The Solo Ending of a Wowing 2011

I sit here this New Year's Eve alone for quite possibly the first time ever. It's definitely the first year in a while that I haven't been with the beloved Mac6. I'm definitely going to miss going crazy with my cousins and our pots and pans at midnight, but I'm not sad to be alone tonight.

There have been so many people who have helped me through this year in one way or another, and I'm so incredibly grateful for the ways the love and encouragement has strengthened me for all this year contained. This year has been such a truly epic year from the onset, and it's been such a personally meaningful and defining year for me. I've been pushed to embrace adulthood fully and really give my own wings a go -- a terrifying concept but an exhilarating (and sometimes messy) reality.

I sit here grateful to be alone to contemplate the magnitude of this year as it dwindles down to the last hours; I sit here hopeful as I contemplate the possibilities the coming year holds. Oh, yes, God will do such amazing things, but as to what I will find myself thankful for at the close of next year...it's too early to tell.

2011 was shaped by
a 20 hour solo road trip to Texas
being away from home for 5 months -- the longest period away in my life!
student teaching 
nearly losing someone I admire and love 
a break up 
college graduation
moving to my own apartment
some incredible weddings of dear friends
starting a new (dream) job
gaining 21 reasons to look forward to getting up in the morning
getting my first dog
amazing people entering my life and leaving their marks on my heart 


Am I sad to see this year end? No, not really. I'm leaving this year still holding onto the fantastic memories that I'll be talking about and thinking about in the years to come. I'm actually kind of glad to see it go, to be honest -- it's opening up the opportunity for next year's awesomeness. :)


~"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." [-Hal Borland]~

True Story.

Things I Can't Make Up But Sound Like I Did

...those moments when you wish you could laugh as much as you want to but you can't because you're the teacher

R and C are arguing. I ask what the problem is. 

R: C made me smell his fart! 

I remind her that he didn't make her do anything, it was her choice. 

R: Fine. He let me. 

L and A are playing with the baby in housekeeping. A is holding a baby doll that evidently is crying in their imaginary world because she's yelling at it to stop. 

L: Stop yelling at the baby! Would you talk to baby Jesus that way? 

During Bible we talked about Nebuchadnezzar. E is trying to retell part of the story and gets to the part about the king. 

E: Actually, I remembered I don't know how to say that name. 

We read a book about different animals and are working on our comparing/contrasting skills. My aide asks the kids to compare the cow and the chicken on the page. 

E. Well, you can milk a cow, but you can't milk a chicken. It'd get very angry at you. 

...and those conversations I have with my family and friends.

Me (talking to my dog who hates to have his vest put on to go outside): You need your vest. It's freezing outside. Nobody likes a pupscicle. 

Mom: I have a hole in my sock. 

Me: Oh, darn it!

Me: When will Grandma ever learn? She gets run over every year by the stupid reindeer! 

Dad: Yeah, and what's Grandpa doing? He's over there drinking beer with cousin Mel. 

Matt: Goooo Planet!

Me: My dog's name is not Captain Planet. 

Matt: Oh. I thought for sure you told me you named him Captain Planet. 

Me: Uh, no. 

Matt: Oh, good. That's what I'm naming my next dog. 

Me: Not if I get to it first. Mwuh hahahaha. 

(the conversation probably ended with Garcia's classic, "You're outta control!" but I cannot be sure.)

Yeah, I have fun people in my life. :) 

Homecoming.

I have no idea why this photo is so massive...Squirt certainly is not! But I got him home in one piece, and both of us are really enjoying the couch. Not sure who is more exhausted right now.

Preparations Are Underway

Dog beds: check.

Crate: check.

Super-manly-dog-vest-to-prevent-dogsicle: check.

Treats: check.

Some tiny-dog toys: check.

Get excited: check, check, check.

TO DO:

Buy dog food, food and water bowls, and gates.

Clean.

Do laundry.

Wrap presents.

Bide time until pup comes home.

...less than 48 hours to go.

The First of Many Hellos Like This

I arrived early. Yes, early. Clearly I was excited. And nervous...am I really ready for this?

And then it happened. The lights in the animal shelter turned on, and I knew it was time.

I made it to the door, and then I saw the lady holding the little guy. And he got so excited!!

He could hardly stay still as she put the leash on him to go outside. He ran right to me, putting his little paws on me and saying, "Hi! Hi! Hi! Are you my new mommy?"

We took him outside, and he could hardly stay still enough to go potty before running back over to me.

Once we were inside again, he could hardly stand to leave me. Out of the 45 minutes I was there, he was in my lap for about 40 of them. He would not stand for me to stop petting him. I knew 5 minutes in that I was hooked. I'm looking into the face of my dog.

As I marveled at this little creature and how much I loved him already, I could already tell this was the right call.

Stay tuned throughout the rest of the week as this new Dog Mom prepares to bring the little one home...

Puppy Love

Confession: I kind of miss roommates. I like my own space and all, but sometimes it's lonely living alone. And I miss having a friend to go on walks with. I'd go on a lot more walks if I didn't have to go alone.

With these thoughts in mind, I've been researching dogs since September and looking for one that'd be right to adopt since November -- that's when I finally felt truly ready to bring a new addition home. I came across two beautiful puppies (brothers) and fell in love, but now's just not the right time for a puppy.

But I'm ready for some kind of dog.

After I had to let the puppies idea go, I found another dog whom I am going to meet tomorrow.

I may have a date for New Year's. ;)

[I'd post the link to this little guy, but with the way I was bummed about Baby Boy and Shiloh, I think it's best not to really make this seem like a sure thing quite yet. It's not. But tomorrow's another story. After all, it's harder not to give your heart away to someone -- animal or human -- after a great date. ;)]

~"I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught threat. For the good Lord known I can buy more clothes but never a friend like that."[-W. Dayton Wedgefarth]~

Correlation?

I'm beginning to wonder if I have another reason to chalk winter up as being yucky.

Last year around this time is when I seemed to be getting a lot of migraines. I attributed it to stress and lack of sleep. This year I've recently started getting more migraines again, and I'm not a fan. I thought that I had figured out it was a sleep thing. Granted, this time of year has gotten pretty stressful, but I've been under more stress than this earlier in the year so I'm reluctant to call it a stress thing.

Confusing.

But things must get done anyway, and I'm excited that break is now less than 2 weeks away. Just pushing through the chaos that will be my life until then and praying these migraines will stay few and far between at least until break.

Story Songs (the Second)

It's not often to fall in love with a song on the first go-round, but sometimes it happens. Along comes a song that engulfs you so completely that you want to close your eyes to watch it play out in your mind. That song makes you sigh deeply when it's over and nearly makes you hit the pause button to savor the lingering sentiments. But the show must go on, right?

A song came on Pandora today that literally made me run a little late today as I took some time to try to find it online. But oh, it was fantastic. And oh-so-hard to track down. But here it is, Stewboss's "Midnight Shift." [I know, I thought the band name was interesting myself.]

That made me think of some of my other favorite story songs. I already mentioned Amos Lee, but there's also songs like the good ol' "She's in Love with the Boy" -- who doesn't love some classic Faith Hill now and then?! Oh, and the Judds. There are tons more that have been popping in my head throughout the day, but there was one more that has really been stuck in my head all day...and I'll leave this topic there for now.

Full Mind, Full Heart

the arms that sneak-attack hug me throughout the day

with love the warms my heart before i can even turn around to see

which of the 21 faces it may be.

the moments where i feel like i am falling short

quickly shoved aside by their laughter and smiles

a silly song that will stay stuck in my head all week

or a recalled fact taking me by surprise as i realize more

sinks in than i know

and that it's okay if i don't know.

but i hope and pray they are learning the good things

the kind they can recall in the years that carry them beyond the walls

of my classroom

and knowing the good lessons aren't always measured in standards or report cards.

and the snow and ice take me back

to memories of roommates and suite-mates and hot chocolate nights

and the conversations that came with each

making me think back to the college days

not so long ago but so distant

where the unknowns were overwhelming

dreams were big

and tears and prayers were plentiful.

the walking and driving in the awfulbeautiful mess

alert me to my rustiness

to the mere 2 weeks of putting up with this last winter

and suddenly make me homesick for texas

where the warmth in the weather was upstaged

by the warmth in the people

who became friends there

the texas family.

and i smile because life is good

and has been good

and i'm constantly reminded of the NewGood and OldGood.

instead of a quote, here's a picture that just warms my heart...[Thank you, Tumblr.]

Rebuilding

Everybody makes mistakes. But does everyone take the time to fix their mistakes? Unfortunately, I don't think so.

There's a difference between fixing something and acknowledging it happened. Fixing something is more intentional. Think about it: you identify the problem, seek a solution, gather the necessary tools to fix it, and then go at it. You spend time and energy on it, and (unless you are "Tim 'the Toolman' Taylor") it's better in the long run. Acknowledging something happened isn't doing anything to fix it. It's not even attempting to fix it. And let's face it: even though Tim Allen's character always made a mess out of whatever he was trying to fix, the effort was admirable.

I've put a lot of thought and prayer into it, and now it's time to dive in. I'm in the tool-gathering stage right now on a few areas of my life, and although I wish it were so much easier than this, I know it'll be better in the long run. But the way it stands right now can't be how it stays.

Cryptic? Yes. The reason is that the specifics aren't important. The important part is that we all have things that need fixing in our lives. The choice is yours -- are you going to fix it, or are you going to leave it lie in a mess?

~"So tonight you better stop and rebuild all your ruins, because peace and trust can win the day despite all your losing." [-Led Zeppelin]~

A Brief Resurfacing

Wow, I knew it'd been a while, but a week?

My goodness.

Life's been happening fast and full, and it continues to come at me that way.

Seems like The Challenge ended at just the right time.

I'll write when I can.

I'm missing it.

A lot.

To Be or Not to Be...Weirded Out?

It was always kind of depressing in college to come downstairs to find my clothes on top of the dryer. There's just something cruel about taking away somebody's joy in that fresh-from-the-dryer warmth (especially in winter). But time's too precious to waste on waiting for an open dryer when clearly the cycle's done, so I'd get over it.

I have typically been pretty prompt to take my laundry out of the dryer. Sometimes, believe it or not, I was even early. [I know, I know, I didn't know I was capable of being early to something, either, but it's been known to happen. A plan's in the works to expand that beyond my laundry.]

I was about 15 minutes late getting to the dryer yesterday. Nobody has clothes in the wash when I'd transferred mine to the dryer, so imagine my surprise to find my clothes on top of the dryer yesterday.

Folded.

Well, hey, thanks!

But wait, I'm sorry, did you even fold my underwear?

Okay, take that "thanks" and turn it into a question. Suddenly that made it a little strange. Personally I would have tucked the underwear between other clothing so it wasn't out in the open.

And I probably wouldn't have been thoughtful enough to fold somebody else's clothes, to be honest. Not that I would have taken their clothes out, anyway...

Now I'm not going to be able to help but pass by people in the building and wonder, Are you the laundry folder?

I'm just glad I didn't run into the person in the laundry room. I'd find it a little strange to have my face matched with underwear before a name, but that's just me.

~"Goodness in other people and what they contribute inspire me. I love i when someone is gifted and shares it in some way so that is has a trickle-down effect." [-Renee Zellweger]~

An Old Standby

There's just so much that I love about this song: it's mellowness, the lyrics, the sentiment it captures.

Another case of beautiful music and beautiful lyrics combined.

Because sometimes it's fantastic to get lost in a song and not have to do any thinking at all.

All the Single Ladies...and Men, Too

Dear single friends, this sermon series is a lot of food for thought. It's called "The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating" and it's phenomenal. I strongly recommend it...especially number 1 and 4.

[I'm not saying you can't watch it if you're married or engaged, but it's definitely geared toward us singletons.]

I watched 1-3 earlier this summer, but I just got around to number 4 today. Have you ever had those times where you have been praying about something you're confused about, and then out of nowhere you find the answers you need? Yeah. Definitely happened with this one.

Anyway, if you have the time, watch 'em. You'll be left with lots of things to mull over. And if you want to talk about any of it, hey, let me know! :)

Rearranged Day

How today was supposed to go:

Get up at 7:30 for breakfast and coffee, complete with lingering over the latter

Get ready for the day, including putting laundry away

Spend a few hours at school, planning and cleaning in the classroom

Take a le nap

Eat lunch

Have friends over for a movie

Finish up some school things

Relax

Sleep

How today actually went:

Get up at 7:30 to turn off alarm and feel migraine

Go back to bed until 9ish to wake up with room still spinning

Linger over coffee, praying for head to get better

Get ready and decide not to go to school

Eat lunch

Talk to aunt on the phone

Have friends and neighbor over for a movie

Walgreens run

Talk to friend for a few hours

Blog

Watch a TV show

Go to bed

...yup, still good.

Quote of the Week

Setting: A kindergarten classroom in small town Nebraska.

Time: 8:30ish. Playtime.

[Children are playing in various places around the room. Blocks, dolls, paper and markers, and connect-y shape pieces are just some of the activities. Laughter and talking abound.]

Teacher: What are you making?

Student: Keys for my car. Drive it like you stole it, baby!!!

I can't make these things up, people.

The End...But Not Really.

The 365th day of The Challenge has arrived. And I lived to tell the tale.

The total posts for the year ended up being 288 (including today's). That's far less than I thought it'd end up being, but that's okay. Within the words of this blogged year lie a plethora of quotes, memories big and small, emotions, thought processes, and realizations.

So much of what has molded me in the past 12 months is tucked into The Challenge. I'm so glad it coincided with one of the most epic years of my life. It was fascinating to skim back through and let the magnitude of everything wash over me.

This blog has helped me slow down to see truths, blessings, potential, and hope. It's pushed me to own up to my emotions -- raw, messy ones included. It's forced me to be more open and honest, particularly with myself. It's let me know that hey,

I mess up. get silly. get easily excited. love music and quotes maybe a little too much sometimes.

But I also get real.

grow. change. challenge. accept. learn. believe.

And I write.

The challenge may be over, but it doesn't stop now.

My current inspiration:

"If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it." [-Anais Nin]‎

Watch. Marvel. Repeat.

So I've only watched this video about a million times already...

New favorite? I think so.

Also, this is why I love Glee. Just sayin'.

Also also, I've got zero energy for a post, guys, so this will have to do.

Friend Places

I'd apologize for this being a long post, but I can't. These are words I've been searching for, and now I need to overflow with them. Don't feel obliged to read the whole thing if you're not into long posts. :)

I've grown accustomed to thinking about important places almost like friends. Before you think I'm crazy, hear me out. I bet you'll be thinking of your own Friend Places soon, too.

A Friend Place is somewhere with memories that always welcomes you back to sit awhile. It's comfortable and knows no rushing. It brings warmth to your heart and a smile to your face just being there. It's a place that lets you linger in stories for as long as you want and need. [Remember my creek? That's one of them for me.]

Friend Places become such a part of our story that it's almost unthinkable that they someday may have to leave our story and become nothing more than a memory themselves. Sometimes that's just where life goes, though, and it's heart-wrenching to have to say goodbye.

A house that's held many family memories is about to leave my life for good, and I've been stuck wondering why a house has been able to effectively cause me to cry to the point of being thirsty. I'm serious. I mean, it's just a house, right?

Wrong.

This house has served as being a direct link to my grandparents. It saw my grandparents' love at its strongest points -- that true, deep, and devoted love I aspire to find and pray so much that my cousins will remember to look for, too.

The love that led to the small things

a cereal bowl, spoon, and Frosted Flakes laid out every night, waking calls of "Daaaavid and "Beeeeverly" after a nap, mornings spent with each other, coffee, and stamps, post-it reminders near the medicines in the cabinet

and sustained through the monumental

a hit that made him realize something was wrong, a recovery after a miraculous survival, a husband caring for his ailing wife amidst his own illness

and touched us all along the way

countless Saturday lunches and Sunday dinners made by Grandma's hands, Saturday grocery shopping trips with Grandma, baby wipe containers full of stamps and each grandchild's own stamping binder, finding excuses for us to run to Van's, letting the baseball and football games consume the front yard

The walls saw their whole story unfold into the fairy tale ending we all marvel at.

Losing this house is not losing the memories, but it is losing one of the great symbols of these two remarkable people.

They say that love is what makes a house a home, and there are fewer places that are more "home" than this.

I hope whomever crosses the threshold will feel the stories embedded in there, that their heart will whisper, "This house knows love." And I pray this house will know love and memories so treasured again someday.

...because the thought of such a place staying empty and abandoned breaks my heart more than losing this old friend.

~"It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home." [-Unknown]~

Technology These Days

Okay...is this cool or creepy? You decide.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6RCIlg/didyouknowarchive.com/?p=284

In Attempts to Get This Unstuck...

This song's stuck in my head, so I thought I'd share...and maybe get it out of my head a little.

I'm also not gonna lie: I'm enjoying watching a movie, making letters, texting, and just not really thinking a ton tonight. A good way to start a 3 day weekend. :)

Because "Days Like This" Sometimes Sums Up a Week

There are words building inside me that are nearly ready to overflow. It's been one of those weeks of lessons

welcomed ones

hard ones

unexpected ones

beautiful ones

heart-aching ones

and heartwarming ones

that speeds by too quickly for any real contemplation to take place.

I'm looking forward to my Friday slow down to sit and take in what all of this means, to find the words to frame the lessons contained in this week.

This song has carried me through this week -- especially yesterday:

Faith Like...Penguins?

I love books that I can revisit multiple times and be given something different to ponder each time. I'm not talking about the kind of thinking where you deeply consider something for two seconds before moving on. No, I'm talking about the kind of thinking that stretches over days, maybe even weeks.

Remember a long time ago when I was sharing thoughts from The Shack? Yeah, that's one of those kinds of books. Blue Like Jazz is another. [It's by Donald Miller, in case you want to pick it up. Which you should. Just sayin'.]

Here's what's been ruminating in my head this go-round:

"You'd go crazy trying to explain penguins. It's best just to watch them and be entertained. I don't think you can explain how Christian faith works either. It is a mystery. And I love this about Christian spirituality. It cannot be explained, and yet it is beautiful and true. It is something you feel, and it comes from the soul."

I sense there's another post to come from that at some point, but for now I'm still thinking. :)

[My] Taste of Home

making dinner

sipping wine

baking cookies

folding laundry

with the Bears game on

touched by some sounds and smells of home

in the midst of what has become my own

[that's still sinking in]

happiness at the end of the day.

~"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room." [-Harriet Beecher Stowe]~

What Are The Odds...

...that I could ever talk my dad into doing this at my wedding someday?

Any requests for our mash-up, Dad? ;)

Simple Things That Make My Heart Glad

beautiful sunrises

finding new places to spend time at

following suggestions to great coffee

conversations that make hours seem like minutes

hearing my nephew bellow "Shell!" and "I need buttons!" and "Uh-MAZE-ing!"

getting to watch my nephew play from a few states away

phone calls from my Papa

snippets of good books

good music

comfy sweatshirts

laughter

love

♥

~"All you need is love." [The Beatles]~

"In the Trenches"

So way back (ha! feels that way, at least!) in the years of undergrad, I had a prof that referred to teaching as being "in the trenches." And it was kinda funny...you know, the first time he mentioned it. But he just kept on referring to it that way for the remaining 2 years of school, and it kind of lost its charm.

But then a strange thing happened. Other Ed profs were using the same metaphor.

There begin to be a buzz amongst us Ed majors. "Could there be some sort of hidden message here?" "Is it really as tough as they're making it out to be?" "Don't they know any other analogies?"

I'm not gonna lie: it made us a little uneasy, but we shrugged it off.

But you know what? I'm starting to learn that they may have been on to something after all.

That whole "teacher bladder" thing? Not a joke. Some days we're lucky if we can dash down to the bathroom even during recess. That makes for some really impressive holding abilities, my friends -- much to the dismay of anyone who has to passenger while I'm driving on road trips.

And I used to dream about how much more sleep I'd get once I was out of college and in the "real world" with a regular sleep schedule. Now I just laugh because, yup, those are still just dreams. Day dreams at that. I still don't get nearly enough sleep as I should. I will admit, though, that I do get more sleep than I used to thanks to my 21 kiddos.

I gave up acting in college. I thought I was no good at it. The funny thing is that it's what a bulk of my day consists of now. I get to do voices when I read books, pretend I'm not irritated but rather have ALL the patience in the world, and always portray that all is right in the world. And yes, sometimes I have to try to convince my kids that the "have to" things aren't boring at all.

Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned is that the war really is with your own body. There's the bathroom thing I mentioned earlier, yes, but it goes beyond that. Days when your head hurts, you pop some meds and pretend it doesn't. When you're tired and want to stay in bed, you get up, drink some extra cups of coffee, and get to it. And when you feel like you just might throw up, guess what? If you haven't thrown up, you get up and go to work anyway. This isn't one of those jobs where you just call in "just because" -- no, you go even when you physically don't feel like it. You convince yourself you're okay, and convince yourself to just make it one more hour until lunch, two more until the end of the day, one more until the lesson plans are done...

I'm not saying this to make it sound like one of those "we are teachers, we are unsung heroes" rants. No, there's a time and a place for that. I'm revealing this because this is something that really clicked with me today, and I want to be able to read back through my blog when this whole first year is over and see that I've realized what a huge undertaking this can be sometimes. Because yes, sometimes it really does feel like I am "in the trenches."

Those professors were on to something.

~"A good teacher is like a candle -- it consumes itself to light the way for others." [-Mustafa Kemal Ataturk]~

For You

For my friends with full hearts right now

whether it's overflowing with

hope

disbelief and sadness

patience

memories of those lost

joy

or any other emotion

whatever it is that you're feeling

this is for you.

love and prayers. ♥

Story Songs

The best songs are really the ones that tell a story. It's an added bonus when the music is just gorgeous as well.

Yup, Amos Lee's got it.

A Near(ly)-Miss(ed) Post

My body's wrapped in exhaustion, the kind that comes from

late nights

where conversations and productivity carry me

until shamefully late hours

that will be cursed in the morning.

The kind that tries to keep me

away from the "have to" things tucked into the day.

And then there's the bursts of energy

literal and creative

that carry me through the waking hours

which demand my awareness

my movement

my all.

And at the end of the day

I look at my classroom with a smile on my face

because even on the more trying days,

it's the little things in every day that give it a story

that give me a story.

~"Then there's the joy of getting your desk clean, and knowing that all your lettesr are answered, and you can see the wood on it again." [-Lady Bird Johnson]~

The Bittersweet Taste of Irony

My friends and I used to complain so much about our hometown. Even now we joke about all of the ways it's terrible...like our lovely Lake Michigan water with beaches that occasionally close for E. coli. But deep down we can't deny that there's at least some appreciation for it.

The difference is that being away from it has put it in a new light which shows all the ways that spending time in a place shapes us. "Home" has long-since come to embrace people rather than a physical place, and the same is very true of Racine.

For all the years that I said I couldn't wait to get out, I never would have expected to be sad when it actually happened.

The day has officially arrived, my friends, where I can no longer call myself a Wisconsin resident.

I know what you're thinking. "Ummm, Michelle? Didn't you move months ago?"

True. But it's also true that I have slacker tendencies and just got my license changed.

It was weirdly saddening to see them draw the big black X on my Wisconsin license. That little plastic square still gave me a sense of Wisconsin pride when I flashed it every time I got carded...until they asked about being a Packer fan, of course. (Gag!) I won't miss that. At all.

They gave me a nice paper Nebraska one to use until I got my new license. [Btw, classy is definitely pulling out a paper license to buy a bottle of wine at the grocery store. ] It was still a little surreal.

Until today, that is. There is was: the white envelope from the state of Nebraska. My new Nebraska license.

The official doors slamming shut on the old and opening up to the new.

Thd Good Life has really become My Life.

I'll always be a Wisconsin girl at heart, but now I'm a licensed Nebraskan.

~"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are." [-Unknown]~

Small Doses

I don't know about you, but sometimes I am a lot more talk that I am action...especially when it comes to new things.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a colleague about some of the sightseeing I haven't done yet around Nebraska. Believe it or not, there are actually a lot more things to see out here than corn and cows. Since some of you will refuse to believe me without proof, here are a few things we've got goin' for us out here.

- The Homestead National Monument

- Chimney Rock

- The Willa Cather Museum

- A lot of awesome state parks

- The Kool-Aid Museum (Yeah, that's right, it was invented here. Booyah.)

All of those things (and others) are on my list of future endeavors. You know, those "someday" things.

But when is "someday" going to be here? Obviously it hasn't really hit anytime in the past 4 months that I've been here.

Slowly I'm gaining my footing. I'm getting more adventurous. I'm challenging myself to rise beyond the "someday" to make it happen. Let's face it: sometimes it just won't happen if we aren't deliberate. Just look at how many cleaning or organizing projects get blown off until a "rainy day." How many rainy days do you spend doing plenty of other things instead? Yeah, me too.

It's just takes baby steps, just like in What About Bob?

A Place That Holds Me

Once upon a time there were two girls who were 3 months apart in age and inseparable when they were in the same state every other weekend. When they weren't playing football with the boys, these girls could be found riding bikes. Their top 3 destinations included Mandinos for cheese fries, Vans for random office supplies, gum, or Jones soda, and -- more often than not -- the park. They loved to sit by the creek under the bridge.

In movies it'd be the kind of bridge and creek that would be tucked away in the woods and would take some work to get to. In this park it was out in the open and just a quick ride over the gravel parking lot.

This creek held hours of heart-to-heart conversations on the rocks with feet dangling in the water and notebooks nearby. There were just words and listening and laughter and love. It's here that we solved each other's problems, shed some tears, and swung from the bridge to skim the water on hot days. It's where we'd flee the torture of our older brothers and the noise of our younger cousins, and we'd feel independent. It's here where our friendship really gained a lot of its footing.

The enchantment of this spot still lingers to this day, hitting me all over again when I pause here for a few minutes whenever I'm home. It's the place I long for when I need to "get away from it all" to clear my head -- a quiet and forgotten corner of the world.

~"How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you -- you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences -- like rags and shreds of your very life." [-Katherine Mansfield]~

The Magic of Black and White

This video is definitely a current favorite...

Close your eyes and focus on Adele's voice in this song, and you become lost in the talent that lies there as well as the passion pouring out in her words.

And the lyrics are so emotionally raw. It's heart-wrenching because of the love one person still feels for this other person who has already moved on. What person who has experienced breaking up with somebody they deeply care about has not worried about being in this same situation?

The black and white video amazes me more and more every time I watch it. I think using black and white in cinematography or photography has a magical touch to it where it drowns out the distractions and really draws attention to the person's face. It amplifies the emotions there, be they hidden or etched into the person's face.

And that's why I love taking black and white photographs. Or taking color photographs and turning them into black and white. There's also a magic in warmified black and white, but that still doesn't measure up to the power of the classic b&w combo.

~"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know." [-Diane Arbus]~

Sometimes The Best Things Take Us By Surprise

Today was one of the best kinds of days.

You know:

the kind that starts after you were awake most of the night before because you were dreading its arrival,

comes after a yesterday that kicked your butt and make you fear what this day could bring,

surprises you with not only being good but by being downright wonderful.

I felt like I could take on the world after the school day was done. Instead I just tackled making some plans to change up the room even more. There were even sketches involved. It was intense.

A word wall and a new bulletin board are coming to a kindergarten room near you soon.*

[*Both "near" and "soon" are relative terms..."near" being anywhere between 10 minutes and 10 hours away, and "soon" being anything within the next 2 wks. Just sayin'.]

~"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." [-Anthony J. D'Angelo]~

Not Sold in Stores

This song has been stuck in my head today. Actually, this song gets stuck in my head a lot. If my life had a soundtrack available on iTunes and wherever fine music is sold, this song would definitely be on it. [Still hashing out what that title track would be.]

I picked the Across the Universe version because they did such a great job with it. But I digress.

Sometimes I think I'd explode without being able to talk through things with the people around me. I've been so blessed to have people who listen and let me bounce ideas off of them before going the extra mile by graciously sharing their wisdom with me. I've been especially thankful for that in this time of trying to gain my footing while getting my feet wet in so many different things for the first time. And if you know me, you know how coordinated I happen to not be. It's tricky, but it definitely could be worse!

To those of you around me who uplift me in so many different ways -- from kind words to listening ears to reminding me that my world is bigger than a classroom -- thank you. :)

Oh, and no worries --I'll keep you posted on the release date of that soundtrack.

The Unavoidable, Unexpected Parts of Life

What happens when you open your mind to embrace the unexpected things that come in life?

Extraordinary things.

Beautiful things.

Intriguing things.

And yes, sometimes hard things.

Because reality has a soft, gentle side that's glorious

and a sharp side that's wounding.

The wonderful things remind us to have hope and dreams, to love and adore freely.

And the sharp things remind us to have courage and faith, to grow and be strengthened.

But it's all there, all wrapped into our days.

I'm good at getting frustrated about unexpected things, but then I am forced to ask myself...

If I always got to choose what I wanted instead of have the unexpected happen, where would I be right now?

I know for sure I wouldn't be where I am right this second. I'm sure I'd be okay, but wow, I'd sure be missing out on a lot of great things.

There's a song called "Awful, Beautiful Life" by Darryl Worley that I just love, but the part that catches me is in the last verse:

I laid in bed that night and thought about the day

And how my life is like a roller coaster ride,

The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way,

It'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight.

You can't really smile until you've shed some tears.

I could die today or I might live on for years.

I love this crazy, tragic,

Sometimes almost magic,

Awful, beautiful life.

I think Darryl gets me.

Life Lately

friends

love

california

memories

new endeavors

pumpkin soup

coffee

football

yes, life is good.

A Day of Rest

sleeping in

lingering in pajamas

with hot coffee in hand

time with God

a time to write

pour out my feelings

including ones i didn't know were there

thinking about school

and a drive to lincoln

grocery shopping wins out

with a quick stop to hunt for some sweaters

because i'm an adult now

and need to dress like it

and i'm surprised because it's all more fun than i thought

even the clothes shopping

and i realize i'm learning how to be alone

and to enjoy my own company

just like i'd hoped would someday happen

conquering a pumpkin

turning it into soup

but disappointed that the pumpkin seeds were just not right

i tried to bake them anyways

oh, how i love pumpkin seeds

but they were awful

cleaning the kitchen with a glass of wine and oldies serenading me

before the wine joined me for a movie

and picture editing

and i'm wrapped up in the world of Jane Austen

and brought back to last weekend

all at once

yes.

a day of rest indeed.

~"God didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?" [-Anonymous]~

Thankful.

I went to a conference today in Lincoln, and it was basically a mini-reunion. Other Concordia grads, some student teachers, and some professors. It was great to see so many people again.

It was also surreal in a sense to be seeing those people again as a professional.

So much has happened in less than a year.

And it reaffirmed what they say: the Lutheran circle's pretty small, and it gets smaller everyday.

I am so excited to see what the remaining months of the year bring.

The theme of the conference was "Rooted and Growing in Christ", and the theme verse sums it up how I feel perfectly:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. [Colossians 2:6-7]

More FYT Adventures

First-ever parent teacher conferences are DONE.

So is my first tango with writing report cards.

Next time remind me not to go out of town and not do a thing to prep while on the trip...because I don't like being on the couch at 2 a.m. writing out report cards and falling asleep with a pen in my hand.

...not that I would trade this past weekend for anything.

It looked like a tornado hit my apartment. I didn't even make my bed this morning. That's only about the 2nd time that's happened since I moved here. This is serious, folks.

Speaking of my bed...off to go catch up on some quality time there.

Because I Needed This.

reliving memories from the weekend in waking and in sleeping.

the love of friends -- and between friends -- to celebrate daily.

knowing God placed me where I am for a reason...in so many facets.

affirmations to start the day that would were what kept me going at the end.

reassurance.

the hugs of the 21 little ones that have been missed for days.

deep breaths that stretch worn-thin patience a little farther.

finding support when it's most needed.

being able to admit my limits of knowledge and capabilities.

the afternoon air that had warmed in the sun to refresh this tired gal at the end of the day.

the few moments of overwhelming beauty as the setting sunlight brushed radiance over the remaining fall colors.

finally being able to start to let go and move on.

motivation to tackle the sorting of piles of papers.

discovering i'm more organized than i thought.

being challenged to grow every day.

learning more about grace daily.

coffee.

faith.

words.

a list the blessings of today--

the ones who refuse to be overlooked

and the ones whose whispered presence nearly went unseen--

has been brewing since i read psalm 24:1 this morning

["Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."]

to remind me that i'm not alone

and still the voices trying to drown me in cries of inadequacy, paralyze me with fear

but here i am

held by One who won't let me stumble

who leads me to the knowledge i know i'm lacking

and adds some extra pieces i didn't know were missing.

California Sneak Peak

What a weekend! Details to come later -- they deserve some time and effort to write about to get the justice they deserve. That'll have to wait until after report cards and conferences (my first ever!! YIKES!) are said and done in a few days, though.

For now suffice it to say...wow. Loved every bit of it. :)

I'll leave you with a few snippets:

"kidnapping"

6 a.m. (CT) bedtime

late-night golf course walks

stargazing

laughter...lots and LOTS of laughter

made-up songs in the car

new-founded friendships and refreshed old-founded friendships

photographs galore

love and beauty in so many ways

and

o f c o u r s e

"Every day I'm shufflin'."

[cuz "I've got the moves like Jagger."]

Low-Key Traveling Adventures

Wow, so this is what it's like to have a normal flying experience...so different than last time.

Today's new adventure was finding cheap airport parking for a few days. I had a place picked out online but did not so much write down the address. My bad. Found one, though, so whew.

I did a pretty good packin job, I must say. Then again, the next few days will test that.

Except I forgot headphones. :(

But here we go, boarding for Sacramento!!! :)

On Voicelessness

I started losing my voice yesterday. A sore throat literally came outta nowhere, and then my voice started to go. "What the what?" I thought to myself.

I went through my typical 5 stages that come along with a bodily ailment:

1) Denial -- "No, no. I'm not really getting a sore throat, I just think I'm getting one. I'm just talking too much. I'm just not going to think about it, and it will go away."

2) Anger -- "Ugh, I'm seriously not getting sick again. I was just sick, what, a week and a half ago? Man, I know they said first year teachers get sick a lot, but come on, body. Get your act together. I cannot pencil in any illness until next weekend."

3) Bargaining -- "Okay, if I just talk at lower volumes as much as possible, drink lots of water and tea tonight, and don't talk at all after 3:15, will you please come back, voice? I'll never take you for granted again if you just come back now. Please?"

4) Depression -- "My body's just never going to be healthy at all until May." *Long, drawn-out, pathetic sigh* "What was it like to feel healthy? Oh, those were the days. Le sigh."

5) Acceptance -- "Alright, so my throat hurts. And I can't sing. Or talk as much. Meh. At least I don't have a fever. It could be worse."

I whined to my aide for a little bit about it, talking about how much it would stink to not have a voice this weekend especially. I keep telling people I pretty much sound like a man right now. She was quick to encourage me, though, saying, "You are a groomsmaid. You can just tell people you are just really trying to play the part." I laughed so hard that I kind of sounded like a mix of a donkey and a seal.

Uh oh, my computer's about to restart for an update.

Another quoteless night. :(

A Case of the Funnies

I have decided I have a ridiculous sense of humor. I've also decided that it makes me laugh, so it can't be all that bad. Like the way I want to take "humorous" and make a joke about "humor-us". It's not even fully formed, but I'm already giggling.

*crickets*

Yeeeaaah. So, I work with 5 year olds. Sometimes I don't know whose sense of humor is more juvenile...

Anyways, part of the icing on the cake was this comic. Seriously, who doesn't feel this way at some point or another??

The other part was making a mental list of terrible ways to start a wedding toast. I feel like it's necessary to add that none of them are actually included in the toast for Andrew and Jess. I sense a post coming from that...

Don't Hold Me Back

Today has been surprisingly affirming as well as challenging.

It started with my aide calling in sick (Nooo, the stomach bug got her, too!!!) and having 21 kindergarteners to myself. Not as bad as I expected, honestly.

It continued with shoe shopping in Lincoln. A previously unattempted feat...for my feet...yeah. Mission accomplished.

And now it's on to making my own report card. While Microsoft Word is currently winning this round, I plan on beating it into submission before bed. So there.

~"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." [-Alan Alda]~

Gearing Up for Greatness

Progress on Wedding Weekend/Substitute Teachers/Parent-Teacher Conferences Prep:

Most of my lessons for the next 2 weeks are written.

I have a list of forms that need to be made and/or copied.

I have tried on my dress again.

I've been practicing curling my hair.

The toast is written.

Report card prototype is almost done.

Portfolio organization is about half done.

The apartment is (mostly) clean.

Songs about California keep getting stuck in my head.

I am so ready for this next week and a half.

Confessions of an Office Supply Junkie

If you know me well, you know the deep, deep love I have for office supplies. Post-Its and pens are tied for #1, but I love any and all office supplies, really.

Well, not White-Out. That's mostly because I'm just too impatient to let it dry thoroughly before writing on it again which causes a bumpy, icky mess. And that's just awful. I demand perfection on my papers!! Or, well, close to it. [Just ask anyone who has made the unfortunate mistake of writing in my planner or on my notes during class. EEP!!! It takes a lot to render me speechless, but that's nearly one way to do the trick.]

This is serious stuff, people. In college my roommates even knew when I had a really bad day because I would be gone for a while to wander around Walmart [ aka as close to "getting away from it all" as you can get in Seward...if you count running into at least 3 college friends and 1 preschooler/student from a class you have teacher aided in "getting away from it all."] and inevitably return with new pens..

"This is what you get when you grew up with your mother taking you to office supply stores instead of toy stores, Mom!" I often tell my mother in mock-exasperation -- or real exasperation if it's one of the times where she's kidnapped me to go run errands with her for hours. [I have a small shopping tolerance, and it takes a while to stock up that small amount.] She just smiles mock-innocently at me and says sweetly, "But then who would go office supply shopping with me and share the same amount of love I have for it?" Siiiiiiigh. Touche, Mom, touche.

It really is the little things in life, my friends. Little things that increase office organization, functionality, and efficiency in particular.

What can I say? It's a sickness.

But it's this sickness which makes me see articles like this and get excited.

Don't judge me -- I'm a teacher. :)

[*Sigh.* I just tried to search for quotes about office supplies, and I got nutun. Travesty.

The Week Thus Far

So I'm looking at the forecast, and it says thunderstorms from tonight on through the weekend.

I have recess duty tomorrow. This means I may be facing another teaching first: supervising my first K-2 indoor recess. *gulp* Pray for me, friends.

Kidding. It shouldn't be a problem.

This has been one rollercoaster of a week. One minute I feel so discouraged by all that I don't know yet, the next there's some form of affirmation, and the next I couldn't see myself doing anything but this. Every single bit of it is something I wouldn't trade for anything.

One more day til the weekend...so off to bed to recharge. :)

~"...there will always be rocks on the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them." [-Unknown]~

The Saga of the Plane Ticket

[So remember when I said I was going to post about crayon-making today? Scratch that. Expect that later this week. My ten minute nap extended (unbeknownst to me until I woke up) to an hour and a half. And there's much to be done that is not crayon-making tonight. ]

Next weekend I have 2 friends getting married in California. That means it's time to fly again! And I really enjoy flying. From the airports to the people to getting to see new places, it's just fantastic. [...which is good. As much as I love road trips, I won't be ready for another whirlwind weekend of wedding-ness and traveling for a while.]

As much as I love flying, I haven't always had the greatest luck with it. My experiences include, but are not limited to,

1) Flying home for a weekend which brought a cancelled connecting flight from Chicago to Milwaukee and baggage I didn't get until my last day home...making me wonder why I had packed at all and also resolving to never check a bag for a weekend trip again (even when it's an airline that still has free checked bags).

2) Nearly missing my flight home once because I was sitting at the wrong gate and consequently never heard that my flight was boarding. Saved by the airport intercom's last call and their knack for calling names of missing passengers over said system.

3) Losing multiple belts in the security line process. I should probably clarify that they were not confiscated -- I merely am forgetful. The lightbulb wouldn't turn on until later as I wondered why I kept having to pull my britches up again. Ironically enough, I also tend to forget to buy more belts...

4) The infamous trip out here to visit the school I'm currently employed at which involved 1 cancelled flight, an incorrectly rebooked ticket, and more Southwest crackers and peanut packets than any person really and truly needs. The upsides included looking around at the Phoenix scenery for a good long while and getting to spend the night in St. Louis with some fantastic people. :)

I haven't even set foot near the airport yet for this trip, but I already have another experience to add: trying to book my ticket from Omaha to Sacramento.

4 days, 5 phone calls, and many a deep, reassuring breath later, I have my plane ticket. I tried to book it online Sunday, and found out my debit card has a daily spending limit. Good to know, yes, but not my preferred means of finding out. One phone call to the bank fixed that, though, so

Monday I'm at it again. No luck online. Called the company, but they did nothing to help aside from blaming my debit card, so off I went to another airline (with the same ticket price! Score!).

Could not get my ticket on their site either, so I called. They confirmed my ticket and said if the card didn't run for some reason, they'd call my bank.

SO...it didn't work and they called to say that I didn't have a booked ticket. Called my bank again, saw everything was okay on that end, and then called the airline again. Talked a nice lady in Texas who got it to work. Yes, I told her she was my hero.

I hope this ticket drama means I met my experience quota already for this trip. Either way, I'm officially California bound in 7 days! West Coast, I hope you're ready for me!!! :)

~"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." [-Amelia Earhart]~

The Looking Silly Side Effect

I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that my job really makes me look goofy sometimes.

Like when I'm doing funny voices to amuse my children,

my sense of humor matches that of a five year old [and makes me wonder who is laughing more,

they convince unathletic me to push them on a tire swing [Putting all of my "practice makes perfect" pep talks in the classroom into action -- they call that modeling!],

doing a terrible job trying to be coordinated enough to move a puppet's mouth and arms at the same time while keeping Jelly's voice the same [ i.e. different from my regular Miss M voice]

I'm popping up and down from the lunch table to remind them to sit and eat.

And that's just some of what happens at school.

At home I still look silly sometimes.

Like when I'm washing a stuffed hippo in my sink [and taking pictures of it for my kids],

drawing things to use during lessons,

surrounded by mountains kindergarten drawings and papers to look over,

fighting bedtime at the end of the night by getting one last drink of water...three times.

And then there was tonight.

Walking around the neighborhood with a plastic baggie for leaves, pine needles, pods, acorns, pine cones -- all of different shapes, sizes, and colors [ our favorite ways to sort]...because a grown woman [ who resembles a teenager] never looks strange doing that, right?

And there's the muffin tins.

True story: most muffin tins yield muffins. But did you also know they can yield crayons? More on that tomorrow. I have to make more crayons and will document the process. It's definitely something I'd suggest trying at home. Unless, of course, you're under the age of 10 and operating the oven alone. In that case it's a no-go.

~"To teach is to learn twice." [-Joseph Joubert]~

Musings on Motivation

Last night I was rereading a bunch of helpful things I got from a conference about this time last year, hoping to come across either a great devo or inspiration for one since I'm leading staff devos this week.

[True story: I get a little nervous working with kids. I get super-nervous working with adults.]

I rediscovered a lot of great material, and much of it happened to be the very reminders I need right now to calm my nervous, worrying self.

One of the best reminders: "You will never have a sense of completeness in your work."

So. True. But here I was worrying (on top of worrying) about that feeling. I thought that I was stressing out too much but didn't know how to stop. Turns out I'm normal. Whew.

But wait a second...how true is that just in life? How often do we feel like we should/could do more with areas of our lives?

And that feeling of completeness I'm sure isn't completely absent. [I say this thinking back to just a few short weeks ago when I felt the ending of an era as I printed my teaching license and then sought the perfect spot to display that blood-sweet-and-tears-and-student-loans-bought diploma.] But I had to wonder if it's not in some way dangerous not to feel incompleteness sometimes. Maybe it's that feeling of never being done that really is the reason we do more to begin with.

Without it it'd be too easy to fall into the complacent trap of comfort. Never growing. Never doing. Just being.

I'd rather never be "done."

~"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire." [-Arnold H. Glasow]~

The Love/Hate Relationship in The Apartment

My Internet router and computer have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes they play nicely, but other times they just don't want to be on speaking terms.

I often find myself glaring at my computer and asking it (in my head, of course), "Why can't you be more like the iPod? It never has problems with the router."

But then my computer laughs at me...in its own way, of course...which is to, once again, stop cooperating with the router.

Siiiiigh. And here I was feeling all awesome for hooking that thing up myself. Thanks, computer, for humbling me.

I've realized that some times are worse than others for these two to butt heads, though, including (but not limited to):

- While I'm entering in Scholastic book orders online. [That was a fun couple of hours, let me tell you.]

- While I am booking plane tickets for California.

- While I am paying for anything online, really.

- While I'm trying to quickly look up information on anything while talking to someone on the phone...like whether or not HP7P2 has come out on DVD yet. [It hasn't.]

-When Da Bears are playing and I've got the Chicago radio station's livestream going.

I'm sure there are other times, but these are the ones that have really come to my attention this weekend.

~"Man is a slow, sloppy, and brilliant thinker; the machine is fast, accurate, and stupid." [-William M. Kelly]~

Caught in the [Natural] Details

the sunlight makes the fields turn from crops to gold

and while the crops wait together with anticipation...

the trees drag their colored leaves slowly across the sky.

the trees become engulfed in the flames of fall

and the leaves dance in even the slightest breath of wind.

yes, God is in these details. more than that, His love is in these details. what else can explain these little phenomenons i often overlook? exactly -- nothing else can sum it up.

and tonight, that love is all i need because it feels as real as

the sunshine that warmed me as i walked along

the branches brushing my hair as i maneuvered my camera amongst the leaves

the sound of music coming through my headphones

the concrete path under my feet

this beauty brought peace to my mind, dusting off the place it hasn't occupied for some time, and stealing some of my breath.

~"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes." [-e.e. cummings]~

Recent Realizations

1. Despite all of the warnings people have given me about not having a life outside of teaching, I really don't have a life outside of teaching right now.

2. It won't always be this way. I know this because I'm slowly finding myself having more time as I learn where to find things, where to turn for help, and falling into a routine to try to stay ahead of the game a bit.

3. My time management isn't always that great. But when I think about it, I can figure out some areas where time is wasted instead of going to something necessary, and it's fixable.

4. The first step in trying new things is finding places to do them. Example: there is a place where Zumba is taught that's very, very close to my apartment as well as very, very inexpensive. Score. And all it took to find it was a little online searching and an email to an instructor. More possibilities await my typing fingertips...when time allows, of course.

5. I have a love/hate relationship with having to schedule things so far in advance these days. And by that I mostly mean trips home, to see friends, etc. But I love that it gives me something to look forward to, something to count down to. [ Thanksgiving is 55 days away, in case you were wondering. And New Years is 92 days away.]

6. There is no such thing as too much of the following things in the kitchen: orange juice, Gatorade, crackers, tea, water, cereal, Lysol, or paper towels.

7. There is nothing wrong with recognizing your body's limitations, especially when your body is telling you to slow down. I used to think that calling into work or missing class was the end of the world, but now I've realized it's just negligent if you don't take care of your body. It's hard to put your passion into doing what you love when you're not feeling well enough to.

8. This isn't a recent realization, but it's just one that can't be said enough: There are some truly amazing people in my life. :)

~"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." [-Irish proverb]~

The Best Laid Plans...

A while ago I made a list about reasons why I enjoy having my own apartment. Today while I was lying on the couch feeling so yucky that I didn't even want to go get my own glass of water and cursing my procrastination on grocery shopping, I was composing a list of reasons why it kind of stinks to live alone.

I had every intention of making that tonight's post...but then I started thinking about how many ways living alone has challenged me to become more independent and to prove to myself that I'm capable in many more ways than I thought. And yes, sometimes it downright stinks to be an adult taking care of myself, but the benefits far outweigh a day or two of feeling sick and having to take care of myself.

Coming across this list didn't hurt, either, of course.

And Batman the Pig, while tough and fast, was just not tough and fast enough. He came in 2nd in our heat and did not qualify for the final round. But he had fun. The kids did, too.

~"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." [-a revised version of Robert Burns' famous line from "To a Mouse"]~

My First Vlog: Pig Racing

This just says it all. And proves my job is fun....and a lot of work....but did I mention fun? :)

Sentimentality

I've got the kind of mind that holds on to dates and likes to recall things on that exact day in later years. I like to take a minute to reflect on what's changed since then, and usually I'll pray about it, too. Sometimes the words are few, but sometimes my heart just unleashes words that have been building for a while.

Life is made up of all kinds of memories of experiences that make us who we are today.

And usually those memories of mine have soundtracks to them, too. You know what I mean -- those songs that carry you back to the day with somebody and brings snippets of conversations and emotions to mind as well.

Here's a piece of my soundtrack...but I'm keeping the memories to myself. [Sidenote: It really bugs me that the video does NOT match the song at all...why, Train? Why?]

Ideas in This Head of Mine

Sometimes my brain has an idea and then just doesn't let it go.

There are a few of those in my head right now, and they are just downright distracting.

Time, patience, and prayer will tell if these things come to fruition or flop.

In the meantime, a girl can hope and dream, and that's what this girl will continue to do.

~"If at first the idea is not absurd then there is no hope for it." [-Albert Einstein]~

The Greatest Sales Pitch Ever

So as a general rule of thumb I'm kinda cautious about buying fundraiser things because, let's be honest, sometimes you pay too much for something that really isn't that great. [Yes, I remember all of those things my schools used to try to get us to sell. I think wrapping paper was just about the stupidest one. Or was it the wreaths?] I'm willing to cave for good causes, though...like Boy Scouts or what have you.

[Disclaimer: Being on the teaching end now, I must add that yes, I do understand why these sales are necessary and respect that. I still, however, do not enjoy sales of any variety. This is why I am a teacher and not a sales person. That's all you, Matt.]

So about two weeks ago this boy came into my classroom and asked, "Hey, do you drink coffee?" Why yes, yes I do. Like it's going out of style, in fact. "Would you like to buy some?"

My interest was piqued at this point. I asked what he was selling it for. He answered that it was for his football team, and elaborated when asked to say they were raising money for new gear that wasn't falling apart.

Wait, wait, wait. Buy coffee to support football? The only thing better than that would be buying it at the stadium while watching football.

So I bought some coffee which will in turn buy some better gear for those football boys. I opted for the box with the samples of different flavors, dreaming of Saturday mornings where I could drink my yummy flavors in leisure.

And here I am. Today's flavor happens to be Rain Forest Nut Creme, and it's delicious. Kinda like hazelnut, almond, and vanilla in one cup.

"And there you have it, kids, the story of how I met your mother."

...and by that I really mean how I caved to a young boy's quest for funds...and also the recipe for getting me to buy something. That's right, combine coffee, football, and children, and I'm faced with an offer I can't refuse.

~"Coffee makes me invincible. But when the cup is empty, I return to mere mortal." [-Terri Guillemets]~