Audrey's Thoughts

I guess if everybody else is doin' it...

2009-08-29T11:47:00.002-05:00

Well since Rachel and Emily both updated, I suppose I will as well. :)

1. My job this summer was exhausting, sometimes stressful, but fun! It was nice to get the experience and will look quite good on my resume.

2. We went to the beach the last week in July, just like every other year. We were in a new house in a new location, but it was still a very fun time. We had 21 of Chris' family come and enjoyed the time very much.

3. I am back at Spaght for one final semester and am working with 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade.

4. I find out on Monday where I will spend my next 2 semesters teaching. I have a semester of pre-student teaching, and then I will student teach at the same school. Staying at the same school will actually really help with the papers I have to do to graduate.

5. I am heading to Colorado in a few weeks for Rachel's 30th birthday bash. :)

6. The wedding plans are coming along well. We have a lot of the big things done, or at least know what we are doing. We are at just over 6 months until the big day! :D

7. Chris is once again filming the football games for Wichita Heights. That means I have Friday nights to myself! Last night was spent hunting for bargains at the mall!

That's all I can think of for now. I'll try to do better on updating!

Going Green on Three-Thirteen!

2009-04-17T11:44:00.001-05:00

Chris and I have FINALLY set a FOR-SURE date for the wedding. It will NOT change again, or else I am going to the courthouse. lol. March 13, 2010 in Hutch!

Wahoo!!!

Catch-up

2009-04-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

Woo...it's been a long time since I updated! Our life has been crazy busy, which has made the semester go by very fast. Chris has been at his job for a month now and he loves it. It's tiring, but he's done very well so far, and has gotten many compliments from the "big wigs." :) He hasn't been able to get out on the golf course much..what with this crazy weather! He also finishes up his masters degree next week! YAY!!! What an accomplishment!

I have been constantly on the go, traveling to Haysville several times a week to do some student teaching, then classes, then babysitting 2-3 time a week, then trying to get homework done in the evenings! Whew...this summer can't come fast enough. Even then, it won't be much of a break. I will be working full time as the Assistant Director for a Summer Daycamp. It should be quite the experience, and I'm really looking forward to it. Beats a regular summer job!

I was able to go visit Rachel and the fam in Charlotte for spring break, and it was nice to have some time away from school and whatnot. I was so busy relaxing, that I didn't take many pictures...oops. :D Thanks Rachel and Jon for letting me come!

Now it's back to the grind, with 6 weeks until classes are over! Hopefully it won't take me another month to update!

Job Update

2009-02-14T13:51:00.002-06:00

A quick update on Chris' interviews. They went really well, and he was offered the job! It is with TruGreen Chem Lawn, and he will be doing stuff with lawns...obviously not my expertise. :) He starts March 2, and is pretty excited.

He is really sad about leaving his job now, but his boss has said that he can comein and work whenever he can, so a few hours on the weekends, and maybe some afternoons in the summer. That way, he can still play golf for free!!

He will also be helping coach baseball at Heights this spring. He is really excited to get back into playing baseball again, and I think he will enjoy coaching alot.

Thanks for your prayers, we are really happy and relieved that he got this job. God has once again provided, and lifted a huge burden off our shoulders.

New House

2009-02-09T20:40:00.002-06:00

Here is the front of it. I don't want to give the address out...just in case there are creepos looking. :) But, Grandma...I will give it to you, don't worry! :D

Here is a slideshow of more pictures...hopefully this will work.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?UAUTOLOGIN_ID=914085820106&collidparam=914085820106.272367143406.1234233504061

Quick Prayer Request

2009-02-04T23:32:00.002-06:00

Hey all, just wanted to ask for prayers for Chris. He has a job interview on Friday, and it's been really frustrating for him to not find something. It's not ultimately what he wants to do with his life, but it is a step up from his job now. He loves his job, but there just isn't enough income, and more importantly it doesn't have any benefits. We're optimistic, and would really appreciate your prayers!

Funny Spaght Moment

2008-12-13T14:29:00.003-06:00

This was sent to all the staff at school on Friday from the Technology teacher...

**I was doing a Kagan activity with the 5th graders the other day while they were in technology (computer version of round table). They were to type a sentence and when the time went off they rotated to the next computer to add to their classmates stories. At the end, I gave them time to go back to their original story and see what they as a class created. I walked around and read over shoulders and laughed when I got to the end of this story!!

One day when I was at home we were boiling eggs. Once we put them on we thought about them for a second you are mad today are you to. Then we take out the eggs. We take the boiled yolk out. Then we mix it with some spices. We were also making deviled eggs. They will be good if you try them. And if you do not like them than eat some of cydney’s chocolate cookies. They best not make me sick because I am lack toast and tolerant
and it stinks to, I can’t eat cookies!!!!!

Some of it doesn't even make sense, but notice the bold. HAHAHA

In all the excitement....

2008-12-04T19:07:00.003-06:00

I forgot to post about Sadie's first snow experience! :) And our trip to PA! We left on Tuesday afternoon at about 12:15pm and planned to drive all night until we got there! We only ran into snow at about Akron, OH, and didn't hit bad roads until about 20 minutes left in the trip. We got to Chris's parent's house at around 5am, VERY SLEEPY!! We took about a 3 hour nap, and were ready to go for the day! The dogs were GREAT, once again, and the only times we saw Sadie was when we stopped to go to the bathroom! They caught up on all their sleep, so needless to say, they were ready to play with Chris's dad when we got there. Ali loves snow, so she just took off, and Sadie sort of pranced around because she wasn't quite sure what to do with this wet stuff under her feet! But then it only took about 5 minutes, and she loved it.

On Thanksgiving, we went out to Chris's cousins house for dinner, which was great. Then we went and got the dogs so that they could play in the snow, and everyone wanted to see the new puppy. Chris's cousin Troy has a weimaraner, so they went and got him so the dog cousins could play! It was so much fun, Sadie LOVES the snow!! Here are a few pictures...

This is their cousin Kye (like Buckeye, like Ohio State). And we thought Sadie was getting big...

Well...

2008-12-01T14:39:00.003-06:00

Chris proposed!!

I happily accepted!!

We haven't set many of the details, but are thinking October!

I'm very excited!!

The dogs

2008-11-21T22:30:00.005-06:00

Well, this is Sadie when we first got her...

And this is Sadie now! Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea that she has GROWN!!!

When we got her, she weighed 12 pounds. Well, at 5 months old, she is about 40 pounds!! Her paws are just massive, she is definitely far from being done growing! Ali on the other hand, now has a playmate, and has lost 7 pounds! Which is good...she has some to lose! Ali has a new obsession with going into the pond, which has made for some fun trips to the park!

We are excited to go back to PA for Thanksgiving and see how Sadie does in the snow. She will probably love it, she loves being outside, chasing the leaves, playing with sticks, and playing in the pond (but only her paws...anything else is too far!)They definitely keep us busy...almost like having 2 kids! They will certainly do for now. ;)

Pictures...as promised!

2008-10-13T13:18:00.007-05:00

Here are a few pictures from my day at the zoo with my kids. I had a group of 4. 1 is PDD, (Pervasive developmental disorder) which is a form of Autism. I had her last year, so I've been with her for awhile. She can be a handful, but provides tons of laughs too. We always say...if she wasn't so dang cute, we'd want to strangle her sometimes! :) I also had another kid that is in special education, so I had quite a group! Here they are by the elephants. It was quite a fun day!!

This weekend, Chris and I went to Springfield, IL to meet his parents for the weekend. We took the dogs because we would have been in BIG trouble if we went and didn't bring them! We already knew that Ali was a great traveler, but we were a little worried about Sadie because she hasn't done particularly well in the car. So we brought the benadryl, just in case! Turns out, she is a GREAT traveler as well!!! She just curled up on her pillow and slept almost the whole time. We literally did not even see her the last 4 hours of the trip!! We were sooo thankful, as it could have been an extremely long drive! While there we found a park that had a dog area, which was just a really big fenced in area with toys and stuff. It was great! We were able to play cornhole while the dogs wore themselves out running around!

Here is Sadie playing in the corn hole game.

We had a great weekend!!

Update time!!

2008-10-08T18:51:00.004-05:00

It's sooo hard to believe that we are almost halfway into October!!! Where has the time gone? But that's good news...because it means it's almost my birthday!! The last month has been a blur.

We got a new puppy!!This is Sadie. She is a chocolate lab and we LOVE her!!! We have had her for about 3 weeks, and she has already gained 10 pounds! She will be HUGE! Ali has adjusted quite well, it took her awhile, but now all she wants to do is play! She better enjoy being the bigger one while she can, Sadie will definitely outgrow her! Everything that Ali does, Sadie wants to do. It's pretty funny, but she is learning things faster than normal because of it! She can already sit, shake and lay down! They have started to go into the pond outside, mostly to scare the ducks!

I am also staying busy with work and school. I am getting ready to be moved to all Kindergarten and 1st grade, which is what I want, and will make the year more enjoyable. 5th grade is just not for me! The 1st graders went to the zoo last week, and it was a blast! I had a group of 4 kids, and it was quite the trip. I'll post pictures later, I haven't put them on my computer yet!

Chris and I are headed to Springfield, IL this weekend to meet with Chris's parents. It will be nice to have a weekend away! They are super excited to see the dogs, and us I guess too!

It's about time...

2008-09-05T21:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been asked to update...so I'll take a few minutes out of my busy schedule to entertain my public. :D

Life is busy, busy, busy. I am taking a full schedule of classes, working all my extra hours at my school, and occasionally a few hours at the daycare. I also babysit 2 kids at least 2 days a week, although this week it was 4 days. Then I come home and do homework just about every night. So needless to say...I'm ready for Christmas break. Only 105 days to go.

It was nice to get back into a routine, however. I'm liking Spaght alright so far...it's just not the same as last year. I was so attached to the kids, it's hard to have them separated this year. Also, the teacher that I worked with everyday last year moved on to a different school, which he loves, but I really miss learning from him. He was amazing. But it's still nice to get at least 50 hugs a day, and to see kids faces light up when they see me. I don't think that will ever get old.

The Teacher Education program at WSU has already proven that it's going to be a difficult next 2 years. The first week was a blur, trying to figure out all the things that I must get done in order to go onto the next step. But it's comforting to know that my peers that I have talked to are feeling just as overwhelmed and confused as I am! So I know I'm not alone.

Chris has been working at the country club for about a month now, and he loves it. The free golf at an exclusive club doesn't hurt either. I enjoy going out with him and driving the golf cart while he golfs. I'm not sure I'm the best coach, or audience...I get pretty bored, pretty quickly. But the course is beautiful, and I love to see him get so excited about what he did that day to make it that beautiful. He's got a few more golf tournements to finish out the summer, but if the weather keeps up like it is...he may freeze to death out there!

Finally, here is a family picture that we just took. Hopefully it won't take me a month to update again!!

Ahhh the life...

2008-08-01T21:31:00.004-05:00

Ahh the beach...back again for another year. This year we had 20 people, and filled our house to the max! The beach was just as we left it...dirty, salty, nasty tasting. :) haha The ocean was actually extremely clean, except for some seaweed, and so clear that you could see to the bottom, even about 40 feet out.
We had a few evening storms, but nothing during the day, so we never had a problem going to the beach or the pool. Here is a cool lightning shot that Chris got.
Here is the whole gang this year...pretty good looking bunch!

"We are family....."

2008-07-25T11:52:00.007-05:00

Chris and I made one last visit to Charleston, WV before Rachel and Jon move. We figured as we were leaving that we will probably never be back to West Virginia again.

We got to see Jaxen for the first time, and Kennedy again. What cuties!

Such a handsome boy! He was such a good baby, quite the wiggleworm!

Kennedy is talking up a storm, although she was a little shy for us. Rachel sure will have her hands full! :D She is so ornery!

Thanks Rachel and Jon! We are so glad we got to stop!!

2008-07-25T11:52:00.001-05:00

July already??

2008-07-08T12:04:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that July is already here. Only about a month and a half left of summer, it's gone fast! I have been working at the Child Development Center with kids from infants to 4 and 5 year olds. Some days I want to pull my hair out, but for the most part, they are awesome! I am planning to keep working there during the semester, only a few hours a week, but all the hours I can get will help!

Chris and I are leaving in a few weeks to go to the beach, and we are so excited! We haven't finalized the plans for getting there yet, but plan on getting there!! So please pray for safety and finances! I can't wait to post lots of pictures!

I love my kids

2008-05-24T09:46:00.007-05:00

I can't even begin to choose which pictures to put up here! I love them all!!! But I'll try to narrow them down.

This is Aidan, perhaps my favorite, and I think that this is my favorite picture! We were making silly faces at our water play on the last day of school.

These are 4 of the pains in my...you-know-what. :) But they are still cute as can be. This was after their music program.

This is my kindergarten class that I love so much!

Busy Busy

2008-05-21T10:12:00.002-05:00

There are 2 more days of school left, and I have mixed emotions. In the few months that I have been working there, I have become so attached to these kids, and it will be so hard to leave them for the summer. Mostly because I don't want them to suffer due to their homelife. When school lunch is the only meal they get, or they get food sent home with them on the weekend...I wonder, what are they going to eat this summer?

Today is their music program, I am so excited, they are so cute. Then tomorrow they have their end of the year party, which I will probably miss due to my other job now, but then there is a big water party outside in the afternoon, and I am pumped for that! I will try to remember my camera, and post a few pictures!

I have started my new other job. I am working at the Child Development Center at WSU for the summer, and possibly the fall, depending on my schedule. I have only worked in the infant room, and they are adorable! I will be floating around, filling in where I am needed. It should be fun.

I passed all my classes, with better grades than I anticipated, which is great! I am officially in the Teacher Education program, and have all my classes lined up for next semester! (Mom, I'll give you a schedule because I know you'll ask :)

OH, also... I finally got a dining room table! :) It was sitting outside at my apartment, so I just thought I would look to see what kind of shape it was in, and it's in perfect shape! The only thing is that there are no chairs...but that's an easy fix! And I will have killer bruises on my shins from carrying it. It was pretty heavy, but heavy duty! So yay! Chris and I now have an even playing surface for games!!

I Passed!

2008-05-10T22:38:00.003-05:00

Well, I passed my CBASE tests that I was talking about a few posts ago...the one with the stupid questions...which is very good news! Now there should be no problem getting into the Teacher Education program. (fingers crossed) Which means....

3 more semesters, plus summer classes
1 semester of student teaching
then more school for the rest of my life...or until I win the 300 or so million jackpot. :)

My school year is winding down, and I am still learning alot about my kids. The teacher that I have been working with had to call SRS on Friday for one of the kindergarteners. I also learned probably more than I wanted to know about another boy's home life. He's basically being raised by his brothers, and relies on school food to eat. Either his mother doesn't have a washing machine, doesn't know how to do laundry, or chooses not to. By the sounds of things, I think it's the last choice.

If you're not going to care...why have children?

Teacher Appreciation Day

2008-05-06T13:33:00.002-05:00

So I can't figure out how to post a video...thanks Kellie for trying to explain, I still didn't get it! soo I will just post the link. If you have a few extra moments, check it out. Just an interesting video that I ran across.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZscS775ek8

And here is a hilarious video if you have a few more extra moments. Will truly brighten your day. Guaranteed to make you laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

In other news, today is Teacher Appreciation Day.

Children See...Children Do

2008-05-01T16:52:00.001-05:00

Well, I am trying to post a video...I don't know how. Help!!

Dandelions

2008-04-19T09:45:00.004-05:00

Well, I know it's been awhile, I've missed the last 2 days at school with a bad ear infection. Which hopefully is started to heal up!

The latest thing at recess is to give me dandelions. They are the treasured "flower" out on the playground and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when I'm at recess, I am given handfuls of "flowers." I haven't quite figured out what to do with them, because I obviously can't take them into the school with me...so I end up just setting them on the ground, and then "accidentally" forgetting them when we line up! Several kids put some in their pockets to take home to their moms, and I just want to yell "STOP!! They will stain yellow, and your moms won't like it!" But whatever, I suppose it's the thought that counts!

I took the CBASE test this morning. That is the test that I have to pass to be able to get into the teacher education program at WSU. Because I did well on my ACT I didn't have to take the Math, Reading, and English/Writing part of the exam. WAHOO!!! That's 3 hours that I can certainly find something better to do! I did however have to take the Science and Social Studies parts. And I'll tell you what, when I figure out how Pre-WW1 Europe's economy and the correct chronological order of the Crusades, Spanish Acquisition of the Aztec Empire, and The French and Italian Renaissances affect how I teach 1st graders, I'll let you know.

But seeing as how I must pass this test, pray that I do pass, so I don't have to retake it!

Couldn't resist

2008-04-09T16:49:00.003-05:00

So I'm trying not to be overkill with the blogs, and I could literally blog a funny story every single day after school...but I just couldn't resist putting this one...I had a rough day at school, and this just made it better.

Well, there's mainly black kids in my class, and the whole school, and each kid was given a flyer for a look-alike contest for.....Hannah Montana.

So this little black boy, that I absolutely love, asks...

"I have to turn white? And then dress up like Hannah Montana??"

It just made me smile.

Funny Quote

2008-04-08T22:06:00.002-05:00

Here's a funny story from a girl with Spina Bifida in my kindergarten class.

We were at recess and she was making "dinner" with sand. She gave it to teacher Mr. Wade and making a joke, he said, "Man, this tastes like cat!!!"

After thinking about it for a second, Shauntre'ce replied with all seriousness...

"I'll get some salt for it."

How can you not love that?? :)

How about parenting qualifications?

2008-04-07T20:50:00.003-05:00

I work in a school that is VERY "economically disadvantaged" and it breaks my heart some days when I think about what my kids have to go through on a day to day basis. One of my students, who happens to be 1 of the 2 white girls in my main class, saw her dad get killed 2 days before kindergarten started. KINDERGARTEN!!! The fact that she has overcome that and is not seriously traumatized is amazing. Another little girl saw her auntie get stabbed in the neck...again KINDERGARTEN. The resilience of these kids of awesome and inspiring.

I think about my childhood and know that I was so fortunate. There is one little boy that acts up on a daily basis, tests my patience daily, and has set up camp on my last nerve. It's hard to keep repeating yourself without getting upset when you're talking to a wall. Then I saw him with his mother. No wonder he doesn't pay attention to people. He continually gets told to shut up and is just left in the dirt. I would tune people out too, who wants to be torn down like that? So many parents are unqualified these days, and it makes me sad to think that the people that have to suffer are innocent 5 and 6 year olds.

And these are kids that don't have learning problems on top of that...I'll save that for another time.