My Life As A Kennedy

Building relationships and knowing your students

2011-04-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

I know that I have many teacher friends who follow both facebook and my blog, so I thought I would share this message that I just sent out to my campus. It was prompted by the tragic killing of one of my students over the weekend.

Building relationships and knowing your students

This weekend had been full of reflection for me as I work though the sadness and frustration of losing one of our 6th grade students. After hearing about the sad news I sent a text message to my mom telling her what happened and sent another text to a teacher asking if she had read the email from Kevin. Within 30 seconds of each other my mom asked me if I knew the student well and the teacher asked me if he had brothers or sisters. It was at the moment that I could hear Kevin’s voice telling us how important it is to build relationships with our students, something that I thought I had done well with until now.

After letting the news process for a bit I went out on the longest mountain bike ride I have ever been on and purposefully lagged behind the group I was with so that I could use my time on the trail to reflect. In my head I went through every class and every student to see if there was something unique that I could identify about each of them. Every class had those two or three students who were quiet, did their work and did everything they were asked to do. Deonte was one of those students. A student that I thought I knew, but apparently not well enough.

And once again I heard that voice telling me how important it was to build relationships with and know my students. Every single student. Not just the ones who are respectful and do their work or get upset because they lost two points on a quiz. We all have those students who make us cringe as they walk towards our room. The ones that we just wish would transfer or get sent to DAEP. When really those are probably the ones we probably should be building the strongest relationships with. Even last week I was guilty of celebrating the fact that a student had just transferred to another school, when in reality that student just needed love from his teachers because he clearly did not get it at home. Even the high school students that caused this tragedy probably just needed love and needed the security that someone cared about them.

So, towards the end of my long trail ride I decided to challenge myself. I know that there are only 40 days of school left. But there is a lot I can learn about my students and a lot of relationships that I can build in those 40 days. I would like to share that challenge with all my West Family. That way if one of our precious babies becomes an angel and someone asks if you knew them well or if they have brothers or sisters you can answer the question. And answer it knowing that you had done all you could do to build a strong student teacher relationship with that student.

Treasures

2011-03-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of our teachers got a phone call from her mothers work stating that her mom never showed up for work. This teacher went to her mother's house and later on we all found out that God had decided it was time to take her away peacefully.
When finding out this news, some of us just stood there in shock...most of us probably doing the same thing I was, reflecting and being thankful that we still have our loved ones in our lives, and others were reflecting on the fact that they had recently lost a loved one.
I am a believer, and have faith that when it is time for my parents, friends, or other family members to go, that I will meet them again when the time is right. BUT, no matter what I can not come to terms with the idea of death. I can not imagine the world with out my favorite people, or myself for that matter. Some have told me that I feel this way because I have been fortunate to have experiences very few deaths in my life time. This may be true, but either way, I am not sure death is ever going to be something I come to peace with.
In the meantime, I need to count my blessings and be happy with the treasures that I have here on earth now. :-)

Blessed

2011-03-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a reminder of how blessed I am to have found the friends that I have in my life.
Every Friday night Aaron and I rush home to pack up all our cycling gear and head out to River Legacy Park for the weekly Friday Night Ride. This is something that I look forward to every week because I know that I get to ride off all the stress from the work week and I get to hang out with people that in general just love life. I know that not everyone in this group has a perfect life b/c we all have our own issues we have to live through. But when we all get together we ride, have fun and can make each other laugh.
This past Friday Night Ride was eventful for me...Aaron and I arrived early and rode a slow lap. As we were finishing we saw the rest of the group coming onto the trail, Aaron did not have his riding light so he did not do another lap. But I was hoping to get another lap in, so I went ahead and rode with the group. At one point I got ahead of everyone because there are parts of the trail I do not ride. All of a sudden four of the guys got behind me and would not let me pull over to let them pass me. They had me riding 12 mph! I have never rode the mountain bike that fast! At one point I thought I was going to puke, but I just kept pushing myself and finally made it to the end. Not sure I could ride the who trail that fast, but those guys pushed me and cheered me on to the end. They cared enough to help me become a better rider :-)
Saturday was a busy day for us as well, but it was spent with good friends as well. Our friends Rick and Lori had their plans fall through, so they came and spent the day with us helping us pick out some camping gear. While at dinner with them I was reminded of what good people Rick and Lori are. Ever since I started riding they have been a part of my life. They were there for me when I broke my leg, helped me get moved into Aaron's moms house when I was released from the hospital. And that is only the beginning!
Then tonight we had our five year anniversary party for the National Mountain Bike Patrol, a group the Rick started. And once again I was surrounded by some of my favorite people! We had a good time eating cake (some decided to play with frosting!) and kicking some major butt in laser tag! Bike Patrol always wins!!
Aaron and I have talked about moving to Austin in a few years...but this weekend has made me question that again. Do I really want to leave this family of friends that we have been so blessed to have in our lives????

Driving Mrs. Daisy

2011-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

For almost three weeks now Aaron and I have been carpooling to work. This helps us save on gas and is preparing us for what it will be like to have one car. Aaron's brother is going to be buying our Element soon. This was something we had talked about a while back because his niece loves my car and she will be 16 in October. We originally were not going to sell the Element until then, but Aaron's brother totaled his mustang...he is ok! We are not ready to purchase a new vehicle for me at this time, so we just decided we would take this opportunity to save money and gas.

I love having this extra time with my husband every morning and afternoon. It gives us more time to talk with out the distraction of tv or computers. However, I miss being able to call my mom every morning. For the past six years, I have been calling my mom in the morning while on my way to work. It has become a routine for us that I look forward to every day. This year she got a job that prevents her from talking in the morning, but after a few weeks she changed her schedule and all was well. But then I started riding to work with Aaron, and now I do not have those private moments with my mom. So, I have decided that I will call her when I am doing my makeup every morning! Aaron is usually in the shower and so this gives me a few moments with my mom every day. It would probably be different if she did not live so far away...and if she read this she would remind me that it was my choice to live 700 miles away from her. I know it was my choice, but I can still miss her!

So, in the mean time, Aaron and I will continue to ride together every morning and afternoon. Which is fine with me because I hate driving anyway!

its been a long year

2011-03-15T20:42:00.001-07:00

I have come to the realization that daily, weekly, or even monthly blogging may not be for me! Especially since it has been a year since my last post...

A few things have happened lately that have forced me to sit back and re-evaluate my life. I started grad school in September and that is something that has most certainly taught me time management! It is a lot of homework and writing, but in the end it will all be worth it...hopefully! I have given up a few things at school, such as being a cheer coach, to give myself more time to focus on my school and family.

Last May Aaron and I decided that we would try to start a family. This has turned into an experience that I never thought I would have to go through. Over the past year and a half I have I watched a few of my dearest friends be blessed with the most beautiful babies and I could not be happier for them. I treasure the times when I am allowed to hold and love on these precious miracles. But I have these thoughts in the back of my mind wondering when I am going to be blessed with this same miracle; I know that I can not live through my friends forever.

Aaron and I have been going to doctors since the beginning of June trying to get my stubborn body to work right. Imagine going to the doctor several times a month only for them to tell you that everything you have tried, all the drugs you are putting into your body, are not working. I listen to the stories my friends tell about being pregnant and I want to be able to share those same type of stories.

I hear stories of people who have had abortions, or who really dont want to have a baby, and they are walking around pregnant right now. Or I hear another story about a woman who is drinking and smoking while pregnant. Or even the women who just leave their baby in a trash can somewhere. I can not help but wonder why those people are allowed to experience the miracle of being pregnant and giving birth. Why them and not me, someone who really wants to live through the experience and give a child a loving home.

But, this is when I have to sit back and remember that this is not all up to me. I have to let go remind myself that I am not in charge of this part of my life. That there is some reason, unknown to me right now, as to why I am not pregnant yet. We know that everything works, my ovaries are just stubborn and apparently have a plan as to when they are going to let some of their little eggs go!

In the meantime, I have to be thankful for my friends who allow me to love on their babies as much as I want and provide as much support as they can. I also have to remember that I have been blessed with the most supportive and loving husband that a woman could ask for.

Career Changes

2010-03-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Ever since I met Aaron has has talked about how the idea of going into real estate appeals to him. Well, a few weeks ago he finally made the decision to jump into the process of getting his real estate license and will soon be on his way to selling and listing homes.
I am very excited for this new endeavor, but also a bit worried. We are not in a position for Aaron to completely quit his current job so he will have to carry both jobs for a few months. My last post about time management would fit in quite well here! We are going to be balancing our personal lives along with both of his jobs for a while. I am sure this will not be easy, but hopefully it is rewarding in the long run. We both have goals for ourselves and our future family and in order to reach those goals we will have to make it through the next few months together peacefully!
Changing careers is not easy for anyone at any age. When I decided almost four years ago to go into teaching I was scared! I didn't know what was on the path ahead of me, and even sometimes I still don't. Aaron however, is going into a field that is never as consistent as teaching! There is no doubt in my mind that he will be successful and that he is going to put all he has into this career jump.
So, if you or anyone you know across this country is looking for a house, or selling a house please let us know! It would help Aaron get a head start on this new endeavor! He can help anyone across the country, so hesitate to contact us :-)

time management

2009-09-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I am married I have become more aware of how I spend my time. During my first two years of teaching I was not so concerned with getting home right after school. Dont get me wrong, I loved coming home to Aaron. But there is something different about knowing I am going to home to my husband. Knowing that most of the time he is there waiting for me to come home.

The downside to all this is that I have become so involved at school that I do not get home until much later than I used to. I love what I do at school and do not want to give anything up, but everyday I have to keep in mind that I can not stay and socialize after cheer practice or games. I need to get home to my husband!

As humans we must treasure every moment we have with our loved ones. No one has discovered this infamous fountain of youth yet, so we do not have forever to spend with our family. Almost everyday I am reminded of this and I tell myself that I need to call my mom and talk to her, or that I need to send Aaron a quick email reminding him how much I love him. We may get in arguments with someone we love, and we may not always be happy with the way that person is acting; but we still have to treasure the amount of time we have to share our love.

is life really different?

2009-08-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Since the wedding day people ask me all the time what married life is like. I have to say that so far there are only a few things that are different from what they were before the wedding. There are a few obvious things like combined bank accounts, calling each other hubby and wifey, and we are a little more conscience of the decisions we make about everything.
Our conversations about having a family and where we should settle down to have a family have become more serious as well. I never understood until now how serious conversations like this really need to be and how much these decisions can change ones life. I said for a long time that I want kids and I want them now. And even now with one friend pregnant and another one is getting ready to start trying, I think to myself, "well how come I am not trying yet?"
I go through moments of being a tiny bit jealous and then moments of thinking "am I really ready to change my life so dramatically?" At this point I really dont know. I dont know if I am ready to interrupt our newlywed life. Is that ok to feel like that?
We have decided that a few things need to happen before kids come along, so it will be a while. We know that if God decides that we need a child sooner that He will provide us with one. But for now I will probably keep flip flopping with my feelings and I will provide as much love as I can for all my "kids" at school.

My Dads Song

2009-08-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the lyrics to the song my dad had written for the father/daughter dance.

I cried the day that you were born, as I held you in my arms, for the first time.
I watched you grow through childhood woes, into this young mans, wife
(chorus)
I've seen you laugh, I've seen you cry, I've seen you fail, and I've seen you try.
I tried to keep you safe the best I could, But you're not my little girl, anymore

I gave you music, "Do you remember Kansas live?", I took you campin', and some fishin' we tried.
And we always had our favorite game, but"will you go play", just don't seem the same.
(chorus)

I held you back that year, you thought me a fool, be damn glad, you weren't home schooled.
I did my best to be your dad, I must be good, cause you didn't turn out half bad.

I've seen you laugh, and I've seen you cry.
To see you change, as the years go by.
One thing I know, I'll always be your dad, but you're not my little girl, anymore.
And this special note, for this young man, If you ever hurt his little girl, "On behalf of Steve's friends, I'm not afraid to go back to PRISON"

my favorite wedding memory

2009-07-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that the one thing I was most nervous about when it came to the wedding reception was the father/daughter dance. My dad and I have never been the mushy feely type with each other. We get along and I know I can talk to him when I need to, but I am definitely closer to my mom.
Mom and dad would not tell me what song dad and I were going to dance to. I know dad wanted to be able to choose the song, so I allowed him that. We both knew that we did not want any of the traditional father daughter songs b/c those songs are just not us songs. So when it came time for the father daughter dance I braced myself for what ever song was going to come through those speakers.
Thats when dad said that he had a surprise for me. I saw one of our long time family friends getting his guitar out and going up on stage. I immediately started crying. Never in a million years did I expect dad to have some one perform for me! Then Dave started singing, not only was he performing for us, he was performing a song that he and my dad wrote just for me. How PERFECT! There were lyrics in that song that told stories from the day I was born up until now. I never felt closer to my dad than I did at that exact moment. I LOVE YOU DAD!!

ok, I am back!

2009-07-29T16:33:00.001-07:00

once again, I have to admit that I have got to be the worst blogger ever!

The wedding has come and gone but not with out some incredible memories. My mom helped to make my wedding week one that will never be forgotten, starting with a bridal shower on Sunday.

The rest of the week was filled with getting more engagement photos, rehearsal dinner and casino night with the bridal party!

The day of our wedding I truly felt like a princess. My mom worked her but off to make it a memorable and precious day for us. I got to spend the day at the castle where everyone got their hair and makeup done while everyone else spent the day downstairs setting up. We dont have pictures from the wedding day yet, but they will be here soon!

I do not remember much after getting my bridal portraits done. Aaron says that we were at the reception for three hours, but I feel like it was only 30 minutes. I think everyone had a good time though, I know we did.

For our wedding night and the night after we stayed in a Camelot themed room, this room was amazing!

But, not as amazing as our room at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica! This is one trip that we are never going to forget, and we hope to go back some day. Here are a few pictures to enjoy:

Fireproof

2009-05-22T07:52:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago our Pastor suggested that we watch the movie "Fireproof" and observe the relationships in the movie. While this is a very cheesy movie and has some not so good acting we still enjoyed the message the movie was presenting.
In this movie a couple that has been married for 7 years is on the brink of divorce. The husbands christian father give him a book of written "tasks" that he must do for 40 days to try and save his marriage. These tasks are small things like doing something small and out of the ordinary (he decided to make her a cup of coffee which she happened to be in a hurry that morning and did not want it, so that made him mad!) A few days later his task was to create a romantic moment, so he went all out and created a very romantic dinner, and her response was telling him she did not love him.
Even though his wife kept rejecting him and everything he was doing for her, he still kept going. Every day he found something new to appreciate her for. He had his bad days and there were several days that he was ready to give up and just sign the divorce papers. But with the encouragement of his father he kept going.
One day his wife stayed home sick. The husband left to get her lunch to help make her feel better. She then revealed the book of tasks and asked him what day he was on. By that point he was on day 44, remember the book only has 40 days.
In the end the couple stayed together. They renewed their love for each other, worked on their communication and learned to appreciate each other more than they ever did before.
When you are with some one for a long time you become used to all their quirks and as time goes by your love for them should grow stronger. But if you start to feel something fall way, take a step back and take the time to remind yourself why you are with that person.
What made you fall in love with them? What about this person do you appreciate? What can you do for this person to show them you still love them? What in life have you sacrificed for them? What have they sacrificed for you!?
These are all questions that came to my mind while watching this movie. Every day I am reminded that even though I was picky and had high standards, I found the man of my dreams. I love him and appreciate him for everything he has provided for me. He has made me want to be a better person, and I am going to MARRY him!

mistakes

2009-05-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have got to be one of the worst bloggers ever. I completely forgot that I even had this thing until I was looking at our wedding website last night!

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. This past week has probably been the most eventful. We had to get our invitations done and mailed out before the price of stamps went up. We had already bought our stamps a few weeks ago, but we were not very proactive about getting the invitation assembled. So, Sunday and Monday nights were very late nights for us. Finally around 11:30 Monday night we sealed the last invitation and Aaron packed them up to mailed out Tuesday morning.

I was very excited about our invitations until Aaron calls me yesterday and tells me that we spelled cocktail wrong. How in the world did I spell that wrong, and how did I miss it?!?! I was so mad, and I am still a little mad. We spent some much time and money to make these invitations perfect and there is a word spelled wrong. AAARRGGHHH! Mom said that if that is the worst thing that goes wrong we are doing well. But I am still not happy about the situation. uugghh...

On Saturday I went in for my first official dress fitting. The dress looked amazing...but not so much on me. I still have some work to do to make it look better on me. Everyone says it will look fine, but I disagree right now. I got a little upset with myself for not trying harder to make myself look better for the past year and a half. But...then I have to remind myself that Aaron loves me no matter what :)

The next few weeks are going to be crazy. As of today we are 65 days from our wedding day. I am so ready for it to be here!!

Waiting...

2009-03-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Waiting...that seems to be the only wedding thing I am doing these days. Waiting for the dress to come in. Waiting to pay more money to the vendors. Waiting for mom to send me updated pictures showing me what the centerpieces will look like. Waiting for my hair to grow long so that we can achieve the hairstyle I want. Waiting, waiting, waiting!

As of today we are 108 days away. I feel blessed that we have had the amount of time to plan that we have. As a result of allowing ourselves this amount of time we are not stressed with the planning. We know that everything is taken care of and we know what to expect come July. That being said, I dont like WAITING! I am so ready for July 11th to be here. I am ready to be married to the man of my dreams and move forward with our lives.

But alas, I must be patient. I had to wait 25 years for him to come into my life, I guess I can wait another 108 days to have him as my husband :-)

Honeymoon is finally BOOKED!

2009-02-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

For about two weeks we have been researching and comparing all of the Sandals resorts. After reading reviews and watching forums and comparing prices and actually creating a spreadsheet to compare them all, we finally decided on Sandals Royal Caribbean. Who knew that deciding on a honeymoon would take this much work! Maybe for some people its not, but there were certain things that we wanted and we needed to make sure we got what we want!

Now, we did book SRC, however going to bed Thursday night I thought we were booking Sandals Royal Bahamian in the Bahamas. That resort seems amazing, however it was the only resort that did not offer the horseback riding excursion. Aaron knew I wanted to ride horses in the ocean so on Friday he talked to the travel agent and after many phone calls he decided on a swim-up river suite at the Royal Caribbean. I am going to be able to walk out of the room and go directly into the water!!

I dont know what I am looking forward to more, getting married in a castle or having a super sweet honeymoon in Jamaica!

Feel Free To Say I Love You

2009-02-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so of course on Valentines Day some people have mixed emotions about the day. I would like to remind everyone of the original reason the Valentines Day exists.
NOTE: I did not write this, I did some research and this is what I found

As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice... They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.

According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had issued an edict forbidding marriage.
This was around when the heyday of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Learning declined, taxation increased, and trade slumped to a low, precarious level. And the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian increased their pressure on the empire's boundaries. The empire was grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Thus more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.
Valentine, a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.
On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.

"From your Valentine"
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after.

Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.

The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

So, as you can see the reason we have Valentines Day is kind of sad. I think we need to take this day and be thankful that we are allowed to announce to the world who we love and that we are able to publicly show that love. I dont know about anyone else, but if I had to hide the love that I have for my fiance, I would go CRAZY!
So, instead of getting upset because your significant other forgot to send you flowers or get you a gift of some sort, be thankful that you are allowed to love who you choose and that you are not forced to hide those amazing feelings.

Honeymoon!

2009-02-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

For awhile now Aaron and I have been trying to figure out if we would be able to afford a honeymoon or not. Aaron has had this dream of going to Sandals since he was 12 years old, but what he didn't understand when he was 12 is how expensive a Sandals trip can get! So after several conversations we decided that we would wait and see how much we got back from Uncle Sam this year; what ever we got back would determine how much we could spend on a honeymoon. Well much to our surprise Uncle Sam decided to bless us with an amazing honeymoon this year:) Now the only problem is finding a flight that doesn't have FOUR layovers! Who really wants to spend the first two days of married life in an airport?!?

So far we have been very blessed to have the means to do everything we want for this wedding. I know that we can do things for a lot cheaper than what we are. But almost every girl has a dream of having a Cinderella wedding and before Aaron and I were even engaged I knew we needed to start saving money in order to get what we wanted. There have been some sacrifices along the way and definitely some compromises! This whole journey has proven to be a test for Aaron and I financially and has taught us financial responsibility that will only help us later in life.

Now we are off to plan an awesome honeymoon to celebrate our commitment to each other!

I hate addresses

2009-01-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I have been busy collecting addresses for the past couple weeks. That part has not been to bad...however, every time we go to enter a new address for someone we realize that we forgot someone else. UGH! That is the part I hate! So then we sit and discuss whether or not we should invite some one. I finally decided that if I have not talked to you in the past year, there is really no reason I need to invite you (with the exception of family members).

I feel that if I am going to have people participate and witness our special day that we should have had a better friendship/relationship over time. There are people I went to college with that probably don't even know that I am getting married, or that I even have a fiance, so they probably wont miss anything by not being at the wedding right?

Oh, but now I feel bad even after typing that...but really, I cant afford to buy more invitations or to feed more people...

I just have to remind myself every time I get distracted by who I should or shouldn't invite, or by how much the decorations are going to cost or how much food people get to get, that the wedding day is meant for one thing: Aaron and I pledging our love for each other and that is all that really matters. No matter who is invited or how much shrimp one person eats, Aaron and
I will still be married.

Long and successful day

2009-01-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Today was a day set aside for making some wedding decisions. We had to go put deposits down on the bridesmaid dresses. However, I knew the one I had chosen back in December was not one I was extremely happy with. It was one I settled on, but it was not really what I wanted. That dress was a tea length dress and I wanted a full length dress. So I went in today to take one last look to see what I might find. I found a full length dress that is very elegant and I am much happier with it!

In addition to the bridesmaid dresses, I was also on a mission to find our flower girl dress. And let me tell you, I have the most adorable flower girl that exists on this earth! Her mom, Rosemond, was a good sport today as well. She was a model for the bridesmaid dresses that I was looking at; and I think her and her daughter Grace have a career in modeling ahead of them :-). Grace made every dress we put on her look absolutely adorable.

After playing dress up for a while I went out with Katy, who is singing at the wedding, to find the accompaniment track for the song she is going to sing. The first sample we listened to sounded like a cheesy 80's keyboard song. Fortunately there is a new version off the song and it sounds amazing! Katy has this angelic voice that is going to be perfect for our wedding :-)

Now, we have the big chore of typing in addresses for our save the dates and invitations. This is going to be one tedious task!

I'm Back

2009-01-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am apparently not very good at this blogging thing. I actually forgot had this thing.

The past few weeks have gone by so FAST! And I have a feeling the next 6 months are going to go by even faster. We are 179 days away from the big day...its a bitter sweet feeling. I cant wait for the day to be here, but then again I don't want the day to just fly by either.

We went to both Colorado and Nebraska for our Winter break. Colorado was cold and it would not stop snowing. It had to snow at least 4 feet while we were there. Then we flew off to Omaha (after spending 12 hours in the airport on Christmas day) and it was non-stop wedding planning for the next 7 days. We did take a break and got my dad to go see a movie for the first time since I was in grade school; but other than that it was wedding, wedding, wedding. There are just so many decisions to be made for weddings, many of which I just want some one else to make!

We finally have deposits down an all the major parts of the wedding; the location, the dress, the cake, the videographer and the DJ. Now we just have to figure out a way to pay off the balances! This wedding stuff is expensive...we have learned that we have to start cutting things so that we can make everything else happen. Our horse and carriage is one thing that we had to let go, which makes me VERY sad, but I guess there are just some sacrifices that I have to make if I am going to get everything else. :(

So he really does listen once in a while:)

2008-12-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks I have began to notice that Aaron does not always pay attention to me when I am talking. I honestly think that something is wired wrong in a mans brain b/c I know Aaron is not the only man in the world who does not listen to his woman all the time when she is talking!
Well today Aaron proved to me that he does listen to me once in a while, when he chooses to anyway. As I mentioned in the last post Aaron and I always exchange gifts early during Christmastime; and we did it extra early this year b/c next week is crazy busy for us. So anyway, a few weeks ago I mentioned that I would like to scrapbook our time together. I have a lot of photos and such but I don't want to put them in a boring photo album. I also have a lot of movie stub tickets ;).
Well Aaron got me a HUGE scrap booking kit! and I mean HUGE. I never asked for this, but he knew it was something I wanted to do and just never had the time or money to go get the supplies. AND he has known that I wanted/needed a new flatiron for my hair. But I didnt want an ordinary flatiron, I wanted a Chi which is the best flatiron out there, ask any hairdresser:) I told Aaron a few months ago that he could get a Chi from a friend that I work with who also does my hair for me. Low and behold he got her number from my phone and had her help him get a Chi! I am telling you ladies out there, this is the best flat iron you can get! It can do some amazing stuff with your hair. You will never need another flatiron or curlingiron again:)
So, there is a small piece of proof that my man does listen to me sometimes, just not all the time!

warmth

2008-12-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I are so bad at keeping secrets and presents from each other! Every Christmas we give our presents to each other early b/c we are always traveling during our break and our presents are usually to big to travel with. :)
This year we were planning to do our gift exchange on Saturday. However, every day Aaron asks me if we can do presents "now" and every day I tell him no. It helps that one of his presents is at a family members house! Well last night I gave in and we opened one present each and it just so happens that the presents we gave each other would also work together as a pair! He gave me an electric blanket and I gave him a heated neck massager. Now sitting on the couch with both of these items is pure bliss! I didn't use the neck massager as much as he did, but we were able to cuddle up on the couch under the heated blanket and watch a movie. (The Longshots is a very good movie by the way!)
I have told Aaron for a long that that we are "in tune with each others needs" and last nights gift exchange proved this. It also proves that gifts don't have to be expensive or elaborate. As long as they are from the heart and provide "warmth" for the person you are giving it to the gift will be perfect!

Teaching

2008-12-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

I teach 6th grade....These kids have taught me a lot about myself. These kids are at an age where real life has not corrupted them yet. They don't know the real difference between their drama and REAL drama in grown-up life. They think that teachers live in the building and that they are the only ones their teachers see! Its cute (sometimes) to see kids at the grocery store because they have a sense of shock about them since they just saw you outside of the classroom!

I tell these kids everyday to strive for the best and to never settle for less. I tell them to set standards and goals for themselves and to work hard to meet these goals. My mom used to tell me the same thing all the time when I was young. I was a senior in high school when I decided that there were certain "qualifications" that a man must have before I even consider dating them. I went all through college with no boyfriend b/c of this. There were a couple guys I was "looking at" but it was nothing more than looking. It wasn't until almost 3 years out of college that I met Aaron. He had a job, he cared about his career, he loves dogs, and he looks good! Of course he has many other wonderful qualities. I am blessed to have found him!

All my life I have had a fantasy of having a Cinderella wedding. What girl doesn't! My fantasy is in the process of finally coming true. Of course there have been some bumps along the road but Aaron and I are doing everything we can to make this day perfect for us. We understand that this day is about pledging our love for eachother and we want everything to be perfect for us on that day. We each have asked some very special people in our lives to help us celebrate our love. Some of those we have asked may not understand how special they are and how much they mean to us, but we are not going to just let anyone stand up with us. Just like I had standards for the man I am going to marry, we have standards for those who will be standing up with us to be our witnesses. I can not wait until July 11th to celebrate with everyone!

2008-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I am going to join the blogger club and publish my life for all to see on the web. Ok, so I guess I will keep some things private but for most of the time any one who reads this is going to go on an adventure with me. The road to my wedding!

I am 27 years old and am finally getting married! I waited for a long time for this man to finally come around and here I am 7 months away from becoming Mrs. Aaron Kennedy. We have been engaged for almost a year now and let me tell you it has not been easy planning this wedding.

For more basic information about the wedding and how we met go to www.weddingwire.com/aaronandbethany There you will find the sweet gushy story and all that fun stuff.

Stay tuned for more...