Lovin' the new job

So summer is "over" and school is back in session! I'm sooo excited to be a part of my new school doing speech therapy. We have been doing lots of organizing, paper work, etc. It all sounds mundane, but my kids will start coming next week and I am so excited to meet all of them!

We haven't been doing much lately besides work. Russell is teaching 5th grade and even has a couple of my 4th graders from last year! Crazy, right? I'm so thankful that we both have the opportunity to educate these kids this year.

Can't write too much tonight because it's *gasp*, my bed time! I'm trying to get a lot of sleep and energy before grad school starts back up. Here's a peek at my decorated door for the speech room:

My hallway has a mural of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree, so I decided to make a jungle theme this year. Can't wait to meet my little toucans ;)

So much to be thankful for

So many good things are happening and I am blessed. The Lord has provided so many good things these past couple months and Russell and I are so thankful. I was recently informed that I will definitely be doing speech therapy come August for a job with an income and this is a huge answer to prayer. For a while, everything was up in the air and we didn't know how we were going to get me through grad school without a job. The Lord is faithful! Russell also got his contract renewed with his school, which is a big answer to prayer because of the budget crisis in Texas right now. I am so thankful for all that we have and couldn't be more happy. We in no way deserve all of this.

A couple weeks ago, I attended "Kick-Off" week in Denton for my graduate program. My friend Mariana and I were roommates and we got to relive the college experience! For me, I felt like I was immersed in an amazing program with wonderful professors. I learned so much in one week. We had class M-TH from 8-5:30-ish and on Friday we had all of our exams. It was definitely an experience to remember, but I made it out, and passed all of my exams! I am now back at home taking classes through our ESC and studying, studying, studying. I'm  also doing my summer practicum at an ESY program for a couple weeks and working with some amazing kiddos! I was a little nervous before going into this because I have never worked with children who had sever disorders or disabilities. These children have already touched my life so much and I get to help them communicate better. I know that speech pathology is the career for me and am so excited to be a part of this outstanding profession. I can't wait to learn more and work with more people.

Other than that, we are definitely soaking up summer vacation. Even though I have school, it is nice to have my husband home all day and do whatever we want. We're knocking out a lot of our summer projects for the house and hope to get it cleaned up. Today Russell textured a lot of walls and ceilings. We are trying to get rid of all the popcorn ceilings and we're making a lot of progress. One step at a time :) I am so thankful my husband is so handy.

Now I am blogging and sipping on a strawberry shake. It doesn't get much better.

It's almost time!!

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings." - Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter

I wish it were time to talk of those things! But, alas, it is time (almost) for school to start again! Today is August 1st. The Back to School month. Part of me cringes at this, while another part of me gets excited about decorating my classroom, planning lessons, and allowing my students to feel like family. Oh, and being called Mrs. Dot :) I have this weird thing about wanting the kids to call me Mrs. Dot, but I think DotSON is easy enough to not have to shorten it. So, in honor of this soon-to-be crazy month, I am writing out a list of things I am thankful for from this amazing summer, and things I have to do really soon!

Things I am Thankful For:

• Of course this is #1 on my list- GETTING MARRIED! I got to marry my favorite person in the world and get to spend the rest of my life with him. Our wedding was perfect and beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better day. I love Russell :)
• Spending precious time with my husband. We are very lucky in that we didn't have jobs to rush back to after our honeymoon, and instead got a 2 1/2 month honeymoon. I've loved getting to know him better and enjoying everyday with him.
• Our home. We have done so much to our home it's incredible. I'm excited to be making it ours and adding special touches to it. I know it'll be really nice coming home to it everyday after work!
• Our family. Our family has been so supportive of us this summer as we have gone through the process of getting more on our feet as a couple. Plus, they are just all around cool people. Thank you!
• Friends :-) I have a lot of friends that don't live near SA, but it has been fun to keep in touch with them and have dinner with the friends we have here.

Things I Need to Do....

• Finish final exams for Audiology and A&P by the 10th
• Get supplies neat and orderly for school (I kind of "dumped" hem in the garage on the last day of school since it was, well, 2 days before the wedding.
• Buy some cute outfits for teaching and finding Russell some dress pants and shirts for school... we're working on a budget, so this will be a task.
• Keep a food & exercise diary starting tomorrow... I've committed to a race in October and need to get my rear in gear! I've started eating Greek yogurt for breakfast and need to work on making lunch and dinner healthy, yet tolerable, meals. I also need to make use of my gym membership... starting tomorrow morning!
• Organize various areas of the house... not.as.fun.
• Revamp my school website to fit the 2010-2011 school year: livelaughlearn dot us
• Buy textbooks for next semester

This is a lot to do! But not overwhelming. Maybe just whelming. ;-) If you've read this far, thank you! If not, I understand :-) Here's to the new month!!

Ode to Married Days

So, we've been married for 17 days. I must say, that sounds like a long time! I know it's just over two weeks, but I'm amazed! It feels like our wedding was just yesterday :)

Right now, my love is sitting next to me reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Something I will always love about Russell is his passion for reading, and life in general. I thought I liked to read, but my babe LOVES to read. It's just so much more peaceful than video games, television, etc. and he's growing his mind. The pugs are asleep at our feet, and I (of course) am blogging.

I started classes last week for Speech Language Pathology. I only missed one question on my first A&P test, and have been [trying] to study a lot. It's hard when there's so much more to do! But, I will remain diligent, because the taste of an A+ is just too good.

Russell and his dad have been working on our kitchen. We are re-staining the cabinets an espresso brown color, adding granite counter tops, and adding a bar! There's been a lot of progress so far and I'm excited about it all. I will have to post pics as the end result gets nearer.

We are still trying to find a church in SA. Please be in prayer for us with that because it's becoming a lot harder than we thought it would be.

Tomorrow my SISTER is coming to visit us! I love that I have a sister now. My beautiful niece and nephew are coming too. I think we will have lunch at a Greek restaurant and just enjoy each other! I'm excited :)