Happy Birthday, Catch!

I honestly have so many things that I am thankful for. I have a cute little roof over my head, a puppy who I adore endlessly, and family and friends who are my world. My blogs seem to always revolve around these three things. But an addendum to the "family" one is my husband, Rickey! I would not be who I am without my Rick. Although we have been married for 5 MONTHS already, I cannot remember what my life was like before Rickey walked into it. So today, I am so very very thankful that 25 years ago, Rickey Craig came into this world and has enriched my life more than I ever could imagine! :)

Now.. Since that sweet, sappy paragraph above has been said - I think that birthdays are awesome! EVERYONE deserves a day in the 365-day calendar we all use to just celebrate themselves. Birthdays are needed, it's deserved, and its special! Since Rickey and I became an item, we always discussed things that we wanted in the future- kids, living our "baseball life", a cute house, and celebrating any and every special day and occasion we could! I got to have the luxury of spending my birthday with our LA family and having a great cake (my favorite is vanilla cake with almond buttercream icing = traditional wedding cake) and party! As Rickey's birthday was following my explosive Halloween party and decor, he pulled me aside and made me swear I wouldnt go all out for his birthday though. He said that he wanted something "low key" since we werent going to be able to go to LA and with our friends wedding weekend starting tomorrow. Sadly, I also have to work tonight since I am taking the next two days off for Sarah and Clays wedding, so I agreed not to "go all out"... But in my mind, I knew that I was going to pull SOMEthing off and I wanted him to have a fabulous day!

Abner and I spent most of the day cleaning the house, baking Rickey's birthday cake (which I am so proud of I could scream) and decorating with a little "birthday banner" for the birthday boy! When he came home from school, he had a funny birthday card and indulged in his cake! I am also making a new recipe for his dinner tonight so he's a happy guy! We are going to continue to celebrate his 25th birthday with his parents and all our friends this weekend as we celebrate the marriage of Clay Sartain and Sarah Lewis!

I posted some pics of his birthday cake- he LOVES Red Velvet- and the banner I made. If you havent told my Mr. Wonderful HAPPY BIRTHDAY yet, get right on that! Will blog more after the weekend's wedding! So excited!

Avec tout mon couer,
Lace

Abner got tired of helping... Nap time.

Happy Birthday, Catch banner!

Rickey's Red Velvet four layer cake with cream cheese icing! Yes! I made that!

(and 25 candles with one to "grow on")

from the side- a big lopsided but Hey..

Blow em out!

MAKING A WISH!!! :)

YES. Thats right. I made it :) I am so proud.

Happy Birthday Catch! We love you! Lacey and Abner

The Great Flood....

Welcome to the Delta!!! I woke up this morning, walked out the door, and witnessed the Great Flood which I have always heard so much about. NO JOKE, people take canoes and boats and go to class in this mess...... This is our yard and the street we live on.. So needless to say, Abner and I are flooded in and having a lazy day inside today. Its hard taking a dog out in almost a foot of water outside your door.. and the rain just keeps on comin!

Avec tout mon couer,
Lace

Happy Pumpkin Day!!

Gosh, It has been so so so so so very long since I have blogged and honestly, not much has changed in the amazing lives of Rick and Lace other than the same ole same ole... School... Work... School... Work... Baseball... Work.. Sleep.. Rick has been on overdrive working on his portfolio for school, which I will admit is demanding and hectic and stressful as a whole. Basically, it becomes your teaching life in the classroom- this notebook filled of everything that you could imagine to create, think, dream, and teach to your students in hopes that they will reciprocate it and suceed. If you could imagine taking boards in the medical field, just reverse it and try to WRITE your own "testing boards" and put it into a notebook with over 200 pages... Stress-ful. I definately have so much respect for teachers and student teachers because they have a HARD JOB!  No wonder they get summers off- that is WELL DESERVED! So, other than working on school work, work, and life for us both, things have been somewhat boring...........

That being said, I decided I was going to spice things up a bit! After Rick and I got married we decided that we always wanted to make a special occasion out of EVERYTHING for our kids.. Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Birthdays... My sisters are the same way too, especially me and Candice. We like to create and be creative, we LOVE crafts, and we have fun just making parties FUN! This also stems to my special friend Tanya, who goes absolutely ABOVE AND BEYOND when it comes to creating a party or party-themed decor. Being bored in the Delta, I really needed something to do so I decided that I was going to have a Halloween party... For who you might ask? Brittany, my sister, was going to come and visit us and take a break from the Jackson life so she brought her dog Slugger. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to dress Abner up in a costume for sure! Rickey seems to just go with the flow when I get these crazy whims so he let me go to town with Decorating- just for the 5 of us... :)

I actually had a blast and loved getting into the SPOOOOKY spirit! Abner dressed as a Skeleton (I was determined to find him the Killer Whale costume I was obsessed with but since he's extremely large, I had trouble finding an XXXL- and this is no joke, thats the size his weight required). Sluggar dressed as a Bumblebee and was sooo cute. Rickey and Britt had a pumpkin carving contest and I made cupcakes that actually were quite tasty! Rick has eaten almost the entire batch of Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Vanilla Mint icing and I loved the Pumpkin Cupcakes myself. We even had 6 trick or treaters come and they were soooo cute! It made me miss all my little ones and my sweet baby nephews, Harrison and Ben, who were a Monkey and a Pirate. It really was a fun get together and I just love hanging out with people who I love. I MISSSSS seeing my sisters because we never get to spend a whole lot of time together. Here are some pics of the Decor and treats! :) Happy Halloween!

Avec tout mon couer, Lace

GO EAT AT CHILI'S!!! National Donation Day!! :)

Everyone holds something near and dear to their heart... I can name lots of things: My 2006 World Series game ball signed by Albert Pujols himself, my husband, precious family members and friends, hearing my nephew Harrison laugh, pics of sweet Betty, Abner when he cuddles with me, my 2 shiny state championship medals..... And MOST of those things  are uncomparable to my charity of choice, the one that has touched my heart in ways I cannot express, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital... TODAY (Monday, Sept. 27th) is National Donation Day at Chili's Bar and Grill all over the country and I invite you to get out and eat there for Lunch, Dinner, and afternoon snacks BECAUSE 100% percent of profits go directly to St. Jude!!! Chili's is one of the largest donating sponsers to St. Jude and they so graciously do this once a year to help fund the Chili's Care Center wing of the hospital- which is amazing! If you have never toured the Campus and you are in Memphis, TN for some odd reason, make a POINT to visit it :) The most amazing thing that was inducted into the St. Jude goal by founder Danny Thomas, was to leave NO CHILD behind in thier fight against pediatric cancer or life threatening illnesses due to a family's inability to pay.. NO MATTER where a child or family is from- background, city, state, country- St. Jude COVERS healthcare costs, travel, and living expenses that cannot be afforded by each and every family. So for each patient, family member who has to stop work or move, medical treatment costs, salary funds to pay the worker "angels", and just day to day runnings of electricity and bills- the hospital PAYS OUT over ONE MILLION DOLLARS A DAY! So let's help them out by heading to Chili's :)

Having worked there for a brief stent, I am LUCKY to say that I got to stand in the presence of Doctors, Nurses, and staff- all of these people are angels walking on earth. These people are on the forefront of hopefully curing pediatric cancer and they save life after life after life every single day. I got to work alongside these amazing people and my mind and heart are forever changed because of thier souls, minds, and good works. Not only that, I am also LUCKY to say that I got to be hugged by, loved by, and embraced the strength that each of these precious little patients possess. There are no words to decribe the fight in these little bodies and the hearts that they have. There are not even any words to describe the love they give when THEY are fighting a battle we cannot imagine fighting ourselves... On the days that I feel I dont wanna get out of bed because I'm tired or stressed, overwhelmed or overworked, frustrated, upset, confused, or just plain ole BLAH- I think of them and what they go through on a day-to-day basis and I am instantly motivated to give each day my ALL. Rickey and I are official St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Partners in Hope and donate monthly to the cause. I encourage everyone to become a Partner in Hope because your monthly donation is the best feeling! Today we are gonna push the cause further and salute you ST. JUDE!!! Cheers to the best charity and cause in the world and one that is soooo near and dear to my heart! DONATE to the Littles at St. Jude :) NOW GO EAT SOME QUESO AND SIZZLIN FAJITAS!!!!!!! GO GO GO! :)

Avec tout mon couer,
Lace

Ok I am officially the worst.blogger.ever.... That is for sure. Although I wont promise to get better at blogging until my schedule frees up just a bit more time, I will say that I will try harder to keep all our fans in "the know". And honestly, there isnt much to know! The Nolands are just on the same daily grind as usual. Rickey is still working hard with Delta State Baseball and fall ball is upon us. It's always a nice time when it hits because the weather is cooler and we are past the summer that wore us out with games. You have a nice break and its back on the field, and Rickey loves this. I really think that his past time is spent on the grass because it relaxes him. Me? That would never happen but he seems to love just being there. The other coaches call the home plate at Delta State "Rickey's Office". :) Anywho, with ball being back in swing we are back to him having a random and busy schedule. Some nights he is at the office doing scouting calls or cutting grass til 9 or 10 at night, then he comes home to work on more lesson plans and his teaching portfolio. His teacher seems to have cut "some" slack on him, being that he can leave right after school now and not have to stay an additional thirty minutes for "reflection time" (yes, thats right reflection time- and its absolutely stupid). Just a few more months and he's home free! So with lessons, work, baseball, and school hes a busy man. This weekend we did have a little bit of free time to run some wedding errands for our friends Sarah and Clay who are getting married in November. We headed to Memphis to get Rick fitted and purchase his groomsman's tuxedo and it made me smile to see him wear the tux jacket - brought back SO MANY fun memories of us trying on his tux for our wedding! Awww.. We got to do a little bit of shopping in which Rickey had the pleasure of buying a pet hair vacuum for our house. If you havent heard me tell the stories of Rickey and his latest obsession - and I am not kidding when I say this- with vacumm-ing products, well you are missing out. Anyone who knows us knows that our monster child, Abner, sheds furiously two times a year. Rickey and I have been seriously contemplating what we will do if the shedding does not STOP. And soon. We have Abs groomed constantly and we sweep multiple times a day, but no matter what, the hair continues to be EVERYWHERE. That being said, Rickey (and being a man) has turned his attention to recent infomercials and what not in search of the perfect Pet-Hair-Grabber- machine. First he bought a dirt devil vacuum thing and although this worked a little, it annoyed me because the cord was so dang short and it was hand held. So we ended up never using it on the floor or anywhere actually, placing it in early retirement. We then branched to the Swiffer range of products, which do work but we needed something a bit more "heavy duty". Next came his obsession with something called the G2 Swivel Vacuum, which looked to me like a broom on steroids. He ordered it and swore to me that "if Billy Mays endorses it, well you know it MUST work". Yep, not so much.... Actually not at ALL. I mean, this vacuum is running on two double AA batteries, we should've known better.. Last but not least, this weekend while we were in Bed Bath and Beyond, Rickey seemed to be amazed at this new vacuum that he swore would cure our ailments and was specifically designed for Pet Hair... All I can really do is look at him and smile because he looks so cute with excitement but in my heart I know I was thinking- Grreaaattt, another crap machine. This time I am admitting that this vacuum works pretty dang well and although it doesnt get most of the hair off the hardwood floor (which encompasses our ENTIRE house), it does get ALL of the hair off our 8x10 area rug... Words cannot express Rickey's excitement and I watched him vacuum at midnight just to show me that this choice "worked". Bless his heart, hes so cute. So I guess that Eighty bucks is worth having a great, clean area rug....

Anywho.. While in Memphis I was craving some Crab legs for some reason and so we decided that we would go to Red Lobster. Although not my favorite place for seafood, it would do the trick because I do love the cheddar bay biscuits.. I came to find out that Rick was not a pro as I was at the Crab Legs so we spent about 2 Hours devoring those crabbies and having a ball. In the midst of our hectic lives and crazy schedules, its so nice to be able to sit down and laugh with Rickey because he really, really IS my best friend..

So other than our weekend that consisted of vacuums and seafood, we havent been doing a whole heck of a lot other than working, eating, sleeping, and studying. Which reminds me that I need to stop blogging and get back to doing that.. I promise I will update later when there is something more substantial for me to chat about!! :)

Avec tout mon couer,
Lace

Water, Water Everywhere- and None That I Wanna Drink.... Yuck

Im usually a positive person................ But I have been more than frustrated with the City of Cleveland Water Department and Maintenence.. Anywho- about 3 weeks ago, (yes thats right-3 weeks) in our terribly dead grass that is thirsting so much for rain and crunches when you walk on it I found a patch of grass about the size of a quarter that was awfully green by the mailbox. Abner and I investigated this little patch and immedately called the ole faithful hubby-who said we probably had a water pipe leaking. To make a very long story shortened: calling Rickey turned into calling our landlord David (who is so awesome and helps like non other), which turned into the City making a stop to our house to dig a mini-hole, flag, and spraypaint all kinds of arrows and lines across trees and in our yard... They told us that it was a main city pipe that was leaking and although it wouldnt effect our water line or system, "It might effect some others on down the road".. Well that didnt sound good... Anywho.. THREE WEEKS LATER the little mini-hole was leaking profusely and becoming not only an eyesore in my yard, but made me (the worrier) worry about my neighbors water lines.. So after many calls, filings some kind of report and work order a couple times and finally begging them to come fix it for THREE WEEKS.. I came home to this sight this morning......

Needless to say, Abner really enjoyed watching the men work and especially the bulldozer that was (and still is) parked in the yard. The "mini hole" turned into a gigantic 7 foot deep, 10x10 massive crater that looks like we have started our own "Noland National Geographic Excavaction Project". I think the most exciting part of the day was when someone came to the door and said "Ma'am, if this here thing might blow, there could be a waterfall going in the air and the whole dang street'll flood-as well as your house. So I'mite have to ask you and your little dog to be escorted somewhere, only if that happens"....... Little dog, eh? COMFORTING....... Sometimes you can only laugh, I know, but if I dont blog for a few weeks from here on out- just know I fell into the new large swimming pool thats next to my mailbox. Thank you city of Cleveland! :)

Avec tout mon couer,
Lace

TeachUp!

So I will give you a minute to watch.......................................................

This video was shown to me at my recent TeachUp! Intern(scholarship) training day. TeachUp! is a non profit organization that was started in 2006 post Katrina in MS and LA as a means to reproduce technology into the human way of life and educational system. It was discovered that in many areas after the hurricane came through, funding seemed to trickle down and make its ways back into some of our programs for the advancement of technology BUT no one was there to use it. In one school, computers and interactive white boards were given to the educational staff and the school- but were NEVER EVEN TAKEN OUT OF THE BOX. Truth be told, many of these teachers just didnt know how to intergrate this technology into thier lessons and plans of study, so they stuck to the traditional methods of teaching. And with the rapid changes and advancements in technology, even what they DID know- was becoming outdated faster than they could learn. So a swift kick was needed....... Thats where DOT USA came in. Affirmed through the Americorps organization of our country, DOT USA saw the need and began to make a change. They initially had 40 interns, students and young adults who were considered to be highly technically savvy and creative, and placed them in the schools that lacked on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. The job of the intern was to basically be the technology "liason" between the school and the teacher- explaining some of the most basic online and computer tasks (opening email, sending an email, etc) to teachers and futhering them to be able to create Blogs and teach via online or through skype. And the program officially BOOMED. 40 interns is now 400 interns that serve all through LA and MS, but only in these two states nationally due to the need. After much study, DOT USA and TeachUp! Realized that the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf Coast/Nola post Katrina were two areas that had no concept of the use of technology in the classroom and were some of the places they HAD to begin. DOT USA and TeachUp! are also span all over the world now, with the most exciting of the change and giving back being in Kenya through thier sister programs, ReachUp! and StartUp!, Interns have joined hands throughout Canada, China, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Mexico, and the United States, with 1400 interns all over the globe now. And I am lucky enough to be considered one of them......

So far what I have recieved has been astounding. I am blessed and lucky and even more excited to get started with some of the mission. I have officially been placed at a Magnet School in Clarksdale, MS outside of Cleveland and you cannot even imagine some of the need at these schools. Possibilities are endless. I also wanna go to Kenya- seeing the webcasts and blogs that these kids write and send to us online is amazing. They have never seen or touched a laptop, not even heard the clicking of a keyboard or videoed themselves with a camera- and that change is being made worldwide. It's amazing and something I am proud to be a part of. For the LONGEST time, I swear I have been searching here in Cleveland and this Delta area for my "place" and my "being here".. and I have honestly come to the conclusion that this might be it. My ideas for change are BIG and thats ok cause some and all of it can be done. Im just going at this with an open mind and soaking it all in so that I can implement it into my studies and my education during my time with Speech Path. Its amazing how things just happen in your life........ :)

PS- MY RICKEY PASSED HIS PRAXIS AND PLT EXAMS AND IS OFFICIALLY DONE WITH TEST TAKING FOR HIS LISCENSURE!! YIPPIE! All that is left are these last few months of student teaching and its home freeeee :) Congrats honey! I am so proud of you and love you sooooo very much!

-Posting more TeachUp! pics and videos for you to see. I hope that this might motivate you all to want to Be the change that you see... http://www.dotrust.org/

My Trainers for TeachUp! are in this video for the Kenya DOT training!! Go Antoinne Powell!! (he's the one that is skyping with the trainees online)

Lots of love and hugs... Cheers!, Lace