because, lets face it, you want to know everything about me.

i got the idea to start the 30 day challenge
from a friend, lauren.
everyday there will be a different blog topic.
with maybe a blog or two of my own in between.

so let's call this day one...
this is supposed to be a recent picture and 15 interesting facts about myself.

1. i often unintentionally hum with the microwave.
2. i won my middle school's geography bee in 8th grade.
3. i've never been to disney world or disney land.
4. i have been to ukraine 3 times.
5. i won the "abs of steel" award in my 8th grade gym class for my ability to do
an unlimited number of sit-ups. if you know me now, this is laughable.
6. i love trivia of any kind.
7. i quit track and cross country to join the academic team in 8th grade. who does that? nerds.
8. the president of rwanda shook my hand at my college graduation.
9. in 9th and 10 grade i went to a private school where i was in a class of 8 people.
10. i graduated high school in a class of over 1,000 people.
11. i had a pet rabbit named alakazzam who lived for 8 years.
12. my husband and i have been friends since we were very young.
13. soccer is by far my favorite sport.
14. i've never been to any school dance (including prom). thanks mom and dad...
15. i still have and use a caboodle.

aaannndd since i don't have any recent pictures of myself
that i'm willing to put on here,
here is a throwback picture.

someday you'll thank me...

our preacher at church challenged us a couple of weeks ago
to make a list of 10 things we want our children to learn from us...

1. keep your friends and family close, but keep God closer.
2. don't be like everyone else.
3. love those who aren't loving toward you.
4. be ambitious and follow through with everything you do.
5. words should be chosen wisely and not tossed around carelessly.
6. God will never fail you, even though people do.
7. "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
8. allow yourself to learn from your mistakes.
9. you are responsible for your own actions.
10. surround yourself with people who will build you up and encourage you.

there are so many things that i want to teach my children.
it's hard to pick out just 10, but it's a good start i think!

sugar and spice

i figured i would take advantage of the 70 degree january weather
and take some 7 month pictures of rylee!
she's getting so big!

i hope to have more time to visit bloggington in the next couple of months.
but hopefully great things are coming my way soon!
i've got a great teaching prospect and i'm really hopeful about it!
so fingers crossed!
God's got a funny way of opening doors just in time.

see ya real soon!
i promise.

mustaches are incredibly disgusting but i love him anyway.

sorry that it's been so long friends.
back to work means less time for blogging.

who am i kidding?
i just don't have anything interesting to say.

what have i done?

this year, for christmas, jarred and i have decided to not buy each other gifts and instead to make or do something for each other. very sentimental and lovey dovey and all that. only problem is, i have no idea what to do! and this whole thing was my stupid idea! it's not that i can't think of things that i could do, but i can never decide if my ideas are good ones or not. it probably doesn't help that i'm not very sentimental myself. it's not that i don't care, i just need help. so why did i come up with the idea of doing christmas this way? good question. i'll let you know when i figure out what i was thinking at the time.
i'm pretty un-creative when it comes to gift giving so this is going to be a disaster. don't judge me too harshly though, because i'm pretty sure he doesn't know what he's doing either.
and yes i realize christmas is next saturday.

pray for me.

thankful.

i have so much to be thankful for this year.
a new baby
a healthy and happy son
a wonderful husband who takes care of me
great friends
great family
a home...
i could go on.

i love thanksgiving
mainly because it's an excuse to see family
but also because it means the official start
of the christmas season.
and i'm unashamed to say that we've actually had our tree
up for weeks.
judge me if you want,
but if target can do it, so can i.

happy thanksgiving!

i don't even like pumpkin

at least i thought i didn't.
that is until i decided to bake these
pumpkin bars for my wonderful husband.
because he likes pumpkin.
and i like him.

ok so it's really more like a thick pumpkin cake.
with homemade icing.
yuuuummm!

pre-baking

post-baking

it's kind of like cinnamon roll icing.

it was really good guys.
i promise.
the pictures don't do it justice.
because i need a new camera.

i think this will have to make a reappearance
for thanksgiving!