Ten Years and a Love Story

Today is our TEN YEAR wedding anniversary! We got married at the ripe old age of 20, and it was the best decision I've ever made!

I thought I'd share our love story in honor of this momentous occasion:

I met my husband, Max, for the first time during freshman orientation in college.

We were going around in a circle, introducing ourselves and saying where we were from. This was a tricky question for me since my family started out in California, but moved to France when I was seven. And then, to make things even more complicated, I attended a boarding school in Germany for high school.

So when it came around to my turn, I said, "California, France, and Germany," and that's how I made the nerdiest first impression with my future husband.

I didn't see much of him after that, even though we lived in the same dorm. We started hanging out rather randomly in April of that year. I sat next to him at a dorm picnic and asked him, by way of an ice breaker, if he was Canadian. He wasn't.

Our relationship really kicked off on my birthday, when we got into an impromptu cake fight, chasing each other, laughing, and getting frosting everywhere.

Shortly after that, our first year of college had ended, and I flew back to Germany to spend the summer with my family. Max and I emailed each other back and forth during that time, and checking my inbox was the absolute highlight of my day.

I half-jokingly invited him to come over and visit with me and my family. You know, because it's not like Michigan and Germany share a border or anything. To my utter surprise, he did! One day during his two week trip, we toured the World War 1 trenches, and it was there that we "officially" started dating. August 10th, 2001.

We held hands. We cuddled. We hugged. But we didn't kiss.

I had told him right off the bat that I wasn't ready to kiss him yet. (Truthfully I had never kissed anyone before, and the idea was terrifying!) He was a trooper about it!

As the months progressed, we knew we were meant for each other, and we knew we wanted to get married soon. We decided to save our first kiss for the altar.

We were married on August 10th, 2002, precisely one year after we started dating. (I like to tell people it's because we're organized, but actually it was just a coincidence!) By this time, I was more than ready to kiss him :).

So there we were, standing at the altar: his dad and my dad (both pastors) up at the front, conducting the ceremony. It occurred to me right before dad said: "You may kiss the bride" that I was going to have my very first kiss ever right in front of all of these people!

I leaned in for the kiss. I thought it was going to be a huge, romantic moment in my life. And it was! But at the time I can only remember thinking: "Gee, this is wet!" He likes to say that I wouldn't let go of him when he tried to pull away... but that's his side of the story!

I'm glad we saved our first kiss (I can hold this over my daughter's head someday...). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, though. We were lucky in that we had a short engagement. But it definitely made our story special, and I believe that it deepened our relationship. Ten years and we're still going strong!

Learning the Hard Way

Just as I was feeling almost fully recovered from giving birth, an angry tooth made its' presence known in the back of my mouth.

Three months ago, I was eating my mini wheats and minding my own business when I chipped my molar. I chipped a major chunk of it off - like a quarter of the tooth - and I accidentally swallowed it with the rest of my cereal.

I was alarmed and a little concerned, but I didn't go to the dentist. I had some good reasons at the time, something about being pregnant and too busy.

My procrastination came around to bite me in the butt last week. The tooth became infected and I endured the most miserable and constant pain ever. Three straight days of popping Aleve and Tylenol ... wondering why it barely took the edge off, and just barely for an hour. The pain radiated through my mouth and even above my left ear. It was excruciating!

I found out that I needed a root canal. And I needed it FAST because I couldn't take the pain meds they prescribed since I'm breastfeeding exclusively. The closest office that could see me the soonest was thirty miles away. Since I'm breastfeeding exclusively and haven't started pumping or using bottles yet, I had to time the visit for between feedings.

Except that the office was so far away and the procedure so long (TWO HOURS) that my mom had to interrupt the procedure so that I could feed William.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was right at first when they gave me the novocaine to numb me up. My mouth went all slack and tingly, then the dentist dug right in. Except I FELT IT!! I wasn't numb enough! I was frantically moaning and waving my arms for her to stop!

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The absolute WORSTEST part (so bad that I'm making up words here!) was when she had to numb the nerve itself. A direct shot to the actual nerve. I gripped the dental hygenist's hands and screamed and cried as she did it. Worst five seconds of my life.

The bottom line here folks? Don't delay seeing a dentist. That whole root canal could have been prevented if I had had an underlying cavity filled as part of a regular visit. Sigh.

What painful life lessons have you learned recently?

Hostess with the Mostess

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday. We almost didn't, because I've been feeling the pressure to be perfect lately.

Have you ever noticed how Pinterest and beautiful blogs and magazines can make you feel like if you're not Martha Stewart, you have no business throwing a dinner party?

Although I love getting inspiration from around the internet, sometimes I feel like:

We should be drinking out of striped straws from mason jars.

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I should have place cards set out on the table.

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The centerpiece should be dazzling.

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Everything should be perfectly color coordinated.

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But I could only live up to that if I had an unlimited budget and gobs of time on my hands! And then I had a reality check: my friends are coming to see US, not the table decor. Who am I trying to impress here?

Needless to say, we had a lovely evening!

What about you? Do you ever feel this kind of pressure?

Whiner

When I was little, I whined a LOT. I remember when I was about five or six, and my dad was admonishing me for whining about something. "Stop using a whiny tone of voice!" he said.

And I replied (in my whiniest voice): "But I don't even know what whining SOUNDS like!!"

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As an adult, I still whine... but to myself. I've been feeling convicted of this lately in reading the book of Numbers. In chapter 11 it describes how the Israelites complained about the Lord's daily providence of manna to eat. They regretted ever having left Egypt (their place of slavery) because at least they had had meat to eat there. They wept at the entrance of their tents about the manna.

It's easy to read a story like this and shake my head at them. Those Israelites! Didn't they see that the Lord was taking care of them and providing for their needs? Couldn't they be grateful? What babies! They totally deserved that plague that God sent them as a result!

And then I turn around and have the same attitude about work. I have a lot I could complain about and rail against God about. Like how I have twice the students as my colleagues. Like how THIRTY percent of my students have major behavior issues. Like how I don't have a teacher assistant in the mornings like my colleagues do. And on, and on. 

Sometimes it's easy to think "poor me!" But in reality, this is my manna. This is what God has given me to pay the bills and help my husband get through his PhD. 

And when I think about feeling sorry for myself that I'll have to go back to teaching for at least one more year after the baby comes, I need to remember this life lesson from Numbers. I need to be grateful for the blessings He has given me, not resentful!

Linking up with Kelly and Casey today.

Gift Giving Traditions

I inadvertently started a gift giving tradition in 2004. It was the year we were all together in California with my grandma:

See how young we all look? (And it was only seven years ago!)

This was the year I made my grandma a scrapbook calendar. To say she loved it is an understatement. Here is ooohing and aaaahing over it:

I was so pleased she was happy with the gift! But now? Now she would like a scrapbooked calendar for every Christmas! And I can't blame her because they are pretty special. But it is a lot of work... a labor of love for me as I look back on our year and collect all the photos I can.


Do you have any gift giving traditions?

Overwhelmed Much?

I'm a bit stressed out at the moment. Feeling quite overwhelmed, actually.

There's lots I NEED to do, but can't find the time for. There's lots I WANT to do, but it's taking a backseat to my need-to-dos.

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Ever feel like that?

And when I look at all that I meant to accomplish and didn't... it makes me feel like a failure. Like an ineffective teacher. Like a sub-par housewife. Like a bad blogger.

Fortunately, my self-worth isn't wrapped up in how many things I've crossed off my to-do list!

When I get to heaven, no one is going to ask me what my students' test scores were.

No one will ask how many times I vacuumed.

No one will ask if I was faithful in blogging five times a week.

The only thing that matters is if I've loved and served the Lord.

Let this be my number one priority!

Giving Thanks

It's a Give Thanks link up party and Thankful Thursday! What a perfect opportunity and a perfect season to remember the many reasons we have to be grateful.

Below is my short list:

Max (aka: most bestest hubby in the whole wide world):

Barney:

My job (even though it can be a total roller coaster):

Our newly remodeled kitchen:

Family coming into town for the holidays:

What are you thankful for?

 

First World Problems

Last Friday I decided to treat myself to a tall pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

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I went to a different Starbucks than I usually do because I was on my way to do some errands. When I walked in, there were four people working behind the counter, and two people ahead of me in line.

Even so, I waited SIXTEEN minutes for my drink. (Yes, I'm the crazy person who times people when annoyed.)

When I got my drink and walked out to my car, I realized that the cup felt a little light. I opened the lid and, sure enough, it was only filled two thirds of the way. I should have walked right back in there and asked them to fill it to the top.

I was in a hurry, though (see the above 16 minute wait), so I just sipped my drink and made it last as long as I could.

And I was in a bad mood.

How dare they not fill my drink to the top? How dare they make me wait? I was so annoyed and disappointed.

And then I realized that God was listening to my mental temper tantrum.

And then I realized what a selfish and petty jerk I must sound like.

And then I realized what a very FIRST WORLD kind of problem it was to have.

And then I realized I really ought to be grateful that I have the $3.75 to drop on a drink. A drink I didn't have to walk miles to get. A drink made with clean water. A drink I don't even need in order to live.

And then I thanked God for His forgiveness!!!

Undeserved Blessings

I was in the living room when my husband Max called to me from the backyard.

"Sarah, come see this before the cats destroy it!"

There, to the side of our rather unkempt lawn was a thing of unexpected beauty:

We didn't plant it. We didn't know the green stalk that was growing there was getting ready to bloom. But we did delight in it!

How often do stop and take stock of all of our blessings, both the expected and the unexpected? Do I have an attitude of gratitude or do I go through my life taking blessings for granted and always wanting.... more?

" ...  I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. " Phillippians 4: 11-12

Coloring Outside the Lines

As you may know, I teach kindergarten and first grade as a special education teacher for children with hearing loss. When I'm not pulling my small group of children out for reading instruction, I'm helping them inside of their general education homeroom.

There's a lot of coloring and drawing involved in Kindergarten. Some kids are really good at coloring inside the lines. They have strong fine motor skills. Other kids..... scribble. They often use only one color crayon and go to town! Part of this is that they're developmentally not ready to color inside the lines yet.

So I kind of wince a little every time their teacher urges them to "Color inside the lines! See? Like this!"

Plus the artist inside of me wants to encourage as much colorful rebellion as possible :)

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Do you have kids? How do you react to scribbles? 

Linking up with Casey today!

Friends Forever

It would be super nice if I had the kind of life where friends would drop by my place all the time, unannounced.

But, this isn't a T.V show, and my college years are long gone. Instead, my friends are spread out all over the country and many of them live inside my computer (haha!). Thank goodness I married my best friend or I would be the crazy cat lady.... ahem.

Still, there are times when I really wish I had local friends that I could call up to go shopping or out for a bite to eat. Getting together with friends from work has been difficult, and there's only one other person I've befriended since moving to Texas.

It doesn't help that I'm rather introverted to begin with... and tend to do better hanging out with just one or two other people at a time!

I absolutely love blogging, and I cherish the personal connections that I've made from it! There are times, though.... times when I miss the face-to-face interaction.... ya know?

Linking up with Casey

Doing the impossible

Hi, my name is Sarah and I was hired to do the impossible. Well.... technically I was hired to teach children with hearing impairments how to listen and to speak (the kids wear hearing aids and no sign language is involved.)

Yep. I'm about at that point where I take stock of the students on my caseload and declare that I'm expected to make miracles happen. I mean, how else am I going to get 5 kindergartners and 3 first graders who are deaf/hard-of-hearing and at least a year behind grade level up to speed? How am I going to get them reading on grade level when half of them don't have the oral language to speak in a complete sentence?

It's easy to get overwhelmed - especially when you add all of the other pressures of teaching into the mix.

It's at times like these where I need to slow down and get back the right perspective. Twenty years down the road, my students are not going to remember if they mastered rhyming words in Kindergarten. They won't remember if they got all caught up by the end of the academic year.

But what they will remember? Me. 

Was I the stressed out teacher who didn't have time to smile? The teacher who gave them an endless stream of worksheet packets? The teacher who often raised her voice in frustration?

Or was I the teacher who showed them I cared? Did I smile and laugh and slow down enough to follow their tangents sometimes? Did I go the extra mile to make a dry curriculum fun and engaging? Did I let them know they were loved?

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There's a lot of work to do with these little ones. I need to remember to keep shining my light!

Linking up with Casey today!

Sewing Machine Adventures

I wish I was better at sewing - I'm really only a beginner! I recently made this half apron from two pillowcases (tutorial here) for my sister:

It's a good thing it's not something you wear outside of the house because the stitching is anything but straight (I even had to glue down a section in the back). Oh and the pocket flaps are frayed because I forgot to fold it under before sewing. Um, and the pockets may be slightly uneven.

So I told my sister not to inspect it too closely... Someday I will master the sewing machine, but until then I'll be a happy paper crafter (and plug away at the sewing machine whenever I find the time!)

I can't be perfect at everything and I need to be okay with that :). That's what's on my heart today!

(Linking up with Casey)

Kitchen Remodel - The Big Reveal

The kitchen was the only part of the house we weren't totally in love with when we bought this house two years ago. Maybe you can see why:

We talked about remodeling it someday, but I always thought it was just one of those things we were going to talk about but never do.

Then one day in May (during my husband's one week break between classes) I came home to find that Max has taken off all of the kitchen cabinets. SURPRISE! We're redecorating.

What started off as a one week project turned into about three weeks. Max didn't realize that it would take two 12-hour days just to peel off the 45 year old wall paper. Since we were repainting the cabinets, there was a lot of sanding to be done. In fact, there were lots and LOTS of tedious steps. Here's just a snippet:

I'm excited to show you our new and improved kitchen! Ready!? MOVE THAT BUS!

Print from Laura Amiss

 Blue and White

 I love our deep freezer!

 Original paintings from Blue Egg Watercolors

Curtains from IKEA

 Rug and towels from good ol' Target

Recipe box - I should really use it more!

My heart is full - I love my new kitchen and I love my husband for all the sweat and tears he poured into it!!

(Linking up with Casey today!)

Sisterly

I'm currently in New Jersey, visiting my sister (she's on the left in the picture; I'm older) and my heart is full. We are doing lots of sisterly stuff, like:

thrift store shopping

doing cheesy photo shoots

eating gobs of ice cream

antiquing

laughing over silly things

going to cafes

reminiscing

All these things that we are deprived of save for once (and if we're super lucky, twice) a year. I wish we lived closer!

What about you? Are you close with your siblings?

(Linking up with Casey!)

Do you know what your siblings look like?

Tomorrow (Friday), we make the 25 hour drive from Texas to New Jersey. Why would we do such a thing? For family! We'll be visiting my sister and brother-in-law for a few weeks.

My sister and I are very close, but not in terms of distance. (I haven't seen her since Christmas!) That's what makes our time together sooooo special. I would really love to live in the same city as her - even if it's just for a few years - at some point in our lifetime.

Another reason why this trip is super special is that I'll be visiting my younger brother too!

He's in Maine, so we'll just keep driving to see him. I haven't seen him in TWO YEARS!!!! The other day I wondered out loud to my hubby: "I wonder what my brother looks like nowadays?" (He really doesn't post any pics on Facebook or anything). And then I got kinda weirded out... that's not a question I should have to ask!

In any case, despite the LOOOONG road trip, I'm EXCITED!!

I'm linking up with Casey!