I'm Back!

Well, after a two month hiatus from blogging, I decided too many fun things had been going on to not be documenting them.  I suppose when you only blog every few months you've got nothing else to do but the ol' picture dump.  (I can think of worse dumps to be made...)

March brought my first experience at a hockey game.  Scott and I joined our friends Jessica and Brett and cheered for the Wichita Thunder.  Is it bad that I was hoping for a fight the whole time we were there?? Fight or no fight, it was a fun evening!

March also brings one of my favorite perks about my job....Spring Break.  I made it down to my grandparents in Oklahoma for our tradition to continue.  Time spent at the CPA office, basketball watching, and a trip to the casino.  Another successful trip!

I'd hate for you to think I just toast my buns all break long...

Ok, here's the real worker. 

Papa always seems to know which machines are going to be the lucky ones!

At the end of March sweet Reesie girl celebrated her 2nd birthday with a Minnie Mouse themed party.  For a more thorough update featuring pictures of the cutest little girl ever click here.

Jana made the cutest sign. 

The birthday princess herself.

Showing off Jana's yummy desserts!

April brought a very sad day for my beloved car, Lola the Corolla.  Let's just say, Oh deer!  I drilled one on the highway right in the middle of Wichita.  It was dark out and I didn't see it till it was too late.  By the damage on poor Lola you'd think I hit a 10 point buck.  Maybe I did...it all happened so fast.  In my mind I just remember seeing deer guts fly every where and I could hear my car dragging stuff underneath.  I was afraid I would open my door to see the head of this thing staring up at me.  Turns out it was just half my car dragging on the ground.  Let's just say, it would be no mystery as to what I hit.  The deer left plenty of evidence all over my car.  Gross.

It could have been much worse.  Praise God that I was able to drive home and walk away without a scratch.  And good news for Lola too!  She was miraculously not totaled and will roll on once she's all fixed up!

Easter weekend brought Jana and her crew down here where we celebrated at Scott's house.  We enjoyed our own Easter egg hunt, dying eggs, plenty of outdoor fun, and a lot of yummy food!

Scott is quite a grill master. 

Some wiffle ball action!

Life continues to fly by and May will bring more exciting events...my birthday, Mother's day, end of the school year (18 days to go!), and then SUMMER!! I've had a great first year at Andover, but what teacher isn't ready for summer right now?! Until next time...which could be a long time...

2014 Highlights

2014 is off with a bang!  It's hard to believe February is nearly over and Spring Break is just around the corner.  (Yippee!)  January brought some crazy cold weather, but with that I received two lovely snow days. What's the recipe for the best snow day you ask? Allow me to show you...

   

A yummy breakfast after you've slept in. 

A morning spent with my favorite talk show hosts.

Puzzle time!  We went with the 300 piece as opposed to the 1.000, which still took plenty of time.  

Completed!

    My great Valentine's gift!

Scott and I headed to Kansas City for the weekend to visit Jana and her crew.  We had a great time hanging with them and we even got to enjoy an afternoon at Legends and Dave and Busters (where I beat Scott at Pac Man to earn myself a free piece of Snickers cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory!)  I would be withholding information if I didn't let you know this was the ONLY game I beat him in.  Gotta win when it counts.  

2013

Recapping an entire year in one post is hard.  I've come back to this one over and over, trying to figure out how I want to approach it.  I've decided to share thirteen pictures that represent my 2013.  Enjoy the highlights in chronological order.

January gave me plenty of snow days to enjoy and some weekends with these cuties in Kansas City!

I enjoyed another Spring Break down in Oklahoma with my grandparents (wild, I know).  We always have such a fun time together at Papa's CPA office, shopping, watching March Madness, and hitting up Toby Keith's restaurant and the casino. 

I celebrated the big 2-6 while Grandma Sauder celebrated the big 9-3 in May. 

I just so happened to enjoy my birthday aboard the Disney cruise ship, Dream.  The Bahamas treated me well.  

I enjoyed a girls weekend in KC with some great friends in June. 

Summer time also had me busy setting up my new classroom as I became an Andover Trojan.

My mom's side of the family enjoyed a weekend in Norman and OKC together in June.  

And for July....

I got a tattoo.  Surprise!  I got a sun on my foot after inspiration from Joshua 10 in the Bible.  Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still in battle and God answered that prayer.  The sun remained out for 24 hours straight.  I loved the idea of trusting God for such impossible things!

In September we celebrated my dad and Matt's birthdays over Labor Day weekend. 

We took a girls trip in October to enjoy Disney's Food and Wine Festival for MaKenzie's 21st.

December was a big month as I graduated with my masters, celebrated Christmas with family, and went to Austin, TX. 

Here's to another great year! 

Christmas 2013

It's hard to believe that the Christmas season has already come and gone and it's 2014!  My break seemed extra quick this year as I had to go back to school January 2nd.  (Insert rolling of eyes from all the non-teachers out there.)  I feel like this break was a taste of what a "real" job would be like, having to go back to work right after the 1st...and know that I want nothing to do with that.

I spent the first half of my break back in the Bend with my family.  It was a great time of playing cards, sipping hot chocolate, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.  We went to my parents' church's Christmas Eve service and heard a great sermon on Jesus coming as the light of the world and were reminded that He will come back again.  I'm so thankful to serve a God that made a way for me to know Him through His own son.

Enjoy some pics of the festivities.

Great Bend got over a foot of snow!

Reese thought the snow scraper was an extra large hair brush. 

It's tough to choose between purple or orange in our house, so Reesie received two cheerleader outfits. 

A snowman had to be made with all that snow!  The Kid and Dad were the hard workers on that one.

I spent the second half of my break in a much warmer place when I traveled down to Austin, TX with Scott and some of his family to visit one of his sisters living down there.  We had a great time soaking up the 60+ degree weather, outlet malls, touring the Alamo and River Walk in San Antonio, visiting IKEA, and teaching me how to play Pitch.  And I must say, I wasn't half bad.

  A group of us enjoyed an afternoon of hiking and making our way through a park.  There were so many people out running and exercising that I was motivated to run...a few steps...I'd say more of a gallop. (See top left pic)  No one there had to know that I struggled to even find my tennis shoes to pack for this trip.  

We enjoyed a treat from the food truck, Hey Cupcake, and some delicious tacos at Wahoo's. 

Austin's motto is: Keep Austin Weird.  I'd say we helped contribute to that cause.  

Happy 2014!  Get excited for my "2013-Year in Review" post.  

The Hassle was Worth the Tassel

So remember the good ol' days when I used to post about working on those beloved master's classes and trying to find motivation to write papers and submit projects??  Well I officially finished my last class and portfolio in August and enjoyed my short walk across the stage a few weekends ago.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to mess with walking or not, but now I'm so glad I did.  It just felt like such an accomplishment and my family, grandparents, and Scott and I celebrated the whole weekend in style complete with a cake and night out on the Plaza in Kansas City.

A peak at the hassle...when I'd watch Kelly and Michael while working. 

The tassel...check out that hood!

I received my Masters of Arts in Education through Baker University at their Wichita location.  The ceremony was in Baldwin City, so Jana hosted us at her place in Olathe for the weekend.  

Jana had the cutest cake made for the party...strawberry, my favorite!  The ceremony was complete with bagpipes leading us in and a speech from the president of the University.  I must say, I hadn't done much of my Baker background knowledge before starting the program.  I had heard nothing but good things, the classes were just 7 weeks long, and the mascot is another wildcat, which were all enough to get me to fork over my money.  I had a great experience and would definitely recommend Baker!

Being "hooded" 

After the ceremony we headed to the Plaza and enjoyed a yummy Italian dinner at Buca di Beppo's.  It's an underground restaurant that serves family style pasta goodness.  We were going to attempt a carriage ride or walk along the streets to enjoy the shops and Christmas lights, but the cold led us into Starbuck's and then to our warm cars to head home.  It was such a fun weekend that really proved all the hassle really was worth the tassel. ;) 

Gobble till ya Wobble

Thanksgiving 2013 went down in the books as a great time full of family, food, and fun.  My mom's side of the family hosted us down south and as always, they didn't disappoint. 

Aunt Pam and my cousin's wife, Brooke, made us these cute state pillows.  I hate to admit it, but Oklahoma does look cooler than Kansas.  Poor little rectangle Kansas.  And don't miss out on that cute cheese ball Reese, front and center!  

Kid is always my sidekick at family gatherings.  

Separate sister pics will have to do.

Before the big meal

After the big meal

We enjoyed an evening shopping and looking at lights (and sipping Starbucks) at Utica Square. 

It's hard to believe it's already December and Christmas break is a few short weeks away (Can I get an amen!?)  So I'll leave you with this.  

Christmas cheer around our place!  And I'm modeling my new leg warmers made by my Grandmama. 

Well, with the blogging track record I've had lately, you may not be hearing from me till after Christmas. 

Happiest Place on Earth

Allow me to introduce myself.  I'm the girl who apparently has had either nothing to blog about or more likely, no motivation to blog for the last month. But have no fear...I'm back with pics from the happiest place on earth!  We took a girls trip to celebrate Birthday Barbie's 21st!  Who wouldn't want to celebrate at Disney?!

Before we hit up the International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, we enjoyed Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom.  Costumes and all.  :) 

Meet Minnie, Micky, Pirate, and Flapper Girl 

We were able to enjoy the Halloween party after park hours and trick-or-treat.  We were under the impression that costumes were required to join in on this event, but soon discovered that regular clothes would have sufficed.  No worries, there were some crazy people out there in full costume get-up; I'd say we we fit into the "mild and cute" category.  

My Disney travel agent aunt got us the hook-up with a breakfast in a backstage prop room before Hollywood Studios opened.  Which also allowed for our group to enjoy the 3D Toy Story ride before the mobs of people joined us in the park.  If you're even the slightest Disney fan you know that is like money in the bank.

It was a fast trip, but such a fun one!  Beautiful weather and great memories made while celebrating the coolest 21 year old I know.