Tuesday, December 20, 2005

A few more....


Osa's first bite of Holloween


Hundred Year Storm live


My Omi Da's kitchen


Youth Group during "Project Light"


With Jack during our production of "Music Man"

Cherish the times


With our new puppy, Osa


Baptism of our God-child, Kathryn


Hundred Year Storm and Co.


Baja, Mexico


Girlfriends Kelley and Kim

Monday, December 19, 2005

Snapshots from Carver 2005


Carver Graduation, May 2005


"Pancho and Pancha"-the class finches


Kissing up to our local favorite marketplace


Fall at the Farm Patch


"Ruby" (I'm going to write a children's book about this one someday)

Friday, December 16, 2005

The here and now

I really, really am enjoying this holiday season. I feel like I'm sucking a little of the marrow of it.... does that sound gross? I am loving the Christmas songs, the lights shimmering on my fiber optic tree, my nativity scenes around my house, the presents I soon will be giving away, Christmas parties, the egg nog, the sangria, the hot cocoa that will soon be made, my bowl of fruit in my kitchen, the cold crisp weather.... Ahh. We celebrated on Monday with the staff at Carver at Wings and More. I was the entertainment and loved playing and singing for my friends at Carver. Erich was my hot date and everyone was more interested in watching his reaction to my being the entertainment than actually watching the entertainment. I guess being married to someone crazy like me is a novel idea, and they are in mysterious awe at the wonderment of how one would react and respond to being the mate of one such as me. They all were sweet to tell me the next day at work that my husband (that they were watching the whole time) just kept smiling at me.... with that glimmer in his eye.... little do they know.....
Tonight I was honored to sing with fellow nunnies from the Sound of Music carols at a Nursing home. Old people are splendid, they are honest, fun, young at heart, and much like a 4-year old, I'm convinced. I've decided if I get too tired of teaching 4 year olds, I could open the most creative, interactive, well kept, good food Nursing Home around. Dave could do the food, I could organize all activities and Erich could do the preaching... or the words of inspiration. Caroling at the Nursing home was a beautiful reminder of the brevity of life, the unimportance of the material, and the richness of life in Jesus.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Day at the Farm Patch


Today felt truly like the first day of fall. A perfect way to spend a day at the Farm patch amidst pumpkin patches, gourds, and fall harvest. My kids especially loved the hay maze... they were convinced the rats were real and one even complained of them eating at her shoe (and she connected that to her foot pain)! My kids are so funny and inventive! Today Erich and I meet at one of our favorite spots- Blue Baker.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Day 1 in blogville

We are now on... Erich and I will post parts and fragments of our life. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The youts

It's a wed night habit. Erich is sorta like the preacher and I'm occasionaly the one to fill the worship leader role. Although I must admit I prefer kids... no doubt about that. However, I don't mind spending a little time on the side with the hormonal, crazy, selfish world of teenagerhood. Erich is great with them. I enjoy his preaching and I tend to be the "weird one" around. I've decided that my role is to just be me. I don't know if that is more egocentrical than the average teenager in our youth group- but I feel it's something unique that I have to offer. We don't try to be anything like anyone else. Our mission is not to have a typical youth group with tons of activities. In fact, we don't offer many organized activities, don't do much on the side with the youth, and aren't too involved in the rest of their lives (outside of wed eve). But the heart is there, and that is what counts. They are a super group of kids and oddly enough, most of them are homeschooled. That is another chapter in and of itself....

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Alas! Erich is 30


Erich and I spent his birthday camping in Galveston. The day was a mixture of lots of things- stomach aches, salty water, ferry rides, steak dinner by the campfire, ups, downs, and in the end.... peace and quite by the beautiful fire. Someday, I too will know what it feels like to be 30. Camping in Galveston was a different kind of get-a-way. But we were on a budget. Erich just quit work to return and get his masters in Education (the idea was inspired in February) to be a high school english teacher. So... we were adjusting to this new world and Osa was adjusting the acid in her stomach with all the salt water. She really had some interesting blows out the bottom after a few swigs of the good 'ol gulf water. After our camping excursion I prepared for my third year of teaching at Carver and asisted in the training classes we host for new incoming teachers. There is something of a feeling of accomplishment in being in my third year as a teacher. I don't feel the complete oblivion and noviceness of a first year teacher, and the not-so-important sound of being a 2nd year teacher. It feels like I am legit, that I really have proved that I'm serious, I can do it, and that I will be coming back for more.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

July- 2005

Viva mexico. This was such a treat from my uncle Tom.... A wonderful retreat after an exhausting month of teaching summer school. The only thing that would have made this trip sweeter would have been to have my love by my side. Erich stayed home and worked his final weeks before entering a new season of returning to school. Highlights of the trip include.... morning walk with dad, local bellydancers, reading on the beach, walking and collecting shells on the beach, making jewelry with Sierra, being awed by tyler's clay creations, hearing mom belly ache because she couldn't taste the food (what a shame- she had a cold), shopping in the mercado (talking with the Brother), treating everyone to mexican ice cream, eating in our condo, and soaking in the sun....

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Trying times

Erich took the leap of faith and made plans to quite work, go back to school, and for us to live on my income...
This meant me teaching summer school. Summer school is really a different world. It is not Carver where I teach during the year and my coworkers were not very accepting of me. What a rough time I had at first. I was the teacher they would give the evil eye to! I was used to frolicking down the halls at Carver with my kids, singing, laughing, having fun while learning (isn't that what makes lifetime learners....?). This was very unappreciated my the foreboding elementary teachers. I really had to learn to find my place where they wanted me while balancing fun learning and quite hallway walking. It wouldn't have been so bad in a smaller school. The location of summer school was a HUGE school. I literally had to walk a mile to get to my class every morning. Imagine the torture of transitioning 20 five year old kids around and around this blasted big school and having to stay quite the entire time.... TORTURE! However, once again I didn't let it get the better of me, I kissed butt (not in the selling my soul kind of way) to my summer school principals, put on my mean hallway teacher face (so the other teachers knew i was "serious"), and taught my little heart out behind closed doors the way I wanted. It was worth not letting the system get the better of me. I really enjoyed bonding even more with some of my kids I had had all through the school year and learning more of life's good lessons. It's not what they throw at you.... it's what you do with it that counts.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

May madness

What a busy time of the year May can be! This is when things come to a close in the school year. I decided to audition for my first musical with the theatre company for a part in the Music Man! This musical was a great one to get my foot in the door at the theatre company. The Theatre Company is Bryan's local and definitely community theatre. There is not too much in the realm of the arts, theatre, "the cultured life" if you will, here in Bryan, Texas. However, this little budding theatre is a great expression of part of what makes Bryan great and living here very bearable. There are definitely theatre folk- you know.... the crazy, weird types. I fit right in and have enjoyed making new friends, having cast parties at my house, and singing my little heart out before and audience.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

March- I don't really remember you...

I must admit that I have very little in my memory bank from the month of march. I will come back to you later if I recall anything....

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Laurie's favorite month

This is the month of love, pink, and celebrating my coming into the world. I think it's an exciting day anyhow... This 24th birthday I was definitely in the relaxed, keep things on the downlow mood. We spent the evening in one of our favorite nooks in downtown Bryan, Square 1. I remember the first time Erich and I went there with a little vased flower on our table, a karafe of wine on the table... I couldn't tell if I was tipsy with love or from being induced with wine. Love is such a sweet thing- well it's really so much more than a sweet thing. Love is awesome, powerful, reviving, inspiring, dynamic, and juicy. That last descripter is for those of you that have known me for a while... I'm sure you understand. Here are some things that I really like that come in Pink, Red, and White...
Red-
Jesus love (although, if we are speaking of colors, I see His love in many more shades than just red, but it is a dominant color)
the contrasting color in my kitchen
wine
Ruby's (a girl in my class) red boots

Pink-
flowers
clothes
anything... as long as it is the right shade with the right thing

White-
snow
cream for my coffee
Blue bell ice cream
I don't own very much white.... I teach Pre-K

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

2005 in Review


So... I'm cheating and backdating to January where we spent our New Years together... Colorado Springs, CO. Such a beautiful, outdoorsy trip filled with crisp clean air, white snow, puppy Osa love, and happy European touches with Erich's Swiss aunt and German uncle. Highlights of that trip would have to be our hike up to Barr camp (the halfway point to Pike's Peak), Garden of the Gods, sparklers on the Christmas tree, drinking warm spiced wine (sorry, I don't remember the true name), Singing along with the Sound of Music, and reading (during our 24 hour drive home) how apple cider vinegar could solve all of our natural ailments. This was wonderful bonding time with family and our beloved doggy. She (Osa) was in her true element in the snow and suffered from a little post trip withdrawal from the snow when we returned home. We have great memories from this trip and look forward to returning! Thank you so much family for hosting us and treating us so well.