Not exactly on the COUCH!

I woke up this morning after M & B slept on the couch bed to find B sitting with the dogs on the couch cushions! So, while they did not get on the couch, Stitch certainly got on the couch cushion! And as B pointed out- "you said he could not get on the couch!" So, like all great dog lovers, she brought the couch to them!

B's flowers are doing so great this year. She picked these out at Lowes a few weeks ago and has been diligent with her care of them. Wednesday we are going to buy some vegetables for both girls and see how they do with a real vegetable garden!

Not sure who is enjoying Spring Break the most this week- Stitch or the girls! He is so excited we are home all day to appease his EVERY need! This would be our fourth child! And no, Lilo is not that keen on the outside!

Tomorrow we will hit the beach to see if we can find any good shells!

M-I-A!

Well it seems that we have been gone awhile, but really we have just been super busy- you know the kind of busy that turns days into nights and nights into days with little remembrance for time and space? It just seems for these last two weeks we have all been running in hundreds of directions! Between school, my school, dance, basketball, church, and another project we have started we have hardly had time to stop and sleep! But..... finally the time has come to slow down and relax! We officially started Spring Break Friday! Derek left for Atlanta with his U15's and M, B, and myself got really sick! It is probably good that he was gone! I think we slept most of Friday, Saturday, and today away. We are finally feeling better! We are ready to start our Spring Break!
This is M at Cultural Arts! Why are you always taking my picture? I don't like my picture taken!

Here is B listening to the Navy Band at school!

This is M and G with a dance they made up!

Saturday we did have some errands to run, so we loaded up on cold medicine and hit the road! We stopped by the library on our way home to get some good books for the break! M has already read half of hers! That is what laying in bed will get you!

B has been reading a lot too! They both found my love of books! Now, if we can just get their dad reading.,......

I've talked about it before, but our downtown library is the BEST! We really enjoy going there and just looking around at all the displays and books!

Counting down the weeks-

I have about 2 1/2 weeks of school left. This completes my three year journey for that Doctorate! I can hardly wait! I need to finish up the dissertation part, but that should also be finished by Christmas! This is one of those things that I thought if I did, what would it feel like? It feels great, awesome, and unbelievable! In my profession, a Doctorate is the highest you can get with your education! I guess you could say that I was committed to the teaching profession!

We have 9 weeks of this school year left! Time has really flown by. This last week was a little crazy, but Spring Break is here, and the remainder of our year will really just fly by! This will be a great summer to because we have eleven full weeks!

We finished up our confirmation class last weekend at church. My mentee, Olivia, made me so proud. She has such a strong faith walk with Christ. She is going to do great things in her life. I received a gorgeous cross necklace from her that I have wore twice this week! I can't wait until we are at summer camp again!.....

Derek has been EXTREMELY busy with basketball. So busy, that these last two weeks, not only have I let this blog slide, but also his basketball blog slide as well. he has been at the gym almost every night, and I couldn't even tell you which team he had there! He was in Atlanta this weekend, and I believe that his team (U15's) finished 3rd. I am sure we will get all the details later tonight! The weekend of the 9th we will head to Knoxville for a really big tournament! I will go to that one, because we are right at Gatlinburg! That will be a great trip for us!

This week we are going to relax, enjoy the sun (it's been in the high 80's), and do a little cleaning and yard work. We are also going to try and firm up all of our travel plans for the summer!

We are thankful that we are still doing relatively great in this crazy economy!

"So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. "

Ephesians 6: 14-15

This should be a great week for picture posts!

Running the Race - Strong!

Again, to give equal BLOG time, M would not cooperate with me! She was having a great time, don't let the picture fool you!

Of course B was all smiles as we had another afternoon of basketball! This time thank goodness we did not travel far- just about 30 miles to First Coast High School that is identical to Mandarin! This was my favorite shot of the weekend! That is one of our U-14 players (Jasper) going up with two guys on either side. After the game while we were eating he told me he didn't even remember this! That is the neat thing about pictures! There is proof that you played tough!

Next week I believe we will have the U15's in a local AAU tournament!

Good things happened this week!

The Cardinals WON!!!! They were the top seed in the Big Dance!! You know the Rowans were celebrating last night! So, I guess beginning Thursday there will be a lot of DVRing going on in the Rowan house! It should be an interesting tournament this year, and we can only HOPE that Louisville comes out on top! GO CARDS!

M finished all of her FCAT testing with only minimal stress, B had a field trip to see a Dr. Seuss play with her dad! Room 138 had a great week of testing, our parents brought in breakfast every morning and our kids really seemed to do well. Friday we were CSI teams and investigated owl pellets! It was a great week!

It always amazes us how the weeks just start blending together! It will be summer soon and so much to do!

We have confirmation Sunday and I just can't believe that it is coming to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my mentee and watching her go through the process. I am so proud of her! She will be a great disciple of Christ!

These next few weeks will bring a close to my personal school career. Derek and I often joke that I have been in some sort of school program as long as I have we have know each other! Not true, of course, but this is IT! Sometimes I am a little sad because I have made such great friends along the way and learned so much! But then, it excites me to know that with the exception of the dissertation to finish, I will finally be removed from deadlines, chats, meetings, readings, and other school related activities! That would be finishing strong--- The Doctorate! Something Derek and I have joked about since our early 20's.

But don't worry God has opened another door, or chapter in our lives that we are EXTREMELY pleased about! We would just ask for prayers about this opportunity over the next several months!

This week I am going to watch my Nikon School movies, to improve my shots!

Have a great week! (9 DAYS UNTIL SPRING BREAK!)

"You know in a race, all the runner run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24

There will be many days.....

when the floor is dirty, when the dishes are in the sink, when the laundry is piled to the sky, the house is a wreck, and papers are due....
But then in reality there will only be a few days that you can enjoy this!


M and B's favorite summer time yard game! Playing in the sprinkler!

Playing together :-) They are such good playmates! Sweet spirits!

Sharing laughs, secrets, and smiles!

This went on all afternoon! It was a beautiful day here- 80's....

B's friend came down, and that just made it even more sweet!

M was enjoying the sun! I was sitting in a chair, and she decided to "work on her tan!"

Meanwhile, M and her friend S were playing Spy Detectives!

A big thank to my friend Lisa who convinced me both days that it would be better outside than inside working on our papers! We did finish, but what a great weekend it was! Pretty soon, this can be every weekend!

Derek was in Leesburg at a tournament so it was just a girls weekend! I think he had a great time with his team! They managed to sleep five to a room again, but this time took the air mattress and got a roll away bed.

We start our high stakes testing this week at school, so it should be a pretty easy week with the kids.

Have a great week!

Birthday and Anniversary!

B and her new love... Ava. Uncle Lawrence knows how to score big with B! He brought his son and his new puppy!

M and X! She just could not get enough of him! I believe she would have preferred that L stayed with us instead of his mom! He was like this the entire time!

M playing around with her "new" camera!

Right before they were leaving! I though M was going to cry! We are going to have to take a road trip soon and VERY soon! (One that I might add is NOT related to basketball!)

B will always be willing to strike a pose for M!

Ok... so it takes me a really LONG time to make a decision on buying big ticket items! And, a lot of research. Usually on average about a year.. (It drives Derek crazy!). So, I decided that I was going to get a Nikon D80- did a lot of research on that camera and all the lens that you would / could need. Spent many hours looking, reading, and just searching what was out there on the Nikon D80. Well, as luck would have it, I went to the camera store last Tuesday to actually look/touch/shoot the D80. and you will not believe the surprise when the guy said "You will not find a D80 in town- Nikon no longer makes that camera!" What.... a year of research, the nerve it took to actually walk into the store, and no longer do they have the D80?????

Well at that point, I thought it was a sign that showed I did not want need a new camera. Then the fatal mistake occurred... the camera guy actually started showing me the Cannon Rebel .. what is a girl to do??? Of course, I left the store thinking I would need to reconsider this whole purchase.

I talked to some people at church Wednesday about it and wouldn't you know- 1/2 of them were Nikon fans and the other 1/2 Cannon! YIKES!!!!!

So, I did what any normal, careful, considerate consumer would do... I did not think about it at all on Thursday. And then on Friday, I decided to do some really hard price comparison / camera studies... It went on all day Friday....

Finally after talking to 4 camera stores (I wanted the best deal) I decided on the Nikon - So yesterday the fam and I drove over to Regency Mall (have not been there in at least five years!) to pick her up! I was so nervous about the whole thing, I don't even think I enjoyed the process! Derek on the other hand was all over the store.....
Needless to say, we left with all this..................................

Yes, it came with two instructional DVD's and a whole bunch of other stuff. I have played around with it for a little bit, actually read the manual from front to back last night, and will work this week to learn more about all the features. Derek and I are even going to take some classes so that we can both use the camera!

This was Saturday when Lawrence surprised me with his visit! The kids were so excited to see their cousin!

And B just fell in love with this great puppy Ava!

I don't think M ever put this baby down!

Nor did B put this puppy down!

Here is our anniversary gift (NOT!). This is my other year long research project that I finally had installed Saturday. You all know I like to cook, so this should really up my potential! (That is once I learn how to use the ovens!)

These next few shots occurred earlier in the week. Rarely do I ever dress the girls alike, however, a trip to Limited Two, nka, Justice, we were able to get matching sweats for the girls! M is on her way do dance, and B had worn hers to school! I had to do a little bribing to get these shots!

Oh the time flies by as we get older. I know I just said, "I can't believe it is the end of January, and now I CANNOT believe it is the end of February!!!" Where does the time go??

I only have 7 weeks of course work left, and then just the dissertation that I should finish by December! I mean, it has really been a quick three years, and yet sometimes it seems as if time just stood still. I am amazed that this education journey is almost over for me, and YES, I am very excited! There will be great cause for celebration!

Next weekend we will travel to Eustis for another tournament. It should be exciting, and Derek's teams look great! However, I think we will only be taking the 12's and the 14's.

March should be a great month for us. It marks the start of Spring Break and another trip to the American Girl Doll store! M & B have already made their lists! School begins the final 9 weeks, and then off to great summer adventures.

God has been so good to us! I just cannot say that enough! We have not worried or fretted through these troubling economic times- Our faith has remained focused, and our desires are pure.

" The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other thing you need will be given to you. So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries, Each day has enough trouble of its own" -Matthew 6: 33-34

On that note, I did read a great book called the Suburban Christian, it really pointed out where we shift our focus and values. Derek actually read some of it to, and it has helped point us where we truly desire to be! It is a great couples read!

Enjoy the week!