The Newest Addition

It's official. We are expanding our family by one member. No it's not what you are thinking. We are getting a new puppy! She is an eight month old chocolate lab named Bella. We are not getting her until after Christmas (for several reasons) so I will post pics as soon as I can. I personally think we are crazy for getting another dog but she needs a home and we couldn't say no. Here's hoping that Woody adapts and all goes well!

Birthday Fun!

Today is my birthday. It has been a great day so far. Joel gave me an Ipod Nano so that I don't have to listen to annoying people on the train as I go to work. It was a great surprise! We also drove around to look at land (we are wanting to buy some acreage) and found a new place we liked. We also decorated the outside of the house with lights. Finally to end my big day we are going out to dinner at a local Italian place downtown on the square. I can't wait!! It will be so yummy. I'll let you all know how it turned out. I hope my 29th year is as good (or better!) than all the others. Clear your calendars now for next year though. There will be a huge party for my 30th!!!!

God is good!!!

I sometimes wonder about (but am also thankful for) God's sense of humor. He's got to have one because sometimes things happen you just have to laugh about. For example, I've been on the phone with my doctor a lot today trying to figure out the next step in a crazy series of events. We decided what to do, they called in prescriptions and I went to pick them up. Turns out that just before we went to get them, a prayer was answered. Now I don't even need one of the prescriptions that I got! It also means I'm back on the phone with the doctor tomorrow to verify we are still going to follow the plan. Funny how God works!! He certainly is good!!!

Go Bucks!!!

In case you have been living in a hole and don't know, it's Ohio State/Michigan weekend. We are going to the 10th annual Peteyfest at our friend's house (named after their cat). It is yet another tradition I married into. In honor of the big game I thought I'd share a little diddy with you all. Here goes:

Twas two nights before the Game,
And from High Street to the Shoe,
Not a cat was sleeping,
Even Stella was screaming Screw Blue.
The banners were hung by the flagpoles with care
In hopes that St. Troy would find Ginn and Gonzalez through the air.
Drunken and crazy and tossing in their beds,
While visions of touchdowns danced through their heads.
When all of the sudden there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the keg to see what was the matter.
When there in the sky, in a bright shiny sleigh,
Was Woody Hayes decked out in the scarlet and gray.
He looked to the crowd that was gathered around,
And said that he heard The Game was in town.
I came here to watch it, and wish you good luck.
Though it's not like you need it, cause Michigan Still Sucks!

Just thought I'd honor my fabulous hubby's love for the Buckeyes! Let's hope all goes well!

Update: After a thrilling victory over Michigan, we are on our way to the National Championship Game. We bought plane tickets tonight and hopefully can get some game tickets for a reasonable amount. O-H-I-O! Go bucks!

Thankful for...

strong Texas roots, a great family history and strong women. Some of you know (okay maybe most of you) that I come from a large extended family. I'm humbled to have come from a strong line of Schlenkers who decided to settle in Texas. This last summer we celebrated 100 years in Texas and had a great family reunion. It is always amazing to me how many people come together and celebrate our family. It is always several days of fun. Like most everything, you never really appreciate your heritage until you get older.

This reunion was special because I got to spend lots of great time with my cousins whom I seldom see. As kids we were always running around together and getting into things we weren't supposed to. It was nice to reconnect and reminisce about our childhoods. We spent a lot of time laughing and enjoying life.

I learned a lot about my family roots too. My great-grandmother Schlenker had 11 children. Basically she was pregnant from age 26-46. I can't even begin to fathom that. She also was a strong woman and devoted wife. She followed her husband out to Texas after he bought land (which she told him not to do) on the train with 9 children one of which was a 3 month old baby. By the time she got to the farm it was dark. When she awoke the next morning she could only see black prairie everywhere. Even then she didn't doubt her husbands' decision to come to Texas. I can only hope I'm that kind of devoted wife. Coming from a history of strong women you can't help but be inspired to live up to your full potential. Here's to being thankful for the "diva" in us all!

Inspired by Aimee....

to start a list of what I'm thankful for. It is November after all! Today there are two things on my list.

First I'm thankful for patient people at tech support for Smart Board. Yes, my wonderful new technology in my room is broken and I spent an hour and a half on the phone with tech support. The poor lady was so nice trying to walk me through troubleshooting. I know there were times she probably wondered if I was a complete idiot but she was patient none the less. After all that time they didn't fix my problem and I have to call back tomorrow. It can't be good I've stumped the tech people!

Secondly, I'm thankful for my amazing friends and family. I have received such an outpouring of love, thoughts, concern and prayers from everyone in the last few days. I want you all to know how much it means to me and how much I appreciate it. I promise to respond personally to each of you this weekend but just want to say thanks! You are all awesome and I'm honored to be a part of your lives!

Have a great weekend and thank God for your lists of thankfulness!

No Voice

I completely lost my voice overnight. No idea why or how. I still went to work (I may have the only job where no voice isn't an excuse to miss!)and continued with my day because otherwise I felt okay. My kids were funny today because they couldn't believe I really couldn't talk. After I told them I lost my voice one of the little boys came up, touched my neck and said, "Where voice go?" It definitely made for an interesting day.

I did discover that not having a voice makes you really appreciate the fact you really do have a voice (weird, I know). I realized all the things we miss or take for granted because we are talking or interrupting others. Everyone should have a day with no voice at least once a month. It may be part of what is wrong with the world today!

Adventures in Parenting....(a dog)

We have decided that a dog is the first step to test whether one is ready for children. Everyone should be required to have a pet of some kind before deciding they are worthy of parenthood. Thus our adventure this week.

Woody had been scratching a lot for a long time and like every good parent we hoped it would just go away. It didn't so we finally broke down and took him to the vet. Turns out he has allergies (go figure) and the vet started him on an experimental drug. Yes, our dog is a test subject. Part of the treatment is a week of baths every other day and then a spray every third day. Fun stuff!

Have you every tried giving a dog a bath? Much less in the guest bathroom? Quite the adventure. He has figured out that running water is not a good thing when it comes to the bathroom. It is harder and harder to catch him and drag him to the bathroom. Once in the tub he submits to the fact that he is getting a bath so it is pretty easy. Afterwards, it is interesting to try and herd him outside before he shakes all over the house. We have mildly succeeded so far! However, there is one more bath to go! Hopefully he won't put up too much of a fight!

After this (and dog vomit/diarrhea), kids should be easy!!!

Exciting News!!!!

Some exciting news to share with you from the Cramer household. Are you ready??? Mindy is engaged!!!! Her fiance proposed on top of the Empire State Building today during her break from the cruise ship she's on. After the proposal, she had to get back on the ship for another two week stint. We only talked briefly before she lost cell signal but she was giddy and very excited. I am too!! Congrats Mindy and Doug! We can't wait for the big day (maybe Playa del Carmen??)

Tough Decision

I love my job so much but one of the toughest things about it is making decisions that impact the futures of my children. One of these decisions is upcoming and I'm struggling with what to do. I feel as though I'm not meeting the educational needs of one student and would like to place him/her at another campus. This student is struggling to keep up with peers and I feel it is in his/her best interest to move. However, the campus I'm looking at serves the MR students for deaf ed. This is where my struggle comes in....should I be giving up on a "normal" paced education for the student at the tender age of 10? It is not a decision I take lightly and can only hope that I make the best choice!

Things I learned (or confirmed) about my husband....

this weekend. It was nice because we had a weekend with just the two of us and tons of time to spend together (it's been a while since this has happened). I can honestly say it was a fantastic weekend and I didn't do anything exciting. In the course of spending time with Joel I learned (or confirmed) the following things.

1. While he is a big Buckeye fan, he is not the craziest or the nuttiest one out there! We went to watch the game this weekend at the OSU alumni party. Talk about some obsessed fans! I usually don't go to these things but decided to since he would be alone and I had nothing else to do. I'm glad I went and got to spend time with him. It also helped they won the game!

2. He is really great around kids. We went to see one of our friends new baby, Taylor. She is precious! While I was holding her, Joel was entertaining Ryan. It was fun to see. I've know he is good with kids (toddlers especially) but it's always nice to reconfirm.

3. He wants to take care of me. For example, he gave me the best route to go to the courthouse for jury duty. It's a small thing but I appreciated it b/c then I could sleep in longer!

4. He loves me unconditionally more than I could put into words. We had some real conversations this weekend and I've never felt more loved or at peace than when I'm with him.

5. He is excited we are spending Christmas here in McKinney (even though we were supposed to go to Ohio). He is even excited my family is going to join us! Me too! I only wish that his mom could come too.

I'm sure there are lots more things I could list. But for now this will do. I just want everyone to know how special Joel is and how much I love him! I love you Joel!!

Babies, babies, babies

Everywhere I turn I seem to be surrounded by babies or expectant moms. Three of our friends had new baby girls this week. Welcome to the world Ava, Riley, and Taylor! We can't wait to watch you grow and become young women. It makes me so excited to some day have children of my own!

This made me wonder (among other things) why some people can have kids without even trying (and really don't want them) and others who really want kids have such a hard time having them. It just doesn't seem fair. I have come to the conclusion though that if we are blessed with children I will cherish them so much more because of the road we took to get there. Thanks to all of your for your thoughts, prayers and support!

A Panhandle Wedding

Sorry this took so long to post but it has been an exhausting beginning of the week. We survived the wedding and had a great time hanging out with the family. Some highlights of the weekend included: catching up with my cousins Lori, Nate and Marcy; meeting Mindy's new beau Doug; my dad's surprise toast to all three of us girls and mom; the great food Paul's family fixed for the reception.

The wedding turned out beautiful thanks to lots of hard work from my mom, aunt, sister and the husbands! We spent all day Friday decorating everything and finished up final touches on Saturday. It went off without a hitch (even the weather cooperated!) I've posted some pictures for you all to enjoy (if you want to see more let me know and I'll send you a link to them). Hope you had a great (but not as exhausting) weekend as well!

Texas Fair Adventures

I am exhausted but I survived the annual trip to the fair today with the kids. There is nothing like corralling deaf children and adults in large crowds at the fair. I felt like I spent all day counting to seven (the number of my kids) and yelling at them to pay attention where they were going and mind their manners.

One of my boys kept wandering off and so about the fifteenth time it happened I finally told him, "Fine! Go off again. I don't care. But when you get lost and the policemen try to call me I'm not going to answer my phone. You will just have to stay here and be lost!" He really pondered this and didn't leave the group again! I love little white lies to the kids....makes them wonder when you are serious. All in all we had fun and covered a lot of ground (highlights included Big Tex talking, the huge cow "Peter the Great" and lunch with Texas shaped nachos!). I remember now why this is a once a year occasion for me!

Now we are off to Amarillo for the big wedding. We will be back Sunday so I'll post details then. Have a great weekend!

My day off....and weekend

I had Friday off because it was our state fair day. I never knew schools took a day off for the fair until I moved to Dallas. I made the mistake of going one year on the same day the kids have their tickets for. Never again will I do that!!! Not a way to spend a relaxing day off. Needless to say, I don't enjoy the fair. I know several of you will disagree with me but I'm tainted by the fact I have to go with the kids on a field trip every year. Chasing and corralling deaf children will taint your experience greatly!

So what did I do instead on my day off you ask? I spent the better part of Friday driving around looking for the scrapbooking magazine that Aimee got published in. Oh, the things I'll do for friendship! (Just kidding Aims!) I needed to run errands anyway and decided to combine the trips. First I went to Hobby Lobby to get some scrapbooking stuff for my neice's Christmas gifts and didn't find the magazine. So I scooted across the street to Target in hopes they would have it. Of course not, because that would be too easy. By this time I needed to head towards Frisco and my hair appointment so I went to the mall. (Sidenote: I hate the mall in Frisco b/c they are doing construction all around it and traffic is a nightmare!) I went to Barnes and Noble and still did not find the mag. I stopped at J.C. Penny's to look for something for Joni's wedding but left empty handed. I then went to eat and to my hair appointment. Afterwards, I stopped at Jo-Ann's (thinking a craft store would carry the magazine) but no luck. I decided to make one final stop at the scrapbooking store down from Jo-Ann's. Eureka!!! I finally found the magazine. I bought it and came home to read it. I'm so proud of Aimee's layout and only wish I were half as creative with my scrapbooks! Maybe I need some lessons from her.....

The rest of my weekend was spent having a fabulous party at the Dinner Station with some girlfriends, watching Buckeye football (Go Bucks!!), working on the girls' Texas trip scrapbooks, church and lesson plans. It was a great 3 day weekend. Too bad it's back to the grindstone!

A Trip to Canton and other tales

I went on a road trip yesterday to Canton with Holly and Justin for first Monday. We had a lot of fun!!! Justin was such a trooper. He wins husband of the month award for hauling our things around and not complaining once! Holly and I found lots of "bargains" (or at least what we perceived as bargains). We have several crafts to complete now that we have ideas and items. I can't wait to start. I've got a window to paint, metal platters to paint and a cute message board with chicken wire to create. Fun stuff! The best part was buying "pumpkamelons" at the end of the day!

In not so fun stuff, I have a dr appointment with my ob/gyn tomorrow. (I know you are all jealous!!) I'd love your thoughts and prayers in hopes that we can resolve some issues that I'm having (I won't bore you with details but call me if you want to know them!). Hopefully things will go well and we can get some answers. Joel may not tolerate the Dr. Jeckel and Hyde routine for much longer!!! :)

It's Pumpkamelon Time!

As I've said before, deaf education is always an interesting job. Several years ago, we were discussing fall time and one of my hard-of-hearing kids said, "I remember last year when we made a pumpkamelon!" Ever since I when I think of fall I think of "pumpkamelons".

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love everything about it...the cool weather, the activities, the holidays, just everything. I hope everyone has a great fall and takes time to enjoy the "pumpkamelons!"

What a week....and weekend

It has already been a rough week (and it's only Tuesday!!!) On a positive note, it can only get better from here.

If you read Aimee's blog you know that I was home this weekend and got to see her. I had a great visit at home. I went for two reasons. One, my great-great aunt Louisa had a 100th birthday party. How many times do you get to go to a party for a 100 year old? Not many, so I was excited to attend. She was funny because she insisted that it was NOT her birthday. Who can argue with a 100 year old person? I wasn't going to! Second reason was a bridal shower for my little sister. Hard to believe her wedding is in three weeks! She had a great shower and got lots of cool things.

While I was home I looked through some old pictures and thought I'd post some of them. Look closely for Holly and Aimee in them. Hope you enjoy!

This is from October of 1985 (I'm guessing on a Sunday). We were having a party for our Cabbage Patch Kids! Great memories.

This was in 5th grade (1989). We were celebrating a "promotion" in Girl Scouts. I'm sporting quite the hair do!!!

This is me and Casey (Aimee's twin brother) in my great-aunt Sarah's Sunday school class. It was 1985 and I have no idea what we were doing!

It's Aimee's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Aimee! I just want to take some time to tell you what a great friend and person you are. I wish I had some great childhood picture to post with this but they are all at mom and dad's house (I'm going home this weekend so I'll have to look). I'm sure I could find some great ones of Christmas pageants or some other church function.

For those who don't know (or haven't figured it out), Aimee and I grew up together. We attended the same church and I spent many Sunday afternoons playing with her and her twin brother Casey. Aims and I also took piano lessons together for several years and played many duets for church.

I just want everyone to know how much I love Aimee and have enjoyed her friendship. She is an awesome mom to two wonderful boys, an amazing Christian woman, a loving wife and best of all a fantastic friend. Everyone should be lucky enough to know her!

Happy Birthday Aims!!! You deserve the best day ever!!!

What the heck??

As you know we took a road trip to La Jolla this weekend for our friends Dave and Hilary's wedding. I'll post more about the trip later but wanted to share our "What the Heck?" moment in honor of Justin and his love for odd signs.

We flew into Orange County (Santa Ana) and had a drive to La Jolla down Hwy 5. We started with the senic route (Hwy 1) down to Laguna Beach and then proceded to Hwy 5 to save time. We are driving along when Joel spots and unusual sign along the highway. No one else saw it but we all pondered his description. Upon arriving in La Jolla we found several t-shirts depicting the same sign (thus the picture).

I will leave it to you to ponder it's meaning. We never found out the actual need for the sign but would welcome anyone who knows about it to comment. And they say nothing fun ever happens on vacation!!