Vacancy

Well, it's just Emmett and me. He's at my feet napping while I catch up on some emails, facebook, and blogging. I'm not sure if I like my new background, and I've been trying to change it...but I just can't figure it out right now. Like I said in the title, I have some open beds tonight. Jayme, Molly, and Morgan set out a couple of hours ago to go to Searcy for the weekend. Wes and Bret are back to work. It's definitely quieter, but I now don't have an excuse for being so lazy. Having found out at 11 this morning that school would be out another day tomorrow, I am about to make a to-do list for the next three days. I need to do some school work, clean a little, and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! Besides my walks with E.Doodle, I haven't left the house since I came home early from school on Monday. Wes has my car, and his car is a little "under the weather." So, here are a few pics from last night and this morning. I wish I had one of Emmett right now. All tuckered out from so much craziness!Morgan eating her raw veggies for the day...red bell pepper.

Just relaxing and snuggling on the couch after pizza and cookies.

Emmett G. Doodle on Thursday morning walk.

The woods behind our neighborhood.

Across the ravine in our neighborhood.Welcome to the icy street of the Walker B&B.

New Career Path?

Oh, I'm still teaching, but with three (maybe four) snow/ice days in a row, I've had some time to take up a new profession...hotel manager. I like to think of it more as a bed and breakfast. Here in NWA, "the worst ice storm in our history" has hit and MANY of the homes in our area are without power. The number of people without power keeps changing, but it seems as though I know more people without power than with it. Thankfully, our warm and toasty home has stayed just that way. Because of all of this, we have opened up a little bed and breakfast for family. Every bed and couch were occupied last night, and they will be again tonight. I made turkey chili for everyone last night, homeade cookies to munch on, and french toast this morning for breakfast. Wes and Bret are at Wal-Mart right now stocking up on a few more things and getting some frozen pizzas for dinner tonight. Many stories to tell, but I'll just post a few pictures instead. Maybe I'll pick out a few special moments to write and share about when the bed and breakfast settles down in a few days.Tuesday morning...we woke up to a thick sheet of ice covering everything.

We had freezing rain, sleet, and a little snow all day Tuesday....leaving a thicker and whiter covering.

The patio table

Taking Emmett for a walk Wednesday morning...we were the first tracks.

Our sweet bed and breakfast.

He LOVED the walk...and he is very interested in all of this white, cold stuff.

We are having to hold him a bit more than usual due to all of the guests here.

Molly and Jayme snuggled on the couch.

O'Pa and Molly playing Guess Who?

Morgan hiding in the wicker end table.

Molly LOVES her bed here!

I'll make sure to take more pictures of the crew. O'Pa is on his way back to Conway this afternoon, but we may fill his spot pretty soon...

Big and Strong

Emmett is already getting bigger, and we have only had him for a week and a half! He is such a great puppy! He has made his first trip to the vet, and I am so pleased with where he will be going for shots, checkups, and anything else he ever needs. We also have enrolled in Puppy Preschool. I know my mom has to be thinking that I'm crazy. But, Emmett is going to be around lots of kids (hopefully including my own), and I want him to be socialized well.
I knew it would be a big change getting a puppy, but I don't think I expected to be so busy with him. I haven't gotten to the gym since the day we picked Emmett up, I haven't kept the house as picked up as usual, and I haven't had much time to email or blog. I'm hoping I can figure out soon how to add in the gym with this new schedule! Regardless, I love our puppy. Just look at him...
Besides playing with and training Emmett, we have been partying with Molly...celebrating her 5th birthday! Last night was her Hannah Montana birthday party, and it was awesome! Karaoke, concession stand food, presents, fingernail painting, and tattoos. What more could a five year old ask for??

And of course Morgan showed off her moves. Can't let big sister have the whole show!

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!