The countdown

....5....4....3....2....1....

2 more days until I'm married......the countdown is ON, buddy!

(just thought everyone should know)

thought this was pretty funny...

The future Mrs. Lambson

Well, Steven has done it again.....a wonderful proposal (only this time it was for the third time)!!! On Sunday morning, before going to church we were looking at the Sunday newspaper at his parent's house. How romantic, right? Of course!!! Anyway, we are going through all of the crazy stuff on sale this week and he says...."Tamara, something is missing." Before I knew it, he had the ring on my finger (very similar to the one pictured above) and he was down on one knee. It was all so quick, yet this was the moment I've been dreaming of for quite a while now. OK, maybe not while reading the comic section and the advertisements, but still...the fact that I said "yes" and actually felt more calm and more sure about something.....something so uncertain and so foreign to me. I've never been married and the thought of ever taking that step before was the scariest thing imaginable. But this time, things were different...and I was ecstatic.

Steven is the kind of man that every girl dreams of marrying....someone who loves them unconditionally, who is always thinking of you when he doesn't have to, who comes over uninvited when you look your worst (and still tells you how great you look), who takes time to notice your new outfit and tells you how wonderful and gorgeous you are, who insipires you to be better and to reach higher goals, who loves me for being me, who listens and actually wants to listen, who is himself and the man I am amazed by everyday.

Sometimes I don't know how I got so lucky. I've always said that I was God's favorite, and now I can truly say "I AM." To have a man as wonderful as he is, who has the greatest family one could ever be a part of...someone up there is looking out for me. Somewhere...Somehow, I have made right decisions. This is the best decision I've decided to make....the decision to get married. And I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with him and spend every day making that decision the best it could be every day. How great it is to always have a companion by your side. Through thick and thin, come rain come shine, uphill and downhill, I've never been so sure, so excited, so stressed, so loved, so happy, and so faithful in all my life. I am one lucky gal!

Cute Feet ...

There are no words to express how much I LOOOOOVE having my feet rubbed! I absolutely adore it when Steven rubs my feet and tickles my toes! I hope that doesn't gross anyone out, but it is SOOOO true!!


SO ... I went and got a pedicure this evening for the first time! It was quite the experience. First of all, the lady was from Vietnam. In summer school, we are reading about a Vietnamese family and I found out that I've been pronouncing the Vietnamese family's last name wrong the whole time!! Ya, that was embarrassing!!

Anyway, I was talking with this lady and she was actually pretty cool. Although I couldn't understand some of what she said to me (and made her repeat a few things several times), had my foot filed down until I was pretty sure there wasn't even any skin left to file, and watched her clip my small toenail down to practically nothing....I enjoyed myself. Maybe it was the warm foot bath. Maybe it was the grainy lotion she rubbed on my legs. Maybe it was the cool color of nail polish I chose. Maybe it was completely and utterly relaxing...and I enjoyed that. Even if it was only for a few minutes...

¡Happy 4th of July!

Yesterday was so wonderful! It was a day of relaxation, breakfast in my pajamas, watching a movie in the arms of Steven, watching TRANSFORMERS with Steven's family, shopping for fireworks (which I had NO CLUE what I was doing...besides trying to pick out the coolest boxes, the neatest names, all for a cheap price!), and eating some of the best burgers I've had in a very long time. What a day! It was so great...too bad it could only last for a day

(...oooh, but what a day of happiness it was for me).

As I get older, I am realizing more and more how much family means to me. As my family was out of town for the next few weeks, I was able to spend more time with the Lambson's. Oh, how I adore them! I have to admit it was very intimidating at first (Steve has 6 sisters) being around all girls (you know how girls can get when there are so many together at the same time). However, I quickly came to enjoy each of them for their own personalities, their wit and their intelligence. They are so smart, and I am the luckiest one who benefits from their friendship. Being with them is almost as good as hanging out with my own family...although I have to admit...watching them argue and fight is better than actually being in the fight with my own family....ha ha ha.

Transformers, by the way, was really cool!

I didn't quite know what to expect,

but it had a little bit of it all...

humor, action, girlly stuff, manly stuff....blah blah blah.

The point is...I liked it!

Not sure I'll rush out and buy the movie when it

comes on the market, but I did enjoy it.

The S's of my life...School & Steven

As most of you all know, I teach school. It is such hard work and is extremely time consuming...I'm not sure how anyone actually chooses to become an educator. For me, it is not just about the endless hours spent grading papers and preparing for lessons, it's not about all the crap that students try to pull on you and the endless excuses for why they couldn't meet your expectations, but it is about achieving dreams and hoping for a brighter future. Most of the kids that enter my classroom come from circumstances that many of us would consider awful. Many of them can't afford new clothes for the new school year, and some of them can't afford to stay after school for extra help because they have to get straight home to take care of younger siblings (cook, clean, and tuck them into bed at night). Like it or not, living today is a lot different from living 20 years ago. Yet, as hard as it is for me to understand the trials my student's are facing, there is a part of me that finds hope in their future and pushes them to find talents within themselves that could possibly change not only their lives, but our lives as well. I have the responsibility to help this generation become the future leaders of our country. And as hard as that is to do day in and day out, I find it a very fulfilling and rewarding task that I am willing to undertake.

As last year came to a close this week, I am exhausted. There is nothing more that I want to do, other than curl up on the couch and watch a movie, eat some buttery popcorn, drink my Dr. Pepper with lots of ice, and have Steven at the other end smiling at me and rubbing my feet. Now that is paradise! That is something that my heart longs for on a daily basis. That is something I look forward to doing on the weekends and for the rest of my life.

Summer school starts on Tuesday, and I find myself a bit tired, but anxious to learn more about the art of teaching, more about myself, and more about others. I am eager to help students find and develop their personal talents, and I am grateful for the opportunity that has been afforded me...to

teach and change lives forever!

Life, indeed is GREAT! I love being a teacher and I love Steven!

GOOD FRIENDS ARE HARD TO FIND...

Why is it that a good friend is so hard to find? I can count on one hand how many "best" friends, I mean...REAL best friends I've ever had.
What are the qualifications of a "best friend"...

1. Good listening skills
2. Trustworthy
3. Honest, even when it's the hardest
4. Gives advice that you actually listen to and follow
5. Accepts you for being "you"
6. Forgives and forgets
7. Gives meaningful hugs that you find yourself longing for
8. Wants you to be happy
9. Helps you become something you can't be alone

I guess this week that has been on my mind. It's been a crazy week...very strange and extremely hard to know what to do, what not to do, what to say, and what is real. I've needed friends, true friends, more than ever. When life gets hard, when the tears just won't stop falling, it's comforting to know that you can lean on a friend to lift you up.

Thanks to everyone who has loved me & helped me become the person I am today.