WILL YOU SIGN MY YEARBOOK?

i'm still working on this week's edition of "our lifelong conversation." however, i thought i'd give you a glimpse of what our story could have looked like had we been born in a different era...







the 50's

the 60's

early 70's

late 70's

early 80's

late 80's

early 90's

late 90's








oh how thankful i am we fell in love right when we did!

WE WENT TO... WELL, LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU, EH?

C

this past weekend my COUSIN CALEB got married in CANADA.
we traveled to CARLYLE, saskatchewan and stayed
at CLEARVIEW CHRISTIAN CAMP for the wedding weekend.
CALEB and amanda live in COLORADO, but she is CANADIAN
and we were able to travel to her home COUNTRY for the exciting CEREMONY.

A

AND what a wonderful cousin-in-law she is.
AMANDA is full-of-life, joyful, and a wonderful ADDITION to our family.
even more importantly, she is a beautiful match for caleb
AND we couldn't be happier for the AWESOME newlyweds!
it was an AMAZING wedding filled with such sweet sentiment.







N
for our NEXT stop we drove to the NEARBY province of manitoba.
we went there to visit our lifelong family friends, the kirkpatricks.
since we were already in the NEIGHBORHOOD of canada, what were a few more kilometers?!
while there we enjoyed many rounds of NERTZ and played board games like it was our job.





A
we ALSO listened to the story of when our parents met
and how the luttrell and kirkpatrick families have temporarily lived under the same roof
3 different times while waiting for different houses to be ready.
we ATE delicious home cooked meals and loved the dinner conversations as much as the food.
we went for walks in the middle of the AFTERNOON and soaked up the perfect weather.
we went swimming and ADELAIDE went down her first water slide.
best of all, we ALL felt right AT home relaxing the days AWAY together.








D
from austin, tx to minot, nd to carlyle, saskathchewan to DAUPHIN, manitoba,
it was a DELIGHTFUL vacation for our whole family.
one of the hightlights was getting to see my DEAR friend laurel
and finally meet her husband DARIN.
it was such a treat to share our life updates in person
and DREAM about the next time we get to hang out again.





A
ADIEU canada.
now we are back home in AUSTIN, but just for 4 more days.
moving day is APPROACHING way too quickly.
i am APPREHENSIVE about the packing, the moving, and goodbyes
but i ALWAYS knew this season of our lives would someday come to an end.
and i am APPRECIATIVE for the time we have been ABLE to have.

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 6)...

PART 6: A LONDON BRIDGE WISH COMES TRUE

so there we were on our first date and before our food even came out evan asked me, "where do you see this going?" i was totally caught off guard but at the same time i had already wondered the same thing many times. so i rambled and tried to string some coherent thoughts together. i told him i knew i liked him but didn't knew what was supposed to happen after we left oxford, and then after minutes of stammering my way through a response i stopped. and i said, "alright now it's your turn! where do you see this going?"

as only a guy could pull off he said, "yeah. i agree with everything you said." well that summed it up somewhat. now it was at least out in the open that we both liked each other. but i wasn't settling for just that. so i said, "no really where do you see this going?" he told me he wasn't sure what all was to come, but he liked me too much to not at least try dating, and he hoped it would all work out for the best. i found out i was the first girl evan had ever asked out. and i absolutely loved that. wow, what an honor. he said he hadn't felt like wasting his time on something that he didn't think had a chance of lasting. so from then on i knew that this was more than just a random date. (the guys sitting at the table next to us also knew all of this. they were the most obvious eavesdroppers in history. they didn't even attempt to have their own conversation. instead while eating their dinner they kept glancing over at us and taking in all the details of the defining conversation we had.)

when we got up to leave the restaurant i stopped into the restroom (of course). before i walked back out to meet him i remember praying, "dear God, please don't let things get awkward now. it's okay if it gets harder in some ways. but please oh please, i just don't want to suddenly get awkward with one other." when i rounded the corner and saw him standing there waiting for me i had a feeling it was going to be okay. and then as soon as we stepped outside he immediately grabbed my hand to hold and i felt quite certain it was still "us."

we continued hanging out all the time and i was quite relieved at how we slipped from being friends to dating fairly effortlessly. we still loved doing things with other friends too, but now at the end of most nights we would also have some time to sit on the porch just the two of us.

at some point around our first date i was able to talk to my best friend, kristin, on the phone and i confessed that i really liked this guy evan. then i sheepishly mentioned how he was 3 years younger than i. she thought that was funny but didn't really make a big deal about the age difference. instead she wanted to know if we had kissed. now i'll admit it, i used to be a sucker for first kisses and was known to rush them along a little. kristin had known me through enough boyfriends to know that. so when i told her "no, not yet" she was quite impressed and said, "wow, good job. i think you really do like him."

well all that was about to change, on fat tuesday. val, our event coordinator extraordinaire, had planned a big pancake supper. everyone paired up and made different kind of pancakes with their partner. then we stuffed our faces trying them all, voting on our favorites, and eating pancakes for dinner. val and i were partners and made some veggie pancake. mark and evan were partners and made chocolate chip pancakes. i hadn't seen ev most of the day because we were in separate kitchens slaving away flipping flapjacks on griddle pans. but that night we all met in the common room for the big event.

the great pancake supper

after hours of eating and laughing, people started to go off and do their own things. evan and i went outside and as we walked along the sidewalk he stopped and said, "man, i wish we had been dating longer, because i sure would like to kiss you good night." i told him i felt certain we had been dating long enough already. so there in the courtyard of st. hughes college in oxford he leaned in and kissed me. then i leaned over to him and asked, "do you remember that first weekend in london when we all made wishes at london bridge? well, mine just came true."

sneak a peek-

PART 7: MEET THE PARENTS

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 5)...

PART 5: A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER
(the real first date)

we wrapped up our trip to france and got back to life in oxford. each year of my life quickly after valentine's day comes another important day- my birthday!

everyone in our study abroad group did a great job celebrating each others' birthdays and trying our best to make the days special even though we weren't in our normal settings. when it came time for mine it was no exception. my birthday is on leap day, but on years without february 29th we typically celebrate on the 28th. so they made homemade cookies for me, wrapped up fun surprises, and bought the english edition of cranium for us all to play together. then for the late night entertainment the girls had planned a big slumber party complete with dance party and pranks.

that morning though, i didn't know what all i had to look forward to and how much better the day was going to get. i woke up sad and really wishing i could just see mom, dad, and sara kate. several of us walked to a sandwich shop around the corner from the houses, on the hoof, for lunch. it was a drizzly, dreary morning and i was trying to fight back the tears. as we sat waiting for our sandwiches to be prepared i teared up a little. evan was sitting on a bench next to me and it was then and there that he squeezed my shoulders and said something to the extent of, "i know today isn't starting out like you wanted it to, but the good thing about your birthday is if february 28th isn't great you can just try again tomorrow on march 1st. how about i take you out tomorrow night for a birthday dinner." i blinked back the tears and looked up wondering if this was a desperate attempt to cheer me up or was he really asking me out. he then cleared things up, "like just you and me go to dinner, on our own." i agreed and never before and never since has there been a year that i was so excited about what was to come the day after my birthday.

L- intently playing cranium

R- our reaction to being
the winning team

FEBRUARY 28th
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

L- mark and evan
balloon heads

R- the slumber party/
dance party/ prank night

after all the fun birthday festivities on feb. 28th, i got to sleep in the next morning. when i finally got up i walked into the city center to do what many girls do before a first date, shop. i bought my first pair of long and leans at gap and then tried to kill time the rest of the day until it was finally time for dinner.

there were just a handful of times that semester that all 30 people would go out somewhere together on a weekend. but wouldn't you know that this particular day would be one of those. that afternoon someone had started to talk up the idea of all going out to eat together. normally we would be all for joining in with the group. but thankfully that night we didn't reschedule our first date and went ahead on our own. of course throughout the day i got asked many times if i was going out to eat with the group. each time i said, "no, i'm going out to eat with evan." and each time i expected a surprised response, but everyone simply said, "well, its about time," "on a date? finally!" or some other similar response. so maybe it was a little more obvious to everyone than i thought!

MARCH 1st
BIRTHDAY DATE

around 7pm evan showed up at house #9 and i came downstairs to meet him. he looked extra cute and was grinning while standing there in the doorway. and then we were off, just the two of us, to eat dinner together. we walked several blocks to a restaurant called zizi (certainly not to be confused with cici's!) it was a nice italian place that neither of us had been to yet. we had to wait awhile for our table and we had another one of our conversations about anything and everything. then the hostess called for us and took us to our seats.

at this restaurant all the tables were very, very close to one another. as in so close you had to shimmy into your spot and try not to bump someone else's food. so while we were sitting at a table for 2, it was actually in earshot of lots more people than just the two of us. we looked over our menus and placed our orders. and then, just as i had finished saying what i'd like to eat, out of nowhere evan comes out with the big question (no, not "will you marry me" yet). he asks me, "so, where do you see this going?"

next thursday's edition-
PART 6: A LONDON BRIDGE WISH COMES TRUE

PICTURES TAKEN IN THE DFW AREA...

she heard the requests,
and lisa from now and then photography
is coming to the dallas area september 12-14!


you can click here for details,
then make your appointment!

"CAN I GET A SAMPLE?"

i wish i would have counted how many times i was asked for a sample during my 7 years as a cajun cones employee. i also wonder how many hundreds of times i have asked someone else to try a sample of something. but for now here's a sampling of what's been going on with us:

adelaide got sick for the first time. it ended up being just a cold, but it was still absolutely pathetic to watch her feel puny. seeing her little eyes water and the constant run of her nose broke my heart. when she started throwing up drainage i almost got sick myself.

don't worry, she felt well enough to join jim, austan, evan, and me for her first astros game. we loved the first baseline dugout seats. it was crazy to be so close and be able to see the player's faces and proof that they really do sweat out there.

ev finished the bar. he won't find out the results for 3 months, but at least the test part is done. he survived it all and i'm so proud of him. we couldn't be happier that he is on this side of it.

berkeley went to the vet and was diagnosed with incontinence. she is only a couple of years old but when dogs get spayed it can lead to this problem. for the past 2 years our otherwise perfectly trained dog has wet the bed almost every night. i have often wondered how she can go all day inside without an accident but can't make it through a single night. we had tried everything with no positive results. now this is where it gets good, our dog now takes estrogen pills which have finally help her not wet the bed.

on our daily walks adelaide has been sitting pretty in her stroller in the shade. she loves coming along and jabbering back at all the birds she hears. berk begs to come along too. she does really well the first 3 miles. after that she ends up catching a ride in the basket underneath adelaide's stroller. i've decided our dog just might be spoiled- she takes hormone replacement pills and rides in a stroller.

i have started the 16 week training plan as i prepare to do the susan g. comen 3-day walk in november. i am very excited to get to be a part of this. but one thing is for sure, i'm not as good at long walks as i was once upon a time. but that's what the training is for.

after a week of driving in houston i discovered austin drivers are generally more friendly than houston ones. i am that driver who doesn't know what lane i'm supposed to be in until it's too late. in austin you can still get over. if you are in houston just go ahead, miss your turn, and do a u-turn later. it's really not worth the dirty looks.

evan paid me quite the compliment. he said i have become somewhat of a "laundry expert." for someone who never did a single load of laundry until age 19 that meant a lot (in defense of myself i did fold, hang, and put up countless loads of clothes before that). our grandmas are wonders at getting stains out of things so i have always depended on them to help out with this area. now with baby food stains you gotta tackle them immediately if there is even a hope. i am learning the power i possess with a bottle of zout in my hand.









we watched penelope and loved it. it was a fun movie, had a great storyline, and good message for everyone. i don't remember the last time we sat relaxing on the couch relaxing watching a movie but thanks to netflix i'm sure it will happen again soon.









this past weekend was my high school reunion. what better way for evan to celebrate being done with the bar than to mingle for two days with people he didn't know, haha. he was a good sport and we had fun. and since it only happens every 10 years i'll post more than one picture from it:

class of '98 was the first class in abilene high history to have the same officers all 4 years of high school. so it was not only our class reunion, it was also an officer reunion for the 6 of us to get to plan something together again. (ahmad, me, michelle, leneica, stephanie, craig, and ms. roper)







friday night we had a "toast to conversation" at the warehouse, saturday there was a mid-day "golf and gab" at playfaire park,
and that evening was "dinner and dancing" at perini's steakhouse.
(friends since franklin middle school- adelaide and me, rylie and deanna, blake and meredith, olivia and irma saturday afternoon)








my family was also eating dinner at perini's saturday night. they were inside while we were at our event outside but of course we met in the middle for a photo opp.









since it was an abilene high function there had to be some dancing involved. i am choosing to post a stillshot picture of us doing the electric slide instead of the video ev decided to take.








overall i was suprised how easy-going and enjoyable the weekend was. i loved being able to catch up with people from back in the day and i'm glad i got to be there for it. i wouldn't wish to go back to high school again, but i did really enjoy spending some time remembering those days and being together again. (some of the GNO gang at perini's- me, sara, natalie, mary catherine, meredith)

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER FOR "THE GIVEAWAY IS RIGHT..."

thanks for playing along at home!

i wrote all your names as entries,
dropped them in a bowl,

tossed them around a few times,
then had my lovely assistant pick 3...


congratulations REBECCA, TIFFANY, and TRACY!

please email me at
annaleealphabet (at) yahoo (dot) com
and let me know-
1) the exact wording of the phrase you would like me to make,
2) large or small lettering
3) your color choices (or assorted)
4) your background color choice (black or other)
4) the address to mail them to


and for the rest of the WONDERFUL TEACHERS:
i really wish i could do this for all of you,
but at least i do have a consolation prize.
i can't mount and laminate letters for everyone
but i would love to cut out letters for you and
you can just mount them and laminate them yourself.

please email me at
annaleealphabet (at) yahoo (dot) com
and tell me-
1) the exact wording of the phrase you would like,
2) large or small lettering
3) your color choices (or assorted) for the letters
4) the address to mail them to


***the sooner the better because we will be out-of-town soon
and i want to get you your letters before school starts!

COME ON DOWN, YOU COULD BE THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS RIGHT...

it's the first day of august.

all you teachers out there are immediately thinking
about how this is the month you will go back-to-school.
but don't worry there is still more summer fun to be had...
including a giveaway for your own personalized bulletin board words.

this is the first fall since 1984 that i won't have a "first day of school." it is bittersweet.
it is oh-so-sweet to be staying home with my favorite student ever.
but i will definitely miss smelling all the new school supplies,
labeling everything, carefully shopping for a first day of school outfit,
looking over a class list while dreaming of what the year holds,
and meeting eager, new faces.

now, let's get onto the giveaway...
while the die cut machine is an incredible invention,
i have always been partial to cutting out my own letters.
this fall i won't be frantically cutting out my own words
to hang on my classroom door, in the hallway, and on each bulletin board.
so instead i would love to cut some words out for one of you!
it's just a little way to say i am thinking of all of you accomplish
and truly admire and appreciate what you do.

here is an example of some words i did for kristin's new classroom in kansas.
i will cut the winner's letters out from whatever colors of construction paper you choose,
mount each word on white paper, then black (or other) background paper, and laminate.
you will also be able to choose small (app. 4" total height) or large (app. 6" total height).

to enter just leave a comment on this post before the school bell rings at 3pm on august 4th!

things to include in your comment entry...
*what you teach
*your favorite part of the first day of school

and if you already have something in mind, you can also let me know...
*what phrase you would choose if you win the personalized words