August...No more summer :(

So, I've reached that point in the year where my summer comes to an end, and it's time to get ready for the fast-paced life & career I chose. I feel almost depressed this time around... I feel like I got a lot of things accomplished, except I DIDN'T get around to catching up with too many friends like I would've liked to have done. So, now I've just decided that I'm no longer going to use the excuses of "I'm tired" or "I've got a contest tomorrow" or anything like that when parties or events come up. I'm just going to suck it up and have FUN for once with my FRIENDS!! lol

On a more positive note, it's "State year". To you non-band nerds out there, that means that both my husband's band and my high school feeder bands have the opportunity to compete at the state level this fall (it only happens every other year in the band world). I'm quite excited for both of these bands, as they both have had promising starts to the season already.

Oh, and I forgot to blog a while back on my BEAUTIFUL new blog design!! Thanks to Leah (my college roomate and life-long friend) for making it so special! She has now decided to transition this hobby into a business, so go visit her website: http://www.cutesieblogdesigns.blogspot.com/ & check it out!

More to come on my life (hopefully SOONER than later!)

Long time, no type!

Well, I've obviously had a busy time these past few months! Just to catch you up...

School finished up in early June, and my in-laws came in town the very next week. We had a lot of fun, however, it didn't help that I got sick AND I was on some fertility meds. We had about a week or two of me going to school and working in the office, and just doing things around the house. Then, Chris and I took our summer trip to see his family in St. Louis. We had a lot of fun this time! We had a family get-together at his parents' house, went to a Cardinals game (Chris is a HUUUUGE fan!), at some awesome frozen custard at the famous Ted Drewe's, and even went to a restaurant where local EMS & Firemen work on their "off days". It was VERY cool, to say the least. We also stocked up on some wine at 3 different Missouri wineries. If you've never done wine tasting, I HIGHLY recommend it! Now, we're back in town, July is in full swing, and I am noticing how quickly summer is passing me by!!

Chris and I just reached another milestone... Our 3rd anniversary was yesterday. He is so sweet about making this a special day every year. We wanted to do something fun, so we just went to Hurricane Harbor for most of the day. He rode the "scary" slide a few times (I of course watched), and we had a lot of fun in the sun! We ended up changing our dinner plans, because we had an NSU/DFW alumni meeting at a local restaurant. We decided to stay and enjoy our friends' company, which was a lot of fun!

I know I metioned the fertility meds earlier, but I didn't really say why... Well, I finally went to my doctor a few months ago, mostly because my sister Julie is having a lot of trouble getting pregnant (please pray for her!), and it turned out that my close friend Leah is starting to have the same issues (please pray for her too!!) After some blood tests, my doctor has determined that I don't ovulate. I'm troubled by this, mostly because before I was on birth control, I was ALWAYS "normal". Now, I'm slowly starting to worry (no matter how hard I try not to). So, my doctor put me on a low dose of a medication to help with this. I've only taken one round, and so far, it hasn't helped us get pregnant. I have high hopes that my doctor will help us with the best plan of action. Much more to come on this!!

Saying Goodbye...

Last week during school, I got a text message from my very best friend. Kelsey's been my best friend since 4th grade, so we've been through A LOT of good and bad times together... fortunately for us, they've been mostly GOOD times. This past week was one of those weeks that goes more into the "bad times' category.

She'd been helping take care of her father for the past year or so, and even more so for the past few months. When I received her text last Tuesday of her dad's passing, I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do, what to say, how to feel, how to support her, whether or not I should leave work right then... I didn't know this feeling at all, and needless to say, I didn't like it.

We had a band contest that day, so I left as soon as I could that evening & drove to Canton to visit with her and some of our closest friends. She was overwhelmingly strong, and again, I didn't know how to take it. Was I supposed to make her laugh, or help her cry out her feelings? She had a lot of anger towards her dad and the life they lived together... but I could tell she was finally starting to get over the anger, especially as we got closer to the day of the funeral.

We said goodbye to her dad on Saturday, and at the amount of guests, it was obvious that he had touched many people's lives. He was a coach for many years, so many co-workers, students, and friends came to say goodbye. I hadn't seen him in a while--I chose not to see him when he was so sick, even though I was always there to support his daugher. I wish I would've said goodbye to him while he was still alive. We had a lot of fun and happy memories from when we were younger. I pray that Kelsey, her mom, and her brother will all be able to forgive him for his mistakes, to remember the good times they all had together, and move on to a happier way of life.

Here's a picture of myself, Kelsey, and "Stan the Man" when we were in elementary school.

Goodbye Football/Marching Season!!

So, as you might have noticed, life got a little busy in the month of October! I've had a wonderful (and fast) start to the school year, and believe it or not, it feels like marching/football season flew by quickly this year. Here are some pics from the past several weeks...

Our flute playing mascot & myself

Teaching the band some cool dance moves in the stands

A few of our 7th grade clarinet girls

We also started a Coyle band tradition last year... Rene (my head director) came up with the idea to have a Rock band dance as a band fundraiser. Little did we know how big this would turn out! This year, we decided to have a 70's theme just before Halloween...

I'm loving my job, and even though it takes so much time out of my schedule, I'm so proud of my kids! I often don't stop to think about how lucky I am to have a good career, a good family, and a husband who loves me for who I am. Life sometimes gets overwhelming, but I love the great memories it brings! :)

Feeling the baby blues...

Ok, so Chris & I have been "not preventing pregnancy" for several months now, and still, no "happy surprises". I know we told each other from the start that we don't want to "plan", for the mere fact that it just DOESN'T happen like that... not to mention the stress it puts on everything! But, I'm just feeling those baby blues!! I just can't stop thinking about how much I want to become a mommy!! I can't wait to feel the movements that every mommy-to-be says she feels... I can't wait to go and paint the nursery, and fill it with toys and clothes and all that cute baby stuff... I can't wait for all the wonderful (and yes, even the stressful) days of being a parent... I can't wait for the day when I get to call my in-laws and my own parents and family the wonderful news... hence I said WHEN... I just pray that I'm not getting my hopes up, and that God does have a baby McHenry in His plan for us. I have so many things in my life to be thankful for, and I just can't wait for the day that I get thank Him for such a miracle! HOPEFULLY, more news to come!! :)

Goodbye summer, hello band!! :)

So, yesterday was the first day back in the band world! Although I was dreading my relaxation coming to an end, it was really nice to be excited about my job again. In case you don't know know, I'll catch you up...

I'm just about to start my 5th year teaching, and last year was my first year at Coyle MS in Rowlett as the assistant band director. Although I'm not technically a high school director, my head director and I help out here & there during marching season. I know it sounds crazy to give up my last week of "summer" to go hang out with teenagers in the blistering Texas sun, but I do it because deep inside, I'm a marching band nerd...

Anyway, I love my job, and I'm just very excited to start with our own little middle school kids next week. It'll be our second year, so things should run a little more smoothly. It's challenging, but it seems to be A LOT more rewarding than any other job on the planet! More to come later...

Jon & Kate...

Over the years, I've become a loyal fan to the TLC show, "Jon & Kate Plus 8". Even though I don't always truly believe in reality shows, this is the one that has just made me believe. I'm sure SOME of it is scripted, but I just don't see how it could all be fake. My husband begs to differ...

Now that I'm hooked, along with the rest of America, it seems as if this whole "reality" show has actually taken a toll on the life of 8 beautiful children & a relationship that seemed as "perfect" as it could get. I've always felt like if they can do it, anyone can. They unfortunately announced the beginning of a divorce on the show last night. I knew I should expect it, but I was still stunned.

I'm sure all this hype about their marriage will slowly fade away, but all I can do is wonder about what will truly happen to those happy kids. I hope in some way, they can go in and live a "normal" life, and be a happy family like they should be. I love that the Gosselins initially shared their lives with us, but was it really all worth that? Would Jon & Kate still be together if they WOULDN'T have done the show?