News

So I'm not pregnant, and we aren't moving anywhere. My news isn't THAT big. Here it is...I'm now 24, I have a new job, and part of my family is moving to Colorado. My birthday was Friday, and it was a good one. We celebrated all day, and I spent some good quality time with family and friends from church. My birthday gifts from Wes and my parents even had a theme to them...fitness. I got a heart-rate monitor from Wes, a new workout top and shoes from my mom and dad, and they are working so hard on getting a Wii Fit for me. Their search has been unsuccessful to this point, but now that I'm on board, we will surely find one soon.

Enough about my birthday. I have a new job. I won't go into all the details and the decision-making process, but I am now teaching 8th grade language arts at the middle school where I interned during my M.A.T. program. It was a tough decision, but I'm pretty excited about the new challenge.

Ok, so the biggest news is that Wes' oldest brother's family is moving to Colorado...next month. Benton has taken a job in Denver, and I am extremely happy and excited for him. If any family is equipped for a challenge and a move such as this one, this family is ready. JB is an incredibly outgoing, loving woman who seeks and follows the Lord's will. Benton is faithful and thinks through every decision. And their kids...they will love Colorado, and I just pray that Whitlee learns the difference between snow and sand soon. :) I have grown closer to this family than I had ever imagined, and I can't grasp right now how it will be not living near them. However, I have kept my relationships with my brother and best girl friends who live far away growing stronger and closer as time goes on. I pray the same for my relationships with Benton, JB, and their kids. Until the move though, I pray that we can enjoy every minute of living in NWA together.

Templates

I've been playing with templates for the blog as you can tell. I found one I really like, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it downloaded correctly. I'll keep working on it when I have time, so when my background changes again, maybe it will be for good. I have some pretty big news, so after The Bachelorette is over (yes, I'm addicted to this season and to who DeAnna will choose), I may have time to update. :)

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.