More than Just a Christmas Tree

Adrian and I put our Christmas tree up today. The usual one day event took two days. We took everything out of the storage room and got started only to discover that we were not going to have enough lights since some of the strands were not working. So, we put the tree together and decided to make a morning run to Target for lights. Once we got the lights up the next task was the pearl garland. Now, this is not just any garland. This garland has been part of my life for as long as I can remember and it always results in some sort of aggravation and strong words regarding its participation in the tree decorating. Why you ask? No matter how you store and unravel this garland, it ALWAYS winds up in a huge ball of knots.....this year was no different. Adrian spent over twenty minutes trying to get all of the knots out. He is one patient man!

While he was sorting out the mess with the garland, I was sorting through all of my ornaments and taking them out of the boxes. The colored ball ornaments were quick and easy, but the majority of my ornaments take time since they are individually wrapped and boxed. Why all of this trouble? Well, I can thank my mom for that. When my parents adopted me, my mom spotted an ornament in Hallmark's collection series "Frosty and Friends" that reminded her of me......despite the fact that Frosty is an Eskimo. :-) Since 1981 mom has purchased this ornament for me as well as the Wallace Silver Sleigh Bell ornament. The count is up to thirty-one Frosty and Friends and thirty-one Wallace bell ornaments.... and still counting. :-) The only ones that I am missing are the two from 1980, the year I was born.  I have wonderful memories of reading the Polar Express and loving the sleigh bell that the little boy receives from Santa.

One of my many favorites!

This picture does not do the ornament justice. 

So, each year I put up my Christmas tree I relive those memories as a kid. Thanks Mom!

Family Pictures 2012

Erin King took our family photos at Bee Tree park a couple of weeks ago. It was a popular day to be at the park. There was a wedding and several families who were trying to take advantage of the last good weekend of the fall foliage. Erin was very patient and got some good shots of all of us. These are a few of my favorites!

There Is No Place Like MRHE.......

Gage, Lisa, Laynie, Me, and Chris

As a teacher the week of Halloween is always an adventure and this past week was no exception.  Every year the students at MRHE celebrate Halloween by dressing up in their costumes and enjoying an afternoon of fun and festivities. At the last minute my team decided we should join in on the celebration and dress up. We struggled with finding costumes that would accomodate all five of us. Luckily Gage's wife, Steph, suggested we dress up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. Since this was last minute, a Dorothy costume for a decent price was no where to be found. So, I pieced together the best Dorothy costume I could. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. :-) As a team we decided not to tell the kids we were dressing up. So, when we picked them up from recess they  were shocked to see us in costumes. I love my new team and the fun we have!

Lisa, Laynie, and I at the fifth grade Halloween dance.

Wedding Memories

As I was straightening the house, I took a moment and sat down with my wedding album. I cannot believe it has been a year since I became Mrs. Adrian Goodwin. It seems like just yesterday I was a blubbering bride walking down the aisle. The day was hot and humid (but that is to be expected for an August wedding in Missouri), but absolutely perfect! Our reception at the Lemp Mansion Grand hall was undeniably the best way to celebrate our new life together. These are a few of my favorite pictures that were captured.

Engagement Pictures

After hours of research Adrian and I finally decided on the location for our engagement pictures....the City Museum. We wanted a venue that was unique, not to mention inside since it was the middle of July! Christine Beardslee was our photographer and was so easy to work with. We had a lot of fun during the shoot and were excited to see our pictures since they were also going to be used to create our guest book for the wedding.