I am so blessed!

God has blessed me beyond belief with amazing friends everywhere I go. My first day of class at the University of Houston Clear Lake I met one of my closest friends. It was sad to move away from her....wasn't sure when I'd see her again, but God had a treat for me. Kelli married Greg(also a friend of mine from UHCL) a few months ago...and Greg's parents moved 3 miles down the road from us....neat, huh? Well, they came to see us yesterday...and I had so much fun. It is just refreshing being with those whom you are so close to and know you so well. We had to take some beach shots....Ryan took the ones of Kel and I and some are quite candid. But, they are still sooo us. I love this girl...and Greg, too!

We were fixing our hair....it kept getting in our face.

We are still fixing the hair!!!! And Laughing!

We take the picture in faith...that the wind will not blow our hair too badly.

I have no clue what was happening here....but it sure was funny!

And....Now...here are some of our significant others and us....

Ryan would not cooperate!!!

It was such a fun afternoon with Kelli and Greg.....man do I miss them! But, Wow...do I thank God for some truly amazing friends!!!!

MAD HATTER!

The SHE Community (Women of our church) recently had a Mad Hatter Tea Party/Dinner/Concert under the stars. These are just two of the amazing friends God has introduced me to since moving here. The dark haired girl is Yvette (native of southern California..and also egyptian...neat, huh), she is amazing. And the blonde is Cathy..the one God introduced me to on the fourth of July at the beach (Ryan found her husbands wedding band), also an amazing girl!!! Love them both so much...anyways...these are just some of our fun pics.

IT'S ALL JUST ONE BIG LIE!

Sunday is the first official day of Fall in case you did not know. And, and a first grade teacher you have to really play it up. They think I am so excited because of the season change. We will begin doing all kinds of fall projects, worksheets with leaves and pumpkins,etc. We get to change the dial on our season chart from summer to fall.....and to be honest my excitement is all one big lie. Normally, my very favorite season is fall. Fall is my favorite for several reasons: The weather, the leaves, the change of my attire. It reminds me of being in high school and of cheering and football games. It takes me back to memories of hayrides on a cool nights. I even love the smell of fall. I think what I am use to smelling is the pesticide they put on cotton around this time...but it tells my body...ahhh, it's fall! Well, this year....it's a different story. Let me explain. The weather is changing a bit (it even rained last night...and that is soooo rare) but not too much change, leaves changing colors...When discussing what happens in fall on Friday with my students, one informed me that leaves don't really change colors. Poor thing, he has never been outside of California...maybe even LA...and the leaves don't change colors...I mean Palm Trees??
Despite the fact that the weather has only dropped to like 68 degrees....people are wearing scarves for goodness sakes! There is no cheer leading....don't even know a high schooler to go to a football game(haha) and my cheerleading suits are in MS so I cannot even put them on to wear around the house (believe me, I would). And....I cannot smell cotton or cotton pesticide....I smell salt water. Which brings me to this point. If I cannot have the "REAL FALL" then I don't won't fall at all. I look around and see palm trees, sand, and a beautiful ocean. If I am at the beach, I want the weather to be beachy!!! So, I am going through a sad emotion....Summer don't leave.....fall don't come! ......I just woke up less than an hour ago....and have a lot to do today and tomorrow (around the house), but if that sun comes out...I am stopping everything, putting on my swimsuit (not a scarf) and heading to the beach to enjoy the last days of summer!

Y'all in Texas and in Mississippi......enjoy what Fall should feel like for me, And when you see the beautiful orange, yellow, and red leaves....think of the poor deprived children in Los Angeles who don't believe that leaves really can change color.

My First Full Week of First Grade!

Whhhhewwww....I am wiped out! I don't even know where to begin. First Grade is great! The school that I am working at along with the staff there are just absolutely amazing! They are so kind and so gracious...warm..and welcoming. Just an overview....school really is going well....very very time consuming since, I am new to all of their curriculum. I mean, I get home around 6ish...and I even bring home stuff to work on then. SO, it is demanding right now, but I am still thankful. My students are great....I love them....I really love them so much. Since January I have prayed for my class (not knowing who they would be).....and so I instantly fell in love. Ofcourse there are a couple that push my patience and I have had to use my mean voice a few times....but for the most part, I am amazingly blessed. They make me laugh so very much! My accent really seems to bother a couple of them. One keeps asking why I sound like I am from Texas....and another corrects me when I say a word that does not sound correct to her....putting a stop to that one! But....honestly, I am being blessed beyond measure. I sometimes doubt my ability to actually TEACH though. I mean, I am alot of fun...and do fun projects, etc.....but I am wondering if I actually have the gift of teaching ( I sure hope none of my kids parent's stumble upon this..haha).


Ryan is good...excited that college football is now on. In fact he is napping right now...but the football is on in the background.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to manage working every day, laundry, cooking, cleaning, Bible Study twice a week, running, and....my california tan is fading fast!

Ummm.....this has been a rather random post....but....that's what my life is like. Now, I am about to spend an hour on school stuff...and then.....I am diving into the final Harry Potter that my friend Lynne let me borrow....wooohoo!

KILLER Waves!

Don't let this picture fool you. Sure, the ocean is pretty...and in this picture the waves are nice and calm.....but today....the ocean was not a playful playground....in fact....it almost became a cemetary...atleast for me anyways.

It was HOT today...and for those reading this that are in Mississippi or Texas, I am ashamed to say that HOT means around 85 degrees. But anyways, it really was hot. Ryan and I went to the beach and I was looking foward to getting into the ocean to ride some waves. I usually don't look foward to getting into the Pacific ocean because it is always cold! But I was ready today.As we sat and watched we noticed that the waves were huge....bigger than usual.....but everyone out there seemed to be having a grand time. So, eventually we headed in. I immediately began to notice that the waves were extremely powerful (I should add that Ryan is a great swimmer....I am horrible)! Despite the fact that I am not a strong swimmer, I decided that I could follow Ryan and I'd be fine. About 3 giant waves knocked me over and under...and over and over...and I decided maybe this wasn't fun afterall. Then....I looked up....and I saw it....it was coming and it was big....do I go under and try to avoid it....do i jump up and try to let it go somewhat under me, do I dive into it????? So, being the indecisive person I am, I stood there and did not do anything...and it threw me under and over and over...off came my bottoms....down came my top. I knew I was dying, I just knew it...I could not come up...and I was in such a state of panic I could not figure out how to get my swimsuit back on! Somehow, I came up...and I can't really recall, but I think that I was dressed when the wave literally shot me onto shore. I come up...embarrassed and terrified to see Ryan way back in the ocean waving and telling me to "C'MON!!" I tried yelling to him that I almost just died and I could not take it anymore, I had to get out. He kept on playing....I don't think he heard me. When he did come in and I explained my near death experience, he could not believe I could not get my swimsuit on sooner. I said, "Sweetheart, I was drowning...what was I suppose to do?" Anyway....I am probably making this a little more dramatic than it was, but it was scary to me. And then I began to think.....where was the lifeguard? He was sitting in his lifeguard house while I was being tortured by a wave. But then as I thought some more, I was really glad no one came to my rescue....I mean being in the state that I was in (my swimsuit and all)...I am so thankful he did not try to pull me out of the water.

Note to self: Stace...you are not a great swimmer....never get in the ocean when the waves are that big!!! And...get a better swim suit!

Seriously though, I am so thankful!!!!

Can you hear me screaming.....it sounds like this...."AAAAAGGGGHHHH!" The reason is because I am overwhelmed and wiped out! I am soooo excited to teach first grade...and I know that it is a true blessing, but boy is it tiring. And, the funniest part about that is.......the kids have not even come yet! Hahaha...I am laughing at myself. Everyday this week I have been at the school for about 7 hours a day setting up and preparing for the kids. And, it's wierd because I am not really setting up my classroom....so it's just a different feeling. The lady I am subbing for is wonderful (I actually have not met her). She told me to feel free to do whatever and make it into my classroom. So, it has been overwhelming...but a little fun, too!
But, I need you to pray for me again. Because amidst all of the chaos of getting things ready and set up, and planned....I am getting a little anxious and nervous. I don't even know where everything is in this teacher's room yet. The team of first grade teachers is amazing...and so helpful, so God is really taking care of me. Just please pray that I will be able to manage the class and teach them so that they enjoy learning and truly succeed! Just talking about it has my stomach in knots. So, I am moving on to a new subject!

Oh...this is kind of along the same lines....but Ryan and I have never lived together while I have taught full time (When I did my internship, he lived in Virginia/California and I lived in Texas).So, it was easy for me to devote all my time to teaching. But now, I cannot for the life of me figure out how women do it all. I have yet to find out how to balance teaching, tutoring, planning, cleaning, laundry, cooking, ryan, running, walking chloe, bible study, and sleep. Any advice on how to survive in the "Real World" would be greatly appreciated.