8-5

8- Another fall favorite is Food! I love food. I love trying new things and going to my favorite places and NOT trying new things too :) Some of my favorite conversations have taken place over the dinner table or over a cup of coffee. I am lucky enough to have a diverse family that offers a variety of food for special occasions. My mother's family is Puerto Rican and they make the BEST rice, pork and because my grandmother is Mexican we also have the best empanadas! Andrew's family is just as gifted and make the most incredible homemade bread, cakes and pretty much anything else. Thursday or better yet Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorite holidays for I get to eat in a room of about 30 and hear endless laughter, chatter and love. Oh and we get to enjoy a loaded plate of wonderful food!

7- Because I like to eat, it is a good thing I also like to work out. In the fall, I still play field hockey until the middle of October and I have still been trying to attend Crossfit on Thursdays. I like to run and strength train throughout the week. I like a challenge but I really like variety. I like pushing myself and finding new limits. I do some P90x, plyometric work and interval runs also. Sometimes I look on Pinterest and find a new workout to try! Find something fun you enjoy and do it. I need that 1-1 1/2 hours to myself each day. It refreshes me and motivates me to keep going. Find a partner or find your inner strength and make it happen!

6- I LOVE fun moments at school. This year my Second Grade team was lucky enough to invite our student's parents in for a Readers Theater performance. We were blown away by the turnout. We had about 70 people crammed into the school library which also contained about 60 Second Graders! The students were amazing readers and were so proud of themselves, as they should have been. Afterward, many of the parents came up to me and were so impressed by their child's reading and acting. They also were so appreciative of the teachers for taking time to care enough about allowing them to be a part of such a special event. Later on last night I was in the hair salon with my sister and one of the grandparents of a child in my class was so delighted to hear how much fun he had. She was also awestruck when I told her how sweet this child was and how proud of him I was. She literally almost cried. It's these kind of moments that remind me why I'm here and why I do what I do. Talk about an inspiring birthday! 

5- I love my birthday :) I am not sure how I get so blessed to be surrounded by so many lovely people. From the moment I woke up I was honestly showered with love. My husband made me breakfast, wrote a beautiful card and found a thoughtful gift. I received many texts and over 150 Facebook posts wishing me a happy birthday. I went to work and received cards and wishes. We went to my favorite restaurant for dinner and went back to my in-laws for dessert. I got the CUTEST gifts which I can't wait to wear and use! --I had such a good day. - -It's nice to know how thoughtful people are. I really don't get too excited about birthdays but I must say it is a big deal. You should celebrate yourselves a little. Too many people are not given a life this long and it's our job to enjoy it and to change others lives through ours. God has blessed me with a strong heart that really does have a desire to change the world. I am blessed with family and friends who believe in me and help me, but most importantly they help reflect the love of God. In the words of Joyce Meyer "Eat the cookie, buy the shoes!" 

Celebrate and be celebrated, there's only one of you. 

Thank you all so much. 

For love of the game

Fall Favorites Continued…

#9- Sports.

My life would be dull without the endless screaming, jumping and cheering that goes along with watching a team. Whether it be on TV, on the field hockey field or the soccer pitch, sports offer something quite like nothing else. I am so blessed to be healthy and able to play so many different sports and activities year round. I really try not to take that for granted as it is not so easy for many people. Even though I love playing sports, I like watching them equally as much. I will watch anything, really. When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is make my coffee and turn on Sports Center. When I was in college the last 2 years I ate dinner alone every night in the Commons with 20+ dudes and ESPN on the TV. I was quite all right with it. I think I’m slightly obsessed with these sweaty, competitive men and women because they inspire me and remind me of how awesome it is to push yourselves and work with teammates to reach a common goal. I learned at a young age through sports to be unselfish, humble and that I was capable of anything. Even now I continue to try new things and reach new limits. I am inspired when I see athletes using their platform to inspire others and pass along their knowledge of the game. I love seeing teams overcome adversity and challenges to become closer on and off the court. I love that a “simple” game can teach you some of life’s hardest lessons and allow a person to channel emotions and fears that would otherwise stay built up inside. I have been blessed to follow my sister’s field hockey career since she was a freshman in high school. She was always so aggressive but what got her far in her career was her heart. I have never seen anyone put in more time, effort and sweat than her. And I’m not talking about during the season- she worked her butt off all year long. Rain or snow, broken finger/ankle or not she literally never stopped. Because of her determination she played for a successful college team, played Center Mid (intense!), made a TON of defensive saves, scored a goal, had some assists and was part of a team that played in the NCAA National Championship game. Then, she was asked to stay and coach and was back at the Final Four this weekend. She is just one example of an athlete that followed her heart and allowed her love of the game to grow her as a person. She works just as hard in everything that she does and she has had to overcome A LOT of challenges within herself and her team at times, but nevertheless, she kept her faith and one day she will lead her own team to great victory, both on the field and off of it. I have a lot of love for the game and I will gladly talk to anyone about any sport, any time, on any day.

Ten

As the month of November is quickly nearing, I am reminded of just how lovely this time of year is. While it is definitely a busy time of year it is always far more exciting. The trees are beautiful, the warmth of a hot chai or coffee is extra soothing and sports are extremely exciting. I loooove this time of year. I am currently blogging while drinking a cup of chai and while watching the Dukies in front of a roaring fire....winning! So over the next -12 days I will share with you my top ten Fall favorites :)

10. Fresh air
          Even thought its hard to say goodbye to those summer nights, there is something so refreshing about a Fall night. It's chilly and of course you have to break out your favorite boots, jacket and sweatshirt but it's so nice. It's different and reminds you that with all endings, comes something just as rewarding. I do my fair share of sitting outside in this cold weather for soccer games, hockey games, taking my dog on walks, runs and taking my students out for recess and even though I may complain of bring cold I do like it. I like having a cup of hot coffee in my hand as the wind blows my hair. I like finding all of my favorite hate and scarves. Even though playing and running in this change can take its toll on me at the end of a run, I feel invigorated. Watching my husband 
play in the alumni game on Thanksgiving day is always  cold but always refreshing. So is watching my sister and her 
hockey team at the NCAA final four game. The leaves haven't quite fallen yet which makes the drives back and forth to Salisbury all the better. Thanksgiving I'd just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited. Family time, great 
food, football and faith--a perfect way to start my 26th year. I
          I know by the time January comes I will be not so fond of the wind and cold weather so for now I'm going to enjoy it and you should too! 

Weekend inspiration

 A weekend to remind me of oh so many things. 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

While not a lot really occurred this weekend, there were, however, plenty of small moments that awakened me and reminded me of what I'm here for. I'm thankful for this time in my life and I'm enjoying the journey. 










1. This girl can HEAR! Rik'kel is now sporting a beautiful, new, pink headgear that enables her to hear. She has been learning sign language and is pretty good at it, but she is also as you can tell, a huge fan of her sense of hearing. I heard she just kept looking around and taking it all in when they first put it on her. I'm so thankful for her smile. She reminds me to smile every single day. Her smile is so contagious.

2. The Sisters
 This weekend my mother in law
and her sisters went to the beach for the first time by themselves. I am so proud of them for being an example of having faith and living your life. They all recently lost their mother in March and they have each found their peace and are showing just how important family is. They have endured many trials together and separately, but they are great examples of how the love of family and faith in our Savior will bring you through anything. I'm so thankful for them and so glad they had a great weekend! 3 of the sweetest, most fun and organized women I know <3

3.  This weekend I was able to make it to Salisbury for a rematch of the SU-CNU conference championship game. It was as usual intense and exciting. Thankfully, the Gulls were able to capture another thrilling win in overtime for the conference title yet again. I am so glad my sister was there again. She remembered the feeling after an overtime win from last year but this time she got experience it from a coaches standpoint. While this can be challenging and quite different she has handled her experience with poise and gratitude. I look forward to watching her coach her own team one day soon.

4. Quality time. What else do you do when you're in the car for 4 hours on a Saturday? Sing your favorite songs, talk about how much your life has changed, your hopes, dreams and worries, Laugh, and laugh some more of course. Even though we travel a good bit I am thankful Andrew is always by my side to offer me such quality insight. He is one of the best listeners out there and I am of course a great talker. :) We make anything we do fun and I'm so glad. I hope we always remember the small things. 

((Oh AND I also got to go to church with my mom, go to a friend's beautiful baby shower and enjoy pizza night with the in laws and Ruthie.))

  I'll sleep with a full heart tonight.

Fall...in love

As most people know, I looooove pictures. I take pictures of everything. I think I just love a moment so much that I want to look back on it and c h e r i s h it all over again. Don't get me wrong, there are times when photos just aren't necessary but sometimes they capture things we don't quite see. I have been blessed enough to be side by side my husband for almost 10 years. We started dating in high school, our senior years. We've been together ever since- for better AND worse. After my college roomie/a best friend of mine took our wedding pictures that were absolutely amazing, I began thinking what I could do to create a tradition for us. She helped me decide to start an anniversary shoot every milestone year in the same place to capture our relationship during each part of our lives. We decided to wait until the Fall and were able to take our 1 year anniversary photos at home with our new dog-ter Ruthie, 

at Andrew's grandparents house where our wedding photos were taken and at Fair Hill. It was a beautiful and cold day and captured some wonderful snapshots that I will keep and compare with our 5, 10, 25 and 50 year photos. I hope you take time to cherish those around you and continue to make memory books and memories. (P.S. Andrew really does not love getting his picture taken but did so for me and I must admit is SO photogenic!)