tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45100802426479331742024-03-12T21:00:25.885-04:00God's Wonderful GraceKristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-78592207460482602882010-02-22T20:36:00.003-05:002010-02-22T20:59:02.646-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7hatvF0Ng5qZgixgDeYrt5shvWGfc2wDfbPY3iojwWWk9OW6kvGLujoT7b7rsUbMK0Vnoa3Ijyg1C4e_O3sEL2Xz_1QjFJZ67OaooioJWm6en5W8yaGF6t85gv0r81Ng-BGRG5BQzzQ/s1600-h/daffodil.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441247571492086546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7hatvF0Ng5qZgixgDeYrt5shvWGfc2wDfbPY3iojwWWk9OW6kvGLujoT7b7rsUbMK0Vnoa3Ijyg1C4e_O3sEL2Xz_1QjFJZ67OaooioJWm6en5W8yaGF6t85gv0r81Ng-BGRG5BQzzQ/s400/daffodil.jpg" /></a> This is what I found in my flowerbed on Sunday afternoon. Just another great reminder of God's newness and beauty in our lives.<br /><br />Psalm 90:17 -And let the beauty of our Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">KJV</span><br /><br />I know this verse might be a little hard to read because it's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">KJV</span> but I really liked how it mentioned the beauty of God coming on us through the working of our hands. It just goes to show that a little work can let God's beauty shine through anything you do. Have a blessed week everyone!<br /><br /><div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-61059089273307750522010-02-15T10:23:00.003-05:002010-02-15T10:40:32.229-05:00Here I am!I know, I know. It has been about 3 months since I've last blogged. I could use the excuse that I have a husband at home now but I know almost all of you do too so really I have no excuse. I don't want to write a book about the past 3 months so I'll just fill you in on some of the more exciting things that have happened.:)<br /><div align="center">Christmas</div><div align="left">In December Steven and I were able to travel home to Indiana to celebrate our Christmas with my family. I am so thankful and blessed to have a husband that loves my family as much as I do and wants to spend all holidays with them. We were able to see our niece and nephew grow, walk, and talk while we were there. Everytime I go home its so hard to leave again, especially with the little ones that grow so quickly! We also took our dog Bo to my parents house. We were a bit worried but Bo did a great job. He is an awesome dog who is very easily trained. He only had one mess in the house and that was not his fault. He threw up but we think it was because he has been eating so many different things that had fallen on the floor or whatnot from the Christmas celebrations. He did a great job in the car as well on the way there and back. Over our Christmas break we also visited some friends we had met in Italy last summer. They live near Chicago so we drove up there for a few days. They have 3 wonderful children and it was great playing on the frozen pond, hanging out, and getting to know them better. Steven and I did look seriously at schools for him and houses for when we move back. Steven's dream is to go to Notre Dame for law school but we both know it is difficult to get accepted there. If it were to happen we would be so thankful but we are willing to follow God's plan for our lives and want to be where he wants us.</div><div align="center">Army and School</div><div align="left">In January Steven had two big changes in his life. He got out of the Army and started school at Campbell University. So far he loves it. Some statements he's made. "It's so different from the Army. People are actually nice and want to help you." "There's a lot of reading." "I'm going to get a 4.0." I love how my husband is so dedicated and motivated and I know he will do very well at school. </div><div align="center">Bo</div><div align="left">I can't brag enough about our smart puppy. He now sleeps outside of his crate at night. He knows 5 tricks including sit, shake, lay down, speak, and roll over. He's a super good dog and we enjoy every minute with him!</div><div align="center">Valentine's Day</div><div align="left">Yesterday we celebrated our first Valentine's Day together in the 4 1/2 years we've been a couple. We were both busy this weekend working on school work and National Board certification for me but I did make Steven a 9 pound turkey for lunch on Sunday and we just spent the weekend together. I love my husband and every day is fun with him no matter if it's Valentine's Day or not. He's told me and others before that being married isn't hard if you're both willing to work on it. It's like being married to your best friend. You get to do fun things together, share a lot of neat experiences, and be loved no matter what. I do love my husband.</div><div align="center">Future</div><div align="left">There will be a few things happening in the near future. On March 5th Steven will finally get his surgery on his shoulder. He is getting it during his Spring Break so he will be down and out on his break but I will do my best to take care of him. Luckily it's also free through the Army. Since he was stop lossed we get 6 months of free health care so it's completely paid for. </div><div align="left">Also in May and June Steven is traveling to Guatemala and earning 9 credits of Spanish as well as doing missionary work and helping out in an orphanage. It will be hard for me to let him go again but I'm planning on meeting him down there after school gets out for me. It's always an adventure with my husband and I absolutely love it! </div><div align="left">So that's what's been going on in my life in the past few months. What about you?</div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-24882669854012315472009-11-08T18:24:00.011-05:002009-11-08T19:19:55.844-05:00A week or two of blessings!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Okay, so I know it hasn't been too long since I've typed up a blog but A LOT has happened in the past few weeks that Steven has been home. And luckily for us they've all been total blessings. </div><br /><div>Let me start with the first thing. </div><br /><div>After Steven got home from Iraq I was driving his car to work because he needed mine with the bigger space to pick up his things that were coming back from Iraq and to take my parents around when they were here. So I submitted and drove his car for a few days. I had told him how bad the breaks were and he said he would take it in to get it looked at. Basically whenever I would stop the steering wheel and whole car would shake. So the next week, Monday, he drove the car to work let's just say by the next day we had a new car. Yeah, I had to drive it for 4 days and he drives it once and gets a new car.:) But I do like our new car. It is a Ford Focus, brand new, gets about 35 miles to the gallon and the coolest things is that it has this sync mechanism where you can hook up your ipod and just tell the car your command and it plays whatever song you want. Same with your cell phone. Steven just has to say "Call Kristina" and it will call me and he talks to me through the car. Pretty neat feature. Now all of these things are extras we don't need but the car was a really good deal and it should last us for a while. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401885892559525170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlrFjASb0gbDwNW2_m1PhFfhDsxtIoe67hoY0YQgftoxWF8g-8LJwWJ73wELRb4rDcbBYBQVp0jniRUgXBTwSp1y0yXw9dWRl8FCIPBq9lmCnKgIpr26ABsPNQzeewfDDh61PfpLAa_E/s400/2009-ford-focus.jpg" /><br />Here's a picture of it. Same color and everything.</div><div>Another exciting experience was our annual Halloween party. I thought I had the best costume ever. I'm going to post the picture and see if you can guess what I am. At the party a lot of people asked who I was and I didn't like explaining it to them. I thought it was pretty recognizable but I guess I was mistaken. Steven and I had fun seeing what other people were dressed up as and even though my costume was hard to distinguish, I did get runner up for best female.:)</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881813255875266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuslpT-k6tlx0ueg6HmT8kJpD_GBKz0PCFPUsQUWIMwjZKx-1Yzzv8teN9BRlP4AKtmwDjPWw_6TZnwA0rWfiH7ANw5y-xmAbPDzMCJMSbMO9KVtNMnd0bgEEpE0vFG9GAd-DGKbmBfMA/s400/angelina.jpg" /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881822293775090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ldJr1C9etP9YptplQu-QEz0CBlMqID91QbwI9PWi1IF40KkY1VhESRhmXU-Y9Lm5pCREzdjJso6USJd3LaPKBI1-QDrmUr-nATLjL02VqdJ3xii2ijLaLMsOACwab3OS4rkNvnwaksw/s400/brad+and+angie.jpg" /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881824900255410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ8ca-jO4hIK9GS3iI-_ePIe7SzZivvuoJEm1FZ8R_kryjrBZXtvuKr6p-fAnzEgth_AQiQKndvPUsETvtuggTVu6K4vSlxbWhcz80nehpFSCFpWTALQLMolH1oC_1Zh7VTHMADuYq5Q/s400/white+trash.jpg" /></div><div>White trash couple. Richard and Kathy</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881819979608482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyXybqpdSkrKE7hv6-8AtYuImttvF5sKipwfK0ZeVpquUizkx1kGJLj3kxTUpKmeYIFGvJMwzKay_3gNrTsxOjpbtwCbzXRsO5bRPjLVwan1sWKcdBPSEKIAExLntddED-fmL9qn19Ho/s400/luigi+and+mario.jpg" /></div><div>Mario and Luigi, Matt and Lauren</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881816959052354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EKyG0-hhiGt1dWX77l3s7uA8I6T7t06pAFER0mFdJpRt0xMmblbMo5mjUv_Un5yhfKLN-yK9l9VHjGRXTChaR218D5X0nhVFKt3Fi60aqo-5_O37TNB-WTAcSQjD_oXI4h2C6S4DwlI/s400/billy+and+miley.jpg" /></div><div>Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus, Stuart and Emily.</div><div> </div><div> And one of the most exciting things is........we got a new puppy!!! He's a yellow lab and his name is Bo. He's the cutest, smartest, sweetest thing ever. Two years ago I would've had to beg Steven to get a dog and last week it was the other way around. He was the one begging me to let him get it. I agreed and I'm glad I did. He's a really good dog, a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Here are some cute pictures of him.:)</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401887605796438226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyR-q7QH6YrNduGC8bzf1rDHK01V8EmNbmr9zvomcTCFoA9UnptvAMiyvNBhUGKQ3EnRXv7k_SOmNiO50gLmCAcNR8l0Hzsp0cxd09Ud2atjXYBRNKiA8EI84-9ZHQ8dPUIRWC64g4X8/s400/Bo.jpg" /></div><div>Bo on the ride home </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401888780622003522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XnDGl6xBfcQleqYgeWOlVQlizYumASCorX6iWUFGkyobVNk89GGd6Mwl7K-3f0ljstH6Tk86j6LYIrL8ybZAWgaCymhcCp_X1a3kNOIG6qPcDDqp4bLvzrhFGzX2xIr3KsqBTIH8S70/s400/wet+dog.jpg" /></div><div>Bo's first bath</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401887617050629266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4U8abMLT7Pxoxz8vGHY8MFcfESZdxf2WjSNJ0349GVTEOkHlhjDYEHu1yMUCCrcQf4qG17ErCHNi0hMVp7F5ivbwO7ZMsmQDj5FsvCwZ5iXbwACk2J0RUpcayR6AB_piMBJcxswuRqQ/s400/daddy+and+puppy.jpg" /></div><div>Sleepy daddy and puppy.</div><div> </div><div>And last but not least I surprised Steven with a few things when he got home from Iraq. One was tickets to see two of his favorite artists, Casting Crowns and Matt Redman in concert. And the other was a couple's massage. We really enjoyed both of them and have loved the time we have spent together the past few weeks. I truly love my husband and enjoy every minute I get to spend with him!</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401890414608442738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpdmHKhinyhfr-rAN7Qr0ZDcAGTVd2izydTHO6eY5HHF_i6Bll1K5G1FLrIgTL9DlNjtQnQ2WFBthubYYAMsJ3OLfSjBAYO81YtxQ43rZJTbT8K_VAfMK20z-IgRw1L7v6EQrO86frUU/s400/at+concert.jpg" /></div><div>Us and the RBC center in Raleigh</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401888787863257970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I0swqzy2CtcYc55EJ_17l0d7N4sMS9uyeF65yNXzxUyI8I8eifRfOWII379FQ1j6csrr9vSHEFvugxbKlJ2aLdpKSemBbiBjUwWkxHtilpM9ugiSpgCHtuY6qKuTapoxEvM_ufbbIVk/s400/matt+redman.jpg" /></div><div>Matt Redman</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401888788998947666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbrhryrku8GcKMjIaQnUgr-Yg_-19T306DaolrP3FYCzFvin33n9umOrGtWUHXZg4dxmLtnAc7vI7cjz7bU95Jwa_qvb0Anexz9fhyZDy9XnrMyyC2TbRlmovJRrbIATb6hfiwg36QUI/s400/casting+crowns.jpg" /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401888782628209538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEd-vqsnO_LwJXrxk_jE4RGItU19EUdT-fhyR7Bg_2V3gi6zfQsqN_YyYxt52Zak_Ztnt3mhozxddSflKAaJjiyxoccL26sALZke_DIyMB_3Nu31Ql3p7y33YmT49ZsO-kfB5BSNycUVk/s400/casting.jpg" /></div><div>Casting Crowns</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-31770053569112542942009-10-30T16:07:00.005-04:002009-10-30T16:19:28.745-04:00He's Home!<div><div><div><br /><div>I probably don't need to say anymore than that but I will. :) Steven came home Tuesday the 20th (I know, I'm slow). And it was an awesome reunion. We had some time to ourselves and then my parents came down that evening and spent a few days here. We ate out, played games, and just enjoyed each other's company. I really and truly love my husband. He makes me laugh almost every minute I'm with him and he is so kind, loving, considerate, and just plain great. I am looking forward to the rest of my life to spend with him. </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398489010133307554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx__J_pnOwofdR6ycvsvcR2afsQzKo7z5N_30CTHz_NfZFciLNy1DX6N49VrPH4aBrI7Kg8Q1cTbRJsMZLqJcxaI7KSC_vN7EI6jnU41mMVdLWaocaqmDDZHydc2nrkio6DW2rD68G7s/s400/steven+and+kristina.jpg" /></div><div>Home again!</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398488999791944898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiWFQNwMiUjdkxuDzQLpoq-U53tqW6dmMIz0ypb-eXp7_Hq0UrKeHIhDNPLw79QCGgqPjkBd-bzfYz3JrI46oxlUk1Hp6LQnJ-yfoOWVBx7fF7mz_4FiEKOw74G3tqHHUTKzNUD_3YkQ/s400/PA200006.JPG" /></div><div>The plane</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398488992319738642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXE1BDBKfXtyXPdB1LO7jRrP4xVs6kznKOGoSmfWttWZ8ePxwfLDHRIop8dpNYsAqotMNeaG33ZVqnmBX3Sj3GbXgjH6ALEKiexaXC9Zb5Gxy2F5QtolyzW6S1olW0Pxulh1K_7lAyik/s400/happy.jpg" /></div><div>Our first meeting</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398489004189635058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIdrJeeR0lNcmS8kg__9hhSHsDeGUzPy03WHdwDWGXh1S8pp4r-HegYh6eUzCHIcDrkPshYm1dYSTIWwfK_5I2HMn-1QFItZXWbXtltq4nEe7EGzkiIan6OU_ovpcOkX_cq2fJcOTj7oA/s400/roses.jpg" /></div><div>Beautiful roses he brought to me at school! I love having my husband show up at work in the middle of the day!:)</div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-39588551017307581432009-10-17T17:41:00.002-04:002009-10-17T17:47:25.129-04:00Almost here...Hello all.<br />Last time you heard from me I was 1 month away from having a husband home. Now I'm just three days! I'm trying to be super excited but sometimes I'm just not. I think it's because it's so hard to believe that I will have a husband here. When you're on your own for 10 1/2 months it's not that easy to just quickly change everything! <br />But this weekend I've been getting the house ready. I cleaned the kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Tomorrow I might try the upstairs. I might not too. We'll see.:) Everyone says "Your husband won't care if the house isn't cleaned." And I know they're probably right but I want Steven to come home to a nice house after being gone for so long. I know that if I was gone for a while and came home to a mess I would be disappointed. So I just hope he isn't when he sees it. <br />So far I know he's supposed to be here on Tuesday sometime between 10 and 5. The time isn't narrowed down but hopefully I'll hear more in the next few days. My parents are planning on coming down Tuesday and staying until Friday or Saturday. That will be nice because Steven wants me to go back to work so I can use my days for a vacation later on. So he'll have my parents to hang out with.:) I know I have the rest of my life with my husband so I'm not jealous.<br />So if you think about it, say a quick prayer on Tuesday for our reunion. I know it will be great. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my husband!<br />Don't worry, pictures will come..........Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-50595334438987621552009-09-16T20:46:00.002-04:002009-09-16T21:16:06.865-04:00It's called Prayer, and it works!Some of you may have heard and some of you may not have. But the big news around my side of town is that Steven is coming home a month early!! He will be home in 4 weeks! How did this happen you might ask? Well let me start from the beginning.<br />Before the deployment happened we were hoping Steven wouldn't have to go. He was supposed to get out of the Army in October of 2008 but unfortunately because of the Stop Loss policy, had to go on his unit's deployment to Iraq in December of 2008. Before Steven left for his deployment he hurt his shoulder during PT one morning. It was too soon before his deployment to get it looked at or taken care of so he just went with his shoulder injured. At the beginning of the deployment he and his guys were very busy, going on missions, doing patrols, etc. But after June when all troops were to be out of the cities he has been sitting around watching movies and reading books. As this time continued on he thought it might be a good time to see about getting his shoulder looked at. He heard it was a possibility that they would send him to Germany to get an MRI and hopefully back home early to have surgery on it. Then that idea was nixed. For no particular reason either. So as you can probably guess, Steven wasn't too happy being stuck in Iraq, doing nothing, with a hurt shoulder and not even supposed to be there in the first place. <br />At the beginning of the deployment Steven mentioned the possibility of coming home early with the ADVON party. Those are the troops that left early to get everything set up. They also come back early so their deployment is only a year. Well, after Steven knew he wouldn't be sent to Iraq, his SGT worked hard to get his sent with the Advon party in October. When he told me about that possibility I started praying like mad. I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up because the Army has a track record of ruining them. But prayer is always key. <br />At a bible study on Thursday night my friend Emily told me about a way her husband started praying. Instead of asking God for something, he tells Him. I thought, what? You can't tell God what you want and expect him to do it for you! But then we talked about all the times in the Bible that someone has changed God's mind. In 1 Kings God tells Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he will die but Isaiah pleads with God and Hezekiah lives. Abraham talks the number of people down from 50 to 10 to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. So I thought I'd give it a try. The next morning I prayed to God in a way I never had before. I said, "God send Steven home early so he can get his shoulder looked at. I know you can do it, so do it (please)." I had to add that please in there because I just felt bad telling God what to do. But I continued to pray like that for the next few days. <br />Sunday Steven called me and told me that it wouldn't happen. The Brigade did not okay it so he would come home with the rest of his unit. I was heartbroken but not defeated. I knew that God still had power in him so I continued to pray and told God what I wanted him to do. Less than 24 hours later Steven called me back and told me he was going to mess with my deployment countdown. He would be coming home in 4 weeks! You have no idea how excited I was. After I got off the phone with him it was all I could do to pray to God and thank him for listening to my prayers. I knew God could do it and he did! I had the faith and I was blessed because of it. <br />Now I'm in the process of getting everything ready for my husbands arrival. I need to clean the house, buy a lot of groceries, wash the car, mow and weed eat the lawn. It's an unending list but I'm so thankful I have to finish it 4 weeks ahead of time.<br />So next time you start praying. Try telling God what you want. It worked for me!Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-46186288938802987602009-09-09T17:45:00.003-04:002009-09-09T17:53:54.570-04:00Surprise!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSz0vS9ZoHW3wGIgxVXeCuwWw-POiSoRfK4Hrc7wASyQ1YoXcVll3oRkOGJJ-j_MbIe63yNDg8BjiFEw6Lo1RZFadlPegpqkhRTvry1XaH1pWGhQf2WuctLTkIvFulYkhUs8mRbg4g78/s1600-h/flowers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379588948482729490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSz0vS9ZoHW3wGIgxVXeCuwWw-POiSoRfK4Hrc7wASyQ1YoXcVll3oRkOGJJ-j_MbIe63yNDg8BjiFEw6Lo1RZFadlPegpqkhRTvry1XaH1pWGhQf2WuctLTkIvFulYkhUs8mRbg4g78/s400/flowers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>How beautiful are these flowers? I was surprised Tuesday afternoon. I got a call to go to the front office and on the desk was this marvelous bouquet! Of course I didn't have to look to see who they were from. My husband of course. It was nothing special, no birthday, anniversary, anything. He just wanted to let me know how much he loved me and missed me. (It's okay, you can say "aww" now.) I just thought I'd share them with you through the Internet since most of you can't see them in person. I wish I could capture the smell because they smell wonderful as well. I hope your days and weeks are filled with special surprises too!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379588958017000738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFioC1e8Z7Elx0do3JwIsddXIHbBPwJ9yAiw5cN647utJGsN5VWTei8AqtNfsMnybne01cwWXEHzLd8b3853VKGlDKvNffSsS3lHMm9lqku3qbVrKgWu8qDzOoQCane2mZ5xEvZuP5VI/s400/flower.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-82639828388820078372009-09-07T15:53:00.002-04:002009-09-07T15:59:34.894-04:00AccomplishedI love three day weekends. Of course I would love it more if I could share it with someone but when I have a lot of work to do, it's nice to have that extra time to get it done. This weekend I was able to clean my WHOLE house. Yeah, first time that's been done all at once in like...ever. And it was actually the first time I cleaned the upstairs bathroom floor since we moved in. I know, I know. How dirty am I? But really it wasn't that bad. No one ever uses it. But I'm just making excuses for myself. I knew it needed to be done and I did it. And now I walk through my clean house and feel so much better. As much as I don't enjoy cleaning, I do enjoy having a clean house. My mom is so great at her cleaning habits and hopefully some of those are showing in me. I know it will be different when Steven gets home and I have less time but more cleaning to do. Hopefully I'll be able to find the time to not let it get too out of control.<br />I was also able to get two weeks worth of lessons plans done for reading so now I'm ahead of the game and can hopefully stay ahead. The rest of the afternoon I plan on watching a movie and just relaxing for the week ahead. <br />Also, if any of you want to join my countdown, I'm at nine weeks until a husband comes home! :) Yahoo!Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-27853395669173638592009-08-29T07:49:00.003-04:002009-08-29T08:15:09.810-04:00SCHOOL<div><div><div><div>School has begun. I just finished up the first week with the kids. All I can say is, "wow". Wow meaning a few things. One being this class is a HUGE change from last year. Last year I had the "smart" kids while this year I have the opposite end of the spectrum. Boy you can really tell. Now I have a few that are up there with my kids from last year but for the most part, I can tell it's going to be an entirely different class. I know this was only the first week and they're still getting used to being in school but still... I guess it can only get better from here, with the teaching and training I give them. I know this year will be a challenge but I also know that with these students they have the most room for growth. And that's what I love. Seeing my students achieve. So for now, just pray that things go well this year and that my students are able to progress. I'm going to leave you with a few pictures of my room. </div><div align="center">Clark's Cow Folk.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375357191281894882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUy0SNAX1QTP7npmuSiqsplUitJgN9bcptVrH5cdrGE94ld37XP-C9S8SG1b7neXLhvD3igD_KAvV4-sjjWo768zlzuoAkGgfKS-jA2RVyQSamb3MB2KIdsigaXwZ7_dZalRwxCsHfw0/s400/board.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div><br /><p>Our bulletin board</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375357204240266706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqBObXkx2GSHRe-PMulrm4MxoM2QUS1JJzoJkPEHypKr5fPjY1VUqf-YPWKi3L5ATRdLtM0bDuMZEl4gLuu7O0zArjqTu5cKmpeY1euU-iO92TIlv6hISnnOFY5ksq0G_uKNcGDoYQYs/s400/focus+wall.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>This will be my focus wall at my guided reading table.</p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375357211320858866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdJTLAbp9J3de360ZooIAr0r6A33LMbHM90CiT7kENkIBFsG3Cn0Ae8fB2Ec9TopXST4WxlFnCwt2uznsR_TNoFzVfWgWdaHTGCaNwttTcLXIhcnXpCb6yjpYUzYbXUlaT7fjqDw-4JM/s400/library.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Calendar, Classroom helpers, birthdays, library, lots of stuff</p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375357226768578946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjQof8eroGtM05mSclbSzWMm-veReLs9AHcJqanwfK6CbCgpACN478Uzf5921DD0LWDr5q3_c7Lnzigao_rB79RcS9YYGcBiADl036MFZA3XTZgB_ue1B9fNwq7jjdxnZch5brOqtmTc/s400/mootain+math.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Mountain Math</p><p> </p>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-10973397295895561942009-08-09T07:42:00.003-04:002009-08-09T12:10:30.570-04:00SummerI've recently been told that I'm horrible at updating my blog. Thanks Steven. I appreciate that. I did mention the fact that his has been stagnant for 5 months but he informed me that that is different. He quit his. Anyway, he does have a point. It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything new. And it's not for the fact that I'm super busy and have no time! Please, I stay at home and do nothing all day. I'm just going to blame it on pure laziness. But alas, I will defeat my laziness and post something for my wonderful blogging friends to enjoy!<br />So here it is, already past the first week of August. Unfortunately I can see my summer coming to its end. Which means no more getting up whenever I want, no more morning walks. No more meeting with girls for lunch, shopping, or get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">togethers</span>, no more reading good books in the middle of the day while sitting outside to get some sun. I could look at the negatives all day long of what summer coming to an end brings. But there are also positive things. One BIG one. I'll save that for last though while you ponder what it might be. Summer coming to an end does mean, school starts and I keep busier, I get to ... well shoot. I don't really know why else it's good except for that fact that Steven is closer to coming home for good!<br />We've been talking about it for a while now. He's so excited to start school in January and I'm so excited that he will never have to leave again! Hopefully it will feel like our life together is finally starting. I know it's not going to be all roses but at least I will have a husband to come home to daily, and to say goodnight to, to go to church with, to just enjoy my weekends with. <br />I feel that positive alone trumps all of the negatives of summer coming to an end. Besides there will be plenty more summers but I only have one wonderful husband!Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-23241665577122099852009-07-18T11:47:00.016-04:002009-07-19T17:46:09.555-04:00Back from Europe!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Hello to all! I made it back Friday night from Europe. Steven and I had a wonderful time. It was filled with ups and downs but overall we really enjoyed our time together. Steven said a few times on the trip that it wasn't really a vacation, it was an experience. I'll agree with him completely. I don't want to make this post too long so I'm just going to give you a few highlights from each place we visited.<br /><br />GREECE</div><div>We met in Athens. Luckily Steven arrived from Iraq just a few hours after I got there. I was hoping I wouldn't have to wait long and God certainly answered that prayer. In Athens we visited the Parthenon, went to a Greek beach, and just enjoyed the sights of the city. It's amazing to be in a city that is thousands of years old! We have nothing in America like you will find in Greece. The statues and buildings are just unbelievable. Unfortunately we did have a mishap. Steven got pick pocketed on the metro on our way out of the city. We lost some money, our military id cards, and two credit cards. Luckily he didn't have everything in his wallet. We were left with some cash and an American Express card. So we had to make some calls to credit card companies and get some cash wired to us through American Express but it all worked out. We don't think anyone has used our identity but I guess we might have to wait and see.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359838506814298738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFlW7gMCOEOLJYBLHKaRD6yOZa5orViilAPElcpQ_IpghquMJ1v9l5CYmndhOLT_PX-uUzWUZeAsDBX0urp05R3x3qUXGIM01vJQ68kbVIyvrBQp1AloHN8FUbg9Legt1_uUBlQX01WA/s400/P7010012.JPG" border="0" /> Outside a church door in Athens.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359838514285422002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrKDBJJvjm5KKNjFQVZdGLWMf26gVqhfBd0DgLGvHSQsV1pBboovNefGMumlYUJydmz9s0EtR0NDyo_mltVZZn6oyBcmVyDyEXPhsfwVAUP9022O9l5j1IrxsFiF7Uxkzbj_37Kh_K34/s400/P7020030.JPG" border="0" /> At the Parthenon<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359838521436546978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nGxf3prNWajAy79VSFkPSJs2iVxprIQfarrnJIK1A9_vj2iwewCxuTpEBaThrVainTijJlYKRZEiF91OZdxX6fz2SxXxrgF4ubP4R7UyCg9iol_tcK8G2YruMAM12kJ5tJnaxkYWrnE/s400/P7020033.JPG" border="0" /> An authentic Greek salad. Yum!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359838510482258578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_7FnR8FGAoYzNBUieR1TlqEXAUssAKh7CFnxwX6ZzVWpvP1KwcEYBRYkaH5uGWsvxXjRmKToBpK0-eqkYUBc-jtpO5Tl3rV79wOgsvhxiOh6YheQUsqRBL_FoaB5t6UJ7OihhnKw6i4/s400/P7020017.JPG" border="0" /> Parthenon at night.<br /><br />We left Greece on a ferry/cruise liner. It was a 21 hour trip from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Patras</span>, Greece to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ancona</span>, Italy. It was a nice restful time and we got to see some beautiful sights!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360132849687912162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZ5RvpPGnz5kyW5bwAvCXWU1VWoG2HjVGWEbVvFL_nZGl9jUbGp_rIZdo12uOtXWd_J9kL0oKeyq1zqBMYziTHFYd_X30QIm8VhnKOv49EG9Yvo4UBYy9DeNDp-RuxWrBYTuvpR2-STs/s400/P7060076.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360132855632716850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijreC6Fe3L18Wsyp29jBA10yUd5iGo_B6XgsPVt7ykozDT-5B8odDm8bQITP5mGh-Ip_Q6UkezfKIXMXkJZEu3x1EoBWBJYy-l-o4gjffvRdkoiE1RiOxECBOtUbsBzEuafc9hwpz0Xg/s400/P7050039.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />ROME</div><div>Rome is a very fast paced but architecturally beautiful city. We did a lot of sightseeing. We saw the Coliseum, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Trevi</span> fountain, and the Pantheon. We were also able to visit the Vatican City. No, we didn't see the Pope but we did get to visit Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Those Catholics really know how to decorate.;) They were both beautiful buildings. The ceiling on the Sistine Chapel is so high. It's amazing to imagine Michelangelo spending years and years painting it. Needless to say, Rome wasn't our favorite city but it had some of the most beautiful buildings.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359867451433971426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmkmEA6RKIVspU9ILQ6i317NAPVQnZJomABtfnvX-4R5tPvaw5d3K25ygtj9NdYF53kJqWKtwGonMNJCaeqOcAAHBRBy-eI3kv3bvsphq7dw1tWg6KohCjnhj7lGZiddD57YRCla6jho/s400/P7070007.JPG" border="0" />Steven and I outside the Coliseum<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359867465606477954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT67Xw5Hou4Icg_Gv5LrzRboEYgJcBDoqHlyaW7p0z-nIn87RdWa044D6El1-5IickQAaCFVZjtrb2ZA-ZoZozAbR_2k6kSfw4UeQ862UOGj5j0FEhfZA1eOX6j1cvzY7lMGTcZhs-BQ/s400/P7070015.JPG" border="0" />Posing for a picture.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359867472989842626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqhfesV85PsSYQBRTznC3y3Dg6zlZTVJ2IrO6bR3u7nNJ29udlHUq8MIhEcjVSpcfOuDRZk5W1wms1aM3dysvZ6Wd1h5IDMUu2VNFi5lpUQzVLgvnRfZAUxlIaywASiM9R-KR32qmFBI/s400/P7070061.JPG" border="0" />Caught! Eating McDonald's in Rome.:) <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359874116758138434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgVctc3hDYjHrVHV808OwHb6S3RNUJzJfPm9YYDhjLCtic9Lp6mGJ7Wh_MAlEZdxX60lShT9JM2bAFqUEyRpmeCLt0OJd4q58NenPRbNnT2CVW7MrCsarbW6xgLrDOKDD-x5Y3ZraK9I/s400/P7080067.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359874122253179666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoa4NkSS2hjPZMbk8pVItQlWJQ5sOGg2hBAou25oV9mRRc9hLhvbgI3jmuMWcJyQmSFUj55GDJEHsgDSP-NnzQnsd9A8O6ZFUUUox9bqYFaqLUAtF2Cy8b5vQcfL2nxOrTahEFAaLdTE/s400/P7080073.JPG" border="0" /> In the courtyard in the Vatican.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359867475651755826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnrcyrhX65Pv80JHoVKEOfrHL9sx_eFVrvKPEYsoLNnT411Hxe87Cthff0Xhoj87upY6AXOM_Q68tDAqcFZedXsyzsNT9Uy0ZBMQPnLHpAzjg02k88Z5ISP_uBv80s9kusbsWVBUc8fE/s400/P7080087.JPG" border="0" />The ceiling in the Vatican.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359874111484030402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_v6-gqh0HPuKHqbGB6qw0YQKG7DWzULq-5ICINat1IyPYvQHvttjRZEwCXlQE9XYTPTrQP-LME-RZcBESeign9ABiPa41pbODuQgLNCHR2gZg6ZewN4EnZ9Ah-R7UTSb7IJeyiBRWw8/s400/P7080084.JPG" border="0" /> One of the many, many statues<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359874134030063154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn3WlcldYq5OIC8kESRGS3uaolsnLmikAmiFoBWIPd0UUdGfON1Qsckbvie5EYabZNKREhPQyL5O042uEjFqqoefkNkzPxH1h6x-2cXSniHW5xl186JEmOwPUa-6oL6qua_ux4Tmggr4/s400/P7080097.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359890913269908530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nD8ai7e_VOhtSl-IwBROIzXh-lBe_AfPxfGEucb4ksHD8seXVILEJw7M5TonkZwAnkYXzgiKBgBWOx5LbqluYvpIo6v4AJXaT4MmdaIUWrXlymREIh7gnNgggFqGxa3KHXNjOQTbH5o/s400/P7080111.JPG" border="0" />St. Peter's Basilica<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359890916651031186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv63BOlZ9AtyeXnJqvMuwG_ryi7iSptTSgaVCQ3t1o0RjC9I4XncJ5nSLLRyylM5UdLsgVIHVTBYThc47_qWFAyMTE3BHfhW5I9_fcoobrQ9kXPNnBUFKsphBer03BjY9cDeHGiiwIZdg/s400/P7080130.JPG" border="0" />Outside the Vatican<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359890924561733938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6U1jXLdoGSYNYbx02_2_KCbkabc8VbEHf94SRS-bjzY0UYbXNdJj5UsP_TD6owpRaUoAhcyuvTDaivdTPPVZY1J3kDxitb_uUcM9_KV1W_gfeikur6Z8gkUkETtQ0jP0Gr1Ej-jOZxdc/s400/P7080143.JPG" border="0" /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Trevi</span> Fountain<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359890926499659154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgSdyPYGrrZh8I8C_gI79oimwkz4SCw_JXnPzFYxVWKkMvKpK7x6yLapiCEcvokiTjPNDC7zgX5K6OTrq0IBgAvcOGZN4XXHpfpb3RjbBtiHLuf7BDjCxeyq2vaJxVbvSgMo1riptAiA/s400/P7080145.JPG" border="0" />The Pantheon<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359890936292067618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYxv9dnP6QigtJZthDKxOA18NqThyphenhyphen7Bh5Q1hvx7qwUuN0-oT4gMrEDnD3wrV9KEsEc21LpykKyQmkgfbzo_IvgioRqLaghniAZYcL1FzB7oxI3_UgXqOUUtqQKUFLpbYcrREa0Q1YLnI/s400/P7090158.JPG" border="0" />Steven waiting to head north!</div><div> </div><div>SAN <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">VINCENZO</span>/PISA</div><div>After Rome we decided we needed some rest so we hopped on the train and got off when we saw the ocean. Literally. We got off in San <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Vincenzo</span>. It was a cute little city with hotels on the ocean. They weren't cheap but it was nice to be able to rest in someplace nice. We were there for about 2 days to enjoy the sun and sand and then hopped back on the train. We were headed north and going through Pisa so we decided to hop off the train, get a few pictures of the leaning tower, and hope right back on. It was a pretty cool looking building so I'm glad we got to see it!</div><div><br /><br /> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360132858364071474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgF54EDxBf_meaYTWMX7BX83PYEdVFRFOMpLpPESRTmTY9kJ-u_uixTju_nyMgp2Eyk60IjYXj_MS2wwXuSBqMnm5a-A9BEVletVmNcxWOf2efoGVq9KTKVDIGxBCLAKDZ9KhOTwOxRE/s400/P7100166.JPG" border="0" />The view from our hotel room.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360132864154555362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-l-EttDB78IfDcECNrrV4hCBxS8QP1VP2MoEMnn-bO3LRBSLwgWUs5KqfZb8OxLKVNFOIsyuVxm-gJaOddr6c8HIg3i9yEyYAFfloRJA7511QOtqmq-2uwqq77dBlYHpcPZ5TetqhYQ/s400/P7100169.JPG" border="0" /><br />Beautiful sunset<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360132867648654034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkrsWwyRhh7Xe5JJKb5quq4NFEatIedv0Y1NKyIa4yWd_s4kCKD3NB6YEcQgP3AbNk8SDeE2lKkLfDjjV5vDHVLDDQ6NW7wP194hltUnG-JHKeQXjRzaUKNs_Qw52hyi4ZdWCr8H5kyE/s400/P7100201.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360136163192784114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJUu8VW931_6TVY6mkVLr0kIYIED_gy-39iVEPKjhmCBY5IgEJLFb6WFFFGlUUvV5cIsma3_2oqDasSgnWxJlKtAhUFkiNwy6TaI4dJwFS7kKBQeDSk2QrQVM728Ja_OS_IYUliwURsw/s400/P7110001.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360136158418204674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ebOwAHTRrzmIw1lzztsea5QVN6qa3Q2OJYDVXpYtl9fQxVXRi1C9Gh5_KjwpXHvryhG9J76nmxeFsCLIYEjlFvgTqwrrap0H9pSuG01pmJ_l4sg0xNuC3jjz2YK2szElIZ0NPrXteEk/s400/P7110007.JPG" border="0" />Yeah, we're dorks.:)<br /><br /><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">CINQUE</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">TERRE</span>- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">VERNAZZA</span></div><div>This by far was our favorite place. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Cinque</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Terre</span> is 5 small towns located on the Italian Riviera. There are no hotels and just 600-1000 people that live in each town. It's easiest to get there by train, not many cars go into the towns. Once we hopped off the train we found a lady and asked if she had a room for us. She told us she only had two single beds for the first night but could get us into a queen bed the next few nights. We jumped at the chance and once we got to our room saw we had bunk beds.:) I called top! Even though the sleeping arrangements weren't the best the first night it was all worth it. The city was beautiful, the water was crystal clear, the people there were amazing and so was the food. We were able to hike to the different towns by day, swim in the clear water, and at night we enjoyed eating at the great restaurants and talking to whomever was dining next to us. We would've liked to stay longer in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Vernazza</span> but only had a few days before we had to fly out of Paris.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284644451655602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxlbWfXULTNUsOrME1yjXFD3_LuY3gJ8AGIDcI-kJEF0PlLqwdQ5kbYW10S0aQsCKgPJle1Wf2ndi1pSarOOJlaeEIYSiMIu-nQ_44zMG5Sbxpl1NHChwbwaxY22EkIrzmnZX5NK7jms/s400/P7110013.JPG" border="0" />The view from a train.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284674879395602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJZ06DMl8CECz4a3dVzcxJ_qK-FPzYrDz1gc5j_hAgmnm0pD8Q8Zu0kNMxljqaLpA8Zqc4FyeM62PszyO2Eb9wyUB7V7C4M9m8ZdapZg9hG76aZ-NsraBrWQk_rjAe9AWwpyYXgzYB00/s400/P7130070.JPG" border="0" />Our city, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Vernazza</span>, seen from our hike.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284679452879106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyS6RHXCRrqNfVQIdpuOy4jNC_bFhDFR5ENxH7JxNd-07lL7qlneX9-aydXVzt-_CJCXIzgJ-1Fi4Ke8iDO1t6v1qaAYgiCz4nrv1t0uaFE5rW8Wm_U7nTjku9ImGaUPatJK4WajxtU0/s400/P7130078.JPG" border="0" />Steven cliff diving.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284663431573970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJMKcb4pWg_fvNaVPCo6hQOLSLHvdk36F4lje93N_JGSPJaWVXKcWFAoA545DQfipe2F99F1VwGD1pCsKgtnHRwDuR11P_WYVqRRjft2XL15u5Bo9U3IGZtYcDe0OTpILf3WZdXJ4u4o/s400/P7140099.JPG" border="0" />Um, I'm not going to say anything on this one.</div><div><br /><div>PARIS</div><div>We arrived in Paris 11:00 on Wednesday night, found a hotel and slept. We were leaving on Friday morning so basically had to do all our sightseeing in one day.:) On Thursday we visited the Louvre (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">sooooooooo</span> much artwork, very overwhelming), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Notre</span> Dame (very pretty, no hunchback though), Arc De <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Triomphe</span> (impressive), and the Eiffel Tower (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">looooooong</span> wait). We enjoyed what little time we had in Paris. Again, very beautiful architecture but very busy with a lot of traffic. We spent about 4 hours at the Eiffel tower just waiting to go up, go down, etc. There was a huge rainstorm that got most people soaked, not Steven and I though, we were under the middle. It was neat to see the city of Paris from so high up. Friday morning we jetted out and now will wait for 4 more months to see each other again.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360288008549445730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY51i9oXU3Bb3trDRi7TwbtBOWtqssX9461fpN-ew9y1JcGrW8xUb4f9W5B6S1pdC617ZbkJfRMsQaFcuVZZHyLHB6KFDdfsaK8A8ZGbjtqpxMB-58JwvFWAR4iImf6R2M6vqYiE5ZLc/s400/P7160002.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360288015832935442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54bVZP7AlG3prWH6YSBbsilFx34G5D6CVsQjQ4bLZ499V0dv0Bewzy741ZnlwQu-5y6-LgvIAv9WkV66bkMwIasvQZ6xmchbLt5kg7K1QAANJTYmLWRHhuhEhK4p3T4zj6FQVKq2Msk0/s400/P7160008.JPG" border="0" />Me and the Mona Lisa<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360288016710440546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBbibdakC19ixlqHbSgTRlLpnfeD7O1AZtDE3XzYDvq_as_LC4xoN-g35X6ln9arJPMOpm8dJ19SQq13_q9LAGhrInefi0cWVx7UuG1Kds-LDzCmAEyn3O4kyL-sDUaRZyEGKl8ibzVg/s400/P7160026.JPG" border="0" /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Notre</span> Dame, looks different from the one in South Bend.;)<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360288027432946130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtO5B9TMir7bNYOeiGGpOBILD1a3q8w8t4jatIg53ie6g1EC4VlugaaCZwvxwVywq-7VJWS4biLJiHYGxrrySr8AZnj4LEgdxfiXhhI28mKe8XHm4VrM6JwSoYO11KlpDWew8QdkQCZ4/s400/P7160046.JPG" border="0" /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Yay</span> all you Hoosiers! This restaurant was in the middle of Bastille Center.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360288022358994866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUfRKM54DNRN8bTmjbATWySHt3GRCV_RwK6olpO6pZqJKaLY_I52E1pWDrI0VZRwlZIcObxLIoIW3-WwhFg7F4OcW9_ecJeM846qOuXC3irb09Ou6Ynh4FwiVZKAbRfhy31EjjQFjG6U/s400/P7160092.JPG" border="0" />The Eiffel Tower <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">sparkles</span> at 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00 pm every night. I set my camera on fireworks setting and this is what turned out.<br /><br /><div>I know I will remember this trip for a long time and I certainly enjoyed my reunion with my husband. It's always nice to be reunited and reminded of how much fun you have together. Thanks for a great time and I love you Steven!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284670450644370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo-Gc9jGPbJ7Ij_2pOjwCQ7cs4D5vOg_iIK10Tr2MMktWbLOnQj1cOlV1uJ3C7bOioSaMjCb8GLoYKlyd2QS3SlG_yPf24_lz1rrzG7LWphG4JsLhMHNYgIUbl1iwDEHnbVYF7R1Pf8E/s400/P7130091.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-54312582886442984532009-06-30T07:07:00.005-04:002009-06-30T07:29:56.717-04:00The End<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>My time in Indiana is done for now. I had such a blast hanging out with my family and friends. I'm leaving for Greece this morning so I figured I should blog about my time in Indiana before I go.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353079722702430850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoReoTNobKUj6tVdqVpV9BeyNCCmwax44WTmP00uAGcq-pCd7nkPPztBeZlW9WowKDhUIFbKqfAt0Wh7s1OZyTyhAnuQuTdVPV0Sp3aglZmE1drU49u5guu47QcuobUJZrnzeNNeGXOQ/s400/gma.jpg" border="0" /> My mom and Emerson<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353080359141288626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKGuxJ_4tvomI-BGkMFwqJitQv5202rpoGLcRPJ__UqzucdoGLmKYqnoBV7RpvbGTpp7R_ojhhTiJ9PTynnsNv202RxyN3HMWmZ043dLMZrxCyQjTHverqe-ZPFI4JVbUKvNRTgTEyC0/s400/sisters.jpg" border="0" />Sisters!<br /><br /><div>The majority of my time was spent with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece. (Go figure.) I just couldn't get enough of those little ones and I know that when I see them again they will have changed so much. I hate that I have to miss out on these big changes in their lives but hopefully I won't be gone forever. Who knows, I may just be around when they actually will remember me.:) </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353079713198606482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAApO7yA0VC91ILN4NysicPHc0lH0P_rCh1AzEofSQ5xyPDq28_nJk0HHIIasY5b49qQBL3JJJyQsIH0t1ySH3ca3wpBHO3c9hfMxEm9o7y6piKwfLRvibGwa6EM_pRsPDmHL4HDYtV0/s400/couple.jpg" border="0" /> The proud parents<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353079719099500546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY608sdOhUIufHNwMyY_ZsTdXZsBxlx3X5dtro5jsduTohYbbNT0pA2cYwTWyM7xBCWOEY8AJkcDOo-Xd6FUvQRxOtYc6EGvL3I48RJZBRUL_1n7etmn0crAHCjycq5kZcTB8bYO8YYeI/s400/Emerson.jpg" border="0" /> Emerson<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353079726545534738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA_g__03K1uDgKAKfpE1ah9c-yIhx623Ay9hJsTmjab73lyP7h9fTJzDsh0pC2Y0tUPoDDM4MgpoQGYXqEI4ixt4xD2UjF9gnn5IfN88UlHXKMyIVmPZAMcfIwtN4JBeEiMxd-6ieUtc/s400/jeopardy.jpg" border="0" /> Landon fully enthralled in Jeopardy on t.v.<br /><br /><br /><div>So other than hanging out at my sister's house, I also visited my friends Amy, Lindsey, and Erin. Even though high school was 10 years ago it sure doesn't seem like it when I go home. Some of the friendships I have have lasted for a long time and I'm really grateful for that.</div><br /><div></div><div>I also hung out with The Frye's, Davis's, and Hahn's on the lake and for mini golfing. We had some good times and an adventure. Check out Jess's blog to read all about it.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353080354414223778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnvRlMCBBauO3WUjz6gkSYifoklv_qD31Kb3kI_ZbBIzjezReKINVM0BA8lzoSbqI6PD0smmiBsGHPoAlBM0WwB6rTPt9OKcNOJTcsaYbt_cyrJtu30G63bOJdn17V-exWzZsHeII6vI/s400/lake+Landon.jpg" border="0" />Landon not enjoying the boat ride.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353079733980082098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uL9RKmDtCEJse0mzGtFnIoT25iw1QabMFCi3w4Fy2jyB7lzkwMzscTC8nsFOqilWquG3f20pJ2xxFcSmeLUSba902iTzWOaVJGru_gGrjmFOc0wX4thRc1LwxpdkZfoLwax5v_LwIUA/s400/lake+Emerson.jpg" border="0" />Emerson sleeping the whole time.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353080354724831218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19oOo4fvjiDXp7azaHvD7pYnos3dRNn-la07uhO8-aKiaINaEepEef7B4ZQsU8on2ghrv85tO1aoBwe0Eu3oBSVDrK6xm40sm6OBwp-He87jlbKW1hj0WT1Jd2u9ew-d3DASm_g-JN6Q/s400/lake+Grace.jpg" border="0" /><br />Grace Frye on the boat.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353080349656083522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssmNqevASqyjS4RFOOrwLVZSVFyZBYrs9V1cBb9dHJr1sCzPcNPQbp6iNjoPeAfkbJ2E3ecjDDMCeRe_RlvZbkHuGMupuH4wyFewVgoUSPEEhDrRTfccyFgKew4b6vTvT3lfRFUnDRjI/s400/lake+girls.jpg" border="0" />Jess, Grace, Jessica, and Greyson<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353080352404306642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ong35289XAAqwJL99Aydwr7roGNWkoDperJi9C5qzNYeGaJF5ryRGZLBTHnPEfctvKPT6-scr35MY4QHKAlY8azHtaGEKdjGavVBmkMN1szPCYC-CD1hiFoeXAwo9CdsXY-rH05pco0/s400/lake+fire.jpg" border="0" />Boat fire!<br /><br /><div>I was able to speak with Steven some while I was in Indiana. He told me some really good news. Campbell University, where he'll be attending in the spring, has accepted the Yellow Ribbon Program and his tuition will now be paid for! This is a blessing because it now means we won't have to take out student loans to pay for his college. Lord knows we weren't going to be able to pay for college and our house on just my salary! God has definitely blessed us with that.</div><br /><div></div><div>So right now I'm waiting anxiously to go to the airport and fly to Greece! He called me last night and said he was in Kuwait already which is the last stop before Greece. So I may be able to see him sooner than I thought! </div><br /><div>I'll be off for a few weeks but I promise that when I get back there will be tons of pictures and stories about my time in Europe!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-26214777962712587802009-06-20T11:06:00.003-04:002009-06-20T11:26:31.028-04:00Halfway<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1FT5G4vJg12_S21klbFo0SydOJ3k4J_oB2TtFT4U0b3arIAePuhHnt3cZMQREmDabBjLyIZhny_LQRXfq_gY1CCDK0lVFSGCFW_8qVaxW_7uLcYPMJdjv_LxcHdLWAhEqGlePKasD0Q/s1600-h/tractor!.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349430335220631234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1FT5G4vJg12_S21klbFo0SydOJ3k4J_oB2TtFT4U0b3arIAePuhHnt3cZMQREmDabBjLyIZhny_LQRXfq_gY1CCDK0lVFSGCFW_8qVaxW_7uLcYPMJdjv_LxcHdLWAhEqGlePKasD0Q/s400/tractor!.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div>I am halfway through my vacation at home in Indiana. The week has flown by. Fortunately I have another one to enjoy. I've had so much fun with my nephew and niece over the past week. Landon is moving like no other and talking for anyone who will listen. Emerson is a quiet, peaceful baby and a joy to hold and be with. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349430330785643666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhRo2vJ5teqKo9UFZ0HeKjYoq-OO-HshN6PfbHbvx4ZoZ0-k9ROkG_V14jinEvWDL3yYHahD28rtU8BQz9WsAJozm0Zys2xm7bmoOtGLYeJeZMxK5w0BXZejg4DcurVa-Ybq0MmJSla8/s400/baby.bmp" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349430320903207474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBxnWWNM_sDQI24mgBV95IGN9pGv4HfchZL7diPIwiufouLQiQZSavlkFSbsaKBpNSiCFn4ihYFEyjS_-jg0IJdXp2U5205JkrFsY6EoVdHufNORP0OJ1sfo_Lzkwu7PK0CZ4G5_KkdE/s400/softball+game.bmp" border="0" /><br /><div>A few days ago the grandkids went through our grandpa's house to see if there was anything we would like such as furniture, dishes, etc. I was fortunate enough to get my grandmother's china! I never registered for any for my wedding just because it's super expensive and I knew it wasn't something I would need right away. Luckily I waited because I got something better than I could've ever picked out at a store.</div><br /><div>Every morning my mom and I have been going on walks. We've enjoyed talking, laughing, and exercising all in one. I've also helped her pick strawberries from my great aunt's garden and weed and trim raspberries. Being here also helps me to enjoy country living. The green grass, tall trees, summer storms, and coolness of the evening.</div><br /><div>And I can't leave out our adventures last night. After a great family dinner at Peterson's Steak and Seafood House, I went with the Bontrager family and Aunt Doris to the chief for some ice cream. And then we ventured out to the bowling alley. Now my Aunt Doris is a little 86 year old lady with white hair but who obviously enjoys a good time. She didn't bowl but did laugh a lot while watching Dan bowl.;) And to top it off, Loren won her a stuffed monkey from the claw machine at the end of the night!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349430319519072402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg842ccQCRTIM1l3i4FmBOXiR0IehXc2z-QkKVPxY83-OxoFzCvebn9Mi6j7RfhEIsbnMLbBqd1LZPwnY9RWgxwH6nizObIgixQwJ4AaNTat-enyU_kb5uatq6CheHLMe_mD0Zjg9E7fA4/s400/bowling1.bmp" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349430327288053890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XoSc_B2f94PcF_kE0qrR5kiG0CGCw2g7X2o3p0_wwOPXLbcIZktyd_CLBZjYzKCes5wfTHrxp5MdDNUwxLWHHPh4NaqMAFk6KvhfZBTeEOD-TjEcJhwnGp9RYimSM4Y1KcY5P8eqTiA/s400/bowling7.bmp" border="0" /> <div>I've had great times so far and am excited to start a new week full of surprises.:)</div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-40548813131199755402009-06-06T07:38:00.003-04:002009-06-06T07:49:56.620-04:00The end is near!<div><div>So here I am. Finally at the end of the school year. I'm counting down the days/hours until I am finished. Not that I have a lot to complain about. This school year was great. I loved my class! I'm just definitely ready for summer. You people out there with year long jobs, I don't know how you do it! Not only am I looking forward to the end of the school year but exciting things will be happening this summer! </div><br /><div>On June 13th I will get to meet my new niece, Emerson! I'm sure all of you have seen pictures already but here are some more just in case.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344179430957971218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oseSh4UaW96uzVlW635QldZBKsK7gOVdoXstrXp_TPoCLCwmVzZ3pUB00QLkyPjRPTaIHlnRjIIz73klZt6E_3DcNSgUx0Ih5StChjwtC5m7LjZG0pzfC0eV5iVanmYWQXmSMlTcgPI/s400/nb11.bmp" border="0" />Newborn<br /></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344179433774746626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSzzeVgWoKUFQz1TchOOazzSi7jx0NFjAhymELQr3uwDr8lBKM8g6Fe9bYHcnutP3vav6qIv2prEO-OfUhxUupKC3TFiaHDfH5hlh3GNoIr_aSikuSJ4AIe5DCige8GUz9eqRVgGnDBs/s400/nb28.bmp" border="0" />I think she looks like Alicia<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344179434380522514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq0QytLxttDGv6udf7PeOXCMnUUYS8kf40wCzQWHWHKu-Usz7Zd8SqZc2vIwbjgg-nuAcaprAWoe3I9I4FM_8MBN3C34FvIGm7QPkNwmkzM1tC4zVJhNrKtZGXkPoRFFRhG7pvTtJh2w/s400/landon1.bmp" border="0" /></div><br /><div>I couldn't leave out a picture of sweet little Landon!</div><br /><div>I can't wait to be able to hold her and to see her big brother Landon again. I know she will be just precious. I will spend about 2 1/2 weeks with the my parents and sister and brother-in-law. And even though it will be hard to leave them it will be exciting to get to my next destination!</div><div> </div><div><div>GREECE! I leave for Europe on the 30th of June and hopefully will meet my husband there soon after. :) After not seeing my husband for 7 months it will be nice to be together again. We don't have much planned for our trip. Just a few destinations we'd like to visit. We meet in Athens and would also like to go to some of the islands off the coast. We also want to visit some places in Italy and France. We figured if we're going to go there's no time like now. We only have to buy one plane ticket, we don't have kids, no job is holding me back at the time, so why not? I know we'll have a great time and we're both looking forward to it.</div><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 700px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 525px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.theodora.com/wfb/photos/greece/greece3.jpg" border="0" /> <div>So all I have to get through is this last week and then it should be FUN time.:) What are your plans for the summer?</div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-54351381983168438672009-05-16T07:15:00.007-04:002009-05-16T07:33:07.465-04:00Great weekend!<div>I'm so horrible at updating my blog. This is from last weekend. Sorry for the delay.<br /><div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336382568011975666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPsnjqC438aT7Fj_k-Z5QqQ_rKTwJvkoJ2JkLKzGE9YXYfQVpNKoRRi7fHf-n4ImNZxuHWgnEqy_cpy6vOS_S78Au_VqKAtSS3NE4tGbpysW2tx0nqKiOMTVs8xPSPutKHCoMdz0lDDw/s400/Amy+and+I+chapel.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Amy and I in front of the chapel at Duke University</div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div><div>Last Friday my friend Amy flew in from Wakarusa.:) The trooper left super early in the morning and then spent all day with me in Raleigh and Durham. We first visited the Musuem of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. We semi got lost going there but thanks to Amy's handy cell phone GPS, the lady helped us find our way.:) It was a pretty interesting museum. We were really bummed that the Chocolate exhibit didn't start until the next day but we still found interesting things to do. (Besides trying to avoid the little children on their field trip) I took a day off to get away from kids!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336380104185314946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6A53ZNmfc6zhX41hhJKU2kOMG6UZATLKwGhon9vGDgMeY8Jxzb-Y7jkKUTpRZNSgqZtfttI_gCTl3r5f9fUPt6h50EW3-qNhR_pXJNoduqTUe4tP9klcw_Qes-axWrD4-tau0HJEj6Ow/s400/chocolate.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>After having a nice lunch in the museum cafe, we then traveled up to Durham and went shopping at the Streets of Southpoint mall. Didn't buy a thing at the mall but I did go all out at Old Navy. It was super fun buying things for my Europe trip in a few months. I did buy a few things for Steven as well.</div><br /><br /><div>After <em>m</em>y<em> </em>shopping trip, we drove up to Duke University. For those of you that don't know, Amy is a fan. A basketball fan for the most part. (Sorry again about missing Coach K's autograph signing!) I had never really been to the campus so we drove around for a while. It is a beautiful campus! Very green and it has a woodsy feel to it. Unfortunately for us, graduation was going on that weekend so it was a little busier than usual. Oprah wasn't supposed to get there until Sunday though so it wasn't too crowded. I had purchased tickets to see "Little Shop of Horrors" that night at 8:00 so we had a few hours to walk around campus. We visited the Sarah P. Duke Gardens which are very beautiful. My sister and I actually visited that same place 4 years ago. She came to NC with me for a job fair and we visited the gardens. It was neat to be back at the same place and think about all that has changed in the past 4 years!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336382128087629266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf42T52ro2NQWfim3-AB9hmwGytERi8UyBqcZqCNRlikcvT2PNb0HoMSIIqx_4_0JWDaC1zbIsDNU7lBAp4SOInXDL7-YPxsLGTR1EETik-d8dTNIC-KWXJs1aptxl32rl3OqE-JxHZqw/s400/chapel+at+Duke.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336382133109653154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHbIiddxmXzM3heLMmd9d_KVxFU42G5M6yWQMvE8o92mxAR_a_4zPf-XD-7_kGpg9FO_zf72fyPNgBWbUff-uG-Ew84pkGPaA1iHLkxfPzWBCMAFTZIU6rioUyT_QEpTp7KNzDXuQpS4/s400/rose.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336382132265277714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPllgrqUk6tWpaskGmnWXSMczUtWhEKp4I-YQopTTEJVGnPWNRUDMHscwSEskWoDvKpseVynqKl1UxfZA1-tEkm6NzpUrDGtulzQkEAqbJkF5OXbsJbX3yU2GjYYItK2HrChT68wdvpI/s400/tree.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>After we walked around the campus, looking for a place to eat, we ended up at McDonald's. :) We then saw the show which was pretty good for a student run program. Then we had the hour and a half drive home to Lillington. We were both pretty tired and fell asleep right away. </div><div> </div><div>On Saturday I did a little Mother's day shopping and we basically just chilled out and watched movies. </div><br /><div>Amy left on Sunday morning. She boarded the plane (almost forgetting her phone) and flew back to the cold state of Indiana.:) </div><br /><div>I really enjoyed having her down here with me. We had a lot of fun together. It says a lot when you've been friends with someone for 20 years. My word, 20 years. I don't even feel like I'm 20! But we became buddies in 1st grade after she offered me a chocolate Teddy Graham and we haven't looked back since. Thanks for all the great memories Amy! Love you!</div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-1551340748818657242009-05-03T18:57:00.003-04:002009-05-03T19:06:06.074-04:00We're All in this Together...<a href="http://www.drfunkenberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/high-school-musical-party-supplies.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 348px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.drfunkenberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/high-school-musical-party-supplies.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Okay, so I probably shouldn't be posting this and might regret it later but this weekend I had a High School Musical extravaganza with Emily! We watched all three this weekend! I had seen the first two already but not the third one so it was good to refresh myself with the first two before I watched the third one. </div><div>So this weekend wasn't really about getting our Zac Efron fill. It was more about spending quality time together. Our husbands are both deployed and we spent the night at each others houses on Friday and Saturday. It was nice to have someone else in the house and someone that is just around to do fun things with. We actually cooked and used my grill! Since Steven is gone I use the oven once a month if that often. But it was nice to cook for someone else. We had a good time analyzing the movies (okay, we really just laughed at them while wanting to learn all the songs and choreography at the same time.) </div><div>As hard as it is to be away from home, I really enjoy my friends here in Fayetteville. There's always someone to hang out with and someone that will be there for you. It's so nice to have that support, especially during deployments. And half the town knows what you're going through because they've been through it before too!</div><div>On another note, I bought my plane ticket for Athens today! I'm meeting Steven there on the 1st of July. We're both super excited but I'm a little scared too. I'll probably get there before he does and I've never been in a foreign country before, let alone by myself. I know it will all work out though and it will be a great moment when I can finally meet up with him. Only 2 months left!</div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-7436549490227161132009-04-04T08:10:00.003-04:002009-04-04T14:24:44.832-04:00HmmmWell, it's been quite a while since I last logged into the blogging world. I'm sorry for that. But even as I sit here now I'm trying to think of something to write that would interest my few and faithful readers. I can't really think of any one thing to talk about so here is a list of a few things that are happening right now.<br /><ul><li>I am currently working on finishing one entry of my National Board certification. I will finish the other three entries next year and hopefully earn my 12% pay increase for the '10-'11 school year!</li><li>Steven has been gone exactly 4 months. 1/3 of the way done with deployment and 1/2 way to R and R!</li><li>My parents are coming to visit on Monday and staying until Friday!</li><li>I am going home Saturday for Spring Break. I'll get to see my family and wonderful nephew! :)</li><li>I just fixed my dryer by putting in a new thermal cutoff. (only with directions from my builder a week before)</li><li>I won an Airliner to use in my classroom!</li><li>My husband just painted me an awesome picture on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">microsoft</span> paint. (unfortunately I couldn't attach it)</li></ul><p>After looking at my list I realized that all of them are blessings from God. It is so very important to focus on the good things he does for you and not the negative things that happen. What blessings has God placed in your life recently?</p><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Jer</span> 17:7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,whose confidence is in him."</p>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-20738459547442750002009-03-15T11:52:00.005-04:002009-03-15T15:28:28.214-04:00A Bittersweet Time at Home<div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Over the past few days I went home to Indiana for my grandfather's funeral. I was so happy to be there to be with my family through this hard time. I know my parents and family really appreciated it and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Even though it was a sad reason to come home I did truly enjoy my time there. I was able to spend time with my nephew who I hadn't seen since Christmas break and was also able to celebrate my birthday on Friday with my friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the unexpected trip home.</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497517000142050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoZtHjOR2UYU0FoDNh92FV9XPGQEKf0m02kRqhEBEzDy0wU7pdzk_tdhtOhOt-EPrn0S7bVeno__6PhI7uLcCxIcrjRHvcXqWONE8svov8UH5lGeyRs8Glcg05y3taTvaYjYsN44gnXg/s400/there+he+is.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497140219920834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49poFCSuq3YIpjOxu3wahOkG3hpsI0TLys30VpxbHUq8zF42FNJIEt0W4M8C92UhlADeFhWmIPzEm-gtFxEmRDzqifQ0SEK2r7zUm_yMqO_yg4ReXyha4zBfWQeUZd2Pe1_qcmlz3hBc/s400/funny+face.jpg" border="0" /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497137349285458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXuLloBZzZfrgsj9OSrTeWC4LHqtsxKUpjvjowersGFEthJ5Cq9LT2Q-8Y5HHiUFyhHUj57onygL2Y_o8sfeXBch6uKLSweq6jRtomDoVcM5Qt4MS8bhBQ2Cto6i3ry3W0Ro51QSc8BU/s400/car+seat+sleeper.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>The cutest nephew in the world!</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497152230446898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2cswpGGyl39bUSik1232hVvRGbe-a-WW7agU5OhfbhRJlOfbSbW6E-SvIox8TsmUDx3XrrSCxL8j4K7z3faCa7QpFWR-5PVik3y14jaB6SROfdmhWC8egzb1Or98VlemOa5duJzWCpc/s400/rice2.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Eating his rice for dinner.:)</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497150535589730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VZ5nIDm5a1a8t8Mo-tsbIGtSUadTSUuYGBPNrw8uVp6dzD5_LC0WSN2D8qTqUQo1EkMzQDeL8AW0v7h8UPcxzA2IA_4LAB6P-CRLHq4npDYUzJEyWQBzdSIVoZbGx2niQfs0iFyWG7U/s400/rice.jpg" border="0" /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497147758207890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWeS5ReDuRk7pSfcRFERqnSYF3ok7E6WhovTOkaNf_QgpQP_H26r97R-TC0SzW1QfS88i8qjsuwGkrAjtVaRMGYZqbgOuFu6FfHOjxuGZGBRHO53jY8CY36Y8-tKnmemvr0J9G7D1UHc/s400/matt+and+alicia.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>My sister and Matt</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313497505362960386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nbzpc57TkMlZ5gq0ikVMoDYZE8yweaAaQX9qKGnFTFTYLma7hSYu7ROT9p0Y9Ovvg3778mbD14UiM94BNvAJkI6w_q7hAjTOAd_M2HmxkXZhHjUMCz0boU5s340UJs9f0XrZAT0Z0Ao/s400/sleeping+baby.jpg" border="0" /></p>What a great aunt. She got her nephew to fall asleep! :)Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-26349289811897182282009-03-11T08:48:00.002-04:002009-03-11T08:54:47.728-04:00My GrandpaAs most of you know I am home in Indiana for my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">grandpa's</span> funeral. He was a loving Christian man who just turned 90 this past October. He was still driving, paying bills, going out with his friends and enjoying life until he <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">contracted</span> pneumonia about a week and a half ago and couldn't beat it. My mom asked me to write a few words to be read (not by me!) at his funeral and I wanted to put it on my blog. So here it is.<br /><p> <br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">When I think of my grandpa the first thing that comes to my mind is love. He had a love for everyone, rich and poor, young and old, everyone everywhere. But the greatest love he had was for the Lord. For he knew the greatest commandments as spoken by Jesus in Mark 12:30-31- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”<br /> As young grandchildren he always tried to instill in us the importance of having a relationship with God. He followed the advice in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 5-7. “Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. The commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” When I was away at college and in North Carolina he always asked about the church I was involved in and the friends I hung out with. He wanted me to stay close to God throughout my life and I am grateful for his consistent urging of me to develop that relationship with Christ.<br /> My grandpa also had a love of music. I remember him telling me about the times he would sing with my grandma, mom, and aunt at churches around the area. He’s always been involved in a church choir, singing tenor all the way! I know he was so proud of my mom and her musical abilities. I loved watching him listen to her play the piano, nodding his head and humming the whole song through. I think he was also proud of his grandchildren who learned to play the piano and sing. It seems as though we would always play or sing a song whenever we would go to my grandparent’s house for a family get together, a gathering of friends, or just for my grandpa and grandma to hear! I know he was so proud of each and every one of his grandchildren.<br /> There are so many wonderful things I remember about my grandfather. Here are a few snippets of memories.<br />Growing and picking vegetables from his garden in the summer.<br />Him staying with me when I was home sick from school.<br />Trying to get me to eat a radish and mayonnaise sandwich.<br />All the different foods he would mix together to eat and sincerely enjoy the taste of!<br />Riding on his lawnmower to my parent’s house just to stop by and say hi.<br />A knock on the door and a “who-who”<br />Every prayer starting with the words “our kind ‘n heavenly father”<br />Watching him dance at my sister’s wedding<br />Sitting at the table and playing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Uno</span> together.<br />The red cap.<br /><br />When I think of him now I know I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">shouldn't</span> grieve. He’s up in heaven with his Savior singing his heart away in that tenor voice of his. And I can’t wait until I see him again!</span></p><p><span >Thank you all for your kind words and support through this difficult time for my family. I appreciate every last word, prayer, and thought!</span><br /></p>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-17707855511619636572009-03-01T08:00:00.003-05:002009-03-01T08:27:58.514-05:00whoa<div>Hi all,</div><br /><div>These past few weeks have been pretty busy. Let me tell you of a few things that went on. I'll start with Valentine's weekend. My wonderful dad came down to visit me over the weekend. He was here from Friday night until Tuesday morning. I enjoyed spending time with him and really appreciate him coming down to see me. We went to Raven Rock state park, went out to eat at Red Robin, (which I hear you northerners are getting up there, try it out, it's good!) we also went to church, watched some movies, and played a few games. Seeing my dad make the effort to drive all the way to NC just to spend a few days with me makes me realize how wonderful my parents really are. They are a true example of the love a parent should have for a child. But thinking of his love makes me think of just how much more love God has for His children. How could He love us anymore than our parents love us, or we love our children or our spouses? I don't have the answer for that but I know He does and I know I'm thankful for that love and forgiveness everyday.</div><br /><div>The weekend after that I had some girls from Bible study come over for a girls night in.:) We ate tacos, played games, and watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2! It was a fun time to get together with the girls and to get to know them more. It also made me realize how much I love hosting things at my house. I don't get to do it often because I live so far away from everyone and I'm all alone. But I think I'm going to try to do it more often because it was way better than staying home alone on a Saturday night. There are so many women here whose husbands are deployed and we're all just sitting home alone. Why not get together and enjoy the time that we can be with our girlfriends? God is giving us that time so we should use it up.</div><br /><div>And last, this past week was chock full of "stuff" to do. </div><br /><ul><br /><li>Monday I took dinner to a friend who had just had a baby, met with my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">financial</span> adviser, saw <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lindsay's</span> new house she is renting, and was blessed to have dinner with my friend Emily. It was a busy night and I didn't get home until after 7:00 that day but it was worth it.</li><br /><li>Tuesday I had my bimonthly staff meeting after school then stayed and worked until Bible study which was at 7:00 so on that day I didn't get home until 9:15. Another long day.</li><br /><li><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wednesday</span> I started tutoring after <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">school</span>, then I went to a National Board meeting from 4:15 until 6:15. Which by the way I'm working on and hopefully will be able to attain by the end of school year 2010. Teachers you should look into it. It's a big pay raise and your state should help you with some of the costs. I know in NC they pay for you to go through it and in the end it's a 12% pay increase!</li><br /><li>Thursday I left school asap and went on post to get my taxes done! I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">waited</span> for about 45 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">minutes</span> and then actually sat with the tax guy for about 2 1/2 hours! But I can't complain. Fort Bragg does them for free for military, we got a huge chunk of change back thanks to the new homeowners stimulus, and I invited the tax guy out to bible study and he seems interested! So even if it took a good part of my afternoon, it was all worth it.</li><br /><li>Friday (finally!) I tutored after school, then I HAD to go run. I hadn't been able to all week long and I was feeling the stress levels rise. So I did a quick run then had to get to a friend's house to babysit for the night. Unfortunately traffic in the middle of the city on a Friday night at 5:00 on payday was not very conducive to my amount of time I had to be there. So even though I got there a half hour later I still made it on time. I enjoyed watching Wall-E with the kids, playing games and just hanging out. </li></ul><br /><p>And now I can relax a bit. Even though all the activities kept me busy and the time went by quickly, I still like to have some down time to just sit and relax. Oh, and let me leave you with this. Steven emailed me and told me he got a new puppy! I know what you're thinking. "Isn't he in Iraq?" Yep, he said he found it around a dumpster, took it for his own, and is calling her Scout. I don't think I've seen him with such a big smile on his face since he's been there so of course it made my day and made all the worries and stresses of the week disappear. So even though Steven and I are thousands of miles apart, he can still put me in a good mood. God is good! Have an awesome week everyone!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308209385028245090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhS39gAd_7FkWXTygN-PFNXb613oFXM2OUB4KSWW0cM9n3KQG0fHI5X0y7tOO1dDYhX3J1HhO0rYF9UnQHflq_kiU7hhbgVPpH2i6UT9msbvta8fkmqlH62Qglfe4zFZz9gxPC1TITqI/s400/puppy.jpg" border="0" /></p>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-84463622280173452632009-02-10T18:24:00.003-05:002009-02-10T18:42:59.206-05:00Obama and my uncle?<div>I know most of you have already heard but for those that haven't yet, Barack Obama was in Elkhart, IN, about 20 minutes from my hometown, and my Uncle Ed Neufeldt gave a speech and introduced him at a meeting of 2,500 people! My uncle worked at an RV factory for 32 years and last September lost his job because they had to close their doors. I'm not sure how he became so "famous" in the midst but since then he's been interviewed by ABC News, USA Today, and the like. And when Obama came to Elkhart, D.C. asked my uncle to introduce him! My family was able to go and revel in the moment. I wish I could've been there but it was just as exciting seeing him on TV! Here are a few pictures I've gotten online and a link to a story about him from ABC News and our local tv station back home. Ed is a great man and I don't think this experience could've happened to a better person!</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6837449">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6837449</a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/39343072.html">http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/39343072.html</a> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301315162790882610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYyKdycUJ0piXByx9KM91qX-4niA4tGf9oZTK-WFr9aaAEZA31ZvY6GZ7amzdSmiOwZaOuhDt2nD4Sy-f0YoMr1hZq3HJ-z-ev4YZ6DDxf2XbeIYZYbEXvgKJgrNMI6KG_C7iK-hj_4/s400/ED.jpg" border="0" /></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-90902951231994568972009-02-08T07:51:00.004-05:002009-02-08T08:35:52.230-05:00Pictures of Steven<span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> Hi all,</span> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Not a lot has been going on with me in the past few weeks. I've been keeping busy with school, Bible study and working out a few days a week. I thought I'd post some pictures of Steven in Iraq. Some he's sent to me and others I've gotten from other people. I hope you enjoy and thanks for all your prayers!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300410222856348850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YCBydJ1T1t7OZk3ssV9AZyp2NuQWKKpGV9YdQTlClhnST5CVQmE0XumblRpMHVv0eLL9ZVl5SP_-tpeOThDmcTxMR6CU317YToup_iAHKBTAgVbajDEfl8A_uFPxiTuNYP8LU7wDz1I/s400/raid.jpg" border="0" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">This is Steven and some of his team members.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300410226489125026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIOCanN6g1Lk-27yBrz2zv80ThKlkDSVTyP4XDtwWzUEbRAEOFkoW1-yKGxMqmdghy1Laxo1PGmt37wgzoGqDrFCpQByI9f9PLPbVBf6nu3b7nYdqFR0bx30vPmI2PaKxrKfQm_qSqkY/s400/dump.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I'm not exactly sure what this is. It looks like a dump but could be something else.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300410227068611426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23ceSkEg9WkBilcg-PdamrsEqJkL_01Q5_TIgyi73C0-sh5bkKabZjIvL-cL9FDm0pKk9bR_hxMkGBnD2657dNLZ-OnCVwXZVY_FYcIZUqkyKfXGuPQEpWtc5YqZsQwNvY81IQsbPZYc/s400/humvee.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Steven getting ready to go into the humvee.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300410227671442306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8azE8QX9GQviJl8R1jj4azmhMJbz9cGrW7DcmXlTSEgD4XUwSLftgguSXxBAQa3okwmyXD3G_Qvaw0DWGPhp8kbK1IKMu2-6oF2_F6__00QWiGFiLKmZYQK0Nuga-JRLKUpPk8oPl1g8/s400/kids.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Steven and some local kids.<br /></span><p></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300410227004509058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9eZC2xURZTukoJAcNOtaXqgeJWpAah51zEulO9wYqAzhsw_prQjpZutAtoo7QopJjej-JxhAeYkAq8xGlp5CWXQg26NTglsbIHKQL4HYsP-1wIQgYwv9u9lBYf9PHBo8jM46SI_C_9YI/s400/lounging.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Steven talking to a friend in his room.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300411148679948690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDZZcpZPFj78cct9bBar2dBAWTeMnojHNPDeRnQ_6I6OjLeNf15j_189QK8tPJa__LtfHxtG3g25TU2eSenA3QtRF24jdroZWwza4ODIxQeWlyQCFhzXyQ1-B6zD314O-MB3x8bURIxI/s400/voter.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">A voter. His finger is dipped in ink when he voted.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span></p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300411140369588850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxA4_iBR4ZHcqG6Tdsnz6n_Quk2CqwvF1QCfzDfftIcWQUShQ-0aXj2rRmZcQws-FSAz-InPI8fnyG2v_QEuQ2u_UdK7iFqQZ1_pRFFAXL-WGOpN6D3HHy4WZsphLEDfje3XaYVEmEl4/s400/school+room.JPG" border="0" />Steven in a school room.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300411144293450434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSlmHf3jhrKuigX26zQghzQ2cEtCsnNDbVe9s6l-NliJVB-HYFUxLq20XIsGJDMIs57-swtSSHZyDc-tQdVf_nHYxbTyZltPS021Ys3OlbyKGcSH8SLaPCOMHFzituxdjrOK5rREKIlk/s400/swing.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">This is why you can sleep at night. Our United States Soliders hard at work!</span></div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300411143002783730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgXomfCDNHxMMj9qCkW6J4Cd3kR8eQx9IYjduVH0h15UdNlhEtW9Xl_GODveDZZ970q5k50CaTXmyIA1GlYVwcyMEFFOGd9wfSJeOCBIT4AyHSnPwYe0nOfceqs8HlnaIIeK9n0KHxjE/s400/seesaw.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p></p></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-16691605088125135142009-01-30T17:10:00.007-05:002009-01-30T17:17:52.100-05:00My house is painted!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div>After about a week and a half my house is finally painted. I'm really happy with it. I love the colors in the kitchen and living area. I'm getting used to my bedroom and am not sure about the little bathroom. But overall it's nice to live in a house that has some color now!:) Here are the end results. Let me know what you think!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213216952991426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xC7b6eP67CjhT3zB2SeRfaZX3sSB39DifCyG9u-GcdQ6OfTvYUOd7JGTERQaYv3v_e8TRSfISelHZUHcYbF8oLFChe4a_k5Pd_F9mgy-jdnhrXx-kXsTdCGsOBXuKBOygT-Umcpz5vE/s400/living+room.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213515589955298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6JxxU-_DQDZitX8Wgl1-41RG3tcZ9Sfr9DebMTmD_KPIpFUZQ4ILNMu6-RPN3ipp1OLwZUUysriDYK-pRQiJrhdxPb7sLydh6BpAwdBf5se1wMQCqruSkqiWUJvmnT6R9DmKB6Gq9_s/s400/living+room2.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213658302503234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ocHnx1s_2e2vbTMZgEpiNPIyPKHRiTiLNQBB_s5g8ULHMOnSr0twSXV7CEr0B8K_VxFhYI7Js64YesGJ5GJhyphenhyphenECHs_-W5BC6nrp2uaQCtTunYgIRiB8SB6_Q0FVMQjjXk-_nGsxct_Q/s400/living+room3.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213221062915282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyyYQNRioLGSh5awgQTaO8A6Wgh_wU11FrNaohqhprRqZGpkRQaKLHM42sya0YosJOoOe2kKHNcbnq5jkYMd_Ke6qGYbbAa3oy-NSkSYmOxGWpwU9y03qAJsOP8SEecSMCV_cy9xaH_M/s400/bedroom.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213506702892002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPNkV2lvtENLbZhFuhKgDWgXofQzNYiazJnXS03rhFKbItqa1EuZye-bh2TQSQ3VzJNaWt9OgmMarCVKOYqoicc5E6eIvGtn5pWVpIhU67TxsU0Qco2Fh-86kXwwbyJMFVjI9APyLIzI/s400/bedroom2.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213216505663586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbY0pAfHlSJWQlZuNfvjcST1LQ39laIj7uZJoKwiqtkQINXwXr8iUgmAMTMr8kkveTiD_HCau5PvDALgoghx44T0MkWf9B26fZjuK_-_pZatepkQTeOzWI8KQmg1jSVFDzZHjCc8j4ZEs/s400/bathroom2.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213214163508322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVoVH1MUp-jyL0o4Dd0tHkCt6_fQwZuKR_PGvZUlY81EFgMshKfBqeyZhTVbtCAWwNhNOhY7_gCIxxFA0oNxRcdvLJXDasVFcFjSy8aIl7WZ1b4W771ZNwyoFDWaWnLMqfbMtXUVh8cE/s400/bathroom.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213511212314146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9R0Y4jV6S3KWWHqaNecKXsm5EjHgeVcPbluzXm3112EkwDj3HuyWgCDzG0S81-SWOsBYzVDjxfVAo4SFA0ioXpxLeVpPOeXBL6NAmt-yQfj0yHC2zIque5kfs8oLNw0M0BEj7MibT78Q/s400/kitchen4.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213512594692018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02q5U2mglZE2pV-ni7jnwNl_nXNdxWN_OSynrM3qY1zQGQmjFe-AWrYDg3kY5BVhhgF5nCVObTCB49kMzPmQAvIG1wm-JS9nUCRD_83t2iMI04yB8L9-JcdAViWLSmpTN7EMMjno7OtI/s400/kitchen3.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213220528450210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGbyDwfhSCIrzcaTpD3dKEY_GikWcHUn2SAFRE6IoqU2o_8vJ8gJWIQRX7cG4QeSlZIZR_JgfRKEKSokHer2GEOGbOB5CVpu9Z4oiOQQ8TTIYWUZMSP2r8Efsyw48w5jzi_9t-VxYXLU/s400/bathroom4.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297213509958311938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7b-q0vxXMoxqbCKqRUNM95SFxaFfOt2c7nLW62vXnEfdhPmYzUO9-YtuepI0wVfg-xfc6G4qdFfobOWhHN7FOnZU-DpUh3oli1DT16BGG14Vair_lWafQYZQoo1TVL6MDpJhwOhay0E/s400/laundry+room.jpg" border="0" />Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-58936228811434603952009-01-21T19:36:00.004-05:002009-01-21T19:52:47.458-05:00Where in the world is....<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO8jntRNT7Td5q1PZloWYi844VIlUw3NOKYI6EpihtF8Yxh0fD0dqurMnUg97-TVOOsYEETUOa4B7tn3vWUk_cn3gKbF7S-mXB6VD6mxdbVAPnO3oS_johTFU0S_uuoONy5BFehNMmgE/s1600-h/snow3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293913577675364386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO8jntRNT7Td5q1PZloWYi844VIlUw3NOKYI6EpihtF8Yxh0fD0dqurMnUg97-TVOOsYEETUOa4B7tn3vWUk_cn3gKbF7S-mXB6VD6mxdbVAPnO3oS_johTFU0S_uuoONy5BFehNMmgE/s400/snow3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Kristina? You might say, Indiana? No, Alaska? No, Michigan? Nope, I'm in North Carolina! That's right. This is what it looked like outside my window on Tuesday morning. Snow was pouring down and it was beautiful. What made it even more beautiful was that school was cancelled for the day! Yeah! You never realize how great snow days are until you have them once every 4 years.:) </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293913582211002418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJ8lzgbsmOOyKKME50y5w1OldYnP0m7FeXJ7zqIPFAwIZ1hRuIROHTAquAg8O6vaWhHdg_FWrpqDcWzKIo-UkHmrw9NRutgzlY5tpCSamtAEgrTQ4QVvf_TwrFiHhj8L0QCHqys_edvw/s400/snow1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293912307023392674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9kgrlbF_i01N6Pbe3ozzptAVwzdXAnKf031yBt5ljzg_tysLAAbFcIeOUT0WBdjDKKHbU4EaUcun50qLLld_ozzF6WCzRvL04ZjITVkrAHSioTPROZqcwxtbjDdrT5lQcANdwwAwUcQ/s400/backyard.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293913571149512978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyWFU9M2h7T7stDC7r7taAUO8OZBKItuKsGw2hjJdFbO9k7EykcmR1JekppAJ3Pq3QDoOm9wdBN9TFEHF6QMsLZ507GPWzzZ69iq7k41VueAKEvyvo8b0yzKsgdtz0LkpUqRkNNlp9yk/s400/trees.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293913575412740418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLT4ERUMHU2Z3H_fBnMr5oQChbdgdz5NfCTrIh-0mOY380z9c-_L3psqsJO1wFa_Doob2AiRRBYLZZZZsYejq3bBoTlHgHgVpx-rj8oAY0RJb4z_k_2RqoYaSBuEJYuSO8zKrcGhAp1A/s400/snow2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>And as it turns out I had visitors to enjoy the snow with. Steven's aunt Robin and the family she lives with came to visit and pick up Steven's car that she will be borrowing until she finds a new one. They drove in on Monday evening and stayed until Wednesday morning. I was kind of nervous thinking I would have to go to school on Tuesday and not get to spend much time with them but God had other plans and canceled school for us! What an awesome God. And I'm so glad he did. I didn't know what it would be like having 3 little ones in the house but it was a blessing. They were all so very good and so very cute! I loved having people in the house again. It does get lonely being by yourself. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293912304401974706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC0mdNKspw9c66jttNTT36hkSE5UFAJNvy6ZvdSiG6pssBp7ezFYmad9WrKq2W-lP4VxXYE1rdwg_iLVjQvJqHfcKBNrePbiNjsObLzG41L7MS4CVyiu0OJyAubm2yyYU_uXIpMZl0v4/s400/giovanna.jpg" border="0" /> Giovanna, the youngest<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293912308282136370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuDb1vKUi4O5AgWFWwx_iVjUZ3TG6eS_7PlyV_h-HJFkTnZ2B6fZ20necPiODT69xjr8z868ZdlGKEKLCVVyNFm7GvuzhrHrVie09Ayn1rcursYs8Y7uPnjc0UEjYFi36IucFZEWyp-w/s400/giovanni2.jpg" border="0" /><br />Yes, those are plastic bags on her shoes, it's called improvising!<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293913580017816034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPnL4cMChQZztJo7DZCsHzPlYMq6JJ_VfIojKHnAspA4_fbDLsWDQK1ud_3wi-1zdBdTx5UQkcgkCLgYwoeNGG1g-p6-ef8J6Ze6Sbso6O2uK1a3DSGsLtqi1lGfTFdlfeGlPh8-MbQA/s400/me+and+robin.jpg" border="0" /><br />Robin and me<br /><br /><br /><div>So on our day off we played in the snow, watched a movie, drank hot chocolate, took a daring trip to Wal-Mart! (OK, not really, even though we did see 2 cars in the ditch on our way there.) And just enjoyed each other's company. You never realize how much fun playing in the snow is until you do it with little ones. I don't remember the last time I just went outside and played in the snow.I also had a lot of free time to talk to Steven online also which made it well worth it. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293912309674161666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6ffPnR0NTnYsKoCQYFEq4E9zpvOD0RZi00GjXgcDEnA9nR9sXNLzWAiHSCnAOld7t0az_YRJkYjJjnl_eJgQwtivl_RhU9Lj5aLJgKXB4lfsq0EBfZYbo0soI18D8tdjbSSEvGQIsg4/s400/kids.jpg" border="0" /> Mateos and Andrielly<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293912312438163618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamj3GN-Yv9-g08465vOdGCdLEEkOCPXHZ-y90IuuSkniceJI7s1nO7W4XkH2d7VlwYNhOHTTzZrqFwZX_8OT1g1FGlmClDAYxm7Z4tHp2VzFgaJFzljM4OEYz1o_zRTg2iz2je2nbYiw/s400/kids2.jpg" border="0" /><br />The three kids taking a break from the snow<br /><br /><br /><div>That was my unexpected blessed day yesterday. How has God blessed you lately?</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510080242647933174.post-35937059679367090662009-01-18T17:58:00.002-05:002009-01-18T18:01:31.693-05:00Coming soon...colorful walls in my house! That's right folks. Tomorrow my house is getting painted. I'm super excited! Steven said that if he deployed I could get the house painted. So boo for deployment but yea for painting!<br />Today Lindsay and I went to Lowe's to pick out the paint. The living room and upstairs loft area are going to be a tan/khaki color. My bedroom and bathroom are blue. The kitchen will be a light green. And the tiny half bath is yellow. The colors all seem to flow well together. I hope everything turns out okay. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get painted because I think just one guy is doing it. But I promise I will post pictures ASAP!Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18329665997713422175noreply@blogger.com2