One year ago today (Part One)...

It's hard to believe that J and I are about to celebrate our first anniversary. It has gone by incredibly fast. A lot has happened in the past year. I wanted to take a little time this week to reflect on what was going on last year at this time. I'm going to post some pics and talk about some details that you may or may not have known, but things that are good to remember & look back upon...
December 15, 2008 (one year ago today... it was a Monday):

• I had just graduated the Saturday before with my masters in school psychology. Not sure what I was thinking with planning a wedding that took place right after finals, but I survived. :)
• Jeremy was working that Monday and Tuesday.
• I was running around town and taking care of last-minute details such as...
• contacting Ben Nichols, who had agreed to play at our wedding. Until he showed up, I could not believe it was real... I might have contacted him errrrr... one or two (or 10) times "just to check in" and make sure he was still planning to play.
• Jeremy was contacting Coco Loco (you read that right) who was supplying our maragarita machine. He was an old(er) man who ran his "company" out of his truck. He mentioned he had a dog who would be coming along for the delivery.
• going back and forth with Confetti's party rental about a couple of tables and some table cloths (there was some kind of confusion but I honestly can't really remember what it was... number of tables? Perhaps.).
• Jeremy and I made nightly trips starting this week out to our reception site: the AR 4-H Center. I should mention here that we were VERY fortunate enough to use this space, which was gorgeous, at a very very very very very generous discount (imagine what would be reasonable. Then half that. Then half that. Then make a deal that involves my dad and future husband waxing the kitchen floor... thank you guys!).
• The week before the wedding we started carting all of the stuff we had accumulated to use for the reception: ornaments! trees! lights! lights! lights! centerpieces! It took a lot of trips.
• Family started to come into town this week... My Aunt Donne and Bill came in from Minnesota and my cousin Paige from Savannah. They helped so so so much this week. Can't thank them enough. My grandma was getting stranded in Chicago about this time as well... and my cousin Adrianne in Boston was also snowed in about this time...
• It snowed here the night of December 15th... Not a lot, but enough to cause some jitters that it might snow the night of our wedding!
• I remember we went to go visit Grandma Jean (Jeremy's grandma) at Hospice that night. Our good friend Ryan was taking very good care of her, and we were lucky that she had such wonderful people helping her...
• This was pretty much the last day we had before things seriously kicked into gear, so we were savoring our time together before it got hectic.
• More to come...

They're up!

Please go visit the wedding bloggity for Trash-the-Dress pics and a link to the online album!!!! They're beautiful!
(also, please comment over there and let me know which ones you like- trying to decide which ones to print!)

I'm (unofficially) official!!

I PASSED THE PRAXIS!!!
This means, barring disaster, when I'm done with internship in May, I will be licensed as a School Psychology Specialist. HOOODY HOO! I'm really really excited. Not only did I meet the requirement, but I might have gotten a bit higher. Kinda killed it. I now meet the requirement for national certification too (a Nationally Certified School Psychologist). That means if I ever decide to move out of state (won't likely happen), I can practice right away. Pretty exciting!! It's a huge huge relief. Feelin' good, folks!

Our halls= decked.

As you may well know, this is quite possibly my favorite time of year. I love Christmas. I love the cold (sorry, Kat). I love Christmas movies. I love snow (when we get it. LIKE YESTERDAY!). I love everything about it. Perhaps that's why we chose this time of year to have our wedding, yes?
It's always hard for me to wait to put the tree up, but I know it's necessary to avoid the crazy. This year, we put the tree up the DAY after Thanksgiving. This is when I start listening to Mariah Carey. And Bing Crosby. Aaaand maybe an NSYNC Christmas (thanks, Christy). Anyway, I digress. This year we had many, many more Christmas decorations because of the plethora of things we bought for the wedding. I have more purple and silver ornaments than any person will ever need in a lifetime (feel free to take a box). And Christmas lights. And centerpieces. However, I love love love our new decorations. Our wedding was quite pretty, if I do say so. And now, every year, I can bring out just a little taste of that night. It makes me real real happy.

This is an ornament we bought in Tybee for our honeymoon...
... and another. ;)

More posts to come about the upcoming anni and our first year together. I can't believe it's been almost a year. I wonder what I was doing last year at this time...

Go over to Melissa's twin bloggity and check out pics from their very first shower (aw!) and some AMAZING ultrasound pictures. Go. Now.

Quickie

1. Thankgiving (and the week-long break that went along with it) was fantastic.
2. I ate turkey. Free-range-happy-til-it-was-dinner turkey. It was delish.
3. I got to see a lot of folks over break, which was great (Chandle and David were in town- yay!). Lots of family too: lunch at Jeremy's great-aunt's house, dinner at my folks'.
4. Took a day trip up to Springdale for Melissa's first baby shower. Pictures to come. Promise.
5. This week at work might kill me.
6. There are only a few short weeks til Christmas break now (and our anniversary!).
7. I still haven't gotten one.single.trash-the-dress picture. I may or may not be getting highly frustrated.
8. The Spanns are getting the internet!!!!!!!!!! That's right, kids. No more stealing from the neighbors! (Who, recently, have let us down and somehow we don't get their signal anymore. Hence, why we're getting the internet. Ha.)
9. Christmas decorations are up. More pictures to come.
10. Lots of new babies out there in the blogosphere! Congrats to the Robuses and to Brooke and Paul!! Cute kids, for realz.
11. More updates soon...

Yesssssss.

1. Took my licensure exam on Saturday (the Praxis for School Psychology. It's the only test I have to pass in order to call myself a School Psychology Specialist and work in the schools).
2. Shhh... don't tell, but I feel pretty good about it (I never say that, either).
3. Wonderful friends helped me celebrate Saturday night (thanks Kat, Leah, and Melissa!).
4. I have to wait about a month until I know anything (that should be moved to my "Noooo!" list, but we'll leave it here).
5. Friday night my sweet sweet husband took me on a date to Leo's and to see "Where the Wild Things Are" to take my mind off the anxiety. It worked.
6. This is my last week before Thanksgiving break! Did I tell you I have the whole week off?
7. Well, almost all week off... I'm doing my first contract work, testing in a small school district for moolah. Yeeeeaaah, buddy.
8. Big big week: book club (The Reader), ANTM FINALE, Thanksgiving at Katie's!
9. Leading my first referral conference on my own tomorrow! I'm a big girl now.
10. Watching my friends on the Wii Fit balance board made my night on Saturday. ;)
11. Feelin' good, feelin' great. Whoot.
12. Ha ha ha check this out. Yucko.

The Spann Halloween Special... a little late, but it's ok, right?

Ahhhh, Halloween. It's quite possibly the favorite holiday of the Spanns. If you've ever been around us on Halloween, you know this already. One of the first times I thought I might really like Jeremy was on Halloween (I was the lead from The Birds, he was Hunter S. Thompson). And the next year, too, I might have had the same thought bout that fella. I was Cruella DeVil, he was in a 70s suit that was pretty fly.
This year... an homage to our childhoods. Me: Rainbow Brite. Him: WishBear from the Care Bears. And still just as cute as ever.

Feliz Cumpleanos!!

This post is terribly belated, but I know he won't mind...
Yesterday was Jeremy's 30th birthday!!! Last weekend, Katie, Judith and I got together and threw a super-top-secret surprise party for our fellas, who were all turning the big 3-0 within a few days of each other. Let me tell you, it is not easy to throw a surprise party for your husband. Let alone two of his friends also, who would normally be involved in the ruse. However, we pulled it off masterfully, and they were completely surprised (see the middle top pic). Stewart was nice enough to spend the whole day throwing Jeremy, Holt, and David off and took them to Crazee's to watch the Razorback game then into the woods to shoot their shotguns (yes, plural). Alllllll this culminated with a gaggle of women hiding in my house (in the dining room) and giggling uncontrollably because all the guys were wanting to come over and have a firepit. Unbeknownst to them, a Wiiiiiiiiii tournament was waiting for them. Folks got to choose from fantastic games like Beatles Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, Mario Kart, and many many more. We had a blast. THANK YOU to everyone who helped out and attended the par-tay.
And a very very very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby. I love you so!

Well, look at that

Whether I'm talking about them here or announcing him at our wedding here, if you know the Spanns, you know we unequivocally LOVE Lucero. Ben Nichols has now been featured in the AR Times (written by an old UCA friend- hello, Gerard Matthews!). Please take the time to go read the article on the website. It really sums up the journey Lucero has taken. A journey that we have definitely a part of. It makes me happy to have a band that I love so dearly.

I can't remember who I was talking to the other day about it, but I specifically remember the first time I heard Lucero. I was in the car with Chandle, David, and Adrian. We were on our way to Mt. Magazine for camping and climbing, and David was driving. He said he wanted to us to listen to a band that he had recently discovered, and he put in Lucero's first album. I remember when I heard "My Best Girl" for the very first time. I instantly loved it. And that "gravelly" voice. And the lyrics.

Not long after that, Lucero played at the Sound Stage in Conway. The old one. The one where it was "allowed" to bring in backpacks for your Miller Light (gasp! In Conway??). After my first show I knew that I seriously loved this band, and I remember getting in the car with Chandle and we were like, "What just happened?" I feel so lucky that Ben Nichols played at our wedding (how in the world did we pull that one off??). There's no.way.possible that Lucero could play at the Sound Stage anymore. Or Vino's. I can't believe they still play at White Water (as Ben said it, it's the best bar in the world, I suppose). So they are DEFINITELY on their way up. I'm just glad we've seen it from the beginning...

Ah, October.

Saturday was Melissa's birthday, so we went over to the Wood's house for a little dinner and celebration (and Baskin Robbins ice cream cake... mmmmmmmmm I'm still in a sugar coma of the BEST KIND). So a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Missa Faye (2 days belated)!!!
We also decorated (some more) at the Spann house for our favorite holiday. Check 'em out. Come by at night, too- there's a strobe light that makes them SUPER scary. ;) People drive by our house reallllll slow and take in all the awesomeness. I will post more pics of the rest of the decorations soon.
I LOVE this time of year. Come trick-or-treating at our house. ;)

Trash the Dress Teaser!!

Go NOW and check out a couple pics from our Trash the Dress session at the fair last night!
They're over at the wedding bloggity!!!

Ben & Kelley's Wedding

Where do I even start about Ben & Kelley's wedding?? It was absolutely gorgeous. The bride was beautiful, the site was beautiful, even the (chilly!) weather was beautiful!! There were canoes, fireworks, a carriage, a live band, pumpkins, and amazing food! We had such a good time! I have a whole bunch of pictures (Jeremy did a great job catching some good moments!), so go see the full album here! It was gorgeous.

Here's Vanna signing the guest book

The altar area- the lake behind there is where the boys paddled up in their canoes!

Gorgeous.

The groom's cake! Ben's above-ground pool complete with Ben floating in it. ;)

Cupcakes from Cupcakes on Kavanaugh... Mmmmm!

10 groomsmen!! Lookin incredibly sharp in their brown suits. ;)

This is my favorite picture of the whole night!!

Sparklers!!!

Go Vote!

I got this info from Jonathan...

Go to this website for the Children's Miracle Network to vote for Arkansas Children's Hospital to receive a brand new awesome game room! Right now, Arkansas is in the lead (!) but we need to stay there... You get 10 votes a day, and you can possibly win an Xbox 360, so you can't lose! Everybody knows AR Children's Hospital is amazing, so go vote!!
Here's more info from the site:

Microsoft has partnered with Children’s Miracle Network to provide three Children’s Miracle Network pediatric hospitals an Ultimate Gameroom experience – and we need YOUR HELP to decide which three lucky hospitals will receive this great giveaway and better yet, YOU could win an Xbox 360 as well!

Cast your vote for the Children’s Miracle Network hospital of your choice, each time you vote you will be entered to win an Xbox 360 – the more you vote, the better your chances of winning!

A super-exciting list...

1. Run, don't walk, to the Baby Bloggity for amazing news. AND SAY HELLO to the Woods, please (Google Reader is killing comments on blogs!)! Perhaps if Melissa knows people are reading, she will be encouraged to do posts! ;)
2. I am crazy excited for the babies to get here. I can't wait to meet them and see their sweet little faces.
3. This weekend is Ben and Kelley's wedding! It's going to be here. Whoooooooooot! It's going to be amazing.
4. Also this weekend: the McClung family reunion (that's my Granny's family on my dad's side). Wish Jeremy luck as he meets even more extended family!
5. ALSO this weekend: Jeremy and I are going to see David Sedaris. Don't be jealous (I know you are)!
6. Internship is still going well! I am starting to do some Spanish translating (on paper) and it is quickly snowballing into attending Spanish-speaking conferences. SCARY, but potentially awesome.
7. I got to see my ladies last night.
8. On Tuesday we're going to the Arkansas State Fair for a Trash the Dress session! Details to come. And many, many pictures.

Hey, you.

Go vote about the gender of my sister's babies! Go on. She's finding out SOON.

My very own CAKEWRECK!!!

As some of you know, I am obsessed with Cakewrecks. It makes me laugh, pretty much every day. Well, my fellow intern and I decided to throw a baby shower for one of the school psychs here, and here is how our cakewreck occurred:
The Day We Ordered:
Us: We're throwing a baby shower for a coworker, and we want it to have a baseball theme (we had purchased baseball cups, napkins, and decorations... our coworker LOVES baseball and is having a boy, so it seemed appropriate)
Kroger: Hm. We don't really have a "baseball-baby shower" theme cake.
Us: No, that's ok, we don't want baby stuff on the cake, but do you have something you can do with a baseball theme?
Kroger: Oh, yes! Definitely. We do a baseball diamond on top of the cake with players and little baseballs. It's really cute. Would you like that?
Us: That sounds great!
Kroger: Is it going to be a boy or a girl?
Us: A boy.
Kroger: Well, I'll write down to do the colors in pastels so it looks a little more baby-showerish. But we'll go with the baseball cake.
Us: Alrighty.
Pick-up Day (2:00 pick-up scheduled, 3:00 shower. It is now 2:15 and they're frantically trying to decorate the dang thing)
Kroger (panicked, clearly): Ummm this is not turning out very good.
Me: What do you mean?
Kroger: Well, I'm trying to draw the baseballs on here, and it just doesn't look like anything. It's a big blob! I keep taking it off.
Me: I don't think you were supposed to draw baseballs on there. They said you had some sort of baseball kit. There's supposed to be a baseball diamond.
Kroger: Uhhh. What? This is what I did (Lifts up a crazy over-the-top baby shower cake with stuff all over it)
Me: What's that?
Kroger: Well it said to do a baseball baby shower cake. We don't do that!
Me: No, it's supposed to just be a baseball cake. In pastel colors or something like that.
Kroger: Well here's the note she gave me (she shows me the notes for how to make the cake, and it truly was GIBBERISH)
Me: Well, we really didn't want baby stuff on there. Just baseball stuff.
Kroger: Do you want me to start over?
Me: No, the shower's in 30 minutes. Uhhh, just make it look good.
Kroger: I have baseball players I can put on top! How about that? That will kind of make it baseball themed. And look! The box on top is a keepsake box for the baby! (Note: there is, indeed, a box on top. That I'm sure the baby will just LOVE. WHAT??? PS, it is Spanish on the inside.)
Me: Fine, just make it look good.
Kroger: We have black baseball players AND white baseball players.
Me: Oh, ok. That's good.

... And this is what we got, folks. A serious, serious CAKEWRECK. And a hilarious baby shower cake. AND AND a keepsake box. For the baby.
It was quite delish, however. And she didn't make us pay for it. So there's that.

Oh, hello there.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's been about a bajillion days (months?) since I've updated. I could say I've been busy, which wouldn't be a lie. But I also just haven't been able to muster it up. I'm just not getting that love from blogging that I used to. But perhaps I'm over the hump (my humps, my humps, my humps). We'll see how it goes. For the meantime, here's a list:

• Internship has been going amazingly well. I love the Conway schools. I would LOVE to stay here and work when I am licensed, but we'll just see. Lots o' cooks in this kitchen, you know?
• I have been doing some assessments with kiddoes, attending (and occasionally, like today, LEADING!) conferences with parents and teachers discussing what would be the best placement for kiddoes with disabilities.
• Fridays are my counseling days. I don't do a lot of one-on-one counseling- that's what the counselor is for. But when there's a certain population that would benefit from some group counseling, we often step in. I'm doing some sensory groups for kids with autism/Asperger's (I love these kids!) and some social skills lessons with self-contained special education classes. I love this part of the job.
• Jeremy and I got a Wii, and I've been working out with the Wii Active on a semi-regular basis. I love it, and I'm feeling much better actually being active (it's been too long, stupid broken leg).
• I recently found out that I have to take my licensure exam for the state of AR (it's the Praxis for School Psychology) THIS semester, when I thought I had till NEXT summer. That means time to start studying. Soon. Ish.
• I am over-the-moon-excited about Melissa and Greg having twins. I can hardly contain myself. I'm officially predicting it's going to be a boy and girl. What do you think? Head over to her preggo blog and wish her well. And demand pictures and blog updates. ;) She needs some encouragement.
• I get to go see Dave Matthews tonight, thanks to Melissa being too preggers to enjoy general admission tickets. ;) She got some seats from one of her friends, so Jeremy and I get to now go and enjoy the gorgeous weather and a band that I used to love dearly.
• The pictures above are from the Toltec Mounds over the weekend. J and I attended their Fall Equinox Celebration. There was a weapons demonstration, crafts, fry bread, a tour of the mounds, and a sunset viewing. Amazingly, the mounds were built around the solstices and the equinoxes, and the sun sets behind certain mounds on these dates when you are standing on this one particular mound. Blows your mind, eh?
• Also interesting: everything at the mounds were measured in increments of 47.5 meters. Whoa.
• Keep reading. I have more pictures of other things I have been doing.

Other things the Spanns have done...

... Attended the Hope Watermelon Festival (what was that, July?).

I love these pics, though. That might have been the hottest day ever. Truly. It was sick. And those watermelons were ohhhhh so tasty.

(Read on... one more!)

And said farewell to a dear friend...

Once upon a time, way back in about 2002, Chandle and I lived in some crappy little college apartments near campus. It was my very first apartment, and I didn't care one little bit that the carpet was about 50 years old and had survived many college students that came and went. It also had a "dishwasher" that we were so excited to have. Turns out, it was really a salad spinner that was loaded into our counter tops. You took the lid off, put your dishes in, and it spun them clean... we never used it. This apartment holds many many fond memories for me. We always had friends over, and something was always happening. I loved it. This is also the time when Jeremy started to really catch my eye. I had met him a couple of years before, but he had only been an acquaintance that I had seen at parties (perhaps at David and Adrian's apartment...) and that I knew played Frisbee with some of my friends.

Right around this time, we started to like each other and started to hang out more and more. Also at this time, Jeremy drove the scooter pictured above all around town. I would see him driving to class or to the coffee shop or to a friend's house. He would ride the scooter to parties and occasionally offer me a ride home (the block away that I typically had to go). One of my favorite memories of Mansard apartments, however, involves the scooter in that I could always hear Jeremy coming when he would visit. We'd hear the little putter of the scooter and know he was around the corner. And he always drove the scooter RIGHT up to our sliding glass door. And he'd ask me if I wanted to go get dinner. Or any other excuse he could think of so that we could hang out.

Many years later... here we are. He still asks me to go on dates with him. But the scooter is no longer functional. :( A couple weekends ago, Jeremy made the decision to give it away, so he put a sign on it and put it in our driveway. Not long after, a kid around the age of 13 or 14 knocked on our door and asked, "Uhh, so is that scooter really free?" His parents were waiting outside with their truck, ready to load it up if it was really ok. So Jeremy passed on the legendary scooter to another generation of a boy who will undoubtedly make some girl's heartbeat just a little faster when he drives up. ;)

ANNOUNCING....!

Very very big news in the family... Head on over to With Six You Get Eggroll to learn more!!!

Where's the Beef??

Sooo... I ate a burger. Yes, that's correct. A burger. And, might I add, it was delicious. It was also the following:
*provided free choice hay and clean water during its happy little life
*not fed with animal byproducts (eew)
*not given growth hormones, steroids, or antibiotics to make it the Incredible Cow Hulk
*no preservatives were used in the processing
*not raised in a small pen, but allowed to run in a pasture. Where it was in the sunshine and could turn around.
*bought straight from a farmer, who was very friendly
*from the River Market, which I love to support when possible

Therefore, it agreed with all of my reasons for avoiding meat altogether. So I ate it. And I might have another pound in the freezer, awaiting the time when I am ready to eat more. It does not mean that I'm starting to eat meat again. Perhaps I would if I could afford to eat this way all the time, but really- who can do that? Therefore, I will remain a non-meat-eater, but I will occasionally allow myself a tasty burger when it comes from the right place. ;)
www.allnaturalmeatandmore.com

PS, I have a pic with me enjoying the juiciness, but blogger won't let me upload. For the past 2 hours I've tried it. Grrrrrrrrr.

Ten Years ALREADY?

Helloooooo, friends and family! So sorry for my absence. It was not intentional. The truth is, I haven't really felt like working on the bloggity these days (there seems to be a lot of that going on!), but I am back. Friday was my LAST DAY OF WORK (no more dealing with daily poo!) and our ten year reunion. I only took a few pics, but there are some excellent ones out there on the interspace. Here are a few of my favorites.
Friday night was mucho fun-o, and very very surreal. We hung out at school and Sister Deb took us on a tour around. Turns out it looks completely different, and it was really strange trying to orient ourselves to where we were standing vs. what used to be there... After the tour and the appetizers and the hilarious slide show (I swear to you I didn't recognize MYSELF several times: "Oh look! There's Liza/Kristen/Megan/Leah/Brooke, etc... OH WAIT, that's me too!"), quite a few of the girlies came over to the hizzy. Helloooooo to you ladies who silently watch over the bloggity (you know who you are!)! Then we went to Crazee's to catch up with the fellas. It was so good for everyone to get together and hang out. We seriously should see each other more often, yes? Saturday was not quite as fun... a bit of a different vibe, but I'm still glad that I went. Here's to the next 10, right?

The Spanns have returned

... from Webb Lake, Wisconsin, for the 4th of July blowout with the fam. I have many many cousins on my mom's side who live all over the country, er... world: Canada, Japan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Massachusetts... We have always talked about having a cousins reunion because we only get together every 4 years or so. This year we actually pulled through with it and all met up in St. Paul and drove to a lake in Wisconsin (despite the name of the town, it was actually Des Moines Lake). Seven of the cousins were able to make it this year, plus one hubby (mine) and a boyfriend (Paige's). It was an awesome weekend, full of lots of catching up, Porch Slammers (ask me about it soon... I shall show you. You will like it), fireworks, boat parades, and patio time. It's pretty amazing to me that a group of cousins can not see each other in such a long time (in some cases over 15 years), and we catch up and have a great time right away. I guess that's family, right?
Jeremy and I started the drive on Thursday after we got off work, around 6:00, and drove to Kansas City to stay in an awesome room that Kristen hooked us up with, courtesy of her brother. We stayed there a whole maybe 5 hours then hit the road again in the morning. Friday was complete with windmills in Iowa, meeting up with the fam in St. Paul, driving to Wisconsin, and grilling out. Saturday we hung out by the lake all day in the GORGEOUS 70 degree weather. It's pretty sweet to be in the sun all day and not feel like you have to get in the water because you're not DYING. We watched the fireworks that night on a party barge, then we shot off our own (see the above pic, courtesy of Adrianne). Makes you want to break out in the national anthem, doesn't it? Doesn't it?
For more pictures, scroll on!