Indiana Weather

Well anyone that knows Indiana knows the weather can change in an instant. A prime example was this past Friday. Thursday was absolutely beautiful. It was in the 30s, sun was out, and hardly any of the snow was left on the ground. If it wasn't for meteorologists, no one would have had a clue we were going to get 6-10 inches of snow in central Indiana.

Friday morning around 10 am, the snow started coming down and it didn't stop until about 6 am the next morning. I got out of school early but Zach was doing a clinical at Methodist hospital in Indianapolis, so he experienced the 'fun' drive home. Saturday morning, we made plans with our friends Brandon and Amy to play in the snow that afternoon. Amy was sick, but Brandon came outside with us. The snow was not packable, so we weren't able to have a snow fight or build a snowman but were did have a good time. Below are some pictures of our apartment complex along with some pictures of the fun we had.

My cute hubby dressed for the cold!

Brandon walking to meet us to go play!

The boys thought it would be fun to throw chunks of ice into the frozen pond.

While the boys played I made a snow angel...

and wrote in the snow!

Brandon with a little help from me thought it would be fun to bury Zach in the snow.

Overall, it was a good hour or so outside together. Who knows with about 5-8 inches of snow coming Monday night-Tuesday morning we might have more snow to play in! Indiana weather is just sooo unpredictable.

Christmas Time...I know WAY overdue!

Well I realize that Christmas was a month ago, but I (Emily) have been slacking on my posts and I wanted to do one about our Christmas vacation together. So I guess it is better late than never!

The weekend before Christmas Zach and I, as most of you already know, were in the live nativity at our church. We were just locals wandering around as people would drive by and look. It was definitely a rewarding experience and we would like to do it again in the future. Below are a couple of pictures from that night courteous of mom, Terry Gray.

Zach and Emily posing as Bethlehem locals.

Mom and Dad as a Bethlehem local and Wiseman from "afar".

Emily, Zach, and Kyler along with Hannah and Ashley. Hannah and Ashley look like onery angels to me!

Then, on Monday Zach and I headed up to his dad's for a few days to celebrate Christmas. We had a blast together and sorry we don't have any pictures. We baked, ate, opened presents, and just enjoyed each other's company. Thanks Steve and Peggy for such a great week together!

On Christmas Eve, we headed down to Sulphur Springs for the Christmas Eve service then stayed the light at my parents. We celebrated Christmas morning with the Gray's then ate lunch with Kenny and family then dinner with Bud/Lois and family. Needless to say we were exhausted but had a good time catching up with our extended family.

The day after Christmas, we had Myra, Rod, Scott, and Alex to our place for our final Christmas celebration. Myra brought a meal that we shared along with some great presents. It was a good time catching up with everyone from this family as well as we don't get a chance to see everyone as much as we would like.

Zach and I enjoyed the next couple of days together before Kristoffer, Dana, and Karter came down to mom and dad's to visit. We basically spent as much time with them as possible catching up and playing with Karter. It was a great time filled with a bunch of laughs!

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day was spent with the extended Gray family then Zach and I were back to our swing of things. But, we had a great break filled with family times, eating, relaxation, and recuperation. School is back up and running but we'll do our best to keep you updated on the Gray Whale-y's adventures!

Snow Day

The last few weeks have been very busy, full of family activities and tons of traveling. We were only home for 2 days over the last two weeks= not much time for posting. So today when we woke up...it was perfect, a snow day. I don't go back to school until Monday, but Emily has been back all week. Today she got her first snow day of the school year. We went out to see the snow and this is what we saw...

This is really not beach chair weather...

This is of course just a little dusting, nothing like a Minnesota snow, but enough to cancel schools here in Indiana. It was honestly a good excuse to be lazy, catch up on sleep, and have fun snowed in together. It was one of those bonding days where we played, laughed, and loved each other. I recently bought this kiddie looking game for my new PS3 I got for Christmas because it was said to be a great family game. We both have played it most of the day. I don't think I had heard Emily laugh so hard in long time. She is so funny to watch play this game. I would explain the game, but I really can't...It is very different from all other games.

All and all a fun day of not leaving the house. You really know it's love when you stay inside with that one person all day long, and have the greatest day ever.

Always A Spin Too Late

As I sit here I am a little disheartened at the fact that I did not receive the Christmas miracle I was hoping for...I did not win Colts tickets. I was very close though. I went to Meijer this afternoon for what they call Blue Fridays. Meijer and Hank FM 97.1 give away 25 pairs of tickets the Friday before every home game during the Colts season. I had never gone before and was just sitting at home not being productive...when I got the idea of trying to win some tickets. I thought it would be a great present for Emily (and me too).

I drove to the giveaway location on E. Washington St. AKA I-40, which runs through Greenfield. It was only a 15 minute drive away. The website said get their early and try your hand, so I was there early at 1:30pm for the event starting at 3:00pm. I was about 30th in line to have a chance at spinning the wheel. As I waited the line really built. By the time the event started, about 300 Colts fans were in line. It was a sight to see.

It was an interesting group of people, definitely someone from all walks of life. I had a few VERY INTERESTING people in front of me, who had no concept of personal space, and loved to talk. I am never one to shy away from people so I politely listened. I learned the life stories of about 5 people in an hour and a half.

As the event started and people spun the wheel, I actually got nervous. You get up there and everyone is staring to see if you win. The first winner of tickets for the day...the man directly in front of me. As for me, I was one space on the wheel away. It was kinda sad at how close I was, so I stayed and went through the line again. I was of course much further away now, but I was pretty sure I would get one more spin. The wheel was about 100 small spaces, like the one on wheel of fortune, with 3 of those spaces giving you Colts tickets. I thought it was worth the wait for a 3% chance for a great night out.

I should have left after the first spin. I waited another 45 minutes for my second chance...redemption. They announce 5 pairs are left as I approach my turn; the woman immediately in front of me wins one of the pairs. As for me, AGAIN...one space away. It was just not meant to be, but it was an interesting experience.

24 hours, 1 car, 2 people= Adventure

One thing I have learned since being married is that road trips either test your relationship or makes it stronger. Over the last couple years Emily and I have made a few long road trips and in each of those trips we have bonded. We have been lucky and have managed to communicate and have fun in tight quarters. I think it is because we don't just take trips but go on adventures.

Emily is not one to plan out every detail, and I love that about her (most of the time). We left for Minnesota the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with a set of driving directions and that was it. We drove through the night planning our stops around empty gas tanks and stomachs. As we drove through Illinois we were running low on gas and needed a driver change, so we stopped at a Pilot in the middle of nowhere...literally! We each got big drinks, some caffeine, to help us stay awake in the dark backcountry. We later decide we are getting hungry (about an hour from the Pilot) and started looking for a restaurant near the interstate for dinner. Emily wanted Mexican, not the easiest food to find on a highway sign unless you are wanting taco bell.

We saw a sign for "Mr. Salsa's" so we both said lets try it. We are so agreeable. As we take the exit we look around and don't see much in this town. But knowing what Emily wants, I decide to just keep driving and be patient that the restaurant will appear. We drive for about 2.5 miles and get into a small town main street that looks half abandoned. Then all of the sudden, there it was, Mr. Salsa's...inside a bar, a dirty looking bar.

Like I said Emily wanted Mexican, so we actually ate there and the food was pretty good...and yes, they had good salsa. The adventure of finding the restaurant was weird enough, but not this night. As we sat there eating our chips and salsa, this family walks in...that Emily recognizes. A woman and her adorable daughter walk in, the same from the Pilot we got drinks at. Emily was 99.9% certain it was them, but wasn't going to say for sure or ask them to confirm it.

So we both just sat there eating thinking..."What are the odds? That has to be them! Are they from this small town or passing through like us?". I had to know, so when Emily went out to the car as I paid for dinner; I made a detour. I "politely" asked if they happened to be the same people Emily noticed at the Pilot. They confirmed it and laughed, saying "I'm glad we are at least memorable". They told me they just decided to stop here too and they were also traveling for Thanksgiving.

I am still amazed at how we saw the same people in the middle of nowhere twice in one night. We had never meet before, but had a very weird connection that night. Of all the places on that road to eat and stop, we both chose Mr. Salsa's, a place most people would drive right past. It makes me think of how small this world truly is...

The rest of the trip was fun, but less interesting than our chance occurrence. We made it to Minnesota, had a great time, and drove home. The trip was ~24 hours of driving total, but one crazy adventure in whole.

Best Husband Ever

During the week, one of the worst things for me is trying to get everything done around the apartment. I feel like I already have a lot to do with grading and planning, then to add cooking, doing dishes, picking up, and laundry it just sometimes can be overwhelming! But, I knew with being a teacher that I'd have to take work home so I deal with it.

However, Tuesday and Thursday are the worst because I tutor two students until about 5:00 so I'm not home until 5:45 or 6:00. I know that isn't late but when I'm used to getting home around 4:15 it can make it stressful to get what I want accomplished done before I'm ready to relax for the evening.

Today was a rough day at school with the students being really wound up, then there was a fight outside my classroom which made everything worse. I was not in the mood to come home and be productive. However, Zach had no clue that I had a tiring day but when I came home I came home to this...

Zach cooking dinner!

Zach also had bought me flowers just because...and there were my favorite orange/yellow roses!

Zach also was doing the dishes along the way! What a wonderful way to come home from work! I could not have asked for a better husband who always is willing to make my life easier without even knowing it. This turned out to be a good Tuesday evening for me! Thanks sweetheart!

Sleeping Beauty

I have got to make this post quick before my cover is blown. Emily wouldn't like me sharing this secret information with you. Emily has a weekend addiction to... SLEEPING, or "daytime napping". I know it's not a crime, but she really does this EVERY weekend. I felt obligated to let you all in on her little dark secret. We sleep in on Saturdays usually until about 9am, so how can she be "soooo tired" by 12:30pm? That is the mystery.

Here is the proof:

This is what she is doing this minute as I write this. Sleeping again!! Can you believe her?

Actually, I can... I may be writing this with humor, but I understand and know she needs this rest. I give her a hard time about sleeping every weekend, but as you can see, I usually don't wake her. She is hard working and does so much for me during the week. She works with teenagers everyday... which should be enough to entitle her to a nap on its own, but she also helps cook, clean, and helps me with everything. The weight of the week adds up and by the weekend she just needs to lay down.

So, she may sleep a lot on the weekend, but she does so much during the week I have to let it slide. I guess in some ways I married famous... I married my "Sleeping Beauty".