goodness gracious.

i have never been more excited about the weekend finally being here! this week has seemed to drag on and on and on and andy and i both are so looking forward to doing just about whatever we want! weekend's agenda: some major couch time and yummy food! possibly throw in a movie and there's guaranteed to be a football game or 10 on at some point. i just think relaxing with your husband all weekend is a dream come true!
first supper club was such a delight. talk about yummy food, goodness gracious these girls are very handy in the kitchen! we all can't wait until next month and the random happenings in between. i wish we would have documented with a picture. . . next time.
you hear teachers, especially elementary, say all the time that they really could write a book on the hysterical things they hear come out of their students mouths. it's so true and i am vowing to start writing these things down. i do however think that someone could write a book on the ridiculous things teachers say to their students. i, for example, today had the entire class applaud one of my more challenging and exhausting students because sweet boy finally got a sticker in his folder! such a victory.
happy weekend!

beyond thankful.

andy has been home now for a few days. our reunion was the absolute best. i found myself thinking when he was gone about just how thankful i am for him. i was reminded of that thankfulness just yesterday morning when i was pitching a fit about my closet being a disaster and he sweetly and quickly reminded me about how much i have to be happy for. i thought, you are ridiculous jessica, two piles of clean and folded laundry laying in your closet floor is really not a big deal at all. get a grip girl! i am so glad that andy helps me find that grip.

i am thankful that he. . .
- is the leader of our home and leads us in the ways of the Lord
- carries me to bed every night
- is home!
- can put things in perspective for this little freak- out drama queen girl
- loves his family and loves my family
- has really great big strong hands that rub my feet. . . if i beg
- is who i will wake up to every morning for the rest of my life!
- gets really into his fantasy football. it's so amusing
- let's me decorate our house til my heart's content
- wants to have lots of babies
- can fix things without getting overwhelmed immediately like myself
- can reach things very high up, like my boots in my closet
- encourages me to love like Jesus loves

we had our first official visitors this weekend at the jeffrey b&b. it is such a sweet thing to have friends in your home. we are looking forward to our first supper club this week when we will have even more friends in our home!

lookin' fancy.

check out my new blog design. isn't it so fancy?!? sweet kelly mann created me this beautiful thing and i can not take my eyes off of it!
here's the crazy thing, she got it right on the very FIRST try. i am telling you this girl is so good! check her out and maybe she could make your blog so pretty too!
you're the best kelly.

to fill the time. . .

in the past 24 hours i have. . .

1. talked to andy 5 times. it was so great to hear his voice all throughout yesterday! they are having a great time but the jeffrey's still do not have an elk head to adorn our walls. yeah right, that would never happen. edward the elk is welcome in our freezer but not on our walls. i know andy will agree.

2. joined jr. league. the verdict is still out on whether or not this will turn out to have been a good decision or not.

3. been to a live auction with the craziest and oddest things ever! the house where the auction was taking place was even auctioned off. i still can't believe it!

4. welcomed a new little baby straight from india into my kindergarten class. talk about a language barrier, sweet guy.

5. had the same little baby use the potty on our classroom carpet where we spend most of our time during the day. poor guy.

6. started my very first attempt at refinishing a piece of old furniture. eeeks!

7. ordered the most precious headbands from a friend. can not wait until they arrive!

8. read my 'monday' lunch napkin from my hunter. andy has written me a napkin for my lunch every school day, the fact that i have not cheated is a miracle.

hope ya'll have had such a sweet monday.

1,000 times over: chapter one. prank summer

it was the summer of 2005 and these two girls were all alone on washington blvd.



. . . with nothing to do but bother andy.

i remember andy coming over to our house a ton that summer and just hanging out. we would throw oc viewing parties which were ridiculous at the time and so hysterical to think about now. we would sit and make the most elaborate invitations all day, because of course that's what you did during the summer, and hand deliver them to andy and his roommate scott. this one particular night they showed up to our little get together with pool floaties and scuba gear! what i would do for a picture of that!

needless to say we were all pretty much bored out of our minds.

then late one night brooke and i get the bright idea to toilet paper andy's infamous college L-house. what a mistake that was! we got all dressed in super black gear and even matching head scarves (such dorks!) we knew we were invincible! i was the proud champion of successfully and consecutively rolling my 5th grade elementary school restroom for a month straight. . . so clearly i knew my tp-ing stuff.
it was a rainy rainy night and we were such silly girls to think we would be able to pull something off like this! not to brag, but we got the majority of the yard and house completely covered before andy came chasing after us.
here's the devastating part. . . during his chase of two extremely squealy girls andy drops his cell phone in a huge puddle of water. keep in mind. . . we were all just now getting to know each other. so the thought of our little prank ruining his phone was awkward and wore heavy on our hearts. we begged and begged for his forgiveness and promised to never be so sneaky again.
he wasn't having it.
instead he forced us to escort him to the sprint store clear across town to wait forever for him to get a new phone and then buy him breakfast at an hour too early for a summer saturday morning.
thankfully our little prank didn't keep andy far away from washington blvd.

next up: 1,000 times over: chapter 2. we danced all night!

spit spot.

at the top of my christmas wishlist you will find this pretty baby!


i am missing my sweet husband terribly! first hunt today. . . no elk yet!



i just love this picture! this night changed my life!

we have had a bit of a hall family reunion since andy has been away. . . my parents are loving that i have been crashing their empty nest. christopher and my dad just called me out to witness a terrible sight! they enjoy shooting little doves that like to use the bathroom on our cars in the driveway. they both think they are so stealth with their little red rider bb gun.



holding steady at the number 2 spot on the christmas list you will see. . .



my mom and i enjoyed this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sight last night in dallas! i love any musical and this one did not disappoint! i would love to be mary poppins for a day. . . . for one thing she can fly, that' s pretty incredible. instead of "rules" she has games that she plays all day and they are all educational! she wears the most classic clothes and she believes in a spoonful of sugar a day!



5 more days!



numero tres. . .
a shopping spree here and here!

a girl can dream!

november 20th.

i am at the edge of my seat. anticipation is rising for this one. it's football. it's southern. it's sandra. nothing better!

trailer must-see!

in elk news: the boys have successfully made it to their hunting destination.

in wife without a husband news: i have a greater respect for sweet soldier's wives. goodness gracious, you are brave women.

in kindergarten news: somehow we made it through teddy bear picnic day. i am exhausted therefore this entry is d-o-n-e.

a week without a husband.

andy is leaving today for an entire week and to say that i am depressed and emotional would be the greatest understatement. i have shed tears over this day for the past week and a half. pathetic? i think not! i love him so and can not wrap my little mind around him being away from me for an entire week. . . 7 WHOLE days is a very long time in newlywed world.
every fall andy, his dad and a few other men head to craig, colorado for their annual elk hunt. it is a trip that he looks forward to and talks about all throughout the year. it is also a trip that requires intense preparation. he has been watching elk hunting dvds for the past 6 months, mastering elk calls (which is hysterical to listen to) and packing the warmest clothes known to man. wives prepare food for their sweet hunters to eat. . . i am crossing my fingers that my chicken spaghetti and ziplocks full of blueberry muffins will not cause anytype of tummy problems. honestly, i am so excited that the time has come because i know how he looks so forward to this trip. . . but goodness how i will miss him!
so i figured there was no time like the present to dip my sweet little toes into this blog world. i have been telling andy for weeks that i must start a blog and here i am people! so keep checking in because while the husband's away this mouse will post everyday.