New husband, new state, new apartment, NEW BLOG!

We have a new blog!

visit http://michiganwoods.blogspot.com

We have some wedding pictures up and more fun pictures to come as we start our lives as The Woods.

Wow!

Well, I guess it's time to update the blog. My excuse for not blogging is 1. I have dial up internet in KY and it's a pain to update. 2. I am super busy. With that said, let me tell you what's going on in our lives.

If you haven't noticed, we have a little over 2 weeks until the wedding. Of course, that means we are busy with wedding plans, but that's not all!

Last weekend we moved into our new apartment in Kalamazoo, MI (yes, that is a real place). Our apartment is super cute and we are almost settled in. Unfortunately, we had to leave it today to go back to the real world and will return to it after the honeymoon.

This week is my last week of teaching in KY. My last day as a Carroll County teacher will be a week from today. The day will be bittersweet, but at this point I am mostly excited about being done with something.

I got my first call for an interview today. That's right, not only am I getting married, quitting a job, and moving, but I am also looking for a new job. I am not sure when the interview will be, but we are hoping for next week. I can't believe I will be answering questions about education because right now the only thing on my mind is the wedding, but I am sure it will all work out.

Last, but not least, the wedding!!!...plans are going well. My mom, Steven's mom, and Steven have been a HUGE help lately. I am looking forward to being finished with school so I can work on the wedding plans.

Right now, I am heading to try on my dress for the wedding.

What's the plan, Stan?

(Look at those baby faces! I think this was around when we first started dating!)

TWO MONTHS UNTIL WE'RE MARRIED!

So, you (and everyone else) ask, "What's the plan?"

Of course, we WISH we had it all figured out, but we don't. Here's what we DO know:

Steve has a job in Kalamazoo, MI. So, we're moving there after we get married. This week, we are going there to find and apartment. We're looking for something that we can live in until we find a house/town to live in.

I am currently looking for a job. It's not quite "hiring season" for teachers so I am not panicking...yet, but I am a bit sad to leave my current job. It's not easy, and sometimes it isn't fun, but I have loved the kids (most of them) and my co-workers. I have 6 more weeks of work until I am finished, and I am planning on enjoying (and packing) every minute of it.

Steve finishes school with his masters May 9th. After that, he is going to start moving our stuff to our new apartment. Then, I finish May 27th. However, I am not focusing on moving...my job is the WEDDING!

The wedding planning is going well. I worked last week and this week on getting the invitations ready. It was a bigger job than I thought, but they turned out really well. This weekend I have my second shower, and I am really looking forward to it. The first one was a bit nerve wracking because there was no electricity so I hope this one goes well. I also am picking out beads for my bridesmaids jewelry with Karla this week and picking out my jewelry with my mom. Last, but not least, I have my dress fitting this week.

So, that's the plan, Stan. I am sure I left some stuff out, but that means I will have something else to blog about next time.

A cruise, mon!

A couple of weeks ago, we went on a Cruise! Why?!?!...because it was offered...and we never say no to a vacation. Steve's parents took us on a cruise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his mom's aunt and uncle. Lots of people from his mom's family went and this was my chance to meet all of them before the wedding.

Friday, after school, we flew out of Louisville to Ft. Myers and stayed at his grandparents' house. Then, we got up on Saturday and drove a couple of hours to the ship in Ft. Myers. Steve was a bit apprehensive about being on a ship for a week, but he had fun.

We went to Jamaica for a day and then Grand Cayman. Jamaica was neat to see, but very poor, which made me sad. Grand Cayman was beautiful! We did lots of shopping, and bought a few neat little treasures (shoes!).

We got off the ship on a Thursday and were able to spend a couple of days in Ft. Myers with Steve's family. We visited a FABULOUS orange/fruit shop, played putt putt (Steve won), went to the beach, caught lizards, and filled ourselves with his grandma's wonderful chicken and dumplin's.

It was a great time, and we were so lucky that we were able to go. It was great to meet lots of Steve's family that I hadn't met yet, and we can't wait to see them at the wedding.

Wedding "Woo-Hoo"s and Wedding "Woes"

Last weekend was a busy wedding weekend. With only three months to go, a lot of my spare time has been occupied with wedding planning. So, last Friday I was off work and ready to plan! I met with the invite printing place, hairdresser, and the photographer on Friday. The invites will be ready to "stuff" in a week, my hair is all planned, and we are ready for pictures!

Here's what my hair will look like...you'll have to wait 'til the wedding to see it with the veil ;)

Saturday, we met with our wonderful minister, Reverend Brock Davis. :) We got some stuff figured out and pigged out at Bob Evans for breakfast. As soon as we left, we noticed that the streetlights were out. This wasn't too surprising because we had about 5 inches of snow on top of already existing ice. Once we were home, we noticed the power was out there as well as nearly everywhere else in New Castle. That's where the "wedding woes" comes in. My shower was on Saturday. There was no power in town not to mention 5 inches of snow. I was worried that the shower would have to be cancelled or nobody would show.

Fortunately, we continued with our plans. My fabulous aunts had me a "romantic" shower by candlelight. Although some people could not make the drive in the snow, several people showed up! After about 20 minutes in the dark, the lights came on in time for me to open all of my great gifts. Then, they went out for about 10 minutes, and back on again a bit later. It ended up being a great and memorable shower and I am so lucky to have people that want to drive in a bunch of snow and sit in the dark to celebrate my upcoming wedding. :) Susie, Carla, Robin, and Colleen. My aunts. :)

Katie, Karla, Betsy, and Meggan. My BSU friends.

Wendee, Steven's mom. Patty, my mom.

What's coming up? Well, on Friday we leave for Florida. We are going on a cruise with Steven's family. After that, I have a busy couple of weeks at school and we hope Steven will have a contract signed. Then, we will start looking for a house and a job for me! The wedding planning will start back up in April during my spring break! Check back in a couple of weeks to see cruise pictures!

Something to Blog About!

There has been a lot to blog about over the past month...working out...wedding plans...visiting family...visiting the Retherfords and Rauschs....Betsy's shower, but this one takes the cake!

I didn't take any pictures (you'll know why when you read on) but picture this:

It was a normal Wednesday. I was teaching my second math class in my 4th grade classroom. We had just finished up doing some long division and the fire alarm went off. Now, fire alarms aren't uncommon because we have to have so many drills every month, but they ARE uncommon on especially cold or rainy days. Still, have you ever had a fire alarm go off in school and it NOT be a drill?

So, I had my kids line up and we headed out to the cold, wet, rainy outdoors. While walking out the doors, I noticed a couple police officers. Again, police officers aren't uncommon at our school, but a FIRE ALARM in the RAIN on a COLD day with POLICE OFFICERS is a little strange. Still, I am pretty naive and continued to think it was a drill. Needless to say, at this point I was ticked at the admin for making these little kids stand in the rain for no good reason.

As soon as the kids were lined up and counted, they told us to get on the busses that were parked outside the school . At this time, I knew something was up! When I got on, I asked "two per seat?" That's the usual. The bus driver said, "honey, if you want these kids out of here we need to pack this bus." Oh dear! I hope I didn't show it, but I panicked a bit. We put three wet kids on each seat and packed about 10 adults in the aisles. Imagine the noise level! After they were settled, I found time to ask the bus driver what was up. He informed me that there had been a bomb threat!

A bomb threat in an elementary school?!?! Seriously!

After playing several games of "miss broyles says"...the silent version, we got the news that we were heading to the state park convention center. There, we packed about 300 9-11 year olds in a big fancy room with cloth tablecloths (the kids called them sheets...haha) Of course, there weren't enough seats so my kids sat in a circle on the floor with me while I thought of every stupid game I could to keep their minds off of what was going on. Even though I wouldn't tell them what was wrong, they obviously knew something was up. We had several worried looks and tears. I mean, it isn't every day when you stand in the rain outside of school, take a bus to a park, and sit in a big fancy room. They stopped believing that it was just a drill.

After a bit, parents started coming in to pick their kids up. The good thing about Carrollton is word travels fast! The remainder of the kids were taken home on the bus (most of our kids are bus riders). I felt so bad for the kids who did have parents that cared enough to pick them up! There were a LOT.

Anyway, by 3:15 I was able to leave. Still, I had to beg for the school to let me in to get my purse and keys. Since then, the building has been searched by bomb dogs. There is/was no bomb...just 300 wet, scared, impatient kids in one big fancy room with sheets on the tables for NO REASON.

Hopefully, we'll find out who the idiot was that made the call....and he'll spend many many years in jail.


Now, can you see why I didn't have any pictures to share?

Chalk that one up to teaching experience!

Update!

So here's the update. I know I don't blog often enough, and really there are no excuses, but the best one I can think of is we are really busy.

We had a fabulous Christmas. Steve was off for a whole month! It was great to spend so much time together. We spent a few days in New Castle, a week in Marshall, and a lot of time down here on the river while I (megan) was working.

Only 4 1/2 months until the wedding! We worked our tail off to get the guest list ready for the wedding.....ahhhh...nobody told me how they grow when you recieve Christmas cards! Woodz's aunt, Margaret, picked up the CUTEST flower girl dress for our girl, Syd. It's precious!

We also registered at Bed Bath and Beyond. Steve complained a bit, but got a little "zapper happy" and registered for some goodies for himself (Michigan State stuff and BUBBLE TAPE). We still have to register at Target.

Steve has had 4 interviews. He has received two job offers. One is in Indy and the other is in Battle Creek. He's hoping to hear good news back from a firm in Kalamazoo. We're both hoping he'll know where he will be working in March so we can start a house search and I can start a job search.

I think that's about it. We have a lot to look forward to:
Feb 2-Betsy's bridal shower and a weekend w/ my girls
March 8-a shower for me :) thanks Aunts! :)
Mid March-cruise w/ the Woods fam!
April-baby Retherford due
May-last month teaching in Kentucky!
June-WEDDING!, moving, etc. :)
5 months of FUN!

Of course, I forgot something.

After reviewing yesterday's post, we realized we forgot two big things.

Patty took me to the Colt's game a week ago. The Colts played the Jaguars in Indy. It was a blast! Thanks Patty! Sorry...no pictures.

Steve and I have a couple of beta fish. Mine's name is Bruce and his fish is TF (really, it's not a nice name so I am shortening it). Unfortunately, TF is in his last days. He has a large clear bubble over his eye. After googling it, we found that it's "popeye." If we treated it, it could go away, but we refuse to pay more for the treatment than we did for the fish.....inhumane? probably? If you know any cheap home remedies for popeye let us know....until then....he will be known as Popeye.

pathetic monthly post

When Steve and I were thinking about all the things we needed to put in the blog, it kind of sickened me to think about what we needed to tell you. I just know it's going to sound like one of those disgusting Christmas card letters...only this is only going to be about the past month. If this bores you...sorry....maybe the pictures will help.


Where do we start????

My parents started building a garage for the river house about a month ago. We're hoping it will be the party site for the rehearsal dinner. It's two stories...you know big Mike...gotta have some place to put all your toys. Everyone down in KY asks me who is building a house next to ours...pretty sad. It should be finished by January.


A few weeks ago Steve was out of school for a week. It's like Fall Break and Thanksgiving break combined. I put him to WEDDING WORK! He designed our save the dates (expect them in January or February), designed the invitations (soooo awesome), and made the table numbers (each of them has a different black and white picture of things we love in Madison and KY). We also got to taste cakes for our wedding cakes. Our baker make 9 cupcakes for us to taste. We were so excited we quickly ate 4 and felt sooooo sick from large amounts of sugar. We finally decided on caramel chocolate (Megan's favorite), strawberry (Steve's favorite), and french vanilla (for all those boring plain people).

After I got out of school on Tuesday we headed up to New Castle on Wednesday. Steve agreed to take dad's four wheeler to New Castle, but was a little upset when he had to stop suddenly and it went through his back window. NOT GOOD! Luckily, we were able to get it fixed a few days later, but it was funny driving around with the "hillbilly replacement window."

Once we got the window taped up, we ran some wedding errands with Patty and then took my cousin, Noah, to Wal-Mart so he could make his Christmas wish list. That was a pretty silly idea because he wanted EVERYTHING. It was still fun watching Noah and Woodz both look at the toys with amazement. Afterwards, we met up with aunt Robin for pizza. Thursday afternoon was the McClure family Thankgiving. It was sad on the way there knowing that Grandma Kate wouldn't be with us, but we were all soon reminded that she was with us and life will go on. It was a hilarious and great time.

We had to leave a little early to head up to Michigan. Steve was really excited to get up there to go hunting. He went out Friday morning with no luck, but got a buck on Friday night. He was super excited and made me take picutres....ewwww!

Unfortunately, when he shot it, the buck took a little fall and broke an antler. ouch!

Sorry it's sideways! Check out the boots and the thermal shirt....my soon to be husband is a HILLBILLY!

Good thing Steve had his buck because he couldn't go hunting on Saturday night. We had his grandma's 80th birthday party to go to. It was sooo nice. It was great to see all his crazy little cousins, but the best part was how "unique" the party was. First of all, there was a KEG!...for an 80th birthday party...haha. Also, there were AMISH people there...a whole family! It was really neat to see them...the kids were so cute...no pictures...gotta respect the amish. :)

While we were on "vacation" Steve mailed out his resumes to architecture firms. He already has 4 interviews. He'll be interviewing in Michigan during Christmas break.

As for our plans for Christmas break, it goes like this:

Dec 15th-Steve's last final

Dec 16th-Steve heads to KY

Dec 20th-Megan's last day before break

Dec 21st-dinner with the Burgers and Retherfords

Dec 22nd-dinner with SAEs

Dec 23rd-dinner with Robin and Noah

Dec 24th-Christmas with Megan's family

Dec 25th-head up to Michigan for Christmas with Steve's family

We'll be up there probably until I have to go back to school on the 4th.

I am sure I missed something. I'll post later whatever I missed. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! Only 6 months until the wedding and we get to see everyone!

Podfittness.com

If you know me, you know I am not a big fan of exercise, but since I will be walking down the aisle in a BIG white dress in 7 months, I figure I better do something.

I have subscribed to www.podfittness.com and I really like it. Basically, it's like a workout video on your ipod. The difference is you get to listen to your own music instead of watch the annoying skinny girls on tv. It's 60 dollars every 13 weeks. You can download up to 3 workouts every day (who wants to do three workouts every day?).

What happens when you log on is you answer some questions about yourself (health, fitness, equipment, goals, etc.). Then, the program recommends some workouts. You pick out a workout that you want, and make some playlists for the workout using your itunes. Then, you can download your workout.

I have been able to download some workouts for my elliptical. I have also downloaded a stretching workout, combined workout, and weight training workouts. It's really cool to have so many workouts at your fingertips.

Hopefully, after the new year I will be heading to the gym for some more intensive workouts to prepare for our big day, but until then, this definitely works (if I do it).

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...so I don't blog much!

It's been almost a month since I posted something on our blog. I am going to attempt to summarize our semi-boring lives:

• Steve finished his webpage that will (hopefully) help him get a job. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/woods5/www/INDEX.html
• Megan went on 2 more field trips. We went to see a play in Jeffersonville. Then, we went hiking....I am not much of an "outdoorsey" person.
• Megan and her mom participated in Amy Hewitt's disability awareness week walk. It wasn't a long walk, but since we had to walk back to the car, it was long.
• Big Mike Broyles took some engagement pictures. We decided to go the cheap route with the engagement pictures since Steve enjoys getting his picture taken soooooo much.
• The bridesmaids dresses have been ordered.
• We met with the photographer and florist. (we=Megan and Patty)
• We reserved the church sound guy.
• Kate and Jeff's wedding was sooooooo much fun thanks to Kyle, Betsy, Cletus, Karla, and Justin. (We miss you guys.)
• Woodz did well on his finals....getting the best score in the whole class on one of them!
• Megan dressed as Charlotte's web for Halloween.
• We visited Steve's family in Michigan where we picked about 100 gourds for my classroom. (thanks Wendee for growing them)

I think that's about it....in no particular order.

This weekend we're hanging out. Megan is off Monday and Tuesday. We're pumped for the Colts game tomorrow and I (megan..duh) am going to attempt to make enchilada's and tortilla soup for the big game.

We're looking forward to Thanksgiving in a couple weeks where we will get some more wedding work done (save the date and invite layout as well as a final guest list (is it ever final?)). We will be going to Megan's mom's Thanksgiving for lunch on Thanksgiving day then off to Michigan for hunting (megan will be sleeping) and celebrating Woodz's grandma's birthday.

There's the church behind us! 7 more months and we'll be walking out of those doors....married!

I refuse to take the time for proofreading...so here it is! :)

St. Louis

We just got back from Saint Louis! Last week we decided we needed a little getaway. School is getting super busy for both of us, and we hadn't seen each other for a couple weeks. Steve decided he'd take me to Saint Louis!

Saturday morning, we got up real early and headed for Saint Louis. It was just a 3 hour drive (not bad considering how much we drive). When we got into the city, we headed straight to the zoo. Good news! Entry to the zoo is free...however, the parking and food isn't! It was so much fun walking around such a HUGE zoo.

This one's for Karwa! We knew you'd love this sleepy camel.

The monkies were pretty well behaved....except for this one who was picking his nose.

This is Alex. He was in the sea lion show. He was super talented.....did more tricks than we can do!

Look at the baby! He's only 6 months old.....I feel bad for that mom!

When we had almost seen everything, we saw a huge line by the penguins. We're so smart that we decided to get in the long line. Thank goodness we did! It was a 90+ degree day and the line was to get into the 45 degree penguin house. Ahhh, that was nice!

After we saw the entire zoo, we headed to our hotel. It was downtown near Union Station. It was super old and really neat. Unfortunately, it was a mile walk to the river and the arch. Of course, our cheap butts walked all the way there. We weren't able to go up to the top of the arch, but it was neat to be at the bottom. Steve got some really cool pictures!

After walking a mile to the arch, we decided it would be better, and worth the money, to take a carriage ride to see the rest of the riverfront. It was our first carriage ride together! We were sooo tired that I think we both enjoyed the rest more than we enjoyed the sights!
Now, we're home. Steve will be heading back to classes all week and I head back to the zoo that is my classroom. I have a new student this week that does not speak english...and I don't speak spanish.

In a week, I start fall break for a week. Thank goodness! Look for more posts then...when I have more time!

Party!

Last weekend, I got to meet some of Steve's grad school friends. He invited them over for wings and drinks. It was really a lot of fun, and they are all really nice people.

Here's the "host gift" Steven got from a couple of his friends. Isn't it pretty?!?!?!

For the party, I made a dessert. Since Steve already had brownie mix, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com to "spruce up" the brownies.

Ingredients:

brownie mix (and whatever it takes to make them)

1 bag mini marshmallows (the smaller bag)

1bag chocolate chips (the smaller bag)

1 T butter

1 1/2 cups rice krispies

1 cup peanut butter (I left this out because Steve doesn't like it.)

Bake the brownies just like you always would in a 9x13 pan. Then, pour the marshmallows over the top of the brownies and cook them for three more minutes. Marshmallows will still be "lumpy." Let the brownies sit for a bit while you melt the chocolate and the butter together (30 seconds in microwave, stir, repeat....). You would add the peanut butter at this time, too, if you want it. Stir the rice krispies into the melted mixture, then pour it over the top of the brownies. Use a knife to "marble" the chocolate mixture and marshmallows together.

This is a WONDERFUL, EASY dessert. :) Just they way I like it.

Wonderful Weekend

Last weekend, Kar, Justin, Betsy, Kyle, and Woodz (of course) all came down to Kentucky! We had lots of fun lounging in the hot tub, walking around madison, eating at Hinkles, and relaxing by the fire. Karla lounging in the hammock.
Betsy and Kyle relaxing in the swing.

Karla and Justin in front of the river.

Kyle, Betsy, Justin and Karla by the fire.

Betsy bundlede up by the fire.

Steven and Megan bundled up....it was cooooollllllddd.

I think the most fun was had when the guys and girls went their own way. The guys went to the Friendship Flea Market where they saw just about everything (including a knife shaped like a spider...or a spider with legs that are knives). The girls went to Louisville where I tried on my wedding dress and we found the bridesmaid dress. I will include a picture of the bridesmaid dress.....buttttt.......you don't get to see my dress.....sorry!

Just imagine this dress a bit shorter and in "moss" green. :) Sooooo cute!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Even though it doesn't always feel like Fall outside....fall is TOMORROW...I think. As I was riding on the school bus yesterday, I noticed that the trees are changing in Kentucky. Even though it isn't truly fall...yet, we headed to the apple orchard a couple weeks ago for the best apple cider slushies and some fresh picked apples.

We're always up to something.

Even though I say we don't do much, after lookin at some pictures from my camera, I realize that we are always finding ways to entertain ourselves. Here are some pictures from our tries at entertaining ourselves.....always involving food.

After going to the fair, this summer, we decided that we could make the yummy fried candy bars at home. We did! They are just candy bars coated in funnel cake mix and fried. Steven was really good at this art, and enjoyed most of his work by himself. Above: Steven being oh so sanitary and licking his fingers. Below: Our fried creations.....they taste better than they look.

After our trip to michigan, we were so excited about the pina coladas that we had that we decided to use an engagement party present (gift card) to buy a blender and make our own pina coladas. We added some fresh blueberries to the mix.....yum!

Just had to steal this from another blog.

I'm a blogging slacker.

Yup, I admit it. I am a blogging slacker.

Here's the not so exciting update w/o pictures cuz I am a bum. :)

Let's seeeeee.....a few weekends ago was pretty exciting. Steven came down to KY to spend the weekend. It was his first Ribberfest (a rib festival in madison). We had barbeque for three meals! It was a lot of fun to see how much great stuff we could eat.

Last weekend was great, too. We went up to Michigan to visit woodz's family and friends. We were able to spend a night at Steve's favorite pizza place with his buds, and two days with his favorite cousins, Sydney, Bradley, Lauren, and Andrew. We were also able to spend time with his parents and grandparents and see some of his aunts and uncles.

Steve started classes a week and a half ago. He has class mon and wed afternoons and all day tuesday and thursday. He's still working for the same guy that he worked for this summer on mon wed and fri. I think he's ok with his classes. I wouldn't say he's enjoying them, but I am sure he'll get through them.

This weekend I am going there. Not sure what we'll be up to. I'm guessing I will try to talk Steve into our second visit to the apple orchard. I can't get enough of the apple doughnuts and frozen apple cider.

Not much is going on with the wedding. We are slowly working on getting in touch with the florist and photographer to plan, but other than that, everyone is booked and ready. We are going to check out bridesmaids dresses in a couple weeks. I will also be ordering my dress (can't wait to try it on again) and looking for something for my mom. I am really looking forward to getting more stuff done so I can check more off of my list.

That's it. I told you it isn't too exciting! Take care!

Help us settle an argument.

Ok, so we aren't even newlyweds and we have ongoing arguments. Here's the deal. Both of our beloved towns have fountains. We both love our town's fountains (Madison, IN and Marshall, MI). Please leave a comment and tell us which one YOU like best.

Please post your votes on our comments for the "white one" or the "green one".

(The white one has lights that change the water colors at night.)

(The green one is surrounded by flowers in the pots in spring and summer.)

Thank You!

Long Time...No Blog!

I know, I know.....it has been a while. Summer is ending for us, and we don't have as much time to do fun stuff to blog about or even blog.

About two weeks ago, I headed back down to KY (sigh). It wasn't a fun move, but for one more year, I will be teaching down in KY while Steven is in grad school in IL. So last week I worked on getting my room ready and this week (that's almost over) I started my last year at Cartmell. This year is going to be WILD! I have 26 students (last year I had 18). I have some really needy students. I have my work cut out for me, but there are some sweet ones too, including one who refers to me as "beautiful Miss Broyles." Gotta love the brown nosers. :)

Steven is finishing up his physical therapy next week. I wouldn't say his leg is completely back to normal, but it's close and the rest will take time. He starts his second year of grad school on the 22nd.

If you haven't checked the ticker at the top of the blog, we are now in the nine month range! We are getting pretty excited about everything. Lately, I have been working on finding a florist, dj, and all the necessities of a great wedding.

Sorry about not having pictures, we just aren't as fun once I go back to work. :)