Reese's Baptism

Today was a special day. Reese was baptized at our church, First United Methodist Church, in front of family and friends. It was very special for me because as I stood there and looked down the VERY LONG row of family standing with us (we had 19 family members standing with us) I realized how very lucky we are to have such a strong family to support us. I know Reese will feel the love and support of our strong family for years to come and it brings tears to my eyes. It really impressed upon me the importance of family.

Reese, of course, did her part playing the cute baby. She actually made it through the entire service with only a few, random cries, mostly strategically placed during a prayer when everyone was quiet. She went to our preacher and let him carry her down the aisle while the congregation sang "Jesus Loves Me" and only cried a little when he placed the water on her head. It was a very special experience.

After the service, all our families came back to our house and we had a cook-out in the backyard. Colton was excited to show off his new outdoor kitchen he built this summer. All in all, it was a special day we will always remember.

XOXO,
Devin

Where did the time go?

It seems like just yesterday I was typing away about Valentine's Day and here it is September. My dad always told me time flies once you have a child and boy was he right. It feels like time has just zipped by, leaving me just a little flustered and full of memories from the first five months of my daughter's life.

Reese Isabella Street was born on April 17, 2012, a healthy 8.1 lbs and 22 inches long. Life has been crazy since she arrived and I can honestly say it's also never been better. Having a child changes you and your marriage. In my experience, it has made me a better person and my marriage stronger, so I feel I am very blessed.

I am now a SAHM (stay at home mom for those of you who are acronym challenged) and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity for me to stay at home. It was a difficult transition at first because I LOVED my job and LOVED my students so it was hard to say good bye to that part of my life. However, I realize how lucky I am to be able to witness all of Reese's firsts. We are doing well staying at home and I am really enjoying my time with her.

One of my very best friends got married in Santa Fe two weeks after Reese was born so she experienced her first road trip at just 18 days old. We were very fortunate to have Colton's mom travel with us and keep her while we attended all the wedding festivities. She is already well traveled. She has been to Santa Fe, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth so far. She is a great little traveler.

Life is good right now and we are enjoying each day.

XXOO,
Devin

Valentine's...a little early

I woke up this morning to an unexpected surprise....cancelled classes due to inclement weather! Normally, you would think as an adult I would lament the fact that I would be losing a day of instruction. Instead, I squealed with joy as I pushed snooze on my alarm clock and thought of all the extra reading time I would have today. Most of the morning was spent playing on the internet and reading in the bathtub...you know...the things most mature adults do on their days off. No? Oh...well, that's what I did. Since the hubs and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early due to basketball games tomorrow night that I must attend, I had to run out to the store in search of the perfect card. We do not do a "big" Valentine's deal...usually just dinner. But, as a fan of expressing my feelings whenever given the opportunity, I never let the chance to buy a card pass me by. I love to give cards or notes. Hubs could probably do without but he has now been married to me long enought to realize the mistake of not having a card on a special occasion. Just ask him about the time he read his birthday card and then proceeded to toss it in the trash. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

However, this Valentine's Day is special, I realized. Its our last Valentine's Day with it being just "us". From now on, we will have to share this holiday with our daughter and it will never be just the two of us again. Of course, I am thrilled about this and I know future Valentine's occasions will be more special because we will have a daughter to share it with. But, it does leave me feeling a little sentimental. So, since my pregnant hormones are raging more than ever, I thought I would reflect on why I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.

10. He makes me laugh, even when I am mad at him and don't want to.
9. He helps me realize not to sweat the small stuff and to not take things so seriously when in the big scheme of things they don't really matter.
8. He brings me down a notch when I need it (which of course isn't often) :)
7. He is intelligent and likes to talk to me about his work and mine.
6. He lets me talk about my work all the time and tell stories about my kiddos, even if he has heard them already.
5. He realizes how much I love what I do and he encourages me. He wants to know the kids I love and he gives me good advice when I talk to him about things from school.
4. He shares my love of traveling and will join in on my daydreaming about our next vacation. He makes these dreams happen for me.
3. He builds up my confidence and values my opinions.
2. He loves our families and our dog in a way that shows me he will always be a family man and I can depend on him to support me and our family no matter what.
1. He is a strong Christian man who is not afraid to talk about his faith and he will be a good role model for our daughter. He has inspired me to explore my faith more deeply.

This Valentine's I am also thankful that our daughter will get a father that will teach her right from wrong, value her opinions, show her what a good man looks like and acts like, teach her to be a good Christian, and love her unconditionally. I am so very lucky to have been blessed by God with a man who loves me so strongly and deeply.

I hope you feel blessed this Valentine's Day, too. May love fill your day tomorrow!
XOXO,
Devin

2012- The year of possibilities

2011 was good to me. I wrapped up my first year of teaching at EHS and our first year in our new home, our goods friends the Cox's moved to Lubbock, made new friends, shared in the excitement of friends getting engaged and getting pregnant, traveled to Europe, visited New York City at Christmas, and found out we were pregnant with our first child. It has been a year of blessings and surprises. We are so lucky and so blessed. Our home is finally coming together and our life in Lubbock is blossoming.

As I spent time today and last night reflecting on the past year (as most do on New Year's), I couldn't help but smile to myself with anticipation for the year to come. We found out we are having a baby girl and she is due to arrive April 25th. Our lives have already begun to change as we prepare for our new addition. We are so excited to meet her.

As with all changes, the unknown can be intimidating and overwhelming at times as you question whether you will be good enough or be ready for what lies ahead. Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful support team surrounding me and, most importantly, my husband, who is my rock and my biggest encourager. As I embark on this new year and this new adventure of motherhood, I can't help but feel blessed to have such wonderful people surrounding me. I am so lucky. 2012- here's to a new year and a new journey. Happy New Year's!

XOXO!

La Bella Vita!!!

The beautiful life! Aagh, Italy. I think I am in love with you. Of all the places we mapped out on our European destination map for our July trip, I was most indifferent towards Italy. It, for me, was one of those places that is hyped up and I truly wondered if it could be that awesome. In one word...YES! I love Italy! Italy is a beautiful country, the food is amazing, the scenery is gorgeous, and the people are friendly. It was my favorite part of our trip. We spent some time in Venice, Florence, Sienna, Pisa, and Cinque Terra. I cannot wait to go back. Here is a quick recap of our trip. I will post more detailed recaps by country later when I have the patience to type and post pictures. (I still have not found that patience required for uploading pics to facebook...hmm).

July 22-29- Italy
Day One-Venice
**St. Mark's Square, gondola ride through the city, Colton attempted pasta with black ink squid sauce, and began consuming what would be copious amounts of wine throught the week

Days Two, Three, and Four- Florence & Sienna
**minor hiccup in getting the train, detour to Prato, Italy (which worked out since I teach about the Chinese fabric factories that have relocated there), Accademia to see David, Uffizi to see Botticelli, Da Vinci and company, Pitti Palace, Sienna for wine tasting class, Ponte Vecchio bridge, Santa Maria Novella church, lots of amazing pasta and we tried bistecca fiorentina (which Colton thought would not measure up to Texas beef but it was delicious!)

Days Five and Six- Cinque Terra
**Italian Riviera, Cinque Terra Hike (took six hours! hardest thing I have ever done), swam in the Mediterranean Sea, sun bathing, more amazing food (anchovie pizza and fresh pesto pasta)

Days Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine- Pisa, Munich
** quick stop in Pisa on the way to the airport to Munich, beergardens (our favorite was the Augustiner), Dachau, Glockenspiel, Englisch Gardens, Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Hofbrauhaus (not that great)

Days Ten and Eleven- Amsterdam
**Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank house, lots of walking Amsterdam, Red Light district quick tour, sitting in cafes in the rain drinking hot chocolate

Days Twelve and Thirteen- London
** London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abby, London Tower, Hyde Park, tour of Harrod's, pub food

Day Fourteen- Home Sweet Home

I will try to post more detailed accounts of each place for the random reader who cares to know more (like my mom) with pictures! The rest of summer passed by quickly. Colton and I were already dreaming up our next European vacation while sitting in cafes and biergartens across Europe. Colton believes he could live in Munich and we both agree a return to Italy is a must. Next up....maybe Prague and eastern Europe or France and Spain. Who knows?

In exciting news on the home front, Baby Street will be making his or her arrival April 25th, 2012! We are super excited and cannot wait to meet our little one!

Until next time, much love!
Devin

Whoop Whoop Holla Holla The Mats are in the House

Cheer camp...ahhh the joy! Of all my responsibilities as cheer sponsor, camp is one I usually look forward to the least. My idea of a fun time is not spending three or four days away from the comforts of my own home supervising anywhere from 15-20 teenage girls every night. It usually looks something like this....

Me during the day- Be nice. Lose the attitude. Work hard. Stay positive. Repeat in some form about 1000 times during the day.

Me during the evenings- Go to bed. Lights off. Quit dancing/texting/screaming/singing/etc. Repeat about 2000 times.

This year was different. We decided to attend private camp at a local gym here in Lubbock. The best part of this camp is it was only during the DAY! Can I get an amen?!?! It was 10,000 times better than any previous camp experience I have had and not just for the selfish reasons I listed above. Since most of our girls are newbies to cheer with relatively little formal training in any type of cheer or dance, they received much more individual attention than they would have had at a larger camp. I am really proud of their efforts, attitude, and focus during these three days. I have a feeling we are going to do some great things this coming year.

To cap off a week of hard work, we celebrated with a day of fun in the sun yesterday at Water Rampage, the mini version of Wet n Wild in Lubbock. I found myself somehow cajoled into attending this fiesta but I really had a good time. 14 of the 20 girls actually showed up and we spent the day playing at the park. I even did the water slide once with them since one of the girls would not go down until I told her if I did it she had to! All in all, it was six hours of team building and fun so I think it was a good time had by all.

I am off to my ten year reunion this weekend. I feel old just typing that. I think I may become one of those people who stops aging after 29. Don't get me wrong. I WILL have a birthday celebration every year but I will just never age. I am going to have to really invest in some good wrinkle cream to keep this charade up.
(Runs off to research wrinkle creams.....)

Have a great weekend!!! XOXO,
Devin

Waiting for Superman...a thought or two

Some of you may have seen the documentary Waiting for Superman. If you have not, please go and rent it. I have heard about this documentary several times in the past few months and made a mental note to watch it. Since the hubs is OOT, I was perusing the film que on our on demand section of tv and saw it was now available. I decided to go ahead and rent it tonight since he wasn't around to encourage a choice of the Hangover variety. I didn't expect to find myself tearing up throughout the film but there I was on a Saturday night holding tissues under my eyes as the tears flowed.

A little caveat...you may not agree with everything in the documentary. Rent it anyway. That is just the way documentaries go. You might agree with parts and disagree with others. However, as a teacher, I think it's worth spending a couple hours of your life to watch this film, for no other reason than to feel inspired. I am definitely the sentimental type so I can find inspiration in anything and a reason to cry in almost anything I watch. But, this film reminds us of the important task we, as teachers, have been given and it reminds us of our responsibility to make sure we continually work to improve the lives of kids.

Here are a few of my thoughts about the documentary...
1. I liked how the filmmaker put faces with statistics. It was not just numbers being spouted off at you. It was stories about real families in real places. Much more powerful.

2. I felt incredibly sad that so many children's hopes rely on a lottery system to get into charter schools in their neighborhoods. All public schools should be of the same excellent caliber that children learn equally and are challenged. Unfortunately, that is not the reality. It really doesn't seem fair that where you leave determines the quality of education you receive.

3. I found it inspiring to see the educators in the film who are working to find better ways to meet the needs of our students. It's motivating to see people who decided not to accept that status quo and who challenged typical ways of doing things in their respective hometowns.

4. I shed many tears because I could connect the stories in the film to many of my own students lives. I saw a lot of shared problems from the students in the film with the ones I see on a daily basis. It made the film more real to me.

More than anything, I liked this film because it reminded me that my job is important and their are people who are willing to dedicate their lives to building a better education system for our future generations. The system may be broken but I have faith we will find a way to fix it. I sincerely hope I will be part of that plan, however small or short lived my contribution may be. I hope to make a mark.

XOXO,
Devin

A fresh start...for the blog that is.

Summer is finally upon me and with it has come a sense to purge everything. My closet was the first victim of this purge. I finally let go of some of those old college tops that I will never wear again. Also on my list of victims is the cheer closet at Estacado. We had uniforms from the late 70s in there! Up next...the closets in the guest rooms of our house and the garage. I figure since I have all this time off I may as well make good use of it. My hubs has been working diligently every night for the past two weeks to finish building our bookshelves for either side of the fireplace so it only makes sense that I contribute by cleaning out the junk so our new home looks good. From all of this, I decided to carry over my purging to the blog. I started out with great ideas about what this blog would accomplish and I wanted very much to have a specific purpose for it. However, life happened and I really did not blog as much as I wanted to and most of the posts are more of updates rather than specific posts. So, I accepted this and decided to make a few changes.

The first change is the removal of my 101 in 1001 list. While well intentioned, a list of 1001 things to do for me was not realistic. I rarely remembered to update the list (even though I could have checked off more things) and it became something I had to do rather than something I enjoyed doing. As I get older, I have really started focusing on only doing things I really want to do so I think a shorter list is in order. It is more realistic and more focused. Here are a few goals I would like to accomplish:

1. Continue to grow in my spiritual life. For me, this means reading my Bible cover to cover and praying more frequently. I already attend church on a fairly regular basis here in Lubbock.

2. Take measures to make us financially secure. I am in the process of reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover at the suggestion of a friend who had success with it and I must say I am very excited about it.

3. Continue to nurture my relationships with my family and close friends. Growing up and living apart is much harder than people realize and it's important to continue to make the effort to keep these relationships intact. Family is very important to me and I am very blessed to have a strong group of girlfriends from college who support me and keep my spirits lifted.

4. Stay physically fit. I know I will never have my college body back but that does not mean I cannot be healthy and fit. Gone are the days of being able to eat queso and not pay the price. However, I am learning to enjoy eating better.

5. Seek out learning opportunities, whatever they may be. I love to learn new things, whether they be related to teaching, baking and cooking, gardening, managing money, exercising, etc. I hope that I will always continue to learn and try new things and cultivate new skills to make myself a more well rounded person.

6. Travel. I want to see as much of the world as I can in this lifetime. C and I will take our first big step toward this goal together this summer as we head off to Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Munich, Amsterdam, and London. We also still have plans to make it to Japan to see Adam and Shelley but the earthquake/tsunami postponed them a bit. Colton and I did make a bucket list of places to see (which was on my 101 in 1001 list) and we hope to make progress on it each year, be it big or small trips.

7. Cultivate new interests and friendships in my new home of Lubbock, Texas. We have been here for a year and I am finally making new friends. I am excited about the possibilities and want to continue to make a life for myself here.

As for the rest of the blog, I really have not changed much. I added a label tab and rearranged the side bar. The main change I hope to accomplish is to blog more often and to use this blog as a way to update those interested in the happenings of our life here in Lubbock. Sometimes you might see a cooking post or a  travel post (look for those in July with our trip to Europe) or a post with just some daily musings. I hope to use it to share things about my life with others. I have accepted I am not going to have a blog dedicated to one pursuit and therefore I am okay with it being a jumble of thoughts and stories.

May the beginning of June bring you summer fun in the sun!
XOXO,
Devin

The Count Down Begins

Three more Mondays until blissful freedom! That's right....you heard me. Three more Mondays until my first year at EHS is complete. Summer is upon us and I, for one, cannot wait! Since the state of Texas feels it is necessary to test the crap out of the kiddos at the end of the year, many of the students have already mentally checked out. The routine of school has become boring and dreams of hot, sunny days invade their thoughts. I must admit I am guilty of this too. The last few weeks have been quite busy with all this TAKS hoopla but knowing the end is in sight makes it all bearable. One bright spot in this past month has been my co-workers. I have met some really awesome people who keep my spirits up and never fail to make me laugh (although my students do a pretty good job of making me laugh on their own-both intentional and unintentional).

For those of you who cannot bear another moment of ignorance on the Street family daily activities, here is a quick update for you.

April

EHS Prom- Yes. I returned to prom after a brief 10 year hiatus. The scene has changed. No longer are couples the main attraction. Groups of singles (boys and girls separate-obviously) were the main form of prom dates and the main music-why rap/hiphop of course. I rather enjoyed my self at prom, made better by the fabulous teachers who were there with me. I even helped set up. There was one brief moment of panic when a male student walked toward me when the call for all teachers to hit the floor came over the mic but I quickly warded off said student by pretending I was super busy looking in the cash box at the door. Whew! Scene of embarrassment avoided-I only dance if there is wine involved. It helps me dance better (at least I think so).

Street Family Reunion- For the second year, we have spent Easter with Colton's extended and rather large family. This year, we rented cabins on Lake Alan Henry. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am not much of the outdoorsy type. I can hike with the best of them...as long as it doesn't involve getting dirty. But...I did have lots of fun hanging with all of Colton's aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love being a part of such a close-knit family. And..Louie made the trip with us to the lake. Quick story about Lou Dog-
     On the first day, Louie decided during his first trip by the river that he would take a little dip. Now, no one was prepared for this and Louie has never swam before. One minute, Louie is staring into the frothy brown water next to the bridge and the next he has jumped into the water (we think he thought it was dirt). So, in what seemed like eternity but probably was only five seconds, Louie disappears under the murky brown water and does not come up! So we wait, and wait, and wait. At this point, Louie's head bobs up above water and then disappears right back under again. This whole time SuDe (Colton's mom) is screaming her head off and when Louie goes back under she pushes Chase into the river to "save" Louie. So into the river goes Chase (sunglasses, cell phone, keys, and all) who promptly surfaces with Louie and saves the day!
After that river scare, Louie decides he rather likes the water and spends the rest of his doggie vacation running along the muddy banks of the river and occasionally splashing through the water.

EHS Midnight Madness Volleyball tournament- My good friend Sarah coaches the freshman volleyball team and they held a fundraising tournament up at the school. She asked me to play along with some other new teachers. This is how I found myself face flat in the grass on a Saturday evening in April wearing a bedazzled team shirt and neon shorts (naturally, what else would I be wearing?). It actually was a lot of fun and I was able to get my overhand serve back quickly (during practice-game time was a different story). For most of us being fairly young and still in decent shape, you would think we would have done better than we did. I spent most of my time diving for balls (it made me look like I was good-right?) and laughing uncontrollably. We definitely were not the best team there but we were not the worst. My bruised up knees paid the price but I did get a pair of brand new neon Nikes out of the deal since I convinced Colton I needed new shoes for the day.

Now that April 2011 is in the books I look forward to May flowers, hopefully a few rain showers that never made their appearance in April (West Texas is DRY), a trip home to FW to visit my family, and wrapping up the school year. Summer 2011 is not far off and looks to be busy and tons of fun!

XOXO,
Devin

Temptation has a name.....

and that name is Cadbury Egg. Every year I eagerly await the Easter candy season with feelings of excitement and joy over the vastly superior (in my humble opinion) selection of candies. The mother of all those candies....the Cadbury Creme Egg....has long been a secret vice of mine. Okay okay...not so secret but nonetheless  I have enjoyed them for many years now. It all started when my father brought home these delicious creme filled chocolate eggs back when I was growing up. (I have no idea how long ago he first started getting them) I would eagerly wait each day before Easter to see if he had brought home any more eggs and in my haste to enjoy the yummy goodness of them I usually ate all of my allotment in the first two hours and would then resort to begging my sister to give me one of hers. (I sometimes think she did this on purpose to annoy me.) So began one of my Easter traditions and each year parents (my mom joined in on this eventually) would shower me with Cadbury eggs. When I went off to college, I would get care packages of them delivered to my dorm and my post college visits home would always end with a pack or two of Cadbury Creme Eggs. And then this year I had to go all crazy and give them up!

Yes, my friends, I have briefly parted ways with my Cadbury eggs. In a crazy plot twist, this year I am aiming to slim down a bit (baby, these hips don't lie) just in time for summer and swimsuit season. My upcoming reunion and vacation played a prominent role in this decision as well as my desire to just feel better about myself. So, with much trepidation, I gave up three things I love most for Lent....any chocolate in candy form, queso, and sodas. The only caveat to this is I do drink diet cola if I have an alcoholic beverage...Malilbu and orange juice just isn't the same. (Note- I am Methodist but I decided to participate in Lent this year.) Every year I claim I will give something up for Lent but this is the first year I am actually doing it. And let me tell...I have not cheated. Not once. No sodas, no queso, no chocolate candy until Easter weekend. It has been a struggle but I am managing.

To add insult to injury, upon her most recent visit to Lubbock, the weekend after Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, my mother brought me not one but TWO boxes of Cadbury Creme Eggs. Not only are there two of them staring me down every time I open up my refridgerator door but they are extra value packs, meaning there are five eggs in there instead of four. FIVE EGGS! Five eggs of yummy creamy chocolatey goodness just teasing me every day! And I am most proud to say I have not cheated once!

My diet these days consists mostly of meat, veggies, and fruits, with the occasional indulgence in white carbs or frozen yogurt (if you live this close to Bless your Heart, you have to make allowances for their yogurt). I have more energy and I feel a lot better, especially seeing the scale slide down every few days. But what, you might ask, about those delicious eggs?

Ask me about them again after Easter.....

XOXO,
Devin

Spring Break 2011

Usually, I cannot wait until Spring Break but this year it snuck up on me. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I have been going ninety miles an hour since I first started school back in the fall. I can now officially declare cheerleading season is over! Thank goodness. Until next week....when we start try-outs for next year's squad. This will be followed by uniform fittings, fundraisers, and practices to prepare for camp. So...my break from cheerleading will last ONE week. Though, to outsiders, on paper, it may look like I have three months off in the spring. Not true! However, I do enjoy my job thoroughly, maybe more so than any other job I have had. This makes all things bearable, including no off season for cheerleading.

In other news, our good friends, the Harkriders, are alive and well in Japan. They survived the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week. We are so very grateful for their safety and we continue to pray for the others affected by the tragedy in Japan. See you soon, my friends!

Spring break brings the bliss of no plans! While I do have things to accomplish, I have no set schedule and therefore can go at my own pace. Like I said...pure bliss! I have managed to accomplish one thing thus far...tanning. I am currently sitting on my couch blogging (instead of completing online training..which is, of course, not my fault) while I wait on my new bronze spray tan to settle in. I plan on telling the kiddos when I get back my glow is natural. Shh...don't tell my little secret!

Other things to tick off my list this week include:

• spring cleaning
• online training
• lesson plans
• car wash

Those are the necessities so we will see how much I get accomplished. My parents arrive at the end of the week for a visit. It will be their first visit to Lubbock since football season so they have not seen our new bedroom furniture or tv in the master bedroom. It will be nice to have them come stay at our house. I am looking forward to it.

January and February were fairly busy for us with basketball games every Tuesday and Friday night but we did manage to get down to Dallas at the end of January for Ford's thirtieth birthday party. It was a throw back to the eighties and tons of fun. I also managed to sneak in some girl time with my girlfriends, which is always therapeutic and always fun. We also managed to make it to Houston for the rodeo cook-off with our friends the McKnights and Jordan/JT. It was sort of a mini-reunion from our trip to Boise last August for Susanna's wedding. It was lots of fun. We did the rodeo cook-off Friday night and we went out to an Irish pub and another Houston bar Saturday night. I think my favorite part of the trip was sitting on a patio with Jordan and Amelia drinking mimosas and talking. There is nothing a good chat with your girlfriends can't fix!

Well, having done my duty to update this blog, I am now off to enjoy the rest of my spring break. Here's to hoping for beautiful weather and sunshine this week!

Devin

Tis the Season

Happy Holidays to all! Apparently, when I created this blog, I had lots of free time on my hands so it seemed natural to say I would update weekly and my 101 in 1001 list didn't seem so ambitious. Alas, as it does with most things, life got in the way. This is not to say I am abandoning my list or my blog, but rather that I will continue to work on both while I'm out there busy living life. Rather than jump into a long diatribe of all my daily activities these last few months, I will resort to bullet points for a brief synopsis....

• November
• EHS finished the football season as district champs...but lost their first game of the playoffs.
• So....my life is now consumed with basketball games every Tuesday and Friday night....at least our team is good (reigning 3A state champs..thank you very much)
• cooked my first Thanksgiving meal all by myself (only the pecan pie didn't make it)
• visited Washington D.C. with my mother in law, sister in law, and grandmother in law...a first for me (at least first vacation to D.C....I have stopped through)
• December
• bought our first "big" family tree...and decorated it...with way to much stuff.....
• watched Colton put lights up on our first house (I encouraged from a lawn chair with Louie)
• baked...and baked.....and baked.....out of this came my first attempts at holiday fudge (success), chocolate mint puddles, peppermint bark, oreo truffles, and several batches of chocoalte chip and double chocolate chip cookies
• our first big holiday party in Lubbock
• EHS cheer Christmas party

And that the brings me to today, where I am sitting at my parent's house in Fort Worth, with no make-up on, finally finding time to blog. It feels good to be home for the holidays and to have a short break from reality. It's nice to be able to see my family and friends, to sit and know you have nowhere you have to be, to enjoy holiday cookies and Christmas lights, all the small joys of the season.

Louie is adjusting nicely to my parent's house and hopefully Gracie won't drive him nuts over the next few days. She is very excited to have a visitor. Colton and I are planning on seeing friends later today and tomorrow, even Adam and Shelley all the way from Japan! We are looking forward to the next few days.

As I watch Louie and Gracie try to eat all the firewood on my parent's back patio, I will take that as my cue to sign off. My wish for this holiday season....peace and happiness for all my family, friends, and students. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas!
XXOO,
Devin

My Time Flies!

Holy moly! It feels like yesterday I just woke up and moved to Lubbock. Instead, the reality is we have lived in Lubbock for four months now and my last blog post was in July. I have been CRAZY busy and therefore my ramblings to the general public through the web have been put on hold. Truth is, any free time I have had to myself has been spent watching reruns of Gossip Girl on the couch while eating Bahama Bucks snowcones. I have not even wanted to blog. But...have no fear. I'm back! :)

So what exactly have I been doing these last few months that would cause me to describe myself as "Crazy busy"? School started...that's what. My whole life has been consumed with my job. I have never worked harder than I am now. I literally work ten hour days sometimes and I'm a teacher! What! Not only am I teaching an entirely new class (which I found out about 6 days before school started) and coaching Varsity cheerleading (which takes up all my free time and my Friday nights) but I am almost positive my 7th period is conspiring against me to make me go grey in my 20s. Seriously...I'm not kidding about that last part. Oh..and somewhere in between all this I try to find time to act like I'm actually married and a good wife, not a single lady who eats mac n cheese for breakfast because she is too tired to actually grocery shop properly. Lord knows my waistline has not forgiven me yet for all this extra activity. I have not even worked out since July.

In all seriousness, I love my job. It is more challenging than I imagined but also much more rewarding. I have experienced things and heard things about situations students are in that I never thought I would have to hear myself. Plus, I have lots of funny stories!

In other, non-work related news, I have finally started cooking again. Colton no longer has to pretend to be husband and wife.

Colton and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Boise, Idaho this year. One of my very best friends, Susanna, got married the day before our anniversary so to Idaho we went. I have to admit I was not too excited about Boise. I mean really, who wants to go to Boise? I was pleasantly surprised. Boise is like a smaller Austin but with less weirdos. Its about the size of Lubbock but its right near the mountains and white water rafting. (neither of which I did) Most of our time was spent doing wedding related things and checking out the nightlife. Colton had an especially awesome time with Amelia's husband Jeremy and Jordan's boyfriend JT. ( I will leave that story for him to tell) The weather was nice too...much cooler than that horrid Texas heat in August. THe wedding was beautiful and Susanna made a gorgeous bride.

LOUIE UPDATE: Louie is quite possibly the cutest dog ever. He is now four months old and almost 18 pounds. He shouldn't get too much bigger. He has these huge man paws that look like bear paws on his tiny body and his bulldog features continue to become more apparent (especially his stubborn attitude). He is an absolute joy for Colton and me. Pics soon!

My life is very busy but very content. I try to remind myself daily I am so blessed (even when a certain student in 7th period tells me to chill out when I reprimand him) and that what I am doing is for the good of my students. I have a wonderful husband and a wonderful support network of family and friends. Life is good.

July Musings

Summer is almost over! Can you believe it? I feel like I just left for the school year. I don't want to whine because I am lucky to have eight weeks off every summer but, geez, it feels like I have had no summer at all. I go back to work next week for professional development and the kiddos come back August 23. Crazy!

Last week, I went to cheer camp with the twelve varsity members of the cheer team at Estacado. Camp was held in Plainview at Wayland Baptist. It was actually a lot of fun and the girls did an awesome job. They worked really hard and made some great improvements. I am excited for the upcoming year.

Colton and I have been spending our free time working on the house. He made a comment the other day how if we were still in Fort Worth, we would probably be sitting on a patio on the weekends but here in Lubbock we do chores and work on the house. Ha! The joys of acting like a grown-up! The house is coming along though and we are starting to decorate some. My mother in law is coming this week to help me refinish an antique hutch my parents gave us. I cleaned the house yesterday and for the first time I wished for an apartment. Cleaning a real house is a pain! Literally! I think I pulled a muscle in my back. I will file that away for a future conversation with Colton about the need for a cleaning lady! :)

I spent the weekend after 4th of July in New Orleans. I really love that city. There is so much personality and culture. It has a rythym to it, something you feel while you are there. The people are friendly, the food is good, and the music is always flowing. My only suggestion...cheaper drinks. Susanna, one of my very best freinds, is getting married so we all flew into NOLA to celebrate her bachelorette party. We spent Friday at Pat Os and on Bourbon Street. Saturday, we toured the 9th ward and walked around Jackson Square before a nice dinner at Mr. B's Bistro and more fun on Bourbon. It was crazy to go down to the 9th ward and see the lack of recovery there.
**It is kind of sad how once something is out of the eye of the media the public no longer thinks of it. I am sure many people think its fully recovered, just as people think of Galveston.

Colton started work last week with his new office and he is really loving it. The people in Lubbock are so friendly. He really likes the staff and he gets along great with the other dentist, Jimmy.

Finally, the most important news I have to share.....WE GOT A DOG! His name is Louie and he is sooo cute! He is everything I said I didn't want and I love him to death. I always said I wanted a girl dog and I didn't like brindle. Of course, the dog Colton decides he wants is both male and brindle. Louie came home and I fell in love. He is a mixture of miniature dachshund and English bulldog (the mom was the bulldog!). He is about seven weeks old and he is lots of fun. He has a good disposition and gets along well with other dogs. We are having so much fun with our new addition! I posted pics on facebook if you want to see what he looks like.

XOXO,
Devin

Texas Tornado

Texas Tornado...this is what I feel like I have been lately. My "path" has taken me to Lubbock for training with my new school, back to Fort Worth for one night only to leave for Lubbock again with all that we own (minus our storage unit--> that is a whole different story), back to Fort Worth to blow through Crockett, Texas for the 4th of July, to find myself currently in Fort Worth. Of course, this has all taken place in two weeks and I am about to take another detour to New Orleans, LA for my good friend Susanna's bachelorette party. Talk about a whirlwind...I am pretty sure I may have left some destruction in my wake, probably in the form of my body (eating at random foods at random times is hard on the body...don't even show me a scale for at least two weeks, please)! It's been fun though and I am excited for my new life in Lubbock, though still a little apprehensive to leave the familiar. I guess that is what life is about, following the path God takes you to and hoping to find courage and comfort along the way. At least I have a handsome man to share this journey with!

Speaking of that handsome man, let's go back to that clip about the storage unit aforementioned. My dear, sweet husband did not order a large enough Uhaul for all of our stuff (who knew we had that much junk) so we could not even load up our storage unit. This means we left without some furniture and boxes so Colton now has to rent another Uhaul to bring up the rest of our stuff.

On the bright side, Colton's family has been really supportive and helpful so that is making the move much easier. Also, my awesome mom and grandma came up for a week to help me out. We unpacked, organized, made several trips all over Lubbock for things we needed (and Baskin Robbins ice cream...my mom is obsessed), and cleaned. Well, they cleaned while I was at cheer practice. They did so much for me, even cooking dinner every night. It was so nice and I know Colton and I will be returning to our brand new home that is clean and ready to go. What a nice feeling!

In other, unimportant news, I caved in and switched over to AT&T cell service, which means I am now a proud Iphone user. It was really because Colton wanted to consolidate all of our tv/phone/internet service under one bill but the Iphone is a nice perk. However, its a little addicting and I am going to have to work hard not to lose my manners because its so easy to be on it ALL the time. I really hate that people are so tied to their phones that they cannot even enjoy a dinner with texting or using some app. So, note to self, do Not become one of those people.

Finally, Colton celebrated 29 years of life yesterday. Happy birthday babes!

XOXO,
Devin

Life in Transition

It's funny how things sneak up on you in life. You make plans, you talk about those plans, you think about those plans, and you even plan for those plans. But suddenly, when it's time to follow through, there is this pause, kind of like, wait! What am I doing? This would describe my head the last few days as I began packing for Lubbock.

Don't get me wrong...I am very excited to move to Lubbock and I WANT to move to Lubbock. It's just that C and I have been so busy lately with wedding activities, showers, birthday celebrations, and actual weddings that I have not had time to stop and really think about the fact that I am officially moving to Lubbock this Friday. I haven't really dealt with the emotional side of our plans...the part where I am moving 300 miles from my family and most of my friends. So, needless to say since I am very sensitive, I have had a couple of breakdowns (or meltdowns, whichever you prefer) this week. I already stress easily when it comes to big projects (funny how I am a teacher since I stress easily) so when the boxes came out this week the tears came too. Lucky for me, I have a great support system around me, starting with my wonderful husband who can deal with anything I throw at him. I think I caught him a little off guard but he knows me so well so he adapted quickly. Now that I am in Lubbock for training for my new job, I am managing those feelings better...at the moment. :)
Last weekend my good friend Lizzy got married. The wedding was very pretty and lots of fun. She had a great band so the dance floor was packed all night. It was also fun to spend time with some of my closest girlfriends right before I move. Lizzy was a beautiful bride and her family is lots of fun. I think I may be getting too old for those late nights, though. My body just doesn't recover from those nights as well as it used to.

Colton's cousin JuLea got married this past weekend in Lubbock, which is why I am still here. No sense in flying back for one day just to return on Tuesday. Her wedding was outdoors at Spirit Ranch. She used peacocks for her theme and her colors were purple and lime green. It was a gorgeous color combination. Her dress was amazing, too. Lots of flowers all over...I am not doing it justice explaining it. It was a lot of fun and Colton's entire family was there, even Grandmommy! I love getting to see his family. It's always a good time.

Well, the official move is this Friday. Wish us luck!
XOXO,
Devin

School's Out for Summer!

Woohoo! Finally, the end of the school year is here. I thought it would never come. My last day working for Fort Worth ISD was officially Monday, June 7th. While I have enjoyed my time here in Fort Worth, I am looking forward to my new school in Lubbock. Friday was the last day with the kiddos and I only had to go in Monday for two hours or so to check out (which is a really detailed process of basically chasing administrators all over the school to get them to sign you out. fun!)

My first day of summer was actually rather busy. I came home from my two hour sprint through PHS to find the laundry basket overflowing. So began a full day of laundry, baking chocolate chip cookies (cravings....too hard to resist), making lunch for my husband (a  really elaborate way to say I made some mac n cheese), cleaning the kitchen, P90X, and making dinner for Colton. Now, I will say, dinner was more elaborate. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans...a way to congratulate myself on making it to the end of the year. Funny how I always choose to reward myself with calorie laden foods. But man do they taste good!

Tuesday brought a little time by the pool, where I rescued a poor baby bird who had fallen in and could not get out. I also began my serious workout routine. I call it my serious workout routine because it involves me doing three different workouts a day...30 day shred, P90X, and some type of cardio. I realized that I had overlooked the fact in my euphoria that school was out that I now have absolutely no excuse not to work out and make myself feel comfortable in my own body. So...its time to get serious. I also enjoyed a little one on one time with Laura Bush. I am absolutely loving her memoir, Spoken from the Heart. I have literally laughed and cried while reading it but I am not done yet so I will post a review later when I finish.

Today, the realization set in that I am MOVING to LUBBOCK in three weeks and of those three weeks one is almost over and one will actually be spent in Lubbock at a training. What this means is I have exactly one week to pack up our whole life here. If you know me, you know I stress easily so imagine how poor Colton feels. Actually, so far I have taken it fairly well. I am extremely organized so I sat down today and made my to do list. I work well when I have a list to work off of and I like being able to cross things out. It makes me feel better.

So...with all these realizations about my short time schedule....I think I will take a walk with my hubby and procrastinate until Monday, after Lizzy's wedding weekend, to start. After all, my best work is done last minute...or at least I tell myself that!

XOXO,
Devin

Bachelorette Re-Cap & Lady Gaga

May and June are proving to be filled with all things wedding related. Lots of showers, bachelor parties, and bachelorette parties to be followed with weddings in June. We have spent a busy May jetting across Texas to attend all these festivities all while trying to keep our sanity before we move. Our days in Fort Worth are numbered and soon we will be official residents of Lubbock. But until then, we plan to enjoy as much time with friends and family here. It has not really hit me that I will be moving away FOREVER in less than a month, I guesss because I am very excited. But the good Lord knows I will miss my parents and our cute dogs Bailey and Gracie. ANd....my sister may be moving back to Fort Worth just when I leave. Boo!

The school year is winding down nicely. Finals and benchmarks have taken lots of time this May and I know the kiddos are ready to go. Just when I think I may go grey prematurely or pull my hair out one of them will step in and do something really fantastic. This was what happened last Friday. I had a frustrating morning reviewing them for finals. The day before I had handed out their end of year notes. Every year that I have taught, I create a typewritten letter (it has actually evolved into more of a brochure with quotes and song lyrics) but I hand write a note on each one for each student. It  is time consuming but I do it because I want them to know I care. Well, 7th period rolls around on Friday and one of my students presents me with a hand-made card about twenty minutes into class. It has a huge picture of Lady Gaga on the front (I lOVE her) with shards of those plastic dress up mirrors you played with when you were little artfully arranged in a collage around it. I thought"Sweet" and then opened it up. All my 7th period students had written a note in it. I cried! Ha. It was so sweet and the first time I have ever received a note from my entire class together. I have received letters from individuals before but this was the first time a class planned together. I loved it! I was reminded of why I teach and why even the most frustrating moments are worth it.

This past weekend was the bachelorette bash for my good friend Lizzy. We spent Saturday evening out and about in Dallas, hitting up Dragonfly for dinner first. Let me tell you the macaroni and cheese at Dragonfly is to die for. Delicious! After two hours of fellowship and wine, we headed off to S4 for a drag show. It was fun but we only stayed an hour. Next up...the PM lounge at the Joule. Very swanky and filled to the brim with people. It was a fun night of dancing with the girls and the bride seemed to enjoy herself quite nicely!

Next up...an 80s themed 30th birthday bash! Four days and counting til summer.....

XOXO,
Devin

Life in the fast lane....

It feels like Colton and I have been going, going, going lately. We have been back and forth to Lubbock several times to house hunt and then do walkthroughs plus we have had several wedding related parties to attend so our weekends have been cram packed. Last weekend was the first weekend we stayed in Fort Worth in awhile and we had a shower in Dallas for my good friend Lizzy who is getting married in June. We spent this weekend traveling to Lbk Friday and back to Dallas Saturday for a surprise party for Colton's buddy Lucas, who turned 30. It was a quick but necessary trip to wrap up some details of Colton's job next year. To top all of this off, I have been sick for almost two weeks now. I had symptoms of a cold but could not shake them. I actually missed a day of work due to fever and achy muscles. Finally, I called the doctor this week and got some antibiotics. I now feel so much better.

We have lots of exciting things coming up. We will both be in Austin this weekend for different reasons. I am visiting my sister with my mom and Colton is attending a bachelor party. We have several wedding related parties to attend in the next two weeks and then in June we have back to back weddings- my good friend Lizzy and his cousin JuLea. And the big moment we have been waiting for....our move to Lubbock. I foresee lots of cleaning and packing in my near future. We have stuff everywhere- my parents, his parents, storage, and our apt so its going to be crazy getting all this stuff together.

I found out I will be lead sponsor of cheerleading next year, which I am excited about. It will be fun to go to all those football games and the school I will be working at has a very strong athletic program that competes in that playoffs often so that will be exciting to be a part of.

The countdown to the end of the school year is here...three more weeks. The kids are wound up and hopefully we can make it to the end with no major catastrophes. Everyone has summer fever, including me!

XOXO,
Devin

Our New Home in Lubbock!

Colton and I are proud new homeowners! Here is a picture of our new home in Lubbock, Texas. We are so very excited to begin the next chapter in our life together.

In other areas of good news, I was formally offered a job today by Lubbock ISD. I will be teaching social studies and co-sponsoring cheerleading at Estacado High School. I am thrilled with this offer and cannot wait to continue my teaching career in my new home school.

C and I have been very busy lately traveling back and forth to Lubbock to finalize plans for our move. We are about to embark on a month and a half long wedding crazed frenzy with showers, bachelorette/bachelor parties, and two weddings in the next six weeks. We will be crazy busy! It's a fun time with friends and family, so I will not complain.

Mother's Day is this Sunday and I am looking forward to spending some time with my awesome mother. She is a mentor, rock of support, and, most importantly, a best friend. I love her with all my heart and I will be sad to move five hours away from her. I am excited that she bought season tickets to the Tech football games, though. I have a sneaking suspicion my dad will turn his projected two games only into every home game trips, which will be nice for me so I can see them more often. Dad is already planning away on our backyard. I am sure he will have it done up to a T by the time we have lived there one year.

Current obsessions:

P90X

stalking decorating blogs

stalking furniture blogs

dragging Colton to furniture & appliance stores

counting down the days until summer

XOXO,

Devin