SO PROUD

As of Friday, May 11 at 3:30pm, Todd OFFICIALLY has his Master's Degree!  After everything we have been through this past few years, he still did it.  I am a very, very proud wife.

Todd's New Ride

I can't believe that I forgot to blog about this!  It's much more exciting to me than it is to Todd, but he got a new car!  

Many would think, "Oh.  A new car." but in this case, it's "OH!  A new car!!!!"  However, after 100,000+ miles, Todd traded in his old, green 1996 Toyota Camry for a new, charcoal 2010 Toyota Camry.  It's so nice!  What is the neatest thing to me is that it's Todd's first brand new car ever!  He's always bought used, so this was a new experience for him.

It made for a nice way to end 2010!

Todd pulls up in his new car! (Note - ugly house in pic is not ours!)

Todd thinks I'm a kook for wanting to take so many pics.

Rationale

Tonight after dinner, I found Todd digging in the pantry for a sweet treat.  (No, I was not in the pantry - haha!)  He found a box of Girl Scout cookies, looked at it and said, "It says on the box 'Courage, Confidence and Character,' so I'll have two."  He cracks me up!  A man's rationale . . .

A Long Two Months

It has been a long two months since I've updated our blog.   So much has happened that I don't quite know where to start.  I'll try to give it to you in a nutshell, but it is still going to be long.

APRIL

*Workworkworkwork - and more work.

That's all April is about for me. My fourth graders take the Reading & Math TAKS tests at the end of every April, and it was quite a task to fully prepare them this year.  Between teaching, planning, evaluating, communicating, reports, conferencing and meetings almost every day, April is tough.  April is also a lot of work for Todd, too, although he doesn't administer the actual TAKS test.

Good news though!  Todd's students did *awesome* on their EOC (end of course) exams.  His passing average was over 90% which is amazing!  I was so proud of him!  I learned at the end of May that my students did well on TAKS.  I was especially thrilled that 100% of my students passed the TAKS Writing test in April!  Over 1/3 of my class received perfect scores which thrilled me as well.

As far as next year, Todd will be teaching 8th grade Science.  This will be a positive move for him because the 7th graders he has this year will basically loop up to 8th grade with him.  I will continue teaching 4th grade, but I will only be teaching Math, Science & Social Studies.  This will be good for my workload, or at least I hope it will be!


MAY

May was tough - and that's putting it lightly.

* We lost my Grandma on May 6.  She had been on hospice since Christmas, and her health declined quickly.  She was a strong woman both emotionally and physically, and she could cook anything well.  Thankfully she shared her chicken salad recipe with me (from memory of course) several years ago, and I can now do one thing well that she could.  The matriarch of my Dad's side of the family is now gone, as is that entire generation.

A photo of us from ten years ago:

Grandma left behind four children, one preceded her in death just a month before, eighteen grandchildren, and even more great-grandchildren.  My Dad, Step-Mom, sister, and I traveled to Oklahoma for her funeral.  Here is a photo of a few of the grandchildren that were there:

* On May 8th, only two days after Grandma passed, our hearts were shattered.  I don't even know how to write this (and the tears begin), but we lost Mackey.  Our precious, cute, strange, goofy, sweet, boy had to be put to sleep.  It will be four weeks tomorrow, and Todd and I are still reeling from Mackey being gone.  Todd's best friend of 14.5 years is gone.  His ashes are home with us, where we wish he still was.  For being the calmest of our three dogs, it sure has been a quiet house without him.  The big dogs have felt the absence of his presence as well.  We are all still devastated and many tears have been, and surely will continue to be, shed.  It still doesn't seem real, and it seems like forever since he's been gone.

...............................................................................................................................................................

Now that I've dried my eyes (some), I'll continue.  May also brought us some proud moments and smiles.

* My sister, Cindy, was inducted into the Hall of Honor of the school district where she ran track and cross country in high school.  She was the first track star to be inducted.  Her beautiful and heartfelt speech had us all in tears.  A photo of her with a former teacher & coach:

Cindy, while giving her speech:

 

* I, along with my work team, took a bajillion (okay . . . maybe only 65) fourth graders to Austin for the day.  We met at te school at 6:00am, took chartered buses to Austin, toured the Capitol building, explored the Bob Bullock State Museum, and returned to the school about 8:30 that same night.  Talk about tired!

* Our niece, Whitney (a junior), went to prom. Luckily I was invited to take photos.  She was amazingly gorgeous, and I was so proud!  I can't believe how grown up she is now.  Man, I feel old.

With her date ("friend"), Alex:

A full-length view of her dress:

And with her double-chinned aunt:

* Todd finished his first semester of graduated school and did really well.  He is taking two other classes this summer, and has about a year until he graduated with his Master's Degree in Educational Administration.  I'm so proud of him!

* Our annual Memorial Weekend in Tyler with Todd's cousins was a wonderful time as always.  Although not everyone was able to join us, we still had family there from Boston to Colorado and all over Texas.  There were 24 of us, I believe; eight of whom were aged 10 and under!  Lots of fun, water, eating, drinking, and relaxing - just what we needed.





* And now, here we still are, in June of 2010.  Best of all, it is now SUMMER!  Ahead of us is work around the house (decorating, more landscaping, cleaning & organizing), relaxing, Todd's birthday, traveling to both coasts, and recuperating from a looonnnnggg school year.  For today, Steve sums it up for both of us :
 

 

Another Reason I Love Him

I KNOW . . . I have so much blogging to catch up on here, but I had to post this photo. It makes me laugh like crazy. (Todd can kill me later if he ever reads this blog.)

Here is my amazing husband this morning, donning a piece of the pinata destroyed at my niece & nephew's birthday party this morning.

See why I love him? :)

All is Well with the World

Todd is home after being out of town for eight days, yesterday was Valentine's Day, and our new furniture was delivered!



Now that Todd is home, the animals and I feel like everything is right with the world. And our den looks really good now, too!

Speaking of Thankful

Yes, Thanksgiving is now over, but it is still important to be thankful every day. One person for whom I am very thankful is Todd. I took this idea from my new blogernet friend, Jen, as she remembered her husband Shawn on what would have/should have been his 32nd birthday.


About Our Husbands . . .


1) Where did you meet? Todd and I met on a blind date after "meeting" on match.com. Our first date/meeting was at the Flying Saucer on Friday, November 11, 2003.

2) How long did you date before you got married? We dated for almost three years before we were *finally* engaged. (We lived in sin for about two years before that.) We were married one day short of 3 years, 4 months of our first date.

3) How long have you been married? We have been married for 1 year, 8 months (since March 10, 2007). What a ride it's been already! We are looking forward to many, many years ahead of us.

4) What is your favorite feature of his? Physical feature? I would have to say his gorgeous, bright, blue eyes. Mmmmmm.

5) What is your favorite quality of his? There are many ~ that's why I married him! Let's see . . . Todd is sentimental, nostalgic, calm, responsible, tender-hearted, kind, courteous, hard working, funny, passionate, industrious . . . I could go on for days.

6) Does he have a nickname for you? Kris (which is reserved for family and a select few friends), Babe, Dear.

7) What is his favorite food? Pad Thai, good cheeseburgers


8) What is his favorite sport? Football. He doesn't really care for any other sports.

9) When and where was your first kiss? Our first kiss was on our first date. We left the Flying Saucer and went to Mercy (a wine bar) nearby. They have such a unique and wonderful atmosphere there. Between the wine and the ambience, we just couldn't help ourselves. :)

10) What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Spend time together and with our pets. What more could we ask for?

11) Do you have any children? Unfortunately, no. We lost three babies in our first year of marriage, and are hoping to have a successful pregnancy underway before our second anniversary.

12) Does he have a hidden talent? Now, I couldn't tell you THAT, could I?!

13) How old is he? Todd is 39 years old. Yep, I'm a cradle robber. ha!

14) Who said "I love you" first? He did, but only because I waited. It was in October of 2004, almost a year after we met. Todd was taking our baby dog, Steve, to the vet to get neutered. I was crying and upset (worried about my baby), and told Todd that I just couldn't go with them to drop Stevie off at the nut-choppers. Before he left, he came into the room and hugged me goodbye. I was bawling, and he just held me and said, "I love you, Dear." My eyes are tearing up just typing this. Funny story, but it meant the world to me then and still does today.

15) What is his favorite type of music? Todd has the most eclectic music tastes of anyone I've ever met. Let's just say he doesn't like what I like (which is close to everything).

16) What do you admire the most about him? His kind and gentle nature, sense of humor, and sense of responsibility.

17) Do you think he will read this? No, he hates this blog. Todd is very private, and he doesn't like the fact that I'm "publicizing" our world to everyone. I'm still working on converting him. :)

Five Years Ago Today . . .

. . . Todd and I met for our first date. It's amazing that it's already been five years. Friday, November 11, 2003 --- what a night that was! There are a few hilarious stories that accompany that evening. I'll try to write about it in the future when I have time to get it all down. What I will tell you is when Todd called me the next day, I was smitten! There were only a few days a couple of weeks afterwards (when he was out of town for the holidays) that we didn't not talk. I'm so blessed to have such a kind, thoughtful, and respectful man as my husband.

In the past five years, we've grown to know, love, and care for one another like noone else. We have established not only our house but our home and the beginnings of our family. Since getting married almost two years ago, we have had even more wonderful times as well as some amazingly difficult times. No matter what though, we are committed to one another and to our marriage.

Here are a few of the first pictures of us as a couple:

Valentine's Day, 2004 - yes a big snowstorm came through that day!

March 5, 2004 - Bowling with friends on my birthday.March 6, 2004 at the Dallas Irish Festival:

I love you, Todd, and look forward to the next 5, 15, 20, 25, and more years with you! Thank you for being my blessing.

On another note, today is also Veterans' Day. Please take time to thank and pray for those who have fought for our country in the past as well as those who are doing the same today.

Because I'm Lazy

We survived the first week of school and everyone is still alive! :) Todd and I are exhausted, but we are determined to have a great year ahead of us both. I've been particularly worn out because my sleep schedule has been completely thrown for a loop. After starting training two weeks in a row, going on a scrapbook retreat, my mom's surgery, worrying about Mary (my gma), setting up my classroom in record time, and being thrown into a room with sixteen rats (aka students), I'm beat!

I'm kicking back this weekend and trying to catch up. So far, so good. I've slept for at least ten hours each night for two nights now. Think I'll do the same tonight!

So . . . in my pursuit to maintain this blog, I'm being lazy and cheating. Here's what I've thieved from Julie:

i am: being a bum today.
i think: i'll make this a great school year.
i know: that I am loved by many.
i want: to have a family.
i have: many blessings in my life.
i wish: the shelving unit my mom offered me would fit in my closet.
i hate: green peas.
i miss: having hope and naivete about pregnancy.
i fear: heights.
i feel: relaxed!
i hear: the ceiling fan spinning above me.
i smell: the pizza i just baked.
i crave: hugs, kisses, and snuggling.
i search: the internet via google reader, the blogosphere, and facebook.
i wonder: what our babies will look like.
i regret: quitting the saxophone.
i ache: when someone i love is hurting.
i care: deeply for my family and friends.
i always: kiss my husband each day.
i am not: a patient person.
i believe: that God has great things planned for us.
i dance: whenever i want.
i sing: random songs as they come to mind.
i cry: often because i am tender hearted.
i don't always: open up like people think i am.
i fight: if there is fighting to be done.
i write: in my blogs instead of journals.
i never: have had a pedicure.
i stole: a mailbox sticker from the store when i was little.
i listen: and have to remember not to think of my response while listening.
i need: some new pants. why did i only buy shirts before school started?
i am happy about: the fact that i am loved, that i love others, and good things will happen because they have to happen.

No tagging here, but if you want to take my lazy route and thieve this from me, let me know & I'll read it!

Guess I Really Am Tired

Case in Point #1: Todd and I were sitting in the den early this evening just chatting & talking about our day. Apparently for no reason I told Todd to shut up - and I don't even remember it. Even right after I supposedly said it, I didn't know that I had. Todd's not one to make stuff like that up, so I had to apologize for saying shut up to him. Even though I still have NO recollection of it.

Case in Point #2: Less than an hour later, I asked Todd what the date for Election Day was in November. I asked him if it was the 11th & he said no. After looking at his calendar, he told me it was the 4th. I racked my brain over & over trying to figure out why I remembered Nov. 11th. (My brain stores up information like dates, phone numbers, etc.) I told Todd that I knew SOMETHING was on the 11th - like a holiday or something. He checked his calendar for me & said, "Nope. Nothing."

I kept thinking. Finally, he said, "The first date we had?" AAAHHHH! YES!!! The date of our first date in 2003. Geez. I always remember stuff like that. The fact that TODD actually remembered it first proves that I'm tired.

I'm in bed getting ready to do some school stuff & go to sleep. I'm sure I'll never catch up.

Lightning Update

We are completely up & running over a week after our home got hit by lightning. Come to find out though, it wasn't the house that got hit. It was the underground wiring in our backyard's sprinkler system! Todd had sprinkler repair guys out today because one zone of the sprinklers out back wouldn't work. They dug & dug & dug and finally found it - the wire that had been hit.

When the storm hit that night, I was in our bedroom. The main exterior wall is a few feet from the huge maple tree we have out back. I heard a loud pop that night and naturally assumed the tree got hit. Nope, it was the sprinkler wiring between the tree and our house. I'm feeling very fortunate that it didn't get any closer to our home and that we were safe.

My awesome husband (that's Todd - you know - the guy in the picture at the top of this blog) has replaced our automatic garage door opener, replaced the panel to the sprinkler system, and worked with the sprinkler people and telephone people to get everything replaced. Like I said, Todd is awesome.

Just Because

My amazing husband brought me flowers today --- for no reason!!! While it may not sound like a big deal, it is to me! Todd has given me flowers twice - once for my birthday four years ago & for our one-year dating anniversary.



I am just thrilled and being a complete attention whore about it because he made me so happy. Sometimes it's just the little things, isn't it?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!! (and Will, too!)

Happy Birthday to my most amazing, wonderful, loving, handsome, imtelligent, funny, sincere, kind, (and did I say wonderful? incredible?) husband! Although our blog is titled, "Todd and Kristin", Todd never posts and doesn't really even read our blog. However, he finds out about it through me making him listen to me or from others. Todd told me the other day that he didn't know I posted in our blog about the broken oven. He said his Dad asked him about it because his Dad's wife reads our blog (Hi Linda!).

Anyway . . . here is a photo of my amazing husband on our wedding day. It is one of my favorites.

I just love that man. Told you he was handsome! :)

So far the Birthday Boy and I have enjoyed a fun day hanging out. We had a quick breakfast and some shopping at Ikea, then furniture shopping, lunch, shopped/layed around on some sleep number beds, more furniture shopping, and finally came home to cool off and relax. He's now catching up on birthday calls from his many adoring fans.

Todd shares a birthday with our nephew, Will, so we will go grab a quick beer with the baby on later this evening at Hooters. (For the faithful blog readers, Will is my brother's son, Aeva's little brother. He was in utero when Todd & I married.) Only our cool nephew would have an informal birthday gathering at Hooters for his first birthday!

Here's a picture of Will eating watermelon yesterday. He's such a big boy, and such a cutie! Happy 1st Birthday, William!

After hanging out at Hooters, we'll do dinner wherever Todd would like and then meet a few friends Saturday night to continue the festivities. Happy birthday to Todd and Will! We're over halfway through June now!

Superhero Update

DeafBoy arose from the ashes (bed) this morning with his hearing restored. Fear not, for he shall continue his reign as DeafBoy. We're just glad UnDeafBoy received his miracle cure without coming under attack from other superheroes.

BurnGirl didn't fare as well. She is still in pain and wielding stupid questions from children. Examples would include:

Child: "Are you sunburned?"
BurnGirl: "No, I went crazy with the blush brush this morning."

Child: "Did you go to the beach this weekend?"
BurnGirl: "No, why do you ask?"
Child: "Never mind."

Child: "Did you get burned by the sun?"
BurnGirl: "No, I sat in an oven."
Child: "WHAT?!"
Other children: She's being sarcastic.

Ya think????!!!! :)

BurnGirl's colleagues said she was getting more purple throughout the day. Lovely. UnDeafBoy slathered more aloe on BurnGirl's swollen, hot burns after she fed him this evening.

Perhaps BurnGirl can become BurnGirlEggplantWomanSarcasticTeacher. What a superhero THAT would be! ::preparing comic books full of color, hawt & skinny BurnGirl -yea!, and lots of onomatopoeia::

POW! SINGE! ZAP! BURN! OUCH!

Two New Superheroes

I'm going to tell you a story about two superheroes . . . DeafBoy and BurnGirl.


Once upon a time there was a girl named Kristin and a boy named Todd. Todd was once a mild-mannered man who enjoyed hanging out in the pool drinking cold beer. One May weekend he played in the pool, diving underwater, sitting on floats, throwing children into the pool, entertaining by splashing "cannonballs", and drinking his drinks. He spent too much time in the pool and with one too many underwater submersions, he filled his left ear with water. Strong as he was, his ear became plugged and much of his hearing went away. He became frustrated and tried many things to clear his ear and restore his hearing - but to no avail. This is the weekend he became DeafBoy.

Kristin was once a fair maiden who enjoyed hanging out on a float in the pool with a tasty beverage in hand. She couldn't swim, so she preferred her float to drowning and spilling her drink. One May weekend, she relaxed on a float for four hours while enjoying her Malibu and Limeade. Knowing the fair maiden she was, she applied sunscreen at the beginning of her afternoon and naively thought it would protect her. After much time and many beverages, she realized that her lips were hurting and the sun felt much too hot on her lovely, delicate skin. She learned later that night that the skin on her chest, arms, face, lips, scalp, and back were a purplish-red. This is the day she became BurnGirl.

So DeafBoy and BurnGirl helped each other. She put drops in DeafBoy's ears, gave him a heating pad, aspirated his ear, spoke a little louder than usual, fed him and loved him. In return he rubbed aloe gel and lotion on BurnGirl's skin. They began crusading the Earth together by sharing the stories so others don't have to join them in the world difficult of Super Herodom. We don't yet know the end of this story, but we do know they live happily ever after . . .

What a Sonic Blast?

So tonight at 9pm I think I need a Holiday Mint Blast from Sonic. I asked Todd if he'd like to go with me and get anything. While laying on the couch watching TV , he surprisingly responded, "I don't want anything (surprise #1), but I'll go with you (surprise #2). I guess he thought I meant later because after practically running to get my keys, he noticed I meant NOW. :) I then had the most amazing and ingenius thought. "Honey, why don't we take the d-o-gs?" I let slip from my lips. Surprise #3 came when Todd thought that would be okay. Here comes the funny part of the story.

I get the dogs in the car which can be a feat within itself. That's about 225 pounds of dog flying up into the seats of my Pilot! Mackey, in all his beloved weirdness, couldn't figure out that we were going into the garage and just froze in the living room. I had to close the two big dogs up in the car while Todd carried Mackey from the house. Since the big dogs are so rambunctious, I recommended that Todd got in the front seat w/ Mack, and they held one another like long-lost lovers as I raced to Sonic to get my fix. Steve & Pippin had their heads hanging out of opposing windows, their beautiful ears and gums flapping in the wind while they inhaled all of the beautiful smells of Dallas & Richardson. On the way to Sonic, I just lost it - crying, wheezing, and likely peeing myself in laughter. Todd looked so VERY, INCREDIBLE, TOTALLY miserable. The look upon his face was like a p.o.w. down a hole with three hungry & excited dogs. Surprise #4: Todd did not find my uncontrollable laughter amusing. At all. Not a bit. Upon arriving at Sonic, I partially rolled down the back windows, got out of the car, & reached in to lay down the seats. The misery ended as Todd carefully hurtled Mack-Daddy into the back of the car & we gave the beasts some treats. Oh, and we got our shakes, too.

Well, maybe it's not so funny to you, but you aren't all sugared-up on a Holiday Mint Blast!

Here are the canines & humans of our family from our 2005 Xmas card. From L to R is Steve, Pippin & Mackey. (Kristin & Todd are the humans!)

Blogalicious

My first blog post. I feel so blogalicious. How that feels, I do not know. I honestly have no idea what exactly we will do with this blog, but I felt the need to develop one. Our life together is not really that exciting, but it's our life, and we like it that way. How about an exciting round of getting to know Todd and Kristin? (That was not YOU rolling your eyes!)

5 Things About Kristin
1. I am very sensitive and emotional. I can cry at the drop of a hat & do it quite often. It's not always about sad stuff, just anything that tugs at my heart strings. My students never see me cry - until the last day of school. Maybe.
2. Meat makes me nervous. Mainly raw meat (I won't touch it), but really meat in general. I eat meat; I just can't think about it while I'm masticating the flesh of another animal. The only thing I will eat off the bone is chicken wings because I smother them in sauce and Ranch. If the tragedy of my teeth hitting the bone occurs, meal over.
3. I would hate to be a cow. I should behave and be good in this life or God may punish me and turn me into a cow for my next life. That would suck - even if I lived in India.
4. My family and friends are what matters most to me. If you know me, then you already know this. I am fiercely loyal and will do anything for those I love. My pets are included as family.
5. I absolutely despise meanness and cruelty. Especially towards those who are weak - elderly, handicapped, children, animals, etc. There is nothing worse in this world to me, and I think those who intentionally hurt others have a special corner in hell saved just for them.

5 Things About Todd (as written by Kristin)
1. Todd has the most tender heart. He doesn't show it most of the time, but all you have to do is see him with one of our dog babies. He's a sucker for four-legged creatures. (That's just one reason I love him.)
2. Todd's favorite superhero is Batman. Superman comes in a close second.
3. Todd is a Writer-Racanteur-Liar. He can explain.
4. When I asked Todd what else I should write about him, he told me to add Firewatcher-Sleeper. I have no idea what that means, but he thinks it's funny.
5. Todd named our puppy Steve. He thought it would be cool to go to the beach & yell, "Steve," and several men would turn around. This applies (and also works!) at public dog parks.

Well, one down, many to come. Hope you're still awake.