a ZOO birthday!

This past Saturday we went to a birthday party at the Memphis Zoo. For a 30 year-0ld. What a genius idea!! I wish I had thought of that!

John David, a friend from church, planned a surprise birthday party for his wife and we all had pizza and cupcakes before enjoying a BEAUTIFUL day at the zoo. Seriously, everyone else in Memphis thought it was a good day for the zoo too. What made the day even better were all the Burundi folks that got to come...they loved it! Their favorite were the sea lions by far, and I must admit the sea lion show was quite impressive. The day was great...even though I've been kinda sick all weekend, we made it for four hours before heading home.

I think a membership to the zoo is in order for the Hartman clan?!

This orangutan was pretty chill this time, but a nut case last time we saw him!

Baby Giraffe! They're (maybe) my favorite!

The zebras...the Burundis told us they saw these a lot back home. Can you imagine?

Randy and Neyo in her pretty, frilly white dress.

Some of our group in the Northwest Passage canoe.

Sea Lion show! What separates a sea lion from a seal? Ears!

Randy and I's favorite, Cat Country. The lions and tigers give me chills watching them- I always think they'll come out and pounce me like Jack does.

The cheetah- beautiful!

If you look in the background, you can see the white tiger. I don't know many zoos that have one of those. She was stunning!

Now I have to make it through this week and then I get to enjoy Spring Break and the LAST quarter of the school year!

He's a Jumper!

This morning started off like any Saturday morning. A good breakfast, reading, and being lazy until time for our newest part of Saturdays...working out at the UT Health/Science center. After meowing at us one too many times, Jack got his wish and went out on the balcony. This is a normal thing for him, and he has even been left out there for 2+ hours one day because "someone" forgot to let him in. Well, about 15 minutes after putting him out, we were starting to get ready to go and I went to let him in.

No Jack.

Seriously, nowhere.

I look over the edge, and do not see him. Keep in mind we live on the THIRD FLOOR.

Therefore, our Saturday morning was spent in search mode for our beloved little furry son. After looking 30 minutes, we were ready to give up. We did find a stray cat hiding along the way, but no Jackie. Finally, I was talking to Randy from the ground while he was up in the balcony, and all of a sudden, Jack decides to pop his head out of the bush directly below the balcony.

Now, I don't know how we missed him there, or whether he jumped on his own free will after a bird or fell. But, thankfully, he had not ventured far and was in no means hurt from a 3rd floor jump. The question is, Will he ever get to go out on the balcony again?!??

Since we got to workout like planned, we also had to go up to Randy's locker. This was the first time I really saw a sign of my husband being a dental student. He has not one, but two lockers full of teeth (both real and fake), weird liquids and clay-like substances with paint brushes that make me think they throw in an art class or something. At one point, Randy was offered a chocolate donut, but of course I could not accept. What's funny is that he had to do a little work and gave me the choice of holding either the donut or a container full of extracted human teeth. Despite my love for chocolate and my incapability of eating it, I chose the donut.

I was very excited to see the dental work that keeps Randy so busy. And very glad I am not the one who deals with teeth.

Too Much of a Good Thing

They say too much of a good thing can be bad....but not when you're talking about a birthday! This past weekend I went to Nashville while Randy had a study weekend. I knew I was celebrating a belated birthday with my family, but not my friends! When we met at Jackson's on Friday night, they showered me and the other belated birthday girl, Anna Grace, with gifts! Way too nice. Not only was it a breath of fresh air being back in Hillsboro Village (one of my top places to be), but it was just what I needed, sitting with old friends for hours. Couldn't have asked for a better night! I love you girls...don't spoil me so much next time!

The birthday girls.

The Cheerful Givers.

Parking Lot pic.

Next morning was Mother/Daughter breakfast time with Michelle, my mom, and her mom. Again, we just sat around for hours talking about memories, weddings, snow days, and everything in between. My mom made the closest thing to sweets she could find (trying to satisfy my sweet tooth without giving up Lent) and made Banana's Foster French Toast. Yum.

That night I went with my parents to Cantina Laredo for my birthday dinner. This was the first time it really set in that my sister doesn't live in Nashville anymore. That was a strange realization. The restaurant was very good, especially the guacamole made at our table and our quirky waiter who talked about believing in aliens. When my mom told him I didn't want the birthday dessert, he asked how old I was. After saying 25, you could tell he clearly thought I was much younger having a sweet dinner with parents.

Daddy and Me.

Mother and Daughter.

Before I left on Sunday, I went by to see the Lowe's. For those of you who don't know, I was a babysitter/nanny for the same two kids for 7 years. Hayden was only 3 years old! They have always treated me as a Lowe and truly are family to me. We joked about how Hayden will be babysitting my kids in the future- I said only if she doesn't expect fancy trips to California each summer :)

Hayden and Molly, who I've also babysat for 7 years.

I thought it was over, but I had one more celebration in my future! My Memphis friends had planned a birthday celebration the week of my birthday, but due to some uncontrollable events, it never happened. All signs pointed to the fact that there was some reason we were not supposed to get together, but they were persistent and ended up treating me to a pedicure on Monday night! It was the perfect night...good friends, foot massage, pretty toes, yummy and greasy pizza, spinach dip, fruit, and the addictive drama known as the Bachelor!

I am so blessed to have these girls in my life here in Memphis, and it is great having people who understand what you're going through. I can't imagine how happy we will all be when our husbands are done, but also how sad it will be realizing we will all split up...oh well, we have 2 1/2 more years before that happens!

Pretty toes! (and complimentary polish on Lauren's hands)

Mondays are fun thanks to "Wives Club" Julie, Kayla, Lauren, and Me...Thanks, girls!

Goodbye, Sweets!

Those of you that know me know that I LOVE sweets! My eating habit is a dentist's worst nightmare (good thing I'm married to one and he'll have to put up with it whether he likes it or not). Well, starting today (and ironically it was a really tough day at school) I am eating no desserts. Period. Nada.

No I'm not on a diet, even though I have watched my metabolism soar down hill recently. I am celebrating Lent. Not because of a denomination, but because I think it has great meaning behind it. These 40 days, and 6 Sundays, that I do not eat sweets will hopefully give me more time and bring more of my attention to preparing myself for the Easter celebration, when my Christ was resurrected in the ultimate sacrifice. I am not the best at disciplining my self, which should be a defining quality if I call myself a "disciple" of Christ. Not that giving up sweets makes me a better Christian, but it is a small reminder that I should find joy in more than earthly, yummy things. Yes, it will be hard to give up my most loved sugary foods, but for the past couple of years that I have taken part of this tradition it has been extremely rewarding.

So here I go...it will be tough, but that is the point. If you have never tried giving something up and putting prayer, bible reading, etc. in it's place, I would definitely recommend it.

More to come on the fascinating Easter celebrations our eclectic church environment is a part of...Randy and I have learned so much about this time of Lent and the history it holds.

Birthentine's Weekend

Taken from gossip magazines, I have coined this weekend "Birthentine", since it has been a blend between my birthday on the 11th and Valentine's Day on the 14th. Birthentine's weekend has come and gone, and here is how it went...

(Warning: To those of you who make a big deal of your birthday AND valentine's, you will be sorely disappointed with this post. But it was just what I wanted).

Thursday (my actual birthday) was a late day for Randy at school, so I started making a homemade pizza for us to eat when he got home and watch our favorite shows of the night, The Office and Project Runway.

Friday was our day to celebrate. Unfortunately, I did not feel well that day and instead of getting all dolled up on the one night that it made the most sense (and after my cousin had taken the time to cut and color my hair), I pulled it back in a ponytail and put on a comfy sweater wrap. I chose Benihana for my birthday dinner, and it was delicious! I got to get sushi (which Randy hates) AND all the other good stuff. We sat next to four way-trendy guys who we found out were a rap group (but then couldn't look them up online so they either are not who they say the are...maybe bigger, or are no names...who knows what rap groups look like?). With it being my birthday, I got the whole sha-bang, and our table got very excited with the celebration! Luckily, the medicine kicked in and got me in a great mood by this point, too. After dinner it was Redbox for a movie and while I could have decided to get dessert, we were far too full to do anything but go home and lay on the couch.

Valentine's Day.

Not Randy or I's favorite, just because it is mostly based on spending money and getting flowers, not really anything personal; and as Randy says, he would much rather get me these things as a surprise...and also wait until what he buys is coming from his paycheck, not mine. Haha, how I love being the breadwinner! All these little thoughts of his are fine, but he is setting himself up for some big shoes to fill later...

I thoroughly enjoyed cooking our dinner for Valentine's night, and that was our gift to each other. We went shopping at Whole Food's to splurge, and the final result was Steak (mine had blue cheese, Randy grilled them), garlic green beans, baked acorn squash, and garlic bread with dipping oil. And some Merlot. It was absolutely delectable, amazing, scrumptious...(okay, I'm done bragging now). And our table even looked nice! First time since we've been married possibly. Randy refused to use his good cloth napkin and used paper instead! The reason there are pictures of the table and not us is because we were in sweats...I didn't think the two matched very well. Our dessert was eaten on Saturday so to save a little on the calories, and I made a giant cookie dough skillet with ice cream on top! yummm

Today I have the day off, AGAIN, though not for snow. I kinda wish we were going in and not having to make up snow days later on, but I guess I better just enjoy it. Carpe Diem. So I am. I am making BRANana bread...bran, bananas, chocolate chips, walnuts, mmm. Even Jack wanted to help!

And last but not least, what do you get when you're married to an art teacher? Cheesy valentine's day magnets of course!...sorry so blurry.

Thank you, Randy for being my best friend, my Valentine, my source of laughter, my encouragement, and for making this weekend a great one!

Snow...AGAIN!

Sunday night: Superbowl Party! I took these football cupcakes, Randy took Kickin' Wing Dip (he made it himself!) and some of the other food we had was: Central BBQ nachos, pigs in a blanket, chicken wings, chili, brownies, chocolate covered strawberries, and more that I cannot remember. Oh yeah, Randy and I also took TUMS, haha! We had a lot of fun, and I was glad it ended fairly early because of school the next day.

No warning about snow...none at all. I woke up at 5:30, put on my workout clothes, fed Jack, and was lacing up my tennis shoes when the moving snow caught my eye out the window. I looked outside and saw THIS...

Turn on TV...NO SCHOOL! Wake up Randy...NO SCHOOL for him either! What a surprise! I proceeded to go outside (although not to workout) and took some pictures before too many others got out in it.

Several hours later (I know, I know, I should be able to sleep in like all normal people) Randy woke up and we decided to take Jack out in the snow. He wasn't exactly impressed, but we managed to get a couple good shots.

Here's our rabbit-hopping cat, who found the only patch of dry ground that was not covered with snow!

A Good Week

There are a few reasons why this was a good week...a week that started on a Tuesday due to another snow day in Shelby County, woohoo!

The first is...

RANDY is a HANDYman! He fixed the garbage disposal all by himself this week! Yes, we live in an apartment and could have gotten management to do it for us, but we also have an "illegal" cat and could have been charged a ridiculous amount of money for going against the apartment rules. You don't realize how wonderful garbage disposals are until yours breaks, and you smell...well, you understand. But my handyman Randy got it fixed in 20 minutes! He has recently changed the spark plugs on my car all by himself, too. I'm so proud! You might think this is a minor detail and not blog-worthy, but believe me, I am so relieved to know I can now make a honey-do list that will actually get done!

Next is...

I got a projector for my art room! Some of you do not see how this is exciting, so let me explain. As an art teacher, students must see visuals...plain and simple. Do we have text books? No. Do middle schoolers want to read all the art books I own that are geared towards elementary students? No. Technology is the best way to reach middle schoolers, and until now, I have had to put my name on a list in the library way ahead of time to make sure one was reserved...but, now I have one. A brand NEW one! I am crossing my fingers that this is a sign that I just might get to stay full time next year. Until then, I will enjoy exposing my students to the wonderful world of art. Now I just have to become more tech-savvy. Once I learn how, the sky's the limit! We can do virtual tours of art museums like the Louvre in Paris. (Enough art talk, I know)

Last.... this week was good because my mind was on service. Thanks to the faculty and student participation, we will be sending about $1,000 to a group of doctors in Haiti, and it wouldn't have happened if I had not took the lead and gotten it together. My role was only in the planning, so most credit goes to those who contributed money. However, it did make the work week so much better knowing that we were helping, and putting things into perspective. It is so easy to get bogged down with the little details of the day, but so refreshing to focus on something more important--helping others. Now, if I can just have this outlook every week of the year, I might be on to something!

I hope the "good" continues the next couple of days with things like the Super Bowl, my birthday, and Valentine's Day coming up!