Third Annual Wine Night

My best friend Stacy has a tradition that once a year she hosts a wine and cheese party, known as "Wine Night!" It has evolved, and gotten bigger and better each year. Here is how it works, and why it is so amazing:
1. Each guest brings a bottle of wine, which gets covered in gift wrap by the hosts. This encourages people to try new types and brands of wine. It is also necessary because we vote at the end of the night for our favorite white, and favorite red, and this makes the voting more about the taste and not who brought it or what the bottle looks like.
2. The hosts serve an amazing plethora of cheese, fruit, and crackers. The cheese MIGHT be my favorite part. In fact, as far as I am concerned, it could be called "Cheese Night" and just have a little wine there to wash it down. :) I love trying new kinds of cheese that I have never had, or don't usually buy or eat. It's a little treat for my tastebuds!
3. We got to excersize while we ate and drank! Courtney (Stacy's roomie) has a Wii and owns "Just Dance" a choreography game where you dance along for points. It's like Guitar Hero, but dancing, aka, SO SUPER FUN!!
4. There are PRIZES! Best White and Best Red each win a gift, and, there are party favors for everyone...what amazing hosts indeed!
5. Everyone looks very pretty, and this year, we were especially beautiful on the inside too, because we all brought canned goods to be donated to a local food bank! Good call on that idea Stacy, Courtney and Nicole!
Please see the video below to experience the fun and silliness we created this year! (at the end of our music videos, there are still pictures)

Here are a few pics from Wine Night 2007...

And Wine Night 2008...


I don't care how far away I live from Stacy, every year she hosts a Wine Night, I will be there! Even if I have to drive in JUST for the weekend! :)

Brothers

We saw Brothers today, and I am still not sure how I feel about it. This is just a quick review, and I will not give ANYTHING away. I enjoyed the whole movie while I was there, and it definitely had the potential to be amazing, but for some reason I thought it fell short. I don't know...I just left disappointed. I did love the actors (including the child actors) and thought they did an amazing job. It's just a heavy subject, especially knowing that we are currently at war, and situations like this are probably more common than we realize. Anyways, I am glad I saw it, but I am sad that it wasn't quite what I thought it would be. Oh well.
Have any of y'all seen it? Thoughts? Any other movie recommendations?

Movies

I just realized that there are tons of movies out (or coming out) that I want to see. Here is a list:

Invictus
Everybody's Fine
Brothers
Precious
Remember Me
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
It's Complicated
Up In The Air

As you see, I have a lot of viewing to do! I will now be taking dates/reservations/requests. Who wants to go with me, and which show? Which movies do y'all wanna see?

On Monday I am going with my class to see The Princess and The Frog! Since we are a middle school, we are not allowed to have a Christmas Party, so our teacher started a tradition a few years ago, that we take the kids to Studio Movie Grill and they get lunch, popcorn, and a movie. It should be lots of fun!!

Live like we're dying...

I like this song a lot. Fun sound and nice message too. Enjoy...

Sometimes we fall down and cant get back up
Were hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
Till its to late, its not too late
Our hearts are hungry for a food that wont come
We could make a feast from these crumbs
And were all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you
What would you wish you would've done
Yeah gotta start
Lookin' at the hand of the time we've been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin' it
Every second counts on a clock that's tickin'
Gotta live like were dying
We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell em that we love em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like were dying
And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution
There'll no one on the line
Yeah gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time weve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start pickin it
Every second counts on a clock thats tickin
Gotta live like were dying
We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell em that we love em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like were dying
Like were dying oh - like were dying [x2]
We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell em that we love em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live - like were dying
We never know a good thing till its gone
You never see a crash until its head on
All those people right when were dead wrong
You never know a good thing till its gone
Yeah gotta start
Lookin at the hand of the time weve been given here
This is all we got and we gotta start livin it
Every second counts on a clock thats tickin
Gotta live like were dying
We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell em that we love em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like were dying
Like were dying oh - like were dying [x2]
We only got
86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta tell em that we love em
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like were dying
Live like were dying

Spectrum of Emotions

Today I woke up late. I have to be at work at 8 and I woke up at 7:48. Luckily, I live less than a mile from school, and I picked out my clothes the night before. I was in the building at 8:03, but what a horrible way to start the day.
It was a day I will never forget though. It was my last day of college classes. Throughout the day I was stressed about my finals. I was nervous and anxious. After class I was so happy that I was giddy. On the way home I called Mom and left her a silly voicemail (some of it might have been in song). When I turned on our street though, I became suddenly emotional. I pulled into our garage and tears filled my eyes. I parked and walked across the street to get the mail. By this time I was truly crying, and I just kept thinking "I did it! I did it! I really did it!" I felt so proud, and felt like I was flying, like I could do anything I put my mind to. It was the best feeling.
I had finished the tear-fest by the time I walked in the door, but then Zac gave me the best hug and made me start crying all over again. I was crying out of relief, joy, and personal accomplishment. Like years of stress, frustration, and hard work had finally paid off! Sigh...
A very long time ago, I told Zac that IF and WHEN I ever graduate college, I wanted this certain charm from James Avery. Guess what was waiting on me when I got home tonight? I am one lucky lady!

My list...

So many times, I have said I wanted to create a list of dreams that I want to fulfill. I said it when I watched The Bucket List (great flick) and then again when I read my cousin Matt's list of 101 things he wants to accomplish in 1001 days. It's impressive!
This is not a formal list, but here are a few things I hope to do in the next 24 months, in no particular order...
-graduate college
-go to Europe (Spain in particular)
-attend a bullfight
-speak Spanish with the Natives (with confidence and success)
-train and compete in some type of race (5k or something)
-have a pregnancy or experience the process of adoption
-get my first teaching job
-grow my hair out long again
-quit biting my nails
-start saving more money
-travel w/Zac to San Fransisco (he's been wanting to take me for 7 years now)
-see Lady Gaga live in concert
-move to Austin
-find a church we love and join it
-BE A MOMMY!!!!!!

Twins!

I have always had an obsession with multiples, like twins and triplets. (I am the same person who wanted to have quintuplet girls, so I could name them Kacey, Lacey, Stacy, Tracy, Macy!) I thought this video looked SO interesting...I want to see the show it is previewing! Crazy!



PS-Has anyone else seen THIS movie? My sister and I used to watch it, and it also fascinated me. This story kind of reminds me of that movie!

Sometimes, no plans are the BEST plans!

Yesterday was pretty much the perfect day. I had absolutely no plans when I went to bed Friday night, but here is how Saturday unfolded. I slept late, and then woke up to a bouquet of flowers from Zac. For now reason at all...wasn't that sweet? We relaxed around the house a bit and then decided to go to lunch. I had been given a card for a free meal at Chick-Fil-A (which I LOVE), so we went there. Yum! After lunch we went shopping to kill some time before a movie. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun to walk around and look. Our local outdoor shopping center put up their Christmas decorations, and it was a gorgeous day, so all this combined made me so very happy. Everyone we passed was in a great mood, and everything just felt right with the world. Plus, we got to go inside Barnes and Noble and if I could bottle the smell of that place, I would! I love it! I have talked about it before, but Zac and I can spend hours in a bookstore, some of it together, and some on are own, but we are both completely content. Next thing we knew, it was time to head to the theater for one of the greatest movies I have seen in ages...The Blind Side! I posted a trailer for it awhile back and have been anxiously awaiting to see it, so I had pretty high hopes, but it surpassed even how amazing I thought it would be! Zac even loved it, and he is quite the movie critic! If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it! I can not say enough good things about it! (Liz, you and Andy should go on at least one more date before Owen comes and see this! You will both love it! I promise!) Another cool thing about the movie is that the little boy in it (who pretty much makes the movie!) is the nephew of one of our close friends. He was also in Hancock, and even played in Friday Night Lights! He was great!
When we came home we took a little nap and watched some tv. Awesome right? The day couldn't get any better, but then Ramsi texted and asked if we wanted to hang out tonight. Yay!
They came and picked us up around 7, and we took a few pics before leaving the house. I LOVED Ramsi's hair that night! Isn't it gorgeous? I wish mine was long again...and I knew how to do that!


We decided to eat at Papasito's which we LOVE but rarely go to. It is Zac's number one favorite Mexican food restaurant! We were pretty excited to be there...


They have the best chicken fajitas, and it comes with this garlic butter sauce. Yum...it's truly heavenly! After dinner we weren't sure what we were going to do. As we were driving, we saw the new Cowboys Stadium and decided to drive closer to look around. Zac knew there was a high school playoff game going on there, but it had already started and we didn't really wanna pay a million dollars just to watch a game we didn't care about. (Our waiter told us at dinner that parking on game day is $60-70 bucks! Isn't that insane?) Anyways, so we start getting closer, and then we see an entrance with no parking attendant taking money. Huh. We pulled in and were just driving a bit, looking up at the massiveness, when "LOOK! There's a FRONT ROW parking spot!...FREE!" So we pulled in to walk around a bit and see the Tom Landry statue. Then Zac remembers that he has a "Texas High School Coaches Association" pass that might get us into the game free. What the heck, we'll try it. So we all walk in, and VOILA! We are in the fancy-schmancy stadium COMPLETELY FREE! In fact, we were kinda/sorta treated like VIP when we walked in, or else the people there are just the friendliest in the world. One of the two. :) Anyways, we walk in and jeeze...this place is incredible! We had to take a pic immediately.

The JUMBO-tron is literally the biggest thing you've ever seen! Well, I don't know, but it's HUGE! It is the biggest in the world! (Click here for more interesting trivia about it, like the fact it took over a year to build, Oh...and guess how much it cost?!) It is so high-def that it almost hurts your eyes to look at it, because it's so crystal-clear!
Some guys that coach with Zac were there, so we went and sat with them for awhile. (Yeah, they paid to park...far away, but we didn't rub it in or anything!)

Since we didn't really plan to sit at a football game all night, we decided to leave after just a bit. We had already gotten the experience of the stadium (free). Did I mention that parts of it felt more like a 5-Star hotel than a sports venue? Check out this lighting and marble flooring and leather lounges. It really was gorgeous. The building itself is like a piece of art!

When we left the stadium, the party was not even over yet. I mean, look at how much fun I had on the way back to Midlo!! :) Yep...I do know that I'm a complete dork! But My best friend Ramsi always says that it's fun to be a nerd, and I have to agree! Also, it's way more fun to be a teenager than an adult! See below for proof...

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Eliza's TWO!!!

This weekend we went to Austin for our niece's 2nd birthday party. It was a weekend filled with family time, which was just what we needed! Saturday afternoon we went over to Tatem and Scott's house and got to hang out and see Eliza in her prime. She even tried on her halloween costume for me! I asked her to show me a "turtle face" and this is what I got...

She has LOTS of funny faces actually. She is so expressive. Here is a sample of a few of her faces.

We met up with Eli and Ryan at Hula Hut (which is one of my favorite Austin restaurants) and had a lovely dinner on the lake.

Rye just got a new VW Taureg, and his key/remote is the jacknife style, where you push the button and the key swings out. Ellie thought this was VERY fun, and was really cute, doing it over and over, making all of us laugh.
Sunday afternoon was the big birthday party, and it was a beautiful day! They could not have asked or hoped for lovelier weather! It was at a cute little remote park that has a playground area and a picnic area. I definitely want to go back there. Here is Uncle E-Yi (that's how Ellie says Eli) pushing the birthday girl on the swing...
We almost had the whole park to ourselves. It was cool. Tatem and Scott brought really yummy snacks and great cupcakes. I think I might have even called Scooter "Martha Stewart" once.So good to be surrounded by family! I can' wait to live close to everyone, so we can do stuff like this more often!!
Eliza got LOTS of great gifts. She loved every present so much (and wanted to use it/play with it right then) that you had to convince her to open the next one. Soo cute.
She especially loved a babydoll that "Gigi" her great grandmother (Zac's grandma) gave her.
Look what a cute family they are! (Also, see that kitchen in the background? Zac's parents gave her that and it was quite a hit among all of the kids!)

Little Emily

Please pray for peace and healing for Jeff and Karen.

"After a long struggle in the hospital for many weeks, Emily went to Heaven this morning. Our beautiful girl was 5 months and 13 days old, and brought us a lifetime of love and joy during this short time we were privileged to spend with her.

Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support.

Love,
Jeff & Karen"

Family+Friends=I'm a Happy Camper

Last weekend my Mom and Dad and Baw came to visit us. They arrived Thursday, in time to see Zac's freshmen play, so they got here shortly after I got home from work. We went out to eat some BBQ and then went to the game. It was chilly, but not too cold. It was a fun game, and the after-events were even better. (see post below) I took off work Friday to spend more time with them, and also to take my last mandatory teacher certification test, the PPR (Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility), and to go to the doctor for my last post-op check up. Aren't I efficient? :) The doctor appointment went well, and I'll go ahead and fast forward to tell you that I got the results of my PPR on Tuesday, and I passed with flying colors! Yay! I was home by 3pm, so I took a quick nap and then got up to visit with the family. The coach's wives and their families were invited to eat and sit in the suite in the press box at the stadium, so we headed up there before the game for food and to get seats. It was very nice to sit up there, since it was cold, and my grandmother was with us. She gets around okay, but it was nice to be able to sit in big comfy leather chairs, with a table in front of us, as opposed to metal bleachers in the cold. Also, if I haven't mentioned yet, we were 1-8 going into this game, with talks about firing coaches going on around town, so it was nice to be sequestered away from the community. We lost the game, but we all had fun, and all the wives had an easiness and laid-back attitude about the loss, because at least it was the last game, and at least this long season is over, and at least we get our husbands back now. Here is a pic of me Meredith in the pressbox...
and here is one of Zac and Baw and me after the game in the stands.
Saturday morning we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the UT game. After lunch and knowing the Horns were going to win easily, Mom and I headed out to do some shopping. It was a very successful trip, as I got FOUR pairs of shoes (I needed shoes I could wear to work, plus some cute wintery boots), a cute cardigan, and a purse. Mom and I are great shopping partners, and we always have lots of fun shopping together. After the game, Pops and Zac and Baw wanted to go to Sheridan's Frozen Custard for dessert, so Mom and I met them there. I personally don't care for it, but they also had a yumy treat and then we all headed home. We all took a nap, which was nice, and then woke up ready to go eat some Mexican food. Bez and Ramsi came over and went with us to El Fenix in Dallas. Zac and I are having our graduation party there, so we wanted to go try it out and see this specific location. The food was scrumptious, and the margaritas were tasty too. I think it will be a perfect place to have our friends and family help us celebrate being done with school! :) Here is a pic of "the four kids" after dinner...
When we got home, we played Zac and Baw's favorite dice game...Farkle. Bez and Ramsi came over one night after my surgery when my mom was in town and we played Farkle, so we all knew what was going on. It was the strangest game of Farkle I have ever played, as no one rolled well all night, but it was super fun. I love hanging with my best friends and my family at the same time. I also love that Ramsi is a family-oriented person like I am.
Sunday I did not want them to leave, but they had to go, and I had lots of homework, so we went out to eat and then took a few pics and they headed off. It was such a lovely weekend. We had fun, did some neat things, but got to hang around the house too. I was not wiped out when it was over, like some weekends do to me. LOL! I love my family so much!! Here is a pic of three generations...
Like those new shoes I got? Boots with the fur! ;)

He's a Winner...and not just in the scoreboard kind of way

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably know by now that Zac's freshmen football team won their last game, making them DISTRICT CHAMPS!!! Zac wants to move on to become a principal, so this was (hopefully) his last football season. He really went out with a bang...they were undefeated in district! He loved the boys and they loved him.It was a very exciting game and moment. I loved seeing the clock tick down and knowing they won, I loved seeing the boys jumping up and down and surrounding him, I loved the speech he gave them after the game, but the part about the night that I will remember the most was the parents. Several parents came up to me and shared with me their thoughts on "Coach." Here are a few of the things I heard...
-"My boy doesn't have a dad or male role model, and your husband has been that for him. He looks up to him so much, and I am forever grateful for the positive impression he has made on my son."
-"He expects a lot from these boys, and as a parent I appreciate that. They are better off for playing under him."
-"Thanks for sharing your husband with our kids. I know he was away from you a lot, but the boys adore him, and come home talking about him every day... Coach O said this, Coach O said that."
-"We will never forget this football season. My son has been resenting authority lately, but there's something about your husband, my responds so well to him. He would do anything Coach ever asked him to, and more!"
Anyways, there were lots more, but it just made me proud. My heart swelled up that night. Not because they won, but because I am married to a man who changes lives. :)
Here are a few pics from the night...

Did you see that? He is SMILING!!!
They are holding up #1's...how cute is that? :)
Zac and his 4 freshmen assistant coaches...great group!
Coach and some of his key players. It's fun to see them interact.

Emily

11-6-09, From Emily's dad, Jeff:
Emily has developed a little case of pneumonia, so we have started her on antibiotics. Pray for her to get better and that she has a restful day. Continue to pray for strength for Karen, my mom, Karen's mom and myself as we take turns spending the night/days at the hospital with Emily. Pray for wisdom for each of the doctors taking care of Emily. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement you all have given to us the past several weeks.

Emily in her Halloween outfit...

Emily the Scuba Diver on Halloween...

Emily's dad Jeff sent an update today (11-3-09)...
Emily is still in ICU and still on the ventilator. Many of the test have come back negative, however, they have sent off for another test last week that will take another 8 weeks. We would like for you to pray for each of the doctors to have clarity of mind. Pray for patience and strength for Karen, Emily and myself. Pray for complete healing for Emily. We appreciate all the prayers that we have had over the past 7 weeks.

Monster Mash

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And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?

The title is the first line spoken in the Mariah Carey song "Obsessed." I love that song. I guess you could say that I am truly "obsessed" with it! :) I wouldn't call myself a HUGE Mariah fan, and I don't think I would buy tickets to see her live or anything, but I was thinking about it today, and I have EVERY cd she has ever put out, and I have LOVED every one of them. So I guess that does make me a big fan of her music. Some of my childhood favorites of hers are Always Be My Baby , Hero, and then of course her collaboration with Boyz II Men, One Sweet Day. I always wanted to be a singer, so I used to stand in my room and belt out Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. Turns out I don't have the same vocal skills they do, but I still love singing along with them! :)

Speaking of music, John Mayer has a new CD coming out. He has already released the first single. I'm not crazy about it, but it's okay. It talks about "getting stoned" though and that's just not my thing at all, so maybe I just don't relate to it. I do like that he mentions Austin though! :) Anyways, the reason I bring this up...sometimes I watch/listen to VH1 in the mornings when I am getting ready (I detest the morning DJs in Dallas, I miss Bobby Bones from Austin), and the video for "Who Says" came on today. I have always had a crush on John Mayer, but in this video he is extra amazing. He looks so handsome in it, so that makes me love the video (even though I don't really love the song). Taylor Swift also just re-released her CD with extra songs. Lady Gaga is releasing The Fame Monster in a few weeks and I can not wait! She just released the first single, Bad Romance and I LOVE IT!

Still on the subject of music, I AM GOING TO A CONCERT on Sunday! :) Yay! Stacy and I are going to see Hanson and Hello-Goodbye. This will be Stacy's sixth Hanson concert and I am so glad that she turned me on to them. They are also activists which makes them EVEN COOLER! They have evolved since the days of Mmm-Bop, and are an amazing band. If you are not familiar with their music, listen to the song I posted below.



Stacy and I also just joined Dallas County Young Democrats and we are going to their Speaker Series and Reception on November 13th. The founder of TOMS shoes, Blake Mycoskie, is going to be there, and I can not wait to hear what he has to say!

Today I had "CPI" training. This is non-violent crisis intervention training, where you learn how to safely and legally do restraints. They are always used as a last resort, but in my classroom I can see how it is important to know what to do in these situations. I felt like I was training to be a prison guard or something though, it is kinda scary to have to think about using these techniques on students, and I really hope I never have to. I am glad I will know how though, in case a situation does arise. The training flew by today (part of that is because it was only 8:30-2:30, with a morning break, an hour lunch, and an afternoon break, and because we were up practicing the holds and restraints), but I still would have rather been at school with the kids. I love my job. I can't believe how much I miss them when I am gone. I wish I could adopt all 12 of them. Okay, maybe not, but I wish they all lived on my street so I could go and play with them whenever I wanted. Okay, that doesn't sound right either. I'll just say that these kids have already made a HUGE impact on me, and I can't imagine not getting to keep up with them after this year. I wish I could be in touch with them forever. There, is that better? :)

Zac is sick. I think he has the flu. He already put in for a sub tomorrow (Thursday...his game day...this is a big deal) and he is going to try to get into a doctor first thing in the morning. His fever is 103 right now. Bless his heart. I am glad that he only has one more week of football...all that work takes a toll on him, not to mention the added stress that goes along with it! :(

Well, that is quite a lengthy blog. I guess I had lots to say. I still have even more to say, but I will save that for another day. I will leave you with a pic that made me smile. If you have seen The Hangover, it should make you smile too. This is my creative friend Kenji, at a Halloween party...

Why do I tire of counting sheep, when I'm far too tired to fall asleep?

As usual, I have gotten busy and although I have a hundred pics and stories to share, this is not the time. I have a big paper due tomorrow and I am working on it now. Actually "NOW" I am blogging, but I am taking a brief break from writing. I have this amazing song stuck in my head, and I just wanted to share it with whoever is lucky enough to read my blog. :) I am sure a lot of you have already heard it. I love it. I really think everyone would love this song...it's so happy sounding. Ladies and Gentlemen, please listen to Fireflies by Owl City.

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep

'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance

A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep

Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep

To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell

But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

Test...Success

I found out Tuesday (at school) that I passed my "EC-4 Generalist" test!! (This certifies people to be able to teach early childhood up to fourth grade, and questions cover content as well as situations and how to approach problems, design lessons, and teach material.) The magic number to pass is 240, and the best you can get is 300. I got a 276, and I was VERY happy with that! It is actually a tough test, and it's very lengthy. (You are allowed five hours, but I took just a little over two...but that is still a long time to have to focus so hard, and it is a lot of reading.
When I got my results back and finished jumping up and down, my teacher left and went to Sonic to get us all drinks to celebrate! They were so happy for me, and with me...it was a great feeling! In fact, we all went to dinner together tonight. I am so lucky to love my coworkers!

The next test I take is called the PPR. It stands for Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility. Whereas the last test is more about the "what" of teaching, this is geared to the ethics and laws and "rules" of teaching. I am not as worried about this one. Everyone says "don't imagine what you'd do in a real classroom, but instead think of the "ideal world." I will be taking this test in the next few weeks.
Those are the only 2 tests that I am required to take for my degree in Elementary Education. Since I KNOW that I don't want to teach elementary, I plan on taking a few more tests after I graduate. I will FOR SURE take the Special Ed. test, and most likely I will take the Bilingual or ESL test. The only problem is that these tests cost $120 each, plus a lot of stress, and a huge chunk of time. I know it is worth it though, and make me that much more marketable. The more certifications I have, the more people will want to hire me, and the more I will be able to do. :)
--------
This has nothing to do with state tests, but on the subject of education, I had my formal observation today, by my University Supervisor. She is so sweet and everything went really well. The kids were awesome, and I felt like it was smooth. When we were going over my evaluation, she said "well, I tried as hard as I could to think of three suggestions or areas to improve, but I could not come up with any, so I just wrote three extra compliments in that section." :) This has been a good week!

Still waiting and praying....

I wanted to post another update, as I know many of you are praying and keeping up with Emily's journey. This was sent to me today, by her dad Jeff...

We want to thank everyone for the prayers for little Emily. There has not been much change in her condition. We did try to remove the ventilator on Sunday, but Emily was not strong enough to breathe on her own. We have a couple more test that we should get back very soon. We are already planning a meeting for next week to brainstorm with all the doctors to see if we are missing anything. The doctors are working really hard to try and formulate a diagnosis and they are using all available resources to help themselves. Pray for them to have clarity of mind. Pray for strength and patience for Karen and I. Pray that Emily has a miraculous healing.

The good news is that through all this, Emily still has been able to give us smiles. Karen and I are able to hold her in our arms each day, and Emily has gained some weight. She is at 8lbs 1oz.

Wedding Bells

Last weekend, my best friend Kenji got married to a girl from our high school that I was also good friends with. This is only the second wedding I have attended of my childhood friends. (Carrie's wedding this past August was the first!) Needless to say, it was SOO very emotional. Kenji and I were inseparable in high school, and we also went to the same college! We even had matching cars and matching necklaces! :) He was like a big brother to me through all those years, and I am so lucky I had a protective boy best friend who could look out for me and call me out when I needed to be. There is so much less drama when boy tells you you're being a brat. :) I can't explain in one post (or even a million) how much my friendship with Kenji means to me. Just imagine your favoritest bestest friend from high school, and that's what he is to me. We haven't been as in touch the past few years and we both would like, but we have so much history, we can not talk for a few months and pick right back up where we left off. I was so proud and happy to see him marry such an amazing girl! They are both very lucky and will have such a joyful life together! Maybe that's why I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest on their special day! (Not to mention it was gorgeously planned and executed, they looked stunning, and it was so personalized...they played only Beatles music before/during the ceremony...It was so "THEM!") Here are a few pics...
The ceremony overlooked this gorgeous lake, the weather was cool and crisp and perfect.
Look how happy the lovebirds are!!
I loved the back of Tara's dress! Isn't the broach (which she added) the "cherry on top?"
Zac and I with the bride and groom...
BFF means Best Friends FOREVER!! :)
Zac and Kenji played football together at McMurry and were in the same social club, along with these other guys. It was so fun to see college friends we hadn't seen in ages!
And of course I got to see a lot of Mac Knights that I hadn't seen in forever. I loved my high school experience! We laughed and shared so many amazing memories at the reception!
Clinton was the other person (besides me and Kenji) that went to McCallum AND McMurry.
This was on the way to the car after the "send-off." I did not want the night to be over! What an amazing night!!
Of course we had to take a family pic with Molser when we got home. :)
Congrats Tara and Kenji! We love y'all so much!

Highs/Lows

Highs and Lows for the past week or so. (H=high, L=low)
H-Taking our class to the state fair, and Zac taking a day off work to join us! :)
L-Having surgery, swine flu, and an upper respiratory infection in a 5-week period.
H-Loving my job and my kids and my coworkers, more than I ever thought I could love any of the above. I even went out with a few of my work friends after school one day this week!
L-One of my professors is a bit unpleasant. She loves for us to feel inadequate, instead of feeling confident and successful.
H-Dinner with Stacy on Thursday night, followed by a visit with my in-laws at Zac's football game. They won with a trick play in the last seconds...very exciting. I love seeing Zac's kids hugging him. Click HERE for details and a few pics.
L-Varsity has only won 1 game. It has made for a hard season for the guys. It's awkward being a coach's wife and having people come up to you and ask "why can't we win?" Ugh!
H-Recently downloaded a bunch of new music and have been enjoying getting to know it. I love a all of it, but if I can only make on suggestion, check out Bob Schneider's "Lovely Creatures."
L-Being asked weekly by a foster child "can you please adopt me?" Heartbreaking.
H-Relaxing weekend with Zac. Yesterday the Horns won, we ate some yummy BBQ, went to a movie, had Jason's Deli (yum!) for lunch today, babysitting a real cutie pie this afternoon.

Emily Update

from Jeff, Emily's dad...

Thanks for all the prayers and support over the past month. Emily is still in ICU and on a ventilator. We are still waiting on a number of tests. There is a small chance that Emily could have botulism, but the good news is that this disease is curable. Pray the test is done quickly. Pray for all the nurses and doctors that they are able to figure out a diagnosis and treatment for her. Pray for Karen and I to have strength each day. Good news is that Emily weighs 7 lbs 12 oz, which is almost 1.5 lbs gained since being in the hospital.

Emily Kate

I have a huge favor to ask of anyone who reads this. Please pray for my cousin Karen's daughter, Emily. She was born in June, and only weighed 3lbs 7oz. She did really well and grew in NICU and got to come home, and continued to grow at home, but right after 2 months, Emily started to have severe reflux and started not wanting to eat. They have done several types of tests to figure out if there are any other issues, but didn't find much out. On Sept 11, Emily was barely eating enough food to survive, so the doctor had her admitted to the hospital. Again, the testing began, but this time, Emily started getting weaker. The doctors have started to look more and more at genetic disorders. Last Tuesday, Emily stopped breathing and was rushed to ICU, where she has been since. They are now waiting on the results of the genetics test, which should take 3 to 12 weeks, depending on the test. Please pray for strength for Karen and Jeff. Please pray for strength and recovery for little Emily. They tried removing her respirator last week, but she was not strong enough to breathe on her own, so they had to re-intubate her. Please also pray for the doctors, and that the results come back sooner than expected. Here are a few pictures of the little sweetie...



Thanks for your prayers, and please feel free to pass on the word.