**ALERT** I HAVE A NEW BLOG ** ALERT**

you can now find me and my roommate natalie at our new blog
http://dearlaurahippensteel.blogspot.com

please check it out!!

The best way to spread Christmas cheer

During the month of December I have been trying to spread Christmas cheer with a few christmas activities...

Posing with beautiful christmas light decorations




decorating ornaments with my yl girlies




Secret Santa 2009 revealing...I had Nat


waiting for Secret Santa


Jingle Bell 5K...first race post op


our first Christmas carolers



quoting Home Alone...


hanging of the greens gathering at 528


baking/decorating gingerbread men


bringing a bales family tradition to 528...stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree

in case you were wondering...

where i have been spending my time and who i have been talking to for the past month or two rather than you, it has been spent with these 21 precious (sometimes) high school students. i hope i never forget these guys. they were my first official class that have helped me and taught me what being a teacher is all about.

being a teacher is hard work, but there are definite benefits such as these two weeks of which i will spending a lot of time in soft clothes and watching movies! i plan on blogging during this time and sharing my life with you...i hope i can find time between reading twilight and watching elf to share with you some of the joys this christmas season is bringing me :o)

caving...believe it or not

this past friday was "team late night hang out" for the central young life team. we ate dinner, stood in the stands amongst crazy chs students, and went caving. it was a pretty normal night for us up until the latter of the two. i will have to admit i did have a ton of fun after i got over the idea that the cave could cave in at any moment and my life would be over! i'm trying to talk my family into starting a new tradition...we'll see how it goes! but carson and nic lead this big adventure. we went in with ten people and came out with ten...i think that is a pretty successful caving experience. bonds grew stronger as we coached and encouraged each other through the climbs, controlled falls, and itty bitty spaces. i love my team...in the words of carson mcwhorter, we "got our swag on."

i can't wait to have a house with a craft room

the adventure list

if you know me you probably wouldn't label me as one that was always looking for adventure, and to be honest, usually i am not, but there is a little bit of my heart that loves the excitement and uncertainty of something i have never done before. my friend jess and i have a pretty extensive list of adventures we are trying to accomplish. one day jess said that we always talk about being adventurous, but we don't really do it. well my friends, right then and there we decided to officially back up this quality with actual adventures. so far we have hiked, biked, kayaked, a day road trip to sharp top cove with the most amazing sunset, leaving surprise groceries for friends, and the list is and will be continuing.

I miss Sharp Top Cove...

....well let's go tomorrow!

this was the conversation jessica and i had on friday night. for some reason i started expressing how i missed sharp top cove and a bit of me wished i could go back. the last time i spent some time at the yl camp was as a senior in high school. jessica's whole family was going to be at sharp top this past weekend, so we decided to make a surprise visit to see them and to grant my wish of visiting where i spent my high school fall camp days. as i returned to stc i was reminded of me as a high schooler and how much i have changed since then. jess and i took a hike in the mountains on saturday and had a sweet conversation talking about the change christ has made within us and the change we have seen in each other. it was a fun day of adventure, navigating, talking, questioning, rejoicing, living on pumpkin bread and hot chocolate, and singing!!