Where I spend a lot of my time

These are some pictures of my office which will only be my office for 3 1/2 more weeks. Shortly after school is out, the school is being torn down. Right now they are constructing a new school, so if I decide to stay at the same school in the Fall, I will have a new office in a new building. I really love having my own office and not having to share space. It definitely makes my job easier. Although on many Friday afternoons, I can't wait to get out of that office and head home for the weekend, this is a special place for me, and I hope it is special to the kids I meet with.

My hope and prayer is that this office represents much more than just a room for my students.

This is a place that is safe

This is a place where kids can laugh and take a break from life

This is a place where kids are encouraged not criticized, where kids can dream and find hope

This is a place where kids say things and are not judged, where the unspoken can be spoken

This is a place where stories are shared and feelings are expressed

This is a place where kids feel special and cared about

This is a place where kids recognize their strengths

This is a place where kids are challenged to improve, skills are learned, and problems are solved

This is a special place

Rhapsody These Days

(From Rhapsody)
Life has been pretty good lately. Here are some new things I have been doing. I like to play outside. There's been wet stuff falling from the sky lately which makes the yard a whole lot more fun to play in because I can dig really deep. Mom and Dad always act mad after I've been digging. I'm just helping them out if they ever need to bury anything. They don't let me go outside as much anymore though, so I can't help them as much as I used to. I love to play with toys. When I'm alone during the day, I pull all of my toys out of my toy box and scatter them through the house. That way there is always one close when I get an urge to play. Mom usually picks them up and puts them away, but I get them out again right away. I usually have two toys to play with, that way when I let Mom or Dad have one to throw so I can run after it, I have a backup in case one gets lost. We have these really great toys at my house. They are called plastic hangers, and they taste very yummy. I like to break them into two pieces so I have two toys instead of one. When I was littler, I couldn't break them, but I'm getting stronger now. Lately, Mom and Dad only let me play with hangers that I've already broken, but I can usually find one they left out that hasn't been broken to play with.

There's this magic wall at our house that I can see through. I stare out of it a lot during the day. Sometimes I get sad that I can't go outside and play with the people and cars I see, so I walk around the house and cry and bark. If I do it enough, Mom or Dad will take me outside and let me run around. They put this thing on me though so that I have to pull them around with me. I get pretty tired sometimes, but I manage to pull them everywhere I go. I'm alone a lot during the day now, but Dad comes home during the day to let me pull him around the neighborhood.

Now that I'm bigger, I can get up on the furniture. I used to only get up when Mom or Dad picked me up, but that's changed now. I jump on it whenever I want. Sometimes they make me get off the couch, but that's okay. I just run in the bedroom and get on the bed. It's just as comfortable, and they usually don't find me in there. Oh by the way, now I get to sleep in that bed all night. I used to get locked up and had to sleep in my own bed, but I figured out what to do to get to sleep in the comfy bed right in between Mom or Dad's legs. Sometimes they are nice and just let me sleep there all night, but sometimes they make me get down. So I just get under the bed and am really quiet until I can tell they have gone to sleep, and then I jump on the bed and snuggle with them through the rest of the night. Life is really great.

Oh, and I've got Mom and Dad trained really good. They give me yummy treats whenever I want them. All I have to do is lay down and roll over or hold my paw up and they give me treats. Some dogs have to sit still for a long time or come when their parents call them, but not me. I just jump up and hit Mom's hand and I get treats. Next I think I'll lay on my back and pretend I'm dead so I can get treats and a belly rub. I'm working on that with Mom right now. That's about all that's going on with me. I have to go burn off all my energy before bedtime.

Seven Years

April is always a special month for Matt and I because our dating anniversary is in April. Now that we're married, we have a bigger anniversary to celebrate, but I always enjoy reminiscing about the early times in our relationship. I can't believe we have been together for seven years! It's getting harder to remember my life before Matt was a major part of it. Most of our memories and major life events include each other. April 2002 holds a very special place in my heart. I play this ice breaker games with my students at school. One of the questions has us share our happiest memory. I usually say my wedding day, but I think my junior prom could rival for the top spot as well. Our wedding was obviously more significant. It was a great day spent with family and friends and signified the most momentous change in my life so far besides being saved and becoming a child of God, but it was planned (and planned very well, let me tell you). There weren't many surprises that day. I knew when and how everything would happen. My first date with Matt was different and remembering all the surprises and sweet moments earns it some major points in the competition for happiest memory. I didn't expect to have a 28 hour date with Matt. I didn't expect to have such comfortable conversation with him on the way to OKC that day. The look on his face when he saw me for the first time in my prom dress wasn't planned, and I totally didn't expect to start falling in love with him that night. I remember all the fun things we did and how we kept trying to prolong the date so we didn't have to say goodbye. That was such a special night, and I can't believe it happened 7 years ago. So much has changed, but a lot has stayed the same too.

I love this new song by Brad Paisley (Yes, I know that Matt is NOT a country music fan, but he smiled too when he heard it.) It reminds me a lot of the early part of our relationship and makes me think about how our love for each other has changed over the years.

When we fell in love, it was fun to experience all the firsts together. I remember going to the movies together to see Spider Man the night of our first kiss. I remember the first "I love you" before Matt headed to Falls Creek. I loved going on walks together and asking each other tough questions. I remember how great the Friday nights were when we got to see each other after Matt went to OSU and how awful Sunday afternoon goodbyes were. Things seem really different now that we're married. We've both matured a lot. I remember the silly things we would fight over and how long our fights lasted (We've both worked on our stubborness over the years). I remember how we used to always have something planned to do when we were together. I think the biggest change over the years has been a shift from our relationship being based mainly on emotions to being based on commitment. The giddy feelings may not happen as much anymore as in the early parts of our relationship, but we can depend on each other more now which is so comforting. I can't explain how wonderful it is to have a partner in life. I never feel alone. Even during the hard times, I always felt comforted because I knew Matt was by my side no matter what. Moving to OSU, starting graduate school, buying a house, moving to Tulsa, and finding a new church were much less scary with Matt by my side. I know our love for each other will continue to deepen and change over the years to come. I can't wait to experience the rest of my life with my prom date by my side :).

April 2002

December 2008
Do we look different???

Easter 2009

We had a great Easter 2009. Last year we started the tradition of celebrating Easter at our home and family comes to visit us for this holiday. Right now most of our holiday traditions are at our families' houses, so I enjoy making memories at our home on Easter. Both sets of parents came up for Easter this year, and I think we all had a really good weekend. On Friday, my mom and I went shopping while Matt and Barry did some yard work (I definitely got the good end of that deal :)). I love shopping with my mom. I mean I love shopping anytime but it's especially great with my mom. She's honest and fun. We always have a good time. I hadn't been on a shopping spree in awhile, so it was much needed. It's nice living in Tulsa where all the great stores are close although it can be a little dangerous. I think I spent more money than I anticipated.

We shopped a little more on Saturday. We also took the dogs to Woodward park on Saturday which was beautiful and fun. The weather was gorgeous, and Rhapsody thouroughly enjoyed sniffing a new place. She was pulling on the leash the whole time. I told Matt that I think that was the best time she's had in her life so far. We'll definitely take her back this summer when the roses are blooming.

Sunday morning we went to church. It was a great service. I am so thankful that Christ suffered and died for my sins and then rose again, so I can have eternal life. Sometimes I feel like I get to caught up in other Easter traditions that it's easy to overlook the whole purpose of Easter. After church we had Easter lunch. We had ham, potato salad, green beans, deviled eggs, fruit salad, bread and pineapple upside down cake. It's always fun to have a good reason to use our China. Rhapsody and I were pretty tired after lunch and took a long nap after company left. It was a busy but fun weekend. I'm looking forward to many more Easters at our home

Rhapsody needed to cool off at the park

Such a beautiful park

Happy Easter 2009

I think I might be coming down with something...

This is what Matt saw when I got home from AWANA tonight. It was measles night tonight, and the kids got to put a dot on their leader for each section they said (plus extras for finishing their book). The kids kept looking at me and smiling as the director was giving them instructions. Some girls said their sections to other leaders but still insisted on putting their dots on me. I told Matt I didn't know if that meant they liked me or didn't like me.
I'm really enjoying helping with AWANA now that I'm getting to know the girls better and they're getting to know me. I love those girls a lot and enjoy learning more about them. Oh and the hugs and smiles are great too :)

Fun Weekend with Friends

This weekend Matt and I got a chance to spend time with some new friends. For me, one of the biggest transitions I faced when we moved to BA was finding new friends. We didn't know very many people in the Tulsa area when we moved. That combined with me still spending a significant amount of time in Stillwater during the week and on the weekends (for football games and other things) made it difficult to make new friends during the first few months we lived here. Although we lived in BA, I felt that my life was still in Stillwater until I graduated in December. Getting more involved in church and actually working in Tulsa has helped us to find some fun people to hang out with and made living in a new place less lonely. On Friday night, one of my friends from work, her husband, and their Westie came over to hang out with us. The puppies ran around the house chasing each other (they are the same age and look a lot alike) while we played Trivial pursuit and Scene It. It was a lot of fun hanging out with friends outside of work. It's easy to sit and just talk about work while I'm at school, but it was fun to talk about other things in a different context. Matt, Rhapsody, and I are looking forward to spending time with them again soon.

I was pretty lazy on Saturday. I love sleeping in and not having a lot to do. Matt was productive and mowed the lawn. I didn't do much except straighten the house. On Saturday night, a couple from church came over for dinner. The guys played X box while the girls cooked dinner and chatted. I felt like I got a chance to get to know them better and have some good conversations. After dinner we played board games. It felt like the ideal weekend for me. Having friends over for dinner and games is one of my favorite things to do. Matt and I would usually prefer staying at home (or someone else's home) with good friends to going out to somewhere loud and crowded. We've been blessed with getting to know some great people in the Tulsa area. It feels good to have several people to call if we need something now. God has been faithful in providing us with new friends in a new place. We're looking forward to making more friends as Tulsa becomes our new home.