"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!

Nice Weekend

Our weekend started out great! Friday night Steve and Veronika came over and I got her dressed in her Swan Lake Barbie costume. We went to Boo At The Zoo which is basically a Trick or Treating Path at the Zoo. They have some rides set up and you can take a train ride. They had a costume contest and this one little girl was a jellyfish. It was absolutely the most adorable costume I have ever seen. She had on a pink sweatsuit and was carrying an umbrella covered in pink fabric with pink streamers hanging down. After we left there we went to McDonald's for dinner and Veronika got to play while Steve and I watched the FINAL game of the World Series. Saturday morning Steve and Veronika came over and we headed to the school for the Fall Festival. We only stayed an hour, but I thought I needed to make a small appearance, after that I headed off to my lingerie shower and Steve and Veronika went Garage Saleing (spelling) and then crashed at Mom and Dad's for the afternoon.
That afternoon we went shopping because I was in DIER need of new clothes. Well, I had a breakdown after going to Lane Bryant, Kohl's, Old Navy, Wal-Mart, and Target and only had a couple of shirts. On the way home we stopped at Cato's and I stocked up. I was SO happy and I think Steve was a little scared that I could change my mood that quickly.
Steve and Veronika came in to use the bathroom before heading home and Veronika threw-up all the way down the hallway. So, I took care of Veronika and Steve cleaned up the mess. Well, that made Steve throw-up. They both ended up staying on my couch Saturday night so I could take care of Veronika and Steve could rest between vomiting bouts. Sunday morning we were contemplating church and Veronika started again. Steve felt better by Sunday afternoon so we were able to get a start on painting Veronika's room and started organizing the kitchen. With the time change it felt like the longest day ever! By the time they left Sunday night Veronika had been asleep since 5 and Steve said she slept all through the night.
So, it was a long and fun/interesting weekend. I am looking forward to a break next weekend!

No Pictures Yet

Ok, so, obviously I have no new pictures uploaded which is very frustrating because I really think the pictures add alot to the blog. However, you can find recent pictures of my family on Amber's, Paula's, Amanda's, and my mom's blog! So, last weekend we went to the fair Friday night and had a great time. We ran into Amanda and some of her friends from church and hung around with them for a little. Veronika rode her first RollerCoaster and we went to the petting zoo. I took her in a fun house which was good until the last. For some reason she DID NOT want to go down the slide which was the only exit. We had a line of people behind us, so I had to force her down it...it reminded me of that scene from "The Christmas Story" where they force the kid down the slide.
Saturday morning Steve and I traveled to Fayetteville to watch the Razorbacks. It was actually quite enjoyable. During the boring parts I entertained myself by watching the Lesbians in front of us. They were dressed the same head to toe and were very affectionate. I was really quite mesmerized by their openess.
I am enjoying my new camera, but I haven't had time to bring it up to school to blog pictures. I have been leaving everyday at 3:15pm to go do wedding stuff and it appears that it will stay that way! ONLY 3 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!!

Busy Week

Well, it has been a busy and VERY fun week! Saturday Amber, Amanda, Paula, and Aunt Kay hosted a luau shower for us in Mom and Dad's Pole Barn. We got SO many wonderful gifts and we had a blast. Monday was the church shower and I was overwhelmed by how nice people are. I was really worried no one would show up, especially since it was a rainy night, but we had a very nice turnout. Tuesday we did a little bit of wedding shopping. Wednesday was the normal church stuff. Then Thursday, Amanda and Paula hosted a Pampered Chef shower for us at Amanda's house. We got everything that we registered for from there, I think. I can't wait for it all to come in.
Today we had our 1st grade field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and now I am EXHAUSTED! I had 12 parents there with me, but I almost think that made it harder because everyone was splitting up. I am going home to take a nap. Tonight Steve, Veronika, and I are going to the State Fair. I haven't been in a couple of years and I have never been with a child Veronika's age, so I am very excited. Mom and Dad got us a new camera for a wedding present, so I will have some pictures to upload on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend! We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to go to Fayetteville for the Razorback game!

Long Time No See...

Taking A Tripp
Ok, It has been two weeks since my last blog. I really don't know what has been going on. School has been busy. I had parent teacher conferences which I dread because I have to be at school until 8pm, but I got the next day off so that made it OK. That day Mom, Amanda, and I went to Bridal shop to do Amanda's and my dress fittings and some Tux business. Then, we went to eat lunch and went and bought Tucker and Garrett(Steve's youngest nephew) their wedding tuxes. Saturday Paula called and told us about a garage sale with alot of 4T's so we ran over there and to a few more yard sales and then went back to my house to watch the Razorback game and work on wedding stuff. Saturday night we went out in search of a special deal at Target. If you bought "The Little Mermaid" DVD and Barbie set, you got a free wedding gown. Well, every Target in central Arkansas was sold out so we ended up getting a DVD/CD combo and the Barbie dolls. It is amazing what you will do for your children. When we got home I wanted to watch it immediately to show Steve the nasty part, well, evidently they took it out so he thinks I am crazy, but I KNOW there was a nasty part. After that we went to El Porton and then went back to my house and watched a movie.
Sunday morning Steve came over early, (I am not sure what time) I didn't even hear him come in. Well, he fell asleep so at 11:15 he finally woke me up. Mom called so we went to their house for dinner. I had plans to clean house Sunday afternoon but suprise suprise, we sat down to watch a movie and I woke up at 6:30, so I was up late cleaning house.
Monday the kids were out of school so we had some meetings and then I cleaned house some more. My house FINALLY looks decent! It is so exciting!
Last night we picked up Veronika and then went to eat a McDonald's. She loves it and I do too (secretly)
Then, we went to pick out her paint colors for her bedroom. She wanted pink and green with yellow trim. We are going for a princess theme here, I just hope it looks OK. Anyway, that is about it. The wedding is planned. Just waiting for that week! Only 5 weeks and 2 days until I am Mrs. Steve Tripp!!

So, I made a post last week and once again my crappy computer at school failed me. Nothing much has happened. Wedding plans are going really well,our colors are chocolate brown, turquoise, dark pink and orange. I am carrying pink roses (or that is the plan anyway). Right now we are working on things that we are making, throwing stuff, programs, etc. It is really fun. We are trying to get the house together at the same time which combined with school makes for some stressful days, but Steve is always able to help me see things in a more rational manner. Steve has completely taken care of our honeymoon, so that is a nice relief for me. I feel like I have written this stuff before, but I can't remember if it was the blog that failed, SO, please forgive me if you have read all of this before.
In Veronika news, Monday at Pre-School a little boy took the car that she was playing in so...she bit him. She has never been a biter, and hopefully it was a one time incident, but she DID NOT want to tell her dad.
We are getting both dogs spayed and neutered today. Dakota is just getting neutered to prevent problems. Belle is getting spayed as a last ditch effort to calm her down. She will not stay in the fence unless she is chained up and she can't behave well with Veronika. So, hopefully this will work or we are going to have one VERY sad 4 year old on our hands.
School is going pretty well, I honestly don't see how I can do this for the rest of my life so we are praying that I will be able to stay home in a few years by the time we have a baby. There is just so much paper work and nonsense that we have to deal with that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with bettering our teaching or helping our children. Sorry to rant there, but Steve gets tired of hearing the brunt of my frustration!
All in all life is Grand! I have a fiance that I love and I step-daughter that I adore. On top of that I have a wonderful extended family that I love and appreciate! Until next time...

This was taken the same day that Amanda took our pictures. Veronika is pouting because she can't really decide if she wants her picture taken or not. Oh, the life changing decisions of a 4 year old. I just thought is was really cute. It actually kind of reminds me of Amanda and her pouty faces of childhood.
Nothing much new has happened here. We didn't have Veronika this weekend so we just worked around the house. Saturday we cleaned, Steve mowed, then we went to Brad and Paula's to watch the game. After that, we went wedding shopping which is ALWAYS fun! Only 8 1/2 weeks! That night we went to eat at Cozymel's (one of our favorites) and to see "Black Dahlia." It was a good movie, but very deep and gruesome. But, we both really enjoyed our time together.
Sunday after church mom made some DELICIOUS spaghetti so we all went over there. I really love this new tradition. Soon, we need to all start taking turns, but it is so fun for everyone to be together atleast that one day. After that, Veronika's mom called and asked if we could keep Veronika and her sister Kalyssa for the afternoon. So, we took the girls for ice cream and went to Garden Ridge for a little bit. Well, that is about it for us! I will update later!
Love you all!

I'm Back

This is Veronika trying on a flower girl dress. It is not the one that we ended up buying. I feel like I can finally breath again! I was out 1/2 a day today for meetings and the kids acted like fools this afternoon. Then, I will be out tomorrow and Friday for meetings so there is no telling what I will have waiting for me Monday Morning. I hate being away from my class.
Steve and I went to get our engagement pictures taken last night. It was alot of fun. We are using the same photographer that Amanda and Josh used. After that we went to get Veronika and since Steve and I were already dressed nice we decided to go to Olive Garden. Veronika was a little upset that the whole family wouldn't be there, but she loves to get all of our attention to.
The wedding is going really nicely. Really the only thing left to do is figure out the flower situation. If all goes well, Jeane, the women who did Amanda's flowers will do them. However, her dad just found out that he has a brain tumor, so we are not sure about the situation there.
I am SO excited, I just can't wait to be married to this man. Yes, we both have our faults (or atleast I pretend to so that others don't feel badly)but I am so happy with him! I just can't wait to be his wife!
Well, I think that is about it in my life! We did finish what will be our Master Bedroom, FINALLY, so the house should obtain some sort of organization in the next few weeks! I love you all!

Labor Day

Monday comes too quickly! I didn't think about wedding, school, house stuff, or ANYTHING ALL weekend! It was so nice to get away and relax. Steve and I went to Branson for the weekend. We had bought a package a couple of months back...on of those timeshare deals. It was VERY annoying, our 90 minute tour lasted 3 hours, but, we got a hotel, dinner, and tickets to a show so I guess it was semi worth it. We got there Saturday morning and went to Branson Landings which is a new, huge shopping center and is has a Bass Pro Shop. That night we went and saw Cirque. It was awesome, it was all amazing feats of strength, etc. We had our free dinner that night and we must have picked the worst one of all of our choices. We were really surprised that we didn't get sick. Sunday morning we did the stupid Timeshare tour, it was a huge waste of our time. That afternoon we went to Silver Dollar City and messed around until they closed and then went to eat at Landry's Seafood; it was absolutely DELICIOUS! Monday morning we scoped out a few places for our honeymoon then headed back to Silver Dollar City to finish up some shopping. Well, on our 2nd ride I got EXTREMELY nauseaous, so I felt sick for the next couple of hours. Then, we make a few more shopping stops in town, ate dinner and headed home. Veronika didn't get to go with us b/c it was her mom's weekend, but we found places that we want to get her Christmas presents, so it all worked out well! I love you all...