I am a substitute...

So... I have to leave for work soon... I don't like saying that. Here's what happened. My former boss found out that I was back in town and called me wanting to sub as a library teacher for Jamacha. I wanted to, but it didn't work out with the schedule. So, then I get this call from a library teacher who needs to go out of town for a week. My boss had given her my number in hopes that I would say yes... and I did. :)

I am off to Crest Elementary school for a few days, and then I have a wedding to shoot on Friday, so I am going to be one whooped puppy!! Pray for me. :)

And... check back because I have got the best picture to post...I know you are dying to see it (especially Lauren) Let's just say it involves a baby in a place where you never thought a baby could go!!.....

Stay tuned!

Oh.. the memories!!

When I was in my teenage years, I sang at these county wide youth group events. They happened once a month, so I was always in the Christian book store looking for new tracks to sing. That was back when they only had cassettes!! Amy was one of my favorites. I have sung everything from "Thy Word" to "Breath of Heaven".... and I still love her.

I wonder if I can revive some of her old stuff. Think they want this song at Journey?? :)

Firestorm 2007

Total flashback to the last huge fire..... I am praying everyone is ok.

No school today..... What shall I do to entertain to elementary school children??? They are already fighting over which show to watch.

It's her party...

So... had a blasty blast on Saturday night with a bunch of super rad people. Todd and I were happy to attend Becky's birthday celebration. I read Lauren's post and she wished Becks a Happy 30th... so I wanted to post a very few pictures that I snapped a few minutes before we left. I put my camera away before Karaoke started... and I wished I had captured that hilarity!!

Thanks for having us you guys!! And, I only took about 10 pictures (which is so unlike me.. but I was having too much fun gabbing away!!) I was trying to capture some moments without flash, hence the bit o' grain and blurred motion. Here's the ones that turned out.

PS... Dontcha just looove Jason's serious face?? :)

My cuties..

Just wanted to show a few snaps that I played with in photoshop. These were taken on a school day before my kiddos got ready for school, and they just melt my heart!

Thought of the day....

How can one family have so much laundry???

Yet another moment..

Me watching Sabrina what's-her-name dance the Cha Cha to "Don't cha" (PussyCat Dolls song)

Me thinking Sabrina so-n-so is a really good dancer and I hope she wins!

My son Todd sitting at the dining room table, finishing his homework (read.. he was not watching it with me) saying...Mom, you know when the song says "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me." Well, that's my favorite part.

My thoughts....."Oh CRAP!!!"

One of those moments....

Me getting a phone call from my husband about the complete unstability of his job.

Me trying not to worry about it.

Hannah and I laying on the my bed, snuggling before sleep time.

Hannah asking to sing one of our songs.

Me starting in with..."It is good to praise the Lord" and raising my hands.

Hannah copying me, her little chubby fingers stretched out as far as they can go.

Me silently crying while singing because the moment was so precious it made my heart hurt.

Me realizing that God knows even when I do not.

The Muppets Show..

This was only one of the few shows that we were allowed to watch growing up. I can still sit through a show and laugh because it is just a classic!! :)

My favorite character... Beeker. Poor guy.. no one ever understood him, and I can totally relate. :)

It's Paula time.... POSTPONED until you all get back to me!! :)

Who is ready to discuss our first book?? I am.... I need to, or I will forget what I read.

So, because school has started, I am thinking THIS Thursday morning at Java Mama. And..... even if you haven't read the book, please come because I am a middle child and it hurts my feelings when no one shows up. :)

Comment and let me know if you can make it!! :)

10am, Thursday September 6th... Java Mama.

Tea for 2, and 2 for Tea...

News of the day... I sang on worship team today.. such a blessing to me everytime I get to be up there with the team. I teared up on Friday night during "Still I will worship" because of some of the things that God has been speaking to me. I thought I was over it, but I was wrong. Sunday morning the words hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to bow my head and try to hide the fact that I was crying... tears even got on my shirt!! :) I am sure God had a purpose for that, but I was a little embarassed.

I hope they don't kick me off..... :)


On another note... My kiddos are trying to occupy their time while staying cool. We don't go outside when it is this hot!! So, today they decided to have a tea party. I made them real English tea (but the trick is to use hot tap water instead of boiling so there are no burns) with honey and cream and they have a blast making their own concoctions. Today the pastry of choice was Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams. I know.. I know.. my kids have such refined taste buds. It can't be helped. They come from a long line of gourmands! :)

Here's a few snaps to share the day. Go make some tea.....


Ps... new post will be here soon regarding the first book club meeting....

The first day... all over again.

Our family has had quite a transition year, and last Monday was just the beginning of stability for all. For a while now, we have had in our minds that the kiddos would go to Trinity Christian School, but God had a different plan for our family. Meridian Elementary is our school home for this year and we are grateful it is a mere two minutes away from our house.

Todd began his 4th year in school as a 3rd grader and he is having so much fun. Hannah also began her journey into elementary school... (and that was a harder transition for mommy than Hannah) She is getting into the swing of things, yet every night.. when she is exhausted beyond words... she tells me that she doesn't want to go back to kindergarten!! :) I cried on and off the first week, partly because I am in a new stage in my life, and partly because Hannah had a rough go of it at first. My heart just aches for her as she tries to figure stuff out and that has been the toughest part.

Here are just a few snaps of my kids to mark this day in our memories. I hope as all of your kiddos start the blessed school season, we can think of each other.... and also plan a great coffee date!!

The past few weeks....

Do you want to hear what I have learned in the past few weeks... Ok!!

Kidney stones are far more common in men than women.
60% of people who have had kidney stones will get another one.
The basic cause of stones is too little water to dilute the minerals in the kidneys.
Eating too much meat without enough hydration can cause stones.
Drinking too much of any liquid (soda, coffee, juice) without enough water can cause kidney stones.
Kidney stones are one of the most painful experiences ever... but they weren't more painful than childbirth!!

Hmm.. you might be saying. Why is Sarah spouting off facts about kidney stones. Well, my friends, that is because I have just now, today... this very day... finally recovered from my round with these tiny beasts!! This is the first day that I can sit, walk, sleep.... without pain in my back. Last night was the first night I slept without waking.

I went to the ER on Saturday for a bunch of tests and CT scans (that will be fun to pay without insurance!!) only to find out that I had already passed my stones and I was feeling the residual affects of this awesome illness.

The moral of this story... Drink some water people!! I have given up soda and have limited my coffee intake to one a week. I never, ever, ever, never want to experience that again!! Consider yourself warned.....

Cue the scary music.....

I love cheerleading...

So, it is only natural that I would get a kick out of these commercials. This is the newest one and it makes me laugh everytime. :)

These are a few of my favorite things....

My delightful husband brought me two of my favorite breakfast items this morning... A decaf Carmel Macchiato and a muffin... Just thought I would share a pic with you! He does little things like this and it makes me feel loved!

My deep thought of the day... I bet the war in Iraq would be over if muffins and Macchiato's were shared among enemies. Life changing stuff that Starbucks is....

Tara tagged me.. so here they are!!

Tara's tag requires the taggees to post the last 5 pictures from their camera. So, here are mine!


Here is Hannah and Maddie after they were rolling down the hill at Sea World. We were waiting for Maddie's Daddy (my brother-in-law Jamie)to start his music set.. and they were bored, so rolling was answer.



Todd was laughing hysterically at the Cirque de La Mer clowns!



Hannah was very sad because her ice cream was taking too long to get there!!




My beautiful sister, Amy... have you heard she is totally my B. F. F. She bought my kiddos their tickets so they could have a wonderful time. Thanks nerd!!



This is what we were watching. I have seen the dolphin show about a billion times, and that Dolly the Dolphin still amazes me everytime. Look at her jumping!! I don't know how they do that!


Anyway, there you go. :)

A new amendment... maybe I should go into politics!!

Ok.... since no one other than Tara has commented about the book club... I am just going to pick the only book she and I agreed upon. Here it is... "Paula Deen. It ain't all about the cooking." by Paula Deen. I think this will be a very interesting read. She talks about her first marriage, her vices, her Christian walk, and her agoraphobia!! I think it will be really fun to discuss. :)

Because everyone's summers are sooo crazy, I am going to extend the time frame until the end of summer. So that will give everyone a few months to read it, and in September, I will post the date for a get together! :) Ok??

Get to reading folks!!

So they say it's your birthday....

I have very conflicting feelings about birthdays. On one hand, I want that day to be as special as it can be for the birthday person. Yet, on the other hand, it means that said person is another year older, and hopefully wiser, and closer to leaving my house, which is bittersweet.

My son turned 8 on Sunday. I know it is not the biggest birthday, nor the most celebrated, but each time one of my children ages... I get a little pang in my heart. I want to freeze each moment in time because I have been told that I will blink and he will be off to college and on his own. I can get misty just thinking about it. However, I can push all of that aside because I want my kiddos to know that the day they were born was a life changing event for our family, full of love and wonder and hope. This is why birthdays are recognized in our home.

Here are a few 8 year old pictures of my wonderful bubba! He had a blast hanging out at the park with family and friends. But, his favorite moment was playing laser tag with his dad (and uncle and cousins and aunties) and pretending he was shooting aliens. Every boys dream!! :)

Happy Birthday Todd Jonathan. You are everything I could ever ask for in a son. :)

This is where I have to be...

Thanks Tara for finding the coolest blog quizzes for all of us to take. I will just have to tell my husband where I need to go this summer!! :)

You Should Spend Your Summer in Europe

You're in to almost all forms of culture - art, music, architecture, food... And spending a summer at the beach sounds pretty darn boring to you. So head off to Europe, where you can have your tiramisu (and even eat it on the beach!)

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

Amendment!

Okay... so I am changing the book title. I think the book I picked was a little too ambitious for young moms to finish in a month! So sorry about that!

What I would like to do is have you all leave your ideas (top three books) for our first read, and I will pick from that. After our first book is done, we will go in alphabetical order, and that person will get to pick our book.

Also, I wanted to open this up to readers not just in San Diego (Erin... Amy...).. so I thought that we could post our discussion questions at the end of the month, and just leave our answers via a comment. Doesn't that sound easy enough??

So, leave me your titles asap so we can start on July 1st! :)