The Snake!!

The other day D and I were leaving the house to run some errands. When we opened the garage door an unwelcome create slithered in!! The snake was about 2 feet long and very skinny! We were both shocked! I got in the car and my strong, protector hubby killed the snake:) Here are a few pictures of his work:

My Hero

One Year with Our Boy

About this time one year ago, I went to pick Cooper up from the animal shelter. We had been looking at PetFinder.com at little pups in the area when we saw Coop and his brother Harley. They had been rescued from being pushed down a river on a raft. A nice family asked the teenage boys who were about to push the tiny pups down the river if they could take them. The family kept the brothers for about a week and then took them to the Burleson Animal Shelter. They had been at the shelter for a few days when we saw them online. We both agreed that we liked the name Cooper and I went to go get him. I hesitantly went into the dog run with these two tiny dogs and played with them for a little while. They were laying on an A&M blanket. Cooper had more white markings than his brother Harley and was the less aggressive one. I fell in love with both of them and wanted to take them both. I called D and he said we could get them both, but it probably wouldn't be the best idea since we hadn't raised a puppy before. (I can't image having two now!) I knew he was right, but I had a hard time splitting them up. The hardest part was that I couldn't take Cooper with me the first day because the shelter needed an ok from our landlord, whom we couldn't get in touch with. I drove home very disappointed and sad. We were both very concerned that someone would go and get our little one before we could get the ok from the landlord. Finally we got the ok around lunch time and I left my teacher workshop early to go get our boy! Harley and Cooper were both there still! The man working at the shelter asked me which one I wanted and I, of course, said "Cooper." Luckily he went back and got Coop because I couldn't have taken him from Harley! Cooper was very scared and upset, especially after they put in his microchip. They gave me a temporary leash...maroon, of course, and off we went! I'm not sure who was more nervous, Coop or me! I didn't quite know what to do. He was so upset and cried practically the entire way to the Cain's house. I decided that I should stop half way since it was such a long trip home and he was upset and probably hungry. Grandma Cain had gotten Coop his first toy, a squeaky ball! We played in the backyard for awhile and he warmed up to us! Even though he hadn't known me for that long, he knew that I was his owner. He followed me around the whole time! D came home from work and met the new little boy. They played and played in the yard! Then Coop met his Grammy and Cousie Ab. (Boy was she tiny!) D took Coop home and they stopped at PetSmart on the way to get him a new collar and name tag. Coop was very tired and D had to carry him in the store. He fit along D's forearm! Here is a picture of Coop the first day we had him: June 28, 2008

July 2007

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

January 2008

February 2008

March 2008

April 2008

May 2008

June 2008

Coop has learned and grown a lot in a year! He can sit, lay down, shake, wait, stay, and heel. He's a great walking partner! He's a wonderful protector! The best thing about Coop is how loving he is! He is always happy to see us and other people, even if they're new people to him. He quickly accepts them once he knows we're ok with them. He loves to snuggle with us at night. He always gives you kisses if you pet him, and sometimes when you don't. His favorite time is what we call the Weekend of Coop. He knows when it's Friday and is extra happy in the morning. He can't wait to see us when we get home because he knows we'll be home for two full days with him! He loves summertime too, because he gets to spend the entire week with me! Cooper is a very social dog! Derek was told the first time he picked Coop up from PetSmart's PetsHotel that he was the most social and friendly dog they had ever seen. He plays really well with other dogs! When we were moving out of our house in Flower Mound, I took him to Doggie Day Camp because it would be too stressful for him to be at our house. I was a curious mommy, so I watched him play with the other dogs for a few minutes. He was the life of the party. He went around and greeted each dog. They all followed him around and wanted to play with him. There was this tiny MinPen, who was clearly the smallest dog of the bunch. The rest were all big like Coop. She was trying to stay out of the way of the pack. Coop very carefully went over to her as if to tell her that it was ok to play and they wouldn't hurt her. I was such a proud momma! Cooper has changes our lives for the better! He is the best dog in the world and he was well worth the wait! Cooper, we love you, boy. You're our sweetie and we're so proud of you!

June 28, 2008

The Man Cousins

Cooper has a few toys that he really, really loves! His current fav is Orange Man. OM's former name was "Little Devil." (See previous post "Cooper is so big" for pic of OM.) Orange Man also has a cousin named Green Man. Green Man looks just like Orange Man, except, you guessed it, he's green! One HUGE difference between the two Lovelies is that Orange Man is silent. He used to squeak like Green Man, but his squeaker broke during one trip to the PetsHotel. This makes him our fav as well! The Man cousins have/had the LOUDEST squeakers EVER created in dog toys. Coop takes Orange everywhere! Orange goes around the house, outside, in his house/cage, and to bed. It is rare to see Coop without Orange. Orange has become a little security blanket for our Coopie. Orange Man was the original Man cousin. A few months after having Orange, we welcomed Green Man into our lives. Although he didn't get to play too often because of his volume level, Green Man quickly took Orange's place when he did get to play. Unfortunately, we had a little accident with the original Green. Mommy burned Green after Daddy put him up in our living room lamp. Poor Green sat burning next to the light bulb for about 10 minutes, with Coop barking at the lamp, until Mommy "rescued" him. Much to Coop's disappointment, the original Green didn't make the move to LC. We really didn't think that burned rubber was a good thing to put in a doggie mouth. Coop had to watch as Mommy threw him away. It was very traumatic!!

Side note: Coop, unlike most dogs, remembers where his Lovelies are at all times. They can be put in a drawer or in his toy box for weeks and Coop will still remember where they are! He will go by and cry or bark at the drawer or toy box wanting the Lovely. Crazy dog! So you can image the crying that followed putting Green in the trash can!

Rest assured, we have a new Green now, but he doesn't get to play much either. We are seriously considering getting a new Orange. The only thing that holds us back Orange's silent nature. Let me explain: A few weeks ago my mom and sis helped us get settled. We had a great time! Court's little dachshund, Abbey, came to visit too. Coop had the BEST time with Cousie Ab! They're about the same age and have played together since they were just a few weeks old. They love to play together, especially when they have Royal Rumbles! We only had a few issues when one pup would have a treat and the other wanted it. They're still working on the sharing thing. By the end of the week they had shared lots of treats and toys. Poor Orange got the raw end of that deal, however. Coop actually let Abbey play with his Orange Man!! Well Miss Ab saw Orange as more of a chew toy than a Lovely. (Her Lovelies are all stuffed animals, which wouldn't last two seconds with Coop.) She decided that Orange didn't really need both of his feet and preceded to eat one as Coop looked on in horror! He was actually quite upset and we couldn't figure out why for the longest time! After Ab left, Coop just couldn't let Orange live with only one foot...apparently complete amputation of both legs were the best thing for his Lovely. So here is the new Orange:



Coop still carries him around with pride EVERYWHERE he goes! Once a Lovely, always a Lovely!

We're Here...

Yes, we are here...yes, we are alive...yes, we're unpacking like crazy!! We LOVE our house!! It's felt like home since the first day! It's clean(imagine that!) and well cared for (another huge difference from our rent house.) We have four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a large open kitchen, a huge living room, a dining room, a nice yard, and a great garage! Our neighbors are fabulous!! One of them helped us move our stuff out of the moving truck and into the house! Her three daughters came and helped too! While we were moving in two other neighbors came and introduced themselves. Yesterday another neighbor came over!! We've been welcomed here by very kind people! Everyone in League City is very friendly! We got great advice for where to eat in Kemah from the guy who sold us our furniture. Kemah is quite the place, by the way!! Please come visit us so we can take you there! We live about three miles from the water...it's great!!:) D LOVES working closer to home! Coop and I love it too! We actually get to eat dinner before 7 or 7:30 each night:) The weather is actually very nice, considering it's June. It rains a little bit each day. If you go outside right after it rains and take a deep breath, you can smell the ocean! How cool is that?!! Coop and I go for a walk each morning around 8 and it's still not too hot. We get a little sweaty, but it's not a big deal! It does get a little humid, but I actually think it's better here than back in DFW. I know that sounds strange, but I think we get a breeze off the gulf that cools us down. In fact, this morning during our walk we turned a corner and felt a HUGE breeze for as long as we were walking that direction. It happened to be toward the coast. Coop looked back at me as if to say, "Mom, that feels good!" So don't be scared that you'll roast if you come visit us:) As you can tell, the Lord has really blessed us with this move!! This is the perfect house for us in the perfect area! We have a great neighbors and live in a nice community. We would love to have visitors! You're welcome any time!!

Here are some pictures of our house. Note: I am quite embarrassed to post pictures of such a messy house, so please forgive the many boxes and messes! I have had many requests for pictures of the new bedrooom and furniture, so I must oblige. Consider these the "Before" pictures. I will post after pictures soon!


My mom and sister helped me paint our bedroom. Unfortunately, I didn't take any before pictures. Here's the before description: The walls were white except for a border created by using sponges and four random paint colors; gold, dark purple, fushia/magenta/pink, and green. I'm not against spong paint...I think it can look great. I just wasn't a fan of the color choices, especially with our bedding. Our vanity area had white walls with a beach wallpaper border, which wasn't nearly as offensive as the four random colored one, but we decided to take it down. My mom found this great product called Zinsser DIF Wallpaper Stripper. It's a blue gel that sprays from a bottle. It really helped in taking down the border!! The previous owners had painted over wall paper and added the border. This made it a little tricky to take down, but my mom did it all very well!!

D has been talking about wanting an accent wall, so we painted three walls "Ashen"/khaki and one wall "Lunar Eclipse"/blue. The colors are cool and calming:) The vanity is now the Lunar Eclipse blue. We left the bathroom the way it was: white walls with the beach border. It matches our shower curtain and I think the room would be quite boring without the border. I think we'll eventually change it, but I'm out of ideas right now. Painting wasn't too bad but required a little more attention than normal. The catch is that throughout the house we have the classic 80s "popcornish" texture. It's not nearly as bad as it could be, but I'm not a big fan. Try scraping your hand on the wall a few times and get cuts...then you'll be with me. I don't mind the way it looks:) The only exception to the textured walls is where the original owners put wallpaper...in the vanities and kitchen. Here are some pictures of our painted(messy) bedroom:

We got a new living room set. We found these fabulous couches at the Dump. It's a great place that sells retail furniture for 30%-60% off the original price. We actually got 10% off of that because they were having a sale!! They delivered the furniture the next day too...we were quite pleased and plan to shop at the Dump again! After our sofa purchase, we went to IKEA to look at coffee tables and tv stands. We found a few that we liked, but decided to wait until we had the sofas to make our final decision. I thought we would wait another week or so, which was fine. D surprised me on Sunday by going to IKEA and buying the coffee table and tv stand we wanted! He said he was going into work. He's been sick recently and has missed a few days. My hubby still spoils me, that's for sure! Here is our new living room:

As you can tell, Cooper is still loving the bed/sofa that Grammy made for him! Especially now that he's not allowed on the furniture! He still sleeps in our bed, but doesn't get up on the sofas. He's a really good boy and has transitioned well!

Check back for more pictures once we get the house unpacked! We miss you all!

Three days...

As I sit here just three days before we make our move to Houston, I have mixed emotions. Tonight some of my best friends threw me a party! All most all of my work friends were there. It was so fun to spend time with everyone at this busy time of the school year! I am very honored that they came to say goodbye! I can't help but think about how amazing the past two years have been! I didn't think I even wanted to teach elementary school and it turned out to be better than I could've ever imagined! I have made so many wonderful friends and grown as a teacher! The Lord has blessed us beyond belief! Derek has made great friends at his office even though he was only there for a few months! We have lived in a great neighborhood and even made some friends here. Our house had a doggie door before we moved in, which Cooper has LOVED! We are very happy here! So we are very sad to be leaving our family and friends and moving to a new city!
I know that the Lord has big plans for us in Houston! Every step of the moving process has been quite easy, but more than that it's been clearly and carefully planned by the Lord. I got a job in the best middle school in the district. I really wanted to stay in elementary school. I interviewed for a 5th grade math job.(my "ideal" choice) On the way home from the interview, the principal of Clear Lake Intermediate called and asked if I was interested in teaching middle school science. We set up an interview for the next week, but he offered me the job before I even visited the school! I was really worried about teaching middle school, but the Lord made it clear that middle school was His plan for me. I had a job before May even began!
We found our house fairly quickly too! We went and looked at houses one weekend and found a house we wanted to make an offer on. For some reason I wanted to look a little more. We ended up driving around kind of randomly. MoM was looking at houses online for us and found a house down the street from the one we bought. It looked really nice and we decided to drive the neighborhood to see what it was like. As we made a turn we saw our future house. We didn't think much of it at first, but the more we looked at it and it's features, the more we fell in love. There was just something about the house that drew us to it. We had to go back and walk through it another weekend, which coinsided with my "interview." The moment we walked in the house, we knew it was the one for us! We could see ourselves raising a little family in the house. The Lord really answered our prayers for a clear answer to which job I should take and which house we should buy! I am truly in awe of the entire situation! We made an offer and a month later we will close on our first house! Throughout the processs, we were reminded that things happen in the Lord's timing. As soon as we thought we were in control, we would hit a tiny bump and the Lord would remind us to completely rely on Him. It seemed like the moment we did that, He showed us His clear plan and the tiny bump in the road got worked out! So as of Friday, we will officially be home owners! We can hardly believe it!
There is no doubt in my mind that this is exactly where the Lord wants us at this season of our lives! How could there be?!! This makes it a little easier to say goodbye to our current life and dive head first into our new adventure. We are looking forward to Derek living MUCH closer to home! We actually will work a few miles from each other. Derek says that if gas prices get too high we can start carpooling. Sounds like fun to me! With him working closer to home, we can get more involved in our church and community. We desire to make good, Christian friends who we can spend time with. We already have several friends who live in the area and we are so excited about making more! I know that the Lord has perfectly planned all of this for us, in fact, He's planted this desire in our hearts. We will live VERY close to U of H-Clear Lake, which means that I can start on my masters and not have to drive too far! We can confidently face our future knowing that the Lord has planned every detail! We will truly miss everyone in the DFW area. If you're in the Houston area, please call us! We'd love for you to visit! Thank you for your friendship! You have filled our lives with so much joy! We love you!

New Season, New City, New Jobs

As spring arrives we have a big announcement:

Derek, Cooper, and I are moving to the Houston area in June! Derek was transferred through Progressive about a month ago and we've been VERY busy since then! I am happy to report that I will be teaching 7th grade science next year at Clear Lake Intermediate! I visited the school on Monday and LOVE it! The principal is great and the staff was so welcoming! I will miss my friends/teammates at Heritage very much!!! Derek and I have been house hunting for awhile. We have finally found a house that we love and we're in the process of negotiating the contract. I'll post pictures as soon. This is a new and exciting(and scary) process...buying our first home! We've been praying and really seeking the Lord's will for us. The Lord has blessed us more than we could've imagined! He's worked everything out perfectly and constantly reminded us that all things will happen in His timing, not ours. The family who owns the house appears to be a Christian family. We've been praying for them too! The Lord is so amazing and we're constantly praising Him for the many, many blessings He's given us in the past two weeks alone!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

Visiting Jaxson

I get the pleasure of spending time with our nephew this week! He is such a joy! Very laid back little baby. He's a great mix of his mommy and daddy. We've even figured out that he has a little of his Uncle D...he likes to talk in his sleep:) Here are a few pictures of our precious little nephew!

Jaxson's first walk

Super baby!!

I love my dino outfit! Jax really does like to get dressed up:)

His socks look like little shoes!

It doesn't get much better than this!