My Year in Review

You've probably seen a thousand lists about what was big in 2008. The best, worst, biggest, and then some. Well, since this is my blog I'm writing about my year. Briefly, but I thought it would be fun.

January: It hit that it was finally the year I was getting married. When we got engaged in 2006, the year 2008 felt insanely far away.

February: Wedding craziness set in. There were several nights I cried and wanted to elope. I still don't know if I was serious or not. I also had my first bridal shower! That really made me feel like a bride.

March: More wedding craziness. I probably had a breakdown or two. I think I've blocked those from my memory... I also had my second bridal shower - a tea party at Bon's. I wore a big hat and everything. Awesomeness.

April: I GOT MARRIED! Every little detail came together, I finally got to put on my dress, and I had to try and hold it together as dad walked me down the aisle. We also got our apartment in Fresno, yay!

May: The big move was finished and we started settling into married life. I was done with the initial part of student teaching. And I had a seriously lazy summer.

June: After suffering the disgusting habits of the neighbors upstairs, I got to do a happy dance as they moved out. Seriously, as they were moving stuff I showed up here with Beth, Micah and Kayla and we danced and sang loudly because they were moving.

July: We took our semi-honeymoon. Which I blogged about in some of my first few posts.

August: I started my last semester of student teaching. I was kinda freaking out, but as soon as I met my master teacher I knew it would be an awesome semester.

September: Tim started his new part-time job, meaning he finally got to leave the hospital that he didn't exactly enjoy. It's nice having a husband who isn't unhappy when he comes home from work.

October: Tim and I celebrated (well, really just acknowledged) six years together.

November: I had job interviews! And I had to get super busy on finishing up everything for school.

December: Our first Christmas, our trip to Disneyland with the kid, I passed my RICA... it's been a good month to us.

So here's hoping 2009 will treat us just as well. We're both hoping for jobs (him full-time, and me with the right district), we'll celebrate a year of being married, and we'll be actively saving for a house. If we're super lucky maybe we'll even be in a house for next Christmas...

So

I want to make some changes to the blog in the new year. I've mentioned not knowing how to mess with the templates on here, I guess I'll have to look into that a little more.

I have also been stalking other blogs insanely this week. I may post more pictures. Not of me, but of things I'm loving or things that make me smile. Whether it's a bright yellow couch (yes I saw one online, and yes I'm slightly coveting it) or a baby animal.

Seriously contemplating weekly American Idol breakdown. Because I'm totally lame like that. Maybe even Lost since I'm finally caught up and can watch the season on TV with everyone else.

So we'll see about changes. Whatever job I get, the earliest I'll start is January 12 (that's if all my papers are in by then and I've interviewed with the right people) so I still have a while to play with the blog.

And as always, let me know what you think. Wanna know what I think about a news story? Tell me. Wanna know what I had for dinner? I'll tell you, but I'll think you're weird...

G is for...

G is for great news!

I PASSED MY RICA!!!!!!!

Remember the test at the beginning of the month that I was super stressed about?? I got my "unofficial" results today (unofficial because they're through email and not on a piece of paper) and I passed!!!! I'm so unbelievably relieved. Now I just have to finish my portfolio for my exit interview and I can have my credential!!! Well, I have to hope I passed my TPA, but there's no reason I shouldn't have. That was easy.

G is also for gotta go call my mommy. She'll be stoked!

Cookie Madness!

After writing that, wouldn't that be a totally fun name for a bakery? Or Cupcake Madness. I like it...

So, you wanna see the result of probably twenty hours in the kitchen? I made six kinds of cookies and I'll give you the breakdown of everything after the picture.


There are the six kinds I made. If you can't read the little tags, the cookies are (from left to right), peanut butter kiss cookies, my grandma's sugar cookies (the ones I'm semi-famous for), mocha crackles, cinnamon spritz (made with the cookie press!), chocolate peppermint cookies, and lemon meltaways. The latter four were all first attempts, and I believe pretty successful.

The peanut butter and the sugar make regular appearances on my cookie plates. The mocha crinkles were eagerly eaten by my uncle. He LOVED them. I know what I'm making for his birthday! The spritz was light and pretty tasty. Just enough cinnamon. They'd be perfect with coffee. The chocolate peppermint were good, possibly too chocolatey for me. And the lemon meltaways... oh Lord. They were awesome. I'll definitely make them more often!

So you wanna know what exactly went into this adventure?

• roughly twenty hours mixing, rolling, baking, frosting
• at least four episodes of Lost
• about three hours of various doughs in the fridge
• 14 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of flour
• 6 cups butter (yes, that's twelve sticks)
• 4 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 11 eggs
• plus various other ingredients that weren't obscene amounts

And that's why my kitchen still isn't clean. I started the first batch Monday night. I finished frosting the last of them at about two on Christmas Eve day.

And I'm totally insane enough to do it again next year.

Ooooops

Where did my Saturday go?

Oh, right. I slept in (hey, leave me alone, I've been fighting something off). Then I sat on my butt and watched some marathons on TV. All while blog-stalking and wishing I was creative like some of the other people writing.

Now I've gotta take a shower. Cuz we got a last-minute invite to watch the fight tonight at cousin Luke's. I totally meant to post pics of my cookie insanity that happened this year, but I was distracted by all the beautiful blogs out there.

Maybe tomorrow...

Friday Photo... finally!

Blogger finally decided to let me give you a picture. And like I said, it's another Disney one. So I give you, the three men in my life.


My pops, my husband, and my nephew-that-should-be-my-child. This is the bone cage over on Tom Sawyer island, which is also Pirate's Lair. And there's the boys doing what they do best - being strange. I like how Tad is kinda "meh" about the whole thing. Almost like the other two are too strange for him...

Next week maybe you'll get something Christmassy. Or New Year's. Who knows?

Crud

Blogger is giving me issues. Or it's my internet. I dunno. So sit tight on the Friday photo. It may be delayed until tomorrow.

It's Over

Does anyone else feel let down after Christmas? I like the preparation, the wrapping, the baking, the craziness. I like spending two days with my family. I like watching the kids open their presents.

I hate when it's over. I'm stuck looking at a kitchen that needs to be cleaned, empty boxes that held presents at one point, new things to be put away, and a tree that needs to be taken down at some point. Everyone is pushing their after-Christmas sales now, and I have to get ready to write a new year on my checks next week.

I'm delaying the holiday clean-up for now. I'll clean the kitchen, otherwise I'll never be able to cook (what a dream!). But the tree is staying for now. Maybe when Tim has time off next week we'll tackle it. I just don't think I want to do it alone. Or so soon.

Crap. Just realized it's Friday and I owe you a photo. Check back later.

Merry Christmas!

And if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holiday-that-you-do-celebrate. Don't forget that it's not all about the presents...

Christmas movies

I love Christmas. And I love movies. So you could assume that I love Christmas movies. And you'd totally be right. So I thought that, in honor of tomorrow being Christmas, I'd give you my absolute favorites.

1. White Christmas: It's hard for me to pick an absolute number one, but I think this is it. At my mom's we watched it while decorating the tree every year. And of course, there were a lot of moments where we were watching the movie instead of decorating the tree. My brother knows every word to every song in this movie and will randomly sing them for my mom. I think it's the combination of the greatness of this movie, and the memories it gives me that makes it number one.

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas: Super, super close to number one. Every time I hear the Peanuts theme, I have to do a little dance. Mom and I have always done it. Now we do it for Tad while he looks at us like we're a bunch of freaks. But I'll get him to dance at some point... Until then, just know that this is a must every year for me.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas: This is a must here. It'll be a tradition thing when we have kids.

4. Elf: Seriously, I could never do Christmas without this movie. Will Ferrell's best role I think.

5. Rudolph: Because "she thinks I'm cuuuuute" is a regularly quoted line with me and mom. And really, if you don't like Rudolph, you must be a terrorist or something.

I will give It's a Wonderful Life an honorable mention. We watch it on Christmas morning at my mom's. So how about the rest of you? Any traditions or must-watch movies?

A moment

Just one moment. In between all my baking. I have a batch of dough in my fridge and had to look up something about spritz cookies.

Yup. I'm making spritz cookies. Ya know, those little butter cookies that you use a cookie press for? Never done it before. But I desperately wanted to try this year. There must be something wrong with me. We'll see how it goes...

Wish me luck with my cookie press! I'll have pics one way or another tomorrow.

Wow

I was a regular Santa's elf yesterday. Busy all day. Wanna see what I accomplished? Do ya???

I painted the kids' names for their rooms! How cute did they turn out? Cole loves the Colts so the horseshoe symbol was perfect. Tad (Paul, which I will not call him) has Spiderman stuff on his bed, so Spiderman letters it is. Taytem's letters could possibly be my favorite. They've got sparklies! And Anthony's name just looks cute.

I'm pretty impressed with my work. The letters are out in the garage now letting their clear sealing coat dry. I hope the kids like them Christmas morning!

Those things took an unbelievable amount of time. I painted the surface, then I had to do the sides, then I had to fix any mess-ups, then I had to put on all the details! And after that I even had time to bake a batch of cookies.

Watch out Martha. I'm gonna take your job.

Shout out!!!

So my Bonnie has started a blog! I luff her dearly. She was my MOH (that's matron of honor for those of you who aren't obsessed with weddings) and she's been a huge part of my life since junior high. I think she kept my mother from killing me a couple times!

I'm following her, but if you're too lazy to see who I'm following just click here.

First I got my buddy James to start one, now my Bon... I'm determined to make Tim do it!

F is for...

F is for family.

I've already told you about some of the craziness that is my family. But I love that craziness. It keeps things interesting. I don't know if any family laughs as much as mine does. Whether it's my mom's side teasing each other about moments where they're just like my grandma, or my brother and cousin quoting Will Ferrell movies, or Grandpa lying because it's Wednesday - we're insane.

This is the biggest week for family for most people, but especially in my family. We have a house full of people at my grandma's on Christmas Eve for tamales. And I mean, full of people. It's awesome. Then there's Christmas day with my mom's side. There's an insane amount of food (no wonder I gain weight this time of year) and a house full of people again. We usually find some new board game to play and it always ends up being boys against girls. Which isn't always the best idea, because I swear my husband and his brain full of random and useless knowledge puts them at an advantage.

This year is especially awesome because Grandpa is here. It just doesn't feel the same when he isn't here.

F is also for first, as in first married Christmas. Yeah, Tim and I have already had six years of stockings and presents, but this year we're finally married. It probably won't feel much different, but it still is. So that's one more thing to make this year a little more awesome.

So as a side note, I have one other friend who's blogging now. And he's doing his own ABC list. So when are the rest of you going to step up???

Randomness for your Sunday

That's right, no real topic today, just me spewing my thoughts onto a screen.

Yesterday at dad's (yeah, it's easier to just call my father-in-law "dad") was fun. There was a ton of really good food. And all of us were together, which doesn't happen nearly enough. Dad and Michele (okay, mostly Michele) picked out the best presents on earth. They got me baking stuff. And Michele liked it so much that she contemplated getting some for herself. Now I'm itching to bake...

Tim and I went to the video store last night to get the next few discs of Lost. I think we have the rest of season three on our coffee table. Did I mention we've been playing catch-up? I'm determined to be able to watch the new season when it starts in January. So we came home and I wrapped some presents, we had some wine, and watched some Lost.

Today is semi-lazy. I may be going shopping with mom later. I've been wrapping presents and catching up on my soap operas. I got to read the paper. The weather was depressing though, well it should be. The forecast for the whole week is rain. But I love the rain. Especially when I get to sit home and stay under a blanket. Which I get to do with Tim on Monday and Tuesday! He'll be off, so we can have a couple days to relax before the craziness of Christmas.

And, being me, I'm already thinking ahead to New Year's Eve. Anyone know of anything? I know some people playing shows here in town, but I don't know if I want to be out or not. Shoot some ideas my way.

Alright, I've bored you enough with my oh-so-thrilling life for today. Hope everyone has a moment to relax this weekend before Christmas hits.

Cookies!

Okay, so I had this grand plan to give you a recipe complete with pictures, but that's not gonna happen. I have entirely too much to do. Christmas shopping was going on at seven this morning, then some wrapping, and now I have to be at my father-in-law's house in an hour and half. So, recipe only.

Easiest cookies ever: cake mix cookies.

That's right, you're using cake mix to make cookies. Any flavor mix will work. For yesterday's batch I used french vanilla and dyed the dough in Christmas colors.

You need:
1 box of cake mix (as I said, any flavor)
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs

Mix everything together. Roll it into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten them a little (or a lot if you want a crisper cookie) and stick them in an oven heated to 350 degrees. For soft cookies, my oven only took about six minutes. Obviously, longer time would make crispier cookies.

I frosted mine. But apparently people go crazy with adaptations to this recipe. You can add chips (chocolate, peanut butter, white, toffee), vanilla or other extracts, nuts, whatever you want. Play with them. They're pretty tasty for how simple they are. My master teacher was thrilled with how easy they are. And the kids loved them.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I've gotta get going now. Talk at y'all later.

Cookie time!

I'm baking today. Yup, being all domesticated and stuff.

Actually, the cookies I'm baking today are beyond easy. They use cake mix. I'm not going to upload pics right away, but I'll give you the recipe tomorrow. They're not quite worthy of a fancy cookie plate, but they'll work for my sixth graders. I'm going to their Christmas party today. And I'm not about to go empty-handed.

So yeah, check for the recipe tomorrow.

Friday Photo

Yup. It's a Disneyland picture. I thought I'd throw the castle at you for this week. Because it was so pretty. The castle looked different this year than last time I was there. I liked it more. It looks like a bunch of icicles, doesn't it?

I find this picture and the icy/snowy feel especially appropriate with the cold storm that's been moving through the area. I mean, snow in Vegas? I so wish I was there. I'm hoping for some snow on the valley floor this weekend. It would rock!

Losing it...

So I've mentioned before some of the things I loathe about apartment life. But it's been pretty drama free lately.

But last week crap started happening.

Literally.

Someone is letting their dog do his (rather copious) business right by my unit. I'm talking there were three piles within ten feet of my door last week. Right now, Tim walked out to go to work and there are three piles in my planter. About two feet from my door.

I complained last week. No one picked it up. So Tim went in the office right now and got a little mad at them. Then he called me. I took a picture (gross, I know). And if that crap isn't gone in an hour, I'm going to go to that office and wait for someone to follow me and pick it up.

It's not my dog. I don't have a dog! I have serious issues with this. And I really don't have to explain myself here, do I? I swear I'm going to stalk everyone that comes by with a dog. And if they don't pick up the dog's business, I'm taking pictures of the people and following them to their door.

Screw neighborhood watch, we need a crap patrol around here.

Actually, how funny would that be? I'll make shirts with a steaming pile on them... haha.

Alright, I'm off to count down these thirty-five minutes until I scare the people in the office. I definitely won't be making any friends tonight.

Things to do, things to do...

It's finally the insanely busy time for me.

Today I have a field trip with my former class. Walking up to the IMAX to see a film about the space station. Should be fun, but freezing.

Saturday is a big thing at dad-in-law's house. First it's Tim's grandma's birthday lunch, then we have our early Christmas with his dad and stepmom. So I've got to finish that shopping. Actually, I bet I can get Tim to do it tomorrow...

Then the baking needs to get underway. I have a couple new cookies I want to try this year. We'll see if that happens for me or not. I so wish I had a bigger kitchen for that project. It's gonna be tough to get everything done in my tiny kitchen with no space.

I have to finish my shopping. And then wrap everything.

I love Christmas, but there's never enough time to get ready for it! Anyone else running around like an insane person this week?

Home

We're home now. Got in about eleven last night. And now the three of us are vegging on the couch, trying to stay warm without racking up a painful PG&E bill.

So much fun. I can't even begin to describe it. You would be here for hours reading about every little thing that Tad said or did. He loved it. He told me we should live there. And of course I would be totally okay with that. He was also so well-behaved. He made most of the other kids look like beasts. He waited in lines (although the longest wait we ever had was maybe thirty minutes - maybe) without complaining. He only let go of my hand and walked away once. He got a whole two feet away from me. And I scared him so bad he never did it after that.

The weather was mostly good. Especially given the forecasts I was reading in the days leading up to the trip. Monday morning (my birthday of all days) was the only day it rained. And that was done by lunch. We even got to watch a parade Monday night! It was the Pixar parade, and I thought Tad was going to pee his pants seeing all the characters.

I've decided I need to go back for my birthday every year. The cast members have to tell you happy birthday if you're wearing your birthday pin. I got mine and put it on my hat because I'm an attention whore like that. But I've never had so many happy birthday wishes in my life! Even Minnie jumped up and down when she saw my pin.

Tad decided he's magic. He used his magic a few times over the days we were there. We watched Fantasmic on Saturday night (which he loved) and I think seeing Mickey do magic stuck with him. Sunday night we were hoping for fireworks, but about ten minutes after they were supposed to start, there were still none happening. So Tad started saying, "Abra cadabra, fireworks come!" And he was swinging his arms around and everything. But nothing was happening, so Tim and I took him to get in line for Nemo. Well, then I heard the music start, so we took off running to the spot we had been sitting at (mom and dad were still there). He said, "I knew my magic would work!" Cutest thing ever! He also used his magic to make the parades and keep the rain away. And since it worked every time, I think he's convinced he's really magic.

He's still processing it all I think. And I'll let him look at all the pictures so I can listen to him talk about it again.

This is like, the shortest summary of the trip ever, but I really doubt you all want to read every last moment of the four days. So look for a story with the Friday photo maybe. And maybe the Friday after that. And the Friday after that...

Sad face

Today is our last day in Disneyland.

I'm meeting up with my girlfriend Liz and her husband because today is the first day of their Disneyland vacation! Yay! I miss her, I haven't seen her since my wedding. I'm excited!

When I get back I'll have an insane amount of pictures to go through, and tons of Christmas stuff that needs to get done. Gimme a call and stop by. We'll look at pictures and decorate cookies together!

Ash-uh-lee's birthday!

Hey there folks, guest blogger here. I'm not Ash if you haven't figured that out yet. I couldn't let her wish herself a happy birthday. That's for single people and loser emo kids to do. Ashley is neither.

Anyway, I've known the b-day girl for 6 years now. It seems like forever to me (that's a good thing, not like "oh my God will this never end" sort of forever) but that's only a fraction of how long she's actually stuck with me. :)

The first birthday of hers that I was around was her 21st. Was there drinking involved? Just by me. Was she all rowdy and party animal like? No. Why? I have no clue. She probably just wanted to spend a quiet night at home with me, have some dinner, and relax, so back off!!! Anyway, by that time we had only been together for 2 months. I already knew that I loved her and that it would take an act of God to keep me away from her. I figured she felt the same way being that she gave up a night of getting wasted on free booze to hang out with me. I had no friends, no one to hang out with. You all probably think I'm lying, but I'm not. I was a loser (current status debateable, but it looks to have swung in my favor).

We've been married now for nearly 8 months, I'm almost 30, and I hope to be around for at least 70 more of Ashley's birthdays. By the way, if you hadn't figured out who the guest blogger is, it's me, Tim, and you're either slow or have never read any of Ashley's other posts. Get with the program, people.

Long story short, I love you Ashley, happy birthday. I hope you enjoy the battery I got you! I know you can use it!

Tim

Quickie

Just something for you loyal friends to read while I'm gone. Another survey, but it's a Christmas edition! *thanks to Bon for forwarding it through email a while back*

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
At Christmas, always paper. And it's always coordinating. Bags only happen for exceptionally large or exceptionally small presents.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
This year, real. Probably real for at least a couple years. But we will get artificial at some point down the road.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Whenever we get time, but sooner is better than later.

4. When do you take the tree down?
We'll see when we do it. Around New Year's probably.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Nope. I'll pass.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Right now I'm awfully reminiscent for the Nintendo we got as kids.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My dad is pretty difficult sometimes. I have to get an explicit response from him or ask my mom what he needs every year.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We don't. I don't know if I'll get one or not. Oooh, would it be wrong if I made one with Nightmare Before Christmas characters?!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail for sure.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Hmmm... I'd have to think on that one. Maybe a sweater that wasn't really my style?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's a three-way tie: Peanuts (gotta dance with mom!), Elf (love love love it), and White Christmas (aMAzing)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Depends. Sometimes I start early if I find something that will be perfect.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Nope. But I've contemplated it.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I can't pick one. Christmas Eve is tamales. Christmas day is an insane amount of food that makes me feel fat all day (yay for Chex mix!).

16. Lights on the tree?
Already there, and they're the multicolored.

17. Favorite Christmas songs?
I like lots of them. But I'm pretty partial to Michael Buble right now.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Furthest we travel is Madera.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Ummm... Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Dasher, Comet, Cupid... I did it! I totally had to sing the song though.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Neither this year. Haha... there's a Jack Skellington who looks like he has hydrocephalus perched at the top of my tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We do presents with my dad's side on Christmas Eve, everyone else is Christmas morning and day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
That there's a (yet-to-be-proven) correlation between holiday shopping and dropping IQs. Have some patience people! And move your shopping cart from behind my car!!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Bright colors with white (hot pink, turquoise, lime green, orange, red... matches my sheets).

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Our dinner is typically lots of choices, we don't do a big turkey or anything.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
All I want for now is good weather for Tad's first trip to Disneyland.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
Nobody. I'm not really forwarding it.

On our way

We're on our way to Disneyland people! I'm probably watching a DVD (Disney of course!) with Tad and mom in the backseat.

Keep those good weather vibes coming so we can have a dry trip!

Friday Photo

You guys get a fresh photo this week.

Tad woke up early this morning so I've been up with him since seven. We're super stoked for Disneyland tomorrow so I thought I'd grab a couple hats and we could show you how excited we are...





This kid's in need of a haircut and I'm in need of some sun, but oh well. We can't wait for tomorrow!!!

Happy Birthday x Two

Time for another birthday! Actually, two birthdays. Happy birthday to my cousins, the twins!

Some call them Holly and Landon. Or if you're my dad you call them Molly and Brandon. And they're old now. They're fifteen. If we were real Mexicans they'd have a quinceanera. But we're all coconuts. haha...

I remember when they were born (here's me sounding old). I was in sixth grade, and sitting at home with my dad one Saturday morning. My brother must have stayed the night at someone's house, because he wasn't there. And mom was working or something. So when we got the phone call that my aunt was in labor we went to the hospital.

Man we waited forever for these girls. They wanted to make an entrance. My uncle Tim and I played games for money in the hallway. Who could slide a quarter closest to the opposite wall without hitting it. Who could make a paper airplane out of a dollar and fly the furthest. I made a couple bucks that day. Which I promptly spent in the gift shop.

Anyway, Holly came, then Landon via C-section. And they were so cute! I've always loved babies, but these girls were some beautiful babies.

It's funny having twins. They have their moments where they are identical, then there are the moments where they're totally different. I was the one who got to take them to have their eyebrows waxed for the first time. Yay! Then we went shopping. I love girl trips with them. They make me miss high school sometimes.

These are two of the strongest girls I know. I'm proud that they're my little cousins. Love you girls!

Almost there...

So I've decided I will do some posts ahead of time for y'all. And seeing as how my birthday is on Monday (yay!) and it would be weird to blog to myself, I'll have a special guest blogger. Oooooh, fancy.

And now, wait for another blog later today. I has another berfday blog for you.

Wow

So my interview this afternoon?

It was a real interview. For the district. It was not a sub interview like I thought it was.

So I think I did okay. I hadn't overthought anything because I didn't realize it would be for a position when one opens up. Holy crap!!!

So there's my day. Now I'm finishing up the last stuff on my TPA so I can submit it. Then tomorrow is laundry, cleaning, and picking up my child in Madera.

Because Disneyland is almost here!!!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my grandpa today.

Grandpa Jim lives in Alabama. And he's not a small man. I definitely didn't get my height (or lack thereof) from him. Grandpa would probably be one of the hardest members of my family to describe. But I'll give you something...

When I was little I remember freaking out at how Grandpa ate his pancakes. He put peanut butter on them. And that grossed me out to no end. I didn't see how he could do such a thing to pancakes!

Grandpa was in an accident years ago. And as a result he basically shattered his hip. So as long as I can remember he's walked with crutches or a cane. When we were kids, my brother would sneak away with Grandpa's cane at any opportunity. It automatically became a machine gun or something in Nick's hands. There was apparently one time that Grandpa was in the shower and he left his cane leaning up against the bathroom counter. Well, my brother (ever the sneaky one) went in and took it and was playing with it. Grandpa got out of the shower and realized his cane wasn't there and called out Nick's name. Because really, where else would that thing have gone at my house? Grandpa still laughs about it today.

As soon as I graduated he was asking me the same question every time we were on the phone. "Do I need to rent me a tux yet?" His own way of asking about my love life. And of course the answer was always a laugh and a resounding "no." And of course, when I called him Christmas morning two years ago to tell him Tim had proposed there was only one thing to say.

"Grandpa, it's time to get a tux."

Of course it was nearly impossible to get the words out. I was crying. I can't explain it, but even though he lived so far away my whole life, I'm extremely close to him.

But Grandpa has had health problems -related and unrelated to the accident - for some time. And he wasn't able to come out and rent his tux. That was rough. I cried. A lot. And several times. Then he sent me a letter and a gift. Actually, he sent them to mom and told her not to give them to me until the wedding day. So I read the letter that morning. I'm lucky it didn't my eyes red all day.

Anyway, all this just to let my readers know about this amazing man. My grandpa is the best. And I can't wait to see him when he comes out for Christmas.

Happy birthday Grandpa. Love you.

Okay people

Use your voodoo, your magic, your rain dances... whatever you have to do.

Right now the forecast is saying rain on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Yes, that's while we're in Disneyland.

That. Cannot. Happen.

So start the magic vibes and such people. Because I am NOT going to have rain for Tad's first trip.

E is for...

Okay so I planned this weekly entry to say something about me in general, but today is different.

E is for excited.

And there's so much to be excited about! I got a new camera yesterday!!! *happy dance* It's a Nikon. *another happy dance* My mommy bought it for me. It's little and purple and awesome. I can't wait to use it at...

DISNEYLAND!!! I have five days left. I'm beyond excited. It's going to be so fun! I'll have so many pictures of Tad it will be ridiculous. I don't even know how I'll sleep Friday night. You guys are probably sick of hearing about Disneyland by now too. I'm still debating over whether I'll write some posts ahead of time. Probably not for all four days that I'll be gone. Or it would just be boring filler.

E is also for energy. Which I am in serious need of right now. Tim is off today and we're going to clean so that we can go get our Christmas tree. But I'm so not motivated. Ugh, I hate cleaning...

I admit

I totally want the new Britney Spears CD. Will I buy it? Not likely, but I totally wouldn't be opposed to finding it in my Christmas stocking. Now if I can convince Tim to buy it...

On a completely different note, I'm hooked on hot tea right now. More than coffee. I just bought some red tea (strawberry and passionfruit) and some vanilla caramel truffle last night. I know, you're probably thinking that the latter sounds nasty, but it's not sugary. It's really subtle. And tasty.

We did end up going out last night. And now I have to finish getting ready so I can head over to my mom's. She's throwing me a birthday party. Yeah, it's early, but we'll be in Disneyland on my actual birthday. So I'll talk at y'all later.

So

I took my test today. I don't know how I feel about it. And I don't get my scores until after Christmas.

But the rest of the day was pretty alright! I hit Old Navy this morning to do some shopping for hubby. Then went to mom and dad's to use their printer and visit. Dad's doing fine after surgery, he's just bored out of his mind. It's pretty funny.

After the test I did more shopping. Several stores. Bought a couple things for Tim, but I'm not quite done yet.

Now I'm home and little brother-in-law calls to see if we're going to this party tonight. Which we totally forgot about! To be fair, I've definitely had other things on my mind. But now we're waiting around for another phone call to see if it's still a good time for us to come over. Supposedly it started early... we shall see. I know I wouldn't mind a good time after today!

Break

I know, I owe you guys a Friday photo, but I don't know what I want to take a picture of. I could take a picture of my teaching bag, but even that would require work that I'm not sure I want to put into this right now.

Can you tell I'm a little lazy right now?

Actually, it's not laziness. My brain hurts. I'm studying for my RICA tomorrow (Reading Instruction Competence Assessment). I have to pass it to get my credential. No pressure or anything... It's my own fault I waited to take it.

Anywho, just wanted to take a break to say that I just love everyone in my life right now. I went to mom's yesterday and was unloading everything that I have to do before we go to Disneyland (this test, another one, a rationale, pick up paperwork for the district, schedule a fingerprint test) and she just went on about how she knows I can do it. That's always nice to hear. Tim's been telling me the same thing about this test. My friend Lauren has been telling me she knows I'll pass. And now my friend Lucy (who's also taking it tomorrow) is telling me she's positive I can do it.

I just love my friends and family. It's nice to know that they all believe in me. And they aren't afraid to say so.

So forgive me if I don't get a photo up today. Studying is getting top priority.

That, and Plant Tycoon. It's such a low-maintenance game that I can play it while I study. Gotta have some fun...

I did

I cried.

Only for about a minute. Probably less. And it wasn't ugly crying, just some tears. I tried not to, I swear.

My master teacher had planned this whole thing all week without me knowing. The kids brought treats and we had a party this afternoon. And as the kids are sitting there asking me a million questions, my master teacher comes in with this bag that one of the kids brings up to me. She made me a book bag with little apples on it, and the kids each signed an apple. So I take one look at it and started crying. The kids had FILLED it with stuff that I can use as a teacher: paper, folders, note cards, pens, highlighters... it's overflowing. And I just couldn't take it.

So I had a great day. I feel super loved. Got hugs as they left. And reassured them that I will be back in two weeks to go on their field trip with them.

I love those kids. And my teacher. And that school. If I could stay I so would. But I do have to get a real job.

Today just made me feel awesome.

Ha, what a half week

So it's only Wednesday, but wow.

Monday was my first day of my last week. Not much going on. I did go tutor after school though. Yesterday was my interview. And I tutored after that too. Then today comes...

Last class was tonight. It was science, which I actually like. And we were only there for a couple hours so that wasn't bad. And it was my last class of the semester. Nay, last class of the credential program. That feels so weird. I don't know that it's registered that I'm done with college. Unless I decide to get my Master's. And that's a fat chance right now.

So I'm on my way home, and my mom calls me. She's at the hospital with my dad. I didn't freak out, but that's probably because she didn't sound freaked out. He was having some major abdominal pains so he went to the doctor today. Which is HUGE for him.

Let me explain something about my dad. My dad is total man's man. To quote Little Rascals, he's "a he-man so manly, that if he fell off a building he'd go out of his way to land on a girl." Okay, so it doesn't totally fit, but the quote popped into my head and wanted to escape onto the blog. Anyway, yeah, my dad doesn't go to the doctor. He doesn't even get sick. Seriously, almost never. We were in Pismo once on a trip with church and he went off a dune that had a blind drop. So he tumbled over this drop on his quad. Damaging his ribs and face in the process. Not bad, but bad enough. He couldn't breathe deeply for a while after that, which makes me think there was some bruising that could be looked at. But did he go anywhere? No. I had to go buy butterfly band-aids for the cut on his chin. He kept putting regular band-aids on and thinking nothing of it when they bled through in an hour. Jeez... now I know how parents of stubborn children feel...

So he went to urgent care today and they decided it was his appendix. So right now as I write this he's in surgery. But it's laproscopic. Which means tiny incisions for a camera, and the tools. The whole surgery is done through those tiny incisions. So it's totally better than a big slice. And recovery is faster. And I know the surgeon doing it! I used to work for him and he's the best. So no worries. Dad will even be home tonight.

Tomorrow is my last day of student teaching. I hope I don't cry. Some of the kids have been acting funny which makes me wonder if they're up to something. And one girl told me she's going to cry. Dang it. No crying. I will not cry, I will not cry...

Effortless

What are the last 3 things you purchased?
ummm... candy (I wanted a reward for getting through my interview), a magazine, and some clothes (last week)

What are the last three songs you downloaded?
ha! I don't know what the last three were, probably Christmas songs


What were the last three places you visited?
my ex-uncle's, Target, my sissy's

What are your three favorite movies?
can't pick three best, but three I love are 300, Phantom of the Opera, and Sweeney Todd (which I've been wanting to watch lately)

What are your three favorite possessions?
I'm gonna go with my three favorite things at the moment: my Mukluks, my blanket from Grandma, and my yoga pants

What three things can you not live without (other than family and friends)?
phone, camera, computer


What would be your three wishes?
magic weight loss pill, perfect hair, and a fancy car

What are three things you haven't done yet?
gone to Spain, gone wine tasting (May, right MP?), and had my very own classroom


What are your three favorite dishes?
well I like my mixing bowls, and I pretty much love my cake plate... oh, not those kind? well then, pizza, Grandma's chile verde, and a good enchilada


What three celebrities do you want to hang out with most?
Gerard Butler (hoooooot!), Katy Perry (I think she would be weird and fun), and Brad Paisley (seems like a good guy)

things that freak you out?
strange noises at night, worms, your mom (haha!)

Name three unusual things you are good at
knowing when a date falls on the calendar, remembering birthdays


What are three things you are currently coveting?
I don't think I'm coveting anything, but I want things. Like a house with a big kitchen and a double oven.

You've been waiting so patiently

I'm home. And exhausted.

I had my other interview today. I think it went well. Or maybe I just felt better going in so I wasn't as worried. I had two of my letters of recommendation this time. Those definitely helped.

So I was in there for an hour. Which is super long, but like I said, I feel like I did pretty well. I guess we'll see.

I also had my final evaluation today. All 4's again. Big surprise, I got all 4's on my midterm evaluation too. So everyone thinks I'll be an excellent teacher. Which is always nice to hear.

Now I'm home. Starving. And tired. I want a nap. Maybe I'll feel better after I eat. Tomorrow: my last class on campus. Yay!

D is for...

D is for December, it's finally here!

I have four days of student teaching left. I have ten days to finish my TPA (you don't wanna know how much work it is). I have twelve days to get ready for Disneyland. I also have twelve days to decorate my house for Christmas. Because I really want it done before we leave.

Since I'm kind of on the subject... D is for DISNEYLAND!!! I love it every time I go, but this trip will be special. I get to take my Tad for his first trip ever. He's going to love it. I think I might cry when he sees Mickey and Buzz and all the other characters though. I'll have the tissues ready just in case. We already asked him what he wants to ride first when we get there. He wants to go in the "pooky house" then Pirates. Yes, the "pooky house" is the Haunted Mansion. He knows Jack Skellington will be in there. And he totally knows songs from that movie too now! I'm so proud of the rugrat. I'm at the point where I think about the trip every day now. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep the night before we leave. My mom and I are probably more excited than Tad!

D is also for decorating, which I mentioned already. I'm so ready to decorate for Christmas. And there will be pictures. Oh yes, there will be pictures. We have a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas stuff that I'm really excited to put up. I already got the throw blanket out, but everything else has to wait.

And just for something different (hey, another D word!), D is also for dare. I have a couple people I've been bugging to start blogs because they have entertaining things to share. It's also a good way to get a little writing (even if it's just a funny conversation) into your day. So I'm telling you people (you know who you are), start a blog. Make it your New Year's resolution if you have to. But I need some blogging buddies. Do it!