Left-overs

Every time we leave the cabin, we must take all perishables. Nate and I were the last to leave the cabin this time and WOW we brought home 2 coolers full of food. Good thing I pride myself in making the most of left-overs.

Thanksgiving

I am so thankful.
I'm thankful for Nate. I'm thankful for my family and his. I'm thankful for our house and our housemate and our cats. I'm thankful for our jobs. I'm thankful for the opportunity to go to school. I'm thankful for hope for the future. I'm thankful for our friends. I'm thankful for people who we can depend on when we need help with this whole becoming adults thing. I'm thankful for a car that runs. I'm thankful for plenty of food to eat. I'm thankful for good health. I'm thankful for our church. I'm thankful for the internet and cell phones and how they keep me connected. I'm thankful for a God who loves me and gives me all of the above.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Canned Food Drive

We did a one-day blitz canned food drive. We annouced it yesterday and today, we collected over 450 cans for the Food Closet. It's that awesome?

They laughed

When I called the vet to make an appointment for our new kitty, they asked for his name.

Then they laughed.

Then they asked for me to spell it.

Then they laughed.

Corporal Nobby Nobbs.

My favorite places

Last night was wonderful. Ms. Beth's house is one of my favorite places in the world.

Before we left, she apologized- saying that she was sorry for asking me to do so much while I was there. I just told her thank you. I love that she feels comfortable asking me to help because it makes me feel like part of the family. It makes me feel at home.

Tomorrow evening we leave for another one of my favorite places in the world- the cabin!

Sunday and Monday

In the end, I did do laundry and finish my school work (but while watching a movie and LOTS of TV on DVD). I also ate free food (thanks Megs!), did some sewing, and played with Nobby (that's the new kitty).

I am super excited about this evening because it's Christmas decorating and dinner at Ms. Beth's! This is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I can't wait to eat some delicious food and put up Christmas decorations.

yesterday and today

Yesterday my mom and dad came to visit. We had pizza at my sister's, visited my new neighbors who were moving in, took them to see the church (which is almost finished!) and then ate chili here.

Today, we'll go to church and then I need to do laundry, finish my homework, cut Nate's hair, work on my Christmas presents, and go to bed early. We'll probably just watch a movie though.

Family and Pets

Today, my parents are coming to visit! They are bringing our elderly family dog Dexter as well as the new puppy they got his week, Gertie (both are Shih Tzus). Add to that our cat and new kitten and you've got an interesting pet-filled day! I'll let you know how it goes.

Sucker

So today Nate and I went to the animal shelter with our friends who were picking out a kitten. I know I should have seen this coming but...

Here's the newest member of our family- Corporal Nobby Nobbs

Nobby was dropped off at the shelter about 15 minutes before we got there. He's probably about 6 weeks old and he has no tail. How could I say no to that?

At the shelter, he was really calm and lovey and frightened, but now that he's home...

Mrs. Reynolds was not happy.

Nate's thrilled and I'm happy too, but I just can't shake the feeling that Nate set me up for this. He took me along to the shelter because he knew I'd say no over the phone but wouldn't have the guts to say it to the poor kitten's face. Oh well. I'm a sucker for cute kittens and cuter husbands.

1st Place

I'm still feeling guilty about missing them play. Hopefully eating free pizza (our prize for winning 1st place!) will help.

guilty

Tonight is Trivia Night at Mighty Joes. Tonight is also the one and only evening performance of the play at my school. The students in it asked me to go... I doubt I will. It would be easier if I didn't feel so guilty!

My sister

Yesterday, my sister and I attended a women's ministry dinner at our parents' church. Laura was one of three women who were asked to share their testimony. Last night, I couldn't find the words to express how powerful, how moving, how insightful Laura's testimony was and I'm still left mostly speechless. I'm so proud that she is my sister and that she allowed God to use her in such a powerful way.

Approved!

We just got the phone call- we're approved as foster parents!

Schooled

I'm doing a book club with the 7th and 8th graders and the book I chose is Schooled by Gordon Korman. It's about a 14 year old boy who has lived on a commune with his grandmother his whole life. When grandma breaks her hip and has 8 weeks of rehab, he has to live with a social worker and go to public school until she gets better. I'm a little over half-way through and (surprise, surprise) I love it. The best part of this book is what I love about most books, the idea that one person, who refuses to comform, eventually transforms the people around them.

60 degrees

I'm a wannabe hippie. So right now, I've got on my bathrobe and a blanket because we keep the house at 60 degrees during the night and 65 during the day. It's very cold, but I'm saving the planet and living simply. Unfortunately, those feelings of living out my convictions don't keep me toasty warm.

X-Box

Sometimes, I'm really impressed with technology. I actually love the X-Box 360 because of some of the cool things it does. Today, I love it even more. It connects to our Netflix so we can watch all the online movies right on our TV. Awesome!

Home-made Christmas

Last night, I spend $85 at Hobby Lobby. Half of that total is going towards make a new blanket and to finish up my quilt and the other half goes towards supplies for Christmas presents. You see, Nate's family has decided that all Christmas presents this year must be hand-made. So far, it's been fun trying to think of things that we can make and Nate and I have been forced to really exercise our creativity. What exactly are we capable of making? Maybe I'll post pictures after Christmas gifts have all been received.

Graduation

Good news! I'm still on track to graduate at the end of the summer. Just 4 more courses!

Ahhh!

There are 800 things that need to be done today at school AND I have class tonight in Carrollton from 4:30-9:30 and a meeting with my advisor beforehand.

hot water

A friend came over yesterday and upon leaving the bathroom asked if I knew that the toilet was filling with steaming hot water. When you lift the back of the tank STEAM rose out. No kidding. Anyone know a good plumber in LaGrange?

24?

Today was a typical Saturday. Up at 8, do a couple loads of laundry, go to the grocery store, read, vacuum, watch a movie, crochet... Is this what typical 24 year olds do on Saturdays?

Religion Friday

I’ve prepared this post last night because I thought that my husband Nate might not have time to prepare his weekly Religion Friday post for his blog (as he worked from 8:30-4:30 and then 6-10 yesterday). It turned out he already had an idea in mind, so I'll just post this here instead. So because I love Nate more than almost anything, here's a post about the only one that I love more.

I have a very hard time trusting other people. I’m a control freak. I may not seem like a conceited person, but in my heart of hearts, I believe that I can do nearly everything better than everyone else. That makes it hard for me to trust people to take care of things for me and it makes it nearly impossible for me to trust them to take of the people that I love. When it comes to that I know that can take care of them best- maybe even better than they can take care of themselves. Unfortunately, I feel this way even about God. Somehow, I just can’t seem to trust God with the people that I love most. I just can’t seem to let go. I know all the verses that affirm that God is working for our good, that God has a plan for us, that God knows the number of hairs on our head, but… I want to fix everything. I want to make everything right for the people that I love and God, well, God just takes too long sometimes and uses some pretty mysterious ways. It’s frustrating and frightening, but I’m hoping that this confession here- to God and to all of you out there in Blog Land- is the first step of letting go of control and trusting God to care for the people that I love.

"Technology Coach"

Yet another job I thought I would never have, but here I sit, with this title bestowed upon me by the school system. Today, I "fixed" a computer by unplugging and then replugging in the ethernet cable. Ta-da! Photographer, technology coach, what's next? Bee keeper?

World of Warcraft

is something that I hate. I almost cried when Nate told me he was quiting because it made me so happy. World of Warcrack- that's what I called it. I hated it mostly because it took Nate's attention away from me- like a horrible video game mistress. Well, he's back at it again, but this time, I'm trying to see it a little differently. It's something that makes happy and I like Nate and I want him to be happy. Hopefully, this new attitude will last.

Librarian

You might be wondering what a librarian does all day. I actually have trouble answering that, so today I made a list of my schedule.

7:00-8:00 - Managed 12 middle schoolers in producing and recording the daily news broadcast.
8:00-9:00 - Taught my small group 6th grade math class
9:00-9:30 - 6th graders checked out books as a class- mostly crowd control and book recommendations.
9:30-10:00- 3rd grade checkout
10:00-11:30- laminated, made copies, delivered items to teacher's mailboxes, gave myself my allergy shot, made a new sign in sheet, emailed a parent, found books for a teacher
11:30-12:00- 6th grade checkout
12:00-12:45- lunch
12:45-1:30- worked on a Cable in the Classroom calendar for the teachers
1:30-2:00- 6th grade checkout
2:00-2:30- made folders for filing, typed up reserve notices, worked on my video order
2:30-3:00- checked on the bookfair set-up

So, there you have it. A day in the life of a librarian.

Totally Dependent

I am completely and totally dependent on the computer and the internet. Our school's server was down from 2:30 yesterday until late this morning and I was at a total loss. Everything on my to-do list for the day required the computer. Not to mention how out-of-touch I felt without my email. How did this thing that was non-existent through my childhood become something I can barely cope without for a couple of hours?

Chef

I don't mean to brag, but I think I'm a good cook. I made spinach lasagna last night and chicken noodle soup today. Yummy!

Photographer

I'm not sure how it happened, but I have become my school's offical photographer. It's a job I enjoy though my mom is probably laughing now. You see, I was, until the advent of the digital camera, the world's worst photographer. It was bad- heads cut off, all out of focus, too dark, and too far away. But now, thanks to wonderful technology, even I can take a decent picture. Yea for digital cameras!

Hiking

Noelle, Chuck, Nate, and I went hiking this afternoon at FDR park. We did a little 3.2 mile loop and it was WONDERFUL. The weather is great, the scenery is beautiful, and the company was excellent. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I love hiking. I love fall.
One thing I do not love is group projects and that is how I'm spending my Sunday evening. Thank goodness this class is almost over!

My Alarm Clock

The cat is my alarm clock. She demands to be fed at exactly 6:15- the time that I feed her on the weekdays. She pounces on me, then sticks her face in mine and meows. I thought cats were supposed to be low-maintenance.

Productive

I like being productive. In fact, I think one of my favorite hobbies might be making to-do lists and then checking things off them. Seeing proof of what I've done makes me feel all the more accomplished. That being said, here's a list of all I got done this morning!

• went grocery shopping- 2 stores
• put away groceries and reorganized the cabinets
• cleaned the kitchen
• washed dishes
• made pancake mix
• made a new pitcher of Kool-Aide
• purchased a photo album for the library
• bagged up and dropped off recycling
• took out the trash
• cut up chicken for fajitas and chicken noodle soup
• 2 loads of laundry
  

Now I'm off to get a haircut before taking a well deserved nap.

Dinner

As Matt and Nate will both be working at sporting events this evening, I'm contemplating having popcorn and a caramel apple for dinner.

Teen Read Week

I'm busily getting ready for Teen Read Week- the celebrations begin on Monday. I'm making a 6 ft tall paper palm tree for my grafitti wall bearing the question, "If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want with you?" Tough question, huh?

Calzones

We're having homemade calzones for dinner. YUM!

Still Tired

Today, it has come to my attention that I require much more sleep than the average person. I need 8-9 hours a night and then I also need at least 2 two hour naps during the week. If I don't get this, I get very cranky. I throw hissy fits, just ask my husband. I've only been awake for an hour and I am so ready for my nap.

Exhausted and Extremely Hopeful

That's all I have to say for now.

Ou La La

I'm about to stay up late (past 10:00) ON A SCHOOL NIGHT. But, it's not like the presidential elections come around every day, so I think it's worth it.

Just Stuff

1. It's a teacher work day. In theory, I got to sleep in an extra hour. Actually, I woke up at the exact same time and just laid there for an hour. I get a few hours to work in the library by myself, then it's off to trainings and meetings. Bleh.

2. The cat chewed up the cord to my cell phone charger and now my phone is dying. That cat... Grrr.

3. I got an awesome email from Claude in Iraq that included great pictures! It turns out he's a celebrity there- with both our military men and with the Iraqi children. This gnome thing is turning out way cooler than I could have ever imagined. Yea!

4. It's election day! Hurray! I already voted, but it's still exciting. It would be more exciting if Nate didn't have to work all night. Boo.

Cat Empire and Vampire Weekend

Songs from these two groups are playing through my head keeping me in an excellent mood today despite the demeanor of my colleagues. I wish I could steer the conversation away from venting at the lunch table. I wish that by not participating in the complaining, I could help others not feel so negative, but all I've accomplished so far is improving my mood- not theirs. Did you ever notice that the less you complain, the less you find to complain about?
Maybe David from high school chemistry was right- if I were any more optimistic, I would have daisies growing out of my head and sunshine shooting out of my eyes.

I missed Sunday?

Ok, so I've offically failed as a blogger- I skipped a day. I know I've disappointed my faithful followers and that I may never redeem myself.
Yeah, like anyone cares that much.
Sunday was take up with the Spaghetti Lunch fundrasier (which was very successful), some TV on DVD and a little time with Noelle and Chuck. See? I didn't even have a good excuse to slack. I'll try not to make slacking a habit.

Stemmie's wedding

So today was the wedding of the wonderful Stemmie and we missed it.
Here's why we should have been there: Stemmie introduced Nate and me and we RSVPed.
Here's why we didn't go: It was in Augusta- which is 4 hours away and, as a former bride, I know that the happy couple don't really have time to chat it up with the guests. Also, we wouldn't have known anyone else there.
I'm feeling a little guilty, but I think that I've enjoyed this Saturday more than I would have if we'd spent it in the car. I took a nap, bakes brownies and blueberry muffins, went to the grocery store, did laundry, and worked on my quilt. Relaxing, yet productive- just how I like my Saturdays.

My favorite

My favorite thing about this blog is that it has that convenient little list on the left hand side of other people's blogs and it tells me if they've updated. It even lists them in order to most recently updated. I would have a blog just for that function.