Sniffle, Snort part 2

Well, as luck would have it, I started the sniffles and snorts as soon as I got to Alabama. I have been pretty sick but I have still been able to enjoy myself. We have done plenty of shopping and eating. I haven't been to see Chronicles of Narnia yet but I will soon. Stephen HATES to go to the movies so it usually takes some big convincing on his part!! Tonight we are going to Huntsville to see some hockey. I actually won some tickets yesterday on the TV station here so I surprised Stephen with it last night. Just when he thinks he has me figured out, I surprise him again!!

We are leaving for Texas in the morning. Stephen will be there until January 2nd, when I have to go back to work. I'm sure we will be very busy while there. We never seem to be able to sit for longer than 2 minutes when my sisters are involved! :-)

I smell my banana nut bread. It must be ready. I think I made enough for the whole state of Alabama. I filled everything I could find with the stuff!! I think I made too much......

Multiple ramblings...

As Stacey would say, "Have mercy!"

I'm having the worst case of ADD I've had in a long time. I guess when you couple the excitement of Stacey coming home, needing to do laundry, wrapping Christmas presents, and straightening up the apartment; I just bounce from one project to the other in 20 minute intervals. This has been going on since 7PM and you'd think it would eventually slow down. Naah! Unfortunately, it is a reminder of how much I hate wrapping Christmas presents. I am terrible at it, especially when they come in odd shapes and we have plenty of them this year. I've gotten 6 done, and 1 more to go. Maybe it'll get done before Stacey arrives...

So, I guess you'd ask, how's the hunt going? Well, after a pretty slow couple of months, things are starting to pick up again and not a moment too soon. It's been 4 1/2 months since we started the dual household situation and it's grown beyond old. Yet, I have patience and faith that God will provide in His time, and if I can be patient, the reward will be worth the wait. I've really spent most of my time searching close to Stacey's job, but I'm not sure that it's going to pan out. Thus, I have expanded my search in hopes that something will pan out locally while searching near and far.

As for Labs R Us. Well, they have made buddies in their new homes. Puppy, the yellow mixed lab we got for my dad, is having his romp at my parents' home. I gave him to my dad on the 10th and dad's proud of him. Unfortunately, while Puppy was here with me, the remainder of his litter was sent packing, but not to doggy heaven, just New York to a rescue who provides pets to the inner city. Anyway, he's settling in pretty good, just trying to chew everything that is not nailed down. Hopefully, the little fella will get a name this weekend. Chester, the black lab at Stacey's parents' home is settling in just fine. He's turning into the shadow of his counterpart, Magnum. Oh the adventures just waiting to happen...

Yet, as Stacey mentioned, we'll be together for the next two weeks and I'm chomping at the bits for it to get here. I can't wait! A week here and a week of vacation in East Texas. Will the eyes of Texas be upon me...who knows?

Out for the holidays!

One of the things I love about teaching is the holidays. The other 3 reasons I love teaching are June, July, and August! :) Just kidding! I love the children also. I am off for 2 weeks and I am so excited to be with Stephen for those 2 weeks. I am leaving in the morning to go to Florence until next Friday. Then, we are traveling back to Texas to spend Christmas with my family.

One of the neatest things happened today that just made my heart smile. I have a child in my class that is very much not wanted by neither mother nor father. He lives with grandma. It's a really bad situation. He is pretty poor. He is also the worst student in my class but I understand him. He has a very hard life. Anyway, another teacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, decided to get him one of the 2 things that he wanted for Christmas. He wanted more than anything a new remote control car. She bought it for him. You should have seen his eyes light up. It was priceless. That very much made my day. Even though he is a little stinker, he still deserves to be loved. To be honest with you, if I could, I would bring him home with me. He just needs attention. He craves it and unfortunately, gets the wrong kind of attention. I will never understand how some people can become "parents". I guess that is the one question I will ask God when I get to heaven.

Happy Belated Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday Stephen. It was on Wednesday. I have been SOOOO busy with school that I nearly forgot it! Shame on me!!

Awwww......

look at us! Are we ready for Christmas or what???

Labs R Us

Well, it looks as though our families are lab exclusive. Stephen and I bought his mom and dad a yellow lab puppy for Christmas. Then, my dad came home with a new black lab puppy today. We already have a grown black lab. Isn't he adorable! I don't have any pictures of the yellow lab yet.

the new child in the house....

Stephen and I decided to get his dad a new puppy for Christmas since he is retiring in a few weeks. Stephen found the cutest little yellow lab mix puppy yesterday at Pet Depot and adopted him. He doesn't have a name yet. Stephen is keeping him until Christmas. Some of the stories I have heard so far are hilarious. I only wish I could be a fly on the wall to witness this some of his antics in person. Stephen got about 2 hours of sleep last night. The poor little fellow cried all night. (both of them! :) ). This afternoon both the puppy and Stephen took a nap. Stephen thought he put the puppy in the kennel. He went to the bed to take a nap. He called me and told me how good the puppy was being. I told him he might want to go and check on him! Sure enough, the puppy had gotten out of the kennel. Lucky for Stephen, the puppy found a towel and curled up and went to sleep.

I do not have any pictures yet of the little thing but as soon as I do, I'll post them.

Stephen is finally feeling better. We hope he keeps his good health through the holidays.

I have been SO busy with school. I have been coaching an academic spelling team and tutoring quite a bit. Plus, I had my appraisal last week with the principal. This week we have a field trip. I am ready for the holiday!!

Happy (Sniff, Snort) Thanksgiving!

Well, I have been suffering with the sniffles, sneezes and snorts for over three weeks now. Stacey and my poor co-workers have been listening to my wild sneezing fits about every other day, I'm sure their eardrums are almost bleeding. Monday night, I got very little sleep and I left work Tuesday afternoon and was absolutely miserable because I couldn't breathe. I finally gave in and went to the doctor. Once again, a sinus infection. Fortunately for me, I got a shot and some medication and hopefully will start feeling better by the weekend.

Also, on top of getting to spend the entire day together, Stacey and I were able to go to Huntsville and Decatur to do a little shopping. We finally have Christmas shopping almost wrapped up except for a couple of items on our own wishlists and now can spend a worry-free December. We also got to hit our favorite BBQ place - Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur. I'm still full for the delicious BBQ and half rack of ribs. For the BBQ challenged and non-Alabamians, Big Bob Gibson's has won 6 or more World BBQ Championships at Memphis in May, won the Best Sauce on the Planet Award back in 1998, and hosts the All-Star BBQ Challenge on OLN. These boys know what REAL BBQ is all about and it's a NOUN, NOT A VERB! for our grilling challenged friends.

Thanksgiving day will consist of us going to my aunt and uncle's house in Crane Hill followed by spending the rest of the time with my parents. I'm sure we'll eat a ton, have a good time visiting with the kin folks, and watching football between naps. I'm sure the Cowboys game will not go unnoticed. :-)

Stacey's home

Well, for the first time since Labor Day, Stacey is back home and you can't believe how great it has been having her here in Florence. I know that the Lord has great things planned for us, but this is just a reminder of how wonderful it will be once we are in the same town for good.

As you expect, Stacey's inner-child kicked in and we ended up putting up a Christmas tree - decorated to the hilt. No surprises there, eh? Stacey loves the Christmas season more than anyone I know. If it was left up to her, we'd be putting one up on Nov. 1 every year. So, now our living room looks ready for Christmas Day.

Just an update on the insurance issue. Well, Stacey went back to the doctor and will be in the walking cast until December 14th thanks to the lack of urgency at our insurance company. Her physician prescribed another medication and we are awaiting the results of this one. Fortunately, there was no issue getting the medicine, just hoping it will work.

May the Farce Part III

Well, some things just do not change...

Unfortunately, this one is serious, but the absurdity of the situation makes this another farce. Stacey has been in a walking cast for over a month with the bursitis underneath the heel spur. Stacey's doctor prescribed medication to reduce the imflammation and the farce ensued. After the one week trial/samples ran out, our insurance company would not allow the prescription to be filled. Our "friends" at the Shield in the Land of 10000 Lakes have denoted that the medication prescribed was not acceptable, but it took them 10 days to "review" and then we get a letter through snail mail informing us of the rejection. Next, we call then insurance company for rationale and next steps to take and they tell us to get a substitute. Thus, we go back for a substitute, and it was summarily rejected by these same arrogant non-physicians. We complain again and gripe about the amount of time and inability to get treatment because of their delays and they basically tell us that it's not their problem. Finally, we get a list of acceptable medications and substitutes and what is the head of the list??? You guess it, the original prescription, followed by ibuprofren - tylenol. Now the insurance companies are getting into the "call two aspirin and call me when I care" mode.

Hello!!!?!??! What are we throwing our hard earned money away for if the insurance company won't pay for what the doctor prescribes???

May the Farce Part II

It's Christmas season and now is the time Stacey and I always make out our wishlists and then exchange them. For those of you who know me, I'm a Star Wars junkie, no I do not have a Darth Vader or Storm Trooper costume, but I have done really well about not mass collecting the collectibles from Episode III...UNTIL NOW!
The list came out and it would be like reading a kid's list. Anyone got a Spud Trooper or Darth Tater ya want to hook me up with???

Well, some things just do not change...

May the farce be with you!

I'm adding a couple of posts due to the craziness and ineptness of things we have recently endured...you will see a common theme shortly.

Happy Birthday, Stacey!!!

29 years ago today, the Texas Tornado was unleashed on the Earth.

Well, she says it will be the last birthday she'll celebrate. We'll see about that!!!

Axe 'em Jacks!

The band performed at half time. Sadly enough, the band performed better than the football team. We lost 45-23 to a pitiful school! (no names mentioned- I don't want any hate mail!! :).....)

The SFA Gang...

That's a proud mom right there! We dressed up in our SFA attire for homecoming Saturday. We all went to the parade and mom and I went to the football game. We had fun. It was my 5th year to be out of college.

Sponge Bob, Square Pants....

Ryan and his mom and dad carved this lovely little pumpkin for a pumpkin decorating contest at school. Sadly, he didn't win anything and this was carved free-handed. What a shame!!

Stick a fork in all of us...

Astros lose 7-5, down 3-0 in the World Series.

Now stick a fork in me, I'm done, time for bed (at least for 4 hours I'll get vs the 5:41 minutes spent watching game). Sad!

14th Inning - how 'bout dem 'stros!

Okay!

So, this now comes down to how did I ever let my wife talk me into becoming an Astros fan? It's almost as painful as being a Miss. State fan. I believe this is an attempt to see how many times we can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory...

Lessee, its the top of the 14th, 1:05AM, the game is over 5:28 hours old, the game is the longest World Series game in history (elapsed time and innings), the Astros have stranded 12 runners in scoring position, Ensberg and Ausmus have blown chances to win this game, the benches are empty, and I'm still awake. Thank God Ensberg and Ausmus have turned double plays in the 13th and 14th innings to keep them in the game.

I've tried to give up and go to bed twice and now (former Astro) Geoff Blum hits a home run off some no-name, last ditch reliever named Astacio. Then Astacio's control fails him and he looks like he couldn't hit a bear in the butt with a bass fiddle. Boy is it going to be fun trying to stay awake at work tomorrow....

still hobbling along...

Well, I did the unthinkable today. I actually didn't wear my walking cast and I should have. I am regretting it now. I am in some pain. I was actually doing better and thought I would be brave....wrong! I guess I'll be wearing it tomorrow!

Today was so cold here. It's about time! I actually had to cut the heater on in the car, only to find out it's not working that great. What a time for it to act crazy!

School is going good. I lost another student today. It's a bad home life situation. It makes me a little sad.

Only 11 more days till I can see Stephen again! :)

Weekend in Frisco, TX

I got to spend the weekend with my 2 sisters, niece, nephew, and new nephew, Oscar, the dog. We had a good time. Of course, we did plenty of shopping!! :)

Lauren

Future cheerleader....

WOO-HOO!!!

Man, it was a good feeling when the Astros won last night!!! If any team deserved it, they did! How awesome! Even Stephen was excited!!! Go 'Stros!!!

Another interview

Well, to give you an update on how things are going for Stephen with the job hunting process, he never did hear from the job interview here in Nacogdoches. He has had a phone interview with a company north of Dallas, and a headhunter is talking to him about a job in Lufkin. To give you a perspective of distance, Lufkin is about 30 minutes from here, Gainesville is about 3 1/2 hours from here. I guess you can guess which job we would rather him have!

We got to see each other again this past weekend. We had a really good time. We managed to find 3 malls and the teacher store, we were doing good!

Keep us in your prayers. We really need some discernment right now as to what to do next.

Hop, I mean Hobbling Along

Poor Stacey,

Just when we thought she's getting into the swing of things with school, the aches and pains took over. Monday morning she woke up in excruciating pain with her foot. Like many mornings, she often wakes up with her feet hurting. Yet, this time it was worse than usual. Thus, she decided to go to the podiatrist to see if she could get some relief. A few X-rays and a consultation later, we found out that she has bone spurs on her heel, tendonitis, and bursitis. OUCH!!!

She's in a walking cast for a month. Just pray that she doesn't kick me with it!

A house re-united

Now that the Braves have choked again, it's up to the Astros to give our household something to cheer for in the playoffs. Let's just home Berkman has another grand slam left in his bat...

How Bout dem Astros!!!

Woo hoo! The Astros won! Now I can rub it in to Stephen!! :-) After 18 innings, the Astros won 7-6! The game started at noon and just ended!! WoW!!!

A House Divided???

Well, it's my favorite time of the year in professional sports: the MLB playoffs. Once again, my favorite team has landed in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year and is again paired with Stacey's favorite team. Last year, I shot my mouth off and the Astros did the Tomahawk Chop in. I'm keeping my mouth shut this time and maybe the Chop won't stop...

A fitting photo

I remembered this old photo from our honeymoon that was pretty fitting for the hurricane that we just endured. Notice the last line on the board, we went from he first condition to the last and then had a rope that was AWOL.

Tales from the Hurricane

Here are a few excerpts from Stephen's little story about the hurricane. As much as I would want to say that this sounds exaggerated, it's really not!

My brother in law tells me that Lufkin’s Wal -Mart had to be closed due to a fight over gas and water.

Once I got there and exchanged pleasantries with Stacey’s relatives from the Port Arthur/Beaumont areas, a bad sign of things to come started with a puff of smoke. Apparently, the people who live across the street from my father-in-law had a kid who was left home alone. The kid was probably 12-14 years old, unsupervised, and he thought he would be smart and burn a trash pile before the storm hit. Bad!!! One, there was a burn ban in place due to the area being over 10” below normal on rain. Two, the winds from the outer bands had started picking up and we were having swirling winds with 20+ mph gusts. So, we have a fire on our hands and it’s on the verge of getting out of control and headed towards my in-laws’ house. So, all available males go put to try to control the fire. The fire department comes and quickly puts the fire out. So we think. About 3 hours later, it re-ignites in a pine thicket and we get to do this all over again. We watch stories on the news of robbing/looting of stores by evacuees from Beaumont/Port Arthur, so we dare not risk getting onto the roads with these desperate people.

So, around 9:30AM, the worst part of the storm begins. The roof on the deck rattles and looks like it will come off at anytime, but it doesn’t fail. Once again, proving my father in law’s boasts that “Aww, this porch will withstand a hurricane.” I ran to the shed to get ice and rock and roll and little while getting the ice out of the deep freeze. 100’ tall trees are no longer upright, but at 45-60 degree sways. Falling pine cones become missiles shooting across the yard and smaller limbs and branches begin breaking. Soon afterward, trees on each end of the property fall while the sheets of rain continue to fall sideways. This fun lasts for about 2-2.5 hours as my father in law returns home.

Rita pics...

http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/slideshows/rita/

Here is a slideshow of pictures from our newspaper.

No more taking electricity for granted....

Well, after having no power or water for 5 days, we got electricity back yesterday evening. I have a new respect for the older generation! It is nice to have things get back to normal. Of course, now it is cooler. Go figure! Now we're just hoping Stephen will be here soon!

Stephen's first post

Well, I am finally getting with the program and trying to post on the blog. After going through what some call Survivor Nacogdoches (Hurricane Rita and it's aftermath), I'm trying to post. So bear with me as Stacey and I try to input our stories of the craziness of what happened in Deep East Texas during the hurricane.

I must say, after going three days without water, electricity and standard imenities in 100 degree heat, I have a newfound respect for what people have had to endure with Katrina.

I'm sure you're dying to know what happened with my interview. Well, the first interview occurred Monday morning and went very well. Mid-afternoon, the HR representatives called back for a second round of interviews and I returned to interview with representatives of two other departments/divisions. I have one more round sometime early next week and that should be the determining factor. Just keep us in your prayers.

Stephen

We don't needa rita!!

It looks like we will have the eye of the hurricane pass over us. We have a lot of family that came up to stay with us that live in the Beaumont area. It looks like that area might get a direct hit. My school cancelled classes tomorrow and Stephen is driving here as we speak for his job interview. Keep us in your prayers please!

School Update....

I just wanted to give everyone an update on how school is going. I am staying very busy. There is just so much to do and not enough hours in the day. I have not been very good about posting to the blog or emailing lately and I apologize. Things should start to settle down soon. Plus, my FAVORITE time of the year is fast approaching. I LOVE the fall!!! I get a much better attitude once the weather cools a bit!! I also cannot wait until Christmas gets here. I am worse than a kid!!

Another prayer request

Hello everyone! I just wanted to ask you to pray for Stephen. He is coming to Texas for a job interview next weekend. We pray that this will work out! I am ready for him to be here with me!!

The Amish Village

This is an actual Amish buggy that we saw on the way back to the Nashville airport on Monday. There is a little Amish village just north of Lawrenceburg, TN. This is a very busy 4 lane highway. I guess people there are just accustomed to seeing these people on the road and slow down for them. Talk about stepping back in time.....

Ready for Texas

I have already made a Houston Astros fan out of him! Now if we can just get him here!!!

Heavenly Skies

I took this picture recently when I flew home to see Stephen over the labor day holiday. I had plenty of time to reflect on the plane. It just made me think about how beautiful God's handiwork actually is.

My Niece's Surgery

This is my sister and her family. Lauren came through surgery just fine and is doing great. This is Lauren prior to surgery.

Prayer Request

I just wanted to ask everyone to pray for my niece. She is having surgery Thursday to allow her to walk better. She was born with clubbed feet and already has had one surgery. Please pray that this will fix her problems.

Classroom pics

my desk area

Classroom pics

picture of my bulletin board

Classroom pics

Picture of classroom

I saw Stephen this weekend....

After 3 weeks of not seeing each other, I finally saw Stephen this weekend. We met half way for the weekend. This is harder than we imagined. We had a really good weekend though. Now I just have to wait 12 days before I see him again. I am flying to Florence on Labor Day weekend.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

drowning in paperwork...

Well, school has only been in session for 3 days and already I'm drowning in paperwork! Maybe things will settle down.

Stephen and I will get to see each other this weekend. We haven't seen each other since July 31st. I'll be glad when he can come to Texas. I'll make him a Texas fan yet!

I'm ready

Well, I can't believe it, but I'm ready for school. My room is ready for children. Check back soon for pictures of my classroom.

I'm trying to rest this weekend so that I'll have plenty of energy Monday! I'll need all of the energy I can get!

Back to work again...

After 2 years of being unemployed, I have to say it feels really good to be back at work again. Yesterday was my first official day (new teacher orientation) and today all of the teachers had to be back. The school board fed us breakfast this morning which was very nice. I have been very busy!! I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to be able to relax this weekend for once! I can't wait until Monday comes. I may never say that again! :)

Our Website

http://www.mindspring.com/~vandydog/

This is our website where you can find some pictures of our wedding and honeymoon.

Arrival in Texas

Howdy ya'll! Greetings from Texas. I have truly lived up to my name of "Texas Tornado" since arriving last Sunday. Wow. I have been so busy. I attended 2 workshops last week, one of which was totally boring and one of which was pretty useful. I have worked on my room continuously also but still have much to do. I haven't even planned what to do the first week of school with the kids. Ready or not, here they come! I am very excited but I will have to adjust to working again! Stephen is still in Alabama but we hope he can come very soon. Please keep us both in your prayers.

I am enjoying getting to spend time with my family. I got to go shopping with my mom and sister today which is something I haven't been able to do since moving to Alabama.