A Life Update

I've been thinking lately...since last school year at this time I have had the joy of adding an adorable dog to my home and fell in love with an amazing man and his dog...therein getting a life outside of school beyond just cleaning the apartment or the occasional social outing. :) This year for school I've also taken over Midweek at church, which is an hour-long class about the background knowledge the public school kiddos at school need for Confirmation (which the kiddos at our school get it at school during Bible class).  I have 3 5th grade girls, and it's a nice change from 16 kindergarteners. I love all of these changes!!! 

It's that time of year where my students and I have each other figured out pretty well, routines are mastered (or on the brink thereof), and I can try more and more new things with them as their independence continues to grow. In the past month I've seen an explosion of an interest in reading and especially in writing, and that makes me pretty excited! It honestly gets a bit more fun once those light bulbs start turning on because their enthusiasm increases as frustrations decrease. Those light bulb moments are what a teacher lives for.

Our Christmas program is just around the corner now, so our schedule goes out the window for a while, but I love all of the things we get to do around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I feel like this is a month of hard work, but it's also packed with fun. Then we get two weeks off to celebrate with our families, rest up, relax, and come back refreshed and ready to tackle all sorts of new things. 

Tim has been an absolutely amazing blessing, especially during the tough start to this school year where there were many days I'd come home and just cry my eyes out for a while. He's been my voice of reason encouraging me to take some time to slow down and relax, especially when I've been at my wit's end about one thing or another. He's my supporter, my helping hands, my adventurer, and my nurturer. He's my best friend and my love, and I love to think that it started out with him just being my neighbor. It's like part of my life is a fairy tale. (He's probably going to be blushing after he reads this...and yet he continues to put up with my antics!)

This coming weekend we get to go and see some old friends from college, and I'm SO excited for that. I'm even more excited to see one of them get MARRIED to an amazing woman! It's going to be fantastic! (I purposely picked "fantastic" for you, Nord.:P)

So things are good. No, wait. Things are great. 

I'm glad Thanksgiving gives us an annual pause to think about how much we've grown and the many, many ways we are blessed. It's hard not to smile thinking about so many wonderful things, big and small, in our lives, isn't it? And giving thanks makes a heart happy. 

Enjoy your time to pause on Thursday and think about all of the blessings in your life. Happy Thanksgiving!

God Is At Work

Ideas for the classroom are overflowing...and so is the excitement to make these ideas happen.

I worry that time and energy will try to thwart these plans, but I am ready to take action on not being able to do it all on my own -- accepting that I can't do it alone is just not enough to lift the weight on my shoulders from the daunting list of things that some of these projects involve. 

Shameless plug: Anyone willing to road trip out some weekend (SOON) to help...I will pay you in a comfy place to sleep, the beverages of your choice, and food! [Yes, I'm actually kinda serious, friends and family!]

These projects that I'm excited to make happen are much-longed for solutions to obstacles to efficiency or to  issues in the classroom that have gone unsolved through year 1 and thus far of year 2. Many prayers, tears, and sleepless nights have happened, so now I'm brimming with the excitement and thanksgiving for God bringing these ideas (and SO MANY RESOURCES!) to make them happen. 

It's always awesome when God answers prayers, but it seems like a nearly-overwhelming gift when He's asked you to be patient about it. It seems like there's barely been any wait on some other prayers lately, though! Things are falling into place so well that it's almost hard to believe. Sometimes you brace yourself thinking it will be so difficult for something to happen, but then you just have to laugh when God's like, "Hey, here you go, let me just open that door for you because it's exactly what I want you to do next!" 

I've noticed it seems to be going that way for a lot of people around me right now, too. What a gift to be able to see God at work in so many different ways in the lives of those around me. It's not always through great joy -- some of it has caused some heartache, I know -- but it seems like the growth is outta control right now. (Anyone else feeling this way?!?) 

How awesome to be able to share such joy with each other at how God draws us closer to Him! 

A Little Triumph, Hope, and Laughter

That surging feeling of joy and satisfaction in moments of being able to see growth from year one of teaching to year two

report card revision rather than writing and formatting from scratch
slightly more organization
less fear of taking on problems and
brainstorming solutions
a bigger arsenal of knowledge to turn to 
a mind open to imperfections and
the beauty in ever-changing and evolving plans
the ability to breathe,
take and break
into manageable and achievable little mounds to get to mountain tops.

Letting God take control of a situation after He's given me an abundance of proof that I can't do it alone

the best option isn't the easy one
but the right course immediately bringing peace
the words my heart needs and 
words to shut my mind off 
joy replacing frustration, anxiety
being able to sleep once more

The little things in life that bring laughter

things heard and remembered
unbeknownst to them and 
what's meant to be heard
that make me smile and 
chases away obligation
opening the view of the blessing
the treasure of the hours within
the four walls with them

Because just like Moses and the Israelites wandering in the desert on the way to the Promised Land
whining about the lack of food and water but
being answered with sweet manna and water from a rock and a stick
or
like Naomi and Ruth being left on their own in a culture dependent on men as the workers but
with a need to eat
finding relief in gathering wheat and a generous farmer

God provides.

And Just Like That, Fall Is Here

It feels like fall has really permeated everything now.

 As I was driving along one day, I suddenly noticed that the spots of color here and there have become entirely golden trees. It seemed like just a day later all of the hints of orange, coppery reds, and browns pushed  the remaining green away to scattered spots.

The a/c has been off for a while now. I've even had nights where I've had to shut windows from being too chilly. The mornings are crisp, and the air has taken on that subtly sweet scent that comes with fallen leaves.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you that a tiny dog shivering is very dramatic. Squirt was definitely shivering this morning in the apartment. I had to put on one of his little doggy sweaters so he didn't turn into a Squirtsicle. [Can't imagine what it'll be like when the poor thing has to deal with the snow again for the first time if he's already started to get so cold...but I sense it'll make for some post material.]

"Look at him. Treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats, that's all he cares about."*

Fall scents like pumpkin-y spiced things have become the candles of choice in my apartment, and my fall smell is in the Scentsy warmer.

Pants and long sleeves are getting comfier by the day.

Sleeping under the covers is no longer optional.

Yes, it's fall...the time of some of my favorite things -- aside, of course, from a shivering pup.

*from "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" ...coming to a blog near you soon. :)

The Black Hole Effects

I've come to think of my classroom as a bit of a black hole when it comes to time. I can look at the clock, get to work on something, and an hour is suddenly gone when I happen to glance at the clock again.

Time slips away so magically like that mostly when I'm there trying to improve the classroom in some way/shape/form or get some plans done.

When the kiddos are there, sometimes 10 minutes can feel like an hour. Quite often, though, time slips away quickly and quickly (much like the way I try to convince them to get in line).

But I'm coming to realize this effect is slowed a little by working on things outside of the classroom's walls.

Slowed, not stopped.

Because even sitting here at my desk in the apartment it's gotten to be far past bedtime...yet it was 10 last I was aware of the time.

This clashes with all of the talk people give of making sure one is properly rested to tackle what challenges comes with a day in the classroom. Or that "stress management" is a reality more than a TV show in the background while something else is getting done or ignoring a few dishes in the sink for the sake of a few minutes to contact someone at home so they know I'm still breathing out here.

Then again, I'm well aware that the start of a school year means the end of feeling rested and truly relaxed as a teacher knows it until summer rolls around again. Long weekends are just an excuse to get some procrastinated housework or errands done; long breaks are for traveling to see family.

The number of hours in the day somehow is never enough. Somehow things get done, lessons get taught with everything being there, and I make it through the day still standing, but I wish more days afforded the opportunity to sit back and relish the successes, contemplate solutions to the failures, and to recognize the progress we're making...and a nap.

I love teaching...but I don't love so many shades of  "tired."

Or the rascally clock.

Bonus Blog!

I haven't been one that's been too great about branching out in the blogging world, but I have a few fellow blogger friends that are. One of them is a friend from back in the good ol' college days, and I love reading her blog. Emily is witty, honest, and gets you thinking. Check out her blog HERE! :)

Recently Emily nominated me for a blogging award!

Thanks, Emily! This may just be the kick in the butt I need to blog regularly again!

Well, this award has a few rules that go along with it...

1.Nominate up to 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.
2. Let your nominated bloggers know that they have been nominated for this award.
3. Share seven random facts about yourself.
4. Thanks the blogger who nominated you in a blog post linking them back to their blog.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger picture to your post.

Alright, two of those steps are now complete. I'll save the nominating part for later...but here are 7 random facts about me.

1. If I weren't a teacher, I would still want to work with kids. I love their energy, optimism, creativity, and imaginations at work. I also love how playful and silly they are. Never a dull moment with kids!

2. I love, love, love watching football. My two favorite teams to watch are Da Bears and the Huskers. Sometimes I get really into it though and talk back to the TV...oops?

3. I really like to crochet. It takes me forever to get any and all projects done, but it's relaxing. It's something I taught myself how to do so that I could sit still long enough to watch some TV or movies in college. I call it one of my "old lady tendencies."

4. I really like to travel! I especially like getting to go to new places, and I love flying in planes to get to those places. In the past year I've gotten to go to California and Florida, and both were brand new places for me. I also got to head up to Minneapolis on a road trip for an annual Best Friend Appreciation trip, and it was a blast. :)

5. My absolute favorite season is fall. I love the smells, the colors, the flavors (so many spiced things!), and the weather. You get to wear cozy clothes, snuggle up with blankets, and drink warm things, but it's not so cold that you are freezing all the time.

6. I'm a sucker for home improvement shows. When I'm at Tim's, we pretty much have DIY Network on all the time. If we do change the channel, it's usually to HGTV for House Hunters or Love It or List It. They are just fun to watch, and it's fun to imagine what kinds of projects are possible to take on someday.

7. If I could, I would walk around in bare or sock feet ALL the time. But that'd be silly...and cold. :)

Holding Back

We all get stuck in ruts sometimes. It can creep up on us so easily -- that's the problem. You have a routine you are comfortable in before something shifts. It can be as simple as a change in schedule or being caught up in other things. Whatever the reason, that one change can make it easy enough to come up with excuses not to go back to that routine. Suddenly you find yourself missing that old routine, but you aren't sure how to make it happen again.

That's how it's been with blogging for me. Well, writing at all, really.

Part of it is the frustration of one of those phases where nothing was quite coming together the way I had hoped when I would approach the keyboard. I have a number of posts I started but abandoned because they seemed awful. That frustration branched into the idea that nobody would be interested in what I was writing about anyway. That, my fellow writers, is where we really get ourselves into trouble if we let ourselves buy into that mentality.

The second you start letting what others think affect your writing is the exact moment when the joy of writing seems to have faded. Sure, sometimes we write for others, but we mostly write for the sake of expression. Holding those words in becomes a burden when enough of them have built up inside. Writers NEED to ooze words. It's our very nature.

Don't let yourself hold back. Whether you blog, journal, or whatever, just let those words pour out.

Those of you who don't write can heed these words, too. Do what you are passionate about; don't let anyone, including yourself, stop you. Holding out on our passions and talents, friends, is just a matter of excuses. Take some time to plan when you will connect with your passion again.