BUGS!!!

They always seem to find me.  Ask anyone who's ever lived with me spent 5 minutes with me, and they would tell you, "Erin is TERRIFIED of bugs".  Now some of you may ask, "Are you afraid of all bugs?" and I'm sorry to say, yes I am.  It doesn't matter what kind...it could be a sweet ladybug or butterfly, but if it lands on me, I'll scream!  My sister used to chase lightning bugs outside on summer nights, but I don't think I ever did that.  I can't explain it, but I've always been afraid.  I can rationalize that it's a bug that won't hurt me, but still I'm squeamish.  Then, there's the bugs that can hurt me...wasps, hornets, spiders, etc...the fear is worse for those.  Other animals scare me too such as snakes, lizards, and mice, and I have a feeling I'll never get over this.  Somehow, they always find me.


It dates back many years, so I'll leave out the stories leading up to college.  One night during my freshman year, my roommate Danielle and I were studying, when out of the blue she said, "Erin, don't scream".  Of course any rational person would then jump up on their desk in horror...she had found a lizard in our room and of course I screamed!  When I moved into the Cathouse, there were roaches in every nook and cranny...but don't worry, the exterminator came out! Then we got snakes in our house (3) and of course I was the one who found them each time.  Luckily, Katelyn was brave enough to get a trash bag, pick up the snake and throw it outside.  She saved my life!  My roommates even made a facebook group about my fear of bugs!  It's that bad folks!  My 5th year in college, I moved in with my friends Jordan and Angela, and much to my dismay we had other roommates...millipedes.  Ants lived with Graham and I in our first apartment, and now in our first "home" we have hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps...yes all three!  I don't know what I do to attract these kinds of bugs...I'm sure it's because I'm "too sweet" or something like that, but I wish they would go away!  Toby seems to like them though...he chases them around, but the day he catches one I think he'll be afraid of them too!


I don't know where my fear comes from...my mom is terrified of mice, and I don't blame her, but I don't think "fear of bugs/pests/reptiles" is a genetic issue.  I could never be on that show Fear Factor.  Being in a box full of scorpions, or eating a bucket full of worms....that sounds like my worst nightmare.  Until I discover where my fear comes from, I'll continue praying for peace of mind, I'll keep trusting in the Lord that no bugs will get me, and unfortunately for Graham, I'll keep screaming for him each time I find a new one!

The Black Wedding

On June 10, our friends Jimmy and Brittany got married!  Graham and I drove down to San Antonio for the wedding and we had a great time.  The wedding was beautiful!  It was my first Catholic wedding, and the ceremony was held in a beautiful downtown historic cathedral.  

The beautiful flower arrangements that Brittany created herself!  Also our friends Molly Dethrow and Nathan Cash. They will be getting married on September 18th in Houston and Graham and I can't wait!

I thought this picture was precious!

Finally we got a good picture together!

Our friends Sarah and Chris.  They will be getting married next year at the beginning of June!

The Bride and Groom, Brittany and Jimmy Black.

We left the wedding around 12:30 in the evening and did not get a hotel in San Antonio. That meant we had to drive back to Waco and we didn't get home until 4:00 am.  That was easily the most exhausting trip of our lives, but we were so grateful to be at the Black Wedding!

The New Place!

After a year of living in close quarters, Graham, Toby, and I decided it was time to move.  As Kelli would say, "now we live in the country" and when we need groceries or anything else we have to "go in to town" but we love it!  It's so nice that 2 people can stand in the kitchen without their rear ends touching, and no more standing outside when Toby has to go to the bathroom.  Now we have a backyard, and I reminded Toby each day the month before that he was getting a backyard...and he loves it!  So, as soon as I got back from Cheer Camp, we started packing up.  Some of our friends helped us move down the highway, and I spent the week getting settled in.  Now we have pictures and we hope you like the new place!

This is our guest bedroom/office.  The best part is the extra closet for storage!  Come visit us anytime!

This is Kelli's room.  She has it decorated so well!  Kelli shares a bathroom with the guest room, so pretty much she has her own bathroom!

This is the view of the living room looking from the hallway that leads to the guest bedroom and Kelli's room.  We got our new couches, and I splurged on some pillows from Pier One Imports.  Graham actually picked out our rug and got a great deal!  All of the floors are stained/scored concrete except in the bedrooms. The arched window is where the kitchen is, and the master bedroom is off of dining area.

This is the view of the living room from the dining area.  It's about 8 times bigger than our old living room, so it feels like the TV is a mile away!  There is tons of room for Toby to run around and we love it!

These are pictures of our kitchen!  There are about 10 more cabinets in this kitchen than at our last place, so we are finally being able to use all of our wedding gifts!  The door under the "M" leads to our laundry room and beyond that is our garage.  It is so nice to have a garage with storage as well!

This is the dining area and the door with the glass leads to our back yard.

The master bedroom with our new King bed!  This is definitely our best purchase for our new home!

The master bathroom which has TWO closets!  This one is Graham's and the one below is mine.  Another great invention that we invested in is a curved curtain rod.  Everyone should have one!

Above and below are the back yard.  Stone patio we built after we moved in to expand our patio area.  Let me tell you this was quite the job!  We desperately need to landscape, but we could only do some much at once.  I'll post updated pictures once we get that done. 

Toby loves his new space.  We've thrown at least 5 balls over the fence into the next door neighbor's yard, and I think they're taking a one month vacation or something because they haven't been home for us to get them back.  Good thing we've got quite a collection of racquetballs to keep Toby busy!

One Year Anniversary and Summer Updates

Since my last post, much has happened!  I supposed I should fill you in more often than this, but wow, this summer has been so busy so far!

On June 6, 2010, Graham and I celebrated our One Year Anniversary!  It feels like it's our One Week Anniversary since time has flown by, and I can't believe I've been married to the man of my dreams for a whole year.  We only had a weekend that we could getaway, so we went to Dallas to celebrate.  On Friday night, we dropped Toby off with my parents for the weekend and we headed to Arlington to see a Rangers game.  We had so much fun, and it was made even better because on Friday nights at the Rangers' games they have fireworks shows!  Saturday night was the best by far....I finally go to see Wicked!  I loved it....I think Graham liked it too!  :) On Sunday, we got to spend time with my mom, dad, sister, and Grandma in Allen.  Toby swam all weekend and didn't miss us for one minute!

Once school was over and everyone's summer fun began, I began two weeks of Cheerleading stuff.  The first week was our Cheer Clinic where our Varsity and Junior Varsity girls host a camp for K-6th graders to teach them cheerleading.  It was only two hours a day, but let me tell you, it was exhausting!  The following week I packed my bags for Great Wolf Lodge....only I wasn't going to hang out at the amazing water park, but rather for Cheerleading Camp!  I learned so much and had tons of fun.  Sadly on the way to camp I realized I didn't bring my camera, only my video recorder, so I mainly too videos, but here are a few pictures that I snapped!

All American Cheerleaders

Senior Girls

Sponsors

2010-2011 Varsity

When we got back from camp, I had one day to rest before we began to pack to move!  Luckily, when I got home, I found that Graham had already started some things which made things so much easier!  We are moved into our new home and it's finally time to relax.  I'll post again later with pictures from the new place.  Yay for summer!

Our New Roommate...

Well, after much decision making, Graham and I have decided to get a new roommate.  Let me clear the air first and foremost, we're NOT having a baby, although at least one student per day asks me, "Mrs. Musgrove, when are you gonna have a baby?"  I assure them, not any time soon!  So, as I was saying, our new roommate...we've conducted interviews, discussed leases, completed the application process, and have officially acquired a new roommate starting this weekend!  We're excited to announce that Kelli (my sister) is moving in!  First of all, Congratulations are in order, as she graduates TOMORROW!  I'm so proud of her and her huge accomplishment.  In addition, she got a job at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, on the Med/Surg floor (please don't ask me what this means...I'm just a high school teacher).  Anyway, this means, she's moving to Waco and needs somewhere to live, so she'll be crashing with us for a while til she can get on her feet in this new town.  Graham and I are so excited to be seeing her more often than once every 2 or 3 months, and we can't wait for all the silly comments and goofy stories.  Don't get me wrong, that's not the only thing Kelli is good at, but it certainly is a perk.


In other sisterly news, my sister in law, Mel, got a new puppy!  Her name is Maggie and she is a weimaraner, and she's precious.  We're so excited for Mel.  As soon as we get pictures we'll post them!  Or perhaps we'll take a video of her with our new video camera!  That's right, we got a video camera!  So stay tuned for footage from Kelli's graduation, Mel's puppy, Robinson High School, and Summer Cheer Camp!  Until next time, Blessings!

Happy Mother's Day!

I thought I'd dedicate this post to my momma, the most wonderful mother in the world.  She is caring and loving, and I wish I could spend this day with her today!  I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for my mom, and I'm so grateful for her!  I love you Bahama Mama!  I hope your day is wonderful!

I've made it through TAKS!

At the beginning of the year, I wasn't sure I would make it this far, but I've officially made it through the first  year of TAKS standardized testing!  (For my family in Illinois, TAKS stands for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills...a very important test to students and school districts in Texas.)  Anyway, the last few weeks leading up to this point have been challenging.  Mainly because the material is incredibly boring for a teacher to teach, but also because the students HATE it!  I mean HATE it!  They would rather all rather study Calculus III than to ever have to work a  TAKS problem.  Everyone is so grateful it is all over!
Also, I've officially found out what next school year is going to look like for me...there are several changes.  I'm very pleased to say that I will be teaching Geometry again (I've loved it this year) but I will also be picking up an additional class called AMDM (Advanced Mathematical Decision Making).  This new class is an upper level course designed to teach applied statistics, finance, and economics from a mathematical perspective.  Don't worry...I've already been called a math nerd for being excited about teaching this, but it doesn't deter me at all.  I'm thrilled to be teaching something upper level!  (Not to mention, I already know some of the student's I'll have next year, and they're wonderful!)
Finally, the last addition to my next school, and perhaps the most surprising for some of you is that I am one of the two new Varsity Cheerleader Sponsors for RHS next year.  While most of you know, I'm far too clumsy to be a cheerleader myself, I am however very organized...a trait that is critical for a Cheer Sponsor to possess.  Needless to say, I'm excited. The girls are wonderful, and my co-sponsor is equally as wonderful!  It's going to be fun.  Also, some of you may be asking, "What does Graham think about this?" Well, he's thrilled too!  He's excited about football and basketball games, and seeing me get involved.  It's sooooo nice to have such a supportive husband.
Anyway, that's all for now.  I know some of you have been waiting for this post, and I'm sorry it's taken so long!  I hope all is well with each of you!

The joys of being a teacher!

Well, I can't believe it's already over, but this past week has been Spring Break for me!  I love that I'm an adult, yet I still have a Spring Break.  Very few careers allow employees paid weeks or even months off.  This week has definitely got me looking forward to this summer.  I can't wait for our 1 Year Anniversary, moving to a lovely new duplex, and spending time with family and friends.  I'm now realizing why teaching is really the best job in the world!  So, here are the highlights of what happened this past week.   


The first weekend of Spring Break, Graham, Toby, and I packed up the car and headed to Allen.  I love going home to the sweet smell of my parents house, and the wonderful welcome we receive from the puppies (Bailey and Jett) when we arrive.  Now, truly Bailey and Jett are no longer babies...they just had their third....or maybe their fourth birthday recently, but they will always be puppies to us!  On Saturday afternoon, we did NOTHING which was wonderful!  Toby ran around and played with/lost his ball a lot, and Graham and I got to slept in very late.  Saturday night, Graham and I went on a double date with my Momma and Daddy.  We went to Studio Movie Grill and saw Valentine's Day!  We had so much fun!  Sunday was by far the best.  We went furniture shopping.  We have been putting up with a smelly old college couch of Graham's this whole time we've been married and we've decided it's about time to find something new since we'll be moving in mid-summer.  We went to several stores and wound up at Rooms-To-Go.  It took us about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to make up our mind, but we finally decided to get a beautiful leather sofa, loveseat, chair, and ottoman.  The best part of the deal is that they agreed to keep it in their warehouse until mid-June when we move.   Now we really have something to look forward to this summer!

After our Allen adventures, we went back to Waco, and Graham had to go back to work.  That meant Toby and Erin time for a whole week!  I cleaned the house and spent lots of time on our itsy-bitsy porch reading.  On Monday morning, I woke up to a little envelope on the bathroom counter.  Graham had purchased a gift certificate for me to get a massage at a local salon and spa called La Bella Visage.  I made a hair appointment and massage appointment for Tuesday afternoon.  I got my hair chopped even though I clearly told the lady I just wanted a trim (my hair stylist in Allen who just had a baby! so couldn't cut my hair is going to be so mad when she finds out!)  But the massage was wonderful!  Much needed!  On Friday, we went to tour the duplexes we plan to live in next year.  They were beautiful and have two to three times as much space as we have now, including a backyard, two car garage, and many upgrades!  The rest of the week was just like the beginning.  Reading, relaxing, and hanging out with Toby in the beautiful spring weather outside!

Because we've been having such wonderful weather, on Saturday afternoon, we packed up and headed for the Ranch in Kosse, TX.  Graham's family has a bit of land about 45 minutes away from Waco, with a spring-fed pond and lots of land for Toby to run on!  This is actually the site where we got engaged in July 2008, so obviously, we like to go to the ranch as often as we can!  I grabbed my book, Graham grabbed his fishing pole, and Toby grabbed his running/swimming legs and we were off.  When we arrived, we found that our lock had been cut and a new, unfamiliar lock was now keeping us from entering the ranch.  After about an hour of confusion, we finally sorted things out and headed for the pond.  As soon as Toby got out of the car he found a mud hole to roll around in he was as happy as he could possibly be.  Graham fished, I read, and Toby ran.  When Graham finished fishing, he let Toby go for a swim in the pond!  Toby loves the swimming in the pond (and in his grandma and grandpa's pool in the backyard!). Here's just a glimpse of what happened at the Ranch. (The captions are below the pictures)

Graham's fishing tools.  I think they're disgusting because they look like bugs.  Graham thinks it's funny that I'm such a girl!  P.S. The pocket on the left is where Graham kept the ring box right before he proposed!

Have you ever seen a happier dog?  The blue thing in Toby's mouth is his most prized possession...the racquetball!

This is called "being content"...and worn out!

The itty-bitty person on the other side of the pond is Graham fishing.  I couldn't get any closer without getting muddy up to my knees.  Of course, Toby couldn't understand why I didn't want to swim across to him!

Fish #1...the easy catch.

Fish #2...put up a fight.

I can't stand this picture of me, but it will have to do.  By the way, the red picnic table I'm sitting on, you may recognize as our old dining room table.  I think it fits in much better at the ranch :) 

I told you he loves to swim!

Caught his ball in the water.

Take a look at his tail.  It's swishing water everywhere!

The calm before the storm...

...and the storm!  He's got to get the water off somehow!

Of course, before we can leave, Toby has to get the "ranch smell" all over him to take home.  Sadly, as soon as he got home, he got a bath!

We had a wonderful Spring Break (even though Graham's was only for two weekends)!  I definitely wish it were longer, but only three more months until I get another two and a half month break!  My word, I'm blessed!  I love being a teacher!

Waco's Winter Wonderland

We woke up this morning to sleet and snow in Waco, Texas.  We saw on the news last night  that we were supposed to get some winter weather today, but I could have never imagined this much.  Even though it was really hard to get out of bed this morning, I finally woke up, got ready and headed to Robinson High School for another day of teaching Geometry.  

On the way, the snowflakes fell heavier and harder.  It has been a long time since I've seen such huge snowflakes, and it felt very out of place.  Walking into school, four of my students (all dressed in shorts!) were scraping together the sleet on a picnic table, trying to build a snow man.  I preferred to call it an ice man at the time, because no snow had accumulated on the ground yet.  

First period was chaos.  We were supposed to be taking a test and all my students could talk about was whether we would be getting out early today or not.  By second period, the entire school was aware that the snow was accumulating and at a fast pace.  Third period strolled in and an announcement was made over the intercom that we would be leaving early from school today and that tomorrow would be a late start!  Everyone was thrilled and began making plans for snowmen and snow angels as soon as the bell rang.  

Once I finally left school, I realized what all the fuss was about.  There was a ton of snow outside!  At home for his lunch break, Graham had fun with Toby outside.  I still can't tell if Toby is interested in the snow or not, but we got some great pictures of the silly boy outside.  Take a look!

Sadly, Graham had to go back to work, but otherwise it was a wonderful afternoon!  A nap, a beautiful view outside, and a happy puppy playing in the snow!  It turned out to be a beautiful day in Waco, Texas.  Now let's just pray that the roads aren't too icy tomorrow!