Brian and I celebrated 4 years of marriage last week. Happy anniversary, Brian! Typical for us, we celebrated with FOOD! (Seriously, each year I think we're trying to out do - or out eat - ourselves from the previous year.) Year 1 & 2 - Fogo de Chao All you can eat steak Year 3 - Hayakawa Sushi DELICIOUS sushi Year 4 - Cheesecake Factory TOO many choices, so we got one of each! We usually talk about our "top 3" things from the year. Our highlight from this year was rock climbing together. No surprise there. :) Here are photos of ALL the food we ate this year. (We did order dessert, but it was "to go.")
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This has been a summer of trips for Amber! Poor Brian has had to stay home and work. I forget that not everyone has a summer vacation like teachers... My good friend Leslie and I took a trip to Blue Ridge, GA. Leslie and I were in the masters program together, so she has a summer break, too. Taking trips with art teacher friends is not only fun, but also helpful! We get to talk lesson plans, classroom stories, philosophy, etc. and bounce ideas. I treasure and am so thankful for the friends I made in my masters program. We had a lovely few days in the mountains. The weather was amazing - pleasant, sunny, but breezy. It was actually chilly at some points! Who would have thought we'd need a jacket in JULY in GEORGIA!? We packed in as much as we could -
Here is a sample of the 147 pictures I took: So I have decided that I am going to be one hot mess when and/if I have children! My cat is my fur baby; he's part of the family. I know I sound like a crazy cat lady, and he's just an animal...but I love him! I'm his mama. I have cried like a baby on many occasions when it comes to Wheatley. For example, when we first adopted him, the SPCA allowed us to take him home for the weekend. (His neuter surgery was scheduled for the following Monday.) After having Wheatley with us for three days, we had to put him back in his crate and drop him off at the SPCA. I cried all.the.way.home. I was so worried that Wheatley would think we didn't want him and were returning him! What's going to happen when I have a human kid with a first day of Kindergarten!? I'm going to be crying before we even get in the car... And then there's the little things I never thought I'd do...like this reminder I put on my front door. Wheatley had his annual check-up today, and I had to take in a fecal sample. Hence the reminder! He also had his rabies booster shot. I couldn't watch while they did it. Thank goodness he didn't cry like a human child might!
Unfortunately, my tears continued this evening. Wheatley had an allergic reaction to his vaccines. The poor thing kept shaking his legs and thumping them against the wall, furniture, and floor. We were jokingly calling him Thumper; but this continued for over two hours, and he couldn't settle or get comfortable. I started to worry. I decided to call the vet - just in case. I'm so glad they were open until 6 pm on a Friday! While I was on the phone Brian noticed Wheatley was breathing really quickly. When I told the nurse on the phone, her response was "Bring him in. See you in a few." Thankfully, with a few shots, Wheatley is fine! Did you know cats can take human benadryl? He's been prescribed another half tablet of human benadryl in the morning! We had to go buy some tonight. How funny is it that we bought him the name brand - even though the vet said generic was ok? And Brian and I buy generic everything for ourselves...? He's our fur-baby. Love him. Mama Ruth, my last remaining grandparent, passed away last week. Like in January with Nana, it was good to get the family together, even under the circumstances. Mama Ruth had been in a nursing home for almost 10 years; she hasn't remembered us for a long time because of awful dimentia. I am so glad I was able to visit her in January.
I take comfort in the fact that she's in a better place and reunited with Papa Gene. We drove by their old house. Memories flooded back. Listening to the train late at night. Asking Mama Ruth to sleep in the living room with us (she spoiled us!), and then being kept awake by her snoring. Sweet tea that gave me kidney problems by the end of the week. Papa Gene washing the car and cutting the grass in his suit. Sitting down to feasts of meals, lovingly prepared by Mama Ruth all.day.long. Going to church and sitting with Mama Ruth. Receiving chewing gum as a treat during church. Papa Gene taking us for ice cream at the local general store. Love her and the lessons, legacy, and memories she's left. Recently, I had the lovely opportunity to go on a girls' beach trip with two amazing grad school friends. These ladies have encouraged me, brainstormed with me, edited my papers, driven me 5+ hours to visit schools, discussed life, listened to me, and put up with my bed hogging at NAEA conferences. I am so lucky to have them in my life! It was amazing to get away, to relax, to recharge. We rode bikes, cooked together, played in the ocean, watched movies, and did some research and work. Here's a video Rebecca created that captures the fun we had: |
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December 2017
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