Time Flies

I have been neglecting this little blog of mine in the worst possible way.  It hasn't been intentional, but that's certainly no excuse.

A dear friend of mine and I were hanging out last night doing girly things and she said to me "you know who would be a great blogger?" I said, "no, who?" She replied with "YOU - you have such an interesting life!  I bet everyone would want to read your blog!"

I quickly explained to her that I do in fact HAVE a blog, but that I clearly am a terrible blogger because I can never remember to write on it.  Actually, that's not true either - I do remember to write on it, I just never feel like my boring life is interesting enough to write about.  However, when I really stop to think about it - the blogs I adore, the ones I check in with every single day, the bloggers I feel connected to and think of as my friends {I am not a stalker...!} - those blogs are about everyday life.  And so, I have a new attitude about this blog.  This blog is for me.  These are things from my life that I want to remember.  If along the way, strangers stumble across this little blog - I would be thrilled.  But if the only person who ever reads this is me, my husband, and my mother - that's ok too!  :)

I am committed to updating a couple of times each week - I'd like to say once per day, but we're not gonna get all wild and crazy just yet.

Stay tuned.

Dear Maicey,

I'm not really sure where to begin, except to say that I simply cannot believe that you are 5 whole fingers old today!!  Where has the time gone?!  You promised me that you would stop growing up when you turned 4!

      

From the night you were born, the second your daddy put you in my arms and you stopped screaming, I knew you and I were going to be buddies forever.  You have always been a "Tante's Girl" - climbing into my lap at every chance you get, falling asleep on my shoulder, baking brownies with me, giggling until we have tears running down our face, curling hair, painting nails - you and I have done some really, really fun things!

 

I adore your determination and no-nonsense attitude.  You crack me up when your sassy (but your mom gets mad at me for laughing because it's sometimes a little naughty).  I love that you hate dirt and you think something is wrong when you're sweating.  Your sense of fashion makes me smile. You're a girly-girl thru and thru - just like your mom and me. 

 Most of all, I love the way you fiercely love your family, the way you pick on your brother and then defend him tooth and nail, the way you never think you're wrong, and the light in your eyes when you learn something new.  I pray you will never, ever grow tired of sitting down "just to chat", or laying on our blanket outside together watching the stars, or baking brownies "just because we can".  I hope you will always want to come over for a sleep over at Tante's and that you will continue to call me with your excited voice when something exciting happens in your life.

                                                           

  

You are going to do remarkable things with your life, Maicey.  Don't let anyone ever tell you any different.  Sometimes people aren't really sure what to do with people who are so sure of themselves and determined - but you just listen to your heart, those people will soon realize what an amazing little spirit you have.  You are absolutely going to change the world.

I love you more than the stars and the moon and the sky, Maicey Kay.

Love,

Tante

     

Something to Laugh About...

First I have something that isn't really something to laugh about.  A blogger I stumbled across through another blog I read is going through heart-wrenching, unimaginable, get-on-your-knees-and-pray pain right now.  Julee from The Turner Channel lost her husband earlier this week, and her sweet miracle baby, 10 month old Preslee, lost her daddy this week.  I don't know this family in real life, but my heart breaks into a million pieces for them.

In support of her, many bloggers are doing a day of silence, and I'm doing just the opposite.  She has inspired me to post a little about my story.  I'm not going to get into it very much tonight, but my husband and I have spent 2 years struggling through infertility.  It has been the biggest rollercoaster of my life, but I am absolutely a different and stronger person now than I was when I began.  I have been wanting to blog about this for awhile now, but it's so personal and I was too scared.  After reading Julee's blog, I've decided to swallow my fear and blog about it.  Julee's blog helped me, and maybe I can help someone else.

With all of that being said, here is a little excerpt from one of my favorite posts of her entire blog.  Something to laugh about...because there isn't much usually when talking about or going through this crazy journey.  But when you can find something, when you can see anything positive, when you can keep your heart in one piece and smile about the little things: that, my friends, gets you through the hard days.

So, here you go: something to laugh about.  :)

You can go read the article and more atwww.999reasonstolaugh.com... but here are her suggestions formore realistic titled fertility books:

• What to Expect after you’ve peed on a stick and you’re not sure if you really see a second line or it’s your imagination.
• What to Expect when you’ve been waiting all day for the fertility doctor to call you back.
• What to Expect after you’ve stared at the toilet paper and thought that you might have seen a red dot.
• What to Expect when you’re partner’s sperm count is in the negatives.
• What to Expect after you’ve had baby-making sex, not because you wanted to, but because it was ovulation time.
• What to Expect when cousin Martha gets pregnant on her first try.
• What to Expect when you have way too much PCOS-related facial hair.
• What to Expect after you’ve been inseminated by a 20 year old fertility intern named Teresa.
• What to Expect when your Facebook friends happily post their ultrasound photos and you want to shoot yourself.
• What to Expect after you’ve just eaten a container of ice cream following a BFN.
• What to Expect when you’re at a baby shower sobbing in the guest of honor’s bathroom.
• What to Expect when you have to give yourself a fertility injection during cousin Emma’s wedding.
• What to Expect when you’re mother gives you another newspaper articles about infertility.
• What to Expect when you’re completely jealous of all pregnant women but won’t ever admit it.
• What to Expect when you feel hopeless and this blog reminds you to never give up HOPE.

Please pray for Julee and Preslee.

Love,

Katie :)

A Little Sparkle

My mother is simply the most amazing woman on earth for many reasons - but among them, is that she truly listens.  Months ago my sister and I mentioned in passing that we were drooling over the new sparkly Uggs at the mall.  We love Uggs - they get us through the brutal weather in Iowa over the winter months.  As most of you know, we also coach a dance team together (for the school district that I teach in) and the school colors are Blue & Grey (but I like to say Blue & Silver - I mean, who doesn't need a little sparkle, right?!).  Every Friday at work, we have casual Friday and I just NEEDED these new Uggs to be my every Friday shoes.

Knowing that Christmas was months away and our birthdays are just quickly after Christmas, we both put our hopes aside and forgot about our new beloved boots.  One hot August day, my mom gave each of us a big package wrapped with birthday paper.  "Happy Birthday - a little early" she said to us.  We exchanged confused looks and then raced to open the package and beat the other like we were 3-years-old.

My friends, please behold the lovely addition to my Friday attire:

L.O.V.E.

My feet are warm and comfy.  And there is enough sparkle to go around on this Friday.

Happy Weekend!

Life Lately...

The past few days have been dreary and rainy here.  It really does a number on my mood.  I'm really glad the sun is out today - that makes me happy.  Life has continued to fly by as might be assumed by my lack of posting again.  I log-into my blog every single day to read the other blogs I love on the sidebar and think to myself "I really should post something" - but I feel so overwhelmed by all the things to talk about that I really don't know what to post.

I've decided to make myself a "Topics to Blog About" list and hopefully that will help me to just select something off the list and begin writing.  :)

I guess I'll just do a short little bullet list of life lately:

• I adore my new job, LOVE my students, and have really made some great new friends.  It has been a big change however and there are more days than not that I really feel like a first year teacher again.  I just keep thinking that next year will be so much better because everything won't be new.
• Along the same lines, I miss my old school so much it hurts sometimes.  I don't miss the crazy policies and long list of responsibilities placed on teachers there (duties, copies, big classes, behavioral issues, etc.), but I miss the people - both faculty and students.  My best friend in the entire world works in that building - we ate lunch together every day because we could, now we have to plan our meals together weeks in advance in order to see eachother.  My administrator at that school is a beloved mentor to me, whom I miss dearly.  An amazing woman with a beautiful heart who is NEVER too busy to put her pen down and look you in the eyes to really listen.  I miss that.  And my kiddos there - I really miss them.  They brought with them some major challenges, but they also really needed the adults at school. I miss the inside jokes with them.  I miss the progress I got to see everyday with them.  I just miss it.
• The hubs and I have been working hard to make dinner together at home and are really beginning to enjoy it.  We slip up alot sometimes and choose to go out, but we continue to get back on board with eating healthy and saving money.
• I have started working out with a group of awesome people.  I have always despised running, but as ridiculous as this might sound, I really want to like running.  With that in mind, I am determined to make myself enjoy it.  Currently, I'm tackling some major miles simply with walking - but I'm going to work my way up to running.  This might be interesting.

I think that's about it for today.  I'm off to make a list of things to blog about.  For myself.  And my 2 readers. :)

Happy Tuesday,

Katie

I love a fresh start

I just love new beginnings.  As a teacher, I get two new starts each year - one in August and one in January.  They are chances to dream big; to hope and plan for better; to make changes and start over.  Every January me (and 3 million of my closest friends here in the United States) decide to make a change in health.  This year is no different in my home.  We are eating right and making healthy changes to our lifestyle. 

Today is day 1 of said health regiment, and I'm feeling good.  Ate exactly what I was supossed to eat today and am in my PJs at 8:30 blogging and working (in no particular order). 

Aside from the health changes, I have high hopes for other areas of my life I want to work on - hubs and I need to sit down this weekend and hammer out our family goals for the year, but my individual ones are:

• drink 60 ozs of water each day
• give up pop {I can hardly believe I just typed that}
• learn to cook and bake
• grow in my faith {actually pay attention in church rather than watching the cute babies in front of me}
• try my hand at running and complete one road race
• spend more time at home - not running here, there, and everywhere
• do all busy-work at school outside of student-time {I'm always checking email or jotting down a lesson I want to teach next week, or putting mail in student mail boxes, etc}  If it's something I can do without students there, I want to do it then.

That's quite the list - but managable I think.  :)

What are your resolutions for 2012?

8 months...

...is a long time without a post.  This is really pathetic.  But here's the deal, I was locked out of my own blog.  It was tied to an email address I no longer use and had frankly been too lazy to change and/or back up like blogger recommends.  Add that to the time dilemma that occurs in my life - and that'd be how and why 8 months has passed since my last post. 

So, after much research, I figured out how to get back into my blog and exported it to a new blogger log-in.  While I was going through all the trouble, I figured a name-change and face lift couldn't hurt, and wah-la!  Here we are, back in business.

In an effort to get caught up, here is a very incomplete list of what our family has been up to the last 8 months:

• I got a new job - still teaching 5th grade, but in a new school district and a brand new school (I'll share the adventures of that soon!)
• Kaitlyn entered 5th grade and is at a Middle School
• Kevin has put many hours into getting his studio in order and has only some finishing touches left.
• Riley (our 6-year-old boxer) continues to be dumb.
• We took a 10 day trip to Yellowstone with my parents, sister, and her family - perhaps that will be the topic of another post?
• We celebrated the following holidays: Mothers Day, our 1st wedding anniversary, Fathers Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years (essentially ALL of the US Holidays are listed here since it's been so long - oopsie daisy!)
• I continue to work on organizing our home and purging the unnecessary items we seem to attract around here - I plan to do a little weekly project and post some updates in the new year
• Kevin bought me his business a new Nikon camera that I like to fiddle around with - when he lets me, of course.  ((sigh))
• Platinum (the high school dance team I coach with my sister) won the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Competition for the 3rd straight year in jazz and for the first time ever in pom - SO amazing!
• Platinum also was awarded the American School Spirit Award by Universal Dance Association - to see the announcement, go here!  We will be featured on ESPN in February from Orlando, FL at Nationals!
• We have spent the past 6 months seeing a fertility specialist - without success.  (I plan to blog more about this soon - I know I have benefited SO much from hearing other women's stories, and pray my story will help someone too)
• I did not accomplish even 1/2 of my 2011 goals - perhaps I'll just recycle those to 2012?

I think that's about it - plenty of excitement has been had and there is still plenty to come!  I hope the 3 people who read this blog are happy about my return!

I will post more tomorrow - after all, it is one of my resolutions from 2011 :)