To be totally honest, we believe that we are pretty boring. But once and awhile we have a streak of spontaneity and life becomes a little more colorful. We really love reading about our friends and family and admire their diligence in recording their lives. Even though we love our lives in Lewisville, we feel a little distant sometimes and these blogs help us draw near. We know that journaling and staying close is important, so here is my meager attempt at becoming a blogger.
March has brought us some fun. This month we went to Utah a couple times. The first time we went down we got to see Daren’s mom and our sister’s new baby Jason. Holding a new baby is such a softening experience. I always feel more peaceful and look forward more than ever to be a mom. We are so blessed to have so many nieces and nephews; it definitely makes our infertility struggles a little easier. We do have a lot to look forward to. Count your many blessings! It was really fun to see our mom since we don’t get to see her all that often. Daren’s parents are such good examples to us and I absolutely love all of his siblings. I am glad to call myself a Black!
When we got back from Utah my first grade class spent the week working on a play. I did the same one last year and my students really enjoyed it, so I thought I’d give it another go. I guess the success of last year helped me forget how stressful it was to get all of the students to say the right things at the right times and move around the way they’re supposed to, not to mention all the issues with props and scenery. However, when all is said and done it is so worth it. I really feel that this week helps my students grow more with their reading fluency and confidence in themselves more than any other week. I was so proud of all of them. We had over 60 people in the audience—all cramped in my tiny little trailer classroom. Success again! I guess there will be another one next year!
This month Daren made a ton of progress in renovating our house. Winter semester is his off track @ BYU-Idaho so he has been busy with Pinnacle and working on his many “projects”. We bought our house a little over a year ago and it is amazing to see the changes that have taken place. Our house began as a 1974 goldenrod, shag carpet, faux paneling, and messy paint jobs- basically a project list nightmare. As my grandma put it, “It has good bones.” But the rest of it had to go! It is amazing what a little paint and some new floors can do. Daren finished fixing some crooked dry wall, most of the painting, our wood floor, and most of the base board this month. I am so glad to have a handy husband! He is the joy of my life!
Last week I had spring break so we took an opportunity to go on vacation. Monday and Tuesday we played tourists in Salt Lake City. We went to Hogal Zoo, Clark Planetarium, The Aquarium, Ikea (LOVE IT!), and the dinosaur museum. It was really cool because we got a couple of Salt Lake Connect passes for discounts and saved quite a bit. Wednesday we headed down to Zion National Park. It was kind of crowded but the weather was 70 degrees and beautiful! We camped for two nights and then headed to Bryce Canyon on Friday. There was still a little snow there but we decided to hike anyway and it was our favorite hike of the trip. We hiked Navajo Trail and it was breath taking. The steep cliffs, the way the rocks are shaped and how tall pines can spring up between the cracks amazes me. The Lord sure knew what he was doing when he was making Utah! Daren and I both agree we are among the luckiest in the world when it comes to the places and people we get to see!
To sum up a great week we got together with most of Daren’s family for an Easter egg hunt and spent the rest of the weekend with them. I got to see my brother Josh and hang out with him a bit. It is so fun to have him close in Utah, we go down and he comes up. He is a great kid. It was also way fun to see my Sarise. It was fun to watch Sarise tell Joshua that we had known each other from before he was born. I am so lucky to have a best friend for a sister! We stayed at Bryce and Kate’s that weekend and had a blast. I can’t say enough to tell how grateful I am for this family.
Now comes the tough part of predicting what will happen in the rest of the month. Daren will be busy getting the house projects wrapped up and getting ready to head to Tucson. We decided to go out this summer to replenish our savings account. Fertility drugs aren’t cheap! Mean while I get to stay here for awhile and finish out the school year and take care of our furry children. Daren will head to Tucson, probably on April 12th, and be there until the end of June. Then his office will move to Albuquerque until sometime around Labor Day. I will go visit for the week between school getting out and summer school, and then head to Albuquerque for six weeks at the beginning of July. I waited for my husband for 2 years so I know two things—I know I can do it, but I know it is going to be horrible.
Well, there is our life in a nutshell ( I guess a rather large nutshell actually.) We hope all is well with you and that your lives are well. Take care and keep in touch! Love you all! XXXOOO!
-Shannon
March has brought us some fun. This month we went to Utah a couple times. The first time we went down we got to see Daren’s mom and our sister’s new baby Jason. Holding a new baby is such a softening experience. I always feel more peaceful and look forward more than ever to be a mom. We are so blessed to have so many nieces and nephews; it definitely makes our infertility struggles a little easier. We do have a lot to look forward to. Count your many blessings! It was really fun to see our mom since we don’t get to see her all that often. Daren’s parents are such good examples to us and I absolutely love all of his siblings. I am glad to call myself a Black!
When we got back from Utah my first grade class spent the week working on a play. I did the same one last year and my students really enjoyed it, so I thought I’d give it another go. I guess the success of last year helped me forget how stressful it was to get all of the students to say the right things at the right times and move around the way they’re supposed to, not to mention all the issues with props and scenery. However, when all is said and done it is so worth it. I really feel that this week helps my students grow more with their reading fluency and confidence in themselves more than any other week. I was so proud of all of them. We had over 60 people in the audience—all cramped in my tiny little trailer classroom. Success again! I guess there will be another one next year!
This month Daren made a ton of progress in renovating our house. Winter semester is his off track @ BYU-Idaho so he has been busy with Pinnacle and working on his many “projects”. We bought our house a little over a year ago and it is amazing to see the changes that have taken place. Our house began as a 1974 goldenrod, shag carpet, faux paneling, and messy paint jobs- basically a project list nightmare. As my grandma put it, “It has good bones.” But the rest of it had to go! It is amazing what a little paint and some new floors can do. Daren finished fixing some crooked dry wall, most of the painting, our wood floor, and most of the base board this month. I am so glad to have a handy husband! He is the joy of my life!
Last week I had spring break so we took an opportunity to go on vacation. Monday and Tuesday we played tourists in Salt Lake City. We went to Hogal Zoo, Clark Planetarium, The Aquarium, Ikea (LOVE IT!), and the dinosaur museum. It was really cool because we got a couple of Salt Lake Connect passes for discounts and saved quite a bit. Wednesday we headed down to Zion National Park. It was kind of crowded but the weather was 70 degrees and beautiful! We camped for two nights and then headed to Bryce Canyon on Friday. There was still a little snow there but we decided to hike anyway and it was our favorite hike of the trip. We hiked Navajo Trail and it was breath taking. The steep cliffs, the way the rocks are shaped and how tall pines can spring up between the cracks amazes me. The Lord sure knew what he was doing when he was making Utah! Daren and I both agree we are among the luckiest in the world when it comes to the places and people we get to see!
To sum up a great week we got together with most of Daren’s family for an Easter egg hunt and spent the rest of the weekend with them. I got to see my brother Josh and hang out with him a bit. It is so fun to have him close in Utah, we go down and he comes up. He is a great kid. It was also way fun to see my Sarise. It was fun to watch Sarise tell Joshua that we had known each other from before he was born. I am so lucky to have a best friend for a sister! We stayed at Bryce and Kate’s that weekend and had a blast. I can’t say enough to tell how grateful I am for this family.
Now comes the tough part of predicting what will happen in the rest of the month. Daren will be busy getting the house projects wrapped up and getting ready to head to Tucson. We decided to go out this summer to replenish our savings account. Fertility drugs aren’t cheap! Mean while I get to stay here for awhile and finish out the school year and take care of our furry children. Daren will head to Tucson, probably on April 12th, and be there until the end of June. Then his office will move to Albuquerque until sometime around Labor Day. I will go visit for the week between school getting out and summer school, and then head to Albuquerque for six weeks at the beginning of July. I waited for my husband for 2 years so I know two things—I know I can do it, but I know it is going to be horrible.
Well, there is our life in a nutshell ( I guess a rather large nutshell actually.) We hope all is well with you and that your lives are well. Take care and keep in touch! Love you all! XXXOOO!
-Shannon
No comments:
Post a Comment