details

Last evening Brandon and I spent our time fisnishing up last minute details.

Laundry

Folding laundry

Dinner

Making pumpkin cookies

Getting the mail

Sorting the mail

Getting gas for the drive to Hermiston today

Packing clothes

Wrapping packages

Writing cards

Finishing the Best Man Speech

Doing dishes

Writing Sub plans

Getting my classroom picked up

A PBS meeting

Getting ready for conferences, which are on Tuesday

This is going to be a busy weekend, starting today. But we are looking forward to it, and hopefully I will come back with a lot of pictures! We will be back on Sunday.

{HOME}

We're home.

=)

What a nice feeling that is. Not that we can actually just 'be' in our house for more than 4 hours at a time it feels like. haha We are here, then we're gone, but this is the house we come back to day after day. This is the house we are going to come back to day after day for years to come. We like this house. This is OUR house.

We have now been here over a week, and our furniture is situated, our books are on book shelves, candles are burning, I have cooked in the kitchen, and baked cookies and everything.

We don't really have pictures up on the walls yet, but that takes time. I think we need a long weekend and both of us here before we can do things like that.

This is one of our living rooms, looking into the dining room... it was taken last week, when things were still a mess.

This is our dining room and table.

And this will most likely be our holiday card this year, so don't get upset if you see the same photo twice. =)

today

Today is the day that our life 'for real' changes. =) Our parents are arriving tonight, we are living with even MORE boxes, and tonight the rest will go in boxes. Tomorrow morning we will be up early and hopefully have most of our belongings into the new house before Saturday evening. Our internet will also be turned off for a few days... so I will catch ya on the flip side! Can't wait to share the new house pictures with you in a week!

Before that though, I have to get dressed, get to school, plan, go to an assembly with 22 five year olds, etc.

The time is here

Well, it's final.
We signed papers Friday afternoon.
We delivered our check Monday afternoon.
We picked up the keys to our new house on Tuesday afternoon!

We are so excited. We are packed and ready to go. Tonight we are hoping to clean the carpets (just to be sure - I have bad allergies) and then we start the real moving bright and early Saturday morning.

We have 3 pickups.
We have 3 trailers.
We have my car.
We have lots of motivation!

I will post pictures as I am able to get inside and take them. =)

This is

HARD.

New job. New district. New town. New grade level.

Moving into a new house, out of our old one.

Busy time of year for Brandon at work.

My 45 min. commute one way.

I think I am reaching my breaking level. I know God only gives us what He knows we can handle. I know I can handle this. But I am asking for help. I ask him for patience with my kids a LOT. I have done things I'm not proud of. I have snapped at my husband and left things undone that need to be done.

But, I am doing what I can and asking for help with the rest. I have learned to say no to things. I have learned to understand my limit and stay within those bounds. I offer help when I know I can actually give it, and to take help when I actually need it.

I am excited for all of these changes. and trust me, I LOVE my job and I LOVE our new house. I am just ready for some of these chores to be over.

The packing

the cleaning

the endless laundry

the driving

the tired nights

the early mornings

the paper work

changing addresses

moving safety deposit boxes

changing magazine subscriptions

writing HUGE checks

forgetting birthdays

avoiding the stack of books my friend lent me MONTHS ago

I am ready for things to calm down, for Brandon and I to sit in our new house and just be. To laugh and talk and enjoy each others company. I'm ready for that.

On September 13th, 2002....

OK, so I read my friend Lindsay's blog today and felt and urge to 'copy' her. So you have to read mine, but also follow the link to her blog and read it as well. =) I thought it too funny to pass by.


On September 13th, 2002....
I met Brandon for the first time.
I took a picture of him sitting on the couch at his apartment.
I never got rid of it.
Our friend Corey (who I thought at the time was just MY friend Corey -- haha) took me to a party in Pendleton for the Pendleton Round Up. We were going to meet up with some of his friends and then head down to the Happy Canyon Dance.
Some how Corey and I had been friends for a long time (through most of high school). And Brandon and Corey had been best friends for a long time (through most of high school). And yet Brandon and I had never met.
We had a great time that night dancing and visiting with the rest of our friends. And then I went back to Eugene and Brandon stayed in Pendleton and Corey went back to LaGrande.
I didn't see or talk to Brandon again until January of 2003.
When we met up again at Corey's Superbowl Party in LaGrande that January of 2003 we hit it off again, talked the entire evening, road back to Pendleton together, and he came down the following weekend to see me in Eugene.
From there the rest is history.



happy {we met at the Pendleton Round Up} anniversary Brandon!

and thanks for the great idea Lindsay! =)

Wanna see?

Here is a little tour of my classroom! It's not perfect, and it is a work in progress... it isn't even done yet. But here we go!

This is my word wall...never really used one before, but after teaching kinder last year and 'part way' using one I think I am going to give it a try.

This is my calendar area. We do Number Corner in kinder and I have my 'helping hands' posted here also. The kids can track who was the helping hand yesterday, who it is today, and who it will be tomorrow. Both for a.m. and p.m.

A closer look..

Games, big books, supplies, etc.

The door to the hallway, storage for the reading program, my wagon, etc.

My 'Welcome Board'... we are going to be busy bees!



My classroom...





Enjoy. =)