12-21-09

Breakfast-769 calories
lunch-480
Dinner-280
drinks- 200
total:1729
glasses of water-0
three laps with Oreo

BLAHHH

I know that no one really reads my blog and for days like today I am very grateful! I am a little over people right now! I have been for the last like two to three months. I am a little tired of fake people! Apparently I just have a radar that attracts them. I just wish that people could be real...but since we all are not:( I guess I just have to move on in life with a ten foot wall around my heart guarding it from people. I am thankful in times like this for a big family that I love and whom love me dearly. I am glad that God picked my family!!! I am just going to say that people who hurt you just SUCK!!! I am thankful today for my hubby, family and extended family who love me so much!

date night

Scotty and I are going to be starting our date nights back up again:) I have to brag a little about our wonderful date for under $10...nothing fancy, special...just me and my hubby loving our lives with each other...we went to Kohl's and bought two pairs of PJs for $0.87, then we went to Active and bought 2 shirts for $4.19 and then went to Carl's and ate for $5 bucks!!! The best part of the night was when we went to the Mission Inn...held hands and walked around looking at everything and were mesmerized by each other!!! I am so loving that we are rolling up on 18 months of marriage!!!

MOVING!!!

I have stubbornly been not blogging until I GOT TO BLOG THIS!!!!
SOLD...14 DAYS and We will live in Riverside!!!

Humor

A little humor to share with all. When Scott & I drive our 45 minute commute into Riverside, he is sometimes shocked at how in tune I am to all of the small details that are along the commute. Much to my surprise and need for humor we were driving and saw this actual sign. I did not make this up!!! We did however turn around and sit in the suicide lane one day so that I could actually take a picture!!! The sign is in Romoland, not HEMET...which does not say much. I laugh almost every time I drive past the sign because I laugh at the fact that there are uneducated people in this world. Note that the math is correct and the English is what is wrong.

FRUSTRATED!!!

wow...life has been weird over here lately. I have almost begun to protest blogging until I get to post one that says..."the house is sold!" We have had a roller coaster of paperwork that is somewhere in the abyss of the loan company. To say the least I am a little frustrated and concerned that we will get to be moving in the school year...if we get to move. Needless to say, I am going to give up my protest and start blogging again! I am going to write some blogs while I sit on hold waiting to hopefully hear some good news!

Monday Blessings

I have been so deeply encouraged by a family at my church who is going through a rough time with their treasure from heaven who was recently diagnosed with spina bifida. I read their blog and tears welled up in my eyes as I read all of the blessings that God has given them. I have decided that I am going to take Mondays and blog about my blessings, no matter how big or how small. One day I figure out how to make a cute little logo for it, but for now here I go...

• I am blessed to have a loving, living and interactive God.
• I am blessed to have grown up attending church where I was able to learn classic hymns like "It is Well With my Soul" for weeks that I am a little bit too whiny
• I am blessed to have a great night's sleep after a wonderful grad nite with my husband at Disneyland
• I am blessed to have friends that love me, encourage me and support me by just being there
• I am blessed to know the extended Russell clan who I got to laugh, joke, hang out, catch up and play soccer with
• I am blessed to teach summer school this year at AHS
  
• I am blessed to have the privilege to teach at AHS where I am a shining light each and every day
• I am blessed to have an amazing family who loves not only me, but my husband too and they call to make sure that we are safe and sound!

Accomplishment

She is now DR. RICO

A very dear friend of mine achieved something that eight years ago seemed nearly impossible in my eyes. Claudia and I ran track and cross country together at J- Dub high school. She and I enrolled and finished several AP and IB courses before graduating High School. Both of us also attended and graduated UCR. After I graduated I completed my credential and Claudia was off to UCLA to work on her dream of being a doctor. On June 5th, 2009, eight years after we graduated high school Claudia did it!!! I was so happy to be there to share in her joy, accomplishment and achievement.

My sister was awesome and came with me while Scott was studying for his finals:)

Monday Blessing ( a little late)

I have been so deeply encouraged by a family at my church who is going through a rough time with their treasure from heaven who was recently diagnosed with spina bifida. I read their blog and tears welled up in my eyes as I read all of the blessings that God has given them. I have decided that I am going to take Mondays and blog about my blessings, no matter how big or how small. One day I figure out how to make a cute little logo for it, but for now here I go...

• I am blessed with a career that I am able to live out my life as a Christian and witness to 150 students each day who God has made me to be.
• I am blessed to be apart of a wonderful church body where I am encouraged each and every week.
• I am blessed to serve the youth of my church, where I am able to share in their joys, success, struggles and triumphs each week.
• I am blessed to have Jenel in my life who so not only encouraged me to try again at rock climbing, but belayed me and walked through each step with me.
• I am blessed to have Dan as a pastor at my church where I am able to be challenged, encouraged and to share life with.
• I am blessed to have a hard working husband who just finished his semester with a 3.0 GPA.
• I am blessed to have an unexpected day off, to relax, enjoy, and hang out with my hubby!
• I am blessed to have a loving and caring God who gives me strength, energy, and challenges that he carries me through each and every day.
  

Congratulations!!!!!

I am so happy for one of my best friends CARLA!!! She met an amazing man of God! He sent her flowers on Thursday and he popped the questions today!!! Yea lots of fun wedding stuff is definitely in her future!!!

Blessing Monday

I have been so deeply encouraged by a family at my church who is going through a rough time with their treasure from heaven who was recently diagnosed with spina bifida. I read their blog and tears welled up in my eyes as I read all of the blessings that God has given them. I have decided that I am going to take Mondays and blog about my blessings, no matter how big or how small. One day I figure out how to make a cute little logo for it, but for now here I go...

• I am blessed to be married to a man who takes care of me, so when I called him sicker than a dog at Joshua tree, he stopped what he was doing and came out to get me and took care of me.
• I am blessed to be apart of an amazing youth group that when I was "ready" to rock climb they were so right there to encourage me.
• I am blessed to have an amazing mom who encourages me in my marriage and life without even knowing it.
• I am blessed to have a great dad who on his prep ran to the kaiser & Starbucks to bring me benadryl and coffee to help with my allergic reaction.
• I am blessed to have friends old ones and new ones to love me, encourage me, and support me in the things that I do.
  
• I am so blessed to have a day off from work, to honor those who have died for our country.
• 
  

My New Mondays...

I have been so deeply encouraged by a family at my church who is going through a rough time with their treasure from heaven who was recently diagnosed with spina bifida. I read their blog and tears welled up in my eyes as I read all of the blessings that God has given them. I have decided that I am going to take Mondays and blog about my blessings, no matter how big or how small. One day I figure out how to make a cute little logo for it, but for now here I go...

• I am blessed to be married to the man of my dreams, who gets to sleep with me each and everynight
• I am blessed with a home to live in, although most times I do not count it as a blessing
• I am blessed with two wonderful parents, who love me and encourage me...right when I need it
• I am blessed with 7 awesome siblings who for the most part get along and love each other despite our disagreements
• I am blessed with a handsome nephew who loves bubbles and can always make me smile
• I am blessed with a church family that is sharing God's love with others.
  
• I am blessed to have a sixth period class, that almost daily reminds me that I am a human being who needs God to get through each moment of the day.
  

Won't you join me in Counting your blessings on Monday's in honor of the little treasure

Coffee, my need for day to day life

( reasons to Drink Coffee

Ask anyone who knows me: I am a certified java junkie. I'm naturally energetic to begin with, but I rely on my caffeine companion to power me through long days, tough workouts and piles of work. I can even have three cups a day—including a dose after dinner—and still sleep soundly all night. Lucky for me—and the 87 percent of Americans who consume caffeine daily, with the average java drinker gulping down 8 ounces a day—more research is proving that coffee is actually healthy for you. So go on, have that latte without guilt. As if you needed more inspiration, here are some brew benefits to prove that sipping is smart:

It helps you shed pounds

People who drank more metabolism-firing caffeine gained less weight over 12 years than those who cut back on the coffee, say researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

It powers your workouts

Downing coffee and toast between back-to-back workouts can keep you humming, a study from the Journal of Applied Physiology reports. Athletes who drank a caffeinated carbohydrate beverage after cycling had 66 percent more glycogen (an energy reserve) in their muscles than those who had a caffeine-free version. Replenishing glycogen helps you go farther and faster in your next session. Do you run on caffeine?

It helps you wake up refreshed

Drinking a cup of coffee immediately before taking a 15- to 30-minute catnap can leave you alert and rested after waking up, according to research from The Sleep Research Centre, Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England. Caffeine takes a half hour to kick in, so it will rouse you after a short snooze. Try these tips to sleep your way gorgeous.

It can ward off illness

Increasing your coffee intake may prevent liver cancer, The National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, finds. Two cups of java daily lowered a person's risk by 43 percent on average. In another study from University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, women who drank coffee had a 24 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease and other inflammatory conditions. Antioxidants in coffee are likely behind the protective benefits.

It can ease muscle cramps

Women who had the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee the day after their quadriceps were stimulated (as if they'd done squats) felt 48 percent less leg pain within an hour, research from the University of Georgia in Athens reveals. Caffeine may block the body's receptors for the ouch-causing chemical adenosine, scientists speculate.

It makes cardio feel like a cinch

Women given the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee an hour before cycling reported 40 percent less pain than those who went decaf, according to a study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Caffeine seems to block neurotransmitters that signal discomfort during exercise, researchers say.

It helps you get want you want

Dealing with a difficult person? Broach a tough topic over a cup of joe. Caffeine may make people more open to persuasion, the European Journal of Social Psychology notes. Researchers say it hones cognitive function, causing skeptics to be more receptive to a convincing case.

It may fight breast cancer

Young women drinking four or more cups of caffeinated coffee daily reduced their breast cancer risk by 40 percent compared with nondrinkers, a study in the Journal of Nutrition finds. The caffeine and polyphenols in regular coffee protect against cancer. Worried about getting the jitters? Even two cups every day can help. And try these risk-reducing recipes as well.

It improves recall!

Caffeine perks up short-term memory, a study from the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria reveals. One cup of coffee may be all it takes; drink it before a big meeting to be your sharpest.

Want a delicious, lowfat treat that packs coffee's powerful punch? Bake up a batch of warm chocolate cakes with coffee creme anglaise.

ummm?!?!

This past few weeks have merged all together and emerged as one bib BLAH!!! That is scary, sad, silly, and stressful to think of all at the same time. Life has been falling into a routine, not necessarily one that I enjoy. I have been exhausted and always ready to take a nap. That is not too good to me, but I think I know why. My Aunt flo is coming into town and as soon as she arrives my energy shall emerge:)

School is going good I am learning more and more about patience and truth. I love talking with my students about things in life. My favorite part is when I get to "learn" their stories and listen to their lives and learn about their hurts. My second favorite thing is when a trajedy strikes them, they need advice, and or encouragement and they are in my classroom at lunch to share and listen. I LOVE BEING A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!!!!

Craigslist is amazing to me right now Scott is looking for a weight lifting bench (for Him) and a running machine for me!!! That really excites me because exercising (mainly running ) is a huge stress reliever that I am MISSING right now.

I cant think of anything else because the blah is right there in my face.

NOT Me Monday

I do not think that I will do this often but after a few crazy things that I did I just have to partake in the fun and laugh with all.

Not me, I would never wake up on time, leave, get a starbucks on the way to work, begin my teaching day, run over to make photo copies at 11am to realize that I had put two different shoes on, nope not me.

Not me, I did not call my husband to tell him of my funny and he laugh at me. Nope not me.

Not me, I did not decide that everyone should laugh at my wonderful day and send them a picture message. My dear friend Carla did not ask if I had taken a pregnancy test lately nope not her. I did not insist that I AM NOT pregnant. She did not persist right back at me to let me know about my test later that night...nope not us.

Not me, one of my dear friends Connie did not text me back and ask if it was a joke, nope not her. I then did tell her it was for real, she did not text me back and ask if I was teaching at work. She also did not ask if I was going home to change ( a round trip from home to work is 90 minutes) nope not her.

Nope not me, I did not go on the rest of my day and laugh at myself, nope not me...Even when my 5th & 6th period classes asked, "Mrs. Rollins what is wrong with your shoes?" I did not pridefully show them my mismatched shoes, nope not me.

Nope not me, I am not going to ask my periods 1-3 what was wrong with my clothes on Friday, and give extra credit to anyone who knows, nope not me:)

I know where I will be teaching Next YEAR!!!

Quick BLOG...I just received a letter in the mail today informing me that I HAVE A JOB NEXT YEAR!!! Scott & I are so amazed by God's never ending faithfulness:)

How did it wake 10 months to go 3 weeks?

I forgot to say that the time blog was merely a part 1 of many to come.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that Scott & I have been married for 10 months! :) It has been an amazing 10 months, but definitely several things have changed in my life over the short amount of time. I learned very quickly when Scott & I were on our honey moon that we are different. The differences that we have, I never had realized until we were married and let me add, I LOVE THE DIFFERENCES THAT WE DO HAVE!!!

The biggest differences came in how the two of us like to spend time on our vacation. The whole reason why I even bought the book 3 Weeks with my Brother was because I realized that we would have a lot of relaxing in the sun, hanging out by the pool, lounging in our hotel room, just sitting time. This time was really not my thing and I decided that to "survive" this time to just relax that I was going to NEED a book to read through. Little did I know how much I would enjoy that time and that God has been trying to teach me for A LONG TIME! He rested after creating the world, but yet in some crazy way I thought that I could live in my own strength and power WITH OUT REST :) I am minorly laughing out loud as I think about this.

Quick fast forward...I had Spring Break, read the book and had some more relaxing time to think about my own personal life and where it was at, where I want it to be and to think about the past.

First let me just say, I LOVE MY LIFE!!! There is only one minor thing in it that I would like to change and that is that I would love to live in Riverside closer to my friends and family. (Apparently God does not think that I am ready for that, since he has not sold the house yet, in His time, in His time)

Second I learned that when my life was planned into many different time slots, not a second "wasted," busy with out any free time, I thought that I really was in control of my schedule. BOY was I ALL wrong...and I didn't learn that until I finished reading 3 weeks. As I read through the book, I related with the author a little. He had a crazy, busy, hectic life; juggling the roles as a husband, son, brother, friend, and father...I have similar roles. Our personalities are similar: we would rather live off of coffee, get no sleep than to fail or let someone down. Now here comes the kicker for me. I learned that all of those things and not having God in complete control of them would result in a COMPLETE failure. A failure to everyone I love, care about and even to myself.

Lastly, I learned that my one goal that I had over Spring Break to create a regimented schedule where every minute of every day was accounted for was Crazy! I learned through reading this book (yes it took me 10 months, but I finished it) that when a person has such a crazy schedule like I wanted that I would end up being controlled by my schedule. I learned that instead of looking at every moment as a way to serve God that I would have a time slot for that, instead of being a loving wife all the time I would only have a time slot for Scott, being a sister would not be all the time, but only at a certain time, being a daughter, youth leader, teacher, etc. I think that you all are getting the point.

There are still things that I would love to "add" to my things that I do every day, but as for now I am going to integrate them in as they fit.

I love the fact that my husband has taught me a lesson that lots of people learned a long time ago...WE ALL NEED TIME TO RELAX :)

Are we Mean? A Little Tax Day Humor...

Scott tossed her toy up on top

She spent at least a good two to three minutes trying to reach it from the side

Then spent another 4-5 minutes trying to pull it through her cage from the topWe laughed at her, these are actually posed pictures because when she came over and barked after we had laughed at her, I decided to give it to her...then I thought WAIT I need pictures first:) She was entertained for a while...I think we will do it again some day for fun and a good laugh:)

Plans...One day I will Learn

So as I sit on the eve's eve of my spring break coming to an end I am reminded of plans, no matter how well they are laid out, no matter what my intentions are that I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER how they come out.

One would think that after several years of going through the cycle of going to a break, ending up learning that I am allergic to something, going to the ER, coming home and recovering over my week instead of getting done what I had "planned to do"

The ironic thing about all of this is that this week I had planned to learn where my time goes and then how to micromanage it more to become more efficient with the time that I have each week. Well I did not actually get to do that...what I did instead was:

Sunday: Went to ER because I was bit by something and had an allergic reaction, got Benadryl through an IV, got Tagament in an IV, got a breathing treatment through pure oxygen, and got home at 2am

Monday: My wonderful husband took great care of me, setting his alarm for every four hours to give me benadryl and hook me up on a breathing treatment at home...OH YEA I slept all day

Tuesday: I got up walked around, ate breakfast and took a long nap, woke up ate lunch, took another nap, lastly got up read a little, ate dinner, and went to sleep

Wednesday: Watched Scott take his midterm, read, went to youth group, came home and slept\

Thursday: Read,helped Carlee paint her room

Friday: Finished reading the book "Three Weeks with my Brother" By Nicholas Sparks

Saturday: Eggliminate from 7:30-3, hung out with youth at the Russell's, came home

...Plans are only that...PLANS...they do not necessarily get done the way I want them or think that they should be done....

LESSON LEARNED: I do not get to make the plans, God does !!!

2009 get to know me:)

2009 getting to know you...

Welcome to the new 2009 edition of getting to know your family and
friends.
Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil
the fun.
Change all the answers so that they apply to you.
Then send this to a bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent
it to you.
Some of you may get this several times; that means you have lots of
friends.
The easiest way to do it is to hit 'forward' so you can change the
answers or copy and paste.
Have fun and be truthful!


1. What is your occupation right now? wife, high school math teacher
2. What color are your socks right now? n/a im not wearing any
3. What are you listening to right now? nothing its quiet
4. What was the last thing that you ate? 2 rodeo burgers & fries from BK
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my mom
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? yes, I do...I miss her and havent seen her in 10 months :(
8. How old are you today? 26
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? college basketballl
10. What is your favorite drink...diet cherry coke
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? nope, never...all natural
12. Favorite food? umm..I have no idea
13. What is the last movie you watched? HITCH with my wonderful husband
14. Favorite day of the year? June 28, 2008
15. How do you vent anger? I try to pray about it first, most of the time unfortunately I do yell :(
16. What was your favorite toy as a=2 0child? easy bake oven
17. What is your favorite season? SUMMER!!! Bring on the heat :)
18. Cherries or Blueberry? cherries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?Of course
20. Who is the most likely to respond? Don¹t know
21. Who is least likely to respond? Connie Jo she sent it to me :)
22. Living arrangements? Me, Scotty, Oreo (my dog), Woody, Jessie, & Slinky ( our bearded dragons) and 12 baby bearded dragons
23. When was the last time you cried? 2 weeks ago
24.What is on the floor of your closet? a basket of purses and shoes
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this
to? Becca
26. What did you do last night? cooked dinner, watched some friends and played with Oreo
27. What are you most afraid of? losing my wonderful husband at an early age and learning what it would be like to live with out him
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? cheese please
29. Favorite dog breed? was Boxer, but then I learned how expensive they are...so mut for me.
30. Favorite day of the week? any day I get to lay in bed with my hubby
31. How many states have you lived in? Cali girl all the way
32. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds are a girls best friend
33. What is your favorite flower? tulips & spring bouquets

Time?!?!

Where does the time in one day go? I have not a clue and it is definitely becoming a sore spot in my own life of where my time is? I feel like I am in a routine which I enjoy, I am just missing ONE MAJOR piece that I want to be in there....EXERCISING!!! I love to work out, it is one of my biggest time relievers and it gives me an amazing amount of energy. I would run for at least thirty minutes a day, if I could find the time.

I thought that all of my time in my day went to watching TV and so I decided to give it up for lent and NOPE, that's not where my time is. In four days is SPRING BREAK!!!! YIPPEE!!!

My only goal is to find out where my time is and figure out how to make time to exercise.

Military Ball on March 21st, at 1800 hours

About one month ago, two students from my 3rd period class approached me and said that I had been selected as the Honorary Teacher for JROTC and that they would be honored if I came to the Military Ball and brought my husband. I asked what the attire was they said formal, but that my husband did not have to rent a tuxedo or anything, dress pants, a shirt and tie would be okay. WOW !!! I was so excited because thus far AHS and I have had a love hate relationship where some days I love the school and others I do not. I went home talked with Scott and he said sure no problem. We put it on our calendars to come and then as the month went on I started learning about what I had been invited to and really did not grasp the real true statement that I was going to make until I arrived at the Military Ball. I knew that between my sister and I we had a formal that I could wear, no problem and Scott had his shirt and slacks and we could borrow a tie from my dad. All of our plans were set to go and hang out there for a while...we would not dance, accept maybe a slow dance, I would make an appearance and then be on my way. Our names were put on the list for the Front gate of the NAVAL base in Norco, I was told to show up at 5:30...Sweet all plans are set! Good news travels fast and pretty soon all of my JROTC students (about 15) and more knew that I was going to the Mil Ball. I heard everyday what the knew status of dress shopping, sabor arc, color presentation, programs, king, and queen, theme almost daily during passing period. I even got a 25 hours until mil ball, yea Mrs. Rollins. Scott & I calculated how long to travel, picked out my dress, his clothes and had everything ready. We checked in at the gate and entered found the location and drove up to the Lake Inn where the Ball would take place. My students know what kind of car I have and ran over to my car and said "WE ARE SO GLAD YOU MADE IT!!!" You can come in at 1800 hours, bummer we were on time and now had 30 minutes to kill. Scott decided to go on an exploration where we drove next to the prison, found a missle, and drove on a dirt road...fun and exciting, but I was a little afraid that we were going to get into trouble when we found the missle. We walked down the red carpet, through the sabor arc and my students were beaming, smiling ear to ear. We walked in found a place to sit and I hear, "OH MY GOSH MRS. ROLLINS, you look so BEAUTIFUL and I CAN'T BELIEVE you came!!!" that was from a student in 6th period...Scott & I st down at a table and then a student from my 5th period, who was just sworn in to the ARMY came over with his girlfriend and sat with us. He shook Scott's hand and then went on to talk about how happy he was that we came and said that he would keep us company through the night. On and on through the night all of my different students and even some that were not my students came over and talked to us, all so excited that we came. We ate, I danced to the Cha Cha slide, and we had a grand ole time.
The teacher of the JROTC came over to talk to me and said that in the history of the program that I am the first teacher who actually kept my word to the students and came. He said that the committee was all in agreement to select me as the honorary teacher. He said that the students in JROTC had not stopped talking about it and that it meant so much to them for me to come. It was a night to get all pretty up for my husband, support my students and keep my word and show my students that I was a person of character and integrity. Last night was one of those nights that was a bright shining moment for my husband to see what a great teacher I really am, see my students respect for me and to really be PROUD of his beautiful wife. We left around 2030 hours, ALL of my students there came and said by and when the students asked why I said that it was because I had church in the morning. They were so excited that I came and apparently it made some of their mil ball nights!!!

Scott & I playing Veterinarian

So Slinky was pretty small, but we decided that she was not "that" much smaller than Woody & Jessie. We decided to place her in the cage with Woody & Jessie and well that is where all the mistakes started.
Mistake #1: Scott decided to start feeding Jessie pinkies ( baby mice) which he did not realize would make her blood thirsty, oops his bad!
Mistake #2: We did not quarantine Slinky her own cage for at least a week to watch her patterns, before placing her in with Woody & Jessie. Scott wanted to go get the lighting for another tank and I was like NOPE so we left her in, again OOPS:)
Mistake #3: We left for church ( not the mistake, LOL) and came home to find a bloody tank, bloody Jessie and Slinky with no Tail...Again I say OOPS!!!
We came home and made up the story of what we think happened...we think that Jessie thought she was prey because she was like an inch and a half smaller than her and tried to eat her. She got Slinky's tale and ate. When we got home Slinky was cowering in the corner under Woody. Scott pulled out Slinky and washed her off in their tub, he then washed off Jessie and then I began the search of what to do for a bearded dragon whose tail is gone. Got to love the internet!!! We knew that to take her to a REAL vet would cost at minimum $100 and we did not want to do that...so we decided to play VET ourselves. A little hydrogen peroxide, iodine, hand sanitizer and liquid bandage and she is all better:) She is in her own cage and out of view of the other two bearded dragons. She is eating and shedding like crazy. She is SOO much bigger than when we got her. Unfortunately her tail will not grow back, but it is all good. We are going to give her another two months or so to grow and then we will see what the next step is. She is much bigger than she was before.

Introducing...Slinky

So I told you all a while back that I was going to be going back in time a little to catch you up. We officially have three bearded dragons...the newest one we named Slinky and got her for a killer deal from someone out in LA. Slinky and I have a funny story that involves the 10 Freeway, sunshine, jumping & Scott Flying over six lanes of traffic...keep reading:)
Scott found Slinky from a guy on Craig's List, he came with a tank, himself, food, crickets, lights, two food dishes, log, and he was only $75 which was a killer deal. We went out and picked her up and had a fun drive out there. On our way home I felt bad that there was SOOO much wonderful sunlight out and decided to open up the box that she was in to let her soak it all in. The story goes that Scott was driving and after about 25 minutes of her basking in the sun she decided that it was time for her to go to a spot with more sun. Now remember I do NOT TOUCH the bearded dragons and that Scott is driving. Slinky jumps out of the box and runs up on to the dash board of our car. I did SCREAM BLOODY MURDER for Scott to get her....later he said that I really scared him. While Scott is trying to fly across 6 lanes of traffic I am trying to climb in the back seat with the bearded dragon loose on the dash of our car. It seemed like FOREVER until Scott got Slinky and stuck her back in the box, but it was probably really only like 2 minutes. We made it home with no problem, but that was when the peace of Slinky ended. I have to go and will post later more about her and Scott & I playing VET

We Have BABIES

I got your attention huh? We don't actually have human babies, instead we have bearded dragon babies!!! Our bearded dragon eggs have finally hatched and we have 13 baby bearded dragons that have hatched and that are healthy, active and crazy as can be. It was all in all a cool process to watch and go through. Our bearded dragons Jessie & Woody have mated (several times ACTUALLY) and Jessie laid eggs in about January and we placed them in an incubator to see what was going to happen. The eggs grew, turned white, sweated and a little baby popped out. Funny stories of two of them hatching: one who pushed the lid of the container up and hopped out and ran all over the incubator, the other was of a little baby that jumped out and ran all over pour spare bedroom floor and Scott chased him caught him and then placed him in the cage. LOL I still have yet to touch any of them. My students love asking me questions about them and I think that maybe we might sell one or two of the babies to some of them.
Jessie has been pregnant three times already and is ready to lay her third clutch (set of eggs) tomorrow and the next clutch should hatch by mid April. If you want one leave me a message :)

Introducing....OREO

Oh, where do I begin with life since I last blogged...Over the next three blogs I am going to be introducing you into a new chapter of life and new pets that make it much more fun and exciting. These are not going to come in sequential order of when we acquired the pets, but in reverse. This is OREO, she is a lab and rottweiler mix, two months old, and cute as can be. Her hair is short and so she does not shed very much and my asthma and allergies are doing great:) Scott & I have wanted a puppy for a long time and so this weekend we went and found her at the Riverside Humane Society and fell in love with her. We adopted her and she is great :) Oreo has only had three accidents in the house and is amazing at going to the door to let us know that she needs to go to the bathroom. She enjoys her chew toys and so far there have not been any casualties to her chewing needs. Between Scott & I are we are home often, but times like church and errands OREO is going to go in our spare bathroom until Scott gets the back yard up to par for her. This was the first time that Oreo was left alone in the bath room for 6 hours. She did AMAZING!!! NO ACCIDENTS in the house and the only mischief that she got into was shredding a little toilet paper (that I left and forgot to put away)...oops my bad, but we are learning :) Oreo was left home today so we could run a few errands and again NO ACCIDENTS and the only mess was her dog food around the room on the floor. So far so good, right. After three days of having her, she is so much fun. I am sure that there will be so much more to come all about OREO.

Flash back

So I am going to have a few flash back in time blogs coming up...
...The first one was all about my wonderful four day weekend that was around Valentine's day. This weekend actually was not wonderful at all. It started out amazing with Scott and I ditching out on small group and going home and having a nice enjoyable evening doing really nothing accept hanging out together alone. Then we went to bed late on Thursday and slept in on Friday and that was where the enjoyment ended. I totally was sicker than a dog and was confined to our bed and was too tired to walk over to the couch so I just laid in bed. The most bummer part of it all was that Scott and I were suppose to help out with the Valentine's Day dinner at church...I was too sick to really stand little lone touch anyone's food so the plan was for me to just lay down on the floor in one of the rooms at church and just sleep. We then learned that all of the rooms were taken up. Sweet Debs told us that I could just go sleep on her couch instead. Scott drove me there and dropped me off and I slept there all night off and on watching a Cinderella story. Scott then picked me up and we went on our way home. Once we got home Scott was an amazing nurse and did a great job taking care of me. The funniest part of the whole night is coming up...Scott gave me some cold medicine and then walked outside to put some laundry in for us and as I was laying down I was feeling super nauseated...I got up off the bed and yelled "SCOTT!!!!" Right as I did I started shooting all of this red stuff everywhere (it was valentine's day again)!!! I shot red stuff all over our bathroom...I felt so bad that I started crying and tried to start cleaning up it and my TENDER LOVING husband came in and grabbed my hair and then rubbed my back and said stop cleaning up!!! I reluctantly let him clean up the mess. I was so sick and my husband was great at taking care of me. I love him so much and it was an awful weekend, BUT it was great spending the whole weekend sick in bed with my HONEY!

Trust

trust–noun

1.	reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

2.	confident expectation of something; hope.

3.	confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit: to sell merchandise on trust.

4.	a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

5.	the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.

6.	the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust.

7.	charge, custody, or care: to leave valuables in someone's trust.

8.

something committed or entrusted to one's care for use or safekeeping, as an office, duty, or the like; responsibility; charge. In marriage this word is sometimes easier to say and harder to apply. We did it!!! Scott trusted me and I filed our taxes online and saved us over $100 DOLLARS!!! What a day of growing for us both. I pray that we never stop growing in our marriage and our trust of and in each other!!!! Happy day for us :)

3rd times the charm

Carla and I have tried THREE different times ladies and gentleman to compete in the Camp Pendelton mud run together over the course of our wonderful friendship.

1st time: She was hurt in a jet ski accident (much longer blog for another day)
2nd time: her friend (that's me) was a flake and forgot to sign up with all of the hustle and bustle of life
3rd time: WOO HOO we did it! It was so much fun to go through and we did enjoy it. I made us cute camo tank tops with purple and pink puffy paint on them. We sort of ran most of it. We went to Walmart (at 5:15 in the morning) and bought a water proof camera to take to commemorate our journey. Here are a few of my favorites.

Scott was such a trooper and got up early with us in the morning and drove down with us to the mud run at 5:15 and then hung out. He watched us run through the starting line and came back to watch us finish. what was funny is the fact that covered in mud I asked some random marine if I could use his phone to call scott to find him. It was so cool. Scott was very supportive but drew the line at standing next to me and not giving me a hug when I was covered in mud. Yep, that's my hubby...isn't he GREAT!!
Carla and I had neither really been seriously working out which made running in the mud bowl more of a killer anyways. There is this KILLER hill, I think the marines call it the hill of hell. We both made it to the top after we ran through training grounds where there are bullet shells on the ground and such! It is a hill that goes up this ridiculous incline and well we made it to the TOP. That's all that MATTERS!
The funny part about the next to pictures is the story that goes with them. Carla and I were swimming through this icy cold lake and at the end we had some professional take our picture with their camera and then with our water proof one. I sort of am running up this muddy little incline and oops slip and fall flat on my face! LOL The camera took a picture of my shorts and then after that our camera was covered in mud! (we didnt realize it) and the rest of our adventures have a smear through them from the mud :( Sad day because there are so cool ones, I guess we just have to run it AGAIN!!! To check it our yourself go to: http://www.camppendletonraces.com/mud_sat.html

My wonderful day off

As a teacher I do not really use my sick days when I am physically sick because all teachers know how much work goes into actually getting a sub and would rather just come to work then exhert all the extra energy. Today was a day that I just needed to take off and relax because life was getting too crazy and i had an orthodontist appointment. Today started out pretty wild, I forgot to call in my sub and did not realize that until 8:05, yes school does start at 8:00. Oh well...Scott easily helped me get over the fact that I am human and do make mistakes. Went to my appointment and everything was dandy, sweet now I get to drive back home.

When I got home Scott surprised me, he said lets go play 21 at the park...ok sounds like a good to me. We went and well the score was Scott 21 me 2, I am AWFUL at basketball BUT it was fun to run around and exercise with my love. Then we went home ate lunch then I worked on school stuff and then Scott said hey lets go run to the park. I asked him if he was serious and he was !?!?!? so we ran to the park and back...on the way he said I have a surprise, umm okay what sort of surprise...Us doing 50 push ups and 50 sit ups and then 40 lower lab sit ups. Sounds fun huh?

Actually this might sound like a sarcastic blog, but it is not. I am really trying to make exercising a priority and he is simply helping me out which is so awesome. The plan is that on Mondays & Tuesdays after work we are going to work out, then on Wednesday we will "work out" at youth group and then Saturday and Sunday work out in the morning together and rest on Thursday and Friday. I am so excited and can not wait!

Poured or Spilled?

Feel free to listen to the sermon that I heard on Sunday from Sean on the life of Joseph from Genesis 41 for a glimpse into what I am thinking about and where my crazy head is going....http://www.missiodeicc.org/sermonmain.html

I too have struggles with all the different things that I have learned over these last weeks about Joseph's life as I even think back and what I thought were God's plans for my life. It is amazing to me how God continually reshapes me, molds me and places a new desire in my heart. I have never looked at the lives of Joseph or Job as a life that is being poured out versus a life that is spilled all over.

The analogy of spilled milk is so crazy to me for a few reasons, first I was allergic to milk for so long and it was something that I wanted at times but could not have. After I finally out grew my allergy and was allowed to have milk it was something that I tasted, did not like the end result and so now I have no desire for it. I do not like milk. I do not have milk with cookies, cakes, ice cream, breakfast, by itself, I just do not drink it all. I have learned that through medical research that your body actually can get the calcium that it would get from milk in many other non-milk foods. In my opinion milk is one of the things in the fridge that is only used for cooking, it cannot sustain everything by itself.

Now here is where it gets a little crazy to me when I think of myself as a glass of milk. For so many years of my own walk with the Lord I would ask God how I could be used. I had this longing in my heart to be used by Him and poured out into others. Considering that I am a human being I just thought that God was not really using me, but that all of my gifts, talents, skills and abilities that I had on my own were being wasted. Ultimately I can see now that I was wrong and was just poured out by Him and not spilled by Him.

The times that I can see God pouring me out into others I was like, no thanks. God this is too hard, is there another way that I can be used, this is not all that I thought it would be. I found myself questioning if this was really worth it or if there was not another way that I could get the things that I thought needed to be accomplished done in a different way.

As I have though about milk over these last few days I have learned...First it is something that your body does need and should have. Second milk can not be used all on its own accord, it does need to be poured out. Milk does not get to choose if it is spilled or used for a purpose and neither do we...we are merely an instrument that is used by God to complete and accomplish his goals and purposes. We are used and not needed and can do NOTHING on our own, We need to be poured out. Maybe sometimes we might have to be spilled a little to put us back in check for when we are being poured out.

Grandkids and not one ounce of labor pains

So I have to say that since we bought our bearded dragons, I have wanted to write this post. Crazy huh? Our Jessie ( the female bearded dragon) got really fat about a month ago, then she stopped eating three days ago and then she started digging. All of this equaled out to her ready to lay eggs. It was pretty cool to watch her being only one year old know what to do. You could actually see the eggs through her little belly, it was cool. Scott and I went and got vermiculite a special soil for her. He put her in ( remember I don't touch her) and she went to town digging, digging some more. She had her cave collapse on her several times, but finally she made one that did not collapse. Scott put her back in the next day and she laid 24 eggs...that is so cool and super crazy all at the same time.

Now for one of the more amazing parts of the whole story...I went into a reptile store, walked past several snakes, and even stood at the counter where one was right next to me. I had to go pick up the incubator, calci drops, and two different types of her. All of those things are needed to help her little body recover from giving birth to 24 potential babies in three short hours. Boy and we woman thought that we had it bad...I am totally kidding and think that the process of having a child is a beautiful one designed by God. Speaking of God my husband looked at me after he excavated all of the eggs and said..."after something that amazing how can people say that we were not created by God? I watched her, something who had never done anything like this before complete all of her tasks like if she was a pro. She laid her eggs with no help and no mom to show her how to do it....amazing huh?"

In about 60 days we hopefully will have 24 little bearded dragons hatch...then in about 6 weeks they will be ready to be sold.

Jessie and Woody

You thought that I was kidding when I said I was back up and blogging didnt you? Well here I am to write the first of many blogs about the wonderful pets that i let my husband get...I got to help name them which is great and that is about where I end in the land of these pets. They are bearded dragons, I know what you are thinking, I am crazy...I am not! I love Scott so much and he and I agreed to buying these before we got married, it was actually on our goals list of things to do after we got married. Our premarritial counselor actually laughed out loud at us for putting it on our goals for after our wedding, but said hey it's your list. Scott has wanted these pets apparently since he was a young kid and was always told that he could not have them. So he and I talked and he showed me them in a pet store in our engaged days and I said of course that he could have them.The best part about these pets is that I do not have to do anything for them....accept maybe pick up some mustard or a carrot for them to eat once in a while.

Here is the story on how we got them...Scott recieved some money for his birthday and Christmas from his family to cover almost the whole cost of them so I said sure lets go get them. He spent one day on the phone calling various places to make sure that he got a deal and then we spent a whole day in the car driving all over the Inland Empire to find the "right ones". We did find the right ones that are about 9 months old and we were told that they are the newly wed bearded dragons because of how horny they are. I think how funny it is that they were called newly weds and well we ARE newlyweds. I agreed to them and we brought them home that night. These are really cool to watch and Scott likes holding them and playing with them. It is so cool when he lets them out and they run all over our living room floor ( yes we clean the floor after so no worries). Do not worry those of you who know me, I have NOT lost my mind...I sit with my feet under a blanket on the couch when they are out and I still have NOT touched them. I do not really have any intentions to either in the near future.
You can tell which one is Woody because he turns black when he is in the mood. He is normally black, more than she is...if Jessie turns black it is because Woody is already black.

Life

Life has been crazy around here and I have learned that I seem to have this romanticized mind set that I can change the world...mainly change the way that 150 high school students see the world over the course of 10 months. It is funny to me to think that I go through this same mind set each and every year and become discouraged and wonder why students' do not care about their own education. My wonderful husband just laughs at me and tells me that you can only lead a camel to water; you can't make him drink. I struggle with that and then compare it to a shore covered in star fish that are going to die if someone does not toss them back into the ocean. I feel as an educator that I am called to be that person who throws the star fish back into the ocean. This has been a ton of rambling on and on for no real good reason other to say that I am an exhausted teacher who is throwing lifeless, almost dead, students back into their math books everyday. I love my job, do not get me wrong but sometimes I can have the most exhausting days when you just want to go to sleep in your room because then you don't have to waste any of your energy on driving, eating, showering or anything you can just save it all up for your students. I am laughing out loud at myself as I write this.

Again still rambling on to say that life teaching four days a week after school until four and on Saturdays from 8 to noon is very draining...oh yeah don't forget my wonderful one way 45 minute to an hour commute that is tossed in there. I am back though! I end CAHSEE prep in two weeks and my husband says that he would rather me not volunteer to teach one ever again because they are too hard on me: emotionally, physically, and they make me "sort of crabby".

There is a HUGE underlying blessing that I am going to write about later that God has really prepared this to be a source of provision for our family.

New addition

I feel like an awful pet owner because life has been so crazy that I have not had any time to write about how things are going on in the Rollins life...I am going to be posting a bunch over the next few days because I think that life might have calmed down a "little" bit.

99 Things and Counting....

Have you ever...

1. Started your own blog*

2. Slept under the stars*

3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower*
7. Been to Disneyland/world*

8. Climbed a mountain.*

Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States...in one day.

9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo*

Those poor church musicals from when we were young...two bad things about them: one they were recorded on video and they told me I can sing good! LOL

11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea*

on my honeymoon, beautiful

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch*

15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables*
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight*
22. Given money to a stranger*
23. Slept on a boat*
24. Built a snow fort*

All those many years at winter camp

25. Held a lamb
26. Been to all 50 states
27. Run a Marathon

-no, but do two halfs count
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset*
31. Hit a home run*
32. Been on a cruise*
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Built a piece of furniture
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing*

yes, and learned that I do not enjoy the repelling or free falling part...so now I stay away from it all

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke*

Bachlorette party and a few drinks in, not my finest moment but yes I have

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant*
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight*

Twice once with Becca Harlow when I was thinking about dating Scott and at least once with Scott

46. Been transported in an ambulance*

twice, once for being dumb on a sea doo and the other for a man being dumb and running a red light...NEVER for my asthma which is surprising :)

47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling*

With my husband on our honey moon, much different blog for a different day

52. Kissed in the rain*

too many times to count

53. Played in the mud*

Mud Bowl for four years in a row at Forest Home Summer camp...as a student and a counselor...very rad analogy

54. Gone to a drive-in theater*

even made out in one too:)

55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business*
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen*
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason*
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma*
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Learned a New Sport*
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy*
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar*

My parents took us kids on a cruise when I was a junior in high school and my dad got some so we all could have a taste

72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car*

Daisy was such a great car...many a good times in it, but such a wrong decision on so many levels...again another blog for another day

83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating*
88. Had chickenpox*
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one*
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone*
99. Been stung by a bee*