Help Needed...

My twin brother, Jared, is heading to Ethiopia as I type.  He and his group will travel to the southeast border town of Dolo Ado, which borders Somalia.  Each month, nearly 30,000 refugees are dying due to hunger and lack of medical attention in the region.  I get chills just thinking of the images Jared will see, but I know his heart and know he'll make a difference in the few days he will be there.  


Jared is a youth minister at First Baptist Church in The Woodlands, Texas.  He has a heart that longs to serve others and his personality is infectious.  I know he will be fine, but please join me in praying.  Please pray for safety and for change, for I know he desperately desires to share the unconditional love of Christ to those who have no hope.  If you are interested, you can view updates (as he has a chance to add them) on his website, www.jaredmccaleb.com.  


Thanks for your prayers, I can't wait to hear his stories!


XOXO,
Erin


PS... I promise I won't neglect my blog anymore :)

Summer Photo Recap

Well, my summer is quickly coming to an end (I have a workshop this week and Inservice starts next week, Booo!!) so I thought I'd recap this simple gal's summer. Enjoy!

Our summer started off with a bang celebrating my sister-in-law Kylie's birthday, our 3rd Anniversary, and Chris' cousin Daniel's departure to Marine Officer School by seeing Eli Young Band in concert at White Water Amphitheater in New Braunfels.  They are my FAVORITE band so naturally I had a blast!

Chris and me before the concert started.  He loves any reason to wear a cowboy hat, and he's cute in it if I do say so myself!

Chris, Kylie, and cousin Daniel

Me, Kylie, and Daniel's wife Jenn (check out my birthday boots!!)

We also took time to hang out with our Goddaughters, Lilly (3) and Teagan (2).  We are so fortunate to live in the same neighborhood as these two squirts, so we intend on spending as much time with them before their daddy is stationed elsewhere and takes them along.

Lilly and me swimming ~ she was much more relaxed this summer and improved alot!

Teagan sitting in my lap while watching Yo Gabba Gabba. This little stinker cracks me up!

Our next happening was the PBR Rodeo at the Cedar Park Center.  We had never been to the new venue, but we had a great time and saw some bull riding (which Chris loves).

We then headed down to South Padre (which I blogged about below) and had so much fun! I wish we could go back today!!

Last, but not least, I got to try something I had never done before... ride a four-wheeler! Chris was surprised I had never been on one before, but hello.... I'm a city girl! I'm constantly reminding him that we didn't "rough it" or four-wheel around the cul-de-sacs of our neighborhood growing up. Poor thing just doesn't understand! Our friend, Kristin, and her family's house is on land near Wimberley and she was kind enough to take us out on their four-wheelers.  I had a blast riding behind Chris but have to say I felt most comfortable being in charge of the controls (probly so I could avoid Chris' "throttle-happy" moments). Either way, I had a great time and can check that off my bucket list.

Beware: City Girl Driving!!

As usual, my summer break has flown by quickly, but we had lots of fun and made precious memories.  I'm looking forward to another challenging but rewarding school year full of shoe-tying, manner learning, number counting, word spelling, finger painting, dance partying, all around fun!!

XOXO,

Erin

Knee Deep in the Water

We went to South Padre Island the first week in July with Chris' parents, sister Kylie, and friend Kristin.  We both love the beach and his family practically grew up there so we were looking forward to this trip for quite a while.  We stayed in an awesome condo on the beach with a beautiful view.

The weather was hot but the waves were fairly calm.  We set up our EZ Up tent first thing in the morning and stayed on the beach all day.  We listened to Texas country, threw the football, built an awesome sand couch, and I read books on my Kindle... it was perfect! I loved getting to spend time with family and taking a much needed mental break.

 Chris and I on the beach.  It was good to see him relax and have fun after working so hard!

 Here are Chris and Kylie on our sand couch creation.  The family next to us had little boys and they made their own mini versions of the couch, it was adorable!

It was a perfect week of fun and relaxation, just what I needed! :)

XOXO,

Erin

Addition to the Fam

Meet the newest member of the Uhlaender family... Pixie!

We adopted this sweet Rat Terrier in early June.  She was rescued from an animal hoarder just weeks after being born in April.  Chris and I had been wanting to get another dog to play with our Mini Daschund, Sophie.  So now both girls are happy to have a sister to play with!

Look how cute these two are! It took Sophie a little bit to warm up to her new sibling (she was the only child for 4 years), but she loves playing with her now and they're best of friends!

Pixie is absolutely adorable and quite photogenic if I do say so myself. But she is very mischievous and gets into lots of trouble very quickly.  Her latest tricks are bringing in mulch from the backyard to shred and pulling down the curtains in the front dining room.  She's quite the hand full but we love her and are glad we were able to give her a good home!

XOXO,

Erin

Must Read!!

I finished school last week (well sort of, I'm teaching 2 weeks of summer school :)), so I decided to start reading some books I've added to my list this year.  I love diving into a good book in the summer because you aren't forced to put it down too often! ;) Some co-workers mentioned the book Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo and said I'd love reading it.  Well, they were right, I loved it!  In fact, I loved it so much I read it in 1 day!!  I was hooked by the first paragraph of the prologue, seriously... it's that good!  I know everyone has a different perspective and idea of Heaven, but this book has forever changed my view of it.  As a little girl, I envisioned while pearly gates and streets of gold and happiness all around.  My imagination was both comforting and uplifting.

The book is about a 3 year old boy who has a health scare and his parents are pleading with God to return him to health.  The boy shares about his encounters in Heaven with his family during the months and years he returns home.  The most paramount thing I took away from the book was to have faith like a child.  I work with children 9 months a year.  I'm surrounded by their silliness and free-spirits, but it's so easy to bog yourself down with the stress and reality of adulthood.  I was so inspired by the book to pray as a child does, being specific about my requests and removing the "fluff" that we learn to make our prayers sound better.  God hears our every want and need, we might as well voice them and maintain communication.

If you have extra time this summer, read this book.  It will remind you of what it felt like to learn about Heaven and all its glory as a child.  Such an inspirational and touching story!!

XOXO,

Erin

Mother Lovers

Chris and I were lucky to spend Mother's Day with both of our moms this year. We weren't sure what to get them, so I decided to make something out of love. I found this awesome wreath made from felt on the Blissful Meandering site that I was dying to try. The wreath cost $4.99 and the felt was 4 for a $1 at Hobby Lobby (I ended up using 15 sheets total). I made two different variations of the wreath, one with more rosettes and another with fewer to show more of the wood. I was so pleased with how they turned out and how easy they were to make!

I also ventured out and tried a smaller, circular wreath for my dad's wife. It was so cute! I want to make one for our pub table to put a hurricane candle in the middle of. So if you have a couple of spare hours, make one... I had so much fun and can't wait to make more!

We are so blessed by the strong, loving, supportive women in our lives. I hope I'm as compassionate and selfless as they are with my future children.

 

My mom, Cathy, and me on Mother's Day. Isn't she adorable??

 

XOXO,

 

Erin

Finally Off the Rollercoaster!

I graduated in May of 2008 from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX with a degree in Early Childhood Education.  I taught Pre-K my first year and am about to finish my 2nd year of Kinder.  I love my job.  I've always loved school.  I was the little girl who looked up to her teachers and aspired to be just like them one day.  Yes, I have down days, but 99.9% of the time I love what I do.  I consider teaching to be my mode of ministering by loving on children who often come from broken or unstable homes.

I've been aware of the budget dilemmas, both on the state and federal level, for a while now.  I've paid close attention to the funding cuts because I have been on a probationary contract due to being a newer teacher.  I received a letter from our superintendent on March 29th stating that the school board was delaying action on my contract.  I sat in my principal's office and read the letter and couldn't help but shed tears.  I was crushed, but I had a choice... feel defeated and expect the worst, or keep my head up and trust that God would take care of me.  I made a deal with myself that day that every time I felt anxious or nervous or worried I would pray.  I found myself praying every few minutes (no kidding!) and just allowing myself to feel through the fear and let God comfort me. 

This Monday night, nearly two weeks after being notified of my delayed contract, the school board scheduled a special called meeting to vote on whether or not they would renew probationary contracts.  I chose to go to the meeting.  I felt as though I'd regret not being there later if I didn't go, not to mention I was trying to avoid the anxiety of wondering what they decided.  I showed up 20 minutes early to the meeting and shook hands with a few school board members.  I was determined to face this challenge head on and with courage.  The school board not only decided to renew all probationary contracts, but those who were eligible to move to term (no longer probationary) were able to do so, which is me!!  I was thrilled! 

The past two weeks were tough.  I  was fighting off the what-ifs and felt an overwhelming sense of self-doubt.  But throughout each moment of fear and anxiety, I felt the urge to pray.  I prayed consistently.  I prayed for peace and the Lord provided.  I have been blessed with an incredible support system of family, friends, and co-workers that have helped me remain strong throughout this difficult time.  I am proud to say that I signed my official contract for next year this afternoon! Yay!  I find joy in knowing I can continue my calling in educating deserving little kiddos.  I can officially step off the roller coaster and back onto stable ground.  But the fight isn't over yet.  I know too many educators who are still in limbo or have contracts that have not been renewed.  No matter what side you fall politically, pray for these people.  Pray they find peace and true comfort during these scary times.

XOXO,

Erin

Blogging...

This is my first attempt at a blog. I've been wanting to start one for a while but just decided today to actually do it. I plan on blogging about the simple things in life that put a smile on my face and bring me joy.  The title of my blog comes from Lee Brice's song "Love Like Crazy."  Here are the words to the chorus... enjoy!

Be the best friend, tell the truth

And overuse I love you

Go to work, do your best

Don't outsmart your commonsense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy

XOXO,

Erin