August 16th

Today we got to go an actually walk through our new house that is almost finished!! We also got our closing date- August 16th, which means move in date will probably be August 18th. I am so excited- I felt like I couldn't start packing because it seemed so far away but now I have less than a month- so guess what I am doing to night..... packing of course. Here are a few pics from our trip out today.

R&R- that's rest and relaxation...

Don't ask
Inside joke amongst our group of friends
Just the girls
The Group
SCRAMBLER
BFF's Forever!!
Ashley swears she was born gangsta!
Just Us

Wow! What a weekend. Saturday after a long day at work we ended up at Joe's girlfriend Andrea's for his grad party/send off to the Marines- its still scarey knowing that he is old enough to do so! We hung out with our friends Josh & Nicole and a few people from Church- oh what fuuny pictures we have!

We decided to take a break from life on Sunday. Yes I know we should have been at church BUT with the events that took place this last week- we NEEDED to get away from everything and have some good ole' fashion F-U-N!! We headed off to 6 Flags Great America at 9a.m with Josh, Nicole & Megan. I guess everyone else had the same idea in mind for the day because it was packed. The waterpark was AWESOME!! They have this slide called the tornado- definelty #1 on my list. It shoots you straight down this dark tube at 45mph and whips you ip the side back and forth (at about 4-5 stories high until finally you come out of the end into the pool- sorry I didn't get a picture but they have one on the sight. The wave pool was awesome followed by the "bowl" slide- which is like a toilet bowl- you go round and round until you go through the hole at the end. And last but not least- the lazy river. We had fun grabbing each other to try to direct their tube in the path of waterfalls and spraying jets. At about 5- we ventured out into the park to ride some rides. Nicole and Megan hit up the Raging Bull- an absolutely scarey lookinf rollar coaster, while Josh, Dennis and I opted for the Chubasco- spinning tea cups. Dennis got the thing spinning so fast it felt like we were upside down. Of course we couldn't leave without going on the scrambler- which in my opinion was very weak compared to the one Nicole and I rode last summer in Lake Geneva that had my face plastered to her arm 3 feet up in the air! On the drive home we swung by the temple to show our non LDS friends where we got married and talked about the importance of it- see we had a missionary moment that counts doesn't it.

07-07-07

Pictures- Top- bottom: The 3 Stooges: Amy, Tara & Joe: Bailey & Tara: Tara modeling the pretty centerpieces grandma made for the tables- aren't the purdy!!

07-07-07- I guess you can say it was a lucky day. Dennis' cousin Cherlynn and Scott got married in Yorkville- it turned out to me an all day event. The catholic ceremony was very interesting from an LDS perspective. Cherlynn forgot her flowers, so she walked down teh isle without them and then Aunt Amy went and got

them for her. We had 3 hours between the ceremony and the reception so we took mom and Vic to see our new house- it was nice to walk through it once again. We then went over to Uncle Dales and hung out with David, Amy and Grandma. We then headed over to Ralphs Place in Bristol where we had a buffet dinner and watch Beta fights. When you get Dennis and his 2 brothers and their cousin David together you get the 3 stooges. They decided to combin

e the Betas from the centerpieces into one bowl and watch them fight. It was pretty mean if you ask me yet funny at the same time. When Betas fight, they lock lips and just sit there- hmmm, interesting way to fight I guess?? Anywho after the reception we stopped by Josh's hous

e and shot off some major earth shaking fireworks- that was an understatment. By 12a.m that night- I was ready to crash!

I'm up for the Challenge...

So I got to thinking today about something I said during Bunco. We were talking about reading during 1 round and I flat out said I hate to read. Let me make some clarifications and try to save my reputation as a great teacher. I like to read, I just get tired everytime I pick up a book and my eyes start to hurt. I have had this problem for a few years now and I have just been putting off reading or going to an optomoligist. So, my challenege, and I have chosen to accept it, is to make an appointment with the optomoligist and read alteast 2 books before I go back to school this fall. One of those books being, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The other book is Positive Discipline in the Classroom. So, I have a little over 6 weeks to accomplish this goal. I better get going.......

Happy 4th of July. What a busy day! I seem to do this to myself everytime I get a day off, I like to play catch up instead of rest. Not only did I wake up early to tutor instead of sleep in but I attempted to start to clean my disqusting house and I didn't finish. Halfway through cleaning Dennis and I decided to go get something to eat and then we decided to go to Lowes to look at washers and dryers and then the next thing you know it was time for our friends Josh and Nicole to come over. We went for a swim, grilled some burgers and brats and then headed off to Batavia to see the fireworks! It is making me exhausted to sit here and write all this out. I guess next time I get a day off I will sit and do nothing because I could really us a day like that!!

Sold!

This is a picture of what our house looks like as of Saturday. That's our door up by Dennis' head and our house extends over the garage where my car is parked- that would be our neighbors garage.!

So it has been about a week since we have bought our new home in Yorkville, so I thought I would post some pictures of our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage piece of this country! It is located in the Autumn Creek subdivision off of Rt 34, just 2 minutes from Rt. 47. It is in the process of being built so I will start off by posting the pictures of what the house looks like at this point and then I will post pictures of the model so you can get an idea of what ours will look like- the only difference between the model and ours will be the vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom :( but hey we get cathedrial ceilings in the living room! Enjoy the pics!

Let the house hunting begin!!!

Montgomery

North Aurora

We took our second round of house hunting this past Tuesday and fell in love with 2 different houses. The one in Montgomery that I love is 4 years new, has 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, a family room, dining room, full size basement, 2 car garage, sitting room, nice bright kitchen, nice professionally landscaped yard, a nice deck with a 5 person hot tub!!!! It is gorgeous- cute paint colors- it totally screams my name.... the downside is that it has a homeowners association fee and an SSA fee which brings the monthly payments just for those 2 without the mortgage to $200/month!!!

The one that we found in North Aurora is cute and has alot of potential but it does need some updating. I am posting a picture of it for those who would like to see it. If you want to go on Realtor.com, the mls# to type in is 06548637. There are a few other houses that we are going to look at this weekend- mostly in Batavia, Geneva and a few in Montgomery. We will keep you posted on what our decision is don't worry. Until then just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Sunday Night Scrabble Fun

We went to the Bodells this past Sunday night to play some scrabble. We ended up having a TON of fun- I think by the time we left at 10:30 my stomach hurt so bad from laughing I felt like I got punched. We really had a great time.

Bye Bye Allan's

So Monday was my last day of working at the school so I was looking forward to sleeping in. However, my good friends, Sarah, Matt and Eli Allan are moving to Michigan so I decided to go have breakfast with them thinking that I could just sleep in on Wednesday (yeah I didn't get to do that). I can't believe how big Eli has gotten since I sat for him last summer- he's a little man! He has a full head of blonde hair and is so adorable. It took him a minute to remember me but once he did, he wouldn't let me put him down. It was really a great visit and I am going to miss them but they are only 3 hours away so I can go visit!! I took some pictures before I left, Eli is so photogenic- he went crazy for the camera.

It's hump day!

Yea- it's Wednesday!!!! For all those who have been checking the blog here's what's new

• I went to the 8-5 shift at the office- it makes the day go by a lot quicker
• I am set up to tutor 4 students this summer, ranging from 2nd- 4th grade with another mother wanting my help with her 4 year old autisitc son- hmm, I don't think I will be able to squeeze that one in but I will keep her number for the fall. I think I should have just done tutoring this summer- it pays pretty good!
• I am supposed to go back to the school I student taught at to aide for the next school year and they even gave me a $5 raise- which was so deserved. They are holding it for me but I am still hoping for a teaching spot!!!
• House hunting starts next week!! We have about 5 houses that we are interested in seeing and there are even a few in St. Charles and Batavia!!

Memorial Day Weekend

We headed out at 6p.m to my grandparents house in Norris City, IL. We arrived alittle before 12a.m. I decided to be a nice wife and start off the trip while Dennis took a nappy nap. I ended up driving until 10. This is un heard of with me, I can't drive in the dark to save my life but I guess the coutesy car we had gave me the power to do so! You see, my ABS sensor went out in the civic so it has been hanging out at Honda for the last week while I have been driving a 2007 Accord- in which Dennis and I LOVE and will be buying once we get our house. Anyway back to the weekend.....
Saturday we had a nice BBQ in honor of Tonya's graduation. We played some catch in the backyard and picked veggies from grandpa's gigantic garden. We made our trip to walmart- a must when you come down to visit (it's the only chain store for hours!) We got some flowers to take to great grandma Ester's grave on Sunday and some gigantic 72oz waterbottles!

Sunday we spent with my family in ElDorado. We went out to lunch with my sister and her boyfriend and then headed to payless for some new flip flops- thanks mom! We then went to visit g'ma Meme at work and headed back to spend some time with the family before we headed home. Oh yeah, Dennis picked up a HUGE painted turtle on the way to my parents. He put it in on the back floor of the Accord and headed off. We did return it to his home at the end of the day.

After saying our good byes- we headed to Fairfield to grandma Ester's grave site.
I took some pretty flowers with me. I have been telling myself for 2 years now that when I go down I am going to make the 45 minute drive north to visit her gravesite, since I hadn't been there since her funeral in 2005. It was a very emotional time for me. She passed away unexpectedly from pneomonia in Jan 2005- in the midst of me living my life the way I didn't want to- in utter confusion. I didn't get to say goodbye to her- that was the hard part. This was the first time in my life that someone so close to me had passed and I didn't get to say goodbye.
Dennis encouraged me to spend a few moments alone talking with her- so I heeded the council of my husband and knelt down to chat with her. Lesson of the day- bring tissues with next time. As the tears poured out of my eyes- I felt at peace that she knew that I was living my life the way I was supposed to and forgave me for not being such a great grand daughter at the time.
As the tears dried up we headed home and arrived in St. Charles by 9:30. WOW, what a weekend. I was glad we got to make the trip.

Update

Here is a tiny update of what's going on in our lives....

I have been placed in an elementary school for next year- Kindergarten! This is what I have to fall back on if I don't get a teaching position. (pray for me)

Dennis is going back to teching- the sales thing just isn't working for him- besides he LOVES servicing houses and is starting to miss it.

We have started the treck of looking for a house- so far there are alot of cute ones we like and can afford but nothing in the ward. Hmmm?? Is this God's way of telling us he needs us somewhere else?

We are making our annual visit to my parents house this weekend for my little sisters graduation from highschool. This should be an interesting trip- I haven't seen my family since Thanksgiving and I have a new brother in law.

We got a new Bishop this past Sunday, Bishop Dana Koch.

Moving???

It's almost June and our lease is up in July. Do we stay? Do we go? Do we go ahead and try to buy a house or do we stay for a few more months and try later in the year? To much to think about....do we stay in the ward? State? Who knows what the rest of the year holds. Stay tuned to find out what we decide!

My Goals

So I came across this website, my 50 goals. I figured it would be a great idea to figure out what goals I wanted to set for myself in this life. As I created my account and got to thinking about everything I wanted to achieve, I kind of got stuck, and then all these ideas started to come to mind. Point being, I never realized how much there is to do on this earth and how little time we have to achieve our goals. It just makes me want to stop saying someday and start making it happen.

I was bit by an 8 year old so I sat on him!

Ok, so this has certainly been a week from you know where and I am not kidding! I have pushed my body to the limit and have barely gotten by on 5 hours of sleep each night and working atleast 14 hours of a day. The child that I work with, Aaron has been a pretty good kid lately. He knows my expectations and he tries to meet them and I give him props for working so hard to behave but I have had it with that little brat. I have been told that I have amazing patients. Well guess who lost their patience on Thursday? Yes, lil 'ole me who is packed full of all the patience in the world- I got abused for it too! Aaron was really getting on my nerves this week and we both finally cracked and butted heads this past Thursday. Aaron did not want to do his math work and tried telling me when it was going to be done- I don't think so little man! I usually work with him in the hall because he is doing a totally different math program. I decided to tell him I would be in the room when he was ready to work. I walked away and went back into the classroom when Aaron came running in. He ran up to me, yelled that I was a meany. I told him to get out in the hall until he was ready to return to the classroom. He ran over to the corner. I knew he was disturbing the rest of the class so I followed and started to guide him to the hall. Thats when he turned around a full force (hand print for an hour) smacked me on the arm, right there infront of everyone. So Megan and I carried him down to the office where he was restrained for 30 minutes until he cooled off. Upon which I was kicked and scratched.

After calming himself down he started bouncing off the walls (literally) and acting all cheery and happy. And then....

Something set him off at the end of the day when we were getting in line to go home. He charged at me- not kiding- and puched me with both fists. In order to keep him from hurting the other kids around him I jumped up and threw my arms around him and got him to the ground where I- this is the good part, the part that lets you get out some frustration towards this kid- put his arms together so he wouldn't hit me and sat on him until help arrived. Well in the process he bit me on the arm- so he then sat there with both arms crossed around his neck, to make sure he didn't get the chance to bit again (it sounds like I was hurting him but I wasn't)

I guess one of the other kids ran to the office on the way out the door yelling "Aaron is hurting Mrs. L, she needs help!" The secretary came down to help out and got bit in the process too.

Here's the icing on the cake...

When his mom arrived to pick him up she had this smerk on her face that I just wanted to knock off so to speak. She proceeded to say "well he never acts like this at home" That's because he gets whatever he wants. There is NO support from home what so ever.

SO here I am soaked in sweat and my adrenaline is soaring... and the principal says "Thank you for not quiting, most people would have been gone a long time ago"

I really hope she gives me a good recommendation or a good job in the district cuz this is crazy and I don't get paid enough to put up with this abuse. So there are only 14 days of school left and I am totally counting.....

In other news.... I have been placed as an Instructional Assistant at Batavia Middle School next year- that's if I don't have a teaching position by August- but I am not worried

The greatest accomplishment of my 23 years of life!

I did it! I did it! I graduated from AU this weekend! I finally got an edumacation! I did get jipt however. I was supposed to get Cum Laude (3.5) G.P.A honors recognition and they screwed up and I didn't get it!! Go figure- that's why (and many more reasons) I am not getting my masters degree from this school.

A little humor for the day!!

The Brain
In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where their family member lay gravely ill.Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and somber."I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news," he said as he surveyed the worried faces."The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant.It's an experimental procedure, very risky but it is the only hope.Insurance will cover the procedure, but you will have to pay for the brain yourselves."The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, "Well, how much does a brain cost?"The doctor quickly responded, "$5,000 for a male brain, and $200 for a female brain."The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked.A man unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask,"Why is the male brain so much more?"The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and explained to the entire group, "It's just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they've actually been used."

Bittersweet

I sit here at the end of the day pondering, I have come to realize that life is bittersweet. I am not one who takes change lightly, to tell the truth I absolutley hate change. Word has been circulating that our Bishop is moving to accept a job in Washington. We have come to LOVE the Bates family whole heartedly like they are part of our family. The email I just received from Bishop has just confirmed the circulation rumors and I am sad to see the Bates family leave.
I have also been experiencing more change in my life. Dennis just recently switched positions with Pointe, my best friend just moved 30 minutes away, my parents and I hardly speak, I am currently in search for a job starting in the fall and I have started to grow further away from some of my friends- feeling like I can't connect with some of them. I just hate that when life finally feels good and you think this is the way it is supposed to be and get used to things, it changes. I just keep thinking, this to will come to pass and I am sure life will feel normal again or atleast I hope.
On a positive note of change, the experience at the temple this last weekend has made me grow spiritually and made me realize that I needed to start working on improving my relationship with Heavenly Father. It has also brought more peace into my life at this rather hectic time.

I Can't Get Anything Done..... Janene Wolsey

I Can't Get Anything Done by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard

“I didn’t get anything done today,” I complained at the end of a long day as I tucked the new baby in her crib and sighed. “I feel exhausted, but the house and the kids look as messy as they did when the day started.”“What did you do today?” my husband answered.I gave him a dirty look.“I’m not trying to be funny,” he continued. “What did you do today?”“Well, I got up at five to feed, change, and rock the baby. Then there was breakfast, baths, and dishes, and then it was time to feed, change, and rock the baby again. Then there was washing, lunch, more dishes, rides to kindergarten, homework, piano lessons, and then it was time to feed, change, and rock the baby again.”“Hold it,” my husband interrupted. “It sounds as though you did quite a bit. So what’s the problem?”“I don’t know. I guess I mean I didn’t get anything important done today. You know, something besides the same old routine.”“Join the crowd,” my husband answered.We both yawned and crawled into bed. Just when we had almost dropped off to sleep, the baby cried again from her crib.“I’ll get her,” I whispered as my husband rolled over and moaned.I cradled our young daughter in my arms and walked down the hall into the den. Sitting in the overstuffed rocker, I gently enclosed the baby in the bend of my neck. Her tiny body relaxed as I quietly sang the words of her favorite song, “How I love my little Ashley, sweet and precious little Ashley. How I love my little Ashley. Honest to goodness, I do.”I felt Ashley’s warm infant body mold to mine, and after a moment she began the deep breathing of sleep. Normally I’d have hurriedly put her back to bed, but I could see the stars from the window in the night sky, and something held me there.“What did I do today?” I asked myself again. “I rocked my baby and told her I loved her.”Maybe I didn’t finish the wash, vacuum the stairs, or solve the world’s hunger problems. Maybe I didn’t write the great American novel or even scrub the sinks. But I rocked my baby and told her I loved her. And maybe, just maybe, that is the most important thing I will ever do.

Job...Job... Job.... the hunt continues

I am so tired of spending time on the computer to fill out job applications. Don't get me wrong- it's nice that you can fill out 1 application for the whole county but for petesake I am tired of doing it and I have just made a dent!! I wish someone would call for an interview that way I know this hard work of spending hours at the computer is paying off.

I just want to know that I will have a job come August. The only thing I want to do is teach and it seems almost impossible to get a job. I am starting to get worried. I guess if all else fails I can just stay at home and be a mommy- some day......