Our Last Day...

We spent the last day of our summer vacation....

in pajamas.

watching multiple movies.

swimming in a chilly pool.

taking a nap on the couch with Angie.

getting Chili's To-Go.

sipping on a cocktail.

not making beds and not doing laundry.

And it was perfect.

We are ready for the school year.......I think.

Water Babies

Swimsuit shopping.

Ugh.  It's not pretty.  It's not fun.  And most of the time, it's left me in tears.

Now add in having some extra squishiness from carrying an eight pound baby girl?  

A million times worse.

I made the official switch this summer from bikinis to one piece swimsuits for a multitude of reasons, the first being that squishiness mentioned above.  I've also gotten a wee bit more modest in my older age and not everyone needs to be seeing me parading around in teeny tiny pieces of fabric.  And then there's the practicality of the situation - Natalie is bigger and more active in the water and I have to be comfortable to move quickly and easily when playing with her.

So one pieces it is.  Once I had made my decision the hard work began - finding a swimsuit that flattered my figure and wasn't a gazillion dollars.  

As with everything else in life, when in doubt.....GO TO TARGET.

I was pleasantly surprised at the selection and quality of the swimsuits.  I honestly thought that I would be quickly going down the one-piece swimsuit rabbit hole and would wind up spending my summer sitting by the pool in a swimsuit a la the Duggars.

But instead I found lots of great fashionable styles that fit my body well and still made me feel "cute" but covered up as well.  Without further ado, here is what I'll be sporting in the sun this summer.

Mossimo separates "mix and match"

  I have the top (which also comes with a attachable halter style strap) but not these bottoms.  I bought bikini style bottoms in the same horizontal black and white stripe.  I mostly wear this swimsuit around our pool in the backyard and I rarely use the strap so that I can get a nice even tan on my shoulders and neck area.

Merona halter top in pink with gold details

This swimsuit kind of caught me off guard because it's totally out of my fashion comfort zone with all the hot pinkness and blingity bling.  BUT...it looks and fits fabulous and again, I can lay out in the backyard with the neck straps down and not get any tan lines.

Alright.  You're going to need to use your imagination on this one.  I found this swimsuit HERE but this is not the swimsuit I actually own.  Picture this style but with a turquoise top and black bottom - keep the ruching though.  Got it?  Okay.  The reason I couldn't find the link on the Target website is because I actually bought this particular swimsuit LAST summer and therefore any sort of link to it has disappeared into internet oblivion.  This is probably the most flattering swimsuit on me because it sucks in my belly the most and then the ruching covers up any remaining jiggle.

And the wee one?  It's much easier finding a swimsuit for an adorable toddler.  Never mind the fact that she has absolutely no clue that she can't swim.  We have certainly evolved past the cruise around in the baby float stage and she is squirming all over the place - learning to kick, stroke and blow bubbles in the water.  The best part of having a daughter that just might be part fish?  The water WEARS.  HER.  OUT.  And the second best thing.......she's inherited my Italian-olive-easy-to-tan skin and there's nothing more adorable than tan lines on a little baby butt.  

Circo Toddler Girls Long Sleeve Cover-Up

Natalie hates being dried off with towels so I can throw this over her body and get her dry without the tears and fighting.

Circo Toddler Girls Pink Hawaiian Suit

Circo Girls Toddler Ruffled Suit in Blue

Here are Natalie's two main swimsuits - one serious swimming suit up above in the pink and then a fun and frivolous girly suit complete with ruffles.  I'm not big on two piece bikinis on little girls; I'd like to hold off on that battle as long as possible and plus, with all the running around and hard core PLAYING that she does in the water, she needs something that will stay on her body and not interfere with her activity.  

Circo Toddler Sunglasses

I know.  Toddler sunglasses.  But they're turquoise and they match her ruffly swimsuit.  And she's only little once.  And they were really only $5.99.  And believe it or not - she does wear and keep them on her face about 65% of the time.  

Speedo Toddler Mary Jane Swim Shoes

Best swimming purchase ever.  The concrete is hot and the pool deck is rough.  By putting these on Natalie's feet, she can confidently play in and around the pool without fear of burning or scraping her precious little feet and toes.

So that's what we're sporting this summer.  I love that my girl loves the water and shows absolutely NO fear when it comes to getting in and splashing around.  Swimming has always been a summer staple with my grandma, my mother and myself and I've been loving watching Natalie find the same enjoyment in water as I do.

Summer Vacation

Last week I finally allowed myself to revel in the close proximity we are to summer vacation.  As a teacher, you never want to start counting down the days TOO early because then time will pass much too slowly.  But seeing as how I finalized my lesson plans for the last three weeks of school (one more week of volleyball with JUST 6th grade girls and two weeks of PE's Greatest Hits plus three days of finals....if you're curious) I can officially embrace my impending vacation and start making plans.

So what is on my personal list as well as our family list for the summer vacation?

1. REORGANIZE THE KITCHEN: Obviously this is on my own personal list and I am hiring the help of my uber organized and efficient mother to assist in this task.  I have a great big pantry that has lots of space, but right now it's just not utilized in the best possible way.  I need to clean out some party supplies and store them elsewhere as well as invest in lots of storage jars for pasta, snacks and baking supplies.  Also, the people who previously owned our house chose to haphazardly line the cabinets and drawers with the stick on liner paper which not only looks tacky but is coming up in several locations.

2. BEAUTIFY THE BACKYARD: Our backyard isn't huge by any means and our green space back there is limited, but what we lack in grass we make up in POOL.  Having direct access to a swimming pool in the Texas summers is not only practical and invaluable, but it also makes us incredibly popular.  Why would my friends want to go to the public pool when my house is open for free?  Unfortunately surrounding our pool is a hot mess right now.  We have what could be beautiful landscaping if it wasn't for the mild winter that we had this year - due to the lack of cold, hard freezes the weed population in this area is booming and the crevices between the rock landscaping is no exception.  In addition to hacking through the weeds and general overgrowth that has accumulated, Craig and I have plans to purchase a huge hanging umbrella that would cover a large portion of the patio so that Natalie can have a space to cool off after swimming or to play at her water table without her skin getting fried.  I would also like the little gray bistro table and chairs that I was swooning over at Target the other week, but for right now I'm happy with my two new lounge chairs and table that will be perfect for tanning and reading while Natalie takes her afternoon naps.

3. WINKIDS CLASS WITH NATALIE: I have a very dear friend Jill with whom I have shared the ups and downs of PPD and first time motherhood over the past year.  We met during my first year at my current middle school - it was my first year as a head volleyball coach and PE teacher and hers as an assistant coach and Spanish teacher.  Her daughter Joley is about six months older than Natalie but just as active, determined and full of energy.  Jill and I are planning on signing the girls up for a weekly toddler gym style class where they can get out all their energy, play together and oh yeah - time for Jill and I to sit around and chat as well.

4. PICTURES AND BABY BOOK: I have tried my best to be diligent in the way that I keep track of and organize the first year of Natalie's life.  On my flash drive I have a folder of pictures devoted to her first year and then within that folder, there are subfolders marked for each month.  Now that she is a year old, I'm switching to "Spring 2012" and then "Summer 2012" etc. because I think that will make things a little easier.  In addition to the baby book that I have kept for her which denotes all the milestones and special events of her first year, I've also been putting all the pictures we take here, there and all around in a big black picture album.  Unfortunately, I ran out of space in the album around her baptism which was when she was eight months old.  I've got my work cut out for me this summer for sure.  I want to print off the remainder of the pictures from the past five months (plus whatever we take between now and June) and put them in a new album.  I also need to finish up gluing in random pictures from the first year into her baby book.  The hardest part is finding the time to sort through the pictures and put them into some cohesive order for the album but if I can send Natalie away with Craig for the day, hopefully I can buckle down and get it all situated.

5. VACATION: If you go back through this blog over the course of the......is it FOUR or FIVE years?!.....then you will notice a theme with Craig and I - we absolutely love to travel.  What we save on buying expensive clothes and stuff for the house, we spend on fabulous vacations.  Sigh.  But alas, with the addition of Natalie to our family, this year's vacay will be slightly different.  Craig tossed around the idea of the two of us jetting off to San Francisco for a few days in August for my birthday but even though I was excited about the prospect of discovering a city I've never been to - the thought of getting on a plane seemed exhausting and daunting.  Then we got a Save the Date in the mail from his cousin.  She is getting married at the end of June at a beautiful resort on a lake in Hill Country near Austin.  A lightbulb went off over my head.  Why don't we just make a vacation out of his cousin's wedding?  It's right after Craig's big summer NCAA sanctioned basketball tournament and he'll be itching to get out of town for a few days.  What's better than cruising down I35 to San Antonio, spending a few nights on the Riverwalk and a day at Sea World with the munchkin before heading up to the wedding?  Brilliant!  And then he added on this little bit - since his mother and sister will also be attending the wedding, they're going to bring Natalie back to DFW while Craig and I meander around Austin for a few days and nights and have a proper momma-daddy vacation.  Perfect.  Now it sounds all good in theory but then I realized that we're heading to San Antonio and Austin IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY IN TEXAS.  Yikes.

6. OLYMPIC LOCKDOWN: It never fails.  Every four years I sit on my couch in the living room or on my bed and I cry at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  I think that since Americans are SO patriotic and proud of the freedom that we enjoy here in the states that sometimes we forget about the fact that other citizens in other countries are JUST as proud of their own country as we are of ours.  I cry at the ONE proud competitor from the smallest and poorest of nations.  The one who enters the gigantic stadium surrounded by only a few important coaches and handlers, proudly waving the flag of his nation.  The one who has, in all reality, absolutely NO real chance at earning a medal, but promises to make his entire country proud just by competing to the best of his ability.  I eat that crap up and by the end of the night I am a tearful mess on the couch, waxing poetic about the global community, pride for my country and the beauty of how sports can bring us together.  Seriously.  Ask Craig.  Or Lauren, my old college roomie.  Together, she and I were on Olympic Lockdown for the 2004 Olympics which included us not leaving our apartment for an entire weekend.  No lie.  We only ate food that we could find in our cabinets or could have delivered to us.  On that note - did you know that Jason's Deli in Denton delivers?  Genius.  We watched the bios of the athletes and by the end of the two weeks, we could recite the specific personality differences between a rifleman and an athlete that uses a shotgun.  There might have even been an evening spent in Chili's where we badgered the bartender to change the televisions from baseball (booooorrrring) to the Olympics (huzzah!).  Or maybe the night where Michael Phelps was poised to break the Olympic swimming medal record............yet there was a brand spanking new episode of Nip/Tuck on as well.  This was well before the age of DVR (plus we were broke ass college kids) so we recorded Nip/Tuck in the living room and had the Olympics on in Lauren's bedroom and spent an hour running back and forth between rooms trying to keep up with both.  I know, I probably sound ridiculous about my love and addiction to the Olympics but as an athlete and someone who sees all the wonderful and positive aspects of sports and competition, I revel in the world wide camaraderie and collective cheers.  Oh.  And on a personal note, my grandfather on my mother's side was all set to compete in the mile run for the USA in the 1940 Olympics............but there was that whole "we gotta defeat those Nazis" thing and the whole Olympics (and my grandpa's chance at a medal) were scrapped.  Instead of a trip to the Olympics, he enlisted and got to tour Europe by dropping bombs up and down the interior of Italy.  So there's that.

And this little girl?

Yeah, there will be a lot of hanging out with her as well.  She'll be a completely different kiddo when we drop her off at Ms. Rebecca's house in August.  More and more everyday she is becoming my little girl and less of my baby girl.

Summer

SUMMER GOALS:

1. Transition Natalie to her crib in her bedroom: I don't think it's going to be that difficult.  She is a very good sleeper and has been sleeping through the night since she was about six weeks old.  I tried it on Sunday afternoon by swaddling her and then putting her in the crib for a nap.  I had the monitor on and I didn't hear a peep from her at all.  I have a feeling it might be a little harder for me than for her - that bedroom all of a sudden seems VERY far away.

2. Summer reading: I have a huge stack of books sitting on my nightstand that I would really like to work my way through this summer.  Whether it's while nursing or laying out by the pool, hopefully I will find the time and energy to read instead of watch countless hours of mindless television.

3. Work-out: Since I've been back at school the past few weeks, I have found time during my 4th period conference to get back into the gym...and I am loving it.  I had to start off slow and with minimal weights, but I am quickly working my way back to where I left off last summer before I got pregnant.  Unfortunately, this summer my school is undergoing major renovations and I won't be able to access our weight room so I'm going to reactivate my LA Fitness membership and get my rear up to the gym for cardio and weights at least three times a week.  I figure I can do it in the mornings after I pump and feed Natalie and then hand her off to her daddy for play time and a morning nap.  There is no sleeping in with a three month old.

4. Natalie's Baby Book: My mom kept the most meticulous and in depth baby books for me and my two older brothers.  Sure...she might have been a little OCD about it but the book has really come in handy in trying to figure out Natalie and how she compares to me.  I have a lot of pictures I need to print off and tape into the book and I need to keep better track of all her important "firsts."

5. Paint a wall in my living room: Beige is boring and my living room needs a splash of color on one of the walls.  I'm thinking it will be a project one afternoon where I send Natalie off with her daddy to do something fun and I turn on some music and paint the wall some shade of green.

SUMMER EVENTS:

1. Girls of Summer Showcase: The annual tournament that Craig hosts that brings in college coaches from around the nation to scout out high school female basketball players.  Last year when I worked the tournament I was in the throws of all-day sickness and struggled to keep food down and stay awake while checking in college recruiters.  This year I'm helping out by organizing the Excel spreadsheets that every team has to turn in listing the pertinent information about each and every player.  Since Natalie will be 4.5 months by the time the tournament starts, I probably won't be helping out but I will try to stop by so that Craig can show off his beautiful baby girl.

2. Las Vegas: I love my baby...but I am ready for a few days away with Craig on vacation.  We will be staying at the Encore hotel at the beginning of August for three nights which Angie and Natalie switch off between my parent's house and Craig's mother's house.  Not that we do anything particularly crazy in Vegas, but I'm just looking forward to sleeping in, not changing diapers and having all the time in the world to take a bath.

3. Baby Nephew: My eldest brother Stephen and his wife Meredith have two little boys, Alexander (7) and Ford (4) and they are expecting their third little guy in August!  I am so excited to meet him and hold a newborn again.  I am also so excited at the prospect of Natalie having a cousin so close to her in age...I know between the three boys that she goes to daycare with and her three boy cousins...she is going to be one tough little girl!

4. Volleyball Camp: I haven't made my final decision yet, but I really don't think I'm going to want to give up a whole week of my time with Natalie to go and teach volleyball to elementary and middle school girls.  I know that it's a great opportunity to see my upcoming 7th graders...but since I have most of them in PE, I already know not to be too optimistic about having a winning record next season.

Euro Trip 2010

Craig and I went to Europe at the beginning of August. And then we came home, started school the next week and I got busy with having morning (or all day) sickness and coaching volleyball, and thus kind of forgot that we went to Europe and had a really great time. For example...

We found Jim Morrison's grave.

We stood in front of the Eiffel Tower.

We went and saw the palace of Versailles.
We rode in a tiny room on a train from Paris to Milan overnight. Craig said never again will he ride a train.

We saw U2 perform in Torino on August 6th (the day before my birthday).

We ate lots of gelato.

I lead us through the Forum with the help of Rick Steve's Italy guide.

We ate some more gelato.

Craig got to see all the sights around Rome that are featured in the movie Angels and Demons. This is in Piazza Navona where the final bishop gets drowned.

We toured the Vatican Museum and got one room away from the room dedicated to my great-grandmother - it was unfortunately under construction.

Since I was about two months pregnant on our trip, we also slept a lot and traded meals frequently when whatever I ordered didn't look appetizing. I had a lovely time and thoroughly enjoyed myself but was incredibly ready to get home at the end of the trip.

The Beginning of Summer

I can't believe June is almost over but yet I'm only starting my second full week of summer. My school district didn't get out of school for the summer until June 10th and despite our lengthy school year, I don't think I can say our students are anymore academically advanced than anyone else. The last few weeks were filled with dodgeball tournaments, field trips and field days, yearbook signings and LOTS of fun games in PE. Good thing I learned how to babysit large masses of children when I worked at the daycare during college.

But Craig and I have been having a pretty productive summer thus far. We've made a concerted effort to get up and do something either around the house or out in the community every single day. Craig has been focused on getting the yard taken care of - we recently had St. Augustine sod put in our front yard and he is concentrating on watering, edging and mowing to make sure that our grass firmly takes hold in our yard and doesn't die under the sweltering sun and heat.

My main goal for this summer vacation is to get our house organized and with a few visits to Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target, it's amazing what a difference I've been able to make already. We have GREAT built in shelving in our laundry room above our washer and dryer but over the course of the year and a half that we have lived in this house, they've gotten increasingly messier and more cluttered. I bought six cream fabric covered baskets and with my label maker in hand, I was able to sort everything out according to category (laundry materials, lightbulbs, cleaning rags etc.) and now there is a place for everything...and everything is in it's place which is a neatly labeled basket. Sigh. And now that I've seen the video evidence of Craig graduating high school, I know that he can read and therefore return all above mentioned objects to their proper organized spot. I did the same thing in our pantry by filling up all my wonderful storage jars with different items such as pasta, rice and pistachios thus opening up so much more room to see everything that I have in the pantry. I'm the type of person that if I can't see it, I forget about and therefore when things are cluttered in the pantry, there is a very good chance that there is a loaf of bread that is molding way in the back. My next goal is to devise a system of organizing the sheets in our linen closet upstairs in the hallway. Two out of three beds in our house use plain white sheets but one bed is a King and the other is a Queen which, I assume, leads to confusion for our wonderful twice a month housekeeper Martha when she is trying to change the sheets on our beds. I'm also going to tackle our trophy room where we have a big hutch full of our table linens and such but also has accumulated lots of crap that we had no other place to store. Don't even get me started on the wedding presents that are still congregating on the table in there.

Something VERY exciting is happening tomorrow! Our bathrooms are getting painted!!! Hurray! We had a company come last week and make a quote for all those rooms that mentioned in a previous post (House Tour I and II) and after some discussion, Craig and I decided that we're going to do the painting in two parts: the bathrooms first and the foyer second. So tomorrow our house will be invaded by the Carnival painting company who will be stripping the downstairs half bath of the terrible brick red wallpaper which will be replaced with a coat of "Serene Sky" by Behr paints. Or a light icy blue in lamens terms. Upstairs our maroon bathroom will be coated in "Marina Isle" also from Behr paints, but if you wanted to picture it...think of the sagey, calm and light aqua that you might find in the lobby of an upscale spa. Yesterday for Father's Day, our present for my dad was to have him help take down our movie star light fixtures in the bathroom and replace them with something softer and more modern.

Don't worry, he also was fed a delicious lunch of hamburgers, beans and mango salsa as well as gifted with an organizational system for his art supplies.

I can't wait to have it all done...I'm excited but also a little nervous because I am hoping that the picture that I have in my head as to how things will turn out...will actually be how they turn out!

But summer vacation hasn't been all work and no play of course. We have also been filling up the long summer days with...
...lots and lots of sunshine lying in and and around the pool. So far, I've finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett, gotten a few chapters into Wicked by Gregory Maguire and I'm halfway through My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster. Quite an eclectic group of summer reading thus far. Having a pool on a 100+ degree weather day is a hot commodity (pun intended) here in Texas so each day I've been having different people come over and either swim or lay out with me. Buying a house with a pool was probably one of Craig's better ideas.

But as I mentioned, we have been having excruciatingly hot days lately and therefore I can't possibly spend the ENTIRE day outside so I try to come in around 1:30 so that I can catch the latest games of the...

I hate soccer (too much running) but I LOVE the World Cup. I think it's kind of in line with why I love the Olympics - people competing for their country. Emotions tend to run a bit higher when your national pride is on the line and plus...the guys take their jerseys off after the game. Can't get much better than that. Although I've enjoyed watching the matches and seeing all the upsets that have occurred (Switzerland...I'm looking at you) but unfortunately my teams (Italy and the US) are not faring as well as I would prefer. As a general belief...I don't like to be even or "draw" as the soccer world might say. I like to win. Period. There are always losers and winner and although people keep telling me that all the draws that are occurring during Group Play are just adding to the drama of the event, I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that not having a loser or winner is acceptable.
We tried that with the Koreas and look how well THAT turned out.

Summer Fun

With only a few more weeks of school left, my eyes are focused on summer vacation. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to say that I'm spending the entire summer lying by the pool sipping Sonic drinks and reading trashy romance novels, Craig and I (and Angie as well) are going to be incredibly busy for most of the summer.

Here is what I'm looking forward to:


August 1 - 14: Happy birthday to me! Craig surprised me at Christmas with a trip to Europe for my 27th birthday! We're going to begin in Paris, France for a few days then take a train down to Torino, Italy where we will see a U2 concert and then we'll finish with several days in and around Rome, Italy. I'm so excited to see Paris with Craig - it's a city and country that neither of us have ever traveled to and there is so much history and culture for us to experience. Torino should be interesting - I've never seen the Alps and I'm going to drag Craig to the Fiat car museum while we're there. It will be fun to see U2 perform in a foreign country. And then onto Rome...sigh. This is the emotional part for me - I have a lot of family ties to Italy and it is important for Craig to see the country and understand a bit more why I (and my beloved mother) are the way we are. I want to show him the Vatican, the cafes, the piazzas, and the food - I am dying for Italian wine and tiramisu! This is going to be a trip that we remember for a very long time.


July 12 - 16: Craig and I will be traveling to Tennessee for a basketball tournament with several of his Team Texas basketball teams. I don't know if this is going to be the most EXCITING trip of my summer, but it will be nice to see a part of the country I've never visited as well as watching Craig coach his girls.

July 28 - 31: Craig's BIG basketball tournament of the summer is the last three days of July, right before we leave for Europe.

July 19 - 23: I will be working the high school volleyball camp. A few weeks ago I didn't really intend on doing this since I had hoped that I would be a classroom teacher and not coaching anymore but since I didn't get that job I will be spending the week working with my upcoming 7th and 8th graders on their volleyball skills. I sometimes dread the week because it is long and tiring but it does serve a good purpose because I get to see not only my athletes but the competition from the other schools.

August: Craig and I have decided that August is our month to start "trying" to have kids...or whatever that means. This should be an interesting experiment. I already feel bad...like I'm cheating on Angie because she isn't a good enough child.

Craig's Knee Surgery

Craig had his knee surgery last Thursday and it was a two hour surgery, but Dr. Moore seemed to be a lot more confident that he "got it" this time so hopefully the surgery will hold and we'll be able go longer between knee surgeries! Dr. Moore went in arthoscopically through the previous surgery holes and cleaned up a lot of the loose cartilage in Craig's knee, but while he was in there he realized that there was a large part of his medial meniscus that was breaking loose which was causing the popping and locking that Craig has been experiencing. Before the surgery, Craig met with Dr. Moore and clarified that we wanted to FIX the problem and that we trusted the doctor to do whatever was necessary to get that accomplished. During surgery, Dr. Moore made the decision to cut into the inner side of Craig's knee and through that incision was able to suture some cartilage on the sides of the medial meniscus which should hold it in place and stop the locking and popping thus giving Craig better mobility.

Unfortunately these sutures will cause Craig to have a longer recovery time and more intense physical therapy and for the time being he is stuck in a big blue brace that stretches from his groin all the way to his ankle. He is in this cast because if he bends his knee too far too soon he can risk breaking the sutures apart which would not only be painful, but also cause us to go through this knee surgery nightmare for a fourth time in a single year.

Speaking of which, I'm doing...okay. Thanks for asking. I was able to just take an afternoon off on Thursday so I didn't miss too much school and we were blessed by being able to schedule the surgery the day before a three day weekend so that we didn't have to use our few remaining paid days off. I planned ahead (surprise, surprise) and had all the ingredients needed for some of Craig's favorite meals.

Thursday: Taco soup with cornbread
Friday: Lasagna and lemon garlic broccoli
Saturday: BBQ chicken sandwiches and homemade potato salad
Sunday: Easter dinner comprised of...ham, oven baked onion potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, sweet potatoes and pineapple au gratin

We have a TON of leftovers sitting in our refrigerator which is great because now we have lunches for the entire week! Generally speaking though...I'm exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted. I was on my feet for what felt like the entire weekend between refilling iced tea glasses, changing out the ice machine, cooking and serving dinners and managing laundry and dishes.

Craig is doing much better - he is alert and moving more on his own. My parents came over tonight to visit Craig but to also help me get Craig up the stairs so that he could take a proper shower. I don't feel comfortable getting Craig up and down the stairs for the first time by myself - I like having my dad around to catch Craig in case he stumbles up or down. I know Craig feels so much better now that he has showered...I'm hoping that he will be able to make it through the day tomorrow as he is attempting to "teach" PE all day long.

This has been a really long school year and I think that's why I had a minor breakdown at lunch today when I went home to feed Craig. We have been going nonstop since August...
September - November: volleyball season
November - February: basketball season (Craig and his sister at the high school)
September - present: Wednesday night women's volleyball league for me
January - March: Cross Country season
January - present: Select basketball with two practices a week and tourneys on weekends
January - March: majority of intense wedding planning and execution
January - present: Tuesday night women's Bible Study
March - present: Track season
April - Knee surgery
I think we're pretty ready for our summer vacation...

The End is Near

Holy crap.

Summer vacation has only a mere two weeks left.

Please someone - tell me what I did with almost two months off because now that I'm seeing the end of the summer I feel completely behind in the wedding planning that I thought I would get done. I truly anticipated having so much more accomplished but lying in the sun for days on end has the magical ability to warp your brain of any inspiration to move and be ambitious in any sort of way.

So here I am on the heels of a magnificant vacation in the Bahamas...almost feeling like I should already be married, but yet with still so much to get done. So I'm closing down the pool (at least for a few hours) and putting my nose to the grindstone to cross off a few more things on my list.

Here we go:

- Find the engagement picture CD and create our Save the Dates as well as print them off and stick magnets to the back.

- Gather guest list from our mothers and compile them with mine in an Excel spreadsheet. Stick a fire hot rod on Craig's butt to get him moving and completing his section of the guest list.

- Call Elizabeth's Bridal and check on the status of my hair *bling.*

- Take dress to get altered in shoulders (too big) and bodice (can't lose weight in ribcage).

- Pick a date to definitively go look at bridesmaid dresses and email bridesmaids about this event. Print off pictures from Amy to take with me when shopping.

- Call wedding photographer and set up dates to take engagement and bridal pictures. Must consult volleyball and basketball tournament schedules as well as my mother's calendar.

- Talk with Craig's mom about the flowers and confirm with florist as well as make a payment.

- On a completely different note...I need a haircut desperately! The ends of my hair are totally fried between my severe addiction to my straightener, the continuous sunbathing and swimming in salt and chlorine.

- Sometime I need to officially move out of my classroom as well as return my keys and work shirt.

That's everything I'm going to try to get taken care of next week and then the week after that I'm going to focus on making sure that I have everything prepared for my new job as the head volleyball coach.

Ugh...I just realized that summer really is over if I'm making To-Do lists...bummer.

Bahamian Vacation

Craig and I returned last night from our six days and five nights in the Bahamas at the Sandals resort just outside of downtown Nassau. On the day we arrived the island was in the midst of a torrential downpour which slightly dampened our spirits but provided a soothing background for a much needed four hour nap. The rest of our trip was filled with lots of sun and time spent relaxing by the pool or on the beach. I was able to finish the seventh Harry Potter, read an entire Jane Green novel and get three-quarters of the way through The Time Traveler's Wife, loaned to me by my friend Emily. Our time wasn't spent entirely in the sun though - there were daily naps which were a necessity after the sun drained our energy in the morning, two days full of sand volleyball for me and one afternoon of pool volleyball with both of us against a nice couple from Long Island, as well as three nights spent at one of the two casinos located on the island. The resort was nice and although there were a few frustrations (late luggage delivery, no beach towels available and slow drink service at meals) all in all we had a fantastic time. Here are just a few pictures of our vacation with the complete collection located here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2320947&id=23904605

A view of the shoreline of the Sandals resort's private island located 1/4 mile from the mainland.

Craig and I headed out to the Crystal Palace Casino (where I met my adopted Jewish grandmother Annabelle) after dinner one night.

Another view of the private island - this was probably my favorite day because there was really no one around to bother us and I could sit on the rocks with the waves rolling in and read my book in peace and quiet.

The view from our hotel room out to the ocean.

After dinner our first day out in the sun.

Although we had a great vacation and really enjoyed just spending time with each other, we were both ready to get home. My biggest reason for wanting to come home has four legs, a white stripe down the middle of her nose and happens to be curled up next to me on the bed in a deep nap.

Weekend with the Pups

When we were buying the house, I was a little skeptical of why Craig so badly wanted a pool in the backyard. I was convinced that we could buy a better house with our money if we didn't have the stipulation of a pool as a "must-have."

I should probably trust Craig more often.

Just last week, I had my friend Beri, my friend Emily and her two boys and my college roomie Lauren over to the house on three separate occasions to swim and relax by the pool. It really is a joy to be able to invite people over on these hot Texas summer days to jump in the (warm) refreshing water. And there have also been a few times when I've come home from running errands and found Craig floating in the water; shades and hat on and beer in hand. So Craig was right - the pool was definitely worth the more detailed house hunting experience. And it turns out that with a little convincing on a hot day, Angie will climb aboard a raft for a little lounging in the water as well!

On Friday morning Craig and I drove down to my parent's house and went out to breakfast at IHOP with them. They were about to leave for the Galveston area for the weekend to attend a family friend's daughter's wedding on the Gulf. Unfortunately, their two terriers Andy and Annabelle were not invited on this weekend getaway and Craig and I had graciously volunteered to take care of the pups...BEFORE we had gotten Angie. But when you already have one dog, what's another eight little legs wandering around our house?! We might have been a little crazy and we were definitely a little nervous considering Angie's timidness and insecurity around unfamiliar dogs and people. The weekend went relatively uneventful - Angie did have a few messes on the floors, but I think it was because she felt that her sanctuary had been invaded. For the most part the pups (or "the pack" as Craig called them because of their propensity to run everywhere together) played well - lots of fetch, tug of war and lounging around either snuggled next to or on top of Craig and myself. Andy and Annabelle returned home this evening around 6:00 and I think Angie kind of missed them at first. She roamed around the house sniffing the scents left behind by her cousins...but eventually seemed to relish in the fact that she now has her Momma and Daddy all to herself again. Regardless of how she felt about their visit...she is exhausted and is currently sacked out next to me in the bed, lying on her Aggie blanket.

Coming up this week Craig and I are going to attempt to get some stuff done for the wedding:
Tuesday: flower appointment at 5:00
Thursday: cake tasting and decorating appointment at 1:00
Sometime: begin buying "thank you" presents for the bridesmaids, groomsmen, readers, ushers, parents and little ones in our wedding

My summer vacation is coming to an end in the next couple of weeks and it has not gone exactly as planned, but I have grown up just a little bit more and learned more about myself and the life I want to lead.

I felt betrayal, but learned unconditional forgiveness.
I felt like throwing a fit, but learned to speak so that things got sorted out.
I felt excrutiating nausea and pain in my abdomen, but learned it's not ALWAYS a hangover.
(Those appendixes are tricky!!)
I can't stand not knowing, but learned being surprised is half the fun.
I have become my own adult, but remembered how good it feels to be taken care of by my mother.
I feel anxious and have cravings, but I realize for the happiness of my future - it's better to quit.

Awhile back, I blogged about how I wanted contentment. Not eternal happiness, but contentment. It might not last forever, but in this moment - I feel content. I look around my apartment, see my couches, my curtains, my furniture, my pitures, my bedding, my clothes, my mementos, my movies, my books - and I see myself reflected back. And I'm proud of the person that I am. I am proud of the people in those pictures. I'm proud of the relationships I have and even more proud of the unhealthy ones that I have either let go of, or stopped depending on.

The thing about growing up, is that it truly never is over. I remember my Senior year of high school, I reflected on my four years of high school and couldn't believe how far I had come in just 4 years. I did the same at the end of college...and then my first year of teaching...and now I'm just looking back 8 months. Although I know that I started this most recent growth process on my own, I couldn't have done and can't continue doing it without the loving support of that best friend turned boyfriend I talked about awhile back.

Yes...the very same one who royally screwed up at the beginning of the summer. We've moved past that incident - but no, even though it was forgiven, it has not been forgotten. On that note, a little explanation: I couldn't sleep one night because I was so ANGRY with him. I wanted to just love him the way that I used to, but because of his crappy judgment call, I couldn't. So...I prayed. A lot. I prayed to God and I prayed to my Grandma. Not just for everything to be okay, but for a real resolvement of the situation. Tears were shed and it was sometimes hard to breathe. But then I heard this clear voice...and believe me - it wasn't that little voice in my head. It was some other being, presumably my Grandma, and it told me this: I can't love him the way I want to until I truly forgive him. I realized I was going about things the wrong way and therefore in order to release the anger, I had to forgive first. So, against my more logical judgment, I did what the voice inside told me...and it worked. He and I talked. And talked. And talked. I asked questions and he gave answers. The situation is resolved and he knows the expectations that I have for the future. In short...we're back together and actually more connected and stronger as a couple. That's a big lesson for me fo sho.

Back to school...

Summer vacation is ending and I'm gearing up for another school year. I am definitely ready to go back to school. I am so tired of not having a reason to get up before noon everyday. All in all, it was a pretty great summer.



I began vacation by a two week party binge which ended a few days before I left for Europe.

I was in Europe for two weeks which was an amazing experience and then came home and was out of commission for a week because I had a severe sinus and upper respiratory infection.

I came home and shortly thereafter began dating a great guy.

I took up a new hobby - wakeboarding.

I had two FANTASTIC birthday celebrations - one with friends and the other with my family.

I fell on the wakeboard and found myself in the emergency room and with more pain killers.

Not too shabby for three months.

I definitely am getting antsy though. I'm ready to have something to do during the day. I feel that my self-esteem has kind of gone downhill in the past week and I'm not sure why. I think it's partly because I'm frustrated with hurting my back again. It took soooo long for my back to recover last time and now I have to go through all that again. And of course, I had to hurt it right before volleyball season. I feel so lazy because all I could do for the past four days is lay in bed with a heating pad on my back, watching tv and playing tetris on my phone. Sounds great? Not so much. It got old after a couple of days. I also think that I'm just bored. I don't feel like I'm really contributing to society at the moment. I don't have anything in my life right now that I can feel I am being successful at. Don't get me wrong, I know that in general, I am successful...but at the current moment, I'm not being very successful. I am definitely procrastinating. It's sad, but I'm tired of shopping (well, right now, shopping isn't so much fun because it takes a LOT of effort to get my clothes off - because of my back, you pervs) and I'm also tired of laying out by the pool - it's way to hot for that now.

Bored

I need a hobby.

Desperately.

It is summer and I am so utterly bored. I have been dreaming of summer vacation for about 9 months. Since August 14th to be exact. And now that it's here - I'm bored. Maybe it's the weather (rainy and crappy) or maybe it's the fact that many of my friends are not teachers. Thus, they can't go shopping or hang out on a Tuesday afternoon at 2:00.

So back to the business of creating a hobby for myself. I would like for it to be something that is:
1. productive...therefore drinking is out of the picture.
2. inexpensive...therefore drinking is out of the picture.
3. creative...therefore...well, you get the idea.
4. healthy...ditto.

I really want to get back into working out everyday, but with my back pain still flaring up, I'm a little apprehensive about it. I was thinking about taking a painting class or something creative like that, but it costs money and tends to be a bit messy and I'm a big fan of keeping my clothes looking nice.

So....I don't know WHAT I'm going to do this summer. But I know that sitting around on the internet and drinking every night will not be a part of it.