a friendship with Jesus, and have daily conversations with him. One of my most vivid memories of her is waking up early in the morning, creeping down the hallway to find her in her chair, with her bible or devotional book and cup of coffee - and of course a pen in hand making conscious notes. She had the most incredible wisdom. When she died, quite honestly, a part of me did too. One day my Pap gave me one of her devotional books that had been sitting in the same place for a year since she died - with her notes of wisdom scrawled inside in that special Mimi handwriting. The book is called Fill My Cup Lord...With the Peace of Your Presence by Emilie Barnes. I started reading this in the mornings and I felt as if I were have a devotional with her. It's so special to me. 

I opened this book up and the first chapter is entitled : A Cup of Quietness. How perfect. The author makes the point that we are holding up our cups to the Lord, in constant need of being filled, and one thing about that cup is that it is cracked and flawed , and that is perhaps why we seem to empty out so easily. And this part Mimi double underlined: we leak, so we need refilling on a daily or even hourly basis. How incredibly true.

I need to get myself back in the habit of taking that time alone with God, and I know that seeing his hand in my life and waiting on him will come more naturally. 

Brag on Dad

This Blog is all about my Dad and how great he is. It's a bragging session.

Fathers Day is now over a week ago, but I have really been wanting to honor my Dad in some way, and since I wasn't with him on Father's Day, I figure writing a little about why my Dad is so wonderful will suffice. I am very much a daddy's girl, and I still believe my Dad is the most handsome, charming, hilarious, wonderful Dad in the world. I think of him as a combination of Cary Grant and Rocky - Charming and Goofy. Growing up, I remember him always doing silly things to crack Hannah and me up - things like laying in bed with us and snoring and "talking in his sleep" - Hannah and I used to laugh so hard we would cry. In the car, we used to always BEG him to "do the airplane", which was basically speeding up really quickly to where we flew back in our seats and felt like we were in an airplane - of course mom wasn't in the car. :) Dad's always been know to crack really corny jokes, but I always laughed at them, and as I've gotten older, we like to crack corny jokes together - I've bonded with him in that way, and I know that I've gotten his goofy side.

Dad is also the best example of what a Christian husband and Dad should be. Dad didn't grow up in the church. He grew up Catholic, and wasn't converted until high school. It's really incredible because you would never know. I can remember way back having conversations with my Dad about faith, and even though my mom is a woman of great wisdom, Dad is the spiritual leader in our family, which has been so important to me. He is always up early on Sundays reading his bible and taking notes in it. He is a strong spiritual example, and because of his example, my brother grew into a strong spiritual leader for his family.

My Dad is also the hardest worker I've ever known - could be cause he's Mexican. :) He takes great pride in his yard, and is often out mowing, or watering the lawn, or landscaping (Our yard got yard of the month one month!). He's a great handy man, and was always fixing things around the house - and still does when he comes to see me! One example is my bedside lamp that hadn't been working for months and I was about to throw it away - oh no, one trip to Home Depot, and it was fixed, along with doors that didn't used to shut all the way. He loves what he does. He's a High School Teacher and Coach, and has always put the students first. His players absolutely LOVE him and are always over at the house. He has even had players from years ago come back and express their appreciation for his caring for them in High School. One quality that I love and I know his players love about him is that, although winning and playing hard is important - his team went to state several times - his players and coaches know that the kids are more important, and forming relationships, and learning lessons make more of an impact than a state championship ring.

My Dad is the ultimate family man. Family comes first. We were never close to his family - most of them were very unhappy with him "leaving the Catholic Faith". We were it, and family time was very important to him. We were always together as a family. We are very close. One of my favorite memories is watching old movies with Dad, or some of our favorite new movies, and quoting lines. We often had family bible studies together, and Dad would read some sort of lesson from the Children's Bible, and we would sing. It was very important to him, and still is. I love it. Dad worked hard to provide a living for us. One thing that I will never, ever forget is how he would get up early in the mornings during the school year and drive the school bus so that he could make extra money for us. It's one of those things that kinda gets me choked up, especially now that I have a job, and I know how incredibly selfless that is.

My Dad is the all around perfect man, and my mom is very lucky. He treats her so well. I remember him taking me on secret shopping trips to get something special for mom. He also planned this AMAZING trip to Vermont staying at the Von Trapp Family Lodge (where mom always wanted to go) for their anniversary and surprised mom. He takes extra special care of her when she's sick. It's sweet. I am so thankful that I grew up seeing how much my Dad loved my mom. He gave me an example of what to expect in a husband (Eric is wonderful ;) ).

I love my Dad, as you can see, and I am so excited for my kids to giggle at his goofiness, and grow from his wisdom and example. Like I did. So, HAPPY BELATED FATHERS DAY DADDY. You really are the best.

Black and Whites

I just woke up from my Sunday afternoon nap. mmmm. :) As such, I always like to treat waking up from a nap the same way I would waking up in the mornings - cereal and a comforting movie or TV show. Now, "comforting"  is different for many people - Eric for example, is comforted by watching some form of ESPN sports in the morning. I however, enjoy old movies or shows - a favorite show in the mornings is "I Love Lucy" which I can watch whenever I want, thanks to my dear sweet mother-in-law, who gave me two seasons of "I Love Lucy" for my birthday. :) This is usually a favorite on Saturday mornings, and in fact, Saturdays never quite feel complete without the humor of Lucile Ball in the mornings! I still find myself cracking up at her even though I have seen several of the episodes more than once.

One episode that I have been looking for is the episode where Ricky and Fred take Lucy and Ethel golfing, but teach them phony rules in hopes that the girls will never want to play golf with their husbands again. This episode seems especially funny to me now that I am married to a golf fanatic  myself, and can feel Lucy's "pain" sometimes. I once quoted some of the lines from it to Eric while we were at the driving range and ever since, I've been wanting to find it so I could show it to him.

This is a picture of when Ricky was teaching Lucy how to hold the golfclub. It's pretty funny.

This however is not necessarily why I thought to write this. I am actually watching "Singing in the Rain"  right now. I have been wanting to watch it since last weeks's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" where one of the the couples danced to "Make 'em Laugh". It's such a classic. Gene Kelly was an amazing actor, dancer, and singer. He is one of my favorites, along with Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Kathrine Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Frank Sinatra, and Doris Day. Pretty much any movie they are in is going to be good - not the case with actors today. I think this is one of many reasons why I love old movies so much better than newer movies - not that I don't enjoy going to the movies, there's just a sence of comfort in watching a classic.

I think one of the main reasons I love these movies so much is because I grew up with them. I have several memories of watching old movies with my family. Old movies are just, well classy. The way the men are such gentlemen, so devonare - Cary Grant especially comes to mind - makes me melt. The women are so classy and chic - Audrey Hepburn comes to mind. The movies are so clean, which I am sure that is why my parents showed them to us as kids - they're safe. Everything was black and white then. Night Clubs were classy places, not trashy. Sometimes I wish life were still like that. Simple, Black and White.

 

Audrey Hepburn - so classic Cary Grant - Oh so handsome.

One of these days I'll get Eric to enjoy watching them with me, and to appreciate how special these movies are. They are timeless.  I am always excited when I find other classic movie lovers, and get somewhat excited when I'm home alone and can watch TMC to see what black and white is on.