I'm alive - promise

Ok, I've been away from blog world for far too long. Here's an update of how things are going. Joe and I just got back from Utah. We went to Salt Lake City for the weekend to celebrate Mark (Joe's cousin) and Brittany's wedding. We had a great time! The wedding was so intimate and sweet. And then we got to spend a lot of time just hanging out with Joe's extended family. We played games and ate lots of yummy food and laughed a lot. It was a blast! Here are some pics from the trip.

Joe and I with the newly married Clifton's

I was in heaven spending time with sweet Miss Avery!

Isn't she absolutely adorable!!

The result of the beautiful snow that fell Saturday night.

So, we had a good trip with Joe's family, and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. Lots of other things have happened in the last month, but this is what's on my mind right now. I'm so grateful that Joe and I both have such supportive and encouraging families. We are extremely blessed!

Attitude of Gratitude

In an attempt to rid myself of my "negative Nelly" attitude, I'm dedicating this post to things that I'm thankful for. Here's to gratitude:

1. A fiance that loves and adores me, even when I'm having a tough week (or a tough several weeks).

2. A night spent with family, celebrating my granddaddy's 74th birthday. Happy Birthday old man. :)

3. Surprise phone calls throughout the week from my sister, whom I love dearly. She's been such a great support to me in the last few weeks.

4. A yearbook survey that my kids filled out that ended up reminding me how much they like me. One of the questions was "Who's your favorite teacher?", and at least 90% of them had my name on there. It definitely was a reminder of the fact that I'm doing a good job, even when I don't feel like it.

5. Some kind/concerned words from 4 of my sixth grade girls that showed me I've got to snap out of this bad mood I've been in lately. If sixth graders are noticing, there's definitely something that needs to be fixed.

6. Tuesday night's dinner with our mentor couple from our Sunday morning class at church. We have such a good time whenever we're around Tom and Suzy, and Joe and I are so grateful for their words of wisdom and encouragement. Not to mention, Suzy makes a mean coconut pie!

7. My friend, Betsy, who's always there to offer a listening ear and never thinks twice about spending time with me. I always enjoy spending time with her, and she offers some great advice! Love that girl!

8. That I wasn't involved in the car accident that slowed down my commute home this evening.

9. That I grew up in a home where I never doubted that I was loved and going to be cared for daily. Not all of my students have that comfort, and it definitely shows in the classroom.

10. I get to spend time with some of Joe's family this weekend and see the newest addition to the Clifton clan. Joe's cousin, Megan, had a sweet baby girl about a month or so ago, and we get to meet her on Saturday. I can't wait to hold her!!! She's absolutely precious!!!

11. The phrase "I'm not going to let Satan win" that I got from one of the other mentor's in our class this past Sunday. She was referring to times when her and her husband have arguments. She said that she will stop in the middle of a fight and say "I'm not going to let Satan win". She was referring to the way that Satan uses petty arguments to tear apart marriages. I think I'm going to coin it as one of my "life quotes". They are such good words to remember. Satan's trying to win in many areas of our lives all the time, and I refuse to let it happen.

12. That being said, I'm most grateful that I have a God that I can turn to and plead for extra doses of patience. I know He's with me every minute. And I know that He is going to work in me if I will just let Him. "Let go, and let God".

Productive Day

You're not going to believe this!! I found a dress and booked a venue all in one day. It was amazing!!! I was so happy to have my mom, my sis, my aunt and cousin and Mary Kay (Joe's mom) join me for such a special day. We had a lot of fun and took a lot of pics, but I can only share a select few.

Dress - Absolutely beautiful! That's all I can say, because obviously, it's a secret (from Joe). Here's the pic Mal posted on facebook to taunt Joe.

Venue - Old Red Museum - June 26th, 2011 - I can't wait. It's going to be gorgeous!

Christmas Eve

I know it's October, but tonight feels exactly like Christmas Eve for me! Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment at 10:00 am to try on dresses. I have an entourage of family joining me for the exciting event, and I can hardly wait!! After that, we're going to look at two wedding venues, that I'm very hopeful about.

Joe left for Utah on Wednesday night, and is currently on the top of a mountain, with zero cell service. And he won't be back until next Saturday... So, needless to say, this weekend's wedding plans are the perfect distraction from missing him.

Also, I got the link to my engagement pics today, which totally brightened my Friday! Here's a few to enjoy. Thanks Betsy! You are amazing!!

Engagement Pics and Wedding Trip

Here are a few pics to show what I've been up to.

Engagement Photo Shoot at the State Fair of Texas

My cousin's wedding in Arizona

We had such a fabulous weekend. Arizona was beautiful, and the wedding was amazing! I'm looking forward to next weekend because I get to go look at two wedding venues and dress shopping with my mom, Joe's mom, and hopefully Mal. Joe's going to be out of town for the next two weekends, so he's trusting me to look at the venues without him. And then, on Sunday, we're going to the Bridal Show here in Dallas. Looking forward to hopefully finding the venue and being able to set a date!

Busy Bride-To-Be

I mentioned in my previous post that my students have been so funny over the last 6 days. Here's a few things they have said and done that just make me smile:

• Me: (At the end of 1st period on Thursday) "Does anyone notice something different about Ms. Griffith today?" (Two girls instantly raise their hands) Girls: "Yes! You're engaged!!!!" And then once I told the story 1st period, word spread like wild fire
• "Ms. Griffith, can we come to your wedding?"
• "Ms. Griffith, can I be a bridesmaid?"
• "How did your boyfriend engage you?" (instead of propose)
• A little girl drew me a picture of a bride with a green veil and blue dress (picture highlighter colors) and Joe's response was "I think we found our wedding colors!"
• I received a homemade card from a little girl that was addressed to "Ms. Griffith and Mr. Thompson" and on the inside, it said "Congrats on getting engaged. Mr. Thompson, I really like the way you proposed!"
• In the middle of a huge group of girls looking at my ring, one of my boys took my hand and inspected my ring and then said "Pret-ty Go-od"
• Girl: "Ms. Griffith, when you go to look at dresses, don't take too many people with you, because there will be too many opinions, and you'll get stressed out" Me: "Have you been watching Say Yes To The Dress??" Girl: "YES! I love that show!"
• "You're engagement story spread faster than the flu!" lol

I'm loving these priceless moments with my fabulous 6th graders. They make me happy. :)

I've already started my wedding binder, which is complete with tabs for each part of the wedding, and page protectors. I've browsed through 2 Bridal magazines over the weekend, which was so much fun! I went through and cut out things that I like, and filed them into the binder. We have tentatively picked a date, but it will ultimately depend on our venue. We're hoping for July 3rd, 2011. Our families agreed that it's a good weekend since family and friends will already be off on the 4th, so that makes things a little easier. And, venues are so much cheaper on a Sunday than on a Saturday. So, needless to say, we are super, super, super excited about picking a date! I'm so looking forward to all that the next few months hold for Joe and I!

THE Story

What an amazing week this has been!!! In case you've missed facebook, Joe and I are engaged!!! Some of you have been asking for the full story, so here it is. :)

On Sunday night, Joe invited me over to his apartment for dinner on Wednesday night. When he asked if I was available, I thought it was kinda odd for him to plan this a few days in advance, but he cooks for me every now and then on a week night, so it wasn't completely out of left field. I told my mom that I was slightly suspicious, but definitely not getting my hopes up about anything special occurring that night. Well, I arrived at Joe's on Wednesday night, and there was nothing that indicated that this would be a special night (i.e. no flowers, candles, etc). So, I told myself, "Ok, it's just dinner. No problem". We ate dinner while watching 50 First Dates (which was one of the first movies we every watched together), and dinner was fabulous! We were pretty stuffed, but when Joe asked if I wanted some dessert, I obliged. I never turn down sweets. He went to his kitchen and came back with ice cream from Yogurt Land, which is one of my absolute favorite frozen yogurt places. I was pumped! He had gone by there and gotten my favorite ice cream with all of my favorite toppings. Awesome! We started eating the ice cream, and after a few minutes, I saw something silver in my cup. I quickly said "What's that?" And he of course played it off like he had no idea what I was talking about... I dug the silver object out of the cup and realized it was a cheap ring... (Side story - A long time ago, when Joe and I were casually talking about proposals, I mentioned that I don't like when people put their ring in food because it's gross when you pull it out of there). So, I turned to him and again asked "What's this??" Joe said, "It looks like a cheap ugly ring to me..." I replied "Yeah, me too...." Then he said "Well, maybe you should have this one instead..." He reached under his coffee table and pulled out the box that contained the real ring. I was so surprised! He had me stand up and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I cried, of course, and said yes (although a few minutes later, he had me confirm that I said yes, because he wasn't sure that he heard it). LOL It was so perfect for us! We got to spend the rest of the night celebrating with my mom, Brian, Annie and Clay and calling all of our nearest and dearest. I could not have asked for a better night.

I am so blessed to have found someone who loves me unconditionally, and who sees marriage exactly the way that I do. A 100% commitment to one another forever. We are thrilled to begin this journey together, and looking forward to all that the next few months hold for our families and our relationships.

I have TONS of stories from school and how my students reacted to the news, but I'd hate for this entry to become a burden to my loyal readers. ;) So, I'll save those for a future post. Thanks for all of the sweet well wishes. I am overwhelmed with joy.

A piggy bank for our Honeymoon Fund :)