update on...well, not much

So things haven't been too crazy around here lately. I have pretty much been consumed with The Twilight Saga books. Turns out there are several teachers at school who are addicted as well. You just gotta read it to understand. :)

Jimmy's birthday is coming up. Its on Halloween! I have the BEST idea for a present for him. I will post all about it, after I give it to him!

School is getting crazy! The number of kids in my class is growing - quickly. Its getting hard and stressful to keep up. I think I need a break.

Oh yeah, good thing I get one! In a week from today, we are going on a CRUISE! We actually 'won' the cruise last February. I got suckered into going to a Resort Preview for a chance to win $40,000. Well, we didn't get that lucky, but I am happy with a free trip to Cozumel. I just hope it doesn't rain!!

I got sucked in....

Ok, Jalei and Regina were right....

I am not a fan of sci-fi. Even the big hits like Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings and Star Wars do not interest me at all. When everyone I knew was talking about "The Twilight Series," I did everything I could to stay away from it! This book is about vampires! Can it get any further from reality? But, I became a bit intrigued. I bought the book, still a bit skeptical but, I cannot put it down! I am reading it before I go to bed at night, while I am on the elliptical in the morning (giving up my People Magazine during a workout for a book is huge) and even while I am getting ready in the morning. I am addicted to these characters!! I am actually about to order the next books in the series so I don't have to skip a day of reading!

Oh, the book is even coming out on the big screen on November 21. I am so glad I got on board when I did! Thanks, Regina and Jalei!!!

3 weeks later.

This weekend, people from my church went to Galveston to help clean up homes and churches there. Everything is ruined inside of buildings and houses because of the horrible mold! The volunteers were required to wear masks and some even had on full-body suits while they were cleaning. It was so sad to see. Here are some pictures...

We lost count of how many boats had been tossed up against the road and the freeway!
The Flagship Hotel sits over the water. If you look closely, you can see the road has broken off and you can no longer get to the hotel. Right above the word "Flagship," you can see straight into the building! It is totally destroyed. This is a gift shop that sits (sat) out over the water.
Incredibly, there are still souvenirs hanging on the wall of that gift shop!
This is whats left of The Strand, where all the shops used to be.

It was so sad to see the island like this. We estimated it will take a year to get it back to 'normal.'

Oh, we are going to miss these girls.

So, last weekend, Saibree and Makailyn (our flower girls) stayed the night for the last time. For the past few years, Jimmy and I have become friends with this family. We often taken the girls for a night or two so their mom and dad can have a little break and we can have fun practicing what life will be like in a few years.
We always have so much fun with the girls and they love spending the night! On Saturday, we first made brownies. This was a lesson in following directions and patience. Since they were in the oven for 25 minutes, we heard "Are they almost ready?" about 84 times.

They took turns stirring. Since we normally don't have a chair in the middle of the kitchen, Layla had to see what was going on.

Makailyn had chocolate all over her face later went and got onto Jimmy for having chocolate icing on his hand!
After the brownies came out of the oven, we let them cool while we went for a picnic on the Woodlands Waterway. It was so much fun - and FREE!
Makailyn saying prayers before we ate. (Notice the lipgloss in her hand? She slept with it, too).
Posing in front of the fountains. Aren't they gorgeous?!
Playing in the fountains. They had a blast!


This is such a sweet picture!
Saibree wanted to make breakfast for Jimmy in the morning, but thought she had to give him a card too. She said she wanted us to "remember her good."
Here is their breakfast for Jimmy, with their cards for him.
We love these girls! My eyes are tearing up, just thinking that they are moving to California in two days!!!

World's Largest Ice Cream Social

Visit Cold Stone Creamery on September 25th for a free 3oz Make-A-Wish creation! Valid only from 5-8pm. While supplies last. Donations are accepted and 85% off all donations go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The two creations have been thought up by two Wish Children, Jack and Emily. Here are the details: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/promotions.html

7 days without electricity...

During the past week, we have had to stay positive about not having power. Here is a list of the reasons it was a good thing, in no particular order...

1. A cold front came through and it was cooler in our house this week than it ever is!
2. We slept better than we normally do - we were forced to go to bed by 9pm and since it was so chilly in the house, we all slept so soundly.
3. We ate like kings! Our food was quickly thawing out so, we had to think of creative ways to cook it all and eat it before it spoiled. I don't think we have ever eaten so much in one week!
4. I had the best workouts! Normally, I do the elliptical machine each morning. Since that was out, I had to watch workout dvds on my laptop - I have been sore since Monday!
5. We spent time together - without the TV!! Jimmy and I talked, read and cooked breakfast together. When we had friends over, we got to know each other a little better each time!

It really was an awesome week! While I am super happy the power is back on (because school starts back on Monday), we will miss the cool weather, early nights and fun times!

Week of Fun

Here are various pictures of things we did to keep ourselves busy this week...

Kyle and Jimmy trying to start the fire in the rain.
Enjoying the fire and no electricity.
Lisa, Kyle and Maya.
In line to get ice and water from FEMA!
More ice and water.
A gorgeous sunrise while we waitied in line at HEB for more ice.
We got bored and played with the red light on Jimmy's flashlight.
Maya wanted in on the fun too.