Quelfing, Oral Hygeine, and 12 Months of Resolutions

Well, Tim and I are back in Dallas after a much longer than anticipated Christmas trip. We did finally get to spend Christmas (a day late) with Tim's family. I'm so glad we were able to see them for Christmas, and it sure didn't seem like it was a day late - all the family was there, the tree was up, we had stockings to dig through and presents to open, and a wonderful home-cooked dinner. It was fabulous... until my stomach flipped out, and I had one of my horrible stomach aches that I get a few times a year (yes - they are SO bad that I can actually recall the specific times it's happened).

I ended up sitting out of the newly beloved Proffitt family board game - Quelf (aka: worst name for a game EVER - because don't EVEN tell me you don't think of something else when you hear the word "quelf"). Its appeal is that it's a very... interactive game (an example in a moment). This did not sound the least bit appealing to me, so I sat in the recliner and watched. If you know me at all, you know that this must have been one hell of a stomach ache to keep me from playing a game! Quite the bummer. The one plus of this, was being a spectator after someone drew an "everyone plays" card that stated that anytime someone's phone rang, everyone had to stand up and yell, "Pizza Party!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they realized all their phones were on silent... so I proceeded to secretly call the house phone - they all jumped up and yelled, "Pizza Party!" immediately on command... while I sat back and cracked up laughing as they realized what I'd done. It was pretty classic and very entertaining. :)

On to other news - today was the most terrifying day I have had in who knows how long. I have not been this anxious, fearful, - okay, downright scared - in a really long time. About 8 or 9 years to be exact. For today my friends, I went to the dentist. I know, that's a ridiculously long time, and I find it quite embarrassing. I have been avoiding, dreading, and putting this day off for, well, 8 or 9 years. Blame it on the fact that I spent all my formative years going to the dentist at a crappy little Indian hospital in downtown Tulsa that was absolutely terrifying, especially as a little kid. They don't use nitrous oxide for crying out loud!! Dr. Lecca was wonderful though - not even scary! Turns out I have three small cavities. Now this might be terrible for many people, but for my track record (going to the dentist growing up meant, "going to see that I have another cavity" - I honestly can't remember going to the dentist as a kid and NOT having a cavity... and no, I haven't always gone 8 or 9 years without seeing a dentist, so it wasn't that either!) it was the most amazing news I've gotten in awhile. It was glorious even! No teeth rotting out of my face, no root canals in my future, no gingivitis (which I was just SURE I had developed by now)... just three (small!) cavities in almost 10 years. YAY!!! Now I will be going faithfully every six months and I plan to finally overcome my fear and dread of the dentist. Hooray!

And now for my last tid-bit. (By the way, if you're still with me at this point, then bravo to you! I'm impressed - this post is long and getting longer by the second!)

I've decided on something different for my New Year's Resolutions this year. See, I have issues with starting new things and actually following through on them for any meaningful amount of time. Sure I'm good for awhile... you know, about 4 or 5 days. And then I'm back to my old habits, berating myself for how much I suck because I can't stick to a simple plan (you know - the kind where you overhaul your whole life - mind, body, and soul - and must do it for the entire year... a simple little plan like that).

NEW PLAN!!
12 months of resolutions! I am going to pick different resolutions for each month of the year, and try to do that ONE thing for ONE month, and then move on to the next. Hopefully, if it is a meaningful and fruitful resolution, I will find that I want to carry it over to the next month - even if only partially.

For instance, some ideas I've come up with... a month of spending at least 15 minutes outside EVERY day - doing absolutely anything: reading, going for a walk, jogging, or just sitting on the porch doing absolutely nothing. I realized there are so many weekdays that I simply walk to my car, drive to work, walk inside, work in a room with NO windows all day, walk to my car, drive home, go inside... and proceed to stay there the rest of the evening. How awful and wasteful of the beautiful outdoors! Now, after my month-o-outdoorsy fun I may realize that that's not necessarily feasible to do EVERY day... but maybe it will be a part of me enough that I crave being in nature more than I do now - and maybe I will appreciate that time more.

Other ideas... a month of:
- blogging everyday (even just a few lines)
- not buying anything that is not a necessity (I'm guessing Schlotzsky's and wine are not necessities, so this could be quite challenging)
- reading x number of minutes a day
- eating out only on Mondays (when Tim and I have our Orthodox inquirers class downtown)
- praying/reading the Bible everyday
- a photo a day
- doing something nice for someone everyday
- abstaining from Facebook (ouch!)
- spring cleaning projects... one small thing each day until it's all finished

So... those are what I've come up with so far. Obviously I need to come up with 12 total at some point, but I'm okay with having some of them come to me as the year goes on. Any ideas are welcome, though!

We'll see how I do with my 12 months of resolutions. It might be just as dismal as every other resolution I've made over the years... or this year I just might have figured out the key to being successful at it. I'm going to choose to be optimistic and go with the latter.

Now, I better go to bed - in a moment of weakness (or strength?) I promised Tim I would wake up with him tomorrow (since he finally has to go back to work) and make him eggs for breakfast. Hmm... maybe I should start my "good deeds for someone each day" resolution early? :)

Merry Christmas from the EconoLodge!

Merry Christmas!! We are in Wichita Falls still - looks like we're going to be here another night... can't even get out of the parking lot!

We got up this morning and had breakfast over in the main lobby... it was pretty meager, but I'm not definitely not complaining! While we were there, we met some really nice people - one family that is actually traveling from Dallas to somewhat near where we're trying to go. We traded numbers and have been kinda looking out for each other (mainly on the food-finding front!). We figured it would be good to be in touch with someone headed the same place as us. We've all decided to check in for another night (and we've made some other friends too), so looks like Christmas at the EconoLodge for us!

Tim and I trekked up to the nearest gas station in search food (as we had none). I sucked it up and put on my Uggs for the march over (it was about 10 minutes in the snow/ice there and back). I felt sorry for them the whole way there and the whole way back (crossing my fingers they're not ruined). They did their job though - my feet were snug and warm for the whole trip. We got back with our $35 in gas station food just in time to find out that Chili's is delivering to stranded motorists! Bah humbug!! Actually it's okay... I think we might be doing that for dinner tonight, and then we'll have our gas station food for the drive tomorrow as our "in case of emergency" food.

Still not sure if we're headed to Dimmitt or back to Dallas tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure we'll be headed somewhere... which is an improvement from our current situation! I will say that we're making the most of it though. We've maintained good attitudes, have had plenty of relaxation, made some new friends, and have been thankful that we are stuck in this situation together. We can handle pretty much anything as long as we're together. Cheesy yes, but still true.

Cross your fingers for us to be able to make it to see Tim's family tomorrow - we (and they) are really bummed we are missing Christmas with them. I figure that a late family Christmas is much better than no family Christmas, but even that's up in the air. Still hopeful though!

Alright, well I think I'm off to do some more scrapbooking... I must say it is a great way to pass the time, and something I always feel like I don't have "time" for!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good... afternoon. :)

A Very Memorable Christmas Indeed...

Well, since it's been over two months since I've updated, I guess being snowed in is as good a time as any to finally post something!

So... Tim and I are stuck in the EconoLodge Motel in Wichita Falls. We've been here since about 10am because of the blizzard (and no, I am not exaggerating - they actually said it was a blizzard on the news!). We were supposed to leave Dallas yesterday (you know, when it was 70 and sunny?), but didn't because some of our packages hadn't arrived yet. One of the packages was a re-send (thanks Amazon!) because the delivery people left it at the door... either it wasn't our door, or someone stole it, but we never got it. So I was NOT going to miss this (free) re-delivery. We left about 6:30 am this morning... thought we were doing great. Then about the time we got to Wichita Falls, we realized there was no way we were driving all the way to Dimmitt in that kind of snow storm.

I'm glad we didn't continue on - it was snowing like crazy ALL DAY until about 5 or so. I'm still kinda worried about getting my poor little car out tomorrow - there's about a 3 foot snow drift next to it! I'm reeeeally hoping we're able to get out and drive to Dimmitt tomorrow, but I'm not positive we'll be able to. Crossing my fingers - I want to spend Christmas with family... not stranded at a motel in Wichita Falls!

Okay, so here's what I've been up to today!





The first two are my original ideas (I especially like the 2nd one - it took me awhile, because everything is kinda spliced together from lots of different pieces). The last one was a "quick page," meaning it was basically finished. I just added pictures, some journaling, and some little tidbits here and there. I love them, but they're not as much "mine."

Whew! Well I think I'm going to relax a little now. It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon!

Hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas Eve - a white Christmas in Oklahoma and Texas - this hardly EVER happens!!

Life Update...

Well, I have been super busy... seems like the way life is going to be for awhile. I think things will slow down after Christmas, but until then... I have newcomer Orthodox classes on Mondays, GT training class (and a presentation at end of the overall class) on Tuesdays, strategic planning meetings on Wednesdays (in the midst of being busy and overwhelmed, I decided to join the craziest planning team available - middle school "flexible scheduling!"). Not to mention optional (but not really!) stuff like Thursday Office parties and church on Sundays. AAAHHH!!!! Oh ya, and that doesn't include ANY work for school - which, I have a ton of... seeing as we are totally re-vamping how we are teaching (much more labs and "fun" stuff for the kiddos... much more planning and prep for me). WHEW! I'm exhausted just writing about it!

Saying all that, this is a great year! I am really happy with my life, with how things are going professionally, with my kiddos, and especially with Tim. Life is good.

I'm watching the OU/Texas game right now - woo hoo!! Boomer Sooner!! One thing I hate about living in Texas is that everyone calls it Texas/OU... and I can't help it, but that rubs me the wrong way EVERY time I hear it!! Ewwww.... Texas just tied it up. And from the looks of their stats (and how we tend to break down in the second half sometimes), I'm a little worried about the second half! :/

I don't really have anything exciting to write I guess. I'm about to start working on an application for this awesome opportunity called the "21 Club" - where we have the chance to get our classrooms decked out with everything to help our kids become 21st century learners... aka - awesome technology right at their fingertips so that they can be using it all the time, instead of just whenever the computer lab is free (and when that actually coincides with when we need it). It would be SO amazing, I cannot even tell you. Smartboard, laptops for all the kids, clickers for them to answer questions (and I would get the real-time data). So... wish me luck. The application is frighteningly short and simple... I think that scares me more than a big, drawn-out one. After that is an interview process, so hopefully I make it to that point in the first place. Wish me luck!

BOOMER SOONER!!!

It's Getting Better All the Time...

Okay, I think it's time to post a follow-up to my last post, so you guys don't think I went off the deep end into depression. I'm good now... I really wasn't terribly bad then, just really stressed out and swamped with work and life. I feel like I should be hitting my stride in the school year by now, but I'm just not. This has been the busiest school year I've had - I really feel like I'm just constantly trying to keep my head above water. Sucks. I need a break already and it's not even October. :/

In positive news... I was out last week for three days for middle school strategic planning - it was pretty awesome to be involved in that. I felt really honored for being chosen to be a part of the planning process. Took three days, lots of honest opinions (I made my big push for more problem-solving, creative thinking, and time for science), and actually very little clashing of view points... and now we've got an excellent strategic plan for the future of our Coppell middle schools. Very exciting!!

I'm also delving in deeper into my exploration of and participation in the Orthodox Church. Some of you may already know that Tim and I have been attending St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral (along with our church in Fort Worth, Mosaic... which is about as opposite on the spectrum as you can get from Orthodoxy! Leave it to Tim and me...). Tim discovered the church the summer before we got married, and has been going pretty regularly since about this time last year. I go with him sporadically, but haven't really thrown myself into it like he has. It's taken me awhile to get used to the liturgical church service, the prostrations, crossing oneself, venerating icons, etc. I would still say I'm not "used" to all those things, and I can't quite bring myself to participate in them yet, but I'm getting there. Their theology and history just really appeals to me... once you learn all about the history of the Church and all of the symbolism in EVERYTHING that the Orthodox Church does, it's actually kind of hard to resist its pull. All of the "things" they do that I always thought of as mindless and repetitive have such an incredible amount of meaning. It's pretty amazing.

Anyway... we have been going to a "newcomers" class for the past few months, and it's almost over. The ending of the class brings all of us participating in it to a place where we kind of need to decide what to do next. I've decided that I'm going to take a more intentional approach to involving myself, seeing if I actually want to take the steps to convert. Wish me luck - even with my excitement comes my familiar feelings of dread, knowing that everything I set out to do (large, life-changing undertakings, not just the day to day stuff) ends up falling by the wayside. I'm excellent at making lofty goals, and excellent at shelving them unintentionally shortly thereafter. So seriously, wish me luck. Maybe even say a prayer for me?

In other news, I got Andrea's "Save the Date" cards in the mail today. They are SO incredibly cute!! They look like plane tickets and have all the information needed for the wedding (or should I say, the Maui-age ceremony? hehe), even the response card is another plane ticket! Love them.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough. I am going to go take a nice, warm bubble bath and relax my stress away. Goodnight friends - and thanks for the concern from my last, quite dismal posting. :)

P.S. - Just found my old youth pastor on Facebook. Man, I really miss that guy. Seeing his pictures brings back so many fond memories of my time at FBC and the summer I worked there in college. Good times.

...

Feeling blah. Something feels off and I can't figure out what it is. I feel melancholy, lonely, overwhelmed, even slightly depressed. It's not even 8, but I think I'm going to go to bed. I hate it when I feel like this... it's been a long time since I have, so I guess that's a good thing. Maybe if I sleep it off, I will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Bah. Goodnight.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Man, I haven't written in so long! Since school started, I have been incredibly busy everrrryday it seems like! (Big surprise.) It has started off to be a fantastic year though, I must say. I am loving my kiddos and the way my classes are set up, and I don't feel terribly exhausted (both physically and emotionally) at the end of the day - yay! 3rd year progress!!

My birthday has come and gone, and it was a good one. I still haven't spent my birthday money yet... so it is really burning a hole in my pocket! I tried to go shopping yesterday afternoon, but I didn't have much luck. Think I might attempt to go tomorrow morning, but this time to my little cheapy stores that I love (rather than Ann Taylor Loft, Express, & Gap... which have such cute but terribly overpriced - for my cheap self - pants and sweaters). You know... some good ol' Forever 21, Rack Room Shoes (buy one, get one half off... shocking, right? ha!), Payless, Target... wish me luck! Seems like I'm having the usual trouble of finding things when I have no money and finding nothing when I have it all saved up and am ready to SPEND IT!

Ahhhh it just started pouring... thunder and lightening, the whole bit. I love, love, LOVE the rain when I can enjoy it from the comfort of my own home (or porch). I loathe getting out when it pours though... can't see out of my glasses, eyes bother me if I'm wearing contacts, hair gets frizzy, make-up ruined... I feel like such a baby when I admit how I really feel about the rain (especially with all you "I love the rain and being out in it" people)... but it's true!! There! I said it! But right now? Perfect. Kinda like the weather has been even though it's only the beginning of September. Crazy, but I'm loving it!

So Tim and I are going to a wedding near Houston this weekend, and I'm really excited about it! It's for his friends from work, Grant and Kim. I'll get to have a little mini weekend getaway with Tim, stay in a hotel for the night, and hang out with Tim's super fun work friends! AND be back early enough (sorta) on Sunday to get things ready for the week and feel rested.

Next weekend Andrea is coming back down to do some more wedding dress shopping (and I will do some more bridesmaid dress shopping!). I'm excited!! Then we have a birthday party out at Whiterock lake... so much going on!! I love it though. Well, I have a love/hate relationship with it... I LOVE having fun things to do and great people to hang out with, but then it always seems like the weekend just flies by and all of a sudden - boom! It's Monday again and I don't feel ready! Oh well, I think it's a worthy trade-off, and I can't seem to ever say no anyway - I'm a sucker for doing something fun. :)

Okay, well enough rambling on about random stuff. I actually need to get some grading finished so I can enjoy my Sunday afternoon. Boo for working on a Friday night!!

First day of school!

Well, the day finally arrived - back to school, goodbye summer vacation! I've been (surprisingly) not as excited as I used to be about school starting, but I started feeling it finally after a few classes - weird that it took so long this year! I think it was still a coming off of Mongolia high... wanting to maybe even be back there instead of here.

My kids seem great though - I feel like I was able to relate to them SO much better than I have with my kids in the past... maybe it's because my first year was with 6th (and they really are tiny still!) and then I moved up with those kids... so they (and maybe I also) felt like if there wasn't a great relationship there the first year, there wouldn't be again? I dunno... I just felt immediately connected to more of my kids this year - which feels promising! And the new room and the new setup (which is still lab tables, but with a front row and a back one, sorta shaped like crescent moons... if that makes any sense!) felt really great - very homey, but yet with a focus more on what's going on at the front of the class, rather than their friends... all. the. time. Which has been my issue the past two years.

What an exciting blog post huh?

I actually went and worked out after school - so that was a good start to the year also! I don't think I've worked out since just before our Mongolia trip - EEK!

Umm... what else...

OHHH!!! Saturday is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! I can't believe I haven't been counting down for everyone like I usually do. Guess I've been pretty busy... that is the ONLY reason. :) My bestest friend in the entire world is coming to visit on Thursday and staying all weekend - I can't wait! We're going to maybe check out a dollar movie, go wedding dress shopping (yay! - I'm the Matron of Honor... I'm proud, but man does that make me sound old and fat somehow!), and then (drum roll, please) - me and two of my favorites are having a SPA DAY ON SATURDAY!! An hour massage, 1/2 hour facial, manicure and pedicure (and the place is really nice) for only $130 each! How incredible is that?! Annnnd we're going to see The Time Traveler's Wife to top it off (I've heard it's not great, but I'm still really excited to see it anyway). What an awesome weekend. AND, Tim is going out of town for work for a day, and it's the day she gets here - so I won't be alone... perfect!

So I just realized that last paragraph has a TON!! (ha) of all caps & exclamation marks... can you tell I get a little jazzed up about my birthday? hehe.

Labor Day weekend I'm going home to see the fam - it's been way too long and I'm really excited to see them all. Plus, the birthday extravaganza continues at home, so what's not to love?!

Alright... well I'm off to make some chicken salad for lunch tomorrow. I'm going to try to be good this year. ...must avoid the mini blueberry muffins in the morning and m&m cookies in the afternoon (unlike today!)

Jet Lag!!

So there's this thing called jet lag... and I honestly never quite believed it was as bad as people made it out to be. Until this week. Getting on Mongolian time was a piece of cake - just had to make myself stay up a bit later when I really wanted to sleep, then popped out of bed around 6 or 7 every morning... it was actually pretty nice! Getting back on Texas time, however... has been sucking the life out of me! I'm exhausted everyday, and then at night I'm not sleepy... I go to bed anyway, and wake up sometime in the middle of the night, wide awake and not able to sleep anymore... which makes me (again) exhausted all the next day. And the thing that is maybe even more frustrating, is that I'm actually physically exhausted in the middle of the night... it's only my mind that is wide awake, my body is pleading to go to sleep! It is incredibly frustrating (and lonely, I must say - being the only one awake in the middle of the night).

I haven't taken Ambien the past 2 nights... and I'm really having a hard time deciding what to do with that. I'm so afraid of being dependent on it (and secretly worrying if that's why I can't sleep right now... although I think it's way too early for that - I haven't even taken it that much). I don't think I can take another sleepless night/exhausting day though! UGH!!

And tonight is our anniversary weekend - we're going to a super nice hotel in Uptown, to a nice restaurant for dinner, etc... and I just KNOW I'm going to be exhausted (because a nap is seriously out of the question, even though I'm going to be dying for one). Again, UGH!!

Okay, enough pity party.

In other news, I finally made it up to the school yesterday - wasted about 2 hours doing 15 minutes worth of planning with Eric (it was nice to just hang out though - I wasn't up for much else with my lack of sleep!). Attempted to work in my room (the air was on in my room - YAY!) and then realized that they were about to have a band practice in there (the air was on in my room - DUH.), so I left. Went to Office Max and Wal-Mart and bought lots of fun new school/office supplies - one of my favorite things to do!!! :D Also actually got some school work finished last night while I was attempting to tire myself out. Very far from feeling ready though... or do you ever quite feel ready for the first day of school??

Alright, well I'm going to go read... might go ahead and take an early morning nap (seeing as it's only 7:30, I don't think a short one will affect my sleeping tonight... I did only get 4 hours of sleep last night!).

Blahhhhh!!!

Link for Pictures!

Okay, I'm not going to take the time to upload pictures onto my blog now that I've uploaded them all to Facebook, then Picasa, then Kodak - I'm so sick of uploading!!

So, here's a link to my Picasa so you can check them out, download them, purchase them, whatever - enjoy!

Mongolia Pics!!

Let me know if the link doesn't work, or if you can't view the album once you get there.

I have one more update to make, but I am pooped, so it will have to wait for later...

Last Day in Mongolia

Sunday:

First things first... Happy one year anniversary to Tim and me! We celebrated our anniversary in Mongolia - just about the coolest and most memorable place to spend it. We didn't do anything "anniversary-ish," but just being there, together, was enough.

We got to sleep in finally (and I actually did... til about 8 - ha!). We went to Mitch's church, which didn't start until 1pm, which was great. It was really neat to attend a Mongolian Christian church - even though we didn't understand anything they said! They sang a lot of recognizable contemporary Christian songs, just in Mongolian - it was kinda neat and kinda weird at the same time. Weird may not be the right word... it just made me wish that they had more of their own Christian songs to sing - just to make it their own, with their own style, something Christian but still Mongolian. I can see how it would be really hard to do that though - seeing as they really don't have any experience to pull from. I definitely wouldn't know where to start either. It was neat as an American though, to go somewhere so foreign and to be able to recognize so many songs... humming along the English words in my head as they sang in Mongolian. They also sang a welcome song to our group - which was really sweet, but terribly awkward too - it was really long and they were staring at us the whole time! The sweet outweighed the awkward though.

We had lunch at a Chinese food restaurant and it was sooooo good!! The menu, however, was hilarious!! Every one of the entrees had an English name underneath, but none of them made any sense whatsoever! I know that is common - errors in translating, and things/meanings get lost in the process, but this was really over the top! One of my favorites: "The Older Brother of the Pig Kick Ball" - awesome huh?? :) One of the guys took a picture of every single dish, because they were all so funny.

I also experienced the nicest bathroom I've seen in Mongolia at this restaurant! It was CLEAN, there was toilet paper (unbelievably amazing), soap, warm water, and there was incense burning in the stalls! It was fantastic. This brings me to something I have failed to mention somehow - there is never any toilet paper in the bathrooms in Mongolia!! We took our own everywhere we went, they were always really dirty, and some of them didn't even have a "real" toilet... I have never been so happy to pee in my own bathroom as I was last night!! I don't think I'll be complaining as much about public restrooms here anymore... and as a true testament to the extravagance and overabundance we are so used to here - the first bathroom I used back in the States (as everyone over there calls it - has a nice ring to it I think, hehe) had TWO different toilet seat cover dispensers and FOUR full rolls of toilet paper! Now I'm all for toilet seat covers and toilet paper, don't get me wrong, but it just reminded me of how spoiled and ridiculous we can be here.

We went to another Buddhist temple in UB for a little bit, but I wasn't really in the mood. My stomach was hurting (first and only time all trip - amazing!!), there were pigeons everywhere (everyone else loved it, but I am terrified of huge flocks of pigeons... especially ones that constantly get way too close!!), and I was in a bad mood because of a little shopping snafu. I had spent at least 30 minutes in this neat little wool shop (everything was handmade, authentic Mongolian products, and it was owned by a Lutheran ministry, so we felt like it was going to a good place) picking out awesome, well priced Christmas presents for all my family and friends, and then my credit card AND my debit card wouldn't work - so I had to put them ALL back!!! I was soooo upset - and I feel like I'm allowed, because I wasn't just pouting because I didn't get stuff for me - it was ALL gifts for other people!! And I had painstakingly picked out the perfect gifts for each person!!! UGH!!! Okay seriously, I'm still upset writing about it now, and it was over two days ago! Moving on...

We spent the rest of the evening packing up and hanging out with the Ballingers. Okay - let me take some time to talk about Chris and Stephanie Ballinger and their two adorable kids, Abby and CJ. So, part of the reason (or maybe most of the reason) we went to Mongolia, was not only to love on kids, but to hang out with the missionaries that live there full time. The idea, is that there's not a whole lot you can do in a week, but if you can build up the people that live there all the time, they can make even more of an impact on peoples' lives. Enter in, the Ballingers. This family is amazing. They are about our age, have two little kiddos (I think that Abby is 5 and CJ is 2... or somewhere close to that), and they have been living in Mongolia for 2 years now. They just picked up and moved out there when CJ was only ten months old. INCREDIBLE! They started out doing a youth center, had to shut it down because of government nonsense, and now they are running a feeding center for children in UB. They are learning to speak Mongolian - they probably wouldn't agree, but they might as well be fluent if you ask me! They are able to communicate pretty much anything they need to - can understand and speak it both, and it is a VERY difficult language! They are so sweet and kind-hearted, definitely two of the nicest, most impressive people I have ever met. Stephanie went out to the Gobi with us, and I am so glad she did - I feel like we got to know her a lot better than we would have, and it was so great to have her around. I would love to go back to visit one day and spend more time with her.

We spent some time during our last evening to talk about how the trip impacted our lives and what we enjoyed/would take away most from our time in Mongolia. Lets just say there was crying. It was a good time. I will miss Mongolia, the beautiful children we met, and the amazing missionary families that serve there full time. It was an incredible journey.

Blogger is having photo uploading issues right now, but I will upload all my pics as soon as I can, or post a link for your viewing pleasure. :D

Saturday!

So yesterday we just hung out and did tourist-y things...

Tim found out a few days ago that they have a Russian Orthodox church in UB and asked Keith if there was any way we could go see it. We were supposed to go see the Buddhist temple, but a lot of it is outdoors and it was pouring yesterday. The church was beautiful, as expected. It was really neat to get to go to an Orthodox cathedral in Mongolia - I know Tim was loving it. He was telling everyone about everything, he was so excited. :)

At lunch we got to try horse meat finally... we had horse kabobs! It was actually really good - seasoned very well.

Then....... SHOPPING!!! :D We got lots of little souvenirs, each got a cashmere scarf (only about $30 each!). We also went to a wool store where they had all handmade genuine Mongolian wool products. I got a SWEET laptop bag (it is so so so cute!), some little magnets for my white board at school (I actually got quite a few little things for my classroom, I'm excited!), and Tim and I each got really cool wool beanies.

AND! Outside the wool store was this awesome monument type thing - it was the body and part of the neck of a guitar coming out of the ground. It was already cool, and then when we walked around to the other side, I found out it was dedicated to the Beatles!! There were statues of the four of them on the other side - SO awesome. It was pouring though, so I didn't get a picture... so I'm hoping we get to go back today to get one. I know, I know... I'm a dork.

After that we went to a cultural show where they did their special Mongolian throat singing (you should look it up on You Tube, surely they have some on there... it is CRAZY!! Or maybe I'll be really cool and post a link someday...). They also had traditional dancing, lots of music with interesting instruments I've never seen before, AND contortionists!! They were incredible! Crazy that people can actually bend like that, and their arms were SO strong - and they were these tiny little girls! Crazy.

We had Mongolian BBQ after that, and it was really good... not to mention that the place had free WiFi - I'm ever amazed at how connected we can be in Mongolia!

We got home and drank some 3 in 1 (I will explain in a minute) to help stay awake til midnight so Tim and I could celebrate our one year anniversary!! I can't believe it's already been a year - it kinda flew by. It has definitely been one of the best years of my life. Everyone talks about how hard the first year of marriage is, but we really didn't experience that. It has just been wonderful - I have the greatest husband and feel like a very blessed girl.

Okay, so 3 in 1! Everyone drinks this instant coffee here called 3 in 1 - it's got the cream and sugar already mixed in... actually kinda tastes like cocoa, so it's definitely my kind of "coffee" - if you could even call it that! We found out later that it has something like 12% coffee, 50% sugar, and the rest creamer, HA. PERFECT. :D

The boys made breakfast this morning and it was fantastic! I love when boys cook. I think it's sweet. :) Makes me happy. We're going to church (it doesn't start til 1pm - my kind of church!) today, then the Buddhist temple, then maybe some more shopping, then hanging out with the missionaries and their kids tonight. We're going to attempt to stay up all night I think, because we have to leave here at like, 3am to catch our flight. Then once we get to Bejing we have an 8 hour layover - SUCK!!

I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow morning - it's almost over. It went by really fast; I knew it would. Part of me is ready to get back to my own home, my own bed... and part of me is really not ready to leave yet. I guess that's probably how it always is...

The Gobi! Day 3

This post probably won't be as long, and definitely not as exciting! Instead of stopping halfway through the trip and staying the night, we drove straight home - we left at 10am and didn't get home until about 9pm!! It wasn't all driving... we stopped about 15 times for people to go to the bathroom (peeing out in the wide open desert with 5 other girls right next to me was a new experience... I'm cool with not doing it for a long, long time!). We also stopped for about an hour at Snake Mountain (the desert is surprisingly mountainous and non-desert looking in the area we went to - even lots of green because of all the rain they've had!). We climbed up (well, I went halfway, that was plenty high for me!) a rock formation and took pictures... it was pretty cool. Climbing back down (or scooting down on my butt) was not cool though, and I was glad I didn't go all the way up to the top! Might have taken me hours to get back down. :)

We also made a little pit stop and Bear and the boys wrestled - a popular pasttime in Mongolia! So popular, that another group that was driving past us turned around and came back to watch - one guy even asked if he could wrestle someone too! It was pretty funny. And when they win, they do this little dance that looks like a they are a bird floating around (their arms floating up and down like wings).

We would've gotten home an hour or two later, but traffic in UB was INSANE (as usual), and the place we went for dinner ("fast food" - ha!) took about 40 minutes. And THEN - there was a huge traffic jam, because some people decided to make a new lane of traffic... going the WRONG way - right through the middle of our flow of traffic!!! It was crazy - there are definitely no rules here, people just kind of do whatever they feel like!

That's about it - it was a pretty non-eventful day. Oh, except that we had a "Phantom Farter" on the ride home, and the entire van was stunk up on at least 10 or 15 occasions... it was horrrrrible!!! We were never so glad to be "home" in our lives!!

Okay, Mitch is here to pick us up - we're off for a day of sight-seeing, shopping, Mongolian BBQ, and a cultural show - I'm so excited!! :D

The Gobi! Day 2

Thursday:

We got up and drove another 4 hours - this time reaching the actual Gobi! On our way there, we saw a bunch of vultures on the side of the "road" (the word road is a huge exaggeration). They. Were. ENORMOUS!!! Imagine a large lab sitting, and that's how big these vultures were... at least. They were so creepy - and if you know of my fear of birds anyway, you would know exactly how creepy they were!! UGH!!

When we arrived at the village Erdene Dalai, we went into the church (the only registered Christian church in the Gobi) and the kids were in there - hanging out and singing. They were singing "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" in Mongolian and doing hand motions to go along with the words - it was SO neat. Then, this beautiful little girl (maybe about 7 years old) did a traditional Mongolian dance for us - she was all dressed up in gorgeous traditional garb (I will definitely post a picture of her). It was the coolest thing - she was such a little performer at the time, and then ended up being one of the most shy.

Then we did our thing... passing out gifts, painting nails, making balloon animals. This one was really exciting though, because we got to pass out the gallon sized bags we'd filled with toys, candies, toothbrushes, toothpaste, crayons, etc. It was so fun to see their excited faces - they loved it.

Even though we were completely exhausted (after very little sleep and the tiring, bumpy van ride), we got back in the van and drove another couple of hours to the next village that was even farther into the Gobi. On our way there, we saw a herd of camels (and many more after that - at first it was really exciting, and then we got to be like, ok... camels... wow. haha). We got out and took lots of pictures of them, walked right up to them, some people even touched them! Not me... I'm too much of a weenie for that. :) They were domesticated, so it was okay. It was really cool.

We got to the next village, Delger Hangai, and the kids in the feeding center sang songs for us - it was so sweet! They weren't shy either, they really belted it out! I loved it. They are so sweet and adorable. Then they all got together (along with a few from our group) and played a little game of "Sambo Says" (sound familiar?) - it was so funny, the kids loved it!

Then we went outside and played with the kids - but for some reason, this was my absolute favorite village we went to. The kids were so excited to see us, pulling us by the arm to do things, asking us to paint their nails (even the adults - it was great!). And thennnn I got out the camera - they were SO into having their pictures taken (all the kids have been, but they really loved it). Then they wanted my camera, and started taking pictures of each other, of me and them together, just over and over and over. They probably took about 40 pictures with my camera! They love to take the picture, and then turn the camera around and see themselves. One little girl who was about 13 maybe (it's hard to tell ages of the kids around here) was like my shadow - followed me everywhere and was obsessed with taking pictures with my camera - it was so cute. Then another little girl (maybe 9?) came up to me and said, "What is your name?" I told her, and she repeated it, then I asked her and she said, "My name is ____" (can't remember, it was very complicated!). I was so impressed that she knew English! She seemed excited to be able to speak to me a little - I definitely was!

We finally left, and it was even more heartbreaking to leave them, because I feel like I really connected with some of the girls there. They waited outside our van and kept waving to us, over and over and over - the little girl who spoke to me in English especially (and kept smiling at me) so I hopped back out and gave her a hug by - I love her!! She was so precious. I almost cried (again) leaving them. The drive back to the first village was sad for me... I really loved the people in Delger Hangai. Tim and I were talking about finding a way to raise money for them to get a deep water well - the closest one is a quarter of a mile away. It would be about $14,000 to get them a well... not sure how we could do that, but we're thinking about it.

That wrapped up our time with the kids in the Gobi Desert... all that bumpy driving was definitely worth it, 100%.

The Gobi!

Wednesday:

Before heading out to the Gobi, we stopped off at an old Buddist temple - it's no longer a temple, it's a museum. It was really cool to see, but very unsettling too. Parts of the inside were really ornate and beautiful, and other parts were very violent and almost evil looking. Severed body parts, blood, very gruesome.

We all hopped into one van/bus and headed out to the Gobi - we later found out that we would drive 4 hours on Wednesday and technically make it to the desert 'til the next day. We drove 4 of the most bumpy hours I've ever experienced in my life - I can't even explain how bumpy this ride was, and I was one of the lucky ones in the middle!

We stopped at a Ger camp for the night - we were all so excited to stay in a REAL Ger - finally!! We hung out, played cards, and the boys were complete idiots (should I be surprised?) and decided to hike up to the tallest hill in view right as a lightening storm was rolling in. And then it started pouring - so badly, you couldn't even see that there were hills in the first place. I was a nervous wreck (also not surprising), and they finally made it back (soaked) about an hour later. I was so glad they made it back fine, and then I was so mad... I hate worrying like that!

We turned in pretty early, as we were completely exhausted (as I have been every night by around 9). Keith (the guy who brought us on the trip) came by and warned us we might want to shake our beds out before we got in them, because he found bugs in his... so we did, and thus the start of the one of the most miserable nights I have ever experienced! There were bugs EVERYWHERE - they kept getting on the beds with us, falling from the ceiling (we could hear them thudding on the floor continuously, and occasionally making a soft thud... which we realized meant they had landed on our bed, not the floor). I would doze off a little, then wake up to something crawling on me - I would bat it away, but then my adrenaline would be rushing and I would be hot and not able to sleep... just lay there. listening. thud. thud. soft thud . thud. something tickling my arm . HORRIBLE!! We finally got up and left the Ger (which, by the way, smelled like wet, dirty dog - well, actually... wet, dirty sheep - but I'm sure you can imagine the dog smell a little easier) and just walked around the campground. Finally we saw one of the Mongolians that came with us (Bear - he is AWESOME) leave his Ger and drag his entire mattress outside to sleep. They were now not only crawling on him, but actually biting him. We felt much less like weenies with a big, burly Mongolian not able to sleep in there either. He opened up the van for us, and Kaitlin and I bailed on the Ger and slept there for the rest of the night (this was about 1am, so we did give it a good try, seeing as we went to bed around 9:30!). We had never been so excited to sleep in a van in our lives!! We thought we were going to get a lot of crap about it for the rest of the trip, but instead, everyone (even the guys) were like, "Ya, that was smart - that was a good idea." AAGGHH!!! So glad that's over.

Mongolia, Day 2

So today is actually day three, but this is my update of what we did yesterday! I can't believe today is already Wednesday - the time is flying by, yet each day seems like 2... if that is possible.

Yesterday we got to sleep in, but seeing as I fell asleep at 9pm, I was up and wide awake at 6! It was really nice though, I got to have a nice, relaxing morning. OH - I need to tell you about the place where we're staying! We are staying in a guest house for visiting missionaries and groups like ours. It's very nice - I'm staying in a little suite with the other girls (there are only 5 of us, and 11 guys). We have a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, bathroom (with a shower - I've been surprisingly clean, I wasn't expecting to have the ability to be!). It has a big fenced in yard (apparently, you can "own" a piece of land, have a place built on it and everything, but if you don't have it fenced in, it's not yours... as in, anyone can build a fence around it, and it is now theirs! So obviously, there are fences around everything, and most of them are really crooked... seems as though they were built pretty quickly just to make sure nobody else got the land), it's two stories, and it has WiFi!! It's amazing that we can be so connected here - everything else around is really run-down and pieced together, it feels very strange to be sitting here in our nice guest house, updating my blog.

We went to the bank first thing to exchange some of our money - and that was an experience... not the bank part, but the crazy traffic part! The drivers here are seriously insane - honking all the time, almost side-swiping everyone, little wrecks all the time, people running across the street and almost being hit by cars... a few times I almost had to just close my eyes. And then we became the pedestrians that had to cross 4 lanes of traffic - luckily it wasn't too terribly busy, but a little scary nonetheless. Crosswalks are non-existent. Then we went to a department / grocery store. We all got carts and filled them with things we would want/need to eat throughout the week (whatever we don't eat or drink, we're leaving here to stock the place up for the next group). It was crazy to see all the different things they had, and to go shopping in a place where you don't know what anything says! I did find me some Pepsi and some of my favorite Twinings Lady Grey tea, so I'm good to go. :)

After that, we drove around to the other side of the city (it took forever, the roads are really rough, and it was soooo dusty - Tim's and my allergies have been quite insane). We visited one of Mitch and Baljmaa's feeding centers - this one was close to the dump. The center is very small, low ceilings, peeling wallpaper, pretty dirty... but it is definitely a place of refuge for the kids that live around that area. Just like the last feeding center we visited, the meal they get there is often the only one they get all day. Most of the kids actually work all day at the dump, sorting trash and recycling - it's so sad how dirty they are. They work all day and earn about $1, all of which they give to their parents who most likely drink it away. It's a terrible cycle, and without getting to go to school to get an education, I don't see how they're going to break it. The little ones are so sweet and precious, but you can tell that the older kids are already getting pretty hard. I guess you would have to be to live the way they do day to day. We met one boy who looked like he was about 10 (at most) and later found out that he was 15, and was so small because he was so malnourished. Unbelievably sad. The little kids ran out to the fence when we left and waved and smiled as we drove away - it was heartbreaking. I wanted to take them with me. We went to the actual dump site after that, and it was pretty bad. People live there and live off of the leftovers that get dumped there.

After that, we went and had lunch at a Japanese hot pot restaurant. It was incredibly good - but with all those boiling pots in an upstairs, un-airconditioned room, it was sooooo hot. We were all sweating like crazy. It was worth it though - very yummy.

We went back to the English class, but it was a little more awkward this time. We didn't break into little groups like we did the day before, it was just all of us on one side and all of the Mongolians on the other side... both sides were having a hard time with what to say or ask. Singing seems to be a good way of communicating for them, so one of the Mongolian guys (one of only two Christians there) sang "My Redeemer Lives" for everyone - just belted it out! He seemed really nervous at first, kept wringing his hands and saying things to the Mongolians and laughing... but when he started singing he seemed like he was right in his element! Then they were like, "okay - now you guys!" We all just kinda looked at each other... and eventually someone started singing "Amazing Grace" and that went over well. :)

** Time out: I just drank horse milk... it is sooooo sick!!! It tastes fermented and acidic and not like any kind of milk whatsover! agh!!! They're making everyone try it, haha.

We came back to the guest house after the English class and everyone just hung out - both sets of missionaries and their kids came over and we all just talked and laughed and the little kids were just having a crazy (seriously!) good time. Mitch (who, just to give you an idea of what he's like, is a big burly kind of guy with the thickest Tennessean accent I've ever heard - he's awesome!) made everyone a HUGE pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. I was so exhausted that I went and took an hour nap while it was cooking, came back out to eat it, said goodnight, and went back to bed. :) Jet lag is a killer! And I've heard it's even worse when you fly East (apparently they say "East is the Beast" - but I already knew that, hehe).

Today we are going to drive out to the Gobi desert. We're not leaving til 11, so that's really nice. We're going to drive three hours (probably with dust masks because the dust is bad, and will just get worse when we go to the desert), then stay in a Ger (not sure how you would spell that, seeing as they have a completely different alphabet than we do, but you pronounce it like "Gear" - but you say it pretty quickly and with a slight roll on the r). We thought they were called yerts, but apparently they're only called that in Nepal. Tomorrow we'll get up and drive three more hours to get to the village where Manna has another feeding center, and we'll be staying in a hospital... though we've been told it will challenge our definition of what a hospital is.

I so wish I would've brought my camera cord so I could be uploading pictures of everything I'm writing about!! :( My pictures from my phone on Facebook will have to suffice, but I promise I have some really good ones on my camera! The kids are so pretty and precious - Tim and I wish we could take one home. Seriously.

Okay, so there's my day two recap... I'm going to go finish packing my overnight bag for the Gobi and hang out with the group. Oh, and no sick travelers so far - YAY!! :)

The Gobi trip is going to take 2 or 3 days, so probably no more blogging for awhile... I know you all will be on the edge of your seat! :)

I'm in Mongolia!!!

Well I can't believe that I'm able to update my blog in MONGOLIA, but here I am!! We are having a great time... let me see if I can give you a brief rundown of what we've been up to so far.

Traveling:
Our flight left Dallas at 7:40 on Saturday morning, we had a 4 hour flight to Seattle (on which we got one drink and NOTHING to eat - not even dinky pretzels or peanuts!). We had a pretty long layover in Seattle (4 hours I think), then we got on our plane destined for Bejing. The airline was a new Chinese airline called "Hainan Airlines" and it was the nicest plane I have ever been on!! I took lots of pictures, so when I'm home (and have my camera cord - didn't actually think I'd be able to get on a computer here!) I'll post them. We got TWO meals (well, the flight was 11 hours, so I guess it's only fair), which were really good. All the seats had their own personal plastic wrapped blanket and pillow, and then the flight attendants (who were dressed in traditional Chinese garb and were gorgeous) offered us socks and headphones to watch movies and play games on the screen on the seat in front of us. The amenties were great, the 11 hours on a plane (and not being able to sleep for some reason) were not! We got to Bejing, were there for another 3 or 4 hours, then flew into Mongolia, arriving around midnight on Sunday (we lost a day). We actually got to go to sleep (for me, it was the first time since I'd gotten up at 4:30 on Saturday - minus a short nap) around 2am.

Monday:
We got up pretty early and went to this place called "Millie's" for breakfast - they were Mongolian, but they served traditional (mostly) American breakfast. It was fantastic! Then we met two of the missionaries that live here full time - Chris and Stephanie - and checked out their feeding center they run in UB (Ulaanbaatar - the capital of Mongolia). It was so awesome - there were probably about 20 or 30 kids there, and they feed them once a day, and then they just kinda hang out and play. We got to help serve them food (some of them, that was their only food they get all day - many of their parents either are working or drunk and don't really take care of them... they just keep them because they get a monthly stipend for each child they have. It's really sad.), we played with them, painted the little girls fingernails, did face painting (which turned into arm and back painting as well!), and just had a great time. The little kids were so cute and sweet and excited to see us.

Later, we went to see Mitch and Baljima's apartment (they are two more missionaries that live here full time). It was on the top floor of a big high rise apartment building - really nice and modern looking... looked like everything was straight out of Ikea, and they had a spectacular view of most of UB. There we got to try Mongolian meat pie - which was really good.

After that, we went to their church office where they hold English classes once a week. They had about 30 young Mongolians (anywhere from 17-21) in the class, and they were SO happy to see us! They were dragging us by the arm to come talk to them, so anxious to talk to us and hear us speak English (and practice their own). It was really difficult to communicate with them, but it was so neat to do the best we could. They had papers with a few songs printed on them to help them learn to speak English, and so all of a sudden the whole room randomly busted out in a chorus of "Let it Be" - it was so surreal. Not to mention I am obsessed with the Beatles, so I was just like, WOW. This is so cool.

That's about it... I finally could not stay awake any longer around 9 and completely passed out. I was so pooped! I popped out of bed at 6am today... so I've had a nice long morning of tea and coffee, playing cards, a nice shower, breakfast... it's been a lovely morning. We're about to head out to visit the orphanage that Manna runs - I'm really excited about that. We bought more fingernail polish (that was a really fun way to interact with the kids, since we're not able to converse) and Tim is bringing his balloon animals.

Sooooo ya! There's my first update! The rest probably won't be as long - this was technically like, 3 days in one post... so sorry it was so lengthy. Props to anyone who is actually still reading this!!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers - we had a safe trip over here and are having a fantastic time!!

Leaving Tomorrow!!

Well, I'm actually all packed up (COMPLETELY) and ready to go... and for anyone who knows me well, you will know that this is no small feat, and you should be very proud of me! I had my suitcase packed YESTERDAY even - must mean I'm pretty excited... and anxious... and a little freaked out (but I'm okay!).

I'm waiting for my iPod to update and I'm getting antsy, so I thought I would share with you my most recent purchases in getting prepared for the trip. I was at Barnes & Noble looking for books, magazines, and my favorite: word searches, crosswords, sudoku, etc... when I came across THESE!

1) This one is my favorite
because it is sooo pretty!!

2) I'm obsessed with this one -

it's like a word search, but
they don't give you the words...
just things like "5 citrus fruits"

3) And this one is SO cool -
you can play Hangman by
yourself, because you guess a
letter, then scratch it off to see
where (or if) it goes in the blanks!

Not to mention they are the CUTEST things I've ever seen!!! They are small too, so they look like pretty little journals. They have lots of different ones... and I wanted them ALL! You can find the rest of them HERE - just scroll down about halfway.

So... ya - I've been meaning to blog about them all week (I am that obsessed with them).

We're leaving TOMORROW!!! OMGGG!!! :D Last minute details await, however, so I'm outta here. Will update when I get home!!

Grumpy.

Man, I don't know what my deal has been for the past week or so, but I have been so GRUMPY - like, bad! I keep finding myself getting super annoyed at the drop of a hat (sometimes even mad... and I really rarely get mad), or my feelings are hurt at the dumbest things, or I just don't feel like talking. To anyone. At all.

And no, I am not hormonal and/or pregnant.

I don't really have anything else to say about it... because I am currently in a state of supreme grumpiness.... I just felt like bitching about it.

Okay there. I'm done. Goodnight.

Mongolia Countdown...

Well, the Mongolia trip is only FIVE days away - I cannot believe it! I am one of those kinds of people that doesn't get overly anxious (and sometimes even excited) about huge things like this until the very last minute, and then all of a sudden it just hits me. Take our wedding for instance - yes, I was excited... but it didn't really hit me until the DAY OF (at which point I drove Andrea crazy because every 20 minutes or so I said "I can't believe I'm getting married today!").

That being said, I don't think the realization of the Mongolia trip has really hit me until now, and I don't think it will fully hit me until the night before we leave (when we're packing). The reason it kind of hit tonight, is because we took our two extra suitcases to church tonight and spent time afterward loading them (and everyone else's) up with clothes, toys, candies, toiletries, etc for the children in the orphanages we'll be visiting and for the missionaries and their kids. Seeing the outpouring of kindness and generosity from the people at church just really made the trip "real" for me. It's a small church, and it was amazing to see how much stuff had been collected. They are truly wonderful people there.

So, we have to be at the airport around 6am on Saturday. We won't be in Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia) until almost midnight their time... but with the time change, I think the total trip time is about 23 hours (about 17 actually in the air). It's kinda crazy that we leave on Saturday the 1st and since we cross the International Dateline, we technically arrive on Saturday the 2nd... time changes totally blow my mind. As in, I am incapable of figuring out the details on my own - I require someone else to do the math, and then I just trust that they know what they're doing. :)

So yeah, the trip is just kinda hitting me in the face all of a sudden, thus my feeling the need to say something about it. I'm sure I'll say more before I leave, and tons when I get back (along with pictures). So prepare to hear much more about Mongolia!

Goodnight blog friends. I'm going to attempt to fall asleep soon so that Tim and I can wake up early tomorrow... we are attempting to get back in a "wake up, drink tea together, read the news from our phones, get ready" kind of routine. I think the lack of it is making me feel like a slug.

And just to tide you over until I get back with my pictures, here are a few I found...


1) First things first... Where is Mongolia?



2) Traditional Mongolian housing - a Yert (I think we might get to stay in one for a night)



3) Mongolian Landscape... not sure if the part of the country we're going to looks like this, but it sure is beautiful!



4) The Gobi Desert - I cannot believe we are actually going here (and staying several nights!). Wow. Just WOW.

My Newest Love...

... is Plato's Closet! I know, I know - I'm a little late hopping on the bandwagon I'm sure (I usually am with most things!). I've been wanting to go there for ages, and just never got around to it I guess. If you haven't heard of it, it's a resale shop that specializes in "gently used, name-brand clothing." Most of the stuff there is pretty recent too - tons of stuff from Forever 21. Oh, and I saw several things I already own... so you KNOW their stuff is still in style. Okay, so that last part might not be true.

Well, I finally went today with Tim and Alexis - I was in search of lightweight, long-sleeved shirts for Mongolia (evenings there are cool). I came out with two of those and 2 lightweight zip-up hoodies... and then I went back and got 3 shirts and 2 dresses for work. SWEET! I am so excited!! Oh, I also got a really cute dress and a shirt at Goodwill (for a total of $8!). All in all I spent under $100 and got a BUNCH of "new" stuff - and I have no problem with other people's leftovers - wash 'em and they're as good as new!

Well... they're clean at least. :)

Takin' Care of Business

Well, my plan this summer was to work on re-vamping the 7th grade science curriculum. I was really excited about it, because it's actually a huge passion of mine - to teach science the way it should be taught... by not really "teaching" it, but having the kids do science. I had all these lofty ambitions and ideas and plans annnnd... I haven't gotten a lot accomplished. How very "Jenny" of me. That's not to say I haven't gotten anything done. I mean, it's definitely a huge process. Plus, the way I work on huge projects like that is to work, work, work (usually really late at night) for several days... then take a few weeks off. :)

SO! After a 2 or 3 week hiatus, I am BACK! I have been working like a fiend all day, it's 10:30 and I have no intention of going to bed anytime soon. I am getting so much accomplished, and I'm getting so excited about everything! Yay!!

So here is the intro slide to a PowerPoint I finished today... helping the kids get their notebooks set up!


I have been going through little spurts of obsession with my summer projects... first it was digital scrapbooking (not that that's over, but I'm taking a little break), then it was Photoshopping my wedding photos to look more dreamy and glamorous, and now it's back to what I should've been doing all along! Oh, and not to mention I read a pretty good sized book in a day - Firefly Lane (another fabulous Andrea recommendation), you should all check it out, it's great!!

Ok, so I had to take a break from working to gush about my work... but now I'm going to get back at it.

Mongolia countdown: 8 days - ohmygosh!!!

Harry Potter and such...

Okay, well I guess I should finally update on our big Harry Potter weekend!! I wish I had pictures to post, but I was lame and didn't take any. I'm really bad about that...

SO - Tim, Alicia, and I went up to Moore and met Andrea at the Warren Theater to watch HP. I know, I know... why would we go all the way to Oklahoma to see a movie?! (we got that a LOT) Well, my very best friend invited us up so we could watch it together, AND she got us balcony seats... let me just explain how amazing this place was: The most giant (regular) movie screen you've ever seen - so big in fact, that it was perfectly eye-level up in the balcony! We had plush, leather, HEATED seats - it was absolutely fantastic. With my seat cranked up on high, my jacket, Tim's jacket over my legs, and my socks I brought... I was finally not cold at a movie theather!! :) Not to mention a full dinner and drink menu (which is much better than Studio Movie Grill).

Heated seats + wine + Harry = a very happy Jenny

The movie itself was really great too. I hadn't read the book in so long, that I'd pretty much forgotten everything that happened - so it was like going through the story for the first time again! I can't believe how old all of the actors are getting... it's just crazy! Check it out...






I think it's so funny to look at the pictures from the first movie and compare them to the new one... it's crazy that they were 11 or so when the franchise started!

As for this week... I've been super lazy. Having a hard time snapping out of it. I'm going to try to Photoshop some more of our wedding photos so I can finally get them ordered (and someday scrapped - I'm doing traditional scrapbooking for our wedding pictures... have all the stuff bought, but the pictures aren't ready!)... might attempt to do some school work... attempt being the key word here.

Oh, and the countdown for Mongolia is 10 days! I can't believe it!!

PS - if you're a SYTYCD fan, be sure to watch tonight - ELLEN is the guest judge this week! How fun is that??

I'm Addicted!!

Okay okay, I promise I will start writing actual posts soon... I'm just so into this digital scrapbooking thing right now, I can't help myself!! ...not to mention that I downloaded the 30 day trial verson of Photoshop Elements... so I have 25 days left (I think) to get all the scrapbooking in I can stand! After that, I don't know... I might have to break down and buy it. It's only $99!





Okay, now off to work out, get ready, and go on a date with my husband! Can't wait!!

Yellow means slow down...

...This, among other very enlightening things, is what I am learning in my online defensive driving course. Actually... it's not that bad - it's COMEDY defensive driving! They have flash animations of Christopher Walken, Aahhnold, and even that guy from "Unsolved Mysteries"... it's pretty ridiculous, but is a more entertaining soundtrack to my scrapbooking than any other course I'm sure!

Right now, I'm learning about littering.

Annnnnd doing this:
(note, these two pages will not be appearing side by side in my book... that would just be ugly.)

Kinda Obsessed...

I am loving digital scrapbooking!! I can't do a lot of really cool techniques yet, and compared to some that I've seen, mine are a little boring (or just maybe not as artistic?). However! For just getting into it, I'm liking what I've got so far. Here are a few more of my "masterpieces" - ha! :)






So, there we are! Thank goodness my headache didn't come back today (not to speak of anyway), or there is no way I would've been able to make these pages. Seriously, I think it got even worse after I got off here... maybe the worst headache I've ever had. Terrible.

Tomorrow I'm probably going to do some more... work out again (2x this week, tomorrow will be 3!)... piddle around the house. Then I'm going down to Dallas to meet up with Alexis to hang out... we've kind of designated Wednesdays as our hang out night, since it's hard to find time for it unless we set it aside. I think we might go see a movie... go to Opening Bell (really cool coffee shop!)... and attempt to stay OUT of any and all clothing stores. Wish us luck. :)

First Attempts at Digital Scrapbooking!

oday was a blah, but productive day... cleaned the bathroom like it's never been cleaned before, did the dishes, laundry, cooked a YUMMY dinner (it was a taco bake, using crescent rolls for the crust - delish!)... felt good to get those kinds of things finished. Then I made some scrapbook pages in photoshop, pretty addicting... just like regular scrapbooking! I think I might be hooked already.

Currently though, I have the most excruciating headache, so I am off to bed. But before I go, I want to post what I've been doing all evening! Don't judge me too much... these are my first tries! :)


It's going to be a little mini 6x6 book - I took all these pictures and then realized much later that my camera settings were set on a really low resolution... so a 6x6 album is about all I could manage with my horrible quality pictures! Bummer. Oh well, I think it will be cute as a mini-book!

Annnnnd goodnight.

Help!

Ok, so I like attempting to make my blog look cute... so I looked through tons of layouts, backgrounds, etc yesterday and came up with the conclusion that I need to just make my own! Buuuuut that is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I decided to start simple by just making my own header and uploading it... but it's not working!! Anyone out there who can help me? I tried selecting the most simple layout available, and then just changing the "header element" with the one I made... looks like it works, uploads, shows that my image has been uploaded... and then when I preview my layout, it looks the exact same! No change! SO FRUSTRATING!! I even had Tim try (he is amazing), but! To no avail! Bah!

Soooo, here is the header I made (minus a title... just the background). I'm pretty proud of it. :D

I think I might be getting into this whole digital scrapbooking thing - that's how I made the header - with elements from a digital scrapbooking kit in Photoshop Elements... pretty sweet eh??

Ok, now I'll show you the whole page I made... then I discovered that the dimensions were wrong - DOH!

A little busy maybe... but cute for my very first stab at digital scrapbooking/layout making??

Okay... back to downloading free digital scrapbooking kits and creating a filing system for them... I love organizing. I think I should be a professional organizer someday. How nerdy am I? :)