welp, i would like to join matt in saying
"i feel like i fell asleep and woke up in ohio today"
because this has been our first gross rainy day.
(2nd time for rain-which was really only a light mist for an hour...)

but, my day is bright because of bob (barker, that is!)
and the countdown is now only 3 days!!!!
i will reiterate this question to those who haven't asked it yet:
is it wrong to pray to get on the price is right?
the answer is no.
God will give you the desires of your heart.
therefore, He probably put that desire in you anyways,
so to pray to get on the show would be to pray for His will!
hee hee! ;)

today i received the new sixpence album from my soon-to-be sister in law, emily--YEAH!!!
sweetical-i am listening to it as i type!
i read a sad interview of leigh nash (lead singer) who stated that she didn't know what to think about God (as in His existence/divine plan/control, etc.) since 9/11.
and in response to this, i ask, where have you been? have you ever read the world section of the newspaper? has nothing bad ever happened to anyone else in the rest of God's creation? what about genocide and dictatiorship and oppression, etc. around the world? the horror of september 11th wasn't a new thing to the world, and it certainly wasn't a new thing to God. let's not be as self-centered and ethnocentric as we are always being told we are.

enough of that rant-their music is still SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

you're in my heart
i can feel you beat
and you move my mind
from behind the wheel
when i lose control
i can only breathe your name
--sixpence

quote from the other day:
(and he said this with a totally serious face, full of passion)
"i hate being sick! i just want to be WILD and FREE!"
-apparently, his father wouldn't let him play outside when he was sick. bad dad! don't you know your son just wants to be wild and free?

going to pick michelle and ryan up from the airport tonight for 8 FUN filled days!!!

out-
tracey
(p.s. the shirt i will wear for the price is right is going to say, "pick me bob, my middle name is plinko!")

best thing to happen today:
my oldest and dearest friend (for 22 years!!!), michelle ho, called me today.
the first time i saw her was in mrs. gardener's kindergarten class on the 2nd day of school.
we were in the library and we were walking in circles
(who knows why? i was four, people!)
around a big round library table and we were giggling.
then, i said, "do you want to be my friend?"
(just like my mom taught me)
AND SHE SAID YES!!!!!

and there goes the story. now we're both married, she has two of the cutest girls in the world, except she's in new york and i'm here in california. also, she always used to share her snack with me. i usually had something annoying and healthy like carrots or grapes, and she always had YUMMY stuff like american cheese slices or oreo cookies!!!
ahh, to be in kindergarten again....

speaking of kindergarteners, did i tell you folks what i heard one day coming from outside my classroom? well, the kindergarten classroom is right next to mine and they hang their backpacks on the wall right next to me, so when they're packing up at the end of the day, i always hear the most interesting things! the other day it was: "what does YOUR penis look like?" of course i was DYING LAUGHING but i composed myself and went out and spoiled all their fun! apparently, this is a phenomenon with this class--it is about the third time this year the boys have been in cahoots with their little friends!

and not good thing to happen today = migraine headache for me :(
but it's okay now. i loaded up on advil and coffee and i am at the fuzzy head brain trauma stage right now.

matt just came home so we're going to eat some teriyaki chicken-yum!
bob barker countdown: 4 days oh my i can't believe we're going to win a BRAND NEW CAR!!!
tracey

well here i am
don't know how to say this
only thing i know
is awkward silence
your eyelids closed
when you're around me
don't shut me out
---saves the day

yes, i went to my first SMOKE-FREE concert in california!!!
i actually enjoyed it and stayed for the whole thing!
and i wasn't in pain last night or sick today--what a relief!
also, the venue was cool and his voice was as fresh at the end of the set as it was in the beginning. i must say that i was impressed and saves the day exceeded by expectations.

funniest quote from a fellow teacher today:
"I'd be too scared to be up front [on the price is right]. probably because i've never really been able to 'get' the price is right."
whoa. there's not really much to get, but okay!
speaking of which, bob barker countdown: 5 days.

off to take care of laundry, dinner, cleaning, and fun christmas list making for matt!
tracey

listen to this:
i applied for my CA drivers license long before matt (august) and i still have not received it. so i wrote them a letter (because they have no humans answering their phones) and they sent me another temporary paper license in the beginning of october. included was a handwritten post-it note that said, "if you do not receive your drivers license by november 4th, please call us"--yeah, call your recording and talk to it? well, needless to say, i still have no license and i am slightly ticked. my ohio license isn't valid here now (they punched a hole in it when i applied for my new one) and the bouncers are giving me a hard time getting in places. we'll see if i get in to saves the day tonight.
hopefully that will be a yes on that one.

so don't don't don't lets start
this is the worst part....
tmbg

besides that cranky business, it was another perfect day!
i love where i work and i love what i do!
i can't believe it is real!!!

dumbest thing coming out of my mouth this weekend:
in response to ken, heidi's husband, saying he found an exoskeleton on their miniature schnauzer, i said,
"an exoskeleton of a SNAKE????"
yeah, on a 12 pound dog. it just wrapped itself around the dog and shed its skin--DUH
apparently an exoskeleton of a tick, i found out later...

welp, i've got to get going to the show
farewell,
tracey
bob barker countdown: 6 days!!!!

welp, i'm back everyone!
looks like most peeps in the family were slacking on the blogs this weekend, except justin.
matt had a monster entry--did anyone else notice how he went on and on about the great weekend and then got to the part where he picked me up from the airport and said, "thus marked the end of a great weekend." ?
hmmmmm.....

well, i had my own great weekend with such a wonderful friend, heidi.
when i arrived in cleveland, we went straight to dinner at the cleveland chophouse--such a yummy meal! and great atmosphere, too. we went back to her condo in boardman, ohio and talked until we fell asleep.
on saturday we went to the williams center for health and wellness, the chiropractic practice she and her husband, ken, have started. totally cool and decorated in all ikea furniture and decorations!!! i got majorly adjusted and feel so much better--no headaches since then!
after spending 4 hours walking around target, looking at things, and laughing our heads off, we made some dinner, drank some wine, and went down to heidi's art studio to paint vases.
on sunday we blobbed around and listened to music, had our own church and worship time, thanks to ken's guitar playing and mine and heidi's delightful singing! then sadly drove to the airport to scoot me back to california. so sad to leave but one of the best weekends of my life!!!!

so here we are on monday.
we had the most beautiful, perfect day today.
i love living here-it is such a dream come true!

three day weekend this weekend-woohooo!!!!
bob barker countdown: 7 days!!!
later everyone-
tracey

just over here listening to j.mascis
i'm so into free so free
everyone must have it!

this time tomorrow night i will be with my wonderful friend heidi!
i can barely wait!!!

for those of you who have asked for birthday ideas, here are a few:

1. fleece pants from gap
http://www.gap.com/asp/Product.asp?wdid=207520&wpid=175305

Pro Fleece pants (stretch)
price: $34.50
item: #175305
color: deep charcoal
size: small

2. fleece hooded sweatshirt from gap
http://www.gap.com/asp/Product.asp?wdid=207510&wpid=175287

Pro Fleece stretch zip hoodie
price: $39.50
item: #175287
color: sky blue
size: medium

3. REALLY GOOD corkscrew (not plastic or tiny travel size)

4. backpack, tent, or sleep pad

5. did i mention backpack, tent, sleep pad? (dad, i'm using your technique of hinting!)

quote of the day from a kid:
"everyone farts. even you do, right mrs. edwards?"
-after he "passed gas".
we then had many more questions and a much longer conversation about bodily gases than i cared for,
but hey, at least they're free with me!

enough said from me tonight-
tracey

oh yeah, bob barker countdown: 11 days!

tracey here,
relaxing with some chianti....

sweet and sad quote from one of my peanuts today:
"i'm sort of sad today because my lizard, T-rex, died."
(he had a little picture of him, too!) so sad!
then, when another little boy came a few minutes late to their therapy session, and he said,
"mrs. edwards, can you tell forrest what happened to my lizard?
it's kind of too sad for me to talk about."
"it's okay to be sad", i said.
he started to tear up.
and then quickly said, "i'm not crying, there's just some water in my eyes."


can't write much today as i have a ton of things to do.
some lyrics from over the rhine will do well for this night:

and miles to go
and miles to go
and miles to go
before we sleep

hello gang!
another tuesday over, and with me running around like a chicken with my head cut off! what a ditz i am sometimes (this includes seeing my wednesday schedule kids today-oops.) i finally figured out what i was doing around 11:30, when some of my more responsible kids showed up by themselves and i thought, "what are they doing here?" then i checked my schedule and figured out they were supposed to be there-DUH!
so, enough of that!
thanks to mare, for the sentimental talk about keeping up with family--i agree, it is so nice to know what is going on with everyone on a semi-daily basis!
question for michelle: when will we see your blog up here?
also, thanks to dad and justin for their christmas ideas!

and a big shout out to brian boytano, who made this all possible.

the big news of the day is that michelle (my brother's wife) and i are trying out for "the amazing race", you know the show where you go on basically a giant scavenger hunt around the world for 5 weeks and hope to earn a big chunk of cash at the end of it. so be prepared to see us on TV and rich in about 6 months-a year! we will prevail!!!!

we originally just wanted to go backpacking in europe this summer, but found out that is when the next amazing race is being filmed (an idea we've toyed with for awhile) and decided to kill two birds with one stone!

also some big news: i passed the CBEST, the ridiculous standardized test that i had to take (in order to keep on working in the schools in california). YAAAAAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOO!!! good luck mary and casey--total cinchy easy thing-you'll do great!

quote of the day from a kid:
"mrs. edwards, this is our therapy time."

stupidest thing coming out of my mouth today:
"oh, oops. i thought today was wednesday." -at 11:30 am---total DUH!!!

be blessed everyone!
tracey

it is a perfect day today! after i write this, matt and i will go have a picnic on sunset cliffs and watch the sunset.

we're back from oxford and we had a great time with family.
it was a complete HOGFEST of nonstop eating!
after watching my cousin brian play hockey for the miami redhawks, he took us out for a night on the town, college-style.
man, am i getting old!
these middle aged ladies stopped me and my sister in law, michelle, to ask us "where are the bars where there aren't a bunch of kids?" like we would know!!!! like we looked old enough to know!!! very depressing.
yet, i found out that i AM, in fact, old, since i could barely stay out until 1:30 am.
needless to say, i found myself yelling out to mobs of college kids, "soak it all up now! life will never be the same after college!" they have no idea.
no more afternoon naps.
no staying up until 3 am for a month straight.
no more skipping class because you couldn't get out of bed.
and no more lack of real responsibility.
oh, if only i realized what i had at the time!!! i would still be in school-a lifelong student, instead of a responsible professional. oh well, the paths we choose....

enough of that rant, though i'm sure many of you have experienced the same thing and can totally relate.
i'm getting pumped up for a weekend of fun with my friend in cleveland, heidi--YEAH!!!

quote of the day from a kid:
"what happened to your hair?"
(i got my hair cut; apparently, it is a shocker for the kiddos)

weirdest sentence coming out of my mouth in my lifetime:
"dominic, it's bad manners to put meat on your face"

bob barker countdown: 14 days!!!!!
tracey

hello everyone!
i know it is wednesday night, but there is a feeling of freedom over here, knowing that i don't have to work on friday--YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!

for anyone who wants to know,
the bob barker countdown is for when mary, casey, ryan, michelle, matt, and i are going to
"the price is right"
and one of us is going to
COME ON DOWN!

right now we (mostly michelle) are trying to think of snappy little slogans we can put on our matching screen printed t-shirts.
here is what we have so far:
1. pick me, bob: i've been waiting 20 years to come on down!
2. pick me, bob (we sort of want to keep this theme, so he'll pick us, of course): my dog is neutered! (also, if you don't get this one, you totally need to watch the last 15 seconds of the price is right).
3. i'm a wannabe bob barker beauty
so we need 6 slogans total.
any suggestions are welcome!
something clever and catchy-
please people, we need to get picked!!!

some personal notes, now...
mare- this is true, i can't remember seeing my teachers run! if i did, though, it is highly probable that i laughed out loud.
michael-you had me singing that song all day, you jerk!! :)
dad-christmas list....
justin-ditto

best quote of the day from my munchkins:
"mrs. edwards, if you had a spider monkey, would you make him do speech with us?"
-2nd grade boy, apparently obsessed with spider monkeys

weirdest sentence coming out of my mouth today:
"eddie, can you please not swing the phone around like that?"
-believe me, it's way to long of a story, but just try to picture him swinging the phone around by the cord in a tiny 6x6 ft. room. let's just say ADHD and leave it at that.

off to bible study-
bob barker countdown: 19 days
tracey

wow on the "chowchilla" essay by mary sanford
can i suggest a lengthy title of:
"i'm going down to chow town,
chow's a friend to me
lives beneath the ocean and that's where i will be
beneath the waves the waves
and that's where i will be
i'm going to see the chow beneath the sea"

too long? maybe, but the essay itself was totally inspiring!
my surfer principal runs a writers workshop for all the teachers and staff at my school and they write and discuss things like this. i'm feeling the need to go now...

where are the christmas lists, family????? (dad and justin edwards, and the entire good family!!!)
if you want gifts, you'd better submit your requests while we still have some $$!

as for me, i wouldn't mind a burned copy of the corrs cd...

lyrics of my day are:
in my weakness i find
that your strength knows no bounds
and in my loneliness i find
that the everlasting arms
surround me
and even with this fragile heart
i find a place to rest here safe where you are
and i am falling into grace again
and i am running where your mercy never ends
lord i'm learning
that your love can cover me
you are teaching me
what a child is meant to be

dad, i hope your leg feels better soon!
and hope you guys win tonight!!!
justin-best hemmorhoid quote i have ever heard!
bob barker countdown: 20 days!!!!
tracey


























i'm going to see the chow beneath the sea"

hello gang
tracey here
getting ready to go to hodad's for some yummy chow and milkshakes.
waiting for matt to get back from haircut store. no really, that's where he gets his hair cut: the haircut store.
yeah, we're classy over here in san diego!
i, in the meantime, am trying to find a place that is in between the haircut store and the $50 place.

we're going to a family reunion in oxford (OH) this weekend, me and mathrew (my new husband, according to the delta airlines ticket). we're going to check out the miami hockey game and probably eat like horses.
but we'll miss kevdogg-we'll catch you at christmas, though.

i had my first IEP meeting today after school
it went pretty well! they're just so darn time consuming!
one down, 60 more to go!

here's a thought: has anyone ever been standing next to someone in a prayer circle and when you go to hold hands with them, they hold your hand in an intimate way (interlock fingers with yours). i think this is a hilarious (yet so rare) phenomenon, so let me know if you have encountered the same thing...

welp, time to go be a big fat pig at hodads
yum.

hello all.
i have now joined the ranks of other bloggers.
i know, i said i wouldn't, but gosh darn it, they're so entertaining!
i must have one of my own!
so here we go...
as most of you already know, matt and i have moved to california
and it is
AMAZING
to see how God had it all worked out.
such a testimony of his grace and provision.
before matt and i ever met,
God put the dream in our hearts to be in california.
we waited and were obedient to His timing
and now we're here, watching our dream unfold,
waiting answers to questions that were written in our hearts
by the Author of Life.

for anyone who has dreams and is waiting for them to be realized,
this song by over the rhine was a comfort to me when the waiting was torture

i'm so tired in the mornings
i try to go back
i try to remember
the light appearing
without warning
tying up my hands
like i'm good for nothing

if nothing else i can dream
i can dream
i'll never tell never tell
all i've seen
right in front of me
like the ghost of every thing that i could be

words in my head
like misfits after midnight
begging for a light
words left unsaid
they may never see the light of day
and that may be okay

if nothing else i can dream

this is the beginning of random thoughts, lyrics that apply to my life, and the lifelong search for jesus.
don't worry, the entries won't always be this serious.
bob barker countdown: 22 days
tracey