Centered in Him

A quick update

2012-02-08T01:59:00.002Z

I haven't blogged much lately. I want to say that I have been too busy, but I think I just haven't had anything super exciting to share. Life has been rolling right along. My kitty is still doing great. He is much more comfortable with us now, and very playful. :) We love him.

January went by quickly. Time is ticking down at school. This is the time of the year when we start many countdowns. 4 weeks until the writing test. 8 weeks until spring break. 9 weeks until the CRCT. 13 weeks until the end of the school year. It goes by quickly!

We had almost 40 youth come over on Sunday for the Super Bowl party. It was a lot of fun...and a big old mess. We had a few spills, a LOT of trash, and our curtain rod over our sliding glass doors was yanked out of the wall. No biggie. They seemed to have a lot of fun, though. :)

I lead worship for a retreat two weeks ago. It was awesome! Great time, great ladies, and a nice time of spiritual renewal. I am leading worship this upcoming weekend as well for a retreat, and then I am leading a retreat next weekend for the high school girls in our youth group. Wow! I'm ready for some time to relax, but I also enjoy these retreats.

That's about it. Trying to be productive this week before I head out for the weekend.

Peace!

And a warm welcome to...

2012-01-11T22:07:00.004Z

Jack and I are so excited about our newest addition to the family...Leroy Jethro "Gibbs" Caldwell!

We adopted him from the Humane Society on Saturday and were able to pick him up today. He is a little over 2 months old and very sweet. He is a little bit scared with his new surroundings so far, but I think we have been able to bond. :) He is super cute and we couldn't wait to bring him home. We are officially pet people!

P.S. Yes, we are nerds and named him after Special Agent Gibbs from our favorite TV show, NCIS.

Ringing in 2012...

2011-12-31T20:22:00.002Z

Is it just me or has 2011 gone by really quickly?? It seems like it has gone by in a snap. Overall, I would say that it was a good year, but I am looking forward to 2012. Not for any reason in particular, I just like the feeling of a new year. Here are some highlights from 2011:

Two beach mini-vacations with the hubs
My sister got married in March
Went to my first national math conference in Indianapolis in April
One of my best friends got married in May
Dominican Republic mission trip with the youth group in June/July
Finished my master's degree in July
Made some new friends through church
Georgia Southern made it to the semi-finals (GO EAGLES!)
Celebrated our one year anniversary a few weeks ago
Spent time with friends and family over the holidays

I am thankful for my husband, my family and friends, my health, and all of the many blessings that this year has brought. I look forward to 2012 with anticipation and I pray that God would continue to teach me more and more about Himself. Happy New Year to all!

First year of marriage in review

2011-12-18T00:49:00.003Z

It's hard to believe that a whole year has flown by since Jack and I said, "I do." It seems like just yesterday we were enjoying our wedding day and embarking on our honeymoon. This first year of marriage has been absolutely wonderful, and I am so blessed to have such a great husband.

The first year of marriage is a "learning" year. We have learned a lot more about each other and have learned how to live together, work together, balance our schedules together, and love each other in new and different ways. We certainly don't have it all figured out, but I feel like I have grown in my relationship with Jack and with the Lord. We have laughed and cried a LOT, but we have made memories that I will never forget. We have gotten upset at each other over big and little things, but we learn how to deal with conflict better each time. We have made decisions together and talked about the future. We have encouraged each other and supported each other. It has been great! Many people warned us about the first year of marriage, and while we certainly had a lot of adjusting to do, we loved it. It wasn't scary or extremely difficult. I am looking forward to many more years together and excited about becoming a better wife each day.

So, to my husband, my best friend, and my love Jack:

Thank you for loving me and for giving me a wonderful first year of marriage. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband like you, and I thank God that He designed us for each other. You are a beautiful reflection of God's love in my life. You love me unconditionally, and yet you challenge me to become more like Christ every day. You make me laugh, you hold me when I cry, and you support me in everything that I do. I love you more today than I did a year ago when I said, "I do." You hold my heart and I look forward to continuing our lives together.

All my love,

Your wife :)

Happiness Highlights 6

2011-12-13T01:39:00.002Z

December is flying by...almost halfway over already! I have 4 more days of school left until I have 2 weeks off for Christmas break. I. Can't. Wait. Here are some things I am thankful for...

Successful Christmas baking (even though I have eaten WAY too much) - eggnog crumble cake, chewy fudge pie, peanut butter blossom cookies, sugar cookies, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies)
Watching the Harry Potter series start to finish with my hubby over the past 2 weeks
My Christmas village on the mantle :)
DONE with my Christmas shopping
Planning for my class Christmas party...it's going to be fun.
Discovering new Christmas ornaments tucked away in different places
Checking things off my to-do list, and looking forward to finishing it over the break
Plans for getting in shape starting January 1st
Singing Christmas songs at church
Decorating Christmas sugar cookies with a friend
Georgia Southern winning in the 3rd round of playoffs...GO EAGLES!
Looking forward to our 1st anniversary this weekend

I love this time of the year. Seriously. It is my favorite time. I can't get enough of everything Christmas. Looking forward to celebrating with family and friends over the next few weeks.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Randomness

2011-12-03T19:26:00.001Z

I interrupt the regular scheduled Happiness Highlights postings to bring you randomness from my day yesterday. This is almost too ridiculous. Ever had one of those days when crazy things happen one after the other? Yesterday was such a day for me.

My students are ready for Christmas break. I can't say that I blame them, but we still have 2 more weeks to endure the craziness that ensued this week. I called Jack after school on my way home to see how his day was. I had left him a note on the counter in the morning to run two errands. He tossed a dish towel on it and didn't see it all day. Sigh. When I got home, I asked him if he ran the dishwasher so that I could unload it. He said, "Oh I already unloaded it. I thought it was clean." Sigh again. We rummaged through the cupboards to get out all of the dirty dishes that had been put away. That was fun.

Last night was a dinner at the pastor's house for the RHUMC church staff. We signed up to bring bread and dessert. I decided to make this chewy fudge pie that I made for Thanksgiving because I still had ingredients left over. I made it and put it in the oven when I got home from school. It got done about 5 minutes before we had to go. I took it out of the oven and we decided that I would hold it on my lap (on top of pot holders) on the way there so that it could cool and then we would put it in the plastic container when we arrived.

That already sounds like a mistake, right? Well, it was pretty well-situated on my lap on the drive there, but Jack was driving pretty fast down the main road in Richmond Hill. He didn't notice that the car in front of us was slowing down until he got closer, so he had to slam on the brakes to stop. The pie started to slide off of my lap, so as I tried to grab for it, my pinkie finger caught it. Not by the side though, but by digging in the very center of it. Did I mention the pie was just out of the oven? I started screaming because my finger was still in the pie and I was still trying to keep it from flying off of my lap and it was dark so I couldn't see anything. He pulled over and turned the lights on. I was crying, the pie had a huge hole in it, and part of it had landed on the floor of the car. Oh. my. goodness.

The pie did end up surviving and my finger was okay. It was one of those moments when I was like, "Really???" I wanted to just rewind and start again. I guess everyone has days and moments like that and luckily, neither of us were really hurt. It is slightly funny now. :)

Today has been a nice day of relaxing for me and the hubs. I got my hair cut this morning, Jack went to watch the RH Christmas parade, and we have been watching the Harry Potter marathon on ABC family. Tonight, we are going to a restaurant here in town for my school Christmas party. It should be fun. :)

That's it for now. Happiness Highlights will resume in my next posting.

Happiness Highlights 5

2011-11-28T02:16:00.002Z

My week off has been wonderful! It went by oh so quickly, though. It is amazing to think back over all of the events and traveling that we have done in a week's time. It is a bit of a blur! I am thankful to have had some time to rest and spend time with my family. Here are some highlights...

Delicious Thanksgiving food (turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, mmmm...)
Successful dessert baking for my families (chewy fudge pie and pumpkin pie)
Hanging out with Jack's grandparents
Decorating our house for Christmas :)
Christmas M&Ms (we are on our 4th bag now)
Christmas shopping halfway done and gifts wrapped!
Making Christmas ornaments with my mom
Singing Christmas songs at church
This time of the year...did you notice how often "Christmas" is in my highlights??

Three more week of school and then I am off for 2 weeks for Christmas break. Oh yeah, and Jack and I will celebrate our one year anniversary in three weeks as well! :)

Happiness Highlights 4

2011-11-20T21:57:00.002Z

This past week has been a blur! That one day off on Veterans' Day was a tease for the week off ahead of me. My students weren't too bad and we made it through the week with no major incidents. I stayed late at school on Friday so that I could get everything done before my break. No school work for me! It's a good feeling.

Yesterday was our annual church BBQ. It is a HUGE event with lots of volunteers and places to serve. I helped out on the serving line in the morning, making to-go plates. I also helped at the dessert table, cutting and serving desserts. I made a pineapple coconut cake with cream cheese frosting and it was a hit! There were no leftovers. It was a long and tiring day, but I was glad to be able to help out. I then spent some time with my family last night, eating dinner and hanging out. We had a lot of fun. :) I am ready for my sweet hubby to get home. He has been in Atlanta this weekend for a youth worker's conference. He will be home tonight.

Here are some things I am thankful for this week:

Pulling out the Christmas decorations and getting ready to decorate our house
A week off of school (as mentioned above)
Beautiful leaves in my yard
ONE cold day...come back fall!
Christmas music
My church family
Planning the Thanksgiving menu for my family meal
Getting my students' Christmas presents in the mail
One month away from our 1 year anniversary!

God has blessed me in many ways and I have felt His presence this past week. Life is good! :)

Happiness Highlights 3

2011-11-11T19:53:00.002Z

Happy Veteran's Day! I have today off of school in honor of the veterans past and present that have served our country. I am very thankful for the men and women who choose this important career to bring freedom to Americans. Since we live in such a highly-populated military area, I have come to know many military families. It is a huge sacrifice!

Here are some things I am thankful for this week:

A 4-day week at school...my students are getting restless for the holidays!
Christmas music (yes, I am already listening to it)
A spontaneous brownie creation with ingredients in my pantry turning out AMAZING
Fun time making BBQ sauce with the youth today at church
Tuesday night dinners with my mom and stepdad
Time to relax and read at home - going through the whole Harry Potter series right now
Beautiful fall leaves
NCIS being on USA pretty much all the time...we love that show
Christmas gift shopping
Making two new recipes for dinner this week
GSU Homecoming game...and an 8-1 season

I hope your weeks are filled with happiness and blessings! :)

Happiness Highlights 2

2011-11-03T00:05:00.002Z

My tendency is to want to focus on the bad things that happened over the past week, so I think it is a good idea for me to continue my happiness highlights so that I can focus on the good things instead.

A sweet husband to take care of me while I am sick (nothing big, just a cold)
Cute trick-or-treaters on Halloween and my first time ever handing out candy at my own house! I didn't buy too much candy and we didn't run out. :)
A FUN Sadie Hawkins dance with the youth group at church - we had a blast!
The beginning of my favorite season... complete with music, commercials, lights, and the wonderful holiday smells.
Hot chocolate...always.
Talking to my dad on Skype for the first time
Homemade pumpkin chocolate chip bread
Colder weather that might be here to stay??
Planning our first anniversary weekend

I am thankful for all of the wonderful blessings in my life. God is good and the more I focus on Him, the more evident His blessings are to me! :)

Happiness Highlights...

2011-10-25T01:18:00.002+01:00

I read about this blog idea on Twitter, of all places, and decided that it was appropriate, given my difficult week last week. I do have a lot to be thankful for, and it will probably change my perspective a bit to focus on the good instead of the bad.

Cool fall weather...absolutely perfect.
Carving pumpkins
Dinner and games with friends
Singing harmony in worship on Sunday
Shopping with Mom
New Christmas craft projects
Hot chocolate
Students that make me laugh - most of the time... ;)
Georgia Southern's awesome football season (7-0)
Discovering the most addictive and yummy cookies at World Market in Savannah (dark chocolate laceys)
Skyping my sister while in Peru
The sweetest and most wonderful husband in the entire world - and that is the TRUTH!

I am very blessed. While life certainly hands you lemons sometimes, God tends to bring light into the darkness when you feel like you are all alone. I am thankful for the people around me that make me smile and that support me. I am also thankful for the little things. They are what make the difficult weeks much better.

His mercies truly are new every morning. One day at a time is about all I can handle anyways.

(Sigh)

2011-10-19T22:23:00.002+01:00

Ever just had one of those really horrible weeks?

This has been mine.

I can't even begin to explain all of the contributing factors, but it has been extremely discouraging, sad, exhausting, and just pretty terrible.

I might explain more later on, but for now, I just need some prayers. They have truly sustained me over the past week, despite all the horribleness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

....Wicked!

2011-10-09T19:22:00.002+01:00

Oh man, Wicked was INCREDIBLE! Did I mention that I have already seen it once but really wanted to see it again?? Yeah, I couldn't resist. It was absolutely amazing. Jack and I were blown away by the beautiful Fox Theater and how huge it was. The show and the music were so good. I want you to picture this - the song "Defying Gravity" was right before the intermission, and as Elphaba is suspended in mid-air and singing her heart out, I was holding my breath. After she ends her last note, the whole auditorium went black and everyone started clapping and cheering. My jaw was dropped and my eyes were wide as the lights came back on. I guess you had to be there...I was blown away!

Jack and I enjoyed our mini-road trip to Atlanta over the weekend. We played "Six Degrees of Separation" for several hours on Friday night. I actually had to wake him up last night to tell him that I had discovered a connection between two actors that we were stumped on. Nerd alert.

I am turning 25 this Tuesday. Yikes. There are certain ages that just make you feel older, and this is one of them. 25. A quarter of a century. I now round up to 30, instead of down to 20. Oh well...it's not the end of the world, but I am trying to wrap my mind around it. Jack keeps reminding me about how old I am getting. He is sweet like that.

Next weekend, we are heading back north to Jack's family reunion in Blue Ridge. I am looking forward to the beautiful mountains up there and spending time with his family members that we don't get to see very often. It should be a nice weekend. :)

That's all for now - PEACE!

Wicked...

2011-10-07T12:20:00.002+01:00

Jack and I are going to see Wicked in Atlanta at the Fox Theater this weekend. EXCITED!! I have seen it once when I was in London, but Jack has never seen it. He has had to put up with me singing the songs off of the soundtrack constantly. Yes, I bought the soundtrack. It is amazing.

We can't wait to see this show. We bought our tickets back in June...so it has been a long time coming. I'll update about our reactions after the show. :) :) :)

Finally...the beginning of fall!

2011-10-02T17:33:00.003+01:00

Well, Jack and I were determined to enjoy fall festivities yesterday regardless of the weather, but it finally cooled off! Yesterday was a beautiful day in the low 70's and we loved it. We left our windows open all day and enjoyed cooler temperatures. We went to a (small) pumpkin patch here in town and bought four pumpkins. Yes, four. Two small ones and two big ones. Jack spent hours on Friday researching pumpkin patterns and carving techniques in preparation. We literally spent over half the day carving and painting our four pumpkins. I am really happy with how they turned out. We are going to display these until mid-October, then buy some more and carve new designs! Obsessed much? Guilty. Check out these beauties.

I am proud. I don't know if I have ever carved pumpkins that have turned out any good. These make me happy. Can you guess which ones I did??

I also attempted to make caramel apples yesterday. They didn't turn out so pretty, and I realized my mistakes afterwards. However, right now, the taste supersedes the looks. If I was going to give these as gifts, I would definitely have to make a different batch, but it was a good learning experience. I'm looking forward to other new recipes to bake this month. I'm also excited that I'm going to be sharing those goodies with other people, because we can't eat much more or else our pants will start exploding. Not literally, but we eat a LOT!

I'm going to attempt to be crafty today and make some DIY fall decorations for the house. If they turn out good, I will post pictures. If not, you'll know that it was a "good effort." :)

New layout...

2011-09-28T01:51:00.002+01:00

I realized that my blog has looked exactly the same since I first started it THREE YEARS AGO. It was time for an update. I'm not entirely sure that I'm done playing around with it, but I like it so far. My old blog was very functional (which was why I started it), but the new layout is like a breath of fresh air. Change is good.

I keep wanting to talk about fall and all of the wonderful things that go with it. Oh wait...it is still 90 degrees here in south GA. Ugh. I'm ready for summer to be over. It has overstayed its welcome, pretty much every year since I have lived here. Bring on the cool air and changing leaves. I am going to a pumpkin patch this Saturday. I'll probably wear shorts and flip flops. But I will get the best pumpkin I can find. I had to refrain from digging pumpkins out of the large bin at Kroger the other day.

Jack and I went to our first GSU home game of the season this past Saturday. Other than it being hot and sweaty until the sun went down (again...summer time in late September stinks), it was a lot of fun. We tailgated with the Bush's and enjoyed a wonderful win, marching band show, and fireworks at the end. I don't think we will ever get tired of GSU football. We also ate frozen yogurt twice that day. Yes, in the same day. Don't ask...

I have baked/cooked a few new creations lately. I had to cut myself off mid-September because our grocery bill was getting a little out of hand, but I have managed to make one new recipe per week still. Last week, I baked "chocolate cobbler" for dessert. It is like moist-chocolate-cake-meets-molten-lava-gooey-sauce-stuff. Yum. Last night, I baked chicken pot pie for dinner and it was most excellent. This is the third chicken pot pie recipe I have tried. The first two did not turn out so great. As a matter of fact, the very first recipe that I made called for flour and water to make the "pie" portion. Needless to say, we had to throw the whole dish away because it was so gross. The second one was a little better. The third one was the charm. Guess where I found it? Not granny's cookbook stored in the attic somewhere. Nope. Nowhere else but on the Betty Crocker website. If it ain't broken...

Tonight I am making homemade Nutella chocolate chip cookies. They smell delicious. Jack and I will enjoy snacking on these for the rest of the week. :)

I have found about 2.5 million pumpkin/gingerbread/apple cinnamon flavored fall recipes. I haven't made any of them yet, because I am waiting for the fall weather to kick in. However, I think that I better go ahead and start, otherwise it will be Thanksgiving before I know it.

Okay, I have talked about food for over half of this blog. I'll stop now. Life is good, busy, and tiring. But I am happy and still trying to trust God to lead me through each day. Always blessed!

I need a vacation...

2011-09-18T21:06:00.002+01:00

It's a good thing I had that nice weekend of rest over the Labor Day holiday, because life has been tiring lately. School is going pretty well and my students are pretty well-adjusted to my classroom routines now. I can't tell you exactly what is making life tiring, but it is just a combination of everything. Staying late at school. Church events. Visiting people. Helping out with different events. Life is certainly good, and God has blessed me incredibly. I'm just tired. I fell asleep on the couch last night at 8:00. Yes, on a Saturday night. What can I say? I would love a vacation, or better yet, a sabbatical from life. I would love to stay in a house on the beach with no responsibilities, only books to read, and beautiful scenery to enjoy. One week would do it for me. Okay...I'm done with my daydream. :)

I love fall. Have I already said that? I can't get enough. The weather has been slightly cooler lately (as in high 70s), which is wonderful for south Georgia. I would love it if it got even cooler, but we will probably still have some heat into October. I love the many fall flavors - pumpkin, ginger, maple, etc. I made pumpkin bread last weekend and it was amazing. I had a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks a few days ago and it rocked my world. I suppose that's not exactly a fall flavor, but it was delicious.

Do you ever feel like you just want to stay home and bake or cook all day? I feel like that pretty much all the time. I feel like I need to change my career, go to culinary school, and become a professional stay-at-home chef. Can people do that? I would love to. I love trying new recipes, making a variety of new dishes, and baking. Mmm, and I sure do love eating. I have had to scale back on my grocery shopping so that I don't go crazy, but Jack has enjoyed this new hobby of mine. I try to make things I know he will like.

I'll let you know if Daydream #2 of becoming a chef pans out. I'm not holding out much hope. :)

Weekend of rest...

2011-09-04T23:35:00.002+01:00

This weekend has been awesome so far. And it makes me so happy to know that there is no school tomorrow. Everybody needs a time of rest, right? I feel like mine was much needed this weekend.

Jack's mom has been in town visiting since Thursday night. On Friday night, I cooked dinner - a new recipe of cheeseburger macaroni that was delicious - and just hung out and talked. It was nice to just hang out on a Friday night. On Saturday, Jack's mom, my mom, and I went to get pedicures and then ice-cream. We went to the grocery store to get a few things and then came back home. I proceeded to spend most of the afternoon baking cupcakes. That might sound weird, but cooking/baking is becoming a serious hobby of mine. It is therapeutic, especially when I have a lot of time. I made homemade Oreo cupcakes with a cream cheese/Oreo frosting and vanilla pineapple cupcakes with a cream cheese/coconut/pineapple frosting. They were AMAZING. I was so pleased with how they turned out. They just made a lot. 30 Oreo cupcakes and 18 pineapple cupcakes to be exact. Don't worry, I didn't save them all for me. I gave some away to my Sunday school class this morning as well as my mom and stepdad last night.

We had dinner at my mom's house last night, which was the whole purpose of making the cupcakes. My stepdad Charlie made crab burgers, and couscous, and I brought creamed corn and cupcakes. It was a yummy dinner. We had fun eating and talking. Afterwards, we brought out our guitars and had a mini-jam session. Then, Charlie brought out his collection of karaoke CDs and we sung our heart out to some tunes. Insert random country songs, Grease, and love songs of the 80's. We had a blast!

We had church this morning and the contemporary service went well. Jack and I have been leading worship since the beginning of the summer at our church's contemporary service. It has been a lot of work to get it off the ground, but we are finally starting to see some positive results. Afterwards, Jack and his mom made biscuits and gravy and we enjoyed lunch (plus another cupcake). The rest of the afternoon has been spent relaxing, having some quiet time, and watching TV.

I love relaxing weekends like this. They recharge me for the busy weeks. I'm looking forward to Labor Day tomorrow at the beach! :)

Fall is in the air...

2011-08-27T03:08:00.001+01:00

Okay, not really. I just wish it was. It is still pretty hot here, but you know you live in south GA when the low to mid-90's feels cooler. I can almost taste the apple cider and pumpkin bread and crisp breeze in the air. I literally spent an hour looking up fall recipes tonight. The first step is admitting you have a problem...

School is finally getting into a routine. My kiddos have been with me for a month now and I am starting to see signs of progress. Progress in my procedures and routines, progress in the things they are learning, etc. Progress is good. It is a lot of work to get to this point, but we are getting there! I'm starting to see their personalities come out and they make me laugh. They get really excited about little things, like our chemical weathering experiment with chalk and vinegar. Oh yeah, and a song about the parts of speech. We actually recorded them singing it on Garage Band today so that they can listen to it at home. It's the little things.

Labor Day is coming up in about a week. It is my only school holiday between now and Veteran's Day in November. I will treasure that day and use it to rest. This weekend is going to be a restful one. It started out with a stay-at-home date with my hubs eating pizza and watching TV. It doesn't sound like much, but we love getting to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Tomorrow looks equally relaxing. I'm so glad! :)

Life is good. Trying to learn how to balance my life out, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. God teaches me so much every day. I'm trying to listen as much as possible.

And the ball is rolling...

2011-08-13T14:53:00.004+01:00

The best way that I can describe a new school year is like a big ball that is sitting still. It takes a lot of effort to start pushing it to get it rolling. Sometimes you even have to push uphill. But then there comes a point where the ball rolls freely and time passes with less effort. It never seems like you will get to that point, but it always comes! After a week and a half into school, I think the ball has slowly started to roll. My students have gotten better everyday at following my procedures and working hard. We are still on the uphill push, but it is rewarding to see progress. I really like my group of kids this year, but it is always amazing to me how different classes can be from year to year. Now that I am in my fourth year of teaching, I'm not as focused on every single detail of the classroom. I can actually reflect on the past years and relate that knowledge to this new class. They are unique, funny, curious, and filled with potential. My goal is to tap into that and do my best to make sure that they all succeed.

Being a teacher is quite rewarding, but completely exhausting at the same time! My voice is just about gone and I wake up so sleepy most days, but I do enjoy seeing my 27 little friends every day. My schedule this year is pretty busy and I don't have much of a break during the day. I am slowly getting used to it though. In about two months, the ball should be rolling freely and I won't have to do quite as much.

Beginning the school year has been all-consuming the past few weeks. Not much else has happened. My weekends have been pretty relaxing as I am trying to unwind and gather my strength up again for a new week. Last night, Jack and I ate at Cha Bella in downtown Savannah (Thanks Kelly!) and then we got ice-cream at Leopold's. It was quite nice. The food was excellent and we enjoyed having a date.

Oh yeah, and we bought a new guitar!! I started playing guitar my sophomore year in college, and I never imagined that I would actually be leading worship one day. My mom bought me a guitar at that time and it was a good, intermediate guitar. However, it had no pick-up and was starting to have some issues as I used it at church. So, Jack and I decided that we were ready for a new one. I have a beautiful Taylor guitar now, complete with a pick-up that I can use to plug in at church. I am so excited!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Jack and I have a weight loss goal for this fall. Jack's goal is to lose 5 pounds per month and my goal is to lose 2 and a half pounds per month. I am already 3 pounds down in August! It's a good feeling. It isn't as difficult as I thought to lose and maintain weight, as long as I watch what I eat throughout the day. Eating less has been the key. And going to the gym more. We are working on it and even though we love to eat good food (and dessert, on my part), we are trying to be healthier. :)

I suppose that's all for now. Life is back into a routine and I appreciate that. I have the best husband in the world and I enjoy living life with him. :D

So this is what is feels like to have a life...

2011-08-01T03:09:00.002+01:00

Wow...I will say that this past weekend has been one of the most relaxing and fun-filled weekends I have had while staying at home in quite some time. I did almost nothing productive most of the weekend. On Friday, Jack and I stayed home and cooked breakfast for dinner. We rented "The Tourist" with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp and it was actually really good. On Saturday, we slept in a little bit, had breakfast together, went to the gym, and made a trip to Wal-Mart. We had dinner and played a board game with some of our friends that evening. Today, we had church this morning followed by lunch with our Sunday school class. I took a nap after lunch and then we had youth/girl's night at the church.

Pure awesomeness. I didn't realize that there was so much free time available without a master's degree to work on. This school year should be much better and less stressful. I have many things I would like to do. Jack and I have made a weight loss goal and plan to work on that this fall. I also want to cook more new recipes (healthier foods if possible). I am starting a book list of things I want to read. I want to do some more house decorating. Lots of stuff. And I am so excited that I have time to do all of this!

My new students start this Wednesday. I get to meet them tomorrow night at Open House. I'm ready for the year to begin! I got a lot done in my classroom last week, so I feel pretty prepared.

Glad to be back to real life now. :)

Good-bye summer...it has been real.

2011-07-27T00:14:00.003+01:00

I would say that I have one day left of summer vacation, but it's pretty much over. I don't officially have to go back to work until Thursday, yet I have been there all day today and half of yesterday. And I'll probably be back tomorrow. There is something about laminating things, arranging desks, and putting posters on the wall that is exciting to me. No sarcasm...I'm being serious. I love the beginning of the school year. New clothes and school supplies, a new group of students, a fresh slate. It's awesome. There is a lot to do to get the ball rolling, so to speak, but once it's rolling, the hard work pays off.

I am done with my master's degree. No more tests, no more papers, no more online chats. It is finished. I literally spent over 20 hours working on my exit exam to complete the program. My brain still hurts. I want to be really excited about being done, but I am hesitant until I get that new certificate and diploma in the mail. Oh, and a pay raise. Once all that happens, there will be a big celebration. It will probably consist of lots of ice-cream and that's about it, but it will be a celebration nonetheless.

Jack and I went to Jacksonville last weekend for our last summer hoorah. I have been to Jacksonville a few times before, but I will say, there is not a whole lot of touristy things to do there. We stayed at a nice hotel right on the St. John's River downtown. The pool was nice and the view was great, but there wasn't a whole to do. We watched the fountain (that syncs water pressure and lights with music every night) several times. We went across the river on a ferry to some shops. We ate good (but expensive) food. We went and saw Transformers 3. It was much better than the second one but not as good as the first one, in my opinion. It was nice to have a vacation and relax, though. We are trying to pick places we haven't been that are within reasonable driving distance for our mini-vacations. We will venture out farther at some point.

That's about all in my world. Glad that the summer is over. SUPER glad that grad school is done. Looking forward to a new school year. Blessed as always. :)

Whirlwind of events

2011-07-11T16:12:00.002+01:00

I always tell myself that I am going to blog regularly, but then two weeks pass and I haven't written anything. Sorry to the two of you that read my blog....life is busy almost all of the time for me. I love keeping up with other people's blogs, but only find the time to write in my own every so often.

Shortly after my last posting, 8 adults (including me and Jack) and 15 youth from our church left for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. We left in the middle of the night and arrived in Santo Domingo, DR around 2 in the afternoon. They are in the same time zone as us, which was nice. We rode in a bus from Santo Domingo to a town called Bani in the middle of the country. We spent the next several days playing sports and teaching bible stories to the kids in the town. We had older kids in the morning (10-16 years old) and younger kids in the afternoon (anywhere from 2-10). One afternoon, we had over 80 kids show up! We had a lot of fun with them and learned how to communicate the best that we could. My Spanish is a little rusty, but I remembered enough to be able to have a few basic conversations.

In the evenings, we held church services, which were sort of like revival services. Musicians would play music, we did some songs in English, there was a skit about the bible story of the day, and a preacher gave a sermon. They were very lively, to say the least. On the first night, the musicians did a very fast song in Spanish where you wave your hands in the air really quickly. We did that song and then the preacher said we were not energetic enough. So we did it again. We ended up running around the room waving our hands by the end of it. It was a lot of fun. We got to go to the local church on Sunday and participate in their service. The pastor there told us that she had been praying for growth in her church and after our week of services, many children and adults came to the church on Sunday.

Every time I travel, I am always amazed at how different cultures are, yet how similar they can be. We looked very different from the Dominican people, we certainly spoke different languages, and yet we live life in the same way. It is beautiful to see how we fit together in the huge puzzle of the world. One of my favorite moments of the trip was when we sang the song "Open the Eyes of my Heart" in Spanish and English at the same time. It was awesome.

All in all, I felt that the trip went really well. I was a "chaperone," but I felt like I jumped in there and played with the kids just as much as the youth did. I pray that it was a powerful experience for them and that they have returned to their homes here thankful for all that they have. We are so blessed and so rich in comparison, so we should be grateful for all that we have.

We got back from our trip on July 4th and spent a full day resting and recovering. On Wednesday, July 6th, my dad called and said that my grandmother had passed away. She just turned 80 in March and has been living at a nursing home for the last year. She has had several health problems, including Alzheimer's, so it wasn't a huge shock, but it's never easy when someone in your family passes away. I wasn't very close with my grandmother, since she lived in Michigan where my dad lives, but she is the only grandparent that I have ever had. I never met my mom's parents or my grandfather on my dad's side. My sister and I decided to take a road trip up to Michigan this weekend for the memorial service. Flying at the last minute is expensive. We couldn't find a flight for less than $500. Ridiculous. The service was nice and it was cool to see relatives we haven't seen in awhile. I know my dad was glad that we came up, and we were glad to be there for him.

The weeks that I was in summer camp went by so slowly, but now the summer is flying! I only have 2 1/2 weeks left until pre-planning begins for school. I can't believe that. I have several projects and things that I want to get accomplished before that time, so we will see how much I actually get done. I guess the only good thing about the small amount of time left is that I only have 2 1/2 weeks left of my last master's degree class. PTL! I can't wait to be done and not have that hanging over my head anymore.

What a summer! I have enjoyed it, for the most part, and I am actually looking forward to a new school year starting. I will soak up the last few weeks, though, and maybe even add a little more to my tan. Wishful thinking... :)

Thank you Lord for the weekends...

2011-06-26T21:31:00.002+01:00

Wow...I had an AWESOME weekend! God surely knew that I was at my limit and gave me a wonderful weekend with friends even though I don't deserve it. I was able to let go of the stress of Term A classes and summer camp as I relaxed and had fun with my friends. Some of the knots in my back are starting to subside.

I'll start from the beginning. After summer camp ended on Friday, I drove down to SSI to meet up with two of my favorite gals, Mary and Lauren. I worked at camp with these two ladies and have enjoyed staying in touch with them and continuing our friendship after camp. We went to the Watering Hole in the early evening - it's like a contemporary praise and worship service for college kids, and random adults like us that walk in there. We met up with some old and new counselors and enjoyed some worship. After that we ate at Bonefish. Mmmmmm. Even though it is expensive, it is one of my favorite places to eat! We shared the infamous Bang Bang shrimp and had delicious dinners. After that we went to the village and hung out at Rafters for a little bit. :) We were going to walk down to the pier when we heard live music coming from an outdoor pavilion. We walked over to see what was going on. I walked up to some ladies sitting in chairs on the porch to ask about the shindig and she told me it was a wedding rehearsal dinner. She then proceeded to introduce me to the bride who gave me a huge hug and invited me in! We got something to drink, took a favor, and could not stop laughing about our wedding rehearsal crashing skills. It was hilarious. We hung out for awhile longer and finally made it to sleep around 1:30 in the a.m.

We slept in, ate at Sweet Mama's (one of my favorite breakfast places on the island), and spent some time soaking up sun at the beach. We ended our trip with some TCBY, also another island favorite. I drove back home to meet up with Jack as he returned from the youth mission trip. Our friends Alex (another camp friend) and Barbara Jane came into town for the night. We went out to dinner with them and the Rickers at Fish Tales. We had ice-cream at the Ice-Cream Stop afterwards. It was a lot of fun. We then went to Wal-Mart, purchased The Game of Things, and played the game with our friends until 11:30. It was so much fun! If you have never played that game, you should definitely look it up. I recommend it for adults only, preferably played late at night. Good times.

We went to church and Sunday school this morning. Afterwards, we had a cookout with the Rickers and Alex & Barbara Jane. It was good food and fun to hang out. Jack and I finally got some relaxation time (after he was gone for a week) this afternoon. It has been wonderful. I am so thankful for a nice weekend of fellowship and fun. It was much needed.

We have one day to get packed and ready for the Dominican Republic. I can't wait to head down and see what God has planned for us. Keep us in prayer!

Peace :)

Final stretch...sort of

2011-06-21T01:13:00.002+01:00

I'm in a slightly better place than my last post, but still swamped with my never-ending to do list. This is the last week of Term A summer classes. I am finishing up assignments, postings, and final exams through Thursday. I have ONE class left for my master's degree. ONE. That's a good feeling. It starts on Monday and ends towards the end of July. Then I'm done with my master's degree. Kind of...I haven't finished my exit exam yet, or really even started on it. I also haven't submitted all the paperwork yet to complete my degree. I haven't had much time at all. That's my project for....whenever I get some time.

This is also the last week of summer camp. PTL. I have gotten used to the little ones and have enjoyed their sweet hugs, drawings, and comments throughout the summer. I am very glad that it is almost over, though. It will be nice to have a little bit of time off.

Our Dominican Republic mission team leaves a week from tomorrow (6.28.11) for our trip. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It feels like we are going without a solid plan of what we are doing, but I suppose it is always like that. Even if you plan extensively ahead of time, it seems to change when you get there. God certainly teaches you flexibility on mission trips. It's a blessing in disguise.

I suppose once I return from the DR, the summer is on a downward slope. I will have three weeks left of summer break until post-planning starts again. This has been a crazy summer. I'm going to write this to make sure that I stick to it next summer - I am not going to have a summer job or take any classes. I need a summer to myself to tan, read, and relax. Is that selfish? Maybe...I might feel differently next year, but 8 weeks of nothing to do sounds wonderful right about now.

I'll post about the trip when we get back! :)

Summertime is not so sweet anymore...

2011-06-08T02:48:00.002+01:00

Man. I sure am glad that we took our SSI vacation when we did. Life has been nonstop since then. I have literally been occupied every hour of the day that I can force myself to stay awake. My two grad school classes are jam-packed with assignments and readings. The summer camp program is a WAY bigger undertaking then I imagined it would be. I have spent countless hours planning and endured long days with 30+ 4-5 year olds. I still have 13 days left of that craziness.

On top of that, I just found out today that I have to take an extensive exit exam for my master's degree program. I finish with classes in July and my advisor has yet to tell me anything about taking this exam, or filling out paperwork, or anything that has to do with finishing my program. So, on top of the craziness of life, I have to find time to finish all of that stuff. Oh yeah, it was supposed to be done last semester also. So, I look like a slacker when I have had no notice of what to do to complete my degree. It's posted in an obscure place on the website that gives information about my program. No emails, no notifications, just an email saying, "You're behind in finishing your degree." Thanks GSU.

Yes, I know I'm complaining. I'm just completely overwhelmed. This has been the worst summer yet since I have graduated from college. I have come to two conclusions:

1) I will never do this summer camp again.

2) I will never go back to school for an advanced degree again.

My mom would argue with me on the second point, but I honestly can't fathom doing work for another degree. My master's program has sucked the life out of me. I want to come home and have nothing to do. I want to spend time with my husband before 11 p.m. at night. I want to be able to do fun things that I want to do.

Okay. Enough whining. Back to work.

Sweet vacation...

2011-05-29T17:59:00.003+01:00

Whoever came up with the idea of vacation knew what they were doing. It is wonderful. Jack and I just got back from a lovely 3-day vacation on St. Simons Island. We stayed at a cute little hotel right down the street from the village and pier. We enjoyed the beach, good food, and relaxing time together. It was our first vacation since our honeymoon, so we were so glad to get away and have some time for just us. I'm already planning our next trip. We are back home now and are jumping into our busy summer with two feet. This gave us a great boost to make it through our hectic schedule.

This is random, but I love grocery shopping. I love the options of products on the shelves. I love colorful displays. I love picturing what I can cook with various items. A lot of people say that they hate grocery shopping, but not me. I could go down every aisle every time I go shopping and not get tired of it. Paying for the groceries is a different story, so I have to be careful with my love of shopping. I told you it was random.

That's it. You've already heard about my busy summer. And so it begins... :)

Summertime...

2011-05-22T20:37:00.003+01:00

I guess it's been awhile, eh? Life has been BUSY lately. I say that in every blog post. I feel like I say that almost every day. I wonder if I just live in a constant state of being busy? It must be. I'm ready for some relaxation, but I don't know that it will come anytime soon.

My kids are gone for the summer! Woo hoo! I say that with much love in my heart for them. I really did love my class this year. I will miss them next year as I think about them starting middle school. But I know they were as ready as I am for the summer. I have four days of post-planning this week and then I'm done until July 28th. Yes, July. We start back super early.

Next weekend, right after post-planning ends on Thursday, Jack and I are taking a mini-vacation. It will only be for three days and two nights, but we are excited! It is close by, right by the beach, and a place that we will enjoy being for three days. That's all I can say. :)

Then, the week of Memorial Day starts week 1 of four weeks of summer camp. I am working with the Kiddie Kamp this year, which means that I will have 15-30 5-6 year-olds in my care. am a little nervous since I don't normally work with kids that young. My students in 5th grade are pretty self-sufficient, don't have fluids coming out of every crevice, and they don't cry that often. It will be a challenge, to say the least. I am looking forward to it, though.

As if I wasn't busy enough, I am also taking two grad school classes Term A and one class Term B. So from May 23rd to July 28th, I will be working on grad school work every night. But at the end of the summer, I will be DONE. I will have my master's degree and hopefully never have to go back to school again. Okay, I might go back again, but I want a break for at least a year or two. Or five.

I am going on the Dominican Republic mission trip with the youth group at the end of June this summer as well. I am super excited about this trip because we are taking 8 adults and a bunch of awesome high schoolers. Our team meetings have been a lot of fun as we prepare for the trip and I can't wait. It has been awhile since I have been on an international mission trip and I am really looking forward to what God has in store for us there.

Last but not least, Jack and I will be attending a total of three weddings this summer for some of our dear friends and family. We are excited to see all of them and be a part of their special day. We also have some friends who are having a baby at the beginning July and we can't wait to meet him!

Whew. That's a lot. Even talking about it makes me tired. My summer is about as full as it can get. I will have about three weeks in July that I don't have anywhere to be during the week. I will still have my one grad school class, but I can use those three weeks to do something fun. Such as...read a book that has been on my shelf forever that doesn't pertain to education. Make some new summer recipes. Exercise. Clean our office that has yet to be clean since we have moved in to our house. Work on my tan. I have plenty to keep me occupied. :)

Despite the busyness, life is good. I love being married to Jack. He is the best husband I could ever ask for. We share a lot of laughs together. :) I recently got a new phone and have now caught up with the world of smart phones. I have had a cheap phone my entire life. We decided to splurge and go for the iPhone. I love it. I have an iPod touch, so a lot of things are very similar. That makes it easier to learn how to use different applications. It's summertime, which means lots of lemonade, tanning, and reading. Most of the reading will be for grad school, but I'm okay with sitting in the sun with a book, despite what the content may be.

I am busy, but blessed, and I couldn't ask for anything more than that. :D

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-18T19:05:00.002+01:00

It is so nice to be home. I really enjoyed the math conference in Indianapolis, but it was tiring. We walked a lot, we listened a lot, and we talked a lot. It was very informative and a nice boost to get me through the rest of the school year. I hope to use some of the things that I learned with my students in the last four weeks of school.

I realized that my last post was full of count-downs. I am a "to do" list maker and a count-down maker. I love to check things off of my list of things to do as well as count down the amount of time left before something happens or before something ends. I think it is good to be organized and to look ahead, but I don't want to miss what is going on right now. Life is good right now. Yes, it will be good over the summer when school is out, and it will be even better when grad school is finally finished, but I am very happy with things right now.

I have the best husband in the world. Seriously. I can't imagine ever getting tired of this guy. He is so sweet to me, he makes me laugh, and he holds my heart. Yes, we have our normal disagreements and arguments like all couples, but he is one of a kind. Today, we have been married for four months. WOW! It still seems like it was just yesterday. We are settling into married life and enjoying each other's company. I have a desire to go on vacation now, but we just have to figure out when to do that and how much money we have to spend on it. :)

I need a tan. Badly. Most teachers will probably come back super dark from their vacations, and little old me will still be white because I will have been sitting inside most of spring break. I need to take my laptop outside to do some grad school work the rest of the week.

I am still loving finding new recipes and trying them out. I suppose I need to start finding healthier recipes, since we have been eating quite well lately. :) Cooking is a lot of fun, when I have the time for it. We are having my family over for Easter dinner this Sunday, so that will be an experience. Jack and I enjoy having people over, and this will be our first holiday hosted at our house. I'm excited! I will be contributing corn pudding, Watergate salad, and a triple berry trifle for dessert. Mmmmm.... :)

Indianapolis, home of the....?

2011-04-15T02:34:00.002+01:00

I am excited to say that I am in Indianapolis, IN for the NCTM National Math Conference. I was fortunate enough to be nominated to go to this conference from my school and I am LOVING it! It makes me feel like a nerd to get so excited about things like workbooks, calculators, and math t-shirts, but it is awesome. It's awesome to get to talk to other teachers from around the country and listen to their stories. It's awesome to get ideas from the presenters that I can take back home. It's awesome to get free stuff! I am tired after a long day of listening, walking, and more walking. It has been great, though. Tomorrow is our last full day and then we are headed home on Saturday.

The city of Indianapolis is pretty nice, but kind of random. There is a downtown area with historic buildings, city halls, and restaurants, but that's about it. We can walk from our hotel to the downtown area in no time. I must say, I know nothing about this city or even the state of Indiana. What comes to mind when you think of it? The Colts and Peyton Manning? Yeah, that's all I came up with too.

One of the best things about this conference is that when I return on Saturday, I am on SPRING BREAK! Yesss.... I can't wait for a little break. I miss my kiddos these three days, but I am really looking forward to some time away. I'm not sure how much of an actual break it will be, because I am probably going to go to work all day Monday and then work on grad school stuff the rest of the week. Jack and I are going to Blue Ridge for the weekend to visit his family. I hope to get all work done by then and that will be my relax time.

Speaking of which, only 3 1/2 more weeks of grad school classes. Then I have about 2 1/2 months of summer classes and I will be done. Finished. Master's degree and all. And I can't wait! My plan is to not take on any extra projects next school year so that when I come home, I can actually relax. That will be a strange thing for me. I know Jack is ready for that time as well.

I guess that's it. Alison's wedding is in three weeks! I'm excited for her. My brother is graduating from college in four weeks. That's exciting as well. And the school year is only four weeks away from summer break! Woo hoo! It doesn't get much better than that. Except for if it was already May 20th. :)

Good-bye long hair...

2011-04-02T02:23:00.002+01:00

Wow. This past week has been a complete whirlwind. I feel like I might be possibly starting to recover. I seemed to have developed a cold as well as exhaustion from last weekend's festivities. I'll start from the beginning.

I worked Monday through Wednesday and tried to get all grad school assignments done prior to leaving for Atlanta. Jack and I left early Thursday morning to head up to Roswell to begin preparation for my sister's wedding. From the moment we got there, we were busy putting things together, loading cars, and getting things ready. We had a late night on Thursday night with the rehearsal, dinner, and bachelorette party. We woke up at about 8 am on Friday morning and spent the next five hours working on putting together the bouquets for the ceremony. That was tedious and tiring work! My mom is a champ. It was a family effort getting them put together the best way that we could. The wedding was Friday evening. Everything was beautiful and it seemed like people had a fun time at the reception. After the party ended and we cleaned up, we headed to bed around 1 in the morning.

No, it's not over yet.

Jack and I woke up at 6 am and left Roswell to head back down to Statesboro. Alison had a bridal shower that morning that I really wanted to be at. It was a lot of fun! Jack and I headed back home to unpack and chill for about an hour and then we left for a baby shower that afternoon. We enjoyed supporting our friends but were completely exhausted by the time we finally got home for good.

I feel like I lost a year of my life. I must be getting old because I just can't stay up that late anymore. Maybe when I was in college, but not now that I'm an old lady. :) Life has calmed down some this week, but it still keeps moving. Work, grad school, church events, repeat.

I got my hair cut short today. I have been growing it out for almost two years! My hair grows incredibly slow, but it is the longest it has ever been. It is nice to have it short now and off of my neck.

Such a random post, but that's my life right now. Random and busy and wonderful all in one. :)

Weekend glory...

2011-03-20T14:42:00.002Z

March is flying by! My last post was at the beginning of the month and now it is almost over. I must say, I am glad that the spring is flying by, because summer fever is in the air. I am ready for this school year to be over already! I have plenty of things to keep me busy between now and the end of May, but summer, please come quickly...

Let's see, what has been going on with me lately? School, grad school, repeat. I had a teacher workday last week and two days without students which was nice. I got a lot done! I am trying to stay on top of things, especially because March and April are super busy. This upcoming weekend (as in, 5 days from now), Jack and I will be traveling up to the ATL for my sister's wedding weekend! I am very excited for her and can't believe that it is here already. So, two more days of no kiddos again this week. :) Please believe that I adore my students, but it is nice to have a break every now and then. I'm sure they feel the same way.

This past weekend, Jack and I helped teach confirmation workshops at Epworth on SSI. We just love that place. Even though I have been there 100 times and know the ins and outs of the island by heart, I just feel like I am coming home whenever I go back. I told Jack we should retire there. :) We had fun leading the workshops and hanging out at the Village yesterday afternoon. We decided to go to the top of the lighthouse, since neither of us has done it before. The view was amazing! It was absolutely perfect weather and such a beautiful scene on the ocean. The beach is calling my name...

My new hobby/obsession: finding and trying new recipes. Seriously, there are so many delicious goodies awaiting my creation! I have found a blog that I really like following that gives ideas for lots of fun recipes. I have been trying to cook new things ever since Jack and I got married so that we can build a repertoire of a variety of dishes to eat for dinner. I grew up on spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and Shake-n-Bake chicken, so I feel like I need to branch out a little bit more. I will say, we have found some favorites, but there have also been some flops. I guess I just expected that if I followed the recipe, it would turn out yummy, right? Wrong. I have had to throw away a couple of dinners. But, I learn from these recipes and make sure not to use them again.

Life is always moving and always exciting. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had tons of free time, so I will live in the busy-ness for now. :)

Happy birthday Jack!!

2011-03-06T18:14:00.002Z

Today is my wonderful husband's 24th birthday! I love celebrating birthdays to remember that they are a gift to me here on earth. Jack is no exception to this - I am so glad he was born! We had pizza for lunch (his favorite) and there will be some surprises at youth group tonight. I bought him a bicycle for his birthday and tickets to see Hairspray in Jacksonville next Saturday. Fun stuff!

We were in Statesboro yesterday and Friday for a DNOW weekend. It is pretty much a youth retreat for high schoolers/middle schoolers in Statesboro that is run by college students at the BCM. I had never been to one before but it was awesome! Jack was the main speaker for the weekend and he did an awesome job. During the day yesterday, I went to Claxton to have lunch with Lacey and visit with her. We ended up talking for about 3 1/2 hours! I miss her so much and wish that I could see her more often. Then, I came back to Statesboro and went to visit Tammy. We talked for over 2 hours as well! I guess I needed some girl talk and it was wonderful. Those are both wonderful women that have been very influential in my life and I loved getting to talk to them. :)

It's March already! Holy cow. St. Patrick's Day is coming up in about a week and a half. I have a staff planning day that day, but then I have Friday off. WOO HOO! Then I have about a month until spring break. There are literally 9 weeks of school left and then it is summer time. I can't believe it. This school year has flown by. I am glad that it has, but I will definitely miss my kiddos when they leave in May.

I guess that's it. Life is busy, but good. :)

Sigh of relief....

2011-02-22T22:41:00.002Z

Man, this warm weather is so nice! With the change in season comes so much change, new beginnings, and warmth. I love being outside and enjoying spring weather. I hope it is here to stay. Jack and I went for a walk around the neighborhood today and it was wonderful.

Life got so crazy for a few weeks, but it is finally starting to settle down. I think I am just about through with my many sicknesses, the internet fiasco is finished, and things are slowing down a little bit. I have been really productive at work lately and trying to work ahead. I have been staying pretty caught up with my grad school work as well. It is much less overwhelming when you break work up into chunks! I am trying my hardest to maximize my time and get things done on a daily basis. I want to make sure I have plenty of time to spend with my sweet hubby. :)

Speaking of Jack-a-roo, he got me the most awesome Valentine's Day gift. He found a website where you can print out a poster of a picture, but it is made up of little tiny pictures that are shaded to match the picture. That might not be the best description, but it is awesome! One of our wedding pictures is framed, and it is made up of tiny pictures of us. I love it. We hung it above the mantel.

I might sound a little OCD, but I also made a meal calendar for the next month. I wanted to make sure that we aren't overspending at the grocery store or eating out too much, so I planned out our meals based on what we have in the cabinets. That way, we can use things up and only buy what we need for the meals. I haven't gotten into extreme couponing, even though it seems to be the latest craze, but I hope to be wise about my money.

I guess that's about it. My sister's wedding is coming up in a month! I can't believe it's almost here. Alison's wedding is only about two and half months away also. The summer will be here before we know it. This school year is flying! I can't wait. :)

Oh boy...

2011-02-11T02:14:00.002Z

Not much time to blog, just as I haven't had much time to do anything lately. Wow...who knew life could get so crazy and complicated??

Here's the short version - Comcast works for Satan and we have been out of internet for 9 days. They missed three appointments to come and fix our internet, so we finally canceled our service with them. We are signed up to get Direct TV now and it will hopefully be installed tomorrow. Needless to say, I have spent EVERY weeknight outside of my house to access the internet and work on grad school classes. One night I even sat at McDonald's. Lame-o supreme-o.

I have gotten sick this week, although the doctor today says I don't have anything specific, maybe just a common cold. Fluids and half a day of rest today have helped and I plan to continue resting this weekend. I have a monstrous stack of papers to grade as well as multiple grad school assignments to work on. If I can get internet at home finally, I can stay in my pjs to work all weekend.

That's all. Late night, stress, and sickness. Looking forward to a better week next week. :/

It's been awhile...

2011-01-29T18:16:00.002Z

Sorry that I have not blogged very much in the past month. I have been trying to stay on top of grad school work and teaching. It is amazing how much time these two parts of my life require!

I was telling Jack last week that I wish I could do things that I wanted in place of the things that I have to do. I want to pursue a hobby - scrapbooking, running, cooking. I want to be able to hang out with people on the fly, having coffee, playing a sport, etc. I want to spend time with Jack. I want us to go on vacations, day trips, and do activities together that build our friendship. I want to read books, especially those that will deepen my faith and help me learn more about God.

I want to do all of these things, and while I can, I only have small spurts of time that I am able to. There must be a reason that God calls us to work and labor that require much of our time and energy. I do love my job and it is much more than just a paycheck. I am privileged to teach the next generation and to learn from them. I can learn from this time in my life and enjoy the things that I am blessed with. I have a great family, the best husband I could ever ask for, friends to laugh with, and everything that I need to live. God is good. All I can do is give my all in my work, my job, and my relationships in order to glorify him.

I got a little deep there - my bad. :) I have just been thinking about all that lately. I can't believe January is almost over. It has gone by very quickly. It feels like we just went back to school and now we are heading into the next month. Summer will be here before we know it. I can't wait for warm weather, a TAN (good grief I'm white), and some time off of school. It will be wonderful. It's a good thing that God gave us seasons, because it is always a welcome change. Not that I dislike any of the seasons, but it's nice to not have any one season for too long.

My mom and I are throwing my sister a bridal shower next weekend in Statesboro. I'm looking forward to it. She is the last of the three of us to get married, and I want her to feel like her wedding is special and cared about. I can't believe her wedding is in less than two months. I got my bridesmaid's dress in for her wedding and is beautiful. Long, black, and very elegant. I also ordered my dress for Alison's wedding which is very cute. I can definitely wear it again.

Random thoughts today, but such is life. :)

Life as we know it

2011-01-09T16:21:00.002Z

I haven't blogged in a little while because it has been a busy week getting back into the swing of things. I must admit that I was a little sad for the honeymoon/vacation to end. While the excitement of being married has not faded, regular life and routines are starting to become the norm. It's so funny how you look forward to something for so long, build anticipation and excitement, and then boom, it happens! Now - not that there is nothing to look forward to - life moves on. I am thoroughly enjoying coming home to my sweet husband every day and being married. Life is not radically changed, but it is most definitely good. :)

I went back to work this past week and my students returned on Tuesday. We had a good week together and are beginning to get the ball rolling again. The spring usually starts off slow and then picks up speed by about April. I am looking forward to warmer weather and summer time!

We are going to NC this coming week for a ski trip with the youth group. It should be a long but fun weekend. I have only been skiing once and it was about 6 years ago. I anticipate lots of falling and sitting in the snow, but I hope to pick it up again for the weekend. There are lots of kids going that have never been before, so I won't feel so bad.

I am looking forward to two weddings this spring of people I love dearly. First off, my sister is getting married at the end of March. I can't wait to stand up next to her as she marries Alan who she has been with for several years now. Secondly, my dear friend Alison is getting married at the beginning of May. She is my first close friend to get married and I am so excited for her! Jack and I also have friends here in the Savannah area that are expecting a baby in July. Lots of exciting events going on for those around us. :)

I guess that's about it for now. I am trying to relax and be productive in the next week before grad school classes start again. Once they start, I will be very busy again, like I was in the fall. I honestly don't know how to function without being busy. Such is life.

Much love to my blogging friends. I pray you are as blessed as I am. :)

Mrs. Caldwell

2010-12-21T22:09:00.002Z

OH. MY. GOODNESS. Jack and I are married!!! It feels like we have been waiting forever for this to finally be true, and now we are sitting in our cute little cabin in Gatlinburg on our honeymoon. I could not possibly be happier or more blessed. :)

The wedding was PERFECT! You know how everybody says that something always goes wrong on your wedding day? I can't think of anything major that went wrong. It was supposed to be cold and rain, but instead it was cloudy and in the upper 60s. It waited to rain later that night after everything was over. The ceremony was beautiful and very special to both of us. It felt like it flew by, but it lasted about 40 minutes. The reception was so much fun; we had lots of friends and family present which made it all very special. The food was good, the dancing was fun, and the cake was beautiful! I have not been able to stop talking about it ever since Saturday evening. I loved it! And I was surprisingly calm the whole day. God's favor was on us as we joined our lives together that day and we are so happy to be husband and wife.

We have been here in Gatlinburg since Sunday evening. We have cutest little cabin right outside of the city center. It is quaint and cozy and perfect for two people. We have a POOL! It's like twice the size of a normal hot tub and is about 4 1/2 feet deep at one end. We have a king-sized bed, a fully stocked kitchen, a pool table, and a TV. It is so nice to be here and to relax for a few days. This was a perfect time to get married since we both have time off for the holidays. We have been hanging out around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, doing some shopping, eating good food, and enjoying each other's company. We are looking forward to ice skating tomorrow as well as the Dixie Stampede dinner theater!

Life is wonderful. God is so good to us. And we are crazy in love newlyweds. :)

Sincerely,

Mrs. Caldwell

!!!!!!!!

2010-12-17T18:41:00.002Z

I'm getting married to my best friend....TOMORROW!! :)

Bachelorette Weekend!

2010-12-13T01:15:00.003Z

Yesterday was so much fun! My wonderful friends made my bachelorette day so awesome. The day started at my house in Richmond Hill, where they had decorated in pink and purple and cooked lots of yummy food. Everything looked nice and the food was great. We played several games, which I will not mention here, that were all a lot of fun. The conversation was very interesting, to say the least. :)

I opened all of the gifts from everybody and got a lot of nice stuff. Jack will be happy. :) We hung out at my house for awhile and just talked. They also helped me finish putting together the ceremony programs, which was a big help. We got dressed nice later that evening and went into Savannah to run a few errands.

We parked downtown and walked to Sushi Zen for dinner. It was so good! We ordered a ton of sushi and even got to sit on the floor at one of the upstairs tables. We tried to get the waiter to tell us some marriage advice, but he said he couldn't think of any. Haha...

We then walked down the street to Lulu's, which is a chocolate bar. I loved it! I have a permanent sweet tooth, so I was in heaven. We shared a bowl of fondue and several items to dip in it. We also had chocolate martinis which were filled with very rich chocolate. We had such a good time, laughing and joking around. The waiter there brought me a chocolate covered strawberry with a candle in it and had written "Congrats" in chocolate sauce. Everybody in the restaurant clapped when he did that. Not that we needed ANY more chocolate, but it was a nice gesture. :)

We walked through City Market and then down on River Street for awhile. There wasn't much going on, so we decided to head home after that. Several of the girls spent the night at my house and then went to church with me this morning. It was nice to have them there. :)

Today has been fairly relaxing. I have tried to pack up more of my stuff to move over to the house. I have a little bit more to go by the end of the week. It is so crazy to think that by this time next week, Jack and I will be married. I can't wait!

6 days...(starting to freak out!)

The Final Countdown

2010-12-09T23:57:00.002Z

Wow....wow...wow. Life has been nuts lately. I can't even explain to you how busy I have been. There have been so many church events this week, it isn't even funny. I have made brownies, apple crisp, cookies, and more. I have wrapped presents, I have stayed out late on school nights, and I am TIRED. Luckily, this weekend isn't too busy, so I can breathe for a little bit.

My bachelorette party is this Saturday. I'm very excited! I can't wait to hang out with the girls and have a fun day together. Who knows what shenanigans we will get into that evening. :)

I am getting married in a just over a week. Holy cow! The day is almost here. I have a mixture of feelings about it. Obviously, I'm a bit tired and overwhelmed, to say the least. I am extremely excited to be marrying my best friend and my soulmate. Jack is so perfect for me and treats me way better than I deserve. We are giddy every time we talk about how close it is getting. We can't wait to live in our house together and share life. :) As excited as I am, I am also just ready for it to be over with. Planning and spending money for the wedding have pretty much consumed the past year for me, so it will be nice to have one less thing to do.

Grad school is done! Only 2 more semesters and I will have my master's degree. I think that I pulled out two A's this semester. Not bad considering I didn't get much feedback from either professor on any of our assignments. I'm glad to be done until the middle of January! :)

My students are good - we had to have a "come to Jesus" meeting last week to get some behavior in line, but they are doing better this week. I need to wrap their Christmas gifts this weekend.

I guess that's it. Busy and overwhelmed, but blessed and excited. Ready to dive into the next week and head smoothly into the wedding weekend. :)

9 days....

Tryptophan at its finest

2010-11-28T02:12:00.002Z

Wow, this week has flown by! It has been a wonderful holiday week and time off of work. Jack and I left Richmond Hill around 12:30 on Wednesday afternoon for the LONG trek up to Blue Ridge. We decided to take a different route to bypass Atlanta traffic. While we did miss the traffic, we ended up on a long and windy mountain road that curved every 20 feet. It was about 45 miles long. Talk about car sickness. We finally made it to Jack's parents house around 7:45 that night.

We spent Thanksgiving Day at Jack's grandparents house with his extended family, eating good food and watching football. I never grew up with an extended family; it has always just been me, my siblings, and my mom. It is awesome to be around a larger family and to share holiday time together. We ate good food and relaxed most of the day.

On Friday, we traveled down to Roswell to spend time with my family at my sister's house. My sister and I worked hard on cooking the food most of the day. I made two desserts out of my Pampered Chef cookbook - apple crisp with vanilla icecream and turtle chocolate fudge cake. Both turned out really well! We ended the night playing Disney Scene It and relaxing.

Two heavy Thanksgiving dinners have made me very sleepy. The latter half of my week has been pretty low-key, but I have been tired nonetheless. Jack and came back down to Richmond Hill today and finished decorating the house for Christmas. We are relaxing tonight as well, trying to gear up for the next week.

Time is ticking away very quickly. I still have many small projects to finish before the wedding, but I know that it will all get done. I can't WAIT until our honeymoon (for many reasons), so that we can RELAX and not have anything to finish. Grad school will be done until mid-January, teaching will be done until the beginning of January, and all things wedding-related will be done. 3 more weeks... :)

21 days...

Thanksgiving Break

2010-11-22T03:21:00.003Z

My week long break is finally here! Time off of school has been much needed lately and I can really use the time to catch up on other things. Other things meaning wedding/life things. We are getting married in a little less than a month! Holy cow! There is so much to do between now and then, but I am getting really excited. It feels like we have been engaged for so long and the time is almost here. :) :) :)

The church BBQ this past weekend was awesome! It was our first time participating in this event (it has been going on for 58 years!) and we really enjoyed it. I worked at the dessert table for a few hours and the serving line for a few hours. It is hard work, but it was fun to get to know some new people and serve with them. The food was great, too! My luscious chocolate cheesecake was a hit at the dessert table. :)

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here. It feels like the school year just started. Granted, it has been hard work since the end of July, but time has gone by quickly. We are traveling to Blue Ridge Wednesday and Thursday for Thanksgiving with Jack's family and then down to Roswell on Friday and Saturday for my family's Thanksgiving celebration. I am looking forward to having time with both families. My sister and I decided that this is our year to contribute food to the family meal, so she is making sweet potato souffle and the turkey, and I am making desserts. Now is as good a time as any to learn how to make a holiday meal. :)

Despite all the busy-ness going on right now and the stress that comes with working full-time, taking grad school classes part-time, and planning a wedding, I do have so much to be thankful for. I wish that I could reflect more during the year on what I am thankful for, because God has blessed me beyond belief. Here are some things that come to mind this year:

My family - their support, their listening ears, and their acceptance of me for me.
My wonderful soon-to-be husband - I seriously don't deserve a guy as great as Jack. He makes me happy, he serves me, and he is an incredible reflection of God's love. :)
My friends - it is harder to keep in touch with friends that live farther away, but I have the best friends ever. They are supportive, funny, and beautiful. I love our times together.
My church - it is so wonderful to be a part of a church family and to get to know the youth!
My job - while being a teacher has its pros and cons, I am thankful that I have a job that provides money. I am also thankful for the wonderful class I have this year!
Our house - God provides. Always. He has given us a wonderful house that we love that is more than we need.
Sound marriage advice - in this year of preparation for marriage, we have gotten a lot of great advice and read several helpful books about marriage. We can't wait to jump in!

God is good. He provides everything we need. And He loves us day in and day out, despite our many flaws. I am so thankful for His grace.

27 days...

Life as we know it

2010-11-17T02:37:00.002Z

November is flying...it's already half over! I only have 3 more days of school until I have a week off for Thanksgiving. Breaks from school are so nice. And much needed. Next week will probably go by quickly, but it will be nice to have no school nonetheless. We have TWO Thanksgiving meals to look forward to, on Thursday and Friday. I guess that's how it goes with in-laws and parents. :)

We have been working hard on setting up our house. I love it! There are still some boxes to unpack and a bit of organizing to do, but it is really starting to look like our place. It is kind of surreal to have a place that will belong to both of us. We have already started decorating for Christmas. My mom and sister have been buying me pieces to the Lemax Christmas village over the past few years, so we have it set up on the mantle. I have seen some people who have hundreds of pieces, but our small village will do quite nicely for us this year. :)

The church BBQ is coming up this weekend. We have been preparing for it for several weeks now, but this weekend is go time. This BBQ is surreal. The church has it down to a T. They could seriously run a restaurant with how organized and methodical they run this event. I guess they live up to the name Methodist.

I guess that's it. Life is busy, as usual, but good. I am blessed. :)

32 days... (down to ONE MONTH!)

Christmas is coming...

2010-11-07T23:23:00.003Z

Christmas is my all time favorite season. I love everything about it. I love the weather at that time of year. I love the colors of Christmas decorations. I love the smells of cinnamon, pine, and nutmeg. I love shopping for gifts for people. I LOVE decorating the house and my classroom. I love Christmas music. I love having time off of school to spend with family. There is nothing like the feeling of Christmas. I saw a commercial on TV the other day advertising some electronic that was complete with an elf and sleigh bells ringing in the background. YES! That means it is time to start preparing for Christmas. I have put up my tree as early as November 1st before, so I think it is definitely time. Once Jack and I get our tree out of storage, we are decorating our new house.

Yes, I am a little obsessed with it, but this time of year makes me happy. I always spend too much money on random Christmas items that are totally unnecessary, but it is fun nonetheless. And this will be my first Christmas as a married woman! Crazy to think about. :)

We finally have a break this week from school. Whoever made the school calendar for the fall was not thinking about how stir crazy the kids and teachers would be by mid-November. We started at the very beginning of August and have only had ONE day off of school (Labor Day). That's like, almost 75 days of school straight without a break. I am seriously looking forward to having Thursday and Friday off for Veteran's Day. Then, we have one more week of school, followed by a whole week off for Thanksgiving. It is long overdue. I have plenty to keep me busy during those breaks.

Grad school is almost over for the semester. Praise the Lord. My motivation for my classes has been pretty nonexistent this semester. I'm hoping I will kick it into overdrive to finish out my last two semesters strong. I can't wait to be done. I can't wait for the pay raise, also.

Jack and I worked all evening Friday (until about 11) unpacking things in our house. We also worked all day today after church. I will say, we are almost done. I am proud of all that we have gotten accomplished in just a few days. Moving is hard work! I still have quite a bit of stuff at my mom and Charlie's house that I will be moving over the next few weeks. I'm hoping to be completely done by the end of Thanksgiving break. Then it will be smooth sailing until the wedding. I can wish, right? :)

I am so blessed to have all of these things going on in my life. God provides everything that we need. He also gives us way more than we deserve. I am so thankful for His provision and His love for me. :)

41 days...

Moving Week!

2010-11-05T03:19:00.004Z

This has been such a crazy and exciting week! Jack and I got the keys to our new house on Monday. I can't even explain how surreal it is to have our house. There is lots of space to put all of our stuff and decorate it how we want it.

Not a great picture of us on a Monday afternoon, but we were excited nonetheless!

Every day this week, Jack and I have been transporting stuff back and forth from his apartment. He is moving all of the furniture tomorrow, but we have unloaded quite a bit of stuff already. We have SO MUCH kitchen stuff. It's crazy. I don't know where we will put everything.Tomorrow evening will be filled with unpacking and organizing. I know we won't get it all done, but hopefully we will make a dent in the piles of stuff!

My school threw us a bridal shower on Tuesday afternoon. It was so nice! The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, and we got lots of gifts. The best part was this awesome Barbie wedding cake. I have never seen anything like it.

Isn't that cool? The dress is actually part of the cake too. Yummy!

So life is exciting and crazy right now with all of the things going on this week. Jack and I can't wait to be married and to be able to share our new house and all of our stuff. The time is drawing closer....it almost feels real. Only 6 weeks left!

44 days... :D

Halloween Day

2010-10-31T19:25:00.002Z

It is sort of weird to have Halloween on a Sunday. I'm guessing most people did their parties and trick-or-treating last night and not today during the day. Not that I'm big into Halloween anyways - I'm not against it by any means, I just never seem to have any big plans for it. Maybe my students will bring me some of their candy tomorrow. :)

My mom's wedding was last weekend and it was crazy and awesome! It is a LOT of work to put on a wedding, especially when you are responsible for every little detail. From the time I got off of work on Friday to late Sunday night, we were busy with wedding preparations. The ceremony did turn out very nice and the reception was fun. My mom and Charlie looked great and they were really happy. It was also very nice to see family and friends who came into town. :)

I made it through the crazy month of October! Whew...I'm tired. November is here and while it isn't as bad as October, it is still pretty busy. Next weekend is Homecoming at GSU and the last home game. The following weekend is another marriage counseling session and preparing for the big church BBQ. The following weekend is the church BBQ. Then after that is Thanksgiving! I love this time of year, but I do wish it would stay cooler. It was HOT last week in the middle of the day. It's time for boots, scarves, and sweaters. No more heat, please.

Wedding planning is coming along nicely, although there is still quite a bit to do. Jack and I are chipping away at the to do list as best as we can. This upcoming week is the big move from Jack's apartment to our new house. I'll also be getting rid of some boxes that have been packed in my closet since February. I'm excited to set up our house and start getting settled. It will be nice to have a house ready for me to move into after the wedding. :)

After the fall finally ends, I don't know what I will talk about. I talk about wedding planning and being busy in every blog! I'm ready for that time. My posts will read something like...read a nice book today. Slept in until 10:00. Made a new recipe. Saved a whale. You know, stuff that I could do if I wasn't busy. :)

48 days...WOO!

Weddings, engagements, oh my!

2010-10-17T16:25:00.002+01:00

Well, my birthday was a good one. :) Jack brought me lunch, balloons, and a cookie cake at school. My students were very happy to help me share the cookie cake. We went out to eat at Carabba's with Alison and Lacey later on that night and had a lot of fun. I received a birthday song in Italian from a very awkward guy. He stared at me the whole time. We had a good time, though. :)

I bought a car on Tuesday! I'm so glad that all of the car business is taken car of, minus the tag that I will have to purchase. I like it - it's a black 2010 Ford Focus. It's smaller than the Fusion I previously had, but it has great gas mileage and is very user-friendly. That's one thing off of the ever-growing to-do list.

Yesterday, Mary and I road-tripped to Macon for Alex's wedding. It was beautiful and so fun to be there to support our friends. We had a great time at the reception and even got to see them leave in Alex's post-it-covered truck. :)

We ended our road trip in Statesboro, to celebrate the engagement of my wonderful friend Alison!! I am so excited for her and her fiance Daniel. CONGRATS!!

My mom's wedding is in one week from today! Wow...there is so much to be done before then. I have a full week of work and grad school assignments this week before wedding weekend begins next Saturday. I am excited for them and for the wedding.

October is halfway over and I can't wait for a chance to breathe. Lots of wonderful things are going on right now, though, so I can't complain. God is good!

62 days...

Whew...life.

2010-10-11T00:07:00.004+01:00

Man, it has been crazy lately. I have had SO much to get done and it has been completely overwhelming. We are now getting to the point where wedding planning also includes life planning. We are in the process of merging bank accounts, insurance policies, etc. Wow. I didn't realize getting married was quite so complicated! It is all good stuff, because we are excited to be doing things together, but there are many decisions to be made.

We finished our invitations around 12:30 a.m. on Friday night. They turned out nice! It was a lot of work putting them all together, but I am happy with the results. Those are heading out this week, at the two month mark.

I am in the process of getting a new car. I told you earlier that life was crazy! I have a lease on my previous car which ends in a few months, so I have to turn it in and get a new one. Cars are so expensive. We are trying to find something comparable to what I have now and something with a low monthly payment. The low payment is the hard part. Hopefully all will be settled by the end of the month.

Grad school has been kicking my butt. There has been so much due in the past week that I have been working on it nonstop. Hopefully it will settle down a little bit since we are past midterm now. I am sooooo looking forward to being done. Two more semesters, two more semesters....

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be the ripe old age of 24. It doesn't feel much different than being 23. Next year will be different, though. 25...25!?!?! That's a quarter of a century. That feels old. My mom reminded me today that once I turn 25, it rounds to 30. I quickly reminded her that her current age rounds to 50. Zing.

We are almost halfway through the crazy month of October. It has been so busy. This coming weekend is Alex's wedding!!! Jack will be a groomsman in his friend's wedding on the same day. The following weekend is my mom's wedding! And the weekend after that is another GSU home game, except we are taking the youth from the church. It should be fun, but it will be a long day. Then October will finally be over...and if I survive, I will take a bubble bath and relax at home for a change. Famous last words.

We had our first marriage counseling session yesterday with Jay. It went really well! It was good to talk about some things and get Jay's perspective on life. We have another one in about a month.

I'm tired just writing all of this stuff. Going to attempt to go to bed early tonight so that I can get some sleep. Being busy doesn't allot much time for it most nights. :)

69 days...:)

Fall is in the Air

2010-10-03T18:43:00.002+01:00

Leaves changing. Cool weather. Pumpkin patches. Halloween. Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks. I loooooove fall! I love it when the seasons change period, but fall is so nice. There are so many neat things going on that signal the beginning of fall and I am soaking it up. Summer weather is finally starting to disappear, and there is a hint of coolness in the air. It is so nice to have that after, what? 5 months of the heat?? That's south Georgia for you. Even so, I am enjoying fall's arrival. :)

The first nine weeks at school is finished. Wow! It feels like just yesterday that I got this class and started teaching this school year. We are moving into the second nine weeks, which will end at Christmas time. Yay! It is also midterm of the fall semester of grad school. I have very little motivation for my classes this semester. I have the I'm-getting-my-master's-degree-version-of-senioritis. I'm ready to be done. I was mapping out the courses I have left to take today because I get to register soon. Only spring semester and summer semester and I am finished! Then, no more advanced degrees for me. For awhile, at least.

I have had two wedding showers in the last week and they have been so much fun! It is sort of surreal to go to a shower celebrating our wedding, because it feels like we have been engaged so long. It is finally starting to feel real. My mom and sister hosted a shower at Olive Garden in Statesboro last weekend and it was really nice. The food was great, we played fun games, and I got a lot of nice gifts. Then, this past weekend, Jack's mom hosted a shower at his home church in Blue Ridge. There was yummy food and LOTS of gifts. We came back with a stuffed car. The pile of wedding gifts is growing in one corner of Jack's apartment. We can't wait to move in to our house to get it all set up.

Speaking of which, we got the house we were looking at a few weeks ago! The deposit is paid, the contract is signed, and we are moving in at the beginning of November. :) I am so excited to have our own house in a quiet neighborhood. We have a lot of stuff scattered here, there, and everywhere as well, so it will be nice to have everything in one place.

Jack and I found our wedding bands this weekend and ordered them. Jack has a friend from high school that works for his family's jewelry store in Blue Ridge. He designed my engagement ring, so we decided to get the wedding bands through him as well. I really like the ones we picked out. And it is nice that we got them from someone we know and who cares about us as a couple. One more thing to check off the wedding to do list.

My mom and Charlie are getting married in 3 weeks from today! Wow...it is so close. I'm excited about their beautiful fall wedding in Forsyth Park (downtown Savannah). It should be really nice.

I guess that's it for me. Plugging along with school, grad school, and wedding planning. Enjoying this beautiful weather! :)

76 days...

Good news...I think.

2010-09-19T20:00:00.002+01:00

I'm not too great at keeping up with my blog. I stay caught up on other people's blogs who post regularly, but I always forget to do my own. Here's an update:

The potentially good news is...Jack and I found a house!! I don't want to say it's for sure, because we haven't officially gotten it yet. However, the rental company is drawing up a contract and I think that we will be able to sign it and put down a deposit this week. Excitement!! We have been looking for a house since May. We have found several that we have liked but they have 1) been rented before we could get to them, 2) been out of our price range, or 3) not been available when we needed it. This house that we found is a cute 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house with a gas fireplace, new appliances in the kitchen, 2-car garage, and decent-sized backyard. It is a lot of space for us, but we like it. And best of all, we can put down a deposit now and wait to start paying rent until Jack's lease runs out on his apartment in November. We are aiming to move in the week of Thanksgiving. I am going to get rid of all the boxes and things that I have packed up here at Charlie's house and get the house organized with Jack living there. Then I will be able to move in to a house that is already set up after the wedding! We are pumped. God definitely provides what we need, in HIS time. :)

My class at school is still going well. I think about how great my class is from time to time and I am so thankful. My year could be going a lot worse if I had a more difficult class. I love them, and that makes my job fun.

The fall semester is already zooming by. Where did September go? We are rounding the last half of it and moving quickly into October. October is insanity month for us. Jack and I literally have something to do every weekend of October. And did I mention that there are 5 weekends this year instead of the normal 4? Wow. If I can just make it to November...

My first wedding shower is this upcoming weekend in Statesboro. I think it will be a small crowd, but I'm excited about games, food, and gifts. It will be nice to hang out with some people that I haven't seen in awhile. There is a GSU home game afterwards which will also be fun. Football season/fall is one of my favorite times. Besides Christmas, of course. THAT is my all-time favorite season.

That might be it. Life is so busy. But I'm making it and remaining relatively stress-free. God is good. Jack is wonderful. And I am blessed. :)

90 days... (finally in the 2 digits!)

A bit overdue

2010-08-29T16:18:00.003+01:00

Wow, I have neglected my blog for almost a month! My bad, all 1.5 followers of you out there. Life has been busy, but good. Here is a recap.

School is going well. I LOVE my class! I have a really good group of students this year. There are 29 of them, which is a lot, but they are good kids. We are getting to the point where they are more comfortable with me now and we are getting a lot done. It has been pleasant going to work because I have such good students. Lesson planning for all 5 subjects has been a lot of work, but it's starting to get under control. And we are about to start September. That means one month of school down!

Grad school classes started 2 weeks ago. My classes really aren't too bad this semester. There is a lot of reading and writing to do, but it isn't too heavy of a workload. That's a good thing, because I have a lot on my plate already. Only 2 more semesters of grad school left after this one. :)

I started singing in the praise band at the contemporary service at church last week. I am glad to have a place to plug in. I help out with almost all of the youth events, but this is another area of ministry that I can serve in. It is a learning process, but I have enjoyed singing with them so far.

Jack and I joined the YMCA in RH. We have been working out together twice a week and it is kicking my butt. Jack is my personal trainer and he pushes me beyond what I think my out-of-shape body is capable of. Hopefully it will pay off and keep us healthy. We enjoy the time together in the evenings.

The house hunt continues. Jack has a 6 month lease on his apartment that ends at the end of November. We are hoping to find a house to rent that he can move into around Thanksgiving. We went and looked at one the other day that we really liked, but it will probably be taken by the time we are ready to pay for it. I have to trust that God will provide something that we like in the time frame that we need it. I haven't had much faith in that lately, but I need to just let it go and trust that He's got it under control.

The wedding is still a decent way away, but the countdown is moving quickly. I still have a few things I need to do planning-wise, but we are ready and anticipating our big day with excitement. Patience...patience...patience.

111 days :)

A new school year

2010-08-01T18:30:00.002+01:00

Man, I love the beginning of the school year. Yes, it is overwhelming and crazy and busy, but it is nice to have a fresh start. New kids, new things to teach, new way to set up my classroom. I like the freshness of the beginning of the year. It gives me a chance to start over and correct some mistakes I made last year. Tomorrow night is Open House and then Wednesday is the first day of school. I only have a few things left to do before then (insert sarcasm).

This summer flew by. Wow. It really feels like last year just ended. Summer camp, 3 grad school classes, mission trip to TN, and my Vegas vacation all went by so quickly. It was a good summer overall. Busy, but good. I am thinking that this fall might zip by as well. Teaching, helping Jack with youth stuff, teaching an after school class every Thursday, taking two grad school classes, and finishing up wedding planning. No biggie. :)

Well, I guess that's it for now. And that is always a lot. I don't know how I manage to stay so crazy busy, but that's how it always is for me. It's all good.

139 days...

Viva Las Vegas Part Three

2010-07-23T19:29:00.002+01:00

I haven't had a chance to update in a few days, but man oh man! The trip has only gotten better. Here is the short version of what I have done the past few days. More sitting by the pool and tanning. A 50 minute Swedish massage in the spa and chilling in the hot tub. Dinner at the "Burger Bar." Touring more hotels and casinos. More delicious food. Grand Canyon helicopter tour. THE LION KING.

Wow. I can't believe all that we have gotten to do on this trip. I couldn't have asked for more. We have eaten a LOT. We have gotten to see a LOT. It has been awesome. Las Vegas is one of those places that you can enjoy only once or twice in your lifetime because it is so expensive. I would love to bring people back to see the Grand Canyon though. I will elaborate more on that since that was the highlight of my trip.

We left around 6:00 Wednesday evening on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. I have never been on a helicopter before and although it was hot and cramped, it wasn't too bad. We flew over Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon. We landed inside of the canyon and got to walk around. We also had a little picnic with the people on our helicopter and our captain. It was awesome. The Grand Canyon is incredible. I have never seen anything like it. It is so huge, also! We saw a lot of it, but it spans for miles and miles. I took over 100 pictures of it on the flight. We got to see the sun set as well over the canyon and flew back over the strip with all the lights on. It was awesome!

This has been a great vacation to end the summer. I am looking forward to getting home and seeing Jack. I miss him. :) I start prepping my classroom this week. Kiddos come in a week and a half! I am excited, but a little nervous. This is a new year with new opportunities, so I want to make the best of it.

That's it for me. On my way home...

148 days...

Viva Las Vegas Part Two

2010-07-21T02:01:00.002+01:00

Here's an update on the rest of our evening yesterday and our day today. We showered and got dressed up last night to go out. We ate dinner at Delmonico, which is a restaurant founded by Emeril Lagasse. **When I told Jack we were eating there, he was like, "Oh, boom!" Almost babe...** :) The food, the service, the atmosphere, was OUTSTANDING. Oh my gosh. Best steak I have ever eaten in my life. Best caesar salad I have ever eaten in my life. It was amazing. We were really full afterwards, but it was worth it.

We walked around the Venetian Hotel after dinner. They have the blue sky painted ceilings like Caesar's Palace that makes you feel like you are outside. The buildings were all Italian style and there was even a little river that ran through the middle of it with gondola rides! My dad wanted us to go, but my siblings and I didn't want everybody staring at us. Kinda awkward. After that, my dad and Ruth played a few games in the casino. They gave us some money to play in the slot machines, but Beth and I lost almost all of it. So we went and got a drink and sat down for awhile. Good use of the money. :)

To end the evening, we entered a theater in the Venetian to see the Blue Man Group. I don't know what you have heard about the Blue Man Group, but their show is indescribable. Yes, they are percussionists that play awesome music on various objects. But it was also a variety/improv show. They pulled audience members on stage and did random skits. They had a Cap'n Crunch chewing contest. They shut the power to the theater off completely. They hung from the ceiling with TV screens showing their faces. And to end the show, they had these huge pipes fall from the ceiling and start twirling as they started MASSIVE amounts of paper towel at the top of the theater. The audience passed it down all the way to the stage as strobe lights were going crazy. I felt like I was on drugs for a minute. Overall, it was a very entertaining show, just very random.

Today, we have relaxed a good bit. We slept in until about 8:30, and then went and ate breakfast at the Monte Carlo buffet. We walked around the strip for a little bit, going in some shops and taking some pictures. (Check my facebook album.) We went back to the hotel and then sat by the pool for a few hours. It is so hot here, but I stayed long enough to get a little more of a tan. Hoping to start a new school year as a bronze goddess. :) Now, we are showering and getting ready for tonight. We are eating at the Eiffel Tower restaurant in "Paris" and then walking around downtown. Should be fun!

So grateful for this vacation and time to actually relax. Once I return, I am back in the swing of things at work! More to come soon...

151 days...

Viva Las Vegas

2010-07-20T01:26:00.003+01:00

Las Vegas....WOW. We arrived here yesterday evening after a 4 hour flight from Atlanta. It was a brisk 105 degrees when we arrived. The heat is different than it is in Georgia. I don't know how to describe it other than it feels like there is a heater blowing on you. It isn't sticky like back home, but you just feel like the heater needs to be turned down. It gets up to 110-120 during the middle of the day, so we aren't escaping it anytime soon! We are staying in the Mandalay Bay Hotel which is super nice! My bro and sis and I are sharing a suite.

I didn't really know what to expect before coming. Everybody sort of has this picture in their minds about what Las Vegas is like, I guess. Everything here is about the presentation and performance. Each building is extravagant in its own way. Every decoration inside of the hotels is over the top. The casinos are HUGE, with hundreds of slot machines and tables. There are bars and shops and restaurants everywhere. It really is neat to see all of these buildings and resorts. It isn't like going to London and seeing historical buildings and monuments. Everything is new and modern and fashionable. I feel like I'm talking in circles, but it is hard to explain! I am definitely enjoying seeing everything, it is just a different vacation.

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory last night which was delicious. :) We walked around on the strip and went through lots of the hotels and casinos. Today, we got up really early (because of the time change) and went down to the pool. Well, it's not just a pool. There is a regular pool, a wave pool, a lazy river, a "beach" area, and lots and lots of chairs to lounge on. We played in the water and then laid out for a little bit. We ate breakfast at a buffet in our hotel and it was SO GOOD. There were all of these little tortes on the dessert bar that were yummy. Yes, I ate dessert after my breakfast. We walked around after that, through the Luxor hotel and casinos. We actually did sit down at a Blackjack table and played some slot machines. I am no good at blackjack. It moves very quickly and I guess I don't know the strategies. My dad paid for us to play and I lot all of the money he put down for me. Beth and I played some slots and I still didn't have much success with those. I did win $5. Haha...

We relaxed this afternoon because we have a pretty packed evening. We are going out to eat at Emeril's restaurant and then going to see the Blue Man Group. Man I can't wait! I hear the show is really good and I bet the food will be out of this world.

More to share later on! Peace from Vegas! :)

Vegas bound

2010-07-17T17:53:00.003+01:00

Where did the last two weeks go? It feels like I blinked and then they were over. I leave TOMORROW for Las Vegas. I'm really excited. My big vacation of the summer. :) I'll blog some more and maybe even post some pictures if I am feeling adventurous.

Two more assignments and I'm done with my grad school class for the summer. I have lost all motivation for this class. I'm ready to be done. Call it summer fever, even though the summer is almost over. :)

Jack and I got some more wedding stuff done this week. Tuxes are picked out, wedding band shopping is coming along, and we have bought almost everything we need for the ceremony and reception. It's good to feel that I am finally finishing some things on my list. There will be lots of little things to put together, but luckily I have friends willing to help me with that. I wonder what I am going to do with my time after I am done wedding planning....

Random blog, I know, but there's a short update. On to Vegas!!

154 days...

Summer Vacation

2010-07-08T23:54:00.002+01:00

....has finally begun for me this week. It is nice to finally have some me time to relax and enjoy my break. Unfortunately, work starts again in 3 weeks. :( The summer has been a busy one. However, I am going to enjoy my last few weeks to the fullest. Another week and a half of relaxing at home and then I am off to Las Vegas for a family vacation. I am looking forward to laying out by the pool, touring the strip, and eating some good food.

Our mission trip went really well. You always bond with people when you are around them all day for a week. I enjoyed hanging out with the youth and helping out the families in Seymour. It was weird to be a "chaperone" on the trip; I don't feel much older than most of the kids. I had to wear my adult hat, but I still had fun goofing off and talking late into the night with my bunkmates.

Two more weeks of my Term B grad school class and then I have a MONTH with no classes. WOO HOO! I have been going nonstop since January. I am ready to be done. Done, done. This time next year, I will have my master's degree and I won't have to worry about school for awhile. Maybe never again, but we'll see.

I am excited about a new school year, but kind of nervous as well. My principal decided that she wants everybody to be self-contained this year, meaning that we teach all of the subjects and keep the same kids all day long. There are benefits to doing that, but I feel like I don't have enough experience to teach social studies and science. The only time I taught science was during a practicum when I was in the education program. Yikes! Hopefully my teammates from last year will help me out with those subjects.

Wedding planning is going well. Still paying an unreal amount of money every month, but many things are getting paid off. The reception is the main expense until December. I guess we are on the downhill slope now, with about 5 months left to go. I am ready. I am going to be SO busy until that day, but I am ready.

163 days...

See-more, Tennessee

2010-06-29T21:20:00.002+01:00

Greetings from the mission trip! We are not actually in Gatlinburg, TN, but just outside of it in Seymour, TN. While we are not quite in the middle of nowhere, we are pretty secluded from much civilization. Thankfully, there is a McDonald's in town that has free wi-fi.

We brought 31 youth and 7 adults on this mission trip and although we are a big group, we are having a lot of fun. This youth group is loud and excited, about pretty much everything. They have worked really hard at the work sites the past two days. We are helping out a family at two different mobile homes here in Seymour. The elderly man in one house was recently disabled and is unable to do a lot of work around his house. His son and their family live in another trailer who needed some help outside their home as well. We split up into two groups and are working on various tasks around the property. Clearing bushes, raking the yard, cleaning up trash, moving outside objects to their place, fixing stairs to the porch, BUILDING a porch, and painting coolant onto the house. We have stayed pretty busy, but have gotten a lot done in two days.

The younger family has four children, from ages 5-12. They are precious and we have enjoyed playing with them. They have been hanging out around the house while we are working. It is hot outside, but we are making do. It is nice to be a little bit farther north in the heat as opposed to south Georgia. I am enjoying myself while staying pretty busy at the same time. I have several grad school assignments due this week, so I am working hard to get them done and submitted on time. One more day in the McDonald's should do it until I return home on Saturday evening.

I'll update more about the trip later this week. To those of you that are thinking about me and our trip, thanks! We are glad to be here serving God as best as we can.

Also pray for my friend Alison, as she recently left on a mission trip to Peru for 3 weeks! She brought me back a bracelet last time she went, and I am wearing it to remind myself to pray for her and her team.

Blessings!

172 days...

Quick Update

2010-06-25T01:43:00.004+01:00

Life treks on. Tomorrow is the LAST day of summer camp. I am so excited. I don't remember being this ready for it to end last year. I think I'm just overloaded with stuff to do this year.

My grad school class for Term B has already started and is keeping me busy. There isn't too much work to do, but enough to where I always have something I need to be working on. Only one more year and I'll be DONE with my master's.

The Chrysalis this past weekend was a lot of fun. I enjoyed hanging out with the girls, singing, and eating a bunch of food! That's pretty much all you do on the music team. :)

Charlie (my stepdad-to-be) was hospitalized for four days last week after he passed out at work. He developed an infection from being tired and dehydrated, and ended up having to rest in the hospital as they monitored him. That's no fun. Jack was also really sick last week, with a fever and upset stomach all weekend. He seems to be doing a lot better now. Charlie is better too, but still at home resting.

Random post, but there's an update. Ready for some actual summer vacation.

177 days...

When does summer start again?

2010-06-15T22:56:00.003+01:00

Wow...life has been busy. Here is a quick rundown of my life for the past 3 weeks. I am working with 40-50 six and seven year olds every day at a summer camp. We are taking trips around Savannah and the surrounding areas and playing games at camp. It is exhausting. I normally work with older kids, and find that the younger ones require a LOT of extra assistance. They also complain ALL the time. Wait...almost all kids complain. Wait...almost all people complain....

Anywho, I only have a week and a half left of it and then I actually have a little bit of summer break. Those people that criticize teachers for having all summer off can come spend a day in my shoes.

I have also been taking two grad school classes since mid-May. They have required a lot of reading and work every night. My schedule has pretty much been summer camp 9-4 and grad school work 5-10. Exhausting. This is the last week of the first summer term. I'm only taking one class second term. Then I'll have a little bit of a break before fall semester starts.

I have also been staying busy with youth events at the church. I haven't been there nearly as much as I'd like to, but I'm trying to hang out with the kids as much as possible. Jack is doing an awesome job so far and trying to plan as much stuff as he can to hang out with the kids during the week. I think they are having a good summer and enjoying having a full time youth director. I'm very proud of my hubby-to-be. He is definitely where God wants him.

Wedding planning has kicked up a bit this summer as we are at the six month mark now. It still seems far away, but there is a LOT I still need to get done. I have gotten several things done, but I need to figure out some more before the end of the summer. It is starting to get a little bit more exciting, now that I have been doing some more planning. Once the school year starts, it is all downhill!

As my blog title suggests, I am still waiting for summer to start (even though it already has). Life has been so busy that I am just ready for a little bit of rest and relaxation. There will be a little bit of time for that. :)

Off to Gatlinburg, TN for a mission trip with the youth the week after next and then off to Vegas for a family vacation the third week of July. Then a new school year starts! I don't know how to live without being busy all the time...

186 days :)

A new bed

2010-06-01T04:29:00.003+01:00

Jack and I spent several hours today trying out mattresses and looking at bed frames. I have never been mattress shopping before, and I feel like I am a pro now. I can tell you how much mattresses of a certain quality should cost and how the coils are situated inside of a mattress. We laid on over 20 beds today. And we finally did find "the one." We got a good deal on a nice queen-sized pillow top mattress set. We also purchased a wooden headboard and bed frame for the mattresses. This is one of the only new things that we are purchasing for our house, so we are excited about it. We collectively have a lot of furniture already, although it is used. It will serve its purpose, though!

This past weekend, Jack and I were up in Marietta for a wedding for one of Jack's roommates from this past year. It was a beautiful wedding, even though it started raining in the middle of the ceremony. The bride and groom took it all in stride and commented on how it was a ceremony they would never forget. We were both really happy for them because they are an awesome couple.

Speaking of weddings, the planning for ours is going well. I am starting to get back into it, after taking a hiatus from it for the month of May. We still have to work out the ceremony location and the flowers. Oh yeah, and about 50 other minor details. I am not stressed, though. I know it will all come together. I'm just ready for it to be here.

201 days... :)

Summertime

2010-05-22T18:03:00.002+01:00

Oh summer, how I have missed you. I am glad that it has finally arrived! My first full year of teaching is complete. It gets easier from here, right? :) Yesterday was my last day with my students and although I was sad to see them go, I am happy to have one less thing on my plate. Life has been BUSY lately.

I started Term A of grad school classes this past Monday and they are already keeping me busy. I have a lot of work to do for them and I won't finish until the third week of July! Yikes. Why did I want to get my master's degree again???

Jack started at the church this past week and things are going well so far. I am so proud of him for stepping in and already getting things organized. We are slowly starting to get to know the kids and the people of the church. I'm excited to have a place to plug in.

That's about it for me. This summer is a busy one, so I'm trying to stay on top of school work so I can get everything done. I need to get some more wedding stuff done; that has been on hold for awhile while I have been finishing up end-of-the-year things. We are now under 7 months away. December, come quickly...

210 days...

Graduation

2010-05-08T23:37:00.002+01:00

Well, Jack walked across the stage today and graduated from college! It was an exciting (and hot) ceremony and time of celebration with him and his family today. It's surreal when you are graduating from college; it's something you always know is coming, but you never actually think you will make it there. I am so proud of him and excited that he already has a job to start in just a week!

Life is much different on the other side of college. Not bad, but just different. You don't have a built-in community of people like you do in college. You don't have social events to choose from every night of the week. And you don't have people with the same interests or beliefs as you. There is a lot of adjustment that is required, but it is a new chapter of life that brings about many new and wonderful things. Marriage will begin in this chapter as well as the start of kids and a family. While everything brings its challenges, we are quite excited about everything coming up in the near future.

As far as house hunting goes, we gave up on finding a house. We kept praying for God to provide what we needed and open the doors for us to find a house. And nothing seemed to work out. I take that as God's answer of, "Not now." Maybe a house wasn't what we needed right now, especially because we still have 7 months to go until the wedding. So, we turned to apartment hunting and the first one that we found worked out. So, Jack signed a 6 month lease and he moves in next Saturday! God provided and we are very thankful.

My first semester of grad school is officially over. I'm not sure about my grades just yet, but I think I did well. I know I got an A in one class and the other class will either be an A or a B. It was challenging balancing teaching and classes, but I made it through. I have a whole week before classes start again for the summer. :) I'm looking forward to a short break and then I'm going back into it. I have never taken summer classes before; I managed to make it through undergrad without taking any. We'll see how it goes. This summer is jam-packed already. I have classes, summer camp, two trips, and events almost every weekend. That's fine with me, though, because it will make the summer go by fast.

Two more weeks of school before my kiddies are out for the summer. Their behavior has been pretty crazy the past few weeks, so I'm hoping they can hold it together for 10 more days. I need a lot of patience to hold it together myself.

That's about all for me. And that's a lot! Hope all is well in the blogging world. :)

224 days...

Overwhelmed

2010-04-28T02:22:00.002+01:00

Being an adult is hard work. No one ever tells you that in college. And it gets even more complicated when you get married. I can only imagine what children will bring!

Jack and I have been house hunting for the past few weeks. He starts his job at the church in 3 weeks, so we are hoping to find something before then so he has a place to stay! We are looking to rent a house for the first year, but it is a lot harder to find than I thought it would be. We found one that we absolutely loved, but it looks like someone got to it before we did. :( This stage in our lies requires a lot of trust in God that He will take care of us. I know that He will, but it is just a little overwhelming trying to find a place when there aren't a whole lot of options.

In other news, there are only 3 1/2 weeks of school left. They can't go by fast enough! I'm looking forward to the summer, although it will be a busy one. I just finished up with one grad school class tonight, and I have one week left of my other class. There are a lot of assignments to do for that one class before next week, but I'll be glad once it is done.

Can't wait for life to settle down a bit.

235 days...

Lots happening

2010-04-18T23:26:00.002+01:00

Sorry that I haven't blogged in a little while. Life has been busy! The next month is going to be VERY busy as well. There are lots of exciting things going on right now, but they are keeping life quite busy.

#1) Jack is graduating in 3 weeks! I can't believe it. He is almost done with student teaching and then he will be a college graduate. So, we have his graduation ceremony, party with his family, and all that goes on with that to get ready in the next few weeks. His senior BCM formal is also next weekend, which should be fun. It will be our last chance to get all dressed up and dance before our wedding.... :)

#2) Jack is starting his job as youth director on May 19th. We have been visiting the church several times, went to the picnic today, and are meeting with the parents who currently run the youth program to get an idea of where to pick up. This summer is going to be a busy one, including a week-long mission trip to Gatlinburg at the end of June!

#3) Since #1 and #2 are going on, we are in the process of looking for a place to live. There is a real estate agent at the church who has been very helpful in helping us look for places to rent. We went and looked at several places today and found one really cute house that we both love. We are going to look at a few more places and then make a decision. Jack will move in the next 3-4 weeks! Lots to do to get ready for that.

#4) School is finally coming to a close. This week is CRCT week (bum bum bum) and I am just ready to get it over with. I am confident in my students, but nervous for them at the same time. I'm hoping for the best! After this week, there are only 4 weeks left. May is usually jam-packed with assemblies, field trips, and random events that take up a lot of time. I am READY for summer. There will be a lot to do in the coming weeks to close out the school year and pack my classroom up.

I guess that's about it for now. That's a lot though, eh? Oh, I also developed strep throat and tonsillitis last week. That makes sickness #4 in my first year of teaching. I am catching everything left and right that is being passed around. Hopefully my immune system is getting stronger and I won't be quite as sick next year.

Me in a nutshell = busy, but excited. :)

244 days...

Spring Break '10

2010-04-06T01:03:00.002+01:00

Spring break is finally here! It is so nice to have several days off to breathe and relax a little bit. I do have about a million things to do this week, but I am trying to make time to chill as well. There are only 6 weeks of school left after this week! WOOHOO! I am ready for summer. I am ready for December. :)

I'm spending this week grading papers, working on grad school assignments, visiting friends, catching up on doctor's appointments, and attempting to get some sun. Key word: attempting. Most of my students will probably come back from the break more tan than I am. I am hoping to at least get the base coat this week and then I can work on it more over the summer.

This past weekend my mom and I went up to Roswell to visit my sister. We planned a whole weekend of wedding planning, and we got most of it done. My sister put a down payment on her wedding dress and I tried on the bridesmaid dress for her wedding. It's really nice! I do have to buy two bridesmaids dresses this year on top of all my wedding spending, but I'm excited. We also got lots of other little things done - ribbon tied on invitations, about half of my favor boxes put together, etc. It was a lot of fun. This coming weekend, Jack and I are going up to Blue Ridge to get our engagement pictures taken. I can't wait! I have already picked out our outfits. :)

The big news for Jack and I is that he got the job as youth director at Richmond Hill 1st UMC!! We are psyched! He has a great starting salary and insurance paid for. He will start mid-May, about a week after he graduates. I am so thankful that he has a job and we don't have to worry about that anymore. However, now we have to find a place to live! I think that we are going to find the house (we are renting) that we will both live in. Jack will move into the house at the end of May and we will spend the next several months getting it set up how we want it. That's exciting, but it's also a lot of work! We have several things that we will need to buy. At least everything will be ready by the time I move in in December.

257 days away...I need time to move just a little bit faster. :)

Spring Fever

2010-03-28T03:27:00.002+01:00

Spring is in the air, although it can't quite decide whether it wants to stick around or not. I am looking forward to wearing flip flops, short-sleeved shirts, and beginning to get a little color on my white skin. Those days aren't too far away. :)

Spring fever is also in the air, as my students have proved to me the past week. I can't deny that I have it as well. I would much rather be outside playing than inside all day. However, the school year is coming to a close very quickly, and the CRCT pressure is starting to close in. I am hoping for the best for my students, but I always worry a little bit. I'll be glad when it is over. 9 more school days of instruction before the big test. At least spring break comes before that so that I can get a little bit of sun and relaxation beforehand. 6 days and counting.

I finished The Five Love Languages today. It was a good read and gave a lot of helpful information on "speaking" your spouse's love language. On to the next book this week. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of spring break. I wish I was going somewhere fun for spring break, but I'm just hanging around Savannah, getting some work for grad school finished. Jack and I will be getting our engagement pictures done towards the end of it, which should be fun. Kim (a friend of his from back home) is going to be taking our pictures around north Georgia. I hope they turn out good.

In other news, Jack has a church that could be a definite possibility as a place to be a youth director. RH 1st UMC interviewed him last week and he will lead a service for the youth this coming week. We got a really good feeling about the people that we met last week and about the interview. I'm praying that God lets us know if this is a place that we can plug in for the next 1-5 years as we begin our lives together. I hope so! :) It will be awesome to have a job secured for him and to begin looking for somewhere to live. Lots of big decisions coming up for us.

266 days til the big day = still forever away.

Furloughed

2010-03-17T13:50:00.003Z

Is it bad that I have come to appreciate furlough days because they give me a break from teaching? Of course I don't like the extra $100 or so that comes out of my paycheck every month, but I do look forward to these days to relax and get caught up on work and rest. Today is one of those days. :)

I can't believe how quickly the school year is wrapping up. I am 2 weeks away from spring break, 4 weeks away from the CRCT (yikes!), and 8 weeks away from the end of the year! I am definitely ready for summer break. This has been a pretty good school year, but a very long and tiring one. I'm hoping that all of the work that I put in this year will pay off next year. I can always hope, right?

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. I have to read at least 2-3 chapters a week for grad school. I do love to read, but reading about learning theories and educational research is not quite doing it for me. I have about 5-6 books on my list of things to read before the wedding, so I'm taking a crack at that this week. Up first on my list is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I'm about halfway done with this one and I have really enjoyed it. It gives practical ways to "speak" your spouse's language in a way that best communicates your love for them. After that, I'm moving on to What a Husband Needs from his Wife by Melanie Chitwood. By December, I should have all the knowledge I need to be a great wife! Haha...

Short and sweet today so that I can get back to relaxing and reading. Even though I am about 1/8 Irish, I'm not going to go out and celebrate with the rest of the crazy Savannahians. We are having corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight, but that's about it. Happy St. Patty's Day!

It has been awhile...

2010-03-07T20:37:00.003Z

I realized that I haven't blogged in almost a month. My last post about life being crazy has continued over the past month. This past week was midterm week for my grad school classes and because my classes are online, I had put off some of the assignments I was supposed to be doing all along. Needless to say, I had 5 chapters, 5 online quizzes, and a midterm to take over the course of a week. It was rough! I didn't sleep much at all. Luckily, this weekend has been a pretty restful one, so I feel pretty good today.

Jack's birthday was yesterday and I had a special evening planned. We went to dinner at the Melting Pot in downtown Savannah. Oh. My. Gosh. It was AMAZING! We got the "Big Night Out," which consisted of four courses. 1.) Cheese fondue with bread, apples, and vegetables to dip. 2.) Salad. 3.) A mixture of vegetables, potatoes, seafood, steak, and chicken to cook in a wine sauce. 4.) Chocolate with melted marshmallow creme with brownies, cheesecake, fruit, marshmallows, and pound cake to dip. Jack says that dessert almost brought tears to his eyes because it was so good. It was so much fun and delicious! I highly recommend that restaurant, if you feel like splurging.

Next, we walked around on River Street for awhile, trying to burn off some of the food. We went in all the little shops and had fun watching some of the crazy St. Patrick's Day celebrators walking around. It's not for another week and a half, but people in Savannah take St. Patrick's Day very seriously. We saw guys in full-length (and a bit too short) green dresses. We ended the night with a moonlight river boat cruise down the Savannah River with music and dancing. Jack and I swing-danced in front of everybody! It was a lot of fun.

Wedding planning is coming along. I feel like there is more that I should be doing, but I just haven't had time in the past couple of weeks. I'm going to get caught up with things over spring break. Speaking of which, my spring break is only 4 weeks away. I can't WAIT. I need the break big time. I have grad school stuff and wedding stuff to get caught up on. The school year is slowly winding down and I am ready for summer. I'm looking forward to the summer: working at the summer camp in Richmond Hill that I worked at last year, doing music for a Chrysalis, taking 3 grad school classes, and ending the summer with a trip with my family to Las Vegas! It should be fun. Once August rolls around, it will be smooth sailing until December

286 days....

Life is Crazy

2010-02-10T03:51:00.003Z

How does anyone keep up? There just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. I don't know about everyone else working full-time jobs in America, but this feeling of constantly having more to do is frustrating. I feel like I don't have time to breathe anymore.

When I say life is crazy, I mean it. Teaching full-time takes up much more of my time than 8-3. Boy does it! About an hour before school and 3-6 hours after school. Grad school takes up a good chunk of my time as well - two classes, a reading assignment for each class every week, and a paper for each class every week. Aaaggghhh...

Now that I'm done ranting about being busy, I guess I will do a quick update of my life. It's February, which means the school year is winding down. I am leading worship at a Journey this weekend with some of my favorites which should be awesome. Jack and I are registering for wedding gifts on Monday which will be fun. He can't wait to use the scanner. Wedding planning is going well; I have a lot of it done already, there are just a lot of little things to do and things that have to be done closer to the time. December seems so far away...10 months!

I recently moved in with my mom and her fiance. It is the final stretch before Jack and I get a place together. It isn't my first choice, but it sure does save a lot of money. I'm thankful that they offered to do this for me.

Other than that, I'm trying to keep up with the crazy pace of my life. God is my provision no matter what!

A Time for Everything

2010-01-05T04:16:00.002Z

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:"

a time to be born and a time to die
a time to plant and a time to uproot
a time to kill and a time to heal
a time to tear down and a time to build
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them
a time to embrace and a time to refrain
a time to search and a time to give up
a time to keep and a time to throw away
a time to tear and a time to mend
a time to be silent and a time to speak
a time to love and a time to hate
a time for war and a time for peace

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 14

I am struck by this passage tonight as I reflect on the different seasons in life. Many of us have heard this over and over again, knowing that God has a perfect timing and plan for us. However, this isn't as clear cut as it seems. A time to die? A time to kill? A time to hate? A time for war? Why would God allow times for this? We know God as a God of love and of mercy and of grace. But He allows hate, death, killing, war, etc? It doesn't seem to make sense.

And yet, in verse 14, we come to the meaning. The purpose of our lives here on earth and for all eternity is to revere the all-powerful God. We must stand in awe of Him because of who He is, not because of what we understand or what we can wrap our minds around. God doesn't call us to "get" Him or to know what His plan means. We just revere Him, we worship Him, and we stand amazed at who He is. He IS a God of love and of mercy and of grace, but we can't confine Him to those terms. He is so much bigger.

I have been struck by the dissonance of feelings and emotions in my life and among those that I know. From a random search on facebook, I came across a group in memory of a guy from GSU that passed away in early October. His funeral was on my birthday. While I was celebrating, eating cake, and having fun, his family was mourning. On New Year's Eve, I went down to River Street with hundreds of other people and we watched fireworks and rang in the New Year. At the same time, there are people around the world that are being oppressed, are being exploited, and are powerless. And as I am engaged and happily preparing for marriage, there are people that are struggling with divorce and separation.

There is a time and a season for everything. And although I am grateful for this "happy" season in my life, my heart is heavy for those walking through difficult times. People are mourning, people are hurting, people are helpless, people are broken. There is beauty in our world yet there is destruction.

The word dissonance is usually used in music, signaling notes or chords played at the same time that do not go together or are unresolved. I have had this idea in my mind for a long time of the harmony that God originally intended for his people to have. I love music and love singing in groups of people. It is amazing to me to hear harmonies and melodies put together. It makes a beautiful sound. I believe that God's people all have a singing part in His master choir. Yet all of us are singing off-key. There is a dissonance among our voices, although He is trying to direct us back to our notes. One day, all harmony will be restored, and the off-key singers will be silenced. That time has not come yet, and God has a purpose for us right now. We cannot block out the dissonance in our world, even if we cover our ears. However, we can do our best to trust our Conductor and follow His voice.

For those of you in times of death, or mourning, or hate, or war, I pray that God's peace overwhelms you. Our human minds cannot comprehend the seasons that come and go, but our spirits can rest in the reverence and power of our God.

Twenty-Ten

2010-01-03T18:16:00.002Z

What a crazy and wonderful holiday break this has been! I can't believe that work starts back in only two days. I need at least another two weeks to relax and get myself together. Oh well. I do look forward to getting back into a routine. And I hope my students come back from the break calmer than they left.

I always tend to reflect on the past year whenever I am on my holiday break. I actually have a chance to breathe and to slow down my thoughts. And God always reminds me of the amazing path that He has laid out for me. Some of the time I have veered off the path and focused on myself too much, but I can always see His hand in my life. 2009 was a very eventful year for me.

~I started my career and my first year of teaching in Richmond Hill. It required a lot of learning and messing up and learning some more. I definitely don't have it figured out yet, but I am more confident in myself as a teacher.

~I moved to Savannah, a city that is new and exciting. I haven't quite gotten plugged in with a group of friends yet, but I'm working on it. Part of my New Year's resolution is to build meaningful relationships with people.

~I worked a summer camp which was not really that exciting. :)

~I worked two Chrysalis/Journey weekends and realized that I need to be plugged into some sort of ministry. I can't just sit by idly when there are places to serve.

~I went on a mission trip to the Czech Republic which was INCREDIBLE! I traveled with a group of people that I hardly knew, but we bonded and had an amazing experience. I was able to teach English classes to high schoolers and loved hanging out with them.

~I got my first class that was MINE. My kids, my procedures, my classroom. I feel more connected to them than the ones in the spring and although they test my patience, I love them.

~I got ENGAGED! I am marrying the most amazing man that I know and beginning a new chapter of my life. This will be part of 2010, but I am beginning the journey now. I can't wait!

I am thankful for this past year and for all of the people that have supported me. 2010 is a big year and I'm jumping in with both feet! :)

Wedding Planning

2009-12-28T19:30:00.003Z

First of all, let me say that I am blown away by the amount of detail that goes into planning a wedding. Who knew there were 27 different shades of blue or 7 different types of cake? Wow. The possibilities for designing a wedding are endless.

Needless to say, I have been doing a lot of research in my spare time over the break. A LOT of research. For example, I stayed up until 2:30 last night researching and designing Save the Date cards. It's a little much, I know. I wanted to get as much done as I could over the break so that I can focus on teaching and on grad school once they begin. We have most of the big stuff planned actually.

Church
Preacher & premarital counseling
Wedding party
Ceremony musicians and singers
Invitations
Save the dates (not ordered, but designed)
Reception site picked out but not confirmed
Photographer
Budget (the most important)
Colors/Theme
Honeymoon

There are about a zillion other things left to work out, but lots of time to do them. I am going to try on dresses this coming Saturday which will is exciting. I am so glad that I have enough time to plan so that I will not get too stressed, but I know I will probably be ready to get married come June or July. And I will probably still get a little stressed, but that's me in most situations.

Exciting! Lots more to do in the months to come, but it has been a lot of fun getting to plan and make some decisions about what I want. I can't wait! :)

Christmas Break 2009

2009-12-24T22:41:00.003Z

Well, my break has been an interesting one so far, to say the least. I am exhausted - aren't you supposed to be rested and rejuvenated on your vacation? Maybe that time will come when I get back to Savannah next week. I sure hope so...

The last week of school was a crazy one. My students were okay, but I had a LOT of behavior problems to deal with. I was not a very nice teacher. I told some of them that they had lost their minds. Sheesh! I will have to be more prepared next year. Our class Christmas party went well; they decorated Christmas cookies and enjoyed lots of treats. I racked up on some super awesome gifts as well. A pedicure, lots of baked goods, $75 worth of restaurant gift cards, pearl earrings, and more. Then on Friday night, I got to have a fun girl night with Tammy, Lacey, Alison, and Becca. We decorated graham cracker houses and ate a lot of junk. It was fun, although I'm really bad at decorating things like that. My house was...special. I spent the night at Tammy's and then we all had to go to a Journey meeting in Richmond Hill. I can't wait til the Journey in February. It's going to be fun! I left there around 1, picked up my brother in Statesboro, and drove up to Roswell. I dropped him off, said hey to my family, and continued the trek up to Blue Ridge to see Jack's family.

It was really cold in Blue Ridge Saturday night and it even snowed! I haven't seen snow in awhile. We went to church Sunday morning, had lunch with some friends, and then had a nice lazy afternoon. We watched It's a Wonderful Life, which is one of my favorite Christmas movies. For some reason, Jack's dad convinced me to go on a hike up the mountains with him and Jack on Monday morning. My mind rewinds to the trip to the Czech Republic over the summer, and I wonder why I agree to these things. I am not as hardcore or in shape as I think I am. We left around 9:00 Monday morning to go hiking up a mountain. There was no trail to follow. There wasn't a guide to tell us how to get there. We simply took off in the middle of the woods and climbed up to the top. I was indeed on all fours pulling myself up the mountain at several points. This was much more intense mountain climbing that I had expected, and I was completely exhausted. It was cold, I was hurting, and it was about twice as long as I had been promised. I cried several times on the way there and back...

We hung out with some of Jack's high school friends that evening and ate dinner at Waffle House. Then on Tuesday, we helped his mom clean up the house and get ready for a dinner party she was hosting for some of his family members. The house looked really nice and the food was good. We had a good time with his family. I love the time we get to spend with his extended family. I never had that growing up, so it is awesome to have that now. After the dinner party, Jack's mom told us about her idea for Christmas. Instead of buying us something big, she had saved about $250 to spend on a needy family that lives in Auburn, GA. We went shopping that night, bought clothes, food, and toys, and then came back and wrapped presents until 1:30 in the morning. We then had to get up at 6:45 to leave by 7:15 in the morning. I was exhausted. We met the family and they were very appreciative for the gifts. We stopped in Dahlonega to have lunch with Jack's great aunt and then headed back to Blue Ridge. We opened presents with Jack's immediate family and had dinner together. I got lots of cool stuff again - Christmas ornaments, earrings, Pampered Chef cooking stuff, an iHome, and a food processor. I didn't ask for much this year, so everything that I get is such a nice surprise. :)

I left his house around 8 last night and headed back to Roswell. My dad is down from Michigan and Alan (my sister's bf) has his parents here from Peru. We have had a good time so far hanging out and enjoying some family time. We are all going out to eat at P.F. Chang's tonight and then opening presents and having a big meal together tomorrow. Christmas seems to be a little different every year, but I always enjoy time with my family. It's crazy to think that next Christmas will be all about the wedding! We have set a date and have a confirmed church to hold the ceremony. Mark your calendars for December 18th, 2010. It's still weird to be officially planning a wedding, but I am very excited. :) There are lots of other recent engagements, so CONGRATS to all of you!

Merry Christmas to all! Enjoy time with your families and praise Him for the awesome gift of Jesus. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST! :)

Fiance - Like Beyonce, but with an F

2009-12-13T14:08:00.002Z

I am still in somewhat of a shock but very excited. Jack and I are ENGAGED!!! Holy cow!

Yesterday was such a perfect day. We went down to SSI for the day, at Jack's request. When we pulled up to Epworth (where we have worked as camp counselors for the past 3 years), Jack started acting strange. I told him I had to go to the bathroom and he seemed kind of unsure. I just had to go to the bathroom! Then he told me that he wanted to go back to where we first met. 3 and a half years ago, we met in the parking lot at Epworth and we danced. We had just met, but Jack asked me to dance and I said yes for whatever reason. So, he took me to that same spot and he said, "You know what would have made that dance even better? If I could have clapped my hands (insert clap) and music would come on!" Out of the bushes come his brother Josh and my friend Mary with a video camera and a boom box playing a love song. We danced for a little bit and then Jack got down on one knee and proposed. It was amazing! Luckily there is a video of me being flustered and lots of pictures to remember that moment. :P

So now I am engaged to the man of my dreams! There is no better guy for me than Jack. He is absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to get married. We have tentatively set a date for December 18, 2010 down on SSI. Lots more engagement stuff to come as we start planning!

God is so good. He loves us so much that He designed each one of us for each other. In His perfect time, we got engaged and now are preparing to be married. It is incredible to think of the road that has brought us to this point. I am truly blessed. Thanks for all of the congratulations! :)

Finished!

2009-11-19T04:56:00.002Z

Just a quick note to say that I am done writing my Single Life talk. :) It's only 11:57 p.m. on a school night, but at least it is finished. I just walked through my past and God reemphasized some of the truths He has been teaching me all along. Awesome!

Many thoughts....

2009-11-18T02:55:00.002Z

I always have ideas of things that I want to write in my blog, but either

a) I have no time to sit down and write them out OR

b) I can't condense them into a clear, readable post.

Either way, I have lots of thoughts tonight and figured I would share some of them to get them off of my mind. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just write. Forgive me if I ramble...

First of all, God has been teaching me a ton lately through my job. I have been teaching almost a whole year now, which I can't believe. Time really does fly once you look back on where you have come from. The first part of that year of teaching was mainly crowd control, maintaining some kind of order in my room, and trying to get organized and into a routine. As of November 17th, 2009, I think I'm just about there. My classroom is set up how I want it, my lesson plans are flowing freely, and my kids are in a routine. It only took 11 months! :) It's nice to be able to sit back and breathe now that things are falling into place and settling down. I can actually start enjoying teaching without stressing out all the time. I can also sleep a little bit more, although not much.

Teaching is such a cool job and I am realizing it more and more every day. My kids drive me nuts some days, but I love each and every one of them. They all are so unique and have so much potential to become mature and successful adults one day. I think about this a lot - I am helping to raise up the next generation of people that could be lights for Christ. Not all of them will be, unfortunately, but I have a chance to make a positive impact on their lives that could help to move them along a good path as they continue to grow. What a cool and difficult task! Every day is a challenge, but I am blown away at this amazing job that God has given me. I actually do enjoy spending my day with dozens of ten and eleven year olds. I am hoping that as teaching becomes even more routine and automatic, I can really focus on showing these kids that I care about them and want them to be all that they can be.

Secondly, God has also been teaching me a lot about community. Just as I have been teaching for almost a year, I have been in the "real world" for almost a year. Not to scare those of you that are nearing graduation, but transitioning out of college life into young adulthood is no easy feat. I am still trying to gain my bearings and figure out what my life looks like. It has mostly consisted of work, work, work, but I am now starting to look at what else there is in Savannah for young adults like myself.

God has been bringing the word community to mind a lot lately. Community is a natural part of college. You probably learn more from the people you are around than the classes you take. There are an endless number of groups that you can join to be with people that share similar interests and values. However, post-college is not so community-friendly. You have to seek out your own community and find where you fit in. And it is not easy, my friends. Especially when you are a young twenty-something, not married, and without kids. So I have been searching for my community and where I can fit in. I have been going to the Vineyard Church here in Savannah for about 3 months now and I really like it. The people are very nice, but I haven't formed any real relationships yet other than "Hey, how are you?" "Nice to see you again." Etc, etc, etc. There is a big pool of young married couples with young kids, as well as a large group of college students. But I stand in between those two groups not really fitting into either.

I was invited to go to a bible study last week at the house of a couple here in town. There was a wide variety of people there, all in my age group. There were high schoolers, college students from multiple colleges, young adults with jobs, and young adults without jobs. It was refreshing to be around a group of people MY AGE that all had one thing in common - we love Jesus. Despite the fact that it was two and half hours long, it was a glimpse of the community I'm searching for. I'm going to continue going and see where God leads me. It would be great to have some new friends here in Savannah. I cherish my friends that are scattered around the state, don't get me wrong. But it's hard when I can only see them once or twice a month, if that. I would love to have people here that I can meet up with on a regular basis. Something to add to the prayer list, I suppose.

I know I've lost the one or two of you that might occasionally read my blog already since this is so long, but my last thought is on a talk that I am writing for an upcoming Journey weekend in February. God has a sense of humor and has brought me to the Single Life talk for this weekend. I never ever thought I would give that talk, and here I am working on it bit by bit. I have the first half of it done, but now I'm up to the part where I have to tell about my time being single and what God has taught me through it. This is pretty much the story of my life for the past YEAR or so. God has taught me patience, faithfulness in HIS plan and HIS timing, and what love really is. I don't think that I have fully grasped it yet, but I sure have been asking God a lot of questions about this waiting period that I am in. I'm having trouble putting that into words for the talk, though. I'm still waiting, still trying to be patient, and still trying to hear God's voice for this time in my life. I'll update more on this later as I finish it.

So in a very large and long-winded nutshell, that's me. Life is moving and I am trying to keep up. God is always faithful, and provides new opportunities every day. I'm trying to follow Him and to serve Him as best as I can in my school. All I can do is take it one day at a time....

Family

2009-10-27T22:37:00.002Z

It has been a little while since I have updated my blog. I always think of interesting things to write about, but haven't found the time to sit down and do it. Life is definitely not as busy as it once was, but I find plenty of things to fill my time with. I'm finally (praise God!) getting into the groove at school - the groove of getting my kids to follow my classroom procedures, getting my papers graded in a timely manner, getting lesson plans written on a weekly basis, etc. It's nice to be in a routine. Every day presents its challenges, but I am enjoying my job more now. That's a GREAT feeling! Before, the workload overshadowed my enjoyment of teaching. Now, I really look forward to planning new lessons and I enjoy being around my students. Most days. :)

I want to backtrack several weeks ago when I went up to NYC for a very short weekend. My great aunt Ellen passed away in August and a memorial service was scheduled in October for people who had to travel from across the country. My mom and I went up to NYC on Saturday afternoon and returned to Savannah late Sunday night. Like I said, it was a very short weekend! We were surrounded by friends and family of my aunt Ellen and my Uncle Yak. He is the last living relative in his generation, and there are dozens and dozens of relatives that stem from him. It's pretty amazing how family trees work. I saw some family that I have seen before and met some new ones. The concept of family is fascinating to me, especially because I have grown up without an extended family most of my life. I don't know what it feels like to have big holiday get-togethers or family reunions. It has just been me, my brother and sister, and my mom for as long as I can remember. But the Goelman family that was there at the memorial service was so welcoming and interested in my life. They wanted to know about what I do and where I live and the experiences that I have had. And I was considered a part of their family. They didn't care that we have never met, they just added me in. It's a weird feeling but really cool at the same time.

Fast forward several weeks - Jack and I traveled up to Blue Ridge for his family reunion this past weekend. It was only on one side of his family, but there were over 50 people there! Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and lots of grandchildren. It was actually a very relaxing weekend. We slept in Saturday and Sunday mornings and just spent time hanging out. I enjoyed getting to know a lot of his cousins that were my age. We ate together, went to a Harvest Festival nearby, sang together, and had a baby shower for an expecting couple. It was a lot of fun and you could just feel the closeness of the families.

I really feel like the family mirrors the body of Christ. We are all connected; not by last name or by blood, but by the common faith that we have in Christ. We accept one another, we love one another, and it is a joy to be together as one body. At least that's the way that God designed it. It doesn't always look so pretty, but when families are together, I can feel that bond that exists and a glimpse of God's plan. Simply amazing.

Don't take your families for granted. You don't know how lucky you are to have a close group of people that love you and that you can count on. And you never know how long you will have with them. Treat your family members as you would treat Christ, because He gave them to us for a reason.

I am blessed...

2009-10-13T00:21:00.002+01:00

Man, I can't even begin to describe how awesome my weekend has been. I'll start with Saturday morning. Jack and I left Savannah around 9:30 on Saturday morning after packing a picnic lunch and supplies for our canoe trip. We arrived on SSI around 10:30ish and went over to Adam Ricker's place. He was our camp director when we worked at the summer camp at Epworth. We caught up with him and Rebecca and then we loaded his canoe onto Jack's truck. Jack and I headed over to East Beach, loaded our stuff in the canoe, and took off into the ocean. Key word: ocean. I have canoed lots of times, but never in the ocean. The waves were a bit rough and I was nervous! We made it over to an empty part of Sea Island and set up our picnic. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! The sun was shining, the ocean was beautiful, and it felt wonderful. We had a nice picnic on the beach, walked around a little bit, and enjoyed the scenery. We then paddled back and went back to the Rickers' to clean up.

We went to the village on SSI and had dinner at Barbara Jean's. Mmmm! I love the crab cakes. After that, we walked around for a bit, took some pictures, and watched the sun begin to set. We got some ice-cream for dessert from TCBY and then watched the sun fully set at Epworth. It was one of those "Aaaahhhh" days. Know what I mean? We enjoyed each other's company and the beautiful sights of SSI. I loved it.

Yesterday was my actual birthday. I went out to breakfast with my mom and Charlie in the morning before church. They gave me a Rob Bell book and a bunch of cute prizes to use in my classroom. We went to church at the Vineyard, which was really good. Then, I came back home and felt like doing some cleaning. I did dishes, laundry, swept, and vacuumed. I guess everybody gets in cleaning moods every now and then, right? Maybe I'm just a nerd. Lacey, Alison, and Becca came to see me around 2 and brought flowers, balloons, and a yummy cupcake. We went downtown and ate at Spanky's on River Street. We then walked around and a had a lot of fun hanging out. Alison and Becca left and Lacey came back with me to spend the night. We made a new recipe that I got from someone's blog and it was DELICIOUS! It's called a sausage braid, and although it didn't look amazing, it turned out really good. We had a lot of fun.

This morning, I went to get a pedicure/manicure (gift certificate courtesy of my friends) and some Starbucks with Lacey. She left this morning and I have been working on schoolwork most of the day. I had a furlough day today and although I don't like not getting paid for a day, it's nice to have the time off. Hopefully this week will go by fast since it's only four days. :)

So my weekend was great! I had a great time with Jack and with my friends and had a wonderful birthday. My brother and sister are coming down next weekend and we are going to have some family time, which will be nice. October is almost half over already! Wow!

I am looking forward to some fall weather any day now. It has been really hot lately and I can't wait for multi-colored leaves and cool breezes. Hopefully soon.... :)

Birthday Weekend

2009-10-10T00:41:00.002+01:00

Well I will definitely post more AFTER the weekend is over, but I am already super excited about my birthday weekend. I got home from work today and Jack was waiting at my house. He was so excited to give me my birthday gift, that he made me open it right then. First of all, the box that the gift was in was wrapped in a large desk calendar, with October 11th in the very front (that's my birthday). Very thoughtful! Secondly, he got me an IPOD TOUCH! Oh man! I was shocked when I saw it because I was not expecting it at all. Not only did he buy me a super cool gift, but he put a lot of stuff on it for me. As soon as I opened it, it goes straight to videos. He made me a video slideshow with pictures of us on it and a recording of me singing a song I wrote for him in the background. SO SWEET! :) He also installed a few very cool apps that we played with for about an hour.

That was only the beginning. Tomorrow we are going down to St. Simons for the day to have an awesome day of fun. We are packing a picnic lunch, borrowing Adam Ricker's canoe, and going canoeing around the island. After that, we are cleaning up and going out to eat. I can't wait! My friends are coming down to Savannah on Sunday for my actual birthday, so there will be more fun to have. I'll update later on this weekend! :D

Career Change

2009-10-04T14:48:00.002+01:00

You know how people always say that most girls have their weddings planned out down to the last detail before they reach adolescence? Not me. I have always wanted to be married and looked forward to that day, but I knew nothing about weddings growing up. I went to a few during high school and college, but I remained pretty clueless until this past year.

I have started doing some research to see how you put one together and what your options are and it is AMAZING. There are so many little details that go into planning this one day. I have been blown away by the endless possibilities. Any color you could ever imagine. Any location you could ever think of. All the food, flowers, favors, and fun you could ever want. I think the best part about all of it is that you can actually do a lot of things yourself. Weddings cost an outrageous amount of money, but you can cut down on a lot of costs by making things.

So I have decided that if teaching doesn't work out, I think I might go into wedding planning. It is almost its own kind of art, in a way. You get to help design, plan, and "paint" a wedding day. I think that would be awesome. I mean, people are always going to get married, right?

I love seeing wedding pictures, reading articles and stories about weddings, and going to them. My friend Mary and I love to stumble upon weddings whenever we are in downtown Savannah or on SSI. We even witnessed a proposal once!!

I surely don't know everything about weddings, considering I haven't even planned my own yet. However, I think a job in the bridal industry would be so much fun. We'll see if that's in God's plans for me or not. One can dream... :)

Time for a change...

2009-09-30T02:01:00.002+01:00

Well my stress level has definitely decreased some since the beginning of the year, but I still find myself working my tail off and feeling a constant stress as my weeks go on. I go in early every day and stay late just about every day and I never seem to get everything done. How is that, you ask? I'm trying to figure that out myself. The majority of teachers at my school leave right at 3:45 every day and never seem to have a ton of work to do like me. Maybe I'm overdoing it....

Even though my workload is slowly becoming manageable, I am starting to think about my job and different possibilities in the future. I have thought a lot about transferring to Chatham County schools, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, it would be a little bit closer since I live in Savannah. Secondly, since I am starting grad school, I need to teach in a Title I school to get a grant to help me pay for classes. Thirdly, I really would like to be at a school with a good support system and an opportunity for professional learning. I love my school, don't get me wrong, but I think I might need a change. Most people will think I'm nuts for changing school systems, but I think it might be for me. Lots of prayers needed for that decision.

Does life ever slow down? It's still so busy now and I'm starting grad school in January. I'm a little worried that I am going to be completely overwhelmed. Well, if I can get used to functioning without sleep, then maybe not. We'll see.

Tired, overwhelmed, but trusting in my God...

My wonderful weekend

2009-09-27T01:43:00.002+01:00

After two weeks apart, Jack and I finally got to see each other this weekend. It was wonderful! It has been difficult getting used to a long-distance relationship and not being able to see each other very much. It makes our time together that much better! Last night we got dressed up and went out to eat at Olive Garden. Then we went downtown and walked around on River Street. We got some caramel apples from River Street Sweets and listened to some of the street performers. Then we came back to my apartment, turned on the music channels on the TV and danced in my living room! :) A perfect date.

We were going to get up early this morning and hang out at a park near my apartment, but we slept in until 10 and then it started raining. So today consisted of relaxing, wrestling, and having fun together. :) I am always sad to see him go, but I had a blast. It doesn't get much better than laughing, talking, and spending time with the one you love.

I have been doing a little cleaning and baking this evening since I have some time. I got a recipe from someone's blog for chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. They are DELICIOUS! I think I have a new fall favorite. I'm trying to make at least one new recipe a week, to improve my cooking skills. I mean, I did get three cookbooks for Christmas last year. I felt like people were trying to tell me something.

I love the fall/winter season. Unfortunately, living in south Georgia denies me of seasonal weather, but it should start getting cooler in the next month or so. I can't wait! I'm looking forward to cooler weather, leaves changing, and the sweet smells of fall.

Speaking of cooler weather, I'm going to NYC next weekend with my mom. It's not a quick weekend getaway; the memorial service for my late Aunt Ellen is next Sunday. We are flying out of Savannah Saturday morning and coming back late Sunday night. It will be a very quick visit, but I'm glad that we can go and see my Uncle Yak. He has been having a really hard time with it. I'll post more about that when I get back.

That's about it for me. Still working hard and staying busy. :)

Randomness

2009-09-21T03:30:00.002+01:00

After my emotional breakdown and a week of getting over the "crud," I actually feel much better all around. I had a lot of time to think last week and to refocus my mind on things that are important. So I'm taking a deep breath and pushing forward.

I really do love my job and can't imagine doing anything else. Although it is extremely tiring and challenging at times, God teaches me a lot through it. He teaches me patience - seriously, what teacher doesn't learn patience from working with kids all day? He teaches me love - accepting students where they are, believing in them, and giving them tools to succeed in the future. He teaches me to rely on Him - that's the big one. My job is not just my job. It is my ministry that God uses to love His children. Even though it is in an indirect way, He can shine through me if I let Him. So I'm working on seeing it as a ministry and finding joy in it. It's going to take a lot of work this year and probably the next few years, but it will pay off in the end.

In other news, I went to a bridal show here in Savannah today. I have never been to one before and just wanted to check out some ideas and eat some free cake. You think I'm joking?? There was a ton of cake and other goodies there that were delicious. I collected lots of magazines and business cards and although I'm not planning a wedding, it was good to get some ideas to tuck away for the future. It was fun. :)

I can't believe that September is almost over. Only about a week and a half left until October. My weeks seem so long at school, but the month has flown by. My birthday is in about three weeks. I'm excited because it sounds like a lot of people will be here to celebrate with me. My sister, her bf, Jack, and possibly Alison and Lacey. Not sure what we will do, but it will be nice to hang out with everyone!

This post is very random, as the blog title suggests. Just wanted to update on my life so far and say that I'm chugging along. Still working hard and still trusting in Him... :)

Sick Day

2009-09-15T16:35:00.003+01:00

Well, pretty soon after my last post and the build-up of stress, my physical health started going downhill as well as my mental health. I was really sick over the weekend with flu-like symptoms. Even though I was popping pills like no one's business (Mucinex, Tylenol, Vitamin C), I'm still getting over it now. I forced myself to go into work yesterday so that I could get the week started right with my students. Unfortunately, it was the longest day EVER. I went in early at 7:15, worked the whole day, worked after school until 6, then had Open House for parents/students. I didn't get home until 8:30.

So I'm home today, resting and recuperating. I have been taking it easy, drinking lots of orange juice, and taking medicine. I am determined to go back tomorrow. I have felt a little better each day since I first started feeling bad, so hopefully this day of rest will do me some good.

Although I hate missing school, the short break is nice. I'm spending today catching up on rest, quiet time, and schoolwork. Oh the life of a first year teacher!

In other news, I applied to grad school yesterday. I've gone back and forth about whether or not I should start, but I finally just went ahead and applied. I am planning on starting in January. I'm not going to be able to take more than two classes at a time during the school year, which could make it take a little bit longer. However, I might as well go ahead and start working on it. I can take a full load next summer for both terms which will help. If I work hard, I can be finished by the end of summer 2011. I have nothing else going on in my life right now that's holding me back from it so I'm going for it!

The Breaking Point.

2009-09-11T02:48:00.002+01:00

Well folks, I have certainly hit mine. 6 weeks into the school year and I am burned out like never before. I have heard stories from previous first year teachers about how they cried every day for weeks and were so overwhelmed and I remember thinking to myself, "I can do this. It's overwhelming, but I'll be okay, right?" Wrong.

I finally let myself slow down tonight and think about my school year so far and it has sucked the life out of me! I am at school between 7:15-7:40 every morning (students arrive at 8:20) and I don't usually leave until between 5 and 6:30. I come home, eat dinner, and work some more. Then I sleep for a few hours, wake up, and do it all over again. That kind of a schedule will suck the life out of anyone. My weekends are nice because I get to see Jack or family or friends, but then I end up putting off my work until Sunday and have a ton to do. I have a never ending To Do list. I have never finished everything on it. That's frustrating!

I am realizing more and more every day how challenging teaching is. I keep telling myself that this is what God has called me to do and that He has equipped me for the task, but I am drowning in paperwork and lesson plans much more than enjoying my calling in life. Is it this hard for every teacher? There isn't enough training in the world to prepare teachers for life inside the classroom. You just have to push through and learn as you go. And my personality doesn't work well with that all the time. I want to be prepared and to know what I'm doing before I jump right in. It's just not working out that way and I'm exhausted. To think about starting grad school in January is almost laughable. How am I going to be able to handle that on top of everything else? alkdhfewia;dksafalkj.

So after venting to my mom, a good cry, and some chocolate, I feel a little bit better. The work is still there for me to do, but a new day will come. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday. Thankfully, I don't have to get it all done by tomorrow. Thankfully, I have a mom willing to help me. Thankfully, God is never going to leave me hanging. Now if only I could get some sleep....

How deep the Father's love for us

2009-08-30T23:07:00.002+01:00

This song is amazing. I can't get enough of it today. Check out this version by Joy Williams on youtube:

How Deep the Father's love for Us

Listen to the lyrics and be blessed by it. We always need a reminder of how much God loves us. His love for us is so deep that His wounds paid for OUR ransom. His love for us is so deep that He surrounds us with amazing friends and family to support and encourage us. His love for us is so deep that He pursues us and loves us, even though we fall short of His glory time and time again. It doesn't get much better than that, friends. :)

I have decided that I want this song sung at my wedding. It's a great reminder of Christ's love, which is what draws two people together. A wedding isn't right around the corner for me, but I can dream, right?? :)

It's all a matter of perspective...

2009-08-22T17:00:00.002+01:00

So I had to go to the driver's license office today to get my address changed since I have moved to Savannah. *Sidenote - there is a huge fine if you are driving around with a license that does not have your correct address on it. Luckily I didn't have to learn that the hard way.* Anyways, I went there around 10:00 this morning and it was crawling with people. The driver's license office is one of those places that people hate to go. It takes forever, you have to stand in 10 different lines, and it never goes as smoothly as you'd like. I also had to take a new picture and I hadn't showered or fixed my hair today. Ugh. However, while I was there today, there was this cute little newlywed couple that were getting their addresses changed because they had just moved in together. They were so excited to be there. When they got their new IDs, they were comparing their pictures and laughing. Needless to say, it was adorable. :)

It really is a matter of perspective. They had a reason to be excited while they were getting new IDs. Now that's not to say that everyone else had a reason to be miserable. Quite the opposite. Things aren't quite as bad as they seem. A different perspective can make even the most irritating things seem better.

So thank you newlywed couple for your lesson on having a good perspective. The next time I go into the driver's license office, I hope to not be quite as irritable. :)

A new school year

2009-08-16T17:44:00.003+01:00

It has been a little while since I have updated my blog because life has been BUSY the past few weeks. I came back from my amazing trip to the Czech Republic and jumped right back into a new school year. I had lots to do to prepare my classroom and get it ready for a new year. And then came the children.... :)

This year I am teaching three classes of reading, one class of math, and one class of Language Arts. Most elementary schools (for grades 3-5) are going to departmentalization now, meaning we don't keep the same class all day and different teachers teach the different subjects. I like getting to know the different classes and catering my lessons to their needs, so it works for me. I have also been blessed with a great team to work with. They are extremely helpful and look out for me since I am still very new. I think I am going to enjoy working with them this year.

The first week went pretty well, considering the craziness of getting the students and myself into a routine. I worked pretty late every night and had to do some work at home as well, but I made it. After about 2 more weeks, things will be back to normal and I should be able to relax a little bit. Just a day in the life of a teacher, I guess.

I got to see some of my wonderful friends on Friday night in Statesboro which was so good for me. It has been awhile since I have seen all of them and gotten to laugh and be silly. :) I hope to make frequent trips there this semester to keep in touch. Trying to get my life organized on all sides...I'll let you know when that happens.

Sorry that this is not the most exciting post in the world, but I just wanted to update on what I've been up to. God is teaching me a lot right now amidst the craziness and I'm still learning to fully rely on Him. It takes intentional focus each and every day, but lucky for me, He is very patient. :)

I'll leave you with some pictures from my classrom...

In Memory of Ellen Hoffman-Goelman

2009-08-08T21:17:00.006+01:00

Well, I hate for my next post after reflections from an awesome trip to be sad, but I have to share about a wonderful woman in my family that just passed away last night. I have never had anyone in my family pass away before, so I am dealing with some new emotions that I'm not used to. There is no better way for me to deal with them than to write. It's how I process things and learn from them. Even if nobody reads, it still helps me to get it all out into words.

A little background on my family: My mom was raised in foster care and didn't really know a lot of her birth family growing up. When we were growing up, we didn't have any extended family on her side, because she didn't know anyone. In 1995, some of her siblings found her and she started getting in contact with different people. Some of the first family that we all met was her Uncle Yak (Jack) and Aunt Ellen, brother of her father. They took us under their wings immediately and we have grown close to them over the years. Uncle Yak is a retired film researcher and they have lived in NYC for most of their lives.

Aunt Ellen has struggled with cancer for longer than we have known her. It started out as breast cancer, but chemotherapy helped out a lot with that. In the past few years, her health has continued to deteriorate and the cancer has popped up in different places. This past week, she had to go to the hospital because she felt terrible. The doctors said it would only be a few days, because the cancer had spread too much. Unfortunately, the fight ended last night.

She was a wonderful woman, who contributed much to the world of art. She painted, sketched, and created many cool pieces of art that have been seen all over NYC. She taught art for a long time and has had several of her own galleries to show off her artwork. She always listened to the many stories we told whenever we got together once a year or once every other year. She was a great person to be around. I'm sad that I haven't seen her in over two years. I always loved getting to visit her and Uncle Yak in NYC where they live as well as in Maine where they spend their summers at a lake house. She loved Uncle Yak very much and the two of them were inseparable. I have a funny memory of them from many years back. They were standing in front of the sink next to one another, cutting up vegetables or something like that. They were both singing and swaying back and forth together. It was so cute. :)

I will never forget the impact that she had on our family. She accepted us and loved us, even though we didn't know them for most of our lives. I'm thankful for her life and for her beautiful smile. We love you Aunt Ellen.

Final Reflections

2009-08-02T17:10:00.000+01:00

Well I am finally home after a long and amazing journey to the Czech Republic. It has been unexpected and full of new experiences, but I enjoyed it to the fullest. I am so thankful that all of the doors flew open for me to go. It was amazing how God paved the way for each person on our team.

So, for my final reflections, I will share with you some of the highlights and some things that I learned. First of all, I loved getting to know the students. It’s amazing how you can communicate with people through smiles, laughter, funny faces, and high fives just as clearly as you can with words. I went into this trip knowing ZERO Czech. It’s not even a romance language that I can relate to the small amount of foreign language that I do know! I have learned a few words from the students; most of them are useless, but at least I can say I know a little bit. J My point is, I was able to communicate with these kids, and I hope that they heard about God in my interactions with them.

Another highlight of the trip would probably be the 3:30 a.m. hike. Although it was extremely tiring and I really overworked myself, I learned so much. I learned that you have to take one step at a time and not look at the top of the mountain. If you keep looking towards the goal, you miss all of the stuff along the way. I learned that I can push myself if I am motivated to do something. I learned that relying on God for strength is a difficult thing to do, but well worth it. And I also go to see the most breathtaking view from the top of the mountain!

My discussion groups would probably be the last major highlight for me. They were challenging, especially because I only got parts of them from the translator. However, I learned to fully rely on God and know that He was working in their hearts, even if I couldn’t hear what was going on or lead the discussion. We had several very powerful discussions in which the students were really questioning things about life and about God. I have left the Czech Republic trusting that God will continue moving and that whatever seeds were planted this week will grow and produce fruit eventually. It will be in His time, not in mine. It is honestly a relief to finally come to that conclusion; that takes the pressure off of me wondering if I did everything I could have or if I said the right things. God moves, God saves, God loves. He just uses us as vessels of these gifts.

When our team met for the first time and began planning the trip, we all shared what our expectations of the trip were. Almost every single one of us said that we expected to be spiritually renewed by the time we came home. We didn’t know much of what to expect from the English camp, so this seemed to be something that each of us desired. Man…God answers prayer! When I left for the trip, I had barely had enough time to pack because the first part of my summer was so busy. I kind of lost touch with God and slacked on spending time in the Word and in prayer. However, this trip required a lot of faith and relying on God. I learned what it looks like to stay in communication with God throughout the day for all of the activities that we did. I learned how God answers prayer – I saw concrete examples of the prayers of our team being answered. That blew me away. I am going home turning over a new leaf in my walk with God. I have always loved God and believed in His promises. However, as I heard at the Chrysalis that I worked this summer, love is an action. We can’t just say we love someone and not do anything that shows that love. We show them that we love them. So, God and I are back on the same page, and I am praying that this school year is spent listening to God and following His will. I feel so much closer to Him than I did a few weeks ago and I’m thankful for all that I have learned.

He taught me a lot through three specific Scripture verses over the course of the last month. First, Isaiah 26:3 kept coming up the week before I left. It says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” When I was scrambling to get everything done before the trip, I heard this and was grateful that God would bring peace. I thought to myself, “Alright, because I’m going on this trip, that means that my mind is steadfast and God’s going to take care of everything. Awesome!” However, another verse came up that really challenged my assumption that God is going to cover me in peace just because I’m going on a mission trip. James 4:2b says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” Duh! God showers us with blessings every single day, but not because we deserve it. He gives us what we ask for when our hearts line up with His heart. This verse helped me to refocus my mind on the trip and to pray with expectancy for the students that we worked with. Finally, the last verses that I came across in Philippians 4:6-7 say this, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That’s how the peace comes. Even more awesome! I feel like I’m coming back refreshed and ready to go back to my daily schedule plugged into God. J

I have said it a lot already, but your prayers and support back home have meant the world to me. I could feel them surrounding our team as we served. Thank you!

Days Thirteen and Fourteen

2009-07-28T20:11:00.002+01:00

This has been a very full last few days! We have been tourists through Prague on hyperdrive. We left Vysoke Myto very early on Monday morning and said goodbye to our hosts in our homes. Lada's mother and grandmother were so sweet; they told me I could stay there the next time I come to the Czech Republic. Her grandmother gave me a jar of homemade apricot marmalade. :)

We rode the train for about 2 1/2 hours and rolled into Prague around lunchtime. We checked into our hotel, dropped of our stuff, and set out looking for a place to eat. We chose this little restaurant near the Prague Castle and it was delicious! Little did we know, they charge you all kinds of fees at restaurants near the tourist attractions. We paid way more than we should have! Oh well, it was good. We then walked around the castle and through the palace gardens. It was beautiful. We went into St. Vitus' Cathedral and got to see the beautiful architecture and paintings. We headed back to the hotel for dinner with all of the U.S. teams and debriefing. It was really good to hear how all of the camps went and to prepare to come back home. We hung out for a little while and then headed to bed.

We left the hotel around 9 this morning to do some sight-seeing. We went back to the Prague Castle and got to go inside the palace, St. George's Basilica, and down the Golden Lane. These are all parts of the castle. We ate lunch at a little restaurant called Czech Kitchen with Tomas and Radim (two of the Czech leaders that came with us to Prague). We then did tons of souvenir shopping in the afternoon. In any tourist spot, there are a million of these shops, but finding quality gifts to take home is difficult. I did find everything that I needed. We walked around a lot, seeing lots of other neat things in Prague. This is a pretty cool city. It has a lot of history in the buildings and statues, but it is very modern as well. We ate our last meal together at a random restaurant we came across and it was very good.

We're now back at the hotel, wiped out from the day and preparing to head out very early tomorrow. We have to leave the hotel by 5 a.m. to get to the airport by 5:30. Our flight leaves at 7:30. We have about an hour and a half flight to Switzerland, an hour layover, and then the big flight back to the ATL. I have really enjoyed my time here in the Czech Republic but I am definitely ready to come home. I can't wait to see everyone and to get some rest. Can you believe that I go back to work on MONDAY?!?! Oh man. I don't want to think about it yet.

Well, this is my last posting this side of the pond and then I'm back home tomorrow by this time! Thank you SO MUCH for all of you that read my blog and supported me on this trip. You have no idea how much it means to me to know that people were surrounding me with prayer during this trip and that you are interested in what is going on. I can't wait to share pictures and stories with you when I get back. :)

Days Eleven and Twelve

2009-07-27T21:10:00.001+01:00

I apologize for not writing the last two days, but the house I have been staying at does not have wireless internet. I have been able to get on the Internet very briefly, but not long enough to write in my blog. The Czech keyboard is also very different from a standard keyboard, so it was difficult for me to type anyways. Sorry if this post is kind of long…

Camp ended on Saturday. We got to sleep in a little bit, eat breakfast, and pack up all of our stuff. We had one last program at 9:30 where we did the camp song one last time, and each class did a thank-you for all of the teachers. My class called me up to the front and they had prepared a PowerPoint of pictures for me. They all gave me a hug and said thank you and I even got a bar of Czech chocolate! It was very sweet. J Each class had something really cool for their teacher, some of which are on video on facebook now.

We left the hotel around 1:30 in the afternoon and rode on a bus for about an hour into Vysoke Myto. I thought that the hotel was in the city, but it was on the outskirts. We dropped people off along the way and said our goodbyes. We pulled into Vysoke Myto and it was pouring down rain. We got soaked getting our luggage off of the bus. I was assigned to stay with Lada, one of the students from the camp. Her mom and stepdad picked us up at the church and drove to her house. She lives right in the middle of Vysoke Myto, in a house that reminds me of a townhouse. There is one long hallway and all of the rooms branch off of it. I was kind of nervous about staying with her, because her family doesn’t speak much English and I didn’t get to know her much during camp. However, once I arrived, her mother, stepdad, and grandmother greeted me very warmly. We had tea and a creamy piece of pie that was delicious. Her family wanted to know about me so they would ask Lada questions and she would ask me. They pulled out a map of the U.S. and I pointed out where I lived. I also told them places that I have traveled. They have traveled extensively and told me a little about their trips through Lada. Her grandmother brought out a photo album of some family pictures and it was awesome to look through them. We looked through about 3-4 photo albums, of their family and of their trips. It was great! Even though we couldn’t communicate very well through words, we were able to look at the pictures together and “communicate” through smiles and laughter.

Lada took me on a tour of Vysoke Myto, which is very small. There is one large square in the center of the town with shops all around it. There are houses and apartments all around the center and that’s about it. She said that about 10,000 people live there, so it is quite small. She showed me just about everything there was to see and we sat in the square for awhile and talked. When we arrived back at her house, her mother had prepared an awesome dinner. We had steak, salad, and break and it was delicious! Her sister and boyfriend came over for dinner as well and they were a lot of fun to talk to. They knew a lot of English, so we talked for awhile. After dinner, Lada and I watched Penelope. She has the regular version of it with Czech subtitles, so we were both able to understand. After that, we went to a pub in town with her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, and several of their friends. We stayed there for about 2 ½ hours, and they asked me tons of questions about America and about my life. It was awesome! They were very interested in learning more about our country and comparing it to theirs. I had such a great time and was blown away that they were so interested in talking to me. We came back and went to sleep shortly after that.

This morning, we woke up early and Lada walked me to the church. Her family doesn’t attend, so she went back home after that. The church service was really good and one of the Czech students translated it for us. After that, we went out to lunch with the JV interns and the Czech team. We had schnitzel and potato wedges, which were very good. We then walked around Vysoke Myto and had some ice-cream. My stomach started hurting really bad, like I had eaten something that hadn’t settled right in my stomach. When we got back to the church, I laid down for about an hour and I felt much better. We hung out at the church with the youth for about 3-4 hours. We ate dinner, talked, and played lots of games. It was fun. We then had to say our final goodbyes and head out for the night. I was sad to say goodbye to a lot of the students, especially Eva and Lucas. They were two of my favorites. J

We are heading out early tomorrow (today) for Prague. Our train leaves at 8:00 a.m. We are spending all day Monday and Tuesday in Prague and then we are coming home! Yay! I’m definitely sad about leaving the Czech Republic, but glad to be coming home also. It has been a wonderful trip and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. Photo album #1 is up on facebook if you are interested! J

Day Ten

2009-07-24T20:50:00.004+01:00

I can't believe today was the last full day of camp! The beginning of the week went by so slowly, but the second part of the week has flown by. We have to pack up in the morning, have a final program where we give out certificates for English class, then peace out! We should be heading out around lunch time.

As for today, it has just been a blur! We had our last English class this morning, and although I didn't actually teach a whole lot of English, we had fun! We played some fun games, messed with all of the other English classes by singing the Hokey Pokey, screaming at the top of our lungs, and even a hug attack! It was funny. We talked about directions and practiced giving directions through a blindfold trust walk. Autumn decided to mess with Lucas, so she lead him outside to where the swimming pool is and pushed him in! Luckily, he figured out where he was right before he fell in, otherwise that would have been a huge shock! He then tried to put Autumn in, but decided to get Jerry (another intern) instead. Craziness!

After lunch, we were in charge of the afternoon activity. Kim, Shannon, and Erin stayed inside and did jewelry and painting crafts while Jennifer, Jason, and I went outside to play sports. We played touch football and baseball with a wiffle ball. It was awesome! The students really enjoyed. We hung around outside for awhile afterwards and just threw the football and some frisbees.

When we got back from sports, guess what time it was? Dinner time! And guess what we had for dinner???? You guessed it!! Fruit dumplings! Man oh man. These were well worth the wait. I even took a picture since I have been talking them up all week. They are dough balls stuff with blueberry filling (there are other flavors as well) and covered in brown sugar and butter. Mmmmm.... :)

The evening program went pretty well. It seemed very short tonight, for some reason. The story was about Jesus' death and resurrection and the beginning of the church. The students seemed to listen and take it all in. Our discussion group was brief, but it went well. I am very thankful that the students in my group have been open to discussing the story honestly. We haven't had any awkward silence moments at all. Just about everyone has shared their thoughts. I was reminded tonight that we are here to share God's word and to plant seeds. Someone else might be called to bring in the harvest. And God is the one who ultimately opens eyes to see His love. I trust that God will move in the hearts of these students in His time, and in His way.

A youth group from a nearby church came to play a concert for the students tonight. They were really good! They played worship songs and rocked out with guitars, drums, keyboard, and the whole deal. I have had some time to relax a little bit after the concert and get everything done before tomorrow. We get to sleep in a little bit and then have to be packed and ready to go by 9:30. I'll be sad to leave the students, but the wonder of facebook should help me to keep in touch. :)

I'm not exactly sure of the plan for this weekend. As far as I know, our team will be staying in the homes of some of the students from camp Saturday night and Sunday night. We are going to church with the youth group that helped put on this camp. I think we might be hanging out with them on Sunday afternoon as well. We shall see. I don't know if I'll be able to blog or not, but I'll surely update it when we get to Prague on Monday. I'm coming home soon and can't wait to share pictures and stories with all of you that have supported me! Love you! :)

Day Nine

2009-07-23T22:03:00.002+01:00

Well, I didn't think I would get to write a post tonight because the power has been out for the past two hours. It's back on now and luckily, the internet is working just fine. More about that later...

This morning went by really quickly for some reason. English class went really well. We talked about parts of the body in the first session and about food in the second session. We played a game called "Hand to Foot" where you have a partner and you have to put the body parts called out up against each other. The students loved it and we had a good laugh out of it. I also had an amazing teachable moment today that was priceless. I was just explaining the word bottom and how we say butt in America. I told them that bottom was a nicer word to use. Not even two minutes later, one of the students let out a loud fart. We all looked at him and he grinned and said, "Pardon!" I looked at him and said, "That came right out of your bottom!" We all died laughing. I then told them how to say the word 'fart' and how to ask, "Did you fart?" It was hilarious. :)

For lunch today, we had french fries and a rectangular block of fried cheese. I kid you not. It was like a mozzarella stick, but flattened into a patty. It was pretty good, but terribly unhealthy for you. Jack would have loved this meal. :) There wasn't really a structured afternoon program, so we hung out for a little bit and then I took a short nap. I also straightened up my suitcase because I have been throwing clothes everywhere. I washed a few clothes in the sink and hung them up to dry. It was really nice to be able to relax.

No fruit dumplings for dinner...I have been promised that they will come tomorrow. We shall see. I might just die if I don't get any. Before I tell you about the evening program, I should say that at our team meeting today, we all were in agreement that there is a "spirit of distraction" here this week. It seems like every time we have the evening program and discussion groups, something is distracting the students from fully engaging. The more I come to understand the power of the Holy Spirit, I also understand how hard satan tries to overpower it. Of course, he is much weaker and God ALWAYS triumphs, but he sure does try his hardest.

This evil spirit of distraction was rampant tonight. There was a huge thunderstorm right at the beginning of the evening program and the students were glued to the windows watching the wind and the rain. We didn't play an icebreaker and went right into the camp songs. As soon as everyone sat down to prepare for the message, the power went out. Crazy, huh? It's almost funny to me now how much of a nerd Satan is. Guess what tonight's topic was? The birth and life of Christ. This whole week, we have been covering a condensed version of the Old Testament. The night that the distraction is at it's all-time high is the night that Jesus comes into the picture. That must mean that God coming to earth in human form is extremely powerful. As soon as the power went out, our team all looked at each other and it was like we read each other's minds. We sat in the back of the room and prayed during the message that God would wipe out the distractions and help the students to really listen and focus on His word. And it worked. :)

The story was amazing and you could almost hear a pin drop because it was so quiet. Our discussion group went really well and a lot of the students shared very openly. Aja, our translator, was able to share her testimony with the students and they were very attentive. It is amazing to me how God answered prayer immediately. He was present throughout our discussion and I know that the students are thinking about the story and about who God is. Tomorrow night is the last night and it is about the death and resurrection of Christ. I'm pumped. :)

We were going to play CTF (Capture the Flag) tonight, but because it has been raining all evening, we just dispersed. I played cards with Kim, Jason, and four of the Czech students for about an hour and now I am getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last full day! Only one more English class and one more evening program. I will definitely be sad to leave these students, because I feel like we have been together for so long. This week started out very slowly, but now it's almost over! I'll post some final reflections of camp on Saturday if I can. I'm not sure of the internet access from Saturday until I return to the States on Wednesday. I'll post if I am able.

Thank you all for your support and know that your prayers are answered on a daily basis here. God has taught me that there is an urgency to pray for these students. He will continue working in their hearts long after we leave, but we have this one opportunity to show them God's love while we are here. It may be the only time many of them hear about Him. I have loved staying in close contact with God all day long and I hope to continue this when I return home. I love you all very much! :)

Day Eight

2009-07-22T22:31:00.002+01:00

Today has been another fun day! I have progressively woken up later and later every day, waking up at a record 7:07 this morning before the 7:15 devotional/worship time. Lack of sleep is definitely starting to wear on me a little! :)

English class went well today. We actually ended up combining with Intermediate II (I'm Intermediate I) to play two games in the second session. I need to start writing down a lot of the games/songs that I am learning here, because there are so many new ones that I didn't know about before. We met with our team after lunch and shared some frustrations and concerns. I love our meeting time, because it allows me to hear where everybody is and how their classes and discussion groups are going. We can share openly about how we feel and then leave it all at the feet of Jesus after we pray together. I love it!

I took a quick nap this afternoon. By quick, I mean about 15 minutes. Every day I keep telling myself that I would love to just sleep through an activity because I am so tired, but I'm glad that I haven't. I love getting to interact with the students and participate in the various activities. The Czech team planned "crazy games" for the afternoon activity, and would not release any more information than that. We walked behind the hotel to a mountain that is used for skiing in the winter. We proceeded to walk about halfway up and then stopped. Ivos explained that we had to get into our teams and form a loose circle. There were two giant beach balls, one for each team. We had to keep the beach ball in the air and travel as a team up another distance of the mountain. Our team won the first event. Then, we had to form two lines and there was a relay race rolling a tire up the mountain around sticks of wood and then back down. Rolling it up the hill wasn't too bad, but running back down was scary! I felt like I was going to tumble down the rest of the mountain.

Our next event was the hardest, but the funniest. We all got in a line and laid down on our backs side by side. Ivos pointed out a tree about 200 feet from where we were and said that our team had to roll down the mountain until we got to this tree. Once we got started, it was such a crazy feeling. I actually rolled completely over the girl in front of me on accident because she stopped. Our team all started slowing down and stopped because we thought we were close. That was the dizziest I have ever felt. I couldn't get up for a few minutes. Once everything stopped spinning, I realized we weren't even there yet. Our team lost this event. The last event was a food relay. We all had to run up the mountain a short distance and meet one of the Czech leaders who would put an unidentified food in our mouths while we closed our eyes. We had to chew it up and swallow it, show them it was gone and then run down to tag the next person. I had no idea what I would get. When it was my turn, they put a spoonful of sugar and two tomatoes in my mouth. YUCK! It was not at all what I was expecting, but I finished it and ran back down. Our team won this event and the whole "Crazy Game Relay." It was a lot of fun!

No fruit dumplings for dinner...I am 95% sure we will have them tomorrow. We had spaghetti instead. I sat with Erin and three of the Czech students and we learned several new words in Czech. The funniest one is budicek; the correct symbols are not on the font manager, but it is pronounced booty-check. HA! It means wake-up call. Also, poopicek, pronounced poopy-check, means belly button. :) We were laughing really hard at the table trying to say all of these words.

The evening program went pretty well tonight. I have a buddy who is in my English class that always comes to be my partner for the camp songs during the evening program. His name is Lucas and he is only 14. He is the youngest one at camp and cute as a button. He has a mullet! :) Our discussion time went well, although it wasn't very long. Zanya (pronounced J-ahnd-ya) wrote in her reflection journal from yesterday that she doesn't like the discussion groups because she is not a Christian and she doesn't know anything about God. She still didn't say anything tonight, but she was really listening and processing what people were saying. I am continually praying that God would break down barriers in her heart and open up to Him.

Last but not least, we finished out the day with a campfire. We brought supplies for smores and they were a hit! Many students have never tried smores, or even a marshmallow. They went very quickly! I am now getting ready to go to bed because I am very sleepy. Only two full days left of camp and then Saturday morning. We are rounding the home stretch now! Love you all! :)

Day Seven

2009-07-21T21:11:00.002+01:00

Today has been a GREAT day! God woke me up with a renewed spirit and I feel much better than I did yesterday. I did the devotional this morning during worship time about encouragement, because God surrounded me with it last night and today. I am so thankful for it because it has brightened my day and my perspective. I was much more positive today because of it.

We had breakfast and then watched a short video clip about Maximilian Kolbe in Auschwitz in 1941. He was a Catholic priest that took the place of another man that was going to be killed at the concentration camp. There was a follow-up story in our books that we read with the students and then we discussed some questions about it. We discussed it for an hour and a half! It really cut into my lessons that I had planned, but it was great discussion. The rest of the English lesson went well, but not quite as well as yesterday. It is kind of boring for them to study English all morning, even though I tried to make it interesting. I'm still working on them every day to make sure that they are fun and interactive. Hopefully they will continue to go well. Only three more days...

After lunch today, we went on a 3 hour hike around the city and through the woods. The views were beautiful! I'm sorry that I have not posted any pictures, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and upload them. Coming soon, I hope! :) The hike was not nearly as intense as the one last week, but it was good exercise. I enjoyed getting to talk to some of the students on the way. Dinner was good, although I'm still waiting for the fruit dumplings. Hopefully we will have them tomorrow.

The evening program went really well and our discussion group was SO MUCH BETTER! I let go of the control of the group and it made all the difference. I just participated where I could, and prayed for the students while they were discussing. I had so much more peace about it, knowing that God is working in their conversation, even if I don't know what they are saying. It requires great faith to do this, and I'm thankful that God is teaching me how to fully rely on Him. There is still one student in our group that has not participated because she says she is not a Christian. She sits very quietly, but I can see that she is listening. Continue lifting her up in prayer so that she would at least consider the story and start thinking about who God really is. I want to continue praying for her, even after I go home.

We have some free time tonight since everybody is wiped out from the hike. It's nice to have a few moments to myself and to get to go to bed early. I hope to feel more rested tomorrow. Thank you for catching up with my day and for all of your prayers. I love you and pray that God is moving in your lives as well today. :)

Day Six

2009-07-20T22:16:00.002+01:00

Today has been an emotionally and physically draining day. It has been a good one, but it has taken a lot out of me. We had our devotional/worship time and breakfast this morning, then our English classes until 12:30. My class went really well today! I tried to keep them moving from one activity to the next so that they wouldn't get bored. It is difficult to do that and still get a lot of concepts in, but they seemed to enjoy it today. It was fun for me too. I feel like I am really on the same page with the translator, Aja. She decided to stay with our group for the whole week since she is building relationships with the students as well. She is so helpful and explains things really well to the students.

We had lunch and then our team was responsible for the afternoon activity. We tie-dyed bandanas different colors for the students to keep and then played some relay games. Everything went really well, although I was unsure how they would like it. We got rained out on our last game and came running back to the hotel. :) I sat with two Czech girls and Tom (from the Czech team) for dinner and we had quite an interesting conversation about the Easter traditions in the Czech Republic. Tom explained to me that for Easter every year, all of the males in the Czech republic get bats, pieces of wood, and other "weapons" and go to the houses of all the girls in their village and hit them with the weapons. Yes. They hit all of the women in the village on Easter. He said they didn't draw blood or break limbs, but they hit fairly hard. There is some kind of legend that says a woman will dry up and wither away if the men do not do this. It sounds absolutely crazy to me and the girls told some stories from past Easters. One girl has a scar on her head from trying to get away from the boys last Easter. She accidentally ran into a glass door because she didn't see it and it shattered all over her. That's insane!! Tom said it was the best holiday in Czech for the guys. I could not believe it. Note to self: Never come to the Czech Republic during Easter.

Our evening program was the same format as last night. Our icebreaker for tonight was the "dating game." All the girls got a purple slip of paper and all the boys got a blue slip. There were symbols or shapes on each slip of paper and we had to find our male/female counterpart. Once we found them, we had to dance with them. My first partner was Matej (Matthew) and we did the polka around the room! :) Then, Jerry shared the next part of the "Story of God" and we had our discussion group. Here's where the emotional drainage comes in. Our translator decided that it would be best to have the discussion groups in Czech so that the students could express their ideas clearly. She tried to keep me up to date with the conversation, but it was very difficult to follow. I felt like the whole group was so distracted and that everyone was not participating. Students talked at the same time as one another, a few were laying down, some were having a side conversation, and there were two little children that belong to one of the leaders that were running around the room the whole time. It was impossible for me to follow the dialogue. I was really discouraged after the first group, so while the second part of the story was being read, I sat in the back of the room and prayed like crazy for my group. I asked God to take away the distractions and provide an environment for the students to share openly.

The second discussion group seemed to go the same as the first. I felt like I had no control over what was going on and I was so frustrated. I sat down to talk to Aja and Autumn afterwards and I just lost it. (Here come the tears again) I told Aja that it seemed like some students didn't share at all and others talked a lot. Everyone was not engaged in the conversation, or so it seemed to me. She told me that it went really well and a lot of the students brought up interesting points. She said that the few that were not participating were really listening and not to worry about them. She wants to talk more to Zaneta, who said yesterday that she is not a Christian and does not believe in God. But she felt like it went really well.

So after listening to that and venting about my frustrations, I realized that Satan is definitely biting at my heels. I was the one that was distracted and not able to focus. I could have been praying for the students the whole time while they were speaking in Czech. It really made me think about what my purpose is on this trip. I have realized that Americans are very results-oriented. We always want a final product, neatly wrapped with a bow on the top. We miss some of the process because we just want that final product. I came into this trip thinking that the students were going to be excited to discuss the "Story of God" and that I would lead the discussion group with all these great questions. It doesn't quite work that way. God is the one moving in hearts and minds this week, not me. And tonight I had no control. Which means I need to let go of the reigns I am trying to hold and give it all over to Him. He is in charge this week.

So as frustrating as today was, I know that God is moving in our group in a powerful way. I just need to stay attuned to Him and pray for my students like crazy. I got several messages today from people that said they are praying for me and it was awesome to know that. Especially after a day like today, your prayers back home are covering me in God's grace.

After the emotional breakdown, we had a photo scavenger hunt all around the hotel and surrounding area. It was a lot of fun and my team barely came in 2nd. It was a nice reminder that I am here to have fun with the students and build relationships with them. That speaks volumes. When I am tempted to dip out on some of the activities, God reminds me that I am only here for a short while. My willingness to participate in everything and to hang out with the students shows them His love.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your support back home. It is never easy doing God's work, no matter where you are. We all need a support system to back us up. I am so incredibly blessed to have one here with me on the trip as well as one back home. I love you all. :)

Day Five

2009-07-19T22:11:00.004+01:00

Well, today was the first official day of camp and the beginning of English classes. I woke up very early this morning and had to be ready for the devotional/worship time at 7:00 a.m. We had breakfast after that and then jumped right into English classes at 9:00. I really like my class. :) There is a good mix of personalities and English knowledge in the class, so we had several good discussions. They seemed to like everything that we did and I felt like it went well. A woman named Aja is our interpreter until tomorrow; we will have a different one on Tuesday. She is great! She helped out a lot and encouraged the students to speak in English as much as possible. I really enjoyed working with her. She also told me that I have great pronunciation and that I spoke very slowly. Score! I don't have any major complaints about the class, but I need to gear my lessons more towards conversation for the rest of the week.

We had lunch right after class and had some of the best mashed potatoes EVER. Almost as good as my mom's, but not quite. :) Our team met to discuss our game plan for tomorrow and catch up with how our first day went. It's kind of funny because on most mission trips, you work side by side your team all day every day. However, we are all pretty separate on this trip since we have our English classes and discussion groups a good chunk of the day. It was nice to speak English at a normal pace and catch up with everyone. We worked on some games and other things for tomorrow until it was time for the afternoon activity.

The afternoon activity was hilarious. We all drew a slip of paper out of a bucket that had the name of a fairy tale character/creature on it. We got into our English class groups and had about an hour to come up with a skit. I pulled out: The Ugly Duckling. Ha! The rest of our group had characters such as the frog prince, Snow White (played by a boy), Dori from Nemo, a goldfish, a gummy bear, and a character from Duck Tales. Very random. I can't even quite tell you the plot line of our skit because I had no clue what was going on. They told me to go put on all grey and to make a beak. I also made webbed feet out of construction paper and taped them to my feet. Everyone came up with some sort of a costume and we acted out a story for the whole camp. Each camp had their own skit and they were hilarious. Our group attempted to do it all in English and some made sense, some didn't. :) It was a lot of fun.

We had dinner and I think it's funny that I just talked about Czech food yesterday. Something else that is quite different about Czech food is that they have several "sweet" dishes for dinner. Tonight we had broken up chunks of bread in a creamy sweet sauce. That was it. I felt so weird eating it because it tasted like dessert. They also have something called fruit dumplings that I think we will have later on this week. I have had it explained to me, but I'll post about it when I have it. :P

Our evening program went pretty well tonight. I helped sing some of the camp songs and we played a few icebreakers that were fun. We listened to the story of God casting Satan out of heaven and God creating the earth tonight. We had two discussion groups about these stories and I think they went okay. They were entirely in Czech, because the translator thought it would be easier to discuss without the constant translation. I didn't get to hear a lot of what was said, although she tried to fill me in every so often. It was a little bit discouraging because I really wanted to hear the hearts of the students and talk to them in depth about the stories. I trust that God worked in that conversation, however, and that He continues to work in it the rest of the week. Autumn, the JV intern with my group, leaned over to a girl next to her that was very quiet and asked her what she thought. She said that she is not a Christian and doesn't believe the story, so she has nothing to add. That really made me think about our task here. So many students need to see the love and power of God in the story and in our lives. I have the awesome privilege of praying for these students, that their hearts and minds would be open to His message, whether they have exposure to it or not.

So, to my prayer warriors back home, here are the names of the precious students in my group that I am already starting to love. They are each special and I really want them to feel accepted and loved this week. In no particular order: Patrik, Zaneta, Lucas, Ondra, Eva, Alca, and Verca. Each of them is unique and special and I am enjoying getting to know them. I ask that you pray for their hearts this week so that they would soak up the love of God, whether they realize that's what it is or not. Pray for our team and the JV intern team, that we spend time intentionally focusing on these students. What an awesome opportunity to share Christ's love, mostly without directly talking about Him.

I have really gotten to know Autumn, one of the JV interns, pretty well in the past 5 days. She and I talked for about an hour and a half tonight, about life and all sorts of stuff. It's cool to have a connection with her while I am here to process things about camp with. I connect with my teammates as well, but she is close in age to me, which makes it easier to talk to her. God has really blessed me with that friendship on this trip.

I have pretty much been tired ever since we arrived because of extensive traveling, late nights, and long days. My body and mind are growing weary, but my heart is so excited about each day. I am relying on God for my strength and energy and not on my own. Thank you all for keeping up with my blog and for praying for us. You are part of the team as well through your support! Love you all! :)