take me out to the...

a few more shots. i am trying to make the most out of this "sick" day. Allergies are nobody's best friend.

Baseball!

Below are a few pictures I took at Levi's baseball game last weekend. I tried editing them to cover over my still developing photography skills. Enjoy!

11 days

until nothingness.

until the void of mold and dust, of hormones and tiffs.

of homework and BTSA

of early morning high blood pressure

of reaction vs. ignorance.

Until no more red pen, until no more raised hand.

before rest, 

before blue skies and no time constraints.

before art projects and the classics,

toning and tanning.

Before less commuting, less confusion, less conflict.

and i'll be an unemployed, unencumbered second year teacher.

11 days until the summer.  well deserved after an incredibly difficult first year.

Teacher Appreciation

Note from a student. Meant a lot. Call me sappy.

Wuz up Mrs. Ryan! How have yuw been?! Well guess why im writing this letter to yuw?! Its because its; Teahcer's Appreciation Week! Oh-Em-Gee! hAhA! Well i remember when i first met yuw. :) . Yuw were really kool nd' down to earth chikka! That's what i like about yuw. My other teachers are not; Homie Gee! I like yuw. :). Yuw get what im coming from nd' yur like best friend to meeh. Im thankful that i met a woman like yuw nd' all I got 2 say is that yuw rock!! hAhA (not even)...jk mrs. Ryan. :). Yuw remind meeg of the teacher of the Freedom Writer's Movie. Man; I wish I could be the Awesomest Teacher like yuw someday! Well I gotz to go now. Nd don't forget bout meeh Mrs. Ryan. I would come nd' visit yuw once in a while. :). LOVE YUW! :)

Spring Break

On spring break this week!  Its been fab so far...shopping, tennis, running, family, pizza, wine.  Lovely!  Check out Jillian's new poetry/free verse site, its attached to our profile: secondaryedthoughts.blogspot.com.  Its...um...interesting to say the least.  :)  A few pics as of late:

Eric and Jillian...throwing dead flowers off the balcony...hey!  Its mulch!

Tony watching over the dinner, just making sure no one gets to it...;)  Fun dinner party!

Tony being lazy...he ALWAYS wins the remote war!

Wahoo!  Added photos finally!  :)  Aren't you proud of us!?

LOVE!

Quick Update

Whew!  Time flies when you're busy!  A couple of updates:

1) Still no job for next year yet, definitely trying my hardest to impress!

2) Moved into a new place in PB...LOVE it!  Pictures to follow...

3) Love going to the beach...except when its windy...

4) Jamie visited!  It was amazing, and I'm so glad to have gotten the time with a fantastic friend.  Can't wait to have her in town again...and it looks like it will be quite frequently...:D

5) Finances were just tightened by several circumstances...but that tax refund is coming!

6) Tony and Emmy are ninja kitties...its official.  Tony likes to look through the peep hole in the front door, i'm going to have to tape that one soon...

7) Joined twitter!  (jilliwhit)

8) Teaching informational text (blech) in class now...suggestions to make it rip roaringly entertaining?  (I do get to show "the village" in class on thursday and friday though...should be good times...)

9) I'm blonde again.  Go figure.

10) We eat bean burritos, spinach and rice, or steamed veggies and popcorn for dinner, as of late.  Yummy and Easy!

We love to have friends over, so let us know if you're free some night.  We'll bust out "Things" (a la apples to apples) and make some killer food....you know you're tempted!

love to all, let us know you're reading! (maybe it will encourage me to post more...)

Where do I start?

It has been so long since I last wrote, apologies. I am sincerely sorry to have left any of you hanging, though I doubt too many people actually follow this blog. :) Since our last post, we've been all over...New Mexico, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, etc. We've spent our first Christmas together as newlyweds, we've bought our first car together, we've joined a couple's group at the church, we've made new friends, and we've dealt with tough news. All the while, our hearts were together in agreement: despite the trials and despite the pain, our marriage is making it. Its strong, its not a "honeymoon" phase- we disagree too much to still be there (I think that phase ended about a day into the honeymoon...). Instead, its become a real marriage, one that is never perfect, never fully flawed. Its fueled with persistence, love, and hard work. Its the backbone of all decisions; whether its what we're having for dinner or where we are going to move, or whether I should stay as a teacher. I am so blessed to have reached this point of cognition where I realized that Levi really isn't going anywhere, I am just as hard to handle when married to, and where I really am not perfect...(darn it, I thought I had that one nailed down already!)

This perspective has gotten us through a LOT of hard times recently...hence our prayer list:

1) Pray for Granny Q who is needing additional medical assistance to
recover from a recent blow to her health.
2) Pray for Jillian...struggling with "staying engaged" with school since I
found out my school had to post my job as a vacancy for next year (I'll have to
reapply for my job). And they tell me this after they encouraged
me to begin to co-lead a committee on discipline on campus.
3) Levi's job is difficult in the sense that he's discouraged by trials at
work.
4) Finances: We're fine, but saving up for a house in the near future
is difficult when dealing with a potential one-income household this
summer.
5) Know of any great jobs Jillian could have over the summer?
:)

Please pray, but be encouraged that our marriage is something that has grown and developed as of late. We argue, we agree, but we always love eachother. And when we get out of a nasty argument, and when the smoke all clears, we'll always come back with the appreciation for what the other has to offer.

It isn't always perfect, but its never fully flawed.