So much to be thankful for!

Greetings, friends and family!
Jason and I have so much to be thankful for this year, it would be difficult to list them.
Of course, since Jason just had a birthday last weekend-I should mention how thankful I am that to have him in my life for one more year!

I started his birthday party early-he hates getting his gifts before his particular birth DAY. That doesn't work too well with me because A) I can't keep things like that a secret, and B) I open my gifts and cards as soon as I get them. (He has started hiding even the cards that come in the mail so I won't get to them!)

Anyway, I made him a canvas for our room. It has similar colors to our bedspread. It has a line from a Bob Marley song that we heard almost on repeat during our honeymoon. Pretty much is was this song and One Love played one after another on repeat.

Work in progress-covering the fabric with paint over  letters I hand-cut!

"Don't you worry, about a thing..."
Wish you could see the colors and the background better!

Friday we went to the house of one of Jason's friends from school. We played wii for hours! (After watching the bulldogs win their basketball game at Madison Square Garden.
Saturday we went to lunch at Genghis Grill, then to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt for dessert- gotta love the birthday specials!
The next part of Jason's gift was that he could spend a certain amount at Earthfare. Usually we just walk around with our mouths watering wishing that we could buy all of our groceries at a health food store-but knowing that we could easily spend double the amount we pay at Kroger. Speaking of health food- Jason's brother, Chad, and his wife, Laura, sent him tons of Franola Granola! (to us, Franola Granola stands for two things we love: healthy food, and Fran.)

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends, playing games, watching another heart breaker against Arkansas, and relaxing. 

Sunday of course meant back to studying. But it didn't seem so bad going into another week knowing it was just a 2 day week. Hooray!

Enjoy your break! We have big plans! There will be an update on that soon too! 

Feeling Better

Well! There has been a virus going around the Caswell family this week. Monday and Tuesday I was sick, then Thursday and Friday Jason was sick. So now it is Saturday and we are both taking a break by having a relaxing weekend.
October was a fun month. Jason has gotten into the full swing of things at school. In the past 10 days he has had 8 tests! And he only has 4 classes right now! Needless to say, he is very busy studying.
I have been going to a lot of training sessions through my school district. I have learned a lot, but it is hard to miss school-and plan for a sub!

In other news, we have really enjoyed spending time with family friends. We were able to go to a UT game with the LeGrands, and the Moore's have come to Knoxville to see their sweet grandbaby! It is hard being away from family, but it helps when we get to see these friends who are like family to us.

For Halloween we carved pumpkins at Kate and Rob Moore's house. We didn't do any Halloween parties or anything, but we got ready to hand out candy on the big day. Sadly, we only got 1 small group of trick-or-treaters... More candy for me I guess! :)

Here is what we do every year for our pumpkins: We each buy a pumpkin. We carve it so that the other person cannot see it. We have a contest at the end to see who has the best pumpkin. This year, we both did Mario themes. Irony! 

Jason's parents drove through Knoxville on their way to Baltimore to visit his older brother and wife, Chad and Laura. They took us to dinner and dropped off their dog, Layla, for us to watch for the long weekend. It was fun having a dog-but it definitely showed us that our schedules don't allow for pets very well. Genevieve also dropped off something else: a sewing machine! I have been inspired by pinterest, so I am excited to start trying some of the (simple) things I have seen. She also taught me how to use it, although I don't know if I am a very good student.

 Yesterday, Veteran's Day, I had the opportunity to skype my dad's parents so a fifth grade class could interview real WWII veterans. It was so neat showing them off. How wonderful is technology?! Thank you to all who serve, and the families of people who serve. We know what a sacrifice you make, too.

Jason and I cannot wait for the holidays! (and for the holiday BREAK from schools!) Stay warm!