The WB

We just returned from a trip to Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington with the Walker clan. It was quite the vacation, filled with many great moments. O'Pa, Molly, and I were the first to set out on the journey to NC on June 12th. We drove from Conway to Atlanta where we picked up the next traveler, Bret. Around 4 a.m., we arrived at our destination with nowhere to go and really nothing to do. If any of you ever go to this area on vacation, here is a heads up...nothing is open at 4 a.m. there. We finally settled on Hardee's for breakfast. Molly and I had OJ while Bret and O'Pa had smoked sausage biscuits. Yum. Then onto the Wal-Mart parking lot where Bret and O'Pa caught up on some sleep and Molly and I drew pictures for each other for an hour or two. By the end of the parking lot rest stop and a trip to Starbucks, the sun was in full view and Molly and I got to clean up for the bridesmaid's luncheon. The pressure was on...we were the only 2 Walker girls that were going to make it to the tea...I think we made a great showing!

While we were enjoying tea and scones, the rest of the Walker crew was arriving at the beach house from their flights. Being family of two of the most important people in the wedding (Molly the flower girl and Ben the ring bearer), we attended the rehearsal dinner that evening.

The weekend was one great celebration! On Sunday, the morning after the wedding, Susie threw an incredible brunch for family and friends at our house. After the festivities slowed down, the Walker clan hit the beach for the week. Here are some of the pictures of our vacation. Such a wonderful time and such a loving family!

School's Out, School's Out!!

The year went out with a bang! Over the past week of classes, my homeroom kids have watched 5 movies, played outside way longer than normal, jammed with a dj for a few hours, took part in an incredible talent show, and checked off their 6th grade year. You should have seen the drama that took place yesterday at 3:00 when the bell rang. Tears, tears, and more tears. Think back to your middle school days, and you will remember the drama and emotions. You would have thought these kids would never see each other again. And the worst...a few of my students are going to the OTHER junior high, and will be separated for 2 years from their bestest of friends. Oh my goodness. Life didn't appear like it would go on...and I soaked it all up! It was hard not to laugh, but I tried to sympathize and give some advice.
Needless to say, summer is here, and I am pretty excited! Wes and I were eating dinner last night on the back deck, and we listed things I wanted to get done this summer. He told me several things he wanted me to get done, and I brought up to him that this was my BREAK. He admitted that he was trying to live through me because I get the summers off, and I agreed to add some of his to-do's on to my list. I've got my list, now I just have to prioritize. So my list is what you will reading about this summer. I'm starting with a deep clean of the house...get excited!

Crawfish and Iraq

I went to my first Crawfish Boil last weekend, and I didn't take any pictures. You wouldn't have seen my fingers messy with a plate piled high of crawfish though. I stuck with the fried turkey, and it was delicious. It was a great weekend in Conway, and I got to spend most of it with my best friend, Liz. Her sister is getting married in NYC this summer, and we had a shower for her on Saturday morning. Here's a picture of Liz and me...

My agenda slide at school today said "My friend, Liz" as one of the activities for the day. We talked about her recent trip to Africa and the Middle East with the U.S. senator for whom she works. They were enthralled with the picture of her in a bullet proof vest inside a blackhawk helicopter flying from Kuwait to Iraq. Liz had e-mailed us pictures of her in Ethiopia in the city where the Arc of the Covenant is supposedly held and of some of the U.S. military in Iraq. Before she went on this "8 countries in 7 days" trip, my classes "planned" her trip so that she would travel in the best order geographically. It's fun to have real-world connections to make when teaching.

So...11 more days of school. I can hardly believe that my first year of teaching is coming to an end. It has been great, and next year will be even better because I get to move across the hallway into a room with windows! Ahhh... It's been difficult living in a room all day not knowing if the sun is shining, if snow is falling, or if a terrible storm is headed our way.

Enjoy the weekend! It's going to be beautiful here!

Annie

I'm an aunt for the 5th time! At 12:38 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6th, my newest niece was born. I am in awe of how intricate and perfect God's ways are after observing the delivery of Annie. She is a sweet bundle of joy who I cannot wait to watch grow, learn, and develop a personality all of her own. Here's a picture of course!

A Big Week Ahead

This week will hold some big moments for a few special people in my life. My incredible sister-in-law will become a mother of 3, a great friend will deliver twins, and I will get closer to ending my first full year of teaching. Definitely the first two moments described above are way bigger, but I needed a third big moment in that sentence. Those are the big moments planned for the week ahead, but who knows?...a big moment that is not expected could come our way.

I got my first slight sun-kissed face of the year yesterday while camping at Roaring River State Park. The rest of my body was covered due to the very chilly temperatures and wind, but my face got some sun. And then today, I sat outside on our back porch painting some canvases and caught some nice rays. I absolutely love the spring and summer. I think I love every season at the turn of them because it is something new and I love change. However, the spring is special because the world becomes greener, brighter, and full of life.

Just because I love pictures, I'll close with one. These are our new hanging baskets that we treat like our children. We don't have kids or dogs...we have plants.

A Great Phase of Life

So it's almost been a month. I'm not sure what has changed, but I'll give an update. Life has turned from birthday parties to baby and wedding showers. We had several birthdays in a row for a while which was so fun, and now showers are taking over for a month or so until those babies and weddings actually take place...and then it will be wedding season and visiting new babies time. I'm in the middle of those two phases of life...and I love it!

My brother is finalizing his graduate school plans and just spent a week on the west coast visiting Stanford and UCLA. I'm so incredibly excited for him to be so much closer than Hong Kong. Communication is way easier when you live in the same country. He'll start in August...and I'll be heading out west to visit as soon as possible.

My college girlfriends and I pretty much had a surprise reunion last weekend when one member of the group fell off a cow and got hurt pretty seriously. She will be ok, and she's already making fun of it...but it was so cool to see how best friends can drop anything and come together when needed. Only one of us couldn't make it...and we made sure to call her and keep her updated as often as possible. God is so good to bless us with such wonderful people in our lives. The reunion, as it wasn't in the best of circumstances, was a great encouragement to me. Every time we get together, I am reminded of how lucky I am. Thanks, girls.

I think that about does it. I'm going to try to do a better job at posting more frequently. Until next time!

Driveways and Lawn Chairs

So I thought when I started this thing that I would be writing everyday and would have to tell myself to stop because people probably wouldn't be checking it daily or really care about all of the little things I had to tell you. Well...time flies in my life, and I rarely give myself the time to sit down, ponder, reflect, and share. So here goes...the last few weeks have been busy and wonderful. We have celebrated at Whitlee's 2nd birthday party (while wishing my dad a happy 58th on the same day!), we have gone through some illness (I stand alone as the only Walker whom sickness has not touched), and we have enjoyed the crazy weather that included a sunny, warm weekend followed by a snow day 2 days later.

I just got inside from an hour long driveway and lawn chairs talk with the neighborhood ladies. Two are stay-at-home moms with several little ones running around and another has a little boy and works in a corporate job. I got home from school and with the sun out and the temperature at 75 degrees, I went outside to swing on the porch, and noticed the driveway across the street beckoning me. I have a sense that these driveway and lawn chairs days are just beginning. I would invite the crew to come to my porch and swing or sit in the adirondack chairs, but my driveway is a little too daunting for 2 year-olds on bicycles. The weather is getting warmer, Spring Break is in 2 days, and I just love this time of year.