Vacation

We went to Branson for Memorial Day Weekend and had a BLAST! We left about 6:30pm Friday evening and stopped and ate a delicious meal at MarketPlace in Conway. Steve, Veronika and I were traveling with Mom, Dad, Brad, Paula, and the boys. Amanda and Josh left earlier in the day to make a run to Springdale and then went to Branson.

We arrived at our cabin late Friday evening. It was a beautiful 4 bedroom lodge with beautiful scenery. Saturday morning we relaxed a while, ate breakfast, swam, and then everyone settled down for a nap. That afternoon we all got up and got dressed and went to the Dixie Stampede. It was wonderful. We had Creamy vegetable soup, a roll, Roasted chicken, Pork loin, Roasted Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Apple Turnovers. The show was very entertaining, it featured racing pigs and ostriches, buffalo, dancers and trick riders. After the show we went to the Go Cart Tracks. Tucker, Mom, Dad, and I all stayed on the sidelines to take pictures. By then, the boys were exhausted so they went back to the lodge with Dodi and Poppa. Brad, Paula, Josh and Amanda went to see Spiderman 3 at the Imax and Steve, Veronika and I went for a round of Putt-Putt.

Sunday morning we went to Silver Dollar City for the day. We ate breakfast at Molly's Mill Restaurant in the park. We ended up staying all day and we were all absolutely exhausted that night. Steve and I went and got Pizza for dinner and we all sat around talking and watching TV.

Monday morning we went to eat at the Grand Country Buffett, we arrived about 10:50am and breakfast was over at 11am so we were able to sample both breakfast and lunch foods. Quite pigish of us, but it was delicious. We spent about an hour in the arcade and them headed our separate ways.

Steve, Veronika and I stuck around for a while and did some shopping and then headed home. We took Scenic Highway 7 home and it was beautiful. I haven't traveled that road since I was much younger and Steve had never been on it. He really enjoyed it and said that he hadn't seen winding roads and mountains like that since being in Montana.

In other news, Steve's family called last night and they have all made it safely to Montana. They had a few complications getting started but they all made it safely. It is really funny, the preacher that retired from the church that Steve's dad is taking on moved to Little Rock and actually live quite close to us.

Only 4 days of school left!!!

On To Kindergarten!!

Last Thursday was Veronika's Pre-School Graduation. She is really excited about kindergarten. She knows all of her letters and most of her sounds and she is really close to tying her shoes.
Here is a funny story, it may not amuse you as much as it amused us, but it is worth sharing. Last night (Monday) we were putting Veronika to bed and we were talking about how she needs to be obedient and nice or people will not want to be her friend. She got a really sad look on her face and said, "Then I would have to be my own best friend?" We were trying to have a serious conversation, but it all ended there.

Happy Birthday!!

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY AUNT AMANDA!!! (5/26/86)

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Birthday Parties and Such

Well...it has been quite a while since my last post. Here are some pics from Tucker's 1st Birthday Party and Dinner at Mom and Dad's. We have been spending alot of time at the ballpark and in our yard. I will have to post some pictures of my flower garden...it is funny, I always made fun of my mom for the way she treated her plants, but now I am the same way.
We are going to Branson this weekend with Mom, Dad, Amanda, Josh, Brad, Paula, Tucker and Jackson. We are SO ready for a nice break. We have 4 days of school after Memorial Day, and then I start Summer School the following Monday.
I am So ready for Summer. I am keeping Veronika AND her little sister, Kalyssa...we have alot of fun things planned and I am excited to just stay at home and finally let Veronika play with some of the neighborhood kids.
Veronika graduates from Pre-School tonight, so I will post some pictures from Graduation and Vacation next week.
Until next time...

Ponderings

I love experiencing life through my daughter's eyes. We went to see Disney On Ice this weekend and we had a blast. It was amazing to see the show with her. She really saw the characters as real people, she was terrified of Sleeping Beauty's dragon and she thought the 7 Dwarfs and Ariel's friends were hilarious.

She is also playing T-Ball. She is on the Purple team as you can see, and she is really having fun making friends and learning skills. The first game, she hit the ball and then ran to pick it up. She also gets confused between 1st base and 3rd base and sometimes splits the middle and runs to the pitchers mound when she hits the ball. She enjoys cleaning off the bases and digging trenches around them. Who knows if she will stick with softball, or if she will find another passion to pursue; but I was given an oppurtunity to try anything I wanted when I was young and was able to discover my own talents and passions to succeed in. I want my children to have these same oppurtunities. I want them to know that it is OK to try something and fail, it is OK to not ALWAYS be the best in everything they do.

In other news, we are having a garage sale this weekend. It is the "Maple Creek Neighborhood Garage Sale." Hopefully having several houses will draw more people. We only have 6 more weeks of school left, but the kids are already on Summer Vacation. We joke at lunch that they have completely phased us out and are simply worn out. Patience (mine) is wearing then, attention is gone (students) and we are all ready for a break.

Easter

We really enjoyed our Easter. Because everyone was going separate ways on Sunday we decided to celebrate as a family on Thursday night. We went to mom's for a ham dinner and Paula made some adorable and precious Easter cupcakes. The kids got their Easter baskets from Dodi and Poppa, then we all went outside for an Easter Egg Hunt.
Friday was "Good Friday" so I was off of work, but Veronika had to go for a Snow Make-Up Day. We didn't have Veronika Easter Weekend, so on Saturday we worked hard ALL DAY LONG! We got the patio cleaned up except for Garage Sale Stuff and Steve got all of his boxes in the house and is currently unpacking them. Sunday we went to church, out to eat Chinese Food, and home for a nice nap. We didn't have service Sunday night so we rested all evening.
We have had a real cold snap, so I am hoping all of my plants don't die...it is funny, I used to make fun of mom for loving her plants, but now I understand:)

Only 7 1/2 Weeks until Summer Break!!!

Gardening

Tuesday night Mom came over to our houses and made a little garden for each of the grandkids. We were really surprised because Veronika dove right into the dirt and she even found a "pet" worm (pictured). She put it in her bike bag and took it home. She even put it to bed in HER bed, until we explained to her that the worm would be MUCH happier in the dirt. I am so glad that Dodi and Poppa get to spend so much time with all of the grandkids. We really appreciate how good they are to Veronika, she LOVES to spend time with them and all of her extended families!

Spring Break

These are pictures form our Spring Break Trip. We left for Branson right after Veronika's softball practice Friday night. I had made Chicken Salad Sandwiches and packed chips and drinks, so we only had to stop for gas. We got into Branson around 10:30. Saturday morning we were up bright and early and went and ate at Aunt Molly's inside of Silver Dollar City. We had a blast Saturday. Veronika was on her best behavior and we really enjoyed our day together. Veronika rode her first "real" rollercoaster which really surprised me; we spent most of the afternoon in the "family" section which has alot of rides more age-appropriate for Veronika. We left the park at closing and went back to the hotel for a quick rest. We bathed Veronika and then headed to the Olive Garden for some dinner and then to Andy's frozen custard for dessert. We were all exhausted and slept well.

Sunday morning we headed to McDonald's for breakfast and it was packed!! We were in line for 30 minutes. When we got up to the counter they announced that they were switching over to lunch, but luckily we got to order breakfast. After that we headed to the Butterfly Palace. We thought it was a little over-priced for what you got, but we still enjoyed it. Our favorite part was a mirror "rainforest." We got really lost and had a blast. Next, we headed down to Branson Landings to the Disney Store. Veronika has been saving up her allowance for this trip, so she bought her own purse with little knick-knacks. We really tried to get her to get something that she didn't already have; but we told her it was her money and she could make her own decision. We wrapped up the trip with lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. Veronika was out before we even got on the highway and slept most of the way home.

I had a very nice week off of school, I got alot of cleaning and organization done. I don't think I have ever relaxed that much on a break...it was wonderful; a nice energizer for the final 8 weeks of school.

"Oooooklahoma!"

We went to visit Steve's family this weekend. Saturday morning Steve went through all of the boxes that were still at his parent's house. They are moving in the middle of May so Steve finally got all of his things out of their house.
Steve's sister and brother-in-law; Katrina and Brandon are planning on moving to Helena, Montana at the same time that his parents move to Dillon. They are about an hour and a half apart. Katrina and Brandon are also expecting their 3rd child. They have Riley, 3 years; and Garrett, about 15 months. This baby will be due in November.
We all had a nice visit. We got there late Friday night and as soon as we pulled up Veronika threw up. She has been having a lot of problems with her stomach, so the doctor prescribed some fiber supplements and we think that is what upset her stomach because she was fine after that. We played all day Saturday and then Sunday we had a delicious dinner and then headed home around 4pm.
This weekend we are headed to Branson for Spring Break! YEAH!! I am planning on remodeling the hallway bathroom, so wish me luck!

I thought the other picture was a little too small, so I re-posted it a little larger!

Spring is in the Air!

I love this time of year! We have been working outside alot, Monday night Steve was pulling stumps out of our flower bed so that we can plant, and he got his truck stuck in the mud. Luckily, Brad was able to pull him out using his truck.

Veronika is getting ready for softball. She will start in a couple of weeks. The first time I practiced with her I hit her right in the eye, so hopefully she won't be too scared of it

Please pray for Steve's parents. They will be moving to Dillon, Montana in the middle of May. A church that they used to attend has called Tom to preach. They really love it up there and have wanted to move back for awhile. We think that Steve's sister Katrina and her family will probably follow them soon.

Monday night we had Mom and Dad's Anniversary Dinner over at Amanda's house. Amanda was changing Jackson's diaper and then he put on her shoes and we got him to pose for us. If you've looked at Amanda's blog she has another pose.

My other big news it that I passed the Praxis III! It is a test that I had to take to get my 5 year teaching liscence. It really wasn't that difficult, mostly just alot of paper work; but I am SO glad that it is over! Here is a picture of my lovelies!

UPDATE!!

Ok, so it has been about 6 weeks since my last blog. I am so very sorry to those of you who sit around waiting to hear about what has been happening in the Tripp Family Life. We really think it is quite exciting and interesting ourselves.

So, let me start with where I left off...we had a FANTASTIC Christmas (pictures are included). We were able to go to Oklahoma to see Steve's Family on Friday and Saturday and then we were back for Christmas Eve at church. We had lunch with the family on Sunday and then celebrated Christmas with them on Monday. We had Veronika all weekend long, she went to her mom's for Christmas Eve evening, and then we got her around 1pm on Christmas Day. This was just a very special year for us...our first Christmas together.

One of the BIGGEST benefits of being a teacher is that wonderful 2 weeks off, I FINALLY got our office cleaned out (APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE) For those of you who had seen the office, you can imagine what a HUGH feat this was. We also recently finished up the hallway-so we are down to the kitchen and the bathrooms.

January was pretty uneventful for us, the 9th was Steve birthday. We had a small dinner (just the 3 of us). I made Poppyseed Chicken and an Angel Food Cake with Rainbow Chip Frosting (Steve's B-Day Cake from his Childhood) That weekend Mom and Dad took us out to eat at Cajun's Wharf and we had a GREAT time. We had a private room, so the kids didn't disturb anyone and we were able to be as loud as we wanted.

Other than that, we have just been relaxing and enjoying being married and being a family. I love you all and can't wait to see everyone!

By the way Amber, how do you get your pics side-by-side so they don't take up so much space!

Snow Day!!!

Here are some pictures from our "Big Snow" and also Steve 29th Birthday back in January. I have really missed blogging. We had a little bit of ice Wednesday night and Thursday, I had school but Veronika was out so Steve stayed home with her. The snow was gone by 9am Thursday. I only had 9 kids at school on Thursday, then we got our "Big Snow" Thursday night so I was out of school, but Steve had to go to work. However, we did get a good 30 min. in with the snow before it all melted in late morning. I will write more in my next blog.

Signing Off

Well, Christmas Vacation is FINALLY here...so, I will not be online for a couple of weeks. I hope all of you have a very MERRY and WONDERFUL CHRISTmas! I will be back with an update in 2007!

Christmas With The Tripps

Our Disney Christmas Village

was a wedding present from Mom and Dad

It is officially Christmas at the Tripp Household. We put up our tree last week and we have been decorating since then. Friday night, we started a Gingerbread house with Veronika, but she has been sick since Monday, so we haven't got to finish it yet. Tonight we are going to put the roof on and then decorate tomorrow night.

Big Update

Our Honeymoon Cabin

Silver Dollar City Pictures

Wow! I finally have time to breath! Our honeymoon was perfect, it was cold and Christmassy and really got us in the Holiday mood!

We got into town Saturday, went and checked in and then went to Branson Landings, a new shopping mall down by Lake Taneycomo.

We went to Silver Dollar City on Sunday and we had a glass ornament made so we had to come back Wednesday and pick it up.

We saw "The Spirit of Christmas" which was a musical/dance Christmas show. It was decent but Steve and I were more entertained by the fact that the performers were HORRIBLY unattractive. Usually at shows like that everyone is beautiful, but these people looked like they had been pulled from the hills.

We also went to the Titanic museum which was really impressive. I really wasn't sure if I would enjoy it, but Steve is really into historical stuff so I wanted to go. To my surprise I REALLY enjoyed it, it was very interesting and educational.

This week we have been moving Steve's stuff out of his apartment. I am SO proud of him, I know he threw away 75% of the stuff in there. He is a major pack-rat and I am 180 degrees the opposite, I HATE clutter; but we are meshing our styles. I finally feel OK with the house. We still have our junk room which I am planning on working on during Christmas vacation; but our room, Veronika's room, and the living room are finished and the other rooms are OK until we redecorate them. Last night was our first night to stay at home and be a family. We decorated the house for Christmas and then we read to Veronika and then we had a chance to watch Gray's Anatomy. Veronika really loves her new room; she is really proud of herself that she can go to sleep by herself and she sleeps through the night. The first couple of nights she kept waking up and getting in bed with us, but she has been staying in her room for a few nights.

Well, I thank that is about it! I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season! Love you guys!

Pity Party

Oh, poor pitiful me, I am sick the day before my wedding. I am stuffy and hoarse. Luckily, my doctor is super nice and called in an anitbiotic for me. I am taking off at noon today to go get some rest.
Seriously though, I can't believe there is only 1 day left. I am UNBELIEVABLY relaxed and calm...just SUPER EXCITED! Last night I started crying just thinking about how much I love Steve and how excited I am for the wedding and to be MARRIED!

3 DAYS TO GO

The tuxes are in, the flowers are here, and the pictures are ready! It is only 3 DAYS AWAY!!! After 23 1/2 years of praying, I am getting to marry the LOVE of my life!

4 DAYS TO GO!!

Only 4 Days To Go!

Final Count Down

We had a great time in Natchez. Here is a picture of Mom, Paula and the boys on the carriage ride.Sunday we went the the Little Rock Air Base Air Show. It was really neat but COLD! Steve loves history so he loved getting to see all of the planes that have fought in previous wars. The Blue Angels performed and I didn't realize how amazing it is to watch them. We saw them when I was very young and I really didn't remember it. Their tricks are really awe inspiring.
Well, 10 more days to go and I AM READY! I am taking off next Friday, then the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving! We really can't wait to be married. Everything has gone smoothly and I just have to remember that at the end of the day, no matter what happens, I will be married to the love of my life!