Blessed

There are some days it just becomes so obvious with how much we are blessed. Today was one of those days! I was driving home from work and just took a moment to look at the beautiful fall colors. Driving down the freeway, you can see the tops of the trees as far as the eye can see up against the mountainous backdrop. Seeing all of the bright oranges, reds and yellows just made me realize what a creative artist God is.
When Rob and I decided to get married, I worried about making new friends in Reno. Then when we bought a house in the "boonies" I really worried about it. But, we have been blessed with quite the social life, which keeps us busy. We are busy with friends and neighbors every weekend and usually are doing social things during the week as well. My worry was unfounded and I keep more busy than I imagined.
Life is good and full of many blessings- big and small!

Differences

Everyone and everything is different. My philosophy is, just because I may do something different or think different than someone, I respect the differences. For example, it was Rob's birthday yesterday. When it's my birthday I want the world to celebrate it with me, complete with cake, presents and a big to do. Rob, on the other hand, doesn't even want his birthday acknowledged. As hard as it was to do so, I respected that and didn't even wish him a happy birthday. The closest I got was when our neighbor put a candle in a piece of lasagna and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
Animals have their differences as well. This afternoon we went on a horseback ride with the lady that had sold us Dixie. Much to my relief, she wanted me to ride the mellow Buckskin. About half hour into the ride, it became obvious that the mare and I were not meshing well. I'm still gun shy around horses and, with my elbow still healing, I just wanted the ride to be over. But, Sheila noticed my difficulty and traded horses with me. Although she wasn't sure that the trade was a great idea, "Silly Filly" was a much better fit for me. She did well even though she didn't have a bridle for me to control (I use that term loosely!) her with. After getting on, I really enjoyed the ride and the beautiful weather!
So, the key is to respect and appreciate the differences life has to offer!!

Thursday

(I didn't have a clever title.) Today has ended on a pretty good note. Rob and I have been worried because something was wrong with Dixie's leg. Rob thought it was going to be bad enough to have to return her. But, a vet came up and said her "feet" are just bruised. At least that's the current diagnosis. She said if she isn't walking better in a couple weeks then she'll come back and re-evaluate. It was a good vet for two reasons...it wasn't as expensive as we thought it'd be and because it looks like Dixie will be staying here indefinately.
The other good thing is that I survived the day as acting principal! It was a nice change from the classroom but it just confirmed that I still love being a teacher. One day I may be ready to go into admin. but for right now I am happy being in my classroom each day, with my own students.
That's about it and I'm hungry. So, the day keeps getting better because we're going to Olive Garden for Date Night....wahoo!!!

Bay Area Weekend

Rob and I just got back from an enjoyable weekend in the Bay Area. We left Friday after work to get the weekend started. Once we got to the San Jose area we went out country line dancing. There was a mechanical bull there so Rob obtained a quick fan base. People were cheering because he was an enthusiastic rider who rode the longest. Saturday we slept in, had breakfast at a quaint diner then headed to the city to visit the Golden Gate Park. We went to the de Young museum to see the aquarium. Although it was crowded, I enjoyed my afternoon there (Rob didn't like all the people). We weren't able to get into the planetarium or rain forest exhibit but we were impressed with the aquarium. After watching the Red Sox game last night we went country line dancing again. This morning we repeated yesterday morning's routine. Then we headed to the Jets/Raiders game (Rob is a huge Favre fan so my parents had got us tickets for an early b-day celebration for him). Boy, I thought Kings fans were loud! Nothing compares to Raider Nation!! I do have to say that the fans that surrounded us were very friendly and fun to watch the game with. We almost witnessed 2 fights but both were difused before punches were thrown, much to my relief. Unfortunately, the Jets lost as did the Red Sox. But, we still had a fun weekend. On the way home we were discussing ways to get rich so we didn't have to work again. Our weekend time together is too short. But, at least the time is filled with a lot of fun memories!!

B-day pics

My dad emailed me pics from the day. One pic includes me, Rob, Josh and Ashley with Roxy but I have a horrible, mad look on my face so I decided not to include it. Enjoy the rest....my brother with Dixie (yes, that is snow in the background... 3 1/2 inches overnight), the others of me and my parents.

Birthday Fun!

Rob and I share birthdays just two weeks apart. So, even though yesterday was my birthday, we celebrated both of our birthdays (or part of Rob's). My parents, Josh and Ashley drove up to Reno to bring me a birthday cake (YUM!), take us to lunch and give me my present. Josh and Ashley got to see the house for the first time and everyone got to meet Dixie. After my family left, Rob and I had a relaxing afternoon. Then we met up with our friends, Matt and Jena, for the evening. We had dinner downtown then went to the Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson concert as my birthday present to Rob. I loved the concert, as did Rob, but he said it was a little too loud. I told him that was a sign that he was getting old! It was a fun day and the best part is Rob and I get to keep celebrating next weekend in the bay area. (He is taking me to the bay area for part of my birthday present and we are going to the Jets/Raiders game as his birthday present from my parents.) I love birthdays!!!!

The First Snow!!

We've had our first official snow day! We woke up to temps. in the 20's and drove to work through snow flurries. Our house was in the 50's (on the inside), a tad colder than this Cali girl is used to. I bundled up for work and look more like a high school snowboarder than an elementary school teacher. The staff was teasing me because I am literally covered head to toe- beanie, gloves, Ugg boots, 3 layers of shirts and jackets. They tell me it's going to get worse as Winter arrives. YIKES! Poor Roxy and I have some adjusting to do to become official snow girls. I do have to say, it is pretty though!

Truckee Trek

Since Rob was working all weekend (surprise, surprise!), one of my friends, Kirsti (pictured above with her dog), drove up to Truckee to meet me for a walk. We both had our dogs and enjoyed a beautiful walk along the Truckee River. After walking about a mile we stopped at a little cafe, that overlooked the river, to have lunch. Once we got done with our walk, we drove up to Rob's job site to say hello for a minute. It was such a beautiful day. The conversation was great and the weather and scenery was perfect! Although there are some things I miss about home, I really love being up here in the Fall. It is pretty beyond description!

So Far Removed

Last night I got to celebrate a friend's birthday. She chose to have her birthday celebration at a restaurant inside the El Dorado. Driving down there, I called Rob because I can't believe how much downtown Reno is NOT part of our lifestyle. It was fun to go out, but I can count on one hand how many times I've been downtown since Rob and I first got together a year and a half ago.
After dinner, I bailed out early because I hadn't seen Rob much this weekend and missed him. It was fun to go out with the girls, but it was even nicer coming home to my husband. Unfortunately, I got lost trying to get to the freeway and ended up getting home even later than I had expected. But, even the delay was worth it. Once I got home, Rob and I laid in bed, talking, until around midnight. What a good Saturday night1!

BIG one.....

We are supposed to get a big storm tonight and tomorrow. If the clouds let loose as they are now it will be a downpour! In preparation, I am in the process of making Mom Herrington's homemade soup, I rented a couple movies and bought the only Kingsbury book I haven't read. After getting my sweats on, I plan to cuddle up with Rob for a quiet evening in. Then, tomorrow morning, I hope it's raining so I can lay in bed and read while listening to the rain come down. What a perfect Fall morning! I'm not quite ready for the snow yet but I'm really excited about the rain and cooler weather!!