Friday

I have too much on my "to-do" list at school to be typing a blog entry. It is the 100th day of school today. Teachers received a t-shirt that said "My students are 100 days smarter!" and they were allowed to wear them with jeans. I didn't receive one--I guess since I'm not a teacher--I'm a speech pathologist--so we were given a notice that if we didn't get a t-shirt, we could wear jeans today as well WITH A GREENBRIER shirt. Rosmary, the other SLP in our school, said Well Mrs. Brooke--I guess that means you're going to have to dig out that shirt you gave away. I said no ma'em...I will just not wear jeans today! There's always a way to beat the system! Josh begged me to put it on this morning. I looked at him like he had lost his mind :)

Moving on...I promise I won't blog about the hidious shirt anymore. We watched the Clemson/VA Tech basketball game last night. It was a big ACC match up and I think VA Tech is better than the country gives them credit for. Clemson really needed to win last night. At the half (may I add, a VA Tech swooped a beyond half court basket at the buzzer!?!?!) we were getting beat. After the half, Clemson didn't look too much better. I had all but given up hope that we were going to win this game--we were down by almost 20 points. I started being silly about 3 minutes into the 2nd half and started doing old cheerleading cheers. (Am I really admitting this on my blog??) Y'all...for the 10 minutes I did cheers, Clemson made every basket and VA Tech missed every basket. Being the superstitious people that we are, I was about to DIE from screaming cheers. The outcome you ask? Clemson WON!!!! I have doomed myself now...Josh will be making me "cheer" every game now. If you could have been a fly on our wall last night...(well, any night probably...the things we do!) I always wonder if the neighbor thinks we're crazy. Basketball seems more intense than football...and it goes by a heck of a lot quicker too. We love OP!

One of the perks of working in public schools...

We were given these LOVELY Oobe (is that how you spell that?) shirts at our faculty work day last week...Please contain your jealousy. They gave each teacher in the entire district one of these babies. They even embroidered the Greenville County logo with our school name on it.

Do I sound ungrateful? They are made of this silky material. I was going to drop mine off at Goodwill...along with Jessica's and Sara's...they didn't want theirs either. Then I thought it wouldn't look too good if some of our parents showed up sporting them at a PTA meeting. What to do? What to do? Do you know what the REAL kicker is? They cost $60 EACH! I guess they didn't sell too well in the stores and so this was the solution to get rid of thousands of them.

No Plan Weekend

We have no plans this weekend--other than Josh going to the clemson basketball game tomorrow night! We've had a couple of "no plan" weekends--which is extremely rare for us, but it's been nice to do as we please and make plans as we go.
Last night we ran a couple of errands and ate dinner at Fuddruckers. We had a hankering for a good burger :) We came home and watched tv (Friday Night Lights is back on tv...Josh's favorite!) and went to bed fairly early. We slept in this morning and started cleaning as soon as we woke up. Our house was disgusting and it feels especially nice to have a clean home and not having to clean tomorrow after church! We're probably going to spend some time walking around downtown this afternoon.
Maybe we'll take our camera and get some pictures...we haven't taken any the past several weeks--therefore having nothing to post on the blog.
Happy Weekend, Everyone!

Bad News

I went to upload some pictures taken from my camera...turned it on...and the screen is completely blurry. What a bummer! We have only had our camera for a little over a year--I didn't drop it in water, I didn't drop it on concrete, I didn't drop it period...I have no clue what happened. I was investigating on Kodak.com and it seems that I will have to send it off and pay $60 for it to be fixed...not gonna happen. That is a little less than half of what we paid for it. I am going to take it to Ritz Camera and see if they can look into the situation. Luckily, my dad had given us his old camera and it's by Kodak as well--so we will use that until we decide to purchase another. How many digital cameras can I aquire, I ask? They are kind of like cell phones...you have to update them! Too bad they don't offer deals when you sign a new 2 year contract with a camera :)

Another ounce of bad news...NO snow day for us today! I was at least banking on a two hour delay...no such luck :( I think the snow completely swept around Greenville County. My brother and my mom both didn't have school today--I woke up at 6:30 to check the news and sure enough, Greenville County is on a regular schedule. BUMMER!

Our school is currently watching the inauguration. I'm surprised we didn't have to fast forward the prayer at the beginning. It would be a travesty to offend anyone... Oh, public schools.

The Dash

My principal at Greenbrier read to us this poem. I thought it was a great reminder.

The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speakat the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstonefrom the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birthand spoke of the following date with tears,but he said what mattered most of allwas the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the timethat she spent alive on earth...and now only those who loved herknow what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and loveand how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is leftthat can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enoughto consider what's true and real,and always try to understandthe way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,and show appreciation moreand love the people in our liveslike we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,and more often wear a smile...remembering that this special dashmight only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being readwith your life's actions to rehash...would you be proud of the things theysay about how you spend your dash?

Plans

I left school on Friday with the following plan:
-have dinner and Wii game night with Josh
-wake up early on Saturday to attend a bridal shower for Josh's cousin, Courtney
-head to Charleston to meet and spend time with Baby Noah
I did end up doing 1/3--dinner and Will with Josh. Yesterday I spent at home thinking about life and how we ultimately have no control of our time here on earth. Amy's brother, Daniel, was in a car accident on Friday night and passed away yesterday around 4:15. I've known Daniel for as long as I've known Amy--he helped us coin the nickname for her "little lamb". He was always full of light and funnies. To have such a precious life stripped from this earth is almost unimaginable and it is a great reminder to cherish time that we have here with precious friends and family.
My brother, Banks, came up to go to the basektball game with Josh yesterday. I was glad to lay eyes on him when he arrived and glad when I knew he made it back to Lexington safely last night. It made me think about little things like that--and I'm sure it will continue to do so for a long time.
Amy has been incredibly strong each time I have talked with her. I know that you always hear that God will never give you anything you cannot handle--but I still can't help but ask the question "why?" when I learn of a young person stripped of life with so much left to live. I also know that God has the answer to that and we will one day know those answers. What we are called to do now is to celebrate Daniel's life and all those that he has touched in his short years on earth.
Thank you for your prayers for Amy and the entire Black family.

Please Pray

Daniel Black, my sweet Amy's little brother, was in a horrible car accident last night around 9 o'clock. He is in the hospital on life support. Please pray for Amy's family as they are going through this terrible ordeal.

Valkyrie

Josh and I went to see Valkyrie Friday night. I am usually dog tired so I can't stay awake for any type of movie--but I seemed to have a burst of energy so we went. I let Josh choose the movie, since I usually always choose--and he chose Valkyrie. I will preface by saying I think Tom Cruise is a coo-coo bird idiot and I hate to give him money...but he is an extraordinary actor and this movie proved no different. Josh likes stuff relating to history--so this was right up his alley. I wasn't expecting it to end the way that it did...we've seen depressing movie (Seven Pounds) after depressing movie (Marley and Me) after depressing movie (Valkyrie). They all have been great...they just don't leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Anyway, if you like history (or even if you don't), this movie's a good one to see.

Our New Toy

Ever since NYE with the Ingrams we have been dying to have a Wii. They are impossible to find. (Not to mention that we decided prior to Christmas that we would get one for each other for Valentines Day...) We went to church this morning (getting closer to New Years Resolution #1) and went to lunch with my dad and Kim. Following lunch, we went to Target to pick up some cokes and some other random needed toiletries. When we went past the electronics, I told Josh just to look to make sure there wasn't one on the shelf. We rounded the corner, and there it was! I couldn't believe it...I was giddy with excitment! So, Happy Valentines one month early :o)

We played tonight and am about exhausted from an hour of play. We played tennis (I am pathetic), boxing (my arms are going to be killing tomorrow), golf (I whooped up on Josh!), and some bowling. It is great fun. I am already looking forward to playing tomorrow!!

Baby-Sitting

I guess I should call it "dog-sitting" rather than "baby-sitting". Walker came to reside at 413 Revis Creek Court until Monday! We are excited that he is here...we think he's the cutest. Gracie is beside herself with jealousy. She is crying and whining and sad she's not getting every ounce of our attention. Walker is following her around smelling the new scene. He's not a big fan of me...but he sure does looooove Josh. He curls right up to him and loves playing with him. It should be interesting experiencing life with two dogs. Here is proof that we are taking good care of Walker, Kell and Trey! :) and also that Gracie and Walker baby aren't killing each other!
Josh tricking them...they think there's a treat in his empty hand.Walker likes to sit on our pillows!Gracie looks like she has a big crick in her neck!Gracie sniffing out the new pup in town!

Routines

Aren't they hard to get back into? I have had the worst time getting up in the mornings this week. We got to bed late (11 o'clock) last night due to Clemson playing in a basketball game that didn't start until 9. Neither Josh or I heard the alarm go off, resulting in waking up at 7:04. Oops. I managed to make it to work on time. Glad I don't take long to get dressed.
I'll tell you another routine hard to break..."Please let it be Friday!!". Already broken my NY Resolution. Oh well, I am more aware of the fact that I'm saying it now. That's a start.
Speaking of Clemson Basketball, they are 15-0!! Hopefully we can continue on with the winning streak! Josh and Banks are headed to the game on Saturday. It's a conference game...so it's a biggie. This will be Josh's first experience sitting beside my brother at a Clemson sporting event. I have tried to prepare him for the obnoxiousness ahead of him.
Happy Hump Day, Everybody!

speaking of being healthy...

Here is my absolute favorite chicken recipe ever! I must give credit where credit is due....I stole it from Jessica. We love Mediterranean Cafe and this chicken tastes just like it. I promise! It is so delicious. We marinate the chicken in it (tenderloins work really well!) for about 30 minutes or so...then Josh throws them on the grill. The outcome is YUM-O! (I don't even like Rachael Ray...sorry for using her lingo!)

1 lb chicken breasts cuts into 1 inch pieces
3T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t dried oregano
2 t olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder

It is so easy...you will not be disappointed. It's a favorite around our house :)

Resolutions

Josh and I have been talking all weekend about resolutions and what ours will be for the year. I made several--Josh hasn't committed to any as of yet.
1. Find and join a church. We have tried out several churches since we've lived here but haven't found a church home yet. First Presbyterian is where we go most often and we do really like it. I'm not sure what's holding us back from joining. We are continuing to pray that we make a decision that is right for us.
2. Exercise more--eat less junk. Of course. A New Years Resolution wouldn't be complete without that.
3. Be more organized--at work and at home. I am into containers lately. Specifically, the new OXO snap and seals my mom gave us for Christmas. They are for food items only--but it's gotten me on an organizational kick. I like things having "homes". We don't have much storage space in our home, so it's hard to put this into effect...but I'm going to try harder.
4. Not wish my days away to get to the weekends. I do this everyday throughout the week. (Five days until the weekend...four days until the weekend...etc.) I want to enjoy where I am right now rather then spend each week day wishing it were the weekend.
5. Make up our bed each day. (or at least throughout the week)I am horrible at making up my bed. I hate doing it. Such a pain--but I like the end result. So, I want to be better.
6. Stay in better touch with friends. I have friends I haven't talked to in months. Granted, friendship works two ways...but I need to make a better effort. I will work on putting my cell phone to better use.
Happy 2009 everybody!!!

Baby Noah

Noah Christopher Costa came into the world on Monday. Mommy and baby are doing well. He is so precious--I can't wait to meet the little guy.

I love his sweet hat and how snuggly he looks all swaddled.
Look at my sweet Amy with her little guy--a proud mommy, for sure! I still can't believe she IS a mommy. Let's hope she doesn't feed him tuna fish ice cream :) and of course he would have a Clemson hat. Future class of 2032!

We are so excited for you both, Chris and Amy! We are praying for you as you embark upon parenthood. Congratulations!

New Years Eve 2008!

We have never really been huge NYE people. We don't make huge plans to go to a huge party--the first year we dated, we fell asleep on the couch and woke up right before the ball dropped. The next year, we spent it with Evans and Jamye in Johnson City. Last year we were in line waiting to get on MARTA following the Clemson loss versus Auburn. This year, we went to dinner with good friends at Smoke on the Water and then went to play their new Wii at their home, complete with a champagne toast. We had a great time--it was laid back and fun...and we didn't even fall asleep before the ball dropped! Thanks for hosting, Kelli and Trey! (and for letting us play the Wii!)Josh with Walker. He is coming to spend a couple of days with us while his mommy and daddy are in the Bahamas! Gracie is so excited for a visitor and playmate!Josh and I with Winnie--right after the ball dropped!
Kelli and I--we decided we hadn't had a picture together since JV cheerleading. High time to do something about that!

I have also been sewing over the break. My mom asked me to do a dress and john john for

some twins that were born to one of her co-workers. They are Clemson fans so I decided to applique the paw on them. I thought they turned out cute!

haven't sewn the buttons on yet.