good bye 2009

2009 has been good to us. so much happened and to think one year ago we had NO IDEA that any of it was on the horizon... here is our lyrical reflection.

What a difference a day made

Twenty-four little hours

Brought the sun and the flowers

Where there used to be rain

Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof

And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fire-proof

Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah

On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun

(Under the boardwalk) we'll be havin' some fun

(Under the boardwalk) people walking above

(Under the boardwalk) we'll be failing in love

Under the board-walk (board-walk!)

Night swimming deserves a quiet night

The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,

Turned around backwards so the windshield shows

Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse

Still, it's so much clearer

I forgot my shirt at the water's edge

The moon is low tonight

(chip sings here)but there is one thing i haven't done saved 2 months,

bought a little diamond tonight's the night,

feels like perfect timin' down on one knee on momma's front steps man,

i'm gonna die if she really says yes I wanna know how forever feels

Goin' to the chapel and we're Gonna get married Goin' to the chapel and we're Gonna get married Gee, I really love you and we're Gonna get married Goin' to the chapel of love

Drive until the city lights

Dissolve into a country sky

Me and you

Lay underneath the Georgia moon

Do all the things that lovers do

Just me and you

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

Here is to you and yours on the Eve of 2010... Champagne Wishes, Black Eyed Peas and Turnip Green Dreams!

mary margaret armistead

WELCOME SISTER

GOD has so much for you precious little one. i cannot wait to meet you. i think chip was ready to jump in the car late last night/early this morning. we are so excited you are here! they ("scientists/doctors) say you can only see black and white but i do not believe them so i am sending you the girlfriend dance in honor of your GRAND ARRIVAL. please save some hugs for me... i will be there really soon!


courtney and jimmy... CONGRATULATIONS!


love


june june

Welcome Christmas Please Stay a While

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas

The Gift of a Blog.

Dearest Evie-

Your words are a great gift.

Thank you.

Love,

June

http://www.eviecoates.blogspot.com

feeling 3 but i am 31

so in the past few weeks in preparation to move, marry and become a mrs. i have felt 3... but i am 31. this picture sums up my emotions... big stacks of boxes all around me full of important things me sitting on the floor next to them trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

why is this?

i am the luckiest girl in the world...

last night on the one month marker to our wedding... chip threw down all the cards and cooked a feast for me. he has cooked before and it has been dang good but this time he threw it all out there... first of all it was a surprise... when i called to see what he was feeling like for dinner he said ... i got it.

he grilled salmon, fried oysters, boiled shrimp and made a delicious rice concoction. WOW! he broke out the candles ... music... and had the sweetest card for me... ALL OF THIS ... why you must be thinking... did you get into an argument... NO ... simply because he loves me.

i cannot wait to be sarah june thomas... and to my students that McThomas.

The Key of the Greater Work

"...I say to you, he who believes in Me,... greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." - John 14:12

Prayer does not equip us for greater works- prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God's work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God.

What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

-Oswald Chambers

So last night we purchased "our" first refrigerator. I would like to thank the kind people at HHGreg. As of yesterday I had never dawned the doors... but last night I BECAME A FAN.

Crushed Ice anyone?

thank you Johnathan

i would like to take this moment in time to thank johathan at william-sonoma. he took charge of my registry and DID THE THING... i was wiped out from class and had 1/2 a brain cell left and he took the bull by the horns. he asked the best questions and i might just add him to the list of bridesmaids. he would look great in burnished olive...

burnished olive

Bridesmaid dress ordered, delivered and delivered again. Woohoo!

to do list

at this point has been reduced to a variety of to do lists. today i am celebrating checking off ordering wedding invitations as well as about 5 large confidential to dos at work... whew...

i am also celebrating 9.9.09 ... thanks to kelley and courtney i have come to celebrate number patterns in life.

now if i can just get through this research paper i will be on top of my game.

duck race update

neither chip nor i won the duck races; however it was a lovely day on the river... complete with family, fish fry, caramel cake, and bluegrass.

as the wedding draws closer each day i realize different things along the way... today i realize that my family is multiplying. heritage is a beautiful thing but what sinks in even more deeply is the heritage that we are given as children of GOD... it is breath taking, rich, eternal, life changing... perfect!

Exodus 14:14

The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.

duck races

so chip and i are headed down south this weekend... to a soiree of sorts THE DUCK RACES.

i am excited... our ducks are GOING TO WIN! (i mean you can definitely control that rubber yellow form that makes bath time fun for children around the world... ) GOOD NEWS everyone wins something but the big winner takes home like 1000 dollars!

the festivities include live music and a fish fry as well as hundreds of your closest hometown friends by your side for the day. i think it is the perfect solution to this first day of vacation post the start of school. i am excited to remember that what a day of NO labor feels like... it has been a rough few weeks! Happy NO laboring and may the BEST duck win!

etymology of engaged

we are studying etymologies in my classroom. i am have chosen the word ENGAGED due to recent changes of status.

word: engaged
origin: 1430 Old French en gage
original meaning: under pledge
break down: en = make gage = pledge

the history of the word is much more clear than other words like "teddy bear" resulting from teddy bear ...

at any rate i am engaged and so happy to be marrying such a wonderful man. the process is enjoyable in most parts, uncharted in many and COMICAL in others... i am choosing laughter!

i am thinking that for the next few months my blog will either exist of funny stories or not at all...

i am a geek... i am a freak... i am a middle school teacher.

so i am suppose to have 1.5 more weeks left in my summer but this summer continues to put me in classes, courses, and meetings for my masters or for school... either way it is all for school.

i have been b*&^% about it all lately but last night i realized that in 2.5 weeks i will have a new set of students sitting in desks anticipating all that will happen this year... some what they will learn others more socially focused on what will happen... either way it is going to commence and i am excited.

in the last week i have started to have bits of excitement well up within me about the 180 days of learning that are in front of me for the 2009-2010 school year. i am particularly excited about teaching 2 intense reading courses. lessons and activities are swarming in my head.

i am a geek... i am a freak... i am a middle school teacher.

back from the beach

i am back from 9 days at the beach.

life is good.

summer is a blessing.

2 more weeks until back to work.

i am still love with a MAN i call chip.

i never knew it could physically hurt to be away from a man for 4 days.

two words icy hot... it sooths a sore heart or just makes your chest burn so that you forget momentarily about the pain.

spoiled

i have been thinking how lucky we are to live in a free country where we are generally safe and have options everyday! happy fourth of july friends!

chip gave me 12 beautiful roses this week and a fish named Samson (pictures to follow) this week... and this weekend he is taking me down south ... to swim in the healing waters... drive the country roads... and pick the wild roses.

spoiled... BUT THANKFUL!

swimming hole

i love the water... a pool... puddle... lake... ocean... sea... bathtub... swimming hole...

the summer of 2009 has officially been the summer of l the lake and swimming hole. with noodle under arm and granny's beach blanket in hand it quenches the desire that occurs daily but can only be satisfied fully on a summer afternoon.

just another reason i love chip... he loves the water too... so i don't have to go alone any more.

GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS!

a tribute to chips birth!

i would like to take a moment and thank Sandra and Earl for bringing my Chip into this world.

it is a crazy world and i am blessed to have sweet manly(and handsome) chip by my side.

happy birthday CHIP!

(chanukah style)

Presents for the birthday boy...

original miscellany

flip flops

bass pro gift card

beef jerky

Pre-birthday date

A birthday date to the aquarium and dinner at park tavern.

Oh the places you go... the people you see...

Atlanta has got to be in the top 10 cities for people watching.

summer schedule established... is is possible

is it possible to establish a schedule during the summer... do i even want to... would it bring me peace of mind. for this week yes. this week there are some MUST DOs on my TO DO list. so i am currently in the office until 1:00pm when i go to the dermatologist. i will be working to complete my research paper entitled UNDERSTANDING TEACHING AND ASSESSING REASONING. it is going to be pulitzer prize winning... possibly caldecott material...

one more day...

when the school bell rings tomorrow and the kids run out... papers flying behind them... with their hands waving in the air... it will be official. SUMMER 2009 will COMMENCE!

BRING IT! i am soooo ready for the break that is hours away... two months of bliss... birds chirping... coffee drinking... freedom... art class... friends... travel... the beach...REST!

this also means more time with chip. all of the things above will be enhanced... highlighted... sweetened... added to... because GOD is just that GOOD and the blessing and addition of CHIP makes everything a new experience.

thankful

as the a year of many tornados and blessings comes to a close....

(i mark the calendar by school year as i am a school teacher)

i am thankful...

thankful for the students that the LORD entrusted to me for the year...

thankful for the LORDS guidance and provisions...

(dad got another clear PET scan... )

thankful that he has given me a man who knows how to love me because he has been he has known the love of the LORD.

thankful for the church home and community that GOD has given me...

thankful for EWAN'S message of FINDING REST IN THE LORD...

(i pray that i will see how this should play out...)

I WILL FIND REST IN GOD ALONE. HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES ME HOPE.

psalm 62.5

truth

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,

but only God, who makes things grow.
1 Corinthians 3:7

i'm in love i'm in love and i don't care who knows...

in true buddy the elf fashion i must confess that it is true...

i am in love and i don't care who knows!

more to follow but it is a full time experience... so many details may one day be told in retrospect....

Spring Break 09: Day 10 EASTER

Spring Break 09: Day 9

day 9 took care of my taxes. whewwwwwww

it also brought great weather after the storm and more HIKING with sister and mom.

good family time and a great nights rest!

Spring Break 09: Day 8

this is my park... the variety of trails that are offered here

leave something for everyone on every kind of

occasion. yesterday was a lazy stormy friday...

i got to spend it with my dear friend chip... between storms

we went on a hike i found
expected yet unexpected bliss...

Spring Break 09: Day 7

day 7 brought me good sleep... until 10 am that is.

it also brought me lunch with eliza my college roommate... we went to yo burrito one of my favorite college restaurants... FISH TACOS... yum! it was so good to have conversation and to see and here of the redemption that has occurred in our lives since OCTOBER when we were all in the mountains for a college reunion. a redeeming story is water to my soul.

day 7 also brought nice weather... a day at the beach and sun kissed skin. ahhh...

it also brought me HOME. safe and sound i sit at the kitchen table and bring to you the events of the past 24 hours...

it is now day 8 which brings a dermatologist appointment ... poor scheduling ... i am definitely going to get the sun screen ... umbrella ... long sleeves talk... NICE

Spring Break 09: Day 6

day 6 took me into the tank... i think i realized i was on vacation and my body wanted to reject that... so i started making todo lists... NASTY. after debriefing from the day with and giving up on TO DO's... margaret and i walked to bridge... ahh HEAVENLY... life seems more manageable up there.

we had dinner reservations at TRISTAN downtown... a sure way to make you feel on vacation. in dreaming of being a food critique i will give you my lofty ideas of our dinner last night... great location... the food was excellent.. the wine PERFECT... however TRISTAN lacks any personality. margaret nailed it when she said the furniture and over all aesthetics matched a cruise ship perfectly... the music was bothersome... i mean REAL AWFUL... the visual and auditory component of a dining establishment set the tone. TRISTAN has no tone and no personality. the good news is margaret and i can make fun happen just about anywhere... so we went with it on our faux alaskan cruise.

margaret of course helped me to see the larger picture of vacation and where i am in ALL of it. thank you margie for the sound advice and perspective.

it takes a village to raise a child... i mean person.

Spring Break 09: Day 5

santis = bliss... so much more happend but santis changed my world.

Spring Break 09: Day 4

day four in bulleted form...

woke up at 5
went back to sleep at 7
woke up at 10
read
drank coffee
read some more
emailed a friend
hung out with ryan and anna
went to the beach
painted
took a nap in a green field... "he makes me lie down in green pastures"
had a home made black bean cake and pint of Newcastle

pillow talk with allison
margie allison and i walked 6 miles or so... WOW... took in the daily beauty of
mt.pleasant
famished margaret and i made it to POE'S on Sullivan's for some serious NOURISHMENT
we returned home to boil eggs for her class
talked with chip
showered
fell asleep mid conversation with friends

Spring Break 09: Day 3

day three delivered as well. turned music up and sang off balcony while... packing, cleaning, and tying up loose ends.i walked maggie and drank a cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice on the porch.

i leisurely loaded up the car... popped in my latest spring break mix entitled CHUCK TOWN SPRING BREAK 2009 ... and headed to charleston. i had alot to sort through as i drove but contiously avoided it but talking on the PHONE about 4 of the 4.5 hours.... MARGARET and ALLISON got my verbal diarriah later...

well i arrived in charleston meeting anxious to spend time with allison (funny she also lives in atlanta... but because life has been so crazy latley we have not seen each other... but spring break 09 will fix that). i powdered my nose and jumped in her car and we headed downtown to go to BASIL... mmm PAD THAI ... yUm! the best part was that there was a wait so we walked down to a little bar that was having a great HaPpY hOuR and sat in the window (SITTING IN WINDOW = GOOD PEOPLE WATCHING... i love sitting in the window ... i love people watching). margie/margaret met up with us as well as their old friend/my new friend FRAN. dinner was GREAT full of fun FRIENDS, engaging STORIES and delicious FOOD.

to top it off... margaret made fresh BROWNIE sundays with BREYERS mint chocolate chip ice cream... the brownies were still warm... YUM! the GLORY of SUNDAYS and the gracious joy the LORD gives us on this day to BREAK the FAST. he also gave me margie and allison... who post brownies in true slumber party fashion... helped me begin to sort through some of my thoughts and mental preoccupations.

it may not be a tropical spring break but it has been and i hope it continues to be a break full of reconnection and restoration.

Spring Break 09: Day 2

so i meant to update the blog last night on day two of spring break... but on the occasion that the weather was so UNBELIEVABLE i spent all day gallivanting and the day two edition of spring break 2009 was put on hold.

i woke up early ... FINALLY watched the new MY BOYS that i had on the DVR from last tuesday... GREAT SHOW... i think it is going to be a promising season. then i did something every american should do ... I GOT A LIBRARY CARD. over the last 8 months i had totally forgotten just how great the library is... i checked out books on cd for the road trip... two mindless novels and two cook books. i then felt like i should celebrate so i booked it to get a diet cherry limeade... ahhh the taste of spring and summer.

i followed this up with a solid walk and sitting on the front porch. i thought it could not get any better than this... but it did. i had a great evening with a friend who is growing quite dear to me... dinner, great conversation, a little comedy... and some good times
i finished it off by walking maggie in the perfect evening spring time weather, debriefing LIFE with courtney and jimmy, and catching the last few minutes of BABY MAMA...

SPRING BREAK 2009 is NOT disappointing.

Spring Break 09: Day 1

the glorious break that occurs in the spring has commenced!

last night was the first full night of sleep i have had in the last 3 weeks. to much work and excitement to keep me down for 8 hours. the better part was that i woke up naturally at 7. i love waking up naturally and i love not wasting my day in bed. it is a good feeling to be out and about doing the things that are often daydreams during work. so i went and worked out ... followed by an hour massage and breakfast at waffle house with mom and dad.

i cannot promise that there will be airbrushed t-shirts this year but i can promise ... good people... good food... a good book and ... a good time.

TBC...

they passed

huck and tom passed

on

3.18.2009

(the BEST class goldfish)

time to move out...

so... my niece banks (5) and nephew hutch (18mos) are in town and we are having a blast.

yesterday the sign came down from GOD that it is time to move out when... banks asked my mom (nana) if she ever left me at home alone...?

after 11 years of independence followed by 8 months of living at home ... it is time!

off to search for an apartment...

class pet

so yesterday when i went to walmart to get some more theraflu i picked up two class pets.

________________ and ______________ they don't have names yet... i am guessing i will let my students do the naming???

Am I... will I be Al Pacino in this scenario?

so i saw he's just not that into you tonight. i expected to cozy up with shin guards and helmet and see a flick that berated girls and women for the actions we take when we like/obsess over a guy. however, i found balance... a great balancing act of the reality of love/cultural norms mixed with all the freaky emotions and stalking that goes on...

it was like debbie downer meets jeff arch and nora ephron (writers/producers of sleepless in seattle). i feel like it might have actually gotten close to capturing a romantic comedy in the light of reality but without abandoning the magic of motion pictures.

it is not as profound (also heavy or gut digging) as the painted veil which you must see if you have not... but on the pop culture side of things it gets the job done.

hair product

so i need a new hair product to aid me on the days when i let my hair go curly... the current product i am using claims it will not make your hair crunchy... but what it doesn't tell you is that it makes your hair REAL oily. i feel trapped by my hair.

theraflu, pops, and sunshine

yesterday i wandered to publix... not sure i would make it there... picked up the first box that hinted a relief for any one symptom... theraflu and a big box of popsicles... ate the popsicles first then took the theraflu... passed out... woke up feeling better but not great... the sun was shining so i did a little porch sitting... my dad came and joined me ... and i have to say for the first time in the past 4 days i am feeling like i am on the road to victory over this thing we call the flu.

woohoo!

the flu has moved into my body...

ouch... the flu has moved into my body and i want out. it hurts everywhere... everywhere... my jaw... knees... neck... shins... hair... ouch.

daytime tv that i often dream about being home and cozy to watch ... is NOT all that good. it the same $#*! different hour throughout the morning and early afternoon.

bothered

a country of my own...

post thad cockrell show a week ago i have not been able to get these lyrics out of my mind... what a comfort and exciting adventure...

i've been searching for a country of my own
when i see her face i know i'll finally be home
full of mystery and kept surprises
a vast expanse a rich man pays between she sympathises
looking for a country of my own

i've been searching for a place that i might stand
i've been looking for a promised land
i've been shouting from the mountain top
but the frequencies are jammed
i've been searching for a place that i might stand

but when i am asked about this situation
of where it is i've been and where i'm bound
i've got no home i've got no home
but i've got a destination

i've been searching for a country of my own
i've been looking for a place that ill never feel alone
everyday is met with new horizons
a city where you meet no strangers a place you need no home
i'm just searching for a country of my own

when i'm asked about this situation
of where it is i've been and where i'm bound
i've got no home i've got no home i've got no home
but i've got a destination

coming up for air...

post moving back to georgia... i been unable to come up for air ... check out what really goes on and get into the world of music and concerts... so this thursday marks the end of that season... and a launching into the season of exploring these different niches in atlanta...

i also will be starting my masters in about 16ish days... i am ready to don the backpack and hit the books. i will be studying technology... making robots and programing things... learning the business side of things and enhancing the educational side too. let the school bell ring.

A Weekend With friends and family ...

a few from the houses/tree house where my mom grew up...



my maxine... she looks great and is doing better than ever... besided the huge void of my grandfather (maxine, me)

an old fashion girls friend ... three generations (me, winnie, mom)

oh my winnie ... such a fixture of knowledge (winnie and mom)



Such a dear friend...


mom's godmother, grey (grey, mom)

a weekend with June's best friend is on the horizon...

so this weekend i will be headed to spend the weekend with my grandmothers very best friend, winnie. i have been hoping for this weekend ... well just about all my life.

winnie is a kindred spirit... while she is fully in her 80s i believe she would do just about anything still... she still lives on the lake down from the house my mom grew up in. i mean so much nostalgia I MIGHT JUST explode.

most importantly she loved my grandmother june for whom i am named after. while i was just 1 when she passed away i have been told my entire life that i remind people of her.

both of these women were bold and great women of there times and winnie has continued to be relevant and not lose her character and womenly nature.

I AM SO EXCITED!

more to follow...

new year ... new workout...

so i have been a usually at the gym here in God's Country... aka dacula for the past few months... sometimes hitting up a spin class or doing the pre-cor con revista o libro (with a magazine or book)...

BUT today on the kick of of TOUGH $#@*... i decided it would also be the day for BOOTCAMP. WOW... i currently cannot move my body because of EXHAUSTION... i think this is going to be a great class but it is definitly going to rocky at the start...

the instuctor said walking in the door was the hardest step... i beg to differ... the monkey drills... 400 + squats... and weight lifting are a sure contradiction to that statement.

here is to 2009.