same 'ol mantra...

i always start my posts the same way...
"yes, yes it has been too long"
"i'm still here"
"i've been busy"
and still...the first few eye-rolling words never seem to motivate me to update more regularly. 
but thank you, to my faithful [few] readers who maybe keep checking back.  or maybe only remember to check once i put a link (and friendly prod) on my facebook page.  to you i say...gracias. 

i have been staying busy.  honest.  tyler's nearly two months into UPT (undergraduate pilot training) and i am nearly two months in to being a lonely housewife.  (10-12 hour days with a chat or two during supper and then hubby studies until bedtime.  and as bored and missing him as i am, i'm not the one working and studying so hard...i can't imagine how he's doing it) however, you could say that i am a lonely housewife with a twist--i have been student teaching at a local high school up the road.  and i have been having a blast with it.  kids say the darndest things indeed... and it certainly applies to high schoolers.  my schedule is 7:30-3:30 and when i get home, i usually try to get cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping or schoolwork (clearly not this blog) finished so i can spend uninterrupted time with tyler when he is able.

on to the fun things.  we have a pretty fun time on the weekends.  there always seems to be something going on.  there are drop nights every six weeks (and spouse coffees the day before each drop night--of which, i hosted last week's coffee), this past weekend we also hosted the class and had a pumpkin carving contest.  this weekend tyler has his changeover party, we have a habitat for humanity build and i'm trying to decide if i'm going to run a 5k for charity or just give them my money.  like i told tyler, pilot training is so much fun!! ;) (poor guy)

here are a few pictures from the fall fest/pumpkin party/carving contest (just testing my alliteration skills, no big deal)

oh, alright, here are our first days of school.  i know, i know.  but we just had to.  :)  we both get up rather early (and actually go to bed pretty early...so long, night owl danielle...what's happening to me?!?!)

in this picture, it looks like i'm awake (i'm not) and it looks like the sun was just starting to rise (it was).  now, i'm more awake in the morning (thanks to a few pots of strong coffee) and the sun doesn't get up until i'm nearly to school.  sigh.

here were a few of the group for last saturday's carving contest.  we had fun in the garage until the swarm of flesh eating mosquitoes attacked.  (and a life growing up in minnesota in no way prepared me for it)

isaiah's "level 2 intermediate" pumpkin was rather impressive and if there was a 2nd place, he would have won.  

my bud stephanie and me.  we survived our hubbies being at IFS together, and we'll survive pilot training together. :)

the pumpkin carving crew (i was taking the picture and clearly not in it)...we had a few more people inside watching the world series game who would not be persuaded to join us.  

aren't they all great?  they were all so creative!  we are really enjoying tyler's class and love the community here at sheppard.  i'm looking forward to student teaching picking up and having to be a bit more selective with my activities, but it's been a great shift into it.  thanks for stopping by...don't give up on me yet!