team clark

I got this from my sister-in-law =)

2011-01-17T00:16:00.006-05:00

–What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

I went on a vacation to Houston, TX with my hubby, and went out on a limb and auditioned for a Christian dance company while I was there.

– Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't remember making one last year, and I have made one for this year - I want to read one fiction book per month. I usually read plenty of nonfiction, but I love good fiction! I need to make time to read it.

– Did anyone close to you give birth?

Sheesh - who DIDN'T?? =P Congratulations to: Mary and Craig, Heather and Sam, Ashley and Jeff (I guess that was actually early 2011), Kat and Josh, Beth and Justin and several more that I am not exactly close to, but I know and stalk on Facebook. =P Also, congratulations to the excpecting: Melissa M, Johnna, Jodi, Melissa B and more!

– What countries did you visit?

None this year, but we started planning a backpacking trip around Europe!

– What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

A JOB!

– What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The days spent in Houston, days spent in Indiana with my brother and sister-in-law (especially our trip to the Children's Museum!), the day that Daniel's MD teacher certification process fell through and we started to seriously think about moving back to CA (this one just happened in early December!)

– What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Maintaining a mostly positive, resilient spirit in the midst of disappointment after disappointment vocationally - though I cannot take credit for that at all. It's only by the grace of God. =)

– What was the best thing you bought?

An iPod shuffle for Daniel for Christmas =)

– Whose behavior merited celebration?

Daniel's - he is the most gentle, patient, hilarious man in the world.

– What song will always remind you of 2010?

Your Hands, by JJ Heller

– What do you wish you’d done more of?

Read good fiction! And take Jack on walks.

– What do you wish you’d done less of?

Being irritable, wasting time.

– How will you be spending Christmas?

I spent Christmas morning at home with my hubby over g-free cinnamon rolls that were a minor disappointment. Daniel gave me the most thoughtful, loving gifts! Then we went over to my parents where my mom's family was gathered for lunch and more partying =) I love Christmas.

– Did you fall in love in 2010?

More and more, every year (thank You, Jesus!)

– What was your favorite TV program?

So You Think You Can Dance, House, Lie to Me, (the Office... I'm an addict, but it's really getting worse every year now).

– What was the best book you read?

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards - Hands down! Read it, if you haven't already!

– What was your greatest musical discovery?

Amos Lee - I learned a short dance to his "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight," when I was in Houston. SOO GOOD!!! Also Andrew Belle - He opened for Tyrone Wells, and he was AMAZING!

– What did you want and get?

Just another day in paradise... =)

– What did you want and not get?

A good job.

– What was your favorite film of this year?

It's Kind of Funny Story - not widely marketed or distributed, but WONDERFUL! See it!!

– What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 24 on April 13th =)

– How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Hating the 80's comeback. Seriously, people?

– What kept you sane?

My husband. (Amen, Lauren.)

– Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Steve Carrell.

– What political issue stirred you the most?

"Teachers for Question A" - what a load of crap! Thanks a lot, vague signs on every corner that won us slots in our county.

– Who did you miss?

My sister-in-law, all my friends in California and scattered in other states around the country.

– Who was the best new person you met?

Sam, my cousin Brooke's best friend/maid of honor. She is super fun to be around, and I was so glad to get to know her a little better this year.

– Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:

God sees. God hears. God is concerned. And God loves to provide. - The Land Between by Jeff Manion (God used this book in a huge way in my life, particularly in getting me to what I mentioned above as my "greatest achievement" of the year.)

– Quote a song that sums up your year:

"It's okay. It's so nice. It's just another day in paradise. There's no place that I'd rather be. Two hearts. One dream. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I ask the Lord every night for just another day in paradise." -Phil Vassar

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

2010-10-26T13:31:00.006-04:00

No, not the movie.

My cousin Brooke got married to Jay on October 2nd! I got to be one of the lucky bridesmaids (matron just doesn't have the same ring...). Here are some highlights from the shower, rehearsal and finally the big day =)

This is the beautiful France-themed bridal shower. Complete with a crepe bar =) Anyway, I didn't take my camera, so I don't have many pictures of the day. But this picture gives you a little snippet. I love the white lights in the fireplace! And there were those gorgeous red roses everywhere.

My sister-in-law and me at the rehearsal... accidentally matching =)

The bride and groom, sneaking a little sugar at the castle.

Speaking of the castle - check that out!!! This was probably the most beautiful setting for a wedding that I've ever been to.

My cousin, Beau, and me, at the rehearsal dinner.

The big day! I got to walk with my cousin, Chris, the bride's brother.

Here comes the elegant bride!!!

The perfect day for an outdoor wedding. Wow.

My hunny & me... =)

My eyes look real wide... thanks, eyeliner. Haha! Anywho, this is Daniel and me with my brother and sister-in-law. We had SO much fun at the reception! Great music, lots of dancing =)

love.

2010-09-30T22:54:00.002-04:00

i love the office.

i just keep watching seasons 1-5 over and over. once i finish the last episode, i start over with the pilot. i like to have the TV on when i'm at home by myself, even if i'm not really watching it. anyway, daniel is away on a school field trip, so there's been a whole lot of the office going on here =)

and i love it.

Picture Post - Third Installment

2010-09-10T22:13:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the summer, Daniel and I went to the US Botanic Garden in D.C. with our friends Mary and Craig and their brother, Eric. My new main photo of Daniel and me on my blog is from that day.

Daniel and I made a stop on our way from our parking spot to the Garden for this lovely photo op:

Walking past the Capitol Building...

The Fadels and the Clarks, taking a load off.

So fun!

At the end of June, we headed up to Michigan for a family reunion of my dad's side of the family. Daniel got to meet a few relatives for the first time, which was great. Now he's met them all on that side =) And it only took two and half years. I also got to cook paella for 18 people! Quite a feat (though I had plenty of help)!

On our way north, we made a pitstop on our roadtrip in this BEAUTIFUL little town on the Great Lakes. I can't remember the name of it, but we loved it!

Oddly enough, there were these little statues of dogs wearing costumes all over the town... strange, but somewhat endearing.

Cousins...

More of the cousins... (plus "Silly Uncle Scott")

Even more of the cousins...

SO many wonderful games of CARDS!! We are a bit fanatical.

It's official: "Onken Family Reunion - Lounge"

A rare non-card game...

Already completely in sync with the family, Daniel instituted the first ever Onkens' Got Talent show. It was a blast. Here's one of my cousins, rapping about our family, with her mom beat-boxing in the background. I still think she should've won...

Before heading home, we drove west to say "hi" to a friend from college who we hadn't seen since our wedding! He happened to be home from CA at the same time that found ourselves in the midwest.

And NOW I am caught up on pictures I've been meaning to post, at long last! =) Hope you've enjoyed seeing them as much as I've enjoyed sharing them!

Picture Post - Second Installment

2010-09-06T22:45:00.006-04:00

While we were visiting Jeff and Lauren over Easter Break, we made the two hour trip up to Chicago - my favorite U.S. city - for a day. Daniel had never been, and I had a great time showing him around, to the best of my limited abilities (I'd only been there once before, for a week).

What a view! You can't see it here, but the lake is just off to the left of the frame.

It was a sunny, but CHILLY day in Chicago.

There was a big film production going on. Pretty cool =)

Because of that, the space around "The Bean" was completely open and cleared of pedestrians. Made for a great picture, by Daniel.

We said "hi" to our friend Craig's favorite building, the John Hancock building, for him.

One of the things I enjoy most about Chicago is seeing the old buildings juxtaposed against the new ones. Love. It.

We were SPENT after walking around all day. Thankfully, there was Gino's East Pizza to revive our weary souls.

See this??? Best. Pizza. Ever.

There was writing COVERING the walls!

We wrote on top of some white paint-marker, so that it would show up. See it?

"H + D '10"

And, finally, we found a Caribou Coffee. We love Caribou, and when I was in Chicago before, they seemed to be on every corner. Of course I told Daniel this, and he was very excited. But we didn't see one ALL DAY! At last, we found one on our way back to our car =) We were very happy to have Caribou for the ride home.

One more installment to come! Hope you're having as much fun catching up as I am =)

Picture Post - First Installment

2010-09-03T22:54:00.007-04:00

Let's start with some LONG overdue pictures of our Easter in Indiana with my brother and my sister-in-law!

We dyed some eggs...

And Lauren made me an awesome, gluten-free Easter basket =)

We went to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis one day. This is a blown-glass sculpture that was several stories high!

There was a fabulous dinosaur exhibit (above), and a sweet Star Wars movie exhibit (below). Mmm. It's fun being kiddos at heart. =)

I have a crush on him. And it looks like the feeling is mutual...

Just a couple of couch potatoes in the nutrition exhibit.

An Indy 500 car! Daniel is psyched!

And the REAL reason we went to the Children's Museum... drum roll... the BARBIE exhibit! Yup, that's right.

Goofin' in the Egypt exhibit...

Most mornings, Daniel and I had coffee at this awesome find in the little historic downtown district.

If you're gonna be a rocket scientist, why not go to school where Neil Armstrong went to school, right?

Lauren, following in Neil Armstrong's footsteps...

Neil & Daniel. Two peas in a pod.

And, of course, plenty of Chipotle.

Loving the Bride

2010-08-10T12:13:00.004-04:00

I walk out of church disgruntled with something almost every week. It's usually either a fakeness that I perceive in people, or it's that I think there is something they ought to be doing differently, or I'm disappointed in the commitment of the people to the church community. There is a church back in California, near where I went to college, that I so wish I could still be a part of.

Then there's the capital-C-Church. How many times per week (per day, sometimes) do I come across another person throwing around the name of Christ, while looking little or nothing like Him? Yikes. It can be intensely frustrating. For years, I have hesitated to use the term "Christian" to refer to myself, simply because it has so many un-Christ-like connotations in our culture.

So it's not that I don't understand what frustrated disciples of Jesus are feeling. I do!

But do you know what I have become convinced of?

True, I believe that God grieves over churches and Christians that reflect Him poorly. But I have become convinced that believers who harbor resentment and negative attitudes toward the church grieve him all the more. The Church, in all her confusion, is His bride. He LOVES the Church. Yes, He loves you and me individually, but we, collectively, are his chosen and precious bride. The Church is that close to His heart. We must find a positive way to deal with our cynicism about the Church.

Brothers and sisters who follow Jesus with me, I pray that a special place for this messy Church (and the local church) will take root in our hearts. I pray that we may grow to love the Church as Christ loves her - sacrificially, even in the midst of her obvious failings.

After all, if those of us who have eyes to see her faults pull out of the Christian community, who will lead her? Who will help her to grow in faith, hope, peace, joy and love? Who will cast a vision for her that more closely resembles what the early Church exemplified in the book of Acts? We each have a part to play in making this bride ready for her Bridegroom. God forbid we abandon His bride.

As St. Augustine once said, "The Church is a whore, but she's my mother." (Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, page 354).

...

P.S. If you could use a little encouragement with regard to the church, check out Philip Yancey's Church: Why Bother?

Top 5...

2010-08-09T22:14:00.003-04:00

Here are the Top Five things I get excited about, when I think about teaching English:
(in no particular order)

Cross-curricular assignments, where students must draw from what they are learning in other subjects in order to do their work for English class.
Assignments that reflect real life, such as learning how to write college entrance essays.
Making really great use of multimedia - making movies from concept to screening, using blogging as a writing, reflecting and interacting tool, etc.
Organizing my curriculum into large projects or papers, with bite-sized, graded checkpoints along the way.
Fostering higher-order thinking, from projects that require students to analyze, synthesize and create, down to the types of multiple-choice questions I ask on a test.

Mmm. I'm feeling inspired just typing it all out =)

update, huh?

2010-08-06T22:06:00.003-04:00

it seems to be the season for overdue blog updates.

tag. i'm it.

mostly i got tired of posting job possibilities and the subsequent "no"s. this job market is CRAZY, people. have i told you yet that they aren't even accepting applications for substitute teachers in the public schools in my county? yeah. it's that bad.

the good news is that they will open the application for a very brief window of time in september. and that is my plan. subbing scares me, but what else is there? i have to get teaching experience in order to get certified, and i haven't had a shred of luck with private schools. i know that if this is where God's taking me, He's not going to leave me high and dry out there.

this means that i'm also going to work on finishing up my last 4 courses toward certification. THIS is what i'm excited about. i'm a big nerd about school, if it's a subject that interests me. i looove it. classes start in just a few weeks!

in other news: a few months ago, i read a book called "irresistible revolution" by shane claiborne.

and it rocked my world.

it was so thought-provoking. eyeopening. i appreciated it so deeply. and it was such a great read - easy and conversational, but still very meaty. you should really check it out, if you haven't already. it is essentially a memoir of how his theological and spiritual journey has shaped the way that he has chosen to live.

in a nutshell, he grew up steeped in church and had a great time, but ended up wondering what it would look like if people really took Jesus seriously. in his search, he thought that mother teresa seemed to be someone who was completely living out what she believed in - really a "follower" and not just a "believer." so he worked for in calcutta for a while. when he came back, he moved into a high-need community in philadelphia and began a community called "the simple way," where they pool resources, care for poor folks, help people (esp. children), and redistribute wealth.

here's him, talking about his perspective in a short video clip. i really encourage you to take the 10 minutes to watch the whole thing. i find it incredibly refreshing, spiritually. check it out.

Thanks For Praying...

2010-06-11T16:03:00.003-04:00

...but it seems that God doesn't want me at Daniel's school either. Found out today that I did not get that teaching job, either.

What in the world does my job-future hold??!?!

In the words of a little girl I heard a story about once, "I can't know."

Never a Dull Moment

2010-05-26T10:26:00.002-04:00

Well, I have another interview scheduled for next Thursday, June 3rd. I get to teach a lesson again - what fun! Also, it's a very different position than that last one I interviewed for. This one is for 3rd grade, at the school where Daniel teaches in the middle school.

I will be away in Williamsburg for the week on vacation, but I'm going to drive up Wednesday late afternoon, and drive back down after the interview =P

I'm SOOO thankful that I have more time to prepare the lesson for this one! So that's a blessing.

Nope.

2010-05-24T22:14:00.001-04:00

So that interview (and second interview/lesson) that was really important to me?

An official "no" today.

=(

I'll keep you posted.

Second Interview =)

2010-05-14T21:48:00.003-04:00

So after my interview that I mentioned in my last post (the one where Daniel was super-duper amazingly supportive), I was invited back for a second interview.

Sort of.

I was invited to come back and teach a lesson in one of their classes. How cool is that?! So my big day was just yesterday (Thursday), and it was a BLAST! I mean, I'm pursuing teaching, so clearly I am anticipating that it will be a good fit for me. But it even surprised me some just how much fun it was. =)

I only had a little under 48 hours to prepare, and then I ended up switching topics 24 hours before it was go-time. But it all came together, by the grace of God!

Honestly, I'm really happy with how every minute of my time at the school yesterday went. It feels so good to feel content and confident in all of my interactions and everything. I mean, I can't remember ever feeling that way after a job interview - can you?? I feel as though there is always something I wish I had thought of in the moment, or that I wish I hadn't said.

But nope. Not this time. What a blessing!!

So for now, I'm enjoying this feeling. =D

My #1 Fan =)

2010-05-07T23:32:00.009-04:00

I had an interview on Thursday that was very important to me. This job is my first choice private school teaching job on the planet.

I have been preparing for teaching and for this interview for months upon months. Daniel has been a great support all along, but Thursday he really got a chance to go above and beyond.

And he so did.

I woke up to find a note on the counter, telling me how great I was going to do, how much he thinks of me, and how often he was going to be praying for me all day. This was super sweet, but if I'm being honest, he's so mindful of me that it's not uncommon for him to leave a note. So I was delighted, but not surprised =)

I am one blessed chica.

Anyway, I spent some time relaxing, then got all ready to go. I walked out to my car and found... another note, on the driver's seat of my car. "I'm still praying..." it began. I squealed, out loud =P

The interview went just about as well as I could have hoped. I was invited to come back next week. I also felt that I presented myself well. Sometimes in interviews my nerves get to me, and I am not quite myself - less articulate, less joyful, less warm, less relaxed. It was SUCH a blessing to leave the interview feeling satisfied with how I came across.

So I started out to my car, only beginning to process the long interview and the faces I had not seen for some time. All caught up in my thoughts, it took me a moment to recognize the person walking across the parking lot toward me.

Daniel!

I'm sure you guessed it. But I didn't! I was shocked, amazed, thrilled, swooning, relieved, and impressed all at once! He drove all the way out to the school and sat in his car praying for me until I came out. Whoa. As I write this, I still kinda can't believe it. Oh! And he even wore my favorite of his work outfits. Seriously? Who is that thoughtful??

I am humbled and overjoyed to be reminded of what a gift I have been given in my faithful husband. He loves me when I'm cranky and when I'm lazy and when I'm too focused on the task at hand to fully appreciate his sweetness. He is my best friend and my favorite person to be around. He is the most fun person I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with.

He is the clearest picture of Jesus I have ever seen (or will ever see) in my life.

And I absolutely HAD to share, because "my cup overflows."

rohanna regrets...

2010-04-20T00:31:00.002-04:00

i can't sleep.

my brain won't quit mulling over all the things i could have done better when i taught ballet at rohanna dance productions. i was there only one year. i started out teaching only 2 or 3 shorter classes, but when one of the main ballet instructors left, i had the opportunity to step in and take care of her classes.

and i feel like i dropped the ball.

there were a few small successes, and i felt like i was able to help a couple of the students really learn and grow. but as a whole, i feel like i could have done SO much better! i hate that feeling!

true, it was the hardest year of my life, personally. really, unbelievably hard. but still, i wish i had rebounded better from that, and learned faster from my mistakes as a teacher.

i'm sorry for the time i called troop 2/3 "babies" when they were whining about a particularly challenging combination i asked them to do. what i should have said was, "come on, guys, you can totally do it. i have complete confidence in you." because that's what i meant. i should have taken a lot more care with my words.

i'm sorry for being so super hard on troop 4. i was SO concerned about teaching them discipline and responsibility, that i forgot to let them have fun. and i forgot about grace. how could i forget about grace?!?! i also forgot how much discipline they were already demonstrating, just by giving up almost all of their free time to be at the dance studio.

i'm sorry for when i lost my patience with my littlest (and cutest) ones - troop 1. i forgot to let kids be kids.

i wish so much that i could do it over again. i KNOW i could do better, and serve those girls better.

well, if any of you girls read this, know that i think of you often, and that i did (and still do) care about you, even when it didn't show. i hope your teachers are encouraging you and challenging you, so that you grow as dancers and as young women.

live and learn, right?

goodbye, houston

2010-04-12T23:20:00.003-04:00

i received my official "no" from Ad Deum, the Christian dance company in houston that i auditioned for when i was down there.

we had been anticipating it since last wednesday, when i found out that some friends i met in houston had received their invitations (congratulations!!!). it was a sad day.

after these three big "no"s and losing my job, i have no idea what God has in store for us, or where He would have us go from here. but i know that He is good. He is faithful. He is trustworthy.

Jesus is in charge of my life, and i wouldn't have it any other way.

the waiting and wondering challenge me almost minute by minute. it's rough sometimes. so, if you think of us, please pray for peace and wisdom.

the end of the end =P

2010-04-01T17:55:00.002-04:00

today was my last day.

i found out as i was putting the jewelry away... hah!

the beginning of the end

2010-04-01T11:23:00.003-04:00

so after much prayer, thought, and discussion, daniel and i decided that i should put in one month of notice at my jewelry store job.

at the end of february, he reduced my hours. instead of tuesday through saturday, i've only been working tuesday through thursday. this also cut my commission dramatically, since most of my commission came from friday and saturday sales.

on top of this, he has been sending me home or telling me not to bother coming in about once a week. so as it turns out, i've only been working 2 days a week on average. and earning a tiny fraction of the commission i used to earn.

we used to have 3 stores. now we just have the one. we were anticipating that jeff was going to let me go altogether. well, we both felt that it would be much better to quit than to be fired (even for such an innocent reason). so that was what we decided to do.

once i brought it up with my boss and gave him a date for my last day, he said, "well, we'll see about that. you know how slow it is. i just don't need people during the week." i offered to work fridays. he has some other help on fridays, though.

all in all, i have no idea whether or not i will work another day for jeff, because next week i will be in indiana for easter break with my brother and sister-in-law (!!!). i have no idea if he will have me come back in after that. maybe one day a week.

we knew it was possible that this would happen. but we decided that if that was the case, all the more reason to beat him to the punch.

so that's that.

houston happiness

2010-03-30T15:11:00.009-04:00

first, i have to tell you the story of our superfun rental car. we had reserved a compact car, because it was cheap. we pulled into the lot at the airport and saw this little cutie:

when we got up to the counter, we asked if we could upgrade to the bug out in the lot. she said, "yes," but it would cost us some money. so we shrugged out shoulders and settled for what we had reserved. she finished up our paperwork and sent us on out, saying, "just pick any car from the row marked 'compact.' if that row is empty, pick any from the 'mid-size' row."

well.

there were zero cars in the compact row and only one car in the mid-size row - the very same lime green bug we had seen when we arrived!!! i mean, we had no choice but to have the funnest car on the lot. haha!

and yes. we bought a flower to put in it. a big flower =)

off we headed to houston's aloft hotel. it was super contemporary, and we really liked how the room was laid out. it was pretty groovy, but we don't think we'd choose this hotel again, because they charge you extra for everything - parking, breakfast, etc.

but we really enjoyed staying there! we had been wanting to check out this hotel for a while (there is one near arundel mills), and we ended up with it through hotwire (our new addiction). all we knew was the general location of the hotel (houston, galleria area), that it was ranked at 3.5 stars, an impressive listing of typical hotels at this ranking, and the oh-so-sweet price.

here we are just arriving with our groceries for the week:

and check out this groovy sink! i totally want one =P

later that day, we tried to go to the zoo, but we ended up getting all turned around in an attempt to find parking. so we ended up arriving just 10 minutes after they closed. so we walked around the park instead.

which was LOVELY! oh man. it's like a bite-size version of cental park, nestled in the medical center area of houston. there's a zoo, a really nice outdoor theater, a lake, a japanese garden, a trail, a cute little train, picnic tables... it's awesome.

that night we ate at the daily grill at the galleria mall (which has an ICE RINK inside of it, by the way. so cool!), and we were DELIGHTED to learn that they have a gluten-free menu! this is SO good to know, since a daily grill recently opened up at the new town centre.

ballet class on monday kicked. my. butt. oh man. i was completely winded before barre was even over. but i pushed through, and i was AMAZED at how quickly my body adapted to that much physical exertion. by wednesday or thursday i was really starting to feel less drained by it, and friday it felt totally normal to be dancing 4.5-5 hours per day. hah! crazy. the human body is seriously incredible.

i really enjoyed modern class. i used to have randall flinn's modern classes every summer at ballet magnificat's summer intensive. but it's been about 7 years since then. it felt so good to take his classes again. i love his particular style of modern. love it.

i was also SO pleasantly surprised to really enjoy mime class!! i have seen a couple of mime performances in my life and have, honestly, never really liked it. but our teacher was extremely talented and completely hilarious. he made it both fun and interesting. i learned a lot. we put together a mime performance of "star wars, episode VI - in five minutes" that was a blast. i played very exciting inanimate objects such as a door, a trash-compactor wall, and a wing of darth vader's tie-fighter. haha! what a hoot.

we also had a jazz class on wednesday. best jazz class of my life. i just adored the combination we learned. it was to amos lee's "keep it lose, keep it tight." i bought the song off of itunes as soon as we got home =) you should seriously check out that link.

i, unfortunately, have no pictures to share with you of the dancing part of the vacation, even though daniel did watch several classes. everyone i talked to was super impressed with how supportive daniel was/is. =) i am very proud of him!

we were so blessed with accommodating servers and restaurants whenever we ate out all week. this might seem like a silly point to bring up, but eating out can be super stressful when you have to live gluten-free! so that made the whole vacation more relaxing and enjoyable. we ate at outback (thanks for the gift card, mom & dad clark!), chipotle, and goode company bbq in houston, and the flying dutchman in kemah. way to go, guys! you did a great job taking care of my special dietary needs! =)

we checked out the water wall near out hotel. it's a huge semi-circle fountain, where the water pours both inside and outside of the structure. it's hard to explain, so take my word for it. it was cool.

this is me, inside the water wall. for some reason, the inside water was not on that day. daniel went back later in the week to check out the full awesomeoness that is the water wall.

daniel also spent some time checking out the highest buildings in downtown houston. here's my favorite of his shots from that excursion:

he trekked all the way down to galveston, houston's beach. it reminded him of the outerbanks a little bit. unfortunately, galveston is still recovering from hurricane ike.

we got to visit joel osteen's church for a wednesday night service. what we found out is that, besides being unbelievably huge and having a very confusing parking garage, it's a pretty normal church.

we also made our way back to the zoo, and we made it before they closed this time!

i was especially excited to see the giraffes, because we had not seen then at the national zoo last year on my birthday. i like giraffes =)

last but not least, daniel made a trip out to the nasa space center. i was dancing. he missed me, and so he took dozens and dozens of pictures. so sweet. i'll share 2 of them with you =)

we had such a great time. we get happy just thinking and reminiscing about it =)

nice to meet you, texas.

from Daniel

2010-03-26T23:25:00.002-04:00

A verse for this little season of life:

"Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long." ~Psalm 25:4-5

I also wait for the mail all day long, for my Praxis scores to come in.

And I wait for an email from Ad Deum all day long... even though the soonest I should hear from them is another week from now!

Silly me... =P

Tomorrow: Pictures of our Houston vacation!

the verdict

2010-03-22T19:34:00.002-04:00

all the English teacher positions for the PGCTF program are already filled. =(

i am still hopeful that i can teach in the fall. in a couple of weeks, i hope to start scouring the internet for private school openings, dropping in at various schools, and sending my resume all over the place.

but first...

i will wait to hear back from Ad Deum dance company to see if i've been invited to be a part of their company as a trainee/apprentice!!!

last week, march 15-19, daniel and i had our trip to HOUSTON! it was a christmas present, as you might remember. it was a BLAST, and i will be posting pictures soon. it was on this trip that i auditioned. basically, i just danced my heart out all week at their spring break intensive, and they watched me, and they'll let me know in a couple weeks.

=D

Prince George's County Teaching Fellows status

2010-03-10T14:01:00.002-05:00

quick update:

i got an email from PGCTF saying that they will let me know by April 12th whether or not i will be invited to interview. that's one month from friday!

also, there is a slight chance that i may be able to fill a need teaching Spanish. wherever God wants me is where i want to be, so i'm definitely open to this possibility.

exciting!

my generous, wonderful recommenders are working on talking me up right now. i'm so thankful for them! i'll keep you posted on what happens after that. =)

this whole process has been really exciting so far!

Teach for America status

2010-03-02T16:14:00.002-05:00

I've made it past the first application round! I have been invited to participate in a phone interview, which I scheduled for this coming Friday morning.

Pray for me!!! I want so much to be where God wants me to be.

I will find out whether I have made it to the final interview by March 16th. (Wow, that's soon!) I'll keep you posted.

Haven't heard yet from Prince George's County Teaching Fellows, but they are supposed to let me know within two weeks of my application submission. So... soon!

random photos...

2010-02-27T12:41:00.005-05:00

this is me, working on a screenplay =) i love to write.

this is jack. he is adorable. and he's a little two small to run around in 2 feet of snow. hehe! he doesn't know this, though. he thinks he's a very big dog. =P

this is my mom and me on superbowl sunday. they braved the un-plowed roads to bring us over to their house to watch together.

this is jack, again. like i said, "adorable."

check!

2010-02-24T23:25:00.003-05:00

applications are in! hooray! =)

and now, only 2 months late, the rest of the christmas photos i said i'd post "later." haha!

after christmas morning at our place, we had breakfast and gift-giving with my parents (and maddie)

i gave my mom a teacup that i painted way back in june at the leone family reunion! i had such a hard time keeping it secret for that long!!

aren't they cute?? almost 31 years of marriage!

aren't they cute, too?? daniel got to go up to jersey to give his parents their gifts in person.

and rachel came down from college in northern maryland to visit a friend, and she was able to stop by and spend some time with us. we got her a ring that has a fossil in it. she promptly named it and petted it. =P

recent developments

2010-02-16T15:15:00.002-05:00

as some of you may already know, i've put a lot of consideration into the idea of teaching over the past year or so. after getting married and settling, at least for a good while, in maryland, i realized that it was time to pray about what God's dreams were for me as a part of "Mr. & Mrs. Clark." i am a dreamer, and i needed new dreams - dreams for US, instead of just for me.

anyway, in this quest, i keep coming back to teaching. so i'm applying to 3 alternative certification programs in prince george's county, to teach English. i'm excited about the ideas that i have and about the opportunity to do meaningful work. i'm also daunted by the challenge it presents. any wisdom or encouragement any of you have would certainly be welcome.

the two most pressing goals right now are to study for the praxis test and to finish up the last pieces of my applications. one of the three is complete. the other two are pretty close! so here i go - i should really study instead of blog =P

the big move

2010-01-11T15:21:00.007-05:00

back on november 7, we moved from one side of annapolis to the other. we now live in the wonderful neighborhood of west annapolis and

we. love. it.

tons.

=D

here are some pictures of the moving process. once we get our christmas stuff all cleaned up, i'll post a video tour of our home sweet home. =)

this is the old house. we had the second floor all to ourselves. we even had a little screened-in front porch.

this is our mailbox & house number.

this is us moving... we STUFFED the truck. it was like tetris =P

i am an un-packing-ninja, obviously.

this is me, unpacking and arranging kitchen decorations.

and last but not least, me, painting the mirror for our bedroom =) fun!

photos... finally! =)

2010-01-04T13:11:00.010-05:00

merry christmas, and happy new year! i hope you had WONDERFUL holidays. i'm tickled to say that ours aren't even over yet, because jeff & lauren are coming into town tonight!

i LOVE the holidays.

here's a photo recap...

just DAYS before Christmas, we got almost 2 ft of snow! it was awesome.

Christmas Eve Eve rolled around, and Daniel and I couldn't stand it a moment longer, so we gave each other one stocking stuffer. =)

Then, on Christmas Eve we read to each other from Isaiah, Luke & John. We gave each other one present.

I gave Daniel his favorite kind of shirt - and it has RED on it, so he could wear it on Christmas day!

I was SO surprised by my gift =P

back in November, Daniel snagged me two boxes of Samoa Girl Scout cookies - my all time favorite - and saved them for me for Christmas. too fun.

so then we spent early Christmas morning together, just the two of us...

...plus jack =D he devoured his Christmas goodie in about 5 minutes. sheesh.

this was my favorite wrap job of daniel's. we decided that it looked like a chipotle burrito with one little curly-Q of ribbon on it. heehee!

this is a lot of photos already, so i'll post pics of other Christmas stuff later.

my biggest Christmas news is that inside the BEAUTIFUL leather journal that daniel gave me was a note. there is a week-long dance intensive in houston in march that we've been talking about going to and - drum roll - in the note, he told me he's taking me! i'm super excited. the company, Dance Ad Deum, is one i've been eager to scope out for years. i've taken classes from the artistic director, and i adore dancing his choreography. PLUS it'll be such a nice getaway for the two of us.

more on Christmas soon...

sick day

2009-12-16T15:21:00.004-05:00

i am home sick today.

my throat is super sore and scratchy, which makes it hard for me to talk. and my head feels like it's full of cotton balls.

so i was curled up on the couch thinking about going out to pick up my monthly prescription, when daniel called from school. it was his lunch break, and he wanted to check on his sick wifey.

what a nice guy =)

i told him about the whole prescription thing, and how i really felt like i should to it, because i'm completely out of my medicine. but our insurance situation has been crazy so we weren't sure whether it would work if i went... and then it would cost way more money. so we just weren't sure what was the best thing to do. (part of the trouble is my lack of insurance cards... they keep saying they've sent them... we have yet to receive them.)

so THEN, when we hung up, he called the pharmacy, arranged everything, and called me back to say: "heather, everything's set up. you can just pick it up in an hour."

hooray! i was the one doing nothing on the couch, and he was the one in the middle of a busy school day. but he took care of it. he took care of me.

can you see my smile through your computer screen? 'cause it's THAT big.

happy belated thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T12:23:00.002-05:00

i hope your holiday was as superfun as ours =)

my dad's mom was in town, so we had an AMAZING polish dinner with her the tuesday before turkey day. it was fabulous. pierogies. golumpkis. kielbasa. heaven.

then, on thursday morning we got some more grandma time in, before heading up to silver spring for a big dinner with a whole bunch of daniel's mom's family. we saw so many people! that's the best, i think. the more the merrier. i totally buy that.

uncle pete and aunt diane were our fabulous host and hostess. we also got to see 2 or their kiddos - kim and matthew. kim is just starting out college, so it was exciting to hear all about this new chapter of her life. we also got to meet aunt diane's sister and her whole family.

then there was daniel's fam - all 5 of 'em! brian, lucy, older brother, and both sisters. daniel's sister rachel is preparing for a study abroad next semester, so i really enjoyed hearing about that.

then there was chuck's whole family - i told you this was a big group! so there was chuck and his three kids. one of those "kids" has a hubby and two little ones of her own. they live all the way up in upstate new york, so it was a real treat to see them. plus, her husband teaches high school science, so he and daniel got to talk science-teacher-stuff!

i particularly enjoyed talking to chuck's youngest daughter, angie, who is finishing up her internship toward becoming a registered dietician. i am kind of living vicariously through her - it's a field i've always been super interested in. so that was a major highlight for me.

and i can't forget grandpa, or pauline and her son. pauline is our "aunt" from congo, who has been completely enfolded into daniel's family. it's great, and her son is too stinking cute.

then, back in naptown, we got to spend time with our cousin's on MY mom's side on friday night. we saw "the men who stare at goats" - good, offbeat comedy - and hung out for a while.

then, saturday morning before i went into work, i got to drop in and visit with my dear friend melissa and her sweet baby girl, bryleigh! hooray!

::sigh::

i love family, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. this is such a great holiday!

we have lift off

2009-11-23T11:13:00.001-05:00

or internet. whatev.

at any rate, having internet in our new apartment means that i'll finally be able to post photos! hooray!

see you soon =)

our one week anniversary

2009-11-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

we have officially been in our BEAUTIFUL new apartment for one week today!

we love it so much. the location is PERFECT for us. the kitchen is spacious and wonderful. the walls are a little thin, but so far that's been quite the source of comedy for us - our neighbors have some hilarious conversations. it is warm and cozy feeling, and it truly felt like home right away.

we moved in last saturday, and were completely unpacked by monday - wow! we had lots of amazing help =) tuesday we went back to the old place to clean (thanks for helping, mom). and now all we have left to do is finish putting up art and decorative stuff. that's the funnest stuff, i think.

::sigh::

i can't wait to take and post pictures!

...

in other news, we are enjoying the beginnings of christmas shopping... ! what fun!

everyone, this is my friend mary

2009-11-05T16:20:00.005-05:00

mary, this is everyone else.

...

i just thought you guys might like to meet. =) mary is a friend from mariner's church. she and her husband, craig, lead our small group. craig and daniel get along super well also, so that is wonderful.

::sigh::

God provides.

p.s. we have sideways-rain all of a sudden. blue skies to blustery rain. hooray, maryland!

highlight

2009-11-03T23:10:00.002-05:00

my favorite conversation from today:

daniel walked in from faithfully taking the dog out. always serving, even in the smallest of ways, he asked, "baby, would you like the door open, or closed?" i put on a pretty darn goofy voice and replied, "i love you, please!"

=)

sometimes i feel like i'm so thoroughly contented that i'm jealous of myself. even though i don't think that's humanly, or grammatically, possible.

p.s.

2009-10-20T09:50:00.001-04:00

the very day i posted my last blog, we chose an apartment. =)

...

west annapolis, here we come!

(we move nov. 7! so soon!!)

the great apartment adventure

2009-10-10T12:17:00.005-04:00

i haven't even gotten around to posting pictures of our "new" apartment, and here we are looking to MOVE!

i don't know about you, but i'm super excited.

our top 5 reasons for moving:
1) there's no washer/dryer.
2) there's literally 4'x1' of kitchen counter space.
3) there are only two closets, and they are tiny. seriously, one isn't even deep enough for a clothes hanger to fit. so lack of storage space is a challenge for us.
4) it is not in the best of locations/neighborhoods. i do not leave the property by myself. even in the daytime.
5) now that it's getting chilly out, the heat has been turned on. it's a super old house, and the heater makes it smell like the house is on fire. or spritzed with diesel. =P

and with the addition of the bacon i'm bringing home now, we are ABLE to move! praise God!

our 3 options:
1) annapolis street.

this is a 2nd floor, 625 sq ft apartment above commercial space in west annapolis - charming! it has a fabulous kitchen with lots and lots of counter space, including a spacious breakfast bar. the washer/dryer is stacked in a closet in the bedroom. the living/dining space is plenty big. all of our key furniture should fit. we measured. =) a HUGE perk of this one is that i could easily walk to work - parking every day in downtown annapolis is NOT the funnest part of my job, as any of you annapolitans can imagine.
the drawback is that storage space is still limited to two closets. they are slightly bigger than the two we have now.

2) harbour gates.

this is a 1st floor, 645 sq ft apartment directly across from all the wonderful amenities - indoor and outdoor pool and hot tub, raquetball, and a big fitness area. the washer/dryer is NOT stacked, which is nice, and the room sizes are almost identical to the annapolis street apartment. there is also a storage space off of the balcony/patio, which would take care of the storage issue.
the kitchen is not quite as fabulous as the annapolis street one. counter space is somewhat limited, though almost anything is more than what we have now.

3) annapolis roads.

this apartment complex is tucked into the bay ridge area, off of edgewood road. it is near where we live now, but in the nicer (safer) part of town. it is a 3rd floor, 800 sq ft apartment. there is a whole laundry room, which would provide tons of storage space, as well as a little room for jack, so that we wouldn't have to crate him so much. the unit we are considering is all the way at the end of the complex, which goes out to the water. you can see the bay bridge from the parking lot! an additional safety feature of this one is that you have to punch in a code to get to the stairwell, so you can't just walk up to people's front door.
you have to go through the bedroom to get to the bathroom. not my favorite. also, the kitchen is extremely closed off from the rest of the home.

so... what do you think??????????

my first sale!

2009-10-08T12:53:00.002-04:00

and i did it all by myself =)

about 15 minutes before closing, with no sales at all for the day so far, a man and his adorable little girl walked in. i'm not sure what the occassion was, but they were shopping for a gift for mom, to be from this little girl. they had a pretty good idea of what they wanted, and i helped them find something they thought she'd really like, in their price range, the color they had hoped for.

it. was. so. exciting!

i rung them up and put the earrings in a gold gift box. i slid it across the jewelry case to the little girl and said, "i put it in a pretty box for you." her eyes lit up as she took it in her hands. she looked up at her dad, and said, "look how shiny the box is, daddy!"

SO CUTE!

i was so glad to help them find just the right thing, and so proud to have finally made a sale all on my own.

want to know the best part? on his way home from school, my adoring hubby drove past my store. through the window, he could see that i was with a customer, because we were at the jewelry case closest to the window. he started praying real hard, right away - "God, please let her make the sale!! not for the money, or even for jeff or the store, but just for her. oh, God, it would encourage her so much if she could just make this sale!"

yeah, baby. thanks for praying for me. =D

on that note, i'd really like to be a blessing to this store. i don't make a very big percentage on commission at all - like, we don't even include commission income in our budget. but it would be amazing if we could all pray together that God would bless jeff and niland & co with better sales. the past two or three weeks have been especially slow. in this economy, jewelry buying has taken a hit, that's for sure! but now, as things slowly begin to turn around, i pray that i might bring in sales to benefit this company that i've come to care about.

bringin home the bacon

2009-10-01T09:34:00.002-04:00

or at least SOME bacon, at last =)

my last job paid very well by the hour, but i hardly got any hours. so i've been job searching like crazy, and God finally gave me one! hooray!

i'm working at the local jeweler where daniel and i got my engagement ring and both of our bands. i even had a little sterling silver, engagement ring made for daniel at this place =) he wore it on his right hand. anyway, the place is called niland and company jewelers, and i just help out all around. sales, organizing, record keeping, hanging out and chatting when it's slow. it's very laid back and non-stressful, which is lovely.

i work saturdays, but i have sundays off. so i work 10:30 to 6 tuesday through saturday (they are closed on mondays). so daniel is going to try to do lesson plans and grading till i get home from work each day, and when i'm away on saturdays. so hopefully we will still have plenty of time together.

i've only worked two days, but so far, i have a feeling that this job will be a good fit for me, and that i will be a big help to jeff, the jeweler.

photos galore

2009-09-25T10:40:00.002-04:00

so, interim grade reports were due thursday morning at daniel's school.

this means he was up till 2 a.m. finishing the grades.

this means that i was up till 2 a.m. with him =)

to stay awake, i posted FIVE new facebook photo albums - photos of jack, our honeymoon, a really cool date we had to celebrate 3 months of marriage, my brother's wedding, and some random photos of married-ness. it was pretty fun, since i have a mac and iPhoto has this sweet facebook photo exporter. also, i like that now we have some pictures of life AFTER the wedding =P

so check it out!

you MUST try this!!!

2009-09-23T17:58:00.003-04:00

new favorite recipe, adapted from Rachel Ray (whose show i cannot stand, but whose cookbook i adore).

super stuffed french bread pizza!

before you get cooking, get 12 oz of chopped frozen spinach defrosting.

in a large pan (we use a "jumbo fryer") start off by getting about 5 links of sweet italian sausage (casings removed) browning on the stove, in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

while that's going on, chop up 1 medium sweet vidalia onion and 1 orange bell pepper.

once the sausage is browned, dump the onion and bell pepper into the pan. add 2 or 3 large cloves of minced garlic (or 1-2 tsp jarred minced garlic). stir it up. saute till you think the onions and bell pepper look fabulous.

while THAT'S going on, take a french bread baguette, and cut it length-wise. then cut the whole thing in thirds the other direction (you should have 6 "pizza crusts"). tear out the soft bread on the inside, so that the bread is stuff-able.

drain the thawed spinach and then get a bunch more water out with paper towels. add the spinach to the pan and stir it up. when it's mixed, take it off the stove and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.

add 1 package (15 oz) of part-skim ricotta and 1/2 c parmesan cheese to the mixing bowl. or, if you love parm like me, add a whole cup =) mix it up.

now you're ready to stuff the bread. load it up! you might even have a little left over, but try to really cram it all in there. mound shredded mozarella on top. really mound it - it will be so much yummier that way.

stick it in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes or so. when the cheese looks too good to resist for a moment longer, take it out.

eat it up.

the end.

(seriously. try it. AMAZING.)

p.s. hi, eve! =)

the return of the camera!

2009-09-21T17:58:00.002-04:00

hooray!

this saturday we went to silver spring and had a lovely dinner with daniel's uncle peter and his family. it was so much fun. AND we got our camera back!

so, long overdue, here is the video from our visit to new jersey that i've been dying to share with you. it is of jellybean, daniel's family's beagle.

growth group... finally!

2009-09-15T22:32:00.003-04:00

tonight, daniel and i had our first night of growth group (a.k.a. small group, home group, core group... the list goes on)! hooray! we have been seriously in need of some friends at our same stage of life.

God provides... eventually ;-) sometimes quickly, other times not until I'm good and grateful for it.

spoiled =)

2009-09-08T20:58:00.003-04:00

i am one spoiled wife.

i had my husband all to myself for four days in a row! it was WONDERFUL! saturday, as i mentioned in my last post, was not without its hazards. but, get this: we were together all day long. just like we had been the day before, and just like we were for the two days after.

we had lazy sleep-in mornings, which are an all-time favorite of mine. we watched movies. we watched an entire disk of the office. we played cards. we spent time with friends together. we shared a meal with family together. we went to church together. we dreamed about vacationing in california together, at night, before dozing off (another favorite part of my day).

mmm mmm good. i love that man.

(ya think maybe i'm a quality time/conversation person??? =P)

one of those days

2009-09-05T17:56:00.002-04:00

this morning, daniel woke up a little before me and started to do some research into resources for the upcoming school week. but out internet was being stupid, so he had to fight with it some. grrr. that can be so frustrating.

so about when i woke up, daniel had decided to switch over to grading, only to realize he'd left his red pen at work. and then i realized that jack had pooped in the corner of the living room (his old favorite spot). what fun.

so then, daniel decides to get started making breakfast, because he thinks it will be easier to cheer up after having some yummy food. he makes the best breakfast potatoes, and we planned to have scrambled eggs, too. from the kitchen daniel asks me to turn on my itunes, so we can have some music going while he cooks. "sure!" i said.

because of the music, when daniel started calling out, "Heather! Open a window!" all i could hear was muffled noises that could've been any number of things.

"honey, are you talking to me?" i shouted over the music.

daniel came running into the hall, short of breath, and urges me to open a window, quickly.

turns out that, while chopping potatoes, he'd decided to heat up the oil. to avoid spitting, he covered the pan. when he opened it to put some potatoes in, a bunch of smoke came out and then the oil burst into flames!

thankfully daniel is super smart under pressure like that, so he covered the pan back up, moved it off the hot burner, and turned the stove off. we opened every window in the house, and and the front door. we sat on the porch to get some smoke-free air.

as we recovered from the mini-crisis, we discussed our breakfast options. daniel decided that he wanted to go to muddy paw wash, get jack's nails clipped and filed down, and get coffee and bagels at the little cafe there. so off we went.

poor jack is so melodramatic when it comes to getting his nails clipped. so daniel went back there with him, to help hold him still. when they came out, daniel had scratches all up and down his arms, on his foot, his neck, and even on is abdomen - jack had scratched him through his shirt! he was so wiggly that they decided it would be best if we took jack to the dog park at quiet waters and run him around before filing his nails down (they are super sharp when they are freshly cut. that's why daniel got so scratched up).

so we went. jack got really dirty, but he ran really well with another dog in the small dog park. we headed back to get his nails filed down, and then went home. jack drinks a lot of water at the dog park, so i took him out again before we left for lunch with friends, even though he'd gone three or four times at the park.

when we got home, he had peed in his crate. a bunch. so instead of lying down for a much-needed nap, i gave jack a bath, took him out to pee again, and cleaned out his crate.

::sigh::

just one of those days =P

happy birthday, little lady

2009-09-01T08:19:00.003-04:00

this post is to celebrate this day, when my dear friend melissa and her hubby andrew are having their first baby! i wanted to post a prayer, so that if you read this, you can pray with me =)

i pray that they have all strength and courage, but peace at the same time. i pray that andrew and melissa each grow closer to God through the birth of their daughter. what a tangible, amazing picture of new life in Jesus, of being "born" again! i pray that they grow closer and more in love with each other through this day than they ever were before. for andrew, i pray for patience, perseverance, and a deep understanding of melissa and her needs. for melissa, i pray for rest in the arms of Jesus, perfect health, and a newness of love and joy for both andrew and her baby girl.

for their sweet baby girl, i pray for health and vitality. annoint her from birth, God. and may she grow up to appreciate the awesome parent's God's given her. =)

(update: check out answered prayers here: andrewmelissalivinginlove.blogspot.com)

on the whereabouts of our camera

2009-08-31T11:18:00.002-04:00

daniel's parents came down to maryland to help move rachel back in at college in frederick. not exactly close to annapolis. so they left our camera at our uncle pete's house... in silver spring.

so... yeah. still no camera. but our camera clearly misses us, as it has made it all the way from new jersey to maryland. almost there!

doggy park

2009-08-27T21:04:00.003-04:00

today i took jack to the dog park at quiet waters. i try to do this a few times a week. lately, we've been favoring the big dog park over the small dog park, because usually when jack is in the small dog one, if he's not running the fence with a big dog, he's crying and sticking his little nose through the chain link fence, pining away for the chance to really RUN with those big dogs.

how's that for a run-on sentence?

anyway, today when we entered the gate, jack took off, just like normal, eager to play chase and tag with the friendly doggies. but there were a lot of dogs today. and when he got to the corner area where the dogs were congregating (i.e. a pack. red flag.), they ganged up on him!

they were tossing him so hard he was flipping in the air, and they barked aggressively as jack scurried away from their biting mouths. jack's eyes became super-wide and he did his best to bare his teeth and give a mean bark back. but he was surrounded by at least three big dogs! i called after him, but i didn't want to jump into the middle of things, for fear of being bitten or even attacked myself. i was shocked and angered that the owners of these dogs made no effort whatsoever to intervene.

i finally got jack out of the middle of these dogs, and he made a slow, steady, cowering, straight line for the exit. tail tucked tightly between his legs. ears back. head lowered. poor baby.

i found several mild bite scrapes on him when i gave him a bath. he needed one badly from being tumbled around. i'm very proud of him for playing well at the small dog park, after such a frightening incident with the big dogs. and i'm thankful that there was a dog in the small dog park who was spunky enough to run around with jack =) i'm also glad that all he has is a few scrapes. thank you, Jesus! it was so scary!

(when i was about 10, i remember my aunt's little, white dog being mauled severly by an aggressive neighborhood dog. so i am particularly keen to/paranoid about these types of occurances.)

first day

2009-08-26T15:38:00.002-04:00

daniel's first day as a school teacher went BEAUTIFULLY! i am overjoyed, though not at all surprised.

he had the students fill out a little questionnaire, and he brought them home. i got to look through them, and it was really fun to get to know his kiddos a little bit. as a joke, the last question was, "who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" about 90% of the students thought it would be hilarious if they answered, "mr. clark." they were right. =)

i'm so impressed with how efficiently daniel is planning his lessons. his creativity and ability to communicate with and instruct middle schoolers are gifts i already knew he had. but i have really seen tremendous growth in him in planning and even organizing. these were two of his biggest obstacles as a youth pastor, and he has come such a long way in such a short time! hooray!

i have a dream =)

2009-08-22T20:33:00.003-04:00

picture this: me and daniel. spain. me dancing for Jesus. daniel helping connect people with God and his church.

is that not the coolest thing you've ever pictured???

well, we're super stoked for daniel's sweet new job - a total gift from God - so we're not doing anything hasty.

but we're praying about it! and that's super exciting to me!!!!!!!!

blessed with some good free time during the day while daniel is at work, i've been researching spain a whole bunch and missions organizations and stuff like that. i'm trying to get a full time office job so that we can afford for me to take dance classes one or two nights a week. =D

exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oops

2009-08-20T10:10:00.001-04:00

so, we forgot to take our camera to lake tahoe.

but we did remember to take it up to new jersey when we visited daniel's parents, brian and lucy, this past weekend.

...

and then we left it there.

grr!

i have some really fun stuff i want to share, but alas, it will have to wait.

and they're off!

2009-08-07T23:50:00.002-04:00

actually, we're off. to lake tahoe. daniel is a groomsman in a wedding this coming tuesday, and we will be out of town and pretty much out of touch until thursday.

i will miss reading your blogs =) and i'm looking forward to sharing pictures with you when i get back.

family reunion 2009!

2009-07-27T14:33:00.003-04:00

June 28-July 3 daniel and i ventured out to the rocky mountains for the biannual leone family reunion. i went two years ago when it was in canada and daniel and i were only dating. it was a lot of fun to go as our own little family this time =)

after uncle larry drove us all to the wrong park on the wrong side of the rockies, we made it safe and sound - and had a FABULOUS week. it was beautiful, relaxing, and chock full of fun times. here are some pics...

this is where we stayed: Snow Mountain Ranch, CO. b-e-a-utiful!

this is us with andre and alyssa - the real newlyweds of the group. they'd only been married for about two weeks! "welcome to the lef-hand-ring-club," as daniel would say =) it was our first time meeting alyssa, and my first time meeting andre. we had a really great time together, even though it was brief.

we stood outside for about 15 or 20 minutes taking this shot on pretty much EVERYONE'S camera. wow. and, of course, daniel was the only one to ask for a silly pose =) too fun! right smack dab in the middle, our cousin sean is pretending to strangle my father-in-law, brian. hehe. it's a big, crazy group - and there were even a few who couldn't make it!

i ADORE having a big family =)

merely a flesh wound

2009-07-20T20:52:00.003-04:00

today i got bit by a chinchilla.

it's true.

i went to my hubby's classroom to check out his new job-spot. hooray, daniel! anyway, they have about a billion animals in the classrooms - 3 turtles, a ferret, 4 chinchillas, fish, mice, dare-i-say-it-snakes, and in iguana. (there was only one snake, and daniel covered it up for me before i came in the room.)

anyway, the chinchillas were just so stinking cute. i put my finger near the cage, and that sweet little face BIT ME! i was shocked! i bled and everything. it hurt like heck.

turns out, these little guys are used to being fed raisins anytime hands get close to the cage. i bet raisins taste a lot better than may hand.

thanks a lot, chinchilla. i'm glad at least we understand each other now.

after two moths of dating...

2009-06-26T10:48:00.006-04:00

Two Months
(To a girl I'm totally crazy about)

Two months of playing
Two months of fun
Two months of stories
Heather, our relationship has just begun

Two months of laughter
Two months of right
Two months of dancing
Heather, you are my delight

Two months of holding hands
Two months of new
Two months of jazz
Heather, I love you

=)

We've been without a printer for the last year. With the class that I'm doing right now, this has produced some frustrating/stressful moments. Well, when I got home last night, there was a note on the doggy gate at the top of the stairs. It was a plain sheet of printer paper, and right in the center, "I love you" was typed in my favorite font. Sometimes the little things feel pretty big =) So, in response, I wanted to post this poem Daniel wrote me in April of 2007, because... well... I don't know! I'm feeling so proud of him for how well and how thoroughly he loves me, that letting you see another way he has loved me seemed a more appropriate way to honor him today than me writing my own feelings. I don't know if that makes any sense at all. But it feels right. =)

i've missed you

2009-06-23T15:41:00.003-04:00

it has been almost 2 months to the day since my last post. whoa. i just got caught up on a bunch of my friends' blogs and i'm super glad to be back =)

so, here's the scoop:

may 23, daniel and i moved out of our first apartment, with the immense help of my parents and our friend craig. no joke, we got the truck at 3 p.m. and returned it by 6 p.m. it was amazing! we moved everything into my parents' house/garage, and set up shop there to live for 3 weeks.

may 30, daniel and i celebrated our FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! how exciting! what a wonderful, crazy, unexpected year it's been, and we are so thankful for how far God has brought us in such a short time. we got to hop in the car and return to our honeymoon spot for the weekend (the outerbanks). good food, relaxation, and fun! we mini-golfed at the funnest golf course ever designed and we saw a play on roanoke island called "the lost colony" that has been playing there every summer for decades.

june 2, daniel teaches a science class (with only 36 hours to prepare) as a candidate for a job. the class goes so well that in the interview, the principal tells him that he has set the bar very high for the other candidates! WAY TO GO!!!!!!!! to be continued...

june 6, my big brother got married in indiana! i got to stand on his side as his "groomsmatron." it was so wonderful to see our extended family, and i'm so happy for jeff and lauren! daniel and i took a road trip out to indiana - 10 hours each way. we really really ate up that time together in the car. it was refreshing and sweet =)

june 12, my last shift at starbucks!

june 14, daniel and i move into our new abode, with the help of my parents, daniel's dad, daniel's dad's best friend, daniel's best man and daniel's best man's friend. how's that for helping hands?!?! i tell you what: many hands DO make light work. pictures to come!

june 15, daniel gets a job as a middle school science teacher for the fall at st. martin's lutheran school!!!!!!!!! I AM SO PROUD OF DANIEL!!!!!!!!!!

june 20, rohanna dance productions 5th annual recital! they do SO many dances, that they actually have two three-hour recitals on the same day. my mom sat with me for the whole thing (noon to 8!), and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

i'm down to just one job now, bookkeeping for ken's creative kitchen. it's a great job - flexible, chellenging at times, but very doable. i'm hoping that i can become a teacher, too, but in high school english. so i'm working on that as well.

looks like i may have to start capitalizing things if i'm gonna teach english.

tricky jack

2009-04-24T10:38:00.005-04:00

check this out!!!!!

pardon my high-pitched giggles right next to the camera's mic. i was so giddy because this was one of the first times i'd seen him do this. i just think it's ADORABLE! =D

monsters vs. aliens

2009-04-16T21:03:00.001-04:00

"guys, this is a code brown, because i need to change my pants."

funny movie! we saw it on easter with my cousins =)

my bday at the national zoo

2009-04-14T11:25:00.007-04:00

i had the best birthday yesterday.

daniel sent me out to get a pedicure in the morning, and then we left for an afternoon at the national zoo! it was soo much fun! and it was so cool because so many times, when we walked up, the animals started moving around and stuff. like the hippo came inside, the lions got up from their nap, the sea lions started playing... it was incredible.

the lions were beautiful.

thirsty...

the sea lions were hysterical... especially with daniel's commentary =)

this hippo was ENORMOUS!!!

this baby panda was very very hungry. and cute.

i have, of course, dozens more pictures, but i'll spare you a blog post of that length. suffice it to say that we had a FANTASTIC time, and we want to go back again and see the flamingos and the cheetah conservation thing.

bye!

a few of my "favorite" things

2009-04-06T17:13:00.003-04:00

disclaimer: this post is not meant as a rant or a whining session. i'm just poking fun at my job. =)

i love when you're making drinks at the bar, and you have about 8 cups waiting in line for you, and a crowd of customers gathered around watching, when all of a sudden, you hear, "i didn't get whipped cream on mine!" you look up to find a face as distraught as someone who was just told that their life is in danger and they must evacuate the building. you paste on a smile and politely as which drink is theirs. "white mocha, fat free, venti, no whip." you glance down at the venti, upside-down, extra caramel, with whip, carmel macchiato that you're finishing up. clearly not a match. scanning down the cup line-up you find that hers is still 6 cups away. "i'm sorry, ma'am; this is not your drink." "OH!" she replies, as though it has never occured to her that you might be making a drink for someone other than her. wow.

i love when people call whipped cream, "cool whip"

i love that everyone who orders a grande coffee waits around for their change: three pennies. really? three pennies? you couldn't spare that for the tip jar?

i love when people tell you about all the things that corporate should change. as if you, a barista, can do something about it, right then, in that moment. sorry, sir.

i love when people get REALLY upset when you make a mistake on the job. manners? they are out the window. it's almost as if i have purposely screwed up their order, as a personal affront toward them. do i come to your work and tell you you're doing a bad job? nope.

i love when people walk up to the counter, set their travel mug down and stare at you expectantly. didn't you know that mind-reading was an integral part of the job description?

i love when people in the drive-through make me hoist my upper body over the window sill, because they're too lazy to extend their arm out their window.

i love when people don't stop at the menu board and speaker to order. just pull right up to the window. "oh, i didn't see it. i didn't know you had one of those." really? well have you ever been to any drive-through ever in your life before? and have you ever ordered at the window? no. now the drinks are out of order and everyone behind you in line has to wait, because we haven't had time to start your drink ahead of time. thanks.

what i really DO love is my co-workers. ashley paired me up with a girl named kat for my training and said right off the bat, "you guys are going to be bff." =)

lastly, i love all the myriad pronunciations of "carmel macchiato" (mah-kee-ya-toh). my all-time fav, so far, is "muh-cheeto."

i lied. one more. i love the words "extra carmel." i think i have heard them about 157,982 times since i started at starbucks in february.

Tag - I'm It

2009-03-25T15:15:00.004-04:00

My friend Heather C was tagged, and now she has tagged me. The "rules" are to go into my My Pictures, open the fourth album and post the fourth photo in that album. I use a Mac so, it isn't so clear cut for me. I followed the directions a closely as I could, and here's what I came up with:

The story is that my friend Rachel, from college, got a few friends together every once in a while to go have a delicious home-cooked meal at her grandmother's house. I had a chance to go once, and this is me with Rachel's roommate, Emily, after eating a ton of food. =) Also, Emily ended up being a big help on my wedding day, helping to keep things running smoothly and on-time.

okay, so now i tag... um... joelle, and beth b. i think i'm supposed to tag more than two, but i can't think of anyone else who hasn't already been tagged. =P

big big news

2009-03-24T22:20:00.002-04:00

about a month ago, we received an anonymous charitable donation to cover one whole month's rent for us, through a ministry called Helping Hands. WOW! that was a shocker! amazing, right?!

and on TOP of that, get this: so when daniel lost his job at the church, we applied for some financial help from the insurance company. they only granted us 3 weeks worth. we appealed their decision TWICE, and we found out this week that we got the whole other 2 months' worth! how exciting! this is 60% of what daniel made at the church for 2 whole months. woohoo! praise God! this will get us to the end of our lease with no trouble at all!

now these financial provisions from God really ARE paying the bills! before they were sweet encouragements that helped us financially, but more so helped our spirits. but God has, as usual, just gone ahead and blown our socks off with much more than we "could ever ask or imagine" (eph. 4:20)

jack

2009-03-18T09:51:00.005-04:00

jack was neutered last week. poor guy has had that silly cone on his head for 8 days. i think it's kind of cute, though. =) anyway, with jack on my mind, i realized i had posted very few pictures of him! how sad for anyone who hasn't had the chance to enjoy his adorability. hehe.

this is when he was just a tiny little guy

see how small??

maybe this is inappropriate, but i just can't get over how cute it is! he used to sit in our pants all the time in the bathroom! how funny is that?

this is him now. i like this picture because you get a good view of his spots.

why can't they just stay puppies forever? i just looked through a few pictures of him now, and he's just REALLY not as photogenic these days. oh well. still pretty darn cute!

busy bee

2009-03-09T13:18:00.006-04:00

wow, i haven't posted much since i started my job at starbucks. it has been quite a challenge acclimating to the much busier schedule. also, daniel started substitute teaching today - HOORAY FOR DANIEL! he's excited; he's been looking forward to getting started for weeks now.

anywho, i wanted to share some more pics that i finally got onto my computer. daniel and i celebrated 6 months of marriage on november 30. well, not "celebrated," per se. so in december, when we ended up in sunny florida, we decided to set aside some time to actually celebrate.

we stayed in a DARLING bed and breakfast for 50% off (daniel is my hero).

we took walks along the river and in downtown stuart.

we ate at a cute little mexican place.

also, we enjoyed lots of family time. i got to meet a bunch of dad c's family for the first time. we stayed with daniel's cousin and her hubby, and i really enjoyed them. we had a great time. except that we accidentally let all of their cats out of the house one time, and i felt really awful. thankfully they all came back home quickly =)

the best

2009-02-06T14:05:00.003-05:00

so i was on the schedule on wednesday for 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then i had to teach ballet from 5:15 to 9 p.m. i knew it was going to be a rough day, especially since wednesday is my most difficult day of teaching. also because i'm just beginning to adjust to early mornings. (it takes a half hour to get to starbucks for work.) so i let daniel know in advance that i was going to need extra support from him on wednesday. he was amazing.

first of all, on tuesday night, when i was closing, i asked ashley if i could come in later so that i could get a little more sleep, and she changed my hours to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. hooray! BUT then i woke up at 5:40 to pee and i couldn't fall back asleep! i tossing and turning until my alarm went off at 7. i was SOOO grumpy! i hate when that happens, don't you? so i told daniel, and he rolled over and rubbed my back for ten minutes, till the snooze went off. THEN he got up and put jeans on when i had to get up, so it would be easier for me to get out of bed! =) how sweet. he talked to me on the phone for a bit as i drove, and assured me that even though my gas light had come on, i would make it to work just fine.

as if that we're enough, he drove up and had lunch with me. when he left, he filled up my car with gas!! wow! so then, i had one of my classes cancelled at ballet, because they needed to rehearse for their competition this weekend, so i came home in between classes to have dinner with daniel, and he had grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup ready for us when i got home =D

how wonderful. he's the best. i am so thankful for him.

also, he's lots of fun. =P

i got a job =)

2009-02-02T21:44:00.003-05:00

at starbucks!

so, here's a big

THANK YOU

to ashley ward for getting me the job!

newsweek

2009-02-01T12:33:00.006-05:00

i love it.

i am also very, very behind. haha! they are piling up on our coffee table. but in the past week, i have plowed through 3 more issues - thank you very much - and so i'm getting closer and closer to catching up.

how did i get so behind??

well, when obama won the election, they put out the coolest issue ever. back in 2006 they assigned a few journalists to follow around a few of the most promising candidates (clinton, mccain, and obama) through the whole entire campaign, including the primaries. the issue is one huge, long article, chronicling the different events that factored into the outcome of the elections.

it. was. fascinting.

there was no skimming or skipping a paragraph here and a page there, as i sometimes do with newsweek issues. i read every word of every page. i was glued. it's interesting to see what made a successful campaign team, what what actions and personalities hampered the other campaigns. you can probably find a copy at the library. it's worth checking out, whether your a fan of obama or not.

"money makes the world go 'round"

2009-01-25T11:39:00.004-05:00

ok, the girls at rohanna (where i teach ballet) have a competition dance to that song, so it is almost perpetually stuck in my head. (what musical is the song from?)

but what i really wanted to tell you about is this: God is giving us money. randomly and in small bits. but still! it's pretty cool! we got an overdue small paycheck from daniel's brief stint at the cheesecake factory ($35), a reimbursement from the MVA ($64), and reimbursement from our previous healthcare provider ($55), TWO $75 gift cards to trader joe's anonymously waiting for us under our front door (if you read this - thanks you!), our small retirement fund from working at the church (february's rent), and we've been able to have two dates out to eat because of gift cards. i even feel like i'm forgetting a couple. anyway, it's not like those amounts will pay the bills, but it's still pretty unbelievable timing, right? too cool.

looking down

2009-01-21T21:22:00.001-05:00

i didn't get the job.

looking up

2009-01-20T18:31:00.003-05:00

i'm super happy to report that things are looking up. unemployment sucks and it's been a tough few month, but i feel like we've turned a corner.

i had my second interview for a promising job prospect today, and it went well. i will hear back by the end of the week. this would be great because it would give us significantly more financial stability, as well as excellent benefits to take care of us!

also, God has provided rent for us for february, and probably march, too.

"wow. i tell ya what - wow." -name that movie!

p.s. happy inauguration day =) we wished we could have gone into d.c. but i didn't want to reschedule the important interview today. what a bummer.

once upon a time

2009-01-18T17:38:00.010-05:00

for our 3-month-wedding-anniversary, i made up a sort of scavenger hunt for daniel around downtown annapolis. i wrote up a whole bunch of clues, and he had to figure out where to go. we took pictures at each place, and some places, i had something else planned, too. here are some snapshots:

ready to roll

our first clue takes us to aromi d'italia, the site of a date over 6 months before we started dating.

we made a stop at starbucks, a place where we shared a memorable new year's coffee over a year before we started dating.

revisiting the spot of our last moments together before stepping into our rehearsal dinner and the ensuing wedding mayhem.

annapolis summer garden theatre, where i took him to see thoroughly modern millie in the summer of 2007. we love theatre.

the spot where daniel gave me my promise ring. little did i know the big question was only a month away!

we ended the afternoon at niland and company jewelers, jeff the jeweler's shop where we had my engagement ring and both of our wedding rings made. my ring was supposed to be in this shot. hehe. oh well.

and they lived happily ever after.

the end.

as promised...

2009-01-17T17:35:00.006-05:00

pictures! these are of our first christmas as mr. and mrs. clark, and mr. jack, too.

this is one of my favorite ornaments:

this is mr. jack thinking that the super-soft blankie is for him. he's very much mistaken. it's for me.

these are the stockings i made for us =D

i hope you guys had as fun a christmas as we did. sadly, we parted with our christmas tree this week. we still have a few decorations out, but not for long. ::sigh:: i love christmas. i have a hard time saying goodbye to the season each year.

many more pictures to come, now that i finally got them all onto my computer. come back and visit again soon.

the most wonderful time of the year

2008-12-29T22:08:00.005-05:00

well, it's been a wonderfully busy week, and this week seems like it will be no different. here's the rundown...

12/24 - onkens. polish dinner. clean plates.

12/25 - daniel and i celebrate our very first christmas together early in the morning, around our beautiful christmas tree!

then, onkens. breakfast. stockings. gifts. flanegins. food. gifts [opened one at a time, as usual, complete with passing gifts around for each person to experience themselves... this process always takes ages]. then games [as is not only customary, but necessary at flanegin festivities. or any gathering at all, no matter how few people].

12/26 - onkens. leftovers. scattergories.
12/27 - lunch with laura. my mom and i threw a surprise shower for jeff and lauren!
12/28 - church with friends. lunch with other friends. onkens. yahtzee. emperor's new groove.
12/29 - jazzercize. coffee with laura. shopping. winter coat for daniel! cider with dianna.

phew!

tomorrow daniel and i celebrate SEVEN MONTHS of marriage, and so we're going to the new pf chang's with a sweet gift card we were generously given.

new year's eve, the whole flanegin crew has our annual gathering at the charthouse in downtown annapolis for dinner. yum!

thursday, we bring in the new year with my dearest friend heather c's parents for dinner.

this weekend, mom and dad c are coming down from jersey for a belated christmas with us.

wow! the best kind of busy! pictures to come =)

top 10 updates:

2008-12-11T11:08:00.004-05:00

1) i found a posting for a casting assistant position at central casting in d.c. i submitted my resume on monday.

2) daniel is currently making the drive down to florida because his grandmother is on her way home to be with jesus. i miss my hubby!

3) we have a christmas tree that makes our home smell wonderful! we got it for free, because my aunt is a plant buyer, and this one was sent to her as a free sample.

4) i have spent some time writing. which i love to do. so that is always wonderful.

5) monday, i helped my mom decorate her christmas tree, and yesterday we wrapped christmas presents together. today i'm going to surprise her by bringing the movie "while you were sleeping" over - she's been wanting to see it again. she is doing a super job keeping me company while daniel is away!

6) i am discouraged by my seemingly fruitless job hunt. but i am not as anxious as i once was, because we will likely have a few more months before my lack of job creates a real financial crunch for us. thank God.

7) the college and career group at broadneck ep is going on a hike in the shenandoahs in january! we are stoked, because that's what we did as a little 3-month-anniversary getaway in september. we really enjoyed hiking together and are looking forward to the chance to go on another one.

8) jack seems to be un-potty-training himself. bummer. but maybe i am not taking him out often enough, since it is yuckier weather.

9) daniel and i are considering our options for when our lease is up here in about 6 months. southern california? perhaps...

10) i have gained 15 pounds since getting married. yikes. i wouldn't mind so much if i wasn't having to buy all new pants. =P i wish we could afford for me to take a good ballet class once or twice a week. that'd be fun. anyone got any pointers for me?

six months

2008-12-04T22:20:00.006-05:00

this past sunday, team clark celebrated 6 months of being "mr. & mrs." so i thought i'd post a fun video slideshow in honor of half a year of married-ness.

no news is... good news?

2008-12-02T21:33:00.002-05:00

haven't heard from pbs yet. i called back today, to be sure my resume (and phone call) hadn't gotten lost in the thanksgiving holiday shuffle.

also, i applied to 3 positions at discovery communications in silver spring, maryland (just north of d.c.) - 2 production coordinator positions and one associate producer position, all for the learning channel (TLC).

"i'll keep you abreast of any further developments" --name that movie!

say a prayer for me =)

2008-11-25T18:23:00.004-05:00

i applied for another job, but this one's way cooler. it's at pbs, and it's called "program assiciate." basically, the responsibilities are to watch pbs shows before they air (like american masters and masterpiece) and write up reports on them that get distributed at the company. so i'd watch tv and write about it. nice! they're looking for someone with film production experience, writing skills, and some familiarity with broadcast television. check, check, check!

here's why i really really want this job. at this point, i definitely need to get a real job - good salary, benefits, the works. and rather than be a secretary in a law office or something like that, which i could totally do, this job at pbs is actually in my field! way out here on the east coast - who'd have thought? i think i would do so much better mentally/emotionally in a job that i'm specifically qualified for, like this. it'd be nice for my degree to count for something, you know?

i should be hearing from them soon. say a prayer for me!

one year ago...

2008-11-22T09:17:00.002-05:00

on november 22, 2007, daniel asked me a very important question =)

phone + jacuzzi = 2nd chance!

2008-11-20T15:07:00.002-05:00

even though dropping a cell phone into a jacuzzi certainly voids the warranty, daniel spoke with the district manager and guess what...

they are mailing us a replacement phone, free of charge! hooray for that.

guess we're sticking with verizon =)

phone + jacuzzi = oops

2008-11-17T21:22:00.002-05:00

yes, it's true, daniel dropped his phone in the jacuzzi. a sad day for team clark, but we trust that his little blueberry is in a better place. it was a cool new phone that was shiny blue and looked like a mini-blackberry. then you slide it open and that's where the keypad is. hence the name "blueberry." anyway...

now i'm thinking about shopping around for a better deal on cell phone service. we're with verizon, and pay kind of a lot sometimes, but i love my cute little light blue phone. and we'd have to break the 2-yr agreement. so maybe it's just as well that we stick with verizon. i don't know.

who is your cell phone service provider?

sad news first

2008-11-16T19:22:00.006-05:00

the cottage has been bought - but not by us. sad for us. (to be read with a wistful sigh)

but! dear friends, i am on the hunt for more part-time work, so as to contribute more to the team clark grocery fund as well as to ward off cabin fever. here are my thoughts so far:

1) there is a new starbucks in the mall that is much nicer than the old starbucks in the mall. i've done plenty of barista-ing in my life, and have always enjoyed it. yes, it's true. i've enjoyed it a lot. and, hey, maybe i can be/become a shift manager, what with all my coffee experience.

2) bare essentuals is hiring for the holiday season, and they usually keep people on after the season. i'm serious, i LOVE bare minerals makeup. the stuff is AMAZING. i had a roommate in college who used it, and i've been a believer ever since. it's such a warm and soothing environment in the store, and i'd get to put makeup on people all day, and advise them what colors of eyeshadow complement their coloring best. sounds like fun to me! heather, you know i like to do peoples' makeup ;-)

3) my third choice so far is actually a tie between ann taylor loft in the new part of the mall, or bath and body works. the nice thing about ann taylor is the environment - chill. the nice thing about bath and body works is that it sells like hotcakes, so you don't have to bug the shoppers.

what do you think? i'm checking up on my applications tomorrow... cross your fingers!

"sells like hotcakes"... wikianswers does NOT have the answer to where this phrase comes from. if you know, you should tell wikianswers what's up.

cottage

2008-10-16T11:31:00.004-04:00

daniel and i drove around crownsville, cruising and looking at houses that are on the market. we called a bunch of different real estate agents as we drove past tiny ones that looked like they might actually be in our price range. we only got to go inside one, though.

it. was. so. cute.

here's a picture of the exterior:
so, i'll let you know if anything happens with this cottage! =D how exciting!

my favorite

2008-10-14T14:37:00.002-04:00

my absolute favorite thing that jack does is yawn. almost every time, he makes this adorable noise - sometimes quite loud! i just think it is the sweetest thing, and i hope to catch it on video sometime. i always try to praise him lavishly, in the hopes of reinforcing this behavior. =)

jack and daniel get along so well. almost every morning, daniel wakes up and takes jack on an adventure to the puppy park or the fishing pier or something. this works out well for all of us, because a sleepy jack is much better behaved than a rambunctious jack. so daniel does his best to tucker him out before leaving for work. right now, jack is conked on my lap as i type. pretty cute. mission accomplished, team clark!

take 2

2008-10-10T16:41:00.002-04:00

the first team clark blog attempt failed miserably. engagement is a busy time, it turns out! so here i am, ready for another go. i'm sitting in city dock coffee, wishing i hadn't already finished my hot jamacian tea. so good. you should try it if you haven't already.

welcome. hope you enjoy the read. most of my dearest friends live quite far away, so i hope this helps us to stay updated.