Ellie's Room

We decided that we needed to update Ellie's room and since her birthday is coming up, we thought that now would be a good time.
This was a plain wooden chair with a straw seat. Paul painted it and I reupholstered the seat.
We found some cute new bedding at Marshall's and Paul painted her bed and nightstands to match. We got curtains and a rug at wal-mart for pretty cheap.
Finally we bought the cute owl print at Target and painted the wall shelf and little bulletin boards. It is so much cuter now!! She will probably outgrow it in a few years but I am hoping not!

I can't believe my students are leaving me!!

I work at Southern Virginia University which means that I have lots of company all year and then...BAM, loneliness. This year is particularly sad for me because I have so many runners who have left and are leaving:( Darn Graduation.
Of course, I love all the newer students that ARE returning, but I will really miss the others!
The summertime is sooooo quiet except for when EFY is here...then we host hundreds of high school students who are VERY loud and LOVE to sing in the room across the hall. This gets old, trust me, and unfortunately the talent is very reminiscent of American Idol try-outs. yikes!
So I am trying to do better about posting on my blog. you will be happy to know that I even have a couple of ideas for future posts that involve pictures. Just not today. I have to take the pictures first!
On a completely separate note, many of you know that Paul and I have been looking at jobs in Georgia for the last several months. The plan was that if Paul found work, we would leave. It looks like that window is closing now so we will most likely be staying. That isn't all bad though. I am excited about coaching again this fall and I am also excited that Paul will be back in school here at SVU. I think we will be looking for a new rental in Buena Vista so Ellie will be going to Parry McCluer Middle School this fall. I think she is excited and I am glad I was able to put off middle school for at least one year. When did middle schoolers get so YOUNG???

Shopping at Steinmart

Recently, we went shopping for a new shirt for Paul. We went to his favorite store, Steinmart.

I took pictures just so that I could compare them all later...Very "Cher" in "Clueless" of me...

This shirt has a Latin phrase "Quod erat demonstratum". I took 3 years of Latin in high school...best guess: that which was demonstrated. I could look it up on google but I just don't care enough!!

Spring...cause it's been 8 months!!

Ellie and Hannah searched the shed for Eggs. Maura had already been there though!
Paul tries to steal candy from Isaiah..age 3. I am pretty sure he got rejected.
Here is Paul staring at an egg to help the girls...I don't think they caught on!
Maura was the youngest hunter but also the fastest!
Here are the Hart girls on Grandma's deck...they were very thorough.
Maura had to stretch high for this one!
The starbursts were Zai's favorites, but he needed a little help with the wrappers.
He is such a cutie but he told me that "Brothers can't be cute"...I wonder where he heard that!
Ellie scratches her knee mid-run and still looks for eggs.
I hope she spotted one because she looks awfully excited!
Here is her easter basket...it was Paul's first time helping with this so I was excited about that!

Here is Hannah and Ellie. They get along so well. They are 6 months apart and are VERY upset that we don't live closer together.
This was how I entertained Isaiah while the girls all played together...It's pretty much the only way I can get someone to take a picture of me...

So I haven't blogged in forever! I do follow a lot of blogs, I just rarely get around to posting! So here are some recent photos of my family after a fun Easter weekend AND a DUKE win in the NCAA basketball tournament. I really don't know if Paul could have been any happier! I know he was happy because he NEVER looks at the camera when I try to take his picture...maybe now I see why! Ha ha ha...what a goof.
I came home from work on Monday and he had taken down all the normal pictures in the tv room and replaced them with EVERYTHING Duke. It was ridiculous but I couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. I was excited too...mainly because we got golden double stuffed oreos, which are pretty delicious.

OCTOBER!!

I really love this time of year! It's perfect running weather!

So here is my faculty shot when I started coaching again in 2007. So young, so naive, and so optimistic!! Lots has changed in 2 years! I graduated (in liberal arts, of all the useful and productive majors available)...that's FYI for Aimee! I got married...again. This time, I am soooooo much happier! My husband GETS me! and that is a challenge for some men. No names mentioned! Also I have a new job in the athletic department of my now Alma Mater, Southern Virginia University. I am the WOMAN. I mean I have an official title, but basically I do all the things that men can't do. Make photocopies, send faxes, figure out invoicing, etc. But I actually love it because of all the POWER I have now. Nothing gets done without just a little help from me. For some reason that makes me feel needed and as a mom, being needed is pretty much what makes us tick. Not that anyone ever admits that...sorry.
So here is a picture of me now that I am happily working and married. Frankly I think the before was a little better, but this is what reaching your goals looks like. I forget why I was in such a hurry!!! Anyway, I really am excited to have a little vacation tomorrow. We are having a Cosgriff family reunion. Just the parents and my siblings and their families. We are going to stay in a big old cabin in Gatlinburg Tennessee. I am really looking forward to some peaceful relaxation. I really do intend on taking lots of pictures. That is never my strong suit, but I am DETERMINED to create some tangible memories this time!! We leave in the morning!!

summer blah blah blah

I am really annoyed. I agreed that Ellie could go to her Dad's for the summer since he moved out West and BOY do I regret it now! Not just for the typical "I miss her" reason although...I MISS HER!! But also because she won't even CALL me!! And of course his voicemailbox is full and so I can't even leave messages! I asked for his address and he won't even give me that. It's so obnoxious!
anyway, I have decided that I don't like the summer-time. Here's why:
1. I am always worried that I am going to have to put on a swimming suit and I will be too pale and fat.
2. I have no students around to get my mind off my own problems and I miss them!!
3. I have too many plans and not enough time or money to do any of them!
4. Work is boring in the summer and I don't feel productive enough.
5. Did I mention Ellie is gone?

So anyway, that's my whine session! yay!

This past weekend my sister Sam, Paul, and I went to a little party with an old high school friend. We hadn't seen this guy in 14 years!! He's been pretty far away. It was weird though. I didn't have anything in common with him anymore and he had all these other buddies there who wanted to drink and jam by the fire. Not our thing. I don't do either.
It was kinda disappointing.
On the other hand, Paul's friend Joey came along with his wife, Tyla and his parents and we had a lot of fun even though I had to work and didn't get to play with them as much. It was the third weekend in a row we got to see the Waxters (Joey's parents) and that made it that much more fun!!

Pretty soon our family is growing...woah woah woah...I am not pregnant or anything! But Paul's brother, Matthew is coming to live with us now that he is home from his mission. This will be interesting. Maybe he and Sam will help each other to be more social...or maybe they will at least have each other to be antisocial with!! ha ha ha!!

I am excited because this weekend we are going to D.C. and staying with Holly and Ben Burningham...They are SOOOO much fun! and we get to hang out with Derek and Cheryl Maggard a little bit while we are up there. We are going to the temple and to a Nationals game and we're going to watch the fireworks from the Mall!! Woo-hoo! Friday cannot get here soon enough!

Southern Virginia University earns Director's Cup from USCAA

Here is a picture of me with some of my fellow coaches this summer. We got our picture taken for the SVU blog because we earned points towards winning the director's cup in the USCAA. That's the athletic association for small colleges that we belong to. My cross-country teams were both 2nd at the national meet this year and so we earned the most points for the school.

A few pictures! Miraculously (thanks to Coleen)

Here's a picture from a couple months ago when Paul and I spent the day up at Appomattox Courthouse. Paul really loves history so he is always wanting to go visit historical sites. He prefers battlefields, so this was a compromise.

Here are some pictures of a recent weekend when Mom and Dad visited us. We went to a place called Goshen and had a nice cookout. My neice, Maddy spent the school year with Mom and Dad. She is 15 now and Ellie is 10 but they get along really well.
Here is Paul, me, Dad, Mom, and Jeremy. We are sitting around doing what we do. nothing.
Sometimes Charlie lets me hold him and doesn't cry immediately...give him time. I make him cranky for some reason.
Look at his face...He's just waiting to burst into tears again!!
This is a nice shot of Ellie holding Charlie. This was at our house later that same day.

North Carolina

We got to go to North Carolina the last two weekends. Paul's brother, Matthew (known in our house as "THE FOO" just got home from his 2 year mission in Omaha, Nebraska. Ellie and I were really excited to finally meet him as he is Paul's only brother and left just before Paul and I met. I took some pictures but had a computer gliche and can't get them downloaded. We were really lucky and Paul's old stake president let us stay at his lake house where Ellie and I enjoyed a little swimming. Apparently the McKinney men don't care much for the water!!
This past weekend we went without Ellie because she has gone to spend the summer months with her Dad who recently moved to Arizona. She is excited about it especially because there is a swimming pool across the street from their new house.
Anyway, Paul's friend, Joey and his wife, Tyla were in town and we got to spend a fun two days with them. We hiked up a trail to a waterfall and I almost stepped on a copperhead. I did a little dance when they told me!! Not a happy dance, but rather a scaredy-cat dance.
We got fed a TON of yummy food and visited Paul's home ward. We skipped Sunday School to catch up with old friends. I felt a little guilty except the bishop and stake president were right there skipping with us!! Hopefully I can figure out how to put the pictures up soon!!

Graduation...FINALLY

When I entered my "last" semester at JMU, I never expected an additional 10 years before I finally got my bachelor's degree, but that is exactly what happened. I found out I was pregnant with Ellie about 3 weeks into the semester and had to take a medical withdrawal. I pass out every time I puke and I puked A LOT. Anyway, we moved so that my ex could finish his school and I didn't go to school again till we divorced. I took a semester of classes at a community college but I didn't really know what I needed to take and then I got remarried and quit again. Finally I enrolled again with an online program, but weeks before it was starting, I found out my husband wanted a divorce and I had to start working full-time (for the first time ever). Two years after that, I was determined to finish that darn degree so I decided to go to Southern Virginia University since it was a small school and my brother lived nearby. 3 semesters and look how happy I am!! That's one of my best friends, Holly. Now my goal is to get Paul finished too!

a post is a post no matter how small

Blogging is not my forte. Reading other peoples' blogs is definitely more fun. And I am terrible at taking pictures. That's my apology.
Paul and I moved into a new ward and new town recently. It' s only 15 minutes from Buena Vista, but we are really enjoying Lexington. One of the first things we did was plan a party. We invited a few friends and Paul really got excited about hosting "Olympic" events. He handcrafted a ping pong table out of plywood, screws, and green paint. He put up a dart board and he forced us to eat twizzlers faster than our buddies. Look at his crazy clothes!! What a nut-job. I did help though. I ate all the chocolate that went into the candy wrapper medals. I also did an ear-splitting rendition of the star-spangled banner. They let me finish singing the whole song. My family never allows that kind of behavior.

I have been running my pre-season Cross-country camp this week (and will continue for another week and a half). It's always nerve-wracking to meet the new athletes. First of all, some of them come with parents and I hate meeting parents. I am afraid they might notice what a novice I am. But even more than meeting parents, the worst fear is that some new recruit will be very unlikeable and difficult to get along with. I am pretty accepting, but in the past I have dealt with some REALLY challenging personalities. Thankfully, this year's crop seems totally easy. We did a few cool things even though the weather didn't fully cooperate. Yesterday we went to Panther Falls. Paul came along and was a little disappointed that the "falls" was nothing more than a local swimming hole!! Ha ha ha...gotta love Buena Vista!
Ellie has been with her Dad this month and I have only gotten to speak to her twice in the last 2 weeks!! I miss her! Luckily there are only 2 more weeks till she is home and school starts!! I start before she does, but thank heavens this will be my last semester!!

I think blogging every six months is almost adequate! no i don't. But I am turning over a new leaf...or at least re-turning the same leaf and trying again. So...I got married May 23rd 2008. It was the world's smallest and most cost-effective wedding ever conceived. We did it at the BV courthouse in front of 6 people...my mom, my daughter, my brother Jer and his wife Coleen, and 2 friends who just happened to get sucked into the "let's go get married this week" excitement...Jonathon and Lyndsey Fox.

work and happiness

So life just keeps moving along and I am really happy these days. It isn't so much that any great things have happened or that I am finding great joy in any particular thing, but I feel like I am traveling towards my goals and just experiencing joy in the journey!! My fiance, Paul is between jobs. He was able to move up here to Virginia finally, but is still waiting on little things like getting his internet hooked up before he can start working...he's a freight broker and will be working from home. Anyway he is so bored being unable to work that it's driving him crazy!! It makes me think about how lucky I am to be busy. I am always happiest when I am able to feel like I have gotten something done at the end of a day.