Blog closing

Well, as my readers may have guessed, this blog has sort of moved to closed as I have been so busy the last month.  However, for those who want to keep in touch through Facebook, I have finally re-joined, under my almost-married-name.  Feel free to find me there!

Cleaning Mania!

Spent the afternoon and evening packing and cleaning.  Packed all of my dishes and kitchenware, sorted through games, clothes, and other various items, cleaned my bathroom, dusted, vaccuumed, and straightened my bedroom, ran a load of laundry...a very busy but productive day.

ALSO!  PASS testing is DONE!!!!  Hooray!

SAFE-Ty through the year!

Today I have my final meeting for my teacher certification, which means that, Lord willing that all the paperwork goes through smoothly, my certification will move to the professional level this summer. Hallelujah!

Happy Birthday to Dad!

Thankful for my father today.  Even though sometimes we disagree, I am blessed to have him in my life.

Photobook!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Emotions

There are no words.  Emotionally spent.

She's all grown up...and saving China!

Rita gradumacated today....so proud of her! She is going to be the best early childhood teacher ever!!!

Focusing on Family

Heading home this afternoon to spend time with our extended family who will be in town for Rita's graduation.  Can't believe my little sister is about to graduate!  I cannot possibly imagine how my younger siblings are growing up so much...I must be dreaming!

6 hours of scrapbooking

We received a free shutterfly photo book as part of David's Bridal's promotional package, so I spent 6 hours yesterday putting it together.  Still have a few finishing touches to do, but then it will be done!  Hoping it turns out looking as good as the previews!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Has been all week, but got lots of lovely flowers from my students today!

One small dent in sorting...Many giant leaps to go

Started sorting through all of the stuff today.  A little depressing to realize how much still needs to be done, but somehow I will finish!

The final push to PASS

PASS testing starts next Tuesday.  Amazing how much there still is to do.  Trying to finish teaching content, and reviewing content, and preparing students...I truly do not understand if a school has high-stakes testing, why that school would have the testing a full month before the end of school. So stupid.

Baby snuggles!

Substituted in the baby nursery at church today...and cuddled an adorable 1 year old for over an hour...all he wanted to do was cuddle and play with my necklace and bounce and sleep and cuddle some more.  So precious!

Face time!

Was able to video chat with Jonathan today...such an unexpected but wonderful surprise!  So thankful!

3 am=HALFWAY

At the dark and early time of 3 am this morning, we are officially half way between engagement and wedding. HALLELUJAH!

Knitting away

Finished 1/8 of the baby blanket today!  The colors look so beautiful...I'm really excited to see when I add the third color in just how beautiful it looks!

Getting things done!

Yarn came in for Stacy and Jared's baby blanket! Wound and cast on!  Booked hotel rooms for M&M's wedding.  Found some very gracious souls to take me to and from the airport.  Enjoyed fellowship with my JG.  Meetings at school...all the good stuff..

Busy as a bee

Today was especially busy with many different things at school.  I will be so thankful when June 7 is here!

The light at the end of the tunnel....

Only 1 more week of tutoring before the end of the year.  It is coming up quickly, praise the Lord!

Church picnic

After church we had the first picnic of the season.  It was nice to spend time with everyone and enjoy the beautiful weather (although it was a little cold under the shelter!)  Afterward we went and listened to Grace playing on the bells at Tillman Hall, then Jess and I went out for coffee to catch up.  Talked to Jonathan on my drive back to Rock Hill, and then he was able to reconnect with Micah, his graphic designer friend, to start working on wedding invitations.  A full but fun day.

Rest and Rejuvenate

Spent the morning resting and relaxing at the house.  I got some extra sleep, played the piano, washed and blocked M&M's wedding gift...all low-key activities.  Then went up to the lake house for some time with the lovely Maguire family and to see all of the improvements that have taken place since last summer when I was there.  Dinner back at home with the family and enjoying time with them.

Home again, home again jiggity jig

Very thankful to be going home this weekend.  I have really missed everyone there, and especially miss having family and friends to spend free time on the weekend with them.  Especially looking forward to the Great Move, I want to spend as much quality time as I possibly can with the people I love in SC!

Talking Day!!!

Phone service has been so terrible up at camp the past week and a half, that Jonathan and I have hardly been able to talk at all.  I'm very thankful that he was able to drive partway down the mountain and we could talk for over 2 hours tonight.  What a treat!

Sleepy Day

Took a nap when I got home from school today.  I managed to wake up in time for Journey Group, but still fell asleep pretty early (10:30) and slept hard all night.  I guess I was tired!

Almost done!

Only have 1/2 of a ball of yarn left on the blanket for Michael and Maria!  Soooo excited...it is super soft!  I just know they're going to love it.  Hoping to finish up the blanket today--if so it will have taken only 8 days to complete from when I finally got the cast-on correct!

Guest Author--Brightening my day

A sweet sweet Gretta-friend sent me this email and it really brightened my day after a lonely weekend (and no, Gretta, the dash is not a pacemaker...)

J is for Jewel

A is for Awesome

N is for Nice

E is for Energetic

T is for Terrific

 

C is for Cherished

U is for Understanding

S is for Special

T is for Totally awesome

E is for Enthusiastic

R is for Really Really wonderful

- is for, well, dash... ;) Or joining force... Or a peacemaker...  Not to be confused with a pacemaker

R is for Resourceful

O is for Ostrich (or Optimistic- you choose) ;)

L is for Lovely

L is for Love greatly

I is for Incredible

N is for Never Dull

S is for Sweet

9 to 5

9 months have passed since I started dating my best friend

5 months to go until I marry him!

Getting more excited with every passing day!!!!

Ready to Rescue

CPR training today at school.  It was pretty fun, or at least as fun as rescue training can be!  Thankful for Mr. Channell offering the class at cost to the teachers!  Yay!

Spring has sprung!

Sunny and warm and lots of green leaves and pretty flowers.  Even though I HATE the pollen, I am loving the spring weather!  Well, except for the fact that it means the AC has to go back on...

4th time is the charm

Started working on the blanket for Michael and Maria's wedding today.  Restarted it 4 different times to try and get the width right.  Finally settled on 90 stitches--a little over a yard wide.  Hoping it will be at least 60 inches long, but we'll see. It will be as long as the yarn allows!

Back to "real" life...

Back to school today.  6:30 came way too early...my body is still on AZ time and thinks it should be 3:30 ;-).

I was able to get through the day, including MAPS testing for reading, and all of the craziness of the second day back after spring break.  Went to pick up a new phone from Verizon, then headed home and updated my contacts and worked on highlighting information for Common Core curriculum mapping.  Also wound the yarn for Michael and Maria's wedding gift into balls and knitted a gauge swatch so that I can start on their blanket.  Mostly caught up on DWTS in the meantime.  Unfortunately, even though Jonathan called as usual, he wasn't feeling well and fell asleep before we were able to talk much.  Did get some sleep but still trying to get my body to adjust ;)

Airport awfulness

Wow.  Today was totally insane.  Woke up early to get to the airport by 8.  Went to the wrong terminal initially so we had to drive to the other one where I stood in line for over 30 minutes before I was told that my flight was delayed 2 hours into San Francisco and I would miss my connection.  They gave me a new flight that laidover in Houston, but I had to wait at the airport from 9 am to 1:30 pm to leave, and it would arrive an hour later in Charlotte.

Once it finally left, the flight to Houston had a lot of turbulence, and I had to keep my eyes closed and sip ginger ale so that I wouldn't get sick.  Once we arrived at Houston, by the time the plane landed and we had an open gate to go to and we deplaned (I was near the very back) I was left with only about 30 minutes to run from Terminal E to Terminal B (on nearly the other side of the airport).  Did make it to the plane (which you had to board outside... first for me) but was fairly certain my bags did not make it.

Fortunately, this flight was much less turbulent, and even though I was a little cold I was able to pass the time reading.  When I got to Charlotte, my fears were confirmed; my bags had not made it on the plane with me.  I had to wait and fill out paperwork to have them delivered to my house tomorrow, and in the meantime I dropped my phone and broke the sound on it.  Finally, I was able to get in the car with Nicole who came to pick me up, and it was after 11 pm EST before I got home.  I was super hungry because I hadn't eaten since 11 am PHX time (2 pm EST) so I ate before crashing in bed.

Sad goodbyes

Went to Tri-City Baptist church this morning with Michael and Maria.  We considered staying for the spaghetti lunch, but decided against it because Jonathan's allergies/sinuses were giving him a pretty bad headache so instead we went to CVS to pick up some meds and ate at Applebees.

Then we both were tired so we took naps and then had dinner at Uncle Spike's house...homemade spaghetti, fresh salad, rolls...absolutely fantastic!  Unfortunately, then it was time for Jonathan to go get his suitcase from Michael's and head back to Eagar before it got any later.  After he left, I was able to visit with Rachel and Shawn, but missed Jonathan already, of course.

All the things!

Got a lot done today.  Started off with breakfast at Denny's where we started creating a wedding website (custerrollins.ourwedding.com).  Then we went to IKEA and looked at furniture and daydreamed about our future house.  Afterwards we went to Starbucks to finish the website and Subway for lunch.  Then to Target to create our wedding registry and the mall to browse and compare prices from Ikea.  Went to Men's Wearhouse to find a sport coat, shirt, and tie for Jonathan to wear to Michael's wedding...using the 50% off coupon we got last week.

For dinner we went to Outback and split a blooming onion and the lobster tail (I had a gift card from school).  Then to Dillards to get pants to complete Jonathan's outfit and to Cheesecake Factory for dessert.  Tiramisu cheesecake totally hit the spot!  We picked up Here Comes the Boom and watched it back at Uncle Spike's house.  It was a tiring but productive day!

From backwoods to big city

Jonathan and I drove to Pheonix today after we finished up some laundry and packing.  It was a beautiful drive down, and I was able to enjoy the scenery that I missed in the dark on the way up.  Jagged mountains, saguaro forest,  and hilly plains.  Simply beautiful.

When we arrived in Pheonix we met up with Matt to deliver Kathryn's car seat, then headed to IBC for dinner with Michael and Maria--he had made ribs for dinner!  Yummy and messy!  Then to Target where we did some pre-wedding registry browsing and on to my Uncle Spike's house for the remainder of the evening.   It was fun to spend some time with him and Theresa and their friend Paul.

Oh the office...

Breakfast today was farmers' omlette and hash browns.  After we cleaned up we had more office work today. Jonathan and I managed to make it through the remaining piles of backlogged receipts and such to be filed, and I finished sorting the previous years' paperwork into labeled bankers boxes.  We also cleaned one of the cabins and remade some beds for groups coming in soon.

Afterward we went to town for lunch and to print off some paperwork for Jonathan to apply for local jobs before heading back to make spaghetti with homemade sauce for dinner.  I did the easy dessert of ice cream, chips ahoy, and leftover hot fudge sauce.  But it was still yummy!  Then we played Euchre, which I have officially promised to never make Jonathan play again (it still confuses him, poor guy).  But I enjoyed it!

Eagar Area

Breakfast today was a doozy.  Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, orange slices, coffee.  Took me a full hour to prepare.  Gave Jonathan a haircut, which was shorter than the last one, but still looked pretty good considering how much practice I didn't have ;-).  Learned a lot about the area around Eagar today--Jonathan and I drove around town and looked at neighborhoods and houses in the area.  I also was able to visit some of the local sites--Western Food and Drug, the Springerville museum, and Trailriders restaurant.

Then, after we switched cars with Stephen Highhouse who had an emergency trip home to PA, we hurried up the mountain to make dinner before church.  Fortunately Dump Cake and Lumberjack Casserole are quick fixes! Enjoyed the prayer meeting, which ran long and had us rushing to the grocery store to get supplies for Thursday before it closed.

Petrified Forest

Jonathan and went to the Petrified Forest today...which was simply breathtaking!  Such a picture of God's creativity and, as Jonathan pointed out, His ability to turn something bad (a worldwide flood) into something beautiful.  Enjoyed hiking and driving through the forest, and also seeing part of the Painted Desert, which reminded me a little of the Grand Canyon, minus the canyon ;-).  We also were able to see part of where Route 66 used to lay.  A fun day together.

Monday madness

Breakfast this morning for the guys...fortunately I had planned ahead and made Baked French Toast and put it in the refrigerator last night so I all I had to do was pop it in the oven, cut strawberries, make coffee, and fry bacon.  Then I went to the office to start working through the backlog of paperwork that needed to be filed while the guys had staff meeting.  Jonathan joined me in the office where we worked until after 11 when we headed to the bunkhouse to make lunch--make your own soft shell tacos.

After lunch we drove down to Show Low (over 1 hour away) to make a deposit for the camp, pick up a part for the lodge, make a deposit for Roger (the construction foreman), and hurry back to make dinner for the guys.  We made an adapted version of Western Shrimp Noodle Casserole (1 normal but without mushrooms, and one with chicken instead of shrimp to meet the dietary preferences of the guys), green beans, and brownie sundaes (5 guys managed to eat 3/4 of a pan of brownies plus the ice cream and hot fudge!  Crazy!)  After dinner we played "dealer's call" (a game the guys made up where we play several different games all at once, one hand at a time, winner becomes dealer and calls the next game played...confusing but fun).

Easter morning

Well, we definitely didn't make it up for the sunrise service, but nonetheless it was a nice Easter service at Ponderosa Bible Church.  With worship, special music, a baptism, and brunch afterward, it was a great way to be introduced to the body of believers there.

After service we went to Matt and Rachael Wilson's house for the afternoon.  We played cards (the first game was a 2-hour game of President which I won!!!) and then I took a short nap while the others played some different games.  Then we all shared a meal before Jonathan and I went to the store to pick up groceries.  I had offered to cook for all the guys while I was in town and we planned 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 3 dinners for everyone.

Back to Matt and Rachael's where we watched a couple of episodes of Duck Dynasty (Rita and Grace had given Jonathan seasons 1 and 2 for his birthday) before we headed up the mountain for the night.

Free Flight!

Wow!  Today was one for the record books!

My first flight into San Francisco was overbooked, so they asked if they could bump me to a DIRECT flight to Phoenix (one that got in 4 1/2 hours earlier) AND gave me a voucher for another flight!  What an amazing demonstration of God's power and ability to bless me!  I spent 1/2 of the air time and made it there so much sooner.  A fantastic way to start the break!

When I arrived in Phoenix, I got to see Jonathan!!!!!!  I can't put in enough exclamation points to match the joy that bubbled up inside when I first saw him.  I have really missed him so much.

Because I got in early, we were able to go to Men's Wearhouse and reserve the tuxedos for the wedding, and have Jonathan measured for his tuxedo.  We found out that as a result, he got a 50% off coupon for a future purchase (which we later used to buy a sport coat, shirt, and tie for Michael's wedding), and a $500 credit toward a suit.  So in one day, God gave us over $800!  Crazy!

Dinner was the most amazing hamburgers ever at a restaurant near ASU (I think it was called the Chuckwagon or something...) but the foot was fantastic, especially for me after a full day of travel and errands.

We drove up to Eagar in the dark, but even just spending the 4.5 hours of the drive with each other was enjoyable (even though I was fading fast...we made it in around midnight AZ time which is 3 am SC time).

Final day!

The last day of school, and boy am I ready for break!  Have a few errands to run and things to do, but I am beyond excited about tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Thankful for my amazing mother!  Can't imagine my life without her, and am so very, very blessed to be her daughter.  The greatest compliment is when people tell me I remind them of her :-)

Halfway there!

Halfway through the school week!  Busy day with lots of meetings and some interesting parent issues... but I'm excited to be getting closer to spring break!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday to my most wonderful, handsome knight!  I love you Jonathan!!!!!

PS...this year is kind of like our reverse golden birthdays.... He is 29 and his birthday is the 26....I will be 26 and my birthday is the 29....interesting....

LAST WEEK!!!!!

The countdown to spring break is on overdrive!!!! So excited to be going to Arizona on Saturday!!!!!

Juliet

The Wearhouse Theater's production of Romeo and Juliet was so well done!  Especially since Angelina was playing the role of Juliet and she did FANTASTICALLY!!!!  Love that girl!

Girl time!

Time with Mama Lily early this morning...had a nice damp walk :-)

Time with Kristin (lunch and spending the afternoon shopping and at her house)

Time with my sisters (watching the Vow and painting each others' nails)

A new look

Picked up my new glasses today on the way home from Rock Hill to Clemson.  I'm liking my new look and how well I can look through it ;-)

Trimonthiversary

Three months since I said "yes" to the best question I've ever been asked....Since I got a ring that says I get to marry my best friend.  SO BLESSED!

Do not PASS go...

PASS is over!....until May anyway.  I'm so thankful that spring break is just around the corner...my kids need it almost as badly as I do!

PASS writing

Still not feeling 100% but I am going to make it to PASS writing...nothing will stop me!  Was so glad when the day was finally over, though....

pink eye

Yup.  I caught pink eye from my self, or rather it moved up from my sinuses.  Got antibiotics today, so hopefully I'll be on the mend...

Sleepy Sunday

Stayed in bed most of the day, which was miserable.  Praying I get better soon.

Sick weekend (part 2)

Not happy to be in another sick weekend....so ready to be done with this!

Hate my throat right now...

Why does it feel like fire?  Thought I was over this two weeks ago..... grrr

Six months!!!!

In six months I get to marry my bestest friend ever!!!

Hard news

Had to hear some hard news today during Journey Group about my church.  Sad news.  Thankful that God is in control even when things look grim.

Reminders

Had an interview today for a job I was really excited about but ultimately had to turn down due to several different factors.  However, the way in which I even got the interview was so obviously God's hand, that it encouraged me greatly to remember that He is in control!  Hooray for little reminders!

20 days!

15 days of school left, and in 20 days I get to go to AZ for spring break!  Hooray!

(Also a productive day getting errands and school done, but mostly just excited about seeing Jonathan soon!)

Back to TRHillville

Drove back to Rock Hill tonight after church and spending some time with the family. Started listening to The Screwtape Letters on the way back, which made the time fly by faster!

Happy early birthday!

To my amazing mother!  Today a contingent of gals went shopping and I ordered a new pair of glasses!  Then to Kristin's to spend some time with her before birthday dinner at home!  Hooray for asparagus, corned beef, baked potato, and carrot cake!

Home again, home again jiggety jig!

Made it home in time for dinner!  Hooray!  So glad to see my family whom I love so dearly!

Ready to Drive

Packed up today and ready to go tomorrow.  Also went to the optometrist and got one more thing checked off the list of things to do before the end of summer. Yay!

Unfortunately, I was dead tired and couldn't stay awake to talk to Jonathan for more than a couple of minutes, which I felt completely awful about.  Especially since Daylight Savings starts on Sunday and we'll be 3 hours apart. :*(

Nailing down more details

Confirmation on the reception site today, so now all of my previous goals to finish before spring break are DONE!!! Yay!

Enjoyed JG this evening.  It was good to see everyone especially since I missed church this past Sunday.  Also wonderful to share all of the good news about plans moving forward!  Very very much excited!

Yay for a productive day!

go to school....check

Catching up on grading....check

grocery shopping....check

making homemade spaghetti sauce....check

clean up kitchen...check

wash sheets and remake bed...check

other laundry...check

clean up bedroom and closet....check

talk with my sweet fiance'...check

sleep!....check

Wedding plans moving forward

I woke up at 4 am and knew that I wasn't going to be able to work today...couldn't stop coughing.  But, the good news is I was able to book the photographer for the wedding, so that is one more detail finalized!  Now just to cement the reception location so that we can work on invitations and such :-)

Still sick

Stayed in bed again most of the day.  I did get my federal income taxes finished and filed, so now I only have to do the state ones so I can get my refunds.  Last year to file as a single!!!

Sleepy Saturday

Didn't get a whole lot done today.  I did get to talk to Jonathan a good bit, which was nice, and we were able to discuss some things that had been put on the backburner for awhile.  I also blocked Mrs. Rollins' birthday present, which I'll give to her when I go home this weekend.

Sick day

Called in a sub today because I woke up and my throat was raw.  I did go into school to turn in my lesson plans, and ended up staying for an hour before a sub could be found.  But very thankful we were eventually able to find someone to come in!

30 days until spring break!

Cannot wait!  So excited to go to Arizona and visit Jonathan!

OFFICIAL DATE!

We have officially booked the church for our wedding on September 14.  I am SOOOOOOOO excited!!!!

Grand Larceny

Hard to believe it, but someone stole $10 out of my purse at school.  I hate that we live in that kind of world.

Long Anticipated Release

Today the football schedule was finally released!  Hooray!  Now we can start working to book dates!

Very funny story...at Journey Group on Wednesday, I specifically asked for prayer that the Florida state game would move from September 28 (because that was the date I wanted to use for the wedding).  God's sense of humor...the game was moved and replaced by another home game.  I guess He knows a reason why the 28 is not a good day for our wedding ;-).

Something about a Sunday

Having a real day of rest, which is absolutely what I needed after this past week.  Started knitting on Mrs. Rollins' birthday present, but decided I didn't care for the way the pattern was working up so I started over and altered it to my taste ;).  But I definitely needed something to do with my hands while I relaxed, and the mystery knit along pattern won't be released until tomorrow.

Alumni brunch

Super fun to get dressed up and go out with some old friends and make some new ones.  Enjoyed the food and the company.  Then managed to get all of my grading done when I got home, so tomorrow will be a totally free day, and this one was both enjoyable and productive!

Not just any Friday

Finished school, finally.  Headed home and cleaned the whole townhouse except for the master suite.  Ran 2.5 loads of laundry, showered, got dressed, and headed out to dinner with some Alpha Omega alumni.  It was great to see the girls again, and to share my happy news since the last time we met.  Then home to spend some time with my sweetheart.

Hidden in our hearts

When the Word is hidden inside, it never really goes away, and the comfort it can bring is so amazing, even when the words themselves offer no specific promise or hope.

I Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Giving Jesus All

Learning that lesson yet again.  Even when it's the worst day in the world, He is worth it.  Amen.

Praying for strength

Such a rough, rough day.  Lots of praying and lots of tears.  So very very ready for this to be over.

Riding the Merry-Go-Round

Spent time with many people today.  Played Scrabble this morning with Mom and Daniel, and won with over 300 points and 2 bingos...a personal record for 3 player Scrabble.  Then spent a little while at the Campbells catching up with Allison, then to the Rollins' to hang out with Mama Lily for awhile.  We grabbed a late lunch at Chick-Fil-A before I headed over to play frisbee golf with Mom and Daniel at a park on Lake Hartwell.  Then home to pack up and head back to Rock Hill.  Received an email with the unofficial football schedule from Kristin, so going back to the drawing board on wedding plans :(.

Family day

Spent last night with my "adopted" other family...the Maguires.  Was a ton of fun, especially massages by Gretta! Also spent time with both church family and my own personal family... Enjoyed service, home fellowship, and then dinner out with all of the siblings who are currently living in SC.

 Dinner at Olive Garden with the family...minus Alfred :*(

What happened on the way home...otherwise known as the Group Hug...

Bridesmaid Day!

Enjoyed going shopping for bridesmaid dresses today with my two sisters and maid of honor.  We missed Bre', Jonathan's cousin, but we enjoyed our time together.  Afterwards Mom, Rita, Grace and I continued shopping and we found several more "fun" dresses at Ross--including one for Michael and Maria's wedding. Yay!

All three options...Rita is wearing the color and style we chose!

correct style!

Heading home

After school today, I get to head home for the weekend.  So very much looking forward to not having to wake up early, being able to go bridesmaid dress shopping, and spending time with Clemson friends.  Hooray!

My Valentine's Surprise!

I love my sweet Jonathan!  Thankful that my first Valentine will be mine forever!

Returning to the group!

After a strange set of coincidental interruptions, I was finally able to go to Journey Group this week.  Yay!  So good to catch up with everyone!  We discussed Ecclesiastes 7:2 and it was so good.

Knit, Knit, Knit a shawl

Worked a lot on knitting while I watched re-runs of Downton Abbey and just relaxed.  These last few weeks have called for rest!  Then was able to talk for a while with my wonderful Jonathan, which was so great.

Some Down-time

Spent this evening watching the latest episode of Downton Abbey (a double length one) and knitting after I got back from tutoring. It was great to relax after all the stress of grading yesterday.  Also enjoyed chatting with Jonathan through text, although it was somewhat inhibited by the return to camp and variable phone service.  Almost caught up with the mystery clue from last week...which sounds great except the latest clue cam e out yesterday ;-).

9 hours of grading....

....enough said!

Did enjoy spending some time with Jonathan tonight before we both fell asleep since he ended up house sitting for one additional night.  But still a long day with a lot of work.

Want to Dance!

I never really liked this song until I heard this cover, but now it is a favorite

I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Whitney Houston (Ben Rector)

Clock strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away
I've done alright up to now
It's the light of day that shows me how
And when the night falls, loneliness calls

(Chorus)
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

I've been in love and lost my senses
Spinning through the town
Sooner or later, the fever ends
And I wind up feeling down
I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls

Finally Friday

....about sums it up....

Loved

Jonathan played this song for me awhile back, and listening to it yesterday touched my heart once again.

Love of My Life
Jim Brickman (featuring Donny Osmond)

I am amazedWhen I look at youI see you smiling back at meIt's like all my dreams come true
I am afraidIf I lost you girlI'd fall through the cracks and lose my trackIn this crazy lonely world
Sometimes it's so hard to believeWhen the nights can be so longAnd faith gave me the strengthAnd kept me holding on
Chorus:You are the love of my lifeAnd I'm so glad you found meYou are the love of my lifeBaby put your arms around meI guess this is how it feelsWhen you finally find something realMy angel in the nightYou are my loveLove of my life
Now here you areWith midnight closing inYou take my hand as our shadows danceWith moonlight on your skin
I look in your eyesI'm lost inside your kissI think if I'd never met youAbout all the things I'd missed
Sometimes it's so hard to believeWhen a love can be so strongAnd faith gave me the strengthAnd kept me holding on
(Chorus)

Overwhelmingness

What a crazy day!  Between the field trip to Charlotte to watch an adaptation of the musical The Secret Garden, to a VERY long faculty meeting, it was a day of lots of tired-ness.  Basically got home and spent the evening resting and trying to recuperate from everything that has happened in the past week.

Returning

Hard day to say goodbye.  Can't wait to see this guy again in 53 days!

Work day

Spent the day helping the Rollins to start going through Grandaddy Rollins' house and clean.  Also cut Jonathan's hair for the first time ever...but as I pointed out, no one in AZ was going to care if I did a bad job, so might as well start practicing now ;-).  Actually, though I think it turned out alright.  You can compare the picture to his hair at the Superbowl party...definitely a difference!  Not much sleep though and we have to drive to the airport tomorrow.

Sunday and Superbowl

We went to Hope Freewill Baptist Church for Sunday School and morning service.  I very much enjoyed learning from Pastor Leonard Bowers who also spoke the message at the service yesterday.  He is a self proclaimed redneck preacher, but he very obviously had a clear grasp on the gospel, and it was a joy to listen to him teach.

While we were there, the pastor asked Mr. and Mrs. Rollins to sing a special song.  They chose "I sing the mighty power of God" and Michael, Maria, Jonathan, and I sang as well.  Definitely felt very included as part of the family.

After service, we ate a bunch of food that people had generously brought for us over the past 2 days which we took with us to share at church.  I did some knitting and we had some down time before Jonathan and I headed to meet Stephen at their aunt and uncle's church for a superbowl party.  Jonathan was actually a judge for the wings and dessert competition...19 wing entries and 24 desserts later and he was one of 3 very full judges ;-).

Then we watched the Superbowl, and enjoyed listening to Justin Holland perform during half time.  Much better than Beyonce'!

Homegoing Celebration

It was a hard day for everyone.  We had visitation and the service in the early afternoon, then the graveside.  The services took place over an hour from where we were staying, so a lot of driving, but it was a time of glorifying God for the life of one who loved Him so dearly.

Whirlwind to the weekend

Spent the day wrapping things up at school and preparing substitute lesson plans for Monday and Tuesday.  I am planning to leave school as soon as my students go to electives to head to North Carolina to be with the Rollins family.  I will be able to pick up Jonathan, his brother Michael, and Maria (Michael's fiancee), from the Raleigh airport on my way so that no one will have to make an extra trip. It will be nice to see Jonathan, but I only wish the trip had never been needed.

A time to mourn

Received word today that Jonathan's Grandaddy Rollins went to heaven this morning.  Very thankful I had the opportunity to meet this amazing man of God at Christmas before he went to be with his Savior.

Crazy weather, crazy day

I think my students decided to play weather imitation today.  The weather was so changeable...cloudy, warm, windy, off and on rain...tornado watch weather.  My kiddos seemed like they were on tornado watch with their behavior.  I don't know what got into them today but they were NUTS!

I had intended to run errands this afternoon after school, but what with having to re-work the duty schedule and then the weather being so weird, I just headed home and knitted instead.  I will have to run errands AND pack tomorrow.  Starting on Clue 3 of 8 for the mystery KAL tonight.  Enjoying the cranberry red yarn with gold beads.

Knitting a mystery

Today I found out that one of my "problem" students is withdrawing from our school.  I have to say in some ways, that is kind of a relief, even though it seems wrong to feel that way.

When I arrived home, I cleaned my bathroom and vacuumed my newly re-arranged bedroom.  Then finished a Wham Bam cowl and cast on for the latest Susanna IC shawl mystery knit-along (which I have already started making alterations to in the middle of the first clue to conserve yarn).  I am excited about using my last SAFF purchase, but since it is a single skein that I can't match I need to make sure that I don't run out midway through the project.  But enjoying working with the soft, cranberry red alpaca.

Oh what a Monday

Jonathan was sick all last night and sick today.  I felt completely helpless and miserable that I couldn't help.

I found out this morning that I would be teaching the Bible study at tutoring again tonight, so had to prepare kind of last minute for that.

Watched the latest episode of Downton Abbey...DRAMA!  And a few tears shed by yours truly.

Finally fell asleep and hoping that tomorrow would be a little less nuts.

A birthday, a year and 2 days, and a pleasant change

Rita's birthday once again!  It has now been 1 year and 2 days since I started blogging...crazy!  Time goes by so fast!

I did run errands this afternoon on my way home from church, and then decided to actually re-arrange my room while Jonathan took a nap.  I was very pleased with the results, although it took several moves to get it the way I like.  Then enjoyed a game of Sequence through video chat with him before bed :)

Sleepy Saturday

Spent the day resting, relaxing, grading, talking to Jonathan, and pretty much having a (mostly) full day off.  It was a wonderful feeling.  Kept being nagged by the desire to completely re-arrange my bedroom, but never got enough inspiration to actually do it.

Roller coaster day

Phone call....is school cancelled????? No....
Don't. Want. To. Get. Out. Of. Bed.
Friday last day of the week!  YAY!
Have to get work ready for student who will be out for several days.
Oh dear, the kiddos are sad we didn't have school cancelled.
At least they're being relatively quiet.
And look at that, we're getting early dismissal!
But I have to tell them, and they're going to go insane.
Somehow getting them corralled into order.
Got all of the tests done!
Lunch is running late and we're running out of time.
It arrived!  Hallelujah!
Lots of teachers on duty...this shouldn't take too long!
Too many teachers who don't know what they're doing...
But look, the kids are almost gone!
I have to call a parent before I leave campus??? WHY???
You made me wait 5 more minutes to tell me what????
On the road home, ready for a warm house after freezing at dismissal.
Home enjoying a comfy couch and just looking around emails and such
I FOUND DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 3 EPISODES ON PBS.COM!!!!!
Curled up on the couch, knitting, watching a great show.
Jonathan is home!  We get to video chat!
My emotions are going haywire....what is going on?  Why am I so teary tonight?
Question game!  I love this game!  He asked to play!
Snuggling down to bed.

Just wondering

One of those days when you really wonder if you're getting through to your students.  Having to deal with a physical fight is NOT fun.  Having a student lie to your face about the fight (claiming to have done nothing) when a substitute teacher saw, broke up, and reported the fight...can eat away at your soul.  Thankful mine is replenished by the only One who can.  Trusting that He is using me....somehow....

Hump day

Such a weird day---only the 2nd day of the school week and yet it was Wednesday.  Definitely fun to have a long weekend...and weird to have a short week, even though it is enjoyable to have one less day!

Got home late because of waiting around for a meeting that never happened.  Then laid down for a nap and overslept through Journey Group, which was sad, but it was a really awesome nap!  Talked with Jonathan for a while after he returned from church before we both went to sleep.

Back to school

First day back after the long weekend.  Managed to make it through the day with relatively little difficulty, considering how crazy the past 2 weeks have been.  It seems like something changes every day, especially during dismissal.  Today was the installation-in-progress of the fence along the sidewalk that made dismissal....interesting.  Thankfully we finished with everyone safe and sound in their cars!

Enjoyed spending time catching up with Jonathan today--talking about work and life and just appreciating time together.  Looking forward to seeing him in person and getting a big hug! (Alli sent some more pictures today so I'm posting a couple).

A month already!?!

Hard to believe it has already been a month since Jonathan proposed.  Was so thankful to be able to video chat tonight "face to face" so to speak.  As much as I enjoyed time in Virginia, I missed being able to see him too.  Getting in gear to finish up the 68 days until spring break when I get to see him in person!

Off the ice

We went to Charlottesville for an ice skating birthday party for one of Nicholas' friends.  I was reminded, again, how much I hate ice skating, so I did one turn around the rink and was more than happy to be done.  Grace and Rita skated for a good long while, and I think one of them was even working on skating backwards...but I might have been seeing things ;-).  Nicholas was done very quickly and we hung out while he watched people playing video games and sports TV.  Go figure.

After the ice skating excursion, Aunt Jeanne, Grace, Rita, and I headed to Waynesboro on the way back to Lexington for some shopping.  We had an interesting few minutes when my gas tank went to reading totally empty, although we found later that there was still over a gallon left, even after all of the bars on my tank gauge dropped out.  Shopping was fun, and I found my bridesmaid gifts for a steal.

Then headed home for some more amazing Uncle David cooking--shrimp, scallops, couscous, green beans, leftover asparagus, and a cold veggie/salad tray.  SOOOO good.  Plus chocolate ice cream!  I think it made Nicholas a little loopy....

Fun day in VA

Yummy breakfast by the one and only Uncle David, then playing games with Nickelboo, helping Grace work on her scholarship application, walk with Aunt Jeanne, grocery run, lunch, shower, Goodwill trip, AMAZING dinner by the aforementioned o-a-o-U-D starring steak, grilled asparagus and red potatoes (made by him) ensalada caprese and portobello mushrooms (made by me), and a great evening hanging out afterward.

A day to enjoy

Sleeping in late
Waking up with Jonathan (for once)
Exchanging Christmas gifts that I would never use for ones that I would
Laundry and packing
Relaxing for awhile
Making pizza for the girlies and me (from Papa Murphys!)
Driving to Lexington
Sleep!

1 year + 1 day

Since I met this awesome guy....who took pictures of me (ick)...and later asked me to marry him (YAY!)..Who'da thunk?

In other news, today was the LAST DAY before the weekend for me!  And I spent 5 hours grading papers so that I don't have to do any school work until Tuesday.  HOORAY!

Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

Ms. Custer's class all want to play
They're going to drive her quite insane
Rain, Rain go away!

After 3 days of no recess and a rainy day forecasted tomorrow...I'm so glad this week will be done a day early!

Praises

Just thankful that God answers prayers.

Bob passed his exam
Wedding finances have been more than adequately supplied
Jonathan is getting better
This is my last year of completing my certification and teaching at YPA

So incredibly blessed!

Miss "R"

Tutoring at the Dream Center today was interesting...I found out about 45 minutes before we started that I needed to teach the Bible study.  Fortunately, with a suggestion from Jonathan and a lot of insight from God, I think it went fairly well.  It was neat to be able to share the gospel and also what He has been teaching me recently in my own personal Bible Study.

However, one of the highlights of the evening was tutoring little Miss "R" (I'm abbreviating her name for confidentiality reasons), a 2nd grader that I tutored today, and who wanted me to show her how to knit.  We spent several minutes with my hands over hers on my current project.  Then she didn't want me to leave...so sweet...

"My" day

Enjoyed being the center of Jonathan's attention today...even if the poor guy was sick and had to take a nap in the middle of our chat.  The best part of the day was reminiscing about how our friendship turned to romance.  I love this guy!

P is for productive

Got a lot done today...oil and air filter change, grading, knitting, making pan-fry for dinner, rereading old love letters...over all a fun and relaxing day.  Happy :)

For the curious...guest post

Jonathan wrote such a sweet account of our engagement on Facebook...I wanted to share it here!  And just "because" I'm throwing in another engagement photo (and yes, little Miss Thumbs Up is Allison). =D

After many posts and new photos, I decided it was time to cough up the story of the proposal.  But first some background:

I agreed to help a friend, Allison Campbell, do a photo shoot of a friend of hers since she wanted help learning to shoot in manual mode as opposed to full auto on her camera...or so I thought.  Unknown to me, several months before the shoot occurred, the friend we were to photograph, Janet Custer, had been visiting Allison when the topic of marriage came up and what Janet was looking for in a future spouse.  As I've since been told, as she began to list what she was looking for, Allison's sister kept whispering the initials JR to Allison, then finally had to give up my name since Allison wasn't getting it.  Consequently, Allison began to play matchmaker as she realized that we might work together. She arranged for the photo shoot to take place on MLK Jr Day 2012 as a way to introduce Janet and I, and then planned to take us all to Starbucks so we'd have time to talk.  We met mid afternoon that day, did the shoot, then went to Starbucks where Janet and I fell into easy conversation and stayed after the others left to continue talking some. 

Later that week, I edited the photos I had taken and emailed them to Allison, but had forgotten to send them to Janet.  Allison asked me a couple days later if I had sent the photos, so I finally did.  A couple hours later, I get a text from Allison saying, "If you ever want to talk to Janet, here's her number." Right then I knew the whole thing was a set up.  I didn't keep her number, but as Janet and I emailed about the photos, we fell back into easy conversation.  We became friends quickly.  Emailing lead to online chatting and texting and phone calls.  The friendship grew rapidly.  We shared many interests, thought alike, laughed together, and greatly enjoyed each other's company.  

Our friendship had grown to best friends, talking about everything.  Working a 12 hour shift, then talking on the phone until the wee hours of the morning became a regularity for me.  Rough days at work for one person, led the other to selflessly stay up and encourage the first.  We both began to see qualities in the other that we desired in our future spouses.  After much prayer, we began dating/courting on July 14, 2012.  The friendship only continued in a more intimate way.  Even when I moved to AZ, the relationship never wavered and only grew stronger.

Praying for guidance, I realized that this was the woman with whom I want to spend the rest of my life.  So plans began to form about proposing.  I told my parents I was going to propose over my Christmas vacation.  They were excited, as Janet and my mom have become good friends, often spending time with each other.

Having learned some carpentry recently, I thought of the perfect plan for how to propose.  Though Janet was expecting the proposal, I knew she'd never expect my plan.  I was going to construct a wooden box and give it to her for Christmas.  Inside the box was going to be a love letter, of which a post script would explain how to open a secret drawer.  I was going to place her ring inside the secret drawer and drop to one knee and propose as soon as she saw the ring.  However, the wood for said box and I had a great fight.  I lost.  Plan B was now needed, and fast.  This was Sunday, I was to travel over Tuesday and Wednesday to see her with Monday spent packing and cleaning to leave AZ.  We had planned that the Friday I got home to spend the day together and start looking for possible wedding venues.  I asked her dad that morning about proposing, and with his blessing, Plan B was in effect.  

That Friday afternoon, we started with Table Rock Lodge.  After exploring there, we drove up to Pretty Place in northern Greenville County, SC.  After driving for forever, and finally finding it, we got out to look.  I had the ring in my camera bag so that at the right place I could pull it out and ask.  I had forgotten to take it at Table Rock, so I was hoping that it wouldn't give anything away when I took it into Pretty Place.  I snapped a few pictures, and deciding this was the place to ask, I commented on the view.  As she turned to look at it, I quickly retrieved the ring box from my bag.  As it was clearing the pocket, she turned around.  My heart sank.  I was sure she had seen the box and my surprise was ruined.  I quickly closed the box in my hand and slid it beside me out of her view.  I walked over to her to enjoy the view with her, or so she thought.  Standing beside her, I waited for her to turn to face me.  As soon as she did, I dropped to one knee and asked.  I was so excited, I actually missed her answer, although her eyes and smile said enough for me.  She was completely surprised.  Somehow, she had never seen the ring box.  We spent the rest of the day looking at a couple other options, enjoying our first meal together as an engaged couple, then headed home to tell our families.  

I must say that I had resigned myself to a life of celibacy and had no interest in trying to find a spouse.  Even when I knew I had been set up, I wasn't looking or wanting to start a relationship.  About a month after we met, Janet and I decided to meet Allison and her friend for a Clemson baseball game.  However, they "conveniently" had a birthday party to attend and left us hanging much to Allison's delight.  Janet and I managed to each bring a respective brother to help limit the awkwardness.  Even after that, I wasn't expecting anything.  But with time, God worked on my stubborn heart and changed my desires.  I will be eternally grateful to him and to the scheming of friends who introduced me to the most wonderful, amazing, beautiful, smart woman that I am excited to spend the rest of my life with.  

Wish I could get one of these right now....

Celebrate!

Celebrating my engagement with Nicole today--we're going out to Olive Garden for dinner.  Hooray!

Just cuz I like them and want to share...a couple more engagement pictures....

Finally returning to normal

Today finally feels like I'm kind of going back to normal.  School went fairly well, and we had Journey Group tonight.  It was wonderful to see everyone and share my exciting engagement news.  Sorry for the shorter posts the last couple of days, but after trying to catch up 3 weeks of blogging, I'm running out of things to say!

Trying to get caught up

Was able to at least get my desk cleared a little today.  When I got home I felt really strange and ended up trying to nap for awhile before running out to Aldi for groceries.  It was nice to be able to chat a little longer with Jonathan tonight before I fell asleep.  I love this guy!

Back to School

First day back--it feels really weird.  My desk is a mess, and I don't feel like I accomplished a whole lot, but at least we got started.  Tutoring at the Dream Center this evening, then chatting with Jonathan a little before falling asleep.

Returning to Rock Hill

Packed the car before I left for church.  Enjoyed the service, and was able to ask Mr. Farmer if he would be willing to perform our wedding ceremony (he said yes! =D).  Then home fellowship at the Maguires' house before leaving to head back to Rock Hill.  Jonathan was so sweet to call and talk with me (or listen to me) on my drive home, and then he went to dinner at the Wilsons' while I unloaded the car and caught up with Nicole.  Then we were able to video chat because he is house sitting for Matt and Rachael for the next month or so.  Lots of video chats. Yay!

Recovery

Spent most of the day sleeping.  I was so exhausted from work, and a busy break.  Definitely a well-needed recuperation time, even though I thankfully avoided the flu.

Lethargy and Legwork

Was really tired today, had a nagging headache, just did not feel great.  Mom and I were able to go to lunch and start discussing wedding plans, as well as looking at some possibly venues, which was nice.  Several places we checked had membership clauses, but we found two that we liked (although the people we needed to talk to weren't there that day).  The Mount Church and Clemson United Methodist both had sanctuaries that while very different could work for our wedding.  We'll see whether either one is a possibility later when Mom contacts their offices.

The Mount

CUMC

Departure

Early morning.  Mom dropped me off at the Rollins after she took Daniel to school so that I could help Jonathan finish laundry and packing.  Then the sorrowful journey to drop him off at the airport, where I managed to twist my ankle.  Ick. Made me even more emotional than I already was.  Stopped by the mall on the way home to get my frame exchanged (we realized that the date had been engraved incorrectly).  When I arrived home, I found out that Dad had been diagnosed with the flu.  Between my injured ankle and the chance of catching the flu, I called in sick for Friday and ended up staying in town rather than heading back to Rock Hill that night.

Coming to the end

Last full day together.  We went and saw the Hobbit with Rita, Grace, and Daniel, and then went back and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Rollins' before going to church for the undecorating party.  Jonathan managed to get put in charge of the 16 foot ladder, so that was certainly an adventure!  Then Alli, Ronnie, Sarah, Jon, Jonathan, and I went to Moe Joes for coffee and to catch up.  We were planning to play Apples to Apples, but that was nixed because Ronnie and Jon got into a gospel conversation with some guys who were there for open mic night.  But it was still fun to talk with Alli and Sarah and just enjoy the time.  Then we headed back to my house for a while before finally going to bed.

Parents Dinner

Jonathan and I spent the morning and early afternoon at my house with my family playing games and just hanging out before heading over to his house to help his parents with final preparations for dinner.  Then my parents came over and officially met his, and we had a delicious meal of roasted veggies, grilled chicken, salad, mac and cheese, homemade bread, and brandied fruit cake.  Yum!