work is fun.. (fri.3.13.09)

practicing for saturday morning story time :)

work really is fun.. I'm so thankful to like it and know that it is a good/right fit for me.

I am tired. I am 'feeling the pain' of all those around me who have been consistently working 40+ hours week after week after week after week..

I'm definitely adjusting to the schedule and workload (as I should be; it's been 6 full weeks) but I still find myself collapsing into downtime.. not to mention the dishes --(they're just so easy to ignore at the end of the day)...

so, while I do love the opportunity and complete blessing of the new work, I am feeling the need for some good old fashioned perseverance and endurance..

I want to enjoy this job for a nice long time, so I intentionally want to pace myself, enjoy the moments, and REST in between!

thanks for reading... <3

no more nastalgia.. (thurs.3.12.09)

where the pavilion once was..

This was the day I was visiting the MB schools for work.. couldn't resist the photo-op...

they should totally turn that into a community park-walk.. people with their blankets and picnics and dogs on leashes.. it could be great! :)

the hulk.. (wed.3.11.09)

"I am stronger." (repeated again and again!)

you have no idea how many tries it took to get this picture.. I even ate that green glove a few times.. well worth it though; what a cutie!

("go very slow" didn't register with him at all! :)

this is my friend Randy's boy Zach.. <3

the note-book.. (tues.3.10.09)

J. made a point to bring this to me today..

(it's a book I started a few years ago for us to write notes back and forth)... in my last entry I had written and answered a few "If.." questions, so he answered them and passed it back this particular Tuesday! :)

(this is one of those reasons I like this 365 favorites project.. it kind of keeps me noting the simple pleasures of each day! :)

peace out.. (Mon.3.9.09)

happy PeaceCorps event.

very nice... (it was a long day, but quite good!)

...I have to say, I love loving Mondays!

festivities.. + lessons learned... (sun.3.8.09)

(jeremy's birthday party in the upstairs abode..)




pictures from around the room.....

j. enjoying his present (our thoughts).. reese & ricardo.



the (silly) mangerchines and the goffs (& the mad lib:)..



j.k.. and rachel..



sammie & steph..... love those girls..


not pictured:
-claire who had to pick up her mama at the airport.. but made it into the thoughts book! ..yay!! :)

-kari and noah who had to run kinda early.. i'm thinkin it was almost noah's bedtime..

-tracy and davis who also had to leave early....


...and some lessons of the evening that I must express...
(there were several).....

1. Plan ahead.

2. Don't wait till the last minute.
(yes, there's somewhat of a pattern to these)..

3. Make sure there is at least some food ready when the guests arrive. (This we actually did.. at least you can count on me for bean dip and guacamole!! :)

4. Keep grace-full friends around who can make themselves at home when you need to finish cooking.

5. Consider already prepared food when pushed for time.. (such as frozen lasagna from Sam's like Karen suggested).. what a novel idea!! (for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to do it)...

6. Give thanks often.

7. Give more thanks to the friends who love and support you year after year after year and make life better all the time!!!

the great outdoors.. (sat.3.7.09)

nap time.

saturdays are my earliest mornings of the week!

..this week i went to breakfast with the girls after leaders' meeting, and by the time i got home around 11am i was ready for a nap!!

...it was so pretty outside i couldn't resist snuggling up on the trampoline!! ...(love how blue and clear the sky turned out in the photo.. and the birds were singin.. a very nice nap it was!!) <3

two favorites.. (fri.3.6.09)

glad they're friends... really glad!

the vine coffee house night at the vineyard

..(first friday of every month)..

j: warming up. k: shameless.

(i've learned that sometimes you have to be rather shameless to get a decent photo!!)

lovely ladies.. (thurs.3.5.09)

just happen to also be my new sewing buddies. 

the past two thursday nights we've had sewing class at the goffs'.. 

meggan (right) has hooked shannon (left) and me up with a teacher (ms. joan) and the space to work and learn how to sew!! ....very good times! 

...i'll post the actual projects soon! :)

navigation.. (wed.3.4.09)

tools of the trade.

after needing so much assistance navigating the day before, i was determined to find my wednesday contacts with a little more ease... (those backwoods can be tricky! :)

it turned out to be a good day to try out the GPS.

i actually knew more about the locations than i thought i did, and i got to practice with it a little... what a handy tool to have! 

..definitely will get some use out of it now as i will soon be venturing beyond the city limits i'm familiar with!!

happy birthday boy.. (tues.3.3.09)

after lunch at e-noodle! :) 

little trinkets for his birthday.. 

(did i mention i love that guy?!)

old school, new look.. (mon.3.2.09)

part of the new job includes visiting my school/organizational contacts, so i was excited monday morning to be returning to the elementary school i attended as a child.. 

as i was driving towards it, i was imagining the lawn out front where my first class pictures were taken, where we danced around the may pole, and even where one of my teachers so bravely let us slip'n slide at the end of the year!! 

fortunately i guess the school has grown and expanded right over that sweet plot of land i remember so fondly.. (that's a good thing i guess!:)

(also learned my first grade teacher retires this year... wow.)

mongolian.. (sun.3.1.09)

before the grill.



..and after.

a new favorite restaurant for sure.. (i got a little carried away there with the peanuts, eh?)

..they also have sushi and yummy dessert.. and very reasonable prices..

(it's basically a raw buffet... fill your bowl, pass it to the cooks, they work they're magic, and hand you back some delicious goodness!)

good thing its up on the north end so it gets to be a treat! :)

entertaining angels.. (sat.2.28.09)

cheryl, jen, & dawn.. part of the sat. night crowd..

in honor of jen & steph (and the fact that they're just passin through) we had to get together... very good times..

(i took a lot more and better pictures with steph's camera, but this was the best one from my set).. here's one more of steph and brian..


steph was crackin us all up with her sky divin story!

pavilion hayday.. (1984-ish)

this is my cousin katie and i so many years ago..


and of course, i was pressin the button! <3

nostalgic indeed.. (fri.2.27.09)

pavilion motorcycle ride.

j. and i walked through nostalgia park friday night...

this was my favorite ride ever when i was little.. i can still remember the sound of those horns and how i would wear it out!!

two of a kind.. (thurs.2.26.09)

jen & steph (in my office space:)

after our hearty b&n breakfast last thursday morning..

...what to say about these two. they're my heroes. really.

i've grown up with steph (on right) ..we've been best friends since the first day of kindergarten (i was four, she was five:)..

and jen i've already known for a good eight years, since i first moved home from college in 2001.. wow.

..they have certainly impacted my life.. and others' lives as well..

they head to Thailand in a few weeks (3/19) to stay and work for a ministry called Pure Heart for the next year or two..

i'm thrilled for them.. sad for the distance apart, but excited to see and hear all about their travels and impact and experiences and growth...... (their blog: ourthailandtravels.blogspot.com.)

rummy champions.. (wed.2.25.09)

so fun. so cute.

..each determined to get 'the prize' ..(including me).. striving for the big trophy jeremy draws for the winner.. :)

(jeremy had just collected his third ace! ..nice!) ..very fun times at the alford's..

if you're happy and you know it.. (tues.2.24.09)

okay, so that wasn't the tune (or the words), but other than that it was practically the same song..

how happy were those little ones to raise their hands as high as they could!?

(special music at story time on tuesday).. precious.

zoom zoom.. (mon.2.23.09)

mario kart with kayla.

..it doesn't get much better than that. <3

yummm.. (sun.2.22.09)

cookie pizzas at dawn's.

i want to make that!

i'm going to try for meg's wedding shower next month.. i'll let ya know how it goes! :)

(in the pic with me: tonda and little trey.. and dawn, comin in for another cut)

love those labels..

random photo: credit.

..just wanted to say love the way we get to 'label' each post.. i like being able to sort my blog by subject.. (and i like being able to sort others' blogs the same way :)...

that's all, just a random little post about the joy of blog-labels.. not too deep or heavy.. just a simple pleasure that i thought note-worthy.. ;)

happy monday to you!