Big month

In March, I will be doing a great deal of traveling. I will go to California with Curtis and to Pennsylvania to see my family for Ava's first birthday. I am getting VERY excited. I just cannot wait.

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Three Years.... with a bright future.

On Saturday it was three years since Curt and I for our first date. It's hard to imagine that it's only been three years. I feel like we have gone through so many experiences together.

When we met, we both were in a place where we didn't want to rush into another bad relationship - but were pressured to get out there and at least date. He and I spent the first three months of our relationship acting like we weren't in a relationship. We kept talking about how we had to take it slow, how we weren't really dating just waiting to see where things would go.

Then one day, I realized that it wasn't just hanging out to me anymore. I was starting to really care about this guy. At first I was worried because we were just friends. I didn't want to mess up a friendship with a silly crush. I knew well before we admitted it that we were dating and that we were very happy together.

He said "I love you" for the first time on my sister's birthday June 10, 2009 ... almost 6 months after our first date. It was so very special.  He used to leave messages on our scrabble board for me to find after he had left.

My grandmother, Irene, came for a visit. We went to the lake for Labor Day weekend. On September 7, 2009, he was so nervous and asked me in the morning to go for a walk that evening - I knew he was about to propose. The entire day I was super excited. I even told my gram that I was pretty sure he was proposing that night. I was right!

In November 2009, he moved to Rock Port and I moved into his house. I was still teaching in Kansas City until the end of May, so I was left in the city as he started a new life in small town NWMO. He moved in with family for a few months before moving into the apartment in Rock Port. He loved his development job, so I moved up with him in June.

July 24, 2010 - we got married! While it rained on our wedding day, it was beautiful! I loved it. We honeymooned in Ethel, MO at a super cute renovated school house.

We figured out a routine in Rock Port and found out what life as a married couple was really like. We have had so much fun together and I am so thankful for this man.

I love you, Curtis Addison Spencer!

Christmas 2011

This year Curtis and I went to Pennsylvania to see my side of the family for Christmas. We caught a flight on Christmas Eve at 6 a.m. - Thanks again to Shawn Henderson for taking us at such an early hour. You rock, dude. Also, a big thank you to Mario for keeping our PUPPERS!

Saturday, December 24th - CHRISTMAS EVE:

Ava didn't remember Curt and I, however, she is such a lovable little lady that she quickly accepted our place in her life. She LOVED Curt's whisker kisses. lol SO cute.

Ava and Mommy

Mom made steaks for dinner Christmas Eve, DELICIOUS!

 There are some LARGE gifts under this tree!

Grandma Char is gonna get Ava!

Bouncy, Bouncy.

If Krystal didn't do it fast enough, Ava would start bouncing on her own.

Okay, so I take this and tear it? Can't I just play with the paper?

Sunday, December 25th - CHRISTMAS:

Christmas morning. I love Violet!

Mom almost didn't see that she got $$$ on the outside of her present.
Krystal had to point it out, super funny. 

Ava's sleepy.

Ava loves the camera!

Great Grandma Irene and Ava!

Four Generations

Charlotte (Grandmother), Krystal (mother), Irene (Great Grandmother)

Ava (super cute)

Ava loves playing with Grandma

Monday, December 26th:

We spend the entire day with my brother, Pat. He came up to pick us up, we went down to Titusville for lunch. The boys wanted chinese, so I conceded. It's always hard to eat chinese being gluten intolerant, but it was a buffet - I ate salad, fruit, a couple "chinese" items and drank my favorite hot tea.

Then we went over to Pat's to watch movies. We watched Rango - great movie!!! I didn't have any idea what to expect, but it was cute. I fell asleep while they watched Open Season 3. I wanted to see that movie, but it was a great afternoon anyway! ;-)

We went up to mom's for dinner. Pork chops, gluten free macaroni and cheese, home-made applesauce, cottage cheese, and green beans! DELICIOUS!

Krystal had to work, so we didn't get to see her or Ava.

I love my husband!

Tuesdsay, December 27th:

Gram came up to visit after her doctor's appointment at about 11. We left about 12:30 to go to Arby's and a movie. We went to Cranberry Mall, which is so small these days. It saddens me when businesses close.  We watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It was a good movie. It is clear that Tom Cruise is getting older, he takes far fewer risks in his actions these days. He almost seemed tame in this movie. It wasn't as action packed as we expected, but we liked the movie.

We rushed home for dinner with the family before Ashley arrived. 

It was so nice to visit with Ashley, I missed her so much. She is such a great young lady. I'm so thankful for such a wonderful family. Ash stayed for a couple hours before going home. 

I added this one because she is just so pretty!

Aunt Leen, can you please pick me up?

Curt and I... geeks!

Wednesday, December 28th:

We woke to a couple inches of snow. It was beautiful. It continued to snow most of the day, which was fantastic. I loved it! We went back up to Cranberry with Krystal, Ava and Pat. We found some pretty good deals at Ollies, then met up with Katie and Ashley for dinner at Bob Evans! 

We went back to mom's and spent a little more time with Ava before they had to go home. 

Aunt Leen loves her niece Ava (and visa versa)! 

Check out the shirt ;-)

Uncle Curtis and Ava

Uncle Curtis, bouncy bouncy!

Peek-a-boo!

Thursday, December 29th:

We got up at 5:30 and were out the door by 6 a.m. - however, we had some car problems and didn't actually leave until 6:30 a.m.  The roads were snow-covered from the day before; however, they were clear enough for safe driving. Gram and Mom dropped us off at the airport - we boarded and make it to Cleveland and Kansas City with no problems.

When we got back to KC, we had to find our car. That was fun. Mario had sent us a text after he took it to parking for us. It took us 20 minutes to find that darn car, though. His directions were perfectly clear, we just didn't understand them. lol. We couldn't wait to see our puppers!

We went over to Carol's to spend the night. We went out to dinner with them at 54th Street Bar and Grill. There is just something comforting about greasy bar food. lol We stayed at Carol and Ed's for 2 days before heading up to Shenandoah, IA.

Saturday, December 31st:

We dropped our dogs off at the puppy sitter - a student keeps them for us! It's great.  Then drove up to Shen to meet up with everyone. The hotel was a crappy hotel with poor service, but we had a great time! We ate, played pitch, and just plain enjoyed life! It was wonderful.  We had "christmas" since we hadn't been here to exchange gifts. Our family is extremely generous. Curt and I felt like we had received way more than we needed --- thank you all so very much. The pool wasn't working, so Shelby had to "swim" in the heart shaped hot tub! She didn't seem to mind, though. LOL. I wish I had taken pictures!

Curt and I wish you a very happy new year. We love you all so very much!

Birthday Weekend

We have had a great weekend. We drove down to Kansas City Friday night to meet the family for a late birthday dinner for Jerry at LoneStar. Curt and I had delicious steaks, baked potato, and I had broccoli.

Shelby is four now and full of energy and a ton of fun. She is really growing up. It is nice to be able to communicate with her. She has so many great thoughts going on in that bran of hers. She is just soooo cute.

On Saturday, we went to breakfast with Mom and Dad Spencer at Corner Cafe in Riverside. I order a Gringo Omlette. It was spicy and wonderful. Curt ordered a medium order of biscuits and gravy, but it could have fed the whole table. He ate all but a bite or two. Craaazy.

We met up with Cara, Jerry and Shelby to exchange birthday gifts. We gave Jerry some smoker spices and hickory briquettes. Curt got a nice sweater, a new (old) phone, a pair of shoes, The Day After Tomorrow blueray and airplane tickets to PA! Charleen got a candle, breadmaker and some gluten free bread mixes and a plane ticket to PA. Curt and I have not exchanged gifts, yet.

It is both a blessing and a curse to have four birthdays from November 25th - December 28th, not to mention Christmas.

Thanks-giving

This year, we had much to be thankful for. We are extremely grateful for friends and family who are always there to support us in times of need.


We are thankful for many things:

1. Both of us have jobs we love
2. We have two absolutely amazing puppers
3. We are deeply in-love with each other
4. We have supportive friends and family
5. I have had successful laser-hair removal treatments
6. I am beginning the weight-loss journey
7. We have a roof over our head
8. We have stability
9. We are success at work
10. We have warm weather in November
11. We have great cars
12. I'm excited for our upcoming PA visit.

We had a wonderful thanksgivings weekend with the Spencer side of the family. It was wonderful.

It would my first Thanksgiving as a Gluten-free person. It wasn't as difficult as I had imagined it to be. Many of the foods were prepred without wheat, flour, and gluten for me. We spent the time at the lake house. We spent time with Carol and Ed; Cara, Jerry, Dustin and Shelby; and Grandma Betty and Peg. It was great.

We, of course, played lots of PITCH! I had one day where I was on the winning team for EVERY game; then the next day, I was on the losing team for EVERY game. Yeah, it was interesting. :O) It's such a fun game, I'm glad I learned how to play.

We made "TURKEY'S" and "Pilgrim's Hat's" for fun.  Ours were a little different to ensure the gluten free aspect, but they were essentially this look. It was pretty fun.

 

Here were the pilgrim hats that Carol made:

Curt and I are competing to see who can read the Fallen series by Lauren Kate first. We have both read Fallen and are now reading Torment. They are good reads. The competition isn't necessary, but fun.

An update

We have had extremely busy lives these last few months. It seems that we are always on the go - without much to show for it.

Charleen Teaching:

My second year at Tarkio High School is exceptional. I absolutely love my jobs. My students constantly challenge and motivate me. I appreciate their hard work and strength. It's amazing the difference a year makes in the relationships in the building. Students already know what to expect from me and they "think" they have me all figured, which makes them behave in a very different way. It's hard to explain, but if you are an educator, you understand.

This year I took on the JH Cheer sponsor position, which has kept me exceptionally busy. Football season wasn't nearly as hectic as basketball season since there weren't as many games. We have so many basketball games that we get in about one practice a week. It shows, too. The girls were doing very well, but without practices, the are beginning to struggle. I can see a direct correlation. We have such an amazing team, I am thankful for these 5 young ladies.

Curtis Programming:

Curtis LOVES his work. He is successful and really understands his projects, which makes his day more enjoyable. I'm grateful for this. He has been there since November of 2009, so it's coming up on 2 years of working with this company. I'm glad that he is happy there. He has gotten several promotions and has worked hard to earn every one. He is a great web programmer.

Missing Family:

We rarely get to see family much living here in NWMO. It's hard sometimes, because honestly, we don't really have many friends here yet. I have lived here for a year, but people are not really as open as I thought they would be. They have their friends and family and don't seem to be all that interested in getting to know anyone new. Curt is very shy, which makes people unsure sometimes. I wish everyone could see how amazing he is!

Laser Hair Removal:

I have now had 4 of the 6 treatments and have noticed significant changes in hair growth. I am feeling extremely happy and confident with the progress. I know that people still judge me when they see it, but I also know that it is not who I am. This is a new revelation for me, honestly. I struggled trying to overcompensate for this hideous part of my life, but honestly, I wish I had realized that it really doesn't matter what others think of your appearance - what matters is how you behave.

Family Planning:

Curtis and I are still unsure of what our future holds in this department. We are discussing the possibility of starting a family, but have not decided how quickly we want that to happen. We are both very happy with our life together right now. Bringing a baby into the mix will change the dynamics completely - in so many wonderful ways - we just want to make sure we are ready to move into that next chapter.

Many Upcoming Decisions:

Carol is retiring in December of 2013, which gives Curtis and I a year to decide what we are going to do about the house in Kansas City. It could become a rental property, but we aren't prepared financially for a renter to completely take us to the cleaner and even when someone seems to be a perfect fit, it might not work out. We are open to many possibilities right now, though.

Education:

I am planning to go back to school to get my masters degree. I have been toying with the idea for quite some time, but I think we are finally in a position where I could begin to take classes without too much interference.

Holidays:

We are going to spend Thanksgiving with the Spencer side of the family at the lake. We are very much looking forward to 5 days of relaxing!

We are going to spend Christmas with the McCrea side of the family. We are flying into PA Christmas Eve and leaving the 29th. We will then spend New Year's Eve with the Spencer clan. Busy holidays, but I am VERY much looking forward to seeing my niece Ava.

My Niece:

Ava has gotten so big and I can't believe how much of her life I am missing. I wish I could see her more often. This three times a year thing is for the birds; however, short of moving to PA, this is the way it has to be. I guess she is beginning to talk and get her teeth. She is crawling like a mad-woman, too! Can't wait to see her in 5.5 weeks!!!

We LOVE and MISS family and friends who we don't see as often as we'd like. We are forever grateful for you and for your love.