Family Pictures 2012

     During the week we had off for Thanksgiving, Karl and I decided to have our first set of "family pictures" taken professionally.  Prior to this, we haven't had any photos taken professionally since our wedding, so we thought it might be about time.  This is a sample of what we had done.  We used one of these for our Christmas card this year.  Photo credits go to Photography by Jessica Nicole based out of Vilonia, Arkansas.  

Fall 2012 Continued...

Halloween 2012 - Trunk-or-Treat @ Church

 Paisley was "Super Pug" this year for Halloween!  We dressed her up, and met our puppy friends in the courtyard of our apartment complex.  Should I be embarrassed to even share that with you?  Probably. :)

Thanksgiving 2012 @ Mommer's house....Karl can now carve a turkey. :)

This is just a bonus picture.  We're attaching this to Karl's resume'. :)

Thanks again for stopping by! :)

August 2012 - A New School Year

Moving onto a new season.....Fall 2012!  This fall has lived up to the busy expectations we had for it!  As I began my new school year (my 6th year teaching....time flies) in a new grade level (moving from 2nd to 3rd grade), I knew this year would be an adventure.  I won't bore you with all of the gory details, but the bottom line is that I had the opportunity to "loop" with my class this year.   That means that I took my 2nd grade class from last year, and moved up to 3rd grade with them.  I have almost my entire class from last year (minus a handful of kiddos that moved away, and I received some new students since our numbers went up this year).  It's been a really neat opportunity to see my students learn and grow over a two year period.  It's pretty amazing to track their growth over this length of time, and it has been really satisfying to see the fruits of my labor.  I've always tracked and noticed my students' growth before, but it is really exciting to see their continued growth this year.  Anyway, I've really learned a lot, and I'm grateful that I was able to do something like this.

Karl's school year has been busier than ever.  He is a senior at UCA (the University of Central Arkansas), and will graduate in May with his degree in Athletic Training.  Just to clarify....NO, he is not getting a degree to be a personal trainer (not that there is anything wrong with that)!  Athletic training is a growing profession in the medical field, and is absolutely perfect for my husband.  If you know Karl, you KNOW what an avid sports fanatic he is.....everything from football, to basketball, to golf, and beyond....my husband eats, sleeps, and breathes sports.  Well with athletic training my husband will have the opportunity and privilege of working with athletes.  Basically (in a nutshell....and I'm sure I'm not doing this explanation justice) Karl will be working with athletes preventing and rehabilitating their injuries.  It's very similar to physical therapy (just for athletes).  His long term goals include getting his masters degree in either sports administration, sports medicine, or a few other options.  We have been working on grad. school applications since Thanksgiving, and needless to say we have an adventure ahead of us in the very near future!   Here are some photos of Karl "in action" this fall:

                   

I'm really glad that we got this picture taken, HOWEVER, we both look exhausted, because we ARE. :)

Thanks for stopping by! 

4 Months Later....

I hate to say this....BUT, I told you so.  I knew that I wouldn't be very good at keeping this blog current and interesting.  I promise I have an excuse.  You see....life is super busy.  The last time I created a blog post was at the very end of my summer vacation.  Well, let's look at the calendar.  Today is December 28th....yes it is Christmas Break, and here I am updating our blog.  I truly am grateful that our lives are full of so many wonderful things, but at times both Karl and I can be very overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities we have taken on.  When we reevaluate everything we have going on, and try to eliminate something to free up some time, there just doesn't seem to be anything "optional."  So, where have we been the last four months??

here

AND

here....

...among other places like church, Karl in the athletic training room, library, studying, traveling with football, etc....with family, and taking care of normal daily responsibilities.

We are very grateful, however, for all of the blessings we have in our lives.  Here is a summary/timeline of what our lives have been like from summer until now.  I may do a month or two (maybe even three!) at a time in a different post for each one.

We spent a lot of time this summer trying to run.  I need to emphasize the word trying!

We registered for a few 5K races, thinking it would help us to have a commitment.  It helped, and we really enjoyed spending some quality time together, while trying to create a healthier lifestyle.

We also tried doing some fun things around Arkansas this summer.  We didn't end up doing nearly as many as we wanted to, but that's okay.  With graduate school quickly approaching, and the reality of the unknown (not knowing where we will be next year...that's a whole different blog post), we really wanted to enjoy the state we are currently living in.  This is at an Arkansas Traveler's game this summer.

We also spent a lot of time here.  We are definitely pool, beach, sunshine, and flip flop people.  Enough said!

We also enjoyed celebrating special moments with our friends this summer.  This included weddings...

AND babies!  :)

Most of all, we just enjoyed being together.  Life is good. :)