new blog

drumroll please........

THE P-TOWN POLLOCKS ARE HERE!

come check us out! :)

sorry, sorry, sorry!

to everyone of you loyal (errr....die-hard?!) bloggers out there who check out this wee little site, we are still alive! we had a nearly 3-week honeymoon and are finally back in the country, slowly settling into our new home. we get internet service next tuesday, but until then we are blog-less. sorry! hang in there, because super-fun pictures will come once we're up and running again. until then, it's lots of unpacking! stay tuned!

hang in there!

the wedding is over :(  we are married :) :) :)   and our house is slowly coming along. hang in there- a new blog is on it's way! (as soon as we get internet service in our new home!)

uncertainty

first, i want to open with a slight disclaimer: no, i am not an alice cooper fan. in fact, the only reason i know about the band is because my mentor from student teaching (mr. moss) introduced me to the this song on the last day of school. okay, the end. :)

isn't this the most precious picture? it's my dog (the monster), emmy & john's pup, sadie. they were looking out the window in my room not too long ago when i snapped this shot. both were content to be next to each other, content to be where they were (inside the house), but seemingly searching for something on the other side of the window. this window actually looks out to the sideyard of the house, so there's nothing there but a few hydrangea and rose bushes. however, these two were just glued to the window for 10-15 minutes straight. 

i guess that's similar to how john and i feel right now. after lots of prayer, thought & advice from loved ones, we have decided to stay in the hampton roads/virginia beach area next year. my job is amazing (as is the pay!) and there are numerous opportunities for john. his job search has been long but is finally turning fruitful; he has interviews lined up for next week! now that we've decided on an area, we need to find a home. let's just say that's easy to say and incredibly difficult to do. countless times i've gone to look at a home, only to find that it's not right. the Lord is testing me and my reliance on Him vs. my dependency upon myself to do it all. a lesson in patience and trust? tenfold. 

back to the blogging world!

i'm baaaaaaaaaaack! :)  i go through these periodic lapses in my blogging life and have to apologize for it. i love to find new posts on friend's blogs and know how frustrating it is to check & check again, only to find the same old post! sorry folks! :o

well, summer vacation has officially begun! i left the primary school today at 11:15, having my first year of teaching completely under my belt! (yay!) kindergarten was everything i thought it would be and everything i could have never imagined. the paperwork was endless, the 12 hour days spent in room 130 incessant, the tears & tattling continuous; yet the nonstop hugs, boundless love and seeing the world daily through the eyes of a 5-year-old made up for all of the challenges that i faced. teaching children to read is one of the most rewarding experiences in my life thus far; i challenge any other career to top it. as much as i can't wait for next year, i'm totally stoked that IT'S SUMMER! 

so, now it's time for wedding planning in overdrive! although mom & i have spent many a late night doing wedding things, there is still a lot left to get done. i'm off to blacksburg tomorrow after my fourth and final shower for another weekend of WEDDING PLANNING! then monday i will leave the burg and head for willow spring and a week with these kids! 

i will try to fill in the many missed blogs since my last post. stay tuned! 

"schoooooooools out! for! summer!" 

(you know, the song by alice cooper. i'm singing it loudly as you read this.) :)

prayer request

please take a minute to say a prayer for my coworker, mentor and friend, angie. she, along with too many others right now, is frantically trying to get in touch with her family tonight after a horrible string of tornados ripped through our area. the tornado that touched through her neighborhood was apparently an f-3 (with the scale only going to f-5). the pictures just make your draw drop and tears fall. there are no words for something like this.

i just heard from another friend that angie is finally getting to walk into her neighborhood (at 9pm) and is trying to meet up with her two young boys. (they were at their babysitters house. it is completely crumbled, but all are okay.) please pray for her, her family, and so many others that are affected by this horrible natural disaster. you never think it can happen to you, where you live, in your neighborhood....until it does.

and just fyi...my parents, pups and i are thankfully okay. we were glued to the tv from 4:00 this afternoon until about 8:00, when the last set of storms blew through. tornadoes were popping up everywhere around us and we just knew we were next in line. we were preparing the windows and deciding where to run (bathtub or hall closet?) for the best safety net. thankfully, we were blessed with safety throughout the scary evening and never had to put any of our plans into action. please continue to pray for so many families that are hurting tonight. it's so hard to find hope in times like these.

God is good, all the time.

field trip day!

so it's a quick, early-morning post for me. i am about to be inducted into the wonderful world of field trips! :o today i am taking both my am & pm classes to hunt club farm in virginia beach. and did i mention it's an all day trip? combining all 10 classes, that's nearly 300 kindergarteners for 7 hours! bring on the sneakers, sunscreen and goldfish! 

i'll let ya know how it goes after the weekend is up. after schools over, mom & i are off to raleigh to see wyatt and claire! (and matt and ali, too) :) have a great weekend everyone!

happy easter!

"As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord! He spoke to them again and said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.....You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." [John 21:20-21,29 NLT] 

I pray that you feel the peace of our Lord today, this Easter Sunday. May your faith in Him be alive just as He is today! :)

this was taken this morning after our (early!) easter service at church. our easter "baskets" were these black, decorative shadow boxes we had registered for at target! we were so excited to get them and all the sweet, yummy goodies within. what a creative mama i have. :)  

i am proud to share that tomorrow starts my week of freedom, aka, spring break! :) have i mentioned how much i love teaching in public education?! my tentative agenda for the week is as follows:

• road trip with mom to richmond, lexington & blacksburg
• spring clothes shopping at the short pump town center! 
• sleeping in. daily.
• wedding planning with my mama!
  
• possibly heading to raleigh to see the sweetest kids in the world
  

as you can see, my week will be spent far away from lesson plans, guided reading books and all things kindergarten. see ya when i get back! :)

engagement pictures!

our engagement pictures are up!

 john and i had such an awesome time with christi, we just knew they would come out great! she has graciously sent me some images to share on my blog, so enjoy ya'll!

shamrock festival

this weekend john and i each drove the long hours to roanoke, va for the shamrock festival! shamrock is a volleyball tournament that john's cousin (mark) and his wife (tamalyn) put on every year. this year's turnout was HUGE and a tremendous success!

 john and i were site coordinators at the salem civic center in salem, va (right outside of roanoke). our job was to record scores, maintain civility and try to keep the players/coaches/parents/officials/spectators happy! we had a great time being together despite the long hours and lack of sleep. our busy schedule kept us on our toes, so i don't really have any pictures to post except for the one above. i hope you all had a wonderful, restful weekend! :)

ps- engagement pictures are coming-- SOON! :)

flower question

i need your help! i am using white daisies as my primary wedding flower. however, i want to incorporate another color (using daisies still) into the bouquets. the bridesmaids dresses are dark blue, so i was thinking maybe a pale pink. i'm trying to avoid yellow, because i'm tired of blue and yellow. (they were my high school colors, my room is covered in the two, etc.) any other ideas? i really need your comments-- so let me know all you flower-savvy strangers out there! :)

playing techy-geek

so by now you have probably noticed my oversized, too large for the space, dark blog banner. but hey- at least i have something new, right?! with blogger's new features that make it easy for tech-incompetent folks like me, i'm trying some new stuff. hopefully i can have a snazzy, eye-catching blog before too long! but for now, enjoy my mistakes! :)

ps- john and i were back in blacksburg this past weekend for our engagement photos- hooray! the weather finally held out (apart from the wind) & we had such an awesome time with christi. i cannot wait to see the final proofs! :) i'll post more info. as soon as i can!

fun with zappers

 i don't know what the formal name is, but john and i just love playing with "zappers." we have used the past two weekends here in chesapeake to register for everything we could ever need for our new home (apart from furniture!). we didn't take any fun photos while we were in macy's, but we did in target! i guess the atmosphere in target is, well, a little more laid-back and in tune with random photo-ops. so enjoy goofy us!

okay, so i didn't register for this trashcan.

but isn't it cute?!

the boys have to have something fun, too!

decisions, decisions

me with a scanner at target?

scary! :)

productive weekend, but no pictures

hi everyone!

so i think i should rename this blog "the life of a first-year teacher, blessed with the incredible duty of teaching 42 kindergarteners, trying to plan the wedding of a lifetime and making the most important decisions that will decide the rest of her future, in 5 short months!" yipes!

so last weekend john and i went to blacksburg to meet with lots of vendors for our wedding. we met with the wonderful bakery who will be doing our cake, our daily bread. we even got to take a yummy poundcake home with us, compliments of the wonderful owner, karen!

we also met with the caterer and made our final menu decisions for the dinner. one of the many things i am so excited for is the fact that we get to-go boxes made for us so that we can enjoy the food later in the night! how neat! (everyone says that you never get to eat at your wedding. that's fine with me, as long as we get to see all of our wonderful family and friends!) :)

next we went to rent the china for our reception. since the german club doesn't have stock china on hand, we decided to rent it to make the reception a bit more special. the print is b-e-a-utiful and i think everyone will enjoy!

on sunday, we checked out the church we were counting on. the pastor was wonderful, the people were welcoming, but it's about 75 people too small. :( bummer! so we're still busy looking for a church that will accept two students who are not members and not local. we are continuing to pray that the Lord will lead us to the perfect place and open up the heart of the pastor there so he will let us use his services/facilities.  please keep us in your prayers!

now for the sad news,

no engagement photos! the freezing cold temperatures, in combination with rain and nasty clouds, pretty much surrounded the entire day we were supposed to do our engagement photos with christi austin. so we have rescheduled for march 1st. pray for good weather, please!

sorry i don't have any fun pictures. john and i are spending a weekend together and not doing a lick of wedding planning this weekend! (okay, well maybe just a little bit, but not a whole day!) have a super friday, ya'll! :)

 

off to the 24060

hi everyone!

just wanted to share some exciting news...

this weekend john and i will be 

doing our engagement photos! :)

we are meeting our photographer, christi austin, sunday afternoon in roanoke for a fun session. we are so grateful to her as she fits us into her already hectic schedule! hopefully we'll have good weather (rain is currently in the forecast) and a great time. our first wedding-ish photos, plus a fun-filled weekend of wedding planning should equal a great weekend together in blacksburg! enjoy your weekend, ya'll! :)

(this is one we took-- self-timer style-- the day after we got engaged!)

wedding attire, take two!

so let's try this again!

for the bridesmaids:

a simple, strapless tea-length dress in our primary color: blue!

click here if the picture above doesn't work!

and for the groomsmen:

(click here if the picture above doesn't show)

a classic, black Calvin Klein suit...

(click me if the picture above doesn't show)

...with a coordinating vest and tie to match the girls dresses

i know this is not as exciting to look at for most people as it is for me, 

but i wanted to share! 

have a super day! :)

some wedding stuff

hooray! i'm finally home for a weekend and relaxing enough to blog! :) 

i thought i would share a picture of some wedding attire that we had finalized this past week:

my dress

....is white! that's all ya' get til' july 12, 2008 :)

the bridesmaids

a strapless dress to match mine (hint, hint!), tea length, in our primary color- blue!

too bad this image is a little bit brighter than the real dress color

*image taken from www.davidsbridal.com

the groomsmen

a classic calvin klein suit 

and a coordinating vest & tie to match the girls dresses

*images taken from www.menswearhouse.com

now john and i are off to the mall to create our macy's wedding registry! so fun! :) have a super sunday! 

overwhelmed

after crying the past 3 out of 4 days this week, i thought i would share my frustrations with the blog-verse to vent a little further! :) teaching has been so consuming, so frustrating and so demanding these past two weeks. i want to do everything i can to make each one of my 42 kindergarteners successful, but sometimes the demand is all consuming. the workload this month is killer, not to mention the stress of my yet-to-be-planned wedding and our future after july 12, 2008. how is one to plan the most important day of her life when 42 young minds need to be shaped, molded, & taught the basic skills of life? 

after deep breaths, hugs from coworkers and reflection, my best advice came from the Bible:

"don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it's own worries. today's trouble is enough for today." -matthew 6:34, nlt

i remember driving to school back in the fall and listening to kLove (the christian radio station) one morning. the announcer/dj lady reminded those listening that we are all called to service. well it struck home with me and as soon as i got to school that morning, i jotted this down on a post-it note:

"you are anointed. you were called to love and teach these children. be an instrument of Christ's love to everyone of His precious children. be filled with grace in all you do."

this daily reminder of my amazing opportunity as a teacher is now beaten up, taped together and still falling apart (just like me!) however, it's still on my desk. and i plan for it to stay. i'm still putting my all into these children. time spent teaching is never lost, right? 

thanks for listening. i feel better now. :)

drumroll please....

here it is: the announcement of the big day!

  john and i are gettin' hitched on july 12, 2008! 

(and for your viewing pleasure, a picture of us from last july!) 

jp and i knew that we wanted to get married in blacksburg- it was the place where we met, where our relationship blossomed and where we fell in love! it was an easy decision to agree upon a location. now, for long-distance wedding planning....

i am heading up to culpeper to meet john tonight at 6 & from there, we will ride together up to his dad's house in salem for the night. tomorrow we make the rest of the trip to blacksburg for a saturday filled with wedding planning! (note the blue? it's one of our primary wedding colors!) we are meeting with our bakery (carol lee!), caterer, florist and hopefully making final arrangements for the ceremony. hooray! 

AND blacksburg is in a "Severe Weather Warning" for the weekend- woohoo! wedding planning AND snow? what more could a girl ask for?! 

have a great weekend everyone! :o)

my favorite renfrows :o)

i have yet to post about the newest addition to the renfrow family: miss claire marie renfrow! claire was born on december 20th, 2007 and is absolutely beautiful. my parents were in raleigh for the birth of baby claire and i went down two days later (after the last day of school) to see her. i must say, she appears to have her aunt ashley's olive complexion and dark brown hair. regardless of her adorable appearance, she was a bit jaundiced and had to get her healthy glow from a fiberoptic lamp for a few days. after some time with the magic light, claire's jaundice disappeared and left her even more beautiful than before. she is simply perfect!

while mom and ali tended to claire, my buddy and i played with some verizon toys. :o)

and the color version of us!

my lil farmer in his carhartt overalls

i know, he's adorable ;) 

baby blue eyes

wyatt just LOVES his shoes :)

check it out

so i waited a long time to post this, mostly because i think it's tacky to post close-up pictures of your engagement ring on the internet. marriage is about the love you share with the person God blessed you with and the engagement should be a celebration of just that: your love, not the ring! but after lots of requests (and being so far away from everyone!) i have decided to post a picture of my ice. hey- i'm proud of this bling i get to wear everyday! nice job, john!

you GOTTA check this out!

wow!!!! :o)

so i have to give a HUGE shoutout to Christi Austin of Christi Austin Photography! after entering a contest via her blog online ( i love the blog-verse!), tonight i found out that she picked john and i to receive FREE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY! this is so amazing, i still don't know what to think. i cannot seem to upload pictures well with the new mac like i could with a pc-- any suggestions? because i want to put as many props as i can to this amazing woman (with her permission!) and her generosity. christi, john and i are both SO EXCITED to meet you and so very thankful for your amazing gift. i thank God for your gift for photography and your generous heart.

check her out everyone!

http://christiaustinphotography.com

and here is her blog!

http://christiaustinphotography.blogspot.com