Better An Idiom Than An Idiot

I feel like this should be of extreme importance since it's the 100th post...

Okay, confession time.

One thing that I was really excited about when I was preparing for college was the opportunity to take etymology classes. I love finding out definitions and origins of words. It's a sickness, I know. A rare one, even.

Writing is a release for me. I've been journaling since about 5th grade and free-writing since middle school. I embraced blogs as an opportunity to share my writing with others. I love the art of it, the look of words on a page with the different curves and lines, and even the very act of it.

It is a huge accomplishment to harness words to truly say what you mean. That, my friends, can't be done without a familiarity with words.

Words are powerful. I don't want them to merely be acquaintances I call on occasionally. No, I want words to be an ally.

Not everyone is ready for full-fledged etymology of words. That's okay. I leave you instead with the etymology of phrases in our language.

Idioms

More idioms


How's that for legendary? 

Inexplicable Attractions

While we were hiking around this weekend at Branched Oak, I got the opportunity to take a lot of pictures that I'm pleased with and will put on Facebook soon. It's been a while since I got the chance to just take pictures and experiment with the different settings on my camera. I miss getting to do that. I need to do that more often.

I was drawn to a specific tree for some reason. I took so many pictures of it, and I'm not quite sure why it was so captivating.

Then it struck me. We can't always explain why we get so caught up in something. We're not sure what specifically draws our attention to it, but we can't take our eyes off of it. All we can do is soak it in and enjoy it for what it is.

It almost has an air of majesty to it...

~"Love is listening to each other with the heart...hearing what is often unspoken."~

Going on the Favorites...

The scene: 5th grade classroom in a small Nebraska farm town. Math class.

The characters: 17 wonderful students and 1 aspiring teacher.

[It is halfway through math class, and the students have completely gotten the material except for one or two students. The aspiring teacher seeks other ways to work through the problem to help the last few students understand. The kids are working hard, though, and being great sports about it.]

Teacher: Wow, you guys are rock stars.

Student A(without missing a beat): Rock stars don't do math.

Student B: Yeah, they have servants to do that for them.

Teacher: Servants, really?

Students: Yeah.

Teacher: I just don't think that's true.

Student: Yeah, they hire people and stuff to do their math.

Teacher: I'm pretty sure they still have to do math at some point during their day.

Student: No, other people do it all for them.

Teacher: Well, in this class, rock stars do math. At least until 11:15. Let's get to it.

[end scene]



Confession: I was that teacher. And that conversation really did happen.

I love my students.

Agreeing With That Isaiah Guy...

It's a week where life's coming at me hard. 

There's all of this student teaching stuff, but I haven't been able to fully keep my mind wrapped around that. I'm not worried, per se, but there's a lot on my mind. Most of it has to do with unknowns and things that are beyond my control right now, like post-graduation life. 

Despite the volume of things weighing on my mind, there's a sense of peace there that's fantastic. A friend told me not to question that peace from God, and he was right. So, here I am, not worried, but I am caught up in contemplating the possibilities. And honestly, I wish I knew more instead of having all of these uncertainties before me. 

One certainly I do have, though, is that I'm open to anything at this point. 

My sophomore year at CUC had the theme of  "Here I am, Lord, send me." It was derived from Isaiah. And here's where I'd reference the exact passage if I had any idea off the top of my head (I don't). We heard that section of Scripture and sang the hymn so many times that it became a joke, but now those are words I can't chase from my mind. All I can do is adopt it as my attitude. 

Do you ever have those times where you are frustrated by not being able to foresee the future? Have you noticed a correlation between your attitude about a situation and your stress level?

That sounds like it'd be the hook for some infomercial about some great product. Hmmm...what kind of product could I follow that introduction up with?

~"Self expression: Try it." [a youtube video]~

Growth

It was a week of a lot of growth, and for that I'm thankful. Relationships with my students are growing and blowing my mind, and the list of things I'm learning continues to grow.

I had my first tango with sub plans for Friday since I had a conference to attend. The conference was an amazing chance to have fears allayed and questions answered with some of the more technical aspects of teaching (the interview/call process, that first year, classroom management, and challenges we'll face). It was our chance to talk with some people with many years of experience who gave us the real scoop and let us ask any questions that came to mind. No sugar coating here, folks.

All in all, there were so many steps forward this week.

On top of all that, I got some amazing times with friends this week. There were a few much-needed conversations, and a few late nights that were completely worth it. It was a chance to reflect on how there's no going back to what we once knew as normal -- being together, having few unknowns with each other's lives, and being able to be there for one another without hesitation. Life is getting in the way of the way it used to be. It's beautiful to move forward with life, but it's tragic to say goodbye to how it used to be.

I can't believe the weekend is already mostly over, though. Time flies...

~"I never hesitate to fall, I forgot how much I wanted it all, and my dreams are getting used to you..." ["More Of It" - Leigh Nash]~

Don't Be Afraid

...to surprise yourself once in a while. 

You may realize you're more capable than you thought.

Maybe you'll discover a hidden passion for something.

Perhaps you'll see a desire to learn something new, something you would've never thought to explore.

Maybe true feelings about something (or someone) may come to light.

Whatever it is, embrace it. Explore it. When you have an open mind, you'll learn more about yourself than you expected.

~"I guess if we don't jump we'll never know if we can fly." ["New Strings" - Miranda Lambert]~

Back to the Platte.

I love weekends on a normal basis, but my appreciation for them really goes up after a few less-than-stellar days in the classroom. I'm hoping this upcoming week holds some better days.

Friday was fantastic. The drive to Omaha while rediscovering how great the Newsboys are was therapeutic. Hanging out with Joel was even more so. Great homemade pizza and a beer never hurts, either, mind you.

Saturday was an eventful day. Let me encourage you to resist the urge to leave Omaha on a Husker game day at the same time the entire rest of the population of Omaha is leaving to get to the game. If you know anything about Husker football, you know that I'm only partially exaggerating about that number. If you choose to ignore this warning, at least make sure you factor in an extra 45 minutes to make it anywhere. That drive on the back roads, though, was fantastic. It was like a taste of driving at home. I loved it. What can I say? Driving on back roads with the windows down and great music is one of my guilty pleasures in life.

Made it back out to Platte River State Park on Saturday with a group of friends for a cookout. It was about a week of planning, and it was amazing. We collaborated on food/supplies, and so we had a lot of great food. We also explored. We climbed an 84 ft observation tower for an amazing view of NE scenery and the river itself, a high point for a Midwest-lovin' girl like me. We also got to explore a tee-pi, a cut out of a buffalo, and a trail. Capped off that great Saturday with a movie and a beer with a friend.

I've come to the conclusion that my life will not be complete without getting to experience camping in a tee-pi. Who's with me??

~"You know you're a phlobotomist when you can look at someone and say, 'Yeah, I could tap that.'" [-Part of our cookout conversation...and future t-shirt.]~