Oh How I love...

Oh how I love Florida Restaurants! They are one of my favorite parts of vacation (next to endless hours on the beach). I love Restaurants that sit right on the beach. Restaurants that are full of happy, cheerful vacation goers. Restaurants that overlook the ocean. Oh, I just love them! You don't find restaurants like this in Indiana.

Restaurants like this one

That have giant kites on the ceiling

That have T.V.'s so that my husband doesn't miss a second of sports center (ha!)

That serves yummy deserts like this one

That have lots of different colors and lots of different people

And of course..plastic cups! Because who needs glass cups?!

Yes, I love restaurants like these. Can't wait to go back!

We had a great trip! Full of sun and relaxation. Can't wait to blog all about it. But, for now, here is a beautiful picture of the sunset. Gotta love sunsets over the oceans!

We are sitting in the Tampa airport, getting ready to eat dinner and head home. Can't wait to see Kaia (thanks Ben for watching her!), but we sure will miss the beach!

Sending Prayers

I just wanted to ask that you keep my sister, Jill, in your prayers over the next couple of weeks. She is a senior at Anderson and is just a few short months away from becoming a nurse. Tomorrow she will be boarding a plane and heading to China for two and a half weeks. While she is there she and a few others will be working in hospitals in various parts of China. They will mostly be observing due to the language barrier, but will help out in whatever ways they can. Along with this mission work, they will get to chance to do some pretty cool sight seeing. Needless to say I am a little bit jealous of her. :)

Jill and I are 15 1/2 month apart. Growing up we did not always agree on everything (or anything) but now we are extremely close. She is one of the most sarcastic people I know and always makes me laugh. She has a passion for sick children (she says they are much easier to deal with than healthy children..ha) and dreams of working at a children's hospital after graduation. I am so proud of my little sister!

So if you think of it, please say a prayer for her. This is the furthest from home that she has ever travled and I know that she is slightly nervous about it. She is also a bit nervous about being gone for so long. I'm sure once she gets there she will love it and the time will fly by but just pray for her to have a safe plane ride and lots of great experiences.

Here is a recent picture of Jill and I....

We love you and are praying for you sis! Have a great time..can't wait to hear about it!

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

We are sitting at the airport waiting for our flight! Can't wait to be in sunny Florida! Bye for now! :)

Friends and Packing...

Last night two of our very dearest friends came to town on a spur of the moment trip. They came to watch the Purdue game (which didn't end well) and just hang out for a little bit. We went to Weber Grill (our fav.) on Friday night and then just hung around home Saturday. It was SO great to see them. Chelsea is, and has been, one of my best friends since middle school. I hate not getting to see her more ofter, so I always try to soak up the short time we get to spend together. Her husband has become one of Duane's great friends and we are so glad to have them in our lives. Everytime we get together we are constantly discussing different locations that we can move to be closer to each other. Hopefully one of these days it will work out!

Here are some pictures from their stay...

The four of us!

LOVE this girl!

JUMP..Kaia was chasing them all over!

My little family :)

Someday we will live closer!

Of course they had to play video games!

We are all packed (ok, not really) and ready to leave bright and early tomorrow morning. I am starting to get a little bit sad about leaving Kaia behind. This is the first time I've ever left her. Duane thinks I'm being ridiculous, or course. I know she is just a dog..but I'm going to miss her! Luckily one of our good friends is staying at our house so I know she will be taken care of.

How could you NOT miss this cute face?!

I don't think she has any idea we are about to leave..poor baby! :(

The next time I blog will be from the sunny beach! Florida, here we come! Have a great Saturday!

Identity Crisis?

Ok, so maybe "identity crisis" is a bit of an exaggeration. However, I am having a tough time right now. As many of you know, I found out a couple of weeks ago that I don't have a teaching job next year. In November I took over a year long sabbatical position for a sixth grade teacher. I knew it was a temporary position, but I guess I was just trying to stay positive and hopeful that it would turn into a permanent position. Unfortunately, it will not be a permanent position, which leaves me without a job. This is hard for a few of reasons. First - I have gotten pretty comfortable where I am. I am starting to get in the "groove" of teaching sixth grade. It's hard to think about starting over in a new school, in a new grade, with new people. Ugh, the thought makes me cringe. Second - It is nearly impossible to find a teaching job (well, any job) right now. Teachers are being laid off, not hired. This leaves me to wonder, will I even be able to find a teaching job next year? And third - Do I even want to teach next year? This is probably the hardest part of what I am feeling right now. After all, I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 7. It is the only thing I have ever wanted to be (other than a stay-at-home mom..but that would require me having a baby). It is my dream. However, it is not all that I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong. I love being with kids all day and I love teaching them. I do not love everything else that goes along with teaching. It's a hard feeling for me to put into words. It is even harder for me to admit. I don't want to think that I've failed at my dream. I hate even typing the word fail. Yuck! I just don't know if I'm cut out for this profession.

I am still trying to figure out what I want to do next year. Do I continue to do everything in my power to find a teaching job? A job that I will be the low man on the totem pole for the next few years and will be in danger of losing my job at the end of every school year. Do I continue to pursue my dream in hopes that it will continue to get better and better? Oh, I just don't know. All I know is that I love working with kids, so I will continue to do that in some way. I am interviewing to be a developmental therapist this week. Another job that involves kids that I think I would love. We will see.

I do know this much. Duane has a great job so no matter what happens next year we will be just fine. I know that we are much luckier than lots of other people in this country and world and for that I am very thankful. I often think about people throughout the world that have so little and think to myself, why did God choose to throw so many blessings my way? Despite these feelings I know that God has always provided for us and I know he will continue to do so. Right now I am just praying that God guide me in the right direction. I want to do what he wants me to do, and nothing else. I am trying not to worry about it, because that is not going to do any good. I just need to be patient (ha, I am so not patient) and let this play out. After all, God already knows what I am going to do and in that I find a lot of peace.

This verse always brings me peace since I am ALWAYS worrying!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Thanks you for letting me get my thoughts out in the open. I'm sure Duane is glad I did it, considering he's had to listen to me go on and on about this for the last few weeks! What a great husband! :)

Spring has Sprung!

Spring is officially here! I can tell because..

There are finally blue skies.

There is color popping up everywhere.

There are buds on the trees paitently waiting to turn into leaves.

The door is open so we can feel the warm air.

We can take Kaia outside and not freeze to death.

The grill is out and in full swing.

We are able to be outside with some of the greatest friends.

And of course...basketball is on all day long.

Go Purdue! :)

Happy Spring! Summer is just around the corner!

New Furniture!

We recently purchased the rest of our bedroom furniture. Duane's parents got us our wonderful king size bed as a wedding gift. We decided not to buy the rest of the furniture due to it's large price tag so for the past ten months we have been using plastic containers as make shift dressers. Lovely, I know. Especially for someone with an exceptionally large wardrobe. Fortunately, when we remodeled the house we put in a large walk in closet in our bedroom which has been a lifesaver (for me, Duane's clothes have been banned to the guest room, ha). So in January we decided that it was time to buy the rest of our furniture and complete our bedroom. Two months later, it came in. I love the way it looks but do not love the way it collects dust and Kaia hair. Duane now has some of his clothes in the dresser and our closet is much less congested. Our bedroom was the last room that did not feel "complete" so it was a good feeling to get the rest of the furniture. Now we can move on to the the list of projects for the outside of our house. You know like painting, landscaping, putting up a fence, etc. Sounds like load of fun huh? So much for "summer break"!

Here are some pictures of the furniture. Please excuse the unmade bed. I almost retook these pictures after I realized the bed wasn't made but then you might actually think I made our bed every morning! :)

Something to Blog About

As I have said many times before, I have a MAJOR addiction to reading blogs. Most of the blogs I read belong to people I don't know. Over the past couple of days I have read some pretty cool blog posts and I wanted to share. Since I usually don't have much to write about, I thought I'd give you a couple of links.

I have been feeling pretty down lately. I hate to admit it but I've been feeling sorry for myself for various reasons. After reading both of these blogs I am quickly reminded of how truly blessed I am. God has given me such an amazing life so there is no need for me to ever feel "sorry" for myself. If you're having a bad day just click on a link below and I have a feeling it will make your day seem a little less "bad". Even if you're having a good day I think you will like what you see.

This first one is a beautiful story about a mother's journey with a baby that she "wasn't expecting". I stole it from a friend..but it's too good not to share! Get ready for some tears...this ones pretty emotional. It's also a little long but I highly suggest reading it!

http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html

This is a blog I follow on a regular basis. The woman and her husband are in Kenya right now on a mission trip. Some of the things they are seeing are pretty horrible and put things into perspective. I have a heart for Africa and would love to go there on a mission trip in the near future. It is my dream to someday teach there..we'll see if it comes true. I know my husband would LOVE it so if we ever hear God calling..we will be on our way!

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2010/03/mathare-valley.html

I hope you enjoy both of these blogs. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Have a great night!

Perfect Saturday

Kaia is SO excited...

It is currently 46 degrees and SUNNY!

We have opened the blinds and come out of our winter hibernation!

Kaia has gone on LONG walks for three days in a row...

Which means she is FINALLY worn out!

What a perfect Saturday!

I hope the weather is nice where ever you are. Happy Saturday! :)

Florida here we come!

I got an exciting text from my wonderful husband today at work. He told me that he COULD in fact get a few days off at spring break so we are heading to Florida!!! I was SO excited when he told me. These past few weeks at school have been nothing short of awful and a vacation is much needed. Originally Duane was going to surprise me and take me to the Bahamas in April for Duane loves Kelly day (or weekend) but we both decided that me not having to take anytime off work would be a much better option. So the last week of March we will be here.....

I can almost feel the ocean breeze now! I can't wait to have time to read, play around with our new camera, and just RELAX. It will be a great time to get a short refresher before I finish out the school year. I'm not sure I'd make it without this break. Can't wait! :)

In other news...take a look at Kaia's latest destruction..

Gotta love a big dog with big teeth! At least it still works. I guess she wanted us to change the channel! :)

Have a wonderful night!