San Antonio, TX

Since Jon spent 6 weeks in San Antonio for his Army Officer Training I was able to take a little trip down to SA to see him. I was there for a weekend and here is a few of the things we did:

1. Ate on the River Walk at a very tasty Italian restaurant

2. Walked around the shops in the mall area

3. Saw the Alamo in the evening time

4. Stayed at the Marriott on the River Walk (it was beautiful)

5. Went to Sea World all day on Saturday

...touched the dolphins

...saw huge sting rays and tropical fish in a huge aquarium

...saw emperor penguins

...went to a "Shamu" killer whale show

...had icecream and funnel cakes (Yum!)

...went to a sea lion show where Jon was called up from the crowd to do an imitation concert of "God Bless Texas" in which Jon didn't know any of the words since he hates country music. It was hilarious...but he did a great job anyway.

6. Ate Whataburger hamburgers...I love it.

7. Attended Max Lucado's church- Oak Hills Church of Christ

8. Ate authetic Mexican food

9. Toured the inside of the Alamo

10. Unforuntately had to fly back

Super Cute Nephew

My adorable nephew, Carson Wayne, turned 1 yr. on June 6th. My brother and sister-in-law had a memorable party for him in Emporia, KS. I'm so thankful that Jon and I have a few more years close to family, so we can do these neat, little parties. When I look at this past year as a whole, I am totally overwhelmed with how God has blessed Jon and I and so many of our extended family members. Here are a few pics from his party. Happy Birthday little guy!

Eating his blue "car" cake

Enjoying the smashing of his cake.

Opening up gifts.

Thank you God for little Carson!

Learning from a student

I am teaching summer school to struggling readers this month of June. Even though these kids need 'extra' reading help...I feel as though they teach me just as much as I teach them. I try to put myself in their shoes and in their mindset so that I, myself, can be a little more understanding and patient. It is so easy to take the ability to read for granted...and I see that more and more when I teach kids day in and day out about consonant blends, vowel sounds and combinations, how language works, the fluency of reading, and new vocabulary. It is a huge task for little ones....but what amazes me is their attitude. Even though they struggle, they still give it their all and they're happy. For instance, each day I meet with this little red-haired boy named Eli. He always comes to my reading table saying, "I'm just so happy today. I don't know what it is, but I'm just really happy. This is fun coming here."
I love that! He has taught me that despite your circumstances (whatever it may be), just:

1. Look at the bright side of it (even if you are stuck in summer school)
2. Just be happy (be yourself, be happy, and make others feel that way too)
3. Enjoy where you are (no matter if it's traffic, school, work, or a time of life)
4. Give it your all (even when it's really hard and you can't figure it out...give it a shot; and if you're wrong, you can always go back and try it again).

So, thanks for reading my little insight of the day...or should I say Eli's.

Our One Year Anniversary

I know....I know. I haven't posted in a LONG time. So, I thought you guys might enjoy looking at some of our 1 yr. anniversary pictures. On the actual date (May 19th) Jon and I went out to eat at Melbee's (a fancy, little restaurant in Mission, KS). It was delicious and such an experience. Here is their website if you want to check it out. http://www.kansascitymenus.com/melbees/

Here is what we had for dinner! What can I say...yum!

Jon's Menu

Appetizer: Anise Steamed Mussels, Pernod, Cream, Shallot, Garlic
Soup: Roasted Vidalia Onion Soup, Crispy Onion
Main Course: Chef’s Feature, Veal Filet

Dessert: Tapioca Pearls, Coconut Soup, Tropical Fruits, Thai Basil

Denise's Menu

Appetizer: Ahi Tuna Tartare, Watermelon, Daikon, Shiso

Salad: Fingerling Potato Salad, Smoked Trout, Watercress, Green Goddess Dressing

Main Course: Catch of the Day, Alaskan Char

Dessert: Milk & Cookies, White Chocolate Malted Milk & Toffee Chocolate Cookies

Even though we don't have pictures of this night, here are some pictures that we took later on with our wedding cake. It was still so good...I just hate to throw it away.

Denise holding up the wedding cake...one year later!

Jon holding up the cake, too!

Being fed the cake...one last time.

Big Bite!

Jon's Birthday!

Jon celebrated his 24th birthday on November 6! I didn't have to work this day because I had a doctor's appointment. So, I made him lunch (his favorite meal)...Hamburger, corn, tomato casserole. Since the name is so long, we shortened it to "Jonathan casserole."

Then, he opened presents, read all the birthday cards my 1st graders wrote him, and we enjoyed just hanging out. I hope he enjoyed his first birthday as a married man!

Here are the photos.

Look at the stack of gifts! Whoo hoo!

The "well-needed" men's socks....we laughed!

One of his favorite authors is "Tedd Decker."

A new cd and a set of pens for med-school.

The big gift...new speakers for his car.

Jon...I hope you had a blessed birthday! Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! He loved them all.

Pumpkin Time!!

Everyone...I am so sorry that this update has been long awaited. But I have lots of pictures to share. So here we go!

Missy and I had a weekend of fun carving pumpkins, eating 3 homemade meals, and just enjoying one another's company. Here are some photos.

The "Before" picture.

The "During" Picture. Yucky goo!

Nailing on the faces.

Picking out all the pumpkin seeds. We baked them...yum, yum.

Our final creation. What faces! ;)

Our "shinning" jack-o-lanterns.

Our Busy Life

I will update with pictures soon...I have some seriously cute 1st graders in my class, although I'm not sure if it's "legal" to add pics of them on public internet. So, I guess I will just have to tell you funny stories of what they say and do.

Funny story for today:

A girl in my class is bilingual in Portugese and English. She is from Brazil...way cool.
Anyway, today the 1st graders were drawing pictures of what goes "up" and what goes "down." This bilingual girl was drawing pictures of butterflies, clouds, and then at the bottom of her page there was a little dog with little dots coming out the behind. I asked her, "What is this" (pointing to those dots). She says, "it's pooping" (in her Brazilian accent).

I cracked up...