A White Weaver-Vegas Christmas!

We had heard earlier in the week that it *might* snow on Christmas Eve so we were hoping for a white Christmas, but we had no idea it would look like this:

Mama and Daddy's house

View from the back deck

Unfortunately, all of this gorgeous white stuff has kept us from driving to meet Bryan's family in Florida. The roads leading to the highways are super-frozen and our little Matrix does not have 4 wheel drive. It's an odd feeling to be thankful for extra time with one family while missing the other family... the things married life teaches you. :)

We did play Dirty Santa last night. Among the gifts opened were:

Some awesome fake teeth.

A Bump It!

And... the world's best bathroom decor EVER!

After we decided that the roads were just too icy to drive on, we bundled up and went for a walk to prevent Cabin Fever from setting in.

Daddy and Mama

Bundled up!

Wishing Nattie wasn't stuck in Mars Hill!

A Boonie Bundle!

I will admit to having some fun at Mama's expense a couple of times... we *might* have pushed her down in the snow. :)

On the way back we stopped off at the neighbors' house to borrow a couple of sleds. Oh, the fun we had! :)

My sweet snow boy!

Getting ready to ride!

The snow is still falling! We are hoping to be able to head home tomorrow afternoon. It has been quite the adventure here in Weaver-Vegas!

Appreciation

I have to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who has donated money, sent an email or picked up the phone to let me know you are praying for my sweet Ruby. I am a lucky girl to have such wonderful family and friends.

Please continue to pray for Ruby and her parents, Jesus and Maria. She has been able to spend some time at home recently and the smile on her face is incredible. She will be returning soon for a new treatment, so please keep lifting her up.

A Request and A Few Extra Thoughts

I know that this time of year we are all reworking our budgets to make Christmas happen for our own families. I am hoping you might be able to find a little extra room in yours to make a difference for a very special and deserving family.

My school has set up a foundation to help our staff and students in times of need. At this time, we are hoping to help a certain family who is struggling both emotionally and financially.  As my sweet friend Marnia has said, "Recent days have called for many tears and prayers."

If you feel led and are able to give to our school's foundation (we will be using some funds soon to help them through this journey), please follow the steps and link below.

GO TO:

Cobb Schools Foundation (www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org)

At the top click on Contribute

In the center of the page click on Donate Today

Enter a dollar amount - anything you can give would be incredible!

Under Program Designation - use the drop down menu to select Fair Oaks Elementary

Choose Donation Type

Click Continue and follow the remaining prompts

Thank you all for your kind words and most importantly, prayers. HE is teaching me to look for His hand and to fall on Him when my heart is breaking. Please continue to keep my sweet girl and her parents in your prayers. I am in constant amazement of their unwavering faith in God, their unrelenting pursuit for a cure and their dedication to their daughter.

Help

I know I have been an absent blogger.

The last few weeks have brought on a myriad of emotions. I've struggled with how to write about what is happening, and which pieces I want to (or should) share. I have been holding this post in "edit" for over a month.

I have learned to value a certain degree of privacy as it relates to my job. It's easy to share the funny anecdotes, but when things are not so funny I feel compelled to "protect" my students. Suffice it to say that this has been the most challenging year of my teaching career.

Every year, I wonder how God will use the sweet faces from years past to prepare me for the bunch that enters my door in early August. I spend weeks telling myself, "These children are with me for a reason. HE saw it fit to entrust me with these hearts for the next 9 months." Every year, I fall in love with all 35+ faces and I cry when they leave me. I obsess over how they're doing in 4th grade, 5th grade, etc..

I was so underprepared for this year. I want you to meet the brightest star in my heart:

 Ruby

I wish I had a better copy of this picture because it doesn't show an iota of how beautiful or wonderful this sweet face is. Ruby is one of the best things to ever happen to my classroom or my heart. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) at the end of her first grade year. She was able to come to school for 2 days during her second grade year. Michelle and I were blessed to have her in our class for most of last year. She missed days for treatments, but was healthy for the most part. We sent her up to fourth grade to our friends Aileen and Kristin. During the fall break, she had been in remission long enough to have her port taken out. Within a week of returning to school after the break, Ruby was back in the hospital. 

She has been there ever since. It has been more than two months. This is her third relapse.

I don't feel comfortable sharing much more of her story. It is her family's story to share. I am starting to feel like a broken record, but time with Ruby is the best part of my week

Her family is in desperate need of prayer. As you read this please lift Jesus, Maria and Ruby up. Pray for Ruby's doctors, for her nurses, for anyone who comes into contact with her family.

Posting in Spite of Protest

I will preface this post by saying that Bryan does not approve of my putting his humor on the world wide web.

Too bad. :)

Tonight's conversation during Simpsons:

B: What should we have for dinner tonight? More pizza? Cookies? Or pizza AND cookies?

A: I don't care. I'm not really hungry.

B: Well, how 'bout you get up and fix it anyways.

A: Um, no.

B: Well, can you at least come over here and pour wine in my mouth?

A: (laughter)

B: Can I at least have one of those cups with a top and a thing that comes out of the side?

A: What are you talking about?

B: You know, a cup with a top and a spout. So I don't spill. And I don't have to get up.

A: A teapot? A sippy cup?

B: Yes.

A: Which one? The teapot or the sippy cup?
Note: I knew which one. I just wanted to hear him say it.

B: (Laughs) Yes.

A: (Laughing harder) The teapot or the sippy cup?

B: People might call it a sippy cup.

A: I think I might have to tell people my husband has a drinking problem if you start drinking wine out of a sippy cup. Especially since we don't have kids. Which means we would have to buy them especially for that purpose.

(Lots of laughing)

B: You're not going to put this on the Internet, are you?

Of course not.

A Parental Apology

Dear Daddy,

I must apologize for my terrible behavior last weekend. I know that you raised me to have taste and class.


Taste and Class

However, you know that when I married my sweet boy, I inherited a brother-in-law who loves those awful Wolfpack things.

EW.

Let me be clear. I love my brother and sister-in-law. I just never thought I would end up here:

NC State vs. GA Tech

I was torn. I didn't know who to root for! As a loyal Tarheel, I've been taught to loathe both the pesky insects and the rabid dirty wolf-dogs. As a Bulldog, I've learned to harbor much more animosity towards Tech. I was quite disturbed when I found myself wearing red and high-fiving members of the Wolfpack Nation! (Bulldog fans wear red and black.) It was actually quite terrifying.

In case you can't tell, the dude in the this picture is wearing a tail.
That's right, a tail.
And his name is TK.

So, I confess all of this in hopes that you will be able to forgive me. I am, in fact, a Tarheel. You did raise me right. I'm also just a good sister-in-law.

In case you were worried, I did not:
smoke a cigar
wear any kind of Wolfpack memorabilia
or
make that ridiculous hand sign.

Love,

Abigail Lee

PS: Please don't tell Mama.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

I started this post as a tribute to my sweet boy, but got caught up in preparing for his birthday/Oktoberfest party. So, this will end up being a combination of our party and a tribute! :)

We stayed up late (3 a.m.) on Friday night food shopping, decorating and doing some of the cooking. B brought home a bunch of Oktoberfest decorations from work and put those up while I made his birthday cake (Black Forest) and two of the side dishes - cucumber dill salad and krautsalat.



Rachael Ray's Krautsalat and Cucumber Dill Salad

 Poor B had to get up and be at work by 8!! I woke up around 9 and immediately had COFFEE, swept the deck and patio, wiped down the outdoor furniture and cleaned the house from top to bottom. I ran a few party errands and met B back at the house around 4:30. He helped me put the kielbasa kebabs and German potato salad together. Our awesome friends Neeley and John came early and helped us set up the rest of the food.



Kielbasa Apple Kebabs



The Oktoberfest spread!

Warm German Potato Salad

We had a great time celebrating with our friends, watching football, playing Wii and laughing late into the night.


Serious Wii golf competition

Victory!



I know there are a few other bloggers out there who have done this before, but I wanted to make a list of 35 things I love about Bryan for his birthday:

35. On our first date, he taught me to play pool. My sweet boy can't sit still for long, so most of our dates involve us "doing" something. I get to try a lot of new things this way!
34. He makes family a priority. I knew early on when I saw Bryan's devotion to Nanny and Grammy that I would be in good hands.
33. He absolutely holds no record of wrongs. This may be because he can't remember anything, but it still makes me love him more. :)
32. He has a scale for how "horrible" or "fun" something is. For instance if I ask him to watch Private Practice with me, he'll say "No way. That show is 1,000 terrible!" Or, we'll be riding in the car and a song he loves will come on. He'll look over at me to smile and say, "This song is like 1,000,000 awesome."
31. He is very budget-conscious. Don't get me wrong, I can set up a budget. I just don't like to follow it. He makes sure that we follow the budget. :)
30. Keeping in line with #31, we often make decisions about where to eat out based on another one of B's "invented concepts" - Millionaire Food. For example, Wendy's and Taco Bell are completely acceptable but Chick-Fil-A is "Millionaire Food." Subway is okay, but Atlanta Bread Company is "Millionaire Food." As in, only millionaires can afford to eat there. All of this, of course, is subject to Bryan's discretion.
29. He never makes me mow the grass. :)
28. He cooks for me on Tuesday nights (his day off) and it is always yummy.
27. On the nights he doesn't cook, he almost always helps me do the dishes.
26. He even folds clothes!

25. Bryan makes me laugh every day.
24. He has taught me to love the Falcons and the Braves.
23. He always answers my questions about baseball patiently - even if I have asked the same question 2 or 3 times before.
22. I love the way he "yells" the answers during Jeopardy. He says that's the only way Alex will ever hear him!
21. As a "trade off" for the 100+ Braves games I watch every year, he watches Grey's Anatomy, Glee and Law and Order: SVU with me.
20. He doesn't "let me win" when we play Wii games. Victory feels better when you earn it!
19. He kills all the creepy-crawlies, even at 5:00 am.
18. He never, ever chases me with the dead creepy-crawlies.
17. He kicks ass at trivia. It's actually kind of disgusting how much random knowledge he has in his head.
16. He takes really good care of me when I'm sick.
15. He's never afraid to try something new. Even if it's crazy.
14. He has more hair than any man I know.
13. He is always calm when I am not.
12. His eyes disappear when he smiles. :)
11. He bought me a magic wand.
10. He cleans his own bathroom.
9. He tolerates a lot of "teacher talk" when my friends and I get together.
8. He helps me entertain 30+ 3rd graders every May at our house for our annual end-of-the-year party.
7. He may not be naturally "handy" but he is learning to do lots of things around the house - replacing the deadbolt and tiling the basement recently.
6. He also knows when something is more than he can handle. He knows when to call a professional. :)
5. He has loved me through some of the most difficult parts of my life.
4. He taught me to love Phish!
3. He has learned to love naps.
2. He always makes me feel appreciated and special.
1. He's mine! :)

A Weekend of Awesomeness

We got in late Friday night after a stop in Waynesville to visit with Aunt Tanna. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, but we ended up sitting and having the best talk. I love being in her house. It holds so much of my family's history in it and it's right next to where Bryan and I got married. 

We woke up Saturday morning to Mama making French Toast, bacon and LOTS of coffee.  In the afternoon, we headed to Hendersonville for the annual North Carolina Apple Festival. Nattie had to work and couldn't go, so we had fun in her honor. :)

Mickey Mouse balloons

Sisters

Trying to avoid a brain freeze?

 At least he shares!

On our way home Kadee and Jennie rode with me, and Chris and JP rode together so we could finish some last minute birthday shopping for Nat. We stopped at CVS so we could pick up birthday cards and it was there that hilarity ensued. 

Jennie had walked off, and Kadee and I were looking at cards. Kadee found a particularly funny card that may or may not have had a poop reference. When she showed it to me, I laughed so hard that I let out a little (but loud!) toot! We stared at each other for a millisecond and then laughed so hard that tears were running down our faces. (I told you!) Kadee dropped to the floor because she had to pee, and was trying to stop it from happening in the middle of the greeting cards section. 

I was smart enough to get my camera out. 

And yes, by this point, we are both on the floor trying not to pee our pants.

We recovered and went home and showed the card to everybody else who also thought it was hilarious. We had to warn my dad before he read it, because he had surgery to repair his ninth (yes, that's 9!!) hernia on Friday. It didn't help. He still laughed and it still hurt. What can I say? We're a family that laughs at poop jokes!

After dinner, we went out in Asheville with Nattie and her new boyfriend, Drew to a restaurant/bar called Usual Suspects. I don't think we were all home for her 21st birthday last year, so this was the first time we had all gone out together to get "grown-up drinks". 

 

New boyfriend Drew. 

We like him.

He can stay.

This is why he can stay:

1. He makes Nattie happy. 

2. He is silly. (Boone girls like silly boys.)

 Kadee and JP

We are such a serious family. 

The youth minister and his wife did not have grown-up drinks. 

They had water. Lots of it. With lemon.

They live on the edge.

 3 days of sister time = A full and happy heart.

I Know...

You miss me. You want stories about my weekend in Weaver-Vegas.

I will post them tomorrow. I promise.

And, because I've had *a* glass of wine, I will even promise to tell you about the toot in CVS that led to almost-peed-pants.

It was, indeed, a weekend of awesomeness. 

Excitement

I do not have the words to describe how excited I am about going home this weekend. I miss my sisters so much it hurts. I have not been home in months. Do you know how long that is in Boone girl time? That's like, 7 years. Seriously.

 I know this is an old picture. 

But this is my favorite picture with my favorite people on the planet. 

So there. 

There is going to be lots of hugging, and snuggling, and laughing until we cry - or pee our pants - whichever comes first. We are going to stay up way too late talking, and get just loud enough that Mama has to come out of her room and tell us to hush up. Then we will feel bad and apologize and talk about going to bed, but we will stay up just a little bit longer because we know that all too soon we will head back home. 

And then I have to go back to missing them.

PS - I cannot promise pictures from this weekend. I still have Middle School Moon Face with a Buffalo Hump that is not fit for public consumption. Thank you for your patience.

Every Day is Hump Day

I have never been so excited to wake up. Today was the last day of steroids after a month and a half of steroid shots and pills.

Let me back up. Just before B and I took our trip to Tampa, I developed a no-good, horrible, very bad case of the hives. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the new detergent I'd bought so I rewashed everything in my suitcase (and later, our house) with a free and clear detergent. Nope.

I spent the entire trip back from Tampa in a Benadryl coma. My sweet boy drove me straight to urgent care where they gave me a steroid shot and a week's worth of oral steroids. Things started to get better, but as soon as my oral steroids ran out - WHAM! Back with a vengance.

I went to my regular doctor who gave me another shot (boohiss) and a month's worth of oral steroids. Do you know what 2 shots and 5-6 weeks of oral steroids will do to your body?

For starters, I do not look like Wonder Woman.

1. 
   
   Weight gain and Hunger. I am starving. All the time. Which is really annoying when I am trying to count points for Weight Watchers. Miraculously, I've lost almost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Did I mention I'm still hungry??? 
2. 
   
   Acne. I'm not talking a few zits here and there, people. If you've seen me in person lately, you know what I'm talking about. I went through this in middle school. To go through it again at 31 is just a bit ridiculous. No amount of Mary Kay can make me feel cute right now.
3. 
   
   Buffalo Hump and Moon Face. Yes, those are the names of these side effects. Google it. My face is beyond puffy and I have a "lump-hump" beneath my chin that does indeed resemble this guy:

He is NOT cute!

So while this might sound a little odd (and maybe even selfish) I would love your prayers as I try to have patience with my body while the steroids work their way out of my system. I am so lucky to have such a sweet boy who loves me no matter what I look like, but 30+ days of buffalo humps and moon face will wear a girl down. :)

The Magic Wand Story

A few weeks ago, B and I went to Tampa to see Leigh and Dave. We spent a day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure so that Leigh and I could go to....

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!

It was, in a word, awesome. We had SO MUCH FUN! Bryan, Dave and "Medium Mike" (not to be confused with "Big Mike") came along because Universal serves one of their favorite products:

Beer!

(You thought I was going to say wine, didn't you?)

We do drink other things. Like beer.

I digress. At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter you can buy your very own, very powerful magic wand. 

This is outside THE Ollivander's Wand Shop.

We just came from a verywetJurassicParkride. 

We were veryveryverywet.

Give me a break.

Leigh modeling the magical powers of her Harry Potter wand.

Dave was very scared.

Being the brainiac that I am, I picked up a Hermoine Granger wand.

Within days of our trip, I was back at work. I am in the same grade, at the same school with the same fabulous teaching partner.  I inevitably spend the first few days lamenting the loss of my former students, waving to them in the hallways and feeling a great sense of satisfaction when they stop by my room in the morning for a hug before starting their day. 

My new batch of cuties are already challenging me to stay on top of my "game." They are incredibly sweet, but incredibly talkative. Incredibly. Did I mention they were at least really sweet?

Seriously -

They. Will. Not. Shut. Up. 

EVER.

About 12:30 last Friday, I reached my limit. 

There were 42 tiny humans and 3 tall ones. The tiny ones were winning. We were trying to have a veryserious conversation about homework, putting first things first and being proactive when I might have lost it just a little bit. 

I remembered that my magic wand was in the back of the room.

I rushed back to go get it.

I rushed back up in front of the very talkative cutie pies.

Me: Do you know what this is?!?!

Them: (silence and dumbfounded stares... finally!!)

Me: THIS (holding up said wand) is a MAGIC WAND! From THE Harry Potter World! And it is REAL! And it WORKS!

Them: nothing. (again!!!)

Me: If you do not CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS, I am going to give ALL OF YOU TYPE 2 COOTIES!!!!!!!

Them: Gasps. Shock. Wincing. (You could smell the fear.)

Me: THERE IS NO SHOT OR CURE FOR TYPE 2 COOTIES!!!!!!!

Them: Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 

Me: Do you understand?!?!?!?!?

Them: Yes ma'am. 

It was the most magical moment of my (almost) 9 year teaching career. 

My teaching partners in the back were choking down laughter, but it worked!!! We might have the most gullible kids on the planet, but they believe in that magic wand. All I have to do it reach for that box and I hear: "Type 2 Cooties! Hush!"

And they say kids have no imagination.

13 Things Your Child's Teacher Will Never Tell You

I found this article while hopping around on one of my favorite teacher websites. It was too true not to share!

13. The students we remember are happy, respectful and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

12. We love snow days and three day weekends just as much as your kid does.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note would be even better!

10. Kids dish on your secrets all the time - money, religion, politics, even Dad's vasectomy!

9. We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

8. Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

7. Please help us by turning off the texting feature on your child’s phone during school hours.

6. Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 (or more!) others.

5. When I hear a loud belch (or a toot!), I remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his parents’.

4. Kids used to go out and play after school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it.

3. We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

2. I’m not a marriage counselor. At parent-teacher conferences, let’s stick to Jose's progress, not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

1. If we teach small children, don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long.

Obviously these statements don't apply to every student I've ever had. However, they've all certainly been true at one time or another in my (almost) 10 year teaching career!

Won't You Take Me to Phunkytown??

This post is a little belated, but it was my favorite weekend of the summer so far.

On July 3rd, we joined our friends Lori and Will (and our new friend Katie) at the new Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta to see...

Phish!

(photo here)

This was our 7th Phish show together, and we had a blast! They even started the first set with my favorite song, Character Zero. It has been about 3 years since we saw them last so I was really excited about this concert!

When you can't see Bryan's eyes, you know he's really excited!

I will admit, I did not take to Phish right away. When Bryan and I met, he was convinced that all he had to do was immerse me in about a million live Phish recordings and I would love it. Nope.

Finally, he bought me the Billy Breathes album. I fell in love. In fact, the song that we danced to at our wedding, Waste, is on this album. About 3 months after I learned to love Phish I saw my first show. I was hooked - the lights, the dancing, the happy energy, every single minute. It's a 3-4 hour "mountain top experience." Can you tell I like it? :)

Phish @ the new amphitheater

(above and below from here.)

I might have a teensy-weensy crush on him.

Maybe.

It was a fabulous night!! They played lots of our favorite songs, we both got to boogie and we got our "music fix" until the next time.

Encore

July 4th was spent with our newlywed friends - The Burlesons! I forgot to bring my camera, so I stole these from Sherry's FB page. :)

Bryan loves to Bocce!

We played cornhole for the first time and Bryan taught the crew how to play Bocce. The boys grilled brats and burgers and once it got dark we lit a few fireworks and sparklers. (No worries Mama and Mom - we were totally supervised by a firefighter.)

The Burlesons:

Christina and Ron (the very responsible firefighter)

I loved having a whole weekend with my sweet boy.