Merry Christmas!!!!!

What a wonderful Christmas break we are having! David finished his finals on Friday, December 18 and I had a half day and our class Christmas party that day. We were SOOOO glad to be on Christmas break. On that Friday night we had our Sunday School Christmas party and we did the white elephant thing and it turned out to be really fun. The party was at Todd and Alicia Bortoff's house. On Saturday morning we slept in a little bit and started getting our stuff ready to go to Little Rock. We pretty much hadn't done anything to prepare to leave, so we had to clean the house, wrap a couple more presents, get Sooie to the vet, and get all packed up. We ended up leaving around noon, which we felt pretty good about.

We had decided to spend all of the days leading up to Christmas with the Rainwaters and then head to North Carolina to be with my family on Christmas Day and the days following Christmas. So we basically just did the opposite of what we did last year.

We had a great time in Little Rock with David's parents and went down to the farm to ride Flash on Tuesday. Tuesday night was when we celebrated Christmas and everyone was able to be there. John and Sarah were leaving on Christmas Eve Eve to head down to El Dorado and we were leaving on Christmas Eve morning.

Right now we're in North Carolina and we leave tomorrow to head back to Little Rock. It has been great here in NC and we've had a wondeful time with Granny and Grandad and Uncle Frank and Aunt Lisa and the triplets. Tonight we're going to have some dessert with the Frank Pippins.

Tripp has gotten sick this Christmas with what we think is strepp throat. This is a real shame because Tripp was the most instrumental person in helping to fix the other Christmas mishap that occurred. When Mom and Dad arrived in North Carolina they got in really late and did not unload the Christmas presents from the car. That night the car got broken into and all the Christmas presents got stolen!!!! We were amazed and Mom was crushed. Luckily, the insurance wil reimburse Mom and Dad for the goods and they were able to replace most things. However, Tripp was such a big help and then he got sick!!! He's got some medicine now and is on the upswing though. Christmas break continues!!!....

Busy Week

What a busy week we've had! Monday night was the cheerleader's first game to cheer at and they did great! They cheered hard, didn't talk to each other, and really impressed the crowd and principal. I was exhausted though because I was barely over my sinus infection and still on antibiotics. David had four finals this last week and they all went well. I led cheerleading practice on Wednesday and then had to help with the school Christmas program on Thursday night. We are pretty tired, but we have one week to go until the semester is over!!!!! David has a really long week ahead with six tests. I have pretty much a four day week because Friday is a half day and the parents have planned our Christmas party for that day. On Friday is our Sunday School party and we're doing a white elephant gift party...should be really fun. Keep David in your prayers this week as he tries to recall a WHOLE lot of information.

On the Mend

Things are starting to look up! I finally was able to move off the couch on Friday morning and had a good half day of work. The kids all jumped up out of their seats when I came in and ran to give me hugs. So cute. I really felt missed. I did have a lot of paperwork to get in order though. It's amazing what needs to be done from just missing a day and a half. Yesterday David had me laying around all day and trying to get even better. David kept a great fire going in the fireplace and I did very minimal chores around the house. It was our day to bring breakfast for the Sunday School class this morning, so I made a bunch of muffins last night and they were a big hit. We also greeted at Chris and Sarah's door for them since they're out of town. They have definitely filled in for us a couple of times!

I still have a ton of yucky stuff going on in my nose, but at least I can function. I'm still on the antibiotics, so hopefully things will continue to get better.

David's finals start this week. He has four this week, and six the next. He's handling the pressure really well and just taking things as they come...amazing. The other day we were talking with our Sunday School teachers and they asked how many finals David had. He told them ten and our teacher said, "Whoa, you have ten classes?" David replied, "No, I have 13." :) We all got a big kick out of it, but it pretty much sums up how hard David had been working. I'm so proud of him.

Using My First Sick Day :(

Well, the kids finally got me down for the count. I have been stopped up for what seems like forever, but is really about a month, so I went to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon. We picked our new family doctor based on his first name (Ralph) and the fact that he accepts United Health Care. Anyway, I went and he said that I could have some other infection that is making the symptoms go on for longer than they should. I was also running a low grade fever. I didn't feel too bad and was happy to have been prescribed some medicine, so I decided to go to work the next day (yesterday). By the end of the day I was miserable and felt like it was the medicine's fault! I called Kathy (my principal) last night and told her that I had a fever and couldn't come to work today. She of course said that it was no problem and hired a sub right away. I can't say that I have made much of an improvement today, but I called the doctor's office about the possibility that the medicine was having a reverse effect and they said that I probably have a sinus infection and that the medicine should take care of it...someday. Kathy called again today and I told her that I would come in tomorrow, but she said to sleep in and go ahead and come in at noon. As bad as I feel I'm thankful to have an understanding and helpful boss and paid sick days this year. David has been a wonderful nurse to me, which I hate that he is having to do since he already has so much going on. Hopefully I'll get on the up swing soon. The doctor said that if I'm not better by tomorrow afternoon that they want me to call back, so at least there is some kind of deadline for recovery.

I made it through cheerleading practice last night after school (barely) and I think that the girls are ready for their first game, which is Monday. For having NO experience at all, I think that they've come a long way and I'm really proud of them. Enjoy the videos!