branson trip

couldn't have had a better time in branson.... more to come but here's a little preview of the beauty we were a part of in the ozarks this past weekend....

late...

I know this is a few weeks late, but we're so excited that our dear friends, Adam and Jenni, tied the knot a few weeks ago in Austin. Mark was a groomsman and we had a blast at all the festivities of the weekend. Everything was beautiful!! Congrats Adam and Jenni!! We couldn't be more excited for yall!

now we're in Branson for the weekend!! yay! It is soooooo good to be home and be with the family! i dont want to leave tomorrow :(

burger barrel

had lunch here yesterday....

This good 'ole Burger Barrel has been in business since 1920 and is still going strong! It's right down the street from our house and I chuckle every time we drive by!! Thanks to my dad, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for random, weird, local, hole-in-the wall restaurants. (I guess this is more an actual barrel than a hole-in-the-wall.... but its still totally random!) so yesterday we decided it was time to try it out. I was actually pretty impressed. I think I'd give it a B-. (would have gotten a B but the two women who cooked our food were quite frazzled when I changed a few of the drinks and they also forgot to give us straws and ketchup)

Thanks Burger Barrel! We'll be back!

baby on the way!

We're pregnant!!!

It's true and we can hardly believe it! I'm around 11 weeks along now and feeling sick, tired and very pregnant :) I have my first doctor's visit next week and will hopefully find out a real due date and maybe even see the sonogram! Mark has been the sweetest husband through this first trimester and is going to be the most wonderful daddy! After the shock wore off (this came as quite a surprise to us!!!!), we now feel so blessed that the Lord has chosen to give us such a remarkable gift. Please join us in praying for our little one as he/she grows throughout the next 7 months! Keep you posted....

hello fall

It's always hard for me to admit that summer is over.... but the beautiful fall day we had today sure made it a little easier. We had the best first "fall" weekend! We went to a high school football game, watched a lot of football on tv (well, let's be honest, I didn't actually watch much but I sure love to hear it in the background), we opened our new windows and turned off the a/c, mark worked in the backyard, we ate soup, we went on a cool evening walk and we wore jackets!! Thank you 60 degree weather for such a great weekend!

Dear Fall,

Please look like this in Amarillo this year like you do in Branson:

Thank you.

catch up...

Well, it's been a while. I am now back in Albq. for my second round of Math Recovery training. We've had two weeks of school and I'm getting excited to get back to Amarillo and start helping these lost kiddos one-on-one! It is the coolest program and I feel so lucky to get to be a part of it.

Mark is now in his second rotation. Praise the Lord he made it through Internal Medicine and now he's onto psychiatry, which is supposed to be much more laid back and no more call!! yay. I'm glad to have my hubby back.

My parents came to visit two weekends ago and we had a blast. I always love it when they come. We didn't spend the whole time on home projects... but my dad, mark and mark's dad spent most of the day Saturday installing new windows in our back living room! It looks a million times better! thanks for all your hard work.

i'm sure there's more to catch up on.... but that's all for now.

glory to God.

"But I am like a green olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever. I will thank you and confide in you forever, because you have done it (delivered me and kept me safe.) I will wait, hope and expect in your name, for it is good, in the presence of your saints." Psalm 52:8-9

Glory to God in the highest for he has done it.... provided a fantastic job for me!! I am going to be a Math Recovery Specialist for 1st - 5th graders at Margaret Wills Elementary. It's a full-time teaching position (with awesome teacher pay and benefits) but I won't have a whole class of kids.... I'll just be pulling kids out of their class throughout the day to come to my class for tutoring. It's a brand new program that AISD is starting this year, so it could be interesting as we figure out exactly what it will look like. As far as I know, It will be a lot of assessment and really meeting these kids right where they are to challenge and encourage them to step it up! Wills is a title 1 school, meaning many of them are from underprivileged homes and are also ESL kids... so it will definitely be a challenging position but I am so ready and excited to see how the Lord leads!

It takes me exactly 3 minutes and 20 seconds to walk to school (which I couldn't be more excited about), I have an actual classroom which I'm sharing with a special ed teacher (i was ready to be stuck in a closet or at the end of the hallway somewhere so this is a blessing!), my principal is awesome and I really feel like she is completely supporting me and whatever I think we need to do to get this program going!

I'm headed to Albuquerque tomorrow with the six other math recovery specialists from AISD for a week long training program. yikes! I'm prepared for long, draining days of conferences and lectures and lots of homework each night, but I know it will good to figure out what I'm going to be doing this year.

*Please pray for strength and patience as I begin this journey! God is good and I couldn't be more excited to follow as He leads.