2009

Dear 2009,

Words cannot express how wonderful you have been to us. Thank you for all the special, unforgettable memories. Don't tell the other years (they might get jealous), but you have been, by far, one of the best.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Your Biggest Fan

Tis the Season

I LOVE Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year. Decking the halls, Making spirits bright, and of course, Bringing Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary. I am in awe of the King - the birth of Jesus - a true Christmas miracle. The hustle and bustle of the holidays brings excitement and cheer. The story of Bethlehem brings wonder and amazement.

This year, Scott and I had the enjoyment of attending both of our work Christmas parties. The Sheriff's department is like one big family so hanging out with them is always a good time! The food was dE-lish, the drinks were plentiful, and the entertainment was hilarious. There's nothing like being around a bunch of law enforcers letting loose...and boy, do they deserve to!
My work festivities started out at Northside Grill and then continued on to Sine. It was fun to hang out with my colleagues outside of school with no munchkins to worry about.
School let out for the holidays on Friday the 18th. The euphoria of that day was long-awaited! 2-week vacation...YESSSSS. It started off with my in-laws coming to town for a long weekend. They spoiled us with cooking yummy meals, treating us to Outback (I could eat bloomin' onions every day), and taking us to Christmas Town in Williamsburg (totally worth going to!).
I almost forgot to mention the SNOW! Oh so beautiful when it first falls. However, when it prevents you from getting out of your slope-of-a-driveway, it can make ya a little stir crazy. No worries though- we got to keep Bruce and Audrey for another day and thank God that we didn't lose power!
Scott and I exchanged gifts early because he had to work on Christmas day. My new toy is a Garmin which will forever help me get from point A to B with smooth sailing...my world has been rocked. Thank you, Scottie. On Christmas Eve Eve, the usual family and friends gathered at Mom's for a gift exchange, food, and games...and of course the night wasn't complete without side-splitting, knee-slapping laughter!! Christmas Eve brought relaxation as all the presents had already been wrapped. Scott and I ventured downtown to our church's service and then came home, plopped ourselves on the couch with some warm drinks, and in the stillness of the night, the reason for the season settled into our hearts.
On Christmas, I headed to mom's in the morning followed by grandmother's house in the afternoon. Gift-opening from oldest to youngest, then a tasteful meal and dessert. I love chatting around the table enjoying the company of family. Highlights: new boots and my grandmother sipping bourbon to soothe her throat, rather quickly I might add, while exclaiming, "It really helps!"
Today, mom and I went out early to catch some of the after-Christmas sales. So fun when you find great deals. Now I'm home, watching Food Network- Iron Chef of course- and desiring to eat everything I see on the screen. *sigh* Bruce and Audrey, please come back soon. Oh wait- you are! Tomorrow! Yay!

I hope you and your family had the merriest Christmas. Happy New Year!

~~~~~~~~~~

2nd Grade Field Trip to the Children's Museum - Me, Frosty, and Ashley (Grade Level Chair & Mentor)


Grubb's Farm - a good friend of the Sheriff's lodge



Sine - Ashley & Jen's hubby (Jen is on our 2nd grade team)


Topping the tree


Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow


Christmas Town

"Hi penguins! Can I have you for Christmas?"





Mmmmm...steak is what's for dinner.


Oh how I love my jolly husband and this photo!



Mom's casa:

Matthew laughing at a gift from mom- funny story.

Hostess with the Mostess

La Bebe's

Dad in his super sweet new sweater

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Scott and I started the Christmas season early...and by early, I mean before Thanksgiving. Yes, we were some of "those people" this year. You know, the ones that don't let one holiday pass before focusing on the next. Well, Scott had to work all weekend and we wanted to trim the tree together, so the night before Thanksgiving just happened to be the perfect time. With a pizza, bottle of wine, and Christmas tunes in the background, we laughed while hanging the ornaments...the hand-blown glass pickle- a Smith family tradition, the cop holding coffee and a donut, the fat Santa, and my favorite- the super cute penguins from Hallmark that were on sale last year. One of them had the name "Scooter" so of course I had to buy it. When I first met Scott, he was introduced to me as Scooter- a nickname from back home that stuck with him for a long time.
We headed to Gloucester for Thanksgiving. A trip to the Bartons must include several rounds of dominoes, lots of laughs, and good eatin'! The next day while Scott headed to work, I headed to the big city to see my family. Although my mom doesn't live in the house we grew up in any more, her home is just as, if not more, cozy, warm, inviting, and comfortable. It was nice to just R-E-L-A-X and enjoy some downtime. And by the way, my mom makes THE best deviled eggs. My sis was home from college so we had a good time hanging out and being silly. She doesn't believe me when I tell her that I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning when I was in college because these days, bedtime is 9 p.m. and I was struggling to make it to 11 p.m. watching movies.
Thanksgiving is a good time to pause and reflect on everything we have to be thankful for and to put things into perspective. I am so thankful to God for salvation through Jesus and for His love towards us. He has richly blessed our lives and given us joy, peace, and beauty for ashes. I am thankful for the love from a husband with forever eyes who makes me laugh every day and always has the right words to say. I am grateful for family and friends who love us and pray for us and help us and make the road more fun to travel. I am thankful for jobs and a home and our troops and a car and food and sight and the list goes on and on...
Thinking about all the things we are thankful for is a perfect gateway into the Christmas season which is now officially upon us! With all the things God has blessed us with, we want to be a blessing to others...give up our wants for people who really have needs. We will be giving up a portion of what we would normally spend for Christmas and in turn, bless villages in Africa with clean drinking water. The movement is called Advent Conspiracy and it is something our church is particpating in. Check it out! It is our challenge to bring Christmas back to its true meaning.


With that being said, this time is definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year!! I love Christmas!!
Now it's back to school for three more weeks and then, *teachers of the world rejoice,* a two-week break!! :)

Autumn Has Settled In

Fall is my favorite season!

Pumpkins and all their goodness. Pumpkin-carving, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin pie. Hay rides. Changing leaves. Crisp, cool air. Turning the clocks back. Camping. The mountains. Thanksgiving. Apple-picking. Mom and Matthew's birthdays. Stores starting to set up for Christmas.

Fall. A deep breath of refreshment.

So far this fall, my big brother got hitched in Louisville where he and his wife live. Also, one of my dear friends from college got married. Spending the weekend on the Eastern Shore was a nice getaway and especially getting to be a part of her big day. (Plus, I had the best pedicure of my life that weekend.) In addition, some friends had their baby and we've been getting to experience a little of that with them. We get to be Auntie Christi and Uncle Scottie. We also had the opportunity to help move some other friends into their newly constructed house. Another set of friends are having a baby and another set are getting married in a few weekends! Scott's parents are also going to be coming to spend Thanksgiving with us. Lots of joy this fall!

Busy.

Life has been B-U-S-Y. The last post was about getting a teaching job, which is the very reason I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I have a feeling these posts will be few and far between. I hardly even have time to check Facebook. (GASP!)
So I got hired the week before school started. I spent all week organizing my classroom. Thank goodness for a long Labor Day weekend and then on Tuesday I had 22 faces staring back at me on the first day of school.
The situation with my students is that most of them looped up from First Grade together. Apparently, the kids ran the show last year and don't have a clue about how they should act in school. (I'm not speaking for all of my students, but quite a few). Their first grade teacher (who was supposed to be with them again this year) resigned right before the start of the school year which is how I inherited the position.
Don't get me wrong- I am SO thankful for this job and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I also know that I'm here for a reason. God is always up to something. But lucky me, I get to be this class' intervention. It has been quite the challenge to say the least. I keep telling myself that we'll get there eventually. I love each student individually, but collectively, they are a handful! On top of a class with several behavior issues and many academically low students, being a first-year-teacher is challenging enough as I'm learning the ropes. Thankfully, I have a great Second Grade team to work with and lots of support from administration and other teachers. I've put in a lot of long days and the to-do list never ends, but my heart is in it 100%. I chose to be a teacher to make a difference in the lives of children and that's exactly what I get to wake up and do every day.

Needless to say, I so very much enjoy my down time. I love coming home to just relax and curl up on the couch with the hubs. With his crazy hours and my busy schedule, we sure do cherish our time together!

I'm a teacher!

I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is THE best news I received this summer. I will be teaching 2nd grade with 3 other wonderful ladies. So far I have 22 students in my class. I'm at an awesome school in Henrico County with a principal I am so happy to be working with. I can't believe I finally have my own classroom!! It's SO exciting!!!!!
The past week I have been working on the room and getting it ready. Our Hollywood theme this year is "Walking the Red Carpet to Success." Open House was Thursday and I got to meet 15 out of 22 kids. School starts back TOMORROW. I have been working all weekend on some final things that needed to be done. I think I'm ready!

The Latest and Greatest

This summer has been one of moving...and more moving! To start things off, my mom downsized to a beautiful condo which was like a month-long process. Going through a house with 20-plus years of stuff required a lot of work. Thankfully, she's finally settled and has just a few more boxes to put away. Come August, it was time for my sister to move to college. Go Richmond Spiders! And now it's almost September and we just moved my dad from his rental to the house where mom used to live (long story). Oh my, the dust in that rental...well, let's just say we're all still sneezing and blowing our noses. Someone needs to be introduced to Swiffer Dusters. So dad has quite a bit of unpacking to do and so I'll probably spend a few days this week up there to assist. Thank you LORD that this moving stuff is almost done!
The house dad is moving back into is where I grew up. My parents bought it as a fixer-upper. It's taken a long time, but it's now finally getting the TLC it needs- spruced up hardwood floors, central air, updated kitchen and bathrooms, new electrical box...eventually a garage, landscaping, different paint colors, and perhaps a deck? My brother has also decided to open up the wall between the kitchen and dining room...demo time. It's going to be a whole new house.

During this whole moving process I've confirmed a few things in my mind:
1. Yep, I still hate clutter.
2. I love houses without stairs.
3. I don't want to ever say, "Wow! I haven't seen this in 15 years!"
4. Just say "no" to fixer-uppers.

So enough with moving talk.

Things here are going well. I made some delicious chicken tacos today. We also got to see our friends' new baby girl- Jillian Elizabeth. She's absolutely precious. Heaven sent. It was the first time Scott ever held a newborn. We have the new title of Auntie Christi and Uncle Scottie which is pretty sweet! I can hardly imagine having a little one of our own, but one of these days we'll get to be proud parents too.
Scott is working hard as always at his job and I'm enjoying my part-time one. Still praying about a school position so we'll see what happens.

Everyday Hero

As I sit here and think about the things I have to do tomorrow and the places I need to go, I can't help but notice the quiet, emptiness of the house. So still. I have grown accustomed to nights like these. You see, my husband is at work and has been since the early evening. He holds the honorable title of Sheriff's Deputy and has worked hard to get there. He must work a long shift through the night and as soon as the sun starts rising, he knows it's almost time to come home. That is, if the previous night's activities haven't lent themselves to an additional 3 hours of work (on top of the 12, mind you). Finally, he will return home, wake me up with a kiss, and as I start my day, he's off to bed for a much-needed good day's sleep. As he drifts off to dreamland, I know I won't be able to stop thinking about how proud I am of the man he is and how I wouldn't have it any other way. He is an everyday hero. And so I dedicate this blog to him and law enforcement officers everywhere. Thank you for your service, bravery, and commitment.

Pray for the Men in Blue

By Adam E. Hutton

It takes a very special person to wear the blue.
Most people do not understand what we do.

We made a commitment to protect and serve.

We work hard to provide the safety you deserve.
No normal shifts, not nine to five.

We work 24/7 to keep you alive.

Holidays and weekends don’t mean a thing.
We work night and day, just give us a ring.
Our loved ones and children pray every night.

That we will return at the break of daylight.

We carry guns and wear vests to help get us through.

You couldn’t imagine some of the things we must do.
We see accidents and blood and small children crying.

We also see death and it’s not just old people dying.

Abusive spouses and parents that don’t seem to care.

These are just a few of the things, to make you aware.

Drug dealers and drunks are a regular sight.

We go to the bars for fight after fight.

Responding to calls day after day.

Not allowing our personal lives to get in the way.

You complain all the time when you see us on break.

We just drive around in cars and oh, the money we make.

Stop for a second and try to assess,

Who’s always there to clean up the mess.

We do all we can to help and provide.

To make you feel safe and secure inside.

Please remember all of the things that we must do.

And next time you pray, include the men in blue.

Charleston, SC

This past weekend a wonderful friend of mine had her bachelorette weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. The trip was a blast! Charleston is a charming beach town and a place I would love to go back and visit. It's perfect for a weekend getaway. I have been there once before, but it was such a long time ago that I didn't remember anything about it. I must give props to the people of Charleston because everyone we met was incredibly sweet and friendly- gotta love southern hospitality!

The girls and I hit the road about 5am and arrived in Charleston about noon. We had lunch at Snapper Jacks and then walked to Folly Beach to enjoy the sand and sun for the rest of the afternoon. We stayed at Embassy Suites on Meeting Street which was close to everything. After checking in and showering, we all headed out to a casual dinner at Vickery's. After dinner we hopped around a few places. My favorite place of the night was Trio. Saturday morning we were planning on heading to the beach, but one of the girl's friend's set us up with a boat ride. This was the highlight of the weekend for me. Saturday night consisted of a fancy dinner at Anson's and then a few different hot spots. The weekend wrapped up on Sunday with some shopping and lunch at Wild Wings. After a super fun weekend, we headed home and now have some great photos to remember our trip.

Charleston on the water

Friday night delight

Saturday out on the boat

Ladies in red

Last day