Hello! I've been missing you!

I have lots of pictures to post. I'm pretty sure I have enough pictures to post one day for the next year. I won't bore you with all that though.

We've been busy this week. The kids had homework to make up from when we were gone. I subbed a couple times last week. Makayla is finishing up volleyball. Hannah has started basketball practice. And Jordan has has some boy scout things going on. They had a bike ride today.

I have 4 tests this next week and 2 papers due. I have one paper done. I'm waiting to have Leland attention so we can work on the next one. I'm afraid to wait until the last minute. If I get a call to sub I want to be able to take it. I am slowly ruling out grades:) I am pretty sure 2nd grade or up. And 2nd grade is pretty iffy.

Anyway I'll post some picture and get off of here and write a paper. I can't wait to explain cellular respirations. Until last week I didn't even know cells had respiration. I still don't know what respirations are. ugggghhhh! I will be so glad to take my C in this class and be done with it!

Later!

Hi from Destin Fl!
We are having a great time.
When you spend too much time here...

You will look like this!

This is why I was too lazy last night to take picture of all of these pages. I did all these last weekend. Some were easier than other. There are a couple that were kits that I had done for the store and I like the pages so I added my own pictures. There are several that are those team pictures that I hate. They are so hard to work with. But they are done. Some of these pages I really like and some I'm just glad I don't have to mess with those pictures anymore! But I had a really good time playing last weekend. Christina is coming over this weekend to play some more. Yeah!

Where have I been for the last 2 weeks? Well I'll have you know... I've been surviving! And you know what? It's a FULL TIME job! So just give me a break why don't ya? I'm not even sure anyone reads this thing anyway. Hey are you out there?
So... schools is kicking my rear. I have 13 more weeks and that about the best thing I can say about that.
We are in the thick of volleyball.
Boy Scouts have started back up.
Leland and I have been going to classes learning about our Color Code. Very interesting! If you want to find out what your color is go to: http://www.motivematters.com/ and take the test.
I've even been scrapbooking lately. I'll have to post picture later. I'm too lazy to take pictures and get them loaded.
Leland's been working about 55 hours a week.
I was a substitute one day. About the best thing I can say about that is I made some money and I know for sure I don't want to teach any grade younger than 2nd grade. Some of my friends are tired for hearing about the chocolate milk story so I won't bore you anymore with that one. All I'm going to say is it's no fun to wear chocolate milk all day long!
So I'm posting this without pictures because I'm too lazy to go get the camera and download anything.
Hey anyone want to write a 500 word essay on how China has effected my life?

School days, school days, good old golden rule days! We're back to school. Everyone seems to be getting along ok. Makayla has volleyball every night. Leland and I have been attending a color class. This is VERY interesting. http://www.motivematters.com/ Check out this website and see what color you are. I just let you all know..... I'm a red if anyone was in doubt. HA! Leland is a yellow. Not surprising either. Well I'm going to go back to studying while it's quiet (hey dad I spelled it correctly!)

What have I been doing for the last 8 days?

Well.... getting kids ready for school and trying to enjoy my last week of freedom! Makayla survived 2 a day volleyball practices.

And I think everyone has everything they need to start school tomorrow. I spent today running around finishing up. I've never been this last minute before. I cut hair today, picked up folders, made 2 trips to Wal-Mart and church twice.

Everyone is in bed and quite. So we'll see how much chaos there will be at 6:45am.

On Saturday Makayla's USA volleyball team had a car wash. It was surprisingly fun. But these girls are a lot of fun to be with. So I have a couple picture of that to share. The night before she had a High School Musical 2 premiere party. These girls only had about 2 hours sleep before the car wash. It was a GREAT opportunity to work on the tan!

I'll post some back to school pictures tomorrow!

It is an addiction. I'll admit it. I can't help myself. I love to scrapbook. My house doesn't love that I scrapbook. I've got to clean something today! But I just can't help myself. I need to stop and take a shower though. I've never been this caught up before. 8 more days until school starts. So I'm sure I'll be behind again VERY soon.

I've been cutting Leland and Jordan's hair for a couple of months now. Tonight I tackled the girls hair. It wasn't as bad as I thought other than I REALLY need to invest in better scissors. I even gave Makayla some low lights in the bottom of her hair. It's hard to see in these pictures. But the underside of her hair is now black.

After the hair cuts we had to take pictures. Here's our impromptu photo shoot:

A shocking moment: sisters getting along.

My little weeping willow. Hannah has informed us that she doesn't like bobby pins. Now that is something to cry about!








We got in trouble for these. We are not to jump off the couch anymore and we have one less chair for the dinning room table- opps!

Can you believe they are touching each other AND smiling? Me either.

15 more days until school starts.

I haven't finished very many things on my list either.

I need to start on Jordan's room.

I have read 1 1/2 books in the last 3 days.

I have vacuumed the floor a couple of times.

I do have 2 weeks worth of menu's and I have even cook most of one week. I have scrapbooked the last 2 days.

And yes we did get the store closed. So sad. I've really stayed busy enough I don't think about it. Probably not a healthy thing to do. I've been letting my frustration out on my family. I need to get this dealt with. I just keep thinking that if I don't think about it then it's not true. I guess that is called denial huh?

Makayla will start two a day practices on Monday. So we are going to have to start a routine of some kind by then.

I'll leave you with my pages from the last 2 days. And at some point I'm going to have to hit the laundry!

25 days and counting! That's all the time I have before school starts again. Can I really cram a whole summer in 25 days?
To Do List:
#1 Close the store :( still a little- ok a lot sad about this one. Should be done in Monday:( :( :( :( :(
#2 Repaint Jordan's room
#3 Put together the hammock I got for my birthday a month ago so I can use it for #4
#4 Read a book for fun- by now I have usually devoured 5 or more books. The librarian knows I only come by in the summer. I wonder if she has missed me?
#5 Sleep in with out guilt- I mean is 9am really a bad time too get up?
#6 Figure out some monthly menus so we don't eat out all school year
#7 I don't' want to be an over achiever as my friend Missy called me the other day. That was definitely a 1st for me. In my whole 35 years of life I have never been called an over achiever.
#8 Be as bored out of my mind as possible because that may not happen again until Christmas break!

Another post without a picture- sorry. I'm too tired to figure out something to put here.
I took my last test a couple of minutes ago. Didn't do so good. But if my teacher has any grace in him I may squeaked an A from the class. Otherwise a B isn't the worst thing that could have happened right?

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
This quote has always fascinated me. How two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different. One person can think it is beautiful beyond words and another person will want to hurl at the sight. We are truly made individually and different.
I've also spent some time thinking about my definition of beauty. It has changed over the years. Things that were once beautiful have now faded or change or don't compare to something else I've seen.
Beauty is relative.
It relates to other things we have seen. We compare things to each other to determine beauty.
The more things I see the more things I have to relate to.
Times in my life work the same way. They all relate to each other. How can I know I'm having a bad day if I have nothing to relate it to. I have had good days and bad days. I've had really great days and days that I don't want to remember.
Today is one of those that I don't want to remember. We have made the announcement that the store is closing. Eight years of hard work is coming to an end. Eight years of sacrificing- over. Eight years of meeting someone new every day- done. Eight years of never knowing for sure what the day would hold when you walked in the door- complete.
Complete..... now I'm not sure that's true. I don't feel done and I certainly don't feel complete.
Back to the beauty thing.... Right now I'm sure my life does not seem beautiful. But some where down the road when I look back on this time in my life I will see beauty. I'll have this ugly time to compare it to and the future will seem beautiful.
Right now I'm looking up. Not forward, not backward, not down, not all around just straight up. Sometimes I'm laying down. Sometimes I'm on my knees because that is as far as I got that day. But someday I'm going to stand, then walk, then run again. And the day will be even more spectacular because today was not very pretty at all.
And I'm holding on to the promise that if God brings you to it He will bring you through it.

Is it really July 17th already? NO WAY!!!!!

Today is Leland's birthday. Guess how old he is.... *hint* REALLY OLD! 40 I'm not old enough to be married to a 40 year old. They'll probably arrest him he so old and I'm so young :)

What's happened in the last 3 weeks since I've checked in?

Well I've had a birthday (I'm still not as old as Leland),

the 4th of July,

volleyball tournaments,

Fuller Family Fun,

boy scout camps,

many test and projects for school,

life changing decisions....

I know I can't make comments like that and not explain but I will have to tell you more in the very near future.

I am learning lessons. Some lessons are not fun to learn.

Here's the most important lesson that I think I finally have learned: All things work together for the good for those who love Him.

When God gives you a path to walk you need to walk that path. Don't stop and ask questions just walk the path. Walk the path even when it's dark and you can only see a foot ahead of where you are going. Keep walking. Walk around that REALLY scary corner. Walk though the beautiful fields of flowers and be thankful for the beauty. Walk up the mountain. Walk through the valley. Just walk. And when you stop walking, get on your knees and pray. Then you can get up and walk again.

So we are walking. It's a little steep right now. But I can't wait to get to the top and see what the view is like!