25 random facts about me

1. i LOVE washing dishes. doesn't matter what time of day or night. it's very relaxing.
2. i'm not sure i want to teach music for the rest of my life.
3. i love being an auntie to my 4 nephews and 3 nieces. they mean the world to me.
4. i'm awful at communicating what's in my heart to come out of my mouth. a lot of times i don't think there are adequate words to describe what's in my heart.
5. i cannot wait to have a husband, a house and children. i've dreamed about this my entire life - ever since i was a little girl.
6. i love a clean kitchen. i love a clean bathroom. i often clean late at night. i also clean when i'm frustrated or angry.
7. i've never truly been in love with a man.
8. i didn't have my first real kiss until i was 25, and i'd give anything to take it back.
9. i'm desperately trying to lose weight.
10. one of my favorite movies is dumb and dumber. it's not something i'm proud of, but it's the truth. i've seen it at least 50 times and it still cracks me up every time.
11. i LOVE former presidents george w. bush and his father (who went skydiving on his 80th birthday and plans to go again on his 85th). they are men of integrity, deep faith and incredible moral values.
12. i love country music and line dancing.
13. i love to cook and bake, but that unfortunately interferes with #9.
14. this year i am participating in 2 walks: in april, the march for babies, benefiting the march of dimes... and in may, the spring stride benefiting lawrence and memorial hospital.
15. i want to begin training for a half marathon, but need someone to train with otherwise it won't happen. not to mention i'm not running 13 miles by myself. :)
`6. seriously? i'm only up to 16? let's see. i'm a big time blog and facebook stalker. i definitely spend way too much time doing that.
17. i accepted Christ as my Savior at age 12, but wasn't baptized until i was 19. it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life.
18. i have always always ALWAYS wanted a younger brother or sister. always.
19. i am constantly wondering if i am in the smack-dab center of God's will.
20. i didn't step foot on an airplane until i was 21. i was in my first year at CCSU and the men's basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament. our bracket sent us to minneapolis where i went to the mall of america in our down time.
21. i went to the NCAA tournament a 2nd time my junior year of college - this time we went to pittsburgh.
22. i did gymnastics in the 6th grade just so i could get a trophy at the end of the season.
23. i always wanted to try out for cheerleading, even though they REALLY get on my nerves now that my nephew plays high school football.
24. i think i'm running a fever right now.
25. i have recently become obsessed with house. i think hugh laurie is one heck of an attractive man, i love his scruffy face, the fact that he really has an english accent and he plays both piano and guitar in real life.

march for babies

on april 26th, 2009 i will be walking in memory of my baby cousin: isabella madison bychowsky. please think and pray about donating to such a great cause. you can find more information and make a donation here.

song of the week

with risk of amanda getting annoyed that i am copying her (remember: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery)...

and since AMANDA did not post as requested yesterday, i'm going to post the song that has been on repeat on my ipod for a while now. and RACHEL, don't steal this song because i plan on bringing it to praise team practice next week :)

i know the words are not in english but the pictures are pretty stinkin amazing.

it's official!!!!!

michael and thea have solidified a wedding date! tuesday, june 23rd, 2009. the ceremony will take place in the smokey mountains... in gatlinburg, tennessee!

i am especially excited because i have never been to tennessee! they went on vacation there this past october and fell in love with the area... it looks beautiful and i'm excited for our families to celebrate these 2 beautiful people joining in marriage.

now... get to making me a niece or nephew!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

one word:2009

every year, Ali Edwards encourages her readers to select a word to be their mantra for the year. here is what she has to say:

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

i have been thinking about my word a lot and have landed on transformed.

trans·form (trāns-fôrm')
v. trans·formed, trans·form·ing, trans·forms

1. To change markedly the appearance or form of



this morning, on my way to work, i was talking to the lord... asking Him for a good start to 2009 at school - i asked for a transformed attitude towards administrators, staff members, teachers and students. i asked for transformed strength, patience, calmness and insight at school.

i want to be transformed in my walk with the Lord. i want to seek His presence daily. i want to dive into His word and seek the Truth. i don't want to be in the same place in december as i am today. i want to bear the fruit of my studies.

it's a new year, and i don't want things to stay the same. while i've never been a big fan of change, i think this is the year for it. i'm excited and totally at peace about the changes that i am potentially facing this year. i'm excited to see what God has in store for me, and am pretty sure it's going to be a year of transformation. :)

twin nephews: need prayer

i would ask that anyone who comes across this blog to please pray for the boys - john and gabe. many of you know they've been diagnosed as being developmentally delayed - with the main concern being speech. they've recently been enrolled in a special education pre-school class, and the teachers have recommended they be tested for autism in the coming months.

while we love them to no end no matter what, we hate to see them struggle... and i know that God has specifically chosen tim and bridget to take care of these precious, beautiful, special boys... and His plan in perfect!

here are a few pictures of the boys from their first christmas in their "new" home!

christmas 2008

here are a few pictures from the past few days.

tess decided to use me as a bed:


so santa brought her a bed:


she gets on it but doesn't stay long:




bri reading on christmas night:

bri looking at my music box that i got for christmas! (i LOVE it!):


my christmas socks that were adorable but made my feet look weird: (note that one of santa's hands is missing because my dog took it off without me knowing)


tess in her christmas coat:


playing a christmas story monopoly this morning:

dec 23rd

holy crapola it's christmas eve eve. did christmas sneak up on anyone else??

here are the finished products: the pink yankees blanket for mom, and a new york mets blanket for mike and thea. and i'm hoping they don't follow this blog. if they do, they better act surprised on christmas morning :)

dec 22nd

this morning my mom went into work early, so i had to get up early to get her christmas present made. she's always hogging my red sox blanket, so i've decided to make her a yankees blanket. as i was laying out the bottom fleece, my lovely dog decided she needed to sit and wash her face on it. too cute.

december 21st

i didn't have my real camera today, so... a picture i took this morning from my crackberry will have to do!