Endless Ramblings

Summer update....

2010-07-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that I am posting again without several months having gone by? Unbelievable!
Anywho...so this post is going to be a mixture of things that have been going on this summer so far. And, it looks like it might be a bit out of order since that is the way the pictures uploaded :)
The following couple of pictures are of our bedroom. Chris and I (or really just I) decided last weekend to repaint our bedroom. When we moved into our house we painted the dining room and living room with plans of painting the bedroom-but we never got around to it. So, I decided it was about that time. We probably should have started before 4:00 on a Saturday, because we didn't finish until about 12:30 that night.

Here is a picture of the new mirror and lights we put in as well :)

Notice the armoir in this picture- Dad made this for us :) doesn't it look professional???

The next picture was taken after our anniversary dinner. We went to the Mansion at Judge's Hill in Austin. It is downtown (near the UT campus), and it was nice :)

After Chris and I got back from Mexico, I was greeted by a sad text message from my mom saying that my uncle's mother had passed away. So, my aunt, uncle, and one of my cousins (and her beautiful kids) came down for the funeral. I had just gotten to see Sam and Mark at Jen's wedding, but it was so nice to see my cousin Katie and her two kids. I had previously only met Madeleine once (at her baptism) and I had never gotten to meet Audrey. They were tons of fun, and so cute! While it was a bittersweet occasion, it was so good to get to see them!!

The next couple of pictures are from our vacation in Mexico. We stayed in Playa Del Carmen for five days, and it was a blast. My tan was not as perfected as I would have liked- due to the continuous rain provided by Tropical storm Alex, but we still had a good time. While we were in Mexico, we were able to take a short cab ride up to Puerto Morelos for a friend's wedding. Chris's friend from college, Kyle, was getting married to Whitney (who he met on Chris' bachelor party weekend in Chorpus Chrisit three years ago).

In other news- Chris and I recently bought a used fish/ski boat. Chris and his brother and dad bought two old houses last year and have been working on restoring them in order to sell them. They were finally able to sell one of the houses in June. The whole time the house was on the market, I had been promising Chris that he could use some of the money to buy a used boat. Well, that time finally came. I think he was able to wait a whole week before we bought the boat. I don't have any pictures of the boat yet (although Chris has several on his phone that he will gladly share with anyone who asks ) because we took it to the apholstery (spelling?) shop to get new carpet and seats. It should be back in the next week or so. Once it's pretty I will post pictures :)

I will be going to visit Jen in Michigan in a couple of weeks as well, so hopefully I will have some fun pictures to share of her new place. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!! love you all!

Kicking off the summer....

2010-06-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a select few pictures from Jen's wedding 5/28/2010

I'm back again. As much as I try to be diligent about posting on my blog, let's face it, it isn't going to happen :) I check other people's blogs daily and love when they update, but just can't get myself motivated to do the same.

What's been going on? well, as most of you know...my sister, Jen, got married over Memorial Day weekend in Galveston. The wedding was beautiful, and it was so great to see family! I really enjoyed being able to spend time with family that I don't get to see very often.

I am mostly done with work for the summer. As a speech pathologist, the children I serve in the school district fall under the special education umbrealla. Because of this, we have to have yearly meetings for each of our students to talk about the progress they are making on their goals. In Texas we call these meetings: ARD meetings. Well, I have to go back to an ARD meeting tomorrow morning because the parents disagreed with our (the school district's) recommendations. I have a feeling it is not going to go well, so I am just hoping for civility during the meeting!

I mentioned in my last post that I interviewed with a home health company. Well, I decided to take on one client over the summer. My client is a two-year-0ld little boy who was born prematurely at 28 weeks. When he was born, he suffered a brain hemmorage, and was hospitalized for the first six months of his life. Now, he has mild cerebral palsy and is still fed via a g-tube (tube inserted directly to the stomach). He is a handful!!! I have only seen him twice for therapy, but boy does he keep me on my toes! Try keeping a two-year-old occupied (for therapy purposes) for 45 minutes straight!!!

Other than that, I am just taking the time to relax over the summer! I spend my days by working out in the morning, and then reading/watching TV in the afternoon. I know, you are all envious of my busy lifestyle!!!

In other random news, Chris and I will be going to Playa Del Carmen in two weeks. We will be there for about five days, and I am so exctied. Mom and Dad will be coming through Austin this weekend to drop off their cat, Alley. They are driving to Michigan to visit Jen and David, and we get cat duty :)

I am still alive :)

2010-04-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of life in the last 6 months :)

Me and my new UT license plate!! Hook em!

Chris and I on Christmas Eve

At our friend's wedding over Thanksgiving weekend

hanging out with friends :)

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted a blog. I pulled up my blog page and noticed that the last time I posted was in November. Life has definitely been busy lately! I should probably change the name of my blog, since my ramblings have been all but endless lately :)

Most of you have already heard- but the last month and a half has been very busy for me. Chris' sister, Sherry, recently became VERY sick and was hospitalized for over three weeks. She 'caught' sepsis and was put in the ICU where she also developed pneumonia and went into kidney failure. We spent all of spring break at the ICU with her (and the rest of the family), and then have been back and forth to Temple pretty much every weekend since then (except for Easter, which we spent with my fam in Galveston :) ) This period of time has definitely been a roller coaster ride of emotions, to put it mildly. God really performed a miracle in Sherry's life by restoring her to complete function! The whole ordeal could not be explained, unless through God. Sherry was so very sick, that the doctor's even told us that she was the sickest patient in the ICU and that we shouldn't get our hopes up with any small improvement that she made. Then- after 11 days of being in a medicinal coma- Sherry began breathing on her own and was removed from the ventilator. She was moved to a less intensive hospital room where she remained for another two weeks. While in the hospital, she underwent dialysis treatements daily for her failing kidneys. The doctors were worried about her kidneys because they both failed while she was in the hospital. Then, when we were in Galveston over Easter weekend Chris got a phone call from his parents saying that Sherry was being discharged from the hospital on Easter Monday. We were in complete shock! Her kidneys kicked back in almost overnight! Sherry was discharged from the hospital on Monday April 5th and has been staying at her parents (my in-laws) ever since. Once Sherry left the hospital she was able to walk on her own and didn't even require the need for outpatient occupational, physical, or speech therapy!!! Sherry returned to work this past Monday (April 12th). She worked three half days and then took Thursday and Friday off because she was so tired. As I am typing this, I am still in complete awe of the work that God did in Sherry's life. The amount of trauma that Sherry underwent is usually indicitive of months of in and outpatient rehabilitation. Sherry's life is now a true testament of God's mighty hand and the power of prayer.

In other news- Chris' bank (Guaranty) was bought out by BBVA Compass in August. The transition over to Compass actually took place in February. He has not been enjoying work as of late due to the changes made in the company, and his branch was severely understaffed. He was thinking of leaving the bank, and we had been searching for new job opportunities for him. Then- this week Chris was asked to meet with his regional manager. During this meeting, he was offered the branch manager position at a much bigger branch!! Chris' current branch has 4 employees, and his new branch will have approximately 10 employees. This means that he won't have to pull open to close shifts (7-6:30) shifts anymore because he will have the adequate number of staff members to run the branch efficiently! He starts work at his new branch on Monday, and we are both praying that this change will help him become more happy in his career!!

I also had an interview of sorts this week. I am looking for a PRN (work as needed) Speech pathology position to fill some time over the summer. I found a home health agency in Austin called River Kids. Come to find out, the company is very small (only operates in Houston and Austin) and is founded on Christian principals. The companys follows Dave Ramsey's philosophies and is debt free (no loans from the bank to operate)- and all of the owners are Christian. I met with the manager of the Austin branch and his wife (who is a physical therapist with the company) on Thursday. They are awesome people. We met for dinner- and it was so surreal to be at an interview and then hold hands with the people and join in prayer before dinner. They want me to work for them, and I am just taking some time to pray about it and make my decision. I am able to work as much or as little as I want- so I am thinking about starting by just taking on one or two patients who live in my area.

In other news- my sister, Jen, is getting married in May. We are excited to be there with her in May and have just been getting ready for her big day. I can't wait to see all of our family again- I haven't seen many people since I got married almost three years ago! Chris and I are also planning on taking a vacation this summer to somewhere tropical. I am about to book our trip online, and I think we are going to the Riviera Maya. I am getting so excited just by looking at all of the pictures online! When will June get here???

whew! that was a marathon post!! I hope everyone is doing well and I love you all!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

It's been three months since I last posted, so I figured I was due for a short briefing. I don't have any fun pictures to post, so that is why I have been putting it off for so long ;) I have had this week off of work, and it has been fabulous. I had a little bit of work to do, but I have been able to spread it out amongst other fun things. Like....I ordered myself some UT Longhorn license plates for my Jeep and went to go pick them up this week :)!!! Now my car is officially the way I want it!! Then I drove down to campus and tried to find a UT vs A&M shirt that the Texas Exes usually sell during this week. I parked and walked around campus for a few minutes trying to find their display....I didn't find it. But, it was so fun to walk around campus again and feel like I was back in school. I ventured into the Co-Op and bought a generic UT shirt instead....I would one day love to add up all the money that I have spent in the Co-Op on t-shirts and various UT paraphinalia (spelling???) During my first year at UT, I would stop in the Co-Op during long breaks in between classes. I think I bought more burnt orange shirts that year than anyone should ever be allowed :) I love it!! This week I was also able to put up all of my Christmas decorations and bake some goodies. I made snickerdoodles, pumpkin bread, and my mom's jello pudding double layer pumpkin pie. It was fun! I love to bake, but I never have the time or engery to do it! I have read one and a half books so far! I am currently reading "The Lost Symbol" By Dan Brown. He is the one who wrote The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons. They are all very fast reads. Tomorrow Chris and I are headed to San Antonio to have Thanksgiving with mom, dad, gramma, and grandpa. (and Jennifer's dog Abby). We will stay with them for one night, and they we will be moving to a hotel in San Antonio. One of our college friends from Concordia is getting married this weekend. So, we have the rehearsal/dinner on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday evening. It should be a fun weekend! Hopefully I will return from the weekend with some pictures to post...that is my goal! I hope everyone has a happy and fun Thanksgiving with their family/friends!!

Lately

2009-08-14T14:25:00.001-07:00

We finally got around to painting the front door red, so now you get to see a picture :) I love the way it looks!!

Last weekend, Chris and I went to Galveston to visit the family before I have to go back to work. It also happened to be Jen's birthday, so we went to an Astro's game to celebrate. They lost, but it was still fun ;)

Take number two of this shot. Take number one is below :)

My family- I love the way they pose when you ask them to take a picture ;)

This picture was taken at Jen's graduation party in Austin.

Not much else has been going on lately. I start back to work on Monday, so I am feeling anxious this weekend as usual. Even though it is my third year in the same district, I have done something different each year. maybe next year I will be doing the same thing!! I hope things start off smoothly this year.

Also- we just sold chris' playstation on Craigslist and bought a Wii. I never played the playstation, but I have really gotten into the Wii. for those of you who haven't played, you should try it!! I love it!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Promised pictures

2009-07-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

The friendly Vermont bears

Boston Harbor

me at the statue of Liberty (way in the background)

We got to sit in the 2nd Row :)

Times Square

The family in Vermont

Jen's graduation

All of the graduates

Ok....I finally loaded all of my pictures onto a shutterfly page. To view all of the pictures go to: http://www.lesandchrisphotos.shutterfly.com/

I also posted some selected pics on facebook :)

I am still sick with whatever I picked up in New York, but am at least feeling well enough to post something.

Our trip was wonderful. We started out in Boston, Mass. While in Boston we visited the Boston Harbor, Fenway Park, Quincy Marker, Faneuil Hall, Cheers, and took a two hour walking tour of the Freedom Trail. The freedom trail led us through such sights as: Boston Commons, the Boston Tea Party, where the Boston Massacre began, where the Declaration of Independence was read to the people, and through a very old cemetary where the following people are buried: John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams (there are pics of all of these hot spots on shutterfly). Chris' favorite part of the trip was definitely our visit to Fenway Park. The Red Sox were out of town, but we were able to take a guided tour of the park.

Our next stop was Montpelier Vermont. The first night we stayed in mom and dad's hotel. the second night we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. This was my first experience at a bed and breakfast. The house had a cat named Boots who had to have weighed thirty plus pounds. She was my favorite part :) We awoke at 5:30 in the morning to the rattling of our bedroom door by boots. While in Montpelier we got to experience such things as Jen's graduation (yay for Jen!), going to the VonTrapp family lodge, and stopping at crosswalks so that pedestrians could cross. What a strange phenomenon!

Next stop was New York City. Our hotel was on Manhattan, about one block from Times Square. We really wore ourselves out in New York. We visited the following sites: Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Today Show lot, 5th avenue shops (Saks, Tiffany's, Trump Tower), Central Park, Radio City Music Hall, the Late Show with David Letterman (we sat in the second row!!!!), Grand Central Station,Wall Street Financial District, Ground Zero, the statue of Liberty, riding the subway, and various other things that seemed to have slipped my mind. My feet are currently covered with blisters!!! Our hotel room was the smallest thing I have ever stayed in! It consisted of a double bed that took up the majority of the room. There was approximately two feet of space on one side, and five on the other. (literally!!) The bathroom even had a 'dwarfed' bathtub! But, I cannot complain because of the great location and cheap price!!

I enjoyed everything about our trip! I have ALWAYS wanted to go to the east coast ;) oh, and I forgot to mention another highlight...I got to ride on a plane for the second time in my life !!!

Tease post

2009-07-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

We are back from our FUN vacation. I promise I will post pictures soon...however, I am not going to do it today :) I am either extremely exhausted, or sick....or quite possibly both. I started getting a sore throat on Wednesday, but still had a great time despite feeling bad. Now, I think I am paying for it! I have so many pictures to post, and I will probably create a shutterfly account or something, because they won't all fit on my blog. Stay tuned for more details and pictures of our trip :) We enjoyed so many things from: Cheers in Boston, the beautiful scenery in Vermont, and going to the Late Show in NYC. (although I have no pics of the Late Show because NO cameras are allowed inside the Ed Sullivan theater...boo!!)

Pictures from my NEW camera :)

2009-07-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

My four-year-old digital camera died over the 4th of July weekend. Chris took it apart (literally) and fixed it. However, he still decided to surpise me with a new camera for our anniversary! yay! My old camera was definitely out dated. It was not able to take 'action' shots because there was a delay of approx. five seconds between pushing the button and the picture being taken. My new camera is much faster, and much smaller.
Not much has happened of late. We finished the house....except, my new front door still has to be painted red for the finishing touch. It is currently white, and just blends in. I will post pics of the front of the house when the door is finished. Chris and I celebrated our two year anniversary by going out to dinner at the Oasis. We went there last year as well...maybe we are starting a new tradition?

How can you get a new camera and not take a picture of her????

the dining room

my new living room, with new wall/window

new wall-up close

the view of the doors/new wall from the outside (and blurry)

me pointing out the 'sunset' at the Oasis

The End :)

new windows :)

2009-06-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of getting all new windows in our house. When we moved into the house, it had single-pane, alluminum windows. We quickly found out this winter that single pane windows do not keep the cold air out ;) So, we decided it might be time to put in some new windows :) (in the hottest part of the summer) we also decided to move the back door exit to the dining room instead. We used to have a sliding glass door in the living room. Now we have french doors that open into the dining room (onto tile floor, instead of carpet). Chris has plans to eventually put a deck in the back yard right off of the dining room

so as of right now, we have new doors in the dining room, two new windows, and half a wall in the living room. what's left is- two more windows, and the dry wall/texture in the living room. I am posting some before and after (in the process) pictures below :)

dining room before (with window on the leftt)

dining room after (the picture is too dark and doesn't do it justice)

living room before

living room in progress (and again very dark)

view from outside before

view from outside (in progress)

Summer Lovin'

2009-06-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

It has been FOREVER since I last posted...but for a reason. I always feel like I need to post pictures with my blogs, and I haven't taken any pictures in a long time. So, I have felt like I have nothing to blog about.

I have been out of school/work for a couple of weeks now...and it is WONDERFUL. I am always worried that I am going to get bored really quickly, but I have found so many things to do :) I am helping to coordinate VBS at my church this summer, so that has kept me uber busy. I have been trying to figure out a cheap way to make t-shirts, and have been making posters to advertise the event.

Last week I went to Dallas to visit one of my best friends, Stephanie. She went to grad school with me in Dallas, and we spent A LOT of time together during our two years there. I am so happy that we have both been working hard to keep our friendship up. We talk at least once a week, and have been able to see each other every couple of months. While in Dallas, Steph and I got to visit our other friend, Krista. Krista got married several months before me, and just had a baby in February. So, I got the privilege of meeting Krista's baby, Gracie. She is beautiful.! However, it was slightly weird to see Krista with a baby. I am used to being around babies/small children, but none of my close friends have had babies yet. I still think of myself as too young to have children, so it was kinda surreal.

What else have I been up to?....hmm...I wake up, check my email/blogs/facebook, work out, work on VBS stuff, read, take a nap, and make dinner. That's about it...and its great!!

Jennifer is graduating from her master's program in July, and the whole family is headed up to Vermont to see her walk. Chris and I decided to make a vacation out of the trip as well. We will be flying into Boston,and will stay there for several days. Then we head to Vermont for graduation. Finally, we will drive to New york City and stay there for the remaining three days. Of all the states I have been to in my lifetime, I have never made it that far up the east coast. So, needless to say, I am VERY excited. We have booked our flights and hotels...but I still need to do some trip planning. I should probably get on that, since we are leaving in a few short weeks.

Next week (July 4th weekend) we will be going to San Antonio to spend time with Dad's side of the family. All of Dad's brothers and sisters will be there, and many of the grandchildren as well...so, hopefully I will have some updated pictures to post in the not so distant future :)

The worst hail storm...EVER

2009-04-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Austin....more specifically, northwest Austin...even more specifically, our neighborhood, was recently hit by the worst hail storm I have ever experienced in my life. It was a Wednesday evening, and luckily Chris and I were both home from work already. The sky suddenly became black and small ice pellets began falling from the sky. Then within about one minute, golf ball size hail began pelting the ground, our house, and unfortunately, Chris' new truck. The entire lawn and street were completely covered with icey balls. If one didn't know better, it looked as if it had just snowed. The hail came down in golf balls for about five- ten minutes before letting up and completely stopping. The storm disappeared as quickly as it arrived. The storm damage left us with getting Chris' car repaired and a new roof on our house. Pretty much everyone in our neighborhood is getting a new roof. It looks like a roofing advertising lot as you drive down the streets. Hopefully the amount of money we get from insurance will cover the whole cost of the roof, including the deductible :) Not much else is going on in our world.....we are going to visit mom and dad for Easter, so maybe I will have some family pics from next weekend :)

Evan's First Birthday

2009-03-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing, it is finally Spring Break! Yay! I definitely needed this week off of work, if to do nothing else than rest. About a week and a half ago, I came down with a virus that I wouldn't wish on a single soul. It started with a simple rash on my hands and feet. It didn't itch, and only hurt when my shoes rubbed against it. I decided not to see any kids at work that day and went to the doctor to have it checked out. As it turns out, I had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. ugh! what an awful name! As that day progressed, I ended up getting ulcers on my tongue and on my inner lip. I could barely talk or eat for the next two days. Chris avoided me at all costs, and I was made to sleep on top of the cover :) Needless to say, I am better now. But, that was an awful way to spend an entire weekend!!
This past weekend was much more enjoyable. It was Evan's first birthday party. He turned one-year old on March 12th and we celebrated on Saturday. For those of you not in Texas, this past we have been having an unseasonably warm late winter. It had been in the 70s and 80s for a couple of weeks, until last Wednesday. We had a cold front come in that brought lots of rain. While we needed the rain, it didn't make for much of an outside birthday party on Saturday. I stayed outside for brief stints until my brother-in-law lit the outside fire pit. I am such a whimp that I won't even tell you what the temperature was that day :) The party was fun...Evan got LOTS of toys and clothes and was able to tear into his first cake.
Now I am spending the week relaxing, and catching up on extra work from last week. I would always much rather do work sitting on my couch than at work, even if it is spring break :) I hope you all are doing well !!

By the Grace of God

2009-02-08T18:54:00.001-08:00

By the grace of God, many prayers, and lots of hard work...mom and dad's house is complete AND liveable! Dad and grandpa have been working non-stop since September to fix the house after it was completely destroyed by Hurricane Ike (see previous post with before pictures). Dad was able to finish the house this past week, and they moved in on Tuesday February 3rd. After the storm hit, I couldn't even fathom how long it would take for them to complete all of the work that lay ahead. There were many volunteers from various churches, along with much help from grandpa, (and endless hours on Dad's part) that made it all possible. It truly is amazing to see God's love and faithfulness through the help of others.

Chris, Jennifer, and I were able to make a weekend trip to Galveston to see the new house. It is beautiful! I am so impressed that it was done so quickly, and looks so professional! I have included pictures of every room in the house. Keep in mind that mom and dad haven't unpacked any of the few boxes that were in storage. They also haven't purchased any decorations yet, so it will look even more complete in the coming weeks.

Thank you for all of your constant prayers. They have paid off!! Thank you God for helping us all to see your handiwork, kindness, and blessings during a time of trial and devastation.

Love you all!!

The front door

view from the front door- notice there used to be a complete wall there...it was shortened to make the room more open

the new dining room

the living room

the living room from a different angle

the kitchen

kitchen again

bathroom

the new study- the desks haven't arrived from the store yet

the guest room

mom and dad's room

again

The teeth are out!

2009-01-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to get my wisdom teeth taken out today. I have been trying to get this procedure done for over a month now. My dental insurance has really been giving a run for my money. They initiall denied any coverage for the procedure until they received copies of xrays. So, they were sent and finally received about a week ago. Once they got the xrays, they decided to completely throw my oral surgeons opinion out the window. My oral surgeon had decided that the procedure would be surgical because some of my teeth were impacted in the gums. But no, why would insurance belive the person who has been trough at least eight years of school. Instead they decided to only pay for 200 dollars of a very expensive procedure. So after many, many days of arguing with insurance, I decided to go ahead and get the procedure done and hopefully get more money reimbursed than what was originally projected.

So, I got my teeth (all four) taken out today. I actually slept pretty well last night, but I was very nervous this morning. I opted for the IV sedation, because I know I am a whimp when it comes to procedures like this. The last thing I remember is the doctor asking me if I wanted a Texas Martini. Then he injected the meds, and what seemed like five minutes later I woke up to Chris receiving post-op instructions. So, I have to say that the actual procedure was not that bad. I slept most of the mid-morning/afternoon and am now just laying in bed. I have been given an antibiotic and several types of pain killers. I am sticking with the IB profen right now and will bump it up if need be. As of right now (knock on wood) I am not feeling any pain. Lets just hope that this continues and I don't experience any of the possible complications/risks. Last time I had surgery I was one of the lucky estimated 4% to experience complications. Hopefully that will not happen this time. I guess thats it for now...if My cheeks puff up I will probably take pictures for laughter purposes :)
The end

The Christmas Story

2008-12-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

So, I forgot to take pictures of my Christmas dinner table. Whoops! Everyone said that the food was edible, and no one has died yet...so I guess I did an acceptable job. Christmas was definitely a whirlwind..but worth it. We celebrated Christmas eve and Christmas morning with Chris' family. Then we drove back to Austin and celebrated Christmas evening with my fam. The day after Christmas Jen and I spent the morning/early afternoon exchanging items around Austin. Then Chris and I went down to San Antonio to spend a day with Grandma, Grandpa and my parentals/sister. It was definitely good to spend time with everyone, even if it was brief.

In other news, I have been spending my Christmas break at the dentists office. I recently found out that I have several (putting it mildly) cavities and I need my wisdom teeth taken out. Insurance didn't approve my wisdom teeth extraction in time to get it done before Christmas, so I have been getting some cavities filled instead. What a wonderful way to spend your Christmas break, right? For anyone who doesn't know, I am deathly afraid of the dentist. I have been only going to the dentist over the last several years for emergency situations. So, they would fix one or two teeth here and there...but I never took care of any preventative measures. So now I am stuck with fixing what I have been putting off since I graduated high school. Not fun!! I am scheduled to get my wisdom teeth removed on Jan 16th if insurance ever approves it.

Christmas was definitely short, but fun. I am glad I got to see everyone over the past couple of days. Now on to spending the rest of our budget on fixing my teeth :)

Abby opening her present

The above pics are of my nephew, Evan, opening presents on Christmas morning

New Traditions???

2008-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Chris and I are about to head to Temple to spend Christmas Eve with his family. We are going to church, and then coming home for a tamale dinner. Tomorrow morning we are opening gifts, eating lunch, and then coming back to Austin. Then, my family is coming over for Christmas dinner and more gifts. Who is making this dinner you might ask? Well, me. I know, I think it is humorous as well. I have already made the turkey because I won't have time tomorrow...it looks edible, and smells pretty good too. On tomorrow's agenda is making the mac n cheese, stuffing, and green beans. I conned mom into making the rolls...one less thing on my list. I will hopefully have some pictures to share with you guys come tomorrow...

I hope everyone has a very, merry Christmas!! I love you all!

My Christmas Tree

2008-11-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have quickly discovered that updating my facebook status now requires me to update other things as well. So demanding!! (just kidding) Anywho...this picture doesn't do the tree justice. It makes the corner it is sitting in look very bland in this picture. But, I think it is pretty in real life and that's what matters- I suppose
Thanksgiving updates- I forgot my camera in Austin, so I have no pictures to share. BOO!! But, it definitely was a great time. I think the final head-count was 31 people. It was good to see everyone. I am so thankful to have such a big, caring, funny family. Thank you God that we all have each other even in the face of material destruction. The end

Galveston update

2008-11-26T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sam says I am overdue for an update- so here it is. I have been really busy at work of late and have been exhausted at night, so I have been neglecting my blog. This past weekend Chris and I went to Galveston so he could help dad with the house. I was able to take pictures of the house at it is now if you guys want to see them. It was definitely surreal walking through the house. It is all basically one big room now, since it has been ripped down to the studs. I walked into my old bedroom and almost lost it. But, on the bright side- Mom and dad are really blessed that they are able to live in Jenn's apartment. There are many people in Galveston who are a lot worse off. I hope everyone is doing well and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I miss all of you Nebraskians. Hopefully I will have happier pics to share of Thanksgiving when we get back from Dallas.

In mom and dad's room-looking into the kitchen

The living room-filled with kitchen cabinets

Looking into the garage

The hallway

Mom's 50th Bday

2008-10-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Mom! We were all able to get together on Sunday and celebrate Mom's 50th birthday. We met mom and dad in Gruene and had dinner at the Gristmill. It definitely was a nice relaxing moment in a time of many stressors. Happy Birthday mom, you are the best! I love you so much and am so blessed to have you as my mother!

A few pics of mom/dad's house

2008-09-21T17:36:00.001-07:00

The front of their house- doesn't look too bad. Mom lost her car because the water was up to the console on the inside.

This boat is not supposed to be there.

These boats were thrown/floated onto the highway on the way onto the island

One of the spare bedrooms, you can see the water line on the bedspread

This is my old room. The chest was turned over, and you can see the water line again. The floors are covered with mud and dad said they are buckled in many areas as well.

This is a blurry pic of the kitchen, I included it so you could see the amount of mud on the floor

This is a peek of our street.

Dad and grandpa went back down to Galveston today to clean up. They took some of the fallen trees out of the yard and sprayed all of the walls with bleach to help prevent the mold from spreading even further. The insurance adjuster is supposed to come take a look at the house tomorrow morning. Mom and dad will be living in jennifer's apartment until their house is liveable. That's pretty much all the updates for now. We are all taking it one day at a time and putting everything in God's hands.

I can do all things through Christ....even rebuild!

2008-09-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Ike has come and gone, but the devastation in Galveston is long-lasting. The pictures that I have seen are engraved in my mind. Every picture and story I hear touches my heart in a different way. To see buildings and houses that have been a part of my life for so long, that are now nothing but a pile of rubble, is hard to comprehend. We have hard several reports on that status of my parents house, but don't know which one is true. According to some, we had at least 1-1/2 feet of water in the house (and maybe my mom's car-which is in the driveway). The mayor suggests that power won't be restored for another month and that the island won't be 'liveable' until Christmastime. The city officials allowed a 'look and leave' today for residents to go to their houses and assess the damage-but they had to leave the island by 6pm. Well, too many residents came to the island and the plan did not go as anticipated. So, now we are back to no one being allowed on the island until further notice. Mom and dad are currently in San Antonio and Jennifer, Abby, and Alley-cat are with Chris and I. I am without words. Jesus, please be with all those who have lost everything-including houses, loved ones, and personal belongings. Please give us all the strength to rebuild and renew. We can do all things only through you, Lord.

Smurfs and Refugees

2008-09-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here, and so are the refugees. The family showed up late wednesday night (early thursday morning) to avoid the traffic from the impending hurricane. Hurricane Ike is starting to hit galveston as I am typing. We are all watching the news reports of the water crashing over the seawall. We are constantly praying that everyone will be safe and houses will still be intact come Sunday morning. I have posted some pictures of the aftermath at my house as well as a long awaited picture of my mom with her blue 'smurf' casts. I failed to mention in my blog that my mom fell in the kitchen several weeks ago and broke both of her arms....she has been in double casts ever since. My wonderful aunt sam has been begging me to post a picture of her pretty arms...so without further ado...

Labor Day Weekend in Pictures

2008-09-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

The weekend was most definitely full of fun events....but not relaxing. Chris and I started the weekend by tailgating before the UT vs Florida Atlantic game. Then we went to the game...the seats this year should have come with kleenex to wipe our nose bleeds. Mom and Sam would definitely not have been able to sit in our seats...we were about 4 or 5 rows from the top in the highest section. The air was thinner, but the view of the field was actually pretty good! The stadium is even bigger this year because they added another tier in one of the endzones...the total head count was 98,000 people.

Then on Sunday Chris and I along with many old college friends went to an all day outdoor concert. Very fun, but way too hot to be outdoors for 8 hours. Now its back to the grind....working is for the birds!

Happy Birthday Chris

2008-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

We went out last night to celebrate Chris' 25th birthday a few days early. His actual birthday is this Wednesday, Aug 20th. We had a fun time hanging out with friends! In other news, I start back to work tomorrow....and needless to say I am very anxious. Having the summer off was great, but this last week of anticipation was not so much fun! I know it will be fine....but would I be myself if I didn't worry about things to come?

Fences and Phones

2008-08-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Chris, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law undertook the big task of putting in a fence in our backyard. When we moved into our house, the backyard was open to the park behind our house. It was nice to have a nice, open yard (pretty unusual in Texas), but Chris and I quickly became irritated with the amount of foot (and bicycle) traffic through our yard. So, we called a fence company who quickly told us that it would cost $1500 dollars to put a fence along the back and one side of our yard. Yeah right! You don't know the Locketts! So, Chris and his family decided to complete the task themselves. I had full confidence, they really are a jack of all trades family. All of the poles were successfully put in place, and so far the back of the yard is complete!! yay! All that is left is to put up the chain link on the right side of the house....but here is where the complications arose (at no fault to Chris !!)

I was sitting at home yesterday afternoon and saw a couple of guys snooping around the poles on the right side of the house. I went to the front of the house and looked out the kitchen window to see several ATT trucks parked in front of our house. Then....doorbell! The man at the door informs us that when digging one of the posts on the side of the yard, the auger (digging tool) hit the phone line. Whoops! Apparently, the whole neighborhood had been without phone (and cable and internet....for those who have ATT services- we are not one of those families) since Saturday. Now, like I said earlier...this was of no fault to chris. Last Monday before any of the undertakings took place, I called the Dial Before you Dig company to come out to our house and mark all of the buried cable lines. Well, the ATT man 'forgot' to mark the side of the house. So, we had no idea that there was buried cable running along the side of our house. Chris is actually lucky that he was not shocked by any other unmarked cables! How did they remedy the situation, you might ask? well, about an hour after the knock on the door a contractor came out and dig a 3 feet deep by 3 feet wide hole in the side of our yard. Then the ATT man spent the next five hours replacing the wires. Ugh! As I am typing right now, the contractors have returned to our house to fill in the hole, replace the fence post, and place some new sod on top. Luckily, since the event was not our fault, we don't have to pay for the digging and fixing costs. The ATT rep estimated that is would cost about 1000 dollars to complete...ugh! What a monday! I have posted a couple of pics of the hole as well as a pic of the completed back fence....the end!!

The infamous Hole!

The damage

The Fence in the back....sorry for the darkness!

Nebraska, Shreveport, South Padre, and Galveston

2008-07-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Mom and Aunt Sam

Cousin Natalie and Uncle Mark

Chris and I in Shreveport- he likes to botch my pictures

Me, Emily, and Stephanie in Galveston

Kate, Jennifer, and me in Galveston

I would like to say that I was able to visit all of the above places over the last three weeks...but that would be a lie. But, I did visit two of them and have some connection to the other two. For starters, my aunt, uncle and cousin came to Austin to visit me (just me and no one else...hehe) all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska. My aunt Sam wanted to see all of the famous Austin sights, but I wasn't very successful in this endeavor. During their trip I discovered that I am not a very good Austinite...maybe one day I will play tourist and discover all of the cool things that the city I live in has to offer. Then....the next weekend, Chris and I went to Shreveport to visit one my best friends. The weekend entailed a little gambling (in which we lost almost 100 dollars that could have bought me several outfits at Target) and some good time spent with friends. During the whole trip, the thing that got me the most excited was spotting cheap gas stations. The gas in Shreveport was almost twenty cents cheaper than it was in Austin, so I wanted to fill up every time we passed a gas station. When we got back to Austin, things were not quite as exciting. Chris' grandma had a heartattack and was put in the hospital. A couple of days later she was brought from Temple to Austin in order to undergo a procedure to remove the calcium from her arteries and put in a couple of stints. According to the doctors, one of her arteries was 99% blocked and another was 97% blocked. They were able to successfully complete the procedure and place 4 stints in her heart. They did the whole surgery while she was awake....kudos to her, because they would have had to strap me to the table!! She is now back in Temple at her assisted-living facility. It really is a miracle that her surgery was so successful!! Thank you, Lord! During this week of surgeries and time spent at the hospital, I began watching the news about Hurricane Dolly that was heading for the Texas coast. It wasn't heading towards home, which was a good thing....but it landed right over South Padre, where I was supposed to be going with two of my good friends for a girls weekend. So, where did we go instead, you might ask....to galveston. The parentals were in Colorado for a well deserved 30th anniversary vacation, so my friends and I invaded on my sister. We went to the beach, and spent plenty of time in the sun. It ended up being a good trip, despite the fact that I still have never been to South Padre. Every time I plan a trip to another Texas beach, something always comes up...I think God is trying to tell me that everything I need is located in Galveston. Anywho... on a side note...I need to learn more about Bloggerland because I hate that my pictures posted at the top of this section and I can't move them....ugh!!

One Year Anniversary!

2008-07-08T09:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that one year has passed already! It has been a wonderful year, to say the least! Quite a few things have happened to us over the year as a married couple...I started working as a speech pathologist, we bought a new Jeep Cherokee, Chris got promoted to manager of a branch, and we recently bought a house. whew! To celebrate one year together, we went out to eat at the Oasis, which is on Lake Travis. We pretended to be tourists and took pictures of the scenery....I pretended like we were back on our honeymoon cruise. Afterwards we came home and ate our saved wedding cake and toasted with champagne. We finished the night with me breaking one of our engraved wedding champagne glasses...is that a bad sign? oh well, I don't believe in omens anyways. One year down and many more to come...I can't wait!

Libby Day

2008-07-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Belated Birthday Gramma! 75 years! I am so glad that we were able to get together over the past weekend and celebrate your birthday....since you have never had a b-day party ;) It was so fun to see everyone and spend time together. I can't wait until your 80th...althought it might take a little more trickery to pull one over on you again! I love you lots!

Uncle Corky as the MC
The Fajita chef

The beautiful cake that Ann made

The Locketts

The Taylors and Locketts

Happy Libby Day!

Opening Presents

Dad pretending to have hair

house pics

2008-06-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

guest room

misc. room/office

master bedroom (new furniture!!)

more master bedroom

kitchen...wow!

dining room

dining room again

living room...more new furniture!

living room again...

The End!!

time for an update

2008-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

So, we finally moved into our house! Yay! I have spent the ENTIRE weekend (sat-today) moving and unpacking. We have also done quite a few renovations to the ole house. Chris and my father in law re-did the countertops in the kitchen. It used to be ugly brown butcher block laminant (circa de 1982). Now it is a pretty greenish-brown slate ceramic tile. I painted the living room, dining room, and kitchen. And Chris and I painted the cabinets in the kitchen as well. Finally, Chris and his brother took out quite a few bushes in the front yard and added a few green plants. We are certainly not done, but it does look much nicer now! I will post pics soon, I am just tired right now.
A funny story from the weekend... Chris and I were working on the kitchen on Sunday afternoon and we decided we needed to go to Lowe's to buy some more supplies. As we were walking out of the garage, I asked Chris who was driving. He said he was driving, so I neglected to go inside and get my keys. In the car, I asked Chris, 'did you lock the front door?' He says yes, that he locked it from the inside. I ask him, do you have the new house keys....no, of course not! They are sitting on the kitchen counter next to my keys! oh, just use the garage opener you might say...nope! it's locked inside my jeep! ugh! after my trials of jimming the lock with a twisted coat hanger I found in the trash can, we decided to give up and call a locksmith. One hour later, and 89 dollars down the drain...we got into the house!! not funny at the time...but starting to be funnier now!
pictures to come....

We bought a house!!!

2008-05-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry the pics are in a wierd order, I am not savvy with the whole blog thing yet....

Spare bedroom #1

Master bedroom

The backyard

The dining room

The living room
Spare bedroom numero dos

Guest bathroom number 17

A dark picture of the ugly kitchen (that will be remodeled)

The front of the house

Welcome Home!

I miss my family

2008-04-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have found lately that I have really been missing my family. We get to see Chris' family on average one or two times a month. I love spending time with them, but it's just not the same...nobody can fill the spot of your own family. I guess I never had these feelings to this extent when I was in college because it felt temporary to me...maybe I am just feeling scared about growing up...eek! I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Austin. I love the city and all my friends that live here...but sometimes I feel like things would just be perfect if my parents and sister lived within a 60-100 mile radius. So, for now I am focusing my prayers on dad getting a call to some wonderful city in the hill country. I think he will listen, Dad has done his time in Galveston. That's all....just wishing I could be with my family right now. The End!

A few recent pictures

2008-03-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family for making my birthday such a great day! I appreciate you all so very much and love each and everyone of you!! Here are a few pics from last night when I got to celebrate with my friends...

Evan Michael Lockett

2008-03-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

Evan Michael Lockett!

The sight of your beautiful face,

A blessing to so many

We have waited so long

To hold you in our arms

You were sent by God

As a miracle in our midst

Ten tiny toes,

And your long 'football' fingers

You are a perfect living example

of God's grace among us

We love you, Evan!

Thank you God for sending another miracle into our family!

It's been a while....

2008-03-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have found that I am not very good at maintaining a blog. I love to look at other people's blogs and expect them to update...but I certainly have not been on top of things on my end. It is finally spring break, so now I have a chance to do a few things that I have been putting off.
I am still struggling with the idea that I am not making a difference in my wonderful student's lives. When I go back to work after the break I will have several interesting new cases. One student has a 5th chromosome disorder and just recently had her trach removed. The other kiddo suffered a traumatic brain injury about six weeks ago and is miraculously returning to school (for half days). These are the kinds of cases that made me want to work in a hospital setting in stead of a school...so I am kind of excited about working with a wider variety of students!
My spring break so far has entailed doing laudry, reading, and working out. Sounds pretty boring, but it is actually just the kind of break I needed. On Wednesday Chris and I are going to Temple because his brother's wife (my sister-in-law) is being induced. For those of you who don't know, this is a great blessing that she has been able to carry this baby to full term. Mike and Teresa have lost several babies in this process (both very late in the pregnancy), so we are all so excited to welcome a new baby boy into the Lockett family. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera so that I can post some much-needed pictures onto my blog.

Making a difference

2008-02-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

I have recently been feeling as if I am not making enough of an inpact in my student's lives/communication. Sometimes, especially with me more severe kiddos, I feel like I am not doing enough to make a valuable difference in their life outcomes. I know that progress will be slow for most of my students, but it can be hard seeing kids day after day and working on the same skill everyday. So, needless to say I was getting kind of upset and feeling like I wasn't serving my students in the best way possible. I recently went to a conference in San Antonio and attended one class that I thought was very worth while. I learned a lot of information that I am ready to take back and use with some of kiddos in the life skills program. It will be a big undertaking for me to get started, but I feel like I might be able to make a positive difference if I take the time to implement what I learned. Right now I am feeling good about attending the conference and learning some new techniques....we'll see how I feel in two weeks after I have been working with my students again.
Time for ramblings....Our conference was located in downtown San Antonio, on the riverwalk. It is such a beautiful location, but--let me tell you how hard it is to navigate the streets (walking and driving). I feel like after spending two days in downtown, I should be able to tell someone how to get to the convention center (where our conference was)....I can honestly say that I would probably get that person lost if I attempted to give directions. After locating the convention center upon arriving in San Antonio, I set out on the mission to find cheap parking. Yea Right! My first attempt ended up with me accidentally getting back on the highway and traveling a mile or so down the road in order to loop back around. My second attempt led me into the RiverCenter Mall parking garage. I was excited that it was relatively empty, and I parked my car and walked downstairs. WRONG! As soon as I get downstairs, I find out that will cost me $20 to park all day. So, I marched back upstairs and left the garage...but not after paying one dollar for being in the garage 2.5 minutes. I finally found parking, but I worried all day that my car would be gone when I came back that night to move it to the hotel. (But that is just how my mind works) I was able to see much of the downtown area because our hotel was located directly across from market square (about a mile or so from the convention center). Friday morning, my friends and I decided to leave our cars at the hotel and walk to the convention center to save some money. We not only got our exercise, but we also saw a variety of interesting people along the way..hehe. Oh well, I guess all the walking and getting lost was worth the information that I learned in one of my sessions....hopefully :)

A Taylor-tabulous weekend

2008-02-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

Chris and I went home to Galveston for the weekend. I hadn't seen my parentals and sister since right after Christmas, so I was in need of a little family time. Saturday my parents, Chris, and I went up to Lake Houston to do some fishing. Let me paint a picture of our adventures on the lake for you. We get to the lake around 1:00 p.m. It is a beautiful February day, 74 degrees to be exact. We lauch the boat and head across the lake to check out all of the fishing spots that my parents claim have tons of fish. The first cove we stop at ends up taking one of dad's lures. Score: Lake -1 Taylors-0. Next we start down the lake a little farther to check out the 'river' that has many fish. After retrieving many lures from tangled messes in tree stumps, we still had caught a total of 0 fish. (I say we, but I actually was not fishing. I have still not come to liking the fishing pasttime. I will sit with others who are fishing. But, let's be honest, Fish kinda freak me out. They flop around and are covered with slimy scales. I had a pet fish once, named Stripey. I liked to watch him in his 1 gallon tank, but whenever his tank had to be cleaned I would freak out. So, to solve the situation I bought a snail to clean the tank. Then the snail died, and I am sad to say that that was also the sad end to Stripey as well.) Anywho, at this point I noticed that it was starting to get rather chilly, and the sun that I was basking in was suddenly perpetually hidden behind a mass of grey clouds. We (or rather, they) fished for a while longer (score update lake-2 taylors-0) and never caught a fish. Mom exclaimed "I've got one" several times, but they were all false alarms of logs tricking her. We all decide that it is time to head back to the truck because the wind is starting to pick up. As we head back across the lake, we realize that we have to ride the whole way into the wind. By this point, I wrapped my whole body inside my t-shirt but the artic blast keep attacking. We made it back to the truck in about 30 or so minutes....the longest 30 minutes of my life (hehe). We got to the truck and defrosted ourselves, and come to find out...the truck temperature still read 70 degrees. I think God sent an artic storm over Lake Houston and miraculously ended it just in time so we cold safely drive back to Galveston. or, maybe I am just that much of a whimp. Despite the frostbite, I had a wonderful weekend with my wonderful family. I miss not being able to spend more time with them....

"My career is over"

2008-01-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

During a group speech session today, one of my third graders said the funniest thing. He lost a turn or something during a game and he says "My career is over." I replied, "what career would that be?" He says with a straight face "My life career." I thought that was so funny! I replied back "You say some funny things, sometimes." He then proceeded to ask me, "what did I say that was funny?" I think it is so interesting to sit back and look at life from a third-graders perspective. Winning or losing a game with your friends is so important at this age. Sometimes I wish I was able to go back and be a kid again just so I wouldn't have so many life-decisions to worry about. But, on the other side, there are so many wonderful things in my life right now that I would never want to give up in a swap.
While I am on the topic of funny things that kids say, I have another story. So, I was working with a pre-school kiddo who could not keep his hands to himself. I asked him if he could please try to keep his hands still, and he replies with a straight face, "It's not me, its my hands." If only we could get away with that excuse as an adult...hehe!

The Rest of the Story....

2008-01-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

I love having misleading blog titles. Not that I am going to lie in this blog, but I like to have titles that sound captivating, when in fact the story is rather bland. My best friend from grad school came to Austin this weekend and stayed with me on Sunday night (we didn't have work on Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr Day...wohoo! I love three day weekends!!) We went to go see 27 Dresses with two of my other good friends. It was a good movie, pretty predictable, but heartwarming. (side note- while I am thinking of movies that I have seen recently-Natalie, if you read this...I LOVED Juno too!) Overall, I had a pretty good weekend. I was very glad to be able to see so much of my friends!
As I went to bed last night, and then when I woke up this morning I came to the realization that I HATE getting up in the morning. I am such a worrier that I make up a million and a half things to worry about during my morning routine. I thought I might share some of my thoughts with you: What if I sleep through my alarm? What if I am late to work today? What if my lesson plans don't work out as well as they sound in my head? Why am I so tired? What if one of my kids throws up today (if you know me, you know that this is one of my worst fears in life....what is wrong with me?) What if the kid who throws up in my room gets me sick and then I throw up? (translation in leslie's mind: the world is OVER) Why does school start so early in the morning?Why does my hair look good when I leave the house, but then as soon as I walk outside it turns into a frizzed -out blob? Why is it so cold outside? (for you mid-westerners, 32 degrees is outrageously cold in Texas still) What if the traffic is really bad today? Why do I have to sit through so many stoplights just to travel 6 miles to work?...enough of this! Then once I get to work and start seeing my wonderful kids, many of these questions drift far from my mind. So, what I would love for someone to invent one day is a way for me to get from my bed to work without thinking a single thought...except for maybe a prayer of thanksgiving for being able to wake up and live another day!

Home Alone

2008-01-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

So, Chris went home (to Temple) for the entire weekend. His parents bought a house to flip, so he went home to help fix it up. I decided to stay home because I would be by myself in Temple as well..and what have I accomplished so far this weekend? A whole lot of nothing. I stayed in bed watching TV until 11:00 this morning. I know, you are all envious of my exciting life. I have to admit, though, it has been kinda nice having some alone time. I guess I hadn't realized that I am never by myself anymore.

I went out last night to see a movie with my best friend, Chelsea. The movie was sold out, of course, so we went to a restaurant and just hung out for a while. It was so nice to be with my friends. Yet another thing that I often take for granted. I am so blessed that God has given me such great friends that are always there for me. I know this wasn't much of a post, but I should probably jet...the TV is calling my name (hehe). Thank you God for giving me so many people in my life that help to pick me up and remind me of your many blessings in my life!

Ode to Cedar

2008-01-15T16:27:00.001-08:00

Cedar pollen
Oh how I hate thee.
You make my nose run
and my head ache.
Medicine no longer does the trick!
I wake up in the morning and blow my nose
I blow until I fear I might lose a brain cell or two.

Cedar Pollen
I hope you go away
Otherwise I might have to invest in a tree-
In order to furnish my never-ending tissue use

The end!

Update of all Updates

2008-01-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

I hope the title of this blog isn't misleading. I don't have any big news to share with anyone who reads this...I just feel like I should start by updating on what has happened over the past 6 months or so.

So, I got married to my best friend on July 7 of this past year. It has been a great 6 months! I enjoy being with the person that I love the most everyday. It is actually fun to cook dinner, something I thought I would never be capable of doing myself. I used to be grossed out by raw meat, And while I don't get excited about it now, I find it doesn't bother me anymore.

I also started my first 'real' job in August. I am a speech-language pathologist for a local school district. I absolutely love working with all of my students, each one of them has some characteristic that is able to make my day worth while. It has been hard getting used to being responsible for so many things though. Needless to say, I have been very stressed over the past couple of months with getting used to a new job and trying to prove myself as a responsible adult amongst teachers who have been teaching longer than I have been alive. I think I have been able to make my mark though, so for now I am satisfied.

I love being back in Austin, but I miss my family a lot. I secretly pray everyday for them to be able to move closer to me!!.

I decided to post a few recent pics...some of them are from Christmas. I was so glad that we were able to visit my family (parents and grandparents) as well as Chris' family. I had a really hard time being away from my family on Christmas day, but I was glad that I got to see them for so long...

So, after reading over this blog I realized that it will probably put whoever reads it into an endless slumber...it is totally void of my normally witty humor. Hopefully future posts will contain more leslie-isms.

Welcome to Blogger-land

2007-12-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

So, I find myself checking family members and friends blogs almost everyday. I figured it might be time for me to contribute to this favorite pasttime. I will post something more creative later (Hopefully)