I really WANT to Blog!

I REALLY want to be a good blogger. It's not so much for other people, but so I can remember everything going on. How ever, good intentions don't result in the actual process. Oh Well!
Here are some recent pictures from our summer adventures.


I got to meet my second cousin, Eli Becknell. He is SO cute!

The girls went to eat sushi, my favorite!

My sisters and I went shopping. I LOVE them!

We had a fun day in Kemah with Daniel's family.

We went to the zoo before Rachel left for Minnesota.

As you can see, we are staying busy. This was the first summer in a long time where I actually had a few weeks off and it felt NICE!

Daniel leaves in 3 weeks to go to Mansfield for 7 weeks. He has his first round of clinicals. I am going to MISS him! I will be a single girl again for a while. Thank goodness for Skype!

Funny Moments at the Wedding

I thought I would share a couple of fun memories from the wedding. I am even displaying the ugly cry face from me, but Daniel and I had a good laugh from the pictures yesterday:) They were both fun moments captured by the camera in order. Way to go Julie:)

The Moment I Realized I was Really Doing This:

Daniel's Aunt Ruthie made a ring pillow for us with our names and the wedding date on it. I think this was the moment that it really hit me I was getting married. So cool:)

"I can't believe you were able to do this."

"It has our names and the date of our marriage - January 1, 2010"

"Look Jeanne and Bethany, isn't this so neat?"

"Whoo, I am really doing this! It is in stitching on a pillow:)"

"I'm getting married in one hour!" (cue ugly cry face)

"Thank you so much Aunt Ruthie! This is so special."

"Okay, we are really doing this!" (I even used hand gestures!)

"Okay, I need to stop crying! I really can't wait to marry Daniel, I promise. This is a good cry."

Honeymoon or Not to Honeymoon?

Really, the pictures speak for themselves and it turned out to be a fun memory!

"I can't wait to go on our honeymoon."

"Knock, knock! Do you want me to go on this honeymoon with you Amanda?"

"That's okay honey, you take as long as you want while all these people are laughing at me!"

"I guess she does want me to go on the honeymoon with her."

"Victory! I can get in the car now. Is this what I can expect?"

"A kiss makes everything better!"

"My wife is nuts! I have to admit that was pretty funny!"

"I am so lucky I get to kiss you whenever I want!"

"St. Lucia - Here we come!"

A Teacher's New Year

Teachers' usually follow a little bit of a different yearly schedule than most. Here are a few examples:

New Years Day
I consider August to be my New Year. My year starts in August and ends in July. I usually set new goals and resolutions during this time. I definitely have some resolutions this year. My #1 resolution is to be more healthy. In the craziness of last year, my health definitely did not get the attention it deserved. I am going to focus on eating better and getting some exercise in. I do not have these grand ideas of losing a bunch of weight and never eating another hamburger. My goals are more simple: I need to drink more water, work out at least 3 times a week, and eat better food (as long as it includes sushi rolls every now and then:)

Spring Cleaning
Let's be honest, we do not have the time to do any spring cleaning. Yes, we do have a Spring Break, but it is more important to use that time to see family and recover from exhaustion because we have neglected sleep and family time during the previous months. We do Summer Cleaning. I am actually quite proud of my cleaning accomplishments over break. I reorganized and deep cleaned the house. I cooked dinner and did laundry. I will have to admit, I am looking forward to going back to work because of this part of our yearly schedule. I LOVE being at home, but I don't think I could ever do it for an extended length of time. As long as I love my job, I will always look forward to being there and having adult interaction. Admittedly, I also do not live on the sort of budget that allows me to do what I would really like to in the Summer: shopping, multiple lunches with friends, vacations and traveling galore, etc. etc., etc.:) However, some of the best times spent are free and have made my short 4 weeks off glorious: reading good books, taking naps with my husband when he is out of class early, going to the beach, etc., etc., etc:)

Labor Day
Labor Day can be a bit frustrating because in our case, we have a 3 day weekend immediately following our second week with kiddos.  Why can't our Labor Day be later in the fall after we're a little burnt out on taking papers home to grade, waking up at 5:30, spending multiple days and weeks on our feet, writing lesson plans, etc., etc., etc.? I mean, let's face it, the first two weeks of school are what I call, the "Honeymoon Phase".  Every class is fairly well behaved. I rarely see any discipline cases. The students are new to the teacher and to each other. It's after the first two weeks that the "Honeymoon phase" starts to fade and true colors come out, some good and some bad. We definitely need our Labor Day much later:)

I would be curious about what other teachers thought about our "schedule". Do you have any additions?

Ode to the Trailer Days:)

When I went to A&M, my parents bought a trailer for me to live in with my cousins. There were 3 sets of families living together and it was a blast. These were my roommates for all 4.5 years I was in College Station and we were really blessed to be together. The other day, I was cleaning out some picture frames and found one with pictures from our first year together. We look REALLY young, but it was really nice to go down memory lane. I love you guys:)

One night, we built a tent in the living room. I think we popped popcorn and watched a movie.

I love Kasey:) She is a sweetheart and expecting a baby boy soon. She will be a great mom. 

This was the night of Sadie Hawkins. It was a fun night. 

How cool that about 10 years later, Charlie would be the minister to unite Daniel and I in marriage?

Bethany and Kasey are being silly in the kitchen. Bethany LOVES to tell the story about my first time to brown hamburger meat. I didn't know it was called "browning" and made a big deal about the meat turning from pink to brown. I had NO idea that it did that. 

Our first Halloween as the Mc Donald's food. 

This was taken at Gattiland. Shannon is smelling Charlie to make sure he doesn't have body odor. I am glad she survived:)

I am thankful for our times in College Station. We had MANY laughs and sometimes tears, but we were always there for each other and I will never forget my "trailer days". 

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3 was one of the readings at Grandma Kogel's (Daniel's grandma) funeral. I have heard this verse a million times before, but it has never hit home like it did at her funeral. This past year has definitely been a time for everything. I am so very blessed and continue to be humbled everyday. I also don't remember things ever moving as fast as they did last year.


Engagement
Daniel and I were engaged on February 21, 2009. This was 6 months after we started dating. He is the man of my dreams and I fall in love with him again every day. 

Daniel's Birthday/Graduation
We celebrated Daniel's birthday and graduation on May 15th and 16th. It was such a fun weekend of celebrations and introductions. I got to meet a lot of Daniel's family and we had a blast. 

Grad School
Daniel started grad school in September at Texas Woman's University for Physical Therapy. We have almost finished one year and we have two years to go:) WOO HOO! He really is such a dedicated student and I am proud of how hard he works. 


Moving
Daniel and I got an apartment in the Medical Center. It is extremely convenient and easy to be so close. We actually really like the area here and didn't expect to. 


Babies
My niece, Micah Mary, was born at the end of September. It is so much fun to have a baby in the family again and she is precious!

Wedding Showers
In the fall, I had 3 wedding showers. My home church, mother-in-law's friends, and school friends hosted beautiful showers. Daniel and I are REALLY blessed. I will admit that I really appreciated the gifts, but it was so hard receiving them. I am fine with receiving gifts or rewards for something I have worked hard for, but to receive them for marrying the man of my dreams was not easy because I almost felt like I didn't deserve them. It's hard to explain. I was very appreciative and excited to update our home. I have had A LOT of fun using everything. 

My hostesses from Westbury Church of Christ

Presents:)

I love my mom:) This is one of the best pictures we've taken. 

Phyllis embroidered towels and rags for me. They are the coolest:)

Wedding Day
I married Daniel Wingard on January 1, 2010. It was the best day of my life:) There are no words to explain the feelings I experienced that day. It was AMAZING!

St. Lucia
To say we had the best honeymoon would be an understatement. It was PERFECT in every way. I am so lucky we were able to get away. 

Grad School
The spring semester was pretty tough for me. I took two classes and my Classroom Research class proved to be work intensive. Daniel was extremely supportive and it helped because we both needed to study. 


Losses
May was a really tough month for us. We found out that my little sister lost her baby and Daniel's Grandma Kogel died. I honestly did not realize how much I could love someone I didn't know really well until I lost these two people. I was glad we were able to go to Minnesota and celebrate Daniel's Grandma. He really loved her and it was special for me to be around all of his family. 
When I found out my little sister lost her baby, I was in the car driving home. I remember crying for a little bit and turning on the song, Glorybaby. It was comforting and our Glorybaby will never be forgotten. Heaven will hold you before we do, heaven will keep you safe until we're home with you:)

It seems like we have had every life event happen in one year. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so thankful to have a partner to share everything with and family/friends to support, love, and care for. 

1 There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a
  time to refrain,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw
  away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Rachel's Graduation

Rachel graduated from high school two weeks ago. It was a bit hectic because we drove in from Minnesota on Thursday morning and graduation was Friday. However, my mother-in-law pulled off a fabulous party and it was a lot of fun to celebrate Rachel. I am lucky to have such a fantastic sister-in-law and I am proud of her accomplishments. LOVE YOU Rachel!