Cold!!

I am sitting in my apartment with our heater on! HOW EXCITING! I know that the temperatures are just going to go back up in two days, but I LOVE this weather! It reminds me of snow and cold like in Lubbock (where this picture was taken freshman year)! I really just want to go hang up my wreath and Christmas tree and make my house start smelling like Yankee Candle Christmas smells instead of the Thanksgiving ones! Falalalalaaaaaaaalalaaalalaaaa!
This will be Tim and I's second Christmas together! Weird. Time really is flying.

I passed my first certification exam for those of you who may not have seen it on facebook! I only have my PPR to take (which on my practice I only missed 5 out of 80 so I am feeling okay about this one) and my English Language Arts 4-8 certification. I am nervous about the ELA one...I will take my practice for it the week after Thanksgiving so we'll see how it goes.

4 days until the break....I am READY. I know I won't be completely free from homework...but it will still be glorious!

Simple Women's Daybook

FOR TODAY Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Outside my window... there is sunshine and a pond.

I am thinking...I'm not thinking much...my brain feels fried after my EC-4 Generalist Exam

I am thankful for...Having my evenings back to spend time with Tim!

From the learning rooms...I am going to see how I did on my Practice PPR exam...I know I passed but I don't know how well I actually did...we'll find out Thursday! I take the real one in Arlington the Monday before Thanksgiving.

From the kitchen...I haven't taken anything out...but our options are: grilled chicken, salad with chicken, frozen pizza, tortellini, or cowboy soup!

I am wearing...tennis shoes, ETBU tshirt, and jeans.

I am creating...well, I am about to be done creating a two week unit with all subjects including pe, health, art, and music along with a field trip, diversity center and bulletin board. BIG PROJECT!!

I am going...to work out tonight after my meeting. Soccer is over and I am now getting back in shape! Yesterday was day one.

I am reading...Nothing right now...too much school! My textbooks don't count.

I am hoping...that my workout is good because I am DREADING it.

I am hearing...People in the apartment hallway. I can't wait for the day when we have an actual house of our own!!

Around the house...just me...and a sink full of dishes waiting to be washed.

One of my favorite things...redvelvet cupcakes!

A few plans for the rest of the week...I get to sleep in on Saturday! I can't wait! Then, we have a wedding Sunday afternoon.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...This was our final team photo of the season. We fell to the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Conference finals 1-0, but we had a great season!

Healthy Week

Tim and I shopped for a healthier lifestyle this week! After having a week that started out healthy last week and ended with Pizza three times...we both really felt disgusting. SO, for the three days that I am here this week (since I leave Thursday morning for playoffs), we purchased some yummy things to eat Monday-Wednesday. Today we are eating grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. If you have ever had Tim's chicken, you know that it is AMAZING. Yum...my mouth is watering. Tuesday we are having salad with chicken chunks in thousand island dressing! We bought fun salad fixings too like sunflower seeds and raisins (for Tim, I'm not a fan of raisins in my salad) and croutons. Wednesday we are doing our usual Subway which is also a healthy alternative. So, this week is the start of eating healthy! I must say it was a bit more pricey, but it should be worth it! If you have any yummy healthy meal ideas let me know because I definitely don't want to have to make the same things over and over!

This weekend was so amazing! I actually had the weekend to myself here with my Hubs! Friday night we hung out with Jeff and Sarah and carved pumpkins. Saturday, Tim and I slept until 1:00PM and then got our costumes and went to the Fall Festival at our church. We were gangsters! We then decided to have an impromptu party at our house! We had a party of ten in our little apartment playing NERTS, eating junkfood, and watching a creepy movie. I had so much fun with that! This was our first official "party" at our house. We bought pizza rolls, mini tacos, potato wedges, and I made redvelvet cupcakes or "bloodcakes"! I enjoyed hosting our little party!

Sunday was a church-filled, nap-filled day...the perfect Sunday. Pray for me this week as our practices will be thorough and nights late until we leave for Abilene on Thursday morning. I also take my practice PPR exam tomorrow morning and my real ec-4 certification next Tuesday.

BAH

**UPDATE**
You guys must be some great prayer warriors. I went to practice today and had an amazing time. I really enjoyed what I was doing and the people I was with. I witnessed my team pulling together for one of our girls who is going through a hard time...it was just good. I am excited about our success and that we will be going to playoffs...I am excited that I have had this opportunity and I really credit that to your prayers. God really worked in me today and I was able to take off the body of frustration and put on one of gratefulness and excitement. This is a good experience...I just got caught up on myself and threw myself a pity party. Thank you for your prayers!
*end update*

I am going to be honest...the past month has been awful! I have been so overwhelmed and frustrated and I hate it. Soccer is a chore these days...I get frustrated because I feel like this is what I was supposed to do but it hasn't gone at all as I had planned. It's been difficult to build relationships and enjoy my time. It is even more frustrating that I can't play the game I love. I mean it's awesome that we clenched a playoff spot with out dramatic win in double overtime with 7 seconds left...but this is just all so different than I anticipated. I find myself frustrated to tears most days when I am done with soccer stuff. I really want to know what God's purpose was with this...I could have had so much more free time. Also, I am SO out of shape and that's depressing. Seeing that I am a goalie, we don't really run much AND I don't play...so I am ridiculously out of shape. I was planning on being in shape because I was going to be on the team...but alas, I have felt worse than I have since my junior year of high school when I quit soccer and gained some weight. Pray for me...firstly that God will give me patience to get as much out of the next two weeks as I can, and second, that I can see what the purpose of this was.

Tim has been wonderful through all of this. He listens to me and does awesome things to help ease my tension. There are so many days that I come home to a clean house or supper ready or some kind of surprise. He planned a surprise date for us on Friday and it was amazing. He is so good to me. He has kept saying the past two weeks that he has really learned to appreciate me and show me that he appreciates me. I haven't felt so loved ever! He is one amazing man...I am so blessed...sometimes I still don't believe that I married such a wonderful guy...

I've been really convicted about my time that I have neglected with God. I have been so inconsistent this year with my prayer life and just digging in the word. I am changing this...I need His guiding comfort.

RAIN

It's been raining for the past five days here...I love rain but this is getting icky! It's been nice for it to feel like fall though! I get nostalgia sometimes feeling the temperatures or smelling our pumpkin candle...I love this time of the year!

My life has been busy with soccer soccer sooooccccccccccer. I am ready to have my life back. I got to play with the team doing drills with footwork Sunday night and it made me miss playing on the field so bad! I talked to coach and it's too late in the season for me to play field because of NCAA rules about me not having a jersey or something I don't know...it made me sad. So, I continue to do goalie training knowing I will not play...which I have always known. The season is supposed to end the last week of October, BUT because we are 5-1 right now and are in 3rd or 4th place, our season will pretty likely be extended through November, which is exciting, but like I said earlier, I am ready to have my life back!

Have you ever had the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden? It's so good. So, I am going to attempt to make it this week...we'll see how it goes :0)! If this recipe isn't too good, Mary, I am going to steal yours, lol. I'm excited, we're actually about to leave for the grocery store and I am going to get everything for it.

School is going well, soccer is going well, church stuff is going well, Tim is doing well....I guess my only complaint is wanting to not have myself spread so thin right now....

Magnifico-o-o-o-o-oooooo

It's only Wednesday and it has already been an incredibly eventful week. Monday night we had Aaron, Kristin, Beth, Miles, and Ian over to our house to play nerts and watch the Cowboys. It was quite entertaining. My title actually derived from that night because we all broke out in Bohemian Rhapsody randomly...they know the way into my heart :0) Tuesday night, I had practice from 7:30 to 9 and then Tim had a flag football game. Tonight was church and now Tim is hiding away studying. He has a test tomorrow...pray for him! He's taking a comparative world religions class and it seems really interesting.

Speaking of Tim...he's the greatest. Today at lunch, he helped me do dishes for half of his lunch break! What a sacrifice to help his little wife! He does so much for me, he knows how to make me feel loved and appreciated! God has definitely had his hand on our marriage!

Again, I am mentioning our future after I graduate. I had the realization today that there will be THOUSANDS of fresh education graduates this May...competition. I'm nervous about that. I have NO idea where we will be and NO idea where to start looking. God will take care of us as He has already...but it would be awesome if He would clue us in somewhat sometime soon!

My mom is coming tomorrow! I'm excited...she's going to come to atleast one of my soccer games! We play at 1 Friday against Schriener University and then at 1 Saturday against Texas Lutheran University. Hopefully all will go great for us! We are 2-1 in conference right now.

So tonight during our high school small group, a student began talking about her affiliation with gangs and stuff...it was odd. I didn't know how to respond but it's so dangerous and I just met her. I didn't know how to handle it...any ideas??

WOO WEEKEND!!

This weekend was so good! Tim, Colin, and I went to Arlington to rest and enjoy family. Friday we came home to some Papa John's pizza and and hanging out. Saturday, my mom, Colin, and I went to Kohl's and I got a cute shirt. Then, all of us went to visit Granny and Papa for a bit...not long enough! But it was so good to see them!! After that we went over the Aunt Jan and Uncle Kelvin's for hamburgers and watching some football. I got to meet Miss Raegan! Let me just tell you how sweet and perfect this 5 week old baby is! She had the cutest little bow and outfit. She was so warm and cuddly....oh man...baby fever! Anyways, today we went to eat with my parents and watched the Rangers blow the game and enjoyed our company. It was so nice! I got to spend time with my Buddy and it was so good....he has really REALLY bad arthritis problems in his legs and it bothers him more than the cancer does....poor boy. Ramble ramble...sorry.

I tried on my wedding dress for kicks today...it still fit! I tried it on without the petty coat and now I think I wish I didn't wear the pettycoat at the wedding...I kind of liked it without...Oh well, it was still the best wedding (I may be biased :p)

This week may be a bit more relaxed than the last few. I feel so much more rested after this weekend than I have in a few weeks..hopefully it will get me through this week! We have a game Friday at 1 and Saturday at 1...our team is 2-1 conference. Not too shabby...

I got to teach last week in my 6th grade class!! It was so great...I taught the girls' class so it was easy, haha. I had so much fun...you can be sarcastic with this age and they actually laugh and understand. As of now I really have no idea which grade I should teach...I like 'em all!

Continue to pray for Tim and I and what we should do when I graduate!
I leave y'all with a picture of my Buddy :0)