cape may, new jersey

i'm officially in love with cape may. my brother mike and soon to be sister in law thea took me away for a weekend of much needed rest & relaxation. saturday we had breakfast right on the water at mcglades - best omelette i've ever had! asparagus, tomatoes, onions and cheddar cheese! we shopped a ton, took a horse & buggy ride, climbed the cape may lighthouse, went to sunset beach for sunset... it was phenomenal!

waves at the beach of cape may:


mike and thea:


cape may lighthouse:


a little history:


the atlantus today:



sunset at sunset beach:


one of my many finds... this i got for my mom and dad:

never forget

i'll never forget that beautiful tuesday morning - coming back from my 8 o'clock math class to turn on the today show as the first tower was hit. classes were canceled, and lauren & i stayed up all night watching the coverage with peter jennings. i can't believe it's been 7 years. i've never been more appreciative of the armed forces in the 7 years since 9/11/2001.... i'll never forget.

adding to the family :)

my brother michael FINALLY proposed to his girlfriend thea this past weekend in new jersey! nearly all of thea's family was on hand, as it was the 20th annual andresen family frog jump picnic. after a few hours of an all you can eat potluck buffet, mike popped the question before the jumping of the frogs :)

mike asking thea to take a leap:

she said yes:

first glimpse of the ring:

putting the ring on:

my brother tim, sister in law bridget and twins john and gabe:

everyone got tshirts:

some scenery from the pond at thea's parents house:

more beautiful scenery:

proud auntie

yesterday my 6 year old niece briana took part in her 2nd gymnastics competition. gymnastics is something she takes very seriously for such a young girl, but her hard work has paid off! she won 5 gold medals, and was named the nutmeg state's best all around competitor! GO BRIANA!!!!!
1st place!!!!!:

briana with my sister in law, peggy:

briana with my brother, chris:

5 minutes after bri told my sister in law she was going to go in her room for a little while:

the theme for this year's church picnic is "take me out to the ballgame!". amazing. i LOVE baseball. knowing we all have to bring a dessert or side dish to share, i made this:



isn't it adorable??

"there is more to your life than you ever thought. there is more to your story than what you have read." - max lucado

these words were on a birthday card sent by a dear friend of mine from choir. those words came just as i was mourning my twenties... thinking of all the things i wanted to accomplish this past decade and and failed to do.

upon graduating high school, the plan was to graduate college by 21, find an amazing job by 22, buy a house by 24, be married by 25 and be done having kids by 30. oh, i had it all planned out. i would teach part time after having my children. i even envisioned a white picket fence! but oh... the Lord had other plans.

with hitting 30 the itch to marry is getting stronger... of course i need to be dating a guy for that to happen. and the maternal pull is getting stronger... of course having a husband helps in that area. at 30 did i see myself with just a half year of teaching under my belt? did i see myself teaching in new london of all places? did i see myself living with my parents still? did i see myself parent only to a dog?

no.

but i also didn't see my walk with the Lord being stronger than it ever has been. i didn't see the amazing people currently in my life. i have an amazing family, great friends, wonderful coworkers, beautiful nieces and nephews, a job that pays decently, a church family that is an incredible support system. i have my health, a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep in, food to eat (often times too much :P), a very cute car... and so much more.

so... i guess my point is... while i was lost in my self pity... this card with the words of max lucado couldn't have come at a better time! i KNOW that this was just a reminder from God that while i'm finished with my twenties... He's not finished with me yet!

i'm going to miss this child. my sister, nieces and nephew left today after a nearly month-long visit.

this video was taken on wednesday - i was trying to distract my niece so my sister could leave and run some toddler-free errands. my favorite part is at the end, when natalya turns, smiles, and says "toot toot". :)

"Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message... despise our person; but they are helpless against our prayers."
~ J. Sidlow Baxter

school's out for summer!

well... i made it.

june 18th seemed a million days away in february. there were many days and nights when i wondered "WHAT have i gotten myself into??". but you know what? God saw me through. He provided. people prayed. i prayed. i cried out to God and He answered. He didn't just answer - He answered big.

today the 8th grade was promoted to 9th... and for the first time i felt sad that my 8th graders were leaving. 8th grade promotion is a big deal in my district - largely because statistically, nearly half of those students won't walk across another stage again. i never thought that i might miss them... but i just beamed with pride as they crossed that stage - in their gowns, dresses, suits, tuxedos... they somehow moved their way into a nook in my heart that will be there forever. today i couldn't be prouder of them.

i was worried sick this past weekend about the band playing at promotion. we prepared for promotion in just 3 weeks amid team celebrations, field trips, class trips, testing and other interruptions. the kids stepped up to the challenge.. even though at times i was pulling my hair out... they came through. several teachers came to me and told me that was the best the band has sounded in years. my superintendent commented on how well they sounded. not bad for arriving in january.

now i have 2 and 1/2 weeks of vacation... then 4 weeks of summer music lessons in july. i'll have most of august off until school starts up again. in the mean time, if you're looking for me... try one of the local beaches. :)

He gives... and takes away

i'm so thankful that God has given me the dishmons as friends... but, as the song goes... He gives... and takes away...

it's no secret amanda dishmon is one of my most favorite people EVER. and it kills me that she and josh are moving across the country (although the prospect of visiting california is AMAZING)... i feel like i've known them a lot longer than a little over a year... and that's what is going to make this transition so stinkin' difficult.

amanda and josh - it's purely selfish of me to want you stay here... i wish nothing but the best to both of you and hope california is better than you've dreamed...

i've heard it said
that people come into our lives for a reason
bringing something we must learn
and we are led
to those who help us most to grow
if we let them
and we help them in return

well, i don't know if i believe that's true
but i know i'm who i am today
because i knew you...

it well may be
that we will never meet again
in this lifetime
so let me say before we part
so much of me
is made of what i learned from you
you'll be with me
like a handprint on my heart
and now whatever way our stories end
i know you have re-written mine
by being my friend...

who can say if i've been
changed for the better?
i do believe i have been
changed for the better

because i knew you...
i have been changed for good...


thanks for such a fun ride... i'll cherish it forever.
i'm gonna miss you.......