True Story

A Girl Can Get a Lot of Thinking Done in 2 Hours

I got to drive a two hour round trip today for a 10 minute meeting that I nearly missed (that's another story).

Lincoln brings back so many vivid memories. Even just the drive makes me nostalgic: I pass by the town I went to school in, and a little later I pass the first place I student taught.

[So really this post should be titled something along the lines of  "there's a lot of time for a girl to think and a lot of prompts to get a girl thinking in 2 hours."]

Life has been beautiful lately. I love my job, the people I'm surrounded by, and everything going on. It's a blur of planning and prepping school things, our house, and our wedding, but even in the stress and crazies of never having enough time I am overwhelmed with how wonderful these things are. I'm trying my best to soak up as much of it as I can and to remind myself of the beauty when it feels like too much.

I am in shock that time's gone by so fast, though. Now the end of the school year is just one week away.

Then comes the goodbyes.

When the door closes behind me when I leave after our closing service, I will no longer officially be a kindergarten teacher.
I will only have "my" classroom until I take my stuff out.
I will no longer be a rookie -- my first teaching job will be over.

I will walk down the steps and walk toward the steps to the next chapter of life...a new marriage, a new city, and a new job search adventure.

Thanks be to God. 

The kids will be singing this next week at our closing service. It's been stuck in my head with all of our practicing, but it's also been stuck on my heart.

Ready to Fly

Up way too late to get things done before leaving, as per usual. It merely increases the odds that I'll be able to nap on the plane a little.

But here are some fun facts about this trip already, kids.

I checked in for my flight already online to discover
1) it's a tiny plane...the kind with a row of single seats on one side of the plane and two on the other.
2) an empty single seat near the front of the plane.

Schwing!

It's not that I don't like to be social on flights. I don't mind. I just also find a sort of zen place while in the air. I love getting absorbed intermittently into staring out the window, music, reading, playing some games, or even just closing my eyes to get lost in my thoughts. It's kind of blissful.

I also got a coupon for $1 off/day. Okay, granted, it's probably like 2 days that I'll end up getting charged for, so it's $2 saved, but hey, I will take my $2 and use it for...um....snacks or coffee or something. Yeah. That evens out the raised prices of those things at the airport, right?

Unless, of course, I lose that stinkin' ticket thing. You know, they tell you to take it with you. I don't listen to that. I had a bad experience once listening to that. That's a story for another day, though...

For now, back to the last bit o' packing before some sleep...gotta keep up with a busy kindergarten schedule tomorrow as we continue making up for lost time with 2 snow days...eep!

Closing Out [2012]

This year...

learning 

making and admitting mistakes 

romping with the pups and the boyfriend

saying goodbye to my first kindergarten class

road trips 

roommate reunion (BFAW) minnesota-style 

a real summer break

florida

traveling with my love

saying hello to the second class

a boyfriend becoming a fiance

a dear friend's wedding 

friends having babies 

growing responsibilities 

God at work through it all

Next year...

many new beginnings

with some new   

                      k  i  n  d  s  

                                     of new beginnings 

a new home

with a new husband 

traveling 

weddings, weddings, and more weddings 

and many, many more

but God will remain the same. 

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.