Looking forward and looking back...

I am beyond excited to share with you that we are very close to owning a home again!!! We signed a purchase agreement last Sunday. This past week we had a home inspection performed, which turned out well. If all continues to go well, we hope to close Mid-May! The house, oh man..the house is just perfect...beyond perfect, actually. This house has exceeded my expectations. In June it will be 2 years that we have lived in Texas...TWO YEARS! Can you believe it? We went to a Raising Canes in Irving, TX this weekend...it had been since October since we had eaten Canes. I must say that even though I am a Texan now...I still had to wince at the sight of Dallas Cowboy gear used as decor in a Canes restaurant. :)

Back to the new house...We will be going from just over 1000 square feet to over 2700! When I first moved here, I thought it would be easier to clean since it is smaller. I have found that a smaller place is harder to keep clean because you have no room to put anything. I just know that we will look back on these past years and wonder how we made it with such little space. One thing if for sure, we will certainly appreciate the new place. I am looking forward to eating meals as a family around the dinner table again...and I am looking forward to decorating for holidays. I have already planned out most of the Christmas decoration placement. It just doesn't feel like a holiday without being able to decorate for it. Finally, we should talk about the natural light in the new place...The house has so many great windows..windows under the cabinets and even windows in the closets! And speaking of closets...tons of closet space! TONS! I can't wait to invite you all in...whether in person or virtually. Until then...I will leave you with a few pictures.

Snow much fun! (Avery made that up)

What a truly amazing last few days! We received the most snow EVER in the history of DFW. I think we have over a foot on the ground this morning. I have never seen so much snow in my life. To say we were ill prepared is quite the understatement. Next year I will be sure to have adequate gloves and such. Avery had a snow suit from when she was 3 that fit perfectly. We were not as fortunate...but had a blast nonetheless. We had school on Thursday but not today. Kenny is off today because he has to work on Saturday. It all added up to all of us being off together to enjoy this beautiful gift from God. Here are a few pictures from our winter adventure:

the scoop..

come on in...let's have a chat!

Well we have been official Texans for 19 months now...it really is feeling like home more and more everyday. Speaking of home,though this feels like home,I miss having a home. This apartment is fine...but I am looking forward to having a place of my own again soon. We are looking forward to either renting or buying a house this summer. For my sanity, we must get more space. Some mornings it is pretty comical watching us try to get ourselves ready and the kids in such a small space.

Work for me is still going well. Not a week goes by that I don't find myself walking down the hall of my school...and it just hits me, I look around and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my job. I am still shocked that I not only got a job in an excellent school district but I am teaching at one of the best schools in that district. I told the teacher's on my team recently, "It really sucks not to shine, but it is great to be among stars." I say this because the teacher's I work with define great teaching everyday. They are absolutely amazing. Before I came here, I felt like a great teacher, one of the best at my school. Here, I feel ordinary. Ordinary is not me...so this is a tough transition. I do like a challenge though..

Kindergarten: So, I visited Avery's Rodeo day at school, and I didn't even cry. Ha! For the first five visits to her school, I would have to fight back tears. It was so hard to realize how much of her world that I wasn't a part of..after being her whole world for so long. For those of you who have gone through this...I am sure you understand. This time was different though..seeing her with her class gave me a feeling of pride. As she participated in a game on Rodeo day, her whole class chanted her name.."Avery, Avery!" It was really sweet. Her teacher is a real sweetheart too.

Andrew just transitioned to the next class at Primrose. This class gets to go outside and play on their own special playground, sleep on cots, and sits in little chairs at the cutest little tables. He is adjusting much better than I am. I can't help but to worry about him. Andrew is saying 'thank you'. It is adorable. He is also obsessed with cars and ducks...such a BOY.

Kenny just turned 34! We celebrated his birthday by going out on a date. It was nice to spend some time together without the kiddos. He is teaching Sunday School for adults every Sunday.

Overall, after I type all this up..I can see things are going well. Still can't shake the winter blues though. Lots of routine work and chores and plenty of time indoors. Looking forward to the spring and getting into a house.

Remember..Be kinder than necessary, because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. Life is a journey...try to enjoy it wherever you are on your path. Good advice for you and me!

Much love from Texas,
Alesha

2010..let the fun begin!

Photography, Idealism and more...

idealism

1. The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.
2. (philosophy) An approach to philosophical inquiry which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.

So I have been accused (and rightly so) of being uptight around Christmas time. I almost cringe and the memories of getting so stressed to have things just perfect for Christmas. The right pajamas..the perfect tree..gifts, plate for Santa's cookies, perfect wrapping paper, and let's not forget the perfect pictures...all in the name of having an ideal Christmas. This Christmas I was determined to do things better...and I did. Not sure where this whole idealism started but I am certain of one thing, it is a murderer of fun! Strong words, but oh so true. Where did I get the picture of what Christmas is supposed to be like? Who is the person that sets that standard for everyone? For me, (especially since I have moved away) Christmas is about people...family and friends together. All of the things listed previously are good and they make Christmas special but if they get in the way of people and my ability to enjoy myself with them..then I need to cut back on something. The truth is we LOVE to go to a beautifully adorned home and eat a lavish meal and receive thoughtful well wrapped gifts and capture perfect images of the whole event...but I am not there..not even close..so with this and so many areas of my life I hope to strike a balance. This year I probably swung too far to the left but it felt great to take the pressure off of myself to produce this 'ideal' Christmas...whatever that is, anyway.

Onto photography...I am afraid that some of this idealism is rooted in my photography addiction. The striving for the perfect picture to really capture the essence of your family, or event. No pressure or anything, huh? The absolutely crazy thing is the more that I let go of this self induced pressure the better (IMO) my photography has become. I also understand that if I hadn't striven through the last 5 years then I wouldn't be as far as I am with my photography skills...so I know that is important too..Once again..it's all about balance. Learning to not ruin the 'fun' in order to capture it. Being able to get enough decent pictures for a Christmas card without becoming a scrooge...add a few kids to the mix and it is so hard to not get uptight and frustrated. Isn't it? But the more I am that way..the faster things go down hill. So it is almost that I have to just determine to have fun and let the chips fall where they may. Who is it that I have to impress anyway? Who? Letting the imperfection be perfect is my desire...Striking a balance and letting go of my preconceived notions of the way way things 'should' be. Ahh, I love being 30. Wish it hadn't taken my so long to get here. Feel free to add your thoughts on this...here or email me. I am curious to see other perspectives on this. I have a feeling I am not alone in this struggle.

Our Gingerbread Girl