Christmas Surprises

Ok so I love trying to figure out what gifts are before I open them - or someone else opens them (depending on who said gift belongs to). I mean some are really easy, especially when no trickery is involved. When you wrap a book or DVD on it's own the most guessing that comes into play is down to specifics. But when I got home and saw this gigantic thing (the blue one) - with no name tag on it - naturally my mind got to working and I secretly hoped it was mine.


It didn't take much cajoling - "Hey Mom...who's is that?" - to figure out who it would soon belong to - "Oh, that big one? Yours." - Yippee! Now the guessing begins. Not out loud, just to myself so my pride won't be hurt when I don't get it right. Some kind of put-it-together-yourself furniture? I do need a new/bigger dresser or bookcase (I think I always need a new one of those. Some sort of DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) esq. game for the Wii? Some kind of wall art to make my room decor a bit more mature? The last option ended up being the closet to the truth. And look how excited I am when I finally opened it up and found out!


FINALLY!!! My diploma frame that I was supposed to get last year - when my mom "forgot". Because it really is every year that one of your children graduate from the best university in the world. NOT! Anyway, I was really excited I mean look at that face. Now I just have to put it on the wall, which may be a while because Christina has had her frame since right after graduation and she still hasn't put her diploma in it, let alone hung it on the wall. Besides, I don't want to put any more holes in the wall.

Christmas Movie Weekend Extravaganza!!!

OH yeah...it happened!!

Laura and I planned this long weekend where we would eat junk food and watch cheeeeeezzzzyy Christmas movies. You can find out more of the planning here but let me just tell you it was a success!

I'm am pretty sure we didn't get through even half of the movies that we wanted but there was A LOT of junk food consumed and 3 full days of movies. We had a blast and I'm thinking that we should make this an annual weekend so anyone that wants to join us next year, claim your seat today!

Food that was eaten:
cookies from students
sausage,cheese, and crackers from one of those Christmas package thingys
hot apple cider
sparkling cider
cinnamon rolls
chips and french onion dip
lentil stew - that was all Laura; I chose not to be adventurous
leftovers

Be jealous!

What were some lessons learned from this weekend?
- Fun romantic things happen around Christmas time.
- Crazy supernatural things happen that bring joy to the world around Christmas.
- All I need to classify a movie as a Christmas movie is for it to be set on or around Christmas whether the time of the year has anything to do with the story or not (ie Sleepless in Seattle).
- I love Christmas!!! (I didn't just learn this now but reaffirmed it.)

I will admit that we did have to take a short but much needed break from the cheezyness. I hope Laura kept track of the movies we watched so we don't repeat.

What an awesome way to start off my two weeks of vacation!

NYC Adventure

OK so I think craziness is the best way to describe this past weekend adventure.

I would like to preface this story with...it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure - as in never again will I do that!

Not really sure how it happened but I got talked into taking a quick trip to NYC. When I say quick I mean I was in the city for a short period of time. Travel time...not so quick.

At 10 pm on Friday I boarded a charter bus in the Franklinton Baptist parking lot with about 20 other people from Funkytown - many I haven't seen in a long while, others I had never met (and still don't know). 15ish minutes later we pulled into the Roses parking lot in Henderson where we acquired about 30 more people. Now comes the good part...I sat in a bus seat for 8ish hours. On a bus. A freezing cold bus. After I taught all day. My legs were cramped, I was cold, I was sitting up. I got about 2 hours of sleep in 15-20 min intervals and needless to say I WAS NOT a happy camper throughout the day on Saturday.

We got into the city at about 8am and got dumped in front of Macy's and told to be back at 6pm to leave. First stop - the bathroom. Second stop - the subway to go to Chinatown. We spent 4 HOURS in Chinatown/Little Italy making our ways into little backrooms, up creepy stairwells, etc in search of 'the it' handbag or other item that you just gotta have. Mine you, I don't know anything AT. ALL. about 'the it' anything let alone handbag so I just look to see if I find something I might possibly feel comfortable carrying. I did find a super cute "Coach" bag that I couldn't decide - at the time - whether or not I would keep for myself or give as a Christmas gift. I kept it for myself FYI. Did a bit more shopping/wandering around/following creepy people to sketchy places and then decided to go to our next destination.

Keep in mind that I am with two people that have never been to New York and are small town people used to strolling along - not in any kind of hurry. Subways are new to them and Joanna would prefer to NEVER EVER ride one again. The getting on and off of them was a bit of a task - making sure they were behind me and I didn't lose them. This includes the walking through large crowds. Every five seconds turning around to see that they are there.

If you know me at all and remember I DID NOT SLEEP and know that when I do not sleep I am a cranky pants. This day was not my cup of tea and not one of my shining moments. I made sure to not freak out on anyone but I am sure they knew I was not in a good mood and I am sure they felt a bit of my crankiness however unintentional toward them it was.

Anyway - back to my story - now we are in Times Square kinda like a been there, done that feeling. Walked to Central Park - again been there, done that. Not sure if it was my mood, the cold, or really that I am unimpressed not that I have been there a few times before.

By 4 we were back at Macy's wasting time and exhausted. The bus came at 6 and I was exhausted but not excited for another long bus ride. Not 30 minutes into our ride, in New Jersey, we feel a thump thump thump. You guessed it - blown tire. Apparently since it was a back double tire its all good - to the men on the trip anyway. Not only am I going on lack of sleep and uncomfortable in my tiny space but now I have to worry about a blown tire. Can this get any more ridiculous?

Oh but it can!

We stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel - one of my all-time fav places - but I am really tired and not very hungry. I decided on breakfast and ordered a milk. Our waiter - fairly cute guy - says "I have a surprise for you when I bring your milk." REALLY?!?! What kind of surprise can you bring me with my milk? Yikes...a bit scared. Jody and Joanna are getting this scheming look on their faces and I just put my head down. Oh no! He brings my milk and it is in a frosted mug. He says "I like my milk really cold and wouldn't serve it to you any other way. No extra charge." OH MY GOODNESS. I look a hot mess - not a good thing - and this guy is trying to hit on me over milk. He comes back later - very attentive - but I am tired and so not cute plus we are in Jersey nothing gonna come from it not wasting what little energy I have - but it was pretty funny.

Back on the road. Jackie - a girl from work - texts me from her husband's office party with "I have a surprise 4 u..."
Response: "Oh goodness."
"I'll send a pic in a min..."
Response: "Oh goodness."
Its a guy that works with her husband - really cute.
"Need a pic of you."
(Remember hot mess here.)
Response: "Heck no. I'm a mess" blah blah blah self deprecating and ridiculousness to not send a pic.
"Don't u have a pic on ur phone."
Response: "NO. I don't make it a habit to take pics of myself on phone."
"He's offended." blah blah blah etc etc etc
REALLY 2 guys one night look a mess both trying to hit on me - not really - but still.

What do I do? Pray to God for guidance and clarity and sleep. Shaking my head!

Made it home - safely - sometime after 3 before 4 - fall into bed - not changing clothes or anything.

Adventure? I think yes!

Christmas Quilt

That is the title of this new Christmasy background. I wanted something Christmas-like that didn't also JUMP out and scare you! One day I really want a fun quilt like this that looks hand sewn and traditional. I guess that style is sometimes classified as "country" or "old-fashioned" but I think that is kind of how you would describe my overall style as well.

I am in the process of prepping my apartment for Christmas but with 13 school days left until break and 25 days until Christmas, I find myself wanting to prepare my heart & mind for Christmas. As I get older, and now have my own job, I really don't make a Christmas list of things that I want - fun things like movies and toys. Now, I ask for help paying a bill or clothes that I can wear for work - you know, boring things.

Thanksgiving is generally like a trial run for how Christmas is going to go in my family. With 2 separate parts of my family to juggle, I find that the planning for the holidays is stressful. I don't want to let anyone down and I don't want to leave anyone out and I don't ever end up with a completely "fair" division of my time. Like the quilt in the background, I want to stitch together my holidays and my families to make a beautiful experience but unfortunately it doesn't always go as planned.

Back to Thanksgiving though... It went really well. I generally struggle to have a civilized conversation for any length of time with my older brother but this trip was so much easier! My mom even made a comment "You two were out there in the living room for hours, having conversations, watching TV, and I didn't hear any yelling or fighting." I KNOW!!! It is like a miracle. I am hoping that this is going to last. As far as juggling my time, I think I did a good job although I did have to weasel out of a few 'commitments' but I just need to stop overbooking myself.

Well, I am sorry for the long post and I am not sure I made a point - except that my dysfunctional family is finding a way (slowly but surely) to coexist and enjoy it. I love quilts - real quilts and would one day love bunches of them for each season to put on my bed! Christmas cards will be sent out by the weekend. That is all...

Things that I am thankful for...

This is in no way meant to be an extensive list but I think its a good start!

1) Books - lots and lots of them. Basically how I spend a lot of my free, quiet time. I like all kinds of books but mainly ficiton - rom/coms. One day I hope to have a "study" or full-on library. Future-husband...be prepared!

2) Fairy tales - book and movie versions. These give me hope that "one day my prince will come" (Snow White) and that friendships can sometimes grow into something more "there's something there that wasn't there before" (Beauty & the Beast) and that some times you just need to relax "Hakunna Matata" - "it means no worries" (Lion King). I think there is a little truth to all of them and I like to think that my life will include some bit of a fairy tale and one of its happily ever afters!

3) Traveling - whether it is a road trip or a trip across an ocean I LOVE IT! As I was growing up my family took cross-country vacations to visit relatives and see the wonderful things America has to offer. I got a bit older and had a great opportunity to fly over the pond to tour the British Isles for a few weeks. I just submitted an application to hopefully travel to Russia - not only as an opportunity to gain more knowledge for the classroom but to also put a few more stamps on my passport and take awesome pictures and do something that no one in my family has done before and expand my travels of the world and because it would be REALLY fun!

4) My Job - although I complain about it a lot I am happy to have a job. I am thankful for the paycheck - however small it is. I am thankful for the 5 AWESOME minutes out of a dreaded 7 hr Monday. I am thankful for many of my coworkers that keep me sane and for those that irritate the mess out of me so I have snother thing to complain about. I am thankful for all of my students even though I don't act like it all the time.

5) My friends - those near and far. I have two close friends here in town that are basically all I have most of the time. They are here when I need them and away when I need alone time. We go to movies, or stay home and watch movies, go to hockey or baseball games, go on spontaneous (and sometimes planned) trips, etc etc. My far away friends - I am still thankful for you even though I don't see your wonderful faces very often, I stay up with your lives via Facebook or Twitter or your blog (when you decide to update it), little things that happen throughout the day remind me of you and brighten my day.

6) My family - even though we don't talk often or at all really. I have lots of family - by blood and by marriage - and although sometimes it is tough to get along or even acknowledge that we are any kind of relation, I am SUPER thankful to have you around - every once in a while :)

7) My God - because He has provided me with all of the above and sooooooo much more! I don't even really know how to elaborate on this one - it just is what it is - and that is something to be truly grateful for!

I think this list is in the opposite direction of importance but I think that is just a build up to make it great! There are lots more things that I am thankful and grateful for but I don't really know that you care.

I hope to always remember the things that I have and always be grateful for them - even when I don't feel like it. Maybe you will be inspired to make a list of your own!

Ooooooooo

Check out my updated blog on my vacation below. I taught myself how to include pictures in a post. My hunting pic...AWESOME!

Oh Addison

Well...this isn't a new story but something made me think about it today and make me smile so I thought I'd share.

My niece is 2 and does all kinds of little kid "tricks." One trick is making animal sounds. My dad will say "what sound does a ... make?" And she answers with the sound. Here is what a "conversation" like this sounds like.

D: Addison, what sound does a dog make?
A: rooof rooof
D: What sound does a horse make?
A: naaaaaay naaaaaay
D: What sound does a duck make?
A: Aflac Aflac

NO JOKE!!! That is what she thinks a duck sounds like!!!

HAHAHAHA! I saw an Aflac sign and it made me think of that. Enjoy!

I love the Crock-Pot!

I spend 5 minutes throwing stuff into a pot at 6 in the morning, come home at 5 and presto! Dinner! Such a great invention! I will be eating vegetable soup all week but I think this fall/winter/"we don't really know what season we are in" season is a great time to eat soup!

I would love to claim this recipe but I got it from Betty Crocker. Can't wait to try some more of her great Crock Pot ideas this chilly season.

I'll let you know how it goes!

New Adventures

I took a trip down south to Georgia this past weekend and it was A-MA-ZING! Laura and I spent about 24 hrs in Savannah and then drove a little further south to meet up with some of her family who have adopted me - which makes me super excited! Get ready people!

Savannah...



Got in mid-afternoon on Thursday and had a late lunch. We were both really tired and really full from lunch so we checked into the hotel - a Hilton - and took a little rest. No sleeping just relaxing - tv, internet, books, etc. Then at 8:30 we decided to go to dinner. The place we picked was closed - Veteran's Day I guess - so we went wandering. The wandering led us to River Street in the car. And now the interesting part comes...

As I was about to turn left on a side street, a car pulled up - IN MY LANE GOING THE WRONG WAY - so I had to do an evasive maneuver and ended up crossing two lanes of wrong way traffic, onto rail road tracks, and into the correct direction. At the time I really thought I had lost my mind but then drove past that road again and saw that the other person really was an idiot and so I felt justified in the breaking of traffic laws. Out-of-state tags probably wouldn't've been much help with a police encounter but luckily it didn't come to that so...moving on.

Get to River Street, walk around and NONE of the restaurants are open for dinner. "Kitchen just closed down. Sorry." Ok, let's just try and get drinks - we think. Oh look sketchy bar #482 on this road. OK...slight exaggeration but the point is, it is 9ish on a Thursday night in Savannah and there is no where to get dinner and all of the bars are empty or have those creepy people that look like regulars who started at 5.

Friday - yeah for taking a day off from school - we pack up, head out to cute cafe for quiche breakfast, and mosey around town for the day. Stop and buy ridiculous amounts of candy at the giant candy store and get a palmetto flower from a local. Head out about 3 and onto the next portion of the trip!

Hortense/Nahunta...

Oh, yeah...doesn't it already sound exciting? You bet! I get to see my adopted family...the Andersons! Friday we stayed with Elizabeth and Layton with Emma and baby Brooks. By the next morning, Emma was thinking we had moved in and were going to stay forever. I wish Emma! We stayed up until 1am talking with Layton and Elizabeth about everything and nothing and it was AWESOME!

Ok I tell you we stayed up until 1ish to then tell you we woke up at 4:45...to go HUNTING!! This was my first hunting trip ever in my life and I was dragging at the early morning hour until Layton arrived at the door with our camouflage clothing and then I got SUPER-AMPED and ready.to.go!

Jimmy, Layton's dad, came over to take us out hunting and Laura and I got our own guide and teacher of all things hunting! Jimmy was my guide and he told me all kinds of great information to help out and build my hunting skills - unfortunately I was sleep-deprived and really cold most of the time so my brain was malfunctioning and forgot those riveting tidbits :)

When my feet began to get numb, we decided to go on a "hunt"/trek through the forest to find us a deer. I am not sure how long we were hiking but it was A-WHILE. No deer were sighted but it was fun and I got more of those great tidbits. We decided to call it a morning and went back to the house. As we were sitting down to eat our second breakfast I looked out the window and saw two deer running through the side yard. Of course, when we come in the deer come out. I really wanted to shoot that shotgun...real bad!



Hunting round 2: squirrels are my target with a 22 caliber rifle in hand. I am feeling lucky about this hunt because I remember seeing lots of squirrels out on my first trip out so I knew I would get something. Guess what I got? Another hour trek through the woods, this time looking for squirrels. Seeing a couple but not getting any! Lame-o! Even though I didn't kill anything, I got to go hunting, and experience I don't know will be repeated anytime in the near future so it was a great time!

Dinner time...We go to eat dinner and I am EXHAUSTED...if I wasn't concerned about what people would think of me, I would have fallen face first into my plate asleep! But I held out for a few more hours until I finally go to bed - this night at Jimmy and Charlene's. Laura says that she is going to set her alarm for 9:30 in the morning and I am like, "really, why so early?" Her response is "well that's 12 hours from now so I think we'll be ok." I didn't know it was that early but I definitely took advantage of that 12 hours! It was great!

Sunday, we wake up, have a breakfast of toast and deer sausage, and then go out to see how a tree stand works-just to wrap up our first lesson in all-things hunting. Its a fairly ingenious apparatus but looks a little scary, not for me on this trip.

It was sad, as always, to say "adios" to the Anderson clan but we made sure to make "in the future" plans to go fishing! I guess I can count on them to help my outdoorsy skills!

Anyway...this a a very short (even if you doubt it) nutshell look at my weekend vacay. More info can be found on Laura's blog . Sorry no super long conclusion to make an extremely intelligent point but it is what it is!

HAPPY HUNTING!

So...it happened :(

My first bout of tears this school year. Granted it wasn't 'roll down the cheek' tears, just watery eyes but if I wasn't so prideful, I would have had a full-on tear fest.

So what made me have this SUPER AWESOME day?

Well it really did start out pretty well. I woke up from an 8 hour night sleep (something that never happens) and I got to wear jeans to work! My first few classes went really well, only small struggles due to seating rearranging adjustments. One of my students that hassled me to THE. END. of my patience the day before came to apologize and ask for a truce. I was having a slightly above average day.

That is...until my last class.

Then all of a sudden instead of 6th graders, I was transported into a class of kindergartners. Moving from one student to the next it was "sit down in your seat," "don't even think of throwing those scissors," "I don't care if he did it first," "can you stop flicking paper footballs?" REALLY?!?! This is not what I signed up for.

Once the kids were gone I got to talking with one of the other teachers and she told me about a questionable thing another teacher did that could potentially mean bad things for me. She is a new teacher and doesn't really know how some things are supposed to work and is someone that likes to tell on people - for no real reason - just so she can look good. REALLY?!?!

So now it is after 3 and I still have 5 things on my 'To Do' list before I can leave. I BS those things well enough to look like I cared and shut down my computers and walked out - not saying bye to anyone, not wishing anyone a great weekend. Nothing. I just had to get out.

On the way home is when I really let this last 2.5 hours sink in. My mind starts to go now. "I am 23 years old! I don't have to take crap from 11 yr olds. I don't have to take crap from 30 yr olds either. I don't have to teach. I know that I can find something else if I really had to. Am I even good at this job? Is this really a calling for me?" Now is when I make one of the last turns home and, having worked myself up really good now, start having watery eyes.

I come home upset and definitely not wanting to talk to anyone. I get in bed, fully clothed and lay in silence. Within this silence I remember the first 6 hours of my school day and realize that I am not horrible. I'm not the greatest teacher either. With my 1 yr and 2 month experience I am doing pretty good for myself. I also realize that in 2 weeks, we are getting an extra teacher to decrease my class sizes as well as the removal of several problem children.

At this point tears try to creep back into my eyes - grateful tears now - but I push those away as well.

Why would I question my abilities? I am human. I make mistakes. I am not good at everything, no matter how much that hurts my pride. I am fallible. I can be pressured into doing things that under other circumstances would never cross my mind. BUT I am also held in the hands of a God who loves me. A God that has set struggles in my life to help me learn. A God that really only wants good things for me. A God that will never leave me no matter how much I try to push Him away or ignore Him.

In times of struggle I seem to scream "why me? I don't deserve this." Yet when I am blessed why do I not also scream "why me? I don't deserve this?"

"How do you feel?"

"Like an idiot!"

Well, lately I have been examining my health and fitness and the knowledge that sometimes walking up a flight of stairs gets me a little winded. I AM SOOOOOOO LAZY and have been since I graduated college. This is nothing like I am watching my weight or trying to lose weight - I can still wear clothes I have from high school - but that does not give me any excuse to be lazy.

Typical day - get up, go to school, come home, sit on the couch w/ tv & dinner, and then go to bed. This has been my life for the past 5 years and I hate being so lazy. In high school I played sports year-round and was active in all kinds of things. Now I am a couch potato!!!! I literally eat a bag of chips while sitting on the couch!

I don't really have any plans to change my eating habits, I tend to stick to a fairly balanced diet with fruits and veggies mixed in whenever possible. But I would really not like to be so lazy...hence the opportunity to tell the lady on the tv that I feel like an idiot.

I started on Monday and have had a pretty irregular routine since then.
Monday: 50 mins of Wii Sports & 30 mins of Pilates
Tuesday: 45 mins of Wii Sports & 30 mins of Pilates
Thursday: 15 mins of Pilates
Sunday: 45 mins of cardio dance

As much as I was movin' & groovin' with the dancing, I was getting frustrated because the lady was doing the moves too fast for me to learn correctly and therefore the comment "I feel like an idiot."

Hoping to get on a more regular routine in the weeks and months to come. Know of any good workouts on FitTV, send them my way!

Oh wow!

It's been 18 days since my last post and I'm not really sure that you have missed much. Back to the same ol', same ol' - sleep, work, sleep, work. Although, you might be interested to know one of my "sleep" stories...so let's start there.

I have been having trouble getting up and going the past few weeks so sometimes I skip breakfast or just grab something (a pack of cookies) on the way out. So on Monday, before I went to bed I decided that I REALLY wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning. In my head I knew I made the plan and there was no way I was backing down. I go to bed about 10ish, like normal. So here comes the weird "sleep" story part. I wake up and the look at the clock and see 12:00 and I get up. YEP, I see 12:00, as in midnight, and get up thinking it is 5:00am. It was like my brain was interchanging numbers to try to make this make sense. ANYWAYS...I get up and turn the oven on to start pre-heating. When I finally go to put the cinnamon rolls in the oven, I just set them in and close the door, look at the clock again and see 12:34. Double take, WHAT 12:34!!! What the heck? Why am I up? What in the world am I doing? A normal person may say "crap" and then just throw the cinnamon rolls out. NOT ME!! I REALLY wanted those cinnamon rolls so I stay up for 15 more minutes while they bake, buzzer goes off, I take them out and put them on the stove, turn oven off, and crawl back in bed. When I finally wake up at the actual 5:00am I warm them back up and put the icing on them. When I told a colleague at work this story she says "so you were like sleep-walking. Well sleep-cooking really." My roommate has told me that I can't plan to use the oven early in the morning any more just in case.

Now I have gotten up at a crazy time like 2:30, turn the shower on, recheck the clock and realize, turn the shower off and then go back to sleep. This time, not so much.

We have over 300 kids in 6th grade with only 10 teachers, sometimes our classes reach numbers of 34+ so we finally found out we would be getting relief - an extra Social Studies teacher (for 1 class period), Math teacher (for 2 class periods), and a Science teacher (for 1 class period). Yesterday (Friday) I see about 12 new schedules in my box to hand out to students on Monday to make these changes happen. So we will see what the 17th day of school looks like when these 6th graders worlds are turned upside down! More to come I am sure.

Also, did you realize what time I am posting this? Before 9am on a Saturday. That's because on Friday's I get up a 5, work all day, hang out with some work friends after school, come home and go to bed at normal time 10ish. At least my body gave me 2.5 extra hours of sleep. But seriously, I was hoping to sleep til 10 at least! Oh well...whomp whomp whomp.

Sixth graders are so funny :)

Ok so I'm sorry I haven't updated on all of the first few days of school yet but here goes.

As I said, 6th graders are so funny! They ask the craziest questions (well I think they are crazy but really they just don't know how middle school works).

"Do we have the same schedule everyday or does it change?"

At the end of the day a child comes up and doesn't know which bus he rides so I find one of the people in charge of buses to see if she could help and this is how the convo went...
Ms. C: Did you ride the bus this morning?
Student: (mumbled) Yes.
C: Was your bus driver a man or a woman?
S: (mumble AGAIN)Woman
C: Ok. Was she black or white?
S: (mumbled and totally serious) I don't know.
C: YOU DON'T KNOW?!?!
(I busted out laughing at that one.)

Parents walking students to homeroom on the first day.

Parents sneaking in the building a few yards behind their student to see them get into their homeroom and have a quick chat with teacher about lunch or some insecurity the parent has.

Student: UM...I think that person is in my seat.
Me: Yes he is but you don't come to my class until 6th period.

S: How does this planner work?
Me: Um...you find today's date and then you write your homework there?!

I feel like some of the best things I can't even remember but I know there will be more to come. All in all the first 5 days has been really good. They get chatty towards the end of the day but with the exception of maybe 10 out of 150 they are well mannered and follow directions pretty well.

Lesson planning is going really well too! I already have my lessons done for the 1st quarter - that means I don't have any lesson plans to write until NOVEMBER!!! Holla! Yay for working smarter and not harder and HOLLA to my Social Studies partner Jackie who is working with me.

Should I be knocking on wood in fear of being jinxed? NOPE! I am praising the Lord for His faithfulness, wisdom, and support already in the new school year! Lord You are good and Your mercy endureth forever!

It's that time again

So school starts tomorrow (insert sighs, screams, whoops, yawns, or whatever emotion moves you) and I am actually pretty excited about it. I tell you this to forewarn you that my next few posts slash next few months of posts will most likely be school related...rantings, ravings, laughs, etc etc...that you may or may not interest the three of you that actually read this.

My classroom has undergone a total transformation over the past three weeks and I have already started planning for this quarter. Technically I have the whole quarter at least mapped out - thanks to the help of the other 6th grade Social Studies teacher (we are working SMARTER not HARDER) - and already a couple weeks fully planned with accompaniments.

Last night was Open House and I got to meet a lot of my students and their parents. The majority of the students (and parents) are excited mixed with a smidge of nervousness! Like them, I am hoping for a wonderful year full of learning while having fun - I don't wanna be bored and I know for sure that neither do they!

I pray for patience, understanding, guidance, compassion, sanity, and wisdom working with these new students, their parents, my team, and the rest of the staff at school. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated as well!

All good things must come to an end

Well, I have detailed many of my summer adventures and now school is starting in 2 weeks! I went to work on my classroom yesterday and realized that I have a lot to do.

I am really excited about this new school year and all of the challenges I will face. I took a few minutes to look through some of my class rosters and noticed that a few of my students have many ailments that make everyday a challenge - almost total blindness and cerebral palsy are just a couple. I have never taught students with such issues but I know that these will be great learning experiences.

I also go into the new year prayful for loving on the students no matter what is going on in their lives. There were many times that I thought I would explode due to misbehavior or disrespect and then, even though I didn't want to, I continued to hold it against those students - they got no second chances with me. I can't do that to these kids, they have to know that in my class they are respected and safe.

To accomplish this goal I am going into the year with a new plan - management rather than discipline. I have to not only teach the students about the mountain ranges in Europe or the animals along the Amazon but how to be a productive citizen and member of the classroom. I realize now that just because they have been in school more than half of their life, the majority of students don't know proper classroom "etiquette". Examples include (1) raise your hand when you want to talk, (2) don't sharpen your pencil while I am teaching, (3) if it's not yours don't touch it, and the list goes on and on.

Anyway, I hope you are excited for more interesting anecdotes as the year progresses!

I miss my friends

OK so this is not a crazy weepy sad post...at least that is not the original intent...but who knows?

As you are aware, or should be aware, I moved 2 hours away from home and everyone I knew a year ago and it has been great. (I actually did move down with two friends but I think you get my point.) Anyway, I am in this new place, starting a new job, and basically trying to start a completely new life - all at the same time. Because of said life altering events, over the past year I have been neglected many of the relationships from my old life. That fact was brought to light tonight when I had dinner with two friends that I have known since 1st grade...FIRST GRADE!!!

Although there have been times when we have been apart, 4 years in elementary school when I switched schools, but they soon joined me and we picked up like we were never apart throughout middle and high school. In college, I happened to live with one of the girls 3 out of the 4 years at Carolina and the other was just in Raleigh and for 2 years we basically saw each other at least once a week. All this is to say that I love the girls a lot but over the past year they have been totally and completely out of my life (and me out of their's) and I realized that I miss them DESPERATELY!!!

We had dinner tonight and it was like nothing changed. We laughed really loud and got some funny looks. We stayed and talked for over 2 hours. WE HAD A BLAST! At the end of the night while saying our goodbyes it was mentioned that a year is really too long to be apart - comments strictly directed my way - to which I completely agree.

All of this to say...I miss my friends and I need to find a way to mix my new life with my old life even if I live an eternity away.

Music

Do you ever hear a word or see something and it reminds you of a song? I get that all of the time. Last night it was the word inspiration which ALWAYS make me think "You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration." I also saw a commercial advertising a sale that said "you don't want to miss a thing" and immediately Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" popped in there. And these things don't just pop in my head, I generally tend to belt them out at the top of my lungs for the enjoyment of all of those around me.

I love to listen to music and ask any of my friends and they will tell you that I have playlists that go from Backstreet Boys to Jason Durulo to Jason Aldean to Miley Cyrus. Life - and my playlist - is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get!

I think that I can probably think of a song for just about every word, phrase, cliche, what have you. I would love a challenge or maybe we can play a game back and forth!

Summer of Adventures - BEWARE it's a long one!

OK so no more whinny, woe is me posts about my summer. I have decided that this summer will be a compilation of adventures of all shapes, sizes, and companions. So...let's back up and start from the beginning.

So after the kiddos left on the last day of school, I began the packing and moving process to my new classroom on the 6th grade hallway. It provided me lots of time for reflection and fun with my coworkers - most of whom I will see a lot less of next year. At one point I took - I mean RODE - my rollie desk chair from my old classroom on the 7th grade hall over to my new classroom on the 6th grade hall. About hallway over there, I realized how unprofessional and ridiculous I looked so I stopped, left my chair there, went and got what I needed, and the rode my chair back to 7th grade! It was REALLY fun and definitely helps work out the leg muscles on the back of the upper leg (thigh?) and your calfs. I also got done with my ginormous checklist early and twiddled my thumbs/hung out for a few extra hours.

Next adventure...

HIlton Head con mi amiga Laura! You can read a bit of her thoughts on the journey down on her blog but one of my favorite quotes occurred during a stupid traffic jam on the way down - "Ha, and only Brandi would say this: 'Alright, we're going 13 mph! That's pretty good if we were in a horse and carriage!'" Needless to say - the trip as a whole was fun. If you don't know anything about Hilton Head, its basically a place where really rich people go for vacation or what we did - crash her dad's work conference :)! Anyway, there was a cocktail hour (or longer) each night that included talking to people about concrete - sounds SUPER exciting right?! Although Laura thought so, I did not. One day we took a ferry boat to Savannah and met up with 2 people from the Anderson family that I like very much and hope to visit again soon. OH and major development for the weekend - I finally got to meet Laura's parents gah what took so long? Oh and Laura got to test out her new B&N Nook while I read on my Amazon Kindle - a battle ensued - she may have won with its capability to get online with WiFi access but, mines better because I got it first! Whatevs! Anyway, it was really fun to get dressed up each night and hang out with adults and not have to worry about anything for a few days.

NEXT...

I did have to spend two days working :( booooo but, I got paid for attending a two day workshop where I actually learned some good, new stuff so it was definitely worth it. I also got to spend time with a couple teachers I didn't really get to know this year and a few I got to know even better!

And den...

ECLIPSE!!!!! AT!!!!! MIDNIGHT!!!! So I made my mom watch Twlight and New Moon the day before so she would be caught up. Jody and 6 year-old Sydney also joined us for the show. It was really good and right afterwards my comment to my mom was that I couldn't wait for the next one. I am really sad that I have to wait a long while for it to come out. Now my mom bought all of the books, including the addition of the one about Bree, and I hope that she actually plans on reading them and not just adding them to her bookshelf.

And den...

I spent a few days at Kerr Lake where I LOVE celebrating "lake time". Lake time is a concept I have where it doesn't matter what time it is because I can do whatever I want. Case in point - many days I wake up around 10ish and proceed to make a ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast. Now you may think that sleeping late is bad but what you didn't know is that many nights I stay up until 2, 3, even 4 in the morning reading whatever book I just started. It may seem sad to you but it is like my "zen place" if I really believed in that junk. The lake is also the place that I have celebrated my birthday for the past 3 or 4 years so thats exciting. I'm 23 now and I feel the same as I did when I was 22 - we shall see what the new year brings.

And now...I am at home - at my apartment chillin' for the week until my next adventure - maybe the beach tomorrow - and then Charleston with my mom. Although I very much appreciate Christina letting me borrow/use her computer while mine is being worked on, I will gladly take my PC back when it is done being worked on. The mouse usage on the Mac still baffles me a bit but I am starting to get the hang of it.

My summer is also dotted with SUPER exciting World Cup and SwampDogs games.

Hope you made it through all that. I guess that what I get for being "silent" for a while! Come back for more updates soon!

There's Gotta Be Somethin' More

OK...so I am two weeks into my summer vacation and I am already starting to feel the blues. Not because I have any desire to get back to work or that I am not relishing my time away from being scrutinized and observed and counted on on a daily basis. But overall, once again, I am finding something lacking. Like my time right now has no purpose. I generally tend to be a "woman on a mission". This summer I really have no mission - no end goal I hope to achieve, just lots of empty time.

I do have lots of trips and things planned for my break and this week I had three days in a row where I did not wake up before 10 or even think of getting out of bed until 11! BUT once again, my goal achieving self can only find joy in these occasions on an infrequent basis. I have not had a complete summer off ie not work or school or super long excursion planned since before my junior year in high school.

Since the fall of 2003 I have been in school or working on a regular basis and now that I have 2 months off with no schedule or set-in-stone plan, I'm going a little crazy. I mean I wonder why you haven't stopped reading now as I realize I just keep talking about the same thing over and over again.

I could bust out a list of "Summer To-Dos" - short term goals to fill the empty spaces - organizing my closet or CD collection, read books to help me out with my classroom management, read books just for the fun of reading books, watch full TV series that I have wanted to watch start to finish, etc etc the list goes on.

My plan for the summer and the rest of the year, is to figure out something to do NEXT summer. Something that will make a difference to someone else. Something that will be a good and productive use of my time. Something that allows some time to check off a few of the above mentioned items. Something that provides my soul time to rest. Something that allows my mind to continue to learn. Something that allows my body to work hard and grow strong.

I realize all you heard from this post is a whining and complaining person who has 2 months off and nothing to do with her time. I want to let you know that I am REALLY excited for this time and it has not been totally horrible. I have read lots of books already, I didn't even keep a count; I have gotten to watch nearly 20 soccer games; I have watched a few Netflix movies that I have wanted to see; I have gone to many local baseball games; I have travelled to Hilton Head and have plans to go to Kerr Lake next week and Charleston a few weeks later; my birthday is coming up; all wonderful things to fill my summer - I just want my time to be spent being productive and being useful.

Well I hope for that to be the last of my complaining. I look forward to the remainder of my summer. Just remember in two months I will be complaining that I have to go back to school and my summertime is over!

The point of this post? I don't know but like I said - This...is my life. Make of it what you will!

Well...I made it!

As I sit here I can now reflect on my first year teaching. Let me just say that if next year is like this year, I really will feel EXTREMELY incompetent and wonder how I ever graduated college!

- About 3/4 of the year, a light bulb went off in my head and I realized that I was doing it totally wrong. (Really, did I need 6 months to tell me that? No, but that is when I stopped being stubborn and realized I had to change my ways to survive.) I went into the school year under total illusionment. Who knew that 7th graders didn't know the appropriate times to get up from their seats to sharpen pencils or throw things away? Who knew that 7th graders will ask you totally inappropriate questions about your personal life? And then, when you don't answer them, they proceed to tell you about crazy things that they do that you never ever wanted to know? Now I realize you have to tell them how to do EVERYTHING or they are confused :(

- I know the value of my teammates! Without the support and assistance from them, I don't know how this year would have looked but I do know it would have been worse! Next year we are all mixed up throughout the school so I will only have one of the people next year. The rest of them are scattered throughout and really far away. It makes me sad to know I can't just poke my head in the door next to me for some reassurance or comic relief or a friendly smile.

- Patience! I thought I had a lot of it but I realize now that it is not limitless. After about 4 kids ask me the same question, I want to rip the head off of the next one to ask. I really don't think there is anything worse than having to repeat yourself 5 and 10 times a day! One part of it is inevitable because I teach the same thing 5 times a day but usually by the 3rd or 4th class I anticipate the questions that they will ask and try to answer them within the directions instead of waiting for them to ask.

- High point!!! At the end of each semester, the computer classes are working on correspondence and the students are asked to type letters to their favorite teachers. I got 4 of those letters this year!!! When I looked at other people's piles I got a bit sad because they had more but from what I hear it is unusual for 1st year teachers to get them so then I was happy again. I think I will cherish those letters - they almost made me cry because sometimes you really don't know how the kids feel about you.

All-in-all this year was a GIANT learning experience! It was really rocky at times and I didn't know how it would all work out but I think it was a really invaluable experience. Definitely not anything that anyone can really prepare you for. Now I know better for next year! Expect more blogs throughout the summer and I promise they won't be about school (at least not all of them!).

Ahhhhhhh

(That's a relaxing ahhhhh not an angry one!)

We are TOTALLY in need of an update!

This weekend was so fun! I got to go to the beach to help celebrate the wedding of a friend from college - my first wedding of the summer - I believe at least 3 more are to come. Anyway, back to the weekend...

So on Friday, after a SUPER exhausting week at school, I decided that I was going to leave RIGHT after school. To accomplish said goal, I sent my kids to their lockers a few minutes early and I shut down my computer, printer, and TV while they were doing that. I grabbed my purse and lunchbox and got them lined up in the hallway BEFORE the bell rang. Once the bell rang, we were down the hallway - they went out to the buses and I walked out the front door! This is something that NEVERS happens for me but Hey! I was going to the beach to see long lost friends - what's a girl to do? REALLY?!

So anyway - man I feel like I will get sidetracked soooo much on this one - my wonderful friend getting married had me stay at the same house as the bride's maids all weekend! This was fantastic for MANY reasons. 1) I didn't have to pay for two nights at a hotel. 2) I got to hang out with/meet some pretty great girls. 3) I was literally 20 yards from the beach. 4) Did I mention it was FREE?

The wedding was held in the NC Aquarium which was kinda cool. You had to walk through some of the exhibits to get to the ceremony and the room where the reception was held is called the Ocean Room. One wall was like being under the sea - glass wall with lots of fish (including multiple sharks) behind it. Totally different from something I would have - should I ever get married - but was really cool and definitely fit Chelsea's personality. Regretfully, I only got to spend about an hour and a half actually at the beach - but I returned home with a pretty sweet sun burn on the back of one of my knees.

This weekend definitely got me excited for the summer coming very soon!

Yep...

To say that this weekend has been relaxing is an understatement and not even exactly the feeling that I am having right now.

Friday night I came home from school and started reading a book. I finished the book at about 1:30 am and was very happy about the fact that I could do that with no worries about the next day.

Saturday I stayed in (well out on the balcony) all day reading another book - which I finished before the sun went down. That night I went to hang out with some friends and stayed up really late. It was fun but very, what's the world "chill"? Without anything exciting? Nice? I don't know - left me wanting more?

Sunday, I proceeded to lounge, lay, sit, nap in the living room all day watching "The Love Saga" on Hallmark. (Some of my all time favorite stories/movies.) I got the apartment cleaned up during commercial breaks and did some laundry. Oh...I even alphabetized my CDs. That was my day.

Today, Monday, a holiday from school, I watched movies in the morning and started a new book this afternoon. Now I am watching Friday's episode of General Hospital - but not really watching because there aren't any good story lines at the moment.

So...that sums up my long weekend. SUPER exciting, right? Although I really really needed a weekend of doing nothing - having no plans, not being responsible for anything - I think I took that a little overboard. I need some excitement in my life. I need some adventure - books and movies can only accomplish so much. As much as I love to imagine my life as it could have been in 19th century England, or the American frontier, or modern day Oregon falling in love with the doctor saving my father from a heart attack, I have to realize that this...is my life.

In this season of my life I am sitting and waiting although I confess I don't believe that I am spending my single life exactly as the Lord has called me to do. I should be spending my time with Him. He will show me where my life is supposed to lead - IF it should lead to a certain someone or something. I feel like I am allowing my life to stay sedentary, almost accepting that this is my life forever. Is that the case? I don't really know. But isn't that supposed to make it interesting? Not knowing what is going to happen?

I don't know how I got a tangent or what the answers to my questions are but I do know that in the foreseeable future I know that I have 8 school days with kids left, a beach weekend in between to celebrate the wedding of a friend from college, and lots of mistakes (maybe a few triumphs) in there as well.

Where am I going? What will I be doing when I get there? God only knows - FOR REAL!

Cinnamon rolls for dinner!

So today was a REALLY long day! The kids are getting SUPER crazy and disrespectful and antsy and ridiculous and my patience is soooooooo gone that I like to pretend that if I ignore them, they will go away - but still not kill each other. This I am afraid does not work - though it doesn't really make it worse either.

This is EOG week and that means that although I don't really have to plan or teach super great lessons the kids are required to sit and be silent for 4 hours for 3 days because of the tests. That means...total chaos and ridiculousness following said testing.

That being said, and my desperate need for groceries, I ended up at Wal-Mart this afternoon. Going in I was just thinking about getting a few random things that I needed on my list - milk, bagels, bread, cotton balls, a pack of gum - not much but THEN I saw the sign for the book aisle on my way to the milk and I could.not. resist myself. I went down the aisle and just started throwing books in. OK so I didn't just throw them in, I looked at the picture on the front cover and then read the back of the book, and THEN threw them into the cart. I ended up with 7 books by the time I was done. I actually had to resist the urge to throw more in.

Anyway so after loading up on books, I went back to my original plan and got some food. I ended up with all of the other stuff - PLUS chips and french onion dip, Rice Krispy Treats cereal (so excited!), and lots of 88 cent frozen dinners. I also ended up CINNAMON ROLLS!!!! Instead of waiting for some weekend morning to make them, I decided I wanted them today, tonight, for dinner and so I made them. Now...I am going to spend the rest of my evening watching TV and eating my cinnamon rolls with a wonderful glass of milk!

Even on the really bad days I realize that some things about grown up life are good!

I am also encouraged by the bookmark that fell out of my book today:
I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Oh what's a girl to do?

So...for a while I have been thinking that I should have been born like 150 years before I was. Now you are probably thinking "this girl is crazy. Why would she want that?" I don't really know but I think it probably has something to do with a lot of the books I read.

I get so wrapped up in the horses and dresses and carriages and brooding cowboys and quilting and baking and courting and closeness of families and friends and the focus on the Lord and His plans and the list goes on and on. I also think that I tend to romanticize all of the elements of "heading out west to the unknown". Even though I know about the dangers and the hardships that many of the travelers faced, I still am kinda upset that I don't have a chance to experience that lifestyle.

I did get the opportunity for a glimpse at that way of life when I worked at a historic tobacco farm a few summers ago. Although most everyone else hated it, my favorite days were the days I got to dress up in my 1870s dress and got to churn butter or sing Christmas carols with the children or make corn husk dolls.

So how do I make my life today resemble a life of the past that I really like? I REALLY like indoor plumbing, and my DVR and iPod, and electricity in general.

Oh what's a girl to do?

A wonderful hodge-podge (sp?)

So...it has been an interesting evening!

We had/are having torrential downpours outside plus severe thunderstorm warning plus tornado warning plus hail warning - which my new car (ahem truck) was so NOT excited about! So yeah - that was fun!

Also, LC and I were discussing new names for our balconies. She is going with the island feel so she is going to call hers a lanai. I watch my soaps all the time and they call there patios and balconies terraces so that is what I am going with. Now, even though I am online I have no desire slash time to look up the meanings of these terms to know if they are being used correctly. (It is already past my bedtime for a Sunday night.) So terrace it is!

Now on to the real reason for this post...school!

Of course I brought work home with me for the weekend and of course I waited until about 7 pm on Sunday to get started on it. My students are researching countries in Africa and Asia and are writing a short paper about those countries. Most of the papers start off with a line or two or five like this:

Hello! My name is (insert name) and I am going to tell you about the culture of Japan that I think was really fun to study about and I am really excited to tell you allot about it. So here we go!

Yep!

And then one of my kids wrote about the geography but his concluding line said this:

Hopefully one day in the future I will be able to study about the geography of Japan!

Well buddy, since your whole paper was already about the geography of Japan, I am so happy that I have been able to make that dream of your come true! I mean really. IDK!

Oh and of course I got many papers that were copied and pasted from several websites. Not only was the writing style and vocabulary waaaaaay over the head of a seventh grader, but its chunked in several different fonts and there are underlined portions that are probably hyperlinked. So, yeah! That's what I've got!

And also I just realized I have written - so, yeah - a few times in this post. Not really sure what that means but I'm thinking that things have been so ridiculous that there really hasn't been anything else to say.

Anyway - gotta get to bed 'cause this girl needs her beauty sleep FO' REAL!

School is a place for learning!

So...lots of things happened today at school.

Because this is my first year and apparently I am too nice and I let the kids run over me a bit, I have summer homework. It has been requested/strongly suggested/required for me to read a few books about classroom management and not really write a report but take notes on several of the strategies. So yippee! Both of the books seem like WONDERFUL summertime reading! I. Am. So. Excited. --Can you tell?-- I am hopeful that I will learn a few things that will help me out it just seems a bit silly that this is an assignment. Maintain Employment. Always say "yes ma'am" to the boss.

On to a lighter note, something I learned today from my students - they found a way to get by the server blockers to go to all of their favorite websites that are NOT school appropriate ie: facebook, myspace, youtube, wikipedia, etc. I WILL NOT tell you how they did it because I completely forgot...wink, wink. I am a bit wary of using it because I don't know if Central Office has some way of checking on that kind of thing and its really not that important to me that I would want to lose my job. Again...Maintain Employment! I just thought it was really interesting that these kids can't read and follow simple directions - Complete jump-start. Log-in to the computer but DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE on the computer - but they can find a way around a school system's entire computer security system.

So...those are things that I learned today...or will be learning in the near future.

22 school days left til summer!!!!

I guess it happened...

...well as you can see I was correct in my original assumption that my life is completely uninteresting and have few things that people would actually like to know about my life.

I haven't posted anything recently because there really hasn't been anything to say. So let me bring you up to speed and you'll see what I mean.

Kids are getting restless (as am I) because school is almost out - in 5 weeks - 23 days!!!!! I guess that is kind of exciting. My principal has commented that we have to "tie a knot at the end of the rope and hang on tight." I guess that means "hold on for dear life, it could get crazy." I am definitely seeing that happen.

OK...what else?

Oh, I got a "big girl" car today. Its an SUV but the salesman actually called it a truck because apparently in the car business there are cars and there are trucks...everything falls into one of those categories. So...I guess I am a truck driver now! What makes this a "big girl" car? Well, it is loaded with lots of gadgets that I really don't need and some of which I will rarely to never use but they are super cool and fun to have. So OK I guess that is exciting also.

Whatever...if you are still reading this then you are a trooper - you also probably already know about this.

Anyway - til the next time.

How bo-ring!

Um so basically any time I start to tell a fun anecdote or story it ends up being something that happened at school. If you get me in a room with one other teacher - namely the bff LC - I could go on and on. I am sure that anyone who is not a teacher and is listening is thinking to themselves "Why do I care? Why does she keep going on and on?" Well the answer to those questions is: I have no life and that is the one thing that basically fills my days, nights, thoughts, and sometimes - unfortunately - my dreams/nightmares.

Now don't get me wrong, I do other SUPER exciting things like watch TV, read fun books, sit on the balcony and see people in my neighborhood, and have a weekly dinner with some friends in town but even those things are not that exciting to other people.

I do get bored with my life every once in a while but most days it really exciting...definitely a fun adventure! If you can get past my quirky stories of 12 year olds at school, you may get a fun story about the hockey players that live in my neighborhood or the "snuggle buddies" C and I have. The decision is yours!

Blah...

So, don't ask me why but I am in a "blah" mood today. Nothing major happened at school - or at least nothing that doesn't usually happen. The kids get on my nerves one minute and the next minute we are cracking up. My lessons the past two weeks plus part of next week are really good. I just don't know what I am feeling. Not happy, not sad, not depressed, not excited, not content, not stressed, not anything. Just blah!

How do I get out of my blah mood?

Lord guide me!

I don't know what it is but everytime I see a tribute for the military or hear a song or pray for those in the military I feel like my heart is breaking and I want to cry. What is that Lord?

I currently live a few miles from a giant military base and come in contact with children with parents in the military everyday. I feel like I am here in this city for a purpose and maybe the Lord is convicting me to do something for those AMAZING men and women that help protect us everyday! I don't know - that is why I need the Lord to guide me.

When I see our men and women walking around in uniform at Wal-Mart or picking up their kids from school or just out and about, I feel a strong urge to tahnk them and give them a hug! Now, if you know me at all, you know that I would never approach any of these people because that would be SUPER awkward and weird. Instead of a hug, I send up a prayer to the Lord that wherever they go, they are under His guidance and protection!

What is my point in writing this? I don't really know - just that this has been on my heart for a while but I have no idea what to do with it. If anyone knows a good Bible verse that I could use to pray for this conviction (or whatever it is) please send it my way! Also, I would love to find a way to help out the men and women that protect us a few miles away or thousands of miles away so if you know of anything, PLEASE let me know!

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

At yesterday's faculty meeting it was announced that teachers would be mixed around - grade levels and possibly subjects - for next year. We were told not to lose sleep over it or worry about the changes, everything would work out for the best. When I heard this, all I could think about was making sure I got out of the meeting in time to drive 20 minutes for a professional development class. I was not worried in the least. Whatever...I am happy for the job!

At about 10 o'clock this morning - during my 3rd period class I was called to the office...for real. The walk down there was very calming as I prayed that wherever I was moved I would be okay with it - the Lord has a plan for me and my prayer was really that I willingly accepted it.

I walked into the principal's office...dun dun dun...and she asked me to sit down. Long story short, I am being moved from seventh grade social studies to sixth grade social studies. I don't know why but when I heard that, I released the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. Why I exhaled I don't know. What did I feel at this moment?

Sixth grade?! Is this good? Is this bad? What does this mean? Why was I moved? I haven't had any real experience with 6th graders. They are basically elementary kids still. They don't know how to work lockers. You have to baby them. Oh man now I have to re-do all of my lesson plans for the year - right now I have squat! Who are the other teachers that I am going to be working with? Can I really do another "first year?" All of these things were running through my head sitting in her office.

Well...after a few moments and encouraging words, I realized that 6th graders have no idea what middle school is like - they have never been there - so I have the opportunity to get them on the right track for the next 3 years. Since I have been dealing with 7th graders I now have a few strategies to "scare" them into submission muhahaha. I also found out that the other social studies teacher is one that is currently teaching the curriculum and he is an AWESOME teacher - the kids LOVE him! He will have so many ideas and already has his stuff made up.

Another thing that is really encouraging, one of my current teammates is also moving to 6th grade and she has a lot of pull with administration and has requested that I be on her team!! It is sooo exciting and comforting to be wanted - especially enough to truly fight for me to be on her team! God is so good!

I am REALLY excited about this new change. I think the Lord has a lot to teach me through this - I KNOW I still have a lot to learn about teaching and life in general. As I finish up this year and prepare for the next I am looking forward to some of His "wha-bam" moments where I can be humbled and taught and truly learn trust and compassion and honesty (with myself and others).

YAY for Ch-ch-ch-changes!!! :)

So...yeah

Well...I just got a look and an eye-roll from this girl sitting next to me because I haven't posted anything new on my blog since I started it Saturday. Well, nothing has really happened in my life recently that I thought was worth my time to write or your time to read.

My friend got an email from someone...one of those dumb forward things that I usually let pile up in my inbox until I have time to read. Anyway, it was a 1st grade teacher who gave her students the first half of famous proverbs and they were asked to fill in the rest of the saying. Some of my favs are:

- Don't bite the hand that...looks dirty.

- A miss is as good as a...Mr.

- A penny saved is...not much.

And the one that I think is the funniest yet do not believe a 1st grader came up with it:
- Better late than...pregnant!

HAHAHA! Hope you had a smile for the day!

Am I really going to do this?

Ok...so apparently this is what you do when you get older...write about things in your life and post them online for anyone to read. Well...I really don't think many people will actually be reading this but I'm putting it out there anyway.

I am sure this is going to be a place where I rant and rave about all matters of things. TV shows, my kids at school, random funny/entertaining/ridiculous moments with friends, and so on and so on.

At times you will probably think that I am crazy or weird or immature and many times I am sure you will find me completely ridiculous but like I said...

THIS...is my life!