This week marks the beginning of National Infertility Awareness Week. Please pray with me for all the families who have been and continue to be affected by this. I plan to post throughout the week some stats and suggestions on how to be supportive. Please check here for these postings.

Don't You Love It??

My new look that is! I do! Hopefully because I love it so much I'll be more anxious to visit it and write more. A HUGE thank you to my friend Traci at Sweet Cheeky Designs. Please go check her out. She does great work, is easy and fun to work with, has great prices and is doing it all to help her son Riley (who is just precious). I know she would love the business and you will love the results.

Random Thoughts

The title is your warning. This is just random thoughts/ideas from the last month. Take it for what it is.
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First off, I love the flowers that Joel sent me a few weeks ago. He went out to L.A. for what was supposed to be a 4 day business trip. He ended up staying a week and a half. He knew I wasn't happy so he sent these to me at work. I guess he is a keeper after all. :)

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Secondly, I want to know how a large school district can be $84 million over budget. Just curious....
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Next, I've started going for acupuncture treatments....and I LOVE IT!!! It is so relaxing and has really helped with some of the problems I've had. My only regret is not researching it and starting treatment sooner.
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Also, keep your eyes posted for changes to the blog. My dear friend Traci (whose link you will find in my blog roll) is working on changing things up for me. I know the final product will be great and that you will all be knocking on her door for a makeover too!
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It is fall!!! I LOVE this time of year. We went to the fair this last week and had a great time. I also drug out all my Halloween decor and I have a to do list already for next weekend and yes, it involves buying some pumpkamelons!!
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Congrats to my best friend from college, Teresa. It seems as though her daughter Sadie is going to be a big sister in May. T and B will certainly have their hands full with 2 kids under 2yrs. I'm excited to meet the new addition and pray for a happy, healthy pregnancy.
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Finally, ask us about the wedding in Afton, TX next time you see us. It was my cousin's and was quite the adventure. I promise you will be shocked and will laugh at our perspective!!

Back to School

Wow! Time flies when you are doing nothing all summer! It is hard to believe it is time to go back to school. It is though and starting Monday, I will have 5 new precious kiddos. I'm excited and ready to get back in the swing of things. The district did a back to school kick-off last week and had the key-note speaker be a fifth-grade student from one of the learning centers. He did a great job and I wanted to share his speech with you here. Check it out if you have time.

We leave this coming weekend to go to my cousin Casey's wedding around Lubbock. It should be a good time. The only bad thing is that we will have to DVR the season opener for the Buckeyes. I'm actually excited to get the season underway and put the media room to full use!

Other than that nothing new is going on. Now that school is starting I'll have some "meat" for the blog so hopefully I'll find it necessary to post more often. Until then...

Cabo (in pictures)

These are just some views of Cabo. The first is from our hotel (specifically the view from our favorite bar). The second is me on the beach with the gorgeous blue water. (You can't swim because of the current so you can only walk along the shoreline). The third is a view from the golf course Joel played. Don't feel bad for me, while he was doing that I was enjoying my hot stone massage and pedicure at the spa!!




These were taken from our sunset cruise (ask us for the whole story sometime). We got to see the famous arch with Lovers Beach. We also saw some awesome boats in the marina. We overheard some ladies discussing them and guessing that the price was about $100,000. If only!


Finally, this is the view from our favorite spot. It was in the Rendezvous Bar which was an open patio with a great breeze. I loved curling up there, reading my book and sipping on my beverage of choice! Can't ask for more on a vacation that that!

Catching Up

So it is hard to believe that July is already here and almost half way over. We are leaving tomorrow for a much needed vacation to Cabo. I can't wait!! I did want to post briefly on what has happened over the last couple of weeks.

First, check out the beautiful flowers Joel sent me for our anniversary. They are my favorite and lasted for almost two weeks. I loved them.


Secondly, I went home over the 4th of July to a family reunion. We were celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Reeve family coming to Texas. You may remember two years ago we celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the Schlenker family. I love that my family roots run so deep and that we still get together to celebrate it. What I didn't love were the numerous comments made at the expense of our infertility. Many were from people who had no idea about our struggles but some were from knowing individuals. It made for a lot of biting my tongue but I believe it has helped me become a more forgiving person. That said, there are some times when people should just keep their mouths shut!

Finally, as I mentioned before, we are on our way to Cabo tomorrow. I can't wait to soak up the sun, relax and actually spend time/see my husband. I promise pictures when we return!

Four Years

That is how long Joel and I have been married. Four years today. Time certainly flies.

It seems like just yesterday, we were celebrating with all of our friends and family. We had the best wedding and reception. It truly was a celebration and the best part of it was seeing our closest acquaintances have a blast. We still laugh about many things from that day a would gladly do it all over again (mostly just to get the Ohio people back to Texas!!).

Four years also seems like an eternity in some ways. This road we have been on for the last two+ years has really brought us closer together and made us a better couple. We also know that eventually we will be fantastic parents because of it. It certainly hasn't been easy and we are sick of the valleys but we are so blessed to have each other.

So while it hasn't been easy, I wouldn't trade the last four years. I'm happy, in love and loving life each day with my fantastic husband. I love you Joel!

Frogs, Cows, and Skunks

Also known as life in the country.

Yes, I know it's been awhile since the last post. Life has been pulling us in other directions and the blog took back burner. Sorry to all of our devoted readers. Hopefully this will make up for it.

Part of living in the country is dealing with critters. We have had a herd of cows through the yard (and still have the hoof prints to prove it). I have also battled a tiny frog that could jump 3 ft off the ground getting into the house. Imagine me home alone, 11:00 pm, trying to get the frog out of the house and the stubborn dog inside for the night. Be sure to ask me sometime for the whole story.

This takes me to Friday night at 11:30. We had just let Woody outside before bed. Little did we know he would make a new friend....you guessed it......a skunk. We didn't realize it until he came running into and around the house. PHEWWW!! We immediately put him outside and googled "How to Deskunk a Dog". We read up and proceeded to bring him in for a bath in the bathtub. You all may remember how well that goes. Afterward he smelled somewhat better so we went to bed.

Waking up on Saturday, we knew we had to do more. We mixed up a home remedy to bath him and it didn't work. So we left him outside and ran to Petsmart for some miracle organic deskunker. We bought two bottles (so we have one on hand in the event we need it again). After two baths with that he smells better....not great but better. We are hoping that the remaining stench wears off soon and that he learned a great lesson. Odds are probably not!

This is for Rob

Here is a picture of what Joel has been doing every weekend. I never thought I would see him mow so often since we'd been paying a yard service at the old house. I guess it was worth the money!

Look for more pictures next week of our housewarming party! We hope if you can't come, you can wait that long to see what else we've been up to!

Projects, projects, projects

We have been busy working on various projects around the house. Yes, even though it's new we can still find projects! Last weekend, Joel finally got to break out the John Deere for the yard. He was so excited! However, before he could start mowing we had to walk the back yard for trash. Let's just say, there are several interesting things you find in an old pasture!

This weekend we worked on installing a dimmer switch in the media room. We also painted one wall Buckeye grey and began working on the stripes. Hopefully we can get some of the stripes finished tomorrow. Once that is done, we need to hang pictures and install the Fatheads. It will then be the best Ohio State room ever (according to Joel)! You will have to anxiously await the pictures or personal tour to judge for yourself.

My other goal for tomorrow (besides laundry and lesson plans) is to get outside and work in the flower beds. I already planted some wildflowers I got from the school garden but I want to plant some lily bulbs and work on my flower pots. Hopefully the soil has dried out a little. Last time it was like working with clay!

That is all....we are working on the Evite for the housewarming so keep your eyes peeled for it. Have a great week and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!!

Getting Settled

Well we are back online and slowly getting settled into the new house. We love it!!! A HUGE thank you goes out to my parents, cousin Jonathan, and older sister Mindy for helping us unpack, move furniture around and make it look like a home. Also, thanks to my brother-in-law Doug for giving up a weekend with his wife. Check out every picture she helped hang. She definitely didn't slack off! Hope you enjoy some of the pictures. They aren't the best quality but they will have to do until you come see in person. We are tentatively scheduling a house warming for early May so mark your calendars and prepare to come. We can't wait to show it off!

Here is the living room.




And the dining room sans the table we are looking forward to purchasing.


Here is the piano in the office that my dad told me he would never move again!


And the breakfast area full of clutter to finish hanging stuff up.

Quickly

We still do not have internet so I'm briefly updating from free Wi-Fi at lunch. We are supposed to get the internet installed on Thursday so I promise a long post and pictures next weekend. Until then have a great week!

Off we go....

We are off to the new house. This is my last post before we pack up the computer. Hopefully, I'll be online next week by frequenting a place with free Wi-Fi. We will see how the week unfolds. Until then, enjoy a small taste of the interior. The real thing is so much better!

The entry way with the carpet and wood floors (before they were cleaned!)


The entry way view from the kitchen.


The cabinet hardware


The bathrooms

Almost There!

6 days and counting before we are in the new house. We never thought it would get here and now it is sneaking up on us. Once we move we will not have Internet for 2-3 weeks so this is probably my last post for some time. You will have to go through withdrawal like me! Here is one last picture from this weekend...I know you are anxious to see the inside but some things will have to wait! It's much better in person anyway.

It's called "Special Events"

You may remember this time from last year when we did the National Parks. This year we are celebrating and learning about India. I'm missing final day because of a doctors appointment but I'll still share the pictures with you. When I get pics of the kids dressed up I'll share those too! Keep in mind the pictures don't begin to do it justice.

Here is what the front hallway looks like.


And now for close up shots...the elephants.

A home in India with a well to the left (a.k.a. the water fountain!)

An open air market with tons of food

The Festival of Color

Information and map about India

The Welcome

Indian art

A Temple

The Jungle

Worshiping in India

Gifts to a god

The Taj Mahal

The animals of India...this was the second grade part and the parents and kids did an awesome job!





The Ganges River


The Himalayas

And finally...Bollywood

Fun House Pictures

Here is a collage of pictures. There are some new ones so be patient!

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Tons of Progress

It is amazing what can happen in a week! This week they installed the granite, the marble, the plumbing fixtures, painted the dining room and bedroom, finished painting upstairs, and added the front door. Wow! We are expecting to move on March 8th. Hopefully that doesn't change.

This week they are supposed to install the carpet and hardwoods, install the lighting, install the doggie door, install sod and do a few other minor things (like a mantel over the fireplace). After that it is all touch up work, cleaning and landscaping (which we are doing ourselves later). Yeah for an almost finished project. What will I blog about then???

Here is the dining room.

Here is the sink in the half bath.

Here is the wall in the master bedroom.

Here is the tub in the master bath. I'm super excited it is not white and will not show dirt as badly!

Here are the kitchen cabinets, the backsplash, and the granite. It looks awesome!!


Here is the banister for the stairs to the media room. We are pleased with how it turned out. Kudos to our builder for picking it.

Here is the guest bath. You can see the fixtures we've used in the house.

Here is the bar area upstairs.

And finally the front door!