Happy Birthday Danny

Brenda and I took off for Sterling yesterday morning. We always try to get up to visit the Welty's during our Christmas break (not always together) and it just so happened that we were able to make it for Danny's 2nd Birthday. :)

We arrived just in time for naptime. It took the boys (Ryan age 2- almost 3, and Danny-just turned 2) a little while to fall asleep. Shoot I don't blame them, they had two very special friends visiting! We were able to get in lots of play time, book reading, and eating with the boys!

When the boys woke up from their naps we had a special Birthday celebration. Beth even had a cupcake for me! She has always been so thoughtful! The boys LOVED the lamb cake!!! Great job Beth!

We had lots of time to catch up with Beth and Anthony, and I even got some marriage advice from the happy couple! They've been married for almost 5 years!!! :)

Thanks again to my dear friend Beth (and Anthony too!) for hosting us! I might have to make an extra special trip next year, since I'll be living even further away!!!

Christmas with the Keimig's

Well...Mother Nature DOES NOT listen very well. It started snowing some last night and then it really started coming down this afternoon. Santa might have two extra passengers tomorrow morning!



I made it safely to St. Charles just in time to pick up Brian. We headed back to Illinois and arrived a little after 8 last night. It wasn't so bad being in the car that long! I had some pretty awesome company on the second half of the trip.



Brian and I got back to my parents just in time to play Blackball and then the LONGEST game of Continental Rummy ever. We were playing cards til almost midnight! BOO!!! It was fun being with everyone, including Tiffany's parents. We had a blast!



Tiffany, Grandma, and I made homemade cinnamon rolls this morning. It was fun getting to do this together. We had breakfast and waited for Dad to get home from the bank. He had to work til noon. He brought Grandpa Keimig home from the nursing home.



We opened up Christmas gifts, played Tripoly (another card game), and had dinner. We are all going to Midnight Mass tonight, so after dinner we will all have to go to bed so we can be sure to stay awake! I'm looking forward to Mass tonight. I don't ever remember going to a Midnight Christmas Eve Mass!!!



Brian and I'll head to his parents tomorrow morning. I am really glad we only have one vehicle to take back. I don't think I'd handle driving in the snow very well!!! I'll head back to my parents on my birthday or early on the 28th.


Something fun: Tomorrow, Christmas Day, is exactly 6 months til our wedding! CRAZY!!!

Don't let it snow!

I love Christmas songs. I have been singing them since September (just don't tell anyone else). I would normally love hearing the song "Let it Snow"...but I am hopefully driving down to St. Charles tomorrow to pick up Brian. The snow better stay away until we are almost back to my parents!

We are getting ready to start our Christmas festivities. Brian and I will be at my parents Christmas Eve day (going to midnight mass-woohoo) and then head down to Brian's parents Christmas Day. I'll be staying there for the weekend and driving back to Illinois on my birthday. :)

We'll spend New Years at Josh and Julia's house this year. My goal- to not ring in the new year in the hospital. :)

I'll hopefully post again soon with pictures!

:)

Just thought my readers would like to know that today was a much better day, and I actually like my new desk! HA.

I thought we'd have a snow day today, but man was I wrong. The "bad" weather totally missed Macomb! Bummer! Oh well...headed to my parents tomorrow after volleyball practice for the weekend. It'll be a busy one- wedding dress shopping on Saturday and the Keimig Christmas on Sunday!

Had a bad day...

Remember that song? That's the only line I remember from it. HA!



Needless to say it wasn't the best of days today. It all started during our small group reading. I was reading with my group and all of a sudden I burst into tears. Yeah I know. I don't know where that came from, but I couldn't stop the tears. I think my students thought I was crazy. At first they thought it was because of the chapter we were reading. Nope. It wasn't a sad chapter. One little boy went over to get me kleenex. I think it is starting to set in that this is my last year at St. Paul. Wow. It is hard to imagine not working at this awesome school next year.



I finally composed myself and things started looking up...until the afternoon. The secretary told me my new teacher desk would be in my room this afternoon. No. Matter. What. HELLO!!!! Do you not see the HUGE mess in my room...we have been working on our classroom Christmas gifts for our parents, practicing for our Nativity Mass, and trying to finish up last minute lessons...but yeah why not add an oversized desk to the mix. I was not a happy camper. So the janitor delivers the desk during my prep time (twenty five minutes that I treasure!) and I start transfering my junk. Well, as I started moving things I also moved the book shelf over a bit....BIG MISTAKE! THe huge glass of water fell off as the book shelf broke and every book fell out. There were also two ceramic mugs that fell off and shattered into a million billion pieces...along with lots of thumb tacks. GRRR.... TIS THE SEASON TO BE IN A BAD MOOD....So I stayed at school til after five getting my room back in an orgainzed chaos....rolling my eyes, saying inappropriate things under my breath...etc.etc...

I came home, made some dinner, and am now enjoying a diet pepsi. HA! I really wanted a bud light but I am trying to be good this week so I can have a good WW meeting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my boring post about being in a bad mood.

Needless to say it was definitely a bad day.

Busy Reading Other Blogs....

Brian gets mad when I don't update my blog...hahaha...My response was that I was busy reading other blogs, therefore I had no time to update my own! HA :)

Then I realized that I did update my blog, just the other day...about the house...I guess he hasn't read that blog post yet.

Well I'm off to read some more blogs!

4 Lemonwood Ct

Brian and I have some exciting news...below are some pictures from OUR house.... We put in an offer earlier this week, and after a couple counter offers, the house will be ours in about a month! We are super excited and so blessed to have found such a great house in a great location.

This is a picture our the "formal" living room. The house is a split level, with a nice basement and great main floor :)

This is the "informal" living room in the basement. It is pretty big and we can't wait to start painting it (and by that I mean Brian is excited!).

A view of the kitchen sink. HA!

The wood floors are AMAZING! The bedrooms all have carpet, but man I love the wood floors! :)

This is the master bedroom...corner shot! HA :)

Upstairs bathroom- I like the paint! The only bad part is this bathroom is the only one on the main floor....I shouldn't complain though, there is a full bath downstairs too! WOOHOO!!!!

A view of the stairs leading up from the basement.

The house is a great starter for us. There are three bedrooms, two full baths, a large backyard, and it is in a cul-de-sac (?) I am excited for it to be "ours", even if we have to make monthly payments for the next I can't wait to go shopping for decorations...hopefully Brian will let me! :)

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

YAY! It is officially snowing. I.LOVE.SNOW. Let me clarify. I love watching it snow, while staying warm and cozy in my apartment. :)

I was working with small groups today when I noticed the first "heavy" snowfall. The kid in me wanted to jump up and down and shout for joy. Don't worry- it didn't happen. I calmly told everyone to stop what they were doing and look out the window. This resulted in them stopping what they were doing and running towards the window, shouting and jumping for joy! They make my heart happy!

Back to snow. I think part of me secretly wants a snow day! I shouldn't want any snow days, because with every snow day we have to go later into the summer and HELLO someone is getting married in June! Don't get me wrong, if my principal would happen to call me one day this week and tell me to stay in my pajamas it wouldn't hurt my feelings. I've had a plaque outside my apartment door that says "Please Snow I'm a Teacher" all year long. :)

Alrighty, back to "watching" the snow!

Giving Thanks

It is hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving! Where had the year gone?

I am thankful for so many wonderful people, things, and upcoming events. I thought I'd devote this blog to everything and everyone that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Brian. In less than a year (seven months to be exact) I'll finally get to marry him. I cannot wait! Planning is underway and I'm looking forward to wedding dress shopping this Saturday. Sorry to my blog readers, but I can't post pictures because Brian reads my blog! HA!

I am thankful for my family- especially for my parents. They have been a big help to me throughout my entire life. I am lucky to have them in my life and that they are always willing to help me out. THey are the best! I also have the best brother and sister-in-law. I am so thankful that they were married this past June. I just wish we all lived closer to each other.

I am thankful for Brian's family. I am excited to join the Higgins family and officially be able to call the boys my nephews. WHOA! From the moment I met them, I already felt like they were my family. So in just a few more months it will be official! I love spending time with my future inlaws, and am looking forward to calling Pam and Jackie my sisters too! I always wanted a sister, and soon I'll have three! (Tiffany, Pam, and Jackie) WOOHOO!!! I'm also excited to have two more brothers too!!! (Whew didn't want to leave them out and hurt their feelings!)

I am thankful for my friends. I am fortunate to have so many amazing friendships from various stages of my life. I have close childhood friends who have remained friends into adulthood (HA!). I have amazing college friends, some who are also getting married this upcoming year. I have friends from St. Paul who I adore and am so grateful for. They have been like "moms" to me throughout these past six years!

I am thankful for my health. I know I've had some issues in 2010, but I am thankful for an overall healthy life. I just hope and pray that this will continue into the new year.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all the reasons you are thankful. What are you thankful for?

Blog Confession

I have a confession to make. I am a blog stalker. Some say it is a problem, but I say woohoo! I first discovered the wonderful world of blogging from one of my dearest and bestest friends Beth (yeah I know my grammar was awful just now). She started a family blog to keep us informed and up to date about the boys. I. LOVED. IT. So I started reading her blog every day (sad side note- my school somehow put a firewall and her blog was one that was denied. I need to get them to unblock it asap).

Well, one day I started searching other blogs through her blog. I came across her sister's blog. I read some of her cousins blogs...and then started reading and searching random blogs. I now faithfully read seven or so blogs on a regular basis. There are mommy blogs, teacher blogs, wedding blogs- the best part they are all total strangers...but I feel like I know them!

:)

A Post about Brian...

I thought I'd take a few minutes and post about my wonderful husband-to-be. :)

*He is a great boyfriend/husband-to-be.
*He makes me laugh.
*He loves his family.
*He can dance almost as good as me.
*He lets me drink diet pepsi.
*He is devoted to his job and studying (which I am glad that is over).
*He is a very faithful man.

There are so many other wonderful things about him that I will share one day. But for now, I just wanted to share a little bit about him.

Don't get mad or think I'm cheesy....


He's just a great guy and I love him. :)

Wedding Weekend Recap

One of my college best friends got married this past weekend. YAY! I am so happy for Jill and Greg. It was a beautiful ceremony (despite the cold weather) and the reception was so much fun!!!

Brian came up on Friday and we had Pizza Hut pizza and just hung out. It sure is nice getting to spend so much time with my future husband...so much better than him studying all the time. My friend Brenda and her boyfriend Derrick came early Saturday and the four of us headed to the Chicago area. I think the four of us got along great and had lots of laughs together.

We met up with Kelly and Marc at the hotel and we grabbed a "quick" bite to eat at the local Wendy's before heading to the church. Yeah when I say "quick" I really mean SLOW! They were swamped and totally messed up our order. We weren't late for the wedding so all is well!

We danced the night away at the reception, we were the rowdy Table 13!!!

Let the OPA weddings begin...Jill and Greg- November 13...Kristen and Patrick- March 26 in Vegas...Brian and me- June 25 in Macomb....Anna and Jim- October 8 in Carlinville...WOOHOO!!! Four weddings in less than a year!

PICTURES!!! YAY

Logan with Joyce


DOGPILE



Joyce, Pam, Tyson, and Me (after an afternoon of partying!)


Brian is 30!

Happy Birthday Jackie (this was a delicious cookie cake!)

Brian, Greg, and Jacob...not sure what they were doing to the poor guy

Pam laughed at us for all the "self" poses...secretly she wanted to be in one too!!!!

We're engaged! YAY

No More Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi After 5

Here I am again...up late after drinking a diet pop. WHAT AM I THINKING!!! I told my teacher friend Laura that I'd be okay....it's 10:15 and I'm not really tired. Oh well...at least I can work on wedding plans. One of these days I'll learn my lesson.

Brian hasn't been feeling very well this week. Sinus infection or something like that. Poor guy came home early yesterday and stayed home today. I already told him he needed to get better...at least I was able to celebrate his birthday on his actual birthday this year.

We are in the midst of wedding planning. Church- booked. Reception hall- booked. Photographer- almost booked. DJ- almost booked.

THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! I am loving looking at all sorts of ideas.

Speaking of good ideas, my Future SIL Jackie mentioned a website called www.swagbucks.com. It is a pretty cool search engine website where you earn "swagbucks" that are redeemable for fun things. Check it out. In one day I've earned close to 70.

Okay Okay I'm going to try to upload pictures tomorrow. I'm sure you've been sad not to see them.

Weekend Recap

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Brian! Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

Brian celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday with the entire family. It was so much fun! I got into town on Friday and Brian and I headed to his parents. We got there and had some dinner with his Mom while we waited for the Pam, Jason, and the boys to arrive. They got there an hour or so later and we ended up hanging out in the upstairs living room area telling "scary stories" to Jared. Brian's was the best, something very similiar to the Wizard of Oz, which scared Jared.

Pam and I ended up driving into town to see Grandma Higgins. It was nice getting to see her and I think it made her happy. We drove back out to Joyce and Glenn's and were greeted by Greg, Jackie, and the boys! The rest of the crew got back soon after and we had a very nice meal.

It was fun getting to see all four of the boys interact with each other. Jared and Logan played together and the babies (who are both getting close to turning 1) were adorable to watch!

Brian and I made it official and asked Pam, Jason, Jackie, and Greg to stand up with us in June. I was so nervous to ask, so I made Brian begin the conversation....then I butted in and instantly started tearing up. HA! They all said YES! The four little guys will also have a part in our very special day.

Speaking of...not sure if I've made it official on my blog, but we have set our date for June 25th!

I'll get back to posting pictures soon!

:)

Pictureless Post

What a fun weekend! I finally got to spend some quality time with Brian! :) He took his huge test on Friday and let me just tell you....I am so glad it is over...we have to wait two months for the results, so say some prayers that he passed it with flying colors!

I went down in the afternoon after my parent teacher conferences and met Joyce at the house. We ended up going to Applebees for dinner. It was a lot of fun getting to spend some quality time with her. We chatted quite a bit about the wedding.

Brian got to his parents at the same time that Greg and Logan arrived. Everyone was pretty tired, but we all managed to stay up for a while. Logan is so much fun!

Saturday morning everyone went their separate ways...and Brian and I got to spend some time with Logan. We had quite the day together...we played, the boys went outside while I got ready, we took Logan on a road trip and bought him a giant green ball (did that make it home or is it still at Grandma's?), and we even got him to take a nap...wait a minute...when I say "we" I actually mean "me". Brian tried to get him to sleep, but it was the magic touch from me that actually got him to nap.

Brian and I spent a huge chunk of Sunday looking at houses...we even went to an open house...so much fun!!!!

We are now in the midst of wedding plans and house hunting. So much to do! I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my future sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and parents-in-law (HAHA that sounds funny). Brian turns 30 this Saturday!!! WHOA! :)

I'll start back with pictures one of these days!

I'm Engaged!

Wow! I can't believe that it is official! :) I have been engaged for a week and one day. Brian came up and surprised me last Thursday, after having had a chat about being spontaneous (is that spelled right?) and making small sacrifices...let me just tell you that I feel bad because he has been studying LIKE CRAZY for his huge licensing test which happens to be today.

But...here's how it all happened...

I was just getting home from a meeting (close to six) and decided to give Brian a call back. He was acting very strange on the phone, distant like he was trying to hid something. I had asked him what he was doing and his response was that he was studying. I KNEW this wasn't true because it sounded like he was in a car. But I played along with it. I kept asking him lots of different questions though. He was doing his best to hid it.

I let it go for a while and he called me close to seven. He said he was going "to the clubhouse" to do some research, which again I thought was weird because he would never tell me these things.... but I went along with it. I decided to call my mom and ask her if she knew anything. She said she had no clue what he was up to. I didn't know if I believed her either...HAHAHA...but yeah she didn't know....

So around eight Brian called back and said he just saw me walking in my apartment. CREEPY. I peeked through my blinds and there he was in his car. I was like "you are crazy" and then let him in. He had a HUGE teddy bear with him and I kept telling him how crazy he was for driving three hours on a Thursday.

I sort of had a feeling that he might pop the question, but wasn't so sure if he would. He told me he was being spontaneous and making small sacrifices. (AWWWW) Then he said there was something else he has been wanting to ask. I jumped up and he asked me to sit. He started tearing up (like I am right now as I write this) and told me how much he loved me. He asked me to marry him and I said YES!

We are so happy and are excited to start planning. More details to come!

YAY

MIA AGAIN

To my faithful readers....all three of you.... sorry about my lack of posts lately! Things have been crazy with teaching, spending time with family and friends, and lack of time to post!

Summer flew by and I am now back in the swing of school. I have thirteen wonderful students this year and am loving the small group (most of the time).

My best friend got married on September 18th! I'll get posting tonight to show lots of pictures!

For now, just know that I am still alive!

MC Cookout

Annual Road Race... can't remember how long it is....

Brian and I took a road trip up to Beth and Anthony's a couple of weeks ago. They host an annual Monmouth College Cookout for friends...this was the first time in the what four year history that I got to stay the entire time. Brian and I ended up staying the night so we could go to Mass with the Welty's.

It was so much fun getting to see so many MC Alumni... Little Ryan and Danny entertained everyone with their cute conversations and actions. I was popular with them...wonder why!?! :)

Busy Weekend

What a busy weekend! I am so not good at uploading pictures in order....so enjoy the random order below!

Brian and I met up with John and Aja Friday night. We ordered pizza and treated them to dinner since Conner and Austin just arrived home this pass week. The boys are adorable and have grown so much in the last six weeks since their birth. They are doing great and so are their parents!

Saturday was the BIG day! Our parents met for the first time! It went great! Brian and I met up with Jon, Tiffany, Paul, and Faylene around 11:30. We took them to Forest Park and went to the Art Museum. It was such a hot day that we wanted to do something cool! Mom and Dad arrived around 4 and we stayed in and watched some of the baseball game. We went downtown St. Charles and met up with Joyce and Glenn. It was wonderful! Brian had made reservations at Trailhead. It was funny because our table happened to be in a seperate room. We felt special! Everyone had a great time and I was happy it went well! I'm not sure why, but I was a little nervous! :)

After dinner we (well everyone except Glenn and Joyce) headed downtown to our hotel. It was a little crazy trying to find parking, but we eventually did. We ended up staying in our rooms and played Black Eye/Black Ball...guess who didn't win either hand!!!!!

We met up with the Higgins for Sunday morning Mass at the Old Cathedral. It was neat, especially when Brian pointed out Jesus...he was there at the Mass...okay okay not really, but it was his look-alike... okay he WAS there....anyways....

We walked to the Stadium and watched the CUBS beat the Cardinals...WOOHOO!!! It was so hot that Joyce and Glenn ended up leaving early. I felt bad. :( Brian and I were double fisting cups of ice to stay cool! I got a little sun burnt! OUCH! My arms and face are about as red as the Cardinals shirts!

I met up with a friend for lunch today and decided to stay in the STL area one more night. I ran into two separate accidents and AM NOT ABOUT TO run into another...or be a cause of one! :)

Off to enjoy some quality time with a good looking guy (HE MADE ME WRITE THAT)!

Visit with the Welty's!

The desserts from Jeanie's shower...Craig's cousins and aunt made the cupcakes and created this fun design! Wish I was that creative!


Danny, my Godson! Isn't he a cutie?



Ryan, the big brother! He is talking so much!

Beth with the boys!

Well well well...looks like I have been slacking again! My apologies to my fellow blog readers...all five of you! :)

I went up to Beth and Anthony's last Monday with Brenda. We had a blast getting to spend time with them. The boys are growing so fast! I love how they are so active now. Super cute! Beth and Anthony are doing a fantastic job with them!

Relay for Life was Friday evening. I got in 5 miles! WOOHOO!!!! I totally could have walked more, but got caught up in socializing with friends...next week I hope to walk even longer...

Jeanie had a shower on Saturday....hahahah that sounds funny! Her wedding is less than two months away. I actually spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday with her. I even considered moving in, but decided now isn't the best time for that! HA! :) We spent several hours on Saturday preparing for her BIG DAY! I can't wait for that post...September 18th will be here soon!

It is now Friday, July 23rd and I'm down in St. Charles visiting Brian. I got into town last night and we went to see Eclipse. Brian was the only guy there...but I am so glad he took me. I have spent most of today in and out of stores. IT IS SO HOT! I went to Target, the Mall, Marshalls, and Kohls and the only thing I bought was some paper and envelopes for Jeanie's Bachelorette Party. I am super impressed with myself!

We are headed to his parents tonight for the weekend. His Mom's birthday is on Sunday and the whole family will be there to celebrate! Woohoo!!!

Barn Crawl- Crawlin' For A Cure

Brian came up for the weekend to help out with the First Annual Barn Crawl! I am part of the Relay for Life here in Henderson County and my team decided to throw a fundraiser to help with this year's relay. People might be familiar with Bar Crawls, well as many of you know around here there is farm after farm after farm... and as true "farmers" we decided to have a Barn Crawl instead. There were three stops on the crawl and everyone had a blast. We haven't had a final count yet, but we are thinking at least 250 were present last night, with even more registered! Hopefully we were able to make a large profit, all going to the American Cancer Society.


**I didn't upload them in the correct order**


It was HOT! This picture was taken later in the evening, after having been outside since 1:00! We all looked so pretty!

This is my friend Katie (a Kane Cousin) spraying me with a water bottle. At each stop there were different games to play. In this particular game, contestants had to blow up a balloon and then "spray" it to the finish line while keeping it in the air. I might try this with my students!

Me, my BFF Jeanie, and her cousin Katie... we were posing for lots of different pictures. The Mardi Gras beads were another game/fundraiser. At the beginning of the crawl everyone was given one necklace. We told them to earn beads any way possible (no worries it was all PG) and whoever had the most at the end of the night would receive a bottle of wine. What ended up happening was people coming to the registration table and purchasing beads. I think one guy came up and bought $60 worth! Sadly, I didn't win! I had four at one time (thanks to my parents and Brian for handing yours over!) but ended up with just one by the end.

Bags Tournament!

A shot of some of the crowd

Transportation for the evening! Seriously. There were four cattle trailers transporting everyone from stop to stop. I never got the chance to experience it though. I was in the air conditioned van! HA :) I was helping transport late arrivals to the stops (so they could leave their car at the final spot)

At one point there were so many people in the van, that Brian and I had to ride in the storage space! It was crowded, especially since he is so tall!!! OUCH!

Brian in the storage space! SO MUCH FUN!

For $30 (early registration) people left with a t-shirt, coozie, beads (possibly), and received a nice meal and all the drinks they wanted. We even had some register at the door (for $40). It was a successful event and I know we will do it again next year.

Any takers???