A wonderful Christmas!

Mom and Dad came into town on the 22nd and just left this morning, so I have been busy spending time with them while I can. We had a wonderful Christmas...it was just nice to all be together again. I was lucky enough to be able to get a few days off or work and get out with them. We had so much fun taking Lydia to breakfast and shopping! I have tons of pictures, but I can't seem to get my computer to download them to the blog. I will keep trying and update later with those. Last night after having dinner with the family, I went to my friend Beth's house to celebrate the new year. It was alot of fun even though I didn't know everyone there! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a wonderful new years!

Wow, it's been awhile!

Sorry for taking so long to post again! I have been having trouble getting the internet here. There hasn't been much to write about the last few weeks. I got all my Christmas shopping done last Sat. so I am feeling relieved about that. I love Christmas shopping, but I also like the feeling of being done! So now I have gifts wrapped and under the tree!!!

Tonight I went to Shannon and Josh's to meet Shannon's new pet, Buddy. He is a Bearded Dragon. He is really cute!!! She got him for her birthday from Josh...he knew she had wanted one since she was little. While I was there I of course got to play with Lydia! Every time I see her I feel like she has changed (and I get to see her a few time a week). I brought Bella with me and she loved that! Bella and Lydia really enjoy playing together.

This weekend is the interactive dinner theater at our church so I will be going to that on Sat. night. I have heard it is going to be really good! On Friday and Sunday night I get to watch Lydia so Shannon and Josh can work at it. It has been a while since I have gotten to watch her so I am excited!

decorating for Christmas

Shelley and I decorated our apartment for Christmas last night!! I think it looks great. Shelley went out the Friday after Thanksgiving to buy a tree and with a few things from Grandma and Mom (and a few of my own) it turned out looking good.















I got a few rusted looking Christmas bells while I was in Texas and couldn't wait to put them up! I really like the way they look...it is hard to get the full affect in a picture.

















Our tree turned out really good also! It is small so all our ornaments don't fit, but we got our favorites on. It is so nice to be able to have a tree to look at!

Back home again

I had a great time in Texas, but it feels good to be back home and back to work (not to many people can say they miss work when they are gone for a week). My plane got to Chicago around 11:30pm on Sat. and my friend Beth picked me up. She surprised me and brought Bella with her!!! I was so happy to see both of them! When I started unpacking on Sunday, I found Jazz making himself comfortable in my suitcase. I thought it was really cute.

We had a great Thanksgiving here in Texas. The temperatures dropped Wed. night so it was really cool here. People here think it is freezing but it is more like fall weather. We went dinner at some friends of mom and dad's then went to see a wonderful moving (August Rush).

Today we went to another little town and did more shopping. We saw our old pastor from church, Eric, and his wife, Caren while waiting for our table for lunch. They moved to Austin in May and we haven't seen them since. It was nice to see them again. They are going to come see mom and dad's house here in San Antonio tomorrow evening after I leave.

On our way home we stopped at a town we went to earlier this week but wanted to see their Christmas festival they were having. It was really neat! The whole street was blocked off with a few different people doing live music and all the food vendors selling things. Later they had snow machines! It was really fun to watch the people that don't see snow all the time. It was a wonderful end to a good week!

We found this really neat Santa (he was Father Christmas) and just had to get a few pictures! The first one was taken while the snow machines were going.

The horse carriages were out giving people rides up and down the street!

Tomorrow we are going to breakfast and maybe stop and a few more shops then I am heading home. Please pray that all my planes are on time. I leave here a little before 6 and should get to Chicago around 11:45 (with a 2 hour layover). I just hope I don't get delayed later!

Adventures in Texas

Well, it has been a busy week, but alot of fun!!! Mom and I have kept busy during the day shopping and walking around San Antonio. These pictures are off of my moms camera, so those of you that also look at her blog will recognize most of these.



On Tuesday we went to a Big outlet mall and ate lunch at Johnny Rockets. The whole time we were eating we were watching a cat outside looking for scrapes of food. All of you know how I feel about animals and how I start to feel sorry for anything I think is suffering so we took some food off out plates to give him. He loved it!! The shopping was great... especially since I don't get to do that in Rockford very much.

Yesterday we went to see Dad at work and got a tour of the plant. We were told that we had to act like potato specialists but I don't think we really looked the part. I love to go through the plant and see the chips being made. This was my favorite plant he has worked at. It seemed alot more organized and cleaner than the others in the past.

I know this is a goofy picture of me but I thought it was really cool how the tortilla chips came out in perfect triangles!!

After going to dad's plant mom and I went to the river walk in down town San Antonio. It was really nice to walk along the river.

Today we are going to the house of some of mom and dad's friends and having the Thanksgiving meal. Then I think we are going to see August Rush (a movie that I really want to see) tonight.

The weather has been wonderful while I was here. It has been warm all week but today a "cold spell" came in and it is in the 50's. It is amazing to see how people react to it. I heard we got snow in Illinois yesterday. I am really enjoying the food here! I feel like I don't even get time to get hungry before it is time to eat again. I am enjoying it while I can because I know that when I get home it will be back to sandwiches and mac 'n cheese. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!!

Here in Texas!!!!

I am here!!! I have been waiting for this week for a long time and it is finally here. I got her on Sat. after a long day of traveling. I got my plane from Chicago to Memphis just fine and then got on my plane to San Antonio just fine, but after an hour in the air our pilot told us that we had been circling Memphis for an hour and would be returning due to some mechanical problems. Very annoyed and confused we all got off that plane and sent to another. When we boarded that one and after sitting there for 45 min. we were told that they were finishing up maintenance on that plane and would be taking off in the next half hour. By this time we all were hungry and tired of sitting there, but what can you do? I finally arrived in San Antonio 2 1/2 hours late. Mom had a wonderful dinner waiting for me! Steak, potato casserole and really good bread!

Today we went to a really nice mall and to a town not to far away that had little shops. Tomorrow I am told we are going to an outlet mall with really good stores! Sorry no pictures yet..I don't have my camera so I am going to have to get some from mom. Hope everyone else is enjoying their week!

busy week

Wow, another week is gone! I don't know what happens to my time. I don't feel like I am that busy, but my weeks fly by. The only real exciting news that I have is that my really good friend, Beth, and her fiance got a house. It is a nice house but it is a fix-er-upper. I was over there last night and we took all the carpet and pad (it smelled like cat pee) out and went through all the stuff that was left there by the old owners. Then today we cleaned the bathrooms and did some yard work. It is amazing how even a job you hate, like cleaning really dirty bathrooms, can be so much fun when you are with friends. I had to leave early afternoon to go to a game night with a few other friends so I am looking forward to seeing how much they got done this afternoon/evening. Sorry, I don't have any pictures, I took my camera with me but I was to busy to take any. Plus, once I started getting dirty I wasn't real worried about getting pictures. I will try and get some later. Oh ya...and only one more week till my Texas vacation!!!!!!!!!

Bella's first home clipping

Yesterday after church Grandma came over to help me clip Bella at home for the first time. I decided it would be cheaper to buy a set of clippers for $30 then to spend $30-$40 a month to get her clipped elsewhere. It went really good!! It was a lot easier than I thought...I was really nervous at first. She would wiggle really bad when someone held her until she heard the clippers and then she would just freeze. She knew what she was supposed to do when she heard that sound.

I like that last picture...you can just tell how much she is enjoying herself. I think it will get better the more I do it. I am just happy with the money I am saving!!!

my morning with Lydia

Wow, I have been trying to get my computer to load these pictures all evening! I don't think my camera has to much life left in it. I got to have Lydia this morning for a few hours and we had so much fun! I got a little set of play dough for her that has a few cutters and shapes with it and she loved it. We must have sat at the table playing for almost an hour.

She was so excited when I brought it out

I love spending time with her! Here are a few pictures that I got of Bella and Jazz today...they are really starting to play good together. Bella will sit at Shelley's door until I let him out to play! I am glad they are getting along now.

please pray for Cheryl

My co-teacher, Cheryl, lost her husband today. He has been battling cancer for almost 3 years now and has been in the hospital all week. He came home on Friday with hospice. Please keep Cheryl and her family in your prayers as they deal with what is to come.

Happy Halloween!!!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I got to go to Shannon and Josh's and take Lydia trick-or-treating!! I got to leave work a little early so I got there just about the time that the kids started. We had some wonderful stew and biscuits (family tradition) and then took Lydia to a few houses. She really didn't need to go to many because this was all new to her. Plus, the candy was more for Josh and Shannon then for her (even though she did enjoy the fruit snacks).

Sorry some of them are smaller...I am still learning how to do this!

Getting read to go!

She looks so little up there by herself

I think this picture is so cute. She is so serious!

She did like the treats after!

We got to look at a toy catalog after and she was very interested it that!

She was being so silly...we were trying to take a picture of the both of us but she kept looking at me and laughing instead.

busy week (and weekend)!

Wow, I feel like each week goes faster and faster. We had our fall fest at work on Thurs. and I had so much fun! We all do different games in each wing and have the kids dress up and walk around with their parents. There was pumpkin decorating, tattoos, ghosts prints, candy tree and so much more. Then this weekend I went to Six Flags with a few friends and had a great time! I am not a big roller coaster person, but they got me on two of them. I still stood in line with them on the others and go to do a few other things. It was their Halloween fright fest so everything was decorated for that. It was alot of fun. I didn't get home until around 2am so I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed but decided that I should take a shower since Six Flags is not the cleanest place. As I was shutting of the water the nozzle came loose and there was no way for me to turn off the water! I ended up calling my dad and he said that I had to call the landlord and let him know. At 3:30 in the morning!!!!! I did and he had me shut off the water heater and just leave the rest running and he would be here in the morning to fix it. I skipped church to wait for him and he still has not come! I just hate waiting around for someone when I have better things to do. Tonight I am going to a bonfire for my small group with will be alot of fun (but cold)! I will try to take a pictures there.

sleepover with Lydia!!

Shannon and Josh had a fall party to go to last night so Lydia came to stay the night with me! I think we both enjoyed it. We started out going to dinner with Grandma then came back to my apartment and played until bed time.

She loved playing with Bella and Jazz but I had to put Jazz in his room because it was getting to wild with the 3 of them. It was so much fun to have her and it will only get better as she gets older!

Christmas music!!!!!!

I started listening to Christmas music today! I know it is a little early, but Michael W. Smith (my favorite singer) came out with his new CD called "It's a Wonderful Christmas".

It is his third and best one!! Can you tell I am excited? You can go to http://www.michaelwsmith.com/ and sample some of it.

Bella and Jazz

Here ya go Mom...I am going to try to keep up on this as much as possible! I will start with some pictures I took tonight of Jazz (Shelley's new cat) and Bella. They did good tonight until Jazz got tired of Bella jumping around then his claws came out and he got me on the face and Bella on the nose!!! That was the end of play time. He is now safely back in Shelley's room (or should I say Bella and I are now safe from him) :) Here are the pics:

Bella watching Jazz on the other side:

Jazz watching Bella:He learned how to climb the gate:

Bella wasn't sure what to do when he went in her bed: