Spring Break? What break, this is where we live!

John and I have just planned out our spring break . . . painting, long boarding, fundraising, studying, sewing(for me) and basketball of course (for John). And the neat thing is that the beach is on our to do list too. But for the first time we dont have to fly to enjoy the ocean and sunshine, it is just a hop in the car. It is kind of funny, we are trying to avoid spring break (i.e. lots of college students, drunkeness and nakedness)

This picture is actually from last fall when we went to St. Augustine beach after we just moved here. It is a beautiful place and aparently it is the oldest city in America. Here we come, every one loves an old married couple on the beaches of spring break!

The Daily Teten

This past week, one of my key girls turned the big 19! We joined her for her celebration at McCalister's. It is a tastebud haven with yummy salads,texas-sized spuds, and sandwichs, and most important they have the best sweet tea . . . or diet coke for me! Yum, thanks Brittney for letting us celebrate your day!Oh, and I just dusted this picture off as I was going through my friend's facebook picture album. This old thing . . . oh yeah that time when we won the SEC national championship, it was like it was yesterday!

Facebook is a great place to steal pictures from other people's profiles. Thanks Heather.

One More Teten Please!

thats right we are not finished . . . and by that I mean that I am proud to announce the very fresh engagement of my brother David Teten to the beautiful bride-to-be Pamela. And I cannot wait for it.

I want a Pamela Teten in my life!

MLK Weekend Right?

Well it is true that we spent the long MLK weekend in North Carolina. And it is equally true that that was over a month ago. But if I know wisdom, and I think I do . . . than there is no time like the present. And so here is a short documentary that I have been working on from our trip.

here we have the women . . . standing on a log

and this is pizza-eating in the wonderful world of waynesville. Mmm!

and the best part. this was our housing. A beautiful bright becon in the thicket of the great NC.

thanks for watching. stay tuned for more short stories.

Valentine's Day

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good dear friend Becca. It is to her (and my passionate lover of a husband John) that I owe my new found appreciation for the red, the pink, the hearts, the frills and the love of valentine's day. In honor of my new interest in this holiday we had a pre-party celebration if you will with the students we love and cherish at UF. They convened in out little apartment last night for some chocolate fondue, heart shapped cookies and brownies and some mocha punch! It was a delight and a great beginning to a wonderful day.

We'll Take It!

This January has been an encouraging time for John and I. We feared that spending time in Colorado would lead to disappointment as we headed home for Florida. But it hasn't, we have been able to embrace it as home I think for the first time (at least for me) It has been nice to enjoy the warm weather and the rainstorms at night. We spent a short afternoon at a lake nearby and canoed and volleyballed with some students last weekend. We are even so bold to entertain the idea of staying in the same apartment that made me cry the first time I saw it. But now it is home and we love our little abode! It may be in the ghetto, it may get no sunlight at all and our bedroom window may be above a parking lot that inhabits drunk and loud college students on random nights . . . but home it is. come see it!

Victorious

Final score: 41 to 14 . . .
the losing teams Heisman winning quarterback had the worst game of his career . . .
a dome filled with 14,ooo fans watching on big screens in Gainesville . . .

University Ave in Gainesville packed for miles with fans age 2 to 70.

Less than clothed men and women running around in pure delight.

People climbing trees, light poles and each other in the streets and
almost walking home at 3am because buses stopped running . . .

that my friends is what it feels like to win the BCS National Championship! We are proud to be Florida Gators.

The Holidays in Colorado

John and I just returned to Florida after a month long trip to the home land. We loved every minute of our stay in Colorado. The snow was enough to last us for another year. Our time was filled with a conference in the springs, family, friends, eating food we don't get in Florida, playing card games, sledding, and shopping. I was lucky enough to even spend my 22nd birthday with my family. Most of my pics are from that festivity . . . I did a poor job documenting the rest of the trip . . . so . . .
My family was kind enough to hire entertainment for my birthday . . . I was just thinking it is a shame when you are too old for a couple of good clowns at your bash. My aunt and uncle I am sure are loving this exposure.

The crew who joined me at my favorite mexican restaurant.

The ones who manufactured me and created my day of celebration. Thanks Mom and Dad.

John took me out to the Broker Restaurant in Denver on my actual birthday. My succulent alaskan king crab legs were delicious and larger than my head. Thats how you know it is good seafood my friends.

And finally a little bit of my women . . . I miss having so many amazing women to share life with. I am still on the hunt for life-giving, long-lasting, forever friends friends in Florida. But I still have a special place in my heart for the women who bless me from so far away. Thanks for the encouragement you are.

John and I would like to thank the Hofmann's for being the amazing hosts that they are, their home was a delight. Thanks Mama Teten for creating a beautiful time for us in the springs, and thanks Mama Straight for taking such good care of us while we were home. We are looking forward to two-double-o-seven and all of the good things we have to look forward to.

Home for the Holidays

Oh Sadie!

Well tonight was a hard night in the Teten home. We had our hopes set on Sadie the Publicist from San Diego to ultimately win the bachelor Lorenzo's heart. Shockingly he chose someone else. While the other girl was sweet and lovely . . . she was no Sadie. But John and I are hopeful! We want Sadie to find the godly man she wants and deserves. (she was just blinded by Lorenzo's floppy hair-do)Go Sadie . . . we can be friends in real life if you want?

Thank You!

My family is the greatest. This was the first Thanksgiving that John and I were away from our family. And to our surprise and utter joy we recieved a gift in the mail. It was filled with warm thanksgiving wishes, pictures, drawings, music, and tokens of love and fun! Man oh man it was so heart warming. We had so much fun with it.Here is the box of love. And yes I am wearing a down jacket in the apartment! It has been chilly here in Florida, and we were determined not to turn on the heat. Which is good because right now it is 75 outside.

We love the Straights, Hofmanns, Luzes, and Schlitts. Your thoughts meant so much to us! And we get to be home so soon.

A Day on Campus

John and I have an incredible job in which spending half of a day every week alone with our bibles and Jesus is written in our job description. So we headed to campus this past week to get some time away from our apartment. And here are a few of our pics.This beautiful chapel sits on the shore of Lake Alice. It is incredibly quiet in there and usually empty according to students.

Look who came to join us. Little Gator and his friend Plastic Bag.

And then we finally found the snout and eyeballs of Mama Gator across campus on our way home. I just wanted everyone to know that John and I are faring well here. As you can see we have been making friends all over campus.

Enough Said

My Favorite New Driver

My brother recently celebrated his 16 Birthday. And he called me last night to tell me about his new car. How exciting Brandon, congrats on a new age . . . a new ride . . . and transportation freedom. I will be your wingman anyday (by that I mean I will be a passenger)
Here are some pics of this studly brother of mine with a Straight signature Ford vehicle.
And there are some football pics coming, but lets reflect on my little brothers former size, before we marvel and his athleticism.
This is the little guy now! Not so small anymore, but just as goofy and jovial as ever. You can tell by the look on his face that he is contemplating his next pricision move to beat the opponent soundly.

Brandon happens to be a ladies man, and "changes girlfriends more often than his underwear" according to my Dad. But I sort of agree. But I guess that means that my brother is aware that these silly high school girls are not worth too much fuss. I am behind you all the way Brandon.

It had to be done!

I had a great halloween with some of my bible study girls. They came over to our apartment and we watched bewitched and ate pumpkin bread. But in reminiscing past nights of yore with my good friends I happened upon this picture of the best halloweener I know. Mrs. Becca Duvall, she is the one to credit for this amazing dragon/alligator costume. What a gal! Thanks Becca for being is so many of my good memories. I hope you wore this on Halloween this year.

68 degree

The temperature here in Gainesville is worthy of a post today. It is 69 degrees!! We have our windows open and my toes are cold. It is a glorious feeling. And because of this temperature change, our fellow Florida citizens are wearing long pants and jackets! I decided to wear shorts and flip flops in hopes that i might produce a goose bump even. John and I are hoping to enjoy some more cooler weather as it gets closer to winter!

First Visit!

While friends and family enjoyed the first snow of fall, we had our first visit in our warm and muggy land. Team Teten came this week to spend some time in our home and see how we live our lives. It was so great to have them here, we just wish that they could have stayed longer, or at least come back in a couple of weeks. If only Florida were not so far away. It does feel like a distant land, considering we are still sweating outside while windows are being scraped off every morning in Colorado . . . and Montana for that matter.My family, what good guests. It was so comfortable and enjoyable to entertain them for the weekend.
The best part of Teten time is the card playing. We LOVE to play cards! What a good looking table to do it on too.
Sisters! I love my little sister Amy. She is a beautiful and talented ball of greatness.
Good morning beautiful. I am sorry to make so many girls jealous by posting this picture. Who wouldn't want to wake up with a head of hair like this. She has a constapillow on her head!

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us. It is so healing to have family and friends come visit. You are welcome anytime to stay in our home. We love you!

Gator Growl

This past week was homecoming for UF. School was closed on Friday and we went to Gator Growl. It is the largest student-run pep rally in the world! It was pretty crazy to sit with 40,000 other gator glad fans and watch comedians, entertainers, football players and lots of spirited students, cheerleaders, band members, and gator alumni who have had season tickets their whole lives and pulled into town yesterday to tailgate for the nest 48 hours. Football and sports in general is a whole other world that I am trying to immerse myself in. I commited a swamp sin when I turned down a free ticket to the Alabama game. But somehow riding my bike (because car transportation is a joke on game day) into a tailgating frenzy of fans and try to find my husband among 90,000 people sounded worse than running errands in shopper-free stores. But the good news is that the Gators won, my husband and our students are happy. Let the Gator Growl! (to any gator opponent who might be reading this and feel offended . . . my disclaimer is that I am not a true gator . . . I just own and increasing wardrobe of gator attire . . . thats all)

My brothers first homecoming!

Here are some pictures taken in Fort Collins before my brothers very first homecoming dance. It kills me that I missed this very momentous occassion and was not able to give my brother the sisterly embarrassment he deserves. Good thing April was there to cover all bases and pictures (thanks april).
Brandon took his girlfriend Emily to homecoming and I have to say that my brother looks amazing! And Emily looks very pretty in her red dress and long locks! This is the first time I have ever laid eyes on my brothers girlfriend. I look forward to meeting her and assessing the situation. I have heard only good things about Emily.

Giddy tiptoes they look great!
Brandon you look entirely too great for your own good. I hope you had a wonderful time and I hope to be apart of these major milestones by broadcasting them over my blogg! Love you bud.

let's talk groceries ladies!

I know it seems a little too domesticated of me to be sharing the latest in grocery news as a young wife. But this just simply cannot go unnoticed. So for all of my fellow grocery getters who want in on the best deals and need to watch their grocery spending then I have something for you! It is called The GroceryGame. I am still trying to figure it all out myself. But it is a grocery sale resource. It tracks your local store(s) of choice and local newspaper coupon adds and tells you what to buy this week. The Grocery Game will highlight the best deals so you know whether or not to buy something that may or may not be at its lowest price. It is a little overwhelming at first. But I know I have saved a lot in the past month.

The key is that you are supposed to stock up when something is at a very cheap cost. And then you are not forced to buy it when you run out at its full value. Some people plan there whole meals around what is on sale . . . i have not gotten that far.

An example: Last month I spent around $170 on groceries and saved about $90 and I still bought some things at full price. That seems pretty good, but the grocery all-stars are saving hundreds and spending under $50. Maybe there is an elite grocery guru network that I do not know about?

Anyway if you are interested then the link is above, and I would be happy to answer any questions about this over-the-top-but-very-useful tool someone was kind enough to share with me.