Merry Christmas to All!
We've decided to save a few trees this year and create a blog to let you know what we've been up to. It's been a busy year for us with many twists and turns befitting a novel. We've experienced a lot and learned so much more about life.
Danny's year could be best described as a roller coaster. January and February started pretty slowly for him. He runs media services at Dallas Baptist University and teaches. He is also working on his Ph.D. in Educational Computing at North Texas. He was accepted in March to present 2 papers at SITE an Educational Technology Conference in South Carolina. He did a great job. A teacher might have given him a gold star. But in April disaster struck. Danny’s newest hobby came back to bite him in the elbow when he crashed in Tour Dallas. He had open fractures in his left elbow that required surgery and a two night hospital stay. Amy would like to give a shout out to the Doctors and Nurses who gave such wonderful care to Danny. Danny is now learning that there are some brakes you never use by themselves. May and June were eventful- filled with physical therapy and the building of The Pilgrim Chapel at DBU. Danny was partially responsible for the installation of smart classrooms and all that jazz. In July we loaded up Amy’s Rav 4 and headed to Florida to attend our first beachside wedding which was beautiful. Danny respected the sunblock and came away virtually unscathed. We rented bikes and Amy nervously watched Danny pedal along with no fear! We then decided to head down to Disney! It’s still one of our favorite places to go. Vacation was fun and a little busy but we returned with smiles on our faces. With Pilgrim Chapel up and running, Danny had one more obstacle to maneuver. He had to meet with his portfolio committee that will be helping him earn his Ph.D. He is now an ABD (all but dissertation) student. Way to go Danny!
Amy had a relatively quiet year. Writing in the third person is tricky so she is going to change so she can write this blog even better and more clearly.
I had a pretty quiet year. I am still teaching Third Grade at McDonald Elementary in Ferris, Texas. It’s hard to believe I have been there 10 years. Even harder to believe that means Danny and I have been together for nearly 10 years. Last year I helped write the Social Studies curriculum (which was tricky- my least favorite subject- how do you make THAT fun…) I got through that relatively painlessly. I had a ball with my students and got to teach things that I have never gotten to teach before. I knicknamed them the peanuts gang. With a Charlie Brown, a Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Sally and Pig Pen- it was fun to go to work!
I made friends with Danny’s surgeon, got to look at some fun x-rays and even got to keep copies of the finished product. Incidentally, I like to think of Danny’s elbow as “Frakenelbow”. There are about 10 pins and one really long screw that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men used to put Danny’s elbow together again! Nature struck on Memorial Day Weekend....my end of the year video editing was hampered when our 70 year old tree got a bacteria infection and lost 3 huge limbs that blocked traffic for a couple of days. It’s still standing but is now cabled safely! I really love that tree! Danny and I were invited to attend 3 of the classiest weddings I have ever been to. That’s saying a lot. One was in Florida, one in Louisiana, and one here in the metroplex. I got to dance with Danny and loved every minute of it. You see, we are usually filming them!
This school year has been a challenge. I have a couple of kids that are extremely high maintenance. But I have some brothers and sisters of past students that are BRIGHT spots in my challenging day. I am running again. I had injured my T-Band a couple of years ago and gave it some rest then used some exercise bands that Danny came home with from elbow rehab. I was able to run in The Race for the Cure and The Turkey Trot. I’ll be running in the Jingle Bell Run here in a couple of weeks. I’m not running as fast or as often, BUT when I do there is little pain and I feel awesome! The downside to my year, I gave myself a new year’s resolution to read 2 books a month. I did not achieve that goal. I made it to about 18. I’m posting the pics of the ones I liked the best. Here’s hoping I can reach the 24 book goal next year. I got halfway through Marley and Me but Danny took it away because I cried every time I would read from it! I'm debating on taking it back though......one afternoon and I could be one book closer to the goal. I still have half a month left!
Spooky the Cat, Buster the Dog, and Dixie the Dog all send their love! They are currently snuggled up enjoying the cold weather. Spooky loves sleeping under the Christmas Tree and the dogs are in the office spooning.
Here is our traditional TOP Ten List of stupid stuff we learned.
10. Don’ buy a cheap GPS- Spring for a good one. We could still be in Florida.
9. You can never leave too early for a road trip.
8. Tree arborists have no sense of humor.
Arborist: “Your tree has Sudden Limb Drop.”
Danny: “Your kidding? (picture sarcastic grin on his face) Can you give it a shot or something?” Arborist: “No.” (with confused expression) "Smell the bark you can smell the bacteria infection"
Danny: "I'll take your word on it." (Amy did in fact smell the bark and it did smell rotten.)
7. Amy can still rock the fast pass system at Disney.
6. Facebook and Twitter - really addictive. Do they have groups for that? See you all on facebook later.
5. When buying your first iPhone- don’t forget to ask how to use the phone instead of just how to install apps and numbers.
4. Insurance is a beautiful thing. Always, Always carry your card.
3. Blu Ray rocks and you DON’T have to replace all your DVDs!
2. Ambulances cost about $200 dollars per mile.
1. Maybe adults should be required to wear elbow pads when biking.
Bible Verses that have taught Amy this year:
I’ve worked really hard this year to relax more and find myself content- I tend to stress a lot. Here’s what I have learned.
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not for men.”
Proverbs 12:24-25 “Be diligent, Anxiety in the heart causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be afraid of them; for The Lord your God, He is one who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication-let your requests be made known to God.”
We’re Out!
Hope you have a wonderful 2010!
