Friday, May 30, 2008

A Day Worth Celebrating

Yesterday was a BIG celebration for Nick and me. Wednesday he interviewd in El Campo and was hired as a Jr. High Ag Teacher! We are THRILLED about his new job. We will actually have time for each other like we did back in San Marcos. We'll have summer vacation together and evenings. I always thought that's how it would be since we were both teachers, but the past year it was DEFINITELY not that way with him working in Boling. His teaching partners asked what they should tell people when they ask why he quit BOLING to work in El Campo. It was said in a very crude way which ticked Nick off, but soon enough he can wipe his hands of it. The arrogant demeanor of these two gents is not Nick's speed which was another reason he wanted out. HE'S OUT!

Another reason to celebrate was my last day of school and my last day as a kindergarten teacher. We were also celebrating our 2 months of marriage and 1 year since our engagement. How the time flies!

We went to Sugar Land and had Pappadeaux's for dinner and then shopped at Target. We didn't get away from Wharton until late so we didn't have much time to do the shopping we had planned. We did find some pretty towel racks and toilet paper holders for one of the bathrooms. Monday we bought a chandelier for the dining room. These little purchases are making me VERY excited about moving into OUR house. This weekend I plan on pressure washing the house and working in the flower beds.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

We got our DVD! We got our DVD!

Nick and I went to Shiner Friday evening to break our trip to San Marcos up a little. Our dvd was in! Mom and Dad went to the river so it was a good opportunity for us to watch it by ourselves for the first time, so we did. It's sooooo good! It's really the only way to relive your wedding day and THANK GOD we chose to spend extra money to get a great videographer. Along with the ceremony and other footage, he has 3 music videos that are amazing. I've watched it several times and each time, it brings tears to my eyes. Friday we ended up watching the movie twice and today I showed a few pieces to my kiddos. They all clapped when I walked down the aisle and couldn't understand why my Dad walked me down and not Nick. I'm working on putting a little of the footage on my blog, but it's not working thus far.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Saturday Nick and I are going to take a trip down memory lane to good ole San Marcos. I'm very excited about staying at his old apartment, eating at River Pub and Herbert's, and most importantly THE OUTLET MALL! The first place I'm going to hit up is Pottery Barn.

When Jill and I lived together (and even when we did not) we would make a trip to PB almost daily. We figured out the exact times when they put new items in the extra 50% off bin. It was heavenly! There were several occasions when we wanted to beat down the ebay shoppers for a good bargain. They were like vultures and would hoard everything. I can still remember exactly what these 2 ladies look like. We were nice shoppers, just going for the thrill of a good deal. I can't even begin to tell you how many sets of PB bedding we have between the two of us that we really didn't need. If we weren't stalking PB it was Dillards or Target. One time we stumbled across a great sale at Dillards and bought 11 pairs of shoes! I'm sure Mom and Dad are glad they got us out of the San Marcos/Austin area.

So, the reason for the trip is to go to Tiff Turek's bachelorette party in Austin Saturday night. Tiff and I used to hang out an awful lot in high school and in college. We were going to be roommates when I graduated because Dad and her dad were college roomies. It ended up not working out because I could only get 3 classes (10 hours) my first semester at SWT. I ended up commuting until the following semester. Unfortunately, we kinda drifted apart when she graduated and moved to Houston. We're finally getting to be in touch more now that we are not so far away from each other. She's always been a great friend and boy, do we have LOTS of fun memories together. We were always good though. I remember her dad, the Athletic Director at SHS, telling us if we got caught drinking we would have to do bellies in the gym. Needless to say, we rarely drank! I can't wait for the bachelorette party and her wedding. I never would have guessed that Tiff, Dawn, and I would all be getting married in 2008.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Chaos at school

This school year has been very stressful on our principals and staff. First of all, we are building a new middle school to house 2nd-5th grades. The school that I am at is being turned into an alternative school. Therefore, every PK-5th grade class has to pack everything and move. Whether it be to the new school or to a new room, no one knows. At the beginning of the year, our superintendent decided to retire. He was going to let all the principals know which campus they would be at in November. November turned into December. December turned into February. February turned into yesterday.

Sally called us in for a meeting this morning and told us that she would not be with us at Sivells, the pre-k through 1st campus. It's very depressing because she is a wonderful principal. She's very easy to get along with, fair, and most importantly kid-friendly. She pops into our classrooms twice a day, she supports any activity we do, and she knows almost every student by name. She was fighting back the tears this morning as we all hugged her. When I did, she asked if I was going to keep teaching kindergarten. I knew from an experience I had last year, that I did not want to work with a certain someone. I told her that if a 2nd grade job came open at the new school, that I'd go with her. At lunch, Sally grabbed me and said that I was going to 2nd grade. I've heard that 2nd grade is one of the best grades to teach, so I'm really excited about it, but also very nervous. I love all the fun, kiddie activities I get to do with the little ones, but a switch will be good. I should know tomorrow what the verdict is.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Strange things

Bizarre things have been happening and it's starting to freak me out. Friday night Mom told me about Kyler Hewig. Kyler, 8 years old, his parents, and sister were on their way to Austin last week. Carley, his little sister, was going to try out for an extra in a movie. They left after school and made it to Gonzales when the accident happened. Supposedly, there was a loud explosion sound. All the windows in the car except the windshield were shattered. They turned to look at the kids and Kyler was hunched over. Something had entered his head. Alison, his mom, is a RN and teaches at Victoria College. She did CPR until he was airlifted to the hospital. They believe that someone was shredding in a ditch and the object that flew through the window and into Kyler's head was a rock. As of right now, they are uncertain about his injuries. I would imagine that you have better odds of winning the lottery than being involved in such a freak accident. I cannot even begin to imagine what the family must be going through. Kyler's grandpa was my high school Chemistry and Physics teacher. He also hunts with my dad and a few other guys. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Saturday, Jill and Erin were leaving Sweet Home and going to Shiner. They were distracted by some cows in a pasture that took off running. When she looked back at the road, a tree was falling right in front of her. She slammed on the brakes and luckily, the tree didn't fall on them. We went to look at the tree and it was huge. It went across the entire road. In a matter of a few seconds, things could have been very bad.

Sunday we found out that one of Nick's students had a really bad car accident. She was driving an older suburban and her brother was the passenger. She ran a stop sign and a car T-boned her. The people in the other car were airlifted, but are ok. Luckily, the car hit right behind the passenger door. If it would have been a split second sooner, her brother would have died. We saw the suburban at the wrecker place. The right door was pushed so far in that the left side was pushed out as well.

Be thankful for each and everyday that you have here with your loved ones. You never know when you will be called from Earth.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Sweet Home BBQ Cook-Off


Our Team-2 Farm Boys and A City Slicker
Dawn, Scottie, Me, Nick, Jamie, & Robert

This past weekend we participated in the Sweet Home Volunteer Fire Department BBQ Cook-off. Dad and RP have been entering bbq cook-offs for quite a while now. I'm not sure why or how we got the wise idea that we should try, but we did. We being Robert, Jamie, Dawn, Scottie, Nick, and me. Nick and I were basically supervisors during the entire event. Needless to say, we didn't do so hot. The Rounders, Dad's team, didn't do well either, so maybe there is still hope if we try again. I stole a few pictures from Jamie.

Dawn and Jenna early Saturday morning. Nick and I were still in bed. Sorry guys, it was the first day we've gotten to sleep-in in weeks. We'll be better next time.

2 Farm Boys and a City Slicker-checking out the goods

The Rounders & 2 Farm Boys & A City Slicker campsite

Robert-head cook-cutting up the que

Dad making faces at the camera or maybe he thinks our meat looks gross!

Dad cutting their bbq

Rob cutting the best brisket

Mom winning first place for her super yummy coconut meringue pie. She screamed really loud when she realized it was her number. It was so funny. She went against 32 other pies. I helped judge the competition and let me tell you, it was the best!

I was going to scold a little boy that was ticking me off. He kept picking on some of the little Shiner girls and I'd had enough of it.

I'm coming back from telling him to be nice. He's the little one to the right of me. It was the kindergarten teacher coming out in me since his parents were no where to be found.

Nick napping after a hard days work. He didn't work all that hard. We got there at 11 and this was at about 3.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Love my new make-up

I had ordered a buttload of new mineral make-up at the beginning of March for the wedding. I didn't get it in the mail until this week. It was actually a complete surprise since I had forgotten about it. It was my fault that it took me forever to get it because I sent them a check when it should have been a money order. Ooops! Anyways, I was very leary about the whole mineral make-up idea, but I love it! Nick even commented that it looked really good and natural. I ordered the biggest custom kit on the site and love it all. You can get samples for free, but I surpassed that since I wanted to try it for the wedding. The lip gloss is really cool. It's in a Chap-Stick tube, is glossy on the lips, but not sticky. One reason I don't like gloss is because of how sticky it is. I can't stand when my hair blows in my face and sticks to my lips!

The company is www.everydayminerals.com out of Austin. It's even better because one lady is the owner and it's not a huge company getting more of our money. Also nice to support fellow Texans.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Filled with Joy!

Last night Nick and I returned a couple of umbrellas to our friends Joe and Julie Mask. Joe and Nick became friends when Nick was in high school. Joe was actually Nick's ag teacher. They spent lots of time together going to shows, working with animals, etc. Nick always refers to him as his mentor. Whenever Nick has any questions about his teaching career he goes straight to Joe because he has seen it and done it all. Last July, Joe and Julie had their first baby, Jennifer Linn. (Wonder if they liked me so much that they named her that?! BUT I am NOT Jennifer...that's my cousin and cousin-in-law.)

So, we make a surprise visit to their house and they have other people there for hoof-trimming. Julie and I walked inside to look at their new house. They recently added 1800 square feet to their old, 600 square foot home. She's showing me around and Joe walks in because he has to bring a guy somewhere. He tells me that we have to get together and talk. He added, "Really, I mean sit down and TALK!" Then he says that Julie can tell me a little bit about it. This made me very nervous. After he left, she told me that her and Joe had been working on their will. They wanted to put us down as Jennifer's guardian if something were to happen to them, as well as godparents. Wow! What an honor! Nick came and in and Julie told him about what we were discussing. He was as shocked and honored as I was. Of course, we would do this for them. It just makes you feel good inside when people think so highly of you that they ask to be such an important person in their child's life.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pointy elbows....

So, last night I was talking to Nick about my "quirks." He asked what the definition of a quirk was, and thankfully I had the exact answer since I looked it up yesterday. We both, obviously, had different ideas. After I told him that it meant "a peculiar trait," he immediately spouted off that I have extremely pointy elbows and I could "take an eye out with those things." :( Yes, my elbows are rather pointy, but that's compared to his knobby ones. After I told him about what I came up with, he said that he'll make me replace the toilet lid if I ever break it! I'm not the one leaving it up, so hopefully he learns to just put the lid down before any damage is done. The joys of being married...he now has to deal with my quirkiness and break his bad habits!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Quirky?

I'm out of stuff to blog, so I've been looking for things to type about. When I first saw this, I didn't think that I could come up with 6 quirks. Was I a quirky person? Hummm...quirk...a peculiar trait, according to Merriam-Webster. I guess everyone has some quirkiness to them in some way or another. Here's what I came up with:

1) I hardly ever will put down a toilet lid that has been left up. If I have to, I kick it down. Who cares if the lid cracks! If I know who has left it up, I'll call them to come and put it down.

2) Drinking after people disgusts me. That goes right along with eating off another's fork or spoon. Don't ask me if you can have a bite of something, I'll tell you yes, but it's killing me inside! Also, please don't double-dip or God-forbid, lick your fingers or utensils and put it in food. Gag! (I don't mind sharing with Nick and maybe sometimes my family.)

3) I do not like it when my foods touch. Divided plates rock! The only exception to the touching rule is mashed potatoes and corn. Maybe this is why I'm not a huge fan of casseroles.

4) When I stay overnight in a hotel, I won't ever be the first person to take a shower. I'd rather be after someone else that I know rather than someone I don't know.

5) Feet bother me. Please don't touch me with yours!

6)

I can't come up with a 6th one at the moment. Instead of this being 6 quirks, it has turned out to be 6 things that gross me out. Now I think I'm germophobic!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Happy Shopping!

Brandace just sent me this information. I'm adding lots to my shopping bag as I blog. I'm really excited about this. I LOVE new make-up! Probably not as much as Jill does, but it does make me happy. I think Jill actually has a few things from e.l.f. I can't tell you how good it is because I don't know. I'd imagine if Nordstrom bought it out, it has to be good.

Nordstrom is changing the logo on their makeup, so they're selling
everything that says "e.l.f." for $1!!! (you still have to pay shipping,
but it's SO worth it!!)

http://www.eyeslipsface.com

If you order, use the coupon code CAROLINA to get an additional discount.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Noooo!

Whomever the anonymous poster is...I'M NOT PREGNANT! And I don't plan to be for a while! You all know how Nick is with money, he has to have everything in order before anything like that takes place. We've come to the conclusion that it was the greasy fried pickles I ate at the fair. They were soooo yummy, but definitely didn't agree with me. Now I'll probably never eat them again, which is a good thing, but makes me sad since I love them!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Out of commission

I thought I was going to have to take another day off of work today. I'm already at -1/2 days so I wasn't happy when I woke up vomitting this morning at 1:45. I've mentioned before that I DON'T yak, but this morning it was full blown. (Sorry!) Poor Nick hasn't had much sleep since all this fair business and then he had to listen to me. Thankfully, I woke up this morning feeling fine and dandy. I guess the delicious fair food I ate didn't agree with my tummy.

Tonight Nick has his steer show at the fair. Last night they had the hog show and no one placed. There are lots of things I'd like to say about this, but I won't post it to save face. You'll just have to ask me if you wanna know my thoughts.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Overview of the weekend

Friday-Went to Chili's with Brian, Abby, and the gang. Always a fun visit. (Thanks again for thinking about me during my widow week!)

Saturday-Left for Victoria at about 8am. Shopped at Target and Dillards then went to see baby Avery at the hospital. What a cutie! She's got a headful of black hair. So much that you can put a clip in it already. I hope my kids have hair when they are born. Bows are a must! Made it back to Wharton at 2:30. Helped Nick with Ag stuff the rest of the evening. I won't even mention how I despise his job and teaching partners at the moment. Went to Los Cucos with Nick. Our first time for dinner together in over a week!

Sunday-Got up and helped Nick with Ag stuff. Went with him to the fair until 9pm. He designed and helped one of his students build an awesome BBQ pit. Unfortunately, he got 2nd in his category. It was really screwed up this year. The bbq pit-on-wheels was in the "Home and Garden" category. He got beat by a bookcase. Not sure why they stuck them in that category, it's definitely not something I'd have in my home or garden! This project was the only thing Nick was really pumped about so he wasn't very happy when the announcements were made.

Currently, I'm halfway finished with my new book, living at the fair, and working on a very funny persuasive paper for my husband! Maybe I'll share it when I'm done.

Our House



Finally, a picture of me and my house-on-wheels. I think I look really cute in this picture. Since we don't have much of a refridgerator, we have to use lots of igloo coolers. (That just reminded me of that one SNL skit at the Welshly Arms!) We also have two nice patio chairs, if anyone wants to visit!

Really, our house-on-wheels looks much better than this. I guess I could be worse off and live like this poor soul. Although she looks really happy. Whenever I ride with Nick to his school, we always pass this really trashy house. Nick has a starring problem...he doesn't mean to be rude, he just doesn't realize he's doing it. I'm trying to break him of his habit. If you ever see him starring, just wave at him like everyone else does. Anyways, there's always someone out on the porch drinking, bbq-ing, or just sitting around. No matter what time of day. Every time I'm with Nick he makes some comment..."Boling's finest" or "Makes ya proud." I finally called him out on it yesterday. If they are so nasty and disgusting, look the other way! We also drove by this other trailer house the other night. One of "Wharton's finest." Anyways, I was in the middle of making some comment, but immediately told Nick that I probably shouldn't say anything because we look like that right now too. We don't have a bbq pit outside or pink flamingos, but I do have my name on a sign. My father-in-law insisted that I have a sign so that none of the people building their house park on my cement slab parking spot. It's really quite comical. Thank goodness our house is out in the country. I'd hate for people to drive by and comment on my living arrangements!

Friday, May 2, 2008

No baby yet!

Brad and Gina drove from Hallettsville to Victoria (45 min. drive) this morning at 3am. They induced labor at 6am when it was supposed to be at 5am. I just got off the phone with Brad (3:30pm) and her contractions are 4 minutes apart. Avery is being stubborn and not coming out for a few more hours. I plan on heading to Victoria tomorrow morning and taking lots of photos.

Brad & Gina

And Avery! Today is such an exciting day! Baby Avery will make her appearance into the world, if she hasn't already. As of around 7am she still was not born. I haven't gotten a text message yet, so I assume Gina is still in labor. This is so exciting for us because they are our first set of friends to be having a baby.

A little background information on Brad & Gina....they started out as Ross and Ryan's neighbors in San Marcos. Nick was R&R's friend and became friends with B&G. When Nick and I met at Bocktoberfest, it was also the first time I met B&G. Throughout the rest of our time in San Marcos, we all hung out whenever our schedules allowed us to. They are so much fun to be around and are like part of our big ole Shiner family. Since they have both graduated they moved to Hallettsville, a 15 minute drive from Shiner. Every Friday my parents have get-togethers in the pool house. We can always count on Brad & Gina to come hang out when we are down.

Gina has been such a trooper throughout her pregnancy. When she found out she was pregnant, I had just asked her to be in the wedding. She kept apologizing about being pregnant...I was ecstatic to have her pregnant self in the wedding! Avery's first wedding to be in was mine! ;) Whenever we would be at the poolhouse, she would come hang out even when she would rather have been at home. On April 19th, Gina was determined to go to Scooter's to see Brandon Ryder. Nick and I met her and Brad there and we all had a great time. She was definitely a very energetic pregnant person. Hopefully Avery will be a good sleeper so that Gina still has all that energy!

FYI-Just when we thought our poolhouse nights couldn't get any more fun, Jill is now dating Thomas. Thomas is one of Nick's good buddies from college. Funny how things all work out! Fingers crossed that things keep going good for the two of them.