Happy Birthday to my mom!

On Monday, October 27th, my mom celebrated her birthday...Yeah!!!

Dave and I sent her an Edible Arrangement as a surprise. But it doesn't compare to last year. Dave and I, along with the help of my family, threw her a surprise 50th bash. I decorated a portable potty chair, played pin the part on the old fart (like pin the tail on the donkey), we covered her car in old people quotes, and enjoyed food and drinks with good friends. Since I did not have a blog up and running, here are some pics from last year.

looking for a videographer?

Sling & Stone Productions is up and running. Yeah! Looking for a videographer for any of your party needs? I have the one for you...just visit www.slingandstonepro.com and you will find the newest and best in town. They offer a variety of videography needs, from weddings to buisness advertising. Dave has worked really long and hard on this site...he calls it his baby.

Please pray for this endeavor of his. We need guidance and strength to put a new small buisness into motion, especially in this economy. He is excited, and so am I, to finally use all his talents and college education. It is quickly becoming his passion. Keep us in mind, and tell your friends.

Oprah's furry friend

I am a regular Oprah watcher (well, from the TIVO), and I fell in love with this adorable dog, named Maggie. She can add, subtract, multiply, and count. She is so funny! Dave and I got a good laugh out of it. Here is the sight if you want to check out Maggie. (But let's face it...she is not as cute as Roxie).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxFkjOGDllc

Dave's new endeavor

Most people don't know...here's the official launch...
Dave just started a new small buisness. He and two other guys, who went have known since college, have begun Sling & Stone Productions. Byron Sharp is one partner, who worked with Dave on many movie making assignments at Southeast, and now a fellow coworker at Charter. Ryan Maurer, a long time friend, is the other partner. Ryan was in Dave's fraternity, Theta Xi, and was the one the introduced us to each other almost 7 years ago. All three guys have video production degrees and are now really putting them to good work.
This is a side job for now. Dave and the others are still keeping thier 'day jobs', but are using this business as a tool to expand their horizons and hopefully it can really take off one day.

Sling & Stone Productions, a title chosen to describe the story of David and Goliath, is a video production company, in which they are taping weddings, birthdays, sporting activities, family moments, and buisness needs. For example, they have a wedding lined up in October, and they have secured the deal for making the buisness video for United Services for the Handicapp.

If you know Dave, you know his determination...his drive to do well...and his need to never quit. This is a great opportunity for the guys...and hey...I got an awesome new computer out of it.

So no kids yet, but the dog's cute

Yeah...so we don't have kids yet...but we think our dog is the cutest.
Here are some of our favorite pictures of Roxie, a mutt created with chow, rottweiller and labador retriever. They embody her personality of...

Colorful...(in my Uncle Gary's backyard garden) notice her tail makes a full 360 degree circle...it's the chow in her. And her long lab legs. She runs like a deer and her favorite thing to chase...rabbits.










Naturalist...(hanging out on Gene's, my stepdad's, farm)










Protector...(watching out for Dave to come home. This is her favorite chair) her floppy ears...it's the rottweiller in her.

and Lover...she is such a good dog...terribly sweet!

Here's my classroom...

I love being in my classroom so much, I thought that others might like to see how I spend the majority of my time for nine months out of the year. Because statistically...they say...the average teacher works more during a school year than most people in a calendar year. And believe it...But there is no way you will get me to say I don't like it. I may get stressed out but it is a wonderful experience to know that I am making a difference in a child's life. Maybe not now, and I may never know which kids I affected the most, but it is truly rewarding!!! =>

This year I have a total of 28 kiddos in my homeroom. My partner teacher has 29. Because I teach both classes twice a day, I have a total of 57 darlings. The subjects I teach are, reading, religion, vocabulary, math and science (I teach these 2 to both classes). My partner teacher teaches the English and Social Studies for both classes.

Now the pictures:
Here is the kid's perspective. When they are taking notes...I am at the board. Our theme this year is "With God, We Can Make a Difference", so you will see all the kids made their own people and we are all holding hands.










Here are their lockers. For my job chart, I have created a plate and bats using the life-size portrait of Albert Pujols. He embodies the idea of self-control, good-sportsmanship, and dedication. Under the pink cover is the computers. We cover them to prevent the dust from staying, have no doubt...they are in use constantly. You will notice a large, green container...in it I have borrowed from the MO Department of Conservation many skulls, pelts, and foot tracks of Missouri mammals. This unit has been the coolest, and the most fun, all year (so far)!!!









I have ton of books of the bookshelves. We read all the time in class, so I have brought in many kinds of pillows (Pier 1 floor pillows included), in which the kids and get out and lay throughout the classroom to relax on. Their desks are in pods to encourage group work and social learning.









Under the orange cover is the overhead projector. My desk is by the file cabinets with all the stuff on it. But as you can tell, I run an organized ship. I have to model this kind of organization to require my students to learn how to manage thier stuff. Dave laughs that I have tennis balls on the chairs. If I didn't, though, the noise would drive me CraZy.

Back to a schedule

Today, it happened...school has started. My lovely days of taking 1 p.m. naps and relaxing with Roxie is over, at least for a while. I am ready and excited for the return, but very tired. I can't wake up at 10 and go to bed at midnight. But, if this is the worst to happen, then ok.


This is my third year of teaching fifth grade at St. Catherine. I love my school, and really adore the people that I work with. It was the same when I worked at Pier 1, you are always more motivated to get up to work when the people make it so enjoyable.


With Dave and I, not too much has changed. We have been to five Cardinal games, and on TV for one of them. There seems to be more happening to the ones closest to us, that we are apart of. Most of my friends have had children. Mandy Pelhank now has Ryan Brendan, Lindsay Leetch now has Avery Kate, Nicki Bunn now has Noah, Katie Radake has Bobby, Dave's cousin also has a newborn son. The last 3 weekends we have attended weddings. Old neighbors, family, and our close friend Sally Muraski and Jeff Huster tied the knot.


Here is a picture of us at Sally and Jeff's wedding. Our best friend Ryan (who introduced Dave and I at SEMO) was an usher and a great friend of all of ours.

PS-for all you boggers, I have a question. I have noticed that on some pictures, they can be clicked on and enlarged, and for others they cannot. Is there a way to make sure that any picture can be clicked on to become larger? Or is the computer picky? Thanks!

Our humble abode

Dave and I bought our first house together in March of '07. The day we moved in April, it was snowing. We feel very blessed and fortunate to be where we are today!

This is the front of the house. I have many planters out front with mandavillas, vincas, and other flowers. Click on the pictures to get a closer look. The back of the house. We have an upstairs porch off the dining room, kitchen area, and also a walk-out basement.

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Trip to Myrtle Beach!!

Dave and I recently returned from enjoying the ocean in South Carolina. It was great to get away for a while. But it is hard to realize that places getting hotter than Missouri in the middle of June, but it is true! We attended Midieval Times, played mini-golf everyday, and shopped a ton. I would have never thought that Dave and I would have had so much fun shopping...miracles do happen!

Dave found as many mini-golf courses as he could. We played so much that I don't want to play again for a while. He loves mini-golf, and for those who don't know, his love helped him earn the title of SEMO's mini-golf champion! We played on the pros course. Here, every year, the mini-golf national champiship takes place each September. We both shot 3 hole in ones on the pros course.

We ate some great restaurants. We took a picture here at Drunken Jack's. They had a great view with awesome food.

There is a Ripley's Aquarium in which they have a 300-foot walkway under an aquarium with 10-foot sharks. It was very cool. We saw divers in the tanks feeding stingrays and other awesome fish.

We missed our dog, Roxie, so much. It was great to get away, but even better to get back. Thanks to both sets of parents for taking care of the house and pup.