My personal challenge

Well with the new year approaching, I figured I better get my new year's resolutions and goals in order. Just some of my goals are to become a better blogger and to lose some weight....20 pounds to be exact. I'd like to tone and firm up all over and to just be more healthy overall. I'm going to try and incorporate them together and blog about my workouts and my progress...So here's to a new year and a new me!

Great news!

Well now that school is over and grades are posted I can finally reveal that I made the President's list again this semester! I'm so excited and even more excited that I only have three more semesters left (spring, summer 1, and fall). I'm really proud of my hard work and now know that it paid off. I hope this next semester is as successful since we now have a new puppy that demands a lot of attention as well. Thanks for every one's support, you all mean the world to me.

He's finally home!!

Sawyer has been home for 3 days now. We picked him up on Saturday and the breeders are the sweetest family. He has done exceptionally well throughout all of the transitions. He did not whine the entire way home, which was a long drive for J and I since we left the house at 5:30 that morning. I couldn't sleep and got up at 4:15 to get showered and to get my day going . He only whined a little bit the first night when we first put him in his kennel and then again in the morning to let us know that he needed to get outside, quick!
However, he DOES NOT like his leash.....at. all. He hates it, we're hoping that the more we have him on it the better he will get with it. He sleeps a lot, and loves to be very close. There have been several times when we can't find him and we'll start looking everywhere. He'll just be snug right behind our backs (against the sofa) or another favorite spot is to be snuggling in our laps. He has brought Jason and I so much joy these last couple of days.
On Saturday when we brought him home we went over to my parents' house because they have two corgis and we'd like to get them acquainted right away. Logan and Lexi really want nothing to do with Sawyer but its so cute to see him play around with them. He pounces and runs around in circles trying to entice them to play with him, but they still aren't interested.
Last night, Jason and I took S-man to go visit 'uncle Wes' and 'aunt Becky' they've got two dogs as well, Maggie and Zoe. Sawyer was a little hesitant at first because since he had just been with Logan and Lexi he wasn't sure what to think of these two girls. Zoe did great and was very gentle with him, even when Sawyer confused her tail with a weasel toy we was playing with earlier that day at my parents' house. All in all, we love him and couldn't imagine our lives without him. Here are some pictures!

On our drive home, we had just got in the car and he wasn't sure what to think just yet.















It's tiring being this cute!

Our family is growing by 4 feet!

You read that right, and no we are not expecting some giant child~ we're expecting a furry little four-legged furbaby! We are so excited, it truly feels like we are anticipating the birth of our child. Though, I'm sure we'll be even more excited when that finally rolls around. We currently have 12 days until he greets us with his presence. I've got several pictures from the breeder that I'll include. He seems to change a little bit with every picture. Most of the shots that she's taken have been of the whole litter (or most of it). Her dog had 12 puppies with this litter. I guess I need to include the important stuff like his stats....

We are naming him Sawyer. He is a 'golden irish'- the dad is a golden retriever and the mom is an irish setter. He should be between 50-70 pounds full grown. We hear he's a lover~ the breeder says that she can always find him right at her feet ready and waiting for attention. She also said that he is so sweet, a big snuggler, and he 'whines and wimpers' while on his back stretching out. I'll leave you with some heart warming pictures of our little one...

It's Still Christmas

Yesterday, Jason and I went with his family and our friends Wes and Rebecca to our church's annual Christmas program. This year was a little different than years past and our church held an offering for a church family from San Leon, Tx. The show was great, lots of great singing and we were able to see friends from our Life Group. You all did wonderful and looked so beautiful in your holiday attire. Thanks guys for joining us for a great show. We love you all so much.

5 down...1 more to go

I'm almost finished with the semester and I can't wait! I only have one more final to go on Thursday at 8am sharp! Wish me luck...I'll post my grades once I'm finished. I'm hopeful that they're good..

Respect the Turkey!

I've heard this so much lately, but to be quite honest...the Gibbs household has already begun decorating for Christmas. I just see it as Thanksgiving is so late this year that it gives us more time to celebrate our favorite time of year. Plus, we'll have to take down all of our decorations (or at least our tree) the day after Christmas, but that's another post!

Here is our beautiful, artificial 9ft. slim tree. This will be my 'beautiful' tree when we finally get into our house. I've always wanted a pretty tree and then a tree with traditional ornaments and ones that our children make, etc.

While we only have one 'present' under the Christmas tree so far, I think it says it all. I found this beauty at our church's annual Winter Wonderland. I fell in love with it instantly and knew I just had to have it!

Fall Cleaning Challenge Pictures...Finally!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the Fall Cleaning Challenge from 'The Hyper Homemaker' blog that I follow. Well now that I've found my camera cord, I'm posting pictures.

Before... I warn you, it's pretty scary

And After... now that is much, much better

Now, I'm wondering why I'm still shocked at how empty our fridge is. Everyone's blog that I've looked at after doing the 'cleaning of the fridge' from the FCC had a bare fridge to show for their hard work. I don't even have the essentials anymore- milk, eggs-nada. Wait, you probably notice the egg carton there, well don't let it fool you, there's only one huevo in there! I better get shopping!

New Background!!

Okay, I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but with Thanksgiving being so late this year I thought I would change the background and get into the spirit of Christmas!! I love Christmas time!!

More posts to come soon!!!

Oh yeah, for those two people that actually read my blog- I will have pictures coming up soon. I couldn't for the life of me find the cord to connect my camera to my computer. Well, what do you know, after organizing the past couple of days (pics to come!) I have found it! So there is no need to not have pictures now!!! I'll post extra ones for you, Margaret!

Things I'm loving in November

Well I've been reading several blogs and I've seen quite a few of them write about things that they are currently loving. It's a great way for them to share great products they've discovered, books they've read, or anything good in general....So I've decided to throw some things of my own in the mix. Here it goes..

Land-O-Lakes Hot chocolate...this stuff is amazing, and addicting. It comes in many flavors: Amaretto, French Vanilla, Mint, Hazelnut...you get my drift. Well I've had the French Vanilla and the Mint and ooh, la, laa....it's awesome! Who needs Starbucks when you've got this! Plus a little whipped cream and voila!! So long, $4.67 per drink at Spendbucks!

Bare Bare Escentuals Buxon Lip Gloss in Dolly...this stuff is amazing-a little pricey at $18 but completely worth it. My friend Rebecca got me hooked on it. It's got this cooling sensation which feels great, plus who couldn't use a little extra plump action...okay, well maybe Angelina is good to go in that department but still. Check it out the next time you're at the mall, I highly recommend it!

Henri Bendel "Firewood" candle from Bath & Body Works. This candle smells great; it reminds me of camping outdoors- which ultimately remind me of a good friend of mine Christina and the annual camping trips we would take together as kids. I miss and love you so much, girl!

I'm currently reading "The Wednesday Letters" Its a great, easy read which is exactly what I need at the end of the day. The author is Jason Wright and he's also got a Christmas book out called "Christmas Jars", which I'm defintely going to look into when I finish this one.

For those of you hosting Thanksgiving...

I just found this handy little tool on 'The Hyper Homemaker' (see link in Friends and Family to right) Hope it helps you guys, it certainly helped me- I could never remember this before!
Here are also a few fun tricks I learned as a child:
FORKS: The order for the table setting left to right is:
F = fork
O = the shape of the plate
R = reversal of the..
K = knives
S = spoons.

Pick up your hands and make an "OK" sign with your fingers. Put your 3 remaining fingers together and you get the shape of a "b" on your left hand and a "d" on your right hand.
b = the side of the table setting the bread plate goes on
d = the side of the table setting the drinks go on

Place settings vary by occasion and menu, and the diagrams below illustrate standard ways to set the table for casual, informal or formal events.

Casual Table Setting:A typical setting, the fork is on the left while the knife and spoon are placed to the right of the plate. The napkin is placed to the left of the plate and the fork may or may not be on top of the napkin. The knife blades always face the plate. The bread plate and butter knife are optional.

Informal Table Setting:This is a common setting for restaurants. It includes utensils for a soup course, salad course, entree and dessert. The dessert spoon or fork could be placed horizontally about the top of the plate, or brought with the dessert.

Formal Table Setting:This place setting is set for a menu of appetizer, soup or fruit course, fish course, entree and salad. There can be up to five glasses at the setting for water, red wine, white wine, champagne, and sherry.

Six Weeks Left!

Yep, you read that right. I only have six weeks left of this dreadful semester. Overall, it really hasn't been too bad. I just got a little overwhelmed about 3 weeks ago when I had EVERYTHING due the same week, plus three tests...yeah- it was nuts!
I have no class today so I'm trying to get caught up on all of my reading. Here's to a rainy Thursday of getting caught up.

Fall Cleaning Challenge

Hey gals,

Check out this blog on keeping your home clean. While I only live in a two bedroom apartment, I do find it hard to keep it clean all of the time. This blog breaks it down and makes the tasks manageable. I hope it is of assistance to you all. I'll try and figure out how to post pictures soon so I can document my progress. Here's to no more clutter!

Fall is here!!!

So, if you can't tell by my overusage of the exclamation points, I LOVE FALL. I love everything about it, and it seriously gets me so giddy just thinking about it. Although, thinking about it now makes me wish I could go visit Boston (or some other city in that area) around this time. I would love to just be able to experience a true fall, and visiting there at this time would allow me to enjoy the crisp weather before it gets freezing up there.

Well since Monday was the first official day of fall, Jason and I have begun a tradition that we hope to continue for many years to come. On Autumnal Equinox (fancy word for first day of fall!), we bake pumpkin bread. Jason's dad, Steve, used to make it all the time. He was an amazing cook and we miss him dearly. While the recipe calls for pumpkin and helps us get into the fall season with its delicious smells arising from the oven, I see it more as a way to remember my awesome father-in-law. I look forward to the days when Jason and I can cook this recipe (and his others too) with our children and tell them about their wonderful Grandfather. We can't wait to teach them about him and to let his legacy live on.
Welcome Fall.....

IKE

'Take a hike-IKE!'....'Hunker down'...'IKE-inator'..okay, I made up that last one, but seriously, we've heard 'em all and quite frankly I'm tired of IKE. Even though he's been gone for almost 2 weeks now, we still don't have power. Yeah, you read that right, Jason and I don't have power and aren't even scheduled to get it back until Sunday. Can you believe that? We will have been without power for over 2 full weeks once Sunday comes. Needless to say, we're ready for it. It's amazing how much you depend on electricity, and how much you miss it when its been taken from you. Luckily, my dad has a huge generator and we've been able to stay over here for the time being. I'm sure they're ready to get us out, but they've said nothing such. We are seriously so grateful, as we all know how tempers flair when people are hot. Good thing we didn't have to experience that! Thank you MOM and DAD for putting up with Jason and I, brother Jason, Granny and Aunt Becky too. We love you so much!

Pretty boring around here...

Well, life in the Gibbs' household is pretty boring. I have officially started up with school again and I am STRESSED OUT! I am taking 16 hours and 9 of those hours are reading block. I'm excited to be in the last semesters of school, but nervouse at the same time. I have tons of reading to stay on top of and many projects for all of my classes. I can hardly believe that we're almost finished with September. I must remember to take this semester one week at a time.

Babies, babies, and more babies!

Everyone I know is pregnant! Well, not really everyone, but pretty close at least!!
~My best friend Heather, is due to have her son Kade Michael on August 27th.
~Our roommates Chad and Christy are 11 weeks pregnant with their baby.
~James and Tiffeny had Kayla Ann at the end of April.
~Several different couples from our Sunday school class, Starting Point, are pregnant or have just had their babies.
*The Smiths had Madelyn Paige,
*the Moores had Caroline Elizabeth
*the Weyler's are scheduled to have Michael David in 3 weeks
*Stephanie and Adrian are having a little girl, Lauralyn Rose sometime within the next two
months
*Mary Hroch is having a little guy to be named Levi
*Kyle and Lindsay just had Jackson about a month ago
*Susan and Rigo had little Anthony at the end of February

As you can see, we know a lot of families that have recently had their babies or are still preparing for their little bundles of joy to arrive. I'm sure I've left someone out... sorry about that! We are so excited for all of you, and we can't wait to see what your beautiful babies look like!

This post if for my amazing Mother-in-law

Yes, I really did say 'amazing' and 'mother-in-law' in the same sentence...or title rather. She is such an inspiration to me and to Jason as well. Just a quick recap....
Debbie's husband, Steve, passed away February 27, 2007, leaving Debbie a widow at the incredibly young age of 44 years old. Debbie had planned to do gastric bypass surgery with her husband, but after his death was reconsidering. She ended up going through with it and had her surgery on April 2, 2007. Since then she has lost over 160 pounds in fourteen months and has a new found energy that even she can't explain. Debbie had skin removal surgery on June 24th and is doing fantastic. She is just an inspiration to us all because she just continues to persevere even through all the hard times she has had in the past year and a half.

Debbie, if you are reading this, know that I love you so much and I am so proud of all that you have accomplished in your life. Jason and I look up to you so much and we hope to be as strong as you are.

School really is out...for the rest of summer!!!

I braved summer school this summer....well that's a little melodramatic. It really wasn't all that tough. However, it was my first summer classes ever in my entire college career thus far. I know what you're thinking....first summer ever? if you would have taken summer classes from the get go, then you'd have graduated like 15 years ago! Well not really 15, but maybe 10. Ugh! I get upset when I think about that, so since there is nothing I can about it now, I'm not even going to worry myself over it.
Like I said before, summer school wasn't tough for me; the only tough part was that it was up at Sam in Huntsville and I had to commute...every day...for 3.5 weeks. Luckily, I carpooled with a friend, but still that part royally stunk! I did however, complete 6 hours and received an A in BOTH classes. So, I guess all is well when you look at it from that perspective.

Now that schools over...
I am nannying in Cypress for two very sweet girls, Lauren and Katherine. I look forward to days filled with swimming and endless hours of dress up! Just trying to make enough money to pay for college!

So thats life, this is whats been going on in our crazy lives for the past couple of months!

Movin on up...to the East side (of I-45, that is!)

Our lease was up at the end of May so the next day after I came back from Arizona we moved from our apartment to a friend's house that he is renting out to us. The new house is only about 5 miles from where our apartment was and its literally 1.8 miles from Jason's work (and Mom and Dad, too). It kind of worked out perfectly for us because we're saving money and we're still able to see what its like to transition into owning a home- like lawncare, more expensive bills, and the general upkeep of the house. We do have roommates (which my mom just thinks is crazy for a married couple to do- but oh well!) Our roommates are Chad and Christy; we get along great and they both work so a lot of times it feels like we don't even have roommates. We've yet to get into any tiffs and really all is well at the house. We're planning on staying through the end of the year, in hopes of purchasing a home of our own soon. We'll see as we get closer to the end of the year and we'll definitely keep you posted!

Visitin' my little Willa Kate!

So literally the very next day after we returned from our Branson trip, I flew out to visit our niece, Willa Kate. (see blog off to right-hand side)
I arrived in Arizona on Tuesday, May 20th and was able to stay until Saturday. I enjoyed every minute of being there and my time there was filled with lots to do. Willa took to me very quickly and we had a blast together; Amy and Greg were a little worried at first to leave me ( I could tell ) but her and I literally had a blast while they were away at work. We had so much fun that I even convinced them to get away and have a datenight on Friday before I left.
*We went over to Trader Joe's so I could experience its awesomeness, and I picked up a few goodies. I would have loved to get more things, as I personally fell in love with the store and its incredibly cheap prices, but the suitcase was already super packed to begin with so I had to limit my selections.
*We ate dinner at some little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and an Italian place called Sauce that was phenomenal. If you can believe it, I had pizza that had proscuitto and shaved cantaloupe and honeydew melon. I would never have ordered it on my own, but it was amazing. What a combination, right?
*Next we walked next door, like literally, to this Italian gelato place called Frost. The choices were endless and I think we ended up with Black Cherry, Pistachio, and something else. Mmmmm....
*We went to an art showing that had some incredibly intricate paintings on gourds...yeah, you know like pumpkins and such! I was amazed! Very detailed paintings that I wish I could have gotten a picture of but I'm sure that would have been frowned upon.
*Greg and Amy took on 5 chickens that produce eggs daily so that was an adventure all on their own!

Overall, I had a great time spending the week with them and enjoyed every minute I could to be with my family who I don't get to see as often as I'd like. I love you Barron-Gaffords!

Our family trip to Branson, MO

So Jason's wonderful grandparents, Louis and Marylyn Gibbs, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May. They were so kind as to take all of the family, well most at least to a resort in Branson. We really enjoyed our time there, it was a nice little vacation for all of us and it sort of felt like an anniversary trip for Jason and I too! We left on Friday for our 10 hour drive, and returned home on Monday (our anniversary). If any of you know me, I'm a horrible driving companion because the car literally lulls me to sleep. I was out in no time at all and it made for a very short car ride for me! We really enjoyed ourselves and the fun adventures that we did while we were there. Jason loved the fact that our condo was on a beautiful golf course and he drooled over it every time we walked past the greens. Grandma and Grandpa even hired a photographer to take some great shots of everyone and ordered an anniversary cake for the two couples. Jason and I felt like the weekend was focused on us too much, when the real reason we were there was because of his grandparents. They are two of the sweetest people in the world, and they are a true testament to what unconditional love looks like. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for setting a wonderful example for Jason and I to strive to follow.

Just some things that happened while we were visiting....
1) We went and visited Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede....very fun show centered on the rivalry between the North and the South
2) We sailed out on the Showboat Branson Belle. Its a fun little cruise that takes you through the Ozark Mountains and a show is put on while you are served dinner. The food was fantastic but the show was even better! They did something like 48 songs plus costume changes in 8 minutes. It was amazing and great entertainment too! Some of those people really should go on American Idol!
3) Debbie (Jason's mom) rode a go-cart for the first time in over 30 years. James, Jason, and Marylyn had never seen their mom ride and she had a blast. The go-cart place was like 5 stories tall, the lane just wrapped up and up, kind of like the road on the side of a mountain.
4) On Sunday, Jason's grandparents had a wonderful brunch set up for everyone, including some delicious and huge anniversary cakes. Well, to make a long story short, Jason tried to dip and kiss me and his hand landed IN the cake! It was priceless, and at first I thought that his grandparents were going to be upset, but once I looked over at them and saw that their faces were beet red from laughing so hard, I knew that no harm had been done!

We all had such a great time, thanks again Grandma and Grandpa, we love you so much!

School is finally over....for a little while at least!

Jason and I have been so incredibly busy lately, its been a very tiring last two months. In May I finished my stressful semester of taking 18 hours with 5 A's and 1B. I was pretty proud of myself, but truly wanted all As. I took 6 hours at Lone Star Montgomery and 12 hours at Sam Houston State University. I now have a 4.0 GPA for my Sam Houston education career thus far. I was releaved to be finished with the semester and I've felt like I wrote about 5 books worth of papers for those classes. When I finally graduate I bet I will be able to tell you more than you'd ever want to know about dispositions and developmentally appropriate practices along with everything else education related.
I did make several very cute projects for my classes that I will be able to use in the future when I have my own classroom. I know all of my education professors stressed that not everything has to be so cutesy but I still love cute themes, etc. I made a centers planning board that had a springtime theme to it with ladybugs and bumblebees. I'll try and post pics soon.

I know, I know...

It's been a LOOOOONNNNG time since I've last updated this blog. So much has happened since I last wrote on this thing (October)!! Jason and I have been blessed with so many wonderful blessings. Here is what has been going on in our lives since we've last updated you guys......

In October, the 23rd to be exact, we were given a beautiful niece. Her name is Willa Kate Barron-Gafford, and while she lives in Tucson, we try our hardest to watch her grow on her very own blog! She is now 6 months and is thriving!!! She was 9 pounds when she was born and she truly just melts my heart!!! Greg, Amy, and little Willa Kate (as Jason and I call her) came to visit in January. Willa was already 12 weeks old, but she took to Jason and I so quickly. She was all smiles the whole time she was here and we loved those few days we were able to spend with them! I will try and post pictures as soon as I can, and as soon as I learn how to!

For Christmas, Jason's loving mother, Debbie, surprised Jason with a Playstation 3!!! He was beside himself and truly couldn't believe it for the first 5 minutes or so. I knew he was getting it the whole time, and I actually was the one who had to go to Best Buy and purchase it for her. I even wrapped it and hit it in the car and dropped it off at Debbie's home when we visited for Thanksgiving. I even got a small video of Jason opening his big gift from her and I'll have to see if I can upload it so that you guys can get a good laugh!! Debbie truly is an amazing woman who has been through so much. She gives me inspiration to be a better woman!

Just a quick note before you read this next month. I have two Jason's in my life; well really more than that since we have A LOT of friends named Jason, but ultimately two really close Jasons. One is Jason Gibbs, he is my husband of almost one year!! The other is Jason Barron, he is my brother who is almost 30! For the most part, when I say 'Jason', I'm referring to the love of my life, most of the time I'll say brother Jason if I am referring to Jason Barron. Okay, read along now....

In January, the Barron-Gaffords came to visit like I mentioned before. We really all had so much fun with them and I was lucky enough to not have to even work the whole time they were here. It was so great, I love and miss them so much!!! My brother Jason also ran the Chevron Houston Half Marathon!! That's right- he ran 13.1 miles!!! The race was a little chilly for those of us cheering him on, but he did amazing! He completed the whole thing in 2 hours and 4 minutes! What a great time J!!! I literally was crying the whole time I was out there cheering him on. The atmosphere and everyone cheering is just really motivating. If you've never experienced the Houston Marathon, I strongly suggest you do. Even if you don't personally know anyone running, get out there and support your healthy Houstonians!!! Brother Jason said he really wanted to give it a try after seeing me complete the whole marathon (26.2 miles) last January 2007. Husband Jason (Gibbs) ran the last 3.5ish with brother Jason (Barron) and he got really invigorated to do it himself. So we've both signed up to run the half marathon next January in 2009. We are looking forward to running it together and continue to live a healthy lifestyle. Jason's mom has even sparked some interest in completing a half marathon in her lifetime and Jason and I are going to hold her to it!