Love, Alicia: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Sweet Baby Boy Jacob!

I think Adam said it best about his sweet son, Jacob, born on Sunday at 12:26PM...

"God and Jacob had other plans for our Sunday. Born at 12:26, 3 lbs 3 oz, 15.9 inches ... Baby and mom are both fine."

I have never seen something that was thought to be so small to have such a huge spirit and love for life. As God's timing is always perfect so is this little bundle of joy... and for three pounds he looked so big and beautiful. To the new mama and daddy we are so proud, excited, and anxious about your new addition. As unexpected as it may be, little Jacob was ready to greet his family and friends as we are all so excited for your new adventures together as a family of three.

Broken Car, Cowtown, Sickness, & Echinacea

You have entered upon a blogpost that incorporates a lot of random happenings and upcoming events here with the Zellners.

1. My Pontiac...
As many of you know my Pontiac has been a source of a great deal of frustration. But currently she is pretty much free minus little moments such as these... so literally I want to drive her until she has nothing left to give. Well the point I'm getting at is that my car has been out of commission since last Tuesday. Now it is not the dealership's fault by any means that it has taken this long; however, my Pontiac was towed this past Friday. She sat in their shop until today which is Monday. We were advised (FINALLY) that they needed to fix the ignition switch cylinder and hazard switch... Well they called us today to tell us we could pick it up so by golly we thought it was fixed and low and behold the moment I go to turn on the car... more clicking. This would not have been the end of the world but who really wants to drive from McKinney down to downtown Dallas. I'm so not a fan. So sadly she is still in the shop and the Zellners are a one car household until the problem has been solved. All I have to say is angry fist to broken cars:)

2. Cowtown 2011...
Cowtown 2011 will be held on Sunday, February 27th in Fort Worth, TX. Both Ray and Michael will be running their third consecutive half marathon in Fort Worth. Both Kristin and I will be there more in the supportive role than as runners but we couldn't be more excited for our two boys!

3. Sickness & Echinacea...
So as I am sure you've read both Ray and I were under the weather these past few weeks due to the strep, flu, and other gross illnesses going around. Feeling bad for this long has pretty much left us to do whatever it takes... (well as I write this I am now feeling great... but as a preventative...we are seeking other options) Ray had spoken to one of his co-workers who swore by Echinacea... "nature's cure" as Ray called it or an immunity booster for those like us who are suffering during this not so friendly cold season. So today both Ray and I have decided to try it and test it for ourselves! We'll have to let you know how it goes!

I was also given a tip by a good friend from church to take Prenatal vitamins as they too are a great immunity booster and have such wonderful benefits including great looking hair and nails. So lots of options could work I guess.

So these are just a few random happenings in our lives at this point. More updates to come this week! I'm sure I too will be discussing this crazy weather we are expecting as Wednesday's high is said to be 17 degrees and this is supposed to be some of the coldest temps in years!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Dance Dance Date Night & Chisled Paths!

After a few weeks of being couped up in the apartment with random symptoms of sickness... it is pretty amazing to announce that both Ray and I are back to our typical healthy selves. So Saturday night after Ray's frisbee games, we decided to celebrate and enjoy a dinner for two at Pasados!

But before we left we had to have a small dance party in the apartment to celebrate!
...

Sunday morning, we started our day at church and enjoyed a wonderful bible study with our ABF and 10:50 service. After church, the hubs and I decided to enjoy this beautiful January weather (the whole two days of it:) and took a walk by our old apartment and park. It is amazing to think that our first moments of living in Dallas were standing right there before us...

...

... and it was amazing to revisit all the memories and moments we shared. Almost 4 years ago this August Dallas became our home. I am so thankful for this path as it is the path that God has laid before us. It is a path that has been chiseled long before we stepped foot down it and will continue all the days of our lives. I am thankful for his paths and these journies as they are greater than anything we can ever realize.

Chiseled- Learn to Serve!

Ephesians 2:8-2:10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Zellner Friday Night PJ Party!

Take Two

Friday Night Ray and I were both feeling under the weather. Sadly we had a fun double date night planned with our sweet friends from church, the Zoutendams... or "The Other Z's" but we took a raincheck as we are definitely looking forward to spending time with them soon. So as a means to enjoy our Fun Friday in... we decided (or I decided... ha) that we should enjoy a PJ and pizza night with our cute fam of four. We picked up a few necessities including two Blockbuster movies and some snacks and were ready to enjoy our night in. I don't think the pups enjoyed our pj night as much as I did... but it was a great family time none the less. These truthfully are my favorite moments in the entire world. So here's to unexpected and wonderfully perfect nights with those you love.

How did you spend your Friday?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Studying Sick?

Here is my sad sad study space... a space in which I have sat at and stared at for days now. It is a space filled with many tissues (yes I did remove these for the sake of the picture and for your stomach), chapstick, neosporin, highlighters, computer, iphone, study guide for the Special Education EC-12 content exam, and personal notes.

While some days I wonder if I have truly retained any information and want to be in bed by 7Pm and others I do feel rather accomplished. I will have exactly one month from tomorrow and I am already through the first 100 pages with TONS of handwritten notes. Come on February 28, 2011! Bring it:)

Oh and hopefully whatever this combination of symptoms I have will somehow have disappeared by this time next month. I am somewhat skeptical at this point. Ha!

Thoughtful Thursday: Sometimes It's a User Error!

So sometimes I think we all just need to tell ourselves and those around us in the midst of our own stupidity that yes it may just be user error. I mean let's be honest no one likes to admit when they are wrong or that they may have a done something foolish but again sometimes maybe we need to all just admit... it's a User Error.

So... Let's just say that my week started off with a few minor hiccups... the biggest being this... to the gentleman holding a bb gun and taking out squirrels or other furry woodland creatures, please next time realize that when you are standing on school property with a gun regardless the type or the reason... that maybe with all that is going on in the world... this is probably not the smartest thing to do. That definitely set off a very interesting chain of events that made for a super crazy Tuesday afternoon...

So here are a few of my random thoughts... comments... complaints... and compliments for this week's Thoughtful Thursday post! Random as I am... so are these thoughts:)

1. I love teaching... I know there are some days that are super challenging... but I wouldn't give up those amazing light bulb moments where you feel like a mother watching your child accomplish a task for the very first time. Hearing "hi" from my sweet girl or watching our boy walk for the first time and stroll around on a bike. Or hearing speech sounds spoken for the first time and for friendships being made. I truthfully feel fufilled.
2. I have never been so exhausted... while I love teaching I realize that this type of work is completely different from the corporate world. I have always respected teachers but now understand why they all have such early bed times.
3. My car broke down on Tuesday morning... boo to my Pontiac. Again everytime I tell shops they say... "oh it's a Pontiac"... like I didn't know what type of car it is.
4. We are sick... both Ray and I have really been under the weather this past week and are hoping that all this sickness leaves us and soon... b/c we are running out of kleenex and sadly I know I can go through an entire toilet paper role in a night
5. I heart Icees... seriously I am kind of in love with 711. While all the sugar may not be so healthy for us... it has been wonderful on our throats and of course is super tastey!
6. ELC Ladies Movie Night... I am super excited that my sweet ladies at work will be getting together in February for a fun Movie night where we will enjoy pizza and watch both Psycho 1 and 2
7. Never Straighten your fingers... so having a cute super short haircut is a lot of fun but it does come with the price of occasionally burning your fingers if you are not careful. Sadly for me it is still taking me some time to get used to not having those long locks and I have given myself some pretty bad... but small... burns on my hands.

Well this is what happens when you are super tired and really this is all that has gone on this week. So while this thoughtful Thursday post is short we are both looking forward to some very fun upcoming activities. Wishing you and yours such a wonderful week! Look forward to many more fun updates:)

Monday, January 24, 2011

Does this Work?

Ok friends, I'm going to need to hear from you... does orange juice work?

It seems that my immune system has been shot. As you know it is my first year in the classroom and it seems that I literally am catching everything. I may actually be a sponge at this point. So blog friends... help a sista out! What suggestions do you have to get rid of all this sickness!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Gathing Visit & Sweet Baby Harley!

On December 8, 2010, sweet baby Harley Gathings was brought into this world. At 7 lbs 5 oz of pure adorableness... I was so excited to officially meet this sweet girl and get to catch up with her amazing mama and daddy. This afternoon we officially had the opportunity and I absolutely couldn't wait. After our ABF Sunday school class, a morning in Joyland serving 3 year olds, and a quick stop for lunch we made our way to the Gathings home to visit and see this precious lady. At almost seven weeks she sat there absolutely perfect and with the cutest chubby cheeks in the world. I am so excited to see how much she's grown in this short time, am excited to continue to watch her grow, and spend more quality time with this super sweet family.

Sally is my dear sweet friend from Checkpast, my previous place of employment. She is such a wonderful person and was a great companion, source of entertainment, side kick, venting partner, lunch buddy, and role model. We definitely had over two years of really amazing memories that I couldn't be more thankful for. Both Ray and I have had a wonderful time getting to know both Sally and her husband Paul and are looking forward to having more time with them as well as their cute new addition. To the super sweet family of three or five if you include their two pups... congrats again on such a wonderful adventure! Sally I'm looking forward to seeing you again very soon:) oh and I'm totally ok with changing diapers:)

After our fun visit with friends, Ray and I returned home but not before we stopped for icees. How did you spend your Sunday?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

It's Official: I'm Signed Up!

It's official! This is what I will be studying from now until Monday, February 28, 2011! I am officially signed up to take my Special Education EC-12 Content Exam! Please be sure to offer words of encouragement as my desire to study is very limited when I come home from school. Believe me the last thing I want to do after a full day of school is to come home and study! Ha!

You've Got Mail

To my wonderful Zellner family,

Family Photo Session CDs are on their way!

A Very Long To Do List!

Well I guess instead of blogging about my exceptionally long to do list... I probably should actually start attempting to accomplish some of these goals. Oh well. I might as well have fun while writing it down. Ha!

1. Study for my content exam: Special Education EC-12
2. RSVP for a sweet baby shower coming up on Feb 5
3. Finish making CDs of our Zellner Christmas Family Photo session and send out ASAP
4. Update my PISD records including my interest letter, resume, certification information, etc to become a teacher this fall
5. Fill out summer school inerest form letter
6. Laundry
7. Dishes
8. Clean Apartment
9. Oil Change
10. Purchase gift for number 2
11. Sign up for number 1
12. Set up dinners/hang outs with sweet friends that I have been meaning to meet up with since the beginning of this year.
13. Research car insurance options
14. Get information to put my car in my name
15. Clean out car

I guess that is enough for right now. Wish me luck!

What are some fun or not so fun to do's on your list?