Thursday, August 26, 2010

Food, Fall, and Random Thoughts!

Wow, Okay I'm really getting into this blogging thing. Even though I have no idea who all my audience is, I have rediscovered the joy I've pretty much always had in writing!

Now let's talk about food! Today was grocery day and you know what I have been craving almost since I woke up today? CHEESE!!!
I miss cheese! Right now I just want fresh bakes bread, fresh Cheddar cheese and grapes and strawberries! Yum!
I have been thinking about lasagna, stuffed shells, mac and cheese, cottage cheese, Mom's famous breakfast tacos that's all held together with ooey gooey cheese!!!
And sometimes I buy singles to put on MY sandwiches and MY eggs in the morning but I wanted real sharp fresh cheddar cheese. I was at the store and I didn't buy any. I was in that section at the beginning of my trip and needed to make sure I got the necessities first, plus I forgot how much fat is in cheese and I'm still trying to drop that "Married 20" (You know, like the Freshman 15?)
BUT What I did by was that fresh baked bread I was talking about and fresh fruit. Ryan and I both LOVE Heb's warm baked french bread and we are both big fruit eaters. Another bread that is my favorite is the sandwich bread. It's one of the things I splurge on. It's Oroweat (sp) Oat Bread! It's soft but grainy and has a comforting sweet taste to it! Yum!
Also Driscoll strawberries are the BEST even their appearance is prettier. Bigger brighter! Yum. I also got white grapes and white peaches which is one of Ryan's favorites, and my favorite fruit.... Bananas! Mmmm... I just love fresh food.

OK so moving on.
When I went to the grocery store I was outside and thinking "Oh my gosh it's August in Texas and it feels like fall!!!" It's beautiful! Breezy, and yeah it's cloudy but not in a depressing way. It's almost soothing. Like God's reminding my that the seasons change and here's the start of something new!
Weather PLEASE don't go away! I LOVE this season, it's my favorite! And today's outside feeling goes so well with that feeling I described about back to school cleaning and Enya! Thank you Jesus for special moments like this. So refreshing.

Speaking of back to school, today will be my third day of work! We had a VERY rough first day as several things were not done that should have been done before the start of that day. Also my site manager is nice but SHE (That's right I transferred to a site where I am now working with a female! Woot!) has a lot going on for her right now and doesn't seem to have a lot of the extra time needed for the planning and scheduling that goes into having a successful structured day with 45 children.
But, that evening my Hubby brought my a Starbucks, sweetly asked me all about my first day, did the dishes for me, AND gave me a back massage! Talk about brownie points! He's amazing and I love him!
Yesterday went much more smoothly! We both showed up early and had pretty much everything in order before the kids got there so I'm hoping it just keeps going up from here and that the extra time I have can be used to working on curriculum and activities for my group. I have Kinder and 1st graders this year and some of my kinders are more like preschoolers so it gets a bit rough. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better though. I think I know almost all of their names, which, after only 2 days that's pretty good!

This morning was quiet, I think the workers are mostly done. I am so glad!
One thing that constantly makes Ryan and I more Thankful for our new home is that despite how many time our apartment gets sprayed, the critters are still here. It's Roley polies and centipedes. Our apartment is bottom floor in a rather wooded area and nothing is sealed very well... it's just a constant battle.
And be assured when doors and windows go up in our new house Ryan will be checking the weather stripping and sealant. LOL, but I don't remember ever having bugs like this in any of our homes growing up. So we are really looking forward to that.
I think we will stop by tonight or this weekend to see where they are. The slab should definitely be poured, I'm not sure about what's next but pictures will follow! =)

It's Thursday everybody! We are almost at the weekend! and a Monday Holiday is coming up! Woo Hoo!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

GO AWAY WORKER MEN!!!!

Ok so our apartment complex has decided that the stairs need replaced on our building. So now starting at 8am every morning I am flooded with the sounds of loud hammering, the thuds of dropping concrete steps and giant sections of wood as well as Spanish yelling!!! And it doesn't stop!
Worse than that It sounds like my apartment is completely surrounded. No matter where I am inside there's someone on a ladder outside or walking around the back! It's horrible! I feel trapped and annoyed. Working with a bunch of high energy kids in the afternoon already gives me a headache. I'd rather not prep for work with another head ache.
"Hey! I'm trying to write a blog here!!! Stop hammering for a minute!"

The other thing is, they keep screaming at each other in such a way that I think someone got hurt like every 20 mins! This is seriously going to drive me crazy!



In other news; My first day of work yesterday was crazy! I'm hoping it's just because my site manager didn't have it together and today she will. I also have a few ideas to try to keep the kids busy. I've put myself in charge of fun kids crafts! =) Hopefully it'll work.
The problem with this group is that there's really not enough kids in each grade to group them evenly according to their age so in any group you have such age diversity that anything you suggest is only going to work for part of the group.
This is difficult.
So, I'm hoping by the end of this week we will have a better feel of who these kids are and how to group them where they behave the best.
I feel like there is a lot of work ahead.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Great Weekend and New Beginnings!

This weekend Ryan and I went to Houston to clear Ryan of traffic violations he did NOT commit. Turns out, when the court looked up the tickets issued with Ryan's driver's License number it had somebody Else's name on it! So, after 2 and a half irritating hours; everything was dismissed and all was good.
After that was taken care of we were lucky enough to catch Allison in Bob in Houston. We got to spend time with them, hang out with Jimmy and Melissa AND see Jon and Em! What a great weekend. Nothing beats time with family and the past several weekends for us have been blessed with different family events.

Today I meet with my site manager to discuss this week of school and I have to admit I'm a little anxious with the idea simply because the school is so small only two workers are currently needed which means it's just me and the site manager who is male, and I'm not sexist or anything but the majority of my work history has been either just me as a nanny or working with women. And especially now that I'm married the idea of working just myself and another guy just bothers me and it has nothing to do with the site manager and maybe I'm just a dork, I don't know...

Well, our slab should be poured today, and we are still hoping to close before Thanksgiving, I'm also REALLY hoping I can be transferred to the elementary school right down the road once we move.

The next few weeks/months involve a LOT of change for us. This week I go back to work which will change Ryan and I's home life Schedule a bit. We started attending a small group that we are hoping won't be a conflict with Ryan's classes which start next month on a twice weekly basis but the days are unknown to us at this point. We will get to go back to Sunday School now at church and really start getting plugged in there, this holiday season will be our first as a married couple and will be mixed with our move in. And I still really want to try to get my photography up and running. Everything in it's time.
We are VERY excited about all the upcoming events and are both REALLY looking forward to Fall weather and the holidays! I'm already thinking about Christmas presents so if you wanna send me ideas now so you forget before Christmas, I'm OK with that! =)

And mow I will wrap up with a random likes and dislikes list!

Things I Have Discovered That I LIKE:

~Spontaneous trips to Houston
~The Simply brand of orange juice with Mango (Yum!)
~Candles that fill our apartment with pleasant fragrances far better than any air freshener! (Thanks Allison!)
~Blogging
~That "It's almost fall/back to school feeling" even though I'm not a kid anymore. (It always puts a picture of our old house with all the windows open, a breeze blowing through the place with Enya blasting through out the house the smell of clean everywhere! =) Thanks for that Mom)
~Our new small group!
~Painting time with Mom and Beth talking about "stuff" ;)
~The idea of my other two brothers moving back to Austin with their families. (Not that the BOTH plan to at this point but I'd love to see it happen! and I like the pleasant thought/day dream)
~Our first Home!
~The sweet similarities between my beloved husband, and my precious Daddy and brothers. =)

Things I Have Discovered That I DON'T Like:

~Our stairwell at our apartment being worked on. (They drop things and it's scary!)
~Uncomfortable work situations
~The complicated aspects of Home buying (Just the stress of it.)
~Bills
~Getting the oil changed (I just don't like car repair stuff, those places are icky. LOL but I am SO thankful for my car.)

HAPPY MONDAY AND HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Random Thoughts

Well, the last time we checked on our house they had finished up the plumbing and it looked like they might be real close to pouring the slab. That was Tuesday so it'll be interesting to see where they are the next time we head out there for a visit.

In other news; Ryan and I were finally able to go to a young marrieds small group last night. And we loved it! BOTH of us! We feel like couple friendships are just waiting to bloom! Plus our Sunday School class starts up again this week! We are so looking forward to getting plugged in to our church and making new friends.

I am getting really excited/nervouse about starting work on Monday. Excited to actually work with the kids and curriculem, but nervous about how my supervisor might like to supervise me. In my past experience with this job I had a group of about 24 kids, we met before the kids arrived, went over a few things and then we all worked with our particular group of kids without anyone hovering. And not to brag but I did a pretty good job with things that way.
I'm also not pumped about only working with one other guy. I prefer to work with Women. I'm hoping this aspect of the job is short lived. And I'm hoping that it won't be a problem to transfer to the elementary school down the street from our new house wants it's built.
It's a lot easier to put up with something when you know it's temporary.

Ryan and I are headed to Houston tomorrow to try and sort out this ticket mess and are hoping that it will be even easier than we are hoping for.

We are also already looking forward to the holidays! I'm looking forward to a change in seasons!! =)

Hope you are doing well. Happy Thursday it's almost Friday!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Replacing Facebook

For several reasons I have decided to get rid of Facebook and turn to blogging instead.
This way I can still try to keep up with everyone and allow family and friends to see what's going on in our life.
This also encourages me to write more, which I believe to be very good for me.

A lot has happened over the past several weeks; some tragic, some funny, other's absolutely delightful.

We lost our sweet puppy Samson, and have been doing better now, and are grateful for all the encouragement we recieved for family and friends.
I auditioned for American Idol which was fun but uneventful. It's a high stress environment which caused my nerves to get the best of my voice. Hilarious!
And this weekend Joe and Sara were in town and it was wonderful to see them. Almost the whole family was here and we got together on several occassions which is just such a blessing to both Ryan and I.
We are so blessed by our families.

I start my job at the YMCA after school program this Monday and I'm hoping to be transfered to a school down the street from our new house when we move.
Ryan has orientation for his Union school next week and we are scheduled to close on our house about Thanksgiving so we are in for a lot of exciting changes!

We are headed to Houston this weekend to try to figure out some ticket mess that someone else got Ryan into, and we are looking forward to being in Houston again next month when our baby neice, Ally is borne!!!

We are so excited about what God is doing in our lives and so blessed to have such wonderful people to take part in it.

Please keep us informed on what's going on in your neck of the woods and how we can be praying for you!

Much Love!

Tiffany

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

This Place In Life

I recently began a Ladies Bible Study at my new church and most of it is very applicable and full of spiritual nutrients and it's a great placce for me to meet new women but today was tough.
I love speaking with the ladies at this study but all the women I've met are career women or stay at home moms which is great but I'm not either and am sort of finding it hard to find some common ground.
Today's topic was love. We defined four different greek words used for love in the Bible.
Erao- Is your romantic love. Or intense love. It's Passionate love that specifically has desires.
Storgeo- Is a love you don't really have a choice in. It's a natural, deep rooted love, like how you feel about family memebers.
Phileo- Is the most common love we see today. It's described as personal affection and fondness that is subjective and often times based on how lovable a person is or how well two people get along etc.
Agapao- is the love people preach about most often because it's the love Christ demonstrated. This love is rooted in the mind or will of the person doing the loving. Meaning it's a choice, not a feeling. This love is to value a person and it benefits the beloved. It is unconditional.
The challenge we were given is: Do you Agape love your friends? Do you give them the attention and time and investment that they need?
We looked at four basic necessities or just parts of a good relationship.
Availability
Vulnerability/depth
Truth and Conflict
Commitment
I got to listen to all the ladies at my table relate these things to their current friendships and while it's great stuff that I'll have for future relationships; hearing stories about great friends who were there for each other in crisis and able to confront one another in love and share therselves with one another and pray for each other etc... it just left me feeling sad.
I want that! I don't struggle so much with overcommiting myself or a bust schedule like most of these women. I don't struggle with being gentle or sympathetic towards others. I have love and compassion and time beyond what I need I just don't have the friends to invest in.
During the week part of our homework was to take a 30 minute test to help detirmine our top 3 spiritual gifts.
Mine are:
Mercy
Shepherding
Exhortation
And maybe that's why I have such a longing to be with people all the time. Maybe that's why I don't like being alone for long periods of time. Maybe that's why I might seem a little more needy of my husband than he's used to.
I need people to love and be loved by and they aren't here yet.
It's weird because I used to ask questions like: What is my purpose? What should I do with my time? What am I good at and who am I?
Well now through this study I am able to answer all those questions but am having trouble finding the means to do what it is I feel called to do!
Oh to be able to do things like when we were in elementary school:
"Hi I'm Tiffany, will you be my friend?"
Can you see adults doing stuff like that now? Life was easier then.
I need some hobbies or something.
I need some friends.

Monday, June 14, 2010

A Little Girl's List

When I was about 12 years old I made a list of goals to have had accomplished by the time I turned 25. I'm 21 now and while I don't remember all of what was on that list I remember one of the most important things I used to day dream about was the man I would marry. On that list I stated that I wanted to have a good Christian man. A leader but someone who supported me 100%. I have that man. I married that man. More than the dream man I carried through out middle and high school. Beyond my girly dreams, prince charming. He's mine and I have so much!
Amongst the smaller things on that list was to have written and recorded an original song. Which I have done. I also wanted to have something published. And I have done that as well; a small poem.
I know one or two kids was on the list somewhere but I'm not 25 yet! =)
I wish I still had that list. Today it really put a lot of things into perspective. I have reached several goals and achived (Through Christ alone!) things I never thought possible.
I think about who I was as an idealistic, day-dreamer of a little girl, who I was as a messed up, confused teenager/young adult, and who I am today. Still a young adult but not the same person. God has done so much in me! So much for me! And my family!
I admit I am afraid sometimes that I've missed something, that maybe I'm not saved, I haven't done all the steps or something, but when I really take a step back and look at my whole life I see God's hand everywhere! I see change, and dare I say that Christian cliche word, fruit!
One of my weaknesses in this time in my life (Mostly while I'm home without my husband and without friends) is to feel discontent. But my God has always known what's best for me and has blessed me FAR beyond what I ever could have deserved.

I have this interview today. It's been abother thing that put things into perspective for me. See, my sister and I have a completely different relationship now than we have in years! And that's more of God working in my family. I actually wasn't looking for a job but seeking what I'm supposed to be doing with my life and time right now and my sister was the one who gave me the info about the job. So really it's thanks to her that I even have an interview and thanks to God for working in our relationship. =)
Over the weekend I've been nervous about this whole thing. What if I don't get it, what if it's not what I thought it was etc. and then I started thinking... You know, I was doing pretty well just asking God what to do with my time right now. And if I don't get the job for whatever reason I don't think it will effect me like it has in the past. I start a women's bible study at my church tomorrow. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and building relationships and finding more ways to serve and give of myself. So with everything God has done and is doing in my life, no matter what happens today at 3 O'Clock, I am happy! I have a fantastic family (A really big one!) and wonderful husband! A home, a church, and a God who has plans to prosper me!
Life is good! I am more than content. I am blessed! =)