WE'RE Pregnant?!

Hello again! It has been a while! In fact, since my last post, something huge has happened... We're expecting a baby! Our little fella is due to join us on 12/12/12! Crazy due date, huh?

So in light of the human that is growing in my belly, I was inspired to write.

You know what I despise?
When people (women) say "We're pregnant!"

I love my husband and I am so thankful and blessed to be starting a family with him. He is very supportive and has been great at indulging my cravings. He doesn't mind if dinner isn't cooked or if the house is dirty. He lets me cry when I'm super pregnant emo and doesn't get frustrated with me. He's okay with the fact that I won't cook red meat right now and he seems to be getting used to sharing the bed with me and my huge Snoogle pillow. He's not intimidated by the long list of honey-dos I've made him and I've never once heard him complain. He loves feeling our boy move and talks to him regularly. He's been working hard and saving money so that I can take 12 weeks off work. In a word, he's AMAZING.

But, he's not pregnant.

He wasn't nauseous for 9 weeks. He's been enjoying his adult beverages. His feet aren't swollen. He didn't have to have 2 of those wonderful sonograms where the probe DOESN'T go on your belly. He doesn't waddle. His clothes still fit him just fine. He has tons of energy. He doesn't have heartburn. He's not stopped up and he's not having random nosebleeds. He's not crying for NO reason.

He's not pregnant. I am.

And while he gets to skip out on all of the worst of it, he's also missing the best of it. He doesn't get to experience a baby boy growing and moving and changing in his belly. I do. And yes, I get uncomfortable and I hurt at times, but I'm experiencing the most incredible thing in life. God chose me to do this.

We are not pregnant. We are getting ready to start a family, and it is such an overwhelming but absolutely INCREDIBLE feeling.

The Story

A month or so ago, our church began an awesome journey. In the light of a new book by Max Lucado called The Story, our pastor set us all on a mission-- to read the entire Bible. Now, I will admit, as a person raised in the church, I have vowed (and even attempted) to do this upon several occasions, but I have failed. The task has always seemed so big, so daunting, and honestly, so impossible... Until now.

The Story is a book that tells the story of the Bible in chronological order, and it is divided in to 32 chapters. Our church is doing a book study, and our pastor is preaching over one chapter a week. People, this means that I will have read the entire bible before Thanksgiving!!!! How cool is that?! By reading a chapter a week, not only is the task feasible, it is more understandable! I am loving it... And I feel so blessed to be a part of a church that is helping so many of us achieve this goal.

It's going to be an incredible ride.

I Gave In...

I am now on Book 3 of the Hunger Games Trilogy, thanks to a coworker and boredom during the STAAR test.

Let's be honest-- They are EVERYTHING they're cracked up to be and then some. At the rate I'm going, I'll be finished in a couple of days. They're just THAT good.

In other news, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Such a wonderful reminder that He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!!!!! :)

STAAR is Over... Phew!

This past week, my 8th graders took their Math STAAR test. If you don't know, we have progressed from the TAAS we took when I was in school, to TAKS, and now to STAAR. This new test is supposed to have more rigor, be longer, and a lot more intense. Needless to say, the entire feeling around the school in the last few months has been anxiety of the unknown, stress of preparing our students, and pure exhaustion of both teachers and students. We have worked out tails off.

Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling a lot of pressure. I was thankful that in only a few short hours my students would be finished; however, I couldn't help feeling anxious about how they would do.

My principal came by first thing that morning to ask how I felt (truly probably already knowing the answer)... I spewed out my fears for my students and my stresses, and he just this... "Ally, remember: the battle is ours, but the outcome is the Lord's."

With those simply, but oh so powerful words, I felt my shoulders relax and tears of thankfulness formed in my eyes. How could I have forgotten? How could I have gotten so caught up in my fears to remember what the Lord says-- That fear is the opposite of faith. At at the end of the day, I have faith. I have faith that I did all that I could to prepare my students... Faith that I fought a good battle.

Now, I just need to wait for the outcome that the Lord already has planned.

Songs That Never Get Old

Lately I have been hearing some of my old faves, and I realized that I should be over them by now. However, for some unknown reason, they just don't get old!! So anyhow, here they are:

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

"It Ends Tonight" by All American Rejects

"Sugar We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy

"Miracle" by Foo Fighters

"Good Life" by OneRepublic

"High" by James Blunt

Anything by David Gray, David Ramirez or Dave Barnes or Evans Blue

"All the Same" by Sick Puppies

"Fix You" by Coldplay

"Ever the Same" by Rob Thomas

"Prelude 2/21" by AFI

"9 Crimes" by Damien Rice

"Ghost" by Howie Day

"Everything" by Lifehouse

"Coming Undone" by Korn

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne

"Element" by Moses Mayfield

That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure there are many many more. Check some of them out (especially the ones you've never heard of)! You won't be disappointed!! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

From my family to yours!!!!

PS- In 2007, I got Valentine's flowers from an anonymous person... If you're that person, can you please come forward? I think 5 years of anonymity is enough, don't you? I'm just sayin...

Have a great day!! Oh and by the way-- My heart-shaped cinnamon rolls did NOT turn out. Dang!

These Are My Confessions...

Well, it's been a crazy few weeks and I feel like getting some things off of my chest:

1. I am now helping coach my school's cheerleading squad. It has been a month since I've agreed and there have already been about, um, 76 times that I asked myself what I was thinking! No really, it is going to be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to getting to have a different relationship with my students. Truth be told, being the Math teacher kinda sucks sometimes.

2. I just ate a chocolate cookie, and I don't even really like cookies that much.

3. As much as I LOOOOVE music, I did not watch the Grammy's, nor was I tempted to. I think award shows annoy me more than I let on. I don't know why, but they annoy me.

4. I FINALLY watched Breaking Dawn Saturday night. My husband watched it too. He talks a big game, but I think he actually likes it. Shh... Don't tell. Wait, aren't these MY confessions? So, anyway, what is it about the stinkin' Twilight books/movies that make my inner 13-year old come out?? I loved it, by the way.

5. I'm really wishing I hadn't eaten that cookie... It was massive by the way. I got the recipe off Pinterest because my hubby loves cookies like I love music. It was delish, but I think I did something wrong because they didn't look like the pictures. Oh well!

6. I have been writing a book for a few years. Only two people know about it (until now, of course)! I keep getting writer's block. I'm thinking I might have it finished by 2042 at the rate I'm going.

7. I am very honored by winning a blog award from my friend Ryan. She is A-Mazing! Silly girl thinks that just because I post lots of baby pictures that I'm ready for babies of my own. You see, the thing is, I love my niece and I love my friends' babies, and the pics of them are cuter than the other pics on my computer. So sue me! :)

8. I'm secretly afraid that teaching 13-year olds has squashed my want to have children. Don't get my wrong, I have some great students, but whoa are they moody! I live in my own little soap opera.

9. My husband just named my cookies, "coonies" because he says they're like a mix of a cookie and brownie. Told you they didn't turn out like the ones on Pinterest!!

10. I am loving Project Scripture. I am on week 7 and the verse is:

"For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith-- And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Welp, I guess that's enough for now. I am exhausted and am getting up early in the morning to attempt heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for my hubby for V-Day. Wish me luck! Have a great week!