Winter Wonderland

A little over a week ago, I felt like I was in the midwest.  I was teaching my first graders, and it was snowing outside.  It snowed all morning, but didn't start sticking until about 12:00.  This is the first time Rosamond has had snow like this in 20 years!!  My husband got to come home from work early, which was awesome, and we got to hang out all afternoon and evening.  It kept snowing and snowing... he checked about every 5 minutes to make sure :)  When all was said and done, we had about 4 inches of snow, and Palmdale had 10 or so inches!  Everything (more or less) closed down and we got to enjoy a winter wonderland.  I definitely took pictures to remember this potentially once in a lifetime occasion.

We went outside and took a walk in the snow and threw snowballs (mostly nathan).  I had to often remind him not to eat yellow snow.

Updating

I know it has been a long time again since I posted.  I happen to be at my parents where I have access to the internet, and I also have some pictures from recent happenings.  That hasn't happened recently so I thought that I would update you all :)  Back in the beginning of November, Nathan and I had our first experience camping!  We went to El Capitan (north of Santa Barbara) with our friends Brian and Jenna.  We had a great campsite with a really great view of the ocean.  We enjoyed some beautiful sunsets, some great games of uno and sequence, and some great food :)  Here are a few pictures from this adventure:

A Little Holiday Cheer

A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.
Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Concerts

Our Christmas Concerts are coming up this weekend. We are so excited about them! They should be great fun!!!

Sad but Funny

The sad part is Nathan stepped on a bolt in our church sanctuary. He was busy moving pews so that lights could be set for our christmas concerts. In the midst of that, he planted his foot down on a bolt which went through his shoe and into his foot. ouchie!! He's got about a 1/4 inch hole in his foot that is about an inch deep. thats enough info there :) Poor guy has been on crutches since saturday morning with a fair amount of discomfort. Last night, however, he upgraded. Sweet man at our church brought him an adjustable cane to use :) Just picture it... 25 year old using a cane. We had to run down to Wal-Mart for a few things and there were many instances where I nearly peed my pants laughing. If you can picture an old man walking around with his cane using it to point out everything he sees... then replace that old man with nathan. Hilarious. Then he called me a young whipper-snapper, and tried to hit my legs with his cane because I was walking too fast for him. Don't feel too bad for him though. It's just a hole and the dr. says it will heal up pretty fast :)

More Sub Stories

I'm not even going to talk about my class last week... they had definitely just come off a 1 week break. That is all that needs to be said. I suppose I could add that 1 of my students was suspended, and 2 were sent to the office with referrals. Good week :) This week though (even though its only monday) has had some funny things. The little boy who I posted about earlier with his "pinp car" gave me another reason to smile today. Before we go to lunch, I call all the children back to the sink to wash their hands. I called this particular boy, but he didn't come. I called him again and he came right over (he didn't hear me the first time). When he got over to the sink, he said "Mrs. F, do you know that when you sit criss cross apple sauce (indian style) and put your fingers together like this (as if you were meditating) it makes you close your eyes and hum?" I couldn't help but smile and say, "yes." He occasionally brings a brief moment of relief and joy into my heart during the school day.

Monopoly

I'm so behind on my posting. Life just seems so unrelenting right now. Let's see... Thanksgiving break was nice although it went by too fast. Before I knew it, I was back in my 1st grade class room dreading the next 3 weeks. But, I am almost over the halfway point, and am looking forward very much to Christmas Break.

Thanksgiving Day was so relaxing. Nathan and I spent the day with his Mom and Step Dad. The food was great, and the weather was so nice. It was great to just relax. As Nathan and I were at our apartment just hanging out after being with family, we decided to play a game. Its usually just the 2 of us, so we try to figure out some way to play our board games with just 2. For quite some time now, Nathan has wanted to play Monopoly. My last experience in Monopoly was MANY years ago with my family. My brother Nathan made the game drag on forever and ever and ever. Finally, we were all so fed up with it that I think we just stopped playing. I haven't played since then... but Nathan my husband has been wanting to play. So I finally gave in and told him I'd play. Bad idea :) The game lasted about 2 1/2 hours (at least). I don't know how you make Monopoly last that long with only 2 people but where there is a will... there is a way. To make a long drawn out story short, I finally said "NO MORE!" when I had to mortgage all my houses, and properties; the bank didn't have enough money to pay me for those things; and I didn't have enough money to pay Nathan for his multi-million dollar hotels on practically all his properties. He had nearly every last dollar that the game has. It was the most unfun game of monopoly i've ever played. So I'm very unthankful for monopoly, but I am very thankful for my husband. :)

What are you Thankful for?

I know I'm really behind on my posting. I've been teaching 5 days a week and the class causes me to be exhausted by the time we are done. That plus not having internet at our house anymore equals no posting. But, here is a brief funny story.
Friday was my last day with this 1st grade class before thanksgiving break. They have this whole upcoming week off (PTL!!!). So, all week we have been making little pictures that say "I'm thankful for" then the kids fill in the blank and draw a picture. So, on Friday we put all the pictures from the week together to make little books for each child to take home for thanksgiving. One of my little boys in the class brought his book up for me to read. So, I'm reading what he is thankful for, and I come across the funniest page. He had drawn a picture of a car and colored it very nice :) Then he proceeded to write, "I am thankful for my pinp car" I don't have any idea why a 1st grader knows what a "pimp car" is, but he did and although he didn't quite have the spelling it was still hilarious! Happy Thanksgiving :)

Thanksgiving Just Around the Corner...

A Little Thanksgiving Laugh...

Awana Costume Night

This past Tuesday was Awana costume night. The kids had so much fun in their costumes and they looked so great! I had to capture the moments so here are a few :)

Nathan wanted to dress up as "preppy people". So here we are... Mr. and Mrs. Preppy.

I asked Elanna if she was a princess and she was so upset. She said "No, I'm Alice in Wonderland" I don't want to be a princess. What little girl doesn't want to be a princess?

Hannah was Sharpay from High School Musical.. complete with the hair and glasses :)

This is Rick... and he is great. He's one of the Elders at our church, and he is probably only about 5" tall. It was so fitting for him to be dressed up as an elf. He probably played a part in the movie Elf and never told anyone.

House Sitting

We are housesitting for our pastor and his wife for the next 2 weeks or so. This is our 2nd experience housesitting, and it has been much better than the first. The first time we housesat, the house itself was really something else; their male dog named Brandi stayed under the bed the entire time. The whole thing was pretty interesting. This time, however, we get to play with the Welch's dog, Toby. He is so fun, and never goes under the bed. And the house is 100% normal. Plus we enjoy being away from where we live for a little bit... its a nice change of pace.

Announcing Mr. Fred Pumpkin Head!!

Here are the pictures you all have been waiting for. This was my experience in pumpkin carving for the first time in a very long time. Let me just say again that I didn't design the pumpkin, so I cannot really take credit for this great work of art. On the flip side... the end result is something that only its creator can really love...

There was much debate as to whether or not the pumpkin was going to be a girl or a boy. It's a one of a kind face with beautiful eyelashes, bushy eyebrows, and a gigantic mouth with 2 small buck teeth. Nathan and I decided he should be a boy and Nathan named him Fred. I think it is because of the eyebrows. But he is so handsome!!

New Blog Layouts

I came across a new website with some fun layouts today. Check it out if you are interested :)

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

Pumpkin Carving

I carved a pumpkin. This is a major step. First, I absolutely hate the smell of pumpkin innards. And I hate having to touch that nasty slimy stuff inside. I don't remember carving pumpkins much as a child. But on Wednesday, I started a new tradition. I carved a pumpkin with a few friends, and I was able to manage the smell and the nasty stuff inside! It was so fun! My friend designed my pumpkin for me, so I cannot take credit for the great work of art. All I have to say is that only the creator of the pumpkin could love it so much :) Pictures of Fred (yes, Nathan and I named the pumpkin Fred) will be coming soon. He is so cute. Don't be jealous.

So many good things

I'm not exactly sure why, but I just feel like I need to post something. I am in Nathan's office right now because our internet at home isn't working. Thats probably just as well otherwise I'd be on it all the time! Nathan is in an elder meeting tonight, and I was in taking care of a few things for AWANA. I had a brief conversation with my good friend from Wisconsin, Angie. Last night I got to talk to my dear friend from Washington, Stacey. I am just sitting here feeling so blessed by the wonderful things the Lord has placed in my life. Even as I was working on AWANA stuff, that has been such a blessing! While Nathan's and my life are a bit busy right now, we are so thankful to be so involved with our church! I mean, if we have free time and desire to be involved in something... what better involvement than ministry within our church? We normally have Bible Study on Monday nights but tonight was cancelled. That study has been so great to be involved with people who are our age on a more personal level. It is so awesome to get together and dig into God's word and learn from each other about what the Lord is teaching us through His Word. We just started AWANA last tuesday, and what a blessing that was! We had such great and positive feedback from people involved! Praise God! AWANA is a large undertaking for Nathan especially, and the Lord has used it to continue to bless and minister to people not only in the church, but also in the community! And of course, He would use it to minister to our hearts as well. Then on Wednesday, we get to be here for choir... and while that is a completely different dynamic, how awesome it is to just be able to be with other members of the body of Christ in a different setting! I just feel so very blessed by our involvement here, and for the time the Lord has allowed in our lives to be involved. I also feel so blessed as I sit here and reflect on the wonderful friends the Lord has placed in my life. They are so faithful to encourage me, to challenge me, and to hold me accountable. They are also so faithful to listen, offer advice and wisdom, and even just laugh with! I am so blessed by the flexibility of my job to be able to have time to invest in Nathan and in our marriage. The Lord has been so faithful to provide for our every need. I was reminded and challenged in church on Sunday to be constantly thinking upon the faithfulness of God, and as I purpose to think on that, I see His faithfulness abounding in every area of our life! He is always so near to me, I often just need to focus my eyes on Him to see that. Praise God that despite my selfishness and complete unworthiness, He is faithful to me and faithful to pour out his love, grace, and blessing on me and on us. Thank you Lord for your steadfast love, grace and blessing!!

Unbelievable!

If you ever thought your mouth was big...

So many names

Never before have I gotten so many different versions of my name! Maybe I shouldn't have gotten married... things would have been so much easier! Today in my 2nd grade class... a new class that I hadn't taught before, I wrote my name on the board and before I even had a chance to pronounce it, they had already determined that "Mrs. Fogde" was Miss Fudgey. So, for the rest of the day, I was miss fudgey. I think I wont even try anymore, I will just got with Mrs. F from here on out.

WCCC Womens Retreat

This past weekend was the womens retreat for our church. This is either their very first womens retreat, or the first one in a very very long time. We got to go down and spend the weekend in Ventura. It was such a great time to get away with the women from the church and develop some more meaningful relationships!! We started on Friday night with dinner and then our first session. Our speaker was a gal from SLO who was so down to earth and fun to be with all weekend! She spoke to us on growing in holiness... what a great topic to spend the weekend on!! After our first session, we returned to our hotel room (also known as an ice box). One of my roommates for the weekend, who shall remain nameless, had the thermostat set down to 63*!!! Needless to say, I was FREEZING!!!!!!!! Despite having pneumonia the weekend was fun. We had 3 more sessions on Saturday about growing in holiness. We had some great quiet time and also some great time in small groups. I was so thankful to be able to be part of this retreat and so thankful for the ladies there. I had three roommates who were the best I could have, and I would choose to room with them again in a heartbeat! We just had a great time praising the Lord for who He is and what He has done in our lives!! All of the women were such an encouragement to me and they were extensions of the Lord's blessing and love. God is So Abundantly good!!!

Governmentium

A major research institution (MRI) has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. The new element has been tentatively named Governmentium. Governmentium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called mo-rons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called pe-ons. Since governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of three years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

Consequences of My Name

I really love substitute teaching. Since I've been married and had my name changed to something weird like "Fogde" most of my funny stories about subbing come about as a result of the kids trying to say my name. They are hilarious! Last week, I subbed in a 2nd grade class (I will be in the same class tomorrow!!) where one of the kids called me "Mrs. Frogdie" I know he's only in 2nd grade, but I'm sure he could tell there was no R in my name. My other favorite was subbing in the Kindergarten class :) I didn't even try to have them say or remember my name. These kids are still learning their letters... ain't no way they will remember how to say my name. I wrote "Mrs. F" on the whiteboard and told them to call me Mrs. F. Even that was a little much as I was called everything from Mrs. A to Mrs. Z... no kidding!! I suppose we'll see if any of the kids tomorrow remember my name, and if they remember how to say it. I don't have high hopes or expectations.

Blessings

Today I had the opportunity to work in our church office all day. I normally volunteer on Wednesday mornings, but since my Wednesday afternoon was free, I was here all day. The opportunity to give of my time and gifts in the office at church is such a blessing to me!! I am reminded over and over again of how good the Lord is to have put us in this church, and how thankful I am for the church. God's plans are so much better than our own are, and I am so thankful for His sovereignty in our lives! I work with Jo at the office and she is just the most wonderful friend. She is such an encouragement, and such a crack up! We laugh all day and it is such a joy to be able to serve her by helping her in the office. I love love love it!! Praise God for His Love and His Goodness...

Time For Some Campaigning

Here's a little laugh for you about the current campaigning going on :) Enjoy!!

http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

House Keys Anyone?

Saturday Morning... sleeping in, taking it easy, not too much to do. Couldn't be any better! I had just gotten out of the shower, put my contacts in, threw on some jeans and a cami and Nathan says "Hey, I need to go to the post office, want to come with me?" So, off we go to the post office. Even though it is only about a 2 minute drive away, this was the absolute longest post office trip ever! Just as we got back to our house, Nathan realized he had not grabbed his house keys, and I didn't have anything with me. We had taken his dads car, so that is why we didn't have keys to our house with us. We also didn't have our cell phones. We just looked at our house for minute while our brains were running a million miles per hour! Nathan decided to pop off a screen and see if we could get any of our windows open: fail. We went to our neighbors house hoping she might have the number for our landlord but she wasn't home: fail. We decided to go to someone's house from church in hopes of using their computer to try and look up our landlords phone number so we went to our dear friends the Kenngotts home. They were not there: fail. (meanwhile, I am burning up in this jacket that was in Nathan's dads car because I only had a little cami on and we were going around to houses of people from church :)). Next we headed to the youth pastors home: success! He graciously let us come in and use their computer to look up the phone number. While our efforts were good and we should get an A for them, we still failed because his number was no where to be found online. Next we decided we would just drive down to our landlords house (about 20 minutes away) and hope and pray that they were home. Thankfully they were, so we finally were able to get back into our house, and our trip to the post office only took about an hour and a half. :) Note to all readers: make sure you always take your house keys with you anywhere you go no matter whose car you go in :)

Subbing

I finally got a call to sub this past week... Praise the Lord!! I've been waiting to be called to work, and it finally happened!! I subbed twice this past week and had a great time both days. On Thursday, I was a 1st grade teacher... so fun! For those of you who know my last name, you probably know that it is a challenge to figure out how to pronounce it from the spelling. Try that with 1st graders!! So, I wrote my name on the board and had them say it after me twice. I hoped that would help them remember it, but alas by the end of the day I was being called "Mrs. Fog." So CUTE!! My favorite incident from the day was when one of the little girls game up to my, tapped my arm, and said in a very downcast voice "Mrs. Fog... (pointing to another girl) that girl isn't my friend anymore." I told her I was sorry and couldn't help but laugh on the inside. This actually happened twice with two different girls. Of course they were all still friends as just moments later they were talking and laughing again. Remember the days when you said you weren't friends with someone anymore and 2 minutes later you were best friends? Love it!

Part of the World!!

Today we got Direct TV :) We haven't had any TV since we've been married, which has been fine, but I feel like we've been a little out of the loop on whats going on in the world. It will be nice to have--just in time for the Olympics and then just in time for football season and other favorites.

Official Launch

This one's for April. Here is the official launch of our blog page, even though i've already put 2 posts on here. I will start keeping up with it now for as many things as we have going on. So April, now you may check our blog as often as you'd like :) I will probably only update on the interesting things that happen in life...though with starting substitute teaching again, there could be updates often :)

Whats a blog?

We're new to this blog idea, but we'll try to keep you updated on things that go on in our lives. Hopefully I wont say anything too dumb (like I just did), and this will be fun. Right now... its time to watch the office online before tonights season finale. More to come...