yep...i know....it's about time i updated. Well, I have gotten into the Facebook thing and i find it so much more easy to update and keep track of people. i don't always have the time to blog. plus, i honestly don't always have something to say. yeah....i know....that's hard for some of you to believe.
here are some things that are occupying my time.....
* grading papers.....either i give way too much work.....or 5th grade papers take longer to grade
* couponing....one of my student's moms is a friend and she has gotten my somewhat addicted to clipping coupons.....it has turned into sort of a sport. i love saving money and she has showed me great ways to get good deals at a fraction of the cost (that sounded like a commercial or something)
* raising two very busy kids- we have two bball practices a week and one dance lesson a week....that is three nights of running kids. troy helps as much as possible, but he started reffing church league bball and so his tues. & thurs. are busy.
i know....how could those three simple things take up so much time......i wonder that myself.
i am excited that this is a three day school week. i am ready for a vacation. i am more ready for Christmas vacation, but I will take four days any time! I think I could use some two hour delays as well! That would be sweet!
see....not much to update. gotta go help abigail with a project. is it bedtime yet?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
such a slacker
okay...well....life has been pretty hectic around here. school started on august 11th for me and the 14th for the kids. i have 22 precious fifth graders this year. i am already swamped with papers to grade (my least favorite part of the job), but i have a great class. oh yes, i have a few rotten eggs, but you will always have those kids to keep you on your toes. last week seemed to be the neverending week!
i became an aunt for the 6th time last wednesday. my younger sister gave birth to her second child....a boy....named Case Simpson Stiles. He weighed 8.4....scrawny lil' thing!! especially since his big brother was 9.14!! it was nice that we live to so close and i was able to go to the hospital right after school that day to visit with Case and his mommy!
troy got his last chemo treatment last week! praise the Lord!! we celebrated on Friday by going to the Third Day/Switchfoot/Jars of Clay concert. It was a good time!
abigail and brandt are off to a good start of school. brandt got his first 100% on a spelling test today. i treated to him to a M&M McFlurry for doing such a good job.
i became an aunt for the 6th time last wednesday. my younger sister gave birth to her second child....a boy....named Case Simpson Stiles. He weighed 8.4....scrawny lil' thing!! especially since his big brother was 9.14!! it was nice that we live to so close and i was able to go to the hospital right after school that day to visit with Case and his mommy!
troy got his last chemo treatment last week! praise the Lord!! we celebrated on Friday by going to the Third Day/Switchfoot/Jars of Clay concert. It was a good time!
abigail and brandt are off to a good start of school. brandt got his first 100% on a spelling test today. i treated to him to a M&M McFlurry for doing such a good job.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Few of My Favorite Things...
this post is inspired by many other people. i have read several blogs and myspace pages and lots of people really have some cool things that they consider their favorites. i thought i would try to think of a few of mine.
the smell of troy (& his pillow) **if you know me very well you know that i have a very strong sense of smell. i think this might be one of my gifts since God did not bless me with the gift a good singing voice...lol. so with this gift comes my love of scents. i find comfort in some scents and this is one of them.
summer vegetables from the garden **my favorite is fried zuccinni
shopping.........at yard sales! **i am a true cheapskate at heart. i remember spending many days with my grandparents as a child and they loved going to garage sales. i didn't. i was embarrassed and would hide in the car. but, i have learned that you can find some really great deals at yard sales. i have proudly clothed both of my kids in many brand named clothes and paid less than a dollar for most items!
a summer rain **just like what is happening now.
hearing my kids say the cutest things **yesterday, i took brandt to the spring mill pool. we met some friends there and their boy was going to come home with brandt and spend the night....they are good buddies! with abigail being at church camp this week, it was just the two boys in the back seat on the way home. i was driving and listening to their conversation....it went something like this......"hey cole, did you know my dad has cancer?" "really?" "yep, he got it from dancing!" ROFL!!! brandt is convinced that troy has cancer because he took me ballroom dancing! we have told him more than once that this is not true, but he associates the cancer with dancing because that is when we found the lump on troy's neck.
okay....well i have so much to do today. this will probably turn into an ongoing post that i add to as i think of more things.
the smell of troy (& his pillow) **if you know me very well you know that i have a very strong sense of smell. i think this might be one of my gifts since God did not bless me with the gift a good singing voice...lol. so with this gift comes my love of scents. i find comfort in some scents and this is one of them.
summer vegetables from the garden **my favorite is fried zuccinni
shopping.........at yard sales! **i am a true cheapskate at heart. i remember spending many days with my grandparents as a child and they loved going to garage sales. i didn't. i was embarrassed and would hide in the car. but, i have learned that you can find some really great deals at yard sales. i have proudly clothed both of my kids in many brand named clothes and paid less than a dollar for most items!
a summer rain **just like what is happening now.
hearing my kids say the cutest things **yesterday, i took brandt to the spring mill pool. we met some friends there and their boy was going to come home with brandt and spend the night....they are good buddies! with abigail being at church camp this week, it was just the two boys in the back seat on the way home. i was driving and listening to their conversation....it went something like this......"hey cole, did you know my dad has cancer?" "really?" "yep, he got it from dancing!" ROFL!!! brandt is convinced that troy has cancer because he took me ballroom dancing! we have told him more than once that this is not true, but he associates the cancer with dancing because that is when we found the lump on troy's neck.
okay....well i have so much to do today. this will probably turn into an ongoing post that i add to as i think of more things.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
17 Days and Counting
I hate it....i only have seventeen days left before school starts! YUCK!! i will be teaching fifth grade again and i think that is part of the reason i am really dreading going back. plus, i have to get up early again. that will definitely stink. okay...i'll quit venting and add some pictures from our recent vacation to tennessee. troy worked at a ciy conference with nate karnes and had a great time. i think he really wants to go back down this sunday and work another week, but he doesn't really have the time off from work.
Troy and kids on the stage at CIY 
TN4.
This was right after our White Water Rafting trip. We rafted 5 miles down the Hiwassee River in Fun Yaks (2 person raft-like kayaks). It was great! Brandt was scared there would be crocodiles, but Troy told him the piranas were more of a concern than the crocs!! LOL! We had a wonderful time!
here ya go.
Troy and kids on the stage at CIY 
TN4.The kids in front of the sign at the college we stayed at.
This was right after our White Water Rafting trip. We rafted 5 miles down the Hiwassee River in Fun Yaks (2 person raft-like kayaks). It was great! Brandt was scared there would be crocodiles, but Troy told him the piranas were more of a concern than the crocs!! LOL! We had a wonderful time!More to come later!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
sleepless night
Here goes my attempt at blogging. I had intentions of creating this much sooner, but to no avail. I love reading everyone elses and so I figured...why not. I have done the Myspace thing for a few months now, but that seems so impersonal, so here is my go at blogging.
I titled this sleepless night because it is currently 5:36am and I am awake. Not barely awake, but wide awake! If you know me very well, you know that during the summer months....I don't get out of bed before 8am unless something unusual is happening. I am a sleeper. I enjoy sleeping. I consider it one of my hobbies. I once heard that people that take naps will live longer. I have take this information literally and I am setting a goal of living til I'm 100! I guess I'll explain why I think I'm awake and have been since around 4am.
I saw something yesterday that was so horrible. I was on my way home heading south on hwy 37. I had just taken my grandma home from our trip to Indianapolis to see my grandpa who had surgery last Friday. I had stopped at my mom and dad's house to visit for a minute and was just heading home with the kids. We were traveling southbound and was stopped about a mile short of a stoplight. This stoplight was installed about a year ago and there have many wrecks since that time. It is a very bad spot for a stoplight. There is a curve in the road so northbound traffic can barely see the light until they are almost upon it and the southbound lanes are coming down a small hill and have the same problem. So as I am sitting in standstill traffic I say to the kids..." I think there has been an accident. We need to say a prayer for the people involved." This has become a habit for me and the kids when we are traveling. I think it all started when Josh Haltom was in an accident while at JBC. I got the call on my cell phone and me the kids started praying right then that he was safe. So we have just done that ever since when we see an accident. So....I said a prayer for the safety of the people involved and that God would protect them. Then I got a cell call from my sister. We chatted for a minute (all while still sitting still in traffic). Then traffic started moving. We got closer and I could begin to see the wreckage. It was horrible. I was so shocked at what I saw I had to end the call with my sister because I was crying so hard. There was a semi truck on top of another smaller truck. I could see the skid marks from the semi. It had traveled from the southbound lanes through the stoplight and across the median into oncoming northbound traffic. It had hit at least one truck and I'm sure if there were others involved. The truck was underneath the semi. Our local paper has on their website that there was at least one fatility.
It is seeing and hearing about things like this that make me think about life and thank God for every day I am given. I know that I am not promised tomorrow.
I think another part of me knows that Troy and many of my family and friends travel that intersection every day. That could have been them. I am so thankful that is wasn't, but my heart hurts for the families that lost a loved one yesterday.
In the last few months I have learned many things. Life is short. Live each day to its fullest and be grateful.
Thankful for the grace that God gives and the peace that comes through knowing Him,
Rachel
I titled this sleepless night because it is currently 5:36am and I am awake. Not barely awake, but wide awake! If you know me very well, you know that during the summer months....I don't get out of bed before 8am unless something unusual is happening. I am a sleeper. I enjoy sleeping. I consider it one of my hobbies. I once heard that people that take naps will live longer. I have take this information literally and I am setting a goal of living til I'm 100! I guess I'll explain why I think I'm awake and have been since around 4am.
I saw something yesterday that was so horrible. I was on my way home heading south on hwy 37. I had just taken my grandma home from our trip to Indianapolis to see my grandpa who had surgery last Friday. I had stopped at my mom and dad's house to visit for a minute and was just heading home with the kids. We were traveling southbound and was stopped about a mile short of a stoplight. This stoplight was installed about a year ago and there have many wrecks since that time. It is a very bad spot for a stoplight. There is a curve in the road so northbound traffic can barely see the light until they are almost upon it and the southbound lanes are coming down a small hill and have the same problem. So as I am sitting in standstill traffic I say to the kids..." I think there has been an accident. We need to say a prayer for the people involved." This has become a habit for me and the kids when we are traveling. I think it all started when Josh Haltom was in an accident while at JBC. I got the call on my cell phone and me the kids started praying right then that he was safe. So we have just done that ever since when we see an accident. So....I said a prayer for the safety of the people involved and that God would protect them. Then I got a cell call from my sister. We chatted for a minute (all while still sitting still in traffic). Then traffic started moving. We got closer and I could begin to see the wreckage. It was horrible. I was so shocked at what I saw I had to end the call with my sister because I was crying so hard. There was a semi truck on top of another smaller truck. I could see the skid marks from the semi. It had traveled from the southbound lanes through the stoplight and across the median into oncoming northbound traffic. It had hit at least one truck and I'm sure if there were others involved. The truck was underneath the semi. Our local paper has on their website that there was at least one fatility.
It is seeing and hearing about things like this that make me think about life and thank God for every day I am given. I know that I am not promised tomorrow.
I think another part of me knows that Troy and many of my family and friends travel that intersection every day. That could have been them. I am so thankful that is wasn't, but my heart hurts for the families that lost a loved one yesterday.
In the last few months I have learned many things. Life is short. Live each day to its fullest and be grateful.
Thankful for the grace that God gives and the peace that comes through knowing Him,
Rachel
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