Erin Shmerin

For the two of you that read this

2010-10-20T09:17:00.002-04:00

I had a mix up with google accounts...something about my e-mail being on a different account as my blog, so I kept kicking myself off of one when I opened another. I have no idea.

Long story short, I moved my blog to make my life easier. So, my blog is now at www.cedarchicablog.blogspot.com.

Just wanted to make sure that all two of you don't miss all of the exciting events of my life. :)

"Babysitter" of the year

2010-10-14T20:53:00.010-04:00

This past weekend I stayed with my friend (and youth group member), Zoe, while her parents went away to visit family in Tennessee. I went to her house straight form work on Friday. When I got there, Zoe had grilled some chicken and made a delicious salad. Then she gave me a foot bath and scrub. Talk about being pampered! This is the kind of "babysitting" I can really get into! Ha!

I already shared about how we went to the fair on Saturday in my last post. On Sunday, Zoe got up early to go play on the worship team and I met up with her at church for the second service.

After church we decided to go for a walk to enjoy the beautiful fall day. We took Charlie (Zoe's ADORABLE black lab) and walked down the road to the railroad tracks.

New Hampshire is so pretty in the fall.

Zoe's road.

After our walk, we dragged lounge chairs into the sun. Zoe did homework while I read a novel. It was nice being away from home for the weekend because I took the time to just relax rather than working on all of the little projects I have to do at home.

I don't know what's up with my left eye. It doesn't want to open. Weird.

That night we had small group at the Dundore's, and when we got home decided to get pizza and watch a movie.

SO GOOD!

The next day was Columbus Day so Zoe didn't have school, but I had to go to work. To say that I was jealous would be an understatement. :) I managed to leave about an hour early and booked it "home." We managed to squeeze in a hike up a pretty easy trail near Zoe's house.

Before the hike- with Charlie.
(Please ignore my stumpy legs...they look all deformed...not sure what's up with that.)

At the top. What a gorgeous view!

Charlie was having a good time, too. Doesn't he look thrilled!?

(I cannot even begin to tell you how proud of myself I am for these collages. haha.)
We had a lot of fun.

After we got home, we at left over pizza from Sunday night and watched a little bit more of a movie. At one point we had this conversation:

Me: "Zoe, what time is it!?!"

Zoe: "Um... 7:58."

Me: "Oh my."

Yeah, I'm a grandma. Needless to say, bedtime was around 9:30 that night, which is the earliest I've gone to bed in years.

Monday morning we both had to get up and go for the day, which took the sting off of going to work a little bit. :)

Ready for school and work.

That night when we got home we decided we wanted a good dinner since it was our last night. So we headed down here:

And picked up maple bourbon and teriyaki steak tips and some scrumptious desserts.

Zoe contemplating her dessert choices.

We got home, grilled up the steaks, made some salad, and dinner was ready to go!

(Disclaimer: I really do have other clothes...and I wash this sweatshirt a lot! This was the sweatshirt I packed for the weekend and changed into IMMEDIATELY when I got home from church/work/etc. It shows up a lot over the last few posts.)

Peanut butter crunch bars. I'm sure these things have about 10,000 calories each, but it was our last night, so it was fine. And, we only ate half. Ha!

Then we spent the rest of the evening doing this:

Zoe playing the piano and singing and me, sitting on the comfy chair and listening.

I had such a great long weekend with Zoe and hope that her parents go out of town again soon so we can do it again!

Two for One

2010-10-09T19:30:00.009-04:00

Here I go again attempting to resurrect the blog. So I decided to recap the past two weekends.

Last weekend I had one of the youth group girls, Jayme, over to make Whoopie Pies to send to Winona who had the gall to leave New Hampshire and go to college in New York. Jayme and I had a great time talking and laughing and cooking and creating.

Jayme discovered a hole in the bag of powdered sugar.

And I made the icing.

The final product. Yummmmm.

Today Zoe, Chris, Lance and I decided to go to the Sandwich Fair. It was a beautiful and chilly (high of 55) fall day in New Hampshire. We went on some swinging ride that spins you around and tips you upside down. It was SO fun and my lungs got quite a workout from screaming. Then Zoe and I went on a hang gliding ride.

Next we were off to eat. After corn dogs, hamburgers, and french fries, we made our way over to check out the cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and rabbits.

Then we found these guys...

Chip, Chris and Zoe

I told them to look at me...apparently Chris missed the memo. We had been talking to Chip's brother, Dale, for quite some time but when we took these pictures Dale was out pulling a sled through an obstacle course in some sort of maneuvering competition. These oxen were such gentle giants and really cute.

After hanging with the animals it was time for more nourishment (or empty calories...)

By this time we had seen what we came to see, ridden what we came to ride, and eaten what we came to eat, so we walked back to our car parked down the road in a field. We tried to put my camera on my car and take a picture of ourselves, but it was windy and the wind kept blowing the camera over, so this is what we got...

My finger, my car, Zoe and Lance and Chris in the background.

And...
...a blurry picture of Chris, Lance and Zoe.

So we decided to just hold the camera and we got this:

A lovely shot of me (what is up with my arm?), Zoe, Lance, Chris, the mountains and a motor home that was one of the only vehicles left in the parking field. Nice.

It was a really fun day. I am now back at Zoe's and we are snuggled up in the house watching a movie. The weekend is off to a great start!

Catching up- May

2010-07-11T22:14:00.009-04:00

So, I just got on here in a desperate attempt to revive my log and realized that I wrote this post and never published it...so I'm doing it now. Better late than never!

So somehow it has been forever again since I have blogged. Oh my. Life took off and I got busy! Apparently I didn't take any pictures in April, so I'm not really sure what I did, other than work on my Master's. I finished my second class in April and started my third class the first week of May.

The first weekend in May my sister, Bethany, and our friends Corianne and Sue and I all went away for the weekend to Bar Harbor, Maine. We stayed in the most adorable Bed and Breakfast ever, the Saltair Inn. We shopped around, ate ice cream, walked around on the beach, and before driving home, we drove up Cadillac Mountain and hiked around at the top.

Corianne, Sue and me (I was wearing my boots to walk around on the beach and to stand in the water- hence the strange outfit. Ha!)

In March I started helping with my church's youth group. May 21st-22nd we went to Camp Berea for a work weekend. On Friday night we had a bonfire on the beach and sat around singing songs, talking and laughing.

Zoe, Me, Winona- I love these girls!

Making s'mores. Yum!

The next morning, after a late night filled with talking and laughing. Winona was our official hair braider.

Then we got to work...

Hannah, Winona, Zoe

Renee and Shadd

The next weekend there was more fun! My friend Julie came up from Maryland to hang out for Memorial Day weekend. We all met up at our friend Tiffany and Ryan's house to celebrate M's 3rd birthday. So cute, and so fun catching up with friends.

Ryan and M (opening Corduroy from Aunt Erin)

Tiffany, M, and Ryan

The next day we all met up for ice cream at Jordan's before Julie went back to Maryland.

Julie, Tiffany, Me

So those were the highlights from May- at least what I can remember. After a long, cold and lonely winter it was a fun month!

This is why we're friends

2010-03-17T22:09:00.000-04:00

This is an e-mail conversation I had with my friend Julie today...

Subject: A vocabulary lesson

Me: moron- (n)- one who mails their master's program DVD back to netflix instead of the movie watched during a study break.

Julie's response: AWESOME - (adj) - what people who mail their master's program DVD back to netflix are.

I knew I liked her.

Week in Review

2010-03-15T20:09:00.003-04:00

This past week was pretty busy. Let's recap...with bulleted points! Who doesn't love bulleted points? :)

*About two weeks ago we had a really big windstorm (dubbed a snowicane by the news). We had winds up to 70 mph. We woke up in the morning and saw this:

That tree had taken down the swing set my dad made and did quite a bit of damage to our cars. My car had $3,000 of damage. Thank goodness for insurance! The gave me one of these as a rental:

That would be a brand new Cadillac SRX. I told them to take their time fixing my car. So I've been driving that car all week.

*On Monday I was on my way home from work and got a phone call from my dad telling me that my mom was in the hospital because of her myasthenia gravis. She had had the drooping eyes and double vision, but this week it flared up and she was having trouble swallowing, talking and breathing. I was really far away from the hospital they were at, so they told me not to come. I was pretty concerned, but after I prayed and committed her to the Lord, I went home and used my nervous energy to organize and clean out the whole refrigerator. It's what I do. Mom was in the hospital until Thursday afternoon. She is doing better, but still gets tired really easily.

*This past week at work I was organizing things at work and came across the WB Mason catalog. It reminded me of my old Open Court Language Arts curriculum I used while teaching and made me miss teaching SOOOO much. I REALLY need to be a teacher again soon!

*The theme of this past weekend was Robert Pattinson...not intentionally. HA! I have been reading the Harry Potter books (as I can around my Master's work...ugh). I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so my family watched the movie on Friday night and RPattz played Cedric Diggory.

Then my friend, Angela, and I went to the movies and saw Remember Me this weekend...and there he was again! Ha ha!

It was so fun to go to the movies this weekend. I was always going out and doing things all the time when I lived in Ohio, but haven't so much since I moved to New Hampshire. I miss it and need to do more things like this more often. The rest of the weekend consisted of Master's work. Fun!

*I have decided since I have just begun my last year in my 20's (yikes!) I want to start my 30's strong. I've also had a really rough year and want to make some changes. SOOOOOO... goal #1: Spend time in God's word every day. This should be a given, but it's been a struggle for me this year, so this is my goal for this week. When I am consistently in God's word it makes such a difference in EVERYTHING. I got a new Bible for my birthday, the Inductive Study Bible, so I'm excited about diving in and studying! I'll update next week and see how I'm doing.

Dave and Laurie's Wedding

2010-03-06T21:16:00.009-05:00

So on January 28th I hopped on a plane and flew out to Ohio for D & L's wedding. I got in on Thursday night realllly late. My sister picked me up at the airport and drove me to my cousin Kim's house. Everyone was asleep, so I just went to bed and was woken up in the morning by her 3 adorable girls and their adorable new puppy.

That afternoon we headed on over to the Franklin Park Conservatory for the rehearsal. Kim's girls were the adorable flower girls.

That night we had the rehearsal dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. It was nice because the wedding wasn't until Saturday, so we could eat without having to worry about wearing fancy dresses the next day! HA!

On Saturday I went and got my nails done with the other bridesmaids, Laurie, and her mom. Then I went with Kim and Chris to Jordan's soccer game. She scored her second goal ever in her soccer career. I decided then and there that I will be a crazy mom one day. As I watched her score her goal I got all choked up and I swear my heart just swelled up and about burst. I was so proud of her!

That evening we headed over to Laurie's mom's house to watch Dave and Laurie open gifts and to watch their wedding slide show that Kim made.

After that we drove over to D & L's new house so my mom could give them the quilt she made for their wedding. (That lady is way too craft for her own good).

This is Laurie saying, "You MADE this?"

My mom was making the wedding cakes and gets realllly nervous if anyone gets too close to them. So that night, after mom had gone to bed, Kim and I had some fun. We didn't show these to mom until after the wedding. She still freaked out just a little bit.

The next day was the wedding. A long awaited day in the Miller household. My brother is finally breaking the "Miller curse!" Perhaps there is hope for me yet! :)

I went back to Laurie's mom's house (after stopping to get some Starbucks...oh Ohio, how I love that you have Starbucks allllll over the place. I have missed you!)

The in was back to Kim's to get ready and to help these adorable ladies get ready:

Then it was wedding time!

Dave and Dad

Dad, Me, Mom

The ceremony was beautiful. There is a big Chihuly glass display at the Conservatory, so we explored and took some pictures.

Me and Kim

Adorable flower girl cousins

The new Miller family (Mom blinked)

The new Mr. & Mrs. Miller

Caroline caught the bouquet and was VERY excited. I certainly hope I don't have to wait until this six year old gets married before I do! :)

I'm not sure I could open my mouth any wider if I tried!

The amazing cake my mom made. Told you she was crafty.

So one of my favorite moments of the night was when I was helping my 8 year old cousin, Lizzy, through the buffet line. We got to the big salad bowl and I asked her,

"Lizzy, would you like some salad?"

She answered enthusiastically,

"Oh, yes!"

Then proceeded to pick six croutons off of the salad and place them on her plate!

When we were eating I couldn't help but ask her,

"So Lizzy, how is your salad?"

She opened her eyes wide, nodded and said,

"Delicious!"

As she popped another crouton into her mouth. :)

And finally, I really like my hair so I wanted to put a pic of it on here so I could remember it.

Okay, that was two pics. Oh well! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and I am so happy for my brother and new sister!

January...Well, part of it

2010-03-06T19:12:00.011-05:00

Why, oh why have I not been posting? Well..2010 has been pretty busy. However, this would be a lot more interesting (and wouldn't take me so long) if I just kept up with it. So, here I go again, vowing that I will keep up with this here blog.

January started off with a big event...I started my Master's! I am working on my Masters of Education with an emphasis in reading and literacy. I am doing it online through Walden University, since I am still working full time, commuting over an hour each way, and I have no idea where I'll be living in the next few months. Here is my little set up:

Right after I started my Master's Dave and Laurie came to visit from Ohio. It was so great to have them here. We had a shower for them at our church and it was the first time our extended family got to meet Laurie. We all had a great time.

My sister, Bethany, and I planed the shower and did all of the decorating and the food. Bethany did most of it, because I had just started my Master's, but I did help!

Their wedding color is green, and since it is winter time and they both love the outdoors, we decided to have a "Winter Wonderland" type theme.

Dave and Laurie with the cake that Mom made.

So when the shower ended, some people left, but some stuck around, because...we had a surprise 40th anniversary party planned for these two:

Bethany and I had been planning it for a few weeks and they have NO CLUE. Dad kept saying that he was going to leave because he had to study for his Sunday School lesson the next day. We kept telling him to just relax and enjoy spending time with people as we waiting for the second round to guests to show up and get the next part started.

Once those people showed up, we busted out new decorations...

And new food:

And got the next party started. They were so surprised. And I'm thinking my dad had wished he had studied his Sunday School lesson a little bit earlier!

We had an absolute blast!

The next day after church, we celebrated Christmas number two, since Dave and Laurie couldn't be here for Christmas.

It was such a great weekend, but Bethany and I were so tired when it was all finished. And I learned that starting your Master's, working full time, planning and throwing two parties, and celebrating Christmast all over again all in one week makes for a very tired girl!

Oh...and...CHECK IT OUT! My blog looks different! I have no clue how to do anything on the computer, so I am pretty proud of myself that I figured out how to not only get a new, cute header, but to get my picture IN the header! Wooo Hoooo!

More from January and February to come!

Conversations With Mom, Part 1

2010-01-05T14:49:00.003-05:00

I love my mother. A lot. She is wonderful and I hope to be just like her one day. She loves the Lord and is a wonderful example of a wife and a mother. She is also a hoot. Mostly when she's not trying to be. She often says things that just come out wrong...and it cracks us up. Here is one of those recent conversations.

The scene:
In the car, on the way to Target (my happy place). I was driving and mom was just sitting there staring at me.

The conversation:

Me: What?
Mom: You're just so pretty.
Me: You have to say that, you're my mom.
Mom: I don't HAVE to say anything. If I didn't think it was true, then I just wouldn't say anything.
Me: Well, then your eyes are tainted because you're my mother.
Mom: That's not true...I can clearly see those 30 pounds you've gained, but I still think you're beautiful.
Me: Thanks, Mom.

Cue laughing so hard we almost drove off the road.

Please, Just Don't. Thanks.

2009-12-18T09:27:00.004-05:00

My sister and I are self-proclaimed Christmas decoration snobs. As we drive around at Christmas time, we give grades to the Christmas decorations on houses, and offer suggestions (to each other, not to the people who live in the houses...that would be taking it a bit too far) as to how they can bring up their grade.

For example..."That house is a B+, but they could bring it up to an A if they would get rid of the blinking lights that give us seizures/ get rid of the red lights in their windows/straighten out the lights on their tree." You know, practical stuff.

However, in my eyes, there is one decoration that gives you an automatic fail. Observe:

Those blasted inflatables! I don't know what it is, but they make me shudder!

Although...I DO like the lights on the house behind the loathsome inflatable. Add some pretty garland and some candles in the windows and we have a solid A- going on. I'll even look past the icicle lights on the dormers. It is Christmas, after all.

This one makes me want to cry. It MOVES. Ugh.

So there you have it. I love Christmas. I love Christmas decorations. And I appreciate all effort and the beauty of it all. But inflatables...INFLATABLES? Please. Just don't.

It's a...

2009-12-09T09:29:00.013-05:00

self imposed snow day! I attempted to get to work this morning (thing #278 I miss about teaching: guilt free SNOW DAYS!!!!)

Gah- they just interrupted Ellen for a weather alert- that's how gross it is! And the weather lady just told me to stay in bed and eat pizza. Okay. Will do.

Anywho...after slipping and sliding through town, barely making up a hill and wishing with all that was in me that I lived in the south, I turned around and headed home. To this...

Yes, a stack of books just waiting to be read (and one that already has been read.) Recently I have remembered my love for reading and I'm milking it. And having a blast.

So I started my day with a little bit of this:

Figaro wanted to get in on the action, too.

So what am I reading? Hummmmm?

I just finished...

This book was great. I cried. Yup...it was challenging, motivating and heart-string pulling. Good read.

I am currently reading...

Sophie Kinsella makes me laugh. A lot. This book is really cute and fun.

I am looking forward to reading...

Don't laugh. These books are fun. I have read 4.5 of them. I read half of book 5, put it down and never picked it up again. I was reading them as they came out, and by the time book 5 came out, I had forgotten what had happened before and was lost. I do much better waiting for a series to be complete before I read it. I'm the same way with TV. TV on DVD? Yes, please!

It's been a rough year. I just need to read this.

I've heard great things about this book...and have a mentioned it's been a rough year? Yeah, I thought so.

So there you have it. I love reading. And I'm going to go do some more. Right. Now.

RUH ROH!

2009-12-07T20:50:00.007-05:00

Yup...that's my cell phone. Note to self...don't shut your cell phone in your car door. It will break. I just got this phone 2 weeks ago, too. I was thisclose to cancelling my insurance in an attempt to save money because in the history of having cell phones I have never lost or broken one. Glad I didn't do that! Thanks to the magic of the internet and the Verizon fairies, I should have a new one tomorrow. Yea! It's driving me crazy, though because I can see I have a voicemail and a text message...but I have no way of getting them. Ugh!

AND

This video makes me laugh. A lot. It reminds me of college. And Laura. And it makes me miss her and the way we used to laugh like fools.

I volunteered to my future SIL to sing it at her wedding next month. She hasn't answered me yet. Hummmmm. Wonder why. :)

*And yes, Julie, if you read this...I stole the title from your facebook comment. Thanks! :)

Let's Rewind...Again

2009-12-02T21:32:00.006-05:00

I really, really, REALLY need to be better about this. You know- posting on my blog and not having to always rewind. Ahem.

Anyway, about a week and a half ago I got together with my dear friend, Tiffany. Tiff and I have been best friends since third grade. We went to school together all through elementary and middle school, then went to different high schools.

During high school and the beginning of college we worked at Camp Good News together as well. After college Tiffany stayed in NH and I was in Ohio, but we have remained great friends and I have LOVED reconnecting since I moved back to NH.

Tiffany is married to Ryan and now has two adorable kiddos that she lets me play with, read stories to, and snuggle. I love being "Aunt Erin!"

So, Tiffany and I got together on a Saturday morning to go watch her husband, Ryan, go jump into Lake Winnipesaukee for the Turkey Plunge, a fund raiser for the Salvation Army (although we missed the jump...whoops.)

Afterward we went to a local restaurant for a yummy fund raising lunch of clam chowder and chili. Then it was back to Tiff and Ryans to hang out, talk, play with the kids, and catch up.

What a fun day!

On Sunday afternoon I met up with my friends Heather and Diana and their friend Ian to go see New Moon. Heather and I went to school together from sixth grade through high school. She lived right up the road from me and was like a part of our family. Diana is her best friend and roommate.

These are horrible pictures because I took them with my phone and it doesn't have a flash, but I insisted on taking pictures anyway.

Heather and me

Ian and Diana

So here was my brilliant statement of that evening. We were standing in line for the movie and Ian and Diana were talking about some movie, but I wasn't sure what. So I said,

"What are you talking about?"

and they responded,

"Buffy."

I had a thought, but didn't say it out loud, and then I burst out laughing. When they asked me what was so funny I told them that I had thought,

"Yeah, I'm just really not into vampires at all."

Ironic since we were in line for New Moon, huh? HA! The thing is, I'm really not. I just recently read the Twilight books because I wanted to know what all these kids and teens were reading so I can be informed and to form my own opinons about them. I enjoyed the books, but am I a Twi-hard fan? No. Were they entertaining? Yes.

It was a fun and friend filled weekend!

Fallish Fun

2009-10-03T12:39:00.008-04:00

Two weekends ago my family and I went apple picking. This has always been one of my favorite fall-time things go do. Who am I kidding? I love EVERYTHING about fall. The weather, the smells, the hay rides, the corn mazes (although there aren't very many of those in NH...), the decorations, the pumpkin spice EVERYTHING...I love it all. So we headed out to Appleview to pick some Cortlands and Macs. We took a hay ride out to the orchard.

Um...I guess you can't really tell we're on a hay ride there, huh? Oh well.

Mom and Dad

Mimi- 91 and still apple picking!

The Miller Girls

He really does love her. What a goof!

After picking apples we headed into the barn/store to pay for our apples and sampled a few of their apple fritters. Oh YUM! I also decided that one of my favorite smells in the world is the inside of the apple orchard store- especially if it is an old barn. Looking forward to more fall time fun things to come!

Catching Up!

2009-10-03T12:02:00.007-04:00

I really need to be better about this. Let's back track again, shall we? Alllll the way back to August. My friend Julie came up from DC to visit. Julie and I worked at Camp Good News togteher as counselors in my late high school/early college days. Julie's family lives in Bangor, Maine, so the plan was for me to pick Julie up in Boston, then to drive up to Bangor to visit with her family and attend the annual Folk Festival.

Julie's flight was delayed due to bad weather, so I drove around and around while waiting for her and had a nice driving tour of the northern Boston area. After picking Julie up, we were both starving, so we decided to visit the brand new Sonic that had just opened in Peabody. It is the first Sonic in New England...

So we were pretty excited! When we pulled up we noticed there was a long line, but thought, "Eh...can't be that bad." Once we realized it was THAT bad, we were stuck. There was no way out. See...

That Strawberry Limeade was totally worth it! HA! Oh my. So after that we decided it would probably be best not to drive all the way to Bangor, so we stayed over at my place in Portsmouth and continued on to Bangor in the morning. That afternoon we headed out to the Folk Festival. It was cold and rainy, but still fun.

We listened to some good music, ate some yummy food, and listened to a riveting talk on honey bees. :)

Julie's family was great. I had a blast and honestly hadn't laughed that much in a loooong time. It was a great weekend!

2009-08-24T22:19:00.003-04:00

Ooooookay...well, I didn't post like I said I would. I WILL NOT LET THIS DIE!! Anyway, this past week was a blur. My new to me car was making some weird tire noises, so I sent it to the dealer to get fixed. I was borrowing Dad's car for one day...and got rear ended. At the stupid traffic circle. Those things are death traps!! And to top it off...I locked my keys in the car. It wasn't my fault, though, because Dad's locks are possessed and keep locking on their own. Anyway, the guy who hit me is really nice and stayed with me until I was let into my car. What a week!

Today was back to work. I decided I was going to go to my happy place after work...Target! And not just any Target...the brand spankin' new Target that just opened in Portsmouth. I wandered around forever just looking at stuff...and ended up with some purchases that I am very excited about.

First I got Fiber One Pop-Tarts!! I LOVE Pop-Tarts, but never buy them because they are bad for me. But HELLO!! FIBER ONE POP TARTS??? Those are practically a health food!

I also got a new toothbrush. The Crest Sonic Care Spinbrush! Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE brushing my teeth, so needless to say, I am very excited! Plus, for someone without dental insurance, a new toothbrush is always a good thing.

Finally, I needed some more cinnamon and decided to buy the SUPER cute Archer Farms cinnamon. When I'm not supposed to be in bed (goal #1 of the new Erin...but that's a different post) I will post a picture of it. Let's just say I need to cook with a LOT of spices in the weeks to come so I can replace all my spices with the Archer Farms brand. So CUTE. And everyone knows food cooked with spices that come in cute packaging just tastes better, right?

Speaking of food, I haven't been grocery shopping since I got back from OH. CRAZY. That was on the list of things to do today, too. Luckily, the brand new Portsmouth Target has a whole market section! Two birds...one stone. Mission Accomplished.

When I got home, I ordered these from Target online...recommended by Clemsongirl- a hilarious blog I just happened upon over the weekend. Hopefully they're as wonderful as she says...and maybe they'll make me look like the girl in that picture!! Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for a good lounge pant! (Sorry Mom!)

To top it all off, I finally got caught up with my wonderful friend from Cedarville, Shawnna. We have both been away and on vacation so we haven't talked in forever. I miss her like crazy and it was great to get caught up.

Overall, today was a pretty good day. Hopefully tomorrow will be, too!

Well Hello There!

2009-08-16T17:52:00.002-04:00

So, I've decided to join the blogging world. Not that I have anything wonderful to say...really it's just a way for me to keep track of what I have been up to. Seeing how scrapbooking is my second biggest fear in life, I've decided that this here blog will be a good way to do that (and to organize my pictures). So here I go!

So what have I been up to? Well...this past year has been a year of change. I moved from Ohio back "home" to New Hampshire last August. Quite honestly, it's been a rough year. I don't really know why God brought me back to New Hampshire, but I sure have learned A LOT- about Him and about me. Huh- maybe that's why He brought me back here. Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out what I should do with my life...and as I figure that out I'll keep track of what I'm doing right here.

Okay. So. Um, I think instead of starting in the present, I'll back track just a little. So let's recap:

In July, my friend from Cedarville, Kellie, and her husband, Matt, came to visit from Akron, OH.

We explored Portsmouth...

and Boston. Where we saw some interesting sights!

The next weekend Andrea (a friend I taught with in Ohio) and her husband Tony came to visit. We met in Boston for dinner.

Fast forward to the last week of July...I went on vacation to Ohio. Because who doesn't dream of taking a vacation to Ohio?? I'm such a dork.

First I went to my cousin Kim's house to hang out with her and her family, who I miss SO much. I don't have any pictures of that (yet), though. One night my brother and my future SIL, Laurie, came for dinner. We had so much fun! When Kim, Chris and the girls were at VBS one night I went dress shopping with Laurie.

Then I was on to the Dayton area where I met up with my old roomates Laura and Christina. Seriously, I felt like I was back at home being back in Laura's house. We had so much fun when we lived together, both in Cedarville, and in Xenia.

The next day when Laura went to work I went to hang out with my BFF Alia and her son, Xander (who I LOVE). Alia and I met the first week at Cedarville. Her husband, Jason was my small group leader my freshman year so we met when she came to our small group. We were also both el ed majors and had all of our classes together. Alia and I also taught together for the past 5 years in Ohio. Anyway, we met Laura for lunch at Colonial's in Cedarville. Oh, the college memories!

That night I went with Laura and Christina to The Greene (a great outdoor mall) for dinner and fun. We met up with Katie and Robin, ate at Noodles & Company (PLEASE, OH PLEASE come to NH!) and just had fun!

The next day Alia and I hung out all day long. Xander and I enjoyed some reading...

Together...

and on our own.

That night Jason, Alia, Xander and I went back to the Greene and did a little bit of shopping. :)

It was a great vacation, but all good things have to come to an end (much like this blog should. Cut it short, Miller!)

Yeah, so now it's August and I'll get caught up on what's been going on in August tomorrow!

Edit: A Sonic commerical JUST came on and my grandmother said, "Oooohhhh...where can you get that?" My answer, "At Sonic...a very far way away from here." Sigh.