Chef Emmett

While Wes and I were stripping the sheets off the bed to wash them, Emmett jumped up on the bed, and we decided to capitalize on the opportunity to mess with our little guy. This is right when he emerged from being completely tangled up in the fitted sheet. He looks like a chef, right?

Frost Family Visit

Last weekend was grand for many reasons.

1. Allen flew in Thursday, and he picked me up after school...somewhat reminiscent of my 9th and 10th grade years at CHS.

2. We went to Mimi's Cafe for a late afternoon lunch...and ate several "signature" dishes.

3. Kirksey went 6-0 that night...and they are now 7-0 after this week's game.

4. The rain held off until the end of the B game, so Mom and Dad got there in time to see some of the game and my cheerleaders cheer!

5. We ate pizza at Guido's during the storm.

6. Allen, Mom, Dad, and Wes all took the day off on Friday and got to play.

7. Mom and Dad brought me lunch at school on Friday.

8. The whole crew showed up for my Pre-AP class and got in on some interesting discussions.

9. Allen got to witness a high school football game Friday night.

10. The "kids" went to the Razorback game to watch them dominate over Auburn. Good job to Rhett, though. Lauren, he's a natural.

11. I got to show off Highway 112's beauty on our way to dinner Saturday.

12. Mary Maestri's for dinner...enough said.

13. A very relaxing and laid back Sunday morning...newspaper reading, waffles, pumpkin bread, talking.

14. Lots of good home cooked meals by Mom.

I could go on and on, but you can see that I thoroughly enjoyed spending the weekend with my family. I loved getting to have them stay at my house for the first time all together.

Til next time!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

At the end of my street in Conway stands a tree. Every time I leave my house, regardless of where I'm headed, this tree stares right at me as I turn onto the main street. Around the end of September every year, every member in my family starts to really analyze the top of the tree at every passing. Now that Allen and I are out of the house, I assume we both get phone calls when mom has noticed that a few leaves have changed colors. That's our sign that fall is here. I'm not sure how it all started, but for some reason, we all believe that this tree is pretty significant in telling whether fall has begun. Last weekend while I was in Conway for a baby shower, mom and I were on our way out of the neighborhood, and mom casually mentioned how she is starting to see some color on our tree.

Fall is here. And it's bright and beautiful.

If you know me at all, it makes sense to you that I have already found our tree here in Bentonville. It's actually a group of trees alongside the road that takes me from my house to most every place I travel. As Wes and I were headed out the other night for his birthday dinner, we both noticed the bits of color coming to the leaves. Ahhhh...I love it. I think God really had a lot of fun when He created fall. Every year He keeps me amazed with the beauty He has given this place.

All things bright and beautiful. All creatures great and small. All things wise and wonderful. The Lord God made them all.

So Crazy Right Now

Here are the reasons why the title of this post is indicative of my life:

-Wes and I are going on a date tonight because, although we live together in the same house without kids, we haven't really had a lot of "us" time lately.

-I get up at 4:30 a.m. to go to the gym several mornings a week.

-I forget that I have to wake up at 4:30, so I don't go to sleep until around 10:30 or later.

-I have four classes back-to-back without breaks.

-The French teacher uses my room during my two off-periods, so I really don't get to catch up on emails or anything else of that matter all day.  

-By the time I can sit at my desk, it's 3:00, and cheer practice starts at 3:15.

-I coach 12 teenage girls in many things other than just cheerleading skills.

-I teach 13-14 year-olds English all day, every day.

-I lead an 8th grade small group every Sunday night.

-Of course Sunday night study can't be all that small group is composed of...retreats, one-on-one get togethers, etc. are also important aspects of this job.

-My adult small group meets every week to discuss sermons on God's grace.

-I have family living around here, so I make sure to see them as often as possible.

As you may have noticed, lots of those started with "I," but I'm not the one with the energy to do all of these things.  The Lord has poured excitement, love, passion, and energy into me so that He can work through me in these many jobs.  I absolutely ADORE what I'm doing right now, and I'm just so stinkin' thankful for my amazing husband who is probably just as busy as I am with his work.  We are going on a date tonight, as mentioned above.  Papers are graded, and grocery shopping is done.  The house is clean, and laundry isn't stacked "too" high.  Off to take my shower for our night on the town.  Life is good.

Last Day

More than I remember this day last year, I have noticed lots of people commenting about how they are enjoying this "last day."  It's the last day of summer for so many of us teachers.  Some people feel the need to clean because they like coming home to a neat and clean home on the first day back to work, some people just want to relax and nap, some people have waited until this last day to run a million errands like haircuts, new tires, and doctors appointments.  I am kind of in the middle.  I started the day rather early, getting up about 5 minutes after Wes (that's the last time that will happen for a WHILE...starting tomorrow, I take over as the early riser) and changing into my swimsuit to go tubing with my cheerleaders out on Beaver Lake.  They had a sleepover last night, but due to the major storms we had, the tubing was pushed back to this morning.  Since then, the normal slow mid-day has come, and I love it.  Feed and walk Emmett, shower, and just enjoy the quiet for a while.  It's so incredibly peaceful.  I have noticed that I RARELY turn any sound on when I'm home by myself during the day.  No TV. No music.  It's the opposite at night time for some reason.  I'm about to go over the dance that I made up to teach my cheerleaders, and then I'm off to school for practice and then cell group training.  I guess I'm ready for everything to start again.  I absolutely love my job, but these first few weeks are tough getting used to a different schedule and learning all 120 names of my students.  Here are a few pictures of these last days.  Happy End of Summer!  

Celebrating Michelle's birthday in Fayetteville!

My cheerleaders at the sleepover.

After Ben and Molly's performance at Kid's Camp. 

American Idol Concert!

Eating in NLR before the show.

Fun Summer Days

These past few weeks have been filled with super fun lunch dates, play time, and just good times.  Take a look at some of them...
Betsy (one of my dearest friends and co-worker), Erin (former student), and me out on Beaver Lake with Erin and her parents.  We had a blast tubing and wakeboarding!

My incredibly cute and wonderful nephew and nieces out at Fayetteville's Farmer's Market.

Swim lessons with some of my favorite people.

Finished jellies...plum and blueberry/blackberry!

Out to eat lunch with Mom, Leslie, and Sam!

Making jelly with mom.  She has taught me lots of great tricks to use in the kitchen over the years.

Happy Summer Days!  

I don't think I need to write anything. This past week was simply wonderful. We relaxed, celebrated, enjoyed the company, caught some rays, and just spent time together as a family. Enjoy the pictures...I've been enjoying playing with them!