{Christmas}

I love this season :) I love the job, the celebration, and the reminder of Christ entering the world as a tiny baby born into chaos, hardship, and still, joy. I love Christmas traditions- decorating the tree, driving to look at Christmas lights, baking cookies... Today I did some Christmas wrapping, artsy presents, and listening to Christmas music.
4 days til Christmas! Hope you're ready!

{hope}

There is not a person who wasn't affected by Friday. I had to turn off the news. One of the other slp's, the ot and I just cried in our office. It sounded similar to our school, those babies were a year or 2 years older than my kiddos. We are teachers. Ask 90% of teachers- they would not hesitate to lay down their life for their students. We love our kids.

It is easy to lose hope in society when things like this happen, but then again, it is a reminder good is in the world following the tragedy. There was a man who bought 100 cups of coffee from a local store in newtown, there have been vigils all over the us, victor cruz didn't just publically show support for one of th families, but took time to go visit them and be with them. There is hope for good in this world.

Sunday, at church, they had a video that made me cry. Kids who love other kids make me do that.... I see hope and pure love in them, they get it. This kid gives me hope for our future, because he puts another child ahead of himself. Watch and grab a tissue...

This is why I love my job- I see kids love on other kids who may be a little different. We could all take some lessons

{prayers and pain}

When we heard about the school shooting, we sat in our office and cried.

Those kids could have been our kids. In reality, they are about 2 years older than my babies I see at school. The thought of someone taking the life of one of my kids just breaks my heart.
Thoughts and prayers are with the families and teachers of the kids in that school. I cannot imagine the pain they feel. I'm honored to work with kids, and thankful I have a job I can get so connected to kids in, but this hits close to home...

Praying God provides healing in Connecticut

{a day in the life of preschool}

i feel like the past few days, my life has epitomized preschool.

yesterday, my favorite ot and i worked with a little friend with messy play and ended up covered in glue and shaving cream.  we found it in the weirdest places- on our shoes, our elbows (even though we had long sleeved shirts on), my back... also add that i smelled like a man (a clean man, but still a man).

today, in the morning, i saw a little friend who happened to be a bit drippy in the nose area.  no one bothered to mention to me until 2:30 in the afternoon, after 3 meetings with parents, that i had snot marks in 4 separate areas across my shirt and vest.

awesome.

this is my life. and people wonder why none of us at the preschool ever look very nice...

through it all, i love my job... wouldn't pick another one if i could!  i'll take it, snot, shaving cream, glue and everything in between.

{goodbye ichthus}

the people who run ichthus announced the end of the music festival today.

what a bummer!

i have looked forward to, and enjoyed ichthus every year i've been blessed to go.  i have loved getting to volunteer with compassion international, spending my free time during the day telling people about the wonderful organization and my sweet little girl in Africa.

it's also a special place because it's where ian and i really started to get to know each other.  the summer we started hanging out, i mentioned i wanted to volunteer with someone at the compassion booth, and ian told me he was interested.  we spent a lot of time together there either behind a booth, or listening to music.  it's where i knew he was someone i could get along with really well.  the week after ichthus, he asked me out :)

and the past 2 years, we've served together with compassion as a couple.  i have come to look forward to seeing compassion workers from colorado, seeing the people who have volunteered year after year, and getting to watch people sponsor kiddos from around the world.

i'll miss ichthus.  there will always be a special place in my heart for the place that introduced me to so many wonderful people, and showed me what a wonderful man my future husband is :)

ichthus year 1

{blessings}

Some days, things just don't go in your favor. Yesterday was one of those days. I was sick with a head cold and worked, only to come outside to see a mega flat tire. I have great coworkers who stayed with me til aaa came (stupid wing nut was rusted on keeping the spare tire firmly secured to my trunk). I then took my tire to get patched, and was informed it couldn't be,
I'm stubborn, so Ian and I attempted to patch it. It worked, but not perfectly. It slowly leaked air, which isn't so great when driving.
Today, my boss told me about a tire place in Winchester, so I took the car there to be looked at. The man put a used tire on my car for free, and told me he just wanted me to be safe. I almost cried in the tire store. I know I'm at th point in my life I an afford a tire, but its still not a fun purchase. Especially because tire places are usually dreaded by women, this was a place I truly felt cared for.
I am so thankful for caring strangers.
Thankful for generosity.

{a little perspective}

I will be totally honest.  This post is a vent.

I understand people feel strongly about politics. We all have our own ideas, driven from how we were raised, our experiences in life, and our individual belief system. The thing about politics is we rarely change others minds. We typically change ideas based on our current place in life, changing priorities, and ever evolving minds,

Facebook doesn't change minds, twitter doesn't change minds. Relationships change minds.

Friends, regardless of your thoughts on this past election, think for a moment about where we live.

We get to pick our job. If you don't want to teach, you don't have to. If you want to work in retail, you can. If you find joy from cleaning up after people, that's awesome! There are jobs for you. Can you always have the dream job? No, but you can still find work (and I believe you can even find joy in the worst jobs).

We are not fighting a war on our streets. There is violence and disagreements, but you do not have to worry about a bomb coming through your window or being shot at while out running errands. Across the world, people face this daily.

We can worship (or not worship) in whatever church or place we desire. No one tells you who you must worship or how you must pray.

Our government is not perfect, nor will it ever be. There is no way for billions of people to agree on everything, and 1 man to get it right every time.

It is a first world problem to complain about our government, and there are people all over the world who would die to have the government we have, and who DO die for complaining.

Last rant and then I'm done, I promise. Please do not bring down people who benefit from government services. Not everyone can make enough to provide for their families and tough times happen. These services can allow families to survive. Sure, they are abused, but then again, we all abuse a lot of the privileges we have. Before you lump all those people together, think of the single mom who works 40 hours a week and needs health services for her and her child. Think of the parents trying to adopt a child from an abusive relationship, but don't have all the means necessary. Think about the people who are recently laid off a job. They are people just trying to make it, and honestly, it shouldn't be the governments job to help them in the first place, it is ours.

Ok. Rant over.

{my little friends}

i so wish everyone could come meet my little friends at preschool.  while it's true that some of them (and let's be honest... all of them at some point or another) know how to drive me crazy, i love getting to be with them and finding ways to help them learn things.

i like little reminders that i'm in the right place.  work isn't always easy (otherwise it wouldn't be called work), but it's a nice feeling to know that you can wake up and go to work and enjoy it every day.

today, one of my little friends, who may be the cutest child ever, can't focus to save his life.  like to the point i get him during nap time because he drives his teacher crazy because he doesn't sleep... or sit still... today, he was able to name all the letters in his name, trace them, and then write over his name with a marker.  that may not seem like a big deal, but for him, it was.  we took a picture to show people and he was so proud when we showed it around :)

i also had a little friend, who in the middle of our fire fighter book, decided to tell me i was 'beu i foo".  i for real have the sweetest kids.

so thankful for a job that makes me smile.  i love working with kids and seeing their joy and wonder for learning

{weekend update}

this has been a fabulous weekend...

for starters, weather was PERFECT!  sunny, warm with a cool breeze... perfect day for...

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!  ian and i weren't sure if we were going to do them, because my best friend and her husband hid out during the actual event and took some of my most treasured pictures, but we decided we wanted some fun ones of us that are nice, but not 'i'm in the white dress, he's in a suit' deal.  like nice, but still our normal selves.

katie and brad graciously told us they'd do pictures for us, and the pair of them make one heck of a team!  katie is super creative when it comes to shots and came up with a picnic idea, and brad is an excellent photographer who worked so hard to make every shot perfect.  it turned out so fun!  it was a good excuse for me to make a pie and buy some pretty flowers.  we played in a field of dry corn, and walked around campus.  the pictures are so perfect and i'm so thankful for such talented friends!

saturday night we had some friends over and watched the craziest documentary called 'grizzly man' about a guy who went and tried to befriend the grizzlies (which he did for about 12 years, but then, the inventible happened.... they're bears...) CRAZY! (it's on netflix... go watch...)

today, i marked a 'real woman' task off my list of roasting a whole chicken.  verdict is still out as it's in the oven, but my house smells like deliciousness.

so thankful for good friends, for a man i love dearly, for fabulous weather, and for weekends full of reminders of how much God loves us :)

{preschool plague and fall}

well it was bound to happen at some point... i'm actually impressed it hasn't happened sooner.  after 2 months of working with precious, yet snotty and generous germ sharers, i have caught the preschool plague.

this weekend was nice and relaxing.  it included video chatting with a friend who moved too far away, the inaugural wearing of my ugg boots (although not the cutest, oh so comfortable), early bedtimes, extra blankets on the bed, lots of hot tea, and so much football!

i got to celebrate a wedding shower with one of my friends, and did some crafting for our wedding.  i keep coming up with diy crafts, which i may regret closer to the wedding, but currently, i love how they're turning out.

tomorrow is a holiday (which funny side note... we, in kentucky get the day off, but in columbus, they're still going to school... you know... the city named after the man we're celebrating tomorrow), so one more precious day to sleep in.  one more day to clean my apartment and do the laundry that's piled up, but life goes on in a messy apartment.  life is sometimes too good to interrupt it with a dirty pan.  leaving it in the sink one more night won't kill anyone.

hope you've enjoyed one of the best fall weekends we've had in a while!

{it's fall}

it's officially fall :)

i love this season... i love the colors of the trees, the smells of the leaves and coffee, the cool breeze, and the sound of crispness.

life is hitting it's stride.  work is still awesome.  i love my little kids and the funny things they say.  i love that they want to learn, thank me for homework, and when i walk in a classroom, every kid begs to come with me.  it's good for the ego ;)

engaged life is also hitting a stride.  we're finally getting around to doing some planning, and it actually has been pretty fun!  i'm thankful for a fiance who wants to help plan and organizes things perfectly.

has blogging hit it's stride?  probably not.  my days typically consist of waking up super early, going to work, coming home, trying to clean/cook dinner, attempting to keep my eyes open past 8 pm, and then going to bed and doing it all over again.

it's fall, life is happy :)

{blog for compassion}

recently, i signed up to be a compassion blogger... very simply put, i want to use my blog for things bigger than myself, and compassion is so much bigger!

every month, they give a challenge to blog about.  this month's is to get people to sponsor 3,108 children.  very simply, there are so many kids who need the basics- food, clothing, an education.  i look at my little preschoolers who come in so excited for school and it gives me such an image of what my little girl, esther, in uganda looks like.  even at 9, 12, 18, these kids are excited for school because in their countries, school isn't a chore, it's a privilege!

so why get involved with compassion?  #1. you get to help a child, and it's not just like you send money, but you get to have a relationship.  you get to write letters, send pictures, and even have opportunities to visit you child.  these kids are amazing- so many of them have been through some awful times, yet they are filled with joy and hope!  when i see a tan envelope in my mailbox, it is usually opened right there because i know what's inside- a letter from esther filled with stories about her friends, family, and how God is blessing her.
#2. you make a direct impact on poverty.  one of my favorite mother teresa quotes is "if you can't feed 100 people, just feed one".  with compassion, you get to do that.  one by one, a child gets to be freed from poverty, and given a chance- a chance to become a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer- a chance to better themselves and better their country, ending the cycle of poverty.
#3. you get to meet some pretty great people.  i've been blessed to work events for compassion, and the people who work for compassion are amazing.  i've never been involved with such a large organization that creates a network of kind, caring, fun individuals.  at every event, they are so excited to tell people about compassion, to catch up on lives of volunteers, and to just be joyful, Christ-serving individuals.

if you're remotely interested, or just want to look at precious children, go look here.  4 years ago, i prayed for a little girl in africa, and God gave me a sweet, precious child that has impacted my life forever... i hope and pray each of you get to experience an impact like her too!

{we're getting married!}

oh my goodness!  it's been a fun past few days!  ian and i want to thank friends and family for all their joy and congratulations.  we have felt so much love these past few days and we are so thankful for the community God has put in our lives :)

ian and i weren't able to see each other monday or tuesday, so monday, he asked if i would be interested in going to ramsey's for apple fritters.  who turns down ramsey's?  so wednesday, we met at his house and walked to dinner.  i later found out that he had called the restaurant and told them he was proposing later and really needed a table since they don't do reservations.  apparently the whole place knew we were getting engaged that night, because on the way out, one of the guys whispered to ian 'good luck'.  i heard nothing of the sort, so ian was in the clear for the surprise.

we dropped our leftovers off at ian's house and took a walk downtown.  this is totally normal for us- from the time we've started dating, we have really enjoyed going for walks- campus, downtown, neighborhoods, cemetery's... wherever we can find!  we wound our way downtown, walking by rupp and triangle park, then up vine street.  we ended up near thoroughbred park.

there's a little history there... the night before ian asked me out, a big group of us went and walked around downtown after a wedding.  i had a coke slushy from speedway, and there's something about them (that i discovered after this night) that messes with me.  like in bad ways.  i had one before we went and walked downtown, and it hit me as we were about to walk.  ian noticed something was off with me and asked me how i felt and walked with me near the back of the group.  i knew i liked him and had a big ol crush on him at this point, and was just trying to focus on not puking in front of him (now there's how to get a guy!).  i ended up feeling better, and as the group stopped at thoroughbred park 2 years ago, all i could think about was holding his hand (and the feeling, as we later found out the next night, was mutual).

we walked up to a park bench with a 'wet paint' sign on it.  ian convinced me this was a joke (which i later found out was planted on purpose so no one else would sit there).  we sat down and he started reminiscing about our first night there.  he then informed me that we had been dating 2 years, 2 months and 2 days.  he went through each of those days and told me how our relationship had changed.  after many sweet things, he got up, pulled me up with him, got down on a knee, and asked me to marry him, and told me he loved me for the first time :)

i turned around and katie and brad were in the bushes taking pictures!  a very nice homeless man acted as a lookout for us, and when he saw us, told katie and brad to sneak in and take pictures.  i feel so blessed that i had 2 great friends and photographers there to document and then celebrate!  and then we drove to their house where more friends were there!  erica and whitney even drove down from northern kentucky to be with us :)

sitting on our bench

the moment :)

we kind of like each other

ring picture

best friends! (and quite the sneaky photographer along with her husband!)

wet paint sign + sammy

friends!

everything was perfect... it could not have been a better night, and i am so blessed God put such a wonderful, caring, thoughtful and life-challenging man in my life.  i get to be his wife!!!!!

{the things i failed to learn in school}

there is a sense of irony in this post...

let me begin with saying i love my job.  i love the people i work with, i love the kiddos who are in my building!  i'm even loving the lesson plans and whole class speech activities i get to do with my kids in a week!

i don't love ARC (admissions and release committee... it's fine... i had to look it up) meetings and writing IEP's (individual education plans... i knew that one!).  i am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  it's ironic that on one of the days that i feel most overwhelmed, i also get my official teaching certificate that says i'm certified to work with little people (or big people if i so desired) and teach them all they need to know about speech and language.

where was my class in graduate school on scheduling?  how about writing IEP's?  what about conducting a meeting? i had a great education at eku-  i can tell you so much about the brain and the vocal cords, and how to work on articulation and language.  i can throw out really impressive sounding words.  i can even say i've watched laryngeal surgeries and known what was going on.  sadly, most of that is null and void when it comes to paperwork.

bring on the ktip. bring on the iep's. bring on the arc meetings.  bring on more abbreviations!!!!

{mornings}

i never thought i would say this, but i think i'm a morning person.  before you jump to the old jokes, let me explain a bit.

mornings are so peaceful.  they're cool, they're pretty, they're God's way of refreshing us and reminding us 'today is a new day... you get to start over'.

waking up early is not a new thing to me.  in undergrad and the first year of grad school, i woke up early to go hang out with some hilarious middle schoolers and play games before school.  then i got semi- grown up and had to wake up early to go to the va and drive to an elementary school and hang out with some equally funny kids for my internships.  now i'm more grown up with a real job and real kids that are my own individual speech kids.  strangely, i don't hate waking up at 5:30.  i mean, i relish in the weekends where i get to sleep in (today i woke up at 6:40 thinking i was late, remembered it was saturday and slept again til 9:30!!!!), but my drive to winchester is pretty- i drive past horse farms and fields full of mist while the sun starts it's ascent across the sky.  i also know i'm on my way to see precious little faces full of wonder and soaking up information like a sponge.  even without seeing kids, i can start the collection of my future best seller about the things kids say (my current favorite is a little boy who came in crying (as most do their first day), and an hour in was laughing and told me 'i don't need to cry no more!  school is fun and daddy will be proud of me!')

on the weekends, i like my mornings for a different reason.  i get time.  time to wake up slowly, time to sit in my favorite spot in my house- my tiny 4 foot by 12 foot little back porch.  my mom and dad got me a little table and chairs, i have my basil plant, and i can read and journal, drink some coffee, and watch life go by under the shade of a huge oak tree.  it's my reminder that life is good.  God refreshes.  mornings are beautiful.

{decor so far}

life is busy!  the real world has started and to be honest, it's kind of tiring.  not exhausting, but waking up at 5:30 isn't a cake walk.  needless to say, not much decorating has happened.  i'm thrilled to say cleaning yes!  decorating, ehhh.

i'm super excited about a few things though.  i really want to slowly add nice artwork that is distinctly kentucky or ohio.  i have loved living in both places- both are home, so i like the idea of celebrating places i've been.

i recently became obsessed with cricket press.  they're this really cool print shop based out of lexington and they do some really awesome work.

as you can see, no frames yet, but one poster is from the morris book shop, which is a super cool place, and the other is the lexington farmers market which is one of my absolute favorite things in lexington.  i can't wait to get them hung up on display!

cute organizer (burlap!) from hobby lobby

i've got the whole world in my little apartment

finally, i got to do some fun crafting

just in time for football season!

there's a little look into what i've been trying to do with my place... i'm excited to slowly make this place more 'me' and more of a home :)  come visit!

{hippie living}

deep down (or not so deep down... i'll let you make that call), i'm a hippie.  i love my beat up burlap shoes, my mama and i are going to make burlap curtains, and although i can't go fully to natural cleaning products (there's something about scrubbing bubbles and not scrubbing that's fabulous), i do love the method cleaning (especially the pink grapefruit... a friend of mine bought this and i was helping her clean and holy cow.  it smells so good i actually want to clean so my house smells like it!)

ok, target/method rant over.

i officially used the last of my homemade detergent from a year ago, and i think it's safe to say i won't be going back.  i remade the detergent i made almost exactly a year ago (recipe here), but this time, i wanted a little more scent (it really doesn't smell like anything), so i added some of those washing crystals

i really like the tropical scent

detergent is now perfect: mostly natural (so the crystals probably aren't super natural, but hey... i like the scent), CHEAAAAAAAP (like pennies cheap... for real people... no detergent in a year and the ingredients were like $10), and now it smells so good.

*as a side note, if you're making this, and using my old recipe- i used a hand mixer to mix everything after 24 hours, and it's much more like regular detergent- less gloopy!

i'm also taking advantage of the nice weather and drying things on my drying rack outside (enter the hippie jokes!)

as for dishwashing detergent, i'm sticking to the store bought stuff... mine was a fail- it left a lot of residue and didn't really clean like i wanted it to, but go make the dish detergent- it's worth it!

{pinterest and real life}

heard of pinterest?  stupid question, i know...

well here's the thing.  i really want to at least pretend that i can attempt most of the things i pin.  there really are some great ideas out there!

moving into a nice house, i have known i want to work harder on keeping it clean.  sugar creek was hard.  we could have scrubbed that place every day, and it still would have looked skanky.  this new place is different- the carpet is clean, the tiles are still white, the walls aren't a conglomeration of 18 shades of white.

earlier, i shared a cleaning schedule, and moving in a week before i start the new job, i've wanted to be really good about establishing a routine.  i've actually really enjoyed cleaning for the first time ever... it's nice to start nice, then keep it nice.

today was mopping day, so it proved the perfect time to try out my new swiffer!  ok, well it's actually an old swiffer, and that's actually the fun part.  i crocheted a reusable swiffer cloth (found here) and refilled an old container which was actually kind of hard... pinterest made it sound easy, but apparently mine was not appreciating being pried apart.

like i said, mine didn't really look like the pattern (i'm not the best at following directions... oops!), but it did get the job done!  and i like that i can just throw it in the wash and not use the expensive wipes.

thanks pinterest!  any other fun pinterest finds?  i tend to only note pinterest fails...

{i have a new home!}

sugar creek is no more

we have left the ghetto

i really love my new place.  it's perfect for what i need right now- it's mine and it feels like home.

i had some great help moving- they got everything moved out and moved into the new place in about 2 hours.  thanks!!!!  pictures will be coming soon of gray hawk, but i need some more time to decorate :)

i'm on the second level which is great- i feel very safe and it's quiet.  i also have a cute little back porch, and even though it's right off alumni, there's a nice big tree that keeps things a little more private and quiet.  i feel very settled already, which is unusual for me.  it usually takes me a while to unpack and set up, but everything came together really quickly!  for once in my life, i feel like everything has a place (i don't even have things hidden in closets or anything!).

now i'm just getting excited about decorating.  i have some ideas in my head, but i know it needs a while to just come together.  i really want to have lexington artwork in my place.  nicer stuff than college housing decorations.  i'm excited about the prospect of finding little gems and slowly making this place even more 'my own'.

come visit!  i have a sofa bed and it's ready for people to stay on it :)

it feels good to be home.

{change}

today i called and got all the bills and my address transferred to my new place... it's almost here and i'm so excited!
i really can't wait.  there's a lot of changes, and i'm sure there will still be days that stress me out and i'll want to be back at sugar creek living with people, but for right now, all i am is excited.  i can't wait for monday, when i get to move all my things to a single bedroom apartment, decorate like a real adult, pay all my own bills, and move from a college house, to (for me) a grownup house.

i also can't wait to start working.  3, 4 and 5 year olds are my favorite.  they're so funny and full of life, and they haven't hit the stage where they're trying to be cool.  everything is new and fun.  i get to help them discover who they are and what they like and help them get excited for real school.
i'm also sure, just like the house, that at some point, i will want to be in college again, but i am legitimately excited to work (even if it means getting up super early and going to bed like an old woman).

change is coming.  i'm ready for it.  now who wants to help me move?

{a hippie kind of night}

tonight was fun...

last weekend, ian and i got some local ground beef at the farmer's market along with some kentucky proud green peppers, and tonight, we made stuffed peppers.  it's one of my favorite meals, the leftovers are even better, and it's really not that hard.

i actually really liked the beef.  it definitely had a different smell from the store bought while i cooked it, and it tasted a lot better.  it really was only a little bit more expensive than the store bought stuff, so looks like they made a believer out of me!

after dinner, ian and i took our bikes on a little journey to kroger.  i have a basket on the back of my bike, and we were able to put all the groceries (we didn't get a ton, but still...) on the back of my bike.

such a hippie date, but so much fun :)

{adventures in painting}

we're growing up... how crazy is that?

2 of my good friends, who are getting married on new year's eve, are currently picking colors to decorate their future apartment.  it's going to be super cute, and i'm so excited for them!

their new living room will be navy blue, gray, and one wall will be white and blue chevrons (hello pinterest!)

well last night i went over to help do some painting.  while attempting to paint near the carpet, i had one of those ah-ha moments.  i tore off some of the cardboard from a box and fashioned a little paint-blocker.  i was pretty impressed with how it worked!  i was able to get really far down past the carpet, while avoiding the actual carpet, and it even worked as a paint drip catcher.

you actually have to wedge the cardboard into the carpet, but that's hard to take pictures of... i also feel like you could use a dust pan and it would be even more affective!

maybe this helps... i can't wait to try it on my own apartment soon!

{new bikes!}

i have always loved biking, and especially since i found a place close to kroger (and let's be real... orange leaf), i really wanted a bike that i could get around town on.  i've been looking at craigslist for a while, and always got beat by someone else.

this morning, i went to a bike sale, and while they had some beautiful bikes, they were also super knowledgable, so no deals were to be found.  i had a strict budget i wanted to stay in, and none of the bikes met that (most exceeded by at least $40-$50... boo!)

i got home slightly disappointed not finding a bike and hopped in the shower to get ready for northern kentucky to see the lovely erica biery, and when i got out, had an email from a woman i found on craigslist selling a pair of schwinn continental bikes.  she said she wanted to sell them as a pair, so i set off to masterson station to take a look.

i came home with these 2 beauties- the pair was within my budget! awesome :)

i'm in love!  they're in great condition and they match and my bike came with a basket attachment and vintage lights :)  i had to wake up ian this morning... it's not every day someone gets a bike!  we took a little trip around woodland park, and made plans to head to the farmer's market next weekend!  better be good weather!

it's a great day and it's only 10:30

{ode to the fam}

today, i'm missing my family.

i feel so blessed by the family God has given me!  we'll do a little fam snap shot :)

i have great parents.  like for real, i kind of think they're the best (i'm a little biased, but still!)

my dad is one of a kind... he plays hockey several nights a week, and recently picked up a wakeboard and taught himself how to wakeboard in a morning!  i think i got a lot of his adventure and i sportiness from him.  dad has always been the person i call when something is wrong- i coined the phrase, 'daddy can fix anything', and as of right now, he pretty much has!  he's probably where i get my mentality of why pay someone when i can fix it myself?  he's the rock of our family and i'm so thankful for a dad who has given me a positive view of God as my father.

mom and keith get to share a picture because i like this one so much :)  today is mom's 6 month anniversary from becoming cancer free (she kind of inspired this post)!  going through cancer really showed my mom's spirit: she's always happy and looking at the positive.  she never complained, never showed fear, and with my dad, completely trusted God with her future.  she's the reason i can't wait to start working in preschool (she's a special needs preschool teacher... hello patience!)

my brother is hilarious.  he's a hard worker who loves being outside.  he may also be the most loyal friend.  my brother is the guy who you could call at 2 a.m., and he would come to your aid, no questions asked.  he's also super outdoorsy- he hunts, fishes, canoes, camps... he spent a whole summer out west, waking up at 4 am to go cut trails!  he will always be my baby brother, but i'm proud of the man he's becoming

i have a super pretty sister... she also is very original and knows who she is.  even as girly and pretty as she is, she's currently out west hanging out with inner city kids and taking them on hikes thorough the wilderness.  she's thrifty, and the girl can take the ugliest piece of clothing and make it really cool.  i like that over the years, we're friends AND sisters.  she also makes me a little more stylish...


there ya go!  a little snap shot into the crook family... i love my fam and i'm so thankful for them :)  they're a big reason of why i am the way i am today.

{operation organization}

i have this goal of being organized and really clean when i move to my new place... i want my house to be somewhere comfortable and feel at home.

i'm attempting to jumpstart the cleaning by being really organized about HOW i'm going to clean.  i work well when following a plan, so why not make a cleaning plan?

i started by making a calendar...

i found one on pinterest that i liked, but wanted to make it cute.  if it's cute, i'll use it (i hope!).  i like that stuff is broken down into daily and then the weekly stuff is incorporated.  it means i won't spend one day cleaning everything.  we'll see how well i stick to it.  my plan is to print that off, put it in a picture frame, and mark things off with a dry erase marker.

to go along with that, i also made these 2 things!

paint chip calendar.  i promise it looks cuter in real life...

memo board- menu for the week, to do in the middle, and a grocery list on the bottom

i feel pretty good about today's crafts!  useful and cute :)  i can't wait to hang them in my new place and start using them!

{bread maker}

i've been cleaning out the house lately... 2 loads to goodwill (not all mine... erin and i cleaned the garage!) and a load to half price books today.  after the second load to goodwill, i had to take a gander to see if there was anything i could use for my new house.  i have a few items i've been looking for, and what better place to look than goodwill?

i came across a diamond.

look at that beauty.  ian and i really like making bread and pizza dough... life just got easier!  mom and dad use a bread maker all the time and love it... i remember when we were kids- the whole house would smell good and it doesn't take much work!  literally throw the ingredients in the pan and the bread maker does all the work.  3 hours later, i have homemade bread.  it also has a timer, so i can set it to be done after work/church/something fun.

how about that pretty bread???  i can't wait to eat it (or surprise ian with the fact that i got a bread maker).  while that wasn't on my list of items i need, for $6 i couldn't pass it up.  by the look of this bread, i'd say it was an investment i'll be pretty pleased in!

{ending of an era}

sugar creek has been a good home...

it's been home for 2 years for me with many fond memories.  still, it's the ghetto.  we have the fugitive task force and the narcotic division of lexington police on our street in the same day, we have kids setting off fireworks with a bow and arrow (with a firework ban going on), and 2 of our neighbors recently got evicted.  needless to say, i'm ready to move.

today was humorous.  my roommate and i cleaned our garage.  wow we know how to accumulate stuff! it feels good to purge... i took a huge load to goodwill, with another on the way tomorrow and a trip to half price books to attempt to make a few bucks on some books.

i officially cannot wait to move into my new place... i'm excited to decorate, to organize, and to make a place a home.  i don't want to feel temporary, i want to feel settled and home.

bring on the new stage!

{adventures as a speech path!}

new blog title... new stage in life!

i have a job :)  and it's pretty much my dream job... i feel so blessed.  people aren't supposed to get their dream job as their first job, but that's really what i feel like this one is.

this is the type of job i said i wanted even before i discovered i loved schools.  it's the age group i like, it's a community size i like, it's with people i feel like i will like.

i can't wait to start working.  i'm sure that come next summer, i'll be praising summer's off and not having to wake up early and see little people, but right now, i can't wait to start.  i can't wait to decorate my classroom, i can't wait to meet my little people, i can't wait to meet my coworkers, and i can't wait for a real paycheck :)

i also think i found a great apartment- not huge but perfect for just me, but a place of my own, a place to come home to and feel like home, a place to really feel like an adult.

tomorrow i go in for orientation.  i feel like it's the first real day of being an independent adult contributing to society.

i can't wait to use the gifts God has given me with working with little ones come august.  we'll see how the blog evolves with this new stage in my life!

kellie crook, maed cf-slp

{how i know i'm not a hoarder}

i am not an organized person by nature.  if you know me, you're saying 'duh' right now.

my best friend and i came up with a saying long ago that the state of our lives is reflected in the state of our rooms.  this is often true for me.  when i have the time, i really do like to organize!  most of the time though, i don't have time.  i'm busy (that can often be my fault... it's something i'm working on).

i'm moving.  not sure when, not sure where, but it could be in as early as a few weeks.  thus, i have started packing.  i really hate moving.  packing, organizing, moving, unpacking all stresses me out.  this will be different though, because i am living by myself.  all the messes will be my messes.  all the organization will be my organization.  i'm actually really excited for all of this.

i also get excited about getting rid of tons of stuff.  my life has changed since i've moved to sugar creek.  i'm no longer a student, but a professional (awesome!).  my wardrobe has changed, i have no need for all my class notes (praise the Lord!), i don't have to contain all of my things to one room... this means that i get to get rid of tons of stuff.  i'm selling books, i'm giving away clothes (how did i accumulate so many tshirts?), and i'm attempting to prepare to decorate a real house like a real adult.

i'm excited.  change is good...

{thank you}

may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

romans 15:13

i'm so thankful for the many ways God works to communicate with us... today has been a day where I have just felt him... took a drive through the country, and just heard things in songs today that brought on new meaning, got a text from a friend to remind me of the wonderful community he has blessed me with, and then reminded me of his power and love with verses i needed to read.

the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  the Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore i will hope in him
lamentations 3:22-24

{PSA}

dear young girls.  #1. sending pictures of yourself (especially when showing lots of leg and lots of cleavage) is a bad idea.  bad idea for so many levels.  we'll stick with a high point and say you should respect yourself more than that.

#2. if you are going to be dumb and take said skanky picture, MAKE SURE YOU SEND IT TO THE RIGHT PERSON.

#3. if you're going to be so bold, DON'T CALL WHEN THEY DON'T RESPOND. especially when it's 1 a.m.

is it wrong i want to call this 15 year old girl and tell her to respect herself, and if she's not going to do that, to be sure she has the right phone number for the boy who will disrespect her?

psa over. rant over. let's hope i don't get more texts/calls like this in the future. also, sorry to my future children, you're going to have a mother who #1. won't let you get the nicest phones at 12 and #2.  will have full privileges over your phones... if i ever want to check it out, until you pay the bill, i'm checking it out.

{revisiting childhood}

today, while reading, i came across a quote from one of my favorite books as a kid, the anne of green gables series.  i realized i haven't read the books in years, so i bought the series on amazon kindle for $.99. talk about a deal!

it brought back so many memories... the books are great if you haven't read them.  even now, i connect so much with the character- she's spunky and quirky and just full of life.  it was easy for me to get lost in the books as a kid.  we even got to visit the house anne of green gables was written about when we went to canada for vacation.  it's one of those trips that i remember so much!

http://www.annemuseum.com/

if you've never read the books, go read them.  thanks mom and dad for making me read as a kid!

{humble pie}

i've had several posts in the past regarding my lawn mower and learning how to fix said mower.  well, my daddy gave me one of their old lawn mowers (that's not really old), and i was in heaven.  the thing pushes like a dream, it's quiet, it's wider than the old one and i don't have to fix it every time i want to mow!  all that until today.  i went out to start it and the pull cord that you use to start the mower wouldn't budge. maybe 4-6 inches, but in lawn mower speak, that's about nothing.

not a happy camper.  i googled it and even took off the top of the mower to determine if the cord was twisted around something.  nothing looked abnormal (since clearly i know so much), so i called the closest lawn mower fix-it shop.  the nice man on the phone must have heard the frustration in my voice b/c he said he'd take a look for free.

i got to the shop and this grandfatherly man took the mower out of my car (he said he was raised where women shouldn't have to lift heavy things... i didn't complain), then proceeded to inform me it was the clumps of grass under my mower preventing me from starting it.  awesome.  my roommate and i lifted this heavy thing in my trunk, i drove it over here fuming all for this?  to realize i need to pull grass out from underneath my mower?

heaping piece of humble pie for the day...

did anyone else realize this can occur and cause the mower not to start?

you learn something new every day, right?

{navigating through change}

i'm currently in what i've been calling my 'first retirement'.

although i consider myself 'graduated', i have a single, 3 hour, elective summer class.  this means that i can't technically work until june 22nd.  this also means that i have been applying for real jobs, and at the same time, trying to apply for temporary jobs for the summer.  currently, there's been nothing except 'we'll give you a call back in a few days!' (which have yet to be returned...)

therefore, i'm 'retired'.  while this sounded fabulous in the beginning, i'm getting stir-crazy.  thankfully, i've inherited a desire to not sit from both of my parents.  i've been running, i've started going through my accumulation at my house, i've been looking for a new place to live (anyone with a suggestion of a nice/cheaper 1-2 bedroom place would be great).

basically i'm trying to use this time as a replenishing time.  grad school was hard.  it was busy.  it was stressful.  i also know the real world, no matter how much i hope to love my job, will also be hard and stressful and busy.  i want to use this time to relax, to replenish what was used, and to grow.

{sister visits}

i love my sister!  she just left lexington after a quick visit...

we had a blast exploring lexington- even visiting a few places i haven't been before!  we started the day at J & H outdoor... she's leaving for wyoming in a few days for camp, so we attempted to find a new backpack.  no luck, but oh well.  we also explored some vintage stores and antique shops.  kacy found some super cute jewelry and i got a fun yellow stoneware bowl and a sweet uk mug.  we went to feather your nest (it's always looked fun, but i've never gone in).  it was really fun!

it looks like a salad bowl in this picture, but it's actually pretty big

mason jar meets mug meets uk... awesome!

this weekend is race for the cure with my whole family (aunts, uncles, cousins!) and friends, followed by fun at the lake.  can't wait to spend the weekend with some of the people i love the most :)

{MARRIAGE!}

this past weekend, one of my best friends and former roommate got married :)  erica is super crafty, and the wedding exemplified that!  it was so cute, and the joy was so apparent between her and her new hubby, john.

i'm so thankful for my 4 best friends i met at uk.  we met as freshman at csf, and from there, we just couldn't stay away from each other!  we eventually moved into a house on waller avenue, took a 2 year hiatus while katie and i lived with a fabulous family, then moved back in for another 2 years until erica left me for john ;)

freshman year after we all decided to live together

the wedding was perfect... erica (who is not a morning person) was for some reason super excited to get up and was wide awake at 6 am (no clue why she was excited...). it was off to the church to get ready!

now on to the super crafty things my roommate made for her own wedding.  it was adorable and awesome and i keep trying to convince her to make these to sell on etsy.  the girl would have a great business!

cake topper on a homemade cake.  is this not the cutest cake topper you've ever seen?

she made all the flowers. her's had a broach from a great grandmother and a hankie that all the women who have married have carried.

our flowers

ring bearer and flower girl items.  i'm in love with the pillow!

she sewed the wedding date into the dress. and she wore toms.  

all dressed up at the reception!

all smiles.... a beautiful wedding of 2 beautiful people :)

ewwwww!  well... ok... you ARE married

awwww surrounded by cupcakes!

it was a beautiful day and i'm so excited to have these 2 in my life forever :)  congratulations on your marriage!  love you both

{news}

have you ever watched the news?

sometimes i can't stand to watch it... i can't stand to hear about another teen shot, another celebrity divorce, another child abuse case turned tragedy...
i know that bad news 'sells'.  i know stories of love and joy and a hope of the future don't 'sell', but i love when i come across those.

i wish more stories like these would make the news.  those of a couple married for 60 years who instead of retiring and sitting around have become compassion advocates and sponsoring 12 kids!
other stories, while sad, remind me of the hope of Jesus and the strength of young parents as they fight to prevent other parents from going through a horrible diagnosis of their child, yet fighting with joy because they know they'll see their daughter again.

these are the stories i wish would be in the news.  stories of marriages succeeding, Jesus providing joy and hope, stories of healing.

just thinking... how would people respond if they read of joy and hope each day instead of misery and pain?

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

{change}

my life is changing so much over these next few weeks, and i realized today, although a lot of it is stressful and full of unknown, i don't want to rush through and not take the time to enjoy each day.

i graduate on saturday.  it hasn't really hit me yet.  i've put in 7 years of hard work... this is the end of my college career.  there will be no more classes, no more homework, no more assignments (i have 1 summer class that i refuse to count (it's an elective), so technically, i have a few more, but in my book, i'm done).
i'm so thankful for where God has put me over the past 7 years.  He brought me to uk where i found my best friends, my church home, my love for uk basketball, my home.... i met 3 girls who changed my life forever, and for them, i am eternally grateful and i love them dearly.

 He brought me to eku where i found a family.  i really can't imagine finishing undergrad or going to grad school anywhere else.   we went through a lot... grad school in general is a lot, but those girls that i go to school with taught me more than just education... we were a family, and we look out for each other.  i'm so proud of the work we've accomplished and the attitude we've accomplished it with.  rarely can you put 20 women in a room and expect them to get along, and i feel like i can honestly say that we got along really well.  we actually are friends, not just classmates; that's hard to find.

a week after graduation, my roommate and one of those 3 girls (erica) is getting married!  i'm so excited for her... she and john are perfect for each other, and i cannot wait to be a part of her wedding.  she is going to be one gorgeous bride.  i'm still trying to convince her to not move to northern ky and stay in lexington forever.  i miss us all being roommates!

add in there job applications, hopeful interviews, moving in july, hopefully finding a job... it's all a little daunting.  still, this is such a unique time in my life full of changes.  i want to try and take it day by day and enjoy the little things... i'm sure that won't always be easy, this is stressful, but God promises to guide us and take care of us because He loves us.  He has a future for me, and i want to enjoy the journey.

{is graduation really 2 weeks away?}

it's hard to believe that my education is really almost over!  in 2 weeks, i will be walking across a stage (or dancing... not sure which yet...) and saying sayonara to school forever.  i'm kind of excited.  excited to the point my roommate and i (who is also graduating in 2 weeks!) tried on our graduation dresses and gowns and walked around the house dressed as such for about 20 minutes.

i'm so thankful for how school has gone.  i'm thankful for my classmates, many of whom i really don't think i could have gotten through school without.  i'm thankful we like each other and are legit friends and not uber competitive with or anything dumb like that.  i'm thankful we have fun and have laughed and cried and been there for each other- you don't always find that, especially when it's a room full of women.  i'm thankful for my professors and their teaching and not taking our whining to heart.

i'm thankful for my friends who have been with me and encouraged me and prayed for me during this time.  grad school hasn't been easy, and sometimes i got cranky, and they were always there to make me laugh and see that one day, it would be over.

i'm thankful for that boy of mine who has put up with me through grad school!  both being students and doing grad school and trying to work and find time to hang out hasn't been easy, but he's pretty much the best and we've made it work.  i'm thankful for the times he's just let me cry and whine about how i want to quit (it seemed like a good option some times) and tell me i can't do that.

i'm thankful for my ma and pa who always helped me out and supported me and gave me a nice place to come home and relax on breaks (and i'm looking forward to even more time at home since we're on a lake and get to take out the boat and all sorts of fun things!)

finally, i'm thankful God has allowed me to see what i want to do with the rest of my life.  i'm thankful he's given me a heart for kids and a love of speech therapy.  i'm thankful he's given me talents that i'm excited to use and legit am excited to work.  i just need patience and trust that He'll bring the right job along to work in.

2 weeks.  1 big test.  a few projects. then i'm done.  for real done (if you don't count that one pesky summer class.... ;) )

{mama's birthday!}

mama crook's birthday is today :)

i've been so blessed with a wonderful mom... i can honestly say that i wouldn't be where i am today without my fabulous parents.  both have taught me (patiently i may add) through the years, focusing on my strengths, but encouraging me to improve my failures.

i'm thankful today for a mom who was fun- from the time we were wee ones, she made sure we were going places and doing things.  we had 1 hour of tv a day, and honestly, it never bothered me.  i'm thankful for lessons in gardening, adventures to the grocery store (and i'm sure with 3 little kids, this was no small feat!), trips to COSI, zoo trips, trips to parks, allowing me to destroy the basement as i painted like bob ross (i was awesome at happy little trees and drying my paint brush like him), and just letting us be kids.  i think i learned a lot from my mom, and she's probably one of the main reasons i'm getting my degree in speech and using it to play with kids all day! (i'm going to help them too, but let's be honest... playing and learning can be the same thing!)

happy birthday mama :)  thanks for being a great mom!

p.s. your card got put in the mail today... sorry for being a slacker daughter...

{gr8ness}

what a week!  friday was my last day at my school... i had such a great semester there and saying goodbye was actually really hard!  i will miss all the kids and teachers so much...

for those who weren't in lexington or new orleans, i'm sorry you missed the excitement on monday!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

what a season.  i can honestly say that this was one of the best teams in uk's history.  not only did they have amazing talent, but it was just fun to watch them play.  they were one of the most unselfish teams and i loved that in every picture from the tournament, they were laughing and having a good time together.

i stayed in lexington monday night in the event that we won (and man was i glad i did!), and left at 7 am tuesday morning to make it to columbus for appointments and time with my family.

i love being home, and i cannot wait for this summer on the lake!  dad and i went kayaking today and it was gorgeous and relaxing.... which is great since oral comps are coming up

man i love being a wildcat in buckeye country :)

{end of practicum and comps}

i feel so blessed to have ended my schooling career the way i did.

last semester was rough.  i didn't feel happy, i felt stressed, i didn't feel like i was doing anything substantial as a speech therapist.

this semester was the polar opposite.  i have loved working in the schools.  my supervisor was amazing, and really made me feel like i was doing things right.  she trusted me with the kids and let me learn and be independent, while giving me helpful hints and information along the way.  i loved the kids i was working with this semester.  they were some of the funniest, sweet, caring kids i have ever gotten to work with.  so many told me i had to come back and visit and that they'd miss me and that they didn't want me to leave.  it was so nice to just watch kids learn and improve and open up to me.

the teachers were also fabulous.  from day 1, everyone was so helpful and didn't treat me like a student teacher, but i felt like a coworker.  i never felt belittled or like i couldn't be trusted, but the opposite.

today was a good way to end my time there and feel prepared to take my comps tomorrow.  so many people encouraged me and offered help if i ever needed it in the future.  it was a good send off.

i'm taking comps feeling nervous, but confident.  i feel like i am ready to do this job.  i feel like i'm ready to become a speech therapist.  3 tests separate me from that.  3 tests.

prayers tomorrow and saturday morning would be much appreciated :)