Day 5: My Siblings

I have an extended family which I prayed for when I was a little girl. When I was 8, my stepmom, Robin, told me that I was going to have a little sister. I was so excited! Being an only child was getting boring. Hah! I actually helped name my little sister Allison. I remember getting her nursery ready and coming up with her name.

Not long after, my mom told me that she was pregnant and then she drove me up to drop me off with Robin to have a weekend with my dad. Robin told me she was pregnant....in the same day! I couldn't believe it. I began to laugh and say....,"You're joking. You can't be pregnant, my mom is pregnant." I still can't believe they both told me they were pregnant in the same day! What are the odds of that.

9 months later, Jared and Hunter were born. No, they are not twins. My mom, and stepmom both had them. They are exactly one month and 2 days apart. I literally got 2 brothers in one summer. Hunter was actually born when I was at Girl Scout Camp. Jared was born when I was visiting St. Louis for a weekend.

I was so excited just to get one sibling. Now I have 3!

Today, Hunter is taller than me and 13. He loves his PS3 and the new game Black Ops. He stayed with Alex and I for a few days and he's so laid back and doesn't cause trouble. He's a good kid. He's very involved with baseball throughout the year and loves the Cardinals.

Jared is also taller than me...13...and loves video games as well. He does enjoy reading much more than Hunter though. At school, he's on the tennis team. He was very involved with Boy Scouts but recently decided to drop out. He is on the Jazz Band and plays trombone.

Allison also plays trombone, they are always competing! She is very involved at school and helps out with the office running errands. She also loves to read and likes to hang out with friends and ALWAYS go to the mall. She is 14, about to be 15 in January.

This is so scary that they are growing up so fast. I was like their mini-mom. It almost scares me that it's happening so fast.

Now that Alex and I are married, I actually gained anothe sister and brother! Ben is 21 and Claire is 16. They have been almost like my siblings since Alex and I have started dating. Ben is out in Nebraska Concordia attending college. Claire attends Saxony Lutheran School and now driving.

They are all growing so fast. Alex and I are also getting older. I, soon to be 23, and Alex soon to be 25. Our insurance will go down!!!

Black FRIDAY=SUCCESS!

Maggie+Emily+Lauren= Black Friday Ninjas!

My two very best friends and I decided to attempy Black Friday this year. The day after Thanksgiving is a nutty time for women in this area. At 8p.m. on Thanksgiving night, I decided to partake in this event. My friends Emily and Maggie were already planning to be at Toys R Us at 10 p.m. I went ahead an met up with them at midnight at Walmart.

Alex dropped me off since he had to be at Target at 3 a.m. for his shift. As I walked in, I saw cellophane boxes (almost like trash bags) around many large pallets of toys/towels/etc. Couldn't believe I was doing this. I saw three teachers I work with just at Walmart and then I found Emily and Maggie.

Maggie and I were in charge of gett Matchbox cars, a pillow pet, and a Woody from Toy Story 3. As midnight came, people were ripping through and wanting blood. I gladly passed out toys. Maggie and I were riding the cart to find Emily (who bought a Paula Deen set for $80 and a crock pot for $3). I bought 3 towels for $1 each.

We took a picture while we stood in line to celebrate our victory!

Our next stop was Toys R Us. We didn't buy anything but we did run into Nickie and her mom. I babysit their kids! I found a digital camera for Ellie. It was the last one!

From there, we went to Huddle House. What a waste! The people were not prepared for such a crowd. We decided to go to Denny's instead. From there, we dropped Maggie off at Sears to stand in line with her mom and brother. Emily dropped me off at Kohl's while she went over to Walmart again to get a TV for Derek. We all parted our ways. Kohl's was insane! The line was at the back of the parking lot. I ran into a few friends of Alex and I's. Luckily, I saw Nickie in line. She told me just to get in line with her. As I walked in, I was on a mission for flannel sheets and a doormat. That's all I wanted. Hah! I was successful.

The worst part about Black Friday is the following:

1. crowds

2. no restaraunts are open except Denny's and lazy pancake houses

3. running on no sleep

4. standing in line

5. dealing with crazies

The best part about Black Friday is:

1. gettin great deals

2. having a grand slam breakfast

3. runnin around with friends all night

4. the intense feeling of adrenaline

5. seeing people you only see once in a blue moon

Needless to say, we had a blast even if we were running on zero sleep. It will be an annual event. I'm already planning for next year.

Day 4: Your parents

Dad, Robin, and I
Mom and me


My parents are two very special people. They may have gotten a divorce a long time ago, but I've always loved them no matter what. I also have a stepmom who I adore. I've been pretty lucky to have such great support throughout my life. I want to thank them throught it all.

My Mom:

L oving

A lways supportive

N ever questions me

A nytime wino

My Dad:

R eady for a good time

A lways up for a beer at the Flying Saucer

N ever takes things for granted

D oesn't like burning his toosh on the roof in the Texas summers :)

Y ip yip dogs = no thank you!

Being a teacher helped me with this. Acrostic poetry can explain a person's personality or experiences in just a few phrases.

Love you guys!

Day 3: Your First Love

My first love would have to be Big Al. We met in high school. I was 17 years old. We actually met in a trailor in Millersville (we're gonna have to tell our kids this someday). I was dragged out there by a friend hoping to talk to Cory Seabaugh (Al's best friend). So I was playing cards with a group of people and Alex known as "Skelton", asks me, "Are you from Cape?" Of course if you're familiar with the area we live in, the Cape/Jackson rivalry never dies. I replied with, "Yes." The rest is history. We've been best friends ever since. Of course, he offered me a ride home that night. I told him no due to not taking rides from strangers. We always look back and laugh. It will be 6 years this January that we've known eachother. Another funny part of our past is that I didn't even know his first name until we went on our first date on April 6, 2005. He also, did not know my last name until then. It was meant to be.

Day 2: The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

The meaning behind the name of my blog is simple. It's about Alex and I, starting our lives together; being established. It's for me to record our experiences and lives; to keep our friends and family updated. All of this is also for people who want to know the real me. Instead of always checking up on my Facebook status, they can take a look here to read about my true feelings and thoughts.

My family.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

The new Christmas wreath I got from the craft show!

Our gold tree. I added the S to give it an old-fashioned feel.

Full view. I just love it!

Our first holiday season together as a married couple. I'm so excited and looking forward to all of the family time. The gold ribbon on our tree was actually from a wedding gift. It was wrapped around a beautiful present and I had to keep the ribbon. It's cool to think that we can use it for another purpose.

Perfect Example....NOT!

So my friend Emily explained to me that I was doing the 30 Day Blog Challenge totally wrong! Wow.......I'm smart. Haha. Instead of just writing about whatever I want. There are certain things to write on certain days. So here is the very beginning of my 30 day challenge...take 2.

Introduce Yourself.

My name is Lauren Ashley Skelton. My maiden name is Loftis. I recently was married in June of this year and I have a wonderful husband, Alex. We have been together for over 5 years now, married for almost 6 months!

I am a 4th grade teacher at West Lane Elementary in Jackson, MO. This is my first year teaching and I just graduated college from SEMO in May 2010.

I have a passion for kids and many different kinds of hobbies. My hobby I enjoy the most is curling up reading a book! Other hobbies include: exercising, watching movies, listening to music, shopping, hanging out with friends and family, blogging, and of course cooking and eating.

15 Interesting Facts about Moi!

1. I am left-handed. Many of the kids in my family are left-handed 3 out of 6. And 3 on the other side of the family as well.

2. I love candles. One of my favorite things to do is buy candles and keep them burning while I'm relaxing at home.

3. I have a scar on my tongue from falling off the monkey bars at age 2. I bit it open and my mom ran me (literally) right up to the hospital. We were at Capaha Park.

4. I've never been shopping on Black Friday. I freak out with crowds.

5. I could watch movies all day layin on the couch. I enjoy watching all different types of movies. The latest movie we watched was "Home for the Holidays." Hilarious. It reminded us of the puerto rican Skelton holidays.

6. KRAFT Mac N' Cheese just might be my favorite dish EVER!

7. I have a sweet tooth...BAD.

8. I absolutely love the sound of rain when I'm laying in bed. It's so relaxing and calms me down. I'm not talking about the major thunder storms. I could do without those. I usually end up sleeping through them.

9. I have a 2 year old boyfriend, Stratton. Alex and I were there the day Emily and Derek had him. We arrived just as he was born. He's definitly a best buddy. :)

10. I look just like my mom. Everyone says so. A lot of people also say I look like Debra Messing.

11. 11 is my lucky number and my jersey number as well!

12. A few of my favorite book titles: "Angels and Demons", "A Bend in the Road", "The Lovely Bones", and all Beverly Cleary books.

13. My left foot is slightly bigger than my right and when I smile, I have a "popeye" (one eye opening more than the other).

14. I have Cherokee in my bloodline on both sides of the family. You can tell by my high cheek bones.

15. I have many interesting facts about me!

2005 Young and In Love!

Found this old picture of Al and I fishing. One of our first times fishing together!

I was thumbing through a few of our old pictures and could not believe this picture! We look so different and young! I was 17, Alex was 19. His parents had just bought their land where they now have their house. So funny to think about how many times we've fished there now.

Day 3 of 30

Stratton tried on my UGGs!

The other night, I went to visit my friends Emily, Derek, and Stratton. Stratton and I were playing tunnels and laughing together! He tried on my shoes and was not that crazy about them other than taking a picture with me wearing them. He's growing up so fast and it's crazy to think that in just a few years I will see him at West Lane as a 4th grader! EEK!

Today is Sunday, November 21st. I didn't get in from babysitting the McCadams til about 2:30a.m. I was nervous because Alex did not call me the entire afternoon and/or evening. He had been sleeping for 2o hours! Of course, that did make up for the 32 hours which he had been awake. He's preparing himself for BLACK FRIDAY. I WILL NOT be participating in black Friday unless someones would pay me to get out that early and risk my toes being stepped on.

This morning, slept in til about 9. Got up, took a shower, then got ready for church. Ron gave a great service talking about certain things that we become aware of that we should be so grateful for. I am truly thankful for having Alex in my life. He's my best friend and someone who's always been open to hearing my opinion and things I may want to say.

This afternoon, we met up with Emily and Derek. Emily and I hit the Craft Fairs in Cape County. The first stop we made was to Bavarian Halle in Fruitland. I found a beautiful wreath for Christmas and Emily stocked up on goodies for cooking! We then made our way over to the Osage Center. There we found even more things that we wish we would've known before! We are already preparing ourselves for next year! Gotta love crafts!

As for me, this week is great due to Thanksgiving, a two day school week, and Christmas decorating!

Fill in the Blank Friday

We are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday and here is a bit of what will be included!


1. My Thanksgiving plan this year will include stuffing my face with turkey, carbs, and pie! We will celebrate at both my grandparents house in Cape and Alex's parents house in Jackson. My dad, stepmom, sister, and brother will be visiting from Texas. I'm looking forward to spending time with them!


2. My favorite Thanksgiving was 2 years ago. Alex's grandmother had back surgery a week before and she was on heavy meds. We had a "Gangsta Thanksgiving" and laughed so hard through it all! It's never a dull moment with the Skeltons.


3. My signature Thanksgiving dish is....well...I'm not sure what it is yet. I'm going to be making the potato casserole this year. I'll let you know.



4. My favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes. Alex's Aunt Alice makes crock pot potatoes and they have everything unhealthy for you. The best part about them is that they are so creamy and delicious, full of flavor. Sour cream, cheeses, bacon, you name it!


5. Thanksgiving to me is a time when we can all get together and have a great time with family and friends. I am very excited. This is our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. We are also preparing for our first Christmas together!


6. I am thankful for:

....a wonderful husband;

.....a supportive family;

....my heatlh;

....my friends;

....a roof over my head;

....Alex's new job;

..my job;

....my students who make me laugh;

....ice cream;

...Missouri's beautiful folage of fall;

...knowing that I have angels watching over me every day;

....and mostly for having a plentiful God who is gracious and provides us with all of our needs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

oops! Day 2 of 30 day challenge

Thanksgiving 2009

Friday Night Trivia!

Last night we enjoyed the sound of friends whispering names of songs and crazy dates in history. We attended the Jackson CTA Trivia Night. Our team consisted of Alex and I, Ashley Reinagel and soon to be husband, John Litz, Mac and Hannah Robinson, her sister Becky and husband Rowe. We had a blast! We decided that we to officially make a team every year.

I was very proud of myself doing well with the commonyms! What do these three things have in common?

1. Albert Einstein, rabbit, calculator?
2. person, artichokes, deck of cards?
3. butcher, karate, bulldog?

Scroll down for all answers!

After the games, we all went to see the new movie: "The Next Three Days" starring Russel Crowe. Talk about intense! My stomach hurt from all the intensity! The movie is basically, his wife is sent to prison for a crime she did not commit. He does his best as a husband to help her get out. Definitily a must-see.














1. They all multiply.
2. hearts
3. chops
:)

30 Day Blog Challenge

Alex and Lauren (2005)

A wonderful friend, Emily, gave me the idea of having a blog challenge of blogging for 30 days straight. This will go perfect with the holiday season! We have major news to tell! Here is my top ten list for the day.....

10. Ice cream will be my best friend in a month.

9. Presents are overrated.

8. Adopting a family at school for Christmas.

7. My students are hilarious and keep me on my toes at ALL times.

6. My brother is staying with us for 3 days. It is NOT babysitting....it's TEEN Sitting.

5. I'm turning into a person who I want to be and no one is telling my otherwise.

4. Just started a new book: "Love Walked In" by Marisa De Los Santos

3. I have wonderful friends and a great support system.

2. I'm getting a Tonsilectomy December 17th.

1. Alex has a job!

Above all.....God is GOOD ALL THE TIME & ALL THE TIME God is GOOD!

If you didn't catch number 2, yes, I am getting surgery to have my tonsils taken out December 17th. The ENT this morning at my appt. gave me two options: surgery or living on antibiotics 2-3 times a year. He said that most women take the surgery better than men due to knowing that we will lose 10-15 lbs! Whoohoo! No, this is not a diet plan. It will be hard due to Christmas being a week later. I will most likely be eating soup, mashed potatoes, cranberry, whip cream, etc. Anything that I can get down. I will only have to use 3 sick days from school which will leave me with 3 left for the school year.

The best news of the week has to be that Alex got a job! He is now employed by DeVry University. He will be able to work from home and travel a few days out of the week to visit high schools in Missouri. What's the best part you ask? June/July off! We will have a summer vacation together! That's almost unheard of unless both spouses are teachers. We are truly blessed!

John 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Monday Nights With Al

Alex and I spend the evening together watching the first few episodes of the show "The League". It's a corny show but very funny because many parts are so true. It is based on the Fantasy Football League.

Yes, we did make baked potatoes and pasta salad for dinner. Gosh, we love to just vegg out! I sat and graded papers due to grades being due at midnight. Blech! I'm so ready for a break! Alex is as well. Though his schedule for Target is just beginning. I believe he works Black Friday from 3 in the morning til noon! I'm not sure I will be out in the mess but we will see. :)

Again, this afternoon was an Insanity day. It was not as hard today! I guess that means I'm showing progress? I didn't walk up our stairs crying. I assume that's a good sign. I will try to post pics of the group working out at school. We are gettin shirts and a beer at the end for our prize!

Sunday at church, Daniel gave us a great passage:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens.

Take my yoke upon you...

..and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:28-30

This is so true and has helped Alex and I through these hard times.

We are so blessed.

5 Months!

Last night, Alex and I celebrated our 5 month anniversary together by making dinner and then watching Grey's Anatomy from this past week. We also ate our cake from our wedding. It still tastes good! While Alex finished dishes, I made a quick run to DQ and we had hot fudge sundaes! It was the perfect sweet treat for Friday. We had to laugh because through everything that's happened in the past two months; we are so in love and poor. A coworker at school told me yesterday that these are the best years of our time together and I believe her. We don't have any cares in the world and we get to laugh about any little ol' thing that happens. Following Gary Smalley's instructions of being joyous and saying "Yay!" out loud.

Our great friends Emily and Derek are going through some tough times right now as well and we spend an evening this past week together grabbing coffee from Barnes and Noble. We needed that evening being able to burn off steam as well as enjoying the little things together. We are so thankful for everything we have as well as having a friend to lean on and to talk/listen with. :) Love you Em.

Alex and I are going to be hanging out at the Skelton Farm tonight helping with their second round of Cajun Hayride. But for today, working at school will do. :)

This next week, I will be going to the ENT for a check up on my tonsils. This will be interesting to find out what will happen over my Christmas break.

Insanity

Today was the first day of my Insanity experience. At school, a few women invited me to work out this afternoon. This workout program "Insanity" is exactly like it sounds. There are repetitions and lots of plyometrics involved. I hope it will help me tone my muscles as well as get my knees back into shape. I'm okay with feeling sore even though I have to climb a flight of stairs to get to my bed. Hah!

Last night, Alex and I went over to Derek and Emily's hoping that we could help her with her online test for European History. This professor she has is a joke. What teacher sets their students up for failure? And they wonder why people do not want to go back to school.

Today at school was a good day. My class got Tip Top Table! This is during lunch which the class with the quietest class. They are able to go outside first and have a few extra minutes of recess. I think my class has only gotten it like three times since school has started. Haha! I did remind them that they make their choices. I guess I made an impact on them today in some small way.

Alex has started his job at Target this week and his shift is decent from 5am to 10am. We are both beginning to work out. He has joined the Apache football team. This is similar to a farm team and he enjoys spending his guy time practicing. He did bust his head open and his head is beginning to heal very nicely.

Tonight we are watching the movie "Almost Heroes" starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry. It's so funny because in 4th grade we are focusing on Lewis and Clark. I've never seen this movie and Alex requested to watch it this evening.

Sometimes life is scary.

Many times in our lives, we are faced with what may seem to be terrible things. Bad news, frustrating moments, stress....etc. These days, no wonder there are so many people on medication for stress and high blood pressure. We freak out the moment anything happens in our daily life. Right now, I am right in that moment where I choose my level of stress. Alex and I are reading Gary Smalley's book "The DNA of Relationships" in our small group. We've only been reading for just a few weeks but after hearing Gary speak at La Croix's Love and Laughter Marriage Retreat, he makes so much sense! Here's a little about what he spoke about....

We are in control of our own thoughts and those thoughts depict what we believe deep down in our hearts. There have been so many times which I have spoken negative words and without realizing it, I've hurt either someone else or my self-confidence. I now understand fully that as I've grown up, I am very much aware of what I say and even think about things/people/situations.

The marriage retreat which Alex and I attended truly touched our lives. We listened to Ted Cunningham speak about how important marriage is and to have an actual marriage compared to so many "kid-centered" families today. Alex and I learned so much to build our relationship.

As for Alex's job search. Please keep us in your prayers. We're sticking together through the thin right now. He had an interview for DeVry University in Springfield, MO today and then tomorrow he is having an interview for the STL Cardinals. We are very thankful to have each other to hold one another's head up. We are staying positive and we are so blessed to have God guiding us along the path which he has provided.

School is going well. I have been very stressed lately and this past week was home one day with strep throat. The doctor referred me to an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) doctor to meet with at the end of November to discuss tonsils. I am very nervous about this. I hear so many stories about how much more painful it is to have tonsils taken out as an adult. EEK!

Loving the weather and loving life!