Snow Day!

Aaron and I woke up at 5:30 a.m this morning to find out that school had been cancelled due to the amount of snow.  Although I was sad to miss our Kindergarten Christmas concert tonight, it was a fun surprise knowing that we have not only today off but tomorrow as well.  This is a record breaking snowfall... we already have at least 2 feet of snow at our apartment.  After an hour of shoveling my car out of 2 feet of snow, Aaron and I challenged the snow and headed to Red Robin for lunch.  It is definitely going to be a white Christmas, but we are on our way through Ellensburg to Seattle tomorrow morning. :) Happy Snow Day!  (these pictures are taken with our new camera that we are so excited about... still getting use to using it!).

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

Last week I had the cutest Kindergarten comment.  After spending many days laughing about it, I decided I must share for all of you to get a laugh out of your day as well.  Anyways, while all of my kiddos were busy at work last week, I decided to play some of our Christmas songs over the CD player since we are preparing for a Christmas concert this coming Thursday.  With the music quietly playing, I overhead one of my little girls singing a different Christmas song than the one playing.  So, I walked by to hear what she was saying and I overheard the song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".  It wasn't until she came across one of the verses and this is what I heard... "so bring us some frickin' pudding, so bring us some frickin' pudding". HA HA HA!!  While trying to hide my ridiculous laugh that was going on inside, I nicely said "Aysha, the words are so bring us some figgy pudding".  After trying to adjust her words in the song, minutes later it was "frickin' pudding" again.  What a great moment that I will remember every holiday season! :)

Annie

Aaron's most recent proud moment was when one of his fifth grade students starred in the musical "Annie".  He was able to get the whole fifth grade at Skyway to go watch the musical last week, and after being amazed and awed by Natalie, he told me that I must go.  After buying last minute tickets, we had a fun date to Coeur d' Alene today to watch "Annie".  What a talented young girl.  It was so fun watching how proud and impressed Aaron was by one of his students.  During the musical, once she found where Mr. Drake was, she continued to look at us throughout the musical.  So cute! :)  In Aaron's words... "these are the moments that you know why you are teaching children".

                                             Aaron and "Annie"

Christmas Cheer!

This weekend was the beginning of our Christmas festivities.  Friday night we all met at the Marshalls for a gift exchange, time to hang out with friends, and yummy Christmas treats.  Aaron and I had been needing this after a few busy weeks of school.  The old roomies were back together, and it was such a blessing spending quality time with such wonderful friends.  Not only did we win a target gift card and board game, but we also learned a new game... "telephone pictionary".  Great game!  What made the day feel even more like Christmas was around the corner, was the fact that Friday was our first big snow fall of the year. :)  

                                      

Prayers for mom!

Just wanted to ask for prayers for my mom who just got a knee replacement yesterday. The surgery went well and she is recovering in the hospital, but I know she would love your prayers.  She is such a blessing in my life and I thank God for her everyday! :) Love you mom!

Thanksgiving!

We just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving in California at Aaron's parents house.  The trip was the perfect length and we feel refreshed and ready for three weeks back at school before another trip to California.

For those of you who don't know, Aaron's mom, Jane was diagnosed with Lymphoma about four months ago.  She has now reached her half way point for Chemo and is beginning to build strength each and every day.  We felt very blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with her, especially because it has been so difficult being so far away in this time.  Through much prayer, Jane received encouraging news this week.  After getting test results back, her cancer has decreased dramatically.  Praise God!!  We continue to ask for prayers and know that God is going to heal her body.

I feel so blessed to have entered into an incredible family with another set of amazing parents.  We love our little trips to California, and we are excited to be heading back in two and a half weeks.  Another Thanksgiving has passed, and we have much to be thankful for... two of those being the two set of parents (both immediate and in laws) that I have been blessed with! :)

          My wonderful husband, mother-in-law, and me!

Fondue and Friends

After a long week of work, we were able to enjoy a night with fondue and friends.  Last night Kelsey (my old roommate) drove over from Wenatchee and about 10 of us friends enjoyed one another's fellowship, munched on chocolate fondue and many goodies to dip in it, and played a fired up game of Taboo... where the girls won!  Nights like these remind us of how blessed and thankful we are for the incredible friends we made in college.  Life has changed for many of us, but fondue nights bring us together like old times.  After living with the same girls for four years, its weird having to wait weeks and even months to all be together again, so it was a blessing to have all four of us together last night.  Thanks for making the drive Kels!  

They are finally here!!

The long awaited professional wedding pictures have finally arrived.  It has been such a joy recalling all the great memories from just months ago.  This is just a small preview of the 500 pictures that we received.  If you want to view all the pictures, go to www.ryanlindberg.com, then to proofs, weddings, aaron and bonnie, and our password is drake. ENJOY!

3 Down, 1 To Go

The weekend finally came!!  Two of our great friends Kurt and Leslie got engaged.  Les is one of my closest friends and was one of my maids of honor in our wedding.  After almost three years of dating, Kurt finally popped the question and the celebrating began.  I had spent two hours that day with Les having coffee, and later that night I was celebrating with her over her gorgeous engagement ring.  We are so excited for the two of them, and I can't wait to begin wedding planning again!  All of my hand-me-down bridal magazines will now come to good use again! We love you guys and are so excited for you!  Out of the four old Whitworth roommates, we have 3 down and 1 to go. :)

      3 out of the 4 roommates doing the traditional "look at the ring" pose

            The soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Vancil

Let the Halloween Festivities Begin!

                                    Let the pumpkin carving begin!

                                   This took alot of teamwork... trust me!

       Our wonderful friends with our final Pumpkin products

This has been a great weekend!  We started with a date night in Coeur d' Alene.  I met Aaron on Friday night and we had a nice dinner at Olive Garden and then proceeded to stay at a hotel for the night.  After a restless night of sleep, we went to Aaron's classroom on Saturday morning and got some organization stuff done.  Aaron felt that it was a very productive three hours, so I feel that we accomplished alot!

After an eventful day in Coeur d' Alene, we headed to my school's Halloween carnival.  Aaron was a great support and came to help.  I felt that it was important to bring a smile to my kindergarten kiddos faces, so I came dressed as a pumpkin... and they loved it!  Once the carnival was done, we were exhauasted and ready for a nap, but there was still more fun to be had.  We then headed to the Marshalls house and had a great night of pumpkin carving, Halloween treats, and great fellowship with friends that we hadn't seen in a few weeks.  This was just what we needed after a long week of school.  We are blessed by great friends!  Although our weekend has been busy... it has been just what we needed!

They Fly By...

Today I came to the conclusion that weekends officially fly by way too fast.  This has always been the case, but I am realizing it more and more now that I have an "adult" job and never get to spend time with my husband during the week.  Although we have had a nice relaxing weekend watching football, going to church, celebrating my birthday, and working in my classroom, I am missing the days where weekends use to be a time where I could actually relax.  I am ready to face another week of cute little Kindergarten children, but I am also excited to have another weekend of relaxation and time with my hubby.

Welcome Home Ryan!!

This weekend was a big family reunion.  Ryan returned home from Qatar and they family flew up to Washington, so Aaron and I and Justin all came home for the weekend.  Mom put on an open house for Ry's return, so we spent most of Saturday chatting with friends and eating way too much food.  We haven't all been together in a long time, since Ry wasn't at our wedding.  It was definitely a busy weekend, but worth the trip to e-burg.

Did I tell you how cute my nephews are?  Well, they are two little bundles of joy. I can't get enough loves, hugs, and kisses when I am around them.  I wish they lived closer, but the time we have together is cherished greatly.  With 9 people to control, we were even able to manage some family photos.  :)  We planned the red, white, and blue theme and they turned out great.

Seth is in such a fun stage right now. He sure has a lot to say, although we can't always understand him.  A few of my favorites are that he says "bop" every time he is looking for Grandma Jo and he also loves the hot tub and loves to say "I want bubbles".  He is so cute.  Can't wait for the next time that we are all together again!

 Family photo... we did plan the color scheme!

The adorable nephews... oops Seth's pants are unbuttoned :)

                   Fun to have my brothers around!

                          Me and my wonderful husband.

They have arrived!!!

Just an update to let everyone know that our wedding pictures have finally been posted.  If you want to look at them go to www.ryanlindberg.com.  After getting to the main page click on proofs on the menu bar, then click on weddings, aaron and bonnie, and our password is drake.  ENJOY!! Today is an exciting day because I have been waiting for these for months. :)

Blessed!

Can I just tell you how blessed I am.  I am blessed for many reasons, but one of my biggest blessings is my incredible husband.  It's been almost three months since we got married, and every day I am loving him more and more.  Some of the greatest moments together are after a long day at work when all we want to do is be together.  Aaron was gone in California this past weekend, and when I got home from school on Monday... this is what was waiting for me!  He always knows how to show me how much he loves me by doing simple little out of the ordinary things. :)  Today and every day I feel blessed to be married to such an incredible, loving, caring, sensitive, compassionate, and faithful man.

      

                 My gorgeous surprise!!

My little Kindergarten Kiddos!

I have officially completed my first week as a Kindergarten teacher.  It started out a little rough, but ended with lots of smiles, exhaustion, and planning.  I have a total of 36 kiddos between two classes, and they sure are cute.  I have alot of learning ahead of me this year, but I am excited for this journey.  Dad and Mom came here for the weekend to help me set up my room while Aaron was in California.  They were amazing!!  I had my dad hard at work stapling all sorts of things, and mom got to be the perfect bulletin board maker.  After about 10 hours in the classroom this weekend, I think I am ready to attack another week of 5 and 6 year olds.

                My cool reading loft in the background.

                 Dad and Mom were such a big help!

                       

                    Calendar time with Mrs. Drake

Dad turned 60!!!

This picture is a week late, but thought it still needed to be posted.  Last weekend we celebrated dad's 60th birthday.  What a great celebration it was!  My dad has been a blessing in the lives of so many people. He is an incredible man and what a joy it was to celebrate his birthday.  We love you Rog!

                 Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

A little overwhelmed...

I have completed two full days of teaching Kindergarten.  Its been a blessing to know I have a full time job and one that I have always dreamed of having, but I am also experiencing the feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted, and in a complete dayz once 3:30 hits.  I have been blessed with an incredible and supportive staff, but am also experiencing 40 little 5 year olds who make me want to pull my hair out. It was a little overwhelming starting a job three weeks into school, but I know I will be so thankful for this experience in about a month from now.  Aaron has been such a supportive and encouraging husband, even when I come home as a total emotional wreck. :)  I will post pictures in the next couple of weeks, but thought a kindergarten update was needed.   

BIG week with BIG news!

Alot has happened in the past week. Just yesterday I got home from being in California with Aaron's parents for a week. His mom is battling Lymphoma and is currently recovering from a broken femur and back. It was a gift that I had the time to spend a week with her. Although it was hard to see her lying in bed all day, it was a blessing to see her smile, laugh, and have great conversations. The Lord is watching over her and we know that He has her wrapped tighly in His palm. Thanks to everyone who is praying for her. She definitely feels your prayers.


After arriving back in Spokane after my visit, Aaron picked me up after his long day of work and we headed to Ellensburg for a suprise birthday party for my dad. On the way, I received a call from Shiloh Hills Elementary School asking me to accept a Kindergarten teaching position. WHOO HOO!!! I was thrilled, caught off guard, etc, but I was honored to accept the position. So, this means that both Aaron and I will have full time teaching jobs, I will be teaching Kindergarten (the grade I have always wanted to teach), and I start full-time on Tuesday. WOW! It sounds overwhelming, but I am excited to take each day as it comes!

A Visit From Mom

I just got done having a great visit with my mom.  Last night she came to Spokane to visit and stay the night before she headed to see Grandma Bonnie today. We loved having her here!  She treated us to dinner at Twigs, and then we were able to spend the day together while Aaron was working.  She is such a blessing in our lives and we loved getting to see her, catch up on their latest adventure to New York, give her updates on subbing and teaching, and eating yummy food out. We love you mom!

Football, Friends, and Pizza

This Saturday we decided to have a little football party at our place.  It originally started as a boys party, but the girls soon intruded.  We had about 9 friends come over, watch football, eat pizza and treats, and have great conversation with one another.  After not seeing friends for most of the summer, it was great to all be back together again.  We loved having Taryn come to Spokane for a quick visit, because that meant she got to join in on the party and stay the night.  We loved spending a little extra time with her before she heads off to Spain for 9 months.  We will miss her dearly.  We hope to make these "get togethers" an occasional event so that we can see all our wonderful friends who are still in Spokane.

          Our wonderful friends enjoying their pizza!

                        We will miss you Taryn!

I survived!

Today was my first day of subbing in the schools.  I subbed for a first grade classroom and it was actually so much better than I was expecting.  After sitting at home for many days it was great to be in the schools, but also quite tiring.  I will be subbing again on Friday which I am very excited about.  I am beginning to get the tired feeling that Aaron comes home with every night.  It was a great day, and I am proud to say that I survived my first day of substitute teaching.

5th Grade All Over Again!

Aaron started his first week of teaching last week in Coeur d' Alene.  Within five days before his first day of school, he was changed grade levels and schools, so it was a busy labor day weekend.  As of today we can officially say that he made it through his first week as a teacher.  It was a tiring and stressful week waking up at 5:45 and having the hour commute both ways, but he is excited for what the rest of the year will bring.  This weekend consisted of lots of planning, me helping him grade papers, and finding recipes for paper mache.  Those 5th grade students must love him!!

             Mr. Drake and his first bulletin board!

                   The well decorated classroom.

The Place We Call Home

Amidst the beautiful Spokane county lies are wonderful apartment complex.  We have officially been in our place for a month and a half and it already feels quite comfortable and home-like.  Although we are already counting down the days till we get our own place, it does the job for now.  We were able to get moved in and set up in a timely manner, but now our big challenge is decorating.  I love to decorate, but my mind has officially blanked.  We have already done a good job of getting our place worn in with Olympic t.v watching parties, BBQ's, lots of cookie baking, and movie nights.

                              The place where we spend most of our time.

I Caved In...

After months of questioning whether or not I should start a blog, I decided to do so.  I figured it was a good way to let our friends and family know how and what we are up to without making a million phone calls and emails each week.  So, this is the beginning of my blogging journey.  Hope you enjoy the updates of what is going on for the Drake duo. :)