here is michael in the waiting room, about 2 minutes before our flight got canceled for the first time. darn it.
our second flight was cancelled so in sa we will stay.
i'm sad but i know it's for the best. we prayed for safety this morning and we got it, one way or the other. now we just have time to work on the house.
the front yard is looking great, i must say. mom and i just bought a lot of plants and put them in. lookin' good. michael's project has quite a ways to go. oh well. they'll both look great when they're done.
i hope jimmy and jill are having a great time and i hope the fire smoke doesn't ruin the pictures too badly. please, Jesus, bless them.
well, bust it could be.
we were sitting in the waiting area at the airport for about 5 minutes when an announcement over the intercom said that our flight had been canceled. as we made our way down to the counter with the other 20 passengers, we heard a woman say this was her fourth flight to be canceled. she started out yesterday morning. you can bet she is ready to get home.
we are going to try again at 6pm. even if we make that flight, there is a good chance we could miss our adjoining flight to reno for later tonight. then we'll be stuck in dallas tonight and won't be able to fly out until tomorrow. cutting our short lake tahoe trip even shorter. we've decided that if the 6pm flight doesn't work either that we'll just call it quits. we wouldn't be able to leave here until tomorrow morning sometime and that could really make us miss the wedding.
so, here we are-sitting on our bed with our computers waiting until it's time to go again. if you don't hear from me, you know we made it. if you do, i'll be crying.
:(
we are leaving for lake tahoe in 4 hours. i am so excited! don't worry, i will try and bring back pictures of beautiful scenery. i just hope the fire doesn't cause any problems for the bride and groom during this special time in their lives.
we'll just keep praying.
this is what michael and i have looked like for the past two nights before going to bed. sad. so sad. i'm addicted to blogging, he is addicted to work. ;)
jules has two beds. one our bedroom for night time sleeping and one in the living room for during the day. we got the living room bed about a month ago to try and deter her from laying on the furniture with us. it works, occasionally. well, because we are working on the living room floor, we had to clear out all of the stuff. jules bed ended up in our room. while michael and i were on our computers last night, jules walked around the room for a while, but i couldn't figure out why. then she got quiet and i thought nothing of it. when i finally put my computer down for sleep, i saw her over by the door on her bed from the living room. poor thing, she was just totally confused. when i said something to her, she got up and moved to her regular night time bed. silly girl.
living room bed, next to the door. so confusing.
i know this is really sad and kind of embarrassing to admit, but i haven't worked as hard as i did today, in a really long time. my feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my knees hurt and my back hurts.
hello?! who knew yard work could be this difficult?! even if you are working with a shovel and rake and lifting heavy bags of mulch for a couple of hours.
i worked hard, i'm dog tired, and i'm loving it. the house looks good but i was wrong about one thing. after i made it back outside after my dr. pepper break, the sun was out in full force and it had not cooled down at all. there was not a single breeze. the only comfort i had was spraying the water hose in the air and letting the water fall on me like rain. well, that and when jules was playing with the water and got so close to the end of the hose that the water sprayed back into my face. that was fun!
the floor in the living room has been started and the front yard is ready for plants. however, we are leaving tomorrow for tahoe, (uh...did you know there is a huge forest fire there right now?! scary.) so all of that will have to wait for the weekend.
it'll be fun but i can't even look forward to it right now. i'm going to sleep! this sleep is gonna be great...
mainly because i just took some advil.
whew.
well, michael and i have started the process of getting the house ready to sell. there really isn't a lot to do, just a few things we think will help people fall in love with our home.
today, with my dad, we spent the morning purchasing 38 boxes of wood flooring for the living room and 16 bags of red mulch for the front yard. we already have curbing around 3 flower beds in our front yard so a few weeks ago, we had the same curbing added around our trees. now it's my job to rip out the old, blond mulch and replace it with brand, spankin new red mulch. it's dad and michael's job to replace the beautiful, but slightly dog-scratched wood floor in the living room with brand, spankin new sienna-cherry hardwood. we've also decided to rip up the carpet in our office (just off the living room) and make the wood floor go all the way through. i'm expecting it to look great!
well, i started my job about half an hour ago in the really hot, afternoon sun. i got one tree and one flower bed completed. only one million left! it looks really great so far! i can tell you, i don't want to leave this house, but these new things are going to make it that much more difficult.
michael and dad have yet to start their job. they went golfing. ggrr!! not really, it's the first time they've been golfing together in a while and i know they really enjoy it. plus-dad rarely gets a day off that he isn't doing something for someone else, so who really cares if the floors don't get done until friday, at least they'll be done.
anyway, i came in a few minutes ago for a drink of ice-cold dr. pepper...on ice. it's delicious and so worth the work i'm doing in the hot outside air (however, it has cooled nicely and there is even a slight breeze every once in a while).
i'll get you before and after pics as soon as i can! if i could draw myself away from this insanely delicious looking pasta dish on the food network, i would go outside and finish. whoa!
oh well, it'll be over soon!
michael's best friend, kerry, got married this weekend. he and jennifer are such a great couple and we love hanging out with them. their wedding took place at villa antonia in lago vista, just outside of austin. it was incredible. don't believe me? see for yourself...
the cute couple
mr. and mrs. graham standing near their cake during michael's best man speech (he did a great job, btw). uh...the entire cake was cheesecake. the real kind. holy moly.
jen dancing to the mariachi band.
the newlyweds. how gorgeous is she?!
being pronounced husband and wife. i didn't get a picture of the kiss, i was too busy crying!
look at the veil.
the boys: kerry, michael, scott, hooper, fremont and jimmy.
michael and the maid of honor, julie. yup...she's beautiful too.
kerry and michael before the wedding
the whole gang!
michael and wifee
some new friends, scott and deidra. they got married two weeks ago. they just got back from their honeymoon...in st lucia. suckers.
another of michael's best buds. jimmy and his fiance jill. they are getting married in lake tahoe on wednesday. 2007 must be the year of weddings for michael's friends!
the wedding was outstanding. beautiful and amazing. they even had a cigar roller there. not that i used it, but cool to be able to afford something like that! ;) we all had a great time and the wedding didn't end until almost midnight! the happy couple danced the night away with all of their guests. it was a blast and i am so happy for kerry and jennifer. good luck guys! you totally deserve each other!
now, they are off on their honeymoon...to...st lucia too! jerks!
i was just looking through some of my pictures and found these really hot pics of my honey. i took the last one tonight. he loves me!
we spent the evening relaxing and cuddling. i just didn't get much of the cuddling. michael and jules took a nap on the chair. 
when i woke them up with the flash, they sat up and tried to watch tv, but it didn't last. they went back to sleep pretty quickly.
they are such cute cuddlers, even if i didn't get any of the action. sweet family of mine.
there is absolutely nothing that compares to sleeping in your own bed. i have been gone from my home for almost two weeks. however, the past two nights i have been able to sleep in my own bed, at my own house, with my own husband (uh...) ;).
it has been quite wonderful and restful. however, we are leaving again today for a wedding in austin.
i love being home and i'm enjoying just sitting on my couch relaxing, reading blogs, but i am also looking forward to travel with my husband. after austin, we will be traveling to lake tahoe for another wedding and it's exciting! other than our honeymoon, these will be our first big trips together.
that is one wonderful thing about being newlyweds, everything is new! so fun!
as fun as it's gonna be, i sure am going to miss my own bed. again.
today was a sad day for me. one, i didn't get to wake up to ellie's sweet talking. two, i had to resign me position as first grade teacher at lamar elementary.
michael was sitting on the chair working away as i was walking out the door on my way to talk with my principal. i paused..."are you absolutely sure we're moving, honey?"
he responds, "babe!"
okay, okay. just making sure. i drove to the school and turned in my resignation and my keys. i almost cried. then i made it to the administration building with my resignation letter and completed my exit session.
i also have to turn in my i.d. badge. suckers. i guess it's for safety issues, but still, now i feel totally absent from my beloved school, coworkers and friends.
i guess i should be happy that with every decision finally completed, my area of limbo shrinks. now, if we could just get our house sold, we could buy a house there and i wouldn't be stuck without a home when i start a new job in august. yikes!
dear Jesus,
please make this transition as easy as possible for michael and i. i pray that, above all else, we remain in your will for our lives. please bless this move with your peace and favor. you are an amazing father and we are blessed greatly by your presence. i love you so.
uncle mattie and ellie. 
smiles for auntie jo.
just after a roll over.
talking up a storm with auntie jo.
ellie did love talking to me. she is always full of smiles and conversation. one of the things i love the most about ellie is her eyes. even if she has her pacifier in and her mouth is completely hidden, her eyes squint and light up when she smiles at you. it just warms your heart and makes you wanna squeeze her so tight!
she is such a doll. and way loved by her auntie!
what sarah and i looked like much of the week. we checked blogs together...a lot!
we tried to get ellie involved as much as possible...
she loved it!
so did doc! it's a family ordeal.
mandy and ellie. the first one was better of ellie, but dumbo matt made a nasty face in the background that just was not publishable.
one of many from a photo op.
sweet, clean girl.
ellie loves outside.
we're on mom's deck - landon, sarah and ellie came to visit for memorial day. isn't she cute?
june has been the craziest month for michael and i. we have hardly gotten to see each other. he hasn't been home a single weekend so far. this time that i have been in plano, he has been in odessa for a golf tournament.
he's been having fun and so have i, but man i wish i could be having fun with him too. it's hard to be away from each other so much! he is my favorite person on this planet and it's my desire to be around him all of the time.
oh well, i know i'll see him in a few days and we'll then be together for two weeks!!!
zernko,
hello, my sweet love. thank you for being such a wonderful husband. you are such a wonderful provider and i know all of the hard work you are doing is for us. thank you for your commitment to God, to us, and to your career. i love that about you. i know you haven't gotten much rest, recently, but soon we will be together making a new home together. then you won't have to worry about missing me all week! ;) i love you so and i am so blessed to be yours. our God knew exactly what i needed when He made you. just think, if He hadn't made you to be so talented, we would have never met. you wouldn't have been a basketball star, coach wouldn't have recruited you to asu, you wouldn't have moved to sa, and i would have never known you. i am so thankful for a plan that so far exceeds my understanding. i love you so dearly, michael. thank you for being mine.
your wife,
kylah
plano, for me, has been a much needed adventure. i have not gotten to spend much time with my new niece before now. ellie was born a month before my wedding, so of course, a ton of time was taken up with wedding planning. then i was teaching and michael was only coming home on the weekends, so coming to plano was a little difficult to plan. now that it's summer time, i get to stay here as long as i want.
i'll be here a few more days before i head home, making my plano stay just about a week. i am the only family member here at this point in time! hurray! landon is in nicaragua on a missions trip and sarah has had to carry on with work as usual. guess who's been the babysitter...yup, auntie jo!
ellie and i have been having a blast together. her giggles and sweet smiles are such a joy to the soul. she is so beautiful and fun to be around. such a good natured little thing!
sarah and i have been talking a lot and laughing together. best friends are so wonderful! we stay up talking about all of the fun things of life. we talk about the similarities of our husbands and probably thousands of other husbands across the world! they are so funny.
this girl-time, plano trip has definitely been fun and good for the soul!
since beginning my blog in february, i have been slightly embarrased at how often i check everyone else's blog to see if they have updated anything. it was really bad when i was at work and had easy access to a computer; summer has been a little slower. however, i am excited to learn that others i know have the same obsession with blog checking.
my post from a couple of days ago about blogs has 5 comments under it! 5! ha! that's funny. everyone else is just as addicted to blogs as i am.
and angela- i didn't even know you had a blog! you have now been added to my daily checklist as well as kp! so cute!
thank you my friends, for letting me know that i am not alone in this world! we can all deal with this addiction together!
i got to plano yesterday afternoon around 3pm. ellie was asleep. sarah had to leave to take her mom back to her car and soon after that ellie woke up (no, i didn't wake her!!). i got to pick her up and feed her and love her. she is the sweetest baby on this planet.
yesteday was her 4 month birthday! how on earth can she already be 4 months?!?!?! she weighed 13 pounds 4 ounces and she was 24.5 inches long. she is incredibly beautiful! i love her. she is happy and giggly and she will just look at you with the biggest smile. she just makes this ol' world a better place.
i must be the luckiest aunt in the world.
sarah is at work right now and ellie is asleep in her swing. we've been having a great time this morning! we talked and played and i fed her and held her and kissed her. i gave her bath, which is like her favorite thing in the world, and then dressed her cute and played some more. she showed me how she can roll over and i showed her how totally goofy i can be when i am trying to make her laugh! ;) it was a blast.
like i said she is asleep right now, and other than typing this post, i am basically just starring at her. i love her!
you'd love her too!
hello, my name is kylah, i am an addict.
i am absolutely addicted to reading my friend's blogs. well...good news!!
two friends that go to my church have recently started blogs as well and i am expecting one more very soon.
that makes my blog list jump from 5 (including mine) to 8 (including the one coming).
this is huge people! HUGE!
a special thanks to rw, ree, and kp. you're making my ridiculous blog-checking even better!
sunday, june 3, 2007 11:03 pm
i don't have to go to work tomorrow!
i am sitting at home, watching tv in my pj's with jules on the ottoman below me. i have the remote on one side, my phone on the other, my computer on my lap and a dr. pepper within reach. it's 10:13 pm and i'm not even thinking about going to bed! for the past 9 months, i've had to look at the clock, sleepy or not, and sigh. it would be time for bed right now. but tomorrow....
tomorrow i'm sleeping in!
dear bed,
i know you are missing me and will miss me even more. but be happy for me. i am awake and staying awake and i'm loving it. i will see you soon enough my comfy bed. but not yet. not yet.
my blogger has not been working on my computer for about a week. i have tried to post about a million times in the past week without success. i kept seeing errors and then the post would finally show up under may 26th. that's great and everything, but it's JUNE 12!!!
i finally did enough research (which started last week sometime) to realize that it might be my internet browser. i changed to firefox. it worked.
after all of that trouble, i am too tired and annoyed to post anything of great importance. i just wanted you all to know that while you have probably been annoyed to pull up my blog and see the same stupid title of "10 days" at the top, i have been equally annoyed; probably more so because i couldn't do anything about it.
please accept my frustrated apologies. i will post again when i have regained my faith in blogger.
the good news: the "10 days" was about 9 1/2 days ago. i see sarah and ellie tomorrow!!
10 days until i make my trip to plano to spend a week with the girls!
i can't wait, sarah and ellie! i hope you're ready for some girl time and fun!
i love you both very much!!!
crystal, mother of jacob, is pregnant! she has no idea when she is due, but she is pregnant and thrilled. she and jerry are great parents and i love them dearly. they will be moving in to their new house later this year and the baby will come not too long after that! what a perfect way to fill their new home with lovely things!
i can't wait to meet you little ramirez! we love you already!
crystal,
congratulations my friend. i love you dearly and i know that your fantastic motherly ways are only going to multiply with this new little one. i am excited for you to experience all of the wonderful pregnancy things you were missing, once again. enjoy it, my friend! maybe one day you'll be able to say that to me (it'll be a while though)! i love you very much and can't wait to meet that sweet little thing! i love you!
well, we've finally made the decision which has plauged us for so long.
we're moving.
we have decided that sa is the new place to be and we're putting our house up for sale.
i am a little sad. i don't want to leave my parents and my friends. i have so many friends having babies right now and i will be in a different town for their births. i will be leaving a fantastic job with wonderful, christian people. i will be leaving the home i love so much which i have made with my husband.
however, i will be joining my husband and that makes it all worth it.
we have lived apart for too long and it's our turn to be together. i know there are many changes in our future but they will be changes for the better. i know michael and i will grow closer and learn to depend on each other for everything. we will learn to trust God with each other and take risks together, succeed together and fail together. i am ready for it all.
i am ready for the new life to begin. i am ready to be with my husband for more than just a couple of days a week. i am ready to be with him on a normal basis.
so, let's do it babe! let's make the move and be happy together! i love you!
plus, i've already made everyone promise they will come to sa to see us! ;)
