Amanda & Daniel

Girl's Daddy

2011-01-29T19:28:00.002-06:00

I know you have heard the term - "Daddy's Girl". Tonight I made the comment that my dad was meant to be a Girl's Daddy. He was meant to have daughters. I know there are dads out there that don't quite know what to do with daughters. I don't blame them. We are EXTREMELY complicated and confusing. However, my dad was a great "Girl's Daddy".

Halloween - What am I supposed to be?

I think after you lose a parent, you start to think about what kind of parent they were, what kind of parent you will be, and what kind of parent your spouse will be. I know Daniel and I are having more conversations along this line.

This is a short list of things my dad did or said that I want to remember to do with my daughters.

My dad was extremely affectionate. The picture on my IPhone right now is of me and my dad kissing at my wedding. Julie, my cousin/photographer, caught it on camera. One of my friends saw it and thought it was strange that I kissed my dad on the lips. I have always kissed my dad on the lips. I thought it was strange that she DIDN'T kiss her dad on the lips. I want to always hug/kiss my kids because it's what I know.

I could pretty much talk to my dad about EVERYTHING. I usually did talk to him about everything. I was open, honest, and asked many questions. He was really good at answering them. I want to be a listener.

I found some tapes at my dad's house of some conversations we had when we were younger. We made a few tapes of us singing, etc. This particular tape was a conversation we had when he called us during my parent's divorce. It SUMS it all up. Here is the transcript. Michelle is 9, I am 4, and Ashley is 2.

Michelle (M): Hello
Dad (D): Michelle?
M: Yeah!
D: It's Daddy.
M: Oh, hi!
D: How are you doing?
M: I'm alright.
D: Your school program is tomorrow night, isn't it?
M: Yeah.
D: I just wanted to tell you that I'll be thinking about you tomorrow night.
M: Okay.
D: I sure wish I could be there, but I sure am going to be proud of you tomorrow night. When you are up there singing those songs, you think about Daddy out there grinning in that audience.
M: I will. I'm hoping Mom will take the camera so you can have some pictures of it.
D: Okay. You tell Grandmom and Grandpop I appreciate them coming.
M: I will.
D: Are the other girls in bed?
M: No, do you want to say hi?
D: Please. Hey...
M: Huh?
D: I love you.
M: I love you to. Girls - It's Dad.
Amanda (Am): Hello.
D: Hello.
Am: Hi Daddy!
D: How's my pretty girl?
Am: I want to tell you something.
D: Okay.
Am: For Easter, I'm going to get you an Easter card and just a little something. It's gonna be from me.
D: That's great. I'll be looking forward to getting something from you. And hey...
Am: What?
D: I love you.
Am: I love you to.
D: More than all the world.
Am: I love you to.
D: And I'm so proud of you. You're such a good girl for Daddy and Daddy is so proud of that. He has such a pretty girl, such a smart girl, and such a good girl.
Am: You know what? I'm also gonna get some Easter eggs and an Easter basket and put stuff in it and put stickers in it.
D: Hm Hmm
Am: I'm going to buy you one of those. They are at Gerland's.
D: Okay. I love you baby doll.
Am: Okay.
D: And I will see you this weekend. Okay?
Am: Okay.
D: You pray for Daddy tonight will you?
Am: Yeah.
D: You say your prayers.
Am: And I'm also going to pray for Aunt Janis.
D: Okay. Can I talk to Ashley now?
Am: (Ashley making noises in the background) Ashley - Be quiet, I can't even hear.
I love you.
D: I love you.
Am: I got three tooths loose.
D: You did?
Am: Uh huh.
D: Well great! That's good. I love you baby.
Am: I love you too.
D: You pray for Daddy tonight.
Am: Okay. Goodbye.
D: Bye Bye.
Ashley (A): Daddy!
D: Hi! I love you!
A: Um - you know what?
D: What? You love me?
A: Do you want me to give you some suckers?
D: Yeah.
A: Tonight is Grandmom and Grandmom's house.
D: Yeah, you are going to see Grandmom and Grandpop tomorrow.
A: My uncle, my uncle is going to have a baby.
D: Uh-huh, I love you.
A: Did you see my uncle having a baby?
D: Yeah, Aunt Janis is going to have a baby.
A: Do you know?
D: Uh-huh. We'll see her this weekend.
A: I don't get to come with you tomorrow. Today I will.
D: Okay. I love you.
A: I love you to.
D: Hey.
A: I need to tell you one more thing. (Bunch of gibberish)
D: You pray for Daddy tonight.
A: Yeah, I'll pray for you. I'll pray for Jesus and for God.
D: Okay. You tell Jesus that you love Daddy.
Ashley drops the phone.
Michelle picks up.
M: Okay. Ashley says she didn't say goodbye, so goodbye for her.
D: I just needed to be cheered up tonight and ya'll sure cheered me up.
Goodbye.
M: I love you!
D: I love you sweetheart!
M: Goodbye.
D: Bye Bye.

I want to remember to ALWAYS tell my daughter how much I love her, how pretty she it, how smart she is, how proud and I am, and talk about prayers, God, and Jesus all the time. How cool is that?

I will ALWAYS love you this much!

How Great is Our God?

2011-01-06T19:00:00.000-06:00

I'm writing this post right now. I'm not sure if I will end up publishing it, but it helps me to write it.

My dad died on December 12, 2010. It feels strange to type that out. My dad has always suffered from many health issues. He is diabetic, had triple bypass surgery, had a stroke, and various other issues. In October, his sugar kept dropping and he passed out twice. Both times, the ambulance had to be called and they had to take him to the hospital.

During one of those falls, he chipped one of the vertebrae in his back. It caused him extreme pain and he was scheduled for a routine surgury on December 10, 2010. This surgery would take some bone from his hip and fuse the bone in his back. (I don't know all of the lingo.) Most of the weekend, he was sleeping and on pain meds. On Sunday morning, his breathing became shallow and then he stopped breathing. The doctors worked for a while to revive him, but had no success.

There are really no words I can possibly use to describe losing my daddy. I have tried to sympathize with those I have known who have lost a parent, but I now realize that I really had no idea. I also have decided that no one will be able to understand how I feel because no one else has ever lost a parent at the exact age, in the exact way, and in the exact circumstance that I lost my dad. Only I will ever know and be able to understand what I feel right now.

I feel a little bit lost right now. I feel all over the place with every emotion you can possibly describe.

I feel sad for many obvious reasons.
I am sad for some not-so obvious reasons.
I feel grateful for the time I had with my dad.
I am thankful for my sisters.
I am grieving for the time I have lost with my dad.
I am ANGRY! ANGRY! ANGRY!
I want to hug my dad again. My dad gave the best hugs.
I am so thankful for an amazing husband who has said all the right things. I have pushed Daniel away and immediately wanted him back. He has been a rock.
I want to scream.
I want to cry.
I feel guilty for doing normal things.
Normal things don't feel normal anymore.
Will I be able to take a deep breath again?

How Great is our God? How great that I can feel all of these things? If I didn't, then I would never have known the love I feel for my dad.

I have always thought the purpose and reason God gave us the innate desire to have kids of our own is to understand his true love for us. It is through our own children that we can even come close to understanding the love our Father has lavished on us. Only because of our own children can we truly understand the love and forgiveness our Father has given us. I LOVE that.

My dad understood that. He loved us like I know my Heavenly Father loves me. I now have my very own personal angel. I can talk to my Heavenly Father and my earthly Father at the same time and they both will be listening and understanding. I like the idea of that.

I am blessed to say I had a daddy. He was funny, serious, smart, loving, funny, complimentary, funny, thoughtful, simple, easy, funny, and wonderful.

The words to the song, How Great Is Our God, keep running through my head. How Great is our God that I can continue to think, feel, and love my dad?

The splendor of a King,
clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
all the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
and darkness tries to hide
it trembles at his voice,
trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great
How great is our God

VERSE(2):
And age to age He stands
and time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
the Lion and the Lamb,
the Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS:
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God

I really WANT to Blog!

2010-10-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

I REALLY want to be a good blogger. It's not so much for other people, but so I can remember everything going on. How ever, good intentions don't result in the actual process. Oh Well!
Here are some recent pictures from our summer adventures.

I got to meet my second cousin, Eli Becknell. He is SO cute!

The girls went to eat sushi, my favorite!

My sisters and I went shopping. I LOVE them!

We had a fun day in Kemah with Daniel's family.

We went to the zoo before Rachel left for Minnesota.

As you can see, we are staying busy. This was the first summer in a long time where I actually had a few weeks off and it felt NICE!

Daniel leaves in 3 weeks to go to Mansfield for 7 weeks. He has his first round of clinicals. I am going to MISS him! I will be a single girl again for a while. Thank goodness for Skype!

Funny Moments at the Wedding

2010-08-02T23:10:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share a couple of fun memories from the wedding. I am even displaying the ugly cry face from me, but Daniel and I had a good laugh from the pictures yesterday:) They were both fun moments captured by the camera in order. Way to go Julie:)

The Moment I Realized I was Really Doing This:

Daniel's Aunt Ruthie made a ring pillow for us with our names and the wedding date on it. I think this was the moment that it really hit me I was getting married. So cool:)

"I can't believe you were able to do this."

"It has our names and the date of our marriage - January 1, 2010"

"Look Jeanne and Bethany, isn't this so neat?"

"Whoo, I am really doing this! It is in stitching on a pillow:)"

"I'm getting married in one hour!" (cue ugly cry face)

"Thank you so much Aunt Ruthie! This is so special."

"Okay, we are really doing this!" (I even used hand gestures!)

"Okay, I need to stop crying! I really can't wait to marry Daniel, I promise. This is a good cry."

Honeymoon or Not to Honeymoon?

Really, the pictures speak for themselves and it turned out to be a fun memory!

"I can't wait to go on our honeymoon."

"Knock, knock! Do you want me to go on this honeymoon with you Amanda?"

"That's okay honey, you take as long as you want while all these people are laughing at me!"

"I guess she does want me to go on the honeymoon with her."

"Victory! I can get in the car now. Is this what I can expect?"

"A kiss makes everything better!"

"My wife is nuts! I have to admit that was pretty funny!"

"I am so lucky I get to kiss you whenever I want!"

"St. Lucia - Here we come!"

A Teacher's New Year

2010-07-29T17:50:00.000-05:00

Teachers' usually follow a little bit of a different yearly schedule than most. Here are a few examples:

New Years Day
I consider August to be my New Year. My year starts in August and ends in July. I usually set new goals and resolutions during this time. I definitely have some resolutions this year. My #1 resolution is to be more healthy. In the craziness of last year, my health definitely did not get the attention it deserved. I am going to focus on eating better and getting some exercise in. I do not have these grand ideas of losing a bunch of weight and never eating another hamburger. My goals are more simple: I need to drink more water, work out at least 3 times a week, and eat better food (as long as it includes sushi rolls every now and then:)

Spring Cleaning
Let's be honest, we do not have the time to do any spring cleaning. Yes, we do have a Spring Break, but it is more important to use that time to see family and recover from exhaustion because we have neglected sleep and family time during the previous months. We do Summer Cleaning. I am actually quite proud of my cleaning accomplishments over break. I reorganized and deep cleaned the house. I cooked dinner and did laundry. I will have to admit, I am looking forward to going back to work because of this part of our yearly schedule. I LOVE being at home, but I don't think I could ever do it for an extended length of time. As long as I love my job, I will always look forward to being there and having adult interaction. Admittedly, I also do not live on the sort of budget that allows me to do what I would really like to in the Summer: shopping, multiple lunches with friends, vacations and traveling galore, etc. etc., etc.:) However, some of the best times spent are free and have made my short 4 weeks off glorious: reading good books, taking naps with my husband when he is out of class early, going to the beach, etc., etc., etc:)

Labor Day
Labor Day can be a bit frustrating because in our case, we have a 3 day weekend immediately following our second week with kiddos. Why can't our Labor Day be later in the fall after we're a little burnt out on taking papers home to grade, waking up at 5:30, spending multiple days and weeks on our feet, writing lesson plans, etc., etc., etc.? I mean, let's face it, the first two weeks of school are what I call, the "Honeymoon Phase". Every class is fairly well behaved. I rarely see any discipline cases. The students are new to the teacher and to each other. It's after the first two weeks that the "Honeymoon phase" starts to fade and true colors come out, some good and some bad. We definitely need our Labor Day much later:)

I would be curious about what other teachers thought about our "schedule". Do you have any additions?

Ode to the Trailer Days:)

2010-07-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

When I went to A&M, my parents bought a trailer for me to live in with my cousins. There were 3 sets of families living together and it was a blast. These were my roommates for all 4.5 years I was in College Station and we were really blessed to be together. The other day, I was cleaning out some picture frames and found one with pictures from our first year together. We look REALLY young, but it was really nice to go down memory lane. I love you guys:)

One night, we built a tent in the living room. I think we popped popcorn and watched a movie.

I love Kasey:) She is a sweetheart and expecting a baby boy soon. She will be a great mom.

This was the night of Sadie Hawkins. It was a fun night.

How cool that about 10 years later, Charlie would be the minister to unite Daniel and I in marriage?

Bethany and Kasey are being silly in the kitchen. Bethany LOVES to tell the story about my first time to brown hamburger meat. I didn't know it was called "browning" and made a big deal about the meat turning from pink to brown. I had NO idea that it did that.

Our first Halloween as the Mc Donald's food.

This was taken at Gattiland. Shannon is smelling Charlie to make sure he doesn't have body odor. I am glad she survived:)

I am thankful for our times in College Station. We had MANY laughs and sometimes tears, but we were always there for each other and I will never forget my "trailer days".

A Time For Everything

2010-07-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3 was one of the readings at Grandma Kogel's (Daniel's grandma) funeral. I have heard this verse a million times before, but it has never hit home like it did at her funeral. This past year has definitely been a time for everything. I am so very blessed and continue to be humbled everyday. I also don't remember things ever moving as fast as they did last year.

Engagement
Daniel and I were engaged on February 21, 2009. This was 6 months after we started dating. He is the man of my dreams and I fall in love with him again every day.

Daniel's Birthday/Graduation
We celebrated Daniel's birthday and graduation on May 15th and 16th. It was such a fun weekend of celebrations and introductions. I got to meet a lot of Daniel's family and we had a blast.

Grad School
Daniel started grad school in September at Texas Woman's University for Physical Therapy. We have almost finished one year and we have two years to go:) WOO HOO! He really is such a dedicated student and I am proud of how hard he works.

Moving
Daniel and I got an apartment in the Medical Center. It is extremely convenient and easy to be so close. We actually really like the area here and didn't expect to.

Babies
My niece, Micah Mary, was born at the end of September. It is so much fun to have a baby in the family again and she is precious!

Wedding Showers
In the fall, I had 3 wedding showers. My home church, mother-in-law's friends, and school friends hosted beautiful showers. Daniel and I are REALLY blessed. I will admit that I really appreciated the gifts, but it was so hard receiving them. I am fine with receiving gifts or rewards for something I have worked hard for, but to receive them for marrying the man of my dreams was not easy because I almost felt like I didn't deserve them. It's hard to explain. I was very appreciative and excited to update our home. I have had A LOT of fun using everything.

My hostesses from Westbury Church of Christ

Presents:)

I love my mom:) This is one of the best pictures we've taken.

Phyllis embroidered towels and rags for me. They are the coolest:)

Wedding Day
I married Daniel Wingard on January 1, 2010. It was the best day of my life:) There are no words to explain the feelings I experienced that day. It was AMAZING!

St. Lucia
To say we had the best honeymoon would be an understatement. It was PERFECT in every way. I am so lucky we were able to get away.

Grad School
The spring semester was pretty tough for me. I took two classes and my Classroom Research class proved to be work intensive. Daniel was extremely supportive and it helped because we both needed to study.

Losses
May was a really tough month for us. We found out that my little sister lost her baby and Daniel's Grandma Kogel died. I honestly did not realize how much I could love someone I didn't know really well until I lost these two people. I was glad we were able to go to Minnesota and celebrate Daniel's Grandma. He really loved her and it was special for me to be around all of his family.
When I found out my little sister lost her baby, I was in the car driving home. I remember crying for a little bit and turning on the song, Glorybaby. It was comforting and our Glorybaby will never be forgotten. Heaven will hold you before we do, heaven will keep you safe until we're home with you:)

It seems like we have had every life event happen in one year. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so thankful to have a partner to share everything with and family/friends to support, love, and care for.

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a
time to refrain,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw
away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Rachel's Graduation

2010-06-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

Rachel graduated from high school two weeks ago. It was a bit hectic because we drove in from Minnesota on Thursday morning and graduation was Friday. However, my mother-in-law pulled off a fabulous party and it was a lot of fun to celebrate Rachel. I am lucky to have such a fantastic sister-in-law and I am proud of her accomplishments. LOVE YOU Rachel!

Being a Newlywed

2010-04-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Daniel and I started talking about being newlyweds and I told him there were a few things about myself that I have realized were strange since being married to him. Being single, I never realized these WEIRD things that I tend to do. Of course, they are not weird to me, but being with someone a lot has really made me realize that I do have some interesting habits. I thought I would share a few with you. Some of you probably know a few about me already, but I could probably guarantee you didn't know all of them.

1. I cannot stand live TV anymore (Please see #2). I hate commercials and cannot stand them. I never paid attention during commercials before and I could never share in funny conversations about them. Now, I have NO idea about any of them and I fine with that. I do like the Old Spice Commercial, but only because my friend showed it to me on YouTube.

2. I cannot stand to watch any judging show and hear bad critiques. On American Idol, if I know a contestant is going to be torn apart, I will fast forward. Who wants to hear or glory in someone's failures? Well - my husband does apparently. We have had many fights and scrambles for the remote control. I have actually given into him, but it has not been easy (and he is a lot stronger than I am).

3. I love to eat out and I LOVE trying new restaurants (See #4). Unfortunately, my husband also shares this feeling and we are not good influences on each other. When I was single, I didn't eat out a lot because I didn't have a permanent date. I kid myself that we have eaten out a lot recently because we are busy, but the truth is that I can cook, but I don't especially love it. I also love trying new food.

4. I LOVE sushi and sushi rolls. I could probably down at least 4 Philadelphia Rolls from Zake, but I do limit myself to 2. Daniel took me to my first sushi restaurant and I have never looked back.

5. I am a horrible side seat driver. I have no excuse for it and I do feel sorry for my husband. Ironically, I hate to drive and I love having a husband to drive for me. I feel taken care of. I promise I am working on it!

6. I go to sleep early. I can easily be in bed by 9:00 and asleep a few minutes later. It's hard because Daniel is the opposite. He stays up late. It works okay because he is usually up studying.

7. I really like sports. I didn't use to make time for them, but it is inevitable that some type of sport will be on TV. I actually enjoy watching them. Daniel and I watched the Masters on Saturday and Sunday. I had never watched golf before, but it didn't matter.

8. I usually don't finish songs on the radio or IPOD. I guess I get tired of them easily, but I usually change to another station or song before it is over.

9. I call my poor husband really random pet names. I am not proud of this fact. I have NO clue where they come from, but they are there. I just hope I don't slip in public.

This is all we came up with. I wanted to make Daniel's newlywed list, but we couldn't think of anything. What's up with that? Oh well! I LOVE my husband and we have had MANY, MANY, MANY laughs on all of the above things and I wouldn't change a thing. He wouldn't either. To be honest, my husband's humor and over all good natured attitude is what makes these things seem funny.

I love you Daniel!

Daddy

2010-03-18T18:42:00.004-05:00

Dad,

It's not your birthday and it's not Father's Day. I wanted to write this "just because".

I love you.

I love ...

- how you ask me about all of my friends.

- that you comment on my friend's Facebook statuses.

- that I know all of the sports events you are watching without actually asking you. I know you will be watching the UT vs. Wakeforest basketball game tonight and it makes me feel closer to you.

- that you always tell me how beautiful you think I am.

- that I can "do nothing" with you.

- that you remember EVERYTHING!

- that you encourage me and want the best for me.

- that I feel completely comfortable with you. I can ask you about ANYTHING and not feel

afraid.

I hate ...

- that you live so far away.

- that you have the health issues that you do. I wish I could take them all away.

- that I only get to see you 2-3 times a year.

- that I can't sell your Harley Davidson. I don't like the fact that you even have the option of

taking it out.

- that I can't go to sporting events in Texas with you.

- that you haven't had the opportunity to get to know Daniel like I want you to.

I am blessed because of you and I love you more than anything.

Spring Break Hump Day

2010-03-17T12:29:00.001-05:00

Spring Break is the best! This year more than ever, I REALLY needed it. It has been so nice to sleep in and not be on a schedule. It has been my goal to get everything off the "to do" list by tomorrow so Daniel and I can spend all day Friday and Saturday together. I am on the right track!

Michelle, Kevin, Micah and Cailyn came to spend the first part of the week with us. It was a lot of fun. We went to the Water Wall and ate at Pei Wei. Daniel and I volunteered to keep Micah on Saturday night. She slept through the night, but I did not. I got up quite a bit to check on her. I don't think I will ever get ANY sleep when I am a mom. I always feel like I have to be checking on him/her to make sure they are still breathing.

We celebrated Rachel's 18th birthday on Sunday night. We went to Buca de Peppo. It was a lot of fun. We ordered WAY too much food and then came back to our apartment to have cake and open presents. I have to say that one of my favorite things about Rachel is her energy. She is so full of life and I am looking forward to her Retrospective and Graduation. It will be a fun time for our family.

Cailyn, my niece, has spent the beginning of the week with us. We went to the Rodeo Carnival on Monday. It was beautiful weather and a lot of fun. Of course, that night I was on the couch with a headache and upset stomach. I can't do those carnival rides like I used to. I'm really glad we were able to spend some time together. It was important to me that Daniel and Cailyn got to know each other better and I think that was accomplished. It is so fun to see Daniel interact with my nieces. He is so good with both of them.

I am so blessed to be with Daniel. He makes me feel so beautiful and cherished every day. I am so lucky!

Honeymoon - The First Two Days

2010-01-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

This is the view from our bedroom.

Our villa's living room.

The plunge pool

We had robes, flowers, and champagne upon our arrival.

**These were entries I wrote to document our honeymoon trip.**

Monday, January 4th

Today is the official first day of our honeymoon. We woke up at 3:00 A.M. Daniel opted to stay up all night. I went to bed at 11:00 and got 4 hours of sleep. I checked the flight schedule before I went to bed and everything was fine. After we arrived at the airport and loaded the shuttle around 4:00 A.M., I checked the schedule and our flight was delayed 3 hours and 55 minutes. UGH!! Daniel wanted me to call, but I didn’t think that was necessary because we were almost to the airport and we would go from there. Once we got to the airport, we found out our flight was delayed for crew rest. Our crew needed a mandatory rest before they could take off again. When we got to the counter we had tow options. We could stay in Atlanta and take the one flight out to St. Lucia on Tuesday morning OR we could make 3 connections and arrive in St. Lucia at 10:30. We opted to stay in Atlanta. We were 0-1 on making connections and didn’t want to be stick in Puerto Rico. We also called Windjammer and they could change our trip days from Tuesday to Tuesday. We didn’t want to waste one of our days on travel. SO we arrived in Atlanta, ate lunch and went to our hotel. Atlanta was FREEZING! It was 29 degrees and the wind chill was way colder. We were waiting for the shuttle in our t-shirts, but chose to take a taxi after about 5 minutes. It was the best $12.00 decision we made. We got to the hotel and took a nap, ate pizza, watched the Fiesta Bowl and relaxed. It worked out okay and we were excited to start our honeymoon the next day.

Tuesday, January 5th

We woke up at 6:00 A.M. READY TO GO!!! The trip there was fairly uneventful. We got there in plenty of time and we arrived in St. Lucia around 4:00. After we got through customs and picked up our baggage, we went outside and there was a lady with a a sign that said: Ms. Amanda Bluhm. Of course Daniel made the joke that it should have said: Mrs. Amanda Wingard. The ride to the resort takes about an hour and a half. It is only 17 miles, but the drive is extremely curvy. We both did pretty well. Daniel asked the driver to turn on music because it was quiet, so he turned on reggae music that we actually recognized. When we got to the resort, we checked in and it was as smooth as it could be. Our credit card was declined because I didn’t call to let them know we were traveling. I called Wellsfargo and everything was set straight. We were in AWE of our villa. We chose to do the all-inclusive Honeymoon package so a one-bedroom villa was part of the package. It was AMAZING! It had a fully stocked kitchen (like I would be using it, but it was nice) and a formal dining table. The living room was great with cable T.V. No, we did not watch much T.V. EXCEPT for the National Championship game on Thursday. From the living room was the porch with our plunge pool and a patio table and chairs. I CANNOT say enough about our view. It was worth every penny we spent and every moment created because of it. We had 3 porches. There was one off the living room, one off the bedroom, and a roof-top porch. All porches had lounge chairs. It was AMAZING! When you walked upstairs, you entered the bedroom. The bedroom had flowers in it and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. The bed is facing a large window with the amazing view to wake up to. It turned out Daniel and I would come back to take a nap around 4:00 every day and wake up to the sunset. We would walk out to watch the sunset and it was one of my favorite times of the day. After we settled in, we went down for dinner and walked around a bit. We were tired, so we went to the room and went to sleep pretty quickly. I actually had more energy that Daniel, which was unusual. I went to take a shower and when I came out, he was out.

Too Cute!

2009-12-08T14:32:00.000-06:00

Some students brought cards to me today because I am getting married:) Their teacher said they chose to make the cards during their freetime. It was so nice. I thought I would share one of them:

Congratultion Ms. Bluhm. If I was in your wedding I will have so much fun and my mom can do your hair and you can go next door and go get your handes and feet done. I hope you and your hasbid will have a grat wedding and if you have any kids, can I be your babysitter?

This REALLY made my day and I thought it was TOO cute.

Woo Hoo!!!

2009-12-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

I get to marry my soulmate in one month. I am one lucky girl!!

Grandmas are Antique Little Girls

2009-11-01T18:42:00.001-06:00

When I visited Daniel's family this summer, his aunt was wearing a shirt that said - Grandmas are Antique Little Girls. When I read this, my mind went to my Grandma Bluhm immediately. As we are nearing our wedding day, I have been thinking about my grandparents a LOT. I've been reminiscing about my childhood and family. You see, I had 4 sets of grandparents. My parents were divorced when I was 5 and I can't name many advantages to that situation, but I will say having 8 grandparents could possibly be an advantage. ESPECIALLY when I was blessed with my grandparents. 5 of my grandparents are no longer with us. I thought I would write a few memories of each one as I hold them in my head and heart forever:) My MOST favorite thing about each set of grandparents is the unique places they all lived and I got to visit.

Grandpa Crouse

Estelle's parents lived in Virginia in the COOLEST house ever. There was a river running in front, fresh vegetable garden, antique pianos, a PARLOR (enough said:), a barn, and a big open field that is any child's dream.

My Grandpa Crouse would take us to the barn which was really a wood workshop. He would make us wood hearts and toys. It was so much fun. He would pull us around the land in a wagon behind his trailer. Most mornings, we would eat homemade biscuits and gravy. I also fell in love with FRESH tomatoes. YUMMY!!!

Boppa

We called Tom's dad, Boppa. I think he got this name because my cousin, Beth, couldn't say Grandpop and this came out instead. It was fitting for him.

Boppa was a gruff man. He had this deep voice and would always rough house with us. He ALWAYS grabbed our big toes and would not let go. I remember he read a lot and would sit in the chair in the back of the living room to read. Tom's parents lived on a golf course/country club. SO COOL! He would take us on rides in the golf course and we would get to make reservations and eat in the club. I thought we were so cool because we had to make reservations.

Grandmother

Grandmother is Tom's mom. She was the opposite of my Boppa and it just fit. She was quiet and calm. She would sew and made my sister's banquet dress. She would let me help her make cinnamon toast and we would cut the butter in squares. I thought I was a cook because I would help her. She would always take my sister and I to swim and I loved sitting out on her porch. She would also play dominoes with us and I loved sleeping on the trundle beds in her guest room.

Pa is my dad's dad. As long as I can remember, Pa used a wheelchair. I loved riding in his wheelchair. I remember going into his room and sitting in his wheelchair to watch The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune. I also thought it was super cool because he had a chair in his shower. We played Mexican Dominoes A LOT and I absolutely will never forget his laugh and smile.

Grandma Bluhm

I have to say that not having my Grandma Bluhm at my wedding will be especially hard. My Grandma Bluhm was a character and a half. She told me how it was and what she thought, and I will be honest when I say it wasn't always easy to hear. My favorite memory was at night with my Grandma. When I stayed with her, I almost always slept with her. We would stay up late and talk, giggle, and gossip. I would catch her up on me and we would talk about anything and everything. I'm not sure I have ever met anyone who loved her kids and grandkids so intensely. I think she worried about us too much. I loved visiting them because they lived across the street from an elementary school. They had REAL swings. The kind of swings that you felt like you were flying.

"I Am CONFLICTED About My Wedding/Marriage."

2009-10-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

I am getting married in 2.5 months. I have conflicted feelings about this.

You are probably thinking I must be NUTS because I am conveying my conflicted feelings for the masses to read. It is probably not what you are thinking.

After Daniel and I were engaged, we had many talks about the wedding. Eloping, immediate family only, immediate/extended family only, destination wedding, and a Houston wedding were all on the table. We eventually decided on a semi-destination wedding. We are getting married in Castroville, Texas. This may seem random to some of you. I am okay with that. We wanted a place that seemed intimate and easy. Most of our family would have to travel anyway, so why not pick a different location. My family moved to a town near San Antonio five years ago and I have grown to love the city. Houston is so fast paced and San Antonio DEFINITELY moves at a slower pace. We found a place outside of the city that is quaint and easy. It is a family owned reception hall and we really liked the caterer and location.

You see, it is MOST important to me that we focus on our marriage as we near January 1st. It is SO easy to get caught up in planning the details of the wedding, that the reason for the day and celebration are overshadowed. Brides and grooms are so tired, they don't enjoy the wedding and can't wait for the honeymoon. I refuse to fall into that category. I feel that if we had been married in Houston, I would have definitely worried about details more. I am thankful for this decision.

You need to understand that this has and will be extremely difficult for me. I am a people pleaser by nature. If people are coming to an event that I am planning, I want it to be perfect. I will worry, sweat, fret, and think about it until it is over. However, I am making an effort to take any spare moment I can with Daniel to talk about our expectations for marriage, finances, compromises, needs, wants, etc. I don't want to spend our spare moments talking about tuxes, flowers, food, etc. It won't matter if we are short on napkins. It will matter if we have not addressed those concerns/expectations for our marriage.

As you can see, I am conflicted. I WANT to enjoy the planning part of the wedding, but I don't want it to overshadow or distract from the marriage part of our life.

If you ask me about how planning is going, I will more than likely reply, "Everything is going well." I am not just saying this. The day will come and go AND I will be married to the man of my dreams. As far as I know, he will be there and I will be there. How can that not go well?

Blog Theory

2009-10-20T19:46:00.000-05:00

My dad said he was going to delete my blog from his list because I never post. I wish I could say I was TOO busy to blog, but I have not. I wish I could say my life has been super boring and I have had nothing to blog about, but I have been VERY busy. I really have no excuse. I guess I haven't been too motivated. I have decided that when I do blog, I don't have to try to create this interesting, well written dialogue about my life.

I just need to be honest.

The entire reason I even created this blog is to chronicle the journey Daniel and I are on as we are getting ready to be married. It is for our US and any of you who are interested.

I would like to give a shout out to my dad because he will appreciate my posting.

Don't Assume Anything

2009-08-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

Another school year has started. It is hard to believe that I just started my 7th year of teaching. I have the BEST job in the world. Now, when I say that, please keep in mind that I also believe it is one of the HARDEST jobs in the world. However, no matter how hard it is, I can step into a classroom and see the sweetest smiles that will melt even the biggest grouch's heart. I thought I would give you some highlights of my week. Some are heartbreaking, but some just make me smile. I want to always remember the little moments - the moments that define who we are. The week before school started, we heard an inspirational speaker. He kept saying two things:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away." and "Attitude is everything!"

I have really tried to keep these two quotes in mind as I am at work.

Here are a few of those moments (both good and bad!)

** The last group of kiddos I taught are now in 5th grade. It is going to be really hard for me next year when I don't have any of MY students at school. I always make sure to monitor them and I always joke with them that they need to make me look good:) Anyways, yesterday one of them came up to me and said, "Ms. Bluhm, you said you were going to pull us last year to eat lunch with you and you never did." All that went through my head is, "I can't believe he remembers that." I also felt guilty. Was I really too busy to stop and take them out for lunch?After all, I know the principal is my boss, but the students are my clients. I should be doing whatever I can to make school and their experience meaningful and beneficial. You can bet that I will be stopping and taking more students out for lunch.

** I am in charge of the Primary School this year. It is our Pre-K school. The building we use is across the street from the Elementary School because there is not enough space across the street. We will be getting a new school in the neighborhood in two years so we will be able to move our smallest students over to the big school. The building that H.I.S.D. rents space from is the True Buddah Temple. So every day, I walk past the Buddah statue several times going from the classrooms to the cafeteria. It is REALLY strange to watch all the 4- year-old classes walk past it as well. It makes for some interesting questions. When I was bringing a student back from the restroom, she asked: "Why does it need food if it isn't alive?" Any advice on how I should answer these questions would be helpful.

** We have a refugee student at Neff Primary that is having a really hard time. On Wednesday at breakfast, he started throwing a fit when his dad left. I don't mean he was just crying because we have had several of those. He was trying to run out of the room. I would try to hold him back and he would start hitting, pinching, and kicking me. It just about BROKE my heart. The hardest part was knowing I couldn't communicate with him or his family. There was a lot of pointing and gesturing. I have set up a meeting on Monday with a translator so I am praying that will help.

** Half of the students at Neff are Bilingual Spanish speakers. It's hard with the little ones because they don't know much English. For those of you that know me, I LOVE talking and playing with kiddos so the language barrier is hard. However, I have learned and depended on the fact that a hug and smile speak the same language (thank goodness!)

** Part of my job is to visit classrooms. I love this part. On Thursday, I knocked on the door of a kindergarten classroom. One of the students answered the door. I looked at him and looked at the teacher. I asked her why Juan was in her classroom. He should be in 2nd grade. She told me that wasn't Juan. I told her that he looked just like a student we had in 1st grade last year (I'm talking spitting image). I continued to say hello to the class. As I was leaving, the same little boy stood up to open the door. I looked down and said, "Thank you sir!" The student proceeded to tell me, "I am a girl, but my mom cut off all my hair." I wanted to crawl under a rock. I felt horrible! Later on I was talking to her teacher and discovered she was Juan's little sister and she had to cut off her hair because of lice. I cannot believe I did that! Sometimes short hair and uniforms can get me in trouble. I will NEVER assume anything until I know for sure.

** A teacher really does live the saying "It takes a village!" I may be one of the people in charge, but I will NEVER take for granted all the people it takes to successfully run a school. Can you imagine if we didn't have the cafeteria workers to fix lunch for hungry tummies, nurses to put on bandaids, teachers to encourage new ideas and learnings, custodians to keep our campus safe and clean up the messes made when those students get sick, teacher assistants to work with at-risk students, parents to love and encourage those kiddos, office workers to keep all the paperwork in order? I can't imagine a school without these people and I am thankful.

I can't wait for all the other moments that this school year will bring. I am blessed!

(On a side note: This blog was meant for my wedding stuff, but school stuff has consumed all my time the past three weeks. Daniel is okay with that. I guess he has to be okay with that, because my school job is what will be getting us both through grad school for the next three years. He is the best and I promise to update with more wedding details soon!)

Engagement Pictures

2009-07-23T10:50:00.000-05:00

Daniel and I took engagement pictures in Minnesota. His family has a farm and I thought it would be a neat place to take pictures. His cousin, Tori took the pictures and I thought she did a great job. I'm not too sure what you do with engagement pictures. I know they are for announcements in newspapers. We don't think it is necessary to advertise our engagement in the Houston Chronicle:) It was a fun day! I am off to finish packing for the move this weekend. It is hard to get motivated!!!

Past Experiences Lead Us to Future Events

2009-07-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

As I am transitioning into being a wife:), I have taken the time to reflect on the past few years that have led me to being ready to marry Daniel. I have been single for 28 years. Daniel called me on my 28th birthday and we have been dating ever since then. My dating history consists of casual dating. I was never with anyone very seriously. I've dated guys for longer periods of time, but I didn't let it get serious. My family often said I was too picky. I never thought I was too picky. I knew what I wanted and I didn't see the point of being with someone I didn't intend to marry. It's interesting because Daniel and I have complete opposite dating histories. He was in a serious relationship for the last two years of high school into college years. After they broke up, he didn't date very much because he was very serious about school. I am thankful for the experiences and people that have led us to being ready for marriage and each other

Just for Fun:)

2009-06-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

Can you believe I get to marry him? I hope our kids look JUST like Daniel!

Ceremony & Reception

2009-06-26T06:49:00.000-05:00

We are having our ceremony and reception at Hoffman Ranch. We knew we wanted to get married in San Antonio. Daniel and I are both from the Houston area. We both thought it would turn into a bigger event than we wanted if we stayed here. My family moved to San Antonio 5 years ago and it seemed like the perfect place to have the wedding. We went to look at several places and we liked Hoffman Ranch in Castorville, Texas. It is a out of the city a little bit. I was nervous about the location being too "country". Daniel and I are definitely NOT country. However, it fit all of the criteria I wanted. I didn't want to have to feel like I had to decorate just to make it look better. I wanted a place that would provide everything and I didn't have to rent tables, linens, etc. When I walked in, it just felt right. I got excited about the wedding and I LOVED the wood paneling. We booked it the same day.

January 1, 2010

2009-06-25T16:01:00.001-05:00

We are getting married on January 1, 2010. We chose this date because it's fun and we wanted to get married on that weekend. We discussed getting married on December 27th, but we were nervous because it was too close to the Christmas holiday. My immediate family really wants to spend the days leading up to the wedding with me, and this is the in-laws Christmas so they would be gone. I want to savor every moment with my family so we moved it to the next weekend.

We have heard MANY opinions on the date. My favorites are:

"You do know that all of the good college football games are on that date."

"You should get married on December 31st so you can get the tax deduction."

"At least Daniel will always remember your anniversary."

"We are going to be on vacation that weekend, so we can't make it to your wedding."

My reaction to these statements vary. Sometimes, I can't tell if they are being serious or not:) It's fun though. We picked this date because there is no better way to begin this year and every year after with the reminder of our love and life together. We also liked the idea of celebrating New Year's Eve with both families the night before. I also liked the symbolism of ending our years of being single and beginning our new year with marriage.

Groomsmen

2009-06-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Michael Wingard - Brother of the Groom

Dale Wingard - Father of the Groom

Elias Gerbermichael - Friend of the Groom

David Garcia - Friend of the Groom

Zachary Lindsey - Cousin of the Groom

Bridal Party

2009-06-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

Michelle Taylor - Sister of the Bride

Ashley Coburn - Sister of the Bride

Bethany Becknall - Cousin/Best Friend of the Bride

Rachel Wingard - Sister of the Groom

Cailyn Alvarez - Niece of the Bride

Micah Taylor - Niece of the Bride

Megan Lindsey - Cousin of the Groom

A 2nd Wedding Dress

2009-06-09T16:13:00.000-05:00

I got a call on Thursday that the wedding dress I picked out AND bought was discontinued. It wasn't really a big deal, but I was confused why it took 6 weeks to figure out that it was discontinued. I had several options. I could buy the sample dress (which had issues), start over, or get a refund. I didn't know what I wanted to do.

On Saturday, I needed to go by David's Bridal to pick out bridemaid's dresses. I mainly needed to decide on a dress color so I knew which color blue I can center everything else around. My bridesmaids are all going to pick out their own styles with the same color. My sister, Michelle, is pregnant and now is a good time to go try the dress on before she gets further along in the pregnancy. While I was there, I saw a couple of dresses I liked and I was able to try them on right then. I loved the first one and decided to buy it right then. I felt beautiful and loved the little details I was able to add.

We ended up going to Men's Warehouse on Sunday and picking out the suits for the guys. Daniel is going to look great. I kept joking that I needed to cover my eyes so I didn't see what he was wearing.

One of my favorite parts of all the wedding planning is how excited Daniel is getting. He constantly tells me how excited he is and how he knows I will be the most beautiful bride ever. He asks me about details of the wedding dress and ensemble. He gets me even more excited about the wedding. Of course I am excited, but it seems so far away. As we get closer, I know the anticipation will begin. I am trying to savor every moment of planning because this will be the ONLY time I ever do this.

Graduation Morning

2009-05-31T16:01:00.001-05:00

Daniel graduated from the University of Houston on May 16th, 2009. I couldn't help but be REALLY proud. His name was in the program 3 different times as a student graduating from the College of Health and Human Performance, Suma Cum Laude, and Exercise Science Student of the Year. I don't have the right to be proud of him because I had any part of him doing well. He earned this with the support of his family growing up. However, I am proud of the man I am marrying because he works hard, wants to be the best student he can be, and he is in love with the profession he will spend a lot of time doing. He will begin 3 years of graduate school for Physical Therapy at Texas Women's University, a top 25 PT school in the country. It will take a lot of his time and energy, but I am okay with that because he is doing something he loves and enjoys learning about.

Birthday Night

2009-05-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

I am still trying to recover from Daniel's birthday/graduation weekend. On Friday, May 15th, Daniel turned 26. His mom hosted a nice dinner at the house for family and close friends. Most of Daniel's family that came in for the graduation were there. This was the first time I was going to meet his mom's side of the family. They came in from Dallas or Minnesota. It was great meeting them and we had a great time. I am glad Daniel was born. My family gave him the Wii with accessories and we have had fun playing it for a while.

Wedding Dress Shopping

2009-04-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

My mom and sister came in this weekend and we went to look at wedding dresses. I was really nervous about it. I have definitely dreamed of my wedding dress for as long as I can remember. I didn't have specific ideas, but I knew I wanted to feel beautiful and I wanted it to be different. I did not want a ball gown with lots of beading. My mom was very helpful. My consultant thought my mom was super cute because she said most moms want tons of beading and my mom was trying to find a dress with NO beading because that is what I wanted. I picked out 6 dresses and my consultant suggested we try on my favorite ones first. I had an idea as we were going into this that I would not know what I would like until the dress is on. It's hard to tell when a dress will be flattering. My two favorites were NOT flattering. They were nice, but they did not look good on me. I tried on two more that I liked, but did not love. There was one more left and I did not want to try it on. I didn't think it would be THE one because it wasn't as "out there" as I thought I

wanted. Ashley talked me into trying it on. It was BEAUTIFUL! It really flattered my body type and I felt good on it. I will be able to add a few details to make it different and I fell in love with it. I can't wait to try it on again in August! I am glad I found one. I did not realize it took so long for dresses to come in!

My First Post

2009-04-24T19:16:00.000-05:00

This is my first post:) I started to create a wedding website, but I thought this would serve that purpose and I can continue it after the wedding. I will use this website to let you know about our wedding details from the ceremony, reception, and all the emotions and excitement leading up to it. Daniel didn't like my website address, but I couldn't think of anything else! I REALLY hope I keep this up and after Daniel's graduation it should be easier!