"Aquarium Pictures"

♥ Here are some pre-fish aquarium pictures! I'll post some new ones once we actually get it filled with little friends! 

I hope our new fish will love it! 

This has been a fun adventure for sure!

Check back soon for updates... :)

- love, briana -

"Newest Editions to Come!"

♥ I was going to wait until the weekend to post, but I am just so excited and have a few extra minutes before class so.... Last night Alex and I went out and bought an aquarium!! We have been wanting to get some fish (okay, we really want another puppy or a kid which both are not and will not be happening soon) and so last night we went to PetSmart in Indiana and bought an aquarium and all the little accessories that it needed so that we can get fish! I was a little disappointed that we couldn't take any fish home with us last night, but the reasons were acceptable. They said that it would be too hard for the fish to adjust that fast and they could very easily die from the stress. Of course we didn't want that to happen so we (Alex) set up the aquarium last night, and it is gorgeous if I do say so myself! I have some pictures of it that I will upload tonight, possibly. I feel like a little kid though because every time I walk by it I just get even more excited for the fish to come home! It is kind of depressing having a beautiful, yet empty, tank. They said we could go on Friday to get our fish and take them home. I wonder what the dogs will think! =)

I will post pictures soon, but on a different note, today Alex and I are celebrating two anniversaries! The first day that we ever met was September 30, 2007 at his sand volleyball tournament in Jackson (TN). I will never forget that day! In three years God has brought us through so much and above all things He has been faithful to us. Our relationship is definitely a testimony to His love and protection! We are also celebrating two months of marriage and after class will be heading to dinner and then to Gilberto's Gelato here in Louisville. Since we spent our honeymoon in Italy it is nice to "re-live" our trip a little bit. We had gelato almost every day! When we get back I will try to post some honeymoon pictures as well. I took so many, and our trip to Italy was amazing. That is a trip that I will never ever forget. 

- love, briana -

"My Program"

♥ So this semester has been my first actual semester in the Teacher Education Program at the University of Louisville, and all I can say is that it has been absolutely wonderful. It is ranked as the 74th school of Education in the top 100 schools in the United States. All my teachers have been so nice and helpful during this transition from "regular classes" to the teaching program. I am taking 4 classes this semester as opposed to the 5 that the others in my program are taking. I got credit for the Language Arts methods class from Union so that has helped my stress levels a lot. These are the classes I am currently taking:

General Methods (3 hrs.)
Reading Methods (How to Teach Reading) (4 hrs.)
Building a Learning Community (4 hrs.)
Mathematics Methods (4 hrs.)

I have a total of 15 hrs. that I am taking which seems to be the normal amount that I always end up taking. I only have classes on Thursdays and Fridays which I scheduled that way on purpose so that I could have the other three days dedicated to other things (such as my field experience). Mondays I have had the mornings and afternoons free and have been working the 2-10 shift at the hotel. This works out great because Alex has work and night class for his Master's program. We tried to make our schedules very similar so that we would have many evenings at home together during the week. It has been a great schedule so far! Tuesdays I am at Farmer Elementary all day, and that has been a great experience as well. It has allowed me the opportunity to see what a full day at school looks like for a teacher. My 4th grade class has been so helpful and welcoming that I have looked forward to spending my Tuesdays and Wednesdays there. Wednesdays I only stay until 12 or 12:30, and I have the rest of the afternoon and evening to get things done and get ready for my looong day of school on Thursday! I thought that Thursdays would just wear me out since I am at UofL from 8:45 until 7pm, but because I have such long breaks in between my classes that it allows me the time to work on homework or catch up with friends! I usually get to spend an hour with my friend Holly that I went to Whitefield with on Thursday afternoons, and it has been so good to see her since during the semester it is really hard to catch up with friends! We are all so busy!

So I know that nobody really cares about my school schedule, but the whole point of me posting this was because I am just so thankful for the great education that God has blessed me to be receiving. I am also so thankful that Alex and I were able to coordinate our schedules this way and that we have many nights to spend together. I know a lot of couples that are still in school who never get to see each other because their schedules conflict, and I am just very grateful for how things worked out this semester.

- love, briana -

"Love This Life!"

     ♥ Well, today has officially worn me out, but I thought I would just write a little about my day. Tuesdays are pretty typical here at the McCall home... I am a teacher's assistant at Farmer Elementary for my education method's classes at the University of Louisville. I am in a 4th grade classroom this semester and spend all day on Tuesdays there and then Wednesdays I go for half of a day. I really enjoy it, and I get to start teaching a little next week! I have been getting prepared for that, and am going to be working on my lesson plan and assessments until then. I am not as much nervous as I am excited. I planned a couple of cute (& meaningful of course) things for my students, and I can't wait to try them out! Prayers please that I do what is best for them and that they actually learn a little bit from what we do in class! Today was a fun day, and after I came home to take the dogs out and make some cookies I headed straight back for their Open House night. It was a good experience, and I got to meet some of the families of the students in my class. They were all very sweet, and I enjoyed being there. But I am absolutely exhausted and ready to get some sleep so that I can do it all again tomorrow! I love that I am going to have my own class so soon! ✎


- love, briana -


P.S. Keep my pastor Ben and his wife Sarah in your prayers! They are currently in Ethiopia picking up their new daughter named Claire who they have been waiting forever for! They got the call on Thursday that their adoption was official and headed to Africa the next day! It is such an exciting time for them, and I can't wait to meet the newest addition to our Avenue family!

"My Oats"

     ♥ So this weekend when I got to spend time with my family, I went with my mom to my brother's soccer game at Whitefield. I decided to bring one of our dogs and after a toss up decided to bring Otis to the game with me. Here are some cute pictures that I snapped of him. I just think he is so photogenic! I have so many pictures of him at home... :) I love my weenie dog!

Otis, also known as, "Oats"

- love, briana -

"Genny's Diner"

     ♥ I got to spend some time with my family this weekend while Alex was in Jackson, and for dinner on Saturday night we went to this place called Genny's Diner. It is definitely a hole-in-the-wall and it wasn't very crowded, but the food was good! I just wanted to share a couple pictures of the burger that my parents split. Let's just say that my dad wasn't feeling very good after! 

Isn't this crazy huge?!

20 oz. of pure hamburger -- oh my word!

Genny's Diner

2223 Frankfort Ave
Louisville, KY 40206-2407
(502) 893-0923

  - love, briana -

"My Walk Home"

 ♥ On most Friday mornings I take the trolley from our apartment to school because it saves me a lot of time from having to park on campus and take the TARC to class & then back to my car again. This is a great amenity that our apartment offers, but unfortunately (perhaps not) the trolley driver goes on lunch from 11:30-12:30 which is exactly when my class gets out. So I end up walking home, and this past week I decided to document my trip home on my new camera. Welcome to my neighborhood! 

This picture makes me happy for so many reasons!
Yes, it is sad that Masterson's got tore down BUT... they are building
our church here & that is a God thing in so many ways!

I will be glad to take a detour for the rest of the semester!

The old homes are so beautiful! Unfortunately many are rented out
to multiple families at a time making the living
conditions in this area very poor.

I thought this bench was absolutely adorable.
I may have to pick a good day to go read there.

This is the Family Scholar House. It is an organization that provides
housing for single moms going back to school. Their children
attend the Early Learning Campus right next door! It is a
phenomenal pre-elementary school facility.

Family Scholar House

Getting closer to home! This is between the FSH and our apartment
complex. It is kind of run down and not a pretty walk.

First view of our apartment complex!

And now to cross the train tracks... I hate when there is a train.

Our apartment complex! Psyche... There's one right before ours.

The Province 

And the remains from Thursday night.... We just found out that our
trolley transports students to the bars on
Thursday nights... Great!

Our pool! It is so beautiful to just look at!

The balloons flutter in the autumn wind and beckon me home!

Home sweet home!
The Bellamy Student Apartments
♥

- love,  briana -

Welcome!

- love, briana - 

P.S. I hope you love my playlist as much as I do!