2010....ready for 2011

I would like to take the time to reflect on the past year Steve and I have had in 2010.  Steve and I made one of the biggest decisions of our lives to pack up everything in Tucson, leave friends, leave family, and great relationships we had built.  Moving to Seattle was one of the best things we could have done for ourselves.  We both have jobs now and have starting re-kindling old friendships, and have begun new ones.  I have really loved getting to know my new school and co-workers, and the students.  Each one of them are a blessing to me everyday with how positive and uplifting they are.  I could never ask for a better place to work everyday.  Steve has been elbows deep with Tri-med and is constantly helping patients everyday.  Steve has been offered a volunteer fire job with Skyway fire department and will be starting his training next weekend.  They will put him through the fire academy and help him begin his career as a firefighter.  We are now just praying that volunteering pays off in the end, and helps him get a career firefighter position somwhere soon in the Seattle area.  Steve will be working a 24 hour shift today...yes through NYE tonight so I pray that he stays safe and is able to help as many as he can with all of the crazy drivers on this night. 

I just hope 2011 brings us so many blessings that we had received this year.  We hope something big and great happens again to us !! My plans for today contain cleaning out our kitchen of all sugary desserts and leftover Christmas dinner....and picking up some other things around the house.  Yesterday, we took Maggie up to Snoqualamie to teach her to snowboard as well (which she did absolutely amazing), and I am still quite sore so I will definitely take it easy today.  Steve and I really don't like setting new year's resolutions for ourselves, but we do want to cut out excessive sugar and really pay close attention to what we eat.  We are pretty good about exercising and being financially responsible so I think we'll have another great year ahead of us.  Later this afternoon, I will be going to the Brousseau's to spend some quality time with them...and to celebrate the coming new year...and grade some papers I have left :(.

I will leave you with some of our pictures we have taken over the past couple of weeks I have been out for break. 

Downtown Seattle at Christmastime

Maggie's Birthday..Tubing at Snoqualmie

                                                                               Me

                                                                   Koriann and Alex

                                                                      Jim and Abby

                                                             All of us ready to TUBE

                                                             Alicia, Maggie, Maddie

                                                                   Steve and I

                                                                  The family at Christmas
                             Crystal, Nick, Abby, Jim, Maggie, Emily, Sadie, Me, Buddy, Steve and Riley

I hope you all have a great and fabulous New Year's Eve!! I hope 2011 brings you everything you hoped for!!

Season's Greetings!

(Steve's photo while snowboarding at Crystal Mountain...day after Thanksgiving...so beautiful)

I hope you all are enjoying this holiday season as much as Steve and I are!  Buddy is doing much better...regarding our last post...and is getting back to normal.  He is walking stronger and isn't as wobbly as he had been before.  I have definitely been enjoying my break from work and have been making myself very busy!  I've been catching up on my reading, shopping, cooking christmas cookies, wrapping presents, and enjoying my time with our family.  Steve and I were able to use free movie tickets today that I had gotten from a student.....a word to the wise....DO NOT go and see "How do you know"...I thought I was going to vomit at the end of the movie.  The plot was horrendous and I thought it would never end.

Anyways...I thought I would share with you some pretty pictures Steve has taken during the break...

Me, and the wonderful and talented Molly Keegan!  She's one of my students and Steve and I went to see her debut in the Nutcracker!  She was a beautiful snowflake! Way to go!

Our beautiful mantle in our house.  I just love decorating for Christmas!

Our decorated tree....I really do like having a real one!! It's very local!!

At Koriann's house.  We had a lovely early Christmas dinner...Hope you're enjoying St. Louis!

The following pictures were taken just a block from our house.  Since we live close to Lake Washington, there is lots to see and do.  There are a couple of restaurants and a pier to go and enjoy the scenery.  They also had done quite a lot of Christmas lights up for others to enjoy!

The last picture is an ornament that I had gotten for us while we were on our honeymoon in 2007.  Steve thought it was funny....he has truly become a great photographer these past few months.  I hope he enjoys my presents I had gotten him this year.  Tonight we're going to downtown Seattle to take more pictures and to go see the lights on the famous "Candy Cane Lane".  I am very excited!! 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season...Relax, Eat, and Enjoy time with loved ones.

Tis' the Season!

It is definitely the season for happiness, giving and sharing company with those that you love.  We are definitely starting to get into the Christmas spirit around our house.  I have Christmas decorations up, and have had our tree (real tree by the way) decorated for the last 2 weeks!  The only thing I still have left to do is....all of our shopping for presents!! Yes, we are those procrastinators that wait last minute to get your presents.  I'm planning to do a lot of shopping on amazon this year since it is so convenient, and I don't even have to leave the house! 
We did have a little bit of a tragedy yesterday on our hands.  Our dog Riley was acting crazy and had jumped on our other dog Buddy.  Steve and I didn't even see what happened, but all of a sudden we heard a blood curdling scream from Buddy.  He started dragging his legs and we knew we had to go to the vet.  Something bad happened to his back right leg and the doctor had told us that it could be a soft tissue injury, but she wasn't quite sure. We got him some anti-inflammatory medicine to help the swelling, and are hoping for the best.  The doctor also told us to watch him closely through the weekend to see if he is getting better.  He is still currently limping, falling down, and wobbling where he walks.  It makes me want to cry to see him like this.  If he doesn't get any better we have to take him to the vet and have him sedated ($$), so the doctor can take several x-rays ($$$$) around $80-$150 each....and therefore almost deplete us for our Christmas budget. :(  Then we still have to pay for my damaged car from the snow storm during Christmas... :( :( 
It has been a very challenging past month for us, so please pray that Buddy is able to make it out ok without any surgeries, and it was just a small sprain.  Anyways, at least I only have this week left of school until the break and am very thankful for it!  God has definitely blessed Steve and I with great jobs that are able to help us get by with our necessities.  We are also blessed with such a loving and caring family that is always there for us.
Sorry for my rant....it's just our current situation at the moment and we're just hoping for the best outcome out of a crummy situation.  We do have lots to look forward to in the upcoming weeks and are so happy to have each other.
I hope you all have a very relaxing holiday surrounded by loved ones!
Buddy...Please pray for his health

Gobble, Gobble!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  Steve and I have been so fortunate this year with the move, our jobs, and a loving family.  Here's our list of what we have been thankful for this year.

We are Thankful for...
1. Having a wonderful family that will come and rescue you when you crash your car in the snow.... :( Thanks Jim and Abby...We love you!!!
2.  Having such wonderful friends that will always be there to provide us support
3.  Our Dogs that are always the best feet warmers
4.  Having a very succesful move up to the Northwest....no tragedies, it went very smoothly
5.  Both of us finally being Employed!!
6.  Actually enjoying our jobs too!  We are both very happy with our employers!
7.  Steve's very thankful for the abundance of snow, which provides lots of snowboarding time...(he's going up tomorrow)
8.  Finding a wonderful place to live...It is so amazing being right on Lake Washington, and close to The Landing that is very fun and entertaining!
9.  Our great health
10.  Being able to get by on what little we have for money...we are great penny pinchers, and are very frugal with our little salaries!
11.  Having each other...we are always there for each other through thick and thin, I am there to comfort Steve and support him as he tries to get a firefighting job, and he comforts me when I crashed my car in the snow and came home balling my eyes out!  I would have never asked for anyone else in the world, he's perfect for me.
12. We have wonderful places to visit my family, and they are so caring and thankful to have us!
13.  The new city we live in.  Seattle is such a diverse and beautiful city to explore, hike, shop, and to get out and experience the world. Even though I am scared to death to drive here in the snow, I love the actual changes of the season.
14.  Having such a large amount of family now living close to us.  It is so nice to enjoy everyone's loving company.
15.  The seahawks and the cowboys are starting to turn around in the NFL! ....?
16.  The Cougs beat Oregon State!! (Steve mostly)
17.  Steve's new Audi (used)....it's so pretty!
18.  All Wheel Drive Cars
19.  Teaching myself how to make Scones!!
20.  Having a wonderful class of students.  It is nice to see children with manners!
21.  Having a nice set of teachers and friends to work with everyday.
22.  Rediscovering my love of Starbucks.  I have never seen so many people line up for any starbucks, and go multiple times during the day.  Thank you Pike Place Roast with 2% milk, 2 sugars, and 2 pumps of Vanillla!  And Skinny Vanilla Latte's...Yumm!!
23.  HD Tv....how did we survive without it!
24.  My new love of boots!  I've never owned a pair until I moved here and I love them!
25.  Our love of music....
26.  The producers of GLEE.....I love their creative, witty minds!
27.  College Football....Go Cougs! Boomer Sooner!
28.  Phone Calls from old Friends
29.  Hot Chocolate and my Vanilla Chai Tea on our cold nights
30.  A warm fire with someone to snuggle with on the couch!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving stuffing your faces, and have someone else to share the joy of the holidays with!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Relaxing Day...and some Thanks!

Thankfully, I have the day off from Veteran's Day.  Yesterday at school, we had a very nice assembly honoring our veterans and their families.  So we all have the day off today to honor our hard-working veterans and remember ones we've lost.  Today, I've been taking it very easy...Steve and I woke up very lazily this morning enjoying the Today show and some oatmeal in bed.  Then he left for work, and I slept for another hour.  I woke up and ran 4 1/2 miles!! I have really been proud of myself lately for building up my cardio stamina.  I can really tell that my legs are getting toned!  After, I had my breakfast and coffee, and now I'm blogging and procrastinating on the computer.  I have some other things planned today like grading papers, and reading but for now they seem very unappealing.  So I've been catching up reading my blogs, and came across some of my favorite pictures from a Seattle photographer (one of his pictures is above).  I love reading blogs especially from Seattle bloggers, and blogs from old friends to catch up on what is going on. 

I am getting very anxious for Thanksgiving.  This time of year is my favorite.  I really enjoy celebrating holidays with families and friends, and having a good time with each other.  I really do enjoy how it actually starts to get colder in Seattle during the Fall/Winter Seasons, unlike Tucson, which is still in the 90-80 degree temperatures.  Every night we snuggle up on the couch with hot tea or hot chocolate and watch our fire crackling until we fall asleep.  It's very comforting and nice to have each other with our puppies underfoot or laying on top of us. 

I am also excited to cook and make Thanksgiving dishes in two weeks!  I love watching the parade while getting all of the food prepared.  I usually did all of the cooking with my mom every year, but because of the move I'll be all on my own.  We're having Thanksgiving dinner at Steve's dad's this year and I'll be sharing cooking duties with Abby and Koriann. 

Next post will be my list of the things I am thankful for.  I hope you all have a nice rest of your week and weekend!  Make sure to thank a Veteran!! 
Take Care!

Happy Halloween!!

I hope all of you have a fantastic, and safe Halloween this year.  I love seeing all of the kids (and adults) dressed up for all of the festivities having fun...and I love how Steve and I sit at home watching old scary movies and eating candy!!  This past week was very eventful and busy.  At school we are wrapping up our Salmon unit and the kids were able to create a salmon "fish print" and we had a science teacher come in and dissect a salmon for the kids to see.  These salmon were the largest I've ever seen up close...they were around 30 pounds and very smelly!  The kids absolutely loved it and their faces were extremely memorable.

My mom was also able to come and visit us this weekend.  She came into town Thursday evening and has done lots of fun things with us.  Abby, our step-mother (in law) gave my mom a tour around downtown seattle, doing "tourist" things, we had dinner with Steve's dad and step-mom Friday night, and we were able to go shopping at Bellevue square yesterday, along with eating great food!!  Last night we topped off the evening with fish tacos and watched The Shining with Steve's mom that also came to visit us.  It is always nice to have family come to visit and enjoy their company. 

We don't have a lot of other big plans coming up....Steve will be on a ride-along with the Everett fire department next weekend so I'll have to entertain myself somehow all next Saturday, but it will definitely give me time to catch up on my books I'm reading.  We're very excited for Thanksgiving coming up and our relaxing holiday weekend then.  I have really grown to love the fall season in the Northwest.  It is so beautiful to see all of the leaves changing colors and the cool, crisp air off the lake every morning.  I have really started to love my new home.

Enjoy our salmon dissection picture.....and have a great week!!

Settling In....

Sorry I have not posted in over a month. Steve and I have been unpacking into our new place and rediscovering life on our own again! We now live in Renton, right on Lake Washington and we are loving every minute of it. We are focusing on our new jobs still, and are doing everything we can to spruce up the new place, and start relaxing. I don't have any pictures of our townhouse where it is "all apruced up", but I have a few from when we first moved in. We still need a few more furniture pieces and will get them soon....IKEA is the best place ever...and so affordable!

Here are some pictures we haven't posted yet. They are from our previous residence, our new place, and from our weekend trip to the Seattle Arboretum. Enjoy and have a great week enjoying the fall weather!!

Our last pictures from Maple Valley.
Mount Rainier in our backyard...

Jim and Abby's beautiful backyard...

View from our new bedroom window

Our new living room packed with our things (doesn't look like this anymore!)

Our beautiful lake sunsets

Arboretum Pictures






~~Kim

We're Moving!!!

Yes....in 6 days we are moving!! We have finally found a fabulous townhouse to rent that is in a great location. The townhomes are located right on Lake Washington, close to the Landing shopping center, movie theater, Seahawks training facility and Boeing. We even get a view of the lake right from our bedroom!! We have definitely felt very blessed these last few months staying with Steve's dad and family, finding amazing jobs and now finding a home of our own. Today we were able to go look at our new place and have started planning our furniture and the arrangement of it. On Friday night Steve and his dad will be painting the bedrooms, Saturday we will be going to Ikea :) to get our furniture, and Sunday we will move everything out of storage. We are very excited and ready to begin life on our own!!

I will leave you with some of Steve's latest photography projects...the Brousseau's backyard...downtown Seattle...and Mount Rainier! Enjoy and pray we have little stress from the move!

Labor Day Weekend and School has Started!!

Hello All!
Since I have taken the time to relax from work this weekend, I am blogging! From the last time I blogged, Steve and I went to the John Mayer/Keith Urban concert that was absolutely amazing! We had seen John Mayer two years ago and Steve and I have since really loved his music. Seeing him with Keith Urban was the icing on the cake! They did several songs together and it was great to have finally seen a country concert...I haven't seen one since Kenny Chesney back in 2004. It was very strange to be wearing a jacket at a summer concert (we saw the concert at the Gorge which was so pretty, yet got very chilly at night). I'm used to the sweltering hot Texas/Arizona concerts! It was a nice change!

I have also started the school year at my new school! I'm still teaching 3rd grade and absolutely love my students. They are all so kind and caring for one another...and I have several students who love to read! This year is going to be amazing....lots of hard work but I feel I will have great success!

Yesterday Steve and I went to visit his mother, brother, sister-in-law and his nephew in Lynnwood. Every time we go to Lynnwood we always have to go to the Edmonds Beach dog park because the dogs love it! I've posted pictures of the dog park before, it is so beautiful and lots of fun-loving dogs are always there. Today Steve has to work :(....so the rest of the family and I are going to the zoo! (yes in the rain but it will definitely be fun)....

Here are some pictures of my new classroom, one last Rainier picture, and the family at the dog park. (Steve is really loving our new camera and is starting to become a true photographer!) :)

Hope you have a great rest of your Labor Day holiday!