A Teacher Moment

The past couple weeks have school have been crazy. All of the children are ready for a break, and let's face it... the teachers are too! We still have another 3 and 1/2 weeks before Spring Break arrives, and so I am faced looking for new and inventive ways to keep my class involved and even more engaged than usual. Last week in the midst of these thoughts, I thought back to when I was a kid (sorry teachers!) and how I know all of my peers and myself were probably driving our teachers absolutely crazy.. it's a little weird now being on the other side. As children, we weren't deliberately trying to make them crazy, it was just needing some outlets to release that anxiousness of spring fever. I realized that this weekend after seeing two of my past teachers. Yesterday, my sister & I volunteered with JLF for the American Girl Fashion Show, a fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center in Fayetteville. There, I saw my 5th grade teacher, then Ms. Bass, now Mrs. Brock. Her daughter, who is now in 4th grade, was in the show yesterday. I approached her and told her who I was, and that I now teach in the same 5th grade classroom that she did when I was her student. We chatted for a while, and then I thought about how years from now how happy I would/will be when a student that I taught years ago tells me about where they are now. At that moment, I don't think I will think of the days I went home thinking of how bad I wanted Spring Break to arrive, bur rather the times we spent laughing and learning in our little VanStory classroom.. the same way I did growing up. The same is the case for my high school history teacher, who instilled in me the love for Social Studies and studying the world in which we live. I never knew sitting in her classroom in 9th grade that I would go to college to earn a concentration in Elementary SS. Teachers have profound effects on the lives of their students, and in return their students give back to them. I am so thankful that the teachers I had in school did not make it clear to me that they were looking forward their Spring Break! Seeing these teachers who had such an influence in my life made me realize that I need to make sure my students see the same in their teacher every day.. no matter how bad I might be wanting a break! Here's to having patience for the next 9 weeks of this 2010-2011 school year! 

So far this year. . .

It must be pretty obvious since my last post in January that I have been nothing but busy! Busy with work, birthdays, committee meetings with church & JLF, visiting with friends, and then JB leaving again for his last bit of training.
A few highlights from the past couple months have been: 

Birthdays! 

Dad turned 60 in February, and we had a party for him. It was a great time. We had desserts at my parent's house and the biggest hit was the photo tree. This had pictures of Dad and all of us from over the years... some of which he might not have wanted everyone to see! 

My grandmother & her twin (Aunt Betsy) turned 90 as well! We had a gathering at my grandmother's nursing home with family coming from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and California! It was wonderful to see family members that we don't get to see except for special occasions... and this certainly was special! We're all hoping for many more birthdays with Gan and Aunt Betsey! 

Sister's birthday was celebrated on St. Patrick's Day... as always! We had dinner at my parent's house, followed by birthday presents for Sister, baby Eleanor, and the nursery! I got Sister a John Winn "E" charm for her bracelet! We are excited for her baby shower this weekend, and getting things ready for E to grace us with her presence in a couple months!! Last birthday with a bebe!! 

Marriage Matters Now Retreat

In February, John and I went to a marriage retreat that Snyder put on. They had Steve and Debbie Wilson come from Louisiana. I was nervous. I thought that marriage retreats were "corny" and only for couples that had issues. But, let's face it... ALL couples have their issues. I cannot tell you how amazing this weekend was for John and I. We learned about Steve & Debbie's "6 Mosquitoes," and that you have to choose to work things out, no matter how simple or intense the issue or situation going on. We took a leap of faith getting real with each other and were challenged by their testimony to put God at the center of our marriage. It was clear to me why we were there when Giles Blankenship closed the Friday night session with, "The Servant Song." Giles played this song while we took communion at our wedding almost a year and a half ago, and it has kind of been our theme song for out marriage since then. 

Brother, let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too We are pilgrims on a journey We are brothers on the road We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load I will hold the Christlight for you In the night-time of your fear I will hold my hand out to you Speak the peace you long to hear I will weep when you are weeping When you laugh I'll laugh with you I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey through

When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony
Born of all we've known together
Of Christ's love and agony

Brother, let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you Pray that I may have the grace To let you be my servant, too

Going to this retreat was the single best $60 we have ever spent on our marriage. If you ever have the opportunity to go hear Steve & Debbie, make every effort to go! They promise to be a blessing to all. I am truly thankful for their powerful ministry. 

Visiting Friends

In February our friend Patrick, who is deployed, came home for R&R before he takes command of his first company in Iraq this week. Of course John & I wanted to see he & his wife Jennifer while he was home, but we didn't want to intrude. Luckily, they felt the same way and we got to visit one evening over dinner and drinks. We have had some great times together and while we will be sad to see them go to Kansas this summer,  I know that we will be forever friends! 

We also went to Charlotte for a night to visit friends and do some shopping! John & I shopped and had dinner with Kaitlin (my little sister in ADPi) and her boyfriend Jonathan, and then got drinks and caught up. I absolutely loved going to school in Charlotte, and I am so glad that I still have friends there... I just love the city. There is so much to do, see, experience, buy, and EAT! Charlotte seriously has the best restaurants.

What I am loving this month:

Shellac! 

Shellac keeps your nails looking fresh and shiny with NO CHIPPING for 2 weeks. Perfect for the working lady who loves her nails painted, but can't stand the chipping = me! Find a nail salon around you that does it... NOW! 

Looking forward to staying busy this Spring: Sister's baby shower, Carly's baby shower, John's Q Course Graduation, beach baby shower for Sister, John & Kim's engagement party, Spring Break, my niece being born(!!!), and closing out my 2nd year of teaching! Here's to good times to be had, great memories to be made, and more blogging to come! 

Sweet Bailey Girl

 A year ago today, John & I drove up to Wake Forest, NC to look at getting a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy. We had been wanting a puppy for a while and with having MLK day off we decided it was a good day to check the pups out. We got to the breeder's home and there were 3 females and 2 males remaining. During our research of GSPs we found that females were more affectionate and a little bit more calm... so a female is what we decided we'd look for. The breeder let all the pups out to play with each other so we could get a glimpse of their personalities and how they interacted with each other.

All of the puppies were absolutely adorable... we really didn't know which one to pick! Out of the three females, there was a light colored one, a medium colored one, and a darker one. John wanted to go with the darker one, I wanted the light colored one... so we went with the medium colored one! The medium colored one just happened to be "female #4" which we now call Bailey.

The ride home to Fayetteville was wonderful for me because I got to snuggle with her the whole way! But, John was very jealous as he had to drive!

When we first brought Bailey home she loved to get underneath the coffee table in the living room, that was her safe place. The indoors were new to her since she had always lived outside. Slowly but surely, Bailey came out from underneath the table. She began to play with a couple of the toys we bought for her, but outside was still her favorite place today. She loved roaming around in the pine straw and carrying sticks around. We fed Bailey her first dinner at her new home and snuggled with her every second we could! Over the next few weeks, Bailey got used to her kennel, enjoyed lazy days snuggling on the couch, walks with us, and learning new tricks. 

I never knew how people fell SO in love with their dogs... frankly, I thought it was kind of weird! As Bailey became more a part of our little family, I can now tell you how people become so wrapped up in their four-legged friends. There were many weeks and months in the past year that I couldn't imagine not having Bailey. We've enjoyed having her and could not imagine another dog that would have been a better choice for us. Here are some memories from the past year with Bailey.

Tuckered out during our 2010 Superbowl party

Bay's first snow, January 2010

Loving her new bed! 

Camping on Carolina Beach, July 2010

With cousin, Millie

Bailey + laying by a good fire = one happy pup!

A little Christmas fun!

The past year has been filled with wonderful memories, ones that we were more than happy to share with our loving Bailey girl! We look forward to many more years together! 

Costa Rica

 For Christmas this year my side of the family decided to switch things up a bit! Instead of Christmas presents, Christmas morning sticky buns, and snow.. we decided to head to COSTA RICA for a sunny Christmas! John & I left early Christmas morning from Raleigh, flew to Houston, then on to San Jose, Costa Rica. While the rest of the family flew to Liberia, CR... I made a booking mistake and we flew into SJ which was 4 hours from our destination on the Pacific coast. We had set up a rental car, and thought of it as an adventure to drive across the country. 

Looking back, I am glad we flew in to San Jose. If we hadn't taken the adventure, we would have missed out on much of the beautiful country. John did a great job driving there given the pot holes, lack of driving laws and pavement or speed regulations. I do believe it was one of his favorite parts of the trip!

Four hours passed and we finally arrived in Tamarindo. We were greeted by the rest of the family: Mom, Dad, Sister, Will, Uncle Larry, Shealagh, and cousin Scott. After a great dinner together, we made our way to Playa Langosta... a couple miles up a dirt road to our beautiful home for the week, Casa Natalia. 

Playa Langosta is a quiet beach a few minutes away from busy Tamarindo. While the beach was rocky, it was still beautiful. While John, Will, and Scott enjoyed morning runs on the beach, the ladies stuck to our leisurely strolls! 

Our days in Costa Rica were filled with exciting activities, good food, and spending time with those who we love. Some of our favorite memories are pictured below:

Beautiful arrangement at the restaurant, El Coconut.  

Some of us who went on the canopy tour zip-lining! (Will was taking the picture, of course he went too!)

We took an ATV tour from Tamarindo to the canopy tour location..  a lot of fun, but this is also how mom got hurt. 

Day trip to Playa Grande. Beautiful beach! 

Scott's last night in CR.. out to eat at Dragonfly

Blue Dolphin snorkel/sunset cruise

Trip to Poas Volcano - 9,000 feet above sea level - ALL clouds behind John!

John & I in the rain forest surrounding the Volcano. 

View from our outdoor restaurant coming down the Volcano... had the best food & amazing view!

The whole trip was a wonderful experience. I feel blessed to have been able to travel as much as I have in the past 23 years. Our world around us has much to teach us, enjoy it!!