What I Love About Sundays

Monday through Friday is hectic. I am up early, at work by 7:15, and somehow everyday after work gets filled with something. Now that Spring is here, Saturdays are usually just as full as every other day of the week with baseball games, weddings, showers, errands that didn't happen during the week, etc. Sundays are different though. Sundays are a little more laid back and relaxed. I love Sundays and would love to share some of my favorite things about Sundays...

This is my Kindergarten Sunday School class. Mom and I teach Sunday School every other. They are so much fun!

This morning we learned about Jesus' disciples. In our story, Jesus' disciples had been fishing all night and not caught any fish. Jesus was standing on the shore early in the morning (they did not recognize him) and told the men to cast their net on the right side of the boat. When they obeyed Jesus, the men caught over 150 fish! We ate fish sticks for our snack this morning. Yes, that's right, we ate fish sticks during 8 o'clock Sunday School. I couldn't believe it when some of the kids said they had never had fish sticks. I loved fish sticks when I was little...Friday nights were fish sticks, french fries and watching "Full House" on TGIF. The fish sticks snack were a success, everybody got seconds.

I love being a part of the GAP class! I have a great group of friends who I enjoy getting to see every Sunday (and sometimes a little more often).

Supper Club!

More GAP friends!


Now that Spring is here, the weather is too beautiful to stay inside on Sunday afternoons. I decided to take Cody to Aldridge Gardens, however, when we got over there I saw a "No Pets Allowed" sign. I was so disappointed. Cody and I did enjoy a some time outside though by Star Lake. While I wrote in my journal and did a lesson from my Bible study, Cody enjoyed laying in the sun, watching the ducks and being petted by every little girl who walked by and said, "Oh! What a cute puppy!" He loves attention....

This is another important part of my Sunday afternoons:

The Sunday paper!

I love getting the Sunday paper! Dawn is a reporter for The Birmingham News. I read the Sunday paper in a certain order: Front Page, Lifestyle, Sports Sections, Comics, John Archibald's column, the sale papers and of course anything written by my sister...look for her byline, she's really good!

Most Sundays are not all rest...there's always some lesson planning that goes into every weekend. Sunday nights are my times to finish up plans for the next week and make my color coded school to do list of all the things that need to get done Monday through Friday!

Happy Sunday!

Making a List and Checking it Twice

I love making lists! I love following lists! To do lists, grocery lists, guest lists, whatever….everything just seems more organized if it’s in a list. My school to do list is even color coded by student. I even have a Bucket List. I really hate to use the term “Bucket List” as in things I want to do before I die, just sounds too morbid, so I’ll call it my Lifetime To Do List. I thought I would share part of my list with you:

1. Travel to every state
2. Visit the Holy Land
3. Attend major events for professional sports: The Super Bowl, World Series (with the Cubs playing), NBA Finals, Masters, Wimbledon, Stanley Cup, Daytona 500…
4. Go to the Kentucky Derby (I separated this from the other sports events because I wanted to acknowledge the adorable sundress, cute shoes, and amazing hat that I would find to wear)
5. Learn sign language
6. Attend a taping of Saturday Night Live
7. Learn to shoot a gun
8. See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Radio City Music Hall (not that it’s not great in Nashville or Birmingham)
9. Go skydiving
10. Run a half marathon (I should probably say full marathon, but I’m trying to be realistic)
11. See the ball drop in Times Square on NYE
12. Learn to play golf (not just putt-putt, I’m talking real golf here)
13. Begin piano lessons again (I’ll really practice this time and not just make up my practice time to win a contest like when I was 8 – which someone should have been suspicious of, I said I practiced 2 hours/day and never got any better)
14. Go to a football game in every SEC stadium
15. Go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
16. Learn to play tennis
17. Attend Summer Olympic games
18. Take dance lessons (tap, salsa, ballroom, etc.)…If I become famous, I’ll just go on Dancing with the Stars, but in the meantime I’ll be looking for a local studio
19. Ride in a hot air balloon
20. Be a seat filler at the Emmy Awards
21. Go parasailing
22. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
23. Buy something at Tiffanys
24. Watch all Academy Award Best Pictures
25. Go on an African Safari

So if I’m being completely honest here, I haven’t actually had this list written out or anything like that. These are just a list of things that I have said, “Oh I’ve always wanted to do that…” or “Oh I wish I could do that…” While at the beach last week I went bungee jumping. Bungee jumping would have been on my list prior to this. I probably should have chosen somewhere beautiful or exotic as a location for my bungee, however, this girl from Alabama is proud to say that she went bungee jumping at The Track in Destin, Florida. The following is a video of my jump and a little post jump interview that I didn’t really think about could potentially be on the internet for the entire world to see….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOd0BkQJ-zM

Just in case you're curious, Cody doesn't really have a list....there's not much more that he wants other than to eat and sleep....

What's the Title of Your Story?

On a recent trip home from the beach, a friend asked, what would the title of your life story be? Quickly I answered, "From One Awkward Moment to Another." God is writing a story in our lives. Each one is unique and each one is special….yes even those awkward moments are a part of that story. I have a great family and incredible friends who I love living life with. I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve. I have the joy of going to work every day with the most special children I know, who teach me more about life and never taking a single day for granted than I could ever teach them. I love to cook and wish I had more people to cook for. I start a countdown for football season around mid June and love any and everything about the Auburn Tigers. The Cubs are my favorite baseball team and I do believe every year that this will be the season that ends “The Curse.” I love the Christmas season, but the fourth of July is my favorite holiday. This is just the story of my life…just a girl and her cocker spaniel!


The first few entries I will tell you a little about the important people in my life….Of course Cody, my cocker spaniel; will probably be the number 1 character to read about. He’s in the title! Saturday Cody and I met my mom and sister (Dawn) at Lakeshore Trail to make a 3 mile walk. For Dawn this is no big deal. However, Mom and me…and Cody are a little unsure about this walk. This is in preparation for walking the Rumpshaker 5K next Saturday. The Rumpshaker 5K is designed to raise money for Colon Cancer awareness. My mom is a 5 year Colon Cancer survivor. She has overcome cancer and battles the lasting effects of a year of chemo that include debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis. We are so proud of how far she has come and are really excited that she will be one the survivors to cross the finish line next Saturday! As you will learn about Cody he is not so much for the great outdoors. He much prefers his couch and air conditioning to a walk on a trail any day. Cody is very curious and a 3 mile walk that might take the average person 30 minutes to finish will take the person walking Cody, that’d be me, closer to an hour. No need to wonder every tree and bush has been marked, every squirrel has been chased, and every other dog walking on the trail Saturday morning has been sniffed. Needless to say, Cody will not be participating in the walk with us next weekend.

Before the walk. Can't you see the excitement on his face???

Dawn wanted to show me how to actually walk Cody instead of letting him walk me....short leash, move quickly, don't give him a chance to stop. Got it! We'll work on it next time!