Time Flies When You're Having "Fun"

Whew! It's been a long time since I've posted. Just want to let you all know, I am still here and I am still working on each and every one of my goals. The beginning of this school year has taken a lot more effort than years past - and it's been hard to keep up with anything outside of it! We've also had some technical difficulties at home with our computer(s) - long story I'd rather not share because I am pretty technologically inept in comparison to my husband. This is a scary thought since at work I am one of the more technologically adept individuals. I fear for our youth. But I digress....
I have some great photos of my newly organized classroom with all new ideas, including my organized classroom library- a goal, of course. Wouldn't you love to see them? Me too. However, our aforementioned technology issues are preventing me from currently downloading them.
I continue to work at weight loss, as well. This is going...well...okay. Not great, but I have NOT gained weight, so I am viewing this as a success. I am hoping the coming weeks will calm down some, and I will have more energy for healthy meal planning and exercise. I thank all of you that have checked in on my progress, and I truly wish I had a big new number to share with you...but I don't...just yet.
Goal number nine of becoming a bone marrow registrant is becoming more a reality, too. We recently learned that I have a close family member in need of a bone marrow transplant. We are hoping this family member's sibling will, of course, be a match as that is the best case scenario. However, if not, I fully intend to jump in line and offer myself up, as does Adam. I won't disclose any more details about my family member as this person has asked for things to remain private. We also met some neighbors recently who lost their 2 year old to leukemia fifteen years ago. They hold an annual garage sale to raise money for Light the Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Adam and I participated in this event a few years back in honor of a former student of mine who survived leukemia via a non-familial bone marrow transplant. (And again some great photos I can't share due to this darned computer!) Anyhow, this cause keeps coming back to me, and it's time to do something about it.
I also continue to enjoy looking at photos of living room furniture online, but have yet to purchase anything. We move slowly when it comes to large purchases. Lord knows how we'll ever manage to buy a house!

A Couple of Things Minus 5

In my overzealousness (is that word?) to accomplish my tasks, I ended up with two separate service/volunteer projects to be working on side by side. Thankfully, the two projects go together very well, and they both have an infinite timeline. This means I can do each of them each month for the rest of the year, and I will have met this goal to volunteer monthly. I'm sure Adam and I will still participate in Operation Christmas Child like we do each year, and we may do another stint sorting at Harvesters or filling back to school backpacks for needy kiddos.

However, I decided to do something different this time around - and to do it on my own. Through an organization called herobox.org, I've "adopted" a soldier. He's a Sergeant in the Army and currently on his second deployment in Iraq. He has a wife and two young children at home in Las Vegas. I've been able to correspond with him via email, and I am scheduled to send him a care package each month. It's an extremely rewarding feeling to know you are doing something so little for someone doing something so big. I forgot to take a picture of my completed box to share, but it's really very simple if it something you are interested in doing. Go to herobox.org, and you can help, too.

My church is large. No, it's humongous. No, wait, it's ginormous. A friend of mine calls it the Church-a-Palooza. Because of its size, however, they are able to offer endless volunteer opportunities. Recently, homelessness has become a top story on the nightly news due to its rapid increase. Our church provides many opportunities to help these individuals, and I decided since I was already shopping for my soldier, I could shop for them, too. I'm making six sack lunches a month (six...that's it!) that will be delivered to the homeless via Westport United Methodist Church. Again, this is easy and inexpensive. If you are interested in something like this, visit my church's website at www.cor.org. You don't have to be a member to volunteer, and there really is something for everyone. Here is a shot of my lunches, prepped and ready to go, each one with what I hope is an inspirational message attached. 

During all of my do-gooding, I was able to find time to prepare yet another recipe from one of my numerous cookbooks. This was a crock pot recipe that Adam chose. We agreed it was bland and totally boring. Not bad, but definitely not good. I won't bother to share it with you, other than to say one more cookbook down and to share this darling picture of my husband. 

 On a side note in relation to goal number one - I am down 5 pounds in two weeks. Perhaps if I keep making that last recipe, the weight will just keep disappearing...