Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

This year was Sean and I's first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Because of work schedules, we decided not to go visit family members, but to stay at home and just enjoy each other for the long weekend. Sean had to work Wednesday night and Thursday night, but now he's home :-)

Yesterday (Thursday) was essentially our "Friday." I slept in til 11:30ish, missing most of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I didn't leave the house once. I didn't even step out of the apartment! I just relaxed, cruised through Facebook a few times, made some breakfast around 2pm, showered somewhere in there, and watched TV/Movies until Sean woke up.

When he woke up, we watched part of "Castle in the Sky." Once he ran off to shower before work, I made him some dinner to go with a better batch of coffee than I made before (oops!).

I ended up staying up until 4am, no big reason other than my laziness ;-) I found a Cinnamon Roll Dough recipe in my bread machine book - LOVING that wedding present!! - and after calculating it would take about 3 hours all together, I'd start it tonight! Haha the recipe called for a room-temperature egg, and I was in a rush so...I put the egg inside my sweatshirt pocket! I know I could have used water, but this was a fun way to do it!

I also decided to brine the turkey that night so I would have a better flavored turkey tomorrow! Unfortunately, my turkey is/was around 13 lbs, so it wouldn't fit into my largest pot. I ended up with the meatiest parts of the turkey dunked in the brine mixture and the legs/tail area sticking out of it. Scared me almost every time I opened the fridge! I didn't even want to take a picture :-P

The cinnamon roll dough came out really tough to roll out and wasn't very cooperative, even when it was warm! Eventually I got about 20-24 cinnamon rolls packed together in an 8x8 pan. I let them rise and went to bed around 4am!

When I woke up, I turned on the oven and stuffed in the cinnamon rolls...about 5 minutes before Sean got home! He had to wait a little while, but he enjoyed the rolls, he said :) The turkey took the longest: the recipe I had called for turning several herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley?) along with things like onions and garlic, into a paste to spread on and in the turkey. Unfortunately, we only have a blender, and that didn't work out so well. So, I just mixed it and stuffed it in the turkey. It turned out really well. I figured out via Google what a V-rack is and created my own with one of my Dollar Store cookie cooking racks - 50 cents well spent! Sean helped me cut it and it looked, smelled, and tasted deeeelicious!!

I couldn't have a Thanksgiving with just turkey and mashed potatoes, so I made a full meal:



Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Rolls, Corn, Cranberry Sauce, Green Bean Casserole.

Anyone up for leftovers? Haha :) It was awesome to see how well God has provided for us and allowed us to have a job with holidays off (even if it's accidental!) and delicious food to remember family and traditions and the love that we've seen from both sides of our families:) I was sitting at our table with Sean eating, remembering the Thanksgiving where my cousin and I wore American Girl dresses (we weren't teens yet, be gentle!) and other Thanksgivings with my Southern grandma and even when my grandpa was alive and the laughter that'd fill the house:) It brings a tear to my eye, but it lets me know that I'll never let go of those memories and they'll never be far from me!

Alright, misty-eyed me needs to go put away leftovers. One of those "oh...drats!" moments was definitely sitting on the couch after consumption and realizing I'M the one putting food away. Sean would help, but he stayed up til noon to eat with me and he needs some sleep :)

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving - what did you do with your day?

Where'd Summer Go?

Also known as, hello end of August!

Yes it's been that long since I updated! Lesee what's been going on....

- Sean and I celebrated our 3 month-versary last Sunday. We went to church together for the first time in a very long time (because of Sean's night shift job), went to the library, then headed out to Markham, VA for peach picking! It was a deliciously beautiful day and we got 2 large bags of peaches to enjoy :)

- My job has been tossing ideas back and forth as to my position this fall. They are still preliminary, but just imagine the possibilities of teaching somewhere in a daycare, and you probably hit the nail on the head.

- I created/modified 2 delicious recipes. Hopefully I'll post one tonight - Teriyaki Chicken, yummy!

- My family is down in Virginia/Southern US for a little over a week. Tim will be done with his boot camp next week and packing up for Liberty!! Sam and Phil spent the night last night - I went to bed like an old lady, they stayed up til almost 2 playing Halo!

- My car completely bit it; we had to have it towed because the spark plug needed replacing. The mechanic tested it, said instead of just a new head, I'd need a full engine because things (aka serpentine belt and compression valve?!) came off or broke. Repairs? Overe $3k. So.....

- We bought our first new car! It's a 2010 Yaris, very beautiful. We still can't believe it's ours! Although it was my car that broke, Sean has laid claim to the beautiful metallic-colored hatchback with it's deluxe package :P Ah well, I'd rather not be responsible for keeping that thing nick-free ;)

- My PreK class is down to 12 kids. I know it's nearing the end of summer, most of my kids will be going to public school this fall and not our Kindergarten class, but it's still weird. Hopefully this week I'll get my new roster and get a large batch of kids!

- My assistant and I are getting along, praise God! We went from terrible to okay, to tolerable, to good/bad days, to joking and laughing amid the stresses! I'm not sure how long it'll continue, but I count my days one blessing at a time!

- Almost half of my thank-you notes are out! I know, that sounds terrible, since we just celebrated 3 months of marriage, but frankly, we both have full-time jobs, I bring my work home AND do planning/library shopping/minor classroom purchasing on the weekends. I'm happy we have more than 15 out:)

- My grandma (mom's ma) celebrated her 84th birthday in July! I called her on the phone and talked to her for a bit. I wish I could visit her, but working full time and being fairly new (almost 1 year!) at this job means no vaca time for a while.

- The apartment is pretty near complete! I loved putting photos online to share with family and friends who aren't nearby!

- Sean and I have had visitors! Of course, never when Sean's around, save for the 10 minutes after he got home from work this morning, and that was my family:) Anna came over to make some extreme amounts of banana bread and Tina and Josephine got to see the apartment after a night out last month. We both home to entertain more people, but for now we're trying to survive day-to-day, especially because....

- Sean switched schedules. Bleh. I was beginning to get used to the previous one, but at least this one gives him every other weekend off!! Unfortunately it's a lot of 12-hour shifts, but it was amazing having a weekend off together last week and I'm not about to lose it now!!

- I got a small random case of mysterious hives 2-3 times this week. We played the guessing game for nearly an hour trying to figure out what it was: new detergent, unclean peaches, too many peaches (haha), something at work, those 15 pieces of rice I ate off the OUTSIDE of the sushi roll someone brought to Bible Study...yeah =P Benadryl worked in getting rid of the bumps the first night, but 1) they knocked me out toooo well (as in, Sean came into the bedroom to check on me all night and I didn't hear him once) and 2) the bumps returned about 2 hours after being in work. I tried the cream the next night, but that did nothing :( Hopefully it was something that's out of my system now and not something that's at work!!

- I have struggled with trying to help Sean find a birthday gift for me. The problem is that I don't have a lot of tangible, purchasable needs. It takes some hard thinking for me to think of stuff I like that people could get: Wicked paraphernalia, Rascal Flatts, organization stuff, mani/pedi (maaaybe, depends on the day), books, movies... I feel bad not having something for him, but maybe that means I'm content ;)

Wow that was a lot of typing. Thanks to donating my computer chair - which was putting dents into the carpet, thus sent to Tim's new place for school! - I'm using our exercise ball (from....Bill Monthie??) to sit on. I'm now realizing how much time I spend here just because I've had to balance myself. I'm usually one to sit on one leg or criss-cross my legs; however, I canNOT do that with the ball :) However, it is fun to sit in!

Alright in 9.5 hours, I will be on the road with Mom, Dad, Sam, and Phil off to Grandmother's house!! I haven't seen her since the wedding in May, so it'll be nice to catch up a little. Pray that our time isn't wasted, that we hold tight and create memories that'll last a lifetime! It's hard to grow up when you finally realize that you can't stop time from happening.

Hopefully this post hasn't bored you to tears. If you made it this far, congrats! I wish I had something to send you, but I honestly don't post on this blog frequent enough to have prizes readily available :) Other than a totally awesome high-five! =)

Counting it down...

3 Weeks left!! Holy cow, time is flying! Mom will be here in a week and a half to help me pull together other things like meeting with the caterer, decorating the reception site, etc. I'm excited to see her again :D :D

There's still plenty left to do: flowers (probably doing my own with the help of friends), cake (depending on the guest #), jewelry, makeup (do I really have to wear it????), and of course, the packing of the stuff to move it to the apartment. Ahh!!

Sean's stuff is completely over at our new apt now. It's a very cute 1 bedroom with a patio overlooking the courtyard in the middle of the apt buildings. It has a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room area, and a living room area. We are moving things around trying to find the best style. At least everything (minus bathroom and kitchen) are carpeted, so we don't have to worry about that! When my stuff comes, I'm nearly guaranteeing it'll cause a bit of fuss just because I have lots of boxes in storage that I didn't get to purge before they went there. The last few nights I've been staying up past 1 and just tossing things into a pile that I don't want or need and throwing out old things and repacking stuff that can go over to the apartment this weekend. I'm excited to be sharing a place with Sean soon, but I have so much stuff, it's going to be hard to weed it out. Let me share an honest example: I have over 100 beanie babies for example, and many Cabbage Patch Dolls. I have 2 American Girl dolls, along with clothes (never got any of the large accessories, for which I am grateful to my parents for putting their foot down!), and some random dolls including Quints...yeah I basically stored my childhood:( Oh well, it'll be fun going through everything again!

Today I'm hoping to go to the library and get some flower arranging books. I think Josephine, my housemate, and I will be going to Unique in search of some shorts for work...wouldn't you know it, we're not allowed short-short jean shorts, and that's pretty much all I have. My capris are even jeans! At least buying shorts means summer will be coming soon!!!!

For now: breakfast! I'm thinking pancakes :D

She's coming!

Every day I look forward to the mail after work. To find out who's coming to the wedding. Sometimes dreading to open the letters.

Today, there was a letter from my namesake, the original Rebecca H. It immediately made me laugh as it brought back memories of writing back and forth to her, when she was better. I would read a book and then I'd bring it to her when Dad would drive down to visit her and my grandpa. She'd read the book quickly, usually within that week, and then we could talk about the book. I would always put a little check mark inside the front cover to indicate that my grandma AND I had read the book:)

But I'm going very far off topic....

My grandma sent her RSVP.

She's coming to my wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Job Update!

So I think (forgive me, it's almost midnight and I'm not really thinking much at this point) that I hinted at a job, but I hadn't explained what it was:) Well, for you Facebook friends, you already found out:P

I'm a PreK teacher at KinderCare! I work 40 hours (ish) per week with 19 darling 4 or 5 year olds learning letters, colors, shapes, and anything else we can discover! There is another teacher in there already that has known most of these kids for the last 2 years, so I follow her lead on everything! It's pretty nice to be finally doing some teaching! And with the same kids every day....gosh, this is what heaven's like, right? I even get to give them back at the end of the day ;P

So, my schedule is 9-6 now, and on top of that, the work place is about 4 minutes from my house. In traffic. I wish we weren't moving sometime this year, but I guess I'll cope. Oh, and there's a Starbucks in the same shopping area....so far I haven't given in to this marvelously placed addiction, but it's only a matter of time right?

This week, I was hoping to just work, come home and read, and relax. Unfortunately, Sean spiked a fever on Sunday and Monday he wasn't feeling too hot. I called the dr's after I got off at 6:15 (told you it was "ish"), and since they weren't taking any appts at the end of the day, I drove him to the ER/Care Center. Turns out he got a bad infection, which they cleaned but had to pack with gauze to try to heal it with a minimal return possibility. So, with that on my mind, and him taking off yesterday AND today, I've been over there before, during, and after work. Yay for being overly worried! I'll be there tomorrow too :P But that's been keeping me from sleeping in til 8, doing a lazy shower (15 minutes = wonderful, 8 = reality), and resting. Hopefully next week will be a bit more enchanting :P

Oh yes, my family has moved. I am the only one of my family - either side, any extensions - left in Northern VA. Go me:P I can't wait til Tim has fall break from LU and can come visit me! Not many people get my humor without being offended ;P But anyway, my family likes VT. Dad gets to fish every day...yes, EVERY DAY! My brothers have to be on the bus by 6:30, but we had fun last week when I was there. Mom's trying to turn the camp into a home and make things a little more comfortable (too many boxes of stuff will inhibit this...).

Alright, time to shut the computer down. Midnight's nearly here...welcome, October!

Massive Update - Summer Conclusion?!

Wow, has it really been nearly 3 weeks since I've updated? Let's see if I can summarize:

- My family put their house on the market and emptied out nearly everything out of there. Only thing left is bits of furniture, the vacuum, TVs with cable, internet, and whatever is in the linen closet and bathrooms :P Kinda spooky hearing that much of an echo!!

- My family has moved to Vermont. I will pick up Dad from the airport tomorrow, as he will be staying in VA until the house sells. I've been going to the house daily to check the answering machine, straighten up as need be, gather the mail, and let Mom know if any more Realtor cards have shown up on the kitchen table. It's been a painful week plus since they left, but I've had great people that'll just see my tears through my smile and hug me: Mrs. O (my landlady/housemate) and Josephine (housemate), Meme, Fitz, Sean, Mrs. Geel (blessings on her for seeking me out when she saw me at church!!). These people have my tears stained on them in return for the generous hugs....









- Relationship-wise, things are starting to work out. God is giving both him and I direction and in return we are learning to understand one another much better than we ever did. Saturday night especially was a talking night and a night of agreement. I would say the next morning's sermon was irony, but I know it was much more. We went to Truro, where the sermon was based on the Ephesians 5:18-31, talking about the role of husbands and wife. It blew my mind. All of that sermon just poured over my mind, dripped into my heart, and stirred my soul. I felt like God was showing both of us: "Okay, you two have some idea of what's going on, but here's what a marriage HAS to be about. It's not about one serving the other, who should be in charge of everything. It should be a shared relationship of serving, with the head being the bigger server but still seeking the best for the marriage." Just....wow. I'll try to type up the notes later this week. It was just....amazing. On top of that, Sunday would have been 3 years together...holy cow. Irony upon irony, or God's faithfulness being revealed in extraordinary measurements? :)







- 8/21 was my last day with my GT students. I definitely kept my tears in - too much stuff going on the last day to be excited about! We had pizza, chips, brownies, and popsicles....I will tell you right now, I felt ill afterwards! :P But it was a great, QUICK 8 weeks with these guys and I really will miss them all! Some of them have added me on Facebook (with parents' permissions of course!) and sent me messages! They feel free, of course, but miss the games that we played in order to learn. Excellent teaching strategies strike again! ;) In all seriousness, they were a great group of kids!!

- I am currently jobless. I have been traveling to all the schools near me (and some not so near) that are on the Fairfax County website. I have stopped looking to read if they have a position and started to just GO out there and turn my resume in. Each school has been a different experience, but I will send out resumes this afternoon in hopes of getting a response back:)

- The 11th hour at Truro - a church in Fairfax whose Bible Study I've been attending since March - is going splendidly:) It is now led by the Bible Study in all forms...the worship team, hosting team (with me!), food team, sound team, etc. It still has some work to go, but I feel that God is really using that time to help people out.

>> It's at 6pm on Saturday nights if anyone would love to come!!! It's just a bit of worship, some prayer, a speaker, and food. It never lasts past 7:15 - our goal is to be done by 7. Truro is located at 10520 Main Street in Fairfax. We meet in the Upper Room. Give me a call and let me know when you're coming - I'd love to see more friends come share in worshipping our Lord!

Alright, laundry is rumbling, I'm sprawled on the carpet in my room, I've visited the last school on my first list, Substituting is changing my info for me, and it's only 10:45. Time for some library reading! I kept going to the library all this summer for more (manga) books for my kids. The last 2-3 weeks of school, I read "Peter and the Starcatchers" with my oldest GT group. They loved the adventure, mystery, minute bit of romance, and of course, PIRATES! :) Time to go read some of my own! I'll leave you with a few pictures:

(All of my summer books waiting to be read.) (Amazing Shirley Temple from Hunan West!)

Frustrated

This summer has been one that I never expected. I've gone through so many weird changes and just wishing it was a summer like I used to have...my family going to the pool whenever, hanging out more with my brothers, babysitting now and then. I guess welcome to the life of a grownup?

I have a job that isn't perfect, but that I love, and the kids love me. We get along so well with each other and they're learning fantastically. The teachers and I collaborate when we have a moment, and I enjoy that too :) I don't mind working this summer.

My family is moving. Not just across town, across state. States. Yep, plural. This summer has been hectic trying to get all their stuff together, while putting together the house to sell, and trying to move me to a place. In.sane.

On top of that, there has been relational stuff happening this summer. Stuff I'd never dream would actually happen in my life, but I thank God that it happened. It's definitely been a huge growing experience. It has been for him too, and we can note those changes in each other. We have had huge support from other individuals to help us grow more towards God with this change.

Unfortunately, not all influences are positive at the moment. One huge individual has a negative outlook on anything resulting from this. This person was happy that this thing happened in the summer, but doesn't want things to be patched up and continued. I feel hurt by the way that this has come, but I pray that this person will open their heart up as well as their eyes and see what is going on in my life is something that I want.....

Can't talk about it anymore currently, but PLEASE pray for God to open up an opportunity that doesn't seem hostile.

Lately...

My life has been one wicked roller coaster ride in the last couple weeks. School has ended, which means no substitute teacher jobs for a while, unless a teacher gets sick or has to suddenly move....like that would truly happen ;P Right now I have no steady part time or full time summer job - just babysitting here and there for Lauren or the Venture Bible Study group once a week. I'm praying that God will continually supply my needs as I seek for an inexpensive but good place to live!

My oldest younger brother has graduated high school! Tim has grown into such a mature guy, I was actually shocked having to live with the family again and getting this respectable person....seriously! He has great friends (except when they hang out downstairs and you can hear them chatting until 11:30 when I texted him to please go elsewhere), a very strong foundation in his faith, and a good head on his shoulders. He's already planned out a lot of his summer: First off to Beach Week (for the seniors at IBC), after which he will be prepping to go on a missions trip with his future college Liberty:D....actually he'll be in ZAMBIA with my awesome friend Alison...well, at least nearby :P Once he's back home, he'll be packing up his stuff yet again and heading back to Liberty to start his first semester as a college student... *tear* Hopefully I'll have a place for him to crash at sometimes by the time he's back home from Africa:)

I have rediscovered my joy in XBox, specifically 360. I will hopefully have a gaming system by July, complete with a remote a good friend has already loaned/given? me :) I am not quite an addict, so I am not worried that this will consume my life. I just feel that it would be something fun to do now and then, especially with my younger brothers. We didn't have video games growing up - Mom actually just bought the Wii 1 1/2 years ago as our first gaming system!

For more "new" rediscoveries, I am going to try my hand at sewing again. I took the obligated Home Ec course through A Beka homeschooling (whoot whoot!), but didn't learn much. However, my aunt taught me a WHOLE lot about sewing: how to find a straight edge, how to create a quilt, making a skirt, etc. She's very talented, so I hope to be even 1/4 as good as her :) I took a dive and found a Renaissance type dress that I absolutely LOVE. Unfortunately, it's millions of pieces (actually less than 10, I think...), and very complex in the way it goes together. However, I want to try, so we'll see:) I'll post what happens along the way....provided I find batteries for my camera :(

I'm excited to relax this weekend. Part of me wants to go hang out with friends, but I don't really know anyone's schedule, except maybe 1-2 friends going to someone's wedding tomorrow?? Who knows :P I'll be at home, probably cleaning, puttying the bathroom, cleaning the other bathrooms, designing this dress,.....yeah I'll be bored ;P

Graduations...

Currently, I have been to 3 college graduations (including my own) and 2 high school graduations. Insane amount of people being released into the workforce! Bring on more challenges!!! Hahaha :)

Yesterday was my brother's birthday AND graduation night - go Tim!! That was fun, driving to DC to have the graduation in the DAR Constitution Hall.....:P But it's traditional, so we went and enjoyed ourselves.

Though I must say, Robinson might have been just a LOT better than it;) For starters, they had their graduation in the Patriot Center of George Mason, which was literally 5 minutes driving distance from their secondary school :P They had plenty of seating and good crowd control, although they did let everyone just whoop and holler, which I enjoyed ;)

And tonight, I got to see a friend and receive a gift rather than give my grad the graduation gift they earned. It's a gift I'll cherish:)

All that to say, I'm grad-gee-ay-tud OUT! :P Time for heat/cold/heat/cold (taking down my wisdom teeth removal puffiness) and sleeeeep!

Wisdom Teeth...

So, I've been having this molar come in, hidden under gums. Yep, wisdom tooth at 22. Marvelous. My brother had his taken out when he was 14 or so. Why so late? Go me....anyway.

On Friday, the side of my face hurt that I had the tooth coming in. Mom decided to call the insurance and see if I could get an x-ray to see if it was just one wisdom tooth or more were joining the enameled army in my mouth :P

We end up going to some oral surgery facility about 10 minutes from the house. Nice place, interesting people...let me just say to anyone that wants to be a receptionist: Don't wear slutty clothes! I don't need to see the outline of every little thing you have on underneath that mini-skirted dress. Gaaaa! Anywhoo...

They took an x-ray and found out I had 3 wisdom teeth...yeah I have a nonexistent 4th one, wahoo! They decided then and there that they would like to fix them. Yay for me. Since I had eaten breakfast, they couldn't give me morphine. I got stuck with Novacaine and Laughing Gas. That stuff is nasty, but it worked well. They drilled through one tooth to get it out, then basically cut the gums for the other 2. I was done within an hour.

Now, being the oldest in the family, I must also be the overachiever. So I was nice and only threw up once, in their toilet rather than the floor. I was able to walk out of there. I definitely felt nauteous for the entire ride home and the next 3-4 hours lying in my room. At least I had 800 mg of Ibuprofen - I refused the Vicadin.

Sean came to visit me - kind of awkward because of the past week, but enjoyed having the company of someone I hadn't seen in a while. I think things were taken the wrong way, but we'll see what the future brings.... My nausea went down after the 800mg wore off and I started eating the frozen peas that I was using to keep the swelling down on my face.

Today, my face blew up like I had a ball in one cheek. Excellent. And I babysat like that, too! I get brownie points, right? :P

Tomorrow I'm hoping to work in the nursery with my Mom. I might have work (subbing again!) on Monday, but I haven't heard from anyone yet other than the possible affirmation on Thursday when I left the school. We'll see we'll see!

For now, this is One Cheeked-Chipmunk, signing off!

I've lost count

of the weeks I've been back at home. It's had its ups and downs but I think I'm finally at the stage where I don't really mind being at home. It's not because of the *free* food/room/utilities/etc, but it's just nice to finish up work and come home and relax with people that know you:)

That being said, I need a real job because my family is moving in 2 months and I don't have enough to make rent at any location I've looked at!

Prayer requests:
- That I would find a steady income for the summer. Although I am on the sub list for Fairfax County, that ends June 17th when school lets out. Babysitting and caregiving pays well, but it's sporatic days and hours.

- That I would be able to find an affordable place - a room or a whole apt. - within the next month. I am willing to rent a room somewhere, although my ideal situation would be a cheap (but nice) place of my own.

- That God would direct me where He wants me to worship. I've been trying to find a new church, but have not really church-shopped much. I found one I loved, but Sean moved in the opposite direction, thereby giving us a 45 minute commute or more.

- That I would seek Him more.

- That I can share what's on my heart with my beloved.

This day is going to be fun. Babysitting later from 2-7 for 3 or 4 excited kiddos. Maybe I'll go to the dollar store and go get some crafts to do. After that technically there is Alpha, but I'm not sure if I'll be done at 7 or the parents will get back home at 7 and I'll be done around 8. We shall see, we shall see. For now, my lunch awaits!

New Cousin!

Yes, these are the years in my life when my cousins decide it's perfect to have children:) Actually, the cousins that just had another child have the oldest 2nd cousin on that side of the family, if I remember correctly! So now they have the oldest and the youngest...and 3 in between!! God bless them:)

Introducing to the blogging world....


Rebekah Grace :)

And of course the proud big brothers and sister:



Congrats to Jesse and Kerry! And to Jacob, Daniel, Alyssa, and Joel:)

Tuesday brings...

who knows? I was trying to find a job last night, didn't sleep till midnight. I woke this morning at 9ish (way after my alarm went off) and resumed searching. I found a few at INOVA that hold possibilities - at least they go all year round and I would be set for the summer:)

I try to share some of them with Mom, and she explains that I shouldn't get a job yet until I've talked about it with someone I'm currently working with, in case they could use me all summer. Then she gets upset at me because I don't have a job. Ahhhh! Confusion? I think so!

I'm hoping I get a job this week or next. I need some stability in my life. It's not happening right now.

Touring DC

I tell everyone this, yet no one believes me. The only times I have been to Washington, DC, other than homeschool trips to the Kennedy Center and the National Gallery of Art (or my yearly birthday zoo trip that was discontinued shortly after child #4 was born), was because we had friends or family in town that wanted to tour DC. Seriously. I live a quick metro ride away from our nation's capitol, yet I never go in unless others want to see something. So this was a fun weekend to have Sean's parents drive down for my graduation and see parts of DC with us!

We took the metro from Sean's house to get in. No one likes to park in DC. No major hiccups in traveling that way other than some maintenance work is going on, so they are down to 1 track and have to share (?!?!).

We got off at the Smithsonian stop and looked around for something to do. We saw the Smithsonian, but determined that it was too beautiful a day to go indoors. We went to the gardens behind the Smithsonian - they are actually a roof garden planted in shallow soil!! - before grabbing some DC lunch. Hot dogs, yum! Afterwards, we just walked down towards the back of the Capitol Building and took in the sights.

We saw a Military Exhibition and went inside. Very cool! Lots of pictures, but also lots of very expensive, very sweet equiptment. Like an infrared camera that could tell if we were blushing:P

We went on to the pool behind the Capitol. There was a mother duck with many babies surrounding her. Oh how cute!! We tried to determine who is on the top of the Capitol Building - Googling it now, we were nowhere close:P We walked around a statue of Grant as well and tried to determine if there was any specific significance to the 4 lions surrounding him:)

We ended up going into the Botanical Gardens, which was absolutely beautiful! We got separated for a bit, but found each other in the Medicinal Plant area. It was a beautiful place to be, and the weather was perfect!

We walked in the gardens outside for a bit, but slowly started making our way back to the metro. After we arrived back at the station in McLean, we went to the mall and got Chipotle. Yum! Perfect end of the day:)

We have already started planning out what we need to do next time we're there. This includes the history museums we missed, possibly the Newseum, the Nat'l Gallery of Art, who knows what else! :)

Week 10

Week 10?! How can this be??? Time is definitely flying!

Sean and I went back to Grace Bible, though with him now moved into McLean's area, it was a huge commute:( It took him 30 minutes (his car is too unstable to take highways at this time) to get to my house, then another 20 minutes south of my (parent's) house to get to the church. I really like the church, and I think Sean does too, but it might not be in our favor just because of location:( We're praying that God shows us where to head!

This last week I subbed twice, one day as an IA *instructional assistant* and the other day as a floating sub:P Fun stuff, I will say right now! Hopefully this next week will bring an actual teaching position:)

On Friday, Sean and I drove down to Lynchburg to spend the night with a buddy, Lindsay, and to participate in my graduation!! I got to see lots of old friends that I haven't seen in so long!: Lindsay, Cortney Th, Lauren M, Gregg, Jessica C, Ben, Charlie, Jeremy H, Nate, Coleman, Jessica, Scott, and a TON of my elementary ed classmates and friends!! It was a blast to be there but it took a lot of breaths to not cry because I knew that what Jerry, Jr. said was true: "Never again will this group of people meet again like this moment." It's hard going to college and making friends, not thinking until that very moment that you might never see again until Jesus returns. *Misty eyes* Alright, onward and upward....

Sean's parents got to come down for graduation! They drove down to a hotel (1 1/2 hours?) outside Lynchburg, then drove in Saturday morning like my parents did:) I was happy to have both of our parents there to celebrate graduating:) I walked in the main ceremony, then in the Education ceremony in our beloved indoor track:P I got to hug many of my professors (that I could find) as well as friends! It was a sad goodbye but worth visiting Lynchburg for!

Now we have returned to the DC area and will tour the Smithsonian and parts of DC for Mother's day with Sean's parents!!

Now on to life as I know it...

Week 8

2 Months? Eeeep! At least it's going by a bit quicker!

On Sunday, Sean and I decided to check out Grace Bible in Lorton. It was a really good experience to start church-shopping. The pastor is my old youth group pastor, which is pretty neat! I saw at least 5 families and a handful other friends, but didn't get to talk to more than 2 or 3 of them.

Sunday night was the first Alpha meeting at my friend's church over in Fairfax. I really enjoyed the experience! They started out with dinner for everyone. After our dinner was mostly over, we had a speaker come up and talk. This was not a Bible "study," but more of a Bible "learning." The speaker went over different aspects of the Bible using a study guide we were all given. We went over Who Jesus was and is and how can well tell these facts are facts? After that we talked in small groups starting with a discussion question: If we could ask God one question, and we were guaranteed an answer, what would we ask? It was a great time shared by all!

Tuesday Sean decided that he needed to quit his job working at a start-up company. I'm sorry to say, I cried when he finally did it:P It's been a good experience for him, but he was underpaid for the amount of experience he brought to the table. Hopefully now he will find a part-time job or a full-time place where his skills are put to good use for a good return. (Despite how I may write or talk about the job, I really don't hate his boss:P)

On Wednesday, a sister of Lauren (cute "little lamb" that I babysit sometimes) had cleft palate surgery. She is a darling that the family adopted from China. I also had FCPS Orientation that morning, so it was just a high-strung day altogether:) The orientation went well and I will have my employee # this coming Tuesday! Afterwards I babysat the older 3 siblings of little Anna while her parents stayed at the hospital with her. Their grandma came by later so I wouldn't have to spend the night:)

One of my little brothers, Sam, turned 17 on Thursday! We had grilled chicken and (Costco version)Mediterranean pizza:) Oh, and cake with some ice cream! It was an odd celebration since Dad had to work that night and Phil (youngest brother) was on a trip with his chorus group. At least Sam enjoyed it!



Last night (Saturday), I got to babysit for some old friends from IBC. When I first started babysitting for them, there was just one precious child: Maddie. Since then, the parents have adopted 3 more children!!! I don't know the circumstances surrounding their reasoning for adopting, but I admire their hearts. How precious are these parents to open their home to not just one or two, but four children of God that desire parents! Maddie is now an exhuberant 7 1/2 year old child with large amounts of curiousity. Aiden is now 4 with some of the wildest, curly hair you'll ever see, with a smiling face to top it off. Bode has reached the wonderful age of 2 when his vocab is still a bit confusing unless you've been around him a while:) And baby Sophia, age 6 months, is now the youngest of the family! What a crowd:) It was definitely a challenge to watch them all last night - thanks to naps, food, baths, and movies like Strawberry Shortcake and Sesame Street, we made it to bedtime, which is when the parents came home.

Today I'm debating going to the mall. Time to check the fliers;)

Week 7

Holy cow, 7 weeks? Haha feels like a year:)

JOBWISE:
I didn't get much accomplished this week. I filled out applications for Arlington schools and Loudon County schools, but so far haven't heard back from anyone. I was hoping the temps agency I signed up with a few weeks back would have something for me, but they haven't called yet.

FCPS Orientation is this Wednesday for me! I'm so excited - bit nervous, but definitely not as much as excited:) I am hoping and PRAYING that I can get several subbing jobs weekly in order to start saving to live on my own.

I'm also debating if my current calling is "babysitting/caregiver" thanks to my random sitting schedule! I've been working with Lauren often and really enjoy spending time with her and her family. I also am hopefully going to be working in that same caregiver position for another family from my family's church for date nights:) Maybe this is where God is putting me for now?

FRIENDS:
I am so thankful for the friendships God's put in - and back in - my life! I missed my friends up here and cherish seeing them! Being able to sit and talk over coffee or crochet thrills me to no end!

This week we didn't have Bible Study because it was Easter, and I really missed the fellowship and the laughs that we shared! Thankfully one of my new friends, Mattie, organized a "friend date" like our leader had asked us to do, so Sean and I got to hang out with 6-7 others from our group:) We played cricket just as it started getting fairly dark, thanks to the instructions of an uprooted Brit in the group;) It was awesome!

FAMILY:
I'm getting along a bit better with my family. Still holding out for a place of my own, but for now taking every opportunity to take my brothers somewhere or do something with each of them. I picked up Sam from his school on Saturday and let him drive home - that'll increase your prayer life 100%!! Phil and I have been slaving over his homework, especially English (my favorite, his hatred, sadly). We are reading How to Eat Fried Worms for...ever? Heh. It's a book he likes though, that's all that matters to me! Once we are done, I promised him dirt cake with gummy worms popping out of it! We're also working on a research paper, visual, and oral presentation of Japanese Religious Holidays. I'll be happy when it's done - my brain is brimming with information about Shinto and Buddhist religions, along with Shichi-go-san (7-5-3 holiday for specifically-aged children) and Shogatsu (Japanese New Year's). Ai-yi-yi!

Most of us watched the incredibly long but superbly awesome LOTR trilogy this weekend on TBS. Forgot how awesome it is to see sweaty elves, rangers, and halflings fight for their lives against the forces of evil....*sigh.* I remember back when Anna, Alison, and I chose certain guys for each other based on looks, actions, and....yea probably looks haha. Good old days:)

Alright, this week brings babysitting twice (YAY) as well as Substitute Teaching orientation (WAHOOO) and maybe a coffee date or two? Yes!

I don't get it....

I am confused about the next steps in my life. I know I need to hit that independence kick, get a job, get a place, etc. That's not what's confusing. What confuses me is Sean.

I get the feeling that he's not ready to settle down with marriage. Things keep pointing that out to me, like him looking for places to live that are bedrooms/basements of other people rather than "his own place." Things like keeping this job even though it hasn't proved very successful yet. When he comes home from working, he goes to his room and finishes up what he didn't finish at work. I feel like I have no niche in his life right now, especially since he just got his car back from Lynchburg. I no longer get woken up to drive him to work and pick him back up before the major rush hour.

At least with babysitting, and slowly with my family, I feel needed.

Week 4

I can't believe I've been home for nearly a month! Time flies when I have nothing to do? :(

Job situation seems to be at a standstill. I babysat twice last week. While babysitting on Friday, I heard from the place where I used to work (05-06). The director of the daycare there said they didn't need me currently, but perhaps in summer. Hopeful there, since summer is coming up quickly!

While I was with Katie Rose and Lydia on Friday, we explored much of a stream near their house. The girls collected "clam shells" and put them in 2 bags of stream water - fun! :P I opted to dig up a flower bulb and bring my mom home a daffodil that we nearly stepped on;) Hopefully we can plant that today!

Yesterday I babysat dear Beth and Marie. Those girls are getting so big! Beth, the older sister, turned 7 last week, and her sister will turn 4 this week! Yikes! I remember babysitting Beth when she was less than a few months old! We sang almost every song we could think of, including Wheels on the Bus and Fishy Fishy. We had some dinner (Mac and Cheese!), brushed teeth, washed faces, and played until bedtime.

I was able to finish one book finally! "Men Without Women" by Hemingway is a very peculiar book, unlike anything I usually seek to read:) I'm hoping Sean might want to read it as well so he can explain some of the deeper reasonings behind the stories in the book!

I'm hoping Alison and Anna are going to McLean for church tonight. Sean and I are starting the adventure of church hunting. I love the church my family goes to, but at the same time it's hard to get connected there because it's so tight-knit. Hopefully God will show us where we should be looking!:)

Week 3

Wow, I can't believe week 3 is complete! Haha this will show how unproductive I can be....

On Sunday I got to help out in the nursery. Techincally, I was supposed to be the supervisor that hour. Informally, I got stuck in the back as a helper. Not bad though, I was needed and I was there:) So many cute kiddies - I think we had a head count of 15?

I called Fairfax County's Subbing Office on Tuesday. The guy I talked to was very nice and signed me up for the next available Substitute Orientation: April 22nd...... Whaa?? So that's just kind of frustrating knowing that I have a full month before I even get into orientation, after which the board probably approves the substitutes before they are able to work. Gaa. Oh well, at least I've got the ball rolling before the end of the year!

I only babysat twice this week. I got to take Lauren to aquatics and then to school. She turned 5 this week! I've known her since she was almost 2, so it's astonishing that's she grown that fast! She is such a cute cuddlebug and was very snuggly once she got out of the pool. Too bad she was soaking wet! The other babysitting fun was actually today. Marie, Beth, and I had a ball singing everything from"Fishy, Fishy" to "This Little Light of Mine." Sometimes with piano accompaniment! We then had a delicious dinner of mac and cheese, followed by brushing teeth, taking a bath, reading some stories, and getting tucked into bed. They are so cute and I can't wait to be with them again next weekend!

Tuesday Sean and I went to a Bible Study for "kids" our age - what a difference! Sean and I agreed when we finished just the worship that we would like to make this our Bible Study for now rather than my parents' studies. It was awesome to meet the leader, Mimi, as well as the others, and to see Anna and Alison again!

Thursday I met up with Cortney to crochet, and Sean came along for the ride. We drank coffee at Caribou and laughed about dorm times - Cortney was a few doors down from me during my last year on campus:) Hopefully this will be a weekly thing!!

My brother Sam had a JV Lacrosse game on Friday night, so Sean and I went with Mom to watch it. Silly me forgot that home teams sit in the shade! First day of spring was colder than the first day of winter! The wind was relentless and caused me to hide as deep as I could into my hoodie. Sean was a dear and bought some hot chocolate from the consession stand during halftime:) Hopefully next time we go, it'll be MUCH warmer!!

Yesterday I finished a blanket that I've been meaning to finish for 5+ years. It was originally for a cousin on my dad's side, but she's in K or 1st right now:P Shows how diligent I am with my projects;) Anyway, here's a picture of just before I finished it:


(Sizewise, I think it's going to be more for me than a newborn baby:) )

I am starting 2 more projects now that I thought would be fun. One is a baby blanket - doubled in width to make me a cozy lap blanket. My house will be filled with random blankets! The other is a stuffed animal if I can figure out the pattern correctly. I also have to go buy some yarn in order to do that - or maybe I'll check the attic for my plethora of yarn:)

Also, I have started to read the books from the library :) I got a bit preoccupied reading about the Glycemic Index Diet, which I'm hoping Sean and I will be able to do. It's not necessarily for me, because thanks to my speedy metabolism, I have horrible eating habits;) However, it's a very interesting read and encouraging! Anyway, I started reading "Good-bye, Mr. Chips" as well as "Men Without Women." Nothing like a good "new" book late at night while curling up in your blanket!! :)

Alright, tomorrow brings working in the nursery with Mom again! After that, it's Chipotle with the siblings - whoot!:)