Spring Break Day 2

We had another great day!  Today we did something we have never done before-a geocache!  Actually four of them.  Have you heard of this?  It is so much fun!  It is like a treasure hunt, and it is totally free!  You do have to have a GPS, but I was able to use my phone.  You enter the coordinates for the geocache, and then the adventure begins.

Conner found the first one quickly!  He got a little muddy in the process.

The second one took the longest to find, but Conner found this one as well.  Maybe he has a future in treasure hunting!

I found the third one.  It was actually a really ingenious place.  Caitlyn signed our codename to the log before putting it back.

 Caitlyn made the find at the last spot.  What a great activity!  We are planning where to hide one at.  We will definitely be doing this again.
After our adventure, it was time for lunch which was McDonald's-Caitlyn's choice!
This afternoon Conner enjoyed some time at a friend's house, and Caitlyn just hung out.

I wish I had her energy!

As we were searching today at the different sites, I was reminded what the Lord tells us in Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:13.  I pray that I am daily seeking Jesus with ALL of my heart!

Spring Break Day 1

What a great start to the week!  We got some things done around the house and shared some fun times together.
I got our desk drawers cleaned out, and the kids organized their DVD's.

We dropped a bag of clothes off to be donated to a children's home.  Then we enjoyed having lunch with Chad.  Conner got to choose, so of course we had Subway.  After lunch, we went to the public library to check out some books.  It is such a neat place to go.

Next we headed to Home Depot to get supplies for my surprise project.

The poor guy at Home Depot had to cut 20 pieces of PVC.  I really appreciated him doing that for us.  The kids enjoyed trying to figure out what we were making.  Not until we went to the grocery store to buy marshmallows did they guess correctly.

Fun times! 
After Chad got home we went to feed the ducks.

We couldn't ask for a prettier night.  The weather was perfect! 
Day one of Spring Break was a success, and I look forward to seeing what tomorrow holds.  Caitlyn will be picking lunch, so unfortunately, I see McDonald's in our future!

Back to Valentine's Day!

Oh my!  Where has the last month gone?  I had such good intentions of blogging, and I just never got around to it.  It isn't for lack of material.  I could tell you about Caitlyn's quest to find Big Foot or her yanking out her two front teeth, Conner making All-District Choir and starting baseball, Chad's dominance in Minute-to-Win-it with pantyhose on his head, or my experiences at our church's Girl's Lock-In which reminded me I'm getting old!  However, the one thing that I feel most compelled to share about is my awesome Valentine's gift!
Chad and I decided many years ago that we weren't going to go overboard and spend a bunch of money on gifts, but we still wanted to do something.  To hold ourselves accountable, we decided on a $5 gift limit.  It has been so much fun to try to be thrifty and thoughtful at the same time.  I have to admit that he does a much better job with this then I do, and this year topped them all! 

It is a jar with 52 different experiences.  I get to draw one a week to enjoy!  The first week was a date to a movie theater that we hadn't been to before, and it was fun!  The next week was dinner prepared by Chad EVERY night!  That was such a treat!  Then it was making a pinata.  We got a late start on this one and started it last night.  It is quite the process.

This week is feeding the ducks together as a family.  I am really enjoying all of his wonderful ideas.  The kids love seeing my draw and are excited to discover what the paper says!

On a side note, I went to lunch Friday with my team which I always look forward to.  The place we went had this sign, and I thought it was so funny!

Have a marvelous Monday!  Spring Break starts today!  Woo hoo!

One of Those Days...

I guess that somewhere between the craziness of the Valentine's Day party at school yesterday and class pictures today, I had some difficulties.  When I arrived at school this morning, I logged onto my computer.  I bent down to get something out of my bag and discovered this...

Yes, you see that right.  I had on two different shoes!  One was brown and one was black.  I was beside myself wondering how in the world I could make it out of the house with two different shoes on!!!  I debated what to do-run home during my conference to change shoes or call and ask Chad to bring me the right shoe.  I decided to just suck it up and go through the day with two different shoes.  I am shocked that nobody noticed, not even my students.  I decided it would be my duty today to make my coworkers smile, so I shared my mistake with many.  It turns out that by the end of the day, I had some friends that needed a good laugh after a long day!  Proverbs 17:22 tells us that "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of laughter!  I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Spoiled

Today is my birthday, and because it is a Saturday, I was spoiled ALL day!  Sweet family and friends sent me messages throughout the day. 
The morning started off with breakfast in bed!

 

 

Pumpkin bread and a handmade card from Caitlyn

I enjoyed a little TV including Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.  I also received my birthday gift which was very unexpected.

Conner bought me earrings and a heart necklace which I wore all day, and my mom gave me some boots.

Later, lunch was my choice.  I picked a place I had only been to one time and have been looking forward to going back to.  

It is a fun place to eat and has delicious queso.  They have a sign outside that they change frequently.  Here is a message they had that I thought was funny.

We ran some errands after lunch and have enjoyed an evening at home tonight.  Instead of a birthday cake we indulged in birthday brownies!

Lord Jesus,  I thank you for another year of life that you have given to me.  Thank you for my sweet family who makes me feel so special and my thoughtful friends that brighten my day.  Lord I pray that every moment of this life will be lived for you.  You are worthy of all glory, and honor, and praise. 

Pinch Me

Have you ever had those times when it seemed like you were living in a dream, that reality had taken a break?  That has been my life the last week.  Chad and I had the opportunity to take an early anniversary trip and celebrate 15 years of marriage last week.  We went to New York, and it was so special!  I treasure the time that we have together, just the two of us.  I am SO thankful for family that takes care of our precious children.

The view from our hotel room - the Chrysler Building.  We were on the 33rd floor!

Our first meal in NY- S'Mac.  Yum!  They make all kinds of mac and cheese.  I had the Alpine which included bacon.  Chad had the cheeseburger.

It snowed the first day we were there.  It was beautiful!

Another meal, their turkey sandwich was delicious!

Chad had to visit the newest Apple Store in Grand Central Station

Fried zucchini from Carmines-no we did not eat it all.  Do you see a theme with our trip???

We took a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. 

This is the view from the Empire State Building.  It was beautiful at night.

We went to Serendipity for dessert.  We shared this and still did not finish it.  It was my favorite meal!

Along with the adventures above, we also saw two shows, Phantom of the Opera and Spiderman, walked the financial district, saw the Freedom Tower that is under construction, and happened upon a celebration of the Chinese New Year.  I was able to read two books over the week as well!  I enjoyed every minute with my best friend and can't wait to do it again!

This weekend we have eased back into reality.  Last night we had the opportunity to attend the chamber banquet, and I received the cute bag below.  I just love it!

Back to life was we know it, doing our best to live for Jesus.  Have a great week!

Thankful Thursday

After a challenging day, I decided that I needed to focus on some things that I am thankful for!
I am very thankful for...

*A new year - starting over, a fresh start, a hope filled future
*Running-after not having run since the half-marathon at the beginning of December, it felt good to start running again this week
*Nice weather - it has been so pretty the last few days-definitely not typical January weather
*Notes of encouragement- I received the sweetest letter today in the mail, and it really made my day.  There are so many times that I think about writing a note or email to someone, but I don't follow through.  I am going to try to do better with this.
*My wonderful husband - He is amazing, always putting the needs of others first
*Two great kids - They are a gift
*God's Word - We have decided to try to memorize a scripture each week as a family.

This has been a great verse to work on this week, and it has really allowed us all to think about our attitude.

These are just a few of the many things I am thankful for.  What are you thankful for this day?