Week In Review: April 29

My week has been full of highs and lows:

LOW

Chris had a kidney stone this week. Enough said for those of you who have experienced one, or whose loved one has experienced one... We found ourselves in the Emergency Room at 2:00am Tuesday morning and our next 48 hours were full of water, medicine and Chris fast asleep (finally not writhing in pain). Thankfully, I happened to be at his house when it hit him, which is completely God's grace because I can count on 3 fingers the number of days I've spent at his place this month.

Praise God he is now feeling back to normal, but it was our first real experience with the "In Sickness and Health" part of our upcoming marriage commitment.

HIGHS

I seem to sort of count Friday-Friday as my week, which means my highs occurred last weekend. I went to Michigan to see my parents, celebrate Easter with them and have my first bridal shower.

The highs include the following:

Seeing and visiting with wonderful friends and family I do not often see The wonderful food and beautiful decorations that made it such a special event
The game -- The Ugliest Bridesmaid Contest (I won... and I'm not sure how I feel about it...)Each present was accompanied with a recipe from that woman and a prayer for Chris and my marriage -- I am excited about the recipes and will treasure the words of wisdom and love from these woman for many years

I feel like I should stop there because otherwise I would write about the bridal shower forever. I have to confess, another HIGH of my week was the royal wedding this morning. Or rather, the excitement of my roommates and me last night regarding this morning's royal wedding.


We had heard that the wedding was on St. Catherine's day, which is the day when all single girls pray to St. Catherine for a husband. We learned that there is one prayer for woman under 25 ("Lord, give me a well-situated husband. Let him be gentle, rich, generous, and pleasant!"), another prayer for woman under 35 ("Lord, one who's bearable, or who can at least pass as bearable in the world!"), and finally a prayer for woman 35 and older ("Send whatever you want, Lord, I'll take it"). We were having SO much fun learning about unmarried woman called Catherinettes who even baked special "Catty Cakes" on St. Catherine's Day.


I think it is really cool that my parents were married a few months before Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and Prince William and Princess Kate are getting married a few months before I do. The crown prince only gets married once in each generation and it was really special for me to enjoy the hoopla just two months before my own wedding.


I feel as though I've been living out of a suitcase for a few weeks, and this weekend is no exception as Chris and I are headed to St. Louis for a bridal shower with all the woman in his family tomorrow. My mom is coming to be a part of it, which has me SO excited. She has not met Chris' family yet, and so it will be a great time.

Please keep my Daddy in your prayers as he is manning the fort by himself while mom is in St. Louis.

I hope you had a wonderful week! Check out Amy's blog to read about the weeks of others.

Source for St. Catherine's Day information. Source for pictures of Princess Kate 1, 2&3.

Wedding Countdown: 2 Months

TWO MONTHS
until Chris and I get married!

source

This is our engagement announcement that appeared in my hometown paper recently:

• 6 weeks until I'm done with work
• 4 weeks until Chris is done with work
• 2 weeks until Chris is done with grad school
• 27 RSVPs received so far
• 61 days until our marriage begins
  

He Is Risen!

"Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
HIS RISEN! He is not here..."
Mark 16:6

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them,

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?
"HIS NOT HERE, but is Risen!"
Luke 24:5-6

I have a favorite Easter Hymn, which I love to sing every year. If you do not know the tune, check out this website, but either way, enjoy the poetry and power of these words that tell of our Amazing Jesus and God who was victorious over the grave and opens the door of eternal life for all his followers:

302. Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
Music: Lyra Davidica, 1708
Tune: EASTER HYMN, Meter: 77.77 D

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Good Friday!

As of Late: April

I love this As Of Late link that Christy hosts once a month!

April has FLOWN by for me!

• As of late, Chris and I have been praying about our future
• As of late, Chris and I have been applying to several school districts - in Colorado and out of Colorado
• As of late, Chris and I have several countdowns going -- counting down the days until our wedding (65 days), counting down the days until Chris is done with school, counting down the days until I am out of schools
• As of late, I've started packing my apartment where I've lived the past two years and moving boxes into storage
• As of late, Chris and I have made some major donations to local thrift shops -- and more donations are coming!
• As of late, I am getting really excited about some upcoming BRIDAL SHOWERS!!!! My first one is this weekend in Michigan with family and some close friends and I also get to be home with my mom and dad for Easter.
• My Bridal Shower Thank You Notes is ready to be written and sent...
• As of late, my parents have told me Chris and I have quite a few wedding presents already waiting for us at their house, so I will be opening those and writing our first Wedding Thank You Notes this weekend as well... (I love seeing our married names in print!)
  
• As of late, the walls of my apartment are becoming more MILLER and less Single Girl... Chris and I bought this skier mirror on major Spring Sale in Vail as a wedding gift to each other and we LOVE it!
• This wall of my apartment is ready to be packed and hung in Chris and my first place together in the near future!
• I won this Family Values Canvas from a blog giveaway from One Less Orphan, One Less Broken Heart back in November and I just got it this past week. It is ready to be hung in our kitchen as daily reminders of values we want to live by. Chris and I spent a fun afternoon brainstorming fun and serious values we would want on the canvas and we're both thrilled with how it turn out!
• As of late, I am loving the warmer weather and getting excited for full blown Spring (which also means full blown Mud Season) in Colorado.
• As of late, I am VERY excited for my last 65 days of engagement and the commencement of my MARRIAGE!

What is going on lately in your life?

Week In Review: April 16

I feel like my Fridays come more quickly since Amy started this Week In Review thing. I turn around and she does a Week In Review post... I turn around again, and she's doing another one. If she keeps this up until my wedding, it will be here before I know it. :-D Thanks, Amy!

LOW

My low for this week is a hard one because it was a really good week, but I'd have to say it was so many days away from Chris. We've been spoiled the past few weeks in the form of more time together than usual and this week felt WAY too long with Monday-Friday apart.

I'm getting used to the world of kindergarten (one of the students I see more often has a WONDERFUL kindergarten teacher, so I'm in her room quite a bit...). In the world of kindergarten, the teacher gives the bad news with a "Thumbs Down" and then always promises to turn the news into good news with a "Thumbs Up"... My Low becomes my High in that I get to see Chris within the hour and spend the next two days with him (minus the time when I'll be attending a conference tomorrow).

Speaking of lows... I'm a little bummed about having a six-day work week and a conference to attend tomorrow (a day I would usually get to spend with Chris)... but "bad news becomes good news" -- the conference is a high because I'm excited to learn from the experienced and feel grateful that I have the opportunity to attend (I just wish it wasn't on a Saturday...)

HIGH

I have awakened at 4:30am to exercise before work 4/5 days this past week and it has truly been my high! I have been at work earlier, more productive, in a better mood, more excited about my workouts, and I even looked nicer each day I exercised early. All of the exercises are routines I have been doing regularly, but this week, I bit the bullet and set the alarm for EARLY. I can only take it one day at a time, but I really hope and pray this is a new morning routine that will continue for the rest of the school year and beyond.
*For more information on my exercise routine, which I LOVE, please visit my Beachbody Website or contact me for more information brooke{dot}sanden{at}gmail{dot}com

My other high is that I get to see CHRIS today!!!! After not seeing him for four days, I have missed him SOOOO much and I just can't wait to see him and look at him and talk to him and eat with him, and hug him and smile at him and laugh with him... I'm just SO excited!

Oh, another high, I'm sorry, but this was a great week and it had a few distinct high points! This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week at a few schools where I work. I cover five districts and quite a few schools and to be honest, there is no "itinerant appreciation week"... and that is fine. It's something I knew and understood when I took this job. I did not take the job because I would be surrounded by presents at Christmas time, or the end of the year. It's just not expected. I don't even partake in the breakfast that the PTA provides for the teachers because I am not an employee of one school, I am an employee of a number of schools and districts. I don't want to take advantage of a breakfast provided for the employees of that school.

All of this makes the fact that my kindergarten student's mother sent me home with a full dinner tonight as an expression of appreciation for what I teach her son an AMAZING and COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED HIGH! She handed me a grocery bag with salad, bread, carrots, BBQ pulled pork, buns and frozen sweet potato fries and said "I want to give you dinner." She's a member of the PTA, and I guess teachers had expressed that they really wanted a little "more time" for teacher appreciation week... more time in the form of, could a parent take recess duty that week? Could a parent be the Cross Walk Monitor that week? She wanted to give me more time by sending my home with dinner. I am so humbled and blessed by her heartfelt expression of appreciation.

How was your week? Visit Amy's blog to see how the weeks of others were. :-D

Do You Fondue?

Last weekend, Chris and I went to a Fondue restaurant...

Chris had never been, and I have been once years ago with my entire family in Vail and it was was SUCH a great time, and Amazing food!

It was a four course dinner starting with cheese fondue with bread, apples and veggies to dip.

See the steam?

I really think the plate looks like a Lion print...

Comparing my paw size to the plate...
Notice my ring is back!!!! :-D

LOOK AT THIS MAIN COURSE!!! YUM! We had chicken, filet mignon, New York strip, duck, shrimp, ravioli, potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli and a bunch of sauces!

This was called the "Search and Rescue Spoon"... I think that's really funny.

Our dessert fondue was AMAZING!!! On presentation the waiter did a flambe' and we roasted marshmallows on the flame! This is My Kind Of Camping!

YUM!

So... it was prom night and we had a table with a window facing the entrance... it was like a fashion parade to watch all the high schoolers arrive. Hope they had fun!

I thought this was a cute sign.

Premarital Hormones?

I've heard plenty about prenatal hormones... are there such things as premarital hormones?

I could make quite a case for them.

Have you guys seen this clip from the Regis and Kelly show? I was smiling and crying through the whole thing...



Are you suffering from Engagement Emotions like I am?

Vail Village Dinner with Friends

As stated in this post, one of my "highs" from last week was dinner with our friends, the Selbigs, in Vail. Chris and I made dinner together... and we survived. :-D

We practiced our Thanksgiving dishes (Chris doesn't need practice, but I DO!!!!) including Turkey (on sale after Christmas and he's been chilling in the freezer), mashed potatoes, stuffing, and confetti corn.

The Selbigs seemed to like it!
Here the four of us are by the new ice rink in Vail Village


There are many animal statues around the Village. Jonathan and Chris love the idea of posing next to a Moose that they have hunted... for now, they have to settle for posing next to an iron Moose.
Here they are with an Elk statue.

Chelsea and I firmly believe that, of the four of us, we will be the first two to bag elks.

Jonathan with a Mountain Lion

Thanks for a great time, Guys!