Wish List

I wish my favorite black shoes (purchased 3 years ago for $10) had not broken on Thursday.

I wish my back-up black shoes had closed toes.

I wish Tiffany wouldn't cut my bangs so short.

I wish I could make my hair do that trendy poufy thing.

I wish certain people wouldn't interrupt me EVERY TIME I speak at our department meetings.

I wish we had a fireplace.

I wish I those trendy flats wouldn't hurt my feet (they're worse than heels!).

I wish Sonic would make Fried Ice Cream blasts a permanent thing.

An Attempt to Post Videos

Jason and the girls were playing a spy game. He would hide, and they would look for him, and he would shoot them with a waterbottle. I caught a little of it on video. The last one is a very short video of Caroline; I was trying to take her picture, but my camera was still in video mode. Cute video though! Also, see the post below this for a bunch of pumpkin patch pictures!

Pumpkin Hollow

We spend a day at Pumpkin Hollow with Kevin, Jenny, and the girls. We had a great time! It was my first hayride and pumpkin patch, and I loved being there with my nieces! Here are some pictures for you!

Uncle Jason took a nap on the way there, while Lucy watched Tom and Jerry!

Box Family

This poor goat lived on the petting zoo instead of in the petting zoo, and I had to take a picture.

Something scared Lauren, and Uncle Jason was being brave with her.

Caroline was so good!

Fun on a log!

She kills me with those eyes.

Patiently waiting for the hayride.

Caroline is less than thrilled about the hayride.

Lauren

Lucy

The pumpkin patch grossed Lauren out becuase there were pumpkin guts everywhere. Uncle Jason carried her, and they had a conversation about Halloween costumes.

This is how gourds grow! It was news to me!

Praise the gourd.

Sisters in a pumpkin cart.

the perfect pumpkin indeed!

Crazy October

I have a note in my personal journal that says, "October is busy! Do not over-plan!" I couldn't remember why I wrote that, but it has all come rushing back to me now. I feel like we have been going non-stop, and things continue to stay busy. I will be glad when this crazy month slows down a little bit. Here are some pictures of what has been keeping us so busy, and well as a few way overdue pictures from early September.

Sweet Caroline~ who has grown so much since this picture!


I underestimated what a big deal face paint would be.

They loved it!

This is the delicious and beautiful birthday cake Jenny made me. Soooo good! And sweet Lo in the background.

A sweet pic of Bailey.

Sunrise from our back porch.

It was Spirit/Homecoming week at school. This is 1/2 of the English Department, and it was Opposite Day. We are coaches.

from left to right: Ms. Bobbie, me, Jaime, Laney, Shannon

Hippie Day (interpreted by me as bright color day)

Ms. Bobbie (my department head/ good friend/ three-time breast cancer survivor) directs traffic at the Race for the Cure.

Racing for the Cure

The best place for a picture is right in front of the portable bathroom.

The Little Rock Race for the Cure is the biggest in the US. About 45,000 women attend. I was trying to get a shot of how many people there were.

We went out to this shack in the middle of nowhere for what is supposed to be the best catfish ever. This is Amy and Sarah Kate, sweet friends from church.

For the record, I ordered catfish (it's all they serve!), ate the catfish, and enjoyed the catfish.

Bailey is as tired as we are.

Ten Things Tuesday

I am excited that I was able to make time for this this week!

1. Gas prices are slowly creeping down. Our county still has the highest prices in the state, but at least they're going down. With my discount ticket, I paid $3.06 a gallon. Woo!

2. The weather has been consistently fall-like and I LOVE IT! And the leaves are starting to change... I adore this time of year.

3. My mom booked tickets to come visit in November! I don't have to wait until Christmas to see her!

4. The Race for the Cure is this weekend in Little Rock, and the Searcy team is HUGE! It should be a good time~ I always enjoy it!

5. I am so thankful that God is in control! I get to where I micro-manage and nitpick every little thing, and then I get stressed, and then God swoops in and reminds me that this is not up to me. I am so thankful for that.

6. I am thankful for the little ways income is generated in our home. We have been selling things on Ebay for other people, we have been selling our old textbooks on half.com, and I made quite a bit by selling my clothes consignment. I am so thankful for these opportunities.

7. As the weather gets colder, I get excited about cold weather foods like soup, oatmeal, and hot chocolate.

8. The midterm for one of my grad school classes has been canceled. Not postponed-- CANCELED!

9. I can always rely on The Office (the TV show) to relax me and make me laugh. Jason and I entertain each other all day long by texting quotes from The Office and from Friends. I love having these things to laugh about all day.

10. I love the way the internet allows me to connect with family and friends. I love reading about everyone's weekly goings-on and I love hearing about what people think about what I have to say.

Have a blessed week!

Pet Peeves

There are about a hundred things I should be doing right now, but instead I need to write about how much I dislike these things:

1. Slow Drivers~ All I ask is that you go the speed limit. Goodness, there is an entire line of cars behind you. Take that as a hint that you are moving too slowly, and speed up.

2. Grocery Store "Crowders"~ This is the phrase I have coined for people who think they are the only people at the grocery store. They cut you off to get to the milk, they block the whole aisle with their cart... if you don't know what I am talking about, then you are one of these people. Practice polite shopping habits.

3. Unruly children in church~ Uh-oh.... touchy subject. I carefully phrased this because I am not talking about crying babies. A baby crying in one thing-- an eight-year-old crawling under the pew and stage-whispering to their friend behind them is quite another.

4. Gum~ I have never been a big gum person, mostly because of how people look when they chew it. I don't chew gum for that reason alone. Lately, I have been irritated by people talking around their gum. Take the gum out or tuck it under your tongue as you talk-- just don't make me have to look at it while you are telling your big dramatic story.

5. Sarah Palin's Vocabulary~ I have no intentions of getting into a political debate, because I am not as well-informed as I would like. But her choice of words (i.e. darn) grates on my nerves. I understand that she is trying to appeal to the middle class. As a member of the middle class, I find her vocabulary less than professional and more than annoying. And I would hope that our future Vice-President would be a professional.

Oh, I hate to be so negative. Here are five positive things to counter the above complaining:

1. We are going to see Les Miserables tonight! I saw it in Los Angeles when I was in high school, and LOVED it. I have heard that the Little Rock production is actually really good, so I am looking forward to it.

2. It's AUTUMN! I have been loving this weather~ it encompasses so many of my favorite things! Football, fall colors, outdoor time, open windows... it's beautiful!

3. I sponsor the Beta Club at SHS, and my co-sponsor is the absolute most helpful person I have ever met. She doesn't read this blog (I don't think), but I am so thankful for her and all that she does.

4. My students can be so funny. I am thankful for their humor, especially when it is classroom appropriate/ on topic.

5. Sarah Palin's bangs~ I have been a long time supporter of bangs (as you may well know), and I really like hers. She is the Bang Advocate. No, I am the Bang Advocate and she is my spokesperson.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Happy October!

What have we been up to lately? Lots of things!

100 mile bike rides

Baby showers

This weekend we are going to Little Rock for a mini-vacation. We are seeing Les Miserables on Friday night, and then staying the night and having brunch with our favorite former roommates. It's a 24-hour getaway, and we are so excited!