We Float Like Two Lovers...

"Scared Baby" Chocolate

2010-10-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Me, Maddy, and my Cousin Katie

We had some great laughs that night!! I miss you girls!!
To be continued during.... Philly Thanksgiving 2010

One of the perks of my dad going back and forth to Russia every several months is that he always comes back with some kind of Russian treasure for us. I think he may have a drawer in his bedroom full of Russian presents and brings the gifts out every now and then. It is kind of like getting to go to the treasure chest at the dentist's office. Well, this time he brought us back...... "SCARED BABY" CHOCOLATE....or otherwise known as "Alyonka." My dad said that his Russian friends call it "Scared Baby" chocolate because that poor baby on the wrapper of the candy bar, just does not look quite right. I don't know if she exactly looks scared, maybe more like hypnotized. Well, it is nice to have a Russian memory. I saw this chocolate in the kiosks that i passed everyday going to and from school. I am going to wait and share mine with friends, so that they can experience some of the Russian "Scared Baby" treat!

Can't Get Enough!!

2010-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

,
I just can't seem to get enough of all of these little munchkins!! Since being back in Virginia Beach, I probably have seen Sean, Katie, Ben, Liam, and little Iva Mae almost everyday. It is great they live around the corner from my parents' house, so I can just scoot on over and get little hugs and kisses from all the babes! They just make me smile! Ben is such a little talker, and I love the way he talks using the back of his throat. Liam is such a lovebug, and loves to dance all day long. Then little Iva Mae, is such a sweet baby. She just smiles and laughs constantly. What a bundle of blessings Sean and Katie have!!

What joy they have all brought to me this week! I can't wait to see them one last time before I head back down to Georgia!

Goodbye to Pacific Grove

2010-08-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened these last couple of months...Tyler finished Arabic at the Defense Language Institute, and so that meant that I finished my job at the Army's Child Development Center as the Training and Curriculum Specialist. We packed up all of our things in our cottage in Pacific Grove, CA, rented a trailer, attached it to the Xterra, loaded our stuff into the trailer, Xterra and Volvo, and started driving across the country. We will be living in or near Augusta, GA. It took us about 8 days to travel from California to Georgia. We couldn't go very fast because of the trailer, but we also took our time by stopping and enjoying some of the cities that we drove through. We stopped in Las Vegas for 2 nights. What a crazy city! Open 24/7. There is never a "dead" time of the day. We also spent a full day in Dallas visiting one of Tyler's friends from Honduras. We finally made it to Georgia, unloaded our things in a storage unit, and then zipped off on vacation for 2 weeks to St. Augustine, FL. After vacation, we will go back to Georgia and figure out where we are going to live. It is kind of exciting to just take each day as it comes and figure it out. We know there is going to be a perfect spot for us in Augusta. God really provided the most perfect living situation in Pacific Grove, CA. We had the best, little cottage in the cutest town, and we had such wonderful neighbors. We are going to miss congregating in the backyard and talking until late at night. We are going to miss the wild otters, sea lions and harbor seals that were literally in our backyard. We are going to miss the bakery right across the street from our cottage where you could get the best bread and my favorite....cinnamon rolls. We are going to miss exploring California. I have decided that California is probably the most beautiful place I have ever lived. My list could go on and on about the things that I will miss, but we are so excited about this new adventure ahead of us! As we were driving into Georgia, Tyler and I were excited about what plans God has for us there. We automatically had a sense that GA is going to be our home for a couple of years, and it is going to be good!! We are so thankful that the timing of moving happened so perfectly. Everything fell into place, and we even were able to have a 2 week vacation before we faced real life again. (thank you, Judy, for this wonderful wedding gift!!) We are so blessed!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks of our time in California....

My "United States Army Garrison Commander's Coin" Award. Tyler bought me flowers and a pot full of succulents. (Those succulents sat in the passenger seat in the Volvo for the entire drive across the country. We carried them into hotel rooms and everything!)

Our neighbor and winemaker friend...JP. He gave us a private tour of the winery, and we got to taste wine straight from the oak and steel barrels.

Estancia Vineyards in Soledad, CA

Chardonnay Grapes

Pinnacles State Park.

We were able to crawl through some caves that were also a part of this park.

Baby Rattlesnake (Western Diamondback)

Blown Glass covering the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Vegas

The singing fountain at the Bellagio Hotel

Cross Country Trip...

Had to have a taste of In and Out one last time.

Grand Canyon

St. Augustine.

(We haven't watched TV for a year, so this is a special treat!)

1st Camping Trip

2010-05-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Chopping up wood

Camping spot number 12 (we got married on April 12th)

Finished Tent and Tyler making the Fire!! (we boiled water in that pot)

Beginning stages of the tent

unloading all of our gear

Waterfall

It has been way to long....

We have been having a great time here in Monterey, CA. We have been exploring as much as we possibly can. We have a few more months, and then we will be moving again. We want to take in as much of California as we can. Who knows when we will be back here. We love it here. We love all of the outdoor adventures, bike riding, recycling and walking to our favorite little spots around Pacific Grove. We live in such an amazing area of the country! It will be sad when we have to say goodbye to this place!

One of our recent adventures was to Castle Rock State Park. We hiked in 3miles, then set up our camping spot. Tyler and I used our camping equipment for the first time together! We have an awesome 2 person tent, flashlight headbands, sleeping bags, ground pads and camping pots. We actually made our food over the fire that Tyler made. Tyler is an expert at making fires. Tyler is also an expert at ground warfare...such as using tomahawks to chop things up. Tyler purchased 2 Tomahawks for our safety on our camping adventures. One for him and one for me. I am not that experienced at using a tomahawk, but it was quite fun to carry that thing around on our 3 mile hike into our camping spot. I didn't have to use it for protection. I just used it for some fun pictures. Tyler didn't get to sleep at all that night because I was snoring! I am not known to be a loud snorer, but i guess that was part of my technique to keep the wildlife away from our tent! Sorry, Tyler! Maybe next time we will have to pack some earplugs!

We are hoping to get to Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe soon!!

1st Day at Work

2009-11-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

I just started a new job as a pre-school teacher for the military's Child Development Center. I went onto the military base on Monday to do some training and sign papers, and then I drove to another building to sign more papers, and then I finally drove to the Child Development Center to begin my orientation and continue MORE training before I actually start teaching in the pre-school classroom. I am really excited about this job. They have implemented a new curriculum for the pre-schoolers to better prepare them for kindergarten, so I am excited to help build a strong foundation for the curriculum. There are a few infant rooms, several toddler classrooms, and 4 pre-school classrooms. Tyler and I will be switching up our daily routine a bit, but we can adapt quickly to changes!!

Well, anyway, my first day of work was on Monday from 8-5pm, and as I got in my car, I called Tyler to tell him I was coming home. As I was walking through the back gate to go through our back door, I could smell the clean laundry that someone was doing. That just reminded me that I wanted to do laundry that night, and wanted to put the pot roast in the oven that a neighbor prepared for us. When I opened the back door to our house....SURPRISE!!! Tyler had cleaned the whole house (that i left in shambles that morning), prepared dinner, had the table set, bought beautiful flowers and my favorite kettle corn popcorn from the farmer's market, and had a cute little note sitting on the table. AND....he had finished all of the laundry!! What a super nice surprise to come home to after my first day at work!! He is so kind to me!! I love this guy!!

Bird of Paradise Flower

(it looks sort of like a hummingbird to me)

The Water Storing Succulent

2009-11-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

Since I have moved to California, I am now surrounded by these cute, fat plants called succulents. Many of you have probably already seen a cute, little succulent. Because I am fairly new to the plant kingdom, after living in Russia for so many years and being surrounded by "dirt gardens," these little succulents really excite me. They seem to be the popular plant of choice around here. People place them in their garden beds, flower pots (a whole assortment in 1 flower pot), window boxes, wreaths and they line the natural land along the coast.

These cute, fat and smooth plants actually have a purpose: "they are water-retaining plants adapted toarid climate or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and/or roots. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants, also known as succulence. In addition to succulence, succulent plants variously have other water-saving features.

Many succulents come from the dry areas of the tropics and subtropics, such as steppes, semi-desert and desert. High temperatures and low precipitation force plants to collect and store water in order to survive long dry periods. Succulents also occur as epiphytes, as such they have limited or no contact with the ground, and are dependent on their ability to store water. Succulents also occur as inhabitants of sea coasts, or salt pans which are exposed to high levels of dissolved minerals. The best known succulents are cacti. Virtually, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti."- Wikipedia

Now that I have discovered a succulent, I don't think that I will ever plant a geranium, tulip, daisy, wildflower, iris, petunia or daffodil again!

Ways to Use Succulents:

#1. Place a large assortment of succulents in a flower pot.

#2. Put your choice of succulents in a glass bowl- Place inside or outside of the house.

#3. Plant a large assortment of succulents in a bird bath. (Why do birds need to wash themselves anyway?)

#4. Pretty, flower looking succulent. Look at it and it makes you smile!

#5. No, this is not an artichoke. This is a fat succulent. Do not eat! Look at it and smile instead.

Sneak Peak at Wedding Photos

2009-11-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here are a few wedding photos. Amy Bare and Melanie Wasko did all of the photography. They did such a great job, and we love all of the photos. There are many many more pictures to look at if you click HERE. Thank you Amy and Melanie!!

Almost Cartoon

2009-11-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

Lobster Claw and Pincers...

2009-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Tyler and I are so lucky to have friends and family that want to come and visit us!! We love having people come over to the house, and we have had lots of people come for a week or so since we have gotten married. This month we had our friends Matt and Kimmie come for the first week of November!!

Whenever I introduce Matt and Kimmie to people, I always have to tell them that they were the people who first introduced us to each other. So, while I am writing, I will let the internet world know how that came to be...

Tyler and I both were in Matt and Kim's wedding. (me as a bridesmaid, and Tyler as a groomsman). We were in the same wedding, but I was never introduced to him, and we didn't say a word to each other at the wedding. About 2 years later, Kimmie called and invited me to come over to Tyler's house for a Memorial Day pool party. I told her that I didn't know if i was going to go because i didn't know Tyler or his parents, and I thought that I would feel "weird." Well, anyway, I decided to go last minute, and had a great time!! Tyler and I talked quite a bit that night, and then he got my phone number from Kimmie. So....that is how Tyler and I first met each other. Through good friends.

Kimmie and Matty got a chance to take off work and come out and visit us for a week, and we all had a great time. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Tyler took this picture of these flowers. I think it is so beautiful!

Ferry Ride to Alcatraz Prison. Sailboats on the San Francisco Bay.

Indians inhabited Alcatraz for a time, after it was no longer a prison. There are parts of "the Rock" which say: "Indians Welcome" and "Indian Land."

Alcatraz Prison

Trolley Wires in San Francisco. My favorite was when we drove past the trolley, Kimmie yelled, "What is that? That bus has antennas coming out of its head." Then she snapped the picture after the trolley zoomed by.

Whoever comes to visit us, we always take them to the pastry shop across the street from our house. Everything is baked fresh daily. When we get the pastries, many times they are still warm. Tyler likes a 3 seeded bread that they bake there. (When Tyler's parents came to visit, we probably had daily visits to this place.)

Wine Tasting in Carmel, CA.

The Wine Trolley that took us around to different wineries to go wine tasting.

Tyler calls this "The Dr. Seuss Tree."

The Rap-Tap on My Window...an October Visitor

2009-10-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Gun Pose #1

I was getting ready for bed, and then all of the sudden there was a rap-tap on my window...I jumped, screamed and dropped to the ground. Then as I started to get up and look out of the window, who's eyes do I see peering back at me?? You guessed it...Tyler and his best friend, Paul. I opened the window and asked what they were doing. No answer. All I could hear were sticks hitting the ground outside. I proceeded to go out the back door in the pitch-black night, and there they both were, standing at the back corner of the house with their sticks raised in a gun position peeping around the corner. Tyler begins to run around the house whispering to Paul to cover his back. Then Paul creeps around the other corner of the house and follows Tyler. As they were running around the house with their "guns" I managed to get a few pictures.

Paul and Tyler have been friends since they were 7 years old. It is definitely hard to find friends like that!! Paul came to the West coast on business, and he was able to manage to come up to Pacific Grove and stay with us for a couple of nights. I love hearing all of their childhood memories. They really had some great adventures together, and they were able to re-live a childhood memory by running around the house with their guns.

Paul, thank you for your loyal friendship to Tyler all of these years!! I look forward to many more visits, and maybe next time it will be in Georgia!!

Gun Pose #2

brown paper packages tied up with strings....

2009-09-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

these are a few of my favorite things....

Graffiti Art

2009-09-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Birds, especially seagulls, are such great artists. Don't you think?

The New Puzzle

2009-08-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

We are just starting this!!

Jahnavi's Birthday!!

2009-08-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Jahnavi's Birthday cake!! 50 Candles!!

Me getting out the hidden birthday cake box. (Jahnavi had already seen me carrying it into the house earlier, which i found out about later.)

Our beach spot. We could see the whole Monterey Bay.

Tyler under the beach umbrella.

Like I have mentioned before...Tyler's Aunt Jahnavi has been visiting, and she was able to celebrate her 50th birthday(august 30th) with us on Saturday night. Tyler and I spent the morning running errands like getting the special German Chocolate birthday cake, and then it was such a beautiful, sunny and warm day that we had to stop by the beach and try to soak up some sun. (I have noticed that weather really affects my moods. Warm, sunny weather is the kind of weather that makes me happy and cheerful!! So Saturday was a perfect beach day. I also am beginning to think that Tyler has a plan to take me to the beach everyday so that I stay chipper. After we went to the beach again today, I sort of guessed his plan and asked him about it. He just smiled.)

Well, anyway, we had a great birthday party for Jahnavi. We had King crab legs, tacos, steak, guacamole dip and chips, margaritas, and then ice cream and cake. Tyler brought out his drum and played and followed some of the patterns that Jahnavi was showing him. And....we saved all of the dish washing for the next day!!

Just Us

2009-08-24T10:51:00.001-07:00

We are happy and alive in Pacific Grove, California!!

Point Lobos

2009-08-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

Tyler's Aunt Jhanavi has been visiting us. She has been at a retreat, and then she is teaching a photography workshop next week in the area. We have been having a lot of fun together, and we get to spend even more time together this week. I have really enjoyed talking to Jhanavi and getting to know her more. She is quite the adventurer. She hops in her van and travels and has gotten to see all kinds of beautiful places. She is able to capture these moments from her photography expertise.

We all packed into her van yesterday and drove to Point Lobos, which is about a 20 minute drive away from our house. Jhanavi brought her cameras and tripod, and Tyler and I brought our bikes. When we got to Point Lobos, Jhanavi hit the rocks and water to photograph, while Tyler and I hit the trails with our bikes.

Tyler and I are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place our first year of marriage. We love it here! There is just so much beauty to see around us, and we have bikes to be able to explore it all!! Here are some pictures of our trip to Point Lobos.

(Tyler bought me my first bike since I was in elementary school. It is pink (my favorite), just like my banana seat bike was way back then.)

This is called Bird Island. Tyler called it Bird Poop Island, which fits the island perfectly because all the white that you see on it is actually bird poo.

Tyler locking up our bikes as we venture out to walk on some of the trails.

The special little nook we found to sit and talk for a little. While I picked apart the rocks.

The Mini- Grand Canyon

Jhanavi's van and our bikes which are getting ready to be taken home

PUZZLES!!

2009-08-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

A Paul Gauguin Painting

Tyler and I have discovered a new hobby...putting together puzzles.

Pacific Grove (where we live) is a small little town, and we can ride our bikes or walk around everywhere. We live 1 block away from the little "downtown" area, which is basically one main street. We have been having a lot of fun discovering all of the little shops and places to go in our little town.

Well, right around the corner from our house there is a puzzle store called, "I'm Puzzled." The store is filled with all kinds of different puzzles. All organized by category and difficulty. There are giant piece floor puzzles for kids as well as puzzles that are labeled as IMPOSSIBLE! When you walk into the store you are greeted by the owner's 2 ragamuffin dogs, who will continually follow you around the store hoping for a little treat to drop from your pocket! There is coffee, pretzels, and usually a display of cookies to eat. So, I of course eat a little snack with sugar in the coffee, while Tyler gets plain, black coffee. We walk around the store and look at puzzle after puzzle. We pull puzzles out to make our final elimination. We line up all of the chosen puzzles, and then start eliminating. I eliminate one, and then Tyler eliminates one. Finally we get to the last 2 puzzles, and then the final choice has to be made.

We have finished 2 puzzles so far. You are probably wondering what categories/shelves in the store we usually stand in front of the longest....the animals, sea life, Native American and art replicas. This store has turned out to be our special little treat to make us happy. We buy a puzzle or maybe even two and then go home and start working on it. Here are the 2 that we have finished....Yes, we have glued the pieces together and we are going to frame them as they are our first puzzles we have done as a married couple. And YES!!!, we are stopping for a while with the framing so that our whole house isn't decorated by puzzles put into frames!!

Just a little side note....we went back to the store this weekend and got 2 more puzzles!!

Kokopeli

Me finishing Kokopeli by putting in the white seahorse shape puzzle piece

Tyler showing how he is the master of puzzle-putting-togetherness

Cross Country Trip

2009-07-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

School ended. June 12th. I finished packing up my entire classroom and house. It is such a weird feeling to pack up my home and classroom, knowing that I will be starting a whole new home in a whole new, in a whole new part of the country. Danny and I did a practice "packing of the car" on a Sunday, and then we packed it again for real on Thursday, and left on Friday. We drove, drove, and drove for 4 days. We only stopped at night to spend the night at a hotel, and then continued to drive the next day. We drove through Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and then finally California!! Once we hit Oklahoma, I felt like one of the Okies from The Grapes of Wrath. I had never traveled through New Mexico, Arizona, or California before, so I loved it!! Danny and I spend a little bit of time at the Grand Canyon, but we were just anxious to get to Tyler in Pacific Grove, California. Once we finally got to Pacific Grove, Danny was able to stay with me and Tyler for about a week. While Tyler was in school, Danny helped me clean the house, take out of the trash, we went to the aquarium, the Steinbeck museum, and grocery shopping. Tyler planned a great trip to San Francisco on Father's Day. We saw the Golden Gate bridge, Chinatown, and went to a record store on Haight Street. Tyler is quite the city driver. I would have been a nervous wreck, but Tyler can turn in and out of streets like that was his hometown. Tyler also introduced Danny and I to In and Out Burger. What a treat! Now every time we see an In and Out Burger we yell, "in and out" and then Tyler swerves the car to the exit ramp, and we turn through the streets to backtrack where we saw the red and yellow sign high in the sky. Here are some pictures of the beginning of the new adventure in my life.

Red Wood Tree in Californina.

Steinbeck House in Salinas.

San Francisco

That big redwood tree again

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Rocks? Nope, just Harbor Seals trying to get some sun.

Joshua Trees in California!!

Grand Canyon!!!

Some place where i bought earrings off the highway in New Mexico.

Engagement Day!

2009-01-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

Geez. I haven't written on this in forever. Well, now I finally have something worthwhile to write about. I am engaged to Tyler Barnes!! I think that I am going to eventually change my blog to both mine and Tyler's blog. I know that I will have to come up with a new name, new design, new writing....but it will be better that way. I am going to post a few pictures because i know that you are dying to see them, but then maybe I can convince Tyler to write something, and then i can post that later.

We were engaged on December 31,2008. Just in time to start our brand new year together....

Muffin the Moose's Weekend Adventure with Ms. Currie!!

2008-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Muffin the Moose , and I live at Portlock Primary School in Room 10A. Ms. Currie and Ms. Jones are my kindergarten teachers. Every weekend I get to go home with a student that was especially good during the week. I get to spend the whole weekend with different friends that i have in my class. I love it! Last week, I went home with Ms. Jones, but this weekend I went home with my teacher, Ms. Currie. We had so much fun together. Let me tell you a little bit about our fun-filled weekend....

Ms. Currie woke me up bright and early on Saturday morning to take me on a trip to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia to see her brother, Danny. I have heard so much about Danny from my other friends in my class, so i was excited that I was the one that was going to meet him first!!

Ms. Currie helped me put my seatbelt on when i got into the car. I always sit in the back seat because i am not old enough, and i don't weigh enough to ride in the front seat yet. Ms. Currie tells me that i need to always buckle my seatbelt because it is the law!
After a 3 1/2 hour drive from Virginia Beach, we finally made it to James Madison University. I tried sticking my head out of the window, but Ms. Currie told me i needed to follow the rules and keep my seatbelt on. Ms. Currie always tells us that we have rules so that we stay safe. But the wind on my moose snout and antlers sure felt good!!
As soon as we got to the campus, Danny met us outside and then took us into his new dorm room. Danny is such a smart boy. He is the resident hall director for Frederikson Hall this year. That means that he is in charge of the other resident advisors in the dorm. He has weekly meetings with them, and he even has to talk to freshman students that DO NOT follow the rules. Everybody seems to love Danny.
While Danny was taking a shower, Ms. Currie and her mom, Mrs. Currie, were making spaghetti sauce so that Danny would have a lot of food to eat. Well, Ms. Currie didn't really make the spaghetti sauce. She was on Danny's computer listening to music. Mrs. Currie did all the work, and that spaghetti sauce sure did smell good. I couldn't help but try and hang from the cabinet so that i could get a little lick.
Here I am with Danny before we went to IHOP to get some good breakfast. Danny gave me a quick computer lesson before we left. I told him that I am just starting to learn how to use the computer at school. I am getting pretty good at clicking on the mouse.

This is Mrs. Currie. She was singing me a song. Danny and Ms. Currie said that they needed to add that song to Mrs. Currie's list of songs that they have hanging up in the kitchen at home. She has songs that she has sung for years and years. She never gets sick of them. She just sings them over and over again.

This guy was hanging in Danny's room. I think Danny told me his name was Winston.....Church......um i can't remember.....oh, yeah, Winston Churchill. I like that bow tie. i think that i might get one like it and wear it to school. I think Ms. Currie will think that i look very handsome. I don't really understand what that this is hanging from his mouth. Is that a tootsie roll? Hmmmm......

Well, it was finally time to go back to Virginia Beach, and i really didn't want to say goodbye to Danny. I hope that he can visit me in my classroom. I told him that i want to show him how i am learning how to write and read. I can't wait to see him again!!

On the way home, Ms. Currie and Mrs. Currie stopped at Starbucks and Ms. Currie let me sit in her lap and drink some of her Passion Tea Lemonade. It was delicious! (but then of course i had to go back to the back seat and put my seatbelt on!!
Well, here i am again after that fun weekend with Ms. Currie and some of her family. I am back in Room 10A. I always come to school on time, and I can't wait to see all my friends again. Do you see the carpet with different colored squares? Well, just so you know....if you ever come to my class and want to find me, i always sit on a purple square. Right near Ms. Currie. I like to be her helper all day long!!

Someone Special Lives......

2008-09-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

in Monterey, California. Can you guess who it is???

Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon....

2008-09-01T12:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Sunday,August 31, 2008, Krystyn, Robin and I ran the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon. It was my first 1/2 marathon, so it was really exciting for me. This is something that i have wanted to do for a long time, and i finally did it. It feels weird to prepare for something for so long and then it finally happens. We did it!! Now I am thinking about other races that i can do. I don't know if i want to do a full marathon yet. Krystyn is trying to convince me to do the Richmond marathon in November, but right now, I don't think so. ....

Waking up at 4:45am to get ready to go meet Krystyn and Robin at Krystyn's house. (and i got a special phone call in the morning....)

Showing off our muscles that we have been conditioning for the race....Krystyn totally has a game face.....ha! (oh and Krystyn and Robin put some braids in their hair the night before. i think that they wanted to look Kenyan or something. Something to do with giving them more speed. Hey, whatever works!)
Corral #16. The race started at 7am, but we didn't get through the start line until about 7:35am. My mom and dad were towards the beginning of the race. Can you see my hand waving, and we started laughing because my dad was yelling and we could definitely hear my mom's laugh. Those of you who know my mom, you know why her laugh makes you laugh!!After the race, our legs were so wobbly. we got water bottles, goodie bags, medals, and popsicles. There's me with those pretend "Kenyans" again.

Showing off our sweatiness and medals for finishing. NO WALKING!!

Texas and Louisville in August

2008-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had a special friend/family vacation in Dallas, Texas at the beginning of August. There is a group of us in Virginia Beach, and we call ourselves a "family." So this was our "family" vacation. We did a lot of shopping, swimming in the pool at night, giving each other personality tests and reading about them outloud, frisbee golf (just the boys), and mostly just hanging around the apartment. I love this picture because that sums up how every morning and night was. We would all just lay around and talk.
We went to a little pub across the street from Katie, Sean, and Ben's old apartment called The Filmore. This is where we also went for a walk and jumped on the metal horse.
We had to climb up on the fence behind the horse and then jump on the horse. I tried the whole tactic of running and then throwing my leg over the horse, but that didn't quite work. I ended up bruising my knee with that smart move.
The boys' daily adventure....Frisbee Golf or Disc Golf.
Some of my Moscow friends live in Dallas as well, so i spent a lot of time with them too. Rawie was in town because he got a new job, so i was able to spend some time with him. Rawie just got a new tattoo (one of those arm sleeve ones). The tattoo isn't finished yet, but here is a part of it.
My friend, Abby, from Moscow came up to Dallas and spent the night with me for a night.
Look at Eisley's cute smile! She is always smiling. As soon as she wakes up, she is there smiling. She is a happy, little baby. Take a look at the drool on my sleeve. She is also constantly drooling.
Bekah had Eisley in a little photo shoot. We put Eisley in Bekah's old baby clothes. Polyester and Ruffles. Yummy.
Louisville Trip....My cousin, Katie, and I have made a trip to Louisville for the past couple of summers to visit my grandparents and Aunt Amy. On this trip we were able to go to the Kentucky state fair, the Speed Art Museum, Golfing with Grandpa, and another modern art museum called Proof, that also has a restaurant and hotel.

This picture is at the Speed Art Mueseum where my grandma is a docent. She walked us around the whole museum and told us about the various artists and displays. She is so knowledgeable. It was a lot of fun to hear her talk about what she loves so much....ART.

They have a hands-on learning center for children at the museum. This is something that my cousin, Katie, is very interested in doing when she gets out of her master's program.
Kentucky State Fair.....elephant ears. We sampled a lot of the fair food while we were at the fair. We left feeling quite stuffed and ended up taking a 2 hour nap back at my Aunt Amy's house!
Kentucky Blue Grass....

Cake Competition at the Fair. Can you believe that someone made this cake? It is unbelievable!

This is Freddy who greets you at the Fair. Katie and I have known Freddy for probably about 20 years now. We were active participants at the Kentucky State Fair during the summers when we were younger. So it was so nice to be re-acquainted with our old friend. We love you, Freddy!! Even though now we know there is a person inside of you that is really doing all of the talking.Proof Modern Art Musuem/Restaurant and Hotel.
Driving Range with Grandpa.

The Cousins and Grandma at the Art Musuem.

Baby Eisley!!

2008-08-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here she is!! Texas baby.......Eisley!! I need to upload more pictures from my trip to Texas, but here is a sneak preview of my Moscow friends that i saw..... i will soon post pictures of my Virginia Beach family too.

I'm going to TEXAS to see these weirdos....

2008-07-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

And the new edition to our family of friends.....Baby Eisley!!! (Sorry, Bekah, i had to post this picture. it makes me laugh everytime i look at it!! i know that she really isn't cross eyed in real life!!)

"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens..."

2008-07-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

So Maria on the Sound of Music started singing and dancing around her bedroom about her favorite things...."raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright, copper kettles and warm, woolen mittens, brown, paper packages tied up with strings......" Well, many of you know that on my list of favorite things is going to musicals on broadway. I also like watching the movies of the musicals. Like Maria, I get inspired by the songs and then make my clothes out of curtains and make hand motions to the lyrics of the songs. Well, this is my new latest craze of musicals. The songs are all ABBA songs. This is a fun one and you should go see it!

My New Fake Pony

2008-07-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

So i had to get a fake ponytail for a little fashion show thing that i am going to be in on Saturday at the Chrysler Museum. I think that is going to be funny because it is hard for me to keep a straight face, but i have been practicing. Well, anyway, i have to have a long ponytail, and i already chopped all my hair off so i had to buy a fake one. i still have to play around with it a little to make it look better. Who knows, i might start wearing this thing around to change things up a little during the week. What do you think? (i think that i would be way too embarressed)

Therapeutic Bubbles...

2008-07-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

So if you are feeling like you are having one of those days....you know the kind that nothing seems to be going right, you are stressed out, you haven't done everything that you had on your "list" to do, you ate too much candy, or you had a really bad workout day....just take some time out of your busy schedule and BLOW SOME BUBBLES. The sport of bubble blowing and then watching them float through the air relieves all kinds of tension in your body as well as confusion/stress in your mind. Try it!!!

Block Island, Rhode Island

2008-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from our little family vacation in Block Island, RI. You have to take a ferry from Connecticut to get there. I love this place. The week consisted of: running on the beach in the morning with Danny, my dad, and my mom, sitting at the beach, swimming in the freezing cold water, hiking, watching the Block Island 4th of July parade, working on puzzles, building bonfires at the beach, and lots and lots of talking. We are never all together, so it is always very special when all 6 of us are together. There are a lot of fun things to do...I like it because there are always people around, and there is always somebody who wants to do something. At the end of the trip, David and I drove back to Philly just in time to see our Seattle Currie cousins. I haven't seen them in years! (and of course Jimmy and Katie were there too; Katie and I can always laugh until our stomachs hurt.)

I set up Grandma's "TV Ears" so that she could get her daily Dr. Phil and Oprah fix.

David finished another book. He has been writing down every book that he reads this year. The list is already pretty long.

Danny, my cousin Blake, and I at dinner. (no, those are not antennas above my head)

Son of Genius and Daughter of Genius at "the Oar" Harbor.

David and Blake. Grandma kept telling us not to get too close to the edge of the "cliff" or we could fall....Madeleine and Jason (maddy looks a little Asian; we call those her "rainbow" eyes.

Big Booty settting up the rocks around the bonfire at the beach...

Currie Cousins minus Madeleine and Danny

CURRIE SKILLZ

2008-07-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

Dad Showing the Moves He Learned in 4th Grade...(and he still has it!!)

Mom's Photography

Madeleine Making Friends with Eskimos
Grace Breaking Out with Dumb Dance Moves in An y Location
David's Soccer Ball Head Moves
Danny Showing Off His Harmonica Tunes

Buttterworth....A Person....Or a Pancake Syrup??....

2008-06-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

My friends are very special to me, and I have friends with very special talents. As we get older it is really amazing to see what we all end up doing. This special friend is not only special because her last name is the name of a pancake syrup, but because she does animation. I know that she is going to work for Dreamworks or Pixar one day, and I will buy every movie that she has some part in creating.

Lindsey Butterworth and I worked at Triple R Ranch together for 3 summers when we were in college. You become extremely close to the people you work with at Triple R. We lived together, worked together, ate together, ministered to kids together, and played at all of the skill areas together all summer long. We were also the responsible counselors who would try and find the campers who sneaked off to make out in the woods. We had a HUGE flashlight that could spot the campers behind the archery and riflery targets. We also participated in many, many water rodeo competitions, and we all loved the morning camp songs!! Lindsey was always a counselor in the wigwam because she loved the older kids, and I was always in the Cow Poke cabin because I loved the little kids (the ones who would always get homesick).

So this is a tribute to my friend, Lindsey Butterworth. She just came into town for a wedding, and we were able to get together and catch up. It was just like old times. I am so excited to hear about everything that she is doing, and i am excited to see where her talents will lead her.

Love you, Butterworth!!

Check out her website. You can get to it from my blog, and then you can even see some of the mini films that she has done. It is pretty great to see!! Enjoy!!

Doggy Day Care with Kimmie and Gracie

2008-06-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday's Best

2008-06-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! Do you ever have people that you just think about often? Or someone just comes into your mind and you think, "Gosh, i have to call her, and see how she is doing." A lot of times when you make that phone call you find out that the person really needed to have a friend call. I think that when you get those urgings or feelings to contact someone, you should definitely follow through and do it. I do believe that God gives us sensitive hearts so that we can be compassionate and minister to other people. You just never know what day it could be....
This year I had a student in my class, Asonteia Roscoe, who I just still think about a lot. A lot of the students at my school come from tough backgrounds, and a lot of times i just want to love on them. Well, Asonteia, has a very rough family life, and after school ended I kept telling myself that i was going to call her grandma and try to spend time with Asonteia this summer.

Asonteia and her brother, Emillio (who is also in kindergarten), came to church with me and David today. After church we went to the store to pick out a birthday cake mix and decorations, so that we could make a cake for Emillio's birthday that was yesterday. Emillio said that he didn't have a birthday cake. So we fixed that....

Gummy worm, Gummy Shark, and Sprinkles Birthday Cake. Emillio said that he wanted a "Super Power" cake and cupcakes. So we made both.

Singing "Happy Birthday" and then blowing out the candles. When i drove Asonteia and Emillio home they were exhausted. We started to sing in the car and before the first song was over i was the only one left singing. They were fast asleep.

Dog/House Sitting......Matt and Kimmie came over to keep me company during my week long dog sitting career. They brought Vincent over and the dogs were barking like crazy. Vincent was trying to "mount" the miniature Yorkie, Genevieve, which didn't go over so well. Genevieve is a fiesty one. Sorry, Vinny!

Best Friends

Chicken Taquito Anyone?

Future Granny RockerThe Dog Whisperer Returns

Mark Eberly Currie...My Papitchka (Happy Father's Day!)

2008-06-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

My dad is a great number of things...."A butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker..."

He and my mom are probably the most sensible, wise, balanced, and smart people that i know. I never have to look in an encyclopedia or dictionary for anything. I can ask my dad, and he always knows the facts and history about things. He has been a bus driver, inner-city ministry worker, IBM employee, English teacher, History teacher, missionary, pastor, student, and most of all on top of all of these other professions......he has been a dad to the four of us kids.

Here is evidence, just in case you don't believe how much my dad has done......

1. A Husband (a handsome one too)
2. An Inner-City Ministry worker in Philadelphia and DC. (Notice the ministry van in the background? My mom is on the way to the hospital to have my sister, Madeleine.)

3. An IBM employee...computer programmer. (He had to earn more money so that we could change the yellow and orange wallpaper in our house.)

4. A reader. My dad would always read to us at night. My dad would always do different voices for the various characters in the story, and i remember that i really didn't like it when he did that. My mom says that i would always start yelling, "WEAD WIGHT, DAD!" and many times he still wouldn't read right after my pleading, so i would be in tears and my mom would intervene. Why i didn't like the different voices....i have no idea. I remember him playing guitar, singing, and reading to us before we went to sleep. Sometimes i would be afraid at night, and he would come and play guitar and sing until i fell asleep.

5. Playful Dad. At night all of us kids would jump on my parents' bed and play with my dad. He could do great "flying angels." you know when you are flying in the air when someone's legs are lifting you up by pressing them into your belly? (for some reason i always look like a homeless baby in baby pictures.)
6. A Proud Daddy. Daniel Malcolm Currie was born. The fourth and last of us.
7. Black Leather Vest Wearing Pops. For those of you who have known my dad for years, or at least through the Moscow years, he has developed his own style with the leather vest. He wears it with polo shirts, dress shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, and white undershirts. This is his signature look. He says that he loves all of the pockets in the vest, so that he can put his pens in there.
8. Smart Dad. He loves to go new places and learn new things. He is always reading a book about something. He remembers everything that he reads. I think that he looks smart and sophisticated with his hat and plaid scarf.
9. Dad the Coach. My dad is a great athlete. We all played sports, and for a lot of sports my dad would be our coach. I had certain guidelines though for my dad if he was going to coach me or come to any of my sport games. He was not allowed to yell at me from the sidelines. It was called "a quiet watcher." He did pretty well with my requests for silence on the side lines because he knew that i would probably start crying and tell him not to come to any of my games anymore if he made any comments. He saved the comments for my brothers' games.

10. Dad the Educator. Both my mom and dad always taught us to be hard workers and active and passionate in the things that we pursue. My dad has multiple degrees. It is hard to keep track of all of them. His example has made the rest of us kids want to pursue higher education as well. 11. Dad the Preacher. My dad is a great preacher and teacher. He has influenced many lives throughout the years. If you have never heard my dad preach you are missing out on some great stories. He loves to incorporate stories into his preachings.

I love you, dad. If you ever wandered off and we didn't know where you were, of course i would put up a sign trying to find you. And it wouldn't be just a black and white sign. I would make it in color!

Can't wait to see you on Tuesday!

The Crimson and White Harvard Dating.......

2008-06-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Madeleine and her special "friend." He is now going to be a Harvard Professor. The Harvard doctoral student (Maddy) and the Harvard professor (Jason). What a perfect match! And i get to meet him in July. Did i tell you that they spend hours at the library together? Yes, they love the smell of old books.

Love you, Maddy,and so glad that you are very happy!

The Repeat Button

2008-06-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of pressing the repeat button on songs. When I have a song that i like, i will press the repeat button and listen to the song over and over again. I don't get sick of it. Don't you have songs that you do that to? Well, if you don't, you should, because i get something new from the song every time that i listen to it. Whether it is a deeper meaning to the lyrics, or I pick up on little acoustic guitar shindigs, or hear a quiet egg shaker, or a soft violin melody. I love music and that is what fills my mind all day long. People say that i burst out in spontaneous song every once and awhile, and i guess that is true. I just don't notice it. I always seem to have a song going through my head. But here is the song that i have been putting on repeat for the past week. If you aren't a fan of the indigo girls, you should be. They have beautiful music. That is if you like strong lyrics, acoustic guitar, singing harmonies, and the occasional egg shaker and violin riffs.
Love Will Come to You~ The Indigo Girls

Guess I wasn't the best one to ask
Me myself with my face pressed
Up against loves glass
To see the shiny toy Ive been hoping for
The one I never could afford
The wide world spins and spits turmoil
And the nations toil for peace
But the paws of fear upon your chest
Only love can soothe that beast
And my words are paper tigers
No match for the predators of pain inside her

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that theyre true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through
Where theres now one there will be two

I was born under the sign of cancer
(love will come to you)
Like brushing cloth I smooth the wrinkles for an answer
(love will come)
Im always closing my eyes and wishing Im fine
(I close my eyes and wish you fine)
Even though I know Im not this time
(even though I know your not this time)

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that theyre true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through
Where theres now one there will be two

Dodging your memories a field of knives
Always on the outside looking in on others lives

I say love will come to you
Hoping just because I spoke the words that theyre true
As if I offered up a crystal ball to look through
(I have offered up to you)
Where theres now one there will be two

And I wish her insight to battle loves blindness
Strength from the milk of human kindness
A safe place for all the pieces that scattered
Learn to pretend theres more than love that matters

The Beginning of My Famous....Open Mouth Pictures....

2008-05-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ok. i finally figured out when my fixation of having my mouth open in pictures started....Look at this picture. I must be like 3 years old, and it is already starting. And the bug eyes too. I tend to do that a lot too. I am not just making it up. It has been a problem since i was born, so stop making fun of me!!

Oh, notice the wallpaper and picture hanging. Very nice, huh? and that couch....lots of memories on that couch. i used to bite my toenails on that couch and wipe boogers in between the brown and tan fibers of the couch. Yummy. Especially for the person who layed on the couch after me!! Also, notice the bandaid on my knee....i am still getting into accidents...as i am writing i have a huge scab on my shin from running into this block thing, and i have a huge bruise on my thigh from running into a bed, and i just ran into the screen door and put a huge hole in it. i am still having problems.....
This is a more current open-mouth picture. I think that this was on my 22nd birthday in Chicago. Me and Anais. Batman and Robin, like our residents called us. (we were RA's in the dorms). People knew us as always being together. If you saw one of us the other would be close behind.

New, Short Hair!

2008-05-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

BUG EYES...and a little PIE FACE. (that is for you...kimmie, katie, sean, and matty. remember my London pictures, and the major pie face that i had?)

Hunt Club Field Trip...Last One of the Year

2008-05-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Soooo....Have i told you that goats are probably my favorite animal? They are just so cute with their little ears, tail, and smudged faces. When i see them i just want to pick one up and cuddle with it. Don't you feel the same way, especially in this picture when you just see their little furry butts? Forget having dogs as pets. Get a goat.
This is the little tadpole pond. We have been learning about the lifecycle of a frog, so the kids loved seeing this. Notice the tye-dye shirts again??? well, i told the kids to wear them so i could pick them out in the crowd. Oh, these tadpoles are going to be bullfrogs and they take 2 years to grow into a complete BULLFROG. And did i mention that a bullfrog peed in my hand when i was little. i had an obsession with picking up small animals from the grass and sidewalk like frogs and worms. Maybe that is why gross things make me laugh like no other.

We are planting sunflower seeds in this compost. Wouldn't you love to plant a seed with little kids breathing on you, pushing, yelling, and wiping boogers on your clothes as they try to hold your hand? Notice the girl with the barrettes in front of the camera. There is a new hair do everyday. I love it!
Waiting in line for a bathroom break. Porta-Potties. For most of these kids this was a first time experience. I wiped the seat with a babywipe and then they proceeded to enter into the unknown......

So you think you know....but do you really?

2008-05-19T19:01:00.001-07:00

Many times, I talk to my friends, relatives and other random people about my life in Russia. People nod their heads and act like they understand where i grew up and what it was like. People really have no idea unless you have been there. Moscow is totally different from America. You can't even compare it. Living, shopping, people, language, culture, weather.....everything is so different. I love hearing my family tell me stories about what is going on still in Russia, and the missionary/expatriate community we were a part of. I am wanting to go back and visit. I thought that i wouldn't say that, but i am. I miss various things about Moscow, and would like to return for a short visit.....one day. In order for you all to understand a little more about where i grew up here are some pictures that my brother took of some of the apartments that we lived in....

1st Moscow Apartment: Metro Kantemerovskaya.......1993-1994

2nd Apartment: 11th floor; Metro Kashirskaya, 1994-1997; I have a ton of memories here...taking my dog for walks, playing soccer, rollerblading, jumping in puddles and smearing mud all over ourselves, being late for curfews, getting stuck in elevators, playing "su, yah, fa", playing some weird tag game, chinese jumprope, and sledding down the ice hill!!!

3rd Apartment: Metro Perova; 1997-2000. We lived on the 1st floor in this apartment building. We had bars on our windows. In the summer it wouldn't get dark until 11pm, and in the winter it got dark at 3pm. It was dark when we went to school and dark when we left school. This was a great apartment because my sister and i shared a room, my brothers shared a room, and my parents had their bedroom. We actually had a living room without anyone having to sleep in there!!

This is probably my favorite picture. Lots of memories from this park bench outside of our Perova apartment. Sitting on the bench, waiting for my dog, Madji, to pee and poop, family pictures, and as my brother says, "bench outside my old building. This is where a party took place the night before my SATs and other important events."Drunk men sitting on the bench talking was a usual occurrence.

Our home Metro. Metro Perova. Yellow Line. Our apartment was a 15 minute walk from the metro. No, we didn't have a car. We took the metro everywhere, or we did the Russian taxi type thing, which is basically like American hitchhiking, but it's totally normal in Russia. It took us about 1 hour to get to school from our apartment, so I always had something to read while i was riding the metro.

Well, hope you enjoyed seeing a part of my life.

Art, Culture, and Restoration

2008-05-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I remember taking a couple of art classes when I was at DePaul, and for a couple of my projects I went around Chicago to write about some of the street murals that are in the city representing various cultures. I think that these murals are so important for a community's culture. The outside murals are always at risk of being torn down because of the constant rebuilding that happens in the city. Chicago protects indoor murals but not the outdoor ones.

One of my friends introduced me to a musician that I really love now...Josh Garrels. I came across something that he wrote, and thought that you should read it too....

"About an month ago, my wife and I rented a documentary that we'd been hoping to see for quite some time. We closed the blinds on a Saturday afternnoon and sat down to watch "Favela Rising". The film documents the transformation of one of the most violent slums in Rio de Janeiro, through the use of music and art. Amidst murder, drug wars, and corrupt politics, a group rises up within the war torn ghetto, and they begin to fight for the restoration of their families and neighborhood using the non-violent weaponry of rhythm, dance, and prophetic poetry. Eventually this fire sparks a movement that in turn affects other neighborhoods, cities, slowly rippling out to the world. Whenever I find examples of the arts being used as a tool of restoration, social justice, prophecy, and liberation, something resounds deep in my spirit. In a culture where the arts are largely used for entertainment or to fuel an arrogant pride in ones aesthetic sophistication, there's something refreshing and hopeful about the possibility of art being used to bring true change. What if there is a dimension to creativity that is powerful beyond our assumptions? .....We want art that comes from the deep, natural part of humanity, which will in turn nourish the souls of mankind, making men strong, vibrant, and able to step up into their God given identity. "

A Currie + Coffee= Weird Happenings

2008-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

1. Getting Stronger by the Second....
2. Possibly Wetting Your Pants While Acting Like a Gangsta'
3. Burning Your Lips and Tongue
4. Becoming An Iron Man Only If You Use the French Press...
4. Developing Mad Skills On the Guitar

Don't you want to try a little Currie and Coffee together?

Field Trip to the Fire Station, Butterflies, and Duke the Dog

2008-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

We had a field trip on Tuesday, and we got to wear our tie-dye shirts again. We walked from our school to the fire station. It was a lot of fun to walk through the neighborhood. It took about 15-20 minutes to walk. These kids are special. No one complained the whole time. They each had a buddy and stuck with that buddy the whole time by holding hands. Very cute. The firemen talked to us, and then we got to tour the fire house and see where they eat, sleep, have meetings, etc. Then the best part was that each kid got to sit in the fire truck, put on the headphones and pretend that they were driving the truck. They loved it!

We had caterpillars in our classroom and watched them go through their life cycle. They made their chrysalis', and then I put them in a butterfly habitat until they were ready to come out. They came out of the chrysalis' last weekend, so we had the butterflies in our classroom all week. On Friday, all of the kindergarten classes went outside and let our butterflies go. Very exciting.
We have a class president in our class....DUKE THE DOG! We voted for him to be the president at the beginning of the year. Every weekend, a different student gets to take him home and take pictures and put the pictures in our class book. The students also write about what they do over the weekend with Duke the Dog. The kids love it. Duke used to have a shirt, but it got lost on one of his weekend adventures. I had Duke this weekend. I took him with me to visit my friend who is about to have a baby. Duke was listening to the baby's heartbeat.

The Dog Whisperer

2008-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

You may not know this about me, but I have a special talent. I can talk to dogs. I am a dog whisperer. I can talk to them and understand them, and they in return talk (bark/whimper) to me and tell me how they are feeling. I first realized that I had this gift when I lived in Moscow, Russia and would listen to my Sheltie dog, Madji. He would always complain about how fat and square his butt was. I think that he had a complex because we would always call him, "Wedgie." Well, my dog whispering skills were re-ignited when Matt and Kimmie got their little hot dog, Vincent. Vinny and I are buddies. He talks to me about his deficit of social skills when Kimmie tries to get him to play with the other dogs at the dog park. He hates it. So, Kimmie, just leave Vincey alone! Please!!

Plants....

2008-04-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

We have been learning about the life cycle and parts of a plant in science. One of the activities we did was take different colored handprints and make a mural. Plants need sun, rain, and air in order to grow so we glued sentences on those things in the pictures. Then we labeled the parts of a plant. We are also in the middle of painting flowerpots, and then we are going to plant seeds in them this week. These will be a mother's day present.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!!

2008-04-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Who lives in a pinneapple under the sea?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
If nautical nonsense be something u wish?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Them drop on the deck and flop like a fish!
SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! Sponge Bob Square Pants !ah ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ha!

Uh, Oh! Field Day at Portlock!! Watch out for Tie-Dye!

2008-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, yes! I learned how to tie-dye t-shirts, and I must say that I could open up my own tie-dye shop with my rubberband skills. Don't you remember field day when you were a kid? At my elementary school in Maryland, our field day was called "Peanut Day." We would rotate to different activity stations and then get real, shelled peanuts as a prize. i remember going home with a paper bag full of peanuts. I loved that day.

Well, Friday was field day for my kindergarteners. They were so excited. We went to about 10 different stations. Most of them were relay races. I love hearing them laugh and just having a good time. We had a couple parents come to help too, so that was great! I love these kids....

Beach Day with My Boo...

2008-04-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Birthday Number 26

2008-04-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

So I just had the best birthday!! Well, my birthday just keeps on lingering because some friends had a birthday lunch for me yesterday, and Kimmie and Matty had birthday dinner for me on Thursday. Then I am celebrating again with some friends on Tuesday after school. I love birthdays that keep going and going... but what has made this birthday so special is that I got to spend time with a lot of my closest friends. Well, it would be completely perfect if Katie was here, but my best friend from Chicago, Anais, came to visit me. I love that girl so much. We are so much a like. It is just so nice to have friends that you can totally be yourself and you both love to do the same things. It is just so natural and refreshing to be around friends like that. I was so sad when she left. She needs to marry my brother, so then we can be around each other all of the time. (i am working on that.....) Well, i was happy to have some of my best friends meet each other this past weekend. Katie, i wish you could've been here. i thought about that all weekend!! i miss you so much!! So here are some of our signature pictures that we love to take....

She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain When She Comes.....

2008-03-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Isn't that song about a grandma going to visit her grandkids or something? I feel like i heard that from somewhere, but maybe i just made it up.....you know i confuse things sometimes....

Well, instead of my grandma coming to visit me i went to go visit my grandma, grandpa, and marilyn in Florida for spring break. We are having a great time. I just like to go running, lay around at the pool and beach, and shop. And i like to watch Law and Order at night at volumes that you would not believe.

Oh, and i thought that i would add a verse to the song with my special talents of lyric writing, so start slapping your knees, give a little twang to your accent, and start singing along...."she'll be driving that big, boat car when she comes...."

I love my g-ma!

p.s. does my hair look a bit "mulletish" sometimes? oh, geez, i hope not.

What Animal Are You??

2008-03-16T09:26:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had friends tell you that you look like a certain kind of animal?? Well, I look at people all of the time and some people just totally look like a kind of animal. While, for others, it is a little harder to figure out what kind of animal they look like. Now, I mean, some people totally scream a kind of animal when you look at them, "wow, that guy totally looks like a prairie dog all hyper and inquisitive, and that woman looks like an ostrich...long neck, big butt...."but then others may just have certain body movements or mannerisms that seem like a certain animal. So, think about it for a second? What kind of animal are you? Ask some friends.

I have gotten a couple kinds of animals that people tell me they are reminded of when they are with me....but I think that I agree with the koala bear the most. Koala Bears are cute, cuddly...... This is a drawing (and I put the little poem underneath) by Betsy Lewin from one of her picture books, Animal Snackers. This book has little poems about different kinds of animals. Here goes my little koala bears...

Koala
Koalas decorate the trees
munching eucalyptus leaves.

This isn't just their favorite treat-
it is the only thing they eat.

And All That Jazz....

2008-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, I just got back from the Virginia State Reading Conference in Ricmond with some of the other kindergarten teachers at my school. It was so great...but, I have to say that my favorite thing about the conference was listening to some of the children's authors and illustrators speak.

I love art and going to art museums and shows, but I just love hearing people talking about it and showing their love and enthusiasm for it. It was so fascinating for me to hear the illustrators talk about their own influences and how they develop their own work.

I am a huge fan of Kadir Nelson and Carole Boston Weatherford. Kadir Nelson said that one of his influences was Ernie Barnes (whose painting I posted). You really should check out Kadir Nelson's work that he has done in many picture books. Carole Weatherford is a writer who uses poetry and writes a lot about jazz. She said that her muse is Billie Holiday. She has a book of poetry that is coming out soon all about Billie Holiday. Well, I wanted to share my excitement about a renewal burst of interest in illustrations, art, jazz, poetry, and music.

~~You Go to My Head~~
Billie Holiday
You go to my head You linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round In my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne You go to my head
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew And I find the very mention of you
Like the kicker in a julep or two The thrill of the thought
That you might give a thought To my plea, casts a spell over me
Still I say to myself Get ahold of yourself Can't you see that it never can be
You go to my head with a smile That makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand Julys You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine Hasn't a ghost of a chance In this crazy romance
You go to my head, you go to my head
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine Hasn't a ghost of a chance In this crazy romance
You go to my head, you go to my head

Portlock Primary School

2008-03-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

So I am beginning to feel like i really don't have a life besides school and planning for school and school again. I mean, i feel like i am where i am supposed to be, but some days are so hard. Wheeling kids to the office who are kicking and screaming, cleaning up throw up, constantly switching seats around because they won't stop talking, and trying to teach the kids how to read, when there are so many behavior problems to begin with.

But then there are other little parts of the day that i just love, and it makes me want to come back everyday, (well almost). Like, Josiah whispering in my ear EVERYDAY after calendar time...."i love you." and you have to see his cute little smile while he is constantly bouncing around, and Tyjira who wants to be America's next top model, who does these little poses to show off her new braids that she got the night before. And then there is the little girl band that practices their cheers and songs for me everyday at recess. They do these little clapping, jumping and stomping routines that just make me laugh.

but i am tired. i can't wait for spring break. i am sick AGAIN, and my head hurts. i am so sick of being sick and then i always have to be on top of it when i am at school. there is no "down" time. I am constantly "on." When i get home at the end of the day, i don't feel like i have energy to do anything. is there something wrong with me?

But here are the little faces that i see every morning....don't you just want to hug them?

THURSDAY NIGHTS!

2008-02-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

So, my life is kind of boring throughout the week because I am a teacher and I go to bed at grandma hours. BUT....Thursday nights are the little highlight at the end of the week. Kimmie, Matty, Vincent, and I eat dinner and usually watch American Idol or something like that. And of course we love to take pictures of ourselves. See here are a couple:::

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

2008-02-18T17:46:00.000-08:00