Midweek Joys

Sometimes the week feels so long.  You need to stop midweek and look around at the marvelous things God has put in your life.  These are some things that I have come across in the last week that have brought a smile to my face. 

This is what welcomed me on our "praise" board when I came back after being out a few days.

"Happy Fall, Happy Jesusness, Happy Halloween!"

I often find pictures of these two men on my desk.  Mario and Luigi.

   

A place for all God's creatures...

Black Friday part 2.

A pair of jeans later, we were finally home.  Our bed never looked so good.  The next morning we would be leaving for our good friends house to celebrate the holiday.  

As 4 o'clock a.m. rolled around I woke up with a terrible pain in my right side.  In some ways, I was expecting this, I have had some sort of illness occur the past 3 weekends and OF COURSE this would be no different!  My dear dear husband ran to the bathroom to see what was wrong, I truly believe he deserves the husband of the year award for all he has had to deal with in this past month.  An hour of crying and rolling on the floor later we came to the conclusion that I possibly had my 2nd kidney stone. Great. After an unbearable 5 minute car ride to the emergency room I was given some powerful pain relievers and was given a CAT scan. What a way to end our black Friday!

Through it all, God was faithful.  I got the care and medicine I needed and I was able to sleep away the rest of the day.  Despite the challenges that we have faced being away from familiarity, in a new city, without our families, we have had all that we have needed.

We can be thankful despite the struggles.  Life and marriage have proven to be a challenge, but God has proven that he will be faithful through it all.  So for that, we give thanks this thanksgiving.  

Black Friday part 1.

As we finished our Thanksgiving meal we began to mentally prepare ourselves for our black Friday endeavors.  Now, I take my black Friday shopping very seriously; however, this year would be different from any other.

            1. Thanks to our retail friends, Black Friday would begin at midnight.

            2. I did not have my traditional poinsettia Christmas sweater to get me in the holiday mood.

            3. I was in a new town, unaware of the level of chaos that Blacksburg was capable of.

We made plans to venture to Target and Old Navy.  We made it in and out of Target in 20 minutes (not counting the 30 minutes we waited in line).  Christiansburg Target should get a gold star for their organization and ability to control chaos....Old Navy on the other hand....should not.  I never imagined that Old Navy would embody the chaos that Walmart and Target were known for.  But the moment I walked in and saw the line of anxious shoppers weaving every which way throughout the store, my stomach dropped.  All I wanted was a pair of 15 dollar jeans!  I found my jeans and slyly joined the line (pretty sure I accidentally cut in front of 20-30 shoppers).  An hour later I had my jeans and a deeper appreciation for my husband who stood by my side through it all.  

Was it worth it?  Well, two days later I went back to old navy to exchange those jeans for a different size...they were still there...for the same price.  But I guess it is all about the experience? Right? 

Our First Holiday.

   Much has happened in the past month.  These past months have been been filled with good times and some challenges.  As we prepared to celebrate our first holiday as man and wife, we made plans to visit some dear friends over the Thanksgiving weekend.  We prepared a Brazilian meal on Thanksgiving day, taking my husband back to his roots.  This consisted of chicken, rice, and beans.  We followed this up with a not so Brazilian pumpkin pie.

Grill Master 

Walnut crumble topped pumpkin pie

  We missed our friends and family, but felt happy to be with one another and celebrate in our own special way.

Coffee Makes Me Happy.

Few things make me smile quite like a seasonal latte from Starbucks.

Pumpkin Picking.

It's been a while.  Many things have been going on in the life of Eric and Chelsea, which has caused my absence on the blog scene.  There were parent teacher conferences, report cards, sickness, knee injuries, papers, and good old tiredness. 

 Life has slowed down within the last week and Mr.D and I have had a little more time to spend with one another and enjoy the beauty of fall around us.  This past weekend's activities include homemade pizza, Moneyball, and a visit to a pumpkin patch.

ENJOY.

We've started making our own pizza dough!

This small goat really took a liking to me.  We are kindred spirits.

I wanted this one...Eric did not approve.

This was the winner.  We were drawn to him.  He now resides on our entertainment center.

Second grade wonder.

Where I spend my days.  My second grade classroom.

Our First Date Night.

Since this blog is a bit overdue, I will need to do some catch up.  Eric and I have been married for 2 months, and have done about 100 things in that time.  

1. Gone to Bahamas

2. Moved to Blacksburg, Virginia

3. Moved in to our first apartment

4. Visited 5 churches

5. Started a new teaching job

6. Started graduate school (Eric, not me)

With all the changes in our life, I have much to share.  Since arriving in Blacksburg we have now had sufficient time to explore the local scene.  And oh, what a hip scene it is.  We live right on the outskirts of Virginia Tech's campus and downtown Blacksburg.  There is not much to this little downtown, but like many small towns, it has character.  

As we walked down the streets a few nights after arriving, I pointed out about 8 restaurants I wanted to try...needless to say a date night or two would be in order.

Date Night #1
dinner: DP Dough
dessert: Rita's
entertainment: amateur yo yoist

BBQ Chicken Calzone

A little bit creepy of us, but so worth it.

Oh happy day.

A chill in the air.

Today, as I sit in my leggings and sweatshirt and stare out at the slate colored sky, I acknowledge the approaching autumn.  (By the way I gave the word 'autumn' as a bonus word to my 2nd graders...turns out 'autumn' sounds a lot like 'otom') I for one welcome the cold.  After having to sit around our apartment, slightly sticky because we refuse to turn on the air conditioning unless it reaches 85 degrees, the chilly breeze flowing through our open window is a nice change.  

However, I can't help thinking back to two months prior when Mr. D and myself were sitting on a beach in the Bahamas enjoying the warmth.  We were blessed enough to have the opportunity to travel to the Islands for a week to celebrate our marriage.  In the Bahamas we ate an incredible amount of fresh fish, swam in the ocean, and braved the local bus system.  We swam with tropical fish and sharks...actually we just floated on the surface while sharks were below, being occupied by some sort of food attached to a really long chain. Most of all, we RELAXED.  

Straw Market

Jerk Chicken  & Strawberry Daiquiri 

Me, after a slight nausea episode on our snorkel cruise.  Eric, being sympathetic.

I am now ready to welcome the changing seasons; however, I would gladly go back to the warmth of the bahamas any day :) 

A New Name

Changing your name is not an easy process. It all starts the moment you get engaged.  You begin begin to plan the wedding.  You experience an extreme range of emotion as you say your 'I do's' and exchange vows. You go on a honeymoon, open wedding gifts, write 7,000 thank you notes, and begin to think about starting your new life together.  

 For me, starting a new life meant moving ten hours from my beloved home, beginning a new job, and learning to cook for a party of two instead of one... and changing my name.  

 Growing up with a commonly mispronounced last name, I had dreams of one day meeting a man whose last name would solve all my problems.  However, I ended up falling in love with a Brazilian whose last name's Portuguese roots trick up even the most skilled linguist. So it is here that our story begins.

 de Araujo, pronounced D-ah-da-oo-jshoo.  To all our friends, (some) family, our colleagues, and my second grade students we are Mr. and Mrs. Eric and Chelsea D.

This is the story of our life together.