A Day Away!

We sat on the beach and the boys skipped rocks.

It was just so beautiful.

A week ago was my little mid-winter weekend break. If you know me well, then you know my favorite thing to do is sleeping in. So when Kevin asked me if I wanted to go to the San Juan Islands with our friends Rick and Sarah and their son Jake, I knew that would involve us getting up early. However, I really wanted to go and we were going on Monday so I still had Tuesday to sleep in. Just as I thought, the alarm went off at 4:50 am and we hit the road. We met Rick and Sarah in Lynnwood and headed up to Anacortes to catch the 7:45 ferry. I slept most the way, but was awake once we boarded the ferry. It was the most beautiful day! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We had a nice breakfast in Friday Harbor and then went around the island. We stopped to enjoy the water, take a little hike to Dead Man's Cove, and gaze at the lighthouse. Later in the afternoon we ate lunch on the port and then headed back to Friday Harbor. It was a simply delightful day and it was definately worth getting up early for.

My perfect valentine!

Oh, how I love Valentines Day! The reason being because I have the most wonderful valentine! Kevin is so good at spoiling me....(even though he really shouldn't). From the beginning Kev has always "outdone" himself on certain occasions. I really don't think he can help it because he so thoughtful and has such a creative mind (full of "pizzazz" as I would say to my students). My day began as I made heart shaped waffles for my valentine and served them to him in bed. (This is basically the extent of my valentine thoughtfulness.) Kevin, however, got out of bed and made me my lunch for day (this isn't really unusual) and then he sent me off to school. When I opened the door to my car I was surprised to see kisses all over my seat, a beautiful rose, an "I love you" balloon and a sweetly written note on the steering wheel. What a great way to start my day! Then smiling all the way down to my classroom, I opened my door to the most spectacular scene! All over my floor were chocolate kisses, as well as my students desks, tied to each of my students chair was a balloon! But the best part was my desk! Not only were there kisses, rose petals and balloons covering it but the most beautiful bouquet of roses with a card in front of it entitled: "My sweetheart". My eyes filled with tears and I stood there in awe....this was a sweet moment. Of course my class was estatic and so cautious not to step on any of the chocolate kisses. Most of the staff I work with trickled in throughout the day to see the thoughtfulness of my husband. My favorite was when my friend Kathy came in and said "I am not sure if the message is clear....does he love you?". Needless to say it was a perfect day with my class. The fun didn't stop there though. After school as I got into my car once again there was another note saying something about "our song". I turned on the car and sure enough blaring from the cd player was "our song" from when we were dating. At this point I was like okay I gotta do something more than waffles! Kev has a late class on Thursdays, so I wasn't in a hurry to get home, but when I did more surprises were awaiting me. I opened the door and my favorite dove chocolates created two trails. One trail led to our coffee table where there were a tower of gifts surrounded by rose petals. The other trail led to our bedroom where....well anyway. So of course I was so excited again. Soon after, Kev came home and I said, "I don't have anything for you! " and he said, "You're not suppose to get me anything...Valentines Day is for you!" I know...I know like I said "My Perfect Valentine"! I love him to pieces.

ABC...123

For the past year and half I have been teaching a 3-4-5 multi-age class. This has been a most unique, yet intensely challenging experience for me. Everyday gives me the opportunity to learn something new about teaching. My class is made up of 10 fifth graders, 6 fourth graders, and 7 third graders. I love these kids! They are a riot to teach and we laugh alot....of course there is always that "one" that can ruin the bunch....but I still love them! I thought I would share some pics of how I spend my days.

Catching up on Christmas

So, I am an avid picture taker and thought I would share some pictures from over the holidays. Kev and I had a very nice winter break....this is the good thing about being a teacher and student. I know Kev is secretly sad to see his lengthy student vacations end as he soon graduates. However, we were able to go see my mama in Montana for Christmas and then Ma and Pa Jenkins over New Years. Let's just say it was a very white Christmas and we were very grateful for the airplanes we flew on. I was especially excited to see my brother Chris come and join us too. My camera decided to have a lens error right after Christmas, therefore there aren't any Idaho pics. But basically had their been pics it just would have been all white!

Adventures in Washington

This was Kev's first time at a pumpkin patch!

Downtown Seattle!
A day in Sequim at the Lavendar Gardens.

Yea! Are you so excited we are "bloggers" now? Well, since this is my first official post I thought it would be a collaboration of a variety of pictures. We have been living in the Pacific Northwest since August 2006, where Kev has been attending the UW and I have been teaching school. Washington has treated us well so far and we have loved our experiences here. There is so much to see and do and we have only just begun our exploring! We hope you enjoy our moments as we embark on our journey through life together. We are excited to share them with you!