We chose...

FARGO! Well, we have now named him Emmett Doodle, simply known as Emmett. We are about 90% sure that's the name, but we have several other names we like...and we want to make sure Emmett sticks! My students voted for Paco (go figure), I thought about Diddle (short for Diddle Weege--my brother's nickname for me as a kid), and we have a few others that are backups just in case. We got him last night, and as soon as I saw him, I was in love. He didn't have too much fun in the car on the way home--apparently most puppies throw up in the car, and Emmett sure didn't want to disappoint. Needless to say, we made a stop at a nearby gas station to clean things up a bit. He has a really sweet disposition, and he is sleeping at my feet right now. That's not to say we haven't had "puppy" experiences...whimpering A LOT, a few bathroom whoopsies, and a little chewing. He's pretty good to stop chewing on anything you say not to, so hopefully that will pick up and he will remember to chew on his toys ALONE. He has also been successful at relieving himself outside several times! Ok, enough about our first almost 24 hours together. I guess Emmett will be showing up in a good number of posts from now on! Thanks for the help in choosing our sweet doodle!

A Wonderful Holiday

It's been a while since I've spent this much time in Conway, and I've been doing some reflecting while here. It's interesting how I now have more than one home. When I'm in Bentonville, I am at my new home. It feels like home, looks like home, and when away (even in Conway), I feel a little distant because I'm not home. However, when I return to Conway (where Wes and I both grew up), the feeling of home comes back. It's a little different though. I live out of a suitcase, my domestic abilities and tendencies fly out the window (thanks, mom and Susie), and I feel like I'm kind of on vacation. I get to see and spend quality time with family, try to reconnect with old friends (sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't due to crazy schedules), and eat wonderful homecooked meals. Mom and I shop, my family talks and watches movies, I eat and play at the Walker's, and I drive around the town knowing all of the back roads. So I guess the reflecting started when I realized I've kind of been walking through this holiday week in a rather somber mood. I'm home with the people I love the most, but because it's not my "home" anymore, I relax a little more and just enjoy what goes on around me.
Christmas this year was wonderful. I enjoyed getting to come here a few days early so that I could spend more time with my brother who lives in California. On Christmas Eve, Wes came in around 5:00, we ate an incredible dinner, and then we went to church. The music at the service was beautiful as always. My grandmother who has dementia attended and really appeared to take it all in, as well as participate in communion. My family played Trivial Pursuit, ate/drank Boiled Custard, watched A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version of course), and got in our Christmas pajamas. Christmas morning was a special time for the five of us. We exchanged gifts and then set off to get the rest of the crew in the house. This involves an intricate plan of wheelchair manuevering and car shuffling. After a few hours, the house was filled. We ate my favorite breakfast of the whole year and then exchanged gifts with the new guests. Tears were shed all morning and afternoon. As we sang Christmas carols around the piano, Pappaw mouthed the words to Silent Night, although not one word was spoken by him all day. Mammaw sang along to Jingle Bells. Patsy blessed the food with a very sentimental prayer. And Granny wrote each person an extremely meaningful note. I guess a lot of the somberness was encouraged by these events. I experience the cycle of life during the holidays, as I go from my family's house with several elderly grandparents to Wes' house with five children five years of age and under. Ok, enough reflection and rambling. All this to say, I'm here in Conway at my in-law's and loving being with family. I hope and pray you all had a wonderful Christmas. It's a joy to know that we can celebrate the meaning of the holiday all year long. May God bless you all in ways beyond our understanding.

Which doodle?

We need help! We have decided to get a puppy, and although Wes wasn't too pumped out the breed name (Goldendoodle), I think he is secretly really looking forward to getting a doodle. So here are the five choices...let us know what you think!!

Arun...the biggest male in the litter...medium dark hair


Barry...very curly hair...darker hair...medium size


Fargo...fairly curly hair...lighter color


Rosie...only female...darkest red hair...very curly hair


Sandey...the curliest...darker color...medium size

8 Things

This seems like a fun game...I've been tagged by Mandy to carry on 8 Things. And because my favorite number is 8 (it rhymes with my name and it was always my try-out number for everything), I'm happy to participate.

8 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Chuck
2. The Office
3. The Biggest Loser
4. 30 Rock
5. Meet the Press
6. The Today Show (only in the summers and on breaks)
7. Family Guy (Wes has it on so much that I end up watching it more than I would like)
8. Lost

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. The Red Bar
2. Gordon Ramsay's Maze :)
3. Bonefish Grill
4. Cheesecake Factory
5. Common Grounds
6. Abuelo's
7. P.F. Chang's
8. Fish City

8 Things that Happened to Me Today:
1. I took 90 of my 8th graders to Fast Lane
2. I bowled 2 strikes
3. I played laser tag for the first time
4. I rode go-karts and came in first place
5. I baked cookies in the home-ec room
6. I played Apples to Apples
7. I acted as teacher/babysitter/older sister all at the same time
8. I did not sit down for the first 30 minutes of my spinning class this morning

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. Tomorrow at 3:00
2. Hanging out at home this weekend with Wes
3. Shopping for Christmas presents
4. Going to see my parents and Allen on Monday
5. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family
6. Starting a new year
7. Our next vacation/trip
8. Having kids one of these days

8 Things I Wish For:
1. All of my students to reach their highest potential
2. More time devoted to prayer and devotion
3. A puppy (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or Golden Retriever--preferrably)
4. A fairy to come clean my house while I'm gone and take down the decorations
5. To switch to AT&T and get an iPhone
6. A merry Christmas for all of my friends, family, and students
7. A fairy to come clean and organize my classroom while we are on break
8. More communication with my girlfriends

Yep, that was fun! However, I kept thinking of other lists that would be fun to do. Some lists were really easy, but some were a bit more difficult. I am going to tag JB and Leslie!

3rd Annual

Last night was our 3rd Annual Walker Christmas Party, and we had a great time. Lots of good food--thanks to help from my wonderful friends--good conversation, and incredible friends. Although the temperature dropped from 65 degrees to 27 throughout the course of the party, our fire and apple cider kept us warm through the wintry weather. Here are several pictures from the party! (The one above shows the entries from our cookie decorating contest. Winner revealed below.)


The house is ready!

Hostess Kate

My wonderful friends from school.
I love my old friends from Fayetteville!
Rachel and sweet AudrieThe Burris Family

Trinity Grace folks
My greatest friend Betsy!Molly and Arden after decorating their cookies!

Michelle and me
And winner of the cookie decorating contest...#13...Dave!

My Helper

When I asked mom to come help this past weekend, I knew she had a great eye...but in all my years, I hadn't ever watched her decorate. She's wonderful at it, and she just gets it done. I have now recruited her to help me decorate for Christmas every year. This should be a fun tradition.

Christmas at the Walker house

With bagels and coffee in hand, mom arrived around 10:00 this morning to help get our house ready for Christmas. We got right to work decorating, as soon as I finished grading the last of the 100+ essays for school. We transformed the house in just a few hours, and Wes did a fantastic job on the outside hanging the fresh garland on the front door. Here are a few highlights: (Some are taken without the flash, thus the blur.)