time for reading while working is a bit harder than last summer when i had no job and all the time in the world to read. however, we have still managed to find some time to read through a few books. yes, this lists consists of books from both of us!
lindsey's list:
The Blind Side by michael lewis
The Help by kathryn stockett
Sarah's Key by tatiana de rosnay
I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by angie smith (not for the topic but because i read the author's blog)
Current reading: Wild Goose Chase by mark batterson (a gift to lee from ben. lee loved it so now it's my turn)
lee's list:
The Tangible Kingdom by hugh halter and matt smay
Love is an Orientation by andrew marin
Wild Goose Chase by mark batterson
Current reading: Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan
what have you been reading? what do you plan/recommend to read this summer?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
go cubs go!
...make that cubs game #2 and cubs win #1 for lee and lindsey
with some last minute planning and ticket-purchasing, we followed up a night in college station watching an a&m game with an evening in arlington to watch the rangers/cubs game on saturday night.
lee has some great friends who will be missed dearly, and i am thankful to have gotten to know them well over the past couple of years, as well. we loaded up with katy, joel, and denton in college station, and headed to arlington to pick up joseph and meet aaron and tiffany.
we saw a few interesting sights while we were on our little excursion. the first of which was this little gem out in the middle of nowhere. can we strange?
we also got to witness the giant monstrosity known as the cowboys' new stadium. wow. it looks more like a spaceship than a football stadium to me.
the game turned out to be quite entertaining with 4 homeruns, one of which came from the cubs' new superstar starlin castro. i was so proud to capture the shot of the homerun swing!
we had a great time with everyone! sorry for the loss, rangers friends!
with some last minute planning and ticket-purchasing, we followed up a night in college station watching an a&m game with an evening in arlington to watch the rangers/cubs game on saturday night.
lee has some great friends who will be missed dearly, and i am thankful to have gotten to know them well over the past couple of years, as well. we loaded up with katy, joel, and denton in college station, and headed to arlington to pick up joseph and meet aaron and tiffany.
we saw a few interesting sights while we were on our little excursion. the first of which was this little gem out in the middle of nowhere. can we strange?
we also got to witness the giant monstrosity known as the cowboys' new stadium. wow. it looks more like a spaceship than a football stadium to me.
the game turned out to be quite entertaining with 4 homeruns, one of which came from the cubs' new superstar starlin castro. i was so proud to capture the shot of the homerun swing!
we had a great time with everyone! sorry for the loss, rangers friends!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
service-minded
one of the characteristics i have noticed about many of the students at the school where i teach is that they are very service-minded. from the first month i was employed, students with the French club helped organize a fundraiser for breast cancer research by selling t-shirts...one of which i wear proudly every other friday (jeans day).
later, when the haiti earthquake devasted the lives of so many people, the students instantly began finding ways to raise money to send to the impoverished, hurt country. they sold bracelets and t-shirts to collect their funds. (*side note: my awesome brother and his friends undertook a similar endeavor at their school by selling bracelets to send funds to UNICEF in haiti)
over the past month or so, the national honor society has lead the charge on a fundraiser in conjunction with the make a wish foundation. a young girl battling cancer in the community of our school has the wish to go to hawaii with her family. these students set a goal of $6000 to make this little girl's wish come true. they met that goal. through $1 balloons and $10 t-shirts, the students of my school showed their love to a child most of them did not know but instantly cared for deeply.
today, we had a special recognition of this little girl and the accomplishments of our students' awesome fundraising. all of the balloons sold were released simultaneously in our parking lot. a few of the students around me were even teary-eyed at the site of the balloons and what they represented.
needless to say, i was very proud of these students today. i think students like this and students like my brother & his friends remind us that some of today's young people really do stand out from the rest. they really do care about those around them in their community and the world.
later, when the haiti earthquake devasted the lives of so many people, the students instantly began finding ways to raise money to send to the impoverished, hurt country. they sold bracelets and t-shirts to collect their funds. (*side note: my awesome brother and his friends undertook a similar endeavor at their school by selling bracelets to send funds to UNICEF in haiti)
over the past month or so, the national honor society has lead the charge on a fundraiser in conjunction with the make a wish foundation. a young girl battling cancer in the community of our school has the wish to go to hawaii with her family. these students set a goal of $6000 to make this little girl's wish come true. they met that goal. through $1 balloons and $10 t-shirts, the students of my school showed their love to a child most of them did not know but instantly cared for deeply.
today, we had a special recognition of this little girl and the accomplishments of our students' awesome fundraising. all of the balloons sold were released simultaneously in our parking lot. a few of the students around me were even teary-eyed at the site of the balloons and what they represented.
needless to say, i was very proud of these students today. i think students like this and students like my brother & his friends remind us that some of today's young people really do stand out from the rest. they really do care about those around them in their community and the world.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
a photoshoot day
***disclaimer: these pictures were taken a few months ago, but the gift they were for was not received until almost easter time. still, hope you enjoy!***
these pictures are a bit late being posted, but that is because the pictures were taken as a gift to my grandmother. i had to wait to post them here until she received her birthday present...wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!
the day after Christmas we, along with my family, my cousins, aunt, and uncle, created our own photoshoot day at the robert trent jones golf course in prattville. once an ample amount of shots from different angles and locales were taken of the grandchildren, we moved onto those of us with the same birthday months...it works out nicely that there are six of us (including lee) and just three months shared among us. we also took the time to get some shots of each family.
all in all, a fun time, even for those who do not particularly enjoy the picture-taking experience...
these pictures are a bit late being posted, but that is because the pictures were taken as a gift to my grandmother. i had to wait to post them here until she received her birthday present...wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!
the day after Christmas we, along with my family, my cousins, aunt, and uncle, created our own photoshoot day at the robert trent jones golf course in prattville. once an ample amount of shots from different angles and locales were taken of the grandchildren, we moved onto those of us with the same birthday months...it works out nicely that there are six of us (including lee) and just three months shared among us. we also took the time to get some shots of each family.
all in all, a fun time, even for those who do not particularly enjoy the picture-taking experience...
Saturday, May 8, 2010
the birthday girls (plus some happy times in tuscaloosa)
last weekend i took a solo trip to alabama. yes, sadly lee had to stay home and miss out on fun times in tuscaloosa and prattville, but we did what we had to do.
the main purpose for the trip was a final meeting with my research committee. aka "find out if i am graduating or not" meeting. and drum roll please.........i am all finished & a graduate (again) of the university of alabama! i must say i feel very accomplished and proud of what i did, particularly the bulk of the work that i did on my own here in houston after we moved last summer.
i also spent one night with kaylie & had panera for breakfast with her, had lunch with karly, dinner & a night at morgan's, breakfast with kimberly, and shopping at target with my mom in a matter of 36 hours. i know how to make the most of a trip, people!
rachel's reaction to her awesome tickets to "little house on the prairie: the musical." she's quite the "little house" fanatic.
our beautiful grandmother :)
my aunt's reaction to the truly awful "happy birthday" being sung as she prepared to blow out her candles. ha!
the main purpose for the trip was a final meeting with my research committee. aka "find out if i am graduating or not" meeting. and drum roll please.........i am all finished & a graduate (again) of the university of alabama! i must say i feel very accomplished and proud of what i did, particularly the bulk of the work that i did on my own here in houston after we moved last summer.
i also spent one night with kaylie & had panera for breakfast with her, had lunch with karly, dinner & a night at morgan's, breakfast with kimberly, and shopping at target with my mom in a matter of 36 hours. i know how to make the most of a trip, people!
saturday and sunday in prattville were the added bonus days of the trip spent with the fam! rachel and aunt beth have forever shared family birthday parties, and i was so thankful that my weekend in alabama coincided with their party. as always, everyone outdid themselves when it came to the food. i only got an after shot of the food spread, but as you can see, it was fabulous. also, isn't rachel's cake adorable? my aunt is the best cake baker/decorator ever.
the gifts and blowing out of the candles were full of laughs at unexpected gifts and everyone's terrible but hilarious rendition of "happy birthday."
seriously, have you ever seen anyone receive an icee sign for their birthday? this girl loves her some icees!
the gifts and blowing out of the candles were full of laughs at unexpected gifts and everyone's terrible but hilarious rendition of "happy birthday."
seriously, have you ever seen anyone receive an icee sign for their birthday? this girl loves her some icees!
rachel's reaction to her awesome tickets to "little house on the prairie: the musical." she's quite the "little house" fanatic.
our beautiful grandmother :)
my aunt's reaction to the truly awful "happy birthday" being sung as she prepared to blow out her candles. ha!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
couponing 101
ever since we moved to houston, we have tried to be more conscious of finding ways to save a little money here and there. one way i have started thoroughly enjoying is coupon-clipping. i get a little bit of a rush not only when i collect relevant coupons for products we frequently use but when i give them to the cashier and see how much money we save (i know, i'm weird).
now, let me quickly say i am no couponing pro. my mom and some friends of ours save $100+ consistently on major grocery shopping trips. i am perfectly pleased when we save $10-$15. ha!
the purpose of this post, however, is to display quite the awesome couponing feat from this week. i have found that i can accrue some serious savings on smaller trips to somewhere like walgreens in buying bathroom-related items.
read and be amazed at the savings:
total cost: $19.23
total savings: $14.90 (thanks to 7 coupons and store sales)
now, let me quickly say i am no couponing pro. my mom and some friends of ours save $100+ consistently on major grocery shopping trips. i am perfectly pleased when we save $10-$15. ha!
the purpose of this post, however, is to display quite the awesome couponing feat from this week. i have found that i can accrue some serious savings on smaller trips to somewhere like walgreens in buying bathroom-related items.
read and be amazed at the savings:total cost: $19.23
total savings: $14.90 (thanks to 7 coupons and store sales)
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