A Perfect Sunday Morning

As I usually do, my eyes popped open at exactly 6am. On a weekday, I'm already in my car by that time, and on the weekends, my body just wakes up at that time, no matter what! I woke up this morning and realized that I was in the exact spot that I fell asleep in last night...on the couch, with Kenny and the puppy. It was so cozy and comfy! Obviously I couldn't take a picture with me in it, but this is what I woke up to....

Isn't this just about the cutest black lab you ever saw?? She especially looks good with the hunting/camo quilt behind her. I love my puppy! I think she's winking in this picture. She isn't really much of a pup anymore considering she weighs almost 30 pounds. I don't know what qualifies her as not being a puppy anymore, but for me, I think I draw the line when I can barely pick her up anymore. And we're teetering on that line!! Look at those paws. Couldn't you just eat 'em??

Later today I'm meeting my aunt, uncle, & cousins at David's Bridal so my cousin, who will be a junior bridesmaid, can pick out and try on her dress. She is very excited because I told her she can choose any style she wants, and she will already have plans to wear it again. That makes me happy!!!

This is one of the most beautiful Sunday mornings we've had in a long time. The sun is shining, it's cold but beautiful, and I've already been on a walk with the puppy. I love this time of year, the leave that haven't been raked are so pretty in the yards around us and the pup loves running though them. She looks adorable when she picks them up and runs around with them in her mouth. I love days like this:)

This Week's Theme: I Love _________________ (fill in the blank)

I LOVE GORDIE HOWE!

The Friday Run Down

Soooooooo many things happened at school today that by 8:30am my head was spinning, the phone was ringing, my door was never quite shut tight enough to keep all the distractions out, and as a result, the kids were wild animals. I mean that in the nicest possible way....wink wink.

I am drained. They took every single ounce of energy and sanity I had when I got up this morning. I must have known that it was going to be a chaotic day on the way to school because my coffee was a LARGE instead of the normal medium. Must have been ESP, eh?

It was picture day and the kids could wear free dress so their pictures (holiday ones) weren't taken in their boring uniforms, so that always makes them C R A Z Y. And the holidays are starting, and that adds to the mix. I showed a movie the last hour of the day, so they knew that was coming and that also was part of the insane-ness. I should have known. I just wanted to relax too! It'll be nothing but work, work, work for them during the short week coming up, that's for sure!

The photographer we had lined up for our wedding (so we thought) can't do it now....long story, but anyway, we're back on the market for one. This is NO FUN. I just put a deposit down on our videographer (love her!!) and so at least that's done. The photographer is really the last big thing to get lined up. I'm so stressed looking at the pricing. Not fun at all. I know it will be worth the amount of money we pay, but come on....$2,000 for pics?? That's CRAZY! We'll see what happens.

I'll be knee deep in invitations this weekend. I made them, big surprise??? Probably not. Sneak peak:

I'm being what they call a "cost-conscious bride." I think it's really a sugar coated way of saying a cheapie, but whatever, it sounds a little better. I worded it myself, edited it myself (with the help of anyone in a 5 mile radius and my dad), and now I'm printing them myself. Talk about self-sufficient. The total cost? Not very much. I'll let you know when I'm done buying ink cartidges.

Is anyone sick of my wedding talk yet? I know Tasha isn't, and I'm sorry, but it really does become a full time job. I'm still not complaining though. I LOVE every minute of it.

Thirteen Things I Want To Do This Weekend

1. Sleep in

2. Go to the movies with Kenny

3. Go to dinner with Kenny

4. Make room in the garage for my car ('cause that's where they go!)

5. Crafty things (not for the wedding, just for me)

6. I don't WANT to clean, but Clean

7. Call parents and talk to them for a long time

8. Visit my brother and his new woman

9. Grade papers

10. Clean out 2 closets (I'm motivated only because I can't find a couple things!)

11. Organize the wedding stuff we already have

12. Sleep in

13. Sleep in

Wordless Wednesday

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What a day! I'm so glad to be home. But not for long. I'm out the door to meet with a videographer for our wedding. Any advice on it? Send it my way! Tomorrow I'm meeting with a photographer, so if you have any advice on that too, let me know. I like asking lots of questions, so the more, the merrier!

I came home to a quiet, calm, peaceful house, no puppy and no Kenny, just me and the silence, and while I always complain about needing this time, I miss my "family." I do love the quiet after a long day with 18 screaming kids (they aren't really screaming), and this is so peaceful right now, but lonely:( I better go find them! Happy Hump Day!

New Floor On Its Way!

We are getting a new kitchen floor FINALLY!!!! Yay!!!!

We've been looking at this nasty, gold trimmed, 1961 kitchen floor for more than 6 months and it's waaaaaaaaaaay past the deadline for a new floor, so we ordered it tonight! It'll be here sometime next week. I don't really care when it gets here, I'm just happy it's on its way! That's half the battle right there. The next project in the kitchen will be replacing cabinet doors and painting the existing cupboard......fun fun. I haven't picked up a paint brush since the big drowning in paint back in the February/March era. I'm a little leary about it, but it's to make the kitchen look good, so I'll do it. But no one said I had to like it!!

The kids were tiny devils all day today. Yesterday it was only the afternoon. What is up?? Wait, I know, it's the holidays. From this point until we come back after New Years, they are going to be naughty. Oh joy. I'm soooo looking forward to it. Do any other teachers have the same problem? I have to threaten with holiday parties and Fun Friday movies and goodies. It works sometimes, but in the end, I suffer right along with them when they loose out on the fun stuff, because I enjoy all that stuff right along with them.

I drove to school with my four new tires today and it felt like I was driving on marshmallow clouds. Niiiiiiice.

I'm noticing that my posts aren't that long since I started the NaBloPoMo thing. I'm trying, I really am.

Three more days until the weekend.

Mundane Monday

My day consisted of:

1. being too groggy to turn the lights on when I got in the shower
2. the puppy licking my feet all morning
3. donating 40 new hats & gloves from the dollar tree to our school clothing drive
4. walking into a neat, clean, disinfected, ready-to-go classroom this morning
5. 3 kids absent (that NEVER happens) so lots of reviewing instead of teaching new stuff
6. an awesome morning, praising the kids for it, and then after lunch they were hellions
7. crying kids after gym class (the same ones that cry EVERY TIME we have gym)
8. eating 2 sour apple airheads after school, I think it was my saving grace
9. being told that I just "must" watch bridezillas
10. taking the puppy for a walk when I got home and then having to turn back around to go home because she laid a deuce about 10 houses down and I HAD NO BAG-remember, I'm still new at this dog thing
11. puppy acting wild when we got home so she stayed in the backyard
12. being so sleepy that I fell asleep on the couch until Kenny got home
13. Kenny brought home my car with FOUR NEW TIRES
14. don't ask about that, it's not a pretty story:(
15. drinking my dinner smoothie (too lazy to make anything)
16. watching the dog fetch her toys in the backyard
17. folding laundry

Not very exciting, but I'm happy about having the tire issue taken care of. Not happy about the price, but it's worth it because you just can't drive (safely) without tires!! I worked out last night and did some new stuff with my arms so I'm sore and sleepy today...can't wait to go back for more tomorrow!

Oh yeah, one more thing. One of my students said the whole word "bitch" today. That has never happened before. One of my students was snitching on the other one after gym class (there seem to be soooo many issues when I pick them up from gym) and when I asked the snitcher what the snitchee said, he first replied, "...he said the B word...." and then I said, "What did he really say?" because 9 times out of 10 the kid being snitched on didn't really say the word. So the snitcher says, "No really, he said BITCH." I was stunned that the kid actually used the whole word while tattling on someone else. I couldn't get mad!! I asked him!! I had to turn around and hide my face and laugh because I was so stunned. That has never happened before. And yes, 6 and 7 years swear, and I don't usually catch them, but they do!!

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

This three day weekend thing is something I could reeeeeeeaaaaaaaly get used to. It takes me one day to unwind anyway, and then having two more days to chill out, how can you not like that?

I went shopping with three of the bridesmaids today to try on their dresses. It was a blast! Check out some of the styles.....the color will be the bright apple red, but most of the dresses aren't in that color.

The style of dress they chose is the blue one above, and the apple color is the bright red one below.

Here's one crazy bridesmaid waiting for the next dress to try!

And here's me, waiting to zip, unzip, and take pics!!

It was soooo much fun. And one of the girls said she felt like a runway model, even better! I've done this so many times that I almost miss being a bridesmaid....almost, but not quite. Nothing is as special as putting on that white dress.

Now I have the usual Sunday evening junk to do. And work out. And TRY to grade papers. We'll see if that gets done.

I Heart Saturdays

I feel like a real home-owner!! I raked the leaves and worked outside, with the puppy. Now doesn't that sound like something a home-owner would do? It was actually nice!

We are going to Kenny's nephew's hockey game later on. He is so funny about us getting married. First he referred to me when he was talking to his grandma as "Aunt Lindsey." And then after the hockey game, he asked me if it was okay if he just kept calling me Lindsey. It was the cutest!! I told him he can call me whatever he wants. I got about a dozen hugs from the kid too. I'm not an aunt in my family because my brother doesn't have any kiddos, so this is a first for me! Aunt Lindsey! I love it!!

Tonight we are renting movies and staying home together. I am looking forward to that. Anything that involves doing nothing, I'm in!

If I could only sleep in.....

A DAY OFF!!

That's what today is. It's Veterans Day, and no school! Not even an inservice where we have to be at work just to be there either! Yay! And do you think I slept in this morning?? Nope. It just doesn't happen anymore. Oh well. I've been up for hours and I'm still in my pajamas. It's so nice to just be home.

AND I get to meet Tasha for lunch this afternoon!! We always wait too long to get together, but that's because she has a hubby and two kiddos and is always on the go and I don't know what my excuse is...oh wait, it's Kenny. He keeps me busy on top of my own job. So anyway, I'm sure I'll have a picture or two to post later after our lunch date. You know us, cameras are always in hand!!

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Tasha and I and her girls had a great lunch and quick bridal shop stop, but we both forgot our cameras!! We must not be REAL bloggers.....

Jump over to her blog and wish her congrats on being an auntie again!! Baby Kylee is adorable!!

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Tomorrow I am looking forward to doing NOTHING. That's right, NOTHING. I am going to get my oil changed in the morning and then be home all day doing whatever I want. And it's going to be great! I want to rake the leaves, which are not OUR leaves, they are from the neighbors' lawns, maybe cut the grass one last time, play with the puppy, go for a walk with the pup, and just be around the house. It's my mission to find my winter coat and some long lost winter work clothes too. I just can't wait to be relaxed!

Thirteen Ways to Make a Child Smile

(in school)

1. Greet them with a big "Good Morning!"

2. Ask them how they are doing during an assignment

3. Hugs anything

4. Invite them to eat lunch with you

5. Send a "good note" home

6. Praise praise praise

7. Sticks on work well done

8. Pointing out their postive character traits

9. Hanging up their work

10. A "good" phone call home

11. Putting together a puzzle with them

12. Holding their hand while walking in the hall

13. Asking about something personal.....a soccer game, a movie, what they ate for dinner....

BS Meetings

I despise staff meetings. Anything that needs to be said can be PUT IN A MEMO. Why is that so hard to understand?? NO ONE wants to wave goodbye to 20 children after 8 hours with them and then go sit in an hour-plus meeting about NOTHING. N O T H I H G. It's so ridiculus. I know that there are things that need to be gone over, discussed, so on, but come on, the mundane crap that every already knows?? Not necessary. The lecture on teachers not being dressed to the nines (oh yeah, we are expected to look like business professionals) isn't needed for the whole staff...how about addressing THE PERSON WHO DOESN'T FOLLOW THE DRESS CODE. Uh. Let me at the job. Just let me at it. Meetings like that wouldn't exist EVER! One more day of work this week and then a three day weekend. Thank goodness because I need that little break mentally. Happy Hump Day.

Baby it's cold outside

I think winter is well on its way to Michigan. It was SNOWING tiny little snowflakes this morning when I let the puppy out at 5am. I had to wipe my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things! The flakes were barely there, but it was only 29 degrees outside, so I know they were there. Puppy didn't want to be out long, that's for sure!!

The kids were crazy today, maybe because of the weather. Who knows. They just never stopped talking all day. ALL DAY. I had to stop teaching a number of times because of their mouthes, so tomorrow, as punishment, we are having "old fashioned school." That's were they are give a big fat packet of work in the AM and they cannot ask questions...they just have to work. The packet contains all the sujects for the day, they get no recess, no computer time, just plain old work. They will get their special class tomorrow, but that's it. And believe when I say IT WORKS. I know it sounds mean, but a teacher has to do what a teacher has to do. They can't act like that and get away with it, no matter how cute they are! By lunchtime they will be little angels again, garenteed. It always works. It just stinks for me because I'm not getting much taught...their packets are review because they can't get help with the work (I can also use the work as assessments, they just don't know that). Anyway, I may be mean, but I know it will help the talking stop.

I am off to a fancy shmancy business dinner with Kenny when all I really want to do is curl up under two fleece blankets and sleep!!

Looking out my classroom window at BLAH

I have a bad case of the Monday blues. Ugh. And I have a list of things to do when I get home....pick up boxes at the post office to mail belated birthday gifts, pack the gifts and get back to the post office to mail them, grocery store, dollar store (classroom stuff), gym after dinner, and there's more I just can't do it all tonight. And all I want to do is go home!! I suppose because I'm posting from work today that I'll have to take school work home to be fair. Not a good thing! All I want is my bed and blankie and puppy and to curl up and sleep. And Kenny too, I can't forget him!

I think I mentioned earlier the number of people we have in our wedding party, but just in case I didn't, the number is 10. On each side. Go ahead and gasp......okay, now close your mouth and keep reading. It's Kenny's fault. Actually, it's my fault. I started with 5, and keep in mind I have many cousins and friends and step-sisters. So that filled up quick. Then Kenny couldn't cut his list so I added 2 more. And then he still couldn't make some decisions so I just finally gave in because he was having such a hard time and was going back and forth with things so I said for him to just give me the number. I knew I could fill it with all my family members and very close friends. So I did. I don't regret it, and they only place it's going to cost me more money is buying the gifts for the attendants. They were already invited to the wedding, so it's not like it's more invitations or plates. I know the number is large, but I did tell Kenny he could, so it's my fault I guess. Oh well. He's happy, and believe me, when he is, I am. Life is MUCH nicer when Kenny's happy!! I can't even remember the reason I got into talking about this, but I'm sure I'll remember after I hitthe publish post button. But now you know how many people are in the wedding party. Oh yeah, there's also a junior bridesmaid (another cousin), a ring bearer (cousin), and two teeny little flower girls (Kenny's 2nd cousins). So make that a grand total of 26 including the bride and groom. And no, we won't be renting a limo.

Goofy

This is the cake topper I chose. I brought it home and showed my FIANCE (I still love saying that!) He loved it and it's sooooo us. I think the bride is pushing the groom off the cake, or WILL BE pushing him off the cake. I especially love this because Kenny has a full head of hair and I have a waist. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Photo Hunt

This Week's Theme:

Classic

These are CLASSIC doors. There's big long story that goes with them. I'll make it short. When my dad was younger, he played with neighborhood kids and they ended up at this abandoned house playing inside of it. They found out the house was going to be demolished, and he LOVED the front doors on the house, so he took them about an hour before destruction time. My grandparents liked them too, so they put one at the end of their hallway so it looked like it was part of the house. The doors are extra tall, so they wouldn't work as an inside door. Anyway, my grandparents moved out of their home a few years back and my dad asked me if I wanted them, and so now they are mine. What am I going to do with them? I have no idea. I just like them because of the history and because they look neat. Classic, eh?

Happy Day = Friday

There's a reason the work week only has five days in it. BECAUSE NO ONE CAN TAKE MORE THAN THAT!!! My day started out crazy. I usually am pretty organized. I know where things are and I am pretty good about putting things away and not losing them. Not the case this morning. I lost about four MUCH NEEDED items before I got into my car to drive to work. And then one of the girls I carpool with handed me gas money this morning and I lost it, temporarily, but it still pissed me off that I lost it. Ah! That's not me at all!! When I got to school, my room was a mess. Usually the kids do a pretty good job of cleaning up (I really get after them about it) but yesterday was one of those days where there were more interruptions and unplanned things going on that could be handled along with the normal picking up at the end of the day. So I told them to hurry up and get their things and I would clean it up when they were gone. Now you know that didn't happen....I was waaaaay too tired to do that after that monstous day. So I FOR ONCE left my room in shambles. I hate the feeling of coming in the morning to a messy anything. So I was greeted with that this morning. My day perked up when a coworker asked me if I wanted soul food for lunch and I was like YES I NEED THAT TODAY!!!!! So I had greens and BBQ chicken, the kind that just melts on your tongue. Mmmmmm. It was so good. I was good too...no mac and cheese, no cornbread, and no dressing. Just the veges and meat. The rest of the day went pretty well. My students are still on a slight sugar high from Halloween, but I'm hoping the weekend will knock it out of them!

I think I'll be trying on wedding dresses tomorrow with my mom, Kenny's mom, my aunt, and possibly my Grandma. My mom is a little under the weather, so she might not go too, and to be truthful, it won't be the same without her. There is a HUGE sale, that's the ONLY reason I will go without her if she can't make it, but I really am not excited about it without her. Cross your fingers that she will be here in the morning!

Here's something funny that happened this week. I called a teacher in another classroom to ask her a question during the day and while I was talking to her she said to one of her students, "Park that bottom!" I was cracking up. So a little while later, when one of my kids was running around NOT doing what he was supposed to do, I said the same thing and the whole class just looked at me like I was crazy. One of them said, "You never say bottom!" And it's true, I hate that word altogether. I tell them to sit on their "cushies" when they are sitting on the carpet because I can't stand saying the word bottom. A while later, the same kid who is never in his seat long enough to even raise his hand comes over to where I am and says he needs help. We have rules about raising hands for a question, and clearly, this child doesn't get it, so I give him the teacher look, and he says, "I know, I know, park my bottom, right?" and goes right back to his chair and raises his hand. I was dying in side. It was so funny the way he said that!!!! I've already changed the saying to "park your car" because I couldn't stand the word bottom any longer, but right now it's the running joke in our classroom. You can hear them snickering it when they think I'm not listening. Too funny. Alright, I'm out. Oh yeah, Kenny has my password to this blog now and so he keeps threatening to "guest" blog and I can already tell you that it will be ridiculus and innappropriate, so just an FYI. If there happens to be an entry that is vulgar, scary, or just not me, that's why. I'm changing my password immediatly but I have a feeling he'll still get in. Boys!

It's November Already

Passing out candy for the first time at our new house was a blast!! I was so busy digging turds out the candy from our basket into the kids' bags that I hardly had time to see the costumes, but they were cute!! The best one was a teeny tiny little girl dressed as a chick....adorable!!

It's Thursday night. My favorite night of the week. And it's not because of Grey's Anatomy either, although I do love that show. It's because on Fridays we get to dress down at work and that means no ironing, because it's the promise of the weekend, and because I know there's only more day to have to wake up to the alarm clock.

I'm part of the NaBloPoMo and today is Day 1. I'm 1 for 1 so far!! I just hope I can keep up with blogging every day.

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. Can you handle the length of the puppy's tongue?

Boo!

NaBloPoMo 07

I'm going to give this a whirl this year!!!! I hope I can figure out how to put it in the sidebar now. I'm not too handy with anything other than posting on this blog! Wish me luck!

Autumn

I am so happy that it's fall. There are tons of things about this season that I love....

the outside smells

leaves on the ground

the nip in the air

beautiful colors

getting out fleeces and down coats

holidays

thinking about buying presents

lots of birthday celebrations

enjoying the first holiday season in our new home

decorating inside and out

sunny, cool days, the best Michigan has to offer

It's such an inspiring time of year. I have so many projects and ideas that I want to do!! My favorite is when I get ready to leave in the morning and the puppy needs about 5 minutes to play outside. We go out and there's the chill in the air, the one that wakes me up and just feels good. Soon, it will be replaced with COLDNESS, but for now, I cherish those quiet moments in the morning, when the street lights are on, it's still dark and quiet, and I can run around and play with the puppy, while she's still little. Ahhh, I love this time of year.

Star-Spangled Banner

Sometimes, just sometimes, I let Kenny sing. Outloud. And he sounds decent. He will tell you that he sounds amazing, and that he missed his calling as a singer. Then I tell him to make sure he keeps his day job because he's not all that, and then he pouts and I appologize and that's when I have to let him sing for me because I feel bad. And really, he's not that bad. He compares himself with Pavarotti. Listen (please remove your hat):

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

5 Year Anniversary!!

Yesterday was our five year annniversary (of dating) and I surprised Kenny with Red Wings tickets!! It wasn't a total surprise because I had to tell him about so he didn't schedule appointments, so the surprise was when I told him:)

Anyway, it was an AWESOME game with some back to back goals! This is only my second Red Wings game ever, so I still get excited about the arena and being there and all that. Kenny grew up going to see the Wings play, so it's not like that for him, but he sure does love to watch hockey!!

Our five year anniversary just happened to be the exact date that marks 6 months to our wedding. How cute is that?

I promised to talk about wedding plans and I will even include pictures too!! Keep in mind that nothing is definite, but these are the things that I REALLY like.

Here is the dress that I really love for the maid of honor and the bridesmaids:

And here is a picture of the bouquets that I'm thinking I will make:

I don't know if I'll carry white flowers or the colored flowers or if the bridesmaids will carry what flowers, so if you have any advice on the bride carrying white flowers versus a colored bouquet, send it my way!! I love both, the white and the colored ones, so I NEED advice! I'm having a hard time deciding. And I have lots of time to decide, so I don't need to know right now.

I haven't even started looking for a wedding dress yet. That will be soon though!

These are all the plans we have so far, plus the church and the hall are booked and we have a couple appointments with photographers lined up.

We were playing around outside today with the puppy and took some cute shots.....

And then my favorite is when she sits in front of my on my feet and looks up....THOSE EYES!!!!

I have a ton of cleaning to catch up on today. So that's where I'll be, with the windex, pledge, and vacuum. Have a great weekend!

The Proposal & What I was reminded of

------This post has 2 parts.....that really have NOTHING to do with each other!------

I know these pics are a little delayed, but when they aren't on your own camera, you know how it is!! Here is a picture of Kenny proposing!!

Click here to see the others. And we now have a confirmed wedding date....

April 26th, 2008!!

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I had an interesting experience last night. I went to get my hair done at the same place I've been going to for almost 4 years. The girl who always does my hair recently moved, so this was the first time I had my new stylist do my hair. I don't get anything fancy done....highlights, lowlights, trim, whatever it needs. Anyway, most of the women who work there are Romanian or Armenian. They all have very thick accents, but also speak English rather fluently, so I always thought they were 2nd generation Romanian-Americans. Veronica, my new stylist, starts in on my hair, and asks me all the normal things they usually ask the first time they style your hair.....where you work, what you do, married/single.... Then the conversation turns to the news with all the horrible fires in Southern California. I made the comment of how awful it would be to lose everything you have....your cherished items, pictures, and just everyday items that make your life YOUR LIFE. Veronica says that was what her life was like when she and her family fleed Romania when they were told they would be killed because they were Christian. I was shocked!! I asked her how old she was, and she said 11 years old, so she remembers every minute of it. They had to just up and leave, they didn't take anything but a few pictures and clothes from the only home she had lived in at a moment's notice. I was still in shock. I have been going to this place for 4 years and even though Veronica has never done my hair before, I have seen her there every time I've been there. It was just hard to imagine her going through that. It just goes to prove that you never know what other people have been through until you ask. She said that seeing all the people forced to leave their homes in Southern California and then the people that have lost everything brings back the memories of how hard it was to just leave home when she was a kid. And that's why she became a hair stylist, to be able to being joy and happiness to people as they generally feel good when their hair looks good. When she said that, I got goose bumps!! What a story. Just when you think you are getting your hair done, and you get a dose of reality like that....I tell ya, all day today I just was so thankful that I have what I have. Kenny (my fiance!!!!!-I just love saying that!), our families, the house, our pup, jobs, income, heat. All the things I take for granted every day that some people don't have, or did have and not they don't. This is a dose of reality that I need.

So now I'm going over to my blogging friend Mary's site to give her some much needed love because she lives in Southern California. Click over there and pass on some happy thoughts.....

PS-I have so many wedding details to update on...this weekend...check back this weekend!

Not another one

I have ANOTHER sinus infection. That makes 4 in less than 12 months. I called in sick and went to urgent care this morning instead of waiting until late this afternoon to get into the doctor's office. I couldn't take the facial discomfort. I just can't believe how many of these nasty things I get. The doctor said the only real preventative is washing hands, drinking lots of water (got those both down), and using a saline nasal solution multiple times a day. I am doing that too, just in the morning though. I need to be doing it several times throughout the day. So I bought another couple of bottles so I can have one in the car, my purse, my desk. I am so TIRED of this!! If I get another one before Christmas, I'm going to an ENT doctor. Enough is enough!!!

In other news, I started playing around with colors and flowers for my wedding. I LOVE hydrangeas and roses, so I'm sticking with those right now. I love the way they look together. Here's a pic of an experiment.

I don't like the baby's breath in there, but you get the picture. I plan on making all the bouquets, boutineers, and anything that requires flowers. I'm just crafty like that. I'll post more pics with the next round of experiments. Michael's is just gonna love me with all the returns I'll be making when I decide I don't like something!! I have a question for anyone....if red is the color of the bridesmaid dresses (plain red, not dark red), and this wedding is going to be in the spring, what other colors can I use in these bouquets?? And be specific with colors, like LIGHT and DARK. Thanks!!! I have found examples of the kinds of flowers I want, just not the right colors yet.

I have to go back to bed now. Nurse Kenny is on his way into the computer room and he'll be upset to see his patient vertical and at the computer. Until I feel better....

Hump Day Catch-Up

A while back I wrote about a particular student in my class this year, Little H, who pulled at my heart strings. She does that every day, while at the same time consistently driving me crazy. One minute she's a tiny genius, and then next minute I'm writing her name down on the behavior chart for disrupting/talking/yelling/out of her seat. But this one takes the cake. A couple weeks back in art class, the teacher was discussing circles, and what you could make with circles. So she has all the students trace a circle on their paper and then make something out of it. Most of the kids made scarecrows or something Halloween related given the time of year. Cute, huh? Then there's little H. Now when you look at this picture, keep in mind that I had just showed the kids pictures of my puppy and they were all excited that their teacher had a new pup. So all their journal entries were about my puppy, and apparently Little H wanted to draw her too. So here ya go.....

Did you catch the poop? My puppy is pooping the picture. How funny is that??? Here's a close up in case you missed it the first time.....

When I picked the kids up from art class, the teacher pointed this one out to me. She asked me if I think we should call home about the picture. I told her no, I had a pretty good idea where the idea came from. Little H had asked me (all the kids got to ask me one question about the pup) if she poops like a person does. Obviously, she doesn't have a dog at home. So I answered that yes, dogs poop like people do, just outside. Of course that brought the house down....imagine your first/second grade teacher saying the word poop. Anyway, this child has yet again stolen my heart. Because, whether the picture is inappropriate or not, it's darn cute.

I talked to the lady at the church we are going to be married in. I will know Friday the actual date of our wedding. I'll go into LOTS of detail about her, but later. I don't want to jinx it. Let's just say it's not easy dealing with that church AT ALL. But we WILL be married there, for sure. Other than that, I haven't started planning much yet except the bridesmaid dresses. I think those have been picked out for a while, way before we were engaged. You know how a girl dreams....I guess I should really get moving because we're getting married in about 6 months. Yikes!! Even though it's been over 2 weeks since Kenny proposed, I'm still in shock. I keep looking at my hand and thinking, "Oh my gosh I'm engaged!!!" And every day I come home and say, "Hi Fiance!!" to Kenny. I love this feeling, and I'm actually very excited to plan all the artsy stuff for the wedding. I just LOVE to make stuff, as if you couldn't already tell!!

Back to the puppy for a minute...she is getting bigger EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! She's huge!! We already had to buy a bigger collar for her. I can barely pick her up and carry her without hurting myself. She's a mini-cow now!! But I just love her so much. Here she is lounging in the bed while I get ready for work. She's not really allowed up there, only if I invite her, and she won't jump up there on her own. She knows I'm about to leave for work so she's trying her hardest to look cute so I'll stay home with her. Wish I could!

Rainy Morning

Ahhhh, Monday morning. What a feeling!

I spent a LOT of time driving and on the phone this weekend. Practically the whole time, in fact. I caught up on me-time and talk-time. And puppy-time too. It was nice.

Yesterday after church Kenny and I met with the pastor to "interview" for pre-marriage counseling. That was very interesting, to say the least. I guess we passed the interview, because soon we'll be setting a date with the church. I asked the pastor if he ever failed anyone, and he said yes, so I guess we're fine. He said in January we have to take this 8 hour class on a Saturday (I know I can handle 8 hours, but Kenny? No way!) and 4 of those 8 hours are to take a psychological evaluation. Hello? What? I was shocked. He said that this test came from Harvard back in the 20s, which REALLY makes me want to take it. Hmph. We'll do whatever we need to do to get married in Kenny's family church. It's beautiful, offers a ton of things, and is only a couple miles away. Plus, it's his family church. I just can't get over the psych eval. Shouldn't that be something that you do when you first start dating?? Oh well. I asked him if we fail the eval (I just wanted worst case scenario) will he still marry us. He said, "Of course." And that's all I needed to know. I don't expect us to fail at all, I just wondered what the protocol was for that. So hopefully this week we'll have a date nailed down. And then I can tell my blogging world when I'm

GOING TO GET MARRIED!!!

Other than that, things are very calm here. The puppy is just fine, she spent a lot of time with me in the car visiting people this weekend, which she LOVES. Kenny is busy and cute as usual, and I've booked myself silly already this week doing things after work, which I always do and then bitch about not having any time to relax. Typical!!! And none of it is wedding related! I know that will be changing very quickly! Have a marvelous Monday!!

Thursday Thirteen

Yay!! It's Thursday finally!! That means getting through today and then tomorrow and then the weekend!! I can't wait to sleep in. For some reason, my eyes have burned with sleepiness every single day this week. I look at my students through half-open eyes. Good thing they keep me on my toes. If I had the kind of job that kept me in a chair, I'd never make it without a nap!! I actually fell asleep yesterday in the car-ride home. I was in the backseat because sometimes 3 of us ride together, and I was out before we hit the freeway. It felt SOOOO good. When I woke up, I couldn't figure out why I was in a car or what time it was. Then I remembered I was almost home....RELIEF!!!! You ever have those days where you work all day just to come HOME and stay home?? That's me this week.

Thirteen Things I'd Rather Be Doing Instead of Going to Work

1. Sleeping

2. Working out

3. Hanging out with my fiance (OMG!!)

4. Shopping

5. Meeting Tasha for dinner (during the day!!)

6. Did I mention sleeping?

7. Sewing

8. Scrapbooking

9. Getting pics developed so I CAN scrapbook (I'm so behind!)

10. Doing NOTHING!

11. Visiting my parents and my brother

12. Starting to plan this wedding

13. Watching reruns on TVLand

The BIG 92

The last few days have been a whirlwind!! I'm still on cloud nine from Kenny's proposal. I don't think I've ever been so excited and happy in my life!!

We are just barely starting to make plans. I think our wedding will be in the spring...why wait? It's already been five years! I have lots of phone calls to make on my lunch break every day, that's for sure!

Today was my grandpa's 92nd birthday. We celebrated last night with some of the family....

92 years is definitely worth celebrating!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Drum Roll Please.....

This has been one hell of a week.......the news????

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!

Kenny proposed on Tuesday night and of course I said yes!! This has been a long time coming and I'm so excited!!

Here're pics of the ring......

I had no idea that Kenny had bought the ring and had it all planned. He did so good. Last week he asked my parents for their blessings and they were so happy to say yes! We were at a big benefit dinner on Tuesday evening, and Kenny had told me to invite everyone I knew around here, including my parents and his and a couple aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. So they were all gathered and KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, and as it turns out, I was the only one who didn't!! I was helping Kenny display some things and when he had everyone's attention, he asked me to pick up this basket of mums and I was thinking, what in the world is he doing? I was actually getting irritated with him. So I turned, picked up the basket of flowers, and turned back towards him and he was on one knee. Oh my gosh! He says, "Lindsey, will you go to the Tigers game with me?" I got soooooo nervous and instantly had dry mouth, which, by the way, is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL, and I said, "Yes, Kenny, I'll go the the Tigers game with you." And then he says, "Are you nervous about something?" And I am dying at this point, my face was all red and sweaty and I said, "Are you nervous about something?" and then he whips out the ring box and opened it and said, "Will you marry me?" I was soooooooo red at this point. I OF COURSE accepted and made him stand up real fast so I could hide my face because I was shy....I WAS SHY! That never happens!! I guess when you are proposed to in front of 100 or more people, it's bound to happen! Then our families rushed over and started hugging and taking pictures and it was just awesome. He had it all planned out perfectly. I still can't believe it!! So that's the story of our engagement. I don't have any other pictures yet, but they are on their way, and I'll post them as soon as I can. For once, I didn't have the camera!

I still can't believe it!! I'm engaged! We aren't sure of the date yet, and haven't really started planning things, but seriously, after five years of dating, there isn't much planning to do. I think we've talked about our wedding enough to know what we want by now.

The last two days have been a blur of phone calls and emails....if I haven't told you in person, I'm sorry! I sent emails and honestly, the battery on my phone has been dead more than charged, so if you find out the news here instead of a phone call or email, I'm sorry!!!

Happy Friday!!

Yesterday Kenny and I took the puppy to the pumpkin patch on a farm. It was adventurous, that's for sure! The dog ate dirt and pumpkins....yummy. Anyway, it was really funny watching the puppy in action on the farm. There were a ton of animals for her to sniff out, including goats, which were SCARED OF HER!!! She's still little!! The goats took one look at the puppy and froze. It was great. I wish I had a picture of them! Here are a few more pics from the pumpkin patch....

Then we went back to the lake house to relax. Or so I thought. Kenny thought it would be a great idea to get the puppy in the water for the first time to see how she can swim. I wasn't hip to the idea at first, but then I thought, what the heck, she's a lab, her little web feet can do anything. And she did a great job! Her tail was wagging every time she got out of the water and kept coming back for more. I guess she's a true lab. I'd still love her even if didn't want to swim.

And then tonight my friend Niki came over to hang out for a while, and the puppy got ahold of her purse. Check this out and tell me it's the cutest thing ever!

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