The Vaughantrap.

Crafty Teaching Series: Part 4

2011-08-07T14:58:00.004-04:00

I can't believe tomorrow is the first teacher work day of the school year! I still have a few more fun crafty teaching ideas that we did this summer to share with you all.

This one came from another Pinterest post found: HERE

And here is what we did....

I used my label maker to type up some of the words from the kindergarten word list (for the 5 yr. old) and it certainly didn't hurt the second grader to keep practicing segmenting and blending...

Here is an example from the "an" family egg...

So after they would spin the egg and read (segmented then smooth blending) all of the words, they could open it up to get the small treat that we tucked inside.

We did an "at" "ig" and "an" egg and we could absolutely do lots more, but we wanted to keep it simple and repetitive to really let those words sink in.

Finally, like always we packed everything into a ziplock (clean up/good storage/use it again later) and added a little instruction post it note "spin it, read it, eat it."

They really enjoyed actually making these with me...I don't bring the activity prepared, we "build it" together. It takes up more time and they feel more invested in the "project." I started off calling these "games" because I thought it would seem more exciting, but the boys quickly began asking what our next "project" would be each day. I like that. It feels like we are working together and creating useful FUN activities. I am not just the babysitter, we are all hanging out and knocking out projects together (and learning...shhhhh)!

Hope you have enjoyed your summer and for all of you teacher friends....best wishes this school year. Maybe some of these lil projects can be useful in your classroom centers...who knows ;)

Take Care!

Crafty drankin.

2011-08-04T20:11:00.004-04:00

So it isn't Craft Teaching goodness but it is....

BONUS CRAFTY GOODNESS!!!

I made these mason jars "cups" (with lids... hallelujah) for the boys for days that they were visiting our house. We don't have kid friendly stuff here and I thought it would be good for them to have their own cups (with lids) that they could enjoy juice, milk, or SMOOTHIES in!

Puffy paint initials on the backs and sprayed lids on top (they helped spray their own cup lids).

Puffy paint names on the fronts. Opted to not spray the bottoms so they could SEE what they are drinking (I have a thing about stuff like that...need to see it. ha).

To enjoy safely indoors (sit them on the ottoman tray table thingy when not drinking to avoid any other possibility of spillage) :)

And on a hot porch day outside! (please notice the ultra cool friendship bracelets on their wrist/ankle...Mr. Devin has one that matches, oh how they love him).

More crafty teaching goodness coming up soon!! Got lots more to share. Today was my last day with the boys for this summer. Sad day. But I still have lots of cool things to share with you before we kick of the school year and grad school at the same time!!! WOO HOO (I am crazy, yes).

Finally, I am taking on a new role this year with MNPS as an Autism Team Consultant. Woot! Super excited to jump into work and grad school doing what I love and lovin' what I do. And yes, I am accepting prayers because I am well aware that it is gonna be a wild n crazy ride taking it all on, but I am thinking happy positive thoughts :)

How are you finishing up your summer? Are you entering a new season filled with crazy insane goodness? Holla!

Crafty Teaching Series: Part 3

2011-07-18T17:17:00.003-04:00

Drum roll please......MY FAVORITE CRAFT OF THE SUMMER!!!

I saw this idea on good ol' Pinterest and knew we MUST do this. What 5 & 8 year old boys don't love Super Hero capes? and puffy paint? and running/jumping/flying?!

Here is the original link:

Here is my version:

I purchased two red small youth tees at Michael's. Same color so no one would "want the other one!"

Then I cut the BACK and SLEEVES off of the shirt leaving the neck hole in place (so we could just slip it over their head. (I see that the original site made a velcro neck closure which would make sense for a safe "break away" cape--I just didn't read it all, got inspired by the pic and hurried into it).

Here are the handsome models showing off the plain capes before paint. The original picture I saw had no paint or additions but I remembered the load of puffy paint at my house and thought they would like to personalize the capes with paint.

We put the capes on a Goodwill sheet to protect carpet/rug (one spot of green somehow made it through to the cream carpet...dang it). I took turns helping each boy paint, reminding them to keep moving with it (sitting in one spot makes a pile of paint that will never dry and only get messier). They told me stories about what they were painting and why. I had a special request to make the Superman symbol on one cape, so I looked up an example online and freehanded it. Pretty proud of the end result :)

This was Henry's lovely cape that includes monsters of all sorts and lots of Glow in the Dark puffy paint. Which we tested in a dark bathroom once they dried. Super awesome :)

This is Super Carter's cape. He started with blobs of paint that we spread out some (so they would dry faster) but eventually he got the hang of long skinny lines. He also loved the Glow in the Dark paints best.

The capes dried over night and we took the on a test drive the next morning....

...ON A TRAMPOLINE! Super hero flying pictures galore!! I only wish you could hear the sound effects that accompanied this flying/jumping session.

A good time was had by ALL!! I truly loved every part of this project. They couldn't have been any cuter. And to top it all off....we went to BOUNCE U (jump castle place) that afternoon and they were mos def the coolest kids in the place flying all over the castles and slides in those capes!

Crafty Teaching Series: Part 2

2011-07-15T15:55:00.006-04:00

Hello all!

Here is another game we threw together to practice the summer sight word list. The idea came from this picture I found on Pinterest (forgive me, I can't find the actual link to the website with the original game).

So as you recall from the last post, I mentioned that I adjust these activities based on what supplies we have & what we need to work on. So take a look through the pictures and I will explain my reasoning. This seems like the weirdest game but they LOVED it and played for a looooong time.

First, we cut "burgers" out of an English Muffin box that was on its way to the recycling bin. I traced the circles and the boys had to cut them out (hello, fine motor). Then I wrote the words from the summer sight word list for the 5 year old on the burgers. We placed them on the back side of a cookie sheet that looks like a "grill."

The "burgers" had totally random point values on the backs (because they want to win points for anything and everything--haven't met a kid that doesn't). :)

Next, we wrote some more difficult/meaningful sight words (for the 8 year old) on post it notes colored like CHEESE! These became our bonus point words.

Instead of using a spatula to slap the words you know or flip the words you know...I found two sets of tongs. The boys had to pick up the "burger" they wanted to read from the "grill" using the tongs and NO FINGERS HELPING (hello, more fine motor). This cracked us all up because it was a little difficult (they did try to cheat) but I would hold their other hand until they got it (fold an edge of the paper up for grip help). We all giggled until they got it.

After collecting as many "burgers" as possible, they would attempt a CHEESY word and if they could sound it out (with support for blending) they got to top their "burger" with "cheese."

Finally, they read all of their words out loud and made up a sentence with each word. We added up all of the random points and they earned a couple of sweetarts for their winning points!

Throw everything in a ziplock, wash your tongs and cookie sheet....all done and ready to repeat again later. I narrated the steps and rules throughout the game, over and over. This helps them remember it and tell it to others they play with...especially each other, I found them telling one another to "sound it out, pick it up (NO HELPING HANDS!), and ask how many points).

Again, this was kind of a strange "wing it" activity but they really got into it. Great for repeating sight words a million times and not being soo bored with usual drilling. Also several opportunities for fine motor practice. Turn taking and following directions are always packed in :)

So go get creative, use what you have, cut up your recycle, color/cut/paste/write & have fun!!

Craft Teaching: Part 1

2011-07-11T17:57:00.005-04:00

This summer I am nannying two boys (age 5 & 8). In the mornings were try to focus on something academic and FUN, then in the afternoon we go on an adventure (bowling, jump castle place, etc).

So I have been taking pictures of the crafty teaching projects that we have been doing for the past couple of weeks and I thought it would be good to share them here :) Now, almost every single of of these ideas came from good ol' PINTEREST (if you aren't on it, get on it stat). I have modified these ideas based on what materials I have available and on what the kids need. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to make &take to your littles! All links will be posted so you can find the original instructions.

#1 LEGO SENTENCE BUILDING!

The original idea was found HERE!

And here are the shots of what we came up with:

I used a label maker to spell names and words from their high frequency word lists to stick on large legos that they already had at home.

I had to had some helping words to connect names and high frequency words.

With support, both boys created simple sentences that communicated a clear thought. Their sentences were pretty long because they wanted to use every word on the table (excited).

Without a lot of scaffolding, the kids just built walls (they are legos afterall). From that I would just ask them to identify and read words on the wall out loud to me.

Overall we really enjoyed making these blocks. I think it would be better if we had made a lot more words to add into the mix, but we wanted to start off with the basics.

This was my first attempt at trying one of the thousands of great ideas on Pinterest for teaching activities and I think it was a big success! We put them in a big ziplock bag and pull them out every other day or so to practice again.

Hope you feel inspired to get CRAFTY :) more Crafty Teaching activities are coming soon!

Long time no see!

2011-06-26T15:41:00.004-04:00

Summer time = vacations, visits, sleeping in, napping after sleeping in, nannying kids, crafting....hence not much blogging! My apologies!

Here are some snapshots from our trip home:

I enjoyed a lovely evening at the waterfront park under the bridge listening to great music with family.

One of my faves from Charlotte (Karen) came down for a day visit! We painted the town red...and even got Piggly Wiggly shirts to complete the Charleston-ness.

I finally got to meet my sweet new little cousin and at church that Sunday we had a sweet little ceremony to make me her Godmother! I am honored!

Evelyn and I hung out like this for like 5 hours, just like this....it was heavenly!

My sweet Luke is growing up! Bummed that Timothy was sick while we were in town, we will have to see more of them next visit!

Here are some of the fabulous shots taken at our mother daughter photo shoot with Dreampop Designs & Media. We had the best time strolling all over downtown Charleston capturing our personalities and love for our Momma and sisterness:

We love us some Twilight. What you can't hear is us actually reading the pages we were flipped to at the same time and laughing soo hard.

Cheeeese.

Who says white girls can't jump?!

This guy followed us everywhere :)

It wouldn't be a photoshoot without a Shaw girl dance party.

Hope you are enjoying your summa time!!

#93 Hobby: Crafty goodness

2011-06-02T21:42:00.006-04:00

93) Find a hobby. Painting, singing, tai chi—it doesn’t matter as long as you have an outlet to express yourself. (the happy list)

So a couple of weeks ago I found craftgawker, signed up for Etsy, and joined Pinterest! So I got super inspired to get crafty! I have always been "artsy fartsy." I love making things, especially gifts for other people. Sorecently, I have used my mason jar obsessionas an excuse to get creative and make some gifts for others....along the wayI dabbled in other craft projects that looked simple and cheap enough to try at my house. Below are pictures of my most recent adventures in Crafty Goodness. I love how everything turned out and those that received these things as gifts seemed pleased :)

Sprayed old and ugly frames. Now they are delightful :)

Sprayed outside of Bell Mason Jars (new from Kroger). Covered tops with pictures from pages in old encyclopedias (from Goodwill).

Sprayed inside of smaller jelly Mason jars (new from Kroger).

Scrapbooking paper cut and taped to tops.

Modge podged scrapbook paper and encyclopedia pages to candles.

Definitions of educator and teacher modged podged with other positive saying and teachery things.

A load of end of the year gifts--fun and CHEAP! (Tags provided by my dear friend Kelly Conklin--she is sweet and made them for my crocheted items this winter. Multipurpose now)!

This is a project I did for a traveling friend who has lived in these 4 cities that are very dear to her. I printed them on photo paper, taped them to card stock, and framed in free frame given to me by another friend). *see the original tutorial on this project HERE.

Up close of Charlotte, where we met :)

I am VERY PROUD of these!! OLD Bell Mason jars from the flea market (older one $9, newer one $3). See the original tutorial on this project HERE.

I put a hole through the zinc lid with a hammer and nail. I had to make the whole larger enough (with pliers) to fit the pump in.

I hot glued the pump in place and filled the jar with dish washing soap. Keeping the older one for me and taking one to my Momma :) Notice sprayed mason jar for flower vase...love those.

I even set up a new crafting area in the office! It is nice to have an area to store things and just to sit, create, and be messy! The black and silver frames hold new prints I got from The Spotted Fox. I love them, super inspiring as I move into grad school phase of life.

So that is the latest and greatest from my side. I am loving my crafting hobby. It is mos def a great outlet for after work brain and I can't wait to broaden my horizons this summer. Especially with the boys I nanny for, I have some exciting kiddo crafts to try out.

What are your hobbies? What do you do to get distracted from drama? What do you create?

#16 Laugh out loud!

2011-05-23T19:47:00.005-04:00

16) Laugh out loud. Laughing releases endorphins and lowers levels of stress hormones.

(from the happy list)

It is no secret that my hubby is HYSTERICAL.

He keeps all of us laughing daily, but lately (maybe it was all the pain meds from the surgery) he has been killin' me softly. I have laughed out laughed soo much over the last couple of weeks. We used to joke that we wanted to be on a TV show (realityesque) for people to see into our home since we have been living together. We have been married for almost 3 years and it is more and more amazing every day (gag, i know)! hah.

So I thought I would share with you my top 3 laugh out loud moments that happened in the last 24 hours in our home c/o the husband, Devin.

Angela says (while folding laundry): "Baby, you really have NO butt!"

Devin replies (serious as all get out): "Yeah, but I make up for it with a lot of heart."

(INSERT ANG BELLY LAUGH HERE)

Devin says (while watching AFV): "Ugh, that is something I don't look forward to....kids gettin' into stuff around the house and making a mess."

Angela: "I know, I can't handle it."

Devin: "The only spanking I really remember was when I stamped the dining room walls with our address stamp while my Dad and Uncle Jay were cutting the grass."

(INSERT ANG BELLY LAUGH HERE)

Angela asks (while finishing my dinner): " Do you want the rest of this chicken?"

Dev quickly replies in high pitched voice: "No way, did you see my chicken breast? It was huge, they shouldn't call it chicken, they should call is CHUNCKIN!"

(INSERT ANG BELLY LAUGH HERE)

Seriously, I could go on all day with funny things Devin says or does...just wanted to share a few of the most recent :) I hope you could enjoy a little chuckle and if you know him, I am sure you can really imagine these scenes.

(PS-I have NO IDEA where he gets it from?!?!)

I am super thankful for the loads of laughter in our house. I have THE BEST TIME being married to my bestie and high school/college sweetie. It never gets old and I never stop thanking God for choosing us to tell this story.

What are you laughing about these days? Who cracks you up?

Yo! Momma!

2011-05-07T11:19:00.009-04:00

As I planned a Mother's Day blog, I found a ton of inspiration over at Jami Nato's blog. This is one of my favorite blogs because Jami is the REAL DEAL. She cracks me up and tells it like it is. Her mother's day post was down to earth and touching as she reflected on times with her mother....so in that same spirit, here is a lil ode to my MOMMA!

__________________________________________________________________

Oh Mother Teresa.....

I remember back in high school people used to come up to me out in public and say, "you MUST be Teresa's daughter...." I would tell her about this and she would say, "yep, I guess you are my mini-me, sorry, this is what you have to look forward to (she would then twirl around and gesture at my future self)."

This always made me happy, not sorry. I LOVE that you can look at me and see my Momma. I love that we mirror each other in more ways that just appearance. We share the same guts, the same joys and sorrows, the same motivations, the same out look on lots of things in life. I am thankful for that. I hope that when people SEE me as Teresa's daughter, they see more than her nose on my face and hear more than her voice in their ears, I hope they see her heart reflected. I love being my mother's child (my Daddy rock's too and I certainly reflect TONS of his personality traits--but it is Momma's day. K?)

I remember one of the first of many times that I thought, "my Momma is waaaay cool." I was in 9th grade (ugh.) and we were shopping at the mall. We went into the store called GADZOOKS that at the time was "hip and happenin." As we were browsing, I looked at this psychedelic rainbow swirl, silk, baby-tee shirt and some patchwork jeans (I cringe thinking about them now). Mom asked if I wanted to try them on and when I fell in love she offered to buy them for me. Now this doesn't seem like it should be monumental, but it was for me. I thought she surely did not like these, they were too loud, too weird, and probably overpriced. But she encouraged me and grabbed them to go pay at the register. I remember being soo giddy. I couldn't believe that I was allowed to wear such a ridiculous "not like everyone else" outfit.

My Momma always said, "YOU BE YOU!" And you better believe I was the ONLY me wearing the crazy Gadzooks get up with troll earrings and 5 necklaces (and glasses and braces). She really encouraged my uniqueness and supported me. The only thing she ever objected was my hair doo (the blooming onion bangs) that I INSISTED were awesome...thanks for trying Momma.

*it should also be noted that I am suuuuper thankful that I attended ARTS schools my entire life where these insane outfits/accessories did not equal ridicule/bullying/etc. We were all a hott mess and lovin' it.

My mom was the ultimate Girl Scout leader, PTA parent and leader, Sunday School and Confirmation leader, etc.....she also passed me down the "teacher-ness" that makes me wanna hang with kids all of the time, plan/organize events, and always support the people that need lovin' the most. She definitely earns the "BEST WORKING MOM WITH 50 billion ROLES" patch on her Brownie girl scout sash. (again, shout out to the awesome husband and father that has been taking care of and putting up with this busy bee family for.ev.er.)

My Momma has taught me more than I could ever explain in a blog. She has just been herself and set an example for my sister and I. So I am a copy cat, I just wanna be the best friend, sister, daughter, wife that my Momma is! She is MOTHER TERESA after all.

One day I will be a Momma and I know my mom looks forward to that, because she has been telling me for years, "just wait until you have kids!" hah. I hope to be half as cool as my mom. I can't wait to spoil my kids at the mall while the "find themselves." I look forward to late night runs for Dairy Queen or "hot doughnuts now" at KKD with my kiddos. I can't wait to wave at my kids on stage at their school performances and tell them how proud I am of their accomplishments. I look forward to SHOWING them about the love of Jesus and praying with them when times are tough and during times of celebration. I look forward to watching the latest vampire fad movies with my kid and letting them know it is okay if you are team Edward and I am team Jacob. :)

I am soo thankful for my Momma this Mother's Day and all of the other days of the year. I am soo thankful for her Momma (my amazing Mamaw). They are bright spots in my life that I am proud to say made me who I am....we come from GOOD stock folks.

So Momma, thanks for being a mean Mom that didn't let me "go downtown and just hang" in middle school...thanks for not putting a TV in my bedroom....thanks for hollerin sense into me when Devin and I still had lots of living and growing to do as crazy high schoolers....thanks for giving me a blue mini van as my "first car." Thanks for puttin' up with the year of Loose Lucy's hippie clothes and sunflower everything in my room. ***A special thanks for buying me the Alanis Morrisette CD and the Less than Jake CD even those their content was questionable.***

I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for making tough choices and following through, thanks for loving me through it all, even if I did flip you the bird through the wall when you said I couldn't go down town in like 6th grade alone with 3 not soo great examples. Forgive me?

You rock, you crack me up, you are the bestest we could ever ask for and I love that soo many others love you like a Momma. I am cool with sharing, because everyone deserves the rockin' family I have.

Okay. I should wrap this up---I could go on ALLL DAY. Maybe this will turn into a series, hah. Happy happy Mother's Day to the world's finest. Wish I could be there with you, but I will see you soon and sorry my presents won't get there until Monday, I am lame and didn't get to UPS in time. One day I will get it right! haha.

And to all of you and yours, happy mother's day---go call your momma and share some of your favorite moments.

Cheers!

Mother's Day Eve Eve Eve.

2011-05-04T18:16:00.004-04:00

Since it is Mother's Day Eve Eve Eve I was just thinkin' about my Momma and prepping for a Mother's Day blog....in the meantime, check out this old blog "she get it from her momma...." to see how I really am her "mini me."

.....and then picture me droppin' it like it's hott to Juvenile's "she get it from her mama" which I will not post here because my grandma might read this. haha. go you tube it.

#97 Guilty TV pleasures?

2011-05-03T16:40:00.022-04:00

97) Enjoy a guilty pleasure TV show. Make some popcorn and banish the guilt—we all need a cheesy escape sometimes.

I LOVE embracing "ridiculous" TV shows and I am not sure if I am guiltless about it. I need the brain break after work. I need down time to chat and laugh with Devin. We enjoy watching "our stories" together and we look forward to what is coming up next week. Now, I will say there are some shows that Devin may not find as exciting as I do, but he endures them with me :) Our hang time in precious. After a good dose of reality tv or a sassy crime show, I feel worlds away from the work day and my agenda (MOST of the time).

Note: I may not see all of these each week, it isn't the end of the world if I miss "my shows." Sometimes we catch up online. We don't watch tv nonstop all day everyday...promise.

So here is my weekly line up:

MONDAY:

I am a BIG fan of Kirstie and Kendra ;)

Come on already Castle and Beckett!! You are killin' us!

TUESDAY:

Super inspiring, dramatic, and hello make over week is comin' up?!

The season is over, but OH. MY. WORD. This show is amazing and terrifying (rethinking children. a little).

New show that we are la-la-lovin!

WEDNESDAY:

This one needs no explanation. BRILLIANT.

We didn't expect to like this one, but we crack up every time.

THURSDAY:

The only show I have kept up with for a bazillion seasons. Love it.

(I gave up on the spin off --Private Practice though, just TOO much for me)

FRIDAY & SATURDAY:

We don't watch anything in particular and YES occasionally have a life off of the couch. But I ain't mad if I catch "Thank you notes" on Jimmy Fallon Friday nights and SNL on Saturday's if we are around.

SUNDAY (GUILTY PLEASURE CENTRAL):

Just ended and our fave won!! Cool show idea...

D.R.A.M.A. ridiculous in every way. Train wreck in every way. I love John Rich :)

Okay so I have like 10 shows that I pretty much keep up with....do I have a problem? I mean it is only like 2 hours a day? ugh. It is a good escape and always fun babbling about each show with Devin, but we certainly have other hobbies, interests, etc. And this will of course change as our lives change, but for now. I am lovin' guilty pleasure tv shows on in the background as we cook dinner and talk about our day.

So, am I the only one? What do you watch to escape? Have you watched every season of Grey's?

Thanks for letting me tell you about my guilty-ish tv pleasures.

#78 Be Childish.

2011-04-25T22:07:00.006-04:00

78) Do something you loved as a kid. Riding a roller-coaster or going sledding can help you connect to your inner child and remember simple thrills. (from the happy list)

So, it is no roller coaster ride---but this weekend we celebrated Easter dying eggs and it totally took me back to being a kid. We dyed eggs at our house, Grandma's, and Mamaw's house. We always had a great time getting creative and trying to come up with new cool ideas.

(Nathan and Amanda kicked things off)

(Mr. Holiday himself)

(Jeremy took a break from NBA Jam to get in on this party)

As kids some of our favorite techniques included:

- the "magic crayon" where you draw on the egg with a clear/white crayon and the words or doodles show up after dying the egg.

-the sucker upper wrapper things.... you know, you dunk the egg with a wrapper around it in boiling water and it sucks up on it! love those.

-we also love the dunk the top in one color and the bottom in another color.

-of course there is the cover it with stickers to distract from the ugly color technique (when you thought trying every color on one egg would be pretty).

-and this year we especially loved the...."leave it in there as long as you can and see how dark it gets" approach.

(Our finished products)

The HUNTING OF EGGS was purposefully left out of this child-like adventure because I hate it. hahah. Okay, I don't hate it but I always LOSE. I never have enough eggs. My cousin Jenny Louise ALWAYS wins with thousands of eggs! I still think she has an egg radar or Aunt Sandy was helping her on the DL. ;) So yeah, no hunting this year but we sure did enjoy dunking them.

Although we weren't with our fabulous families for Easter this year, we really enjoyed soaking up time with friends. Church was wonderful on Easter Sunday and we sealed the weekend off with a family dinner with MandaMac (the Easter Bunny even visited). We are thankful for this season and look forward to the next opportunity to do something that reminds us of our childhood (which I am sure will be sooner than later...we love being kids).

(The Easter Bunny is soo good to Devin)

Finally, thanks to all for your prayers and support when Devin went to the ER. We meet with a surgeon tomorrow to hear about the gallbladder surgery and get the date for the actual operation. I will keep you posted. We are soo thankful he got to come home and enjoy the weekend, pain free.

(Off to church in our Easter frocks)

(We got an Easter lily to honor our grandparents at church)

Hope you had a great Easter weekend with you and yours!! Did you dye eggs? Hunt 'em?

Arise, My love!

2011-04-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

by Anne Cameron Cutri

Not a word was heard at the tomb that day.

Just shuffling of soldiers feet as they guarded the grave.

One day, two days, three days had past.

Could it be that Jesus breathed his last?

Could it be that his Father had forsaken him?

Turned his back on his son, dispising our sin.

Oh hell seemed to whisper, "Just forget it, He's dead."

Then the Father looked down to his son and he said..

Arise, My love.

The grave no longer has a hold on you

No more death sting

No more suffering

Arise...Arise...my love.

The Earth trembled and the tomb began to shake, and like lightening from Heaven

The stone was rolled away.

And this dead man the guards they all stood there in fright

As the power of love displayed its might

And suddenly a melody filled the air

Riding wings of wind, it was everywhere

The words of creation had been longing to hear.

The sweet sound of victory, so loud and clear.

Arise, my love.

The grave no longer has a hold on you.

No more death sting no more suffering

Arise...arise....

Sin, where are your shackles?

Death, where is your sting?

Hell; has been defeated. The grave will not hold, the king.

Arise, my love.

Arise....Arise....Arise

(Arise My Love, by Newsong)

#49 Cry Baby

2011-04-23T12:50:00.005-04:00

49) Have a good cry when you need it. Allowing yourself to break down completely is cathartic and you’ll feel better after you let it all out.

I took a good look at the "Happy list" this morning and it was difficult to find something to relate to after the last couple of days we have had.

Thursday night, Devin began to complain about his back hurting and by the end of our movie (Easy A, liked it) he was starting to do his pacing.... he had been through one of these "attacks" in January and we went to the hospital. The doctors felt that it was probably peptic ulcer disease. So for a couple of months he took prescription strength antacids and avoided all of his favorite spicy foods. This Monday was his follow up appointment and the doctor said he was doing well, blood work looked good, healthy guy....

So back to Thursday night...the pain got worse and worse, we called the on call doctor but we couldn't wait for a call back. Devin was soo uncomfortable. We went back to the ER and unfortunately waited 3 hours until we got a room and got him pain relief.

INSERT #49 here....we all know that I am a cryer. I cry when I am happy, sad, mad, nervous, joyful, overwhelmed, stressed....all roads lead to...tears.

Well in the ER I really wanted to be strong and "put together" for Devin. I needed to be able to talk to doctors and nurses with a clear mind and not be an emotional mess. BUT when hour TWO of waiting began and Devin got out of his chair to lay on the floor of the ER waiting room, writhing in pain I almost LOST it. I went back into the triage room and asked a nurse when he would be taken to a room, things are getting worse, he is laying on the floor, this has been happening for hours....cry cry cry. She reassured me that he is on her radar and that the rooms are being cleaned after a group of people had been discharged. I said thank you, wiped my face and went back to comforting Devin on the floor. A few minutes later, they called his name. Thank you JESUS.

Well, here comes #49 AGAIN....nurses did vital signs and took blood and left. I asked several times if someone would give him something for the pain, they said a doctor must come see him before pain meds can be administered and they would let someone know. 5 minutes feels like an ETERNITY when you are watching someone you love in pain flip, flop, pace, curse, deep breathe, etc.... I think I talked to 3 or 4 nurses asking for a doctor with tears floating in my eyes. An a doctor came in 45 min. after the first nurses and the morphine came another 15 min. after the doctor left. 3 hours from the time we walked in the door.

As soon as he got the medicine, he threw up (more tears on my part) but then he finally calmed his body (which had not stopped moving for like 5 hours) and he rested. Thank you Jesus for rest. The next few hours involved more tests and doctor visits. I tried to rest but it was nearly impossible.

Final diagnosis: NO ULCERS! Dev had gallstones. He actually has a large stone nestled in there that will not ever pass and the gallbladder needs to be removed.

We were given the option of staying in the hospital for a couple of days until they could operate, or going home and scheduling an appointment with the surgeon for later in the week. We chose the latter because the attack had passed and we didn't want to stay (and pay) for the miserable hospital. Dev has an appt. with the surgeon Tuesday to discuss the surgery and actually schedule it.

SOOOO, he is the moral of the story.

49) Have a good cry when you need it. Allowing yourself to break down completely is cathartic and you’ll feel better after you let it all out.

I having crying down pat and in this situation I had no choice. There is NOTHING more horrible than watching someone you love suffer and you can't do anything about it. I am thankful for the doctors, nurses, and medication that did finally give him relief.

It was tough knowing that a break down was all I needed to let it all out and to feel better, but I had to keep it together and hold back those tears in some form or fashion to be what he needed me to be in the crisis. So this #49 was not what I expected, I usually have to totally mastered but I learned a lil something different this time around. My big sob fest will come in time (part of it did escape when I ugly cried to the nurse) and it will feel soo good to let it all out.

For now I feel better because my sweet boy is comfortable and although we are both nervous about surgery, we are thankful to have answers and a plan (and loratab).

Thanks for reading... and thanks for all the prayers and kind words for Devin. We have felt the love this week :)

Happy list #57

2011-04-17T16:00:00.002-04:00

See the last post for the story on the happy list!

57) Make new friends. Meeting other people is exciting and finding a new person with whom to connect can only enhance your fulfillment.

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold. A circle is round, that never ends...that's how long I'll be your friend."

We used to sing that little ditty in Girl Scouts (shout out to troop 437)! hah. It has always stuck with me. One of my most favorite things to do it to connect with people. To meet new friends that have things in common with me, to visit with life long friends and catch up, to chat with friendly strangers (no stranger danger happening here), I LOOOVE making and keeping friends.

Since moving to Nashville, we have been trying to find our community. We had a handful of friends that we already knew here. We met and borrowed their friends. We toured 50 churches and came back to the first one, then making friends there. My favorite place to connect with people are at work because the people around us share in our passions and love what we love, so it is easy to find things in common and learn from each other.

This weekend I have been soo happy to look around and see new friendships blooming for both of us. We are spending a lot of time with new friends from bands that have been recording at the studio. I have been fortunate enough to meet a whole group of fabulous and funny counselors/nurses that work with kids though another great friend. Finally, our newly wed friends are moving the Bride to Nashville today and we are thrilled to nurture those relationships.

So, #57...we got you on lock down. Making new friends....keeping the old.... and looking forward to "doing life" with all of these amazing people!

fun to do list?

2011-04-12T17:28:00.004-04:00

My amazing friend Kelly Conklin has a great blog where she is "enjoying life and making it prettier." I SOO enjoy reading her blurbs and looking at pictures and inspiration she posts. Recently she wrote about a list that she found inspiring. The list included things like "talk. listen. reach out. save for tomorrow." etc. I would like to call it a "life to do list" or "to aim for list." She has been living these out in her daily life and writing about the outcomes. I have loved hearing about these experiences as they are fun and inspire growth in out daily life.

SO, today I came across another "to aim for list" online and thought...hmmmm...I could make this a lil "Kelly project." I would love to post this list in my home and pick a few things to aim for, to live out, and to write about. So, Mrs. Fabulous Conklin--you can mark off "Share your experience." and "Share goodness." because you have shared your experience with me and it was good. Now I wanna do it :) We will see about the follow thru, hold me accountable!!

The list has 100 items on it. So first things first!

#37 Break outside of your comfort zone. Being comfortable doesn't make you happy--challenging yourself does.

#11 Take initiative at work. You'll gain professional respect, self-fulfillment and feel more in control in the workplace.

#47 Make meaningful goals. Harvard scientists say humans need a sense of purpose to thrive and that people with dreams and aspirations are happier than those without.

My response = Applying for graduate school!

I am currently working on getting my ducks in a row to apply to Lipscomb University for my Masters in Special Education and to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. So I am studying for the MAT and plan to get all the necessary paperwork in this summer to hopefully start in August! We shall see. I am really excited and feel very inspired to "break outside of my comfort zone, take initiative at work, and make meaningful goals."

So keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer for me, and I will keep you posted as I go through the process of applying and signing up for more debt...but that's another # on the list, so I will save that!

Thanks for reading :)

Weekend Adventure.

2011-04-04T23:04:00.003-04:00

click on the collage to see pics a little larger :)

Talent Squared.

2011-03-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

Do yourself a favor and watch this amazing performance of a 12 year old girl singing with her idol, Jennifer Hudson. I get all choked up watching it. She is SOO talented. I love people that support and encourage kids to follow their dreams and use their gifts. I know I am a cheese ball, but really this is amazing and we need more of it in this gloomy world. I am just an arts school kid, writing a blog, asking you to watch Ellen....hahaha (all the cool kids are doing it).

Jennifer Hudson Sings with Savannah Robinson - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

it is time for a list.

2011-03-11T15:35:00.017-05:00

Note: I debated whether I should post this silly blog or not after hearing of all the horrible news the earthquake and tsunami's impacting Japan and other surrounding areas. I ask that you will take a minute between blog surfing and what not to say a prayer, send some love, take a moment of silence, make a donation to red cross for these people. The devastation is unreal. God....have mercy.

____________________________________________________________________

I have thought of many wonderful blog ideas and even clicked on the the "new post" button several times....but then I am like oh whatever.... I don't want to write, that's not important, my brain hurts, I shouldn't say this or that, this is boring etc. In times like these where the brain in packed and work has been INSANE....a list does the trick. Less commitment, free flowing, random, easy.

So here is my brain--Here is my brain on drugs:

(only benedryl to help me sleep occasionally folks, don't call my momma!)

Today marks the end of 3 absolutely CRAZY weeks at work. Tough IEP meetings, lots of phone calls after hours from parents and teachers, announcements aboutnext school year that aren't super encouraging. I am SOO thankful that the Lord helped me through these weeks and I am also super thankful that Devin was here to put me back together when I fall apart.

We have to go in to work on Monday to make up a snow day (even though it was the first day of Spring Break). Thankfully, our flight to home sweet Charleston home isn't until 4:10--so I will be able to go in for most of the day. We have been asked to fill in as substitutes in classrooms because the district anticipates a bazillion absences since people have Spring Break plans. I will be supporting a classroom that supports students with Autism. I am super stoked to hang out with them Monday because I LOVE these kids. They crack me up and make my heart happy--not a bad snow make up day at all....followed by a short flight to my Momma and Daddy! Yes please.

Best student story of the week (B. has Autism): "I had to go to the doctor and take some tests. They took me in a room and asked me some questions. If I answered the questions wrong it was eternal damnation, if I answered them right I got a Twizzler." haha. amazing right?! Been praying for Twizzler kind of days ever since.

We will be on one of the first direct Southwest flights from Nashville to Charleston! Thanks to Daddy Vaughan we will be home sweet Charleston home in like and hour...instead of driving all day there and all day back at the end of the week.

I had 2 biscuits for lunch. and what?! (I told you it has been a rough couple of weeks)!

I am a reading machine thanks to my Kindle. Up next, The Hunger Games series. I just finished "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. Oh man. Beyond good. Super hope-FULL and encouraging in icky times. Great reminder to get back to having faith like a child.

One of my besties ever, Manda Mac, is celebrating her birthday this weekend. I am soo thankful that our paths crossed at C of C. She has gotten me to move to two states! hah. I love her heart but I particularly love her Zumba moves. Happy Birthday to my SP.

Our good friends in the band LESLIE are in Nashville this weekend. Can't wait to see them at The Basement tonight. Amazingly talented dudes and hysterical and fabulous friends. Glad they can also join in the celebration of Manda Mac.

Dev spent some time in the studio recently, playing drums for a new artist. I got to tag along and I just LOVE being in that setting. Peaceful but energized. Def a place that inspires creativity. I can't help but take lots of pictures in there...soo lovely. This time I got to visit with friends, listen to the tracking process, and cuddle up an a cozy chair to read my Kindle while the dudes did their thing. I love that life. I look forward to many more studio days. I know my boo is in his element (every time I say that he reminds me how much he wants a Honda Element....then I say get more studio sessions and buy one...ahah--sidebar) and I can't wait to see how his story unfolds each month in this industry.

i had the best date night with my life time bestie, my Riss, this week. we ichatted for a couple of hours and she even sat on the counter top will I seasoned the ground chicken for taco night :) We took a pic to send to her fab momma on her b-day. i loved catching up and seeing her face "in our house." can't wait for our next "session."

We have been watching the show DEXTER on Netflix. We were told it was amazing...after 5 seconds into the first episode, I thought "WHO THE HECK THOUGHT I (angela the special ed. teacher that thinks happy thoughts and loves love and happy cheery goodness) WOULD LIKE THIS CRAZY SHOW?!" but I kept watching and got sucked. right. in. We have only finished Season 1 and will start #2 on the weekend because if we started on a school night, I don't think we would ever go to bed. So yeah, I likey Dexter and all it's crazy gory goodness.

I have finally started following blogs of people I don't know personally. I usually stuck to the usual suspects, my fabulous friends, keeping up with their daily lives from way far away. But then one lil time I clicked a link and it led to a link which led to a link and well, now I am following like 15 people I don't know but still just love. Check them out under the aptly named "People I don't know but still Love" section over there. Lots of crafty, honest, funny, mommas....and even though I don't have babies of my own, I just can't help but follow along in their journey's and be inspired. So go check em out and leave love there too!

we went to the Grand Ole Opry thanks to GROUPON and I cried. no really, i almost lost it when the curtain went up. I soooo wish I could have called my Mamaw up in heaven and said, "AHHHH!! I live in Nashville, I am at the Opry, I am lookin' at Lil Jimmy Dickens in his sequins, and there are square dancers! Can you believe it!?!" Instead, I said a prayer of thanks, took some deep breathes and absorbed every second of the sweet talent we heard and saw that night.

this list is excessive. I will stop....I just felt like we had soo much to catch up on old friend! Really each one should be a separate blog...but I am special. so yeah.

So, thanks for reading. Hope you are well and that your break (Spring or weekend) is relaxing and fun filled.

Leave some love--let me know you are out there. ;)

The reminder I needed...

2011-03-01T23:43:00.002-05:00

"I will love you for you

Not for what you have done or what you will become

I will love you for you

I will give you the love, the love that you never knew"

(jj heller- "what love really means")

but don't take my word for it...

2011-02-21T16:12:00.006-05:00

Recently Read: (LOVED THEM ALL)!

Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Look me in the Eye by John Elder Robison
One Day by David Nicholls
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Up next:

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

I am keeping a long list of recommendations for what to read next...feel free to shout out your favorite "must read" these days!

My love, my valentine.

2011-02-13T19:01:00.007-05:00

Oh husband of mine.....

My favorite photo of Dev. I wrote about it here.

I wish a happy happy love day to you and all of the people you love!

It's a love story...baby, just say YES.

2011-02-09T13:46:00.016-05:00

(Yes, I just quoted a Taylor Swift song...and what?!)

Below is a blog I posted on MySpace (haha, what's that?!) right before our Wedding in 2008. As Valentine's Day approaches I wanted to share our story again to reflect on where we have come from since 9th grade and more so where we are now, about 2 1/2 years into marriage....

Our Story (the edited and much shorter version)

Since we are less than a week from the wedding, I thought it would be nice to share our little story. This is a snapshot that I wrote a earlier this year. Lots of crazy and amazing parts were left out I am sure, but it captures a majority of our timeline...but mostly the last few chapters... Thank you to all of you who were a part of this story--the amazing family, the girlfriends, the band boys, ALL of you are soo important to us. Know that you are loved and appreciated. Thank you for putting up with us through our up's and down's.

xoxo,

ang

This is a testament to God's faithfulness…

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

~Ephesians 3:20

My first year in Charlotte quickly became the best and the worst year of my life thus far. I graduated from College of Charleston, ready to save the world one child at a time. I knew I was going to teach, but I wasn't sure if I was going to stay in Charleston or not. My best friend Amanda was talking about moving to Charlotte to join our friends that had left earlier in the year to plant Mosaic Church. Deep down in my guts I wanted desperately to pack up and follow her, but I thought it was too outlandish for me.

I had lived at home throughout college and worked, but never really supported myself. I was a home body and super close to my family. Most of all, I didn't think I could leave my boyfriend. This wasn't just any boyfriend. We had been together since 9^{th grade and made it through college together. We were took breaks here and there, but even during the breaks we were still very much a part of each other. We tried not talking, not seeing each other, but it seemed impossible when every memory we had ever made since 9th grade lingered throughout the}

^town.

I was always the "dumper." I loved him dearly but knew in my guts that he didn't have an authentic relationship with the Lord, which was soo important to me. His heart was in the right place, he was compassionate, he believed in God, but didn't know him. I tried desperately to "fix this problem," but failed miserably a number of times. Each time ending in a break up that I never wanted to go through. I just knew that I had to be with a Christ follower and at that time he wasn't on that path. So, after another one of these realizations I decided to make a decision that would forever change my course and truly disrupt the comfort of my life. I decided to pack up and move to Charlotte to teach and serve at Mosaic Church.

To prepare, I "broke up" with my boyfriend (but kept talking to him on the phone) and I partnered with amazing friends and family to make the big move. I moved into a house with 5 lovely ladies that put up with my blabbing about the boy, crying about the boy, yelling about the boy, and through it all they prayed with me about the boy. My mother also supported my transition from Charleston and I some how managed to get on my feet and establish a life of independence.

I began teaching at an inner city school, serving at Mosaic, and building a new life. It was an amazing freedom that I had never felt before, yet in the midst of it all I was in constant turmoil over my relationship with my boyfriend. I finally decided one night in October to once and for all quit talking to him in order to set each of us free from this. We had never been without each other and I knew that I was taking up his "God space" and he was taking up mine. So I told him this was it and I hung up the phone, went downstairs, cried, and prayed with my roommate.

From there on out I made a conscience effort to move forward and trust God in this situation. I had the support of my church, my roommates, my friends and family. They all knew how hard this had been for me, but constantly reminded me of God's faithfulness to those that follow Him. So I continued to pray for patience and wisdom, strength and forgiveness, peace and protection.

I sat in services, listening to messages about letting go (I broke my Popsicle stick for him)! I sang out to the Lord with praises and struggles, and he always answered with a peace that surpasses all understanding. He provided friends and family that would help me stay on course, seeking out his will for my life.

Only by the grace of God, I made it through a year without talking to him. Instead of calling him when I was worried about him, I would pray for him. Instead of calling him when I was lonely and sad, I came to the Lord for comfort. I shard my testimony in my youth small group, encouraging each one of them to listen for God calling and respond to Him, even if it means doing something that hurts. I received a great deal of wise counsel from mentors and co-leaders. This was one of the most wonderful times in my life, times that I thought I was going to die turned out to be incredible faith stretching lessons in life.

Almost a year to the day after we had stopped talking, I received a call from my ex boyfriend's sister letting me know that their grandmother had passed away after suffering with cancer for many years. She had been like a mother, raising them and providing for them for many years. I chose to go home to Charleston for the memorial service to support them, as we were all very close for so many years. My mother came with me to the service, we both cried and prayed as our hearts broke for these people that we loved so much. After the service concluded, I talked to my ex (heart pounding out of my chest) and agreed to visit with him that afternoon. We caught up on life and discussed what we had been learning without each other. The time was well spent and we were both very thankful to share with one another once again. His sister was planning a trip to Charlotte to visit me and see a concert and we talked about him joining her to see Charlotte and just get away from all that was going on in Charleston. Later that month, they came to visit.

We had a great visit in Charlotte. We went to the concert, hung out in Freedom Park, went to dinner and the movies, and enjoyed each others company. I took them to church and we hung out at a friend's house after church and each one of them shared that they truly enjoyed the feeling of community that existed here. They were a step closer to understanding why I moved and what I am all about.

Eyes and ears were opened during that visit, hearts were softened, and prayers were answered! My ex and I had the infamous "God talk" once again, but this time something was different. He was beginning to make sense of it all for him self. I didn't orchestrate this, I didn't tell him what to think, I didn't assign him books to read….he began to search on his own, asking meaningful questions and surprisingly finding answers. I kept a safe distance, but encouraged the transformation.

After a few weeks back in Charleston, he began to realize that he was no longer the same person. His life looked different, his plans changed, his motivation changed. He shared with me what he was learning in books he was reading and he decided to come back to Charlotte for another visit.

It was during this visit at our youth service (412) that he shared with one of our youth that he "thought he had been saved." He shared that he had started to understand God's character by visiting with the community of Mosaic, not by following tight rules and expectations of his childhood "religion." That night, we prayed with close friends and claimed this new life for him and myself.

This moment had been all I ever prayed for, but I knew that I could not be the one that forced a change. I could not try to duplicate my relationship with the Lord and stick it to someone else. I knew that if this was ever going to happen, it would have to be the Lord. After a year of tears, fears, and anger I all the sudden found myself praying the prayer of salvation in the Chili's parking lot with dear friends and leaders and my ex. GOD IS GOOD.

A few shorts weeks later, he was planning his move to Charlotte. He met with his band and explained to them his need to leave and start on this journey. He walked away from something he had dedicated so much of his time to. His band mates didn't take the transition very well, but his closest friends surfaced at that time and encouraged him to move on. He prayed for transportation and received a wonderful van (great for transporting his drum kit in). He quit his job, packed a bag, a mattress, and the drum kit and moved to Charlotte.

He is living on the floor of the house in which he first met Jesus through the faces of "Mosaicanites." He is hunting for a job that utilizes his gifts and talents. And this past Sunday, I saw a dream of mine come to fruition….Devin sat on stage at the Visulite playing worship songs to the Lord as my mother (who drove in from Charleston for the night), the friends and youth that prayed me through it all sat in the pit, watching in awe of what the Lord can do. More than you could ever ask or imagine!!! Hallelujah! Now we will continue to pray and come before the Lord, asking for guidance as we enter this next phase of our relationship and we will never stop rejoicing and thanking God for such sweet salvation!

"Commit you actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed."

~Proverbs 16:3

~Angela N. Shaw (01/28/08)

That story never gets old. It is amazing to look back at this time line as I sit in my living room in NASHVILLE, TN!! I looove my life. I loooove my husband. I am soo thankful for our journey. I continue to see the Lord at work in our lives and I can't wait to see what is around the corner for us, but especially for my amazingly talented, compassionate, hysterical, and fabulous husband.

Thanks for reading. Maybe one day when my mind can process it all, I will fill in the gap between the wedding and our almost 3rd year of marriage :)

Happy almost Valentine's Day to you and the ones you love (whether it is a spouse, your kids, your students, your momma and daddy, whoever)!

Love love,

Go Pack Go!

2011-02-07T19:41:00.007-05:00

This year we hosted our first Super Bowl Party (with streamers and all)! Hah. We invited a handful of friends over to watch the game and eat junk food. We even had a few games planned with fabulous prizes for the winners! We just can't help ourselves a teacher plus a holiday-of-any-kind fanatic equals themes, games, prizes, streamers, etc. You can't just watch the game. :)

We had a GREAT time hollering for the Packers (we support underdogs) and we truly enjoyed every second with our friends. I specifically enjoyed eating cheese dip and various other cheesy items for 4 or 5 hours.

Here are a some pictures of the big night!

You learn something new...

2011-02-05T12:23:00.007-05:00

everyday.

You would think after 11 or 12 years I would know pretty much all there is to know about my hubby.

Last night we babysat PRECIOUS twin babies together and I learned soo much about my man:

1. he has never changed a diaper.

2. he is not quite sure how to hold a baby.

3. he is def not sure how to feed a baby.

4. he likes talking to babies (in a cute lil' high baby talk voice) like they are going to talk back.

5. he doesn't like putting one down if the other is being held (it isn't fair).

6. he likes taking lil babies on walks and narrates what they are seeing.

7. he asks lots of questions to "just make sure" he is doing what he should.

8. he is a helper and would do anything i needed in a flash.

9. he is not ashamed to make any sound/face/motion that will evoke baby smiles.

10. he likes to check the baby monitor (video and audio) for any signs of change. frequently.

In short, I love my husband even more (which I thought wasn't possible) after our babysitting date night. I LOVE babies and I am soo glad I can love on other people's angels while we "do life" without kiddos for a lil while longer :)

But you better believe when we have kids...they are gonna be amazing and loved like WHOA by these practicing parents!

i. love. my. life.

2011-01-23T23:13:00.005-05:00

At the end of 2010, my wonderful friend Sidney (from Charlotte) and I reconnected. I was thrilled to learn that she would be living in Nashville after she gets married!

This weekend, we were thrilled to spend a couple of days catching up with her and getting to know her fabulous fiance. We enjoyed a night out at Restaurant Week, hit the jackpot on our Goodwill furniture shopping adventure, and topped off our hang time enjoying a wonderful Stir Fry Dinner followed with dessert and games! (Yes, I ate Stir Fry--and loved it).

Here are a few shots from our last night together (for now). :) What a HUGE blessing to have such wonderful friends. I can't wait to see what this season holds for all of us. The whole weekend made me wanna sing out "I LOVE MY LIFE!"

YUM! Our thanks to the Chef.

Cozy kitchen.

Beautiful right?!

Here we gooooo!

I loooved it!

Baking with my boo!

Boy Bonding.

To die for ending. Pumpkin cookies from scratch!

Hope you had a lovely weekend reader :)

Love Illuminates.

2011-01-15T15:45:00.003-05:00

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Snow x 3.

2011-01-12T11:12:00.003-05:00

I am at home for my 3rd SNOW DAY in a row (we already had 2 before Christmas).

It has been an interesting week. We enjoyed some sledding in the park, followed by a night trip to the ER for a non sledding related problem. Poor Dev might have ulcers and was in some serious pain. He is much better now and we have Dr.'s appointments scheduled for a follow up. I have been doing lots of reading on my Kindle and NOT catching up on housework. Maybe we will have work Thursday and Friday if the ice clears up...until then, back to enjoying this winter wonderland from the comfort of our warm home.

Stay tuned....looks like some more adventures are on the horizon for the Vaughantraps! I'll keep you posted ;)

Kindle love.

2011-01-06T17:40:00.007-05:00

What's on my KINDLE:

Currently Reading:

Next up:

And then I downloaded these FREEBIES!

When I am not reading, I am having a game date night Dev playing:

and sometimes I play this: (but it takes for-ev-er!)

Holla out MUST READS that you love....I want a never ending list of books to read :) Loving my Kindle, thanks Santa ;)

Priceless Picture.

2011-01-03T17:14:00.004-05:00

This is Devin, his great-grandfather, his uncle Jay, and cousin Josh. I took pictures of pictures while home for the Holiday's. :)

Many of you may know that Devin's great-grandfather was an AMAZING Adventurer! His life story SHOULD be a movie and I think it is Devin's dream one day to make that movie happen.

Do yourself a favor--google Norman Vaughan or head over to Norman Vaughan.com and read up on his life of adventure--Iditarod dog racing, dog mushing, snow mobile races, research, mapping, travel, climbing, etc). I always include "Dream Big, Dare to Fail" in our Christmas Cards (and atop this blog), as it is a statement from Norman Vaughan and it is how we hope to keep his spirit alive and well!

If you want to read a fascinating book written by great grandfather check out With Byrd at the Bottom of the World. This book outlines his time with Admiral Byrd on the first mapping expedition to Antartica (amazing)! He dropped out of Harvard to join the team and live/learn/research in the crazy/harshest of environments. (We have a Mt. Vaughan because of him!!)

Devin comes from a line of WONDERFUL Vaughan men (also supported by their fabulous wives) and I have no doubt that we will have many tales of adventures to share with our kids one day.

Let me know what you think/find out about great-grandfather.... I will cherish this photo of Devin with Norman #1 Dev is soo cute #2 Dev is in the arms of one amazing man #3 Dev is making the men before him proud continuing the line of greatness!

May you be inspired to "DREAM BIG and DARE TO FAIL!"

In with the new....

2011-01-02T18:55:00.005-05:00

As we say goodbye to 2010, I considered getting rid of this blog. I feel redundant posting here what I post on Facebook. It is just easier to post pics and blurbs of info on Facebook instead of writing out all of my thoughts these days...

Then I considered a different approach to the blog.

Maybe a photo blog like my good friend Karen who posts gorgeous photos of her adventures or my friend Amy who picks a topic each year and posts a photo of the week pertaining to the subject.

Maybe a "thankful" blog that consists of lists of what I am thankful for. A reminder of the good stuff.

Maybe just a list blog in general...i like lists...

So, I think I will keep the blog and do a combination of these things in 2011.

-Post pics of interest/inspiration with a blurb about why (could be pic from the past or present--mostly my own shots)

-Post lists:

what I am reading on my Kindle :)

what I am thankful for

what recipes I am attempting

what is on the calendar these days

Overall, I would like to keep it simple, no pressure for long narrative--just a basic blurbs to keep connected with you peoples out there :) something more creative and not just a repeat of the Facebook updates.

So here is the first installment--

I love this picture.

#1 it was taken on my new Cannon Powershot (thanks Dev and Daddy Vaughan)

#2 it was taken at my parents house, home sweet home.

#3 she is one of my Mamaw's angels given to her by my Papaw

#4 she is a redhead and i love those eye lashes!

I hope your Holiday was as wonderful as ours.

Happy Happy New Year, it is gonna be a good one!

Love list.

2010-12-04T13:19:00.005-05:00

What a wonderful November it was--my birthday, the 5th Annual Everything but the Turkey Feast, a Thanksgiving trip to Disney World with the Vaughans....whew! I LOVE this time of year.

Before thanksgiving, we of course already had the house decorated for Christmas. I am, afterall, married to Mr. Christmas himself. So as we prepare for this amazing season with family and friends we have been listening to some great Christmas music to get us in the spirit.

Here is my LOVE list of new and old MUST HAVES for the season:

1) Dave Barnes "Very Merry Christmas"

2) JJ Heller "Wake Up the World"

3) The Champion and His Burning Flame "Here Come Holydays!"

4) Relient K "Let it Snow Baby... Let it Reindeer"

5) Hanson "Snowed In"

Now what are you waiting for people--GO CHECK 'EM OUT! Get your jingle bells on!

Lately.

2010-11-06T17:43:00.007-04:00

I am soo not good at keeping up with the blog these days...let's stick with a list and a couple pics to keep it simple. :)

--we LOOOOOOOVE our new place. the flood was terrible but the outcome was wonderful!

--halloween was a blast, we got all dressed up and went dancing. such a good time!!

--i have been sick this week, but beginning to feel lots better...

--in time to celebrate my 27th birthday! sunday is my b-day but we are celebrating all weekend.

--dev has a show coming up at the Hard Rock Cafe with "Amanda Price" and I might even join in to sing background vocals!

--our 5th annual "Everything but the Turkey Feast" is around the corner! Can't wait to eat and puffy paint Christmas sweaters with friends!

--The Vaughans are taking us to Disney World this year for Thanksgiving! It is going to be great.

--Then Christmas will be here before we know it, back to Charleston!!

3rd flood = MOVE!

2010-10-07T23:53:00.009-04:00

Hello to all,

It has been ages since I updated the blog, but I think now is probably a good time. We are moving into a new place tomorrow. This isunexpected and sudden, but welcomed.

Tuesday I got a call that the apt. complex had entered our apartment because some water came into the house from the porch. They said that theywere extracting the water. I said that I would be home soon and asked if we would be in the way. They said no and that they would be finished soon, to let them know if we saw anything else that needed to be done.

When I arrived at the apartment with my Mom and Dad this is what I saw.....

I called Devin from my bedroom closet, sobbing and telling him to come home that is it MUCH worse than they indicated. I had told him earlier what they said, we soon realized that they had no idea what was actually going on at our apartment.

When Devin arrived we walked through the place and determined that it was much safer (emotionally and physically) to stay in the parking lot for a bit. We went to the front office to speak with the property manager but she wasn't in. She wasresponding to an "emergency" at her other property. The girl working said she would callthe property manager for us and they would get back to us shortly with some answers. We never heard from them.

When we went back to the apartment, we all began grabbing our personal belongings and packing them in the cars and van. It moisture was overwhelming and we didn't want the pictures and books to get ruined. The furniture had been movedall over the place and sat on little styrofoam blocks. Everything was in the wrong room. The bathtub was full of our towels, blankets, bedding, and clothing--all SOAKING wet.We grabbed what we could and started moving.

3 or 4 hours later, we were on our way to Devin's practice space (storage unit) to unload the cars...I stopped by the front office to speak with the property manager since no one had contacted us or come down to see what was going on. I explained what I could and told her we are leaving and we need our money back...yadda yadda yadda....long story short, we are now getting our rent and security deposit back with no breaking the lease fee.

We made a call to State Farm and our insurance covered staying in a hotel while we are displaced. So we moved into the hotel that my parents were staying at!! They extended their stay through the weekend to help us.

After unloading, we enjoyed some Cracker Barrel. What makes this even more awful is that Monday was my parents 30th wedding anniversary and Tuesday (flood day) we were taking them to the All for the Hall concert featuring Keith Urban and John Mayer and even Dolly! So instead of celebrating with famous peeps and singing at the top of our lungs, we were holding our breathe, crying and moving out. BUT THANK YOU GOD that my sweet parents were here!! It was definitely not what we hoped to be doing for their anniversary visit, but we are soo thankful that they were able to extend their stay to help us transition.

The day after the flooding, Devin and I went out looking for a new place while my parents packed up what was left at the apartment. If you could SMELL that apartment at this point, you would understand how lucky we are to have such wonderful parents.

Devin and I looked at several duplexes and found two places owned by the same people that we liked. One was in a better location, but when we called they said that an application had been put in and approved for the one in the great location. So we did a walk through of the other one. It was "do-able" but not perfect....we prayed for some kind of second option to compare it to. Choices were slim with one day to search.

We met back up with Mom and Dad later in the day and explained our circumstance. While we were cleaning things in the apartment and loading the cars and van with load number two, we got a call from the owners of the property and the person that applied for the better place BACKED OUT. Thank you Jesus. They asked us if we would like to do a walk through. We raced over and 15 minutes later I was crying in the living room because it was so overwhelming. The place was perfect. The precious older married couple that own it were too kind and open to all of our needs and requests. They said they would set up painting,carpet cleaning, and overall clean so we could move in Friday. We completed the application and breathed a sigh of relief. God is good!!

Thursday was a day of rest. We spent most of the day getting things in order for the move tomorrow. We rented a Uhaul truck and spoke with the claims office at State Farm. We all finally caught up on some sleep since it has been nearly impossible to rest with this on our minds.

We have wonderful friends helping us shuffle things around town. Bazillons of amazing people have contacted us with kind words and sweet offers. We are thankful for the prayers, they have been answered time and time again in the midst of this craziness.

For now, we are off to sleep because tomorrow we move into this sweet place!

Love Labor Day.

2010-09-06T16:03:00.005-04:00

Devin and I went on an adventure today to find the Percy Priest Lake near our place. We have been hearing about it since we moved here, but haven't looked past the Percy Priest Dam on the interstate.

We packed a picnic, grabbed a quilt, and went on our merry way! What we found was soo refreshing...WATER!! We miss seeing water on a daily basis like we did at home in Charleston. This lake is beautiful and the weather this weekend was heavenly! We had this side of the lake to ourselves! We set up shop under a big shady tree and watched the swimmers across the way playing on the "beach."

Our picnic was wonderful. The breeze was perfect....and my picnic partner was a stud muffin!

Future.

2010-08-21T20:32:00.005-04:00

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

We could not be happier finding our niche in Nashville. We are meeting wonderful people and so many amazing opportunities are being given to us. We look forward to the future and are soo thankful for the present. I am especially thankful for the joy that is in my boy as all the right doors open for him. God is good, all the time....

Goodbye Summa, Hello School Year!

2010-08-08T11:21:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I am back to work tomorrow! Monday is a teacher workday and the students come back Thursday for a half day. That summer just FLEW by!! I had a great time nannying two sweet boys--we went on a new adventure every day and laughed lots. Devin has enjoyed finding his place at the studio he is interning at. He has met a ton of amazing people and seems to be quite the "Mr. Fix-it" around there. We enjoyed having fabulous friends come and stay with us in Nashville. We had an amazing trip to the Honeymoon cabin for our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, followed by a fun filled week in Charleston with family and friends. Since returning from our trip, we have been to lots of great shows in the city and continued to meet more talented people who love what we love.

I am looking forward to my 2nd year in the position in MNPS. I learned a lot my first year and look forward to being more organized and working out the kinks this year, now that I know more of what to expect. I hope to focus on encouraging the wonderful teachers I work with, supporting all teachers in tangible ways, and building relationships with students in each of my buildings. I want to be confident in my abilities and collaborate with others to make positive changes that we can all see and feel.

Now, I am off to clean up the apartment and organize my new colorful binders and notebooks!! I love teacher stuff! Here are a few pics of the highlights of the last trip of summer 2010!!

Bow-dacious.

2010-07-19T16:51:00.004-04:00

This weekend was my sister's bridal shower. The house was beautifully decorated and filled with people that love Lauren and Reed. The presents over flowed and a good time was had by all. One of my most favorite parts is the creation of a stylish hat made from the bows and ribbons on the gifts.....here is Lauren (Minnie Pearl) in the finished product!!! And below the is the picture of me in my fab hat from my shower 2 years ago!

Music City Visitors!

2010-07-13T20:55:00.005-04:00

After our 4th of July fun in Knoxville/Morristown, TN we came home to host fabulous friends in Nashville. Our first guests were Amanda and Jeff. Amanda worked with Dev in Charlotte at the Apple store. We became good friends in Charlotte and after we moved, she moved to Charleston, our other home. ;-) There she met the talented and funny Jeff. We were thrilled to have them both in our home and we had a blast singing our hearts out at BIG BANG, the dueling piano bar on Broadway. It was especially awesome when John Rich, from Big and Rich, showed up to lead us in a rowdy rendition of "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy!" We can't wait for these kiddos to come back! Lucky us-- we will get to play with them one more time when we go to Charleston next week! By the way, you may recognize Ms. Amanda Lowers from the Folgers jingle contest--she went to NY as a top ten finalist and rocked her appearance! We have the most talented friends!

After Amanda and Jeff got back on the road to Charleston, my BFF, Rissa flew in from Boston to paint the town red! Rissa and I go WAAAAYY back and she is my bestest best friend and I always treasure our time together since we have lived several states away from each other since college started. Riss was here for 4 days and we crammed in as much Nashville goodness as humanly possible. We enjoyed a night at Chihuly at Cheekwood, we enjoyed meals at many of our favorite spots around town, we soaked up country music at Wildhorse Saloon and at the Country Music Hall of Fame, we went to ZUMBA!, caught up with friends, and chatted and laughed as much as possible. The long weekend was topped off with Rissa purchasing some beautiful boots, I think we won her over!! I am sooooo thankful for our time together and how we can always pick up right where we left off. God is good. That's all.

We are now packing for another out of town adventure. This Friday is our 2nd Anniversary and we are going back to the honeymoon cabin in Hendersonville! We can't wait! After that we will hit the road to Charleston to spend a week with family and friends. Ahhhhh summer time.....love love love it.

Hope you are having a fabulous summer with people that YOU love!

Fabulous 4th!

2010-07-05T15:14:00.004-04:00

A good time was certainly had by all at Lake Cherokee this weekend! Fun, floating, food, and fireworks with family = a fabulous celebration of FREEDOM! Here are just a couple shots of my crew :-)

Leigh, Deloris, Me and Dev floating our cares away!

Tired and happy.

Everything is better with Momma around!

The Big Kahuna enjoyed lots of rest and relaxation, getting ready for his B-day on the 7th!

Hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday weekend!!!

In a nutshell.

2010-06-29T20:04:00.006-04:00

Here's what we have been up to, in a nutshell....

-I haven't had any soda (my beloved Coke) since April!

-I have been to about 7 Zumba classes and I LOVE IT.

-I have been taking Juice Plus for several weeks and I am feeling better than ever!

--I have lost about 4 pounds since starting all of these initiatives a couple weeks ago!

-I have been reading old online blogs, saving them and printing them. What a trip down memory lane. I am one lucky girl.

-I am enjoying nannying the boys 3 days a week.

-Lately, I find myself praying that our kids will be boys.

-I am an avid coupon-er these days. Saved 50 bucks on our last trip!

-Devin has jumped into his internship and loves it.

-Devin had his first root canal/crown this week and survived :) *pray for him, much more to come! If you find a money tree, send it this way for the dentist!

-Jess Ham and Lydia are coming to play in Nashville!

-We are going to the Lake in East TN for the 4th of July to see my fam and blow things up.

-Rissa is coming to Nashville for an adventure with us!!

-We are going back to the cabin that we honeymooned at for our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, July 16th!

-We are going home to Charleston for a week starting July 18th to hang with family and friends!

Seriously. God, may I pretty please have boys?

And the WINNER is........

2010-06-21T20:46:00.003-04:00

...Devin Vaughan!!! He takes the most awards in the SAE graduating class!! Mr. Vaughan took the first award of the evening, MOST STUDIOUS, followed by BEST TATTOOS and MOST LIKELY TO OWN HIS OWN STUDIO! What an evening! The students, staff, and friends/families really enjoyed hanging out and singing Karaoke.

I could not be more proud of Devin for all of his hard work and dedication to something he is soo passionate about. Every person I spoke with at the graduation sung his praises. They shared how confident they are in his future and how much they will miss him at school. I thought my heart might bust out of my chest.

Devin has started his internship at Smoakstack Studio and is loving it so far. I can't wait to see what is next on this journey!! LOVE LOVE LOVE my talented and handsome hubby!

Rockstars!

2010-06-10T23:13:00.003-04:00

The kids I nanny for have asked about "Mr. Devin" a lot this past week. I have answered lots of questions about Mr. Devin's favorite things, his music, his family, his pets, his hair....the list goes on and on. Today after our outing to the Adventure Science Center, I took the boys to to meet the famous Mr. Devin and what a time we had!! The boys asked to play with toys and we explained that the toys in this house are mostly musical instruments....hence, a Jam Session. The boys had great rhythm and really enjoyed playing together :-) I think I heard the phrase "Hey Mr. Devin, you know what???" about 6,000 times. Precious.

I pray that our household is always full of precious boys playing music, whether they are friends, family, or our own babies one day...one far away day ;-)

What questions do you hear all day? What music fills your home?? What is bringing a smile to your face these days?

Summer time and the livin' is eeeeeasy.

2010-06-05T18:58:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we spent time at home in beautiful Charleston, visiting with family and friends. It was a great kick off to the summer. I am finished with my first school year in Nashville and Devin graduates from SAE the first week of July. We are thankful for the warm sun after snows and floods here in Nashvegas! I am nannying precious kiddos 3 days a week this summer and hoping to get some travel time in on long weekends. Dev will be starting his internship at the studio soon after graduating. I can't believe how the year has flown by!

Here are some Summer time snap shots thus far....

Day at Folly Beach:

Church with the fam:

Car show with more fam:

Hilight of Miyabi's experience:

Nannying kiddo's baking and decorating cupcakes for the lil sister's b-day:

New porch set up for summer time:

How is YOUR summer going??

A Day In the Life

2010-05-23T19:31:00.002-04:00

The lately list...

2010-05-15T18:55:00.004-04:00

-counting down the school year, 10 days left!!

-counting down to our Charleston trip, 12 days and 14 hours!

-crocheting lots of baby blankies for friends and friends-of-friends that are expecting

-it has been ONE month since I have had a soda

-devin's sisters graduated from their college programs

-my sister got engaged

-my momma and daddy are swapping cars with me so I will have a nice, newer car :-)

-i am nannying 3 days a week this summer for two very cute little boys

-devin is playing a show at The Hard Rock Cafe in Memphis this weekend

-Nashville is continues to RISE UP after the flood, volunteers are keeping busy, and benefit concerts are happening everyday.

(us after a long morning of volunteering, gutting a home that was lost in the flood)

nashville flood

2010-05-07T22:11:00.003-04:00

Pick me up.

2010-05-04T14:01:00.003-04:00

We have been in front of the TV for days watching the horrific footage of the flooding here in Nashville. The photos and interviews have been nonstop and the reality of this disaster is HEART BREAKING. We are still out of school and awaiting news on how this is all going to unfold. The mayor spoke today and said that the city is moving from Rescue to Recovery. Devin and I are safe and sound (and very thankful). If you feel compelled to help, please give to the Red Cross or visit www.hon.org (Hands on Nashville).

For now-- I will turn the news off, pray for this city, look into how to help, and watch this for a pick-me-up. This was one of the first things I watched in 3 days that made me just laugh out loud. I needed something to shake me out of this daze and get moving. Onward and Upward.

The sky is FALLING!!

2010-05-02T15:37:00.003-04:00

This was the scene yesterday 5 minutes from our apartment. We are safe and sound inside of our dry apartment, but it is a MESS all over the city. Nashville is in a state of emergency and schools are closed for tomorrow.

Amazingly enough, we still made it to Devin's show last night at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville. Last night was the calm between the storms. Devin was able to play with Amanda Price and the crew, but Numerics could not make it due to the flooding (unfortunately--some in their house). In Music City the show must go on I guess....

We made it home safely, but Tyler and Amanda has a hard time finding a route home so we set up shop for them at our place. We set up the air mattress and blankets and then they called and shared that they tried one last route home and made it. We decided to keep the air mattress up and have been lounging around in the living room today since we can't go out. At least I have this floatation device in case the rapids come through the apartment!

This is like nothing I have never seen before!! I hope that it subsides soon and that no one else gets hurt and that homes are spared.

Walk with me...

2010-04-15T19:57:00.003-04:00

puppy love.

2010-04-07T13:40:00.004-04:00

Devin and I enjoyed every second of our visit in Knoxville/Morristown for Easter. We stayed with Momma's cousin Junior and his wonderful wife Pam. They fed us yummy foods and entertained us all weekend. We also enjoyed the company of their precious, cuddly, sweet, hysterical doggies. Problem now--I REALLY miss the constant parade of pups at our heels! Take a look for your self....wouldn't you be in love?

This is Gracie. She prances around all the time appearing to say "Party time, all the time, party time, all the time...."

This is Spooky. Devin's buddy, they cuddled lots.

This is Patches, my favorite. He is fluffy and happy and a lil lazy--like me ;-)

Some day over the rainbow, when we don't live in an apt. we will have a doggie to love on. In the mean time, I will need to visit these guys a lot more.

Arise My Love!

2010-04-04T11:29:00.004-04:00

Not a word was heard at the tomb that day.

Just shuffling of soldiers feet as they guarded the grave.

One day, two days, three days had past.

Could it be that Jesus breathed his last?

Could it be that his Father had forsaken him?

Turned his back on his son, dispising our sin.

Oh hell seemed to whisper, "Just forget it, He's dead."

Then the Father looked down to his son and he said..

Arise, My love.

The grave no longer has a hold on you

No more death sting

No more suffering

Arise...Arise...my love.

The Earth trembled and the tomb began to shake, and like lightening from Heaven

The stone was rolled away.

And this dead man the guards they all stood there in fright

As the power of love displayed its might

And suddenly a melody filled the air

Riding wings of wind, it was everywhere

The words of creation had been longing to hear.

The sweet sound of victory, so loud and clear.

Arise, my love.

The grave no longer has a hold on you.

No more death sting no more suffering

Arise...arise....

Sin, where are your shackles?

Death, where is your sting?

Hell; has been defeated. The grave will not hold, the king.

Arise, my love.

i love Nashville.

2010-03-28T01:15:00.003-04:00

Flea Markets make me smile. a lot.

Honky Tonk's make me tap my toes and tear up a little bit. Soo good.

I just CAN'T...

2010-03-23T18:40:00.006-04:00

....watch The Blindside. I am avoiding it like the plague actually....

I am well aware of the story and I have seen some of the "behind the scenes" footage, but I just don't think I can sit through that movie without completely losing it--especially not in public.

I am sure many people shed a tear watching the unfortunate circumstances unfold and I am sure tears of joy were shed for happy outcomes. My tears would certainly include those of sadness and joy, but moreover tears of a reality that I have a hard time facing.

This is "my boy":

This is "my boy's" family:

As silly as avoiding a movie seems, it is just too hard for me to see that story unfold when in all actuality....I want all of these babies to live in my house and have all of the supports in the world provided to them.

I am thankful for the home they do have, the grandmother that cares for them, the food that is provided to them, and the schools that take good care of them all. I know they do not lead miserable lives....they do not need me to save them....but I certainly wish they had more of the opportunities that they deserve and that I have been blessed with.

I love that I can still keep in touch with them and love on them in little ways. Regardless of how long we are able to stay connected, I know that we will always remember each other and hey maybe one day I will get to watch my line backer on a COLLEGE football team ;-)

Cheers to Sandra B. (whom I LOVE) on a fabulous job in The Blindside, but for now I will stick to Alice in Wonderland.

Joy-Full.

2010-03-10T22:14:00.003-05:00

-Devin won a mixing contest at his school today and he will now move on to represent his school and compete against all of the schools in Nashvegas!

-I am flying to Charlotte on Saturday to see all of my teacher friends, the babies, and my fave roomies/friends/Mosaic family.

-My Momma is picking me up in Charlotte Tuesday to drive back to Charleston to eat (lots of MEAT), drink (coke/coffee with momma), and be merry (movies, chat, shop, tv) with the family.

-I inherited a box full of beautiful yarns from a new friend. Both inspire me.

-My new cow boy boots (real ones) are my every outfit shoe these days.

-Worth mentioning again and again: SPRING BREAK TRIP IN TWO DAYS!!

-Swapping "school stories" with Dev.

-Hearing the sister-in-law's talk about their school experiences and knowing how well they are doing in their "fields".

-Precious girls at my hair salon wanting to buy my hats/headbands/bows!

-and last but not least....OFF FOR A WHOLE WEEK and Whirlwind vacay coming right up!!

Just for you, with love.

2010-03-04T22:34:00.005-05:00

After lots of suggestions and encouragement, I decided to give in and make a little website to display my crocheted goodies. Please go check it out and let me know what you think....check out the "Shop here" to find out how to contact me for a hat, headband, or scarf :-)

Click here for MY CROCHETING WEBSITE

Things that make you go hmmmm...

2010-03-02T18:07:00.004-05:00

"Don't tell God how Big your storm is,

tell the Storm how Big your God is."

20 Days and Counting!

2010-02-21T18:20:00.006-05:00

My Spring Break is in 20 days! I can't wait for break, but mostly I can't wait for my quick trip to Charlotte and Charleston to visit my loves. Devin will be staying in Nashville, holding down the fort and continuing to show school who's boss!

I am flying into Charlotte, NC on March 13th to spend a couple of days with my Mosaic Church and Irwin Ave. Elem. friends and family. Mid week, Mom is coming to get me in Charlotte and we are driving home to Charleston to visit with the immediate family. I am soo excited to see the people I have been missing soo badly!

I can't wait for the whirlwind of visits in Charlotte with teacher friends, KIDS!!, church fam, and past roomies. I will only have a few days, but I will certainly make the most of it. And I always look forward to movies, dinners, shopping, chatting, tv, and goofing off with my Parents and fantastic family in Chucktown.

So no matter what the weeks ahead throw at me, I will keep on keepin' on and remember that a vacay full of love is on the way!

COUNTDOWNCLOCK

My Crocheting Addiction.

2010-02-09T13:14:00.007-05:00

Since my last post about my Crocheting Adventures I have been a busy bee! I just can't stop!! I am truly enjoying creating hats, scarves, and most recently headbands. I love trips to Michael's craft store to load up on Vanna's Choice Yarn (who knew Vanna White was a Yarn Diva)?!

I have set up a sweet little "workshop" on the left side of the couch. I settle in with a coca cola or perhaps a cup of coffee, surround myself with colors and patterns, and have at it. I really enjoy the repetition of the crochet stitches and I especially love the creative outlet that this has become. I like the challenge of figuring out a pattern and creating something lovely that people enjoy. It has been a blast hearing people's response to the finished products. I have been soo encouraged by the support. And I have made best friends with the employee's at my local UPS store, I even have a "Frequent Shipper Card." ;-)

Here are some of the latest creations, let me know what you think!

These mini-bows are attached to bobby pins and

are perfect for those bangs that hang in your face!

The pattern for the flower headband was sent

to me by a friend, and it kicked my booty. I

finally figured it out and made a few changes

to make it my own. Then I branched out into

the bows!

The scarves started out pretty basic with one color

or with alternating colors. Now I am working on

adding some little details like flowers and hearts.

The hats have been fun to learn. I have learned

a few patterns, but end up combining several types

into one hat. I am liking the puffs in most hats.

Also, loving the little bows on the hats too! The

multi-color one was a special request, made out of

the "left over" yarn.

That's what I have been up to! All of these items have found happy homes...now I think I will venture into the world of coozies, or as the pattern calls them "cozy's." :-)

Thank goodness for Snow Day's to clean the house, update the blog, and get back to the list of things to crochet! :-)

(Also, I think I will make Devin my new model--he just doesn't know it yet).

Sledding

2010-01-30T21:54:00.002-05:00

Beautiful beautiful SNOW DAY!

2010-01-29T21:52:00.007-05:00

The feet shot for Karen.

Our skreet.

wall o' snow.

hot tub was steamin'!

snow blankie!

pretty pine.

hehehe.

loving the pine trees.

Soo happy about loads of snow!

"We're not in Charleston anymore Toto...."

He had to go sled a couple times after dark.

WEEEEEEE!

Freeezing hands....but oh soo fun.

Look it sticks to me!!

Sleddin' booty, soaking wet!

What a fun snow day...this is the third day I have had off from school due to "inclement weather." We have 5 snow days built into the school calendar, but after that we will be making up some days. Super excited to see what it looks like out there tomorrow. It is supposed to snow until Sunday!

I love that I am still a Charleston girl that thinks snow is amazing! This is a blast and I am still in awe of it. SO beautiful and fascinating. STAY WARM FRIENDS!

Missing piece.

2010-01-25T22:39:00.006-05:00

I miss children "crawling" on me, sharing my space, stroking my arm hair with fascination, clinging to my hip as I come and go in classrooms....

I miss kids screaming my name down the "quiet halls" and getting out of line to give a quick hug, when they know good and well you aren't supposed to get out of line.

I miss their giggles, rap songs and booty dances.

I miss hugs after meltdowns, tears after screaming fits, and laughter as we "process."

I miss Uno after Math lessons, shopping in my "store" with earned points, and being crafty together.

I miss braggin' to parents and teachers about my "bad ones" amazing days or "turned around afternoons."

I miss having NO personal space.

I really enjoy this new job as a consulting special education teacher, but the missing piece is my children. I am soo thankful that I can teach teachers about "my kids" and hope that they see in them what I see, but I miss not having them "up in my grill" all the time. They taught me everything I know about how to get through the tough stuff. My kids allowed me to get close enough-- to really understand them. They trusted me enough to help them in school, and I trusted them enough to help me through life. Man. I miss my lil disasters and their incredibly awesome teachers.

I am really trying to establish those relationships here in Nashvegas. I am working on friendships with teachers and seeking out those students that may need someone to just look at them, listen, talk, or just hang out. I began this week with Marquez and I think his hug goodbye was a good start....

One time I prayed that God would let me "see people the way He sees them...." and I certainly think that prayer has been answered. These kids are beyond words beautiful and I can't help but love them 'til it hurts.

Birthday de Day-bed-son.

2010-01-20T18:00:00.008-05:00

Thinking tonight about one of my most precious friends, Karen. The 21st is her birthday and I am just SOO thankful that she was born! :-)

We met in Charlotte at Irwin Ave. Elementary, she is a FANTASTIC Kindergarten (and now First grade) teacher. I immediately gravitated towards her and her team. I sat with them at all staff meetings and hung out in there room way too much, but I just loved being in her presence. She is an adventurer, hysterical, and talented like WHOA!

I never expected the friendship I found in Ms. Day-bed-son, but some very "special" children set us up via integrated service delivery, and I am so very thankful! Karen and I are very different and I love it. I love that we share a heart for all the things that count, and where we differ--we learn from each other. SHE GOT ME TO HIKE A MOUNTAIN. hah.

I just knew when Karen began talking about "a year in Alaska" that I should start to prepare for the move. I knew once she had the thought/dream-- it would happen. Sure enough, Karen moved to Alaska to teach on a base. I was so happy for her and WAY proud of her courage, but I truly was bummed because I thought we may not be as close. We had a good bye lunch, chatted about what was ahead, and said our "see ya laters." I was doing good, until she gave me a book of the best hikes in North Carolina with the ones she has done checked off....the lump in the throat crept up, we gave hugs, and peaced out before the tears started flowing. Honestly, I am not always the best at long distance friendships, so I thought that would be about it....but when I got a birthday present delivered from Alaska that November, I teared up (again) and knew that I had a real friend.

Of course, I move to Nashville when she moves back to Charlotte and returns to the same school--and I hate that! But she taught me well....when friends go off to chase their dreams, their real friends stick around.

So here's to you Ms. Day-bed-son! My very own Pioneer Woman!! I hope this year brings you much joy, good health, and maybe even a cowboy Josh!! I love you dearly and treasure our friendship. You rock.

YAY! Mountain tops! Only for you Day-bed-son!

I am taller than mountains! Karen fits right under my wing ;-)

Our first inclusive classroom!! LOVE this group, what a great 1st yr.

And, Cowboy Josh--OH yes. Get 'em girl.

P-dub website for more info.

Happy Birthday to "ma' dern freakin' Day-bed-son!!"

Crocheting Adventures!!

2010-01-17T00:06:00.007-05:00

Way back in the day, Devin's Momma taught me how to crochet. It had been some time since I picked up yarn and a crocheting hook, but when the lovely Martha (and amazing Colin) came from Philly to Nashvegas for Thanksgiving I got inspired.

This amazing couple experienced a terrifying accident and have come out of it with overwhelming testimonies and loads of inspiration! Martha is a crocheting machine that creates lovely healing art. The crocheting is healing her and the products bring such joy to others!

While she was visiting, she was kind enough to refresh my crocheting memory and even taught me a few new stitches! After that, I couldn't stop! I cranked out a few scarves and then I looked up patterns and you tube videos on how to make a hat. I am no Martha, but I have to say I am improving for sure! I really enjoy the repetitive motion--it calms me down and keeps me busy, meets those sensory needs :-) I am very thankful for Martha's life and her amazing hubby, Colin, also a talented artist. I love their story and I thank God that they are safe and sound and changing lives! Also, I just really love hanging out with such fun people....Amanda sure knows how to pick 'em!

So here are a few of my first creations. I am really loving the creative outlet and the happiness these cozies bring to my friends and family.

SCARVES:

SLOUCHIES:

Yay for art, sharing, caring, and friends.

joy. joy. joy. joy. down in my heart.

2010-01-05T18:05:00.004-05:00

This picture makes my heart do cartwheels in my chest and tears come to my eyes. I love this moment. I love that God is THIS good to me and Dev. I love that Devin is doing what he loves. I love that he is living in his gift. I love that he changes a room when he plays those drums. I love that people stop what they are doing to listen and watch his silly expressions when he plays. I love that I can claim him. I love that years of prayers, tears, and laughs have brought us to this point. I love that I can support my husband in this dream. I love that THIS is my life. I love love love this exact moment and I hope to never ever forget it. I am absolutely humbled. Thank you Jesus for this boy and ALLLLLL of the people and places that helped get us here...to this beautiful moment.

Dear Leslie, thank you soo very much for capturing this moment in your fancy little camera. I love you.

{LRJ Photography}

Christmas Celebration.

2009-12-23T16:34:00.004-05:00

"I Celebrate The Day"

And with this Christmas wish is missed

The point I could convey

If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve

And from a lack of my persistency

We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time

That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior

And the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years

To what this midnight made so clear

That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

In the hope that what You did

That you were born so I might live

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day

That You were born to die

So I could one day pray for You to save my life

[Relient K]

Merry Almost Christmas...

2009-12-18T00:19:00.002-05:00

...from us in the 10th grade :-) Who knew we would be married 10 years later?!