Counting Down!

Sometimes having something to look forward to can be the saving grace in getting through a tough day or week. I mean, who doesn't look forward to Fridays or celebrate hump day during a week? I have a few fun things that I'm looking forward to myself and I am counting down the days!

5: Mornings left to wake up and go to work before Spring Break officially begins!


10: Number of days until I board a plane to go see my family!!


29: Days until Easter Sunday!!


53: Nights until I get to see Mary Poppins!


75: Beautiful days left in our third year of marriage - come on #4!!


83: Summer officially begins! See you in the fall (I hope), Chloe Clark Elementary!


87: Days until we head for Las Vegas to celebrate our anniversary!


104: Oh, you know that's happening in 104 days, don't you? I've already dedicated an entire blog post to this one...read all about it here.

And add in between all of that friends and family who have promised to come visit and the birth of some very special babies and goodness gracious - I've got alot to look forward to!!

Hope you have some special things you're counting down for, too!

A Fishy Kind of Day

We caught a glimpse of spring today =)

It was BEAUTIFUL outside today, which was perfect because Derek had already told me earlier this week not to plan anything for today because he had something in mind for us...I love it when he says that!

So we slept in this morning and then headed for Seattle. We stopped for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (yum-o) and then continued on into the city and made a stop at the Seattle Aquarium. Here are a few memories from our day...


One of the first things we saw when we walked in was a huge touch pool of starfish and anemones.


And I just couldn't resist =) But I made sure to follow the instructions and touch gently with only ONE finger.


We caught a glimpse of a scuba diver putting on a little show


And then we spotted some clown fish...which I know I never paid attention to before "Finding Nemo." I took this picture so I could share it with my class because they will love it!


And then it was onto my favorite - the sea horses!


We watched this little guy spit rocks out of his mouth for a few minutes...weird.


And got up close and personal with this strange swimming creature.


Here's my favorite fish of the day - I just love how he's smiling at us =)


We watched this cute little guy relaxing in the pool.


Then we spotted these two very BIG guys!




Sweet little Sea Otter


It's hard to see, but the giant clump at the bottom of the tank is an Octopus.


We had a great time at the aquarium...it was so nice to just have some down time together outside of the hustle and bustle of the week.

What a perfect day =)

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Guinea Pig

Hmmm....let's see...the last time I blogged, I was wearing pajamas to school. Okay, let's pick up from there =)

Going back to work full time had been great! It's definitely an adjustment, but one that is welcome. I love my new job, but I have to say it is physically and mentally exhausting, more than I anticipated. I work in the special needs class of children with behavioral disorders (some very severe), and everyday brings with it new challenges and rewards. I am so thankful for the love that God has given me for these children, HIS children. I adore them and my heart is just threaded with theirs.

I definitely believe that the term "March Madness" has nothing to do with basketball, at least not for this girl! It's been a really busy month...and thank goodness it's the good kind of busy, as in the things you like to be busy doing. It makes me thankful for the saying "March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb." Speaking of...our kindergarten classes at school have created their own version of that saying and they are too cute. One of my favorites that I read the other day was "March comes in like a lion, and out like a guinea pig." Doesn't that just make you smile?

Here's what March looks like outside for us.

Rain and Rainbows, Rain and Rainbows, Repeat...you get the idea.

We got to start out March with a baby shower for a special friend who is expecting baby #2 literally any day now.

Here's the proud Mommy, Alesha!


Another amazing cake by Kristy!


Sweet baby Levi came to party!

Seems like just yesterday we were having a baby shower for him!

He's hiding away in the tummy of the pink sweater =)

Baby showers are always fun...it's great to "oooh" and "aaah" over all the tiny little things. Speaking of baby showers, I am working on planning another one as we speak. But this one is super special - it's a twin baby shower! My dearest friend Terry is expecting twins in July and they found out last week that they are having a boy AND a girl! This will make three little boys and one baby girl for their family and this "Lissa" is soooo excited!!

After this baby shower weekend, I hit a little bump in the road...my first sinus infection. I went into school one day only to be sent home early since I was not feeling well (and apparently not looking too well either, ha!) I treated myself for a cold and just felt worse and worse as the day went on. It finally occurred to me that I was treating the wrong thing and I knew I would have to go to the doctor, ugh. So the next day I went in and the infection was confirmed. I was put on antibiotics and steroids and within a couple of days, I was feeling much better. For the record, I would take a cold over a sinus infection any day! My face has never hurt so much and I've never gotten so little sleep, boo!

Derek took such wonderful care of me and thank goodness I had this to survive on...

Lemon Frozen Yogurt from my favorite place, Black Bear!

Alright, moving on. Last weekend had a couple of events that I was really looking forward to. A little conference was coming to Tacoma...


Featuring this lady...

Ms. Beth Moore, LIVE! We were sitting just 5 or 6 rows back from the stage and had such an amazing time!

We kicked off the conference with a pastor's wives dinner...

Me, Terry, and Kristy - I can't even begin to express how much I LOVE these girls! I thank God everyday for them!!

Then we met up with the rest of our friends and just had an incredible weekend of teaching and worship. I'm still trying to digest it all.

Maria, Lucy, Me, Terry, Kristy, and Dawn!

Just after the conference ended, it was time for another party! This time, the guest of honor was this little beauty...

Miss Ella Grace McCain =)

Our friends Brad and Shelly have been in the process of adopting this sweet little angel and finally made it home from China just a couple of weeks ago. So we had a "Welcome Home Ella Grace" party and it just melted my heart!!

And before that day was over, we got to celebrate our friend Arin's birthday, too! So, you see what I mean by a "good kind of busy?" We are so blessed to be so busy and so surrounded by people we love! March still holds a few more special things for us but we'll see if the saying holds true and if it really will "go out like a guinea pig." =)

My New Favorite Product!

I really have been blessed.

I have super thick hair and have never had to be an everyday hair washer. I usually get to do the every-other-day thing and occasionally can stretch it out to every third day.

But I have a confession.

I hate washing my hair. I love the outcome, hate the process. After washing, comes drying (because my hair would take 15 hours to dry on its own!), and then I have to go ahead and straighten it out or it's a wild curly mess, ugh. It's at least an hour and half ordeal. And morning washes aren't really an option either. Morning washes only lead to hair weirdness that ultimately results in a ponytail. So that means most of the time, I'm washing late at night and am just not happy about it.

I realize that this is not a big deal to you - and not even a deal at all in general. But there is a point.

About two weeks ago, I saw a commercial for this product....


The ad claimed that you could spray this on your hair, brush it out, and it would look as good as freshly washed. I was quite skeptical, but when I saw it on the shelf at the store the other day, I decided to try it. This week at work has been absolutely exhausting. I really needed to wash my hair last night, but I just didn't have the energy. The beginning of my week is the busiest part (busy in a good way, of course) - Sunday night church, work Monday (crazy), Monday night LIFE group, work Tuesday (crazier), Tuesday night youth group. When we finally got home last night, I just didn't have the energy. So I decided to try out my new "Dry Shampoo."

Let me tell you, it's amazing!! I was seriously shocked at how well it worked. It did just what it claimed it could do - remove the oil. My hair was so soft and I was so happy! Now honestly, I don't plan to make this a regularly used product - but boy, am I sure glad to have an alternative for those days when I just don't feel like going through the ordeal.

Whew, glad I got that off of my chest! =)

On a totally different note, who needs dry shampoo when it's Dr. Seuss' birthday and you get to go to school looking like this...

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Thanks for the pajama day!!