Christmas

I'm back from Louisiana. I had a great time during my Christmas break. There was alot of shopping, eating, and sleeping involved. My 3 favorite things. It was good to see my family, I missed them all! Linda made an awesome brisket and rice and gravy one night and pork chops. Believe me, I ate good! I got alot of great things for Christmas this year. My brother, sister, and I at Christmas Eve. I can't believe how old they are getting! It was really great getting to catch up with them.

I had alot of pics but I had to pick and choose. You know how it is. This is one of my many cousins, Annie. She's my girl!

There are like 7 new babies in the family. I got to hold them all and then give them right back when they started crying!! Again I had to pick and choose which picture, but they were all so cute. None of them cried but if they did, I knew I could give them up!

Here's another cutie! Christmas Day we woke up and opened gifts. Right after that I went to my Aunt Christine's house to eat lunch there. Terry made a roast (delicious), then there was 2 stuffed chickens, rice and gravy, green bean casserole with cheese sauce (OMG!!YUMMY). I had myself 3 plates. PaB if your reading this, I went back for my 3rd plate when ya'll left. I didn't want to look greedy : ) I told Christine I was saving up food for when John gets laid off and I won't starve. haha

I think it's safe to say it was good and we ate alot! Brandy was showing me her food baby. Sexy Brandy! I left Sat. morning at 5am and got to Indy by 11am. I was excited because I hadn't seen John in 2 weeks. We spent most of the afternoon at his parents for their Christmas then we went to his best friend Bob's house for another Christmas. We got home at 11pm and John got a call to go back to work. So I had him for 12(waking) hours and he's gone again. Hopefully I'll see him New Years Eve. Today I was back at work but it was good because I have Wed and Thurs. off. Thank goodness. I need a break!! Oh yeah, and all day Sunday I cleaned closets. I get anxious when the house feels cluttered and I felt the closets were cluttered so I went at them! Anyway, whats new with you?

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Where do I begin? Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you have a great/wonderful birthday. I miss you. Who knew 3 and 1/2 years ago my life would change? You gave me an opportunity to put my life back together. I lived for your advice. I needed guidance and you gave it. Your not worried about hurting my feeling when something needs to be said and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. I'm a much better person because of you. During those 3 and 1/2 years things shifted. We went from being mother and daughter to mother and daughter who are best friends. You've shown me it's ok to have opinions and to say them. You've shown me strength when I thought I didn't have much of it at all. You've helped me look at my relationship with John in such a better way and we have a great relationship because of it. After long trips flying I would come home to a quiet or not so quiet house and I loved every minute of it. I loved our tv time and we never run out of things to say. I've learned it's ok that we have different opinions about things, but I love that you challenge me with questions about the topic and it makes me know why I have that opinion in the first place. I love how your such a caring, giving, and great mom. I know for a fact that no matter how good or bad life is, you will always be there for us. You've taught me the importance of quality time. I now know how quality time or lack of it can make or break any relationship. We have such a great relationship because we always have plenty of quality time. I look forward to it. I knew after a trip we would have that. And your cooking... where do I start? I know you don't care for it but your great at it! I remember one time, I'm not sure what holiday it was, but right when I walked into the house you had a whole meal cooked and ya'll were waiting for me to eat. I wasn't even expecting it. I always know when your cooking it will be delicious!! It's the comfort food. It always smells so good and we always have a great family dinner. So when I smell your food (and it always smells like Mab's) Ihave that comfort that I'm home and it's going to be a good day.Your always giving and making sure we were/are happy. That's the kind of things that make you a great mom. You take such an interest in your kids. I'm sitting here with tears going down my face but as much as I write I can't put into words what you mean to me. So, Happy Birthday mom. Have a great day and I will talk to you soon. I love you

From Louisiana

Hey ya'll! I still don't have any pictures for you. Sorry! I know I said I would blog last week, but I guess I lied. I have been so busy, and when I'm not busy, I'm catching up on my sleep. My kiddos Hanukkah play went very very good. They were wonderful! The parents were so happy they supplied me with a years worth of Starbucks gift cards. No lying, I got about 7 of them. I'm happy about it because everyone knows I love my Peppermint hot chocolate! Well, I went home and waited for John since I hadn't seen him since the Sunday before. Sure enough he didn't get home until 10pm and Michelle was already in bed. My alarm was set for 4am so you know I was tired!! Anyway, I thought it might be nice to at least say hi to him bc I was leaving in 6 hours and wouldn't see him again until next Saturday. Anyway, of course I was dog tired Sat. morning and some hoochie spilled her OJ on my coach purse. I looked at her like "Oh No you didn't"!!! When that was resolved I finally slept. Now I'm in Louisiana trying not to have a panic attack from the traffic. Holy Moly! What is that about!!?? So now I'm blogging as Brandy is on her way to pick me up for our slumber party and we're going meet Pa-b for dinner. I'll try to have pics next time. Oh and John just left the dock on his cruise ship with his family. I hope he has a great time and brings me back something good! (hint hint johnboy) Anyway, I'll write more later!

Sorry...

Hey Ya'll!!!!

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I have been so stressed at work with our Hanukkah play today. I'm at work now actually. I will blog tonight about my birthday and other things that have been going on. I leave tomorrow morning for Louisiana! Brandy, we still need to pick a night for our slumber party!

I gotta say being a teacher has real perks. Today alone, before 8am, I have gotten a Starbucks gift card and a ton of candy. I have been racking up! It's so sweet of the parents but I do appreciate it! Between Target and Starbucks gift cards, I'm all set! Well, I'll blog later but have a great Friday!!!

Freezing

I woke up yesterday morning and got ready for my day of errand running. I ate lunch (because I woke up at 11:00) and watched some tv. I decided to leave and this is what I walk outside to..

Snow. Crazy. There have been a few days of frozen water on my car, but not snow. The roads were terrible. I slipped and slided to where I needed to go and I couldn't wait to get back home. I HATE snow and cold weather. I know there will be more inches of snow in about a month but yuck! I pretty much stayed indoors today and made a gumbo and m&m/chocolate chip cookies. I have my work holiday party tomorrow night and I'm bringing cookies. Not much else is going on. I'll update on weather conditions when it gets worse : ( Ya'll have a great week!

Cold

Ok, so it's snowing and freezing here. It was 23 degrees this morning. Buurrrr.....

Alot of things going on...

Happy Late Thanksgiving! I stole this pic from mom's blog but for some reason we didn't really take pictures. I have had a long couple weeks so I spent most of my time eating and sleeping. Thanks mom for understanding when I disappeared for a few hours at a time!!! I had such a great time. It was laid back and low maintenance. My favorite kind of vacation!! I can't wait to go back soon. Thank ya'll for everything and I can't wait to see ya'll again!!! I put all these pictures on here backwards, so we're going from recent to not so recent. Last weekend john and I went to Delaware to see mom and Keith. When we got back we decided to put Christmas stuff up. I know it was early but when it's freezing and snowing, it feels a little like Christmas to me.

Our tree is already filling up with presents (thanks mom!) and we went crazy with the lights.

Ok, so we're at the beginning now. 2 weeks ago, John told me he had a 29 hour layover in Philly. I called mom up and depending on how open the flights were, I was going to try and go. I got off of work last Friday, caught a flight to Chicago, then to Philly where Johns flight came in from Denver about the same time (1am). By the time mom and Keith picked us up and we got home it was 3am. Needless to say we were all exhausted. Saturday we went to IHOP and just enjoyed each others company. That night they dropped us off at the hotel that the pilots stay in. We were dying for sleep. WE were so exhausted. 4am came early, but we got to the airport and the flight was wide open. I could have had first class but I had a row of 3 seats to myself and I rather lay down to sleep than sit up. It was really cool being on a huge plane that John was flying. Since I have flown with John a ton of times, I knew what it would be like, but to see him in such a big flightdeck was awesome. We had 4 hours in Chicago before the Indy flight and we saw quite a few of my old pilots and flight attendants we used to work with. That was really cool!

Anyway, the past 2 weekends I have been in Delaware and during the week I have been working, so now I'm about to go relax. No cleaning or anything!! I hope everyone has a great 3 and 1/2 weeks before Christmas!!

Hold on...

I just reread everything I wrote and I forgot this picture was on here. I told you everything was out of order! For my birthday my mom and Keith got me a Coach purse!! I was (and still am) sooooo excited! I have never owned a coach purse and so course I'm showing it off to everyone. Anyway, sorry I forgot about this picture but Thanks mom for "The Purse". I can't wait to keep showing it off!!

Our Weekend

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Last week, John and I decided to try a cajun place on the OTHER SIDE of Indy. It's owned by a man from New Orleans. He certainly had an accent. Anyway, he was out of gumbo (bummer), but I had chicken stew. It was ok. Anyway, the place was kind of cool. As you can see, everyone signs the wall. There were alot of people from Louisiana who have been there. It was pretty cool.

John and I had a great weekend. Friday night we went out to eat and we went see "Role Models". It was funny. Saturday night we went to a wedding. It was very beautiful and romantic. John had a weird person sitting next to him, but that was ok. After the wedding, we took off and drove about an hour away to a Bed and Breakfast. It is such a wonderful little town. We love going there but it was our first time staying the night. The room was beautiful! We got up the next morning wondering what we would be eating for breakfast. Honey let me tell you, that breakfast was amazing! The cinnamon rolls were coated in icing and they had eggs and they sauteed potatoes, peppers, sausage, and cheese together. Holy cow! It was soooo good! Then we got ourselves some hot chocolate and started walking. We shopped for a few hours (and bought some great Christmas gifts!). When we finished shopping, we decided to drive another 25 minutes away to another little town to shop. By that point it was freezing and I was ready to go. On the way home we stopped at a winery. It was such a beautiful place but packed as could be. We bought some wine and took off. It was such a great weekend. I know we have challenges ahead with John's layoff, but I'm glad we got to spend some quality time together before the craziness of everything begins.

This was our bed and breakfast. The yellow sign kind of takes away from it, but it was smack in the middle of town. We never had to carry our bags far, because we just dropped them off as we went.

This is just a picture to show how cute the town is.Very quaint.

We look nice until you get to our feet. I wanted to be comfortable!

This and That

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT BARBARA, AUNT BETH, AND LINDSEY!!!! I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!!!!

This week/ weekend wasn't to exciting. John was finally home for the weekend,which I love, because I get my good breakfast. It's cold here. I mean cold! This minute it is 36 degrees and "feels like 25". I love the weather channel. If it feels like 25 degrees, then make it 25 degrees. But whatever.

We got some bad news Friday. John found out he'll be laid off Jan 14. We believe everything happens for a reason so we're trying to look at the bright side of things. As much as I don't like him to be gone, I hope he doesn't stop flying. We'll get through this one day at a time and hope for the best. Today John decided to rake the leaves. Riley just wanted to watch. Could he get any cuter? Next weekend we are going to the Bed and Breakfast, as well as a friends wedding so we're hoping the week flys by. Last night we went to John's 15 year high school reunion (I was 10 when he graduated, haha), and it was fun. Other than that, not much going on....

Halloween

So I went out for Halloween for the first time in a few years. John couldn't go because he had to work so we decided I would go out with our friend Clint. The night was a blast. It started out with meeting friends from work. My friend Adrienne and her fiance' picked me up and we went to a bar. I met my friend Angela and all of her friends. It was so much fun. Then my friend Clint called and he was going to meet me at the bar. However, the line to get in was way to long. I ended up leaving to go meet him, then we met up with a bunch of his friends. I ended up cabbing it home around 2:30am. This is Adrienne and I. Her outfit was too cute!

These are a few of Clint's friends. I didn't get a picture with Angela and her friends but she was dressed so cute!

This is me and Clint. We coordinated our outfits! (I was a cop and he was a prisoner)

The morning after I was feeling a little groggy. Plus, I had Junior mints and Chinese food so I felt normal again. I WASN'T hungover! I knew I would end up finding my own way home, so I stayed pretty sober but all in all it was a great night. There's more pics on Myspace.

Today I am cleaning the house and doing alot of reading. I am also taking down all the Halloween decorations and going put a deposit down on the Indianapolis reception place. My John comes home tomorrow, only to leave the next day for another trip. But thats ok because I still get to see him!!!!

Relaxed

Today was a very relaxing day. This picture is a little weird because I took it from the bedroom upstairs... through the screen on the window. Anyway, as you can see the leaves are changing and falling to the ground. Do you know what that means? It means it's cold. I'm talking I-have-already-been-sick kind of cold. My body does NOT adjust well to cold weather. So today was my relaxing day. John is gone again for the second weekend in a row, so I have just been hanging out. Yesterday I did some Christmas shopping and I'm happy to say I am 50% done. Today, however was the best. First off, this blog doesn't show the correct time when I post. It is 5:01pm now. I crawled out of bed at 10:30 and went to Walgreen's in my pj's to get a Sunday paper. I came back home and did laundry, ate, and read. All day. That's it. (By the way mom, I'm reading Debbie Macomber's new book, its good!) It has been a great day. I was blessed all month with 4 day weeks and leaving early because of all the Jewish holidays, but tomorrow I work all day everyday until Thanksgiving. Also, today is the last day of Summer in Europe. It's on the calendar. I'm also in a good mood because today I booked a night at a bed and breakfast in Nashville, IN for John and I. We rarely do anything because one of us is always working. However, it's the perfect time. It's a little town FULL of small, individually owned shops. You walk everywhere and they have little restaurants and coffee shops. We went in spring when they weather was just getting to be nice. It also has quite a few bed and breakfast's and we kept saying we wanted to go. We're going to hopefully get alot of Christmas shopping done there but also just enjoy our alone time together. So now I have something to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. Anyway, I'm going back to my reading and I hope everyone has a great week!

Sad...

Ok, so John and I have some good news and bad news. The good news is we have found a wonderful, loving family for Luke. The bad news is we have found a wonderful, loving family for Luke. Like I said in the last post, we have talked for hours about making the decision to let him go. It all comes down to John losing his job and not being able to afford Luke. Worst come to worst, John's family would take Riley, but adding Luke to that would be a huge responsibility for the Brays. Anyway, Sunday Luke went over for a play date with the family. I got to see the house and yard and meet the people. They loved him right away (of course they did, it's Luke..) but they wanted him that night. I said no way, we needed one last family night. Luke is by nature a snuggler. He loves nothing more than climbing on me and falling asleep. When we go to bed at night he jumps on the bed, starts at my feet, walks up my body, the slides down the side of me and falls asleep. Anyway, so on our last night this is what we did..... He crawled on me and fell asleep. Until I told John to get the camera. We all watched our tv as a family.
Luke also doesn't like flashes so when John took the picture, he turned the other way (still on me) and hid his eyes. This one was on a timer, but just an idea of what our last night was about.
Couldn't help but post this one...
Riley and Luke love each other. They love to play tug-o-war. Here, they are being lazy playing. About 30 min ago, John and I dropped off Luke. I think he knew what was going on b/c he looked sad and stood by the gate when we left. He also gave us each a bunch of kisses. I knew today I was going to be an emotional wreck, so I made gumbo. So as I sit here, glancing at the spot beside me where Luke spent most of his time (following me, always by my side), I try to remember that he's with a wonderful, loving family. And I'm going to try to wash away my sadness with a bowl of gumbo. Love you Luke.

It's Fall...

It's Fall again. The weather is starting to get a little colder, days a little shorter, and I can feel my hibernation about to begin. Today is my first Saturday in a long time without (1) John being home, (2) being in Philly, or (3) being in Louisiana. I woke up not knowing what to do. Breakfast wasn't waiting for me, the dog(s) weren't fed, and I had no plans. It was a little weird. It also didn't help that the house was cold and I was struggling to find a sweatshirt. During my last 3 winters, I flew so much that I wasn't home that often, therefore I didn't need alot of winter clothes. Now that I'm starting to wear them everyday, I'm realizing just how little warm clothes I actually have. My ONE sweatshirt is from the Christmas Cruise 4 years ago. It's says "Carnival Cruise" on it. I have a couple thin sweaters and they have quarter length sleeves. That doesn't work for me. I need my full arm to be warm. Anyway, I decided to be productive today. All the Halloween decorations are finished. I actually had fun with this.
I was in a GO,GO,GO mood today. I went grocery shopping. Did all the laundry...
Set the table for Halloween...
and decided to cook. I'm not talking just make a meal, I made 3. I made crawfish fettuccine for me today, then I made spaghetti lasagna and sloppy joes to freeze for nights when I won';t want to cook. I also cleaned the house. So yeah, productive.

On other news, after many hours upon hours of discussion John and I have decided to part with Luke. We just can't afford him. We love him alot but we need to do whats best for him. I'm meeting a family tomorrow with other dogs and cats and a big house and yard. Hopefully it's the right fit but if not, then we'll keep looking. It's important to us that he goes to a great family and loving home. It was a hard decision but it's what needs to be done.

That's my Saturday. Its still cold and I'm told it's only going to get colder ( My blood isn't meant for cold weather. I also went to Yoga again, still fun. I'm still sore. That's all that's going on here but I'll blog more later!

Weekend

Well, I just got back from Louisiana. It was very productive. I got to see my brother Kyle in Lake Charles. I still can't believe he's in college. This is a picture of us in his room. We went eat chicken and he gave me a tour of McNeese State, which was really nice. It's always good to see my brothers (miss you Josh!). I also got to see my brother Zack and sister Katie, my cousin Brandy, and alot of other family. I love going home because I can catch up with people and eat alot of good food. I hate going for such a short time because I can't see everyone I want to see. But I had a good time. I shopped with Linda and my Aunt Barbara, which is always fun! I took a picture with my brother and sister but I'm waiting for it to be e-mailed to me. I forgot my camera everywhere I went. I know this isn't a very good blog but I am beyond exhausted and I promise to do better next time : )

New member of my family...

Ok, so yes, we're weak. We fell in love! We were supposed to keep Luke until Saturday. The family who wanted him fell through. The rescue lady goes to Petco every Saturday and Sunday to try to get all of her rescue dogs adopted. Luke went Saturday and John and I were hoping a nice family would take him. Well, one did, and they returned him. Apparently the guy was "allergic". I called her Saturday night to tell her John and I would like to volunteer and help her out. She told me about Luke going home with someone then getting brought back. We were pretty upset about it. This poor little dog. We decided if he didn't get adopted by 3pm on Sunday, he was ours. Well, she called back last night to see if we would foster him for another night. It was all too much for us! We wanted him! We wanted him home!! So, we said we were coming to get our dog. He just fell right into our lives and our family. Today we went volunteer. (Luke stayed home )It was too sad for me. All these dogs just wanting to be loved and go to a good home. I wanted to take every single one home. This morning we decided to take the dogs for a walk. John isn't smiling because he was trying to get the dogs to look. He was happy though : ) We went to Starbucks for a mocha for him and a peppermint hot chocolate for me, thankyouverymuch! Then we stopped next door at the dog bakery for some yummy treats for the dogs.
This was taken while we were cooking breakfast. (you know I like my eggs and pancakes!) They have been doing well together, seeing as how Riley is the most spoiled dog in the world!
How could we have ever let him go? This is what I wake up to. We love you Luke, welcome to the family!!!

Unexpected

I just got back to Indy from Philly. Mom, Keith, and I had a great time. Sadly, I didn't take any pics so you'll have to go to mom's blog to see some. On Sat. mom and I went wedding dress shopping and I found one I love! All 3 of us did some shopping and ate alot of good food!!! I love the seafood on the east coast. Especially the crab and spinach dip. Haha ok maybe not.... But it was a great time. I love seeing my family. It was weird being there without Josh and Kyle though. I miss my boys!! But hopeful I'll see them soon enough.

Today, on my only day off, John and I saw a pitiful looking dog on the side of the road. He was matted in mud, and full of little needles from trees. It was so sad. John and I picked him up, brought him home, bathed, and fed him. Poor guy hasn't eaten in awhile. We named him Luke. Though we're not keeping him. He brought him to the vet to see if he had a chip in him (he doesn't) and we found a rescue place. The lady said she has a home for him with a 5 year old child. He'll probably stay with us for a few days but we're happy he's going to a good home. Riley adores him. He also loves me and is always laying by me so he has stolen my heart already. John says things like "OK boys, lets go play", which also melts my heart, but he's going to a good home.

Look at those eyes!! He's soooo cute!
Today was also 60 degrees so I thought it was time for my first gumbo of the season and it is delicious!! I'll be home to Louisiana in 1 week! I can't wait to see my family and eat some good food!!!

Breakfast

Everyday I get up 20 minutes before I have to leave, grab a pop tart, and run out the door. I work hard all day long and then come home to a short night so I can do it all over again the next day. John has been home the last 2 weeks. It's been wonderful!!! The house stays clean, my laundry is always done, and most importantly, on Saturday and Sunday mornings I wake up to this.....
Homemade pancakes, sausage and cheese omelets, juice, and a ton of syrup. What more can I ask for? I have been completely spoiled and I love it. Could I have asked for a better fiance'? I don't think so...

On another awesome note, this weekend I am going to Philly to see mom and Keith. I haven't seen them in what seems like forever so it will be a blast! I'm not flying anymore so I can't fly for free, but my Johnboy is still flying, so guess what? Free Flight!! This week is going by so slow because I know Saturday morning I will be on a plane!

It's also a great week because all my TV shows started up again!! I have been plastered in front of the TV with John and we haven't moved! We're recording shows and watching them together. What am I going to do when he leaves tomorrow for the first time in 2 weeks? I guess watch TV : )

Random

John and I went see "Pineapple Express" last night. It was so funny!! We laughed so hard. John and I have a different sense of humor. I hate movies he picks out and vise versa. So, it was awesome that we both enjoyed this movie.

This is the wall outside my classroom. The center says "September 11, 2001". It seemed that not many people remembered what day it was Thursday. I personally, was in a very solemn mood. I had my class put aside all their "B" things. I cut out red strips and handed them glue. They made their flags. Then I put blue finger paint on the table and let them use their fingers for stars. I had teachers asking why flags? Flag doesn't start with "B". I was like "ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!" So, I just wanted to share my kids art work with you.

Random

So today was a great day. Do you want to know why? I usually spend the week all stressed out, only to spend the weekend playing catch up and still a little stressed. This weekend I decided no more! I woke up late this morning, had some breakfast, and went grocery shopping. I had a few other errands but my goal was to be home by 1pm. Well honey I can tell you by 1:30 I was at home in my pj's. I spent the afternoon reading, playing on the computer, and getting some housework done. I also wanted a nice dinner so I made myself some shrimp fettuccine and oh my god! It was amazing!! My day has been so relaxing! For the rest of the night I plan on watching Monk and then going to bed. I don't have any plans for tomorrow either!!! Perfection....
We were studying the letter "A" in school last week. I decided Riley should come visit because he is an "A"nimal. My class and Ms. Michele's class all got to pet Riley. We learned how to be gentle and give kisses and hugs. It was fun. Poor John was a little overwhelmed and can't believes I do that all day everyday. All of the kids in that picture but 2 are mine. Yeah, I know, I have a big class.
This little dude. He's the crazy one in the class. He's so mischievous. I spend the day saying "Dalton, stop!", "Dalton, no hitting!", and so on. You get my drift. But I also spend the day cracking up b/c he's so funny. I correct him, then laugh. Then when he's really in trouble he likes to crawl in my lap and snuggle. How can I resist that!!! He alone makes my emotions run ramped! I'm aggravated, then laughing, then loving him and his snuggles, it's crazy! Just wanted to share him. He's cute as a button! Ok, I'm off to watch Monk and do nothing else all night. Miss you johnboy ; )

Kare Bear Visits!!

Karie, Reed, and Reynolds came to Indianapolis to visit. They got here Friday afternoon and left this morning. It was so good seeing them, I was missing my Kare Bear and baby Reynolds. The last time I saw them was 2 months ago and he has grown! We had a great time. We shopped,ate, and talked alot. I'm so glad they were able to make it up here to visit and I can't wait to see them again!! Reynolds shirt has little guitars on it. It was so cute on him!
My Kare bear and I. I'm gonna miss her!
John and Riley hopped in this picture. John was such a huge help with all the cleaning, cooking, and being where I needed him to be. (I needed someone to keep checking my roast). SO, all in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I am super excited I get tomorrow off!!! Yay!!!