A funny story

I could write about the wonderful break that Thanksgiving has been, the hour Daniel patiently spent in Christmas section at Wal-Mart, or my big hair cut, but I think a story from school is just what this post needs.

So...I have some pretty ornery boys in my Spanish class. Luckily they are separated and in different Spanish classes. However, we have a Seminar period that is about 30 minutes before lunch when students read, set academic and life goals, and do homework and I have two of my orneries during this time. It just so happens another one of my boys came in for help and they all managed to sit in the same pod of desks. I walked by to monitor their behavior and one boy had challenged another, we'll call them Burly and Smalls. Enjoy the events that transpired.

Smalls : "I bet you can pull me across the desk."
Burly: "You wanna bet little man. Hold on and I'll yank you right over."

Smalls grabs hold of Burly's fist and tug of war begins. Burly seems a bit surprised by the strength of Smalls and pulls even harder. Smalls continue to hold tight and then without warning lets go. Burly's fist goes flying into his chin and he hits himself harder than Smalls ever could have.

Burly: (laughing in disbelief) You...you little...(unable to say anything because he's shocked)
Smalls: (laughing just as hard) I can't believe you fell for it!
Me: Secretly thinks "That was the best thing I've seen in all year. I didn't know Smalls was that clever."

I don't know if you can fully appreciate this event, but for a group of boys who usually use their loudness and behavior to cause problems for others, having an event that turns their "energy" on each other was funny and intriguing. To make things better, a boy in yearbook was talking to me later in the afternoon and shared that he had exploded during another class. When I asked what had happened, he hold me a story identical to the fist punching prank that had transpired in my class only hours before. Once again, a smile was brought to my face as I pictured the scene and I smiled even bigger when I thought about it happening twice in one day.

Will this memory be one of my fondest from this year? Most definitely.

One month at a time

As I sit here writing Dipstick is preciously curled up on my lap, I'm looking out at the frost on the ground, and enjoying a much appreciated day off of work. I also realize while writing this that monthly post are probably going to be the norm for a while. So enjoy a recap of October's happenings.



School is going. There are days I'm sick to my stomach about the apathy of kids. Yesterday I seriously hoped a kid would punch me because it would mean he would have to be removed from my class. My students are really pretty cool kids, but encouraging students to move past indifference and become self sufficient learners is an unbelievably complex, complicated, and draining process...hence the desperate wish to be punched so I could end the battle without admitting defeat. On the bright side I have been proposed to by a student, so if I just can't handle teaching I can take him up on his offer and become a criminal....HA!



Daniel and I both celebrated birthdays this month, but despite being another year older I still look like a 17 year old in my school picture. Speaking of pictures...I was in charge of picture day at Sedan. There were nothing short of horror stories told to me about this day. I really had no clue what I was doing and orchestrating a picture schedule for PK-12 was daunting. So, on picture day I took a Dr. Pepper just in case things got really bad and prepared for the unknown. Despite the horror stories and my concerns, the day ran really smoothly. I drank my Dr. Pepper in victory rather than defeat and by 7th hour I was a little giddy for a job well done (if I do say so myself).

And now for a final laugh. In light of the cooling weather I wanted to make something falltastic for dinner. Potato soup came to mind and last night I baked the potatoes so they'd be ready to go for today. Unfortunately I didn't stop baking them until 3:30 this morning. Dipstick was meowing and it woke me up enough to realize that I had forgotten to take them out of the oven...oops. I tried to salvage my mistake, but there were blisters on the potato skins and they were pretty hard. Luckily we still had soup tonight and it gave Daniel a chuckle when I told him this morning. I still have a ways to go until domestic goddess is my name, but I can live with teacher extraordinaire for now....

A new post, what?!?!?

For all those who live vicariously through my blog (cough, cough my dad) I apologize for my blogging absence. I have wanted to write a few times, but I haven't had super funny stories/trying to think, let alone write, in complete sentences at the end of the day has been a challenge. I have a couple particular insight from this first month. Please enjoy.

Discipline
I have high expectations for myself and that translates to high expectations for my class. Unfortunately not everyone has the same ambitious spirit as I do (shocking!) so there are days when what I want out of my students is met with resistance. It is my job to assert my authority, but ultimately my goal is for my students to want to strive for excellence. You might be thinking this goal is a little to idealistic, but I invite you into my thought process. I could force kids to do what I want because I'm the teacher...problem is this takes so much emotional and mental energy. Instead I think the answer lies in modeling my classroom after the ultimate authority. I know God may not seem like the typical guide for classroom management, but if you think about it, God has standards for conduct, but He is not going to force anyone into a relationship with Him. Similarly, I need standards, but I will not constantly fight with a student to do what I ask. Furthermore, while God isn't going to force anything, He also isn't going to let a person's denial of Him go without consequences. Likewise I cannot let a student get by with completely ignoring my expectations. So what does this look like practically? Well, I have a particular student who when asked to get out his book and pencil responds like I just asked him to find the solution for world peace. There isn't much he won't get worked up about. In my experience, albeit limited, kids who constantly have discipline issues have a much bigger story under their defiant facade. So when I feel a struggle coming on I give him a chance to make up his mind with some gentle prompting in the right direction. If nothing improves, I firmly remind him of my expectations and consequences. Finally, like any good parent, heavenly or otherwise, I follow through. This particular student has seen me very intense and serious about my expectations as well as encouraging and compassionate. I honestly feel like this freaks him out more than yelling ever would. There's something about being perfectly loved and disciplined at the same time that causes us to take our actions more seriously, and at the end of the day, my hope is that students are thinking about their actions rather than just doing or not doing something because I said so. I make it sound like I am God in teacher form, when in reality I have failed more often than not at Godly discipline in this first month of teaching. However, it is encouraging to think that if God's discipline can work for the world, surely it can be highly effective in the classroom.

Motivation
Motivating students is one of the top struggles for teacher today. Kids are not pushed at home to achieve excellence and with mediocrity being the model many of them witness, why should they dream big. Well I may have the secret to motivating kids...comfortable seating. I have a two person couch and two chairs in the back of my room. During a review game a couple weeks ago, winners won the right to sit in the chairs for a couple class periods. You honestly would think these chairs have special powers because of the way they draw kids to them. One of the chairs is particularly comfy and I have had a couple high dollar offers to purchase it (high dollar for a H.S. student). I want to say to theses offers, "Really, really you do know it's just a chair, right?!?!" Besides the magical seating, there are also a couple puzzles of Mexico on the table in the middle of the seating. These puzzles have been taken apart and put together again I don't even know how many times. Students have them memorized, but they still want to do them. Who knew some seating and puzzles of Mexico would play such a large role in my student motivation plan.

I hope this post has satisfied your update appetite. I have a few more thoughts, but those complete sentences seem to be more and more difficult to formulate right now, so I'm off to bed with a commitment to blog in a more timely manner in the future. Adios!

I'm a Survivor

Well I have found a few moments to escape the black hole that has been my life lately. I officially survived my first few days as a teacher. I sweat surprisingly less than I thought I would and there were fewer butterflies than expected, but nothing could stop the occasional moments when "how am I going to do this?!?" ran through my head. From what I can tell I have great kids, but the loss of my summer has caused me to grieve (please don't judge). I think more than anything else I feel like I'm walking on a tight rope. I have every tool to succeed, I get a thrill out of doing something I've always wanted to do, but the balancing act of being a new teacher in an established system causes me to take quite a few deep breaths throughout the day. Each day is a step of experience, still I anxiously look forward to making it to the end of the year and triumphantly saying "I made it!" Honestly, what has gotten me through the week besides an awesome husband and a few phone calls to my parents is the reality that my role as a teacher is far greater than my lessons or classroom management. God has gifted me in an incredible way and in my weakness His power is made perfect. I have clung to God in so many ways over this past week and I have overcome fears, felt peace, put one foot in front of the other, and done other things that I could not have done without a belief that God is an intricate God who is weaving the details of this season of my life into an incredible experience; one that will reveal some of the most amazing things about God to me and to those who I have the privilege (something obligation) of interacting with. So with that, I'm not entirely sure how this week will go, I still feel a little worn out from last week, but life is good.

Now for some pictures of my room.

I'm back

After a vacation, welcoming my sister back from Indonesia, and a week at church camp I have returned to blogging. There is so much to tell, but due to the lack of sleep at camp I can only form short thoughts.

Vacation thoughts...
Daniel and I had a blast in Portland and San Francisco. It was nice break from the heat and humidity of Kansas. The walking tour of Portland, Redwood Forest, and Alcatraz are my top three memories from the trip. It was also nice to celebrate our one year anniversary with a vacation. The year was full of transitions some easy and others not as much, but God was incredibly faithful through it all. Daniel and I have grown better individually and for each other, which trumps the work it takes to be married.

Church camp thoughts...
I was not all together thrilled about spending the week away from Daniel, but it turned out to be one of the coolest things I've done all summer. If I had to come up with a catchy line for camp it would be 'Tan Lines and Changed Lives.' It didn't matter if kids were already Christians or were introduced to it for the first time, everyone took away a challenge to be the men and women we're called to be in Christ through serving others. It's crazy to think about this being different than charity and more like laying down our ambitions to be part of a bigger picture that is God's love in action. Besides the opportunity to love on kids and challenge them there was plenty of time in the sun to get a tan. I was able to take advantage of the sun and came home with a sweet flip flop tan line.

One funny story among many was my slip and slide experience. I decided to face my fear and go down the slide. Unfortunately I didn't get quite the momentum I needed to make it all the way to the pool of water at the end. The youth group girls described it was preciously pathetic. Oh well...at least they'll remember my attempt.

All in a all it's been a great past couple of weeks. Tiring but good. Now it's time to get ready for school....AGH!!!

Interesting Facts

A friend passed on this questionaire and thought you might enjoy having this information about me on hand. Enjoy!

1. What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

Chicken Alfredo Bake -- A nice take on traditional alfredo.

2. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I dreamed of being a teacher and an astronaut. I think I achieved both of those dreams because I will be teaching Spanish this year and we had our wedding reception at the Cosmosphere...kind of like being an astronaut, right?!?

3. What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

The Lies Women Believe, And the Truth That Sets Them Free. It's an awesome book that takes a look the process of deception, how women act on it, and the biblical truth that can break the cycle.

4. How do you relax?

Reading! Reading is to me what a cold beer at the end of the long day is for most people.

5. What color are the interior walls of your home?

Earth tones. I'm personally attached to the soft brown in our kitchen and gray blue in our bedroom because I chose the colors myself. I was a sight to behold the week I painted the house.

6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

HGTV. I could never be a designer because I take too long to make decisions and I'm not willing to design any other way than my own style, but I love to watch other people design rooms. The only good thing about Daniel not being home is that I can watch as much of HGTV as I want. First Time Design is my new favorite show.

7. What time is bedtime and getting up time?

We're usually in bed around 10:30 or 11, although in the summer I'm a lot more willing to stay up and watch a movie. Unfortunately Daniel doesn't have the same summer spirit...pesky job. Right now I'm trying to get up between 7:30 and 8. I'm not entirely sure how I can need so much sleep, but I honestly feel like anything less that 9 hours is not enough sleep for me.

8. How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

I check to see if anyone has updated their blogs a couple times a day, so I guess that means I spend a decent amount (that's about as quantifiable as I get) of time reading blogs.

Soakin' in the Sunshine

I should maybe re-title this soaked by the sunshine. This past weekend Daniel and I went to his family farm to help out, which is the closest thing you'll have on most farms to a Father's Day celebration in late June. In the afternoon Daniel and I raked and bailed hay. I got the job of raking in an open air tractor, thus meaning the amount of air conditioning was determined by how quickly I drove against the wind. It actually wasn't all that bad, but somehow my clothes were stuck to my body like a leather jumpsuit. Daniel showed me the ropes the first couple times around and I had moments of roller coaster like screaming. Those pesky hills seem huge even if we were only going 10 mph. I got the hang of things pretty quickly except that while trying to not re-rake some hay I got too close to a brush area and hit the outside rake wheel on a tree. It bent the frame holding the wheel a little and as a result the wheel wasn't spinning like it should. Luckily Daniel and I switched it with the back wheels and things were good to go. Lynn (Daniel's dad) said it was no big deal...I just had to heat it and beat it back into shape the next time I came...I considered the day a success because we helped accomplish something, my pores were fully purified, I'm on a hydration kick (it's amazing how far I'm from getting the recommended amount of water/day), and I didn't get sunburned.

In other news, our women's church league softball team is 2-0. Our first win came by default of another team's forfeit, which left me wondering how good we actually would be, but last night we rallied to win 5-4. I had a great time and forgot how much fun it is to play on a team, especially a team who is humbled by the passing of time since playing in high school, but still puts together some respectable fielding and needed hitting.

Dipstick is into chasing his (we're 90% positive it's a he) tail. I guess when something is the opposite color from the rest of your body it only seems natural to not realize it's yours. He is becoming very playful and loves to jump and tackle things. Don't worry, Dipstick is still able to find plenty of time to sleep.

Finally, am I the only one who can't believe next Sunday is the 4th of July?!?! Seriously, it doesn't seem possible that almost a year ago I was about to get married. I still distinctly remember last year's 4th since it marked the one week to go point and I assure you that memory is too fresh to be essentially a year old. Point being, I'm fascinated with the passing of time right now, something I imagine only increases with age, and I need to get on my teaching and scrapbooking projects before I find myself wondering how it's already August!!!

Dipstick

Last week Daniel and I made an addition to our family. The story is as follows...

A delightful thunderstorm was rolling through as Daniel was leaving for work. I say delightful because I knew that the dark sky and rumbles of thunder would make it easy to sleep in. Little did I know how much a little meow could disrupt this. I heard something outside my window, but I thought it was just a bird, but after a little while I knew it had to be a cat. "No big deal," I thought, "the cat will move along if I ignore it." Didn't happen. Finally I knew there would be no sleeping in and I ventured to see what was out there. I was expecting a cat, but what I found was a little fluff ball that was getting rained on. I tell you God made no mistakes when giving animals survival skills. I couldn't help but bring it in. I gave it a little milk and thought about what to do with it (keep in mind this was after I called my parents to see what to do.) I was completely ready to give the kitten to the animal shelter if need be and there was a momma cat running around outside our house. Either option seemed smart, but an unfortunate/fortunate attachment had formed on my part. So I told Daniel that if after leaving the kitten outside the whole night and the mom hadn't claimed it we could keep the kitten. Daniel thought about it as we watched the kitten through an open window. Suddenly the kitten was halfway inside the window after it had climbed the brick on the side of our house and jumped through the window. This was the only convincing Daniel needed to agree that the kitten was worth keeping. Well the kitten was still here in the morning...

So we became the proud parents of a wall climbing, cute kitten. Still, this cute kitten had fleas and since most flea medicines can't be used on cats under 12 weeks, Dawn, which kills fleas immediately, is the best alternative. I didn't know that fleas took blood from their victim, but apparently anemia to the point of death is a leading cause of death for kittens. Let's see if you can do a problem solution scenario...Fleas, possible anemia, no flea medicine (problem), solution? You guessed it, a bath with Dawn soap. Daniel was great enough to wear tube socks (so his arms didn't get scratched) and help me bath the kitten in the kitchen sink. Keeping a cat in suds for 5 minutes is not for the faint of heart and it's true that there's nothing sadder than a wet cat.

Prior to the bath, Daniel had been insistent that the kitten be named Dipstick because of the tail coloring (see picture). I tried to come up with an alternative, but it seemed to be a losing battle, and after I considered Daniel's willingness to give the kitten a bath, it seemed as though there was no choice, so Dipstick it is. Once dried and flea free, Dipstick is a fluffy kitten and an enjoyable companion. We are still working on whether it's a boy or girl, but all in good time.

Dipstick made a trip to Hutchinson this past weekend as Daniel and I traveled there for a wedding. My parents got to be kitten sitters for a while and I'm concerned/excited to see what they will be like when we bring a human baby. My dad has Dipstick as the photo background for his phone, and when talking to my mom on the phone yesterday, she asked me how Dipstick was doing before showing the slightest concern for my well being. It seems as though they are the proud grandparents of a kitten.

Productive(ish)

Well after a total disaster as far as productivity yesterday, I vowed to use my time better today. While I enjoyed my naps and book reading I knew that I was just avoiding tasks that weren't as easy to start. Unfortunately or fortunately, avoiding my to-do list only makes me feel worse. The challenge is to take the blah feeling I get from avoiding and being lazy and translate it into action. So today has been full of small steps. I haven't completely whipped myself into shape, but I have done the laundry, unpacked from our long weekend, cleaned the kitchen, and mopped the kitchen floors. It makes me feel so good to be a good steward to my time. So here's the question of the day, why do I, and I'm guessing a few others out there, resist doing things that have intrinsic and extrinsic benefits (exercising, tackling a to do list, etc.)?

In other news....

1. Daniel and I got to enjoy our family and friends this weekend. I saw some Kappas at a wedding in the KC area. I love the opportunities life is presenting right now, but man oh man I miss being around the people who I had an established college career with. There's vitality and realness I experience when I catch up with those who were part of my K-State and Kappa story. We experienced some of life's most exciting times together and opened ourselves up to each other when we were little more than strangers and ended up finding a genuine friendship. I know I will make friends throughout my life, but the bond I have with my friends from K-State is very strong and I feel a sadness when I realize weddings and occasional phone calls have replaced day to day interactions. For everything there is a season and I'm grateful for wedding season!

2. Caroline made is safely to Indonesia. It's a little crazy that's she's thousands of miles away for two months, but I'm so proud of her. It takes confidence in a vision to set off on a trek to a new culture and country to share life with strangers.

3. I'm not meant to be a rodeo clown. While working cattle this weekend a little stampede occurred. Two bulls started fighting in the pen we had corralled the cows into. When one of them got beat he decided to move along at a forceful pace. This caused all the other cows in front of him to do the same. When I heard Lynn, Daniel's dad, yelling I thought he wanted us to move with the cows closer to where we would load them. No, no he wanted us to get out of the way. I have an odd tendency to have a deer in the headlights look when I see large animals coming my way (this oddly means I have been in enough situations to pick up on this tendency). Luckily Daniel yelled at me to jump on the fence and I listened thus avoiding being knocked down by very large and very fast moving cattle. I only have a couple bruises on my shins to show for my life saving jump to the fence. Better than the broken body that would have been the result had I not gotten out of the way. Moral of the story, appreciate the beef you eat because working and herding cattle is not an easy job.

4. I am in the process of reviewing textbooks for my class next year. Below are the two different samples I got. If I had to choose just on packaging the job would be done, but I should probably look through the books. I'll let you know which one I choose.

It's Summa Time

I should hopefully be posting more frequently now that my days at Fredonia High School are offically finished. The last day of school was less than exciting, so much so that I didn't have one little tingle of the last day of school feeling. I'm not sure if the kids weren't happy about what their summers held, or if there was so much apathy towards school that the break summer provides is not much different than the break they've been all year. Either way, I'm pumped about summer and think it's fitting to start the break off on the right foot by sharing my list of the top things I want to get done. I am now held accountable by all my followers.

1. Create our wedding scrapbook.

I'll be honest I did not have the artsy photographer who can snap photos from creative viewpoints and more importantly artistically edit them later. If I had to do it all over I would probably choose a photographer whose focus is catching the littlest of details and making the normal seem like a piece of artwork. Still, I have quality pictures from our wedding and plan to add my own creativity by making a scrapbook. I'm hoping and guessing that my final product will prove to be more special to me than what any expensive photographer could have done.

Here's an example of what I mean by "artsy" photography.

2. Outline school year.

I hold no ideal notion that I can write lessons for a year and have the school year follow my exact plan. However, I know all too well that half the time it takes to create lessons comes down to making handouts, presentations, etc. and doing the research. I know the basic things we'll cover next year in Spanish, so having a general idea of how the year will progress, making a few standard handouts, and really hashing out what my expectations are for the class will be a big step towards having a survivable first year of teaching. I'll have a better idea what exactly I want to get done before school starts once I have a textbook chosen.

3. Yard work/House work
These are pretty self explanatory. I am struggling with my green thumb. Things I've planted are living, but there are a few things that look a little worse for wear. I've come to the conclusion that flowers are like babies, things happen to them that make them unhappy, but they are unable to tell me what's wrong. We'll see how well my plants are doing come August. I hope to be quite the nurturer in the end.

4. Read...A LOT!

Getting a library card was the highlight of my day, which is anything but lame in my mind. With it I checked out three books, all of them historical fictions. I feel motivated by my to do list, but reading could be the one thing that takes my focus off what I should get done. Not the worse thing to happen, but I'm sure Daniel would not appreciate the excuse that I could not make supper or mow the yard for days at a time because I was reading a good book. I'll keep you updated on the pages read to other tasks worked on ratio throughout the summer.

The big J-O-B

I had could never have guessed how this semester was going turn out. After graduation I was waiting eagerly to begin substituting only to wake up whenever I wanted rather than by calls from schools...okay so getting up whenever was nice, but not subbing was a bummer. Then after a quick visit to Parsons' district office I found myself subbing regularly. Next, Cherryvale got hold of my name and I became one heck of a P.E. sub. Finally, came the break of the semester. Unfortunately it came as a result of a teacher's encounter with death, BUT this teacher is at home and doing well. She will be back at school shaping minds in August. After working with a few of her students I'm not so sure their "energy" didn't play a role in her medical breakdown (they would tell you the same thing). Still there was some pondering on my part as to what next year would hold. As much as subbing has been fun it doesn't quite do justice to the college degree I earned. Oddly enough I found myself this weekend with two job offers, one English and one Spanish. The following segment is an insight to how intricate I am and how interesting/stressful/fun a job hunt can be.

Okay here we go...I reluctantly (because of the less than ideal drive the job would involve) put in an application to teach Spanish at Sedan H.S. However, the cost in gas was insignificant compared to the fact that I would not being paying back a scholarship I took in college that was contingent on me teaching Spanish for two years. So I found myself with an offer to interview with Sedan. I have to share that initially the interview was slated to take place at Braums because the principal was headed my direction and that was a middle ground. I ended up meeting him at a Fredonia track me. Long story short I was offered a job pending board approval. After visiting the high school I drove home feeling someone trapped in a corner because I was looking at working at job because it was the only option rather than because I had chose it. Little did I know what choices would do to me....

While waiting for official approval I got a call from Coffeyville about a possible English position. I took an interview just to cover my bases. I was offered a job on the spot and all the sudden felt the extreme weight of making the "right" decision (remember the trapped feeling of not having choices...I'm a piece of work). After comparing what seem like apples to oranges I felt like I was at an impasse. Luckily I am married to one amazing man and have some incredible family support. With the help of what I like to call the "miracle decision making chart" I was able to prioritize what I was wanting in a job and how each school stacked up. I tend to over analyze (shocking) so I was struggling to stay objective and keep my ideal job rather than the two schools in mind. Once again, I am married to an amazing man who made sure the prioritizing and assigning of points was beyond the reach of my over analytical tentacles. Alas after really considering what mattered most to me I chose Sedan. Slowly but surely the weight came off my shoulders and I am pumped about next year. I know no job is perfect and you can fully anticipate venting posts in the future. Still, I have been further affirmed in my ability as a teacher and feel a little awed by how perfectly things have fallen into place for something that means so much to me and I've worked hard to achieve.

Adios de su maestra de español!

Waiting game

Well I thought I would hear from Sedan about being their Spanish teacher for next year after their board met last night. Thanks to the weather however, the board meeting was cancelled. They haven't decided when it will be rescheduled, so I wait. I visited the school last week and was impressed with the relationships between staff and students. It will take a while to feel comfortable in a new system where everyone knows me, but I couldn't be much more clueless. Another thing I noticed when I was at Sedan was the various depictions of their mascot the blue devil. I've been a wildcat since high school so the switch to something else, especially something like a devil, seems almost dark. Luckily after a little research on the famous Duke Blue Devils I learned the mascot is more patriotic than religious, whew ;) Below is a little history I took from www.duke.edu (wouldn't want to forget to cite my source).

uring World War I the Chasseurs Alpins, "les Diables Bleus," were well known French soldiers. They first gained attention when their unique training and alpine knowledge was counted upon to break the stalemate of trench warfare in their native region of the French Alps...When the United States entered the war, units of the French Blue Devils toured the country helping raise money in the war effort. Irving Berlin captured their spirit in song describing them as "strong and active, most attractive . . . those Devils, the Blue Devils of France."

And for your viewing pleasure...

The French Blue Devil

The Sedan Blue Devil

That's all for now. Hopefully no more tornados and severe weather keep me from getting a job.

Long

Long Time Coming:

This past weekend our church participated in day focused on being the church. So often church is the place to talk about the right things to do, but it's not known for going out and helping the people who desperately need an encounter with God's incomparable love. So our church came up with a wide variety activities for our members to participate in and instead of having church we went out and served. This was a project that had been in the works for a while and was very much anticipated. Some of us went to the hospital to talk to people who wanted a visitor, others cleaned up a house on the verge of being condemned. We visited local agencies like the police, fire, and EMT departments and shared our appreciation with gift baskets. Kids went up and down the streets picking up trash and mowing lawns. We also had a group who helped another church by cleaning and organizing their clothes closet. Most everyone in the church participated regardless of age and while it was similar to community service, the purpose was to share God's love and serve with hearts aligned with the heart Jesus has in the Bible. I had the opportunity to go the hospital and meet with a couple of guys. I think the coolest thing about it was that we weren't there as doctors or obligated relatives. We didn't have to feel sorry for the people or advise them of the treatments they should pursue. We were simply there to live life on life with people and be an encouragement. The CEO of the hospital greeted us, we talked with one man who was getting to go home, and another who was probably not going to leave the hospital alive. Regardless of their situation each of the gentleman share that this is what the church was about. In a world where the values of the church seem undermined by the hypocrisy of its followers it was refreshing to be part of something that was faith in action. So if I may climb onto my soapbox, please go and be the church. Don't just go to church to learn about what the right thing to do is, DO IT! Share your faith, fix a broken relationship, seek to align your life to the Bible not the Bible to fit the needs of your life, and seek ways to love because you were first loved. Okay I'm off my box, but seriously...

Long Week:

Despite being Thursday and almost the end of the week I feel like it has been a longer than normal week. Daniel is battling poison ivy from our church work day on Sunday and I'm dealing with a scratchy throat Daniel brought back from his work trip to Dallas last week. Both of us have felt fatigued. Last night I asked Daniel if he had lost his job because he looked so dejected and tired. Luckily the answer was no and some homemade ice cream perked up both of us.

Long Term Sub:

I found out this week I will be finishing the year as the English/Speech teacher at Fredonia. I'm excited to see some of the lessons I've started to the end. I'm basically getting a second student teaching experience but with pay and no portfolio! We're watching Oklahoma! in the advanced drama class. When I asked them if they had ever heard the theme song from it they looked at me like I was nuts. I thought singing a little bit of it would help...nope just more "you're crazy" looks and I felt like I was some out of touch 85-year-old. And just to solidify the fact that I'm a weird adult one of the boys in speech class asked if I was a partier. Another boy responded, "Dude, does she look like she was partier?" I told them I was a big Dr. Pepper fan. Somehow this conversation gave the green light to the boy who had asked the question initially to seek my advice about what would happen if he wore a camelback (see picture below) filled with beer instead of water and wore it under his graduation robe. I recommended getting out of high school in peace and not testing the school's administrators more than he already had. So it's official. I'm an unadventurous teacher who knows about movies, songs, and shows that these kids have never heard of. So this is what it's like to not be mistaken as a middle or high schooler? I like it.

Random Thoughts

I'd like to share a few of the thoughts from the CMA awards.

1. It's crazy that I know every word of some of the songs, but didn't have a clue what the singers looked like until tonight. I wouldn't have guessed that some of them looked the way they do. I wonder what people would think I would look like if they only knew my voice?

2. Are the seats comfortable?

3. How do you go about being one of the people who hands the awards to people? Is there a try out or is it just about who you know? I think I'd be pretty good at it...bucket list item, maybe.....

4. As great as it would be to win an award I think the next best thing is to be the wife of a winner because you a) an "I love you and couldn't do this with you" on national T.V. and b) you get to get all dressed up for a really fun concert.

5. I love country music.

In other news Daniel and I had a very productive weekend. I got the pleasure of mowing the grass and not on a riding mower. I thought it seemed more laborious than I remembered, but figured I was just out of shape. Little did I know the mower was not self propelled like the one from my childhood. Although my hands hurt today, I really feel a sense of accomplishment. Thus begins my love/hate relationship with mowing. Another accomplishment is a potential and probable job. I am waiting for the official okay from Sedan High School to be the Spanish teacher for next year. I know the excitement will wear off and the stress of being a first year teacher will be overwhelming at times, but as I sub I realize even more how much this is what I want to do, how much I care about these kids, and how much I sense the impact I have the opportunity to make. I know there are a lot of things people see in young people and popular culture for that matter that might raise some red flags about the direction we're headed as society. I have the same concerns when I see how cheap relationships and sex have become, how success is equated with money rather than integrity, and so on. Still, I wholeheartedly believe that I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a fork in the road for kids that might just direct them to something bigger than themselves...oh yeah and teach Spanish too.

Have a great week all!

Growing Up

This weekend I went home for my cousin's bridal shower and a much needed visit. I hadn't be home since January and it was nice to drive on the ever familiar roads. It was also a time to organize/reduce the mass of things collecting in my former room. I should have taken a picture of the stacks of boxes, clothes, papers, and blankets that were all over the room. To be fair a summer where one sister has an internship, makes a trip to the ICU, and then is home briefly before going back to K-State combined with another sister who prepares for a wedding, gets married, and makes the biggest move of her life results in a few piles of stuff. Now that I have a house with storage my mom would like to see the mementos I left behind take up residency with me. Unfortunately that means sorting through boxes that hold the most "important" and "valuable" artifacts of my entire childhood as well as all those must haves but will never use again items from a wedding. I've listed a few highlights that will give you a glimpse into the fun, entertaining, and laborious process of sorting.

1. Goodwill goes wedding -- Renting and borrowing as much as possible is a must when it comes to wedding preparation. However, there are those details that are custom made or a collection of lots of little things that you just end up buying. For me this resulted in table jewels, silk flowers, scrapbook paper, picture frames, and the list could go on and on. All of these things are reusable in some decorative function, but I have enough of each of the listed items to decorate thousands of rooms/tables/whatever exactly the same. It's a little too much of a good thing. I have a few friends who have contacted me about borrowing stuff, but I still wish there was a place I could take things that would be open to the public to rent or buy. If nothing else, having a collection of all the things brides used would be a great way to get ideas. Goodwill already has some pretty "special" wedding dresses, but I think they could really step up their game if they could start their own wedding decoration section.

2. Betty Lou -- Most of you probably don't know that I was formerly known as Betty Lou in 6th grade. Three other friends and myself decided it would be cool to come up with new names and make up adult lives. We shared what was going on in our lives through letters. I chose to live in California and from my understanding we were all going to meet at Disneyland to catch up and talk about our friend's recent marriage...how grown up!!! I don't think I've laughed as hard as I did when my mom and I were reading through these old letters (which were carefully decorated) for quite a while. I'm not an advocate for being a pack rat, but I'm really glad I kept those letters so I could have a good laugh.

3. Salad prayer -- This has nothing to do with the weekend, but I was working with a 1st grade student on Friday who ate a salad during science class. The salad was supposed to teach the kids about the different parts of a plant. First of all, he was so grateful for the salad and then he looks at me and says we need to pray. I think he thought it was my job to get everyone at the red table to pray. I told him to go ahead by himself. I looked over and sure enough his eyes were closed and his hands folded. He stayed like this for a while then quietly said amen. He looked at me again and said, "I prayed." It made me so happy and I couldn't help but smile.

Before and Afters

Before I get to the pictures I wanted to give an update on the job search. There are two openings in the area, one Spanish and one English. I have my applications in at both places, but haven't heard anything. I have also submitted my applications to what feels like a million other schools. Things are going to work out, but the suspension between the present and future can be conflicting at times. It seems like I am working really hard to get a job and when I walk into middle school or high school I know it's where I want to be, but when I think back to student teaching I realize how tough it was to fit in life things (grocery shopping, laundry, watching TV with Daniel, enjoying life, etc). I managed and told myself it was temporary, but a real job won't be temporary, in theory, and I wonder how the excitement of my first job will blend with the time consuming responsibility/stress that comes with it. Lucky for me I have no experience that indicates I won't be able to handle or enjoy this next stage of life, but I might have to over analyze things a time or two.

Now for the pictures.

Living Room

We still have a couple shelves to hang by the TV.

Slipcover!!!!

Office The bookshelf was relocated due to Daniel's weight bench. I've gotten used to this less than decorative piece of furniture, but I did manage to cut most of it out of the second picture.

Kitchen

Daniel was a hero on the plate wall. I think of things...he does the measuring to make it happen.

Guest Bedroom

The white shelves are from Target and were a great deal.

Master Bedroom.

The blue looks lighter than it actually it is. It's more of a gray blue in real life.

Master Bath

The picture above the toilet looks higher in this picture than in reality.

Now all we need are guest to come and enjoy our beautiful home! We're getting ready to work on the lawn. Daniel doesn't seem to think weeds are an acceptable substitute for grass. I'm not a green thumb by instinct so it will be an adventure, but maybe I'll get a tan with all the time outside...ha!

basketball vs. pictures

So I was going to post before and after pictures of our house...seriously it was on my to do list with a little star next to it. BUT when faced with a close game combined with the frustration of job hunting (more on that in a later post) all I could do was take a hot shower and anxiously watch the game hoping that a win would help my spirits. Plus, even if I had wanted to blog Daniel had the computer during the later parts of the game to help refocus nervous energy. What might he have been looking at to keep the nerves at bay...tractors!!! What was I doing to control the nerves? Rolling on the floor and trying not to cry. I still don't have a job, I'm going to be super worn out tomorrow, but K-State won and all the rest of it will work out even if it takes a couple overtimes.

Great weekend

Daniel and I had a very productive weekend. Normally productive doesn't equal fun, but when you throw in a K-State win and decorating I generally have a good time. Daniel enjoyed the K-State game (and March Madness in general) more than the decorating, but he wins a husband of the year award for all his help. I think the thing I loved the most about the weekend was enjoying being with a person I take for granted more than I'd like to admit. A friend of mine got married this weekend and her facebook status a couple days before the wedding said something to the effect of "I'm getting married in two days...it's crazy how much you can love someone." Her status got me thinking about how I felt on my wedding day. It still makes me smile to think about all that happened that day. However, we humans have a way of letting stuff complicate the perfectly simple things in life. Daniel and I are very happy, but that doesn't mean there aren't evenings I'm more focused on work, supper, etc. than the joy I have in being married to a truly special person. So this weekend I wanted to take the opportunity to soak in how crazy it is to love someone so much. Now it's time to get some sleep and keep on enjoying the many ways in which I'm blessed and I mean that in the most non-cliche way possible.

Painting

I have enlisted the help of my family once again. Caroline made a visit and I had her help me paint. I'm sure she was thrilled. What might you earn as a painter, well how does a Braum's ice cream sound?!? I suppose we fed her too. What generous people we are!!! Her help was much appreciated, but her presence in general was the best part. It sure felt lonely after she left. Other than painting I haven't done much else with my spring break. However, that doesn't mean I'm not sore from the repetitive motion of rolling a brush and squatting motion I use to get everything covered. I promise a full set of pictures when the walls have been transformed.

Pictures

I have been terrible about keeping you all up to date. Life has been a little crazy, but I'd like to think we're settling into our new house. Before I get to the pictures I should let you know that Daniel and I have locked ourselves out twice in less than 2 weeks. The first time was after we had gone grocery shopping and when we lugged all our sacks to the back door we realized the key we grabbed was not going to open the door...Luckily we had left the screen door open and managed to avoid waiting in the dark for a locksmith. Second time was last night, but it was our locked garage that caused the problems. Somehow the door to the garage (it's detached) got locked and when we left for small group we couldn't get to our cars. This time a locksmith was a better option than breaking a window, but no one answered when we called. However, thanks to Daniel's mechanical mind we (and by we I mean Daniel) were able to use the drill and somehow unlock the door. Yep, that's right nothing was drilled through just unlocked. Now for the pictures.

There is no longer a bush.

We're still in the process of getting the walls decorated. Guest bedroomGuest bathroom. I made the bouquet and must say I'm proud of it.My mom and I embellished the curtains. I think they turned out pretty well.I'd say the patio furniture was a good buy!Part of the kitchen I'm going to paint our room a blue to coordinate with the pillows.I can not even begin to express how wonderful this closet is. Everyone should have one.

Lunch meat

This week marked a first for subbing...I subbed all 5 days!!! I'd like to share two interesting stories/lessons learned.

1. At 7 in the morning on Tuesday I got called, which wasn't too bad until I heard that it was for a kindergarten class. When I got there the regular teacher was finalizing plans. She told me to "just get through the day." Not so comforting. Oh my goodness, this class was crazy. Individually they were good kids, but once one situation arose and taken care of a whole new saga was unfolding. I made a particularly "energetic" young man cry when he thought he'd be in the time out room during a birthday party. By the afternoon I had managed to gain what I considered to be good control of the class (i.e. they weren't running around the room screaming and no one was constantly telling on someone). However, I didn't see what was around the corner. At the end of the day I was to walk the students to the office so they could catch their rides. No big deal right? Well I got the kids lined up quietly, but the choice about whether I should be in the front or back presented itself. For those who don't think much of the job of educators might think this choice proves how simple the life of a teacher is. Still, I had a decision to make and I stayed in the back of the line to make sure there were no disappearing children along the way. Unfortunately I didn't anticipate the screaming rampage the students took off on as soon as they hit the gym and continued all the way to the office right in front of you guessed it, the principal. There were horrified looks of everyone who witnessed this disaster and I all could do was hang my head. It's common knowledge that this particular group of kids are constantly on the verge of out of control, but I really thought I had tamed the beast. I guess I didn't entirely, but I did learn one important lesson...ALWAYS be in the front of the line and just to be safe, learn how to walk backwards. And for all you teacher skeptics out there never underestimate the advice I just provided.

2. As I was subbing in a 4th grade class I got a call from the office. They asked if one of the students had brought lunch meat and if so would she bring it to the office. I thought it had something to do with eating a special lunch because of a dietary need. So I passed the message along only to get an odd look. I repeated myself at which point a para in the classroom asked if I meant lunch money...wow that made a lot more sense! I promised the class I wasn't always so off my game; too bad I continued to pronounce a few their names incorrectly. At least I'm not the sleeping sub (apparently there is a sub who feel asleep during class once).

That time of year

I'm not a person who gets sick, knock on wood, but about once a year I get a cold that slows me down. So here I sit at home in my sweats with a sore throat, running nose, sinus pressure, and headache. Jealous, right?!? Luckily I'm on a Sudafed and Motrin regiment and I'm sure that in a few days I'll be back at 100%.

On the bright side the 6th graders I subbed for on Wednesday and Thursday guessed that I was 27 or 30. Most people want to be younger, but for a girl who gets mistaken for a high school student on a regular basis 27 was wonderful to hear. Another high are the Olympics. Now I may not have the ability to compete as an Olympian, but I found myself identifying with the women who competed in the half pipe. Here's the connection, as Daniel and I get closer to closing on our house we've run into some road blocks that are leaving us a little uncertain about our financing. Needless to say it has been an up and down experience leaving us frustrated. As I was watching the women's half pipe I thought about how disappointed some of these ladies felt when they fell on jumps they had nailed thousands of times before. I was feeling disappointed about the uncertainty of financing and call me weird, but I wanted so badly for these women not to experience disappointment too. Unfortunately competition requires such disappointment and in effect it's what makes the games exciting. So here I am identifying with Olympians and experiencing a love/hate relationship with competition. Gotta love my life!

Valentine's Day

Most girls want flowers, chocolate, or jewelry, but this Valentine's Day I couldn't have asked for anything more than what Daniel did for me. So we have a love seat/oversized chair in our living room. It's in great condition and has a pull out bed...BUT it is a little bold with a red, floral print. I don't want to pay to get it reupholstered, so a slipcover is the natural choice. I ordered one online, but it didn't quite work out the way I wanted. They happen to sell slipcovers at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I found a couple that I liked, but I couldn't tell which color would be better. I like shopping online and Daniel could be a spokesperson for it, but I still like to see and touch things in person. Unfortunately the closest Bed, Bath & Beyond is in Joplin, which is about an hour away. Not too bad except that I was asking Daniel to give up some of his Saturday to go shopping for home decor. I could tell he didn't want to, but he said he'd go for me...and Wendy's. We ate at Wendy's but didn't find the slipcover I had seen online. HOWEVER, we did get a shower curtain and accessories for the guest bathroom in our soon to be new house thanks only to Daniel. Although he was motivated to find one that wouldn't require him to paint the bathroom once we moved in, he still tried to find one I would like. I wasn't sold at first, but the more I looked and thought about it, I liked what he had chosen. I'll post a picture once we move and get it hung up. You might be thinking I'm nuts for buying stuff before we've offically closed on the house, and you're probably right, but if I find something I like, know it's something we'll need, and have driven an hour to the store I'm not one to sit back and wait. Oh, and the shower curtain was on clearance. Moral of the story is that I have one amazing husband...he also made me breakfast in bed this morning. I hope you all have felt some extra love this Valentine's weekend.

Intricacy

I've heard of the 6 degrees of separation theory. Instead of trying to explain it I'll quote the ever useful Wikipedia, "Six degrees of separation (also referred to as the "Human Web") refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth." I blown away at the intricacy of life and relationships. Case and point, last night Daniel and I were checking out at Wal-Mart and a lady and her little girl were behind us. They looked as though they might be from India. I happen to be corresponding with a woman named Reetu who is from India. She works at Amazon with Daniel and he gave her my e-mail address. Now back to the lady at Wal-Mart, as I watched her unload her groceries, I couldn't help but think about my e-mail buddy and wonder how her night was going. Now here's the cool part, as Daniel and I were headed to grab a sandwich from the Subway in Wal-Mart, I saw someone waving at me...at least I thought she was waving at me. I hate that feeling when you don't know if you're waving back while someone else (the one who the wave was meant for) is behind you feeling sorry for you because you have no idea that the mental stress you're putting yourself through trying to figure out if you really know this person is entirely unecessary. Anyway, as I was tentatively waving it dawned on me that the woman was in fact waving at me because she is my pen pal of sorts. We got the chance to talk briefly before Daniel and I headed to the Subway. As I ate I noticed that the little girl from the checkout line was now sitting with Reetu. Obviously they knew each other, but I didn't know how. I later got an e-mail from Reetu explaining that the lady and little girl who were behind us are her friends and from the same part of India. I know it's not a life changing story, but I can't help but smile about how small the world really is. There are so many relationships that connect us to people far beyond our usual circle. When I student taught I tried to stress that the language and people we were learning about weren't aliens, but in fact similar to us in many ways. Although I taught this, I still have a hard time looking at people who are different than me in any way and believing that we'd have much in common. The truth might be that we don't have much in common as far as our favorite food, color, and way of doing things are concerned, but fundamentally our need for respect, love, meaning, etc. are the same. It just makes me happy to think about how God has created us as relational beings and connects us in the most unlikely ways, which leads me to believe that He is in the smallest details of our life and can guide it to make one incredible story if we let Him be the author. Basically, I love small world moments.

Now on the Super Bowl, as a Kappa and cheerer for the Cinderella story I hope New Orleans wins tonight. See the visuals below to figure out the Kappa/Saints connection. Oh, I also like their cheer ""Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?" Just so you know, I also looked the cheer up on Wikipedia because as an English teacher it's tough for me to write things like dey and dat, so I had to make sure I did justice to the chant and didn't correct something that shouldn't be.

Do you see the connection???